Alright, listen up: there’s no wacky crossovers or random guest characters this time, just pure, unadulterated anime Hunger Games. If you haven’t beaten Danganronpa V3 (or you simply don't care, but even then this would be hard to follow), then I recommend that you read no further, considering that there’s an endgame spoiler in the first few chapters and whatnot. And if you’re still there, well here we go. Thanks to FWD for providing me this, and as always you can read the fic here.

So basically, this fic follows the story of the game, except with one key divergent point: Rantaro’s death. If you’ll recall, Kaede tried using a shot put ball trap to kill the mastermind, but instead the ball falls next to Rantaro. The true mastermind, thot cosplayer Tsumugi Shirogane, uses this to her advantage by killing Rantaro with a different shot put ball and framing Kaede. So who knew fate could be changed with a simple joke? When the gang arrives at Rantaro’s guacamoled body in the library, Kokichi throws the shot put ball behind him for shits and giggles, but as luck would have it, it lands on top of the bookshelf; Kaede’s trap is revealed. Curious, Shuichi conducts a test and replicates Kaede’s murder attempt, and to his surprise, the ball lands in a spot too far away to hit Rantaro. So if you remember Chapter 6, this is starting to become all too familiar.

The class trial begins. Korekiyo wastes no time in asking what the purpose of Shuichi’s test was, prompting Miu to show the aerial view of the library, making the layout of the trap clear. Keebo the Bot Wonder reasons that the ball came into it via a classroom duct, and the only people who were in that room were...Kaede and Shuichi. The pressure is too much for Kaede, and the pianist confesses to sending the ball down. If this were regular V3 (or Killing Game for that matter), Kaede would immediately be sent to the gallows, but not this time. Kokichi of all people assures her that Shuichi’s test proves her innocence, and that she should do less babbling and more witch hunting. Support from the rest of the class follows, and Kaede finally calms down.
And then more jokes from the Monokubs because I’m not already suffering. But then, who is really the murderer who double-dipped on Guacamole Boy?

The gang moves on to the next burning question: Where did the killer enter the library from, and how did he go undetected? Kokichi brings up the secret door in the Library, which leads to the Mastermind’s lair. Shuichi counters that the door hasn’t used from the library, due to the dust on the card reader, but Kokichi counters again that it’d be silly if there was only one way to the lair. He proposes that there’s a secret entrance to it, meaning that the Mastermind was already in her lair. They reason that this entrance would be in the women’s bathroom a place the Ultimate Detective wouldn’t be able to investigate (that is, if he’s not a peeping tom). They realize that someone’s alibi doesn’t match up now: Tsumugi, who went to the bathroom before the murder. At this, the Ultimate Cosplayer loses her shit. It could be understandable that she’s upset over being accused for powdering her nose, but she’s still acting unusually flustered, not to mention trying to pin it on Kaede. Shuichi asks for permission to check the bathroom just to be sure, which is granted by the rest of the girls and Monokuma. Tsumugi demands to know why Monokuma would throw her under the bus, slipping out: “You need me!”



Wew, what a massive grave she dug herself. The ballot opens, and the students put in their votes; surprisingly, she’s guilty. In hysterics, Tsumugi reveals that Kaede was meant to be the scapegoat since even before the game began. If she died early on, Shuichi and the others would take up her feelings for the rest of the game, keeping things fresh. In a way, she got what she wanted; what’s more interesting than the Mastermind getting lynched in the first trial? Well, that’s half right, anyway. Despite what Tsumugi was told, Monokuma reveals she’s not the true mastermind: the game’s far from over. It’s now time for her execution, one more graphic than anything from the games: “All Dolled Up”.

A collar on a chain grabs her by the neck and drags her to a beauty salon-like room. The Monokubs brutally mess with her appearance until she’s put in the clothes and makeup of a familiar face: Junko Enoshima, the OG mastermind she tried so hard to emulate. She’s pulled out of the chair and onto the wall, where garrote wires bind her limbs and neck. The room transforms into a box, labelled “LIFE-SIZE MASTERMIND DOLL” (hopefully not *that* kind of doll) on the outside. The Monokubs pull on the wires, causing Tsumugi excruciating pain, until the wires cut all the way through the box, removing Tsumugi’s arms, legs, and head, and finally Monokuma places a sticker on the box saying “SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED”. Even the more stoic students are shocked by these events.

But hey, at least Kaede is alive!

However, the pianist is still guilty. Concerned that everyone would think of her as nothing but a cold murderer, she wonders if they would be better off if she lived. Shuichi gives his classic “No, that’s wrong!”, saying that it would be worse if Kaede died instead, and they need her to be around. The next day, the students assemble at the cafeteria, and Shuichi collapses on the ground, possibly dead. Kaito explains this is the result of an exercise session they did last night; apparently they’re friends now, but Shuichi needs a “toughening up”. Either Kaito sees Shuichi as a human being or a pig ready for slaughter. Anyway, the hellspawns-I mean Monokubs appear to give them several seemingly random objects that are actually keys to unlock new areas, just like Chapter 2 in the game. Kaede, the de-facto leader of the group now, decides they should split up to cover all the new ground.

Team 1, Keebo, Kaede, and Korekiyo, discover the Casino, underage gambling be damned. Upon finding a dazzling golden piano, Kaede has an idea where she can hold a party at the Casino to lift everyone’s spirits. Anyone familiar with Killing Game would know that events=death, but what could possibly go wrong? The group also finds a swanky Love Hotel, but Keebo is naive enough to not know what that is. Kaede chickens out of explaining, leaving the job to Korekiyo. God forbid he uses his red rope for a demonstration...Team 2, consisting of Kaito, Ryoma, and Angie, unlock the Pool building. Ryoma laments that he doesn’t know how to swim, but Angie offers to teach him. Ryoma refuses, and Angie assures him that Atua is there to make sure everyone can experience the joys of life. To this, he responds with "If there is a God, I doubt he cares about me anymore."



Team 3, consisting of Kirumi, Himiko, and Tenko, come across Himiko’s research lab, which is basically a magic shop. After a massive amount of compliments from Tenko, Himiko bluntly asks “Are you gay or something?” Damn it Himiko, you can’t just rush these things! Not having an answer, Tenko rushes to Kirumi’s new lab. Finally, Team 4, or Kokichi, Gonta, and Miu, find Gonta’s lab, a haven of bugs and the like. Kokichi, having a secret fear of bugs, barely politely excuses himself out of the room and meets up with Miu, who discovered Ryoma’s tennis court lab. After a conversation involving Ryoma’s dick and Kokichi’s potential robosexuality, the Ultimate Supreme Leader is too weirded out by Miu to talk to her anymore, concluding that her vulgarity would make her a terrible minion despite her technical skills. This slightly irks me, because in the game, Kokichi still thought she was disgusting and weird, but he still attacks her with an onslaught of insults. Meanwhile in this fic, he reacts to her abrasiveness like any DR protagonist would: with awkwardness and confusion. This change of character makes Kokichi less of a lovable asshole than usual, but I digress. Anyway, Kokichi comes across a fancy red door; he opens it, discovering the hard way that it’s Maki’s lab. The assassin/”caretaker” tells him to go away, and Kokichi realizes that she has the perfect traits to be his underling.

What social experiment worthy of a Youtube video is Kokichi planning? Is anyone gonna die during Kaede’s clearly illegal Casino party? Will Monokuma put the Kubs up for adoption??? Tune in tomorrow to find out these underwhelming answers and more!