Ding dong, bing bong!
At 10 p.m., the students began filing into the old building one after another.
"I can't wait for Teruteru's cooking~!"
"Eheheh, a party... I'm looking forward to it...! O-Of course, I won't get in anyone's way...! Is it really okay if I j-join...?"
"My cooking is for everybody! Anyone can enjoy it!"
"Hey. Stop right there. Before you enter, you're getting a body search."
"Huh...? You're doing it yourself, Pigami...? That's sexual harassment, you know?"
"Our lives are on the line...! Something that trivial is—"
"It's not trivial! And I still don't trust you completely, either!"
"Exactly! I mean, if Pigami is the traitor, then while pretending to search us he'd start groping us and...! Eek! Gross!"
As Koizumi and Saionji pushed back, Pigami let out a sigh and offered a compromise.
"Then... the girls can search each other."
"Big Sis Koizumi! Let's do ours together!"
"The men, over here. I won't allow even a single weapon. That goes for those of you who were already in the old building, too."
"T-Togami... be gentle, please..."
"Shut up."
Pigami cut off Hanamura's greasy remark mid-sentence and began searching everyone from head to toe.
'Good. So far, nothing unusual.'
Before everyone arrived, I'd cleaned the rooms while scrutinizing every corner for hidden weapons or planted tricks, but thankfully, I hadn't found anything like that.
If that was the case, then unlike the original story... maybe we really could have an honest-to-goodness fun party tonight.
'Come to think of it... a party, huh. This is my first one.'
Embarrassing as it was, I'd never experienced a real party in my life. I hadn't exactly lived a life full of close friends, so forget parties—I hadn't even properly celebrated my own birthday.
So if you thought about it that way... wasn't this basically the first party of my life? The moment that hit me, my heart started pounding.
I'd already investigated the old building top to bottom, and the body searches were done, so there shouldn't be any danger left.
We've all been through so much already. Honestly, just for tonight... I wanted to forget everything and enjoy myself.
"By the way, where's Kuzuryu...?"
"I informed Kuzuryu about the party... but he hasn't come."
"Jeez, what a voluntary outsider. Whatever. Let him do what he wants."
"What if... that bastard is outside planning a murder all by himself..."
"Hey, Souda! Have you been reviewing what I taught you?"
"Huh...? O-Of course! Honestly, it's all super hard... but if it means I get to talk with Miss Sonia!"
Before the atmosphere could curdle again, I hurriedly steered the conversation away and glanced toward the girls gathered near the entrance. They'd paired off in twos and were searching each other.
Well, even in a situation like this, it was obviously better for people of the same sex to do the searching than for a guy to force his hands all over them. Everyone was on edge. In times like these, flexibility worked better than brute force.
"Hey! Don't peek!"
"Ah... no, that's not..."
"How about turning your head before you talk?"
At this rate I was going to get branded a pervert. I quickly looked away before things got any worse, then headed into the banquet hall while making small talk with Souda.
"Ah, K-kun! What do you think?"
"Hm?"
"After I finished carrying all the ingredients, I didn't have anything else to do, so I decorated the central hall for the party! I even laid down carpeting."
"Where did all this even come from...?"
"The supermarket had it. Of course, there wasn't enough to cover everything, though."
Just like Komaeda said, there were still a few patches left uncovered.
In the original story, Hanamura went down into the floor-level hall and stabbed Pigami to death with a long skewer from beneath one of the tables in that uncovered space.
But the iron skewers that were supposed to be used in the murder had already been voluntarily handed over by Hanamura to Pigami, and the portable burners had all been drained of gas.
Taking that into account, it really did seem like Hanamura had completely given up on killing anyone. Good for him.
"Hmm... it definitely feels more like a party now, which is nice... but those metal plates bolted into the wall kind of ruin the mood. What are those?"
"One of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction, the silver fox destroyer San-D, has pierced the truth with his power over darkness..."
"...Huh?"
"Those... were originally windows...!"
"But... why would they cover up the windows with metal plates?"
"Fuhuhu, San-D... your fur is especially magnificent today."
"No, I was asking why the windows are covered with metal plates..."
"A fine day... countless lives are born, and countless lives fade into dusk..."
"....."
While I waited for the party to begin, listening to Hinata and Tanaka's bizarre comedy routine, Pigami suddenly called out to me.
"Hey, you. You cleaned the kitchen earlier, right?"
"Yeah... why?"
"Then come with me. We need to inspect the kitchen one more time."
"Huh? But I already checked it thoroughly—"
"The kitchen is the most dangerous place right now! It's full of dangerous objects. One inspection isn't enough. You cleaned it, so use that memory and search every last corner again."
At first glance, it sounded almost absurdly strict, but he had a point. In the original story, they'd investigated that hard and still failed to find the skewer hidden in the meat, and a murder happened because of it.
Besides, I'd been meaning to talk with our group-project team leader anyway. While we rechecked the kitchen, I could use the chance to have that conversation with Pigami.
"Leader's orders. Follow me."
"Got it. And even if it wasn't an order, if it's something like this, you can ask me anytime."
"Hmph. You've got more resolve than your appearance suggests."
I followed the tsundere Pigami back to the kitchen.
"...Hm. It matches the list exactly. You're more meticulous than you look, aren't you?"
"Everyone's lives are at stake. I can't exactly half-ass it."
"...A good attitude."
Pigami and I searched every inch of the kitchen, and in the end, we confirmed that every recovered item matched the kitchen inventory list perfectly.
"Phew... anyway, that's it, right?"
"Not yet. The kitchen seems fully inspected, so now all the other rooms—"
"Togami, I already inspected the other rooms thoroughly. You can rest a little now—"
"Not enough. We still need to investigate more carefully."
"Hmm... why are you working this hard?"
"...Because I have to."
"Have to?"
"I promised everyone that I wouldn't allow a single victim. Once I've made that promise, I have to stay vigilant—again and again, without letting up."
"...Aren't you putting too much pressure on yourself?"
"...What do you mean?"
I looked Pigami straight in the eye and began to speak.
"Taking on too much pressure isn't good, either. Sure, the way you're acting is a huge help to everyone right now, but you're driving yourself way too hard. Aren't you?"
"....."
"It'd be better if you asked the others for help, at least a little... Your forceful attitude and your habit of trying to solve everything alone might look impressive right now, but later on, that could turn poisonous instead. Is there some reason you're like this?"
"....."
"Come on, just let it out. My talent is [Ultimate Counselor]. I can always listen to the worries of someone who's constantly working this hard for everyone. So go on."
Pigami closed his eyes, swallowed a low groan, and then began to speak in a calm voice.
"...I'm a suspicious person by nature. That's because I have a past I can't tell other people about."
"That past is...?"
"I can't tell you the details... but it was a life of living hell, where I doubted others, and doubted them again, over and over."
"....."
He spoke with a grave expression, but I couldn't tell whether he was talking as Togami... or about his real life. I wrestled with that for a moment before opening my mouth.
"The past... isn't all that important. Rather than clinging to a past that only leaves regrets behind... what's more important is facing the reality right in front of you."
"....."
"No matter what your past was, the you I've seen until now is an amazing person. So I don't think you need to stay shackled to your past... or to some image you feel obligated to maintain."
After hearing that, Pigami fell silent for a moment, then quietly asked me a question.
"...If you absolutely had to become someone else—someone who wasn't yourself... what would you want to be?"
"Uh..."
"Forget it. It wasn't an important question. Let's go check the other rooms—"
"Isn't 'absolutely have to' kind of cruel?"
"...What?"
Pigami stopped just as he was about to leave the kitchen. I didn't miss that opening, and I told him what I'd wanted to say for a while now.
"Having to become someone other than yourself... I can't even imagine it. If someone really had to live like that... maybe they'd seem impressive, but they wouldn't seem happy."
"....."
"So no matter what anyone says, I'd choose to be myself."
"...There are people who, from the moment they were born, have never once been themselves. Even if those people want to become who they are... they don't know how."
Pigami's voice was thick with grief. At last, it felt like he was finally talking about himself.
"Don't know how, huh... There is one really simple way, actually..."
"...What is it?"
"It's simple. Trust other people, rely on them, and build bonds."
"...Bonds?"
"Yeah. The ones who define who you are... are other people, right? The ones who recognize me in this world are other people. The ones who call my name are other people. The ones who acknowledge me and like me are other people. In the end, I think your identity is something other people define."
"....."
"So even if someone can't define themselves, if they trust others, rely on them, and build bonds... then someday, maybe they'll be able to define themselves too."
"...I see."
Pigami nodded slowly, wearing the expression of someone who'd just realized something. It looked so unexpectedly good on him that I found myself smiling a little.
"Haha, I talked a bit too much, huh? Sorry. When I start counseling people, I kind of lose track of time... Anyway, let's go check the other rooms—"
"No. I'll inspect the other rooms by myself."
"You don't have to do that. I can help as much as you need—"
"At dawn today, I received a threatening letter predicting a murder."
"...What?"
"That's why I held this party—to protect everyone. Originally, I intended to keep it to myself, but... I suppose I don't mind telling you."
".....!"
"I'll thoroughly inspect the other rooms, so you go to the banquet hall and keep an eye on everyone. That's a leader's order... no, a request."
After parting ways with Pigami, I stepped back into the banquet hall and sank into thought.
'A threatening letter... Yeah. The one who sent it was Komaeda.'
In the original story, Komaeda sent Pigami a threatening letter on this very day too, so considering the current situation, there was really no one else it could be.
I had gotten so caught up in the excitement of the party that I'd completely forgotten about the letter. If he'd sent it, then Komaeda was definitely planning to make something happen tonight, one way or another.
"Hah. Not a chance. Go ahead and try."
But I was confident I could stop his trolling tonight.
To prevent the blackout trick, I'd hidden all the irons in the storage room, kept checking whether the air conditioners in the storage room and party hall were set on a timer, and even sealed the breaker shut with industrial-strength glue from the supermarket so nobody could open it.
And on top of that, I'd removed the table from the exact spot where the murder happened in the game and shoved it into storage. That meant there shouldn't be anywhere left to hide a weapon.
In other words, if I just kept Komaeda under close watch during tonight's party, we could get through this safely. No matter how much of a Komaeda he was, there was no way he'd pull off a murder with me glaring at him from right beside him.
Of course, there was also the saying about tapping even a stone bridge before crossing it, and I'd already decided not to blindly trust game knowledge, so I asked Kyoko Kirigiri to keep a meticulous eye on the other students throughout the party.
And if either of us noticed even the slightest suspicious movement from anyone, we'd rush in together and subdue or neutralize them on the spot.
Good. If a murder still happened after all this, then it'd have to be some kind of divine prank. And since I had no intention of losing to a prank from God, I'd better stay razor-sharp.
"Yo, Togami! Done with the investigation? Then let's get this started already, yeah?"
"...Wait. We still need to decide where to store the case holding the dangerous items."
"The case...?"
After a discussion between Pigami and the others, they decided to store the case containing the weapons in the office, just like in the original story, with Pekoyama standing guard.
"Then that problem is settled. But there's still one more unresolved issue..."
"What now? Can we start already...? I'm starving here..."
"Monokuma. As long as Monokuma is around, we can't exactly relax and enjoy the party—"
"You don't need to worry about that!"
When Monomi suddenly popped in and everyone glared at her, she shrank in on herself and spoke in a dejected voice.
"W-What's with that reaction...? Am I really that untrusted...?"
"Hey, we're in the middle of something important here, okay? Stop interrupting and just—"
"About that... Monokuma can't interfere here!"
"W-What do you mean by that...?"
"I mean... this is the one place where the virus... no, that's a secret... umm... how should I explain this...?"
Monomi clutched her head for a moment, thinking hard, then gave an awkward smile.
"Anyway, in here, I'm stronger than Monokuma! So for now, please feel free to relax...!"
"That's kind of a huge detail! You should've said that sooner!! What were you doing all this time!?"
"F-Fuwaaah... s-sorry..."
"Jeez... whatever. So this place is safe, right? Good. Then that means we can finally relax and enjoy the party?"
"...It seems that way. Good. Then let's begin the party."
"Awesome! It's finally starting!"
"Slurp... So we can finally eat? Nice! I'm gonna devour every last thing here!"
"Kuhahaha... so the banquet finally begins... Entertain me well, body and soul! Ahahahahaha!"
And just like that, a fun party began—one where, if only for a little while, we could forget the terror and tension of the killing game.
"Wahahaha! I can't stop moving my hands! I'm happy! I'm so happy!"
"Of course you can't stop! This is the 'most delicious party cuisine in the world,' made by the great Hanamura himself, you know!?"
"I-It's so good... Am I really allowed to eat something this delicious...?"
"Huh? You're not gonna eat it? Then I'll eat it all myself."
"Don't be so greedy! There's plenty of food! I can bring out as much more as you want!"
If I were being honest, I wanted to glue myself to Komaeda's side and monitor his every breath and blink. But if I made my vigilance too obvious, it might only make Komaeda suspicious of me instead.
I'd rather not get singled out by Komaeda this early, so I decided to keep a reasonable distance while watching both him and the others.
I was still anxious, because I had no idea when something might suddenly go wrong, but seeing everyone smiling so happily made me smile too.
That said... the food really was incredible. No exaggeration—this was the best food I'd ever eaten in my life. Was this the power of the [Ultimate Cook]?
"Hey, everyone! Since we're all here, want me to take a picture?"
"Wow, that sounds wonderful! Please do!"
"Okay then... here I go? One, two, three... Cheese!"
Click
"Ah, I blinked! Again, again!"
"I-Is it really okay for someone like me to be left in all your photos...?"
"Talking happily with friends my own age like this, and even taking pictures together... it makes me so happy. Back in my kingdom, I always had to observe strict etiquette..."
"Koizumi, you should take one with everyone too, right? I'll take it for you."
"Hmm, I don't know if I trust you with it... Don't drop it, okay...? This thing is insanely expensive...!"
Hinata gave an awkward smile as Koizumi handed him the camera and he pressed the shutter. Meanwhile, over on the other side, Nidai suddenly started sweating buckets and muttering to himself.
"U-Urgh... m-my stomach... I-I need to go back to the hotel for a sec..."
"No."
"P-Please... I'm begging you, Togami...! At this rate... I'm gonna... crap my pants...!"
"There's a bathroom in the old building too. Why go all the way to the hotel...?"
"Because someone's been in there this whole time!"
Right beside the sweating, miserable Nidai, Tanaka suddenly raised his voice in grave alarm.
"T-This can't be... impossible...! My [Hellhound Earring] has vanished...? Has it been spirited away to another world...!?"
"What now...?"
"Poop! I need to poop! Poop!!!"
"Haaah..."
Those two really hadn't changed at all, in-game or otherwise. I snickered at their ridiculous display, then quickly pulled myself together and resumed watching Komaeda's side of the room.
Komaeda had been quietly talking with Nanami in the middle of the group for a while now. At first I relaxed, thinking he wasn't doing anything, but the strange smile he kept wearing while talking to Nanami was... suspicious.
I figured I needed to hear what they were talking about, so I set down the food in my hand and started heading toward them.
And then, without the slightest warning, it happened.
Crack!
"W-What!? What the hell just happened!?"
"A blackout! It's a blackout! This is scary!"
Wait. A blackout? How? I'd removed every possible cause of one.
"Damn it! Where's the exit!? I'm about to crap myself, and I can't see a thing in this pitch dark!"
"Why... why did the power suddenly go out...?"
"...That!"
Pigami, who'd been standing beside me, suddenly shouted in shock and took off running somewhere.
And where Pigami ran in frantic haste...
"Hah... haaah... d-don't come..."
"You there...! Stop!"
Someone was standing there, holding a knife coated in fluorescent paint.
"No...! Stop! Both of you!"
".....!"
Kyoko Kirigiri and I spotted it a beat too late and sprinted over at full speed, but—
"Uwah...! W-Who is it? Why are you pushing me—!?"
Thrust!
We were too late.
"Kyaaaaaah!"
"Ugh...!"
"W-What was that? That scream just now—?"
"Wh-What happened!? What happened!?"
"...This is an emergency! Tsumiki! Get over here, now!"
"B-But... it's too dark, I can't tell where anything is..."
Click!
Boom! Pop-pop!
"Ta-da! What did you think of the surprise party me and Komaeda prepared for you...? Huh...?"
The instant the lights came back on, Monomi popped out and set off party poppers she'd brought from somewhere—then froze, speechless, at the horrific scene in front of her.
And it wasn't just Monomi. The grotesque tableau was so ghastly that everyone who saw it froze solid.
"Ah... ahhh..."
Nanami was sitting collapsed on the floor, trembling, drenched in blood.
"Hngh... hhk... hngh..."
"D-Damn it! Hurry...! We need first aid, now!"
And Hinata was there too, a knife buried in his stomach, dragging in ragged breaths.
"The ending's a little disappointing... but, well... I guess it doesn't really matter...?"
And then Komaeda, who had somehow drifted up beside Kyoko Kirigiri and me without a sound, leaned in close.
"So? What do you think, you traitors?"
With a bright, delighted smile, he whispered it to us.
"It's a really fun surprise party, isn't it? Don't you think?"
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