"Upupupu, so... you're saying you want to use the 'motive' right here and now?"
"Yeah. I'm using it here."
After safely bringing Oma back to the dorms, I called Monokuma over and declared that I would use the motive card key.
"Nishishi... are you suuure it's really just the two of us using it? You don't mind those girls behind the dorm door, glaring at me like they're waiting to pounce?"
Even now, Oma casually saw right through Ikusaba and Tojo, the two acting as my bodyguards. As expected, no matter how much he smiled on the surface, what lurked underneath was terrifying.
"I said we'd cooperate as a pair. So we don't have a choice."
"Huh? I was just fishing, but it was actually true?"
"...Monokuma, enough already. Just tell us how to use this."
"Trying to change the subject, K? And how did you know you had to ask Monokuma in order to use that card key?"
"....."
"I mean, if someone gets handed a card key, the normal assumption would be that it opens some door or storage room somewhere, right? Isn't that the natural way to think, K?"
Honestly, I was already starting to regret trying to work with this guy. For a while now, he'd been digging into every opening I showed and scraping at my nerves with surgical precision.
"I really am curious what you actually are... Sure, you could be the Mastermind or the ringleader, but that's way too boring... Come to think of it, you caught Shirogane in the library before, didn't you? Back then, it was almost like you could see the future..."
"...Monokuma, stop grinning and explain how to use it already..."
"What? Why'd you cut me off? Don't tell me I actually hit the mark? Can you really see the future? Were you secretly the Ultimate Prophet all along? That's amazing! So cool!"
That idiotic back-and-forth dragged on for a while, and by the time I was completely drained, Monokuma—who had been watching us with a delighted grin—finally opened his mouth.
"Upupupupupu... you two are hilarious! A dream team!"
"Right? Even I think K and I make a perfect combo!"
"Bull... shit..."
"How'd you know? That part was a lie! K seems to really hate me and keep his guard up around me! And yet he still asked to cooperate... I just can't figure out what he's really thinki—"
"Stop it! I feel like I'm going insane!!"
Monokuma looked at me being tormented by Oma with immense satisfaction, then spoke again.
"Alright, alright, enough enjoying the show... I'll tell you how to use the motive now!"
With that, Monokuma suddenly hopped in place, turned around, and wiggled his butt right at us.
"...What the hell are you doing?"
"Hm? Didn't you say you wanted to use the card key?"
"No... what possible connection is there between using a card key and you sticking your ass out at us...?"
"A huge connection! The proper way to use that card key is to swipe it across my butt!"
".....What?"
What kind of deranged nonsense was that?
"Come on, hurry up and swipe that card key across my butt! Hurry!"
"Nishishi... do your best, K-chan! I'll cheer you on from the sidelines!"
"....."
When I made a thoroughly rotten face, Monokuma started shaking his rear while Oma began enthusiastically cheering me on beside him.
"...Urgh."
Beep
Suppressing the wave of revulsion as hard as I could, I dragged the card key across him, and a mechanical sound rang out from Monokuma.
"Alright, input confirmed! Then... let's begin!"
"What the... guh...!"
Without warning, the floor beneath us dropped away and began descending underground.
Rumble...
"Whoa! Monokuma, when did you set up a secret transport device like this? Amazing! We need one of these for our organization too!"
Leaving Oma behind as he stared with sparkling eyes at the cutting-edge technology, I turned to Monokuma with a question.
"...Monokuma, there are a few things I want to ask."
"Upupupu?"
"First... why is a device like this under the floor of my dorm room, of all places?"
"What kind of stupid question is that? Obviously it can be used from anywhere!"
"Now that I think about it, fair enough. Then here's the second thing. That method you just used with the card—why make it so disgusting? For what possible reason?"
As I shuddered, vividly recalling that revolting experience, Monokuma burst into laughter.
"Upupupupupu!!! Don't tell me you actually fell for that? I thought you were just playing along with the mood!"
"...What?"
"There's no way swiping a card across my butt like an idiot would be the real way to use a card key! I just moved the elevator at the right moment!"
"Then that means..."
"It means naive little you got completely tricked! Thanks for the great show! Nishishi..."
'...You've got to be kidding me.'
My anger simmered and boiled as those two insufferable pests tag-teamed me, but I forced it down, reminding myself that all of this was for the sake of stopping the killing game.
Clunk!
"Alright, we've arrived! This is the card key's true destination!"
After waiting a short while, we reached a place I recognized.
"This is..."
"No way, you know where this is too? Amazing! I'm officially a K fan now!"
"I only said, 'This is...' you lunatic!!"
That's what I snapped at Oma, but of course I knew exactly where we were.
This was the end point of the Ultimate Academy's Death Road of Despair—in other words, the trap-ridden gauntlet Akamatsu had desperately tried to clear with all of us back in the early days of the killing game.
"See that iron door over there? The card key is for opening that! Not for my butt! Upupupu!"
"Hey, K! So what's outside that door? What could possibly be out there that it'd work as a motive for murder?"
"How should I know?! And why are you asking me?! Ask Monokuma!"
"But... I feel like future-seeing K would know more than Monokuma..."
"That's right, K! Go on, explain! You know everything anyway, don't you?"
"......."
Silently engraving a second [Endure] into my heart, I took a deep breath and slowly addressed Monokuma.
"Monokuma... would you explain what's beyond that door...?"
"What, K! Are you sulking?"
"Upupupu... sulky K is pretty cute too, you know?"
"JUST EXPLAIN IT!!!"
"Okay, okay! I wanted to see more reactions from K, who's supposedly cute and baby-faced, but if I tease you too much you'll explode, so I'll stop here!"
Monokuma scratched his head with a disappointed look, then abruptly turned solemn and began to speak.
"Beyond that door... is the outside world! So if you open it with that card key, you'll get to see the outside world you've wanted so badly!"
"What? Then the killing game, all this mutual slaughter, is over? Just like that? How anticlimactic... I had all kinds of tricks planned too... what a letdown..."
"......."
"Hey, K! Use the card key on that door! Sure, it's anticlimactic, but I am a little curious about what's going on outside!"
"Y-yeah..."
Even with Oma urging me on, I couldn't bring myself to move.
Because...
'...What if I open the door and instead of the polluted outside world from the game, something completely different is waiting there?'
This killing game had far too many variables. Judging by the pattern so far, I could open that door and find some utterly unforeseen space, or aliens might jump out, or Oma and I might get sucked through the doorway into some absurd sci-fi scenario.
"Hey... when are you gonna use the card key?"
"...."
"...Fine then!"
"W-wait!!"
As I hesitated, paralyzed by those worries, Oma finally lost patience, snatched the card key from my hand, and strode toward the door.
"H-hold on, I'm not mentally prepared yet..."
Beep!
"...Damn it."
Hiss...
Before I could say anything else, Oma used the card key, and the thick iron door slowly began to open.
And then, the sight that spread out beyond the fully opened door was...
"This is..."
"Nishishi... a textbook post-apocalyptic world!"
Thankfully, it was the same ruined world I'd seen in the game.
"Huh? K, did you finally snap?"
"Now what...?"
"Well... the outside world is destroyed, and you're standing there grinning like an idiot. Creepy! Was K secretly a total psycho?"
For once, Oma was absolutely right. From a third party's perspective, I really did look like a lunatic who started smiling the instant he realized the world had ended.
Well, this had to be the fake outside world the Mastermind prepared, so as someone who knew the truth... huh...? Wait... why is my vision...?
"Urgh... my head..."
"Nishishi... we've been had...! Me, the evil supreme leader, falling into dictator K's trap..."
"It's not a trap... you maniac..."
Come to think of it, there was a setting where opening the door exposed you to the polluted outside air and made you pass out.
'If I'd known this would happen, I should've asked Iruma to make us gas masks... ah, no, that would've been way too suspicious...'
After entertaining that utterly pointless thought for a moment, I collapsed to the floor alongside Oma.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hey, sidekick! What're you doing over there?"
"Ah, Momota-kun. We're using the objects to unlock a new area of the school right now."
Meanwhile, at that same time, Momota Kaito spotted Saihara going around opening up parts of the school with the objects he'd received from the Monokubs, and called out to him.
"Ah, Momota-san, good day."
"Momota-kun, are you feeling a little better?"
At Momota's words, Amami and Akamatsu, who happened to be standing beside Saihara, reacted at the same time.
"M-my body? Yeah, of course I'm fine! But why're you asking that?"
"Ah, when we were doing the spirit summoning ritual before, you were shaking a lot..."
"Ah, w-was I? Well, that's because... uh..."
"As I thought... it seems ghosts are Momota-san's weakness. The reason you were trembling was probably because you were terrified a spirit might appear..."
"S-shut up!! Who'd be scared of something like that, I'm not a kid... cough!cough!"
As Amami smilingly exposed his embarrassing weakness, Momota flared up—only for a violent fit of coughing to suddenly burst out of him. He hurriedly covered his mouth and turned his head away.
"Momota-kun, are you okay?"
"Ah... Shuichi, I'm fine. I just got a little choked up from getting too worked up... cough!cough!cough!"
"...That doesn't really seem like the level of just choking a little."
"Momota-kun, did you catch a cold or something?"
"Ah... I guess maybe I did... haha..."
After coughing for quite a while, Momota finally shoved his hands into his pockets and started speaking in his usual bright voice.
"Man, catching a cold... this is what happens when you don't exercise enough! So tonight, all three of you are coming outside the dorms to work out with me!"
"...Asking how the conversation even got there would probably be a waste of time, huh?"
"Well, there's no harm in exercise... joining in might not be a bad idea. In a situation like this, stamina matters."
"Exercise is great! If you want to play piano for a long time, stamina's actually super important! So I work out a lot too! My favorite is riding a bike, especially..."
"Ah, really? I guess with my talent being what it is, when I go exploring, exercise just kind of happens automatically..."
"I-I'm not really into exercise..."
'...Ghk.'
Momota had been listening to the others with a smile, but suddenly cold sweat began to bead on his face. He hastily turned on his heel and spoke.
"Then I'll see you tonight at the dorm entrance!! Oh, and K and Harumaki are... cough... coming too, so count on them!"
With that, Momota hurried off.
"It's kind of surprising. Momota-kun is so energetic, but he still caught a cold..."
"Well, I've gotten sick plenty of times while exploring all over the place. A cold is nothing unusual."
"Well, it's just a cold at worst... if it's Momota-kun, he'll shake it off in no time, right?"
The three of them watched his retreating back with worried expressions, silently wishing for his recovery.
But one of them was thinking something entirely different.
'...Why don't you just give up already, Momota?'