Just like that, it was over... The third execution...was over. Taeko's death was over. Taeko killed two of my friends, so I can't pity her. But... at one point, I considered *her* a friend, too. And for Monokuma to just come along and--!

"Isn't it just awful? Someone couldn't cut free of their regrets from the outside world, and so more people had to die... You guys are still young! You need to place more value on your lives! Jeez... And here I thought you guys were gonna pass the torch of hope to the next generation!"

"Wh-What do I care about hope!? I'll throw it in the trash if you just let me out of here!", Hiro begged.

"You're all the embodiment of hope, whether you like it or not. And it's my destiny to knock you down one by one! It's sad, yes it is. But that reality just can't be avoided."

"Don't talk like you're not responsible... How long are you gonna make us keep going through this!? What do you want from us!?", Makoto yelled.

"God, I'm so sick of people asking me that! Give it a rest already! So anyway... Kyoko, did I see you get some kind of key-type object from Celeste? So uh...what's the deal with that?", Kyoko stayed silent, Monokuma not liking that. "Huh? What's the matter?"

"I'll answer your question, if you answer mine.", Kyoko paused, then her faced morphed into a mix of anger and confusion, something I never saw in her until now. "What did you do? What did you...do to me?"

"...What!?"

"Answer me. What did you do to my body?"

"Wh--!! Did that monochrome bastard hurt you!?", I yelled, about to pounce at any second. Kyoko raised her palm, signaling to not interfere.

But... What happened to Kyoko!?

"Uwaaah! Oh man, oh jeez... Oh man, oh jeez! What do you mean, what did I...do!? I-I have no idea...! I don't know anything about it...!", Monokuma stuttered, denying everything. Kyoko went quiet, but her stare was still strong. "Okay, things are getting kinda awkward. I think it's about time I got out of here... Meanwhile, you guys can go on enjoying your school life. If you get lonely, gimme a shout! Not that I'll do anything about it, of course! Puhuhu... See ya!", Monokuma left us with that despair... but somehow, there was still some hope.

"Hey, Kyoko. Monokuma already mentioned it, but... What's that key that Celeste gave you?", Makoto asked.

"Most likely... It's the key to one of the dressing room lockers.", Kyoko revealed.

"What!? Then that means...!", Hina gasped.

"Celeste probably hid it in there.", Togami summarized.

"I suppose sometimes it's easiest to miss what's right beneath your nose. Well then, we'd better go check.", Sakura suggested.

"Good idea.", Kyoko nodded. I collected myself, rubbing away my tears with the back of my hands and following the others. After just a few minutes, we were outside the dressing room. As we approached the dressing room, Kyoko looked back at us and said...

"I'm going to go on alone from here. Everyone else head to the dining hall. I'll check in with you later."

"Why, exactly, are you going alone?", Togami asked.

"Do you even have to ask?", As she spoke, she glanced quickly at the surveillance camera.

"That's not what I meant. Why *you*? There's still the risk of a spy, you know.", at that, Kyoko went silent. Makoto then stepped up.

"Then I'll go too."

"You...?"

"Please, let me go!"

"...Standing here arguing is going to draw more attention to us. Hmph. Do whatever you want.", Togami huffed. We all decided to leave the two be. But before I could go, Kyoko grabbed my hand to stop me.

"Kuno, don't go to bed just yet. Wait for me in your room. I have something extremely important to discuss with you."

"O-Oh, sure. I'll wait.", I nodded. Kyoko let me leave with that simple favor. I went back to my room and waited.

I wonder what she wants to talk about...? Maybe she wants to tell me why she was just running off on her own. I guess I have to wait and see...

While I waited, I decided to busy myself with making a sword. The inspiration came to me a while back, so I wanted to get it out before I forgot. It was an hour before I heard a knock on my door over the sound of my hammer and crackling fire. I turned the fire off and put the work in progress away before opening the door. Kyoko stood there, looking inside my room.

"Are you alone?"

"Yeah. Come in.", I stepped aside for Kyoko to join me. She seemed to look at my work station, my works, then sat down on the chair slowly. I pulled a stool and sat down facing her.

"Kuno, during this entire conversation, I want you to be completely honest with me. I will know if you lie to me. Am I clear?"

"Of course, but this seems a little sudden. What's going on?"

"That will be clear the more I explain.", Kyoko fixed her gaze at me and began. "When you first arrived to the school, was there anything different from when you got here to when you woke up? Anything at all?"

"Hmm... well, in terms of myself, no. But... I do have this.", I pulled out my grandfather's laminated photo and gave it to Kyoko. "This is a picture of my late grandfather. Before I got here, it wasn't laminated. When I woke up, it was laminated with that weird mark in the corner.", I pointed out. Kyoko stared at the little picture in the corner of the broken mirror.

"And this mark means nothing to you or anyone you know?"

"No, I've never seen it before."

"I see. Next question. Do you know anyone personally who wear masks?"

"Masks? I mean, depends on what mask you're talking about."

"Animal masks."

"Uh, that's a little specific, but no."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright... My next question is... Are you the mastermind?", I almost choked at the question.

"Wh-What!? No! What kind of question is that?"

"I'm sorry, but I just need to confirm this before I take any action."

"I-I see... Well, I'm not.", Kyoko nodded then asked another question. "Does the letter "G" mean anything to you?"

"G? I mean, it's just a letter, no."

"Alright. Let me explain why I am asking all these questions.", Kyoko paused before sitting straight. "I have been conducting my own investigation on the identity of the mastermind, and during this investigation... I met someone. Someone new."

"New...?"

"Yes... It was during when I went missing, when you were all investigating Hifumi and Taka's murders."

--- (Kyoko's POV) (Before The Trial) ---

I had just exited the hidden room in the boy's bathroom on the third floor. I had to leave before the mastermind found me. Just as I left the stall... Someone was there. My blood went cold when I saw them...

A person, wearing an animal mask, stood before me.

The mask seemed to be a mix of a dog and a goat, the holes where the eyes were supposed to be were too dark to see through. The person wasn't hiding their body or any of their other features though. They had pure black curly hair reaching to their shoulders, their body small and frail up top but had a stronger build below the waist. They wore what looked to be a large black graphic shirt, an even larger black cardigan, multiple layers of black knee high socks varying in lengths, and a pair of combat boots. I couldn't tell if they were a girl or a boy, but I could tell they were at least my age.

I was about to try and attack them, knock them out at the very least, but they began waving their hands in front of them, as if they were making an effort to show they meant no harm. I stopped in my place, but I was still cautious. The person stopped and quickly pulled out a letter out of their pocket, sealed with dark purple wax. They placed it in on the washroom counter, taking a step away to give me some space. I snatched the letter from the counter and read over the outside of the letter.

"For Kuno Sawa. Make sure to give it to her at night after the trial. I'll distract Monokuma for you. --- From, G"

I was shocked. Why did this person want Kuno to see this? I was going to ask, but the person was gone! They left in a mere second. I ran out of the bathroom, but no one was there. They had ran off before I could catch up to them. I looked at the wax seal and raised a brow. The seal had a broken mirror design.

------

"This is why I was suspicious of you. My initial idea was that the person in the mask was an accomplice of yours and you were waiting for a report of sorts. But it wouldn't make sense for the person to also say that they would distract Monokuma.", Kyoko explained as she placed the letter on the table in front of me. "Now, I want you to open it in front of me and read it out loud."

Who is this masked person...? Why do they know me? Have they known before the killing game or when I joined?

I sighed and slowly opened the letter. I pulled the paper from inside, seeing that the paper was written front and back, so it was a lot. The writing was typed instead of handwritten, which eliminated checking anybody here had the same handwriting as this masked person. I began to read it out loud, and what was on it shook me to the very core.

Dear Kuno Sawa, Ultimate Blacksmith,

I know you don't me, but I know you very well. You can call me G. I'm sorry I can't give you my real name, it's for your own safety. I want to explain how I got here, what I have been doing here, why you are here and the circumstances, and why I am contacting you now.

Kyoko Kirigiri probably wants to know what's on this letter, so let her read it. But I implore you both to not tell anyone about this letter until the time is right. You will know when.

First, how I got here. Before you all were captured, I knew something bad was going to happen. I don't remember how exactly, but I did. I made it my mission to stop it, no matter what. So before you guys were locked in, I ran into the school and found Monokuma... Preparing. The bear drugged me and locked me away where it watched the rest of you all.

(Before you ask, no. I don't know the identity of the mastermind. They never revealed themselves to me.)

Monokuma said it wouldn't kill me if I co-operate with it. All it told me was that I should watch Kuno, as the bear already had 15 other students to watch. If I did that, I would stay alive. So that's what I did. 

The day Kuno arrived and passed out, I took her to the classroom she was supposed to wake up in... I was going to leave until I noticed the picture of her grandfather sticking out of her bag. I felt sorry for her... Guilty, even. I ended up taking the picture and laminating it, just so it wouldn't get ruined so easily. I then went to Monokuma and struck a deal with it...

I would not interfere with any murders, as long as Kuno was guaranteed to leave after the game, alone or not. If she were to be attacked, I would interfere and save her. If the mastermind were to try and kill her, I had every right to defy the mastermind and kill them. Not even the mastermind's spy knows of my existence or this deal, so don't bother asking.

The deal was going well until... Monokuma talked to me recently. It said it was getting annoyed that Kuno was teaming up with the others, making the trials a 100% success rate for the students with her attention to detail. The mastermind wants to kill Kuno, at any cost. This, of course, means that our deal is off.

I went silent, even Kyoko went quiet. I looked up at Kyoko and whispered.

"The mastermind wants to kill me..."

"..."

"W-What do I do!? Kyoko, the mastermind is going to KILL ME!!"

"Calm down... Keep reading.", Kyoko advised. I let out a shaky breathe and kept reading.

Of course, just because the deal is off doesn't mean I won't keep protecting you. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and get you and whoever else out of here. It'll take some teamwork from both sides, though. That's where you come in, Kuno.

I am going to give you instructions from this point forward, and you have to follow them or else the mastermind will find and kill you. Kyoko needs to know these instructions as well, so that if anything comes up that might jeopardize the plan, she can help.

1- Do not, under any circumstances, walk around the school alone. The mastermind will try to corner you and kill you. Have anyone of your friends accompany you anywhere and everywhere.

2- If you see anyone you don't know directly, even myself, I want you to run and hide. Your room is ideal. Chances are if you find either me or the mastermind, it is not a good sign for you.

3- Trust Kyoko Kirigiri with any sort of information you may get from me or through any investigations.

4- If Monokuma comes to your room (which is highly likely), do not mention me. Do not mention this letter or any other letter I may send you. Do not mention Kyoko's investigation. Just play dumb. The mastermind can't do anything directly to you as Monokuma, so you are safe. However, that does not mean you can challenge or mess with Monokuma however you like. I advise you stay neutral and not rile it up or the mastermind will intervene.

5- As I have said before, Do not tell the others about me or my letters. You will be endangering them and yourselves in the process. Don't even talk to them in the dressing room about it, I implore you.

6- If the mastermind does find and corner you, do not panic. I will be there. I will help.

7- If I say to stay out of an investigation, please stay out of it. It is important that the mastermind does not focus on you. It is best that the mastermind focus on Kyoko Kirigiri and Makoto Naegi. You, Kuno Sawa, must be in the shadows when I say so.

8- Never open any letter I send you anywhere except your room. As I have written on the outside of the letter, I will distract Monokuma/The mastermind whenever you open these letters.

Please do not try to find me, it will make you look suspicious to both the mastermind and the others. Besides, I would like to remain hidden unless absolutely necessary. 

Now, my final request; Burn this letter. Leave no traces behind. Not the letter, not the envelope, not even the wax seal.

May She bring you peace someday-- G

I looked back at Kyoko, who was in deep thought.

"I... I don't know what to say... Do they really want to protect me just because they know I have a family member who is already dead?"

"I'm not sure, but one thing is certain; this person is desperate to keep you safe. I suggest you follow what they say. I can't say these instructions are against you... In fact, they seem to keep your safety in mind."

"So... I guess I will follow this G's instructions.", I mumbled. I took the letter with the wax and threw it in the forge. I lit it on fire and made sure there were no traces of the letter. Kyoko left me with a nod. I locked the door and I let out a huge sigh.

This is so strange on so many levels...

--- (G's POV) ---

I watched my screen, seeing Kuno throw the note in the fire and Kyoko leaving soon after. I was glad Monokuma couldn't see me where I was hiding, I was very picky as to where my little hideout would be. The mastermind wouldn't go after her now, but the time was coming close, I just know it. All I have to do is hope and pray Kuno follows through. I fixed my mask onto my face, grabbed all of my equipment, and made my way out of my hiding spot. I ran into Monokuma after a while, looking pissed.

"GRRRAAAHHH!!! You told me you saw holes in the school that the students could get out of!! I should have known you would go against me after I cut off the deal!", Monokuma growled. I stayed quiet, which made it even more pissed.

"FINE!! My little spy will be more help than you ever could! You are officially fired!", Monokuma started to waddle away. I grabbed his tiny arm before it could leave, handing it a note before walking away.

"I don't care. Kuno is leaving this hell, whether you like it or not."

CHAPTER 26, END!

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