~ Forgotten ~【Komahina】

Chapter 16 - It's over

TW: SUICIDE

This can't be real.

Someone... killed Nagito...

Seconds feel like hours as I replay the last few minutes over and over again in my head. Going to the restaurant, finding it on fire, grabbing fire grenades from the lobby, putting out the fire, the body discovery announcement playing...

I force myself back to reality and stare at the corpse, tears forming in my eyes. Nagito is leaning against the wall with blood soaking through his shirt. There's a bloodstained knife in his hand, and his other hand holding a crumpled up sheet of paper.

I run over and, with great difficulty, pull the piece of paper out of his grip. The rest of the group watch silently as I smooth it out and read what it says.

I'm sorry Hajime

Those three words are enough to make it feel like the ceiling had collapsed on me. I know Nagito's handwriting. This isn't something a killer has forged.

This is a suicide note.

Tears spill out of my eyes as I hold the piece of paper to my chest.

I don't understand... Just last night, we were together... we were talking about how we wouldn't be able to cope without each other... So... why did he do this?

I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around to see Chiaki.

'I know this is sad, but we have to investigate...' she says. In answer, I shove the note in her hands. Her eyes widen. 'Is this..?'

I nod.

Silence. Before, I liked it when there wasn't any noise, but now... it's painful. It's hurts too much being here.

Without thinking, I stand up and run out of the restaurant towards the beach.

'You hate me, don't you?'

I turn around, expecting to see Nagito, but get greeted by the empty beach.

I'm already going insane... What's wrong with me?

I sigh. What's my reason to live now that Nagito's gone?

Then it hits me.

What is my reason to live?

I head back to the restaurant to find it empty. Perfect. I walk over to Nagito's body and kiss his forehead, before easing the knife out of his hand.

I turn it around so that the blade is pointing to my chest, then...

'WAIT!'

I suddenly get pushed to the ground, the knife getting knocked out of my hand and sliding along the floor out of reach.

'What were you going to do with that knife?'

Chiaki was kneeling on my chest, stopping me from sitting up. 'I said, what were you going to do with it? I already lost Nagito! I can't lose you too!' Tears start pouring down her face as she shouts. I notice a group of people standing nearby.

'If I'd arrived a moment later... you would have...' she chokes on her tears as Sonia gently lifts her off me, before pulling us both into a hug.

'It may be hard without him,' Sonia says, , 'But we're here for you... and he would want you to keep going... so stay strong... for Nagito...'

For Nagito...

I repeat those two words for the rest of the investigation, and throughout the trial. It didn't take long before we come to a conclusion.

'Nagito is the killer.'

I wait for someone to object to my argument, but nobody does. Everyone agrees that Nagito had committed suicide.

'Puhuhu!' laughs Monokuma, earning a glare from Fuyuhiko, 'So, are we ready to vote?'

I nod, and we all vote.

The slot machine in the corner of the room starts spinning, before it finally lands on Nagito. I take a deep breath, waiting for a shower of Monocoins to flow out of it, confirming our vote was correct.

It never came.

Red lights flash as I stare in shock.

We were wrong.

Monokuma laughs. 'Puhuhu! The killer was not Nagito!'

We're all going to die.

'The killer is...'

Whoever killed Nagito will get to leave, while the rest of us get executed.

'...Chiaki!'