Chapter Text
Akamatsu Kaede does not know where she is.
She woke up, weirdly enough, in a classroom locker. Her head hurts, she doesn't remember how she got here, and she's pretty sure she's been kidnapped.
But she's also alone. Very alone.
It takes her a few minutes to get the nerves to leave the classroom, only to find the hallways just as barren as the room. No one is around, the air is still and silent. She feels like she's in a horror movie.
She looks everywhere, finds no one. It's as if every other person on earth has disappeared. She's all alone.
Kaede wanders around the empty building for nearly an hour before she discovers someone else. A figure stands bent over the lock of a door, fiddling with it like they wanted to break in. It was a boy around her age, dressed in the oddest getup with strange hair. Kaede doesn't think much of it, more relieved that there's someone else here.
“What are you doing?” She asks, instead of who are you or where are we.
“Nothing.” The boy lies, an instinctive thing, before he pauses and turns to her. His eyes light up. “Oh wow! I'm not alone here!”
He looks like he wants to jump up and hug her, but he's too busy lock picking the door to do so. Kaede crosses her arms - so he hasn't seen anyone else either. “Why are you trying to lockpick the door?”
“I heard something inside.” He says simply, eyes sparkling at the sight of her. It's a little extreme, a little too much, but underneath it Kaede sees his relief and can't help but feel the same. “Come’on, aren't you curious?”
She was more paranoid and worried about why they were here and who brought them here, but yeah sure. “Go ahead, I guess.”
The boy giggles and the lock clicks. The door swings open to reveal not a room, but a little enclave, empty besides a note seemingly carved into the wall.
‘Dispose of Amami Rantaro as soon as possible’
Oh.
That's… not what she was expecting.
“So we're not alone in here.”
“Astute observation, Kaede.” The boy, Oma Kokichi says. Kaede has a feeling that trying to get him to be polite would be an uphill battle and she thinks they have more important things to worry about, right now. “There's at least five of us here.”
Five? Oh, yeah. “Us two, this Amami guy, the person who wrote this and the one they wrote it to.” Kaede presses her hand to her chin, deep in thought. “I haven't seen anyone, though.”
“They're obviously hiding.” Kokichi smirks. “I woke up in a locker.”
So did she, and she didn't bother to check any of them. She should've thought about that. “We should look for Amami, we have to warn him.”
“Why?” Kokichi asks, stretching, and there's a weird lilt to his voice, in the way his head tilts and how his eyes go soft and naive. Maybe it's because Kaede knows music, has an ear for all sound, but she can tell the little tonal nuisances in voices too. The way Kokichi is speaking, it all feels fake. Put on. “It's not our problem, is it? Obviously something big is going on, I want to see it play out.”
Kaede, surprisingly, snorts. “Stop it.” She says. “I don't know what you're playing at, but if you can skip ahead to the part where you admit that this is all scary and you're worried about Amami I'd very much appreciate it.”
Kokichi pauses, stunned. “...skip?”
“Yes, skip.” She crosses her arms. “I'm guessing it's a defense mechanism? You're acting like you don't care so it won't hurt in the future.”
Kokichi stares. He laughs. “You got me!” He says, lies again, and Kaede frowns because she thought she got that right. “Anyway, let's lock and close this back up, hm? If there's a chance no one knows we saw this, I'd rather keep it that way.”
He goes about closing what he had unlocked. Kaede frowns. Making sure no one knows they saw it? It makes sense - if someone wants this Amami person dead so badly, they'd probably dispose of anyone aware of their plan too.
Kaede shivers. “Just where are we?”
Kokichi turns towards her. For once, he's being completely genuine when he says, “A nightmare come true.”
Kokichi runs off to check where he had woken up soon after, giggling as he went like nothing was wrong. Kaede tries to follow him but loses him quite soon after. So she goes back to her own classroom, finds it just how she left it.
She checks the other lockers.
A boy falls out.
Everything and nothing is explained.
They're in a killing game. Kaede can't believe it. Not only can she not believe it, but the person in charge, Monokuma, shows no clue of knowing what she and Kokichi saw. That means that either there are no cameras (doubtful), or whatever was set up wasn't activated or online when they were wandering around.
Now, Kaede’s not a big investigatory type, but she can piece some things together. She and Kokichi obviously woke up earlier than they were supposed to, and they luckily were quiet enough about it not to get caught. She tries to catch the other boy’s eyes, but he specifically doesn't look her way. Instead he acts like an annoying prick, and she can already see a few other students get irritated.
They introduce themselves. Saihara Shuichi was the boy she met earlier in her classroom, a detective that couldn't look her in the eye but had a kind smile. She hoped it stayed that way.
This is a killing game.
No. No one would be killing anyone. Not if she could help it.
They are nearly done with introductions when another boy catches her eyes, with tangling green hair and matching eyes, skin too pale, eyes too knowing. Maybe it's because she knows this is a killing game, or maybe it's because she saw that message earlier, but now she's hyper aware of everything these people are doing. Anything that looks out of the ordinary.
Her first thought is this is the person. This is who saw the message. This was the person who would kill Amami.
“I'm Amami Rantaro, and my Ultimate… well…”
…Oh.
…Oh.
She looks for Kokichi, finds him looking back at her. She sees now, she understands why someone would want him dead.
He knows something.
The day is tense, and when night falls all she wants to do is sleep in her unfamiliar room and hope she wakes from this nightmare come morning. Instead her door (which she locked-) opens and she almost screams before seeing who it is. “Oma!”
Kokichi snickers. “Awe Kaede, are you not happy to see me?” He closes (and locks) the door behind him, marching up to flop at the foot of her bed. She looks for anything to defend herself, because she wants to trust him but she knows this is a killing game. “I thought we were close!”
As he grins his eyes flutter along the room, searching. Kaede frowns. “You just broke into my room.”
He shrugs. “I wanted to see if there was any difference between rooms.” He wraps part of her blanket around himself. “And there is! Would you like to see?”
There's a spark of something else in his eyes, so Kaede nods and follows him.
Only to find that as they pass her bathroom Kokichi makes a curious noise and walks in. Kaede makes a squeak in response and follows, only for Kokichi to close the bathroom after him.
“There!” He says, satisfied. “There's no cameras in the bathrooms - they're not that much of a pervert.”
Oh. They're okay with children killing one another but at least they have bathroom privacy. “What did you want to say?”
“Oh, straight to business.” He pouts. “That's no fun.”
“There's no camera in here.” Kaede tries to stay calm. “But there is a camera that saw us come in here.”
“Oh, you do have a hamster running up there!” It should be insulting, but Kokichi says it like it's not. “Yeah, Monokuma will get curious soon enough. Why didn't you talk to Amami?”
Kaede blinks. “What?”
He shrugs. “I expected you to tell him about his imminent death.”
Kaede blubbers. “I-I’m going to!” She protests, sobers. “It's just… something about him…”
“Oh, does Kaede have a crush?” Kokichi cackles. “On our dear Amami? And I thought we had something!” He looks like he might cry.
“One day you must tell me what this act is for.” She snaps. “What you're hoping to accomplish by being such a prick.”
“You wound me.” Kokichi places a hand on his heart. “But seriously, I get it. Amami’s an attractive guy, I too would fall deeply-”
“He knows something.” Kaede says suddenly, and Kokichi finally goes quiet. “He knows something that we don't and I want to know what.”
Kokichi is quiet for a long moment.
“My dear Kaede!” He says, and the stars in his eyes are back, something fervent in his gaze. “You noticed that too? I've been underestimating you!”
Many do. That's just how it is - they think her intelligence is just for music, and sometimes they think that's all fake too, and all she has going for her is her looks and body. “But we do need to talk to him, and soon.”
“I'll handle it.” Kokichi assures her. “Just meet out in the lawn right after we wake.”
“Alright.” She says, then pauses. “Why didn't you say anything, Oma?”
Kokichi blinks, looks innocent. “What do you mean, my dear Kaede?”
“You could've told Amami about the message.” She says. “You could've told everyone.”
“Would they have believed me?” He questions, and yes, he had just spent the whole day showing how much of a liar he was, and Kaede's sure the others can't pick up on his tonal difference like she can.
“If you hadn't spent the whole day making them not trust you, sure.” Kaede stands her ground. “But that's not the reason, and we both know it. Why must you make this so difficult?”
Kokichi snickers, and she wonders if this is just some kind of test. “What would telling everyone do besides place a target on my back?”
They wouldn't believe him - no one would besides the ones planning the murder. Kokichi could say Kaede saw it too, but that would only put her on their radar too.
She sighs. Goes to speak.
“And what are my lovely students doing, shacked up in a bathroom together?! It better be murder!”
She jumps at Monokuma’s voice. Kokichi just smiles. He untucks his scarf, ruffles his hair and clothes, and walks out with a pep in his step. “Aw Monokuma!” He says, pouting. “It was just getting good!”
Monokuma gives him a thrashing as the bear makes him leave, Kokichi laughing as he scrams. Kaede relocks her door and stares at the ceiling from her bed, deep in thought.
“So…” Rantaro says, sitting on the grass between her and Kokichi. “What is this about?”
It's a nice morning. A breeze rustles through her hair. Everyone else is getting ready for the day.
“Someone wants to kill you.” Kaede says. “We want to know why.”
It takes a while to convince him.
Kokichi is little help, mostly there to cause trouble like a little imp. Their conversation from yesterday comes back to her, what he said about Rantaro, and a blush starts rising on her cheeks. Yes, she does find him attractive, sue her.
At the end it comes down to the fact that they both know things the other doesn't and Kaede implies that they know more than they've already told him, that they'll tell him everything, and they can work together. That's what gets him to show them his monopad.
Kokichi starts giggling once he sees the map. “I'm so proud of you Kaede!” He looks like he wants to hug her. “You lied so well!”
Rantaro’s face immediately closed off. “What do you mean?”
Kaede goes sheepish. “We don't really have any other information.” She admits. “We woke up before everyone else, and Kokichi found a message with your name on it. Dispose of Amami Rantaro as soon as possible.”
“Must have to do with your survivor’s perk.” Kokichi lays back in the grass, arms behind his head. “Whoever’s in charge, whatever's controlling Monokuma, wants you dead.”
Rantaro sighs. He looks up at the sky, as if gathering strength. Kaede places a hand on his. “I'm sorry.” She says. “I know this must be a lot.”
Rantaro looks back down at her, eyes swirling with too much for her to process. She shifts in place, warning bells going off in her mind. He was… dangerous, somehow. Like Kokichi, but in a different way. Somehow more.
They would kill someone, she realizes, If they had to, they would kill someone.
“It doesn't make sense.” He finally says. “Whoever's in charge wants me dead, but in this game if the murderer gets caught they die too.”
“And we have the Ultimate Detective walking around.” Kokichi adds on, still sprawled out on the grass. “So why would the mastermind risk their own henchmen?”
“They probably know stuff we don't.” Kaede theorizes. “They don't think they'll get caught.”
“But if they don't, then we all die.” Rantaro says. “And these sadistic fucks wouldn't do all this just for it to end so quick.”
Kokichi snickers. “You guys don't see it, do you?”
They both turn to him. Kokichi props up his elbows and laughs. “You're looking at it with your goody two shoes eyes. You gotta look at it like a liar.”
Kaede blinks. “They'll… lie?”
“Of course they'll lie!” Kokichi grins, and it's not a nice one. It's a bit deranged, hiding a vicious kind of anger underneath. “It's quite simple. They'll kill Amami, blame it on someone else, and then when we pick the wrong person Monokuma will just say it's the right one and we won't know any better!”
And Kaede can barely breathe, because he's right. This killing game only works if it's fair, but why would a killing game be fair. Of course the people in charge are going to cheat, but they'll do so in ways that they would never notice. So that they would never expect them of not being fair.
Rantaro sucks in a deep breath. Kaede is shaking.
Kirumi calls for breakfast.
The plan is unspoken and simple.
They don't leave Rantaro's side. Whether it's Kokichi or Kaede or both, they always make sure that at least one of them is nearby at all times. With tensions high as incentives are given to kill, she knows it's only a matter of time until someone dies. She doesn't want anyone too, of course not, but scared people do scary things.
Shuichi is a sweetheart, shy as he may be, and when Kaede isn't on Rantaro watch she's with him. The group has made her a de-facto leader of sorts, only made official when Kokichi complains about it. That leads the others to agree that if Kokichi doesn't like something then it must be the right thing to do, and she catches Amami staring at the both of them, contemplative.
Korekiyo, surprisingly enough, is a dear to be around as well. He's very odd, but odd is normal in this ragtag group of theirs, and he's polite and kind and interested in what she has to say about music.
She makes friends where she can, keeps a mental list of everyone's personalities, who could never kill and who definitely could. No one struck her as someone with a mission to kill, not even Maki, who was antisocial to the point of suspicion. Or maybe she just wanted to believe in everyone.
As time starts to count down, she pays attention to the ones most likely to act out. Everyone is focused on Kokichi killing and Ryoma allowing himself to be killed, so Kaede watches the others.
Then she has a realization.
“Oma.” She pulls Kokichi aside on the morning of the last day, as everyone gathers for breakfast. “I need you to keep an eye on Amami today.”
Kokichi blinks. “Oh, is Kaede giving little ol me all the work today? Unfair.”
“I'm sorry.” Is all she says, and then goes to find Shuichi, to stick by his side, because she was so focused on keeping Amami safe that she never thought about how, in a killing game, the Ultimate Detective would be the best person to target and kill.
In the end it's for not. By the end of the time limit everyone was still alive, and before someone could stop him Ryoma grabbed a shot put ball, threw it into the air with as much power as he could, and then waited for it to fall.
In front of everyone.
It was barely even a trial, more a somber mourning. Even Kokichi kept his mouth shut for it, face scrunched like he had sucked on a lemon. Monokuma moaned and bitched about how boring and not fun they were being. He was ignored.
They held vigil for him after the trial, sitting on the grass in the courtyard. She couldn't help but cry, the haunting images of watching someone die seared into her mind. Yet still there was a silver lining, a strengthening of resolve. Witnessing someone die was different than finding a dead body. Ryoma was alive and breathing one moment, still and breathless the next.
It will stick with them all.
Killing does not seem like the way out, anymore.
But yes, Kaede cries. She cries in anger and frustration, as Shuichi pats her back and the rest bow their heads. At some point fingers intertwined with hers, a comfort, and she's both surprised and not to see that it's Kokichi.
“Your empathy is pure.” Korekiyo tells her as they all drift back to the dorms. “Please do not lose that, no matter how much it hurts.”
Kaede sniffles and nods and sobs herself to sleep that night.
Amami is missing come morning.