Chapter Text
The Virtual World was weird in every way, Maybe that's just how VR is usually? Maki wouldn't know.
Logging out, Her vision was obscured by the headset. She took it off in a hast and was met with the sight of Miu's dead body in the seat near opposite of her and Kiibo taking off his headset as well.
The body was contorted into an awful position. A wispy figure of the inventor stood farther away from the scene looking confused through meek tears, A pink wisp was wrapped around her neck like a rope but not like Kaede's was. So it's strangulation, She thought as much given that the corpse itself was grabbing at its neck.
The assassin got out of the loveseat with others logging out next to her, She went to help Kiibo get Miu's helmet off.
Soon, Monokuma had popped up and made an in-person body discovery. Kaito had shown up with Kaede and Ryoma following. And the fourth investigation started without much whining, They were used to it by now.
Maki was trying at the computer for the first quarter before Monotaro took over. Now she was just playing babysitter to make sure he wasn't deleting stuff. Everyone but Harukawa, Ouma, And Gokuhara had gone back into the Virtual World to investigate; And while they were inside, Chabashira had come up to the assassin.
"Harukawa, I know you're in front of people...But Iruma is really freaking out, We took her outside so we wouldn't distract you but she keeps crying and yelling about how she's not dead and we make it worse when we try to talk to her, So we thought...Maybe since you're y'know..." The aikido master pushed the tips of her fingers together, Maki nodded before she could finish.
"Ouma, I'm going to go investigate Iruma's lab and dorm while Monotaro works on the computer." Lying through her teeth, He probably saw right through it. "So you want me to watch him just so you can run off and hide evidence?" He pouted. "Fine, Go." He shooed her off like an annoyed adult with a toddler. She narrowed her gaze on him...He knew something, He was acting differently.
She could deal with that after the inventor.
Maki walked out of the Computer Lab with Chabashira and was led decently far away, To the Ultimate Artist Lab...The assassin hadn't been inside since Yonaga's investigation.
"She locked herself in there, I-If you need me I'll be back at the Computer Lab..." The Aikido Master had held eye contact for a bit too long before turning around. Putting her ear to the door she heard faint crying. Sounded like Miu was closer to the back sliding door.
Harukawa took a sharp breath in before knocking. "Iruma?" She kept her voice decently quiet. She got no answer. So she knocked again, "Irum-" She was cut off by the click of the cylinder lock. Then the door opened and she was faced with an uncharacteristically somber Miu. Mascara ran down her cheeks, Her face was red and puffy from crying.
"I'm not dead, Am I?" Tears welled in the blonde's eyes again. "I can't be dead, Nothing happened!" She defended. "R-Right...?" She asked...Though Harukawa had no sense of answers. "I-I mean I literally just logged into the virtual world! Someone had to have messed with it to make it like this!"
She was spiraling into some desperate denial, Maki didn't know how to deal with something like this...Or Miu in general...But, She was the only one who could try.
"Iruma-" The brunette spoke out her name. "I bet it was Ouma..." Miu didn't seem to hear her, She folded in on herself and gripped onto the hem of her skirt. "That vicious little bitch is obsessed with bothering me!"
"Iruma-" She tried to repeat her name, Louder. But the inventor still didn't hear. "He fucked with all the coding, Even make me look like this, He-...He's trying to fuck with my head! I have to-" Harukawa cut her off, "Iruma!" Practically yelling as she tried to grab Miu's hands...But Maki's went right through her...She didn't feel solid, But at the same time; Felt like she was there. So the assassin just tried to mime it.
Maki had finally caught hold of the blonde's attention. Miu cowered in on herself, Surprised the brunette had been so straightforward.
"You are dead." She said, Bluntly. She didn't know if telling her directly would be better or if she should feed into her desperate denial...But the trial was more important.
"Sitting here and trying to deny it won't do you any good. The most you could do about any of it now, is help us figure out the culprit." Harukawa spoke with a level-tone in combat with Miu's trembling body and occasional whimpers...Silence fell between them before the meek Miu admitted, "I-I can't...I can't remember anything that ha-" A familiar voice cut the inventor off...Maki cursed at herself for not being aware of her surroundings.
"Hey, Harumaki...?" Momota said, Sounding confused. Maki threw her hands at her side and looked at him. "What are you doing?" The astronaut tilted his head. "I was looking around the floor, Checking if there was anything related to the case. We don't know if she died in the real world or not, So I thought there might've been something...Like the culprit tried to hide it somewhere they didn't think we would look." Lying through her teeth, He seemed to believe it.
"Oh, Did you find anything?" He asked, Maki shook her head. "Well, No use dwelling! We'll figure it out, Anyway." Momota gave her a grin.
"Now come on, Monotaro said he was almost done with the computer." Kaito gestured for her to follow as he turned the corner. But Harukawa took the moment to whisper to Iruma.
"If you remember anything, Tell someone. But, Maybe you should go talk to Chabashira...She's better with emotions." Her words didn't sound sincere, More because she didn't know how to word them, But at least they got out. Awkwardly, Maki walked away and tried not to catch Miu in her peripheral vision.
The rest of the investigation didn't have many points of interest...And the following trial was ugly. It was a sight that felt so familiar....Everyone was yelling so much, Cutting each other off, Their voices sounding as if they'd split in half.
Raw and ugly.
Even those among the dead were getting upset...Speaking of, Shinguji hadn't shown up to the trial...But that reigns unimportant.
Even when Kokichi broke down, some people didn't seem to believe in it...But some part of it felt as genuine as the other's tears...The way he screamed his friend's name, The way he begged for Monokuma to execute him too...It made it awkward that Maki was the only one who barely even groaned at the idea of Gonta being executed.
His pleas changed nothing, Gokuhara was still executed alone...Well, Not alone, he got executed with that computer version of him.
After Gokuhara's execution came to close, Monokuma cackled. "Puhuhu, Bet you didn't see that coming!" The bear stood up on his throne. "Why, I didn't even see that coming! All my little cubs have been destroyed..."
"Waaaah! So sad...All their cuteness gone to waste..." His mood turned to that of evident sadness. Maki heard Gonta's ghostly cries and near endless apologies and saw him hugging Miu out of the corner of her eye.
"What are you talking about!?" Kiibo loudly questioned the bear, Pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You're the one responsible! Why would you do such a thing to your own children!?" Monokuma's expression changed again, It's almost like a slot machine to see which expression he lands on every time he opens his mouth...
"Cause lately they've been acting all buddy buddy and neglecting me. Gah! I'm never gonna get a clue of this whole 'parenting' thing!" He cackled again. "Th-That's..." Kiibo was taken aback. "Why!?"
"That doesn't matter now, We don't have time to give him attention." Maki interjected. "Anyway! I'm gonna walk away quietly and mourn my dead kids, Later!" And with that, Monokuma took his leave. And the courtroom became quiet if not counting the echoing sobs of both the living and the dead.
"Damnit...Why'd it turn out like this..." Momota clenched his fists. The assassin directed her attention to Kokichi...Yeah, It was Gokuhara's dying wish for them to not find out this 'secret of the outside world'. But Maki had to know. She had to know if all of this had been for nothing..."Hey, Ouma." She beckoned his attention.
"Why don't you tell us now? What is the secret of the outside world?" Maki said, But Kokichi didn't pass her a glance. Akamatsu had stepped closer and grabbed Maki's wrist. "Harukawa, You just just lea-" Maki cut her off, Wanting an answer...She pulled her arm from the pianist(Even if she didn't really have a hold on it) and stepped closer to the liar.
"If we don't know it, We won't be able to understand or accept any of this."
"I can't accept it either, Ouma! What's the secret of the outside world!?" Tsumugi had yelled her words, Distraught would be an understatement. "Oh, Shirogane..." Yonaga hummed, Sounding bummed that the mood had come to this.
"What could have pushed Gokuhara so far!?" Tsumugi got louder. The walls of the courtroom bounced her voice off of them and back to the group in a ghoulish echo.
Getting angry, Momota spoke up. "Ouma, If you really cared about Gokuhara. Then explain yourself and-" "I don't...Want to." Kokichi mumbled, Cutting Kaito off.
A pause hung in the air before Chabashira spoke up, "I don't think this conversation should happen now...Even if it's Ouma, He needs at least a day to calm down." She said. Harukawa picked up that it was her trying to indirectly ask for her to step in and end it...But Maki did nothing...Something about his short reply made her suspicious, And sticking up for him now wouldn't do good.
"You what?" Saihara mumbled.
Kokichi swung his arms out and looked up from the floor with a mad grin that settled on his face. "I said 'I don't want to', Stupidhead!" And it seemed that Maki was right for her gut feeling...Which she usually was...But nobody else seemed to expect it, Somehow, and all looked taken aback.
"O-Ouma!?" Shuichi's reply was almost involuntary.
The liar let out a villainous cackle, "Oh man, Did you fall for all that fake crying!?" He kept fighting back laughter just to talk. "You're so dumb! I would never cry for Gokuhara!"
Maki looked over at the wispy figure of Gokuhara to make sure he was okay, And saw Amami and Akamatsu walking him out to the elevator to leave and the faint sounds of the entomologist crying...Though nearly drowned out by the malicious laughter Kokichi was trying to choke down.
"F-Fake crying...?" Tsumugi's voice trembled as it left her throat. "Yup! If I said the real truth back there, Gokuhara would've freaked! That would've interfered with the game so I simply lied to calm him down." Harukawa's gaze at him narrowed into a sharp glare.
Kokichi leaned his head so far to the side and so quickly that it looked like he almost snapped his neck...Well going off of fictional logic. "See? As long as you lie for a good reason, It's okay, Right?"
"What!?" Momota's festering anger was growing evident. "What do you mean...What really happened, Ouma? Why did you make Gokuhara do something like that!?" Saihara questioned him.
"Why? Obviously, to keep the game interesting."
"What...What are you-" The liar cut the detective off, "I gave Gokuhara incentive because I thought it'd liven up the game...I mean, Come on. Think about it." He put his hand on his hip and looked unamused. "If I really wanted to save everyone like Gokuhara did, I wouldn't have betrayed him. You should have realized that."
Miu had been squirming uncomfortably where she stood for a while and she finally had enough, With a loud squeal, She ran for the elevator and Tenko(Though unexpected) chased after her...Calling out, "Wait, Iruma!"
Too much was happening, The day was a mess.
"Th-Then why did Gokuha-" The detective stopped when Kokichi started laughing. The liar's laughter grew louder...Almost like the evil laugh you'd hear from a villian in some movie.
"Who cares about that idiot!? I want to enjoy this game of suspicion and betrayal from the bottom of my heart!" Kokichi got looks of fear, Anger, And disgust...And whatever you'd call Yonaga's constant smile...from everyone who remained in the courtroom.
Living or dead.
Kokichi leaned up straight, His grin shifting to a more innocent one like he didn't just say all of that. He was talking to the group but his eyes kept locking with Shuichi's the most. "I mean, I am the Ultimate Supreme Leader! Obviously, My personality would be twisted."
"The more you suffer...The more I enjoy it."
His rant carried on for a while, Kaito tried to punch him and ended up getting hit instead.
...Momota coughed up blood...And soon they departed from the courtroom.
She wanted to check on Momota, But he made a whole deal of everyone leaving him alone before...Maybe that'd just make things worse...All she could do, Was leave him be and deal with it all in the morning.
Chabashira walked into the lab of the ultimate inventor, They had talked earlier but it seemed to change virtually nothing...The blonde still sat at the desk, Her goggles pulled down over her eyes and working on some small gadget.
"Iruma, You should take a break for the rest of the night. You need a break after everything." She began, But Miu didn't seem to hear her...Or she ignored her.
"Iruma." Tenko repeated her name, Stepping closer. She again didn't get a response...So in a swift motion, she grabbed Miu by her shoulders and repeated her name again. Iruma gave a meek whimper in response, "Why don't you go to your room, Or just come do something else? You've been at this for a while."
"I'm fine. Just go...Stalk the magician or whatever you do..." The inventor made a shooing gesture as she tried to turn her attention back to the gadget she was working on...Y'know she wondered what this would look like to the living, She didn't know if they could see the objects they moved...She assumed not since when she was alive she never noticed anything abnormal...
"You're fine now, But if you keep just doing this you're gonna end up like Tojo, Or Shinguji. I can't even get either of them to look at me no matter what I do. I got to them too late, I don't want to see you end up the same way," The Aikido Master moved her hands down to hold Miu's and pull all of her attention.
"So, Please, We can even hang out. We can do anything you want, I just want to keep you from ending up like that."
The inventor was silent for a while, Then she slowly pulled one of her hands from Tenko's to lift her goggles back up. With a flushed face, She mumbled an agreement.
"Fine...We can do something..."