"Ding-ding-ding!" Monokuma cried. "You guys got it right on both counts! The one who killed Taka was Toko, and the one who killed Toko was Hifumi!"

"Hifumi, why?" Hina asked sadly.

Hifumi was hyperventilating. "She… she came at me… I was just… just defending myself… I didn't… I didn't mean…"

"Oh, so your desire for that one of a kind figurine didn't play any part, did it?" Byakuya scoffed. "Pathetic."

"I wanted… but I didn't…" Hifumi abruptly collapsed, and continued hyperventilating on the floor.

"Puhuhu! You're not getting anything more out of him. So, let's give it everything we got! It's punishment time!"

…

Kyoko could only watch as Hifumi was grabbed by a giant Monokuma paw that emerged from the wall, a wall that fell away to reveal a large chamber and a much larger Monokuma to whom the paw belonged. The Monokuma flung Hifumi to the other side of the chamber, where another large robot, this time of some anime character, the same character emblazoned on Hifumi's glasses cleaning cloth, and whose figurine had been among the motives, caught him. Hifumi looked at his savior in wonder, before the anime robot flung him right back to Monokuma. But instead of catching him, the giant Monokuma emitted a giant laser beam from his mouth, which was quickly matched by a giant laser beam from the anime robot's mouth, sandwiching Hifumi between them. Hifumi was quickly vaporized, and the wall between the trial chamber and the execution chamber appeared once more.

…

As the usual chorus of fear and astonishment played around her, Kyoko had to admit that she too was shaken by the experience. Both because she had had to stake her life on shoddy evidence, and because somehow a weaponized batting cage and a disintegrating spinning sphere seemed more realistic than the anime nonsense she had just witnessed. Just how powerful was the mastermind, if that kind of weaponry was at his disposal for a mere performance?

...

Kyoko lay awake that night, pondering what was to come. The exhausted students had all returned to their room, and Kyoko had idly noted that Hiro and Makoto had paired up for the night. At least some people still believed in her strategies. But Kyoko herself was having a moment of self doubt. She had not solved that last case. Celeste had. Besides, with so many dead, it was clear that the Mastermind was winning. She could only hope that another floor of the school would open up tomorrow and present new opportunities - otherwise, she did not know what more she could do. And then there was that mysterious Tragedy…

"Kyoko."

Kyoko was brought out of her musings by the soft voice of Celeste, coming from her nearby bed. "Yes?" she answered softly back.

"Do you still think there's any chance of us being rescued?"

Kyoko paused. She couldn't muster the will to mean what she wanted to say. And if she said something she didn't mean, Celeste would be able to tell.

"No," Kyoko replied sadly. "Between whatever Tragedy happened out there, and the Mastermind's power he has displayed in here, I no longer think anyone is able to save us."

There was a long pause. Kyoko almost thought Celeste was done conversing, then…

"I lied before, you know," Celeste confessed sadly. "At the start of this whole thing, even before we found out about the Tragedy. When I said that we should just make the best of living our lives stuck inside this prison. I just didn't want the others to try to escape. But me… I want out so bad, Kyoko. You have no idea."

"Yeah, me too," Kyoko said softly. "But we don't know what's out there."

"No." Celeste paused. "Can I be honest with you?" She sat upright in her bed.

Kyoko sat upright too, and looked at Celeste. The gambler was always so guarded, but now, in the darkness, she looked… vulnerable. Something about the last trial and execution must have gotten to her. Well, if she was willing to offer some trust now, Kyoko would be a fool to turn her down.

"Yes," Kyoko answered.

Celeste smiled. "Ever direct, I see." Then she sighed. "If it weren't for you insisting we stick together, which I couldn't refuse without looking suspicious, or for… our other friend…" she looked pointedly at the surveillance camera, "warning us that the outside may not be as we remember it… well, I probably would have killed someone by now." She stared intently at Kyoko as she said this, looking for any hint of emotion on her face.

Kyoko presented none. "I understand," she said simply, nodding.

"You're not upset?"

Kyoko shrugged. "If I could remember more of my past, I might feel the same way. Actually, I'm grateful you told me. It's good to know my strategies have accomplished something, at least. I'd been beginning to feel useless, especially after I couldn't come up with any solid evidence in the last trial."

Celeste chuckled. "Heh. You're all lucky I was on your side."

"Yes," Kyoko nodded. "Your talent for knowing when people are lying is invaluable."

"As is your leadership," Celeste replied. "Otherwise, it may have been me in Hifumi's place." She shuddered at the thought. Then, her shudder turned into a jerk, and her eyes widened slightly. "Say," she said in a different tone of voice, closer to her usual guarded self, "Why don't we take a walk? I'd like to get to know you better."

Kyoko paused, then realized what must have happened. "That sounds nice. Perhaps we could head to the pool? I'd like to dip our feet in while we chat."

The pair got out of bed and made their way up to the changing rooms, chatting amicably. Kyoko pointed out that this was the second time the two were breaking Celeste's own rule about wandering around at night. Celeste laughed and explained that she had only suggested that rule so she could move about at night herself without being found out. Kyoko nodded, saying that she had surmised as much, since the rule would be no more effective at its stated purpose of preventing murders during the night than simply locking one's door.

Kyoko also asked about the deed to the french castle, which she surmised had been Celeste's motive. Celeste confessed that it was apparently a lifelong dream of hers to live in a French castle and be waited on by handsome boys, and her gambling was a means of making money towards that end. Kyoko had to suppress the urge to laugh, and wished her luck instead.

By the time they reached the women's changing room, Kyoko felt that she and Celeste were on their way to becoming friends, a thought which pleased her. She and Byakuya were the only two here who seemed close to as intelligent as herself, and Byakuya was… tiresome. Though, so much of Celeste was wrapped up in lies… Kyoko could not discount the possibility that her apparent vulnerability was just a calculated attempt to manipulate Kyoko, perhaps into trusting her so she could backstab… no, Kyoko put that line of thought away. It would do no good to ruminate on it before Celeste gave her any reason to be suspicious.

Once in the changing room and away from the cameras, Celeste quickly pulled out Alter Ego's laptop. "What is it?" she asked, as the laptop flickered to life, showing Chihiro's face.

"I heard the whole thing... the trial… what happened to Toko, Taka, and Hifumi…" Alter Ego answered softly. "And I've come to a decision."

"What decision is that?" Kyoko asked.

"I'm certain now that there's nothing more of use in this laptop," Alter Ego explained sadly. "But I still want to be useful. I need to help you… to free you from this cruel school… It's what Chihiro would want… but there's only one way I can still help you."

Kyoko inhaled sharply. She had an idea what Alter Ego was about to propose. It was a thought that had occurred to her before, though she had thought it both risky and infeasible.

"And what way is that?" Celeste asked tiredly.

"I need you to plug me into the school's network," Alter Ego declared with determination. "From there, I can access every other device connected to the school, and maybe some devices connected to the internet on the outside. I could learn a lot more, maybe interfere with the mastermind's devices, and maybe get a message outside."

"And maybe alert the Mastermind to your presence, causing them to destroy you," Kyoko commented.

"Yes," Alter Ego said, an uncharacteristically fierce expression on Chihiro's soft face. "But that's a risk I have to take. It's that, or stand by in silence while you all suffer."

Kyoko nodded. "I understand."

"How exactly can we plug you in?" Celeste asked, holding her hand to her chin in thought. "And why can't you access the network from here?"

"This laptop has no wireless networking hardware," Alter Ego explained. "So the only way to enable network access is with an Ethernet cable and socket."

"Surely the mastermind would simply have removed any such cables and blocked any such sockets?" Celeste asked.

"Maybe," Alter Ego confirmed. "Though ethernet cables are a purchase recorded in some of the financial records for the school on this laptop, so I know they were here at one point. And the mastermind was not thorough enough in cleaning out the school to prevent Chihiro from finding this laptop in the first place, so I think there is hope. You'll have to look around. Maybe it's impossible, but if you can find an opportunity… plug me in. I'm ready."

"Very well," Kyoko replied. "Thank you, Alter Ego."

"You are welcome, friends," Alter Ego answered, smiling. "That is all I had to say. Goodbye for now, and good luck." Her face blipped out as the computer entered sleep mode.

Celeste sighed. "Well," she said, as she fixed Alter Ego back in its hiding place. "Still up for dipping our feet in the pool and chatting for a bit before we head back to our room?"

Kyoko smiled. "Sure."

…

As it turned out, Kyoko and Celeste chatted for a long time that night in the pool room. Kyoko found herself quite interested in Celeste's gambling stories, to her own surprise. The way Celeste told the stories, they were like puzzles or mysteries, but solving them required psychological guesswork about her opponents rather than physical evidence. That was an area where Kyoko lacked, as demonstrated by the most recent trial, and she was happy for the chance to practice at it.

In truth, as she confessed to Celeste, Kyoko had always struggled with understanding others. Emotions were too unruly and illogical - both her own and others. She would much prefer to ignore them entirely. It was the main reason why she had always kept to herself in the past. But once she found herself in this school and decided to take charge, she could no longer afford to ignore emotions. She thought she'd handled them quite well, considering her inexperience, keeping up morale amongst the students as best she could in the circumstances. Celeste agreed. But it was clear to Kyoko she still had much to learn in that area.

Celeste was happy to instruct Kyoko. As the Ultimate Gambler explained it, "My Ultimate Talent really just comes down to two abilities I am quite good at. First, the ability to read people, to understand what they are thinking and feeling just by looking at their appearance or behavior. Second, the ability to lie convincingly, to lie with miniscule bits of body language and tones of voice as well as with words, so others cannot read me the way I can read them. Anyone can do what I do, though not as well as me, of course, if they can just develop those two abilities."

"I see," Kyoko said, before asking the natural question. "And when you read me, what do you see?"

Celeste smiled lightly. "Well, to be brief, you are by nature a private individual, and prefer to play your cards close to the chest, as it were. However, you will take whatever option seems most reasonable to you, minimizing risks. That makes you easy to predict. You would not last long against me in a game of poker, I would wager."

Kyoko hmmed. "I think I would like to put that theory to the test sometime. I believe I can be unpredictable when I want to be."

"Ah, but can you hide that unpredictability?" Celeste asked. "Your poker face is not bad, but that is due more to a lack of emotion than to controlled emotion. When you do feel an emotion, even a little, it is obvious. And when you feign an emotion, like when you pretended to believe in that swear we all made at the start of this mess, that is obvious too. At least to me."

"I see," Kyoko said slowly. "And how can I improve in that respect?"

Celeste shrugged. "Practice lying with your emotions. Practice acting. Pretend until you can no longer tell the difference between the Kyoko you are pretending to be and the Kyoko you used to be."

Kyoko blinked. "Is… that what happened to you?"

"Hmm?" Celeste asked, frowning. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Your secret, from the second motive," Kyoko clarified. "You said that its words were impossible. Did it describe the Celeste you used to be?"

Celeste stared into the pool's waters as they shimmered in the dim lighting. A silence stretched on, as Kyoko waited patiently for a response. Finally, Celeste whispered, "I suppose you could say that. It is still not something I wish to discuss."

"That is fine," Kyoko nodded. "Let me ask you a different question. How do you read the others? The ones still alive?"

Celeste perked up. "They are idiots, but friendly ones, I suppose. Except Byakuya, of course. But he is predictable. Haughty, proud, conceited. He would be easy to humiliate in a game of poker, if he would ever deign to play. Hina and Hiro would not take a single hand, even against players much worse than I - they wear their every thought on their face. Sakura is a bit of a mystery, but it is clear she values honor and dislikes deceit, so she is also no threat as a gambler. And Makoto," Celeste's face broke into a wide grin, "Makoto is great. He's the optimistic, trusting sort. He'll believe anything. Do you know, I convinced him that my talent is just luck, so much luck that I competed in a shogi tournament without knowing the rules of shogi and won?"

Kyoko stared. "Really?"

Celeste nodded eagerly. "And this other time, I told him that I rank all my friends, and he's D-rank, but if he works really hard, I could bump him up to a C! He actually asked me what he'd have to do to become B-rank or A-rank, and I told him no one I've ever known has reached that high. From his expression, he was hoping he could become the first, hahaha!"

Kyoko smiled a little despite herself. "Ah, so that's why he acted so deferential to you when the five of us were stuck together, and tried so hard to make the tea you requested to your satisfaction. So when you were angry that he got it wrong…"

"Acting, of course," Celeste giggled. "He got it right, but it's just so fun to mess with the poor boy!"

"I see," said Kyoko, her expression neutral. "I like him too. He always struck me as honest and caring, if a bit dull."

"Is that sooo?" Celeste asked, a vicious grin on her face, like a predator who had cornered prey. "Do you want him, then? At this point, it's him or Byakuya, unless you want the Ultimate Idiot. I'm undecided myself, now that Toko's out of the picture, so I'm willing to offer you first choice."

Kyoko blushed furiously as she realized what Celeste was saying. "That's not… why would… people are dying!"

"Got you," Celeste smiled. "It's much harder to provoke you into a strong emotion, but even more fun!"

Kyoko sighed. "So, you didn't mean it."

"Wellll," Celeste said slowly. "The thought has crossed my mind. If we really do turn out to be stuck here until we die, we'll pair off eventually. And I don't think this place has any birth control, so we better choose wisely."

Kyoko blushed again at the mention of birth control, much to Celeste's amusement. "I… I would rather not think that far ahead," she stammered out.

Celeste shrugged, still smiling. "Suit yourself. Maybe I'll just take both. You think the school has any butler outfits?"

Kyoko put her head to her temple and took a deep breath. Then a twinge of a smile appeared on her face. "Look, it's late. What do you say we head back and get some sleep?"

Celeste chuckled. "Sure. After you, girlfriend."

...

That night, Kyoko dreamed of Makoto in a butler outfit serving her tea. Then Celeste walked up, reached under her skirt, and pulled out the laptop. Instead of Alter Ego, the laptop held an image of Monokuma, which grew and grew until it jumped out of the laptop, ate Celeste whole, leapt at Makoto, devoured him too, and finally loomed over Kyoko, laughing maniacally.

She woke up the next morning confused but feeling more resolved than ever to stop the mastermind.