"...So? Not a bad plan, right? Pretty doable, don't you think?"
"....."
Byakuya Togami fell silent, staring at the girl who had suddenly sought him out and started laying out what she called a "good plan."
'Highly suspicious.'
Unlike the publicly known "Junko Enoshima," she looked different, kept an oddly deliberate distance from the others, showed a strange lack of cooperation with the group, and every now and then, whenever things went well, a glacial expression flickered across her face.
There was something deeply off about her.
In other words, maybe she wasn't as blatantly dangerous as K, the [Ultimate Counselor] who knew the secrets of the killing game, or Sakura Oogami, who had exposed herself as the spy... but the girl standing in front of him was still, unmistakably, someone to be watched.
'And besides... it isn't a bad plan.'
Of course, he had survived the filthy internal bloodbath of the Togami family. A petty scheme wouldn't make him so much as blink.
But could some mere gyaru really explain a plot like this so calmly, without a shred of guilt or hesitation?
"Um...? I kind of worked up the courage to say it... Is it that bad...? Ugh, y-you're not gonna run off and tell the others, are you...!?"
Even as Enoshima muttered timidly, Togami found that suspicious too. It felt as though she were forcibly layering a fake personality over herself to conceal what she really was.
".....Your plan has a major flaw. Where, exactly, do you intend to get the chemicals?"
"Ah, that? Um... Monokuma!"
"Upupupu... What business could a bunch of outsiders possibly have with me?"
"You've been listening to everything we said, right? So, uh... do you have any chemicals or not...?"
"Upupupupupupu! Enoshima, isn't that a little too direct? You're seriously hilarious! Upupupu..."
"Look, maybe this is funny to you, but our lives are on the line here. So? Do you have them or not?"
"Upupupu... If you're looking for chemicals, there should be some in the chemistry lab on the fourth floor. I was planning to open the fourth floor tomorrow anyway... so just help yourselves!"
"Great. Then that problem's solved, right?"
"....."
Togami glared at the girl smiling at him so brightly.
'Just as I thought. There's something about this girl.'
The instincts that had carried him through the savage power struggles of the Togami family were screaming at him.
Junko Enoshima... no, that "girl" standing before him now might be even more dangerous than K or Oogami.
".....For now, I'll cooperate."
"Nice! Then from here on out, we're all in the same boat, huh?"
"E-Even if we're cooperating for now... if you so much as set your sights on Togami-sama... I won't just stand by..."
"Like I'd ever flirt with a guy some serial killer's obsessed with."
"Ughhh... I seriously don't like you..."
"Then we're done here. I'll be leaving. If the three of us stay gathered here any longer, people will start to get suspicious."
"Okaaay~ See you tomorrow~! Don't forget the plan~?"
"....."
Byakuya Togami left the library, lost in thought.
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"Haaah... I was worried about what I'd do if I couldn't convince him... Thank god..."
"I'm saying this again... if you so much as lay a finger on Togami-sama...!"
"Excuse me? I literally said I have no intention of doing that."
"B-But... girls like you... gyarus... are all loose, aren't they...? Heh heh heh... ah... ah... achoo!"
"What the hell are you even talking about!? I care about my body, thank you very much! That's just prejudice...! And you're spraying spit everywhere! Cover your mouth!"
Leaving Fukawa to sniffle after her creepy little laugh and sneeze, Ikusaba moved to leave the library—only to stop cold at the low voice that reached her from behind.
"...Mukuro Ikusaba."
".....!"
In an instant, Ikusaba's face twisted viciously. She spun around, murderous intent flooding the air.
"...What did you just say?"
"Pff... puhuh... puhuhuhuh..."
"Answer me...!"
"Puhahahahahahahaha! Mukuro Ikusaba! What the hell is with that look!? Ahahahahahaha!"
Behind her, Fukawa had already switched into Genocide Jack and was clutching her stomach, cackling.
".....Genocide Jack. You should not have said that."
Mukuro Ikusaba's expression turned deathly cold as she began walking toward Genocide Jack.
"Ohhh? What, you're gonna fight me right here? I'm Genocide Jack right now, y'know? I'm not gonna go down that easy."
"You said my identity out loud. So I'll kill you. That's all."
"Puhahahahaha! And then what? Kill me and turn yourself in? Khihihihihi...!"
"..."
"I mean, sure, you probably wanna kill me, but I don't really feel like killing you unless you're a hot guy! So how about we just pretend neither of us saw anything and call it even? Khihihihi..."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Besides, I figured it out the first time I saw you, okay? If I was gonna spill your secret, I would've done it ages ago!!"
"....."
"Honestly? As long as I've got Byakuya-sama, I don't care what happens to anything else! So whatever you're plotting, I won't care as long as you don't touch Byakuya-sama! Well!?"
"Why should I believe that?"
"Because I haven't told anyone until now!! And if we fight here, you're the one who loses out! Right?"
".....If you change your tune, you'd better be prepared."
"Puhuhuhuh... Have you done nothing but get fooled your whole life? Though now that I think about it, that actually is true, huh!"
"....."
"Oh, and just so you know, my other personality always carries pepper, so you'd better not get any ideas about attacking me... puhuhu..."
With a face gone cold and rigid, Ikusaba turned sharply and strode out of the room.
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"Hehehehehe..."
Even after Ikusaba left, Genocide Jack kept laughing for a long while. Then, all at once, she stopped and muttered quietly to herself.
"That should be enough recording by now..."
In the middle of that chaos earlier, Naegi had secretly slipped something into her pocket. She hadn't known what it was, but it had seemed important, so she'd checked it when no one was looking.
It was a cassette tape with a note attached.
[This is an "Auto-Erase Cassette Tape" I got from the Monokuma prize machine. It's single-use, but it's more than enough to record an important conversation.]
Looking closer, it really was a cassette tape with both recording and playback functions. Wondering why on earth he'd given this to her, Genocide Jack kept reading.
[If Enoshima... no, I should say Ikusaba, right? According to K, you still remember your school life here. If that's true, then you should know about Ikusaba too. Anyway, I know this is a huge favor to ask, but if you ever end up alone with Ikusaba, I want you to press her about her identity and record her reaction.]
Her first thought had been, "Why me?" But after reading the next part, Genocide Jack's resolve began to waver.
[If we can't expose Ikusaba as the Mastermind, then before long, everyone will be in danger. And among all of us, the ones in the most danger will be you and the others separated from us. So for your sake, for Togami's sake, and for everyone's sake, I want you to be brave. Please. —Naegi—]
The moment she read that Togami might end up in danger, anxiety seized her. Then she saw the postscript—and made up her mind.
[P.S. If you help with this, K says he'll tell you what kind of present Togami would like.]
"Uhehehe... Byakuya-sama... seeing him smile when he gets my gift... uhehehehehe..."
And so, the counterattack began—quietly, and loudly.
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[Ding dong, bing bong♪]
Morning came.
By now, the 7 a.m. breakfast gathering had become routine. When I arrived, the others were clustered together, worrying over Oogami.
"Oogami, is your hand okay now? It was bleeding a lot yesterday..."
"We can't just leave an injured person to fight alone. I may not look it, but I was the leader of a biker gang. I've had more than enough fights in my life. Let me help."
"I'll help too... I probably can't do much, but I could at least throw something like a ball from the back and keep the enemy distracted."
"Fighting is not something one ought to do... but if our classmates' lives are at stake, then I too shall help!! Allow me to assist!!"
"Everyone... I appreciate your willingness to step forward, but this is my fight. You need not help me. No... do not help me."
Everyone looked at Oogami with pained eyes, but her resolve was absolute.
And just as everyone was fretting over her, Monokuma popped in.
"Upupupu... How touching..."
"Shut up, Monokuma."
"....."
I snapped at him, furious, and Monokuma covered his mouth with one paw as he giggled.
"A bad boy like K... might not be so bad after all...? Upupupu..."
"Just say what you came here to say. You're going to announce the fourth floor opening and tell us to go enjoy your precious killing game, right?"
"Huh? How'd you know? Have our hearts finally connected through telepathy?"
Ignoring the nonsense Monokuma had been spewing nonstop, a thought crossed my mind.
'Isn't the floor opening a little too early?'
Maybe Enoshima was just getting impatient because there still hadn't been a murder.
But somehow... it felt like there was another reason.
"Anyway, K already told you everything for me, so I'll be off now! Bye-bye, everyone!"
With that, Monokuma vanished.
The opening itself had ended with surprisingly little fanfare, but the fourth floor was important.
For one thing, the chemistry lab had poison.
The headmaster's office and the student council room were still locked, but those places held secrets about life inside the academy, so we'd need to be careful.
And in the data processing room, Junko Enoshima herself was hiding.
Of course, for now, we couldn't let on that we knew.
"So? What do you guys think?"
"Well, it's not a bad idea..."
"I'm in favor! Sakura, you're in too, right?"
While I was still sorting through my thoughts, the room suddenly got noisy.
"What? What's going on?"
Naegi, standing beside me, answered.
"Oh, uh... the girls are saying they want to all go take a bath together to celebrate Oogami joining our side..."
"I thought that in a situation like this, it'd be good for everyone to bond a little," Kyoko Kirigiri said, shooting me a meaningful look.
Ah. So that was the setup.
"Then how about we go take a bath too? The girls said they'll go first, so we can head in after them. We should work on bonding too."
Yeah. It was about time to tell everyone the truth.
Kirigiri could tell the girls while they bathed, and I could tell the guys.
"Sounds good...! Then before we investigate the fourth floor, why don't we head out right now and loosen up a bit first?"
At Asahina's oddly excited suggestion, the girls all agreed. After finishing breakfast, they headed for the bath.
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"Haaah... now that I'm in the bath, I finally feel like I can relax..."
"Indeed... there has been much to keep us tense lately... Everyone... at least for now, you should rest and take it easy..."
"C-Celes... was that a wig...?"
".....I trust you all to understand that a lady is entitled to her secrets."
"W-Why... did you drag me here...? I should be attending to Byakuya-sama..."
Watching the girls slowly unwind in the rare peace of the moment, Kirigiri opened her mouth.
"Everyone, I'd like you to pay attention for a moment."
"Hm...? Kirigiri, what's wrong?"
"Would you listen to what I have to say for a moment?"
".....?"
The girls looked at her with curious expressions. Kirigiri tensed slightly, just about to reveal the truth behind the killing game—
"Um... I heard all the girls were gathering without me...? Honestly, that kind of hurts a little."
"Enoshima. What are you doing here?"
"Don't glare at me like that... I spent all day thinking it over, and... I think it'd be better if I trusted Oogami and all of you after all..."
".....You really do keep fluttering from side to side like a bat, don't you?"
"Haaah... Yesss, I'm terribly sorry. My crimes are unforgivable. Would you like me to do a naked dogeza or something?"
"Kirigiri... come on, let's give her a chance... The more people we have cooperating, the better, right?"
"...Hmph."
"Hehe... Sorry about yesterday. Oogami, I should've trusted you more."
".....It is fine. So long as you regret it now, that is enough."
"Then mind if I join in a little?"
Ikusaba gave an awkward smile, sat down on a chair beside the bath, and called out brightly.
"Alright, alright! As a symbol of reconciliation, I'll give you all massages myself! Normally this would be a super expensive service, but today I'll do it for free!"
"Enoshima, are you good at massages?"
"Yep. During photo shoots I have to hold a lot of difficult poses, so my muscles get stiff all the time. Going to a massage parlor every time is a pain, so I just learned how to do it myself!"
"Ooh... then could you massage me? I've been swimming so much lately that my muscles are all knotted up..."
"Of course~ As much as you want~"
"Then let's see—ah... ngh... ahhh... this feels amazing... Sakura...! You should... try it too! You work out... so much... lately... your muscles have to be... super tight too...! Aahhhhn..."
"You do seem quite skilled at this... If it might help before we fight the Mastermind soon, perhaps I should try it as well..."
"....."
"By the way, Kirigiri, earlier you said you had something to tell everyone—hup!?"
Kirigiri hurriedly clamped a hand over Sayaka Maizono's mouth and shot Ikusaba a sharp glare, but Ikusaba was already completely absorbed in massaging Oogami's muscles.
"Mmph! Mmgh!"
".....Ah, sorry."
"Pwah... K-Kirigiri... what in the world was so important that—ah... wait... could it be...?"
".....?"
"Y-You wanted... romantic advice...?"
"....."
Kirigiri frowned, but Maizono must have mistaken it for embarrassment, because her face turned red and she started rambling.
"I-I mean, I guess it would be kind of embarrassing to ask everyone about something like that... right...? But... if it's just the two of us... maybe it'd be okay..."
".....Huh?"
"Actually... I've been worried lately too... Naegi and I promised to go on a date, but... I don't know what we should do together..."
Just like someone else a few days ago, Kirigiri—who had probably never given love advice in her life—was making a deeply troubled face when suddenly the bathhouse door flew open.
Crash!
The boys, who had definitely said they'd wait outside the changing room, were now sprawled face-first across the bath floor.
The girls stared at them in total confusion for exactly one second.
"I-I was only trying to stop them as the moral committee chairman! It's not like I gave in to everyone's persuasion or anything—"
Every girl's face went ice-cold.
And the aftershock that descended upon the boys after they were dragged back outside the changing room was enough to send chills down the spine of anyone watching the live feed from outside the academy—hope and despair alike.
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"I am... never doing that again..."
"Even so... I believe... it was... worth it..."
"R-Right... it really was... incredible..."
".....I only saw Oogami."
"I-If this is what being manly means... I think I'd rather go back to dressing like a girl..."
Damn it. In the game, they didn't get caught. So why the hell did we get caught?
I swear Kirigiri looked at me like I was some kind of insect... I don't think I can ever face her again.
"By the way, K, didn't you say in the changing room that you had something to tell all of us?"
"...Right. That's more important than anything else right now. Okay. There's a truth I want to confess to all of you."
"A truth you want to confess? What is it?"
Seeing Naegi and Fujisaki turn serious, I drew a breath and began to tell the others about the truth behind the killing game—
Crash!
Out of nowhere, a violent noise erupted from outside the bathhouse door.
"W-What the hell!? Don't tell me the girls are peeping on us now!?"
"As if that would ever happen..."
"T-This is bad! Sakura... Sakura...!"
"A-Asahina! What are you doing right now!?"
"Sakura collapsed...!"
What?