Chapter Text
"Chiyo my child, what on earth are you doing?!"
"Is it not obvious, grandmother? I am attempting to channel a spirit."
"I can see that, my child, but you have been attempting to do so for days! You must rest!"
"With all due respect grandmother, I simply cannot. I refuse to believe he is gone from this world."
"Look at you, you are about to collapse! You have not slept nor have you eaten much since his death. You are over exerting yourself, and I cannot let you exhaust yourself to death."
"Grandmother, you do not understand. He promised we would see each other again, I have something very important to tell him, I-"
"Cannot continue to destroy yourself like this! ...Chiyo, my child, if he were still lingering in this world then you would have contacted him by now. It does not appear that he has any business that would tie him here. He has passed on to the afterlife."
"Then I must contact him from there."
"No, I forbid it."
"But grandmother!"
"Chiyo Ueda, I am sorry. But if you continue to pursue this foolish endeavor you will surely kill yourself!"
"Perhaps it would be better that way. I could see him again."
"Do not speak that way. I will not listen to my granddaughter as she contemplates suicide."
"...I thought we were not meant to fear death, grandmother. We Uedas have always had a strong connection to the spirit world, so why does talk of my death frighten you so?"
"......Fearing death and wishing for death are not the same. We all have a time, and frankly my child yours has not come. He died with no regrets, he was at peace. Think of his passing not as the end of his life, but the end of his suffering. He is no longer in pain, no longer trapped in the hospital where he grew weaker and weaker. He is in a better place now, free from the disease that plagued him."
"If he had no business, then why did he not stay here so I could speak to him?"
"I do not know, my child. But he spent his last moments with you smiling, making sure that you were not saddened by his state. He likely knew it would be the last time he would see you. Tell me, my child, would contacting his spirit and telling him what he likely already knew put yourself at ease? Or would your heart continue to ache further?"
"...I..."
"Come with me, my child. You are pale as a sheet. Let me take you to bed and make you some tea. You must be freezing cold in here."
"...There is still so much that I do not understand, grandmother."
"You will in time, my child. The day will come when it all makes sense."
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Chiyo wasn't sure what to do. The sense of death was getting stronger and stronger with every second. She could feel it, someone was going to die tonight. But no matter how hard she tried to focus, she couldn't pinpoint who it would be. It was troubling, far too troubling. Walking out of her room with laundry at hand, she pondered the thought of asking Kumiko to come with her to the laundromat. She quickly dismissed the idea, Kumiko wouldn't want to go with her to a place like that, she'd get too bored. She walked down into the lobby and out the doors. This was likely a mistake, but she had no other clean clothes. She needed to get them clean before the day was over.
As she made her way down the path to the shopping district, she began to think about their situation. Why were they brought here? What purpose did Monokuma's killing game serve? Why use the sixteen of them? Was what he said about destroying all connections to their talents true?
A chill went through her at the thought of her family shrine being torn apart. The Ueda family had lived at that shrine for generations, it was the only home they had. And her family, what would happen to them? Would they be safe and sound, but homeless? Or would they share the shrines fate? No, she didn't need to think of that. No matter what, she would never kill anyone for the sake of her shrine. It was important to her, but not worth killing for. Especially not worth killing her classmates. She barely knew them, yes, but there was no reason for her to kill any one of them. None of them deserved to die.
She entered the laundromat, seeing another person sitting by the dryers. She wasn't the only person who needed clean clothes it seemed. "Good evening to you, Mr. Fujiwara." she said with a friendly smile.
The animator flinched upon hearing her voice as he turned to face her. His face was covered in sweat. "Oh, h-hello Chiyo," Kaito said, his voice shaky. "W-what're you d-doing here?"
"Presumably the same as you. I am here to take care of my laundry." Chiyo answered. She walked over to a washing machine, taking off her cloak and putting it inside as she began to place the rest of the clothes in. "I would have preferred to wait until tomorrow morning, but I have no clean clothes left you see."
"R-r-really now? I-I see." Kaito said, his eyes darting around the room. It was like he was trying to avoid looking at her. "I'm a-about to be d-d-done here myself, s-so just ignore m-me!"
"Very well then, I shall leave you to your own business." Chiyo said. She proceeded to start the washing machine and began to wait. The dryer behind her quickly came to a standstill, and she could hear the door open as Kaito grabbed his clothes. The medium began to feel sorry for the poor boy. The threat of Monokuma's motive was clearly making him anxious. He must've been worried about someone turning up dead in the morning, that someone potentially being himself. Or perhaps it was the idea that all his work would be gone if no murder occurred. He likely prided himself on his animation work, to see it vanish would no doubt hit him hard. She could see it after the announcement, he was freaking out.
There had to be something she could do to put him at ease. Maybe she could escort him back to the hotel, it would only take a minute and there was no rush. Suddenly, it hit her. She reached into her pocket, pulling out one of the talismans she made the night before. Kaito was the only person who didn't have one, she hadn't found the right moment to give it to him. If she was going to do anything, she had to do it now.
"Mr. Fujiwara?" she said, causing the boy to flinch again. He didn't respond or turn to face her. Chiyo figured his nerves were making him worried, perhaps walking closer to him would be a better move. She made her way towards him, with the talisman in hand. "I can see that the recent events are putting you through a lot of stress. I do not know if it will bring you comfort, but I have something for you that I think will help. It is not much, but I wish to do what I ca-"
A sudden pain struck her in the chest. She looked down and saw something small, she assumed it was a pen by it's shape, sticking out of her chest. The wound began to bleed just slightly. She looked forward and saw Kaito, his breathing loud and ragged as tears formed in his eyes, holding the pen in his hand. What was he doing? "Mr. Fujiwara, what are you-"
"SHUT UP!" Kaito screamed. His hands shook as he took the pen and stabbed her again. "S-STAY AWAY FROM ME! I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO!"
Chiyo stumbled backwards as she was stabbed again. Blood began to pool from the wounds and left a big red stain on her dress. "M-Mr. Fujiwara, please, control yourself..." she said, hoping her words would help him realize what he was doing.
"I'M NOT G-GONNA DIE HERE!" Kaito said, stabbing her again and again. "I-I'M NOT GONNA L-LET YOU K-K-KILL ME!"
Chiyo stumbled against the back of the wall, falling over and leaving a pool of blood on the floor. She tried to stand up, dropping the talisman in the process. "Mr. Fujiwara, you have to think things through." she said. "I do not wish to hurt you, I am only trying to help you."
"YOU'RE LYING!" Kaito shouted, his hands shaking faster than before. "YOU'RE JUST G-GONNA KILL ME!" He stepped backwards, dropping the pen in the process.
"I have no reason to kill you though." Chiyo said. She managed to get back on her feet and stand. Slowly, she made her way towards the animator, but he wouldn't have it.
"I-I-I won't let you kill me..." he said. He pulled out a jacket from the dryer, and ran closer. "I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU KILL MEEEEE!"
He grabbed Chiyo and made her face the other direction. Taking the jacket, he placed it around her face and covered her nose and mouth. Air couldn't make it through, and it felt like she was running out of breath. She tried to take the jacket and pull it off, but Kaito was persistent in keeping it in place.
Chiyo was confused. Why was he doing this? She didn't want to hurt him, she only wanted to help. Had his worries clouded his judgement and rationality? Was the thought of being alone with someone else in this situation frightening to him? There was no answer, none that she'd be able to gather. Not unless Kaito realized what was happening and stopped. She wasn't even listening to whatever it was he was screaming.
Realization set in. Was this why she couldn't pinpoint the first death? Because she was the first one to die? Not because of the number of people who would? Or perhaps it was both? She couldn't think straight, not with the lack of air.
So this was how she would die. Suffocated by a jacket by a frightened and paranoid classmate. It wasn't what she would've chosen, but at least it would be painless. Well, aside from the multitude of small stab wounds that is. What would happen after this though? Obviously the others would find the body and have to figure out who killed her, but then what? Would they succeed and have poor Kaito die? Or would they fail and all die instead? What would the others think when they'd find her, cold and lifeless? She already knew how poor Kumiko would react. Tears and screaming and a wish to find the one responsible, but what about after that? If they succeeded in catching Kaito, what would happen to her? Would she be safe? Would the others help her? Would they even care about her?
She'd probably never know. Not unless she remained as a ghost that is. But why bother, she had no unfinished business in this world. And haunting Kaito would do no good. Chiyo felt sorry for him. He was terrified, panicked, acting out of fear. She couldn't blame him for what he was doing, most people would've cracked under pressure in their situation. She just hoped that his actions would be worth it, that he'd realize what he'd done and confess to his crime in the end. He wasn't a bad person, she could tell. She began to feel extremely light headed, but she didn't fear death. She welcomed it, she had learned that death was a part of life a long time ago.
"I forgive you, Kaito Fujiwara...