The clock finished its toll. Nagito did not make the choice yet. He stood in the hush between rules and longing, feeling the forbidden flower pulse against his chest like an accusation—and, for the first time, like a truth.

The sound was like glass breaking. The Forbidden Flower didn't just stop spinning; it disintegrated. Shards of obsidian flew across the arena floor, and the once-silent crowd gasped in unison. Nagito Shinomiya, the "Prince of Petals," fell to his knees. The Aftermath: What’s Next for Nagito?

He stepped back from the balcony, wrapping the bloom in the ledger’s page as if to hide it once more. But his fingers left a crease in the paper—a small, perfect scar. He could lock it away again, tuck the note into the ledger, and resume the role that kept him safe and everyone else safer still.