samantharay

You discussed these correlations with your investigative partners Hajime and Chiaki and filled them in on your meeting with Fuyuhiko yesterday, including the photo.  Then, you continued your investigation together.  

After questioning Mikan, Ibuki, and Hiyoko at the airport, you escorted your partners to your cottage to show them the photo, but it was nowhere to be found.

“I could’ve sworn I put it here!” you exclaimed as you were crouched over your desk drawer, feeling around the empty wooden box for the matte piece of paper.

“It’ll probably turn up somewhere,” Chiaki consoled.

Fortunately, you did find the letter that Fuyuhiko had written to you where you had left it in the cardboard box next to your study.  After showing it to Hajime and Chiaki and securing it on your person, the three of you left to investigate the Mahiru’s cottage, where you found another set of photos—none of which were yours—and a note in the same handwriting as that of the letter that Fuyuhiko had sent to you.

With time left for one more stop before the class trial, your trio was on its way to the beach house to collect Mikan’s autopsy results, but you can’t stop thinking about Fuyuhiko.

“y/n, you okay?”

You had fallen several paces behind your partners and stopped walking altogether when Hajime called out to you.  He and Chiaki are standing beyond the open gate exiting the hotel grounds, while you are standing before it.

"You guys go to the beach house.  I’m going to try to talk to Fuyuhiko — "

“ —Wait! ” Hajime calls again as you are turning toward the cottages.  “Nagito already told us that he’s locked himself in his cottage!  What makes you think that he’ll open up for you!?”

“I know,” you say, cognizant.  “And to be honest, I don’t think that he’ll open up for me either, but I can’t just leave him.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

You shake your head heartily, endeared by his concern.  “No thanks, but I think it’s best if I go alone.”

“Don’t worry,” Chiaki chimes in. “Judging by y/n’s meeting with him yesterday and their relationship in the game, I don’t think he’ll hurt her.”

You nod along reassuringly, not just for Hajime but for yourself, too. 

“Alright,” he concedes.  “If you change your mind, we’ll be at the beach house.  Be careful.”

✂ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Your knocks disturb the silence in the air.  

“Fuyuhiko, it’s y/n!  I just want to talk!”

Just as you had expected, there is no answer.

"I'll be outside your door if you want to talk!”

Prepared to wait for however long it takes for him to come out, you plopped yourself down on his doorstep with your back against the wall and your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms around your legs.

You don’t want Fuyuhiko to be the killer.  You don't want to sentence him to death, but you will if it means saving the rest of your classmates.  

Ding dong, bing bong!

“It’s time for the class trial!  Please make your way to Monokuma Rock on the central island!”

You get up, expecting the door to open any moment now.  He’s not planning on skipping the class trial, is he?   You consult the regulations in the e-handbook: 

Rule 5: Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter.  Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.  

There is no way Monokuma would let him , you assure yourself.

“ What the heck are you doing!? ”

Speak of the devil.   Monokuma was yelling at you from behind.

“You have to go to Monokuma Rock!  The class trial’s about to start!”

“I’m waiting for Fuyuhiko,” you say, unmoved.

“ Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-Whaaaat!?  That little punk is planning on ditching!? ”  The pint-sized bear waddled past you to the door and started banging on it with unabashed terror.  “ Open up, you lazy bum!  Skipping out on the class trial is strictly prohibited! ”

Creak.  

The door opened.

“Alright, quit your whining.  I’m going.”

A tame Fuyuhiko had appeared before you and walks right past Monokuma and you as if you are nothing more than mere ghosts, whereas you feel like you had just seen one.  Shaking off your shock and Monokuma, you jog after him.

“Fuyuhiko!  How are you?”

You’re relieved to see that he’s okay, but he doesn’t answer you or even look in your direction.  You don’t have time to have a proper conversation with him anyway, so you settle for silence and follow him to Monokuma Rock, keeping your distance.  You might as well be a ghost, haunting him.  

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You press the start button at the title screen and begin the Truth Edition of the game on the “0th day”, which opens to a scene outside the school, where two characters are walking together: a boy and a girl.  

“This is my favorite part,” Chiaki says to your right.

Girl G: Man!  That school trip sure was fun!

Guy F: Yeah?  You liked it?

Girl G: Of course I did!  Didn’t you?

Why do I feel like I’ve seen this before?  you think to yourself.

Guy F: Yeah, I did.  It was...fun.  What was your favorite part?

Girl G's character model strikes a pose to think.

Girl G: Hmm...The day at the beach was fun!...So were the ruins!...And the concert!...And the theme park!...And—

The screen of the arcade machine flashes white for a moment.  

Guy F: —...Huh?

Girl G: —Is something wrong?

Guy F: ...No...I thought I saw something.  Let’s go.

The boy and the girl walk off-screen, leaving you with a strange sense of déjà vu.  As the scene ends, the game transitions to the "1st Day", where you are back to controlling the character, Girl A, like in the first edition of the game.  Playing as her, you meet up with the girls, Girls B, C, and D, in the entrance hall.

Girl B: Finally!  We were waiting all day for you, slowpoke!  We’re going to end up getting home late because of you!

Girl D: C’mon, Girl B.  You don’t have to be that mad.

The screen flashes white again.

Girl B: Heeey, don’t go taking photos without permission!  People might mistake us for good friends!

Girl A: I-I’m not your friend!?

Girl B: Whaaat!?  There’s no way I’d ever be friends with a nasty, trashy, pigshit like you!

This game was starting to feel really strangely familiar to you.

Girl C: Tahaaa!  The way Girl B treats people, even loan sharks looking to collect would get sick to their stomachs!

Girl A’s character’s head swivels around.

Girl A: Huh...Is Girl E here yet?

Girl D: No.  Apparently, Girl E can’t find her swimsuit.  She went back to look for it.  She told us to wait here just a little bit longer.

You continue to press through the prompts of dialogue as the girls resume their banter as they wait for Girl E to show up.

Girl B: So, what did you want to show us, Girl D?

Girl D: Well, I was going to wait for Girl E to come back, but I guess I can show you now.

Girl D’s character extends her hand toward the others.

Girl D: Look at whom I saw together while I was taking photos for my portfolio yesterday!   

Girls B’s, C’s, and D’s character models shuffle closer to Girl D.

Girl D: Girl G and Guy F!

Girl A: W-Wow!  They made a good couple!

Girl D: I know, right!?  I just couldn’t resist, ya’ know.  I think it’s my best shot yet!

Girl C: Girl C is getting jealous!

Girl B: Ew, gross!

CRASH!

Just then, you hear an audio clip that sounds like breaking glass.  Still playing as Girl A, you and the other girls follow its source to the music room on the second floor, where you find the dead body of the first high school victim from the Investigation Edition.  Then, the game transitions to the third day.  On the third day, Girl E confesses to killing the first victim to Girl D, who agrees to keep her crime a secret and get rid of all her digital photo evidence linking Girl E to the crime.

Girl E throws the photo of the broken vase away and runs off-screen.  And then, Guy F enters the scene.  He picks up the photo that he saw Girl E throw away, and soon comes to the same conclusion that Girl D came to: that Girl E killed the first victim, his little sister.  He repeats to himself that he will never forgive her, and then Girl G runs on-screen and stops behind Guy F.

Girl G: Guy F, wait!  We can report this to the police and let them handle this!

Guy F: Stay out of this.

Girl G: I will if you call the police. 

Guy F: I said stay out of this!  I won’t say it again!

Girl G takes a step back from Guy F.

Girl G: ...If you don’t call the police, then...I will.

Girl G moves her hand, and you hear a series of beeps as if a phone number is being dialed.  While a dial tone sounds, a dialogue box labeled with three question marks but devoid of any accompanying dialogue text pops up.  You press the action button to advance the prompt, but the tone immediately cuts off, and the screen turns black, followed by a loud thud sound effect.  

When the screen’s image returns, you are greeted with a colorful “Game Cleared!” screen, and the credits roll. Your eyes go wide at the cast names.

There, along with the names “Tsumuki”, “Siaonji”, “Mioda”, “Koizumi”, “Sato”, and two “Kuzuryu”’s, is your surname.

You are left staring at the screen as the credits end.

On the seventh day, you received two invitations to meet up with friends.  

The first was from Sonia.

At breakfast, she invited all the girls to a “girls’ day out” at the beach on the second island.  Excited, everyone agreed to meet up at the diner at four pm this afternoon before heading over to Chandler Beach.  Everyone except Mahiru, that is.  She said that she wasn’t feeling well and thus couldn’t attend.

Yet the second invitation was from Mahiru.  

After breakfast, she pulled you aside and asked if you could come over to her cottage at two pm this afternoon to discuss something.  With more than enough time to make it to your girls’ day out, you gladly accepted her request.  After going swimsuit shopping with the rest of the girls at Rocketpunch Market, you went to Mahiru’s cottage for your first scheduled meetup of the afternoon.

But she wasn’t there.  

You waited outside her cottage for more than forty-five minutes, but she never showed up.  Knowing of Mahiru as not the type to keep a guest waiting, you decide to go look for her.

✂ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You start with the first island.  You search the hotel, the supermarket, the airport, the beach, and Usami’s Corral, but she doesn’t turn up.

As you proceed to search the other islands, you spot Fuyuhiko plodding on the bridge from the central island to the first, and ask him whether he’s seen Mahiru or not.  But, he affronts you with a virulent no and a command to leave him alone, so you leave the yakuza be and continue your search.

Yet you have no luck on the central island either, so you proceed toward the second island.

That is when you see Hiyoko running on the bridge from the second island toward the central.

“Hiyoko!  Have you seen Ma…hi…ru…? ”

She runs right past you at full speed.

But you can swear that you caught a glimpse of tears running from her eyes.  

You sprint toward the second island.

✂ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You burst through the door of the diner to find Hajime, Kazuichi, Ibuki, and the rest of the beach crew gathered at the middle.

“Have any of you seen Mahiru!?”

“y_n, what’s wrong!?” Hajime exclaims.

You’re panting and struggle to catch your breath.  “This morning, she asked me to meet up with her at her cottage at two pm to discuss something, but she never showed up!  And, on my way here, I saw Hiyoko crying while she was running on the bridge from this island toward the central island!”

Hajime is processing what you just said.  

“The beach! ”

✂ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You split up and search the beach on the second island.  Ibuki and Mikan search the tunnel.  Akane and Peko search the shore.  You and Chiaki search the brush.  And, Kazuichi, Sonia, and Hajime search the beach house.

That is when you hear it.

Ding dong dong ding!

You and Chiaki stop in your tracks to wait for the inevitable.

Flick.  

“A body has been discovered!  After a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin!”

Flick.

The two of you look at each other, wondering who it could be, where it could be.

“S-Somebody, come hereeeeeeeeeeeee!”

“That’s Kazuichi’s voice!” you exclaim.  “The beach house!”.

You rush to the beach house where Hajime, Sonia, and Kazuichi should be.

And find Mahiru lying in a pool of blood with her head bashed in.

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