Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, first off, I would like to apologize for the very long wait. The three main reasons for that wait is that one, I got really focused on my new fic "A Whole New Timeline to Live in"; two, I got stuck on a part of this chapter was kinda a bore for me, thus fueling the first reason; and three, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Thanks to all three of those factors, it took me a while to get to writing and finishing this chapter. So, apologies for that.
Secondly, I created both a p.a.t.r.e.o.n page and a ko-fi page, both by the name of Spirit Soldier. If any of you are interested in donating to me in thanks/support for the writing I've done here, it would be greatly appreciated. And while I don't plan on making any of these fics pay-to-win, or doing any sort of early-access thing, I'm thinking of putting original content in there; reason being is that I plan to be an original author, and posting chapters of my unfinished books on could help in my goal.
What do you guys think of the idea? Let me know in your reviews. Now, with that out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
P.S. I'll start posting links down below to make it easier for you guys to find my p.a.t.r.e.o.n and ko-fi page.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
Chapter 75: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 9
"That issue we discussed doesn't matter anymore. I want to talk to you about something else." Kyoko requested.
Makoto tilted his head in response. "What is it you want to talk to me about?"
"Actually… I'd like you to come somewhere with me." The lavender haired girl told him. "I have business there…"
"Where…?"
"Just come with me, and you'll find out." She repeated.
Her requests got the group curious. "What does she need to talk about, I wonder…?" Celeste mused.
"It's Kyoko; I doubt it's anything frivolous." Byakuya stated, also interested.
"It better not be!" Taka added enthusiastically.
The lucky student gave a small, confused frown. 'I-I guess, but…'
"Well then, shall we get going?" Without waiting for any other response, Kyoko turned and walked out of the nurse's office.
"Ah! Kyoko…!" And quickly, Makoto hurried to catch up to her, right before the screen turned black.
"She walked ahead in silence…" Narrator Makoto spoke. "And in silence, I chased her. And eventually, we arrived…"
The screen then lit back up, to show Kyoko and Makoto in… "The dressing room…?!" The latter exclaimed, quickly realizing why the former needed to talk to him. "So the 'something else' you mentioned…!"
"That's right." Kyoko nodded. "It has to do with Alter Ego."
Knowing the importance of Alter Ego, the mention of the AI piqued everyone's interests. "Wait, hold on, didn't Kyoko say we didn't need him anymore?" Hiro asked in confusion.
"No, I said that Alter Ego has done his job." Kyoko corrected him. "Not that it was unneeded."
"But… you said we didn't need Alter Ego anymore." Makoto pointed out.
"I didn't say we didn't need him. I just said that he had done his job." Kyoko corrected him. "Besides, it's not us that needs Alter Ego. *He* has business with *us*."
"Huh…?"
"Alter Ego asked me to bring the others to come see him." Kyoko explained. "Apparently he has something he wants to ask us."
That got the group even more curious. "What could the AI possibly want with them?" Celeste questioned, curiosity glinting in her eyes.
"And why hasn't Kyoko brought everyone for this?" Taka questioned loudly. "This should be something for all the survivors to hear, if he wants everyone to come!"
"I don't think the others are in a state to listen to anything, Taka." Sayaka told him. "I doubt Kyoko would be able to bring them together, even if she tried."
"That's… fair enough." The moral compass sighed, realizing the truth of her words.
Mondo, meanwhile, just narrowed his eyes. He got a feeling as to what Alter Ego wants.
Makoto turned towards the computer, laying on the bench. 'Alter Ego… wants to ask us something?'
When both survivors bent over towards the laptop, the screen flared up, revealing Alter Ego. "...Hello." He greeted the two. "Oh, um… so it's just the two of you? Kyoko and Makoto?"
Quickly, Kyoko typed, "Is two not enough?"
"No, it's okay! Two should be plenty." Alter Ego assured.
"But what is it he wants to ask us?" Makoto inquired.
"Let's find out, shall we?" With that, Kyoko typed in the question, "What did you want to ask us?"
"Oh yeah, so…" Taking a deep breath, the AI answered. "I'd like you to take me somewhere where you can connect me to the school network."
Suffice to say, that took the group completely off guard.
"Huh?!"
"Does he know what he's asking?"
"Isn't that way too dangerous?!"
"Is that even possible…?"
Mondo merely grunted. "Knew it."
"...What?" Kyoko gasped. She and Makoto glanced at one another quickly, before the former typed out, "Why?"
"Well, um… you said my job was done, right?" Alter Ego began. "But… to just stop here… saying I've finished my work… I don't want that!"
A determined look was etched onto the digital face. "I want to keep being helpful to everyone. I want to work as hard as everyone else so that we can all get out of here! That's… what Master would want, too. So… to help everyone else… to solve the mystery of this school…"
"The only way I can help is if you can connect me to this school's network!"
"But that's suicide!" Hifumi cried out. "If they try to enter the school network…!"
"Monokuma will find out." Celeste finished, a serious look across her face. "And I doubt they will let them do as they will once they do."
"There's little to no chance that Alter Ego will gain anything substantial before it's spotted." Mukuro added bitterly, knowing full well Junko's capabilities. "Going into the network is basically a one way trip."
"There's no way they can let Alter Ego do this!" Sayaka stated, worried for the AI.
"B-But… if you did that… that's basically suicide." Makoto pointed out in protest. "I'm positive the mastermind would find out about it. They'd find you, and they'd…" He turned towards the detective. "You agree, right Kyoko?"
"..." Kyoko, however, was silent.
"Wait, are you actually considering this?!" Sayaka questioned in shock, turning towards the detective. Several others also did the same.
Said detective looked as contemplative as her older and amnesiac counterpart. "So it would seem."
"But Kyoko…!" Makoto protested. "There's no way that this can work out! Once Alter Ego is connected, the mastermind will find out in no time!"
"This is all assuming there's an accessible way to connect to the network." Byakuya pointed out to everyone, looking at the screen neutrally.
"Let's… just continue watching." Kyoko sighed. "And see what Alter Ego, and my future counterpart, has to say."
"I realize how dangerous it could be." Alter Ego stated. "But still… I have to do this. I'm scared, but… I can handle it. I… don't really understand why, but… when I think about everyone else, my courage starts to grow…! You might think I'm just some inhuman AI, but it's true! So… it's okay. If it's for the sake of everyone else, I won't be afraid!"
Many couldn't help but be in awe of the AI's earnest desire to help; with a voice and face so similar to it's creator. Chihiro, in particular, was shocked at how proactive his creation was…
"Alter Ego is really like you, Chihiro…" The programmer turned towards Mondo, who held a forlorn look on his face. "Don't have all of your baggage, sure, but… that spark of courage in his eyes is just like yours."
"Mondo…" Again, Chihiro found it hard to accept the idea of already being strong. Even with several of his friends assuring him of this, it was still an incredulous thought.
"Still… it still doesn't change that it's…very dangerous.." Hina murmured, clearly worried for the AI.
"Yeah. Like Mukuro said, there's no way Alter Ego will get anything before it's spotted…" Leon stated, looking tense. "I admire the little guy's bravery, but can he really evade Monokuma long enough to get answers?"
'Obviously not.' Junko sarcastically thought to herself. How dare they even start to doubt her capabilities?
For a moment, Makoto was silent. Too lost in the voice, the familiar voice. Then, Kyoko spoke up. "You remember what you asked before, Makoto?" She asked. "You asked what the difference is between a person and a program, right?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"When I talk to Alter Ego, I don't know…" Kyoko admitted. "I have no idea how to answer that question. I think maybe that's a question even the program's creator can't answer. But I can say this…"
"There's no question that Alter Ego is our friend."
"Kyoko…"/"Kyoko…" Makoto couldn't help but stare at the girl in shock.
"So you actually do think that Alter Ego is our friend?" Hina asked, looking surprised herself. "Then why did you brush off Makoto earlier?"
The detective turned away from everyone. "I was angry; and... it was... misplaced." She admitted reluctantly. "In that anger, I would do or say things I likely didn't mean. That doesn't mean I view Alter Ego as a simple AI, at least not now."
"Still, to hold such idealistic viewpoints…" Byakuya remarked. "Didn't expect for you to be so sentimental."
"Alter Ego is simply too life-like to brush off as a mere program. Chihiro really outdone himself." Kyoko countered easily, not letting Byakuya's remark get to her.
"To be honest, I didn't want Alter Ego to push himself anymore." Kyoko said. "Because if we take any more risks, the mastermind will really notice it. But…"
For a moment, she contemplated in silence. After that moment passed, she turned towards Makoto. "Let's do it, Makoto. Let's connect Alter Ego to the network."
"What?!" Almost half the class screamed out.
"Are you serious, Kyoko?!" Leon asked incredulously.
"This plan is reckless! Extremely reckless!" Taka protested.
"If Alter Ego does this, Monokuma will find and kill him for sure!" Hina cried out.
Rather than reacting dramatically as his classmates, Byakuya merely narrowed his eyes at Kyoko. "What is your endgame, Kyoko? Do you honestly think this plan will bear any fruit?"
"Are there any other options out there?" Kyoko retorted. "Any other way to progress at this point?"
That struck the group silent; all of them knowing that the future survivors have very little options to begin with.
"B-But…!"
"He's our friend, so I want to take his feelings into consideration." Kyoko argued calmly. "And he says that he wants to fight alongside his friends. If you were in his place, could you just sit by and do nothing in this situation? If you saw everyone else fighting and doing their best, could you just look the other way? Or would you stand up? Stand up tall next to everyone else and tell them you're their friend?"
"..." Makoto couldn't help but be silent at this, knowing full well what his answer would be.
The future Kyoko's words struck several of the students further, with many of the more emotional ones looking conflicted.
"I… I wouldn't." Chihiro voiced out, gaining the attention of his classmates. "I wouldn't… want to just stand there, as everyone works to find a way out. That… I couldn't bear the thought of doing nothing, just because I did what I've been asked. So I understand Alter Ego's desire to help."
That got a snort from Mondo. "Of course you do. You're the one who created it."
"Hey, are you guys… fighting?" Alter Ego interjected in concern. "If it's about me, please don't. I… I want to believe in myself. I want to be able to say, 'I know I can do this'."
A determined once again entered it's digital face. "So please… let me try!"
And once again, the students were struck with how similar the AI was to it's creator. "Wow… it really feels like we're looking at Chihiro, doesn't it?" Sayaka commented, her voice light.
"Like they're talking to him in a video chat." Leon nodded in agreement.
"It really does seem like a mirror of the original." Hifumi added softly.
"You really outdone yourself huh." Mukuro commented, impressed at the programmer's handiwork.
Said programmer couldn't help but duck his head, his cheeks burning in embarrassment. His classmates… really thought of him as courageous? Do they really see that bravery Alter Ego is showing inside himself?
Again, Makoto was silent, unable to come up with any response. Kyoko took that opportunity to talk further. "And besides… there's one place where the mastermind might not notice…"
"One place…?"
"Remember? There's another place besides here where there's no surveillance camera." Kyoko reminded him.
At that, Makoto's eyes lit up in remembrance. "That's it! The secret room you told me about…!" He stated. "I definitely remember there was no surveillance camera in there."
"And I do believe you can connect to the network from there." Kyoko added. "I remember seeing an ethernet port on the wall."
"Still a flimsy plan, at best." Byakuya sighed. "This is all based on the hope that the mastermind won't notice what's happening, long enough to obtain whatever information is out there."
"But… it's just like Kyoko said, there aren't any options remaining." Sakura stated. "They need to act, otherwise they will remain stagnant as the mastermind continues to push us into self-annihilation."
"However, just because there's no camera there, doesn't mean there's no danger." She continued. "There's no way to be sure the mastermind isn't monitoring the network somehow. We'll also have to move Alter Ego, and the mastermind may spot us going into the secret room. If they pick up on any of this, then… it's all over."
"You're right…" Makoto agreed, looking conflicted.
"But despite all that, I still think we need to try." Kyoko stated. "Because that's our best chance of finding any new clues."
Celeste let out her own sigh. "That is true enough." She admitted. "While it is a miniscule chance, it is also the greatest chance they have to find out more."
Many of the students looked as if they felt similarly. Whether it's concern for the AI, or merely doubt that this idea will actually work, the students all thought that plugging Alter Ego into the network doesn't feel worth it.
At the same time, however… they do recognize that this is probably the best opportunity the future survivors have.
"Kyoko…" At first, Makoto was silent, the conflicted feeling still across his face. Then, after a moment of that silence, he spoke up. "In that case… will you let me carry him?" He requested. "There's no way you could hide him with what you're wearing, right? So let me do it."
"Okay then, I'll leave it to you." Kyoko said in agreement. "...Thank you." She then bent back down towards the laptop. "It's gonna be a little cramped for you, Alter Ego. Bear with us, okay?"
The two of them then started packing Alter Ego, closing the laptop and placing it inside Makoto's jacket. As he was stuffed, the AI giggled. "I-It tickles!"
"Shh!" Makoto shushed the computer. "You can't talk right now! We're going to move you to another room. Until we get there, you have to be absolutely silent, okay?"
"Understood. Your command has been implemented."
"G-Good…"
"In the secret room, there are a bunch of different cables in one of the desk drawers." Kyoko told the lucky student.
"So there might be a network cable in there?"
"Assuming the mastermind hasn't taken it already…"
Makoto sighed at that. "Well, all we can do is go and check for ourselves."
"Agreed." Kyoko nodded. "Let's head to the secret room…"
"I really, really, really hope this'll work." Hina muttered, crossing her fingers together.
"Me too." Sayaka nodded in agreement, looking tense. "If they can manage to pull this off, it could be game changing."
"Please work, please work, please work…" Hifumi chanted, his hands clasped together.
While many of the students hoped for something amazing to be pulled off, some of the more rational students did not let their hopes go up.
And Junko herself? Mainly bored out of her mind, though slightly amused. As if anything they do can get past her analytic eyes; it's almost cute that they even try.
The scene then switched to Makoto and Kyoko heading to the boy's bathroom on the second floor. Once they were at the door, Kyoko suddenly spoke. "Hey, Makoto…" She began. "Are you sure all the documents are gone? I refuse to believe you! Go and check again!"
Kyoko's sudden mood switch gave the group quite a bit of a shock.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Where did that come from?!"
As the students quickly started to doubt Kyoko due to the sudden change, Celeste quickly intervened. "Calm yourself. She's lying right now, acting as if she's angry at Makoto to keep the mastermind oblivious. She's not being truly angry or distrustful of Makoto."
The detective nodded in agreement. "I agree. Just want to give the mastermind a reason as to why we're at the boy's bathroom."
That got the students relaxing, with some even looking slightly embarrassed at their own reactions.
"Though I must say your acting could use some work." Celeste commented with a tiny smug smile. Kyoko can only let out a breath of annoyance in response.
Makoto did a double take on that. "What…?"
"Just hurry up and go!" The girl ordered. "And to make sure you don't run off, I'm gonna wait right here!"
The luckster's look of shock turned into one of realization. 'Oh, I get it - she's acting…' He deduced. 'She was so forceful, I thought I'd made her mad again somehow…'
"So did we, honestly." Hina chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry, Kyoko…"
"It's fine. I understand why you were on edge." Kyoko waved off.
"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and go!" Kyoko forcefully ordered once more.
"O-Okay, okay, I'm going…"
"And be thorough." She added. "I'm counting on you."
Some couldn't help but chuckle or giggle. "Real forceful there, huh Kyoko?" Leon remarked with a grin. "Makes me wonder how you guys be behind closed ro-"
"Leon!" Makoto squeaked, covering his beet red face. Kyoko, on the other hand, merely gave the baseball star a flat, unamused stare.
Four certain girls were as unamused as Kyoko, each of them giving Leon varying looks. Sayaka, in particular, was giving her friend a particularly haunting look that the red-head is trying real hard to ignore.
Makoto then entered the bathroom, then into the secret room. 'Okay! First we have to find a network cable…' Quickly, he went to the drawers. 'According to Kyoko, there should be a bunch of cables in this drawer. Hmm…'
"Found it!" The lucky student pulled out a fairly long cable. "This is a network cable, right? Now we just have to connect Alter Ego!"
Makoto pulled out the laptop from his jacket and placed it on the desk; he then connected it with the cable before connecting it to the ethernet port. "And that should do it…!"
"Umm…" For a moment, Alter Ego looked as if he was searching through something, before nodding in self-confirmation. "Yeah! I think it worked!"
The AI then faced Makoto. "Just leave the rest to me! I swear I'll find something! I might even be able to connect to the outside world. If I can, I'll see if I can call for help!"
"It would be really amazing if he can pull it off…" Sayaka stated, looking hopeful. "If he can call for help, then they'll have a much better chance at getting out!"
"Even if he isn't able to, just knowing more about our situation will be plentiful." Taka said, a serious look across his face. "Let's hope that this gamble will pay off."
'Something tells me that this won't…' Celeste thought to herself, eyes narrowed. Years of gambling experience gave her an instinctual feel on good or bad gambles.
And those same instincts are telling her that this gamble isn't going to end in their favor.
'Ufufu... these idiots really think I won't notice this? My god I'm so looking forward to when I crush their endeavors here' Junko thought to herself, completely amused by the turn of events.
"So please just wait a little while longer… just hold tight and put your faith in me!"
As Makoto was about to turn and leave, he stopped. He then bent down towards the laptop and typed…
"No matter what, we're gonna get out of here! You and all the rest of us, as friends!"
That surprised the AI. "Friends…?" He repeated. "Even… me?" Once the surprise wore off, he gave a soft, heart-felt smile. "Thank you. Thank you, Makoto…"
"Makoto…" Touched by what he left for Alter Ego, Sayaka wrapped her arms around his once again. "That was so sweet of you."
"That should definitely motivate Alter Ego now…" Mondo said, a small grin slowly shaping.
A smile entered Chihiro's lip as well, one similar to the one Alter Ego gave. "Thank you, Makoto. I'm really glad you see him as a friend…" The programmer said sincerely.
The luckster could only blush; a small, bashful smile across his face. "With how life-like Alter Ego acts, it's hard not to see him as one. Especially with what he's trying to do for us."
Kyoko merely shook her head at the scene. "Foolishly open…" She muttered fondly to herself.
'Plebeians and their emotions…' Byakuya thought with an eye roll. Despite what his classmates feel, Alter Ego is still an AI, merely doing what it's programmed to do. To think that commoners would get worked over a simple program…
The scene then switched to Makoto exiting the bathroom, coming face to face with Kyoko. "How'd it go?" She asked simply.
"Well…" The luckster started off awkwardly. "It went… okay. But all the, um, documents were gone. Just like I told you…"
Celeste couldn't help but giggle. "You really are a clumsy liar, Makoto. Maybe I should give lessons at some point."
"I think I'm good…" Makoto replied with a sweat-drop. He wasn't sure whether or not he should learn to lie better, honestly.
"I see…" Kyoko nodded in satisfaction. "Then there's nothing left for us here. Goodbye." With that, she started curtly walking away.
"Really?" Hina's jaw dropped a little at that. "Are you really just gonna split from him, just like that?"
"And here goes Ice Queen Kyoko, yet again." Leon remarked dryly, getting an annoyed glance from said 'Ice Queen'.
"Ah- Kyoko!" Makoto quickly called out.
The lavender haired girl turned to him. "Yes?"
"Um… so we're just going to split up?" He questioned.
"Of course. I have no reason to stay with you at this point." Kyoko stated bluntly.
That got more than a few reasons. "Ouch." Was all Mondo said.
"Really wished you learned some more tact, Kyoko…" Sayaka sighed tiredly.
"Yeah. Real cold there." Junko added sarcastically.
Feeling her cheeks burning once more, Kyoko couldn't help but let out a small huff. Can't they give her a break about her social skills?
"Well… maybe, but… isn't that a little too… direct?" Makoto pointed out awkwardly.
That earned a sigh from the girl. "Should I hesitate and fumble for something to say? You're so high-maintenance…"
"Says the girl who can't think of a better goodbye than that…" Leon deadpanned. "Seriously, you could warm up a little to Makoto after all of that."
"A whole lot more…" Junko chimed in.
"I think my lack of social skills has already been confirmed." Kyoko interjected, trying not to look so embarrassed with herself.
"Ahhh this must be the whole 'kuudere' tro..p..e..." Hifumi started before trailing off due to feeling Kyoko's cold eyes glaring into him.
"T-That's not what I meant…" The luckster corrected. "I just… had more I wanted to talk to you about. Like, what are you going to do about Sakura?"
The mention of Sakura and her situation quickly sobered the group up, the atmosphere getting slightly heavy once again. Sakura herself was quiet, yet tense, while Hina gripped the fabric of the couch tightly, also tense.
"Well… something has to be done, it's true." Kyoko agreed. "But the way things are right now, there's no way to persuade anyone. They don't have the mind to listen."
"Then what should we…?"
"If we can find some new clues, that would likely change the situation. That's all we can hope for right now." The lavender haired girl sighed.
"That'll depend on if Alter Ego can find anything before anything can happen." Celeste pointed out.
"And with how quick things are heating up…" Sayaka trailed off.
"It's hard to tell what will happen first." Taka concluded.
'Which is why Alter Ego…' Makoto realized.
"All we can do is wait, and believe in our friends." Kyoko concluded.
'You're right…' Makoto grimly accepted. 'That's our only option.'
That earned several frowns and grimaces. While some desperately wanted to hope that the survivors can keep from coming to blows, long enough for Alter Ego to find something…
Much of what they've seen was not inspiring hope; with a few even accepting the large possibility of death.
The scene then switched to Makoto in his room, looking worned out. "I'm kinda… tired…" With not much fanfare, the lucky student got onto bed. As he dozed off, the screen turned black.
However, it wasn't too long before the sound of a doorbell rang through the black screen. The screen then lit back up, to show a drowsy looking Makoto. "Hunh…?"
More of the ringing doorbell shook Makoto out of his daze, before he went to the door. When he opened the door, he was met with a serious looking Kyoko. "Makoto, get out here."
Seeing Kyoko once more got the group's alarm. "K-Kyoko?" Chihiro stuttered. "Why is she at Makoto's door?"
"Judging by the look, it's not good notes…" Junko noted, intentionally causing the tension to rise.
"Kyoko…?" Makoto spoke, looking slightly alarmed. "What's going on?"
"Hina just came to see me, and she was white as a ghost."
And just like that, dread began enveloping many of them. "That… is a very bad sign…" Hifumi gulped.
"There are a lot of things that would cause Hina to be like that, but the most likely reason is…" Mukuro trailed off, letting her words be unsaid.
The swimmer herself was starting to look just as her counterpart has been described. 'No… no, no, no…'
"It sounds like something happened…"
As soon as she was finished, Makoto found himself fully awake. "What…?"
"She said for us to come to the rec room." Kyoko told him.
"The rec room…?" Shaking his head, he gained a determined look. "Okay! Let's hurry!"
'No, no, no, no! It can't be it, no way!'
"It's starting…" Byakuya murmured lowly, arms crossed and eyes focused.
Toko, hearing her Master's words, took no time to cover her eyes. This time, she's going to keep them close to any hint of blood or a dead body coming their way!
The scene then transitioned to Kyoko and Makoto running to the direction of the rec room, with Hina standing near the door of the room. "Makoto! Kyoko!" The girl called out with clear panic.
'Maybe it someone else! Maybe they just got injured! Just because future me is panicking, doesn't mean…!'
"Hina, what's wrong?!" Makoto exclaimed, looking very worried.
"S-Something's not right…" Hina stuttered. "In the rec room…!"
"What's inside?" Quickly, the lucky student went over to get a look inside the room. And there, sitting in one of the chairs, immobile, was… "Sakura…?"
Now lumps were formed in students' throats, faces were becoming pale, and eyes were widening with increasing dread. "S-S-Sakura…?" Chihiro spoke, both his voice and body shaking.
"What's… happened to her…?" Sayaka questioned, her mind refusing to form the obvious truth.
A truth that Kyoko, Byakuya, Mukuro, and Sakura herself have deduced, and accepted. 'So… this is how it ends…' The martial artist grimly thought to herself.
A truth that even Makoto is beginning to accept. 'No… it can't… Sakura…' The luckster thought, tears forming around his eyes.
Mukuro, however, grimaced at the sight. Even if the details weren't clear, she quickly pieced together the cause. However, as everyone was on edge at the new developments, she couldn't bring herself to bring it up.
'Is she… unconscious…?' Makoto wondered to himself. 'She's sitting up in the chair, like she's… bowing her head.'
Kyoko, who also went to take a look, spoke up. "What's going on? Did something happen to her?"
"I was just walking past, and I happened to notice her through the window…" Hina explained, still looking very pale. "But I couldn't get the door open…"
The swimmer then faced the window alongside Makoto and Kyoko. "I tried knocking, I tried calling her name… but she wouldn't respond…"
'She's probably hurt! Probably just unconscious!' Hina continued denying to herself. 'They need to get in there! Check on her, help her!'
"S-So what should we do? What are we gonna do?!" Her last questions came out with clear panic in her tone.
"First of all, we need to get into that room." Kyoko stated, taking charge for the moment.
"But the door's locked, right? And if we break in, we'll be violating regulations…" Makoto pointed out.
"We're going to force our way in." Was Kyoko's next statement.
"I just said-!"
"The door isn't locked." The girl cut off, explaining herself. "It's not locked because the rec room door doesn't have a lock."
"Huh?" Now the lucky student was confused. "Then why…?"
"It feels like the door is pressing up against something inside the room." Kyoko observed, looking at the door. "Is it… the chair?"
Hearing this, the more emotionally stable students, Kyoko and Byakuya, took note of those details for later. The rest were too tense and fearful of what's currently going on to pay too much attention.
"Chair…?"
"Either way, this door isn't locked. Which means, as far as I can tell, the rule doesn't apply." The lavender haired girl concluded.
Then… there's no problem if we break in?!" Makoto exclaimed.
"Let's smash the window." Kyoko advised. "That should be the fastest way…"
"Okay, I'll get something to break it with!" Hina quickly volunteered, running off. "Wait right here…!"
'Hurry, hurry, hurry! Get the door open, help her, get her up!' Hina pleaded in her head as she sat completely frozen in her chair, her complexity also turning white.
As Hina went to get any sort of window breaker, Makoto looked at the unmoving Sakura forebodingly. 'She's just unconscious… right?'
'Of course she is! She has to be!' Hina shouted in her mind. 'There's no way she's… anything else! No way…!'
"Is she… okay?" Makoto asked worryingly. "I mean, it's Sakura, so I'm sure…"
"..." Kyoko was silent at this.
"No way… there's no way that she's dead…" Leon spoke up, looking as stiff as everyone else. "There's no way anyone there can kill a girl like that…"
"Yeah! There's no way any of us are capable of killing Ogre!" Hiro agreed, close to panicking himself. "That isn't possible!"
'Not in physical combat, no…' Byakuya thought to himself. 'But there are other means to take out a formidable opponent like her...'
"Here!" The silence didn't last long, however, as an out-of-breath Hina came back, a broom in hand. "...I found a broom! ...In the classroom! ...Use it!"
"You can handle this, right Makoto?" Kyoko proposed.
"C'mon! Please, hurry!" Hina begged, holding out the broom.
"Okay!" Grabbing the broom, he prepared to smash the window. "You two, stand back!"
Once the two were at a safe distance, Makoto swung the broom with all that he had; one solid hit was enough to break it. Immediately, he stuck his hand through the open space, and reached for the chair blocking the door. "The chair's pretty heavy… but if I can just…!"
He pushed the chair with all his strength, finally freeing the door and giving him the chance to burst inside. "Sakura!"
'It can't be! It can't be! It can't, can't, CAN'T!'
"I ran up to her as fast as I could." As the scene played out, Narrator Makoto spoke. "But the moment I laid my hand on her…"
The screen then went black, before lighting back up to show Sakura's corpse from bottom to top, a light shining on top of the girl. It then expanded to show the entire body of the martial artist. "...all I felt was cold death." The narrator stated. "I could feel only the last lingering warmth of a living body. Life had abandoned Sakura's body. And then…"
The school bell then rang and Monokuma's voice entered through the school yet again. "A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"
(Chapter 4 - All Star Apologies - Deadly life)
And just like that, Hina felt her heart stop. All thoughts, all denials, were brought silent as she processed the cold confirmation that Sakura, her best friend, was dead. Her eyes were wide and hollow, her complexity completely pale, and her entire body frozen stiff…
"No way… no fucking way…" Leon breathed out, looking both shocked and horrified. "She's dead…? Someone managed to kill Sakura?!"
"Someone managed to kill such an overpowered character?!" Hifumi exclaimed in horror.
'It doesn't look as if she was in any sort of fight, nor are there any obvious signs of an ambush.' Mukuro mused to herself. 'It is definitely poison of some kind, but the question isn't the cause of death but rather...'
Several of the others were silent, as they processed the death of the Ultimate Martial Artist. Sayaka felt herself in tears once again, burying her face into Makoto's shoulder. "Again…" She tearfully said. "A friend of ours is killed again…!"
"Sayaka…" Trying to hold back his own tears, the lucky student hugged the distraught idol.
"How many more have to die for it to end…?!" She cried out, clinging onto the luckster tightly. "How many of us has to be sacrificed before we find a way out…?!"
Sayaka wasn't the only one in tears. Chihiro, once again, curled up in a tight ball, his tears staining the knees of his pants. "When will this end…?" He murmured desperately. "When will it end? When, when, when, when…?"
"Chihiro…" Hesitantly, Mondo placed a hand over the programmer's head. Whether it's due to grief or something else, Chihiro didn't flinch; merely accepted the light comfort as he cried his heart out. The biker, in the meantime, felt frustrated alongside his bro; as this was a death they saw coming.
Oh, for sure, they didn't see that it would be Sakura that would die; but they knew that *a* death was gonna happen. Knowing this, and knowing that there's nothing that could've been done, left both Mondo and Taka gritting their teeth in frustration at this helpless situation.
Kyoko, Celeste, and Byakuya continued with varying degrees of stoicism, while Toko firmly kept her eyes shut and covered, shivering. And Sakura…
Sakura looked upon her death with a stoicism that surprised even herself. However, her eyes reflected several emotions bottled up inside her. 'So I'm the next victim of this sickening game…' She thought. 'The ninth victim of all those who died…'
A part of her accepted this; better her to die than anyone else, especially with the sins her future self's carry. However, a part of her still held a sense of self-loathing; at not only leaving Hina by herself, but also being unable to keep to her word and destroy the mastermind.
"N-No… it can't be…"
Immediately, eyes turned towards the direction of the absolutely distraught voice; those eyes were met with a still frozen Hina, who had empty tears slowly streaming down her eyes. "Sakura's… dead. She's dead and…" She muttered, her voice hollow.
"Hina…!" The self-loathing in Sakura's developed even further, seeing what state her friend is in.
"Why…?" As if she didn't hear the martial artist, Hina continued speaking to herself. "Why are you dead…? Why did you die? Why?" Slowly, the empty expression seemed to contort into one of anguish. "What did you do? What have you done to get killed? How did they manage to kill you? Just… why? Why? Why?!"
"HINA!"
Hearing her name being shouted, and feeling her body jostled, Hina found herself staring wide-eyed at the same girl who had died on screen. One who had a look of clear anguish and guilt.
And just like that… seeing the face of the friend who is fated to die brought upon a wave of sorrow. The most cheerful girl of the class let out a wail of pure grief, collapsing on the floor. Sakura didn't hesitate to kneel down, and hug her friend in the hopes of comforting. "Why?!" She shouted, her voice choking. "Why did you have to die?! Why did somebody have to kill you so badly?! Did they hate you that much?! WERE THEY SO AFRAID THAT YOU WOULD KILL THEM?!"
The students could only watch as Hina collapse and let out tear-filled wails. Some sympathetically, some with tears of their own, some with neutral looks…
And one with the nastiest grin on her beautiful face. One that was eerily similar to a certain monochrome bear.
And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and that I did this reaction the justice it deserved. It can be difficult, balancing dramatic reactions with believable ones, but I feel they are worth the effort. And hopefully, the reactions to the investigation, trial, and aftermath will be just as good (Or better, depending on how you feel about this one).
Next up, the start of the fourth investigation. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.
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