✧ Chapter 12 ✧
[ With the UV Above ]
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"Attention! Attention, students of Hope's Peak Academy."

"It looks like we have a very special announcement!" Monokuma's cheerful voice echoed throughout the school, via the loudspeaker.

Kokichi frowned, looking up from his test paper. He instinctively risked a glance to the empty desk.

But of course wasn't very surprised when he didn't see anyone. After all, Miss Chisa had given Shuichi a day off from school to rest.

Shuichi Saihara..

All night long, Kokichi had been tossing and turning in bed, wondering what did his teacher mean by Shuichi having the effects of the serum.

He barely got any sleep, so the purple haired boy was rather grumpy and the other students knew to stay out of his way.

"Students, AND ONLY STUDENTS, MIND YOU, please gather at the gymnasium for a very special announcement." Monokuma repeated gleefully, "Thank you." he finished and turned off the announcer with a loud click.

Kokichi's classmates looked at each other. What was going on? Monokuma has never done this before. Calling the all the students to the gym just for an announcement? It was unheard of.

"Maybe he's just telling us that the rules have been banished?" Korekiyo asked, sounding hopeful.

"Yeah right, that would never happen.." Ryoma sighed, pulling at his dark blue beanie. "Monokuma's too cheerful. So of course something bad has happened."

"It's alright students," their teacher said to the class, "Let's just head over to the gymnasium and see what does our principal want."

However..

Kokichi felt like something was wrong. Like a feeling in his heart, weighing him down. Did something bad happen to Shuichi? He needed to find out as soon as possible.

"Well?" he stood up, startling everyone, "Let's go already and see what that fuzzy fur ball wants."

"I don't think you should be talking about our principal like that, Ouma." Kirumi said sternly. She was the strictest of all his classmates after all, and always followed the school rules.

Some even accused her of being a traitor, spying on the students and reporting to Monokuma.

But of course, other kind hearted people defended her. Like Kaede and Rantaro. They believed that Kirumi just liked to follow the rules to not get in trouble.

Anyway..

Kokichi narrowed his eyes and followed the rest of his classmates to the gym.

It was time to see what Monokuma wanted.

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"Why are we even brought in here anyway?" Mondo asked, rubbing the back of his neck as Ishimaru frowned sternly.

"Principal Monokuma wanted to make an announcement, didn't you hear?"

"But why couldn't he just tell us by using the intercom?" the taller male asked with a confused expression.

"Maybe he just needed to show something to us?" Sonia Nevermind asked, looking a little afraid. "Something important, perhaps!"

"Miss Sonia is right!" Soda spoke up, grinning, "Everyone should just pay attention and see-."

"Miss Yukizome?!" Chiaki muttered, looking at the stage.

Everyone turned to the raised platform to see a gruesome sight awaiting for them..

Kokichi stepped back, his heart pounding as he saw the teacher, rising up from a trapdoor from under the stage.

Miss Yukizome was hung up, with thick ropes around her neck and arms. She seemed to have been strangled to death, but the more Kokichi continued to stare at her lifeless corpse, the more he realised how brutally tortured she was.

With a wooden board holding her suspended by her wrists, she looked like she was just strung up like a doll. Her head was bent and blood was trickling out of her open mouth.

Her eyes were closed, and from the angle Kokichi was standing at.. she was obviously crying before she died. And that was only her face..

Kokichi heard the students' confusion turn to horror when they saw the knife embedded in her stomach, a twisted mess of guts and gore. Blood spilled out from the open wound and dripped onto the floor.

It was obviously a fresh kill, since the tears on her cheeks were not dried and the blood was still dripping.

There was a loud thump as Toko fainted at the sight of blood, the sound bringing everyone to reality again.

"W-What happened.?" Makoto stammered, his eyes wide as the students erupted into panic.

Kokichi was unable to tear his eyes away from the mangled, bloody corpse.

Just yesterday, she was alive and well.

A serene smile on her face and her warm hands holding his. Telling him that everything was going to alright. Her words of reassurance...

"Monokuma!"

Kokichi snapped out of his thoughts when Mondo yelled out the principal's name. He ran up to the stage, slamming his fist and leaving a huge mess of splintered wood.

"What the hell did you do?!" he stared up at the corpse.

"Upupupu!"

Kokichi clenched his fists as the laughter continued to echo throughout the gymnasium. "Why, I'm merely teaching all of you a lesson! To never speak of or fall in love, remember?"

Monokuma climbed up onto the podium, raising his right arm.

"I did this because two of you broke the rules yesterday and REALLY got on my nerves. I have the permit to kill anyone on the spot if they make me mad." he held up an object.

In his right paw, he held a glittering blue piece of glass. It was almost shaped like a star...

"This is what happens when I see friendships between two people which are too close for my liking..."

Kokichi's eyes widened when Monokuma crushed the fragments of the star with his paw and dropped it onto the floor. The students watched as the shards scattered around, the blue glass soon nothing but tiny pieces.

The irony wasn't lost on Kokichi.

Friendship was as fragile as the glass star was. It could shatter at any moment, with one wrong move. And in this case, even the closest friendships were forbidden.

"And.. as always, there's something else I've always empathised. To never. Fall. In. LOVE!"

Monokuma held a glittering purple glass flower in his right paw, twirling it around. "So? Does anyone want to know who our special guest stars are for today?"

"Stop playing with our feelings and tell us, you monster!" Asahina cried, holding her hands close to her chest.

"He's lying," Kokichi announced to the students, narrowing his eyes at the principal. "He doesn't have anyone to punish today. Monokuma just wants us to suspect there is someone!"

"Oh yeah? What makes you say that, you microbe?" Togami pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with two fingers, regarding the dark purple haired boy with a serious expression.

"I just know." Kokichi replied just as Monokuma opened his mouth and laughed, "Oh you really think so? That's hilarious! Then if you think I'm lying, Kokichi Ouma.."

Monokuma raised his arm and gestured to the projector at the back of the gymnasium. As if on cue, it flickered to life and a video started playing in front of everyone.

The students turned to the stage, a sudden wave of confusion and murmuring amongst them.

Somehow during the whole of Monokuma's talk, Miss Chisa's corpse had been taken away.

Kokichi stepped back, seeing a recorded video playing back to him. It was a surveillance camera recording of the medical room.

Miss Chisa, Kokichi and Shuichi were in there.. discussing about Shuichi's sickness. Thankfully, the recording function didn't seem to catch what they said very well, but it was still audible.

The recorder caught Miss Chisa's genuine caring smile, her hand on Kokichi's cheek and even a pat on the head for Shuichi after the purple haired boy had left the room.

Kokichi recalled how much Miss Chisa always said she loved her students, and how she worked hard for them.

It was only a matter of time.

She was a teacher, one of the best..

And of course, the best were always snatched away first.

"Each and every one of my students are precious to me..." Monokuma mocked, reading off a piece of paper and wiping away an imaginary tear.

"This is so touching.. it's giving me goosebumps!" he shivered and suddenly threw down the purple glass flower, shattering it like the star. "It's sick! It's gross! Do you kiddos really want another war?! You guys are selfish! Risking all this for the sake of love!"

"And," the bear continued as everyone watched him silently, "If you want to know why Miss Chisa died, ask Ouma! He's the one who caused all this after all.."

Kokichi's eyes widened, taking in a sharp breath. What.?

"If I didn't happen to catch Yukizome's words in the medical room... she would still be here and everything will be alright! So blame Ouma."

"I knew it.." Tenko hit her right fist against her palm, "It's all your fault, Ouma! You caused Kaito to be taken away.. you made Saihara fall sick. You're nothing but a worthless piece of trash!"

"And you know what Atua does to human trash," Angie spoke up, sounding dangerously calm. "Atua punishes them for existing."

"Guys, wait!" Makoto exclaimed as Nekomaru yelled with anger, electricity and heat burning in his eyes, "He killed our teacher! We need to make sure this doesn't happen again!"

Kokichi stepped back, for once, feeling cornered as most of the students turned on him.

"Just die already!" Himiko brandished her wand at Ouma, who clenched his fists.

Kaito wasn't here to control the crowd's anger with his reasoning and positivity.

Shuichi wasn't here to speak up since he was sick and possibly bedridden with an incurable illness..

Keebo wasn't here to help since he was at the hospital.

So he was alone again.

♥ End of Chapter Twelve ♥