"Y-You... you're the spy...?"
"...That's right. The spy Monokuma mentioned this morning... was me."
"S-Sakura... why...?"
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"Monokuma... on the very first night after our school life began... took my clan's dojo hostage and ordered me to become his subordinate..."
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"Y-You can't be serious..."
"You may think it's just a dojo... but it is a tradition my clan has protected for three hundred years... I could not allow it to be severed in my generation..."
"..."
"The Mastermind ordered me to kill. Most likely, the Mastermind feared that the first murder would never happen. So... shameful as it is... I was preparing myself to commit murder..."
"But no murder happened until now, right? What changed your mind?"
As Sakura Oogami struggled through her confession, she closed her eyes for a moment to steady her breathing. Makoto Naegi used that brief pause to ask the question.
"Yes... my heart did change. It happened when Sayaka Maizono revealed her truth to everyone."
"W-When I revealed my truth...?"
"Yes. After hearing that, I was ashamed of myself. Someone far weaker than I am threw herself into danger to stop a murder, and yet I—who boast of being the strongest in the world—what disgraceful spectacle was I making of myself...?"
"I said it back then too, but the one at fault is the Mastermind who threw us into this situation, not you... so don't blame yourself too much..."
Hearing Naegi's quiet attempt at comfort, Oogami smiled faintly. Then she looked at both me and Naegi.
"There are many strong people here. Were we not trapped in circumstances like these, I would have wanted to ask for your guidance."
For someone like Oogami to call us strong enough to learn from was absurdly high praise. I coughed awkwardly, embarrassed, and she continued.
"In truth, during yesterday's vote, I acted under the Mastermind's orders and voted that K could not be trusted. But the result of the vote was that K could be trusted."
She stared straight through me as she spoke.
"Only then did I clearly understand which side I ought to oppose. I resolved to turn my hostility not toward the side the Mastermind ordered me to obstruct, but toward the Mastermind—the true architect of this killing game."
So that was why she'd stared at me so intently from behind when we were leaving after the vote. That was what had been going through her mind.
"However... the Mastermind did not leave me in peace until the very end. At dawn, the Mastermind appeared in my room and used as a hostage the only man I have never been able to defeat... and the only man I have ever loved... urging me to commit murder within three days..."
"Th-That's... unbelievably vile...!"
"...I wavered once more. But then I saw all of you, led by Naegi, resolve to cooperate with one another... and I saw someone who refused to give up no matter what happened. And so I made my decision again...!"
Oogami's eyes snapped wide, and her voice thundered through the room.
"I will no longer retreat, flatter, or look back... I will fight the Mastermind!!"
She finished with the face of someone who had steeled herself beyond fear.
For a while, nobody said a word. Then Naegi—who had been smiling the whole time he listened to Oogami—finally broke the silence.
"Oogami... thank you. Really. Thank you for honestly telling everyone the truth. I'm sure the others accepted your feelings too. Right, guys...?"
As Naegi looked around, the others began to nod along with hesitant but genuine smiles.
"W-Well...! O-Of course I was shocked when you said you were the spy... but you worked up the courage to tell us the truth, right? That... that makes me happy...!"
"I mean... even if you were a spy... it's not like you actually caused us that much harm in the first place, right...? And honestly... if someone threatened my little cousin as a hostage... I'd probably cave to the Mastermind too. I get it."
"Ngh... magnificent... Oogami...! To refuse to bow before the Mastermind... and step forward for everyone's sake...! I shall engrave this very moment into my heart for the rest of my life, and I too shall strive, and strive again...!"
"Yeah. So you're as tough on the inside as you look on the outside. Anyone with a strong heart is welcome anytime."
"See? Told ya my fortune was right..."
Beside me, even Kyoko Kirigiri was wearing a quiet smile, apparently relieved that things had settled so cleanly. I gave Oogami—who looked awkwardly bashful despite herself—a thumbs-up and thought to myself,
'Good. Now this whole mess should wrap up smoothly too—'
"Then if we kill you, we can leave this place, correct?"
"...!"
Byakuya Togami's words froze the air solid in an instant.
"Togami! What the hell are you saying!?"
"Monokuma said it this morning, did he not? If the spy is killed, there will be no Class Trial, and we may leave this place. Have you forgotten already?"
"That's not the point and you know it...!"
"And the same applies to her. She dressed it up with eloquent words, certainly—but what if all of this is merely a ploy to make us lower our guard for three days?"
"What are you talking about!?"
"I'm saying she may pretend to have completely turned against the Mastermind, only to drive a knife into our backs at the final moment. Who can say otherwise?"
"Stop it...! We decided to trust Oogami...! No matter what you say, we've already made up our minds!"
Aoi Asahina shouted at Togami, but he ignored her so completely it was almost inhuman and continued coldly.
"So enough with hollow words. Prove it with action."
"...What must I do... for you to believe me...?"
"Simple. You just said you would fight the Mastermind, did you not? Then do exactly that. Fight the Mastermind alone and defeat them. If you accomplish that, then I will believe you."
"What? If she does something that reckless and something happens to her, then what!?"
"...If she dies, that hardly matters, does it?"
"...Huh?"
"If Oogami defeats the Mastermind, then this killing game ends. If Oogami loses and dies, then the dangerous variable known as the 'spy' disappears. Either outcome—"
Smack!
Asahina, fury finally boiling over, slapped Togami across the face with every ounce of strength she had. It happened so suddenly that everyone froze before they could even think to intervene.
"What exactly do you think you're doing...?"
"You're... the worst...! Everyone's trying to trust each other... trying to fight back against the Mastermind... and you... all you do is stir up conflict...! Someone like you... deserves to die instead...!"
"Then do it. Those are the rules of this place...!"
"You think... I can't...?"
"Asahina! Stop!"
Just as the others moved to break them apart, Toko Fukawa—standing beside Togami—suddenly began trembling violently.
"How dare you... lay a hand on Master Togami... on my Master Togami... how dare you...! You worthless little—!!!"
Fukawa's eyes rolled wildly, and then Genocide Jack burst forth, shrieking at the top of her lungs.
"You actually touched Master Togamiiiiiii!? You better prepare yourseeeelf!!!"
The instant those words left her mouth, Genocide Jack whipped a pair of scissors from her clothes and lunged straight at Asahina—
Stab...!
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!"
"O-Oogami...!"
"S-Sakura... wh-why...?"
Genocide Jack's scissors had been aimed at Asahina, but Oogami thrust out her hand and caught the attack. The blades punched clean through her palm, and blood immediately began to spill.
"Ahahahahahahaha! What, you blocked it? Well, I figured you would!!! But your movements are kinda weird, huh? You hurt somewhere or something!?"
"..."
At those words, Oogami's expression trembled for the briefest instant. Then she returned to her usual composure and spoke in a grave, measured voice.
"Right now... all of you... are far too agitated... Calm your hearts first... and settle down..."
"Sakura...! That's not what's important right now—your hand...!"
"There is no need to worry about me... Asahina. Togami, I will follow your words. Before long, I shall fight the Mastermind. Then... will you believe me... and everyone else...?"
"...Tch."
Togami clicked his tongue, then left the dining hall with Genocide Jack trailing after him and practically begging for praise.
"The mood's... kinda bad now, huh...? Well, I still can't trust Oogami either, so... I guess I'll be going too..."
After that, Mukuro Ikusaba also left the dining hall.
"Then I shall also... ah...!"
Celestia Ludenberg tried to rise from her seat as well, but when I shot her a glare sharp enough to kill, she flinched and sat right back down.
Meanwhile, after repeatedly insisting to the worried students that she was truly fine and they shouldn't concern themselves, Oogami headed to the nurse's office with Asahina.
Still... if it was Oogami, she should have been able to stop even Genocide Jack's attack without much trouble. Could it be, just like Genocide Jack said, that she really was injured somewhere...?
"...Meet me in the locker room in a little while."
While I was still mulling it over, Kirigiri brushed past me and whispered the words so softly they were almost swallowed by the air. Looks like I needed to discuss what came next with her.
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"You're here. Then about what happened earlier—"
"Before that, there's something I need to tell you."
I showed Kirigiri the Alter Ego hidden in one of the locker room lockers and gave her a brief explanation.
"...So before long, I'm going to sneak into the hidden space in the second-floor boys' bathroom and connect Alter Ego to the internet. If we can get online, we might be able to show the others hard evidence... and maybe even contact the outside world."
"Then we need to think about how to get in there without attracting the Mastermind's attention."
"Yeah. Of course it won't be easy... but with the others' cooperation, and with your help, it shouldn't be impossible."
"...Right."
"I-I'm... always prepared...! So please, take me with you anytime...!"
"Then let's talk about what happened earlier. Do you think we can trust Oogami now?"
"...Yeah. The Oogami we saw today... she's someone we can trust. More importantly, though... her body didn't seem to be in good condition..."
"It looked that way to me too. Her movements were slightly unnatural compared to usual, and when Genocide Jack said that, she was visibly shaken. Her physical condition probably isn't very good."
"And now her hand's injured too... We really do have to stop her from fighting the Mastermind, don't we...?"
"...I have already decided to fight the Mastermind, so there is no need for concern, K."
"...!"
Kirigiri and I both jolted and turned. Somehow, without either of us noticing, Oogami had opened the door and entered the locker room.
"How long have you been standing there...?"
"Do not worry, Kirigiri... I have no intention of opposing you... There are too many eyes on me right now, so I merely erased my presence for a moment..."
"R-Right... I see... Ah, right! Oogami! Is your body okay?"
"If you mean my hand, there is no problem. In the old days, I would not even have considered this level of injury worth calling a wound."
"You know that's not what I mean... What happened to you...?"
"...At dawn yesterday, I charged at Monokuma after he took someone precious to me hostage. But Monokuma self-destructed. I moved quickly, but perhaps because I had lost my reason, I let my guard down and failed to avoid it completely. Still, it is not a major injury, so there is no issue with fighting the Mastermind—"
"Even if you're the strongest in the world, you don't have to fight alone...! If you need someone, then even I—!"
Oogami smiled softly at my outburst, then looked at both me and Kirigiri.
"I do not intend to fight meaninglessly. You two clearly possess some method of breaking this situation. If that is true, then I can buy you time."
"...!"
"Judging by those expressions... it seems you truly do. So you really are the two the Mastermind fears most."
"The two the Mastermind fears most...?"
Oogami handed us a crumpled sheet of paper. The moment we read what was written on it, shock crashed over us like a hammer blow.
"Obstruct the Ultimate Counselor, K, to the very end, and kill the Ultimate Detective, Kirigiri, as quickly as possible."
"Th-This is..."
"That is the order Monokuma delivered to me at dawn. I came here to give it to you."
As Oogami turned to leave the locker room, she gave me one final parting remark.
"K... I pray that you will be able to protect the one you love."
"..."
Even after Oogami left, Kirigiri and I stood there in silence for a long time, the paper still clutched in our hands.
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"Damn it. I find every last one of these idiots intolerable."
"M-Master Togami... is the place you were hit earlier okay—"
"Silence. I have no intention of receiving comfort from the likes of you."
"C-Could you maybe stop with the tsun and give me a little dere too..."
"Hmph."
"Um... so this is where everyone was?"
Someone approached Byakuya Togami—who had been quietly cooling his rage in the library with a book in hand—and Toko Fukawa, who was glued to his side and fussing over him with pathetic devotion.
"Junko Enoshima... I am not in the mood to speak with anyone right now..."
"I know. It's because of what happened earlier, right?"
"..."
"I'm the same as you. I can't completely trust Sakura Oogami either. Like you said, who knows if all that was just a lie to deceive everyone for three days? And even if she does fight, she could still be colluding with the Mastermind behind the scenes."
"And what exactly are you trying to say...?"
"I've got a nice little plan. So? Want to hear it?"
"...Go on, then. Spit it out."
Mukuro Ikusaba smiled faintly and began laying out her plan to the two of them.