Reinforcements
After finishing that hellish training session with Ogami, I was dragging myself back to my room, completely wrecked, when I ran into Fujisaki.
"U-um... Kei... I... I have something I need to tell you..."
"Huh...? What's up...?"
"Well... that is..."
Fujisaki's voice trailed off, and his eyes flicked toward the camera behind me. Whatever he wanted to say, it wasn't something the mastermind should overhear.
"Ah! I get it! Last time you said you wanted counseling on how to become more manly, right? That's what this is about!"
"Huh...? Oh, y-yeah...! That's it!"
Thankfully, the Ultimate Programmer's brain was still firing on all cylinders. Fujisaki caught my meaning instantly and played along.
"So I asked that super manly guy, Ogami... wait, no, Owada about it, and he said a real man ought to be able to last at least three hours in a sauna."
"I-is that so...? But lasting that long is... kind of impossible for me..."
"Honestly, thirty minutes is my limit too... How about we make a bet later? See who can last longer in the sauna. Good way to build some stamina, right?"
Going anywhere without Kirigiri could raise Enoshima's suspicions, but the situation had already diverged so far from the original story that I needed to get as many of these kids on my side as possible.
And Fujisaki was one of the few people I could trust as much as Kirigiri and Naegi — smart, and genuinely good-hearted. Even if it meant drawing Enoshima's suspicion, I had to bring him into the fold while I had the chance.
"Okay...! I... I promised everyone I'd get stronger, so...!"
"Great. Then I'll see you in the locker room later."
After parting ways with Fujisaki, I went into my room and collapsed onto the bed. Lying there in the quiet, I found myself thinking back to that loaded question Ogami had asked me during our workout.
I did drop a few hints that might help her... but I have no idea how she took them. At this point, all I can do is trust in that unshakable sense of honor of hers...
Working in close partnership with Naegi and Kirigiri, I'd already gotten a lot of help — both in plotting a way to break the killing game and in rallying the others.
But we were still short on one thing: raw force. Strategy alone wasn't going to cut it against Enoshima, Ikusaba, and a small army of Monokumas.
If Ogami became a true ally, that would be the moment our real counteroffensive began.
I'd been lying there turning all of this over in my head when the intercom suddenly buzzed. Thinking it might be Kirigiri, I opened the door — and found Celestia standing there.
"Huh? What brings you here...?"
"I'll get straight to the point. Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me your wish already."
"Uh...?"
Right. I'd completely forgotten about making a wish with Celestia. I fell silent, thinking it over, and her expression soured.
"Don't tell me you still haven't decided? Honestly, I don't know whether to call you carefree or just plain stupid..."
"Hey."
"...Excuse me?"
"What exactly makes you think you can talk to me like that?"
".....?"
Celestia looked at me like she had no idea what I was talking about. Good. Time to remind her who held the cards here.
"Did you forget that your life is hanging on a single word from me right now?"
"....."
"Hypothetically speaking — if I wished for you to end your life right here, right now, what do you think would happen?"
"....!"
Her already pale face went even paler. Looks like she was finally starting to grasp the situation she was in.
"Why so tense? Relax. I'm not going to make a wish like that."
"I understand, so just tell me your wish already...!"
"But if you keep talking down to me like that, I might just lose my temper and make that wish after all..."
".....Ngh."
Celestia shut her mouth and glared at me. Honestly, this kind of thing didn't sit well with me at all — but what choice did I have? Everyone's lives were on the line.
"From now on, you'd do well to watch yourself around me. I won't go as far as wishing for your suicide, but I'll make a wish that's close enough."
"....."
"Answer me."
"...Fine."
"That's awfully casual."
".....Yes. I understand."
"I'll use the wish whenever I feel like it. Until then, don't even think about trying anything stupid. I'll see you in the cafeteria at dinner."
After giving Celestia her instructions, I added one more thing, just in case.
"For the record, everything I just said was a suggestion, not a wish. Whether you follow it or not is up to you. Assuming you can handle the consequences, that is."
"....."
"Answer me."
".....Understood. Good day."
"Yeah. See you."
Celestia bowed with dead eyes and left my room. Watching her go, something dark and unpleasant started creeping up inside me — but I quickly shoved it back down by thinking of Kirigiri.
Sorry, Celestia. But it has to be this way.
Originally, I'd planned to make a simple wish: don't commit murder.
But if Celestia held a grudge and started obstructing me at every turn — or simply refused to cooperate — we'd be in serious trouble. She'd lost our bet, sure, but her strategic mind was nothing to sneeze at.
She was definitely grinding her teeth over this right now. So for the time being, I needed to use the wish as a weapon and keep her thoroughly pinned down so she couldn't rebel.
Come to think of it, it's almost time for my meeting with Fujisaki.
I wrapped up my thoughts and headed for the locker room.
"Fujisaki! You're already here? Have you been waiting long? Sorry about that, I didn't mean to—"
"N-no! You don't have to apologize! I actually had something to take care of here, so I came a little early..."
"Huh? Something to take care of?"
Fujisaki nodded and stepped slightly to the side, revealing a laptop tucked inside the locker that had been hidden behind him.
"That's..."
"Are you Master's friend...? It's a pleasure to meet you... My name is Alter Ego..."
"Ah, Kei doesn't know what Alter Ego is, does he...? So, Alter Ego is..."
Of course I knew what Alter Ego was. Alter Ego was an artificial intelligence developed by Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer — a program that grew by conversing with humans.
"...So I was repairing the laptop when I found some hidden data... I loaded Alter Ego in to analyze it, and some pretty important information came out. I wanted to tell you about it... because you've always listened to me..."
"Fujisaki. Can you believe what I'm about to tell you?"
"Huh...?"
"I'm going to tell you the truth about the killing game."
"......!"
Fujisaki startled, then took a deep breath. His expression hardened with resolve.
".....I'll believe you. Tell me the truth."
And so, to Fujisaki — who had clasped his hands together in a solemn vow — I began sharing the same information I'd already given Kirigiri and Naegi.
"I see... so that's what this was... We... we almost... killed our own friends... people we'd been close to for years... with our own hands..."
"Fujisaki. The important thing is that no one has been murdered yet. So don't get too down. Remember? You promised us you'd get stronger."
"Yeah... you're right... I can't keep showing this weak side of myself...! Kei! What can I do to help you?"
Fortunately, Fujisaki already had the information from the laptop analysis, so he accepted the truth I'd laid out without much resistance.
"To beat the mastermind, you and Alter Ego are going to play a decisive role."
"M-me...?"
As I said it to Fujisaki, I typed the same words on the laptop, and Alter Ego asked in surprise.
"That's right. Someday I plan to tell every one of the kids the truth. When that time comes, I need you to gather evidence so that all of them can accept it."
"Okay...! If that's all, I've already almost...!"
"The clues on the laptop are important, sure, but that level of information alone won't be enough to convince everyone."
"Th-then what should I...?"
"There's a hidden room behind the cleaning supply closet in the second-floor men's restroom. And inside it, there's a network cable that can connect to the internet."
".....!"
"Of course, the mastermind will be monitoring the network, so it won't be easy. You might get caught. You could lose Alter Ego. The mastermind might start targeting you."
"....."
"But if you succeed, we'll have outside information to convince the others — and we might even be able to make contact with the outside world. It's a risk worth taking. So? Will you help me?"
".....Of course! I mean... I'm scared, but... if it's for everyone... I'll find the courage!"
"I will too... Even if I'm just a program... I'll give everything I have... for Master... and for everyone!"
"Thank you... both of you... We'll talk about the plan later. It's almost dinnertime. Fujisaki. Alter Ego. I'm counting on you from here on out."
"Yeah! I'm counting on you too!"
"Master, Mr. Kei. Until next time...!"
With Alter Ego's farewell, we closed the locker to hide it and left the changing room, heading for the cafeteria.
"Is everyone here? Feels like there are fewer people than usual..."
"Can't be helped... That insufferable guy and the serial killer have no intention of cooperating with us, the gyaru's impossible to read, and Celestia..."
"...Were you referring to me?"
"Huh...? What? How long have you been standing there?"
Whether she'd decided to follow my orders for now or not, Celestia had come to the cafeteria without a fuss. I couldn't leave her alone — no telling what she'd do. From now on, I planned to keep her with the group as much as possible.
"Alright then. I'll take it that everyone here agrees with the proposal from earlier, so let's get started—"
"Wait."
Just as Naegi was about to start the meeting, the cafeteria door suddenly opened, and Togami and Fukawa walked in.
"What's this? Earlier you said you wouldn't work with us. Change of heart already?"
Owada scowled and sneered, and Togami scowled right back, clicking his tongue.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't come here to cooperate with you people."
"Then why the hell are you still here instead of getting lost—"
"Ogami asked us to come to the cafeteria at dinner. She said she found the spy."
Ikusaba, who'd come in after them, glared at Ogami as she spoke.
"O-Ogami... is that true...?"
"You've already found the spy?! As expected of you, Ogami! I shall strive to follow your example!"
"To think someone in this world could uncover the truth faster than I... How truly astonishing..."
"That's our Ogami! I knew we could count on you!"
The kids' faces lit up. They probably figured that if Ogami herself had found the spy, there was no way the spy would be able to talk their way out of it. But...
"So who is it...? Ogami...?"
".....!"
In that instant, everyone froze.