Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, first off, I'm glad that you guys enjoyed the last chapter. It's good to hear that the quality is still up there.
Second, in case some of you aren't aware of this, fanfiction dot net has apparently shut down notifications for PMs. So if you want to know if someone sent you a message you, you'll have to look yourself. Also, because of that situation, I don't know when Lucky will look at any chapters I send him, so this is another chapter that hasn't been looked/edited yet. Don't know when they're gonna reactivated notifications, but I hope it will be soon.
Also, thank you to those offered to become beta-readers for this fic. I haven't chosen one yet, but as soon as notifications for PMs are back up, I will let you guys know. So, with that out of the way, enjoy the chapter.
P.S. Noticed after the last update a number of views that grew in my blog, when it was mostly sitting at zero. Thanks to those who decided to read my ranking posts (As well as my other little post), and I hope you liked the placement of the Danganronpa characters.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
Chapter 67: Watching Ch 4: All Stars Apologies Part 1
As the screen slowly lit up, the first thing shown was a flashback of Sayaka's death. "Leon killed Sayaka…"
The sight of her corpse caused Sayaka to flinch and instinctively wrap her arms around Makoto's, while Leon gritted his teeth with his hands balled up into fists, a scowl on his face. The anguish from the painful memory also caused Makoto to look away.
Then it showed a flashback of Junko's death. "Monokuma killed Junko…"
This time, Junko 'flinched' while Mukuro clenched her legs tightly.
Next was Leon's execution. "Then Leon got executed…"
Color was lost on the baseball player's skin, as he shut his eyes tightly, with Sayaka flinching again in guilt.
Then Chihiro's murder. "Then Mondo killed Chihiro…"
Chihiro whimpered and curled up once again, while Mondo flinched, his head bowed.
Then Mondo's execution. "And then he got executed…"
Taka flinched and looked away from the scene, while his biker friend hardly reacted to it. Chihiro shut his eyes tight as tears build up in his eyes.
Then Hifumi and Taka's murders. "Hifumi killed Taka… then Celeste killed Hifumi…"
It was Hifumi's turn to flinch, while Taka merely closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Mondo let out an angry growl, while Celeste schooled her features, not showing any reaction.
And finally, Celeste's execution. "Then she got executed…"
Again, the gambler kept her gaze neutral, though she looked away. If her skin wasn't already white, some would've noticed her blood running cold.
The screen then turned black. "And that brings us up to now…" The screen then lit back up, to show Sakura, Hina, Hiro, Kyoko, and Makoto, sitting in the dining hall together. "The next morning, in the dining hall… the day after Celeste's case…"
"Only five of us remaining…" Taka spoke solemnly. "Only five that survived and remained together… with two others separated from the group…"
The determination they managed to build was close to breaking now. Memories of the murders and executions played in everyone's head, especially the victims and culprits themselves.
"So now there's only five of us here…" Hina said sadly, looking close to crying.
"Only a third of the number of people we started with…" Hiro moaned, also looking miserable.
"Loneliness has become commonplace." Kyoko said.
"That's true…" Sakura sighed in agreement.
Makoto was silent, meanwhile, his gaze on Sakura. 'Still…' He thought to himself. 'What did I see yesterday?' A flashback of Sakura's and Monokuma's staredown was shown. 'I don't understand… Sakura is the mastermind's spy? Can that really be true?'
Now the tension built up at the reminder. While only Hiro and Toko were suspicious of Sakura, it was enough to make Hina tense and protective of Sakura. Byakuya also held some suspicion, his eyes narrowed at the screen.
Sakura, who saw the lucky student lost in thought, asked, "Makoto, are you okay?"
"Ah-!" Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he quickly answered. "N-No, I'm fine…!"
'I can't bring it up in front of the others.' Makoto thought to himself. 'If I did that… it would just confuse everyone that much more.' He was unaware of Kyoko's lavender coloured eyes aimed at him.
"That's a good point." Taka agreed with a small nod. "Considering our reactions here, it probably wouldn't be the best idea to bring it up so soon."
"Still, it isn't something he should be hiding." Byakuya argued. "Wasn't Makoto the one speaking about trust and believing in each other not too long ago?"
"It's not that I don't trust the others." Makoto protested. "I do. But I also believe in Sakura as well. That's why my future self wants to talk to her first before saying anything else to the others."
"I'm glad that you still have some faith in me, Makoto…" Sakura said, a small smile of gratitude.
The luckster returned the smile with his own. "Your my friend, Sakura, and you're the strongest and most honourable person here. Of course I would still trust you…" That caused the martial artist's smile to go a bit wider, with her best friend also beaming gratefully.
"He might not be able to hide it for long." Junko commented on, drawing the attention of the others. "Kyoko there has him in her sight…"
"Oh. Yeah, should've seen that coming." Leon remarked. "Makoto was never good at lying."
"Y-Yeah…" The luckster rubbed his head sheepishly, unable to deny that. He can keep secrets if needed, but an outright lie is hard for him to do.
"Okay!" Slapping her cheeks a couple of times, Hina got herself out of her down mood. "In that case, let's eat till we pass out!"
"Whaddya mean, 'in that case'?" Hiro asked in confusion.
"Well, cuz look how scary everyone looks!" Hina pointed out. "It's gotta be cuz you're all fighting on empty stomachs, right? If you fill your belly, I'm sure you'll all cheer up! So, let's eat!" An eager smile then entered her lip. "Let's fry up some fish and donuts, and eat till we can't stand up!"
"That's like a Deep Impact style, meteor impact, extinction level event combination of foods…!" Hiro exclaimed.
"What?!" Hina tilted her head in confusion at his reaction. "Those are both breakfast top sellers!"
Slowly, the mood began lifting somewhat as they watch Hina get pump for breakfast. "There's our Hina." Sayaka giggled as she held Makoto's arm for comfort. "Always thinking with her stomach when sad."
"Hey!" Hina protested, pouting. "I don't always eat when sad! I do it when I'm happy and celebrating too!"
"Doesn't help your case, Hina…" Makoto pointed out with his chuckle. That caused the swimmer to pout even more, especially when others sent amused looks towards her.
"Still, the 'till we can't stand up' part is a problem." Kyoko pointed out, though she had a small smile on her face. "After we're done, we need to go explore."
"That's right." Sakura nodded in remembrance. "Since the class trial is over, new areas should have opened up…"
"Plus, we still have Alter Ego." Kyoko added. "We don't have to give in to despair just yet."
"Oh right." Chihiro said in realization. "Alter Ego did say that the files should open soon. As early as tomorrow, he said."
"A trip to the next floor, and some major info about the school." Hiro listed off. "That should lift our spirits up."
"Ignoring the fact that the floor only opened up because one of our classmates decided to murder…"
"Junko!" Makoto exclaimed, turning towards the fashionista. "You didn't have to say that!"
"Sorry, sorry!" She held up her hands in defense. "I was just saying, that's all."
Kyoko's narrowed her eyes towards Junko. That girl has been making a lot of unnecessary remarks. Is there a reason? Or does not realize what she's saying?
"She's right…" Makoto spoke up in agreement. "We have to plan ahead and think about the future!"
"Yeah, yeah! Think happy thoughts! Not deathly thoughts!" Hina chirped.
"Like when we're gonna get outta here, right?" Hiro brought up. "When this is all over… I think I wanna get reborn for serious. Er - I mean, reborn AS someone serious…"
"Didn't Miss Asahina say no deathly thoughts?" Hifumi pointed out. "Rebirth is along the lines of deathly thoughts."
"Um, are you okay Hiro?" Chihiro asked, worried. "You're not thinking about suicide, are you? If it's about us making fun of you, or our accusations from before…"
"I didn't mean it like that!" Hiro protested before the programmer could continue. "I just meant, I wanted to become a more serious and mature person."
"Like that will be possible." Byakuya snarked. "You'll need to gain intelligence to have any sort of growth."
The fortune teller hung his head at that. "You suck, Byakuya. For real…"
"Hey, are you okay?" Hina asked, looking startled and concerned. "That sounds like something someone who's about to die would say…"
"I'm totally okay! I'm not gonna die!" Hiro declared happily. "Why? Cuz there ain't gonna be any more murders!"
"Huh? What makes you so sure?" Hina asked him.
"I predicted last night! Since it revealed itself to me from the ether, there's no doubt about it!" Hiro explained.
"...I know this may sound stupid, but for once, I'm hoping Hiro's right about this." Leon said with a sigh.
"That doesn't sound stupid, Leon." Sayaka reassured him. "I hoping for the same."
"Agreed."
"Same here."
"I really hope so."
"For once, let one of his predictions be right."
"...How accurate is your fortune telling, anyway?" Sakura inquired.
"I can usually hit twenty or thirty percent on a good day!" The fortune teller said proudly.
"That seems… really low." Hina pointed out.
"Well, yeah! It's not like it's ESP or whatever. Of course I'm only gonna get it right sometimes!" Hiro explained.
"Still, for someone called the Ultimate Clairvoyance, we've expected a success rate much higher." Mukuro pointed out. "Fifty percent, at the very least."
"There's no way any fortune teller could be that accurate!"
"Why Hope's Peak saw any value in this waste of a skill, I'll never guess…" The Togami heir huffed.
"I told you, my fortune telling isn't like some occult thing!"
"Fortune-telling… isn't occult?" Hina repeated in befuddlement.
"Of course not! Clairvoyance is clairvoyance!" Hiro stated angrily. "Don't put it in the same category as cattle mutilation!"
"Cattle… what?" Hina asked, looking even more confused.
The future Hina wasn't the only one looking befuddled. "What the hell is Hiro talking about now?" Leon asked.
"I think Kyoko is about to explain." Makoto said, pointing at the screen.
"He's referring to the urban legend where aliens abduct cows and dissect them as part of their research." Kyoko told the group.
For a moment, there were looks of understanding, before the group looked even more confused. "How the hell does that connect to the occult?" Mondo questioned. "That sounds more like sci-fi to me."
"It is sci-fi." Hifumi confirmed, looking just as confused.
"And another question: How did Kyoko manage to get that from what he said?" Leon asked, looking at the detective incredulously.
She merely shrugged in response. "It's the only logical conclusion, considering his beliefs and personality."
"True enough." Makoto nodded in agreement. Hiro is pretty gullible, and believe in some out of this world stuff.
"No…! You're calling it an urban legend?!" He exclaimed. "As a matter of fact, it's true… as a matter of fact, it's happened to me!"
'...Huh?' Was the overall blank and incredulous thought of the whole class.
Hiro spoke up to confirm his future self's words. "Yeah, it really did happen! A few months before I entered Hope's Peak, I think."
"It all happened one day when I went to go get a hamburger…"
A flashback of Hiro's supposed alien abduction began playing. "It was a place I'd never been before. They claimed their patties were 100% all beef. So I got a burger and headed home. And before long…" As the past Hiro was walking on the street, a light was beamed above him. "...the sky was filled with a mysterious blinding light!"
The light then supposedly grabbed the burger Hiro was holding in his bag. "Some crazy beam came out of nowhere and locked on to my hamburger! And as soon as the beam touched it, the burger started floating in mid-air…! And then, still floating there, the entire burger started coming apart! One part of it just vanished, while the rest fell back into my hand!" A clip of the rest of the burger falling back into his hand was then shown. "Do you realize what that means?"
"It means, the burger wasn't 100% beef! It must've had some pork or something mixed in. Something like seventy percent pork and thirty percent beef, would be my guess." The screen then went back to the dining hall, showing Hiro still telling the story. "So I stormed back into the burger place and got up in the manager's grill. And they totally admitted it. It WASN'T 100% beef! They totally mixed in ground pork with it! Now do you see?! THAT is cattle mutilation!"
"..." There were no words to describe how baffled and how done the group was with Hiro's story. Some had lost looks on their faces, some had blank stares, and others had eyes twitching in pure irritation.
"Huh? What's wrong, you guys?" Hiro asked, noticing the stunned silence. "Amazed that aliens do exist?"
"...Hiro, be honest: Are you smoking something?" Was Leon's blunt question. The fortune teller recoiled at that question.
"S-Smoking?!"
"Do you honestly expect us to believe that excuse of a story?" Byakuya was the one to ask next, annoyance clear as day on his face.
"Aliens coming along to steal the beef out of your burger?" Junko summarized the story up. "Are you sure that wasn't a very bright street lamp you saw?"
"I'm telling you, it was aliens!" Hiro insisted. "They came on the Earth to mutilate all the cows!"
"Do you hear how dumb you sound right now Hiro?" Sayaka asked him. An array of emotions played on her face, from bafflement to exasperation. "All of what you said makes little to no sense."
"I… pretty much got lost halfway into his tale…" Makoto admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"Same." Chihiro meekly nodded in agreement.
"Is it for or against the occult?" Taka asked, looking just as confused. "I can't tell."
"Honestly Hiro, you're constantly reeking of stupidity…" Hina sighed.
"When will guys not gang up on me?!" Hiro cried out.
"When you decide to actually get smarter." Celester remarked.
"I… kinda got lost halfway through…" Makoto admitted, looking beyond confused.
"I can't tell if you're for the occult or not." Hina sighed in exasperation. "You stink of stupidity…"
"I stink of-?! How dare you?!" Hiro exclaimed in outrage.
"Well, you do stink, though." Hina pointed out.
"That's fine!" Was the fortune teller's immediate reply.
"That's fine?!" Was the swimmer's exclamation right back.
"That's fine?!" Several students repeated future Hina's statement.
"How the fuck is that fine?!" Mondo questioned, looking at Hiro incredulously.
Celeste let out a growl. "And this is why I detest the fool…"
"U-Umm… anyway…" Makoto hesitantly interrupted. "I hope your prediction turns out to be true…"
'We all do…' Was the thought of many in the group.
"Well, at the very least, I won't murder anyone!" Hiro declared with a big grin on his face.
"Me either! I mean, I would never!" Hina agreed with a firm nod.
"Me either…" Sakura voiced her own agreement.
"Nor I." Kyoko spoke up next.
"That goes for me too, of course." Makoto was the final one to say it. "I could never kill any of my friends!"
Those words from their future selves brought some hope in the students' hearts, momentarily forgetting the tension build amongst each other. "Looks like your words from before holds true, Makoto." Taka commented, his tone a bit more chipper.
Makoto nodded with a small smile on his face. For once, negativity and distrust wasn't surrounding the survivors. They're starting to unite together, face against whatever the mastermind has cooked up for them.
Despite the positive feelings, some like Byakuya and Junko aren't blind to this show of unity. They knew that eventually, they won't be so united. Especially since not all the students are coming together.
"I felt like those words of encouragement were helping us come together as one." Narrator Makoto spoke up. "After so much sacrifice and hardship… we'd finally become united. But…"
"To be honest, I wish Byakuya and Toko were here for this, too." Sakura sighed.
"But… they're so hard to deal with." Hina pointed out sadly. "They only think about themselves."
"Yeah, we're better off without 'em, I say…" Hiro sighed.
And again, that hope was dashed away. Many of them practically deflated, with some giving dirty looks to both Toko and Byakuya.
For once, Toko looked away, shame actually creeping up in her heart. Slowly, she's starting to understand that her actions are not doing her any good, and that she's segregating herself from her classmates.
Byakuya, meanwhile, merely kept eyes on the TV with his a stony look. There's no point griping about his future self's actions; It won't change anything. Still, the constant hostility from his classmates was grating on his nerves.
The camera then focused on Makoto, who looked saddened. "That was enough to prove… that we're united for the time being, but within that bond hid weakness and fragility." With the last of narrator Makoto's words, the screen darkened.
'Truer words have never been spoken.' Was the simultaneous thought of both Makoto and Junko, one grim while the other is gleeful.
(Chapter 4 - All Star Apologies - Daily Life)
"That doesn't sound like a good chapter." Leon remarked with a grimace. "The image doesn't help either."
"Looks like the chapter will deal with Alter Ego and Hina." Celeste noted. "And in extension - Sakura."
"Most likely her role as a spy is going to come into play here." Byakuya added, narrowing his eyes. "There's no way it wouldn't."
That earned a fierce glare from Hina. "What are you-" She stopped when she felt Sakura place a hand on the shoulder, silently telling her to calm herself. The swimmer bit her lip, but did as her friend wanted.
When the screen lit up, it showed Makoto going up to the fourth floor of the building. 'So now we have access to the 4th floor of Hope's Peak Academy…' He thought to himself. Then he sounds out loud, "Maybe this time, we'll find some kind of clue…"
"Now we got access to the music room, the staff room, the data lab, chemistry lab, and the headmaster's office." Taka listed off. "Do you think we could find major clues in any of these places?"
"If there is, it's probably in the principal's office." Celeste mused. "With luck, we should find plenty of information."
'Doubtful.' Kyoko thought mentally. Most likely, it will be either locked or empty. The mastermind isn't one to leave out heavy amount of information for them to grab.
The lucky student then shook his head, determination clear on his face. "No! This time I HAVE to find it!"
"Do you ever get discouraged?" Byakuya remarked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't think I've seen you once given up in this."
Makoto blushed a little at this, rubbing his head sheepishly. "Well, like I said at the beginning: My one unique about me is how positive I can be." He said with a shrug.
'An understatement there.' Several students thought to themselves.
The first scene of the fourth floor was Makoto entering into a chemical lab, with Hina and Sakura already looking through the cabinets inside. 'So this is the chem lab…' Makoto thought to himself, holding his nose for a moment. 'I hope inhaling all this stuff doesn't do permanent damage…'
"So if they have access to the chem lab, then that means…" Hina's eyes brightened with realization and excitement. "The supplements! We can get all kinds of high quality vitamins, minerals, and proteins!"
That brought a smile from Sakura, though it was small. "Indeed. My future self doesn't have to make due with the lower quality proteins in the warehouse."
He then turned his eyes towards the shelf. 'It's a remarkably big shelf. And it's stocked with all kinds of medicine…'
"Ah!" Hina exclaimed, noticing Makoto. "Listen, Makoto! Listen! Just take a deep breath, and calm down, and LISTEN TO ME!"
That earned more than a few yelps in shock. "Who's telling who to calm down again?" Leon remarked, blinking. "You're the one bouncing off the walls there!"
Hina flushed in embarrassment at that. "I'm excited, okay?" She said in defense for herself.
"O-Okay, Hina… just chill out…" Makoto said, looking a tad shaken.
"There's all kinds of stuff we didn't have before!" Hina explained in excitement, looking through the cabinet once more. "Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, creatine, and-!" She froze, her eyes widening in shock. "WHAT?! They even have Proteinzyme-X!"
"Wh-What's that…?"
This time, it was Sakura who explained. "A high quality protein drink! It's nothing like that cheap swill in the warehouse. It's connoisseur level!"
"O-Oh, yeah…?" Was the only thing the luckster could think of saying.
"This is amazing! It's a gold mine!" Hina cheered. "Ahh, my prayers have finally been answered! Time to load up more prayers, then!"
"I can never understand you girls' love for those supplements." Leon remarked with a shake of his head. "Especially you, Sakura. You're buff as it is!"
"It's never hurts to have proteins and other supplements to sustain your strength." Sakura responded back. "Even when you do exercise."
"Totally!" Hina nodded rapidly in agreement. "Proteins, vitamins, and minerals are essential for any fitness buff. You should try it yourself, Leon!"
"I think I'm good." Leon quickly waved off the offer. "I'll probably just spit out one of those shakes Sakura drinks."
'A gold mine, huh…?' Makoto watched silently as the swimmer and martial artist talked to one another. 'I need to find out what's going on with Sakura and the mastermind, but I can't while she's with Hina…'
Both of them noticed Makoto's staring. "What is it, Makoto?" Sakura inquired.
"You need somethin'?" Hina asked right after.
"N-No, it's nothing…" Makoto replied to the both of them.
"It's good that you didn't put Sakura on the spot like that." Taka stated with approval. "It would be cowardly to do so."
"But are you really going to talk to Ogre alone?" Hiro cried out incredulously. "She could take that time to kill you once you reveal what you know!"
And just like that, Hina's good mood evaporated. "She would never do that!" She cried out furiously. "Why are so quick to write her off as a killer?!"
"You did the same to me!" Hiro retorted, sounding a tad angry. "When it looked like I was the one who did it, you were quick to think I was the culprit!" The swimmer gritted her teeth in frustration, knowing that she couldn't deny that.
"You bring up a good point, Hiro." Kyoko interjected, before this gets too heated. "However, knowing this, you should see that you can't make assumptions based on small amounts of information."
"Are you serious?! Are you on their side, Kyoko?!"
"I'm on no one's side." Kyoko answered, her voice taking a slight edge. "I'm merely pointing out that we shouldn't judge or accuse one another so quickly. Now I suggest that the two of you keep from arguing."
Hiro grumbled a bit, but backed down from the cold stare Kyoko was giving him. Hina gave him a venomous glare, which got him cowering a bit, until Sakura once again silently requested for her to calm down. And again, she did so for her friend.
The next scene was Makoto in front of a large, wooden entrance. 'The nameplate on the door says "Headmaster's Room".'
The sight caused everyone to sit up straighter. "What are we gonna find in their?" Celeste questioned, narrowing her eyes. "Information on the outside world?"
"Maybe stuff about Hope's Peak?" Sayaka suggested.
"The Headmaster's skeletons?" Leon added in. The last one earned a deadly glare from Kyoko, causing the baseball player flinch back. "Bad joke, bad joke!"
"We just have to wait until Makoto goes inside." Byakuya stated, his own gaze focused.
"The headmaster's room…" Slowly, Makoto grabbed both knobs of the door. "There must be something worthwhile in there…"
However, when he attempted to open in, the door didn't budge a bit.
"What?!"
"Oh come on!"
"Are you fucking joking?!"
"The bear's mocking us! He's got to be!"
Makoto wilted at that. "We should've expected that…" He moaned. "It would've been too easy…" He glanced at Kyoko, to see that she was unaffected. "You could've informed us that something like that would happen."
"I figured it was obvious." Kyoko said with a shrug.
'Huh? The door's locked…' Makoto gritted his teeth in frustration. 'Dammit…!'
"Why bother locking the Headmaster's office?" Chihiro asked. "Why not just empty out the room?"
"That would've been more bearable than a locked door…" Leon huffed.
"You just said the exact reason why Monokuma would lock it." Junko remarked dryly.
The next scene was Makoto inside the music room, with Kyoko already. 'This is… the music room.' He thought to himself as examined the piano here. 'It's hardly even a classroom. It's more like an actual concert hall…'
He was brought out of his thoughts when Kyoko spoke up. "You know, you haven't told me what you thought yet."
Makoto looked up with a confused expression on his face. "What I think…?"
"About the secret room in the boys bathroom…"
That got some of the students stiffening. "Shit…" Was Leon's statement on the matter.
"Kyoko is gonna be pissed…" Hiro murmured worriedly.
"...Ah!" The luckster jolted as memories of that room came back, before he grimaced. "W-Well, um… I did find the secret room, but… as soon as I started looking around, I was attacked…"
"Attacked?" Kyoko looked slightly surprised by this. "By who?"
"Well… they came from behind, and I didn't have any time to react. So I didn't see who it was…" Makoto explained. "And when I came to, the mountain of files and documents… were all gone."
"..." Kyoko was silent on that for a moment, nothing in her expression giving any of her thoughts or emotions.
The others were silent as well, stiffly waiting for Kyoko's response on the matter.
"I'm sorry. I know how important those were." Makoto said, sincere regret on his face.
"...It's okay. I already saw what I needed to in there." Kyoko assured him.
And just like that, the tension was gone. "For a moment, I thought she was gonna let him have it." Hina said with relief.
"I'm not unreasonable, Hina." Kyoko remarked. "I wouldn't blame him for this. Besides, it was my choice to inform him of the area."
"And I half suspected the mastermind might come after you."
And immediately after, they were all stunned by Kyoko's next statement. "What?" Was Leon's response, mouth dropped.
"Did she say what I think she just said?" Mondo asked, equally baffled.
Kyoko herself was processing her future self's words, though the only hint of emotion was her blinking.
That caused Makoto to freeze for a moment. "What…?"
"When I discovered the room, the mastermind must have seen me on the surveillance camera in the hallway." The lavender haired girl explained. "They must have seen me go into the bathroom, and not come out again."
"She knew the mastermind would come after anyone that comes inside the second bathroom." Byakuya stated, his eyes narrowed. "She knew that they had knowledge of the secret room. Or at least suspected it."
"She knew?!" Hina exclaimed incredulously. Then turned to Kyoko. "You knew that would happen, and let Makoto walk into a trap?!"
"Your future self didn't even warn Makoto of the danger?" Taka questioned the detective. "But why, when you at least suspected it?"
Kyoko was silent at this, gripping her knees. She has an idea as to why her future self kept that bit of information to herself. And it's one that's leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.
Sayaka was also silent, slowly taking that Kyoko let Makoto walked into a trap, without even warning him. Meanwhile, Mukuro and Celeste's expressions darkened, already figuring out why Kyoko didn't tell him.
"Still, I wanted you to go and see it… I wanted to see how the mastermind would react."
"You used him as bait!" Sayaka shouted, shock and anger clear on her face.
"You used him as bait?!" Hina repeated Sayaka's words in shock.
Makoto was also stunned, blankly staring at the screen. "You used me as bait…" He couldn't keep the hint of betrayal out of his tone, even if he tried.
Kyoko kept her eyes away from everyone, especially Makoto. "So it would seem." Was all she could say.
"Essentially, I wanted to find out if the mastermind actually knew about that room." She then frowned in thought. "But to attack you, and steal everything in the room… that must mean there was some unknown clue in there that could reveal the mastermind's identity."
'She did that… just so she could find out that small piece of information?' Mukuro thought to herself, looking murderous. 'She thought it was worth risking Makoto's life, without him knowing?'
"Then… you knew I was gonna get attacked?" Makoto asked with a hint of disbelief.
"You can handle that kind of thing though, right?" Was Kyoko's response to the question. "After all, you're a boy."
"The hell kind of response is that?!" Leon questioned incredulously. "Just cause he's a dude, he could handle any hits?"
"While Makoto isn't frail, he's far from the strength to take on any attack, especially an ambush." Sakura stated, disapproval clear in her voice and tone. "For all we know, the mastermind could've been as strong as I or Mondo. Perhaps stronger."
"That was pretty underhanded of you Kyoko…" Junko commented, making it sound like she's surprised.
Slowly, Sayaka turned towards with a ferocious glare. "He'd gotten hurt… he could've been killed!" She growled. "And that's all you have to say?!"
Kyoko couldn't formulate any response to that at the moment. In the past, she probably would have agreed with her future's self tactics. But that past self didn't spent time with her classmates. She didn't learn the importance of cooperation. Didn't bond with Makoto.
'What does she think a boy is…?' Makoto thought incredulously. Then he sighed. "Fine… I understand."
"Are you seriously just gonna let this go, Makoto?!" Sayaka cried out, anger clear on her face.
"You're a doormat. I hope you realize that" Byakuya deadpanned. "She used you as bait for the mastermind, and that's all you have to say?"
"I would've chewed her out if she did that to me." Leon agreed with the Togami heir.
Makoto looked down at his lap. "Well, there was no point arguing about it with her. It already happened, so there's no point in getting angry."
'You are far too kind, Makoto.' Mukuro thought in aggravation. While his kindness and forgiving nature is the very thing that made her fall for him, it leads him to be constantly put in the fire.
"Then let me ask you something else. Do you know about the note that was in there? The note that said, 'You must not leave'..."
"We… shouldn't talk about that. Not here." Kyoko quickly glance at the security camera when she said that. "I'm looking into it. If I find out anything, I'll let you know. Is that okay?" The tone, along with the look she gave him, made it clear he didn't have a choice on the matter.
"W-Why bother asking him?" Toko remarked. "I-It definitely doesn't s-sounds like he got much of a c-choice."
"Why can't you treat him as a partner, instead of a lackey?" Hina cried out, looking angered. "It's not like he would've disagreed with you Kyoko! And if he knew about the possibility of being attacked, he could've prepared for it at least!"
"Didn't… didn't your future self say that she would trust him?" Chihiro asked the detective softly. "Why did she need to use him as unknowing bait? Why keep that from him?"
Kyoko crossed her arms, clenching them together in order to keep her emotions in check. "Like I said before, trust issues do not go away easily." She finally spoke. "And I have been taught to use everything to my advantage in search of the truth. It doesn't excuse my actions, but there it is."
Seeing the detective being affected by this, Makoto wanted to defend her. But he couldn't shake off that sense of betrayal, so he ended up staying silent.
When he nodded, Kyoko went to another subject. "So, now it's your turn. Let's hear your secret."
"...Huh?" Once again, Makoto was taken aback by her words.
Immediately, the group knew what the detective was talking about. "Knew it." Junko sang.
"No one disagreed with you Junko." Taka responded back.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice? You're hiding something." Kyoko pointed out. "...Am I wrong?"
"Th-That's-!" Makoto flinched, memories of Sakura and Monokuma's fight playing in his mind.
"What's the matter?" The girl asked, noticing his odd reaction. "If you're worried about the camera, why not just write it down?"
"U-Um… well…" Makoto looked away, hesitant to say anything.
Kyoko narrowed her eyes at this. "Are you not going to tell me?" She asked sharply, a tad offended. "Do not trust me enough with that information?"
"N-No! That's not it!" Makoto denied, waving his hands in front of him. "I do trust you! But I also trust Sakura, and telling anybody else without confronting her first about it… well, it feels like a breach of trust."
"I will admit, I would rather Makoto talk to me first than spread information around." Sakura admitted. "This is something my future self needs to confess herself."
Hearing this, Kyoko took a deep breath and calm herself down. "I see." The detective looked away in slight embarrassment. "Apologies for my reaction."
"I-It's alright, Kyoko." Makoto reassured her.
Sayaka, however, wasn't that forgiving, if her narrowed eyes was any indication. Is Kyoko really gonna get upset about this, when she's been hiding who knows how many secrets from the group? When she used Makoto as unaware bait?
For a moment, Kyoko was silent, waiting to hear a response. Then, she said this. "We're friends, so you should be able to trust me. Isn't that what you said before?"
That got more than a couple of winces. "Wow. Throwing his words back against him." Leon said.
"Something tells me Miss Kirigiri is going to take this personally…" Hifumi murmured worriedly.
Again, the detective kept her eyes away from the group. Hifumi wasn't wrong with his prediction. Considering how she acted, and her low tolerance being kept from her…
'You're right that there shouldn't be any secrets between friends, but…' Makoto thought, looking down guiltily. 'There's nothing worse than expressing doubt about your friend when you don't have evidence for it…'
Sakura took a deep breath. "My apologies, Makoto." She said, getting the luckster's attention. "Because of me, I put you in this position."
"N-No! Don't blame yourself Sakura!" Makoto hastily told her. "I was the one who went to the gym and saw what happened! Your future self doesn't even know I saw that! It was purely by chance that it happened!" Taking a deep breath, he spoke more calmly. "Besides, it's my choice to stay silent about it. And I chose to find more evidence before I point any fingers at you."
"Thanks, Makoto." Hina spoke for Sakura, gratefulness clear in her tone. "I'm glad that you and your future self trust Sakura so much."
"S-Sorry…" Taking a deep breath, Makoto faced Kyoko and continued. "Not yet…"
Again, Kyoko was silent for a moment. "So… that's your answer." The look in her eyes then got colder. "But do you think that's fair? You were happy to hear what I had to say, but now you're unwilling to share?"
The group was reeling back at her sharp words. "What the heck?!" Hina cried out.
"Damn." Was Leon's own response. "Kyoko took Makoto's refusal personally."
"No kidding…" Mondo agreed, looking just as shocked as Leon.
Meanwhile, Makoto winced while Kyoko clenched her gloved hands tightly, neither of them looking forward to the next exchange of dialogue.
"I'm sorry. I really am…" Makoto told her sincerely, looking away in guilt.
Kyoko merely stared him down before turning away. "It's fine." She said coldly. "Goodbye." With that, she left the music room.
Hiro winced. "Yep. She's definitely angry."
"Are. You. Serious?!" Sayaka exclaimed, grinding her teeth together. "She's been holding so many secrets from everyone else, including the one where she used Makoto as BAIT, but when he does it to her, she gets angry at him?!"
"Kyoko, care to explain this uncharacteristically childish behavior of yours?" Celeste inquired, a hint of venom in her voice. "It isn't like you to take this so personally."
The detective kept her eyes away from everyone as she explained herself. "I don't like having secrets kept from me." She stated. "Especially by those I trust, or coming to trust."
"You used Makoto as bait!" Mukuro hissed coldly, not liking Kyoko's reaction herself. "You have no ground to get angry at him! And it's not like he plans to keep it from you continuously!"
"Yeah! He said, 'not yet'!" Hina pointed out, looking angry herself.
"I know." Kyoko admitted with a sigh. "And I admit, my future self may be… overreacting a bit."
Leon snorted. "Understatement there." That earned him a glare, though it lost some of the ice it usually has.
Meanwhile, Makoto had a hurt and guilty look on his face. While he understands why Kyoko is angry at him, it still hurts that she acts cold towards him when he refused to say anything. Especially after revealing that she knew the mastermind would likely come after him, and didn't say anything.
'I think I made her mad at me…' Was all Makoto could think.
'Understatement there.' Was the thought of several in the group, emotions varying.
Kyoko herself was embarrassed of her future self's emotional reaction. Despite being the most composed of the class, she can be pretty emotional. And it looks like that emotional side is reaping its ugly head.
And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will begin with the group seeing Makoto finding yet another picture, as well as the survivors meeting up in the dining hall. Review, favorite, and follow, and I will see you guys later.
