Chapter Text
Once Ryoma and Shuuichi reached the Shrine of Judgement there was something immediately off with the area. Shuuichi was the last to arrive most of the time but taking a look around someone felt missing.
“According to my calculations it appears Maki is not here.”
“Woooow the walking toaster has to do calculations for a simple observation!”
“That’s robophobic! I am more than some petty household appliance!”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Kokichi smirked at Kiibo like a cat playing with a mouse before killing it. Kiibo made a bit of a noise in annoyance but let the matter drop as there were more important things to do.
“Where is she!”
Tsumugi let out a scream as Monokuma appeared out of nowhere like usual. “That twin tailed idiot is as sly as a squirrel!”
“A squirrel? Not a fox?” Tsumugi seemed confused but Shuuichi couldn’t help but wonder why she always went along with Monokuma’s antics.
“She could even be called Sr. Dietrich!”
That only got more confusion from Tsumugi and everyone else, but the ice was quickly broken by a quick phrase,
“Are you talking about me?”
Maki appeared almost as silently as Monokuma.
“Maki, I thought we were informed to make our way to the Shrine of Judgement as soon as possible. I would have hated for something to happen to you because of this,” Kiibo tried to seem logical but by the way his voice broke (glitched?) it was clear how concerned he was.
“The protagonist is supposed to appear all cool at the end not some side character!” Monokuma seemed angry for some odd reason and was waving a paw around with his claws out. Maki was silent in response.
“Fine, ignore me whatever. I have a trial to run so move your asses! We’ve wasted enough time as is…” The last bit seemed to be muttered under his breath.
Nonetheless, all the students moved their way towards the elevator. When they were standing in the elevator there was a low voice that said shortly, “Calm down. You got this, kid.” Shuuichi didn’t need to look to see that was Ryoma. Recently it felt like he was the stable rock that was holding him down from floating away. Maybe it’s wrong for me to hope after everything I’ve gone through already but… Ryoma… please live for both of our sakes. Then there was a soft ping as the doors to hell opened.
Everyone seemed somber as they took their places. To the left of Shuuichi Kaito’s portrait stood with a giant red X over his face. Kaito you were always so bright like the stars you chased. What I would give to have him by my side… Someone here took that from you and I intend to bring you justice! I just wish the truth wasn’t so scary at times like this… Shuuichi quickly shook the thoughts from his head so he could focus on the task at hand.
Monokuma and the kubs finished their explanation and the trial was thrust underway.
“The culprit is Kirumi!”
Instantly the courtroom was thrust into chaos some agreeing with Kokichi and others remaining silent. Angie was the one who spoke the loudest over everyone, “Atua is her alibi, Kokichi.” She spoke like she was reprimanding a small child and perhaps she was in some ways, but he was the first to quip back, “Nuh uh! She has the strongest motive for a kill out of everyone here, or did you forget how she tried to kill Ryoma.”
A hush fell over the room at the chilling but true comment.
“Kirumi is the only person who could have done this.” Kokichi put a finger to his lips in a mockery of hiding a smirk.
“No, that’s wrong.”
“Oh? My beloved Shuuichi is defending a murderer? I didn’t know detectives could be so brutal!”
“I’m not defending a murderer because Kirumi didn’t kill Kaito and I have proof.”
“Well? Whip it out for me Shuu!”
“… The proof is in Angie’s alibi. Everyone in the prayer circle was in the library at the time of the murder, including Kirumi. She wasn’t anywhere near the crime scene.”
“Oooooh, I see. Welp looks like that was wrong, who’s next?”
Again, the court room was thrown into chaos, most of it meaningless annoyance directed at Kokichi for wasting everyone’s time.
“Well what should we do now?” Maki’s tone was icy as always and put a sudden halt to everyone’s side conversations. When silence greeted her, she let out the most exasperated sigh Shuuichi had ever heard in his life. “Fine. I’ll go. I think Kiibo is suspicious.”
Everyone’s heads whipped over to the robot. “M-Maki? Why do you think I’m suspicious?”
“You found the body alone. For all we know you could have just killed him and after disposing of evidence screamed to let the others know where the body was.”
“Wh-what?!”
“No that’s wrong for the same reason as Kirumi. We can’t go randomly pointing fingers. We need to think this through first.”
“He’s right. You’ve all still got a ways to go.” Shuuichi couldn’t help but smile at Ryoma for the support.
“Just for clarification, who exactly was a part of this ‘prayer circle’?” Kiyo asked.
“Atua has the new followers of Tsumugi, Gonta, Kiibo, Kirumi, Himiko, and Tenko!” Angie was practically glowing with glee as she said this.
“Holy shit the bikini slut converted over half of us!”
“Nyeh… don’t talk about the prophet of Atua like that…”
“I agree… but it’s plain to see we should get back on track.”
“Nyahahaha! Tsumugi is so smart! Atua blessed you.”
“Um… getting back on track, I think we should think about where the murder took place.”
“Whaaaat? Did Shumai loose a few brain cells? It obviously took place in the dining hall. There was sooo much blood there it was gruesome!” It was an obvious taunt from Kokichi but the way he grinned at the end was still ominous.
“I don’t think that’s the case. I saw a smear of blood that was attempted to be cleaned up outside of Kirumi’s lab on the second floor. So I think that was the real murder scene and the corpse was transported to the dining hall later.”
“I saw it myself with you Shuuichi so I know that you’re correct, I just wonder why they would risk moving the body in broad daylight. We would have noticed the body whether it was in a place we check regularly or not so it couldn’t have been to get our attention.” Ryoma talked for quite a bit surprisingly.
“… I think I know why. And it had nothing to do with the new location of the body, but rather the old location of it. Because there is one person who looks immediately suspicious with the new location in mind… and that is… you Maki!”
“…Really?”
“Because if the crime scene is how we think it was, then you should have noticed or heard something from your lab which wasn’t very far away. But instead of cooperating with the investigation you shut me out from questioning you.”
“My lab is on the complete other side of the floor. There’s no way I could hear anything, especially with the door closed. Also just because I thought your questions were stupid doesn’t make me suspicious. So will you give me a break and move on?”
“No, because there’s more evidence that points to you Maki. And that has to do with the murder weapon.”
“What murder weapon have to do with Maki? Gonta confused…”
“The bloody knife was near the body, but I don’t think that was the real murder weapon because a knife would be much bigger than the wound on Kaito. I don’t know anything in the academy that could leave a wound like that, beside something from someplace I haven’t been before. Such as Maki’s lab that she has guarded since the day her lab opened up.”
“Just because you don’t know where the other weapon came from doesn’t mean it came from my lab. That’s all a bunch of assumptions. And also did you forget what my talent is? I’m the Ultimate Child Caregiver. Why would I have weapons in my lab?”
“No, that’s wrong.” Surprisingly Hoshi spoke up.
“We traded motive videos so I saw through that lie.”
“…”
“Your real talent, Maki Harukawa, is the Ultimate Assassin.”
Chaos was in the courtroom once more, but the even more telling thing was that Maki was dead silent. Maki… an assassin? She didn’t seem like a child caregiver to me but that is still much more than I thought.
“Welp! That just about settles it.”
“Wait Kokichi.”
“Hmm?”
“If you checked all the Kubs pads during the Insect Meet and Greet then did you see what Ryoma is saying.”
“Sorry, you guys never asked! Besides, even if I told you guys you’d just think it was a lie right?”
“It appears they are all right. After all, she’s gone completely silent.” Kiyo had to state the obvious.
“Ah! I just realized that for the issue of the culprit walking around with the body, it likely wouldn’t have been an issue for her if she was an assassin because she would have likely done similar activities before.”
“Nyeh, so can we just get this over with?”
Maki was still silent. It seemed like she had just given up.
“So is it really time for voting time? Okay! Then it’s voting time!”
As Shuuichi pushed the button over Maki’s face, he wondered what it would’ve been like if he knew her better. In another universe where I knew her better maybe I’d feel more guilty condemning her like this. I’m still sad but… I mean she is an assassin. But is it really okay to not feel as bad for her? Maybe I’m subconsciously bitter about Kaito…
The wheel spun and flashing lights shone the guilty verdict, not that it was a question anymore.
“Maki… Why would you do this?” Tsumugi had tears running down her cheeks and everyone else was just as somber.
She sighed and began, “When Ryoma and I traded videos, I got curious as to what was on mine. As an assassin, I don’t have any connections or relatives. I expected a blank video but was instead greeted with the orphanage I grew up in shambles. That wasn’t the main reason I killed though, I wouldn’t do something so stupid as kill over that.” Maki said that but looked as distraught as Shuuichi had ever seen her over the video.
“Over the past few days an annoying idiot had been bugging me to come out of my lab. I refused and in the resulting argument I accidentally revealed my talent… a careless mistake. He then started trying to be motivational or something and said I should tell everyone and get along as ‘my true self’ or whatever that means. I went back into my lab and grabbed one of the crossbows and loaded it. I told him we could talk farther from my lab, but only in a place were people couldn’t get past us to get to my lab. We ended up in front of Kirumi’s lab… and I shot him. I took out the arrow and one of the cloaks from my lab and bundled up the body. I then cleaned up the blood and took the body to the dining hall and planted the knife. And that was that.” It’s hard to tell with how blank her face is but…
“Maki do you feel guilty?”
“…I kill on other people’s orders. I had never murdered for the sake of a personal failure. I wouldn’t call it guilt but… I didn’t want to die for something so stupid.” I see… you are guilty Maki. You just don’t know how to show it.
“Anyways… I’ve prepared a very special punishment for Maki Harukawa, the Ultimate Assassin! Upupupupu!” And Monokuma hit the gavel and Maki was carried away on a chain.
Maki appeared to be in a dark room with stone wall lit only by a single flickering light bulb on the ceiling. She was strapped down to a table and had a cloth over her face. Monokuma came over with a mobster outfit on and started to pour red liquid all over her face starting and stopping at seemingly random intervals. Maki began to sputter and cough and breathe heavily. It was then Shuuichi realized that she was being waterboarded with blood. Monokuma continued to haphazardly torture her and blood kept spilling to the point the floor was covered in a large layer of blood this continued until the blood rose over Maki on the table and she actually drowned in the blood.
Everyone hung their heads in respect (and prayer for quite a few) at the brutal display.
“Gonta not want to do this anymore! Gonta will stay here forever as long as no friends die on him!”
“No one should have to suffer through something like that!” Tenko shouted.
“Wh-what the flying f-fuck?” Iruma was shivering and back to her timid side.
“Neeheehee at least it wasn’t boring!”
“That’s the least of our concern right now!” Tsumugi cried.
Behind everyone’s cries the sickening laughter of Monokuma and his cubs rang in the background until everyone left through the elevator to escape the oppressive atmosphere.
After arriving at the top, everyone was drained and walked gloomily to the dorms. When Shuuichi fell onto his bed he resigned himself for another sleepless night.