Art by stormy_aozora71

"Oh my! You all voted correctly! What an unexpected and unpredictable outcome!" Monokuma laughed. "The blackened who killed Hoshi Ryoma is Toujou Kirumi, the Ultimate Maid!"

"Yayyyyy! Bravo, bravo!" The Monokubs cheered in unison.

"Phew! Thank goodness we managed to get through the class trial again!" Kokichi chirped.

"Th-There's nothing good about this at all...!" Tenko sobbed. "Wh-Why... Why did it have to be Toujou-san...?"

"Truly, the result was unexpected." Kiibo commented.

"But... I just can't believe it... Toujou-san was so helpful... and kind to everyone..." Gonta sobbed.

"..." Kirumi was silent, a painful expression of her face.

"Hey, hey, how long have you been lying to us?" Angie asked and gave Kirumi a dark look. "Is that why you took such good care of us...? So you could deceive everyone?"

"You mean she's not my mom!?" Kokichi exclaimed.

"She was never your fuckin' mom!" Miu barked.

Kaito clenched his fist. "Hey, Toujou. Tell me... Why? You were always thinking about everyone around you... How could you kill someone?"

"Well, Toujou-san? Were your feelings towards us simply another falsehood?" Korekiyo questioned.

Kokichi vigorously shook his head. "N-No! It cant be! So it ain't so! That... was just another lie, too!?"

Shuichi sighed. "I don't... think so... I still believe Toujou-san cares about us."

"Hmmm? How do you know?" Ichika asked.

"I can't say for certain, but I can sense that this trial has been agonizing for her."

A small smile appeared on Kirumi's face. "You can't say for certain, hm? That is what a detective would say."

"Toujou-san... are you upset..." Shuichi paused for a moment. "Because of the people important to you?"

Tsumugi blinked. "You mean like from the motive video? So Toujou-san watched hers after all?"

"Earlier, Toujou-san mentioned that she accepted a request..." Kiibo spoke up. "Perhaps that request came from a someone important in her motive video?"

Maki glared at Kirumi. "...Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Kirumi shook her head. "No, that's not it. I'm just... lost. Because if I tell you why I did it, you will regret what you've done."

"Spit it out already..." Kaito growled. "Otherwise, we can't accept this outcome."

"Please, Toujou-san... tell us." Tenko begged. "I care about you a lot... and I know the others care about you, too..."

"..." Kirumi let out a small sigh. "Very well, then. If you are all so desperate to know... I will consider this a final request, and tell you everything."

"No more lies, then." Kokichi smirked. "You better just tell us the truth, please and thank you."

"Yes, I understand... Your reasoning was exactly right. The reason I murdered Hoshi-kun was because of what I saw in my motive video."

Korekiyo hummed. "As I thought. You did indeed watch your video."

"Does that mean someone broke the agreement and traded you your motive video?" Kokichi glared at the other students. "Alright, fess up! Which one of you did it? Close your eyes and raise your hand if it was you!"

"Why would the one raising their hand need to close their eyes...?" Himiko mumbled.

"That won't be necessary." Kirumi said. "I did not trade my motive video with anyone."

Kaito gave Kirumi a perplexed expression. "Huh? If you didn't trade with anyone, how'd you see your motive video?"

"Perhaps... Toujou-san received her own motive video." Shuichi responded.

"Huh? You mean she had her motive video from the start?" Tenko exclaimed.

"Correct... No one had my motive video but me - the video's intended recipient."

Miu gawked at Kirumi. "Th-That's not possible! Monokuma, what the hell's goin' on!?"

Monokuma hummed. "Hmmm? Y'know, I meant to bring this up earlier cuz its been bugging me for a while... All this talk about videos being switched... What does that mean, exactly?"

"Nyeh... Don't play dumb. You're the one who switched up all the motive videos." Himiko grumbled.

"... No, I didn't." Monokuma looked down at his cubs.

Monophanie shifted uncomfortably. "Uhhhh..."

"Ummm..." Monotaro followed.

"Oh? Was I not supposed to ask that?" Monokuma glared at the cubs. "Did you cubs screw up again, hmmm?"

"Not supposed to?" Shuichi repeated.

"I-It's all Monophanie's fault!" Monosuke barked. "She passed them out without checking the names!"

"Whaaaaat!? I didn't know! Monotaro should've checked the names, too!"

"Wait a minute! I don't remember passing out any videos!"

"IT-WAS-MY-FAULT."

"What?"

"I-APOLOGIZE. I-SHOULD-HAVE-BEEN-MORE-CAREFUL."

"N-No, Monodam... It's not your fault." Monophanie stammered.

"It's all our fault! I'm sorry, too!" Monotaro cried out.

"Ah, it seems I misunderstood." Monokuma spoke up. "I completely forgot that the plan all along was to redistribute the videos. It's not your fault at all, kids. It's my fault for forgetting."

"Fatherrrrr!"

"Wh-What the hell is this mushy, feel-good crap!?" Monosuke yelled. "You're all idiots! I'm through getting along with you dummy bears!"

"..." Monodam glared at Monosuke.

"I'm sorry to cause so much trouble." Monokuma continued. "Please continue your boring conversation."

Kirumi sighed. "I see... The Monokubs merely distributed the motive videos at random... Receiving my own video was nothing more than... bad luck."

Miu clicked her tongue. "...So you just watched it without knowing why it was given to you?"

"What was in your video?" Kaito asked.

"...Well? You promised to tell us everything." Maki gave Kirumi an expectant look.

Kirumi nodded. "I will tell you the truth in its entirety, but... I doubt that everyone will believe it."

"If that's the case, why don't we all watch the motive video together?" Monotaro chimed in.

"Yes, that would be much better!" Monphanie agreed "Let's hurry before daddy gets bored again!"

Kirumi hummed. "How thorough of you... Yet I supposed it is better this way. Perhaps the truth will be easier to believe if you witness it with your own eyes." And with that, the Monokubs switched the Kubs Pad on and Kirumi's video started playing.

***

Once the video came to a close, every student was staring at Kirumi, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

Kaito found his voice first. "What... the hell? The prime minister?"

"Everything you saw is true, though I only remembered it upon watching that video." Kirumi explained.

"P-Please hold on! That video... is true!?" Gonta exclaimed.

"Th-That's ridiculous!" Tenko cried out. "There's no way Toujou-san's really the prime minis-"

"I am Toujou Kirumi, the Ultimate Maid, and the most important people to me... are the citizens of this country!" Kirumi announced. "I was called upon to lift the country out of a dire situation. I swore to serve and help all its citizens. As the Ultimate Maid, I have advised politicians many times in the past. But he wanted me to prioritize saving the country from an unprecedented crisis. I fully accepted this request. As a maid, it is a great honour to serve the nation itself."

"You're literally confusing the shit outta me, cuz this makes no sense and I gotta take a dump." Miu whined.

"I see..." Kokichi said with a blank expression. "So Toujou-chan was the real prime minister, running the country behind the scenes."

"...How can you seriously believe that a high schooler could be prime minister!?" Tenko yelled.

"I don't think it's odd that an Ultimate-level talent could be *that* powerful. I mean, Kiiboy's talent lets him pretend to be human, even though he's a heartless robot."

"How rude!" Kiibo glared at Kokichi. "I am not pretending! I am still learning!"

Korekiyo sighed. "I was aware of Toujou-san's impressive talents, but prime minister..."

"Then... Toujou-san really is the prime minister?" Gonta asked nervously. "She holds the burden of the entire country's future!?"

"The motive video aside, Toujou-san doesn't seem like she'd lie about something like that..." Tsumugi commented.

"Hey, hey! I get that Toujou-san is really important, but what was that unprecedented crisis?" Angie inquired.

"I... I don't know, actually." Kirumi admitted. "Why can't I remember?"

"With our memories lost..." Shuichi paused. "Wait... isn't this like that Ultimate Hunt?"

"Perhaps... it is connected to the Ultimate Hunt."

"The Ultimate Hunt is connected to this unprecedented crisis facing the nation?" Maki questioned.

Tenko put her index fingers together nervously. "If that's true... how are they connected? What is this Ultimate Hunt anyway?"

Kirumi sighed. "I do not know what is happening to the nation while I am here, inside the End Wall. That is why I needed to know. I needed to know that the most important people in my life were safe. Because I am duty and honourbound to protect every citizen of this nation!" Kirumi started to cry a little. "That is why... I need to escape."

"So you weighed our lives against the lives of everyone else in the nation." Korekiyo said.

"But... if those are the options, of course you'd pick everyone outside, right?" Tsumugi sweated. "There's... just too many lives at stake out there."

Kokichi looked down at the ground sadly. "And we just stopped Toujou-san from doing that, because we selfishly wanted to live... Wh-What should we do? D-Did we just make a terrible mistake? If everyone else outside dies because Toujou-chan is dead... Doesn't that mean we pretty much destroyed the county!? Wh-What do we do!?"

"S-Say... what's Monokuma planning to do with the rest of humanity? You know how many people live in this country? Like a hundred million, easily..." Miu trailed off.

Kaito scoffed. "No matter how powerful the mastermind is, there's no way they could really-"

"Bears do not lie!" Monokuma snapped. "I am the ruler of this world. Nothing is beyond my power."

"Nothing is beyond your power?" Shuichi repeated in disbelief. "What kind of arrogant, ridiculous-"

"That is 100% a lie! It is impossible that he could bring disaster to a country!" Kiibo interrupted.

"Puhu... Puhuhuhu."

"What's so funny?" Maki glared at Monokuma.

"You guys act like you can't believe it, but you're all terrified anyway. If you can't believe it... then you're terrified for no reason. Why do humans lie!? Why are humans the only animals that tells lies!?"

"H-Hey! Cut it out! This is serious!" Kaito barked.

"How long are we gonna keep talking about Toujou?" Monokuma continued, ignoring Kaito. "Let's talk about Hoshi. It would be a shame to completely neglect him."

"That's right!" Kokichi piped up. "We know your motive to kill, but why did you kill Hoshi-chan specifically?"

Kirumi's expression softened. "Because he was easy to kill..."

"Hoshi-kun is not weak!" Gonta shouted. "When he used his Shukuchi Method, even I couldn't catch-"

"His physical strength was irrelevant when he did not have a reason to live. Without that, he became the weakest among us."

Gonta blinked. "What?"

"I... took advantage of that weakness, and killed him. I told him I had urgent matters to discuss, and to meet me in the research lab on the 3rd floor. There, I released my motive video, and afterward I told him... 'I am responsible for the life of every citizen of this nation, so I must escape this place.' He then responded. 'So... you got a reason to survive... That's the complete opposite to me.' After he said that, he told me he would clean up the tennis balls lying around... And then, he turned his back toward me. At that moment, my determination solidified. A person like him would have noticed my bloodthirst emanating. He already knew... He forfeited his life right then and there. That is when I decided I must sacrifice his life for my nation and my people."

Ichika hummed. "So Hoshi-san knew he was going to be killed..."

"Wait a minute, it's Harukawa-chan's fault that Hoshi-chan didn't want to live anymore." Kokichi chimed in.

Maki stared at Kokichi. "...What?"

"Hoshi-chan gave up on life after you showed him his motive video. Well, since you didn't watch his motive video, I guess you had no way of knowing..."

"...What's your point?"

"Wait a minute, you're talking as if Hoshi-kun saw that motive video." Shuichi said. "Didn't you say that he only checked the name and didn't watch the video?"

Kokichi tilted his head. "Huuuh? Did I say that?"

"...What are you getting at?"

"I probably shouldn't say anything... but someone has to step up and speak for poor Hoshi-chan."

"Again, what's your point?" Maki snapped. "That he gave up on life because I showed him his motive video?"

"I'll get to that in a sec, but why do you think Hoshi-chan wanted to see his motive video?" Kokichi continued. "Cuz he was looking for a reason to live. Isn't that right, Harukawa-chan?"

"How... do you know that?" Maki gave her head a slight shake. "...You're right. He was looking for a reason to live."

"Which means you shouldn't have shown him his motive video in the first place."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Kaito stammered. "What... did his video show?"

Kokichi looked at his nails. "Nothing - his motive video was empty."

"...Empty?" Shuichi repeated.

"Oh, we're up next!" Monophanie piped up. "Let's give it a watch, shall we?"

Monophanie pulled out another Kubs Pad and switched it on and sure enough, Ryoma's motive video was indeed empty.

"Th-That what he was shown...?" Kaito asked, his face pale. "If he saw something like that..."

"He had none to care for and none who cared for him. He found no motive to live... Because of that, he chose to let Toujou-san claim his life..." Korekiyo explained.

"So... that's why..." Kirumi sighed sadly. "He must have just watched that video before I summoned him to meet with me."

"To hell with that! That damn moron!" Kaito snarled.

"It's bad to have no reason to live, but its also bad to have too many reasons to live." Angie gave Kirumi a dark look. "That's why you did such a terrible thing, right Toujou-san? For too many reasons."

"You are free to judge me for killing Hoshi-kun... I would bear the burden of being seen as evil for the sake of my nation and its people because *that* is what it means to serve with selfless devotion. That's why I needed to survive. Sacrificing you all meant saving the lives of men, women, children, and elderly..." Kirumi had some tears start to fall down her face. "I... wanted to live."

"...Monokuma... I have a question..." Gonta spoke up.

"Oh? What is it!?" Monokuma asked a bit too eagerly.

"Can I please be blackened instead of Toujou-san?"

Shuichi stared at Gonta with shock. "What?"

"I'm... not a smart person, but even I understand what everyone is saying right now. Toujou-san should live, not me! The whole world needs her!"

"I was thinking the same thing..." Tenko sniffed. "I don't wanna die, but Toujou-san's life is way more valuable than mine."

"Toujou-san's got the lives of hundreds of millions of people on her shoulder, right?" Tsumugi spoke up.

"Logically, Toujou-san's survival would result in fewer casualties than our collective survival would." Kiibo added.

"Geez... Maybe it would've been better if we'd gotten the culprit wrong..." Himiko sighed.

"...What do you mean?" Shuichi asked.

"If Toujou-chan survives... then the nation's future will be secure." Kokichi responded.

"..." Shuichi clenched his fists and looked down at the ground, a look of regret spreading across his face.

"What kind of face is that, Saihara? If you're my sidekick, then suck it up!" Kaito shouted.

"...What?"

"That goes for all of you! To hell with all this value of life shit! Life's not just some thing! You can't trade it or put a price tag on it! And your life doesn't just belong to you. It's for your parents, your grandparents, your friends, even your neighbours. It's not something you can just decide to throw away on your own. So we didn't do the wrong thing! Life's purpose is to be lived! As long as you stay alive, anythings possible. You can even go to the stars... So I'm just gonna go ahead and say it! I wanna live! I haven't even travelled to space yet. There's no way in hell I'm gonna die here."

Maki sighed. "The idiot's talking again."

"But... he's right. I mean, you're right, too." Tenko said. "He is an idiot. But he's right..."

"Hahahaha! I dunno why, but idiots always fill me up with inspiration!" Miu laughed.

"H-Hey, shut up! I told you to stop calling me an idiot!" Kaito barked.

"Maybe his stupid speech is just what we needed to hear." Kokichi chimed in. "Toujou-chan certainly looks shaken by it."

Gonta gave Kokichi a puzzled look. "Huh? Shaken...?"

"Do you really think someone as desperate to live as Toujou-chan would give up so easily? Of course not. In fact, she probably hasn't given up, even now." Kokichi grinned maliciously. "She was hoping that learning the truth ould make one of us volunteer to die in her place."

"...What!?" Kiibo exclaimed.

Ichika gasped. "Ooooh, plot twist!"

"Shut it." Maki snapped.

"But Monokuma would never allow a blackened to escape punishment, so maybe... she wanted everyone to rebel, so she could use that as cover to escape on her own..." Kokichi looked at Kirumi. "...How about it, Toujou-chan? Am I close?"

Kirumi glared at Kokichi. "You... are the most detestable cretin I have ever met. You knew exactly what I would attempt, yet allowed me to explain anyway."

"Wait, what he just said was true!?" Tenko screamed.

"You... tried to trick me!? Tried to trick everyone!?" Gonta cried.

"Enough!" Kaito yelled over everyone. "She was just trying to stay alive in her own way. Nobody can blame her for that!"

Kirumi nodded. "That's right... I must survive... Because... I carry the weight of an entire nation on my shoulders. I would not have killed Hoshi-kun if I was so easily deterred. This request will not be fulfilled until I have brought joy to every citizen of this nation... So no matter what, I cannot die!" Kirumi was getting more and more erratic.

Shuichi blinked. "Toujou-san...?"

"You still refuse to give up. So... what do you intend to do?" Angie asked.

"I intend to live... I must survive... no matter what it takes... If I must debase myself, so be it! I would drink filth and eat carrion to survive! I will do anything - ANYTHING! - to survive!" Kirumi screamed and then started running. She sprinted as fast as she could. "I have to escape! I won't die here!" She cried out.

"Puhuhuhuhu! There's no way I'm letting you out of here!" Monokuma cackled manically.

"R-Run..." Shuichi stammered. "Run! Run, Toujou-san!!!"

"Please ruuuun!!!" Tenko screamed after her.

"Run! Please hurry!" Kiibo yelled.

"Hurry! Run!" Kaito followed.

Monokuma just laughed. "Like I said... I'm not letting you leave."

"Please! Ruuuuunnnn!!!" Tsumugi called out.

***

"Ghhh... Toujou-san!" Gonta cried. Kirumi's dead, mangled body lay before the remaining thirteen students.

"I...I can't take this anymore..." Kokichi whined. "Even Toujou-chan was killed so brutally..." Kokichi burst out into tears. "WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! I DON'T WANNA DO THIS ANYMOOOORE!!!!!"

"A-Am I... gonna... end up like that too...?" Himiko sobbed.