Masked Hope (Nagito x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 2: Class Trial Pt. 4

"Cause if so. . . I believe Akane was soaked with blood when we all met up to go to the beach. . ."

Those who weren't in the diner turned to the gymnast with wide eyes.

"Didn't I tell ya that was 'cause I got beat up by coach Nekomaru!?" The brunette cracked her knuckles.

"I can attest to that." Nekomaru confirmed. "If I hadn't gotten that rough with her. . . she never would've backed down!"

"Doubtin' me of all people, you got some nerve. . ." Akane glared at the mechanic with a smirk. "All right! I'll bend your body in half so you're stuck in a bowing position for the rest of your life!"

"That actually sounds pretty cool!" Ibuki laughed.

"The hell it does!"

"Hey. . . more importantly. . ." Hiyoko spoke up. "I'm okay now, right? It's okay. . . that I'm not the killer. . .?"

Chiaki nodded. "Yeah, seems like it."

"See. . . I already told you. . ." The blonde girl spoke softer. "There's no way I'd kill Mahiru. . . Cause. . . Mahiru taught me how to wear a kimono. . . and she was very, very kind. . ." Tears flowed down her cheeks. "Ther's no way I would kill a nice person like! Why wouldn't you believe me earlier!? You guys are stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

Hajime and I defended you. . .

"Hiyoko. . . please don't cry." Mikan tried. "Everything is fine now. . . right?"

"Shut the hell up, pig barf! I hope you get a hangnail and die!"

Aaaand she's back.

"Waaah! I'm sorry for being pig barf!"

Back to the situation at hand. . . Fuyuhiko's behaviour earlier was definitely off. Getting so worked up and accusing Hiyoko of being the killer. . . Could it be. . . was he trying to cover for *her*?

"Hey Hiyoko. . ." Nagito addressed. "Now that our suspicions have been addressed, can you tell us the truth?"

". . .Huh?"

"Even though you're not the killer. . ." He elaborated. "You still went to the beach house, right?"

"L-Like I said. . . it was a trap. . .!" She maintained.

"Yeah, I got that already so. . . can you give us the details about that trap?"

"I would like to know, too. . ." Nekomaru requested. "It might lead to some kind of clue. . .!"

"F-Fine. . ." She sighed. "You want me to talk, huh. . .? Um. . . Earlier this morning. . . Mahiru was the one who came up to me. She asked if we could meet up later. . ."

"Huh?" Ibuki raised an eyebrow. "But didn't you say earlier. . .? Dammit, so that was a lie!?"

"C-Cause. . . I thought I'd be doubted if I admitted it. . ." She excused. "So I figured it was better not to say anything. . ."

"So. . . what was your answer to Mahiru's invitation?" Nekomaru asked.

"I told her it was fine. I mean, I didn't have a reason to say no. Unlike everyone else here, Mahiru was someone I wasn't embarrassed to be seen with. . ."

"You always have to say something snide. . ." Kazuichi commented.

She ignored him and continued. "At the time, we were supposed to meet around 2:00 p.m. but. . . around noon, there was a letter inside my mailbox."

". . .A letter?" Chiaki echoed.

"Yeah, this one. . ." She pulled out a slip of paper and started to read. "I was going to tell you in person, but I couldn't find you so I put this in your mailbox. About what we discussed earlier, is it okay if we change the place? I want you to come to the beach house on the second island. The time is still the same at 2:00 p.m. It seems there is someone who wants to interfere with our meeting. Let's keep it a secret. Until then, let's try not to see each other for a while. It would be bad if they started suspecting us for no reason. -Mahiru Koizumi