Reply to Nutifry: Thank you for reviewing! It gave me the motivation to finally post this. :)

Chapter 9: Alien Mind

Mikan finished breakfast a little earlier than the other students, probably due to her sense of duty. She looked tired out and a little disheveled but still alert. Her early arrival suited Byakuya just fine. He had her do a quick check-up on Nagito to confirm that he was responsive and well enough for being questioned, so there was nothing that would delay the matter any further. She then nervously asked if she could take a look at his arm and change both his and Nagito's bandages, but by that time, Gundham was already leading the rest of the students from the hotel to the cottages like an ominous shepherd, so he told her she could do that later.

Not everyone was present. Mahiru and Hiyoko still hadn't returned. Fuyuhiko didn't show up for breakfast in the first place, which was not all that surprising. And according to Gundham, Akane refused to stop eating and stayed behind. At least that's what Byakuya got from his cryptic message.

Originally, Byakuya had been planning to take everyone, but by now, he had gotten fed up with the students. If they didn't care to show up, it was their choice. If they were four people short, it didn't matter all that much. He raised his voice to call for order and the students fell quiet, so he led them into Nagito's cottage.

The Ultimate Lucky Student watched them enter his abode with a polite smile on his face. He was lying in bed with his head propped up on a pillow. "Excuse my inability to welcome you properly," he said in an apologetic tone. "I'm afraid I'm not allowed to get up yet."

Mikan nodded her head quickly. "If h-he did, he might reopen his wounds."

"That won't be a problem, we are just going to talk," Byakuya said. Nagito certainly looked better, compared to his state last night. His face had regained some color and apart from the dark bags under his eyes, he wasn't visibly affected by his injury. Being in the care of the Ultimate Nurse could have had something to do with it. In any case, it meant that Byakuya had no reason to hold back with his questions.

"Now, let's get started with this. I wanted to ask you about what happened yesterday. We already spoke to Teruteru last night and he told us that you were the one who planned a murder first and that he was just reacting to it. Is that true?"

"Yes, that is true," Nagito admitted easily.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed and he took note of the wave of unease that rippled through the other students at those words. "How long have you been planning it?"

"Well… I knew I was going to try something since the day before yesterday, but I only planned the murder while I was cleaning the old building. I mean, I couldn't have known that there would be a party, not to mention where it would be," he explained. His tone of voice was calm and factual, as if he was just explaining something completely natural.

"And yet you had already prepared a drawing to determine who would be on cleaning duty. I'll have to assume that you were the one sending me the message then."

"Ah, yes. I thought that would be kind of obvious," Nagito said, looking a little embarrassed. "After all, who else would have a hand writing that painful to look at?"

So, that wasn't on purpose to hide his identity? He actually wrote like that? Byakuya was disgusted at this news. Nevertheless, it seemed like he had played right into Nagito's hands when he had announced that they would hold a party. "So, you rigged the drawing to get the opportunity of setting the whole thing up."

It wasn't supposed to be a serious question, but Nagito's eyes widened and he quickly held up his hands, bending his arms a little awkwardly due to his position. "Even I wouldn't stoop that low. There was no need to cheat. I just relied on my luck."

"Your… luck?" Was this guy for real?

"Yes. At the time, you guys said that I was unlucky for drawing the short stick, but that was actually exactly what I was hoping for."

Byakuya could hardly believe what he was hearing. He left his whole plan up to chance? To a literal 1 in 15 chance that it would work? That guy would make a better clairvoyant than Yasuhiro! In a way, it reminded him of Makoto's talent. Well, naturally, with both being lucky students. But the way it worked seemed similar as well. Makoto had a habit of drawing the shortest straw, so to speak, but often enough it turned out to be good luck in the end. Was this the same? Byakuya had always found the notion of Hope's Peak Academy researching something as whimsical and unpredictable as luck to be silly, but maybe they really had been on to something. But even if there was some pattern behind it, at least Makoto wasn't insane enough to blindly rely on this. Nagito, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any common sense. He apparently didn't even consider the possibility that he wouldn't lose the drawing.

Right as he was thinking that, there was a hesitant knock on the door. With a raised eyebrow he turned around. "Come in," he commanded loudly.

The door opened slowly and revealed an uncomfortable looking Mahiru, and Hiyoko pouting behind her. When they stepped in, Mahiru was looking at the ground, her right hand clutching her other arm.

"So, you deigned us with your presence after all," Byakuya said scathingly. "I was wondering if you had completely forgotten about the importance of this talk."

Mahiru at least had the decency to blush at that. "I'm sorry we're late."

Hiyoko on the other hand just put her hands on her hips and flippantly said, "So what if we forgot the time a little? Like it never happened to you."

"It didn't," Byakuya said. How could she insinuate that he would abandon his duties like that? Did she not realize who he was? "Not everyone can afford such a lackluster approach to life."

"You don't have to be mean about it!"

"Well, at least you smell better now," Kazuichi commented.

Byakuya perked up. Smell?

"That's none of your business!" snapped a red-faced Hiyoko. "It's not like you smell any better, you greasy slimeball!"

"Hey! Motor oil smells nice, okay?! Besides, I wash myself regularly!"

… Were they seriously implying what he thought they were? Had Hiyoko neglected her personal hygiene for so long that she started to smell? Was that why she had taken a shower just now? Come to think of it, he had noticed a weird, unpleasant smell the other day that had reminded him weirdly of Toko, but he hadn't been able to put it. If that had been Hiyoko, that would make a lot of sense. Why was it always the most obnoxious girls who, on top of their insufferable personalities, also refused to take showers?

"From now on, there will be a new rule," Byakuya interrupted their argument. "Everyone is to take regular showers. No exception."

"That's—!" Hiyoko was speechless, but only for a moment. Red as a beet, she said, "That's a private issue!"

"It isn't if the smell is starting to affect other people," he replied coldly.

"Just keep your nose to yourself then, you creep!" Angry tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.

Before the conversation could into turn a full-blown argument, Mahiru stepped to her side and, casting Byakuya a withering glare, placed a hand on the small girl's shoulder. Well, she certainly recovered fast from her remorse. In contrast to her facial expression, her voice was soft when she spoke, "Come on, Hiyoko, don't cry. I'll help you with your kimono from now on, alright?"

Hiyoko sniffled, hugging Mahiru's arm and burying her face in it. "Thank you, Mahiru! You're the best!" The photographer was clearly a bit uncomfortable, but she petted her head anyway.

Byakuya turned away from them, rolling his eyes. Imbeciles. All of them.

Now that that was out of the way… "Back to topic."

Nagito looked back at him compliantly, a pleasant smile on his face. Why was he still acting like he had nothing to fear? Like he hadn't even done anything wrong? Didn't he have the least bit of self-awareness? Byakuya scowled at the thought. "Tell us exactly what happened yesterday, from your point of view."

And he did. Without any kind of hesitation, he told them exactly what he had planned, which steps he had taken for it and how it played out. It all matched what Teruteru had told them the night before and what Byakuya had already pieced together by himself. At some points, he filled in some of the missing information, like how he had caused the blackout in the first place. (Byakuya had to admit that he hadn't even noticed the irons when he discovered the secret passage. He figured that Akane or Gundham must have unplugged them while they were waiting for him. It would probably be a good idea to check up on that later regardless.)

"Why did you do it?" he asked when Nagito was finished. He had gotten the facts now, but one thing remained a mystery. "What was your motivation? And what made you continue after Teruteru already discovered you? Didn't you take into account that he might try to stop you?"

Nagito smiled widely. "I'd gladly die in the name of hope."

There it was again. Hope. Byakuya felt himself tense up in apprehension.

The lucky student continued excitedly, "In fact, if he had killed me, it would have made the case a lot more complicated. I wonder if he had been careful enough not to leave any evidence behind. Just think about it! The lights would come back on and you would find me dead with a knife in my hand. Wouldn't that be a mystery worthy of being solved by the ultimates?"

"In other words, you just wanted us all to die?" Peko asked him neutrally, without a hint of anger in her voice.

"Of course not!" Nagito vehemently denied. He seemed shocked at the mere suggestion. "I never wanted you all dead! I wanted to create a challenge for you to reach your true potential. Of course, it's questionable if a challenge posed by someone like me would truly be enough, but maybe my death could have been a stepping stone for one of you to think of a better one."

What kind of logic was that? "You wanted to challenge us by causing a murder? And you did this in the name of hope? Did I get that correctly?" Byakuya summarized, still half expecting this to be some sort of joke.

"Yes, that's exactly it!" Nagito looked at him with a delighted smile.

"That doesn't make any sense at all," Sonia said what they were all thinking. "What about any of this is hopeful?"

Nagito's gaze swung over to her. His smile dimmed a little. "Isn't that obvious?" He waited for a moment, but when nobody answered, he sighed and explained, "By overcoming obstacles, you become stronger, right? The bigger the obstacle, the stronger you are in the end. It's the same with hope. You can't start off hopeful, if you've never seen despair. Despair is necessary for hope to be born. And what could be more despair-inducing than the death of a friend?"

The students stared at him. "That's seriously messed up, dude!" Kazuichi finally said, holding his head. "I don't even know what to say!"

"Overcoming obstacles is something to be admired," Nekomaru agreed reluctantly, "but you can't compare that to witnessing the violent death of a comrade. Those are two entirely different things."

"They're not just different, they are polar opposites!" Hiyoko added. "You'd have to be a complete psychopath to think like that!"

Many of the others joined in with similar remarks.

Well, as extreme as Nagito's logic was, Byakuya could see where he was coming from. If you didn't have something bad happen to you, you didn't have much of a reason to hope for a change. If you lived your entire life in peace and happiness, isolated from the cruelty of the real world, you would never have to work hard to achieve something. You wouldn't know the need to keep a positive outlook. And you would certainly not be able to withstand the despair that came if your bubble of peace were to burst one day. Challenges were important for personal growth. However, Nagito had taken that logic and twisted it into something entirely ridiculous and over the top.

Meanwhile, the discussion was getting a little out of hand.

"That's enough!" he cut in. When they kept chattering, he raised his voice. "Will you be quiet? I would like to keep things civil."

They reluctantly stopped talking. Except for Kazuichi, who couldn't hold back one last comment. "Tell that to the guy who tried to murder one of us."

Byakuya didn't react to that remark and instead addressed Nagito. "If your plan was to give us hope, you are going at it the wrong way. The situation is already bad enough. Adding murder to our confinement won't help build hope, quite the contrary," he stated. "Witnessing death doesn't inspire hope in people, it makes them despair. They can overcome it via strength of mind, but it takes time and doesn't necessarily mean it won't bring any negative consequences."

Nagito looked back at him confused. "But I wasn't talking about regular people. I was talking about you guys! Ultimates! You are different from worthless people who never accomplish anything in their lives. You are stronger. You can overcome this and give birth to the greatest hope humanity has ever seen! I know you can!"

This was… alarming, to say the least. Yes, ultimates were superior to your regular peasant, but that didn't make them superhuman. They were chosen for their individual talents, not their strength of character.

"I assure you, even ultimate students have their limits and they can fall into despair if pushed too far. Murder is nothing to be taken lightly." His previous killing game was more than evident of this. Take Mondo or Kiyotaka for instance. Both of them had lost themselves at least partially when they felt like there was no hope left. Even the survivors had been on the brink of despair due to Junko's influence. If Makoto hadn't been there, they would have given up right then and there. Hope didn't just come naturally from despair.

However, Nagito didn't seem to understand that, as he shook his head, smiling. "You probably don't realize your true potential for hope just yet. It's okay, we can work on this together. I want you guys to succeed, after all. What's a little despair if it helps you let your hope shine even brighter?"

He attempted to sit up as he spoke, but Mikan rushed to his bedside to hold down his shoulders. "Please, y-you mustn't sit up!"

"Listen to her if you want to get better," Byakuya instructed him.

Nagito looked around at each of them individually, then he sighed, his body falling back on the bed again and his gaze focusing on Hajime. "It seems like you don't agree with me. That's a shame. I had thought at least Hajime would understand me. I always felt we were like-minded in a way."

Hajime, who hadn't said anything until now, startled and took half a step back. "I'm nothing like you!" he said quickly, nearly stumbling over his words.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put myself on the same level as you, of course." Nagito gave a little self-deprecating chuckle. "I mean, it's obvious that I could never reach that state… But don't you understand? I only want you to become the absolute best you can be!"

He started addressing the whole group again. "Think of how much hope you could bring to the world! That's why dying to help you achieve this state would be an honor! And if anyone wants my help with this, I'll gladly lend a hand. We can devise a perfect plan and I'll help you kill me. If the victim is in on it, the possibility to create a truly complex mystery is even greater!"

What on earth kind of suggestion was that?!

"No way any one of us would do that!" Ibuki protested, horrified.

"Ah, yes. I understand." Nagito looked down on his blanket with a sad smile on his face. "It's only natural that you wouldn't even consider accepting my help, after I have displayed my incompetence that openly. I am ashamed of myself. I know that I am not worthy, but I would like nothing more than to be useful to you regardless. I would do anything just to—"

"That's quite enough," Byakuya interrupted, finally growing impatient with his ridiculous thoughts. He thought he saw something akin to disdain flash across Nagito's face when his head swiveled around to blink owlishly at Byakuya, but it was gone and replaced by a pleasant smile so quickly that he had to wonder if he hadn't just imagined it.

He turned to look at the other students and registered with relief that nobody looked interested in his proposal in the slightest. Nevertheless, he said, "I hope that nobody here actually considers taking him up on this offer. Murdering someone, even with another person's help, is a messy affair. You won't be able to pull it off without leaving some evidence behind. All you would be able to accomplish is getting yourself executed. Therefore, in your own interest, don't even think about it."

He looked back at Nagito. "Not that you'll get the opportunity to ask him for help."

The lucky student tilted his head to the side curiously. Seeing him like this, Nagito looked completely ordinary, which was probably one of the most problematic aspects to the whole situation. It was easy to forget just how dangerous he could be. He wasn't an obvious 'everyone can see it' kind of crazy that Genocide Jill displayed but more of an 'amiable on the outside with delusional ideals and no moral restrictions' kind of crazy. He didn't stand out. He pretended to have low self-esteem to appear harmless. None of them had thought much of him before the previous night rolled around. And if that in itself wasn't worrying enough, it seemed like he was quite the successful manipulator as well, if Teruteru's actions were any indications. He was smart, no doubt about that. He knew how to shape other people's behaviors without them realizing it.

Byakuya pushed up his glasses by their frame. There was no shred of doubt in his mind that Nagito posed the single biggest threat on this island. Byakuya couldn't allow him to bait anyone else into unknowingly doing his bidding. Which was exactly why… "Nagito, and Teruteru as well, will not be allowed to leave their cottages from now on. I will keep their keys on my person at all times. I will personally take care of providing them with food and other necessities for as long as the situation requires it. And no one else is to talk to either of them alone. If anyone has business with them, they need my consent and I will observe their interactions. But if you don't have a good reason, I won't allow any contact. Do you understand?"

He looked around at their faces, seeing some of them nod here and there. For the most part, they seemed relieved that he was taking the responsibility for the troublemakers. Others looked a little uncomfortable. And some didn't look like they cared at all.

It seemed that nobody had anything to say to this, so he soon ushered them out of the lodge, locked it from the outside and took the key as the rest of the students dispersed. Well, all of them, save for Mikan.

She spoke up nervously. "Uhm, B-Byakuya, I—"

He interrupted her before she took a solid five minutes to finish her sentence. "Of course, I realize that you will have to continue your treatment on Nagito." Didn't he just say he wouldn't let them in unless they had a good reason? Making sure that someone didn't die surely counted as a good reason to everyone with half a brain.

She nodded quickly, stuttering an "O-okay…" and lowering her head.

Stepping around her, he sighed. Now he had to play babysitter for these two, on top of keeping everyone else in check. He really needed some way to spread the workload over multiple people, or else he would be left with not a single moment of peace.