(3rd Person's POV)

"Uh-oh! Looks like you got it right on the money!" Monokuma said with a chuckle. "The blackened in this case, the one that killed Sayaka Maizono...was none other than Leon Kuwata!"

"Oh, we're back to quoted dialogue." Sora pointed out. "Cool beans."

Once the final vote was received, the students looked at the scared Leon, some expression showing anger, disbelief, and disgust.

"...Huh? H-Hold on a second..." Leon stammered.

"Kuwata..." Makoto said, looking at Leon with a hurt expression. "Kuwata, did you really...kill Maizono?"

"I don't believe it..." Hina weakly said, her hand covering her mouth.

"Good grief..." Sora shook her head.

"Son of a bitch...! What the hell is wrong with you!?" Mondo yelled, looking like he's about to pound Leon into the ground.

"I-I didn't have a choice... It was kill or be killed! S-So that's why...I killed her first." Leon weakly defended himself as he balled up one of his hands and lifted it in anger. "None of you are any different! One wrong step, and you'd be the one standing here! It was complete chance that I wound up like this! I was just...unlucky! That's all..."

"Grr...!" Mondo growled while Sora looked at him with a skeptical expression.

"H-Hey, come on...! You expect me to just accept my death!?"

Everything's become clear. The decision the students made was right after all. But...was this really a good thing? Because if what they figured out was the truth, then that truth is that Sayaka, one of their classmates, tried to kill another and frame Makoto.

But, even if that's true, Makoto doesn't blame her for what she did. After all...

"It's all because of that video..." Makoto whispered to himself.

The motive that encouraged them to kill. Even he couldn't handle what he saw in there. If he was in Sayaka's place, and the video had something to do with him...he couldn't even imagine.

And that's why Sayaka... For the friends that meant so much to her... That's why she betrayed Makoto. Betrayed everyone.

So when Makoto comforted her after the motive...what she said... She was lying to Makoto. She used him. Is that why she talked to Makoto in the first place?

Well, there's no way of knowing now...Once you're dead...that's it...

"Boy howdy! The entertainment industry must sure be terrifying, huh!?" Monokuma spoke up, killing the grim and sad atmosphere. "I mean, to try and kill someone just because of those relationships! She seemed so nice and lovely on the outside, but inside...she'd descended into pure madness!"

"Wh...what did you say?" Makoto breathed out, looking at the bear.

"I understand, really I do. Yup yup! You're in utter despair thanks to Maizono's betrayal, right? Compassion, intimacy, love... The stronger those feelings, the stronger the despair when they collapse!" Monokuma mockingly laughed.

Makoto grit his teeth. "Stop screwing with us! This is all your fault! Maizono being forced to do something like that... All of it... Everything...! It's all your fault!" He screamed, and, in a frenzy, he suddenly lunged himself at Monokuma. But...

"That's enough." Kyoko latched onto Makoto's arm without hesitation. Her grip was like iron, strong enough he was sure it would leave a bruise.

"That's not a good idea, Naegi." Sora spoke up. "Hit him, and you'll end up just like Enoshima."

"I-I know...but I-" Makoto grunted out, only to let out a hiss at Kyoko putting more pressure onto his arm.

"Shirayuki's right. If you really want to make her enemies pay for what they've done, you need to let it go for now." She said.

"...Dammit!" Makoto cursed out. Begrudgingly, he heeded their words and stopped his attack on Monokuma.

"Ahh, that was a close one! I thought for sure you were gonna give me a good walloping!" Monokuma sighed with relief before showing his claws. "Just barely avoided punishment, you did! Now then! Since you so magnificently revealed the identify of the killer during the class trial...the blackened, Leon Kuwata, will receive his punishment!"

"P-Punishment? You mean...e-execution?" Leon stuttered. "W-Wait a second! I didn't have a choice! I HAD to kill her!" He said in a panic. "Y-Yeah, that's it! I was just protecting myself in the heat of the moment! It was self-defense!"

"How, exactly, was it self-defense?" Celeste spoke up. "When you forced your way into the bathroom, did you or did you not use your very own toolkit? After she'd shut herself in the bathroom, you went out of your way to head back to your own room, then you came all the way back, broke into the bathroom, and killed her. Am I wrong?"

"Yeah, this one's on you, Kuwata." Sora spoke up. "You had several chances to actually think about what you were doin' and stop yourself. But you didn't. Maybe you just took the chance to get outta here." She assumed as she folded her arms.

As she spoke, Sora's light blue eyes turned crimson red as she made direct eye contact with Leon's cyan eyes, as if she was staring straight into her soul.

"N-No!" Leon shook his head. "That's not...!"

"That's enough, Shirayuki..." Makoto looked at her with a serious expression. "We don't need this situation to get any worse. I've had enough of this..."

Sora rolled her eyes, but shrugged right after. "If you say so..."

"Oh? Are you sure? You were closer to her than anyone, were you not?" Celeste asked. "He killed your precious Maizono. Do you understand?"

"I can't say Kuwata is solely to blame. Of course, I don't plan on blaming Maizono, either. Because..." Makoto pointed towards Monokuma. "Because the one to blame...is him!"

"S'waaah!?" Monokuma tilted his head, feigning confusion.

"If it weren't for you, this never would have happened to Maizono, OR Kuwata!" The lucky student yelled. "We shouldn't be fighting each other... We should be fighting against the one who put us in this situation! The mastermind!"

...

"Uh-oh! Did you awaken to your sense of justice!?" Monokuma asked, childishly kicking his legs. "Well it just so happens that there's nothing more unethical than an unwavering sense of justice. After all, it's people with that sort of mentality that perpetuate war all over the world. Is that the kind of justice that's awakened within you!?"

"Just...shut up!" Makoto scowled at him.

"Okay, well, anyway. More importantly...! Let's hurry up and get to what everyone's been waiting for! The punishment!" Monokuma laughed.

"I'm begging you...! Please, don't do this!" Leon pleaded.

"No more begging! No more excuses! You must pay the penalty for breaking the rules! Society demands it!" Monokuma said.

"S-Stop, please...!"

"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star!"

"No no no no no no no!"

"Let's give it everything we've got! It's...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

---

GAME OVER! LEON KUWATA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

https://youtu.be/RE-9NmiQCUY

----

The trial grounds was deadly silent. What they just saw... That was the true face of despair. If they can't call it that, what else could they?

"Wooohooo! Extreeeeeeemmmmmeeeee!" Monokuma happily yelled. "Man, my adrenaline is pumping right outta control!"

"Uwah...! Uwaaaaaahhh!" Hifumi sputtered out, not even finding the will to speak actual words.

"Wh-Wh-What's going o-on!?" Toko said to herself, frantically running her hands through her hair.

"I-I can't take this anymore...! Do we really have to keep doing this? I just can't take it!" Chihiro cried, tears threatening to run down her cheeks.

"Well hey, if you don't like it..." Monokuma's lone red eye glowed. "All you gotta do is swear to cut all ties with the outside world and accept living here forever! But that's only if every single one of you can get onboard with that. Puhuhuhu... Waahahahaha! Bwaahahaha!"

"Man, fuck you... Why the fuck are you going all this evil shit to us!?" Mondo demanded to know.

"Evil!? You make it sound like I'm some dark, awful, secret society type of guy!" Monokuma said. "Or in this case, a dark, awful, secret society type of BEAR!"

"Um, so why are you putting an upstanding young citizen like me through such a grueling ordeal?" Hifumi timidly asked.

"It seems like you're trying to use common sense to make sense of something that doesn't make sense! That's like trying to put a mile on a scale! I just don't think it's possible..." Monokuma shook his head.

"Hey, uh, I don't think what you're saying and what I'm saying quite fit together." Hifumi said.

"You piece of shit!" Mondo snarled. "I don't know who you are but I'm gonna pound your ass into the ground!"

"Puhuhu. You must really hate me to get so angry, huh? But if you do that, you're barking waaay up the wrong tree." Monokuma darkly chuckled. "What happened happened because more than one of you decided you wanted to get out, right? No matter how much time passes, you can't cut free of your regrets from the outside world. You're to blame!"

"Of course we can't cut f-free of the outside world! Being trapped in this insane p-place...!" Toko said.

"Hmmm... You're trapped, are you?" Monokuma mused. "Well, I'm sure once you learn all the mysteries of this school, your thinking will change for sure. You'll think, "Boy, isn't it so wonderful how we all get to live here forever!?""

"What are you trying to say...?" Taka asked.

"I feel like there's some deeper meaning hidden in there..." Kyoko closed her eyes. "Just like before..."

---

"Okay, well, anyway. More importantly...! Let's hurry up and get to what everyone's been waiting for! The punishment!"

---

"When you say "everyone," who exactly are you referring to?" Kyoko inquired, folding her arms.

"Sorry, I said everything I've got to say!" Monokuma giggled. "I need to save some of the fun for later! Bwaahahaha!" He laughed, and just like that, he was gone.

The bear left the students there, overwhelmed by a nightmare turned reality.

Even after he was gone, the students stood there forever, unable to move. Actually, no...it wasn't that long. Everyone just lost their sense of time. They were too scared, scared of being alone.

"Nn...gh--!"

"..."

"..."

No one even tried to speak. Their faces were stone, their voices dead.

"..."

---

Eventually, the students found the nerve to leave the courtroom. Soon, Sora found herself in her dorm room. She sat on the edge of her bed, placing her buttocks and hands on the soft sheets, she pulled down her scarf as she let out a deep sigh.

---

"We shouldn't be fighting each other... We should be fighting against the one who put us in this situation! The mastermind!"

---

Good grief... Sora thought. Her mind went back to Leon's execution. Well, at least she's got a reason not to kill anyone. If there's something like that waiting for her...you can count her out.

But still, there's still the risk of someone trying to kill her instead of the other way around. If she's not careful, she could end up setting someone off and putting a target on her back. But who would be dumb enough to...

Sora let out a rough sigh. "I need something to plan stuff on..."

---

Slowly opening and closing her door, Sora looked left and right to see if anyone was around. When she saw she didn't, she put her hands behind her back as she aimlessly walked around the floor.

"There must be something in this place...a paper, or something..." Sora muttered to herself as she walked into one of the classrooms. Her eyes widened and she smirked as she saw a giant whiteboard with wheels, complete with a dry-erase marker.

"That'll do." Sora smiled as she took it and rolled it out the classroom.

---

"Whew...that took some work." Sora sighed, putting the wheeled whiteboard in the middle of her room. She yawned.

"I haven't been around the others much to get a feel for who they truly are, but I might as well make do with what I got. Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer, as they do say."

Sora took off the top for the dry-erase marker and she got to work, drawing on the whiteboard to calculate her survival plan.

Arc 1: To Survive....Complete!

Surviving Students: 13/17

To be continued...?