Danganronpa: ReProgrammed

All-Star Apologies: Part 26 [Class Trial]

"Mukuro Ikusaba...!" he said "your time is up! You can't hid from your guilt any longer!"

Mukuro had grit teeth, but still refused to say anything.

"Again Byakuya!?" Taka exclaimed "you've been accusing Mukuro this whole time! Why are you acting like this!?"

"This is no act," Byakuya smirked "if I was doubtful before, I'm not anymore. I let this farce of a trial run it's course just so I could be certain...and now I am. Mukuro Ikusaba is Taeko Yasuhiro's killer. No one else could have done it...!"

"What makes you so sure?" Chihiro asked.

"Don't ask me what makes me sure. I haven't been wrong once in these class trials, and that's not about to start!" Byakuya snarled "Mukuro is the killer for very plain reasons. She had the time, the equipment, not to mention the motive to plan this murder. All of the pieces fall into place perfectly."

"What do you mean!?" Makoto exclaimed "that can't be true!"

"Allow me to explain..." Byakuya smiled menacingly "first and foremost, Mukuro had a reason to commit this murder. A stronger one than most of us. While we all received the box motive, she had something different driving her on...Remember what she said in the hall when her identity was first revealed to us?"

"The Mastermind wants me...to kill someone..." she said.

"Wh-What did you say!?" Chihiro exclaimed.

"To be perfectly frank," Mukuro elaborated "the Mastermind had predicted that the motive videos may not have been enough while everyone was still united. Sayaka actually going through with her murder plan and killing Leon wasn't something they expected to happen, but they took it in stride. In order to get the killing game started, I was the one who was supposed to fire the first bullet. Then the situation would escalate from there."

"So, in short, all that time back, the Mastermind wanted you to be the first one to commit a murder, and that would get the killing game underway..." Kyoko simplified the explanation "but if that's the case, what do you get out of committing a murder now?"

"The Mastermind, or I suppose Monokuma, told me that they would be exposing my identity as Mukuro and not Junko," Mukuro said "but they said that I had a chance to redeem myself. If I successfully committed a murder, and beat the class trial, then I'd be taken out of the killing game as a participant, and my safety would be assured. Not only that, but the killing game would be allowed to continue, without any fear of anyone else being killed at the end of the trial."

"So will you do it?" Byakuya leered once again "kill to regain the Mastermind's favor?"

"It's a tricky dilemma, that's for sure," Mukuro said "the Mastermind isn't just a business partner for me. They're someone I know personally, and getting in their good spirits is something I do wish...However, never before have I ever truly cared about my own safety. That's the type of mindset being on the battlefield gives you. Ultimately, my answer is that I'm not sure."

"I see..." Byakuya smiled wryly "so even now, at this very moment, our lives are potentially in danger..."

"At the time, she told us she wasn't sure, and honestly, I believed her... But Mukuro had a reason to kill and win the trial. She had to kill someone and win for the Mastermind to accept her again and withdraw her from the killing game," Byakuya continued "and for those who are about to say "but she doesn't work for the Mastermind anymore" then pray tell, why has she not tried to expose them yet, when she clearly knows their true identity and their true motives?"