Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, here we got another break chapter for the class. But this time, the group is more separated from each other than the last two breaks. So, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

A Lucky Soldier: Ok, since some of you still fell for my April Fools stunt, I apologize for the spook :P. Anyways, I'm going to keep things short here since I have a final tomorrow (4/19 if this is uploaded after midnight) and I really should be doing some last minute review before sleeping hahaha. (I say review but lets be real, it's more appropriate to say last minute cramming.)

There's a lot of reactions instead of questions this time around, so I'll give you some of my thoughts on these matters instead of answering questions :)

Regarding the timeline as a whole:
L: Alrighty, prepare for a huge block of text here :D

Let's start with two facts that we know for certain regarding the whole thing. 1) According to the Dangan Wiki, the Tragedy (AKA the world wide chaos and killing) happens 1 year BEFORE Class 78's killing game. 2) From the game, we know that Class 78 lost two years of their memories so they would be clueless about everything. Now, onto the contested issue: "Shouldn't the class be aware of the early signs of the tragedy? Shouldn't the reserve course be rioting right now?" and my answer to that is: They could be, but not enough to warrant that much concern. Doing simple math, in the best case scenario, Class 78 had at least a year of regular school memories. Seeing as how it took time for Junko to start meddling with her senpais (Class 77 and the Student Council), we can reasonable take off 1-3 months of that time depending on how high you praise Junko for her abilities. In addition, she's also researching into the dark side of Hope's Peak and trying to bring Izuru Kamukura onto her side all the while trying to dodge security (mostly Juzo [but hell, still manipulates him anyways]) so pop on another month or two here. Given all of this, when we started this story, the class has bonded enough that everyone sees each other as friends. Although Makoto may not have gathered enough bond points with everyone where he gets their undies, everyone is on friendly enough terms to stand with each other. We know that Makoto is incredibly easy to befriend, and he even manages to befriend the more difficult people such as Byakuya and Kyoko. Given that, he's also managed to bring everyone together on good enough terms which I'll say, probably takes quite a while. With a class with such a variety of characters and possible internal issues, I gave Makoto about 4-6 months of bonding with everyone that brought them here. And where does this leave us? We are about 4-6 months into the first school year, which means there's still about 6-8 months before the Tragedy happens, or at least a couple months before Junko starts her meddling. Of course, a lot of this is left up to the reader's interpretations so my interpretation here could be different from yours, and that's ok! Imagine it how you want, after all, Danganronpa's experience is best left to the viewer rather than imposed upon you by other people :)

Whew! That should answer some questions about class 77 too.

Q: There's a bit of a lack of focus on the guys' interactions with Makoto
L: In Hindsight, you're probably right. I'm answering your question after I edited the chapter so if stuff here isn't good enough, I'll see about making them more meaningful in the future. (Though that might be short lived considering two guys just got nicked and two more will get nicked in the next chapter...)

Q: Sayaka and Leon are a couple, aren't they?
L: Strictly based on the game, no. It was a one-sided affection from Leon to Sayaka. In this story, also no. It's Makoto's Harem here. However, within the fandom? It seems to be very popular so I'm sure you can find some stories relating to that.
S: Agreed.

Q: "But honestly,if you just goes with that 'watch a murder and execution,the one that involved is assuring each other,and watch again' is boring"
L: I won't say too much, but you won't be disappointed ;)

Alright. Enjoy this chapter, and if I don't appear on the next chapter, assume I have died from finals stress/shock.

Chapter 41: Break Chapter

The air around the group was tense after the last viewing. Finding out Mondo killed Chihiro, what Byakuya done, and the possibility of a traitor in their group…it caused the previously warm air to turn cold.

Instead of gathered with one another, the group was more spread out. Celeste and Hifumi are at the lounge, with a magazine and a manga in their hands, respectively. Hiro is restlessly pacing around the room, panicking. Sakura is comforting the currently shaken up Hina. And Junko is watching the entire scene from afar, enjoying every bit of the distrustful air.

'This is better than I thought! The distrust is slowly thickening the air!' Junko thought giddily as she looked at the group. 'Sakura so protective of Hina. Hiro running around in a panic. Celestia and Hifumi dig up into their books. And some of the others isolated in their rooms. This despair is so, so, delicious!'

Then her giddy smile turn into a small frown when she looked at Sayaka and Leon, who're talking with one another. 'Although, some of that tension is going away for some of them. Curse Makoto and his optimism!' She's tempted to go over there and break that newly form trust, but refrained herself. Right now, she has to keep herself off the radar, especially from the female Holmes.

'Mr. Positive is probably up there, trying to cheer everyone up.' Junko thought to herself unpleasantly. 'With him there, the air full of distrust and despair isn't going to last for long. I wonder, is there any way to break him? Anyway that I can turn that disgusting hope of is into sweet, sweet despair?'

Her thoughts were stopped when she saw Mukuro coming towards her. "Hey Junko." The soldier regarded her. "How are you feeling?"

"Feeling really good, Muku~!" Junko cheered, pumping her fist up. "Watching a murder, a despairful trial, with a more despairful execution! And now, we have such despairful tension with our classes! It's wonderful!"

Mukuro manage to withheld a sigh at this, or any other emotional actions. How could Junko enjoy all this? Watching the despair of others and feeling that despair herself? It wasn't the first time she thought about this, but now, that question is constantly in her head.

"The only problem is that our little dork of a lucky student is derailing that entertainment." Junko, getting into her cutesy persona, pouted. "Stupid meanie! Getting Sayaka and Leon to make up! Why can't you let me have my fun?"

"Do you plan to do something about it?" Mukuro asked, trying not to show any outward emotions about it. If Junko plans to try and get rid of Makoto, she doesn't know what she'll do. She still love and care for her sister, but her loyalty to her classmate, to Makoto, is slowly growing stronger.

Junko look at her sister curiously. "Why do you ask? Worried about your little crush?" At Mukuro's tenseness, the fashionista let out a laugh. "Oh, don't worry! I don't plan to kill him! I doubt that Spirit guy would let me anyway! No, I'm thinking of other ways to derail his ploys. But what should I do, what should I do…"

Junko put on a thinking face, tapping her finger on the table she's on. When she moved her eyes towards her sister, an idea clicked in her mind. A way to break Makoto. And slowly, an mischievous, evil grin entered her face.

That grin unsettled Mukuro greatly. "What are you planning?" The soldier asked cautiously.

"Oh, you'll see twin sister of mine." Junko said mischievously. "You'll see."

(With Hina and Sakura)

Hina is a very empathetic person. Out of all of her classmates, only Makoto is at least close to matching her heart. It's one of her strongest traits, and one that made her easily get along with others.

However, those traits are working against her now.

The young swimmer is at one the table, with sorrow and anguish clear on her face, and her body shaking with said emotions. Beside her is Sakura, who is giving her a comforting presence.

Finding out that their memories were wiped. Learning that they were forced into a killing game. Seeing five of her friends dead, either by each other's hands or Monokuma's. Byakuya's attitude about the entire thing. And now, the possibility that one of them is a traitor.

All of this felt too much for Hina. Seeing their future, seeing what could happen, it's making her scared. She's scared of what's going to happen in the next chapter. Scared of which one is going to kill or be killed. Will she become a victim, or even…a murderer? Would Sakura?

"This is affecting you a great deal, isn't it Hina?" That cause Hina to turn to her martial artist friend.

After a moment, she nodded. "I…I never thought any of us would kill Chihiro." Hina said, her voice wrapped in emotions. "I especially didn't think Mondo, of all people, would be the one to do it."

"I would have to agree. I did not think Mondo would stoop to that." Sakura sighed, a heavy frown on her face. "And neither did I think Sayaka would use Makoto's trust the way she did. Or that one of us would be a mole for Monokuma."

"And Byakuya. He's acting almost as sadistic as Monokuma." Hina added, anger being laced in her layers of feelings. "He's enjoying this game, enjoying us killing each other, and saying that he'll be the one to win it. How…how could he act like that? How could any of them act so differently?"

"When put into a situation such as this killing game, it tends to make those act irrationally." Sakura sighed. "Survival, desperation, fear, anger…those emotions take a hold of you, and cause you to do things you wouldn't even think of doing in any normal situation."

"Do you…do you think we'll act like that to?" Hina asked fearfully, wrapping her arms around herself. "Do you think either of us would be the next blacken? Or victims? Or…even the traitor in the last scene?"

Immediately, Sakura wrapped an arm around her friend. "You wouldn't, Hina. Your too kind, too compassionate, to even think about killing others." The martial artist assured her. "There's nothing that would make you take another life and you care so much about life that you wouldn't want to kill to escape. As for us being victims…I cannot say for certain. However, if it does happen, take heart that we'll be able to stop it from happening."

Though Sakura stopped talking, her mouth remained open as if she wasn't done. The words that hung from her mouth was that, the classmates she's with, the friends she's become familiar with, were apparently not the people that she had came to know. Sakura knew far too well that every person has another side to them, and when their control over this other side starts to thin, things get ugly. But looking down at her shaken friend who seemed to be contemplating what she had said, Sakura could not bring herself put any more pressure onto Hina.

Hina was silent for a moment. But slowly, she turned and wrapped the larger girl in a hug, one that Sakura softly returned. "I hope your right, Sakura." Hina croaked, clinging onto her friend tightly. For her, either of them being the victim or the blackened was terrifying.

But what's more terrifying…is the possibility that she would take Sakura's life.

(With Celeste)

Celestia Ludenberg sees herself as a very composed person.

After all, she had spent years learning to masking her emotions and the art of lying. Mastered it enough where she earned the title of the Ultimate Gambler, as well as the 'Queen of Liars'. With a name like that, it's obvious that she doesn't let her emotions show.

But while she does seem composed, calmly looking through the latest magazine as she ignored the panicked pacing and muttering of Hiro, the inner part of herself says otherwise. There was contempt for what had the future Byakuya had said and done. Disgust at the killing game itself, along with the murders that had happen in it. Disappointment at her classmates for breaking the nighttime rule that she had proposed. Anger that Monokuma trapped her future self inside there, away from her dream.

Oh yes, a significant amount of anger. When/if they found out who the mastermind really is, they will pay for what they plan to do to her. She will be certain that what they have planned does not come to fruition. She will not let them put her in that position. In that position…of weakness.

She then thought back to the chapters they have seen so far. Specifically, the murders and trials. From what she have seen so far, the much more stronger classmates had taken down the less active ones. Leon manage to overpower and killed Sayaka. Mondo wielded a dumbbell and murdered Chihiro with one, powerful strike.

She couldn't help but wonder what this meant. What will it mean for her? Will somebody else try to attack her? Will she…become a victim?

She suddenly grabbed her shaking hand, dropping her magazine in her lap. Why on Earth was she thinking such things? It's not a certainty that the stronger students will kill the weaker. Just because it happened twice doesn't mean a third time will be guaranteed. Why would she need to worry? As long as her future stays smart and careful, which she has no doubt she will, then everything will be fine.

So why was her hand shaking like that?

"Ms. Ludenberg?" The gambler looked up to see Hifumi, who looked up from his manga, staring at her worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Celeste gave him a polite smile. "I am fine, Hifumi. There's nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure? Cause I saw your hand shaking." Hifumi pointed out. That cause Celeste's smile to be slightly more strain.

"You are imagining things." Celeste said more forcefully, hoping that Hifumi doesn't say anything else. "I assure you, neither of my hands were shaking."

"Don't have to hide that you're scared, Ms. Ludenberg. Not even your high level persuasion can hide that-"

"I'M NOT SCARED!" Celeste suddenly shouted, losing her composure and her accent. Her angry shout caused Hifumi to recoil and shrivel up into his chair. Celeste then quickly turned her head towards Hiro, who froze in fear at her shout. "And Hiro you better stop that goddamn pacing and muttering! It's annoying me to hell!"

Hiro yelped and fell backwards upon the sudden outburst against him before rapidly backing away from the angry gambler. "Y-Yes ma'am! I'll be quiet!"

Celeste, seeing that she lost her composure once again, quickly got her mask on. After a few breaths, she smiled back towards Hifumi. "I am not scared, Hifumi. What you say, was simply part of your imagination."

"I-If you say so." While not fully believing her, Hifumi didn't pry anymore and went back to his manga. However, he knew that Ms. Ludenberg is feeling scared. He's not a complete fool. He knows that the shaking of her arm wasn't his imagination.

Meanwhile, Celeste went back to what she was reading as well. Her, scared? That is ludicrous. What does she have to fear? No one will kill her as long as she stayed vigilant. As long as she doesn't go along with someone, especially during the night, and kept to the rules Monokuma made, she will not die. There's nothing for her to be afraid of.

So why was her hand shaking?

(Before Makoto talked to Chihiro)

Makoto and Kyoko quickly made their way to Byakuya's room. Once there, Makoto gave the door a knock. "Byakuya? We finished."

"And there's a couple of things you need to you." Kyoko added. After a moment, Byakuya opened the door and met the two face to face.

"Come in. I'd rather not have the discussion out here." With that, he went back into his room. Kyoko and Makoto followed him in as the heir sat on his bed. "So, what is it?"

"For one, there's someone working with Monokuma." Makoto began with. "And there were some hints that says that the person is one of us."

Byakuya furrowed his brows. "A traitor?"

"Possibly." Kyoko answered. "But we can't say for certain. The other thing is that the accomplice had asked about a sixteenth student."

"Oh?" Byakuya's curiosity increased. "Are they talking about Junko?"

"We're not sure." Makoto answered for Kyoko. "But I doubt it. Monokuma said that this sixteenth student was his 'triumph card'."

That cause the heir to frown even further. "That is disconcerting." He murmured. "It seems that we are getting more questions than answers right now."

"That is true. Right now, we have little to no answers on what's happening." Kyoko mused with her usual thinking face. "Instead, each chapter is giving us more and more questions."

"When do you think we'll get some answers?" Makoto asked them.

"Not sure. All we can do is guess at this point." Kyoko conceded. "But let's not dwell on it for now. Eventually, we will get the answers we need. Otherwise, there would be no point in bringing us here."

"True enough." Byakuya agreed. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"Just one more thing." Kyoko said. "After questioning your future self, I asked Monokuma about the executions he's been giving us. His answer was curious."

Byakuya's brow twitched at the mention of his questioning, but he made no effort to ask about that. 'Perhaps he's still hung up on it?' Makoto thought to himself.

"You mean how he said that the despair was a gift to the entire world, right?" Makoto inquired, frowning at the memory.

That cause Byakuya to raise an eyebrow. "A gift to the entire world? Surely that's just an exaggeration."

"My future self said that as well. But Monokuma was adamant that it wasn't." Kyoko told him. While she still thinks that he was exaggerating, to a degree, it made her wonder…how was it a gift?

"I see then. This will be something to think about." Byakuya said, appearing as if in thought. "If there's nothing more, then you can leave."

Kyoko nodded and made her way to the door, deciding not to make a remark about his attitude. Makoto hesitated for a moment before following Kyoko. Though he wanted to stay behind and talk, he had the feeling that Byakuya needed more time to himself before he talks to him.

After they went out, and closed the door, the two of them walked away. "I hope Byakuya is alright." The luckster sighed. "Can't really imagine how he's feeling."

"While Byakuya is a strong-willed person, witnessing what he would've done in a position like that would surely cause him some conflict of sorts." Kyoko told him. She then gave him a knowing look. "Of course, you'll be there to help him through it."

Makoto chuckled sheepishly at this. "That obvious, huh?"

"You're far too caring to your classmates, even Byakuya, to not do anything." Kyoko responded with a smirk.

That gain another chuckle from the luckster. "Yeah, I plan to visit him." He confirmed. "But later. I'm gonna go talk to Chihiro first. See if he's okay. Same with Mondo and Taka."

"Alright, then. I'll be in my room, looking at the new information given to us." The two then continued to walk in their usual comfortable silence, heading to their individual destinations.

(With Mondo)

Ever since he took control of the gang, he had always tried to convince himself that he's strong. He kept telling himself that he earned his spot, that he's enough to lead the gang, that he's as strong as Daiya. Every time he felt that he didn't deserve to lead, he kept telling himself otherwise.

But deep inside, he knew that he was weak. And even now, he's as weak as he was before.

The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader is sitting on his bed, hunched over with his hands together as if he was in deep thought. However, what went on inside his mind ran contrary to his outward appearance. Heavy amounts of guilt, self-loathing, anger, and frustration was swirling like a storm inside.

A part of him couldn't believe that he killed Chihiro. That part of him didn't want to believe it, that it wasn't real, that this was just a goddamn nightmare or a sick joke Hope's Peak decided to pull on them.

But he ain't stupid, at least, not that stupid, and he definitely didn't consider himself a coward. He knew everything they saw was their future, and that he would kill Chihiro out of blind anger from jealousy.

"You idiot…" Mondo said to himself, gritting his teeth. What on earth would his friends in the gang say to him if they saw that? What would his brother say if he saw that? What would they even think of him?

And he could only imagine what Chihiro and Taka is feeling right now. The two of them had so much faith him, believed that he wasn't the blackened of that shitty trial. But now, that faith was all for nothing. He grinded their expectations into the dirt. Though the weeks that followed Daiya's incident came close, Mondo has never felt more shitty in his entire life than he did now.

"You fucking idiot!" With that shout, he punched the wall close to him, causing a crack. "You! Goddamn! Good-For-Nothing... Idiot!" With each word he spat on himself, he punched the wall harder and harder, creating more cracks.

"Why am I so fucking weak?!" With one last roar, he punched a hole in the wall. Though just as fast as he made the hole, the wall quickly patched itself back up as if it had not received any damage at all. Mondo wore an angry scowl on his face as he stared at the wall that seemed to be taunting him, but managed to refrain himself from further letting loose.

When will he ever control this damn temper? He had been told time and time again that it would get him in trouble. Sakura even pointed it out yesterday that he needed to control his anger. And in the future, that temper was the death of a far better person than he is.

"Hey, Mondo?" At the sound of Makoto's voice, Mondo looked at the door. "Are you okay?"

"What the hell do you think, Makoto?" Was Mondo's gruff response. If he knew the luckster, he's probably wincing right now.

"Yeah, sorry. Bad question." He said guiltily. "Can I come in and talk?"

Mondo let out a sigh before sitting back down on the bed, completely dissatisfied that his attempts to cool off didn't work. "It's unlocked." He said, loud enough for his voice to carry through the door. As the luckster came in, he noticed the redness on Mondo's knuckles. He inwardly sighed, but wisely decided not to comment on it. That aside, it's obvious Mondo unleashed his emotion on the poor wall judging by the heat in the room already.

Mondo sat back on his bed while Makoto merely stood where he was at. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two before it got to Mondo.

"Look, take a seat alright? I'm not gonna - Just sit your ass down. You're making this difficult." The biker said in slight annoyance, pointing to the chair by his desk. Although normally Makoto might've been a bit intimidated by his harsh words, he calmly obliged and sat down facing the biker. After visually confirming that Mondo was willing to listen, Makoto started with a sigh.

"Umm...I'm not gonna justify what your future self did, Mondo." Makoto began, getting straight to the point. With Mondo, there's no need to beat around the bushes as he hates that sort of thing. "There's nothing to justify. But you can't let what you saw, let that guilt, consume you."

Mondo gritted his teeth. "I killed somebody, Makoto, in cold blood! I killed Chihiro, in cold blood! How the fuck can I just push that way, like it was nothing?!" Though both of his hands were on his thighs, the sight of Mondo clenching his fists still sent a small sense of fear towards Makoto. However, now wasn't the time to back down.

"You didn't kill him in cold blood!" Makoto refuted. "It was clear that you felt guilty about, both you and your future self! It was clear that you only reacted out of stress, anger, and jealousy! You didn't plan on killing Chihiro nor did you have the right state of mind to make that decision!"

"Does that even make it any less wrong?" Mondo shot back in a low angry voice. Flames of guilt were reflected in his narrowed eyes that he directed at Makoto, daring him to convince him that he was wrong.

"Well...No." Makoto admitted as he looked to the side, feeling a little defeated and upset that he can't justify what Mondo has done. Mondo, seeing this as a gesture of defeat, crossed his arms as if to say 'Then this discussion is over.'. However, just as he was about to voice his actual words, Makoto straightened himself up and kept going.

"It doesn't. But that's besides the point here. And I'm not just talking about Chihiro either. I'm also talking about Daiya."

Mondo visibly and angrily recoiled from that, not expecting his brother to be brought up. "What the hell do you mean?"

"I'm saying that Daiya's death wasn't your fault." Makoto answered, pressing on. "You didn't kill him."

Makoto's unexpected attack caused Mondo to waver for a second. Pain and guilt flickered across the biker's face for the briefest moment before he caught himself and maintained his posture. "I did." He croaked, his body slightly shaking but he managed to control his voice. "If I wasn't so strung up on winning, he wouldn't have to do that. I wouldn't have put myself in that stupid spot, and he wouldn't have needed to sacrifice himself for me. Can't you see that I fucking caused all this?" In the midst of his rebuttal, Mondo had stood up, unable to keep still while sitting down. The flames in his eyes flickered in conflict as he looked down onto Makoto.

"It was his choice to save you, Mondo." Makoto argued in response, neither retreating from the overwhelming aura of the biker or breaking eye contact from his visibly inferior position. "It was his choice to give his life for yours. That's what any older sibling would do." Makoto said the last part earnestly. Although Mondo's aura would have normally hammered him away by now, the fact that Makoto was still able to sit calmly and give his response reflected the truth and conviction behind those words. He knew that if Komaru was in any danger, he would give his life to get her out of it.

Mondo remained silent to Makoto's response. Though he appeared to be unmoved externally, he was internally bewildered for multiple reasons. First was the fact that any normal person would've crumbled into fear if they were in Makoto's position. Mondo was well aware of how he was presenting himself, and if his visual appearance wasn't intimidating enough, his aura around him that made him famous as the leader of the Crazy Diamonds sure was. Second reason was the words that Makoto had spoke in response to him. It seemed like a cheap shot since it completely disregarded his own actions, but at the same time, Mondo couldn't bring himself to deny it.

Finally, Mondo just couldn't bring himself to act. The look in Makoto's eyes carried a completely different kind of strength that Mondo himself lacked. Makoto may be physically overwhelmed, but in this unspoken tug-of-war between the biker and the luckster, Makoto clearly proved himself to be more than a match for the biker. As Mondo looked into his eyes, he couldn't help but think of the same look Chihiro had on screen just before his death. Was he doing this on purpose? He quickly searched for signs of an act or a mask put up by Makoto, but the earnest look that reflected back towards him said otherwise. In the end, Mondo could only wait for him to continue.

Seeing Mondo not refuting anything, Makoto pressed on. "You want to be as strong as Daiya, right? To be as strong as Chihiro? To be the person that Chihiro admires?" He asked, driving his point home.

Though these were things Mondo would never admit openly, he could only silently nod his head in this situation. "Then you have to move on. Accept what has happened and face the future." Makoto said. "You have no problems confronting problems physically, but you need to confront them mentally as well. Being strong isn't only in the sense of physical strength, and I'm sure you're well aware of that." As Makoto delivered his words, he was careful not to raise his voice to beat on Mondo's battered spirit, but kept enough of his feelings behind his words to pass the sincerity behind them.

"You still have time improve yourself, to avoid something like that from ever happening, and to be as strong as you want to be. You just need to keep moving forward."

Any sense of intimidation or presence of the overwhelming aura Mondo had possessed just a moment ago had all but disappeared when Makoto pointed out the source of his problems. Everything Makoto said had hit home so hard, he could only stand there in silence.

"I'll give you some time to think about this." With that, Makoto stood up and turned to leave. However, just as he reached the door, he turned back to Mondo to say one more thing. "By the way, find the time to talk to Chihiro about this. Don't try to avoid each other, please." With that, he left the room.

Even as Makoto left the room, Mondo still found himself in a daze as he stood facing the empty chair. For the second time in his life, Mondo had lost in spirit to another person, first losing to his own brother. He tried to make sense of what kind of strength Makoto had that kept him together. He tried to make sense of what kind of strength Chihiro had to overcome his obstacles. As Mondo kept his downward gaze towards the empty chair, he saw for the briefest moment, a flash of Chihiro smiling up towards him. As the image faded from his sight, the only sound that echoed in the room was the tightening of one's fists.

(With Makoto)

'I hope I could help out the two of them.' Makoto thought to himself as he walked down the hallway and towards the stairs leading to the lower floor. He really doesn't want any tension or awkwardness to continue between the two, like with Leon and Sayaka before. He winced at the thought of remembering the pains brought onto him from the previous chapter.

As he head downstairs to the recreational room, hoping to keep his mind off of chapter 2 for the time being, he found himself face to face with Mukuro who was ascending the stairs.

"Makoto." Mukuro said, slightly startled, before regaining her composure. "I was just looking for you."

"Do you need something?" Makoto asked with slight concern.

In response, Mukuro shook her head. "No, I'm alright. I was just performing a routine check on the mental welfare of everyone's mindset. The last chapter was quite provoking."

Makoto grimaced at the reminder. "Yeah, it was." He agreed. "But I'll be okay. I'm more worried about some of the others, like Mondo and Chihiro."

"I presume you have spoken with them already?" Mukuro guessed, to which the luckster nodded.

"I did. They were both pretty down when I first saw them." He sighed. "I hope my words helped them somehow. I don't want any tension or awkwardness between them."

"Knowing you, I'm sure your methods would be far more effective than mine. If you have spoken to them already, then there's no need for me to check up on them." Mukuro said, with a bit of confidence in her voice. She knew that Makoto had this ability to make anyone feel better and brighten their mood whenever they're down. It's one more thing she loves and admired about him.

Makoto smiled at the compliment, making Mukuro blush and just slightly, return a small smile. "Thanks, Mukuro. You should take it easy and get some rest as well. Don't neglect yourself ok?"

"Ah, I'll be sure to do that." Mukuro curtly replied. With that, they exchanged farewells for the night and Makoto continued on his way downstairs, leaving Mukuro to watch his retreating figure until Makoto disappeared around a corner.

As he left, Mukuro watched him with conflicted eyes. Another opportunity had just passed by her to confess her eventual crimes. Even though she had actively sought him out and worked up the resolve to do so, she couldn't bring it up when the moment happened. It was quite vexing to ultimately decide on something, but not being able to carry it out in the end.

'What should I do?' Mukuro thought to herself. 'Can I reveal who I really am?' The thought of revealing herself to Makoto terrified her. She doesn't know how he would react, how he would take it. How would he view her? And, most importantly, what would Junko do if she finds out Mukuro had confessed?

She sighed to herself as she walked up the stairs to her room, upset with herself that yet again, she couldn't bring herself to action. The only comforting thought that lingered in her mind was that this hesitation wasn't made on a battlefield, but even still, for some reason, she would prefer that hesitation to this one.

(With Taka)

After witnessing the events of chapter 2, Taka's legs had carried him to the recreational room, specifically, towards one of the tables isolated from the others. He sat there with both elbows on the table, and both hands connected to his forehead as if in a prayer. Though it was a rare occurrence for him to space out, that was exactly what he was doing. Unable to accept the reality of the events that occurred, nor able to face his closest friend that he called a brother, his fists slammed onto the table in empty disappointment and frustration.

Ever since their match in the sauna, the two of them had been the closest friends. He's been one of the first friends he had ever made, and since that day, their bond hasn't diminished in the slightest. It was at a point where Taka could even call him a brother. After witnessing the events that occurred however, Taka began to doubt the very chains of friendship that bound the two together. In addition to the question of character, watching Mondo's death right in front of him further drove Taka into the void as he struggled to come to terms with it.

However, being the person he is, Taka also didn't let himself leave his sight of righteousness. He has always been proactive when it came methods of prevention, so why did such things happen under his watch? If only he was there, he could've stopped Mondo from striking Chihiro. If only he paid more attention to the nature of the secrets, he could have devised a plan to safeguard everyone. If only he had been more proactive, Mondo and Chihiro could have lived.

Taka stared at the space between his two fists, his knuckles white from the strength he's put into it, and if he hadn't cut his nails, his palms would both be bleeding. A look of apathy that resulted from emotions exceeding his spiritual limit was reflected on the glossy finish of the table. Hollow eyes stared into each other as the myriad of conflicts stirred within him. Because of this, he failed to hear the foot steps of an approaching person nor the calls that were directed to him until said person was next to him.

"Taka?" The moral compass suddenly snapped out of his stupor and looked up to see Makoto staring at him in concern. "That was some heavy stuff wasn't it?"

It took a moment for the question to register as the bewilderment within Taka died down. After finally acknowledging the question, Taka could only look down at his reflection on the table. "Ah. You could say that." Taka said, his voice soft and holding little emotion. "Honestly, I can't feel anything right now. I'm not sure if I want to." He subconsciously continued.

Makoto took a quick look around the room before taking the seat opposite of Taka. The table they were at was also a booth designed for pairs to sit across from each other, or at most, four people at the table. Seeing that there's a division between the booths, he had no worries about other people interrupting.

"I'm all ears if you want to talk about it." Makoto offered as he sat down and patiently waited.

At first, Taka stayed silent, never lifting his gaze from his reflection. But after several seconds passed, he spoke. "Could…could have I done anything?" He asked Makoto, starting with the root of his concerns. Though he asked this question, Taka wasn't sure if he wanted an actual answer, or if he was looking for reassurance and sympathy. Regardless, he felt that he needed a response. "Could I have stopped Mondo from…doing what he did?"

In response, Makoto shook his head. "You couldn't have possibly known that would've happened, Taka." He told the moral compass. "There wasn't any way that any of us could predict that Mondo would killed somebody, let alone Chihiro."

"But, maybe if I had known what secret Mondo was holding, future me could've seen that he might murder." Taka persisted. Somewhere inside of him, he knew this was meaningless, but still, something compelled him to resist. "If I had just an inkling-"

"I doubt Mondo would have told you, even if you suspected how bad his secret was." Makoto gently argued back, careful not to break his spirit. "And even if you did know what his secret was at the time, it wasn't like Mondo was planning on murdering anybody. There wasn't anyway you could've stopped him Taka. Knowing you, you would abide by the nighttime rule as if it was any other rule in the school, so unless you had a good reason to visit the gym at night, it was beyond you."

Taka fell silent at Makoto's refutation. It was both a combination of that he had no response to it, and that Makoto was correct in every aspect of his words. The crime was committed during nighttime, and everyone had supposedly agreed not to leave their rooms at night. Though it only upset him more knowing that he could've done nothing about it, he couldn't refute the points even if he wanted to.

Mentally conceding that point, Taka looked up from his reflection and asked a different question. "Do…do you think Chihiro would hate Mondo for what he did?" For the first time since leaving the theatre room, Taka's look of apathy had been replaced with anxiety and concern. "Would he hate me for not stopping him?"

Makoto's eyes widened at the absurdity of the question before immediately answering. "No! Chihiro would never hate you for that reason." Makoto told him. "And he wouldn't blame you for what you couldn't control Taka, you know that! That' not the type of person he is! Hell, I'm sure that he hasn't even considered that!"

"I know, but…I just can't help but think that…" Taka grounded out through his teeth. His strong sense of responsibility couldn't let go of the vexing feeling of helplessly watching from the sidelines. It was frustrating that he can't help but feel that he needs to take responsibility for something, yet there was no fault that was his.

Makoto sighed as he noticed the conflict within Taka that was now written all over his face. "If you feel so strongly about it, the three of you should talk just talk it out then." He advised him. Since he was sure Mondo would talk to Chihiro soon, it'd be more productive if the three of them can reconcile together rather than the three of them individually.

"Are you sure that's the right course?" Taka asked, feeling hesitant about the idea. As one who has been both admired and scrutinized by his peers, he was no stranger to the notion of 'bad blood', but this may be the first time he had to confront it. "You sure it won't make the situation any worse?"

"I'm sure it won't, Taka." Makoto reassured him. "Beside, you're the Ultimate Moral Compass, right? Look at it objectively, what do you think is the best course of action when three friends are in discord with each other?"

Taka thought about the question. What would he think the best course of action would be? "It…it would be to reconcile together... like you said..." Taka answered, a little bit of confidence working into his tone. After all, the worst case scenario is avoidance and assuming the worst. If something can be worked out together, then that should be the best course of action.

"Yep. That's it, Taka." Makoto agreed. "So, will you talk to them?"

"When.. When I get the chance... I will." Taka confirmed. "Just, I would like some time to myself for now." Right now, he's far from his exuberant self right now. He'll need some of that confidence if he's going to talk to the two.

"I'm glad to hear, Taka." Makoto then got up from his seat. "Don't take this too hard."

"Ah. You too Makoto." Taka said, waving to the retreating figure of Makoto.

As the luckster left, Taka couldn't help but renew his sense of respect towards him. 'Has he been checking up on everyone else too?' Truly, Makoto had outdone him as the class representative. Just as Makoto had brought him out of his self loathing, he's sure that the lucky student had been doing the same to everyone else.

'In that case... I can't afford to be like this as well.'

Pressing his palm onto the table to push himself up, Taka made his way up the stairs with renewed determination.

(With Kyoko)

Kyoko sat in her dimly lit room at her desk recording everything relevant down into her notebook. Although the dim lights weren't too healthy for her eyesight, that was hardly the concern compared to the mysteries that currently occupied the detective's mind.

With the second chapter, they managed to get a couple of more pieces of the puzzle, but they were still far from the overall picture. Over a year's worth of memory, possibly two, was erased; her memories of being a detective was also wiped; the mastermind has a frightening amount of information on all of them; something is happening outside of the old school building; and now there's an sixteenth student somewhere..

But unfortunately, just like a puzzle with incomplete pieces, none of the information is brought her closer to finding the truth. In addition, the chapter only brought more questions than answers. What exactly is happening outside of Hope's Peak? How is there no help yet? How did the mastermind get all that information on them? What was her secret? Who's working for the mastermind?

Kyoko only rubbed her head in mild frustration as several more questions were brought up, and very few answers were given to them. This also didn't even touch on the fact that none of the information even hinted to figuring out who's the mastermind.

'At the very least, I can't call it a total loss. There were some gains, no matter how minor' Kyoko sighed. That's something, at least.

One of those gains was the strengthening on the theory that there were defenses outside of the old school building, and that there were people trying to break through to them. If Monokuma's words rang true, and what Hiro heard was an explosion, then that the theory is no longer groundless.

"That aside, there is something else I should give my attention to that's far more pressing..."

Kyoko then thought about the identity of the sixteenth student. Considering Monokuma's word, they could be a valuable ally or just a chess piece in Monokuma's sick game. Either way, it would be bad if he utilized the chess piece. In terms of names, the only one that comes to mind is "Junko Enoshima". After all, she's the only one who's not present in the killing game currently. Furthermore, not only is she a part of their class, but she knows all of them. Junko may seem very whimsical, but Kyoko can't deny that there is a very intellectual side to her.

But as with everything else, unless there's undeniable evidence that Junko is the 16th student, Kyoko couldn't say for sure due to several reasons. For one, she can't be sure that they all shared their personal information with each other in that timeline, and it also doesn't explain why Mukuro disguise herself as Junko. In addition, because the possibility of Junko being the 16th student is based on that she isn't there, Kyoko can say the same for any other person that Monokuma just happened to have unfortunately roped into his plans as well.

An even more immediate concern is whoever it was that spoke to Monokuma. Judging from the way they spoke, it must have been one of the remaining survivors, but given what they saw, she can only scratch Makoto and herself off the list of possible suspects. There was no way to tell how dangerous the traitor was, or in what way they would be aiding Monokuma, but the fact that she had to suspect one of her fellow classmates did not sit easy with her.

She sighed to herself, stopping all thought processes for the time being. Turning against her classmates now would only serve to bring more trouble than is necessary, and yet it is something that she must do eventually. Regardless, she needed more information before she could get to any kind of conclusion so her course of action was only to wait and watch.

But one thing's for certain: The absence of Junko Enoshima was definitely starting become more suspicious.

(With Makoto)

After talking with Taka, Makoto hung out with Leon and Sayaka, who've made up with one another about the events of chapter one. Makoto is glad the tension between them is gone, and he hoped the same will happen for Mondo, Chihiro, and Taka.

Sakura and Hina joined in soon after, though the latter was less energetic than usual. Though that warranted Makoto's concern, the swimmer eventually waved it off as something not too important.

During their gathering, the conversation started off light, but they inevitably asked about Chihiro, Mondo, and Taka, to which Makoto gave a brief summary of events. Seeing the relief amongst everyone, Sayaka and Leon decided to inform everyone what Mukuro told them: that the butter Monokuma was eating wasn't actually Mondo. The relief everyone had after that finally enabled them to enjoy a light dinner with each other.

After conversing a little bit more with them, Makoto decided to go to his room for the night, seeing that it was going to be late soon. As he walked to his room, he thought about Byakuya. He wondered when it would be the right time to talk to him. Should he try doing so at some point tonight or wait till the morning for the opportunity?

'It might be best to wait in the morning.' He decided. He guessed that Byakuya probably isn't in the mood to talk to anybody right now, so visiting him would only agitate him further. Hopefully in the morning, he would be more willing to listen.

He soon got to his room. When he stepped his foot inside, he heard and felt the crunch of a piece of paper. Looking down, he saw a piece of paper folded in half under his foot. 'A note?' Makoto thought in confusion. 'Who could it be from?' Curious, he took the note from under his foot, and looked inside.

His eyes slowly widened as he read every word on the note, and as he apprehended its meaning, his blood ran cold.

"Mukuro Ikusaba is a conspirator with the Mastermind."

And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. And it look like Junko is hatching up a scheme. One to break Makoto and push him into despair. What it will be? You'll see. Next will be a bit more of the break before continuing to the next chapter. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you later.

A Lucky Soldier: Kara no Kyoukai was quite the dark and profound anime, and the OST in tandem with the dark setting really hit home in terms of setting the atmosphere. If you can put up with the sort of stuff in that anime, 10/10 would recommend!