『 ♧ Escape Artist ♧ 』『 RANMARU KAGEYAMA × DANGANRONPA V3 』

CHAPTER 1-9: The Cruel Result

3RD PERSON POV

"Well, at this point, it goes without saying, but you all voted correctly!!" Monokuma announced as the group still stared in slight horror at the results. "The blackened who killed the ultimate 'who cares', Rantaro Amami is the Ultimate Pianist, Kaede Akamatsu!!"

Ranmaru looked over to Kaede. Everyone had no stepped back from their podiums, some struggling to stay upright from nerves. Kaede, however, stood still, a happy smile on her face as she congratulated the group on their success.

"Good..." She said.

"Wh- What..? Good? What do you mean, good!? Is this how you want it to end!?" Kaito angrily yelled out to her, to which she looked to him with the same content smile she had kept on for the entire time.

"Not really, but.. it could've turned out a lot worse, so this is fine, too..." Kaede admitted half-heartedly.

"I-its not find! This is super horrible! The worst ever!!" Tenko refuted.

"Is all of us dying actually a better outcome than this? I doubt as much, and you should as well by now, I mean, come on..." Ranmaru sighed with irritation as Tenko looked to him in disbelief.

"H- how.. how can you be so nonchalant!? I don't care if you banged your head or opened up a split personality. Our friend is about to be punished, and you're just here being all 'whatever'!? Is it disrespectful!?" Tenko snapped at him and screamed in his face. He yawned as she screamed right in front of him and stepped back once she finished.

"Yeah, I know Kaede's dying, but it isn't my fault. She was the one who chose to kill the first person to touch the door. It could've easily been me, but I'm not the mastermind. Even walking up and killing the mastermind up front would've been smarter." Ranmaru refuted and looked down to Tenko, who was twitching with rage. "But enough of that, Kaede.. I wanna know something. What made you do it?"

"Yeah... Gonta can't accept... not until you explain!" Gonta cried out.

"Yeah... I won't be satisfied.. until I hear it straight from you.." Kaito admitted.

"...Alright then.. If you could give me another moment of your time, I'll explain." Kaede decided, and everyone looked to her with intent. "It's as shuichi had said: I was trying to kill the mastermind this entire time. I thought if I killed the mastermind, then the killing game would end."

"But.. why did you try to kill them? Maybe they could've been captured?" Shuichi asked her.

"If it hadn't been for the time limit, I probably would have done that. But I thought the mastermind could've just played dumb and ran out the clock.. and I didn't want that to happen." Kaede explained to Shuichi. "I had my mind made up just before we set up the cameras in the library... I thought it was my last chance to save everyone.."

"Even if you had to kill someone?" Kokichi butted in. Kaede looked to him in surprise at what he said but looked down to the ground.

"That's right.." She muttered. "I thought that killing the mastermind was our best shot at escaping this place together.... I.. I really believed it, too.."

"Oh kaede, it never dawned on you?" Kokichi giggled mischievously. Everyone looked at him now with confusion as he continued. "As soon as that thought of murder entered your head, Monokuma had you right where he wanted! What mattered most to Monokuma is that the killing game started!"

"W-wait... to put it like that..." Tsumugi stuttered.

"Well, he's not wrong. She's the reason the killing game finally started." Miu shouted.

"But...if Kaede hadn't done anything, we'd all be dead by now.." Tenko added in.

"We can no blame, Kaede.. she save us..." Gonta admitted.