Another week passed. Taka had taken Mondo's death very hard, and was no longer his usual boisterous self. Instead, he was obviously depressed, refusing to talk for days, and only recently began speaking in short sentences. Makoto spent much of his time trying to comfort his partner, to no avail. And Byakuya and Toko mostly kept to themselves.
Still, the rest of the students were mostly getting along and becoming friends. With the conclusion of the second trial, Monokuma had opened up the next floor, so the students now had access to a game room, among other things, which helped pass the time. Interestingly, the game room had magazines, and when Celeste asked if they could be updated with new issues, the bear replied that that was "impossible." Kyoko didn't really want to consider why that might be, if the bear was telling the truth.
Also, Makoto told the group that he had found a picture while he was exploring. A picture of Leon, Mondo, and Chihiro happily laughing together. It looked like they were in this building, but the windows in the background were uncovered. Celeste pointed out that it was most likely forged, and Kyoko agreed. At least, if the videos were forged, this probably had been too. But why would the mastermind go to the effort of forging such a photo? Because the thought that they had once been friends and forgotten about it would drive them to despair? If only Kyoko could remember more...
The last interesting thing that happened was the discovery of Alter Ego: an advanced AI program that Chihiro had apparently created before "she" died on a laptop that "she" hid in a locker. It was quite impressive, leagues beyond what Kyoko had thought was possible for A.I. Of course, Kyoko had to endure the others being idiots about it. Hina thought it was a ghost at first, and Hiro thought it was a ghost after that, and then Hifumi thought it was some 2D waifu and wanted it for himself.
Kyoko managed to calm them all down, and the A.I. told them that it was analyzing data on the laptop for clues.
"This could be the weapon we need to beat the demented bear's game," Kyoko commented listlessly to the group gathered in the locker room, which included everyone except Byakuya, Toko, and Taka.
"Yes, so it is imperative that we keep it hidden from the Mastermind," Celeste commented.
"Good thing there's no cameras in the locker room!" Hina cheered.
Yes, though that leads to questions of its own, Kyoko thought. Why would someone who has no qualms about making high schoolers kill each other still have qualms about recording them naked? Perhaps that's a clue as to the Mastermind's personality…
"But what if Monokuma comes in here to investigate?" Makoto inquired.
"If I see someone suspicious with my webcam, I'll up my volume to the max and scream real loud," the A.I. proclaimed. "You'll be able to hear it from anywhere in the school!"
"Except the bedrooms," Celeste pointed out. "When the door is closed, those are soundproofed."
"We could each take turns guarding the locker room at night," Makoto suggested.
Kyoko sighed. "The mastermind would notice that. It's suspicious enough already that we've all been in this room together for a while. If we're all going to and fro from it regularly, Monokuma would investigate for sure."
"Then how will we keep this beauty safe?" Hifumi inquired.
"Maybe one of us could keep our door open at night?" Hiro suggested.
"And risk a murderer coming in at night?" Celeste asked, rolling her eyes. "Pfft. Not a chance."
Kyoko had considered that possibility, actually, and would have been willing to leave her own door open, as she felt confident she could wake up and react quickly to any threat to herself. But as long as she was paired with Celeste, it wouldn't be fair to put her partner in danger. And going back to her own room alone didn't seem like a good solution. There had to be a better idea...
"We could hide the laptop in Celeste's skirt," Kyoko suggested.
That suggestion was met with shocked faces.
"Wha-a-at?" Celeste stammered.
"I'd hide it in my own clothes," Kyoko explained, "but even though the laptop is small, there'd still be a noticeable bulge. Same goes for most of us, and we couldn't change outfits without arousing suspicion. Makoto might be able to hide it under his jacket, but he would have to keep one hand holding it up, and there would still be a faint bulge. However, Celeste's skirt is thick, rigid, and has many layers. If we stick the laptop in her… undergarments, then it would certainly be safe from the mastermind's eyes. Plus, Celeste is a good enough actress to not give anything away."
The others were showing various degrees of embarrassment. Hifumi actually fainted, a trickle of blood oozing from his nose.
"We-well," Celeste blushed, before schooling herself back into a neutral expression. "If that is what everyone thinks is best, I am willing. But the boys need to leave first."
Kyoko nodded. "Everyone okay with this plan? To clarify, Alter Ego can simply vibrate the laptop to get Celeste's attention should it learn something, and the two of us will return here to speak with it before sharing the information with the rest of you."
Many faces got even pinker at the mention of vibration, but the group stammered out acceptances, including the A.I.
"Good." Kyoko declared. "Further, no one tell Byakuya, Toko, or Taka about this. I don't trust them to keep it a secret. Understood?"
More stammered acceptances and some nods.
"Finally," Kyoko continued, "the boys need to leave while we see this done. But I'll bet you Monokuma is waiting outside to interrogate us about why we were all in here so long. We need a cover story."
"Ooh, we could say I was doing fortune telling!" Hiro cried, the only boy not shocked silent.
"In the locker room? Why?" Sakura asked.
"Because the cameras totally mess with the fung sway, man!"
"It's Feng Shui," Celeste corrected flatly. "And no, tell him that we had a competition to determine who could use the pool first, and the girls won. I'd actually like to take a dip before we do this anyway. We'll catch up with you boys at dinner."
"That sounds wise," Kyoko agreed. "Everyone understand?" she asked, looking mainly at Makoto.
He gulped and nodded.
The boys woke Hifumi up and explained the story, before leaving the locker room. Kyoko could hear Monokuma's voice outside for a bit as the boys talked to him, proving she was right. She half expected them to fail at lying and Monokuma to burst in, but after a moment, the voices stopped.
"Looks like we're good to go," Hina said cheerfully.
Celeste smiled demurely.
…
Kyoko was actually a bit surprised by how unperturbed she was at bathing with the other girls. There were no swimsuits available, so skinny dipping was the only option. She must be used to nudity, she reflected, which was another clue about her missing past, though a minor one. Celeste and Sakura also seemed unconcerned, and Hina quickly overcame her initial hesitation. Kyoko figured the only one who would refuse was Toko, and no one knew where she was anyway.
They all had showers in their bathrooms - Sayaka had died in one - so it wasn't as though they needed this to be clean. It just felt good to immerse themselves in refreshingly cool water together, one of the only truly relaxing moments they had had since this whole mess started. It ended too soon, and the girls returned to the locker room, where they helped Celeste discreetly hide the laptop up her skirt. A couple of the other girls had to grab additional undergarments from their rooms to lend to Celeste, since she apparently only wore thongs, which could not hold up the laptop alone. When they finished, and Celeste put on her thick and rigid skirt, only the barest hint of a bulge could be seen if one stared at Celeste's backside. Given his comments about "pervy videos" and his discretion with camera placement, Kyoko was willing to bet the Mastermind wouldn't make the cameras linger on Celeste's butt. Celeste would have to be particularly careful when sitting down, as Sakura pointed out, but she assured them she could handle that. "It would seem that for once, having a flat ass has come in handy," she joked.
The hiding place set, the girls returned to the dining hall for dinner with the boys. But before they could talk or get food, Monokuma appeared. He seemed annoyed, but he didn't ask any questions, instead instructing the students to head to the gym, saying he had presents.
"What is he scheming this time?" Hifumi asked nervously.
"It'll be another motive," Kyoko answered, sighing.
"Again?" Hina asked sadly. "I don't want to... I don't want to do this anymore…"
"Me either," Hiro said softly, his usual energy absent. "I'm, like, totally traumatized…"
"It'll be okay," Kyoko comforted them, even as she didn't believe her own words. She knew she had to keep their spirits up somehow. "I'm sure we'll find something that'll help us." She nodded subtly towards Celeste as she said this. "For now… we just have to endure this, come what may."
…
It turned out that what came was a fat stack of cash. Ten million American dollars, to be precise, to be awarded to the next blackened if they could make it out alive.
"Now I know how skeptical you all can be," said Monokuma, pointedly eyeing Kyoko, "so you can all have a one hundred dollar bill on the house!" he said, handing them out to the students one by one. "Run whatever tests you want! You'll find that these are the genuine deal! Nothing counterfeit here, no sir! If there were such a thing as the Nobel Truth Prize, I'd take first, second, AND fourth place!"
"But… why American dollars, not Japanese Yen?" Hina asked.
"Hmm, good question," Monokuma feigned careful thought. "Miss Kirigiri, any ideas?"
"You're showing off," Kyoko said matter-of-factly, while she peered carefully at the hundred dollar bill she had been handed. "You want us to believe that you are not only ridiculously rich, but that your reach extends across the globe."
"Puhuhu…" Monokuma laughed. "Ask yourselves, if I have this kind of money, what can't I do? Do you really still think any attempts at rescue could stand against me? In fact, I can sweeten the deal..."
Monokuma produced a fancy paper and held it up for all to read.
Official Pardon from the Office of the Prime Minister of Japan.
Let it be known to all that the holder of this document is absolved of all criminal charges or convictions in connection to the tragedy at Hope's Peak High School.
The rest of the document consisted of legal speak, and a signature at the bottom that looked authentic. The point was clear. The blackened need not be held back by any concerns of criminal charges, or the money being taken away, once they got out.
"Like, no way that's real, right?" Hiro asked.
"What are you, a middle schooler?" Monokuma shouted at him. "Do you think the moon landing was faked, too? Come on!"
"Well, actually, if you look at the evidence..." Hiro started saying.
"Anyway," Byakuya interrupted, "If it's a forgery, it's a perfect one, the sort of thing that could only be created by an Ultimate Forger," Byakuya commented. "I've seen this type of document before."
Why does that not surprise me? Kyoko thought drily.
"The bills are also indeed genuine," Byakuya added.
"Hang on," Hina protested, pointing a finger at Monokuma. "How could you possibly have gotten all this?"
"Puhuhu," the bear only laughed in response.
Kyoko locked eyes with Byakuya, believing she knew the answer. Byakuya's smirk told her he thought the same. She considered hiding the answer, but then…
"The Togami family keeps tabs on the finances of other billionaires, of course," said Byakuya. "If a lot of money suddenly moves somewhere unexpectedly, that's a potential threat to business. It is unlikely that there is anyone in Japan who would have both the ability and the motivation to gather ten million American dollars in cash without attracting close scrutiny."
"Huh? But then how…" Hina continued.
"Ramson payout," Kyoko interrupted. "It's safe to say that there's at least one among us whose family would pay ten million dollars to get back, right Byakuya?"
"Of course," Byakuya nodded, scowling. "To think that even a fraction of my family's wealth would be used in this way..." He sighed. "And of course it goes without saying that my family could petition the prime minister for a pardon in exchange for my life. And also that the mastermind has no intention of honoring the deal with them he assuredly made."
"Puhuhu," Monokuma continued laughing for a bit, before straightening up. "Now then, you have your next motive. Oh, and because I know how you think, you may want to check the little update I made to rule number five in your handbooks! Enjoy your pure and moral communal life!" With that, the bear disappeared.
Kyoko quickly pulled out her handbook and checked rule number five. "Violence against headmaster Monokuma, obstruction or destruction of surveillance cameras, and intentional damage to items related to motives are all strictly forbidden."
There goes the thought of simply lighting the pile of cash on fire, Kyoko reflected sadly. Also, interesting that he added that obstruction of cameras is forbidden. Maybe someone tried putting a blanket over one.
"No one's seriously considering this, are they?" Makoto asked. "No amount of money is worth a life."
"At least not that tiny pittance," Byakuya spat.
"There's no way I'd kill someone for money," Hina declared.
"Agreed," Sakura added, arms crossed.
"You can say ten million or however much," Hiro shouted. "I don't give a crap! For serious!"
"Personally, I've earned over one million dollars from my gambling efforts," Celeste said, smiling. "My life is already plenty comfortable."
"As is mine!" Hifumi cried. "I'm a super popular content creator! I don't have any problem making enough to buy my comics and DVDs!"
The room went quiet for a moment. "A-and I m-made p-plenty f-from my b-book," Toko added finally. "B-but what about y-you t-two!" she demanded, pointing a finger at Kyoko and Taka.
"Taka lacks the ability to care at the moment, I think," Kyoko answered. Indeed, Taka had been sullen and silent this whole time, staring at the proceedings through empty eyes. "And while I don't remember how much money I have outside, I am certainly not willing to gamble my life on the idea that the Mastermind is being truthful."
"B-but M-master s-said..." Toko stuttered.
"The currency and pardon may be real," Kyoko cut in. "But there's no guarantee Monokuma would actually let us have it. Or that he'd let the blackened escape at all."
"What?" Makoto asked, confused. "But the rules…"
"Remember when I asked the bear what his motive was? And he said 'despair'?" Kyoko asked the group, sharing a thought that had struck her recently. "What would be more despair-inducing than killing a friend under the promise of freedom, only to find that even if you succeeded in getting away with the crime, you would still be forced to stay in this building, but completely alone?"
From the looks on their faces, the others (including Byakuya) had not considered this possibility. Kyoko wished she had thought to bring it up earlier - perhaps fear of this outcome could have dissuaded Sayaka. Kyoko did not really believe it herself, though, and it seemed like Byakuya did not either.
"While it cannot be denied that that is a possibility," the affluent prodigy began, "Monokuma has been honest about the rules of the game all along. The mastermind seems to care too much about this killing game to risk cheating in such a way."
"Why not? He cheated with the motive videos, right?" asked Sakura, a worried frown on her face.
"Maybe not," Byakuya replied, a dark shadow passing over his face. "Those would provide an alternative explanation for how he acquired these funds."
"In any case," Kyoko cut in, fearing the others might start to believe those videos. "He didn't present a time limit for the cash prize. So, even if it tempts you, wait until our pact ends at the end of the month. The money would still be waiting for you then. No reason to rush. Rescue is still a possibility."
"Right!" said Hina with determination. "Hang in there, guys!"