Class Trial
We returned to the courtroom and saw two additional portraits- Hoshino-kun's had an X with stars on each end and in the center, a bit like a constellation, while Katsura-san's had the standard X. The courtroom this time was mostly pink, a similar hue as Katsura-san's suit.
"Wow, I can hardly believe we're up to the fourth class trial already," Monokuma said. "If I still have to explain the rules to you bastards at this point, then you don't have a snowball's chance in hell of identifying the blackened and surviving."
"There's no need for that," Kagami-kun said. "By now, it's clear that we know what we're doing."
I nodded confidently, but knew that the blackened was equally aware of this. Was the prospect of graduation enough for them to put their own life on the line, not to mention endanger all of ours, or had Monokuma somehow "sweetened the deal" with his secret secondary motive?
"So, where should we start?" Sugiura-san said. "The Monokuma File was... missing some important details this time."
"Of course it was!" Monokuma said. "It's supposed to give you some hints, not say 'whodunnit.' It wouldn't be any fun if a Sudoku puzzle had all 81 squares filled in, or if a crossword told you exactly what word to write in each line."
Once again, Monokuma showed us that he had a very twisted definition of "fun." Ideally, there wouldn't be any murders or class trials, but failing that, I hoped that the trials would be relatively easy so that the chance of finding the right person would be as high as possible. Perhaps it was naive to hope that the blackened would confess and essentially seal their fate, but we'd have to find the truth one way or another.
"Still, this is a bit of a departure from previous cases," Sugiura-san said. "Not only is the time of death missing, but the Monokuma File mentions two separate injuries, neither of which is confirmed as the cause of death. We don't know for certain whether Katsura died from her broken neck or the blow to her head."
"Maybe it's both," Inoue-kun said. "They might have hit her on the head hard enough to break her neck."
"That's unlikely," Kagami-kun said. "I highly doubt the culprit could have accomplished that with just a blow to the head."
No one else said anything, and Iwasawa-san tacitly backed off her theory. For now, we were all in agreement that Katsura received the blow to her head and broke her neck at two different times, even if we didn't yet know the order or the cause of those injuries.
"Does it matter?" Tezuka-kun said. "I don't think the cause of death proves who killed her. It's not like it's something only one of us could do."
"I think we should start with the time of death," Kagami-kun said. "If we can find out when Katsura-san died, we can possibly use that to determine which of us had alibis at the time, thereby narrowing down the list of suspects."
At this point, I could think of two possibilities- while Sae and I were going to get help, or during Night Time. The former would be difficult to prove, but if it was the latter, then finding a suspect would be almost impossible.
"I think we can figure out when the killing happened," Fukuda-kun said. "As I said earlier, Katsura's game timer ran out at 11:15, so she must have started playing at 10:45. She got ambushed and killed during that half hour period."
"But isn't that weird?" Tezuka-kun said. "Why'd she play the game while she was alone at night?"
"Probably because no one else was watching," Sugiura-san said. "If she wanted to complete the game without anyone finding out, Night Time would be the best chance."
If that was true, then it was significantly more likely that Katsura-san was not the one who couldn't let anyone finish FDR:VR. Of course, there was still a chance that Katsura-san was that person, and if it was, then Sugiura-san's argument no longer had any basis.
"So she was so impatient to play that she tried to stab Miura while Miura's BFF was in the same room?" Tezuka-kun said. "Come on, I don't buy that."
"Me neither," Inoue-kun said, "Besides, Katsura-san tried to convince us not to play the game the morning after we got it. Unless she was one of the people who Monokuma had given a secondary motive, I doubt she'd change her stance on it so suddenly."
I remembered when Katsura-san had watched Fukuda-kun play the game shortly before Night Time three nights ago. She'd given every indication that she'd wanted to play at the earliest possible opportunity and join the effort to continue the game. Less than half a day later, she'd practically done a 180 on that position, and we could only guess why.
"Consider this," Sugiura-san said. "If we agreed not to play FDR:VR, then there may have been an opportunity for someone to sneak in and play without anyone knowing about it. As such, Katsura would have opposed it, so that no one else could do so first. Since Miura was the first to play after Edogawa's almost successful attempt, and had the most experience, Katsura must have been afraid that Miura would be the first to clear the game."
"Or that Kaori would finish at all," Sae said. "Not only do we not know enough about why Katsura-san tried to kill Kaori, but it's beside the point for now."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Sugiura-san let her argument drop. After a moment, Fukuda-kun cleared his throat, then tried to get us back on track.
"Anyway, my point is Katsura died after we'd given up on the search," Fukuda-kun said, "which means apart from Miura and Edogawa, none of us have alibis during that time."
"That doesn't narrow it down very much," Sugiura-san said, disappointed. "Ordinarily, I'd assume Edogawa would want Katsura dead, whether out of revenge or to protect Miura, but if she's accounted for, then she can't have done it."
"Of course not," I said. "Sae stayed in my room, and it took about an hour for us to fall asleep. We were both in bed at 10:45 PM."
"Good point, Miura," Fukuda-kun said. "But what about the timing of the murder? Katsura attacked you around 8:45, right?"
"That's right," I said. "Around that time, my session expired."
Fukuda-kun calmly nodded, making it clear that he was still getting to his point. While I knew he didn't have enough evidence to formally accuse Sae of murder, and he probably knew she couldn't have done it, I didn't like where this was going.
"In other words, the game became available at 10:45," Fukuda-kun said. "You, Edogawa and Katsura knew exactly when the game would open, didn't you? That way, if Katsura returned to the computer lab to play it, you two are the only other ones who'd know when she'd be able to start. I can't say for certain why Katsura decided to play, but the timing is rather suspicious."
"You probably knew, too, Fukuda-kun," Sae said. "You came in shortly after Katsura-san fled."
"I did," Fukuda-kun said, "but I only just learned the exact time when Miura's session ended. It wouldn't be possible for me to go over there at the exact moment the game became available unless I was really lucky."
"It would be fairly easy for you to guess it," Sae said, "since you were on the floor and didn't see anyone play the game since Kaori was attacked. If you were wrong and there was time left in the lockout period, you could simply wait around for a few minutes. Since no one else was around during Night Time, you'd have virtually no chance of someone happening upon you."
"By that logic, pretty much anyone could do that," Fukuda-kun said. "Maybe you've got your reasons for suspecting me, but it's too soon to rule any of the others out."
What Sae was saying was fundamentally sound, but there was no real evidence behind it at this point, so we couldn't accuse Fukuda-kun just yet.
"I don't think this discussion's getting us anywhere," Iwasawa-san said. "Maybe we should go back to discussing the cause of death instead?"
"That's the problem," Sugiura-san said. "As I said earlier, the Monokuma File mentioned two possible fatal wounds, but didn't specify a cause of death."
"True," Kagami-kun said, "but if Monokuma made things deliberately vague, then it's possible that if we know what killed Katsura-san, we'll be very close to finding out who killed her, just like when we investigated Mizuhara-kun's murder."
I nodded, then thought about the wounds. At this point, we had a potential weapon that could have inflicted blunt trauma, one that the killer had hid in the secret compartment. On the other hand, I couldn't think of anything that could have broken Katsura-san's neck. It seemed easier to make a case for the former as the cause of death, but what if the killer wanted us to think that?
"So the killer bashed her on the head?" Tezuka-kun said. "Miura has a blunt weapon, but she also has an alibi, so that's hard to say."
"Neither Kaori nor anyone else used the hammer she received," Sae said. "While I was in her room, I saw the box with her murder weapon, still unopened, this morning."
I nodded in agreement, once again glad that I'd invited Sae over. Something about Tezuka-kun's theory struck me as odd, but I decided to wait until I was sure what before speaking.
"Ok, maybe Miura- or whoever the killer is- didn't use a hammer," Tezuka-kun said. "Maybe they stole a hammer or other heavy blunt object from the warehouse like Sakuragi did, and whacked Katsura on the head, killing her the same way as Kurogane. Whatever happened, I'm positive that Katsura died from the blow to the head."
I shook my head. I still couldn't say for certain what had killed Katsura-san, but after hearing Tezuka-kun talk about it this way, I was certain that it wasn't being hit on the head.
"The killer couldn't have caused that injury while Katsura-san was sitting in the chair," I said. "The chair's back is too high for them to inflict a blow on the back of her head."
"But what if Katsura-san got up and tried to flee?" Inoue-kun said.
"She probably wouldn't have noticed the person coming," Sae said. "Kaori only became aware that Katsura-san was trying to kill her after I yelled to her."
"That, too," I said. "As for Katsura-san, she wasn't wearing the headset when the culprit struck her on the head, since the headset wasn't damaged."
"Yep, that's right!" Monokuma said. "If the console broke after getting hit, I'd have to punish whoever did it. It's a good thing things didn't come to that, since class trials aren't any fun when the blackened's already dead."
It was a bit uncomfortable having Monokuma agree with me, but if this piece of evidence helped us better understand how Katsura-san died, I could live with it.
"Anyway, it's possible that Katsura-san might have removed the headset in time," I said, "but if she'd noticed her attacker, she probably would have gotten farther away, or at least been hit from the front."
"Ah, right," Fukuda-kun said. "I remember us talking about this when discussing Kurogane's murder."
Tezuka-kun shrugged sheepishly, then let off a long sigh.
"Oh, looks like I'm wrong," Tezuka-kun said. "Well, it was worth a shot; it's not like I know how the killer could've broken her neck."
No one volunteered any theories, and I found it hard to argue with Tezuka-kun's assertion. The most obvious theory was that the killer had grabbed Katsura-san from behind and snapped her neck, but again, given the chair, that wasn't possible.
"So I gather this," Kagami-kun said. "One of the wounds actually killed Katsura-san, and the other was inflicted to prevent us from realizing the true cause of death. The only question is- which is which?"
"It's most likely that Katsura-san died from the broken neck," Sae said. "The blow to the head seems to be the more obvious injury, possibly intended to disguise the true cause of death."
"I agree," I said. "Maybe the culprit broke Katsura-san's neck first, then bashed her on the head to make sure she was dead."
"And they did all that in the computer lab?" Sugiura-san said. "Apart from the altercation you and Edogawa had with Katsura, there's no sign of a struggle, so I don't think the computer lab is the crime scene."
An idea occurred to me- perhaps we'd been thinking about this from the wrong angle all this time. Our understanding of how the murder had happened relied on a pair of mutually exclusive assumptions- one being that Katsura-san died while playing the game at 10:45, the other being that she would never play under any circumstances. They obviously couldn't both be true, but now, I realized which one was more likely to be false, and why it worked to the killer's advantage to let us believe that.
"Neither do I," I said. "Putting aside all the questions of why Katsura-san would play FDR:VR when she's alone and vulnerable, and after she'd opposed finishing the game, she didn't actually play the game. The killer must have staged it so that it looked like she was playing the game when she died, most likely to confuse us about the cause of death."
A few others were surprised, but Sae simply smiled, having evidently realized this as well. Fukuda-kun, however, didn't seem convinced.
"Interesting," Fukuda-kun said, "but that doesn't explain where she was killed. Like Sugiura said, we looked all over the school and didn't see any signs of a struggle. Where did the killer find her?"
"Just outside the secret compartment," I said. "The killer killed Katsura-san when she was just outside the compartment, opened it up, then put her body inside, before planting it in the computer lab to make it look like she'd been playing FDR:VR when she died."
"That's a fairly bold theory," Inoue-kun said. "Do you have any evidence?"
I nodded.
"I completed the game using Iwasawa-san's memory card," I said. "As a reward, Iwasawa-san was allowed to put her memory card into a lock on the fourth floor, thus opening up a secret compartment. The door can be opened as long as the card is in the lock, which, of course, is on the outside."
"So it's a pretty shitty hiding place, huh?" Tezuka-kun said. "If anyone can get in, you're dead meat if someone opens it up and tries to kill you- maybe that's what happened to Katsura. Hell, they could steal the card and leave you until you die of starvation, dehydration or suffocation."
Technically, the latter was impossible, since I'd seen an air vent. As for the other two, Katsura-san would probably be in bad shape after being stuck inside for twelve hours, but the ordeal probably wouldn't have been fatal if we'd gotten to her earlier this morning.
"I agree, Tezuka-kun," I said. "Of course, while the secret compartment is not a good place for a living person to hide, it's an excellent hiding place for a dead one. The killer probably killed Katsura-san in or around the secret compartment, stashed her body in there, and removed their card. At some point before 10:45 PM, they retrieved Iwasawa-san's corpse, along with her memory card, and took her to the game room, where they put the headset on her, inserted her memory card and started the game. Within half an hour, the time ran out, thus making us believe that Katsura-san had died later than she actually had."
"How do you know Katsura-san was even in the compartment?" Kagami-kun said.
"I found Katsura-san's business cards in the secret compartment," I said. "You all remember getting one from her, don't you?
Sae, Kagami-kun and Iwasawa-san simply nodded.
"I did," Inoue-kun said.
"Me too," Tezuka-kun said. "I dunno what she'd get out of being connected to the artist, so I put mine in my room."
"So did I," Fukuda-kun said. "What're you getting at, Miura?"
"It's simple," I said. "Since we all put the business cards away in our rooms so as to not put them through the laundry, the only place they could have come from was Katsura-san's own pocket. They along with her murder weapon, seems to prove that she was in there at some point, presumably after her death. Since the business cards were crinkled up, it's likely that the killer stuffed them back into her pocket after moving her body, to avoid leaving any trace of her behind."
Technically, there was one the killer had missed, but I decided to leave that be for now, saving it until the time came when I had to corner the blackened.
"So the killer was able to access the compartment," Inoue-kun said. "But who could it have been?"
"Well, it's obviously not a suicide if they moved the body and hit her after she died," Tezuka-kun said. "I couldn't have opened the compartment, either, since I hadn't completed the game, and neither did Inoue, unless he played in secret some time."
"I think we can rule out a few people," I said, "since I know some of us were unable to open the secret compartment due to not having completed the game. My third attempt at the game was interrupted when Katsura-san tried to kill me, and I only finished the game during the investigation. Sae had a failed attempt to clear the game before dinner last night, so she couldn't have tried again. Sugiura-san's card didn't work. Iwasawa-san had never played the game before."
"You don't know that," Fukuda-kun said. "Iwasawa might be lying about not having played before. Inoue said that someone played early yesterday morning, didn't he?"
"I did, Fukuda-kun," Inoue-kun said. "Given when everyone else played, it could have you, Iwasawa-san, Kagami-kun or Katsura-san."
"Exactly," Fukuda-kun said. "We all know Iwasawa's an early riser, so maybe she played the game before breakfast."
"Actually, I have proof that Iwasawa-san never played before," I said. "When I played the game with her memory card, I saw the introductory sequence, which only plays for first-time players. Apart from Sugiura-san and Kagami-kun, she's the only person I know of who'd never played the game before."
That didn't get me any closer to who'd played before Night Time ended yesterday morning, but finding the answer to that question wouldn't help us solve the case, so I decided to forget about it. I was currently down to four suspects, and if the crime took place when I thought it did, all but one had alibis.
"True," Fukuda-kun said. "But really, it's a bit of a stretch to say that whoever opened the secret compartment killed Katsura. You're saying that her body was kept there, along with the steak knife she got, but that doesn't prove anything, does it?"
Iwasawa-san, Sae and I turned white, since we were the only ones besides the killer who understood the importance of what he just said, so we were speechless for several moments. While everyone had colloquially called the weapons we got from Monokuma on the first night our "murder weapons," only the three of us knew that Katsura-san's steak knife had ended up in the secret compartment.
"It might," I said. "When I said 'murder weapon,' I didn't mean her steak knife- I meant the trophy that someone used to hit her on the head."
Sae and Iwasawa-san nodded grimly.
"Y-Yeah, that's what I meant," Fukuda-kun said, somewhat unconvincingly. "Oh, wait, we decided that Katsura didn't die from being hit on the head, didn't we?"
"That's right," I said, "but I'm sure the killer knew that long before we did."
"I guess," Fukuda-kun said. "What's your point?"
I let off a sigh. As fortunate as it had been that I'd found a lead that could identify the killer, I knew that when I pointed the finger at that person, I'd be signing their death warrant. Even though the evidence pointed to that person, they'd never pegged me as very likely to kill someone, but they'd share the same fate as Sakuragi-kun, Mitamura-san and Hoshino-kun. Still, the stakes were the same as the previous three trials, so I knew what I had to do this time.
"It's quite simple, Fukuda-kun," I said. "I believe that you were the one who killed Katsura-san."
Fukuda-kun shook his head, not at all disturbed by being accused of murder despite knowing what happened to the last three killers. I remembered him telling me that he was only able to climb by not letting his fears get the best of him, which made perfect sense here. His life had been on the line since the start of the class trial, so he wasn't about to slip up and give us reason to suspect him now.
"Ok, so I misspoke," Fukuda-kun said. "But is that the only reason you have for suspecting me?"
"Not at all," I said. "You were the first to suggest calling off the search for Katsura-san, most likely since you knew she was dead and wanted us out of the way so that you could move her body and falsify the time of her death."
"Why'd I go to all that trouble?" Fukuda-kun said. "I could just leave her body in the secret compartment and no one would ever find it, right?"
"At least until someone opened the compartment," I said. "Since we'd almost cleared the game, it would only be a matter of time before someone opened the compartment. Once we did, and found Katsura-san's body, all we'd need to do is to determine who besides the body discoverer could open the compartment, and we could easily identify the blackened."
"That would've been pretty boring," Monokuma said, "but it would've been even worse if no one found the body. If push came to shove, I might've dropped a little hint about Katsura-san so you could find her and get the ball rolling on her class trial."
Fukuda-kun shook his head.
"Yeah, but how'd you know when Katsura died, anyway?" Fukuda-kun said. "If, for example, we didn't open up the compartment until, say, this morning, how'd we know that Katsura died a little before 9 PM?"
"Since Katsura-san was last seen on the fourth floor, where you'd volunteered to search, you were the most obvious suspect," Sae said. "At the time, Inoue-kun and Tezuka-kun were watching on the stairs to the third floor, and Kaori and I were in the dining hall with everyone else, so you were the only one near the crime scene who didn't have an alibi. That's why you most vigorously argued that the killing took place at 10:45, when no one besides Kaori and I had alibis."
"That's true," Iwasawa-san said. "Furthermore, I was the only person who learned about Miss Edogawa staying in Miss Miura's room before breakfast this morning, so you most likely assumed that no one had an alibi, since we all usually sleep in our own rooms."
Fukuda-kun shook his head. By now, we'd gathered enough evidence to conclusively identify him as the killer, so what other rebuttals did he have?
"Let's say you're telling the truth, Miura," Fukuda-kun said. "The killing would have had to happen just after you and Edogawa went downstairs, wouldn't it?"
"It would," I said. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, where was Katsura when it happened?" Fukuda-kun said. "I approached the computer lab from opposite the stairs, so unless Katsura ran downstairs, I'd have seen her. Since none of us saw her, I doubt she just hung out on the third floor- she'd have been found if your group had come searching if that was the case."
I shook my head. Fukuda-kun's current strategy was to try to poke holes in my argument by any means necessary, even if he had to admit to not knowing what had happened. Unluckily for him, I had an explanation.
"Actually, Katsura-san had one hiding spot that, while less than idea, was available in a pinch," I said. "Namely, the secret compartment. It was the closest place to the computer lab, and one that she believed no one could open."
"No one... including her," Fukuda-kun said. "Didn't you say that Katsura refused to play the game?"
"I did," I said, "but for some reason, against all logic, her card was able to open the lock. Sae and Iwasawa-san saw me use Katsura-san's card to open the secret compartment, so they can back me up."
As the two of them nodded, Fukuda-kun began sweating. While he was definitely in hot water, my argument wasn't enough to conclusively identify him as the blackened, so why was he so disturbed?
"You seem fairly surprised, Fukuda-kun," Sae said. "Is it because we exposed your lie... or were you honestly never aware that Katsura-san's card was able to open the door?"
Fukuda-kun's mouth gaped open. No one in the class trials, not even the blackened, were compelled to testify, but silence in the face of an accusation was usually quite damning. While I could potentially have convinced enough people to vote for him at this point, I chose to press on and conclusively find the truth behind this murder.
"If it's the latter, then I can think of an explanation," I said. "Fukuda-kun, possibly due to being the person who had to clear the game before everyone else, secretly finished the game early yesterday morning. After killing Katsura-san, he realized the secret compartment would be a good place to hide her body, so he used his own card to open it up, not realizing that she could use hers. If it's true that he didn't know that, he's the only person who could have done it."
"And if it isn't?" Kagami-kun said.
"Then it's possible the culprit used Katsura-san's card," I said. "However, I find it highly unlikely that the culprit would think to use Katsura-san's memory card to open the lock unless they made a lucky guess, or somehow already knew that it could open the lock. I only guessed it was possible after realizing that the compartment had been used to hide the body."
"That's possible," Kagami-kun said. "Your theory doesn't cover all the unanswered questions, but it does seem most likely that Fukuda-kun is the killer."
The others nodded.
"Speaking of unanswered questions..." Fukuda-kun said, "why would I kill Katsura? If I was the person who wanted to clear the game before everyone else, I'd already succeeded. There's no reason for me to put myself at risk like this."
"You mean apart from the fact that you'd graduate if you got away with killing someone?" Sugiura-san said. "Or the fact that Katsura was alone, panicking, and, despite being armed with a knife, easy pickings for anyone who wanted to kill her without being caught in the act?"
It was certainly possible that Fukuda-kun took advantage of my and Sae's departure to kill Katsura-san, but he surely must have known that once the time for the death was established, he'd quickly become the prime suspect, making killing her right then and there an unwise choice. That, combined with the fact that he'd only learned of Katsura-san's attempt on my life minutes before killing her, meant that his murdering her could only be a spur of the moment decision... or an accident.
"Maybe you didn't mean to," I said. "It's possible that you tried to restrain Katsura-san, ended up killing her by mistake, and realized that your only way out would be to graduate."
Ordinarily, those who'd plotted murder in order to graduate accepted the risks the moment they set out to kill someone. But what about someone who didn't mean to commit murder? If Fukuda-kun was that kind of person, perhaps he was willing to take his chances, or simply didn't want to die.
"Well, how would I do that?" Fukuda-kun said. "If I killed her outside the compartment, I couldn't have used the trophy inside, could I? She could've attacked me or gotten away by the time I retrieved it. Besides, it'd be pretty dangerous to grab her from behind and snap her neck, considering that A)Katsura's got a knife, and B)She's strong enough to not be completely helpless if I put her in a hold."
Sae and Iwasawa-san looked pensive for a moment, and I had to admit that I, too, was at a loss for words. I was still certain that Fukuda-kun was the culprit, but unless I could explain how he'd killed her, it would be difficult to convince everyone else to vote for him.
I took a moment to think about where the crime took place, and whether Fukuda-kun had any possible weapons we didn't know about. After a moment, though, inspiration struck me. There was one very large and noticeable "weapon," one we'd passed through every day since the floor had opened up, that could have broken Katsura-san's neck... possibly without Fukuda-kun needing to do anything.
"I can't argue with that," I said, "but maybe you didn't use a weapon. Katsura-san must have fallen down the stairs- I found her business card on the stairs between the third and fourth floors, before the rest of us met up with you. It wasn't there before, so she most likely dropped it when she died- between when we split up and when we met up with you again."
Fukuda-kun went silent. He'd always been able to find some flaw in any theory that could potentially implicate him as the culprit, so perhaps this was his way of tacitly surrendering.
"I think that settles it," Iwasawa-san said. "If what Miss Miura is saying is true, then Mr. Fukuda is the only possible suspect. If he isn't arguing with that conclusion, then we don't have any reason to doubt it, do we?"
"I'm not so sure," Kagami-kun said. "While Fukuda-kun's run out of arguments, he hasn't admitted his guilt just yet."
"Neither did Hoshino," Tezuka-kun said, "and we convicted him, didn't we?"
"It helps that he was waving that gun around like a lunatic, trying to scare us into voting for me," Sugiura-san said. "Guilty or not, Fukuda's keeping his head, so I'm not 100 percent sure about him."
"Well, how about this?" I said. "I'll explain how the murder occurred, and if I get anything wrong, Fukuda-kun can raise an objection."
The incident first happened around 8:45 PM, when Katsura-san attacked me on the fourth floor. Thanks to Sae's warning me, as well as protecting me, Katsura-san lost her nerve and ran off. Shortly after her departure, the culprit arrived, and I asked them to search the fourth floor while we headed downstairs, and had Inoue-kun and Tezuka-kun set up a checkpoint on the third floor. We then headed to the dining hall to find the other three students.
While we were gone, the culprit encountered Katsura-san somewhere, presumably on the fourth floor, and an altercation broke out. The culprit apparently accidentally pushed Katsura-san down the stairs, resulting in her breaking her neck in the fall. After presumably checking to make sure no one was around, the culprit transported Katsura-san to the nearby storage compartment and opened it, most likely with their own card. They presumably stuffed Katsura-san's business cards back inside her pocket, but forgot one on the stairs, which I later discovered. After stowing Katsura-san's body inside, they struck her on the head, to make it seem as though she'd been bludgeoned to death with a trophy. The culprit then closed the compartment and retrieved the card, secure in the knowledge that only they could open it again.
By this time, Sae and I had reached the dining hall, where Iwasawa-san, Sugiura-san and Kagami-kun were waiting, oblivious to what had happened. Unaware that Katsura-san was already dead, we met up wit the other three, then searched for Katsura-san until Night Time. We then went to bed, giving the culprit a chance to put the next phase of their plan into action.
At around 10:45 PM, the culprit opened the storage compartment and carried Katsura-san's corpse to the game console. Starting it up with Katsura-san's memory card, they left her there, wearing the headset and gloves, to make it seem as though she'd died while playing the game. Since the rest of us were in our rooms, and none of us besides Sae and I had alibis, the culprit's plan was to confuse us as to the time of death, and make it more difficult to narrow down the suspects.
When morning came, we resumed the search, and found Katsura-san's body inside the computer lab. The culprit knew that we'd eventually find the body and have to solve the murder, but was counting on us being ignorant of two things- the presence of a secret compartment to hide the body, and the actual time of death. There is only one person who was unaccounted for during the most likely time Katsura-san was murdered, and could hide her body in the secret compartment.
That person is you, Daichi Fukuda-kun!
After a few moments, Fukuda-kun let out a long sigh and sadly shook his head.
"I got nothing," Fukuda-kun said.
"So is that a confession?" I said. "Do you admit that you killed Katsura-san?"
"I... can't," Fukuda-kun said. "But I suppose everyone else here thinks I did it, don't they?"
Everyone else nodded, including those who'd doubted Fukuda-kun's guilt mere minutes ago, and I saw the faintest hint of a smile on Fukuda-kun's face. Under the rules, seven votes for Fukuda-kun as the blackened would seal his fate, no matter how he voted. If he was the only one who wasn't sure about who was guilty, he couldn't even postpone the inevitable. So why was he content with the outcome?
"So, it looks like this is it for me," Fukuda-kun said calmly, almost relievedly. "I guess there's no point in drawing this trial out any longer, is there, Monokuma?"
"You bet!" Monokuma said. "I's time to vote again! Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?"
The voting time began again. I still didn't know why Fukuda-kun would commit murder, but it didn't matter. Convicting him was the only way for the rest of us to survive, so in the end, I did what I had to, as did everyone else.
Fukuda-kun received eight votes, including his own, and the video poker display showed his face in all five slots, along with with "GUILTY."
After we cast our votes, the courtroom was quiet enough for us to hear a pin drop until Monokuma spoke once again.
"You got it right once again!" Monokuma said. "The blackened this time, the murderer who killed Komaki Katsura-san, is... Daichi Fukuda-kun!"
Fukuda-kun sighed. Once again, we achieved the best possible outcome to the class trial, even if it wasn't in any way good. Most of us would live on, at least for now... and one of us was going to die.
"So it's all over, huh?" Fukuda-kun said. "It might not mean much, but there's two things I'd like to tell you guys. I don't know if you'll believe me, but since I'm done for, I don't have anything left to lose."
I looked around, and no one was willing to doubt Fukuda-kun. Perhaps the blackened had committed murder and endangered our lives, but since they, too, were victims of this killing game, we owed it to them to hear them out.
"We're listening," I said. "At this point, the only thing we can do for you is to hear you out."
"Thank you," Fukuda-kun said. "First, I'm sorry for killing Katsura. I didn't intend to, but it happened anyway, so I'm still responsible for her death."
Fukuda-kun bowed deeply in apology. I think he knew at this point that some of us would never forgive him, and others might only falsely profess to have forgiven him so he could die in relative peace, but I don't think either mattered to him. All that he wanted was to express his remorse, and because of that, his apology sounded sincere.
"You didn't mean to?" Sugiura-san said.
Fukuda-kun rose, then shook his head.
"That's what I'm getting to," Fukuda-kun said. "The second thing I wanted to tell you was that I didn't keep my crime secret because I wanted to graduate."
"What do you mean?" I said.
Fukuda-kun glanced up at Monokuma.
"Go right ahead, Fukuda-kun," Monokuma said. "I'm sure they're all dying to know why you betrayed them and killed Katsura-san, aren't they?"
Fukuda winced, then turned back to us. Monokuma clearly enjoyed us having to come to terms with the reasons why the latest culprit had committed murder, and it seemed like a fairly uncomfortable subject for Fukuda-kun. Even so, there were a few things that still didn't add up, so I wanted to hear Fukuda-kun's side of the story.
"Remember when Monokuma revealed that two of us had special jobs?" Fukuda-kun said. "Well, as you figured out, he was talking about me and Katsura. My job was to finish first, while hers was to make sure no one did. The night after we got the game, he told me that if I didn't succeed, if I told anyone about my motive, or if I tried to weasel my way out by breaking the game console, he'd kill my entire family. The same went for Katsura."
All the others seemed to be white as sheets. All this time, we'd been afraid for our lives, but it was even worse than we'd thought. Not only might we die if we made a wrong move, but our loved ones could potentially pay the price, too.
"That's horrible..." Iwasawa-san said. "Why would he do such a thing?"
"Probably because with Akasaka dead, Fukuda and Katsura are among the few survivors with large families," Sugiura-san said. "I think I'm the only one left besides those two who has more than one sibling."
I had to wonder if Fukuda-kun was chosen because he was the most recent person to play the game, giving Katsura-san a window of opportunity until her main rival could try again. Of course, Katsura-san, despite having an unenviable position, had waited almost two days before finally resorting to murder.
"That sounds about right," Fukuda-kun said. "I'm not sure why he didn't target the rest of us- maybe he just needed a killer and a victim. In any case, he got what he wanted. Katsura's dead, and I'm going to be punished for killing her."
The others remained uncomfortably silent, knowing that once again, we'd only bought ourselves some time. Perhaps the next time Monokuma needed a motive, it would be our families' turn.
"Anyway, I guess he was trying to make her kill me," Fukuda-kun said. "Of course, I didn't learn about her 'job' until just before I killed her, so I don't think she ever learned about mine."
"So, by the time Katsura-san attacked Kaori, you'd already finished?" Sae said.
"Yep," Fukuda-kun said. "I had a pretty good grasp of the puzzles so far, and won the Life-Threatening Game by not pointing the gun at my own head- I just pulled the trigger on a whim, and happened to win that way. I kept it a secret and didn't show the tablet PC to anyone else because I didn't know who I could trust- I had won for my own selfish reasons, after all."
"It isn't selfish," I said. "From what it sounds like, you were simply trying to protect your family."
"So was Katsura," Fukuda-kun said. "And because of me, she lost pretty much everything."
Fukuda's Flashback
As I was looking for Katsura just after Miura and Edogawa went downstairs, I heard a creak, and saw Katsura-san outside the secret compartment. In hindsight, she must've just exited it and closed the door behind her.
"K-Katsura?" I said.
"S-stay back!" Katsura said. "D-don't come any closer!"
"What is wrong with you?" I said. "Why'd you try to kill Miura like that?"
"I-I didn't have a choice," Katsura said. "Monokuma said that if someone won the game before I did, or if I broke the game console, my family would die. I...I thought Miura-san was going to win it, so... that's why I tried to kill her."
I was speechless. She must not have realized that I'd finished already- maybe Monokuma kept it a secret so that she'd still be desperate to kill for her family.
"B-but... when I tried to kill Miura-san, she asked me if I wanted her dead," Katsura said. "She hadn't done anything wrong- she was just trying to win the game and get the information that's behind that door. She doesn't deserve to die, just because she was going to win the game first."
"That's right," I said. "Besides, Miura wasn't going to win it first- I'd already completed it."
Katsura turned pale and tightened her grip on the knife. I wasn't sure if she was going to stab me- or herself- but I didn't want either to happen.
"C-calm down, Katsura," I said, taking a step toward her.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Katsura screamed.
Seeing her brandish the knife, I quickly lunged forward, trying to grab her by the wrists and force her to drop it. She reflexively took a step back, and lost her balance on the stairs, dropping the knife onto the top step as she did. I tried to reach out and grab her... but ended up only pushing her away as a result. She then tumbled down the stairs and lay at the bottom, not moving.
End of Flashback
I was speechless the entire time Fukuda-kun told his story, as was everyone else. Suddenly, Katsura-san's response to my question of whether I was the one she wanted dead came off in a new light. She didn't want anyone dead, and while killing a friend to save her family was seemingly the obvious choice, it wasn't one she was prepared to make.
"That's pretty much what happened," Fukuda-kun said. "I didn't know if she was dead or not, but I was sure about one thing- I'd screwed up big-time. Not wanting anyone to find out, I hid her in the secret compartment."
I remembered what Katsura-san had said at the end of the previous trial- Hoshino-kun might have wanted to survive, but he also chose a path that would sacrifice other lives. No matter what choice Katsura-san made, people would have died- and I could just as easily have been in that situation.
"But when I saw Katsura lying there, I got scared, and knew I'd have to do something," Fukuda-kun said. "I opened up the door, and thought about just leaving Katsura there until she woke up- if she did, that is- but then I realized that she'd know someone had won the game, and might kill me- if not herself. Panicking, I then whacked her on the head with the trophy to make sure she was dead, then locked her body in the secret compartment. I finished shortly before you guys arrived."
So it was as I thought. Fukuda-kun had killed Katsura-san before Sae and I had returned. Perhaps leaving him to his own devices had caused this tragedy, but Fukuda-kun had sincerely wanted to bring Katsura-san back alive, so he hadn't intentionally betrayed us... at least not at first.
"But why didn't you say anything?" Sugiura-san said.
"A couple reasons," Fukuda-kun said. "When you guys got there, I... lost my nerve. It wasn't just that I knew I'd be executed if you realized I'd killed Katsura, but also because you were trying so hard to find her, to make sure another murder didn't happen. The most I could do was get you to give up on the search, because I knew you wouldn't find her alive."
I remained silent, realizing how little I'd understood Fukuda-kun. Until now, his actions had seemed consistent with a killer who wanted to hide his crime, but I was starting to understand his perspective... and to regret having to sentence him to death.
"When I got back to my room, I was overcome with guilt," Fukuda-kun said. "I thought about confessing or killing myself... but then Monokuma showed up, and gave me an offer I couldn't refuse."
Fukuda's POV
As I shut the door behind me, I almost immediately noticed Monokuma standing in the middle of my room.
"What are you doing, Monokuma?" I said.
"I could ask you the same thing, Fukuda-kun," Monokuma said. "Poor Katsura-san... things really didn't go as I'd hoped, did they?"
"Like hell they didn't!" I said. "If you threatened her family and tried to get her to not let anyone win FDR:VR, you were probably hoping she'd kill me, weren't you?"
"All games encourage participation, don't they?" Monokuma said. "That's why I give you bastards motives- to make sure you get that little extra push to kill your friends."
I bit my lip. The truth was that Katsura was a decent person at heart who'd normally never consider murder, and even Monokuma threatening her family couldn't push her completely over the line. I hadn't intended to kill anyone either, but I screwed up and it happened anyway.
"Anyhow, you might have become the newest murderer, but your part isn't over yet," Monokuma said. "If you want me to leave your family alone, you're gonna have to give the class trial the old college try. As the blackened, that means getting your friends to convict someone else for the murder you committed. You don't have to succeed, but if you don't make things fun, I'm gonna make you watch your family die before your execution."
I went pale. Knowing that I'd accidentally killed Katsura was bad enough, but letting the other seven die would be unforgivable.
"Th-That wasn't part of our deal!" I said.
"Neither was your killing Katsura-san," Monokuma said. "I was kind of hoping she'd be the one to snap and kill someone- too bad she only managed the former."
Bile rose in my throat. Maybe I was the wrong person to say this, because I'd killed Katsura, but I couldn't stand people badmouthing her.
"Don't you dare talk about her like that," I said.
"Oh, did I strike a nerve?" Monokuma said. "Well, if you care about her that much, then be sure to fulfill our promise. Otherwise, she'll have died for nothing."
Monokuma then vanished, leaving me with the same dilemma Katsura had just faced- sacrifice my family or betray my friends. With a heavy heart, I set out to make the most difficult- and last- decision of my life.
End of Flashback
So this was Fukuda-kun's solution. By obeying Monokuma, he could protect his family from harm, and by allowing us to convict him, he'd ensure that none of us would be executed for his crime- he'd be the only one who'd have to die. It was the "best" possible outcome, but I don't think anyone except Fukuda-kun was completely willing to accept it.
"After that, it's just like Miura said," Fukuda-kun said. "Once everyone else was in bed, and the two hours since Miura's session were up, I returned to the crime scene. I then took Katsura's body out and planted her in the chair to make it seem like she'd been killed while playing the game, later than her actual time of death. Of course, I knew that even if I did all that, you guys would probably figure me out in the end.I guess it's for the best, after all."
Fukuda-kun's acceptance of his fate made me feel more conflicted about convicting him, not less. In the past, I'd accepted convicting and executing the blackened as a necessary evil, since the spotless' lives were in danger and the blackened were willing to sacrifice them. With that in mind, I'd pursued Fukuda-kun as if he were trying to get away with his crime, but in hindsight, he wasn't trying to do that- he was trying to convince Monokuma he was playing his part, and possibly trying to make sure we'd understood the crime. And here I'd thought of him as yet another murderer who was trying to save his own life...
"There's still one thing I don't understand," Iwasawa-san said, breaking the silence. "Why did Miss Katsura's memory card let her into the compartment if she couldn't finish the game?"
"It's a special perk I gave Katsura-san," Monokuma said. "I didn't want to put her at too much of a disadvantage, since she couldn't finish the game, so I decided to give her a little extra bonus so she could do her job more efficiently. Of course, I told her that if she looked at the tablet PC inside of the compartment, or gave it to anyone else, I'd off her family."
Monokuma almost sounded as though he felt sorry for Katsura-san, and it wasn't hard to see why. While Fukuda-kun could have won his family's safety by finishing the game, the only way out for Katsura-san would be for someone to commit murder. Perhaps her plan was twofold- by killing me, she'd eliminate the person closest to finishing the came, and she'd willingly accept her execution in the hopes that Monokuma wouldn't have reason to use her family as leverage against her.
"Anyway, Miura, I hope you won't be too hard on Katsura," Fukuda-kun said, looking at me. "She was scared and facing an impossible decision with no one to turn to. I'm not saying she made the right call, but I think she knew it wasn't the best choice to make, and ended up regretting it. I definitely know that feeling..."
"I know," I said. "I think you two have that in common. I only wish you could have confided in me."
"Yeah," Fukuda-kun said with a bittersweet smile. "Anyway, Monokuma, please don't do anything to Katsura's family."
"Sure thing," Monokuma said, "since I'm not done using them just yet, after all. Besides, why kill them when I can let them suffer? They're gonna have to live with the fact that their daughter died after attempting murder for their sake, just like yours is gonna have to live with the fact that you're a murderer."
"I know," Fukuda-kun said. "Anyway, guys, I've got two final requests. The first is for everyone- if any of you get out of here, please tell my family and Katsura's family that I'm sorry for what I did."
"I will," I said.
Everyone nodded. We didn't know if we could fulfill that promise, but I, at least, added it to the growing list of things I wanted to do if I escaped.
"Thank you, Miura," Fukuda-kun said. "The second request is for you specifically- please don't blame yourself for what happened. There might be times when you make the wrong choice, or there isn't a 'right' choice to make, but no matter how hard things get, never give up on doing what you believe to be right."
I nodded solemnly, remembering my last dinner with Katsura-san. Both she and Fukuda-kun had been facing the same conundrum, and gave me the only advice that made sense to them in their present situation. I didn't know how justified their faith in me was, but I was certain that they'd meant what they said.
"I understand," I said. "I'll think of what you said whenever I doubt myself."
"I hope you're done with your last words, Fukuda-kun," Monokuma said. "We don't want to keep the audience waiting for your execution."
"Pretty much," Fukuda-kun said. "Let's get this over with."
Fukuda-kun looked around and saw all of us, paralyzed with dread once again. He took a deep breath and steadied himself, much like he presumably would if he were facing a difficult climb. He wasn't fearless, but now that his end was near, he was ready to face it as bravely as he could.
"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Rock Climber."
"Goodbye, everyone," Fukuda-kun said. "If anyone asks about me... tell them the truth, okay?"
"Let's give it everything we've got! It's PUNISHMENT TIME!"
Game Over
Fukuda-kun has been found guilty
Time for the punishment!
The Ultimate Rock Climber, Daichi Fukuda's Execution: Executed
Rocks Fall, Fukuda Dies
After being pulled into the execution chamber, Fukuda-kun found himself standing on a scaffolding on the side of a cliff face. He was faced with the task of climbing to the top, a distance farther than I could calculate. It seemed to have few handholds, but the Ultimate Rock Climber showed his worth, and began scaling the cliff surprisingly well.
Soon after he started, the scaffolding fell, almost like at a hanging. Even a cursory glance was enough to reveal that the drop was far enough that Fukuda-kun wouldn't survive the impact. Shortly thereafter, the handholds that he'd used broke apart, and were no longer usable, so he couldn't even hang on for very long. His only way out was up, and so he continued climbing.
Time passed, and Fukuda-kun's bare hands began to bleed from clutching the rough stone at each hand-hold, but he kept going. Pebbles occasionally rained down on him, cutting his skin and bruising him. Despite the pain, he gritted his teeth, endured, and held on for dear life, while continuing to ascend the cliff at a quick and steady pace.
Fukuda-kun soon reached the top, grabbed on, and started to pull himself up... at which point, Monokuma activated a remote-controlled detonator, setting off a series of explosives inside the cliff. The entire cliff crumbled, taking Fukuda-kun with it. When the dust and smoke cleared, all I could see was a vast pile of rocks- Fukuda-kun's final resting place.
Silence reigned once again. The image of Fukuda-kun's demise had been burned into our memories, and his final words echoed in our minds. We'd achieved the best possible outcome, but this turn of events was a tragedy in which two of our classmates had lost their lives. The only way to save the remaining students' lives was to prevent murder, but all of the possible options- finding a way out of the school, killing the mastermind or getting everyone to resist the motives- seemed completely fantastical. I'd failed to prevent murder at any turn, and my role in solving the murders was only forestalling the inevitable. Perhaps that was part of the reason why Hoshino-kun chose to take his chances and try to graduate.
But while I lamented this outcome, I remembered my promise to Fukuda-kun. Blaming myself was little more than an exercise in self-pity, and disrespectful to Fukuda-kun's last wishes. I also had no desire to blame Katsura-san and the others who'd done things they regretted because of circumstances beyond their control, but didn't deserve to die for their mistakes. Instead, I resolved to keep on going, find the answers to our questions and save as many as I could. The first step in front of me was to ask a question that had occurred to me after the trial.
"And that's a wrap!" Monokuma said. "This trial was pretty fun, so I hope the next blackened doesn't disappoint me."
By now, there was no longer any doubt in our minds that a fifth murder and class trial would occur- with Monokuma going so far to ensure that we killed each other, the only reason it wouldn't happen was if we hadn't gotten through the fourth trial. If we got through the fifth trial, as well as the sixth, our "reward" would be to arrive at the endgame Kagmi-kun had predicted at the start- three students would remain, and once one of them was dead, the remaining two would be allowed to leave.
I didn't want to accept it, but I couldn't find anything to argue with. That said, there was one thing that Monokuma said that hadn't added up.
"I have a question, Monokuma," I said, "similar to the one Iwasawa-san asked after the second trial. All this time, you've deprived us of all means by which to contact the outside world, so how could the Katsura and Fukuda families learn of their children's deaths, or the actions they took that led to them?"
"Simple," Monokuma said. "The same way everyone else in the outside world does. Your killing school life is the hottest thing on TV right now, second only to the original game! Why don't I demonstrate it to you?"
The others stood there in stunned silence, unable to comprehend what they'd heard- or what they were about to see. Within moments, Monokuma changed the screen in the courtroom from displaying the aftermath of Fukuda-kun's execution... to displaying the seven of us standing there. The cameras didn't only let Monokuma watch us- they also let him film us.
"What the fuck?!" Tezuka-kun said. "You mean everyone out there's watching us killing each other in here, and they won't do shit to help us?"
"It's more like they can't, Tezuka-kun," Monokuma said. "The locked door and barred windows in here don't just keep you bastards in- they keep everyone else out. They weren't originally designed for the former, but hey, it works out for the best."
After hearing that seemingly off-hand remark from Monokuma, I reached an epiphany of sorts, calming me down a little.
"I suppose that explains it," I said. "The front door and plates over the windows always seemed like they were installed from the inside, more to keep the outside world out than to keep us in. The only thing that changed was that someone- you and/or the mastermind- commandeered the method of opening the doors, right?"
"You sure catch on quickly, Miura-san!" Monokuma said. "Is it because you read the prize you got from beating the game?"
I stared blankly for a moment, then shook my head.
"I... haven't looked at it yet," I said. "I was too busy investigating the murder."
"Go right ahead!" Monokuma said. "Katsura-san wasn't allowed to take a look, and Fukuda-kun apparently never noticed it, but you're free to read it. Think of it as your reward for clearing the game."
I felt sick to my stomach, knowing nothing could be worth the loss of Katsura-san and Fukuda-kun. What was done was done, though. We'd pressed on and completed the game, not knowing of what consequences it would have, and a that was left was to review the information we'd worked so hard and unwittingly sacrificed two people to obtain.
"Anyway, you've all put on a good show for us so far," Monokuma said, "so I can't wait for the next murder. Until next time!"
Monokuma left once again, leaving us to ponder the loss of two more of our number- and the fact that more of us would join them in the future. After a moment, I realized something that I'd wondered about ever since last night.
"You know," I said, "I think Katsura-san actually wanted to get caught."
"What do you mean?" Inoue-kun said.
"Since she didn't know about Fukuda-kun completing the game, she assumed that I was the closest to winning, and that if she killed me, she'd put a stop to it. That said, she chose such an obvious method, hoping that after she succeeded, she'd be caught and executed, while the rest of us would continue to live. The signed confession in her pocket is proof."
"That's certainly possible," Sae said. "Of course, in the end, she hesitated. Her family was in danger, but she couldn't simply bring herself to kill a friend."
"None of us are killers," I said, "which is why it's such a tragedy that we're trapped in this situation. That's why I think of Katsura-san, Fukuda-kun and the other blackened as victims of the killing game, just like those who were killed before. As for the killers, they... made mistakes, but they should never have had to end up here."
"I know," Sae said. "Still, as someone who knew Katsura-san, and might have become friends with her if we'd had the chance, I'm glad her nerve failed. Not only are you still alive, but I can remember her fondly."
We stood there in silence for a moment. Now that Monokuma was going the extra mile to sway us to kill each other, perhaps even those people who hadn't been tempted until now might be pushed past their breaking point and try to kill someone, like Katsura-san had. None of us considered ourselves an exception, so we couldn't help but wonder what choice we'd make when the time came.
For now, though, the trial was over, so the only thing we could do was return to the school. We rode back up the elevator once again, with one fewer member than we'd had when we'd gone down, all too used to it. As the five other students left the elevator and headed for the dorms, Sae turned to me.
"You seem troubled, Kaori," Sae said. "Would you like to talk about it, or would you perhaps like some space?"
"The former," I said. "More than anything, I'd just like to have you here."
Sae nodded.
"It's strange," I said. "The fact that any of us could be killed at any point- or become a killer- might discourage most people from getting attached, but for me, it's had the opposite effect. Knowing that I or any of the others I know could be killed forces me to not take any moment for granted."
"A wise perspective," Sae said. "If things had gone differently last night, one- or perhaps both- of us might not be standing here now."
"It does also make me wonder how close I was to my friends in the past," I said. "We hung out, made small talk and did things of little consequence until life took us in separate ways, whereupon we mostly forgot each other. Here, we haven't known each other for very long- well, apart from the two years we've forgotten- but don't have time to waste on that kind of frivolity."
Even our small talks in here served a purpose, since they helped us get to know each other better. It wasn't wise to trust anyone too much, as we'd done with Mitamura-san, but the spotless had to have enough trust in each other, or they wouldn't be able to put the pieces together and find the truth behind each class trial. Perhaps by talking to everyone, the mastermind would let some clue slip, and be revealed.
"That's true," Sae said, "but who knows? We might have been this close back when we were going to Talent High School together."
"Maybe," I said. "Still, I'm glad to have you with me, Sae."
"It's always a pleasure, Kaori," Sae said with a smile.
While we were talking, Iwasawa-san then walked up to us, stood there for a moment, then announced her presence.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Iwasawa-san said, "but Miss Sugiura wants to start lunch and she sent me to fetch you."
Sae and I looked at each other and nodded. Since Sugiura-san needed "supervision" while cooking, she couldn't get started until Iwasawa-san got back.
"We're coming," I said. "We'll have to apologize for making her wait."
We then followed Iwasawa-san to the dining hall.
We then arrived in the dining hall, where the others were sitting restlessly, in silence.
"We're here," I said. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Sugiura-san."
"Not a problem," Sugiura-san said. "I doubt anyone's hungry, but we should probably eat something."
Iwasawa-san and I watched Sugiura-san as she worked on a somewhat hasty lunch for all of us, and as she served it up. Once everyone was served, we started to eat, less out of hunger and more to finish it before it got cold. Despite that, I was glad to once again be able to eat with the others- or at least, everyone who was left.
"By the way, Miss Miura," Iwasawa-san said, once most of us had eaten all we'd cared to, "do you still have the tablet PC you found in the secret compartment?"
"I do," I said, "and I suppose it's time to share it with everyone here."
I put the tablet PC on the table, started it up, activated the setting to read it aloud... and couldn't believe what I heard.
What follows is an account of the events that led to the Worst, Most Despair Inducing Incident in the History of Mankind... and the collapse of civilization itself.
End of Chapter IV
Students Remaining: 7
Climbing Gloves: A memento of Fukuda. Simple, practical and reliable, these gloves were everything the Ultimate Rock Climber could want.
Author's Notes
I had to significantly revamp this murder over time, from when the crime occurred to how Katsura died (she'd originally died from Fukuda accidentally strangling her, but I realized that didn't make sense). Originally, Edogawa was meant to be a suspect, but the fact that she has an alibi meant that theory wouldn't hold much water.
The A/V room was a bit of an artifact from a previous version of the chapter, in which Fukuda and Sugiura searched the floor together, but Sugiura got locked inside the recording studio during the confrontation between Fukuda and Katsura. Previously, I'd also had Miura and Edogawa in the former's room during the search, but I decided it would make more sense to have them go get help (as well as warn the others that Katsura might try to stab them, since they didn't yet know her true reasons). Sugiura and Fukuda would have been paired up together, with the previous incident of Sugiura getting locked inside the recording studio, as well as her defective memory card, helping exonerate her.
Like with the second class trial, the post-trial scene turned out fairly long this time, since there was a lot to explain about the crime this time. Like with the fourth trial from the second game, both the victim and the killer's actions warranted additional explanation.
The next Chapter may take a while to come out. Without spoiling too much, the murder will directly tie into Chapter VI in some ways.
The omake this time shows what would have happened if Katsura was the killer (by way of Edogawa's nightmare the night before the trial), rather than the victim, as a way of exploring that alternative scenario.
Omake
Edogawa's POV
We returned to the courtroom for the fourth time, and saw Hoshino-kun's and Kaori's portraits had been added where the two of them had once stood.
"All right, you bastards, court is now in session," Monokuma said. "Once again, it's up to you to find out the killer, even if you're gonna have to do it without Miura-san this time."
"Shouldn't be that hard," Tezuka-kun said. "We already know who killed her- right, Katsura?"
Katsura-san remained silent. By this point, her clothes were covered with Kaori's blood, blood that had since more or less completely dried. Her suit was beyond any cleaner's skill, and defending her case was beyond any lawyer's.
"This trial's pretty much already over since someone already saw the crime," Fukuda-kun said. "Edogawa, can you tell us what happened?"
"Certainly," I said.
The crime took place not long after 8:30 PM, when Kaori and I went up to the computer lab. Kaori began to play, and while she was playing, the culprit walked up to her, took out the steak knife that they had received as their murder weapon, and fatally stabbed Kaori. Kaori died almost instantly once her heart was pierced, and when the killer withdrew the knife, her blood splattered over the culprit's clothes. I witnessed the crime, and shortly afterward, Fukuda-kun arrived, spotting the culprit at the scene. Both he and I, as well as that person, know perfectly well who killed Kaori.
That person is you, Komaki Katsura-san!
It was a short summary of the case, far briefer than what Kaori usually did, but it seemed to do the job well enough. Katsura-san nodded grimly, and no one else raised any objections.
"So, Katsura-san," I said. "Do you confess?"
Katsura-san remained silent.
"So... she's not saying anything," Tezuka-kun said. "What now?"
"I think we can believe Edogawa-san," Inoue-kun said. "She's been trustworthy so far, and she wouldn't lie about this. Besides, Katsura-san has Miura-san's blood on her, and used her own murder weapon."
"Looks like you bastards have come to a decision," Monokuma said. "Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?"
We once again cast our votes, and the result was almost unanimous- seven of us voted for Katsura-san, while she voted for me. Once again, the standard fanfare announcing a "GUILTY" verdict played
"Well done!" Monokuma said. "The blackened who killed Kaori Miura-san is... Komaki Katsura-san!"
Katsura-san sighed.
"So, it's over," Katsura-san said. "Monokuma, is this good enough for you?"
"Well, that was a pretty half-baked murder plot," Monokuma said. "Even Sakuragi-kun was more competent than you. But I still got a murder out of that, so I can't complain. Don't worry, I'm not gonna lay a paw on your family."
"So is that why you killed Miura?" Fukuda-kun said.
"Yes," Katsura-san said. "I was told that if someone cleared the game, Monokuma would kill my family. I knew that the game would end if someone died, and so decided to kill Miura-san, the person closest to finishing the game."
"But wouldn't anyone have worked in that situation?" Tezuka-kun said.
"Possibly," Katsura-san said, "but I believed that if Miura-san completed the game before we assembled for the class trial, Monokuma would conclude that I hadn't fulfilled our agreement."
A tear ran down Katsura-san's face, a show of emotion I hadn't seen since her dear friend Akasaka-san's death. Meanwhile, Fukuda-kun looked visibly uncomfortable, far more than he usually was under the circumstances.
"But that doesn't matter," Katsura-san said. "I knew when I retrieved my knife that I'd have to kill someone who'd done nothing wrong in order to protect my family. The truth is that I'm a murderer who'd willingly choose to sacrifice one of you and endanger everyone else, so I don't blame you for sacrificing me."
Only now did it become clear why Katsura-san never tried to hide her crime. She'd known that it was wrong- a necessary evil to save several of her loved ones' lives, but wrong nevertheless- and was willing to accept the consequences of her actions so we wouldn't have to.
"I'd like to apologize, everyone," Katsura-san said, "particularly to you, Edogawa-san. I know you and Miura-san were close."
"I... I loved her," I said, choking up.
"I-I know," Katsura-san said. "Miura-san... thought the world of you. The pain of losing her may never fully fade, but please remember that to her, you were more than just her favorite author."
Katsura-san was clearly speaking from experience. Having lost a good friend, she'd learned what grief felt like, so it was only natural that she'd kill Kaori to protect her family. My heart had been torn asunder by Kaori's death, but I wasn't too lost in my own sorrow to forget about the pain of others.
"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Saleswoman," Monokuma said.
"I know what I've done can't be forgiven..." Katsura-san said, still bowed in apology, "but please believe me when I say that I wish there'd been some other way."
"Let's give it everything we've got! IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"
Game Over
Katsura-san has been found guilty
Time for the punishment!
Komaki Katsura, the Ultimate Saleswoman's Execution: Executed
A Bid For Justice
Katsura-san stood on the stage in an auction hall. Her wrists and ankles were manacled, making it clear that she wasn't the auctioneer or a bidder, but the item on sale . A crowd of Monokumas made insultingly small bids on her, starting with five yen and going up five yen at a time. Every time, the bidders threw several coins at Katsura-san. By themselves, none of them were likely to kill her, but each impact was painful, cutting her skin open.
Eventually, the auctioneer got a winning bid of one nonemdecillion yen, dwarfing the previous bid of 200 yen. Monokuma then slammed his gavel, causing a giant one to slam down... right on top of Katsura-san. When it raised, I saw Katsura-san's remains, little more than a bloody smear, beneath where it had landed. The moment her life ended... so did my nightmare.
I then woke up with a start. It was all just a dream, and Kaori was still alive, but I'd woken up from one nightmare into another one. Unbeknownst to me, Katsura-san had been killed hours ago, while Kaori and I were getting help, and we would once again be thrust into another class trial before long. That said, the worst had not yet happened, and I was thankful for that, having learned to appreciate every day I, along with those I cared about, remained alive.