Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, this chapter will have the class watching Makoto and Kyoko prove that Leon is the killer, as well as the execution of Leon Kuwata. By the way, just so you know, the post execution scene will not be on here. I wanted to finish the class trial, complete chapter 1 with this chapter, but it was getting too long when I tried to put in the post execution scene. So, the last part of chapter 1 will be combined with the break chapter. I hope none of you will mind that.
So, with that info out of the way, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
Editor's notes: Hey guys, this chapter should've been up at least a couple of days ago but I haven't been very responsible lately so I apologize for the slightly delayed chapter. Regardless, enjoy!
Chapter 21: Watching Ch 1: To Survive Part 14
"Wh-?!" At the mention of his name, Leon turned very pale. "What the hell are you talking about?! I-It's just a coincidence! It's just a bunch of random squiggles that happened to look like my name!"
"No, it's not random at all." Kyoko countered. "She wrote that message on the wall behind her as she was leaning up against it. In that position, she couldn't move to write normally, and had to write upside down, as it were. And as a result, when you look at it standing in front of her, it ends up getting flipped. Try it for yourself, if you want. Write something sitting like her, and the letters will be inverted."
"Th-That sounds like one hell of a stretch to me!" Leon stated. "I'm the killer?! You can't just go around and say shit like that!"
"Y-Yeah!" Leon quickly agreed with his future self. "The message being my name is just a theory, not a fact! Maybe….maybe Sayaka was trying to write someone else's name and messed up!"
"But none of our names matches up with what's written on the wall." Chihiro hesitantly pointed out. "The only one it matches, is you."
Before Leon could defend himself further, Kyoko spoke up. "Besides, if it wasn't you, then it wouldn't explain why your future self tried to destroy the evidence."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Leon asked her, confused.
"You'll see. I'm sure my future self will address it." Kyoko said.
"If you're not the killer, then why did you try to destroy the evidence?" Kyoko countered.
"...Huh?" Was Leon's response.
Makoto had an idea as to what she's referring to. "You mean….the burnt piece of fabric I found laying on the ground next to the incinerator, right?"
Kyoko nodded. "As the killer stabbed Sayaka, they must have gotten some of their blood on them." She deduced. "And to dispose of the shirt covered in the victim's blood, they threw it into the incinerator."
"But one piece burned off and got left behind…." Celeste noted.
"And the killer didn't notice. If they had, they most certainly would have panicked." The camera switched to the nervous looking Leon. "Isn't that right, Leon?"
That got the baseball player paler. "Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-?!"
"H-H-Hold on, a lot of us also wear white shirts like mine!" Leon protested. "Look at Byakuya, Chihiro, Hifumi….they all have similar white shirts!"
"That's true." Taka said, not sure how to feel right now. His emotions are jumbled up right now at the revelation of Sayaka's attempt at murder. "A piece of fabric can't conclude that he's guilty."
"Maybe, but there are other reasons why Leon is the most likely the suspect." Kyoko said. "Some of you may have seen it or figured it out already."
"But is one scrap of fabric enough to conclude that Leon is guilty?" Sakura questioned.
"Yeah," Chihiro agreed. "I mean, Leon's not the only one wearing a white-button up shirt…."
"Th-That's right!" Leon agreed with quickly. "There are plenty of other people here with shirts like mine! With just that one charred piece, there's no way you can say for sure who it belongs to!"
"You're right. That alone isn't enough." Makoto said. "But there are some other points that may reveal the truth…."
"What other points? There isn't anything else!" Leon exclaimed, getting a bit angry and scared.
Makoto winced. "I'm sorry man, but there are other pieces of evidence that our future selves didn't show yet….evidence that will point to you as the killer."
"B-But I can't be killer! I just can't!" Leon protested. Clearly, he was slowly losing his grip on himself as the truth continued to slowly expose itself.
Sayaka had to look away from Leon, his reaction becoming to painful to watch. 'I'm sorry Leon. I'm so sorry.'
"...Are you finally starting to understand?" Kyoko asked him. "The answers to all the riddles are right here."
"Yeah, I think so," Makoto confirmed. "If we look closely at how the shirt was disposed of, we should be able to figure out who the killer is."
"O-Oh yeah….that's a good point. I think I know what you're going to say," Leon spoke up, slightly relieved. "You can't reach the incinerator without opening the gate in the trash room, right? And obviously you wouldn't be able to hit the switch to turn it on, either. You need the key to get in. And the one with the key was….the person on cleaning duty! So the killer had to be whoever was in charge of taking care of the trash!
Hifumi laughed at that. "Interesting…." It took a few seconds for the fanfic creator to process the accusation made. "...Gweh?!"
"Before you panic Hifumi, remember that we already talked about the possibility of you being the killer," Celeste pointed out, stopping the panic before it could happen. "The evidence would've been better destroyed if the one on cleaning duty is the killer."
Hifumi sighed in relief. Leon, however, was the opposite. "W-Well, how else could somebody turn the incinerator on and destroy the evidence? There isn't any other way to open it!"
"Actually, there is." Byakuya stated, remembering another piece of evidence seen in the trash room. "You'll see what it is soon."
"Hold on!" Makoto exclaimed. "I think I know how someone could dispose of the evidence without using the key to the trash room!"
"But if you can't get pass the gate, you couldn't possibly turn on the generator, could you?" Sakura pointed out.
"Yes, you could. If you used this." Makoto, using the E-Handbook, showed them the broken crystal ball.
"What is it, some kind of glass ball?" Mondo asked. "It's busted to hell…."
"Actually, it was supposed to be a crystal ball." Hiro explained. "But, uh…."
"He got tricked out of losing a whole lot of money." Junko said nonchalantly. Hiro hung his head shamefully in response to her words.
"But….how would you use it?" Chihiro questioned.
"The killer simply took aim at the incinerator switch and threw the ball through a gap in the gate." Makoto answered. "All they had to do was hit that switch, and the incinerator would come to life."
"Someone threw that….through a gap in the gate?!" Hifumi exclaimed in shock.
"I know! That shouldn't be possible!" Hifumi agreed with his future self's shock.
"The accuracy to hit a small target that's thirty feet away from you would be extremely difficult to do." Chihiro pointed out, looking shock herself. "Someone would have to be extremely precise with the direction and timing."
"Or….have the confidence and skills to do so." Makoto said quietly, not wanting to upset the baseball star anymore than he already is.
"Remember what you said before, Hifumi?" Makoto asked him. "You told me that the last time you checked it, it was off." The luckster then addressed everyone. "But Hifumi had the key, so the only way the incinerator could have been turned on without his knowledge, was because the killer was able to hit the switch without opening the gate. Once they'd got the incinerator going, all they had to do, was ball up the shirt and toss it in!"
"H-Hey, come on….what the hell is this?" Leon cried, getting more and more pale.
"All you have to do is look at the scene to know that the killer never actually went inside the trash room." Kyoko then began listing off the pieces of evidence. "The shards of broken glass, the incinerator being left running, the piece of shirt that escaped the fire….if the killer had been on cleaning duty, the evidence would have been taken care of much more thoroughly."
Each piece of factual info kept hitting Leon hard. It's getting harder and harder to defend his future self, to say for sure that he isn't the killer. "No….no it can't be…." Leon muttered, looking pretty pale and shaking a little.
"W-Wait no….just hold on!" Leon protested.
"But the distance from the gate to the incinerator has to be at least….thirty feet, right?" Chihiro interjected. "The pinpoint accuracy you'd need to throw a glass ball that far and hit something that small….could someone really do that?"
"Th-That's right! There's no way!" Leon quickly agreed. "It'd be impossible!"
"Difficult, absolutely. Impossible? I don't think so." Makoto disagreed. "Because the killer is the Ultimate Baseball Star. Isn't that right, Leon?!"
That's what cracked Leon. He knows his own skills, and he's confident that he could hit a target like that. While it's a challenge, when he puts his mind to the pitch, he always gets what he aims for.
Was it….really him? Did he really….kill Sayaka?
Some of the others felt themselves sick at hearing this. Hina and Chihiro are near tears. They all know that one of their future selves killed Sayaka, they knew it, but to actually figure it out….it doesn't feel pleasant.
Makoto couldn't help but wince in sympathy for his friend. This must be hurting him. Not only because he was the one to kill Sayaka, but their bluenette friend was the first to attack and try to murder him.
"D-Do you have any idea how stupid you sound right now?!" Leon exclaimed, his face completely pale.
"A target thirty feet away would surely be little challenge for the Ultimate Baseball Star." Celeste taunted.
"Y-Y-Y-You can't be serious!" Leon stuttered out. "I….! I…!" Finally, his pale face went red with rage. "I'm not the killer! These goddamn shit-for-brains have got it all wrong, I'm telling you!"
"He still won't admit it?" Celeste questioned with a sigh. "All of the evidence points to him as the culprit."
"When being cornered like a fucking animal, you lash out like one." Mondo sighed. Like the others, he honestly don't know what to feel about Leon being the killer, let alone the entire situation.
"You still won't admit it? Okay then," Kyoko sighed before turning to Makoto. "Makoto, go ahead and review the incident one more time to make his crime perfectly clear. And with that, we can end this…."
"Listen to me! What the hell do you mean end this?!" Leon shouted, veins popping up near his eyes.
"Say what you want, Leon. But all the questions have been answered, and the truth has been revealed." Makoto stated. "Now here's what happened….!"
Spirit spoke up once again. "Another feature is going to be added here." The host told all of them, getting their attention. "It's called the closing argument. It's where the event is shown in a manga format while Makoto summarizes the entire case."
"Is it to give us a clearer picture as to what exactly happened?" Celeste deduced.
Spirit nodded. "Exactly."
Sayaka bit her lip, her face still pale and tear stained. She is not looking forward to seeing herself attempt a murder, nor seeing her death.
The scene changed to a dark screen, with the words 'Act 1' on the right side of the screen. "I think I'd better take one more look back at the case from the beginning," Makoto began. "Last night, the killer went to the room where Sayaka was in, or in other words, my room. From what we can tell, Sayaka invited that person there intending to kill them. She attacked them with the knife she'd taken from the kitchen earlier…."
As he spoke, the screen, in manga format, showed the killer entering the room, with Sayaka hiding behind the wall and ready to strike. When Makoto said that Sayaka attacked, the TV showed the killer dodging the attack from Sayaka.
"...But then something something happened that she wasn't prepared for." The scene then showed the killer bumping into the sword. As he noticed it, Sayaka went in for another attack. The killer grabbed the sword and blocked the strike. "They grabbed the fake sword I'd put in my room, and fought back."
"During the struggle, a strike from the sword broke Sayaka's right wrist…." With the sword still held up, the killer swung it downwards as continued Makoto speaking. "And that's when she lost her grip on the kitchen knife."
A picture of the replica sword being held menacingly while Sayaka was leaning on the wall, holding her broken wrist, was shown. A small panel of Sayaka's eyes looking to the right, was in the middle of it. "Finding herself cornered, Sayaka panicked and ran into the bathroom." Scene 2 then started, with a picture of Sayaka running into the bathroom being shown while the killer reeled in shock for a bit.
"The killer went after her, but couldn't get the bathroom door open." The scene then showed pictures of the killer trying to get in while Sayaka was leaning on the door. "What they didn't know was that my bathroom door got stuck easily, and there was a trick to opening it. Sayaka knew about that because I told her, but of course the killer had no way of knowing."
A picture of a scared Sayaka was shown. "So instead, the killer forced the door open," A picture of the killer holding the screwdriver near the doorknob was appeared next. "Took the kitchen knife…." The pictures switched to the killer entering the bathroom, holding the knife menacingly, and a shocked Sayaka, the picture turning black and white in a second. "...And stabbed Sayaka."
As the scenario continued playing out, Sayaka felt herself shaking and her eyes widen with various emotions. She wanted to look away from this, she didn't want to see herself attempt murder and get killed in return, but, like with the motive, her eyes wouldn't let her. And unfortunately, she doesn't have Makoto to help comfort her.
The vicious look on her future self's face terrified her. Her attempt at killing Leon made her want to cry even more. She felt like she was being stabbed when the picture faded to black and white. Sayaka tightened her grip on her bow and pulled her knees up to her chest as her emotions ran everywhere.
The others were also having a difficult time seeing this. Hina, Makoto, Leon, and Sakura were having a hard time comparing the Sayaka on the screen to the kind girl they became close with. Leon also had to deal with the nagging thought of who the silhouette is.
A picture of Sayaka sliding down the wall, blood splattered behind her, was next to be seen. "But with what strength she had remaining, Sayaka left a dying message…." A picture of Sayaka writing the message was then shown. "To keep the killer from noticing, she wrote it on the wall behind her."
Pictures of her letting out her last breathes, the killer's reaction, and Sayaka dead on the floor was revealed. "And with that, all her strength was gone."
Makoto's gripped his hands on his knees at the sight of Sayaka's dead body. A deep part of him felt like it was right since he was betrayed, but the whole thing was just wrong. Nothing would've warranted her death.
Kyoko saw this and silently put her gloved hand over his, prompting Makoto to look at her and gave a small smile in thanks, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
Act 3 was next. "With Sayaka dead, the killer quickly began destroying the evidence. First, they took off their shirt, which was covered in the victim's blood." A scene of the killer making a motion of taking off their shirt was shown. "Then they took the lint roller in my room and cleaned up the area." Pictures of the killer cleaning up the hair in the room was next. "They wanted to make sure they got rid of any trace they'd ever been there…."
Act 4 was the last to be shown. "Afterwards, the killer headed to the trash room to destroy their bloody shirt." A scene of the killer in the trash room got displayed. "They tried to burn the shirt using the incinerator there. But the trash room was blocked off by an especially sturdy gate, preventing access to the incinerator."
"So they came up with a plan to use Hiro's crystal ball, which he'd left in the laundry room." A picture of the killer holding the crystal ball was next to be on screen. "The killer managed to throw the ball through the gap in the gate and hit the incinerator switch." Pictures of the killer's eye on the switch, preparing to throw the ball, and the glass ball being thrown appeared. "For any normal person, that would've been an impossible throw, but the killer had the confidence to take the shot. And that's because the killer….was the Ultimate Baseball Star."
"The crystal ball, thrown with absolute precision, hit the switch on the incinerator…." Pictures of the ball flying towards the switch and the ball hitting the switch was shown. "...which then quickly roared to life." The switch being turned on and the incinerator coming to life came soon after. Pictures of the killer balling up the shirt and throwing it in the incinerator was the next to be shown.
"Having destroyed the last piece of evidence, they left the area with, I imagine, a sigh of relief." Pictures of the killer leaving the door, the shirt being burned, and the killer walking away with that sigh of relief were the next set of pictures. "But there was one thing they missed…."
The pictures of part of the shirt getting burned off and falling out of the incinerator were the last pictures to be shown. "Part of the shirt they'd thrown into the fire burnt away and fell out of the incinerator. The killer didn't notice this, and so left behind a piece of indisputable evidence."
The scene then switched to Leon's podium and Makoto's getting close together. The latter's face and the silhouette's face got in front of the scene, with the silhouette revealing itself to be Leon. "Isn't that right….Leon?!"
"A good summary of the case." Kyoko complimented on. "With it, all the contradictions that were presented are now completely cleared up and we have a good grasp as to what happened." Kyoko then turned to Leon. "So, Leon, can you deny any of this?"
The baseball player was silent for a moment, his face still very pale. After that long moment, he spoke. "No….no, I can't." He admitted painfully, his body shaking. With the whole summary of the case, there was no doubt that it was his future self that killer Sayaka. It was him that his blue haired friend tried to kill.
"But I doubt the future Leon will accept defeat that easily." Sakura sighed, frowning.
"I have to agree." Byakuya stated. "We will need something even more indisputable in order for him to concede defeat. Not that his tantrums would do anything. Everyone else is pretty much convinced."
"Can you blame him for acting like that?" Chihiro asked softly. Byakuya sighed.
"No, I can't." 'Though he brought it upon himself.' Byakuya thought the last part to himself.
The scene switch back to the trial room, with Makoto still speaking. "It would appear that Hiro simply forgot his crystal ball in the laundry room." Makoto continued. "You went there to try and wash the blood out of your shirt, and that's where you saw it, right? Seeing the ball, you thought of a way to take care of everything…."
"So, Leon….do you object to anything that's been said?" Kyoko questioned.
"Do I object?" After a small moment, he exploded in anger. "Hell yes I do! Of course I object! I object, I object, I object!"
"Shut up you idiot." Leon mumbled loudly to his future self.
"It seems like you were right when you said he wouldn't give up." Celeste sighed. "Is there any more evidence left to show that he's the killer?"
"Actually, yes. There's one more thing." Kyoko stated. "And there's nothing Leon could say that would refute it."
"After that, it'll be over." Makoto mumbled, trepidation coming up with his other emotions.
"I mean, all of this is just a bunch of stupid theories! You need evidence! Where's the evidence?!" Veins appeared in Leon's eyes and sweat rolled down his head as he slammed his hands onto the podium. "Without evidence, it's all bullshit! It's bullshit and I refuse to acknowledge it!"
"Well then, I guess this is as good a time as any to present the evidence that proves you did it." Kyoko remarked. "Makoto….I believe you're in possession of that evidence?"
That got Makoto out of his emotional whirlwind. "I….have the evidence?" Makoto asked in confusion. "What is it?"
"It must've been something we haven't seen yet." Kyoko mused. "Cause I can't figure out what evidence my future self is talking about."
'I….have the evidence?' Makoto thought in confusion.
"When the killer removed the screws from the doorknob, they didn't use anything from your room to do it." Kyoko told him. "Instead, they must have used something that belonged to them."
That's when it clicked in Kyoko's and Makoto's mind. "The toolbox." The former stated. "That's my future self is talking about."
"I never used the toolbox, and since Leon thought it was Sayaka's room, he didn't even think about finding it." Makoto continued. "So he would have had to use his own toolbox."
"So he would need to show his toolbox in order to prove whether or not he did it." Byakuya deduced. "And that will be end of this trial."
'And the start of the execution!' Junko internally. She have no doubt she would convulse again when Leon's execution start. She's having a hard time already keeping the pleasure in.
'They used something of their own to remove the screw,' Makoto mused over. 'Could it have been….?'
"I refuse to acknowledge you! You're stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Leon declared angrily. "Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid!"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Leon exclaimed, holding your head. "It's over! They figured it out!"
After a moment of thinking, it clicked in his head. "The screws on the bathroom doorknob were removed." Makoto said. "I wonder what kind of tool the killer used to remove them…."
"I mean….it had to be a screwdriver, right?" Mondo guessed.
"Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure the toolkits each had one inside." Hiro remembered.
"Then that must be what he used!" Hifumi stated. "There aren't any other tools anywhere."
"But the toolkit in my room had clearly never been used…." Makoto told them. As he said that, a flashback of Makoto into his drawer during the investigation was shown.
"That's because the culprit didn't know it was your room! They thought they were in Sayaka's room!" Taka realized.
"Only the boys got toolkits, so the killer naturally assumed there wouldn't be one in there…." Chihiro said.
"Okay, then whose toolkit did the killer use?" As Makoto asked that, the camera angled closer to his face.
It quickly moved to the angry and frantic Leon, in the same angle. "Stupidstupidstupid!"
The camera moved back to Makoto. "It had to be their very own toolkit!"
And back to Leon. "Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupid!"
Once again, to Makoto, this time, he has his eyes closed. "Leon, would you mind showing us your toolkit? If I'm right about this, then," Opening his eyes with clear determination, he declared this. "Your screwdriver will show some evidence of being used!"
The camera froze Leon's angry expression, moving closer to in different angle until the image broke like glass. "Stupidstupidstu….uh, huh?" His angered expression got mixed with a stun one.
"Let me guess, another feature added in?" Byakuya remarked.
Spirit nodded. "To show that they lost the argument, whenever somebody feels particularly stubborn."
"And if you say you used it for something else, you'll have to explain exactly when, where, and why…." Byakuya declared.
"And let me say this right now," Kyoko stated. "'I lost it' isn't an excuse at this point."
"And with that, Leon is finished." Celeste concluded.
"Stu….pid. Stu…." The anger on Leon's face melted away, replaced with a mix shock, defeat, and despair. "...pid?"
Everyone felt chills at the expression on Leon's face. The mix of shock, defeat, and despair was bad enough. The black and white drawing of it made it even worse.
"That is fucking creepy." Mondo mumbled.
"I agree. That face is unsettling." Taka said with a shudder.
'A face devoid of all hope and filled with despair!' Junko stated in her mind. It's becoming harder and harder to contain herself.
Mukuro winced at his face as well. Though she's seen countless defeated soldiers express similar faces, it was quite different when said person was one of your classmates and potential friend.
"So, you have no rebuttal?" Was Byakuya's rhetorical question.
"Then it would seem….we are finished here." Celeste stated. Leon didn't say anything, the shock and defeated look still on his face.
'I….caused this.' Sayaka thought, feeling ready to puke at the sight of Leon in shock and defeated. 'I brought Leon to this.'
Monokuma let out a laugh. "Looks like you've reached your verdict!" The bear stated. "Then are we ready to cast our votes? You all have a lever in front of you. Use it to make your selection! Oh, just to remind you all, make triple sure you vote for someone! You wouldn't want to be punished for something so minor, right?"
'He's forcing us to vote for Leon.' Kyoko thought as she slightly narrowed her eyes at the bear. 'Forcing us to agree to execute him.' The bear wanted to make sure that everyone was also responsible for his death.
Everyone stayed silent to this. "OKay! Then let's get excited!" Monokuma cheered. "Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!"
After that rhetorical question, the scene switched to a slot machine, with the students' faces on the slots. The slots continued rolling until all of three of them stopped on Leon, causing the lights to flash, cheers to come out, and money to flow out of the machine.
The scene faded back to all of the students, who've got off their podiums and gathered around. "Uh-oh! Looks like you got it right on the money!" Monokuma stated. "The blackened in this case, the one that killed Sayaka….was none other than Leon Kuwata!"
That statement hit nearly everyone hard. Even when they figured it out, even when they knew for sure that Leon was the killer….it was still something none of them wanted to hear in words.
"I-I can't believe it." Hina breathed out, pale. "Leon killing Sayaka? It just doesn't seem possible."
"Not to mention how the entire scenario played out." Taka agreed, also pale. "I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around it."
"Ain't that the fucking truth?" Mondo stated, none of his usual heat in his voice. He looked at Makoto, Sayaka, and Leon, the three looking the worst out of everyone. "But at least we don't have it as bad as they do."
"For now." Byakuya added in. He has no doubt that there will be more killings. Until they found a way out, or find the one leading this, Monokuma will keeping giving motives, which in turn motivate them into killing.
"...Huh?" Leon finally manage to get out of his state, though he still look very pale. "H-Hold on a second…."
"Leon…." Makoto stepped towards the baseball player. "Leon, did you really….kill Sayaka?"
"I don't believe it…." Hina said, looking pale amongst several others.
"Son of a bitch….!" Mondo growled. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"I-I knew there was a p-part of him that was a s-savage," Toko remarked, both pale and sweaty. "But t-this is…."
"I never thought he would be capable of killing Sayaka," Hifumi murmured, looking pretty freaked out. "Then again, the memories of our time together were taken away."
"I-I didn't have a choice," Leon attempted to defend himself. "It was killed or be killed! S-So that's why….I killed her first."
'Oh. Right.' Makoto was reminded of that little fact. 'Sayaka tried to kill Leon….and tried to pin it on me.' Being reminded about that brought back the whirlwind of emotions he was feeling.
"How the fuck was that self-defense?!" Mondo growled. "Maybe it was in the beginning, but when she started hiding in the bathroom, it stopped being defense!"
"I….I don't know!" Leon cried out, holding his head. Why did his future self went after Sayaka? Was it for payback? Because of that motive? Why?
"None of you are any different!" Leon lashed out on them. "One wrong step, and you'd be the one standing here! It was complete chance that I wound up like this! I was just….unlucky! That's all…."
"Grr…!" Was Mondo's response, bowing his head down the floor.
"H-Hey, come on….!" The baseball player exclaimed. "You expect me to just accept my death?!"
As they talked, Makoto got lost in thought. 'The decision we made was right after all.' Makoto thought to himself. 'But when I think about it….honestly, I'd be better off if we'd been wrong.'
"Huh?! Why?" Hina questioned in shock.
"I-If we've been wrong, we w-would've died." Toko told him. Makoto didn't say anything. He just stayed silent.
'Because if what we came up with really is the truth….then that truth is that Sayaka was trying to frame me.'
"Oh….that's why." Hina and Toko, along with some of the others, winced at this. Tears filled up Sayaka's eyes again.
'But, even if that's true….I can't say she was wrong.'
Once again, it took the others by surprise. "Um, what does he mean?" Hiro asked in confusion. "Is he saying that what Sayaka tried to do was the right thing?"
"No….that's not it." Makoto said softly, shaking his head. "What Sayaka did….it wasn't right. But I can't say it was wrong either. After all, I wasn't in her shoes."
"All of our future selves saw videos of those we cared about in danger." Mukuro pointed out, trying to keep the anger out of her tone. She was still slightly mad at Sayaka for what she had almost done to Makoto. "What makes you say that we weren't in her shoes?"
"I think my future self will explain." Was all Makoto gave. He doesn't really feel like talking right now.
"It's all because of the video," He mumbled quietly to himself. "Even I couldn't handle what I saw in there. If I was her, and the video actually had something to do with me, I couldn't even imagine…."
Flashbacks of Sayaka first reveal of her mental state was shown. "The one thing that was more important to her than anything else: her dreams, her friends….to have to see something like that happen to them….and Sayaka…."
Flashback of that talk in the trophy room showed up again. 'For the friends that meant so much to her….that's why she betrayed me.'
'But….it wasn't worth it.' Sayaka thought to herself. 'Betraying Makoto….trying to kill Leon….the look of betrayal and shock on Makoto's face….that dream isn't worth it.' And she had no doubt that if her friends heard what her future self did, they wouldn't support it. Not at all. They would've been extremely disappointed.
'So….when she said….' A flashback of the talk between Makoto and Sayaka after the motives was shown. 'She was lying to me from the very beginning. She was using me….is that why she talked to me in the first place?'
Those thoughts were plaguing Makoto as well. 'When did she plan to betray my future self? After the motive? Somewhere before that? Could she have been manipulating me from the very beginning?' Those thoughts could not leave Makoto.
Sayaka, however, thought differently. She knows that she wasn't manipulating him from the very beginning. She knows that the bond they shared in that killing game was real. But the thought made it all the more painful. She decided to betray a friend for her career, rather than put her trust on him.
'I….I guess I'll never know….' He concluded. 'Because there's nothing I can do to ask her what she was thinking. Once you're dead….that's that….'
'Oh, he's in complete and utter despair!' Junko thought in utter joy. 'Shows you Mr. Positive! The stronger positive feelings are, the bigger the despair is! The possibility of Sayaka betraying him is probably making poor ole Makoto despair!' Her mouth watered at the thought.
"Boy howdy! The entertainment industry must sure be terrifying, huh?!" Monokuma exclaimed. "I mean, to try and kill someone just because of those relationships! She seemed so nice and lovely on the outside, but inside….she'd descended into pure madness!"
That snapped Makoto out of his funk. 'What….what did he say?' Anger slowly started building up inside him.
It also angered some of the others. "What right does he have to judge Sayaka?" Hina remarked angrily.
"He has none. None at all." Sakura stated, frowning even more.
"What….what did you say?" Makoto asked, getting out of his thoughts.
"I understand, really I do. Yup, yup!" The bear stated. "You're in utter despair thanks to Sayaka's betrayal, right? Compassion, intimacy, love….the strong the feelings, the stronger the despair when they collapse!"
That brought a volcano of anger in Makoto. "Is he screwing with us?!" He shouted, surprising several of them. Even Junko was surprised by this. "He put our future selves in this mess in the first place! He forced Sayaka to do that!"
"But….didn't Sayaka make that choice on her own?" Junko asked.
A angry scowled is set on his face. "Even though it was her choice, it was forced into her hand! He forced her into a decision she wasn't emotionally ready to make! He has no right to say those things!"
Junko was shocked at his reaction, mentally frowning. This isn't despair! This is righteous anger! He was supposed to despair at the possibility that his closest friend could betray him!
The others had shocked looks as well. "I never thought Makoto was capable of that kind of anger." Taka said in wonder.
"Yeah." Hina murmured in agreement. It was both cute and scary at the same time.
"I don't blame him." Mukuro said softly, her eyes filled with sorrow for Makoto. "With everything he had to confront in the spans of a few hours, some sort of outburst was bound to happen."
That caused Makoto to snap. "Stop screwing with us! This is your fault!" He yelled angrily. "Sayaka being forced to do something like that….all of it….everything….! It's all your fault!" In a frenzy, he lunged at Monokuma.
Hina gasped. "No!"
"What is he doing?!" Mukuro exclaimed.
"You idiot!" Byakuya growled.
"Somebody stop him!" Hifumi squealed.
Sayaka let out a strangled gasp, covering her mouth. Even Kyoko and Celeste dropped their masks as shock overtook them.
But before he could get close, Kyoko latched onto to his arm. "That's enough." She said firmly. "If you really want to make her enemies pay for what they've done, you need to let it go for now."
Makoto was silent for a moment before settling down. "Dammit!" He cursed in frustration.
Several sagged in relief, especially those with crushes on him. Kyoko and Celeste schooled their features once more before the former firmly turned towards the luckster.
Before she could scold him however, she took note at the look on his face. She sighed, and decided to let it go. It'll probably be the last time Makoto try to attack Monokuma.
"Ahh, that was a close one!" Monokuma panted in relief. "I thought for sure you were gonna give me a good walloping! Just barely avoided punishment, you did!"
"A face. A name." Mondo growled in extreme. "Give me those, and I'm gonna give the damn bastard a good fucking walloping!"
'Not if the mastermind a girl, right?' Junko sung in her head. She predicts that if the others ever finds out that she's the mastermind, Mondo will struggle with pounding her face in.
"Now then! Since you so magnificently revealed the identity of the killer during the class trial…." There's an eagerness to the bear's voice now. "...the blackened, Leon Kuwata, will receive his punishment!"
"P-Punishment?" At this, Leon got even paler, if that was possible. "W-Wait, you mean he's about to….execute future me?"
If there was any color remaining in the students' cheeks, it was completely gone now. They were not going to enjoy this, they just know.
Sayaka eyes grew back in horror, tears slowly coming out of her eyes. 'No….no, please, not Leon….don't let him die because of me.' But she knew that thought will be left unheard.
"P-Punishment?" At this, Leon's feature got even paler. "You mean….e-execution?" At this, he panicked a little. "W-Wait a second! I didn't have a choice! I HAD to kill her! Y-Yeah, that's it! I was just protecting myself in the heat of the moment! It was self-defense!"
"Does he honestly still believe that it was self defense?" Junko asked in disbelief.
"Like Mondo said, it stopped being self-defense when Sayaka ran into the bathroom." Byakuya said.
Celeste cut in at that. "How, exactly, was it self-defense?" She questioned him. "When you forced your way into the bathroom, did you or did you not use your very own toolkit? After she'd shut herself in the bathroom, you went out of your way to head back to your own room. Then you came all the way back, broke into the bathroom, and killed her. Am I wrong?"
"You had any number of chances to stop what you were doing. But you chose not to." Celeste continued. "Is it not because you had an unclouded intent to commit murder?"
"N-No! That's not….!"
"He really believes that it was self-defense." Makoto spoke quietly. "We don't know the entire scenario. Maybe it was self defense."
"Y-You really think that?" Leon asked. While he's still afraid of what's going to happen, he was slightly shocked and confused at Makoto's words.
"Yes. Maybe he was afraid that Sayaka would be after him, or tried to talk to her, but ended up having to….you know," Despite the betrayal he felt, he couldn't finish that full sentence. "There's a lot of 'what-ifs' that could've happened, it could've been any of these scenarios."
"Regardless, it won't really matter to that psycho bear. I have a strong feeling he's not the type to care for any type of semantics." Junko sighed. That didn't make Leon feel better.
"Stop it," Makoto interrupted the argument. "I've had enough of this."
"Oh? Are you sure? You were closer to her than anyone, were you not?" Celeste inquired. "He killed your precious Sayaka. Do you understand?"
Makoto closed his eyes in the painful reminder. "I can't say Leon is solely to blame." Makoto admitted. "Of course, I don't plan on blaming Sayaka, either. Because…." Opening his eyes, he set towards Monokuma. "The one to blame….is you!"
"S'waaaah?!" Was Monokuma's response.
"If it weren't for you….this never would have happened to Sayaka, OR Leon!" Makoto stated angrily. "We shouldn't be fighting each other….we should be fighting against the one who put us in this situation! The mastermind!"
"Inspiring and truthful words." Sakura said in approval. For now, the execution was set in the back of their mind for a bit. "It should be something our future selves should take to heart."
"Unfortunately, logic and emotion don't always go hand in hand." Kyoko sighed. It's why detectives firmly stand on neutral ground. So emotion doesn't push away logic and facts. Mukuro nodded in agreement a few seats away. She's seen her fair share of soldiers failing to control one or the other.
'How could you not blame me?' Sayaka cried out mentally. How could Makoto not blame her future self for what she had done? Does the current Makoto feel the same way? Or does he feel different?
"Uh-oh! Did you awaken your sense of justice?!" Monokuma questioned mockingly. "Well, it just so happens that there's nothing more unethical than an unwavering sense of justice. After all, it's people with that sort of mentality that perpetuate war all over the world. Is that the kind of justice that's awakened within you?!"
None of them liked what Monokuma is insinuating. "For once, would he just shut up?!" Mondo growled.
"No, let him speak. The mastermind will be just be digging their grave deeper and deeper when we find and defeat them." Celeste said in a calm but deadly tone.
"Makoto's sense of justice is not bad as you say it is you stupid bear!" Hina exclaimed in anger. Sayaka, also forgetting about the execution that's about to come for a moment, scowled in anger, her hands shaking.
"Just….shut up!" Makoto shouted in frustration.
"Okay, well, anyway. More importantly….!" Monokuma got back to the subject at hand. "Let's hurry up and get to what everyone's been waiting for! The punishment!"
The anger and frustration was quickly replaced with fear and anxiety once again. "O-Oh no…." Toko said, covering her eyes.
"This is not going to be pleasant." Sakura said grimly. The bear is way to excited for this.
"No….no, no, no….." Leon muttered, holding his head.
"I'm begging you…..!" Leon began pleading. "Please, don't do this!"
"No more begging! No more excuses!" Monokuma rejected cruelly. "You must pay the penalty for breaking the rules! Society demands it!"
"What society would demand something like this?!" Taka demanded, looking as anxious and apprehensive as the others.
"T-This is too cruel." Chihiro said tearfully, trying to hold back the tears.
"S-Stop, please….!"
Monokuma gleefully ignored Leon. "Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star!"
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
"Let's give it everything we've got! It's…..PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"
"NNOOOOOOOOOOO!" As Leon's scream went through the trial room, Monokuma pull out a gavel and hit it on a big red button that suddenly rose out of the ground before him.
*GAME OVER. LEON KUWATA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. COMMENCING EXECUTION.* Those words were what appeared under the button as a pixelated Monokuma dragged an equally pixelated Leon.
Leon's scream also resonated through the living room, sending chills down everyone's spine. All of them were helpless as they watched Monokuma slammed the gavel.
"...The fuck is this shit?" Was all Mondo could say when they saw the video-game looking scene. Everything about him is currently tense, something that everyone else is feeling. Well, everyone except a certain mastermind.
"Oh god...oh shit…." Was all Leon could say, horror and dread clear on his face as watched the pixelized Monokuma drag his own panicking and struggling avatar off the screen.
The TV went back to Leon, who's looking around in a nervous fashion. He didn't notice a chain coming up behind behind him until it was too late. When it clamped onto his neck, it began dragging him out of the trial room in slow motion before it sped up and dragged him out in seconds. The exit he went through closed and the IN USE sign lighted up above the door.
As the chain dragged him, Leon struggled against it in vain. The chain took him to a baseball field, and in slow motion, the screen showed it off before speeding the scene back up and taking Leon towards the scoring board. Leon was dragged to the middle of the field, where a single metal pole stood. As he hit the pole, more chains quickly restrained him against it and all his attempts at struggling was quickly suppressed.
The camera closed into Leon, showing off the chains wrapped around his body. He took a quick look at the chains that restrained him, before looking back to the front as something appeared. The camera moved back to show a large gatling gun coming out of the ground, pointed right at Leon.
The scene got quiet as the gatling gun was loaded with baseballs. Behind the gates, Makoto and the others are forced to watch as the gun slowly fired up, its mechanisms clicking and whirling. As the music started back up, the gatling gun's noises got louder and louder. Under it, Monokuma, wearing a cap, aimed a baseball bat towards Leon.
THE 1,000 BLOWS
At first, it only started with a few shots at Leon. But slowly, the gatling gun started firing faster and faster before firing like a machine gun. The gatling gun started moving around, shooting every part of Leon's body as the class watched in horror. Any baseball thrown towards Monokuma was hit back with his baseball bat.
As the shooting continued, blood started appearing on Leon's body. The onslaught continued until the scene entered slow motion, showing the baseballs coming at Leon, the blood everywhere, and his screams of pain being drowned out in the relentless assault. The camera showed the pained and terrified face of Leon. When he opened his eyes to see the baseballs coming right at his face, the scene returned to real time.
Finally, the onslaught stopped, the gatling gun stopped right where it came from, and the gate opened. The camera showed each and every expression of the rest of the class' face, including Monokuma's, before it showed the silhouette of the now dead Leon with hundreds of baseballs laying all around him. A baseball slowly rolled forward to show the blood splattered onto it before the camera zoomed out to show everyone the appalling scene one last time and fading to black.
For the third time, dead silence filled the room at yet another death. Horror, anguish, grief, despair, and terror ate away at the students.
Byakuya, Mondo, and Sakura had to look away from the scene, teeths clenched. Taka and Hina looked close to puking, their faces pale, and the latter having tears coming out of her eyes. Terror was written on Hifumi's and Hiro's face. And even Kyoko and Celeste looked visibly shaken at the gruesome scene.
The execution….it was the most agonizing thing they had ever seen in their lives. Not even Kyoko or Mukuro had saw something so twisted in their lines of work. It was horrifying and despairing nightmare fuel for some.
Makoto himself was extremely pale, his whole body visibly shaking in fear while horror, grief, anguish hid behind the look in his eyes. He had to witness three of his friends die. Worst is that those three closest to him.
Sayaka, the idol he had a crush on and bonded with ever since day one. Mukuro, the soldier who seemed distant towards the others, but was always friendly and welcoming towards him. Leon, his best friend, indecisive with his career, but still a fairly dependable person. He had to witness all three of their deaths.
Leon was worse. His face his white as a sheet and his eyes glued to the floor, his expression devoid of life. Witnessing his own execution….he didn't even know how to describe it. How could one describe the terror building up as the execution started? How it turned to horror when he saw himself getting pelted with the very icon of his career? He can't even think of an emotion to describe how he felt at seeing his battered corpse.
Throughout the execution, Sayaka curled up into a ball and let the guilt build up as it all played out. When Leon finally died, she cried profusely. This was her fault. She caused this execution. Her future self was the one who start the entire thing. And now poor Leon had to suffer for it. For her mistake.
Chihiro didn't say anything, she couldn't say anything. Tears silently strolled down her cheeks, the programmer's mind replaying the whole execution. What was worse was that they basically condoned Leon's execution. They voted for him, gave the "okay" for Monokuma to kill Leon. They were as responsible for Leon's death as Leon was for Sayaka's. 'I'm….weak.' She thought helplessly.
Toko is curled up into a ball, her eyes curled shut. She saw some of what was happening. When the blood started to appear, she quickly closed her eyes and attempted to block out the rest of the execution, but to no avail. Still, what she saw was enough to give her nightmares for weeks. 'Are we going to keep seeing stuff like this?' Toko cried out mentally. 'I don't know if I could take this anymore!'
Junko ended up landing on the floor, on her knees and one hand, the other holding her mouth, her whole body visibly shaking. If anyone one payed attention to this, they would assume that she's as affected as the rest of them. But that isn't even close to truth.
Instead of shaking in horror, it's shaking in pure ecstasy. Instead of covering her mouth to hold back her lunch, she was holding back her cries of pleasure. Once again, she tried her hardest to contain herself, but the amount of despair in this was too much. And once again, she didn't care if anyone saw her.
Mukuro ignored her sister, dealing with her own emotions. Honestly, she didn't know what to feel right now. Guilt, betrayal, and loyalty was all mixing up to be a jumble of confusion for her. She's feel guilty for her future self assisting Junko in putting her classmates through the killing game, and the betrayal from her own sister increased it. But even with that, a sense of connection still remained with her.
'Why? Why do I still feel loyal towards her?' Mukuro thought in frustration. 'She betrayed me! She killed my future self without hesitation!' But….she betrayed her first. Abandoned her years ago. Does it make them even? She closed her eyes and bawled her fists in frustration as she can't find an answer.
No one could say anything at the moment. All of them just processed the horrifying execution they witnessed. The first of several they will see.
And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Next one will have the class react to the last part of chapter 1, then the break. What should I call it? Watching Ch 1: To Survive Part 15 + Break? Or just the break chapter? Something I'll need to think about. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you later.
Questions and inQuiries time!
Q: At the end of every chapter, can you put a relationship meter showing how Makoto feels about his classmates and vise versa?
S: No, it's too much extra work to do.
Q: Will you be adding in the special events in the game? (The peeping scene from CH3 for example)
S: I don't know as of yet, but most likely not.
Q: *Multiple questions/inquiries on Hajime and Izuru in class 77 watches the future*
S: He's likely not going to appear since during the time the class is going to be watching it, he's either still in the reserve course or he's "busy" with the Kamukura project
Q: *Regarding the specifics of where this fic takes place on the timeline*
L: So I see there's a small discussion about how specific this takes fic places itself on the DR timeline. I don't think it's that important to pinpoint a specific time frame, but just know that this takes place before Junko makes any moves on Hope's Peak Academy aside from enrolling in the school.
