When we reached the backyard, there really was a [manhole] tucked away beside the overgrown brush.
The cover was absurdly heavy, and trying to lift it caused a brief little commotion, but Gokuhara solved that problem with insulting ease.
Naturally, I assumed those robots from earlier would come charging in to stop us, but for some reason they never showed. Thanks to that, we were able to descend underground without shedding a drop of blood.
"Look over there. It says 'Exit.' I think it means if we get through that tunnel, we'll find a way out."
"B-but doesn't that make it even more suspicious? It's written way too openly..."
"Hah-hah-hya! Don't chicken out just because you're creepy!"
The students were thrilled to have finally found an exit, but at the same time, they couldn't shake the fear that it might be a trap.
But that had to be the exit. For some reason, I could feel it. If we got through there, then everyone would probably be safe.
"Come on, let's at least try it! Sure, it might be dangerous, but... there are seventeen Ultimates here!"
As I said that, I stole a quick glance at K.
"......."
Thankfully, unlike before, K didn't openly voice his distrust. He just stood there in silence, staring into the depths of the tunnel.
"So if we all work together, I'm sure we'll manage somehow!"
"Y-yeah... I guess you're right..."
"That's exactly what I wanted to say! Akamatsu and I really are on the same wavelength—"
"....."
It felt like K's brow twitched ever so slightly at the words "all work together," but that was probably just my imagination.
Probably...
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"Kyaaaah!!"
"I am Momota Kaito, the man who commands the cosmos! Something like thiiiiiis— Gyaaagh!!"
"A-Akamatsu-san... take my hand... uwaaah!!"
The inside of that tunnel was a genuine hellhole.
The space was so vast it made me wonder why a school would even have a facility like this, and it was packed with countless traps lying in wait for us.
"M-me... losing to a bunch of stupid machiiines...!"
"Nyahaha~! I'm sinking~!"
"I-I'm a robot too! So please don't attack m—!"
As a result, we had barged in completely unprepared, and we got torn apart without being able to do a thing.
"Ungh! D-don't come near me! I said don't come near me!"
"Kieeek! Yumeno-san! Use magic, magic!"
"M-my mana still isn't recovered... uwaaaaaah..."
"Yumeno-saaaan!!!"
"This is just like... that cat plumber game—kyaah!"
And just like that, our numbers started dwindling.
"Nishishi... that was pretty fun..."
"Well now... I suppose this is as far as we go."
"......"
In the end, not long after we'd set out, most of the students had already been eliminated.
"...Haaah."
"...Even compared to the jobs I've taken before, this ranks pretty high."
"If even my footwork can't handle it, is this thing actually beatable?"
"G-Gonta will try harder...! So..."
"I've fallen into places with traps like this before, but this one's a bit excessive."
And after even the students who'd held out to the very end were knocked out, all of us were sent back to the starting point.
"Upupupu... go ahead and try escaping if you can! Though you'll give up before long!!"
After that, Monokuma kept hurling taunts at us, and the mood sank into a swamp of gloom, but...
"...So when we get outside, won't you all be friends with each other?"
At my desperate plea, the others thankfully pulled together and threw themselves into conquering the passage with everything they had.
However...
"I-I'm exhausted... my golden brain cells are about to die here..."
"N-no, it's too early to give up! This much is a piece of cake...!"
"That's right! Gonta... no matter what, Gonta's getting out of here and becoming friends with everyone!"
We couldn't do it.
Despite our repeated attempts, the tunnel's grotesque difficulty kept crushing us into failure, and little by little, the fire in everyone's eyes began to gutter out.
And by the time what had to be dozens of attempts since the very first challenge had finally come to an end...
"Again... we failed again..."
"Damn it..."
"I can't... do this anymore..."
"W-wait, everyone! We can't give up! I'm sure this time—"
"Akamatsu Kaede, enough already, okay?"
".....!"
The one who had remained silent all this time finally opened his mouth.
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"Why do you keep forcing everyone to do something so obviously hopeless? Do you really think this is what's best for them?"
"Th-that's..."
"Look around you. Take a good look at the state their bodies are in. Look at their faces."
"....."
"If you keep pushing for a breakthrough in this condition, more people are going to get hurt or spiral into panic... Ah, was that your goal?"
"...What?"
"You've been rushing out first every single time and getting eliminated the fastest... so maybe you had some ulterior motive. Maybe you were trying to wear everyone else down."
"I-I never meant to do that...!"
"W-wait just a second!"
K's voice was glacial enough to freeze the air in my lungs, and as I stammered, Chabashira jumped in beside me to defend me, but—
"What is this degenerate male saying so recklessly?! Akamatsu-san was doing it for everyone—"
"Doesn't sound reckless to me. I think so too! And so do the others...!!"
Oma cut Chabashira off, and when I turned to where he was pointing, I froze solid.
"They say the ugliness of humanity can be beautiful... but if this keeps going, I'm worried even that essence will be stained beyond repair..."
"Y-you can all get treated if you're hurt, but if I break, that's the end for me..."
"Yeah, yeah... even Faker would gg at this..."
"...I'm tired. I can't do this anymore."
"This pointless crap has shaved down my golden brain cells... shit..."
"Ungh... my mana was already low, and now it's completely drained... if I keep going, it'll start eating into my HP..."
"Still, I'm glad nobody got seriously hurt~ That's all thanks to God~ So let's stop now~!"
A frightening number of them had collapsed where they stood, sunk into resignation.
"G-guys! You can't give up!"
"You all... are you seriously going to live here forever!?"
"Well... do we really need to push ourselves? Can't we just find some other way out?"
"...You mean the killing game?"
"Aha, so that's how you interpret it?"
"W-what are you saying?! A killing game is obviously not—"
Just as the atmosphere was curdling into something truly ugly, K spoke again.
"Whoever tries to start a killing game... had better be prepared to die too."
"Exactly! Any man trying to start a killing game should be ready to die— huh? W-what did you just say?"
"Because I'll stop them. No matter what it takes."
K said it to all of us while radiating a chill so overpowering it smothered the entire room.
"Even if I have to die along with them."
Leaving those words behind, K walked out of the underground passage alone.
"....."
"U-um... this is all my fault. I'm sorry..."
In that suffocating silence, I tried to say something—anything at all—but then...
Of all times, the nighttime announcement chose that exact moment to ring out.
"...You don't need to apologize, Akamatsu-san."
"R-right! This is all because of that creepy counselor—"
"I don't know. I think Akamatsu bears some responsibility too."
"C-cooperation, huh... yeah. No way that was ever going to work in a situation like this. I guess he had a point."
"E-everyone... for now, instead of fighting... how about we get some sleep?"
Just as the mood threatened to turn vicious again, Saihara cautiously made a suggestion to everyone.
"That's right. Right now, we need to recover our strength. We can try this place again later."
"Ugh... we're supposed to sleep in those creepy rooms...?"
"Well, whatever. It's still better than the prison I used to live in."
"Then how about this? Tomorrow, when we can use the dining hall again, everyone meets there at 8:00 a.m.?"
"E-everyone...? But... what about that counselor who left first...?"
When Gonta asked carefully, Oma answered with a grin.
"Nishishi... well, who cares? He seems pretty wary of us, after all... though honestly, it feels less like he's wary of all of us and more like he's singling out one specific person!"
"...I'll go talk to K later. For now, everyone should head back to the dorms. And don't wander around alone during nighttime. You could become a target."
"Y-you mean for the killing game?"
"T-that kind of irrational thing couldn't possibly happen..."
"That's why I'm just warning you."
And with Amami's uneasy warning hanging in the air, everyone finally dispersed.
I was trying to swallow down my sadness and head back to the dorms too when someone called out to me.
"Hey, why'd you apologize back there?"
"...Huh?"
"You didn't do anything wrong, did you!?"
"Momota-kun, thanks, but... I really do bear some responsibility. At the start of the escape attempt, everyone was united, but... I pushed too hard, and because of that, everyone..."
"No! If that counselor bastard hadn't started spewing weird crap, everyone would've stayed united! That guy... I oughta go give him a piece of my mind..."
"Y-you don't need to do that..."
"Anyway! Don't bow your head when you've got no reason to! All that does is lower your own value—and the value of the people who believed in you and followed you!"
"....."
"Well, anyway, I should get some sleep for today. See you tomorrow."
With that, Momota scratched the back of his head and headed out.
"...I wish K would give the others advice like that."
"Huh? Saihara-kun?"
"...Akamatsu-san, I think it'd be better if you didn't take what K-kun said too much to heart. At least... I believe in you."
"...Yeah, thanks, Saihara-kun. It's late, so let's head back to the dorms."
"Yeah... see you tomorrow, then."
And so, hoping that tomorrow everyone would be smiling again and able to work together once more, I dragged my heavy steps back toward the dorms.
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Meanwhile, at that same time, in K's room...
"If I catch the ringleader, I can end the killing game... it's doable... definitely doable..."
Sitting on the edge of his bed, K muttered to himself while glaring coldly at his E-Handbook.
"The entrance to the hidden room in the library... the ringleader will definitely show up there."