The 59th Killing Game

Naegi doesn't lift his head from the table. Instead, he just lays there, as the dull pounding pain hammers away at his brain. As the headache slowly fades away, Naegi squeezes his eyes shut and lets out a tired groan. He had thoroughly checked out the entire school dozens of times and found practically nothing. For the past three loops, he even had Kirigiri on his side, but still found nothing. At this rate, investigating the school might have just been a fool's errand, a way to waste time.

"It may be risky, but if there's no other choice… Trying to overload the time machine might break you out of this loop."

No. Like Kirigiri said, trying that would be risky. So far, he has had an unlimited amount of chances to 'retry' anytime he wanted. If he made any mistakes, he could just go back and fix it. But this was something that he wouldn't get a second chance on. If overloading the time machine did something bad, then he would be stuck.

So what were his options? Well his first option would be to just continue investigating the school. However, Naegi was 99% sure that there wouldn't be any other clues here. The fact that the triggers for the time machine were wireless suggests that the time machine wasn't even in the building. And to be frank, Naegi was sick of spending countless hours upon hours searching everywhere. Not only was it boring, but it was also demoralizing.

As far as Naegi was concerned, that left only one other choice. He could go straight to the source and spend his efforts interrogating the person who put him in this situation to begin with.

Junko… you WILL get me out of this mess!

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The 75th Killing Game

"We have been waiting! Waiting so very long for peasants like you to appear!" Junko says in an exaggerated snobby voice, a crown resting on her head. "If you swear your fealty to us, we will reward you with half of the entire worl-"

As soon as Junko makes her "grand reveal" as the mastermind, Naegi throws a kitchen knife at the inactive Monokuma that was laying next to her. He aimed specifically for its weak point, so that as soon as the knife makes contact, the Monokuma explodes. However, Junko hadn't been harmed by the explosion - she reacted with lightning quick reflexes, jumping out of the way before she could be caught by the explosion.

At the same time, Makoto Naegi leaps towards her, reading her movements perfectly. Naegi tackles her to the ground and swiftly snatches both hair clips from her hair, purposefully ripping a few strands of hair in the process. This caused Junko to yelp in pain and as soon as she did, Naegi shoves his hand into her mouth and pulls out a false tooth at the back of her mouth. He carefully deposits the tooth in his pocket and replaces it with a coil of rope. Before Junko could say or do anything else, Naegi expertly binds both of her hands together at a break-neck pace. Panting heavily, the luckster takes out a second kitchen knife and holds it up to Junko's throat.

This entire scene played out in twenty seconds.

…

"M-Makoto?!" Asahina shouts, breaking the tense silence that had filled the courtroom. "What are you doing?!"

Hagakure scratches his chin and stares at Naegi strangely. "Uh, I don't really get it but did Naegi just capture the mastermind?

"W-W-What just happened?" Fukawa frantically looks around the classroom as she tried to process what she just saw.

"Time machine. Tell me. Now." Naegi hisses at her, eyes twitching. This was not the first time he had Junko had knifepoint - For over a dozen loops, he had tried to corner Junko. And at each and every turn, she had managed to send him back in time before he could get any info. The false tooth in her mouth was the latest trigger that Naegi had discovered, and he had only found out about it by luck. During the 74th Killing Game, Junko had bit down on her false tooth a bit too hard and had drawn blood. Naegi had barely enough time to notice it before he was sent back.

"Oh!" Junko smiles crookedly as her eyes drift up to meet Naegi's face. The fashionista was pleasantly surprised as she saw that he was… angry. No, perhaps angry wasn't the right word. The luckster's face had gone completely red and his jaw was clenched so tightly that she wouldn't have been surprised if he cracked a few of his teeth. He wasn't angry - he was completely furious. "So… that's what this is about? How many times did you have to do this so far, huh? I mean, if you of all people are resorting to measures that are this violent, then you must be super duper desperate!"

"Hold on." Togami raises his voice. His face seemed to be a mixture of both disbelief and irritation. "What's this about a time machine?"

Naegi ignores the affluent prodigy, instead opting to press his knife even harder against Junko's neck. Junko goes completely still and even pauses her breathing. Despite this, a small dribble of blood makes its way down her throat as the knife cuts her skin. If Naegi had pushed even one centimeter closer, she would be dead right now. "Where is it? I won't ask again."

Junko says nothing, instead flicking her eyes down to the knife.

Reluctantly, Naegi moves his arm back slightly. As soon as he did, Junko lightly coughs before taking a few deep breaths. "W-Wow Naegi, you sure are fuckin' crazy, you know that?"

Naegi sharpens his glare. His expression was one of hatred. For the first time in his life, he felt nothing but pure, unadulterated hatred for someone. Each and every time Junko had stopped him from questioning her, he had to stare into her taunting eyes before being sent right back to the start. She always acted to smug, knowing that Naegi would have to spend another couple of weeks to get back to that point. If he were to add up the time, Naegi has probably spent over a year on just trying to question Junko. She had not only sent him back in time, but she had also killed him several times. Every time, she used Monokuma to do it. Naegi's martial arts training didn't do much when against a literal robot. She always spent the last few moments of his life teasing him, going on and on about how much of a failure his plan was.

After a few moments of silence, Junko rolls her eyes. "Eh, why not? It's not like it matters anyway. Sure, I'll tell you what I know about the time machine!"

"..."

Junko's grin slowly morphs into a smug smirk. "It's currently located in a town called 'Trancoso'. Heard of it?"

"You're lying." Naegi says uncertainty. These days, he could easily tell when someone is lying. Right now, a big part of his mind was telling him that Junko was lying to him. But another part told him that she wasn't. It seemed… uncharacteristic for her to lie right now. Naegi thought that she was lying, but there was something odd about it.

Junko rolls her eyes again. "Do you even know where Trancoso is located? I'm telling the truth - I placed it there. Have you noticed that there's a delay between when I activate a switch to send you back and when you actually get sent back? The lag is insane."

"Where is Trancoso?" Naegi demands. Even if she was lying, the time machine was definitely somewhere far out of his grasp. But still - if he knew the location, then that would at least be something. He had never heard of a town called Trancoso, but it definitely didn't sound like the name of a town in Japan.

"Ah, it's somewhere in Brazil." Junko says nonchalantly. "I dunno the exact location of the time machine, but Trancoso is definitely a town in Brazil."

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Frowning, Naegi shakes his head. "What do you mean, you don't know the exact location?"

"Did I forget to mention? I actually don't know where it is." Junko sticks out her tongue teasingly. "I pulled that Brazil shit out of my ass. You shoulda seen your face! Ha!"

Naegi inhales deeply and closes his eyes. He could practically feel his hands twitching. Naegi wanted nothing more right now then to relieve some stress by stabbing Junko, but he couldn't do that right now. Not if he wanted answers.

"Uh…" Hagakure clears his throat and raises his hand timidly. He, along with everyone else were only spectating this spectacle with confusion. Even Kirigiri seemed at a complete loss. "So can anyone tell me what's going on he-"

"Shut up." Naegi says flatly. "Junko, explain."

Junko tilts her head slightly. "Welllllll, I kind of erased the memory that held the location of the time machine. So I don't really know where it is, sorry! Oh and before you ask, I really am actually telling the truth here." Junko barks a short laugh. "It could be anywhere!"

"No! That's a lie!" Naegi shakes his head desperately. He wanted desperately to believe that Junko was still lying, but the truth was plainly written on her face at this point. "Come on! TELL ME!"

"Ask me as many times as you want. The truth will stay the same, no matter when or how you ask me. I don't know! Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhu!" Junko laughs mockingly. "All of that effort trying to restrain me, all for nothing! Isn't that great?"

Naegi's breathing starts to get ragged as panic fills his brain. Somewhere, in the distance, he could hear the murmurs of his classmates and the sick cackling of Junko. Everything was just so horrible. A waste. That was what this was - all of this was a waste of time.

But hey, I have unlimited time! That means it doesn't matter! IT DOESN'T MATTER! Naegi screams at a deafening volume inside of his own head. The worst part was that he knew that she was telling the truth. Even if he went for another loop and asked Junko the question in a different way, or at a different place, she would say the same thing. She didn't know where it was. I can do this as many times as I want, so it doesn't matter, does it?!

But he could no longer focus on that. In his mind, something just… snapped. It was as if the last few strings that was connecting his mind to the plane of rationality broke. The edges of Naegi's vision seems to start blur at a deep, dark red as he stares into Junko's eyes. She didn't even look human to her - she looked like a demon.

Everything blacks out.

…

Naegi blinks. He could hear someone screaming. No, two someones, two voices that sounded far away, almost non-existent. Even so, he could hear the distinct tone of terror in their voices. He could feel something hot and warm drenching his hands and clothes. The unwelcoming stench of copper filled his nostrils, causing him to recoil slightly in shock. His eyes drift downwards… downwards to Junko.

Her neck was cut wide open and there was a torrent of blood spilling out. Blood, blood, blood, blood. Blood everywhere. On his hands, on his clothes, on his shoes, on the floor. Red almost completely filled his vision. Junko's usually animated face was completely still. Her eyes were greyed out and had as much life in them as rocks. In complete contrast to her eyes, an ear splitting grin was plastered onto Junko's face. The grin sent a clear message to Naegi.

"I won."

Junko had won. For the first time in seventy five killing games, Naegi had killed.

He had killed. Naegi had took someone's life. Not only that, but he had mutilated his victim with a knife, slitting her throat open wide. And the worst part was that beneath the crawling sense of nausea and disbelief, there was one undeniable emotion.

It was satisfaction.

It was satisfaction, and it was the last straw.

"N-No." Naegi croaks in a hoarse voice, dropping his knife to the ground. It clatters to the widening pool of blood at his knees and splashes more warm liquid onto his clothes. It felt like liquid fire.

Naegi was done.

Done.

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The 76th Killing Game.

Naegi wakes up.

Pain.

More pain.

…

Images flash through his mind.

…

Junko.

He killed.

He killed her.

She's dead.

No, that wasn't right. She's alive. She was dead.

It was undone. No one was dead.

He was back.

…

Naegi screams, as loud as he could. He slams both of his hands to the sides of his head, as if his brain was about to explode. He lets it all out. The pent up frustration from being back at the start for what seemed like the millionth time. The lingering anger from Junko's taunts, and how he had fallen for her bait. The unbelievable shock from having killed for the first time.

Was this despair?

Whatever it was, Naegi manifests it into one singular throat shredding scream. It was the loudest sound he had ever heard in his life. Hot tears pour down his eyes as his own screams tear into his ears.

Why? Why? No, not fair. Why?

And to think, he once thought that he couldn't advocate for her death. That he would never sink so low as to commit murder.

Someone runs into the classroom. Naegi snaps his head to look at them. Vaguely, he realizes that he was still screaming. It felt like his throat was burning, but that didn't matter to him. That didn't matter at all.

"H-Hey!" Junko walks up to Naegi and shakes his shoulder. He was still sitting at his desk. "What the hell's wrong with you?!"

Like a trapdoor, Naegi's mouth instantly snaps shut. He stares at Junko, the person he had killed. He had took this person's life with his own hands. Just like he expected, none of it mattered anyway. Nothing mattered. No one died, no one was ever going to die. Junko herself doesn't even know where the time machine was.

He lost.

…

"Um… you okay there?" Junko asks tentatively. She looked as if she were almost afraid to approach him, like Naegi would start screaming his head off again. But something else about her seemed… off.

"Ah." Naegi croaks. Not Junko. Not JUNKO. That's not Junko. Right, right right. Don't forget, don't forget.

Don't forget… Naegi's eyes widen. Don't forget. Backup. Second. Yes, no. I did not lose. Option two, what's behind the second door? I chose option two. Risky, who cares? I need this.

One… One more. One more way. Option two.

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The 80th Killing Game

Naegi contacts Kirigiri - again. He tells her about everything, except for the time he killed Junko. He couldn't find it in himself to bring it up. The memory was too painful to remember. Every time he even thought about it, new waves of nausea and anger washed through him. Of course, she was skeptical so like usual, Naegi gives her a few predictions in order to gain her trust. Then, he did everything over again. He knew that this may be the last time he would do this - and yet, he felt bored. But who could blame him? He had done this too many times.

He does it again.

He talks Maizono and Celeste out of their murders.

He pushes Ikusaba out of the way.

He prevents Owada from flying off the handle.

He acts grateful to his friends when they stick by him as Monokuma lies about him being the traitor. Though maybe act wasn't the right word? Despite everything, he still felt some amount of appreciation. It was just hard to feel grateful as he had seen this over and over and over and over and over again already.

And now, once again, they find that in the morning, Junko is tied up. All of their friends were there too. She was lying on the floor and for the time being, unconscious. That wouldn't last very long though. Naegi needed to act fast.

"Kirigiri, are you ready?"

Kirigiri and Naegi had come up with this plan a while ago. They both agreed that this might be his only chance at freeing himself from the time loop. As the location for the time machine was completely unknown, it wasn't as if they could even interact with it. Naegi had spent the last couple of loops finding as many different triggers as he could. He would try to overload the time machine by spamming a bunch of triggers as many times as possible. He had no idea what would happen, or if anything would happen at all, but he had to try. It was his last chance.

Kirigiri nods and brings out a small bag. In it, there were thirty different wireless transmitters that they had gathered the night before. Naegi had asked all of the students to help with this - while they were certainly confused, when he told them that doing this would help them escape, everyone agreed - even Togami and Ikusaba.

Kirigiri leans in to Naegi and starts to whisper in a hushed voice. "I think that you should rethink things, Naegi. Doing something like this is incredibly risky. It should only be a last resort." Kirigiri reluctantly went along with his plan - protesting that this was needlessly dangerous. Who knew what this action could accomplish? It may even do something crazy, like somehow cause a time paradox.

"Kirigiri, I'm really beginning to lose my mind." Naegi mutters. "If I keep meeting failures, then…"

Naegi shivers as he flashes back to killing Junko.

Her neck was cut wide open and there was a torrent of blood spilling out. Blood, blood, blood, blood. Blood everywhere. On his hands, on his clothes, on his shoes, on the floor. Red almost completely filled his vision. Junko's usually animated face was completely still. Her eyes were greyed out and had as much life in them as rocks.

"But still-"

"Besides, the time machine could be literally anywhere." Naegi glances at her, a brow raised. "You don't happen to know a way to explore the entire world in my situation, do you?"

"No." Kirigiri hesitantly drops the subject.

Naegi takes the bag from her hands and gives two transmitters to each student. Each one stayed silent, only staring at the devices strangely.

"Uh, how exactly will this help us get out of here?" Kuwata asks, turning and examining his transmitter. "I don't even know what this is."

"Just trust me." Naegi says firmly. He gathers the last four transmitters in the bag and hands two of them to Kirigiri and keeps the other two to himself. Looking around at his classmates, he nervously nods. "On three, okay? Just press it as fast and as much as you can."

Murmurs of agreement sound through the gym.

"One, two…" Naegi closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

"Three!"