TW: death, blood, murder, execution

Makoto Naegi: I’ll cut through your words!

...

            “What else is there?” Leon asked.

            “Sayaka wrote a dying message.” Naegi said heavily. “The numbers ‘11037’. But they aren’t actually numbers. Flip the numbers upside down and put a slash between the ones…you get Leon.” I hate to do this to Momota-kun, but it has to be done.

             Leon let out a nervous laugh. “Huh? Isn’t that a stretch? And besides, why would I kill her?”

             Kyoko spoke up. “If Sayaka attacked you, you wouldn’t have a choice.”

             “Kuwata-senpai wouldn’t kill anyone!” Akihiko burst out. “He’s a good person!” Naegi looked at him in surprise. What is he doing?

            “Yeah! You’re being stupid, stupid, stupid!” Leon yelled, clearly backed into a corner. “Aki covered my alibi!”

            Stricken, Naegi continued. “Akihiko’s also ten years old. Child prodigy or not, he could’ve mistaken the time or…” He gulped, knowing the reaction he expected was about to come. “Lied.”

           Akihiko’s reaction was more extreme than Naegi expected. His face turned blank, cold fury radiating from his eyes. 

           “Lied? Do I look like a liar to you, Naegi?” Naegi shuddered. He’s really angry now, he dropped the honorifics and everything.

           Still, Naegi pressed on. “There’s nobody else it could be! Think about it!”

           “All that means is he was framed. Yamada had the incinerator key! So it’s him!”

           “The sleeve is smaller than Yamada’s! And he wouldn’t need the glass ball! The only person who would be able to hit the incinerator switch with a ball is the Ultimate Baseball Player! Leon Kuwata!”

           “Shut up, shut up, shut up! Your logic is invalid!”

           “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Leon shouted.

          Neither of them are listening! I need to show them clear-cut evidence!

Argument Armament

Akihiko Momota

What do you think you’re doing, Naegi?

Your logic has no basis.

You need to shut your mouth!

Just because someone killed your precious Sayaka, doesn’t mean you blame the first person you come across!

You don’t need to take away one of the few people I care about because one of yours died.

Shut up, shut up, shut up!

Let the intelligent people speak!

Leon Kuwata

Stupid stupid stupid!

You’re wrong!

As I told you, and Akihiko agreed, I was with him at that time!

I looked up to Sayaka, why would I kill her?

Stop it!

Final Blow

Leon Kuwata+Akihiko Momota

Your evidence is circumstantial! Where’s. Your. Proof?!

「Answer」

Toolkit-that-unscrewed-doorknob

End

           “Stupid, stu-huh?”

           “Wait! No-my Student ID is 11037! It’s me! You don’t need to look at-“

           “Momota-kun, please stop. If Sayaka was pointing at you as the killer, she wouldn’t have tried and failed to make an ‘n’ for the last letter of Leon. If Leon is innocent, his toolkit is unused. So Leon, can you show us your toolkit?” Kyoko said firmly.

          Akihiko laughed nervously. “L-Leon. It’s all a lie, r-right? You were framed? S-someone else is the killer.” When Leon didn’t respond, his voice grew more agitated and shook harder. “You didn’t lie and almost get me killed. You didn’t lie and say we’re both going to get out of here, you didn’t lie about how you didn’t want to see me hurt, RIGHT?!” 

          Naegi looked up and saw Leon hang his head. He also saw Akihiko shaking like a leaf.

          “I trusted you.” Akihiko said brokenly. There was silence before Monokuma interrupted, as cheery as ever.

          “Well, well! What drama, what excitement! Time to vote! The screens on your podiums are where you’ll vote!”

          Silently, everyone voted. Once all the votes were in, a slot machine spun and landed with all three icons of Leon’s face. Celebratory music played.

         “That’s correct! Leon Kuwata killed Sayaka Maizono! Now, I’ll let you all do your ‘boo hoo, why did you do it’ spiel and then it’s execution time!” Monokuma cheered, settling back in his chair.

         “E-execution?” Leon stammered, finally finding his voice. “B-but, it was an accident.”

        “Doesn’t matter, boyo! A person killing another person by accident is still killing!”

         …Is he really going to die? Naegi couldn’t look at Leon without wanting to cry. 

         “Please tell us what happened.” Hina said, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. 

         “I…” Leon glanced at Akihiko. Akihiko glared back at him.

         “Do it. If you’re going to abandon me, at least give me this.” Akihiko mumbled. Leon flinched.

          “I got a note from Sayaka after we watched the motive and before I went to check on Akihiko. I didn’t think she wanted to kill me.” Leon gulped. “She lunged at me with the knife as soon as I closed the door. I grabbed the first thing I saw-the gold sword, and blocked the blow with it. I managed to break her wrist and grab the knife. She ran into the bathroom. I wanted to talk to her because I was worried she’d try to kill someone else. I went to my room and grabbed the toolkit.”

          “I thought it was Sayaka’s room because of the nameplate and the door wouldn’t open, so I guessed it was locked. I opened the door, and Sayaka started screaming.”

         “She kept screaming for me to leave her alone, not to kill her. I tried to tell her I just wanted to help, to talk, but she wouldn’t listen. She tried to attack me again, broken wrist and all. We kept struggling, and my mind went into survival mode. And before I knew it,” Leon looked at his hands. “The knife was in her stomach.”

          “I was so scared. I had just killed someone, and it happened so fast. I used Hagakure’s ball to turn on the incinerator, and threw my clothes in soon afterwards.”

           “Wh-why didn’t you just confess?! If you felt so bad about it-“ Fukawa asked.

           “I WAS IN SHOCK, OKAY?!” Leon screamed. Everyone jumped.

           “And once I heard Monokuma say I would die if I was found out? I wasn’t going to say anything!” Leon took a deep breath. “IT COULD HAVE BEEN ANY OF YOU! I WAS JUST THE UNLUCKY WINNER!”

          “Okay I’m bored! Time for the execution!“ Monokuma declared.

          Akihiko’s head snapped up. “Wait-it was self defense!”

         “Don’t care!”

         Tears streamed down Leon’s face. “I don’t want to die, please, no…help! Please!”

         “Save your prayers, rockstar.” Monokuma said indifferently. 

         “I’m sorry, Aki! Please!” Leon cried. Akihiko was frozen in place, unable to say a word.

         Monokuma cackled with glee. “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! Iiiiiiiit’s punishment time!” He hit a large red button with his gavel. A collar attached to a chain shot out from behind Leon as the doors opened and closed around his neck and started to drag him out quickly.

         With a speed Naegi had never seen Akihiko move, he unfroze and ran to Leon, grabbing on and getting dragged as well just before the doors closed. All of the students ran after them and came across what looked to be a batting cage. Leon was chained to a pole in front of a ball machine while Akihiko was chained to a baseball bat that the chains forced him to swing. And his legs were trapped in the ground by metal boots.

        Both boys’ eyes were wide in fear. Then, the execution started. At first, one ball was fired at Leon. Naegi was confused. What’s going on? Then the barrage started. Rapidly, one after another, the balls hit him at lightning speed. Occasionally, the chains Akihiko was wearing forced him to hit the ball at Leon. Then all the balls hit Leon at once.

          Afterwards, there was a pause, then Akihiko was forced to move forward. He struggled but couldn’t escape. Naegi heard Akihiko mumble, “I’m scared, don’t kill him, don’t make me kill him, please, I want him to stay with me-“

          Leon was covered in blood and seemed barely conscious, but he weakly lifted his head up and mumbled, “No matter what, it’s not your fault, boy genius.”

          The chains forced Akihiko’s arms upwards. He screamed in pain and fear. Then the bat moved, hitting Leon again and again. Leon coughed out blood.

          Why won’t it stop! Make it stop! Naegi couldn’t tear his gaze away. Akihiko’s arms kept swinging the bat against his will. Akihiko kept screaming. Bones cracked and blood ran, and then the final blow, a blow that broke Leon’s skull, happened. 

           The gate hissed open, and Akihiko was released. The execution was over. When Akihiko was free, he swayed, then collapsed. Naegi ran over with everyone else and gathered around the ten year old boy.

           “You killed him!” Naegi yelled angrily at Monokuma. “Momota-kun was innocent!” Kyoko slowly lifted Akihiko’s body and held the small boy carefully. She checked his pulse.

            “He’s alive.” Kyoko said quietly. Shocked, Naegi looked back at her. “Really?” She nodded.

             “Miss purple is right! I just decided to give him a little punishment for interfering.” Monokuma stretched. “His shoulders are just dislocated. And don’t worry, he won’t be executed for killing Leon because I made him do it.” He disappeared.

             “Lucky him,” Togami said sarcastically. “It serves him right for lying and almost killing us all.”

             Promptly, Hina slapped him. Togami clutched his cheek, now angry. “How dare you-“

             “In case you forgot, he’s a kid!” Hina yelled. “He was close to Leon! Of course he would want to believe the best of him and protect him!”

              “…” Togami stomped off, Toko following close behind.

              Slowly, everyone dispersed as well. Sakura knelt down, a stricken look on her face. “Naegi, will you and Kirigiri be able to take care of him? I need to have a talk with Hina, make sure she won’t do anything foolish.” Naegi and Kyoko nodded.

             Silently, Sakura stood back up and left.

             Trying to avoid thinking about or looking at Leon’s corpse, Naegi asked Kyoko, “Do you want me to carry him?”

             “…no, it’s fine. We need to push his shoulders back in place first anyways.” Kyoko said emotionlessly. “We’ll do both at the same time. I’ll hold the right one.”

             Naegi gulped and nodded. He held Akihiko’s left shoulder and braced himself.

             “One, two…three.” Naegi swallowed his nausea and pushed Akihiko’s shoulder into place the same time Kyoko did.

             The sound of it being put back in place wasn’t the worst part, although it was rather terrible. The worst part was that Akihiko barely reacted in his unconscious state. He only whimpered and shifted slightly. 

            Without saying a word, Kyoko lifted Akihiko’s body and stood up. She briskly started walking, Naegi hurrying to catch up.

            Kyoko set Akihiko down on a cot in the nurse’s office. She rummaged through his pockets and came out with his Monopad. “I’m going to grab him a change of clothes from his room. You bandage up whatever cuts he may have.” She left.

          “Yes ma’am,” Naegi said quietly. He took out a roll of bandages and a bottle of disinfectant from a nearby drawer and got to work.

          After Naegi was finished, Kyoko came back and placed the clothes at the foot of the cot. “He hasn’t woken up yet?” Kyoko asked. Naegi shook his head.

         “I’ll quickly change his clothes for him then. If he wakes up and sees the blood on his clothes, he might panic and pass out again.” Kyoko carefully took off Akihiko’s shirt, pausing once when she saw his tank top, then put a new shirt on him. She did the same with his pants. Afterwards, Akihiko stirred. His eyes slowly blinked open.

        “Senpais?” He said weakly.

        “How are you feeling?” Kyoko asked gently. 

        “Fine.” Akihiko mumbled. “Where’s Leon?” 

         Naegi froze. “Mo-Momota-kun…you don’t remember?”

         Akihiko paused, thinking for a second, then put his head in his hands. A keening sound came from him. He started chanting under his breath. “That didn’t happen, it isn’t real, I didn’t kill him, I’ll walk out of this room and hang out with him like normal.” He jumped up and ran out of the room.

         “Akihiko!” Naegi was about to follow when Kyoko placed a hand on his arm. “Leave him. He does know Leon’s dead, he just hasn’t had time to process things yet. And he’s clearly not in sound enough mind to hurt anyone.”

          “I guess so.” I hope he’s okay.