Chapter 4: An Azure Uproar Part 7 (Deadly Life)
Remaining Students: 9
Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet
Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
Minori Ichinose (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
Sayori's POV
TRIAL
ALL RISE!
"So… since it's been a while since our last trial… Do we need a quick reintroduction of the class trial?"
Monokuma asks us all, with everyone in the room groaning and shaking their heads as an answer.
Sird cackles while lightly petting Monokuma's head, it's so like an evil mastermind to have a pet in their lap.
"They need no further instruction, if they've gotten to this point then they'll manage. It would be such a disappointment for the game to end without them putting in the effort to survive…"
Ugh, why does she put it like that? Obviously we'll do our best to win, but our deaths would only be a disappointment? Who sees people's lives that way? Oh right, the evil vampire-looking lady and big dumb meanie bear.
Saki places her hand on her arm and flexes while gritting her teeth.
"We don't need no damn recap, I'm raring to go!"
"We know what we have to do, so let's just get through it already. First up, we'll have to—
"STOOOOOOOOOOP EVERYTHING! I did have one thing I have to bring up…"
Monokuma cuts Ray off as he puts his handbook down and crosses his arms.
"This better be something useful."
Monokuma covers his half smiling mouth and snickers.
"It most certainly is! Look at the rules section of your e-Handbook right now…"
Rule #10: If two different murders by different murderers occur at the same time, only the one whose victim was found first will be the blackened.
Wha? A new rule right now?
"Hold on, didn't we find both of their bodies at the same time? How does this work?" Kazuma asked.
Monokuma laid back down on Sird's lap as she answered, "Did you now…? Then it's simple, the person who has been killed first is the one who you should prioritize. You'll have to figure out the blackened who took out that person, while the other killer (if there happens to be one) gets away with their crime, yet does not graduate."
"So if you decide to kill and you're too late to the punch, sorry! You gotta live with it and try again next time…" The lapbear chimes in at the end.
Dimitri's fists audibly clenched, "So what you're saying is… the person who was killed second… it's pointless to figure out who killed them? Ridiculous…"
"That's the way it is! But hey, if you figure out they were murdered by the same person, you kill one bird with one stone! Wait…"
Ray just brought up his e-Handbook again and tried to ignore Monokuma, "We'll get to it when we get to it. First off, we find out the cause of death."
Bede sighed while looking at his, "Which is something that should have been in the file to begin with…"
Monokuma whistles innocently as the rest of us roll our eyes, silly 'ol bear…
Okay, this is an easy one. The cause of death for both of them was…
Truth Bullets Selected: Empty Poison Bottle, Bloody Coffee Mugs
"This is it!"
"The two of them were both poisoned, we found an empty bottle of a deadly type of poison in Kale's Ultimate Lab! And it looks like it was placed into their coffee from how much blood is in their cups…"
Tails nods along, "Indeed, for someone like Kale you wouldn't be able to overpower her, so having her ingest this poison would either kill her or make her weak enough to be killed."
"It's disgraceful either way. The use of poison showcases how vile our killer may be, to resort to a slow and painful demise like this…"
Okay, Dimitri is definitely NOT okay. Every time he speaks, I feel like I should be standing farther away than I actually am. At this rate, he might want to perform the execution himself.
"Mm…" I heard Kazuma grunting from my right.
Saki crosses her arms at that, "Got nothing to say, asshole?"
Kazuma is taken aback by that remark, "Jesus, I didn't even say anything yet! I'm just thinking to myself, go ahead and figure it out already."
Hm… what's got him so quiet? Well, I guess I can look for an opening to get it out of him. Time to listen in on the discussion!
Non-Stop Debate
Insert Song: Discussion -HEAT UP- [3rd Mix] (Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony)
Tails starts it off, "Okay, so we know the killer used the poison… but how did they even get into the lab?"
"Can't they just bust in?" Saki brings up.
Minori shuts her down, "The only way to enter a lab is to scan the e-Handbook of the owner."
"Maybe the killer went into the lab without her noticing?" Ray assumes.
"Or maybe she was attacked right outside of the lab!" Reyn theorizes.
That's an easy one to shoot down, Reyn, we got this evidence earlier!
"Sorry, but you're wrong!"
COUNTER
BREAK!
Truth Bullet Used: Camera Footage #2
"Reyn, we saw the whole thing on camera about half an hour ago. She was just fine walking out of the lab here!"
We replay the footage again, and Reyn embarrassingly chuckled to himself.
"Ah, I was just testing you guys in case you didn't know! Quite a lot to think about, this trial, eh?"
Bede clicked his tongue, "For you maybe…"
Reyn scowled at him in reply.
"You pompous little…"
"You're such an easy target, dude." Saki smirked.
Minori adjusts her glasses before getting our attention.
"Hold on just a moment, there's surely more here than what's on the surface. By zooming in closer…"
Ah, she's right! Always trust smart people with glasses. I replay the footage on my handbook and look closely to find…
"Aha!"
"Kale has the bottle of poison clutched in her hand right there! She's the one who brought it over to the security station!" I say aloud.
Ray has something else to add, "That's it, and look again. You can clearly see her leaving her lab door slightly open, so my assumption could still be correct, just not at this moment."
Kale brought the poison with her, and she left the lab door open too… I think I'm starting to get it, but just to make sure…
"So the footage was recorded at the time Dimitri, Kazuma, and me…"
"You mean 'and I'." Tail corrected me.
I let out an embarrassed giggle and continued, "Ehehehe, thanks. Anyways, the three of us were all in there… or at least that's what it seems… right Kazuma?"
"Yeah, I'm Kazuma." He states nonchalantly.
"Uh… r-right. How do you explain… this?!"
Truth Bullet Selected: Camera Footage #1
"..."
The footage of Kazuma leaving the security room during our scheduled time, plays on all of our handbooks simultaneously. All the while, Kazuma was blankly staring at it, not looking too surprised.
"So, Kazuma?" Dimitri utters to him, as he clears his throat.
"I'm Kazuma, but that's not me."
E-Eh?
Minori's glasses slipped down her face in surprise, "T-That is you…"
Kazuma shrugged, "I mean he's kinda good-looking, but nah. Why don't you prove it?"
Really?! Agh, fine…
Non-Stop Debate
"Are you freaking braindead?! Of course that's you!" Saki shouts at him.
Kazuma snarked back, "Calling the kettle black there, Ms. Zombie Brain."
"No one else here looks like this, why are you being so difficult?" Bede pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"Plenty of people do, there's a lot of guys who get sent to other worlds! I'm a big standout though, heh."
He winks while trying to look cool and stylish, but it just comes across as super cringeworthy. Dang it, he's gonna keep denying it if I can't find an opening to bring up my next piece of evidence. Focus, Sayori…
"Cut the small talk, you're hiding something!" Reyn presses him, but once again Kazuma answers back.
"Look, how could I have been able to leave the security station? The doors always lock us in until our shift is complete!"
"No, that's wrong!"
COUNTER
BREAK!
Truth Bullet Used: Melted Door Lock
"Yeah, no one could get out of the station until their time was up…. Unless they had fire magic, like you!"
I presented the melted door lock proudly as the others began to look towards Kazuma in suspicion.
"Ha ha, nice one, Sayori!" Tails complimented me, and I saw his tails wag a bit awww…
Kazuma was taken aback, but then he cleared his throat and stood up straight.
"Come on, I just needed to take a leak. I can't just go in the station, it's too small and you two would be watching me!"
"What's wrong with that? I watch you people go all the time, remember the toilet camera?" Monokuma brings up and my face goes red.
"D-Don't bring that up!" I say as Sird groans.
"I'm going to have to reboot you once we're done here, please carry on and forget what you just heard."
Bede scoffed, "The only thing we'll ever see eye-to-eye on…"
Dimitri lowers his eyebrows at Kazuma, I swear he hasn't had a single change in expression the whole night. Just angry, mad, livid, annoyed, all of those adjectives at once!
"You abandoned your post and left Sayori and I to handle all of the work. Suspicion aside, your act of truancy is reprehensible… what were you thinking?"
"In hindsight…. Whoops."
"That's all you have to say…?" Ray clicks his tongue at that sentence.
Saki slammed her fist into her palm, "Why don't we just skip the rest of this and put this guy on the chopping block?"
Minori raises her hand slightly, "Excuse me for interrupting, but I'm curious about something. I know questioning him is important, but I'm just pondering to myself about why Kale had been carrying poison out of her lab."
I knew this had to come up eventually, but I still was feeling nervous about it. Kale on the surface is shy, and we only recently saw that Ultimate Berserker form of her, yet we still didn't see her as someone willing to kill anyone for any reason… Regardless, I have to explain to them that she was.
"Here it is!"
Truth Bullet Selected: Kale's Diary
"It's… because she was going after the traitors." I reveal.
Bede takes out the diary itself and flips to the page where we found her plan.
"We explored her lab for a while and this caught our eye. That poison was the key to taking out at least one of the supposed traitors…"
Ray takes a minute to read through it, "Not too surprising that someone who keeps to herself most of the time can formulate a plan like this in secret."
"Are you really insinuating that Kale would be capable of something like this…?" Dimitri questioned him.
"It's always the quiet ones…" Kazuma states.
Saki, "Hey, you're not outta the woods yet, pal!"
"Actually I am, this isn't the I.T. Zone." Kazuma jokes.
"YOU…!"
Reyn held her arms in place to keep her from pouncing on Kazuma right then and there.
"If I may interject…", Dimitri cleared his throat before giving his piece, "… We may have a potential candidate for one culprit, but we still need to find out who the other may be. The timeframe of both murders is important to consider as well."
"We know exactly what to use to get us started on when the girls were killed, right Sayori?" Tails turned to me and we both nodded at each other in agreement.
"Mhm! We'll be using…"
Truth Bullet Selected: Monokuma File #3
"How about this?"
"The Monokuma File tells us that one of them died at around 9:40 pm, while the other died at 10:00 pm. There's a bit of a gap in between their deaths, so we have to figure out what had to happen right before the first death, and the time after that led to the second."
Okay.. what could have happened that made their deaths occur so far apart?
Think long and hard about this…
Hangman's Gambit
Insert Song: (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)
…
…
…
D O U B L E D O S E
"Ah! I've figured it out!"
Bede turned to me and noticed me gasp.
"You've figured something out, hurry up and spill it."
Rude as always, but he's right… as always. I've got a couple pieces of evidence to back up my claim right here!
Truth Bullet Selected: Neck Wound, Poison Needle
"It's not too surprising to think that Konata was killed by the poison, but it is strange that Kale did too, isn't it?" I asked everyone.
Minori nods, "Indeed, that immense strength she possesses would make it seem like she's invincible…"
"Everyone has their weaknesses though, so using poison does make sense if you can't confront her physically." Tails informs us as I bring up my handbook.
"Mhm, but with how strong she is… I'm thinking that the killer needed twice as much poison to take care of her for good. Yeah, we see she drank the coffee… but maybe it was only able to take care of Konata?"
"Ah, makes sense. Though I have to ask, what did the blackened use to give her that second dose?" Minori poses a question and Bede beats me to it.
"The poison needle, we found it in Kale's lab with signs of it being used on display."
"Yeah, yeah… and that prick on her neck, it had to have been from that needle! Yeesh, I don't wanna imagine how that would feel…" Reyn felt chills as he thought about it.
I hug myself as I try to not to think about it either, "Me neither, hooo… but yeah, whoever the culprit may be, we know that they had to do this for someone like Kale."
Ray then changes the topic again, "Speaking of, I have to ask you something, Kazuma. That footage of Kale exiting her lab with the poison, you saw that earlier did you?"
Kazuma answers swiftly, "I was asleep for the majority of my shift."
"A likely story… that would give you a reason to want to leave, other than just a simple bathroom break." Bede remarks.
Kazuma sneers at him, "Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?"
"Because I saw it with my own eyes, you confronted Kale about the poison earlier tonight."
My jaw drops when Bede reveals that, this would have been really useful to know! I guess he wanted to keep something to himself just to show off in the trial, make himself look smart. We gotta work together on this though, what a meanie…
"HUH?!" Kazuma lets out as Bede explains.
"Since she was caught she had no choice but to let you in on the plan, including how she planned on poisoning the coffee. You had agreed of course, because you were anxious about the traitors too. Now do you mind telling us how you were involved…?"
"..."
He went silent, it looks like he's cornered now. He'll probably start trying to argue and repeatedly say that he's not the killer, or it was just an accident. That's when we introduce a final piece of evidence that makes them give up and accept their crimes!
"... Well, I know when to fold 'em. I'll tell you everything."
What the…?
"T-That's it? You're giving up?" A confused Tails asked.
He nods, "Look, I'm from an JRPG-style world, there's always gonna be fights or stuff you can't avoid. So I think I'm gonna take a gamble with this, I got that high luck stat after all."
I blinked a few times to make sure I was hearing all of this right, just why is he admitting this so soon? Did Bede really get to him? But that's when the shoe drops… (which is a weird expression honestly, did that person just forget to tie their shoes?)
"T-That's… how did you get that?!"
I gasped as he took out the missing piece of the page from Kale's journal.
"She gave it to me to use just in case things got crazy and I needed an alibi. I definitely did need it… since I killed her."
"You…?" I said softly as he looked down in shame.
Sird looked impressed after hearing that, "How intriguing… Are you telling the truth, or are you simply attempting to derail the debate?"
"No bullshitting here." Kazuma answers unenthusiastically.
I look at everyone's faces, and most of them are super angry. If I don't say something fast, then they'll vote for him without finding out who killed Konata! We still don't know who died first, so I have to act fast…
Non-Stop Debate
Tails spoke first, "Are you sure you're not lying? This is all happening pretty fast."
"Hey if he admits it, then it just makes it easier… time to hit the button!" Saki's hand hovers over hers.
Ray quickly stops her, "No voting yet! We still need more information, but with what we have so far he's definitely a suspect."
"We can't just believe word of mouth before we have more proof, but do we have anything on us?" Minori wonders aloud.
"Look, whether you believe me or not… this is the truth! I've got no reason to lie at this point, okay?"
"No, that's… right?"
CONSENT
BREAK!
Truth Bullet Used: Missing Page
"H-Hey, Bede… can you show off the journal again, please?"
"Very well, as long as it manages to ease some of the tension. Even I'm holding back from striking at Kazuma right now."
He hands me the journal and I head over to Kazuma and take the missing page, putting it together slowly…
"It's all coming together!"
I read the whole page aloud so everyone could hear, so now we could see the full extent of Kale's plan.
"Everyone's so on edge right now because of this whole situation with the traitors. I'm starting to have my own suspicions too, so I think I have to take action before anyone else gets hurt. I've decided to find some way to get rid of a person I think is one of the traitors. If it turns out I'm wrong… then I'll find someone to finish me off too. I wouldn't be able to get through a trial without going berserk to defend myself, but more importantly… it would be the last straw for me. These people did nothing wrong, we were all trapped in this place and forced to kill each other because of that bear and that woman. I'm sorry to everyone I know for what I have to do… Dimitri, Sayori, and my big sis back home… but I refuse to play this game anymore. Goodbye." - Kale
"O-Oh my…"
I began to tremble as I finished that last sentence with a whimper. My own tears dripped down and stained the pages, ruining the inky words as Tails flew over from his podium to pat me on the back. Saki breaks her death glare towards Kazuma after noticing my emotional breakdown and joins him by my side. The goal wasn't just to get rid of a traitor…
… It was also a suicide plan.
"Sayori… hey, you can do this… just breathe…"
I followed Tails's instructions as I took the time to wipe away the tears and breathed slowly. The fact that she was so willing to throw her own life away… it ended up making me remember that attempt of ending my own life I tried some time ago. Even though the methods are different, it doesn't change the fact that I could have been in Kale's place if I wasn't interrupted…
… However, I just now realized the implications of this. If Kazuma had indeed killed Kale… then that would mean…
"It's you… you're the killer!"
"…"
I stopped my sobs and my head lowered to the floor as I went quiet. I heard the others whispering in confusion before I got a tap on my left shoulder.
"Uh… Sayori, what're ya doin'? We've still got a trial goin' on, and you're taking a nap?"
I heard Saki sock Reyn on the arm and he let out an "Ow!".
"What was that for?!"
Tails smacked him on his opposite arm, "Don't be so insensitive!"
"Sayori…?" Dimitri softly says, wondering what was going on with me.
Thankfully, I found my voice again and took a deep breath in…
"… Kale was the one who murdered Konata."
Kazuma sighed before nodding his head.
"Yup, you finally got it… Kale had assumed that Konata could be one of the traitors, based on her otaku knowledge and stuff. She thought that she was trying to hide something by being confusing, making tons of references that most of us wouldn't get, wasting time away in her room... But after talking with her during their shift, she learned that it was just the way she was. It was too late though… minutes later I checked up on them to find Konata dead, and Kale handing me the needle with tears in her eyes…"
I tightened my fists and prepared to say something else, but then…
"For how long do you plan on spewing such lies…?"
Kazuma goes, "Eh?", before looking at the person who just said that: Dimitri.
"Enough of this!"
ARGUE
"He's already admitted his crime, and now he's trying to justify his heinous actions. It's likely that he's killed both Kale and Konata, don't believe a word from that dastard."
"Dimitri? I'm not lying, I just said that I have no reason to, and why would I do that when my life is on the line too?" Kazuma fires back and Dimitri glares at him, making him keep his mouth shut.
I didn't think it would have to come to this… but if this is what I have to do to keep everyone from voting wrong… I have to defend him!
Rebuttal Showdown
"To accuse Kale of being the killer, disrespecting the dead is not the way to go about defending yourself!" He says frustratingly, so I clear my throat and answer back.
"Dimitri, could you stop and listen for a second? There's still a few more things we need to discuss before voting!"
He strikes back with another statement, "If I hesitate now, he'll only get away with Kale's death. There's nothing else we can use at this point, this trial is near its end!"
Nothing else? It looks like his emotions are causing him to overlook things… I guess I'll get him to cut it out.
"Gonna slice and dice through your words!"
Truth Blade Used: Camera Footage #3
"Thanks to this footage we got from during Kale and Konata's shift, we see that Kazuma had entered the security station… minutes after Konata's death, at 9:45 pm!"
"Ack…!"
Dimitri locked eyes with me intensely, and I immediately felt my hesitation levels rising. He's not backing down, of course he isn't…
"Sayori, why are you preventing the culprit from getting his justice? Even if it is true for Kale to have been planning behind the scenes, it does not mean that she was the one who executed it!"
I didn't want to fight with him on this, I mean he was our leader for the longest time. The one to push us forward, give guidance, and let us know what we're supposed to be doing… but he's wrong. He just believes he's right about this, so I have to at least get the others on my side by defeating him!
Panic Talk Action
Insert Song: Paths That Will Never Cross (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
"You're just letting the true culprit get away!"
"I won't accept this result…"
"Don't you dare speak ill of the dead!"
"I won't be deterred!"
"Stand down, Sayori…"
"Don't be so careless!"
"He needs to atone for his sins…"
"How are you so sure that Kazuma didn't kill them both?!"
FINAL BLOW!
THE BODY DISCOVERY ANNOUNCEMENT
"Time to bookend this trial!"
BREAK!
"Thanks to the body discovery announcement going off when I got there, it tells us that two other people saw Konata's body before me. The blackened isn't counted, but you know who was…? Kazuma!"
Dimitri's arms fall to his side and his head hangs low, "Grgh… are you truly willing to risk all of our lives on this gambit? If we choose to go off of what you're saying, there's the possibility of another person being there to find Konata's corpse. This lack of information on that individual's identity could—"
"I trust her."
"What…?"
Saki crosses her arms and gives Dimitri a serious grin.
"Girl's an airhead, but that airhead's a good one on her shoulders. If she has this feeling in her gut that this is right, then I respect that."
"It all adds up, Dimitri, but even if it didn't… I'd believe in Sayori too." Tails nods in agreement.
Reyn pat my back and looked back at the puzzled prince, "Look, Your Highness, what other choice do we have? We won't know unless we give it a try, and I'm leaning on going for it!"
I looked at my three dorm mates, and they didn't look like they were kidding. The appreciation for them I already had just skyrocketed, I just can't help but be grateful. From the beginning to now, everyone in that dorm has helped me out when I was feeling down.
I have to finish this for the three who are with me now… for the two friends we've lost to the killing game… and for the sake of everyone else standing here in this class trial.
I clutch my chest and take a few deep breaths, I'm gonna need a lot of air in my lungs for this.
"Dimitri… I'm sorry, but even if you're not convinced… I have to do this for everyone's sake! Everyone, I'm going to summarize everything that happened, so get your buttons ready to vote…"
Insert Song: Climax Return (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc)
"Just the other day we were told that there were two traitors in our group, which had split us down the middle based on whether we believed it or not. To increase the paranoia, Monokuma granted us access to the security station so we could watch over each other. Seeing an opportunity to take care of at least one traitor, one person wrote down a plan in a journal before ripping it in half. They were caught by the second culprit, who joined in on the plan so they'd catch one traitor. Konata was their unfortunate victim, killed by accident due to being mistaken for a traitor. The blackened's lingering guilt had forced them to invoke their failsafe: Having the other person kill them to be free of said guilt, handing them the missing piece from the journal as proof of their intentions. The first killer was dispatched by the same needle they used, with the second sneaking back into their lab unnoticed using the former's e-Handbook. They then returned the needle to its original place using their stealth abilities before returning the handbook when we started investigating! Kazuma is the 2nd killer, but Kale's own actions made her the blackened!"
COMPLETE!
I looked around at the others as I caught my breath, gonna need some water with how much talking I did tonight…
Though from the look of things, Dimitri still wasn't convinced after that. Aw… I did my best on it too, didn't even flub a single word of that closing statement once! The speaking part wasn't too hard since I'm used to reading poems aloud, but remembering all of the stuff that happened and putting it all together is what makes it tough. It's like I'm organizing panels in a comic book…
"Well well… impressive detective skills, cinnamon bun! But I doubt you're as good as Mr. 1247…"
A few of us tilted our heads at what Monokuma said, including Sird, before he shook his head and sighed.
"What? Your otaku is gone, so I gotta make the video game references now! Eh whatever, it's time to cast your votes! Will you make the right choice…"
Sird grinned menacingly before finishing that sentence, "Or the dreadfully wrong one…?"
The way she said that was just… agh, I feel chills.
I press my button, a hundred percent sure of my answer, as I look up at the vote tallying screen. I was wondering why it was taking so long to end, but I got my answer as Dimitri was the last vote. With the way he had been acting, and the fact that he still killed Kale… I wasn't surprised to see that Kazuma was his vote.
The other eight of us voted for Kale, so thank goodness for majority rules.
TRIAL END
ALL RISE!
"Congratulations! The one who killed Konata Izumi turned out to be Kale, who was then killed by Kazuma! Which means… no execution this time, damn it!"
Monokuma angrily stomps his foot in disappointment.
"Haha! In your face, bear!" Reyn points and laughs at him.
"Good work, Sayori! Actually, great work! Er, it was better than that too. Hm… how would I describe it… Awesome? Outstanding? Agh, let's just say you did amazing."
I giggled at Tails trying to give a good compliment to my performance. I really didn't expect to do that well, the lack of evidence really scared me into thinking that. I guess it's really about what you do with the evidence, in addition to figuring stuff out in the trial itself!
It's like how a mama bird drops a baby out of a nest so it can learn to fly… okay that does sound sad, but it does make sense right?
Sird meanwhile, doesn't look too concerned about not seeing an execution. Maybe it's because she got to perform one… eugh, got chills all of a sudden.
"Disappointing as it may be, this trial was enjoyable to see firsthand. It's given me a much better understanding of how each of you behave when your lives are on the line, and I praise you all for passing this test."
Bede turns his back on her, "That praise means nothing coming from you. Go ahead and leave already, I'm tired of both hearing and seeing you."
"Touchy, aren't we…? No matter, this was an excellent learning experience regardless of the results. Fitting, considering this is a college campus, ah ha ha…" She softly cackled.
I then heard Kazuma clear his throat while approaching me.
"Uh, hey…"
"Hi…?" I tilted my head at this.
He scratched the back of his head before speaking up, so not just me could hear what he had to say.
"Look, you probably don't trust me after what happened, but I am sorry for what I did. I'm okay with not being liked or anything like that, but just know that I'm not even gonna think about killing anyone aga—"
*THUNK!*
"ACK!"
Insert Song: Mask of Fire (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
"What the shit…?" Saki uttered in pure shock.
Within the blink of an eye, Dimitri's training lance soared over our heads and managed to pin Kazuma against the corner of the room. I see the prince taking his time to walk over to him, the rest of the room fell silent… except for the terrifying sound that was beginning to echo off the walls. A sound that did not feel right to hear in a situation like this… laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha… AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"D-Dimitri?!" Tails walked up to him, but got brushed aside.
"It's almost amusing… how you think you could easily escape your comeuppance, Satou Kazuma."
Kazuma struggled to get free from the lance as Dimitri got closer and closer, a smile on the prince's face that made me want to run as far as I could. Ray then grabbed his arm and held him back, although he was clearly struggling with how strong Dimitri is.
"What are you doing…? You know that if you kill him here, you'll get executed on the spot!"
Dimitri's smile soon fades as he easily breaks free of Ray's grip and uses his arm to push him to the ground.
"I don't care if I fall… as long as the dead are avenged…"
Kazuma frantically pulls on his stuck cape as Dimitri continues on his path towards him.
"T-T-This guy's crazy! Come on, guys, get me outta here!"
Reyn and Saki grabbed both of Dimitri's arms and used their combined power to hold him back.
"Hey, hey, wait a minute! I'm pissed off at him too, y'know! Not just because of what happened, since he's also a jackass, but we ain't killing him right now!"
"Rgh… don't make us do this, Dimitri! Pull yourself together!"
"OUT OF MY WAY!"
*WHAM!*
Dimitri roars out as he raises both of them over his head and slams them! He didn't even break a sweat doing it too… Minori and Tails manage to pull Kazuma free, and once he touches the ground he slowly starts to take a few steps back towards the elevator.
"Dimitri… you don't have to forgive me, but seriously… What the hell is wrong with you right now?! I'll say it again then, I'm sorry, okay!"
All he got in response was a cold stare, he's fully focused on trying to strike Kazuma down… And from the tone of his voice, he won't make it painless.
"Your apologies mean so little for the sins you have committed tonight, if you won't be executed by Monokuma… then I shall be the one to take that head from your shoulders!"
Watching this made me clench my fists so hard, my knuckles began to cramp.
Every word out of his mouth, the way he says it, and the way he's moving… It's like I'm looking at a completely different person. This isn't the kind and strong prince we've come to know, he's completely lost himself to his rage. He was like some wild animal ready to tear its prey apart…
… A regal, yet viscous beast… like a lion.
"And so the mask finally shatters for the young prince, it appears as though we're approaching this game's climax."
Sird steps directly in front of him, taunting him without a care.
*BOOF!*
It wasn't surprising to see him throw a punch at her, but what was surprising was that her little ghostie Pokémon made her disappear. In her place was this little green doll that took the hit for her. Sird gets away, and because of her Dimitri is getting even more livid.
Monokuma then began to make his exit, "Hoo, I do not want to be in the same room as His Looniness. I'm gonna get the hell outta dodge too, have fun!"
After that, Reyn got back on his feet and stood in the way, Dimitri clearly not in the mood for more interruptions. I gulped as I saw the bigger man hold his arms out to block out the prince.
"Stand down, Reyn." He bluntly states to the redhead.
"Seriously, are you nuts?! If you won't stop what you're doing, I'm gonna have to force you to—"
*CRACK!*
"GAH! AGH!"
With one swing, Dimitri leaves Reyn leaning against a podium clutching his right arm in pain. I swear I heard a bone crack too… He's getting closer to Kazuma… even with those getaway skills of his, Dimitri could catch up to him quickly if he doesn't get a good head start. I can't let that happen… not when we already lost Konata and Kale tonight…
My legs had refused to budge an inch since this started, but it's now or never…
To make sure Kazuma isn't killed…
To make sure Dimitri isn't executed…
To make sure everyone else isn't hurt…
… I charged forward as fast as I could, and leapt onto Dimitri's back.
"Sayori, you idiot, get off of him!" Bede shouted at me, but I refused to let go.
"Dimitri, calm down… this isn't you… we're supposed to find a way out together! Please… listen to me! I know you're in there, so come back! Please! Plea—"
"This… is…. ME!"
…
…
…
*THUD!*
It all happened so quickly, that I barely had time to process it…
… One second I was on his back, and a second later I was in midair. Soaring right towards a wall.
There's ringing in my, the pain surging through my back, and my vision is beginning to blur… yet I could hear the panicking of the others echoing through my ears constantly.
"SAYORI!"
"What's happening to her?!'
"Is she gonna be okay?"
"Sayo, hang in there…"
"Tch, just what is happening anymore?"
"Any broken bones? Bruises?"
"Wait, is she… glitching?"
That last word in particular made me look down at my hands…
It was like something out of a sci-fi movie, my fingers were flashing between normal flesh and green wireframes. Jumbles of numbers popping in and out atop my palms, and when I tried moving them they only got more fuzzy. It was then that I was somewhat thankful for my dizziness, or else I would start freaking out…
"Ah… ha… ha…"
My breaths were slow and heavy, my vision was beginning to fade, and I started to sway left and right… However, the last thing I'm able to see and hear was Dimitri. It looked like my distraction had worked, Kazuma got away… so he was going off to hunt him down. But before he could leave, I swear I saw him look back at me with a bit of remorse.
And after a few more seconds, I passed out on the courtroom floor. Everything went black, and I could no longer hear the panicked voices of the others as I fell further into the darkness.
Deeper and deeper… into the depths of despair.
…
…
…
After seeing to Sayori and the others in the infirmary, Ray found himself wandering all the way back to the security room. He turns on the monitor to the camera outside the security room and begins to replay the day's footage. Focusing on the screen until…
"There… so she was right. Someone else was around to find their bodies other than Kazuma… but who is that?
The young man puts a finger on his chin, trying to figure out who had a similar build to the figure in the recording. He pauses, before looking through the profiles of the other students in his handbook. He stops at someone's page and gasps.
"It can't be… how?"
What a trial, huh peeps? And it's gonna be the last one of this year as well, unless I get motivated to make the first part of Chapter 5. Let this be a gift to you all, hope you all like it. This chapter is super long, so kudos to anyone who was willing to get through it. I had to cut some corners, like having multiple Truth Bullets be used at once (honestly would be a good game mechanic in a new Danganronpa game), let me know if it helped or hurt the trial in any way. Now writing Dimitri's descent into madness has to be difficult for every writer to do when using him in any story, but hopefully my attempt wasn't too amateurish. I really do care about getting these characters right, so it means a lot that people enjoy this series because of the character moments/interactions. Other than Dimitri, we saw some surprising things towards the end there… so if there are any people willing to speculate, now would be the time to comment. Anyways, let me know what you thought about this chapter as a whole, including the buildup, the murder, and the trial. I'll see you next year (or sooner) for the start of the second-to-last chapter of Danganronpa: Fictional Epicenter! Happy Holidays to you all, and thank you again for all the love and support. Later, peeps! - Renegade Braveheart