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quixotic-dragon · 3 years

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Kokichi Oma’s Crocodile Tears (MAJOR DRV3 SPOILERS)

Ah, good ol’ Kokichi Oma. The Ultimate Little Shit- and a controversial little shit at that! I’ve recently played v3, and Kokichi is the one character who always seems to be on my mind (aside from my fav, Keebo, of course) because he’s such a mystery. We never get to know what’s going on in his head, at least not openly, and many players are led to assume that he is a malicious troublemaker, or even an outright sadist.

I’m going to take a moment to analyze Kokichi specifically during that infamous scene at the end of Chapter 4 because that is all that’s been on my mind as of late.

Underneath the Keep reading, there WILL be major spoilers for the entirety of v3. There will also be a very long essay, but I will do my best to break it up so it is easier to read. Read at your own risk.

So without further ado, here is my analysis of and my thoughts on Kokichi, his actions, and his character circa Chapter 4:

INITIAL REACTION:

Before I go into how I feel about Kokichi now, I’m going to have a discussion about my thoughts on him while this scene was playing out. (I know my exact feelings because I was liveposting in a discord server as I played, haha)

At this point in the game, the player does not yet know that Kokichi is not the true mastermind, nor do they understand what Kokichi means by “winning” the game.

I had personally been spoiled of who the v3 mastermind was (thanks a lot danganronpa wiki), so I recognized that Kokichi wasn’t the mastermind, however I did not recognize that he was trying to win the killing game via unconventional methods. So from my point of view, Kokichi had just intentionally murdered Gonta (and Miu) just to increase his chances of winning and had the nerve to shed fake tears over it. I was furious! (behold, my fury!)

Kokichi sobs over Gonta’s death, and I interpreted this as entirely fake tears. One of my friends suggested, “i feel like there was a difference between like his / crocodile tears and this.”

I was enraged at this suggestion and stood beside my initial reaction because I felt that there were no signs that Kokichi never cared for Gonta as anything more than an asset, so I could not trust Kokichi to have any real remorse for his death with such a manipulative relationship having existed. (Massive disclaimer that this is my interpretation of their relationship; if you have a different interpretation, that is totally fine and valid!)

At this point, I considered why Kokichi might be crying so intensely even if it was an act, and came to the conclusion that if there was any sort of truth in those tears that Kokichi would be upset for a different reason than Gonta. He would be upset because he was truly alone. Not a single living person wanted to spare him the time of day besides Gonta. And now that Gonta is dead, nobody wants Kokichi. Even though I was fully convinced he was a sadistic, evil bastard at this point, I still figured that he must’ve felt some sort of sudden and crippling loneliness realizing that the only person who cared about him in the slightest was dead.

This interpretation of Kokichi I had really didn’t change much until after I had finished the entire game and stopped to think about Kokichi a bit more; his heartfelt final words to Kaito felt like lies to convince him to play along (blackmailing Maki certainly didn’t help with that much either), and his whole trick felt less like him trying to help and more like him just trying to cause chaos for the hell of it in my mind.

So, in conclusion, my initial reaction to the Kokichi scene? I thought Kokichi was a heartless bastard whose only remorse could be crippling loneliness. Although my initial analysis while I was still playing was quite interesting, I have some different opinions on it now that I’ve taken a step back and viewed the game as a whole.

KOKICHI ONLY WANTS YOU TO THINK HE’S EVIL:

Surprise! Kokichi isn’t a sadistic fuck! Crazy right?

Well, not really if you’ve watched/read any Kokichi analysis ever. However, Kokichi’s act seems to be a common thing that many casual players of v3 fall for. I certainly fell for it when I played, as you saw above!

It isn’t until far later in the game that it is revealed that Kokichi is the “supreme leader” of a pacifist prankster club (DICE), and it isn’t revealed until the end of Chapter 5 that Kokichi actually had good intentions in setting up his mastermind persona (although, as seen above, those good intentions are still very easily interpreted in a bad light).

So why does he bother to so obviously cry wolf at Gonta’s death just to double back on his persona ten-fold as soon as he’s called out on it? Because he’s just trying to sell his mastermind persona, not only to the other characters and the mastermind, but to the player themself. This is intended by both Kokichi and the writers themselves, made obvious by the fact that we get no real evidence of Kokichi being a benevolent person until long after this scene. (There are many moments in earlier chapters where Kokichi is trying to be helpful to the group or to a specific character, however every time he attempts this, it is painted in a negative light because he is either going against the protagonist’s will or achieving things in a more underhanded manner via lies or provocation).

When I saw Kokichi crying for Gonta, my first thoughts were, “I am going to THROTTLE this fucking BASTARD.” Because even if those tears were real, Kokichi was still the one fully responsible for Gonta’s death, so I felt that he had no right to shed tears over it. If it weren’t for Kokichi’s crying during this scene, I would have been very suspicious of how suddenly his evil villain act amped up. If he hadn’t shed tears that were so obviously fake, I would not have been nearly as enraged with him, and therefore not nearly as willing to just accept the fact: “Well. Guess he’s evil now.”

Whereas I would’ve chalked the scene without crying to bad writing, the viewers of the killing game, and by extent the mastermind, would garner suspicion towards his actions. Although Kokichi was not aware that Keebo had direct contact with the outside world, he was very aware that the killing game had to have been broadcasted to somewhere. He had to ensure that he was as convincing as possible; that meant no “bad writing” mistakes could be left anywhere.

I stand by what I said before in that Kokichi’s crying in this scene is just a bunch of crocodile tears. However, with new context and information surrounding the situation, they probably weren’t devoid of emotion. Kokichi only allowed himself to cry here in order to properly double back on his new mastermind persona, however, unlike what I believed before, he most likely did feel remorse at the deaths of Gonta and Miu. He just broke his last standing moral code: don’t murder people. And he broke it by indirectly causing the deaths of two people he may have considered to be his friends. That’s heavy stuff!

Kokichi is faking these reactions to the trial because he has to if he wants to deceive everybody. But... the best acting comes from the heart.

LONELINESS AND GUILT:

As I covered in my initial reaction to Kokichi’s breakdown, I felt as though he couldn’t possibly have any remorse for his actions, so he must have been devastated knowing that he would now be truly alone. This view was heavily influenced by Shuichi’s words after the trial... because they were true.

After Kokichi criticizes the group for coming to Kaito’s aid, Shuichi turns around and tells Kokichi that he is the pathetic one because he will always be alone. There are no lies to these words. Now that Gonta is dead, and now that Kokichi has gone so far into his persona, not a single person wants to even be near him.

Now that I’ve established that Kokichi’s actions post-trial were most definitely an act and not representative of his true feelings, we can discuss what his true feelings may have been. I come back to the idea of Kokichi fearing being alone because, hey! My past ignorant self was actually onto something!

The acknowledgement that Kokichi feels remorse for his actions just makes this situation even sadder for him; not only did he just indirectly murder two people and has to put up with the guilt of that, but now, nobody cares about him either. Not that anybody in the cast cared for him all that much in the first place (aside from Gonta), but Shuichi’s words to him here seal his fate as the permanent outcast and assigned villain of the group. He had already been struggling with loneliness throughout the beginning chapters of the game, and now Shuichi - the only person he finds truly trustworthy (according to his little whiteboard, at least) - is confirming to him that nobody wants him. Ouch.

I am personally led to believe that a large part of the reason that Kokichi ends up sacrificing himself in Chapter 5 has a lot to do with the broken feelings he would’ve had under the combined guilt of his actions and the crushing reality of loneliness.

Would Kokichi have offered to sacrifice himself anyways given the circumstances? Probably, yeah. However, the way he was so accepting of his death reminded me a lot of Kaede in Chapter 1; she couldn’t allow herself to take the First Blood Perk because she felt that she had to atone for her sins, or she could never live with herself. Kokichi seems, in the moment, to be more than willing to die, perhaps for the same reasons. Not only would be feel like he has to make up for the deaths he caused, but he would also feel like he had nothing left to live for, at least not within the academy anyway.

Or maybe he was just tired from the poison, not from life. But who’s to say? We can’t see inside of his head.

FINAL THOUGHTS / CONCLUSION:

OK, so some final thoughts before wrapping this up: Holy shit, Kokichi is an asshole.

Even knowing the emotional turmoil Kokichi must have been going through, it was still infuriating to see him treat Gonta so poorly in Trial 4. Perhaps it was just a part of his act as well? Regardless, it really just did not sit with me well. Under no circumstance should Kokichi be continulessly yelling at Gonta while he’s crying from the insults, for real. But hey, at least if it was just another act from Kokichi, then he can rest easy knowing he certainly had me fooled.

...

So, in my opinion, Kokichi’s infamous breakdown was entirely fabricated. He had to fake both his tears and his sadism in order to fully convince the world that he was a force of pure malice in order to get away with what he had planned. However, despite his apparent change in personality, he never really was sadistic, and may have even cared for the people around him till the very end.

That’s all I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#danganronpa v3 #danganronpa #drv3 kokichi #kokichi ouma #kokichi #v3 spoilers #danganronpa spoilers #danganronpa v3 spoilers

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monomonomagines · 4 years

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hey there! if it's okay, would I be able to request a similar thing as one of your recent posts with the V3 characters being taunted abt their s/o's death except it's for the v3 girls with a fem s/o? and otherwise p much the same if that's okay?? thank you!!!! yall are great!!!!

Thanks so much for requesting this. I’m sure since you read the last one of these I did, you know I can’t go into too much detail about gore/blood but I’ll still try my hardest! I’ve been working harder to make all of these imagines better written so I hope you enjoy this and if not please feel free to tell me where I goofed so that I can fix it up. Also for anyone that isn’t familiar with the previous version I did of this request with the V3 boys you can find it here.

Kaede

Kaede dreaded those awful announcements more than anything.

Whenever another body was found so was another murderer, both being the very people she knew to be her friends.

It was too much for her most of the time but she was determined to remain positive. As long as you were with her, she had nothing to worry about.

That’s what she thought at least until she entered the Gym and realized she couldn’t pick you out from the crowd.

She felt her heart suddenly sink but before she could even confirm her suspicions Shuichi pulled her by the arm to drag her aside.

He didn’t want her to have to see the horrible state your body was left in but even as he told her of what happened she couldn’t believe it, not until she saw it with her own two eyes.

When she did see you though, with your lifeless eyes crumpled on the floor like some forgotten rag doll with the murder weapon next to you she knew.

She knew but she couldn’t accept it at all.

The whole investigation she’s trying her hardest to still help Shuichi and during the class trial, she’s staying fairly strong.

However, that all comes crashing down as soon as the murderer is cornered by the two and begins to mock you.

Kaede couldn’t believe her ears but she definitely heard them mock the way that you didn’t even see them coming, the way that you thought of them as a mere friend passing when you saw them, and how you simply fell to the floor lifeless without even knowing what happened.

Kaede had discerned with Shuichi that the cause of death was instantaneous and was a result of blunt force trauma but she still didn’t want to hear about your suffering at all.

You were always so kind and for someone to betray your trust like that was just unacceptable!

She’d push Shuichi to finish things off as tears streamed down her cheeks but she couldn’t bring herself to watch the execution at all.

She knows you wouldn’t have wanted this but she had no choice but to do this for your sake and everyone else’s. That murderer had to pay for their crimes!

Kirumi

Kirumi had taken a while to dedicate herself to one person but now that she had, she had never been happier.

That’s why she was prepared to investigate as soon as she heard the Body Discovery Announcement with you and your remaining friends.

However, when she opened your lab only to find you hung up like some oversized ornament with the murder weapon laying below your dangling body she was in total shock.

She still wasn’t prepared to have someone like you and she wasn’t prepared at all for you to be taken out of her life.

She was normally so calm and so composed but just like when she had fallen in love with you she had only been able to fall to her knees and begin to wail like a child.

Everyone was shocked but no one dared to disturb her, not even Kokichi.

This was such a rare explosion of emotion from the Ultimate Maid and all of them knew it wasn’t a good idea to make things worse.

That is everyone other than the murderer.

As soon as there were a few pieces of incriminating evidence used against them they immediately turned to try to rile up Kirumi, telling her about how you cried for her to save you, how even as you died you were spouting nonsense about how she’d get them even if you didn’t make it, and most of all how she failed to do either.

Unbeknownst to them though, Kirumi had no tears left to shed. She was only filled with ice-cold rage.

Her expression didn’t change but her eyes certainly glared daggers at them.

She was ready to end this and if she had to she’d do it herself.

Kirumi brought things to a swift end, putting together the pieces without even investigating herself.

She thought she’d feel relieved but even as the execution played she felt sadder than she ever had before. This wouldn’t bring you back, nothing could.

Angie

Angie was rather carefree even when it came to the Killing Games so when the Body Discovery Announcement reared it’s ugly head she barely paid it any mind.

This just meant that she’d go spend more time with you, get through another Class Trial guided by Atua, and then she could go back to the dorms to hang out with you.

She expected you to already be there as you normally were a lot quicker about these things yet something was odd.

The place of crime was your room somehow?

She merely thought it coincidence at first but when she saw everyone but you crowded around the outside of your dorm she knew something was amiss.

Before anyone could stop her, she pushed her way through, calling for you.

However, once she saw you, she realized that you weren’t going to respond anytime soon.

There you lay on your bed as though you were just sleeping, the only difference on you being some blood on your hands.

She wasn’t ready to comprehend the intricacies of your murder though.

All she could comprehend was that she was back to being the world’s loneliest girl and that you’d never return to her.

Surprisingly she wasn’t emotional at all. No, instead her normally aglow face just held a strangely foreign downcast look.

It was so unusual for Angie to not be her usual smiling self but even when it was time to begin the Trial itself she still just stood in her place with that same expression on her face.

It was all she had done during the investigation. No one had heard a word from her within the entire Trial even.

That is until the murderer had dared to mock her.

She couldn’t feel anything but sadness and anger swirling inside her despite her lack of expression.

She didn’t retort at all she knew that you probably would’ve called for her.

She knew you’d believe in her to the last minute just as much as she believed in Atua but what use was it when those beliefs weren’t granted?

She knew she had to end this so finally acting like her old self she put on a smile urging Shuichi to finish things up.

She didn’t watch the execution at all she just would wait until she could return to her room before she could wail and scream at the heavens to give you back.

Tenko

Like Angie, Tenko can get carried away with her own interests.

She always cares if she loses a friend (including degenerate males even) but she doesn’t always help out the most during the investigation process.

Again not because she doesn’t care but rather because she has her priorities, priorities which happened to be you.

Because of dating you she’d be stuck to you like glue most of the time. That and you were what was always on her mind even in this awful Killing Game.

So when that blasted Announcement played itself she knew she would be needed. You were probably scared without her there to protect you.

She quickly sprinted to the Dining Hall, prepared to be a source of comfort for you in these trying times when her eyes didn’t spot you.

Huh? That’s odd. Perhaps she had just missed you?

She kept scanning all the standing students gathered around, not even bothering to look at the body until it sank in.

You weren’t here so that could only mean one thing. That body she saw sprawled out in the corner was none other than you.

Tenko always had trouble being a bit overemotional but this just made things worse.

She was equally angry and sad and she really couldn’t pick between crying over you and threatening the others even when they had to touch your body for the investigation.

She impeded the investigation more than helped it but no one wanted to blame her for that.

You two were so close, she always made sure everyone knew it too so for someone to do this was just plain cruel.

And that couldn’t have been more true.

The murderer just had to add insult to injury by mocking her about how you cried out for her, that she’d protect you because she swore to, and how you still died with the foolish hope that she would come in time.

It was too much for her and if not for Gonta holding her back they might’ve had another murder on their hands.

Tenko would push Shuichi to finish things, not being much help herself this time around.

She wouldn’t watch the execution but she wouldn’t be quite the same afterwards. Compared to Angie, she isn’t good at faking going back to her old self and wouldn’t seem like it until a good while had passed.

Then she’d decide to keep living on for you! Even if she couldn’t have protected your body, she’d protect your memory for sure!

Miu

Miu had made some basic walkie talkie like devices for you and her to keep in touch but you hadn’t been picking up.

She assumed you were just ignoring her or sleeping or some shit so at first, she was just anticipating you to send a message back.

However, more and more time passed and there was no word back.

She had begun to grow a bit worried by then so she decided to go by your dorm but even when she knocked there was no answer.

The only other option was the dining hall then! She quickly made her way over to the hall but something on the way stopped her.

Because of being in such a hurry she had tripped over something but when she looked down to see that it was a literal arm she couldn’t help but let out a shriek.

Soon all the others came running and as soon as they did that terrifying Announcement played.

At first, Miu was confused, but as she looked a little further beyond the arm she had tripped over she knew why you didn’t answer her.

She couldn’t look as they looked over your body, all she could do was dejectedly pick up your walkie talkie laying next to you.

Both of her newest favorite things were now in pieces and she didn’t even know how to react.

Throughout the investigation, she’d be rather angry impeding more than helping like Tenko.

However, that anger wouldn’t subside even in the Class Trial.

The whole time she kept both walkie talkies in hand ready to incriminate the asshole that killed her lover in a heartbeat.

In fact, she was so angry that even when the killer began to mock her she didn’t get meek like normal at all.

She didn’t care if you tried to call her with the walkie talkie or if you screamed or whatever. What she cared about was getting rid of the asshole that stole you from her!

She’d actually somehow wrap up a Class Trial herself, surprising everyone there.

But when the execution played she was more focused on fiddling with that walkie talkie. She had made it so that it wasn’t just like any old one. She could still get your chat logs if she fixed yours.

And once she did she’d just sit and listen to the sound of your voice. Now all those, “I love yous” and “Good mornings or nights” felt so long ago.

Himiko

Himiko was normally woken up by you so that she didn’t have to worry about getting up herself but weirdly enough that awful Announcement woke her instead.

It wasn’t like you to just suddenly not come to wake her up so she made her way towards the crime scene in the pool rather leisurely.

She didn’t feel hurried at all until she saw something that caught her eye in the pool.

Was that you?

She couldn’t comprehend it and even though she was always so relaxed she couldn’t help but feel panicked.

How was this happening? This was really happening, right?

Himiko felt her legs give out underneath her, falling to the ground in a small heap as she looked on in horror.

She couldn’t cry or scream, all she could was look on in a terrified stupor.

By the time she felt even slightly more balanced the whole investigation had gone by.

As far as she was concerned the investigation was a total blur but as soon as the Trial began she had some newfound anger.

She was demanding answers even before Shuichi had a certain suspect pinned and even then her questioning only grew in ferocity.

She wasn’t backing down at least not until that awful murderer mocked you.

That was a whole other story. She couldn’t believe that she didn’t hear you calling for help, that you believed in her even then, and that you died with such faith in her never being realized.

She felt awful and before she knew it she was a crying screaming mess.

She wanted this to end. She needed Shuichi to finish this for her. She was too weak to do this even with her magic.

After the Trial, she’s still just a sobbing mess. Tenko would have to take her back to her room, trying to comfort her.

But she doesn’t want to come out of her room again. You’re not there so what’s the point?

She’ll be down for a good while but with her friends encouraging her she’ll try to follow Tenko’s example, living to honor the memories of you she held in her heart.

Tsumugi

Tsumugi was used to eating breakfast with you in the morning so when you never came to the Dining Hall she immediately began to worry.

She’d run out before she even registered that her legs were moving towards your dorm.

She’d knock and knock but you wouldn’t respond and that’s when she knew something wasn’t right.

Running out to check whatever rooms she knew were nearby, she never expected to find you by the top of the stairs on the second floor.

Who could’ve done this!? She was overwhelmed by the sudden sight that all she could do was fall to her knees as a few tears began to trickle down.

She had to call for the rest of your friends, she knew she did but she didn’t want to acknowledge that this was really happening.

Even though her voice felt like it barely came out she was able to yell loud enough for a few others to come, signaling that terrible Announcement.

She was far too shaken up for the investigation and she wasn’t any better in the trial.

That’s why when the murderer began to mock her everyone was sure it was going to break her.

Instead, though, she looked very angry.

She didn’t ask to hear about how you screamed for help or how the life left your eyes. She only cared about delivering the final blow to this scumbag.

Even after the Trial is over though she can’t look anyone in the eye. She just feels so lost without you that she ends up being rather distant.

She’ll make a lot more cosplays to try to cope but she just ends up making all of your favorite characters even when you can’t wear their outfits.

Maki

Maki was used to losing people that she cared for.

That’s why she expected something like this to happen. She just didn’t know it’d happen so soon.

It was only last night when the two of you spoke. She had warned you to be careful, to not get yourself killed and you promised that you wouldn’t.

She didn’t know why but the fact that promise was broken only made that ache her heart worse.

She didn’t express anything even when the Announcement played after everyone showed up to the Gym.

She could tell what was going on. You were the only one not here so it had to be you laying in a puddle of your own blood there.

You were such an idiot. You promised her and now here you were.

As much as she wanted to avenge you, she knew she couldn’t kill to get back at your killer. She needed to do this right and that’s why she’s stepping up for the investigation.

She knew everything there was about murder obviously and she was going to use it to her advantage.

It was this very knowledge that helped incriminate the brute that killed you but they didn’t want to give up hurting others apparently.

Maki wasn’t too fazed when the killer mocked her but when they talked about how you cried out for her, an assassin of all people she was beyond mad.

How dare they talk about you like that!

She makes sure there’s a swift finish to that trial and she watches that execution with cold eyes.

She wasn’t happy to see another classmate of hers die but she was more concerned about one thing.

How could they look so scared to die? How scared were you with her not there to save you?

It all just left a bad taste in her mouth. It was worse than failing a mission. She had allowed herself to get close to someone and for what?

She was all alone in the world again.

#danganronpa #danganronpa imagines #drv3 #danganronpa killing harmony #danganronpa x reader #x reader #imagine #kaede akamatsu #kirumi tojo #angie yonaga #tenko chabashira #miu iruma #himiko yumeno #tsumugi shirogane #maki haruwaka #ask #mod toko

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skyflicker · 4 years

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sea glass (amasai week day one)

written for @amasaiweek2020, hosted by @storyflight and @toxicisnotapineapple! i know it’s not Monday over there in America or wherever you are unless you live in Asia like me, but it is very early morning over here so y’all get early content...? the prompt is shy/confession and i chose the latter but it might as well have been tears because, as you can see, i literally used it 510983794789278974983 times. i’m sorry-

this is the first official danganronpa fanfiction i’ve completed besides one i only sent to my friends for mid-autumn festival, so please go easy on the newbie of the day :3 i hope y’all enjoy this! (and if you do enjoy it, do drop over to my ao3 @silveryyy, where this is also posted, and leave a kudos ;) (it’s okay if you don’t tho-)

Shuichi remembers the day as clearly as if it were just yesterday.

Three long, blurry years could not make a single dent in his memory, in his pain. Three years, and he still flinches at any sound of crashing, still hears the roaring sound of silence rolling in his ears afterwards, still sees the image of the smile he loved so much through the tears blurring his sight into a swirling mess of colours.

Time heals, they’d told him. It’ll numb soon. But Shuichi had never, not once in the half decade he’d spent locked in his room, felt the pain, the grief, the guilt recede- instead, he felt the dread twist deeper into his stomach every day, his lungs squeezed so hard he could hardly breathe with the streams he let pouring down, his gut stabbed, ever so brutally, by a thousand snow-rimmed spears, the deadly cold metal stinging his wounds, and then he’d look down and see nothing at all. The pain, though, still remains, and his heart drops and falls and smashes to the floor into a million tiny fragments that are painstakingly put back together just to be destroyed again the next day. Rivers of guilt and pain flooded his mind day by day, flowing between him and that person he loved so dearly, separating them cruelly on two opposite riverbanks, so so far away from each other.

The mornings are always the worst. He remembers the day after the accident, remembers his eyes opening to sunshine flowing in from the window as always, the fully clear glass fracturing the light ever so slightly to create the most gorgeous rainbows dancing playfully across the walls, casting a golden sheen across the room; the skies such a lovely vibrant shade of azure, smooth as a painter’s steady hand brushing across the ever-expanding canvas. The sky was so clear, without a cloud in sight, like it had not a single care in the world. For a moment, Shuichi had forgotten the day before, forgotten the endless tears shed, the screams that echoed the air, and actually felt his spirits life and soar as high as a joyful bird dashing up into the world. It’d only made him hurt more when the imaginary world breaks into pieces and bits and pieces of memories, ironically just like sunlight, streams into him through the faux happiness, like how the sun always finds a way to break out of the dark sheets of tar-like clouds.

Three painful years, with no one there for him, no one to ease his mind, no one to comfort him.

To be completely fair, his friends did try to help. Kaede still lets herself in every other day, after her day job at the local coffee shop, to shake Shuichi awake, make him a small dinner and prepare simple meals for him when she wasn't there, maybe try to coax him out of the house. She never gave up on him, never gave up on trying desperately to cheer him up, to have him pick up the life he once had. Maki comes over as much as she can- she's busy, being a kindergarten teacher, sits with Shuichi and talks about her day, talks about Kaito, and sometimes they just mourn, together, and he ends up crying and Maki just silently comforts him. Unlike Kaede (not to say she isn’t of any help, Kaede’s great and helps him take his mind off the incident), Maki more than understands- she shares in the pain of having lost a loved one- when Kaito'd died of cancer four years ago, Shuichi'd been completely devastated at the loss of his best friend and brother, but Maki definitely bore the brunt of the impact. At least he'd had Rantaro to help him then. Now-

It's too painful to think about. But even if his friends tried their best to help him- his other friends/old classmates drop in from time to time as well- they're just… not the people he wants to see or talk to. Despite their attempts to have him move on, he just can't, the last argument he had with… him still deeply etched into his brain, every single moment he'd spent with his ex-boyfriend imprinted onto his eyelids. None of his friends, none of them except maybe Maki, truly understand, truly get why he's chosen to stay here mourning the loss of his lifeline.

He feels guilty whenever they try to usher him out, though. He remembers the first time Kaede tried to persuade him to go out, his outburst at his foster sister, and she looked more scared than he'd ever seen her. That expression'd been enough for his anger to fade away into the dark wisps of shadows that now permanently reside in the corners of his eyes, always waiting to strike.

He remembers being so shocked and horrified at himself that the glass mug slipped from his hand, the crystal-like cup shattering into tiny sharp fragments, and they'd both flinched at the high-pitched crash, Shuichi's heart falling with it. He’d looked at Kaede, and opened his mouth to apologize at the sight of her large, sweet plum coloured eyes filled with guilt and tears, but she’d quietly beat him to it and slipped out of the doors, leaving Shuichi alone, alone with the click of the doors, and his own screaming, and the sound of the glass shattering on the floor echoing over and over again.

For three years, he hid away in his apartment. For three years, he’d been mourning alone, shut in his room, buried under the numerous blankets he kept in his closet.

But today, he decides, he’s going to break that record. For the first time since his best friend’s death, he’s going to go outside.

For the first time in ages, he actually wants to go out.

The last time he’d gone out was the day his best friend left him, left him alone in this cold and unforgiving world. He remembers coming home to his phone buzzing from a text, from Rantaro, the first time they’d talked since the large, intense argument they’d had two whole weeks prior. Rantaro’d been in Europe since that argument, with the only sister- Rina, a sweet girl five years younger than both Rantaro and Shuichi- he’d found over the countless years of searching- now the sole heiress of the Amami fortune- looking for his other siblings.

“I’m sorry.”

It was so sudden that Shuichi hadn’t known how to respond at all. He’d stared at the text, at the two words glowing on his screen, trying to figure out what to say. He wasn’t mad at Rantaro, not at all, (now he thinks that it was so stupid of him to argue, if he hadn’t he’d have been with Rantaro and Rina in Europe, he might have been able to save a life and saved so many hearts-) but, what if, what if he’d suddenly said something wrong? What if he destroys their friendship once and for all?

He didn't get to be anxious over it for long, though. Barely five minutes later, he’d gotten a phone call from Rina, a call that completely turned his life upside down.

Rina’s completely broken voice, shaking as tears surely were flooding down her cheeks, rough and raw from screaming, still haunts him. He still hears her sobs as she’d delivered the news at night, while sinking in the giant cushion of cruel dreams and misleading unconsciousness.

He couldn’t even bear to leave the house for the funeral. Somehow, the idea of seeing Rantaro’s broken body, bruised and pale and so void of any life at all, was so scary, and frightening. It’d felt so surreal, like he was dreaming and couldn’t wake up at all….

In his memory, Rantaro is smiling. Happy. Alive. His eyes are so full of life, full of care and kindness.

He brushes off a tear, and with shaking hands, tentatively opens the door.

Maki’s waiting downstairs for him, having promised to drive him. She smiles at Shuichi when he appears at the top of the staircase, but it doesn’t reach her eyes- they’re dull and full of sadness, and probably reflect Shuichi’s own. Sometimes Shuichi forgets that Maki was close with Rantaro too, but the pain in her eyes says it for her today all too clearly. Shuichi returns the greeting with a slight inclination of his head, not daring to say anything in case his voice breaks, and his walls fall.

She doesn’t say anything either, just wordlessly gestures for him to get on, her gaze bitter. Her car is a gorgeous shade of glossy sapphire and it shimmers in the morning sunlight, projecting a soft warm silk-like sheen of light that almost seems to coat the vehicle, and Shuichi is reminded of the ocean- gently rocking the boat like a baby’s cradle and its waves softly caressing the vessel sometimes but roughly pushing it from side to side and violently crashing over one’s head in others- as he looks at the colour, and he feels as if he’s drowning in the wild raging waters of heartbreak.

It’s also vaguely similar to the deep navy blue that forms the base of the galaxy, the shade that swirls to form so many beautiful and yet unpredictable patterns upon the dark spans of canvas at night. He wonders briefly if Maki picked this colour in memory of Kaito, of the love of her life she lost to dreadful lung cancer, of the space he used to love and fantasise about so much.

In so many ways, Maki is much stronger than he, Shuichi, is. Even after the death of her boyfriend, she’s still able to pick herself back up, able to actually get back on her feet and continue living on with Kaito’s stars shining a pathway in her eyes, guiding her hands and mind, and his memory in her heart that she carries with her everywhere. She lives on and her world keeps spinning where Shuichi’s stopped, lives with a smile that Kaito instilled in her, remembers the good memories and is able to move on, truly once and for all, carrying the fond memories she smiles upon without a single trace of bitterness with her.

Shuichi envies her, envies that she has the courage to stand up and brush the pain off her as if it were just simply dust and ashes, when he’s falling into an endless spiral of despair with no way out.

It’s too upsetting, though, he decides, to think about it now. He squeezes his eyes shut and pulls the door open, hands fumbling to pull himself into the chamber.

It takes them a whole hour to get to their destination, complete with a quick stop to the nearest boutique. Shuichi clutches the flowers he picked out tightly, restlessly fiddling with some of them, absentmindedly weaving a few roses into a small flower wreath. Maki’s mostly silent as she drives along the deserted roads of the countryside, and Shuichi stares outside the glass panes, at the miles and miles of rolling emerald fields, the sun shining upon it relentlessly. He can’t help but think how Rantaro would’ve tried to break the silence, giving him that beautiful smile and initiating a conversation that would bloom to become lively and animated, and end with all of them smiling or laughing. Rantaro was perceptive like that, knowing when people needed support and being able to cheer them up in the best ways possible.

Shuichi wonders what Rantaro thinks of him now, if he were watching Shuichi in his afterlife. Would he be disgusted, disappointed with how Shuichi is wasting away his life? Supportive and encouraging, understanding that Shuichi can’t move on? Hoping that he’ll see sense soon?

“You’re nervous,” Maki breaks the silence around them, her eyes not leaving the road for a single second, but Shuichi knows she’s directing her statement towards him.

Shuichi lets out a breath, “who wouldn’t be?” He can feel his stomach turning over and over, and the horizon seems so blurred, the shades of blue and green swirling together into a mess of emotions as the tears swim in his eyes. He can feel his throat tightening, and the dread settle in his gut, sinking slowly but surely, like heavy grey stones.

Maki laughs bitterly. “Yea, true.” Shuichi doesn’t look at her, is scared to look at her in fear he’ll break down and they’d have no choice but to turn back again, but he’s certain Maki’s hands are shaking terribly as her slender fingers tap on the wheel. “You don’t have to be, though. Rantaro would understand why you’ve put this off for so long. It’s not easy.”

She doesn’t continue, but Shuichi knows what she doesn’t say. It was especially hard on you.

“Would he, though?” Shuichi remembers clearly, the last thing he ever said to Rantaro, harsh words he regretted for years in a harsh fight. Rantaro’s eyes, pleading, the lemongrass colour Shuichi adored so much infused with tears, Shuichi telling him to leave him alone, stop bothering him. He’s regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, but by then Rantaro was already gone, with nothing but the tear stains left all over the ground by both of them, left behind. Shuichi didn’t have enough courage to take the initiative, to face his best friend after that, but never in his wildest dreams would he have had ever imagined that he wouldn’t ever get a chance to apologize and make amends. He knew very well that Rantaro had done nothing wrong at all, that it was him, him and his issues and bad mood, and Rantaro had simply walked in at the wrong time when Shuichi was weak and vulnerable and just upset. Still, he’d pushed Rantaro away, hurt both of them at the same time, unknowingly the last time they’d see each other.

Rantaro had died thinking that Shuichi hated him, that Shuichi didn’t want him around, that Shuichi didn’t trust Rantaro enough.

All of which were false, and Shuichi, to this day, can barely live with that fact.

Rina had told him that the crash hadn’t instantly killed her brother. According to the younger girl, the bus had gone completely out of control in the middle of the countryside, veering completely off the road, crashing into a tree and flipping back onto the road, this time upside down. It’d killed most of the other passengers on impact, knocked a few others unconscious, but Rantaro had grabbed his sister the moment things had started to go wrong, keeping Rina safe and one of the only survivors of the crash. Rina’d described to him in tears when she visited him how Rantaro had reached for his phone desperately despite being severely injured, stabbed all over by the shattered windows, just to try calling Shuichi (who was unfortunately in the elevator),and when there’d been no response, he’d painstakingly typed out his final words to Shuichi, wincing in unbearable pain with every moment. “He refused to stop no matter how much i begged him,” Rina had said, her face stained with numerous tear tracks that were being constantly renewed. “He really did love you a lot.”

That night, and countless nights after that, he dreamt of Rantaro’s last moments, exactly how Rina had described it to him. It played, and replayed, and replayed in his mind, constantly torturing him with the knowledge that his best friend, his crush, the one person he loved beyond everything else, went through such pain just to reach him, and died not knowing that Shuichi wasn’t mad and loved him with all his heart.

Shuichi knows, deep down, that he doesn’t deserve it, doesn’t deserve that love that Rantaro had endlessly and unconditionally shown and devoted to him.

Countless memories flash before his eyes, and Rantaro laughs and smiles in them, his eyes so bright and full of life and happiness, taken away from him too soon. He always had a way of comforting people, and it was so hard to not smile in his presence… ever so easygoing and kind, ever so calm and collected. It drew so many people to him, most of all Shuichi. He remembers how Rantaro’s eyes lit up in excitement and anticipation when they’d travelled to anywhere he hadn’t been; the concern so blatant on his face whenever Shuichi got himself injured or neglected his meals; the concentration he held in his eyes when he’d walked in on Rantaro sketching, his colour pencils scratching the parchment lightly, Rantaro’s chuckle as he tore the drawing off the sketchbook and pressed it into Shuichi’s hand....

“You’re too harsh on yourself,” Maki says, and takes one hand off the wheel, placing it over Shuichi’s trembling pair, as the car slides into the empty carpark. “Rantaro isn’t the type of person to be angry at you for something like this, and you know it.”

He can’t say a thing, not without letting the urging stream currently held back by a weak imaginary dam rush out and drip down his cheeks. He slips out of the car once it comes to a stop, and Maki comes to his side after locking the doors. She looks like she wants to say something, but she doesn’t, and instead wordlessly walks away towards the onyx iron gates glittering in the sun.

She looks back at him as she approaches the gates, and Shuichi follows her steps as Maki pushes them open slowly.

Beyond the gates is a path sheltered by tall oaks and towering willows on both sides, leading to an open field framed with trees, holding rows upon rows of uniformly arranged warm grey stones, an endless meadow of rest for the deceased. Maki heads straight for them, maneuvering around the graves easily with complete certainty, like she had the route memorized and printed clearly into her mind, and her feet would find the correct path without error even if she wasn’t looking. She must’ve walked this same path a thousand times.

Shuichi follows her after a slight moment of hesitation. Maki stands at the side of one of the rows in the middle, and as he approaches her, she walks to the seventh slot, and kneels before it. She drops her own bouquet of blossoms, takes the wreath of roses from his hand lightly, and places it on top of the gravestone for him, and with a shock, Shuichi realizes that Maki is crying.

Her silent tears make their way down her face and fall onto the cushion of soft grass beneath her knees. They remain in the quiet for a while, with no sound except for the rush of the wind and the soft chirping of the birds in the distance.

He can’t even recall the last time he’s seen Maki cry at all, at least not since Kaito’s funeral (which was natural, considering they were completely and utterly in love). Seeing her expressing her emotions, letting the droplets run freely across her cheeks and glisten in the sunlight, is so utterly devastating and somehow relieving (as opposed to how reserved she was when he’d met her and Kaito in primary school) at the same time. Maki used to spend so much time with Kaito, it’s so easy to forget she and Rantaro were childhood friends, but in times like this it’s clear that they were at least close. The scene pushes at his own tear ducts, and he holds back his sobs, in fear he might distress Maki even more.

Eventually, she raises her hand to swipe off the tears, and stands. “I’ll give you a little bit of privacy,” her voice is soft and trembling and so fragile, completely opposite to her normal tone. “I’ll be over at Kaito’s, you remember where that is?”

Shuichi nods, and Maki picks up her flowers and walks away.

He takes Maki’s previous position, kneeling before the gravestone, and finally lets out the sobs he’s kept. Finally, he lets the regret, the guilt, the grief, the pain all out at once, letting it stream down and away from him.

“You finally came,” A familiar voice says, and Shuichi looks up to see the image of a teenage boy sitting on the edge of the stone. “I was wondering when I’d finally get to see you.”

He looks exactly the same as when Shuichi last saw him, down to the very last detail- his tousled green hair, the soft aegean-and-white striped sweater he loved so much, the same charcoal coloured jeans, the warmth he held in those pretty lemongrass eyes. He was sixteen when he left, and he looks like he hasn't aged at all- which, admittedly, he probably hasn't. Do people age in heaven? Is there even a heaven?

Well… if there is one, Rantaro would definitely be there.

“Rantaro,” Shuichi chokes out. "I-"

The person in question shushes him, a faint smile remaining on his lips. "It's okay, Shuichi. Don't apologize."

Shuichi brushes away his tears, "How could I not?" His voice wavers and shakes as he speaks. "I- I yelled at you for nothing- you-"

"Shu, it's okay," the smile doesn't leave Rantaro's face. Why isn't he angry? Why isn't he- "It's okay to just be feeling upset. It's okay to take your time to process something that impacted you as much as my death did."

And there it was- the ease with which he addressed his own death, like it was something out of his control. Like Shuichi couldn’t have saved Rantaro in another world or another timeline. “But I- I could have saved you, I could have saved all this pain-”

“Shu... “ Rantaro shakes his head. “It’s already been done. It’s fine, it’s completely fine… I’m proud of you, already, for coming here today to see me. You’ve been so brave.”

His hands seem to instinctively reach to touch Shuichi’s head, but Rantaro quickly retracts it before it touches the other man. Shuichi, however, stands and hugs his friend, not caring about the freezing coldness spreading across his body, burying his face into Rantaro’s shoulder as he sobs into him. In life, his friend was always so warm, in contrast to Shuichi’s constant coldness, but now he’s deadly cold, but Shuichi doesn’t mind.

Rantaro hugs him back, and for a moment Shuichi feels like they were back in the past, three years ago, when Rantaro was always with him. “I love you,” he blurts, “I never really got to tell you that, even if I did crush on you for ages,” he laughs bitterly at all the years he spent pining for his best friend, “ and you were gone so quickly- so soon, when I thought we’d have more time, and the argument, and all, I’m so sorry…”

“I love you too,” Rantaro replies simply, and Shuichi’s heart soars, “that was quite sudden, though,” he adds, “very unconventional. I like it,” he chuckles. “ why wouldn’t I like you back? For someone who’s so smart and quick normally, you can be dense when it comes to your feelings and feelings others have for you… Akamatsu-san crushed on you for years, and as did I, and you had no idea.”

Shuichi laughs through his tears, “So I’ve been told,” he says, “I should’ve told you earlier, maybe we’d be able to avoid all this.”

Rantaro smiles, shaking his head again. “What’s done is done, Shuichi, there’s nothing we can do to turn back time. Besides, I don’t blame you for being upset about being bullied for something as personal as sexual orientation, let alone being taunted for crushing over me.”

The other man goes quiet, “you knew?”

The smile Rantaro gives Shuichi is a sad one, “Kokichi told me after I left you alone. I’m sorry for triggering you that day, I shouldn’t have-”

“Don’t say that,” Shuichi cuts him off, “please, Rantaro, it was my fault for yelling at you.” He doesn’t say that his mistake haunts him for days, for months, for years, that he still dreams of it and wakes up screaming in the mornings. It’s his fault, after all, and he deserves the punishment.

“How was it your fault?” Rantaro’s voice is soft. “Listen, Shu, there’s no going back now. We had so many chances, but all those are over now and I don’t regret ever loving you, I don’t regret a single second of the time we spent together. Our chapter of your story, the final chapter of mine, it’s over, Shuichi. It’s time for you to move on now, to turn over the page and find your happiness again.” He pulls away, ushering Shuichi to sit down on the grass. “There’s nothing I want more than to see you truly happy again.”

“But- but,” Shuichi starts, “how do I go on without you? How do I move on-” his voice breaks and he whispers, “how do I move on without you with me? Without you guiding me?”

Rantaro smiles lightly, “I’ll always be there for you, with you. My memory’s always in your heart, isn’t it?” He reaches up and unclasps the necklace around his neck, the one piece of jewelry Shuichi had never seen his best friend without, and he grabs Shuichi’s hand gently, shoving the necklace in it. “Part of me is always with you.”

Shuichi stares at the priceless treasure he holds in his hand, the blues and greens in the sea glass swirling into a gorgeous whirlpool, and he’s reminded of the gentle waves lapping at Rantaro’s boat, that one time they sailed to find Rantaro’s sister. It reminds him abruptly of the one night of his life he’ll always remember, one beautiful night when Rantaro got himself drunk and accidentally kissed Shuichi. Rantaro’d forgotten the incident the next morning, and Shuichi had been too embarrassed and nervous to tell him what had happened, but he remembered the feeling of the lips of his first love pressed against his own, and the feeling that everything was right in the world when the green-haired boy had taken his first kiss. He smiles sadly at the necklace, knowing things like that would never happen again.

But that doesn’t mean he can’t do it just once again. He pulls Rantaro down from where the other was perched on the gravestone, and ignoring the feeling of ice that spreads across his body, he kisses the man he loves so much. Rantaro seems alarmed and surprised at first, but he complies and kisses him back, and Shuichi can’t control his crying as he melts into the person he fell in love with so long ago.

Eventually, Shuichi pulls away, and hugs Rantaro instead, wrapping his arms around the other and clutching on as tight as possible. It feels so bittersweet, and Shuichi knows this is the last time he’ll see Rantaro, at least until he dies himself, but somehow, he’s alright with that, at least more than he was before he came to see Rantaro. At least, now, he has closure, and something to look forward to. At least now, he knows that he isn’t alone. He’s had a chance to say goodbye, a chance to write the final sentences of the last chapter, a chance to reconcile with what he thought was long gone.

Only one question remains, that Shuichi needs to ask Rantaro.

The man in question only smiles at Shuichi as the latter asks, “is this real, and are you really here? Or am I dreaming and all this is only my imagination?”

Rantaro holds Shuichi’s hands as the latter sits up, having pulled back from the hug, and lets lemongrass meet the green grey that is Shuichi's eyes. “Of course it’s a dream, an act of imagination, but why should that mean it isn’t real?”

Shuichi lets out a laugh, “thank you. I love you, Rantaro Amami,” he takes a deep breath, pushing away further tears. “Thank you for all you’ve given me.”

Rantaro smiles, “I love you too, Shuichi Saihara,” he lets go of Shuichi’s hands. “Thank you, for being the most amazing friend and crush I could ever have asked for, thank you for the happiness you gave me, thank you for everything.”

And Shuichi cannot help but brush away a tear as the image of his best friend fades away and is carried off by the gentle spring breeze, and picks up the bouquet of forget-me-nots lying on the ground. He places it right in front of Rantaro’s gravestone, and his mind is full of images of the drawing Rantaro had gifted him years ago that is still placed on his desk, the vibrant azure of forget-me-nots captured eternally in colour pencil.

He stands, and the light of the late morning sun shines over him as he looks over the graveyard, his gaze sweeping over the endless rows of stones, and landing back on Rantaro’s. He looks down, and with a start, realizes that a certain sea glass necklace is still in his hand.

He holds it with both hands, caressing it softly with his thumb, his fingers moving across the glossy, reflective surface of the gem as droplets land on the sea glass and allows light to pass through, fracturing the sunlight into countless tiny rainbows shining on the surface of the sea glass.

With a small laugh, he clasps it around his neck, tucking it behind his black T shirt, and feels the cool gem drop onto his skin. He lets his gaze move to a farther spot, where Maki is kneeling before Kaito’s grave, and starts to make his way over, but not without looking back at Rantaro’s grave, and whispering “thank you”.

And for the first time in three years, Shuichi smiles, genuinely.

#danganronpa #danganronpa fanfiction #danganronpa v3 #amasai #amasai week 2020 #there should be some italics but i'm too tired to read through it again to add them #rantaro amami #shuichi saihara #angst #silveryyyy's fanfiction #hurt/comfort

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 4 years

Text

The Client

So...we ready to get down to business?

Yes...and thank you for the drink...

No problem...Here, I think I should start with this...

*Officer Shinogi slides his phone across the counter. On it is a picture of Koichi Kizakura.

Ah! It’s him! That man with the hat!

Oh...you know him?

Y-Yeah...He helped me out earlier today. When a bunch of people tried to pick a fight with me, he fended them off. He said you knew him Ms Kirigiri...

Koichi Kizakura...Yes, I knew him. He used to be part of Future Foundation as the branch leader of Branch 6...and was my father’s right hand man. He was also a participant of the Final Killing Game.

He told me as much...save for that last part...

He probably thought you already knew...He doesn’t know about the circumstances of how you got into the foundation.

Yeah well...seems you’re both acquainted with him...That makes this easier, or harder depending on how you take it...

How we...take it?

Wait...are you saying...?

Mr Kizakura...is the suspect in the murder case...The police took him in merely hours ago...

!!!

What!? Why!?

Easy there. If we’re gonna go about this, let’s do it like professionals. I can tell you two are shocked, there’s no helping that, but I think it’d be best if you knew the full story.

...Yes, you’re right...I was just a little taken aback. So...Mr Kizakura is the client, right?

He didn’t seem like such a bad person...Sure, he’s a bit forceful, but he doesn’t seem like the type to kill someone...

You can never tell these days...But he said if anyone could help him out the spot, it would be you...

I want to say that I don’t owe that man any favors...But it’s partially thanks to him that I’m still alive...So I guess I’ll take on this case...

However, I have a few things to ask you Officer Shinogi. That is, assuming you know a fair bit about the case?

I know enough. What about you Mr Saihara?

We might need to get down to whatever station Mr Kizakura is being held at and ask him a few questions...But I think we should hear a rundown of the case from you first...

Hm...Sounds like a plan. Ok, gotcha.

So we know the suspect...but we don’t know who the victim is.

Well, that circumstance is a little complicated...His name was Kawaguchi Isao. Thing is, he in himself wasn’t exactly the friendliest guy...

How so?

Ever heard of the Crazy Diamonds, Detective?

They’re the most feared, yet revered biker gang in the entire country, possibly the entire world. Their old leader, Mondo Owada, was roped into the first main killing game. He was also a classmate of mine at Hope’s Peak.

Yeah, well, turns out that the group survived the tragedy. Although, they took one hell of a blow from it. There used to be over like 100 members on it, but when that whole fiasco happened, they were cut short, either because people got roped into the madness, or a bunch of ‘em were killed. However, they’ve been able to regrow in recent years under a new head, since Owada was executed during the killing game.

Mr Isao was a member of that gang...And a couple days ago, his body was found dumped out in the back alley of some fancy pants nightclub, amidst all the trash.

His fatal wound was someone had gotten something like an axe or a big sword or whatever and almost lopped his entire head off. By the time the body was found, it was just about hanging on.

Hurghh...I think I’m gonna throw up...

You need me to pat your back?

N-No, I’ll be alright...You might not believe it, but I’ve seen a LOT worse...

Yeah well, the point is, the police think that Mr Koichi Kizakura was the one who done him in...

This is...one hell of a case...

You can say that again...Though, I have a question...

Why did the police arrest Mr Kizakura? What do they have on him?

There isn’t any real evidence saying Kizakura’s the one who did it, but he doesn’t have an alibi for the murder itself.

But I’m sure their were a variety of people who were in the area who don’t have airtight alibis. Why arrest Koichi Kizakura specifically.

Two reasons. For one, it would seem that he had some kind of beef with the Crazy Diamonds...I don’t know what kind, since no one has really shed the details to me...

And the other is that on the day of the actual crime, there was security camera footage of the suspect and victim having an argument...

So...they think before the murder happened, the two of them got into a fight?

Precisely...

Well...I think I know enough...Shuichi? We should probably get down to the police station...

I can take you down there if you want...Oh, and I can introduce you to Kizakura’s lawyer who’s taking the case while I’m at it...

Thank you officer!

#danganronpa survivor #danganronpa #danganronpa v3 #danganronpa 1 #your turn to die #dr1 #drv3 #yttd #shuichi saihara #kyoko kirigiri #keiji shinogi #the trial of koichi kizakura arc

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ryouverua · 5 years

Text

One last time

HE’S BACK -

Fair warning - lots of text below. Like. Lots.

... But first, just before he came to meet with us again -

So all of his classmates in turn talk about how relieve they are that they can work together without suspecting each other, but something about the way she says it rings............ false. But then again, that might be my own bias colouring things. She outright states it in a way that the others don’t, idk. 8′D

Shuichi, though... he’s realized. Maybe not with an exact name, but he knows that isn’t true. He literally can’t bring himself to pretend that it’s true at all.

Oh Himiko...

5 survivors.... or maybe 4, depending on how the mastermind goes out. That’s definitely a new, sad record. :(

I CAN NAME A REASON -

Look who’s back with a brand new ahoge! It’s got that new-hair smell and everything -

H-He was never going to outright attack any of us though, right??? Even if he was willing to let us become collateral damage (which admittedly is super Not Great either, but -). That’s a really morbid thought Shuichi - where did it come from?

And of course, now that his hairpiece is back, he’s gone back to his more deferential, timid self.

“I’m telling you, that ahoge was 95% of my impulse control! Literally!”

But the fact that he’s apologizing now, when he was completely unapologetic before... that has to be that inner voice directing him now, right? But I wonder if it influences his ‘emotions’ (or whatever the equivalent would be for him) as well. Is the voice literally telling him to apologize or does he just ‘feel the urge’ to apologize?

So it is back.

Has it always been that tall???

Maybe if Miu and Kokichi had let him talk before Korekiyo’s trial, we could have followed up on this!!

Honestly though, I’m curious about this too. Is it a literal voice that tells him what to do? Does it appear as a suggestion to him? It sounds like it isn’t ordering him around but more ‘offering suggestions’... something that wouldn’t come across as obtrusive, but welcoming. Something that wouldn’t raise any alarm bells in him. Or maybe he was programmed to accept that just the way things were supposed to be.

.......... Actually the fact that it came up around Korekiyo’s trial, someone else who was revealed to be doing things based on a voice of sorts in his head, is a very strange coincidence? That... may or may not bode well for K1-b0. Is he going to be a foil to Korekiyo, or a parallel?

The inner voice may be good after all if it helped him realize this. 8′D

Wait, they said there was an accident when he was first created, right? And he reset? This had to have been a fail-safe because something similar to this happened...

As much as I want to comment on the fact that he’s said he can’t cry and he literally is sweating and his ‘eyes’ are ready to overflow, but fffff every single time I see this sprite my heart clenches and I kind of want to hug him. >3>

We’ve officially got everyone on the same side now! ......... well okay there’s technically one specific exception but on the surface we’re all good!

Look at Maki getting better at shedding her tsundere side! She’s getting better at being outright kind and welcoming to people, yay ~

oh my god

This is so..... blatant.... especially with Maki literally saying K1-b0 created this opportunity and Monokuma throwing her under the bus to have another trial. She.... she’s mad at him, isn’t she? And Monokuma too?

Oh man anyone who doesn’t realize at this point probably thinks it’s one of her anime-reference non-sequiters! But it’s not! It’s definitely a distraction! And she’s totally established herself as someone whose head is in the clouds so she she says random things like this, no one blinks an eye! What other comments has she covered like this?

ARE YOU THOUGH.............

Anyway, it’s time for the trial now so -

Yeah that’s true - we haven’t actually resolved this clue yet, have we?

I thought your eyesight wasn’t good? But okay, why not! Have a go at it, K1-b0!

Okay before plot progression though, fluff text time -

................................

WHELP THIS IS A HELL OF A FLUFF TEXT

I have so many things to say about this despite the fact that I’ve definitely talked about it before, because I actually relate to the idea of feeling like a different person in cosplay - of, well, letting yourself become the role. And I’ve definitely said that the theme of ‘becoming the role’ is a huge secondary theme of the game, just under ‘truth vs lies’, which is actually why I originally had Tsumugi as my potential mastermind back in Chapter 3. It’s telling that she’s comparing K1-b0 and his ‘personality enhancement’ with her own cosplay though - she’s often said that she only finds herself interesting when she isn’t being herself, so maybe it applies here too. Is this her way of enhancing her own self? Of becoming what she thinks is a ‘better’ self, a more interesting and charismatic person?

With that reveal of ‘Junko’ at the end of the last trial and Tsumugi often comparing cosplay to ‘bringing someone to life’, ‘channeling’ and ‘and being a vessel for the gods’, that means she’s basically resurrecting Junko in a sense... or acting as her vessel? Is that what will happen here? I think it’s possible for her to bring the ‘larger than life’ Junko from history (like the way long-dead historical figures can often become their own entities that walk the line between fiction and reality) as a way to get around the cospox issue unless I’ve really been accusing the wrong person this whole time lmao. It also lines up with all the times resurrection has been brought up in the game which is A LOT - the funeral scene/reviving the Ultimates, Ryoma describing himself as an empty shell walking around (and trying to ‘revive’ himself via a reason to live, killing off the initial protagonist then reviving the role for Shuichi, the Necronomicon, the seance, Korekiyo and his sister, and lastly, Kokichi via Kaito in the exisal. Combine that with my theory of the students just being normal kids who were reborn with the memories of actual Ultimate students who already died... and them even being forced to dress for those roles... this line of hers becomes really important!

Is this going to become a showdown between personalities who died ages ago? But for what purpose? Even though it looks like there’s a decent amount of things that were made up/embellished in those lights, the clip of the funeral, Kaede wearing the helmet and the meteors were shown outside of the flashback light scene - so are we still facing a doomsday scenario?

And back to Tsumugi herself - does she not have enough conviction to follow through with these plans and Monokuma unless she’s in Junko-wear? That would explain why she and Monokuma don’t seem to be on the same page... So which one of them is pulling the strings, exactly?? They’re definitely independent entities!

Meanwhile Himiko is having a grand old time because she’s finally got a friend in Maki. Aaaaaaw ~

We’re, uh, going to have problems if that’s true.

SHUICHI REMEMBERS TOO LMAO

Strength of an old man, average or below-average agility, eyesight and intelligence... what else was there?

And it wasn’t stripped from you???

But... maybe they didn’t realize you had it. Or don’t care? It’s not a dangerous upgrade, so maybe they didn’t realize it could be used in a way that could possibly hinder them...

He says he’s accepted it, but I think it was more out of necessity. It’ll take him some time to adjust to this new state of mind... but I’m happy to hear it, tbh. Just like Shuichi, he’s really struggled with his Ultimate identity up until now, you know? And even though it’s on more of an extreme level, these talents created differences in everyone and how they related to the world, not just him. It’s just a bit more... well, obvious in his case.

It’s all about accepting the good with the bad, K1-b0! And despite some, uh, questionable actions on your part, you really did do so much for us - we never would have gotten to Kokichi’s and Rantaro’s lab, the mastermind’s room, or discovered the flashback light machine without you!

Oh???

.... Uh.

Uh. What. What are those. What.... What are those?!?!

GONTA WAS RIGHT - !

w h a t they’re so stupid and cute

Tiny.... cameras....??? They look like little camera men?

..... I.... I don’t know... if this rules out VR or not. Because if they need little these little guys with cameras, doesn’t that mean they don’t have the omniscient power of a computer program behind them....????

Again, why did they not strip you of these new functions along with the weapons???

First of all, damn, K1-b0! Getting your ahoge back didn’t kill all of that fire in you after all!

Second of all.............. your skin???? Shell??? It’s definitely changed colour? Since when has it been so human-like -

Looks like K1-b0 can still be tough with his ahoge. :D

Oh god, there’s a whole swarm of hivemind Camera-kubs all over the campus? And they’re literally everywhere?!?! wtf -

I guess that’s a similar concept to the regular Monokumas??? Sure there’s usually only one operational at a time, but they always seem to pick up where the last left off. kind of like Kyuubey

First of all, ew.

Second of all, TRAUMATIC BUZZING NOISE FLASHBACKS

THE ONES THAT I STUPIDLY THOUGHT WERE PART OF THE MONITOR SETUP AROUND THE SCHOOL

but that wouldn’t have made sense because there’s nothing like that outside -

So there’s nanotechnology that exists on such a scale............

MONOKAMERA, THE SIXTH MONOKUB, HIDING ALL OVER THE ACADEMY. THE ONE THEY CALL THE ULTIMATE CAMERA GUY. WATCH OUT FOR HER THEM....

Can we note that once again it is Maki declaring that Kokichi was correct? She is doing her damnedest to check her own prejudices against him this chapter as penance and it’s great.

It’s not ideal, but I also wonder if some of the things he uncovered were only possible using his methods. not that you probably actually are happy about that

actually I bet you were pissed about the whole chapter 5 thing too

..... I want to go back and see that tbh

TALK OF REINCARNATION AGAIN.... also lol Himiko that’s kind of mean

Monokuma thinks he’s going to win... and if I’m reading this correctly, he can still win at the expense of Tsumugi losing....? Is that why? Even if Tsumugi’s plan fails and we see past her trap of ‘Kaede is the mastermind’, identifying Tsumugi will still end up being a victory for him....?

And your sudden hope!extremism, yeah? Because that really was something. 8′D

OH GOD WE’RE GOING IN I MEAN... I’M READY BUT I’M ALSO NOT TBH, I’M NOT 100% SOLID ABOUT THE BIG MYSTERY SURROUNDING THE GAME

I feel like I ~get~ some stuff but there’s still something just beyond...........

“M-Maki I know you’re trying to put my mind at ease but can we not bring up dying before we’ve even tried to win -”

Real talk - I love Himiko’s spell names.

Y.... Yeah........ but why are you excited about this....?

Then again, I feel like you were actually really attached to Gonta? I mean, you were always defending him, right? Is this your way of giving him some postmortem love? ...... AAAAH I DON’T KNOW -

aslkdjf I know this was the same amount as last time but this is such a small cast left -

Man, we’re just... swinging right back to despair and hope again. Look, I know we’re appeasing K1-b0 but -

Why.... why is it back again. Why is Monokuma back again. Why did the killing game come back at all - what is the point of trying to be Junko? What’s to gain from all of this?

I remember thinking and really liking the idea that this game was completely separate from the last two, so it’s strange to have arrived at this point at the very end, but.... well. Here we go, I suppose.

Well said, Sweetcheeks.

So.... normally I’d have a drawn out map of the crime scene, but this is a pretty different situation so I made this at the trial save point:

It’s a bit small, so I’ll recap and expand on that and a few other things:

“TSUMUGI IS THE FUCKING MASTERMIND AND SHE IS TOTALLY TRYING TO SET KAEDE UP AS THE ‘FAKE’ MASTERMIND TO SCREW WITH SHUICHI’S (ET AL)’S HEADS

She set up the document saying Kaede has a twin and is trying to draw parallels to Junko (to trick Shuichi)

She planted the shot-put ball in the mastermind’s lair

She didn’t talk about ‘birthing a Monokuma’ (when everyone else did)

SHE IS THE ‘MOTHER’ THAT WAS REFERRED TO BY MONOTARO IN TRIAL 4, NOT MOTHERKUMA

So I went into some detail earlier about Tsumugi herself, and over the last few investigation posts I ended up decided on what I outlined above. On top of everything else, I think we’re going to nail her on the idea that while Kaede’s murder occurred, she went to the library via the mastermind’s lab and stole Rantaro’s Survivor’s Perk. The problem is... then what? What exactly will we do after that? Also I swear Kaede thought of the same thing, with no idea what to do once we confronted the mastermind -

As for the general situation, I’m sticking to my guns about the class not actually being the Ultimates they think they are - I saw the ‘talents’ part of the flashback light setup menu. Actually, the flashback lights themselves.... jeez. Okay. Ironically enough, my thoughts on them are that their execution in the game is similar to Kokichi’s lying style.

First the game has a cutscene that’s completely truthful. Kaede and Shuichi remember being kidnapped at the beginning of the game. The entire prologue scene. The funeral at the beginning of chapter 2. The meteors in chapter 3. Hell, the kid at the beginning of this chapter, who seems to be watching them and getting inspired by them...??? Then... that’s when the flashback light comes in and embellishes that truth with fantasy. That funeral? It was for the entire class, and they all see themselves as being part of it (picturing ‘themselves’ in those photos rather than the students whose memories they all have). The meteors? It gave rise to an entire death cult - the Ultimate Despair, in fact - and they, themselves, were hunted (which plays off of the players’ knowledge of knowing they remember being kidnapped off the streets). Or something like that....

I’m just trying to place a few things, like that picture of Kaito with his grandparents in the motive video and the flashbacks of Shuichi and Kaede in the helmets. Where do they get placed in all of this? Was Shuichi able to project the image of ‘Kaito’ he knew when watching the video, or is that part of the technomagic of the video itself? We did have a whole segment of the VR chapter talking about the mind being able to be fooled into overcoming the reality of the situation (dying via simulation murder) so is it safe to extrapolate from there? And did Shuichi and Kaede remember themselves with those helmets separately from those flashback lights, as a delayed reaction (which as of this chapter is proven to be possible) or is that real?

As for whether this is a simulation, there’s evidence for and against that. The flashbacks with the helmets - pro. The physical presence of cameras - false. Though with that said, I’ve done a bit of work in computer programs where you actually have to set up cameras in-program and when testing the animation, it’ll only capture what’s set up in the frame - so then again, maybe not??? Those computerized cameras can be programmed to move along a certain path and the lens/frame/etc itself can also be altered.... and they did counteract having blind spots by swarming the campus with them so. Hm. Honestly, it could go both ways. I don’t want to dwell too much on this only because I don’t think that’s going to be the ‘big’ reveal anyhow tbh...

Still though; roles, escapism, resurrection. That’s what I picked up on the most through this entire thing. So how does that work together...? The students were told they were replaceable, and the game will never end. Rantaro lived through one but died in the next. Did he live through a game with this same group of classmates or other people? Or, hell, were they ‘other people’ but with the same names/personalities/memories, but different physical people? And if he was willing to repeat the game again, then why? Was it for a chance to break the loop? Or is there a goal to be accomplished if he wins it properly?

Okay, I think I’m starting to go in circles here. What I know: Tsumugi is the mastermind, and she’s not in complete sync with Monokuma. She’s trying to get Kaede(’s twin) framed; Monokuma is perfectly fine with Tsumugi being identified. Tsumugi falls back on the Junko persona when she’s in mastermind mode - when she was alone, she couldn’t help but be that way with Motherkuma. It’s a role she’s able to take - maybe passed down. Anyway, the point is, she uses it to ‘enhance herself’ or maybe to ‘escape her plain self’. Almost like an emotional support thing....? I wonder...

A lot of the truth as we know it is embellished. Only things we can trust from the flashback lights are things we saw independently of them as well, I think? At the bare minimum, pre-Chapter 4. After that point we didn’t have any corresponding prologue clips to match with the lights. With that said, the students were given talents and memories to match them - I think the Ultimate students they belonged to were actually killed... by the Ultimate Hunt, perhaps. Either way, these kids were brought in as ‘replacements’, the same way the Monokids were replaced. Rantaro, at the very least, was not a replacement though - he had a chance to do this again and took it, for whatever reason... Is this a simulation for the Gopher Project? Or something else entirely? Why ‘resurrect’ the Ultimate students at all? And why is there potentially a scenario where Tsumugi loses, but Monokuma still wins? WHY DON’T I HAVE A FULLY CONFIDENT ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING FFS -

Oh, and of course, Kokichi Ouma was 25 steps ahead of everyone and had Rantaro’s figure in his room too, so that’s cool.

#Ryou plays drv3 #Tsumugi Shirogane #spoilers #Shuichi Saihara #long post #drv3 spoilers #Himiko Yumeno #Maki Harukawa #K1-b0 #Keebo #Kiibo

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lore-a-lie · 6 years

Text

Chapter 3, Act 11: Divining Revolutions

CLASS TRIAL- RESUME

As Kaede gave her silent approval Angie took the moment to meditate before responding in kind. Not that she wouldn’t be willing to lead the cross-examination thingies, even if she wasn’t as familiar with how to really do so.

And it was comforting to see Kaede’s earlier attempt to give up her position of authority was genuine. Or if not, that it was able to become genuine for this moment at the very least.

But still, it wasn’t Angie’s place to make such a call just yet. There was a reason she tried not to be so compelling during these debates. If Atua saw no need for her to act, who was she to act against Him?

Awwright Sugah, ‘Tis the Time to Start Speaking Thy Piece. Ain’t None of Thy Allies Willin’ an’ Able to Surpass the Impasse as Thy art to Bring this Shindig to its Most Unrighteous of Conclusions.

And with that command His Prophet gave the pitiful pianist the acknowledgement she sought. She gave a bright and possibly too eager (or too quick) nod in reply, as Angie tried to see what He needed of her.

The most obvious thing to do is make Kiyo stop being stupid. But Kiyo really liked being stupid, and has never not wanted to talk this much, so that will be tough. Second most obvious is to get Tenko to shed more light on how she could have possibly missed the demon’s attempt to attack him or what happened.

I don’t think my involvement there matters until we clear that up, I only saw the tail end of it. So me talking about it now might just make things even more messy, and harder for everyone else to follow.

But maybe being so obvious was the problem. Maybe Kaede was right to try and bring things back to Ryoma.

“Hey-hey, Tenko? You said Ryoma was okay with you and Sissy-Cersei’s “replace Kiyo” plan right?” Angie asked, with a vague sketch in her mind of what she needed to do.

“Y-yeah. What about it?”

“Was he really okay with you being involved with it?” Angie tilted herself at an angle, to see if it would help her catch any small details or help catch Tenko off-guard. Not that it ever really worked on Tenko (or anyone here really) before, but it was also just fun to see if anyone would react period.

“Why wouldn’t he be?” Tenko tried to ask, to brush Angie’s oddities off as if it was just her being silly. But Kokichi saw through it, like the ridiculous over-thinker was prone to doing even if he was wrong.

“Well gee Tenko, I don’t know.” Kokichi drawled, and Tenko immediately started to cringe. And not in her normal “Ew-why-is-this-pest-known-as-a-male-trying-to-speak-to-me-can-I-kill-it” Tenko cringe-face. The “Oh-no-I-didn’t-think-this-through” type of cringey-face as he tauntly pulled apart her bluff. “Why on earth would the guy who offered to die immediately when put in a murder game to help buy the rest of us time have a problem with a strong, justice-loving, “innocent” girl like yourself trying to get away with “technically” murdering a man? As opposed to say… Offering to take your place in this plan?”

“Wait. What would Tenko’s place in the plan even have been?” Kaito asked.

“Well, it doesn’t make sense for Cersei to use Kiyo’s avatar, since hers and his look so similar.” Kaede started to explain in her teacher-y sorta way she’d do sometimes. “So maybe the plan was for Tenko to use the outdated Kiyo avatar? Like if they were supposed to switch so it was actually his sister who was the “Tenko” Gonta was with when looking for “Cersei”?”

“WHAT?! But that unpossible! Gonta make super sure it was Mini-Tenko that Mini-Gonta was with!”

“Try to think of it like why I was a suspect in the first trial, Gonta. Remember how I was accused because I’m good at dressing up as people? Kaede thinks that they wanted to dress up as each other to trick you.” Tsumugi simplified the situation as best she could, even hand talking to a degree in hopes of helping for once. “But they didn’t! So it IS impossible in that it didn’t happen. But Kokichi’s trying to say that maybe when you and Tenko were looking for “sister” in the woods, that was really Ryoma. Or something like that, I think?”

“So the body by the river could have been Ryoma’s? And we just didn’t see Kiyo’s sister at all before we left?”

“I mean, it’s not like we thought to check if saying anyone’s names would have logged that body out. So it could have been, since we assumed Ryoma was last seen headed to the mansion to leave the sim. Kibo could have seen him heading to the wardrobe instead or something like that.” Kaito suggested.

“Kiyo’s sister would need to be alive then right?” Kibo asked with concern, and hissed at Kokichi to shut it when he started being technical about her “living” status again to continue. But in a twist he looked to their judge. “Monokuma, would it be possible to bring up the simulation’s log? It’s not really “fair” you didn’t give me a chance to check it before the trial in hindsight. I want to see if Kiyo had to log his sister out before he could leave.”

“What, and make this mystery easier for you? Not a chance, this is waaay more interesting! I believe in you~” The bear mocked him with a laugh, and Angie amazed herself once again at her ability to refrain from flipping him off. Even if it meant no one would, with Kokichi not being the right sort of vulgar and Kaito being the wrong sort of immature to fill the void Miu would have gladly filled.

One of many voids Miu would have gladly filled come to think of it! Nya-ha-ha~ I hope she’s watching us with a smile and sassy commentary, wherever she is. And giving this bear the bird he’s asking for. No matter how much it would make Shuichi squirm or Kirumi needed to chide her for it.

I wonder if Rantaro and Himiko are getting along? They’re both laid back people. Or the way we knew them they were. I’m sure no matter what state Ryoma’s in from this that Maki’s already by his side!

I wonder if they appreciate seeing me pray for them so often, even if I was mean to them when they were still with us? Or I’m making them laugh, seeing what I do as being silly or stupid despite my intentions?

… Prophet, the Trials Ya’ll are Still Facing are a Bit Mo’ Important at Present, Are They Not?

RIGHT. Whoopsie-daisy~ Thank you, O’ great and wise Atua for Your divine inspiration!

Snapping out of her trance that was most definitely not a nap, Angie made sure she looked as attentive as she could as she checked to see where the conversation was at.

“-So you think Ryoma wanted to get Kiyo and Angie out of the church to give them an opportunity to perform a kill-and-switch?” She heard Kaito say.

“No, he didn’t want me involved at all. And Ryoma didn’t seem too keen on actually seeing if Cerci would be safe on her own. You know how he can get. The only switching he would have wanted to try was using Kiyo’s appearance to get close to either sibling to see if they could be killed, and then pretend to be the dead one to repeat the process on whoever was left.”

“So you think he was just trying to take a chance to go after either of them?” Kaede asked Tenko.

“Yeah, but it’s not like it sounds like he made contact if Cerci never died! I mean Kiyo said his sister spoke to him when she attacked him, and avatar switching wouldn’t change Ryoma’s voice, right?”

“Right. If they could, we never would have realized Kiyo’s sister was a person instead of an illness.” Kibo agreed.

“We don’t know that she isn’t-” Tsumugi tried to point out, only to be cut off by an offended Tenko trying to keep the point of discussion to the forefront.

“That doesn’t change the core point here!”

“The point that relies on Kiyo being honest? ‘Cause that’s a pretty shitty one to bet our lives on.” Kokichi prodded again, trying and failing to get Kiyo to lash out.

And that was still a problem Angie wasn’t sure how to solve yet.

She knew his sister was still in there, and she thought everyone else did too enough for him to stop being so cagey about her presence. But for once that “edgy” zipper on his face suited how tight lipped he was.

He must have noticed how she kept looking at it too, as Kiyo narrowed his eyes at her and leaned more to Tsumugi’s side. Like he half-expected Angie to try and leap over the boundary between them to yank it open. Which probably would get him to at least say something, but Angie figured getting a human reaction out of him probably wouldn’t lead to a useful one. (But it’s something I can try later I guess!)

So she was left trying to sort out how Ryoma fit in. “Tenko, how do you know Ryoma wasn’t just going to go along with your plan?” Angie slapped her hands to her cheeks in shock, “Could it be Tenko already knew it wouldn’t work because Kore is evil? How mature of you!”

“Hey!” The whine came as expected, “I’m already plenty mature! I know because Ryoma told me so. He thought it’d be safer to kill both of them, but even if he didn’t-” Tenko cut herself off as she started to rub at her arm while looking down with a look of shocked realization.

“If he didn’t?” Kaito anxiously repeated to urge her on.

“If he didn’t get them both then he said he’d still confess if there was a trial.” She numbly repeated, barely blinking despite the tears Angie could see starting to well at the corners of her eyes. But when Tenko got ahold of herself she shook them off and desperately looked to Kaito. “But he wouldn’t have actually meant that, right?! He… I thought you and Kaede were helping him through that stuff! And this couldn’t have been… THAT, right? So we wouldn’t be forced to watch him suffer for my stupid idea?”

“Of course not!” Kaede said seemingly in spite of herself. Perhaps more a reflection of her hopes than their reality. “If he did that wouldn’t explain his cause of death or being found in the pool. We already established that!” (Ah, good point. That does reflect our reality pretty well… Maybe that’s the problem!)

We’re focusing on our reality, when we should be testing Kibo’s reality! He should have some idea of what could “kill” in the sim, even if he hasn't said so yet. And he was there for the wardrobe stuff to some extent from the sounds of things. But I don’t want to spook him, so he doesn’t get stage fright.

“Wait… Kibo, how much of this did you know?” Angie asked with a cutesy and quirky tilt of her head with her hands in place as if to tighten screws to help her think straighter. “If she and Ryoma talked about this in the virtual world near your wardrobe thingy are you suuure you didn’t overhear something about it?”

“... Enough?” Kibo said, avoiding eye contact with everyone as he twiddled his fingers. “I mean I didn’t know Miss Shinguji was involved in this! And I thought Ryoma’s plan was what Tenko had intended…”

Kibo turned to bow to Kiyo in a near panic, voice shaky and air puffing as if his throat was closing up even though he didn’t breath. “I’m very sorry! I knowingly conspired to help murder your sister, and there’s no excuse for that! I completely understand if you can never forgive me for that. Or if none of you can.”

“I… I was worried she was going to kill someone. I had no idea who or how, so I didn’t know what to do! So I thought that since she was your original motive, that getting rid of her could be to your benefit.

“Seeing how you two were fighting, I wasn’t sure if she was going to kill you and use my program to hide it! I didn’t know Tenko was trying to HELP her do something like that!” He shouted, nearly hysterical. “So when I found that avatar by the river I… I panicked. I got out of the sim, to make sure everyone was okay, and while Kiyo was okay, Ryoma… Ryoma wasn’t.

“I thought he succeeded in killing Miss Shinguji and then chose to kill himself rather than risk being executed or making Kiyo worse. If there was no trial for a “murder” like this Kiyo might have done something drastic to avenge her, or hurt himself so I thought it made sense! And I did something stupid.

“I… moved Ryoma’s body, hoping it’d help make what happened clearer.” Kibo confessed at last, staring so hard at the floor it was like he was testing out a new laser vision feature. “Maybe it was also just me being selfish, trying to hide how people could physically die in my simulation despite my best efforts. I took him to his lab and tossed him into the pool from his window, since I thought paralleling the other murder would make his intentions clearer. I’m so so sorry everyone. I didn’t intend to hurt anyone…”

“And what if you were wrong, huh?!” Kaito snapped at him, making Kibo flinch. “You don’t have proof that’s what happened, and you messing with the crime scene doesn’t help anything! Do you even know how Ryoma “killed himself” in your scenario?!”

“Uhhh…”

“Back off Kaito, Kibo said he panicked so it’s plainly obvious he wasn’t thinking straight! I mean who could in a situation like that?” Tsumugi snapped back, taking some pressure off of the robotic boy.

“How exactly did he “die” in your Oh-so-safe virtual world anyway, Keeboy?” Kokichi drawled, but there was a vindictive glint to his eyes and his smug smile was all teeth. “You know something we don’t?”

“I… I mean, he could have taken one of Shuichi’s poisons-”

“BBBZT! Wrong, try again!” Kokichi interrupted with a raspberry in place of an incorrect buzzer, getting more manic in his malice. “Kaito and I were in Shuichi’s lab when the Monokuma file says he died, and I made sure all those poisons are accounted for every time I visit! If he swiped one earlier I’d know.”

The Child Panics, Guilt Turns To Fury, Fanned by Failure and Fear. The One with False Leadership Would Claim Responsibility for This Crime an’ all Crimes Previous if They Only Could. Thy Needst No Reminder of Where They Fall Short. Each Night the Denied Truths Return, The Worst Plague of All.

Ummm, I think you used “Thy” wrong there?

An uncanny echo of silence resounded in Angie’s head, the type that would normally mean Atua had fallen asleep again. But it turned out to be but a pause as she heard His wondrous words return to her.

Ah... My B. I Grant Thee My Most Sincerest of Apologies, Sunspot. Perhaps ‘tis the Sound of Sleep Beckoning Me to Her Bodacious Bosom Once More that Distractith Me So.

“Distractith”? Now you’re just teasing me, there’s no way you used that right!

“Fine! Yes, he died in the simulation but I don’t know how!” Kibo broke down. “There shouldn’t have been any way for him to prematurally sever the connection between his mind and his body. But he was brain dead so it must have happened somehow. I’m not sure if he did it on purpose, or if he had help-”

“Wait,” Kaito said to pause the panicking robot. “Let’s just narrow down what could cause that then, okay? I mean we know where his avatar was found in the simulation, so that can help. Just because he died in there doesn’t make you the killer, so no need to freak out. Just be honest with us! No more lies.”

“So you think the river might be part of it? But he didn’t drown or suffocate.” Kaede pointed out.

“Maybe it like how Mini-Gonta gets scared at the Low-ding Point? Is that what being “brain dead” like? Like sleeping without dreams?” Gonta suggested with a shutter at the thought.

“Maybe!” Tsumugi replied, and put her nerdy knowledge to good use. “Video games would often have water act as boundaries by making you die or respawn if you touch it. Were there any rules like that, Kibo?”

“I… I don’t know.” He quietly said. “I never checked, I never considered anyone going for a swim. I mean even when we have a pool no one really uses it, so I didn’t think there would be any interest.”

… Oh. I get it now. That’s what You’re sorry about.

It’s not Your fault! You were asleep at the time.

But her words sounded like they fell on deaf ears as the void Atua used to be in gave her no comfort.

Angie wasn’t sure if she should share her findings just yet though. It’d be more convincing if she could get Kiyo to lead the others to it first, since he also saw what happened, but she wasn’t sure how to get him to work with her. He seemed far too content with taking the blame for this case, and it rattled her.

They both knew if he was found guilty it would only get him and everyone else who was innocent killed.

If he still wanted to die there were easier ways to do it! Ways that wouldn’t hurt anyone else physically.

I’m not really sure how I would take it emotionally though. I mean, am I to blame for this any? I don’t think I am, I think he enjoys making me mad and how I try to get back at him. He’s annoying like that.

Still, Kaito wants us to help him and Atua agrees with that! Even if Kiyo’s such an ignorant know-it-all.

Is he trying to die like this to save the blackened? To repay them for interfering in Ryoma’s attempt to kill him? Or is this just so he makes sure that even though his “Sister” isn’t real he still makes 100 friends for her? I mean it sounds like he’s close enough that three “admirable” girls would more than met his goal.

Assuming the mastermind isn’t a girl I mean. Technically they’d survive in that case too, wouldn’t they?

If our lives are in real danger, despite what we’ve seen before, how can he accept letting THEM survive?!

Maybe I can use that to talk some sense into him!

“Kiyo, are you sure you heard your sis speak to you when you saw her on the bridge?” Angie tried as a direct question, one he might be more open to answering now. “Or any chance that was Ryoma who was trying to harass you? Or someone else? ‘Cause I know what I saw, but I didn’t hear anyone say anything.”

“... I hardly see why it would change anything,” he muttered. “Even if she didn’t say them aloud we’ve proven her intent and that of my assaulter is one and the same, yes?”

“What happened after the fight?” Kokichi prodded and Angie winced at how blunt he was being. She could tell he was trying to use his tell-y trick again, but with Kiyo like this what good would it be?

But despite her concerns he did confirm some of their friends’ assumptions. Just not in a helpful way.

“She fell in the river. Clearly that much should seem obvious at this point.”

“Did she now? Or was she pushed?” Kokichi pushed again, before Angie could butt in.

This time Kiyo acted more like she was expecting, and only gave a bitter shrug. “Who can say?”

“Come on, out with it!” Kaito snapped.

“And why should I? To what benefit is there? Is it not enough to merely narrow down suspects?”

“Have you really lost it?!” Tenko shouted. “We’ll all die if we get this wrong!”

“As will we all, in due time-”

“Well, what are you being so cagey for then?” Angie asked with a forced brightness in hopes of putting him off guard and cut to the chase. “Do you really want the mastermind to win?”

And while it didn’t work he had no answer for her, which gave her enough satisfaction.

“That’s what’ll happen, won’t it? We all die but the blackened and the mastermind? The killing game will only ever end with two survivors, right?” She continued to needle, and Monokuma began to act like he was getting hot under the collar at her questioning. Despite the whole not having a collar thing.

“No comment!”

“Huh, huh? Who asked you? I was obviously talking to Kiyo, silly!”

Tsumugi giggled a bit at that, probably a case of nerves giving her the flutterbugs, which got some others to laugh between her ensuing embarrassment and Monokuma’s indignation. Still, the levity helped raise Angie’s spirit a little, in light of what Kiyo was showing she would need to reveal.

But Tenko cut in before she had the chance.

“Stop trying to deny what you did then, you degenerate! We know you killed him, and we know that while you want to die, She doesn’t! It doesn’t matter if it was self-defense, or mistaken identity, or anything else! You’re not going to go sliding on another loophole, you murderer!” Her ranting was so non-stop that even Kaede couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

And as she watched her friend try to make her case against Kiyo, without any regard to the other voices trying to be heard in her misplaced fury, Angie felt something not unlike Atua’s artistic urges.

The Ultimate Artist could see it. A lovely set of armor that could reflect the soul of the Ultimate Aikido Master, as ill fitting and out of place such a garment was for the martial art. But for Neo-Aikido it’d work just fine, and invoking the style of the Samurai would be done in the spirit of the great Tomoe.

Such a warrioress deserved nothing less than an armor that would reflect her heart of hearts. And Tenko herself warranted feeling not like a princess as Tsumugi had tried, but a queen ever at the ready to strike.

Layers of lacquered wood and pristine porcelain, woven with leather into skirts for the light flexibility western metal armor could never match. Each strip made the shade of sweet sakura petals so light that the girlish pink would be nearly wedding white under the rising sun. An ill omen for any man who tried to wed her, but their foolish blood would turn it a lucky and evil-banishing crimson soon enough.

Not that it was like the martial artist to seek marital bliss. Her bliss came in simpler, smaller forms daily. But if Angie could make this even half as beautiful as what Atua was proposing, Tenko would adore it.

Still, she tried to will the beautiful image away, before she could get lost in details she would never be able to bring to life. If she didn’t stop now, before the issues of a masked helm could arise, she might not manage to later. It hurt to ignore such god-given artistry that could bring such joy to one close to her.

It was one of many things she’d never be able to do with Tenko again when all was said and done.

There’s only one way to stop this. This must be why Atua’s been so quiet aside from this last vision.

He must be so ashamed of me. I should have realized it sooner.

“So how can you say for sure the degenerate isn’t our real culprit Angie?!”

Four little words is all it should take.

“BECAUSE”

But it’s okay!

“I”

I can do this!

“PUSHED”

I’m sorry Tenko.

“HIM!”

Angie had to take a moment to regain control of her breathing after making that dreaded confession. But at least all of her friends should be safe now. If only from the fate she needs to face for the time being.

“I saw him try to attack Kiyo on the bridge. I didn’t know it was Ryoma, I just saw Kiyo’s Sister picking on him so I wanted to help and it looked like things were getting dangerous! So I snuck up on her, err him, and poked not-Kore’s back to pause them. But Kiyo wouldn’t move, he musta been in shock or somethin’, and I couldn’t move Kiyo off of the dumb narrow bridge to somewhere safer and keep Kore paused!”

“So you pushed her off the bridge, to keep her away from Kiyo?” Kaede pressed, but thankfully her eyes were understanding. There were no bitter feelings to be found in them, only the pain of true sympathy.

“Yeah! I thought the river’s current would make sure whatever shore she swam to would be far enough away to either get help or snap Kiyo out of it! It’s not like she hurt him yet as far as I could tell, but still...”

“You didn’t know we can’t swim in Kibo’s world.” Kaito numbly supplied as his features at last softened with this final closure. “Ryoma fell out of bounds, breaking the mental connection, and you had no idea.”

“Yes! Angie thought it was harmless! Everyone where she’s from are super good swimmers, she didn’t-” Angie caught herself and tried to slow herself so she could be as clear as possible. So there was no doubts about her words, and her reasons wouldn’t change the truth they had all suffered for. “I didn’t think there was any reason why a river that narrow would be dangerous. Kibo did such a divine job making everything there safe! Atua thought he covered everything. I forgot it could be deadly.”

And with the painful truth laid bare Angie took another look to her friends, trying to gauge their reactions. It didn’t surprise her to see Kokichi held no pity for her, only frustration. She knew his qualms with murder, and he had heard her suggest reviving the dead as sacrifices, firmly setting him against her.

It’s surprising how much more hollow this feels than what I expected getting someone killed would be back then. Maybe this is meant to be a sign Ryoma really isn’t dead! Or maybe that’s wishful thinking.

The others looked at her with different levels of somber airs and hurt understanding. Though Kiyo seemed shocked enough by her willingness to confess that even with his mask he appeared slack-jawed.

And that slack was all the give his mental parasite needed to claw the mask away, giving Angie a second witness if any wanted to argue against her unwitting guilt. Because while Kiyo may have still had a death wish, setting his objective against their own, Kore made it clear she was a very different story.

“It’s true! I’m sick of being considered “dead” or accused of things I know nothing about!” The banshee screeched. “I never saw Kiyo on any bridge, and I only spoke to him after he logged us both out!

“I wasn’t even in the mansion when he did it! It was extremely rude of him, not like my Korekiyo at all.” She snorted as she crossed her arms and gave Ryoma’s portrait a glare, trying to reclaim her usual frozen facade. “Even more so for him to try and drag us all down with him over such minor grievances.

“Honestly, you all you should be ashamed of yourselves! After all that progress, all our work to get him past these frivolous urges, what do you cretins do? You drag my brother’s spirit low enough to relapse, despite all the flimsy excuses he gives to defend you people!” The haughty haunting hussy huffed.

“Huh~ Since when did he need us for that? You seemed to be doing that fine enough on your own.” Angie called, leaning over the railing of her podium as she taunted so she could better aggravate the monster beside her. It’s not like she had anything left to lose anymore with her Lord’s silence, and if she didn’t shut this bitch up herself no one might.

“EXCUSE ME?!” (I can definitely feel Atua’s desire to make an ice sculpture of her, if only to curse her. Not that He can now. It’s probably just out of habit He let me feel this at all. Unless He feels my guilt is lacking and is trying to make me more repentant?)

“That’s why you wanted him to go after Kaede, isn’t it? Somebody was jealous~ Ya meanie.”

“Nonsense, that was his choice-”

“Liar, Liar, pants on fire~” Angie sang over the false specter. She could feel her anger seep over into her smile as she laid her rage bare. “If that were true, Kiyo would have asked me to be the medium before. And Angie probably would have said “yes” like a real dummy! Atua was too busy rage napping to give Angie his divine protection and I wanted Kiyo to mess it up! ‘Cause he acts like Atua isn’t the only true god. But Kiyo didn’t! And then mean ol’ missy sissy got all hissy over him just wanting her to make normal friends with us. Because you don’t want “friends”. You didn’t want him to have any, yes?”

At least Angie wasn’t the only one pissed off any more. Even if she had to quickly swing herself back to avoid the monster’s attempt to slap her, which nearly caused Angie to stumble back over the opposite railing. (Maybe copying Kiyo’s obnoxious way of talking was a biiit much. But that look on her face tho!)

“How dare you accuse me of something like that?!” She seethed, as if letting out steam to reveal how shallow her cold “cool” demeanor still was, no matter how fitting it was for her heartlessness.

“You’re only mad ‘cause she’s right, aren’t you?” Kaede challenged with an accusing point. “You chose the “friends” you wanted, not him. No point backtracking on that, with how you keep pointing out how much lower his “standards” are than yours. And if he got too close to others, he wouldn’t need you anymore, right? You don’t want to risk him moving on with his life, so you’d have to move on too.”

And that was all it took to make Kore really snap. Kinda sad how easy that really was, now that they could fairly safely gang up on her. (But not much more pushing than it takes to set me off either, is it?)

“I won’t let you take him away from me! He’s not allowed to abandon me now! I won’t let him throw me away again, to ignore me while I rot alone like everyone else did! I won’t forgive him. I won’t forgive anyone, no matter how many apologies I hear! Apologize all you want, but I won’t. I won’t. I won’t!”

An’ Thus His Parasyche Shows Her True Nature. The Ghost of a Broken Memory, a Revenant Remnant of a Dying Girl. Desperate to Forget She Was Not But a Child’s Guilt an’ Self Loathing Made Manifest, Grown Willful an’ Proud Feeding from Every Bit of Bitter Bile of His Soul He Thought Suppressed.

Angie was taken aback by His voice, but she knew it best not to question it. If He graced her with His assurances of conclusions she suspected, that was His choice. She had no right to address Him anymore.

She failed Him as His prophet, and everyone He wanted to help by acting through her.

As Angie shook off her brief shock she heard Kaede quelling the sins of Shinguji, with all others quiet. And with discussion settled Monokuma declared it was time for the votes to be cast one last time.

Well, last for her anyway. Though Angie felt no real need to condemn herself to her fate, she did so nonetheless. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to fear if they thought a third soul would be lost tonight. A glance to her side eased her own concerns, as Kore was quick to vote in her brother’s stead.

The last thing I want is for Kiyo to throw his life away after Ryoma died from my attempt to protect him. O’ Atua, I’m really going to die for HIS sake aren’t I? Please show mercy upon me my Lord, I messed up baaad this time. That prick isn’t worth all this harm and heartache! … I mean Kiyo, not Ryoma. Oh well.

Please watch over them all, okay Atua? Even if I wasn’t able to convince them of Your blessings. Amen.

Again, she felt only a sense of emptiness that equalled only the resounding silence where Atua once watched over her as the results were shown. No matter how much guilt Tenko may have felt for her role in setting the tragedy into motion, it was Angie’s face that was lit up in the end.

She tried to handle herself with as much dignity as she could, now that her end was before her. But she had one last thing to do before her execution began.

“Ah. Oh well. I guess I’m going to need to go on ahead. Sorry everyone, but it’s been fun!” Angie said with as much energy as she could, and twirled to give everyone one last looksie. “May Atua protect you all, and may you live long happy lives when the smoke clears,” she offered as a final prayer.

“Whatta bunch of bullshit,” She heard Kaito hiss to himself, and he looked far more conflicted now than he had in previous trials. He was a fair bit paler too, and hearing the way he coughed concerned her.

But before she could draw attention to the ill-boding red flecks she saw on his hand, Tenko drew her into one of the tightest bear hugs she’d ever been given. And considering Tenko’s previous hugs that’s saying a lot.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It was stupid! If I hadn’t-”

“Hey, hey~ It’s okay, it’s okay! You couldn’t have known, and I don’t blame you or Ryoma! It was my mistake.” Angie rubbed at Tenko’s back, not wanting to make anyone’s stress worse just yet. She knew Kaede also saw the proof of Kaito’s injury, wherever it was. So they’ll be able to settle that later.

For now, Angie needed to try and lessen the damage she was about to do.

And a bit of tradition felt fitting in that moment, so Angie wiggled out of her raincoat and plopped it on Tenko’s shoulders, using the sleeve to uselessly wipe at Tenko’s mucky face. Tenko quickly caught onto what she was doing, as the waterproof material only moved the tears and gross boogers around rather than wipe them up, which got some very wet laughs from those around them as Tenko shooed her away.

“There! You look like you need it more than me, just look at how much rain you have on your faces already!” Angie stuck her tongue out at them in faux-mockery, hoping her own tears wouldn’t be brought up at her tease. “So take good care of it, m’kay? It’s important to keep parts of a person alive, and objects can hold memories just like brains do. So even if it stops being a raincoat, don’t get rid of it!”

With her parting piece said, there was no reason to postpone things any longer. Before Monokuma could snatch her away to meet Atua, and how he would try to break her spirit as he did, she squared her shoulders and gave everyone one last wave.

It was only then it occurred to her that blackeneds didn’t know what their executions were called.

Somehow not knowing made what was to come all the more nerve wracking than the anticipation a title left for those on the other side of the curtain. But she would never let that weakness show. If Monokuma wanted to make her frown or scream in “despair” she’d make that as difficult for him as she could.

That made the setting set before her all the more anticlimactic.

It was a snowy field, with a river nearby much like how the Virtual World’s setting was, and the sky above looked stormy. Angie wasn’t sure if lightning was possible during snow storms, but regardless of it was possible or artistic license that’s the direction it looked like things were going.

And as snake-like ropes bound her struggling form to a post like a lowercase t at the center of a pile of kindling she felt like she was ready to vomit, seeing the blasphemy he was going for.

Around her christianity based cross-of-a-lightning rod she saw ruined depictions of other faiths too. Everything from wooden sculptures like totem heads or scrolls of pagan gods were ready to burn.

Her thoughts were torn between Himiko’s lifeless corpse and the words her other self spoke before:

I’d rather avoid something witchy if I can.

So Monokuma made her take on the role of Joan of Arc (Joan d’arc? I don’t do french! Sorry Kaede) and was going to make the heavens “smite” her for her insolence. The crimes born out of best intentions and poor judgement, including those that happened long before Ryoma may have come to harm.

While there was no true being supporting Monokuma’s murder, Angie took a breath and prepared to accept it nonetheless. She felt an odd calmness within her as she saw the lightning flashes and resulting flames draw near her. As if it was Atua protecting her from the full brunt of her torture.

But when an all too human weight tackled into her, if this was His doing she wished he had forsaken her.

As kind as it is to keep her from dying alone, it was cruel to do so at the expense of one of her friends. But as her would-be savior tried to untie her, urging her to escape the stage, she couldn’t bring herself to voice those feelings. She simply tried to smother the pure gratitude that welled in her chest, and prayed for both of their souls as the thunder kept crashing down.

----

Tenko could only watch in silent horror as Kaito shoved Angie out of the way of the first strike. She watched as he struggled to untie their most innocent murderer, but as hard as she tried Tenko couldn’t hear anything over the sound of Monokuma’s thunder at this point.

But shouldn’t I be the one trying to save her? Or at least be helping him now? There’s only one Exisal left, so this would be as good a time as any to strikeback, wouldn’t it? I promised to protect Angie, didn’t I?!

Would she have ever done the same thing for you?

Tenko could only clench her eyes and teeth as shut as she was able to and looked away in frustration at that insidious thought. But only because she knew the answer.

She knew Angie wouldn’t even have considered saving her had their positions were switched. So in a way it was for the best that Tenko did the same thing, wasn’t it?

Unlike Kaito she had things she could still lose. Opening her eyes gave her a harsh reminder of that.

Gonta was beside her looking as torn and lost as she felt, standing on the sidelines as a “degenerate male” did what she couldn’t bring herself to do. And she knew that if she lept in to help Gonta would have followed her without question, because like Kaito that was the sort of man he was. A noble one.

And Kaito only had to die to prove it to you, didn’t he? Just like Ryoma did. Just like everyone kept saying. But you never wanted to listen, did you Tenko? This is all your fault. You failed Angie, and you’ll fail Kaito.

Her head felt like a mountain as she lifted it and shook her head at Gonta. The heartbreak and failure on his face would be forever ingrained in her memory. Because failing Kaito was the best they could do.

If we try to save him now we both might just end up dying out there with them, even without the Exisal. There’s nowhere for us to run to and he knew that going in. And if we all died who’d protect Kaede or Tsumugi!? Kibo? Even if he could, who’d protect him? He can’t save everyone on his own! He needs us.

Both she and Gonta could do nothing but weep as they saw Kaito try to pull Angie to a safety that didn’t exist. He couldn’t even see where the others were standing in all the chaos of the execution’s set. It was only a matter of time before the cruel god of this hell struck them down, as it gave up on avoiding him.

She almost thought Kaede and some others even began cheering him on, trying to help lead him back to them. But since even standing closer to the stage was enough to nearly drown them out, if that hadn’t been Tenko projecting her own feelings, there was no real point to it all.

So instead of joining in, or risk starting this chant of false hope if her mind was playing tricks, she just went close enough to hug Gonta as the watched. But with the way he held her she figured he was the one really doing most of the comforting. She could only hope she was helping him back in some way.

A part of her hoped the thunder would help mask her own wailing as the inevitable happened, only belatedly realizing a lot of that noise was now her other friends making similar screams. (But not Angie.)

It was only when she felt Gonta lift her that she noticed both of her knees had given out at some point. He still held her protectively, like this was still just a clingy two way hug to him, and carried her back to the group as she shoved her face into his chest to keep him from hearing her babble and whimper.

Not that any of it stopped when he cautiously put her back down, but she thought it would be better than hearing her incoherently try to blame herself for everything that happened. (Keeping him from correcting you for telling the truth was just another selfish benefit. You were just too scared to help.)

As he set her down Tsumugi was the first to cling to her as they sobbed together. A glance to Kaede quickly answered the question of why she wasn’t joining them.

The pianists eyes looked glossy with unshed tears as she blankly stared at the spot they could last make out Kaito and Angie, lost to the flames. She was on her knees, but looked broken in a way the previous trials hadn’t managed.

No one had expected Kaito to interfere, least of all her. Unlike Shuichi, his death wasn’t one Monokuma’s vile rules had forced upon them. He just threw his life away at the last minute.

But why did he do that?! He even cast a vote like the rest of us did, Angie’s guilt was unanimous. Was it just to spite Monokuma, dying in a way he didn’t want? He didn't even like Angie that much! So why-

“What the hell was that moron thinking?” She heard Kokichi cuss to himself, but he made no attempt to snap Kaede out of her traumatized trance. So Tenko decided to do what he didn’t think he could.

Tenko left Tsumugi’s embrace with a pitiful hiccup of an attempt to reassure her, and stretched Angie’s raincoat over Kaede’s far shoulder like it was a blanket for them both. (Is that how shock blankets work?)

Kaede made no indication she noticed, but with how much both girls were sobbing at this point Tenko didn’t mind. And Tenko took notice of how little the dying flames left behind of either of their friends.

It’s not fair! How can a person just… disappear, like that? Like if I didn’t have Angie’s coat it could be like she never existed at all. And everyone else who died in a trial left something behind, so why didn’t Kaito?

Maybe I should try making a momento for him? Like how Angie made her wax memorial figures.

Kaito never went without that printed jacket of his. I could try making the inside of Angie’s coat look like that. It’d be a lot of work, but I think it’d be worth it. Maybe it could help some of the others too...

Tenko distantly heard Kokichi try to stir the pot, something accusatory at either Kibo or Kiyo. She couldn’t be sure which. Whatever it was, she focused on trying to bring Kaede back to them mentally instead.

The two only moved when Gonta helped get them to their feet, so everyone could leave this cursed place in the elevator. But the ride up was deathly silent and as tense as a taught bow-string.

Kibo was the first to go and took off running, with Tsumugi’s lighter footsteps following after him. But the farthest Kaede could get was five paces before crumbling back to the ground and screaming loud enough for the stars to hear her. So Tenko did the same, rather than leave her like this alone and in so much pain.

Tenko looked up to see what Gonta intended to do, and assure him he could go if he wanted to, but the words caught in her throat. He looked to Kokichi, but the boy made it clear he wanted nothing to do with the misguided gentleman. Seeing the heartbreak on Gonta’s face as the small boy swatted a hand away and stomped off in the direction of their dorms, she chose to keep out of it. She’d probably just make more problems otherwise.

Hopefully Kokichi’s not going to hold this against him for long! Kokichi has more reason to hate me for planning a murder than Gonta. Mine got farther than his did, and Gonta deserves better than this.

She turned to see where the cause of all of their misery went off to, but as it turned out Korekiyo stood at the edge of the restored fountain as if he had barely moved since exiting the elevator. He kept… twitching, in a way that definitely wasn’t natural and his eyes were scrunched tight.

When they opened it was Shinguji who looked back at her, and when she removed the mask she was scowling at both of them. As if Kaede and Tenko had played any role in her own mistakes, much less her brother’s mental state.

She strode forward, trying to keep her distance from Gonta showing she was still wary of him, but couldn’t bring herself to leave the area. And not just in a figurative sense.

The hand that reached for the exit instead turned and pulled the mask back into place, and Korekiyo stood idle by the door as he faced them.

“My apologies if I am mistaken, but I am still not to be roaming about campus unsupervised, yes?”

Gonta startled at first, and guiltily looked at the floor before nodding his agreement. “It be better, yes. Gonta not know if Tsumugi go with Kibo or go to her room, so Kiyo could be threat to her.”

“Understood,” Korekiyo replied with a short nod of his own. “If it is not too problematic, should I help you escort our fair companions back to their dorms?”

“We can stand!” Tenko snapped at him after wiping away what tears she could, and refused to feel any guilt at seeing him flinch away. She tried to pull Kaede to her feet alongside her to prove her point, but Kaede’s legs were far less stable.

“Sorry, I-”

“It okay!” Gonta assured Kaede, flushed with humiliation as much as it was from her crying. “Kaede want piggy back? If Tenko can walk, Gonta can carry Kaede easy!”

“O-oh. Sure? I mean I don’t really remember the last time I got carried like tha-AAAAT” Kaede panicked at the end seeing as he was quick to prove true to her word. But even after she got herself situated her embarrassed blush didn’t die down. “Thank you?”

��You’re welcome!” Gonta smiled as brightly as anyone could after their hell of a night. “So we back to dorms now?”

“By all means, lead the way.” Korekiyo agreed, holding the door for the other three, as much as Tenko was loath to accept any “help” from him after all the confusion and death he’d caused.

Sniffling aside, the walk back was quiet, and there were no signs of any of their other friends. But that may have been for the best, as it encouraged going straight to bed if nothing else.

Not even she was ready to offer a “sleep over” after this. Tenko just wanted to sleep and hope this was all a stupid dream her mind cooked up out of guilt over her conspiring with Shinguji.

But it wasn’t. It never was in this horrible place that Angie had wanted them all to consider “home”.

Hell, she couldn’t even remember having a single dream in this prison. But thinking of dreams brought her mind back to her key. It felt like it was so long ago now, but it couldn’t’ve been more than three days. The thought and memories made her stomach do a flip without her in grief, but she held herself firm.

She had to try to appear strong. To help Kaede. To protect Gonta. To keep Korekiyo at bay.

Speaking of that bastard...

“Hey, Gonta, can we talk real fast? I know we all need some shut eye but I have a question first.”

Gonta gave a nervous glance to Korekiyo, who merely nodded and headed for his room for the entomologist’s peace of mind. But while her friend went off to the side so Tenko could hopefully keep Kaede from overhearing and make her worried, the murderer didn’t close his door all the way.

She tried not to think about it too much when she saw Kaede notice that too, and had a few quiet words with the unstable man which netted a nod to whatever she asked of him. Likely just to make sure he would still be breathing when the morning announcement sounded, knowing Kaede.

It would be wasteful for him to die now, wouldn’t it? I don’t know how to handle this. He doesn’t DESERVE to be forgiven! But at the same time… Maybe I should try, to make up for trying to kill him?

Is that what Angie would have wanted? Or would Ryoma rather I not leave the job unfinished?

Since when have you cared about what either of them really thought? Stupid selfish Tenko!

She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she made her offer. “Do you think it’ll be okay for me to help keep an eye on Kiyo? Since without Ryoma and Kaito, we…” The words caught for a moment in her tightened throat. “I don’t want you need to feel like you have to handle him all by yourself.”

“But it not safe! Kiyo sneaky person, could try to hurt Tenko without noticing.”

“I know. But if things with his “sister” really are different now, like if she’s all in his head, we don’t know how that could change things! He could try to hurt you too! Or maybe he won’t be killing anyone else-”

“Gonta can handle Kiyo! Tenko worry about Tenko, okay?” Gonta asked with a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and it took a lot of willpower to keep herself from trying to toss him on reflex. (Though tossing a guy THIS big could be hard even for me. He’s real good about keeping himself grounded and balanced.)

“But-!”

“Ladies shouldn’t talk about butts!” Gonta laughed at his attempt at a pun to try easing her worries. “If Gonta need help, Gonta ask for help. Gonta promise.” He swore as he crossed his heart with his hand.

“Alright. And I will be one of the people you can ask for help, whatever you need, okay?” Tenko reaffirmed, and didn’t allow him to break eye contact with her until he nodded his understanding. “Good! So, I guess that’s settled for now. We can work things out in the morning.”

“Okay. Goodnight Tenko! Don’t worry about bed bugs biting, Gonta already checked and no one has signs of those! Hope you sleep good.” (GAH, WAIT ARE BED BUGS REALLY REAL?! I DIDN’T KNOW THAT!)

“I-... Thank you? Sorry if you were hoping to find some I guess.” She nervously laughed as she headed for her door. “Goodnight!”

Tenko didn’t open her eyes once she entered that room, relying on muscle memory to reach her bed unimpeded. Anything to keep from seeing things that would make what happened that night harder.

But try as she might, the memories came to plague her all the same. And despite her best efforts, sleep refused to come easily. It was only until after her pillow was soaked from her futile fury and endless replays going over everything she could have done differently to avoid her current reality did it take her.

And it would feel like no time had passed at all when the next morning came, unrested and longing for just one night to allow her to dream and escape this hell on earth. Or wherever it was they were.

Not that the truth would help us any. Even if we were in space, Kaito wouldn’t have wanted it this way.

End of Chapter 3: We Lived and Let Them All Die Young

Surviving Members: 7

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