𝓓𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓕𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻

𝟎𝟐𝟑

Jealousy

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"The motive you need to kill people!" Monokuma continued, "After all, I'm gonna get bored if the next blackened doesn't show up soon!"

"This game is the... motive...?" Chiaki questioned.

"In truth, this game's theme is a missing link. You know, it's a recurring theme for mysteries, right? It's kinda like a hidden connection."

"Wh-What... does that mean?" Mikan asked.

"If you're interested... then try playing it!"

"... O-Okay."

"You can't! You gotta say no! It's a trap!" Mahiru exclaimed.

"Hey, if that's the motive, won't it be okay if we just don't play it?" Kazuichi suggested.

"Gahaha! That's absolutely right! You're quite the genius!" Nekomaru said.

"I see... that never occurred to me," Monokuma uttered, "... But, are you sure you wanna do that? Learning the motive means you're gonna be prepared, you know. Humans who are prepared... and humans who aren't... I don't have to tell you which is strong and which is weak, right?"

"... Wh-What do you mean?" Mahiru asked.

"For example... if someone secretly played it, that person might come and kill you. In the context of a preemptive strike... that's truly fatal!"

"Wh-What do you mean!?" Kazuichi exclaimed.

"You guys are all enemies, you know? Is it really all right for your enemy to have an advantage? If you're going to just ignore it, then do whatever you like, even if you're fully aware of the situation. Bye byeeee!"

With that, Monokuma disappeared.

"Wh-What... the heck...!" Hajime yelped in disbelief.

"H-Hey... what should we do?" Kazuichi asked.

"E-Even if you ask me... There's no way I'll know..." Mahiru replied.

"Anyway, it would be dangerous to carelessly touch this game. There is no mistaking that," Peko said.

"Y-You are right... It might be better if we wait and see how this plays out," Sonia added.

"But wouldn't it be bad if someone secretly played the game while we're waiting?" Hiyoko asked, a sly smirk on her face, "Whoever gets the motive would become the hunter, and the rest of us would be the prey."

"Th-That's a messed up way to think about it...!" Hajime uttered.

"... But it's true," Fuyuhiko said, "Heh... it's your loss if you end up dying. All we need to do is kill if we want to win. I don't want to end up like Togami or Hanamura."

Fuyuhiko walked off as he said that.

"B-But... Fuyuhiko makes a good point..." Mikan said.

"You too!? What're ya sayin'!? Do ya really wanna kill someone that badly!?" Akane demanded.

"It's not like that... I mean, how can you be cautious if you don't even know the motive!?"

"That... that might be true, but..." Mahiru uttered, her words trailing off.

"... It doesn't matter," Chiaki said firmly.

"... Huh...?" You hummed, looking at her in slight surprise.

"Motive or otherwise, it doesn't matter... I won't let another killing happen. I will never... ever... let another killing happen."

Ding dong, bing bong

The nighttime announcement went off, and by the time it was over, you were so ready to just lay down and go to bed.

"It's already that time, huh... It's better if we just break for today," Nekomaru said.

"I'll try to think about it tonight more carefully... The correct thing for me to do..." Mahiru said, "But regardless, I will never kill anyone. I mean, it's impossible."

"M-Me too... it's definitely impossible..." Mikan followed.

"So... we're done for the day...? We can go back to our cottages...?" You asked.

"Yup. C'mon, Y/N-chan, let's go," Kazuichi said, offering you his hand.

"... I'll go with you guys," Hajime said, narrowing his eyes at Kazuichi ever so slightly.

Kazuichi looked at Hajime blankly before shrugging his shoulders and walking off, holding your hand. Hajime followed alongside you, feeling a bit jealous about the fact that Kazuichi was holding your hand. Why was he jealous? He didn't know. He felt like... he was the one that was supposed to be holding your hand... Definitely not Kazuichi.

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