Heir & Heiress

Monitored

Byakuya partially leaned against me until we reached the fourth floor. Heading for the headmaster's office, Byakuya stopped me. "Wait, I want you to verify something," he redirected us back to the faculty office, past the desks. A corkboard littered with newspaper clippings hung on the back wall; Byakuya pointed to the lowest hung picture. A tall, blonde woman stood waving at the camera, dressed in a beautiful kimono. 'Hiyoko Saionji', I unhooked the paper from the board, feeling the weight of the information in my palm. Most of the information for the report had been clipped off, except the mention of Hope's Peak Academy's 77th class. Could this really be the same girl from the student rosters? Byakuya waited for me to signal some sort of response, so I pocketed the clipping. "This is becoming an inconvenience," he said, rolling his eyes.

"We agreed to the terms," I shrugged. "Better than either of us being mowed down with bullets. We just have to hope we can win".

Walking back to the headmasters' office, we found the door to be locked. "Monokuma!" I shouted. "You do know what 'all-access' means, right?"

"What could you possibly want in my office? I like to have some privacy too, you know!" Monokuma puffed out his chest.

"Make an exception, if only for us if you prefer". Byakuya was about as close to beating the sarcasm out of the bear as I was.

"I could. Maybe. I don't know," the bear shifted side to side.

"We have twenty-two hours. I won't stand around, waiting for you to make a decision," Byakuya added. Monokuma chuckled, making an impression by turning around.

"No!" I reached out, grabbing Monokuma's arm. "I'll go in alone," I pleaded, nearly kneeling in front of the Mastermind's eyes. "But we agreed to these terms. The terms have become part of your rules. Last time I checked, you were a stickler for your own rules". Monokuma stared at me, not moving. I released the robotic arm, careful not to break eye contact as I returned to my feet. Monokuma didn't say a word before disappearing. Within seconds, the Headmaster's office clicked open. "I can't tell if I did something right, or made a huge mistake," I shuddered, feeling Byakuya's arm wrap around my waist.

Fifteen minutes past spent reading every binder of information we found useful. "Karen," Byakuya called me over, pointing at a picture. Mukuro Ikusaba stared at the camera with such contempt, maybe boredom. "Ultimate Soldier. She was a part of Fenrir," he referenced the black tattoo on the back of her hand. "But the question is, where is she?" his voice hushed. I tightened my mouth, lips becoming white lines. I set another binder next to his hand, directing his attention to a picture of a man named Jin Kirigiri. "Her father was the headmaster? And she never mentioned this fact?" I stared at him, cocking an eyebrow at him. "Right," he nodded, "memory loss. But that would mean Kirigiri would have lost several years of memory".

I shook my head, tempted to explain, but resorted to returning the binders to their original shelves. Once we confirmed we had finished our business in the office, I tugged on Byakuya's arm and led him back towards the fifth floor. By this point, I had figured he had learned not to ask questions. 

"That was fast," Makoto said, watching me storm past with Byakuya close behind me. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not-," Byakuya froze and began to shake his head. His eyes were transfixed on the star tattoo on the body's hand. He glanced at me, then back to the body. "That's not possible".

"What isn't?" Kyoko asked, noticing the marking. "Do you know what that tattoo means?"

"Yes," he hesitantly muttered. "It's a signifier for members of Fenrir," he explained slowly. We glanced around; Monokuma didn't pop out to stop the conversation. I tugged on Byakuya's sleeve again, blinking in astonished confusion. He nodded, making the feeling mutual.