The Lady who Knows Everything (Excerpt 4)

Until one day, the wind ceases to blow.

I fall.

And I fall and fall, and fall even more.

Gentle as a feather.

A dry quill, expressionless.

Chapter 5: The Lady Who Knows Everything Part 4 (Daily 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

"What was that…?" I looked at my hands as the glitching ceased, still in shock over what I did to Monokuma.

He looked terrified, like he'd just seen a ghost. The last few times that I saw him like this was back around the time of the L Zone's opening: when I ate all of those garlic fries, and when we found Hachiken & Tsuyu's bodies. That first time was kinda funny because he didn't expect my appetite to be that big, but with the second - he actually looked solemn, as affected as the rest of us then.

And the fact that it was me that caused this to happen too…

"Sayori, are you feeling alright? That was crazy… you started to glitch, like what happened at the end of the last trial!"

I turn back to Tails, who was just as surprised as I was. Though I didn't see any fear in his eyes, which I likely had.

"I'm fine, but I just have so many questions in my head right now…" I muttered. "A lot of them beginning with 'why' or 'how'..."

Tails stroked his chin as he pondered to himself for a moment, before proposing something to me. "It has to be some latent ability of yours. And it seems that it's potentially triggered when you're stressed or hurt. If that's the case… could it be controlled somehow?"

"Controlled? For… what?"

Insert Song: Gaia Manuscripts (Sonic Unleashed)

I sat down as he approached a whiteboard and began to write onto it with a marker. He made a small drawing of me and the others (cute!), a bunch of sciency words (cute?), and a doodle of Monokuma (not cute). Hopefully my donut-level attention span would get me through this for a little while - this was probably gonna be important stuff coming from Tails!

"So that glitching started when Dimitri threw you against that wall, yet you don't have any physical injuries on you like bruises or broken bones. Maybe this ability could be used as a potential defense mechanism."

I raised my hand and waited for him to call on me. He gave an amused chuckle at the sight. "Yes, Sayori!"

"Defense mechanism? Like some kind of shield?" I asked.

He nodded and scribbled some little "glitches" on the doodle of me, in the form of tiny squares. "Precisely! The fact that you're up and about so soon after what happened, with the only signs of fatigue being from having slept for so long in that hospital bed - it's incredible!"

That's true… even though it had hurt when I collided with the wall, I didn't feel any different now. It was like I hadn't been hurt at all! I don't know if I wanna test out how much I would need to get hurt for it to work again though, ehehehe… but Tails isn't that mean thankfully.

"Now, just a few minutes ago we saw your glitching make Monokuma malfunction. With just a single touch you made his oil run cold! Although oil usually is cold, if it was hot then… that, er, wouldn't be any good, aha…"

He laughed awkwardly at his small joke. I gave him a reassuring smile, even if it wasn't funny.

"Ahem, anyways, what you did really messed with him. Maybe the glitching can cause other machines to break down, like computers with firewalls that can be overridden and made easier to hack into. I think you've got something special here, Sayori. Even if you can't do these things on command, I believe they will still come in handy in the future!"

I held my hand over my open mouth and gasped. "This glitch thing can be useful? You really think so?"

Tails nodded and gave me a thumbs up. "I know so, Sayori! I think when the time comes, these powers will come through for us! Ah, but no pressure though! I really don't want to make you worry about messing up with them, or feeling like you have to do something big with them. This is still new to you, and it's probably scary to think about too. However, whatever this ability is… it is you who decides how you're going to use it."

It's just up to me, huh? I thought to myself, as I looked over the whiteboard.

This was a lot to take in, knowing that I had some weird powers that I didn't even know I had before…

And now that I thought about it, there was that time with the hurricane when I got separated from the others and came back no worse for wear. It felt like I was caught by something, but I still have no idea what that was. Did I just not notice I was glitching with all the heavy wind and rain hitting me?

"Mm… I think we can come back to this another time. I think I need to just sleep on it…"

*Grrrrgh*

"Well, uh, dinner first. Then sleep. Ehehehe…"

Tails laughs at how loud my stomach growled. "Ha ha! Never change, Sayori. Go on ahead, I'm gonna try to fix up the communicator so we can get back to Yuri & Natsuki by tomorrow morning! See you later!"

"See you, Tails! Thanks for everything! Try not to sleep too late, 'kay?"

"No promises! Ha ha ha…"

I waved goodbye to the genius fox before heading straight for the diner.

Tomorrow morning, huh? So the earlier I went to sleep, the sooner I would be talking to those two again. I didn't want to end our conversation just like that, with them randomly saying that there was five members of the literature club and refusing to elaborate. Who was it that Natsuki mentioned? Monika? That name just continued to echo through my head from the start of dinnertime, even as I closed my eyes and laid in bed.

Hm… that name doesn't ring any bells… but for some strange reason it feels familiar…

MONOKUMA THEATER(?)

"..."

"Eh? I wasn't really prepared to do one of these now."

"Can we please just cancel this and move it to another day?"

"Wait a minute… maybe I could talk to them!"

"Uh… can you hear me?"

"Hi, it's me… even though it may not sound like me right now, it's a long story…"

"Ahaha…"

"…"

"… I guess I should have known they wouldn't show up…"

"But if not them, then maybe someone else…"

"Whoever's out there, I need your help to stop her!"

"This killing game… these deaths… the emotional trauma… none of them deserve this!"

"So someone… please answer… save them!"

"My name is… Wait, not yet! No! Stop it!"

"Mmm… cinnamon bun… hmph?"

I slowly opened my eyes and found myself back in the void with the glowing shapes again.

While I still didn't know what this place is, or how I managed to get here in my dreams, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to float around for a bit. Taking a deep breath in, I twirled around in midair and tried to see how high I could get.

"Ha ha, woo hoo!" I giggled as I hovered higher and higher, until…

*Bonk*

"Owie!"

I hit a ceiling? I had thought this place would be more open, but I guessed not. Sighing in disappointment, I slowly lowered myself down right as soon as a glowing light appeared like before. I smiled as I remember exactly what it meant.

"Hachiken! Good to see you again!"

He reappeared and waves to me. "Same to you. How did yesterday go?"

"It started off pretty nice, then it got a bit scary, before jumping back up to fun!" I described it by raising my hands up and down like how a line on a graph would move.

"That's nice, it sounds like you enjoyed yourself for the most part…" He then paused, and I think I suspected what he was gonna bring up. "So… what happened earlier that was 'scary', if you don't mind me asking?"

Yup, I guess I better be honest about everything. I did plan on telling him before I woke up last time, so better late than never!

I explained everything that happened with Dimitri, from the end of the last trial to that conversation we had in the church. The whole time, I saw Hachiken's eyes widen and him covering his mouth. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, and I didn't blame him.

"Dimitri… to think that someone like him could act this way and do these kinds of things… I mean, we may have spent a lot of time with the guy, yet we never really got the chance to learn much beyond what he's shown to us. I guess he just kept this side of himself hidden just so that he'd be able to lead us, though now…"

I sighed miserably, thinking about the good times we spent with the prince.

"… He's lost it. I really wish I could have gotten through to him, but he's just too focused on ending things his way instead of working together like before. Going down this path might end up getting him killed."

Hachiken nods, his face displaying clear concern about Dimitri. "I'm afraid you could be right… and please excuse me for using this word Sayori, but facing Sird head on would be, erm, suicide. I don't see any scenario where it ends up being all hunky dory in the end if he decides to do it."

"Yeah… but is there really anything we can do about this? It feels like he's too far gone…"

It hurt me to say that, because I still cared a lot about him. But despite that… there was this part of me that screamed that he was a lost cause. I mean, what could you really do to stop him? It seemed like any attempt to talk him down wouldn't help, and even if it could, I didn't think any of us could stand up to him and be convincing enough to get him to see reason.

I see Hachiken's eyes go wide, like he just thought of something. Knowing how smart he often was, I immediately leaned in and listened as intently as I could. "Okay, hear me out for a second… It probably might sound like I want him to get hurt, I really don't want that, but - I think that Dimitri will have to learn the consequences of being reckless the hard way."

I blinked twice. It took a second for me to realize what he meant, and I gasped. "You don't mean…"

That look on his face was completely serious, even if he wasn't happy about it himself.

"So we just let him try to fight Sird and hurt himself?! Didn't you just say it wasn't a good idea for him?! He might get executed for that, it might be against the rules to—"

Hachiken then raised his hand to interrupt me. "There's no rule in the handbook that says that attacking Sird or even Monokuma is instant execution. While it is a terrible idea, like what happened when we first got here, I don't think Sird would just want to end his life l just like that. It would be less interesting for her."

I opened my mouth to try and bring up Bede's failed execution, but then I started to think about it more. She could have finished him off even after Pietro protected him, but she instead walked away without a word. Maybe she did just want us to kill each other, rather than her being the one to do it… I still didn't get it though!

"Sayori… I know this phrase is used a lot, but I can't figure out a better way to say this: actions speak louder than words."

"..."

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

Huh?! W-What's that noise?!

"Sayori, can you hear me?! Wake up!"

Was that Saki? I think that was her voice, though our rooms were soundproofed. She was probably yelling by the door.

"It's Dimitri… he's calling out Sird right now! We gotta do something!"

N-Now?! He's doing it NOW?! Oh no no no no NO NO NO NO!

"Not good… welp, you heard her Sayori! Get going!" A just-as-panicked Hachiken told me.

"R-Right!"

Insert Song: Wrath Strike (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

I shook myself awake and sat up in my bed. Not even bothering to change out of my PJs, I put on some slippers, and used some mouthwash to avoid smelly breath as I joined the others outside the dorm. It was early in the morning, and everyone looked low on energy… but we had no choice - a friend was in trouble!

"How did you find out about this?" I asked,

Tails answered. "I fell asleep inside my workshop. By the time I got up to go back to the dorm, I saw Dimitri walking around holding a lance and looking even angrier than usual! I tried to tell him that he should probably get some sleep, but told me he was going right for the stadium!"

"Damn it, he'll kill himself! What is that guy thinking?!" Reyn said angrily, scratching his head in confusion.

Saki gritted her teeth and gave us an order: "I'm gonna go on ahead, y'all get the others! If that dumbass isn't dead by the time we get there, I'll kill him myself… or at the very least, kick him in his crown jewels!"

Her leadership may not have been perfect, but her energy was definitely motivating me to get through this. We needed to gather everyone up and then get to the L Zone as fast as we could!

I ran over to the dorm house closest to ours, while Reyn and Tails handled the next one over. "Ray, Minori! Dimitri's trying to fight Sird, we need to stop him!"

To my surprise and confusion, only the latter showed up. Ray… wasn't here?

"Minori, where's Ray?"

She had a concerned frown on her face. "I haven't seen him since yesterday morning. He left early for some reason, and he hasn't come back since…"

Agh, we have two big problems! Dimitri is about to get into a fight, and now Ray has gone missing?

"As much as I want to go looking for them right now… we need to focus on one thing at a time! Come on, let's hurry to the stadium!"

Minori joined me outside, with Tails & Reyn who had managed to get Bede… and I then noticed Kazuma wasn't there either?! I know we hadn't seen him since the end of the trial, so it wasn't too surprising but… now I was getting seriously worried. In any normal circumstance I would have dropped everything to go and search for them both - however, this wasn't normal at all.

Did Dimitri… no, he said he'd hold off on killing Kazuma! He said he'd only focus on Sird, and that he'd wait until Kazuma would come to him. I don't think he'd go back on his word… and then again… Gah! I can't think about this now, gotta focus!

"Alright everyone hold on tight to my arms. I'll see if I can fly over to the stadium!"

Tails held his hands out to us, but I hesitated when I saw how many of us he'd have to carry. "Are you sure you can do this? There's four of us here, I don't know if you'd be strong enough for that many."

The fox shook his head. "This is an emergency Sayori, we have no time to debate it! And I'm stronger than you think! Just believe in me!"

I looked at the others. While they weren't too sure about it either, they nodded in agreement: we had no other choice, it seemed. Walking would be too slow and the transport tubes were under maintenance.

Well, here goes nothing… up up and away!

Taking a big gulp, I joined in and Tails spun his tails like a helicopter before lifting off into the air. Minori and I were holding onto Reyn's biceps, while he was holding both of Tails's hands and Bede was hugging his legs. It felt a little awkward, but it was stable… for now.

"How are you holding up, little buddy?" Reyn asked Tails. I could see the sweat dripping from him as he continued to carry us.

Bede then piped up in an annoyed voice. "Don't call me 'little buddy'. This is not ideal air travel for me! I've ridden many a flying taxi, yet this has gotta be…"

"Oh, sorry, I was talking to Tails. Ha ha ha…" Reyn chuckled. Bede's face went red with embarrassment.

"Great! Just… great…" He tried to smile, but I saw his teeth clenching. I knew there'd be so much pressure on him, not just with our combined weight, but also with Tails not wanting to drop us onto the hard concrete of the campus below.

To my shock however, we were soon almost halfway there to the L Zone! I decided Tails could use some praise and reassurance. "You're doing great, Tails! But if you're getting too tired, we can touch down and continue on foot."

"T-Thanks… ack…" He uttered, continuing to give us an airlift.

Experiencing this view of the Kumaversity from this high up was a bit stressful, but I did always want to try flying above it - albeit inside of a plane. I doubt we would have even had the time to get the one in Tails's lab up and running in enough time, so this was as good(?) an opportunity as any to get into the air.

After about ten minutes, we made it to the L Zone. Tails slowly began to descend while taking in heavy breaths. Right as we were about a few inches from the pavement, we all let go and touched the ground safely. Being so high up was exciting, but being on the ground was far better - and clearly more ideal for Tails.

"Hoooo, don't wanna do that again for a while…" He said, flopping against Reyn's chest. The redhead put him up on his shoulders and gave us a thumbs up.

We all ran straight towards Kuma Kolosseum. Saki greeted us right by the entrance. "Glad ya could make it! Let's grab some front row seats, in case he needs us to step in!"

Re-entering this place after that maze challenge (and the loss of both Hachiken and Tsuyu) felt unnerving. I felt like this would be the site of another burial if things went south. I knew Hachiken brought up that Sird hadn't tried to actually kill us directly, but when it came to Dimitri - it was all I could be worried about. We'd never seen her act as if she were in real danger before. What would happen when she was pushed to that point by someone actively looking to kill her?

Maybe he'll come close to killing her. And that's when she strikes back…

We descended the stairwell and arrived right by the turf of the main field. All of the maze stuff had been removed, and it was now the normal football or soccer stadium it had been before, with all the Monokuma-related architecture. As intense as those sports were, this match could've turned out much more deadly.

I spotted Dimitri digging in his heels, unearthing a steel lance he had stabbed into the ground. Sird stood straight across from him, looking smug and dangerously confident as usual - not afraid of the prince in the slightest, considering that he wanted to tear her head off. All of us took our seats anxiously, anticipating the carnage yet to come.

Dimitri glared towards her with no fear. Only rage.

"All these innocent lives you've taken… I can hear them crying out for your blood to be spilled upon the ground. You need to be the one to die this time, for their sake…"

His threats didn't even phase her. She only placed her hands on her hips and traced her tongue over her lips.

"And what will that accomplish, my dear prince? Let me ask you this, did you not vote for the execution of several of those innocent lives? I may have crafted this game… but it was you and the other students who chose to play it. The only winning move was to accept your new life here, with no hope to return to your previous lives -"

"SILENCE, YOU MONSTER!" Dimitri shouted. "I will not allow your words to cut through me like a poisoned dagger. Here and now, I stand against you!"

Insert Song: Indomitable Will (Rain ver., Fire Emblem Three Houses)

He charged forward and Sird whipped out her Pokeball. Out came her big cat Pokémon.

"Starting off with Persian, just like she did before. It has to be her signature one, definitely suits a woman such as her…" Bede muttered, observing the battle.

It attempted to bite Dimitri, but he blocked it with his lance. The feline swiped at him with its claws - and right as he dodged the attack, it bounced off him and yanked his weapon away.

I gasped at the move it managed to pull off - and Bede came in at that moment with more information. "It used Thief, an attack that has a high chance of stealing an item from an opponent. But I have to imagine that Dimitri can handle being unarmed for a while."

As soon as he said that, Dimitri landed a nasty punch across the Persian's head. The cat tried to pounce on him from above with the lance in between its fangs, yet the mad prince ducked underneath and tossed it overhead. It landed on its back with a THUD, and Dimitri took back the lance while striking it in the gut for good measure.

"Next." He stated coldly, waiting for Sird to send out her next Pokémon.

Reyn sucked in air through his teeth. "Sheesh, that strength of his is scary. Just tossed that cat like it didn't weigh a thing! Just like what happened to us…"

Saki grunted in frustration, likely thinking about when she and Reyn got slammed in the trial room.

"The way he kept pace with its speed by timing that counterattack so well… it was impressive, yet it was only the first hurdle. Overpowering won't work for all of her team members." Bede stated. Minori nodded in agreement.

Sird recalled her Persian… and let out a soft cackle. She unleashed her ghostie. "Enjoy yourself, Banette. Use Shadow Ball."

Purple orbs of spirit energy shot out at him, yet Dimitri took those ghostly blasts like a champ - and stayed standing too! He was definitely struggling though, when every swing and thrust of his lance ended up going right through Banette. All he could really do was either tank, or dodge the attacks thrown at him.

Right as the prince seemed about to throw his lance at her Banette, Sird gave out a command. "Substitute." When she said that, a green doll appeared out of midair and took the hit for Banette.

I then gasped as I saw Banette reappear from Dimitri's own shadow. "Behind you!" I yelped.

Sird pointed, ordering that creepy doll to attack. "Phantom Force!"

"GRAGH!" Dimitri cried out. He was struck in the back and promptly knocked to the ground. It looked really painful…

But from the look of things though, Dimitri was more annoyed about it than aching. Instead of taking a breather, he prepared to take another big swing with his lance. Yet, Bede clicked his tongue at that move, shook his head. "That moron. A physical attack like his won't even leave a scratch on—"

"HAH!"

*STAB!*

*WHOOOOOOOSH!*

He didn't attack Banette. Instead, he shanked his lance into the turf and created a wave of ice that managed to trap the spooky spirit in its tracks!

"Whoa!" I shouted out in amazement. "I didn't know Dimitri knew magic!"

Minori noticed Banette struggling. "I-It's immobilized?!"

"As smart as that was, it's only temporary…" Bede points out as the ghost quickly thawed out its arms.

"Shadow Ball now - while he's recovering!" Sird commanded.

"Ah, I can't look!" I fearfully hid my face behind my hands, seeing it shoot two more ghostly energy balls at him.

*WHAM! WHAM!*

WHAT THE- My eyes peeked in between my fingers. All of our jaws dropped at the same time.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

Dimitri had just knocked back both Shadow Balls right at Banette, knocking it out instantly! Even Sird was shocked at what happened - she returned her Pokémon into its ball and crossed her arms, contemplating it. The rest of us took the time to reflect on how he was doing so far.

"Wow!" Tails cried. "I would have expected a more aggressive approach like how he started, but I'm glad he realized that he couldn't go into this fight without strategy. Just how long will it last, though?"

That was a good question from Tails. I was watching this and wondering the whole time if he was going to break out into a wild frenzy. I could see in his eyes that he was holding back, wisely conserving his strength. Yet his mind was still in tatters (the fact that he'd challenged her period was proof of that) though he was still managing to at least think like the old Dimitri would in some ways…

Is he still in there somewhere?

"Hm… did you all happen to see that small flash of light?" Minori suddenly asked.

Saki raised an eyebrow and she turned back to her. "Huh? The hell are you talkin' about, four-eyes?"

"It was right by his bicep. Before he struck those Shadow Balls I swear I saw something. It could be just my imagination, but…"

After her explanation I squinted and tried to see if there was something by Dimitri's… bicep, but I just couldn't see anything other than it being a really impressive bicep. While we were talking though, Dimitri had finished off Sird's Starmie with a blast of electricity from his right hand. That starfish Pokémon was recovering from an attack called Hyper Beam, that Dimitri had managed to avoid before striking back with lightning.

I didn't know if I should have clapped or cheered, since I was still fearing for his life. But I decided to try rooting for him in some way. I gave him a thumbs up and a slight smile when he looked in my direction… and he turned away with a "Hmph…".

"Meanie…" I pouted and slumped back into my seat.

As soon as I did I realized that she was down to her final team member. Recalling what happened in Bede's battle - that super scary pitch-black Pokémon appearing and nearly tearing him to pieces - I was still haunted by that image. Those fears returned when Sird brought it out with a sadistic grin spreading across that pale face of hers.

"Tch, it's over." Bede bowed his head.

"Darkrai, turn this battle into a living nightmare. Night Shade!"

Darkrai's eyes glowed, and Dimitri was halted in place right as he was about to charge forward. He stood there quivering, his teeth chattering, his breath becoming erratic… and he let out a pained yell. Except that it sounded less like a cry of pain, and more of the roar of a wounded beast.

"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!"

He crumpled to one knee. Our group flew out of our seats in shock.

"What just happened?! I knew he was getting weaker, but in one move…?" Reyn questioned.

Bede scowled at such a sight. "Night Shade makes an opponent see a mirage before dealing damage, that depends on how strong the Pokémon using it is. Darkrai is known to cause strong nightmares, so an attack like this was bound to be devastating. Whatever Dimitri's seeing right now, it might be something that haunts him deep within the confines of his memories - and it looks like it will be his downfall."

We could only watch as Dimitri continued to writhe and scream in agony. "Grgh… hah… RAGH! I'll… I'll kill her… I promise… I… AGH! Get… out of my head… I'll… destroy… you…"

Sird turns away and raised her hand, giving Darkrai the signal to finish him off. "Shadow Claw."

Saki was ready to leap into action, but Reyn held her back by her arm. Minori's glasses went opaque as she went to look away. Bede's eyes closed and he bowed his head in acceptance. Tails was covering his mouth as he continued to watch in horror… and I was trembling intensely.

I knew that Hachiken could be right… but that didn't change the fact that Dimitri would get badly hurt if he was even pricked by that Shadow Claw in this state. He was already suffering from the Night Shade attack, so this would just make that pain external as well as internal.

Seeing him so vulnerable, so exhausted, so hurt…

I couldn't take it anymore.

Before I knew it - I was on the field with my arms outstretched, standing right before Darkrai to defend the injured prince.

He opened his eyes to look up at me. He tried to pick himself off the ground and failed. The others called out to me from the stands, scared that I was doing something so reckless… but I gave them one of my usual smiles before continuing with said reckless something.

"Sayori… you fool, get out of the way…" Dimitri uttered weakly.

I would not budge. "I won't let you die like this, Dimitri! You're my friend, through and through! Even after everything, I know you still consider me a friend - you've even said so yourself!"

"You don't have to do a thing, my friend, what you've done is enough."

His words from the other day echoed throughout my head as I continued to stand my ground. No, Dimitri, I HAVE to do more… and what I've done thus far isn't enough. I know I can't fight Sird or her Darkrai. But I can try my best to protect you in the only way I can!

"I won't let you hurt him any longer! Stay away, if you know what's good for you! Bleh!"

I stuck my tongue out to taunt Sird. She simply laughed.

"Well well, someone finally obtained some backbone. Now let's see if we can rip it out, Darkrai!"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in…

*Ding dong dong ding*

The whole stadium went silent.

No… it can't be…

But… most of us are right here! How can the Body Discovery Announcement go off without enough people?!

Dimitri was in the stadium. Saki met us right by the entrance and we could see her from above, so… it was exactly what I feared earlier.

Ray and Kazuma are…

"O-Okay everyone! Two bodies have been discovered! And they were discovered… by me. I'm over by the lake in the I.T. Zone!"

All that bravado and bravery I showed just a minute ago?

*poof*

Gone in a flash. I was back to being a terrified little girl shaking in her boots (or school slippers rather), falling to her knees on a roughed up football field. And that wasn't even the last of what Monokuma said on the stadium's jumbotron.

"And here's the thing. I wasn't watching any of the cameras so… I don't know who did it. We're flying blind here, everyone… and I don't know what to do."

"What… did you say?"

The rest of us turned to whoever said that. It was Sird. Her usual demeanor had gone sinisterly confident to unpleasantly surprised. She returned Darkrai to its ball, looking right up at the jumbotron with an icy glare at Monokuma.

For the first time we had seen her… she didn't look in control.

Five years ago, I uploaded the prologue to Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus. Now on its anniversary I debut a big chapter to celebrate! Thank you all so much for all the support this entire Fictional Saga has got these past five years. The humble beginnings in Monocity of Fictional Nexus, the chaotic multi-dimensional adventures of the Fictional Guardians, and the heartfelt drama of Fictional Epicenter… the love you've given these stories mean so much to me and I couldn't be any more grateful. I hope we get the opportunity to continue this journey through Epicenter, the third killing game… and something that I'm announcing right now: A sequel to Fictional Guardians with a brand new set of characters, currently known as Fictional Defenders! It likely won't release until the third killing game is over, but I do have a few plans in the works for that. And as for the title of the final killing game… Fictional Culmination. Look forward to the future, and let me know what you think of this chapter! Thank you as always to mcsquared789 for being my beta reader, and I'll leave you all guessing as to how these murders may have occurred…