{ Mastermind Chihiro. } [ON HIATUS]

The Right Moment.

The elevator started down with a loud clunk, descending into the dark. The box shook every now and then as it made its way into the underground. Celeste stood there calmly.

Or so it looked. But she was wringing her hands as she hid them beneath the frills of her skirt, and an uneasy feeling had settled and tightened in her stomach. But she was accustomed to this feeling, as it had come before every trial. Including her own.

Sometimes she wondered. Why had the boy, the Mastermind who everyone thought to be the very epitome of despair, spared her life? Celeste didn't understand why Chihiro had done it.

This in itself angered her. She was a gambler, a person born with incredible luck and skill. Gamblers needed to be able to read people. So why couldn't she read him? Ludenberg didn't understand.

It was all so strange, so confusing. Yet, she was still in debt to this.. gah, she couldn't think of a suitable insult right now. She owed Chihiro, it was as simple as that.

But she didn't have to, it dawned on her. There had been no arranged deal, no shake of hands. Perhaps.. perhaps she could just stab the shrimp in the back and think nothing of it. Besides, she was a gambler. Celeste's world was one of cruelty and slippery bargains. She could slip right out of this one.

She could seize the opportunity. She'd just need to find the right moment.

The elevator shuddered to a stop. And so began the fourth class trial.

~

Reader, do you know what a majority vote is?

That was an attempt at humour. I apologise if you found it to be unsatisfactory.

I lied earlier, by the way. The planes I exist in is not one of darkness, voids, or any of the edgy stuff I mentioned prior. It looks quite different from what I described, actually.

It looks like a cinema.

Funny that, isn't it? Yes, I sit on my plush red cinema seat, a fizzy drink in the cup holder next to me, writing this all down on a small notebook with a fountain pen I found on the floor. Occasionally one of the people here will walk over, asking how the writing is going. I say it's going well, as always. But really it isn't, because this story oh so pains me to write.

Oh, I didn't mean as in storyline-wise. My wrist just cramps up a lot, that's all.

Piece by piece, I will unveil to you my identity and circumstance, hinting and foreshadowing what will come of this tale. Until those moments, stay tuned, reader.

We will speak again soon.

~

Were they always this boring?

Chihiro sat tiredly in his seat, watching the class trial from his office. It was an hour in, and the discussion was heavily focused on Sakura. She'd given the class a note that seemingly pointed her as the main suspect.

It was strange, why would Sakura give everyone a piece of evidence that painted her as suspicious? Chihiro thought it a rather dumb idea all together. Not to say that Sakura was dumb, of course, it was just a weird circumstance.

So why then? Maybe Ogami was just an honest, good person. Either that or she'd given up, what with the death of Aoi.. but still, the culprit definitely wasn't Sakura. If they all voted wrong then.. then..

...

...

No.

He couldn't. Chihiro couldn't do that. No matter how hard he would try, it wouldn't work in the end. He knew it.

Suddenly, everything was riding on this trial to Chihiro. He rose quickly from his seat, palms slammed against the desk as he watched the screens intently.

If they got this wrong, he'd have to kill them. All of them. And Chihiro knew he couldn't bring himself to do that. And for that reason, he'd die as well.

Makoto seemed to be trying to prove Sakura's innocence, and for that Chihiro cheered him on. You can do it, he kept thinking, don't give up now!

They needed to win this trial. For their lives.

And his as well.

~

They stood at their podium, sweat forming on their brow as Makoto talked and refuted.

It's gone so horribly wrong, hasn't it?

They didn't mean to. It wasn't their fault. It just seems that fate has it out for them, ready to snap the string that is their existence. How could it all go so wrong?

They didn't want to kill everyone. They knew they were selfish, not turning themselves in the moment the body was discovered. But they were scared, a coward as it were.

And now Makoto has to try and get Sakura out of suspicion. This is all their fault.

They gripped their podium, feeling their palms grow redder. Yes, it was their fault. And now they were going to pay for it.

They wondered if the Mastermind was happy with themselves. They bet they were.