Monokuma's second incentive had a bit of an impact of the Students at Arashimine Resort. Things were pretty quiet as the sun began to fall, while the implications and possibilities of the incentive sank in. Ichijou himself had no worries or temptations, but what Kirigiri had said about herself was still on his mind as he lounged in his Lodge. The idealist in him wanted to say that she'd stop herself from killing if she was in the position, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be suspected. Minami's distrust of her was no secret to anyone.

But even discounting Kasumi and her lost memories, who else among them was open to acting on the incentives? Who had a vendetta they'd want to end? Ichijou could only wonder; he certainly couldn't think of anything anyone in particular had said, though he could reason that most of them, like Monokuma had said, had enemies or rivals due to their Talents. Ichijou, the Luckster, had to admit he was lucky he didn't, unless someone would target him because he won the random draw, but he doubted Hope's Peak gave away all that information freely.

After a little while, Ichijou drifted to sleep, before snapping awake even later, scratching his hair. Checking the time, he noticed it was getting closer to supper. Stretching away his stiffness, he headed out, regretting falling asleep so easily. The chances of a murder had risen, and Ichijou had yet to take any effort to lower them. But he didn't have any ideas except to preach about his thoughts on death and murder, but if someone already had their heart set on it, it would just be useless.

Going across the quiet First Level and heading into the Restaurant, Ichijou saw that he was not the only one acting relaxed. Snoozing on the otherwise unoccupied table was Ishihara, sleeping noiselessly. Ichijou wasn't even certain he was alive until he got closer and saw his breathing. Ichijou came up behind him, reaching over to nudge him awake. Before he even touched him, the Aeronaut jumped up, looking around, a bit of drool on his face. Slurping it up and wiping his mouth, he said, "Oh! Mitsuzi-kun, how are things?"

Despite his lack of room to speak, Ichijou asked, "Tired?"

Ishihara shrugged, "Guess so. Maybe from the swimming?"

Ichijou nodded, "Oh! Almost forgot about that."

Spotting some of Ichijou's hair sticking up, Ishihara smiled, "You caught some Z's too, huh?"

A bit surprised, the Luckster gasped, "How did you know?"

Ishihara let out a laugh, "Nothing, nothing." He stretched, before looking around, noticing the time. "Oh, I should start dinner in a little bit..." he said.

Sitting down, the Luckster asked, "You worried about the incentive?"

Ishihara pondered for a moment, before answering, "Well, the last one worked...I don't have any enemies I'd wish death upon, but who's to say for everyone else? It's not like Aeronautics are very competitive, I'm only really notable for my age..."

Ichijou shook his head, taking a seat, "There's no way that's true. You are Super High School Level after all."

Ishihara scratched his head, smiling, "I guess." Going back to the topic at hand, he noted, "Well, even if we don't have to worry about going with the incentive, we should still be careful about getting caught up in it. I wonder what Ryunosuke-kun is planning." Ichijou leaned in, interested, prompting Ishihara to continue, "You heard what he said earlier?"

Ichijou tried to recall for a moment, before replying, "Something like...'not if I can help it'. He wants to try and keep us from killing each other, right?"

Ishihara nodded, "Yeah, maybe by keeping us busy somehow. But there's only so much we can do, and it's not like we can force everyone. He got lucky earlier today, don't you think?"

Ichijou nodded, "I guess. I mean, I doubt Sanada-san or Saruta-san would have come to swim if they knew beforehand, but I dunno if Tamura-kun could keep it up."

Smiling, Ishihara said, "Then we should help him somehow! Support him!"

Ichijou couldn't help but agree, saying, "Sure! Any ideas?"

"Nope!" Ishihara said. Standing, he stretched again, before saying, "Well, I'm gonna go start on dinner. If you see Hina-chan, let her know."

"Roger," Ichijou replied as the Aeronaut went off to the Kitchen. He figured it would be a waste to leave with dinner so close, so he simply loitered around. Sure enough, as empty stomachs started to protest, the Restaurant began to fill. By the time dinner was brought out, everyone was present, including Kirigiri, much to Ichijou's relief. As the meal of seafood and pasta began, things remained a bit tense and quiet.

Looking over at the amnesiac, Ichijou asked her, "So, did you find anything on that poem?"

Kirigiri swallowed a bite of her food, before explaining, "I did find a book regarding bird symbolism. Swallows are said to represent protection and warmth...in other words, I learned nothing. I'll keep at it." Looking around at the others, she asked, "I don't suppose anyone here has an interest in poetry?"

Sanada shrugged, "I deal in words, but in a different manner, I'm afraid."

Uzatei sighed adjusting his glasses, "I'm one to focus on outer beauty than that of words."

Ishihara grumbled, "I feel like Andou-san would be helpful here. She knows a lot about animals and nature. Or knew..."

Tamura nodded, saying harshly, "She would have been if she were here, but she's not. And with that in mind, I think we should keep ourselves sharp." Standing in his seat once more, the ASCAN said, "Astronauts are constantly trained in many aspects to ensure they're ready for a mission, even trained for when someone else might make a mistake. I think 'training' is something we can use here, even in a Game of Mutual Killing."

Ganaha gasped, "Eh? Really? But wouldn't that involve someone, you know..."

Tamura smiled, "Not necessarily. I have an idea, you see, but I'd like for everyone to take part. Keeping yourselves vigilant and your minds open to all options is something I'd like to support, so this is what I propose." Clearing his throat, he explained, "Tomorrow, we'll all be taking part in a Mock Killing Game. I will choose one of us to become a Mock Culprit, who will find and take down a Mock Victim. In other words: practice for the real thing."

There were a few moments of silence as it digested. Furugori scratched his head, asking, "You sure that will work?"

Ishihara suddenly shouted, "Of course it will! Somehow..."

Saruta took a bite of his food, before asking once again, "Must we all take part?"

Tamura thought for a moment, before replying, "I would prefer if we all did, but I can't force you. I will say that you'll be missing out if you don't join in. We can't just expect Kirigiri-san to just solve every case for us." The pale purple haired girl gave a cough of surprise, but didn't interrupt. Ryunosuke continued unhindered, "I think the Mock Game will be a good opportunity to discuss things like how we could have prevented a 'murder' without necessarily opening a whole lot of old wounds by discussing the last one." He seemed a bit bitter at his own comment, but added with more certainty, "We all need to pitch in in the event of a real investigation."

Mikage shrugged, pointing out, "As if you did a whole lot."

Tamura frowned, looking away, admitting, "I'm not proud of it. I'm trying to make right of it somehow, so..."

Sanada reasoned, "Well, now that we know the consequences of failure, I don't think those of us who did nothing last time would be so willing to sit out in the event of another murder."

Uzatei nodded, "Given that I consorted so closely with a murderer not half an hour after she killed Andou...I can't say I don't feel a bit ashamed."

After a moment of awkward silence, Tamura said, "So, any other questions?"

Kirigiri leaned forwards, asking, "So, you will be choosing the Mock Culprit, but the Mock Culprit will be choosing their Mock Victim? In other words: you won't know?"

Tamura shook his head, "If we go so far as to have a Mock Trial, I won't be taking part. There's no way to choose a Mock Culprit randomly without someone knowing, I think. Not without the risk of there being multiple Mock Culprits all trying to fill the gap, but that would be a mess." Looking around again, he asked, "Well, if that's all, who's in? Keep in mind that opting in means potentially being chosen a Culprit."

Tamura raised his hand, quickly followed by Ishihara and Ichijou. A few other hands crawled upward, only Saruta, Mikage, and Ganaha not raising their hands.

Mikage grumbled, "Bother me when it's the real thing."

Saruta admitted, "I'd rather not be away from the Medical Building if someone needs me." Ganaha didn't even offer an excuse of any kind, but clearly seemed disinterested by the grumpy expression on her face.

Tamura nodded, "That's fine."

Minami wondered, "We should keep our Mock Killing Game away from those who don't want to participate, shouldn't we?"

Yokozuna suggested, "Oh! I know! We can just play on the Second Level, so everyone else can just stay on the lower Levels."

Tamura insisted, "Train! We're not playing, we're training."

Ichijou nodded, "Right!" He had to admit, however, "It still seems like fun though."

Tamura let out a sigh, "Fair enough. Anyway, when you wake up tomorrow the Mock Culprit will have received a note with a few ideas. I'll give them a few hours to plan, so we'll start at noon after lunch. Fair enough?" There were no voices raised in discontent.

The meal continued with a bit of light conversation, the tension having been lifted a bit due to the idea of the Mock Killing Game. With the meal naturally finished, Ichijou, one to fall asleep just as easily as he rose, took some time to shower before lying in bed, remaining in a half asleep state until he heard the evening playing of taps and the usual announcement, "Attention Students, it is now nighttime. The Resort Restaurant and Storage Units are now closed until morning. The water in the showers has been turned off, and the lights outside the Lodge's will be turned off in ten minutes, so take care. Good night, and sleep well~"

Sometime after then, he drifted to a deeper sleep until the next day came.

Kirigiri Kasumi's morning began as normal, with the blaring of the bugle and Monokuma's sickening voice. Getting up, she went to dress herself, but nearly tripped over one of the books she'd left on the ground last night. She stumbled, but managed not to fall. Even so, her mood shifted for the worse, which was not a good omen for the beginning of the day.

Dressed properly, blazer intact, Kirigiri cleaned up properly for a few moments, moving her books off the floor, looking over the titles again: 'Bird Symbolism in Asia', 'Naval History of Japan'. The generic titles were more than telling, in fact: the books were heavy on their subject matter. Kirigiri could understand most of it, but she was tempted to go find some simpler texts at times. The book on naval history wasn't much help in finding 'the bay where old blood runs', mentioned in the poem, however: there seemed to be a lot of information omitted, and for no discernable reason either. She'd probably give the Library another look later.

Stepping out of Kobayashi's Lodge, Kirigiri headed over to the Restaurant, hoping things would turn around. Finding that she was the last to arrive (not so uncommon for her, it seemed) she took an empty seat, greeting, "Good morning."

Minami asked bitterly, "Why the lateness? Contemplating something for later, Miss Culprit?"

Kirigiri sighed, "I will insist that I'm not the Mock Culprit."

Minami shrugged, "Who was talking about the Mock Killing Game?"

Tamura interrupted, "That's enough." Not wanting to add to Minami's already foul mood, Kirigiri complied. Tamura continued, "I'd rather not even begin to talk about the potential Mock Culprit. Let's try and keep it clean, okay? If you don't want to, you could always opt out." Luckily, there were no complaints. Breakfast came and went without further incident.

As everyone began to fan out, Kirigiri found herself wondering if she should just spend all her time reading. Knowing the books would still be there later, her trek to the Second Level instead took her beyond he Library. The only real way to go from here was the Greenhouse though...

As she walked down the path, she spotted a gray coated figure ahead of her. Just as she spotted Nagasaki, the Survivalist stopped her movement, seeming to perk up as she froze, no doubt scanning the area. Kirigiri was suddenly nervous, as if something horrible might happen. She couldn't help but flinch when Nagasaki turned her gaze on her, watching the pale purple haired girl with wary eyes. Kirigiri sucked in her lips, before turning about, heading back down the path from whence she came.

Trying to force conversation with her would definitely not be worth it. Just imagining the anxiety she'd cause the Survivalist made Kirigiri certain it would never work. Not that Kirigiri was entirely undeserving of the suspicion, but still.

Deciding to give up on doing the abnormal, she made her way to the Library, but happened to spot a figure standing next to the fenced off cliff. Approaching, Kirigiri greeted, "Enjoying the view, Ishihara-san?"

Turning and leaning against the fence, Ishihara smiled, "Yeah. It's a nice view from here. I wonder if there are some better points higher up."

Kirigiri sighed, "On one hand, I agree. On the other, it might be better not to find out."

Understanding the implication, Ishihara nodded, "Yeah, I know..."

Stepping next to him, her hands gripping the barricade, Kirigiri took in the view herself, before asking, "So, you haven't reconsidered that glider have you?"

Ishihara nodded, "Well, yeah, I mean, I wasn't getting anywhere with it, so..."

Kirigiri raised an eyebrow, asking, "Are you not an Aeronaut?"

Ishihara raised his hands as he reiterated, "Er, I mean literally. Even if I did finish it, there's not really much to do with it. I mean, maybe if we get some better jumping spots, but all I've really got is that cliff on the First Level. I don't even need a glider for that."

Kirigiri nodded, "I see..." Scratching her chin, she noted, "But surely you could do better than simply get to the ground. Why not aim for the record of longest time in flight by doing circles in the allowed areas."

Ishihara snorted, "That's impossible! Sure, I may be Super High School Level, but going that many miles requires ideal weather conditions! I'd also need a top of the line glider and to get myself in tip top shape, plus find the ideal location and wait for that weather to roll around..."

Kirigiri nodded, not truly realizing the work it took to master the chaotic element of air until just now. She replied, "I take it back then, surely you've got a trial ahead of you."

Ishihara shrugged, "Well, I suppose. I would like to get into glider design though. Maybe I could come up with some other fuel-less form of aerial flight too."

Glancing up at the sky, Kirigiri asked, "What drove you to become so interested in your passions, anyway?"

Ishihara smiled, "My heroes, of course!" Looking in the same direction as Kirigiri, he explained, "I mean, humans have always wanted to fly like birds. Do you know the first story of human flight?"

Kirigiri thought for a moment, before suggesting, "Well, I'd assume it involved a primitive human, a cliff, and a pair of very large leaves."

Ishihara laughed, "Too far back."

Kirigiri pondered a bit more, before recalling, and saying in confidence, "In 852, a Spanish man covered himself in feathers and jumped from a tower, injuring his back."

Ishihara slapped his forehead, grumbling, "Too far forward!" Dropping his hand and looking at her quizzical, he added, "Wait a minute: you remember Armen Firman and the record of his flight attempt, but not your own name?"

Hastily changing the subject, Kirigiri stammered, "W-well, if it's not those, then it must be..."

Ishihara sighed, answering for her, "Icarus and Daedalus."

Kirigiri frowned, displeased, noting, "Oh. I know of it, but I was expecting something more in the vein of reality. After all, the tale of that father and son was more metaphorical, no? 'Know one's limits and don't overextend yourself'."

Ishihara pouted, "Kirigiri-saaaan! You're taking the adventure out of it! The romance! The daring escape from prison through ways no man had seen before, only for it to end tragically as Icarus' spirit gets the better of him. What was he even imprisoned for anyway!? His escape was completely justified!"

Kirigiri noted, "Should I be worried that your hero is Icarus?"

Ishihara smiled, "I have other heroes! Pioneers in their field, who do everything that they can, their spirit unquenchable..."

Kirigiri guessed, tossing out the names of a few well known aviators, "Earhart? Lindbergh? The Wright Brothers?"

Ishihara nodded, "Sure, sure." Standing straight, he said, "Well, anyway, I'm gonna go. Maybe I'll work on that glider after all..."

Kirigiri smiled, "Might I suggest a lighter color? A darker one might absorb heat should you get to close to the sun." Ishihara let out another laugh, before bidding the girl farewell. As she watched him head down the path, she couldn't help but admire his strong, if daring, spirit.

After her conversation, Kirigiri headed over to the Library, spending a little time in grabbing another book or two while she had a chance, carting them down to her room before heading over to the Resort Restaurant for lunch. For once, everyone seemed to be engaging in casual conversation, without a hint of tension in the air. The idea of the Mock Killing Game seemed to be keeping everyone occupied. Tamura in particular seemed pleased about it. Or maybe it was the western classic of burgers and fries on the plates.

Getting her food and taking a seat next to Ichijou, she asked him, "So, do you have a strategy for surviving?"

The Luckster thought for a moment, before saying, "I think I'll just try and stay out of the way and hope I don't get involved in any trouble."

Kirigiri smirked, "Well, that seems likely."

Ichijou gave a relaxed shrug, "I think I said it before, but I never really notice my Luck a whole lot. I mean, I haven't gotten involved in any trouble, so there's that."

Kasumi blinked, before asking, "Does falling off a cliff not constitute as trouble?"

Ichijou laughed, "That doesn't count!"

Kirigiri summarized, "So, you haven't really noticed your Luck aside from the one time you were simultaneously incredibly lucky and unlucky?"

Ichijou thought on her words, before saying, "I guess."

Kirigiri sighed, "You should really take you Talent more seriously. At least you have one."

Ichijou nodded, "Er, right. I forgot." He seemed to think on that for a moment, before saying, "I still think you might be a Sleuth though. Or something close, like...you're good at analyzing stuff, so maybe an Analyst?"

Kirigiri mused, "But a Super High School Level Analyst? I couldn't imagine what that would mean. Besides, if I were the Analyst, I imagine I would have deciphered that poem at a glance. The bar for being 'Super High School Level' seems to be higher than me." Looking around she mumbled, "And yet, here I am..."

Ever optimistic, Ichijou smiled, "Well, a mystery is a mystery, and even if you aren't Super High School Level, you have my support at least." Lighting up, he added, "Hey, how about after the Mock Killing Game, you give me some reading material? To help, you know?"

Not sure if he was being serious or not, Kirigiri asked, "Really?" Ichijou nodded and Kirigiri, a bit elated, smiled slightly, saying, "I would be glad too." Seeing Ichijou grin in response, she recalled that he occasionally had his moments of insight. With a bit of fine tuning, perhaps... Her mind on that note, she went over prospective reading material in her head as she ate her burgers.

When most everyone had finished, Tamura said, "Alright, everyone. After I finish cleaning up, I'm going to head up to the Second Level. I'll meet you all at the Library in half an hour. In the meantime, you're free to do your own thing, strategize, use the bathroom, anything to prepare. I'll discuss some rules before we begin, so don't get ahead of yourselves." Looking over at Mikage, Ganaha, and Saruta, he added, "Remember that once we start, we should stay on the Second Level. The First and Ground Levels are out of bounds, so anyone not interested in taking part should stay down there. If you think you might need to do something up there, you have a little time." He looked around, not receiving much response. He suddenly shouted, "Understood!?" Several surprised cries on understanding followed, and he nodded with satisfaction before grabbing things and going to work. Ishihara tried to help, but Tamura was steadfast about not letting anyone offer assistance, shooing them away from the Kitchen.

As everyone began to separate, Kirigiri went back to her Lodge for a moment, looking around to make sure she had everything. Certain she was ready, she stepped back out, she headed over to the Library, ascending the slope and going down the path to the purple signpost, taking the side path over to...the shed in the dark with the swimming gear. Shaking her head, she returned to the main path, checking the color of the signpost again. Something was not right here. Sure enough, the first turn after the gold sign was marked with a blue dot on the map, yet the sign was purple. Why didn't she notice earlier? Heart beginning to pound, a smile crept onto her face as she considered the possibility of the Mock Culprit messing with things. Keeping her lips shut about it, she went down the main path to the next sign, which was light blue, turning and heading back to the Library.

When she arrived, most everyone was assembled, either looking over the cliff or chatting outside. Looking around for Furugori or Minami, she only saw the latter, approaching the large girl, Yokozuna, and Nagasaki. She asked the Contractor, "Excuse me, how long until Tamura said he would arrive?"

Minami checked her watch, answering, "We have about ten minutes."

Kirigiri nodded, saying, "Thank you."

She was about to step away, but Yokozuna suddenly said, "Hey, Kasumi-chan, any tips?"

Kirigiri thought for a moment, before asking, "For what, in particular?"

Yokozuna explained, "Oh, you know, not being made the Victim, the investigation..."

Minami noted, "For the first one, don't go off alone."

Kirigiri nodded, "Indeed, that would be safest. As for the investigation, pay attention to every detail that could be relevant."

Yokozuna claimed, getting pouty, "Well, I tried that, but I still wasn't much help in the Trial..."

Kirigiri pointed out, "It can be hard to find your voice when there are so many others. It's fine to speak your mind even if you get shot down. The wrong questions can sometimes lead to the right answers."

Yokozuna gave her a befuddled look, before saying, "I'm not sure I understand...but I'll try it anyway! Thank you!"

Kirigiri nodded, "Don't mention it." She was tempted to give the Snowboarder a tip about the signs, but reconsidered, thinking it might be better to tell her when the Mock Game was actually in progress.

While waiting for Tamura, Kirigiri briefly stepped into the Library, thinking about Ichijou. Looking around, she was able to grab a couple books before hearing Tamura call for everyone from outside. Dropping what she was doing by placing the books on the table, she went outside, seeing that everyone was present except for the three who wanted to opt out.

Tamura looked around at the other nine, saying, "Alright, this will do. Now, when we begin, we will all spread out across the Level. There's no need to do anything in particular, just walk a little, relax, what have you. Our Mock Culprit will be acting in the meantime, trying to find a Mock Victim. After they perform their 'murder', the Mock Victim will have to stay put, playing dead, until someone else arrives. They're going to have to describe the crime scene to the investigators as they come along, relaying information for the investigation, like the Monokuma File does. How the Victim died will be very important."

Sanada wondered aloud, "What if the Mock Culprit can't manage a Mock Victim? Would that be a victory for the others?"

Tamura answered, "I've already thought about that, specifically, how I might play the role of the Mock Culprit myself. I want things to remain casual, so I'm going to ask the Mock Victim to play along, letting themselves be killed if need be."

Uzatei grumbled, "Really? Must we? I don't want to die."

Tamura gave a strained laugh, "Ha, who does? But being the Mock Victim might be an interesting learning experience, and afterwards, we can go over ways they might have been able to avoid their death."

Minami grumbled, "If they just lie down and die for the sake of the game, there might not be much to discuss."

Tamura scratched his head, admitting, "...True. Let's call this the beta test then. We'll try it out, see what works, what doesn't, and perhaps try again at some point? Perhaps on a different Level of the Resort."

Furugori nodded, "Okay, that sounds fine! Beta testing is important. It might be neat to see if the Second or Third Culprit could come up with a more interesting murder."

Nagasaki muttered a correction, "Mock Culprit."

Furugori gave a nervous laugh, "Aha, r-right."

Tamura thought for a moment, before asking, "Anything else?" There were a few shaking heads and shrugs, so Tamura nodded, "Alright then, let's get started! And be careful."

Slipping his hands into the pockets of his blue jumpsuit, the ASCAN shuffled off, a few others following splitting up at the fork. A handful stayed back, waiting for the group to thin. Kirigiri could hear Yokozuna suggesting to Nagasaki where they might be able to meet up later, before the two headed off. She stood thinking about where to go, but after a few minutes, she looked around and realized she was all alone near the Library.

She was tempted to just go inside, but that would be against the spirit of the game. Instead, she made her way to the main path like most everyone else (Furugori and Sanada had slipped into the woods, no doubt in an attempt to conceal themselves), reaching the light blue signpost once again. Crouching down, she noticed the dirt around the post had been disturbed. Someone had likely switched this one with the one near the Shed.

Heading back the way she'd come, she passed Ishihara along the way, the two eyeing each other with a certain bit of caution before parting ways. Reaching the purple signpost, certainly enough, the dirt was disturbed as well. However, she also checked the entrance signpost, which was still its normal gold color. Considering that, she made her way back, passing a relaxed Uzatei along the way.

Reaching the next signpost nearer to the Greenhouse, she saw that it was red instead of the typical light green. As she crouched down to examine the disturbed dirt, she froze when she heard a rustle from the nearby trees. Looking up, she swallowed, before wisely backing off, her gaze locked on where she thought she heard the noise. She was tempted to go towards the exit slope, but was suddenly a bit worried, instead turning and heading the other way with a hurried pace. Wiping her forehead, she wasn't certain how to feel. She might have just heard Sanada skulking in the woods, or perhaps narrowly avoided the Mock Culprit's trap.

Going back down the path, she took the turn to the Library once again, a little surprised to see that even after several minutes, she was still the only one there. Sighing in relief at being in the open again, she was surprised at how tense she was getting over this little game.

As if to keep her antsy, another rustle in the woods kept her on edge. Turning, she watched as Furugori stepped out of the foliage, possibly coming from the Greenhouse, or having taken a windy path from elsewhere. The Computer Engineer gave a sigh of relief as his stepped into the light, swallowing as he saw Kirigiri. He gave an awkward smile as he greeted, "Oh h-hey there, K-K-Kasumi-chan."

The girl nodded, a bit put at ease. "Hello, Yasuo-kun. Patrolling the forests?"

Furugori pondered on that as he got into talking distance, replying, "Well..." Kirigiri hesitated, noticing that he was holding something behind his back. When she realized what was going on, it was far from too late. Furugori was still hesitating. She pitied him a little, but she still felt sour...she wanted to investigate! Should she run? Or...

Noting Kirigiri starting to pout, Furugori asked, "S-s-something wrong?" As if realizing himself, he looked around cautiously.

Letting out a sigh, Kirigiri covered her eyes with her hand, before saying, "Just...get it over with."

Furugori blinked, "Eh?"

"Before I change my mind!" Kasumi cried. As her hand covered her eyes, she heard Yasuo give a lackluster grunt, and felt something poke against her chest. Peeking through her fingers and looking down, she saw he had a metal trowel, likely from the Gardening Shed, with a rather sharp point at that. Blinking, she muttered, "You poked my breast."

Furugori's jaw dropped as he retracted his makeshift weapon, starting to go a little pink. Kirigiri smiled, pleased with her quip of vengeance, before saying, "You should leave." With that, she let her legs go limp and collapsed into the grass, lying off the path.

She could hear as Furugori rustled foliage as he returned to the woods. He also muttered, "Thank you, Kasumi-chan!"

Kirigiri gave a smile, feeling a bit glad she could make the Mock Culprit's plan a success. In fact, thinking about it, this was perhaps the best option: without her in the investigation, it would allow the others to stretch out a bit. Minami certainly wouldn't mind, at least. Lying there with her mind to herself for several minutes, she couldn't help but puff out her cheek in frustration though: she wanted to investigate!

She gasped when she felt a finger poke her cheek, forcing her to expel the air contained within. Looking around, she saw Ichijou crouched down near her, looking puzzled. He asked, "Hey, Kasumi-chan, why are you lying on the ground angrily?"

Kirigiri frowned, before closing her eyes and relaxing herself, explaining, "I'm dead."

"Eh? Really?" Ichijou gasped.

Kirigiri asked sarcastically, "Couldn't you tell? There's blood everywhere!"

Ichijou looked around, trying to keep up, "Uh, you're right. It's...where?"

Pointing with her hand, she said with appropriate melodrama, "I was stabbed...right in the heart!"

Ichijou nodded, "Oh, I see." Shaking his head, he hurriedly said, "I mean, oh no!" He failed to maintain his composure, cracking a smile.

Kirigiri felt the edges of her mouth twitch as she tried not to laugh at his forced reaction. At least they were having fun. Ichijou stood, explaining, "I'm going to go tell everyone you died. Rest in peace."

"Okay," Kirigiri said, letting herself go limp and keeping her eyes closed as she tried to relax. She grumbled to herself, "You didn't even examine the wound..." He was already out of earshot, however.

Kirigiri laid there for several minutes, keeping alert, waiting for someone to walk by. Sure enough, she saw though half closed eyes as Uzatei came wandering along, reaching Kirigiri and crouching down near her. Staring at her for a moment, he asked, "Where's the body discovery announcement?"

Kirigiri replied, "It hasn't triggered yet."

Uzatei nodded, "I see, I see..." Looking around, he asked, "Anything notable about the scene?"

"Aside from the stab wound? Nothing in particular," Kirigiri replied.

Uzatei thought for a moment, before asking, "And what does it look like you were stabbed by?"

Kirigiri could barely keep from smirking as she answered, "The wound goes several centimeters deep, right through the ribcage and into the heart, resulting in the copious amounts of blood. However, the wound is about this wide." She measured out the presumed distance of the trowel with her fingers. She also added, "From the wound, it can be deciphered that the blade wasn't flat, having something of a bend in the middle."

Uzatei raised an eyebrow, asking, "And how long ago were you stabbed?"

Kirigiri shrugged from her prone position, "The Monokuma File hasn't been passed out yet."

Uzatei grumbled, "Now you're just being cheeky."

Looking aside, she mumbled back, "And I don't have a watch..."

Standing up, Uzatei replied, "Fair enough."

Uzatei stopped, looking over to the main path. Noticing, Kirigiri followed his gaze to see Ishihara making his way over. Once he got closer, Kirigiri said, "Attention please, a body has been discovered. In a few short hours, the Class Trial will begin. Investigate thoroughly, Students." She was a bit more monotonous than Monokuma though, not having his sickening enthusiasm for murder.

Looking around, Ishihara scratched his head, "Guess I'm third then? Okay."

Uzatei said, "I'd explain my findings, but we should be waiting for everyone so we can get our hands on the Monokuma File."

Kirigiri grumbled, "I told you..."

Uzatei sighed, "You're rather talkative for a corpse." Kirigiri pouted, but he wasn't paying attention to her: there was a rustling from the bushes.

Trying to get a view from her limited position, Kirigiri saw someone step out of the woods farther away. Nagasaki Ayumi stepped out, looking a little shaky. The moment her gaze fell on the trio, Ishihara raised his arm to wave, but she bolted into the woods on the other side of the path, moving towards the entrance to the Level. A bit confused, Ishihara wondered, "What's her deal? She okay?"

Uzatei scratched his head, muttering, "Perhaps things are getting to tense for her?"

Tension increasing a little, the three waited around until they saw Minami show up. As she approached, Kirigiri caught the hint of a smile on her lips. Kirigiri returned to playing dead as she came over, the first word out of her mouth being, "Where's the body discovery announcement?"

"Attention please, a body has been discovered. In a few short hours, the Class Trial will begin. Investigate thoroughly, Students!"

A look of puzzlement crossed Minami's face, and she asked, "How did you do that?"

A sense of dread filling Kirigiri, she sat up, answering, "I didn't." Scrambling to her feet, she brushed herself off before saying, "We need to move!"

The gravity of the situation sinking in, the four steeled themselves before heading quickly back to the main path. As they ran, Kirigiri stuck her hands into her pockets and withdrew her gloves. Donning them, she tied up her hair into a long ponytail as well. By the time they reached the main path, there was no one in sight, so they made their way to the exit, heading past the light blue signpost near the Library, reaching the red one at its new spot by the Greenhouse path after a couple minutes. As they stopped, unsure of what direction to head, Ishihara spotted something while looking around. "There!" he said, pointing as he went to run at some of the foliage next to the path heading to the Greenhouse. He went in, Minami going in after. Kirigiri poked her head in, seeing the body of Furugori Yasuo on the ground.

Before she could process it, Ishihara, hand on his wrist, exclaimed, "He's alive! Just unconscious. There's a little blood on his head..."

Uzatei sighed, "Well, we certainly can't keep him here, but he looks rather heavy."

Crouching down, Minami reached her arms under the Computer Engineer, lifting him without as much as a grunt. Uzatei didn't say anything, turning aside as if he hadn't said a word.

Kirigiri suggested, "Take him to the Library, there are chairs there, and it's closer."

Minami nodded, before running off. Uzatei followed, saying, "I'll stick with her, you guys find everyone else!"

"Got it!" Ishihara said, bolting off towards the Greenhouse. Kirigiri followed, noticing he was kind enough to keep a pace suitable for her. Arriving, however, they didn't see anything immediate: both the Greenhouse and Gardening Shed were devoid of people as far as they could tell from their quick look. They didn't loiter, turning and heading back to the main path, before making their way to the last signpost.

Kirigiri was starting to get winded as they arrived. A bit bitterly, she noted that the signpost here was the green one, as she'd predicted. Two people were here as well: standing by the signpost a little grimly was Ichijou, and sitting, looking disheveled and depressed was-

"Ganaha-san?" Ishihara gasped, not expecting to see the Producer here.

Kirigiri couldn't help but notice her white suit was muddy and wet. Her upper half was mostly dry, except for her eyes: she looked like she was about to cry. Ganaha muttered wetly, "I wish I never came up here..."

Stepping over, Ichijou mumbled weakly, "You guys...heard the announcement?" The Aeronaut and the amnesiac nodded, and the Luckster made for the forest, waving for them to follow. Dreading what was to come, Kirigiri held her breath as they made their way through the forest. It didn't take long to reach a clearing, where the Victim lay.

Laying on her front, face down in the center of the clear, blood pooled on the dirt, her twin tails and limbs spread out on the ground as if she'd fallen, was Yokozuna Hina. The side of her torso and neck were covered in blood, staining her white and purple clothing, though her purple beanie was missing.

An intense expression on her face, Kirigiri moved towards the corpse. From behind her, she could hear Ishihara's breathing intensify, as he muttered, "Why this..."

Kirigiri crouched down, wanting to look things over, but Ichijou insisted, "Hey, Kasumi-chan, we should wait for everyone else..."

Kirigiri complied, standing, before walking determinedly back to the path. Ichijou and Ishihara followed, their crestfallen demeanors slowing getting more determined as well. Returning to the green signpost where Ganaha still sat, Ishihara said, "I'm going to go get everyone..."

"Attention please, a body has been discovered. In a few short hours, the Class Trial will begin. Investigate thoroughly, Students!"

After a moment of silence at the repeated message, Ishihara shouted, "No! Why!? We already..."

Ichijou gasped, "Another one? That means..."

Kirigiri swallowed, shuddering as she grimly replied, "Another body."

Scratching at his head roughly, Ishihara let out an anguished cry of rage as he bolted, sprinting down the main path, the coat around his waist trailing behind him, leaving the sight of the other three in seconds.

Kirigiri made to follow, but stopped, looking over to Ganaha, saying, "Let's go."

Ganaha groaned, arms covering her head, "Why? It's not like I'm in any danger..."

Kirigiri put her foot down, exclaiming, "Take things seriously!" Ganaha didn't respond, to which Kirigiri said, "Fine, stay and watch the body." Looking over to Ichijou, the two nodded at each other before running off. Kirigiri insisted that the Greenhouse area was clear, the made their way to the Library, seeing Sanada Shinji standing nearby.

Ichijou asked with a bit of worry, "Is anyone else here?"

Getting closer, Kirigiri noticed that he was wet and muddy as Ganaha had been. She had to ask, "Where have you been?"

Sanada nodded, "Furugori-san is inside the Library, unconscious. I myself had been chasing a lead from what I believed to be the Mock Culprit until I heard the body discovery announcement."

Kirigiri studied him for a moment, before asking, "Where's the second Victim?"

Sanada shook his head, clearly not sure, before asking in kind, "Where's the first?"

Ichijou explained, "Yokozuna...is over near the slope to the Third Level."

Sanada thought for a moment, before asking, "Did you check the Greenhouse on your way here?"

Kirigiri replied, "We did on the way there, but not on the return. I want to check the Shed first."

Sanada nodded, "I'd go with you, but if Furugori-san awakens..."

A mutual understanding reached, Ichijou and Kirigiri left, returning to the main path again, this time heading the other way. Reaching the purple signpost, they headed down the darker path, seeing a few shapes up ahead, crowding around something. Glancing past Minami, Saruta, Mikage, Uzatei, and Ishihara, Kirigiri swallowed her displeasure at the sight.

Sitting against the wall of the shed, blood soaking his blue jumpsuit, his face plain with shock and pain, was Tamura Ryunosuke. Kirigiri's eyes couldn't leave the familiar metal trowel embedded in his chest, the spade coated in the warm liquid.