After I stumbled out of the gym and tried to rein in my emotions, the students were led in, one after another, to watch Monokuma's so-called motive videos.
Their faces when they emerged were something to behold. Even I—an interloper from another world—had been rattled, so it was no wonder the kids who actually belonged here looked ready to break.
Anxiety gnawed at almost everyone, but the most dramatic symptoms belonged to Sayaka Maizono.
In the original timeline she spiraled into panic after that video and carried out the game's infamous first murder. Right now she's probably hanging on to sanity by a thread.
While the others floundered in their dread, Mukuro Ikusaba casually floated a proposal.
"Um… instead of moping, why don't we all talk about it? If we share what we saw, maybe it'll calm our nerves…?"
On the surface it sounded reasonable, but once you knew Ikusaba's true colors it was obvious she was just fanning the flames—forcing everyone to relive the footage and stoke their fear.
In the original story the cast recoiled at the very thought of revealing their videos, and Maizono even bolted when Naegi tried to ask her. Guess it's my cue to intervene.
"Good intention, wrong timing. Everyone's already on edge. What we need right now is to steady ourselves first."
"Uh… y-yeah? I… guess so…?"
The chill in my voice made Ikusaba flinch.
"I'm pretty sure we all saw something similar. Being shaken is only natural. Let's rest, regroup, and calm down. Sound fair?"
Nods all around, but the once-bubbly group now looked wilted. The sight stung.
We agreed to meet again at breakfast and drifted off to our rooms. On the way to mine, I mulled things over.
'Standing guard isn't enough anymore. I need an ally I can trust completely.'
Decision made, I set my plan in motion.
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Ding dong, bing bong!
I press the intercom outside Kyoko Kirigiri's door, heart thudding—talking to my favorite character is nerve-racking, resolve or no resolve.
"I told you: I don't cooperate with people who keep secrets."
The door opens and Kirigiri's tone is icier than usual. The motive video must be eating at her too.
"S-sorry. I just wanted to discuss the night patrol…"
Drawing the sentence out, I slip her a folded note where the hallway camera can't see. She narrows her eyes, but her face quickly resets as she accepts it.
"We already settled that you and I would handle the patrol, didn't we?"
Classic Kirigiri—reading my intent and playing along. Goal achieved, but I still need the cover story.
"Keeping watch all night is starting to wear us down. A few volunteers offered to help; maybe we can iron it out in the cafeteria tomorrow?"
"Fine. We'll do that."
She clearly has more questions, but dragging this out in the hallway would be reckless. I leave her and head for the bathhouse.
As I peel away the "No Entry" tape blocking the door, Monokuma pops up out of nowhere.
"Whatcha doing?! That area's off-limits! If something happens in there, don't blame me!"
"Haaah…"
A few days ago I still saw him as a mere game mascot. Now the sight of that damned bear makes my skin crawl.
"Hellooo? Are you ignoring me, K-kun?"
"…"
"Aw, are you sulking because I screened everyone's videos? Didn't know you were so thin-skinned!"
"..."
I keep ripping tape in silence until Monokuma finally snaps.
"Fine, fine! What do you want? I feel kinda bad about earlier, so I'll grant one wish! One!"
"Will you end this cursed puppet show if I ask?"
Monokuma bristles.
"Like I'd ever do that! Do you know how hard I worked on this killing game?!"
"Then let us use the locker room and bathhouse. We need a place to unwind, and the others are falling apart."
He mulls it over, then spreads his arms like a benevolent tyrant.
"Well… a little carrot with the stick never hurt. Sure, knock yourselves out."
Perfect. The locker room and bathhouse are blissfully free of cameras and mics—our one blind spot from Junko's all-seeing eyes. With that haven unlocked, everything gets simpler.
I turn to leave, but Monokuma whispers behind me.
"That's really all you want? No murder weapons? No girls' underwear?"
"Get lost."
The bear cackles and vanishes. Even that short exchange drains me. Exhausted, I head back to my room.
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"Almost time."
The note I gave Kirigiri told her to meet me in the locker room at 8:30 p.m. Alone. Yeah, it sounds shady as hell, but necessity trumps appearances.
I slip inside a few minutes early. A hot soak sounds divine, but business first.
Moments later the door creaks open and Kirigiri steps in. She actually came alone—brave or perhaps just confident she could floor me if things got physical.
"Well? Why summon me here by myself?"
She's on high alert, naturally. I'd be paranoid too if someone handed me a cryptic note right after a mind-shattering video.
"I want to tell you what I've been hiding. This is the only spot without cameras or bugs, so I had to call you here. I have zero intention of harming you—promise."
"So you finally feel like cooperating?"
I'd wanted to team up from the start; I just needed time to spin a story she could swallow.
"Let's start with the biggest piece: We've actually been at Hope's Peak for two years already. Our memories were wiped. You've suspected as much, right?"
The bombshell makes her violet eyes widen. Kirigiri almost never shows emotion—seeing that innocent look on her face nearly makes my heart skip—but I press on.
"For some reason my memories weren't erased. Whether it's the Mastermind's slip-up or dumb luck, I remember everything from those two years and exactly what's happening to us now."
(A lie—I lost the two years like everyone else—but it's the only way to package the meta-knowledge I do have.)
"I can't lay out every detail tonight. The Mastermind knows we're both in here, so lingering is risky. Still, I've got time for a few questions. Ask away."
Barging in with pure exposition would only breed suspicion. Better to let her steer.
"First question. What Ultimate talent did I possess?"
"You enrolled as the [Ultimate Detective]. Ring any bells?"
Her face hardens; she clutches her head as a headache rips through. The keyword must be stirring the buried memories.
"That… feels… right."
She looks better once the pain recedes. With her talent awakened, her future contributions just skyrocketed—major win.
"Second question. Do you know who the Mastermind is?"
"The ones holding us here are a soldier pretending to be a gyaru—the [Ultimate Soldier] Mukuro Ikusaba—and, hiding in the fourth-floor data center, the so-called [Ultimate Despair] herself, Junko Enoshima."
Finally, I get to blurt out the truth. Feels like shouting 'The king's got donkey ears!' into a bamboo grove.
"Hard to swallow, but… your first answer checked out, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. One last question…"
She trails off, lips pressed thin, eyes clouded.
I know what she wants to ask—about her father, the headmaster. The topic is virtually sacred to her.
Her motive video probably showed him, and she's debating whether to bring it up. The cruel truth? He's already dead. Do I break that to her now?
After a tense silence, she speaks again.
"…What's happening outside the school right now?"
She couldn't work up the nerve—lucky for me. She'll learn soon enough, but Kirigiri can handle it.
"Long story short? The world's toast. Full-on post-apocalypse."
Her face darkens, realizing her video wasn't doctored. But she swallows the shock and regains that trademark cool.
"Understood. As unbelievable as it sounds, I'll accept it for now."
"Didn't expect you to buy it this fast. Even I think it sounds nuts."
"You knew a talent I didn't remember, and your tells confirm you're serious."
"My… tells?"
"You bite your nails when you're hiding something or anxious, but when you speak with firm conviction, you clench your fists. You've kept your hands balled this whole conversation."
[Ultimate Detective] indeed—she noticed even that. Note to self: no sloppy poker face around Kirigiri.
"Thanks for trusting me. Anyway, we should clear out…"
"You entered first, so you leave first. I'll take an actual bath so no one suspects a thing."
Fair point. Leaving Kirigiri deep in thought, I slip out of the locker room.