{ Mastermind Chihiro. } [ON HIATUS]

In The Slightest.

Sakura sat on the edge of Asahina's bed, head down. She was not crying, just sitting there, silently. Her own form of grief.

Aoi's body had been discovered an hour ago by Makoto, Byakuya and Toko. Sakura hadn't stayed for the investigation, only closing Asahina's eyes gently, a whispered goodbye as she walked out of the stairwell.

What she couldn't believe was why someone would kill Aoi in such a way. It didn't have to be like this. Why? What did she do to deserve it? Everybody liked Asahina. Except Togami and Toko, obviously. Togami and Toko?

Her fists clenched. How could she, Sakura Ogami, not be helping with the investigation right now? She rose off of Asahina's bed, the frame creaking as she did. Glancing under the bed, she saw a hidden box of donuts. It made her smile a little.

Then.. wait. Under the bed, barely visible. From between the folds of the box, a note hidden. She read it aloud, eyes widening.

"Aoi, I need you to meet me at the top of the 2nd stairwell. It is quite important, I trust that you will be there. Sincerely.. Sakura Ogami..?!"

She dropped the piece of paper. What could she do with it? Sakura thought for a moment. It would be unwise to reveal it to the others but.. that would be dishonest. Sakura supposed she'd have to. Slipping it into the waistband of her skirt, she exited Aoi's room, only to bump into none other than Yasuhiro Hagakure.

"Ogre! Hey, why were you in Aoi's room?" She'd need to get used to the nickname, no matter how distasteful.

She sighed. "Looking for evidence."

To her surprise, Yasuhiro raised his eyebrows. "Looking for evidence, you say? Hmm, how suspicious of you."

Dear god this man was stupid.. in ways she couldn't even comprehend.

"I'm watching you, Ogre! From a reasonably safe distance!!" Yasuhiro yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Sakura and running off.

She only sighed. Though he was nice most of the time, Hagakure could be a little irritating. She'd have to deal with it for now, this was not the time to focus on him. No, she needed to get to the bottom of this. For Aoi.

-----------------

Chihiro replayed the video. Specifically, the video of Aoi's murder. He couldn't wrap his head around it, the sheer chance something so tragic could befall this poor person. It wasn't deserved, not in the slightest.

A cruel twist of fate couldn't be one of his top priorities right now, though. There was something much more important to plan. An execution, to be precise.

He grabbed his planning notebook off of his main desk, a pen with it. Clicking it open, he started scribbling out random ideas, brainstorming the twists and turns of this student's fate. All in all, it was rather fun.

At this point, Chihiro knew what he was doing was wrong, taking pleasure in it included. But did he care anymore? No, he did not.

Now at first, this may sound like Chihiro has finally turned to the side of despair, but in truth he had not. All Fujisaki had done was adapt, just like how Celeste had told everyone. He was not on the side of despair, nor the side of hope. He didn't have to belong to anything.

A world where nobody had to conform to the labels of society. That was the world Chihiro wished to live in. But there will always be labels, as long as there are judging people. But who's to judge whether that future is one of promise? Chihiro decided he'd be the judge of that.

After all, he was a Mastermind. He had the ability to control these people's lives, manipulate their choices into ones that reflected his own needs. Hell, he'd already done that with the motives. Chihiro needed them to kill, for his own sake.

Was that selfish? Yes. But was it necessarily bad? That's a matter Chihiro had chosen not to ponder over, for fear he'd find the answer. Something he did not wish for in the slightest.

And done. The execution was finished, and so Chihiro started typing it up electronically for Monokuma to use. He wondered if the mechanic person would like it.

He lay back in his office chair. The game could wait, he needed a nap.

---------------

Hello.

Oh, you're surprised? You didn't think this was from nobody's point of view, did you? Lot's of stories happen to involve narrators, and unbeknownst to you, this was one of them.

I live in a world of nothing, one of which will be known to you in time. Though there is nothing to know of. Merely the endless void of existence I have been brought into.

You people, this higher power, who listen to my story through mindless fanfiction. Craving updates, storyline; in reality you may not get one in the end. Sometimes I cannot be bothered to tell this tale.

I can practically hear your thoughts. Wondering who I am, speculating which "character" I could possibly be. Why should it matter? Is it just a curious urge to know?

Why should I tell you? Why do you deserve to know?

We will speak again soon.

-----------------

This was not ideal in the slightest.

Byakuya Togami has begun his investigation half an hour prior, but found most of the evidence had been confiscated by Kirigiri for Naegi to use in the trial. She was sly. Though beneath him, she posed a threat to his plans.

His plan which had been so carefully constructed, so perfectly created, ruined within minutes. It was insulting, to be honest.

Byakuya supposed it would leave the trial purely down to alibis, though whether anyone could prove theirs was a different manner. Likely not. He certainly didn't have one.

This trial would be one not worth contributing to much, even if he played a very significant role in the case itself. Asahina's death, though a pain, did not phase him in the slightest. His expression turned to one of smugness.

Good riddance. He never liked her anyway.