The Heir Of Despair

Among Despair (Trial- Part 1)

Oh, how Byakuya had been longing for this. It was finally time for the trial to begin, something which Byakuya had been waiting for. He could finally solve a mystery... Plus, the execution at the end was just bound to be beautiful.

It would also allow him to get a better look at everybody. It was important he knew who could be a threat and who was nothing more than dead weight. He didn't want to waste his energy on somebody useless after all. That would just be annoying.

No. He was going to make strategic moves only, not that such a thing would be hard for him. All he had to do was watch. Obviously, he would solve the mystery himself, but he wouldn't tell the others his thoughts. It was up to them to figure it out- Byakuya would only help if needed.

But when everybody got to their seats, Monokuma started to talk again. "Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out 'whodunnit' then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one..." Monokuma trailed off, pausing slightly for dramatic effect. It wasn't hard to hear how excited Junko was through the bear. "Then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate!" He finished explaining.

"And the killer really is one of us, right?" Makoto asked, some disgusting hope in his voice, most likely wanting the answer to be a no. That hope was going to be squashed though.

Monokuma let out a laugh. "Of course, silly!" He responded with a nod. The bear was smiling widely, most likely amused by Makoto's question. Well, she was amused by his idiotic question.

"Before we move on and start the trial, can I ask a question real quick?" Kyoko asked, not waiting for an answer as continued talking. "What's going on with...those pictures?" She asked, pointing to the two death portraits of Mukuro and Kiyotaka, who were coincidently standing next to each other.

Ah, those. Byakuya had almost forgotten about them- they simply hadn't seemed very important. Though, Junko had ensured every one of them was special in some way, mostly in the way the red cross changed depending on the person.

The cross for Kiyotaka was as squiggly as it could be, like a toddler drew it. It was a mocking display at Kiyotaka's need for neatness by making his death portrait portray the exact opposite.

Mukuro's was a bit different. One side of the cross was a lipstick while the other looked akin to Monokuma's eye. The first one was obviously a reference to what most would think her talent was, while the latter could be seen as a reference to her death at Monokuma's hands- well, paws. But that wasn't the true meaning.

It was meant to display her true identity, though the only one in the room who would know that was Byakuya. He supposed it would be a fun part of the reveal, if Junko ever decided to do that.

But in response to her question, Monokuma grinned. "I'd feel awful if they got left out just because they died. Friendship penetrates even death's barrier!" He explained with a laugh.

Ugh.

Byakuya didn't even try to hide his disgust at Monokuma's words- it wasn't like it was needed. Anybody with even a sliver of a mind would find the joke to be repulsive.

"Friendship...penetrates?" Hifumi asked, sounding nauseatingly curious, like it wasn't anything but a horrible joke.

Luckily, Celeste quickly changed the subject. "Okay, but what about that other empty seat?" She asked, pointing her finger towards the empty podium. "There were only fifteen of us to begin with, so why are there sixteen seats?"

"Oh, no reason. It's just that out little courtroom here can technically fit up to sixteen people," Monokuma said with a shrug before standing up straight. "Okay, that about does it for the preamble. Get ready to get started! First up is the case summary. Now, let the Class Trial...begin!"