His Choice

"Ugh... where am I this time..."

A dull ache throbbed through every inch of his body as he opened his eyes onto somewhere strangely familiar.

"The... the entrance hall?"

He was lying there alone, sprawled across the very lobby where he had first met the others after the killing game began at this academy.

"Nngh... my head..."

He dragged his scattered thoughts into some kind of order and traced back through his memories of only moments ago. Ikusaba writhing in agony. Monokuma blocking their escape. The sleeping gas that had fired without warning...

"Damn it. How long have I been out...?"

Monokuma had said he was going to kidnap them. That much was certain. So why was he lying here in the entrance hall, completely unharmed? Had something gone wrong with Monokuma's plan?

First things first. I need to find the others. They've got to be worried sick by now.

The questions faded as quickly as they came. A sudden rush of relief loosened the tension in his shoulders, and the faces he hadn't seen in what felt like forever rose unbidden in his mind. Back when he'd first laid eyes on them, they had been nothing more than game characters he couldn't quite adjust to. Now they were good friends — people who worried about each other, who shared their troubles — and the thought of seeing them again lifted his spirits all on its own.

Kirigiri looked so worried back then... I hope she didn't let it eat at her too much...

Lately it felt like he'd been nothing but a burden to her, and the thought sat heavy in his chest. Next time they met, he decided, he would get her a gift.

"What the hell... where did everybody go...?"

Something was wrong. He had torn through the school from the first floor to the fourth, and not a single one of them was anywhere to be found.

This doesn't make a damn bit of sense...

He was just starting to fear that something had happened to them when a broadcast blared through every corner of the academy — a broadcast whose contents he could not, would not, allow himself to believe.

".....!"

His mind went white. His whole body locked up, and a cold sweat broke across his skin. The one word he had least wanted to hear in this academy — the one thing he had done everything in his power to prevent — murder. The thought of it plunged everything in front of him into darkness.

".....Fuck."

The faces of the kids he had lived alongside these past few days — the friends with whom he had shared a deeper bond than anyone in this life or the last — flickered relentlessly before his eyes. And when Kirigiri's face surfaced among them, the face of the person he loved more than anyone, something in him snapped back into place. His mind started turning.

.....I've already searched every floor from the first to the fourth, and there's no one here. Which means... the fifth floor must have opened, after all....?

The conclusion formed, and he started for the fifth floor — but his feet refused to move.

If that broadcast is true... if it's actually true.....

He bit down on his lip and forced himself upward.

The fifth floor, when he finally reached it with dread coiled tight in his gut, was unmistakably occupied. There were several rooms, and he was still trying to decide where to start when the sound of an explosion tore out of the greenhouse.

He didn't have time to think. He sprinted for the greenhouse — and the moment he saw them, the kids staring back at him with startled faces, and the corpse shattered into pieces on the floor, he understood.

He had walked straight into a trap.

"Puhuhuhu...! A murder has finally occurred! Congratulations! Congratulations!"

"You... what did you come here for..."

"Well, a murder's taken place, so I came to hand out the Monokuma Files...!"

"The... the Monokuma File...?"

"That's right...! Honestly, I never thought I'd be handing these out this soon...!"

The students read the files Monokuma distributed, and confusion swept through them at once.

"Identity unknown due to explosive damage...? Is this a joke...? If we're talking about someone who isn't here... there's only one person that could be, right...?"

"Puhuhu...! You never know... there might be a hidden seventeenth student...! Puhuhuhuhu..."

"The explosion happened after death... the knife wound went straight through the abdomen and out the back. And... there was a large wound on the head... and the rest is unknown...?"

"Too much information spoils the fun, you know...! Puhuhu...!"

"Haa... what on earth is going on here..."

"Well then, I'll see you all in the trial grounds in a little while...!"

With that, Monokuma vanished.

The students stared at the spot where he had disappeared for a long moment before turning to Kei.

"Ke... Kei... where... where have you been...?"

"....."

"Kei...?"

"....."

"Kei...! Say something!"

".....Calm down. After seeing a sight this horrific, settling everyone should come first, shouldn't it?"

".....I'm sorry. I just... I need some time to get my thoughts in order... leave me alone for a bit..."

".....All right. Kei isn't the only one in shock... let's each take a moment to rest, and then we'll start the investigation."

They agreed to recover themselves first ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and begin investigating afterward, and one by one they left the crime scene behind.

Kyoko Kirigiri, however, remained in the greenhouse, her face drained of all color, lost in thought.

There was something strangely familiar about that body...

She hadn't been able to confirm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it perfectly — the bomb had seen to that — but Kirigiri had been closer than anyone when she'd examined the corpse in its intact state, and she had felt it. That flicker of recognition.

So was it Ikusaba's body after all?

No. This is a trap.

There was no universe in which that frail, faint-hearted Kei could have murdered Ikusaba. And Enoshima had been keeping him on an extremely short leash. Which meant Enoshima may well have decided to use this opportunity to remove Kei as an obstacle.

The more she thought about it, the more suspicious the sudden explosion became. She hadn't searched the entire fifth floor, but in all the times she had combed through this academy, she had never once come across anything resembling a bomb. And there was no way a counselor like Kei could have installed and detonated a bomb powerful enough to blow a body to pieces with that kind of precision.

The only one capable of preparing a high-performance explosive like that and setting it off at exactly the right moment was the mastermind.

So why had the mastermind needed to blow up the body at all? If it really was Ikusaba's corpse, wouldn't it have been enough to simply let the others see it?

What if that isn't Ikusaba's body at all? What if it's a corpse the mastermind procured from somewhere else?

No matter how she turned it over, the conclusion was the same. This entire situation was a trap Monokuma had designed. Everyone except Kei had a rock-solid alibi. The moment the Class Trial began, he would be the one painted as the culprit.

What do I do...? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Evidence... is there any evidence at all...?

The bomb had been powerful enough that the shattered remains offered nothing. Not a single scrap of information. The body itself was useless as evidence.

I need to talk to him first.

A hollow, helpless feeling settled over her as Kirigiri walked toward Kei, who was deep in conversation with Fujisaki some distance away. He gave Fujisaki's shoulder a reassuring pat, then turned around with a look of genuine relief.

"Ah, Kirigiri...?"

"...Kei. I need to speak with you for a—"

"....."

".....Kei?"

She had intended to hear his account of everything so far and start building a plan. Instead, Kei simply ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stared at her. He didn't say a word.

"What's wro—"

"Kirigiri. Listen to me carefully."

"...?"

"From this point on, no matter what I say in the Class Trial — don't panic. Just play along."

"What...?"

"This is more important than anything else. I need you to trust me and follow my lead."

"...What exactly are you planning to say in the Class Trial?"

"...I'll reveal that when the trial starts. It's too dangerous to say it here. Too many eyes."

"...You have a plan to get us out of this, then?"

At that, the boy gave her an awkward little smile.

"Yeah... looks like... I just might...?"

Watching that foolish expression, Kirigiri forced down the feelings rising hard and fast in her chest and looked at him with a gaze gone cold.

"I believe I told you last time. Don't try to handle everything by yourself."

She wanted, desperately, to help him — to stop him from shouldering all the danger alone. But unlike before, the boy's face turned serious, and he spoke in a low, quiet voice.

"Last time I listened to your request. So now it's your turn to listen to mine, isn't it?"

"......Haa. Do as you like."

A strange unease and a quiet hurt twisted together in her chest as Kirigiri left him there and walked out of the greenhouse.

".....All right. Preparations are complete."

And Kei, watching her go with the look of someone who had already made up his mind, murmured under his breath.

"Just in case....."

Then he started walking toward Celeste, who sat alone on a greenhouse bench, quietly lost in thought.

"What... already...? We haven't even investigated anything yet..."

"...There was hardly anything to investigate to begin with. Everyone except Kei has a confirmed alibi, and Kei refused to share any information on the grounds that he would reveal the truth at the Class Trial."

"...That's true enough."

"Well, Kei said he had a plan and asked us to trust him! The guy doesn't look like much, but he's solid where it counts... let's believe in him one more time!"

"Fair point... we've trusted him this far. Trusting him once more isn't going to change anything..."

Excluding Fukawa, who still hadn't recovered and remained in the infirmary, the fourteen students clustered together, talking among themselves as they made their way toward the red door on the first floor.

"This red door... it's never opened before..."

"It looks really ominous..."

"Well then... should I open it...?"

The door that had never once been opened swung wide, and beyond it waited an elevator descending to the trial grounds.

The fourteen of them stepped inside and began the slow descent, the sensation of being drawn into the jaws of a beast settling over every one of them.

Most of the group was tense. But the one in the worst shape, by a wide margin, was Kei. The others couldn't stand to watch it and offered him what they could.

".....Hey, Kei. Unclench your face. You've been wearing that ugly look since earlier — what's the deal?"

"That's right...! I know the situation is what it is, but... you still have to stay strong!"

"This is precisely when one must lift one's spirits!! Everyone, shall we not offer Kei our encouragement?!"

".....Frankly, I find you the most suspicious of anyone here. But I am curious about this 'plan' of yours, so I suppose I shall hear your explanation once we arrive."

"...Kei, are you okay?"

"....."

They did their best to offer him comfort. But instead of giving them that awkward smile of his and a quiet thank-you, the way he always did, Kei simply closed his eyes and said nothing at all.

His strange silence worried them — but before anyone could ask what was wrong, the elevator arrived at the trial grounds.

"Puhuhu...! You're here at last!? So? Doesn't this just scream courtroom? Very Hollywood, don't you think?"

"......"

"Ehh... what a boring crowd. Well then, everyone, please take your seats — the ones with your names on them!"

At Monokuma's instruction, they each sat down.

Seats arranged in a circle, so that every face was visible to every other face...

In an instant the air around them grew thick and close, and their tension bled from one person into the next.

And then the curtain rose.

A battle of deception with lives on the line. Betrayal with lives on the line. Puzzle-solving with lives on the line. Excuses with lives on the line. Trust with lives on the line. And... a Class Trial with lives on the line...

"Now then, first a brief explanation of how the Class Trial wor—"

"Wait. I have something to say first."

The moment it was about to begin, Kei's words detonated through the room and froze every person in it solid.

"...Puhuhu?"

".....?!"