Prelude to the Counterattack

"Haah... After everything else, now I'm the hostage in a hostage crisis. What's next, I wonder... I can hardly wait. Haha..."

"...Shut up."

"....."

Mukuro Ikusaba watched the boy who had been timidly grumbling to himself for some time now, and a single thought turned over in her mind.

What the hell are you?

The unease she had felt whenever she looked at him had long since climbed past mere anxiety. It had reached the realm of fear.

Wasn't it laughable? She was afraid of a frail child who would crumple like paper if she so much as flexed her fingers. The soldiers who had died by her hand on the battlefield would find this utterly absurd.

"...Ngh."

"Hm...? What is it? What's wrong with you?"

A vicious pain suddenly lanced through her chest. The all-out blow she had taken from Ogami earlier had almost certainly broken her ribs. She was still struggling to breathe when the boy carefully approached.

"Are you oka—"

"Don't come near me."

"....."

"What are you doing? Don't tell me you're thinking of fighting back."

"You look like you're in really bad shape... If it's all right, I could—"

She snatched a knife from beside her and flung it. The blade whispered past the boy's face close enough to kiss the air against his skin.

".....!"

"Next time, it's the center of your face."

"....."

The boy's face went deathly pale. Then a look of profound sadness settled over his features, and he sank to the floor, once again muttering something under his breath in that wretched little voice.

Watching him like that made her ribs throb even worse. No — it wasn't her ribs. Something deeper was aching.

What is this...? Was it not just my ribs? It hurts so badly around my heart I feel like I'm going to die...

Clutching her chest, swallowing a groan, Ikusaba forced herself to take stock of the situation once more.

...I managed to bluff ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my way past Ogami with nothing but empty posturing, but in this condition I could never beat her.

Ogami was hardly in peak condition either, of course — but even at full strength, facing that woman without a weapon was a nightmare. Doing it like this would be suicide.

Taking Kei hostage as a last-ditch bluff had turned out to be a stroke of genius, and that was the only reason this uneasy standoff was holding. But if things dragged on, she was the one who would lose.

The others could rest at their leisure and recover their strength, and that included Ogami. Ikusaba, on the other hand, had to stay on guard at every moment, and her food was limited. The longer this stretched, the weaker she would become — in body and in mind.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Um... could you open the door? I brought your meal..."

Fujisaki had come with food. Of all the students, he had been given the job of meal delivery for the simple reason that he was the most fragile among them.

"This is today's lunch... I'll bring dinner in six hours..."

He set down a basket of food, glanced at Kei for a moment, then made a teary face and left.

"...A slice of bread and some milk. Not bad..."

The others had probably meant the meager rations as a form of pressure. What they had failed to consider was that Ikusaba had once gone weeks starving on a battlefield, surviving on grass roots and field mice. To her, this was a feast.

Hah... still nowhere near enough, though...

Back then, however hungry she had been, she hadn't had a scratch on her. With the serious internal injuries she was carrying now, she needed far more food if she was going to last.

"...You. Hand that over."

"...Okay."

The boy passed her his bread and milk with a familiarity so natural it was startling. Wait. Had she just thought familiar? Why?

"...Hh... hhk—!"

"Wh-what now? What's wrong with you this time?"

The instant she found the pitiful way he offered her the bread strangely familiar, her skull felt as though it were splitting open, and a wave of nausea crashed over her.

"Urgh...! Bleeegh...!"

Tears welling in her eyes, Ikusaba brought up every scrap of food she had forced down and then dry-heaved for a long while after. When she finally lifted her head, she found the boy patting her on the back.

"...If you're that badly hurt, just give up and surrender to the oth—!"

She drove her fist into the stomach of the boy who had been rubbing her back. Caught completely off guard, he couldn't even resist. He crumpled, clutching his gut.

"I distinctly told you not to come near me."

"Ghhk... ghk... Goddammit... I rehabilitated Naegi just fine... Why... can't I... nngh..."

He muttered something she couldn't make sense of, then looked up at her with shining, tear-bright eyes. Meeting that gaze made her head throb all over again, and her stomach turned.

"Urgh... It's disgusting... Don't look at me..."

"Dis...gusting...?"

"That's right. Just looking at your face makes my head hurt and makes me want to throw up...!"

She had only been stating a fact, but the boy looked as though he had been struck through the heart. The light went out of his eyes. Honestly, the way he looked when she teased him was so cute—

Wait. What did I just...?

A fragment of memory flashed past and left her reeling, but before she could seize it a violent headache crashed down again, and the shard slipped through her fingers.

When she had finally wrestled the pain back under control, Ikusaba looked up at the surveillance camera in the room and murmured, almost too quietly to hear.

Of course, Ikusaba had not the faintest idea that the little sister she loved so dearly had, only moments ago, been seriously weighing whether or not to kill her.

The next morning, everyone except Kei, Ikusaba, Togami, and Fukawa gathered in the cafeteria.

"Morning, everyone..."

"Yeah..."

On any other day they would have forced themselves to put on a cheerful front at breakfast. After what had happened yesterday, the whole room sat under a heavy pall.

"Everyone... it is precisely at times like these that we must strive all the harder... However... hah. With a classmate in such peril, I find I cannot muster the spirit myself..."

"Naegi, do you think Kei will be all right?"

"Even if Ikusaba is the mastermind, killing Kei now would still land her in a Class Trial... So he should be okay for the time being..."

"...This is all my failure. If only I had been stronger...!"

"Sakura...! Stop blaming yourself...! You did everything you could...!"

"The legendary masterpiece I created from my master's idea is finally complete... and I cannot even show it to him. How tragic..."

"If Kei dies... who's gonna vouch for me— agh!"

"You sea-urchin-headed bastard!! Is that what you're worried about right now!! Want me to teach you a lesson, huh!?"

"...Let's just eat."

After yesterday's hostage standoff, Ikusaba had taken Kei into her own room and shut the door. Kirigiri had offered to take his place as hostage, but Ikusaba had pressed a knife to Kei's throat and told her to get lost, so she had come back empty-handed.

They had all crowded outside Ikusaba's door and argued over what to do, but no one had produced a workable plan before night fell. In the end they had agreed to reconvene in the morning and gone their separate ways.

"By the way, how's Fukawa doing?"

"Fukawa is in the nurse's office. She was badly hurt, so I hear her condition is quite serious..."

The already dark mood grew darker still. They were eating breakfast in silence when someone opened the cafeteria door and stepped inside.

"...So this is where you all were."

"...Togami. We're already miserable enough, so grab your food and get out quietly..."

"....."

When Togami didn't so much as react to Owada's muttering, the others turned to look at him, wondering what was going on. Togami bit down hard on his lip, then forced the words out.

"...I came to eat with you."

"Wh-what?"

"D-did the sun rise in the west? Not that we can see the sun in here, but..."

"....."

Even as the room erupted around him, Togami held his silence. It was Kirigiri — who had been unusually quiet since the meal began — who finally asked, her voice ice-cold.

"So. What change of heart brought the great Byakuya Togami to dine with the 'commoners'?"

"....."

To everyone's astonishment, even Kirigiri's provocation drew no reaction. Togami opened his mouth, quietly, and spoke.

"I admit it. Yesterday was my fault."

".....!"

"I... allowed that mastermind to save my life, and in doing so incurred a debt I can never repay — to two people, no less. I will not forgive that. In order to crush the mastermind completely... and taking the present circumstances into account... I will, as a special exception, cooperate with you."

"...Okay, so what the hell does that actually mean?"

"In my humble estimation... Byakuya Togami uttering such words is, from our perspective, roughly equivalent to a full prostration on his hands and knees..."

"What, so basically he's saying he's sorry about everything up till now and we should work together from here on? Yeah, well... the result was a little messy, but he did pull his weight yesterday..."

"Right... He could've gone over to the mastermind's side, but he went after her instead and almost had her. Honestly, I saw him in a new light yesterday."

"Togami... that spot I hit last time — is it okay...? I wasn't in my right mind then... Let me apologize properly, here and now. I'm sorry..."

"We were in the same position. There is no need for an apology."

"My, my. Judging by how quietly you sat at Fukawa's bedside until just a little while ago, it seems you truly have resolved to change..."

"...That woman will be back to pestering me soon enough anyway. If anything, I would prefer she stayed like that a while longer..."

"Ooh, so you've finally added the 'dere' to your 'tsun'? Upupupupu...!"

A warm atmosphere had almost managed to take hold — and then, as always, Monokuma came bursting in with all the tact of a brick through a window, and the room went cold again.

"...Wha—!? Monokuma?"

"Wait...! Why is Monokuma here? Ikusaba should still be in her room...!"

"Upupupu...! I'm not Ikusaba, you know? And who is Ikusaba, anyway? Don't tell me a transfer student showed up when I wasn't looking...?"

"Playing dumb won't work...! Yesterday proved Ikusaba is the mastermind...!"

"Upupupupu... If Ikusaba is the mastermind, then who does that make me?"

"Th-that's..."

"Isn't it obvious?"

Kirigiri's voice was firm and perfectly clear, and every eye in the room snapped to her.

"If 'Mukuro Ikusaba' has been impersonating 'Junko Enoshima' this whole time — then where is the real Junko Enoshima?"

"N-now that you mention it... then the real Junko Enoshima is..."

"Don't tell me Ikusaba killed Enoshima and stole her face...!"

"What kind of moronic theory is that, you sea-urchin idiot..."

As the others floundered, Togami — who had been watching in silence — spoke quietly.

"Ikusaba may have been wearing Junko Enoshima's face, but Junko Enoshima is still alive. Somewhere in this academy."

"What are you talking about, Togami...?"

"In other words, there are two masterminds: Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba. Enoshima is most likely running the killing game itself, while Ikusaba participates directly — controlling unexpected variables and sabotaging any cooperation among us."

"That's not right... Originally, at the start—"

"Silence, Enoshima. Now that I know who you are, I swear on the Togami family name that I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and make you pay."

"Upupu... 'The Togami family'...? Is that so... Well, go ahead and try...! If you can, that is...! Upupupupupu..."

"You. What exactly is that reaction supposed to mean...?"

"Togami, I'll explain everything later, but for now—"

"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot! That was a close one!"

The instant the words left Monokuma's mouth, every electronic student handbook in the room began to vibrate.

"Wh-what is this...? Kei, Naegi, Kirigiri, and Fujisaki are prohibited from leaking the truth of the killing game, whether directly or indirectly...?"

"Upupupupu! Spoilers are a sin, you know...! They take a dramatic moment and flatten it right out...!"

"Adding a rule this cheap... You really have been backed into a corner, haven't you, Enoshima?"

"You keep calling me Enoshima... I'm not Enoshima, I'm Monokuma! So call me Monokuma properly! And if anyone's playing cheap, it's Kei... Just what kind of trick did he pull...? The escape switch is still sitting in the gacha machine..."

Leaving Monokuma to mutter to himself, the others began talking among themselves.

"Hey, looking at this rule just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now made me think... where's Fujisaki?"

"Ah, he went to bring Ikusaba and Kei their breakfast a little while ago..."

"What? Breakfast? What is this, a hotel? One meal a day would be plenty."

"It was Ikusaba's demand... Not much we can do about it. We're giving them as little food as we can, at least..."

Speak of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the devil. Just as they were discussing the breakfast Fujisaki had gone to deliver, the cafeteria door opened and Fujisaki himself stepped in.

"U-um... I'm back..."

"All right! Now that everyone's here, I have an announcement!"

The moment Fujisaki arrived, Monokuma launched into his message.

"...So you still intend to continue the killing game."

"Forget it! No matter what happens, we're not playing along with any killing game! Absolutely not!"

"Upupupupu... Will you still be saying that after you see the fourth motive? Well, you'll find out soon enough! See you later!"

With that, Monokuma vanished in a trail of that unpleasant laughter.

"Hah... It's good that we've all come together, but... how long are we going to keep getting dragged around by Monokuma...?"

"You're right... Even though we've joined forces, the 'motives' Monokuma brings us are genuinely dangerous... Eventually... he might even force someone to commit murder..."

"Everyone, don't worry... If we hold on and keep hope, something good will happen. I know it will. So let's just hang in there a little longer...!"

The one who laid out that small, unmistakable conviction for all of them was neither Kirigiri nor Naegi. It was Fujisaki.

"Yeah. Fujisaki's right. Us falling into despair is exactly what the mastermind wants more than anything. Let's hold on a little longer!"

"That's right. This is the time to trust each other and endure."

"Well, if the ones who heard the secrets of the killing game from Kei are saying so..."

"Fufufu... As expected of those who know the dark truth... You have a hidden card up your sleeve, I take it...?"

"...Whatever it is, don't push yourselves too hard."

"Isn't there something we can do to help too? We may not know the secrets of the killing game, but we can at least follow your lead..."

"It's all right... You've already ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠helped more than enough."

"No, but still..."

"Just now, even."

".....?"

Fujisaki only offered them a meaningful smile as they stared back in confusion, and finished the rest of the thought inside his own head.

Enoshima can't operate Monokuma and monitor the school at the same time, after all.