Rantaro's POV:

Since Miu finished up the device in quick time, it was now becoming possible to come up with a finite plan for rescuing (y/n). I learned of the new modifications that Miu made to the device, as well as learning of a bomb she installed for when Kokichi would try and take it.
When the discussion of a plan finally came up, I explained the possibility of a route being hidden in the school. I told everyone that if we found this route, we might be able to gain the upper hand against Kokichi. There was however more information that I could share to shed more light on the situation.
    "You're saying that there might be a secret route somewhere in the school?" Kaede asked, "but there isn't anything we found that could be a secret route."
    "Maybe there was something we could have overlooked," Maki stated, "but I highly doubt that any of us would even know where to look."
    I knew that a lot of the people here thought that the hidden bookcase door was the only way for the mastermind to get into the secret room. Even I thought that at a point. I didn't even know if I was right or not about there being another route. I knew one thing for certain though.
    "Kokichi obviously had to go around the school without seeming suspicious," I explained, "it wouldn't make sense for something that would implicate him to be out in the open."
    "Then what about that fuckin' rock graffiti!?" Miu shouted, "if he didn't want us to know he was the fuckin' mastermind, then why would he create that message!?"
    "We all know that Kokichi liked to mess with others," Maki stated flatly, "I'm sure he knew that we wouldn't believe the message, because we all thought it was a prank."
    "Even I found him to be someone who messed with others just for the fun of it," Kirumi stated, "and as I can recall, he was able to see through my lies when I was in dire desperation to live. After he said that... I knew that I wouldn't be able to think of him the same."
    "I don't think anyone truly knows what's going through his head," Ryoma explained, "I mean, his personality changes into expressions that he can somehow fake perfectly. You never know when he is lying or telling the truth... even if he is showing emotion to *back* it up."
    "Maybe we should get back on topic!" Angie said happily, "we can have all of the time in the world to discuss Kokichi, but right now, we need to focus on helping (y/n)!"
    The conversation was in a constant shift. From the graffiti on the rock to trying to decipher Kokichi's personality. In a surprising turn of events, it was Angie's voice that was telling everyone to get back on track. She didn't laugh or call out her god's name. She still had the positive tone in her voice, but she was trying to get the others to discuss what was needed.
"To get the conversation back on topic, remember the perk I explained to most of you yesterday?" I asked.
"You mean the Survivor Perk, right?" Maki asked, "if that's what you're talking about, then yes I do. Why are you bringing that up?"
"Well, Kaito and Gonta don't know much or nothing at all about the Survivor Perk," I explained in response, "to put everything in simpler terms, I have an entire map of the school on the Survivor Perk tablet I received. The map holds areas that weren't even unlocked yet, and it even had the hidden room as well, but it showed no routes to get there. There are two possibilities. It's either the map is completely accurate, or there is something that Kokichi didn't put on my Survivor Perk to give himself the advantage."
"So, you're telling us that this map that was given to doesn't have any route for the mastermind on it?" Ryoma asked, "I mean, it does kinda make sense that Kokichi would intentionally keep a route hidden from everyone. I don't think Kokichi is the type to play fair in a situation like this."
"Maybe that's why my plan didn't work..." Kaede muttered, "in the beginning, I thought that the book case would be the only place that the mastermind, Kokichi would be able to enter. I was so positive about it that Shuichi placed dust on the card reader to see if the card key would be swiped."
Kaede brought up the topic of what happened in the beginning. Kokichi wasn't playing this game fairly according to Ryoma, and he was right about that. After that, Kaede was starting to talk about what happened in the beginning. When her plan failed, she did explain that she thought the hidden bookcase was was the only way to get to that hidden room, but I had more information to give that would make the possibility of a hidden route more possible.
"Since Kaede brought up her plan from the beginning, I think it would be a good time to explain to all of you what happened from my point of view," I explained, "so during the time before (y/n) was able to help me, we all know that supposedly, Kaede rolled a shot put ball through the lookout classroom vent and managed to hit me. From my perspective, something different happened. I saw a shot put ball fall in front of me, and a few moments later, something else caused me to go down."
Everyone was silent as I explained what happened. I knew Kaede already knew she wasn't the one responsible for what happened. I knew (y/n) explained that to both Shuichi and Kaede after it happened. She didn't want Kaede to blame herself, and that's what caused her to tell Kaede this after I told (y/n) the day before.
"So if we think about how I was found, I must've been dead," I explained, "from what I was told about the situation before, the dust Shuichi placed off of the card reader didn't fall after I was found. If this is the case, then how was I supposedly killed? The only possibility would be if true killer had a different way to get into the hidden room. The truth was that Kaede was framed by Kokichi. If we are going to defeat him, we need to find out exactly where he would have a hidden route placed."
I had a serious expression as I explained all of this. Everything I was saying was true. Kaede being framed, how this would only be possible if Kokichi had another route to get into that secret room. If the device wasn't made, I couldn't even explain what really happened.
"So you're saying that Kaede was framed?" Maki asked, "if this is what happened before we found you, then it must be true. I don't think you would lie considering your life is on the line too."
    "I don't think Craptaro is Cockichi," Miu stated harshly.
    "In any case though, we now have some evidence that there could be a hidden route," Kirumi stated, "and that evidence also helps us know that Kaede's plan didn't work. I'm guessing Kokichi saw this, so he tried to finish what he started."
     "If Kaede was framed, we would've gotten the answer wrong..." Ryoma explained, "but I guess that shouldn't matter considering Rantaro appeared before the voting time started."
     "So you're tellin' me that Kokichi tried to cheat!?" Kaito exclaimed, "that bastard!"
    I could see that everyone was starting to understand what I was getting at. I could see looks of anger and dissatisfaction on everyone's faces. It couldn't be helped that everyone would react that way in my opinion.
    "I was slightly shaken up about everything after that happened," I explained, "but now that I was able to discuss this, what do you all think the next step should be?"
    Everyone took a moment to think in response to my words. I knew that some people didn't even know where to start after hearing my confession. When I was thinking about this yesterday, even I didn't know how to approach this subject, but now I had a clearer plan in mind.
    "I think that we should split into groups to investigate the school," Kirumi explained, "is there a way we can condense where to look?"
    "I think I might know a way to condense where to look," Kaede muttered, "you see, this happened when we first got here, so if we need to look anywhere, we need to investigate the areas that were present when we first got here. To put more detail into it, we should look at everything this floor, the first floor up until my lab, and the basement. Anything that was unlocked after the first case would most likely not have any sort of route if that makes sense."
I knew Kaede was right. Since this happened in the beginning, there must've been a hidden route that some of us probably went past without even noticing. I wasn't certain though, but I was sure Kaede was onto something. We had a smaller area to search if we thought about what we were able to access during that time. Once we were be able to pinpoint that, we would know where to start looking.
"If you're recommending searching the school for some sort of secret passageway, we should probably split up," Maki explained, "we can cover more ground if we split up, however I won't be able to help much. Since I'm the one observing Kokichi, I have to continue keeping an eye on him."
"Speaking of that Maki, we're you able to see (y/n) at all?" Kirumi asked.
Maki stayed silent for a moment as if she was thinking about what she was going to say. She had an intense gaze directed down at the floor as she took a moment to think.
"I saw her," Maki spoke, "not only that, but I also spoke with her too."
As soon as the words left Maki's mouth, I could see shock form on the other's faces. Maki saw (y/n), and according to her as well, she spoke to her. I wanted to know what Maki discussed with her, and I wanted to know if she was okay.
"Is (y/n) okay?" I asked, "was she hurt at all? Did she say anything?"
    "When I saw (y/n), she was sitting on the floor," Maki explained, "her eyes were puffy as if she was crying, and her hands were handcuffed behind her back."
    Maki's expression contorted into one of anger as she explained those words. I felt a chill in the air once I saw her expression, my neck hair's standing. I could tell Maki was upset with the way (y/n) looked when she saw her.
"Instead of worrying more about herself though, she was worried about everyone," Maki explained, "one of the first things she asked me was if everyone  was safe. I told her that we were safe for now, but when I talked to her, I decided to ask about Rantaro. I mean...she asked me if everyone was okay, and I was just making sure Rantaro was included..."
"So what did she say about Rantaro?" Kaede asked.
According from what Maki said, I now knew that she was asking if everyone was okay. My body tensed up however when Maki explained that she asked about me. I didn't know what (y/n) would've said about me. I felt anxious about that. I was worried about her, but I haven't spoke to her for days. I had no idea what Maki would tell me she said, but I was going on edge at (y/n)'s mention of my name.
Sweat started to form on my forehead as I looked over at Maki. Her gaze turned towards me as if she noticed I was on edge and nervous. She let out a sigh before speaking.
"You don't need to be on edge, Rantaro," Maki explained, "(y/n) told me that she wanted you safe too. When she talked to me, she was mentioning how a lot had happened, and she knew you were avoiding her for some reason. However, she told me she does want to repair the relationship. That's all I'm going to say until you talk to her yourself."
    Maki did notice I was on edge. She told me that I didn't need to be on edge like that before telling me what (y/n) said about me. From what Maki explained, (y/n) was definitely aware I was avoiding her, but she still wanted to repair what we had. Hearing that made me feel somewhat relived. However, I was still going to have to talk to (y/n) about what happened.
    "So she still wants to try and forgive me...?" I asked.
    "Yes," Maki replied flatly, "however, there are going to be some things you two are going to have to work out. It's not just you, and it's not just her. Both of you have stuff you need to do, but you will know more about how to proceed once we rescue her. The only reason I even told you what she was saying about you is so you can stop beating yourself up over what happened. You need to focus on the plan you're trying to initiate. If we mess this up at all, it could be a choice in life or death. I hope you know that."
    When Maki answered my question, she wasn't hesitant to say yes. When she explained that there were things (y/n) and I would have to work out, I knew she was correct. Maki was telling me not to beat myself up over what happened and to focus on the plan at hand. Maki was somehow brash enough to get my senses together. She pieced together what I was most likely thinking about and telling me to get my act together.
    I couldn't help but chuckle nervously in response to what she said. She caught me, that's all there was to it now. I had to get myself back on track to rescue (y/n). There was no time to blame or doubt myself.
    "Ah-haha," I chucked, "I'm well aware of that Maki. Thank you for bringing me back to my senses. I definitely needed it."
    "Whatever," Maki muttered as she turned away, "you're definitely a more valuable asset when you're thinking clearly."
    "I wouldn't just call myself an *asset*, but I get your point," I replied with a small smile.
    Maki let out a slight sigh in response to my words before turning to everyone. From the looks of it, that was the only information she had with her conversation with (y/n). They weren't able to talk very long, but we were able to get something on (y/n)'s current situation.
"That's all that happened when I encountered (y/n)," Maki explained, "since that is out of the way now, we should start looking for the possible hidden route Rantaro mentioned. I do agree that we need to split up, but I believe the ones who are mainly investigating should carry the device with them, so that bastard doesn't find out what we are up to."
I nodded in response to Maki's words. I knew we needed to split up, however if we had two groups looking for that secret route, there was a chance that the group without the device would get found out. Maybe it was best to have a group investigate, while some others act like they still don't know what's going on. If this was the case, I needed to say more.
"I believe we should have two plans for this situation," I explained, "yesterday, I was thinking about planning to find the hidden route that leads to the library, but if that is our main course of action, how do we get that past Kokichi?"
"What would even be the point of two plans anyway?" Ryoma asked in response.
"Well, out of the two plans we have, one of them would more or less be a coverup," I explained, "I was thinking that cover up would have something to do with getting everyone to work together to break into the Exisal hangers with their Electrohammers. The cover up plan can be spoken about without the device, so we are misleading Kokichi to think we are doing something else. As far as he knows, our target is to save (y/n). I don't think he would think that we would go after him to save (y/n), but Kokichi will be none the wiser."
"You're telling us to have two plans correct?" Kirumi asked, "the one you brought up about the secret route is our actual goal for the time being, and to mislead Kokichi, we are also making a plan to break into the Exisal Hanger by force?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking," I replied with a chuckle, "once the first team goes to investigate for the route, we will have the people left talk about gathering everyone to break into the Exisal Hanger. We have to make Kokichi think we are using a simple tactic to get her out, but we need to proceed carefully because Kokichi can very well plan to use (y/n)'s safety against us. I'm sure it goes on both sides."
"It is worth a try," Kaede muttered, "I feel like Kokichi would be better prepared to suit a fake plan, because he thinks we can't do much, so I think we should try it."
After Kaede said that, I could hear that everyone else was having a similar thought. It looked like that my base plan would be what we were going off of. My guess was that we were going to try and find the secret route and then go from there.
    "I guess our goal is to try and deceive Kokichi, huh?" Kaito asked, "chances are, he's gonna know we're lyin' if we don't somehow pull the fake plan off as well."
    "I think Kaito does have a point," Kirumi replied, "Kokichi is a master liar, and he's proved that he can see through lies easily. If he knows we are lying, then he will suspect that we are up to something different."
    "I'm not sure..." I muttered in response, "I guess we are going to have to make him believe it. It's the only thing we can do."

Kokichi's POV:

    Since the morning announcement came on, I knew I had no idea whether the others were up to. I knew I was thinking that I've won and accomplished my goal...however, I knew these idiotic morons were very stubborn.
    Time was passing in the morning, and I was lost in thought. I knew Rantaro and the others would try and plan something, group everyone together. Even in spite of that notion, I decided I was going to use (y/n) as a motive, but I had no idea how I was going to use her just yet.
    'What do I do now that I got what I wanted?' I thought, 'I know everyone will try and save her. I can't let that happen. I went off script revealing myself, so now I can't get an idea on what they will plan... all I know is the device...'
    They were definitely going to try and save (y/n), and I also knew that my life was on the line. My life meant their freedom, so they had a motive to kill me. I lived for the thrills of this game, but I couldn't help but fear that they'd get one up on me. With their plan, all I knew was that they were relying on the device Miu was making. I had no idea if Monokuma even destroyed the damn thing yet. If the device was finished somehow, I knew I would be in trouble.
    There was a chance my death would come soon if I didn't do anything. If I had to die, I wasn't going to let her live... If I had to die, I would ensure that (y/n) would die with me. While I'd prefer to have my fun with her, it was do or die at this point.
    I couldn't take myself losing and dying alone. If the others were forming a group to take me down, I could use that to my advantage. With this in mind, I could get a sense of a plan on how to get things to go my way. The one thing I could think of was to turn everyone against her...

Your POV:

    I was getting a very weird feeling. It was well past the time the morning announcement went off, and I haven't seen a sign of Kokichi since yesterday night. Granted it's been one night, however I knew Kokichi would want to torment me, so I was now wondering why he was taking so long to show up.
My arms were numb as they were stationed behind my back, unable to move with handcuffs in the picture. My body was stiff from sleeping on the floor, and the panic in my mind was rising from the nightmare I had. I could still recall everything so clearly from the dream. The panic I felt from that dream... the fear and terror. Those were all still prominent even now. Maybe that's why everything was feeling so weird.
After the dream I had ended abruptly, I had a hard time falling back asleep, so most of my night was closing my eyes, however not being able to fall back asleep. I was tired, but also scared. I had no idea what was going to happen to me today. I knew Kokichi was going to try and use me, but I was unaware with how he planned on doing so.
"What am I going to do now...?" I muttered to myself, "I barely got any sleep, and Kokichi is probably going to come in here soon, and I can't do anything about that..."
I wished I could do something to ease the tiredness in my eyes. That was something I wanted to fix, but I couldn't. I tried blinking to get rid of the tired feeling I underwent. However when I tried doing that, the bathroom door opened.
As soon as I heard and saw the door open, my heart instantly froze. Any tiredness that I felt right now was short lived as soon as that door opened. I knew very well what was happening now.
    "Good mooooorning, my beloved!" I heard Kokichi exclaim as if he was in a good mood.
    I didn't reply to Kokichi as he looked down at me from where he was standing at the door. He was smiling as he observed me, and that smile didn't disappear once after he entered.
    "You look exhausted," Kokichi told me, feigning concern, "did you not sleep or something?"
    I didn't even answer him in response to his words. If I did, there was a chance he was going to mock me about it, and I wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with it, but I had to.
    "Your silence does speak for you y'know," Kokichi stated, "but I guess that doesn't matter right now."
    Kokichi hummed to himself as he walked over to me, and I felt my anxiety well up as he did. As soon as he got close enough to me, he leaned down.
    "I know how I'm finally going to use you," Kokichi said with a smirk, "however I don't think I'm going to tell you just yet..."
    I was nervous when Kokichi said this to me. I knew he was going to try to use me as a motive. I knew that since yesterday, but I didn't even know what he was actually planning on doing with me. That was what filled me with fear and anxiety. And I would know soon enough that I had a good reason to feel this way.

Hello all! Sorry for the late posting. I know I update on Fridays, but I've been busy with an open house cake for a friend of mine, so I've been busy.

I have ideas that will actually come into fruition, but this week I will keep things short for the a/n. I'm very tired and I have work to do tomorrow. I hope you all enjoy this update, and let me know what you all think. Ciao for now!- yuki_no_fuyu