Chapter Text
"What do we do???" Tenko whisper-shouts to the rest of the trio after they duck down to reduce their visibility.
"I say we run in the other direction," Angie asserts while dragging Tenko along. Korekiyo grips onto his hat and follows.
Tenko sputters out a protest while looking back. "But there could be poor girls in the area who are in trouble because of that...that Monodemon! I could use my Neo-Akido to--"
The "Monodemon" in the distance begins to chase after them while expelling fire from its unhinged jaws.
"--AHHHHHH!!!!"
The other two try to shush Tenko.
"It'sgonnakillmeit'sgoingtokillme...It's Gonta kill me...!"
"What a strange slip of the tongue," Korekiyo notes. "From a linguistic perspective..."
Tenko snaps out of her abject terror and grabs both Angie and Korekiyo by the wrist.
"RUNNNNN!!!!!"
They speed up at an unbelievable pace. The ground shakes at each step of the Monokuma's foot.
When the Monokuma is long out of sight, Korekiyo collapses onto the ground in exhaustion. Angie stands weakly with a smile while somehow looking to be on the edge of death.
Tenko sighs. "We're lost, aren't we?"
"It looks to be the case," Korekiyo says. "However, if we go to our left, we should be able to reach the path Tenko and I built."
"Pshh, anyone could have guessed that."
A bit cautiously, the three return to the unfinished shrine.
"Y'know, Angie, forget what I said about building a dojo. The shrine is small and cute like this. Plus, it won't attract any degenerate demon bears..."
"Wise words, Tenko, but I'm more worried about it attracting another Korekiyo," Angie states. "Bears are cute. Korekiyo's are not."
"I'm right here, you know." Korekiyo says.
"I didn't notice! Maybe Korekiyo should stop being such an observer."
"Tsk, in any case, we will have to postpone the creation of this shrine," Korekiyo notes. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He sits down in the opposite corner of the shrine to monitor any signs of trouble through the half-finished wall.
They all lay low for a while.
The silence without any chatter, art, or divine messages leaves Angie feeling a bit bored. If only she could be with the people from her home island. At least they'd listen.
It's kind of peaceful. Tenko is whispering affirmations while doing warm-ups. Korekiyo is silent, but somehow a bit relaxed. This is quite possibly the final destination that Atua wanted. Angie can feel it in the warmth of her heart. The killing is over.
No, it is never over.
Angie hums a quiet prayer to herself.
"Hey, Angie?"
"Yes?"
"...Do you ever get nervous?"
"What do you mean? What do you mean, Tenko? Surely you aren't the nervous one, no?"
"And you're the dummy who was so confident that you would be protected by Atua."
"Hmmm? Where did you get that idea from?"
"The way you acted! It would be dishonorable degenerate behavior to blame a girl for her own death so I refuse to do so, but seriously?" Tenko waves her hands in front of her as if trying to make sense of Angie's behavior. "Leading up to it, how could you think that making that student council was a good idea?"
"I needed to guide everyone away from killing."
"You...didn't need to."
"Oh, shut up Tenko. You know you wanted me dead."
"You didn't need to act alone, you selfish freak," Tenko insists sternly. "W-what I thought was irrelevant. The killing game is the biggest of our troubles!"
"Was anyone except Atua and I helping? After Kaede left with her wish? After Kirumi tried to escape?" Angie asks.
The ground gradually develops another steady rumble.
Tenko's stance snaps back to a vicious defensive position. Korekiyo frantically investigates the source of the sound. He pauses, then places a hand over the mask covering his mouth.
"My, my. It's two of them."
"Time out! Time out! WHAT?!" Tenko whisper-shouts. "What if they step on the shrine? We need to be prepared to do something!"
"We must act fast," Korekiyo emphasizes.
"Okie-dokie! If they approach our base, we must make them face Atua's divine wrath!"
"But how?"
"I wonder if a-a bit of s-s-salt would exorcize them..." Korekiyo stutters.
"We find their weakness! Scout them out!" Tenko suggests.
Unfortunately, the giant monokumas are precisely following along the freshly made path to their shrine.
"We're doomed if we stay in here!"
"Kehehe, doomed if we do, doomed if we don't," Korekiyo mutters. The others are to stressed to pay any mind to it.
Suddenly, Angie remembers something Tsumugi once said.
***
"...the nape of his neck..."
***
"Tenko! Target the back of the big bear's neck!"
Tenko looks confused, but doesn't have to be told twice. Perhaps she is relieved that she can largely avoid being in the range of the fire the robot bears breathe out.
Tenko rushes out.
"HIIIYYYYAAAA!!!!" Tenko screams, louder than Angie has heard her ever before.
This catches the attention of both Monokuma's, and Tenko is soon pursued by both.
"AIIIIEEEEEE!!!"
The unpleasant memory of Kirumi's death resurfaces in Angie's mind. Sprinting to a pointless, pointless death.
Angie can hardly stand the thought.
"Say, Angie, why don't I throw a rock at them from behind?" Korekiyo suggests.
"Are you good ay throwing, Korekiyo?"
"...No."
"Then give me your hat," Angie demands.
Korekiyo carefully yet hurriedly gives it to her.
Immediately, Angie rushes out, scoops up several suitable stone debris, then throws individual rocks at the nape of the neck of one of the Monokuma's in rapid succession. Three out of nineteen throws were successful hits.
It doesn't work.
Tenko, while running, gives Angie a glare that appears to say, What the hell? but nevertheless turns back around to keep running.
The varied sounds of footsteps seems to overtake the constant crackle of fire in the background.
In an instant, Tenko picks up one of the rocks that missed (by an long shot at that) and launches again. It hits the back of a Monokuma's mouth by slipping past open, fiery jaws.
The fire-breathing pauses.
Tenko slows her running and gauges the Monokuma's reaction. However, the pursuit is still ongoing, so afterwards, Tenko speed up further, outpacing each powerful "STOMP STOMP STOMP".
The second Monokuma feeds the few existing flames in the area.
Deciding it to be a good idea, Tenko pries a sizable piece of rock out of the ground and hurls it into said Monokuma's mouth.
After a bit, the Monokumas show no sign of slowing down. However, their jaws are rattling and they haven't breathed fire since. Tenko is beginning to relax, or as much as a martial artist could while running from two giant mechanical bears.
Of course it goes wrong.
One of them turns around and squarely locks onto Angie as its new target. However, not only that, Korekiyo is also in the distance, chasing after them.
Angie makes a break for it in the opposite direction.
"WAIT!" Tenko screams, "DON'T GET SEPARATED!!"
But Angie continues to run, while Korekiyo trails off with her.
--
"What are you doing here?" Angie asks between near-silent huffs of breath.
Korekiyo isn't faring much better, after all.
"I do not fear death now that I have already experienced death...twice. That is what I hope, that is. Now, now...sodium ions...does this soil contain sodium...? Tsk, it doesn't matter, the concentration probably isn't enough."
"What are you thinking?"
"Well, salt is known to..."
"Ohhh, Korekiyo thinks that salt dispells evil spirits like Monokuma, right?" Angie interrupts.
"If it is correct to surmise that Monokuma is a spirit, then yes."
Angie and Korekiyo are wearing themselves out with all the running, in this place where they are always at least a bit tired.
"Oh my," Korekiyo gasps as he comes to a halt.
They stop at an uncrossable wall of fire. Behind it is an additional Monokuma.
"Run! Run to the side!" Korekiyo shouts to Angie.
"Let's go! Don't die!" Angie exclaims cheerily.
"I think we require a distraction."
"Already on it!" Angie throws Korekiyo's hat like a frisbee.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
It whizzes past the Monokuma's ear.
"Aww, it failed. Atua says your hat is useless, just like the one Shuichi used to wear."
"Refrain from comparing my hat to his."
"You know, Korekiyo, despite your long legs, you're not running very fast..."
"I'm running as fast as I can. In addition, you are the one trailing behind, not I."
"Hey, hey! What if I took your jacket? Or your boots? Ooh! Or even your mask!"
"Y-you can't be serious..."
Korekiyo glances back once, while Angie is speeding up.
Korekiyo hastens to a sprint.
Angie knows that when two people are running side-by-side, they might unconsciously slow down to keep pace with each other. This slow energy bounces between both of them, leading to rather fatal scenarios.
Korekiyo is alone now.
It is precisely because he is alone that he speeds up, running from three demons now.
"Hey! Korekiyo, hey! Hey! A message tells me that giving me any unneeded garments will let you run faster! Yes, from Atua!"
"ANGIE, THIS ISN'T HELPING!!"
After several turns, sprints, and bouts of running without inhibition, they finally lose sight of both Monokuma's, possibly for good.
Angie believes that her sweat glands ceased its operations from overuse a while ago.
"Okay, Angie is bored now," Angie says.
"Tut, tut, so this was your plan all along," Korekiyo says with his last bit of composure before the energy drains from his body and he collapses onto the ground in a sweaty heap.
Angie also sits down.
Korekiyo uses his navigation abilities, and they backtrack to retrieve Korekiyo's worn, pebble-filled hat.
Eventually, they return to the empty, undamaged shrine.
"Where areeee youuu, Tenkooo?"
"She's not here, I'm afraid. There are no changes in human traces since the last time." Korekiyo stands up. "Would it be wise to go after her? Or would we be a burden, and it would be best to stay here?"
"Do you think you could find her, Korekiyo?"
"...Yes."
"Then let's go." Angie says, already beginning to walk. "Keep your eyes peeled and ears open."
They walk for hours along the path that they formerly used to escape the Monodemon. When the path ends, still, they walk.
"Angie, you may not believe me, but my worry for Tenko is genuine."
"Of course. Atua knows," Angie tells him with a hint of bitterness. "Atua knows when Korekiyo is telling the truth."
"Interesting...Atua, that is," Korekiyo mutters.
Angie eyes him, puzzled. "How funny of you to acknowledge him! No need to lie though, I know people like you have trouble turning to Atua. You speak of humanity, right?"
"Well, sure, but there is no humanity to be seen here apart from us, yes?"
Angie laughs a chaotic laugh. It's disordered. It's confused. "An anthropologist like you couldn't find human traces? Not any?"
"In a realm that borders the living and the dead, constructs like humanity take a more fluid form. Sure, the Monokuma's could be human-made, but--"
"Wait. Human-made?"
"Say, Angie. Do you hear that?"
The sound of fresh flickering fire.
"Does that mean a Monokuma is around?"
The two of them frantically search around the mass of fire. There is no Monokuma in sight.
Finally, they find Tenko curled up on the ground while sobbing.
Angie inspects her surroundings and whispers as loudly as she can, "A miracle! Thanks be to Atua that we found her! TENKO! Atua has brought us here to your rescue!"
"A-Angie...?" Tenko rises from her position of being curled up into a ball while on her side. Korekiyo noticably winces.
Tenko suddenly perks up.
"HEY! IS KOREKIYO'S HAT WATERPROOF?"
"It does happen to be, yes."
"THEN PLEASE, PASS ME THE HAT!!" she hollers as if she wasn't crying on the ground earlier, save for the tremble in her voice. "ON THE GROUND IN FRONT OF ME! PLEASE!"
Angie obliges without taking out the leftover rock still in the hat. The thrown hat lands perfectly.
At the hat gently landing on the ground...
"UWAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Korekiyo flinches at the sight of Tenko getting down on her knees and bawling her eyes out. She spills some water carried in her palms and wrings her sleeves, then flicks the excess into the hat. She then starts repeatedly spitting into the hat. It is as if she had been saving up spit for this very moment.
"I am deeply concerned. Has Tenko lost her mind?" Korekiyo says worriedly, clearly too shocked to be wounded by the abuse to his hat.
"Atua says yes." However, Angie second-guesses that statement. Tenko looks wild with the divine fervor to survive.
The hat fills up about one-eighth of the way before Tenko cautiously splashes its contents onto the fire. Only a small area is extinguished.
"Amazing. Humanity is interesting indeed when confronted by dire circumstances," Korekiyo with a sarcastic tone.
Angie steps in to spit on the fire from the other side.
"Hey! Degenerate male! Why aren't you helping?"
Korekiyo pinches the edge of his mask with a gloved hand in hesitation. He turns around.
After a beat, while donning an identical mask he swapped to, Korekiyo joins in on spitting in the fire. Angie and Tenko are no longer surprised that his mask stays on.