"Mmph....."
"You're holding out longer than I expected."
"...Mmph!?"
"But you can't keep your mouth shut forever."
".....!!!"
Pekoyama spoke in a voice cold enough to freeze blood, twisting the knife in K's thigh as she spoke. K's whole body convulsed under a pain so monstrous it defied imagination, but the more he writhed, the deeper the blade burrowed into his flesh, and the agony only escalated.
"Mmph!! Mmph!! Mmph!!"
"What is it?"
"Mmmmmmph!! Mmmph!! Mmph!!"
"....."
Koizumi, who had been forced to watch the torture from the side, began struggling and sobbing through the tape over her mouth. Pekoyama glanced at her, then finally stopped and walked over, ripping the tape away.
"Hah... hahaa..."
"Do you have something to say?"
"Y-you pieces of trash!! You... you think you can do this and still...!"
"It seems it'd be better to seal your mouth again."
Pekoyama reached to tape Koizumi's mouth shut again, but Koizumi twisted her face away and started screaming in a voice raw with fury.
"I...! I was going to apologize to you...! At first, just like you said, I tried to run from it... but today... today I decided I would apologize...!"
"There is neither any means nor any reason to believe that. And even if you did apologize, the past would not change."
Koizumi stared at her in disbelief, then shouted back.
"Of course... if that game was true... then yes, I bear guilt too, for trying to cover up the incident... but K-Kuzuryu committed murder too! He killed my friend! We were both in the wrong, so why...!!"
"....."
"You think you're some righteous judge!? Even if this isn't a situation where the weight of each sin matters... which crime do you think is worse—trying to cover up a case, or actually killing someone—!"
"Shut up."
"Ghk...! Khk...!!"
Pekoyama cut off Koizumi's words by wrapping a hand around her throat. As Koizumi choked and gasped, Pekoyama began whispering in a glacial voice.
"The weight of sin? A righteous judge? Those things have nothing to do with what drives me. What drives me now is the fact that Miss Natsumi of the Kuzuryu family died... and the fact that young master is furious with you."
"Khk... hhk... what... does that..."
Koizumi, struggling to breathe through the crushing grip on her neck, forced out the question. Pekoyama looked down at her and continued evenly.
"As young master's tool, and as the assassin and shadow raised by the Kuzuryu family, I have a duty to protect young master and all those of the Kuzuryu family."
"Th-that..."
"Yet it seems the me of the past failed to protect young master's younger sister. Even though we attended the same school..."
"Th-that isn't—khk...!"
When Koizumi tried to interrupt again, Pekoyama tightened her grip until Koizumi could barely make a sound at all.
"And now, even after learning the truth, you tried twice to conceal it. Young master is deeply enraged by that. So as a tool, I will simply punish you."
"Khk... kh..."
"Once I obtain 'that photo' and confirm this incident was real... I will kill you in young master's stead, for daring to conceal the culprit who killed his sister."
"Kh... hhk..."
"And if everyone who sinned in that incident dies... then perhaps, as a failed shadow, I can atone... and offer repentance to the late Miss Natsumi as well..."
"....."
When Koizumi finally lost consciousness and went limp, Pekoyama let go and stepped away from her, then turned back toward K.
"Now then. Have you reconsidered telling me where the photo is?"
"Ghhk..."
"If you still refuse to speak, the other thigh is next."
"Kuzuryu... is this really the ending you want...?"
"...What?"
Even while trembling violently from the pain, K forced his eyes open and stared straight at Kuzuryu, who stood in the distance with his fists clenched tight.
"After you get the photo and confirm the truth... you're going to let Pekoyama put a final stop to an incident that's already long over... and then Koizumi dies, and Pekoyama dies too. Is that really the 'ending' you want!?"
"....."
"A tool!? Don't make me laugh!! How can a person be a tool!? You feel it too, don't you, Kuzuryu!? To you, Pekoyama isn't a tool—she's someone precious...!"
"You're talking too much."
Skkk—thrust
"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
As the knife sank into his other thigh, K let out a scream so ragged it sounded like his soul was being torn apart. Watching him, Kuzuryu muttered under his breath.
"I... I..."
"You... you're a coward..."
"Wh-what... did you say...?"
"The pathetic coward... wasn't Koizumi... it was you, Kuza—AAAAAAAGH!!"
"You really don't know when to stop talking."
Even as his thighs were being carved apart, K glared at Kuzuryu with blazing fury and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Coward...! Pathetic coward...! You couldn't overcome the past...! You didn't even have the guts to act yourself...! So in the end, you turned the person most precious to you... into a sacrificial lamb...! You are... the most pathetic loser of all—GAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
"U... ugh..."
"Young master, you needn't concern yourself. We've lost some time, but within three minutes, I will uncover the truth—"
"Pe... Peko..."
"Do not waver. Young master must survive. Once this is over, young master will kill K..."
"Th-that..."
Pekoyama continued speaking with terrifying calm, while Kuzuryu looked at her as if trying to say something, anything.
"Steel your resolve, yo—"
"But..."
BANG BANG BANG!!
"Open this door right now!!"
".....!"
The deafening pounding cut them off cold. Both of them had no choice but to stop talking.
.
.
.
.
.
BANG BANG BANG!!
"Hey!! You kidnappers!! I know you're in there!! Open up!!"
"Owari...! You can't break the door down... that's against the school rules..."
"This is bad! K and Koizumi are in danger, and the door's locked! If this keeps up, what was the point of me rushing around gathering everyone nearby!?"
"Everybody move! Picking a lock like this is child's play! Did you forget my talent is [Ultimate Mechanic]!?"
As the others panicked in front of the locked door, Souda hurried forward, already pulling tools from his pocket.
Click... clrrk... clack!
"Got it!! It's open!!"
"Then we're going in!!"
BAAANG!!
The instant Souda unlocked the door, Owari and Nidai kicked it with all their strength, blasting it wide open with a thunderous crash.
"Everyone, don't move."
"Hah... hah..."
Inside the opened room, a grotesque nightmare was waiting for them.
"Y-you guys...!"
"You two there. Take one more step, and this knife goes into K's throat."
"Ghk..."
"Th-that... isn't that Koizumi...?"
"S-sis!!!"
"Did she lose consciousness!? This is bad!!"
"B-both of them need treatment right now...!"
K was bound tightly to a chair, a knife still embedded in his thigh. The torrent of blood pouring from the wound made it horrifyingly clear just how savage the torture had been.
Koizumi, meanwhile, hung limp and unconscious. The red handprint around her neck, the tear tracks on her face, and the bruises blooming across her arms and legs all hinted at the sheer humiliation and terror she'd just endured.
Standing over the two of them in that catastrophic state, Pekoyama held her blade to their throats and warned the students in a voice as cold as sharpened steel.
"This is the last warning. Step back immediately. If you do not, I will cut them."
"You two... stop this!! We heard from Kyoko Kirigiri about how things got this far! It's not like I can't understand where you're coming from... but this is too much!!"
Hinata, his stomach still wrapped in bandages, shouted desperately. Pekoyama answered him without a flicker of warmth.
"I never asked for your understanding. I merely... act according to young master's will..."
"...So what? You're going to kill Koizumi here, and then die too? Koizumi did do something wrong, but it wasn't something worthy of death. If you kill her like this... then honestly, both of you deserve to fall straight into hell."
Kyoko Kirigiri's voice was thick with fury. Pekoyama closed her eyes for a moment, then replied in a calm, level tone.
"Then if you hand over the photo in your possession and allow us to confirm the truth... I will consider ending this with mere crippling instead..."
"...What?"
"We searched all of Nanami's room, and before coming here we searched all of K's room as well... so the 'photo' must be with you, Kyoko Kirigiri. Isn't that right?"
"....."
"Young master and I... want to confirm the truth. So if you give us that photo... then instead of crippling that red-haired woman or blinding her... I will spare her life. But if you refuse... then I will take your boyfriend's life as well."
At those words, Kyoko Kirigiri's face went deathly pale. Then she closed her eyes and began speaking to Pekoyama in a trembling voice.
"...In return, I have a condition."
"A condition?"
"I'll give you the photo... so hand K over first."
"Hm..."
"I think that's a perfectly reasonable demand."
"K-Kirigiri! Then what about Koizumi...?"
"...Right now, if Pekoyama so much as twitches a finger, Koizumi dies instantly. If we want to save her life... we don't have a choice."
"Th-that..."
The others swallowed their protests, unable to argue. Pekoyama looked at Kyoko Kirigiri and spoke.
"Fine. But you will come here alone. We'll exchange them at the midpoint. I hand over K... you hand over the photo. Young master, step back. This could be dangerous."
"...Peko."
"Now."
"....."
Kuzuryu squeezed his eyes shut, then reluctantly stepped back. Despite the others trying to stop her, Kyoko Kirigiri began walking toward Pekoyama.
"...Here."
"So this is the photo..."
When Kyoko Kirigiri reached the center, she pulled an envelope from her clothes and held it out. Pekoyama kept one hand on the knife aimed at K while reaching for the envelope with the other, but—
"Take care of K and Koizumi."
"Kh...!"
Kyoko Kirigiri suddenly lunged. Pekoyama managed to grab the envelope, but before she could strike K, the two of them crashed to the floor together.
"Kya... kyaaaah!!"
"W-we have to help too...!"
"First, secure K and Koizumi!"
The students, thrown into chaos by the sudden turn, rushed to pull K and Koizumi to safety while others ran to help Kyoko Kirigiri, but—
"Hah... hah... you're pretty good."
"...Ghk."
"All of you, step back. Otherwise... Kyoko Kirigiri dies."
At some point, Pekoyama had already recovered and was now holding a knife to Kyoko Kirigiri's throat. At her icy murmur, the others could do nothing but retreat, faces twisted with frustration.
"I didn't want to believe it... but of course..."
"N-Natsumi...! It... it really was..."
Pekoyama and Kuzuryu opened the envelope and checked the photo. For a moment, both of them stood there stunned, then slowly slid the picture back inside.
"...So this incident really was true after all, wasn't it, detective?"
"....."
"Then yes... Koizumi has to die."
Pekoyama whispered that to Kyoko Kirigiri with chilling calm. Kyoko Kirigiri answered in a voice just as cold.
"If you kill Koizumi... do you really think we'll just let Kuzuryu walk away after that...?"
"Young master will leave this place safely. I will kill Koizumi, and young master... will kill you, the traitor."
"...What?"
"If a traitor is killed, there is no Class Trial, and the blackened escapes the island immediately... We will use that school rule. Originally, we intended to kill your boyfriend... but killing you instead is acceptable."
"Everyone... mmph...!"
Kyoko Kirigiri tried to shout something urgently to the others, but Pekoyama swiftly covered her mouth and addressed the room instead.
"The condition is similar to before. Hand over Koizumi. If you do not, I will kill Kyoko Kirigiri. If you do, I will release Kyoko Kirigiri and spare Koizumi's life."
"Mmph! Mmph! Mmmph!!"
"You would be wise to decide before I count to three. One..."
"W-what do we do...?"
"My head's gonna explode!!"
"Two..."
"Damn it! No matter what we choose, it's the worst possible outcome!"
"B-but... if we have to choose... then maybe handing over Koizumi is the lesser—"
"What are you saying!? We are absolutely not handing over my sister!!"
"But if we don't... Kyoko Kirigiri dies!!"
"Three...!"
"No!!! Kill me instead! Please!!"
While everyone floundered in total panic, unable to choose, Pekoyama finished counting. Ignoring K's desperate scream, she mercilessly moved to drive the knife into Kyoko Kirigiri's throat—
"Wait!! Pekoyama!! Look at this!!"
"Stop!! This motive was manipulated by Monokuma!!"
At that absolute last second, Nanami appeared and threw a photograph. Pekoyama glanced at it on reflex—then froze solid.
The children from the game were all there in the picture.
"Th-this is..."
And right in the center of the photo...
"Ah..."
Kuzuryu's younger sister, whom they had believed dead, and Koizumi's friend were standing arm in arm, smiling brightly with fake blood splashed all over their heads.
"Ahh..."
Then Pekoyama saw the words written beneath the image—and the knife slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor.
.
.
.
.
.
"Idiots! Idiots! Idiots, idiots, idiots! You complete morons!! What the hell are you doing!!!"
"M-Miss Natsumi... please calm down..."
"Fujisaki!!! Put me on the infiltration operation into the Neo World Program too!! I'll go there myself... and beat the hell out of those idiots!!!"
"But... they've lost their memories..."
"Idiots! Morons!! My stupid brother! My idiot big sister! Die! Just die already!!!"
"...Haa."
The girl watched Natsumi throw a full-blown tantrum in front of Fujisaki, who had become the person in charge of the Neo World Program incident, all because she'd been fuming over the footage being broadcast throughout the Future Foundation for the past several days.
'That temper of hers really hasn't changed...'
When she'd first met her, honestly, it had been hard to adjust. If she hadn't received counseling from him back then and managed to straighten out her own warped personality... would a murder incident like that really have happened?
'Nah... no way...'
But the girl quickly shook the thought away. Their first meeting had been a disaster, sure... but after she kept trying, Natsumi eventually opened up to her. Now they were as close as Koizumi and Natsumi had been—best friends. How could she ever kill someone like that?
Maybe the twisted version of herself from childhood could have. But now, after healing the sickness in her heart, it was unthinkable. The girl let out a quiet sigh and walked over to Natsumi, who was still yelling at Fujisaki.
"Let's stop now, Natsumi... We already agreed to leave the Neo World Program infiltration mission to Class 78..."
"B-but! Those idiots...!"
"Monokuma is the one who's evil. He's the one who maliciously manipulated our play on purpose and made it look like a real incident, tricking everyone."
"No!! Then why couldn't a bunch of Ultimates see through something this obvious!?"
"Because... it was a play everyone spent months pouring their hearts into... and we put way more effort into the makeup than anything else. It makes sense they couldn't tell. So don't be so angry..."
"D-do you know how worried I was...!"
Natsumi had been shouting in rage, but now her emotions finally overflowed, and her voice broke into sobs.
"J-just you try dying... hhk... If you die over a motive this stupid... I'll kill you myself..."
"It's okay... Thankfully, Nanami played the game Fujisaki hacked and found the truth... so now everything can go back to normal..."
"Hhk... hhuu... waaah..."
"Phew..."
Sato, who was both Koizumi's longtime friend and close with Natsumi, Kuzuryu's younger sister, ended up hugging the crying girl and patting her back. Then her eyes drifted to K on the monitor in the center of the office, and she found herself lost in thought.
'Still... K really is a strange person... He definitely said he wouldn't be able to enroll at Hope's Peak Academy because of an incurable illness...'
After that play ended, she'd suddenly thought of K—the one who had helped reform her when she was younger—and contacted him. She'd been happy to hear he'd received notice of acceptance to Hope's Peak Academy.
But then K said he wouldn't actually be able to attend Hope's Peak Academy after all. Shocked, she asked why, and he told her he had an incurable disease.
How much had it hurt, hearing his bitter voice say that in a few months, he probably wouldn't even be in this world anymore?
When she visited him in the hospital, he was lying alone in a bed in his room, simply waiting for death to come. When she shouted at him, asking why he was dying alone like this, he said he didn't want the kids he'd counseled to know about his death and grieve over it.
So then why had he called her? When she asked, he scratched his head and said, with absurd calm, that she was one of the people who had left the deepest impression on him in all his counseling work, and he wanted to see her face one last time before he died.
Watching him talk so casually about his own death had torn her apart. After that, she'd tried to forget him... and then on the day of Class 78's entrance ceremony, he showed up looking perfectly fine.
When she asked in shock what had happened to his illness, he just blinked at her blankly and asked what illness she was talking about. After that, he acted even more like an idiot than he used to... but in the end, just like always, he still wound up becoming someone who, for everyone...
SMACK!!
Sato, who had been lost in memories for a while, looked up at the sudden sound from the monitor—and froze.
Natsumi, who had been crying her eyes out, did the same. So did Fujisaki, who had been quietly smiling as he watched the two of them.
.
.
.
.
.
"No way... then... this incident... this whole incident...!"
"It was all a play. The photo I showed you is the proof."
"Then... all this time, we were..."
"Upupupu!! Busted!!!"
Just like always, Monokuma popped out of nowhere and began speaking with a laugh even more vile than usual.
"I never expected interference from that side... how underhanded... no, wait, I'm the intruder here, so maybe what they did was justified...? Huh. That's actually hard to define..."
"Monokuma! Things won't go your way anymore...!"
"Monomi... looks like one little success made you full of yourself, huh!? I've already cleaned up the intrusion perfectly! From now on, no one will ever be able to interfere again! I've sealed it off at the source! Upupupupupu!!"
"E-even so... we stopped this incident... and that's what matters..."
"Upupupu... You really think you stopped it 'perfectly'? Nope, not even close... because..."
Monokuma abruptly stopped laughing. Then, with a grotesquely sinister expression, he glared at Pekoyama and dropped a bombshell.
"It's time to carry out Pekoyama's punishment!!"
"Wh... what...?"
"Upupupu...! Did you forget the very first school rule? Pekoyama Peko violated the rule prohibiting violence between students, so naturally she deserves proper punishment... right?"
Monokuma transformed his hand into a cannon shape and made his announcement to everyone.
"Okaaay, okaaay! All students near Pekoyama, step away! From this moment on, Pekoyama's punishment will—!"
"You can't do that!!"
"Upupupu...?"
"You don't have the authority!!"
"Monomi... you still don't know your place, do you? I've already taken over the system—"
Monomi stared straight at the sneering Monokuma and declared proudly:
"I disabled Rule Number One earlier!"
"Upupupu...?"
"Thanks to that earlier interference, your coercive control weakened for a little while... so I used part of my remaining authority to deactivate Rule Number One! In other words, since you're bound by the school rules, you can't execute Pekoyama!!"
Hearing that, Monokuma let out a huge sigh and muttered in a sulky voice.
"Haaah... I thought I was finally going to get someone killed... but things just never work out. I miss the old days, when I could kill whoever I wanted whenever I wanted, just like before..."
"If you understand, then just disappear already..."
"Guess I can't help it... I'll just relieve some stress by killing Monomi instead..."
"U-ugyaaaah...!"
Before anyone could react, Monomi had already been seized by Monokuma. Screaming, she was dragged down into the floor, and then a crushing silence settled over the banquet hall.
"...So Rule Number One is disabled right now."
The one who finally shattered that long, suffocating silence was Kyoko Kirigiri, who had been glaring sharply at Pekoyama and Kuzuryu as they sat collapsed on the floor, looking utterly hollowed out.
"Th-that is true... but why are you asking—"
SMACK!
"....."
SMAAACK!
"...Ugh."
Kyoko Kirigiri slapped Pekoyama and Kuzuryu across the face with all her strength. Then she turned to the others, who had frozen in shock at the sudden violence, and spoke.
"What? Why are you staring? We're only getting started."