Work Text:
x.Persuade
cause (someone) to believe something, especially after a sustained effort; convince.
This isn’t working.
“Who cares about the motive ? Let’s vote for the culprit already!”
Kokichi’s voice boomed through the room, the high ceiling and rounded walls bouncing his explanation as if it were a battle cry of sorts.
Tsumugi’s voice cracks as she follows his words, “I care about the motive!”
“Well, I don’t care. Finding the culprit is more important in this class trial.” Kokichi held up a hand and inspected his nails, seemingly bored as the room glared his way.
“And anyways, Talking about the motive is meaningless. It’s not necessary for this specific case.”
“No matter what you say, I’ll never believe your lies!”
The sinking feeling in his gut strengthened as he watched Kaito clench a fist and hold onto the podium tuning his knuckles almost white with how strong his grip was.
“We all agree that Gonta is the culprit right? It would be impossible for anyone but him.”
“Impossible? Why?”
“It’s pretty obvious if you-”
“Kokichi stop.”
The room seemed to pause and all eyes turned his way. He gripped the podiums railing a bit tighter and tried not to let the anxiety he felt with everyone’s eyes on him show.
“Stop?”
“Yes, stop.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because you made your point.”
“And?”
The podium lurched under his feet as it moved him and kokichi to the center of the circle. It seemed Monokuma wanted more entertainment. Fine then.
“And the truth is out and the point is made. What else do you want? As long as everyone thinks about it you’ve won and made a point. What more do you want? You did just say the motive didn’t matter. You should have faith others will vote without it then right?”
He watched as Kokichi’s face goes blank again. The stare is unnerving but he doesn’t back down when he sees the boy in question tilt his head and narrow his eyes at him. It was rare but it seemed the shell had cracked for a moment.
“Fine. But will you get everyone else to understand than?”
“They already sh-”
“Why would we listen to him Shuichi??” Shuichi takes a breath in as the podium pulls him back to Kaito’s side. “I mean, what reason has he given us?”
“Yeah! why would we tr-trust him!” Tsumugi leaned over her railing a bit, staring him down with a slightly unsettled look.
The urge to scream for one moment was a dizzying feeling. Maybe if he yelled someone would get it. Maybe they’d think about the information they had. As soon as Kokichi had shared about the murder plan and revealed Gonta as the blackened it had all snapped into place. They just had to think about it!
“What about this is hard to understand! I gave you the answers, Shumai even said so himself that I was right!”
He grit his teeth as a new way of complaints burst forth from Kaito’s and Tsumugi’s mouths. Across from him, Maki’s lips are pursed and she’s exchanging a glance with Himiko. They both look resigned but aren’t actively fighting him and the other two at this point.
“And another thing yo-”
He feels his chest tighten as the insults flow from Momota over to Kokichi.
“Enough! That’s enough! I’ve had enough!! ”
The pause in the room is audible as he takes a shaking breath in losing his grip on the podium as he spins to Kaito’s direction.
“Kaede asked me to take care of all of you! She asked me to save all of you and get you through each trial and all you-” He nearly glares at Tsumugi and Kaito as he continues “are doing right now is making that impossible!”
He heaves in another breath.
“All of the evidence is right here, it’s right here, it’s right here Kaito! Tsumugi! Open your eyes even if you don’t want to. I don’t want to I don’t-”
His chest rattles as he pulls his arms to his chest and tries not to let burning hot tears roll down his cheeks.
“I can’t do this anymore! I refuse to if this is how it’s going to go!”
“Shuichi-”
“I mean you guys can’t stop arguing for-”
“Shuichi-!”
“Not even five minutes! Why can’t you listen to us! The clues are here and-”
“SHUICHI!” A hand reaches out to grab his arm and he slaps the hand away on instinct, the touch almost burning as he does so.
“Kaito no! I refuse! I don’t want to see this anymore. I know it’s the truth and I know what’s going to happen!”
He wraps himself up in his own arms again and takes a gasping breath in the tears rolling freely now.
“If you guys think for a moment this doesn’t make me want to give up or call it quite you are wrong. I hate this gift, I hate this talent, I hate the truth! It’s cruel.”
“Shuichi…” He refused to look up and meet Himiko’s eyes but he knows from across the circle her face is the same as the day they found Tenko, the day they had sat in the room and debated her friend’s blackened. He doesn’t meet her eyes for this reason.
“But what if he’s wrong.”
The reprieve he’s felt for the singular moment is shattered as he breaks out into a shuttering sob as the urge to scream and throw something again invade his chest. It’s so useless trying to do this. It’s so useless to talk sense into those who want to avoid the truth.
“But he’s not. He’s not and I refuse to vote on it.”
The outcry that rolls through the room pass over him as he digs his nails into his arms, the scratchy fabric of his jacket rubbing against his skin, grounding him in the moment.
“Isn’t that against the rules?”
“You’ll die too!”
“Hey now, don’t go to that extreme I’m sure there’s another way to figure this out-”
“Saihara don’t.”
“Gonta don’t want Shuichi to do that-”
“It’s Shumai’s choice.”
He glances up and feels the hopelessness of the room around him.
“Wellll as interesting as this is, it’s time to wrap things up!”
There’s a call of outcry from half the rooms members. Varying from “That’s not enough time!” to “we still don’t know yet!”
The resounding cackle Monokuma let’s out is one that should chill him to the bones but he finds he can’t care that much. He won’t vote. If they can’t trust his deductions and Kokichi’s confession then he can’t in good faith keep leading them. The truth hurts, they should know this by now. It should be easy for them to see this is no longer something they can run from.
Above him, he hears the noise of the first vote click into place. More cries of outrage ring out from around him, he ignores them and glances up to the scoreboard. One vote is highlighted for Gonta. And the noise rings out again and a second vote is cast. Two votes for Gonta. Three votes. Four votes. Five votes. One vote for Kokichi. Two votes.
He won’t vote this time.
“Saihara are you going to vote.” Maki’s voice is nowhere near concerned but it’s also unlike her normally harsh tone.
“I already said I won’t.”
He glances down and meets her eyes. He feels her gaze burn him, scolding him for what he’s about to put them through, maybe forgiving him. He’s not sure if that’s a good or bad thing to wish for. He just feels tired. Burnt out to the bone in a way he’ll never be able to escape.
“Shuichi come on, vote, please!” Kaito’s voice is wavering slightly. “Can’t lose my sidekick after all right…?”
He thinks now is a good time to scream.
And maybe he is screaming when the timer hit’s zero and he spares a glance at Kaito, his eyes pleading with him until they aren’t anymore, they are fearful as he digs his finger’s into his arms and screams so loud he can’t hear himself and-
. . .
The screen in front of her lets out a muffled bang of a gun and then a second one as a body drops to the floor in a heap, footsteps following behind the sound, tears rolling down faces and other cries of outrage following behind it all.
She doesn’t hide her smile as she leans on the desk and lets herself get much too close to the screen. She’d be scolded on her un-ladylike look if anyone saw her like this. Or maybe they’d be too scared to correct her. She doesn’t really care.
Instead the screen keeps her attention as she watches them all crowd around the dead avatar on screen. A pity really, she liked how this test season was going. She’d have to tweak his personality a bit the next time around before the actual game.
Can’t have her favored protagonist dying now can she?
“Miss.Enoshima?”
She tilts her head away from the screen and turns back to the man standing at the door.
“What.”
“Do you want us to restart the simulation? Chapter one? Or try again from chapter four with new tweaks?”
She pitties the loss that this older intern doesn’t flinch at her anymore. Must be over all of her fun blackmail tricks nowadays.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll send a list of tweaks over. Bye now.” She doesn’t give him anymore prompting any the door behind her closes as she watches the screen once more. Tsumugi was doing a good job but really, no one did as well as she could when she was in the simulations. A shame really because she had loved when they’d done season one together and had missed the feeling of dying. Maybe she could sneak in some time and program herself a new death while filming happened. It’d be a shame if this season started late though.
Oh well. The show must go on,
right?