Hopeful Blacksmith (Danganronpa 1 x OC)

Chapter 33:The Struggle Between The Stone And Water, In Time, The Water Wins

Sakura was dead, her face forming a smiling expression, as if she never even struggled. My heart was in a million pieces, I couldn't even look anywhere else. I couldn't even cry...

I'm so... No, I'm not sad... I'm more... feeling hopeless.

I could hear Hina muttering to herself behind me, perhaps even more broken than me.

"Huh...? Sakura's... Sakura's...dead? She's...really dead?"

"We didn't make it in time. It's happened again...", muttering to herself, Kyoko began to gently inspect Sakura's body. I wondered, was she confirming that Sakura really was dead? Checking for a pulse, or a reaction?

"... I have to go get them... I have to go get...the others...", On shaky legs, Hina left the rec room.

"Why...? Why...did this have to happen?", Makoto asked, anger and desperation laced in his voice.

"I need to examine Sakura's body...",Makoto and I just stood there motionless behind Kyoko, while she checked Sakura's corpse. Time passed. While we stood there, unable to do a thing, time just...passed. And after I don't know how long, Hina came back with the others.

"I got everyone..."

"Uwah! O-Ogre!?", Hiro yelped.

"Don't call her that...", I growled.

"Oh. So she's dead, huh?", Genocide Jack shrugged with a grin.

"Sakura's been killed? I see...", Togami huffed. As soon as they arrived, Kyoko began.

"You heard the announcement just now, right? So you know what this means."

"Sakura was murdered . And by someone in this very room... Is that what you were going to say?"

"...No. Whoever killed her...it's not just "someone in this room." It was one of you... Hiro, Byakuya, Toko--one of you killed Sakura!", Hina accussed.

"Wh-Wh--!?", Hiro sputtered.

"You're accusing us before we've even begun the investigation?", Togami asked, skeptical.

"I don't need to investigate anything... Because you hated her. You hated the sight of her! One of you did it, I know it!", Hina yelled. At that point, Monokuma appeared.

"You...know it? Jeez, I didn't know your power level would increase by that much just by getting mad!"

"What are you doing here...?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to hand out my little murder flyer. That's right! It's the next Monokuma File! And don't get so mad, Miss Asahina, or you're gonna ruin that lewd little face of yours!", Monokuma chuckled as he handed us the all the files. "Now then! With that, I--"

"Hold on... There's something I want to ask you...", Makoto muttered.

"Huh?"

"It was you, wasn't it? You killed Sakura?"

"Huh huh?"

"Sakura wanted to challenge the mastermind to a duel. Maybe you and her fought again, and then..."

"Then I killed her? Sorry, not quite! Actually, not even close. That whole thing is totally irrelevant now! Sakura came to a most regrettable end without even getting the chance to finish things with me... Which, thank God for that! It saved me the trouble of having to go through with our little fight. Cuz even for someone like me, it would've been no mean feat to take down a behemoth like that! I gotta tell ya, I was actually pretty worried! I mean, she'd violated a rule by attacking me in the first place, but I wasn't able to punish her! So I dunno who it was, but whoever the blackened is this time...I owe ya one!"