"...Damn it. Of all times for this to happen."
"....."
The students carried Kuzuryu to a guest room and laid him down, then tore up the bedsheets to perform the bare minimum of first aid. But it was only that—the bare minimum—so there was no sign whatsoever that Kuzuryu's condition was improving.
"Under normal circumstances... if he got prompt treatment and proper rest, he would've recovered quickly... but after starving for seven days and then receiving treatment this poor..."
"...So today really is the critical point."
"...Y-yes."
As Tsumiki lowered her head again and answered guiltily, the students' expressions hardened even further.
'...Young master.'
Meanwhile, among them, Pekoyama quietly ran her fingers over her wooden sword... no, over the real blade hidden inside it.
'Has the time... come for me to keep my promise... with young master...?'
Back in childhood, so distant now it barely remained in memory, she had once made a promise with young master. If they lived, they would live together. If they died, they would die together.
Of course, that had been in those thoughtless days of childhood, and after that, as she was thoroughly trained to become a tool of the Kuzuryu family, the promise had faded deeper and deeper into the fog of memory.
And yet, last night, before going to bed, young master had brought up that old promise and said this:
"If it looks like a murder is about to happen... could you carry out that promise from back then? This isn't an order. It's a proposal. So... decide by your own will, not as a tool."
"I-I..."
Flustered beyond belief, she had accepted young master's proposal almost by reflex. At that, he had nodded with a satisfied look and told her there was still time before she had to fulfill the promise, so she should prepare herself.
But that time had come far too quickly.
'If I stab young master right here... then I'll become the killer.'
Before losing consciousness, young master had definitely told her to fulfill the promise.
Both she and young master had carried immense guilt toward the others ever since that kidnapping incident, so they had both spoken of offering up their lives... but she had never imagined the moment would come when she would have to take young master's life with her own hands.
'Then now...'
She had done this countless times. Twist the hilt, draw the real blade from the wooden sword, and bring it down. If she did that... then with the two of their sacrifices, this despair-soaked situation would finally end.
'Now...!'
But for some reason, the hand gripping the hilt would not turn. Normally, it wouldn't have taken even a second to twist it, draw the blade, and strike.
Was it because she had been weakened by days of starvation? Or because she had gone so long without drawing the real blade that the mechanism had malfunctioned?
Thud
"Pe-Pekoyama...?"
"Ah... ahhh... aaahhh..."
"...I don't even know what to say to her. She's probably the one suffering most right now."
'Y-young master... I...'
In the end, Pekoyama dropped the sword she had been holding and collapsed to the floor. Under the students' pitying gazes, she muttered to herself in silence.
'I... can't do it... I can't... kill young master... I... can't...'
And so, unable even to retrieve her wooden sword because her hands were trembling so violently, Pekoyama was gently led away from Kuzuryu's side by the others.
.
.
.
.
.
"Now then... match your breathing... slowly... gently... draw a circle..."
"...Damn it."
"Huff... huff... huff..."
At seven in the morning, everyone had gathered in the tower at the midpoint of the Funhouse and were being forced to perform Monokuma Tai Chi.
Watching the students struggle through the motions with faces on the verge of collapse, Monokuma spoke with obvious amusement.
"Upupupu... not bad, everyone, even on day seven...! Though I guess this is the first day we've had dropouts, huh? Upupupupu..."
Just as Monokuma said, most of the students had assembled, but for the first time, there were absentees.
"...Kuzuryu is one thing, but where the hell did Kyoko Kirigiri, K, and Komaeda go...?"
"That bastard Komaeda... he was definitely there when everyone gathered at dawn, but after we moved Kuzuryu to the guest room, he vanished. I searched every corner of the building, but I couldn't find him anywhere..."
"I thought Kyoko Kirigiri and K were with Saionji... where in the world did they go...?"
"And on top of that... when I checked earlier, the elevator was broken too... I had a bad feeling, so I was almost done fixing it, but then it hit seven and I had no choice but to come here... This isn't... some kind of disaster waiting to happen, right...?"
"Th-this might not be a big deal compared to everything else, but... m-my camera is gone. I definitely left it in my room..."
"...The moment Monokuma Tai Chi ends, we'll begin searching for those three. More importantly, the broken elevator bothers me. It was perfectly fine until dawn..."
The students were deeply shaken by one suspicious incident after another, but because Monokuma Tai Chi was mandatory, they had no choice but to drag their exhausted bodies through Monokuma's poses instead of searching for the missing three.
"....."
"Hey, you there!! Student Saionji!! Are you not going to do it properly!?"
"....."
"Honestly... kids these days are so soft...!?"
Saionji had locked herself in her room in a full-blown panic, only to be dragged out by Monokuma by force. Thanks to that, she wasn't absent, but she couldn't even think about following along with the Tai Chi. She just sat collapsed on the floor, trembling uncontrollably.
"Upupupu... well... can't be helped. Once Tai Chi is over... you'll have to take remedial lessons with the absentees, okay...? All day long, of course!! What do you think? It'll make you healthier, right? Right?"
"....."
"Well, it looks like someone's probably going to die today anyway... and I'm curious what K and Kyoko Kirigiri are thinking, so I'll be extra generous and let it slide...!"
Monokuma's loaded remark only tightened the noose of anxiety around the students' hearts. In that grim atmosphere, Monokuma Tai Chi finally ended, and the students tried to begin their search immediately, but...
Boom!!!
"Wh-what was that!?"
"Kyaaaah!!! A bomb!! That was a bomb sound, sir!!!"
"It came from the Strawberry House side!! We need to check right now...!!"
At the deafening blast from the Strawberry House side, the students turned deathly pale and rushed out in a panicked wave.
Most of them poured out of the tower like that, but three students remained behind.
"Hinata, you're not going to check it out?"
"....."
"...Hinata?"
When Hinata glared at Tanaka and Nidai, who were both giving off a strange, ominous air, Nidai looked back at him for a moment before speaking.
"...That look in your eyes. Don't tell me you know about our plan."
"I heard you two whispering earlier. About fighting here. That explosion... you were the ones who caused it, weren't you?"
"....."
"I don't know when you went into the Final Dead Room and got a bomb... but as long as I'm here, you two aren't going to risk your lives fighting until the others come back."
"No. From this moment on, we're going to seal the door leading from here to Strawberry House with chains."
"...What?"
As Hinata stared in shock, Nidai calmly walked to the entrance leading to Strawberry House, pulled a chain from his clothes, and began locking the door shut.
"Tanaka found this chain inside the Final Dead Room. I was wondering where the cord from the whistle I used to wear had gone, and it turns out Monokuma stole it and hid it there. There's only one, so we can only lock the Strawberry House side, but since we broke the elevator too, the others won't be able to get here for a while."
"...No, Souda had almost repaired the elevator earlier. We don't have much time left. Let's begin our fated showdown at once. Hinata, leave through that door leading to Grape House."
Watching the two of them, Hinata bit his lip hard, then shouted.
"Why the hell are you doing this!? Why do you have to sacrifice yourselves!?"
"If we don't act now... Kuzuryu will die, and Saionji will be executed. And then despair will consume everyone. Because that would be an impulsive 'accident'—something nobody wanted, something nobody chose."
"....."
"But if we sacrifice ourselves in a mutually agreed-upon 'duel'... then we can at least keep the others from being completely swallowed by despair. We can leave our will behind for them. That's why we deliberately set this up while everyone was gathered together."
Nidai said that as he pulled out the camera Koizumi had lost.
"...We'll record our battle with this camera. So that when the others arrive, they can see our resolve with their own eyes."
"Heh... ideally, I would've liked to show the others with my own body what it means not to give up... but neither the situation nor the time is on my side. If we drag this out with a Class Trial, Kuzuryu's life will be in danger. Still... at least I can force my will through to the end. For that much, I am grateful..."
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Hey!! Open the door!! What are you doing in there!!"
"Damn it, don't tell me that blast was just to distract us..."
"Souda!! What about the elevator repairs!?"
"I-it's almost done!! Just a little more...!!"
As the chained Strawberry House door began to shake violently, Nidai and Tanaka turned toward each other, murderous intent rising from their bodies like heat haze.
"Hinata, this is your final warning. Do not interfere in our fight."
"A mere ordinary person like you would go blind just from witnessing a battle this fearsome. So..."
"Th-then I'll join too...!"
"W-what...?"
Hinata shouted, desperation tearing through his voice.
"You two aren't the only ones who know how to sacrifice yourselves!! I... I'll join your battle too...!!"
"An average nobody like you..."
"Yeah!! I'm average! I'm ordinary!! So what!? Someone like me can still sacrifice himself for everyone...!"
"....."
Hinata squeezed his eyes shut and kept speaking.
"Honestly... I'm scared... I'm shaking... but still... for some reason, I can't stop thinking this... that even someone as insignificant as me... can shine for everyone... can do something for everyone...!"
"You... you've made up your mind."
"Remarkable... I never expected you to possess such strength of heart."
"I realized it while building bonds with all of you... Even if I'm lacking on my own... if I'm with other people, I can still shine. And right now, more than anything... I want to stand with you, the ones shining brighter than anyone."
Nidai and Tanaka swallowed their breath as they looked at the resolute Hinata. Then they exchanged a glance and quietly spoke.
"As I thought, you're splendid. You're someone the others absolutely need."
"...What?"
"...Warrior with a shining heart, we leave the others to you."
"W-wait... ngh!!!"
Before Hinata could even react, Nidai drove a brutal kick into him. The force launched Hinata bodily through the air.
"...I avoided the vital points, so there shouldn't be any lasting damage, but you won't be moving for a while. Rest there for now."
"Then let's begin before it's too late. You're still clinging to that arrogance of yours—that you don't need a weapon?"
"I simply trust in my own might."
"Then I, Tanaka Gundham, shall test whether that is courage or mere reckless vanity! Come!!"
"UOOOOOOOOOO!!"
.
.
.
.
.
"Haa... haaah... so... it wasn't baseless bravado after all..."
Tanaka had fought fiercely, using every advantage he had—his weapon, his agile movements, and coordinated attacks with his hamsters carrying needles coated in paralytic poison. But in the end, Nidai accepted a certain amount of injury, forced his way deep inside Tanaka's range, and brought him down with a decisive blow.
"...At the very end, you hesitated. You definitely had one hidden move left."
"....."
"Was it because using it would've put your hamster companions in danger...?"
"The defeated... have no excuses..."
With a sorrowful expression, Tanaka carefully lowered the trembling hamsters from his shoulder to the floor, then closed his eyes and prepared himself for the final moment.
Meanwhile, Nidai picked up Koizumi's camera, which had been left on the floor recording the battle, and began to speak.
"To those of you watching this battle: our fight was a 'mutually agreed-upon battle.' The victor is I, Nidai Nekomaru, and as agreed, after killing Tanaka, I will take my own life as well. That way the Class Trial can be finished as quickly as possible."
"...Hear me well. Though my flesh dies here... my soul has already transcended the human realm. I shall return to the demon world from which I came and watch over your future actions... so if you pull any nonsense, you'd better be ready for the consequences."
After leaving those final words behind and ending the recording, Nidai set the camera back on the floor and looked at Tanaka.
"It was a real pleasure to fight someone as magnificent as you for everyone's sake. Well then, let's meet again soon. If there's an afterlife, that is."
"...If I'm going anywhere, I'd prefer hell."
"Then..."
The two of them smiled, ready to bring everything to its final conclusion, but then...
Bang!!
"Freeze right there. Move, and I'll shoot."
"...Don't move, either of you."
"".....!""
Kyoko Kirigiri and K came through the door connected to Grape House and fired into the air, forcing the two to stop what they were about to do.
.
.
.
.
.
"...Hah, you guys... what the hell do you think you're doing...?"
"T-Tanaka...!?"
"N-Nidai... why are you there...?"
"Hinata!!!"
The students behind K and Kyoko Kirigiri, having come in through the opened door, stared at the scene in utter shock.
"Th-thank God... you two... made it in time..."
Supported by Nanami, Hinata struggled to his feet and spoke in a strained voice to K and Kyoko Kirigiri.
"....."
But the two of them ignored Hinata's words and silently looked down at their E-Handbooks.
"Looks like... it's about time, huh, Kyoko?"
"It does, K."
"Y-you two... ngh...!"
Sensing something deeply wrong from the way they murmured to each other while staring at their E-Handbooks, Hinata tried to say something—but a surge of pain twisted his face, and he collapsed again.
Meanwhile, the other students, who had grasped the situation and split themselves between Tanaka and Nidai to stop anything terrible from happening, also sensed something strange from K and Kyoko Kirigiri and asked cautiously.
"Um... K? Kyoko Kirigiri? Thanks for showing up and helping, but... where have you been this whole time..."
"More importantly, put the guns down now. I don't know where you got them... but you don't need them anymore..."
ekV1K0xzbVpCLzNEdWZlblZKRDV4YnVKNFVrRTY5dGozNGd3Z0JOV0R4a3dObkx6NjkvVVJpcTZHT0o2OUlvNw
"Y-you two... what are you trying to do..."
Hinata forced the words out through the pain, and the other students began to look confused. Seeing them like that, the two smiled faintly and opened their mouths.
"There's something we want to say to all of you... one last—"
Bzzzt...!
"...Monokuma really is petty to the bitter end. Isn't he?"
"Seriously. And that wasn't even what we were going to say."
K and Kyoko Kirigiri smiled at the others.
""We'll be fine, so you all keep moving forward. A dazzling future is waiting ahead of you.""
After saying that, the two raised their guns to each other's heads before the others could even react...
"W-wait...!"
Bang!!
They pulled the trigger.
"......Huh?"
And at that exact moment, Komaeda—who had just opened the door leading to Grape House, clutching two files in his arms—witnessed the scene unfolding before his eyes and stood there with a blank, shattered expression.