Part 67: My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky

MUSIC: Heaven of Almost Hell

VIDEO: Kirumi's Last Words

Buckle up. This is gonna be a long one. The video also has a lot of unique lines, so I'd advise putting it on in the background, at least.













*sob, sniffle...* Wh-Why... Why did it have to be Kirumi...?

Truly, this result was unexpected.

How can you be so calm about it...?



Same Kirumi...is also culprit!?

...

Hey, hey, how long have you been lying to us?

Is that why you took such good care of us...? So you could deceive everyone?





Hey, Kirumi. Tell me... Why? You were always thinking about everyone around you... How could you kill someone?

Puhuhu... Human beings have always been selfish, self-centered creatures.



They burn down the forests we call home! They pollute the rivers we drink from!



But is that really a reason to destroy them? Some humans are really nice!



Well Kirumi? Were your feelings towards us simply another falsehood?

N-No! It can't be! Say it ain't so! That...was just another lie, too?



...And how would you know?

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

You can't say for certain, hm? That is what a detective would say.

Kirumi...are you upset...



You mean like from the motive video? So Kirumi watched hers after all?

Earlier, Kirumi mentioned that she had accepted a request...



...

...Do you have nothing to say for yourself?

No, that's not it. I'm just...lost.



Regret...?

Spit it out already. Otherwise... we can't accept this outcome.

Please, Kirumi...tell us. I care about you a lot...and I know the others care about you, too... So please...!

...





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

Yes, I understand...

MUSIC: Living in a Lazy Parallel World

Your reasoning was exactly right. The reason I murdered Ryoma...



As I thought. You did indeed watch your video.

Does that mean someone broke the agreement and traded you your motive video?



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

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

Huh? If you didn't trade with anyone, how'd you see your motive video?



Huh? You mean she had her own motive video from the start?

Correct... No one had my motive video but me—the video's intended recipient. I...have no idea why.



Hmmm? Y'know, I meant to bring this up earlier cuz it's been bugging me for a while...



Nyeh...don't play dumb. You're the one who switched up all the motive videos.



...Huh?

Uhhhh...

Ummm...

Oh? Was I not supposed to ask that? Did you cubs screw up again, hmmm?



MUSIC: Mr. Monokuma After Class V3











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

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

It's all our fault! I'm sorry, too!

Ah, it seems I misunderstood.





It's not your fault at all, kids. It's my fault for forgetting.



THANK-GOODNESS.





...

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

MUSIC: Living in a Lazy Parallel World

I see... The Monokubs merely distributed the motive videos at random...



...So you just watched it without knowing why it was given to you?

What was in your video?

...

...Well? You promised to tell us everything.





Yes, that would be much better! Let's hurry before Daddy gets bored again!

How thorough of you... Yet I suppose it is better this way. Perhaps the truth will be easier to believe if you witness it with your own eyes.

After Kirumi had spoken, the Monokubs began playing the video.

MUSIC: Rise of the Ultimates



MONOKUMA: Who's the most important person in *your* life? And now, without further ado...



MONOKUMA: With clients in politics and finance, this elite maid is renowned for completing any request.



MONOKUMA: She was suddenly summoned by one of her most influential clients—the prime minister. The prime minister had a request of utmost importance. He requested that she use her talent as the Ultimate Maid to serve her country. He asked Kirumi to "make this country great again," and transferred all his authority to her. No one suspected that the prime minister's new secretary was secretly running the country... And over time, she became the de facto prime minister!



MONOKUMA: Yes! The future of the country rests entirely on her capable shoulders!



MONOKUMA: She is driven by the belief that her citizens are the most important people in her life. Oh, and while we're on the subject of those important people...





MUSIC: Wonderful Story



...It can't be...

What...the hell? The prime minister?

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







No, it's the truth. I am Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid, and the most important people to me...





KIRUMI: 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 honor to serve the nation itself.



I see... So Kirumi was the real prime minister, running the country behind the scenes.



I don't think it's odd that an Ultimate-level talent could be *that* powerful.





U-Uh...I see. Well...good luck, I guess.

I was aware of Kirumi's impressive talents, but prime minister...

Then...Kirumi really is prime minister?



The motive video aside, Kirumi doesn't seem like she'd lie about something like that...

...

Hey, hey! I get that Kirumi is really important, but what was that unprecedented crisis?

I...I don't know, actually.



With our memories lost...



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

The Ultimate Hunt is connected to this unprecedented crisis facing the nation?

If that's true...how are they connected? What is this Ultimate Hunt, anyway?



That is why I needed to know. I needed to know that the most important people in my life were safe.

NO MUSIC



...

MUSIC: Heaven of Almost Hell



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

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



Wh-What should we do? D-Did we just make a terrible mistake? If everyone outside dies because Kirumi is dead...



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...

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





I am the ruler of this world. Nothing is beyond my power.

Nothing is beyond your power? What kind of arrogant, ridiculous—





What's so funny?

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.







How long are you gonna keep talking about Kirumi?



That's right. We know your motive to kill, but why did you kill Ryoma specifically?



Easy to kill?





Without that, he became the weakest among us.

What?

I...took advantage of his weakness, and killed him.

What do you mean?



There, I revealed 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...

MUSIC: Moon on the Water



Heh... That's good... If you've got something to live for, it means your life has value.

Hmph...

KIRUMI: After he said that, he told me he would clean up the tennis balls lying around...



KIRUMI: At that moment, my determination solidified. A person like him would have noticed my bloodthirst emanating. He already knew...



MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker



Then Ryoma...knew he was going to be killed...

...



...What?

Ryoma only 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?



Didn't you just say that he only checked the name and didn't watch the video?



...What are you getting at?

I probably shouldn't say anything...but someone has to step up and speak for poor Ryoma.

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



Cuz he was looking for a reason to live. Isn't that right, Maki?

How...do you know that?

MUSIC: Moon on the Water



Yeah, I remember... Cause once you watch 'em, you've got a motive to kill.

But...if it shows someone important to me, I'd really like to see that.

...Any idea who'll be in the video?



Once I know I've got someone important to me, I'll have a reason to live... If I've got a reason to live, then I've got a reason to escape here with you guys. In other words, that video might just give me a motive to live.



...



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

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



...Empty?



MUSIC: Rise of the Ultimates



MONOKUMA: Who's the most important person in *your* life? And now, without further ado...

NO MUSIC



Unfortunately, there is no one in the world who is important to you! I'm so sorry. Really, I am. You have my deepest sympathies.



MUSIC: Heartless Journey



Th-That's what he was shown...? 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 Kirumi claim his life...

So...that's why...



He just...gave up, then?



It's bad to have no reason to live, but it's also bad to have too many reasons to live.



You are free to judge me for killing Ryoma... 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.





Kirumi...

...Monokuma... Gonta have question...

Oh? What is it!?



What?

Gonta... not smart boy, but even Gonta understand what everyone saying.



...

I was thinking the same thing... I don't wanna die, but Kirumi's life is way more valuable than mine.

Kirumi's got the lives of hundreds of millions of people on her shoulders, right?



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



If Kirumi survives...then the nation's future will be secure.

Then...what was the point of me doing all this...? Why did I reveal the truth? What have I done...? Was I wrong? I-I shouldn't have—

NO MUSIC





MUSIC: Beautiful Lie

That goes for all of you! To hell with all this value of life shit!



Kaito...

And your life doesn't just belong to you. It's for your parents, your grandparents, your friends, even your neighbors.

It's not something you can just decide to throw away on your own.



As long as you stay alive, anything's possible. You can even go to the stars...

So I'm just gonna go ahead and say it! I wanna live!



*sigh*... The idiot's talking again.

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

Yep! He's an Atua-damned idiot!

Hahahaha! I dunno why, but idiots always fill me with inspiration!



Maybe his stupid speech is just what we needed to hear. Kirumi certainly looks shaken by it.

Huh? Shaken...?



MUSIC: Rise of the Ultimates

Do you really think someone as desperate to live as Kirumi would give up so easily? Of course not. In fact, she probably still hasn't given up, even now.





...

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.



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



You...try to trick Gonta!? Try to trick everyone!?

Seriously!? You back-stabbing cunt!

Enough! She was just trying to stay alive in her own way. Nobody can blame her for that!



Because...I carry the weight of an entire nation on my shoulders. I would not have killed Ryoma if I was so easily deterred. This request will not be fulfilled until I have brought joy to every citizen of this nation...



That is why! killed Ryoma! Even now, I refuse to give up!

Kirumi...?

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

I intend to live...

MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker





NO MUSIC

I will do anything—ANYTHING!—to survive!



MUSIC: EXISAL TRIBE



I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was a completely undignified exit.

I have to escape! I won't die here!







...I heard my voice call out.

R-Run...









Like I said...I'm not letting you leave.













EXECUTION VIDEO: Strand of Agony









































MUSIC: Mr. Monokuma After Class V3





Wh-Why Monodam...? Why did you kill Monosuke...?



IF-YOU-NEED-TO-VOMlT...LET-lT-OUT. YOU-WILL-FEEL-MUCH-BETTER-AFTERWARD. MONOSUKE... HE-WAS-NO-DIFFERENT-FROM-MONOKID. HE-WAS-GETTING-IN-THE-WAY... OF-US-GETTING-ALONG.



D-Don't need him...?

WE-FEW-REMAINING-MONOKUBS... MUST-GET-ALONG. NO-MATTER-WHAT... WE-MUST-ALWAYS-GET-ALONG.



NOT-IF-HE-KNOWS-WHAT-IS-GOOD-FOR-HIM.





...HA-HA-HA-HA.

Exit Monodam.



Exit Monophanie.





It's so cute how your little crew has shrunk by one member! Yep, shrunk! You're not getting any larger, y'know!? Ahhh... It's so unbearably cute... All this cuteness makes me feel like I'm about to sneeze...







MUSIC: Heaven of Almost Hell

It doesn't matter! Now's not the time for that!

Ghhh... Kirumi!

I...I can't take this anymore... Even Kirumi was killed so brutally...



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



I'll protect you, no matter what...

B-But...I don't wanna do this anymore either... Please...let's just stop this killing game... I don't care if we stay trapped here forever...

...Oh? Isn't that what Atua said?



It's Monokuma who is corrupt. He is the one who distributed the motive videos.

Those videos were more dangerous than we thought. To have driven Kirumi that far...

What worries me is, as long as we're trapped here, we don't know what's true or false.



She thought that if everyone felt the same murderous rage that she did...

this killing game would be pure chaos. She...wanted to stop it.

If that's the case, then we really shouldn't show our videos to each other!

That was our consensus from the beginning. Not including you, of course.



But that did not come to pass. What, I wonder, were his intentions...?

Huh? I'd never do anything like that. I'm still thinking about what Kirumi said.

What Kirumi said...?





Huh? What about it?

She said she remembered...and it didn't sound like a lie, either.



Huh? The properties of a Flashback Light?

Still...how could Kirumi remember something she never should have forgotten? Serving the entire nation seems too important for her to just...forget.

Nyeh...that's true.



And if that's the case, maybe it's for the best that we don't watch the videos. As long as we don't see the videos, we won't know our motives.

Yeah, now I'm convinced. It's probably for the best. Those motive videos would mess us up, it's better if we just believe in each other.



Hearing you speak of "everyone's sake" is the least believable lie I've heard yet...

How rude. I'm always doing stuff for everyone's sake.



But maybe seeing Kirumi's final moments has made me change my views.

She tried to escape until the very end... Running away to live...might not be a bad idea.

Maybe... Maybe facing the truth isn't enough.

Yeah, true... It's okay to run sometimes. You just gotta win in the end.



...

NO MUSIC



A pyrrhic victory. We had still lost a friend. What is the end Kaito spoke of, and how do we reach it? I don't know. I still don't know.

MUSIC: Darkness Time



For now...we should rest. To me, that seems the most rational course of action.

Yeah... My brain's outta juice from going full-throttle all day.





It'll be fine. As long as we listen to Atua, we'll all bejust fine.

...

What's wrong, Gonta? Why're you staring up at the sky?

It's just...even when all this bad stuff happens, stars are always so pretty.



Different? Do you mean...the position of the stars?

Yeah... Gonta looking, but no can find star he remembers.

But...why? Were we taken somewhere far away?



Hey, let's all head back already. I'm wiped out.

Ah, yeah...

NO MUSIC



What now? Like I said, I'm wiped out.

MUSIC: Wonderful Story



Well then? What is it that you have to say?

Everyone seems to be treating me like some kinda compulsive liar...

But that's ridiculous! There's a way worse liar than me in our group!



...





What do you mean, Maki's a liar?

Maki admitted it during the class trial, remember? Ryoma wanted her to show him his motive video cuz he was looking for a reason to live.



B-Blackmail?

Ryoma just so happened to discover Maki's true identity. So he used that to blackmail her. I bet he said something like...



That's why Maki didn't want us to know she met with Ryoma.



Wh-Why you... What shit are you making up now? Maki's true identity? What-



NO MUSIC





She moved so fast...

AUDIO: Public Execution!?

MUSIC: New World Order V3



Y-Y'know...th-this is an interesting t-turn of events... B-But, would you really...k-kill me in front of everyone...?

KAITO: H-Hey, Maki! What the hell is going on?

Y-Yeah...you can probably...snap my neck like a twig right now... But that's...not your style... Y-You would rather...kill from the shadows...
















Next time, reassessment.