Ichika sat at her desk, twirling her pencil in between her fingers, looking down at the binder where all the student's profiles she had written were. Each profile was written in a different language and Ichika hummed.

"Are any of the other students bilingual... or even multilingual...? What if they manage to read my notes?" Ichika sighed and leaned back in her chair. She pulled out a white piece of origami and started to fold it into a lily. Once she was done, she put it next to the Shiba origami she made.

Ichika looked over at the list of ways she thought of to end the killing game. She skimmed down the list, looking at the ideas and furrowed her eyebrows.

"...I need to make a decision... At this rate, I'll run out of time to stop this killing game." Ichika bit her lip. She then slammed her head down on the desk and groaned in frustration.

Ichika got up from her desk and walked over to her bed. She got on the floor and reached under the bed frame to grab the black bag she had hidden that was filled with various items. "I guess for now I'll need to stick with this reckless plan... But when?"

Ichika sighed to herself then got back up and carefully pushed the bag back under her bed, careful as to not disturb any of the items in it. She then grabbed a hammer and two bunch of sticks that were duct-taped up and carefully put them in her jumper, as well as slinging her polaroid camera over her neck. She then snuck out an hour before the morning announcement.

After making sure no one was awake, she left the dormitories and headed to the main building. She walked into the girl's bathroom and looked up at the room.

"Plenty of pipes... Perfect." She opened the storage room closet and tried to climb up to the top of the bathroom stalls, but when she placed her foot on the red-tiled wall-

"Ah-!?" Ichika fell to the ground landing on her back. She quickly shook her head and looked at the wall that was now an open passage. "Wh-What...?"

The passage was made of entirely metal, and an ominous blue light was shining throughout the entire passage. Ichika got up and went into the passage. She kept walking through it, going down a couple of steps and coming to a large metal door. She reached out to open it-

And was met with a giant room. The room's walls were covered in hearts and flowers, and the floor was a pink checkered pattern. There were red couches, tables, a pink bin in the corner, and a red blanket covering something in the centre of the room.

Ichika blinked. "Whaaaaaa?" She rushed into the room and spun around on her heel a few times, looking around the room intently. "Woooa- ACK!" The back of Ichika's legs hit a red couch and she fell onto the couch. Ichika grumbled in annoyance, rubbing her head in irritation.

"Hmph. What a rude couch." Her eyes wandered over to the brown coffee table and saw a pad on it. "Aaaand that's blood. How fun." Ichika sat upright and reached for the pad, switching it on. She crossed her legs and leaned back on the couch.

"Survivor... perk?" She flipped through the pad a bit. "Hey! This is the school's map and... are these maps, maps of the parts of this academy that haven't been unlocked yet?" Ichika paused when she got to the girl's bathroom. "Oooooh, the passage and this room I'm in isn't shown here, but the door in the library is..." Ichika scrolled through it some more before coming across a video. A video with Rantarou in it.

After watching it, Ichika just stared blankly at the screen. "...Ultimate survivor. Huh, I wonder how many killing games have there been...?" She got up from her seat and snapped a picture of the pad, bloody side up.

Ichika walked over to the red cloth and pulled it off. "Okay, what the hell." Ichika blinked at the strange wires that made up a Monokuma head, inside some glass.

"Puhuhu... I guess you found me!" The machine giggled.

"Oh, you can talk!" Ichika chirped with a bright smile. "And you sound just like Monokuma! How annoying!"

"Puhuhu... I am not just any Monokuma. I am the overseer of the killing game, and the source of all Monokumas... I am Motherkuma!"

Ichika gasped and quickly snapped a picture of the machine. "Ooooh, so you can create Monokumas? You must be the machine that Monosuke mentioned waaaaay back then!"

"Oh, yeah that's me. Do you see the machine behind me? All I gotta do is copy my thoughts and boom-"

"Yeah, yeah I don't care." Ichika waved her hand at the machine. "More importantly, is there a button or something to be able to make the Monokuma or...?"

"You just need to say 'birth' and I'll make a new Monokuma! Can you believe I-"

"Give birth! Give birth to a now Monokuma, you strange octopus of wires! Give birth I say!"

"..."

Ichika pouted. "Heeeeey, give birth to one pleeeeease."

"I can't birth a Monokuma for someone who doesn't love me. What about after it's born? Who will love it?"

"Oooooh, I see. Either you don't want to give birth to one now or..." Ichika grinned darkly. "You only make Monokumas when a certain person asks you, huh?"

"I can't tell you that! It's too soon to be-" Ichika flung the red fabric over the glass tank the Motherkuma was in. "Wh- Hey!"

"Well, I clearly am not getting any more info outta you, so Imma move on." Ichika walked around the room a bit more and stopped in front of the trash can. She opened it and hummed.

"Just as I thought." She took a closer look at the shot put ball and noticed the pink fibre stuck to it. "Nyufufufu... fufufu..."

"Ooooh, I hear you laughing. I can't see anything, since you *rudely* put the cloth over me. What's so funny? Can I join in?"

Ichika turned to the source of the voice and gave it a dark grin. "Eeeeverything makes sense. Now I know for certain that my plan will work, thanks to this. I never thought you make such a mistake, Monokuma~" She snapped a picture of the ball. "Oh, but don't worry! I'm not finished making this killing game as interesting as it could be yet!"

"Puhuhu, so you want an interesting killing game too, huh?"

"..." Ichika smiled widely. "Of course. It's necessary. And because I'm doing what you want... You aren't going to stop me, are you?"

"Of course not, sweetie! Anyone who's willing to make this killing game more interesting is worth keeping around."

Ichika's grin went from smug to manic. She took a photo of the whole room then came back to the girl's bathroom and decided to place the sticks in the roof of the passage. Using the hammer, she moved the pipes in order to shape them to hold the sticks perfectly and make them hidden from view, snapping a picture of it, in order to remember where it was.

Ichika then ran back to her dorm and quietly shut the door before scrambling to get to her desk and open a file. She then wrote down everything she saw and her thoughts, including in big, bold writing at the bottom, complete with several lines underneath it, "女の子の浴室".

"That was a secret passage for the one behind this killing game... and I think I know who that is now." Ichika grinned evilly. "She used that to her advantage all the way back then. But... I can't tell anyone yet. Or she might try and get rid of me..." Ichika then groaned, realizing the conflict she was in.

Suddenly, the intercom switched on, announcing a new day and an emergency announcement to meet up at the gym. Ichika sighed reluctantly, but got up and headed over to the gym anyway.

***

"Ugh, man... I'm tired as fuck." Miu complained. "I was up all night fixing that computer."

"Ah, you took a look at the computer on the 4th floor?" Shuichi asked.

"Iruma-san, you didn't sleep all night!?" Ichika interrupted. "We talked about this! Your brain won't work as well as it can if you don't get at least a few hours of sleep every night!" Ichika puffed her cheeks out angrily and continued scolding her. "Not getting enough sleep will increase your risk of accidents, affect your thinking ability and weaken your immune system! And I don't want you to get sick, especially in a place like this!"

"Heeee! W-Why are you yelling at me...?"

"Because you're a stupid chicken nugget who didn't get a good amount of sleep! It's dangerous!"

"B-But... What about you?" Miu snapped back to her usual persona. "Seriously have *you* looked in a mirror lately? You look like you've crawled out of the fuckin' sewers!"

"Wow, thanks."

Shuichi blinked. "Did you stay up as well, Aki-san?"

Ichika gave a small smile. "Saihara-san, weren't you asking Iruma-san about the computer on the 4th floor?"

"A-Ah... yes, but-"

"Iruma-san, what did you think of the computer?" Ichika hurried out.

"I only started working on it, so I don't know the full specs but... That thing... is pretty good. It's so intense it won't let me sleep." Miu had a light blush on her cheeks.

"..." Kiibo looked at the ground.

"Kehehe... are you jealous?" Korekiyo must have noticed Kiibo's look.

"... Of course not. I would never be jealous of a computer."

"A robot jealous of a computer?" Tsumugi rested her head on her right hand. "It seems just plain possible."

"Hey guys, am I sleepwalking or something? What'sshe doing here?" Kokichi was looking at Maki, who was standing off in the corner. "Oh, I see! I'm hallucinating! After what Harukawa-chan said before, there's no way she'd be here!" He continued.

"Don't say something so stupid. You'll never get to know her better if you never talk to her." Kaito retorted.

"Maybe everyone would prefer that! Maybe everyone would prefer that this dangerous killer stays far away from us! Of course, I wouldn't prefer that at all!"

"He right." Angie agreed. "Murder and death have no place in a peaceful academy life."

"Nyeeeeh... it's just as Yonaga said."

"Yeah... it's just as Yonaga-san said."

Suddenly, Gonta burst through the door. "Everyone! It's serious!"

"Oh, no... The colossal insect is on the other side of the wall, isn't it!?" Kokichi cried out.

"No, not that. I went to the courtyard before coming here and-"

"Rise and shine, Ursine!" The Monokubs interrupted Gonta.

"C'mooooonnnn, what is it?" Monotaro complained. "Why'd you call us out all of a sudden?"

"We're the ones that called them out! Did you forget that, too?" Monophaine questioned.

"LET'S-WORRY-ABOUT-MONOTARO-LATER,-AND-PRESENT-THE-MOTIVE-NOW."

"So it is a motive after all," Shuichi commented.

"Nyahahaha! It doesn't matter what the motive is, we will not do the killing game anymore." Angie happily response, clapping her hands together.

"Th-That's right! We aren't afraid of anything anymore!" Tenko yelled.

"...Because we have God." Kiibo added

"But it's not an ordinary motive. This motive will inspire fear like never before." Monophaine explained.

"Fear like never before?" Korekiyo parroted.

"IF-YOU-FACE-A-FEAR-LIKE-NEVER-BEFORE, YOU'LL-HAVE-NO-CHOICE... BUT-TO-UNITE. NOW-FOR-THE-MOTIVE-THAT-WILL-CAST-YOU-DOWN-INTO-THE-DEPTHS-OF-TERROR..."

"We'll present it together!" Monophaine and Monotaro spoke together.

"This time, the motive is a transfer student! Yup! A new student is transferring! And not just any transfer student..." Monotaro trailed off.

"You get the resurrect one of the four people who have died so far... and welcome them back to the academy as a transfer student!" Monophanie continued.

"...Welllll?" The Monokubs said in unison.

Tsumugi looked shocked. "A t-transfer student?"

"We can... resurrect someone?" Kaito had sweat pouring down his face.

"The instruction for the resurrection ritual are written in the Necronomicon." Monotaro explained. "By performing the ritual as written, you can resurrect one deceased victim."

"But only one of the four who have died so far can become the transfer student. Whoever you choose, that person will be considered part of the killing game semester." Monophaine added.

"So technically, you can kill 'em again as soon as they're resurrected. Y'know... If you wanted to use it like that."

"THE-MOTIVE... IS-SUPPOSED-TO-BRING-THEM-CLOSER-TOGETHER."

"Monodam, let's forgive Monotaro. Forgiving is what friends do, ya'know."

"MONOPHAINE... YOU'RE-NICE. BUT... THERE-IS-MORE-TO-FRIENDSHIP-THAN-BEING-NICE. FRIENDS-ALSO-PUNISH-EACH-OTHER-WHEN-THEY-DO-SOMETHING-WRONG. THAT'S-WHY... I'LL-HAVE-YOU-PUNISH-MONOTARO."

"...What!? Me!?"

"I'm always mocking her when she's not looking! I don't wanna be punished by her!" Monotaro cried out.

"Fine, I'll do it!"

"So long! Bear-well!" The Monokubs finally left, leaving the Ultimates in a dumbfounded silence. Even though this academy has prepared them for some... absurd situations... this one is by far the most absurd one.

"T-Transfer student?" Kiibo stuttered. "R-Resurrecting the dead...?"

Ichika's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Woah, really!? Can we really bring back the dead!?"

"D-Don't say such stupid things! There's no way resurrecting the dead is possible!" Kaito yelled, looking terrified.

"S-Sheesh... Wh-Who the fuck would believe that load of unscientific bullshit?" Miu commented.

"Disbelief due to the lack of scientific merit... is simply the hubris of a scientific society." Korekiyo responded. "This ritual, or rather, resurrection ceremony, stems from funeral ceremonies the world over. See? They are similar, yes? The act of sending the dead to the next world is sort of a ritual. Though rumours and legends, that ritual twisted into a way to return the dead to this world."

Kokichi placed his hands behind his head. "Since you keep rambling about it, I'm guessing you really believe all that stuff, huh?"

"Kehehe... What are you saying? There is no way the dead can be resurrected. Without a doubt, the souls of the dead exist, but they cannot be brought back to life... Dead flesh cannot be restored, just as broken glass cannot be mended..."

"So you believe in souls, but you don't believe those souls can be resurrected?"

"That seems confusing, but I know if we ask, this conversation will just go on forever..." Tsumugi sighed.

"I-If not even Shunguji believes it, then... there's no such thing a resurrecting the dead." Kaito said nervously.

"And if this idealistic delinquent can't believe it, no reasonable girl would believe it, either!" Tenko added.

"Hmm, you think so?" Angie appeared to be sparkling. "I don't think it's strange for the dead to come back to life."

"Hah-hahaha! The kooky bitch is finally talkin'!" Miu mocked. "But too bad! No one's interested in your bullshit cult!"

"No... wait. Let's hear what Yonaga has to say." Kiibo said.

"Yes, Yonaga-san is free to speak." Tenko agreed.

"Nyahahaha, can I say it? Yaaaay! Okay, I'm gonna say it. Cuz... that's what God desires."

Shuichi looked worried. "So... you believe you can... revive the dead, Yonaga-san?"

"Umm... I don't think the resurrection ritual can really bring the dead back to life"

"...What do you mean?" Maki asked.

"Y'know how the bodies of all the victims have been cleaned up? So clean, it's like there was never a dead body to begin with? So maybe... They were never dead to begin with?"

Shuichi shook his head. "No, that's not possible. We inspected all of the bodies ourselves-"

"But, but it might have been a very accurate imitation!"

"Monokuma and the Exsials are evidence of ridiculous scientific advancements..." Kiibo continued. "So maybe it is possible for them to create extremely convincing imitations."

"If that's what Yonaga-san says... Then I'm starting to plainly agree."

"I've always supported Yonaga..."

"Yayyyy! Thank you, everyone!"

"What?" Shuichi shook his head. "No, wait a minute! I saw them with my own eyes-"

"Graaahhh! Don't raise your voice to Angie, you rude delinquent!" Tenko barked.

"Hey, you don't want them to be alive, Saihara-kun?" Angie directed a dark look at Shuichi. "You don't want the dead to be alive?"

"I-I do! I do want that! I wish they were still alive... Even now I think that. But no matter how much we want that..."

"Oh, wait!" Gonta blurted out, "If everyone is alive, that means they're somewhere in the school, right? So... maybe one of them wrote the message in the courtyard?"

"Gokuhara-kun, you know about the letter written in the courtyard, right?" Shuichi asked.

"On the way here, I went to see the writing in the courtyard... And it had more writing this time."

"More writing?"

"Maybe it's a message from dead? Maybe they're leaving a message for us that says, 'Hey! We alive!'"

"A message... from everyone that died?" Shuichi squawked.

"Cuz no one here write it, did they? So someone else musta write it, right?"

"Are you saying a dead person hiding in the school wrote that message?" Tsumugi asked, looking a little nervous.

"So like... A message from the dead!?" Ichika exclaimed excitedly.

"A message from the dead!? What the actual fuck!?" Miu screeched in terror.

"Either way, there's nothing more divine than being reunited with a friend!" Angie said happily, picking up the Necronomicon off the floor.

"Yonaga-san... whatever are you planning to do with that?" Korekiyo questioned. "Are you... actually planning to perform the ritual? You do know it's a motive, yes?"

"But perhaps it's a motive that's dangerous to ignore, rather than dangerous to use. For example, maybe the people who've died are actually alive... And if we don't perform the ritual, maybe they will be killed for certain this time?" Kiibo countered.

"Hm, it would be a problem if we allowed four potential survivors to die." Angie agreed. "Nyahahaha. You're so smart for telling us, Gokuhara. You're a saviour to those four people." Angie walked up to Gonta and wrapped her arms around him,

"Hmmmmm"

"...Ack!"

"You work so hard, Gokuhara-kun. You're always trying to keep everyone safe. Even when you go berserk, you're still considerate of everyone else, aren't you? I know this because... God is always watching you."

"A-Always... watching... me?"

"... Don't worry. You're not alone, Gokuhara-kun. God is like a gentle grandmother, watching over you and keeping you safe."

"Grandma's... are nice..."

Miu looked confused. "Gentle grandmother? I thought God was a handsome man?"

"Yonaga's God changes his appearance depending on who's looking," Himiko explained.

"Well, that's not suspiciously convenient at all." Kokichi retorted.

"Oh yeah. Why don't you join our student council, Gokuahra-kun?" Angie asked.

"Yeah! It'd be really reassuring if you were part of the student council Gokuhara-kun!" Tsumugi added.

Himiko nodded. "Mhm... you will use your power for the peace of the academy."

"Nyhahaha! See how much everyone needs you, Gokuhara-kun? You should definitely join us."

"Okay! I will join the student council too!" Gonta beamed.

"W-Wait, before all that, what exactly is this student council?" Shuichi stuttered.

"Last night, Yonaga-san summoned us to discuss how we can eradicate the killing game." Kiibo responded.

"And we arrived to a conclusion!" Tenko continued. "This is the Ultimate Academy Student Council, with Yonaga Angie as our president!"

"We've all banded together under the leadership of president Yonaga!"

"Our platform... is the wholesale eradication of this killing game."

"Nyeh... Our student council promises a killing game free Ultimate Academy."