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Banana Split--with a side of DEATH » Arcs » Chapter 3--Secret Guardin'

How far will you go to protect your secrets?

As written by: Griese Lightning, OstrichBurgers


107 pieces and 12 characters involved, written by 2 different authors.

1 places involved




So begins...

Chapter 3--Secret Guardin'


Youth Center/Hotel PlaceSetting: Youth Center/Hotel Place


Image


Quietly, Madoka moved towards the elevator. The others had crowded in already...aside from Clair, he realized. Shortly after Braeden's death, the mastermind of the trial sank to the floor, toppled onto her side and curled into the fetal position. She wept, nails scratching at her skin.

Madoka's body was heavy. He was exhausted--this trial had drained him emotionally and physically.

And yet, as he began to step into the elevator, he knew he couldn't leave Clair behind. Even after everything she had done--even after she had revealed her true nature to the group--he just couldn't leave her behind.

Taking a deep breath, he returned to her side, reaching out to place a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Clair. Everything will be alright--"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Her hand smacked his away just as his fingers brushed her body. Madoka drew back with a jerk, nearly falling back. He glanced over at the other students as if begging them for advice.

Clair...let me in, please...

"It's okay," Madoka swore. "P-please, Clair...I-I forgive you, so it's okay...please, let's just get out of here."

She offered no response beyond her continued sobs. Madoka glanced down at the apatite encircling his wrist. He bit his lip.

Relieves grief.

Silently, he worked to remove the bracelet from his wrist and placed it on Clair's hand. She grasped it immediately, bringing it close to her face.

"Mado." The leftover harshness in Faqir's voice was not lost on Madoka. He fiddled with his fingers, staring at Clair. "She's not coming, okay? Leave her. If she wants to be like this, just...I want to get out of here, okay? We all do."

"I'm not leaving." Clair hadn't left Madoka during the first trial and the days following. She hadn't left him when they all ran around like chickens with their heads cut off after Monokuma's announcement. Even before the trip took a terrible turn, she had brought him along with her as her companion and led been his source of strength.

Now it was Madoka's turn to be hers.

Hesitantly, he hovered his hand over her shoulder. "...Clair, let's get you back to bed, okay? It's going to be alright. You'll see. We still have hope, right? And as long as we have that, there's...nothing to be afraid of. Because we have each other. You..."

Clair choked, holding tightly to the bracelet Madoka had passed to her. Deciding it was worth the risk, he began to lower his hand, recoiling again when Clair writhed at his touch.

"Clair...it's me. I-it's just me, okay? I-it's all going to be alright. Because..." Madoka swallowed, trying to relieve the dryness in his throat. "Because...I'm your good luck charm, right?"

She quivered at the foot of the podium, silent.

Slowly, her head turned to look at him. Her eyes, dull, lifeless, and full of tears--her makeup, smudged and dripping off--her body, trembling like an earthquake...

For the first time, Madoka realized how young she was. Without the mask her makeup had given her, he saw all her imperfections, all her vulnerabilities, hidden only by her hands covering her jaw. She may have been Madoka's source of strength, but she was still human.

He couldn't stand it. Steeling himself for any horrible reactions she might have, Madoka pulled Clair off of the ground and into his arms.

At first, she thrashed frantically, trying to pry herself free--but when Madoka's arms only tightened around her, she slowly relaxed, going almost limp in his arms. One hand rested on Madoka's back, her face burying in his shoulder.

"It's going to be okay," Madoka whispered. "I-I'm not going anywhere, okay? I forgive you. I forgive you for everything. It's going to be alright. You're safe now."

"S...safe," Clair sounded out, as though the word were foreign. After the events of the trial, Madoka was certain it was.

Slowly, he drew the quivering girl to her feet. Clair instantly collapsed against Madoka, and he stumbled, adjusting his grip to hold her up. Exhausted as he was, Madoka couldn't find the energy to carry her.

Slowly, Romano emerged from the elevator, approached the pair, and bowed. He took Clair from Madoka's arms, lifting her into his own. She didn't move, staring off into the distance. Grateful, Madoka followed Romano back into the elevator.

As the grate slammed shut and the car shot upwards, Madoka moved closer to Faussin, feeling in full force the sheer severity of what they were suffering.

This would change everything. Knowing it horrified him.





Two days had come and gone since the events of the second trial. The hole left by Eriko and Braeden was palpable--even Faqir had been quiet and somber lately.

But more than that...

Madoka placed his hand against Clair’s door, biting his lip. She had locked herself in her room ever since the last trial, refusing to show up for meetings, get breakfast, or even talk to anyone. Even so, Madoka was determined not to lose her--he had barely avoided losing her physically, and he could not--would not--lose her emotionally.

The mastermind behind the last trial had been thoroughly broken by her previous experiences. Faqir's grudge against the girl stuck, and Madoka was sure others would still hate her, but he just couldn't bring himself to abandon her. When no one else would visit, he left food outside her door in hopes she would eat, told her stories from his life before Hope's Peak in hopes she would listen, and passed along all the information from the meetings in hopes she would come to the next one.

Nothing seemed to work.

"Clair?" Madoka’s voice sounded weak. He waited for a moment, hearing no response. "...Clair? It's Madoka, your good luck charm. I, um...I noticed you didn't eat the dinner I brought you last night. Or lunch...or breakfast."

Her room was silent. Madoka took a deep breath.

"I have a bagel with cream cheese here," he said brightly. "I-I'll just leave it here for you, okay? So if you get hungry, you don't have to walk all the way to the cafeteria. Um, what else, what else...oh! Romano cleaned off your other earring now that we no longer need it. I-if your ear has healed, maybe you can put it back in."

Not a sound from inside. Madoka's hand closed into a fist.

"...I miss you," he said quietly. "I hope you're doing alright in there. I'd love to come in and just...just see you again, just one more time. I'm really worried about you, you know, y-you're not eating and...and I just don't...want to lose you."

The air was still. Casting one last longing look at the door handle, Madoka slowly backed away, beginning to head for the meeting.

"G-good...luck...charm?"

Madoka nearly jumped. He whirled around, spotting Clair's door only slightly ajar; he couldn't even see inside the room, but at least he heard her.

He wondered back, taking cautious steps, afraid to spook her back into hiding. Madoka crouched outside the door, reaching towards the crack. Clair's fingers extended from within, just barely entangling with Madoka's.

"How are you feeling?"

Her fingers twitched. "Why..."

Her voice was hoarse, dyed with the strange pitch she'd slowly descended into during the trial.

Madoka heard her coughing and was immediately worried about her hydration levels. Thankfully, he'd thought to bring a water bottle with the breakfast--maybe he could convince her to take it.

"Why...d-didn't I...die?"

Madoka's fingers gripped at hers instinctively. He hesitated, trying to find the right words. Nothing came.

"Why didn't...y-you kill me...? I-I wanted...I tried, I...I-I really tried..."

What can I even say to her? How...how can I save her?

"I-if I died..." Clair's voice was still choked with sobs; Madoka wondered how long she had been crying. "If I died, would...would everyone forgive me? I-if I bleed, w-will they still hate me? I'm trying...I-I'm really trying...w-why didn't I die in that trial?"

"I already forgive you," Madoka insisted. "It's okay, really. N-no one hates you. It's okay."

"Please don't lie to me." Her fingers started to withdraw. Desperate, Madoka yanked them further out until he could see her whole hand. He grabbed it, holding tightly to her wrist. "M...Madoka, I deserve...I deserve to be hated. I-it's okay that you do. I deserve to be punished for this. I deserve to die."

Madoka's mind flashed back to Clair's screams about her own personal "hell" during the trial. His brain made the connection quickly, but for her sake, he decided not to ask.

What can I even do for her? She's broken. What can I do?

"I'm sorry. I'm so useless." Clair chuckled, mirthlessly. "...I can't even die properly. What kind of failure can't even die?"

"I don't want you to die," Madoka blurted. "I-I don't want to lose you. I don't want you to die here, I want you to make it out of here with all of us!"

"And do what?" Bitterness hung in Clair's words. Madoka stared at her hand, clutched in his. He realized for the first time how much weight she had lost in just those two days. "Go back home and do it all over again? Return to my apartment, where I live by myself, with no friends, no family, no...nothing? Get back to my normal life, where I spend all my time staring at myself in a mirror until I perfect the mask I wear every day? Hate myself, drown in my own self-loathing, draw my blood until it stains the floors so deep I can no longer get it out? Walk the streets and exercise the only control I have by manipulating and dumping men in an endless cycle even though I don't even like men? Stress myself out by hiding everything from everyone, protecting myself, keeping everything bottled up like I always do, putting all my shattered pieces just so I can go out and get them shattered again, then go home, make myself perfect again, and go out into the world as this image of perfection, of control, of charm...only to betray everyone who has ever looked up to me when they realized I'm just a selfish, worthless, broken, shameful whore?"

Madoka wasn't even sure how to start responding. He waited for Clair to continue.

"Madoka...I don't have any hope. I...I have nothing to hope for. And I've...grown so used to it, I-I've gotten so attached to it, that it's...just a part of me now. It's a part of me that I try so hard to hide, every day...a part I so desperately wanted to keep hidden forever, a part I never wanted you to have to see. I wanted to be strong for you. I...I wanted to feel like maybe, just maybe, I was important to someone. Maybe...maybe someone would...actually care if I died."

"I care!" Madoka insisted, clutching Clair's hand with both of his. "I-I care, Clair, I care so much, please...p-please, listen to me, I-I just...d-don't leave me..."

For a moment, Clair didn't respond. Madoka hated how cold her hand felt in his.

"I wonder..." Her voice was wistful when she finally spoke again. "If you knew the truth...if you knew the secret I've fought so hard to protect, would...would you still care about me?"

"Of course," Madoka swore. "I know all of this about you--y-you did what you did and I still love you, how--"

He realized too late that he had said "love". Unfortunately, Clair heard it too.

"Madoka..." She was quiet. "...I'm...I'm sorry."

"S-sorry?" Madoka willed his voice to stop shaking. "Why? This isn't--"

"I'm sorry I let you fall in love with me." The odd pitch returned to Clair's voice; she cleared her throat. "It...it can't happen. I'm too broken, Madoka. You deserve better. Besides, I..." Clair hesitated. "I...hate men."

Madoka flinched.

"Not you," Clair insisted. "I could never hate you, not...not really. But through my life, all they've ever done is hurt me. Physically, emotionally, sexually, however they can. I've been beaten, I've been belittled, I...I've had things stolen from me that I can never get back. Even if I know you would never be like them, I...I can't. I just can't do this. I'm sorry, I just can't."

Madoka took a deep breath, an unfamiliar pain in his heart. "R-right. I-I understand, i-it's okay. ...I just want us to be friends."

"I don't think you really want that." Clair paused. "I'm just going to end up hurting you. It's all I know how to do now. It's a drug to me--string people along, finally gain some kind of control so I can hurt them, so for once I can be the one causing others pain instead of the one getting hurt. I'll just end up hurting you too, like I did when I used you and tricked everyone and...and rejected you."

Madoka bit his lip. For the first time, he noticed strange wounds on Clair's hand and wrist.

"Can I...can I just rot in here? Alone, where I can't hurt anyone else, where I can't see them all glaring at me. I just want to waste away in this room like I deserve to."

"No."

Madoka's newfound courage continued to surprise him. Faqir's bracelet had worked, it seemed--his boldness was beginning to grow.

"I won't let you die. If you die after you let Braeden take the fall for you, then what's the point in it, right? He died so you wouldn't, so the least you can do is live for him."

"I killed him," Clair whispered. "I killed Braeden, I killed Eriko...why stop there? I'm a murderer. I'm a psychopath. I'm a slut. I'm a b*tch. I'm nothing worth protecting."

"Neither am I." Madoka's hands shook; he gripped Clair's tighter. "I-I'm nothing special. I've done nothing wrong and nothing right. I'm not amazing, I'm not horrible, I'm just...me. Look at you, y-you're such a fantastic makeup artist that you were awarded the title of 'Ultimate' and here I am, only getting here through sheer chance and still managing to fall in the middle of the road. I...I'm useless too, Clair, b-but you still wanted to protect me. You still decided I was worth something, e-even though I...I'm not! Even though I have nothing to offer you, e-even though I'm just some guy, even though I'm nothing, you still...y-you were still my friend."

He felt her hand shaking too. Scooting a bit closer, Madoka rested their hands in his lap, leaning his forehead against the crack in the door.

"So then..." Madoka paused, reaching up to wipe the tears from his eyes. "If I'm useless and you still cared about me, then...I can still care about you even if you're useless. And maybe we can be useful to each other, even if it's just to give each other a real friend, s-someone we can actually talk to and someone who can carry us when we fall, who can be strong when we're weak even if...even if they're weaker than anyone else in the world, that just by looking at each other, we can...we can find the courage to be strong. B-because that's what you did for me, y-you made me feel like I could be strong, that for once in my life maybe I could be more than just 'some guy', because you were there and you cared and...and I loved you for it."

Clair sniffled behind the door. Madoka smiled warmly.

I won't lose her. Not like this.

"C-Clair, what if...I move into your apartment with you?"

She released a soft gasp, silent.

"When we get out of here," Madoka continued, "I'll move in with you, so that way you won't be alone and we won't have to say goodbye. I-I can take care of you, and then everything will be fine, right? You can have something to look forward to, something that you actually want when you get out, so you wouldn't have to give up. I...I'm okay that you don't like me back, i-it's not a problem, I just want to...to be around you. I just want to be with you, even if it's just friends, because you're important to me and you're the first person who has looked at me and seen someone worth...protecting. And I see you as someone worth protecting too, so we can be there for each other. I-I'm a clean roommate, I-I promise, a-and I'm not very loud and I don't take long showers and I guess it might be awkward living with a boy b-but I would never hurt you! I'd never want to force you into anything o-or whatever, you can trust me, I promise, w-we can even put locks on all the doors so I couldn't get in even if I wanted to, which I don't...y-you're a beautiful woman b-but it's not like--"

Before he could finish, the door flew open and Clair launched herself into his arms, sobbing. Madoka hesitated, startled, then slowly hugged her back, feeling his eyes close.

This is...how I want it to be all the time. I just want to be around her. Even if she's broken, even if she's useless, even if she's cruel. She's Clair, and Clair is the woman I love most.

"I'd like that, good luck charm." Clair's voice had returned to her usual tone, but Madoka could detect the brokenness even in that now. "That...I'd really like that."

Thank goodness.

"Th-then..." Madoka swallowed, hesitating. "Will...do you want to go to the meeting? E-everyone else is probably waiting. Oni was asking about you. W-we can walk there together, and I won't leave your side all day, okay? E-except to go to the bathroom and all that. W-when we have to, but...yeah. I'm not going anywhere, is what I mean."

Clair drew away, wiping her eyes. Madoka quickly realized she was wearing less makeup than he had ever seen her in; her features were less pronounced than he thought. "I'm scared of seeing them. They won't want to see me. I should just stay in my room..."

"Of course they want to see you," Madoka insisted. "How about this? Let's go down there and see them, and if you're still scared and they all hate you, I'll walk you back to your room and keep bringing you meals until you feel better. D-does that sound good?"

Clair nodded then shook her head. "I-I really don't want anyone else seeing me like this."

"Then I'll wait here while you pull yourself together a bit, and then we'll go."

She sighed, smiling up at him with an odd look in her eyes. "You're really not going to give up on me, are you? Geez...you remind me of my best friend before..."

Madoka found himself dying to confirm his suspicions. "Clair, you..."

"I'll go get cleaned up, okay? Wait here." She stood--Madoka realized her body was still shaking. Her eyes darting around reinforced it--Clair still hadn't fully recovered.

Of course she hasn't. You're not a miracle worker, Madoka.

"Wait," Madoka began. "I-I just want to know. Were you--"

"Please don't ask." Clair clutched her arms, the deadness returning to her eyes. "...I-I don't want to have to think of it again. Lately I haven't been able to stop, and if that keeps up I'll really kill myself next time."

Madoka bit his lip, dipping his head. Taking the cue, Clair ducked back into her room, closing the door behind her. Madoka stood, sighing miserably.

She was talking, at least--that was a plus. Still, Madoka knew in that moment that the Clair he had once known was officially gone. In her place was a ruined shadow of herself, a caricature of the composed, mysterious woman he'd once known. Her soul was bare, her heart broken, and her mind raw.

It was more important than ever for Madoka to look out for her.

When she finally emerged, Clair immediately grabbed onto Madoka's arm, standing half-hidden behind him. He could feel her body shaking.

Silently, he reached into his pocket, removed Clair's earring, and passed it to her. She took it, placing it in her jacket pocket, and fished out Madoka's bracelet which he had given her during the trial. Madoka held out his wrist and Clair helped him put the bracelet back on before clinging to his arm once more.

The two began moving towards the conference room to catch the meeting in silence. Despite the lack of spoken word, a thought passed between them, felt and embraced in the heart.

You're not alone anymore.
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Faussin frowned. He hated how empty the conference room felt.

Of course, there were the four chairs that would never be filled again, but there were several other chairs that were also missing their inhabitants. He shifted uncomfortably, already knowing the reason behind two: Clair hadn't come out of her room since the trial ended, and Mercy had recently made a point of being by herself at all times.

But everyone else should've been there. Currently, the only people there were him, Romano, Oni, Ysabel and Graham--in other words, more than half of them were missing.

Before Fauss could voice his concern, Graham beat him to it. "Where is everyone?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Ysabel admitted, glancing over at the door, then at the clock. "The meeting started fifteen minutes ago, didn't it?"

Graham nodded. "Yeah, it did. I mean, I guess I can see some of 'em being late, but Viv? Viv's always early, isn't she?"

As if on cue, Vivara hurried in, holding something large and rectangular in her hands. She'd thrown a sheet over it, as if she didn't want anyone to see what it was. "Sorry I'm late, I was--I was putting on the final touches. Is everyone here?"

Finnian came in behind her, carrying something awfully similar in shape, sheet also thrown over it. He waved to everyone, slightly out of breath. "I was helping Viv and am now also late. Apologizes."

"You're fine," Graham replied. "What are those?"

Vivara walked over to a chair, using one hand to brush a strand of hair out of her face. "You'll see in a moment. Is everyone here?"

Faussin shook his head. "No. We're missing a lot of people, actually."

Vivara pursed her lips, then passed her suspicious rectangle to Finnian, who carefully took it into his hands. "I'm going to try and lure Mercy into the conference room. Excuse me for a moment, and do not peek under the sheets, please."

This only seemed to entice Graham. Just as Vivara walked out of earshot, Graham scooted his chair toward Finnian and the rectangles. "Finn. Here's the plan. We all look, and when Viv gets back, pretend nothing happened. When she reveals whatever that is to us, we can all act surprised, and she'll be none the wiser! Oki doke?"

"No can do, bro," Finnian replied, stepping away from Graham. "We've gotta wait for everyone else. It's important."

"At the cost of my suffering?" Graham gasped, holding his hand over his heart. "Very well. I'll wait--somehow."

The Ultimate Thief's melodramatics helped to calm Faussin down. Fauss had always been prone to getting nervous, and when it got too out of hand, well... he shifted. He didn't like to think about that.
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If nothing else, becoming Oni's "Demon Butler" gave Romano something to do.

The young exorcist had started following him around lately. Though at first it was obnoxious--Oni's loudness did not mix well with Romano's easy annoyance--slowly, the girl had begun to grow on him. In her quieter moments, he saw that she truly did want what was best for everyone, even if she didn't quite know how to show it.

"Your queen demands to know what is going on!" Speaking of Oni, she placed her hands on her hips, feet spread. "BUTLER! CHECK UNDER THE SHEETS!"

"I would far rather obey Miss Vivara's command." Another thing Romano didn't mind about Oni--she didn't seem to get sarcasm, which was sometimes amusing. For now, she pouted.

The door swung open, Madoka slowly emerging inside. Pressed up behind him was Clair--or at least, Romano guessed it was Clair.

The Ultimate Makeup Artist had her jacket zipped up all the way. There was a distinct lack of her usual makeup, though she had given herself enough to remind everyone why she had been assigned her Ultimate. Even from where he stood, Romano could tell she had lost weight--likely due to not eating, though Romano briefly wondered if she had been throwing up as well. She was clearly terrified, watching everyone warily as though she was afraid to be around them. Not that Romano could blame her--everyone had been highly shaken by the previous trial, and it was unlikely for everyone to forgive and forget so easily.

For his part, Romano's feelings had always been complicated. He wasn't unused to blood--in fact, given his background in the mafia, he was rather used to it--but the sight of a dead body he knew was quite a bit different. Still, an unshakable façade was essential to both a butler and a mafia son. Romano had mastered his.

Clair met his eyes. Offering no other response, he bowed.

Oni folded her arms. "I see the demon has emerged from its den! Good work, General Himura!"

Madoka scratched his neck. Clair winced behind him. "M-maybe don't call her a demon? I-I barely managed to get her to come out of her room and I don't want her getting scared."

Oni scoffed, pursing her lips. "It was a compliment, to be hailed as one of The Great Demon Queen's mighty kin."

"Have you seen Master Faqir?" Romano asked. "Miss Vivara has something to show us and is looking for everyone. He is usually quick to arrive."

"You've been talkative lately," Madoka observed. "W-when we first met, you barely said a word."

Romano nodded. "As we are now rather low on company, it is more important for me to fill the silence."

Truthfully, there were few things Romano disliked more than silence--at least this kind of silence. This silence was the kind left by broken hearts and broken bodies. Those bodies had once spoken, and now...

He was reminded of the second trial. Romano refused to look at Clair, instead focusing on a collection of crumbs on the table.
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If the mood had been somber before, Clair's presence had made it downright depressing.

Even Graham, who was making jokes not even seconds ago, looked to the side, warmth fading from his features. Ysabel drummed her fingers on the table, while Finnian held the rectangles closer to himself, apparently trying not to stare.

Seeing everyone act this way made his heart twist. That had to have been such a terrible feeling--to walk into a room and see everyone look away. Even if what Clair had did left everyone in pain, it was clear that she'd acted out of fear and dread, which was only human. Biting his lip, he stood, ignoring everyone else.

He approached Clair and Madoka with a small but sincere smile, a bouquet of beautiful flowers appearing between his fingertips. It was an amateur trick, but it was one of the first ones he'd learned, and it almost never failed to put a smile on his brother's face. "Good morning."

Everyone made mistakes. Terrible, horrible, sometimes unforgivable mistakes. But that didn't mean they had to be treated any differently, right?

She's still human.
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Romano chose not to watch Faussin, instead moving to another section of the table to clean up more crumbs. Admittedly, he didn't want to make Clair feel any worse than she already did--for that reason, he resolved not to say a word to her until he was sure none of them would be cruel.

"Good morning, Fauss!" The pep had returned to Madoka's voice. Risking a glance, Romano saw Clair staring vacantly at the flowers. She looked over at Madoka as if asking for permission to take them. Madoka gave a small nod, and Clair reached out cautiously to take the bouquet from Faussin, smiling for just a split second.

Romano returned his gaze to the table. Beside him, Oni shuffled, clearly noticing the influx of negative feelings.

"Yo, homies!" Faqir suddenly pushed the door open, sauntering inside. "How's it--oh."

What followed was a brief, uneasy silence. Romano turned to face Faqir, bowing.

"Good morning, Master Faqir. Miss Vivara was hoping for everyone to arrive. Have you seen the others?"

"None of the others I wanted to see." Faqir made a beeline for Graham, skirting around Clair entirely. Romano noticed her wince visibly. Her lips parted as if she would say something, then she apparently thought better of it and bit down on her bottom lip. "Anyway, sorry I'm late. I spent the last three hours jerking off to a recording of Clair and Braeden in that casino. Turns out the computer lab has video surveillance footage, who knew?"

Clair hid further behind Madoka, tugging on his arm. She whispered something in his ear. Madoka frowned.

"I've been in the computer lab and we're denied access from the security cameras. Those would be in the security offices we can't get into."

"Boo, you always ruin my fun. Can a guy not make terrible jokes in peace anymore?"

"She already apologized, Faqir."

Oni tensed. Romano didn't need her incredibly sharp intuition to notice where the conversation was steering.

"There is quite a lot of lingering tension after the events of our last trial," he said calmly. "However, I for one would love to ignore this tension for now so we may enjoy the gift Miss Vivara has prepared for us. To that end, I propose a temporary truce."

Madoka frowned. "If it will get everyone to stop."

Faqir snorted, staring at the wall. He kept quiet, however, leading Romano to assume his speaking up had at least calmed him for now.

He watched the door, longing for the rest of the group to enter so they could hurry to address more important matters--calming everyone down.
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Faussin moved over to one of the corners of the table, where he'd decided to sit that day. He always sat on the edge--being sandwiched in-between people tended to make him nauseous. Tentatively, he offered his seat to Clair, predicting that she wouldn't want to be stuck between people either. "Here."

Not missing a beat, he then moved to the other side of the table, gaze shifting to Faqir. He'd almost said something to him before, but had quickly thought better of it, knowing initiating something would only spiral into something worse. Even then, though, he didn't know what he'd say.

As much as Fassuin didn't like to think about it, Clair had manipulated Faqir into helping kill Eriko. She'd put a weight on his shoulders that he'd never be able to get rid of--or so Faussin imagined. It wasn't any of his business if Faqir didn't think Clair deserved forgiveness.

If anything, maybe Faussin was just being too sympathetic.

He sighed quietly, the tension in the air triggering his nervous habit. Slipping his hands into his sleeves, he began to grate his nails along his arms, having done the same thing during both trials. No doubt he was going to end up bleeding again, the old scratches not having enough time to heal yet.

Why is everything I do so self-destructive? He thought idly. Speaking of, supporting Clair was probably going to blow up in his face. Too bad he wasn't going to stop.

Graham glanced at Faqir. He wasn't saying a word, which was unlike him to say the least.

Faussin almost hoped that Vivara would be back soon, knowing she of all people would be brave enough to speak through if not completely disregard the tension. When he remembered she had left to go get Mercy, however, he only felt more uncomfortable. Mercy was unpredictable at this point. If anyone was going to blow up at Clair, it'd probably be her.

He paused, shifting. Where was Amelia?
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Madoka smiled to Faussin, leading Clair over to the chair he had offered. Without a word, Clair sat, looking around nervously. Madoka took the empty chair beside her.

"Thank you, Fauss," he said sincerely. "I really appreciate it."

Clair muttered something. As soon as she had, she went silent again, her eyes slightly wide. Madoka patted her shoulder.

It was surprising, to say the least, how much the dynamic had changed. Just a few days ago, Madoka had been the one staying quiet and being nervous while Clair initiated conversations and gave Madoka comforting pats on the shoulder.

They weren't the only ones who had changed--not only was Faqir more consistently solemn than ever (though lingering aftereffects from a nasty concussion probably didn't help that), but Faussin had seemed more confident lately and Mercy significantly more on-edge. Even Oni had quieted lately, and Romano himself had at least become slightly more social if nothing else.

It had only been the second death, and already the team had been sent whirling. Romano hated to think about what might happen if they had to suffer any more.

The silence was miserable. "I trust everyone ate before arriving. If not, I would be glad to retrieve some food for everyone."

"I haven't," Faqir admitted. "But nah, you don't have to get me anything. I'm sure Clair would let me eat her out, right?"

Clair bit her lip, once again drawing blood. She leaned in to whisper to Madoka.

"Once again, your tact is highly impressive, Master Faqir." Romano sighed, adjusting his glasses. "I believe the terms of a 'truce' include not deliberately provoking the other party?"

Faqir only shrugged. "I never signed a contract. 'Sides, I'm not doing anything wrong. I mean, she did sleep with a guy just to get him murdered. That's worth slut-shaming if anything ever was."

"Faqir." Madoka's tone was controlled, but Romano heard the annoyance growing.

Faqir shifted in his chair.

Romano observed the two, then glanced to Oni, who had shuffled closer to him. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Again, I repeat my request to call a temporary truce. While we are all on-edge, it is very beneficial for us to put that aside and carry on as companions. We are all on the same team."

Faqir snorted. "I'm not sure, I think one of us might be a bit too asylum-worthy to really be considered part of the team."

By now, Clair had resumed shaking. She clutched Madoka's sleeve, staring at the table.

Before Romano could speak up to calm the situation, Faqir continued.

"And now you have the nerve to just sit there and not say anything? Tell me off! Don't just sit there taking it like an innocent victim! You're in the wrong here, don't you get it? And I don't appreciate you making me look like the bad guy!"

"She already apologized," Madoka insisted. "Now quit making her uncomfortable, I-it's amazing enough I was even able to get her to come out here and eat something!"

Romano felt a headache coming on. "Enough. You are both acting like children. The simple solution to the problem is to simply not engage with each other, a solution which I have already suggested twice and which you have both routinely ignored. It is indeed a sad day when a servant must educate others on their manners."

Madoka quieted immediately. Faqir mumbled something, fidgeting.

Romano observed them, calmly folding his hands in front of him. "Now. Before I was so crudely interrupted, I believe I was asking if anyone would like me to retrieve food from the cafeteria."
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'Asylum-worthy.' Faussin shifted in his chair once again, discomfort levels skyrocketing. He dug deeper into his skin and felt as blood began to trickle down his arm. Again. There were times when he really wished Faqir would just shut up.

Graham quietly nudged Faqir, giving him something that resembled a look. After a moment, however, his expression softened and he muttered something quietly enough so only Faqir could hear.

Faussin could only hope it was something positive.

"I think you are needed here more than you are getting food from the cafeteria," Ysabel addressed Romano tentatively, seeing as no one else had spoken up thus far.

The door swung open. Vivara walked in, surveying the room, her eyes taking a moment to fall upon Clair. Even she seemed briefly taken off-guard by the girl's presence, clearly not having expected to see her anywhere outside of her room. Almost cautiously, she glanced at Mercy, who stood behind her.

Faussin held his breath, half expecting some kind of fight to break out.

Mercy held her gaze on Clair for a long moment, eyes dead.

But just as quietly as she'd walked in, Mercy looked away, stepping over to one of many empty seats at the table. Faussin swallowed--Mercy had picked a seat right next to Eriko's old seat.

Everything about Mercy seemed off from her usual self. She was always early, always composed, always neat and polite, for the most part. But all of that had disappeared. Her eyes were tired, focused on nothing in particular. She looked as though she'd just waken up, red hair tangled and thrown into a lazy-looking ponytail, clothes unwashed and wrinkled, expression somewhat dazed.

"I'll admit, I didn't expect you to be here, Clair," Vivara muttered, regarding the Ultimate Makeup Artist. She carefully began to take her rectangles from Finnian. "I was planning to show everyone something I've been working on. It does have to do with the people whose murders you orchestrated, so if you'd like to leave now to leave us a moment to mourn, you're more than welcome to."

Faussin stared at her. "I don't think that was called for."

She frowned. "I worked hard on these. I don't want them to be soured. Surely you can appreciate that."

Mercy closed her eyes, sighing quietly. "Please, just hurry this up. I'm tired."

"We're still missing one person," Vivara muttered, scanning the students present. "If we could wait a bit longer for Amelia, I'd appreciate that."

"As long as Faqir agrees to stay quiet," Faussin muttered under his breath, his nerve surprising even himself.
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At this point, Clair finally stood up, moving for the door. Madoka caught her wrist.

"Stay," he begged. "Please. Everything will be alright, I promise. I'm right here. I-it's going to be fine."

Clair shook her head miserably, reaching up a hand to scratch at her cheeks. Romano watched her.

"Miss Vivara, if it is any consolation, Miss Clair has been utterly silent since she arrived," he said. "I have attempted multiple times to call a temporary truce. If we can all honor it, I am sure your presentation will go smoothly."

Faqir mumbled something, but at least seemed to be taking Romano's advice to heart. He offered Graham a bitter smile.

Oni cleared her throat. "Our time is being occupied by demons! All of us are possessed! This much negative energy can only be their work--why, Lucifer himself must be in this very room!"

Clair actually let out a scream at that, dropping to her knees. Madoka was at her side in an instant. Oni winced.

"But there is no need to worry, mortal swine! For your Great Demon Queen can rid this room of all demons present with but a few words!" Oni looked longingly at Romano as if searching for approval. He nodded to her. "Butler! FETCH ME MY HOLY SALTS!"

Romano pulled a salt shaker out of his pocket and passed it to her.

Oni immediately began to sprinkle it in a circle around the table, reciting Bible passages she had obviously memorized long ago. Oddly, the mesmerizing motion of her movement around the table, the confidence in her voice, and her unshakeable resolve seemed to strike something in Clair and Faqir. Clair slowly regained her composure, taking deep breaths, and moved back to her chair. Madoka followed, relieved. Faqir leaned against the back of his chair, eyes closed, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

Oni finished scattering her salt and stepped back, reaching out a single hand to Romano. He reached into his other suit pocket and handed her a vial of water.

Without even asking, Oni opened her vial and began to sprinkle it on every student in the room, beginning with Romano himself and moving on to Vivara before tackling the rest of the inhabitants. Each sprinkle came with a murmured blessing on the student.

Clair yelped when the droplets hit her face, but seemed oddly calm as Oni pronounced a brief blessing on her and moved on to Madoka. The Ultimate Exorcist finished her rounds, handed her vial back to Romano, and stepped towards the table, raising a single hand. The jewelry Faqir had made her--which Romano suddenly realized had been crafted in the shape of a cross--was clutched in her palm.

"Most Holy Lord God, I call upon thee and invoke thy name upon these demons! Send your Archangel Michael to banish the beasts back to Hell! Bathe us in your light and holy presence! AMEN!"

Oni was no miracle worker, but there was something in the sheer assuredness of her voice and the confidence of her pose that calmed Romano's thoughts. It was clear that she was 100% positive her exorcism had worked, and the very knowledge of that had Romano convinced as well.

Faqir seemed entirely relaxed, taking a deep breath. His usual casual grin had returned, and he turned to strike up a conversation with Graham about which gems sparkled best.

Madoka was smiling as well, gently caressing Clair's hand. She took a series of deep breaths, keeping her eyes firmly shut.

Oni placed her hands on her hips, beaming. "And that, mortal friends, is how you send the denizens of hell back to the fires from whence they came! Of course, not even invoking the Lord's name could ever banish myself, the Great Demon Queen! I am FAR too powerful and magnificent for even God to purge! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

She was loud, obnoxious, and far too absorbed in the character she played.

And yet, Romano found he had never been more proud of being Oni's "Demon Butler".
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Faussin let himself relax for a moment, thankful as everything began to shift back into the general direction of normal. Sighing, he allowed himself to straighten his posture, looking around at the students gathered. They were missing Amelia for the time being, but once she returned, they'd all be sitting. Together.

For the first time after Eriko's trial, they'd all be in the same room, together. Granted, it felt like they were all sitting on thin ice, but he didn't care. Faussin found himself clinging to that moment, knowing in the back of his head that it wasn't going to last for long. Clair would go back to her room, Mercy would continue to shut herself off, and everyone's moods would turn sour again.

And, God forbid, there was a chance they'd lose someone else soon. Monokuma wasn't going to like everyone getting along (not that they were in the first place--there was just a distinct lack of murderous intent, as far as Faussin knew.)

Graham had plastered his goofy smile back on, quickly getting in caught up in conversation with Faqir. Ysabel smiled softly at everyone, the lift in mood seeming to affect her as well. Vivara and Finnian exchanged words quietly in the corner, as Mercy kept her eyes closed, smiling ever so slightly.

"Sorry I'm late," Amelia's voice suddenly chimed from outside the hallway, seeming more peppy than usual, "why don't I just go ahead and PLANT myself in one of these chairs, eh? Eh?"

She poked her head in, sporting an uncharacteristically large grin. "BAZINGA! Get it? Someone? Anybudy?"

Everyone stared.

Amelia skipped inside, her complete personality change taking everyone off-guard. Faussin stared at her, somewhat wary of her pulling a knife out on someone or something.

"Oh, come on!" She whined. "You guys are no fun. So much for a thrilling introduction, huh?"

Vivara blinked. "What do you mean, 'introduction?'"

"I mean introduction. I don't think that word has any alternate meanings,"Amelia admitted, brushing her hair behind her ears. She whirled around to face everyone sitting at the table. "My good friends, you are no longer speaking to Miss Amelia Temmer. I'm afraid due to an unfortunate series of events, Amelia has taken a brief leaf of absence and has left me in charge. Yes, the glorious, fun-loving, very much needed Pun Queen has rose to the occasion!"

Finnian took a tentative step toward her. "Amelia, you feeling okay?"

"Amelia is not here," she repeated. "She's having some... feelings, let's say, about the current situation and has allowed me to take over as the dominant personality. I'm the all-mighty Pun Queen, inventor of fun, if you couldn't already tell from my glorious entrance."

"Right," Vivara muttered. "The 'Pun Queen.' We could tell. Now, miss 'Pun Queen', would you mind returning Amelia to us? I'm afraid I'm not in the mood for whatever this is right now."

Amelia--if they could even call her that--seemed to be getting frustrated. "She doesn't want to come back. I've said that already, haven't I?"

"Just drop the act already," Vivara said, seeming oddly exhausted. "I don't have time for this."

"It's not an act," she hissed. "I'm trying to tell you something, but you're not listening to what I'm saying. My name is Lottie, not Amelia."
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Lottie?

Romano couldn't explain why, but somehow, he believed her. They already had a bunch of crazies in their little gang--why should Amelia be exempt?

Settling on just accepting this, Romano bowed to "Lottie". "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Lottie. In case you have not heard my name, I am Romano."

Faqir stared at Lottie, distracted. "Oh my God she's beautiful. Can we keep her?"

Romano's eye twitched. "Please do not encourage each other--"

"Yo Lottie, what do you call a country where people only drive pink cars?"

"I already have quite a headache--"

"A pink carnation."

"Dear Lord."

Faqir beamed. "Wait wait wait, I have more, I have more. Why did the botanist cross the road?"

"Why?!" Oni demanded. Romano groaned, pressing a hand to his temple.

This is never going to end, is it?

"Because the grass is always greener on the other side!"

"Boo," Madoka called.

"Okay, okay, I admit it, that one was a bit of a reach. Wait, no, everyone shut up. Hey Lottie. What did the florist say to the angry customer who refused to pay for his roses?"

"I suppose forcing you to pay for my inevitable funeral will not make you stop?"

"'Kiss my aster.'"

"I did not think so."

Even Clair seemed amused, however; Romano heard her familiar chuckle. She held a hand to her mouth quickly, withdrawing as if afraid to be caught smiling. Madoka patted her shoulder.
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Amelia--no, Lottie, cheered. "Yes! Yes!"

Graham shot up out of his chair, bowing. "All hail Pun Queen Lottie!"

"YES!" Lottie roared, jumping up onto the table as though she'd done it a thousand times before. "Why couldn't the gardener plant any flowers?"

Vivara rubbed her forehead.

"Because he hadn't botany!"

"Your majesty, may I?" Graham asked.

She pointed to him. "Take it away, Graham Cracker!"

"What did the lawyer say to the judge?" Graham asked, looking around.

"What'd he say?" Lottie asked, grin spreading across her face.

"Iris my case!"

"Lottie, would you give it a rest? You're giving us a headache," the girl suddenly spoke, her tone completely changing. It was as if a different person was speaking--or more specifically, Amelia.

She scoffed. Lottie scoffed, that is. "Li, you're no fun. All you've been doing the entire time is standing in whatever corner we can find, not saying a word. Things suck, but that doesn't mean we have to let them. We have puns."

"Puns," Amelia replied to herself, "puns are fun at times, but again, we have a headache. At least keep the noise level down, please."

Lottie bit their lip. "Golly, I just wanted to make an impression. They're already going to think we're weird enough, may as well be the good kind of weird."

"You mean the obnoxious kind of weird?" Amelia retorted, placing their hands on their hips.

"I made an impression on the people who count, Li. I think I've achieved what I wanted to achieve." She paused, sighing. Her energy level seemed to have evened out considerably. "I'll take it down now."

"Thank you," Amelia said. "You know, getting off the table might help."

As if in defiance, Lottie sat down on the table, dress spilling out below her. "Too late. I like it up here."

Faussin watched her, admittedly intrigued. Had Lottie been with Amelia the entire time? Were they that good at hiding their different personalities, or had he just been completely oblivious?

Tentatively, he said, "It's nice to meet you, Lottie."

She looked over at him, then smiled warmly. "You too, Fauss."
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It was unusual, that was for certain...but wasn't everything about this place?

Still...

"I would greatly appreciate if all of you could stop putting your filthy feet on our dining table. We do, in fact, use that for eating. It would reduce the amount of time I must spend cleaning tremendously."

Predictably, Faqir immediately propped his feet on the table.

"...Even I do not know what I was expecting."

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't said anything." Faqir waved to Amelia--Lottie?--whoever. "'Sup, by the way? I'm Faqir. Nice to meet you, almighty Pun Queen. So like, you seemed a little excited back there, is this a fetish of yours or something?"

"Why does everything have to be sexual with you?" Madoka muttered.

Faqir scoffed. "Pfft, what else would everything be? You don't understand the sophistication of dirty jokes."

"I...I don't think I want to."

"Sure you do. Maybe you can ask Clair, I'm sure she'd love to teach you."

Oh dear. "I must insist no one responds to that. If you all do not mind, I believe Miss Vivara was trying to share something with us."

Clair shifted uncomfortably, staring at her lap. Madoka clutched her hand defensively, glaring at Faqir, who waved his hands in surrender.

Oni frowned. "I see a new Queen has risen to usurp my throne over these mortals. Well, hear this, rival Queen! I have already subjugated this mortal swine under my mighty rule as the Great Demon Queen Kurano Oni! No matter what realm you rule over, I am afraid there is no contest--all shall bow to me! ALL!"

Why do I even try?

Sighing, Romano moved to stand against the wall, resolving himself to just letting the chaos happen.
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Faussin frowned at Faqir. Why'd he have to be so vulgar at times?

Oddly enough, though, Lottie didn't seem to mind. She snorted. "A pun fetish? Your mind likes to make big jumps, doesn't it? Amelia and I aren't really active in that way. Just sounds weird to us. Besides, pretty sure we're even weirder. That being said, we know this introduction is sort of sudden, but it had to happen sometime, right?"

Faussin watched her, curiously. "Did you guys plan this introduction out?"

Lottie shrugged. "Ehh, not really. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment 'there's no reason in hiding it anymore' and 'Amelia's having a mental breakdown and this is my chance to cheer her up' thing, if that makes sense at all, haha. Suffice it to say, Amelia feels quite suffocated."

"Why are you telling them this?" Amelia asked, her voice lowering considerably. "When we talk, it's not so that you can around and tell everyone our personal thoughts."

"They're your friends, right?" Lottie asked. "Fellow students. We have to tell them how we're feeling. We should all tell each other how we're feeling so that we understand each other, right?"

"More or less, perhaps," Amelia muttered. "But at least ask for my permission first."

"Permission, shmermission. You'll be fine," Lottie declared. As if suddenly remembering Romano's request for her to get off the table, she glanced back at the Ultimate Butler, then hopped back onto the floor. "Someone said the librarian has something to show us, right?"

Vivara seemed to suddenly remember her rectangles. "That's right. If everyone would be quiet for a moment and look this way..."

She briefly went into the hallway to fetch something. After a moment, she came back in with four easels, most likely taken from the art room on the third floor, which had recently opened up to them. She took the rectangles (which what had originally looked like two ended up being four) and placed each one on an easel, sheets still covering their fronts.

Taking a deep breath, she whipped the sheets off, revealing four detailedly drawn portraits of the students who were no longer with them.
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Romano's breath caught in his throat.

Whatever he had been expecting from Vivara's secret project, it certainly hadn't been this. The portraits looked like they were drawn with the fallen students sitting right in front of her. Life was in their eyes despite the two-dimensional image, expressions just the way Romano remembered them. He felt himself smile and did nothing to force it down; to break character every once in a while was alright when it was so well-deserved.

"Viv..." Madoka brushed a stray tear from his eye. "Those are beautiful."

Silently, Oni moved to stand in front of the drawings, observing them with a sense of somber nostalgia.

Faqir rose from his seat, moving towards them. Gently, as if afraid a single touch would shatter them, he drew his fingers along Bonnie's portrait, tapped Xhevona's once, cupped the side of Eriko's, and tapped a fist to Braeden's. Though he released a soft chuckle and the smile remained on his face, his eyes shone.

Romano was quiet for a moment. "Am I correct in assuming we will be placing the fallen student's jewelry with these portraits?"

"I dunno, they might look pretty amateur compared to this," Faqir admitted. "I didn't really have the right tools to make everything as good as I could have."

Clair let out a hiccup. Romano glanced over his shoulder, noticing her bury her face in her hands. Her body shook as Madoka rubbed her back gently.

Faqir instantly went quiet, his lighthearted smile replaced by a somber frown. He returned to staring at the portraits, quiet.
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For a moment, the room felt full again.

Faussin found himself smiling as if he was seeing an old friend. Warmth radiated from the portraits. Looking at them, he'd almost forgotten that the students were no longer with him--it was jarring to think that he couldn't walk up to them and give each student and give them a hug.

As he took time to soak in each one, when he came upon Eriko's portrait, he found himself glancing over at Mercy. She'd buried her face in her hands, fingers trembling. She made no sound, but something told Faussin that it was taking everything she had to keep herself from breaking down.

He wanted so badly to offer her some kind of comfort. Shifting, he thought about things that he could do, but chances were Mercy would only push him away.

No use in not trying. Tentatively, he moved a seat closer, reaching a hand out to hold hers. Upon realizing what he was trying to do, she scowled, flicking his hand away. He saw her face for a split second--she was crying.

Lottie--Amelia?--Lottie and Amelia silently moved toward the door, then left without a word.

Graham rested his chin on his hand, smiling fondly at the portraits.

Seeing everyone's reactions seemed to make Vivara stand straighter. She--Vivara, of all people--smiled slightly, took a deep breath, then regarded everyone, erasing the smile and taking on her usual, neutral, composed stance. "That was my plan, yes, Romano. I lost a considerable amount of sleep trying to give these the effort that they deserve, so I'm warning you all in advance that I may not be here during the beginning of tomorrow's morning meeting. Though it doesn't happen often, I have been known to sleep late when absolutely exhausted the day prior."

"Thanks for this, Viv," Graham said, sincerely.

There was a tired smile that Vivara seemed to be holding back. "I would rather thank the students for bringing their personalities to this conference table for as long as they could."
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Somehow, it was almost as though Romano could hear their voices.

He observed the group, noticing that some of their members had clearly broken down at the mere sight of their faces. Still, at least everyone seemed to be getting along if nothing else.

"You have earned a long rest, Miss Vivara," Romano said softly. "Please do not worry about us tomorrow--if needed, I will inform you of what happened during the meeting."

There was a brief moment of quiet. Then...

"I...I-I'm sorry."

It was the first time Clair has spoken a word out loud since she arrived in the conference room. Though her face was still buried in her hands and her voice was hoarse, Romano was just glad to know the portraits hadn't hit her too hard.

Faqir, conversely, tensed up almost immediately. "'Sorry' doesn't bring them back or fix what you did."

"I know," Clair whispered. She sniffled loudly. "I...I-I'm so sorry."

Faqir whirled towards her, genuine fury in his eyes for what had to have been the first time as his fist slammed onto the table. Clair jumped. Madoka flinched.

"What are you doing here?!" Faqir demanded.

"I-I just thought--"

"You thought what, that we might want to see you again after what you did?! You killed them, manipulated Madoka, broke Mercy's heart, and used me as your little tool with no regard to my safety! I still have scars on my face thanks to you! Why did you come here?!"

"Faqir, please!" Madoka cried. Romano cast a glance at Oni, who groaned--she was clearly frustrated her exorcism hadn't worked to fully purge the feelings.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Romano shushed her. Oni looked at him quizzically.

"Perhaps we just need to talk about it," Romano said quietly. "...Let them talk about it, and perhaps the poison can be purged."

Oni nodded. "Sometimes demons do like to possess one's speech..."

By now, Faqir's posture made it clear he was livid. "God, at least Xhevona died for what she did! At least we could try to tell ourselves she deserved it! At least she got some kind of punishment! Even if losing her sucked too, at least there was some kind of justification, but Braeden?! He didn't deserve that! You threw him under the bus like he was yesterday's leftovers just because you were scared of some secret getting out?! Just because you didn't want to die?! H*ll, I would have rather you died!"

"Faqir!" Madoka gripped Clair's hand with both of his. "Please, you have no idea what you're talking about, okay? Clair has suffered enough, trust me!"

Faqir laughed, though the sound felt forced. Oni tensed--Romano grabbed her shoulder to keep her from intervening. Obediently, she fell silent.

"How are you okay with what she did to you?!" Faqir demanded. "She made you into an accomplice! She probably would have sold you out just like she did with Braeden! If it weren't for her, Eriko would still be sitting right there!"

His finger pinpointed Eriko's old seat, which sat depressingly empty. Romano averted his eyes. Even looking at her old spot was somehow difficult to do.

"I-I'm sorry..." Clair said feebly. "I-I really tried to...I-I thought, I just...I wanted..."

"God, you still don't get it, do you, you thick b*tch?" Faqir had begun pacing by now, running his hands through his bangs. "I don't forgive you, okay, and I don't think I ever will. You should have died in that trial, not Braeden. You should have died to keep your own secret, not Eriko. You got people killed out of pure selfishness, and you know what?! You weren't even punished for it!"

"I-I tried!" Clair insisted, drawing her hands away from her face.

"If Monokuma really wants to keep the peace, he should have executed you!" Faqir whirled to face Clair, shaking with rage. "H*ll, you wanna know something! I even voted for you!"

Clair sprung to her feet, fists clenched by her sides and tears streaming down her face. "So did I!"

For a moment, Faqir didn't respond. In the silence, Romano remembered Monokuma's strange choice of words during the voting.

Majority rule. So that is what he meant.

Clair sniffled, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. After a moment's pause, she began to unzip her jacket. "D-do you really think I haven't been torn up by this too? I know this is all my fault, I know you must all hate me, I...I don't even expect you to forgive me because I can't even forgive myself! I tried to die in that trial!"

"Well, you didn't try hard enough." Faqir crossed his arms. His teeth clenched. "If you knew we didn't want you here, why did you come?"

"I don't know!" Clair turned to face Madoka, her lip quivering. "Madoka, I told you I wanted to leave twice already, y-you said we could leave..."

"I-I just wanted them to like you!"

"I know this is petty, okay?" Faqir groaned, tugging at the chain around his neck. "I know it is! But I just--I just want you to suffer like they did, okay?!"

Clair tugged off her jacket and shoved her bare arms towards Faqir, her eyes locked into his. Romano peered at her skin, noticing what had to be hundreds of lacerations of various sizes carved into her body. Pricks had been made on her shoulders, and wounds from where her fingernails had scratched her chest, face, and neck were on clear display.

"Is this suffering enough for you?!"

Faqir appeared caught off-guard, taking a single step backwards. His eyes locked on the scars all over Clair's body. Madoka, sitting beside her, forced himself to focus on the portraits rather than Clair. Oni began mumbling more blessings. Romano observed her, realizing the wounds had clearly not been properly cared for--some even seemed close to infection.

To be expected. She has not come out of her room in days. Is this what she was doing in there?

"I tried again and again to bleed enough so I would stop breathing!" Clair cried. "I hate myself for what I did to them! I-if I could do the whole thing over again, I would have killed myself instead of taking it all out on them! B-but I was selfish, I-I was just so obsessed with finally...finally stopping this, I just wanted it all to end so I could try to get back to a stable life but it only made things worse...s-so, so much worse..."

Faqir's hands shook, staring at her. "Clair--"

"No, it's..." Clair slowly lowered her arms, slipping her jacket back on. Her sleeves once again covered her wounds, the zipper rising to conceal her body. "I...I-I didn't show you do you would pity me. I didn't show you so you would forgive me, or so you would think I was looking for attention. I just...I-I just wanted you to know that I'm suffering."

Madoka reached out to take her hand in his. She allowed him, her posture going limp.

Faqir stared at her, eyes wavering. "...I didn't mean it like that."

"Don't worry." A hint of Clair's familiar smile returned--but by now, Romano could tell even that was fake. "I...I've been at this for a long time. I-I'm just used to it, h-haha."

Romano couldn't take the tension anymore. "If you will allow, I am sure one of us with basic nursing knowledge--I have a bit myself, though nowhere near what Master Finnian and Miss Vivara must have--would be glad to treat those wounds, Miss Clair."

Clair tugged on Madoka's arm. "D-don't bother. Madoka, I-I want to go back to my room now."

"C-Clair--"

"Please." The brokenness in her voice was scarily familiar. Romano watched Madoka slowly stand and move to the door with Clair, who nearly threw open the door and made to escape the conference room. Her hand tugged out of Madoka's, leaving him some paces behind as her pace brought her back down the hall. Madoka paused, slowly looking back towards Faqir.

"...She was just trying to make up with everyone," he muttered, voice low. "I was really hoping that if I managed to get her to come, she would see that everything could still carry on like normal. That maybe we could still treat her like a person. ...I guess that was my mistake."

"No one asked you to take her." Faqir refused to even look at Madoka, eyes locked on where Clair had just been sitting.

"Well, that's fine." Madoka paused. "Maybe I'll just stay with her. Someone can just tell me what happens in the meetings, I...I-I don't know if I can come anymore."

"No!" The force of Oni's cry caught Romano off-guard. The Ultimate Exorcist took a step forwards, genuine sadness in her eyes. For the first time, it seemed, she was speaking out in her worry instead of hiding as she usually did. Admittedly, Romano was surprised by her boldness--usually, she hated anyone seeing her even remotely close to different from usual. "We can't start doing this now! We're already losing people because of that stupid bear's horrible game, and now if everyone who is still alive keeps leaving then soon...soon we won't be a team anymore! What kind of team just lets people go like that?! We're supposed to be sticking together and trying to find away out, because if we start giving up on each other, eventually we're going to give up on everything and we'll all be just like Clair!"

"O-Oni--"

"SILENCE, PEASANT! Don't you get it? We're all hurt and sad and we all hate this and everything is terrible and the demons are pressing in from every corner, but if we let them win then it's game over! That's why I became an exorcist--because I resolved to never let the demons win! They're big and scary and everywhere and they're stronger than us, but not when we're together! When we're together, we're stronger than any demon because we have each other's backs, we support each other and when one of us falls, we pick them up and finish the race together! And darn it, I AM NOT FINISHING THIS RACE WITHOUT A SINGLE ONE OF YOU MORTALS! NOW GO GET YOUR GIRLFRIEND BACK IN HERE AND EVERYONE MAKE UP THIS INSTANCE, SO DECLARES THE DEMON QUEEN!"

"B-but she's not--"

"DID I ASK YOUR OPINION, PEASANT?!"

Startled into obedience, Madoka ran down the hall to chase Clair back and bring her back. Oni stomped over to Faqir and jabbed him in the side with a finger.

"As for YOU, mortal swine, sometimes friends betray us and sometimes people do horrible, awful things, like kill people and then laugh about it or say they just did it for fun! But look at those portraits--not a single one is missing, because all of those people were a part of us, even the horrible ones like Xhevona! If you can accept her for betraying us all and gleefully murdering someone even though she didn't even feel bad for it or say she was sorry, then you can forgive Clair for betraying us all and murdering people and NO I don't want to hear your flimsy human excuses! She is one of us whether you like if or not, so even if you can't forgive her ever, never ever, just...just don't let those demons drag you down because if you do you'll never get back up! You'll be stuck in hell like she is and as the Queen of Hell I can tell you it is a horrible place to live and...AND WE DON'T EVEN GET INSURANCE PACKAGES FOR WORKING THERE!"

Somehow, this actually got a chuckle out of Faqir. He groaned, placing his hands on the table and hanging his head. "I just...I just don't get it. I just don't see how this happened. I trusted her. ...I guess I just wanted to see that she hated herself as much as I do."

"Pfft! I'm pretty sure ALL of us hate ourselves right now! Or probably all the time! I know I do! But some of us choose not to mope around like SUCKERS and WIMPS and instead we get rid of our problems by SCREAMING AT THEM LIKE REAL QUEENS! NOW QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF AND LET US FEEL SORRY FOR YOU INSTEAD, BECAUSE CLEARLY REAL FRIENDSHIP IS BUILT OFF OF EVERYONE KNOWING HOW MUCH WE ALL HATE EVERYTHING AND PUNCHING THE HATE RIGHT IN ITS STUPID DEMON FACE!"

"Yeah!"

Romano had no idea how she had done it, but somehow, Oni had managed to invigorate Faqir with the worst motivational speech he had ever heard.

"ARE YOU WITH ME, GENERAL?!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"GREAT! NOW TAKE ALL THAT ANGER AND SELF-HATRED AND GRIEF AND ANXIETY AND SCREAM IT INTO SUBMISSION!"

"YEAH!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"YEAH!"

Oni pointed at everyone else. "NOW ALL OF YOU! LIFE SUCKS RIGHT NOW AND WE ALL HATE IT A LOT! BUT THAT'S JUST STUPID DEMONS TRYING TO FORCE US TO HATE EVERYTHING! YOUR QUEEN DEMANDS YOU SCREAM TO RELEASE THE NEGATIVE ENERGY!"

Romano rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help a smile. She was insane, and he knew her plan would most likely fail miserably and make the situation worse...and yet, Oni's antics somehow made things feel okay again.

If nothing else, they were almost back to normal.

I have the worst headache in the best way.
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Faussin had found himself staring at Clair's self-inflicted wounds before she left, then looked down at his arms, which were most definitely bleeding now.

Oh god, he realized, feeling a thousand weights stack upon his chest. I'm sympathetic towards Clair because she just reminds me of myself.

Somewhat terrified by this revelation, he scratched at his arms with even more ferocity, trying to put on his regular face. He watched Oni psych up Faqir with a smile that was, at first, forced. But as he saw the light return to Faqir's eyes, he felt the smile become more genuine, if not any less nervous.

Ysabel covered her ears, but laughed lightheartedly, watching as Graham began to shout about all of the things that frustrated him (which was mostly him ranting about treasure), as per Oni's command.

Mercy seemed numb, which was to be expected, but at least she was there instead of sitting alone in her room.

At this moment, Lottie and Amelia reentered the room, panting. They held several flowers in their hands, all of varying colors and sizes.

They brought flowers for the portraits, Faussin realized almost immediately, watching as they looked around, trying to figure out what had happened while they were gone.

After a moment, what Faussin assumed was Lottie shrugged, grinning. "I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE SHOUTING BUT THAT'S SOMETHING I'M FAIRLY GOOD AT! ALSO! I BROUGHT THESE FLOWERS FOR THE PORTRAITS BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY'D MAKE A NICE TOUCH! WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? THINK THISTLE LOOK GOOD? HAHA! JOKES!"

Almost like magic, Vivara began to chuckle, a genuine smile forming on the girl's lips. She held a hand up to her face almost as though to hide the smile, but Graham stopped her before she could force it back down.

"VIV!" He bellowed, breathless from shouting. "You're smiling! Guys, look! The stone-cold librarian is smiling!"

Finnian stared. "Holy crap, you're right!"

Faussin grinned.

Vivara, clearly taken off-guard, began to chuckle more. She looked away, but her forced down chuckles quickly developed into real laughter, as finally, she seemed to give up on hiding it. "You're all too silly for your own good, you know that?"

"Leaf us to our silliness!" Lottie demanded lightheartedly. "Silliness makes the world a better place!"
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By the Lord above, she actually did it.

How on earth a crazy little girl like Oni had managed to quickly turn around the tone of the room in a matter of minutes never failed to amaze Romano. Perhaps it was why he had adapted so quickly to her following him around; she was insane, she reveled in it, and she made sure to drag everyone else into her world with her. Oni's world was one where people could laugh about their problems and admit the hurt without collapsing into a pit of despair.

It was a nice world to live in with her.

"Speaking of people with no souls smiling, Romano's doin' it too!" Faqir gasped. Romano let out a chuckle despite himself, shaking his head.

"While I do protest having no soul, I suppose none of you have ever seen me smile. I assure you I am quite capable of it, though I never find it inherently necessary." Romano paused. "For a bunch of mannerless degenerates, you lot are quite amusing."

"I would take offense to that but you're totally right."

The door was carefully nudged open. Practically dragging the girl, Madoka entered, Clair's wrist in his grasp. She spluttered in protest, trying to pry him off.

"I-I had to actually physically drag her back by the arm and she scratched my face, b-but I got Clair back..."

Yes, she had indeed scratched him, it seemed--there were distinct nail marks across one of Madoka's cheeks. He scratched at it idly, then stumbled back at a particularly strong tug from Clair.

Oni hopped over to them, prodding Clair in the shoulder. "You! Den-dwelling demon general! It is my great pleasure to inform you that we have all decided to stop wasting energy hating you and instead hate the stupid bear and also ourselves and probably a lot of other things! JOIN US IN THE CEREMONIAL SCREAMING CATHARSIS RITUAL!"

"W-what does that even mean?" Clair complained. "M-Mado, I want to go back!"

Faqir sauntered closer to her. Clair winced.

"Why would you do that?" he complained. "You haven't even gotten a chance to slap me for pressing all your triggers yet."

Clair sniffled, cracking open one eye. "...W-what...?"

"Listen, I'm..." Faqir sighed, scratching his neck. "...I'm sorry too, Clair. It's just--what you did really hurt, okay? Because I really thought of you as a good friend. I guess I kinda thought you felt the same way. So...knowing you'd just use me like that hurt a lot, and on top of that everyone else was hurt and everything was terrible and I hate that f*cking bear and Braeden was my bro and Eriko was practically perfect and it just all f*cking sucks d*ck. I just wanted to blame someone and you were an easy target."

Clair sniffled again, rubbing her eyes. "No, it...I deserved it. I-I deserve to be hated."

Faqir shrugged. "I mean, yeah, but we kinda all do, honestly. I mean, I practically just bullied you to tears. That's not exactly a 'good guy' thing to do."

Clair cracked the tiniest smile, though it quickly faded.

"So, yeah..." Faqir stretched, looking vaguely embarrassed. "Sure you're a b*tch, but you're my b*tch. That came out wrong. Everything I say comes out wrong. I came out wrong."

"What...what does that even mean?"

"I have no idea. I have no idea what anything I say means. Anyway, my point is...I'm not sorry for getting hurt, but I'm sorry for hurting you back. Besides, if I really wanna honor my bro, I should remember his last request and hate that bear instead."

Clair giggled, relaxing slightly. "...I-I'm not going to hit you. I'm not even mad at you, I...you were right, and I'm sorry. I don't expect any of you to forgive me. I just...I just want to try to make things right somehow. I-I know it can never bring them back, but maybe..."

"Would it make you feel better to hit me?"

"Why...do you want me to hit you or something?"

"Getting hit by pretty girls has to be a fetish and I won't know if it's mine until I try it."

"In that case I'm definitely not going to hit you."

Oni seemed pleased, looking to Romano as if for approval. He offered her a genuine smile, patting her head. Oni beamed.

"Then..." Nervously, Faqir held out a hand. "Truce? At least for now?"

Clair sighed, tugging at her bangs. "...Truce." She took Faqir's hand.

He immediately pulled her into a hug, dragging Madoka with him. Madoka was instantly locked in a headlock.

"W-wait, h-how did I--I don't know--I-I think you're choking me!"

"Too late, dude, this is a bro hug, deal with it!"

"This is very distinctly not how men hug!"

"Should I do it? I'm totally doing it. Yo guys, I'm callin' a group hug, all you losers get in here!"

"O-okay wait, actually, I-I'm okay with certain people but I really don't like being touched--"

"NOPE, GROUP HUG, IT'S HAPPENING. IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW."

"O-oh dear Lord--"

Oni joined the group hug immediately, practically tackling more Madoka. Romano decided to stay to the side, content just to watch the madness unfold.
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Lottie almost immediately flung herself into the hug, laughing endlessly.

Ysabel smiled, standing from her chair and moving into the hug, almost cautiously.

Faussin briefly debated joining, then resigned himself to his seat where he would not feel suffocated by everyone scrambling to hug one another. He liked hugs, of course--just not huge group hugs. Group hugs involved too many people and touching and were generally very uncomfortable.

Finnian grinned, going in to join the hug. Vivara hesitated at first, then had a look that said "why the heck not" and joined as well, taking a moment to actually get comfortable. (Or as comfortable as he imagined she'd be able to get. Vivara didn't seem to like being touched.)

When Lottie realized Faussin was content to stay in his seat, she briefly squirmed out of the hug and wrapped her hands around his wrist, attempting to pull him out of his chair. "Come on! Group hug means the whole group!"

He shook his head nervously. "Sorry, I don't really like group hugs."

"No exceptions! You're getting hugged!"

"L-Lottie, please--"

She wasn't taking no for an answer. Tightening her grasp on his wrist, she began to quite literally drag him over to the group, her strength rather surprising.

Graham watched as Mercy and Romano decided not to join. Perhaps inspired by Lottie, he first walked over to Romano and grabbed his wrist, then set his sights on Mercy.

Mercy shook her head. "Not in the mood, Graham."

"You don't have a choice," he replied plainly. "Faqir, help me. Mercy needs a hug!"

"I will smack you both across the face with bottles. I did to him once, I'll do it again."

"I am willing to take the risk. If anyone needs a hug, you do. Right, guys?!"

Lottie began cheering. "HUG! HUG! HUG!"

"Don't you dare--"

"DON'T FIGHT IT MERCY! EVERYONE NEEDS A HUG ONCE IN A WHILE!"

Graham ended up releasing Romano to try and drag the Ultimate Hunter into the group hug, but considering she was the Ultimate Hunter and he was only the Ultimate Thief, things weren't working out very well.

"GET OFF OF ME I HATE HUGS."

Lottie realized that Romano was at risk of not being hugged and went to drag him over in Graham's place.
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Romano looked vaguely uncomfortable. "You are merely joking, right? There are many people involved in this germ festival and if it is quite alright with you I would very much prefer to only take one shower tonight."

In a somewhat muffled voice, Clair called, "I don't think being highly uncomfortable with prolonged physical contact matters in this group."

"It totally doesn't!" Faqir wriggled his way out of the hug (abandoning Madoka, whose face ended up pushed against Clair's chest for a moment. He screeched, managing to get himself upright to properly return the hug. Clair blushed.) "Viva la hug force! No resistance!"

Sighing, Romano resigned himself to his germ-infested fate and allowed Lottie to drag him into the group hug. Faqir went to try and help Graham drag Mercy into the hug.

"No way you're sitting this out! You need the magical comfort of hugs! The only thing more instantly satisfying would involve breaking one of Monokuma's weird rules and finding a place with a comfortable surface and no video cameras!"

"Why do you always do this?" Madoka asked.

"Because I'm a lonely virgin and they let me imagine I have a more active sex life than I actually do!"

"That--that answer was far too real and definitely not what I expected you to say."

I am going to have to take at least three showers tonight. Romano sighed, tentatively patting Oni and Finnian, who he had been dragged to, on the back.
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Faussin was mercilessly hugged. He tried to squirm free at first, but Vivara of all people pulled him back into the hug. "If I have to be hugged, so do you."

"This is hurting me."

"We suffer because we love each other. It'll be over soon. Speaking of," Vivara cleared her throat, "Mercy, just come be hugged so we can all get on with the day."

"I hate hugs and I always have, there is no way this is happening."

"Come on! You would've joined if Eriko asked you to!" Graham cried, he and Faqir's efforts to physically drag her over getting them nowhere.

She paused, briefly, then scoffed.

Graham watched her reaction carefully, as if not sure if he'd said something that was going to completely ruin the good mood. He swallowed.

Without warning, Mercy pulled both Faqir and Graham into headlocks, making an effort to smile. "So this is how guys hug, huh? Comfortable."

Despite being caught in a headlock, Graham cheered. "YES! It worked! Haha, I-I was kind of scared for a second there that I was going to completely ruin the mood. H-haha. Ow, this kind of hurts."

"You almost did, you moron," Mercy admitted, her grip on their heads tightening.

Faussin smiled, trying to bask in the brief happiness and ignore how the hug was causing his jacket to rub against his scratches and irritate his arms even more.
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Romano started to step away, but predictably, Oni pulled him back.

"DID YOUR QUEEN GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO LEAVE, SERVANT?!"

Romano sighed. Make that five showers. I will need at least five showers tonight.

Madoka's head poked out of the hug pile. "I told you chokeholds are definitely not a proper hug!"

"I am actually highly okay with this but also kind of not breathing right now!" Faqir exclaimed.

Clair squeaked suddenly. "O-okay, I-I'm pretty sure I just felt something touch my butt and I would very much like to get out of here now."

"APOLOGIES, MORTAL, THAT WAS MY LEG, FOR I WAS ATTEMPTING TO NOT LET IT FALL ASLEEP!"

If nothing else, the tension had been completely alleviated for now. Perhaps a brief sacrifice of Romano's high standards of cleanliness was necessary to get everyone back on track.

"O-on the bright side," Faqir began, trying to pry free of Mercy's grip, "I got a pretty good view of Mercy's tits from here."

"I want her to punch you right now," Madoka stated, deadpan. Clair chuckled.

Faqir flashed a weak thumbs-up.

On second thought, Romano thought, perhaps the tension was better.
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Mercy knee'd Faqir in the crotch, almost as if she'd expected him to say that. "God, you're stupid."

"Whatever she did, you deserved it," Vivara called.

"The guys here are weird," Lottie decided.

Faussin frowned, thinking. "You're not wrong. ....C-can we stop hugging now?"

"Nope!" Lottie chimed, pulling those next to her in closer. "We've gotta make this moment last for as long as we possibly can. It's a rare, beautiful moment. Right, Li?"

"That... it is nice," Amelia (or what Faussin assumed was Amelia) admitted. "I could stay like this for a while."

Graham chuckled nervously. "Y-yup. Sure could."

Mercy smirked, finally letting him go. Predictably, he crumbled, nearly gasping for breath. His freedom did not last long, however. After a moment, she pulled the boys toward her again, but for an actual hug this time. "You're lucky, jewelry boys. You guys remind me of someone."
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"I am inclined to agree with Miss Vivara, Master Faqir," Romano called. "It would benefit you to learn some tact."

Faqir took a moment to keel over in pain before responding. "G-gee, th-thanks, guys."

"I'm just saying, Madoka here has had way more luck with me than you and he's been a perfect gentleman," Clair said.

Madoka spluttered. "N-not that kind of luck! Friendly luck! I-it's all friendly luck!"

Faqir snapped, patting Mercy's back. "So that's what your talent means! Lucky with girls! ...Oh gosh everything still hurts--"

"So?" The cheeky tone had returned to Clair's voice; admittedly, it warmed Romano's heart to hear her beginning to settle back in to life with the group. "Is getting hit by pretty girls a fetish of yours or what?"

"N-not like this! Not like this!"

"But seriously," Clair continued. "A-as happy as I am that you're willing to at least consider letting me rejoin the group--m-maybe just as an outsider, I don't want to pry, I-I can just hang out near the back of the room or stand outside the door--some of us are very uncomfortable with physical contact, so..."

"I second this." Romano once again tried to back away from the hug and was once again pulled back in by Oni.

"Yo, I'll take that extra physical contact!" Faqir called.

"Do you want to get kicked in the balls again?"

"Oh God please no I swear I'll stop--"

"I-is this what we are? I-is this what our group does now? Hug each other and make terrible jokes at each other's expense?"

"That's pretty much what this group has always been," Oni announced. "Personally, I LOVE IT!"

"There was considerably less hugging when we first started out," Romano sighed.

"WELL, THE HUGGING MAKES IT BETTER SO SHUT UP AND STAY IN THE HUG, SERVANT!"

"I disagree," Clair squeaked. Madoka patted her head.
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"I don't mind Clair being here," Faussin admitted, though that was probably obvious already. Hearing Faqir and Clair talk to each other like they used to--even if just for a moment--made his heart rise in his chest. There were many emotions brewing in the room, but somehow, they could all get through it.

He feared what another death would do to bring things down again, but hoped with all of his heart that they'd be able to recover if something terrible happened again. They had to stay strong so that they could find a way out.

"I don't really know Clair," Lottie admitted, "but I would like to. I... I never really got to know the others, so I--I should at least try now, right?"

Mercy smiled sadly, hugging the guys tighter. "Eriko would've loved you."

"I... thank you," Lottie replied, softly.

Faussin felt himself smile. Mercy was right.

"Sh*t," Mercy muttered, quickly wiping away a tear. "Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t. Not happening. Not right now."

Graham laughed lightheartedly, patting Mercy's back. "It's okay to feel, man."

She shook her head, muttering curses under her breath, but somehow smiling. She sniffed, burying her head in Faqir's shoulder, beginning to tremble. Her voice came out muffled. "Feelings are exhausting."

Faussin glanced over at her. Despite being more talkative than she had in the past two days, it was clear she was still hurting. Exhausted, emotionally drained, and numb--that was only beginning to describe her, but at least she was there. That was a step in the right direction.

Not to mention, she was in the same room as Clair--Clair, whose presence in the room was also nothing short of a miracle.

He sighed. Everything felt okay for a second.

Of course, his arms were killing him now, but so long as no one noticed he could sneak off to the nurse's office to bandage them up. ...Again.
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Clair let out a long sigh. "I never said thank you, did I, Fauss? I really appreciate you trying to make me feel welcome when I came in earlier. I-I was terrified of seeing everyone again."

For once, Faqir decided not to make any crude comments. He moved his hand to hold Mercy's head against his shoulder, stroking her hair. "Yeah, feelings are the worst. That's why guys punch ours in the gut. Unless it's anger, then we f*cking embrace that sh*t."

"A-as a man who cries rather often, I find that offensive," Madoka complained.

"Don't ruin this for me, dude."

Romano moved slightly to offer a smile to Lottie as best he could while still trapped in the hug pile. "I am sure you would have gotten along well with all of the others, save perhaps Miss Xhevona. Which brings up a question--are you aware of what Miss Amelia sees at all times, and she of what you see? Or does one of you 'black out', per se, to make metaphorical room for the other?"

"Actually, I was wondering that too," Clair admitted. "I-if you witnessed everything Amelia did, I...imagine you have a pretty negative opinion of me. I-I can't blame you, I have a negative opinion of me too. Ah, no..." She groaned, leaning against Madoka. "I-I'm sorry, I-I keep saying these depressing things and you're probably all getting sick of it..."

"Hey, it's okay," Faqir assured, reaching out with his free arm to grab Graham's shoulders. "We're all kinda emotionally traumatized forever right now. And if all that depressing junk you talked about during the trial was as bad as you made it sound, you've probably been at this for a while. It's stupid to assume you'll just be fine."

"Still, I feel bad ruining the mood like this." Clair looked around nervously. "H-how long have we been hugging? Because seriously, I really hate being touched and this has been going on for an uncomfortably long amount of time, c-can we all go sit down yet?"

"I don't know about you, but I am very much enjoying my cuddle puddle, thank you. I'm never sitting down again."

"Faqir, what...what the heck is a cuddle puddle?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like."

"It sounds like something a pedophile would use to pick up children in a white van."

"Yeah, and?"

Madoka actually laughed at this point, something that startled Romano. Admittedly, there were few people in the room he had heard genuinely laugh--even Oni tended to go for a robust, "evil" laugh rather than a real one. Hearing one of those people sound truly amused now reduced some of the more unpleasant thoughts he had about the current situation.

"Both of you are crazy," Madoka admitted, grinning. "Honestly..."

"B*tch, I will wear that like a mother*cking badge."
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"Well," Lottie withdrew from the hug somewhat, "it's more the former. In front of most people, she's in charge and I'm watching from the sidelines. I'm aware of what's happening. I just don't pay attention a lot, is all, and sometimes it gets hard to remember things that happen when I'm not in control. It's the same for Amelia. I'm not in charge as nearly as much as she is, though, so it happens a lot less with her."

"Interesting," Finnian muttered. "I've never heard anything like that before."

"If you think you're doing some wacky science experiments on us, you're sorely mistaken," Lottie called.

He laughed. "I would never, don't worry. Actually, Mercy, Faqir, how are your heads? And by extension, Faqir, your face."

Mercy mumbled something incomprehensible in response, hugging Faqir and Graham tighter. Turning her head on its side, she muttered, "do me a favor, you two. Don't die."

Faussin felt his heart pang. Of course. In the days that Eriko was here, she and Mercy grew rather close, which was no doubt why the girl's death hit her so hard. If she was growing attached to Faqir and Graham, then the first thing that would come to her mind would be them being taken away from her, too.

Though, to be honest, Faussin never quite understood what made the two girls click. He almost wanted to ask her. Considering her unstableness lately, though, asking would probably be a terrible idea. No, it was definitely a terrible idea.

He sighed. Would that there was a magic trick that would wash away everyone's pain. "Are we done hugging now?"

"I think at this point in the hug, those who are opposed can take their seats," Vivara declared, "but personally, I'd like to stay for a little longer."

Oh, thank goodness. Faussin squirmed his way out of the hug, careful not to let his rub his arms against anything. They were already hurting enough as it was.
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Finally. Romano immediately backed away from the hug. Squealing, Clair wriggled downwards and escaped by crawling between Oni's legs. She made a beeline for the table, collapsing into a chair with a long sigh. Madoka remained in the hug without her, seemingly enjoying everyone's company.

"That's interesting," Clair murmured. "Usually DID manifests far more...well, dissociatively. I asked because your particular case seems to be an anomaly, but given the common professional opinion that DID may be a cultural phenomenon rather than a true biological mental disorder I suppose it wouldn't be entirely out of the picture to somehow have an identity more aware of things. Still, it raises a few important questions--such as the question of whether or not two separate and distinct personalities can truly exist within the same body of an individual with full awareness, and considering the rapid switches you two seem to be capable of it would also be worth asking how your brain determines when to 'switch over', so to say, as multitasking in such a way would seem to contradict with a few findings..."

Clair trailed off, realizing the amount of people staring at her.

She plastered on a ditsy grin. "But then again, I'm just a makeup artist--it's not like I know anything about pathology, haha."

"Psychology," Madoka corrected on instinct. "A-and it seems like you know an awful lot..."

Clair shrugged. "Not really--I have a bit of insight on my own problems, of course, but that's about it. On that note, Fauss, wanna go for a walk?"

Her comment surprised Romano slightly--Faussin didn't seem to have any connection at all to the previous topic, but perhaps Clair had heard him say something earlier somehow.

Romano focused on Faqir and Mercy, scanning for any obvious lingering damage. They both appeared fine, but it was hard to be certain.

"I threw up for an hour straight last night, I feel drunk, I have a terrible headache, and everything is spinning right now," Faqir announced cheerfully. "But my face is sexy as h*ll. Right, Graham?"

At least he had stopped targeting poor Mercy. On that note, Romano suddenly became very worried for her mental state. He had no personal insight to offer beyond conflict mediation, but perhaps there was something he could do to keep her mood light.

If nothing else, Faqir seemed to be cradling her more gently than Romano expected. "Oh yeah, about dying. Yo, everyone. There's no way in h*ll I'm gonna kill anyone, so how about we all just agree to not kill me back and that'll be perfect. Mercy asked, y'know. I can't deny a request from her, on account of she would probably chop my d*ck off."

"I-I won't kill you," Madoka offered.

"If I were to kill, it would be a demon, not one of you filthy mortal scum!" Oni scoffed.

"I don't think it's physically possible for anyone to hate me more than they do right now, but I'm not willing to find out," Clair admitted, rubbing her arm.

Romano bowed. "I may, depending on my personal tastes at the moment."

Understanding his sarcasm could be taken seriously, Romano smiled good-naturedly at Faqir, offering a wink. Faqir laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind, buddy."
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Faussin blinked. "A walk? Why would... I mean, okay, I guess?"

Clair wasn't going to try and manipulate him like she did the others, was she? Why was she relating him to the topic in the first place? Was he that obvious?

He moved to scratch his arms again, then stopped himself, hands suddenly finding themselves with nothing to do. Ha--maybe she'd noticed how self-destructive he got when he was nervous. Huffing, he took out his deck, beginning to toss cards back and forth between both hands.

"So sexy, man," Graham said to Faqir, offering a bro-five and a wink. "I'd bang you anyday."

Mercy snorted.

In response to Clair's spiel about Lottie and Amelia's condition, Lottie just shrugged. "Who knows. All I know is that's how it works for me. Also, I won't kill you, Faqir. I would never kill a fellow pun-lover."

"I would not kill you," Vivara offered.

Finnian flashed him a thumbs up. "I don't plan on killing anyone anytime soon, so no worries here."

Somehow, Faussin found himself afraid to speak up.
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Clair smiled, gesturing for Faussin to join her outside. She paused, then glanced around the room.

"This isn't something we have to do alone," she said, addressing everyone equally. "It's just...I would like to fix up my arms a bit, and I thought Fauss might like some fresh air since he seemed a bit uncomfortable during that hug too. Anyone is welcome to come along. I-I know I'm not...not exactly trustworthy after what happened. I-I'm so sorry."

"Clair," Madoka began, softly, "it's okay. I trust you."

Clair let out a small sigh, forcing a smile. "Thanks, good luck charm. B-but seriously, I swear, I-I just wanted...it's a quick trip to the nurse's office and if we're not there and something goes wrong, I...I'm willing to accept responsibility for that."

"Good enough for me," Faqir decided, obliging Graham's offered bro-five. "I'll be here, chilling with my ideal threesome."

"I don't think I'll ever understand you," Madoka admitted.

"I'd be more worried if you did."

Romano looked around the room, debating going along with Clair and Faussin if they did leave the room. It wasn't because he didn't trust her, honestly--or that he didn't trust Faussin--it was rather that he didn't trust the two of them together. Clair already made him uneasy, but Faussin's lack of a response to the "don't kill me" offer made Romano a bit apprehensive.

Thinking of the things that could be hidden in the nurse's office was worrying, to say the least. It was likely he would follow the two if no one else spoke up, considering Faussin ended up leaving at all.
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She definitely noticed. Or at least kind of noticed, Faussin thought, watching Clair. He was, admittedly, wary of walking alone with her--he just couldn't stop thinking about the things that could go wrong, the things that she could end up saying. Biting his lip, though, he realized there was nothing she could do that he wouldn't tell the others.

Besides, maybe it was nothing. Faussin was prone to overreacting--or at least, that's what his sister liked to say. Of course, that was an entirely different matter. Though if that wasn't enough, his brother told him that he tended to dwell on the negatives more than the positives, but he had gotten better at it. Faussin doubted the others were going to let Clair and another male student go off on walk alone, anyways.

Sighing, he stood, slipping his cards into his pocket.

Vivara watched as he walked toward the door. "That's funny. I hadn't actually expected Faussin to agree."

He laughed nervously. How was he going to walk off with Clair and make it look like he wasn't about to plan a murder? That being said, he was not going off to plan a death. Murder was the absolute last thing that he wanted to commit, no doubt, but even he knew this looked suspicious.

He stood by the doorway, as if waiting for someone else to join them. He didn't want to walk with her alone.
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It seemed they were going after all--Romano stepped forwards, clearing his throat.

"If all is well with you, I would like to accompany the two of you to the nurse's office. As I mentioned earlier, I have basic nursing knowledge which may be beneficial to you."

It wasn't the real reason, but there was no need to worry the two by telling them the truth. Romano didn't exactly expect anything to happen, but a three-person group was better in terms of having an alibi anyway--you just never knew.

Clair dipped her head. "That's fair. I-I didn't really expect to be let out alone with someone, haha."

It was likely she knew even if Romano hadn't said anything. He bowed, moving to follow Clair out into the hallway. Clair paused by Faussin, whispering something to him briefly. Romano stiffened.

"And what is this that you must whisper?"

Clair hesitated. "I have no trouble with him telling you, but...it's a bit of a personal matter. I've been plenty open with you but when it comes to others, I...don't have the right to say."

Romano paused. It clearly had something to do with the way she had related Faussin to the discussion earlier, but it was still suspicious. He nodded, turning towards the hallway towards the nurse's office. If anything happened, he would just have to be ready.

He had to make Madoka's words during the last trial true--it had to be the last one.
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“I recognize my brand of discomfort when I see it. I just thought maybe we could go patch up together?"

Faussin pulled his sleeves down further, completely aware of the fact that they were already the furthest they could go. Admittedly, of all people to catch onto his craziness, Clair was probably the one he preferred. She was the same way, or so she said, which meant she understood. She wasn't going to look at him the way everyone else in his life did.

Of course, this could've been part of another master plan of hers to kill someone, but he sure hoped not. He really genuinely believed that she didn't want to do what she did to Braeden and Eriko, but then again, killing was always easier the second time--or so people said.

Romano's reaction to Clair's discretion was completely reasonable. If anything, it was rather tame compared to how some of the other students would have reacted. Faussin found himself moving to scratch again and stopped, fingers freezing. He resolved to put them in his pockets instead.

He didn't like hiding things from everyone. It made him dishonest--it made him feel disconnected from the others. But at the same time, he'd never felt closer to a group of people. He didn't want to let go of what he had. He wanted to be like everyone else for once, to be looked at the same as everyone else, to just be another normal student.

Sighing, he followed the two into the nurse's office, closing the door behind him. With almost every arm movement he made, his jacket would rub against his scratches. It sucked.

"Um..." Faussin looked away. "Romano, it's nothing big. Promise. It's just that... well, I don't mind telling you, but I'd really appreciate it if you tried not to tell anyone else."
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As Clair entered the nurse's office, she paused, nervous. Slowly, she unzipped her jacket, pulled it off her shoulders, and draped it over the bed. Romano watched her, switching his gaze between her and Faussin.

He truly wanted to trust them, but you could just never be too careful. Even though Faussin's response added credence to his theory that it had something to do with Clair's own issues, Clair had manipulated others before.

Romano's eyes pinpointed a bottle on the shelf as Clair approached it. "So long as we are careful, I do not feel the overwhelming need to know all of your secrets. However, I hope you do not mind that I stay with you. Miss Clair, I believe that brown bottle is disinfectant."

"That's fine with me. I-I would be more comfortable if you could turn around, though, I-I really prefer people not to stare at me. Also, what's a brown?"

Romano nodded, turning to face the door. "I recommend a clean cloth and disinfectant to clean the wounds with bandages to protect the open scars from infection. Do let me know if you require any assistance."

Clair's voice sounded oddly relaxed. "Thank you, Romano, I appreciate it. U-um, Fauss, I have no idea what brown looks like and my eyesight is horrible, w-would you mind finding that disinfectant and I'll get the bandages and cloth?"

Every once in a while, Romano peeked over his shoulder to watch Clair. She went straight for a roll of bandages and a white cloth as she had promised, searching for a mirror to better see her own wounds. Romano gazed at Faussin for a second before facing the door again. He kept his ears peeled for any unusual sounds--there were likely sharp weapons in this room, after all. Behind him, Clair mumbled something; just what she said he couldn't tell, but a peek over his shoulder showed she was only staring at herself in the mirror, clearly extremely uncomfortable.

A three-fold testimony would be difficult to combat; at least Romano was sure he could tell the others if anything went wrong and vouch for the two if things went right.
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"I don't mind," Faussin said to Romano, not sure whether or not to be thankful that he wasn't prying. Fingers twitching nervously, he began scanning the shelves for the brown bottle Clair needed. He picked it out rather easily, this not being the first time he needed a disinfectant, and placed it on a stand nearby Clair. "And Clair, the disinfectant is over here when you need it."

He paused, thinking. There was a piece of him that wanted to pretend he was completely fine and come back later to treat his arms, but what would that accomplish? It would defeat the point of coming with Clair, force him to find a different and more discreet time to come to the nurse's office, and not to mention, if Romano or anyone else saw him coming after he and Clair's visit today it'd be awfully suspicious.

Screw it. They're gonna start noticing things eventually, so there's no point in hiding it.

Taking a deep breath, he began to ease his jacket off, trying his best not to catch the cloth on his scratches. He winced--his blood was making the sleeve stick to his arm. Carefully, he worked around it, then finally slid the coat off to reveal several rather brutal-looking scratches covering both of his arms. There were scratches of various sizes, some more severe than others, all of which were self-inflicted. Blood trickled down his arms and to his wrists.

He was used to the sight by now, but it always seemed to take others off-guard.

I need to wash this again, he thought, looking over his jacket critically. Predictably, the insides of the sleeves were stained by the blood. He couldn't count how many times he'd washed the piece of clothing already, wary that another murder would occur and someone would point out the bloodstains on his things.
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Romano heard Clair shuffling around. "Thank you, Fauss. Um, let's see, where's a sink...I might want to wash these off a bit..."

A pause, then Romano heard a soft "ah..." and the sound of running water. As discreetly as he could manage, Romano snuck another look at the two.

His eyes pinpointed the wounds on Faussin's arms almost immediately. The theory he had been quietly developing immediately came to the forefront of his mind--Clair had noticed.

Of course. She asked him to come because she guessed he needed to.

It made more sense now that Faussing had specifically asked Romano not to tell anyone else. Clair may have made herself bare her scars to the group, but Faussin had thus far been lucky enough not to have to worry about it. It made sense for him to want to keep things that way--though Romano had never known any of the pain associated with self-harm, he could guess at the emotional impact it would have on yourself and others.

Romano faced the door once more, folding his hands in front of him. His posture felt more relaxed; now that he felt certain of the reasoning behind the odd behaviors Clair and Faussin had displayed, he didn't feel as strong of a need to check in on them as often--unless, of course, he heard a loud crash or any screaming.

Clair whispered something behind him. Romano glanced at her one more time, noticing her running the cloth under the faucet. Resolving himself to a role as more of a guardian than a supervisor, Romano stretched, busying himself by wiping dust off of the door with a handkerchief.
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Faussin tied his jacket around his waist, silently debating when to throw it into the wash. It'd probably have to be more towards nighttime, considering this was the only jacket he had and the only shirts he had were short sleeved. If he walked around with his arms exposed, everyone would see his bandages, which would lead to questions, crowding, and other things that he didn't want to deal with.

Maybe after everyone went to sleep? That way there'd be less a chance of running into anyone in the hallways.

Suddenly, Clair leaned over and whispered something to him. "Do you want me to help you wash your arms?"

He blinked, not sure what to think. Most people didn't offer.

Faussin found himself nodding despite his worries about Clair. Something he liked about meeting people who understood was that they didn't stare at you, or tense up whenever you tried to talk to them. They didn't look at you like you were a completely different person.

It was hard not to cling to the moments where you could be both open about things and still feel normal.

Geez, Fauss thought, taking a deep breath. Clair seems so nice. It's easier to see why Madoka and Faqir trusted her enough to be manipulated into killing someone.

He had to promise himself that he wouldn't be blind to that kind of stuff. Faussin really did believe Clair was a good person, but he also acknowledged what she'd done before, and that there was a chance she could try something like that again. Whatever happened, he swore that he wasn't going to be her pawn.
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For the first time, Romano realized he could faintly see a reflection of the office behind him in the window. He watched Clair offer Faussin a smile, then gently reach out to dab up the blood on his arms with her cloth. A small smile tugged at Romano's lips.

He couldn't say he trusted Clair fully, if he were honest with himself. He was at least convinced that if she did lose her mind again, she would end up in here more frequently, but considering what Monokuma was capable of there was no telling how long this peace would last.

The fact hit Romano for the first time. He placed a hand against the glass of the window, touching the reflection of his classmates. Monokuma was far more ruthless and clever than they gave him credit for--if the bear wanted someone dead, they would be dead.

It had been two days since the last kill.

Suddenly hit with an overwhelming sense of dread, Romano turned again to look at the two more closely. Clair's eyes were mostly on Faussin's face as she dabbed gently at his arms, striking up a conversation with a casual, "Those flowers you gave me were beautiful. How did you learn magic?"

So far there was nothing that indicated she or Faussin would snap. In fact, there was nothing indicating any of them would snap.

But there wasn't last time either--Monokuma had created something out of nothing.

Is he working right as we speak? Is that bear tempting another friend into murder while we are safe in here? Is there a way I can stop it?

Mercy was right--they weren't safe here. Eriko's murder was nothing but an example of the cruelty and hopelessness of their situation. If they wanted a chance to escape, they needed to find a way out of the hotel immediately.

Desperate for some kind of lead, Romano asked, "Have either of you explored the computer room much? I am curious as to whether or not there are any clues for our escape."

Clair frowned. "This is the first time I've been out of my room since the trial. There's a computer room?"

Ah, right. Of course Clair wouldn't know. Perhaps Faussin might.
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Admittedly, Faussin hadn't really taken an interest in the third floor. Considering there weren't any students he was particularly close with, he found himself in his room or in the arcade more than anything else, trying to make the hours pass by doing things that would distract him. Like the second floor, nothing on the third floor really appealed to him.

"I haven't really been in there much, but Finnian probably has," Faussin replied, watching as Clair helped with his arm. He was trying his best not to flinch, but touching the cuts was always painful. "If anyone here knows computers, it's him. He seems to know a lot about...well, everything."

He briefly wondered why Romano would be asking about the computer lab. It was true they were all anxious to get out of there, and for good reason, but things seemed fine at the moment. Maybe they could stay that way.

Naive as always. You're going to die here, bud, and I think we both know how.

Faussin visibly tensed. They talked at the worst of times.

Clair might've been able to understand the scratches, but they were only half of it.
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Romano sighed, trying to reason through some other place that may have clues. "I assume no one has found any clues anywhere else."

Clair shook her head, biting her lip. "I've found a pretty effective way to ruin my own life, but nothing on how to escape. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I don't even actually want to escape. Can't we all just get along in here?"

Romano flinched. "And risk that bear triggering you to kill once more? I am afraid not."

He expected the comment to sting--Clair's instant wince was not a surprise--but she recovered quickly, finishing up dabbing the blood from Faussin's arm before going to retrieve the disinfectant and bandages. For the first time, she seemed to notice Romano gazing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh..." Clair hesitated. "I-I--"

"If you are worried about me sharing this with anyone, I will not," Romano interrupted. "As a man who values his own privacy, I know how to respect that of others. That said, I am a tad uneasy with not keeping an eye on you at least sometimes."

Clair nodded slowly. "...S-sorry, Fauss. I-I didn't mean to...I mean, you probably could have--I didn't know if it might be easier to have someone help with the bandages, but..."

"I hate to be this way," Romano continued, "but it is imperative that we think of some way to escape this hotel. Are there any ideas either of you have thought of?"

Clair shook her head, retrieving a second cloth to begin gently applying disinfectant to Faussin's arm. "By now it should be obvious that I'm going to be no help in that department."
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Trying to leave, huh? The voice of his dead brother asked, its familiarity never not unnerving. Better hurry. Everyone here is like a ticking time bomb. How long till they explode? Who will it be? I'm putting my money on the butler. You ever watch any murder mysteries? It's always the butler.

Faussin took a deep breath, trying to focus on what Clair and Romano were saying. When he realized Romano had seen his arms, he felt relatively fine, considering when he took his jacket off he was accepting the risk of that happening.

He's onto you now. Tick tock, bro. Maybe you'll be the next to explode.

"It's fine," Faussin replied, trying to sound assuring. "I don't--I don't mind Romano knowing. Um. E-escape. That's what we're talking about. Okay. I've actually thought about this before, but... we've already looked through everything we have access to, right? There are no more things available to us unless another trial opens up the next floor, which would mean...well, I-I think we can all agree that we don't want another trial."

He paused, unsure about the next part.

"So... so we're kind of out of options. But there's someone doing all this, right? For a reason?" Faussin asked. "I-I know it probably won't do us any good, but we don't have a single thing so far, and waiting around doing nothing isn't going to get us anywhere. Why don't we ask Monokuma?"
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Ask Monokuma?

It wasn't the worst idea--Faussin was, in fact, right about the fact that they had about exhausted all other options--but it certainly wasn't the most desirable. Who knew if the bear would feed them false information on purpose, or punish them for asking, or--and this was the possibility Romano dreaded the most--confirm the notion that the only way out of the school was through more trials?

"He seems to have trouble controlling his mouth," Clair admitted. "Faqir and I had an idea about how bad the trails would be before the first one started just because we asked him."

Romano perked up, raising an eyebrow at her. "You have spoken to him before?"

Clair winced. "I mean, that's not exactly a secret anymore."

"I mean outside of the parameters of the last trial. You spoke to him without him bribing you?"

Clair nodded, moving to get her roll of bandages to wrap Faussin's arm. "Ask Faqir--he can vouch for me. We were investigating Vona's room before the first trial and he showed up to protest being called a 'teddy'. We questioned him a bit on the trials and he accidentally let it slip that something terrible would happen. That to say, it may not be the worst idea to see if we can get him talking."

Romano nodded slowly, examining the two. Clair had already snapped once, and Faussin...if he was here from similar wounds as Clair, that insinuated he wasn't the most mentally stable student either. Letting either of them talk to Monokuma at all would likely be a bad idea--it would have to be one of the students more in control of themselves. Hearing that Faqir had managed to speak with the despicable bear without problems was promising, but he hadn't been in top shape as of late. Mercy may have been able to handle it before the last trial, but she was far too mentally exhausted to resist any attacks by the bear now.

There were a few options. Romano frowned. "If it is all the same to you, I would like to speak to Monokuma myself with Miss Vivara and Master Finnian. While I hate to have to say this, I fear what would happen to the two of you--along with many of our other students--should Monokuma say something that triggered a foul memory."

Clair pursed her lips. "Hate on me all you want, but Fauss hasn't shown any signs of buckling under that bear yet."

"Yet."

Clair flinched, biting her lip.

Romano's eyes flickered from Faussin to the wall, debating whether or not to look him in the eye as he spoke. "All of us had complete confidence in your mental stability, Miss Clair, but Monokuma seems to know exactly what must be said to cause us to break, and as much as I hate to have to bring this up..." Romano paused, looking with a strange mix of pity and regret at Faussin. "These wounds do hint at a certain level of instability. While I do not have any inkling of suspicion that Master Faussin will act out to attack any of us, it is best to stay safe and keep any who are at risk away from being manipulated by Monokuma. I do hope you understand my concerns."
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Faussin sighed, hating how right Romano was. Faussin was probably one of the least equipped people there to have a conversation with Monokuma, much less avoid manipulation. He had no doubt Monokuma knew Faussin's secrets, most of which Fauss hoped never came to light.

That being said, he wouldn't kill to preserve them, but the outing of his secrets certainly wouldn't help his reputation with the others.

"You're not wrong," Faussin admitted, looking down at his arms. "I agree with Romano, honestly. And even if I was completely fine, I wouldn't want to talk to that bully bear anyways. He's mean. It's better the more mentally stable people talk to him."

He paused, shifting.

Assuming they are sane, the voice chimed.

"I trust them," Faussin mumbled, keeping his voice low.

Eriko trusted Clair before she was hit over the head with a barstool, right? it countered. You can't trust anyone here. Better kill them before they kill you.

"Shut up," Faussin hissed, resisting the urge to start scratching again. Instead, he looked to the side, eye twitching. He paused, suddenly more aware of Clair and Romano's presence. "Oh. S-sorry. I tend to talk to myself when I'm trying to sort something out in my head."

Well if that doesn't scream 'I'm insane', I don't know what does.

Faussin closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. He could yell at the voice in his head later--for now, he had to try his best to focus.
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Romano let out a soft sigh, admittedly glad Faussin hadn't taken it too hard--not that he could tell, at least. He truly did care about the group, but that meant taking the necessary precautions to protect them even if it risked offending someone. He had learned a long time ago to maintain a certain detachedness with others.

Clair patted Faussin's shoulder briefly before beginning to wrap the bandages around his arm. "Let me know if this is too tight, okay? Or too loose. Y-you're probably used to doing this yourself but I know it's a little difficult to do with one arm. Romano, when do you plan to talk to him?"

It was a valid question; admittedly, Romano wasn't certain of the answer. A piece of him wanted to try and call the bear into the room at that moment and get it over with, but the more logical piece said to put it off until there were more people around and those "more people" weren't two mentally unstable self-harmers.

If nothing else, the scars insinuated they'd be more likely to take out frustrations on themselves than others. It wasn't much of a comfort--especially now that Romano had a chance to fully observe his two companions and realized just how bad it really was--but in times of low hope, sometimes clinging to a silver lining meant thinking a bit cruelly.

"Romano?"

Romano shook his head, realizing he had zoned out. "My apologies. Certainly not now, but if at all possible I prefer not to wait long."

"I-I'm sorry," Clair blurted. "For...lots of things--for everything--I-I'm sorry about everything I did, y-you must hate me, b-but beyond that I'm sorry I'm taking so long. I-I would hurry but it's good to be sure you're thorough...I've had infections before and they really suck."

Hearing her continue to pile on apologies somehow made watching the situation unfold even worse. Romano turned back to the door. "It is not a problem, Miss Clair. Though I must confess I have not fully recovered, I have resolved not to dwell on the past. So long as we prevent another incident moving forwards, my opinion of you remains neutral."

Clair sounded oddly relieved. "Neutral is better than nothing. I-I'm not hurting you, am I, Fauss?"

Nothing. Was it possible for someone to have no opinion of Clair at all? Romano supposed any attention was better than none--at least he was talking to her. Some of the other students still seemed so shaken they'd hardly said a word to her.

I cannot let this happen again. Too much was at stake--Romano resolved not to let another student fall into despair.
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"You're fine," Faussin assured Clair. Admittedly, she was wrapping them a bit too tightly, but he was too awkward to say anything about it. That being said, though, it wasn't that big of a deal. If they really started to bother him, he could rewrap them later. "Th-thanks for helping me, by the way. Usually, I just come in here and do it myself, but to be honest, it's kind of hard to find a time to do it alone. I have to rush a lot of the time or wait all day until there's an opportunity. You can imagine how painful it is to walk around all day with your arms like this, trying to look like it doesn't hurt as your jacket is rubbing against your skin and blood is running down your arms nonstop. H-haha."

And that wasn't all. He had to be extra careful so that no one spotted him sneaking into the nurse's office at whatever ludicrous time he decided was best. It wasn't hard to mix up wandering off to patch up self-inflicted wounds with wandering off to go prepare for a murder, after all. But at least if that did happen, Romano and Clair could vouch for him. He still had to wash his jacket, after all, and after washing it so many times already it was starting to wear down. He feared how much time the piece of clothing had left before it decided to fall apart.

What was he going to do when that happened? It wasn't like he had any spares, and it'd be kind of weird if he walked up to one of the other students and asked for theirs. Not only would they probably say no, but they'd ask what happened to his.

Faussin had a feeling that this wasn't going to last for much longer. He hated that he was going to stick with hiding his secret until the end, however. He didn't want people to look at him the same way they looked at Clair.

Even now, Romano was calling out his mental instability, and that was only after seeing the way he tore up his arms. Compared to everything else, those were nothing. That being said, Romano was probably one of the most--if not the most--neutral ones of the bunch. Imagine what the others would say if they found out how messed up he was. Imagine how they'd react when they found out he...

Faussin took a deep breath, attempting to get ahold of himself.

It was completely possible Monokuma would tell them, if not inevitable. He would just have to brace himself for when it happened.

Faussin was tempted to tell the two more. Not everything, of course--but more. There was something comforting in the thought of someone else knowing--people he could be himself in front of. Though he was more wary of telling Romano than he was Clair, he wasn't very confident in telling her, either. Again, she had manipulated the others. If he gave her something to work with, who knew what was going to happen? He supposed that was part of the safety in telling both of them.

Better he told them than Monokuma, right?

"I should..."

Just as soon as he began to speak, he second-guessed himself. They couldn't know. He had to cling to what he had for just a little longer, even if it was a terrible choice. What would they say? What would they do? He didn't want to know. He just wanted to be normal for a little longer. Was that too much to ask?

"Nevermind," he breathed, his heart pounding in his chest. "Y-yeah, nevermind. Sorry about that."
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Romano turned back to face the two, watching their faces for any hint of unusual thoughts. It wasn’t that he blamed Faussin for his secrecy and hesitation--in fact, he would perhaps be more worried if he was as open as Clair, considering hers had only come after being exposed as a killer and drilled for her silence in the conference room--but it was still something to be aware of.

Clair smiled, and for the first time that day Romano realized it was real. "It’s no problem at all, Fauss. The pain is bad enough, but it’s worse having to suffer it alone. I’m just glad you’re letting me anywhere near you after what I did, h-haha."

She paused. In the silence, Romano watched her bite her lip hard enough to make it bleed--he noticed for the first time the myriad scars all over her mouth from where she had torn open her own lip.

"I...can never make this up to you, can I?" she asked quietly. "I’ll never fully recover from this, will I? You’ll never look at me the same again. I...I can’t blame you, I don’t blame you, I-I did something unforgivable and I can never take it back no matter how much I want to, I just...I-I just wish...I wish I had taken the fall for Brae after all. I-I should have just killed her myself, I...I never should have killed her at all! I don’t know what I was thinking, I was just...I was just so terrified of all of you knowing who I really am, terrified of him finding me and...and if he did, I would have way more scars than this…"

Romano considered speaking up on Faussin’s behalf--Clair’s spiel had worked her into wrapping his arm more tightly. Before he could, however, she paused, seemed to notice she had begun constricting Faussin's arm, and slowly unwound the bandages to try again.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," Clair whispered, her eyes watering. "How...how can I even begin to fix this? Am I doomed to always be the one who walks into a room and everyone goes silent? Will you ever look at me the same way again? This...this kind of 'okayness' is temporary, isn't it? By tomorrow, you'll all have forgotten the good and be left with the bad. I've broken myself all over again and now I can't even hide in Clair anymore..."

Hide in Clair?

"And what does that mean, pray tell?" Romano didn't know why her comment had stood out to him so much, but if confronting her could prevent another disaster, it was worth latching on to.

Clair chuckled dryly. "It means I have a secret I can't let anyone know. It means...it means I'm trapped outside of myself with nowhere left to go to feel okay again. It means these scars of mine won't be going away any time soon."

"That is not what I asked you." This couldn't be allowed to continue--if Clair's secret persisted, so would her fierce desire to hide it. "Who are you, Miss Clair?"

Clair's teeth clenched. She finished wrapping Faussin's arm and went to retrieve her cloth to clean the other, ignoring Romano.

He had crossed the ground to grab her shoulder before he even realized what he was doing. Clair jumped at his hand.

"Miss Clair." The low tone of Romano's voice surprised even him. "Who are you?"

"If I was willing to tell you that, no one would have died." Clair wrenched her shoulder away from Romano, moving to Faussin's other side. From where Romano stood, the cars on both Faussin and Clair were more pronounced than ever. He struggled not to stare.

Clair's speech was right--they could never look at her the same way.

Romano took a deep breath, vowing to try again.

"Who are you?"

She changed in a flash--Clair's fist slammed onto the counter, her eyes lit with a strange fire.

"Stop asking!" she demanded. "Do you think I'm going to go ahead and ruin everything I worked for after what I did?! If I was just going to confess everything, I wouldn't have let them die! The whole reason they died was for this secret to stay safe, and d*mmit, I'm not losing that now!"

Romano's eyes flickered to Faussin's face--arguing while surrounding him like this would not be good for the poor boy, he could tell that much. Calmly, Romano moved from Faussin's side and returned to the door.

"Miss Clair, please understand. What you said is very true--it will take time to rebuild what you have broken between us." Was confirming her beliefs really the best path to take? Romano wasn't sure, but he had already set his mind on trying it anyway. "If you continue hiding things from us, that suspicion shall only continue to grow. I am certain Miss Eriko would have preferred for you to be honest with us--if not then, perhaps now. In honor of her admirable dedication to solving puzzles, I shall ask you one more time in hopes you shall give me an acceptable answer..."

Romano took a deep breath, watching Clair tremble by the sink. "Who are you?"

She was silent for a time. Hesitantly, glancing at Faussin as if for approval, she began to reach out to tend to his remaining arm.

"...I am someone who has made a living off of hiding behind a mask, who has woven a web of lies so thick it is now impossible to untangle, and who has committed the most vile crime imaginable to protect an identity I killed a long time ago." Her voice took on an odd pitch--Romano recognized it from the trial. As expected, she cleared her throat before continuing. "I don't know who I am. Is that good enough for you?"

If nothing else, it had given a hint--whoever Clair really was, whatever her true identity, it had been missing for many years.

There was no point in pushing her further. With all the tools in this room, there was a very high chance continuing to grill her would lead to getting both himself and Faussin killed.

Romano bowed, watching Clair warily. When she saw he was no longer asking questions, Clair relaxed slightly, though he noticed her body had begun shaking.

How many more students would snap like she had? It was a question that weighed heavy on Romano's mind.

More strongly, it was followed by, Could Faussin be one of them?
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Faussin sat silently, feeling the aftermath of the tension.

Romano was not wrong for questioning Clair. If she killed once, she could kill again--but after going to such lengths to keep whatever secret she had, it was clear she would cling to it even more fiercely now. Otherwise, Eriko and Braeden's deaths would have been for nothing.

Faussin paused. He was trying to fight the sinking feeling in his chest, but he felt himself starting to give in.

As bad of an idea it probably was, he wanted to help Clair. He knew the feeling she'd just described so well. If only he could muster the courage to say something, to reach out or give some kind of hint that he understood and wasn't going to judge her like the others did. But what would he say? What if he said the wrong thing? Or what if he was just interpreting everything incorrectly in the first place?

Then again, what if it helped? He wanted to help. It was true that she had Madoka, but he could only be there to an extent. There were things that only crazy people would understand about other crazy people.

'You're still the same to me,' Faussin would've said. 'I just know more about you now, is all. In a good way.'

Maybe when Romano wasn't there--when it was just Clair and Madoka, he'd go up to them and say something. He could be as vague as he felt the need to be, so long as he got his message across. Being alone was terrifying, losing your friends was heart-breaking, and having nowhere to run to was even worse. If he could just offer her his hand, maybe it'd help some.

'You don't have to be alone.'
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It felt like hours passed in silence, but in reality, it couldn't have been longer than a few minutes. Romano watched Clair continue to work at washing off Faussin's wounds, disinfecting the scars, and moving on to get the bandages. As time passed, her usual smile returned to her face. A quick swipe cleared the growing tears from her eyes.

If Romano hadn't already put precautions in place to prevent himself from growing too attached to anyone, he likely would have apologized. Either way, it was likely too late now.

He resolved himself to simply watching her. There was something remarkable in the way she quietly wrapped another student's wounds, ignoring her own for the time being, content to simply stand there and act to care for someone else. Perhaps it was her way to trying to make up for her earlier selfishness, but whatever the case, Clair's own wounds sat dismally on display until she had finished wrapping Faussin's other arm in bandages, occasionally murmuring to herself.

After she had finished, Clair took a step away, offering Faussin a broken smile as if to assure him that things were alright now. The same smile was turned to Romano, who bowed to her as a way of apologizing for pushing the subject earlier.

"I'm sorry that took so long." Clair's voice cracked; she coughed lightly. "Um, you two can feel free to go now. I'll finish up by myself, i-it's alright. I've done this before."

Where before Romano was worried about Clair hurting others, at that his thoughts immediately turned to the possibility of her hurting herself. Briefly, the thought crossed his mind--what would happen if a student were to commit suicide? Would there still be a trial, but with no one punished since the "blackened" had already been "punished"? Would it open up new areas to explore without losing more than one student?

Would it be better to just allow Clair to do it?

Romano instantly mentally kicked himself, burying the thought. Whoever the student was, allowing any deaths was simply unacceptable at this point.

"I will remain here until you have finished," Romano announced. "I must admit I do not feel comfortable with allowing you to remain in this room alone. There are far too many risks."

"Don't worry," Clair insisted, her voice oddly soothing. "Nothing I would do in here would hurt any of you."

There was something in her wording that caused a pang in Romano's heart. He inhaled slowly, straightening his posture.

"Whatever you may say, my decision has been made. I will remain here."

Clair stared at him for a moment, her smile wavering. "If you don't mind, I would really like to be alone."

"Miss Clair, you and I both know that is a lie."

For a moment, Clair stared at him; then, she sighed, apparently resigned to Romano's presence. Moving on, she reached for the disinfectant.

No matter who it was, there could be no more deaths.

Even as he thought that, Romano knew there would be.
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Faussin looked down at his arms, now cleaned, disinfected and bandaged up, courtesy of Clair. He was sure this would've taken twice as long had he done it himself in the dead of night.

He frowned, eyes flickering to Romano, then to Clair. Suddenly the urge to talk to her was stronger. Romano had made it clear that he wasn't going to leave, so he couldn't talk to her right there and then, and they'd probably go back to the conference room with the others after this. The day would go on, and chances were the only time he'd be able to talk to her alone, without anyone knowing, would be late at night.

His fists clenched. He had to talk to her, before she...

"Nothing I would do in here would hurt any of you."

Faussin bit his lip, suddenly anxious to see the day unfold. He opened his mouth, then closed it. After a moment, he finally spoke, truth in what he said next. "It would hurt, Clair."
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Romano was glad Faussin had spoken up, admittedly. Even if his own guarded heart wouldn't allow him to show obvious worry, it was always nice to know Clair wasn't completely alone. Of equal importance was that Faussin wasn't either--for the first time, Romano realized he had never really seen Faussin out and about with anyone else.

Clair hesitated, then slowly doused her cloth in disinfectant and began wiping down her own wounds. Romano noticed her hands still violently shaking.

She hadn't responded--Clair continued her work quietly, hardly even looking anywhere but at her own scars.

Finally, the words came: "You don't have to lie to make me feel better."

Romano glanced down at the tile floor, avoiding looking at either of his two companions. If there was any way to wiggle into Romano's closed-off heart and shatter it to pieces, these two had discovered that way.

It was the only sentence Clair spoke in response. She had returned to her guarded silence, as if somehow, not saying a word would make everything better magically.

The longer they stayed in this wretched place, the more despair seemed to clog their hearts. There was a time limit on their time in this hotel. Even if not every student in the class died before their escape, those who remained would be left with scars so deep they were impossible to heal.

Whatever it took--whatever had to be done--somehow, Romano had to get everyone out safely...and fast.
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"I'm not lying, Clair," Faussin said suddenly, the lowness of his voice surprising even him. "This is going to sound messed up, but of all the people here, you're probably the person I dread dying the most."

He paused, breath suddenly catching in his throat. He couldn't let his composure slip. Not now, not ever. What was he going to do if something happened? He'd spent all of that time trying to find himself again, and after so much suffering, he'd found something to cling to--someone he wanted to be, someone that was so much better than giving in.

"If I could just..." He clenched his fists, looking to the wall.

If you could just be yourself, his brother's voice finished.

Faussin shook his head. He couldn't--that wasn't an option, and he knew that. He had to hide for as long as he could. He'd worked so hard to bury that part of him. Letting it bubble up again would only make everything worse, and he knew it.

And besides, what if he couldn't recover again?

What if he lost himself forever?

He closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath. "What am I supposed to say to make you believe me? What am I supposed to do? If I told you why, would that help?"
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"Forgive me."

The words caught Romano by surprise. He cleared his throat, trying to maintain his composure.

May as well go through with it now.

"My intention was not to cause you further discomfort, only to try and give you an outlet. When a secret tears you up this much, it is not a healthy one to keep."

Clair shook her head, wincing when the disinfectant touched an open wound on her chest. "I don't need any of you to apologize to me. F-Fauss, I'm alright, really. You don't have to tell me anything. I'm just...gosh, I don't know, I don't know what I'm doing, I just know...I'll be alright, okay?"

"Miss Clair, I believe you are the one who is lying."

Clair froze.

Romano sighed. "Honestly...if all of us could be quite honest with one another, I am sure that would solve many of our problems. If you cannot tell us your massive secret, can you not at least be honest about your feelings?"

Perhaps it was time for all of them to be honest. Romano could put on a brave front as much as he wanted, but he couldn't expect anyone else to be honest if he was still guarding himself.

If that was what it took...

"For my part, I am currently terrified." Romano paused, watching a reaction. Clair looked up at him slowly, biting her lip. "...We are trapped in what seems to be a hopeless situation, and despite my best efforts I am rather fond of all of you. If we do not escape this place soon, I fear that we will all start to end up in this room. There seems to be no escape and the dynamics of our team are quickly falling to pieces. Even as a mafia son, I was never subject to this level of despair."

Clair raised an eyebrow. "W-what's that about a mafia?"

Romano looked to the side, expression neutral. The others could keep their secrets--he would disclose his. "Yes, you heard correctly. My father was the godfather of a branch of the mafia still based out of Italy. I first became a butler as part of a plot to unravel a local family."

"So then..." Clair paused. "This is all probably familiar to you, huh...?"

"Do not get the wrong idea. The mafia does far more than simply kill, and those kills are usually carried out by those who owe us favors rather than those within our own ranks. But in terms of manipulation, you could say I am well-versed in the techniques associated with it." Romano paused. "...Perhaps that is why I cannot bring myself to hate you, though I did have a sliver of hope that things would be different here."

"I'm sorry," Clair repeated.

"If you wish to apologize, begin by being honest with us. Hiding your feelings helps no one."

For a moment, Clair was speechless.

"...I hate myself with a growing passion, I want to die, and I'm horrified of getting close to people because every time I do they just end up making my life miserable." Clair's voice was bitter, but she was smiling slightly. "I don't want any of you worrying about me because that only makes it worse and there's nothing anyone can do to fix it, but...I know I'll bounce back because I've been in this spot plenty of times before and I'm still alive now. Maybe it's a forced hope, maybe it's fake and I'm just making myself keep going because I'm not even brave enough to kill myself, but regardless I always end up alright. So...you don't have to worry about me, okay? I'll be fine."

Romano nodded, then turned his gaze to Faussin. "...I will not ask you to spill important secrets," Romano muttered. "However, if there are any feelings you have been holding inside, please feel free to share them now. It is safe to say all of us carry fear and hate in our hearts, myself included."

"Thanks, Romano," Clair whispered, offering Romano a brief smile before returning to her work cleaning her wounds.
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"I..." Faussin paused briefly, unsure of what to say. "I'm terrified for different reasons."

He shifted uncomfortably, then took a deep breath. If Romano was going to share secrets, it was only appropriate Faussin said something as well, wasn't it? His hand twitched. He looked down at his arms, bandaged up and sore. What was the point?

"I'm just waiting to snap," he admitted, chuckling darkly. There was a brief lapse in his composure. It only lasted for a second, but it was something completely unlike him--a darkness that was deeply etched into his being. But within seconds, he'd flickered back to his usual self. Any trace of whatever that was had completely vanished. "I'm terrified of what might happen. I feel suffocated. I'm so used to being able to run away--to hide--and calm down, but there's nowhere to go to. We're trapped. I don't want to get close to anyone because if I do, they'll just..."

Because if you do, you'll just end up killing them.

He buried his face in his hands, sighing. "I want to get out. We need to get out."
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The tiny flicker in Faussin's composure was not lost on Romano--still, he decided making any further comments would be counterproductive. Clearly everyone in the room was obsessed with escape for different reasons--well, everyone except Clair, perhaps.

Clair sighed, placing her disinfectant aside and moving on to gather the bandages. "Can I just offer myself up as a sacrifice or something? I don't want to get out of here nearly as much as any of you, so if something happens..."

As she trailed off, Romano wandered closer to her, carefully taking the bandages from her hands. Clair stayed quiet as he began to wrap her arms.

"There will be no sacrifices," he insisted. "Now stay calm. We will get through this together, somehow. It won't be long."

Even as he said the words, he knew they weren't true. Romano could only hope everyone would still be alright when they finally did escape.





The next day dawned early for Romano--as usual. The prior day's events were heavy in his mind--briefly, he considered checking in on Faussin and Clair to make sure the two were alright, but considering what he knew about them chances were they had managed to recover well enough. At the moment, Romano was mostly concerned with his own mental well-being.

Cleaning some of the rooms downstairs gave him something to do, but alleviating his more obsessive impulses could only pacify him for a short time. It was time to visit a new place--perhaps get some fresh air.

Outside was not an option, but at least the garden was.

This in mind, Romano ascended the steps to the third floor and headed towards the garden. He cracked open the door, entering somewhat hesitantly.

Immediately, he was hit with an overwhelming sense of dread.

Something is wrong.

Romano couldn't explain it, but he knew something was terribly wrong.

He found that "something" laying peacefully in a flower bed, blood pooling by her heart..

Amelia.

Is she dead? Is she unconscious? Can we save her?

Cautiously, afraid of the answer, Romano knelt down next to Amelia's body, gently pressing his fingers to her neck.

There was no pulse to greet him. Romano's heart pounded in his chest.

They had to get everyone together and investigate. Despite his best efforts, despite every prayer he had sent up through the night, it had happened again.

He was downstairs to rally the others in a heartbeat.
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Faussin hardly slept that night, which was no surprise. Getting out of bed was a chore in and of itself--one that required immense effort--but like the days prior, he'd somehow managed. Slipping his newly washed jacket on over his bandaged arms, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and mustered up the courage to face a new day. They were going to find a way out of there--they had to.

Just as he was about to leave his room, someone knocked. Graham's voice spoke from the other side: "Fauss, you awake?"

Suddenly worried, Faussin opened the door, facing a rather worried-looking Graham. Behind him, he realized Finnian was knocking on other people's doors as well. "Is something wrong?"

"Romano found Amelia," he started, "dead. In the garden. Finn and I are waking up anyone who's not up already so we can start investigating."

Dead.

Why was he surprised?

Whatever confidence he'd woken up with now gone, Faussin stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him. Of course, the next person to die had to have been the one who'd brought her happiness to the group when everything was falling apart. By the time this trial was over, they'd all be locking themselves in their rooms. He could feel it.

"Do we know anything so far?" Faussin asked, glancing in the direction of the stairs. "How long ago was she, um... found?"

"I'm not sure," Graham admitted. "Vivara was the one who woke me up, so you'd probably be better off asking her. To be honest, I'm kind of half asleep, half in shock right now..."

Faussin looked around, not feeling too great himself. Waking up to murder wasn't exactly his ideal way to start off the day.
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Slowly, the students began to gather in the garden, where Romano stood guard over Amelia's body. Romano drowned out the familiar chime of the body discovery announcement, focusing instead on observing his classmates. Predictably, Clair was huddled in Madoka's arms, trembling. Oni moved as close to Romano as she could get, reaching out to touch his arm. Faqir lingered somewhere between Mercy and Amelia's body, mumbling to himself.

After a moment, his murmurs grew louder. "We barely met Lottie."

Romano nodded solemnly, crouching next to the girl. Oni placed a hand on his back, eerily quiet.

"She had just introduced herself," Faqir continued, laughing. "Man, I had so much fun with that girl. She told the best puns. I was so looking forward to continuing to get to know her, just...just hanging out together, you know?"

"Sucks to suck!"

Monokuma popped up out of nowhere as usual, practically dropping the Monokuma File on Romano. Romano took it.

"There you go, your Monokuma File to help begin your investigation! Good luck, dorks!"

"Wait." Romano rose to his feet, turning to glare at the bear. "Before you go, there is something I must ask you. Is there a way out of this?"

Monokuma frowned. "Well, duh. I already told you, Jarvis! Kill someone and get away with it, and bam, you're free as a bird!"

"Outside of trials. Have we any hope of getting out of here?"

"Whaddaya think I am, some kinda blabbermouth? I ain't telling! Ta-ta for now, see ya at the trial!"

The bear was gone before Romano could continue. He sighed, opening the file.

"Romano," Oni said quietly, "didn't that sound kinda weird? Like he's hiding something from us?"

Romano knew what she meant as soon as she brought it up. "You mean that he did not say 'no'. Yes, it is rather strange."

"So there!" Oni placed her hands on her hips, triumphant. "We can get out without having to kill for it. Where there's a will, there's a way! And where there's a way, the Great Demon Queen will find it!"

It was unlikely, but it was something to cling to. Romano tucked her words in the back of his mind, reading from the Monokuma File.

"To begin our unfortunate investigation, I shall read this out loud. 'The victim was Lottimelia Temmer.' Lottimelia--I suppose it works."

"That sounds like something she would call herself. I like it," Faqir added.

"Yes, it is rather fitting. 'The time of death was four in the morning. The cause of death was lowered blood pressure and difficulty breathing.'"

Odd. There were clear signs of a stab wound, but the Monokuma File indicated some other cause of death. Romano supposed being stabbed in the chest would, in fact, cause lowered blood pressure and difficulty breathing, but if that were the case, why not simply say "the cause of death was a stab wound"?

Additionally, something stood out about the position of the stab wound. Romano frowned.

"May I ask one of our members with medical knowledge to examine the body? This cause of death seems odd to me and I believe there may be more clues hidden in the wound."
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Faussin lingered a distance away from the body, willing himself not to stare. Another student--lifeless. Cold.

"Of course." Vivara crouched down next to the body, unflinching as always. She adjusted her glasses, stared for a moment, and narrowed her eyes slightly. "I'd like to have Finnian confirm this, but something does seem to be off about the stab wound. The angle suggests she was stabbed while lying down, not while standing."

"That's... weird," Finnian muttered, kneeling down next to her. "I think you're right. Doesn't make much sense, though. Maybe the attacker snuck up on her while she was sleeping?"

Vivara shook her head. "It's hard to believe she'd sleep in the garden rather than her room, which can be locked. Maybe she was tackled and then stabbed?"

Finnian bit his lip. "Not sure. Maybe if we look around, stuff will start making sense."

"Maybe," Vivara muttered. "This wound seems to have been made by something that looks awfully like a knife, but I suppose there's no way to be sure. Does anyone have any instincts on what places to check? Obviously, the rest of the garden, but aside from that? And if she was outside of her room at four in the morning, as the time of death suggests, it had to have been for a reason. If anyone saw her acting suspicious, now would be the time to say so."

"I hate to be the one to point this out," Graham started, seeming hesitant, "but you were talking to her a lot yesterday, Ysabel."

Ysabel, who had been standing a stunned distance away from the body, perked up. "Wh-what?"

"It may not mean anything. But it's worth pointing out," Graham spoke. "The other two trials were pretty easy to figure out, but this feels like it's going to be a bit harder. And we all know what happens if we get the murderer wrong, so..."

"We're not going to get it wrong," Vivara said. "Will someone check her room? She still has her handbook, and there may be some clues inside."

Mercy, who had been silent the entire time, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll check with Oni. Would you hand me her handbook?"

Vivara hesitated. "Of course. If you're uncomfortable checking, Mercy, I'm sure someone else could go in your stead."

"Whether I'm comfortable or not does not matter," Mercy replied numbly, taking the handbook from Vivara. "You are needed here for your medical expertise, Clair is unstable, and Ysabel is apparently a suspect. Truth be told, I would be even more uncomfortable letting anyone else check."

"Very well. Do hurry--our time is limited, as always."

Mercy turned, heading for the exit. She gestured for Oni to follow.

Faussin's gaze turned back toward Lottimelia. It was hard to explain, but something about her seemed oddly peaceful. The Ultimate Botanist, laying in a bed of flowers, blonde hair spread out across the greenery...

Why did this have to happen?
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Oni seemed almost grateful to have an excuse to be away from the body. She paused, hugged Romano briefly, then trotted after Mercy. Romano watched her, brushing off his sleeve.

How long would it be until she was laying on the ground just like Lottimelia? How far would Oni manage to make it before she, too, lay as a corpse on the ground? Would she be able to escape with the others?

Romano looked over the file again. Something was still strange, but he couldn't tell what.

"The two most likely areas to have a knife would be the kitchen and the nurse's office, correct?" Romano asked. "If no one is opposed, I will take someone along to investigate one of those two areas while two others check wherever I do not. Are there any volunteers?"

Faqir raised his hand. "I'll go somewhere. Viv and Finn should probably stay here and work out the issue with the body, Madoka's gotta stay with Clair or she'll probably kill something, and you've got places to be. Fauss, Graham, Ysabel, anyone wanna come with?"

Clair sniffled. "M-Mado can go," she assured. "I'll be fine on my own, d-don't worry. I-I'm sorry I'm so useless right now."

Madoka hugged her closer, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "Faqir's right, I-I should probably stick with her."

Romano nodded slowly, his eyes drifting over to Faussin. This couldn't have been the best remedy to his own issues--perhaps it was best to ensure he was with someone who could serve as mental support. Still, after the events of last night accompanying the boy himself may raise some suspicions.

"Master Faussin, why don't you go with Master Faqir?" Romano offered. "The two of you may check the nurse's office, if that is alright. I will take Master Graham to check the kitchen. Miss Ysabel, feel free to decide for yourself where you wish to go."
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Faussin paused, glancing over at Faqir. As with most of the other students, Faussin hadn't grown very close to anyone, Faqir included. He seemed nice, but the way he'd blown up at Clair made Faussin more nervous about reaching out. For now, maybe it was best to keep his distance.

Or was not growing close to anyone going to make him an easier target to kill?

He bit his lip. He deserved it anyway.

"Well." Faussin hesitated. "No time to waste, right?"

"That's for sure," Graham said with an insincere chuckle. He glanced over at Romano, then at the door, as if waiting for them to leave.

Vivara and Finnian were still crouched down by the body, looking down at the Monokuma File and exchanging theories about what may have happened. Faussin had to admit that the file's wording had been a bit weird, but if anyone was going to figure out why, it wasn't going to be him.

As he looked, though, something occurred to him. The flowers around Lottimelia stood tall, as if almost untouched. Normally, this wouldn't have stood out, but if there was some kind of struggle, wouldn't the flowers have been crushed--or at least somehow disturbed?

Maybe it was nothing, but it bothered him.
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Romano nodded, moving towards the door. Admittedly, he wasn't sure what anyone might find in the two rooms he had sent them to check, but it was worth a try.

He had sent Faussin to the nurse's office on purpose--if anyone was to know if something was out of place in that room, Romano guessed it would be him. Furthermore, choosing the kitchen was deliberate--Romano had spent so much time in the cafeteria cleaning and gathering food for the others that he had basically memorized the layout of the place. They were probably the best equipped to explore the two rooms.

Just before passing Faqir on his way out, Romano placed a hand on the jeweler's shoulder, leaning in to whisper. "Be considerate."

Faqir tilted his head. "Sure thing, man. You okay?"

"I am perfectly fine, Master Faqir. Do not worry yourself over me." Sure, it was a lie, but there was no need to worry anyone.

Steeling his nerve for whatever he might come across, Romano headed towards the kitchen, only vaguely waiting for Graham to follow.
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Watching Romano and Graham leave, Faussin got the feeling that he and Faqir were due to leave as well and started heading toward the nurse's office. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Faqir was coming, then quickened his pace, not wanting to waste any time.

Ysabel stuck by Vivara and Finnian, apparently not sure of where to go.

When Faussin opened the door to the nurse's office, everything seemed to be in order. His first instinct was to check the knives, but as he stepped in, something seemed about the shelves seemed off. It was hard to tell what, but after having been there so many times, he could tell something was different.

"Could you check the knives?" Faussin asked, wandering over to the shelves. "I can't tell what, but something here is bothering me..."

He began scanning the medicines. Yes, something was definitely wrong, but what?

His eyes narrowed.

"This is in the wrong place."

Faussin pinpointed a bottle of sleeping pills, taking it off of its perch and looking at it more closely. He immediately noticed how light it felt--it was as if half of its contents were missing. Carefully, he unscrewed the cap, and sure enough, it was almost empty.

When the nurse's office first opened up, he'd come in not only to clean up his arms, but to look for something to help him sleep. He'd spotted this bottle, but had ultimately decided against taking anything in case they were secretly poisoned. A silly notion, he knew, but one he couldn't stop thinking about.

Even if he didn't end up taking any, he'd put it right back where it belonged, and it had been completely full. Even yesterday, it was still in the same place, which meant someone had moved it some time between yesterday morning and the morning of Lottimelia's death.

"And that wasn't there before," he muttered, eyes fixing on an empty cup from the cafeteria. "At least, I don't think it was."
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Romano made his way into the cafeteria, pausing to check that everything in the main dining hall was in order. The chairs were arranged as he had left them, the tables were spotless, and the floors were tidy--part of that had come from Romano's daily romp through the rooms to ensure they were in order, but he remembered that it had been this clean when he had entered earlier as well.

Leaving the dining hall behind, he headed into the kitchen. "Master Graham, do feel free to look around wherever you like. If anything seems out of the ordinary, take note of it--anything could be a clue."

On that note, one of the kitchen knives was clearly missing. Romano memorized the exact number--there should have been six--and there was a distinct gap in the set.

He puzzled through it internally--the knife was not upstairs with Lottimelia, and unless the killer had taken time after the kill to meticulously clean any stains there was evidence they hadn't returned to the kitchen after performing the deed. The missing knife had to be somewhere, but as for where Romano was unsure.

Perhaps Graham had ideas. "Have you any ideas of where a missing knife may have ended up? Were there any clues upstairs that would lead to a particular location?"




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Faqir saluted, obediently moving to check the collection of scalpels and other assorted sharp objects. "The knives are all very sharp and none are stained with blood. My conclusion is that the killer probably didn't use one. Think they took a knife from the cafeteria when they got that glass?"

Faqir was surprised at how calm he'd managed to stay thus far--it was almost as though he was getting desensitized to the sight of a dead body.

The thought was terrifying.

Maybe he had just stopped believing it could be true. It was likely Faqir had simply labelled all of the deaths as a horrific nightmare, some kind of illusion or prank being played on the students. All those who appeared dead were still alive, laughing about how "we got them!" Bonnie, Xhevona, Eriko, Braeden, Lottimelia...they'd all been in on the joke, that was all. He was just being pranked.

His mind was quickly turning to a darker place. Trying to remain calm, Faqir examined the cabinet holding the knives before moving on to check other areas of the nurse's office. Everything seemed mostly in order--perhaps Faussin had had better luck.
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"Maybe," Faussin muttered. "It just seems kind of weird, right? If they used a knife from the kitchen, then what would they even be doing in the nurse's office?"

He sighed, walking over to the glass. From what he could tell, it was empty, but there were droplets of what looked like water stuck to the side. Like the bottle, it had to have been brought into the room after he and Clair visited the day prior. Unless it was always there and he just hadn't noticed it...?

No. Even if he hadn't noticed it, Romano would've spotted it and brought it back the cafeteria.

Faussin took a breath. He didn't like how comfortable he was with all of this. Not that he was exactly 'comfortable', but even during the first trial, he hadn't reacted to Bonnie and Xhevona's deaths the way everyone else had. It drilled in the feeling that something was wrong with him. It made him more afraid of what he might do, considering he didn't even seem to flinch at a body in the first place.

"Do you see anything else?" Faussin asked, looking around.





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Graham turned to Romano, admittedly glad he had found something--Graham's search had turned up nothing so far.

"Nothing that comes to mind right away," he admitted, frowning. "There are tons of places to hide things, especially now that we have three floors. I would know."

He paused, thinking. Where would I hide something?

"Could we check the rooms?" He asked, immediately thinking of the collection of treasure hidden in his room. "Wait, no. That'd take too long. I just feel like someone may have hidden it in their room because our rooms lock, and going into your room to hide things is a lot less suspicious than returning a bloody knife to the kitchen."
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The rooms--it made sense the more Romano thought about it. If the killer had brought the knife back to their room, it would have looked like an ordinary trip back to where they slept and would have reduced the risk of blood getting in one of the rooms Romano checked frequently.

The question was, whose room?

"Miss Mercy and Miss Oni are searching Lottimelia's room," Romano muttered. "We can rule out our own two rooms, but that still leaves quite a few we could attempt to search. I don't suppose you have anyone's handbooks on you, do you?"

If anyone was going to mysteriously have one of the other students' handbooks, it was Graham. Even so, he was right that checking every room would take too long...they would have to plan carefully to save the most time.




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Faqir glanced around at all the cabinets and counters, scanning for anything that looked particularly "out of place". Nothing caught his eye...until he glanced down at the floors to search for bloodstains and found some pill capsules instead.

He nudged the pile with a foot. "I don't suppose this is some kind of Morse code message. Think the killer was trying to spell something, or did someone just drop these while trying to get high?"

If nothing else, at least Faqir still had some semblance of a sense of humor. He wasn't yet sure whether that was a good thing or not.
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Faussin looked down at the pills Faqir was referring to, then back to the bottle in his hand.

He knelt down, taking a pill from the floor and one from the bottle. Just to make sure he wasn't wrong, he checked both sides of each pill, then looked up at Faqir. "They're sleeping pills. There are a ton missing from the bottle, but I don't think these are enough to make up for everything that's missing."

Faussin bit his lip. Why would the killer want anything to do with sleeping pills? If anything, they would at least bother to notice the pills they'd dropped, right? It wasn't as though they weren't obvious.




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Graham took three handbooks out of his pockets. "Well. I'd be lying if I said no. I've got my handbook, Faqir's, and Ysabel's. Normally I just have me and Faqir's on me, but when I saw Ysabel talking to Lottimelia last night, I got suspicious. I mean, normally, it'd be nothing, but... Ysabel isn't very talkative, and considering that Lottimelia just ended up dying this morning, I didn't want to take any chances."

He paused, taking one last handbook out of his pocket. "I also have your handbook. Not for any particular reason, I just like to steal things, which I'm sure is no surprise. Here, you can have it back now. Also, we should hurry, because we're on a time limit, as I'm sure you're aware."
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Romano would be lying if he said he was surprised to see Graham had his handbook. Sighing, he reached out to take it, tucking it away in his pocket.

Somehow, Romano couldn't see any reason Faqir would kill Lottimelia--he had quickly grown incredibly attached to Lottie and was one of the most adamant about preventing more death.

Ysabel, however--Romano knew next to nothing about Ysabel.

"If you do not mind, I would like to check Miss Ysabel's room," Romano said. "Just like you, I am...somewhat suspicious of her. I will be the first to admit I know nothing about her."




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Sleeping pills?

"Maybe the killer was just having trouble sleeping." Faqir shrugged, examining the spilt pills. "...Hey, you said that glass wasn't here yesterday, right? Do you think the two are connected somehow? Like, maybe Lottie was poisoned or something. I don't know a whole lot about drugs, surprisingly."

Poison--it was possible, but was it likely? Something still felt off about the whole thing. Why poison Lottimelia and stab her?

No matter the end result, Faqir felt sure--this was going to break the group all over again.
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"Poison?" Faussin let out a sigh. "But how would they have gotten her to take it? And she was stabbed too, right? Th-this doesn't make any sense. I hope everyone is having more luck than we are."

He stood, taking a deep breath. He glanced toward the door, then back at Faqir, suddenly feeling awkward. Of course, of all times to feel awkward, during the investigation of a murder was most definitely the one. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. As much as he was trying not to, he couldn't help but think about how everyone would probably miss him the least of all if he died.

But that was what he wanted, right? He didn't want to be close to anyone and he didn't want anyone to be close to him, because that's what he was used to. He liked staying in his own little bubble. When the suffocating feeling grew more and more, however, sometimes the bubble seemed to just be making it worse.

"We checked everything, right?" Faussin asked.



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Graham nodded, heading for the cafeteria door. Something had always seemed weird about Ysabel--she never talked, she always seemed distant from the rest of the group, and she didn't even know her Ultimate. It was weird, to say the least, and seeing her talk to Lottimelia the night before she died only made her seem even more suspicious.

"So it's not just me," Graham confirmed, tightening his grip on Ysabel's handbook. "Let's go check out her room. ...Except we can't, because we're guys. Let's go ask Mercy and Oni to check out her room."

He wasn't sure what he was hoping for. If they found something suspicious, then they'd have a solid suspect. If they didn't, then they'd have nothing.

Of course, the others were searching for clues, too, right? Hopefully, they were all coming up with something. Failing a trial would spell everyone's doom, after all.
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Romano nodded, following Graham out of the kitchen. "During the first investigation, the law against male students entering a female student's room was revoked. Do you think the same may be true now?"

As if on cue, Monokuma popped out of the ground. "Bingo! It'd drag forever if I didn't let you sneaky bastards into those rooms every once in a while."

Romano sighed. "Then I assume we are welcome in Miss Ysabel's room."

"Sure, sure. But I'll be watchin' you! Nothing creepy, okay? And if I see you opening any weird drawers...it'll be double punishment time, got it?!"

Talking with Monokuma always gave Romano a headache--he pushed it away. "Understood."

As quickly as he'd come, the bear vanished. Romano continued down the hallway, his mind whirling.

"...That all said, shall we attempt to search the room ourselves?"




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Faqir sighed, fiddling with the chain around his neck. "All I'm sayin' is, this is some Sherlock Holmes sh*t we're being forced to crack. I guess that's everything, huh? I didn't find anything else worth mentioning."

How were the others doing? Had they nailed down a suspect? Did they have the missing puzzle pieces?

Puzzles. Not for the first time, Faqir found himself missing Eriko. She would have solved the case in a snap--it was her specialty, after all.

For her sake, they had to solve this puzzle.
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"You're not wrong," Faussin admitted, laughing nervously. He moved to scratch his arms, then stopped, slipping a hand into his pocket and taking out his deck of cards. He hadn't parted with them the moment they'd arrived. "Um. Should we go back to the garden?"

Then again, the idea of going back up there made him slightly nauseous. It was just a reminder of the hopeless situation they were in.

He began to shuffle the cards. "Unless you have anywhere else you wanna check?"



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"It would be faster," Graham pointed out. "And if anyone's going to be thorough, it's probably us. Or Vivara. You and Vivara would probably do the best job going through someone's room, but right now she's examining a dead body and to be honest I don't envy her. Better that Mercy doesn't have to do it anyway."

Not missing a beat, he stopped in front of Ysabel's door. Admittedly excited to break into her room without her knowing, (not because of anything weird, he just got a weird satisfaction from breaking into things), he unlocked it with the handbook and swung the door open.

Everything seemed normal--almost too normal. Nothing was personalized. Which, he supposed wasn't too weird, but maybe as someone who'd spent hours organizing and reorganizing all of the things in his room over and over again and mentally declaring his room as his fortress, it stood out to him.
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Romano examined the room, marveling at how clean it appeared to be. It certainly wasn't quite up to his standards, but Ysabel clearly took good care of her things, if nothing else. Beyond that, it was...empty. Strangely empty.

"Search wherever you like," Romano urged, moving to Ysabel's dresser. "I shall search the dressers. Do let me know if you find anything unusual."

The countertops were immaculate--Romano moved on to the drawers, only moving any items contained within enough to spy if anything was out of the ordinary. Most were full of normal things such as clothes and knickknacks; Romano tried to avoid fiddling around in any drawers that contained undergarments out of pure respect for privacy.

It was the last drawer he checked that hid the kitchen knife. Romano recognized it immediately, pulling it out of the drawer.

"...Well, well, well."




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Is there? Truthfully, Faqir didn't have any other ideas on other places to check, but he also really didn't want to go back upstairs yet.

"Maybe Romano and Graham missed something in the kitchen." Faqir knew they hadn't--Romano was far too thorough in those things--but anything that would give him something to do besides going upstairs was better than nothing.
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Faussin scratched the back of his head, looking over at the door. Somehow he doubted they'd missed anything, but Fauss would take any excuse to not have to go back upstairs. "It wouldn't hurt to double check, right?"

"Time's up! Everyone, report to the red door so the trial can begin!"

He paused. "Or not. T-time to start the trial, I guess."



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Graham perked up at the sound of the announcement, both standing up and glancing over at Romano to see what had peaked his interest. When he realized the kitchen knife had been buried in one of Ysabel's drawers, he suddenly felt his chest constrict. It was lucky that they'd checked her room, for sure, but it was still hard to accept that there were so many cold-blooded students among them.

But they weren't exactly cold-blooded, were they? It was the hopelessness and desperation of such a situation that drove them to kill another student, and that was terrible, to say the least. He briefly wondered how many people among them were capable of something so terrible when pushed to their limit.

There wasn't a way to know, was there?

He sighed, heading toward the door. Things were getting worse and worse, and he wasn't sure they were going to get any better. How empty would the conference room feel after this trial finished?
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So it begins.

The students crowded into the elevator. For the first time, Romano realized how empty it felt without the five students they had lost--and soon, there would be a sixth.

Or will there?

Something still bothered Romano about the cause of death. There was too much that didn't quite add up, but the knife in Ysabel's room was plenty incriminating. Something had to be done, fast.

As the elevator ground to a halt, the students found their spots at the podiums. Romano gazed to his left, noting the empty spots where Lottimelia and Bonnie had once stood.

Soon, there would be another one.

"Welcome, boys and girls!" Monokuma popped into his chair, grinning at the students. "A quick review of trial rules! Everyone will work together to find the blackened. When a consensus has been reached, everyone votes! Get it right and the blackened is punished. Get it wrong and you all kick the bucket while the blackened gets to graduate--so tread careful!"

Romano took a deep breath. Somewhere along the line, he had adopted the habit of beginning the trials--perhaps it allowed him to feel like he had control over the proceedings.

"If you do not mind, I would like to begin by addressing the cause of death. It appears to have been a stab to the chest, and a knife from the kitchen was discovered in Miss Ysabel's room."
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Faussin felt everyone's eyes shift to Ysabel.

"What--" Ysabel almost immediately checked her pockets, eyes widening. "I-I would never have killed her."

Across the room, Graham took something out of his pocket--a handbook. It was... Faqir's?

"...You guys looked more confused than I thought you would. We all know I take things by now, so this shouldn't be a surprise, right? Oh wait. Wait. Oh. Crud, wrong handbook, hold on..."

He paused, rifling through his pockets for a brief moment. This time, he pulled out a different handbook--when the screen lit up, Ysabel's face was the one that appeared on it. "Okay. There we go. Before we left to go check out the kitchen, I took Ysabel's handbook because I got kind of suspicious of her. Of everyone, she's the person we know least about, and her talking with Lottimelia so much before she died was weird, to say the least. When we realized the kitchen knife was missing, Romano and I checked her room out just in case, and we found the knife hidden in her dresser."

"The scissors in my sewing kit aren't working," Ysabel explained, seeming oddly calm. "I had taken one of the knives from the kitchen to use instead. That's why it was in the drawer with my sewing kit."

Faussin stared. Even after she'd only said a few sentences, this was the most he'd seen her talk from the moment they arrived.

Vivara crossed her arms. "You can see why it's hard to believe you when you were seen talking with the victim--who was supposedly stabbed to death--the night before her death and were found with a knife fitting the killing instrument inside of your room."

"Supposedly?" Mercy questioned.

"Well," Finnian started, "she was definitely stabbed. It's just that the stab angle was weird and so was the Monokuma File's analysis of the death."

Vivara nodded. "That's right. We don't want to say anything for sure yet, considering this case may end up being more complicated than the others. Speaking of, were any other clues uncovered?"

Faussin hesitated. "When Faqir and I were looking around, we found an almost empty bottle of sleeping pills and a glass from the cafeteria in the nurse's office. I don't know if they mean anything, but they're weird enough to point out, I think."

"Odd," Vivara muttered. "Even if one of us has been taking sleeping pills every night, I wouldn't think it's been long enough to nearly empty the bottle. Has one of us been taking sleeping pills?"
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Sleeping pills? Why does that sound odd to me?

Romano thought over where he had found the knife--it was important to chase that lead for now. "She is not wrong--the knife was indeed found in the same drawer as her sewing kit. However, that is beside the point now. You say the glass from the cafeteria was found in the nurse's office? Do you think it possible the killer may have gotten that glass when they took the knife and planted it to lead us astray?"

Clair bit her lip. "I've been having trouble sleeping, but I haven't been taking pills for it. I think it might be safe to assume those pills all vanished at once."

Romano nodded slowly. "It may be a red herring," he murmured. "Still, it would not be wise to ignore this lead completely. For now, does anyone else have any other clues? Miss Ysabel is seeming rather suspicious right about now."
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Faussin looked around, watching to see if anyone had found anything else of importance. Everyone was silent.

After a moment, Vivara let out a sigh. "I'll take that as a no. Well, let's look at what we have so far--an odd stab wound, a knife in Ysabel's room, Ysabel speaking with Lottimelia the night before the murder, missing sleeping pills, an empty glass, and the information given to us by the Monokuma file. Where shall we start?"

Finnian crossed his arms. "Let's start with the stab wound. The angle suggested Lottimelia was lying down when stabbed, which suggests she was tackled, sleeping, or something along those lines."

Graham stroked his chin. "She's pretty small, right? So it's not like we can assume based on physical stuff this time. I think any of us could tackle her and win."

"She would've fought back, though," Mercy muttered. "The killer would've been hurt, even if just a bit."

"Lottie does strike me as the type to claw and kick till her last breath," Vivara admitted. "Could that have been a reason for them to have visited the nurse's office?"

Finnian shifted. "Maybe. Unless, like Romano suggested, they were trying to create a red herring, that doesn't explain why they messed with sleeping pills, though."
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Romano thought for a moment. Something still wasn't quite adding up--there was too much wrong with the situation that he couldn't even begin to put his finger on what exactly that was. "...They may have visited the nurse's office to fix wounds and decided it would be a grand opportunity to plant false clues. Under that thought process, our thoughts turn towards Miss Ysabel, correct?"

Clair bit her lip. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then apparently changed her mind and gripped the stand, observing the others. Madoka reached out to pat her shoulder.

"That said..." Romano paused. "We cannot be certain Miss Ysabel was the culprit until we have cleared up one thing: what is it you were talking with Miss Lottimelia about all those times? What would cause you to take a sudden interest in her so close to her death? And have you anything to say regarding the other claims that have been made during this trial?"
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Faussin tucked his hands into his jacket, watching Ysabel as she took a deep breath.

"When Lottimelia revealed she had DID, I became curious," Ysabel admitted, hands trembling. "See, my sister suffers from the same condition. So I approached her and I asked her about it, and we ended up talking for a while. She was very excited to hear about someone else like her and I-I liked talking to her because she reminded me of home. Why would I kill someone who gave me something I might never be able to get back?"

Faussin shifted, having trouble watching her. Murderer or not, Ysabel was currently arguing for her life--they all were.
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Everything she said made sense, but the coincidences were all they had to go on. Coincidence had led them to Xhevona, after all.

Clair stared at her stand, something odd reflected in her eyes. Romano gazed at her for a moment before turning his attention back to Ysabel.

"Did anyone notice Miss Ysabel talking with Miss Lottimelia before we met Miss Lottie?" he asked. "Currently we have no other leads pointing towards anyone else. Perhaps you would like to explain yourself instead."

"Something..." Clair trailed off, shaking her head. Romano stared at her for a moment--he could hear the hesitation in her voice.

Still...what else did they have?
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"If I was going to murder someone, do you think I'd be so obvious about it?" Ysabel pointed out. "I wouldn't talk to the victim so much the night before I killed them."

Faussin frowned, not sure what to think. Everything they had against Ysabel so far didn't feel big enough to lock her in as the murderer. All of their lives were at stake--they couldn't afford to get this wrong. But at the same time, they didn't have anything else to go on.

"Hold on," Graham said. "Okay. Fauss, Faqir, you guys didn't find any missing sharp objects in the nurse's office, right? No bloodstains or anything either?"

Faussin nodded. "Yeah, we didn't find anything."

"Right," Graham confirmed. "And the only sharp object we did find missing was a knife of all things, hidden in Ysabel's room. This trial's weird for sure, but that feels like some pretty d*mning evidence. Because if that knife didn't kill Lottimelia, what did?"

Vivara crossed her arms. "The killer could've had something unconventional, though it feels unlikely."

"I agree, it's unlikely," Finnian added, "in fact, I'm almost certain the wound was made by a knife. I've seen stab wounds made by kitchen knives before, and the similarities were uncanny."

"You've seen other dead bodies before?" Graham blurted.

Finnian adjusted his glasses. "I see a lot of things. Also, my girlfriend's brother is a cop."

Graham nodded thoughtfully.

"So Graham, are you saying Ysabel is the killer?" Vivara asked.

"I'm saying that the knife in her room doesn't feel like a coincidence" Graham replied. "And neither does her talking to Lottimelia so much the day before. Ysabel hasn't talked to anyone so far, so even if the story about her sister having DID is true, it just seems really out of character. Besides, how else would the killer know she'd be in the garden at four o'clock in the morning if not by talking to her?"

"He has a point," Vivara muttered. "We don't have evidence pointing at anyone else but her, truth be told. Ysabel. Your defense?"

"I already told you my piece," Ysabel replied softly. "I did not kill her. I beg that you reconsider, considering all of us will die if you vote me up."
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Graham's point could not be ignored. Romano's mind flashed back to the first trial--the schedule Xhevona had left, her washed dress, Bonnie's note...all had been coincidences, but coincidences that pointed to pretty convincing evidence. They couldn't afford to get lost now.

"I am afraid we have nothing else to go off of," Romano relented. "Miss Ysabel, there is simply no excuse for the number of coincidences in this case."

"Or maybe it was YOU!" Oni shouted suddenly, pointing accusingly at Romano. "After all, you are the one who went to explore the kitchen and who found the knife in Ysabel's drawer! Maybe you planted the knife there! THE BUTLER ALWAYS DOES IT!"

By now, Oni accusing Romano during the trials had almost become a fun game he looked forward to. "I see you are not willing to give that up. Very well, then I offer this as a rebuttal--Master Graham was with me during the exploration of the kitchen and the trek to Miss Ysabel's room. He can tell you that I did not take anything with me from the kitchen, therefore I could not have planted the knife in Miss Ysabel's room."

Oni sighed. "One day, butler. One day I shall uncover your crimes!"

"I just want this to be over," Faqir groaned. "Yo, Monokuma, the longer this drags the more depressed we all get. We're like, forty-percent more depressed right now. That's four ten-percents! And that's terrible."

Monokumua seemed amused. "Yeah, sure, Groucho. If you bozos are ready to vote, then let the voting--"

"Wait!"

Romano glanced over at Clair, who bit her lip, her fingers tapping on the stand.

"No, we can't...something isn't right," Clair insisted. "I don't know how to explain it, but...those sleeping pills are bothering me. It feels like too much work just to create a red herring..."

Faqir cocked his head. "We already concluded no one was taking sleeping pills, right? So how else would they have disappeared except for some kind of false lead?"

"That's exactly it, though," Clair insisted. "No one else has been taking sleeping pills. And there's really no other way to use them except for a false lead or poison..."

Faqir perked up. "Wait. Poison? Did you say poison? Elaborate on that."

Poison? Why did that come across as so odd to Romano? Admittedly, taking into account the odd phrasing of the Monokuma File, poison would make sense...but then why cover the poison with a stab wound? Why not just poison the victim and leave her there? What was the stab wound accomplishing if they concluded Lottimelia had been poisoned? It didn't add up.

Clair looked around, her eyes wavering. "Well...d-don't worry about me, but I know a lot about drugs and things like that because I take a ton. Sometimes a particularly large amount on purpose. N-not this time, but..."

"Miss Clair." Romano took a long, deep breath, trying to keep himself focused. "Focus and continue, please."

Clair nodded, biting her lip. "Viv, Finn, correct me if I'm wrong, but...well, a large enough amount of sleeping pills all taken at once could cause some pretty severe symptoms. If they were dissolved somehow with hot water, maybe in tea or something, it could be bad for whoever took so many. At the base level it's just nausea and vomiting, mixed with dizziness, slurred speech, confusion, things like that. If you take way too many it could cause shock and low blood pressure, or could cause difficulty breathing and coma..."

Wait.

"Stop," Romano ordered sharply. Clair froze. "Repeat that last part."

"U-um...shock, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, coma?"

That's it.

Romano locked eyes with Vivara-- those sounded all too familiar. "Miss Vivara, what did the Monokuma File say about the cause of death?"
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Vivara's eyes shimmered. "Lowered blood pressure and difficulty breathing. And I do believe the symptoms Clair associated with an overdose of sleeping pills are correct. Are we to pursue the possibility that Lottimelia was poisoned?"

Finnian sighed. "If she was poisoned, the sleeping pills and the Monokuma File being weird would make sense, but she was still stabbed. Why?"

"Perhaps I was framed?" Ysabel tried.

"That is a possibility," Vivara admitted. "If they saw you talking to Lottimelia so much and knew you had a knife in your possession, it would make you quite an easy target to frame."

"Why stab and poison, though?" Finnian repeated. "Just a stab would do it. If anything, poisoning her makes it harder to frame her, because it's weird. If it'd just been a stab wound, we..."

"We would've voted up Ysabel already," Vivara finished.

Fausin shifted. "There were some pills spilled on the floor, too. I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but it was weird--there were a ton on the floor. Enough that the killer would've noticed and picked them up, especially if they didn't want anyone to know Lottimelia was poisoned. And I just remembered this, but, did anyone else notice that the flowers around Lottimelia were completely fine? If there was a struggle, they would've been crushed or something, right?"
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There it was--the issue with the Monokuma File that had bothered Romano. Lottimelia hadn't died from her stab wound--she had died from poison.

"In all other cases so far, the Monokuma File has listed the actual cause of death. Thus, there is reason to believe Miss Lottimelia had already died from poisoning due to an overdose in sleeping pills when she was stabbed. That would explain the odd angle of the stab wound, correct?"

Faqir seemed thoughtful. "Clair, you said 'hot' water. They wouldn't dissolve in cold water?"

Clair shook her head. "Well...not without a lot of stirring, and the clear color would make it easier to see there was something in it, whereas with hot tea the color of the dissolved pills would be far less distinguishable."

"Yo, Rom." Faqir glanced over at Romano. "As a butler, you probably serve a lot of tea. That's the stereotype, right?"

Romano raised an eyebrow. "Correct, though I do not know what this has to do with anything."

"Right, well, see..." Faqir looked at Faussin, tapping his fingers. "Hot tea couldn't be served in an ordinary dinner glass, could it?"

"It could, but only those sweet-tea-serving degenerates of the States would dare place hot tea in a glass. Sophisticates know hot tea is always to be served in a teacup, or at least some manner of mug."

"That's what I thought." Faqir nodded. "But Fauss...that's weird, right? We found an empty water glass from the kitchen in the nurse's office. There were still some water droplets in it, like it'd been recently used. If Lottimelia was poisoned, you'd think the killer would give her tea, not a glass of water."

Romano heard nails scratch against the wood of the podiums; he looked over at Clair, whose eyes had suddenly snapped to life.

"No one else poisoned Lottimelia." Clair's expression was oddly serious.

"You're the one who suggested poison!" Faqir insisted.

"I know." Clair looked across the room at Faussin, her hands curling. "No one else poisoned her."

In an instant, Romano's mind clicked.

She cannot possibly be right.

...Right?
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Faussin stared back at Clair, chest clenching. "You don't think she...?"

He grabbed the front of his stand. Why hadn't he seen it sooner?

When Lottie came out, it was a sign. The girl even said it--Amelia was beginning to lose it, and that's why Lottie took control. Lottie, completely in charge, even when Amelia was clearly the dominant one of the two. In line with that, the sleeping pills made sense, the time of death, the--

"She died in the garden."

Faussin closed his eyes, the realization sinking in more and more.

"The Ultimate Botanist died last night, lying in a bed of beautiful flowers. Of course. Because where else would she have wanted to die?"
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At once, all the puzzle pieces fell into place. They had been looking at the case all wrong from the very beginning.

"The pills were not the red herring." The gears in Romano's head wouldn't stop turning. "The stab wound was. We have been going about this all wrong. Whoever stabbed Miss Lottimelia did not kill her and plant the pills--they stabbed her to make it seem like she hadn't taken the pills. They wanted us to vote for Miss Ysabel. The question now is...who would that be?"

Clair cursed under her breath. "Th-this is all my fault. I-I made you all worry about me when we should have been worrying about Amelia! We could have stopped this and we didn't, I...I didn't, of all of us I should have seen the signs but I was so obsessed with...d*mmit!"

Madoka reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. For the first time, Romano realized he had been entirely silent throughout the whole trial.

"Your queen is confused!" Oni declared. "If...if Lottimelia killed herself which is what I think you're insinuating, then who is the blackened?!"

Monokuma just shrugged. "That's for you to find out, weeb."

"Everything lines up," Clair muttered. "She wasn't mad at any of us, she was hardly crying, she...she had internalized everything to the point that her more energetic, more confident personality was allowed to take over due to her relaxed mental state! The switch that flipped her switch was the trial, poor Amelia had completely withdrawn so Lottie had no choice but to take control of their actions and personality so she didn't become a husk, and..."

More confident?

"One more thing is bothering me," Romano murmured. "If Lottie was able to lift Amelia's spirits so much and the girl seemed to be alright so long as Lottie was allowed to have some control...what would have triggered her to commit suicide?"
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Lottimelia had killed herself. She'd decided that this was too much for her and so she took her own life, leaving this world while surrounded by the nature she loved to study.

Thinking about it made Faussin nauseous.

"You're right," Ysabel realized. "Amelia may have wanted to end her life, but Lottie's presence seemed to fix that. It doesn't make sense that she ended it anyways."

Vivara sighed, adjusting her glasses. "And the day after Lottie took control, no less. You'd think she would've lasted some time before giving into Amelia wanting to end their life."

"Unless," Ysabel began, with an odd smile, "somoene talked her into it."

Faussin stared, suddenly very uneasy.

Graham's fists clenched. "What--what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Lottie wasn't holding on very tightly, either. It's interesting," Ysabel said, brushing her hair behind her ear. The more Faussin stared, the more twisted her smile began to look, and the more unsettling her calm demeanor became. "She put on such a strong front, but Lottie didn't really seem to care about, well, anything. The only reason she felt the need to keep their spirits high was for Amelia. Adorable, sweet little Amelia--Lottie wanted her to live on, to be happy."

"That's why you were talking to her so much," Vivara muttered, fingers wrapping around the edges of her stand.

Ysabel laughed. "All I did was convince her they'd be happier dead than stuck in this H*ll. Better she took her own life than let one of you, right?"

"The stab wound," Graham muttered. "Why?"

"Simple," Ysabel replied. Her eyes darkened considerably. "Because you all deserve to die. And to think, we were just a moment away from the vote. I should have checked the nurse's office. Ha! Bad on me, I suppose."
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The pieces were all there. The puzzle was solved. Lottimelia's suicide, Ysabel's involvement...it had all been uncovered. There was nothing less to discuss.

Romano hated it.

Someone let out a choked sob. Romano turned towards the source of the sound, noticing Madoka bent over his stand, shaking violently. Next to him, Clair's eyes took on their dead, vacant look, fixed on some point far beyond reality.

Of course--this was the second trial in a row in which someone had attempted to manipulate everyone into making a wrong choice, or in fact involved manipulation at all. Romano never thought he would miss the first trial--at least Xhevona had been straightforward. No one had been brought into her mess but herself. No one had been forced to confront the reality that some of them were willing to end whatever lives they chose for selfish reasons.

"...Ysabel, you b*tch."

With each new trial, Faqir grew more and more distant from the casual, pleasant jokester Romano had once known. With each death, each new revelation about the character of the students, more and more of his good humor died. Romano could only imagine how much this was tearing everyone up.

"What the actual f*ck?! You convinced her to kill herself just because you wanted us dead?! What the h*ll did we even do?! Sure, I can understand being furious with Clair, but the rest of us have done nothing wrong, c*nt!"

Romano hadn't realized it before, but it hurt to hear his fellow students cry and lose themselves in these trials. His head spun--his composure couldn't slip now. The more everyone broke, the more they needed support.

"Everyone, remain calm," Romano insisted. "I understand that there are many negative emotions right now--"

"You, understanding emotions? That's rich, Rom." Faqir laughed, but the broken sound was obvious. "You wouldn't know grief if it slapped you in the face. You've just been pretending everything's fine, just blocking everyone out, keeping up a guard...you don't even have emotions! There's no way you could ever understand what this is like for us!"

His outburst was not unexpected. Romano took a deep breath. "I apologize that you think that. My efforts to keep my emotions in check have been entirely to provide a sense of stability. If we were all to lose our minds, I believe if it safe to say we would have failed our very first trial. Sometimes it is necessary to distance yourself from grief so that your mind may function clearly."

Faqir's fist slammed onto the table, tears in his eyes. "F*ck this, why does this keep happening?! We've been kidding ourselves! We're never getting out of here!"

Clair had sunk behind her stand by now, wailing. Madoka scratched at the wood. Oni...

Oni lifted her chin, taking a long, deep breath. She whispered under her breath as if trying to keep herself calm. Somehow, her courage was inspiring.

"So what, then?!" Faqir cried. "We don't get to kill Ysabel and she just keeps taking us all down one by one?! Why would you--why?!"

"Calm down," Romano repeated, raising his voice slightly. "Please, everyone stay calm. I know it is difficult to process, but yelling will not fix anything. I believe we should be focused, instead, on why it is Miss Ysabel is so determined to see us all die." Drawing in another deep breath to maintain his composure, Romano faced Ysabel. "If you do not mind, Miss Ysabel, I am rather curious to hear your take on this."
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Somehow, hearing everyone's reaction only served to distance Faussin further. Closing his eyes, he clutched the edges of his stand, attempting to calm the voices that raced through his head.

She's right. You do deserve to die.

It should have been you.

The truth is out!

How painful do you think Lottimelia's death was?

"You want me to explain?" Ysabel asked, chuckling. "I thought I already did, but very well. I'll repeat myself: you all deserve to die. The world is better off without every single one of you, and that is a fact. This was true of the vermin that have already left us as well."

"And what makes you say this?" Vivara questioned, standing stiffly.

Ysabel folded her hands together. "Plenty of things. Would you like examples?"

Mercy narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, examples?"

"I'm not sure what you don't understand. 'Example' is a very straight-forward word," Ysabel replied. She scanned the students briefly, "let's see. Shall I point out our dear friend Romano, who is in servitude to the mafia? An awfully proud man, our Ultimate Butler. Or would you all rather hear about Faqir, who robs people daily through his fudged jewelry prices? I'm sure the crimes of some people here are downright obvious, of course--Graham, our resident thief, or Mercy, who kills for sport."

"You--"

"And let us not forget the fallen. Xhevona was a murderer, Bonnie was a bitter and far too proud human being, Eriko ruined lives for the sake of her silly little puzzles, and Braeden--well, I can't even begin to recite his crimes. And as for lovely Lottimelia, she was far too mentally disturbed to be allowed to live. If anything, I did her a favor."

That's probably what she thinks of you, huh?

Spare yourself the pain.

This world doesn't need you.

Die.

Faussin's grip on his stand tightened, now holding onto it for balance. The voices wouldn't stop. They never stopped. They'd keep talking, and talking, and talking...

"How do you know so much?" Mercy questioned. "You..."

Realization flickered in Mercy's eyes; she slammed her fist against her stand. "You're in on it!"

Ysabel smiled. "I suppose you could call me the 'Ultimate Traitor.'"
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So that was it.

It had felt odd to Romano--if everyone incorrectly guessed Ysabel as the murderer, wouldn't it get her killed too? But if she really was in league with Monokuma, her actions made perfect sense--Monokuma wouldn't want to kill his own accomplice.

Admittedly, he wasn't concerned that the others had learned about his involvement with the mafia--or even that they realized the depths of his pride. He had already made peace with that when he'd spoken to Clair and Faussin in the nurse's office. Even so, judging by the reactions of the others, Ysabel's words had struck a deep nerve.

For a moment, the trial room was terrifyingly still.

Then, with an unexpected, bestial roar, Faqir launched off of his podium at Ysabel, reaching out to wrap his hands around her throat. Romano jumped, surprised by the sudden change. Oni screamed, stumbling back.

"You f*cking b*tch!" Faqir nearly screamed. "You knew! You let them die! You're with that f*cking bear!"

This cannot happen. We just need to stay calm...

"Master Faqir, please," Romano nearly begged. "Release her. This will solve nothing."

"Screw that!" The rage had never been more clear in Faqir's eyes--even when he had grilled Clair in the conference room, he had at least had the control to refrain from physically attacking her.

Here and now, however, as his hands tightened around Ysabel's neck, it seemed all traces of who Faqir once was had vanished in a single moment. One by one, the students had begun to shatter--and this time was Faqir's turn.

"If we can't get you executed for killing Lottie, I'll kill you myself!" Faqir roared. "I'll kill you like you killed her! I'll kill you like you let everyone else get killed! I'll f*cking kill you!"

"ENOUGH!"

Before Romano could speak out to stop her, Oni leapt off her podium and raced to Faqir, yanking at his arms.

"LET HER GO THIS INSTANT! YOUR QUEEN DEMANDS IT!" Even through her usual loudness, Romano heard the sobs in Oni's voice and saw the tears in her eyes. "M-Mercy, help me! Help me get him off!"

This cannot be allowed to happen.

Even as the trial continued to unfold, Romano could sense the danger of the coming days. Something had to be done.
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Faussin was briefly shaken out of his insanity-induced daze when he heard at least three people scream--head snapping up, he nearly fell over when he saw Faqir's hands wrapped around Ysabel's neck. Heart hammering in his chest, he watched as Oni cried for Mercy's help, frantically trying to pull Faqir away.

The Ultimate Hunter seemed hesitant--for a moment, Faussin was afraid she was only going to stand and watch as another person died.

Thankfully, that is not what happened.

"Faqir, stop," she said finally, moving to help Oni pry him off of Ysabel, "I couldn't care less if she died, but d*mmit, I'm not letting you die at the hands of that stupid f*cking bear!"

Ysabel squirmed, hands clawing at where Faqir held her throat. With each second that passed, she grew more and more desperate, kicking at him as her face turned red.

Vivara stared, noticeably struggling to keep her composure, "Faqir, please, release her! The last thing we need right now is more death!"
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For a moment, Romano was convinced he would see more deaths in the next seconds.

Then, in an instant, Faqir's composure seemed to drop completely. His grip weakened, freeing Oni and Mercy to pry him off of Ysabel, and the Jeweler nearly collapsed into the other two girls, burying his face in his hands. Oni bit her lip, holding Faqir from falling. Faqir broke into loud sobs, convulsing every once in a while with loud screams.

This cannot happen.

Romano noticed his hands had begun shaking. He took a series of deep breaths, silently counting to ten.

"We should..." Had his voice cracked? Romano wasn't sure. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "We should not dwell on these things for much longer. It is beneficial for us to begin the voting as soon as possible."

Madoka moved to pull Clair into a hug. She leaned against his shoulder, sniffling.

This cannot happen.

They had worked too hard to let everything fall apart now. If everyone could just stay calm...

"Monokuma." Romano locked eyes with the bear. "The vote, if you may?"

This absolutely cannot happen.
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"About time!" Monokuma exclaimed, crossing his arms. "Alright, twerps, time to vote! You know how it's done by now!"

There was a pounding in Faussin's head. Clutching his stand for balance, he closed his eyes, trying to even out his breathing so his heart could stop beating so quickly. It only made him more anxious, the voices louder, the pain in his head worse...

"If--if Lottimelia killed herself," Vivara started warily, "then she is the 'blackened', wouldn't you say? I would like to clarify before we vote."

"I-I believe so," Finnian muttered, his eyes downcast. He took a shaky breath. "Lottimelia is the one we need to vote for, yes."

Mercy helped Oni support Faqir's weight, expression mostly if not completely blank. After pulling him further away from Ysabel, she lifted him into a hug, tightly wrapping her arms around him. Ysabel, meanwhile, fell to the floor, gasping for breath. She was coughing and spluttering, tears forming at the corners of her eyes--watching, as his headache worsened and the voices continued to taunt him, Faussin almost felt bad.

But she didn't feel bad for talking Lottimelia into suicide. She didn't feel bad for trapping them all in this horrifying game of death. No matter what any of the people there had done, Ysabel was by far the worst of them all. She was a true monster.

Attempting to steel himself, Faussin pressed the button in front of him, locking in his choice.

At least, if Lottimelia killed herself, then she was the murderer--meaning there was no one to execute. They were only going to lose one student that day, or so he prayed.
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This much was good enough--they had lost one student, but this trial they would not lose another. That in mind, Romano pressed down on his choice. Oni slowly drew away from Faqir and Mercy to press the button for Faqir's podium and her own. Slowly, everyone locked in their votes.

...

...

...

"And the votes are in! This trial's blackened...the Ultimate Botanist, Amelia Temmer!"

Romano breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe--no one else would die here.

"But, well, hmm..." Monokuma smiled a demented grin, and instantly Romano's world stopped turning. "It's no fun not to punish anyone. What can ya do? She killed herself, so I didn't get the honors! How about this?"

The voting buttons folded back into the students' podiums. From Monokuma's large seat, a bigger panel popped out of the woodwork with buttons representing each student.

"I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you choose." Monokuma's one red eye gleamed. In the lighting, Romano swore it was the color of blood. "You guys can vote on who you want to have executed for this trial! But bear in mind, no one leaves until you choose! So pick wisely, scrubs!"

This cannot happen. This cannot happen.

It took all of Romano's willpower not to completely lose his wit.

Why must this happen?
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Faussin felt his legs about to buckle. Hands shaking, he held to his stand even more tightly, willing himself not to lose it completely. As hopeless thoughts began to swim through his head, egged on by the voices and amplified by the horror of those around him, he repeated the phrase can't give up over and over in his mind.

"This..." Vivara shook her head, hands trembling. "This is cruel beyond reckoning."

"Ysabel," Graham muttered. "She should be the one to die. Lottimelia's death was her fault in the first place, wasn't it? Everyone's deaths are her fault."

Ysabel, who had slowly taken her place back behind her stand, rubbed her neck. She regarded the students with what looked like condescension, her lilac eyes seeming unburdened as ever. Whether she was silent because she had no words to say or she was wary of being strangled again, it was hard to tell.
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Romano tried to focus on keeping his breathing steady. It should have been simple enough, right? Throw Ysabel under the bus and leave it at that.

Even so, would Monokuma let his accomplice actually get killed?

It was then that Romano took time to examine the larger voting panel at Monokuma's seat. He picked out the issue immediately.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news...but Miss Ysabel is not an option."

Faqir managed to glance up at the voting panel, springing back to his podium in horror. "Are you f*cking KIDDING me?!"

Monokuma was clever, if nothing else. He was clever, he was brutal, and he was despicable beyond belief.

Oni stared at the voting panel, her eyes taking on an odd look. Romano glanced over at Madoka and Clair, who were tangled in each other's arms.

Faqir's fury quickly bubbled back to the surface. He pointed accusingly at Clair. "D*mmit, then let's get Clair! She avoided dying last trial, we can sack her for this one!"

"No!" Madoka spoke out for the first time during the trial, shaking. "P-please, don't kill her! C-Clair has been doing so well, sh-she can't die now, I-I promised her..."

"Good luck charm." Clair swallowed, forcing a smile to her face. "I-it's okay. I deserve it. L-let's just get me killed and get it over with."

"I am not losing you!" Madoka sobbed, grabbing the girl's shoulders. "I almost lost you twice now, I won't do this again!"

"Then what the h*ll else are we supposed to do, huh?!" Faqir demanded. "Should we vote in Romano just because he's involved with the mafia, assuming what that b*tch said is true?! Do we vote for Graham just for being a thief?! Do we throw Mercy under the bus because she's a hunter?! What the h*ll else should we do?!"

Romano clenched his fists to try and regain some control over himself. He counted silently, maintaining steady breathing. "We should try to discuss this logically. Perhaps there is some way--"

"Some way what, Rom?! This is different from any other trial! The only one of us who did anything wrong is Clair, so let's just punish her for getting Eriko and Braeden murdered and move on! At least she deserves it!"

Madoka clung tightly to Clair, trembling. "If you're going to try to kill her, I-I'd rather you killed me instead!"

They were getting nowhere by arguing, but somehow, Romano couldn't muster the strength to speak up again. He stared at the voting panel, empty of Ysabel's face, taunting the group from where it sat.

True hopelessness was found in that moment.
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"We..." Faussin suddenly felt suffocated. "Please don't kill Clair. She doesn't deserve it."

"If not Clair, then who?" Vivara replied, chuckling bitterly. "No one here is what we'd call an 'ideal' choice, but better the person who we know can kill and has the potential to kill again, wouldn't you say?"

"Viv and Faqir have a point," Graham muttered, eyes downcast. "She--"

"I don't care!" Faussin cried, surprising even himself. "Kill me instead. It's not like I'm any better! I just--please don't kill her, she shouldn't have to die at the hands of a murderous little teddy bear! Don't do that to her, and don't do that to Madoka!"

"For the last time, I am not a teddy bear!" Monokuma said, brandishing his claws.

"It doesn't matter what you are!" Faussin shouted, all of the frustration and sadness he'd been trying to suppress during their entire time there suddenly bubbling to the surface. "You're evil! You're soulless! I hate you, and I hate this, and I hate myself, so just vote me up!"

Finnian took a shaky breath. "Fauss, we're not going to kill you."

"Why not?" He questioned, fists clenching. "I don't know anyone here. I haven't talked to anyone, I haven't made any friends--heck, you guys know next to nothing about me, so what's there to mourn?"

"Why are you so intent on defending her?" Vivara asked, her voice wavering slightly.

Faussin bit his lip. "Because I don't want to see her die."

"You barely know her," Vivara said. "It's as you said--we barely know you and you barely know any of us. Why do you care so much?"

"I-I..." Faussin rubbed his eyes, resentful of the tears that formed. "I-I can't explain it, I just do. You're in as much danger with her alive as you are with me alive, so killing either one of us would get rid of some of the threat either way. No one is attached to me, and that's fine, but it's no secret how much Madoka cares about Clair. So do him a favor and just kill me instead, okay?"

If anything, it'd get the voices to finally shut up, he thought, bitterly.
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In an instant, the team they had finally reformed had fallen to pieces. Romano couldn't tell what he hated more about the situation--the fact that everyone around him was shattering, or the fact that he wasn't.

Clair let out a cry, trying to get free of Madoka's grasp. "Don't kill him!" she cried, clawing at Madoka's arms held fast around her body. "P-please, don't kill him! F-Fauss, i-it's okay, I already want to die, j-just...j-just please, you have to live through this, don't...don't kill him!"

Romano glanced over at Oni, worried at how the little exorcist was handling the situation. Her eyes were locked on the voting panel, her posture oddly steady and her expression somehow confident. Somehow, it worried Romano far more than Clair and Faussin's pleas for death.

Faqir let out a hoarse laugh, laced with the same insanity that had tinged Clair's in the last trial. "H*ll! Why not just kill me, then?! We're all going to rot in here anyways, might as well get it over with!"

"E-everyone stop, please!" Madoka yelled. "I-if we just calm down, maybe--"

"No," Romano interrupted. He licked his lips briefly, trying to alleviate the dryness of his mouth. "...There is no way out of the situation this time around. We have reached a dead end, and there is now nothing we can do but make a sacrifice in order to move forward."

At the word "sacrifice", Romano saw Oni move out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to face her more fully, however, it appeared the girl hadn't budged an inch from her previous position.

"Then just sacrifice me already!" Clair insisted. "What do I even get if we all scape this place?! I-I'd rather die in here than out there, just...you better not let Fauss do this! Fauss, don't you dare do this!"

The longer the trial dragged on, the worse Romano's headache got. He reached up to rub his temples, determined not to let the situation drag him down any further.

Things would work out somehow...wouldn't they?
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"There's nothing for me to go back to," Faussin insisted, attempting to sound reasonable in his desperate attempt to be chosen for execution. "I have no family, I have no friends--I only have a way to distance myself from the world so that I hate myself a little less. No one will miss me, and neither will any of you. I wouldn't even miss me. Someone has to be executed, and I'm saying I'll be that person. What are we waiting for?"

"Do not throw away your life so willingly," Vivara hissed, hands trembling.

"The sooner we get this over with, the sooner everyone can find a way out of here," Faussin pointed out. "It's just like Romano said--there's no way out of it. P-please, just kill me already, okay? I would rather be able to die for you guys than in a world where I'm miserable. At least this way, I can feel like I'm worth something, even if just for a second."

"We--we can't just stand here forever," Mercy sighed, rubbing her forehead. "We have to make a decision."

"That's what I'm saying!" Faussin exclaimed, the tears coming faster all of the sudden. "Please! I need to believe everyone else can live through this! Kill me!"

"You've done nothing wrong! None of us have!" Finnian cried, nails digging into his stand. "How can any of us willingly sentence anyone here to death?!"

Faussin wiped the tears from his face, eyes suddenly zeroing in on the voting machine. Moving out from his stand, he started toward it, but Graham caught his arm, holding him back.

"Just let me," Faussin nearly begged.

"I-I can't," Graham replied, biting his lip.

Faussin sobbed, desperately trying to free himself from Graham's grip. "Why?!"

"Because you don't deserve it!" Graham yelled.

Faussin actually laughed out loud, tears now mixing with bitter chuckles, "you don't know that! I absolutely do deserve it, more than anyone here! D*mmit, why won't you just... just let me! Let me die!"
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Just stop them. It will all be fine. Just stop them. Say something.

Romano squeezed his eyes shut, trying to drown out everyone's shouting. Clair let out a sob, struggling against Madoka.

"Fauss!" she shouted. "Fauss! L-let them kill me, please! Th-there's still so much, I-I deserve it!"

Romano hardly registered anything that was happening...until he noticed Oni step out from behind her podium, gently remove her necklace from Faqir, and begin heading towards him.

"O-Oni," Faqir gasped out, nearly breathless, "where are you going?"

Oni was remarkably calm as she stepped up to Romano's podium, gently passing him her necklace. Willing his hands to stop shaking, Romano reached out to take it, meeting Oni's eyes. They shimmered in the dull lighting, a strained smile poking at her lips.

"Oni...?" Faqir began to move towards her as Oni reached out to grab Romano's hand. "...Oni, come back. L-listen, we'll just send one of those two, okay? They want to die anyway!"

Romano allowed Oni to hold his hand for a moment, trying not to focus on the resolve in her gaze.

"...If I were going to kill anyone...it would be a demon." All of Oni's loudness and grandiose nature had vanished--in that moment, she became just as vulnerable as the rest of them. Romano squeezed her hand subconsciously. "...Hey, Romano. Your queen's last order is to guard that necklace."

Last.

Romano struggled to find words to say that wouldn't betray his growing feelings of dread. He settled on nodding.

Oni was quiet for a moment. Slowly, she took a couple of steps closer, stood on her toes, and planted a light kiss on Romano's lips. He blinked, admittedly taken by surprise.

Her voice came in a soft whisper. "Thank you. I'm sorry."

Oni. Romano placed a hand on her shoulder, willing himself not to lose everything now of all times. He continued counting internally, clutching Oni's necklace in his hand. Oni took a step back, taking a deep breath.

"See..." Oni smiled--Romano realized it was the most pure, innocent smile he had ever seen. "The problem is simple. Everyone is sad, and terrible things are happening...because there is a demon among you. As an exorcist, it is my responsibility to get rid of that demon."

Faqir stiffened. "Oni, what--what are you saying? Get--get back to your stand!"

Oni turned to look at him, grinning. "If I did that, the demon would still be here. You all see? You are held in despair under the powerful rule of the Great Demon Queen. So then...I relinquish that rule."

"Oni!" By now, Faqir had begun to chase the girl down. Oni calmly turned towards the voting panel and began to head for it. Faqir caught her arm, yanking her back a step. "Come on, you haven't done anything wrong, okay?! W-we can just use this to get back at Clair or something! Fauss clearly wants to die, let one of them do it!"

With a surprising strength, Oni tore her arm loose--or perhaps Faqir was just too drained to hold on to her properly.

"Don't worry. I want to die too, so it's fine to send me." Oni took another step towards the voting panel. Romano's fingers dug into the cross she had passed him.

Come back. He willed his voice to work. Oni, come back.

"You don't deserve this, Oni!" Faqir demanded. "Y-you've done nothing wrong! Just...just come back, okay?"

For a moment, Oni didn't respond. When she spoke again, her voice sounded more natural than it ever had.

"...Yuno."

"W-what...?"

Oni took another step. Romano gripped his stand, aching to chase after her. "My real name. It's Tachibana Yuno. So, you see? I have done something wrong. I lied to all of you and I lied to myself." The girl paused, reaching out to touch Amelia's stand as she passed it. "And, you know, I've failed at being an exorcist if I did all that work and everyone is still sad, and people still died, and this still happened. But it's okay, because I think I know what the problem is now. It's me!"

Clair hiccupped, writhing. "You're not the problem! On--Yuno, c-come back here and let me die instead!"

"But that wouldn't fix anything." Oni--or Yuno, Romano supposed--had reached Bonnie's stand; she paused, drawing her hand along the surface of it. "It has to be me, or the demons will keep coming after you. It's okay--I hate Tachibana Yuno anyways, so if I kill her, it'll be a good thing. And maybe when you all escape, you can thank my daddy for teaching me how to be an exorcist, and you can tell my mommy and my sister what I did, and maybe they'll think I'm a good girl now. And you can all grow up and be happy, and start families, and the demons won't bother you anymore."

Come back. Yuno, come back.

"Just let me die!" Clair pleaded. "Please, just let me die!"

Yuno stretched, her posture oddly relaxed. "You haven't had a chance to be happy yet, though. And, well...a life where you were never happy even once is a terrible life! You still need to live yours, then, so you can discover happiness. I already..."

She trailed off. Romano heard her sniffle for the first time.

"I already found happiness," Yuno continued. "I found it with you guys. I found it in the way I've loved being with all of you. I found it in spending time with everyone, in the friends I've made. So my life has been pretty fulfilled."

She was close enough now to reach out and touch the panel. For once, Romano wanted to let himself release his composure.

Just as her fingers brushed the button with her own face, Romano found the will to speak.

"Miss Yuno."

Yuno paused, releasing a soft chuckle. "...Just call me Yuno, Rom. I want you to. I'm not your queen anymore."

Romano swallowed, hating the dryness of his throat. "...Yuno."

Even saying her name felt bittersweet--Romano had made it a lifestyle not to address anyone around him by only their first name. In that moment, he felt Yuno deserved more respect than he had ever given another person, but calling her by name felt...right, somehow. "...There is still time to discuss this. You do not have to throw your life away. We..."

Come back. Please.

Yuno had paused, her hand hovering over the button.

"I..." Romano took a deep breath. "I will miss you."

He could almost see Yuno's gentle smile. She sniffled.

"...I'll miss you too, Romano."

Before he could call out and stop her, Yuno pushed against the button, and her face lit up in a flash. A small chime sounded. Faqir let out a loud scream, charging forwards to gather Yuno into a hug. Clair yelled in anguish, elbowing her way out of Madoka's grasp to stumble into the middle of the ring of students, where she collapsed to her knees. Madoka leaned over his podium, pounding his fist on the wood.

And for the first time since arriving in the hotel, Romano felt a tear leave his eye. He wiped it away, gripping Yuno's necklace.

Goodbye, my queen.
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Faussin screamed out, legs buckling. Graham caught him before he hit the ground, lifting the magician up and supporting his weight. Staring at Yuno with what may have been admiration, Graham used his free hand to salute her, hands shaking slightly. "Your sacrifice will not be in vain, my queen."

Tears forming in her eyes, Vivara sprinted out from behind her stand and over to Yuno, arms wrapping tightly around her. Hardly able to stand, Finnian somehow managed the strength to bow to her.

"Thank you, Yuno." Mercy's voice was uncharacteristically soft, and her expression unreadable.

Ysabel stood silently, watching with those same condescending eyes. There was something smug in the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips--it was almost as though she enjoyed seeing everyone break down. No, it was as if she was proud of it all, and proud of the monster she was.
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"It'd better not be!" Somehow, despite everything that had happened--despite sentencing herself to death--Yuno's cheerfulness had crept back into her voice. "All of you still need to find your happiness and get back home, after all, and if you don't after all this...then I'll send my demons from hell to torment you all until you do! Don't make my vengeful spirit haunt you!"

"Idiot!" Faqir sobbed, clinging to Yuno's body. "W-why would you do that, w-why...why does this keep happening?!"

Yuno patted his head, then touched Vivara's shoulder. "...You'll find your happiness, okay? And when you do, you'll be glad everyone made it through this."

You are my happiness. The words wouldn't come. Romano removed his glasses to wipe his eyes, thumb gently brushing along Yuno's cross.

"And there you have it!" The happy-go-lucky tone of Monokuma's voice nearly rose the rage Romano had been suppressing. He took a long, deep breath, determined to maintain control of himself. "The voted substitute is our Ultimate Exorcist! Then let's give it everything we've got!"

"Don't you dare!" Faqir ordered. "D*mmit! I'm not letting you go!"

"It's..."

"Shut up! Shut up! I'm not doing this again, n-not again!"

"PUNISHMENT TIME~!"

"NO!"

The metal "arms" that had dragged off the other blackened students shot out to clamp around any available parts of Yuno's body. Her expression twisted, Yuno shoved hard against Vivara and Faqir, trying to separate herself from the two. More of the "arms" worked to tear them away, and despite everything they had worked so hard for, Yuno was dragged off into the depths.

The moment she was gone, Romano slammed his fist onto the desk, crushing his glasses.

Come back.





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Being strapped to a cross immediately upon reaching the point of the execution was oddly ironic. Somehow, Yuno was satisfied with it.

Oni Kurano would have to make one final show before she vanished along with Yuno. Grinning, the Ultimate Exorcist faced her imminent doom with a bellowing laugh.

It would all be alright. Somehow, Yuno had confidence in that fact.

If nothing else, Monokuma clearly hadn't had the time to meticulously plan an ironic execution for every one of the possible candidates for death. A single Monokuma approached her, dressed in the vestments of the Pope. It clutched a single gun, which pointed straight at Yuno's forehead.

Bring it on, demon scum.

She had already vowed to herself to stay defiant to the end. Facing the barrel of the pistol with a smile, Yuno slowly curled in her fingers, angling both middle fingers as close to the Monokuma as she could reach.

Go to hell with me.

Something surged forwards and attached to Oni's forehead, something oddly non-bullet-shaped.

The miniscule bomb exploded in a burst of light, reducing Yuno's body to a crumbing corpse and the cross to a mournful "T".
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Faussin screamed again, sobbing loudly. Falling to the ground, he dug his nails into his legs, entire body shaking violently. Yuno didn't have to die. She could've smiled again. She could've escaped, she could have been happy, she could've gone back to her family and hugged them, she could've...

He dug his nails further into his skin, his cries growing even louder. It should've been him. Things would have been better if it was him, and he knew it. But she'd sacrificed herself, regardless. Yuno was gone, dead, and would never live again.

He choked on his own tears; he should've been faster.

Mercy stared, silently. Graham looked on, holding his breath, his hands tucked under his arms. Finnian shivered, burying his face in his hands, as Vivara stood unevenly, whispering something to herself.

After observing the sight before them for no more than a few seconds, Ysabel detached herself from the group, hands folded neatly in front of her. She walked toward the elevator, her silence coming across as judgemental.
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Romano had never felt more numb.

Whatever he had been expecting from Yuno's execution, this was definitely not it. He hardly registered Faussin's screams or Faqir's wild cries.

They had to hurry--they had to get back to life in the hotel as normal, back to the way things had been. Yuno hadn't sacrificed herself just so they could fall even deeper into despair, she had sacrificed herself so they could find happiness.

Even so, somehow, Romano couldn't bring himself to follow Ysabel to the elevator.

His vision was blurry; Romano wasn't sure if it was because he no longer had his glasses, or because there were tears in his eyes.

Two human-like shapes approached him. A body slumped against his own--past the lingering blur, Romano made out brown hair and a bright red jacket.

Clair.

Romano slipped his glasses back on, trying to peer through the cracks and breakage in the lenses to watch over Clair more closely. Clair flung her arms around him, sobbing. Romano patted her back.

Madoka--who Romano realized must have dropepd Clair off with him earlier--had moved to crouch down next to Faqir. The second Madoka's hand touched Faqir's shoulder, the jeweler launched himself into Madoka's arms, pounding furiously on the ground. Madoka slowly wrapped his arms around Faqir, murmuring.

We should not stay here.

Slowly, Romano moved towards the elevator, bringing Clair with him. Clair followed, weeping. Madoka glanced over at Romano, then coaxed Faqir to his feet and followed. He left Faqir with Romano and Clair and returned to crouch next to Faussin, tentatively reaching out to rub the screaming boy's back.

Romano took a deep breath. They had to move on. They had to make it through this. They had to, for Yuno's sake.
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Faussin squeezed his eyes shut, gathering all of his anguish and expressing it in one final, chilling scream.

His throat was raw, his body shaking, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. Feeling the last of his energy leave him, he shuddered, cries growing softer. He took a deep, shaky breath. Reaching up to wipe the tears from his face, he glanced at Madoka out of the corner of his eye, feeling pathetic in comparison.

He opened his mouth to apologize, as doing so was the first thing that came to mind, but no words came out. The magician's power was sapped. He smiled bitterly--like usual, he wasn't strong enough.

Vivara took a deep breath. Uttering one last word under her breath, she turned, taking steady steps toward the elevator. Mercy followed a few moments after, calmly brushing her hair to the side.

Graham cast a final look at what was left of Yuno, then with a sigh, went to join the others. Finnian walked with him, Graham offering an arm to help support the scientist halfway to the elevator doors.

Vaguely aware that he and Madoka were the last two left, Faussin took yet another deep breath, trying to steady himself as he stood up. Against his vows to not get attached to the other students, he found himself leaning into Madoka, desperately craving the support of another person.

"I-I'm sorry," he found himself able to whisper, tears still spilling down his cheeks.
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Romano tried to focus on keeping Clair from tearing her face apart instead of the remnants of Yuno's body. He diverted his gaze to Madoka, wondering if he needed some help making sure Faussin made it to the elevator safely.

"It's alright," Madoka said softly. "W-we...we're all tired and it hurts and this...this is horrible. B-but...we're all going to be alright, somehow. We'll find happiness and we'll move on and escape and everyone will..."

"W-we're all going to die here," Clair interrupted, quivering. "W-we're going to die...we're g-going to die, a-all of us are going to die...ahaha, ahahahahahaha...!"

"We're not going to die!" Madoka insisted, his voice rising suddenly. "B-because...because we're all going to get out of here, remember? Everything will work out somehow! We'll have happiness again, like Yuno said we would...s-so we just have to keep going and not give up!"

Romano clung to those words, using them to get himself back to a more steady frame of mind. "Master Madoka is right. Though things are bleak and horrific, if we allow ourselves to linger there, then..." Romano took a deep breath. "The demons shall win, and Yuno would be quite upset with us if we allowed that to happen."

Somehow, they would turn out alright. They had to, for Yuno's sake.
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Keep going, Faussin repeated. Keep going...

He felt weaker than ever in that moment, on the verge of collapsing yet again. He always told himself to keep going, because if you let go of hope, there was nothing left. For his entire life, Fauss had held the hope of real happiness close to his heart, always repeating those words when things started to look bleak.

But he was so tired. Years and years of saying the same thing, putting faith in the same message, and this was where he ended up. He used to genuinely smile, whole-heartedly believing what he told himself, but time went on and things got worse and worse. His life spiraled further and further down, and as much as he scrambled and hoped for a better tomorrow, no better tomorrow ever came.

It was a lie he had told himself to make things seem okay. He'd been giving himself the false strength to go onto the next day, denying the hopelessness of his situation, the sinking feeling that ate away at him.

And now, as he called upon on that false strength yet again...

It didn't come.

Nearby him, Vivara took a deep breath. "We will not die. We must get out of here."

Graham closed his eyes. Finnian leaned into him, shaking violently, as Graham softly patted his back. "Things will be okay."

"We..." Vivara rubbed her eyes, hiding what looked like tears. "It--it is as Madoka said: we will find happiness again."
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Romano drew Faqir closer, sensing his growing uneasiness. Something had to be done. Something had to be put in place. Someone had to fix things, before it was too late and everyone ended up dead.

Madoka nodded, slowly making his way into the elevator. As the doors slammed shut and the elevator car rose, Romano could only think of ways to fix the rising hopelessness.

They would escape. They had to, or Yuno's sacrifice would be in vain.





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The next morning found Faqir curled up in his bed, afraid to go outside for fear that the last trial's events would be confirmed. He wanted to believe it had been a horrific nightmare.

Lottimelia's suicide, Ysabel's betrayal, Yuno's sacrifice...everything had drained the life right out of him. It was hard to even convince himself to climb out of bed after everything that went wrong.

Someone knocked on the door. Faqir grumbled to himself.

"Faqir?" a voice called. "I-it's Madoka. I came to get you for the morning meeting. I've been going around and checking on everyone. Clair is with me already..."

Get out of bed, you loser. It's time to rejoin the group. Put your happy face on and stop moping like an idiot.

As much as he hated to admit it, Faqir knew he would never feel better if he didn't force himself to feel better. Grunting with the effort, he hoisted himself out of bed, wandered to the door, and lazily flung it open.

Madoka yelped immediately. Clair blushed, burying her face in his arm.

"...What?"

"Y-you should probably put clothes on before we go to the conference room," Madoka muttered. "P-please get dressed!"

Faqir snapped to attention, shaking his head. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me, bud. So hey, while I'm here, what do you think?"

"I-I'm not answering that! Put some pants on!"

Clair mumbled something, nuzzling into Madoka's shoulder.

Well, that's enough teasing to get me a bit more energized. Come on, buddy, back to the old grind.

"I'll be right back," Faqir assured. "Wait for me."

Madoka sighed. "We will, don't worry."

Faqir nodded, stepping back inside and sliding the door closed. If nothing else, Madoka had been remarkably stable since the second trial--it was pleasant surprise to see him taking action to make sure everyone was coming out of their rooms. Just getting a glimpse of him was enough to give Faqir the courage to try one more time, to give it just one more shot to get through things. Each trial drained more and more of him, but none would take all of him until he let it.

Today was not that day.