First Class Trial

Beyond the door was a round black-and-white table, with Monorakun's face on it. 16 seats surrounded it, along with a seat for Monorakun further back and higher up. Monorakun's seat resembled a judge's bench, however, and Monorakun scurried up to it, climbing over the table and up the front of his bench, taking his seat.

"Alright, everyone, find your seats! I see poor Ryoma already found his."

I glanced around the table, and sure enough, there was a single podium that had a stand, with Ryoma's face on it. Unfortunately, it was right next to my designated seat, with Teruteru on the other side.

We all took our places in silence, with Kyoko standing next to me, on my left.

Hiyoko spoke up first. "So, Mr. Raccoon, what happens if we all decide not to do this?"

Monorakun shrugged. "If you don't wish to hold a Class Trial, we can go straight to the vote then."

"And if we decide not to vote?"

Monorakun's red eye started glowing. "Then I will reveal the Blackened, and if the majority vote doesn't match, then everyone except the Blackened dies!" Monorakun began shaking his head in dismay. "Seriously, does anyone even READ the rules anymore, or did you all just blindly hit 'I Accept' so you could move on?"

Kyoko spoke up. "So there's no point in defying this trial. Understood. Now, what exactly are the rules here?"

Monorakun turned to face Kyoko and I. "Now, THERE'S a question worth asking! This will be a round-robin discussion. Any topic goes at any time, so long as it's related to the case. I will abstain from this trial unless I am being considered as a witness, and if this becomes the case, I must answer truthfully as a witness ONLY! I will answer no questions irrelevant to my status as a witness. Understood?"

Mondo replied, "Kinda lost me there towards the end, dude. So lemme get this straight; The only time you'll answer us is, like, if someone says they talked to you in a hallway, or saw you doing something? I mean, we obviously can't just ask you who offed Ryoma, and you have to answer us, right?"

"That is correct, Road Rash! I may be a rabid prick of a raccoon, but committing perjury is beneath me, and I won't have a Class Trial tainted because I lied to you! Now, back to Ryoma. Who killed him?" Monorakun leaned back in his seat and began scratching behind his right jaw with his front paw.

Kyoko spoke up. "I believe we should establish where Ryoma was killed first. Did anyone find any evidence of struggle in any other rooms?"

Everyone shook their heads no. Mahiru eventually spoke up. "I think it's safe to say Ryoma died where we found him, in Classroom 1-C."

Kyoko merely nodded lightly. "As I suspected. So we can establish 1-C as the scene of the murder. Now, the murder weapon. Did anyone find anything, other than that rope, that could have done this?"

Korekiyo replied, "I found a rope in the Pool Room, the type used to separate lanes, or shallow ends from deep ends." He produced it for us to see.

I asked to see it, and he handed it to me. I examined the rope's fabric and width, then shook my head.

"This does not match the wounds on Ryoma's neck. This rope is too wide, and the material is too coarse. I do not think this was used."

Kyoko agreed. "Great find, Korekiyo, but I'm with Shishano here."

Korekiyo took it in stride, and Rantaro added that the incinerator was cold and empty, so the murder weapon was not burnt up.

"So it is safe to say this training rope was the murder weapon, then, in Classroom 1-C. Now, does anyone's alibi stand out with the time of death?" Kyoko asked the rest of us.

Mahiru spoke up. "Only three people seem suspicious, judging from their alibis. Fuyuhiko, Shishano, and Nekomaru."

Wait...how did I become a suspect?

"The fuck you just say?!" Fuyuhiko shot off. "You saying I killed that short little fucker? He wasn't even worth my time!"

Mahiru shot back, "Yet you admitted to being near the scene of the crime, while Ryoma was still alive. That has to make you a possible suspect, like it or not."

"You stupid fucking bitch! Why the fuck would I waste my time killing Ryoma? All he ever did was moan and groan about being in prison. Such a depressing little -"

"Fuyuhiko and Shishano are both innocent!" Nekomaru loudly proclaimed, to my utter surprise, as he slammed both of his fists down on his own podium. "A real manager stands up for his players when they've done no wrong, and I'm doing that now!"

Korekiyo snickered. "Kehehehe... You do realize that, by defending these two, you are merely incriminating yourself more?"

"I don't care!" Nekomaru quickly snapped. "I know Fuyuhiko and Shishano didn't kill Ryoma, and I know I didn't either! That would be the ultimate violation for a Team Manager such as I!"

"Bullshit!" Fuyuhiko fired back. "You had the rope, you were alone with Ryoma in there. You had the weapon, the opportunity...you killed him, Nekomaru!"

"I did not, and would never, kill Ryoma! Never!" Nekomaru roared back.

"Then prove it, asshole! If you can't, I say we vote you out!" Fuyuhiko was pissed, and several of the other students agreed with him.

I looked at Kyoko, feeling uneasy. Nekomaru was standing his ground strong, and despite how guilty the circumstances made him look, something...still troubled me.

"Kyoko?" I interrupted. "Something seems...wrong here. Off. I feel as if we are missing something vital to this case."

Kyoko went silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "I agree. There IS something we are all overlooking."

I thought for a bit longer, and then figured it out. "The scene of the crime. Something was wrong with the setup, wasn't there, Kyoko?"

Kyoko smirked. "Indeed. Let us discuss that."

I glanced up at Monorakun, who was sitting up at attention, but then decided to walk around twice in a circle before laying down, in a circle, in his seat. He then pretended to snore, but otherwise said nothing to any of us.

Gundham spoke next. "So, Ryoma's Sacrificial Room comes into light. Declare your observations unto us all, and let us see who bears the Blackened Mark of Cain!"

Mondo looked at Gundham, confused. "Huh? What's this dude jabbering on about?"

Sakura replied. "Gundham merely wishes for us to continue. His words may seem strange, but his intentions for this trial are pure."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Mondo shook his head, still confused. "The only strange things I saw in there were the rope and Ryoma's dead body hanging from it. Kyoko looked around the room for a bit. Mahiru spoke to Shishano about her alibi, too. Other than that, I got nothing."

Sakura continued. "I watched Shishano conduct a thorough search of Ryoma, while Mondo monitored Kyoko's investigation of the crime scene. When Mahiru came in for our alibis, Mondo was the one to address her first. She also took Shishano's and Kyoko's alibis, as well, while I watched the doorway. Kyoko found several things in Classroom 1-C that concerned her, and Shishano's search of Ryoma seemed to eliminate some possibilities, as well. Perhaps we should address Kyoko's and Shishano's findings next."

"I agree with Sakura, the murder scene was very concerning. I found three footprints on the teacher's desk, matching Ryoma's shoes. Also, a scuff mark on the wall that came from Ryoma's shoe connecting with that wall. Ryoma's legs were bound with a large, thick rubber band, which I doubt even Nekomaru could have forced onto Ryoma's legs."

I continued. "Furthermore, I saw no signs of a struggle anywhere on Ryoma's body. No bruising, no defensive wounds, nothing indicating Ryoma fought back against an attacker. To me, that means -"

Monorakun interrupted me. "That we have one final student to interrogate. Don't we, Toko? Or, should I say..."

Without warning, a cloud of black powder was shot in Toko's face. Toko started waving the powder frantically away from her, when suddenly, she sneezed, her head disappearing from view for a moment.

When she reappeared, though...it was like an entirely different person stood before us. Blood-red eyes, a ridiculously long, pointed tongue, and a...pair of scissors? Toko, or whoever this was now, was laughing maniacally.

Suddenly, everyone's E-Handbooks went off at once. Opening mine, I saw a new entry in the "Yearbook" section. "Jack Syo: Ultimate Serial Killer".

"Jack Syo?" I asked this girl out loud.

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-what? That's not my name! It's...wait, what the hell happened to Monokuma up there?" Jack had her full attention on Monorakun now.

Monorakun cocked his head. "Monokuma? That's not a name you should know. "

Jack snarled. "I was outside Hope's Peak Academy the entire time, trying to get Master out! Windows barricaded, door locked, courtyard roof not see-through! Ahhh, but Master made it out alive, escorted by the Medusa Man and the other survivors! I WILL SEE HIM AGAIN!!!"

Monorakun, ignoring her outburst, continued. "Anyway, some circles know you as Jack, and other circles refer to you as Syo, so I combined the two to make your name. Don't like it? Don't care."

I decided, against my better judgement, to interrupt this. "Anyway, Jack, this is Monorakun."

Jack looked Monorakun over. "Hmph, you look like an asshole!"

Jack's eyes then lowered, stopping on Rantaro. "You, on the other hand...Oooohh, pretty boy!"

Kyoko interrupted this time. "Can we please get back to this trial? You obviously had a reason for revealing Jack to us, Monorakun. What's your ploy here?"

"Well, you all had no way of knowing this, but Jack here is also a witness to Ryoma's untimely demise. Say what you will about my sparkling, bubbly personality, but I won't have a Class Trial tainted in this manner."

Jack spoke up. "Oh, him? Sorry, but he wasn't my type. I came to in the girls bathroom, and decided to walk around. I saw this big, hulking guy walking away from a classroom door, so I took a peek inside. And what did I see in there? A little short dude draping a rope over a monitor, with a noose on one end! Not my business if some random guy wants to off himself, so I kept walking. I saw a blue-suited troll walking away from me, down the next hallway, but he turned the corner before I could do much."

Kyoko and I exchanged glances. If Nekomaru says Fuyuhiko and I are innocent, and Jack says Ryoma was still alive when Nekomaru left Classroom 1-C without the rope...

No signs of a struggle. No self-defense wounds.

...Because Ryoma had no one to fight back against.

A pit began to form in my stomach, and my face began to feel fuzzy The edges of my vision began to darken, and everything around me sounded muted.

A gloved hand suddenly appeared on my left shoulder. "Shishano? You ok?"

It was Kyoko. I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths, and composed myself. "Suicide. Everything points to suicide. Ryoma hanged himself."

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "It would appear so. He had Nekomaru gather the rope for him, and set the room up himself. Nekomaru's hands are too large to tie a knot underneath the teacher's desk, but Ryoma could. Nekomaru is too strong to strangle Ryoma without bruising him. There is no other logical explanation."

Monorakun's ears perked forward. "Do I hear a voting call?"

Himiko lazily answered, "Nyeh, sure. Let's end this so we can leave."

Our podiums revealed a screen with 17 faces, including one for Jack. I sadly cast my vote for Ryoma, wishing I better understood him.

After all votes were cast, a monitor beneath Monorakun's podium displayed a Roulette table, set up the same way as our seating arrangement. A Monorakun ball spun around and around, bouncing in and out of the slots, before the ball settled into Ryoma's slot.

We were correct. Ryoma hanged himself...but why?

Monorakun chuckled. "Poor Ryoma thought, if the Blackened and the Victim were the same person, there could be no execution, thus forcing me to set you all free. However, there is one fatal problem with his assumption: the fact that I cannot execute a dead body for committing its own murder. As you are about to see...Yes, I can!"

Suddenly, a set of double doors opened, and the table we all stood at spun around, until Ryoma's stand was facing the open doors.

Monorakun continued. "Let this be a warning to the rest of you: Ryoma lived for nothing, and he died for nothing. Sacrificing yourself does no one any good. Now, sit back, watch, and enjoy!"

As we watched, the room beyond the double doors lit up, revealing a tennis court, with the net splitting the room in half. On the left and right sides of the court were a large Monorakun, easily ten feet tall, each carrying a large tennis racket. As they moved, the strings on the rackets turned out to be barbed wire. The one on the left had what appeared to be Ryoma's corpse in its other hand.

A realization came upon me, and my blood ran cold. Looking up, a sign displayed, "Ryoma's Execution: No Love".

Ryoma was tossed up, and smashed hard by the serving Monorakun. The receiving Monorakun returned the serve with an underhanded swing, not letting Ryoma hit the ground. The two continued playing tennis with Ryoma's dead body, with each "player" scoring each time Ryoma hit the ground twice. This sickening game eventually went to Deuce, and Monorakun called it a game. Ryoma's tattered remains were left on the court, still somehow holding together despite all the cuts and slices from the barbed wire tennis rackets, and the double doors closed to the room, the lights within going out.

We all just stood there, staring silently, dumbfounded, at the display before us. What had we just witnessed? Was this to be the fate of us all? Was there truly any hope of escaping this place with our lives?