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Romano Pselli

"A butler must never fail."

0 · 1,799 views · located in Youth Center/Hotel Place

a character in “Banana Split--with a side of DEATH”, as played by Griese Lightning

Description

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Romano Pselli ✼ Rom ✼ Ultimate Butler✼ Male ✼ Heerosexual✼ Touma Aoi

✼Likes:
Β Order, manners, and perfection
✼Dislikes:
Disorder, people with no self-respect, and failure
✼Quirks:
Has a compulsive need to clean everything, often breaks the rules of personal space to fix an out-of-place hair






Olive Green ✼ Brown
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Punctual ✼ Polite ✼ Prepared ✼ Proud ✼ Sarcastic
Romano values manners above all else. He maintains an air of nobility and politeness, never breaking from his monotone speech. Aside from his resentfulness which manifests itself in servile snark, he appears as the perfect gentleman. Romano holds a near-obsession with perfection which borders on compulsion: everything must be perfectly arranged and organized at all times. His need for order dictates his life, often causing lash-outs at companions who interrupt his work or outbursts of frustration when someone messes up something he so carefully organized. As a perfectionist, failure is not an option. If there is even a possibility of failure, he will avoid it--failure is his greatest fear, after all. A butler must never fail.


Despite being a servant, Romano is actually rather proud and holds himself and his honor in high regard. He has a low opinion of those who have no self-respect and is most loyal to those with a similar standard of morals and manners to himself. He’s also rather subtly manipulative, often using his blank-slate expression as a mask to deliver lies and slight nudges towards the conclusion he wants you to reach.

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"I exist to serve."

Romano was born to a mob boss and his wife. His father Anton noticed that even at a young age, his son was quiet, followed orders well, and displayed signs of a subtly sociopathic personality.

In the world Anton controlled, the rich were simultaneously the hardest targets to snag and the most desirable. One small mistake and his underground crime ring could be rooted out by the media hounding the rich and powerful. So Anton shipped young Romano out to the Altieri family, a family famous for making and selling top-class Italian sodas, as their new butler after news went out that they had recently fired their old one. Romano adapted quickly to a life of serving his superiors, and after being relentlessly drilled by Anton to always, ALWAYS clean up a mess, he became nigh-addicted to the feeling of keeping the place tidy. He obeyed orders to a fault, learning very quickly to follow those in authority thanks to Anton’s influence, and was well-loved and respected as an integral member of the Altieri family. Despite his young age, word spread of Romano’s competence at his work and, despite his occasional sarcastic jibes, he had a fantastic work ethic.

After his time subtly gathering information about the Altieris, manipulating them from behind the scenes into a compromising position, and helping his family reach a crossroads that ended with the Altieris bankrupt and the Psellis(/Zbornaks) getting all their money due to threats and bank account fraud, Romano was employed under the Psellis as a spy/butler. He was picked up by a young heiress named Lulu Boschetti and served as her butler until her family hotel business β€œmysteriously” went under, wherein he was shipped overseas to an American entrepreneur named Ron MacKeys. His reputation in the underground crime ring earned him the nickname β€œButler Jinx”, and through his connections with the rich and powerful his servitude and highly praised talent for butlering caught the ear of Hope’s Peak. He joined the school for high school under a part-time agreement, where he would take classes whenever he wasn’t required by Ron to do more butlering work.

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So begins...

Romano Pselli's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Vivara Vernon
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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.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Vivara Vernon
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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.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Vivara Vernon
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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."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Vivara Vernon
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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.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Romano Pselli
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Chuckling, Faqir made his way to Graham's other side, taking a seat and resting his arm on the armrest. "You and that chair, bro. I better be invited to your wedding or I'm going to crash it and steal you for myself."

Somehow, the antics cheered him up. Even if it was only temporary, for a moment Faqir could forget the horrific deaths of his friends and just try to relax.

Madoka took a seat across from him with Clair predictably taking the one right next to Madoka. She muttered something to herself, twiddling her thumbs, and Madoka reached into his pocket and handed her a scone. Clair munched.

"Sh*t, I forgot to get breakfast," Faqir muttered, scratching his neck. "I'm so used to Romano being here with a tray..."

No. Don't think about it. He's fine, stupid. Romano wouldn't just dump us like that. He's a good guy, and you...you treated him like a plank of wood in that last trial! God, I'll never forgive myself if he dies before I could say I'm sorry...

Desperate for a distraction, Faqir began to search the room for something to comment on. Unfortunately, he spotted the necklaces tied to Graham's chair before anything else. Seeing the half-finished products somehow only made him feel worse--he had been trying to create something that would soothe his grief, keep him stable, and honor the memories of those they'd lost, but he hated each attempt more and more. Nothing came out perfect like it was supposed to.

"Not my best work," Faqir mumbled. "Meant to disassemble those and try again. I've been losing sleep over trying to get the setting and colors just right. Doesn't help that I need to shape and polish the stones I have left, everything is so rough. I'm glad the tinkering shed on the third floor has some sh*t for me to work with, but I could do better if I still had all my tools and I was back home in the shop. I wonder if Dad's keeping an eye on the place for me, I was kind of the moneymaker for the family..."

Faqir couldn't stop himself. He wanted to stop thinking about his family, to stop focusing on how hopeless everything was, but...

"Ha. I wonder if Mom and Dad went through with that divorce. They'd been fighting so often when I left for Hope's Peak, but I promised I would keep in touch and they swore they would still be together when I got home. Now that I'm trapped in here to die, I wonder if they gave up. Dad probably kept the shop--he's the one who got me interested in jewelry-making in the first place. We used to live just a few miles away from this gorgeous copper mine. You know, it was probably destroyed in the war, though. Just like everything else. Destroyed by someone who thinks their ideals are so much better than everyone else's. Destroyed by someone who thinks they have the right to tell everyone else how to live. Destroyed...just like Bonnie. Just like Xhevona. J-just like Eriko..."

Faqir didn't realize when he had started crying, but by now, the tears were nearly choking him. His fists clenched.

"Just like Lottie and Amelia. J-just like Yuno, who did nothing wrong. Bonnie did nothing wrong! Eriko did nothing wrong! Lottie did nothing wrong, Amelia did nothing wrong, w-why..."

He couldn't break. Not now, not in front of everyone, not when he had just been back to "normal".

He couldn't break.

He couldn't...

Faqir let out a sob, burying his face in the crook of his elbow and slamming a fist onto the table.

"Why?! Why, why, why, why, why?! Why did Xhevona kill Bonnie?! Why did Clair manipulate us all?! Why did Ysabel force Lottimelia into suicide?! Why?! What did any of them do wrong?! W-what horrific sin did any of us commit to make us end up in this hell?! Why us?! Why now?! I-I can't die in here! I need to get home, I need to get back to my parents and back to the shop and back to my normal life! I...I don't want to die in here!"

"Faqir, c-calm down!" Madoka begged, rising to his feet. "It's going to be okay! No one else is going to die, okay?"

"Stop saying that!" Faqir cried. "You're just trying to make everyone feel better! But look around, Madoka, that bear is just toying with us at this point! He's not going to let us out! There is no way out! He's just watching us suffer and getting enjoyment out of watching us thrash around and once he gets sick of it, he'll do to us what he did to Clair! He'll do to us what he did to Yuno! Don't you get it?! No one is safe!"

Clair brought her hands to her face, scratching at her cheeks. "O-oh God...n-not again, I...p-please, not again!"

"We're fine!" Madoka insisted. "Everyone is fine! P-please, we just have to keep looking and we'll find a way out! We haven't fully explored the fourth floor yet, right?"

"You're kidding yourself, Madoka!" Faqir shook his head, running his fingers through his bangs. "No, you know what? Fine! Let's all just pretend everything's peaches and roses so we can get our hopes up and fall apart even harder when the next inevitable death happens. Let's all just hold hands and sing 'Kumbaya'. That'll chase the psychotic robot bear away! That'll keep us safe! We have a good luck charm, right? Where was that luck when Lottie needed it?!"

"I-I--"

"Where was that luck when Bonnie needed it, huh?! When Vona needed it? When Braeden needed it, when Eriko needed it, when Yuno needed it?! Where were you?!"

"I-I'm just trying to keep us from falling apart!" Madoka exclaimed. "Please, just stay calm, okay? Th-this isn't like you, everything is going to be alright! No one else is going to die here, and we'll all make it out fine. If you believe that, then we can keep moving forward!"

At the absolute worst moment, the door opened and Romano entered. Faqir looked up at him, opening his mouth to cry out to the butler, but Romano cut him off.

"There has been another murder. The body is on the fourth floor."

What emerged from Faqir's mouth instead was a bone-chilling wail.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Romano Pselli
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Another death.

Graham bit his lip, trying to keep his focus. "Ysabel or Fauss?"

They were the only two people unaccounted for. Unless... but Vivara was sleeping in her room, wasn't she? She was safe. Unless Ysabel somehow had access to other people's rooms, too? How much authority did she have? If she was able to avoid an execution, then there was no telling what else she could do.

Swallowing his terror, he tentatively reached out to rub Faqir's back, moving to hide the unfinished jewelry from sight. His heart thudded in his chest--if he hadn't gone for a shopping trip in his room, this wouldn't have happened. He wouldn't have...

This isn't the time to feel guilty.

"I--I'll go wake up Viv," Finnian muttered, fleeing in the direction of the girl's hallway.

Graham glanced over at Mercy, worried for her mental health. She had on the same numb expression she always wore, eyes devoid of emotion. It was at times like these that he wished he could read minds--maybe that way, he'd know what to do to make everyone feel better.

He needed to ask Faussin about magic so he could learn some feel-better spells.

His stomach twisted. Assuming the boy was alive, of course.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Romano Pselli
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Don't let it be Fauss. Don't let it be Fauss. Don't let it be Fauss.

Romano glanced down the hallway. Faqir buried his face in his hands, trying to control the flow of tears.

Get a grip, loser. You weren't supposed to let go like this. Just don't let anyone see how distressed you are, right? Haha.

I'm really such an idiot, aren't I?

"It is Miss Ysabel," Romano replied.

Faqir held back a "thank God."

"Do not fret," Romano urged, something oddly wistful in his voice. "I have a feeling this trial and investigation shall pass by quickly and smoothly."

Immediately, Faqir's momentary bout of relief was interrupted by Madoka's earlier words.

"If she's dead, so is one of us."

A loud scream burst from his lips. Faqir pounded on the table, hating the way his body was shaking.

"She is in the cafe," Romano murmured. "When Miss Vivara arrives, we shall investigate together."

Faqir was torn between hating the calmness in Romano's voice or admiring his ability to shut down to avoid heartache.

He settled with a mix of the two and called it "envy".

They had lost. They had lost the second they arrived, and they only lost more and more as time went on.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Vivara Vernon
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Graham felt himself sigh in relief. Faussin was fine.

Unless, of course, there were two bodies...

Don't think like that, Graham chided, fists clenching. He's alive. He's probably in his room sleeping or something--he's just a really heavy sleeper, yeah.

Was he a heavy sleeper because he was in a deep sleep called death? Who knew, but Graham wasn't going to sit around and wait to see. If anything was going to get Fauss out of his room, it was going to be hearing about another murder, right?

Well. Not when he thought about it like that. But it was definitely worth a try--knowing he was at least kind of okay would put a weight off his mind. Graham was sure Monokuma wanted everyone for the trial, anyways. Attendance was most likely mandatory.

"I, uh..."

Graham glanced at Faqir, still patting the poor guy's back. Though he wanted to check on Faussin, there was a part of him that didn't want to leave the jeweler's side. He could ask Faqir to go with him, but if Faussin was less than okay, then that probably wouldn't do much for Faqir's sanity.

"...What should we do about Fauss? Someone needs to tell him what's going on, but he's probably still holed up in his room."

"Who's dead?" Vivara appeared in the doorway, breathless. Her tan hair fell to her shoulders, down for the first time since they'd arrived. He could only assume she hadn't had the time to braid it upon hearing there'd been another death.

"Ysabel is," Graham replied, frowning.

Vivara's expression shiftly slightly--admittedly, the death of the traitor was rather relieving, but if she died, that meant someone had killed her.

Oh gosh, Graham thought, rubbing his eyes. We have to go through another investigation. And another trial. I don't want to see anyone else die...

"Y-you said her body's on the fourth floor?" Finnian asked, standing behind Vivara.

Mercy stood, rubbing her forehead, almost as though she had a headache. "That's right. Do we even want to bother getting Fauss, or should we just leave him in his room? If he's even in his room."

Graham bit his lip. He hated how empty she sounded. Before Eriko died, she...

Don't think about it now. Think about it later. There's a death that needs investigating.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Vivara Vernon
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Graham wasn't wrong--someone should probably go check in on Faussin and make sure he was alright, but Faqir couldn't bear the thought of encountering someone else who was as broken as him. It was best to stick with others who could keep him from flying off the handle again--people like Romano, Graham, and Madoka.

Speaking of Madoka, he coaxed Clair to her feet and brought her to Romano, passing her off. "I'll go check on Fauss," he offered. "Romano, take care of Clair for me until I get back, please."

Clair sniffled, hugging Romano's arm. He shifted as if uncomfortable.

"I shall look after her, Master Madoka. Meet us in the cafΓ© when you finish."

Madoka nodded, then headed off down the hallway to let Faussin know what was going on. Faqir forced himself to stand, taking a deep breath. He was conscious of Graham's hand on his back--somehow, he had to draw strength from the thief's presence and just move on.

"L-let's just get this over with," he muttered, nearly breathless. "One of us is bound to die anyway, right? Might as well just go find out who the lucky winner is!"

Even his usual brand of humor had gotten darker--it didn't even draw a smile. Faqir forced one onto his face, wiping his eyes. The sooner they figured out who had killed Ysabel and moved on, the better off they would be.

Romano led the way up three flights of stairs to the fourth floor, where he immediately tracked down the cafΓ© and pinpointed the exact location of the body. Faqir wanted to feel something when he looked at Ysabel's body--anger, distress, joy, relief, something--but nothing came.

He was numb. Longingly, Faqir reached out to take Clair's hand. She drew away from Romano and leaned into his shoulder, sniffling.

Here we go again.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Vivara Vernon Character Portrait: Romano Pselli
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Graham squeezed Faqir's hand for support. As Vivara crouched down next to the body, Graham's gaze fell to Finnian, who was beginning to tremble. Though the scientist had retained most of his composure during the first two trials, everything seemed to be finally getting to him.

You stuck it out this long, bud. Take a break, he thought. Giving Faqir a hug, he left the jeweler's side to stand beside Vivara and Ysabel's corpse. Though Finnian and Vivara had taken to investigate the crime scene, he figured he'd substitute for the scientist this time.

Looking down at Ysabel's body, he wasn't angry--though, he wasn't angry when he realized her betrayal, either. Graham wasn't a very angry person period. Her betrayal hurt, more than anything.

What happened to make you do this? Graham thought, staring sadly at what remained of her.

"A body has been discovered! You have thirty minutes to investigate, then a trial will begin!" Monokuma's cutesy voice announced over the speakers. "Though this one's so easy, you twerps shouldn't even need thirty minutes, but whatever. Monokuma's a charitable bear!"

'Charitable bear' my butt, Graham thought, frowning.

"Romano..." Vivara's voice came softly, her fingers moving to pick up an amethyst bracelet that had been laying next to Ysabel's body. Graham almost immediately recognized it as the butler's--he knew what everyone's jewelry looked like, after all. "I--let's see what else there is here, this can't..."

Graham held his breath. He and Vivara began investigating the crime scene, Monokuma gifting them with the Monokuma file as they went to work looking for what little evidence there was. Then again, the lack of evidence seemed to be evidence in and of itself. The crime scene and body were both freakishly clean--even the cause of death was specifically pointed out to be a stab to the throat, there was no blood anywhere. The tables were practically sparkling from how clean they were, the floor was spotless--it was almost as if...

Gosh, no, Graham thought, chest tightening.

"Well," Vivara muttered, "is there anywhere in particular that someone would like to check? Or are we done here? Monokuma did say this was going to be a short investigation."

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Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Vivara Vernon
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Clair hugged Faqir's arm close, squeezing her eyes shut. Faqir leaned into her, grateful just to have someone around. He searched Romano's face for any sort of reaction, but the butler was eerily calm; his hands were folded in front of him, his posture was straight, and he observed Vivara and the others look over the crime scene without moving a muscle.

"D-does this place have a kitchen?" Faqir hated that he was still stuttering--he cleared his throat. "Maybe there are more clues. Maybe we're just not looking hard enough."

"There is indeed a kitchen, Master Faqir," Romano answered. "It is overall rather similar to the kitchen in our dining hall downstairs. Would you like to see it?"

Why do you know that? Faqir desperately wanted to believe Romano had just seen the kitchen because he had already been in it to clean. Maybe he had just paused to clean up around the body when he stumbled on it. Maybe dropping his chain was a mistake.

"Please," was all that came out. Dipping his head, Romano began to head towards the back of the cafΓ©, opening a small door. Taking Clair along with him, Faqir made his way to the kitchen, peering inside. It was spotless just like every other part of the cafΓ©, though the sink caught his attention solely for one object still being in it.

A knife--simple, sparkling clean, and plain. Water still stuck to its surface in droplets.

The knife itself was not evidence, but somehow, Faqir felt like it meant something.

"What did I tell ya?" Monokuma's voice called. "You're already done! That's right, no more to look for! Time for everyone to report to the trial room! Oh yeah, and if you don't show up...let's just say you don't wanna know what will happen! Upupupupu!"

It was too easy--far too easy. What had gone so wrong?

Romano had just been framed. It was just coincidence. It was fine.

Faqir brought Clair close in a hug. She hiccupped, embracing him.

"Faqir..." Her voice came in a choked whisper. Faqir swallowed.

"I know." Faqir couldn't find the courage to say any more. He moved towards the door, clinging to Clair. Residual fury from the second trial still lingered, but at the moment he was just glad to have someone around. Clair had changed after the trial that revealed her true nature, whether for better or for worse.

As the students made their way down to the elevator to enter the trial room for the fourth time, Faqir tried to focus on the people who were still around instead of those who were not. He tried to focus on Mercy standing to his side rather than Ysabel's empty podium. He tried to feel content without Clair's hug, Madoka's hand, or Graham's touch to keep him sane.

Monokuma's repeat of the rules was a buzzing in his ears. His mind tuned out the surroundings until Romano spoke, voice perfectly even.

"Then, let us begin with a review of the case. Miss Ysabel was found dead on the fourth floor after the reveal of her betrayal. What did the Monokuma File identify as the cause of death?"

You know, don't you? Hearing Romano kickstart the trial as he always did only worsened the growing feeling of sickness in Faqir's stomach. You know, because you killed her. You killed her and you want us to know. You killed her and you wanted us to find you out.

Why?

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Character Portrait: Faqir Nawabi Character Portrait: Clair LaBelle Character Portrait: Madoka Himura Character Portrait: Mercy Crocker Character Portrait: Graham Forester Character Portrait: Vivara Vernon
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"The cause of death was a stab to the throat," Vivara recalled, adjusting her glasses. "Thank you, Romano, for starting us off as always."

Thank you, because this'll be the last time you do, Graham finished in his head, fists clenching. The trial had Romano's name written all over it--the bracelet, the cleaning of the scene, his absence that morning, and the butler's eerily calm demeanor...

He glanced over at Faussin, who was, thankfully alive--when the trial was called, he arrived alongside Madoka, eyes locked on the ground. The magician seemed more broken than he'd ever let on, his eyes askew, hands trembling, and fingers fidgeting nonstop.

In any other circumstance, his behavior would've been concerning, but Graham was just glad to see him standing. He hadn't been able to shake the feeling Faussin had killed himself overnight, considering his silence that morning and the way he'd acted the day before. Thankfully, he was alive.

But Ysabel was not, which meant someone else in that room was being executed soon.

Realizing no one was eager to sort this particular case out, Graham bit his lip, trying to brace himself for the conversation that would ensue. He rested his hands on the front of his stand, taking a deep breath. "Well, um, let's look at the evidence--like we always do. We have a really clean crime scene, an amethyst bracelet, and the time of death--9:47am, right? Most of us were in our rooms at that point, though I guess there's not really a way to confirm that. Uh..."

"Beating around the bush will get us nowhere," Vivara declared, hands wrapping around the sides of her stand. "Romano, you are being accused of murdering Miss Cross. Your defense?"

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Please have one. Faqir watched Romano, eager for the butler to speak up and defend himself as he always did. Yuno had accused him during all three past trials, and he had deflected it with practiced ease. This time would be no different, right?

Romano's eyes swept over the group, then settled on Vivara. The hint of an odd smile pricked at the corners of his lips.

"I must admit, it is not quite the same when someone other than Yuno does it."

"Rom." Faqir swallowed, desperate to keep his voice from shaking. "C-come on, go ahead and tell us you didn't do it. T-tell us it was another suicide and we can all move on from this."

Romano dipped his head. "I could, but I'm afraid that would be lying, Master Faqir. As you all well know, one of us killed Miss Ysabel."

"But it wasn't you," Faqir protested. "You were just framed! Y-you wouldn't have killed anyone, so there's no need to freak out."

For a moment, there was silence. Faqir longed for someone to speak up, just to say something. Anything.

"Why?" Madoka finally asked. "R-Romano...I-if you really did kill Ysabel, I...can we know why?"

Romano glanced over at him, adjusting his broken glasses. "...Yes, I did kill Miss Ysabel."

Hearing him admit it so freely only made Faqir feel worse. He clutched the podium for dear life, forcing himself not to empty his stomach in the corner again.

Clair let out a choked sob, burying her face in her arms. Madoka trembled.

"Why?" he repeated.

"Because if I had not, one of you would have." At this, Romano locked eyes with Faqir. Faqir recoiled, slamming a fist on his podium. "...Miss Ysabel's revelation as a traitor put us all in danger. Either she would kill one of us herself and get away with it, or another of us would have killed her and gotten themselves executed. She knew this as well as I did, which is why she obliged when I invited her to the cafe for tea."

"Rom, you idiot!" Faqir lashed out. "What is with you people and sacrificing yourselves?! You should have just let me kill her!"

Romano merely bowed. "A butler without his queen is like a bird without its wings. I wish to see you all find happiness as Yuno commanded. I..."

The pause was palpable. Faqir slammed his head into his podium, shouting.

Why him? Why now? Why not me? Why is he protecting me? What am I worth?

"I have lost my happiness," Romano continued at last, "and I intend to track her down. I hope you can forgive me for leaving you at this time."

I can't. I can't. I can't forgive you.

It was all too fast, too easy, too soon. Romano hadn't even tried to put up a fight--he had led the group right to himself and accepted the accusations with grace. There were no screaming matches, no horrific revelations of betrayal...

After the events of the previous trials, it was too calm.

Faqir gave up on holding back his tears. Clair broke into sobs. Madoka was silent.

You deserved better than this.

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Graham felt his heart drop in his stomach, the situation hitting him harder than it ever had. For the first time, Graham felt a genuine desperation to get out, to escape--he was starting to feel hopeless. Why does everyone have to keep dying? Why is this happening? Why doesn't it stop? Why...

He held his breath, trying his hardest to stay strong as the others began to break down.

Mercy was numb, as per usual, and Vivara stunned into uncharacteristic silence. Finnian began to weep silently, as Faussin tore at his hair, sobbing.

"Romano, you..." Graham squeezed his eyes shut, opened them again, then took a deep breath, counting to ten. He had to stay strong. "Thank you. I--I guess I don't really know what to... there aren't words that can express how I'm feeling right now, h-haha."

He took yet another deep breath, steeling himself. He offered a smile. "Find her, and be happy. If you can promise us you'll do that, then maybe it'll make this a bit easier."

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"N-no..."

It was all Faqir could get out. The rest of the words stuck in his throat.

Why am I so weak?

I'm the one who should have died.

Romano dipped his head to Graham, serene as always. "I usually refrain from making promises, as they are too easily broken. With that said, I will not ask you to promise you will survive."

"No," Faqir said feebly. "R-Rom, no..."

Romano offered him a genuine smile, one of the only ones he'd ever shared. Faqir let out a choked sound, his hands shaking.

"I will promise you this much: I shall be very happy knowing that this trial opened up more possibilities for you. Perhaps with enough exploration, you will find your way out and return to your families. That much is a promise I can make."

"Please." The strength had drained from Faqir's body. Even so quickly in the trial, he found he was unable to scream. "I-I can't take any more of this. Please, stay with us. Please."

Romano was quiet for a moment. "I am afraid I cannot make that promise, though if ghosts are indeed real, you can assume mine shall haunt you quite thoroughly."

It sure will. Being haunted and tormented by the ghosts of those who had passed was not new for Faqir; he'd been having nightmares and flashbacks since Bonnie's death.

"There is not any more we can discuss," Romano announced, pulling something out of his pocket and placing it on Mercy's podium. Faqir recognized it as Yuno's necklace. "Monokuma, I believe we are ready for the voting."

"I'm not ready," Faqir blurted, his voice hoarse. "I...I'm not ready."

Romano gave him a knowing look. "...No one is ever truly 'ready' to say goodbye," he said thoughtfully. "If you believe I was during these last three trials, you are quite mistaken, and if you believe I am ready now, you are even more mistaken. That is why I have chosen not to say 'goodbye', but rather, 'We shall meet again.' Not in the near future, I should hope, but perhaps some day."

A moment passed; when Romano continued, he had turned his gaze towards Monokuma.

"So I ask not if you are ready to say goodbye--not to myself, nor to any of the others we have lost--rather, I ask if you are ready to temporarily split apart with the assurance that it will not be a permanent leave. Without Miss Ysabel around to worry you and with more now available to your disposal, I am confident I will not be seeing any of you for quite a while and am quite satisfied with this fact. I have made peace with my life."

Made peace.

"I'm so sorry." Faqir wiped at his eyes, gaze fixed on his podium. "I...I was so mean to you last trial. I-I'm sorry."

"Keeping grudges is a nasty business," Romano mused. "To tell the truth, I took no offense to anything you said. If you feel you may have upset me, please do not fret--you are long since forgiven. I ask only that you forgive me in return."

I can't. I won't. I don't.

The words were lost somewhere within him. Faqir folded his arms over the stand, burying his face.

It should have been me.

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"Then... we will see you again," Mercy murmured, closing her eyes. "I can't say I look forward to it, exactly. But I'll tell you that I don't dread it, either. Thank you."

Graham stared at her--for the first time since Eriko died, the warmth she used to have manifested in her voice, even if just for a second. She took Yuno's necklace into her hands, fingers tracing the side of the cross. She closed her fist around it, expression unreadable.

Vivara bowed her head to Romano. "Yes. I hope to see you again, as well--not soon, but someday."

We're not saying goodbye, Graham reminded himself. Just see ya later. We were never saying goodbye to anyone else in the first place. We'll see them all again--Eriko, Braeden, Bonnie, Xhevona, Yuno, Lottimelia... and Romano. No matter what happens, things will be okay.

He felt his strength begin to return. This doesn't have to be hopeless.

Slowly, Graham stepped out from behind his podium, making his way over to Romano. Whether he liked it or not, the Ultimate Butler was getting one last hug before he had to take his leave.

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Romano seemed to be expecting the hug, even gracing Graham with a pat on the back for his efforts. Still, watching the whole scene unfold only served to make Faqir feel worse.

They're recovering. What's your problem?

"Thank you," Madoka said softly, smiling. "...Thank you, Romano."

Romano dipped his head-- for the first time, Faqir recognized it as a gesture of respect.

"Yeesh, you guys are all a bunch of saps," Monokuma grumbled. "Alright! Time to get this show on the road! Let the voting begin!"

As the panel opened up near Faqir, his eyes locked on the greyed-out buttons that represented the lost students. It was their fault those buttons were grey--they were the ones who had voted those students to death. Maybe Ysabel was right--maybe they did all deserve to die.

That in mind, he locked in his choice.

It should be me.

...

...

...

"And...big surprise, just kidding! Our voted blackened is the supes-obvious Ultimate Butler, Romano Pselli! Good job following that obvious trail of bread crumbs."

Faqir resisted the urge to punch Monokuma.

"You all know what that means!"

Romano gently stepped away from Graham, bowing to the group one last time.

"Let's give it everything we've got!"

Faqir collapsed to his knees, cramming his hands over his ears desperately.

"It's PUNISHMENT TIME~!"

It should have been me.





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Being dumped into a literal trash heap had to be some kind of record for irony.

In an odd way, Romano had come to appreciate the specially-tailored "punishments" Monokuma designed for each student. Whoever was behind the bear clearly had money to spare.

He was vaguely aware of the growing heat in the area and the orange glow of the massive lamp above him, but currently Romano was far more occupied with tidying up the dump he'd been dragged to. Even in the face of his own demise--surrounded by germs and bacteria, at that--he couldn't help but feel the need to tidy the place up.

Monokuma himself manifested in several well-dressed copies, occasionally ringing bells for Romano to come tend to some trivial need. The bell itself was almost like a beacon--despite his best efforts, Romano found he couldn't ignore it.

The heat was becoming far more noticeable now--had it grown hotter since he'd started?

One pile organized, nine to go. Another bell reached Romano's ears; he chased after it, loosening his jacket. This was something he could do, something he was used to--serving others was essentially his profession.

The heat felt almost unbearable. Romano fiddled with the buttons of his jacket, wiping sweat from his brow.

Another bell--no, two. Taking a deep breath, Romano prioritized the one closest first, pausing to rearrange a pile of broken glass into something more manageable. He could go back for it later.

It was as hot as a furnace--was that from the lamp above, or all the running around Romano had been doing? He had a feeling it was a mix of both.

His legs were tired, the waves of heat making it difficult to focus. Three more bells--four, now--was that a fifth?

The heat was unbearable. Romano tried to pinpoint the exact locations of all the bells, struggling to continue going after them to aid whoever needed him.

It was far too much--how many degrees had that lamp reached by now?

As Romano collapsed to the ground, weak from the furnace he'd been dropped in, a thermostat on the wall beeped exactly once.

And as the Ultimate Butler worked himself into a state of unconsciousness and lay being baked by the heat waves, the thermostat displayed the number "375".