Chapter 11: Stalking...? Secrets...? Butts...!? DEATH!!

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MONOKUMA THEATER!

- If fate does exist... does that mean your future is decided the moment you're born? If all your yesterdays pile up to create your tomorrow... is your future as final as your past? I just don't know. That's why I'm still alive-- because I don't know. That's why I desperately cling to life!

END OF MONOKUMA THEATER!

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I woke up the next morning thinking about Taka and Mondo and worrying that they may have gotten hurt, or worse. I quickly got ready and made my way to the dining hall. When I got there, instead of seeing them partially injured and regretting life choices, they had their arms around each other's shoulders and laughing out loud.

"Bahahaha! What are you talkin' about, bro?", Mondo laughed out loud.

"Kahahaha! What are YOU talkin' about, bro!?", Taka answered with greater enthusiasm.

"Huh...?", Makoto looked just as confused as me.

"What...? Did I miss something?", I looked back at everyone, and they just shrugged.

"Hey, Makoto! Kuno!", Mondo called us both with a huge smile.

"Thank you so much for acting as our witnesses yesterday!", Taka shook our hands with such strength that it made a mini earthquake in my head.

"Are they friends now...?", I asked.

"They've been like this all morning. They were all buddy-buddy as soon as they walked in. It feels gross.", Hina sighed.

"Feels gross? Hell no. Feels *great*, more like!", Mondo retorted.

"This almost feels like sexual harassment, somehow...", Hina gulped.

"Forget her, bro. A girl like her just doesn't get our manly bond! Friendship between man is stronger than blood! A woman could never understand!", Taka nodded.

"What you just said? Bro, that was cool as sh*t! I should get a tattoo of it!", Mondo laughed.

"No, bro, you musn't! Your body is a temple, given to you by your loving parents!", Taka didn't scold him, but laughed with him. At that point, I knew Taka was not the same.

"So, um... who won the contest?", Makoto asked.

"Who gives a sh*t!?", Mondo yelled.

"Yeah, don't ask stupid questions! What matters is that we both took part in it together!", Taka backed up Mondo with firm belief that they were right.

"What brought the sudden change of heart from last night?", I mumbled with a raised brow.

"Friendship between men seems very... simplistic. Nothing like what I'm used to with girls.", Sakura nodded at the new revelation.

"Yeah, for real...", Hina sighed. The rest of the morning was spent hearing the two boys laugh and compliment one another without a care in the world. It was nice seeing a wonderful bond like that, but I also felt bad since it wasn't made in the best of circumstances. After that whole fiasco, I went back to my room to work on refining my swords. As I was working, there was loud on the door.

"Come in, it's open!", I called. I turned to see Toko standing in the middle of the room, eyeing my work on the walls with a fearful look.

"Don't worry, I get that look a lot. You're not the first. Anyways, what brings you here?", I asked as I put down my stuff.

"Why are you s-so surprised? Am I really that an-noying? W-Well I already know I'm annoying. I came here kn-knowing that, so... that makes it o-okay...", Toko muttered.

"I didn't say that. I wasn't expecting anyone to come over, is all.", I shrugged.

"I have a f-f-favor to ask... I want you to g-go somewhere with me...", Toko explained.

"Sure, where to?", I put away my stuff as she talked.

"W-Well... the library.", Toko admitted.

"Oh, do you want me to help you look for a book or something? Why not ask Byakuya? He probably knows all the books in there, seeing as he spends most of his time there, anyway.", I offered.

"Kh--!", Toko looked surprised for a second.

"D-Did I hit a nerve...?", I mumbled in fear.

"You're not a b-b-blabbermouth, right? This h-has to be a secret!", Toko pointed at me with a threatning look.

"I guess? I-I won't tell if you won't.", I shrugged.

"Then let's g-go to the library!", Toko exclaimed.

"Alright then.", I sighed. Toko took off and I had to keep my equipment on since she was running so fast. I put my stuff in front of the door, since Toko insisted on it since "It would be too noisy in the library." We opened the door just a crack.

"Qu-Quiet! Be quiet when you g-go in!... Don't l-let him see you!", Toko whispered. I guessed "him" was Byakuya, since I saw his shoes from the crack in the door. I nodded, even though I didn't know why I was sneaking in, and tip toed in. Toko followed in soon after, and we were now sitting behind a bookcase, observing Byakuya for some unknown reason. He was absorbed in the book I had thrown over the bookcase the other day, which I guess meant he can reach the top easily with a chair. A cup of coffee in one hand, a leg on top of the other, and blue eyes absorbed in the aqua colored book.

"H-He's here... Ahaha... he's r-really here. Okay, K-Kuno. Go talk to him!", Toko tried to push me, but I stayed put.

"Why me? You're the one who was insistant on coming here!", I whisper-yelled.

"Stop b-being so loud! Just hurry up and g-go talk to him!", Toko insisted.

"*You* talk to him, if you want to so bad...!", I retorted.

"I c-can't! I don't want to i-interrupt him...!", Toko mumbled.

"Well, that would also mean that I would interrupt him too!", I put some logic in Toko's head. Toko wouldn't move an inch. I sighed and went up to Byakuya. He seemed really into the book, and I wasn't so sure if it was a good time to talk at the moment. Suddenly, Byakuya turned to me as I was still thinking.

"Hey, you. What are you doing back here? I hate even having to look at you.", Byakuya shot.

"Uh, I have a name AND the feeling is mutual. This is stupid, I'm leaving. I am not about to lose braincells trying to talk to you and stooping to your level.", I groaned and turned to leave. Toko can talk to him all she wants, but I was not about to have someone talk down to me.

"And take her with you.", Byakuya stopped me and pointed to where Toko was hiding. Toko walked out with her head in her chest.

"Hey, um... Byakuya? Remember how you said, "Don't be a woman who dominates w-weak men. Be a woman dominated by a s-strong man"?", Toko asked.

"I never said that.", Byakuya said straight to her face.

"W-Well, actually, I just thought it sounded like s-something you *might* say...", Toko shrugged with a small smile.

"... Get out. And go take a bath. You smell.", Byakuya turned his nose away from Toko in disgust. My jaw went slack at his harsh comment.

"Ngh--!", Toko gasped and backed away a bit.

"Don't make me say it again. Go now, before your stench latches onto the entire room.", Byakuya shooed us away.

"O-Okay...", Toko sulked out of the library and I followed quickly behind her.

"He really took a chunk out of us there. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed...", I sighed.

"Byakuya... To go that far... He must be r-really concerned about me!", Toko suddenly smiled, ecstasy written all over her face.

"...Eh?", I deadpanned.

"He told me t-to take a bath and everything. He must really care a-about my well-being! Hey, K-Kuno... what do you think?", Toko asked with a creepy smile.

"U-Uh, about what?", I asked, still in shock.

"Do you think B-Byakuya and I would be... g-good together?", Toko asked again.

"Well... I-I don't know, honestly...", I shrugged while scratching my head.

"That's t-true. There's really no w-way to know... But the distance between u-us doesn't change our love...! Because as soon as you realize your f-feelings, the love is born. That's h-how love works!", Toko got all giddy.

"O...kay.", I sighed.

"There m-might come a day when y-you understand. Maybe. S-Someday. Well... bye.", Toko ran off giggling like no tomorrow. Monokuma suddenly popped out from behind a pillar and waddled to my side.

"Ahh, young love!", Monokuma laughed in glee.

"Uh, why are you here?", I mumbled.

"Who would've ever guessed she would go for someone like him? But eager passion can also be scary! Sometimes that leads people off in the wrong direction! Nyooohohohoho!", with that, Monokuma left laughing his butt off. I sighed, collected my thoughts and equipment, and left the area with confusion written all over my face. Once I got back to my room, I noticed I still had time left before nighttime. I decided to work on my weapons until nighttime. As I just finished a new piece, I heard the announcement, but it was different than usual announcements.

"Ahem! School announcement, school announcement. Nighttime is quickly approaching, but before it arrives... All students, please gather in the gym immediately. Emergency! Emergency!", Monokuma's voice rang through my room. I sighed and contemplated why he wanted us now out of all times. I took my grandfather's portrait and a sword for good luck. I put the picture in my pocket and strapped the sword behind my back. I locked my door and left. I made my way to the gym and found everyone already gathered around.

"Uh, why do you have a sword...?", Makoto asked with fear evident in his eyes.

"It's for good luck. Don't worry, I don't plan on using it.", I assured. Makoto relaxed a bit, but everyone else was wary of me. I shrugged it off and ignored it.

"Hmm... Asking us to gather together all of a sudden like this... What could he possibly want?", Taka muttered.

"Indeed. What might await us this time?", Celeste asked.

"Hmhmhm. He keeps things interesting, that's for certain.", Byakuya smirked.

"How is that funny? Can't you smile like a normal person once in a while? Like how the housewife on a classic TV show smiles at the end of an episode?", Hifumi shuddered.

"But he's a dude.", I deadpanned, but no one took notice of me.

"There's something totally messed up with you if you can laugh at a time like this!", Hina scolded.

"Which of us is *actually* "messed up," hmm?", Byakuya asked with a raised brow.

"Wh-What's that supposed to mean...?", Hina mumbled.

"Nothing in particular. Just admiring, that's all... I don't want to kill anyone. But I also don't want to stay here, living in blind denial day after day. I was just admiring how you could live like that and still keep your sanity.", Byakuya chuckled.

"I wonder who actually lost their sanity here...", I mumbled to Hiro, who nodded with a snicker.

"Is something funny?", Byakuya asked.

"Yeah, you're--!", Hiro covered my mouth before I could say anything.

"No way, man! E-Everything is just fine, nothing funny here at all!", Hiro brushed off the question while glaring at me, while I just shrugged and removed his hand.

"Anyways, I'm not in denial...", Hina retorted.

"That reminds me. Remember how you kept talking about how the police or whoever would come help us? How'd that turn out? It seems to me there's no sign whatsoever of possible rescue.", Byakuya questioned.

"Th-That's just... I wonder what actually happened.", Hina mumbled.

"It's strange, that's true. There's no way the police wouldn't know about it. We're right in the middle of a major urban area.", Kyoko muttered.

"The police suck!", Hifumi yelled.

"On the contrary, the mastermind may be just that powerful, to take control even of the police...", Celeste thought out loud.

"Oh! This might not be related, but--", Hiro began.

"Then don't say it.", Toko muttered.

"Nope, gonna say it! It's about last night. I was near the main hall, just staring off inot space. When all of a sudden... I heard it.", Hiro whispered.

"You heard what?". Chihiro asked.

"A sound that... I don't really know what it was...", Hiro muttered.

"Wh-What kind of sound?", Taka questioned.

"Well like I said, I don't really know. But if I *had* to describe it... it was like... a construction site, I guess?", Hiro shrugged.

"A construction site...?", Makoto mumbled.

"I mean, I could just be making that up. I only just barely heard anything...", Hiro elaborated.

"Then you d-definitely made it up. M-Must've just been the sound of the ocean in th-that head of yours...", Toko muttered. Suddenly, we heard a loud and overly cheery voice boom throughout the gym.

"Say what!? Whatchoo tallkin' about, Toko!?", It was Monokuma, perched on his little podium.

"He's arrived...", Kyoko mumbled under her breath.

"What Hiro heard wasn't the sound of construction... but it *could* have been an explosion!", Monokuma cheered.

"Huh...?", Makoto tilted his head in confusion.

"Or maybe a machine gun! Puhuhu... That can kinda sound like construction in a way!", Monokuma laughed.

"What are you talking about exactly?", I asked.

"Ah-ah-ah! Beyond this point my mouth is zipped, my lips are sealed, I am fully puckered! It's a secret little secret!", Monokuma shrugged with his smile growing wider somehow.

"Fine, then let's move on to what you *can* tell us. Why did you call us all here?", Kyoko asked.

"You don't beat around the ol' bush, do ya!? Ready for me to get to the point, huh? But before that, you mind if I vent a little? I'm low on energy these days. My stitching's even losing all its shine and luster... I'm thinking, it's probably become of this h0hum, boring old everyday life. I'm looking for something with a little more stimulation, something rife with danger and intrigue! Listen, can I just be frank? The nest blackened hasn't shown up yet, and I'm getting booooored! So, I've decided to come up with a new way to motivate you!", Monokuma cheered.

"No... You wouldn't...!?", I growled, knowing what he was talking about.

"Are you gonna show us some demented thing to try and drive us all to murder!?", Makoto yelled.

"Drive you to murder!? What a mean thing to say! Just awful!", Monokuma scolded.

"I don't know what you've got planned, but we're not going to kill each other anymore! No matter what you do, I swear to God we won't!", Taka stood tall and proud saying his words.

"Hmm. That's very big talk. Do your very best to back it up, okay? Now then, with your permission, let me begin! So, this time it's... embarrassing memories and secrets! As long as you're alive, it's a given that there's things you don't want other people to know about you! So I did a little investigating of my own, and I dug up some of your darkest secrets! And those embarrassing memories and secrets are all contained in the envelopes I have right here... I'm going to hand them out now, so take a second to take a peek!", Monokuma threw the envelopes to our feet. I picked mine up and opened it gingerly. What was inside made me go rigid and visibly pale in panic. Inside that envelope was the secret that I thought was going to my grave without a soul finding out, and Monokuma just dug it up and handed it to me with a smile.

"H-H-How did you...!? How!? Where!? When!?", I frantically asked as I clutched the envelope and what was in it for dear life.

"What...!?", Makoto gasped as he hid his envelope away.

"H-How...?", Hina mumbled.

"How'd you find out about this!?", Taka yelled. Everyone started talking at once, panic evident in their voices.

"You have 24 hours! If someone doesn't become blackened by then... all your deepest, darkest, most embarrassingest secrets will be exposed to the world! Maybe I'll roll by a crowded intersection in a van strapped with loudspeakers and spill beans! Kyaaah! Wouldn't that be sooo embarrassing!?", Monokuma shuddered.

"You wouldn't!", I yelled.

"Oh, but I wooould!", Monokuma laughed.

"... So that's what you meant by "motivate"?", Makoto asked.

"Yup, you got it! They're all pretty unpleasant, trust me. None of you want me to reveal that stuff, right?", Monokuma giggled.

"It's definitely something I'd rather people not know, but... we'd never kill over something like that!", Makoto declared.

"Wh-What'd you say!?", Monokuma growled.

"Yeah! Makoto's right. Sure, this is really heavy stuff, but I wouldn't kill to hide it!", I stood my ground.

"She's right! Your plan is doomed to fail! No one's gonna murder someone for this kind of thing!", Taka threw his fist in the air to prove it.

"O-Oh no... Is it because... for better or worse, your memory is still a way to connect to the outside world? I have stuff I wouldn't want anyone to know no matter what, so I assumed you'd all be the same... Which is why I put so much effort into preparing this next motive! Maaan! You're saying you really won't kill each other over this stuff? That just sucks!... Well, what can ya do? Okay, then in 24 hours, I'll expose all your secrets just to make myself feel a little better! Sa sad, so depressed! Farenotwell...!", with a almost convincing sad look, Monokuma left to the underground depths of the gym.

"I didn't know what to expect at first, but... maybe we dodged a bullet on this one. I mean yeah, having those secrets revealed is gonna be totally embarrassing. But that's seriously not enough to give someone a reason to kill, right?", Hina asked.

"Good news, everyone! I have a brilliant idea! Why don't we all just confess the secrets in those envelopes right here and now!? If we do that, any and all motive for murder will vanish! That's pretty smart, right!? Okay, so my embarrassing thing is...", Taka was about to continue when Toko cut him off.

"I d-don't want to hear your stupid s-story!", Toko grumbled.

"What!?", Taka looked surprised that his plan flopped.

"Besides, I don't... I don't w-want to talk about it... I don't c-care what anyone says, I don't want to talk a-about mine!", Toko retorted.

"Neither do I. Not because it is unpleasant, but because it is impossible.", Celeste sighed.

"Well it's just human nature to wanna hear it when you say it's impossible! C'mon, it'll be good for ya!", Hifumi urged.

"Absolutely not.", Celeste mumbled.

"It's okay, just a little bit. C'mon c'mon c'mon...!", Hifumi kept going.

"As I said--"

"C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon!"

"I said I don't wanna talk about it, you human bag of lard!", Celeste burst out with a look of disgust and anger all over her face.

"Kyaaah!", Hifumi yelled and backed up a few meters.

"I agree with them. There's no need to discuss it.", Byakuya crossed his arms with a sigh.

"What do you think, Chihiro?", Taka asked.

"Um... s-sorry, I don't really want to talk about it right now. But I also don't want to leave things the way they are. So maybe I can talk about it later... After I try my best... to become strong... Then I can tell everyone.", Chihiro mumbled.

"If you don't wanna talk, you don't have to. I'm not super excited to talk about it, either...", Hina shrugged.

"If everyone's that much against it... Even if my bro's the one that suggested it, I gotta say no.", Mondo sighed.

"W-Well, that's okay, then. Either way, if it's just a few secrets, I'm sure nobody's about to kill anybody over it.", Taka mumbled.

"WAIT!!", I suddenly called out.

"H-Huh? What is it, Kuno?", Taka asked.

"I... I want to tell everyone my secret!", I declared.

"But you don't have to, Kuno! I bet you will be embarrassed by it, so keep it!", Hina urged.

"No! If I keep it, I have a motive to kill. I don't want to bear that, even if I won't act on it. I just... want to make you guys trust me. So please, let me say it and be done with it. You can judge me for it all you want AFTER I explain everything. You may look at me differently for it, so just keep that in mind.", I mumbled.

"Well, sh*t... If you're that insistant, go for it.", Mondo shrugged.

"Yeah, we won't judge!", Chihiro smiled.

"W-Well, at least not A-ALL of us...", Toko mumbled.

"It's okay. I'll take whatever you throw at me...", I took a deep breath and began to explain. "Back in junior high, I was in a "females only" school. And we had this thing where we compared each others physique with one another. The most popular body part being... the gluteus maximus. You know... the butt. I had the smallest one, not gonna lie. And because of that, I would compare my butt with any stranger I saw from afar. And now... I have a bad habit of staring at everyone's butts when no one is looking. THERE, I said it! I stare at butts as a force of habit! Sue me! Throw rocks at me, bury me alive, just ughhhhh, end me!", I flopped to the floor in embarrassment.

"W-What...?", Makoto looked a bit stunned.

"I... I must say, I didn't expect that.", Taka mumbled with pink dusted all over his face.

"It is quite the secret, I must say...", Celeste looked surprised as well.

"What are you, some type of deviant? You disgust me.", Byakuya shot.

"Someone end me...", I grumbled.

"Well~ I didn't think we were that similar, Miss Sawa!", Hifumi cheered.

"Well, I guess it's not THAT bad...", Hina shrugged.

"Yeah, it's kinda adorable!", Hiro laughed, which made me go fire truck red in embarrassment.

"H-Heh, I knew you were a p-perverted teen after all!", Toko spat.

"I deserve death. That's it, someone kill me!!!", I yelled.

"Hehe, it's actually not that bad! It's just a habit, as you said! Habits can be broken over time!", Chihiro smiled.

"Yeah! Just kick the habit right in the face and overcome it!", Mondo picked me up and pat my head.

"Can we stop talking about this now!?", I quickly cut everyone off before they said anything else.

"Okay, let's stop with all the secret talk. But... Each of us has 24 hours to get ready! Having our secrets exposed isn't going to be fun, but it's not like we're gonna die cuz of it! So, you know, um... Don't do anything hasty!", Taka instructed us.

"The way you keep repeating it kinda makes me worry even more...", Hifumi mumbled.

"Oh... Uh, okay, sorry. I know it's gonna be tough, but...", Taka mumbled. Just then, the nighttime announcement rang through our ears.

"Nighttime already, huh? Okay, let's all call it a day.", Hiro sighed.

"Good idea. We need to prepare for tomorrow.", Sakura nodded. One by one, we all walked back to our rooms with anxiety running through our veins. At least I admitted to what I hid for so long, but that didn't mean I was safe. I made sure to lock my door before going to bed. What I didn't know that a tragedy was taking place right then and there.

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MONOKUMA THEATER!

-Hey, do you have a second? I wanna confide in you... It's about the prevailing world attitude right now. The difference between passive and active. I mean... For example, it's the difference between like, "Oops! I killed him," and, "Yeah that's right. I killed him." Amazingly, there are tons of people who don't understand the difference. Can you believe it!? But there's a HUGE difference between "Oops!" and "That's right." You know what I'm saying, right? Anyone can kill someone in the heat of the moment. But surprisingly few can do it with calculated intent. To make that choice, then put it into action, it's way harder than just letting your emotions lead you. It's all about preparation. Resolve. So maybe you're wondering, what's the point I'm trying to make? Well, I'm not totally sure myself. Maybe you should try reading between the lines.

END OF MONOKUMA THEATER!

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As I was still in the middle of my slumber, I heard a voice calling.

"...morn...ing...goo...d... Goo..d...morning... Good morning!", it was Monokuma, shaking my bed with his surprising force.

"Kyaaaaa! What are you doing here!? How did you get in!?", I frantically asked.

"Upupu! Nice reaction! I'm glad to see you didn't disappoint!", Monokuma laughed.

"Answer my questions!", I yelled.

"I wanted to spice things up! So instead of a school announcement, I decided to wake you up in person!", Monokuma cheered.

"Why!?", I asked.

"Because it's fun. And as long as I'm here, I figured I'd let you hear it right from the bear's mouth.", Monokuma shrugged.

"Hear what?", I mumbled.

"Are you sure you should be acting this laid back? I mean, even though something happened to one of your buddy-buddy classmates?", at Monokuma's comment, my blood went cold. He kept talking, but I couldn't hear a thing. I was too busy in my own thoughts, trying to make sense of what he just said. No, no one would kill for a dumb secret, right? It can't be true! I quickly got up and ignored Monokuma's dialogue. I grabbed my bag, camera, sword, and booked it to the dining hall. I kicked the door open to find Hina, Hiro, Sakura, Makoto and Byakuya already there.

"Ah, Kuno!", Hina looked stressed.

"Where is everyone else?", I asked immediately.

"Either they're already off trying to verify what Monokuma said... or they've fallen victim to the "something" that Monokuma mentioned.", Byakuya stated.

"So he told you guys too...", I nodded.

"It can't be... Has it happened again? Murder...?", Sakura mumbled.

"S-So if something really did happen... Does that mean someone did it cuz of what happened yesterday?", Hiro asked.

"It can't be anything else...", I ran a hand through my hair, trying not to pull at it.

"It can't be! That stuff was just a bunch of old memories!", Hina retorted.

""Just" old memories? Don't be so sure about that. Clearly someone felt it was more important than that.", Byakuya deduced.

"Huh...?", Makoto looked confused.

"To judge someone else's values based on your own outlook... Do you realize how dangerous that is?", Byakuya asked.

"Wh--? Why didn't you say something yesterday!?", Hina asked, clearly pissed.

"Did you already forget? This isn't a co-op game. It's every man for himself. What good does it do me to go out of my way to help you?", Byakuya shot.

"Enough with your game crap!", I yelled back at him.

"There's something wrong with him, for serious. Did he get brainwashed or something?", Hiro mumbled.

"That's not important right now! Right now, we need to check up on everyone and make sure they are okay.", I pointed out.

"She's right. Let's all split up and begin looking. Hmhm... The game is afoot.", Byakuya chuckled.

"I'm not teaming up with pieces of sh*t for hearts. I'm going to look on my own, since I run faster alone.", I didn't wait for a reply and booked it out of the dining hall. I turned the whole school upside down, until I reached the last place; the pool. I went inside and noticed the doors were open, when they were always locked. They only opened with our cards. An announcement bell suddenly rang out.

"For this investigation, I have unlocked the doors. Please look around to your heart's content!", Monokuma cheered.

"Investigation... no...", I bit my lip and shook my head.

"Don't try to deny it.", Byakuya mused as he and Makoto walked in. "Judging from what he just said, there can be no doubt a murder really has taken place."

"Then it really...", Makoto mumbled.

"And the locker rooms... They're suspicious. Very suspicious, indeed. Wouldn't you agree?", Byakuya asked.

"Yeah, I mean. No one checked them yet...", I muttered.

"Let's start with the girls locker room...", Byakuya concluded. I nodded and went up to the door. I took a deep breath and opened it... what waited for me was a nightmare... Time was frozen, blood everywhere... The blood of a dear friend... Chihiro Fujisaki. She was suspended from two large pieces of gym equipment with a rope, blood dripping from her head to her dangling feet.

"What...?", Makoto mumbled from behind me.

"No... no no no no no no no...! CHIHIRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", I yelled and dropped to the ground, finding my bones useless in keeping me up from the ground. I heard Makoto scream from behind, but I couldn't bring myself to get up and stop crying.

## CHAPTER 2: BOYS' LIFE OF DESPAIR ## ##DEADLY LIFE##

The discovery announcement rang through my ears, but I didn't have the mind to pay any attention to it. Byakuya briefly explained it to Makoto, who was unconscious when the first murder happened and the announcement rang for the first time. As I lay there letting the tears stream down my face, Byakuya walked up to Chihiro's body and inspected it, but never touched it. Just looking at it with analytical eyes.

"Most unusual, don't you think...? Look. Chihiro's corpse has been suspended somehow. And something's been written on the wall, in blood... "Bloodlust"? Such a brutal way to kill someone... No, this is beyond brutal. Wouldn't you agree?", Byakuya asked.

"They killed her... they really did it. How could they? How could they!? How could they be so brutal!?", I yelled and grabbed my knife and threw at the wall in retaliation. I hated every fiber of my being for not being there to protect Chihiro.

"No, that's not my point. This murder is far too bizarre for any everyday amateur to have committed it. Unlike with Sayaka, this murder was not a crime of passion or necessity. It's almost as if whoever did this... did it for fun. You see what I mean, don't you?", Byakuya pointed out.

"... What?", Makoto mumbled, still in shock. We suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind us.

"Hey, I heard screaming! Did something--?", Taka froze when he saw the scene in front of us. "...AAAAAAAAHH! Chihiro!?"

"The announcement rang before, so...", I sighed.

"Wait...The body discovery announcement!? Then Chihiro really is...?", Taka mumbled.

"Dead, yes.", Byakuya stated with ice in his voice.

"D-D-D-D--!", Taka stuttered.

"Taka, call everyone else. They need to know where we are.", I mumbled as I dried my face.

"It seems another game has begun. Another life-or-death game to uncover a killer...", Byakuya mused. Taka ran out at the speed of light, gathering everyone in the process. In no time at all, everyone gathered in the locker room with mixed expressions. Anger, fear, confusion, the lot.

"Damn... I couldn't keep her safe...!", Sakura cursed.

"So there's another victim...", Taka mumbled with tears rolling down his face.

"Which means we are now in the same position once again.", Celeste nodded.

"F*ck, man... What the f*ck IS this!?", Mondo looked really confused, even more than any of us.

"It's a dream... This is a dream! It's all just a dream! In fact, I haven't even been yet! I don't have any memory of ever being alive! Ugyaaaah!", Hifumi muttered to himself.

"Shut up.", Celeste ordered. I looked behind Chihiro, at the strange phrase written on the wall. "Bloodlust," it clearly said. But "why it was written?" was still racing through my mind.

"I don't think it's any kind of dying message. It's just too... strange...", Kyoko mumbled.

"But you know... that thing about writing "bloodlust" in blood... Doesn't it sound kinda familiar?", Taka asked.

"Didn't Byakuya explain something like this before? A murderous fiend, who kills again and again using a bizzare and brutal method... And at the scene of each crime, the word "bloodlust" is written in the victim's own blood. They're like a ghost, attacking suddenly then slipping away before the police can catch up to them. And what nickname did the Internet give to this mysterious serial killer?", I recalled.

"Genocide Jack!", Hiro gasped.

"Then this is... some copycat killer trying to imitate Genocide Jack's "style"? But... why would anyone do that?", Hina asked.

"Maybe they wanted to confuse us.", I suggested.

"Perhaps... it's the work of the real Genocide Jack.", Byakuya stated.

"The real...? Wait, are you saying Genocide Jack is here in the school!?", Hiro yelled.

"Th-There's no way...!", Hina gasped.

"But going so far as to write bloodlust at the scene... I am surprised at their stupidity...", Celeste mused.

"I can't imagine a worse situation than dealing with a stupid murderer...", Sakura raised a brow.

"But I guess Celeste is right, the killer is making themselves an obvious target if they are Genocide Jack.", I mumbled. We suddenly heard Hina gasp out loud.

"What is it now!?", Hifumi shuddered. We turned to Toko, who was the last to make it there and she looked absolutely mortified.

"Ah...ahh...? Nnnnnno... Wh-Why...? Why...? W...h...y...? WHYYYYYYYY!?!?", Toko fainted right then and there.

"T-Toko!?", I gasped and tried to shake her awake.

"She fainted! That did NOT sound good!", Hiro panicked.

"T-Toko!", Hina joined me to try to force Toko awake. "Toko, are you okay!? Come on, wake up!"

"Oh, that's right. I just remembered what she said, about how she faints anytime she sees blood.", Hifumi recalled.

"So she is hemophobic? I imagine she does not watch too many horror films, then.", Celeste sighed.

"This isn't a violation of the rules, right? I mean, technically she passed out somewhere besides her room.", Hiro voiced his concerns.

"No, I think it should be okay. The regulations prohibit "sleeping." Like, on purpose.", Makoto assured.

"Ahh, so since she didn't faint on purpose, it doesn't count? Gotcha.", Hiro nodded.

"Toko, please wake up!", I yelled.

"Toko, can you hear me!? Hey, you gotta wake up!", Hina called. As if she heard us, Toko shot up from her place and just... stood there. She was sweating like crazy and her tongue was just sticking out of her mouth, her jaw slack and her eyes unfocused.

"Huh? What?", Hina looked just as confused as I was.

"Sorry about that. I was just so shocked, ya know? It happens, right? Was I the only one?", Toko spoke without her stutter and A LOT more confident than usual.

"Y-Yeah, you were the only one...", I mumbled, kind of creeped out.

"T-Toko? Are you... okay?", Makoto asked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! Kyehaha...! Whoa, is that a dead body!? Hey! Are you dead!? Kyeehahaha!", Toko laughed out loud, still a bit loopy, it seemed. But what struck me was that she wasn't fazed by the blood just like a few seconds ago.

"She musta hit her head *real* hard when she fainted...", Hiro mumbled.

"The world has a front and a back, a top inning and a bottom, a sea of truth and a web of lies!", Toko went off in a rant.

"This is... quite concerning. I mean, she sounds completely different...", Hifumi muttered.

"No no no, everything's fine! At least the stutter's all gone. That's a good thing, right!? Kyeehahaha!", Toko laughed as she swayed in place.

"It's clear to me that everything is *not* fine! Your eyes seem strangely vacant!", Taka gasped.

"It might be best if we take her back to her room for the time being...", Sakura suggested.

"I don't mind taking her, but... could someone help me?", Hina asked as she held onto Toko's limp arm.

"If you need help, I don't mind--", Hifumi was about to offer his help, but Hina stopped him.

"Taka, could you help me?", Hina asked.

"Huh? She totally ignored me!", Hifumi huffed. I gave a quick pat on the back and a sympathetic look.

"Very well. You take care of the girl, and the rest of us can begin the investigation right away. Can I assume nobody has a problem leaving Sakura and Mondo on guard duty again?", Byakuya asked.

"H-Hold on a second. Rushing to an investigation--", Makoto began.

"The mastermind isn't behind that. After what happened last time, surely you realize that.", Byakuya raised a brow at Makoto, who looked down and bit his lip. "There is no question that Chihiro was murdered by someone among us. Isn't that right, Monokuma?", as if it was magic, Monokuma came out from behind some equipment with sparkles everywhere.

"Right as rain! But don't take it as a bad thing. It's just a fact of life! Because... that's how graduation works! What, does that freak you out? You guys got no balls, you know that!? Is there just nothin' down there at all? Well, I'll let you pray to mine if you want. Actually, I don't have any, either! Sorry!", Monokuma laughed.

"Stop monologuing and give us what you came here to give us. You *did* bring it, right?", Byakuya asked.

"Hehehe... I sure did, chum! Allow me to present the next Monokuma file. I know how much you must be looking forward to it! So, please do your very tippy-top best on this investigation!", Monokuma handed us the file and left us to our own devices.

"Do we really gotta do another investigation...? Examining the corpse of one of our friends... Having to suspect all our *other* friends... I hate this... I can't take it anymore!", Hina mumbled.

"I hate it, too! I-I-I've had enough! I'm gettin' outta here!", Hiro yelled.

"Where do you plan on going? There's nowhere to run.", Sakura sighed.

"Just accept it already. After all, blood is just a liquid. A dead body is a simple object.", Byakuya scoffed.

"Yeah, an object that had FEELINGS AND MEMORIES, you piece of flaming sh--", Hiro covered my mouth as I yelled to get my muffled voice out.

"You are very... enthusiastic about all of this, are you not?", Celeste smiled at Byakuya.

"How can I not be? If we don't unmask the culprit, we all die.", Byakuya smirked.

"Th-That's true, but... to jump into it so soon...", Makoto mumbled.

"What? Do you *want* to die? Fine, then go off and die somewhere. Right now, go ahead. You're a waste of space.", Byakuya shooed Makoto away.

"A dead body is an... object? Chihiro wasn't an "object"! Show a little respect, or I'll beat some into ya!", Mondo yelled.

"Yeah, f*ck him up, Mondo!", I cheered after I escaped Hiro's grasp.

"Everyone stop bickering. Listen, there's some truth in what Byakuya said.", Kyoko cut us off.

"K-Kyoko!", Makoto gasped.

"If we don't solve the mystery and find the killer, our own lives are forfeit. And if Byakuya is right that Genocide Jack is somehow the one who killed Chihiro... then unless we do something, more victims could start piling up.", Kyoko explained.

"Forget more victims! If we mess this up, we're all dead meat!", Hifumi shuddered. Monokuma suddenly popped out and began to speak.

"Hold on, hold on. If that's your worry, you don't gotta worry any longer! In any one killing game, the guilty party may only kill a maximum of two people.", Monokuma explained.

"What...? I don't remember any rule like that.", Hifumi mumbled.

"I just came up with it. I mean, if one person went around and killed everyone, your lovely student life would be all over, right?", Monokuma chuckled.

"In that case, why not limit it to *one* person?", Sakura asked.

"Well in a good mystery, you don't want to miss out on at least the *potential* of a serial killer angle! Nyoohohoho! Just one would totally murder that possibility! Farewell for now! I'll catch you guys at the class trial!", Monokuma disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I can't say I understand his thinking, but if we can kill up to two people... then one more person's life could still be in danger.", Celeste deduced.

"Which is definitely not good. We need to uncover the culprit before something else happens.", Byakuya stated.

"You need to shut the f*ck up!", Mondo yelled back.

"W-Well... for now, Taka and me are gonna drop Toko off at her room.", Hina and Taka bid us farewell.

"Nice, I'm gonna get dropped off!", Toko called as the three left.

"We have no time to stand around here. We must begin our investigation tout suite. If we do not solve the mystery of who killed Chihiro... then we will quickly follow her into the afterlife.", Celeste warned. I hated that she was right, but I had no other choice. We had no other choice. We had to do this, or our lives were going to be taken from us right then and there. I turned to Makoto.

"Makoto, I was thinking about doing my investigation alone this time. Do you mind?", I asked.

"No, not at all! I'll be joining Byakuya, actually. But if you need any help, don't hesitate to come to me!", Makoto nodded.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Well, see you at the trial.", I saluted and got to work. The first thing I did was check the Monokuma file.

The victim was Chihiro Fujisaki. The time of death is estimated to be around 2:00 a.m. The body was discovered in the girls locker room, on the 2nd floor of the school. The cause of death was a blow to the head with a blunt object. She was killed instantly.

That was all it said. I couldn't complain, since this was all some good info for later.

-Monokuma File #2 has been added as evidence-

I heard Byakuya call my name, so I turned to him.

"I have purchased your talents in photography. It served useful during Sayaka's trial.", Byakuya stated.

"Can I get a refund?", I sassed.

"Excuse me?", Byakuya seethed.

"I already told Makoto I'll be working on my own here. If we bump into each other or I decide to follow you, good. And I will be taking pictures, but I will only show them to you during the trial, since I want to analyze everything without someone putting another opinion in my face, since that sometimes derails stuff. Just trying to be a bit more efficient. But I won't let you pull me around and do your bidding. Let your butlers and maids back in your mansion do that for you.", I smiled and left him alone. I walked up to Sakura to hear her testimony.

"I use this locker room all the time. Now... it's become the site of Chihiro's death.", Sakura sighed.

"But why here? I mean, if you think about, she could have been killed somewhere else, then carried and tied up here.", I mumbled.

"She was very light, that is true. It wouldn't be hard for someone to carry her. But still... I still think she came here on her own, by choice.", Sakura nodded.

"Can you enlighten me on why you think so? It could help.", I asked.

"She's been talking a lot lately about how she wanted to get stronger.", Sakura recalled.

"So she came to work out? But the Monokuma file said she was killed around two in the morning. Would she really be working out at that ungodly hour?", I mumbled.

"Hina or myself are usually in the locker room during the day. So she was probably avoiding it then.", Sakura deduced.

"Why avoid it?", I asked.

"Although we invited her to join us more than once, she never showed up. So I can only assume she was trying to avoid us.", Sakura explained.

"So she came to exercise in the middle of the night...", I nodded.

"Perhaps. But it's difficult for me to imagine she would have come alone. She did want to start exercising, but she specifically mentioned she couldn't do it by herself. She needed support from others.", Sakura mentioned.

"So she came to train in secret... with someone else?", I deduced.

"It's a possibility, I think.", Sakura nodded.

-Sakura's Account has been added as evidence-

I next went to talk to Mondo.

"Any thoughts on this, Mondo?", I asked.

"Dude had a real complex about being weak. You heard Chihiro talk about it, right? All "I need to get stronger!" ", Mondo sighed.

"Yeah, she wanted to get stronger for some reason...", I mumbled.

"Sure did. Which... I guess explains the trip down here...", Mondo clenched his fists.

"But why? I mean, I know that most girls aren't all that strong, but did she want to prove us wrong or something?", I asked.

"I dunno, man. Haven't really thought about that stuff.", Mondo shrugged with his head low.

-Mondo's Account has been added as evidence-

I walked up to Chihiro's dead body and sighed.

"But the more I look, the more strange it all seems. This must be Genocide Jack's handiwork.", Byakuya chimed in. I guess he didn't get that I wanted to do this alone.

"But we're--"

"But we're still not sure he did it. Is that what you want to say? I wonder about that... Hmhmhm...", Byakuya chuckled. I put his comment to mind and continued. I looked down to see a dumbbell to see that there was bloodstain covering one side of it.

"Since the Monokuma File stated that "a blow to the head with a blunt object" is what killed Chihiro... This could be the murder weapon! It can't be anything else, at least not at this moment.", I mumbled to myself. I took a photo of it and stowed the polaroid away.

-Locker Room Dumbbell has been added as evidence-

I walked out of the locker room and checked the card reader.

"If memory serves true, this card reader is meant to work with our handbooks. Maybe Monokuma can confirm this...", I mumbled. As soon as I said that, Monokuma came up all in my face and caused me to drop to the floor on my butt.

"You called for me!?", Monokuma asked.

"Y-Yeah, but can you make a quieter appearance?", I sighed.

"Hell no! If I come in all boring-like, it won't give me extra appeal and cuteness!", Monokuma retorted.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, can you tell me more about these card readers?", I mumbled.

"Yes, the card readers have all been designed to interface with each of your e-Handbooks! You can only enter the locker room corresponding to the gender listed in your individual handbook.", Monokuma explained.

"And it's impossible for two people in a row to go through while the door is unlocked, right?", I asked.

"If there were some sort of erotic terrorist on the prowl... The ceiling-mounted Gatling gun would initiate a Swiss cheese slaughter! Thought I expected you to do it, because of your little butt appreciation thing!", Monokuma laughed.

"Stop. Please. No. Not now!!", I groaned.

"I'm not letting this go, Missy!", Monokuma wagged his paws at me.

"Whatever. And the school regulations prohibit anyone from lending someone else their handbook, right?", I questioned.

"Correctly correct!", Monokuma nodded.

"So loaning is prohibited... but borrowing it is still on the table!", I realized.

"Nyohohoho! I would expect nothing less from the niece of a famous detective! So you managed to sniff out the loophole in the regulations!", Monokuma laughed.

"So you know... Whatever. Knowing you, you added that little loophole on purpose, didn't you? To spice up this killing game.", I sighed.

"Kyaaah! You're treating me like a puny little appetizer instead of the main course that I am! Now then, since the dead can't actually talk, they're not people anymore-- they're things! Get it? Got it? Good.", Monokuma nodded and left me there.

"So, he treats them like that... so if someone takes a Handbook from one of the dead students, it is considered normal and not breaking the rules!", I shot up to go look for the disposed Handbooks, but not before taking a picture of the card reader.

-Card Reader has been added as evidence-

I walked around the school, looking for them. If the murderer had access to them, so did I. I made my way to the main hall and spotted a shelf with a mailbox on top of it. I opened it up and gasped.

"E-Handbooks! Jackpot! Three to be exact. If there are three, they must belong to the dead students, and they get "delivered" to this mailbox.", I checked one of them and Sayaka's name came up on screen, confirming my hypothesis. I took a picture of the mailbox for evidence.

-Main Hall e-Handbooks has been added as evidence-

"Just to be extra sure, I'll check the other e-Handbooks.", I opened the second one and Junko's name came up. When I tried opening the third one, which I assumed was Leon's handbook, it wouldn't turn on.

"Maybe he had the e-Handbook on him during the execution, and it broke because of the impact of the baseballs.", I mumbled.

"Hey, hey! Hey hey hey hey hey! HEEEY!", out of nowhere, Monokuma came running, well, more like waddle-running, but it was still pretty fast, towards me.

"W-What...? What is it?", I asked.

"That e-Handbook is essential to student life here! Crucial, integral, instrumental, a super big deal! There's no way it would break that easily!", Monokuma huffed.

"Well, looks broken to me...", I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"If I say it wouldn't break, it wouldn't freakin' break! It can withstand up to ten tons of pressure, and it's waterproof up to a hundred meters, okay!? I don't care how many baseballs you hit it with, it wouldn't do crap! Oh, but uh... even my amazing handbook does have one single weak point.", Monokuma sulked.

"And what might that be?", I asked.

"It's a secret! I wouldn't want you to go breaking any more handbooks!", Monokuma laughed.

"So Leon broke his handbook by accident?", I questioned.

"Hmm... hard to say! You know what I think? I think his handbook isn't actually broken! But, you might ask, how could that be!?", Monokuma left me with that question. I decided to keep it in mind and take a picture of Leon's handbook.

-Broken e-Handbook has been added as evidence-

I paced the area, thinking about Genocide Jack's connection to the case. Are they really the killer? Who are they? Why kill Chihiro? On a whim or with a reason? I suddenly heard a voice call my name. It was Hina.

"Big trouble! Need your help!", Hina called.

"I'm kinda busy, Hina...", I mumbled.

"But it's an emergency...! Emergency! C'mon, please! You gotta help me! This is a serious emergency! Please, please! You gotta help me!", Hina begged.

"Can't you fix it yourself?", I asked.

"But... but...! It's an e-mer-gen-cyyy!", Hina pleaded.

"What happened?", I sighed.

"Something's wrong with Toko. She's acting super strange! Byakuya and Makoto are there already!", Hina mumbled while shuddering at the memory. It struck me as odd that Byakuya was also there, since he barely talked to Toko, and now he was there to see her odd behavior?

"Alright, I guess I'll come check on her.", I nodded.

"Okay, okay, come on! Hurry!", Hina ran off, leaving me to try to catch up to her. Once I made it there, Makoto, Byakuya and Hina were already at the door.

"You are too slow!", Hina whined.

"Maybe it's because you are too fast...", I huffed.

"So? What's this emergency?", Byakuya asked.

"Well, after what happened in the girls locker room, we left Toko in her room so she could lay down. After a while, we came back to check on her. Ya know, see how she was doing. But when we did... it was weird. She refused to come out, and she kept saying all this weird stuff.", Hina explained.

"Maybe we should talk to her ourselves.", I suggested.

"Y-Yeah, good idea.", Makoto nodded.

I walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door opened a crack silently, and I could see a bit of Toko's face from behind the door. An aura of pure negativity gushed from behind the door, making me almost choke a bit.

"...What?", Toko mumbled, voice shaky.

"Well, Hina was really worried about you, locking yourself up in your room...", I started.

"Leave me a-alone...", Toko grumbled.

"B-But we came to make sure you were okay...", I urged.

"... Won't a-allow it...", Toko stuttered.

"Huh...?", Makoto looked just as confused as I was.

"I w-won't let Genocide Jack have control!", with that, Toko slammed the door right in my face.

"Wait, Genocide Jack? Toko, what the hell are you talking about!? Answer me!", I called. That definitely wasn't normal.

"She's been acting like that the whole time. When I rang a little while ago... "I'll d-drive out... the killer... D-Drive out the murderous fiend..." That's what she said... It doesn't make any sense, right? I was afraid to leave her in there alone, so I tried to bust down her door... but it felt like something was holding it shut on the other side. I couldn't even budge it... Whatever it is, I'm really worried about her... Isn't there anyone who might be able to persuade her...?", Hina asked. I turned to Byakuya.

"Byakuya, I have a feeling she will answer to you.", I reasoned.

"... Sure, whatever.", Byakuya shrugged.

"Huh? You're gonna talk to her, Byakuya? Wow, I guess you can be nice when you want to!", Hina smiled. Byakuya didn't pay her any mind and rang the doorbell. The door creaked open again with Toko hiding behind it.

"Leave me alone! You're all s-s-s-so annoying... Ah--! Backula!", Toko gasped, causing me to burst into giggles, even if it wasn't the right time.

"It's Byakuya...", Byakuya grumbled with a small blush, mad that I was trying not to laugh my a*s off.

"... I-I'm sorry. I couldn't k-keep our promise... But don't w-worry. Never again... I...! I won't let Genocide Jack have control ever again!", Toko yelled and shut the door.

"Promise...?", I mumbled.

"Even Byakuya couldn't pull it off...", Hina sighed.

"There's nothing else we can do. Let's get back to the investigation.", Byakuya dismissed it.

"H-Hold on! Hey, Byakuya. What was Toko talking about just now? Something about a promise?", Makoto asked.

"Hm? Oh, I have no idea. Another one of her delusions, I'm sure.", Byakuya scowled.

"B-But...", Makoto began.

"If I say I don't know, that means I don't know. Just let Hina take care of her.", Byakuya growled.

"O-Oh... yeah, okay. I'll stay here and keep an eye on her.", Hina nodded and sat near the door.

"Well then, let's go.", Byakuya turned around. Before he could walk, I grabbed his shoulder and put my head centimeters away from his ear.

"This promise conversation isn't over.", I whispered and moved away with a smirk. Byakuya stood there for a bit but quickly collected himself and walked on.

"B-Byakuya!", Makoto called after him. I decided to follow them to where they were going. We walked until we were in front of the library.

"... The library?", Makoto mumbled.

"Come on, let's go in.", Byakuya opened the door and made his way to the door at the far end of the library.

"It's the archive, right?", Makoto asked.

"As far as I know.", I shrugged.

"Hurry up and go inside.", Byakuya ordered.

"Oh... here?", Makoto mumbled.

"It'll all make sense once you're inside.", Byakuya stated. We walked in to see shelves upon shelves of dusty books, a bunch of boxes crammed with extra papers and books, a light, and a small stepladder.

"Man, it is dusty...", I mumbled covering my nose with my gloved hands.

"I would say there's enough value in this place to endure the dust.", Byakuya smirked. I sighed and grabbed a random box. I opened it to see it was empty, but it had an outline of a rope of sorts.

"A rope was in here?", I mumbled.

"There was an extension cord plugged in there. It proved very useful while I was in the library.", Byakuya stated. I nodded and kept note of it, in case I needed it sometime. I checked the desk lamp that was on the floor. I realized it was the same one Byakuya would use when he would read when he was in the library.

"Do you have a problem with that lamp? It was here before, then I moved it over there. It's too dark over there, so I thought I'd put it to good use.", Byakuya explained. I shrugged and kept it in mind as well. I looked at the files and decided to pull one out at random.

"Ah, you have a sharp eye indeed to select that file.", Byakuya chuckled.

"... Huh?", Makoto looked at the file in my hand.

"That's the report on a presidential assassination. The original is kept at the national library. It won't be declassified for another thirty years. Are you sure you want to look at it now? There's no telling whose crosshairs you might wind up in for peeking at it...", Byakuya smirked. Silently, I grabbed the file from Makoto's hands and put it back in the shelf. We kept looking, Byakuya stopping us from looking unless we wanted to be wiped off the face of the Earth.

"So? Are you finally beginning to understand the true splendor of this library? The entire reason I was interested in the library... is because of this room right here. It's home to classified government documents, police records, things no ordinary person would ever see. Isn't it magnificent?", Byakuya mused.

"This... can't be for real, right?", Makoto mumbled.

"That's you guys' problem. Anything that doesn't fit into your preconceived reality, you label it a lie.", Byakuya scoffed.

"It's not that I don't believe it. It's just really bizzare. And this is so *much*. How could anyone put all this together, especially in this school, where students could have found it?", I asked while running my finger over the spines of the books on the dusty shelves.

"I suppose it goes to show just how much power Hope's Peak truly wields. Or perhaps... the mastermind may have wanted to provide us with enough entertainment to keep us from getting bored. What's wrong? You still can't believe it?", Byakuya mocked.

"What about you? How can you believe it so easily? Things like that are usually impossible...", Makoto asked.

"What do you mean, usually? Usual? Normal, ordinary, simple? Those things don't exist anywhere in the real world. If you don't understand what they actually represent, you don't understand the nature of anything. Besides, what you consider "usual" is based on your common sense, right? But what makes you think your own "common sense" applies to me at all? The documents gathered here are genuine. I have reviewed them multiple times, so there is no doubt.", Byakuya stated matter-of-factly.

"Wait a second! You're saying you've read all these files, and more than once!? Didn't you say those will "put you in someone's crosshairs" or something? So why...?", I gasped.

"My family has a reading room just like this at our home. Ours is bigger, of course. And not as dusty.", Byakuya smirked.

"Huh...?", Makoto let out a noise of confusion, as did I.

"Members of the Togami family have access to any variety of government-related documents. That includes foreign powers as well as domestic.", Byakuya explained.

"You guys have that kind of power...? How?", I mumbled.

"I already told you, there's a secret council that controls the world from the shadows. My family is a member of that council. And I have within me the bloodline that will allow me to one day bend the world to my will... But to become such a ruler, I must know all levels of this world backwards and forwards. So whenever I have time, I like to review whatever documents and materials that interest me. Which is why I can proclaim, without a doubt, that the materials gathered here are the real thing. And what always interested me the most were the "cold case" police investigation reports. Reading through those reports has always been a hobby of mine, ever since I was little. It's excellent mental exercise. I've solved more than a few of those cases just by reviewing the reports. And among all those reports, one of my recent favorites... is the Genocide Jack case.", Byakuya turned and grabbed a specific file from the shelf behind him. "This is the complete case file. Every single report surrounding the Genocide Jack cases has been compiled in here. Because there are so many, allow me to quickly summarize the main points. To begin, there are two notable characteristics in every Genocide Jack murder. The first characteristic... is that at every crime scene, the word "bloodlust" is written in the victim's own blood. And the second... is that when the victims are murdered, their bodies are suspended in a certain way. Save your surprise. The best part is yet to come. For the second characteristic, where the victims are suspended... The only ones who knew about that particular fact were members of the police and other higher-ups. By all accounts, nobody in the media ever found out."

"Wait, no one knew?", I asked.

"In other words, no one on the news, no one online, *nobody* knew about that aspect of each crime. Only key officials and the killer himself knew about this act of "mounting" the victim. Now, if you recall Chihiro's corpse... Her body was most certainly mounted in this fashion.", Byakuya stated.

"So... how could the killer have known about suspending the victim...?", Makoto asked.

"That's the key question. But in fact, the answer is quite simple.", Byakuya smirked.

"The culprit isn't a copycat... It's Genocide Jack in the flesh.", I summarized.

"... Gh!", Makoto let out a noise of surprise when he realized what we were dealing with.

"That right there is the evidence that Genocide Jack has hidden himself among the rest of us. Hmhmhm. Things are really starting to get interesting, aren't they? I never imagined a killer with such a reputation would ever become part of our little game. And I didn't imagine you being quick to assemble clues, Kuno. Almost as if you have done this before.", Byakuya smirked.

"Well, I could say the same for you. And, my uncle is a detective.", I stated.

"You said he was a distant relative before.", Makoto questioned.

"Well, he, as a person, was distant.", I shrugged.

"Now, don't you think it would be good for you to take a look at what I've already seen? You might just manage to ferret out a clue or two. If you get down on your knees and beg, I might even show you myself.", Byakuya smirked at my new status as "potential detective". I rolled my eyes.

"Dude, enough of the bullsh*t. No one is getting down on their knees anytime soon, get your head out of the clouds.", I sighed.

"Well, you didn't beg, but I guess it's okay this time. Feel free to look at it in here, but you can't take it with you.", Byakuya handed me the file. I flipped through the file until I reached a certain page that caught my attention; the pictures of every single crime documented from the Genocide Jack cases. All the killer's countless victims were killed and suspended in exactly the same way. The word "Bloodlust" was also left in the victim's own blood.

"Now take a look at the next page, and you'll find another interesting tidbit.", Byakuya instructed. I nodded and turned the page. I read it out loud.

"All of the crimes took place either on weekdays at night, or during holidays, either day or night. The most common time for the killings to take place was on holidays, in the afternoon. Based on these facts, it could be suggested that the suspect may be a student. Evidence suggests that the suspect lingered at the scene, but when they did leave, they were in a panic. Because an eyewitness has never come forward, it's unlikely there was any external reason for this. This confused behavior suggests...that the suspect may potentially suffer from dissociative identity disorder.", I mumbled.

"The key point here is that the culprit may well have a split personality.", Byakuya stated. I began to piece a bunch of pieces together in my mind until it hit me like a ton of f*cking bricks.

"OH MY GOD!", I gasped. I took a bunch of pictures of the file, bid the two boys farewell and booked it out of there.

-Genocide Jack Case File has been added as evidence-

I made it to the locker room entrance when Hifumi bumped into me.

"Ding ding ding! Hifumi has discovered evidence revealing the identity of the culprit! Hmhmhm... Another stat increase for me!", Hifumi cheered.

"What did you find? Quick, I'm short on time!", I urged.

"I cannot reveal that just yet! But I guarantee that what I found will steal the killer's breath from his lungs! Oh yeah! Miss Ludenberg said she'd witnessed something worthwhile, too.", Hifumi mentioned.

"What did she see?", I asked.

"She refused to tell me. It's like when a girl bullies the boy she likes, right? Right!?", Hifumi mumbled.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Now, where is Celeste now?", I sighed.

"The warehouse by the dorms. She was there, but at the same time... not there.", Hifumi said in a hushed tone. I rolled my eyes and decided to go to her later. I went into the boys locker room and looked around. The first thing I noticed a poster of a the popular boy band Tornado. Somehow it didn't fit in the *boys* locker room. There was also a strange stain on the carpet, so I took a photo of it just in case.

-Boys Locker Room Carpet has been added as evidence-

I left the boys locker room to the crime scene, the girls locker room. I found Kyoko looking at the scene closely.

"Have you found anything, Kyoko?", I asked.

"Generally speaking. But I have to get going. I have something unrelated to take care of.", Kyoko got up to leave.

"Something besides what's going on?", I questioned.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Just concentrate on the murder.", Kyoko adviced.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you be. To each their own.", I sighed.

"Before I go, let me give you one piece of advice. You should examine Chihiro's body one more time. Thoroughly. Also, her handbook is missing. You might want to determine its whereabouts. That's it. I'll be praying for your success.", Kyoko left with those notes in my mind.

-Chihiro's e-Handbook has been added as evidence-

I looked at the poster on the wall, and it was strange. It was of a woman wearing a black bikini, but it just didn't belong in a girls locker room. Both posters from the locker rooms just didn't belong. I was sure that the posters have been switched. But why?

-Two Locker Room Posters has been added as evidence-

I stood before Chihiro's cold body and sighed.

"Forgive me, Chihiro.", I prayed and got to work. I had my limits, but I was gonna check the rest. Her hands were bound by some sort of extension cord, since it had a plug and everything. I checked her head for the wound, and the fatal injury was the blow to the head. The way the body was arranged was... off, thinking about the other victims of Genocide Jack. I decided it might be a good idea to check under her skirt, and I did. What was strange was that Chihiro was wearing boxers. Men's boxers at that. "Strange...", I mumbled as I left it alone and took photos of the body from all angles.

-Status of the Dead Body has been added as evidence-

"Sakura, I still have a few questions. Uh, do the posters look different to you?", I asked.

"Sorry, I can't really say. I never really paid any attention to the posters. But there *is* something that's been bothering me about the locker room... You see, I like to drink a little protein coffee every time I finish exercising.", Sakura explained.

"Wait, we have that? I could use that during my work.", I mumbled.

"In the warehouse. It's not the highest quality, but I don't have a lot of other options. I mix protein powder with coffee, and down a glass of it after exercising. Anyway, the other day, I spilled some on the carpet in the girls locker room, and it left a stain.", Sakura pointed out. I looked at the carpet, but only saw the blood stain.

"I... don't see one.", I muttered in confusion.

"Exactly. I noticed it earlier-- the stain has disappeared. I can only assume someone came along and cleaned it up. But still, isn't it unusually clean? As if there was never a stain here to begin with...", Sakura mused.

-Disappearing Stain has been added as evidence-

I wanted to go to the library to take one final look around. When I looked at the table that Byakuya usually sat at, I noticed that the lamp wasn't turning on. I looked down at the wire to see that it wasn't long enough to reach the outlet. I remembered that it was on before, and I remembered that Byakuya used an extension cord to help. But there was none around the table.

-Library Desk Lamp has been added as evidence-

I made my way to the warehouse, which was chock full with stuff like books, cleaning supplies, and a whole lot of other stuff. Celeste was there, inspecting a book.

"Hey Celeste, have you found anything about the case?", I asked.

"I knew you were going to ask me that. You do not waste time, do you? Very well. I will tell you, and *only* you. Last night, I saw her here... Chihiro was in the warehouse.", Celeste whispered.

"W-What was she doing here?", I urged Celeste for an answer.

"This was right before nighttime.", Celeste mused.

(Celeste - Chihiro)

"Hm? What are you doing out this late?"

"Oh, um... I was just..."

"Are you planning to go exercise, perhaps?"

"What!? H-How did you know...?"

"Because I can see a blue track jacket sticking out of that duffel bag you're carrying..."

"Oh, you're right... Thanks. Well... I'd better get going. I'm kind of in a hurry."

"..."

"She stuffed the jacket into her bag in a hurry. It was almost like she was trying to hide it... And just like that, she was gone. I assumed she was merely stocking up to go exercise in the morning, but... it would appear she ignored the nighttime rule, and headed directly to the girls locker room. If she hadn't broken our rule, none of this ever would have happened... You get what you deserve, I suppose.", Celeste sighed.

"That aside, she went to the girls locker room late at night in order to exercise without anyone knowing. But... where did the track jacket and duffel bag go? Did the killer get rid of it...?", I muttered to myself as I went outside before bidding Celeste farewell.

-Celeste's Account has been added as evidence-

I went to the dining hall to find Hina there.

"Hina, how's Toko?", I asked.

"Same as before. She won't come out, and she just keeps on mumbling something about Genocide Jack. So I just left her there.", Hina shrugged.

"Wait, you left her!?", I gasped.

"My head was all swimmy, and I was getting pretty hungry... Oh, but don't worry! I'm gonna head back as soon as I'm done eating. Toko's not exactly pleasant, but I'm still worried about her.", Hina nodded.

"Uh, okay, are you eating a donut?", I mumbled.

"Of course! There's two things I'm sure God created-- outer space, and donuts!", Hina gushed.

"Is that so...?", I deadpanned.

"I bet Chihiro would've liked to eat more donuts. Maybe that was her one big regret... Ahh, I should've tried to spend more time with her...", Hina sighed.

"Who did she spend time with?", I asked.

"She didn't really hang out with the other girls much... It was like... like she was trying to keep her distance from us.", Hina crossed her arms in thought.

"Sakura said the same thing.", I mentioned.

"It wasn't just us, either. It was like she stayed away from all the girls except you, Kuno.", Hina explained.

"Why just me...?", I muttered.

"I heard mention that you made her feel calm and confident, in a way. But I dunno, she talked to the boys all the time. Isn't it kinda weird to be shy around your own sex, but totally fine with the opposite sex? Oh, wait! Maybe... Maybe she was used to guys spoiling her. The law says you can't judge a book by its cover, right?", Hina pointed out.

"Nice deduction, Hina, but I don't think that's it.", I sighed.

-Aoi's Account has been added as evidence-

Out of nowhere, an announcment rang through the school.

"Erm, so ah... I'm getting tired of waiting. Shall we just plunge right in? It's the moment you've all been waiting for... the class trial! You remember where to meet, right? Please go through the red door on the 1st floor of the school! Puhuhu. See you soon!"

I sighed and prepared myself mentally. Once in there, it was either one of us dead, or all of us except one. I pulled out my grandfather's portrait and sighed.

"Grandpa... I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I hope you can help me out.", I mumbled and walked to the meeting area. I made it to the red door and went inside. I found almost everyone there, except Toko.

"Ahem, so... is everyone ready to-- whaaat!? Am I blind, or are we missing someone?", Monokuma asked.

"Yeah, Toko's not here.", Mondo explained.

"And Toko is...?", Monokuma mumbled.

"You really don't remember...?", Hiro muttered.

"Kidding! I'm just kidding. How could I forget that little nutjob? She's a crucial part of the class trial this time! Okie dokie, I'll go ahead and drag her out here kicking and screaming. Just one moment, please!", Monokuma excused himself and waddled off. In a few minutes, he was dragging Toko behind him.

"Nng... ghh... I t-told him I didn't want to, but... h-he forced me! I can't believe you would d-drag a girl around... Terrible...! You're t-terrible!", Toko yelled at Monokuma.

"Whew! So NOW everyone's here, right? Okay then, hustle onto the elevator and let's get this show on the road! I'll see you guys down there!", Monokuma laughed and left us there.

"So, shall we get going? It's time to find out who killed Chihiro.", Byakuya announced. Chihiro... Chihiro Fujisaki... She was so gentle, so calm and meek. No one had any problems with her... Someone made the choice to kill... a girl like that... And that murderer... is one of us. Someone standing right here...

"Well, shall we?", I sighed.

"Yes.", Kyoko nodded. I got on the elevator with a racing heart and mind. Everyone got on after me and the elevator descended. The elevator sank deeper and deeper into the ground, making my nerves rise higher and higher. My heart was cracking under pressure, but the elevator was merciless, going lower. Until finally... It came to a sudden stop. We all pooled out of the elevator to a new trial ground.

"What do you think? I redecorated! Isn't it so fresh? Isn't it so exciting!?", Monokuma laughed.

"Don'r waste out time with stupid questions. Let's get this over with.", Byakuya stated.

"Good, good, you're rip-raring to go! Gotta say, I don't hate it! Not at all! Okay then, let's get this show on the road! Everyone, please find your assigned seats!", Monokuma cheered. And so, the curtain opened once again... A deadly judgment... A deadly deception... A deadly betrayal... A deadly riddle, a deadly defense, a deadly faith... A deadly... class trial...!

END OF CHAPTER 11!