Alternate (Shuichi Saihara x fem reader)

Chapter Three: Deadly Life

Gonta Gokuhara, our gentle giant, the big bug boy, lay dead in the dark corner of the room, his neck bent at such an unnatural angle that I wanted to vomit. The others in the room began to cry, wondering who on earth would do such a horrible thing to the nicest one of us. The Monokuma File was distributed, and we all got to work. Or, that was the idea.

"Hey, Kiyo's lab is open, right? Then we can bring him back to life!" Tenko announced. Kaito sprinted out of the room after hearing that, Maki following him.

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"I read the necronomicon! Everything we need for the ritual is in Kiyo's lab!" We all smiled at this. "If we revive him before the trial begins, we won't have to do a trial!"

"That's a great idea!" Tsumugi cheered. "Let's do that! What do we need?"

"I need volunteers! I'll do it, anyone else? We need four more, one of them being the medium." I volunteered, as well as Himiko and Tsumugi. "Anyone else? Anyone at all? Miu, maybe?"

"I'll do it," Ryoma spoke up.

"Fine! The degenerate will join us! But you're the medium, Ryoma." The five of us walked into the empty room in the middle, and began preparations.

•••

"Wow, a body was found during an investigation! Everyone, please gather at the center empty room." We relit the candles in a frenzy and quickly attempted to retrieve Ryoma.

We were too late. Ryoma's body was bloodied, bruised, and grotesque. I wanted to scream and cry. The others filtered in, and sighed heavily.

"I didn't think that Gonta would kill from beyond the grave!" Kokichi announced, and Kaito disappeared once again.

"Not going to follow him again, Maki?" Keebo asked.

"I'm not the child caregiver anymore," she responded coldly. "I'm sure I can be of use in the investigation."

Monokuma File: The victim is Gonta Gokuhara. Time of death was 11:20 pm. The victim suffered lots of external injuries, most of which on his head.
Monokuma File: The victim is Ryoma Hoshi. Time of death was 11:43 pm. The victim's larynx was removed, and has several external injuries.

"I'll gather alibis," I said, sorrowfully getting the paper and pen. I made note of my alibis first—I was on my way to the dining hall when Gonta died, and Shuichi, Tsumugi, and Rantaro were already there. I was doing the seance when Ryoma died, along with Tsumugi, Tenko, Himiko, and the victim himself. No one went in or out of the room, and it was pitch black. I asked Shuichi of his whereabouts first.

"I was just next door, investigating Gonta's murder," he claimed.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"Rantaro was with me the whole time, and no one else came in." I wrote it down quickly. "While you're here, do you mind telling me what happened during the seance?"

"Well, we put Ryoma in a cage and blew out the candles. It was pitch black the whole time. Then we stood in a corner and sang to him, but as soon as the song ended, we heard the body discovery announcement."

"It was pitch black, and he was in a cage?"

"Yeah, and the cage was surrounded by a magic circle made of salt. Does that help?" He nodded.

"Yes, thank you. Please gather alibis again, and I'll see you at the trial." I thanked him and ran off. As I left, I suddenly remembered when I read the necronomicon myself, and noticed how different it was from what Tenko directed.

Next on the list were Tenko and Himiko's alibis for Gonta's murder. I found them still trying to figure out how exactly someone would've killed Ryoma during the seance.

"For Gonta's death? We were in Tenko's lab."

"We were doing charisma training for Himiko's mp!" Tenko cheered. "We're getting closer and closer! Or, I thought so, but...." she looked angrily at Ryoma. "I know he's a degenerate, but now we have to do a trial for him! It irks me! Is it my fault? Should I have been the medium instead?"

"No! Then you'd be that lifeless pile on the ground, and I'm not ready to be without you!" Himiko said. I don't think I had ever seen as much emotion of her face as I did in that moment. I smiled at them, and left, having gathered the necessary information.

I found Miu, Keebo, and Kokichi next, in Kiyo's lab, where the materials were taken from.

"This is dumb, they put the necronomicon back in here. Should've left it at the crime scene," Kokichi shouted. "What idiot would do that?" I picked up the book, with the intent to show Shuichi the evidence. "Anyway, I'm assuming you're here because Shuichi didn't want you to disrupt his investigation with your dumb as dirt personality, so you're gathering alibis again. Cool! I was with Keeboy during both murders."

"I do hope you intend to keep that story during the trial," Keebo said in response. "And I can confirm. We were together sharing an unpleasant experience."

"Oh, it's not that bad once you get used to it. You're both boys so you don't have any other holes, so—"

"Miu, I get that you're a slut, but that doesn't mean we are. You don't have to lecture us with your insane lust. You're uncontrollable and it's really pathetic, and I hope you get your boobs cut off in a freak accident." Kokichi mumbled his hurtful words as Miu began crying, and I attempted to dismiss him.

"Miu, where were you during the murders?" I asked her. She froze up, and I knew she didn't have an alibi again.

"I was at the dining hall during Ryoma's death, and in my lab during Gonta's. No one was with me, but someone was definitely watching me. For sure. So we just need to figure out who it was."

"Come up with a better lie. Who the hell would want to look at your ugly ass more than required?" She slumped as he called her out.

"I really was! Some perv...I saw his shadow! Really!" I wrote it down just in case, but I was definitely skeptic.

I found Maki under the floorboards, trying to figure out the killer's escape route.

"I was feeling sick again, so I was in my room for Gonta's murder. After the talk of rituals, I went off to comfort Kaito, so we have alibis for Ryoma's murder." I wrote it all down and began to leave. "Wait, before you go, I have to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"All these budding romances are happening real quickly, aren't they?" She said. "Now might not be the best time, but I can't focus. Do you think we all knew each other before this, and some of our feelings linger?"

"You're right, this isn't the best time. I'll be happy to talk later, but I can't let my own romance down. Sorry." She sighed.

"I understand. Go on." She seemed disappointed, but got back to work.

The only remaining person was Kaito, who had barricaded himself in his room out of fear of the paranormal. I talked to him very briefly, as he didn't have an alibi for Gonta's murder, and Maki had already confirmed his alibi for Ryoma's death. After that, I went back to the fourth floor to return the necronomicon to Shuichi. But before I could, the announcement to meet at the trial grounds sounded, and everyone met at the shrine.

"Hey, I was on my way to give this to you when the announcement played," I said when he got there, and handed him the book. "It's the necronomicon. The culprit put it back in Kiyo's lab." He looked shocked at the book, carrying another book in his hands.

"I see. That's strange, since the necronomicon I found was next to Ryoma's body." He opened the book, and began reading it. It explained the seance Tenko orchestrated, but it wasn't familiar with the necronomicon I read beforehand.

"That's really suspicious," I commented. He agreed. The elevator opened after that, and we all headed down to the courtroom in silence.