Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, I decided to skip the remaining FTEs. Apologies for those who want to see more, but I really wanted to get to the meat of the chapter; and the remaining ones were either not that important, or don't really fit with the characters' progression within the main story (Mainly Toko). So yeah, we're heading directly to the climax now (Though there is a little something I added here. Hope that'll make up for it, if only just a bit).
Also, quick note: I decided to make my Pat (P.a.t.r.e.o.n) account be purely for my fanfics, at least for the time being. After some thinking about it, I figured that I would rather make any original content the old fashion way, rather than use content websites to drip chapters of any books I make.
So, yeah, my Pat account will be for those who read my fics and would like to give monetary support for them (Which I hope you'll do). Anyways, onto the chapter. I hope you enjoy.
P.S. If you don't feel comfortable donating through P.a.t.r.e.o.n, let me know of another site/method for doing so. I'm open to ideas.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
Chapter 93: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 5
The next scene showed Makoto waking up from his bed, looking pretty out of it. 'My body feels so heavy this morning…' The luckster groaned. 'It must be because I was up so late last night.'
And of course, that got some concerned looks from the group. "You think future Makoto's okay?" Hina asked worriedly.
"Let's not worry just yet. Like he said, it may be just because he was up later at night." Kyoko interjected.
"Y-Yeah…" Makoto nodded in agreement with the detective. "I probably just need the chance to wake up more."
It then transitioned to the lucky student entering the dining hall; and being met with an irritated Byakuya. "You're one minute late, Makoto. How do you explain this?"
"Seriously, dude?" Leon, along with a few others, gave Byakuya incredulous looks. "You're pulling a Taka?"
"And what's wrong with Byakuya's statement?" Taka, of course, had no issue with the comparison. "It's important to stay punctual, especially during events like these! I'm more surprised Byakuya would feel similarly, considering his past lateness!"
Leon stared at the moral compass for a moment, before looking back at the Togami heir with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't compare me with the walking rule-book." Was all Byakuya said, crossing his arms defensively. "It is only when it comes to important events and tasks that I require punctuality."
"Meaning… anything you deem important?" Sayaka deadpanned.
"I fail to see how that's any different from what I just said."
"S-Sorry. I'm not feeling so great today." Makoto explained, still looking rather weak.
"You r-really think a tired excuse like that i-is gonna work?" Toko retorted irritatingly.
"Huh?" Hiro looked at the writer in confusion. "Are you allowed to talk again?"
"I don't recall giving you permission…" Byakuya spoke in agreement.
"Oof!" Junko voiced out with a snicker. "She just got snitched on…!"
In response, Toko aimed a bitter glare at Hiro, who raised his hands up defensively. "Hey, I was just saying! Thought you would follow that order until he says otherwise…!"
"Given her obsessed devotion to him, it's not a far-fetched thought, honestly…" Celeste remarked mockingly. Toko growled a little at that, but stayed silent, again not wanting to confirm or deny such claims.
"Huh…?" Toko looked shocked at that. "I-I just thought… I mean, since a d-day had passed, it had maybe r-reset…"
The writer then began quivering and groveling. "S-S-S-Sorry! Please don't hate me! Whatever my p-punishment is, I'll accept it! I'll hang a s-sign from my neck that says 'Bad Girl'! I'll clean your bathroom w-with my toothbrush…!"
"And this is why my future self moved to keep that mouth shut…" Byakuya stated, revulsion once again clear across his face. "Disgusting words such as that come out of it."
"...True. And it's not though you encourage such thoughts and words to come about." Celeste stated, nodding in agreement.
"I-I-I-I'm sorry, Master! I promise to not say such dirty words!" Toko began groveling to the Togami heir. "I'll c-clean my mouth t-t-thoroughly to make sure! I s-swear!"
"If you stop making disgusting comments like that, *maybe* I can forgive you." Byakuya responded with clear disgust.
"Th-Thank you! I won't make any more d-disgusting comments, I promise…! If I do, you can stuff m-my mouth full of trash…" A blush then appeared across Toko's face, with heavy breaths following. "As long as i-it's you and no one else, I d-don't mind…!"
"..."
"..."
"It's no use, dude. Gross stuff is coming out of her mouth no matter what…" Leon remarked with a sigh, shaking his head. "Might as well tell Mondo to stop cursing for an hour. You'll have a better chance there."
That earned a snort from the biker himself, making no comment to the claim.
"Just… how can someone enjoy that kind of abuse?" Hina asked, scratching her head in confusion. "I don't get it."
"It's probably best that we don't get it, Hina…" Sakura said with a sigh.
"It's no use. She's disgusting to the bone…" Hiro sighed.
"Anyway, where's Kyoko? I haven't seen her this morning…" Hina inquired. (That caused the students to perk up some more, eyes more focused on the screen)
"Not cool!" Hiro then exclaimed. "This is worse than being late for lunch, for a date, for your wedding, for anything!"
"Maybe she's mad about what happened yesterday, and she's not gonna show up anymore…" Hina suggested with some concern.
"..." A pensive look entered Makoto's face as the group talked about Kyoko's whereabouts. 'I can't tell the others why Kyoko might not be here… the best thing to do right now is just keep quiet.'
"...Think she found out what that key opened up?" Leon inquired, eyebrows furrowed.
"It could be. However, it wasn't the first time Kyoko disappeared, so we can't say for certain yet." Celeste mused.
"True." Sakura nodded in agreement. "It's best we wait until we get more confirmation."
"Whatever her reason, I'm curious to know what she *is* doing." Byakuya stated. "I know she's not in her room, so…"
"Oh yeah, you still have her key, right?" Hiro inquired.
And then suddenly, Monokuma popped up. "Ah, are you looking for Miss Kirigiri?"
"Wgah!" The fortune teller jumped back in shock. "What do you want now?!"
"I'm right, right? You're wondering where Miss Kirigiri is, right?" The bear pestered further.
That got the group tensing up. "W-Why is he asking…?" Hiro asked nervously.
"Does he know, or…?" Hina followed up, just as nervous.
"D-Do you know where she is…?" Makoto asked nervously.
"Hmm… well, it's hard to say…" Monokuma replied nervously.
"Huh?" Hiro looked at the bear in shock. "You don't know, either?!"
"He doesn't know." Byakuya confirmed for the fortune teller, his eyes narrowed. "That's why he's here - to try and prod us for information."
"...And there's our confirmation." The present Byakuya declared, eyes narrowed. "She definitely found out what that key opens."
"And now she's at a place where the mastermind can't see her." Celeste surmised, her eyes also sharpening. "So they're trying to find any sort of clue that would lead them to her."
"It also means… that Kyoko's theory was right." Sayaka added in, recalling what the future detective said earlier. "That the mastermind is limited between watching the monitors and controlling Monokuma."
"Hey, don'tcha hate it when you ask someone what their favorite movie is, and they name some indie bullcrap?" The bear then suddenly spouted off. "
"I feel like I'm g-getting whiplash, the way he changes s-subjects like that…" Toko hissed.
'Thank goodness. It looks like Monokuma really didn't notice…' Makoto thought with relief. 'So I guess our plan went off just fine last night. Which could mean…' A flashback of Kyoko's hypothesis was then shown. 'Could she have been right about that?'
"So… does that mean we one up the mastermind for once?" Hina asked, more eager than nervous this time. "Kyoko and Makoto actually blindsided the bastard?"
"Looks that way, Hina." Sayaka said, a smile entering her lips. "It really looks that way."
"And from the sounds of it, there are places that don't have cameras monitoring our every move." Leon pointed out, now grinning. "Which means Kyoko can do whatever she wants without them knowing!"
"Hell yeah!" Mondo pumped his fist with a grin. "Finally got the fucker in the dark!"
Makoto couldn't help but have an excited smile. Ever since the end of Sakura's trial, the tide has been turning. Their future selves are no longer dancing to the mastermind's tune. Now, the remaining survivors are moving to solve the mystery, defeat the mastermind, and get out of the school; and in turn, this'll give them the knowledge they need to stop this bad future from ever happening.
Junko, however, was much less excited, and had her eyes narrowed at the screen. This definitely wasn't something her future self accounted for. If the amnesiac detective can access places that were barred from her classmates, then it's likely she'll find stuff she isn't meant to find.
How will this shake up the killing game? And what will future Junko do now with these shake-ups happening left and right?
For once, these boring sections of the viewing got her interest.
"So? I was right? You're looking for Miss Kirigiri!" Monkuma continued pushing. "Any idea where she might have gone…?"
"Like we would tell you!"
"Does he think that's something we would inform him on?"
"Even if we had an idea, he would be the LAST person I share it with!"
"I wouldn't even give him any consideration!"
"Go fuck off somewhere else, you glorified teddy bear!"
"...We have no idea." Byakuya answered.
"And even if we did know, we wouldn't tell you!" Hina added fiercely.
"For serious!" Hiro exclaimed in agreement.
"Hmm… I see…" The bear then turned away from them pettily. "Well, fine. Whatever! I don't even care anymore! Sayonara, suckers!"
That merely earned scoffs and middle fingers from the students. "Did he actually think the survivors would reveal anything to him?" Celeste remarked, shaking her head. "Even Hiro would know to keep his mouth shut."
"Can you cut it with the pot shots at me, already?!"
"Probably felt that it was worth a try." Mukuro said with a shrug. "People can do mindless things at times, and not think of the consequences until later."
"Fair enough, I suppose." Celeste conceded.
He then disappeared once again, leaving the group of five to glance around at each other. "So… what was that just now?" Hina asked hesitantly. "Does that mean Monokuma doesn't know where she is, either?"
"It would seem that way…" Byakuya mused thoughtfully.
"Where the heck could she have gone…?" Hiro questioned, frowning.
"Don't you think we should all go look for her?" Hina suggested.
"And how would you suggest we approach that task?" Byakuya retorted. "Even Monokuma can't seem to locate her…"
"Yeah… how can he not know where she is?" Hiro wondered.
"So strange…" Hina hummed herself.
"..." And once again, Makoto was completely silent on this. 'Kyoko must have used that key to sneak into some unknown part of the school…' He thought to himself. 'But somewhere even Monokuma wouldn't notice? Where could it be…?'
"Considering how big the school is? A LOT of places." Leon remarked.
"Totally." Hina bobbed her head in agreement. While not as massive as the new school building, the old one was still pretty spacey.
Meanwhile, Kyoko was silent, merely taking in all the information and excitement. She won't let this get to her head just yet; there's still the chance the mastermind might pull something, and stop her future self's chances at solving the mystery.
But this was a step in the right direction. And with the knowledge this viewing WILL give them all that they need, it gives her confidence this'll lead to something worthwhile.
The scene then shifted Makoto and the others leaving the dining hall, with the luckster not looking any better from this morning. 'Breakfast didn't help me feel any more upbeat, that's for sure.' He thought to himself, letting out a breath. 'I feel like this is more than just me staying up late last night…' The screen then slowly faded to blackness.
And just like that, concern for the lucky student has returned. "Is it a good time to worry now…?" Junko asked, feigning concern over Makoto.
"Yeah, that definitely sounds like more than just late night sleepiness…" Leon remarked with a frown.
Sayaka gave her luckster a worried look. "Hey… do you think you got sick somehow?"
Makoto rubbed the back of his head. "Probably…" He answered sheepishly. "I… do get sick rather easily."
Hina let out a frustrated groan. "I told you before that you're soft! You need to get more training! Stop letting these colds beat you!"
"Um… I don't think it's that simple, Hina…" Chihiro voiced hesitantly.
Hina ignored him, however. "You definitely need to go do my towel massage remedy! That'll make sure you never catch another cold!"
'Would it really…?' Makoto thought with a sweatdrop, wondering how effective her remedy really is. A blush then came soon after, recalling what exactly the swimmer does in her routine.
When the screen lit back up, it showed Makoto walking into his room, looking worse than better. A groan let his lips, as he wrapped his arms around himself. "I'm getting the chills…"
'I feel kinda… dizzy…'
The concern grew further amongst the students, eyes even shifting back and forth from the screen, to the present lucky student.
"Makoto…" Sayaka murmured worriedly, grabbing her crush's arm.
"This illness sounds more and more worrying…" Kyoko stated, eyes narrowed. Silently, she grabbed Makoto's other hand, squeezing it for comfort.
"How did he get an illness this bad…?" Taka couldn't help but ask, eyebrows furrowed.
"Knowing the lucky student, it could be in a variety of ways." Byakuya pointed out, though much of his usual dryness was left from his tone.
The luckster himself couldn't refute that, knowing how bad and unpredictable his luck can be. He could only look at the screen with a frown of his own, hoping that it won't lead to anything worse.
For a moment, Makoto was silent. Then… "I can't help it… I need sleep…"
'Nighttime wasn't for a while, but… I felt like my body had reached its limit…'
"It looks like we'll be skipping those… events, as they are called…" Celeste mused, who appeared to be rather calm. A closer look will tell you that she's anything but, the girl being rather tensed, a hand slightly clenching her skirt, and the underside of her lips being bitten slightly.
"With how bad Makoto looks, I can see why he didn't talk with anyone…" Hina, however, did not bother hiding her worry, and was clearly anxious.
"..." Again, Mukuro didn't speak. Merely clenched her hands together nervously, with her face scrunched up in anxiousness.
With that thought, Makoto dropped onto his bed in a heap. As his head hit the pillow, the screen immediately went black.
Slowly, the screen lit back up to show Makoto's restless sleep, before fading into darkness once more. It did so again and again, showing the luckster shifting in bed, in his fit of restlessness and sickness.
"What the hell kind of bug did the dude catch…?" Mondo questioned, eyebrows scrunched up in worry.
"I don't know, man. But it doesn't look good." Leon remarked, eyeing his friend in concern.
None of the students liked seeing the future Makoto suffer like this. It may not be that serious of a sickness, sure, but it still looked pretty bad nonetheless. So seeing their class representative, their favorite lucky student, out like this is more than a bit unpleasant.
Well, almost none of the students enjoyed this. Junko herself was taking a bit of amusement from this scene. 'Random events always happen with Lucky boy. It can be fun to watch sometimes.' Of course, she had to hold back any giggles bubbling up from her lips.
As the screen faded to blackness once again, a voice spoke through it. "I under…" It started. "Understand…"
'That voice… it's so familiar…' Makoto thought to himself. 'Ah-! It's…'
"I… understand…"
'It's… me…'
That earned a few blinks from a few students. "Is he… dreaming?" Chihiro asked uncertainty.
"It would appear so, Mr. Fujisaki…" Hifumi confirmed, looking curious. "A fever dream, of some sort?"
"But why show this?" Byakuya questioned, crossing his arms. "What importance would such a dream have?"
"We're about to see…" Kyoko was the one to respond to the Togami heir, eyeing the screen with some level of focus.
Slowly, a… version of Makoto appeared in the midst of the darkness. "I… understand…" He repeated once again. "I should… understand everything."
"W-What is he t-talking about?" Toko questioned, a frown of confusion marred on her face. "U-Understand what?"
"Is this some cosmic level warning of some sorts…?" Hiro asked himself, a hand over his chin. "Some sort of glimpse into the future or pasts that'll give him pieces to the mystery of things…"
"Aren't you supposed to be the clairvoyant here, not Makoto?" Leon replied with a sweatdrop.
"Hey, it doesn't mean that others can't tap into the power of clairvoyance from time to time!"
"My goal isn't to get out of here… it's… to stay here."
'...Huh?'
"...What?"
"Huh…?"
"What is he…?"
"Why would…?"
'What am I trying to say…?'
"Hope… this is all… for hope. And that's why… I have to stay…"
And that moment… it began to click in several minds as to what's going on. "Is he… is this a memory of some kind?" Sayaka gasped.
"Rather than just a memory… this feels like this is a Makoto who remembers everything." Kyoko theorized, looking in thought. "The fever he is experiencing… it must be bringing his memories back, at least in some capacity. And we're seeing a lucid realization, or remembrance, from the sick Makoto."
Suffice to say, the group was somewhat stunned by this. "Dude… that luck is yours is something." Leon remarked to his friend. "Can't say what, but it's… something."
"Tell me about it…" Was all Makoto could say, looking pretty resigned to the randomness his lucky status brings him in life.
"So in regards to what he's saying, about 'staying here'..." Taka spoke up, looking pensive. "Is he… talking about Hope's Peak?"
"I can't think of anywhere else he would be talking about." Kyoko answered.
"I have… to stay here."
"Just… what's going on here?" Hina cried out anxiously; confusion, fear, and frustration mixed within her. "What's gonna happen in the future?!"
"Just how horrifying is this Tragedy…?!" Taka questioned right after, looking just as anxious. "Just how bad are these events that require such drastic measures?!"
"Are… Are things outside that bad? To the point a Makoto with his memories would still prefer staying within the building?" Sayaka asked fearfully, the question mainly to herself.
Confusion, anxiety, frustration, these were all feelings felt by the class as a whole. All of them wanted answers, to know what's going outside the walls of Hope's Peak, why Makoto would feel like he needs to stay here. At the same time though… many feared what that answer was. They know that things are bad; they just don't know how bad.
'Is… Is this really all for hope? Truly?' Makoto asked himself, staring at his counterpart pensively. 'If the mastermind didn't do this… if the killing game wasn't brought into the building… if our memories weren't taken… would this have been something that would've brought us hope?'
Finally, the screen flashed back to Makoto in his bed, the boy still looking pretty ill. As the camera got a close-up at his face, the lucky student slowly opened his eyes. "Ah-grh!" He groaned. "My dream just now… what…? So strange…"
His eyes suddenly caught something. "Huh…?" When he got a better look at that something, his eyes popped wide open.
Cause hovering over his bed, was the masked man, with a knife in hand. "Gh-! Gwaaaaah!"
"MAKOTO!" Shrieks practically leapt out of Sayaka's and Hina's mouth.
"NO!" Mukuro stood up from her seat, eyes dilating in fear and skin white as a sheet.
"FUCK!" Both Leon and Mondo cursed out, also standing from their seats.
"T-The masked man!" Chihiro stuttered out, shrinking in terror for his friend.
"Makoto…!" Even Kyoko and Celeste lost their composure, both girls looking fearful for their luckster.
The boy could only stare with wide, fearful eyes, fearful of what might happen to him.
The screen then went black once again, the only thing there being sounds of a struggle and footsteps.
"What's going on?! What's happening?! What are they doing to Makoto?!" Question after question left Hina's lips, the swimmer looking to be on the verge of a panic attack once again.
"He's gonna die! The masked man is gonna kill him!" Hiro shrieked, hands holding his porcupine head. "He's sick, and has nowhere to run! He's done for!"
"S-Stop spreading unnecessary fear like that, Hiro!" Taka quickly chastised the teen, though his voice was wavering some. "We cannot let ourselves devolve into panic!"
"Agreed. We cannot let fear override our thoughts." Sakura spoke in agreement, one of her arms wrapped around the panicked Hina. "After all, the masked assailant was shown to us as a corpse in the beginning."
"But how the hell did that happen? Who killed them?" Leon asked, sounding somewhat frantic. "Cause I know for sure Makoto ain't able to do something like that right now!"
'...He'll be okay… he'll be okay… he'll be okay…' Sayaka repeated in her head, eyes closed shut and small whimpers leaving her mouth. The grip she had on his arm was now iron-tight, to the point where it could easily stop blood circulation.
Kyoko narrowed her eyes in a fierce glare, her mind already going through theories as to the who and the why. Considering the events that has taken place before… It painted a very obvious picture.
Junko, meanwhile, looked at the scene with interest. She immediately knew that it was her doing this, and got a good guess as to why. That amnesiac detective was getting too close to figuring things out, to ruining her plans for despair… so she needed to be taken out. Her, and lucky boy. 'So this is future me's reaction, huh?'
After a moment of struggling, the screen went silent. Then the sound of panting came through, likely from Makoto. Slowly, the screen lit back up, to now show Kyoko in the spot of where the masked man was at. "Nn…?"
"K-Kyoko…?" Chihiro stuttered out.
"Did… did she scare off the masked guy?" Hina asked hesitantly, fearful yet hopeful at the same time.
"Did she know that Makoto was gonna get targeted…?" Hiro wondered, still looking a bit rattled. "Is that why she's here?"
"It could've been just a coincidence…" Byakuya guessed. "Events that we have not seen may have placed her close to Makoto's room…"
"Either way, I'm glad she's there…" Sayaka said with clear relief. Despite that relief, however, she maintained a tight grip on Makoto's arm.
Kyoko, likewise, had a tight grip on Makoto's hand from his other side. Both things the luckster couldn't help but notice, their grips getting close to being painful. All he could do was squeeze back Kyoko's hand for comfort, despite his own fears; the same thing with Sayaka's as well, once he was able to lock fingers together within her grip.
"Kyoko…?"
"..." The girl herself remained silent.
"What the…? What did you…?" Makoto spoke tiredly, still not fully lucid.
"..."
"What did you… say?"
"..."
And once again, the screen slowly went dark.
"What the hell is going on?" Mondo questioned in confused irritation. "The hell are they saying to each other?"
"I guess that Makoto's still too delirious to fully comprehend everything going on…" Sakura mused. "And with this being in his point of view for the most part, we won't be able to comprehend it either."
"Does that mean we won't know what Kyoko or Makoto said to each other, ever…?" Hina asked her friend, now having calmed down some.
"It would appear, so." Celeste answered, also gaining back her composure.
The sound of the bell then entered the speakers, with the screen lighting up to show the usual morning announcement. As soon as the announcement was made, the scene transitioned to show Makoto slowly waking up from his sleep.
A sigh left the lucky student's lips, before he fully got himself up from bed, a drench of sweat being shown across his skin.
Seeing the future lucky student alive and well, if not exhausted looking, caused several to sag in relief. Both Hina and Sayaka let out heavy, relieved breaths, with the idol snuggling closer to Makoto; Mukuro noticeably deflated, a hand placed over her heart as she let out calming breaths; even Kyoko and Celeste had noticeably softened, small sighs leaving their lips.
"Damn. You look like shit, dude." Leon noted to the luckster. "Not that I can blame you, though."
"With both that severe sickness and the assassination attempt, it would be surprising if he didn't look bad…" Taka stated.
"Y-Yeah…" With the danger to his life mostly out of the way now (Which prompted a sigh of relief from himself), some of the focus was now directed to the idol cuddling up to him once again. And as usual, it brought blush to his face; however, he did his best to ignore it, knowing that Sayaka likely needs that comfort.
"...the dream I'd caught." Makoto murmured to himself. 'What the hell was that…? I mean… was it even really a dream?'
"Is he talking about the dream of himself saying he had to stay… or does he think that he dreamt of the attack sequence during the night?" Hifumi inquired.
"With how lethargic he was, it likely be either. Or both." Kyoko answered. "It'll depend on how much he remembers that night."
"Yeah, that's true." Hina bopped her head in agreement. "He really was pretty out of iiiiii-…"
Hina found herself tongue-tied when she got a glimpse of the next scene. Similarly, everyone else was taken aback by what was shown next, more than a few eyes widening. Why? Because…
The screen shifted to Makoto in the shower, the boy looking deep in thought as the water cascaded around his skin.
Suffice to say, that little scene got several reactions.
Mondo bursted out laughing, steadying himself by holding his knees. "We're watching the dude shower now?!"
"Nope!" Leon turned away from the screen, almost instantly. "Nope! Nu-uh! That's an image I don't need in my head!"
"What is with these explicit scenes?!" Taka shouted in outrage, standing up and chopping his hands rapidly. "This kind of material is not welcome in a school environment!"
"..." Byakuya merely had an unamused look across his face.
"Is this a fanservice scene for our female audience, I wonder?" Hifumi mused, turning his attention towards the females in question.
Said female audience, specifically those crushes on the naked boy on screen… found themselves a tad overwhelmed. Both Hina and Sayaka found themselves beet red once again; Mukuro also had an atomic blush, her stoic look completely vanishing; even Kyoko and Celeste lost their composure, eyes opened in shock and small blushes coming across their own cheeks.
'Huh. Looks like our little herbivore man is more carnivorous than previously thought.' Junko thought, mildly caught off guard by the luckster's physique.
And as for the unfortunate lucky student… he was beet red. Steaming. Completely mortified by the viewing… exposing him for his classmates to see.
'That's right. I remember last night…' Makoto recalled to himself. '...I came down with a fever, and couldn't quite get to sleep. And I… I heard a voice… I didn't really understand… and then, all of sudden, I was awake.'
"It… seems as though Makoto doesn't remember… what's been said…" Kyoko said with a small cough, trying to take her mind (And eyes) off the shower scene. Keyword, try. "Or just… understand what was meant…"
"Not surprising, with the amnesia and all…" Celeste, meanwhile, made no attempt to move her eyes away from the screen. She gladly took in the very pleasing view.
"A-Are you really that buff Makoto…?" Hina didn't even bother to focus on Makoto's thoughts. Her focus was currently on covering her eyes (Though there was a small gap that made such covering pointless). "Sakura… didn't you say that he was average in build?"
"I did…" Sakura admitted with a nod, scrutinizing the showering future Makoto. For reasons different from the majority of her female classmates. "My guess is that his hoodie hides his physique, even with physical inspection…"
"Don't forget his small size…" Junko added with a giggle.
"..." The Ultimate Soldier was unable to say anything, feeling overwhelmed by the sight of a naked Makoto.
"So he really is strong!" Chihiro said eagerly, smiling widely. "I knew you were strong, Makoto! I just knew it!"
"Yeah, he really does look… strong…" Sayaka gulped, finding herself unable to look away from the scene; the very pleasing scene. In her ogling, her hold on Makoto's arm slackened significantly.
"..." Once again, Makoto buried his face into his hand, embarrassed beyond words. "Why me…?"
"Well, you did peep on us girls in the third chapter…" Kyoko reminded Makoto, deciding to use the chance to mask her flusteredness with amusement. "Consider this your overdue punishment for your misdeed…" The luckster could only groan in response, prompting a giggle from the detective.
Toko, meanwhile, looked just as unamused as Byakuya; the writer grumbling about wanting to see her master showering instead.
'And there was a strange person standing next to my bed, wearing a… mask.' A flashback of the night was then shown. 'And… they were holding a knife.'
The flashback sobered up the group, with some even flinching a bit at the reminder of what happened.
"Wait…" Hiro spoke up, eyes now focused on the knife in the assailant's hand. "Is that… is that Mukuro's knife?"
Eyes turned sharply at the knife in question, Mukuro's especially. More than a few widened at the very similar looking knife. "It… does look pretty similar to Mukuro's knife…" Hina said hesitantly.
"It could just be coincidence, and it's actually just another survival the masked individual had on them." Byakuya offered. The narrowed look in his eyes tells the class it wasn't a theory he's fully placing his chips on. "However…"
"We will need proof before we can say either way." Kyoko stated. And it will be pretty easy to find that proof…
The screen then went back to the shower. 'I want to say I fought them off, but… I don't actually remember. I felt like my mind had been detached from my body, burning up with fever.'
The return to the shower brought back flush faces to the five obvious girls; however, they did their best to put their focus on Makoto's thoughts this time.
"Could he have fought them off? The dude was really out of it there…" Mondo pointed out with a frown.
"Perhaps not fully, but I would say he would still be capable of putting up some sort of fight." Sakura answered. "And we did hear something of a struggle happening…"
"We did, true…" Celeste nodded in remembrance, recalling the sounds that came from the blackened screen, after the appearance of the masked man.
'I was far away, watching my body move on its own. And because of that… I don't really remember what happened.' Makoto continued with his thoughts. 'But still… I feel like I resisted them desperately, feverishly… after that, things go black again. The next thing I remember…'
'...Kyoko was there.' The next flashback showed Kyoko standing over Makoto. 'But… what would she have been doing in my room?'
"He doesn't think she was protecting him…?" Taka asked with slight confusion.
"A lot of what was going on was pretty hazy, at least Makoto's point of view…" Sayaka pointed out. "It would be difficult to put everything together, when you could hardly recollect everything that happened."
"That's true. Fair enough…" Taka nodded in acceptance to that.
The scene showed Makoto stepping out of the bathroom, now fully clothed. "What a strange dream." He muttered, shaking his head. 'No… was it really a dream? How can I possibly find out either way…?' His eyes then went to the direction of his desk.
At this, several students tensed up, seeing that they're about to find out whether or not the knife in question was Mukuro's.
'If the knife isn't in the drawer, which would mean the masked assailant grabbed it, that would mean…' Kyoko mused to herself, eyes narrowed.
He moved over to his desk, and opened the drawer where he kept the knife… only to find it empty. "Huh…?"
And with that, the question was answered. "So the fucker did steal Makoto's knife…!" Mondo growled.
"Which would mean… they knew where it was at. They knew where he was hiding it." Byakuya spoke in realization. "But that would mean…"
"They saw for themselves that Makoto stored it there." Kyoko stated confidently. "As far as we know, he didn't tell anyone where he stored the knife. So no one would know where to look… except for the one who's capable of seeing what he's doing."
At that moment, most, if not all the students, realized the more than likely culprit. "The mastermind…" Makoto breathed out.
Kyoko nodded firmly. "All signs point to the mastermind being the masked individual, both now and when the files were taken."
"But… didn't they say they wouldn't interfere with the killing game?" Taka spoke in slight protest. "Why would they go and attempt to break the rules they've done their best to uphold?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's because we're getting too close to solving the mystery." Byakuya answered briskly. "We were actually becoming a threat. So the mastermind had to put a stop to this."
"But… isn't Kyoko the one who stole the key? And was missing that entire day?" Hiro pointed out in confusion. "Why attack Makoto?"
Byakuya let out a long suffering sigh. "Think about it, fool. You want the game you created to continue, yet your prisoners are doing things to undermine that… what will you do to stop them, without resorting to openly killing anyone outside of the rules set?"
While his words confused some, others got to thinking. After a moment, it started clicking. "Were they… were they planning to kill Makoto? And frame someone else for the killing?" Sayaka guessed, her skin paling in horror.
The Togami heir nodded firmly. "Most likely, Kyoko, considering her involvement in things." He guessed. "If your players refuse to continue the game you set, what better way is there than to go in there yourself and start it back up again?"
Not only did it horrified the group… it also incredibly pissed them off. "That motherfucker…!" Mondo nearly roared, standing from his seat yet again. "Now that they aren't dancing to his tune, he decided to fucking CHEAT?!"
"Should we be surprised? Ain't the first time the fucker did something underhanded…!" Despite Leon's dry tone, his voice held a heavy lace of clear anger.
"He talks about valuing his precious rules so much, but goes and does this…!" Hina growled hatefully. "That bastard has NO leg to stand on now! He can only crawl places now!"
"If Kyoko wasn't there, they would've killed Makoto…" Chihiro muttered shakily, wrapping his arms around himself. "She would've been framed, and… there only would've been four left…"
As for Makoto… he was shakened. Pale. Cold sweat went across his skin as he understood how close he was with death. Like Chihiro said… Kyoko wasn't there…
Before he could dwell on that further, he was brought out of his thoughts by Sayaka crashing into him in a hug. "You're okay…" She whispered in his ear. "You're okay… you're okay… you're okay…"
He honestly wasn't sure if she was saying this for his sake, or for herself. Nevertheless, he returned the hug with just as much fervor. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay…" He whispered back, his eyes closed.
Meanwhile… Mukuro was far from calm. The soldier looked as if she was suffering from PTSD, with her skin completely ashened yet again, eyes dilating and shining with guilt, and body shaking heavily. Even if she wanted to, the soldier doubted she could gain back control of her body.
Makoto was gonna get killed. He was gonna get killed with her knife. That knife was held by her sister.
Just the thought of Junko being successful in her attempt… it left her with a nausea she rarely ever felt. It also told her how much her heart opened to the luckster in her life, to the point that his brush of death left her this affected.
Meanwhile, once Sayaka and Makoto finished their hug, the latter turned towards the detective beside him. "Kyoko… thank you…" Makoto said sincerely, pouring as much gratitude in his voice as possible. "You saved my life… if you didn't show up like you did…"
In response, Kyoko grabbed his head once again, giving it a squeeze. "You don't have to thank me for that." She told him honestly. "I'm just glad I was there when I needed to be…"
"Yeah…" Makoto let out a shaky breath, still a bit rattled by realization of what would've happened to his future self.
'It's empty. There's nothing inside…' He thought, before mumbling, "That's… strange."
'Because it definitely wasn't before. I'm positive I put the knife I got from Toko in here…'
"Wait, that means…" Makoto recalled the night before once again. 'The knife they told me to keep safe…! I knew it… I just had a feeling… it wasn't a dream, after all!'
'But if that's true, this all makes even less sense…' The luckster held his head in confusion. 'Why would someone have wanted to attack me? And who was behind the mask? And why was Kyoko…?'
"What the hell is going on…?" Makoto found himself asking. After a moment of silence, he shook his head before going to the door. "I should head to the dining hall. Then I can talk to everyone else about it…"
"...Wait, I just realized…" Hifumi spoke up, eyes glinting in realization. "This is the third day. The day where the murder will happen."
That got a jolt from the group. "Wait, does that mean… that the mastermind is dead?" Leon questioned, surprise etched in his features. "They're the one that kicked the bucket?"
"No… no, that seems too easy…" Byakuya denied, suspicion clear in his eyes. "Especially with Makoto deeming it as the worst possible thing…"
"Are we even absolutely positive that this guy is the mastermind…?" Hiro asked, scratching his head. "It could be just some rando, or something…"
"It could've been a possibility to consider, if not for the fact that the mastermind showed themselves limited in regards to monitoring us and controlling Monokuma…" Celeste pointed out. "The knowledge of their limitations makes it highly unlikely. Near impossible, even…"
"So, then… what's going on here?!" HIna cried out, holding her head. "What is happening here…?!"
It's a question none of them could answer. All they could do was make guesses, make deductions, and just continue this, in order to find those answers.
And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. More and more, we're getting close to the end folks. While I've enjoyed writing this fic, I'm eager to see it done (And I bet at least some of you feel similarly). Also, hope you guys liked the shower scene I added in here. I know quite a few of you were clamoring for it, and I did look for a good spot to place a reaction for it in. I found it.
Anyways, next up the class will witness what four of the survivors have been doing overnight, just before the next deadly life begins. And again, if you guys liked what I write, and have a few dollars to spare each month, I would appreciate it if you donate on my Pat account. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.