While limping, Tokaku was wandering inside the school, searching for Haru. She was terribly worried about her, especially since Sumireko was after her life.
The blue haired girl recalled how she managed to survive. When she was still trapped under the vending machine, Tokaku played dead. Surprisingly it was enough to make Sumireko go away. Either she really thought she was dead, or she just didn't care about Tokaku.
But, when Tokaku finally managed to get out from under the vending machine, Shiena wasn't there anymore. Not that Tokaku really cared about her. But still, the brunette's disappearance was suspicious. She could be dead, or hiding somewhere. With her current mental state, the hacker could be a threat to Haru. This is what bothered Tokaku about Shiena missing.
Tokaku really hoped that Haru was alright. Hanabusa was a monstrous adversary. The blue haired girl wasn't even sure she could beat her. But despite that, she was determined to fight her in order to protect Haru. For the sake of their wish, Tokaku was ready to do anything to obtain it.
"Haru…I swear that I'll protect you no matter what, just please be safe and wait for me."
Tokaku continue to limp. She had been lightly injured by the vending machine. Luckily, she had no broken bone, only bruises and scratches. But, her ankle was really painful, which probably meant that it was sprained.
Suddenly, she noticed something that was moving. Tokaku headed toward and discovered that it was a person, and not just anybody.
"Haru!" Tokaku called.
The person didn't reply. Maybe she couldn't hear her? Tokaku was certain that it was Haru.
"HARU!"
Still no answer. The blue haired girl was confused. It must be Haru, she knew how to recognise her. This person was identical to her, who else could it be?
Suddenly, Haru disappeared. Or more exactly, she went inside of a door that wasn't supposed to exist, almost like she went through the wall. Tokaku approached from the place where she had disappeared and found a secret door, leading to a hidden room.
Cautiously, Tokaku went inside the secret room. No sign of Haru, but the blue haired girl was too shocked by her discovery to think about it. There were multiple screens on the wall, all showing a place in the school. There were most likely connected to the surveillance cameras. This room must be a monitoring station.
"Why…Haru went inside such a room…?"
Tokaku noticed that one of the screens seemed broken. It was only flashing a lot of different colors and it kind of made her dizzy to look at it. There was also a weird and indistinct noise that was coming from a microphone. This sound was quite annoying and even frustrating to hear.
The blue haired girl spotted a big envelope on the desk. She took it and looked at what was inside. It was a bunch of pictures. She couldn't believe what she saw. She then recalled everything that Shiena told her, while a feeling of despair suddenly emerge in her mind.
Following Monokuma's instructions, Haru went inside of an elevator. She found it inside of the library, hidden behind a bookcase. The elevator went down, even more than the one that used to brought them to the class trial. The door finally opened. Haru hold close to her Suzu's photo album. It was now the final class trial, when she'll reveal the truth and win the game.
There was only one desk inside of the room. Haru approached from it. It was the same seat she had during the class trials. In front of her there were a big screen and the picture of every student in Class Black, with a flower under their photo. It was the same flower for those who died before the fifth class trial. Those who died recently or were still alive also had a flower.
Haru suddenly heard a familiar voice in her head: "the flower under your picture is a lily flower. It's symbolised purity. The flower under Azuma-san's picture is a heliotrope. It can means devotion. Hashiri-san is a basil flower. Some considers that it means hatred. The one under Inukai-san's picture is a red carnation, which means mother's love. Hanabusa-san is an Iceland poppy, which symbolise comfort, and Banba-san are a moonflower and a Japanese bindweed, which make reference to the day and night. And the one under my picture is a red tulip. Ah, I really like this one. It the language of flower, it means eternal love".
Haru smiled with nostalgia when she recognised the voice in her mind.
"Suzu-san, you're still in Haru's heart."
She put the photo album on the desk and looked at the screen. Monokuma suddenly appeared on it, smiling in a devilish way.
"Are you ready? We'll finally do the final class trial!"
"Why…everyone has a flower? And why Haru is alone?" she asked, worried.
"Huh? I already told you, I'm not the one behind the flowers. I suppose the one who put them there wished that everyone dies." Monokuma replied. "And you are alone because…the other survivors are busy facing their own trial."
Haru wasn't sure to understand, but it seemed that Tokaku and Shiena were somehow having their own class trial. About the flowers, Haru knew that it was a common thing to do in bullying to put a flower on someone's desk. It meant that you wished that this person was dead. Then, who put those flowers and why they wished for everyone death? The only person she could think of was Monokuma.
"So…this is Haru's trial?"
"Yes, but it's also the class trial for Banba Mahiru and Inukai Isuke's death. Since Hanabusa-san kind of ruined the class trial, you'll have to do it by yourself."
"You should have heard me earlier. Even Hanabusa-san admitted it. She killed Isuke-san because she killed Mahiru-san."
"Even if she admitted it, it doesn't prove that it's what that truly happened. You need evidence to prove it."
Haru thought about it. There must have a clue that could prove it. She then remembered a detail Monokuma himself told them.
"So ka (I see)!" Haru said. "You said that dead people doesn't count for the body discovery. It seems obvious that a dead person can't discover a corpse, so it can't be just that. You wouldn't have said this if it was only that. No, it must have another meaning. What you meant is that someone who's dead, even if they discovered a corpse before dying, won't count in the three people who need to discover the body in order for the announcement to be played. When both Haru and Tokaku arrived, we triggered the first announcement. Because someone already had discovered one of the corpse, and it can't be Isuke-san or Mahiru-san since they are both dead. And it can't be Shiena-chan either. So it must be Hanabusa-san! So she can't be the culprit for the two murders. And when Shiena-chan arrived, another announcement was made for the other corpse."
"You're right about one thing. Even if Inukai-san or Banba-san discovered the other's corpse, since they died after they don't count. But it doesn't mean that Hanabusa-san killed Inukai-san. It could have been Banba-san who killed Inukai-san and then Hanabusa-san killed her."
"You're wrong! Isuke-san had her neck broken. And since the shotgun happened during daytime, it was Mahiru-san who was shot. Mahiru-san doesn't have enough strength to snap someone's neck."
"Then Shinya-san could have snapped Inukai-san's neck, then when it was daytime, Hanabusa-san arrived and shot her!" Monokuma replied.
Haru clenched her fists. He was right. With the current clues, it was possible that indeed, Shinya could have broken Isuke's neck and Mahiru be shot by Sumireko. But, Haru was convinced that she was right and that Sumireko didn't lied. Haru tried to find a clue that could prove it, but she realised that it didn't really matter.
"Hanabusa-san was in love with Mahiru-san. She would never have killed her. It's more logical if she had killed Isuke-san in a fit of rage because she killed Mahiru-san." Haru argued.
"What you say is only base on speculations, it had no fundament. Without evidence you can't prove to me that it's really what happened."
"I don't care! I don't want to prove anything to you. Anyway you already know the truth, with your cameras. I just have to prove it to myself. Haru has faith into Hanabusa-san. I've faith into her love of Mahiru-san. I want to believe that she told me the truth. This is why Haru will trust Hanabusa-san. I could bet my life on it!"
"Oh, really? Then, let's do it! You'll vote for whom do you think the culprit or culprits are. If you are right, you are safe, but if you are wrong, you'll be executed. You know how it works. Take your time to think. Don't forget that your life is at stake."
Right now, two possibilities existed, and with the current clues they seemed equally plausible. It was either Banba who killed Isuke, before being killed by Sumireko, or Isuke who killed Mahiru before being killed by Sumireko. But despite the lack of evidence, Haru had faith into Hanabusa's love.
"Haru is ready to vote! I've no doubt. I'll trusted my faith until the end!"
"Eh, faith. What a ridiculous thing to rely on. Anyway, let's begin with Inukai-san's murderer. Who do you think is the blackened for this murder?"
Haru lifted the top of her desk. She spotted the button #11 and pressed it.
"Now vote for the one you think is Banba-san's murderer. Is it the same person, or another blackened?" Monokuma said.
Haru searched for the button #2 and pressed it, before closing her desk and looking at the screen. A graphic showed that one person voted for Isuke as Banba's murderer and one vote for Sumireko as Isuke's murderer. After few seconds Monokuma's figure reappeared on the screen.
"You are…correct! Congratulation! Inukai-san killed Banba-san and Hanabusa-san killed Inukai-san." Monokuma declared. "Well, it was a short class trial…"
"Wait! It isn't over!" Haru protested.
Monokuma looked at her with surprise. He genuinely seemed confused by her protestation.
"What do you mean? The vote is over, you guessed right. And since both blackeneds are dead, there won't be execution…"
"I'm not talking about this class trial! I'm talking about the fifth class trial! Haru wants to appeal!"
"Huh? You want a court of appeal for the fifth class trial? Why? The sentence had already been done…"
"I've reasons to think that a mistake was done during the fifth class trial. Haru wants to reopen this case to prove it."
"What mistake?"
"Haru doesn't think that Suzu-san was the culprit. She was wrongly accused and executed."
Monokuma remained stoic for few seconds. His glare seemed kind of annoyed by Haru's statement.
"Are you saying that I, somehow, made a mistake and executed the wrong person?" Monokuma replied with hostility.
"No, you didn't do a mistake. You did it on purpose." Haru corrected bitterly.
This time, Monokuma looked furious.
"How dare you disrespect your headmaster!?"
"There are a lot of holes in the accusation of Suzu-san. Firstly, we never established how she managed to untie herself. The rope had clearly been cut once. How did she cut it? There was no sharp object in the room where she was locked in!" Haru replied.
"Is it only what you have? Maybe she was never tied up to begin with. Maybe she found two ropes inside of the classroom and tied them together."
"How did she arrive to sneak inside the air vent? It was really high."
"She could have use chairs and desks to reach it."
"How did she manage to go inside the infirmary? The screws are on the upfront side, so she shouldn't have access to them inside of the vent. And I doubt she had enough strength to break it. And neither the air vent grid nor the air vent had damage, so they weren't broken. Someone unscrewed it, and it couldn't be Suzu-san."
Haru felt some regrets and guiltiness. If only she had thought of those details during the fifth class trials rather than letting despair winning over her, maybe Suzu will still be alive…No, if Monokuma really intended to execute her, it wouldn't have change anything. The past couldn't be change, all she could do was to try to survive in the present and worked for a better future.
"What if the air vent had been unscrewed way before Shuto-san was locked? Maybe it always has been that way. Or Hashiri-san is the one who did it. If her goal was really to kill Kenmochi-san, she could have locked the door, unscrewed the air vent and hide the grid to have a way to go out and made it looks like a closed room murder." Monokuma replied.
"You said a lot of 'if'…" Haru complained.
"It's because all of you arguments are easily disprovable. You have no actual evidence, get your facts right…"
"That's wrong! I have a proof! It's the screwdriver! Haru found a box full of similar ones in the storage room, but one was missing. Judging by the size, the one missing was the screwdriver we found inside the classroom where Suzu-san was locked in. How did it get there? Suzu-san can't be the one who brought it there, since she was locked inside. So someone else put it there. It's you. You did it in order to frame Suzu-san!" Haru accused.
Monokuma remained quiet for a moment, before showing an infuriated expression.
"Stupid! This is stupid! You're stupid! Your argument is ridiculous, all you said is dumb. I never met someone as idiot as you!"
"This is why you spoke directly to Suzu-san during the class trial. You told her to choose wisely, otherwise everyone could be executed. In fact you were telling her to not protest the accusation against her otherwise everyone would be killed. You were threatening her." Haru said calmly.
"That's not true, idiot!"
"This is why Suzu-san called this game rotten. Because she knew it was rigged. She knew she was being framed. This is why she gave up, a gamester such as her wouldn't want to participate into a rigged game. This is why she called you a cheater!"
"Shut up! How can you be so dumb?! Why Shuto-san would have done such a thing? It's stupid to give up your life for others!"
"You're wrong! Suzu-san was our class rep! She was chosen by Kaminaga-san! All she did was to follow Kaminaga-san's request. She wanted for Suzu-san to protect us. This is why Suzu-san accepted to be framed and didn't try to protest."
"You're stupid…!"
But, she never acknowledged to be the culprit or to have killed Nio. She only admitted that according to you, she was the blackened. Suzu-san trusted Haru to find out the truth, this is why she left those clues."
Monokuma really seemed to have lost his temper. Suddenly, he calmed himself and showed a sickening grin.
"If Shuto-san had an alibi, then who was the culprit? Everyone else also have an alibi!" Monokuma replied.
In a fit of rage, Haru suddenly hit her desk with her fist.
"I don't care! It doesn't matter who the culprit was! It won't change the fact that you executed someone who was innocent! You must be the one who killed Nio! You did it in order to frame Suzu-san, because she was a threat to you."
"You bastard…is right! Upupu, I did this to get rid of this nuisance! But if it was Kenmochi-san who ended up being voted as the culprit, I would have executed her instead. They were both a bother to me."
"So you finally admit it…you sore loser!"
"And what are you gonna do 'bout that? I'm the one in charge, I control the game! I'm the boss here! The headmaster!"
"How…childish. You cheated your own game! You executed an innocent, you committed murder, and force us to kill each other for your own amusement! What you did…is unforgivable! Not even Haru can forgive a monster such as you! And it's not even the worst part…you even manipulated our memory!"
This time, Monokuma seemed confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb! All those weird dreams I had, there weren't just dreams. They were lost memories. And everyone…became friend way too soon, almost as they knew each other before. Even me, I always had the feeling that I knew Tokaku. This is because we did meet before the killing game. We all suffer of amnesia, because of you! You erased some of our memory!"
Haru recalled one of her dream, the one where she was tied up on a chair, with a strange person wearing a Monokuma mask. She remembered that some weird helmet had been put on her head, and the pain she felt. It must be a machine that could somehow erased memory.
"Huh? Amnesia? Erasing memory? You really are dumb don't you? Do you think that it is some kind of shitty sci-fi movie?" Monokuma taunted.
Haru opened the photo album and showed the last pages to Monokuma, or more exactly, the pictures that where inside.
"Then, explain this!"
The first picture showed the thirteen Class Black's students in a classroom, with Mizorogi Ataru, their teacher. They were all wearing a similar school uniform as Nio, the Myojo's uniform. The majority of them were smiling. It seemed to be an official class picture.
The second picture was a photo of Suzu and Kouko, with other Class Black's students in the background. They were at the pool. Even the black haired girl was smiling.
The third picture was set in front of Myojo Academy. It seemed to be during some kind of sport festival. The photo showed Tokaku, Haruki and Chitaru running on the track field, while the others were picnicking under a tree.
The fourth and last picture seemed to be set in some kind of ball, in Myojo's gymnasium. The main focus of the picture was Haru and Tokaku dancing together, Haru wearing a dress and Tokaku a tuxedo. Even the blue haired girl seemed to enjoy the event. The other Class Black's students were in the background.
"It's Suzu-san's photo album. Those pictures are the proof that she knew each other. We were Myojo's students!" Haru declared. "This is the truth that both Suzu-san and Hanabusa-san reached. Hanabusa-san even recovered her memory after Mahiru-san's death."
Monokuma remained impassible for few seconds, before bursting of laugh.
"You are right! Prior to the killing game, you were all actual classmates! Isn't despairful, to know that all your friends and classmates killed each other without even knowing it? Upupu."
"It's over, Monokuma. Now that Haru had found out the truth, nobody will commit murder. The game is over."
"No no, it's not over. You'll have one final vote to do. Here, check this out!"
A thin book suddenly fell right on Haru's desk. Cautiously, Haru opened it. It was really similar to the book Isuke found, but with black pages. A lot of pages were missing. The only ones that where there was the number 10 to 13. Haru understood that the missing ones where those that were hidden for the treasure hunt.
"Kuzunoha…Nio, SHSL Illusionist. Hanabusa Sumireko, SHSL…Tea Sommelier. Banba Mahiru, SHSL Seamstress. Ichinose Haru, SHSL…Survivor." Haru read out loud. "I see. The other book was our Myojo's school profile. Those are our Hope's Peak Academy's school profile. Since we were all amnesiac we forgot, but we were all accepted to Hope's Peak."
"Bingo! Indeed, you bastards would have been Hope's Peak Academy's students. How ironic. Those who were chosen for Class Black were chosen way before the alliance between the two schools. You were giving a SMSL title to fit the request of Hope's Peak. Who could have guess that you would be all accepted to attend Hope's Peak? Anyway, it won't happen now."
Suddenly, a curtain fell, revealing a strange door that was big, metallic and circular.
"Could it be…the exit?" Haru asked.
"Yes! It's the exit. It's now the time for your final vote. If you find the right answer, you'll be allowed to leave, as well as all the other survivors. But if you fail, you'll be executed.
"Haru is ready! I'll defeat you once and for all! For all those who died because of you, you who stole us our future and hope. Haru will escape with the others and we'll build a new future and attend Hope's Peak Academy!"
"Upupu, I highly doubt that. Anyway, the question is, who the traitor is? Because yes, they were a traitor among you. A fellow Class Black's student. You'll have to vote for the person you think is the traitor!"
Once again, Haru lifted the top of her desk. She didn't want to accuse one of her classmates to be the traitor, but she had no choice. There was indeed on person she was suspicious of. Only her seemed to be a plausible traitor. Resignedly, Haru pressed the button #10 and closed her desk.
"You are…wrong!?" Monokuma exclaimed. "How surprising! Well, it seemed that you'll be executed…"
"Wait! If I'm wrong, who is the traitor!?" Haru asked. "And you're a cheater! How can I know you're not trying to get rid of me!?"
"I must admit that I'm also surprise, I actually have no idea who the traitor is. Anyway, it doesn't matter, you were already condemn to be executed."
"Uh? What…do you mean?"
"You accidentally killed Hanabusa-san. You're the one who triggered the trap that caused her death. And since it wasn't an act of self-defence, you are now the blackened."
"No, it can't be…I'm Hanabusa-san's killer…?"
Haru felt herself fall into despair again. She was going to be executed? No, she couldn't. She had made a promise with Tokaku, she had to survive, so they could both escape together. It was their wish!
"Upupu, it's now punishment time! Ah, and it seems that someone is about to join us! It will be the perfect execution for the SMSL Survivor, as well as the Queen Bee."
Haru suddenly began to hyperventilate. She was afraid, she didn't know what to expect, and she wasn't sure if she could fulfil the promise she made with Tokaku. To not be able to make their wish come true was what terrified the most Haru.
Suddenly, she heard the elevator's doors opened behind her.
The amnesia card again!? Well, this is truly a Danganronpa story then!
Poor Suzu, she was innocent. She has been wrongly executed.
The flowers for Haru, Tokaku and Nio never appeared in the original story and were chosen by me.
Who's the traitor? And how many people will survive, and whom? This story is about to end soon!
