Chapter 5: To Survive... Deadly Life

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MONOKUMA THEATER

-I need an immediate, fast-acting pick-me-up! If it doesn't act now, it's the same as giving in to regret. What do you think guides the world? Speed, of course! That's why Formula One drivers are so popular! Any idiot can accomplish something if they take it slow. Even a human piece of excrement could create a masterpiece if they spent their entire life on it! Someone who does things in a timely fashion is both wise and admirable. Straight is better than a curve or an angle. Freestyle is better than the backstroke or breaststroke! Drive-thru is better than a sit-down! A Sunday comic artist is smarter than a graphic novelist! What I'm saying is, speed is the gold standard of the standard world. Which is why I said I need that pick-me-up! (Meanwhile, 0.000002 seconds later...)

END OF MONOKUMA THEATER!

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I woke up to the sound of the morning announcement. I felt like I wanted to punch the monitor for waking me up, but another noise caught me off guard. My Doorbell. Someone rang the bell. I rubbed my eyes and walked over to the door and opened it slightly. I had my PJs on, I didn't want anyone seeing me like this. On the other side was Taka.

"A fantastic morning, isn't it!?", Taka greeted.

"Morning, Taka. Why are you here?", I asked.

"If you'll pardon the interruption...!", Taka pushed the door open and walked in. So much for trying to hide my morning self. I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed.

"Why are you here, Taka?", I questioned.

"No matter how intensely the stormy seas may better me, I will not fall as long as my feet are firmly planted!... You agree, right?", Taka asked with a firm nod.

"Taka, with all due respect, walking in on me in the morning and spilling out random Shakespeare sh*t is very confusing. Let me ask again. Why are you here?", I questioned.

"I was thinking about it last night, and... I decided we all need to really come together. And that was when I realized... Every morning from now on, after the morning announcement, everyone should have breakfast together! And now is the beginning of that fateful day! Please head to the dining hall at your earliest convenience! That's all for now! I have to go let everyone else know the good news!", with that, Taka left. I sighed and closed the door roughly. I showered and changed into my regular attire, and was off. I made my way to the dining hall and opened the door. I mumbled a good morning and sat down with the rest of the students. Hina offered me some food, which I gladly took with a tired smile.

"Everyone, thank you for making time in your busy schedules to come together.", Taka thanked.

"I didn't make time for sh*t. You dragged me here...", Leon grumbled.

"I know I already mentioned this earlier, but... In order to get out of here, it is essential that we all cooperate with each other. And the first step is this breakfast meeting, to allow us to become friends and build trust! So from now on, let's all meet here in the dining hall every morning after the morning announcement! Now then, let's eat!", Taka announced.

"You w-want me to eat breakfast with other p-people? I've never done that b-before. I'm not s-sure...", Toko giggled while twiddling her fingers.

"Yeah, it's been a while for me, too.", Leon mumbled.

"Well, anyway... did anyone happen to come up with any clues?", Junko asked. No one said a word.

"Seriously? Nothing at all!? Anything, it can be about how to get out, or who's doing this, nobody has anything!?", Junko urged.

"...You are going to die.", Celeste said as she sipped her tea. We all looked at her like she was crazy.

"Huh...?", Junko looked scared for a second.

"If you can't stop yourself from showing weakness in front of others... you will die.", Celeste said matter-of-factly.

"Wh-What the hell? Don't even freaking joke about that!", Junko retorted.

"I am not joking. Adaptability is survivability. Did I not say so? So you'd better hurry up and adapt to your new life here.", Celeste smiled.

"Have you gone completely insane? Adapt to my new life here? Do you have any idea what you're saying?", Junko asked.

"Yeah, sounds like the girl wants to live here. And hell, more power to her. But sh*t... No way in hell am I living here! I'm gettin' outta here, I don't give a sh*t!", Mondo growled.

"Hmhm. Sure, feel free.", Celeste giggled before going back to her tea.

"Okay, so... nobody has any clues?", Leon asked.

"One thing I can tell you is who's behind all this. Someone who's totally weird and messed up. Why else would we be trapped in here in the first place?", Hina deduced.

"Well, sure, it could be something like that. But for right now, actual clues are...", Leon muttered.

"U-Umm...", Chihiro mumbled as she tried to gain our attention.

"Huh? What's up?", Leon asked.

"If you think in terms of people who are really abnormal or bizarre... Do you think maybe the person responsible for all this could be a (certain murderous fiend)...?", Chihiro asked.

"A murderous fiend... Chihiro, do you have some idea who might be behind all this?", Makoto questioned.

"Well... maybe. I mean, I can't really be certain, but...", Chihiro mumbled.

"Anything goes, Chihiro. Give us what you got.", I smiled.

"O-Okay, well... Have you guys heard of Genocide Jack?", Chihiro asked.

"You mean that serial killer that's been in the news and all over the internet?", Makoto questioned with fear.

"The monstrous villain who's murdered scores of victims in brutally bizarre fashion... The word "bloodlust" was left at each murder scene, written in the victim's own blood. Whoever it is, he's like a ghost. He strikes without warning, and disappears without a trace. And on the internet, they started calling him...", Byakuya explained.

"Genocide Jack...?", I was a bit confused, but they sounded scary.

"They say he's claimed over a thousand victims...", Hiro shuddered.

"That's just an urban legend though, right? I mean even like, ten people would be totally insane.", Junko yawned.

"Anyway, whoever Genocide Jack really is, he's obviously some kind of super crazy killer.", Chihiro muttered.

"And if he really is this "ultimate" psycho, I wouldn't be surprised if he put together something like this.", Mondo elaborated with clenched fists.

"But like I said, I can't be certain. I don't have any evidence or anything. It's just a thought...", Chihiro explained.

"But if they're the killer, isn't that like a killer of a problem for us!?", Leon stuttered.

"It's okay! Everything's absolutely, positively, one hundered percent without a doubt gonna be okay! Cuz help's gonna be here soon, I'm sure of it!", Hina encouraged.

"Huh...? H-Help?", Toko questioned.

"We've been stuck in here a few days already, right? Nobody's been able to contact us, so I'm sure they're getting worried. I bet they called the police already!", Hina was then cut off by a blood-curdling laugh, one I didn't want to hear.

"AHHH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The police? You're putting your faith in the police!?", Monokuma came out of nowhere, sitting on one of the empty chairs.

"GAH! EL DIABLO!", I yelled as I booked it to the end of the room while clutching my bag to my chest, hyperventilating and shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"What are you doing here!?", Sakura exclaimed as she got in front of me.

"You guys, seriously... Do you understand what role the police exist to fill? All they're good for being a foil, playing against a villain or anti-hero or evil organization. The bad guys come along and destroy them, and that shows just how bada*s they really are. Are you sure you wanna rely on such an unreliable group of losers? I mean come on! If you really, REALLY wanna get out of here, all you gotta do is kill!", Monokuma laughed.

"Hahahaha!", Hiro was laughing along.

"Hiro, why the actual f*ck are you laughing!?", I asked from my spot behind Sakura.

"I'm just impressed at the total commitment to this whole act.", Hiro replied.

"... You're still going on about that?", Junko grumbled.

"So, mister serial killer psycho freak bastard... what the hell do you want!?", Mondo asked.

"Mr. Serialkillerpsychofreakbastard, huh? That's a pretty long name! German, maybe?", Monokuma asked.

"We know who you really are!", Mondo yelled.

"Maybe if I ignore him, he'll just go away...", Monokuma muttered as he turned away from Mondo.

"Hey! Don't ignore me, a*shole!", Mondo growled.

"Okay, okay, let's get back to business. Your life here has already begun and a couple days have gone by, and nobody's killing anybody! I thought all you kids were lazy and selfish, and here you are working together. But I'm totally bored!", Monokuma complained.

"There's nothing you can say that'll make us start killing each other...", Makoto growled.

"Wait, I think--yes! Ding ding ding! I figured it out! All the mystery ingredients are here-- right people, right place. So why hasn't anyone killed anyone yet? That's what I couldn't understand. But I realized there was one very important piece missing!", Monokuma said as its smile widened.

"What are y-you talking about...?", I muttered.

"If you wanna know, I'll tell ya! It's motive! Puhuhu! It's simple! I just have to give everyone a motive!", Monokuma cheered

"Motive? What the f*ck are you talking about!?", Mondo questioned.

"What it means is that murders happen for a reason; why kill someone?", I explained.

"Oh, by the way! There's something I wanna show you guys!", Monokuma interjected.

"Stop changing the goddamn subject!", Mondo yelled.

"I have a little video I'd like you all to see. Oh, but don't worry. It's not some pervy "adult" video or anything. Seriously, it's nothing like that! It's a special video for each of you showing what's going on outside the school.", Monokuma explained.

"Outside...? What's going on outside?", I questioned.

"Heh-heh! Ooh, Master's so impatient today! Why don't you just watch it and find out? Here in the school, there's a specific place you can go that has everything you need to watch the video.", Monokuma stifled a laugh.

"Good, then we can go watch the video right now. But before we do that, I'd like to know... What are you? Why would you do something like this? What do you want from us?", Kyoko spoke up for the first time this morning.

"What do I want from you...? Well, if you must know...", Monokuma's red eye glowed and bored holes into our very souls. "Despair. That's all. If you want to know more than that, you'll have to figure it out yourselves. Do whatever you need to uncover the mystery hidden within this school. I won't try and stop you. Cuz to be honest, it's entertaining as heck watching you guys search so desperately for answers! So I guess I want amusement from you, too.", with that, Monokuma left with a boisterous laugh.

"He's gone... And once again, he left before we could find out anything useful.", Sayaka sighed.

"Really? I think we learned something *very* useful. He has no intention of standing in the way of our pursuit of the truth. Interesting...", Kyoko mentioned.

"Perhaps, but what about the video he mentioned? I'm very curious to see what's on it.", Sakura thought out loud.

"I-I kinda am too... But I feel like my legs are gonna give out any second now... Hehe.", I laughed nervously as I plopped myself on a random chair.

"Same here! Okay, so...! Hey Makoto! Check this out for us, would ya?", Mondo pointed at Makoto with a grin.

"Huh? Why me!?", Makoto questioned.

"Cuz you're closest to the door! That's the rule, right?", Mondo said with a straight face.

"R-Rule...?", Makoto mumbled.

"Hey, hey... Hey hey hey hey hey! HEEEEEY!!! You see how passionately I'm begging you!? What's the big deal? Just check it out real quick!", Mondo cracked his knuckles to show his "passion".

"...O-Okay... I guess I'll get going, then.", Makoto reluctantly agreed.

"Awesome, thanks! I owe ya one!", Mondo thanked.

"... If Makoto's going, I'm going with him. It's not safe to walk around this place alone.", Sayaka got up to stand next to Makoto.

"Yeah, sure thing. Then we're countin' on the both of ya! If anything happens, just yell and I'll come runnin'!", Mondo promised. With that, the duo left. We waited in silence, not really trying to fill the void. A few minutes later. Sayaka came running back.

"Everyone, we found the place! It's a room filled with computers, an A/V room, and a box of DVDs, labeled with our names.", Sayaka explained. We all agreed to go to the place. We walked for a bit until we found the room. We opened the room to see something strange; Makoto was just trembling, staring at one of the computers with pure anger and fear. He was also talking to himself about "making sure they're safe".

"Makoto...? What happened? Make sure who's safe?", Sayaka questioned as everyone else spilled into the room.

"Wh-What's going on?", Hina asked. All Makoto did was point to a cardboard box on the table. I walked over to it and looked inside. It was filled with a bunch of DVDs with our names written on them in black ink.

"Are these what Monokuma wanted us to watch?", I questioned as I pulled out a DVD with my name on it.

"What's on them?", Taka mumbled as he grabbed his own. Soon, everyone took their DVD and put them in one of the computers to watch. I put on the headphones and watched as the computer flickered to life. There, in the video, were the people that I wanted to see since the day I came here; my family. My mother in her work attire, my father in a very formal suit and tie, and my younger baby brother circling my parents on a tricycle. They stood in front of my workshop back home. The voices that came from the video were so happy.

"Hi, sweetheart! I can't believe you got accepted at that over-the-top school! Oh, momma is so proud of you!", my mom squealed.

"Now, now, Kushina. Let's not stress Kuno out too much. I'm very happy you reached such a great place in your life, pumpkin. I hope you have fun there, yeah?", my father said with a small smile.

"Obito, you sound like this happens every day! Azuma, what do you want your big sis to get you from the Academy?", my mom asked my younger brother.

"Candy!", Azuma laughed. The whole family began to laugh, which made me smile with them... Until the feed changed. The whole setting changed from my happy family in front of my neat workshop to an almost unrecognizable workshop with the weapons stabbed into the walls and the forge burning the entire room. It looked like a warzone, a living hell. I heard a very obnoxious voice sound from the video.

"Kuno Sawa, accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. And her family, who supported the girl with all their might... But it seems like... something's happened to this family's well-being! The well-being of the family that Kuno tried to protect with everything in her power... What could have happened!? LOOK FOR THE ANSWER AFTER GRADUATION!"

My voice left me, my face went pale, my body was rigid, my stare was blank, my hands shaking, my hearing muffled. I could only feel the tears trailing across my face and drop one by one on the table. I could hear everyone talking, but I couldn't do anything. Not one thing. I could hear Kyoko speak.

"I see... So this is what he meant by motive. He wants to fuel our desire to leave so that we're more likely to start killing each other.", Kyoko explained. I couldn't hear the rest. I heard yelling, someone running, and that's it. Nothing. The tears kept falling, wetting the table, until I couldn't see anymore. I suddenly felt something on my shoulder, a hand. A warm hand. I couldn't turn around, but I knew who it was.

"You look like you need to speak up or you'll do something... Drastic. Tell us what you saw.", it was Sakura. I didn't care if she was suspicious or whatever, I just wanted to cry my eyes out. I turned to look at Sakura and that's when I broke. I cried on Sakura's shoulder and held onto her like she was my lifeline. I kept sobbing and talking at the same time, not even caring for my image anymore.

"I-I-It was... *hic*... Momma and *hic* Pappa! A-A-A-And Azuma...! *hic* *sob* They're o-o-o-out there! S-S-S-Sakura, they're out there!! I w-want to see them! T-To see them! *sob*TH-TH-THEY'RE GONNA DIE!!!", I screamed. Sakura stayed silent as she rubbed my back in soothing circles.

"Deep breathes, Kuno. Deep breathes.", Hina instructed. I went along with her until I was just a hiccuping mess. I looked back at everyone and sniffled.

"S-Sorry... *sniff* I showed you a side of me that... I would rather hide.", I mumbled.

"Nah man, don't apologize for that...", Mondo mumbled while looking down on the ground.

"Wh-Where are Sayaka and Makoto?", I asked as I rubbed my tears away with my bare arms.

"Sayaka ran off and Makoto followed to see if she was okay.", Junko explained.

"Kuno, you look like you need rest. Here, I'll help you get back to your room.", Sakura carried me effortlessly as she walked out of the room and took me to my dorm. She tucked me in the bed and made sure I was comfortable enough. After she left, I got up to lock the door and went back to bed. The second my head hit the pillow, I passed out.

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MONOKUMA THEATER

-Imagine you're all in a big spaceship, in the middle of an intergalactic adventure. You've heard of Noah's Ark, right? We're sort of like that. We've set sail and left Earth behind! Here you don't have to worry about crazy neighbors, corrupt cops, drunk drivers, or pyromaniacs! You don't have to worry about the ozone layer, or asthma-inducing air pollution! And of course, you don't have to stress about studying for finals or practicing for the big game! But... But even our divine world of freedom has a few rules. After all, freedom can only exist *because* of rules. If you're really dead set on returning to that tiny piece of dog poop you call Earth... please do your best to follow the rules. I hope I've made myself perfectly clear. So then, let's everyone do our best to follow these new guidelines and live happily ever after together!

END OF MONOKUMA THEATER!

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I woke up to the sound of the morning announcement. I got up and freshened up before walking to the dining hall. I felt like sh*t, but who could blame me? With what happened yesterday, how could I not? I found Hina, Sakura, Chihiro, and Taka in the room. I mumbled a good morning when I entered.

"Hello Kuno, and good morning! Can you believe it? I was the very first one here this morning!", Taka laughed.

"That's nice, Taka.", I replied without lifting my eyes from the floor.

"Ehehe... good morning.", Chihiro greeted.

"...Morning.", I mumbled.

"Mornin'!", Hina greeted.

"...", I was getting tired already.

"I suppose I'm early...", Sakura smiled slightly.

"Um, Sakura... Thank you for yesterday...", I muttered.

"You would have done the same for me, don't mention it.", Sakura nodded.

"Heya, Kuno.", Makoto smiled slightly. He also looked a bit tired, but I didn't blame him. He was the first to see his video.

"Heya.", I replied. Soon, Mondo, Hifumi, and Junko came a bit later.

"Yo.", Mondo huffed.

"Sorry I'm late! My make-up just would NOT cooperate this morning!", Junko laughed.

"My apologies, ladies and gentlemen. My morning, ah, duty took a little longer than usual...", Hifumi chuckled.

"No one wants to know that...", I mumbled.

Soon after that, Kyoko, Celeste, Leon, Hiro, and Toko came soon after.

"... I suppose I'm late.", Kyoko said with no sign of stopping the act.

"Good morning, everyone.", Celeste smiled.

"My bad, guys! Slept right through my alarm!", Leon laughed.

"Wh-What? Is it s-so awful to be l-late?", Toko grumbled.

"I didn't oversleep, just so you know. Nope, got lost! I blame the Bermuda Triangle...", Hiro blamed with a smile.

"Wait, aren't we still missing some people?", Taka asked.

"Sayaka and Byakuya aren't here yet.", I mentioned.

"... What's going on? Did something happen?", Byakuya came through the double doors with a sigh.

"Hey man! Have you seen Sayaka?", Mondo asked.

"Why would I have? I just came straight from my room to here.", Byakuya smirked.

"Did she forget about our breakfast promise...?", Hifumi muttered.

"I got a sense she always has her stuff together...", Kyoko thought out loud. All of a sudden, Makoto shot up from his seat.

"I-I need to go... I have to check on her!", with that, Makoto ran out of the dining hall in a hurry.

"Man, he must be worried. Sayaka might just be doing her makeup... I mean, she *is* The Ultimate Pop Sensation!", I smiled a bit. I was about to say something when I loud scream sounded from outside. It made me jump out of my seat. It sounded like Makoto. I got up and ran towards the scream. I ran to the dorms to see Makoto's room wide open. I raised an eyebrow before pulling out my gun. I looked inside and felt a chill run down my back. The place was a mess, with slashes and gashes littered around the room. I turned to see Makoto passed out on the floor in front of the bathroom door.

"Makoto! Are you o--!", I was crouching next to Makoto when I turned to the broken bathroom door... I regretted everything. There, sitting down and dead, was Sayaka Maizono with a knife in her abdomen. Blood covered the walls of the bathroom. I just stared at the scene in front of me as I screamed and ran into Kyoko hyperventilating. Everything was a blur; hearing the body discovery announcement, closing off the crime scene, and taking a passed out Makoto into the gym.

# To Survive # # Deadly Life #

I was sitting next to Makoto's sleeping form, waiting to drop the news on him. He probably saw it, but thought he was hallucinating. Everyone had gathered to the gym under that dumb monochrome bear's rules. I felt some movement next to me. I turned a bit to see Makoto had woken up and sat up with a confused look.

"Hey.", I simply greeted with a downcast look.

"Ah! You're awake! Finally! Are you okay?", Hina asked.

"Now's no time for sleeping. Get your a*s up!", Mondo huffed.

"Huh...?", Makoto tilted his head slightly.

"You were unconscious, dude. We had to carry you back here.", Hiro explained.

"It's no surprise, considering what happened.", Sakura mumbled.

"What... happened?", that's when Makoto's eyes went wide and he jumped in fear.

"Gh--! Grraaah!", Makoto yelled out. I grabbed him by the shoulder and began to calm him down.

"Deep breathes, Makoto. Listen to my voice."

"So it wasn't a dream? What I saw... It was real...?", Makoto asked frantically.

"That's right. It really did happen.", Byakuya was about to go on, but I glared at him to shut up.

"Makoto, I'm sorry... but, it's true... Sayaka Maizono is gone. Dead.", I sighed. Makoto stood there before shaking me off and running off.

"Makoto, where are you going!?", I caught up to him and grabbed him by the arm.

"I have to see for myself! I have to see if Sayaka is--! If Sayaka is...!", Makoto stuttered.

"You can check once, twice, a thousand times. Sayaka is completely and irrevocably dead.", Byakuya confirmed with no remorse.

"No! I have to see for myself!", Makoto retorted as he tried to shake me off again but I held up.

"Listen to us, man! Whaddya think's gonna happen if you go out there?", Mondo yelled.

"Well what good is it gonna do just sitting around here!? I mean, why are we all hanging out in the gym at a time like this!? Our friend... Sayaka... she's... She's dead!", Makoto yelled pathetically.

"We don't wanna be here right now either. Monokuma called us here.", I explained.

"Well, hold on! Don't talk like that. We all protested it! I mean, we remember the terrible price Sayaka had to pay... B-But...!", Taka muttered.

"I'm the one who convinced them to come. Right now, we need to do whatever he says. We're his prisoners, right? It's not a good idea to defy him without reason. We don't need to make any more sacrifices than we already have...", Kyoko explained.

"... Why should we listen to anything he has to say? It's obvious he's the one who killed Sayaka!", Makoto yelled. Out of nowhere, the bear came out from behind the podium.

"I would never do that! If you can believe anything, you can believe that!"

"He's here again...", Leon growled.

"Unless someone violates a school regulation, I absolutely will not interfere. I can promise you, I won't do anything that goes against the purpose of your school life here. I'm famous at safari parks throughout the world for following the "Bear-Times-One" rule!", Monokuma retorted.

"Then who killed Sayaka Maizono?", I questioned.

"You already know the answer! The one who killed her is... one of you! Hmm? What's the matter? You guys all look like you're about to see a dove get shot up with a Gatling gun! Don't you remember what I told when this all began? One of you decided to kill Sayaka so that you could graduate! Someone's just following the rules. There's nothing wrong with that!", Monokuma laughed.

"Y-You're lying... right?", Hifumi mumbled.

"Of course he's lying! I'm telling you, he killed her!", Makoto turned to glare at the bear.

"Nope, sorry. One of you is now a bona fide killer. If they wanted to, the one who did it could testify to that little fact.", Monokuma simply suggested.

"What...?", Makoto muttered. Everyone looked so scared, confused, and suspicious at the same time.

"A-Are you serious...?", Chihiro looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Someone... Someone killed someone!", Taka shouted.

"It is amazing what some people are capable of.", Celeste said she played with her hair.

"Hey, hold on! Don't just assume he's telling the truth!", Mondo yelled.

"That's enough. Before we do anything else, I'd like to confirm something with the stuffed animal here. If one of us really did kill her, that person gets to graduate from the school, right?", Byakuya asked.

"...Huh?", Monokuma tilted its head at the statement, which was odd.

"Don't play dumb! That's what you said, isn't it!? If you kill someone, you get to leave!", Byakuya elaborated.

"Puhuhu... Puhuhu! Poohohoho! Bwaaahahahaha!", Monokuma kept laughing it's a*s off.

"Why are you laughing!?", Leon asked.

"Puhu... it's cuz... Naive... You're just so naive! You think it's really that easy? You can just kill someone and waltz on outta here? You're super naive! Devilishly naive! HELLISHLY NAIVE! No no no, the real thing has just begun.", Monokuma retorted

"The... real thing?", Makoto muttered,

"Are you ready!? Allow me to explain the second part of the rule regarding graduation! Just like I explained before, you must kill someone if you want to leave. However... even if you do that, there's still one more part to the agreement you have to uphold, remember?", Monokuma asked.

"You are referring to rule number six of the school regulations... "If you are the "blackened" that committed the murder, you can't be found out by the other students." That is what you are talking about, is it not?", Celeste confirmed.

"Bingo! It's not enough to just kill someone. You have to actually get away with it! Which naturally means you need a system in place to assess or not it's been gotten away with! So, a certain amount of time after a murder has taken place, a class trial will begin! Yup! It'll begin a few hours after the murder! Everyone will gather together, including the blackened who committed the murder. And they and the spotless students will all engage in one big debate showdown! During the trial, you'll have to present your arguments about who you think the blackened is. And once everything comes to an end, the outcome will be decided by popular vote! If the answer you've arrived at is correct... only the one that disrupted your peace will be punished. The rest may continue their communal life. However... if you choose poorly... then the one who got away with murder will survive, and the rest of you will receive your punishment. Which of course means your school life will come to an end! As far as class trial rules go... that's all there is to it!", Monokuma explained.

"What about this "punishment" you keep mentioning? What is it?", I questioned.

"Oh! Well, to put it simply... It's execution!", Monokuma grinned. My blood went cold when it said that.

"E-Execution!?", Hifumi shouted.

"And by execution, you mean...", Chihiro shuddered. Monokuma glared at us with its red eye glowing.

"Execution is... execution. Ex-e-cution! Electric chair, bzzt bzzt! Poison gas, cough cough! Torn apart like a paper plane in a hurricane!"

"S-So, to make sure I understand... If we get the culprit right, then only they die. But if we get it wrong... all the rest of us get... executed?", Taka gulped.

"What a smart little chimpanzee you are! Look at you, implying you didn't do it without actually saying it! So it's basically what the outside world calls a "lay judge" system, or an inquisition type thing! Which means you'll be deciding who you think the killer is. But judge carefully, because all your lives are on the line! Okay, let me just add the rule I just described to your handbook. Make sure to keep it in mind!", Monokuma urged as he taped away at a small tablet before putting it away.

"W-Wait, hold on a second! You're freaking insane, you know that!?", Junko yelled.

"Hmm?", Monokuma tilted its head at the question.

"A class trial? What the hell is that!? I don't want anything to do with it!", Junko retorted.

"Why not?", Monokuma asked.

"Whaddya mean why not!? Why do I have to waste my time trying to figure out who murdered someone!?", Junko growled.

"What!? Are you saying you're not gonna participate in the trail!? Only punishment awaits such blasphemy!", Monokuma shouted.

"What? Punishment!?", Junko uttered.

"I might... I dunno, throw you in a deep, dark, scary prison or something!", Monokuma threatened.

"Shut the hell up! Say whatever you want, I'm not gonna be part of this!", Junko screamed.

"Don't be so selfish!", Monokuma wagged its paw in anger.

"You're the one being selfish! Kill whoever you want, it's got nothing to do with me!", Junko demanded.

"The evil standing here before me... I'm trembling with fear...! But I won't give in to such evil! It's my style to stick it out and resist till the very end...! If you really wanna get out of here... you'll have to go through me first!", Monokuma came charging at us. Although it was more of a waddle... And then it happened; Junko, as fast as lightning, stood before Monokuma with her boot in its face.

"Are you enjoying yourself now?", Junko taunted, but Monokuma was unfazed.

"Are you?", Monokuma asked with a deep growl.

"Huh?", Junko dug her heel into Monokuma's face, but still nothing.

"Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is not allowed. You've violated a school regulation... I invoke the mighty summon spell! Help! To me, godly spear Gungnir!", Monokuma called out. Then... things went to hell. Spears came up from underneath the gym floor, piercing Junko all around her body. She stood there with a shocked smile on her face, looking down at herself as she twitches uncontrollably.

"...Wh...? H-Huh? This wasn't... supposed to... Why... me...?", with that little whisper, Junko fell to the ground with a thud.

"JUNKO!!", I called out as I ran up to her body. I tried to check for a pulse, but nothing. It was horrid. I let out a sob as I backed up from her body and Monokuma. I couldn't even cry out of shock.

"Wh-What the...?", Hina had a hand over her mouth out of shock.

"I don't...", Chihiro was in tears.

"Th-This can't be real.", Leon muttered.

"NO WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!", Hifumi screamed as he ran behind us in fear.

"Now I am painfully aware of the great power and meaning of a promise... I really wanted to keep a corpse from popping up for no good reason, ya know? But I guess you all needed to be taught a lesson, after all. Ahh, what an amazing promise! But now you guys understand, right? Now you see just how serious I am... Defy me and you get shot full of holes, exploded, buried alive, disintegrated... et cetera. So if you don't want that to happen to you, you'd best obey those school regulations! It's really not all that shocking. She just died, that's all. Just went and died. It's no more remarkable than the inevitable demise of the entire human race. It's just as natural as the eventual end of the world itself. This isn't some superhero comic. So it's not like when you die, you didn't *really* die. This is reality!", Monokuma laughed.

"...Why did you have to kill her? Didn't you say you would put her in prison or something?", Kyoko asked with a slightly aggravated expression.

"I changed my mind.", Monokuma brushed off.

"No, you've been wanting to kill this entire time.", Kyoko deduced.

"Kill this entire time...? Don't be silly, you can't kill time! Or are you being metaphorical? Are you saying I wanted to waste time this whole time? Come on, what do you take me for? I'm Monokuma! Anyway, none of that matters right now. I have something I'd like to give you to help you in your search for the blackened! This little file has all the information I've gathered about the death in question. I like to call it... The Monokuma File! I mean, naturally you guys aren't experts at this kind of thing, so you can only do so much with a corpse. So instead, I've gathered up everything I know about the circumstances and cause of death. What's that? How do I know the cause of death, you ask? Cuz the surveillance cameras picked up the whole thing! I got to see it all go down!", Monokuma laughed as he gave us all files with the number 1 on it and a Monokuma face printed on it.

"Wait, you KNOW who killed Sayaka? Tell us, you sick monochrome bear!", I yelled.

"Of course I do, you dumb blonde! If I didn't, I couldn't possibly pass a fair and accurate judgment during the trial, now could I? And I ain't telling you nothing!", Monokuma stuck its tongue out at me.

"That's a good point. The judge has to be able to make the proper decision. That's... somehow comforting.", Kyoko sighed.

"Now then, please put your full effort behind your investigation! After all, you don't any choice but to give it your best shot! Seriously, you don't have a choice! Okay, so we'll meet up for the class trial... in a little while!", Monokuma left shortly after. Everyone was silent, no words flew around, not even a whisper. I got up from my kneeling position and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?", Kyoko asked.

"You know what I want to do, Kyoko. Don't act like you don't.", I replied clearly.

"Investigate?", Kyoko confirmed.

"Yes. I know I look like I don't care right now, but I really do. I care for Sayaka, I care for Junko, I care about all of you. But... One of us killed someone, and I won't forgive them. Now, if you guys want to live to see another day, you best get your a*ses up and come with me to check the crime scene. We need to gather as much information as possible about the days that have passed until now. And if you're saying that I should just go alone, then you guys will put yourselves in danger. Why? Because I could be the killer and mess with the crime scene. To avoid that possibility, at least three people should be there with me. Also, anywhere else that might have evidence is considered important too. Makoto, you care for Sayaka more than anyone else here, I presume?", I asked.

"Y-Yeah, I do.", Makoto got up from his place to walk up to me.

"Good. I want you to help me. Does anyone else want to come with?", I questioned. Mondo and Sakura volunteered to look after the crime scene, while the others decided to investigate.

"Wait. Have you not noticed? Sayaka died in Makoto's room. You choose to trust him?", Celeste asked. Everyone's eyes went to Makoto, who looked terrified.

"W-Wait! You got it all wrong! F-For just one night, I... I traded rooms with her. I did it because... she was afraid.", Makoto defended.

"Y-You expect us to b-believe that? Just tell us the t-truth!", Toko yelled.

"Shut up.", I stated with a serious face.

"H-H-Huh!?", Toko looked at me with anger.

"*I* chose to trust him, and that's what I'm sticking to until the truth is revealed in the class trial. Now, shall we?", I smiled at Makoto. The rest of the class began to separate and investigate on their own.

"Okay. Um, should we look at the Monokuma file?", Makoto pointed at the file in question. I opened mine and began to read it.

"The victim was Sayaka Maizono. The time of death is estimated to be around 1:30 a.m. The body was discovered in Makoto's room, in the dormitory. All evidence suggests that the death took place in the bathroom. The cause of death was a stab wound to the abdomen. There was only an injury to her right wrist. Specifically, the wrist appears to have suffered a fracture.", I read out loud. I slipped my file into my messenger bag for the time being.

-Monokuma File #1 has been added as evidence-

"First of all, we should head to the scene of the crime--my room.", Makoto elaborated.

"Right. Let's go.", I agreed, but I was pulled back for a second by Makoto.

"You seem calm, Kuno.", Makoto mumbled.

"I... had a distant relative who was a detective. I guess I picked up from him.", I smiled slightly as I continued on, Makoto trailing behind me. We reached Makoto's room and examined the place. Mondo, Sakura, and Kyoko were there, watching the place. The first thing that stood out to me was a sword on the ground. I picked it up with my gloved hands.

"That's a replica sword from the trophy case near the gym. Sayaka asked me to keep it because she wanted to defend herself. We got it about 2 days ago. With the slashes on the walls, I think it was... used in the attack somehow. Plus, it's been taken out of its sheath... I hadn't actually looked at the blade itself till now. I shouldn't be surprised it's coated in gold since the sheath was too.", Makoto explained.

"Some of the gold coating is coming off the blade, and especially the handle. And it's sticking to my gloves... gross.", I put the blade back down and began shuffling through my bag. I pulled a Polaroid camera I brought with me when we came here.

"Where did you get that?", Makoto asked.

"It wasn't here before. I brought it with me when we first came here. Besides, It has nothing to do with the outside world, so I guess it didn't matter to whoever took the rest of my stuff. We can use this to take pictures of the evidence we have without having to carry the stuff around or commit it to memory.", I explained as I took a photo of the sword.

-Replica Sword has been added as evidence-

I looked back to see the sheath thrown far from the sword.

"Strange...", I mumbled as I showed Makoto the sheath.

"Huh? It's scratched... But... how'd the sheath get scratched up in the first place?", Makoto mumbled.

"That's why I said it's strange. If someone were to use a sword in a struggle, the first thing you would think of doing is unsheathing it.", I explained as I took a photo of the sheath and another of the scratches.

-Replica Sword Sheath has been added as evidence-

"Makoto, you said that you were in Sayaka's room, correct?", I questioned.

"Yeah... Dammit! And I was in the other room! If only I'd heard something!", Makoto growled.

"That's not possible. Monokuma made these rooms soundproof, ideal for a murder. If you were next to the place of the murder, you wouldn't hear a thing.", I explained as I took a photo of the messy room.

-Evidence of a Struggle has been added as evidence-

I looked down at my feet to see a key on the floor. I grabbed it and studied it closely.

"That's my room key. Sayaka and I traded keys... I told her not to open the door for anyone...", Makoto mumbled.

"Then how did the killer get into the room?", I asked.

"Huh?", Makoto looked at me with a confused look.

"Sayaka would have locked the door before going to bed, so how did the killer get in?", I elaborated as I took a photo of the key.

-Switching Rooms has been added as evidence-

I looked through the cupboards to find an unopened toolkit inside.

"Monokuma put these in everyone's rooms.", Mondo spoke as he watched me examine it.

"I see. The girls have sewing kits and the guys have tool kits.", I mumbled.

"As far as I know, no one's opened their toolkits. I mean, no one's in the mood to build f*ckin' furniture!", Mondo grumbled.

I nodded as I took a picture of the toolkit.

-Toolkit has been added as evidence-

"Got any thoughts on what's going on, Mondo?", Makoto asked.

"Ya know, I realized something while I was on guard duty... The killer could've already destroyed some evidence, right? Before anyone found the body, I mean. There's a trash room here in the dorms, right? They coulda tossed some stuff in there...", Mondo explained.

"Y-Yeah, that's definitely possible.", Makoto agreed.

"Then we will check the trash room after the crime scene.", I decided.

"That dirty bastard...! Anyone who raises their hand to a woman is scum that deserves death. That's what my brother taught me. So if I ever find the son of a b*tch that did this, I'm gonna pound his goddamn face in.", Mondo yelled.

"B-But... what if it was a girl that did it?", Makoto asked.

"... That'll all get sorted out when the time comes.", Mondo mumbled.

We walked up to Kyoko, who was kneeling on the floor, tracing the floor with her pointer finger.

"Hey, Kyoko... what are you doing?", Makoto asked quietly.

"Isn't it obvious?", Kyoko questioned.

"N-No, not really...", I mumbled.

"I'm searching.", Kyoko simply put.

"Searching...? Did you lose a contact or something?", Makoto asked. Kyoko didn't respond for a bit before standing up and turning to Makoto.

"Are you a clean freak?"

"Huh? N-No, I don't think so. But what...?", Makoto mumbled.

"Interesting... Just as I suspected, there's something (very unusual) about your room.", Kyoko muttered.

"Unusual? What do you mean?", Makoto asked.

"I've searched your floor from one corner to another... and I didn't find one single strand of hair.", Kyoko explained.

"Huh... that is strange, yeah.", I muttered.

"Not one hair from the victim, and not one hair from you, even though you've been living in here.", Kyoko mentioned.

"You know, now that you mention it... I noticed something while I was looking around before. It looked like the lint roller in my room had been used, but I never touched it. Could someone have used it to...?", Makoto trailed off.

"Very interesting... Your room didn't have a single hair in it, and someone used your lint roller without your knowledge. In other words... someone other than you came in and scrubbed your room clean.", Kyoko deduced.

"It could have been either Sayaka or the killer... But which one?", I sighed.

"That's the question, isn't it?", Kyoko confirmed. I walked up to the used lint roller and took a photo of it.

-Makoto's Room Cleanliness had been added as evidence-

I walked over to the bathroom door, looking back at Makoto to clear my nerves. I shook myself a bit before stepping into the bathroom. Sayaka's lifeless body was still there, the smell of blood taking over my senses. I looked at Makoto, who just stared at Sayaka's body with sadness.

"Hey, we're doing this for her and Junko. We can't afford to get emotional now.", I encouraged, but it almost sounded it was for myself.

"Yeah... I get it. I'll avenge them.", Makoto nodded and we got to work.

"Okay, let's verify what the Monokuma File said.", I instructed as we pulled out our files.

"So, let's see. Some sort of sharp object has been thrust into her stomach. That must've been the killing blow...", Makoto mumbled.

"A knife, it looks like. But... where did the killer get it from?", I questioned.

"We'll look into it later. Also according to the Monokuma File, Sayaka's right wrist is broken.", Makoto explained as he lifted said wrist.

"Hey, there's some glitter on it... where did that come from?", I muttered.

"And look, there's some blood on her left index finger... But that's it. No injury on it. The rest of her hand is spotless, so why just here...?", Makoto showed me her finger.

"Odd...", I mumbled as I took three photos of Sayaka's body.

-Sayaka's Wrist has been added as evidence-

I looked past Sayaka's body to see something written in blood. The numbers 11037 were written on the wall in fresh blood. I decided it was definitely important, so I took a photo. Makoto and I exited the bathroom to see Kyoko looking at us both expectantly.

"It looks like you found it, right Makoto? Kuno? The (bloody numbers)... That's most likely Sayaka's (dying message).", Kyoko deduced.

"I've never seen something written in blood before... It really was her final message... It's as if she wrote it with life itself.", Makoto muttered.

"... Do you often talk like an aspiring poet?", Kyoko shot. Makoto stuttered and I had to choke down my giggle since that wasn't the right time or place for it.

"But the numbers she wrote... What do they mean? 11037... I have no idea what that could possibly mean.", Makoto sighed.

"The way she wrote the numbers makes me think she wanted to use her body to block them. If she wrote them in that location, while she was sitting the way we found her... it means she must have wrote them turning only her hand toward the wall. If you were to write something in that position, do you know what the result would be?", Kyoko asked.

"The result...?", I mumbled.

"Think about it.", Kyoko simply put.

"Can you elaborate...?", I urged.

"You need to uncover the mystery of this case yourselves... Otherwise, the case will end and you'll remain unconvinced.", Kyoko ended.

-Dying Message has been added as evidence-

"Maybe we should ask Chihiro about these numbers?", Makoto suggested. I nodded in agreement.

"There's one other thing I wanted to ask you about. Do you know how the door to your bathroom got broken?", Kyoko asked Makoto.

"Broken...? Oh, you mean how it gets stuck?", Makoto guessed.

"Gets stuck?", Kyoko looked a bit surprised, as was I.

"Yeah, I guess I'm the only one, but the door doesn't fit the frame quite right. When I first tried to use it, I thought it was just locked. But once you learn the trick, it opens no problem.", Makoto explained.

-Bathroom Doorframe has been added as evidence-

"So the door doesn't quite fit the frame, huh? But actually, I'm referring to the broken doorknob.", Kyoko stated.

"What about it?", I asked.

"You didn't notice? Well, try closing the bathroom door. I'm sure you'll see right away what I'm talking about.", Kyoko instructed. Makoto walked up to the door and shut it tight, but we then noticed that the doorknob was crooked, almost teetering off the screws.

"...Huh? The doorknob's practically about to fall off! Why is it like this...?", Makoto mumbled.

"Someone must have used a screwdriver or something similar to unscrew it. Whatever it was, it's obvious this was intentional.", Kyoko deduced.

"What!? It was intentional? Why would someone want to do that!?", Makoto grumbled.

"I guess maybe they were trying to get the door unlocked and ended up breaking the whole thing.", Kyoko guessed.

"But my bathroom doesn't have a lock on it... Only the girls' bathrooms can lock, right?", Makoto asked. Kyoko went quiet for a bit until she looked like she was struck with a new idea.

"I have just one more question for you... You mentioned earlier that your bathroom door would get stuck, right? Did you tell anyone about that?", Kyoko interrogated.

"Oh, umm... Well, I did tell Sayaka about it last night, when we switched rooms.", Makoto mentioned.

"So only you and Sayaka knew about this weird door jam, right?", I spoke.

"Yeah.", Makoto simply put with a nod.

"Hmm... Interesting... Then that clears that up.", Kyoko smirked.

"Cleared what up? Kyoko, please stop speaking in riddles...", I muttered.

"Well... see you later.", with my comment ignored, Kyoko left the room.

"Okay then... We've checked everything in this room. Let's head for the trash room.", I suggested. Makoto agreed and we were off. A few minutes later, we entered the trash room. The odd thing was that about 80% of the room was blocked off by a huge iron gate. All of a sudden, we heard a voice behind us.

"It's the end of the line.", it was Monokuma. I jumped out of the way and glared at the dumb bear.

"What now?", I asked.

"The trash room... This is where all the trash in the school eventually winds up.", Monokuma explained.

"How do you get this gate open?", Makoto asked.

"No no no! No entry beyond this point! Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!", Monokuma yelled.

"Who's on cleaning duty?", I questioned.

"No no no! No entry beyond this point! Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!", Monokuma kept repeating the same thing over and over.

"It'll be easier to ask the others.", I sighed and Makoto laughed a bit before leaving. I took a photo of the gate before walking out.

-Cleaning Duty has been added as evidence-

We walked back to Makoto's room, but something about the door was different; the nameplates for Makoto's and Sayaka's rooms were switched.

"The nameplates on my room and Sayaka's room... were switched!?", Makoto looked surprised and a little mad. I didn't blame him, the switch that he made with Sayaka was pointless now. I took a photo of the two nameplates.

-Dorm Nameplates has been added as evidence-

"Hey, Kuno. I want to check something in Sayaka's room. Can you come with?", Makoto asked.

"Sure.", I nodded as we went inside. Makoto made a beeline for the trash can and pulled out something; a DVD with Sayaka's name on it.

"Sayaka got really upset after seeing whatever was in that video. I'm sorry, Sayaka... I need to borrow this DVD.", Makoto apologized.

"You think it's important?", I mumbled.

"Maybe... it won't hurt to check.", Makoto muttered. We left the room and ran into Hifumi.

"Hifumi, perfect timing. We're looking for whoever's on cleaning duty.", I explained.

"Cleaning duty? As a matter of fact, that's me. Why do you ask? It just so happens Monokuma talked to me yesterday and asked me to take care of it. Without someone on cleaning duty, the school would be flooded with trash in no time. So I formally applied for the position! I was gonna start this morning, but after what happened, I haven't had a chance to get started.", Hifumi explained.

"Perfect. That means the place hasn't been changed since yesterday! Can you open the gate in front of the trash room for us?", I asked.

"Of course! It's my job to gather up all the garbage and toss it in the trash room. And to do that, they gave me the key for the trash room gate! But we're supposed to rotate once a week, so eventually you'll be in charge.", that's when Byakuya cut us off.

"Wait, hold on... You need a key to get in the trash room? And only the person on cleaning duty has access to the key? What's the point of going to all that trouble? Why not just leave the trash room open all the time so we can all throw things out whenever we want?", Byakuya mumbled.

"That seems convenient, yeah. But... Remember rule six in the school regulations? "Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered." So, if the trash room was ALWAYS open, then blackened students can get rid of any evidence they want, no strings attached.", I mentioned.

"That must be why. The thrill would disappear, and things would become boring.", Byakuya smirked.

"B-Boring...!?", Makoto stuttered. I rolled my eyes at Byakuya's words and brushed them off. Leon heard the conversation and joined in.

"Anyway, more important than that... Hey fatty! Why'd you want the cleaning duty gig, anyway!?", Leon interrogated.

"I-I just decided to volunteer for something I knew no one else would wanna do. What's the big deal!?", Hifumi shook.

"Liar! I know why you did it... You wanna dig through all the girls' trash! Looking for... y'know... and poking at it!", leon accused.

"What are you talking about!? All my love is for 2D!", Hifumi declared.

"But there's all kinds of trash diggers like that! Maybe you'll get tired of 2D, and then turn to--", Leon was cut off by Hifumi's loud scream.

"I would NEVER get tired of 2D! After spending a significant amount of time comparing 2D and 3D, I voluntarily chose 2D! The only thing 3D is good for is to shower love and affection on 2D! Oh, and PVC figures!", Hifumi drooled.

"How are you not totally embarrassed to say stuff like that!?", Leon muttered. I had enough of their little fight, so I pulled out to twin calibers and shot the past them into a wall. They both backed up and screamed like children. I looked up at them with a small smile.

"If you don't shut the f*ck up, I am personally gonna use the sewing kits to sew your mouths shut and poke your eyeballs out. Understood?"

"Y-Y-YES, MISS SAWA!", Hifumi squealed.

"TOTALLY!", Leon straightened his back and saluted.

"Uhh... Kuno, please put the guns away. For everyone's sake.", Makoto mumbled. I huffed and put them away.

"If you're so worried about Hifumi's questionable morality, there's a very easy solution. Whenever a guy has cleaning duty, Kuno can accompany them, from picking up the trash to disposing of it.", Byakuya suggested.

"I agree to that suggestion!", I smiled and nodded.

"Whaaat!?", Hifumi shook.

"If you're as innocent as you claim, where's the harm in it?", Byakuya asked.

"Kh--! That's not how it's supposed to--!", Hifumi grumbled.

"Whatever! Hifumi, you're coming with us to open the gate, okay?", I confirmed.

"Oh, okay!", Hifumi began to walk away. Makoto and I followed him to the trash room. After a bit of Hifumi's rambling, he unlocked the trash room gate. I thanked Hifumi and began to look around with Makoto. The first thing that caught our attention was the incinerator, which was left open. I peeked inside to see the fire was on. Hifumi walked up to us and began to explain.

"Do you see the green and yellow buttons next to the mouth of the incinerator? It's a pretty simple setup. You press the green button to get it going, and the yellow button to turn it off. Sooner or later you'll be on cleaning duty, so make sure you learn this before you leave, okaaaAAAYYY!?!? Huh!? Someone turned the incinerator on! Very strange... I'm quite certain it was off last time I was down here. Perhaps it was the work of a fairy...", Hifumi shuddered.

"Hifumi! Do you realize what you just said!?", Makoto shook Hifumi.

"Huh? The fairy...?", Hifumi mumbled.

"You--! No, the other part! You said that last time you were here, the incinerator was off. Is that true?", I questioned.

"Ah, yes. About that there can be no mistake. If I've got one thing going for me, it's my memory! Yesterday, as soon as I was appointed, I came down to check the place out. It definitely wasn't on then. I haven't been back to the trash room since then... And since I'm the only one who has a key to open the gate... It should be impossible for the incinerator to be on. And yet...", Hifumi mumbled. I took a photo of the incinerator.

-The incinerator has been added as evidence-

There were glass shards on the floor. It looked like the remnants of a glass ball, just big enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

"Hey, Makoto. What does this look like to you other than broken glass?", I asked.

"Uh... A crystal ball?", Makoto mumbled.

"And who do you think here might have a crystal ball?", I questioned.

"Um... Hiro.", Makoto realized.

"If this is here, we need to ask him about it.", I decided to talk to Hiro later and take a photo of the glass shards.

-Shattered Crystal Ball has been added as evidence-

Makoto tapped my shoulder to get my attention.

"Kuno, there's something on the ground in front of the incinerator... It looks like a burnt piece of... something.", Makoto pointed out.

"It looks like a piece of cloth. And the shape looks like the sleeve from a button-up shirt! And it has blood on it! Which means...", I smirked.

"This is all that's left of some of the evidence the killer destroyed... But a lot of people here wear white button-up shirts. It's not enough by itself to figure out who the killer is.", Makoto realized.

"It's something.", I mumbled as I took a photo of the cloth.

-Burnt Shirt Piece has been added as evidence-

"Okay, let's check the dining hall for a second.", I mumbled.

"Why?", Makoto asked.

"Sayaka was killed with a knife, so it may have come from the kitchen. Let's check.", I replied. Makoto and I went to the dining hall and made a beeline for the kitchen. What caught my eye were a bunch of knives hung up on the wall in a row... and one of them was missing.

"Looks promising...", I pointed to show Makoto as I took a photo.

-Kitchen Knife Set has been added as evidence-

We found Hina in the dining hall. I walked up to her.

"Hey, Hina. Were you here yesterday?", I asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?", Hina smiled.

"Hey, so... did you notice that one of the kitchen knives is missing from the dining hall?", Makoto questioned.

"Yeah, weird huh? I thought it was kinda strange, a knife just suddenly disappearing like that.", Hina mumbled.

"So it wasn't missing from the start?", I interrogated.

"Nope. Last I remember, they were all lined up in a nice, neat row.", Hina confirmed.

"So when did you notice one of them had disappeared?", Makoto asked.

"Well, I went to go get some tea from the kitchen last night, and all the knives were still there. But when I finished my tea and went back into the kitchen to wash my glass... one of the knives was gone.", Hina explained.

"The knife disappeared while you were drinking tea in the dining hall?", I confirmed.

"Yeah...", Hina sighed.

-Aoi's Account has been added as evidence-

"Now, can we check Sayaka's motive video?", Makoto asked.

"Yeah, let's head to the A/V room.", I smiled as we walked out of the dining hall. We made it to the A/V room, which was empty. Makoto pulled out the DVD and put it in the player. I leaned forward to see the video. It showed Sayaka on stage with a bunch of other girls, singing and dancing their hearts away. Monokuma's voice blared from the speakers.

"Sayaka Maizono, The Ultimate Pop Sensation-- lead singer for a world-famous all-girl pop band. For these girls, the glowing spotlight only made them that much more beautiful. But then...", the screen went dark for a moment until another image came up; Sayaka was nowhere to be found, the other girls were on the floor, motionless, and the stage was quiet and in ruins. "This ultra-successful team suddenly fell apart! None of them will ever perform onstage again. None of them will ever feel the warmth of the spotlight... For Sayaka, there's simply nowhere for her to return to. So here's the billion-dollar question-- what oh what could have caused the group to go to pieces!? Look for the answer after graduation!", the video cut off after that message.

"Wh-What the hell...? That wasn't real, right?", Makoto asked.

"I honestly don't know...", I mumbled.

"Who takes things that far!?", Makoto scratched his head.

"Monokuma. Who else? Anyways, let's go find Hiro and ask him about the shattered glass. He was back at the gym before we came here.", I instructed as I picked up the DVD and slipped it into my bag and left. Makoto and I walked into the gym and found Hiro and Chihiro sitting around anxiously, with Junko's lifeless body still sitting there. I tapped Hiro on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey Hiro, can I ask you something?", I asked.

"Aggh! No no no no no! I gotta get outta here! Gotta get out now! I've had enough! Gotta break free!", Hiro mumbled.

"Hiro, snap out of it!", Makoto yelled.

"Ghh... Hrm? Huh? Makoto, Kuno, what are you doing here? What...?", Hiro muttered out of his stupor.

"Um... Does this look familiar?", I asked as I showed Hiro the polaroid picture of the broken glass.

"Ahhh! That's my crystal ball! But... it's all smashed! What the hell...? I-I only bought it cuz the guy said it was blessed! He said it was unbreakable...! So... how did it break? Was it actually just made of glass!? And not crystal!? Did that guy totally dupe me!? He said it belonged to the pillars of history... Genghis Khan, George Washington, Napoleon... He said whoever controlled that crystal ball controlled the world! Was that seriously all BS!?", Hiro complained.

"Uh... that aside... So you can say without a shadow of a doubt that this belonged to you?", I questioned.

"Yeah, that's mine for sure. I prolly forgot it in the laundry room last night. Someone musta come by and snatched it.", Hiro explained.

"That means anyone could have taken it...", I mumbled into Makoto's ear.

-Shattered Crystal Ball has been updated as evidence-

"I'm assuming you paid a lot for that, but don't think about it too much.", I patted Hiro's back in sympathy.

Out of nowhere, a bell sounded. The monitor in the gym flickered on and Monokuma came into view.

"Erm, so ah... I'm getting tired of waiting. What say we just get started, hm? It's time for the long-awaited... Class trial! Now then, allow me to appoint a proper location for the proceedings. Please go through the red door on the 1st floor of the school! Puhuhu. See you soon!", Monokuma instructed as the monitor stopped.

"Let's go, Makoto.", I smiled as we both left the gym We found the big red double doors standing tall over us. We pushed the doors open and walked in to find some sort of lobby, with an elevator on the wall. Everyone was there already.

"You're late, Makoto, Kuno! We've all been waiting for you!", Taka scolded.

"Hmph. I bet M-Makoto was afraid he would be discovered as th-the murderer he is...", Toko snickered.

"Excuse me, Miss Jump-To-Conclusions, what have you been doing since the investigation started?", I asked.

"I-I-I--"

"Nothing. That's what I can tell. Makoto and I have been working our a*ses off to gather evidence while you mope in the corner. Stop assuming because if you assume. you make an a*s out of you and me. I am not about to be an a*s anytime soon, but it seems you want to.", I shot back.

"G-G-Grrr...", Toko growled but didn't say anything back.

"Let's not fight or jump to conclusions just yet! Save that for the class trial! There we can all reveal the details of Makoto's crime!", Taka claimed. No one believed Makoto, and it was hard to change anyone's mind. I was determined to reveal the truth in the class trial, it was the only way to really see if Makoto was innocent. The monitor in the corner turned on again and Monokuma appeared.

"Puhuhu... Is everyone here? Okay then... Please board the elevator in front of you, which will transport you to the courtroom... where all your fates will be decided. Puhu. I'll meet you all down there. I'll be waiting...", Monokuma bid us farewell and the monitor went dark. I pulled out the picture of my grandfather and sighed.

"Grandfather... Please, pray for me as I pray for you... Help me live another day.", I mumbled and put the picture back and boarded the elevator with everyone else. Kyoko and Makoto were the last to get in. The elevator closed and began to move. The steel box descended with heavy clunking sounds toward the school's basement. The others began to whisper with each other, but I stood in the corner to rest my mind. Oblivious to our shared anxiety, the elevator lowered us further and further into the bowels of the school. The elevator suddenly came to a stop and revealed a weird looking courtroom designed to look like a circle.

"Nyohoho! You've finally arrived! What do you think? Doesn't it feel just like a real courtroom? It's like a Hollywood movie set, right!?", Monokuma laughed, sitting on a throne that overlooked the rest of the courtroom.

"Not even close. It's total sh*t.", Mondo grumbled.

"Okay, okay, everyone find your assigned seats and sit down! Hurry up now, hurry up!", Monokuma urged. We all found the one stand with our names on it. We had to stand up for the whole time, I guess. I put my bag next to me on the floor and pulled out my polaroids and slipped them into my pocket to keep close. Everyone was facing each student, making it hard not to stare at each other. I stood between Sakura and Kyoko, both comforting presences to be around.

And so, the curtain on our first case opened... A deadly judgment... A deadly deception... A deadly betrayal... A deadly riddle, a deadly defense, a deadly faith... A deadly... class trail...!

END OF CHAPTER 5!