9 1.3 - Motive Video Mixup!

Shortly after that incident in the library, the rest of us quickly met up back at the bistro in an hour, sitting back all together at the center table to discuss what we all found. I was still not sure what we were going to do with the knives and the skewers we found in the kitchen, but I might as well bring that up now so we can take care of it. Now let's see what everyone else found out. Ayano was leading the group discussion, namely because I'm pretty sure she's the smartest and most capable leader here.

Ay: "Alright, everyone. We're back. Let's go over what exactly we found. If you think you found anything that could be used as a murder weapon, and I mean ANYTHING, please bring it up. I guess I'll start by sharing my group's findings."

Isamu nudged in and began to speak.

I: "Okay! Listen up! I hereby call to order the first Glendale Prep Academy reconnaissance committee on academy affairs! Let's review the present state of our current intel!"

We all pulled out our Monopads to bring up our findings for the others.

I: "And remember, all cards on the table!"

J: "Isamu, Ayano and I searched the back corridors of the academy. We didn't find too much useful items there, but then we ran into the medical bay. In there, we found a handful of chemicals I'm quite familiar with: cyanide, hydrogen peroxide, plenty of vitamin supplements, mercury, and many other things. We also found a handful of syringes, so we put them in a small container and brought them with us."

Ay: "I say we can dispose of those properly later. On that note, I also did a little research and found a few files that could shed some light on our current situation. But I think we should get our other findings cleared up first."

I: "Alright, next group up: Saburo's group! Tell us what you found!"

Saburo, Haruto and Ema all prepared their Monopads to show their findings.

S: "I wouldn't stress about it too much. We mainly searched the gym and pool areas for anything dangerous, but it was getting boring as shit after a while."

Ha: "There were plenty of gym weights and other equipment that could definitely be used as weapons, so as long as they stay in the workout gym, they should be fine."

E: "There wasn't too much to search for in the pool area, so we called it off short."

I: "Is that really it? Because if we find something extra you've been holding out on us on, we'll find out. Anyway, next group: Atsuko, Tenmon and Mizuki! What did you find?"

They pulled out their Monopads immediately.

At: "We searched the back area of the school. We also explored some parts of the library while we were at it. Mizuki said she wanted to explore the library by herself, so we let her. Tenmon and I continued searching. I'm sorry to report we didn't find too much, though."

I: "That's fine. At least we now know that there is in fact a library located here. But why did you split up? I thought we were told to stick together."

Mi: "I wasn't feeling well, and I was just trying to calm myself down by reading a book. Is that a crime now?"

I: "No, but you shouldn't have just ran off like that. This is a killing game, for God's sake. If you split up, you're more likely to get murdered! Come on! That should've been obvious!"

Mizuki immediately started panicking frantically.

Mi: "AHH! O-okay, okay! I understand! Please forgive me, master!"

Isamu looked at her with both confusion and curiosity. I mean, honestly, if a girl told me that, I wouldn't know how to react, either.

I: "Woah, calm down, Mizuki. I'm not your master. I'm just trying my best to keep everyone here alive, and that includes you, too."

Mi: "Ahhh...thank you for your kindness, Isamu..."

She started acting much more aroused than usual. All of us started getting weirded out by it before Ronin finally stepped in.

R: "Oh for the love of Atua, will you two just get a room already?"

Both Isamu and Mizuki started heavily blushing.

I: "Wait, what?!"

Mi: "E-excuse me, Ronin?"

R: "Come on, it's obvious she's addicted to you, Isamu. Look at her! So seriously, when's the date happening?"

At that point, Ayano had enough of this.

Ay: "Alright! Enough is enough! Ronin, there's a time and place for your jokes, but not now! And Mizuki, get ahold of yourself! In case you people haven't noticed, we are trying to state what we found. So could we please get this moving along already?"

I: "Yes, I agree! Next group: Hiroshi, Kanon, Mariko and Conner! What do you have to report?"

We all brought up our Monopads to show our findings. I spoke on behalf of the group.

Hi: "We searched the kitchen area next to the bistro. We found a lot of dangerous items like knives and sharp skewers in there, so they could definitely be used in a murder. We should try to figure out a way to keep those hidden in the meantime."

Ka: "Also, if any of you are afraid of starving to death, you can give up those fears right now. As far as we're concerned, Monokuma's got this place stacked with all kinds of food! Apparently, the amount of food consumed gets restocked depending on how much food we've eaten the day prior. So we can dine all we want!"

Eventually, once we were done and went over Kiyoshi's findings altogether, an announcement came on the bistro TV. Of course, it was Monokuma, hiding in some kind of office drinking a glass of champagne.

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

Most of us groined as we all slowly left the bistro and headed back to our assigned rooms. I guess we'll just continue this conversation in the morning, I suppose. Once I got to my room, though, there was a little note that was slide underneath my door. I went inside and I took a closer look at it. I didn't recognize whose handwriting it was, though.

"Hello, Hiroshi. I am asking you to try and meet me in the library tomorrow afternoon at 3 P.M. sharp. There is something I want to talk to you about. Bring a friend, too, in case you don't fully trust me. If you don't want to come, that's fine, too. From, ???"

Hmm...I really don't know who wrote this to me. But the handwriting looks very nice, so maybe it's one of the girls who wrote this to me. Eh...you know what? I'll think about it tomorrow morning. Right now I just need a good night's sleep. I made sure to lock my door, just in case anyone was preparing to make their move. While still mumbling to myself, I collapsed onto my bed. My eyes closed almost immediately. It's not like I wasn't ready for bed, exactly. I was just utterly exhausted.

It was if I spent an entire day staring at a TV or watching movies. Or some kind of illusion or sick fantasy that I had been tossed into. "Yeah, that feels about right. There's not exactly a way to easily accept this situation." And with that, I fell fast asleep.

And that's how the curtains closed on the first day of my new killing school life. Out of all things, I just wished that when I woke up, I hoped that all of this shit was just a bad nightmare. Sure, it sounds like a lame and completely unsatisfying ending, but I would be just fine with that.

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The Mastermind's Room - Later that night...

Monokuma was sitting right across from where the mastermind was sitting. He was busy giving a brief summary about what the students know.

Monokuma: "So far, they don't have a clue how they got here, or what they're doing here in the first place!"

???: "And we are going to keep it that way. You better be keeping a close eye on all of them."

Monokuma: "Relax! Everything's fine! You think this is my first killing game? No, I've done this before, you know."

???: "I know you've done this before, but you haven't exactly done the best job managing it."

Monokuma: "Hey! Don't blame me just because Naegi didn't give into despair! Besides, he won't get in the way this time."

???: "And what do you mean by that?"

Monokuma: "Let's just say that the Future Foundation doesn't have a single clue where we are right now."

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(MONOKUMA THEATER CUTSCENE - I just wanted to do this for fun)

Monokuma: You're probably thinking, "This killing game is taking forever. Some PLEASE just die already!" That's what you're thinking, right? Man, you guys are messed up. But hey, I feel the same way too, not gonna lie. Geez, why won't someone just die already?! Ah, watching people live and die is really the best form of entertainment! Some people ask me, "Monokuma, what do you think life is?" Honestly, life is a joke. When a red-shirt character dies, they quickly get forgotten because there's tons of replacements out there for them. But if you die in a death game, then EVERYONE remembers who you are. That itself to me is a form of happiness.

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The Next Morning - Hiroshi's Room, 7:00 A.M.

The morning announcement immediately came on.

Monokuma: "Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine, ursine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day! Also, I left each of you a little present in your rooms. Open them up!"

As I struggled to stay awake and freshen myself up, I still had no clue what this present was. Definitely not anything good, that's for sure. After I got done dressing myself and brushing my teeth, I began to search my room. On my wooden drawer, there was a strange, Monopad-like device on it. It looks like a Monopad, but it's not. It says "Motive Video" on the back of it as well. When I touched the screen, the device immediately came to life and started playing a video.

Monokuma: "Alright, back by popular demand, it's time for another motive video! Who is the most important person in *your* life? And now, without further ado...Jin Ezura, the Ultimate Scientist!"

I was very confused. I'm sorry, did I end up getting the wrong motive video? Because this clearly looks like it's meant for Jin. So why did I get it? Immediately, a picture of Jin with some other scientist popped up. The scientist next to her was tall, had black hair and a long black beard, blue eyes, and a pair of metallic glasses. He looked rather charming, too. Monokuma's voice continued.

Monokuma: "Thanks to her exceptional talent, this dedicated young woman is already on her way to win her own Nobel Chemistry award! Wow! And our team has been able to get an exclusive interview with her adopted father, Katashi Ezura! He misses her wonderful daughter very much, and hopes that she returns home safe and sound! But just don't take my word for it! Let's hear it straight from the source!"

Just then, the video cut over to a live feed in an interview room, with Mr. Katashi Ezura in front of the camera.

Katashi: "Jin, listen to me. If you are watching this right now, I have to let you know this: as long as you are alive, I don't need anything else. I love you, my dear. And you must never give up, no matter how hard the odds are. No matter what, you must live. Please, survive this, for my sake. My only wish is to see you alive and well again at my side."

Monokuma's obnoxious voice immediately cut over.

Monokuma: "His only wish...is for Jin to live! But will Jin be able to fulfill her father's wishes? Oh, that reminds me of something. Right after this interview wrapped up, Mr. Katashi Ezura suffered a little unfortunate accident."

The video then cut over to another image of the same interview room, but Mr. Katashi was gone now, and the building was replaced with burning rubble and ashes all around. There was a small pool of blood in the middle of the room, and the flames kept burning even brighter. Monokuma continued.

Monokuma:" What kind of accident, may you ask? It's a secret! Find out after you kill someone! Puhuhuhuhuhu..."

The video feed violently cut off after that. A motive video? Is this what Ayano was talking about? That Monokuma would try to give us a reason to kill each other? But even if that were true...why the hell did I get Jin's motive? Ah, never mind, I'll think about that stuff later! I have to go find Jin and tell her myself! I immediately ran out into the hallway on a mission to find Jin. I was frantically rushing to check which room was that to Jin's, and when I finally found it, I gently pressed the doorbell. A waited for a few moments, but there was no answer.

No answer? Did she already leave? If that's true, then I'll guess I'll head over to the bistro now. She's probably there. And with that, I quickly headed over on my way to the bistro area, but around halfway there, I ran into Haruto.

Hi: "Haruto, have you seen Ji-"

The basketball player quickly interrupted him, having something very important to tell him.

Ha: "Perfect timing, Hiroshi! I was just on my way to come get you!"

Hi: "You were?"

Ha: "Everyone is gathering at the bistro this morning. Something about those videos we got. Please come right away. Go on ahead, I'll go get everyone else."

With that, I hurried past him and made my way to the bistro entrance. When I got there, though, I saw that there were already a few people there. Ayano, Ronin, Mariko, Saburo and Tenmon were already inside. I didn't see any sign of Jin anywhere, so I frantically began asking them where she was.

Hi: "Hey, has anybody here seen Jin?! There's something very important I have to tell her!"

Saburo gave me a concerned glance.

S: "Let me guess: you're panicking about that motive video you got, huh?"

Hi: "What? How did you-"

R: "Relax, Hiro. You're far from the only one who got one of those videos. We all did."

S: "As far as I can tell, we were all given a motive video. But for some fucking reason, none of them are for us. They're all mixed up."

Hi: "Mixed up?"

That would explain why I got Jin's motive instead of my own. But why did that demon bear do this? What's the point in mixing up our own motive videos? Mariko soon spoke up, confused and rambling incoherently.

Ma: "When I woke up this morning, there was some kind of Monopad in my room, but when I watched it, I knew the video wasn't even mine-"

Ay: "Mariko, with all due respect, I think it's better that we discuss this once everyone is here.

Ma: "Oh yes...sorry about that..."

Hi: "Wait, what do you mean by once everyone is here?"

S: "Haruto and Atsuko wanted to gather everyone here so that we could talk about what the hell is going on."

It took a couple of minutes, but soon enough, everyone else arrived in a hurry inside of the bistro. Some of them were out of breath, while others were just annoyed to be there at all. A lot of noisy conversation stirred up.

Ka: "So can someone tell me why the hell you dragged us here? I was just getting my hair done, you know!"

At: "Haven't you heard, Kanon? This is about the motive videos. Apparently, Ayano was right. Looks like Monokuma is trying to give us another motive to kill each other."

Ka: "You mean that thing that looked like a Monopad? That's what it was? I didn't even look at it because I thought it was some stupid shit not worth my time!"

At: "Hey, listen, you don't have to speak up, but we should at least talk about it, so you should listen up."

The others quickly got into a large group circle together to discuss what we found.

Ay: "Alright, first thing's first: we cannot exchange these video tapes with one another."

What? Why is that?

Tenmon: "Why not? They're the videos of the most important people in our lives, right? Or at least that's the vibe I got from my video."

Ay: "And that is exactly why we can't exchange them. If we see these videos of our loved ones, it could give us motivation to participate in this killing game. Although I don't know why they were all mixed up, as long as we don't exchange them, none of us will have a motive."

Hi: "So...you're saying it's best if we just ignore them?"

Ay: "At the very least, we should all keep these to ourselves."

At: "That's true. If we don't watch the videos, then we won't have a motive to kill anyone, right?"

Tenmon: "I don't know about you guys, but I'm somewhat against that idea."

Ka: "Are you serious?! Weren't you paying attention?! If you watch that video, you'll have a motive to start killing people, which is exactly what we DON'T want, dumbass!"

T: "I don't want a motive. What I want is something else...I need something to keep striving towards...if my family has anything to do with my video, I have to know what happened to them."

We all turned our heads towards him in surprise.

Isamu: "You can't just do that! Monokuma just wants to get inside your head, Tenmon! If he takes advantage of the ones you love, he'll have you right where he-"

T: "I've heard that from you before. Listen...I just want to know if my family is okay."

Ronin gave a menacing smirk before talking.

Ronin: "Now that I think about it...both of these ideas have their flaws."

Hi: "What do you mean?"

R: "Well, think about it. If we do share our videos, we'll have a motive, but if we keep them to ourselves, sooner or later, one of us here is going to start getting very paranoid. Someone might be wondering who exactly has their motive video. And if that idea alone is enough to provide a murder motive, then I don't have high hopes for this situation."

Hmm...he definitely brings up a point. Although I don't know why anyone here would want to see their motive video, well, other than Tenmon, but if they really are desperate, then we need to keep these videos out of the other's reach.

In the end, we decided to think past this and ordered our breakfast. We also promised not to show each other our motive videos.