Sacchin: Killing off Junko would be the desperate last shot. There was no guarantee that they could get the front gate to open without her consent. I suppose they could just slice off her finger to bypass the fingerprint thing but Junko isn't the kind who would come unprepared. VortexOblivion: Oh wow I actually didn't know 'shiki' means 'corpse' in Japanese (I knew about ikusaba though). I thought that was a common Japanese name but I suppose I can link both instances where I saw it come up to the theme of death in some way so that makes sense. That's pretty cool but I guess I can't take credits for that particular bit of detail.
TheRoseShadow21: I always thought Junko would be the one who changed her name and dyed her hair. Mukuro doesn't seem like the type who would care all that much. Shiki, too, would have no reason to actually change his name, as he usually uses fake names for work anyway. This is all assumption though, so tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly certain the canon story did not touch on which of the sister's last name was the original one.
Channel Jumper: His attire is already half way there I'd say. Shiki's not ditching his trilby though, no Future Foundation's taking that way from him. Shiki would be an incredible asset if they see eye-to-eye. Problem is I imagine there would fair chance that Shiki would be fixated in exterminating Despair rather than curing it.
Anonymous568: Nakahara was just a random name I went with, has no importance whatsoever. I was frankenstein-ing random names together and I just happened to put Naka- from 'Nakamura Sawa' and –hara from 'Izaya Orihara' together. The name just seemed to flow and is apparently also a real-life surname so I just went with it.
CO2isSmiling: I'm confused but cookies are nice, yes.
DudewithanM4A1: That's a weird thing to say but thanks!
AnimesWorld: I'm pretty sure Junko's the younger one. And he most likely knows about the business with Junko's amnesia, but his memories at Hope's Peak are lost at the moment. If he knows, though, I wouldn't bring it up in the story. Since the canon story didn't feel the need to use it to explain things, I don't think it would be necessary right now. Shiki gives up when he knows (or thinks) he's defeated. He's no Super High-School Level Hope, but if he sees a shot at success, he's going for it. Of course, except when it's a physical task. He has extremely low-confidence on that front due to physical sickness. I think Mukuro would be more likely to be the one who would keep her real name, while Junko would be more likely to mess around with her identity for fun.
I think we all know what to expect here.
Enjoy, and leave reviews if it's no trouble.

edit (16th March): electricangel12: Hey there, slow down, friend. Let's save the twists for the trial, no? ;). The things you said make sense, so fixed. Thanks!
2nd edit (16th March): Added some details to Jin's logs. Basically, I just stressed further that Junko's and Mukuro's doors are never opened once the headmaster start learning how to operate the control room. Or at least that was his plan.

Chapter 32

"How did you know?" Yasuhiro asks as we begin heading toward the gymnasium. "You said your memories aren't complete. And more importantly, didn't Enoshima die?"

"It's true, I remember nothing concerning Hope's Peak and such, but I put two and two together. The Enoshima Junko we saw was no Junko. I know my sister, and Mukuro's behaviors were off. That and… her frame… just isn't the same."

"Her frame?"

"Let's not talk about my sister's three sizes."

"Of course. More importantly, you said Mukuro? Do you mean Ikusaba Mukuro, the seventeenth student Kirigiri mentioned?"

I can't help but sigh. "Sadly…"

"… You're saying… the Enoshima Junko we knew was actually Ikusaba Mukuro?"

"Yes… You're quite quick aren't you?"

"Yet you don't sound too pleased."

I decide that a response isn't necessary. Yasuhiro takes the hint and drops the issue immediately. Not entirely though… "You're angry."

"Frustrated." I correct.

"Why?"

"I helped kill one of my sisters and may need to do the same to the other one."

"One of… I see… Triplets?"

I nod.

"Ah…"

That's where the conversation, thankfully, dies. I'm not ready to talk about it yet. I have enough difficulty accepting the fact that I may need to kill Junko to get out.

What's a brother supposed to do when his sister imprisons his whole class and force them to kill each other?

And Mukuro… that fool… I knew I should have taken her with me when I left… That girl would eat her own flesh if Junko commands it.

But she needed someone, and I could never provide. As insane as Junko is, she would have given Mukuro support. False support, no doubt, filled with calculated kindness overshadowed by daily abuses but at least Mukuro would feel needed by someone.

Not that it matters now.

As I get closer to the gymnasium, I start running into the others. They all stare at me, trying to make sense of the situation. I assume Kirigiri already told them about how I escaped. But Junko's announcement… they all heard that… and they're following me into the gymnasium. Despite not having a single clue as to what's happening, they know something's about to go down. There will be a lot of explanations needed I think…

As I approach the doors, I see Kirigiri standing nearby, her back against a wall, her arms crossed, her eyes staring. I don't know how much she figured out beforehand, but there is little shock displayed.

Not now… There will be time later, Shiki…

The doors open on its own before I could push. Inside, where Monokuma usually sits, stands Enoshima Junko, her excitement barely contained.

Kuwata breaks the silence first. "E-Enoshima! But you died... how…"

Enoshima adjusts a pair of glasses that I swear wasn't there seconds ago. "You must be thinking of someone else, my dear ginger thug, for I am demonstrably alive."

"We saw you die…" Maizono mutters. "You were the first… the first execution… the mask… a-and the gas…"

"And yet here I stand. Do you trust your eyes or your memories, my dear treacherous teenage idol?"

"No… the gas was definitely lethal… the Enoshima we knew is definitely dead…" Togami assesses.

"But that's Enoshima right there!" Kuwata points. "What we know and what we see contradict each other! How do you explain… this!?"

"But contradictions do not exist, my savage brute." Enoshima explains calmly. "Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong."

Kirigiri steps forward, finger pointing. "Enoshima is definitely dead… I know the type of poison you used. I checked the body. Therefore… you cannot be her…"

"As close as you pigs will ever get, I suppose, for I am most definitely Enoshima Junko. Nice to meet you."

This is pointless. "That is, indeed, Junko." I explain. "The one who died was Mukuro. They are twins."

Kirigiri seems mildly surprise, but recovers rather quickly. "I see… It seems my theories weren't as accurate as I hoped…"

"And how do you know that?" Togami asks accusingly. "First, you came back from the dead, and now you're walking around like you got this place all figured out.

I open my mouth to answer, only to find a pair of hands wrapping around my neck.

"That's cuz big brother knows everything!" Junko says in a high-pitch voice that destroys the previous impression she made. "Junko-chan suspects that big brother is actually from space, you see. How else would one know the thing he does? He probably hides a mini-antenna inside his trilby to retrieve information from the mothership in which he arrives."

Ah… there she goes again…

"What the fuck!?" Kuwata yells. "H-Her personality…"

"Personality? Ah… had I only that privilege…" Junko answers in a painfully slow manner. "Enoshima Junko wears a thousand faces… none of them her own… A singular personality to call my own… how I long for one…"

"I-Is that why…" Naegi starts.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you take that seriously?" Junko asks in a haughty manner. "A singular personality? Who would want that? Trapped inside the prison of your mind for the rest of your life… that is a fate I do not wish to share. I wear a thousand faces, all of them simultaneously my own, all of them completely me. Please, don't delude yourself into seeing my privilege as a mental illness. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

"Listening to her… it's disorienting." Maizono mumbles. "It's like I'm trying to talk to a dozen people simultaneously… I can't get a handle on her…"

"Get a handle on me?" Junko asks in a booming, authoritative voice. "Please, I get a handle on you, if anything. The most you can hope for is to taste the dirt beneath my feet. Bask in my glorious presence, you plebeians. Kneel before E-…"

"JUNKO!" I shout.

She immediately smiles in a cutesy manner. "Yes, big brother?"

"Enough of this. There are more important matters at hand."

"Yes?"

"Quit it. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

At this, Junko chuckles. "Ah… yes… the finale… You are as excited as I am, big brother?"

"I'm excited to be out of this place, little sister."

"Oh ho ho ho. And you think unmasking me is the first step toward freedom?"

"Of course. You clearly did not want your identity exposed. That's why you erased my memories. Furthermore…"

"Hold on a sec…" Junko says in an unusually quiet and serious voice. "You think I erased your memories to hide my identity?"

A miscalculation on my part? No… it can't be… why else would she…

Junko stares at me silently, the wheels in her head turning. Then everything clicks, and she laughs.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, this is fucking amazing! You don't remember everything, do you? You don't remember why you came to Hope's Peak. You don't remember your role in all this. The electricity never finished its job!"

"No, but…"

"And I thought this was to be the end… but as luck would have it, our game isn't over yet. Clearly, fortune favors despair. It seems the game will go on regardless."

"Look here, Junko…"

But she no longer seems to care what I have to say. "ATTENTION, BOYS AND GIRLS! Enoshima Junko is here to provide you all with a final challenge! Kirigiri Jin's trial was, as many of you have suspected, tampered with from the start. However, his murderer still exists. You will find this villain. You will prove your case. Then, you will uncover the secrets of the academy. And then, only then, can you punish the wicked! If you succeed, I grant you all the burden of freedom and the curse of truth as well as, of course, sweet, sweet justice. If you fail, I provide you with the mercy of death. Such is the deal I offer. What say you?"

I have to say… this was quite close to what I had in mind. The answer is obvious.

"A-Are you freaking serious?" Kuwata speaks up first. "A way out of here? And all we need to do is investigate like we always do? Ha! I don't know about the others, but I'm in."

"This… This feels like a trap…" Maizono points out. "But if you're serious… I would never say no in a million years. I'd rather die trying. I'm in."

"You're awfully confident, Enoshima." Togami says with certainty. "Togami Byakuya accepts your challenge."

Kirigiri ponders the situation a bit, before coming to an obvious conclusion. "This has always been the plan. Maizono is right, it feels like a trap. But what else can I do? What I do know is that I will uncover the academy's secrets, with or without your consent."

Naegi steps up decisively. "I don't know why you're doing this… but a chance to free ourselves without resorting to murder? I accept your challenge, Enoshima. We will learn everything we can, then we'll have our freedom."

"A deal, you will have, then." I answer. "Secrets are my trade. I know not why you're doing this, but I'm not about to decline such an offer. I'll uncover all your secrets, and then we'll leave this place together. And you, you're coming with us. You have a lot to answer for, little sister."

Enoshima neither agrees nor disagrees, she just smiles, waiting for Yasuhiro's response.

"Sure, why not." Yasuhiro nods simply, which is incredibly jarring if you ask me.

"Then it's decided!" Junko announces. "One last trial, we shall have. Whether it ends in blood or blood, there will be despair, and Junko's a happy girl. Now… if you'll excuse me…"

"Little sister, we still have matters to discuss."

"Heh… later, perhaps. I think your friends want some explanation, badly." Then she begins walking out, before casually mentioning "By the way, if any of you are contemplating killing me, slicing my finger off and getting into the control room, I'll have you know I came here prepared. Food and water supplies are now completely cut off, additional security measures have been added and most of the machineries within the academy are deactivated. We're finishing the game today, no matter the outcome. Have fun, guys~"

And thus she exits the room, leaving us in silence. This is quite a turn of event, but I think most of us would agree that it's a fortunate opportunity to have. If we beat her… we're getting out, all seven of us, which would be good, because I don't think our little group can survive another murder.

Togami coughs. "So when were you going to explain yourself?"

I sigh. "Let's… move to the cafeteria. It's irrational, but a room this open makes me feel insecure and uncomfortable… I'll explain myself when we get there."

Cafeteria

I relay what happened concisely and quickly. The others don't seem all that surprised, so they must have heard Kirigiri's version first. Kirigiri's as quiet as usual. Togami simply nods once a while in acknowledgement. Maizono seems unable to make eye contact. Yasuhiro heard this story before, so she seems rather bored.

"So… you and Junko… you're really twins?" Kuwata asks.

I nod. "Triplets, you may say. Me, Junko and Mukuro."

"Right… and the Junko we knew was Mukuro all along…"

"Yes."

"But…" Maizono interjects. "Wouldn't that mean… Junko killed her own sister?"

"Pretty much, yes. Though, I had a hand in it, too."

"Don't blame yourself…" Naegi says. "We would have all died otherwise… All we did was solve the murder. Junko is the one responsible."

"Yes. I'm not feeling guilty, so don't start it."

"More importantly, why did you not tell us?" Togami asks. "Surely, this was important."

"The same reason why Kirigiri said nothing about her father. I've got amnesia. I remember nothing of what happened before I came to the academy."

"What changed?" He asks, despite seemingly not buying it.

"The electric shock during the execution… it did something to my brain… pieced together memories from fragments… I don't remember everything, but I remember enough to deduce the identity of our captor."

"I see… As stupid as your story sounds, I suppose it does make sense that Enoshima would erase your memories to hide her identity. Do you remember anything else we can use, perhaps?"

"Very little, I'm afraid. I left my sisters years before we joined the academy. I know nothing of… this. Though, it's possible that I did learn of it, but such memories have not come to me yet."

"I see… so is it fair to assume that you know as much as we do at this point?" Kirigiri asks.

"More or less."

"Then there's nothing more to talk about here." Togami announces. "Let's begin investigating as soon as…"

"I-I have something to say." Maizono interrupts.

Togami seems mildly annoyed but raises no objection.

"Nakahara…" she starts, fumbles a bit, then makes up her mind and bows. "I'm sorry!"

"Um… what?" I ask.

"During the last trial, I… voted against you, despite never truly believing that you actually did it. It was an act of betrayal and selfishness, and for that… I apologize…"

"That… isn't really necessary… I suppose a better person than me would require an apology, but considering the fact that I may have done the same in their shoes, I really don't have the right to ask for one."

Kirigiri, to my surprise, follows suit. "I know I don't deserve forgiveness. I know that it was necessary. But as a detective, I'm… sorry… for using lies to find truths… I'm glad I have a chance to correct that."

"So am I, Kirigiri. Not that I was ever going to hold a grudge, but I'm impressed you actually went and said it."

Togami, shockingly enough, isn't going to be outdone. "It's… good that you lived… I'm not quite done with you yet, Nakahara. I'll make you pay for what you did, using my own abilities, after we're out. One day… Nakahara… one day…"

"That's all one can hope for, I suppose…"

The mood rose considerably after that. Kuwata pats each one of them on the back and starts giving them shits about being stubborn up until this point. Kirigiri remains silent. Togami gets defensive. Maizono argues back.

Yasuhiro coughs. "Should we not begin the investigation? This is nice and all, but it wouldn't mean much if it ends with our death."

Investigation

Hope's Peak's Dorm's Second Floor

Minutes after we begin splitting off to look for clues, Junko made a rather nonchalant announcement.

"Oh, by the way, I've just unlocked every floor and rooms within both the academy and the dormitory. The victim's file has also been updated. Good luck~"

Which is, frankly, a blessing, because otherwise we would not have a single clue as to where to look.

After very briefly looking through Hope's Peak's final floor, I decided it would have offered little to no help in solving this puzzle, and so I quickly decided to try my luck at the dorm instead.

Lo and behold, a single step into the dorms' second floor and one is already bombarded with questions to answer. This is promising.

The room seems like it has seen its fair share of armed conflicts. Walls are broken. Doors are filled with bullet holes. The hallway contains an unreasonable amount rubbles. Various furniture are either broken or burned. It was not a pretty sight. But it poses questions, and that means progress.

The various personal rooms are nearly identical to ours down stair. The difference, however, is that these ones are as damaged as the floor itself. Most rooms are inaccessible. The ones that are, on the other hand, contain nothing important.

I take note of the fact that, like the second floor, the rooms themselves have no surveillance camera, suggesting that Junko never intended us to get here. It is also possible that this building isn't originally intended to have them in the first place, and the ones we saw were added by Junko herself.

The bathrooms provide similar results.

The locker room is, shockingly enough, filled with lockers, which in itself should provide quite a bit of progress. Except every locker is either locked or blocked off.

The final room on this floor, however, stands out distinctly. It looks somewhat like a hotel's room, but is quite different from ours. The room is… what's the word… more classy? More mature? Kirigiri and Naegi are currently investigating here.

There's also a crack on the wall, which I have no doubt is meant to somehow hide a secret room in here somewhere. Clearly, it's not doing a very good job. Kirigiri confirms that it is so.

"Did you figure out how to open the door?" Naegi asks. "Is there some kind of mechanism or something?"

"I would hesitate to even call it that." She answers. "There's a program on that computer that looks like it does that. It needs a password, however. All I know is that you can input letters and numbers. Beyond that, I'm stuck. I dug through some of his personal files and tried a number of things, but no such luck. I learned far more about that man than I ever wanted to know."

"Mind if I use it?" I ask.

Kirigiri shrugs.

"Sure, go ahead." Naegi says, before going back to discussing thing with her.

I approach the laptop. Next to it is a note that reads:

This laptop was originally inside that secret room in the Data Processing room.

Let it be known that Junko-chan plays fair~

Junko.

Whatever you say, little sister.

I boot up the laptop and start looking through the files. One file in particular stands out. It seems to be a personal report, of sort, that seems impressively long. There's no date on each entry. Still, I begin reading.

Entry 1: Due to recent events, as well as my daughter's advice, I will now begin keeping logs on things that relate to the recent riots.

Entry 2: Unrest is brewing. The students are angry. Things are getting out of control.

Entry 3: Kyouko has promised to work on it. Her investigation has already proven rather helpful.

Entry 4: Kyouko has discovered a group called Super High-School Level Despair. Details are lacking at this point. Their goals are, thus far, incomprehensible. Even so, I believe my daughter can solve this mystery. She's not like me. She takes pride in her work. I have no doubt she will succeed.

Entry 5: Nakahara has offered to help, free of charge, for once. He has provided far more information than I thought was possible. His title is clearly not for show. We already have leads.

Interesting…

Entry 6: Nakahara's leads seem to be consistent with Kyouko's discoveries. We should find the ones responsible soon.

Entry 7: We've caught the suspects. They have given us nothing thus far. They claim to be innocent. But both Nakahara's information and Kirigiri's investigation indicates they're responsible.

Entry 8: Kyouko has found even more leads.

Entry 9: Nakahara's reports seem to give us even more suspects.

Entry 10: There are even more suspects.

Entry 11: There are too many suspects. I don't understand. The information we've received indicate there should be way less. And yet...

Entry 12: Kirigiri's discoveries, Nakahara's information and the suspects' confessions are starting to contradict each other. More importantly, every suspect reports a different leader behind the Despair group. I've called for some experts, and according to them, the suspects are all telling the truth. Or at least they think they are.

The entries continue in the same tone for quite a while, so I skip to the last few entries, hoping to find something useful.

Entry 285: Things are bad. Our safety is no longer guaranteed. I believe desperate measures are needed.

Entry 286: Kyouko claimed that someone within the 78th class is behind the Despair group. Nakahara seems to agree. I considered against our previous plan but Nakahara said it was important for us to corner Despair. He said we need to isolate the 78th class. Only then, they will come out. Kyouko offers no opinion.

Entry 287: They've all agreed to the plan. We shall begin the next day.

Entry 288: We've done it. The school is finally on lockdown. The 78th class will now live here, in the academy, until the events outside subside. I can only pray Nakahara's plan works. We have Despair among us.

Entry 289: We did it. Despair have shown themselves. Enoshima Junko and Ikusaba Mukuro. We've imprisoned them within their own room. They're now being constantly watched. We will decide what to do with them. Nakahara claims that Ikusaba is extremely dangerous and should be watched at all time. He believes Ikusaba may be able to sneak pass securities and even kill off Oogami if she gets the upper-hand. He says Enoshima should receive the same treatment. While her physical capabilities are limited, her genius rivals that of Kirigiri. Appropriate measures are being taken.

Entry 290: Ikusaba has offered little resistance. Same for Enoshima. They're now being constantly observed by surveillance cameras. It should not be humanly possible for either of them to escape. Kirigiri believes our job isn't done yet.

Entry 291: There's a secret room within the Data Processing Room. It's incomprehensible how someone could build and hide a room like that, but here it is. I need the correct finger print to enter.

Entry 292: We've gotten Oogami to escort Enoshima out of her room to give us entrance to the secret room using her finger print. She was escorted back immediately. Neither Enoshima nor Ikusaba's situation seems different from before. They're still being constantly watched. I've brought the laptop to the hidden room so I can investigate and report at the same time. It seems I can mechanically lock Junko and Mukuro into their room with the control panel here. I can also send food and water to their room using only this console, so that they'll never leave their room. I've examined the doors personally. It's physically unbreachable.

Entry 293: It seems I can send food and water to areas within the academy using only these panels. This should improve the securities even further. The doors to Junko's and Mukuro's rooms will never need to be opened until we decide what to do with them then.

Entry 294: It's unbelievable how much control this room has. Enoshima has installed potentially lethal robots around the school without our knowledge. Furthermore, this room controls almost everything that goes on in the school, from announcements to daily supplies. There are more to discover here. I will not leave this room until I've discovered all its secrets. Kirigiri says it's dangerous. There may be other members of Despair within the class. So I've locked myself in. I can get out any time, but the room requires finger print for entrance. None of the others have entered this room, so they should not be able to easily operate it. Enoshima and Ikusaba are currently under constant surveillance, so no one should be able to enter.

That's where it ends.

This is… interesting… It seems that the logs here were entered over a course of almost a year, and that I'm directly involved. Makes sense that Junko would want both Kirigiri and my memories wiped because of this.

But Oogami was mentioned… She never met the headmaster, right? Did she lie? It matters not, she's dead now.

Kirigiri Jin believed he was completely safe at the time of that last entry. No one should be able to enter the room. Yet, that's where he presumably died. The laptop was found there.

Interesting, to say the least. This last trial will prove difficult.

"There you have it." Kirigiri says, seeing that I have finished reading. "Explains why we have our memories wiped doesn't it? Other than that, not much more that would help."

"Can I… try the password thing?" Naegi asks.

I let go of the keyboard and step out of the way. Kirigiri sighs, boot up the program, and let Naegi use the laptop. He nervously types in:

kyoukokirigiri

Rumble, Rumble, Rumble, Rumble…

Watch the Super High-School Level Luck at work, ladies and gentlemen…

"… it opened…" Naegi says, more surprised than either of us. "It opened, Kirigiri, it opened!"

"Yes, Naegi. It opened." I say. "Good job."

Kirigiri herself doesn't look too pleased. But she steps into the hidden room first, regardless.

Women are funny people…

We follow suit. The hidden room itself is distinctly different. It looks… unfinished, undecorated. There are almost no furniture for simple luxury, just a shelf, two tables and a chair.

I approach the shelf and begin look through the drawers. They seem to be filled with work-related documents and such, neatly arranged. A tidy, working man, Kirigiri Jin. I like him already.

"If only he was half as serious about his family works." Kirigiri comments.

On top of the shelf is a picture of two people, who I'll have to assume is Kirigiri Jin and a roughly six years old Kirigiri Kyouko.

"You may, or may not, want to see this." I move the picture to the side so she can have a clear view and walk away from the shelf, giving the lady enough private space.

Time to search the rest of the room while Kirigiri and Naegi sort out her daddy issue.

I search the desk, finding even more work-related documents. The bottom drawer, however, reveals an 'emergency ElectroID', which I'll assume is a master key of sort.

Seeing nothing else that is useful, I begin heading out.

"H-Hey, Nakahara?" Naegi calls out. "Can you wait for me outside? I have something I wanna try."

I nod. I have few leads to go on anyway, and Naegi is competent... half the time.

I step out of the room and lean against the wall, giving those two some space. It seems that hidden room provides little to nothing. The most helpful clue we got out of this floor thus far would be Kirigiri Jin's logs. Let's go over the facts.

The headmaster was likely aware of… the events… mankind's most… malicious… mal… fuck it. The headmaster was aware of the events caused by the Super High-School Level Despair, and he was trying to deal with it.

He had me and Kirigiri helping him solve the problem, which would explain why we were the two who got our memories erased.

The fact that I helped him says that I went against my sisters. Would I do that? Free of charge, even? I… don't know… Perhaps I did have a bit of conscience… There may be more to it…

The information he got were inconsistent, even contradictory. This fits one of my dreams. Every confession points to a different leader.

Our imprisonment here seems to be the result of a desperate act on the headmaster's part to isolate us from the events outside and also to corner Junko and Mukuro. It seems to have worked… at first.

The headmaster found the hidden room inside the Data's Processing Room and was seemingly unaware of it beforehand. He locked himself in to investigate its purposes, where he presumably died, as that's also where the laptop was originally.

He believed Junko was under constant surveillance and that room requires a fingerprint so it's a mystery how his murderer opened the door.

"Nakahara…" Naegi calls out, as he leaves the room.

"How's Kirigiri?" I ask.

"She… needs time…"

I sigh. "She's the Super High-School Sleuth here, and this is to be our last trial…"

"I know… but her father…"

"But us."

"She... only needs a moment…"

"… fine… so what did you need me for?"

"Can you come to the Locker Room with me? I have something I want to try…"

I nod and let him lead the way. He wanted me with him for this, so clearly, I must have something he need. Now, that would be…

"Nakahara…" Naegi says, as he approaches one of the lockers.

I hand him the Emergency ElectroID I retrieved from the room.

"T-Thanks…"

And as luck would have it, the Card Reader accepts it.

Inside the locker is a small, simple notebook, which Naegi takes reluctantly.

"Female. Orderly. Possibly mechanical and practical." I comment, peering at the words over his shoulder.

"Makes sense, I guess…" Naegi begins flipping through the pages. "No way…"

"Hmm?"

"This notebook… it belongs to Kirigiri…"

"Does it now?" I take the notebook from him, flip to a random page and begin reading. "Father has asked for my help regarding the Super High-School Level Despair. As one would expect from someone who has betrayed his own heritage, he couldn't do it himself. I'll have to think about it."

"S-See?"

I flip to random pages quickly. "Despair… suspects… contradictions… Hmm… This looks promising… 'I don't understand. The interrogations were successful. The suspects told us what they knew. Yet, our information dooes not fit. Every time I'm sure I found the one behind it all, more contradictions find its way to me. I know it isn't one person I'm looking for. But for a group to provide this elaborate a smoke bomb… One could even call it a masterful illusion… Father trusts me less and less each day, I'm sure. Evidences have pointed toward me multiple times. But then evidences have pointed toward most people in Hope's Peak at least once already. I can't see it. I can't see the big picture.'"

"That… can't be Kirigiri… She would never be defeated that way…"

"She didn't give up, if that's what you're saying. But there are clearly moments of frustration, even despair. Junko was really good at it."

"But she said she has never seen her father ever since she was a kid…"

"Amnesia, perhaps." I begin flipping toward the last few pages, hoping to find something helpful.

Despair has been captured, just as Nakahara has said they would. The doors are mechanically locked. It should be humanly impossible for them to break out. Enoshima and Ikusaba. Evidences have pointed toward those two multiple times. But we did not act on it. After all, the evidences lied before. It doesn't matter. We got them. We're safe from the outside world. Father is investigating the hidden room. Everything should be fine. Everything must be fine.

I turn to the final page. In it, written in messy, rushed letters:

They've escaped. I don't know how, but someone opened the door. Father must have done it. No one else could have entered the hidden room. But why would he? I don't understand. How d

Then, underneath, written in barely readable letters:

Ikusaba

That's where it ends. It seems as if she was physically interrupted before she could finish writing the name.

"W-What happened?" Naegi asks.

"Beats me. I suspect Mukuro somehow escaped and found Kirigiri while she was writing this. Perhaps that's why her name was the last thing she wrote before being knocked out."

"But… were they not locked in?"

"They escaped, apparently. Someone opened the door."

"Who could have?"

"The door requires Junko's fingerprint, who was imprisoned at the time. So only the headmaster could have let them out."

"But why the hell would he? I-I don't understand…"

"Neither do I." I sigh. "Let's… Let's move on to the other lockers, we'll sort this out during the trial."

We begin trying out the other lockers one by one, at least the ones that aren't either damaged or locked off with iron plates. Most of them are empty.

One of them reveals a bunch of… ritualistic… stuffs and a lot of school textbooks. There's even a crystal ball and a deck of tarot card. I take the deck out while Naegi begins examining the books.

Tarots, huh… might as well…

I take out three random cards, all up-right.

Hanged Man

Death

Judgement

… makes sense, in the literal sense. Of course, symbolically, nearly all up-right cards are good, but then again I'm holding the deck up-right so it wasn't going to turn out any other way.

Why am I even worrying about this?

"Nakahara…" Naegi calls out. "This notebook… it belongs to Yasuhiro Hagakure…"

"Oh?"

"His name's right here… and his title fits the other items inside the locker. This must be his… The notebook contains class notes… That's… not possible… is it? He never went to school here, just like us. So why…"

"He's dead now, so it isn't much use."

"I suppose…"

"Come on, there's on locker left."

We approach the last one. Naegi swipes the card. It opens, revealing some random equipment, syringes and a white phone.

"What are these for?" Naegi asks. "The… thing… here…"

"Firearms maintenance."

"I… see…"

"Perhaps it belongs to Mukuro, what with her being the Super High-School Level Mercenary and everything."

"Perhaps…" Naegi picks up the nearby mobile phone. "This one requires password as well…"

"Of course…"

It's a white phone of the same model as the black one we found before.

Actually… "Try 'Junko'"

"H-Huh?"

"Password. Try 'Junko'. If it belongs to Mukuro, that would no doubt be the password. It's a common practice, to use the name of someone dear to you as the password."

He quickly inputs the password. "… no such luck, I'm afraid… how about…" He tries again.

"What?"

"'Shiki'… didn't work…"

"Wouldn't expect it to."

"But she's your…"

"Sister? Doesn't mean much if you live separately over the course of years."

"Still…"

"This isn't going to go anywhere, Naegi. We went through all the lockers. Let's move on."

Naegi nods and begins walking out, before seemingly remembering something. "I… want to try something else first… you go on ahead, Nakahara."

Biology Lab

I know I'm wasting time here, but I couldn't go on without doing something first.

This is a morgue of sort. Inside, after learning how to read this room, I've learned that it's currently storing nine bodies: Yasuhiro Hagakure, Yamada Hifumi, Chihiro Fujisaki, Fukawa Touko, Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Oowada Mondo, Oogami Sakura, Asahina Aoi,…

Ikusaba Mukuro…

"Junko!" I call out loudly.

"Yes, big brother?" She asks, from behind me.

"Get me Mukuro's body."

"Heh… Didn't think you were the sentimental type, brother…"

"Get me my sister's body, now."

"OKAY!" She cheers, jumping on me, rubbing her body against my back.

"JUNKO!"

"Eek! Scary scary…" She gets off quickly. "Geez, fine… don't have to get so violent with your sister y'know…"

Junko operates some machinery and pulls one of the corpses out."There you go, brother! Ikusaba Mukuro, in the flesh."

And there she lies, still in clothes that don't belong to her. I pull the wig off, and she looks the same as always. Except her skin is swollen, her eyes red, her lips unnaturally dry. This isn't just her body rotting. The poisonous gas during her execution did this to her.

I place a hand on her face. Cold. It has always been. No colder than me, though.

"You killed her." I mumble. "You killed our sister."

"No, you did." She smiles. "You solved her murder, after all, and she died for it."

"You placed us in such a situation, Junko. You did this."

"And yet, had you failed, Mukuro would have been alive."

"And we would have all been dead."

"And Mukuro would have been alive."

"…"

"Oooh, scary… are you going to swear vengeance now? Are you going to kill one sister for the death of another?"

"I'm not going to kill you, Junko."

"No… but you'll do much worse… you did much worse…"

"You're talking about my cooperation with those who caught you, Junko? My betrayal? It mattered not, no? You escaped anyway. Our plan failed."

Junko laughs out loud at this. It was a laugh genuinely filled with amusement. "Of course, big brother, of course…"

"… what do you mean…"

"Save it for the trial, brother. I believe you have works to do."

And thus, she vanished, leaving me alone with Mukuro.

Little sister… You should have been with me… I… apologize…

And then I did something I've never done before. I bend over and place my lips on her forehead.

I'll get out of here, sister. I'll set things right. I'll even try to fix Junko. Rest, sister, things will be fine.

Data Processing Room

Now, back to the crime scene.

Junko mentioned that the file would be updated. Though most of the additions are things we've already learnt. It also confirmed that the body was indeed originally from the hidden room. The headmaster's body, however, still lies outside.

There's the hidden room. I approach the door and take a deep breath.

"It isn't going to explode you know?" Yasuhiro says from behind me, before grabbing the door herself and pushing it open.

"… I was going to do that…"

"You didn't though."

I sigh, deciding that it would be ultimately pointless squabble had I reply.

Just like the Headmaster has said, this room controls the mechanical Monokuma hidden around the school, as well as any mechanical objects, including surveillance camera, electricity and the front gate. The machineries are deactivated however, requiring a fingerprint as well as a password.

"Not much use, is it?" Yasuhiro shrugs. "I came before. Junko said she cleaned up the room for her personal use so you'll find no blood or anything to that effect."

"I see… disappointing…"

"There's a bullet in here though." She says, before tossing me a revolver bullet. "The shell is still attached."

"This bullet was not fired… It couldn't have killed the headmaster…"

"Yet another astute observation."

"… quiet…"

I begin examining the deactivated machineries. The functions mentioned in the headmaster's logs are all here. But there's something else… Not only does this room control the academy, it also controls the broadcasts outside. The things on television, on the radio, I think there may even be microphones and cameras hidden on the streets. Had I wish it, I can broadcast messages to the whole country here. A call for help would be desirable, but the machineries are deactivated.

"You seem to know quite a lot about this room." Yasuhiro points out.

"Must have examined it before… when the headmaster found it…"

"Oh?"

Oh yeah, she didn't see the logs. "We found the headmaster's journal. It seems I and Kirigiri were here before, investigating the Super High-School Level Despair. The headmaster found this room and was investigating it before his death."

"I see."

"I guess that's about all we're seeing here." I say, turning around and begin to head out…

… before a high-heel slams itself on my foot.

"Nggh… What the hell, Yasuhiro?" I yell.

She waves a DVD in front of me, before leading the way herself.

"78th class… emergency interviews…" I mumble. "Crazy woman… could have at least use words…."

A/V Room

"Yasuhiro… what are those DVDs again?" I ask.

"78th class emergency interviews."

"Yeah… I know… I can read…"

"Then please make use of that amazing ability of yours, would you?"

Keep calm, Shiki… You should be used to her already…

She quickly slides the DVD into one of the drives and sits back with her headphones on. The video begins.

I quickly press the pause button before the video could boot up, earning myself a high-heel on my foot.

"Hnng! Stop that!" I grunt.

"Stop being stupid, then. I'm trying to watch something here."

"I got no sound! You got the headphones on!"

"I don't see the problem. Just watch it again with sounds later."

"That'll spoil the whole thing!"

"Spoilers? They're interview videos, not some anime. Suck it up."

"This is infuriating…"

"You're infuriating. Go get yourself a pair of headphones, there's another plug here."

Oh… right…

Feeling pretty stupid, I retrieve another pair of headphones from a nearby machine and plug it in. "There, ready."

She frowns condescendingly and boots up the video.

The screen flashes up, showing Maizono and the back of the headmaster's head.

"Let us begin the interview." The man starts. "You'll have to forgive me. I'll be recording this interview. I'm not very good at multitasking. I'm not talented enough to conduct an interview and take notes at the same time. In a way, this recording is like a substitute for a written contract. It's not that we don't trust you. It's just a precaution. So please, don't let it bother you. Well then, I'll get straight to the point. You could very well end up spending the rest of your life here inside this academy. Do I have your consent?"

"D-Do you have my consent" Maizono asks. "… yes…"

"Thank you, and I'm sorry. I promise to do everything in my power to take care of you. On my name, as Hope's Peak Headmaster."

Thus, the video ends.

"Interesting…" Yasuhiro comments. "The girl lied to us."

"She lied before." I say. "But… wait… the screen…"

The video we thought had finished resumes, this time showing the headmaster and Naegi. The pattern repeats itself. The headmaster asks for his consent, and he said yes. The video cuts out, and the cycle repeats. Togami, Fukawa, Asahina, Yamada, Fujisaki, Oowada, Oogami, Kirigiri, … they all said yes.

Then eventually, it was Ludenberg turn.

"You could very well end up spending the rest of your life here inside this academy. Do I have your consent?" The headmaster asks yet again.

"Of course." She answers with a smile.

I see Yasuhiro flinches next to me. She looks… uncomfortable… watching herself like that.

"I thought you liked your persona…" I say.

She remains silent for quite a while. "Shows what a great liar I am."

"Then why…"

"She's a more interesting person."

"… if you say so…"

The interviews continue in the same pattern, until it was my turn.

"You could very well end up spending the rest of your life here inside this academy. Do I have your consent?" The headmaster asks.

I nod.

"Me too huh…" I comment.

"You, I could understand. You had your memories wiped. But… I know I didn't agree to this…"

"No, you didn't. Ludenberg did." This earned me quite a glare. "Sorry…"

The video resumes, going through the rest of the students, including both Junko and Mukuro.

"We know she could manipulate memories…" Yasuhiro muses. "Now that it seems entirely possible that all our memories were taken… How much… How much did she take?"

Ding Dong.

Ding Dong.

"It's time, my friends. Time for the great finale. Time for the curtain to rise. Time for the wicked to be judged. It's time, boys and girls, for Hope's Peak Academy's final trial. Let the truth be known. Let the world watch. Let the dead be avenged. Head to the Trial Room, my friends. Let us have an ending worth dying for."

Courtroom Foyer

The elevator was already opened when we arrived. The students who were there already stood and wait. There's tension in the air but, perhaps, also hope. For the first time since we arrived at Hope's Peak, we have a clear enemy, a common goal. They nod, knowingly, and together we step into the elevator. We descend in mutual silence. Where there was mistrust, there's now resolve. This is to be our last trial. Whatever the result, we've made it this far, that's something.

Then I notice the black phone in Naegi's hand, being held tightly. The white one he holds with his other hand. He's shaking.

"N-Naegi?" Maizono calls out. "What's wrong? Why are you bringing that to the trial."

"Did you… perhaps…" Kuwata starts.

"I… I guessed the password…" Naegi mumbles. "I guessed the password for the black one… and… I suspect… also the white one… How much… How much did she take from us, Nakahara?"

"Why are you asking me?" I ask. "I… don't know… my memories are still incomplete… although… there are evidences that suggest…"

"The password…" Kirigiri interrupts. "What's the password?"

Naegi takes a deep breath, tightening his grip on the black phone. "'Junko'. The password is 'Junko'"

Despite this one being one of the longer chapters, I can't help but feel that there may not be enough to go on for the trial. Let's hope I don't punch myself in the face when I have to write that.
While the phone as evidence will be withheld until the trial comes, there should be enough clues right now to point to the killer. See if you know who it is. Also, I should also mention that someone may guess the right one in the reviews so there may be potential spoilers there.
Reviews would be very welcome, thanks!