Class Trial

We returned to the courtroom, once again not knowing who would get to leave. In most cases, we'd assume that the blackened would get to live if they got away with it, but if Mihama was responsible for her own death and we didn't convict her, no one would survive.

Two more portraits had been added since the end of the previous trial, and once again, they belonged to the most recent murder victim and the person who had been executed last time. Taiga's X consisted of two crossed musical notes, while Mihama's X was like the kind shown in the "Sign Here" lines on certain documents. Of course, the former was actually at Tatsuki's seat, as Tatsuki found out when she tried to return to her old seat.

"Wrong seat, Taiga-san," Monokuma said.

With the same expression as a kicked puppy, Tatsuki complied, assuming Taiga's position. By the time she was in her place, everyone else was in theirs, ready to begin.

"All right," Monokuma said. "Once again, you've got to find who was responsible for the victim's death this time if you want to live."

"And what if Miharu-chan's death was an accident or suicide?" Sayuri said.

"Then she's her own killer," Monokuma said, "and if you find her guilty, you'll have to pick someone to get punished, as per Rule 16. If the majority of you vote for someone else when it's actually her, then all of you die."

"I see," Tatsuki said. "If it turns out that Mihama-san's death was an accident or a suicide and Monokuma wants an execution anyway, please sacrifice me so that the rest of you can live."

"If, Tachibana-san," Himeno said. "That will only be necessary if Mihama-san caused her own death, whether accidentally or deliberately. If someone else did, then we'll have to find that person, or you'll die with the rest of the spotless."

That was assuming Tatsuki wasn't the killer, of course. Then again, circumstances aside, I didn't think it was all that likely that Tatsuki cared enough about Himeno that she'd kill Mihama to spare Himeno from having to kill her. Maybe she'd have done it if Taiga was playing Himeno's role, but if Taiga was still alive, then Tatsuki probably never would have made her proposal.

"What about Himemiya?" Asakura said. "She was just as eager to take one for the team, wasn't she?"

"No, she wasn't," Tatsuki said. "She only agreed to be my executioner after I made my proposal, and only because under Rule 16, someone would have to die anyway if I committed suicide. Her actions were those of someone who wanted to sacrifice the few to save the many, not someone who embraced her own death."

Himeno nodded in agreement, as did I. Of course, while Tatsuki was mostly right, I still didn't think that she really was ready to die. Of course, there would be time to discuss that with her later.

"I agree," I said, "and let's leave it at that for now. Our lives are in as much danger now as they were on the island, and that probably includes whoever killed Mihama."

"That's true, Azuki-san," Higurashi said, "and before we begin the trial in earnest, I'd like to say something to the person who might have killed Mihama-san. I don't know why you felt compelled to do such a terrible thing, but now that we are in a class trial, our lives are in danger. If you killed her to save all of us, then please confess, so that we will not be executed. If you did it to save yourself, then I'm sorry, but we must expose you to save our own lives, even if it means your death."

The courtroom fell silent for a few moments, as everyone processed what they'd heard. Higurashi had always been so idealistic and averse to sacrifice, but in the end, he'd come to realize that once we'd set foot on this island, we wouldn't have been able to leave until someone died.

In the end, no one answered Higurashi's request. As I looked around, I saw Asakura playing the world's smallest violin; the courtroom was quiet enough that I could have sworn I heard the imaginary bow slide across nonexistent strings.

"What did you think would happen, Higurashi?" Asakura said. "That the killer would give up a shot at escaping here for good just to die a gruesome death? Or that anyone's selfless enough to take one for the team after Tachibana and Himemiya already offered to do it for them? I can't say I know for sure what's going through those two's heads, but no one's that selfless."

"I will admit that the likelihood of either scenario was slim at best," Higurashi said, "but because I asked this question, and because no one chose to step forward, I was able to ascertain one thing. If a third party is responsible for Mihama-san's death, that person is willing to not only commit murder, but sacrifice us all to graduate. We must find out how Mihama-san was killed, and the identity of the one responsible."

"Yes," Tatsuki said. "I don't know for certain why someone would kill Mihama-san, but it doesn't matter. No matter the killer's motives, we can't allow them to get away with what they've done."

What Tatsuki just said would, by itself, come off as hypocritical, but when considered in context with her words and actions over the past week, it made sense. She believed she deserved to die for killing Kojima- or at least more than her sister did- and probably wasn't too happy about the idea of someone else dying to save us. That being said, she knew the stakes as well as the rest of us, so she knew what had to be done.

Equally aware of the stakes, I got my head in the game, and prepared to get to the bottom of this crime, even if it was the last thing I did.

"So, with that out of the way, I suppose we should start with alibis," I said. "Chiyuri, Kumakura and I were together when we found Mihama's body in the office on the ground floor, so it's not as though one of us could have wandered off and killed her."

"Yes, but something's odd," Kurogane said. "Mihama-san was assigned to search the second floor, so how did her body end up on the ground floor?"

"Good question," I said. "There was a hole in the ceiling- or rather, the floor of the second story- just above Mihama's corpse, so it's possible that Mihama was dropped down there from the floor above after she was killed. Kumakura had to force the door open, too, so even if Mihama wasn't on the ground floor, she couldn't have opened it by herself."

"So if that's true, then the culprit has to be Himemiya or Sasaki," Asakura said, "or perhaps both of them."

While it was obvious that Asakura was making wild accusations as usual, this was especially unconvincing. If one of them had killed Mihama, then the other would be a witness who could incriminate her, since they'd have nothing to gain from the first getting away with murder. If the first girl killed the other witness, then they'd be the only one alive on the second floor team, and the only viable suspect for the murders.

"Sasaki-san and I were together the entire time," Himeno said. "Mihama-san decided to check the room ahead for traps, but didn't come back. We heard a sound from the room Mihama-san was investigating, and then checked it out."

"A likely story," Asakura said. "Surely you two could be lying about it to protect each other?"

"The motive from last time no longer applies," Sayuri said, "so there would be no benefit to protecting Himemiya-san. I like her, and consider her a friend, but I'm not willing to die for her."

"The feeling is mutual," Himeno said. "While I was prepared to sacrifice myself, a part of me was relieved that Sasaki-san would not share my fate."

"Perhaps not," Kirishima said, "but what about everyone else?"

Himeno frowned disapprovingly.

"Sasaki-san voted against plan to have me sacrifice Mihama-san," Himeno said. "If she didn't want me to die, she could have volunteered to take my place."

"That's true," Sayuri said. "Naive as it may be, I honestly hoped we could get off this island without any of us having to die."

"I'll admit that it's rather unlikely that Sasaki-san or Himemiya-san could have committed the murder without being seen by the other," Karita said, "but can you prove that they didn't do it?"

I sighed. Ordinarily, this would be a job for Mihama, but with her dead, someone had to step in. Luckily, Sayuri picked up the slack.

"You've have it backwards, Karita-kun," Sayuri said. "In criminal trials, you have to prove that the defendants are guilty. The rules may be different here, but the stakes punish a false conviction even more harshly, so it's no exaggeration to say that jumping to conclusions can be a fatal mistake."

"That's right," I said. "Besides, how could you prove that either of them killed Mihama without being in the same room as her?"

Karita shrugged.

"Not really," Karita said. "The only way for them to kill her that way would be to trigger a pressure plate, but all of the pressure plates- or at least the ones I know about- triggered dart traps that were close enough to strike someone near them. That being said, it is at least possible for someone to pick up a dart that was fired and throw it into Mihama-san's eye."

"There's a problem with that," Chiyuri said. "The darts shatter upon hitting the walls. Only the one that went into Mihama-san's eye stayed intact. As such, anyone seeking to use a dart would have had to catch it in mid-flight and somehow avoid breaking it."

"Actually, Nagato-san, there is another way," Himeno said. "If the dart strikes a soft surface, it may remain intact and can be retrieved, a bit like arrows stuck in a target during archery practice."

Both Sayuri and I nodded, but Himeno wasn't done speaking.

"That being said, Himeno said, "there would be a hole in the dart's final destination, and I couldn't find any such holes in the office when I did my preliminary investigation. As such, if the trap went off, it could only have hit Mihama-san in the eye."

"Fair enough," Karita said, "but is it possible for you or Sasaki-san to have triggered the trap by mistake?"

Both of them shook their heads once again.

"Miharu-chan asked us to stay still, around the corner, while she was investigating the room for traps," Sayuri said. "When I suspected something had happened, I was worried about her, but Himemiya-san insisted that I stay put."

"Yes, I did," Himeno said, "because I was worried that either of us might trigger a trap and cause harm to ourselves or Mihama-san. Little did I know that the worst had already happened..."

As I thought, their stories seemed to corroborate each other. They didn't always agree, but they probably weren't lying about this.

"There was a pressure plate at the left edge of the hole in the floor," Sayuri said, "and a dart shooter in the wall to the left of the entryway. If the dart fired and struck Miharu-chan in the eye, she must have fallen backwards, into the hole and landed on her back."

That was probably the most ironclad theory of how Mihama died that I'd heard so far, so I nodded to concur. The only question was how the killer played into all this.

"So if Sasaki-san's analysis is corrrect, Mihama-san's death was most likely an accident," Higurashi said, "unless we can prove that there was some other way for her or her killer to get into the second floor."

"I think there's a more relevant question," Chiyuri said, "specifically, how the killer could have gotten out of the office. The window overlooks the cliff, and the killer couldn't have gotten through without breaking it, but it was intact when we found it. There was no way for them to leave without my group seeing them."

"No way out except for the large hole in the floor," Asakura said. "Didn't you notice that?"

I saw that Asakura had a smug smirk on his face, as though he thought he'd noticed something Chiyuri hadn't, but she glared at him in response. She was trying to be polite, but even she had her limits. Asakura must have stopped by the crime scene on his way back to the ship, but if he'd investigated, he'd probably done a pretty half-assed job.

"We did, Asakura…-san," Chiyuri said. "We also noticed that the hole leads into the basement storage room, the door of which could not be opened wide enough for someone to enter."

"That's right," Karita said. "There's a bunch of heavy rubble there, and the door opens inward, so it's not as though it could have been put there later."

Asakura bit his lip. Considering how much stupid crap he'd said so far, I was tempted to conclude he was the blackened, but thought better of it. He had an alibi that placed him far away from the crime scene, so it wasn't physically possible for him to kill Mihama. Instead, if there was a killer, I had to find out where they'd made a mistake.

"Speaking of holes," Karita said, "I don't suppose there were any between the second and third floors?"

"Not in the office Miharu-chan was investigating when she died," Sayuri said. "As for the rest of the floor... you'll have to ask Hikaru-kun or Tatsuki-chan."

I snickered as I noticed that Sayuri had snubbed Asakura, probably deliberately.

"There were several holes throughout the third floor," Kurogane said, "but none were big enough for a person to fit through."

"That's right," Tatsuki said. "Besides, even if the killer descended from the third floor, they'd need a rope- or something that worked the same way- and a place to tie it to if they wanted to climb back up. I should know, after all."

I thought about the noise that I'd heard, which could have only been Mihama's body falling onto the desk, and wondered if I'd overestimated how loud it was. Considering that I'd rarely heard anything weighing more than a couple kilograms fall from a height greater than a meter or two, I wasn't too good at guessing what heavy stuff falling sounded like. In any case, if the culprit had also jumped down from the second floor, we'd probably have heard a second thud, even if we probably couldn't hear the sound of them jumping down and landing in the basement. The fact that there was only one crash seemed to prove that no one had set foot in the first floor office besides Mihama.

"So I'm just asking to double-check," I said, "but you guys stayed together the entire time, right?"

The three of them nodded. Judging from Kurogane and Tatsuki's expressions, they enjoyed spending time with Asakura as little as I did.

"We did," Asakura said, "because I sure as hell wasn't letting her out of my sight. What about the basement group?"

"Our discussion has already established that descending from one floor to another through the holes is difficult," Kirishima said, "and ascending is even more so. There do not seem to be any ways upstairs except for the stairway."

I paused to think and try to cool my head, since I was growing increasingly frustrated. Usually, at some point in the crime, the killer made a mistake or ran into bad luck, which ended up being their undoing. Yamazaki had allowed Tsukimura to see him, Tatsuki had left the tag on her other pair of overalls, and even if Kojima had successfully killed both the twins, he wouldn't have had any way to escape undetected. Assuming someone had killed Mihama, they would have been able to avoid leaving behind any physical evidence and somehow leave the room without a trace, a plan that seemed too perfect.

Speaking of mistakes, I also noticed that while some people had said things that weren't necessarily true, I hadn't noticed any behavior that was characteristic of a killer trying to cover up their crime. Yamazaki knew that he'd have been screwed if anyone found the blue yukata with Tsukimura's blood on it, so he put it in the wash and made a beeline back to his cabin to pick it up. Tatsuki knew that she'd be convicted instantly if anyone saw a drop of blood on her overalls, which is why she'd changed clothes in the store. We were all pretty desperate, but nobody seemed at all scared of the evidence that had come up so far in this trial.

"So at the time of Mihama-san's death, everyone was in a group of three or more people," Karita said, "or better said, almost everyone."

"That is true," Higurashi said, "but what are you implying?"

"It's simple," Karita said. "Since Sasaki-san and Himemiya-san were in the smallest group, as well as the closest to the crime scene, they are the most likely to have killed Mihama-san, whether intentionally or not."

I sighed. Karita hadn't admitted he was wrong, but he should have known that the facts were against them.

"This again?" I said. "We already established that Sayuri and Himeno can't be in cahoots, since they have nothing to gain from protecting the other."

"Maybe not," Karita said, "but think about it this way. If one of them is the killer, then the other would be certain of the killer's identity, but have no conclusive proof beyond asserting that the other was the only possible culprit. To avoid accusing each other, they could very well be lying in order to have an alibi at the time of the crime."

"Is that so?" I said. "Well, take a look at this. It's what I got after questioning the two of them separately. Sayuri's testimony is on one side, while Himeno's is on the other"

I passed Chiyuri a piece of paper with the testimony I received from Sayuri and Himeno. After looking at both sides and nodding, she passed it to Karita.

"So, this is Sasaki-san and Himemiya-san's accounts of where they were at the time of the crime?" Karita said.

"That's right," I said, "and it matches up perfectly. If they were lying, then one of them would have a different story. With this, we can confirm that they were together the entire time, and would have known if the other had carried out the murder."

While it was almost completely impossible for one of the two to have committed the murder (unless they were in cahoots, in which case we were screwed), it didn't feel as though we were getting any closer to the truth. At this point, the only viable theory was that Mihama had died by accident, and I didn't have nearly as much evidence to prove that as I did for the other murders.

Karita shrugged, silently conceded the point, then continued to pass the paper around the circle. He was probably the only person who needed to see it, but it couldn't hurt to get everyone else on the same page.

"While I agree that Karita-kun's theory has a few holes in it," Kurogane said, "what if it wasn't a murder? What if one of Mihama-san' groupmates accidentally killed her, and didn't notice?"

"I'll admit that's a possibility, Hikaru-kun," Sayuri said, "but that's why Himemiya-san and I stayed completely still while Miharu-chan was investigating. We didn't want to trigger any traps by mistake."

"She's right," I said. "I think we've proven as conclusively as possible that Sayuri and Himeno can't be responsible."

While a part of me was relieved that two of my closest friends here weren't the blackened, I knew they weren't safe just yet. If we fucked up here, then the two of them, along with everyone else who played no role in Mihama's death, would suffer a grisly fate.

"So with Sasaki-san and Himemiya-san more or less exonerated, it seems most likely that Mihama-san caused her own death," Higurashi said, "unless anyone has an alternative theory."

"What about the other groups?" Himeno said. "Should we confirm where they were, and whether any of them could have caused it?"

"That won't be necessary," Chiyuri said. "It isn't possible for anyone from the third floor or the basement to have gotten to Mihama-san without being seen by Sasaki-san or Himemiya-san. In fact, there's no proof that anyone left their assigned floors...besides Mihama-san, that is."

"That's nice," Asakura said, "but what about your group?"

"The same goes for us," Kumakura said. "Not only did we only see Mihama-san when her body was discovered, but if one of us had somehow killed her, then at least one of other two would have seen it happen."

"True," Higurashi said. "My group also stuck together most of the time, and while there were times when Kirishima-kun went on ahead to investigate, he could not have reached the first- much less second- floor to commit the murder."

I paused to think for a moment, long enough for the piece of paper with Himeno and Sayuri's testimonies to make it back to me. I didn't necessarily care about getting it back, since after today, I'd have no further need of it, but I did want everyone to see it.

"I think someone must have triggered the trap," I said, "whether Mihama or a third party, so we should find out who triggered pressure plates while in the office complex. I stepped on one just outside the office where we found Mihama's body."

"I stepped on a plate in the basement just after we arrived," Higurashi said, "resulting in a dart being fired instantly. Kirishima-kun also triggered a trap, but it was apparently broken and made a clicking saound."

"Asakura-kun did," Kurogane said. "It went off the second the plate was pressed, and he barely avoided it."

Asakura glared at Kurogane, clearly not happy about Kurogane blabbing. I noticed a pattern- the darts went off immediately.

"Shortly after we got here, I stepped on a plate by mistake," Sayuri said, "and barely dodged the dart that fired the instant the plate went down. This is why Miharu-chan decided to scout out the office, only to step on the pressure plate while doing so."

Chiyuri shook her head.

"I'm not so sure, Sasaki-san," Chiyuri said. "What if the trap was defective, and fired without Mihama-san activating the pressure plate?"

"That may be possible," Kirishima said, "since the basement trap Higurashi-kun mentioned failed to fire when the pressure plate was pressed. But while actions do not always have the desired results, results do not happen spontaneously; something would have had to trigger the trap, even if it was not the pressure plate. What proof do you have that the trap fired on its own, and how do you propose it happened?"

"I can't say how," Chiyuri said, "but I know what I saw. Just after Monokuma announced the end of the investigation, while on my way out of the crime scene, I tested the pressure plate outside the office where Mihama-san's body was discovered, but nothing happened, at least not at first. There wasn't even the clicking sound Higurashi-san mentioned"

I furrowed my brow. Out of everyone here, I knew best of all that these things didn't just go off on their own.

"That's weird," I said. "It fired when I stepped on the pressure plate, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did," Chiyuri said, "but it fired a few seconds later. If the plate you pushed triggered the trap, it should have gone off instantly. The fact that it didn't means that something else triggered the trap."

I had to admit that Chiyuri was on to something there. It was hard to tell the difference between going off instantly and going off a few seconds later, but that would determine whether the pressure plate next to the trap had actually triggered it. Considering how cautious most of us were around the traps, there weren't many people who could confidently say how they worked.

"Ok, so maybe I didn't actually trigger the trap by pushing the pressure plate," I said, "but what do you mean when you said nothing happened 'at first'?"

Nagato sighed and shrugged.

"I didn't mention this earlier because I didn't know how to explain it," Nagato said, "but a minute after I tested the pressure plate near it, the dart shooter fired twice in rapid succession."

I went pale as I heard what Chiyuri had said. She didn't fully understand the significance of what she was saying, but I sure as hell did.

"You said it fired twice?" I said. "And a minute after you tested it?"

"Yes, that's what I said," Chiyuri said. "Is something wrong with that?"

"There might be," I said. "Just after the investigation period ended, I saw the trap that killed Mihama go off, then tested the pressure plate near it twice. If what you're saying is true, then the pressure plate downstairs controls the trap in the office, and vice versa. If that's true, then... then... oh fuck..."

"Akira-san?" Chiyuri said, and the others were staring me after that outburst.

A horrific realization came over me. What seemed like a very complicated and impossible to solve mystery was, in fact, incredibly simple. It wasn't that I hadn't realized the truth- I had known, but simply couldn't accept it. Now that I'd come to grips with what had happened, it was time to tell the truth, since I knew that the cost of doing so would be easier to accept than the consequences of my staying silent.

"Now that we know where the trigger to the office trap is, there's only one person who could have set off the trap that killed Mihama," I said, "namely, me."

The rest of the courtroom fell into a stunned silence, as everyone looked in my direction. The others could hardly believe what I was saying, and I personally couldn't blame them, since I never would have imagined that I'd end up in a scenario like this.

It was only after I'd spoken that I realized the ramifications of what I'd just said- or rather, the situation in which the only way to tell the truth was to accuse myself of being responsible for Mihama's death. I would not be able to go home, see my mom or other friends again, or even live to see tomorrow morning. All that awaited me was a gruesome death, one that Monokuma had tailor-made for the Ultimate Actress.

A part of me was tempted to laugh it off and claim that I was telling a joke. Another part wanted to blame Himeno and Tatsuki for not sacrificing themselves sooner, to blame Higurashi for suggesting that we search the island in order to find an alternative, or to blame Mihama for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, all of which were as ridiculous as they sounded. Yet another part wished I'd let myself be hanged in Tatsuki's stead, thrown myself out the third floor of the building before the trial even commenced, stayed behind on the Ursa Major when we made landfall or even tried putting 11111 into the keypad on the lock to the bridge. Any of those deaths would have had more meaning and less agony than the one I was about to suffer.

But it was too late for that, ever since the dart had hit Mihama in the eye. Since I'd become responsible for Mihama's death, I had a choice- die for what I'd done, or sacrifice everyone else here in order to escape. As terrifying as death was, I knew that I could never live with myself if I graduated. The only choice I had was to stand by my words, even if doing so cost me my life.

"No..." Chiyuri said. "That can't be possible!"

I grimly shook my head.

"It is," I said. "Apart from what we noticed after the end of the investigation, the gallows' trapdoor wasn't controlled by the right pressure plate, so this has happened before. Right, Monokuma?"

"You're right about that, Azuki-san," Monokuma said, "since I had to fix it after you stumbled upon it. Of course, while you are right that some trap triggers got switched around, I'm not going to remark about whether you're responsible for Mihama-san's death, though."

"Because it'd spoil the surprise?" I said. "That's all the more reason to believe I did it."

Even as I said that, a part of me was hoping that Monokuma would say that I was wrong and that I hadn't really killed Mihama. Then again, the facts aside, that wasn't possible.

"So that explains why the trap didn't go off when Akira tested it," Sayuri said. "If Miharu-chan had stepped on it, then the one downstairs would have gone off, and she wouldn't have been harmed. She must have been standing there and examining the trap while scanning the room, never dreaming that it would go off in her face. When the trap fired, she must have stumbled backwards before falling through the hole, causing the trap downstairs to go off."

I winced, before realizing that Sayuri wasn't trying to guilt-trip me over Mihama's death; she was merely talking about the power of coincidence. The odds of this clusterfuck happening were pretty damn low, but so, too, were the chances of Tsukimura happening upon Yamazaki in time to see something he'd kill to keep secret, or of Sayuri and Himeno watching the window while Tatsuki passed by. I guess the only surprise was that no one had fallen prey to the traps or gotten murdered before this had happened.

Of course, after thinking about it for a moment, I realized that this wasn't a question of coincidences, but consequences. When Yamazaki set out to kill Karita, he ran the risk of getting caught, whether by his target or a third party. When Tatsuki became the blackened, she had to make a choice- save herself and her sister, or sacrifice herself to let the rest of us live. When we decided to wait until we'd investigated the island before going with Tatsuki's proposal, we ran the risk of someone else dying first. None of the outcomes were the ones we anticipated or wanted, but they were possible, and I had better ways to spend the little time I had left than agonizing over how things could have turned out.

"There's one thing that doesn't fit," Chiyuri said. "The body discovery announcement requires three people, excluding the culprit, right?"

"You're right about that, Nagato-san," Monokuma said, "but I'm not saying which three of you triggered the announcement this time."

"I think I understand what you're getting at," Kurogane said. "If you, Azuki-san and Kumakura-kun were the only people who found the body, then Azuki-san couldn't have been the culprit. If she was, she wouldn't have counted toward those three, and the announcement wouldn't have gone off."

I shook my head. Monokuma refusing to say which three of us had triggered the body discovery announcement wasn't just him being uncooperative; he'd inadvertently given us an important clue. There was a way for our group of three to trigger the body discovery announcement, even with the culprit among us; a fourth person had discovered Mihama's body.

"It's true that assuming I'm the culprit, you and Chiyuri would have needed an additional person to trigger the Body Discovery Announcement," I said, "but you did have that person- Sayuri. She peered into the room and noticed Mihama's body at the same time as we did."

"I guess you're right," Sayuri said, "since this would explain why the body discovery announcement went off after I saw Miharu-chan's body. I'm sorry; things would be simpler if I hadn't looked."

"No, don't apologize," I said. "If you hadn't looked, and the body discovery announcement hadn't been sent, we probably would've thought that Mihama wasn't actually dead. In fact, your timing helped prove that the culprit was one of the three to discover the body- namely, me."

I looked around at the others. In the end, while I'd done most of the work when it came to solving the crimes, my efforts wouldn't amount to shit if I couldn't all- or at least most- of my classmates to vote for the culprit with me. So far, no one besides Chiyuri was objecting, but at the same time, the others didn't seem fully convinced.

"So, everyone," I said. "Do you believe me?"

"I don't think you have any reason to lie," Karita said, "since if you get convicted for Mihama-san's death, you'll regardless whether you actually did it. The only question is whether the rest of us will end up going down with you."

"I doubt that Azuki-san would want such a thing," Higurashi said. "If she truly believes herself guilty, she could have hidden that knowledge and graduated by herself. If not, then I don't see who she could possibly be protecting. I certainly don't think she's the type to throw her life away just to ensure we meet the same fate."

The others didn't argue with that. Not everyone could be trusted in here, but even the untrustworthy ones had understandable and rational motives, and there was nothing rational about trying to kill off my classmates, along with myself. Chiyuri, however, sighed, since she wasn't fully convinced.

"I... don't think you're lying, Akira-san," Chiyuri said. "It's just that this is all so hard to believe. You, the person who saved all of us twice over, have become the blackened and endangered us, albeit unwittingly? And you somehow killed Mihama-san without even being in the same room as her? It doesn't seem very likely to be true, and I don't want it to be."

That made two of us. Not only had my screw-up killed Mihama, but it had put us all in danger, and the only way to save everyone who'd done nothing wrong was for me to lay down and die. That being said, while it was tempting to throw a pity party for myself for ending up in this mess, a part of me was glad I'd been the one. If I hadn't, there was no guarantee that we'd have been able to figure this out and realize who was responsible.

"Me neither," I said, "but that's the conclusion that all the evidence thus far points towards. If you're still not convinced, why don't I summarize everything that happened one last time?"

Earlier today, the twelve of us explored the office complex. The culprit, Chiyuri and Kumakura went to the ground floor. Mihama-san, Himeno and Sayuri headed to the second floor. Kurogane, Asakura and Tatsuki explored the third floor. Everyone else- Higurashi, Kirishima and Karita- explored the basement. While we were exploring the building, everyone could account for their teammates' whereabouts.

Shortly before the crime, Sayuri accidentally triggered a trap on the second floor, prompting Mihama to offer to investigate the offices in advance. While Mihama was investigating one office on the second floor, which would be the true scene of the crime, she had Himeno and Sayuri stay out of the way until she cleared it, unaware that disaster was about to strike.

While the culprit was about to enter the office on the ground floor, they stepped on a pressure plate, causing the trap upstairs to fire a dart at Mihama, who was investigating the office on the second floor, hoping to clear out traps in advance of Sayuri and Himeno's investigations. Mihama, fatally wounded, stumbled backward and onto the pressure plate, thereby triggering the trap downstairs. The culprit barely dodged in time, since the plate they triggered didn't fire a dart immediately.

Mihama then fell down through a hole in the floor, into the office, and landed on the desk with a loud crash. At that point, the second floor team burst through the door and found her body, unaware that her killer was among them. At that point, Sayuri peered down from the hole in the ceiling, becoming one of the three to trigger the body discovery announcement. The culprit then set out to find the true killer, unaware of their own responsibility for what had happened. But now they know- now we all know- and must accept this truth.

This has been my confession. I, Akira Azuki, am the culprit.

The rest of the class was silent. My summary had been shorter this time, largely because the case was a lot simpler, but I hoped it had answered all the questions. In fact, the part between my confession and this speech had also been shorter than the previous trials, since I didn't need to force the culprit (i.e. myself) into admitting their guilt; I just had to get Chiyuri and the others to accept that I was guilty. The only question was whether I'd succeeded.

"Normally, this would be where the culprit confesses," I said, "but I just did. Does anyone have any questions or objections?"

No one spoke up, which was a bit unnerving. Normally, the culprit, by confessing and accepting their fate, would acknowledge that I'd presented an airtight case proving their guilt, one that would convince everyone else to realize that as well. I staked my life on this final confession, and hoped that would be enough reason for my classmates to believe it.

"It looks like all of you have made up your minds," Monokuma said. "Well, except for Nagato-san, but she's only one person, and I think this trial's gone on long enough."

"That's right," I said. "Let's get this over with."

"Good plan!" Monokuma said. "Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?"

The vote began. As I reached for my own button, I noticed that my hand was trembling so badly I could barely press the button. The only reason I managed to was because I knew it was for the best, knowing that even if I died, the others would be able to live on.

The vote results were tallied. I got nine votes while Mihama herself got one. I wondered who didn't have the heart to vote for me, but that didn't matter.

The display then showed the die landing with my face up, along with "GUILTY." One way or another, it was all over for me, but what about the others? That was all I cared about at the moment.

The courtroom was eerily quiet in the aftermath of the vote. I'd never enjoyed any of the verdicts until now, and this was no exception.

"And that's a three-peat!" Monokuma said. "The blackened who killed Miharu Mihama-san is none other than... Akira Azuki-san!"

It was always bittersweet when we found the right answer in a class trial, but this time was especially so. As glad as I was that I was the only one who'd have to pay the price for my mistake, there were no two ways about it... my life was over.

"But this time, the verdict wasn't unanimous," Monokuma said. "Nagato-san, you voted for the culprit in the last two trials, so why'd you make a mistake now?"

As Monokuma delivered his lecture, sounding like a disappointed parent, we all looked at Chiyuri, who fidgeted sheepishly. I should have known that out of everyone here, she'd be the one who'd hesitate to make this decision.

"I... I'm sorry," Chiyuri said. "I just couldn't accept that Akira-san was the blackened."

I sighed. Usually, this was the part where the blackened explained their motivations, since while I could figure out how the blackened had committed the crime, I could only guess why. This time, though, the events spoke for themselves.

"I'm the one who should apologize, Chiyuri," I said. "The truth is that I never intended to kill Mihama, but it ended up happening anyway. I've always seen it as my duty to solve the murders... including the one I committed."

"I don't get you, either, Azuki-san," Monokuma said. "You were this close to getting off scot-free, but you actually told the others to vote you guilty!"

"My life for all of theirs?" I said. "That's not a bad trade, even if it wouldn't have come to this if not for you."

"But does it really have to be your life, Azuki-san?" Tactsuki said. "Monokuma, since you don't care about getting the right person, please execute me in her stead!"

"No can do, Taiga-san," Monokuma said. "Tatsuki-san paid for her crime already. If you want to join your big sister so badly, you can also commit murder!"

Tatsuki's shoulders slumped in despair.

"Please, Tatsuki, just give it up," I said. "Taiga gave you a second chance at life, so don't waste it."

"I wasn't going to," Tachibana said. "I just think that you deserve that second chance more than I do. If I lived long enough to give it to you, then my life wasn't in vain."

"Well, Monokuma clearly doesn't see things that way," I said. "It's just as well, since the last thing I'd want is someone else dying on my account. We got off this island with only two casualties, myself included, so I guess that's the best we can hope for."

"I believe so, too," Himeno said, "which is why I volunteered to die along with Tachibana-san. You and Mihama-san, however, did not make that choice, so I regret that you two ended up being the ones to lose your lives here."

At this point, since we'd realized that I was the killer, and that Monokuma wasn't going to substitute anyone for the blackened a second time, everyone here, myself included, had to accept that I was going to die. I didn't know how long I had left, save for that it wasn't as long as I'd like, but I probably had at least a few minutes, and hoped to use those minutes as well as I could.

"I'd actually like to say a few words to each of you while I have the time," I said, "whether apologies, advice, thanks or simply last goodbyes."

The others listened quietly and attentively, knowing that whatever I had to say was important. I decided to start with my three least favorite survivors, so as to get them out of the way.

"Asakura, Karita, Kirishima," I said. "I don't like you three, but I don't think you deserve to die along with the rest of the class. What I do isn't for your sake, so you don't need to feel indebted to me."

"Don't worry, I won't," Asakura said. "The feeling's mutual, after all."

"Indeed," Kirishima said. "Your death is a meaningless one, so I will not accept the blame."

"You never did have what it takes to be a con artist, Azuki-san," Karita said, "but you're true to yourself, and I respect that."

I chuckled mirthlessly. While it was obvious that they didn't give a rat's ass whether I lived or died, I'd probably have felt odd if they did reveal that they cared about me at the end, so I was a bit relieved. As for me, I didn't really care about them, but was glad I didn't have their blood on my hands.

"Kumakura, I don't know what to say, really," I said, "except... I wish I'd gotten to know you better."

"Me too, Azuki-san," Kumakura said.

"The same goes for you, Kurogane," I said. "I hope you get out of here and hook up with someone who loves you as much as you do them, and who deserves that love."

Kurogane nodded, then wiped away a tear.

"Higurashi, I may not have always agreed with you," I said, "but I know that you're more of a leader than I will ever be. Do everything you can to keep the class safe, and remember- even if more people probably will die, no one has to."

"I swear on my life, Azuki-san," Higurashi said, "and I will remember that."

"Sayuri, I'm sorry about Mihama," I said, bowing deeply. "You might not be able to forgive me for killing your friend, but I hope you understand that I never wanted this to happen."

"I...I don't blame you, Akira-chan," Sayuri said, choking back a sob, "and neither... do I. Y-You're my friend, too..."

I allowed myself a bittersweet smile. As awful as it was that Sayuri was losing two of her friends today, I couldn't help but feel happy that I still counted as one, at the end.

"Tatsuki, promise me you won't give up on life," I said. "Your sister gave you a second chance, so don't waste it."

"I... I won't," Tatsuki said, "but I can't accept sacrificing people so I can live."

I didn't have anything to say to that. Perhaps Tatsuki would one day forgive herself, but it wouldn't happen here and now, not when she probably blamed herself for my death. In the end, it was up to her, and all I could do was believe in her.

"Himeno, you've been a good friend," I said. "There aren't many people who have been as honest and good-hearted as you."

"Same for you, Akira," Himeno said, blinking back tears. "I'm... sorry I can't do anything for you."

Himeno had always considered apologies to be a hollow and insincere gesture... so it was telling that apologizing was the only thing she felt she could do for me.

"It's fine," I said. "By the way, I never told a soul about our conversation last night, and never will."

As Himeno said, "Thank you, Akira," I glanced over and saw Sayuri continuing to weep inconsolably. She probably didn't know how Himeno felt about her, but I hoped she'd learn about it someday... from the girl herself.

"And last, but certainly not least, Chiyuri," I said. "I appreciate that you trusted me with... certain secrets of yours, so allow me to return the favor. From here on out, I'm trusting you to do the right thing, to unearth the answers to the mysteries, to find the truth, no matter what comes of it. Can you do that?"

"I'll... do my best," Chiyuri said. "Akira-san... thank you for being my friend."

I smiled and wrote one last message to Chiyuri in my notebook, before handing it to her. I then turned to the camera near Monokuma's seat.

"That's about it," I said. "Nagato-sensei, I'm not sure if you can hear me, but it was an honor to have you as my teacher, even in a time like this. I'm sorry I can't keep my promise."

As I bowed in apology, I rose to see Chiyuri looking utterly confused. Evidently, Nagato-sensei had kept my secret to the end.

"I think it's about time," Monokuma said. "Are you ready for your final curtain call, Azuki-san?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said. "Let's just get this over with."

"I'm not!" Chiyuri said, tears streaming down her face. "Please don't do this, Monokuma!"

While Monokuma ignored Chiyuri's pleas for mercy, or how the others were indifferent at best and heartbroken at worst, I couldn't help but smile one last time. There was a time when I'd thought of the others as tolerable at best and untrustworthy at worst, and even now, I still couldn't stand some of them. But the rest of them- Himeno, Sayuri, Kumakura, Kurogane, Tatsuki, Nagato-sensei and especially Chiyuri- had proven to be true friends. They didn't deserve to be stuck in this hell, but they also didn't deserve to die, so if I could help them live at least a few more days, then this would be worth it.

My time had come and I was still scared shitless, but I was dead-set on not showing it. The last thing I wanted was to give Monokuma the satisfaction, or make my demise any more painful for those I cared about. This was the most important decision of my life, and I didn't want to go to my grave regretting it.

"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Actress!"

"Take care, everyone," I said. "The rest, as they say... is silence."

"Let's give it everything we've got! IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"

Game Over

Azuki-san has been found guilty

Time for the punishment!

The metal clamp seized me by the neck- tightly enough to fit but loosely enough not to strangle me- and dragged me into the execution chamber. It would've been more dignified if I'd been allowed to walk, or even marched there in shackles, but such was life... or rather, death.

The Ultimate Actress, Akira Azuki's Execution: Executed

The Ides of March

I found myself on a stage, wearing a toga over my school uniform. It was set up to look like the Roman Senate, and I was surrounded by fifteen Monokumas, each of whom held a knife and had a photo of one of my classmates taped to their faces.

The Monokumas took their turns stabbing me, being careful to avoid any arteries or vital organs. Of course, each of those stabs hurt like hell, and with knife wounds all over my arms, legs and torso, blood was pouring out of me like a pipe that had burst.

By the time fourteen of the Monokumas had their turn, I'd lost a lot of blood, and thought I was going to bleed to death, but then there was one last Monokuma left- the one with Chiyuri's face, apparently ready to perform the coup de grace. Its knife had a much longer blade than the others, and I knew that I probably wouldn't survive getting stuck with that. While I'd always been afraid of dying in this killing game, now that I was actually being executed, I wasn't nearly as afraid. Once I was dead, I wouldn't feel any more pain.

Faint from blood loss, I couldn't help but let off a faint chuckle and smile weakly. Even though I knew that the Monokumas were soulless automatons whose "costumes" were too cheap to pass muster in even an amateur production, they did have my classmates' faces. In a way, I wouldn't be dying alone.

As that final Monokuma leaped forward, Chiyuri's face was the last thing I saw before the knife pierced my heart.

End of Chapter III

Class Members Remaining: 11

Script: A memento of Azuki. It's the script to her middle school's production of Hamlet.

Author's Notes

Do not adjust whatever device you're using to read this fanfic- our heroine, Akira Azuki, is dead.

I'd planned this outcome all along, gradually intending for Nagato to gradually develop and eventually have to replace Azuki as the class's primary mystery solver, a bit like Shuichi did for Kaede in V3, albeit more gradually. In that case, part of the reason why the plot irked me, apart from the fact that Kaede was a more interesting character and the main series' first female protagonist, is that she got killed off fairly early on in the story. In this fic, Azuki's developed, gradually connecting with the rest of the group and learning compassion for the other killers, especially since she inadvertently becomes one herself.

The execution of the murder was a challenge, and I decided to have it be an accidental murder that Azuki could solve herself. It's also a deconstruction of the typical Danganronpa murder formula; since there isn't a culprit to outwit in the class trial, nor is there even a detailed plan like there was in Chapter 2-5, Azuki wasn't able to figure out where the culprit made a mistake. Since Mihama's death isn't the result of someone having committed murder and trying to hide their guilt, the case is somewhat simpler, although Azuki has to come to grips with the fact that she's responsible for Mihama's death, and that she must die in order to save the others.

The rest of the fic will be from Chiyuri's POV, and will force her to come into her own as a protagonist. Without spoiling too much, I won't kill off Chiyuri, at least not until the very end of the fic, but no one else is safe. Of course, I will note that if someone does kill Nagato-sensei, they will be punished for breaking the rules with a summary execution.

As for Azuki, she had her role to play. She served as an outsider's perspective on the Nagato family, as well as the initial protagonist, who'd come to care for her classmates (including the ones she didn't like), and had her own arc. Naturally, her death will have its repercussions on the rest of the group, but as for what they are... you'll have to wait and see.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on this development and the rest of the trial.

Chapter IV might not be out for a while, for a few reasons. One is the usual; that while I have the basics of each chapter planned out in advance, it takes a while to write it up. Another is that since Himemiya turned out to be significantly nicer than I'd originally envisioned her, I may need to tweak some of her scenes in Chapter IV (but without spoiling too much, it won't change the killer or victim). Yet another is that Chiyuri has her own Free Time Events, which will cover various sides of her classmates that Azuki's Free Time Event chains don't (especially when Chiyuri spends time with Azuki herself).

Edited to fix a mistake where Taiga's name appears in Tatsuki's place. I'd like to thank Phillip Clark for pointing this out.