"Hey hey hey! I've noticed that there is an extreme lack of KILLING so far! I guess your closest friends and family aren't as important as the life of some strangers, huh? I guess I should prepare the next motive for you ungrateful kids! Report to the gymnasium, pronto!"
"Aw man, what now? Those videos were bad enough…" Kuwata complains.
Maizono involuntarily shivers as she remembers the motive tapes that almost drove her to murder. If it weren't for Naegi, then she would be a killer right now. To make things worse, if she had gotten away with it then the rest of the class would have been executed.
"Are you okay?" Naegi asks worriedly.
"... I'm fine."
"My fortieth sense is telling me that this is definitely bad news! But we have no choice, do we?" Yamada growls to himself as he clenches his fist.
"Fortieth?" Asahina shakes her head. "There's no way that you have forty senses! Humans are supposed to only have five!"
"My true power completely transcends the human norm!"
"Whatever the dumb bear throws at us, we can handle it." Owada claims proudly. He and Ishimaru were already making their way towards the gym with confident looks on their faces. "Right bro?"
"That is correct, bro! Our bro bond is unbreakable!" Ishimaru heartily agrees.
"You know dudes, it's kind of scary how much they get along now." Hagakure lets out a nervous chuckle. "I mean, they used to really hate each other!"
"Tell me about it." Naegi says. For whatever reason, he hadn't been roped into their contest as a witness this time around so he didn't actually see what happened to them. But if things remained consistent, then they probably did their standoff in the spa room and somehow bonded through it.
"We can discuss that later. For now, we should hurry to the gym before Monokuma gets impatient." Ogami's low voice echoes throughout the cafeteria.
"I must wonder what the new motive must be." Celeste muses to herself. "Monokuma has proven to be quite resourceful so far… One could only imagine how far his influence runs if he was able to create the video tapes."
Naegi bites his lip and looks at the floor. He knew perfectly well what the next motive was going to be - secrets. He still doesn't know how Monokuma was able to dig all of these up, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. Fujisaki was going to be the next victim… he gets killed by Owada in a fit of rage.
Trying to stop an angry Owada… I'm definitely not looking forward to this
----------------------------------------
"Before I get started, I would like to inform you all that the second floor is opened up!" Monokuma says. "It's the second motive and all, so I decided to be a generous headmaster to you ungrateful kids!"
"Ooh! Really?" Hagakure says, rubbing his hands together. "Sweet, we might find a way out of this place!"
"I'm so great, aren't I? You kids have fun exploring after this!" Clearing his throat, Monokuma jumps up on his podium and starts twirling around. "Anyway, I did a little investigating of my own and I dug up some of your darkest secrets!"
"S-Secrets?" Fukawa stammers.
"Yes, secrets! Embarrassing memories, weird fetishes, and more are all contained in the envelopes I have right here!" Monokuma says, waving around several manilla envelopes. "I'm going to hand them out now, so take a peek! Puhuhuhu!"
Laughing maniacally, Monokuma carelessly tosses a bunch of envelopes into the air. As it falls, Naegi quickly snatches the envelope with his name written on it. Sure enough, Makoto Naegi wet the bed until he was in the 5th grade was written on there.
Even though he already knew that was going to be his secret, a blush still manages to make its way onto his face.
"How'd you find out about this?!"
"What the heck?"
"You've got to be kidding me."
Various exclamations arose from the students as they read their deepest, darkest secrets.
"You have 24 hours! If someone doesn't get killed within that time frame, then all of your deepest, darkest, most embarassingest secrets will be exposed to the world! Maybe I'll blast these secrets on loudspeakers in a public street! Puhuhuhuhuhu!" Monokuma guffaws as he rubs his paws together in glee.
"..." Owada doesn't say anything, but Naegi notices that his face was turning unnaturally blue. He kept staring at his envelope, muttering something under his breath as sweat dripped down his forehead.
"No one would murder over something like this! Your plan is doomed to fail Monokuma! In fact, I suggest that we all lay out our secrest right now! I'll even start us off!" Ishimaru quickly straightens up and clears his throat.
"MY SECRET IS THA-"
"Oh, shut up you imbecile." Togami rolls his eyes as he interrupts Ishimaru. "Do you really think that I would tell any of you plebeians my secret?"
Ishimaru takes a step back as his face contorts into shock. "W-What?"
Ikusaba slowly nods her head. She had kept mostly silent, but she had crumpled her envelope into a ball, crushing it in her hand. "I wouldn't tell my secret to anyone… ever."
"I concur." Celeste adds. "I'm afraid that telling this secret to anyone would be impossible."
"Well, it's just human nature to wanna hear it when you say it's impossible! Let's hear it!" Yamada says as he inches closer to Celeste. For some reason, he was breathing heavily and his glasses were fogged up.
"No."
"Come on, you know you wanna say it!"
"No."
Salivating, Yamada comes even closer to Celeste.
"Cmon…"
"No."
"cmoncmoncmoncmon"
"I SAID NO ALREADY YOU BAG OF LARD!" Celeste snarls, pointing her metal finger at Yamada. In less than a second, her calm expression had contorted into one of disgust and rage. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"
"EEEEK!" The otaku hastily retreats, squealing in terror.
"W-Well, that's okay then. Either way, if it's just a few secrets, I'm sure that nobody would kill anybody over it." Ishimaru says with a clear look of disappointment in his face.
*ding dong bing bong*
"Ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then… sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight!"
"Night already, huh?" Hagakure yawns. Despite the motive, he didn't seem all too worried about his secret. "Alright, I'll just call it a day then."
"Same here." Maizono walks off to the exit, grabbing Naegi on her way. "Let's go, Naegi!"
"H-Huh?" Naegi stammers as he gets dragged by Maizono.
"Oh? Mr. Naegi being dragged off by the teen idol? I wonder what kind of naughty things they're planning to do?"
"You're weird dude…"
Maizono practically runs to the dorm rooms, not once looking behind her. As soon as they reach her dorm room, Maizono lets go of Naegi and quickly shoves her envelope into Naegi's hands. Her face was pale and her hands were trembling slightly. "Take it. I didn't open it."
"Huh? Why not?" Naegi asks.
"Because I don't want to be overcome by the urge to murder anyone!" Maizono snaps.
…
"Sorry… I'm just a bit flustered. But you really are the only one I can trust right now, so please just take it. Read it, burn it, do whatever you want. I don't really care what happens to my secret." Before Naegi could respond, Maizono swiftly runs into her room and slams the door shut.
"Maizono…" Naegi stands in front of her room for a few seconds before shaking his head and going into his dorm. As he closes the door, he stares at Maizono's envelope.
Should I read it?
In the end, curiosity won over caution.
…
Sayaka Maizono caused the suicide of a rival pop star.
----------------------------------------
Makoto Naegi was currently eavesdropping. Holding his breath, he peeks into the boys changing room from the lockers. Despite the fact that no one else was around, Naegi still felt kind of embarrassed, as if he was doing something perverted.
"S-Seriously? Jesus." Owada's voice carries itself from the boys changing room to the lockers.
"Y-Yeah… Sorry for lying to you." That was Fujisaki. His tiny voice was barely audible, even with the door slightly open.
"But, why now? Why are you telling me this all of the sudden?"
"Huh?"
"Cuz, like you kept this a secret all this time, right? If anyone found out…"
"... I want to change. I wrapped myself in lies. I'm weak. I want to destroy that version of me forever!" Fujisaki's voice starts picking up in volume as she explains her reasoning. "I need to change! You're so strong that Monokuma's motive couldn't possibly hurt you, right?"
Naegi cringes as he hears this. That must have been what set Owada off. His secret was about the accidental death of his brother… something like that would have hurt anyone, no matter how tough they were.
"That's why…"
"So what, you're saying I should just say it?"
Naegi's heart starts beating faster and faster as Owada's tone drops dangerously low.
"Huh?"
"You're saying that if I really am strong, I should tell everyone? I'm strong? Are you fucking with me right now?!"
"I'm not making fun of you Mondo… Y-You really are strong."
"What did he want me to do? What was I supposed to do?" Mondo rants. "Was I supposed to just sit back, let me secret get revealed and ruin everythi-"
This was it. Naegi couldn't let things get out of hand. Taking a deep breath, Naegi barges into the charging room.
"Owada!"
"What the?" Owada spins around in shock.
"Ah! N-Naegi!" Fujisaki squeaks.
"What the hell are you-"
"Remember Daiya! Would he have wanted you to act like this? Don't pretend like his death was a murder! He wouldn't want you wallowing in self pity all the time! You are strong, Mondo Owada! Don't let your emotions overpower you like this!"
"D-Daiya…? What… What the hell do you know about what he would have wanted?" Owada growls, face completely red. He steps towards Naegi, cracking his knuckles.
Naegi shakes his head. "I was not as close to him as you are. Clear your head and ask yourself. Ask yourself about what he would have wanted… would he want you to let his death hang above you like a cloud for the rest of your life?"
"... What Daiya would have wanted?" Owada echoes.
...
"Tch. Fujisaki, I'll… talk to you tomorrow, okay?" Owada shuffles out of the changing room with a scowl on his face.
How the hell did he even know about Daiya? Whatever...
Naegi sighs in relief as all of the tension leaks out of him. He was afraid that Owada might have ended up killing two people this time around… thankfully, he seemed to have gotten through to him. Turning around, Naegi glances at Fujisaki who was gaping at him. "Ah, Fujisaki… are you okay?"
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Upon hearing his name, Fujisaki tenses up.
"Um… Naegi… About all of this, I-"
To Fujisaki's shock, Naegi shakes his head. "You don't need to say anything. See you later, Fujisaki."
With a reassuring smile, Naegi leaves the changing room as well, leaving Fujisaki to herself.
"Owada…"
----------------------------------------
"Damn, damn, damn, damn! Damn it all!" Monokuma stomps on the floor several times as he spews obscenities, ignoring the astonishment prevalent on everyone's face. "Even when I threaten you people with secrets, no murders happen?! Gah, you kids are insufferable!"
"Hah!" Ishimaru raises his hands with a proud look on his face. "I told you! We won't be killing anyone, Monokuma!"
"Shut up you brat!" Monokuma snarls. "Fine then! I'll just take pleasure in revealing your dark secrets!
At the mention of this, everyone tenses up. Here was the moment that they've been dreading. While most of them were nervous about what was about to happen, no one could deny feeling morbid curiosity about hearing everyone's secrets. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife.
"First up…" Monokuma says, taking out a pair of glasses. He had several notecards in his paws. Squinting down at them, he suddenly grins delightfully. "Makoto Naegi!"
"Great…" Naegi groans.
"You know, Naegi is so innocent looking. He probably doesn't even have a dark secret!" Asahina grins brightly at Naegi. "I mean, he's like a puppy!"
"A p-puppy?!" Naegi says incredulously.
Maizono giggles. "That's something I can agree on."
"Well on the flip side, his innocence could just be an act, no?" Celeste says, putting her hands to her chin. "Perhaps he leads a double life and harbors extremely dark secrets."
"Enough jabbering!" Monokuma snaps. "Anyway... DRDRDRDRDRDRDRDRDRDR…"
"Is he seriously making a drum roll noise?" Kuwata scratches his head.
"Makoto Naegi wet the bed until he was in the 5th grade!"
…
Naegi's face burns up as he looks down at the floor, trying to ignore the stares of everyone around him. Even if it wasn't a dark secret or anything, it was still pretty embarrassing. He tries to resist the urge to scratch his head as his scalp starts prickling.
"Seriously?" Hagakure chuckles to himself. "That's hilarious!"
Everyone nods in agreement, laughing to themselves.
"H-Hey!" Naegi protests, fighting to keep his embarrassment to a minimum. "It's not like I'm still doing it now or anything! I was just a kid back then you know?"
"It's rather impressive that this was the most Monokuma could dig up though." Kirigiri says with a hint of a smile on her face.
"Yeah, gotta admit… Naegi's pure." Kuwata says.
"Bleh! You guys are gonna make me vomit here!" Monokuma shouts. "So what if he's pure?! He's the protagonist! Naegi was just designed that way, you know?! It's not like anything he does is even of his own free will anyway!"
Naegi frowns. "What do you-"
"Anyway!" Monokuma interrupts. "Next up, Kyoko Kirigiri!"
Everyone quickly went silent. What kind of secret could she hold? No one even knew her talent or anything about her past… She mainly kept to herself for the entire killing game, much like Togami.
"Kirigiri over here has a serious case of amnesia!"
"Huh? Amnesia?" Asahina glances at Kirigiri.
"... It's true." Kirigiri concedes. "I don't even remember my talent."
"Dang, that must be rough! If you want though, I could use my clairvoyant powers to uncover the truth! All it will cost you is a measly 95,000 yen!"
"I'll pass." Kirigiri deadpans.
"Dang…" Hagakure mutters to himself in a downcast expression.
"Shut up, all of you! Next, we have Kiyotaka Ishimaru!" His grandfather, Toranosuke, was a Prime Minister who got caught in a bunch of scandals and controversies! It completely trashed his family's reputation! Oh, the shame!"
"Woah, really? I think I've actually heard about that before!" Yamada comments.
"Bro…" Owada stares at Ishimaru worriedly.
"Fret not! I will not let such frivolous matters distract me!" Ishimaru says reassuringly.
"Chihiro Fujisaki is a male." Monokuma says monotonously. "Alright, now Yasuhiro Haga-"
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Yamada screeches. His face goes totally pale as he points a shaking finger at Fujisaki.
"Hey fatty! Don't interrupt me here!" Monokuma glares at Yamada, red eye glowing evilly.
"Impossible!"
"Is she… he really a boy?"
"No way!"
Unsurprisingly, everyone was shocked at this, save for Owada and Naegi. Even Kirigiri and Togami showed some surprise at this.
"I-It's true…" Fujisaki confirms, snuffling. "I was always bullied for being a weak person… people always said that I should be strong since I'm male. So I just decided to dress as a girl so that no one could make fun of me."
"Fujisaki…" Owada gives the programmer a sympathetic look.
"Well, as I was saying before someone INTERRUPTED me…" Monokuma continues. "Yasuhiro Hagakure is in serious debt with the Yakuza!"
"Heh, yeah…" Hagakure laughs awkwardly.
"Hmph. Of course an idiot like you would end up like that." Togami smirks and pushes his glasses up.
"H-Hey! I'm not an idiot!" Hagakure says angrily. "Don't call me that!"
"How much in debt?" Kuwata asks curiously.
"Oh, y'know… like 8 million yen."
"WHAT?!"
"Moving on… Toko Fukawa is Genocider Shou!"
"EEEEEK!" Fukawa screeches and buries her head in her arms. She thought that everyone already despised her… the fact that she was a serial killer would probably only make her be hated even more. She wouldn't be surprised if the entire group just killed her right then and there.
"Or was it Genocider Syo… Genocider Jack?" Monokuma looks at the floor and scratches his head.
"Huh? Doesn't she pass out at the sight of blood or something? How could a chick like her be a serial killer like Shou?" Owada questions.
"Perhaps it's an act?" Ogami suggests.
"Genocider Jill maybe?"
"Hmph. I can say with confidence that Fukawa really is Shou. Fukawa herself had informed me and provided sufficient evidence." Togami says. "She has a split personality."
"M-My white knight!"
"I'm not gonna even ask what this proof was." Kuwata shakes his head.
"Enough jabbering! Mondo Owada caused the death of his brother!"
"W-What? Bro?" Ishimaru snaps his gaze from Monokuma to Owada. "That's a lie, right?"
"Owada...?" Fujisaki gapes at the biker.
"It… was an accident!" Owada grits his teeth and shoots a murderous glare at Monokuma. "It's not like I killed him or anything!"
"Oh puh-lease! No excuses!"
"So we have more than one murderer in our group. It's a wonder that no one has been murdered yet." Togami smirks.
"Shut up, asshole!" Owada roars, cracking his knuckles.
"Next up… Hifumi Yamada once plagiarized someone else's fanfiction!"
In a knee jerk reaction, Yamada collapses onto the floor and bangs his fists. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I'M SO ASHAMED! PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEEEEEEE!" Yamada screams, tears pouring down his face.
"Well… it isn't the worst thing in the world, is it?" Asahina asks tentatively.
"N-No! It most definitely is the worst thing in the world! If this gets out, my whole reputation will be trashed!" Yamada moans dramatically. "If you plagiarize someone, then everyone turns against you! No one will buy my doujinshi anymore! IT'S ALL OVER!"
"Ahem… Celestia Ludenberg's real name is Taeko Yasuhiro!"
"..." At this, Celeste flinches almost imperceptibly.
"Huh?" Hagakure scratches his chin. "Yasuhiro?"
"Yes… That's my true, boring name. I ask that you all keep calling me Celeste. This won't be a problem… right?" Celeste smiles sweetly, but everyone couldn't help but notice a dark aura coming from her. Something about her tone just seemed to cause unease.
"Aoi Asahina is insecure about her femininity!"
"Eep!" Asahina blushes.
"Hina… Is this true?" Ogami stares worriedly at her.
"Wh-What?! How could someone with that body be insecure?" Fukawa growls and points at Asahina. "I b-bet that you get hundreds of job offers from strip…"
Her words quickly dry up as she notices Ogami glaring at her.
"It's just that… Most people tease me and say that I act like a boy, since I'm an athlete and what-not…"
"Do not worry, Hina. I will protect you from any insults." Ogami eyes the rest of the students with clear malice in her eyes.
"Won't hear a peep out of me!" Hagakure laughs sheepishly and backs up.
"Same here!" Kuwata says nervously.
"Oh, finally!" Monokuma exclaims. His glasses literally fly out of his face as his ever present grin somehow stretches even further. He raises a notecard in the air and jumps up. "This is the good stuff! Sayaka Maizono, the sweet idol that everyone adores, caused the suicide of a rival pop idol!"
At this, Maizono visibly flinches. Her face goes completely pale.
"S-Suicide?" Kuwata gapes at her, clearly dumbstruck.
"I… remember. I never… I never wanted anything like that to happen." Maizono takes a shuddering breath and lowers her head. "I didn't know, okay?"
"It's okay Maizono. You don't need to talk about it." Naegi says.
"N-No. I… I insulted her at every opportunity. I stomped on her hopes and dreams. She was a rising star, and even a fan of me! And yet I… said those things to her. I had no idea that being an idol meant so much to hear. If only I could go back and stop myself!" Maizono cries desperately. When she saw her suicide in the news and learned what her suicide note had said… she was completely devastated. The note hadn't mentioned her name, so Maizono wanted to turn herself in. She wanted to take responsibility… but her managers had forbid her from doing so. On top of that, they actually covered up Maizono's relationship with her. The guilt from that incident had never gone away.
"Maizono…" Asahina whispers, clearly horrified.
"W-Wow… To think that such a sweet looking girl could be so harsh!" Yamada exclaims, pushing up his glasses. "Perhaps Sayaka is a distant relative of Tae- I mean, Celeste?"
"Shut it, Yamada!" Both Asahina and Naegi shout at him at the same time, causing the otaku to cower in fear.
"AIEE! I'm sorry!"
"Ah, that felt good. Finally, some despair in here!" Monokuma giggles. "Anyway, Leon Kuwata is in a romantic relationship with his cousin!"
"Oh, come on…" Kuwata facepalms.
"Your cousin?" Naegi asks curiously.
"That's pretty gross dude." Hagakure shakes his head.
"It really isn't like that! She just comes off really strongly." Kuwata moans, covering his face.
"I mean, whatever floats your boat I guess." Owada shrugs, apparently not as bothered as everyone else.
"Ooh! We're down to the last three people! Ms. Ogre, Mr. Fancypants, and Ms. Rulebreaker!" Monokuma laughs heartily.
"Hey! Don't call her that!" Asahina protests furiously.
"Ms. Ogre - er, Sakura Ogami is a mole for the mastermind, a traitor! And by that, I of course mean that she's working for me!
"WHAT?! That's a lie! Right Sakura!?" Asahina objects and looks at Sakura hopefully.
"... No, it's true." Ogami admits with a pained look on her face. She had been dreading this moment ever since the 2nd motive was revealed. She knew that Monokuma would find some way to call her out on it. "But I'm not working for him anymore."
"What?!" Asahina yelps.
"No way… Ogami is a t-traitor?" Fujisaki gasps.
"Don't say that!" Asahina shouts. "She was probably forced to work for the mastermind!"
"... My family dojo was taken hostage. Originally, I was supposed to start the killing game by murdering one of you. However, when the time came, I refused to do so. So he told me that he would expose me to everyone if I didn't kill anyone by the time the first motive ran out." Ogami explains.
"I had my suspicions of a mole in our midst. I suppose this confirms it." Togami comments smugly. "A mole, an accomplice, a serial killer, and two indirect murderers… This is quite an intriguing lineup."
"Well, she didn't really do anything right? So is it really that big of a deal?" Naegi asks.
"She's a traitor. That in itself is inexcusable." Togami scoffs.
"Well I for one forgive her. She didn't have a choice after all." Naegi argues. "I mean if anything, the fact that Monokuma is revealing this means that Ogami really isn't working for Monokuma anymore."
"Yeah! Naegi is right!" Asahina smiles gratefully at Naegi.
"Idiots. It's like you're all asking to be killed."
"Don't get too smug! Byakuya Togami, you're up next!" Monokuma cackles gleefully as he watches Togami tense up.
"Togami is a bastard! An illegitimate child!"
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Hagakure asks, confused.
"It means that his parents weren't married when he was born." Kirigiri explains.
"I don't care about t-that!" Fukawa exclaims, drooling. "Bastard or n-not, Master Byakuya is my white knight!"
"It's just part of the process on selecting a heir to the Togami name." Togami says defensively.
"I mean, I don't think it's THAT bad… It just means that his daddy was probably a frisky one!" Yamada's glasses start to fog up as he wiggles his fingers in a creepy manner.
"Shut up you perverted, disgusting, dirty excuse for a human being. You are just plankton. No, actually you are worse. The billions of brainless plankton living in the sea are kings compared to you. You're just an idiotic pervert with no dignity. I think it would be better for everyone if you just ended up dead in a ditch somewhere, fucking plebian, scum of the earth. If I had the choice between solving world hunger and erasing your existence, then I would choose the second option with zero hesitation. The fact that you were allowed to live past the age of six proves that the world is a truly cruel place. I feel nothing but sympathy for your parents as they probably felt morbid disgust and disappointment the minute you were conceived. You aren't fit to lick the dirt off of the soles of my boot. Inf act, you are so grossly negligent that I wouldn't let you lick my boots even if you paid me one trillion yen, you dumb reptile.
…
"Sorry…" Yamada seemed to have shrunk a thousand sizes as he slowly apologizes.
Why is everyone so mean to me today…?
"Jeez, who pissed in his cornflakes this morning? Whoo! That was one hell of an essay." Monokuma says as he fans himself with the last remaining note card. "Anyway, last but not least! Mukuro Ikusaba!"
Everyone turns their head at Ikusaba who was standing alone at a corner. She had not uttered a single word during the entire time that Monokuma had been telling secrets. Ikusaba looked unnaturally tense and was glaring at the floor.
"Hm, I wonder what an Ultimate Soldier would have for a secret?" Hagakure asks in a creepy tone. "Maybe it's her kill count! I bet it's in the thousands!"
"She seems quite nervous." Celeste points out. "It may be more personal."
"P-Personally, I think that it would be something about her relationship to the mastermind." Fujisaki comments.
"Huh?" Kuwata scratches his head. "But we already know she used to work for him!"
"Mukuro Ikusaba…" Monokuma says, rubbing his paws gleefully.
…
"Has a HUGE crush on Makoto Naegi!"
…
…
…
"Eh?" Naegi blinks.
"Oh my... Is Ikusaba a tsundere?" Yamada asks, seemingly having recovered from Togami's insults. "Beneath her cold exterior is a lovesick schoolgirl!"
"Ooooh! Ikusaba has a crush on Naegi? That's soooo cute!" Asahina gushes as she alternates glances between Naegi and Ikusaba.
"... I-If that's all, I'll be leaving." Ikusaba mumbles as she tries to fight off the blush on her face… to no avail.
"Haha!" Hagakure smacks Naegi on the back. "I never knew that you were a ladies man, Naegi!"
"N-No way that's true…" Naegi says. It had to be a lie, right? How could someone like Ikusaba have a crush on him of all people?
"Awwww, isn't that cute? Well those were all of the secrets! Class dismissed! Go gossip or do whatever it is you kids do." Monokuma snickers and turns around.
"Oh yeah, the third motive is coming up soon. As per usual, I have opened up the next floor. Have fun!"
And with that, Monokuma makes a swift exit.
----------------------------------------
Mukuro Ikusaba was furious. How could Junko do this to her?!
She wasn't even this mad when Junko had almost killed her. The comparison between humiliation and attempted murder wasn't even close, yet Ikusaba was more upset with the former.
"Ugh… Now Naegi will hate me."
You're ugly, Muku!
There's no one anyone would want to be with a plain broad like you!
All the boys hate you sis. It's obvious.
Junko's words ring in her ears. It was all true. She was super ugly compared to Junko. She had known this for years. Ever since she had accepted this as fact, she had lost what little interest that she ever held for romantic relationships. There was no point in fantasizing about something unrealistic.
Then, she met Naegi.
The boy who smiled at her.
She would deny it to anyone, even herself. But deep down, she knows. No matter how much she hated herself for it, she knows.
I know that… I'm in love with-
*knock knock knock*
"Huh?"
A series of knocks suddenly breaks up Ikusaba's thoughts. It was nearly night time… who could that be? A potential attacker? Ikusaba narrows her eyes and brings out a knife from a concealed pocket.
Bracing herself, Ikusaba opens the door and…
"Ah!"
"?!"
Ikusaba gasps as Naegi falls harshly into her room.
"Go get em, tiger!"
"Good luck!"
From where Naegi fell, she could see Kuwata, giving them a thumbs up. As he closes the door, Ikusaba could hear the sound of Hagakure laughing somewhere in the background.
"Ow…" Naegi winces and rubs his head as he sits up. "Sorry about this Ikusaba. They just kind of… forced me in here.
"..." Ikusaba kept silent and focused on making composing her face. There's no way that she would let anyone break her mask again. Not even if that 'anyone' was Naegi.
"Well, I actually wanted to talk to you about something anyway. About what happened back when Monokuma revealed the secrets."
"Ah!" Ikusaba's mask instantly breaks as she looks away, face completely red. She definitely didn't expect that Naegi would bring this up so bluntly.
"That proves it, right?"
…
"Huh?" Ikusaba looks back at Naegi, confused.
What does my secret prove?
"Monokuma said that Ogami was a mole… That proves that I traveled through time, right?" Naegi stares at her expectantly.
Oh.
"I… guess so." Ogami being a mole was the thing furthest from Ikusaba's mind at the moment.
At this, Naegi's face breaks into a wide smile. "So you believe me? Thanks, Ikusaba! I know that time travel is kind of hard to believe, even with proof. I really appreciate your trust."
Naegi's gratitude only served to make Ikusaba's face even more red. It didn't exactly help that his smile was so cute either…
Ugh! To hell with it.
Mustering up the courage, Ikusaba decides to bring up her secret. If she didn't bring it up now, then she would stay distracted for the rest of the damned killing game. "Naegi. About what Monokuma said about me… my secret. It's-"
"Oh! Don't worry about it. Monokuma was probably lying, right?" Naegi interrupts. "I guess that the mastermind probably just wanted to embarrass you in front of everyone as a sort of revenge for betraying him or something."
…
"Um, sure. Yeah. That's exactly right."