When they gather in the dining hall, except Naomi who's been avoiding everyone like the plague since the incident in the lift, the next morning for breakfast something seems to be bothering Tatsuya since he's quieter than usual.
"Suzuki-kun, what's wrong?" Kaida asks the archaeologist.
"Huh? Why did you ask?" He questions.
"Well, you were zoning out." Ginjiro blurts out "You must be lacking sleep."
Tatsuya shakes his head "That's not it, I'm getting enough sleep." He sighs "I've been thinking about something. You may not like this but do you think it's possible that one of us is working with Monokuma?"
"What the hell makes you say that?!" Maeko exclaims.
"Well, we've never seen each other before we came here, right? Then how could they target us for this? It could only be someone who knows about all of us being scouted by Hope's Peak Academy who also knew about our talents or... one of us."
"It has t-to be a staff member from the academy. No o-one would betray us, r-r-right?" Yukiji asks.
"You're suspecting us? How mean!" Aika places her hand on her chest like she's offended.
"I wish I didn't have to, but it'd be easier for the mastermind behind this if they were actually here so they'd be able to control this killing game." Tatsuya explains.
"I agree with Suzuki-kun." Ichiro speaks up.
"You too?" Ginjiro questions.
"It would be naive to deny it." The power hockey star states "It isn't that weird to think one of us could be behind all of this."
It's like Monokuma doesn't feel like just listening anymore because he appears on the monitor "All students, please assemble in the gym immediately."
It seems he prepared another motive for them.
~*~
Everyone gathers in the gym just like Monokuma asked them to do. This is the first time they see Naomi today. She doesn't say anything and keeps a distance between herself and the others.
"Now that you're all here..." Monokuma begins "I've prepared a very special motive for you!"
"What the hell are you going to do to us this time?!" Maeko clenches her fists.
"Upupupu, finally an interesting reaction." Monokuma seems quite pleased "I'm going to make you kill each other of course~"
"We're not going to." Kaida responds.
"Exactly, we're friends!" Ginjiro agrees.
Monokuma tilts his head "Oh, you're still saying that? Too bad! This motive will mark the end of your so-called 'friendship'."
Before anyone can speak up Naomi huffs "Shut up, I want to hear what he has to say."
"Why the fuck are you so keen on playing this game?!" Maeko questions.
Naomi glances at the redhead "I'm not. Unlike you, I just don't feel like dying."
"Ahem, can I announce the motive now? Yes? Thank you." Monokuma strikes a pose for the dramatic effect "If a murder hasn't occured by nighttime two days from now, every student will be punished!"
"E-every s-student?" Yukiji questions, looking horrified.
"You heard me right! Everyone will be punished!" Monokuma repeats "I didn't have any inspiration, so I just decided to give you a time limit to kill someone. So what are you gonna do? Die together or survive alone?"
"So you're trying to drive us into a corner, huh?" Ichiro questions "To force us to decide between staying friends and staying alive."
"Maaan, that's rotten." Aika says, though her voice is a bit too happy.
"No regrets!" Monokuma beams "Happy killing!" And he's gone.
"I told you so." Naomi adjusts her rifle "Because all of you decided to stick together no matter what, Monokuma found away to use it against you." She turns to face them "So what's it going to be, your lives or your so-called friendship?"
Maeko grits her teeth, her fists are trembling from being clenched so tightly "Hey, who's side are you even on?! Why the fuck do you want us to play this fucked up game so badly?!"
"I have no desire to play this game." Naomi says calmly "I simply want to survive. I don't care about sacrificing people along the way. All that matters to me is staying alive." She brushes some strands of hair behind her ear "That's something you do as a hunter, kill animals to live yourself. This is no different."
"You're so fucked up!"
Naomi shrugs "I don't care." And walks out of the gym.
"Why does this keep happening? We just decided to work together." Ginjiro looks down. He looks surprisingly sad.
"Because Monokuma's personality is twisted." Ren states while facing the stand their headmaster always uses.
"He isn't going to stop at anything to force us to play his game." Ichiro states "It was stupid for us to ever think otherwise."
"Is th-this really the only w-way?" Yukiji wonders.
"What other choice do we have? Dying?" Aika questions.
Kaida stares at her hand before looking up "He can try to manipulate us however he want, I'm not going to do it."
The matchmaker tilts her head "So you'd rather have us all die together?"
"I don't know. But I know for sure that I'm not going to betray any of you just because Monokuma is telling me to. I don't want to do that. Of course I can't make that decision for everyone else. But this is what I decided to do."
"How can you put so much faith in us?" Ichiro questions "One of us is probably behind all of this. It'd be better to doubt everyone."
Kaida shakes her head "I don't want to doubt anyone. Plus, I don't believe one of us could be cruel enough to do such a thing."
"I admire your willpower." The silverette admits "But I don't know if that's the smartest move."
She smiles "We'll see."
'Right.' Ren takes another quick look at the stand before leaving the gym 'We'll see...'
YOU ARE READING
Living Danger
FanficWhat are you going to do when you're locked up with your fifteen classmates in a building and the only way out is by killing one of them? This is the question the students of the 94th class of Hope's Peak Academy have to ask themselves when they're...
