Vitamin Byakuya
You walked out of the supermarket with a satisfied grin on your face. Finally, you had attire that wasn’t just some dogshit uniform! You swung your arms around as a test, liking the flow of your new red top. The way you couldn’t move your neck much under the stiff cast was super annoying, though. Also, you scrubbed off Nagito’s marker. It was stupid, anyway. You should just ditch him there.
You already had it memorized, though.
You also did another test with this cool rose-themed switch blade you found, the handle molded into thorned knuckles. Self-defense? Check.
Life was good.
Besides that, though, you had a destination to hit.
The big blocky letters of Usami Corral greeted you. Just as you expected, Byakuya was striding about, making notes and observations. He met your eyes pretty quickly.
“...So, you noticed it too?”
“The weird lack of mosquitos? I know right, usually my skin would be covered in annoying little bug hickeys by now,” you snorted.
“Animals in general,” he rolled his eyes. “Birds fly here above here in circular motions, but they never come down. No bugs, except for the ants here. So far, this ranch seems to be the only place with any natural animals.”
You hummed. “I saw fish when I was swept out to sea.”
He lifted a brow. “Could you identify the type?”
“Uh… no. They kinda just looked like vague silhouettes, now that I think about it.”
He tilted his head. “Very strange indeed, isn’t it? I suppose we’ll just have to listen to Nagito’s results when we get back.”
“Right. Cuz of his weird luck and all that.” Maybe you’d get lucky and a fish would slap his lying ass silly. “Oh, hey, you got something on your face, by the way.”
“...Excuse me?” He ran a hand down his cheek.
“Riiiight…” You moved swiftly, swiping a harsh thumb underneath his eye. “Aha.” The pale smudge of concealer came off with it.
A stark bag popped out from underneath that eye.
“Caught you now, dickface. Was was it you said now… ‘don’t aggravate your health’?” you mocked. “You haven’t gotten a single wink of sleep since you got here, have you?”
He glared. The sun made him look like some kind of half-raccoon—dark mask and all. “Mind your own business.”
“I would, if our leader wasn’t being such a total hypocrite. You expect me to trust someone who leads as recklessly as this?” You wiped the concealer into the small grains in the pads of your fingers. “Absolute bullshit.”
“Tch.” His gaze flickered to the side. For a second, all of that pride and hard work ethic disappeared. All you saw was sheer exhaustion.
You rolled your eyes. “Listen, I don’t usually do this for free, but… we’re not incapable slugs, you know. You’d do best not gripping all this stupid responsibility. Find a partner, or something. At least let someone tell you when you’re going way too anal. Or someone to force you to sit the fuck down.” You shrugged. “That’s all I have to say to you, though, so you better not come to me. Ever.”
“...hmph,” he cracked a smirk, “not only did I shirk my duties of keeping myself afloat as leader, I got lectured by a half-wit. Truly, how unbecoming.”
You lifted an unamused brow. “You’re about to get shirked.”
“Spare me the air.” He stretched, sauntering out of the ranch. “Now… if you excuse me, I suppose we both have some rest we should be catching up on.” He turned to glare at you.
“Oh yeah? Well, you know what? You… fuck you!”
You couldn’t tell him to fuck off, after just telling him to go the hell to sleep. But you didn’t need sleep right now! You needed a distraction.
He was already gone, though.
Dark shadows engulfed the trees and grass. All the green was less scenery and more of a light engulfing them from every angle. The sun couldn’t reach them untouched. The path was dry, scattered with pebbles and dirt.
The most noise anyone made from the walk in the forest was Hiyoko’s grumbling whenever a branch slapped or tripped her in the face. Mahiru plastered bandages on her face. She snarled at Mikan whenever she tried to get close.
“This is so stupid.” She pushed out her cheeks with a pout. “What’s Ham Hand’s deal, seriously?”
“H—how long have we been walking, now…?” Mikan’s anxious eyes darted from branch to crevice to sky. Nothing, nothing, nothing.
Teruteru hung in the far back. “I… is it just me, or is there rustling going on? I mean, not that I care, this is just a forest, and all that... actually, what’re we even doing? Why don’t we just go back and fix ourselves a nice, tasty snack?”
“Maybe you’ll be able to lure the animal fucker into a carboard box,” Hiyoko snickered. “Be careful, guys. I wouldn’t want any of you contracting his rabies. Well, except for Mikan.” Gundham had scurried off into the brush with a bold declaration of some kind of sigma male poetry.
Teruteru swallowed. “W… well, then, let’s hope he’s not as good at biting as I am—”
“God, just be quiet!” Mahiru snapped. “Can’t you do your part without complaining? Do you want to be stuck here forever?”
“I—I’m sorry…!” Mikan shriveled. “I… I just…”
“If you’re sorry, then shut your stupid face.” Hiyoko’s gaze then jabbed hard into Mahiru. She took an irate step forward.
“…You think any one of us wants to be stuck here? You think we want to be doing this stupid, pointless hunt assigned to us by an over bloated shithead? Fine, then. Since we’re so incompetent, why don’t you stand in front and guide us through? If you want to help, then the very least you can do is be a meat shield for the rest of us.”
Mahiru swallowed. “O… okay.” She took slow steps in front of the huddled kids, holding out a shaky, resolute hand. “I know, I’m not the flashiest, or prettiest, or most charismatic… but…everyone's trying their best…” She fiddled with her camera strap. “I don’t really know why we’re doing any of this, but… if this is what we have to do to escape… then we should do it.” She returned Hiyoko’s gaze with a resolute one.
“…Hmph.” She turned her head. “You try way too hard, it’s weird and disgusting.”
Her brows furrowed. “…What's wrong with you? Why are you so… so scared, and… mean?”
She stuck out her tongue. “‘Wah wah wah wah wah, wah wah wahhhhh wah. That’s you. That’s what you sound like right now.”
Heavy, pounding footsteps shook the leaves. Everyone yelped, Hiyoko ducking behind Mahiru as everyone pressed together.
“Y… you…!” She thrust a hand in front of the group, cold and clammy in her search. “Show yourself!”
A dark shadow trampled through the bushside, spotted and grimed with twigs and leaves. Gundham heaved, the sharp circles around his eyes smudged from the cold sweat running down his face.
“Ew, what the hell!” recoiled Hiyoko.
His bandaged fingers clutched deep into his pants. His hamsters shivered over his back. “S… Seehh…”
“Seth Rogen?” blinked Teruteru.
“Severed… hand…!”
They looked at each other. Mahiru nodded. “Let’s go.”
“T… that’s…!” Mahiru’s hand flew to her mouth. In the middle of that was a pulpy, mangled ball of flesh. Blackened with shards of bone peeking out under the meat of the wrist. Little twists of fingers, spiraling out in directions humans weren't meant to bend in.
“AAAAAAAAA!” Teruteru yanked at his pompadour.
“Black putrification,” mumbled Mikan as she kneeled in the grass. “It’s been about three weeks since this limb was severed. If we touch it, it’ll melt. Odd, though… left out in a place like this, it should be swarming with maggots and bugs…”
“It smells… so…” Mahiru gagged.
Gundham’s face pulled into a deep grimace. “You, mortal fiend… stand up, if not for just now. Your skill as an eternal preservation magus is required to deliver the truth.”
“W… what…?” Mahiru’s eyes watered as she wretched again.
His eyes flickered to the camera on her waist, before ghosting just above the severed hand.
“O… oh. Oh, no, no, no—I—I can’t—” She twisted until her strap coiled into a thin wire. “I—I don’t… take pictures… of… l—look, it was already a stretch with the animals, okay? But… but this?”
“I…I’m sorry, but, um,” Mikan looked up anxiously from the ground. “I… it’s necessary evidence… I mean, it’s not like this hand is in the state to be carried anywhere… but we need everyone to know the severity of what's going on...”
“But…! I mean...”
“Y—you don’t have to!” Mikan waved her hands. “I could just be being stupid! O—or, I’m sure we can just go back and tell them, I—I mean, I’m sure they don’t need to know that many details, anyway…”
“No, I... I… I’ll do it.” Mahiru stood on trembling feet, shaking out a haze of a breath. She was going to be useful. If this was the only thing she could do with her talent, she was going to do it. “Just… gotta get up and do it, right? Gotta get up… and not…” She dry-heaved to her knees. Come on, come on, come on. What was wrong with her? She needed to step up.
The camera clattered in her fingers. She grit her teeth. Click. Click. Click. Each time it came out a blur of a mess.
“Give me that.” She found her neck yanked forward by her camera strap, a soft click reaching her ears before the machine thudded into her chest.
Hiyoko clapped her hands together with a roll of her eyes. “There. Now get off the ground.”
“How… you just…” Mahiru rubbed her eyes. Yes, the hand was still there. Yes, it was still the most repulsive thing she’d ever seen. “How can you be so calm?”
Hiyoko pouted. “Unlike all of you, loser doesn’t run in my genetics.”
Mahiru opened her mouth. Closed it. She should’ve been angry. She should’ve been stern. How could she say things like that?
And yet, she was right.
“…You’re really strong, Hiyoko.”
Perhaps that was the last thing she expected to hear, with the way her eyes rounded and her mouth slackened. “You’re… weird.”
“And, well, your technique is pretty shoddy,” Mahiru let out a weak grimace-laugh as she wiped her dress across the screen. It burned. She looked, but she refused to see. “The lighting is all off.”
“Oh, shut the fuck up.”
“Aww, now that might just be the sweetest thing she’s said all day,” snickered Teruteru.
Hiyoko beamed, stars spinning in her eyes. “I’m gonna cut off your weewee.”
“Oh, please, you’d need a wood saw to even handle my meat, hmhmhm!” He stroked at his chin. “…Get it? Cuz I’m a chef? But also because—”
Gundham rolled his eyes. Mikan snuck behind Mahiru, who scoffed. Hiyoko took her hand and led the group away.
“Heeey! Hey, wait, it was a joke! Where are you all going?”
“Shhhh, just keep walking, he'll move on eventually.” Hiyoko whispered.
“W… well, I—I’m sure he’s not all that bad, guys.” Mikan scratched at her bandages. “I mean, isn’t he pretty nice? He even gives me compliments…” Her nails dug just a little bit harder, “...I should be grateful…”
“Nonsense. He reeks of hellfire and degeneracy. Do not let the babble of level one fools deter you. He is merely the mask of a fearsome beast, when in reality a mere mortal such has him would be torn apart by the hell rats in Wrath’s dumpster.” Gundham closed his eyes.
Mikan made an awkward giggle. “Y—you say that, but… what’s going to happen to you… if you don’t listen to other people? Ah! N—not that I’m questioning you or anything, sorry! I—I’m so sorry!” Her breathing staccatoed; sharp intakes without any out.
Gundham pursed his lips, bringing one finger out for a fat orange hamster to roll down. “Nonsense. You may be frail for a mortal, but you are by no means incompetent." He paused, as if coming to a decision. "Lift up your palm.”
“H… huh?” Hesitantly Mikan did as asked, yelping when Cham-P bounded from one bandaged hand to another, nuzzling in the crook of Mikan’s fingers. “This is…” She stared incredulously at the creature nuzzling her wrist.
“You have officially been taken under the wing of one of my four Dark Devas of Destruction. Nothing shall dare come out and strike beasts crawled up from the very depths of hell!” he cracked one eye open. “So consider yourself completely, utterly safe.”
“I… I see…” a smile bubbled softly onto her face. “I’m g—glad. Thank you.”
Hiyoko jabbed out her tongue. “Lame, lame, lame. If anything would attack it’d kill you first cuz you’re just so goddamn lame. C’mon, big sis!”
Mahiru found her torso slung forward as Hiyoko rushed off ahead, hands in tow. “Eh? H—hiyoko? Wait!”
Teruteru ran after them in the distance. “Guys? Hey? Guys! Wait for meee!”
She buzzed with energy. Excitement? Anticipation? Fear? Perhaps a mix of all three. It had gotten hard to tell which emotion was which over the years.
All she knew was that she had an opportunity, here. An opportunity to be herself.
She looked down at her sparkling smooth hands.
What was ‘herself’?
She was the Ultimate Princess, future heir of the kingdom of Novoselic. Her kingdom defined her. Her people defined her. Her title defined her.
And yet, who was Sonia Nevermind?
Perhaps no one would find out.
“IT’S A REAL SHAME STEVE JOBS DIED OF LIGMA, HUH?”
“Ah!” Sonia slammed her head against the back of a shelf, wrapped up kitchen knives tumbling out of her hands. “Ibuki! What’re you… may I help you, in some way? Who’s Steve Jobs?”
“Ligma balls,” Ibuki let out a hyena’s cackle.
Well, one thing was sure about Sonia Nevermind: she had absolutely detested loud noises. Irritation would solve nothing, though. As a matter a fact, she wasn’t even sure she had it in her to be irritated, anymore.
She had come to understand: this was not the Ultimate Musician, but simply Ibuki Mioda. Or perhaps the Ultimate Musician was Ibuki Mioda as well.
“Well well, does Sonia actually have a bit of a freaky side to her?” Ibuki giggled, sweeping the utensils from the floor. “Kitchen knives? How scary!”
“Ah! No, I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry, to be perfectly honest, I’ve been a bit too distracted to do any work, and wandered in here on accident…” She swallowed. “I—It’s unbecoming of me, I know. I’ll be sure to do better from now on.”
“Aww, you got nothing to worry about, Sonia! Hm… Son-son? Sony? Wait, nope, not that one. You do not want to know what Ibuki did to her last playstation.” A perky beam flattened over her face. “Ibuki just thought Sonia’s been looking pretty down. Not that that’s not, like, totally natural, and all. If kitchen knives make her feel better, then kitchen knives make her feel better! Ibuki doesn’t kinkshame! Unfortunately, Ibuki’s already had seven twenty year bans on knives from people-a-plenty! Life just doesn’t make any sense, huh?”
“…Down?” Sonia laughed. How strange.
Her smile didn't budge. That was a pride she carried at the forefront of her mind.
“Oh! Oh! Would you like Ibuki to sing from her newest album? They’re Ibuki’s collection of lullabies!” Before Sonia could respond, she was forced to grind her palms into her ears as Ibuki belted out a cacophony of shrieks and warbles. “Ohhhh-mi-gosh! You should totally hire Ibuki as one of your royal musicians—she would absolutely blow the fans’ heads off!”
Sonia pretended to titter behind her palm as she lied ruthlessly. She needed to preserve her friendships and play it smart, after all, if she wanted any chance at living. “Ah… as tempting an offer that is, Novoselic is… unfortunately, not a very music centered place. I am not sure they would understand your brand of music, although it is very lovely.”
“Ehhhhh? Not musical, eh? Sad! How very sad!” Ibuki pouted. “Who cares what the people want, anyway? It’s your palace, you should get to choose the music! Specifically, Ibuki’s royally awesome music! And if anyone tries to protest, put up a moat of venomous crocodiles! Especially if they’re paparazzi. Ibuki thinks paparazzi are just tooootal life-stealers.”
“Ah… well, you wouldn’t be wrong about that…” Sonia tucked the knives neatly back onto the shelf. Perhaps it was best to ignore Ibuki if she wanted to find the most optimal work strategy. She couldn’t stay here forever, after all.
As much as she could try to delay it—they needed her.
On the other hand, though, this was supposed to be her paradise... the one place she could truly relax as herself.
Ah, whatever. She could always escape tomorrow.
“Oh, oh, oh! Ibuki wants to show you the song she’s currently working on! It’s called ‘I May Or May Not Have Blacked Out While Running Over A Few Kids Last Night And I’m Doing It Again!”
“Ah, uhm, that is really not—”
Ibuki launched into the first verse without a second thought. Her chords were mixed all over the place. The musical structure was something Sonia had never seen before.
And yet… there was the jagged way she smiled as she sung, strong and vibrant. It was like she sucked the world in around her, gathering all of the light into one spot.
It was so overbearing. Cocky. Reckless.
And yet another thing was sure to be Sonia Nevermind: slimy, hot envy.
“ —NICE SPIRIT, IBUKI! Are we all gathering here for a break?” Nekomaru let out a hearty laugh as he rounded the corner with Akane in tow. She had a mouthful of almond cookies stuffed down her throat and a glare aimed at Nekomaru.
“You’re welcome!” Ibuki’s nose elongated.
“Ugh, I seriously don’t get this thing…” Akane sighed, haphazardly tossing the empty box into a trashcan.
“Nonsense!” Nekomaru let out a hearty laugh, completely missing the way Akane snarled or tensed her spine like a thick rope. Or, perhaps he did catch it, as he quickly put his hand back into his pocket.
Sonia tilted her head. “How odd. I figured you two would be the most excited for this venture.”
“Who says I’m not excited?” Grinned Nekomaru. “There’s always something enjoyable about everything—if you don’t think that way, you’ll never have fun in life.”
“If food ain’t involved, then it’s not fun,” concluded Akane, certainly.
“Now now, I’m sure there are still ways we can enjoy our stay here…” Sonia tried. “Besides, shouldn’t you make more of an effort to be getting along with everyone else? I hear friendships can make a person live longer.”
“Friendship smendship,” Akane snorted. “Actually, Salami, you remind me of this kid I know.”
“Pardon, what did you just—” Sonia smiled as wide as she possibly could. “…Who do I remind you of?”
“This girl I forgot the name of. She was all about friendship and workin’ together to stay alive. She… gave me her food for free, can you believe that? Anyway, I found her dead and beat up in the back of a dumpster. I think a local gang got to her.” Akane frowned for a moment, thinking to herself. “Well, she was kind of weird, anyway. Ally to ally, though, you really gotta stop being so goody-to-shoes eventually. If you don’t wanna die, that is.”
“So sheek! So edgy! Kyaaa, Ibuki’s gonna explode!”
Sonia hummed, biting back a swallow. “Why do you think I’m doing to die?”
“If death was cheese you’d be a really fat rat,” said Akane. “I mean, if I had to guess Big Guy’s probably planning to kill one of you, after all. Haven’t you noticed how much control he already has over the group? That’s like, backstabbing for babies.” She scratched the back of her neck. “Good luck, though.”
“Are you sure? Would it not be worth having a little more faith in him?” Sonia hummed.
“If you wanna die, sure.”
“But, that’s not…” Sonia paused. “What if… he was actually trying to help us, and we didn’t die?”
Akane snorted, breaths breaking into a hearty laugh. “Oh. Oh, man, you’re funny! Or stupid. But like, a funny kinda stupid, y’know? People don’t help each other for no reason. That’s how you survive in the world, y’know? You got a lot to learn, Salami.”
“ …Perhaps I do,” smiled Sonia. She couldn’t fight. She couldn’t start conflict. That was how the Ultimate Princess survived.
“RIDICULOUS!” Nekomaru pounded his chest. “You can’t go in assuming people are always gonna mean the worst! Everyone’s got something to contribute, one way or another! Byakuya’s a hard worker, y’know that? We should respect him for it!”
Instantly, she crouched against a shelf, barking at him.
"This is seriously ridiculous!" Hajime bit down a sharp sigh. "We’re in a killing game, and we’re spending the whole day failing at fishing.”
“You’re right. It is weird I haven’t caught anything by now.” Nagito tried to offer Hajime a reassuring smile as he pat his back. “...Well, at least—"
"Shut. Up."
"...Sorry."
Chiaki’s eyes flitted from person to person. She hadn’t even tried to set up a rod, busying herself with some kind of Animal Crossing. “Well, I know it’s not my place to butt in… but you being all defensive isn’t helping either, Hajime.”
“…Huh?” His head snapped around, almost forgetting the girl was there. “What’re you talking about…? It’s better than sitting, pretending everything’s okay! We’re practically just waiting for someone to die!”
“…really?” Silently, she turned her console off and laid her head on her knees. The eye contact was big and unblinking. “Everyone’s trying their best to cope with this situation in their own ways. Nagito’s trying to help you feel better. I get it’s scary, but I’m sure there’s a lot more you could be doing to help than lashing out at people. Besides,” her eyes hardened. “No one’s going to kill each other. We’re… all good people here.”
“I… I’m not…” his brows furrowed. He eyed her oddly. “You’re making me just sound like some kind of detriment…”
She blinked. “Am I…? I’m sorry, then. You’re a very logical person, Hajime. You think before you leap, and that’s really commendable. Imagine how much improvement you’d bring if you’d give Byakuya a chance, though. Have some faith—even Usami’s been saying it. We won’t have any future if we don’t all put in the work together.”
Hajime pursed his lips together. “I don’t…”
Nagito laughed. “What wise advice! Truly, unexpected from an Ultimate like yourself. Then again, there's no way you could be called the Ultimate Gamer if you were just a one trick pony.”
Chiaki’s lips twitched. “I don’t know about that… there’s still a lot I have to learn myself. Pointing out the flaws in other people is easy, but it’s different when it comes to yourself. Speaking of which… um…” she lifted her hood over her head. “There’s something… I should really tell you all… before it gets out of hand.”
“Do you remember… what Monokuma said, when he told us…” Chiaki’s eyes blurred into the distance. “When he said… our memories…? When he was mentioning…”
Hajime lifted a brow.
Nagito offered a sheepish laugh, “Well, there were a lot of things Monokuma was saying in that instance… At the very least, you’ll have to be more specific.”
Chiaki suddenly lurched forward, palms pressed to her coughing mouth.
“C—Chiaki?” Hajime shot up, moving to kneel by her side. “Seriously, what’s going on?”
Saliva shot from her mouth, a shaking hand clutched into her collar. “I… I… I…! I’m trying… to…!” A weak hand sealed her lips. A particularly harsh cough sent blood flecking through the corners. “Tell—you…!”
“Chiaki…!” Nagito’s brows bent, “Talk to us! What’s going on…?”
“I… I don’t… I don’t know—” Another wretch.
A shadow stepped over them, piercing red eyes awful bright under the sun. “ …We should bring her to Mikan. Immediately.”
“B…but, she’s walking around the woods, right?” panicked Hajime. “She could be anywhere!”
“Look!” Nagito pointed, to a crowded blur of figures rushing into the hotel.
Everyone shared a glance. A nod.
“Let’s go.”
"Um, well, you don't seem to have anything wrong with your health, except for maybe sleep, dehydration, and, um, hygeine..." Mikan closed her first aid kit. "Nothing that should induce blood, though..."
"Huh... weird." Chiaki went back to playing her games. "Guess I'll figure it out in my own time, then."
“ …So, brave and oh so glorious leader, how’re you gonna explain away a severed hand?” you whistled, tilting your chair back on its legs.
Everyone sans Fuyuhiko and Akane huddled around in uncomfortable circles.
“This is what I’ve been saying,” Hiyoko jeered. “There’s been a complete and total massacre on this island!”
“That… is starting to seem more plausible…” Sweat beaded on Byakuya’s brow. “But there are still inconsistencies with this theory.”
“But then… why have we been left alive?” grunted Nekomaru. “What do our captors have to possibly gain?”
“And the questions just keep piling higher and higher…” Teruteru let out a loud sigh. “It’s useless to think anymore. I’ll be in the kitchen preparing snacks. Call me if anything important happens.”
“Hey, come on, you coward!” Mahiru grabbed him by the scarf. He split between a scream and a moan.
“No. He’s right. We have no clues that lead to any answers so far. Only mystery after mystery. We’ll only go in circles if we keep thinking about this.”
“Um… Guys? I feel like we might be… y’know… slightly overlooking the little fact that there’s a severed hand on the island we’re living in!” screeched Kazuichi. “What the hell happened here? Are we next?”
“Um, I believe Byakuya just told us we can’t worry about that, for now…” Sonia pursed her lips.
“So we’ll move on. Kazuichi, how has progress been on the machine?”
“Eh? W—well… it’s done, I think… haven’t run any tests on it yet, but…”
“Good. Then we’ll begin immediately. Everyone, gather at the beach.” With Byakuya’s declaration, everyone parted.
Despite this being their biggest shot at escape, Akane hadn't bothered to show up.
Everyone gathered in a circle under the deep night of the beach, apprehensive gazes going around.
Kazuichi put his communicator on the ground. You couldn’t really tell what it was—there were plates and screws and wires but other than that you couldn’t make out piece from messy piece.
“…Is everyone ready?” Even Byakuya couldn’t stow away all of his anxiety, leaving it trickling in little lines down his cheek.
“I don’t think we have a choice,” laughed Nagito. “After all, this is our only hope, right?”
“D—don’t say stuff like that, man!” Swallowed Kazuichi. “I might vomit…”
“Aren’t you the one who made this in the first place?” Hiyoko lifted an unamused brow. “Stop sweating like a pig.”
“Y… yeah…! F—for what it’s worth,” Mikan tried a soft smile, “Your effort was really admirable…”
“W—why are you guys acting like it’s already a lost cause…!” he sobbed.
“How long are we just gonna fucking stand around?” scoffed Fuyuhiko.
“Hey! At least he tried. I mean, the diligence was shocking.” Mahiru’s face crimped into a deep glare. You hummed, carefully watching the way her legs trembled. “But you…? The only clap-worthy thing about you is your audacity.”
Hiyoko smirked. "Well, well... not horrendous."
Kazuichi made an incoherent grumble. “You just had to throw ‘shocking’ in there, didn’t you?”
“You wanna fucking go…?”
She clenched her fists. “Bring it, if that’s what it takes. I… I won’t let you hurt anyone else!”
He bit on his lip until his face went white; like he was holding in a scream. His eyes singed your direction. Mikan quickly slipped from next to you to behind you, shaking like a leaf. Despite not being anywhere close, Teruteru tried to scramble behind you, too. You tripped him.
“ …tch.” Gaze flicking back to the center, he shoved his hands in his pockets.
Byakuya gave Kazuichi a nod. The mechanic flipped the switch on with shaking hands. Slowly, white noise revved to life. Garbled sounds of static grew louder and louder as you crowded together with anticipation.
Kazuichi nestled the device into the ground.
“Are we ready?” He asked, a concentrated look on his face.
"YUP!" grinned Nekomaru.
He pressed a button and the machine revved to life. Static buzzed through the air. Tension choked down everyone’s throats like a thick scarf.
“̵̢̧̫͕͉͉̤̟̪̲͎̒.̶̳͌.̷͇͕̥̭̣̤̗̫͉̲͊̒͋̈̄͝.̷͇͇̭̝͉̂͌͐̅ẅ̵̫̹́ė̷̘͎̲̑͜ d̷̰̞͍͉͖̝̞̿̑̿͜o̷̹̞̲̘͙̘͓̤̣̳͎̗̜̟͘ͅń̶͍͖̻̗̹͓̹͌̍̆̂̎̑̄͠͝’̸̧̭̯̲̗͈̘̲̗̙̉̅̾̏̋̑̎̆͑̏̿̓͑͜͠ţ̷̙̬̥̣̖͙͍͖̈́̐̔͗͐̏̏̎̈́͊͒͘̚k̴̤̳͊̐͋̉n̷͚̙̬͖̉̓o̶̡̧̘̞̐w̴̬̻̔̿͝…̶̨̪͕̪̰̯͈̞̥̙͓͔̦͒ͅ ̶̛͚͎̘̘̖͇̜̩̘̻̗̘̙̗́̀̽̑̃͗͂̍̇̏̈̉͒̚ơ̷̤͖͈̞̔̾̆͂̈́̋̐̚̚n̵̯͈̝͒̑̇̈̎̀̂͗͝…̴̖̊͆͝ ̴̹͚̠͔̟͚̹̮̲̟̪̉̎͒s̶̡̧̡̙̙͔̺̫͚̰̻͂̈̀͛͗̿̋͒̽̕o̴̧̪̱̝̥͖͍̖̾̏̀͊̕̚͝ḿ̶̖̱̗̀̔̊̀͐̌́͂̉͜e̷̬͍̦̘̫̻͎̮̝͓̰͋̈͠…̵̧̥͎̻̣̘̠̥̪͚̘̞͌͋ ̷̪̮̟̠̹̘̲̫̋̀́̋͌̐̄̌̌́̾͛͘̚v̸̰̮̱͇͍̣̙̙̳͇̄ȉ̷̡̘̝͔̫̼̫̖͙̙̥̦̲̻̈̔r̶̡̡̡̼̮̬̯͕̼͓͙̮͉̄̂̎͒̈́̊̇̿̌͝ͅu̴̢̺̳̲̣̣̝̺̺̜͕͎̎̃̋͘ś̸̹̋͂͛…̶̛̠͓̜͎͉̭͙̤̣̱̻͆́͆͛͋͒́͋̄̚͘̕ͅs̵͍͙̓͒h̸͇̪̿͘͝ą̷̣͚́̒̕p̵̢͛e̸͖͈̰̔͐͛d̷̞̤̼̕͝ ̵͈͙̔̓̀͊ͅl̸̡̻͋̀͐i̴̡̔́̑͊ḳ̶̢͊ë̷̺́̐͠...!̸̨̭̖̤̥̖͉͈̩͙̈̅̎̍̚”̷̨̢̢̮̻͖̤̲̙͈̦̝͎̓̀̓̍̅͛͗̌͋̅̈́̈́̐
Voices blipped through layers upon layers of static. No matter how hard Kazuichi worked his remote, it wouldn’t get any clearer.
“̵̛̯̗̯̩̻̣̃̈́̍͂T̶̡̗͙̦̬͉̼̳̩̭̟̱̾̓͑̎́͒͒̍̽ḩ̸͉̳̰̙̰̳͔͓͖͒i̷̡͍̖̘̲͚̯͙̜̟̖̤͚̿̌ş̶̨̘͇͚̖̜̥̙͚̊͛̓͑͒͜ͅ…̵͇̰̘̲͈͕̮̈̌̎̿ ̴̢͙̮̇̍b̸͖͈̜̑̃̐̇͊̉̌ě̵͓̘͓̠͇̙̥̘̼̘͔͇̊ ̶̺͉͆͑̈́́͐̉̂̎̾́̈́͜͠ͅh̴̦̖̮̩̬̘̱͉͋͂̇̀̅͒̽͒͐a̵̛̛̖̼̙̳͒̂̒̅̈́̎́̈͋͜ͅͅp̸̡̭̭͇͎̜̰͙̠͎̗̘̼̿̈́͐̿ṗ̴̧̢̧̙̝̠̹͈̙̜̗͆́͋͗̑̄ḛ̴̢̰͕͍̥̗͒̇̈̓̉̀̔́̓̕͜͜n̷̘̠͎̱͎͝ỉ̵̧̛͇̥͋̽̂̂̔͒͆̈́̿͝n̸̢̬͈̭͖͔̫̳̯̦̓̉̉̋́̌̾̋̇̈́͝͝g̷̡̛̗͚͛̆̀̇…̷̡̮̦͍͙̟̭͓̞̤̙̬͐̽͆̑̃̐̍̾̊̂̀͜͝͠!̷͙̱̰̲͈̒̂̽͗͐̀̽͛͝”̷͇̪̼̗͍̩̱̖̲̝̀̇̂̽͘͘͝ ̵̡͕͚̙͔̈́͒͜
S̷̱͔̏̈́́̎̽͗͗͝͝͝ḥ̸̨̰̰̗̬̟̝̘̣͓̅̃̀͐͛̀̚͜i̶͖͌͒̇͋t̶̨̨͕̗͚͎̭͍̠͉̣̦͚͒̅͛͜ͅ!̸̹̬̑̀̽͆́̈͠ ̶̡̿͛̑̈́̿B̶̨̧̢̢̡̥̯̩͈̥͉̤̞̗̭͗̈́y̸̨̖̫͍͎̫͚̓͂̄̒̑̈̈́͝͝â̶͙͇͕̣͚̤̇̃̑͐k̸̘͓̱̳̼͉̭̞͇̣̄͛̐̀̈̓̽͆͘͘u̶̬̘͌̿͜y̷̨̼̪̙̱̦͙̬̻̌̈́̑̃͆̀͆̎̀̕͠a̴͔͗͂̂̀̒́͛̈̈́̚͘͜͠'̴̢̨̛̼͓͔̺̣͇̬͇̼̹̿̏͐̎͑̄̏͛̀̽̚͝s̸̢̟͆̀̃̄̓̄̓̀̾̅͘͜.̶͉̹̬̒͐̕͝.̸̢̧̼͍͕͎͓̭̪͈̠̯͖͚͆͂͜.̸̨̡̛̣̬̹̙̝̠̣̪̜̪͖́̓̉̽͑͆̈͘͜͝ ̶̠̭͖̈͗̑͆͜͝ǎ̴̡̺͇̯̭̥̯͌̽͌̑̽͋̏̓̐̏͂̕͘ģ̷̛͕͖̺͎̩̹͂̑̒̓͐͊͑͐̄̿͌a̸̠̤̯̳̗̅̓͋͒̾́i̴̢̗̥̺̪̰̥̠͈̲̼̺̝̖̇̓̂̃͆̍͌͝͝ͅn̵̢̩̥̘̮̣͛͆̂̂̓̑̓͛̾̎̉̚͜.̷̡̡̟̖͎͓̠̠̖̟͈̽̆̄̾̓̾̅͊͐͌̓̂̉̕͝ͅ.̷̡͓̩͚̦̟̭̝̲̻̜͉̓̾̾̈͗̈͛̇̍̑̚͝ͅ.̷̨͉̪̭̗͍͍̠̜͈̹͌!̵̧͔̪͉̇́͐
“̷̢̫̗͝Ì̸̛̳̆ṡ̶͇͗͛͂…̷̥̬͙̐͛ ̶̛̙͕̐̏a̴͇̦̋ń̶͈̞̦̫͎͐y̶̖͔̯͆̋͑o̴͉̟͊͝ͅͅn̷̪̆̏̊e̶̦̍͆̽͝ ̴̰̤̯͉̝̅e̷̦̟͎͔̒̾̄͛l̸͕͘s̷̛̜̀̾ẻ̴̤͎̗͂̀…̴̡̲̲̺̃͐̃̚?̷̧̹̮͗͑̈”̴͓̬̖̞̅̋̑̚ ̸̞̼̑
“̶̻͆F̸̗̌u̸͚͋c̴̓͜k̸̭̍…̷̨̉ ̸̭̈g̵͙̊e̶̜̋t̵͙́t̷̥͗i̸͇͛n̷͎͠g̵̳͘ ̵̦͝i̷̪̒n̷͎̓…̵̦͆!̶̨̊ ̷͔̾…̴̻͒g̵͔̈́o̶͓͝i̶̭̕n̸͖͐g̶̥͘ ̴̼̓ẗ̷̹́o̴̰͒…̴̦̄s̵̤͆a̵̙̿v̴̭̿e̸̤͐…̸͔̔ ̶̬̀”̵̧̏
“̶̻̜̍Ṇ̷͊͘ȏ̵̼͔͗…̵̡̭̚̚ ̸͖̲̀͗N̷͕̖̾̉o!̵̳̥̌ ̶̓͜…W̴̲̘̎͋h̷̻̓å̵̩t̸̤͍̅̈’̴̨͛r̶̨̅e̶̯͖͛…̴̦͆ ț̶̢̛͉̫͎̱̺̺̱̩͍̺̦̞͖̘̺̜͓̬̺͔͙̪̌̆̑́͐́̈́̌́̿̃͗̐̋͋͂̂̄͊͑̕͘̚̕͝h̵͇͚̝͚̗̻̮̫̘̫̱̮̘̻͕̻̞͔̖̯͇͎̘͓̏̐̐̀ͅi̸̛͍̫͇̺̭̖͕̔͛͒̔̊̏́̉̈́̓̀͗̐̐̅͛̂̇͐̉̔͗̍̀͒͊̚̕͝͝͠n̷̨̨̨̝̣͎̗̼͈̩̳̮̱̝͎͍̙̜̞̩̳̻͉͍͖̻̟̺͔̺͆̓͐̋͘͜ͅͅk̸̨̡̧͉̫͖̤̲̯͎͉̞̳̮͍̯̞͈̞̝͈̼̻͕̘̳̈́̀̈́̓̆̽̅̀͂̑̉͑͘͘̕͘͠ỉ̴̧̛̮̣̩̯͈̈̄̈́̈́̀̌͂̿̓̐̓̀̽͆̓̒̄̍͛̎̎̌̍̚̚͠͝͠ͅņ̸̠̱͉̞͔̩̙͍͎̻̰͍͖̫̬̥͕̱̙̗͓̰̠̪̼̰̝̜̺̤̎͊͌̿̒̾̈́g̴͎͓̲̞̉̉̏̈́̋͛͂́̄̈́̍̓̎̎́͘͝͠ͅ…̶̳̾?”̷̘͠
Just as Kazuichi got the buzzing fog to start to lift, three ivory spears of claws tore through the ground where the machine was, sending sparks and people stumbling backward.
“Puhuhuhuhu…!” Monokuma popped out with a shittier shit eating grin. “Phew! That was a close one, wasn’t it? Wasn’t that just so wonderfully tense?”
Kazuichi screamed. “W—What the hell? What’re you doing here…?”
“You…” Byakuya clicked his tongue. “I should’ve accounted for your interference.” He paused. “No matter, I’ll make sure to keep you away next time.”
“H—hold on now!” bursted Mahiru, “This just—this just doesn’t make any sense! Explain yourself, right now…!”
“Puhuhuhu! Anyone who doesn’t want to abide by my perfectly thoughtful rules and expectations can walk themselves over to Jabberwock park and get themselves torn limb to limb by a Monobeast! Besides, I think I gave you nuggets plenty of generous freebie hints, don’t you think?”
"Hints...?” parroted Sonia.
“As much as we may not want to hear it… he’s right. We should take some time to properly discuss what we heard…” frowned Peko.
“What's there to discuss?” pouted Hiyoko. “It’s all gibberish! We didn’t hear a single coherent sentence. We weren't even able to communicate at all!”
“Tch, you wish.” Fuyuhiko smirked, “After all, don’t we have a suspicious individual, now? The freaky bastards on the other end were talking about him.”
“Something about 'Byakuya doing this or that again', right?” Ibuki rubbed her temples.
“I don’t know about that…” Chiaki rubbed her eyes. “We don't even know what that means, and we didn’t hear a full sentence at any point… we’re missing a lot of context…”
“A—and what does ‘getting in’ mean…?” whimpered Mikan.
“Who the fuck knows! The only thing we know is the very fact he was brought up is suspicious, isn’t it?” Kazuichi’s head whipped off the ground into a baleful glare to Byakuya.
Ibuki screeched. “There’s no way! Our reliable leader Hamhands was with the bad guys all along…?”
“Byakuya…” Hajime paused, cautious. “Is it true?”
“…If that is what you want to believe, I will not stop you. As much as I promise I’ve always been on your side, I know you all won’t be swayed that easily.” He planted a firm hand to his chest, “As a Togami, though, I promise I will still do my duty, night and day to protect you all—”
“Just shut up, Byakuya,” sneered Hiyoko, “Consider your white-knight reign over.”
“Halt! S—surely, there is no need to be so harsh on him, right? Like Chiaki said, we do not yet know what the context is…” said Sonia.
“Under what context is his name coming up not suspicious?” glowered Fuyuhiko.
"A lot, probably," you offered, "we just haven't thought of it yet."
"You're only proving my point, you dumb fucking bitch!"
“Ugh…” Kazuichi groaned. “This is such a headache. C’mon guys—let’s head back for the night. We don’t need to listen to this fake’s bullshit anymore.” He eyed Byakuya, who frowned.
“Who died and made you leader?” snapped Mahiru. “A—and… besides… sure, Byakuya's one of the pushiest men I've ever seen, but... isn't a little harsh to accuse him of this kind of thing…?”
“Harsher than a literal killing game?” Kazuichi scoffed. “I—it’s not like any of us are really friends, or anything… we don’t know each other at all. And the fact Byakuya’s involved in this whole thing somehow doesn’t help. I mean, come on, gaining our trust by putting the spotlight on himself like he’s some kind of hero?” Kazuichi made a bitter laugh. “H—he’s gotta be some kind of phony rat. He’s not to be trusted, plan and simple. Hell, none of you can be trusted!” He clenched his teeth, eyes bugging out from left to right.
“…Ugh.” Fuyuhiko’s nose wrinkled.
Hiyoko smirked. “For once, he’s got a valid point. It isn’t just Byakuya. All of you suck, and there’s no reason for any of that unity stuff if we’re all just trying to survive.”
“Actually,” Sonia made a a firm look, “I’d argue that because we are trying to survive, we need unity—”
Hiyoko’s head jerked back in a deep glare. “If you’re not on fire, shut the fuck up.”
Sonia blinked, frowning. “And… if I were on fire?”
“Then stand in that circle so we can all laugh at you.”
Slowly, one by one, people poured out into the night. Monokuma giggled the whole way through.
A meager tide of people pulled into the dining room the next morning. Byakuya sat in the center grave and serious. Everyone fidgeted around him, picking at nails and clothes, anything to avoid eye contact.
“Soooo… what’d you call us here for?’
“More like why’re you showing your face around here when we’re trying to have breakfast,” Hiyoko stuck out her tongue. “Come on Mahiru, let’s go.”
“A… ah… but…” another glance, another turn. “O—okay.”
Kazuichi also only showed up to get his food and then leave. Along with Fuyuhiko, Peko, Gundham, Teruteru, Ibuki, and Akane.
Byakuya settled into the remaining students with a big sigh. “I figured things would turn out like this.”
“Aaaawkward. Not surprising, though, considering you’ve just turned into one of the sketchiest people on the island. Kudos to all that ‘teamwork’ you were building up, huh?” you snorted.
Nagito elbowed you with a cough. “I think, what [Name] means to say, is that even though there are setbacks, it’s still so admirable you’ve gathered us all here today to continue your plans.”
Byakuya waved a flippant hand. “Don’t bother. I completely understand the cheesiness of the niceties I fed you guys."
Nagito’s smile froze. “…huh?”
He placed his gaze on the far wall, a face of stone and brick. “I'll…be as honest as I can from this point on. And the truth is… I'm a liar. Ever since I was born, I lived and breathed and fed off lies. They were… how I connected with people. They were how I existed in the world.”
“Is… this for real? Are we really doing this right now?” You lifted a brow.
“Are you speaking of corporate corruption?” Sonia tilted her head.
Byakuya sighed, unresponsive. “…Look, I can’t guarantee any of your safety. I never could. The truth is, most of us are probably going to die. There’s no way a company with this much planning and power behind it has an easily overthrowable plan, after all. Not with something as simple as ‘teamwork’, at least.”
People shared offput looks with each other. Chiaki put her console down.
“But, that’s the thing. I knew, if you just believed enough that you were safe, no one would try anything. We as living creatures are capable of one of the cruelest things: the desire to live. We’ll latch onto anything when our lives are at stake. If I lied to you enough, told you there was no real danger, then we wouldn't be at risk of becoming the danger, I thought.”
Nekomaru scratched at his chin. “I’m… having trouble comprehending this. No, I’m having trouble believing it all, actually… Somehow, I’m not really mad, though.”
Chiaki placed her chin on her hands. “Are you saying… the whole thing was a lie, though? That desperation to protect us was real… wasn’t it? That passion that made us believe that we could get through this without hurting each other… In fact, how we were beforehand was real, wasn’t it? That trust...”
You scoffed at all the attention he was getting. “Oh, yeah, murderers exist and they could be us, isn’t that crazy. You done monologuing?”
He straightened his tie. “No, actually. I… Chiaki’s right. While I can’t guarantee anyone’s safety… I still want it for us.” He almost cracked a smile. “I… I don’t know. This group is so shallow, volatile, and messy, yet… it feels right. So, while I know it’s a lot for someone like me to intrude into your affairs… please, let me protect you for at least one more night.”
“What do you mean?” asked Hajime.
“ …Don’t freak out, okay? As I said, I’m going to be as straight forward as I can. And I’m going to need you to trust me on this.”
Solemnly, Byakuya unfolds a paper over the table. In big, scratching linear letters, it read—Watch out. The first murder will happen tonight. It is inevitable.
Gasps clamored throughout the room.
“W—who would send something like this?” Nekomaru cried.
“What even is this? Something so unnecessary…” Nagito clenched his fist. “It’s just… vile.”
“I don’t know. There was no name on the file.”
"We could do a handwriting check," Sonia suggested. "We'll quickly be able to deduce who's behind this sick joke and scold them in their tracks."
You squinted at the piece of paper.
"A sick joke is what we should be hoping for," said Byakuya. "The worse option is that this threat is real, and we can't just sit idly. The problem with just a handwriting check, though..."
"Yeah..." Nagito hummed. "Won't the person just change their handwriting when it's their turn?"
"Well, they will now that you brought it up," you groaned into a palm. "But it's not just that. Look at the lines. They're weirdly straight, but angled a little weird, don't you think? These kinds of lines could only be produced with the help of a ruler. In short, we don't even know the sender's actual handwriting."
"...Tch. And that's why we don't have a very straightforward solution to handle this situation," Byakuya admitted. "That doesn't mean we're out of choices, though."
“I—I still don't understand…” sighed Mikan. “What are we supposed to do to lower the distrust now that something like this has been sent? W—we were all already so suspicious before, but now that we know one of us is been sending notes like this, toying with our feelings... i—it's just so... malicious..."
“More like idiotic,” your face squinted, “Why would someone send something like this, anyway?”
“It’s true, there’s gotta be some kind of motive, otherwise this wouldn’t provide any benefit to the sender, since it seems to be implying that they’re going to be the murderer…” Hajime chewed a knuckle.
“Hey now, don’t go making deductions assuming everyone’s thinking three steps ahead, Humans aren’t beings always logic and all that. Sometimes, some people are just losers who are egotistical and stupid,” you snorted.
“What—you’re the one who brought up the point in the first place!”
“Well, for some reason, my thoughts are just so much dumber sounding when they come from other people.”
“Um, I am terribly sorry to change the topic like this, but there is one thing that bugs me…” said Sonia. “You mentioned that you wanted to protect us—a deeply touching and noble thought, but… did you have a plan of some sort we could implement? It’s clear we need to do something about this threat, joke or not.”
Byakuya took a deep breath. “I’d like for us all to hold a party, from evening until sunrise.”
“…Huh?” A bead of sweat plummeted down Sonia’s cheek.
“…A party, eh? Not that I’m against your direction or anything… but does now really seem like the time?” said Nekomaru.
“Um, well, I think I’m in favor…” tried Nagito. “I mean, we’re all naturally down right now, and our trust is pretty low. I think this is the perfect time for an event where we can know each other better and deepen our friendship. Plus, it would help us all keep tabs on each other, at least for the night…”
“ …and foil any plan this potential murderer may have!” gasped Sonia. “Is that what you were thinking, Byakuya? You’re a genius!”
“Uh… thanks, but it’s not a huge plan, or anything…” Byakuya coughed. “Although, I do think it’s optimal to have everyone gathered in one place for tonight… we’ll need an isolated place, inaccessible from the outside.”
“Ah, like…” Nagito stroked his chin. “The old lodge that’s off to the side of the hotel-ground?”
“The shabby lodge?” clarified Chiaki.
“Well, if we clean it properly, I think we can get it in good condition.”
“Before we progress,” Byakuya butted in, hesitantly, “I do have one more thing to say. I’ll… um…” he trailed off into sparse mutters.
“Huh?” Chiaki rubbed her eyes.
“I’ll need… all of your help.” he finally said through gritted teeth. “It’s guaranteed even if you tell everyone about it, many won’t show up, so…”
“Leave it to us!” said Sonia. “We can’t just have you prepare this big party all alone, can we?”
“Uh, I dunno, I kinda like that idea,” you said.
Nekomaru clapped him on the back. “I’d say your Operation: Friendship still worked out plenty fine in the end! I’m getting PUMPED UP now…! I declare you to be Hope Peak’s next upcoming world leader, Hamhands! GAHAHAHA!”
“I… see,” Byakuya’s mouth cracked into a microscopic smile. “Thank you.”
Sonia flexed her bicep. “Of course! We shall do whatever we can to assist; that’s what friends do, after all!”
Nagito clapped, eyes rolling over with bright little stars. “Splendid! Things are really starting to become hopeful again, huh? …So, who wants to clean the lodge?”
Dead silence.
Sonia eyed everyone, before putting her hand down.
“Not it,” you quickly put your finger to your nose.
He let out an awkward laugh, taking out his ultimate tool: a bundle of chopsticks. “ …Well, I suspected something like this might happen.”