Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, I tried to wrap up Chapter 2 in one chapter. Really, I tried. But I had to come a stopping point and finish the rest in the next chapter. Otherwise, this one would've been extremely long. There was a lot of content in the post trial, more than in Chapter 1. So, you'll be seeing them watch the remaining part of the trial, Mondo's and Chihiro's past, the former's reason for killing the latter, and then the execution. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
A Lucky Soldier: Holy balls, this is the longest chapter to date in this entire fic, clocking in at just around 9.6K words (Minus the notes and questions here, and end of chapter notes and stuff). A lot was covered in here so I guess that's a bonus for everyone. The moment y'all have been waiting for! Enjoy! But first, the questions.
Questions:
Q: Will there be bonus scenes in here? (Peeping, Bad End, etc)
L: Nope, sorry! This will fic will only be focused on the canon route of the game so outside of FTEs and main story, there won't be other scenes.
S: Like Lucky said, no bonus scenes. Only focusing on canon route.
Q: Will they speculate why Byakuya messed with the crime scene?
L: What kind of question is this? Of course they will! Though I can't say his character is a forte of mine, thanks for the input on that matter! It really saves a lot of extrapolation on my end :) (As much as I don't really see Byakuya in a good light, I do acknowledge that he is a great character and that there's definitely more to him than how he appears.)
Q: What is the point of this entire viewing? Junko gets her despair either way.
L: That's a good question. True that Junko does win in either case, but one has 5 survivors while another prevents the entire game as a whole. Of course, by the end of the day, this entire thing is just another "what-if" story that we're now all way too invested into to stop now, and I can't speak about what hasn't happened yet because of spoilers. It's a good thing you asked this, I honestly haven't thought too much on this yet and now that you brought this up, I wouldn't let this go unanswered before the fic ends.
Chapter 39: Watching Ch 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 16
The scene changed to a dark screen, with the words 'Act 1' at the right side yet again. "First, let's take a look back to before the incident…." Makoto began. "Last night, Celeste saw Chihiro in the warehouse, correct? At the time, she was apparently stuffing something into a duffel bag." As he spoke, the closing argument scene showed Chihiro packing the tracksuit, and Celeste spotting her. "That something was a blue tracksuit. You can confirm this, right Celeste?"
It then moved to Act 2, showing Chihiro stuffing the tracksuit fully inside before moving out and waving goodbye to Celeste. "With bag in hand, Chihiro headed out, even though it was officially nighttime. She made her way to the locker room, specifically, the boys locker room. But how could the victim, who was apparently a girl, access the boys locker room?" It then showed the locker room, as well as Chihiro using her handbook to access the boys' locker room before going in. "Simple. Because 'she' was really a he. Which is why he was able to use his own e-Handbook to gain entrance to the boys locker room."
"Once inside, he met with someone there. And the person he met was the one who killed him!" Act two then showed Chihiro meeting up with said person, then going into one of the lockers. As he did, the person picked up a dumbbell. "It seems likely that the killer grabbed the nearby dumbbell, approached the unsuspecting Chihiro…." It then switched to the killer approaching Chihiro, the boy turning around in shock, and blood sprayed everywhere. "And attacked him." A bit of the blood went onto the poster and mat. "And that's where the bloodstains on the poster and carpeting in the boys locker room came from."
Next was dumbbell being dropped, the killer looking panicked, and Chihiro, dead on the ground.
Chihiro felt himself shaking when his murder began playing out. When he saw the silhouette attacked his future self, the programmer flinched heavily, like he was the one struck. He looked away from the screen as it was rather morbid to look at his own dead body, the discomfort making him tear up.
The others are also having a difficult time seeing this. Tears began leaking from Sayaka and Hina, while anguish hit Taka's and Makoto's faces. Sakura closed her eyes and looked away, teeth clenched.
Mondo himself is shaking, in rage, confliction, and anguish. Rage at seeing Chihiro killed, but confliction and anguish at the the large possibility that it was him. 'B-But….why would I kill Chihiro?' Mondo thought to himself. 'Why would that thought even cross my mind?'
"It was likely in the heat of the moment. The body was arranged, but the murder itself felt unplanned." Act 3 then appeared, with the culprit rolling up the mat, along with pulling off the poster. "Which is why the killer hurried to try and hide the act. First, pulling up the bloodstained carpet, then removing the bloody poster….." It then showed the culprit pulling Chihiro's corpse onto their shoulder, along with the door to the girls locker room. "...and finally carrying the corpse into the girls locker room."
"A girl's handbook was necessary to get into the locker room, of course….but this alone doesn't prove that the killer was necessarily a girl." The next scene showed the culprit holding an e-Handbook before using it to enter in the locker room. "After all, Sayaka's and Junko's handbook handbooks had been placed in the main hall. Using one of the those, a boy could get into the girls locker room without much problem." Next it showed them placing the bloody poster onto the wall, then laying Chihiro down on the floor. "And that's exactly how the killer did it. With the carpet and the poster they'd brought with them, they got to work…."
The next part was the culprit letting out a breath of exertion, as well as the switch of the crime scene. "They changed the layout of the boys and girls locker room, in what you might call….a crime scene switch! That could have been the end of things, but no…."
Act 4 was then shown, with Byakuya looking into the girls locker room, a sinister smirk on his face. "Byakuya discovered the body and decided to….intervene in the situation, making things even more complicated." He then entered the room, with an extension cord in his hand. "So, after stumbling into the crime scene, he went and grabbed the extension cord from the library, and then he got to work."
"He used the cord to string up Chihiro's lifeless body." The climax argument showed Byakuya tying Chihiro's hands and neck. "Then, using the victim's own blood, he left a grisly message there at the scene of the crime." A picture of Byakuya gathering up some blood on his fingers was shown before using it to write the message. The picture of the fully altered crime scene was shown. "He wanted to create the illusion that Genocide Jack was responsible for the slaughter."
The sight of Byakuya altering the crime scene and messing with Chihiro's body upset the entire class. Hina and Sayaka had angry scowls plastered on their faces, Mondo was shaking in rage, and the silence amongst the rest was more than enough to express their discontent. Chihiro felt himself shaking, a few whimpers coming out of him. Grief and nausea hit him as he curled up tighter.
Byakuya himself kept his head towards the TV, his face unexpressive. Inwardly, however, he's also feeling a bit of anger and disgust towards his future self. What has possessed him to do this? Why alter the crime scene and string up Chihiro's corpse? What is there to gain from that?
"And around the same time that Byakuya was putting together this facade…." Act 5 began, with the killer entering the bath house. "...the killer, having already disposed of Chihiro's bag and other belongings, arrived at the sauna. There, they planned to destroy the last piece of evidence….Chihiro's handbook." The scene showed the killer throwing the handbooks into the sauna, watching it land before it shorted out. "And just as the killer expected, the steamy sauna was enough to ruin the electronic gadget. Somehow, the killer knew that the handbook couldn't stand up to the heat of the sauna. And the reason they knew that is because the sauna had already wrecked their own handbook! ….And that's how it all played out."
The scene then switched to pictures of Makoto and the silhouette. A second later, the silhouette revealed itself to be Mondo. "Isn't that right, Mondo Owada?!"
"And with that, all the contradictions have cleared up." Celeste sighed softly.
Kyoko turned to Mondo. "So Mondo, can you deny that you're the culprit?"
His response was a resigned look. "What the hell do you think?" The biker said gruffly. "You saw what happened. There's no way I can deny it."
"M-Mondo?" Chihiro spoke up, her eyes wide with horror and a wave of unshed tears.
"I'm sorry, Chihiro," Mondo said, refusing to look at him. "I don't want to believe that I killed you. But even I know when to give in." It was extremely frustrating. It wasn't him that killed Chihiro per se, but at the same time, he also couldn't deny that he did kill him. Had this all been for a speeding ticket, he could've accepted it. Had this been for disturbing the peace from his gang brawls, he could've accepted it. But for something he didn't know why it happened and yet it was a fact? Mondo didn't want to accept it, but he also couldn't reject it. What is he supposed to do?
"H-Hold on! Just wait a minute, bro!" Taka protested, his eyes swimming with anxiety and denial. "There's no proof! No actual, physical proof!"
"Bro, please…." 'Don't make this harder on me than it already is...'
But the moral compass wasn't listening. "Without proof, this is all just speculation! They can't pin any of this on you!"
"T-Taka right!" Chihiro quickly agreed, his voice sounding a bit strained. "If there's no proof, then he can't be the one that killed me!"
'I'm sorry, Taka, Chihiro, but there is proof.' Makoto thought sadly, his expression downcast. 'And the proof is in Mondo's pocket.'
The scene switched back to the trial room. Mondo let out a resigned groan in response to Makoto's summary.
"W-Wait….! No, this can't be right!" Taka protested frantically. "Where's your evidence….? Y-Yeah, where's your evidence?!"
Seeing how future Taka is acting, as well as how the present one and Chihiro is acting, caused some of the students' hearts to ache.
'Dammit bro, just stop it.' Mondo thought, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. 'There's no use denying it now. Please, just, accept it.' But he knew that Taka wouldn't. Not until there's no way to deny it, or when future self finally admits it.
'Evidence that Mondo is the killer….' As Makoto thought that, the camera angled closer to his face, his eyes closed. 'That already revealed itself earlier in the trial.'
The camera moved back to the frantic Taka. "You need evidence! You need proof!"
It went back to Makoto. 'All I have to do is check that one item of his, and everything will become clear….'
And back to Taka. "Without any proof, you can't pin any of this on him!"
Once more, it moved back to Makoto. This time, the luckster opened his eyes in resigned determination. "I do have evidence!"
The camera froze to Taka's frantic expression, moving it closer in different angles until the image broke like glass. "W-What?" Taka froze at Makoto's statement.
"If my thinking so far is right…." Makoto continued. "Mondo must have replaced his broken handbook with Leon's. In which case, we can just check each of our handbooks right now. Once we do that, we'll-"
"We don't gotta do that." Mondo finally spoke, his voice soft.
"Huh?" Was Makoto's confused response.
"What….?" Taka felt himself become white as a sheet a Mondo's word. "Bro….what are you….?"
'No….it can't be….' Chihiro felt himself shaking once more, tears slowly coming out of his eyes. 'Don't….please don't say it. Please….'
"Yeah. Yeah…." Mondo softly admitted. "I did it….I killed him."
That what caused Chihiro to break. Grief, horror, and despair was displayed on his face and in his eyes, with waves of tears coming out. Hearing this, hearing Mondo's future self verbally admit to killing him….it shattered his denial.
His classmate, his friend, the person he admired the most….killed him. Mondo is the culprit that murdered him.
"Bro...what are you saying?" Taka asked, trying to wrap his head at what he heard. "Why would you say that?!"
"Because there's no use denying it." Mondo told him. "I'm the one who killed him. I….murdered Chihiro."
"No! It can't-"
"Think about it, bro!" Mondo stated, his eyes still closed. "Think back to everything you saw! If you just think about it, you know that you can't keep denying it!"
"I…." Reluctantly, Taka did so. Thought back to when he first got accused, the handbook conversation, the closing argument, and finally, Mondo's admittance. And as he thought about those things, horror and despair slowly entered his face. And soon, he had no choice but to admit….that Mondo is the blackened of the second trial.
"Bro? Bro….what are you saying?" Taka gasped in shock.
"I got no choice, man. After hearing all that, I gotta just….give up." Mondo said, his voice gruff. "Go ahead, Monokuma. Get it over with….ask for the god damned verdict…."
"Roger that!" Monokuma replied back.
'Here it comes….' Makoto thought gravely. 'Voting time….' He winced when he heard Chihiro beginning to let out sobs.
"W-Wait, hold on-!" Taka protested.
"No waiting! No holding on!" Monokuma stated in response. "Time for the moment we've all been waiting for! Grab your lever and give it a yank! Who will you elect as the blackened this time around? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!"
Dread began filling everyone's heart, knowing what will come next. 'I hate this….' Hina thought, the tears stinging her eyes.
'I'm loving this!' Junko thought giddily. This is better than the last trial!
After his question, the scene switched to the slot machine once again. The slot machine then began rolling before slowly stopping on Mondo. And once again, the lights flashed, cheers came out, and coins flew out of the machine.
The scene went back to the students, who got off their podiums and gathered around each other. "Uh-oh….this time it looks like….you got it right again!" Monokuma told everyone. "Yes, it is so. The blackened that killed Chihiro Fujisaki was….Mondo Owaaadaaaa!"
Once again, that statement hit nearly everyone hard. Harder than last time even. Where the first trial was at point that their future selves barely knew each other….this case was where a friend murdered another friend. A wave of cold depression and horror hammered everyone's spirits to the ground.
Chihiro's sobbed even louder, burying his face into his knees. Taka, meanwhile, was shell-shocked, his mind temporarily broke from all the news he had received.
And Mondo himself? He was silent, with any heat and anger he had in him snuffed out. What was left was remorse, guilt, and resignation. "So that's it then." He said softly, mainly to himself. "I'm the goddamned blackened this time."
"Why….?" Taka asked numbly. Slowly, his voice got more frantic. "Why….why would he kill Chihiro?!"
"I... don't know." Mondo admitted softly. But he have a few good guesses.
Mondo was silent at that, his head cast down. "In case you're wondering, the vote was NOT unanimous. Kiyotaka chose the wrooong answer!" Monokuma informed them. "You're treading very close to the danger zone, Mr. Ishimaru! You need to be more careful!"
Mondo gritted his teeth. Even with all the evidence, even with his own admittance….his bro was still adamant that he would never do something like that. That hurts, knowing he failed his best friend. No, he failed everyone by breaking their trust.
"I-I refuse to believe it…." Taka mumbled, shell-shocked and pale. "There's no way….no way he would kill someone!"
"Sorry…." Was what all Mondo could say.
"Wh-Why are you apologizing?!" Taka demanded. "Why?! Why, why, why, why, why?! WHYYY?! Wh….why?" And finally, Taka broke down from his denial. "Why did you do it?!" Once again, Mondo was silent, his eyes away from everyone.
"Being silent, are we?" Celeste pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Not willing to share what caused you to kill?"
"Telling people why you killed somebody ain't exactly the easiest thing, you know. And it's not like I know either..." Mondo shot back, though no bite was in his words.
"Well, it looks like Mondo's taken a vow of silence, so allow me to explain on his behalf…." Monokuma spoke up. "The story of the murder this time….is the story of two men."
As he began telling the story, the screen faded black. "Anyway, there was once a young boy…." The bear began. "And his name was Chihiro Fujisaki." An image of Chihiro then appeared. "He had an extreme inferiority complex regarding his own lack of strength."
"You're so weak, even though you're a boy!" An image of a younger Chihiro was shown next. "He heard things like that as long as he could remember, and he couldn't overcome his weaknesses."
Monokuma's story caused Chihiro's eyes to widen shock, and for his head to shot up, revealing his tear stained face. He flinched when he heard the last part, remembering all the times he has been called weak as a child.
"On the contrary, he tried to hide and buried himself further and further into that weakness…." The next scene was Chihiro dressing up as a girl for the first time. "...to take on the form of a petite young girl. He had chosen that as his way out."
"Now nobody will be able to say anything about 'even though you're a boy'..." Chihiro murmured to himself.
The reveal of why Chihiro dressed as a girl shocked and upsetted the group. "Chihiro…." Sayaka called out softly to the programmer. "Is this true? That's why you…."
Chihiro nodded, keeping his eyes away from everyone. "It hurts…." Chihiro croaked quietly. "Hurts when people say that I'm weak. That even though I'm a guy, I'm not at all strong." The insults and cruel words hurt even more than actual pain.
"Chihiro…." Hina bit her lips at this, very upset that her friend had to go through that. That he had to become something he isn't in order to escape it. Beside her, Sakura looked down, anger boiling in her eyes. Her desire to find and punish those who verbally assaulted Chihiro was strong.
Leon also felt that same desire. He scowled and clenched his fist tightly, wishing he could beat the crap out of those guys.
"But no matter how tightly he wrapped himself up in that shell…." Monokuma continued. "...the inferiority complex had already taken root deep inside of him, and was not so easily weeded out." A scene of a depressed Chihiro was shown. "As it turned out, the shell was completely empty. Instead, it only grew stronger and stronger."
"I'm….weak…." Chihiro muttered depressingly. "Weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak….!"
Several of them felt their heart clench at this. How long was Chihiro was suffering like that? How long did he felt this way, felt so….depressed?
Makoto looked down, a deep, sorrowful frown on his face. He's glad he, Mondo, and Leon was able to help Chihiro, somewhat. But he knew that Chihiro still has that inferiority complex about him. And he can't help but feel a bit useless, knowing that his programmer friend is suffering like that.
A flashback where the entire class first met was shown next. "Once the killing game had begun here at the school, he had no choice but to accept this fact." The bear stated. "After all, this world is survival of the fittest. If you're not strong, you don't survive." The next flashback was Monokuma holding everyone's embarrassing secrets. "And then the lovely and hateful Monokuma announced the revealing of the embarrassing secrets. Which, of course, included Chihiro's embarrassing secret, which I was more than willing to divulge…."
A scene of Chihiro looking at his secret was shown, the letter saying, "Even though he dresses like a girl, Chihiro is actually a boy."
Predictably, Monokuma's words angered the group. "That fucking bear…." Leon growled, clenching his teeth. "He acts way too gleeful about revealing that!"
"Does the word 'personal privacy' mean anything to that psycho?" Hina angrily protested.
"Not if it get someone killing somebody." Celeste sighed.
"And that was something Chihiro couldn't let anyone find out, no matter the cost." Monokuma declared. "If that was revealed, it would be the end. The hardened shell would crack, the armor would fall away. Without a doubt, those around him would torture him more than ever before. Everyone figured being thrust into such a dilemma must have sent him spiraling into despair."
"And yet….!" A flashback of Chihiro saying that he doesn't want to reveal it yet, but wanted to reveal it later when he's stronger was shown. "Annoyingly, he used the threat of discovery to motivate himself to become stronger!"
A scene of a determine looking Chihiro was the next thing to be shown. "Now's my chance…." Chihiro said to himself. "I'm going to get stronger….and accept who I am….strong enough so that when someone says 'even though you're a boy' I'll be okay. I'll get better!"
That caused Chihiro's eyes to widen once again, shock filling his veins. Did he….hear that correctly? Was his future self….using the threat as motivation to become stronger?
The others were surprised by this as well. "Wow." Leon whistled. "Guess that explains why Chihiro wasn't breaking down at the reveal of our motives."
"Guess so." Junko remarked, also shocked by this. Inwardly, she is also incredibly annoyed! Chihiro wasn't supposed to be motivated by this! He was suppose to be breaking down! Instead of her motive bringing him despair, it brought him hope! It angered her that her plan had technically back-fired against her.
As the surprise wore off, a small smile entered Makoto's lips. "Instead of breaking down and letting despair take him, he used this as motivation. As a way to become stronger and more accepting of himself."
"It shows that Chihiro does indeed have courage inside him." Sakura said softly.
Chihiro stared at the TV. Does….he really have that kind of courage? Could he really be that brave?
"With that thought at the front of his mind, he resolved to take immediate action." Monokuma said. "And so…" A flashback of Chihiro and Celeste in the warehouse was shown. "That day, he made the commitment to begin exercising. He was prepared to train his mind and body. But sadly….that would be the first and last chance he would get at it!"
The TV finally reverted back to the courtroom. "When he'd decided to start exercising, he thought it would be good to ask for someone's help. But he wanted to tell that person his secret first, and then ask them to help him from there. And the person he went to…."
"Was Mondo." Kyoko concluded with a small grimace.
The biker, who was up quiet throughout the small story, clenched his teeth. 'And I ended up killing him in response.' Mondo thought to himself. 'He trusted me, and I spat on that trust!'
"It was me….!" Mondo stated bluntly.
"Yup, it sure was!" The bear said gleefully. "The biker gang fella had been painfully clear about how important his mainly promise were. So Chihiro probably figured that even if he confided in Mondo, his honor would make him make him keep the secret."
Mondo was silent to this. "Plus, Mr. Macho Mondo was the very symbol of a strong man that Chihiro had always aspired to." The bear added.
The scene switched to a flashback of Chihiro in his room. "Maybe talking to Mondo about it will help give me some courage…."
"So that's where it all began, huh?" Junko commented on. "When Makoto made that suggestion to Chihiro…."
"Junko!" Sayaka exclaimed, glaring at the fashionista. "Are you saying that it's Makoto fault?"
"Hey, that's not what I meant!" Junko said, holding her hands up in a surrender motion and feigning a defensive tone. "I'm just saying that how it started! I mean, we all saw that Chihiro didn't think about Mondo until our little luckster brought up the idea."
Makoto looked down, guilt entering his mind. 'I was the one who suggested it….' He thought to himself. 'Maybe if I hadn't, Chihiro would be….'
"Chihiro would've eventually come to that conclusion anyway, regardless of what Makoto said." Kyoko said, drawing the luckster out of his thoughts. "It couldn't be helped."
"And it was my choice." Chihiro spoke up softly. "So please, don't blame Makoto for what I decided to do."
"Alright, alright. Sorry." The fashionista mentally giggled. Her little comment should have nourished that seed of guilt in his mind. Oh boy, this was fun!
Sayaka, meanwhile, grabbed Makoto's hand, gaining his attention. "It's not your fault." Sayaka whispered. "You wouldn't have known that Mondo would do something like that. So please, don't blame yourself."
Makoto, after a moment, nodded in response and squeeze her hand back. Still, he can't but feel partly responsible for what had happened.
'But still...'
"So he went and asked Mondo to help him become strong!" Once again, the camera switched back to the trial room. "That was his aspiration…." Monokuma sighed in mock sadness. "And he thought that only with Mondo's support would he able to come close to that."
"So then, that must be why Mondo did what he did - to keep the promise he'd made to Chihiro." Kyoko realized.
It quickly clicked in Makoto's mind what Kyoko meant. "You're talking about why Mondo carried Chihiro's body into the girls locker room, right?"
Kyoko nodded. "Yes, that's most likely what I meant."
"That makes sense." Leon said softly. "Mondo would do his damn best to keep his promises." The biker himself didn't say anything.
"But….what makes you think it wasn't a way to cover up his crime?" Hifumi inquired.
"It's probably part of the reason," Makoto corrected. "But the main reason is to keep his promise. After all, a couple of us would've questioned Chihiro's true gender if he was found in the boys locker room."
"Especially when all the other possibilities isn't feasible." Kyoko added.
Confusion and distressed enter Chihiro's whirlwind of emotions. He doesn't doubt that Mondo would do this….but it doesn't explain why he would kill him. Why?!
"Huh? Did what he did?" Makoto asked in confusion. Then his eyes lit up in realization. "You mean….? That's why Mondo carried Chihiro from the boys locker room into the girls locker room?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean." Kyoko confirmed.
"Wasn't that to cover up what he'd done?" Hifumi asked.
"That could have been part of it, but I don't think it was the main reason." Kyoko said. "The real purpose was to keep his promise between men he'd made to Chihiro."
"But….how does moving the body keep his secret?" Hina asked, confuse.
"Because if everyone knew he'd been killed in the boys locker room, then everyone would have been arguing about how 'she' got into the boys locker room, right?" Kyoko explained. "Once that started up, at least a few of us would have immediately begun to suspect his identity. So he tried to protect Chihiro's secret by putting him in the girls locker room and stealing his handbook. See?"
"Then….Mondo did all that to keep the promise he'd made to Chihiro….who he'd also killed?" Makoto questioned, trying to his head around that.
"That is very a very big contradiction." Celeste stated. "Honoring someone's secret, yet ended up killing them."
Distress and confusion was evident in Taka's eyes and face, as well as Chihiro's. "The more I hear, the less I understand…." Taka exclaimed, holding his head. "Why would bro do this?! He and Chihiro are friends!"
"That answer will most likely come soon." Sakura sighed.
Again, Mondo was silent to this. "Why….would he….do that?" Taka asked once again, frustration and confusion evident in his voice. "The more I hear you talk, the more I don't understand! I mean, you guys trusted each other, right?! So why? Why did you….?"
Finally, Mondo spoke. "Because….no matter what, I didn't want anyone to know…."
What the future Mondo said triggered the present one. He clenched his teeth at his words. 'So I was right after all.' Mondo thought with gritted teeth. 'It's so I could keep that a secret. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why am I so simple minded?'
'So the motive was the trigger after all.' Kyoko thought, her eyes closed. 'I thought as much.'
"So that's what triggered it, after all." Kyoko sighed. "The possibility of having your embarrassing memories and secrets exposed…."
Several eyes widen at this. "Bro…." Taka turned to his best friend. "Was the secret so bad that you had to kill somebody for it?! It couldn't be!"
"How many times do I have to say it?" Byakuya sighed in annoyance. "You cannot judge someone else's values based on your own outlook. It was clear that he thought differently."
"I hate to say this, but Byakuya's right." Sayaka said, biting her lips. "There are secrets that people will do anything to keep." Being in the music industry taught her that all too well.
"Th-That's impossible! Nothing could have been that bad!" Taka refuted. "Something he didn't want anyone to know, even if it meant killing someone….? It's impossible!"
"How many times must I repeat myself?" Byakuya sighed in annoyance. "To judge others by your own standard is the height of folly. Even if you can't comprehend it, he obviously can. That's all there is to it."
"But….Mondo, what is that secret?" Hina asked him, turning to the biker. "What is so bad that you have to kill Chihiro for it?" The gang leader stayed silent to that, unwilling to reveal that.
Chihiro turned to the biker as well, wanting to know the answer to that question as well. What secret did he have that would cause him to kill? What….what would cause Mondo to kill him?
"Well, while we're on the subject….why don't I tell you?" Monokuma offered. "That embarrassing memory, that secret he didn't want anyone to know….you know what Mondo did? He killed his own brother!" Mondo made a choking noise at the reveal of his secret.
Now THAT completely shocked the group. Eyes were popped wide open, jaws were hanging from their mouths, shock and disbelief had quickly filled the air around them.
"Whaaaaaat?!" Hifumi screamed in shock.
"He….killed his brother?!" Hina exclaimed, trying to process that information.
Both Chihiro and Taka turned to their biker, whose head is bowed and his body shaking. "Mondo….is this true?" Taka asked, his voice small. The biker remained quiet to this, shame completely pinning him down.
'Ooooh, this has gotten much more interesting!' Junko thought eagerly. Not that it wasn't interesting before, but this new information even more interesting.
The scene switched to Mondo riding on his bike, with several other gangsters behind and following him. "Mondo, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, makes all the hoodlums and riff-raff across the country tremble…." Monokuma began narrating once again. "But the only reason he had the chance to join a gang in the first place was because of a certain someone."
The next scene shown was of Mondo's older brother, Daiya, driving a motorcycle. "Mondo's older brother name was Daiya Owada. Mondo had nothing but respect for him. It was because of Daiya that Mondo ever got on a bicycle." The scene widen to show Mondo looking at his older brother. "Mondo's brother was his only family growing up. He was the only one Mondo could trust, and respect. He wanted to measure up to his big brother, so he imitated him in everything he did. Mondo was the epitome of the starry-eyed kid brother."
This wasn't new information for the group. They all knew that Mondo had loved and admired his older brother, and was a 'starry-eyed kid brother', as Monokuma put it. But with this information, they had to ask….could Mondo really have killed his brother?
'Something must've happened that caused Daiya's death.' Makoto thought to himself. 'Something that Mondo blame himself for.'
"Meanwhile, the charismatic older brother had put together a local motorcycle gang….." Monokuma continued. "...and before anyone knew it, it had grown into the biggest biker gang in the country. Daiya, the older brother, number one in the gang. And his number two, his younger brother, Mondo. In the beginning, everything was peach and gravy.
"But when Mondo started to think about how he would have to take over the gang from his brother someday….his brother's greatness, his reputation, began to gnaw on Mondo's very soul!" The scene switched Mondo being surrounded by silhouettes of other bikers, whispering around him. "Almost every day, Mondo heard the gossip and whispers of the other members of the gang. Which is why…."
The camera moved to the side of Mondo's face, showing frustration and desperation. "I gotta get stronger….stronger than Daiya." He said to himself. "Once….just one time….no matter what, I gotta win….I don't care what it takes, I gotta come out on top!"
As they watched, a sinking feeling was felt by some of them. They just knew something bad was about to happen.
Mondo, meanwhile, clenched his fist and teeth, tears swelling up in his eyes. He knew what's going to come next. A crime he considered the ultimate betrayal to himself. No amount of reparation would be able to absolve him from his crime.
"And on the night of his amazing brother's retirement ceremony, Mondo challenged him to a street race!" The next scene was switched to Mondo racing his brother. "But during the race, tragedy struck. The kid brother pushed ahead with reckless abandon, eager for victory, and dashed into incoming traffic." As the bear narrated, the TV displayed Mondo pushing ahead and ending up right in front of an incoming truck.
"But suddenly….!" Out of nowhere, Daiya pushed Mondo off the road, with the truck still driving in full speed. Right as the truck was about to hit the older brother, everything turned white as the sound of crashing entered the speakers. The white screen faded to show a crying Mondo holding his dying brother.
The sight of what had happened, along with Mondo holding his older brother and crying, filled with the room heartache. "So that's what happened…." Makoto said quietly, closing his eyes in respect for Daiya. "Daiya saved Mondo's life….at the cost of his own."
"He sacrificed himself to save his younger brother." Sakura stated, also closing her eyes in respect for Daiya.
The sight of his brother saving him, him dying while he was crying his eyes out, causing tears to slowly fall from his eyes. "Damn it…." He cursed, his voice strained. Why? Why did his brother save him from his own, stupid mistake? Why did he have to do that?
"Mondo…." Both Taka and Chihiro felt themselves crying for their biker friend. They could see how much grief he has over this. How much guilt he's carrying.
"Laying in his kid brother's arms, the older brother delivered his final words…."
"M-My bad kid….I fucked up, sorry." Daiya said weakly. "Hey, kid….the rest is up to you. No matter what, you gotta keep the gang together. Cuz it's the team….you and me put together. It's….a pr….a promise….between men…."
Several of them felt their heart ache for Mondo, especially those with siblings. Makoto, Hina, and Hifumi couldn't help but think about their siblings, wondering how they would feel if they saw them die. It wasn't something they wanted to think on long. Leon thought about his cousin, the closest thing he had to a sister (Despite her crush on him). Like the others, he didn't think on the thought of her dead long.
Mukuro herself also thought about how she would feel if Junko would've ever died. And surprisingly, despite what Junko did to her future self, and what the present Junko said to her, the thought of her dying made her heart clench in pain. Despite what she knows, what Junko thinks about her, she still cared for her twin sister. It was a maternal like feeling from sister to sister that she could never cover up, one of the few traits that reminded her that she was human underneath.
That screen then went black. "He decided to hide the truth of what happened from everyone else in the gang." The bear continued. "In order to keep the gang together, and keep his promise to his brother….he could never admit to anyone that it was his own weakness that had caused the accident! And as a result…." The screen then went back to Mondo riding in front of his gang. "...the team was made even stronger, under the banner of the kid who'd bested his big brother. 'Daiya was gonna lose to his kid brother, so he got stupid and got himself killed.' That became the explanation for what happened. Mondo's lie became the truth."
The TV switched to Mondo alone, various emotions etched onto his face. "He wanted to lead the team so bad, he was willing to tell all kinds of lies about his brother!"
"I'm….strong…." Mondo said to himself. "Strong, strong, strong, strong, strong, strong….!"
"So where one is convinced that he's weak," Mukuro said quietly. "The other tries to convince himself that he's strong." 'I suppose this is what people call pity...' She thought to herself.
"That sounds about right." Junko agreed. "Hoo boy, this is so pitiful I could laugh at this for hours!"
"And yet…." The next scene was the gathering of students, once again. "As soon as our killing game, he realized….no matter how tough he pretended to be, he was just another weakling that could die in an instant."
Next was Monokuma handing the remaining students their secrets. "And then the lovely, the hateful Monokuma announced the revealing of the embarrassing secrets. At this point, it was clear I would have no problem shedding light on his secret…." Mondo looked at his secret with obvious distress. "Mondo killed his own older brother."
Finally, it was back to the trial room once again. "N-No matter what….I couldn't let the other gang members find out." Mondo said, his eyes closed shut. "If that happened, everything would have been ruined….everything me and my brother had worked to create….woulda been destroyed. His death….all the guilt I'd been carrying around….it all woulda been for nothing. So that's why…." His eyes then shot open, with guilt and self-loathing filling them. "That's why I…I…!"
"Mondo…." Makoto spoke softly.
Mondo, after controlling his emotions somewhat, began explaining some more. "After I saw what Monokuma had on me, my head filled up with a kind of uneasiness, and just started swirlin' around. I'd never felt anything like it before…" He explained to them. "I…I didn't know what to do about it. I wasn't sure what to think or say. But after a while, that fuzzy uneasiness…turned itself into a rock-hard lump of anxiety, way down in my stomach…! And it was right around then…that Chihiro asked me to start working out with him. And right there, I…he told me the secret."
Everyone stiffened when they saw the TV transitioning to a flashback. "Oh no…are they going to show…" Hina covered her mouth, anguish clear in her voice.
"Are we going to actually see what happened?!" Hiro shouted, holding his porcupine head.
Mondo, Taka, and Chihiro especially went rigid, none of them wanting to see what transpired. But, despite their wished, the scene played.
"Seriously? Jesus…." Mondo gasped in shock.
"Y-Yeah….I'm sorry I lied to you." Chihiro said guiltily.
"But….why?" The biker questioned. "Why now? Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?"
"...Huh?" Was Chihiro's confused response.
"Cuz I mean…you've kept that secret all this time, right?" Mondo pointed out. "If anyone found out…you would…"
"Y-You're right, but…" A look of pure determination entered the boy's face. "I want to change. I wrapped myself in lies. I'm weak. I want to destroy that version of me forever!"
Chihiro's words, along with the determination in his voice and looks, startled everyone. Even Junko, who expected Chihiro to say something like that, did not expect the sheer determination in the boy's face. She immediately covered her mouth with a hand to stop herself from speaking up. Even though things may have gone as planned, there's no way that was supposed to be in the script. 'I may need to recalculate some things...' She thought to herself.
"Wow, Chihiro." Leon said in awe. "That was quite a statement."
"Yeah." Hina agreed. "I don't think I could do the same."
"Agreed. You're showing remarkable bravery and strength here." Sakura said, approval clear in her tone.
Chihiro looked at his future counterpart in awe. Could he really be that brave? Could he….really be that strong?
Mondo smiled bitterly at this. He've only seen it a couple of times, but he recognizes that inner strength Chihiro has. The courage that he both admired and envied.
"His words were like a knife in the gut…." Mondo told them as the camera moved to the shock looking biker. "I felt like he was exposing the lie I'd been living myself."
"I have to change. I don't want to be weak anymore." Chihiro then smiled at him. "You're so strong, it can't hurt you, right? Whatever secret Monokuma might tell us…"
Chihiro's words caused their hearts to sink a little. "Shit…" Leon cursed. "Chihiro couldn't have been more wrong."
"Now I see what happened." Kyoko said, now understanding the full situation. It was anxiety, mixed with jealousy, that caused Mondo to make a rash decision.
Chihiro felt stupid. How could he assume that the secret wouldn't bother him? That it had no effect on him? And now, because of his assumption, he's going to pay the price.
Mondo was silent at first. Then, he spoke lowly. "So, what? You're saying I should just say it?" He then glared at Chihiro. "You're saying if I really am strong, I should just be able to tell everyone my secret?"
"Huh….?" Chihiro said, startled by his words.
"I was….jealous. I was jealous of Chihiro's strength." Mondo explained. "He had the strength to face his own weakness, to try and overcome it…! It was the kind of strength I've never had…so I was jealous of him. And that jealousy…broke me."
"Are you making fun of me?" Mondo growled. "I'm strong? Are you fucking with me right now?"
His reaction is now scaring Chihiro. "I-I'm not making fun of you. You really are strong, Mondo…"
"I felt like I could hear something starting to…creak." The biker described. "Something…inside my head."
"What did he want me to do?" Mondo exclaimed. "What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to just sit back, let my secret get revealed, and ruin everything…?"
"Wh…What's wrong?" Chihiro asked nervously.
"Why did you have to tell me all that? Are you trying to rub my failure in my face?" Mondo demanded.
"N-No, I just…really admire you." Chihiro told him, taking a few steps back. "I admire…your strength…"
The biker look down at that. "That's right…I am strong…strong…I'm strong!" A dumbbell then entered his sight. 'Strong, strong, strong, strong, strong, strong!' "Stronger than you!"
The biker then picked up the dumbbell. "And stronger than Daaaaiiiyaaaaa!" And with that roar, he attacked Chihiro. And the screen went black after.
The flashback…it was difficult for everyone to watch. Mondo's narration of his thoughts, his and Chihiro's interaction, Mondo rising anger…all to the point where he kills Chihiro. It was all so difficult to watch. A miserable feeling entered the room as the entire class helplessly watched the scene unfold.
Tears were streaming from Hina's and Sayaka's eyes. Hifumi and Hiro kept their eyes away from the biker in fear. Sakura growled to herself, her eyes closed. And the more stoic ones bitterly soldiered on.
Makoto eyes were wide with horror and anguish. Seeing another close friend die, seeing exactly how it went down…he doesn't know how to describe it. How many more does he have to see this? How many times does he have to see his friends turn on each other?
Taka was shaking, his eyes wide with disbelief. He wanted to refute that this was real. That Mondo would actually do something. He wanted to think that there was something in there that doesn't make any sort of sense. But in the end…it all does. From the motive to his friend's reaction, it all make so much sense.
Chihiro, meanwhile, felt himself curled himself into a ball once again. His eyes were wide with anxiety and anguish as it all played down. Seeing Mondo attacking him caused his mind to shut down once again, a wave of fresh tears leaving his eyes. There was no sign of the courage he just saw on the screen.
And Mondo himself felt various emotions. Shame, guilt, self-loathing, and more. He killed Chihiro, of all people, because he was jealous. Because he couldn't bear having his secret reveal. Because he couldn't control his damn temper. Because he's so god-damn weak! It frustrated him to no end, having broken his bond of trust over such a trivial issue.
"I don't remember anything after that…" The screen then went back to the trial room. "When I woke up again, he was laying at my feet…covered in blood. I had the dumbbell in my hand…and I was just staring at him…down on the ground…" Mondo then went silent for a moment.
"H-Hey…." Taka spoke up weakly, urging him to continue.
"I…killed him." Mondo stated, guilt laced in his voice. "I killed Chihiro. Even after all this time, I'm still just as weak as I've always been! And thanks to that, I did something I can never take back…!"
His tone, the look in his eyes…they can all tell that Mondo really felt guilty about what he did. That he never intended to kill Chihiro, which made it a whole lot worse.
'Ooooh, all this despair is filling up this room!' Junko thought as her eyes scanned the room. 'Mondo, the one Chihiro's admires most, kills him out of anger and jealousy! And then Byakuya makes it more exciting by altering the crime scene! I wonder how they are going to deal with him... Aaaaahhhh!'.
'Mondo…' Makoto thought as he stared at the guilty gang leader. 'He was normally so aggressive, so angry…he hid that weak side from everyone. That was his secret. A weakness like that lived in a heart like this…and it turned him cold-blooded…' Makoto closed his eyes and gritted his teeth at this. 'Godammit!'
Everyone thoughts was halted when Monokuma began laughing. "Look at him! You see? You're all just like him!" The bear accused. "For a secret from the past, for a memory…for that, he killed anothing living human in cold blood! He couldn't cut free of his regrets from the outside world. He doesn't know what true strength is. Do you see hope anywhere in there?! Cuz I sure don't!"
His words pissed off several of the students. "That son of a bitch!" Leon growled. "How about he come and say that to our faces!"
"He's the one who caused all this! The one who trapped us here, and give us those damn motives!" Makoto exclaimed in anger. What right does he have to say all that when he the one who caused it all?!"
"None. He has no right." Sakura said, an fierce look on her face. While he doesn't condone Mondo's action, she can see that Mondo feels guilty for it. Monokuma doesn't have any right of him killing in cold-blood.
Taka tear-filled eyes glared angrily at the mechanical bear. That….son of a bitch! How dare he accuse Mondo of killing in cold-blood? Does he think they missed the guilt in his tone? The remorse?
"You…bastard!" Taka cried out angrily. "Just shut up, you son of a bitch! Go ahead, say that again, I dare you!"
Everyone was then suddenly shocked by Taka's outburst. They looked over to the moral compass, seeing him just as ready to make an outburst of his own. His fingers dug into the armrests of his chair, and his knuckles were white from putting so much strength into doing so. Sayaka wanted to say something, but Kyoko stopped her, nodding over to his current volatile state.
'This isn't going to end well...' Makoto thought as he noticed everyone's worried eyes.
"Okay! I'll say it as many times as I want! …is what I want to say, but…" An sadistic gleam entered it's eyes. "...unfortunately, I can't do that right now! Because the time for punishing is fast approaching!"
Monokuma's statement caused everyone's blood to run cold. "Oh crap…the execution!" Hifumi blurted out in horror, no longer able to hold it in.
Monokuma's statement brought Chihiro out of his blank state. But it was quickly replaced with anguish and horror. "No…" Chihiro muttered, shaking in his curled up state. 'Don't, please! Don't kill Mondo!'
That caused blood to run cold. "P-Punishment…?" Makoto shakily repeated.
"You mean…execution…?!" Taka shouted in horror.
"That's what I promised you, right?" Monokuma reminded him. "The blackened that disturbs the peace will be punished."
Taka was feeling the same sentiment as Chihiro. He's white as a sheet, his fist clenched tightly over his knees. 'No! They can't do this!' His mind protested. They can't execute his best friend!
Mondo, however, was staring at the screen despondently. Waiting for the execution. 'This is what I get.' Mondo thought to himself. 'This is what I deserve.'
"H-Hold on!" Taka protested.
"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader!" Monokuma announced, ignoring the moral compass.
"N-No, wait! Wait!" Taka continued protesting desperately.
But his protest fell on deaf ears. "Let's give it everything we've got! It's…PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"
"I SAID WAAAAAIIIITT!" Taka shouted out.
Through all this, Mondo was depressingly silent. But finally, he spoke his final words. "Sorry man. I couldn't keep the promise we made…from one man to another…" Monokuma then pulled out his gavel and slammed it onto the big red button in front of him.
*GAME OVER. MONDO OWADA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. COMMENCING EXECUTION.* As those words appeared, a pixelated Monokuma dragged a pixelated Mondo before the screen turned black.
As everyone was tense, pale, and/or shaking in fear as to what's about happened, brown bags suddenly appeared in front of everyone. That caused some of them to look at Spirit in confusion.
His response was this. "Don't ask. Just know you're going to need those. Oh, and just in case…" With the snap of his finger, the tables in the room were instantly cleared of all the food and drinks that were there in the morning. "I doubt you will want to see any of this." That did not made any of them feel better about this.
The screen slowly lit back up to show a spinning, black and white spiral. The spiral slowed down, and when it finally stopped, Mondo and Monokuma appeared on it. Both on a motorcycle, with the former tied up on the bike and latter at the front, ready to drive.
Camera moved to show Mondo tensed, but ready, and Monokuma with a wig similar to Mondo's hair. The screen then showed what they were facing, which was a cage sphere and a circus area around it. When the camera got in front of it, the cage slowly opened up.
THE CAGE OF DEATH
Monokuma began revving up the motorcycle, and once it was revved up, he began driving towards the cage. Once they were close enough, Monokuma quickly jumped off using the eject button. A second later, Mondo entered the cage, with the biker riding the bike all around it. As that was happening, Monokuma was dancing around, playing with a hool-a-hoop.
One moment later, four electric generators that were on top of the round cage activated, and enveloped the cage with electric volts. Mondo, who was getting dizzy from the spins, gets electrocuted. As the cage gets surrounded with more and more volts, Monokuma danced around, having the time of life. Finally, after gathering a lot of volts, the electricity exploded into a burst of light.
When the lights faded, it revealed a tired looking Monokuma, with the bike still spinning in the background. As the bike finally slowed down and stopped spinning, the camera moved towards the cage, revealing that Mondo disappeared. A nearby machine, which is connected to the cage, gave out three beeps before opening up. Inside was a tub of what appeared to be butter, with a photo of Mondo on it and the labelled "Mondo Butter". The picture was then switched to childlike drawing of Monokuma, sitting at a table in the outdoors, enjoying two large stacks of pancakes topped with melted butter.
At first, the group was confused to what happened in the end. But horror and nausea was set in place as they slowly realized what had happened.
"Did…did he just…" Hiro stuttered, unable to finish what he's thinking.
"...Melt into butter?!" Junko asked in 'disbelief'. Then, to mess with their minds more, she pointed out the next thing. "And the bear's eating it?!"
That was the last straw for some of the Ultimates. Immediately, Hiro and Hifumi took their bags and begin throwing up their breakfast. Hina joined them soon after, with Sakura rubbed her back to soothe her, while also looking extremely displeased herself.
Makoto, Sayaka, and Leon looked extremely green, but managed to hold in what they ate. Still, what they saw horrified them. Byakuya, Kyoko, and Celeste also looked ill at what they witnessed, as well as incredulous. "What the hell?!" Byakuya cursed. "What sane person would melt someone into butter and then eat it?!"
"I doubt it's actually butter but..." Kyoko commented.
"You're saying that like the mastermind is a sane person." Celeste pointed out, trying to hold down her own breakfast. "We can assure you, that they are not."
Mukuro herself also looked as nauseated as the others. Being a soldier for a couple of years has subjected her to many horrifying and nightmarish things. Death was a common thing she sees in her profession. But this execution…it was beyond what a soldier could condition themselves too, even the Ultimate Soldier. Is this something she would actually condemn her classmates to?
Chihiro, meanwhile, covered his mouth, his skin as white as a sheet and his stomach churning for various reasons. Despite what Mondo did, despite the biker killing his future self…he didn't want to see him die. Didn't want him to be executed by Monokuma. Especially not like that. There's not even anything left to remember him by. Grief, nausea, anguish, and despair hit him hard, causing a new wave of tears to come out of his red eyes.
A haunted look settled on Taka's face, his skin still as pale as it was before. Witnessing his best friend being killed, seeing that possible future…it felt too much too him. A part of him couldn't help but wonder if there was anything he could've done. Anything that would've stopped Mondo from killing Chihiro. That question couldn't leave his head. 'Mondo. My…brother…' Slowly, tears slipped from his eyes.
The only ones who weren't nauseated or horrified by the execution was Jill and Junko. Junko was feeling orgasmic pleasure at the despair of another execution, as well as complimenting her future self for her creativeness. Jill was also impressed with the creativeness of the killing, though she much prefered the straight up, face to face killing.
And the culprit himself? He stared dejectedly at the screen. As far as he was concerned, this is what he deserved. 'Every single bit of that.' Mondo thought. For killing his brother. For killing Chihiro. For being so weak. However, even he couldn't shake how disgusting the execution was, knowing that that was the fate that awaited him.
Hina, after she finally finished puking, dropped her bag on the table and wrapped her arms around herself. "Another one dead…" Hina said, shaken. "How…many more of us are we going to see die?" She turned to look for Spirit, but he had already disappeared, leaving the question hanging in the air.
That was a question no one could answer. One that echoed in every mind. How long will this continue? How many times are they going see murder and executions? How long are they going to see and feel this despair?
How long…until they can no longer take it?
And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter, and that it was just as emotional as the last trial. The more I get further and further into the story, the more I feel that the class is going to have a lot of mental trauma just by watching this. Next chapter willing be finally wrapping up Chapter 2, and then the start of the break. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.
A Lucky Soldier's End-of-Chapter random rant:
Repeating what Spirit said, thanks for making it to the end here! This is definitely the longest chapter to date so I hope you all enjoyed the content! Anyways, going off topic now, anyone here play Fate Grand Order? Really excited for that new singularity, and I already rolled Nightingale myself for all that hype xD. And on a different note, I know Nier:Automata has the great soundtrack tag on steam, but I didn't believe until I played it myself. That is some really atmospheric music if any of you enjoy music in video games.
