Chapter Text
Makoto’s legs couldn’t hold themselves up anymore. The stark color splattered across the shower floor would be a sight he’d never forget. As his knees hit the floor, he had the brief thought that blood would stick to the crevices of the shower, never able to wash out. He couldn’t manage to tear his eyes away from the knife sticking out of her abdomen, even as the edges of his vision grew black. Makoto had never seen such gore before, he’d never been a fan of slasher flicks. But now that he was seeing it in real life… he could hardly register that it was real. It looked so fake. It felt numb and distant, like the fuzzy feeling creeping into the tips of his fingers and his face. Was Sayaka really gone? Just like that? In his own room, without him knowing until it was too late? A million questions rushed through Makoto’s mind, but most of all…
“M-Maizono-san…”
Most of all, he wanted to know… why would anyone do this?
Looking back on the past week… things were tense. Makoto would have to be insane to think otherwise. But… surely no one would be pushed far enough to-- Makoto couldn’t even think about the word. The idea that one of his friends had taken a life? It was unbearable.
Then again, it was hard for everyone to trust each other. They had all only just met a week ago, when they woke up in Hope’s Peak Academy alone, trapped, and with no memory of being kidnapped. Truth be told, even though Makoto was adamant on calling everyone his friend, Sayaka was the only one he truly knew. And even then, that was just a fleeting moment in middle school; they never even talked. They only knew of each other.
Makoto remembered how hard the first few days of being trapped were. The panic, the fear, the confusion. When everyone recalled their memories, it was all pretty much the same story: they had entered the academy for their first day of school only to suddenly wake up locked inside of it. So then, they shifted gears to theories. Why were they the only ones here? Who trapped them? How? But the theorizing only served to throw them further into a panicked state.
But then, after that meeting, nearly everyone had banded together to try and find an exit. Well, everybody except for Byakuya, who chose to explore alone. They tried prying open the bolted windows, breaking the locks of closed away areas, they even asked Sakura to try and break the wall. . Nothing worked. Not even a single hint turned up. Byakuya made the passing comment of: “quit trying to escape, just wait for our captors to approach us ”.
But that never happened.
There was nothing besides them and the school.
There were cameras along the walls of every room, and groceries were sent in a timely manner. Surely someone had to be watching them. Surely, this someone must have plans for them, eventually they would communicate with the group in some way.
But that never happened.
That’s exactly why Makoto couldn’t wrap his head around why Sayaka died. Yeah, things were bad, scary, and confusing. Understatement of the year. But there was no reason to kill each other; they didn't even have to fight over resources! So why, why had things led to this? How did they get here, to Makoto finding a body in his own shower, screaming until he passed out? Why was he here right now, investigating his friend’s dead body with Kyoko? And why, even after the sight had been burned into his mind, did his legs still feel weak around the confines of Sayaka’s resting place?
He couldn’t help the audible whimper that escaped as Kyoko carefully took the knife into her hand.
Kyoko turned to look at Makoto, pale and on his knees, “Naegi-kun, if this is too much to handle, you can switch partners with someone else. Perhaps investigating the kitchen will be better suited for you.”
Makoto shook his head, “...I...I owe it to Maizono-san to find out what happened to her.”
Although, looking around Makoto’s ripped apart room, it wasn’t difficult to put together a picture of how Sayaka died. It wasn’t really a question of what happened to her, but rather who did this to her.
“Has everyone finished their investigation?”
That’s right, they had planned a self-regulated investigation. Everyone broke into pairs to look for clues, then they would reconvene in the cafeteria at noon. Time felt… so strange for Makoto. One moment he was staring at the body with Kyoko, the next he was here. He struggled to pay attention to everyone’s findings, but tried to force himself, for Sayaka’s sake.
“Why the hell isn’t our kidnapper here…” Leon dragged one of the tables over to the corner of the room, stood on top of it, and started poking at the camera. “Hey! She’s fucking dead asshole, aren’t you going to do anything about it!?”
Chihiro struggled to wipe away her tears as Leon made crude gestures at the camera, “Is...is...one of us really the killer?”
“Well, like, duh! Who else could it be?” Makoto wondered if Junko was even taking the investigation seriously.
Slam! Kiyotaka banged his hands down on the table, “If you are the killer please speak up now!”
Silence…
Until it was finally broken by Sakura, “The sooner we find this killer, the better.”
“Well, I fail to see why it matters.” Celestia’s smile was bright and sweet, but something in her eyes left Makoto feeling threatened.
Mondo, with his arms crossed, hissed out “Someone fucking died. ”
“Of course, and it is a true tragedy,” despite the fakeness of her words, the pure grace in her tone left the others inclined to listen, “But why does it matter that we find the killer?”
“That’s crazy, of course it matters!” The outburst had escaped before Makoto could think the words through, “Someone… someone… killed Maizono-san, we can’t just sit by and do nothing about it!”
Celestia placed two hands flat on the table, leaning down so that she and Makoto were face to face. All traces of that innocent doll-like smile were gone, all that was left were wide eyes daring Makoto to question her.
“And just what do you plan to do once you find this killer?”
“I…” Suddenly Makoto’s bravado was swept away, nearly speechless in her imposing presence, “What do you mean…?”
“Well, we have to teach them a lesson, of course!” Aoi yelled with her fists in the air.
“Yes!” Hifumi chimed in, “We would show the villain the fists of justice!”
“Indeed!” Kiyotaka nodded with full confidence, “I will take the responsibility of ensuring this ne'er-do-well is thoroughly rehabilitated!”
“Is that really all you would do?”
It took a moment for everyone to process who had spoken. The voice wasn’t from their group at all. Byakuya Togami would never sit with the riff-raff. When they all turned their heads to face him, sitting alone on the other side of the cafeteria, his expression already exuded the narcissistic over-confidence they’d come to recognize and hate.
Aoi lowered her arms, “Huh? What else would we do?”
“You really haven’t realized it yet? We are dealing with a murderer, you realize. What makes you think you can stop at a pathetic light scolding?”
“It’s better if we forget this whole ordeal ever happened.” Celestia said.
“How could you say that…?” Makoto asked.
“Think about it. We’re not in a normal situation right now. Someone has died, but what incentive do we have to solve it? I’m sure this is just the mastermind playing a coy joke on us all.”
“You’re forgetting one thing, or rather, you’re choosing to ignore it.” Kyoko had been quietly observing the conversation this entire time; Makoto wondered why she only spoke up now. “In the event that the killer is one of us, that means we share our housing with a murderer.. one who may kill again.”
Yasuhiro went pale at her words, eyes darting around as he tried to get a read on everyone, “That’s a joke right? A joke?! Hahaha you’re such a jokester Kirigiricchi!”
“Nnnn” Toko groaned, running her hands together over and over again, “I-i-if that perverted killer even looks at my B-Byakuya-sama…”
“Perverted!?”
“Wh-What?! S-she died in a shower, didn’t she?! I b-b-bet the killer was one of you g-gross guys” She lifted a shaking finger to Makoto, “S-so?! What…w-wh-what did you do to her?! You f-f-felt her up didn’t you?! Y-You disgust me…!”
“Me?!”
Makoto was quickly learning that despite her anxious demeanor, Toko was all bite. The hostile glare in her eyes and her harsh tone set everyone on guard. “Wh-wh-what do you think we a-are, huh?! I-Idiots?! Y-you’re the idiot! Killing her i-in your own room… d-disgusting slobbering perv.” She stepped further away from Makoto, as though he were a moldy infection.
“P-please hold on, Fukawa-san!” Makoto held up his hands to try and appease his accuser, but the others were too focused processing her words.
“Yeah… she has a point, it’s pretty suspicious, man.” Leon couldn’t look Makoto in the eye. Makoto wondered if it hurt to accuse someone of murder so easily.
“Naegicchi! You killed her?! What the fuck, man?!”
“I’m telling you I didn’t…!”
“If it wasn’t you,” Celestia’s eyes held a chipper cynical attitude, devouring the prey who was given full warning, “Then who?”
Everything was falling down around Makoto. He didn’t want Sayaka’s killer to be excused, it just wasn’t right… but Celestia was also right. The idea that a killer was here led to snap judgements and witch trials. It was only a matter of time before the escalation left Makoto forced to walk a path to hell. He had no choice but to defend himself, he had to direct the attention away. But…
He couldn’t accuse one of his friends of murder.
Makoto stared down at the ground, his fists clenched by his sides.
“Holy shit…!” Yasuhiro yelled, ignoring Kiyotaka’s scolding, “For real, Naegichhi?!”
“Regardless of whether Naegi-kun chooses to put down a name or not-” Kyoko’s sharp side glance pierced Makoto’s heart, sending a pang through his chest. “-It does not matter, evidence is all that we have. Without evidence, any person Naegi-kun blames will be pointless.”
“So in other words, Naegi is the only one with evidence pointing against him?” Byakuya rolled his eyes.
“Yes, and that is why-”
Bang! Leon slammed his hands down onto the table, the hatred in his eyes willingMakoto to melt away. “That’s why we can’t take any chances! The longer we let Naegi fuck around, the more he’ll fuck with our heads! We know he did it already, it was in his own shitty room!”
Aoi held her hands to her chest, stepping back from the buzzing circle of angry people around Makoto, “It does… seem pretty suspicious…”
“That’s what I’m saying, man!” He gestured around to the others with the poise of a desperate man, “We gotta take him out before he takes us out! We can’t just let him sit around after he fuckin’ killed someone!”
“So, like… are you suggesting an execution?” Junko, with a hand on her hip, raised an eyebrow at Leon.
Huh?
“What else can we do? Not like there’s any cops to take him to.”
What?
“I-I’m fine wi-with that.” Toko hissed out, “A-an eye for an eye. Death penalty. W-whatever. I have no s-sympathy for perverted mur-murders. ”
“What?!” Makoto cried out, “Hold on a second! Everyone needs to-!”
“I cannot agree with the death penalty!” Kiyotaka yelled out, back stiff as a board, “There must be a more humane way to ensure punishment!”
“I dunno dude,” Mondo’s body language was cautious around Makoto, his feet placed in a fighting stance. “Extreme situation, extreme answer, yeah?”
Makoto found himself boxed in, nowhere to run where he wouldn’t immediately get caught by one of the others. “But…!”
“T-this feels wrong…” Chihiro frowned.
“Nah, I think we should kill the little fucker!” Junko laughed.
Celeste smiled, “An execution seems fitting in my eyes.”
Makoto couldn’t breathe around the suffocating heat that their accusations created. His heart was pounding, aching, begging for everyone to take a breather so that he could rationalize the situation. Nothing productive was happening from this conversation, he wasn’t even getting a fair trial! It was just a mess of human anxiety and paranoia leadingMakoto to the gallows. There was no chance for survival. Hands from 14 students were dragging him down to hell for the sins he didn’t commit. His mouth felt dry, his mind felt blank. All he knew was this buzzing panic. All he could see was his corpse, dead at the hands of his own friends, and them alone with the actual murderer who killed poor Sayaka Maizono.
“Please.” Was all Makoto could muster. A weary plea… a man on death row’s last resort-
“D-doesn’t killing Naegi-kun make us just as bad..?” Chihiro asked, chewing on her lip.
Byakuya scoffed.
And that was how Makoto knew they’d already signed his death warrant.
“Regardless of whether the killer is Makoto or not, I would advise against an execution.” Kyoko said.
Byakuya looked up from ordering Toko to make him coffee, “And what reasoning do you have for that?”
“The motive. As it stands, there is no discernible motive for Maizono-san’s death. The most reasonable explanation at the moment is that someone simply went mad from isolation. However I have another theory in mind.”
“And that theory is...? Spit it out already.”
“We have spoken about the lack of outside incentive for murder, but, who is to say that the killer did not receive such?”
Chihiro fidgeted with the ribbon of her uniform, “So you’re saying… they might have valuable information on the mastermind?”
“Or” Leon added in, “They could be the mastermind.”
“But like, if it was the mastermind, wouldn’t we have seen em walkin’ around and shit?” Junko Enoshima rolled her eyes.
“Unless the mastermind is one of us…”
Celestia giggled, “See? I told you all we should just drop it. Now we’re playing along with this game when we could be peacefully living here.”
As though anyone could sleep at night, knowing someone here could be a killer.
“W-w-w-well! I d-don’t care if we know w-who the mastermind is or not! It was obviously... N-N-Naegi .” She spat his name out like poison.
“Yeah.” Leon agreed, avoiding eye contact with everyone, his foot tapping against the ground in frantic rhythm “ Sorry bro but...your dorm? It’s totally suspicious. Who else would go in there.”
“B-but I didn’t…! You have to believe me!”
Byakuya scoffed, “Your words alone won’t help you, that’s exactly what a guilty man would say.”
“But..!”
“So if we don’t kill Naegicchi… maybe we can just lock him up for a bit…?”
“Lock him up? Don’t you think someone with the heart of a killer could break through a measly lock?!” Hifumi pointed at Makoto, glaring at what, in his eyes, was a horrific antagonist.
“Not if I and Owada-kun keep an eye on him.” Sakura crossed her arms, “If at least one of us is watching, we can assure he stays put.” She looked down at Makoto. He somehow felt both small and comforted under her gaze. “This way, we can have a proper and fair investigation.”
Mondo slammed his two fists together, “Sounds good to me. Ain’t no bastard getting away from me!”
“You should barricade the door too, just in case.” Aoi hovered close to Sakura, “I know you two are tough, but I want you to be safe too. That’s why jail cells are locked, right?”
“So you simpletons wish to follow the rules of society even in a place isolated from law?” How many times now had Byakuya scoffed and/or rolled his eyes? Makoto had already lost track.
“The rules of society exist for a reason.” Kyoko explained, “Naegi-kun deserves a fair investigation and trial before we decide what to do about this situation.”
Leon huffed, eye twitching once before he spat out his next words. “There’s no point if we already know he did it!”
Kyoko shook her head. Makoto found himself in awe of her patience, perfectly crafted as though she was trained to deal with emotional outbursts while keeping a cool head. “It is always important to make sure we understand the truth as much as possible before using it as a basis for choice.”
“Kirigiri-san…” He couldn’t agree more. She had taken the words he wished to say, but reshaped them into something more elegant. She managed to take that signed death warrant, and put it on the shelf until further notice. She, out of everyone here, was the one who gave him a second chance. “Thank you so much.”
She paused for a moment. Her expression and posture gave no hint of being caught off guard, but there was a certain glint in her eyes that made Makoto feel she had never properly been thanked like this before. She could read everyone else with ease. He wondered if anyone could read her back, and give her gratitude when she wished for it?
Their momentary eye contact did not last long. Kyoko was not one to waste time unnecessarily, and there was an investigation to start. Her stare sharpened.
“What matters to me is ensuring the truth, Naegi-kun. If the truth still points to you, then I will not have your side.”
It was a threat, and a clear one. One that would give anyone else the urge to confess for a crime they hadn’t committed. But Makoto was not like anyone else. Her words filled him with confidence. He felt hope swell within his chest. He knew deep down in his heart that if anyone could understand the truth, it would be Kyoko. Sure, he had never seen her in action before. But he could see the determination in her seemingly dead-pan eyes. Kyoko was on the side of truth. And Makoto knew at least part of the truth: he was not the culprit.
“Now,” Kyoko addressed the group, “Everyone will split off into groups of at least two in order to keep any suspicious parties from tampering with evidence. No one is to be alone right now.”
For a moment everyone murmured, but no one seemed to object. Instead, they began to break themselves off into little groups. Kyoko continued speaking once they’d settled.
“Now, investigate what you can, and then I will check in with all of you later-”
“Uhm…” Junko popped her hip to the side and leaned forward, “How will we all investigate in that little shabby room?”
“You will not. You will investigate anywhere in the school. While the crime scene is in the shower of Naegi-kun’s bedroom, there could be evidence in any place of the building, since we don’t know the killer's movements.”
“Oooooh… yeah… sure, okay.”
“Before you all leave, I will come around and ask for your alibis.'' She pulled out a small notepad from her pocket, then turned to Sakura, “Then I will have you and Owada-kun escort Naegi-kun to his room and watch over him. Once I’m done investigating, you may barricade the door.”
He couldn’t look, even though the room was already wiped clean, as if she had never existed. In the panic of killer and mastermind talk, they’d somehow all forgotten. They’d forgotten until they were in front of the door to Makoto’s dorm.
“... What do we do with the body?”
Makoto pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, trying to will the rising burn of tears to go away. “It would be cruel to leave the body with him, even if he is a killer.” That’s what they had said. They’d already decided he was the killer without a fair trial.
Just for the night. He’d just have to bear with everyone thinking he was a killer for the night, then Kyoko would pull together a real trial for him. He wasn’t the killer, so if she was really after the truth like she said then…! There was still hope! He could feel that hope thrumming in his chest, a warmth that gave him the strength to keep going.
“There’s nowhere to dispose of a body besides the dumpster chute.”
“I-is it ok to throw a body down there? It feels like… wrong.”
“What other choice do we have?”
It wasn’t fair… nothing about this was fair! Sayaka was killed and they couldn’t even give her a proper burial? They threw her out like trash… someone who used to be his friend. Someone who smiled brightly when Makoto gave her the friendship bracelet he won from a gacha machine. Someone who had so much to live for, so many people to inspire. And now her corpse would rot along with their leftovers.
Kyoko lifted one of Sayaka’s hands; the fingers were loose and limp as Kyoko took a closer look at the fingernails. There was something about the way Sayaka was positioned that struck Makoto. It seemed almost at peace. Hands loosely placed by her sides, palm up, and her head leaning against the wall. If it wasn’t for the mess of blood, it would be easy to assume she was just sleeping. Makoto finally forced himself to see her expression, and even that felt at peace. With hardly any blood on her face besides a thin trail from her lips, Sayaka Maizono simply laid there without any grief in her expression.
“She wasn’t… in pain was she?”
Makoto knew that he would do anything- no, he had to do whatever it takes to make sure the mastermind didn’t get away with this. Regardless of whether or not one of his friends killed her, he knew at the end of the day it had to have been the mastermind who forced their hand. None of this would have ever happened if it wasn’t for the mastermind. No matter what it took, he would get everyone out. For Sayaka. Makoto refused to look away from the truth.
“... Do you want my honest opinion?”
“...” Makoto wasn’t sure he did, but it wasn’t about his wants anymore. He wasn’t the one who had suffered, “Yes.”
“As I’m sure you can tell, the killing blow was this knife here.” Kyoko gestured first to Sayaka’s abdomen, then to the strange message she left on the wall behind her in blood, “She did not die instantly.”
“Then…” maybe he shouldn’t have asked after all.
“...” He could tell Kyoko wasn’t used to comforting people, he knew she couldn’t give him what he wanted to hear. All she had were the facts she observed. And the truth wasn’t always there to make you feel better. “There are signs of a struggle, and judging by where her body was found, she was backed into a corner as she bled out. Much of the scene implies a desperation to survive on Maizono-san’s end, such as the minor wounds on her hands.”
For a moment, Makoto didn’t feel horrified by this asercion. He didn’t feel saddened by it either. He simply felt… empty.
“But why does she look so… at ease?”
“...” Kyoko lifted one of Sayaka’s arms up by the wrist, Makoto watched as her hand dropped with an eerie lack of resistance. “You’re right,” she said, “The state of her corpse is a bit strange.”
“Strange?”
“Do you know what rigor mortis is?”
“Uhm…”
“Rigor mortis is a response that occurs approximately 2-8 hours post-mortum where the body’s muscles lock into a rigid, contracted state. According to the timeline of events, Maizono Sayaka-san should be in rigor mortis right now. Nothing about the temperature of the room or the body indicates that rigor mortis should be delayed.”
“So… does that mean she wasn’t killed last night? She was killed earlier?”
“That would be the logical conclusion of things. But then we have to question how she ended up in your room. Along with that are other signs pointing to the fact that she was killed last night.”
“But if that’s true, then why isn’t she in… uhm… why isn’t she all stiff? What does it mean?”
Kyoko dropped Sayaka’s hand, watching the way it flopped back to the ground, “I’m not sure.”
It took Makoto a while to get his bearings together. He needed time to process and grieve. Most importantly, he needed time to feel like it was okay to lay down in his own bed. Something about it felt morally wrong. Sinking into the bedsheets didn’t bring comfort to his tired body, instead it felt like he was being pulled down by its weight. No matter which way he faced in his bed, he always felt like something was staring at him from behind the shower door. He knew his sleep would be restless and troubled, fogged by the despair that was already haunting him. The main thing keeping Makoto going was the hope that by staying strong, he could honor Sayaka’s memory in some way. Sayaka would want him to rest, at least that’s what he told his sleepy self for even a false sense of comfort. Makoto continued to tell himself these little affirmations between bouts of rest and wake. Makoto tried to remember the positive memories he had with Sayaka, so that a happy ghost would haunt him instead of a sad ghost.
His efforts didn’t produce much in the way of results. His mind continued to be addled, tossing and turning in bed as his dreams quickly turned to nightmares. No amount of sleep felt like actual rest, and as time went on he found himself with an ache in his chest that couldn’t be ignored.
In and out of sleep, again and again until Makoto had no sense of how much time he’d spent in bed. As wakeness began to creep into his mind again, Makoto fought back any anxieties with a mantra of positive memories once again. But the mental image was pulled away from him by a quiet sound he hadn’t noticed before. Now that he was listening to it… he wondered how he ever missed it.
For there was a sweet tune around him. Even though Makoto couldn’t make out the words of the song, it was like an angel's whisper. He felt soothed by every note, lulled into a state of calm, simply listening with his eyes closed. He didn’t know if it was morning or still night, not when all the windows were bolted closed. But the song left him feeling at ease after the painful lack of sleep. He wanted to bask in this heavenly singing. Even with it’s softness he could still feel the intense passion behind the vocals. Not just passionate… personal. Intoxicating. Everything. Yet just out of reach. Makoto couldn’t bring that voice to him, he would only be allowed it if the angel herself decided to give it to him. Until then he lay on his back, focused on the continually beautiful and dreadfully sweet song.
The spell Makoto was under snapped away when a haunting croak interrupted the song.. His attention whipped to the bathroom right by his head. What was distant before seemed so close by. The croaking continued, soon taking over the song entirely, slow and harsh. This wasn’t just the sound of someone fitfully groaning, no, this was something far more sinister. It was the sound of a half-dead victim, desperately trying to breathe for a body that was giving out. The pure, god-given sound was snuffed out, leaving behind only the wet sounds of a gurgling death croak.
Makoto knew that singer was already dead. Her lungs only continued to rattle because something kept her clinging to this world.
Wait. Why couldn’t he run away? He had to leave. She never stopped trying to sing. It was terrifyingly mesmerizing, he could barely register his own footsteps as he neared the bathroom door. He heard every painful wheeze through her blood stained lips. She didn’t know how to quit. So Makoto had to run. But he couldn't. He was stuck. Stuck staring at the bathroom door, hand hovering over the door knob as the dead angel finally decided to give her song to him. He didn’t want this song. These pained noises were unbearable. Hearing her body shutting down was agonizing.
The creaking of the door opening blended perfectly with her dying song, like they were meant to be. There she was, standing in the shower with her back to the bathroom door. She listened to her own croaks and wheezes echo back to her. She just stood, as if she hadn’t been killed the night before. Something was wrong. Something was so wrong. This wasn’t Sayaka. At least, not anymore. Makoto’s heart raced in his chest. But the pounding felt different. It felt hollow. Like it was knocking on the walls of his chest. Sayaka didn’t look at him. And he didn’t dare speak. He waited for the nightmare to end. To wake up in his bed-
“Naegi-kun.”
The most terrifying detail of all was that her voice sounded exactly like he remembered it. Her voice was perfect, it was Sayaka . But the creature that spoke with it was not Sayaka. There were too many things about her that were simply wrong. Her legs and arms were longer than he remembered them. Her head tilted at a painfully awkward angle. Blood continued to drip onto the floor from her left hand. Her other hand wrapped in ribbon.
“Naegi-kun, aren’t you happy to see me?”
… Why wasn’t Makoto waking up yet?
He couldn’t help but flinch back as “Sayaka” began to turn towards him, arms hanging heavy by her sides. He never saw her face. Her hair was a dark veil over her features, only her mouth left exposed. He got the sense that she was watching him regardless.
His heart pounded and pounded and pounded in his chest. And it hurt . The soreness he felt from last night never left, as he clutched the front of his hoodie he only knew that something was wrong . Something was wrong with him. Everything was just wrong, especially how close he was to the monster wearing the face of his dead crush.
His own breath was stuttering in his cluttered chest, as if being around Sayaka would make him croak as well. He stumbled backwards out of the bathroom, glancing at where the front door of his dorm is. It was barricaded shut. They thought he was a killer. And now he was stuck with… with…
Makoto scrambled to get away from the monster. He fell to his hands and knees, but never stopped moving. Not when “Sayaka” was moving towards him. He pulled himself back up, ignoring the cries of the girl he once knew. That gentle voice no longer soothed him, it shot an icy feeling down his spine.
With all his might Makoto banged on the front door, screaming as loud as he could for help. “Please,” he yelled, “Anyone! Open the door!”
No answer – Couldn’t they hear him?
Even if they could hear him, who would listen to a supposed killer?
Sayaka’s steps were unrushed. It was like she knew her prey couldn’t do a thing to stop her. She walked with a dead man’s imitation of grace, a heavy, arrhythmic hobble from necrotic legs. Makoto never stopped banging on the door, even as the pain in his chest grew to a burning sensation. It hurt so much, it felt like his chest was going to burst open, like the bones of his ribs would tear through the flesh of his own lungs. Maybe that feeling was the fear. Or maybe it was the guilt, knowing that he could have saved Sayaka’s life if he’d just paid more attention.
She was right behind him now, but he banged the door until the skin of his fists blistered. He screamed so loud that his voice was already becoming scratchy. How did “Sayaka’s” voice still sound so perfect with a throat full of blood and weak breaths?
“Nobody is coming, Naegi-kun.”
It didn’t matter if she was right or wrong. Makoto refused to sit down and die, he had to have hope. One of his friends would come for him, he knew they would! He saw the somber look in Kyoko’s eyes, she didn’t think he did it! She wouldn’t leave him to rot if she heard him begging for help. None of his friends would! Makoto refused to think of them in a negative light.
“Naegi-kun, don’t ignore me.”
Sayaka wouldn’t hurt him either, right?
“Just tell me what I want to know, and everything will be okay.”
Makoto’s heart knocked against his chest, daring to turn around and face her. “Wh-what do you want to know?”
Those chapped lips curved into a smile. As her face stretched, cracks tore open from where the skin peeled, leaving bloodied spots on a corpse that should no longer be able to bleed.
“Where is he?” she said.
“W-where is who?”
Anger boiled over suddenly, Sayaka threw out a fist and slammed it against the wall. Makoto paled as he watched the plaster fall apart from the hole she’d just made. “Where is-!?”
A horrendous rasp cut her off, like all the air was being forced out of her lungs all at once until only a high pitched wheeze was left. Makoto winced, trying to back himself up further into the door as Sayaka stumbled back. She seemed just as surprised as Makoto was.
“ Why- dammit. Where is-?!”
Makoto covered his ears as the rasping screech returned. He willed everything to stop, not just for his own sake but for Sayaka’s as well.
Sayaka cried out in annoyance, marching over to the wall and lifting her heavy arm to paint onto the wall with her bloody finger. Makoto tried to call out for help again, only for his voice to be drowned out by more frustrated yells by Sayaka.
“Why?!” She couldn’t seem to stop yelling that. “Why why why why why?!” She paced back and forth, her voice getting more distorted and lost with every cry.
On the wall was the message “11037”, the same dying message Sayaka wrote on the shower wall, now immortalized in Kyoko’s crime scene photos.
“It’s not fair!” She cried out, “Give me what I want!”
It occured to Makoto as he watched this creature throw a fit over its own frustrations: this was a surprisingly intelligent and emotional monster. It was getting harder and harder to deny that the thing in front of him wasn’t just a mockery, but was his friend in some twisted way. How could he deny that the Sayaka in front of him was human, when her frustrations and regrets were clearly just that? The ache in his chest felt less painful, more natural. Like it was meant to be.
Sayaka’s frustrated rampage hadn’t halted in the slightest as Makoto collected his thoughts. She scratched at the walls and let out unearthly screeches. Her voice had gone from a distortion to unrecognizable caterwaul. Her limbs grew from subtly disproportionate to horrifically misshapen, an unnatural length that no one could ignore. It was unsettling to watch, ike she was losing that humanity he’d just recognized.
Makoto steeled his nerves when she turned to him, ready to take out her frustrations on a new target, “Maizono-san.”
He refused to let his determination wane, even as she stalked towards him with dangerous intent, “I don’t know what happened to you but…”
She placed a large hand over the knife still in her abdomen, making a nauseating gushing sound as she pulled it out. But Makoto didn’t falter. “...but we’re still friends right?! If it’s really you, then you don’t want to hurt me!”
Sayaka’s hand suddenly hesitated just over Makoto. She looked down at him, her mouth flat and her head tilted, as if confused. The knife hovered over his chest, but never lowered. She seemed stunned, or maybe sedated was the better word.
“You…” Her voice sounded just a bit more like Sayaka again, “I need… why do you-... you’re-”
Sayaka suddenly pulled back, shaking her head. “No. No. You won’t stop me- I need to find-” she continued to mutter unintelligibly, wobbling away from Makoto and back into the shower.
“Wh-what just..? Wh-waghh!”
Makoto fell on his back as the door opened behind him. Looking up, he saw familiar violet eyes.
“Kirigiri-san!”
“Naegi-kun,” she raised an eyebrow at him, “Did you sleep against the door?”
“No- ah! Kirigiri-san, we need to leave and tell the others…!” He tried to gather his bearings, scrambling to roll over and get to his knees. As he did, he noticed Sakura and Mondo standing close by.
“What happened to your dorm?” She asked, clearly about to step inside for investigation. Makoto rushed to his feet and pulled her away. He slammed the door shut and pressed his back against the frame in frantic desperation, willing with all his might to not let the creature escape from its confinement.
He stared up at Sakura in a panic, briefly wondering if it was safe to leave the door and rebuild the barricade. “I-I… Why didn’t you open the door…?! Couldn’t you hear that I needed help?!”
Sakura’s face however… confused him as much as his statement appeared to confuse her. “Were you calling for help? You were knocking quite loudly for some time, but when I asked if you were okay, the knocking stopped. You never responded to me.”
Mondo nodded, “Figured you were just tryna escape. That’s what I woulda done.”
“Huh...?” Makoto nearly forgot to push back against the door with how shocked he was, “But I was screaming! I wasn’t even the only voice…!”
Mondo leaned over to Sakura and whispered, “I’ve seen this before, he’s just tryna plead for insanity.”
“Owada-kun, I can hear you!” He heaved a heavy sigh through his nose, then turned to Kyoko, “Kirigiri-san, you’ll hear me out, won’t you…?”
Her eyes seemed fixated on him… or rather, on the object directly behind him. “What happened, Naegi-kun?”
“Everyone is in danger…!”
“Yes. But I’m assuming this is a new danger.”
“It is…! Maizono-san she-....well. I mean…! It was a lot…!”
Sakura, Mondo, and Kyoko all gave him a pitying look.
“Damn it...!” He cursed. There was no way he could tell them there was a giant reanimated corpse monster roaming his room and expect them to just believe him on word alone. Even if they trusted him, they would still call him delusional. He needed another plan.
“C-can you please gather everyone…? I’ll explain then! I promise!”
“Naegi-kun,” Again, Kyoko spoke with saintly patience that left Makoto feeling ever so slightly relaxed. “Everyone at the moment believes you are a murderer.”
“I know! I know that but…! …This is important. I can’t let everyone be in danger when I can warn them! Please let me do this, Kirigiri-san!”
“...Very well.”
With Makoto’s insistence, Sakura and Mondo first helped to re-barricade the room before setting out to gather the other students. It took a while to find everyone, they were all scattered throughout the different rooms they were able to explore, scouring every corner for clues (except for Junko, who just lazed around). Eventually, they were all brought to the halls of the dormitories, gathering near the bathrooms and the trash room. Kyoko claimed she had something to show them after Makoto finished his announcement.
Immediately upon hearing Makoto’s name, the crowd spiraled into an uproar. Some, such as Hifumi, Leon, and Toko, demanded that Makoto be brought back to his “cell”. Others, such as Chihiro and Aoi, wanted to give Makoto a chance. A weary chance, but a chance nonetheless. The chaos was only cut short thanks to Kiyotaka, who, in a booming voice, demanded silence.
“You will speak only when it is your turn!” He scolded, then gestured to Makoto.
“...” Makoto’s teeth dug into his bottom lip. He chewed and chewed, wondering the best way to carefully break this news to everyone. No one would believe him, so he would have to ease them into it. But he also needed to be clear and translate the severity of the situation in his words.
“... Maizono-san is no longer entirely human, and she is going to try and kill us if we are not careful.”
The uproar was back, but this time Kiyotaka made no move to silence it. He too was caught up in the frenzy of Makoto’s absolutely insane words. Over the yelling that hurt his ears, Makoto could hear Kiyotaka accuse him of “wasting everyone’s time.”
“I’m being serious!” Makoto yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth to make sure everyone could hear him.
“Yeah fucking right!”
“Such a cliche anime plot twist.”
“It makes sense for a murderer to be crazy, so…”
“P-perv ju-just wants us t-to pity him b-by pretending to be c-crazy.”
“I’m not crazy!” Makoto cried out. He knew what he saw, he wouldn’t let anyone convince him otherwise. They had to know before they ran into Sayaka and learned the hard way. “Please, she’s locked in my room right now! I can show you, but we need a plan first. She nearly stabbed me!”
“What a rich plot point.” Hifumi said, “I love karma as a narrative device.”
Toko rolled her eyes, but said nothing.
“Just humor me, take this seriously!”
“What,” Byakuya’s conceited voice spoke, “Are you telling us that Maizono’s corpse got up and walked out of the garbage?”
“Yes.” Makoto said.
“Oh yes, of course it did.”
“Naegi’s gone fucking insane!” Leon called out, “Put him back in the damn room!”
“I told you…! I’m not insane! C’mon...! Togami-kun, you believe me don’t you?” Makoto turned to Byakuya, who stared back at him like Makoto was the biggest idiot alive. “... Of course you don’t. I don’t know why I asked - Kirigiri-san, you believe me don’t you?”
“It is a rather illogical thing to claim-”
“It’s more than just illogical,” Celeste laughed, “It’s an absolute daydream! I didn’t realize Naegi was one to be stuck in a fantasy.”
Makoto had to take a deep breath to keep himself from pointing out her hypocrisy, “You don’t have to believe me, guys. I told you, I can prove it. Just please… take it a little bit seriously?”
“As impossible as it sounds, Naegi-kun’s theory does explain one thing.”
“Wh-what’s that, Kirigiricchi?”
Kyoko gestured behind her to the trash room. Taking the cue, Mondo opened the door for everyone to look inside. Within the room there was one difference from the last time they’d seen it that could not be ignored. The access hatch leading to the dumpster was thrown off its hinges, crumpled on the opposite side of the room. On the floor from the ladder to the entrance were splotches of flaky, dry blood caked to the tiles.