A Murder Solved
—Hajime PoV
“And we’re back!” Monokuma cheerfully declares atop his throne.
“Hate to break it to you but nothings happened.” Confusedly states Elric. “What are you even talking about?”
“Doesn’t matter! Anyway back to the trial you lot!” He demands as we all turn back to Akechi who begins his line of thought.
“Simply put the entire mystery of this case. Why the Strike-9 is at the scene, how Darkness died and Lamprogue’s murder all hinges upon how those chairs got from the mall to his dorm room.” He summarises kindly.
“He just brought them over.” States Albarn unamused. “Why does this even matter?”
“Because he couldn’t have.” Retorts Akechi. “If one plots out all of his actions the past two days the only time he could’ve went to the mall was a time when he couldn’t have possibly done so.”
Humouring his train of thought I close my eyes and contemplate. When would this be? Yesterday he was around the Hotel all morning and after the walk got knocked down he was then still at the Hotel until the day ended.
And the way the mall is setup we’d have noticed if anything was taken prior meaning that he must’ve done so…
“Last night. Since no chairs were missing when my group went around the mall he must’ve taken it after this point. And he’s accounted for the entire time afterwards, until after hours.” I conclude.
“But why not this morning? Couldn’t he have done so then.” Points out Takaski but this time it’s Kirigaya who shakes his head.
“Akechi, Tachibana and Rose were on watch all night. Up until they went for breakfast that is. Meaning if he did so they would’ve had to have noticed.”
“And we didn’t see anyone all night.” Remarks Rose.
“Well technically not but I did think I saw a raven once.” Remembers Tachibana.
“Yes, it was early this morning at around four or so.” Supplies Akechi. “I heard a noise too, something like footsteps at a similar time.”
Pausing for a short moment a realisation hits me. Four pieces of evidence joining together into a single cohesive event. “I think I’ve got it.” I confidently declare. “I think I know how Lamprogue was able to get the chairs from the mall to his dorm room.”
“Let’s hear it then.” Akechi requests. “What do you think happened this morning that could explain all of these phenomena.”
Explaining it out I go step by step. “First I think he, at some point somehow, set up the zip line we found in the entrance hall. Probably back when he initially explored the place. He did so between two access points. An opened window above the door and a trap door in the wall of the staircase. From there he could sneak out of the Hotel without the trio noticing him.”
Clapping Akechi approves. “Impressive deduction. But then there’s how he was allowed to do so. The Legislations forbid leaving the Hotel at night, so how could he do such a thing?”
“Geass.” Another voice declares. Tachibana. “Monokuma admitted that he Geassed him at some point, but that it wasn’t too serious so he allowed it.”
“‘Too serious’ probably means it was because he knew why Lamprogue was doing this.” Akechi confirms.
“And what is that reason?” Asks Elric. “Why would he allow him to circumvent the rule?”
“Because he didn’t.” Tachibana declares. “All he did was Geass Monokuma into believing that Lamprogue was a ‘willing participant’ of the game.”
Growling the bear admits it. “It was a cunning move. Circumventing my rules like that.”
“Circumventing being the key word.” Remarks Yagami. “As breaking a rule is entirely different.”
“Thus by combination of good timing and planning he was able to sneak his way out of the Hotel. All without us ever realising it.” Concludes the detective.
“But what was the raven I saw? You can’t say that is was Lamprogue, his clothes are white and really shiny.” Queries Tachibana.
“It was his costume.” I pipe up. “While his usual attire is entirely too showy his black and masked costume wouldn’t be so showy. It’d look like a black shape in such dim lighting, maybe even a raven.”
“Sure I get all that.” Speaks up Midoriya, whose been uncharacteristically quiet for a bit now. “But then how did he bring the chairs back again? He couldn’t carry them all with him.”
Shaking his head Akechi remarks. “Why that was simple, if a little convoluted. As I found this particular invention in the mall.” Taking out of his pocket Akechi shows us all a remote control. A few minutes later a large propeller drone almost three foot wide and long with a vicious looking claw hanging beneath flies into the trial ground. “He got atop of this here drone and flew it back to his room. Leaving a window open to fly it through as well.”
“Then why didn’t we see any evidence of this afterwards?” Kirigaya asks. “Surely something would’ve been left behind in his room then?”
“No because he simply tossed the controller out the window. After flying the drone off the edge of the island. Since we’re so high up we’d never even realise it was used unless we found one of the drones missing. Which me and Akechi did by the way.” Finishes Yagami, the entire possibility solved in an instant. “The controller would’ve fallen so far it easily would’ve smashed apart, and since his dorm is directly above the rubble of the wall we’d never find it either.”
“Smart.” Reluctantly praises Degurechaff. “Covered up his own actions by using rubble that already existed and by discarding the drone off the island itself where we’d never find it. But how does that solve the poison issue?”
“True, he’d still need to get the poison out of the bin first! And that thing is nasty as hell.” Remarks Midoriya with a grimace.
“Why am I not surprised you know that?” Admits Nagita shyly.
“Because I’m awesome!” She declares proudly. “And you all know it!”
Coughing into her hand Ruby interrupts. “I’m curious as well, how do you explain away his success there? He can’t just Geass it open.”
“Maybe he did.” I remark truthfully.
“What?” She deadpans in shock. “You know I was joking right?”
“I know. But his Geass can work on AI, so we need to know. Is the bin an AI Monokuma?”
“Hm? Me?” We all collectively give him a ‘yes, you’ look. “Wow jeez rough crowd. Anyway yeah it’s an AI.”
“Seriously?” Albarn yells out in shock. “A bloody bin is an AI?”
“Yup! It has my eyes on it too so be could’ve looked right in and used his Geass.” The bear admits, grinning from ear to ear.
“See? Everything makes sense now.” Akechi smugly concludes. “Therefore it has to be Lamprogue’s bottle that we found at the crime scene! The one he took from the mall!”
“Yet what’s there to say the two victims died to the same bottle of poison?” Degurechaff points out. “Lamprogue got stabbed as well so what did that?”
“Actually me and Akechi found a bloodied kitchen knife at the bottom of the stairs. It likely got dropped down there after it was used to kill Lamprogue.” I reveal.
“But now we need to determine who brought tit to the scene of the crime.” Declares Akechi. “The victim, or his murderer?”
And thus another debate begins.
“It must’ve been the murderer.” Kirigaya starts us off. “I mean Lamprogue didn’t have a single weapon on him, he didn’t even have pockets, nor any signs of a knife in his room when we first entered.”
“But we have no idea who the murderer is. Anyone could’ve gotten that knife from the kitchens.” Contributes Potter for the first time.
“Well I couldn’t have done it!” Cheers Midoriya. “I was tied up and span around a bunch!”
“Nobody asked you.” Spat back Degurechaff. “And besides Lamprogue could’ve hidden the knife up his sleeve.”
“But his gun holster held a bottle of some kind.” Points out Ruby. “The one’s under his left shoulder…”
“How do you know that?” Albarn snaps back at her. “It’s not like it’s there anymore is it?”
“Wait a minute.” I interrupt their budding argument. “You said before that you found a shard of the bottle up his sleeve.”
Ruby nods in affirmation. “Yes, but then I found the lid. It had fallen into the bottom of his holster, it was all the same colour so I didn’t notice it at first.”
Clapping his hands together joyfully Akechi declares. “So now we know the first Blackened’s identity then!”
“Who?” Tachibana asks.
“Why it’s simply put, Lamprouge himself. He threw the bottle of Strike-9 that struck and killed Darkness.” He concludes with strict confidence and absolute finality.
“Can you prove this?” Potter asks curiously. “Can you prove that Lamprogue was the one who attacked first?”
“Why it’s simple. First off let’s forget about the knife for a moment. We know based on our current information that Lamprogue was the only person who could’ve possibly had the Strike-9 bottle from the mall. He almost certainly had this on his person as he welcomed us into his room and also when he left as well. Hence we then need to consider what happens next, what happened first in that foyer?”
“Darkness died.” I conclude. “We know that there was a struggle in the foyer at some point. This struggle is likely after she died since the body was discovered instantly after the struggle ended in the foyer.”
“Since Lamprogue was bruised and according to the Monokuma File died second we therefore know for certain that he was part of this struggle.” Adds Degurechaff. “Considering the elevator takes time to travel down therefore it means that Darkness must’ve been hit by the bottle before that. The only person who could’ve done that is Lamprogue, since only after the struggle began could the bottle have changed ownership.”
“After hearing all that I’m inclined to believe Lamprogue targeted the lift blindly.” Pointed out Takaski. “Meaning as soon as the door started opening he threw it in order to hit his target without pause so as to catch them off guard. Darkness might’ve been a Masochist but she was also an adventurer, meaning she had to have been caught off guard for someone like Lamprogue to have killed her.”
“I agree.” Akechi adds onto her explanation. “So with that I believe we can all agree?”
Words of affirmation echo out across the trial grounds. With one exception. “No, I don’t believe it.” Albarn snaps back at his words. “Why would Lamprogue go and kill someone for no reason? He couldn’t have known who’d be in that elevator so why was he so confident he’d hit his target.”
Smiling Akechi suggests. “Maybe because he called his target there. He asked for whoever his target victim was to come see him alone, and presumed that they would use the lift like any normal person would out of habit. Though he’d also be able to throw it at the staircase doorway from the same location just before his rooms door so it wouldn’t matter how they came just that they showed up. I believe we all are aware of our Monopads message app correct?”
“So your saying he messaged for someone to come to him. But there’s still a lot of people who could’ve went to the dorms aren’t there?” Points out Tachibana. “So how did he deal with this issue?”
“Why he simply trapped most of the ones most likely to do so in his dorm.” Answers the Ultimate Prince Detective. “Potter wouldn’t leave the cafeteria really since both his lab and he’s busy serving everyone else there. Nagita was a risk but he also was engaged in a pretty heated debate with Takaski for a while.”
“It lasted three hours.” Rin summarised with a sly grin, much to the two bookworms embarrassment.
“Elric also was pretty vocal about checking out his lab so he’d be unlikely to return to his room until later either.” Said Alchemist gives a shrug in response, but seems to agree mostly with Akechi’s conclusion. “That left myself, Hinata, Yagami, and Kirigaya. The last of whom he had no clue as to the location of but the rest he knew were working together against the supposed mastermind. Well Hinata was a bit of a fifty-fifty which he only confirmed by directly asking for him to gather everyone.
Since everyone showed up later he must’ve found it a success. Therefore he got rid of all possible individuals who’d go to the male rooms floor from the equation.”
“And then he only had to worry about his target being the one to arrive.” Summarised Ruby with a cruel grin. “Brilliant, tad risky but brilliant.”
“Indeed.” The detective admitted. “Sadly it seems his plan failed, as I believe his target ran into Darkness who ended up deciding to tag along. Or maybe she was heading further down and they both took the elevator together. Either way it resulted in him accidentally killing Darkness instead of his target. Hitting her with the thrown bottle of Strike-9.”
“So who was this target of his?” Potter asked. “If we knew that we’d be able to figure out everything. Since this target was likely the one who ended up engaging with him afterwards. Leading to his death.”
“Well I’m not capable of answering that I’m afraid. But I know someone who can shine a light on the matter, isn’t that right Midoriya?” Implies the detective.
The greenette stays suspiciously silent. Even as he continues on. “Before you stopped us from digging into your conversation with Lamprogue, into the details of what you said to him. Because while you may have told him the story you read, you also gave him some other detail. Something that made him worry, and you used that to lure him.
Lure him to try to kill someone within among us all.”
“Say that your right.” She drawls slowly. “How would going over our little chat be entertaining for me?”
Pausing he rests his hands against the banister before him. “Because it’ll put you one step closer to killing the true mastermind.”
Grinning ear to ear her vicious smile is followed by a telling cackle. “Oh yes. I’ll do this little request of yours then, just this once.”
Starting off she continues from where she left off before. “So Lamprouge managed to catch me off guard and knock me out after a short struggle.
He caught me off guard obviously, otherwise I’d have easily beat his ass.
Anyway I woke up all bound and stuff in his room. Then he started questioning me about stuff.
He Geass-ed me into telling the truth so I repeated what I read in the book mostly.
He even asked if I was the mastermind! But of course I’m not so I said no.
Sure I added some stuff like ‘the mastermind’s been worrying quite a bit since the start of the game’ but nothing major.”
“Wait, could you say that again?” I request.
“The whole ‘worrying since the game’s start thing’?” She retorts back with a vicious telling grin.
“You really said that?” Akechi puts in his mind. “Why?”
“Thought it’d be a bit interesting is all.” She teases out slowly. “Nothing more and nothing less!”
“But who meets that criteria then? A lot of us have been worried since this whole thing started. So how do we narrow it down?” Elric asks the lot of us.
“Well first off we can remove everyone locked in his room from contention.” Begins Yagami.
“Then the lot of us in the cafeteria. We all have alibis.” Rin adds.
“And with that last bit from me there’s only one left!” Gleefully declares Midoriya. “So tell us all who is the Blackened!”
Only two people lack alibis for the time of the murder. And only one fits Midoriya’s taunting to a T.
“Maka Albarn.” I declare without hesitation.
“Precisely!” Cheers Midoirya in celebration.
“W-what!” Said prime suspect cried out in protest. “Why would I kill him?”
“Not how could I but why?” Murmured Akechi to my right with a smirk. “Well in all honesty there isn’t a good reason for you to kill him, except in self defence.”
“But that would mean Lamprogue brought the knife.” States Misaka, mildly confused from all the information being passed along.
“Quite simply because his initial plan was, while impressively thought out, still flawed. The knife was something he brought along as a backup. Though I don’t know where he hid it.” Admits Akechi as an idea occurs to me.
“When he closed the door he forced it into the card slot. There was signs of something being forced into it from the outside.” I reveal to the group.
“I see. He must have slipped it there before locking us all in. By ensuring we don’t tamper with the door afterwards he guaranteed that it would remain undiscovered. Impressive as usual Lamprouge.” Yagami concludes the argument as the last real issue with the case is solved.
“What about Misaka!” Albarn furiously bluest out. “We both lack alibis, and being merely ‘worrying’ is vague as hell.”
Ignoring her suspicious behaviour Albarn’s right. Well except… “Yeah but Misaka’s the Ultimate Esper. She wouldn’t have to struggle against Lamprouge. Instead she would’ve just zapped him there and done.” I point out.
“Yeah, I would. Besides while my ability is powerful,” She gives a soft spark across her hand in demonstration. “I’m physically average at best for my age. I wouldn’t be able to overpower Lamprouge without serious difficulty.”
“Wait a moment.” Butts in Ruby. “Misaka, do you mind if I ask you something else quickly?”
“Nah, go right ahead.” Returns the electromaster.
“Why did you go down the stairs and not the elevator after the body discovery announcement played?”
Pausing in thought she soon answers. “Because as I left my room I ran into
“But what about motive!” Demands Albarn clearly panicking as she does. “Motive, means, opportunity! The last two have been accounted for with Lamprouge’s case but not Motive. Then what is it?”
“I think it was related once again to that story of Midoriya. Could you elaborate more on one specific aspect of it?” I ask over at her.
“Sure, go right ahead. What’d you wanna know?”
“More about that dimensional travelling tech.” I demand.
“Ooh. That’s exactly what Lamprouge asked. To travel to another universe in the story one needs a conduit of some sorts relating to that universe. The best example would be any of you lot! By using you as a medium the Remnants in the story would’ve been able to go to each of your worlds…” Pursing her lips together she then awkwardly adds. “And I maybe, sorta, kinda implied they did so… oops!” Bashfully sticking out her tongue she knocks her fist against her head in humour.
But it all finally made sense. “Then this piece of evidence certainly shines another light on things. And everything finally comes together.” With that declaration I slam my hands against the banister and begin.
“This is the truth of what happened in this case!”
——Final Argument
“On the first day of our lives in this island Lamprouge had just settled into his dorm for the night. However there he stopped and for whatever reason went exploring across the hotel. During this period he came across and discovered his Ultimate lab, and within it the core motive to this entire case.
A story book that he thought was real. It’s unclear as to weather it’s existence or placement was intentional or not on Monokuma’s account but it certainly worried him.
Therefore he began to prepare precautionary measures in order to further explore the city. The foremost of this being a way to stay out of the hotel after hours.
Either during the night or more likely the next morning whilst ‘exploring’ the hotel with his group he set up a zip-line that spanned across the entrance hall in order to make a secret exit to the hotel.
However later that day several unexpected things happened. Most notable of which being Izumi Midoriya unveiling herself as the Ultimate Despair. This led him to hasten his plans I presume and is why he went and directly plotted to murder someone.
I presume his initial target for this plot was Midoriya. As at the time he believed her to be the mastermind. And even if she wasn’t he’d still be able to complete his primary goal and leave this now known to be floating island via her death.
Meanwhile as he prepared his plot a few among us had gathered together to also fight against the mastermind. Taking note of the 9th Legislation’s wordings and thus setting up camp at the entrance to capture anyone who dared leave at nighttime.
This is something that greatly hindered his actions. But his earlier prepared secondary exit via zip line still existed. Tachibana, the guard at the time, mistook his costumed figure for a raven and Akechi narrowly missed him on the stairs after waking up to his footsteps.
But prior to all this he used a unique power of his, known as Geass, on Monokuma in order for him to be allowed to go out without breaking the 9th Legislation. He probably did this on the first night here when we know he asked Monokuma some things regarding his Geass. Since this led to the adding of a 10th Legislation.
Regardless he made his way over to the mall. Were he procured several collapsible chairs, a large drone and lastly, with a bit of Geass work, a bottle of Strike-9 poison we mentioned before. A lethal poison with an exact position he knew beforehand made his job a lot easier.
Flying atop the drone he travelled back to his dorm and entered in via an opened window. Afterwards he sent the drone far away from the island where we’d never find it. Before also destroying the controller by throwing it into the rubble of the destroyed wall from earlier.
The drop shattered it beyond recognition. So much so nobody found it during the investigation period nor noticed anything odd amongst the rubble.
With that all preparations were finished and he probably took a quick nap to build energy for his grand finale. It’s likely he didn’t even change from his costume too as the next morning Midoirya, out early and about, noticed him sneaking around to the kitchens. This is when he probably procured the knife he planned as a back up weapon, doing so only after waking up with a clearer head I’d imagine.
Curious the Ultimate Despair followed him back up and ended up finding him sneaking into his Ultimate lab. There she got a good look at the story from before when he noticed and knocked her out without her noticing.
Though she was able to sneak the story into her clothes beforehand and even the lab key at the same time. Though I seriously don’t know how she did this, but the proof is there.
After that he bound and gagged her, taking her to his dorms where he could sneakily interrogate her. Likely suspecting the story to some degree due to its unbelievable nature.
Sadly for him Midoirya was too cunning and managed to work around his Geass order to tell the truth and ended up confirming the story using clever play of words I imagine.
However she also revealed that she isn’t the mastermind. And when quizzed as to the mastermind identity she gave a vague and nondescript hint that bordered on lying.
Unfortunately this led to him concluding a specific person to be the mastermind, this person would end up becoming our unfortunate Blackened. Thus his target had changed. Regardless he adapted his plan and changed back to his normal clothes. Hiding the poison in his gun holster in preparation to kill his target.
Leaving the knife at the side Midoriya was left bound and gagged upside down in his room as he headed down to the cafeteria. There he found several people milling about as usual. His target wasn’t there though.
He ate quickly and as I, the one unpredictable component in the first step of his plan walked in he came up to me and requested I gather everyone who wants to stop the mastermind at his room after breakfast.
Thankfully for him I confirmed his suspicion as to my side on the argument and the last major issue in his plan had been settled. He went back to his room to ready himself for the last stage.
Hiding the knife in his sleeve he welcomed us into his room and slid it into his doors card slot behind him. Closing the door he put on a show for a bit to lower our guard before using his Geass to force us to remain inside the room and to not interact with his front door.
With that last bit in place he left and messaged the Blackened. Likely giving the potential identity of the mastermind as bait to lure her out or something similar. Bait she unfortunate took, hook, line and sinker.
Meanwhile downstairs Darkness, our other victim, had just left the cafeteria. It’s unclear why but likely she planned to go grab something from her room before going out somewhere.
Sadly on her return trip she ended up joining the soon to be murderer in the elevator. A totally turn of misfortune as when the elevator stopped at the floor just below, where Lamprogue lay in wait, he unclipped and tossed the bottle forward.
For whatever reason, luck or otherwise Darkness took the entirety of the attack. She died almost instantly due to the overwhelming amount of poison against her skin.
Seeing the person she was likely just talking to die before our eyes the targets fight or flight instincts kicked in. And she picked fight.
Grabbing the knife Lamprouge engaged with her in a brief struggle the target easily won. Superior strength and technique that few here could demonstrate, and among our potential targets she was the only one who could do so in hand to hand.
Snatching the knife away from him, it likely getting coated in poison from either the target’s hands or from trace amounts elsewhere during the struggle she thrust down. Lamprouge tried to dodge but unfortunately the blade held the poison well and he died almost instantly. But he had enough time to gesture to the location of his murder weapon, leaving a bloodied handprint on the scanner.
Of course this was likely an accident on the targets fault but regardless she became the Blackened. Desperate to cover up her crimes she dragged away the body and then fled. Tossing the knife down the stairs to try and distance herself from the crime.
Then she returned to her room and changed her bloodstained clothes. Freshly dressed she hurried to go get herself an alibi but it was too late. Darkness’ body was discovered and thus she instead hurried to not stand out more than she already has.
On the way though she made a serious mistake. As she ran into Misaka she quickly led the both of them down the stairs. Doing so to avoid the elevator she knew to be compromised and not realising that doing so ensured her position as the perpetrator.
Lastly Kirigaya added a slight wrinkle to the situation by slicing down the dorms door. This landed over the original blood stain and almost caused us to lose Lamprouge’s final message, his handprint as well.
But all of this was for a reason. As Lelouch Lamprogue, or should I say Lelouch Vi Britannia as revealed by the Dorm Record Booklet, did so in order to protect his family from the ‘threat’ that the Remnants posed to them.
I don’t know if that would make it up to you, but it would if I was in your shoes. Maka Albarn, the Ultimate Scythe Wielder.
——
In tears now she stood there silently. Numbly fixed in place as silent sobs wracked her body. “I k-know…” She shakily murmurs. “I-I’ve h-hated every m-moment since… I-in a way I-I’m thankful r-really…
Because I never wanted to kill anybody.”
Falling back out of her pedestal she curled up. Just crying slow and quiet sobs in the room devoid of all other sound.
For we all can relate. We all have things we can never take back. Some certainly worse than others, and in the end it’s all something we are forced to live with. To learn from.
And to face the future with a greater understanding of what will result from our actions. So we don’t make the same mistake ever again.
Or so the world should be.
“Hm? Is that it?” Confused Monokuma asks the lot of us without a shred of tact.
“Yup!” Cheerfully chirps Midoriya also with a similar disregard for social etiquette. Or she just takes way too much fun out of all this. “Anyway since she went and admitted it the trials pretty much over.”
“Good, this whole thing is just a bore fest. So let’s get onto the voting! Will you make the right choice or the horribly, horribly wrong one!”
A small pad pops out of the banister before me as sixteen names sit side by side. Almost in sync everyone pushes the exact same name, and a monitor pops out the back of Monokuma’s throne and unfolds into a monitor.
On the screen a spiralling wheel appears. Each of our faces at the edge. Three slots at the top turn over one at a time as the colourful wheel rapidly spins once onto Albarn, twice into Albarn and lastly once more onto Albarn.
Flashing brightly a picture of her swinging a rather freaky looking scythe pops up onto screen as the word blackened is scribbled across it in black messy paint.
“You were all correct! The Blackened is Maka Albarn! The Ultimate Scythe Wielder!” Declares Monokuma cheerfully before slumping down. “It’s a shame she went and admitted in the end though… oh well at least the killing got started so it’s a-ok!”
Stepping off her platform Tachibana goes round and pats the downtrodden Albarn on her back gently. Her tears drying down as she merely sits silently on the spot.
Until eventually she speaks. “She saved me. Darkness jumped in front of me and took the blow for me. If it wasn’t for that I’d…” Drawling off the unfairness of this game settles down once more.
“Three people, all good willed, ended up dying for nothing.” Kirigaya summarises numbly, first crunching up in rage. “It’s not fair.”
“Yeah and life ain’t fair. Seriously I thought the ‘Demon Emperor’ would’ve lasted a bit longer but I guess a killing game is nothing if not unpredictable.” Monokuma grumbles annoyed. “Anyway may as well raise my spirits then!” Smiling ear to ear in an eerie replica of Midoriya’s feral grin he cries out. “Therefore Despair City is proud to announce its new and improved! A giant red button rises up from the centre of the podiums and floats upwards before the similarly raised throne. “Punishment time!”
Leaping off Monokuma punches down the giant button that clicks back and a sixteen but image pops onto screen.
——
Maka Albarn has been discovered as the Blackened.
(An image of Monokuma with a scythe chasing after a sixteen bit Albarn runs across the screen rapidly)
Time for her Punishment!
——
—Maka PoV
Suddenly I appear in mid-air, my cloak swirling around me as I settle onto the sandy surface below. A large metal scythe painted like Soul resting at my side.
Latching onto the familiar weapon I step forward and find an endless hoard of Monokuma helmeted kishin.
Led by a Monokuma in a witch hat wielding a wand.
I don’t even need to think to know what I need to do. Charging into the field I raise my blade and slice and weave through the hoards in a tornado of death and destruction.
Ducking past bolts of lightning blasting all around me I feel as the kishin slash against me again and again, as I destroy more and more of them. Scythe cracking slowly as it wears down steadily.
The hoard grows taller and taller, my body getting weaker and weaker until finally the blade shatters into a million pieces. Pausing the hoard opens up to reveal a single black cloaked figure with two comically shaped hands.
Turning around it crossed them into an X as it reveal a Monokuma mask instead of the usual mask of Lord Death.
And finally the witch speeds forward as it spins round and around and around before piercing into my chest. Spearing right through me as in my final moments I saw the hoard rise up and dive down.
And I knew with every fibre of my being true and absolute failure. Absolute Despair.
As I died.
—Hajime PoV
The monitor flickers off as it collapses back down behind the throne. Monokuma wiping nonexistent sweat off his brow. “Woo! I’ve missed this, haven’t had a good punishment in a long, long time! Puhuhuhu!”
And someone else also was beaming with excitement from the sight. “Ah~ Sweet, sweet Despair~” Flopping around red faced Midoriya gasps and heaves from pleasure as she laughs crazily away to herself.
“Why?” I ask in barely a whisper but Monokuma turns to me anyway.
“Why what? ‘Why’d she have to die?’ ‘Why’d she suffer so much?’ ‘Why’re we forced into this killing game?’ The answer to everything is hidden right here. In the depths of this city, but I’ll leave you with one word of advice before departing.” Chuckling his red eye light up as his teeth curl outwards into that feral grin once again. “The truth can sometimes be worse than the lies.”
And with that he flies away atop his throne. As our first, and unfortunately far from the last class trial draws to a close.
—Interlude I
—??? PoV
“Well isn’t this a curious find?” I murmur to myself as I turn over the black notebook held in my right hand. “I wonder what kind of Despair this could bring?
Or would the curse of Death bring the greatest Hope of them all!”
Tossing it out with my other, cold metal hand I look into it as my fluffy snow white hair reflects back at me. Maddening dark eyes shimmering in the dim light of the blood red moon floating above.
“May your Hopes shine ever brighter our champions of all! The Hopes of the multiverse, can you save us all!” I cackle out as a blue holographic image of a black and white bear fades away.