Rantaro felt a sense of familiarity as he stepped inside the Dead Room and the door closed behind him. Looking at the area, he understood the feeling, as he knew exactly what kind of game this Dead Room was all about.

"Looks like we are gonna have to deal with a trust exercise this time." He commented.

The main feature of the room were five small tables scattered around, each of those tables having three chairs set around them. There was also a variety of items on top the tables, different ones for each. The table closest to them had three decks of playing cards, each in front of a chair. There was also a three-way divider clearly separating the areas that belonged to each of the players, and it was tall enough that they wouldn't be able to see over it even while standing, much less sitting.

Above it, attached to the ceiling were two things: A screen turned down, to allow people sitting on the chairs to read it (when it was turned on), the second thing... was a gun. A very intimidating-looking turret gun.

"Trust exercise?" Kaito turned to ask what Rantaro meant.

"I already felt that it was likely considering that you need to have three people to enter, but looking at this set-up, I am now pretty sure." Rantaro explained "Those are games based on the Prisoner's Dilemma. Cooperative games where one of the players can obtain an advantage by screwing over someone else. I call them trust exercises, because this is what they all boil down to in the end."

"How interesting." Kokichi smiled "That means to win, you need to be able to trust the other players. Can you two trust me?"

"Sure." Kaito said immediately, causing Kokichi's expression to change visibly for a moment.

"If it was outside here, there was no way." Rantaro said "But within this game, I can trust you, since you're too smart to be seduced by such small short-term advantages."

"Hahaha, you're really a confident guy." Kokichi replied "But in that case, how about you two? Can I be sure you're not going to betray me somehow?"

"Of course!" Kaito assured him with a thumbs up "There's no way I'm going to give those bastards the pleasure of falling for their tricks!"

Rantaro let out a startled laugh at that. That answer really suited Kaito. Then he gave his own answer.

"I'm also pretty smart." He said. That was enough.

Kokichi's grin broadened slightly upon hearing that, and he said "Then I guess there's no reason we can't start right now. How about we do the playing cards one first?" Without waiting for a response, Kokichi moved to the table and sat on one of the chairs.

Kaito and Rantaro followed him and sat on the other two chairs. Rantaro noted that the chairs were bolted to the floor. Only a few moments after they sat down, the screen above lit up, and they heard Monokuma's voice coming from some sort of hidden speakers:

"Helloooo, you guys!" It greeted them cheerily "Here is Monokuma D, and I have to thank you for finding the first Dead Room so soon!" In fact, the voice sounded downright friendly "I thought I would continue waiting bored for a while, so this is a nice surprise!"

"A different Monokuma?" Rantaro asked.

"Yes! I am the Monokuma who is responsible for managing the Dead Rooms and related matters." The voice spoke again.

"Does that mean the Monokuma we have been seeing until now is Monokuma A?" Kaito asked.

"Indeed! He is Monokuma A, the host of the killing game and one of the two Monokuma to have physical bodies, the lucky bastards." Monokuma D grumbled "Anyway, let's not talk any more about that. I need to explain to you guys how this Dead Room works." He stopped for a bit, waiting for them to focus on him, and then kept speaking:

"As you can see, this Dead Room is composed of five different games. You guys need to complete only three of them in order to finish the Dead Room and obtain your rewards, which will be given based on your performance in the games.

"This particular game is the Card Addition Game." The way he spoke, you could tell it was supposed to be in capital letters "Each one of you will have access to a partial deck of cards, containing all cards of a particular suit. One of you will also have an extra card, the Joker, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time. Do you guys understand the setup so far?" He asked.

"Yes." Both Rantaro and Kaito said.

"Nah, but I'll wing it, so don't worry about it." Was Kokichi's response.

"Okay then. At its heart, this game is very simple. It is all about addition." Monokuma explained "I'll show you a number on this screen, and the three of you will have to select one card each, one at a time, based on whose name lights up. The numbers on them have to add up to that number. In this, the royal cards have values of ten, eleven and twelve, while the ace card has a value of both one and thirteen at the same time."

"So... Are there no tens?." Kokichi asked.

"No." Monokuma replied "Now, just having to add numbers would not be any fun by itself, so we are going to subtract things as well." The screen changed, showing the names of the three of them, and beneath each name was the number two hundred. Above their names, at the very top of the screen, was a space which would probably contain their "target number".

"Each of you will start with seventy points. Your points will be reduced based on the numbers of the cards you use, and your goal is to end up between two and negative two points." Monokuma continued "Those who fail to do so will be considered losers, and immediately executed." The turret gun moved menacingly "Of course, if anyone dies, the surviving ones will receive the appropriate reward and get to leave, since none of the games can be played with less than three people."

'Hmmm...' Rantaro was thinking through the specifics. It sounded somewhat familiar.

"Now, for some more specific rules." Monokuma continued "The game will last for eight rounds. If you guys fail to match the addition number, the person or people with the lowest number on that round will be punished by not having the number subtracted from their score, but the difference between what you got and the target number will be added to your score.

"I know this is a bit complicated, so here's an example: If the target number is fifteen and you guys place two sevens and a six, then the result would be twenty, and the person who placed six will, instead of reducing their score by six, it will instead be increased by five. If there's a tie on the last place, then all of those will receive the punishment points." Monokuma said "The others will still have their numbers subtracted normally, though, so don't worry."

"There is also the matter of the joker card. Like I said, it is both good and bad for the holder. The card can only be played at the last round, and the number on it will be whatever the holder decides, even numbers beyond thirteen. But no negative numbers, of course. However, that number is not deducted from your number score. Instead, the number deducted is the sum of the numbers of the other two cards.

"And, as a final rule, none of you are allowed to communicate with each other after the beginning of the game, which means after opening your decks. No talking, no noises, nothing that could be used to transmit information around." Monokuma said "Rule breakers will be automatically considered losers."

He stopped, waiting to see if any of the participants had any questions. As it turned out, one did. It was Kaito.

"You said that the ace had the value of both one and thirteen. But how is that decided? Do I need to announce which of the two values I choose for the addition when I play it?" He asked.

"That is a good question!" Monokuma admitted "And the answer is no. For the purposes of the addition, if there is an ace involved, then the result of the addition is technically two separate values, one for each possible value. As long as either of the two matches the target number, then the round is considered a success." Monokuma explained "If there is more than one ace involved, then there are more possible values, but the idea is the same."

"Right. I understand." Kaito said, nodding.

Rantaro thought about the rules. He had played lots of games involving those sorts of "playing with numbers". It was never a question of mathematical skill, but always based on being able to realize what were the tricks hidden behind the straightforward game, what was its true core, and what were the traps placed to trip the players.

The first issue was...

"How are the target numbers we have to hit decided?" Rantaro asked Monokuma "I assume they can't be random, because it might make the game unwinnable."

"You're right about that." Monokuma said "The numbers have been decided previously, and they are all within an achievable range for the cards you have."

"Ahh... You two already asked all the interesting questions... Now I have nothing to ask..." Kokichi complained.

Kaito chuckled in amusement. Monokuma waited to see if anyone else had anything to say, but no one put forward any other comments.

"If there are no more questions, then I'll announce the beginning of the game. Are you ready?" He asked. No one answered, but that was already an answer in itself. The image of Monokuma on the screen grinned "In that case, let the game... begin!"

His face disappeared, replaced by the same screen he had showed before.

Rantaro opened his deck and looked at the cards. He had the suit of spades, and after looking for a bit, discovered that he was the one who had the joker.

He had mixed feelings about that. The joker was the second issue, as he suspected that the game would ultimately rely on how it was used. It was a very troublesome card to have to deal with, but having the joker meant he didn't have to rely on anyone else to deal with that issue, so he didn't have to worry about them.

The field of the target number was filled. It was 17. Then Rantaro's name lit up. So, he was the first one. Rantaro placed a 9 of spades on the table, and a number nine appeared above his name (opposite to where his "total number" was).

Then it was Kaito's turn. He placed a 4, and then Kokichi finished with another 4.

There was a noise of celebration as the system verified that they had achieved the target number. Then their respective scores were subtracted. Rantaro now had 61 points, while Kaito and Kokichi had 66.

Rantaro's actions may have seemed simple, but they were actually well thought out. Leaving an even number for the other two to reach meant they could place matching numbers to add up to it, thus making their scores equal and reducing the chance of someone losing out.

It also reduced the chances of someone else placing an ace. Rantaro had the impression that leaving the aces for the final round would be the best chance they would have of actually finishing the game successfully. Their properties made it clear that they would be important, and Rantaro hoped the other two would see that.

This time, the target number was 19. Kaito was the first to have his name light up, and it only took a bit for him to put his own card. It was 9. Rantaro was called next, and he placed a 5, which was matched by Kokichi. Again the round was a success.

Then the target number changed to 37. Kokichi was the first to play. His card was the king, which meant 12. Kaito placed a king as well, bringing the total to 24. Then it was Rantaro's turn, and he could complete the round with the ace, for thirteen extra points. However, that was not what he planned to do.

Instead, he placed a 6.

There was a jarring noise as the system confirmed their failure. They had only reached 30, which meant they were off by 7, which was added to Rantaro's score.

The standings had changed to Rantaro with 63 points, Kokichi with 49 points and Kaito with 45 points.

He sighed in relief. That had to have been enough to signal the others that he had the joker, and to prevent them from using their aces. That had been the most uncertain part of the game, and he was glad that it was over.

The target number changed to 29, and Rantaro smiled. He could work with that. He was the first to place a card again, and he placed a 7. Both Kokichi and Kaito placed their queens (11+11) to complete the addition.

Rantaro 34 Kokichi 23 Kaito 19

And so it continued. In the fifth round, the number was 23. Kaito placed 5, Kokichi placed 6, and Rantaro placed his king (12). In the following round the number was once again 29. Kokichi placed 9, Kaito placed his jack (10) and Rantaro did the same.

Now, with two rounds left, Rantaro was left with 34 points, while Kokichi had 23 and Kaito had 19. They had essentially done a dance in order to stay within a certain range of values, since no one could place the same card two times (as they only had one), and thus when thinking about what cards to play to keep things going right, they had to think about which cards the others had used as well.

By that point, it would be impossible for them to not have noticed that the target numbers were always prime numbers, so it wasn't a surprise when the next was once again 19. Rantaro placed 8, Kaito placed 4 and Kokichi placed 7.

And with that, it was over. Rantaro had 26 points left, while Kaito had 15 and Kokichi had sixteen. That meant whatever the next number was, they had a foolproof way of beating the game.

The target number for the final round was 2, which Rantaro was sure would have been a pretty nasty surprise had they not already won. But it was indeed a prime number, so it was technically fair game.

Rantaro could imagine the ugly scene when that number appeared after the aces had been used. There would be no way to win, and so at least one person would die. People frequently went desperate in such situations, as he knew from experience.

Monokuma's voice came from the screen again "May the joker holder please declare their chosen number?"

Rantaro grinned and spoke "Zero."

Then both Kaito and Kokichi placed their aces in turn, meaning one of the possible results of the number addition was 2, since each ace could represent 1.

Then it came time to make the subtraction. Both Kokichi and Kaito lost 14 points, since the ace was both 1 and 13 at the same time, which meant 14 for the purposes of that. Kokichi ending up with 2 while Kaito had 1. Rantaro had the sum of their numbers, hence 28, which meant his final number was 26 – 28 = -2. All of them had won.

But really, they would have won no matter what was the final target number, as Rantaro could have just chosen a number that was 2 less than the target number, thus allowing the aces to win the day anyway.

Really, the most difficult part of it all was arranging their numbers to end up on the right range, which was from 26 to 30 for Rantaro, and from 12 to 16 for Kokichi and Kaito. Still, they managed it.

"TATARATAAAAAA! You guys did it! You have managed to win at the first game!" Monokuma shouted eagerly "Please, take your reward."

That said, the top of the partition opened up, revealing a very complex looking key, which was similar to those used for bank vaults.

Kokichi grabbed it, then handed it to Rantaro "Since you were the MVP this time." He winked.

"I guess one of us will get each reward?" Kaito suggested "What game should we play next, then?"

+0+

Shuuichi left the underground area and went to look for Kaede. And soon enough he was feeling frustrated again, as he couldn't find her. Except that this time no one seemed to have any ideas where to look for her. The closest thing he had to a clue was Kirumi saying that she had eaten breakfast together with Kaede earlier.

He saw Himiko following Tenko around, he saw Korekiyo and Ryoma speaking quietly about something, he talked with Keebo about his search, and the other boy promised that he would keep his eyes open for her.

In the process, he had searched through all the public places in the classroom building, and yet Kaede was nowhere to be found. He went to the dormitory and knocked on all the doors, but Angie was the only one who responded from her room, but she hadn't seem Kaede, and was busy doing some art.

After that came time to examine the grounds around the buildings. He had just gone inside the thick vegetation path that was one of the two ways to reach the fountain area when he heard his name being spoken.

"Shuuichi?" It was Kaede.

"Kaede?" He turned to see her coming out from behind a tree "What are you doing here?"

She sighed as she walked towards him "I was observing this path, in case someone tried to so something sneaky around here."

"Why this specific place?" Shuuichi asked her.

"No reason." Kaede replied "There are many places around here that can be used for that purpose. But I can't watch all of them, and so I can't prevent what will happen. I just decided to watch this place in case I get lucky and stumble onto something I can intervene."

"Something is going to happen already?" Shuuichi asked, realizing what she was implying.

"Something is already happening." Kaede said. She informed him of what she had experienced earlier, and he took the chance to talk about his own information.

"So those three are playing together, huh." Kaede said "I hope they can find something useful."

"So you think someone is going to attempt murder today?" Shuuichi asked.

"No. It's still a little too early." Kaede shook her head "But they are certainly trying to set up something."

"And you want to catch them in the act? Isn't that dangerous?" Shuuichi asked.

"Yeah." Kaede replied wistfully. Shuuichi had the impression that she was remembering something from the past.

"Why don't we go see if we can find Gonta?" Shuuichi suggested, feeling strangely uncomfortable.

"Okay." Kaede nodded "Kirumi knows where he is, so she should be relatively close to his position." She closed her eyes "Last time I saw her, Kirumi was leaving the dining hall. And she stayed there for a while, so wherever Gonta is should be close to there, probably." She deduced.

"So maybe one of the locked doors on the basement floor?" Shuuichi proposed "The stairs are pretty close to the dining hall."

"That's possible." Kaede said "Let's go, then."

The duo walked back towards the student building. They passed by the dining hall to see if Kirumi had gone back there. She hadn't, and in fact the only people there were Korekiyo and Ryoma. So they went down the stairs to look into the basement rooms.

They had barely finished going down the stairs when Shuuichi saw Kirumi, standing a few meters ahead on the corridor. He and Kaede moved towards her, and halfway there they saw someone else approach her from the other side.

It was Gonta.

"Ah, you're finally back." Kaede spoke up, causing both Gonta and Kirumi to notice their presence.

They walked towards Shuuichi and Kaede, and Kirumi spoke "I suppose you want to ask what Gonta has been doing?"

"Gonta sorry for having been gone for so long." He apologized.

"Why don't we go discuss this in the library? There's space for all of us to sit comfortably there." Kirumi said.

It was technically a question, but it had been asked in full awareness that her proposal would be met with no opposition.

The four walked together back up the stairs and towards the library. They sat at one of the tables and Kaede wasted no time starting:

"Right Gonta, where were you since last night?"

Shuuichi looked at her in surprise, he hadn't realized that Gonta had been missing for so long. Had she just noticed that? He looked at the duo and saw that Kirumi was the same as usual, but Gonta's reaction was enough to show that Kaede was right.

Gonta looked at Kirumi, who nodded. He then started talking.

"Gonta was in... Connection Room." He said "It is... How can Gonta explain... A room connected with every other place."

"What was in that room?" Shuuichi asked.

"Lots of machines." Gonta said "It was like a factory, with machines taking things to other machines, and the other machines would leave the room through some tunnels."

"What kinds of things?" Kaede asked.

"There were crates of food, cleaning robots, and all sorts of closed containers Gonta couldn't see what was inside." He replied "And also... weapons."

"Heavy weapons." Kirumi clarified "Heavy machine guns, mortars, even missiles. But none of those were the really important part. Gonta, you should tell them."

He blinked in surprise, but then started to talk "There was electronic map of this place. Most of it was blanked out, but Gonta could see the places where the tunnels led."

"From his descriptions, it seems like there are very few places around the public parts of the school that these tunnels don't reach." Kirumi explained.

"And... And Gonta found out... Where we are." He continued.

Both Shuuichi and Kaede stiffened upon hearing those words, as well as the grave tone of voice Gonta had adopted. Neither of the two hurried him on, just waiting for his next sentence.

"Diagram... The diagram had an altitude number. It was over 60 kilometers high." He said.

"60 kilometers... Isn't that the altitude of the Mesosphere?" Kaede noted "So we are in some kind of... super-advanced airship?"

"Yes, indeed!" Monokuma confirmed, startling them with his sudden appearance "Of course, you may choose not to believe it, but it makes no difference in the end. Each and every one of you are trapped here with no chance of escape!"

His tone had become extremely menacing at the end, leaving the four at a loss over how to respond. However, he kept talking.

"Still, it's a pity." His tone was back to normal "The whole point of that room was to help in committing a great murder, but spilling everything about it so easily like that... That's no fun at all."

"We're not doing this for fun." Kirumi said.

"Really, such a pity..." He ignored her "I know! If that's the case, then there's no reason why I shouldn't let everyone go inside! That could be interesting..." And he disappeared just as suddenly as he had appeared.

After a moment of silence, Kirumi started speaking "Does that mean-" But she was interrupted by a school announcement.

"Gooooood afternoon, everyone! This is a special announcement! Due to some circumstances, I have decided to give all of you a special gift!" He stopped for a moment "And this gift is special passes to one of the rooms which is normally forbidden entry: The Little Master Room! I hope you will make good use of them, because this is a privilege that doesn't come easily!"

Immediately, the four heard the noises of notifications coming from their Monopads, and they all took a look to see what was that they had been saddled with.

'1 Hour Pass for the Little Master Room' And it had a timer, as well as a small map showing which room it was.

It was pretty straightforward.

"Mine is different." Gonta said, showing the words in his Monopad to the others.

'Because of your Perk, you don't need a pass to enter the Little Master Room. I'll give you something else later, just to make it fair. Aren't I a great host?' And there was ASCII art of a grinning Monokuma.

They were interested in what kind of thing Monokuma was going to give Gonta, but there was something much more important to think about, and so Kaede brought Shuuichi aside and spoke:

"This is dangerous. There is no way that place is as simple as it seems." She sighed "Not to mention how most of us will definitely go there, making our movements more predictable."

"Which means it will be easier for other people to accomplish their plans." Shuuichi understood what she was getting at.

"We are gonna have to split up." Kaede said "One to watch the room and the other to keep an eye outside."

"Then I'll stay outside." Shuuichi decided immediately. He really didn't want to enter the Little Master Room.

"So I'll go inside. Be careful, Shuuichi." She said.

"You too." He replied.

She smiled slightly and shook her head "You don't need to worry about me." She said.

There was an odd tone to her voice, but Shuuichi decided not to question it. He nodded, and then the two split up.

+0+

The choice of the second game to play had not been nearly as simple and effortless as the first one. In the first choice, they had no idea what kinds of things they would be facing, but after going through one, it became possible to use that knowledge to their advantage. As such, the trio tacitly decided to examine everything carefully before making any decisions.

Rantaro looked around for a bit before choosing one particular table to examine more closely. On top of said table was a huge and elaborate dollhouse, the kind that definitely hadn't been built for actual children to play, but instead built by a professional as a show piece.

However, of course it wasn't just an ordinary show piece. Just from a cursory examination, Rantaro was able to determine that there were several parts of the model which were designed to be moved and shifted around, including ways of raising entire walls to get easy access to the rooms.

There were also symbols drawn into the walls and floors, symbols that looked like geometrical shapes with strange, stylized letters inside them. Rantaro had a few ideas about what kind of game that would be, but he certainly couldn't be sure enough to be confident in choosing that game.

He looked around to see if the other two were having any better luck. Kokichi was examining a table with a trio of those games that involved moving a ball through a complex environment by tilting the (closed) case. Similar to the game they had done first, there was also a screen above that particular table.

He didn't seem to be having more luck than Rantaro himself, so the latter turned his eyes to Kaito, who was looking at a trio of complicated pachinko machines (instead of being two-dimensional like most, they actually had three layers) on a table that was pressed against the wall. He was examining the table closely, and then turned his attention to the wall, which he also looked closely, pressing his fingers against it.

And from his expression, Kaito seemed to have discovered something, so Rantaro walked towards him and watched carefully, being joined by Kokichi soon after.

And it didn't take long after that for Kaito to finish his examinations and turn to the two:

"We can win this one." He said "It's totally certain."

"Hihihi. That's really interesting to hear you say something like that. I'm sure Monokuma D is gonna be sad that you think this game is so easy." Kokichi said.

"That can't be helped, since this is a pachinko machine." Kaito said "Usually pachinko is based on luck, but since this is one of the games in this room, there has to be a trick to it, so I just needed to figure out the trick."

"And what trick have you figured out?" Rantaro asked, curious.

"This thing is tilted, so the balls are more likely to end up on the third layer." Kaito explained "In fact, this whole room is tilted slightly. It would be really easy to tell if this was on the same level as the outside, but since it's at the bottom of a ladder..."

"Really? I didn't notice it." Rantaro replied "Still, considering there are seven holes on the third layer, just knowing where the balls are likely to go is not enough. Also, if that's the case, then most of the balls will end up falling off, specially given that the dead zone of the third layer is right on the lowest part."

"It depends on the specific rules of the game, of course." Kaito said "But there are a lot of possible extra tricks to use, so I'm confident of victory regardless of what the situation ends up being."

"In that case, I'll accept playing this one." Kokichi spoke.

"Then I guess it's decided." Rantaro said.

Each of the three choose one of the three machines, Kaito taking the center one while Rantaro went on his left and Kokichi on his right. After a few attempts to pull the lever to initiate the game, they realized that it would only work if all three did it at the same time.

They did so, and the three machines turned on with a whirling noise, soon followed by Monokuma D's voice.

"So, the three of you have chosen the Pachinko Game as your second game. It is a nice choice, since I imagine you would prefer something more simple after the previous game."

The three listened carefully to every single word, knowing that one little detail could mean the difference between life and death.

"As you guys can see, this is a pachinko game. However, there are no such things as extra balls, or a designated target. Instead, you guys have to bet on a particular pocket for one of the balls to fall into, like a roulette.

"Apart from that, there are only three mechanics that need to be explained. The first is how you obtain the balls for the game. Just like normal Pachinko, they are bought with currency, except that the only currency accepted in these machines..."

Hidden slots in all three of the machines opened, revealing nasty looking needle and syringe combinations that connected to plastic tubes.

"... is your blood. One ball costs ten milliliters of blood. Also, you can't keep inserting currency during a game, and must wait for it to be over if you want to buy more balls, starting a new game.

"The second mechanic that needs to be explained is the punishment condition. Different from most other games in this room, you won't be punished simply by losing this game, and can in fact try other games after that with no repercussions. However, if all the pockets in your machine end up with balls inside of them, you will have to pay the same amount of your blood as you used to buy the balls. This is to discourage trying to beat the game by simply using a lot of balls, and failure to pay will result in immediate execution."

There were a few moments of silence as they considered that.

"Really, this feels way too familiar." Was Rantaro's comment.

"What an interesting life you must have had." Kokichi replied to him.

"Finally, the last mechanic is how victory works. All three of you must manage to have balls land in the pockets you've chosen, and of course, in the case of the punishment condition, that will not count." He spoke lightly "You can chose to step away at any moment, but you'll only get any benefits from this game if all three of you win."

Kaito closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them before speaking "I'll go first, then."

"So you're sure of your victory?" Rantaro asked.

"Pretty sure." Kaito said and stepped forward.

The other two remained silent. Being the first to play and thus experience whatever traps the game may have was a dangerous position, but since he had been the one to chose that particular game, it was simply fair for him to take the most risk.

Kaito grabbed the syringe and asked "Do I just stick this in my arm?"

Upon receiving a positive reply by Monokuma, Kaito pierced his own left arm with the needle with the ease and technique of a trained nurse. Rantaro wondered where he had learned that.

"How much blood do you wish to pay?" Monokuma asked.

"0.7 liters." Was the reply.

Rantaro could understand why Kaito had chosen as such. It was enough for seventy balls, which was a good number, and yet not enough blood to impair him in any way. Even if the punishment thing happened, Kaito would only experience mild symptoms of blood loss, and whatever information gained from the failure should be worth it.

Rantaro then looked at Kokichi, who had an unreadable expression on his face as he watched Kaito. Rantaro still hadn't been able to fully peg Kokichi's personality, so he was going to take any chances he got to observe the other boy's actions.

Regardless, Kaito's blood was quickly sucked up by the tubes, followed by Monokuma instructing him to remove the needle. Then the machine started spitting out balls into the "launch zone".

"I will bet on pocket number 19." Kaito declared.

That particular pocket was in fact one of the ones in the third layer, specifically the second hole right of the center.

"Understood." Monokuma replied, and the ring around the pocket turned red.

All that finally done, Kaito pressed the button on the right of the machine, sending a wave of balls into the game.

The balls were distributed among the three layers of the machine by a mechanism at the top, and then proceeded into the long and slow process of moving downwards through the numerous obstacles.

Usual pachinko machines did not have even a fraction of such an amount, so the balls descended pretty fast, but that particular machine made each and every ball into an outright journey.

It was only logical, considering how few balls the players would be using.

Regardless, as the balls were falling, Kaito pressed the button again, sending another wave of balls upwards. Looking at the remaining ones in the launch zone, Rantaro estimated that he should have about five more waves left.

As the second wave started splitting among the layers, the first wave was reaching the end. Just as Kaito had expected, most of the balls had eventually found their way to the third layer. Most of them ended up falling into the "dead zone", but two fell into different pockets, though neither of them were pocket 19.

Undeterred, Kaito pressed the button two more times, sending two waves closely packed together. The second wave reached the bottom as well, with similar results, though strangely enough, three pockets in the second layer were filled.

Rantaro then realized what was about to happen just a moment before it did.

As if guided through some mysterious mechanism, most of the balls Kaito had just launched were guided through the first layer, soon filling seven all of the pockets there. Three more pockets were filled in the second layer as well, along with a pocket in the third (also not nineteen) while the other balls fell into the three dead zones.

Rantaro couldn't see Kaito's face, but he saw the other boy's muscles tense up slightly as he pressed the button two more times, and then a third after a second's pause.

The slow progression of the balls seemed to become even slower as the game reached a climax. Little by little, they reached the end, soon filling up the remaining pockets in the second layer. And then, finally Kaito's chosen pocket ended up having a ball reach it, along with another third layer pocket.

That was good news, but things weren't done yet. The punishment condition was two pockets away from being activated, and there was still one wave of balls left.

Once again, they seemed to be guided, except that time they were all heading straight for the third layer. The cheating had reached such blatant levels that Rantaro could have laughed if the situation weren't so tense.

The balls reached the bottom of the third layer, a rain of steel that seemed destined to condemn Kaito to the punishment. However, that was the moment when he acted.

Reaching with both arms, Kaito picked the whole Pachinko machine up from the table, tilting it forward in a single movement. Faced with the inevitability of physics, every single one of the balls ended up falling into a dead zone, leaving the last two pockets untouched.

Kaito put the machine back on the table, and Monokuma's cheery voice appeared again.

"TATARATAAAAAA! You are the winner! If the other two also manage to win, you guys will have won a second game!"

There was a moment of silence, and then Kokichi started laughing:

"HAHAHAHA! I guess it was a bad idea to try to cheat against the Ultimate Cheater!" He shook his head, tears in his eyes.

Rantaro was all business, though he had a small smile on his face:

"Was that your plan from the beginning?" He asked.

"More or less." Was Kaito's reply "The machines were pretty light, and they weren't bolted to the table or anything, and since it was Pachinko and not pinball, I thought it was a possibility they wouldn't have had a tilt sensor." He shook his head "I thought it would work with me just bumping it, but picking it up was always an option."

"What would you have done if the machine actually had a tilt sensor?" Rantaro didn't let up "And you ended up losing?"

"In that case, I would use the experience to change my tactics enough to win." Kaito replied.

Rantaro shook his head in amusement. It looked like he really had been right about Kaito's character.