The Despair Disease Strikes Again!

Chapter 16

Tsumugi POV
This was perfect... Now they will definitely vote for Kiibo, and they're questioning each other heavily. I can't wait until Kiibo gets voted and they all feel the Despair as they die~! Junko would've been proud, I just know it!
I can feel my heart racing... Ahhh... I'm so excited! This motive was truly my best work... No other games can top this one.. And the fact that Ouma got Saihara sick by pure coincidence?! My luck is truly through the roof!
Ah... but then I can't have a huge mastermind reveal... I'll just ask Monokuma to hold off then~!
And now that I've voted Kiibo, I'm fully sure he'll get voted! He was going to use his "outside voice" to try to take me down I know it.... Alas, I'm not called a Mastermind for nothing-

.......?'s POV
It's so murky.... What's with all the voices... They're so muddled..
My eyes seem to keep blurring... My body feels so heavy.. I feel like... I should be getting up... But to do what?
My gut is twisting and telling me to get up... But all I want to do is sleep....
Everybody has stopped talking... I swore loud voices just surrounded me a moment ago.. Aggh... My gut keeps twisting....

3rd person POV
The non-existent chatter goes on, and Tsumugi holds a proud smirk. Kiibo keeps to himself and the sick people squirm in their places. It was obvious that Kaito was finding it hard to keep his normal optimism, and for once stayed silent.
Monokuma is clearly getting annoyed at the lack of voting and is about to send a threat when Shuichi stands up shakily.
The effect is clear, Tsumugi seems shocked for a moment, but quickly smirk again once she realizes Shuichi won't speak.
Shuichi, on the other hand, is clearly having an inner battle within himself.
"Ahhh...." Shuichi grips the podium, and everyone stares at the disruption of their silence. "Shuichi? You good?" Kaito says, thankful for the distraction.
Shuichi seems to come to a conclusion and warily looks up, but rubs his eyes a ton.
"Ahh.. Kaito..? I-Is that you.." Shuichi says, continuing to rub at his eyes.
Tsumugi seems to lose a bit more of her composure and puts on a false face of worry.
"Saihara-kun... Are you alright?!"
Shuichi doesn't acknowledge her question, but seems to look around.
"Who... died..?" But then soon sees the new crossed-out portraits and shakily thinks. He looks down to his screen and quickly panics seeing the voting screen.
He looks up with a bit of despair and tries to see if anyone looks guilty. Tsumugi, on the other hand is pissed because he's not supposed to be lucid. At all.
And even Ouma seems to be roused by the commotion!
"A-ah... Monokuma... Can we... Perhaps have 5 minutes to look over the evidence? I don't want to vote blindly..." Monokuma seemed a little ticked off but allowed it.
"No more than that, you're lucky I'm in a good mood!"
Shuichi wasn't really grateful but he'll take what he can get.
Which was practically nothing.
"Did you guys not have any time at all to search..?" Shuichi mumbled.
"It's partially that... Monokuma was real tight-lipped and didn't even give us a day to look!" Kaito sighed, although he hardly looked at the evidence himself.
Shuichi was in a pickle, then.
"Ah... I don't really get why someone would murder...." Shuichi tried to think logically about this but, since he's still recovering it's slow.
"3 MINUTES!" Monokuma was clearly impatient, is HE SPEEDING UP THE TIMER?!
"Uhm... Would it be fair to assume that the Mastermind would do it...?" Shuichi was clearly not prepared for this, but was trying to rush ideas out because he doesn't work well under pressure.
"Wouldn't it make more sense that the sick ones did it?" Tsumugi questioned, while looking to her left.
"We could hardly move... so that doesn't make sense.." Shuichi tries to think harder... He doesn't want to accuse his friends but who did this...?
"1 MINUTE!!!" Monokuma needs to quiet, Shuichi thinks.
Tsumugi is pissed yet again, but doesn't let it show. How dare HE try to shut me down?!
Ouma seems to be getting roused too...
Shuichi doesn't want to accuse his friends but.. He has to! It's either he gets it right or they all die! The stakes are through the roof... So he can only rely on the process of elimination... Not the best but it's all he has.
"30 SECONDS!!!! HURRY UP!" Monokuma roars.
Angie? No there's no way. Himiko? She's too much of a coward. Gonta? He's the lowest on the list definitely. Kokichi? Why would he make himself sick..? Miu? No.. She doesn't have a motive. Kaito? I doubt that... he's too genuine for his own good.
Oh dear.. There's nobody left and I'm at a standstill-
Tsumugi..? She's a "plain Jane" as she calls herself.
Shuichi looks around the room and sees Tsumugi's smirk.
It's... possibly her... It's my safest bet...
"TIMES UP YOU RUGRAT! ITS VOTING TIME!"
Kokichi seems to have gained a bit of consciousness... Who'll he vote though... Shuichi voted Tsumugi. "Hey, Shuichi, who're you voting?" Kaito asked, clearly nervous.
"Ah... Uhm... It's not my best guess but.. Ah.." Shuichi looks away embarrassed.
"Hey, no judge here! It's life or death remember!" Kaito realizes the death part and almost looks gloomy.
"Ah... I'm sorry but... I think my best bet would be... Uhm... Shirogane..?" Shuichi seems ashamed of speaking, and it takes Kaito aback.
"Her? But she hardly does anything."
"That's exactly why... You all have given me a reason to trust you... But she's kind-of there, like a background character... And," Shuichi seems embarrassed as he continues, "I-I once read a novel where the villain was hidden in plain sight..." Shuichi picks at the hem of his shirt.
"I'll trust you sidekick! You've never let me down!" Kaito says which, in turn, makes Shuichi embarrassed again.
Kokichi slowly votes for Shirogane, he just doesn't want to pull attention to him yet... The more sleep the better....
"VOTING'S DONE! I HOPE YOU GUYS HAVE VOTED!"
Tsumugi feels... Relief almost. Whether she gets voted or not, she will likely feel Despair. How lovely.

A/N
guys i'm so sorry for not uploading!!! i wanna finish this fanfic!!
also, i just wanna right saiouma fluff... ^^
and, this chapter has 1k words! so def longer than the others 🙌 can you tell i want the trial done?