What if it Repeated? (Oumasai/Saiouma)

Chapter 20- Left In The Dark

A game within the game? What was the mastermind doing?! To be offering another way to escape the killing game other than murder... the invention must really be threatening. This could put a halt on the whole killing game if everyone caught wind of this. Or did everyone already know? Was it just him that had no idea or was Angie just delusional about this whole thing? All he knew now, was that he needed to confront Tsumugi more than ever. What would happen if he just flat out accused her? Would she kill him on the spot? Maybe... but if he did nothing this would just continue...

"I'll see you later Kokichi, I gotta go check something." Shuuichi murmured to the boy as he already started moving away. He was going to find Tsumugi right now, consequences didn't matter to him at this moment.
"Hey hey, no! Where are you going?!" Kokichi sprinted up to him and grabbed his arm tight in an attempt to hinder his movement.
"I'm going to ask people what they know about this challenge," Kokichi's face seemed to darken slightly and he shook his head,
"Then why are you going off without me, I'll..."
"I can do it, don't worry about me." Shuuichi quickly deflected. Kokichi couldn't come with him, not for this.

"I wasn't worrying." Shuuichi felt a little part of him break at the words. They felt colder than ice.
"Can you tell Miu about this, she'll probably want to know."
"You mean if she doesn't already know, right?" Kokichi gave him a side glance and let go of his arm, "she could be in on this challenge for all you know." He turned his back on Shuuichi with a final shrug and left. Shuuichi felt a sickening feeling swell up inside his stomach. Both related to the idea that Miu mighty be influenced by this new escape option and the increasingly cold behaviour Kokichi was exhibiting towards him. He knew full well he didn't do anything to warrant this. They had always gotten along great even when they weren't that close, but now it was as though they were old enemies who were trying to keep a nice face on in front of the other. He must have said something to give Kokichi a bad first impression.

He missed the old Kokichi. His Kokichi. Not the Kokichi in this reality. Maybe once all of this chaos was over he would be able to use the invention- if it ever ended up working- to go back to that Kokichi. But for that to happen the invention had to stay unbroken and unhindered by the mastermind. He began to walk without really knowing where he was going. He needed to find Tsumugi. It was just after the morning announcement, so she was likely somewhere situated around the dining hall area as everyone was supposed to meet there every morning. He would have bailed this morning if it hadn't been for Kokichi wanting to go investigating, a sleep in would have done him good, but alas that hadn't happened.

He passed by Angie again who waved merrily at him like it was the first time they had met that morning. He returned it rather feebly and continued walking at a faster pace. His stomach turned over when he saw the vivid blue hair looking back at him from around the side of the school. He hadn't been expecting to find her so quickly. He hadn't even planned anything out. What would he say? And was this really the best idea anyway?

"Oh, Saihara!" He jumped as the high melodic voice of the girl reached him. She was smiling kindly at him, unlike how he had seen her smile at him before with that malevolent intent.
"Hello Shirogane," he walked unsteadily over her and stopped a good 3 meters away from her just to be safe, "I was actually hoping to see you."
"Oh? Well here I am!" She smiled again causing his gut to tighten. He should just say it. She was right in front of him waiting for him to say something. He took a deep breath and steadied his gaze on Tsumugi's bright expression.

"I know you're the mastermind." Tsumugi didn't seem to react for a second and simply stared at him quizzically. Then she raised an eyebrow at him the smile faltering all to slightly,
"Is this a joke, Saihara? If it is i'm not sure I get the humour." She cocked her head and continued to feign innocence. Shuuichi shook his head. He wasn't going to give in to this innocent facade she was playing.
"I know everything so you don't have to pretend. I know about the room behind the bookcase, the passageway in the girls bathroom, how there is no world worth escaping for out there," he made a motion with his hand to the glass walls enclosing them,

"so what I wanted to say was to stop interfering with the invention." He stopped for a second and cringed at what he was about to say, "if you do, I won't say a word to anyone about this and I'll let the killing game continue as it normally would, I'll play your game."

This would be going against his whole plan, but he had nothing to bargain with. He had nothing except his knowledge to put up to the table. He surveyed Tsumugi, looking for any reaction that she was tempted by this idea, but he was shocked to see the girl watching him behind blank eyes. She didn't seem to have followed a word he had just said.
"I-i really don't understand..." she finally said, her words faint as though she wasn't really there, "I think you have the wrong person. What did you mean by no world? What are you saying...?"

Shuuichi stared at her wide eyed. His first thought would have been that she was just lying and refusing to give up the act, but something didn't seem right about her composure. She almost seemed to hold herself differently to how he remembered. She looked a lot less confident now than he had ever seen her.
"What about Junko Enoshima, ring any bells?" Tsumugi looked blank again. He couldn't deny it anymore, there was something definitely wrong. This was genuine confusion and not some act. Hanging around Kokichi seemed to have subconsciously helped him to decipher a true reaction from a fake. Could there be a different mastermind to the last times? Was the mastermind in this reality really not Tsumugi? Was he seriously wrong...?
"I-i'm sorry Saihara, I'm really not following..."

He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. If he had just wrongfully accused Tsumugi... if she was truly innocent this time around... he knew this sort of thing was possible, he had seen the different behaviours that had been displayed by his friends in the different realities. At the moment Tsumugi looked on the verge of tears.

"Oh... no, I shouldn't have been so harsh..." he tried to recover the situation, but Tsumugi interrupted him, her hands up in reassurance.
"No, you're just trying to find out who put us here, there's nothing to be sorry about." She smiled shakily as her lip trembled. He should have thought this through better. He should have waited before accusing her, but it probably would have resulted the same. He still would have wrongfully accused her.
"Yeah well... it was still harsh." Although she may be innocent, it didn't stop his anger from softly boiling inside him whenever he caught sight of Tsumugi's face in front of him. She was the cause for his friends deaths. Maybe not here, but she had. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to put his anger to rest just because she was responsible this time. But the real problem was that he had no knowledge of this killing game. Anything could happen. He was truly in the dark this time around.

rÞY¼ê@1M³"ÕR/HÌ#1551

"He already knew, huh?" The room flickered strangely in the darkened room, the light from the monitor being the only source of light in sight. "About the room, the passage... even Junko?" Shuuichi Saihara was pictured on the screen. His expression was strained in concentration and his dark hair seemed to flop over his face even more than usual which only accentuated the 'emo look' he had going for him.
"Upupupu~ But didn't you already suspect that jÖ'R¶ÕÆ·''?'' There was a cold laugh in return.
"Yes well he was pretty bold from the get go, the way he approached Iruma straight off the bat was pretty sus if you ask me." They smiled. "But the detective did get some major details wrong, like who in their right mind would make that 'plain girl' the mastermind! That would be far too simple, it's never the person you suspect the most OR the person you least suspect! It's always someone in the middle ground, that way if you play your cards right, no one will suspect you."

The person swivelled themselves around in the chair to get a good view of all the screens.
"I do have to say for the character script to go this far off the rails was quite scary at first, but I'm starting to see the appeal." The figure sat up straighter in their chair and flicked their eyes over to the monochrome bear in the corner, "This hasn't turned out bad in the slightest! If anything I'd say this adds a new level of deception and ingenuity into the game, ratings will never be higher!" The bear cackled, it's head thrown back in raucous laughter.
"The despair will be off the charts! But if I don't see some killing soon I might just snap myself!"
"Keep your pants on it'll happen." The person snapped and the bear fell silent. "Even though messing with Saihara's invention is fun and all, if it's ever completed that'll be a major problem."

They fixed their eyes back on the screen still showing Shuuichi.
"This is only the beginning Saihara, you'll never finish this while I'm here, I have a lot in store for you~"