"So... you guys got Motive Videos too, right?"
"Yeah, of course... but we all got them crossed up."
After barely clawing my way out of the shock of somehow becoming a married man without even knowing it, I headed to the dining hall, only to find everyone already talking about the Motive Videos.
"So then... what are we supposed to do with these videos?"
"Obviously we trade them! I'm dying to know!"
"No. We absolutely should not trade them."
"...Why not?"
After arguing for a while, the group finally started fighting in earnest over whether or not to exchange the videos.
'...But I definitely got my own Motive Video. So what the hell is going on?'
While everyone else bickered, I could only tilt my head in confusion.
The Motive Video I received had clearly been about "myself," hadn't it? If that was the case, then why were they all talking like they needed to exchange them with each other?
"....."
That question gnawed at me, so I looked around—and spotted Mukuro, wearing a grim, almost petrified expression.
"Hey, Mukuro."
"Wah! Y-you scared me...! K-K, K...?"
"Why are you that startled...?"
"I-it's nothing..."
Mukuro stammered as she looked at me, then immediately flushed red and lowered her head again. I had honestly lost count of how many times she'd done that by now.
"Mukuro, let's talk for a minute."
"T-talk...?"
"Yeah. In a little bit..."
"I'm telling you, forget cooperation and just split up the Motive Videos already!"
"I agree with him. I don't have the will to keep living anyway."
"You bastard...! What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"
I had planned to wait until the discussion in the dining hall was over before asking her what I wanted to know, but the atmosphere suddenly started turning ugly.
"But c'mon... isn't Monokuma only messing with us because we're trying to cooperate? In that sense... Akamatsu and K are public enemies!"
"W-what...?"
"Anyway, it'd be better if we stopped this cooperation nonsense and exchanged motives instead."
"...You think we're just going to obediently go along with that?"
"Nishishi... that old-looking soldier lady over there keeps growling every time someone messes with K. Which makes me suuuper curious what kind of relationship you two have..."
"....."
After stirring the pot to his heart's content, Oma grinned and looked around at everyone.
"Well, since we've officially declared we're not cooperating anymore, there's no point sticking together in a place like this, right? So I'm heading out! And of course, Gonta's coming too!"
"Huh? Gonta too!?"
"Yep! We promised we'd hold a strategy meeting about how to make everyone trade their 'motives,' remember?"
"D-did we...?"
"Well then, save me some snacks for later, Tojo~!"
With that, Oma scratched his head and strode out of the dining hall, dragging a bewildered Gonta along with him.
"...Looks like now's a good time."
Watching that spectacle, I let out a quiet sigh, then left the dining hall with Ikusaba in tow.
"...Is walking around with a pet at your side the latest trend now?"
"Ngh... maybe I should get myself a familiar too."
"I-I, Yumeno-san's familiar shall be me, Tenko!"
"Saihara-kun, if K-kun and Mukuro-san got trapped alone in one room, which one do you think would be more dangerous?"
"Um... well... K-kun would... ah, wait. According to Iruma-san's sensor... honestly, I have no idea."
I left the dining hall listening to their hushed whispers trail after me.
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"S-so, what was it... y-you wanted to talk about...?"
"...First, let me ask you something."
For some reason, Mukuro was stammering several times more than usual, and just hearing it made my thoughts grow heavier.
Because...
"Who are you, really?"
"H-huh?"
She wasn't Kyoko Kirigiri.
"You definitely said you were 'Kirigiri.' But that isn't true."
"W-what are you talking about...?"
"Look at this."
As I said that, I tossed the Motive Video to Mukuro. She caught the tablet with trembling hands, and the video began playing automatically. The instant she saw it, she froze solid.
"A-a child...? W-when did you have a child...?"
"You remember what happened in Iruma's research lab, right?"
"What?"
"...That sensor."
"Ah..."
I looked at Mukuro as the color drained from her face and spoke.
"In other words... you're not my wife, Kyoko Kirigiri."
"....."
"So I'll ask you one more time. Who are you?"
"....."
No matter how hard I pressed her, Mukuro only kept her head lowered, staring at the floor in silence.
"If that's how you're going to be, then I don't have a choice."
I glared at her coldly, then turned my back.
"From now on, don't come near me. And don't talk to me either."
".....!!!"
"See you."
I left those words behind and started walking back toward the school—only to stop dead in my tracks.
"I-I'm so, so sorryyyyyyy!!"
"...What exactly are you doing?"
She had latched onto my pant leg and collapsed against it.
"I-I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything I can! So please, don't throw me away!!!"
'...Wait. That actually worked?'
Having fallen right into my "turn her into an abandoned stray dog" strategy, she started tearfully spilling the truth.
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"So... 'I' was married to 'Kirigiri'... and you were Kirigiri's romantic rival?"
"Y-yes..."
"Good grief... what even is this...?"
Her real name was Mukuro Ikusaba, and apparently she'd been my rival in love until I married Kirigiri.
Hearing that made me unbearably curious about what kind of guy I had been, but she clammed up, saying that participating in the Killing Game had placed various restrictions on what she was allowed to reveal. So unfortunately, I couldn't pry out anything more.
The only new information I managed to get was this: she had risked her life to enter this Killing Game in order to protect me, she'd come here from some remote backwater and therefore didn't know much about the current situation either, and it was apparently true that I really did possess the talent of an [Ultimate Counselor].
"I've told you everything I can... so please don't abandon me... I don't mind if you treat me like a pet... just let me stay by your side..."
"...Sigh."
She was lying flat on the ground in a full dogeza, staring up at me with pitiful eyes and begging so desperately that it was honestly overwhelming, but I decided to keep her with me for the time being.
Whatever else was true, it did seem genuine that she'd come here risking her life to protect me. And with how absurdly strong she was, she made for near-perfect bodyguard material.
...So as long as she didn't pounce on me, it should be fine. Probably.
"Hey, but... I'm a high school student, right? Seventeen years old, even."
"U-um, well..."
"And I got married at that age? No, wait—thinking about how old the kids in that video looked... just how old was I when I..."
"....Good question?"
"...Sigh. Forget it. More importantly, this is a seriously bad situation."
Above all else, the contents of that video were the real problem.
The bastard running this Killing Game deserved to be torn apart. Taking my twins hostage and using them as leverage? That was beyond vile.
Of course, I still couldn't fully believe it. It didn't feel real. But if that information was true... then I had one more reason, a very real one, to get out of this place no matter what.
'Not that I can kill anyone... damn it. What the hell am I even thinking?'
As the reality of everything slowly sank in, strange thoughts began creeping into my head. Was this fatherly love? Hell, I was seventeen. Seventeen, and already thinking about fatherhood... At this point, I was practically transcending human emotion.
"You said you got your own Motive Video too, right?"
"Y-yes...! B-but it's really not interesting or anything..."
"Relax. I have no intention of watching it. More importantly, you can stop using honorific speech now—"
"N-no! As part of my apology, I'll use polite speech from now on! No, even that's not enough, so maybe I should bark like a dog—"
"....."
Anyway, Ikusaba said she'd received her own Motive Video too. If that was true, then maybe there were other people among the students who had also gotten their own videos rather than someone else's.
'Come to think of it... Tojo committed murder in the original story. If that's the case... then the cause was probably a Motive Video after all.'
If there was any reason Tojo—someone so fundamentally decent she normally devoted herself to helping everyone—would commit murder, then a Motive Video was the most likely answer.
If she still hadn't seen hers yet, then maybe I could somehow track down whoever had it before it reached her and deal with the situation first...
'But if her Motive Video has already reached her, and she's already seen her own motive... then we're in serious trouble.'
No matter what, I needed to talk to Tojo soon.
"Hey, Ikusaba. You can get up now, okay?"
"B-but I still haven't apologized enough—"
"...I'll forgive you, so get up already, Mukuro."
Meanwhile, the woman in front of me had started pledging loyalty to me based on the bizarre logic that, now that she'd learned I had children, she would reluctantly give up on becoming my wife or concubine, but surely being allowed to remain as a pet was still within acceptable bounds.
"Woof."
"...Sigh."
And, as a bonus, she was actually imitating a dog while saying it.
"Come on... let's head back to the school."
"Woof woof."
"No, seriously, please just use human language—"
"...You two, what exactly are you doing?"
As I dragged Ikusaba—who had suddenly dropped into a sitting pose and started acting like a dog—back toward the school, I ran straight into Amami, Akamatsu, and Saihara.
"Grrr..."
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Purr..."
Ikusaba glared at them with openly wary eyes and started growling, but when I stroked her under the chin, she instantly melted and began purring with a goofy smile like none of that had happened. This was driving me insane.
"Um, K-kun... what exactly happened here?"
"...I tamed a wild beast."
"What does that even—"
"Please don't ask any more. I'm starting to have a full-on reality check here."
"....."
As I kept petting Ikusaba with dead, hollow eyes, the others started looking at me with unmistakable pity.
"Prrrr..."
Seriously... could I raise this creature without getting eaten alive?
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"Hmm... Tojo-san's motive, huh... I don't have it."
"Me neither..."
"Same here."
Just in case, I asked the more normal members of the group whether any of them had Tojo's Motive Video, but as expected, none of them did.
'Running around asking literally everyone feels like a bad idea... Maybe I really should just talk to Tojo directly.'
While I was mulling that over, Amami suddenly asked me a question.
"K-kun, what position are you taking on this motive situation?"
"...Hm?"
"Well... for now, I guess I'm against exchanging them. The moment the person involved sees it, it becomes a real 'motive.'"
"I see... I figured you'd say that, K-kun. I agree."
"But if this keeps up, some of them are going to start trading videos in secret."
"Yeah... and we need to be careful about Oma-kun too. I can't tell at all what kind of scheme he's plotting."
I was watching them exchange opinions with grave expressions, trying to think of how I could persuade Tojo, when Saihara unexpectedly brought something up.
"Ah, right... I promised Chabashira-san and Tojo-san I'd bring them some parasols..."
"Huh? What's that about?"
"Ah, yesterday Tojo-san gave Chabashira-san and a few of the other girls this elegant vacation-style experience, and Chabashira-san liked it so much that she decided to expand it and let the other girls experience it too."
"...Really?"
"Oh, right! Come to think of it, Chabashira-san mentioned it to me too! She said they were holding a party at the pool around this time today."
"Mukuro, did you hear anything about that?"
"Woof."
"Please... I'm begging you, just speak like a human being..."
"I did hear about it... but I'm K-sama's pet, so..."
"No. Actually, just don't say anything at all."
"......"
I was staring at Ikusaba in exasperation as she clamped her mouth shut and looked at me with wounded, puppy-like eyes, when Saihara carefully addressed me.
"Um... K-kun, if it's not too much trouble, could you help me move the parasols?"
"Hm? Sure, I don't mind... but why me?"
"Chabashira-san said that, among the boys, the only ones she could trust even a little were Saihara and K, since we're both weak enough that she could overpower us whenever she wanted... so she asked us to move them."
"...Ah."
"Honestly, it'd be a little hard to move them by myself, but if I ask the other boys Chabashira-san will get mad, and asking the girls feels awkward too..."
"Got it. I'll help."
Seeing Saihara's pitiful expression, I felt a strange sense of kinship and accepted his offer.
'I was already planning to meet Tojo and talk to her anyway, so this works out perfectly.'
Of course, I didn't forget that talking to Tojo was my real objective.
"Mukuro, you go on ahead and join them first."
"Woof."
"Please stop making that sound... ugh, whatever. Forget it."
And so, I separated from Ikusaba for a while and headed back toward the school with Saihara to move the parasols.
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Meanwhile, at the pool of Saishu Academy.
"Yesterday was fun too, but today all the girls are gathering... I'm really looking forward to it!!"
"Nyahaha~! I'm excited too~! Even God is super excited~!"
"Ngh... I would rather be researching magic..."
"Welcome. You're early."
Tojo, who had arrived at the pool ahead of time to prepare for the party, greeted Chabashira, Yonaga, and Yumeno, who had shown up a little early.
"I'll do my best to provide the finest service for everyone."
"As expected, Tojo-san is truly kind! If only those degenerate males could be even one hundred-millionth as admirable as Tojo-san!"
"That's right, that's right~! God agrees too~!"
"Not quite on the level of my magic... but you're impressive enough. I shall praise you."
"You're flattering me. I'm only doing what I should as a maid."
At Tojo's humble response, the three girls praised her kindness again and again before heading toward the beach chairs that had already been set out.
'Saihara-kun is frail, but he has the talent of a detective and he's always surrounded by people, so he's out. K-kun is the easiest target by far, but the woman glued to his side is dangerous. If I'm going to kill him, I'll have to wait until they're separated...'
"By the way, Tojo-san, won't you join us too? Tojo-san needs time to relax as well!"
"I'm most at ease when I'm serving all of you. So there's no need to worry."
"I-I see...! As expected, Tojo-san is amazing!"
'...Harukawa-san is always alone, but somehow she doesn't seem like someone I could defeat easily. So the most likely option is probably Hoshi-kun, the one who's already said he'd throw his own life away.'
None of them had the faintest idea what was really passing through her mind beneath that warm smile.
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