Part 92: Chapter 4 Daily Life, Part 8

: Monokuma told us to report to the gym for an emergency meeting.



: Sakura can be found waiting in the gym lobby.



: You're the last one. Everyone else is already inside.
: Aren't you gonna go in...?
: ...I...have a bad feeling about this.
: More than just a feeling, probably. Monokuma *did* call us together, after all...
: ...
: Sakura...?
: Makoto... If something happens to me... Hina...
: Huh?



: No, never mind. I... I'm... Who would ever believe in someone who doesn't believe in themselves? *leaves*
: Um...

Sakura...?



♪ No Music. ♪



Everyone must have heard the announcement, and once we were all gathered at the gym...it began.









: Okay, let's get this show on the road!
: You're about to give us your next motive presentation, aren't you?
: Hmm?
: You got us all together to present another motive, right?



: I-Is he right...?
: We have to go through this again...?
: Ugh...no! Not again! I can't take it anymore!
: I'm impressed by your level of dismay. You finally see just how low on the totem pole of life you really are.



: No... No, no, no... No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no NO!
: That's not it at all. We're not here to talk about motive.
: The reason I gathered you all here is so that I could get rid of my grudge.

Your...grudge?



: We have a grudge against you, of course, but I don't recall *you* ever having a grudge against *us*.
: I told you yesterday, didn't I? An eye for an eye, a fang for a fang.
: Stop beating around the bush! Just tell us what you're talking about!
: Well, Byakuya. You've already told everyone how one of you might be working as a spy for me, right?
: Yeah, so, what about it?
: Well today I'd like to tell you about that spy.
: What...?
: So guess what.





: The spy is actually Sakura Ogami!
: ...!

He said it so openly, it made it sound like it wasn't that big of a deal even though he'd just revealed a huge secret.

: What...? What did you just say?
: He said the spy is Sakura.
: Wh-What are you talking about?



: There's...there's no way Sakura's a spy!
: Right, Sakura?
: ...
: Sakura...?



: And I might just make Sakura fulfill the promise she made sometime soon... And if she doesn't...I can't be responsible for what might happen to that hostage of mine... Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. What you guys choose to do with that information is up to you.
: Roast her, boil her. Kill her, don't kill her. Whatever!
: Puhuhu... Either way, I can't wait...! *leaves*

And just like that, he was gone... Finally, I understood what he had been talking about. An eye for an eye, a fang for a fang... In other words, betrayal would be met with betrayal.





: U-Um... So what does this mean?
: I-Is it true? Has Ogre really been spying on us for the mastermind!?
: What are you saying!? There's no way!
: But that *is* wh-what the stuffed animal said, r-right?
: Well he's wrong! There's just...no way!
: Well, Sakura? If he's wrong, all you have to do is tell us.
: ...



: I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier...
: What...?
: Then he was being serious for serious!? Ogre's been working for the mastermind!?
: I'm sorry...



: So you've b-been lying to us all this t-time?
: I-It's not true...! Sakura was probably...being controlled! There's gotta be some...some reason! She didn't have a choice, she was just...forced to do it!
: Yeah, I'm sure Hina's right. The mastermind probably threatened her somehow, and Sakura had no choice but to do what she was told.
: Wh-What...? You're talking like y-you know that for a f-fact!
: Because...I *do* know it for a fact. Because I saw it!



: I saw Sakura and Monokuma...fighting... And that's where I heard it... Monokuma mentioned a "hostage" a second ago, right? And during their fight, I heard Sakura say she'd decided to fight against the mastermind.



: You...saw all that?
: The mastermind took a hostage, so you were forced to swear loyalty to them, right? But in the end...you made up your mind to "betray" the mastermind.
: Which means Sakura isn't our enemy. She's a friend who we can trust without question. Is that it?
: Ridiculous. Do you live in some sort of alternate reality fairy tale?



: She was the mastermind's tool. You absolutely cannot trust someone like that.
: H-He's right! We can't just believe whatever she says now!
: How can we even be sure she really *did* betray the mastermind? Maybe this is a double-bluff, and she's still doing exactly what the mastermind wants.
: Sakura would never do that!
: Okay, then Sakura...if you really have cut ties with the mastermind, tell us who they really are.



: Well...
: Sorry, I can't. Even I don't know that.
: You don't know? That just makes you all the more suspicious.
: She's telling the truth! You have to believe her!
: Shut up. I'm not finished questioning her.



: Next question. What's this about a "promise"? What did the mastermind order you to do?
: ...I was told...
: ...to kill one of my friends.

It suddenly felt like the temperature in the room had dropped twenty degrees. The weight of those words...

: I see. So even now, you've taken aim on our lives.



: You're wrong, I'm telling you! Sakura would never do that!
: Y-You don't have to yell, we can h-hear you just fine. Don't you have an i-inside voice...?
: It's because you're not LISTENING to me!
: Please, stop. You don't need to defend me anymore.
: I have to take full responsibility for this...
: How do you intend to do that?



♪ Music cuts out. ♪

: By destroying the mastermind.
: What...?
: I'm going to challenge then. Even if it means we both go down, I *will* defeat them.
: *That* is how I intend to take responsibility.





: H-Hold on! What do you mean, if you both go down!?
: Hina...I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this.
: What...?
: I didn't know what to do. I went back and forth about confiding in you again and again...
: But I was scared. I thought if I told you, you might think less of me.
: S-Sakura!
: I'm sorry... *leaves*

Sakura turned away from us and left the gym. And then...





*Ding dong, bing bong*





: Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite...





: Well, it's nighttime. We should all go to bed.
: Hold on! This whole thing with Sakura is--!
: Over. She's our enemy. There's nothing more to discuss.
: No! Sakura is NOT our enemy!
: ...Why...? Why doesn't anyone understand her...?



: What is it you think *you* understand? You didn't even know who she really was.
: Th-That's--!
: Let it go for now, Hina. Talking about it isn't going to help anything.



: B-But...!
: Go to your room, cool down, and we can continue this discussion tomorrow.
: ...



It was the worst... The mood at the end of the night was just the worst... Being in such an awful mood...we were honestly glad the day was over.



Sakura...is the spy. She's the traitor... ...Byakuya said Sakura is the enemy. But he's wrong... She's not my enemy. She's my friend, without a doubt! But...what can I do? What can I do to make everyone believe in Sakura? How...?







: As long as you're human, there will always come a point where you wish you could do things differently. Even a baseball player in the major leagues... Even a soccer player touring Europe... Even a famous singer who started her career as a backup dancer on a sketch comedy show... She makes a brilliant debut, but instead of going for more, she marries some third-rate actor and retires. Every human has regrets, has things they'd like to go back and change. But I don't! Cuz I'm a bear.