Well it has certainly been a while hasn't it?

Monokuma: Seeing as you haven't worked on this story since December, yeah it has.

Well now we're getting back right to it. Especially now that I got nothing else better to do while we're quarantined and I still have some time before school kicks off again. So here we are again people with the next chapter of Makoto's Bizarre Adventure: Lucky Hope.

Man I missed working on this story, of all the stories I write this one is honestly one of my favorites. I couldn't keep away from this story for long, I just have to keep this one going.

Oh one more thing, I'm sure you have noticed the new cover image for this story. That is actually a drawing of Lucky Number's true form from my friend KKD over on DA. It was a request of mine and I can say that how he drew it simply amazed me. Now enough with the talking, let's just jump right into this shall we.

Without further ado, enjoy.

To the students of Hope's Peak, the part of the day they look forward to the most is lunch. While normally school food isn't the best, that is not the case at Hope's Peak. The food served here is prepared by the Ultimate Chef himself, Teruteru Hanamura. It is because of him that all the students look forward to a delicious lunch whenever it is time to eat.

As per usual, the dining area was full of students either already eating at the tables or in line waiting to get their food. Makoto had already gotten his lunch and was already seated at one of the tables, Leon and Sayaka taking a seat in front of him.

"Man, I can never get enough of Teruteru's food," Leon stated, taking a bite out of his food.

"Leon, please try not to talk with food in your mouth," Sayaka informed in a mildly disgusted tone.

Leon just looked at her before swallowing what was in his mouth, "Sorry about that. But seriously, how can that guy make something that tastes so good?"

"He isn't the Ultimate Chef for nothing," Makoto informed, barely touching his food.

This did not go unnoticed by the other two, now looking over at the luckster in concern. "You feeling alright man?" Leon asked.

"I'm fine it's just," Makoto responded with a sigh, "A lot has been on my mind is all with what's been happening lately."

"You talking about the Mastermind?" Leon inquired, receiving a nod from Makoto in response, "Can't blame you, things have really changed since they showed up."

"I'm worried about what they'll do next," Makoto added on, "Or more specifically, who they'll use next."

"You think they might turn someone else into a Stand user?" Sayaka asked.

"They already did to us, Syo, and Hifumi," Leon answered, "They'll likely do it again. I'm just worried about what Stand they might get. If it's anything like Hifumi's, we're in trouble."

At the mention of Hifumi's Stand, Sayaka shuddered while having her hands on her head, "Don't remind me, I can still feel those cat ears he gave me."

"You're still on about that?" Leon asked, "It's been a whole week how are you not over it yet?"

"You don't understand Leon," she responded, "When my group first started to take off, our manager had us do multiple photo shoots to raise our popularity." She paused as she shuddered more, a grim expression on her face as she continued, "They had us dressed as cat girls for a majority, and it was getting to me. It was cat this, cat that, you have no idea what that does to you."

"Geesh, talk about drama queen," Leon waved off, about to take a bite of his sandwich. However, he didn't get the chance as Sayaka immediately pulled on his goatee towards her.

"Do not test me, Kuwata," she warned, "You cannot even bear to imagine the horrors our group faced. And if you continue on this subject, so help me I will use Siren's Sound to make you go deaf permanently! Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes ma'am," he managed to let out, utterly terrified at the idol.

Makoto just sat there, unsure of how to take what had just occurred as Sayaka let go of Leon. "Anyways… we just have to keep our guard up until we find out who they really are."

"Right, how's your girlfriend making progress on that note?" Leon asked, rubbing his chin from where Sayaka pulled on his beard.

"Kyoko said that she was having some difficulty as the Mastermind hasn't left any hints," Makoto answered, "But she'll get there, I have no doubt about it." Just as he took a bite out of his food, Leon's words finally registered to him and he nearly choked on them.

"G-g-girlfriend! Kyoko isn't my girlfriend," he stuttered, his face a deep red.

"You say that, but the whole class knows how bad you have it for her," Sayaka joined in on Leon's teasing.

"Guys come on, it's not like that," Makoto said, his face only getting redder, "We're just friends that's all."

"So does that mean you wouldn't want her as your girlfriend?" Leon asked with a smirk.

"T-that's not what I meant at all," Makoto corrected, "Any guy would be lucky to date a girl like Kyoko. She's smart, she's amazing, she's pretty, she's…" he was going to continue before seeing that both Leon and Sayaka's grins had grown even more. This led Makoto to a single conclusion that he was dreading, "...she's standing right behind me, isn't she?"

The soft chuckle he heard from behind had confirmed his suspicions as Kyoko took a seat right beside him, "My, how flattering of you Makoto."

"Don't mention it," he responded, looking down at his food while his face could be mistaken for a tomato at how red it was. The other two recipients at the table merely snickered at Makoto's luck acting up again.

"Teasing Makoto aside," Kyoko started, "I overheard your earlier conversation, and am afraid to say that finding any clues about the Mastermind is as difficult as Makoto says."

"So you got nothing on them?" Leon asked.

"Not necessarily," she replied, getting their attention, "Well I know nothing about who they are, I have at least figured that they are at least associated with Hope's Peak. That's the only explanation of how they can use their controllers on students without getting any attention."

"So it could be anyone here, student or faculty," Sayaka said understandingly.

"Indeed, but I am afraid that is all I can gather for now," Kyoko said, "I suggest we end this conversation for now as to limit suspicion in case they may be listening in on us."

The others nodded in agreement and had resumed eating their lunch, unbeknownst to a gazing eye watching them from another table.

With lunch having ended, everyone had made their way back to the classrooms and were waiting for class to begin. Well, almost everyone.

Since the beginning of the day everyone had noticed that there seemed to be a lack of insults from a certain affluent prodigy. That was when they had realized that Byakuya had never showed up for class that day, which was odd. While classes at Hope's Peak were not necessarily mandatory for the main course students, Byakuya has made it a point to always show up, stating that someone of great prowess as him should always attend such courses, mandatory or not. So to see him not be there was of great confusion to everyone.

"Wonder where Byakuya is?" Makoto asked.

"It's not like him to not come to class," Hina added, "You think something came up for him?"

"Who knows, but frankly I don't give a shit," Mondo said bluntly, "It's nice not to hear his snarky voice for once."

"Amen to that dude," Leon agreed, "I wouldn't mind if he stays out longer."

"While I am in agreement that the class's atmosphere is certainly in a better mood without Byakuya's condescending attitude," Kiyotaka stated, "There is, however, one downside to his absence."

"And what's that?" Leon asked.

"Ms. Fukawa's slow deterioration of her mental state without Mr. Togami being present," Hifumi replied, pointing at Toko.

Toko...was not doing well. Her legs were curled up to her chest as she rocked back and forth on her seat. She had a hand up to her mouth, constantly biting her nails and her expression was of pure and utter worry. Toko has been in this state all day, and everyone wisely kept their distance in fear she might burst at any moment.

"Yeah that's… some cause for concern," Sayaka said, nervously eyeing the writer.

"You think she'll be like that all day?" Chihiro asked.

"I'm not sure, but it's beginning to become very worrisome," Sakura stated.

"It's like we're sitting next to a ticking time bomb dudes," Hiro nervously said.

"That… is surprisingly accurate in this situation," Makoto agreed.

"Master...master...master…" Toko constantly muttered, ignoring everyone's comments on her current state of mind.

"Ugh, this is just pathetic. Even for her," Junko said annoyed, "The sooner the rich douchebag comes back the sooner everything goes back to normal."

"You think Byakuya is sick or something?" Hina asked.

"Oh, I can assure you he is not," Celeste answered immediately, getting everyone's attention.

"And how do you know that?" Kyoko asked.

"Because I saw him just the other day perfectly fine," the gambler replied calmly with a small smile on her face. It was at this moment that no one noticed that Toko had gone quiet and was eyeing Celeste. "Yes, I had met him outside his dorm room seeming to be in a hurry. When asked where he was going, he gave quite a hasty response before saying that his time was not meant to be wasted with the likes of me."

"Well, that does sound like him alright," Leon said.

The whole class suddenly froze as an intense feeling of bloodlust seemed to envelop them. The source, a certain writing prodigy. In the blink of an eye, so fast that not even Sakura or Mukuro could see, Toko had appeared right in front of Celeste and was face to face with the gothic lolita.

"Where did he say he was going?" she questioned in a tone that sent shivers down everyone's spine.

Everyone except for Celeste, who did not react even in the slightest at Toko's bloodlust and remained calmly smiling at her, "Oh, and why should I simply give this information without charge."

"Because if you don't, you are going to have an unpleasant private session with a certain murderous fiend," she threatened.

"Kinky~," Junko let out quietly.

"Not now sis," Mukuro whispered.

"Now, now, we do not need to go to such drastic actions," Celeste replied calmly, "I propose a little wager. One game of cards, if you manage to win I will tell you where Byakuya is."

"And if you win?" Toko asked.

"We can discuss the details of that when we get to it," Celeste explained, "So, do we have a deal."

Toko spent the next few seconds glaring at Celeste, trying to figure out what game she was playing before giving her response, "Fine."

"Most excellent," Celeste said as she got up from her chair, "I believe it would be best if we settle this in my dorm room. I hope you do not mind if we skip today's class, Taka."

However, Kiyotaka, along with everyone else in the room, was still frozen from Toko's earlier actions, and could not respond at all. Instead, Celeste simply smiled as she exited the classroom, Toko following her. Everyone still remained silent and unmoving, before Mondo broke the silence.

"Could someone care to explain what the hell just happened?!" he exclaimed.

"I… am honestly as lost as you are bro," Taka replied.

"As if she wasn't bad enough, now we have more of a reason to be afraid of Toko," Hiro worryingly said.

"I mean, I knew she was obsessed with Byakuya, but this was on a whole different level then we've seen before," Sayaka trembled.

"Let us just be glad that she isn't Syo right now," Kyoko added, "I imagine it would just be much worse if she was out."

"Don't even want to imagine how Syo would be taking this," Leon added nervously, "Feel like she would go straight for Makoto's ahoge before venting out on the rest of us."

"Why?" Makoto asked in confusion.

"You may have not noticed it, but there are times where Syo's constantly eyeing the protrusion of hair on your head in curiosity," Sakura responded.

"Yeah dude, Syo has been wanting to nip that ahoge of yours for a while now," Hiro added.

"You should probably keep it down in case she pops up again," Sayaka suggested.

"I have tried, it's no use. No amount of hair gel can tame this thing," Makoto sighed, "Moving away from that, did Celeste seem kind of off to you guys?"

"What do you mean?" Chihiro inquired.

"She just seemed different, I don't know," he clarified, "It's probably nothing really." He then felt a sporadic twitching on his head and when he tried to feel what it was, all Makoto felt was his own hair, "Hey guys, do I have something on my head?"

Instead of receiving an answer, however, all Makoto got in response was everyone just staring at him in awe and confusion, which bewildered him, "Guys, what's wrong?"

"Dude, can you not feel what's happening with your hair?" Leon asked.

"I mean, I can feel something twitching, but why's it got you guys spooked?" Makoto asked.

"Because it's...well… just see for yourself," Sayaka responded. She reached into her pocket and took out a small mirror, giving it over to Makoto.

Makoto gazed at the mirror to see what everyone was talking about, and finally realized why they were confused. His ahoge was sporadically twitching on its own, moving left and right and spinning all around. Makoto's eyes widened at the sight of his seemingly sentient strand of hair, "Well… that's new."

"Don't just react so calmly to that!" a majority of the class exclaimed.

"Why is it doing that?" Kyoko inquired, unable to look away from the twitching protrusion of hair.

"I have no clue whatsoever," Makoto answered.

No one else had anything to say, as the oddity of Makoto's sentient ahoge had practically taken out any words they had before.

The next day rolled around uneventfully as Class 78 was already preparing for class to begin. Everyone had essentially moved on from the insanity of the previous day, and now they were just hoping for a slightly less insane day today.

Celeste was the last one who walked inside, as once again Byakuya was nowhere to be seen. However, this time Toko also did not show up today, which got a bad feeling from Makoto.

"Hey Celeste," he called out, getting her attention, "What happened with you and Toko yesterday?"

"Ah yes, shortly after we exited class we retreated to my dorm for our wager," she explained, "However, as to be expected she was unable to win. Toko was practically devastated at this and not learning of her precious Byakuya. I suspect she is still sulking in her dorm room."

"That's a bit harsh don't you think?" Hina asked, "You couldn't just tell her?"

"She agreed to the rules of the bet and lost," Celeste responded, "I am simply upholding those rules by withholding this information. Although honestly, it is her fault for challenging someone of my prowess."

"Bit of an ego there goth girl," Mondo stated.

"It is only the truth, no?" Celeste answered, "As the Ultimate Gambler, it should've been obvious that she stood no chance."

"You know, just because you're the Ultimate Gambler, that doesn't make you unbeatable," Leon stated, getting her attention.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Definitely, in fact," Leon started with a confident smirk, "Why don't we have a little game right now so I can show you?"

Celeste laughed at Leon's challenge, "I'm afraid I have better things than to deal with you and your foolishness."

"You sure you aren't just scared that you might lose, Taeko?"

Everyone was wide eyed as they stared at Leon like he was insane, seeing as how he essentially just set off a bomb. It's no secret to everyone that Celeste despises being called by her real name, so much that calling her that was essentially suicide. So hearing Leon poking the proverbial bear by doing so already got them worried at how she would take it.

And at first she just sat calmly like she didn't hear him at all. But then she turned to face him and while she still had a calm expression, the twitching of her eye gave away the intense anger that Celeste was currently holding in.

"Very well, if you are willing to go that far then," Celeste started, taking out a deck of playing cards, "I will gladly accept your challenge." She moved her seat to sit across from Leon and practically slammed the deck onto the desk.

"Hold on a minute, cease this at once!" Taka exclaimed as Celeste began shuffling the deck, "Must I remind you that it is strictly prohibited to gamble during school hours."

"I apologize Taka, but I cannot let this go by," she replied, finishing shuffling, "I must teach this imbecile a lesson for provoking a higher power."

"But this is-" Taka was interrupted when Mondo put a hand on his shoulder.

"Just drop it bro, it's not gonna get through her," he admitted.

Taka sighed in defeat knowing that Mondo was right. Celeste had finished and started dealing out the cards to her and Leon, who just had a confident smirk on his face.

"What do you think Leon hopes to accomplish with this stunt of his?" Kyoko asked Makoto.

"I'm really not sure," Makoto said honestly, watching the game, "You think he has a chance?"

"More than you think," Sayaka answered. When they looked at her for clarification she resumed speaking, "Last night Leon asked me to come over to his room saying he wanted to face Celeste and wanted to try something. We played about ten games of poker… and he won every single one."

"Seriously?" Makoto inquired in shock.

Kyoko put a hand on her chin as she thought about what Sayaka said, "It could be possible that he was cheating at the time. I don't see how he was able to win all of those games at once."

"That's what I thought so too," Sayaka said, "But honestly, could you think of any other way to beat Celeste in her own game?" Neither Makoto or Kyoko could give an answer as they figured Sayaka was right.

Leon was just about to pick up his cards that Celeste dealt out before looking at her own cards that were still face down. He smirked, "Sorry Celeste, but this is where you lose." Underneath the desk, Perfect Game was summoned as Leon put a hand under the table and flicked his thumb, causing the Stand to quietly play its guitar.

"Thanks to Perfect Game this game is mine," Leon thought as the small bit of air that he flicked steered towards Celeste's cards, "Just by flicking a small amount of air, I can steer it right towards your cards to lift them up." The air landed in front of the cards and caused them up a small bit that wasn't noticed by Celeste.

"They may not lift high enough, but one thing about being the Ultimate Baseball Player is that I'm able to keep my eye on the ball at all times no matter how fast or far it is, so seeing through that small window is easy for me, but is still enough that you won't notice." Her hand consisted of two pairs, and they just landed flat on the table just as Celeste picked them up.

Leon looked down at his hand as he flicked another ball of air. Perfect Game controlled it once more and steered it towards the top of the deck, allowing Leon to see what it was once they were lifted up. His smirk grew as he put two cards facedown.

"Feeling confident are we?" Celeste asked.

"What can I say, feeling good about this one," Leon answered.

"Well let's see if you can hold onto that confidence," she replied as she put down a card from her hand, "Makoto, would you mind being the one to deal us our cards please."

"Uh… sure," he said unsure, walking over to them. He did what he was told and dealt out one card to Celeste and two to Leon. As he did, he felt his hair twitching again and could already feel the stares from everyone, "Leon, is my ahoge twitching again?"

"Yep," Leon answered.

"When did this start happening?" Celeste asked curiously.

"Yesterday when you and Toko left," Makoto answered.

Contempt with that answer, Celeste's focus went back to Leon. "I'll give you one last chance to save yourself from embarrassment Leon," she warned, "You can fold now and end this."

"Thanks for the warning," Leon thanked, "But that won't be necessary."

"Very well, do not say I gave you a chance. You may show off your hand first."

Leon only smirked in response as he laid his cards down for her to see. His hand consisted of five cards which were all suits of diamond. This actually caused Celeste to raise her brow in surprise, "A Flush, very impressive."

"You're damn right it is," he cheered boldly, "Think you can beat that?"

"Think? No I do not think I can," she responded. Her eyes seemed to give some kind of glint that sent shivers down Leon and Makoto's spine when they saw it, "I know that I can." She laid down her cards on the table which got a gasp out from Leon, "Full House."

However the gasp was not on Celeste's hand beating him, it was because of a certain card she held. Her hand consisted of three aces and two jacks, but the card which represented the Jack of Spades was what caught their attention. Instead of the normal Jack, the card had Toko in place of the Jack.

"W-what the hell?"

"It appears you have lost Leon," Celeste said, "Now to pay your debt."

"Debt? What debt, we didn't bet anything," Leon inquired.

Celeste laughed softly at his response, "That is where you are mistaken. The moment you challenged me, you already made your bet."

Celeste was then surrounded by a glowing aura as a Stand suddenly materialized right beside her. The Stand stood about six feet tall and was extremely pale in color with sunken red eyes. It wore a luxurious black tuxedo over a white dress shirt along with a black bowtie, black pants and black dress shoes. The most noticeable feature of it was the red A on its forehead. It stood silently behind Celeste with one arm across its chest, giving off the stance of a fancy butler beside his mistress.

Leon and Makoto were in shock at the realization of Celeste having a Stand, along with Kyoko, Sayaka and Hifumi who were watching the game from afar. The Stand looked down at Leon before raising an arm towards him. Before Leon could use his Stand to retaliate, he froze as he felt something within him moving out.

"Leon, what's wrong?" Makoto asked in concern.

"Yo the hell's up with him?" Mondo asked confused, "He looks like he saw a ghost."

Leon stood frozen for a bit longer before his body lurched and a ghostly projection of him exited his body, which was now limp. The Stand grabbed ghost Leon by the throat before spinning him fast enough to become a blur. As he continued to spin, the Stand brought its arms above and below the spinning ghost before bringing them together and seemingly flattening ghost Leon. It brought its hand towards Celeste and opened them, now holding a single playing card, a Jack of Diamonds, with Leon taking the place of the jack on the card.

"Leon? Leon are you ok?" Taka asked in concern, shaking Leon's now limp body.

"Oh dear, it appears he went unconscious," Celeste said with a hand hiding her smile, "I suppose the realization of his loss was too much for him. Especially as he hyped his win up so much."

"That's a thing that can happen?" Hina asked curiously.

"I have seen it happen to numerous opponents who have challenged me," Celeste responded, "Perhaps you should take him to the nurse's office."

"I agree," Taka confirmed, "Bro could you lend your assistance please?"

"Yeah, yeah no problem," Mondo responded, picking up Leon and throwing him over his shoulder. He and Taka exited the class with Leon in tow, leaving the rest of the class to resume what they were doing earlier.

However, for the Stand users still in the class they were still in shock from what they had just witnessed. The sight of what they assume was Leon's soul getting forcibly taken and turned into a card was haunting. Celeste's calm demeanor didn't help either as she eyed Makoko with her usual smirk.

"If you wish to learn more about what had transpired, come to my dorm after class," Celeste suggested as she turned away and returned to her seat, "Hifumi, more tea please."

"Y-Yes Ms. Ludenberg!" Hifumi hurriedly replied as he rushed out of the classroom.

Makoto was taken out of his stunned silence when Sayaka grabbed him and dragged him over to her and Kyoko. "What just happened?!" Sayaka questioned nervously.

"I'm not sure," Kyoko answered, "But it looks like Celeste is another Stand user we have to deal with."

"Yeah, and her Stand isn't one to be trifled with either," Makoto said, "It isn't like normal Stands either. It seemed automatic, activating only when Leon lost."

"What should we do?" Sayaka inquired.

"There's not much we can do unless we learn more about what her Stand is capable of," Makoto answered.

"Then we have no choice but to meet with her like she asked us to do," Kyoko added in realization.

"Seems like it," Makoto agreed, "We better be careful, this won't be like the other Stands we dealt with."

Sayaka and Kyoko nodded in agreement before all three turned towards Celeste. She met their gaze with a small smirk as she sipped more tea.

The time had eventually come and Makoto, Sayaka, and Kyoko were already outside of Celeste's dorms. The whole day had been long and gruelling as it was leading up to this moment, and right now neither of them are sure what to expect.

"You guys ready?" Makoto asked the two, receiving nods in response. He knocked on the door and they waited in agony before it opened, Hifumi standing in the doorway.

"Hifumi, you're already here?" Sayaka inquired.

"Ms. Ludenberg had already brought me before you three came here," he explained, "She's inside awaiting your arrival."

"Best not to keep her waiting," Kyoko suggested, everyone nodding in agreement. With that, they all entered the dorm room, seeing Celeste sitting behind a small table. On the table sat a deck of playing cards and an extravagant looking tea set.

"Welcome, do make yourselves comfortable," Celeste offered, taking a sip of tea from one of the cups.

"We aren't here to play tea party with you Celeste," Kyoko informed, "Tell us what we want to know."

"My, my, ever quick to the gun I see," Celeste replied in her usual calm demeanor, "Very well, I suppose there is no need to delay this."

"As I am sure you have no doubt realized, I too am a Stand user who has been set the task of dealing with all of you." As she started explaining Celestia's Stand manifested beside her, getting the three in a defensive state, "This is my Stand, On the Dime, whose abilities you have already witnessed earlier with Leon."

"What exactly did you do to him?" Makoto asked, already holding Lucky Number in case she decided to attack.

"Nothing that he was not asking for," she explained as On the Dime vanished, "On the Dime allows me to reap the souls of anyone who opposes me to a game of cards the moment they lose." She picked up the deck of cards and pulled out two from it, revealing to be the cards of Leon and Toko, "Those souls are then turned into cards for my convenience, a rather fine collection if I do say so myself."

"Did you just call us here to brag about your Stand?" Sayaka asked annoyedly.

"Oh nothing of the sort, I simply wished to explain what you will be getting into before my proposal," Celestia explained, setting the two cards back into the deck as she started shuffling it, "If you wish to free them, then you must simply defeat me in my own game. If I were to lose, then all the souls that I have trapped shall be free."

"That hardly seems fair considering you are the Ultimate Gambler," Kyoko noted with a small glare.

"Perhaps, but such is life," Celeste replied, "In this world, survival depends on how much you can adapt. Whether or not their souls rescued depends on your ability to adapt against my talent. Are you up to such a drastic task?"

At first, nobody said anything in response to her question. It seemed almost impossible to even think of beating Celestia Ludenberg at her own game. But then, Makoto spoke first, "If it's the only way to save Leon and Toko, then I'll take that chance."

Everyone was taken aback from his response before Kyoko spoke, a small smile on her face, "Should've expected that kind of response from you. Naturally I'll be taking that chance as well."

"Me too," Sayaka said determinedly, "If it's to save our friends I'll gladly do it."

"What about you Hifumi?" Makoto asked, noticing the writer has been quiet for a while.

"Well, about that," he started before Celeste spoke for him.

"He won't be aiding you I'm afraid," she said coldly, making Hifumi flinch at her tone, "He is too much of a coward to fight against his mistress. I would've taken care of him sooner, but I need someone to serve my tea."

Hifumi couldn't help but feel defeated at Celeste's harsh tone. She finished shuffling the deck and put down on the desk, "Now then, who will be the first to go against me?"

"I will," Sayaka immediately walked forward, catching everyone by surprise.

"Sayaka, are you sure?" Makoto asked worriedly.

"I am," the idol said, already taking her seat in front of Celeste, "I'll be the one to save them."

"Confident are we?" Celeste smiled.

"You may be the Ultimate Gambler Celeste, but even for you it's impossible to win so many games in a row," Sayaka replied boldly.

"Let us test that statement of yours shall we. Hifumi, if you would," Celeste requested, motioning towards the deck.

Hifumi only nodded as he walked over and started dealing five cards to each of them. Sayaka and Celeste picked up their respective hands and immediately Celeste put down one card. Sayaka looked at her hand in intense thought, trying to figure out what to do with it while Makoto and Kyoko watched.

"You think she can do this?" Makoto asked Kyoko.

"I honestly cannot say for sure," she replied, "Celeste is confident in her skills. The fact that she's been so calm this entire time adds on that she's not worried."

Makoto nodded as he also noticed how calm Celeste had been, which concerned him greatly. If she wasn't concerned even in the slightest, then she was planning something. Whatever it was they weren't sure, meaning they would have to be extra careful.

Sayaka continued looking at her hand before finally making a move, taking out three cards and putting them down. Hifumi didn't have to be told what to do as he dealt the next set of cards to them both. Sayaka looked at her hand and for a brief moment, there was a gleam in her eyes, like her hand was what she needed.

"You ready?" Celeste asked.

Sayaka nodded as the both of them put down both of their hands on the table for everyone to see. In Celeste's hand, she had no matching cards but instead had five cards that were marked 2 through 6 in sequential order, representing a Straight. Sayaka, however, only had three matching 6's and an Ace and 5.

"A Three of a Kind, not bad, however I still win this one," Celestia smiled.

Sayaka looked down at her hand in shock. But along with that, Makoto noticed that there was a hint of confusion on her face as well. "But how, I could've sworn there were four of them," she whispered in shock.

"Sayaka? What are you saying?" Makoto asked.

Before she could respond, On the Dime appeared before them, an arm reaching towards Sayaka. She looked in fear as she quickly stood up and summoned Siren's Sound. She was about to let out a loud screech before she froze and her body lurched forward. Her soul was forced out of her body, now completely motionless and fell back before Makoto caught it, and was taken by the throat by On the Dime.

"Let this be a lesson to not underestimate my skill," Celeste informed, taking a drink of her tea as she watched the spectacle before her. Everyone else in the room could only watch in horror as the Stand spun Sayaka's soul in place before flattening her between its hands. It bowed down to Celeste and proceeded to give her the card in its hand, a Queen of Clubs with Sayaka as the queen.

Makoto set Sayaka's body against the wall as Celeste assembled all the cards and started shuffling the deck again. Kyoko glared strongly at the gambler, "How do we know you aren't cheating?"

"My dear Kyoko, I can assure you that I am playing this game fair and square," Celestia replied, "I simply have both experience and my own form of luck whenever I play. Only one man has ever come close to beating me in all my years as a gambler."

"Only one person?" Hifumi inquired nervously.

"Yes, Daniel J. D'Arby," she explained, "No one else had ever pushed me into a corner until he came along. He was known as the King of Lies in the gambler community, until I took that title from him in one of my most challenging matches. He was a valiant player, a shame about what happened to him."

"What happened?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Apparently he had gone mad last year and is now in a mental asylum. Witnesses said he was in a game against some delinquent when it had happened," she explained as she put down the deck, "But we are getting off topic, who'll be next?"

Makoto stayed silent as he wasn't sure what to say before Kyoko spoke up, "I'll go next."

"Kyoko what are you doing?" he asked.

"She's hiding something," Kyoko whispered back, "When she lost, Sayaka seemed confused. There was something about her hand that was different. There might be more to Celeste's Stand then she's letting on."

"If that's true then shouldn't you go last?" Makoto inquired, "Now that we know there's a trick, I should be the one who challenges her and you watch closely."

"I don't think so, I believe the only way to notice it is to face her directly," Kyoko informed.

"But if you lose you'll end up like the others," he reminded, "What good is finding it out if it'll be too late?"

"Because Makoto," she faced him, her expression being one of someone who was dead serious in their decision, "We can't afford to risk losing you so soon, not while we still don't know much yet." She didn't give him a chance to respond as she immediately took her seat across from the gambler.

"Eager to your defeat are we?" Celeste asked, her usual smirk decorating her face.

"Don't be so sure, Celeste," Kyoko responded, "You're going to lose here."

"Don't get so cocky, detective."

One motion from Celeste and Hifumi started dealing the cards out to the two of them. As they picked up their hands, Makoto made sure to watch closely for any sign of what Celeste is doing. He was able to see two of the cards in Kyoko's hand, a Five of Spades and a King of Diamonds.

Both her and Celeste put down two cards each, and Hifumi dealt them their two cards. Celeste smiled when looking at her hand, while Kyoko kept her neutral expression.

"Now then, shall we?" Celeste inquired.

"If we must," Kyoko responded.

At those words both participants laid their hands on the table for everyone to see. Celeste's hand held two pairs, a pair of 7's and a pair of 10's, with a lone Two of Diamonds. Kyoko's hand had two pairs as well, a pair of 2's and a pair of 4's with a Jack of Spades on its own.

"Hmm, it seems we both got Two Pairs," Celeste noted, "But I'm afraid my cards have a higher ranking than yours, meaning you have lost."

Makoto was completely and utterly shocked. Not only at the sight of Kyoko losing, meaning her soul would be taken as the others, but also because of her hand. The Five of Spades and King of Diamonds were nowhere in her hand, and he saw that she didn't exchange them when folding ehr cards. So what happened to them?

As On the Dime appeared in front of the detective, she just sat there with silence before she spoke, "So that's your secret."

"Hmm?" Celeste hummed curiously.

"That's the true purpose of your Stand," Kyoko said, "That's why you've been so calm. It's nearly impossible for you to lose with a Stand like that."

"I see you have discovered On the Dime's other ability," Celeste said amusingly, "However it does not matter. It is not nearly impossible for me to lose." As she faced the detective, her expression was dramatically different than the calm demeanor from before. This expression was cold, so cold that its glare could freeze someone solid.

"It is impossible."

Her voice dripped with utter terror that sent chills through Makoto and Hifumi's spines. Even Kyoko was off-put by the gambler's voice, but didn't let that deter her from what she knew she had to do.

"Makoto," she spoke, getting Makoto's attention, "You understand it as well don't you, what her Stand is capable of."

At first Makoto wasn't sure what Kyoko meant, but then he realized it. The cards he had seen in Kyoko's hand earlier had somehow disappeared, replaced with other cards. There was only one explanation that he could think of for that, nodding in response to Kyoko's question.

"Then I suppose I leave the rest of this to you," she said as On the Dime raised its arm, "I know you can handle this." Before she could continue, Kyoko's soul was forced out of her now limp body, which Makoto managed to catch before it fell out of the chair.

He didn't dare look away as the Stand started spinning the soul in place, knowing what was about to come. The Stand brought its hand together, completely flattening the soul, and as before lifted it to Celeste, showing a Queen of Hearts with Kyoko as the queen.

"Even the Ultimate Detective stood little chance against me," Celeste remarked, "And then there was one."

Makoto didn't say anything in response as he sat Kyoko's limp body alongside Sayaka's. He then faced Celeste, who continued to smirk smugly, "Normally I offer you a chance to consent, but I'm afraid that is not an option here."

Makoto stood there in silence, trying to think of an idea on what to do next. Knowing Celeste's Stand is one thing, but thinking of what to do after that was something else. He needed time to think of a plan, one that would be able to work around On the Dime. Unfortunately, Celestia would not be giving him that chance.

"I would prefer if we do not delay our game any longer, Makoto," Celeste said, hurrying him.

"One question Celeste," Makoto started, "What's stopping me from just not playing at all?"

In response, Celeste let out a small chuckle which did not put Makoto at ease. She held out the card with Kyoko on it, "As you know the souls of those I have bested are trapped within these cards. So long as they are left alone, nothing else could happen to them. But say if I were to rip it apart, who knows what may happen to the one within said card."

He grimaced, Celeste trapped him in a corner that he can't escape from, forcing him to play her game whenever she calls for it. "Now if you are done asking questions, let us begin," she said, lifting her cup to drink some tea.

However, it came to an abrupt stop at the sight of something on the cup. A large cockroach was on the teacup, and as Celeste lifted it the cockroach moved onto her hand. At the sight of the insect crawling onto her, Celeste screeched and threw it off her hand, inadvertently spilling all the tea as well.

The cockroach recovered and began crawling towards Celeste, who instinctively grabbed the closest thing to her, which happened to be Hifumi. With surprising strength, she lifted him up and tossed him right on top of the insect. He groaned in pain as Celeste spoke to him, "Don't just lay there you pig bellied loser! Is it dead or not?!"

Hifumi got up and looked at where he was tossed for any sign of the insect, "It appears, it is gone Ms. Ludenberg."

At that, Celeste calmed down and returned to her calm posture, "Very good, now make yourself useful and make some more tea. I seem to have spilled it during the commotion." He simply nodded and exited the room as she turned towards Makoto, "Well, I believe I shall go powder my nose. We can begin when Hifumi returns."

As she got up to enter the bathroom, Makoto was left alone pondering what exactly had just occurred. He wasn't entirely sure how to describe what had transpired in the dormitory, leaving Makoto with an aghast expression. Still thought, he wasn't going to waste the opportunity that had just presented to itself to him. He now had some time to think of what to do counter On the Dime.

Celeste kept one thing secret about On the Dime, an additional power it has alongside its soul stealing ability. However, there was one thing Makoto noticed about the Stand. While its ability to steal souls seemed to be an automatic power, the same couldn;t be said about the Stand's other ability. No, Celeste had to manually use On the Dime's power in order for it to work, which meant if she didn't think about doing it, it wouldn't work.

An idea formed in his mind, one that could turn the game around for him. It all relied on what he would roll next with Lucky Number. He took out his Stand and spoke his command before rolling the Stand on the desk.

Celeste had exited the bathroom just as Hifumi returned with a fresh batch of tea and gladly took a sip of it as she returned to her seat, "Now then, are you ready Makoto?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," he replied with a serious expression.

Before even being asked to, Hifumi already started dealing the cards to the two and when Makoto grabbed his cards, he saw that one of them was the Queen of Hearts card that Kyoko's soul was turned into.

"I promise I'll get you out of this Kyoko," he thought to himself as he looked down at the card.

Celeste put down one card from her hand, "Better enjoy your last moments, Makoto."

Makoto responded by putting down two of his own cards and looking Celeste dead in the eye, "We'll see about that, Taeko."

Hifumi stiffened at Makoto's choice of words, and was horrified at how Celeste was taking it. Unlike with Leon, where she kept her composure, she completely snapped when Makoto spoke her name and slammed her hands on the table, pure anger all over her face.

"MY NAME IS CELESTIA LUDENBERG YOU DESPICABLE PIECE OF SHIT! I'D HAVE THOUGHT YOU OF ALL PEOPLE WOULD HAVE SOME DIGNITY LEFT IN YOU! I SWEAR ONCE I TAKE YOUR SOUL I WILL RIP YOUR CARD INTO SHREDS!"

Needless to say, Celeste's anger caught both Makoto and Hifumi off guard as they were not expecting her to get this mad. However, Makoto couldn't help but smirk inwardly as this was what he was hoping for.

Not wanting to anger her any more than she already is, Hifumi hurriedly dealt the cards. Celeste took hers and immediately slammed them on the table, "Full House! Good luck beating that, your soul is mine!"

Makoto stayed silent after she had revealed her hand. Celeste thought he was comprehending his loss and his failure to save those she had already trapped. But then he spoke up, "You were pretty confident Celeste, boasting your victory before the game ended." She was going to reply, but Makoto stopped her as he continued speaking, "But someone taught me a very important lesson."

"And what might that be?" Celeste inquired.

"Once an opponent starts boasting their victory," he answered before revealing his cards, "They've already lost."

Celeste was astonished at Makoto's hand, even Hifumi was aghast by the luckster's hand. The hand consisted of a Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace, all of them being hearts. Makoto had been able to draw the ultimate hand in Poker, much to the gambler's shock.

"Royal!" Celeste exclaimed.

"Flush!" Hifumi finished.

Neither of them could comprehend the sheer victory that Makoto had just gained. What made it worse for Celeste, however, was that the Queen of Hearts, which was Kyoko, seemed to be smirking. It was as if the detective was mocking her even within her paper prison.

"H-H-How, how is this possible," Celeste stuttered, still in shock at her loss.

"It started when I figured out what your Stand does," Makoto explained boldly, "While your Stand does have the ability of soul stealing, there was one other ability you kept secret from us., one that ensured your victory. On the Dime can change the cards in our hands, giving you complete control of the game."

"How did you find out?" Celeste exclaimed, in shock that the luckster was able to unveil her secret.

"It all started when Sayaka looked confused after her game, she wasn't concerned about her defeat more so than the sudden change in her cards." Makoto stood up from his seat, completely towering over the gothic gambler, "I was completely sure however when Kyoko lost. I saw her cards at the start of the game and they were not the same when she showed them. Even she was able to figure it out, and she entrusted it to me to finish this game."

"But Mr. Naegi," Hifumi started, "If Ms. Ludenberg was able to control the cards, how were you able to win?"

"On the Dime's two abilities were different in terms of both what they do and how they're used," as Makoto continued speaking, he never once took his eyes off Celeste, who seemed to be trembling under his gaze. "The soul stealing was automatic, kicking in as soon as someone lost a game of Poker. However its other ability is manual, meaning Celeste has to think about it in order for it to work. And that was how I won."

Makoto held out his hand, holding Lucky Number between his fingers, "My Stand allows me to perform any command I say so long as I roll a high enough number, but it can also affect others so long as they are unaware of it. That was the tricky part, I couldn't possibly use my Stand so long as you were aware, but luckily there was that distraction with the cockroach."

"Don't tell me you planned that!" Celeste exclaimed, refusing to believe even that was part of Makoto's plan.

"No, that was honestly just luck, if it wasn't for that cockroach distracting you and leaving me alone, I would have never been able to beat you," Makoto answered honestly.

Suddenly, much to the confusion of both Makoto and Celeste, Hifumi chuckled confidently as his glasses gleamed, "That was no luck Mr. Naegi, that was all because of me."

"You?" Makoto questioned.

"While Ms. Ludenberg was right earlier about me being unable to face her, that doesn't mean I would play spectator the whole time," he answered boldly, "While I wasn't sure how I could help, I had to do something. And so I called forth the abilities of my Stand, Fine Art!"

The artbook materialized in his hands and automatically opened to a page with a drawing of a cockroach, "I happen to know that Ms. Ludenberg is afraid of cockroaches, and as such drew one within my Stand and summoned it. However, it was on standby for a majority of the time cause I was unsure when to bring it out, but after Ms. Kirigiri's loss you looked as if you were struggling and decided now was the time to call upon my little friend."

"Well good thing you did Hifumi, cause that was exactly what I needed," Makoto continued, "While I was left alone, all that I needed to do was use my Stand. It was a gamble on hoping for a good roll, but the roll was high enough for my command to take place."

"'I'll win the game of Poker because Celeste got over confident,' that was my command," Makoto explained, recalling when he rolled Lucky Number earlier and it had landed on 15. "It wasn't just your Stand you used, you also depended on your own talent as well, which made you confident. And just for good measure I did the one thing that angered you the most."

Her eyes widened when she remembered when Makoto called her by her real name, "So when you called me Taeko."

"It was to anger you, and blind you in your own hubris so that you chose not to use your Stand," Makoto finished, "In the end, you only have yourself to blame for this loss. Now, next you'll say, 'This is impossible, I lost.'"

"How, how did I lose?" Celeste inquired in shock.

"... One of these days I'm going to get it right."

Just then Kyoko's card, along with the other soul cards within the deck of playing cards, started to glow. They then floated into the air before flying away at tremendous speed, two of them entering both Kyoko and Sayaka, one soaring out of the room, and the last one through Celeste's closet. Both Kyoko and Sayaka began to stir awake before opening their eyes and fully woke up.

"We're back," Sayaka said, looking down at her hands.

"It appears so," Kyoko added.

In the nurse's office of Hope's Peak, Leon's body laid motionless on a bed as a timid girl with bandages wrapped around one of her arms and legs checked on him.

"H-He's been like this for over an hour now," the girl said nervously, "He sh-should've been up by now, I don't know what's wrong. E-Everyone is gonna hate me, I can't do anything right."

As the girl was on the verge of tears, she was unaware as Leon's card soared into the room and into Leon. The baseball player suddenly jolted awake and sat up, "Whoa boy, that was something!"

"AHH!" the girl screeched as she fell back, caught off guard by Leon waking up, "Y-Y-Your awake?"

"Mikan? Wait how'd I end up here?" Leon questioned as he looked around the nurse's room.

"Y-You went unconscious and your classmates brought you here," Mikan explained as she got up, before suddenly bowing repeatedly, "I-I'm sorry for not being able to help you sooner, p-please don't hate me!"

"Whoa, Mikan, relax it's all good," Leon assured the frightened nurse, "But man, talk about an out of body experience."

"You two ok?" Makoto asked as the girls got up.

"Aside from still feeling our literal soul get pulled out, just fine," Sayaka replied.

"Same for me as well," Kyoko added.

"So, does this mean it's over?" Hifumi asked.

They all looked over at Celeste, who hasn't moved since Makoto finished speaking. She was seen shaking in place, her hair blocking her eyes.

"It probably is, just got to remove the controller off of her," Makoto said as he was about to walk over to do so. However, he stopped as he once again felt the spike on his hair start twitching and spinning again. This time it felt more urgent than all the other times it moved.

"And his ahoge is moving on its own again," Sayaka noticed, "Does that thing have a mind of its own?"

"I am still curious on why it does that," Kyoko admitted, unable to take her eyes off the protrusion of hair.

"It is certainly a mystery," Hifumi added.

Even Makoto was curious on why his hair started acting all on its own. He thought about how it all started yesterday, when Celeste took Toko to her dorm. Then once again earlier today during Leon's game. That was when Makoto noticed a pattern in both occurrences, they were leading to something bad.

Makoto looked over at Celeste and while she was still shaking, he noticed a few things he hadn't before. Her fists were tightly clamped, turning red and how hard she had them closed. Her teeth looked like they were being grinded, as if in anger. And when Makoto finally got a look at her face, he didn't see one of defeat like he was expecting. What he saw was a face of pure rage.

Makoto figured out what was about to happen and reacted quickly, "Guys get back!"

No sooner then he shouted out his warning, Celeste stood up as On the Dime appeared beside her. The leftover playing cards started shaking before a few of them shot towards everyone as fast as a bullet. They all managed to get out of the way and the cards got stuck on the door, although one of them managed to graze Makoto's cheek. He slightly winced at the cut before looking back at Celeste.

"We underestimated her control of the cards," he said as the cards started to come together.

"You mean she doesn't just change what the card is?" Hifumi asked.

"No," Kyoko explained, "Her Stand is able to freely control them at her will."

On the Dime was not holding a whip of playing cards it had constructed out of them, and Celeste glared at all four of them, "I tried to get rid of you annoying pests my way, but it seems I have to resort to more savage means!"

Celeste's Stand used its whip so fast that there was barely time to react. The whip was used on the desk and was able to cut it completely in half, much to the shock of everyone. As they were still gawking at just how badly that whip can hurt them, On the Dime used that distraction and used its whip on Kyoko. Makoto quickly warned her before shoving her out of the way of the whip.

However, he was not fast enough for himself and the whip came down on his arm, completely cutting the limb off his body.

Everyone but Celeste watched in horror as Makoto screamed in pain, holding what was left of his still attached arm. Nobody could bother to speak a word, except for one person.

"This is what you get for making a fool out of me," Celeste seethed, "I will make all of you suffer, if it's the last thing I-" Her dialogue was interrupted as Sayaka summoned Siren's Sound to knock her back to the wall with a loud, concentrated screech.

The impact was enough to make Celeste go unconscious, and Kyoko quickly responded by having Mystery Girl appear and grab the controller on the goth's forehead, holding it as the explosion went off harmlessly. With that out of the way, Kyoko's focus immediately went towards Makoto, who was still gripping his arm but managed to calm down from the screaming. He was still in a lot of pain, however.

"Urgh oh god, this hurts so much!" he exclaimed.

"Just hang on Makoto," Kyoko assured, taking Makoto's shoulder, "We'll get you to Mikan's as soon as we can to take care of the bleeding before getting you to a hospital."

"No, we can't!" Makoto let out through clamped teeth, "She'll ask questions, how are we supposed to explain this?"

"Well what else are we supposed to do?!" Sayaka exclaimed in worry.

Just then a sneeze could be heard from within Celeste's closet before it was thrown open and Toko came out. However instead of Toko, Syo was the one in control right now, and she looked pissed. "Where is that gothic bitch?! I am going to cut her to ribbons for what she did!" she exclaimed angrily, already having her scissors out.

"I-I'm afraid we have dealt with Ms. Ludenberg already, Ms. Syo," Hifumi informed nervously, pointing over at the unconscious body in the room.

"Oh, well doesn't matter, still gonna-whoa what the hell happened here?!" Syo started before noticing Makoto and his lack of an arm.

"Celeste got the jump on us," Makoto answered in pain.

"No kidding, she really dearmed you good Macky," Syo cackled.

"Now is not the time for your usual attitude Syo," Kyoko replied in disgust, "If you're just gonna be a nuisance then leave right now." Even through the pain, Makoto noticed that Kyoko seemed more aggressive towards Syo than usual, who just laughed it off.

"Alright fine, I was gonna offer and help but if you rather I leave," she said, getting everyone's attention.

"What do you mean help?" Kyoko inquired.

"Alright fine I'll do it, stop badgering me!" Syo exclaimed in exaggeration. She spun one of her scissors before stabbing it into her arm and cutting it across, leaving a long gash of blood on her arm. Immediately the blood came to life and Bad Blood formed into a tendril that picked up Makoto's arm. "You'll feel a little sting, but shouldn't be as bad as getting your whole arm ripped off," Syo warned as her Stand brought the arm over to Makoto.

When it got close enough, some of Bad Blood attached itself to both the severed arm and the cutoff part of Makoto's body. He winced in pain as they came together, feeling the veins and arteries in his arm reattaching to his body. When it was all finished, Bad Blood retreated and the only sign of Makoto's arm being cut off was a line of stitched, scabbed up blood where it was severed. He looked down at his arm and moved it around, opening and closing his fist with no problems at all, "You did it, it feels perfectly fine."

"Yep, good as new aside from the scar line there," Syo replied proudly, "And also possibly AIDS."

"Wait what?!" Sayaka exclaimed as everyone looked horrified.

"Gyahahaha! Ah just messing with you all!" Syo laughed, "He's fine, Bad Blood was able to repair all the stuff inside his arm and treat it like nothing happened."

"But what about blood type, wouldn't that cause possible issues?" Hifumi asked.

"Nope, Ms. Morose and I are O negative, got the Red Cross searching for us and everything!" Syo replied, "And best part, Bad Blood here makes it so I never run out, so I can give as much as I want."

"And what's to say you wouldn't use the blood you used against Makoto from the inside?" Kyoko asked, still not trusting Syo completely.

She feigned being hurt with a hand to her chest, "Oh, you wound me with your freezing words, Ice Queen." As Bad Blood retreated back into Syo, scabbing up the gash in her arm, Syo continued speaking, "You don't have to worry about that, once my blood is detached from Bad Blood I no longer have any control of it."

"I guess that's some assurance," Makoto noted, still feeling his newly reattached arm.

"You know, you guys should really appreciate the position I'm in now," Syo said, getting everyone's attention, "I just successfully reattached someone's arm in seconds, surgeons got nothing on that shit! Not to mention, O negative and infinite blood source, I'm a walking blood bank here for any of you injured jerks."

"In other words, I'm the healer in this party bitch! You fuckers need me if you all want to live."

"... My god she's right," Sayaka realized, "We actually do need her, her Stand is a lifesaver for everyone."

"Ironic for a well known serial killer," Kyoko stated before looking over at Celeste's unconscious body, "What should we do with her?"

Hifumi was the one who spoke up, "I believe it would be best if you all leave now, I imagine today was more extreme than usual. I'll explain the situation to Ms. Ludenberg when she wakes up, however I imagine she may choose to remain neutral during this situation."

"Figured as much, unless it benefits her Celeste will mostly be on the sidelines," Makoto sighed.

"Can I still cut her for trapping me in that damn card?" Syo asked.

"No!"

"All of you are no fun."

Everyone but Hifumi exited the dorm room and separated into their own respective dorms, with the exception of Makoto and Kyoko. Makoto was about to head to his dorm room, but was stopped when Kyoko lightly smacked the back of his head, "Ow, what was that for?"

"For your earlier recklessness," she scolded, "I've warned you before about it getting you into trouble and I believe my point was proven."

"Well what was I supposed to do, do nothing as you got hurt?" Makoto countered, "I'm sorry Kyoko, but I just can't sit back when there is something I can do to help."

"I understand that, I'm just asking to think more about what could happen," she clarified, "If it wasn't for Syo, your arm would be gone."

"Ok yes, I did get into some serious trouble I admit, but I can't help it, alright," he explained, "I don't want to see any of my friends hurt, especially you Kyoko."

Kyoko took a breath as she moved some of her behind her ear, "This may sound like I don't appreciate what you did, but I am thankful for you saving me. Just, be more careful please."

Makoto smiled and nodded in agreement to her request. He was about to enter his dorm before Kyoko grabbed him by his arm, the one that hadn't been cut off, and dragged him away from the dorms, "Um Kyoko, where are we going?"

"Seeing Mikan," she answered, "Despite what Syo said, I rather have her check your arm out then relying on the word of a crazed killer."

"I guess that makes sense, plus we should also probably check on Leon," he responded, now contempt with Kyoko dragging him to the school nurse.

Byakuya sighed in annoyance as he shut the file he had been reading. Normally he didn't mind being cooped up in the Togami library, he spent a great deal of time alone reading the various files lined up. However, this time he found it as a waste of time as he has learned nothing of what he originally came for.

The only thing that Byakuya had learned was that the Joestar line was the most bizarre family that he has ever read about. To think that such a family could have a history as odd as this family has. Byakuya was at a loss of words from what he had just read.

He had concluded that the absurdity of this family began with Jonathan Joestar II, after their estate having mysteriously burned down, with Joseph and a young Speedwagon being the only survivors. It only got more bizarre to the prodigy when he read about how Jonathan was killed during his honeymoon from the boat he and his wife were on catching on fire, and Erina being the only one to survive along with her unborn child. Which led to the next bit of absurdity, and one that was a constant eyesore to Byakuya's eyes as he read, the grandson Joseph Joestar. From the file alone Byakuya could tell that Joseph had been an annoying pest in his early years. Nonetheless, he will admit that Joseph was an interesting man, despite his brash behavior it seemed like he had been good hearted. But what caught his eye was that after years of being inactive as a real estate agent in the U.S., he apparently met up with his grandson and traveled to Egypt for unknown reasons.

That was what really angered Byakuya, that a majority of the Joestar's history was not listed in the files. The Togami Corporation is one of the most influential companies in the world, if they wanted to find something they would find it. And yet, they were unable to find any major points about the family, which just frustrated him. What secrets could the Joestar family be hiding, that not even the Togami corporation could find it. And furthermore, how was Makoto connected?

Byakuya had hoped to learn about why Makoto had been associated with both the Speedwagon Foundation and the Joestar family, but the family history provided no new information. He was back at square one. Byakuya couldn't help but feel diminished, to think that someone as normal and naive as Makoto Naegi knows something that Byakuya doesn't, it was ludicrous. He was meant to be better than everyone at Hope's Peak, and yet the Ultimate Lucky Student was getting on his nerves.

Sighing in frustration, Byakuya got up from his seat and put away the file on the Joestars, now being unable to help him any further. As he proceeded to exit the library, there was one thing in the files that had caught Byakuya's interest, despite it not being related to his current predicament,

Dio Brando.

The name only appeared very few times during the portion on Jonathan Joestar, with Dio being his adoptive brother. However his name stopped appearing in the file shortly after the burning of the mansion. Byakuya could easily piece together that it was Dio who had caused it, the earlier portions of Jonathan showed very explicitly that the two did not get along well with one another. It was likely that Dio had died in the very fire he had caused, but it didn't sit right with the young heir. From the little he had read on Dio, he had seemed cunning and strategic. It was hard to believe he had fallen victim to his own trap.

Nevertheless, it doesn't pertain to what Byakuya was really interested in. Despite the Togami Library being unable to provide any new information, the heir had not given up on learning just what Makoto was hiding.

After about three months of starting this chapter, it has finally been finished! My god, I am such a procrastinator. I put this story and so many others off for so long, but I was determined to finally get this done.

And this chapter has so far been my longest one to date, over 11,000 words! I imagine future chapters will be just as long, if not longer, so be prepared for even further delays to this story.

Monokuma: Doesn't sound like a problem to me.

You know you are really annoying when you're invading these outros.

Monokuma: That's the point of me being here.

Whatever. Anyways let us discuss the Stand for this chapter, On the Dime! Now as I am sure many of you notice, it is very similar to both Osiris and Atum. Well that was the direction I was going for, I mean with Celeste being a gambler and all, it seemed fitting. But in order to make it more different than those two, I made some changes. For one, unlike Osiris, which works for any gamble, On the Dime only works if the game is Poker which makes it situational.

However this ability is really only a secondary power, as On the Dime's main ability is the power to manipulate the cards. This means that Celeste is able to change her opponent's hands and her own, giving her complete control of the game. And as you saw On the Dime can even be used to use playing cards as weapons, either as a makeshift shuriken, or a bladed whip able to cut off limbs. I also designed the Stand so that it closely resembles a pale vampire, as remember Celeste's dream is to be owner of a castle surrounded by vampire butlers, so I gave her one as a Stand. On the Dime's name is derived from the 1980 song On the Nickel by Tom Waits.

And we also get to see more of Bad Blood and more of what it can do. Yeah Bad Blood isn't only for Syo, it can be used to heal and repair anyone. This wouldn't be possible if it weren't for Toko's blood type. The games actually say that her blood type is O, but just that. Doesn't say if it's positive or negative. I just went with negative for the purpose of this ability.

Now admittedly with how I wrote On the Dime, I was having trouble figuring out how it would be defeated. But that was when I realized it, Celeste would defeat herself. By feeling over confident, thanks to a roll from Lucky Number, Celeste pretty much chose not to use her Stand against Makoto, leading to her downfall. Honestly, while I love writing the stands landing punch after punch, it's these kinds of victories that are the best.

And the last thing to talk about isn't a Stand ability, but just something that Makoto can do, even if unintentionally. Whenever something bad is coming, his ahoge starts moving crazy, twitching and spinning as a way to warn Makoto. Why did I decide this, well because it fits the theme of Jojo's. Even without Stands, there are individuals who have some unique ability of theirs, such as Yuya Fungami's incredible sense of smell. I figured giving Makoto one of these bizarre abilities would fit well, and decided to give him this warning system of his.

Favorite part of this chapter would be Celeste's defeat as Makoto explains it to her.

As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and keep an eye out for the next one.

Sain'ofu.