A/N: H-Hey everyone. So uh- crazy time, eh? The world's almost literally imploding in on itself because of a horrible virus and the resulting mass hysteria, everything is shutting down, my own school has been closed until early April...things are insane right now. But you know what never changes? Complex murder mysteries between high schoolers! That's right- despite the state of the world, it's time for the continuation of the Chapter 5 trial! Will it be the last part? Will there be a Part 3 where everything's revealed? ...You guys'll just have to wait and see, hehe.

Last time, the gang made some progress in finding out what happened to their coroner friend...but it was slightly hindered by everyone bein' a little clueless because reasons. You don't need me to do a full recap, you read what needed to be read, and if you didn't...well, what the heck are you doing here, go read the story in order you heathen! But if you have read in order, then- go ahead and read the new part!


Review Replies

BloodyCarnage: Three things- one, hey anime-style 'next time on-' outros are my endearing personality quirk! Two, I like the speculation, the only thing I'll say is that impersonating someone's voice isn't too difficult under the right circumstances, so it's not that out of the question.

Three...hey are you okay or-

HoneyBeeGirl94: Well, the thing is only the blackened students' portraits have the customized X's, like in SDR2- although that's not to say I haven't thought about what alternate, custom X's would be on the other students' portraits if they did become killers, and your ideas for Shiori and Hiroshi are pretty neat!

PokeDrifter: That's the magic of (most) Chapter 5 cases, friend.


Chapter 5: Ultimate Truth- Class Trial (Part 2)

"S-So, uh, hehe...now what...?" Ryoto asked, his usual boisterousness heavily deflated. "He's right, we uh- we still don't know how the blackened actually killed Hiroshi, so..."

"I think at this point, it'd be easier to recap what didn't kill the guy, we've got a whole damn list of that," Hinata scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Well, based on what we've discussed so far..." Akira began, readjusting her glasses. "Ashi did not commit suicide, nor was he strangled, he was not stabbed to death, and it's highly unlikely he bled to death from his wrists."

"H-Hey, uh- the last thing we actually talked about was Hiroshi being bludgeoned, right...? W-With that drink bottle Akira talked about?" Asuna reminded the others. "A-And while I'm not the one who did it- I-I have to admit that, so far, the bludgeoning idea seems like the likeliest one."

"It does, doesn't it?" Ryoto agreed, nodding. "Sooo can we just say the killer bashed him on the head and move on finally?"

"Wait a second, guys- maybe it's...not that simple," Hana immediately interjected. "...Well, okay, nothing about this case is simple, but the idea that Hiroshi was bludgeoned to death-"

"Let me guess- you don't think it's correct, do you?" Akira guessed with a sigh. "You're going to say 'something' is telling you that maybe there's still more to Ashi's death?"

"...Well, I was gonna say 'a feeling', but I guess 'something' works too," Hana muttered in response.

"Aaaah, Hana! I thought could finally move on to other things, can't you just let this one thing go?" Ryoto asked, exasperated. "WE'RE ON A TIME CONSTRAINT HERE!"

"I-I know that! But if we're wrong about how Hiroshi was killed, it could screw up everything else we talk about, and we might come to some big, wrong conclusion!" Hana told him. "If I'm wrong, fine, but I want to be absolutely sure!"

"Well, I mean- nothing's gone too wrong by listening to your instincts before, so..." Hinata pointed out, turning his attention to the surfer. "Why don't you think Hiroshi was killed by being hit with the bottle?"

"I-I admit it's not that obvious or gruesome compared to his other injuries, but...maybe that was the point...?" Asuna pondered, uncertain.

"But that's the thing- yeah, the head wound is more subtle compared to, say, the stabbing or the hanging, but despite that..." Hana explained, thoughtful. "There's something that raises a major red flag for me, something pretty big."

Well, here I go again, talking like my gut feelings are legit evidence- good thing I've got actual evidence to back myself up! ...I think. Hana thought. Maybe it's a stretch, but if I'm right about this- then the others should be able to pick up on it too.

"It's the Monokuma File," Hana told them. "Did you guys notice how it actually does mention the fact that he was hit in the hit?"

"And that's bad...how? Better for us, actually, since it means we wouldn't have missed it," Hinata stated. "Not that we could have missed a big head wound like that, but- y'know."

"No, but- remember during Saku and Shiro's trial? That time, the Monokuma File also had some missing information- and that information ended up being extremely important to figuring out the blackened!" Hana reminded the class. "That's probably why Monokuma did the same thing here, too- if he gave us the cause or time of Hiroshi's death, it'd probably make the trial too easy- isn't that right, Monokuma?"

"Don't turn your accusations at me, Blondie! I may...leave out something here or there, but you can be sure what I do choose to include in the File is truer than true!" Monokuma answered. "After five trials, even you must realize that by now, right?"

"That's not the point- the point is sometimes, you leave out important stuff from the File because that same information would give away the killer's identity or a major part of their plan somehow," Hana argued. "And that's exactly what's going on here!"

She concluded, "So the fact that he actually put Hiroshi's head wound into the File means it's, in the end, not as important to finding out who the killer is- which means it's probably not the actual cause of death!"

"But hold on- in the past, the information that was in the File ended up being pretty important too, even if Monokuma, uh, did leave out other stuff," Asuna pointed out. "S-So what if the head wound is the cause of death, a-and Monokuma just didn't want to specify because of what a major clue it'd be?"

"That's not how he operates- considering all the trouble the culprit's gone through to conceal how Ashi died, if the head injury was the true cause of death, Monokuma wouldn't have mentioned it all," Akira refuted. "It doesn't add up to claim 'cause of death is unknown' and then state the cause of death anyways. The Files, tricky as they might be, have never worked like that- and I doubt Monokuma would start now."

"You know...you're not wrong about that," Ryoto admitted. "Monokuma's always liked that kinda fuckery, hasn't he...?"

"Grr-! You guys, putting words in my mouth, dragging my good name through the mud- RAH!" Monokuma growled to himself as he angrily clawed the air in front of him, clearly irritated by the discussion. "Look- I am my favorite topic of discussion, but I'm not who this trial's about! So get back to the actual murder before I end this trial right here and now!"

"Oh? Getting defensive, are we?" Hinata inquired of the bear with a chuckle.

"I'll do it, I swear to god!" Monokuma shouted again, fuming even more than before.

Hana, not wanting to take chances, quickly spoke up, "A-Anyways! Uh- yeah, so...since the Monokuma File brought up the head wound, and based on the other times the File was vague or missing information, I think we can assume the bludgeoning's probably not the real cause of death either."

"Aaaaah! Seriously!? How many times can a buncha people go back to square one in a single trial!?" Ryoto yelled, frustrated. "HANA! You'd better have some other idea about how Hiroshi died, DOES TIME NOT EXIST TO YOU?"

"H-Hey, cut me some slack! I don't like being confused any more than you guys do!" Hana replied, defensive. "It's not my fault the killer tried to mislead us in a million different ways!"

"B-But...we're just about out of leads, right...?" Asuna asked. "We talked about the rope...the stab wound, the slashings...e-even the head wound, and now- now, what's left? Th-There were no other injuries on Hiroshi, were there...?"

"..." Akira was silent, clearly deep in thought before she answered, "No. No, that's not true. There's still one more thing that could very well point to how Ashi died."

"A-Another thing!? Even after everything Hiroshi already went through!?" Ryoto asked, incredulous. "Man, the killer must have REALLY hated him!"

And I really can't imagine who in this room would hate him that much, but...I can't deal with that right now. Hana told herself, trying to fight down any lingering feelings of doubt and grief. I know exactly what Akira's talking about- and I agree, it might just be our best bet and finding Hiroshi's real cause of death. ...Or, well, it better be- it's more or less our last lead...

"You're talking about those burns, aren't you?" Hana asked with a little nod. "You saw them too, didn't you?"

"Burns...?" Hinata began, then gasped. "W-Wait! I saw them too! The- The- yeah! Burns!"

"W-What? What do you mean burns?" Asuna asked, dumbfounded.

"Exactly what you think I mean, Izumi," Akira replied. "Ashi exhibited numerous, severe burns on his body. They were mostly concentrated around his torso, the most severe of which being around his chest and spreading from there. However, the burns were covered up by that shirt, so unless you actually lifted the shirt up, it's unlikely that you would see the burns."

"And you think those...burns had something to do with how Hiroshi was really killed?" Ryoto guessed, crossing his arms. "I SENSE A DEBATE COMING!"

At this point, there's no doubt in my mind that whatever caused those burns was what killed Hiroshi- and I think the others are starting to agree. Hana thought with a mental nod. But figuring out that 'what'...well, that's gonna be another challenge entirely, I'll bet.

"So, mysterious burns all over a dude's trunk..." Hinata pondered aloud. "Not a lotta things in this castle that'd cause that, huh?"

"Think outside the box, Hinata!" Ryoto told the thief. "It's obvious! The killer set Hiroshi on fire!"

"I-If the killer set him on fire, wouldn't there be burns all over his body? A-And not just around his chest?" Asuna asked, visibly cringing at the idea of setting someone on fire like that.

"Uh...maybe they contained it somehow?" Ryoto lamely argued.

"And why would they do that? If the blackened did decide to set Ashi on fire, it'd be in their best interests to let the flames do as much damage as possible to ensure his death," Akira responded. "In other words, not 'containing' it somehow."

"And even if they did use fire- how'd they get it? How'd they burn Hiroshi with it?" Hinata then asked. "I doubt they could have used the furnace or a fireplace..."

"Then they could have used one of the torches! There are some in the North Wing, right?" Ryoto inquired, confident.

"That can't be it either- those torches are completely attached to the walls, you'd need some kind of tool to remove any of them," Akira then refuted, shaking her head.

"Uh...i-if it wasn't fire, then maybe..." Asuna then spoke up after a moment of thought. "Could he have been burned by...electricity...? Electrical burns are a thing, aren't they?"

"Electricity? YEAH! NOTHING CAN BEAT THE POWER OF LIGHTNING!" Ryoto eagerly shouted.

"Now you guys are just being silly- electricity? How could the killer have done that?" Hinata demanded. "What, did they call down a lightning strike or something? Zap 'im with wires? There's even less evidence for that than the fire suggestion!"

It was difficult to sort out the different theories everyone was discussing and arguing- but finally, the mention of electricity triggered something in Hana's memory, and on reflex she found herself shouting, "Wait, that's wrong!"

"Actually- even if the idea that he was killed with fire is a bit far-fetched, I don't think the idea that he was electrocuted is too out of the question," Hana explained a moment after. "First of all, there's an obvious place the killer could have done that: the power room."

"WAIT! I KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH THIS!" Ryoto suddenly interjected. "I was in the power room too! And there were a pair of really big cables hanging from the ceiling all broken and sparky!"

"I can confirm that- I, too, investigated the power room," Akira added. "And, since I walked near the cables to investigate the other side of the room-"

"You did what? Without getting zapped?" Hana yelped, surprised.

"-I was able to tell those cables were still sparking quite powerfully, even though I imagined they'd have been broken for at least a day at that point," Akira explained. "Therefore, it's entirely possible the culprit could have electrocuted Ashi using those cables. The amount of electricity running through them, broken as they were, was immense- touching them would have at least severely injured any of us, possibly killed us as well."

"And I'm no expert, but I'd imagine electricity burns are different from fire burns," Hana chimed in. "That'd probably explain why the burns didn't go all over his body, instead just kinda spreading all over his torso. Especially if the killer just took the end of the cables and put them on Hiroshi's chest- that's...where the worst of the burns were."

"If that's true, then- that's probably exactly what the killer did!" Ryoto surmised. "They just grabbed the broken ends of the cable and used them to ZAP Hiroshi to death! With so much electricity running through his body, there's no way he'd survive something like that!"

"That's right- if it didn't fry Ashi's insides and nerves, then the electricity passing right near his heart would have sent him into cardiac arrest almost immediately," Akira explained. "He'd be dead within seconds, if not instantly."

Asuna shuddered. "Oh my god...! Th-That's such an awful way to die...!"

Hana herself turned away as Akira described what most likely happened to Hiroshi as he died. "No kidding..."

"Okay...I can get behind that, except for one little problem," Hinata replied. "You're saying the killer just took that broken cable- just grabbed the thing and shoved the ends onto Hiroshi's chest to zap him?"

"That's what we said, yeah," Hana responded.

"But remember what Akira was saying about how much electricity was running through the cable?" Hinata pointed out, putting a hand on his hip. "How the hell could the killer have grabbed the cable like that without getting shocked themselves? I don't care how crazy they mighta been, no one would just grab a broken zappy cable with their bare hands!"

"Normally you'd be correct, Yonade," Akira responded, adjusting her glasses. "But the power room has some tools made specifically for working with dangerous wires and cables- the killer must have used one of those."

"Yeah, but what did they use? Tools or none, they're kinda useless without something to safely grab the cables with," Hinata argued with a frown.

Maybe not- maybe Akira has a point... Hana thought to herself. I haven't been in the power room too much, but if I'm remembering things right...I think there is something in there the killer could have used to grab the cables without shocking themselves. I just gotta remember what it is...!

It took a few moments of thought, but soon enough the surfer answered Hinata with, "Wait, Hinata- Akira's right, there was something in the power room that would have let the killer hold the cables without hurting themself!"

"Whoa! Hana and Akira agreeing about something!?" Ryoto remarked, unable to hide his surprise. "Oh god, this trial really is insane!"

"Quiet, Miura," Akira ordered the racecar driver. "Besides, I believe I know what Amari's referring to anyways. You're talking about those insulated gloves, correct?"

"Yeah, exactly! The rubber gloves on the table in the back- that's gotta be what the killer used!" Hana confirmed with a nod. "Those gloves looked like they were made exactly for that- to protect whoever's wearing them from being electrocuted by live wires or cables! They're rubber, after all, and even I know rubber's a really good insulator!"

"I KNOW TOO!" Ryoto confirmed. "And I've been in the power room way more often, so I've seen those gloves for myself- they'd be PERFECT for safely grabbing onto those big cables!"

"I mean...that has to be it, right? If those cables are so strong, then the killer would have needed some kind of precaution," Asuna remarked. "A-And if you're right about those gloves, then..."

"Then it really is the last piece of the puzzle, eh?" Hinata concluded with a satisfied nod. "M'kay- I can agree with that. We've seen plenty of weird stuff in these cases so far- a killer using insulated gloves so they can electrocute a guy with live cables doesn't seem that unreasonable, honestly."

"But more importantly, the evidence lines up," Akira went on. "The burns, the broken cable, the discrepancies with Ashi's other injuries...all of it points to electrocution being Ashi's true cause of death, with the true murder weapon being that cable! That, finally, is the truth behind how Ashi was killed in the end!"

Turning to the others, she asked, "Any objections?"

Asuna spoke up, "Uh- not an objection, per se, but...what about all those other injuries Hiroshi had? W-We can't just ignore those now that we've figured out how he really died, right?"

"Well, you're right about that- but finally figuring out how Hiroshi died is a step in the right direction," Hana responded. "Now that we know that, we can probably figure out the rest of the killer's plan more easily."

"Maybe, but- where do we go from here?" Hinata asked. "What do we talk about now?"

"Perhaps...knowing how Ashi died, perhaps now we can sort out when he died too," Akira suggested. "That should narrow down our list of suspects."

"But how are we gonna do that!? No one saw him for, like, two days! I think Hana was the last one to actually see him!" Ryoto shouted. "He could have died at ANY point after that!"

Hana was silent for a moment, then answered, "No, Ryoto- I may have been the last one to actually talk to Hiroshi, but I wasn't the last person to see him at all. That was someone else."

That's right- if Akira wants to narrow down a possible time of death for Hiroshi... she pondered. Then what she saw last night should give us a pretty major clue!

"Asuna- you saw Hiroshi last night, didn't you?" Hana asked the gardener. "Just after the nighttime announcement- you even got us all out of our rooms to tell us."

"Th-That's right, I did!" Asuna confirmed. "But, uh- I already told you guys about it a bunch of times by now, especially you and Akira. I-I'm still standing by it, though!"

"I wouldn't expect you to change it- I'll admit, you've at least kept your story straight so far, so that at least indicates you're being truthful to some extent," Akira commented. "But more importantly- it provides to us the last time Ashi was seen alive."

"Yeah- about...a little after 10 last night, right?" Hinata surmised.

"And we found his body this morning at- what, 7:20-ish?" Ryoto guessed, frowning. "Waaaait, that's still a gap of WELL over nine hours!"

"Not to mention Hiroshi was missing for the entire day and night yesterday, too..." Hana pointed out. "To be missing for such a huge gap of time...what in the world was he doing?"

"It's irrelevant what Ashi was doing during the time he was missing before Izumi saw him last night- for right now, anyways," Akira refuted, glancing at Hana. "Our focus should be on what he was doing between when Izumi saw him and when we found his body- that nine-hour gap, as Miura said. That's when he was killed, no doubt."

"BUT HOW!?" Ryoto demanded. "We were all asleep! Well- except for Hiroshi and the killer, I guess- BUT THE REST OF US WERE ASLEEP! That means no one really has a solid alibi! Any one of us could have woken up in the middle of the night, tracked down Hiroshi, and MURDERED him while we slept!"

"A-And I really don't think narrowing down a specific time during that gap will do much good..." Asuna also pointed out. "No matter what, i-it'd still be nighttime more or less. The only way that would slightly help would be if it turned out the murder took place between the end of nighttime and when we found the body- and somehow, I-I don't think that's the case..."

"Yeah, that...doesn't seem like it's the right answer," Hana agreed with a sigh. So much for things becoming easier once we figured out Hiroshi's cause of death...

Akira let out a little, dissatisfied 'hmph'. "Well- it wouldn't be the first time we've had to deal with a culprit to killed while the rest of us were asleep. And every time, they left behind some form of evidence pointing to their identity, just like all the other killers, so there's no reason to believe this killer was above that."

"Oh yeah? Well if you've got evidence that makes things just a little clearer, we'd all love to hear it!" Hinata growled at her. "Face it, this battle's still as uphill as it was when we started!"

Now, Akira narrowed her eyes at the thief. "Did I mumble, Yonade? There's always evidence of something- and with that evidence, we'll find a new path to tread in this trial."

And yet, she's not actually bringing up any evidence of her own... Hana observed in worry. Not that I have much evidence of my own, but- I wonder...does she not have that much evidence to show either...?

"..." Asuna shifted a bit in her spot, uncomfortable, before murmuring, "I, uh...I was wondering about something else too, but...I don't think it's relevant to what we're talking about now..."

"Who cares about relevance!? We're at a dead end, we'll take ANY leads AT ALL!" Ryoto insisted.

"W-We are not at a 'dead end', we just need to-" Akira attempted to argue, but even she didn't sound too convinced by her own words.

"Asuna- whatever's bothering you, it might be a major clue to finding Hiroshi's killer," Hana told the gardener. "So don't worry about what's relevant or not- just tell us, okay?"

"Well- if you insist," Asuna responded with a nod. "W-What I'm wondering is...ah..."

She then turned to- surprisingly- Monokuma. "Monokuma- you were doing work in the power room since the blackouts started yesterday, right? Th-That is the reason you blocked off the North Wing to us, isn't it?"

"Oh? Am I a participant in this trial again?" Monokuma inquired, tilting his head a little. "You don't need me to answer that anyways- I told you guys loud and clear yesterday, didn't I?"


"Anyways! Sorry for this being such short-notice, but I've got an important announcement for you all!" Monokuma declared. "I'm not sure if you're all aware, but there was a bit of an issue with the castle's lighting a minute ago..."

"Yeah- we noticed," Hana stated.

"W-What happened with that, exactly...?" Asuna inquired with a concerned frown.

"Oh, nothing too terrible! Just a, um- damaged cable in the North Wing's power room, pretty major one might I add," Monokuma explained. "Anyways, it'll take some time for me to repair it, during which there may still be some more intermittent blackouts throughout the castle- but nothing as big as the one that just occurred!"

The bear continued on, "And one more thing- while these repairs are going on, the North Wing will be completely closed off! I'll even be re-blocking the entrances again to make sure of that! And if someone still manages to worm their way in, they're gonna be punished into next Tuesday!"

"What? Why close off the entire wing?" Hinata asked, incredulous. "Wouldn't you just need to, you know, close off the power room alone or something?"

"Because, Hoodie, it makes my job muuuch easier if I don't have to worry about you brats walking in on me or getting in my way!" Monokuma growled at him in annoyance.

Then, Asuna furrowed her brow and then asked, "Wait, why are you the one fixing the power room? Aren't you a robot?"

"Well I don't suppose any of you people are Ultimate Electricians, are you?" Monokuma sarcastically responded to the gardener.

"Are you...?" Hana then inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm more qualified, that's for sure!" Monokuma barked in response. "Now, enough with the interrogation! Heed my words, or get the axe!"


Asuna nodded. "I...thought so. Okay, so...since that's the case..."

She then turned back to her classmates and blurted, "Th-Then how was Hiroshi's body in the North Wing!? N-Not even that- how did the killer and Hiroshi get inside the North Wing? The murder must have happened in the power room, s-so they must have gotten in somehow, but- but how!?"

Hana's eyes widened. "Hey- you're right! That is weird! We weren't allowed to go into the North Wing, and Monokuma wasn't exaggerating about blocking us out- the main door was locked, and the doorways all had those gates put back up..."

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Indeed...in that case..."

She turned her scrutiny towards Monokuma yet again. "Monokuma- you were being serious about punishing anyone who went into the North Wing while it was blocked off, were you not?"

"I...I was..." Monokuma responded, sounding almost hesitant. "If you're gonna ask me how the murder happened in the same room as the one I was primarily working- don't! As the impartial judge, I can't tell you guys something like that!"

"But- you were working on it all day, weren't you?" Hinata asked, baffled.

"As long as I could, but even robotic overlords like me need beauty sleep at some point!" Monokuma answered.

"Uh...no you don't, you're- you're a robot..." Hana pointed out.

"...Wow- is that stereotyping? Are you discriminatory towards robots, Ms. Amari?" Monokuma asked, sounding almost offended by the Ultimate's comment. Then, he pondered to himself. "Hm- discrimination towards robots...is there a word for that...? Robot-ist? No, no- 'robophobic'!"

Then, he sighed in disappointment. "Nah, that'll never catch on either..."

"W...What are you-?" Hana asked, dumbfounded by Monokuma's rambling.

"Enough distractions!" Akira snapped. "Answer me, Monokuma- why didn't you punish Ashi or the killer for breaking your temporary 'no entering the North Wing' rule?"

"Puhuhu- well, that's easy enough to answer!" the ursine robot responded as he returned to his usual, gleeful disposition. "Like I said, I needed to give myself a break- I was just about done with fixing the place anyways, all I really had to was fix that bigger cable- and since I had fixed just about everything else, I figured I could do it on my own time! It's not my fault someone decided it'd make a neat murder weapon!"

He chuckled. "But back to your question- if it was just Mr. Ashi waltzing into an off-limits area, I'd have clobbered him for sure. But then I saw our little blackened heading into the area as well- and, well, I could read in between the lines, I could read the mood! So who would I be to interfere with that, huh?"

"So- you didn't do anything to them...because you didn't want to interfere with a murder?" Hana surmised.

"J-Just like what you said during Shiori's trial about someone breaking something..." Asuna remarked. "If it was done for the sake of a murder plan, th-then you wouldn't punish them..."

"And the same idea applies here, too!" Monokuma cheerfully confirmed. "Because the blackened entered the North Wing to murder Mr. Ashi, I had no reason to punish either of them, and thus their plan was allowed to continue without interference!"

"Well- that explains why the murder was able to happen, even with Monokuma's new rule..." Hinata stated. "But that doesn't explain the bigger question: how did they get into the North Wing to begin with?"

"Hm...what if..." Ryoto began.

"Please don't say that they phased through a wall or something else stupid," Akira told him, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Wha-!? You don't know that I was gonna say that!" Ryoto shouted at her defensively.

"...Were you?" Hana then asked.

"...Mmmmaybe..." Ryoto admitted, crossing his arms with a pout.

"...Anyways, uh- what Hinata said, that's...what I was really wondering about, more than anything..." Asuna said, changing the subject back to relevance. "If all the entrances were really blocked, a-and I don't think any of them were tampered with or broken into, then..."

"Yeah- kinda a weird situation, huh? Like one of those locked room things, but- reverse," Hinata remarked, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought.

"I mean...you guys don't think there was some kind of secret passage into the North Wing, do you...?" Hana suggested. I know, it's a stretch, and I've got literally no proof of it, but...it's kinda the only option, isn't it...?

"Secret passage...?" Asuna began. "I...guess it wouldn't be the first time we've seen something like that in the context of a murder, b-but can we really be sure that's the case this time too...?"

Akira went silent, deep in thought, before her eyes widened in realization. "Actually...yes. Yes, we can be sure- I have evidence to prove it!"

Hana's shock was almost tangible. "You do?"

"HUH? MORE SECRETS!?" Ryoto shouted in surprise. "N-Not even that- an actual secret passage!?"

"Well- perhaps calling it a 'secret passage' would be inaccurate," Akira replied, crossing her arms. "Towards the end of investigation, I was looking around the West Wing when I found something...interesting."

"The West Wing...?" Hana muttered to herself. Huh- that's weird...the West Wing was where I showed Hiroshi that other catacomb entrance...

"On the floor of one of the rooms, I found a...door of some kind," Akira explained with a furrowed brow. "And when I opened it- I found a set of stairs. Stone stairs, just like the ones leading to the North Wing catacombs."

Hana's eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat from fear. Wait...wait, wait, wait- the thing she's describing, it...it sounds a lot like-

"S-Stairs...?" Asuna began as realization dawned on her. "Th-Then-! What you found, could it have been-!?"

Akira nodded. "While I didn't have time to go down and explore myself- I have no doubt I found another set of catacombs, just like the ones that run under the North Wing."

By now, Hana's face was as pale as ever. Oh no...oh god, this...this could be really, really bad for me...

"More catacombs!?" Hinata yelped in shock. "What, do the other wings have catacombs too!?"

"I can't confirm that, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case," Akira speculated.

"But..." Asuna began. "But- Monokuma, when Hiroshi and Hana were in the North Wing catacombs, didn't you tell them catacombs only extended under the North Wing and the north end of the courtyard!"

"No, I told them those catacombs only ran under the North Wing and a bit into the northern section of the courtyard!" Monokuma answered. "Pay attention, Shorty!"

By this point, Hana was too worried about where Akira's train of thought was going to comment on anything that was happening. Okay, okay, maybe- maybe I'm worrying for nothing! Sure, Akira found the West Wing's catacombs, but- but what are the odds they're connected to the murder, right...?

"So Akira's telling the truth!? There ARE catacombs that run under the castle!?" Ryoto asked, bewildered. "Does that mean the East Wing and South Wing have them too!?"

"Puhuhu- use some of that deductive reasoning you guys love so much to figure that out!" Monokuma responded, leaning back in his throne with a wider grin.

"Like I said- that must be it. It would be odd if it was exclusive to two of the four wings," Akira repeated with a nod.

"Well...o-okay, more catacombs exist, that's...something..." Hana finally (and hesitantly) spoke up. "But- Akira, how does there being catacombs in the West Wing prove how Hiroshi and the killer got into the North Wing?"

"Well...admittedly, this is just speculation on my part," Akira responded with a frown. "But I believe the catacombs may be connected to one another in some way."

"C-Connected!?" Hana yelped, gulping. "H-How do you know that?"

"Again- it's just a theory of mine, and yet...somehow, it makes sense," the prosecutor explained. "If there are catacombs under all wings of the castle, it stands to reason they'd be connected in some way. A massive stone maze, running right beneath our feet all this time."

"Whoa- I, uh...guess I shouldn't be that surprised..." Hinata said to himself after a double-take. "We are in a murder castle, so an...even bigger catacomb maze seems like it'd fit right in..."

"Y-Yeah, but- you can't say that for sure, right...?" Hana nervously pointed out. "They might not be connected, y-you can't really prove otherwise, s-so-"

"She's right!"

Hana quickly turned towards the source of the response- once again, Monokuma. "...Huh?"

"I mean- Ms. Rimutsu is completely right! Yeah, I'll confirm it right here for you guys- the catacombs are all connected to each other!" Monokuma suddenly declared. "Connected in a nice little circle- I'd show you guys a map, but I can't give everything away, now can I?"

Even Akira appeared shocked by Monokuma's revelation. "You're...just confirming this for us? Just like that? No strings attached, no...anything?"

"What's so shocking about that? It's my job to keep the trial fair, right?" Monokuma inquired. "Why would I hinder that in any way?"

"Well, uh- you did cut the investigation a little short, didn't you?" Ryoto pointed out with a little glare.

"Irrelevant!" Monokuma retorted.

Akira looked like she was about to point something else out...but ultimately, she sighed and turned back to Hana, remarking, "Well, Amari? Satisfied?"

"I...uh..." Hana stammered, unsure of how to go about responding.

"So THAT'S how Hiroshi and the killer did it!" Ryoto concluded, slamming a fist into the palm of his hand. "They both musta figured out how the catacombs were connected at some point, and THEN they used that knowledge to sneak into the North Wing!"

"Well, with the blocked doors, it's the only way they could've gotten into the North Wing," Hinata clarified.

Meanwhile, Hana was trying to hide her growing panic as she listened to the others. She wasn't sure how well she was doing, but no one called her out on it right away, so perhaps she wasn't doing so bad of a job. Okay- okay, just...just stay cool, Hana. This looks bad for you, but- but there's gotta be a way to sort this all out. I know they're right about the catacombs being the only way Hiroshi and the killer could have gotten into the North Wing, but...there's gotta be some other angle to this...

Asuna nervously adjusted her fedora before adding, "Question is- other than Akira, wh-who else knew about the catacombs...?"

"Yeah- and come to think of it, Akira, how did you find out about it?" Hinata inquired, leaning forward a bit with a narrowed gaze.

Akira, however, was unfazed. "I discovered it by chance, honestly- nothing too deep to explain there. As I said, it was during the tail end of the investigation. And while I was sure it would prove relevant eventually, I had no idea how at that point- which is why I didn't bring it up until now."

"As for who else could have known..." she went on. "I couldn't tell based on what little I was able to look at. It was clear someone had accessed the West Wing's entrance at some point, but as for who..."

"Well obviously Hiroshi knew about it- or at least saw it before he was killed!" Ryoto guessed. "And the killer, too! They musta found out about it at some point to use it in their murder plan!"

"I-I'm not sure about the killer, but if Hiroshi found out about it...why wouldn't he have said anything to us?" Asuna then asked with a downward glance.

Despite her better judgement, Hana found herself quickly responding, "I-I'm sure he would have, maybe he- maybe he only found out about it that night, the night he was murdered, and he got killed before he could tell anyone about it!"

Oh goddammit, I am actually lying to their faces, why do I do these things!? Hana asked herself in her internal panic.

"Maybe- I can't imagine Hiroshi having a reason to hide something like that from us..." Hinata replied with a small, thoughtful frown.

"At any rate, we don't have time to dwell on whether Ashi knew or not, nor his motivation to hide the knowledge if he did," Akira remarked. "What we need to figure out is who else could have known- that person, or persons, will be our likeliest suspect or suspects."

Hana tried to mask how pale she was becoming with calmness, but it was proving more and more difficult by the second. I was afraid she would say that...

Even still, she tried to remember and make a note of all she could about the catacomb entrance in the West Wing- perhaps one of those details would lead to some kind of breakthrough, one that wouldn't lead to her becoming the top suspect.

"Well, Hinata and Asuna were investigating the West Wing the other day, right?" Ryoto pointed out before accusingly declaring, "That makes them SUSPICIOUS!"

"Uh, I think I would have remembered seeing something like a hidden door in the...floor?" Hinata began. "Akira said floor, right?"

"Yes, I found the entrance hidden in the floor of one of the rooms," Akira repeated.

"Yeah, I would have remembered that!" Hinata insisted.

"M-Me too, a-and I would have said something if I had found it!" Asuna responded earnestly. "M-Me or Hinata wouldn't have a reason to hide it!"

"I'll admit, it's not the easiest to see at first glance," Akira conceded. "Much like the entrance in the North Wing, you probably wouldn't find it unless it was by pure accident or unless you have a particularly scrutinizing eye that can see those types of minor, ill-fitting details like an uneven brick or two."

"But what about access? Would the killer have been able to get into the passage if they found it?" Ryoto then asked. "It didn't have some impenetrable lock on it, did it!?"

"If it did, I doubt either the killer or Ashi would have been able to enter the North Wing," Akira pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, I can personally attest to there being no locks."

Asuna then added, "Besides- the entrance in the North Wing was just a hidden door in the wall, right? Hard to find, b-but not to get into? S-So maybe the West Wing's entrance is the same way- a-anyone could have accessed it, really..."

"Wait, that's wrong!" Hana immediately yelled. "Hold on- the entrance in the West Wing is a little different than the one in the North Wing!"

"Uh...?" Asuna began with a furrowed brow. "What are you-?"

Hana, however, just kept going, desperate to make any kind of point that would narrow down some other suspects. "Unlike the North Wing, the entrance isn't something as simple as a hidden door or hatch- there's a huge, heavy piano on top of it too!"

When nobody said anything, she kept going, "You've all seen the piano in the ballroom- it wouldn't be easy to move by yourself unless you were one of the stronger people here! That means to access it, the killer would have needed help or they would had to have been-"

"Amari. Stop," Akira suddenly spoke up- her eyes were widened, and she even looked a little dumbfounded.

"Huh...? What? What'd I say?" Hana asked, just as confused.

"Just now- you were talking about the location of the West Wing's catacomb entrance," Akira explained, her bewilderment slowly giving away to anger. "About how that large piano was on top of it."

"Yeah...? What's wrong with that? It proves how-" Hana began...then let out a horrified gasp as realization dawned on her, one hand flying up to her mouth at the same time. Panicked, she thought to herself, OH FUCK!

Akira's glare grew all the more intense as she elaborated, "That's right...I said the entrance was in the West Wing, but I never once said it was in the ballroom, let alone under the piano!"

Hana didn't say anything in response- by now, both hands were over her mouth, her wide-eyed gaze was firmly fixed to the ground, and her face was as pale as a bedsheet as she quickly realized the terrible mistake she had made without initially realizing it.

"Wait, wait- the secret entrance is under the piano?" Hinata asked, dumbfounded. "That's the best the people who built this place could come up with...? I thought you were gonna say it was somewhere in the wine room or something..."

"Not the point, Yonade!" Akira shouted, her attention still focused on Hana. "Amari- explain yourself, now! How did you know where exactly the West Wing's entrance was!?"

"I...I-!" Hana stammered, her heart racing as she tried to find a proper answer. "I-It's not what you guys think, I swear!"

"Sooo you didn't secretly discover the West Wing had a hidden second entrance to the catacombs at some point before the murder and kept it a secret from the rest of us until literally just now?" Ryoto asked- although based on his tone, he wasn't being sarcastic or accusatory in any way, he sounded genuinely curious.

Hana was silent for a moment, but she then responded, "O-Okay, so it's exactly what you guys think! B-But I swear I can explain!"

"E-Explain? Hana, you- you knew about the catacombs this whole time...?" Asuna asked as she tried to make sense of what had just been revealed. "W-Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"B-Because I didn't think it would be relevant to the case! How was I supposed to know the killer knew about it too!?" Hana cried. "And even when Akira first brought it up, I- I was worried you guys would think I was involved somehow, so I was hoping I could narrow down some other suspects-"

"What in the world did you think would happen!?" Akira demanded, furious. "Withholding information like this- of course you'd become suspicious!"

"When did you even find the entrance, anyways?" Hinata then inquired, still baffled. "Yesterday, a week ago, when the West Wing first opened-?"

"Ah- I don't know, like...the night before Hiroshi first went missing? S-So about...two days ago, I think?" Hana answered. "I-I swear, I knew keeping it a secret would be a bad idea, but Hiroshi mentioned how knowing there was a second set of catacombs wouldn't really help-"

"WHAAAAT!? HIROSHI KNEW TOO!?" Ryoto exclaimed in shock.

Once again, Hana yelped and threw her hands over her mouth in horror. DAMMIT, NOT AGAIN!

"What the fuck!? So he did know!?" Hinata also cried. "H-Hana!? You wanna explain that, or-!?"

"I- okay, yes, he knew too! I found it, and then I told him about it that same night!" Hana confessed. "We both knew, and as far as I know we were the only ones who knew before Hiroshi's murder! I didn't tell anyone, and I don't think he did either! He suggested not keeping it a secret forever, just...for a short time, that's all! We would have told you guys eventually, but-"

"Do you honestly think it matters what you two would have done?" Akira asked. "Honestly, with this information, there's only one way to look at this: two people, Amari and Ashi, knew about the other catacombs before I found it during the investigation. And now one of them winds up murdered in a location that, at the time, could only have been accessed with those same catacombs."

Asuna's eyes widened in realization, and she asked, "W-Wait, Akira...! Y-You're not actually saying-!"

"I am," Akira coldly answered, then declared, "Hana Amari is the blackened of this trial!"

Hana nearly fell over from the shock of the prosecutor's words. "W-WHAT!?"

"HOLY CRAP! I never thought I'd hear that sentence ever!" Ryoto shouted in surprise.

"Get used to it, Miura- that appears to be the truth," Akira told him, sending yet another glare Hana's way.

"Truth!? No! No, it's not! I'm not the killer!" Hana cried, desperate. "Look, I know I should have said something about the catacombs sooner, I know it only makes me look worse, but I swear I had nothing to do with the murder!"

Akira scoffed. "That's hardly an argument, coming from you. Tell me- do you deny you and Ashi were most likely the only ones who knew about the western catacombs prior to the murder?"

"Uh-?" Hana began, taken aback. "N-Not exactly, no..."

"Do you deny you agreed to keep that information a secret, regardless of whose idea it was?"

"N-No, I-"

"Do you deny the only way the killer could have accessed the North Wing and its power room to murder Ashi was using the catacombs, since Monokuma blocked off all other entrances?"

"No! I just-"

"Then why, pray tell, should I not believe you're the prime suspect!?" Akira snarled. "You were the only other person with the means to enter the North Wing- unless someone else wants to confess to knowing about the catacombs' secret."

"But...But-!" Hana stammered, attempting to grasp at some kind of argument. "What about what I was saying before!? I wasn't wrong when I was talking about how hard it'd be to move the piano to actually descend the steps easier, was I?"

Akira raised an eyebrow. "I was able to move the piano. Was it difficult? Yes- but not as impossible as you're trying to imply. And I'm not even that athletically inclined!"

Hana's face paled a little more upon hearing that. "...Uh..."

"And I'm assuming you and Ashi were able to fully access the stairs themselves?" Akira then inquired. "After all, I saw drag marks on the floor where the piano legs were, proving the piano was moved at least once before. Was it you that moved it then, Amari?"

"It...uh..." Hana began, unable to form a real response at first. "Not exactly...Hiroshi and I moved the piano together. He...asked me to help move it so he could get down the stairs easier."

"So in other words, two people can move the piano more easily?" Ryoto concluded.

"Well- we already know who knew about the other entrance, so talking about who would have capable to getting to it or not is kinda pointless by now," Hinata pointed out, glancing at Hana.

"B-But does that really mean Hana's the killer?" Asuna asked, worried. "I...I just can't believe it! She's been helping us this entire trial, just like always, s-so why would she keep doing that if she was guilty?"

"Yeah! Why would I do that!? It makes no sense at all!" Hana shouted in affirmation.

"Well- perhaps Amari feels some level of remorse for her crime, and so is trying to allow herself to be caught in an indirect manner," Akira speculated. "It's not too different from what happened with Kunata or, to a lesser extent, Hamasaki."

"Don't go putting words in my mouth!" Hana yelled...then added with less certainty, "Or...thoughts in my head...y-you know what I mean!"

The surfer then pointed out, "Besides, we didn't actually go deep into the West Wing's catacombs- we had no idea where they led or whether they were connected to the North Wing or not, let alone if there were even more entrances in the other wings! We never confirmed that! Wouldn't Hiroshi and/or the killer need to know that in order to use the west catacombs to get into the North Wing?"

Akira, however, scoffed and responded, "That's easy for you to say, no doubt- but how can you prove to us you two truly didn't know? For all any of us know, you two did explore the western catacombs at some point prior to the murder and, at the very least, discovered it connected to the North Wing's tunnels. Unless you can provide actual proof that I'm wrong?"

"Y-You are wrong! We really didn't know!" Hana insisted out of desperation. "I-I don't have proof of that, but...but-!"

She looked around to the others in a panic and said, "Guys, you have to believe me! Y-You guys know me! I know I shouldn't have kept the western catacombs a secret, both me and Hiroshi, but- you guys know I'd never commit a murder! Not for any reason! You know that!"

The Ultimate watched the expressions of her other three classmates, hoping for some kind of support...but all three of them had various faces of doubt and hesitation.

"...I, Ryoto Miura, would love to fully believe in you, Hana Amari!" Ryoto finally spoke up. "But...Akira makes a good point- the killer had to have used one of the other tunnel entrances to get into the North Wing...and you and Hiroshi were the only students who knew about the one in the West Wing..."

"Not to mention you kept trying to keep it secret even after it started coming up in the trial..." Hinata added, his voice low. "If it hadn't been for that slip of the tongue, we might not've figured out you knew."

"I...want to believe in you too...!" Asuna went on, her tone shaky. "But there's...there's no evidence to completely refute what Akira's suggesting, s-so...!"

Hana's eyes widened, and she nearly did a double-take. "W-What...!?"

No way- no, no, this is...this is wrong! This is SO wrong! the Ultimate Surfer told herself as she shifted her gaze between the other students. I'm innocent- I know it! Unless someone bashed me over the head again, I know I didn't kill Hiroshi! There...There has to be something that proves it, there HAS to be!

"There's- There's gotta be more evidence! Look at the evidence again!" Hana suggested. "What about- what about in Hiroshi's bedroom? There had to be evidence in there, I'm sure one of you had time to go inside during the investigation! Anyone!?"

Upon hearing this, Akira's expression shifted from accusatory to hesitant- much to Hana's surprise. Then, the Ultimate Prosecutor admitted, "Ashi's room...remained off-limits to us during the investigation."

"...Huh?" Hana began, baffled by this admission.

"It's true- I-I overheard her talking to Monokuma about it," Asuna spoke up. "H-He wouldn't really explain why he wouldn't unlock the door to Hiroshi's bedroom, he just...refused to."

"Uh, I did explain! I said there was no relevant evidence to the case, so I figured there'd be no reason to waste your guys' time by opening the place up to investigation!" Monokuma explained.

"Wha-!? What kind of reason is that!?" Hana yelled at him. "You opened up Mikio's room before his trial, and there was no evidence to find in there either!"

"I should know, I remember went in there to uh...borrow some stuff," Hinata affirmed...then chuckled and added, almost nostalgically, "Ah- those were the days, weren't they?"

"It's only been a couple weeks..." Asuna pointed out to him.

Monokuma growled, then shouted, "Okay, I'm not going through this interrogation again! The point is, I didn't open the door to Hiroshi's room during the investigation because there was no evidence inside, there's no changing anything now, so get over it already!"

'Get over it'? You probably just held back evidence from us! Am I the only one that sees a problem here!? Hana asked herself, bewildered.

"While I despise what Monokuma did during the investigation..." Akira said, shooting a withering glare at the bear before turning back to Hana. "It looks like we didn't need whatever was inside Ashi's bedroom after all- Amari's knowledge of the catacombs is compelling proof on its own."

"How many times do I have to say it!? Hiroshi and I barely knew anything about the West Wing's catacombs other than the fact that they existed!" Hana insisted again. "We didn't know anything about how it connected to any other catacombs, or- or-!"

"Well, there's no mistake the killer had to have utilized the catacombs to gain access to the North Wing- therefore, they would have needed knowledge of one of the other entrances," Akira reiterated. "In addition, you've done quite a job proving Yonade, Miura, and Izumi more or less innocent in one form or another, and I doubt you have evidence that paints me in a suspicious light."

Narrowing her eyes, the prosecutor concluded, "With all that in mind, Amari- do you see now why you're the last and likeliest suspect?"

"That's...That's it? You're just going based on process of elimination!?" Hana cried. "Yes, the fact that I knew about the West Wing's tunnels makes me suspicious, but- but what about the other evidence!? All that other evidence we've been talking about!?"

"That's...a good point, actually...!" Asuna remarked, her eyes widening. "I-If Hana is the killer, then- does that mean she did all that other stuff to Hiroshi?"

"Well...she was the first person I told about the kitchen knife..." Ryoto pointed out, contemplative.

"That doesn't mean I could have taken it from your room! If you had the door locked like you said you did, how would I have been able to get inside to steal the knife?" Hana asked. "And even if I did have the knife, it still would have been really hard for me to make one of those injuries we saw on Hiroshi!"

"What? Which injury?" Akira demanded.

That's easy enough to answer- we talked about it before, it was what I used to help prove Ryoto innocent... Hana pondered. So, who says I can't use it to prove myself innocent too?

After gathering her thoughts, the surfer answered, "I'm talking about those cuts on Hiroshi's ankles. We talked about how precise and perfect those lacerations were, and how unlikely it is that Ryoto could have made them."

"And? What's that got to do with you?" Hinata inquired.

"Yes, you're the suspect here, not Miura," Akira pointed out.

"Well- do you guys really think I'd be any more capable of making such perfect cuts in Hiroshi's ankles?" Hana asked. "No way! I'm not that skilled with any kind of sharp thing! My talent is surfing, not...I dunno, surgery or something!"

"Oooh, those are some good points! You'd probably be HORRIBLE at surgery anyways!" Ryoto remarked with a nod.

"Well...what about what I heard in the wine room during yesterday's search?" Hinata then asked. "Wouldn't Hana have been able to kinda imitate Asuna's voice enough to trick me?"

"...Well, uh- I hope you're not gonna ask me to try, because I'm not a voice actress either," Hana stated with a worried frown.

Akira growled a little to herself and began, "That's not a-"

"H-Hana wouldn't have been able to do that anyways!" Asuna called out, cutting Akira off. "Remember when she talked about how me and her had a conversation in the courtyard around the time Hinata tried going to wine room? W-Well that alibi applies to her too! She saw me, I saw her, Akira saw both of us- we're each other's alibis! S-So there's no way she would have been able to be at the wine room to imitate me!"

In response, Hinata only let out a little 'tsk' and remarked, "Well- fair point, thought I had something there."

Akira, who was fuming at this point, refuted, "This-! This is...irrelevant! You- You dealt the killing blow in the power room, so you must have-"

"But what about all the other injuries Hiroshi had!? The other injuries!? If I killed Hiroshi with the cables, then I must have done all that other stuff to him!" Hana argued. "Bludgeoning him, mutilating his hands and wrists, hanging his body- all of it! There's no way I could have done all of that!"

"Unless...did she have an accomplice?" Ryoto then asked.

"I really doubt any of us would have anything to gain from helping out with a murder like this," Hinata refuted, shaking his head.

"A-And besides, Hana proved earlier how the three of us had little involvement in the crime," Asuna then reminded them. "So I think it proves how unlikely it is any of us would have been accomplices too..."

If Akira was merely fuming before, now she was so engulfed in rage that Hana was concerned the young woman would actually burst into flames.

Despite this, Hana spoke up, "See? I may the prime suspect right now, but that hardly means anything when there's so many other questions we need to answer! So unless we can-"

"Enough!" Akira suddenly shouted, even slamming a fist down on her podium- both of which were more than enough to render the class silent.

Panting, Akira haphazardly adjusted her tie (which actually made it look less neat) and snarled, "Why...Why don't you ever know when to stop talking!? Face the facts! You're the only suspect left, Amari, whether it makes perfect sense or not! That's the only truth we can see with the evidence we have! Why can't any of you just accept that!?"

"Well maybe if someone hadn't cut off our investigation, we wouldn't be in this bullshit!" Hinata growled, turning to Monokuma.

"Hey, what are ya blaming me for? You all know the rules by now! It's not my fault you didn't know how to use your time wisely!" the robotic bear responded innocently.

"It...doesn't matter..." Akira began, appearing both exhausted and frustrated. "There's only one suspect left- and based on how this killing game works, it must be you, Amari! There's no way around it!"

"Well that's- that's wrong! Because it wasn't me!" Hana retorted with just as much fire.

I can't believe this is blind accusation thing is happening again- why is Akira so desperate to make me the blackened? I really don't think she's the killer, so that can't be it... Hana asked herself with growing worry. What, does she hate me that much? No, no, she wouldn't make it that personal. But...

She gazed at Akira again, who looked a little more disheveled than when the trial started. I'm started to feel like even she doesn't totally believe what she's saying anymore. So then...why is she still going with it...?

"Stop saying it wasn't you, that's not evidence! You've proved how it wasn't Miura, or Yonade, or Izumi, I'm certainly not the culprit and I don't believe you have evidence to contradict that, Ashi didn't commit suicide-!" the prosecutor rambled. "So if it wasn't you, then who was it then!? Who murdered Ashi!? Answer that, if you're so innocent!"

"Well- maybe it was- it was-!" Hana stammered, scrambling to form some kind of argument- anything to prove her own innocence!

Finally, the Ultimate Surfer found herself blurting out, "Maybe it was someone else entirely! Some kind of third party! You ever think of that!?"

Akira let out a small, humorless laugh. "Really, Amari? A third party was responsible for this crime?"

"Can that even happen?" Ryoto asked, glancing down at the floor as he tried to contemplate the idea.

"O-Of course not! Why would someone outside the killing game's participants commit a murder?" Monokuma asked with a little, almost nervous-sounding chuckle. "And it's not like I'd allow that to happen anyways! This killing game's no good unless you guys are the ones killing each other!"

Hana cringed, mentally agreeing that it was an odd idea and wondering why she suggested it. But then, the Ultimate began to think on the idea more...and soon enough, her doubts towards the idea diminished.

"...Is it such a weird idea...?" Hana asked, her eyes narrowed contemplatively. "I proved how Ryoto, Hinata, and Asuna didn't commit the murder...there's nothing to implicate Akira...Hiroshi didn't commit suicide...I'm sure as hell not the killer..."

Looking up with determination in her eyes, Hana ignored Monokuma and concluded, "By this point, a third party being the blackened doesn't sound too crazy at all!"

"What the-!? Yeah it does! You're saying someone outside the killing game committed the murder!?" Hinata blurted in bewilderment. "Why would someone do that!? Who would even do that!?"

"I can't believe you're actually following this asinine law of reasoning!" Akira shouted. "I always knew you were an idiot, but to actually entertain such an idea- do you have a death wish!?"

"W-Well...she makes a good point..." Asuna admitted. "It wasn't suicide, it wasn't the three of us, I don't think it was you Akira, a-and I really doubt it was Hana...!"

"Exactly! There are literally no other obvious suspects- but Hiroshi was clearly murdered by someone!" Hana claimed. "So what does that tell you?"

"'No other obvious suspects'? That's completely false- I'm looking at one right now!" Akira refuted, glaring at the surfer. "And if you're so insistent that the culprit was some mysterious third party, then you must have some evidence of this suspect's identity or existence, right?"

"I..." Hana began, deflating somewhat. "It's...just an instinct, honestly."

She furiously shook her head and went on, "But you can't deny there's something really wrong with this trial! Monokuma cut the investigation shorter than usual, he refused to let us enter Hiroshi's bedroom- doesn't that seem wrong to you guys!?"

"...You know, I think I might just revoke your right to speak after all," Monokuma coldly stated, his gaze laser-focused on Hana.

"What!?" Hana yelped.

"Monokuma's actions are irrelevant- if you have no real proof, why should we give your idea the time of day!? It's just useless babbling, that's all you're doing!" the Ultimate Prosecutor retorted. "The way I see it, you're still quite suspicious!"

She then glanced around the room at the other three students before remarking, "And in fact, much of what you used to prove these three innocent could be interpreted as circumstantial, so they're not entirely off the hook either!"

"CIRCUMSTANTIAL!?" Ryoto cried in panic. "NO! I'M INNOCENT I TELL YOU!"

"I...I...!" Hinata stammered, looking around. "I don't know what to think anymore! Can we take a break or somethin'!? My brain feels like it's gonna explode!"

"I-I don't want to suspect Hana...but I don't know what we'd do if the culprit turned out to be a third party..." Asuna said to herself, her panic growing more and more as she gripped her fedora like her life depended on it. "I-I think I'd like a break too!"

I don't know why, but I'm really starting to like the idea of Hiroshi's killer being someone outside the killing game- but I...I don't have proof! Hana thought, anxious. At the very least, I have to prove it couldn't have been the five of us, and I- I just don't have anything like that! Do I? DO I!?

"What's wrong, Amari? Finally learned how to be quiet?" Akira inquired in what was close to a sneer.

Hana didn't answer, grasping her head in her hands as she desperately tried to think. Come on, come on, there's gotta be something! If I'm right, then- then the evidence should reflect that, right...? But- I think we're just about missing evidence, what am I supposed to do about that!?

She took a short, quiet breath to try and calm herself. No, no, I can't give up yet! With the evidence I do have- there must be something that proves all five of us innocent! What is it, the- the time Hiroshi first disappeared? When Asuna saw him heading into the East Wing last night? The...The rope, or the knife? Or- Or what about the cables in the power room, the actual murder weapon? Or maybe those blackouts we've been having are-

...Wait a second...

Suddenly, amongst her panicked and disorganized thoughts...by some miracle, an idea formed in her head. It was a long shot, and a hunch, and she could very well be wrong...but in Hana's mind, it was her last chance.

"...Hey...Monokuma, can I ask you something?" the Ultimate asked the monochrome bear.

"I don't know- I'm still considering revoking your speaking rights," Monokuma answered matter-of-factly.

"D-Don't worry, I'm not gonna accuse you of anything! Just a normal question, that's it!" Hana quickly insisted.

"...Alright. Ask your dumb little question," the bear finally conceded, sitting back in his chair.

"Okay- ah...about the power room, and the blackouts..." Hana began, trying to choose her words carefully. "The power room looked like it had a ton of work done on it, but...the main issue was that big, broken cable hanging from the ceiling, right? The same one the killer used on Hiroshi?"

"That's right! All those cables up there are major power lines running through the castle- if even one of them were to be damaged, as you all saw, it would cause tons of issues like blackouts!" Monokuma explained.

"Alright..." Hana replied with a little nod. "So my question is: how did that cable get broken?"

"...Eh?" Monokuma said, doing a little double-take.

"How did that cable get broken?" Hana asked again, this time with more force in her voice. "It's been perfectly fine since this killing game began- I mean, we've never had any blackouts- so what changed? What caused it to be broken in half like that?"

"Uh...ah...that's..." Monokuma began, floundering in his seat as he tried to form a response. "That, uh...there's a lot of things that could have caused it, you know? Like- Like you teens using too much electricity!"

Angrily, he ranted, "Yeah! Kids these days forgetting how to conserve electricity, not shutting off lights and devices when you're done with them- don't any of you care about the environment!?"

"I care about the environment!" Asuna spoke up, indignant.

"THEN CARE HARDER!" Monokuma shouted at her.

"You didn't answer my question!" Hana snapped at the bear...then took a deep breath. "No, actually- you know what? I think I already know the answer- the way you avoided my question just now proved it."

"Whaaat!?" Monokuma demanded.

"Amari, what are you going on about now?" Akira also asked. "Why are you asking about the broken cable?"

"Because I think we were mistaken about something- we've been mistakenly about something," Hana explained. "This whole time, we assumed the cable being broken was from some electrical issue- that's what was causing the blackouts and why the killer was able to use it to murder Hiroshi."

"Well- yeah," Hinata stated, as if Hana's words were completely obvious. "What's wrong with that? Are you gonna say that cable wasn't the murder weapon?"

"No- I'm as certain as you guys that the cable was what the culprit used," Hana responded. "What we were wrong to assume, though, was how the cable got broken."

"How it was broken...? Are you saying it wasn't some- some power surge?" Asuna asked.

"Exactly," Hana answered. "I think the reason the cable was damaged was because..."

She hesitated a moment to gather her thoughts- after all, she couldn't afford to be wrong here- and declared, "Because the killer themselves broke the cable!"

"WHAT!? What does that mean?" Ryoto yelped. "And why are you treating it like some massive bombshell?"

"Because this entire time we were assuming the cable bursting and causing the blackouts and the killer using it to kill Hiroshi were two separate events- but the way Monokuma answered just now proved it's not like that," Hana explained. "Because he tries his hardest not to give us any information that would directly lead to the blackened- so why would he avoid telling me how the cable got broken unless it was because the culprit was the one who damaged it?"

"Buuut that doesn't explain why you think it's so important!" Ryoto responded. "Okay, so- the cable was physically ripped in half by the killer, and then they used it to zap Hiroshi to death, big deal! What's changed now that we know that?"

"It changes everything!" Hana told him. "It's the proof that none of the five of us- not me, not Akira, not any of us- are the blackened!"

"You're not even grasping at straws anymore- you're grabbing at every straw imaginable!" Akira yelled at her. "To actually go ahead and say that no one is the killer- are you insane!? That's never been how this killing game worked! The victim is a student, the blackened is a student- it's a terrible bastardization of justice, but it's the situation we've been in for weeks now, and its format hasn't changed at all!"

She thrust a finger at Hana and shouted, "The killer has to be one of us- that's how it's always been! There's no mistake!"

...She's still trying to prove one of us is the killer, huh...? Hana thought with a frown. I still don't really get it, but...if it's proof she wants, then it's proof she'll get.

"It's not that simple, Akira- and I'll prove it to you!" the Ultimate Surfer responded. "But first, I've got a question for you guys- did you notice how, even though that big cable in the power room is still very much broken, we haven't had any huge blackouts since this morning?"

"Probably because Monokuma fixed some other stuff, right?" Hinata surmised.

"Yeah, but- you know what that means? It means that broken cable wasn't the real cause of the blackouts, or at least not the major cause- yeah, the smaller ones that came after probably were, but not that first one we had yesterday morning. Otherwise, I'm sure even Monokuma would have fixed it," Hana explained, glancing at the bear in question.

"Well- okay!" Ryoto yelled in response. "So what did cause that first blackout!? And how does it prove anyone innocent!?"

"Easy- the killer broke the cable in half so they could use the live, sparking ends to electrocute Hiroshi, right?" Hana began. "So they had to have done that just before Hiroshi was murdered, right? And if breaking the cable itself wasn't necessarily what caused the first blackout..."

She then concluded, raising her voice as she did, "Then it must have been shocking Hiroshi that caused it! All that electricity running through his body and the cable must have caused some kind of surge that not only killed him, but blew out some other stuff that triggered that first blackout too!"

"H-Huh!? So...you're saying that first blackout happened at just about the same time Hiroshi was murdered...? That would be his time of death?" Asuna concluded.

"Uh-huh- it still fits with how we know Hiroshi was killed, and it explains some of those other discrepancies I talked about," Hana explained. "Like the fact that the cable is still broken, and the way Monokuma answered my question before..."

The surfer continued, "But more importantly- do you guys remember where each of us were when that first, huge blackout hit?"


"Gaaah- can't we go ONE DAY without DEATH?" Ryoto shouted to the ceiling. "I, Ryoto Miura, hate it! We can't even go one morning without something AWFUL happening!"

That's when the entire dining room became covered in pitch blackness, the faint sound of the lights shutting themselves down the only thing to precede the event.

"W-Wha-!?" Hana blurted in absolute shock, barely registering what had just occurred for a moment.

After that, a high-pitched scream cut through the air, and it sounded eerily close by...

"Izumi, pull yourself together!" Akira shouted through the darkness. "Now's not the time for panic!"

"Th-That wasn't me!" Asuna indignantly responded.

"Y-Yeah, no way to know who that was, totally..." Hinata spoke up sheepishly. "Honestly, I think- I think it was Ryoto, really."

"I can't even SEE you, and even I KNOW THAT WAS A LIE!" Ryoto roared into Hinata's direction.

"Okay, I hate blackouts, sue me!" Hinata finally admitted, the sound of his hoodie rustling indicating he had thrown his arms into the air.


"The...The dining room! The five of us were all in the dining room, Ryoto Miura heard everyone!" Ryoto responded, raising his hand as he answered.

"Exactly! We were all in the dining room the entire time the blackout happened- no one left, no one hid anywhere..." Hana explained, growing more eager as she spoke. "So if I'm right about my theory about when Hiroshi died, then- then we're each other's alibis! We all saw and heard each other the whole time- nobody could have been at the power room!"

Turning to face Akira directly, Hana shouted, "So unless one of us can be in two places at once, it's impossible for any one of us here to have murdered Hiroshi!"

Akira had gone completely silent, looking completely stunned by Hana's conclusion.

"...Think about it, Akira- even you can't deny facts, right?" Hana stated, crossing her arms as she awaited a response.

The prosecutor remained in shocked silence for a few more seconds before muttering, "There's...no way, then...this whole trial, it...it's...!"

"...Guuuys? I think Hana broke Akira!" Ryoto called out, pointing to the dumbfounded Ultimate in question.

"Well, shit- I knew it was only a matter of time," Hinata remarked rather nonchalantly.

"Uh- guys?" Asuna spoke up. "I-If we're agreeing that first blackout happened almost in tangent with Hiroshi's death, then- does anyone remember the time the first blackout happened?"

"I think I do," Hana responded. Right- the time of the first blackout, the one in the dining room, was...

The Ultimate answered, "It was 7:50- I saw it on my e-Handbook when we decided to use them as a light source."


"Uh- uh- maybe we should turn on our e-Handbooks?" Asuna suggested. "As, you know- a light source?"

"I like that plan!" Hana quickly responded as she whipped out the device and turned its screen on. She was greeted by the usual blue light and the colorful icons, as well as the time (being 7:50 AM) displayed clear as day. The others followed suit, turning on their own handbooks and illuminating their faces in blue.


"GREAT! We finally got Hiroshi's cause of death and time of death!" Ryoto cheered with a laugh. "And it only took us- uh, I dunno how long it's been, does anyone really keep track of how long these trials are?"

"I do!~ As your headmaster, judge, jury, secretary, and brutal executioner, it's my job to keep close tab on the length of trials to know when the voting time should start!" Monokuma chimed in, pumping a little metal fist in the air. "But I'm glad you brought that up, because it allows me to make a smooth segue into..."

He whipped out that familiar gavel again and banged it on the wooden armrest of his throne. "TIIIIME'S UP!"

The whole room fell into a baffled silence upon hearing this. Finally, Asuna was the one to break it by asking, "C-Come again...?"

"I said 'time's up'! It's over! Done! Completed!" Monokuma responded. "This trial has come to an end!"

"The trial- what?" Hana asked, dumbfounded. "What do you mean it's over?"

"I mean you guys have run out of time! This trial's dragging on way too long, and so I'm using my authority as this killing game's overseer to skip straight ahead to the voting time!" Monokuma gleefully explained. "The time for debates is over- the time for punishments is now!"

"What!? 'Way too long'!? Bullshit, we've had trials that went on way longer than this!" Hinata shouted, then asked himself more quietly, "I think...? Yeah? Yeah, we have!"

"Not only that, but- but Hana JUST explained how all five of us are innocent!" Ryoto cried. "Literally NO ONE here could have been the killer!"

"Ah-ah-ha! You know the rules- each trial must end with a vote for who you think the blackened is! It's not my fault you all didn't use your time wisely enough to find the killer," Monokuma coldly responded, all with that trademark grin on his face.

"But no one's the killer! I just proved how!" Hana yelled in panic. "You can't start the voting like this!"

"Can and will!" Monokuma replied. "Guess you'll just have to play the luck game- pick a person and vote! You've got a one in five chance- those odds aren't so bad!"

Akira looked around for a moment, then turned to Monokuma and said, "Monokuma, really- you can't just do this! There- There must be more to discuss, more to figure out who the killer is! How do you expect us to vote if we don't have a suspect to vote for!?"

"I dunno! You guys are smart- you can figure something out!" the bear casually responded.

"But-! But if Hana's right, then we'll be wrong no matter who we vote for!" Asuna cried out, anxious. "A-And if we're wrong, then- then we'll be executed! We'll be killed!"

"Not my problem! I just make sure the rules are enforced, and lo and behold execution for voting for the wrong person is in the rules!" Monokuma reminded her. "So, I'm perfectly fine with a mass execution if it comes down to it!"

He then added, "Oh, and- remember, you all have to vote for someone! No abstaining, otherwise you'll definitely face punishment!"

"N-No way...!" Hana gasped, her face paling as the reality of the situation set in. Oh god- this is just a lose situation no matter what we do, isn't it? We can't get out of voting, but if we vote for anyone we'll be wrong, and then we'll be dead, and then-!

She looked around at the panic-laden faces of her classmates- even Akira's calm composure was tattered at the seams, complemented by her already somewhat disheveled appearance.

Think, think, there has to be a way around this- if we have to vote, then- then what can we do? We can't take a one in five chance- it's not a chance at all actually, because I just proved all of us innocent! Hana thought, growing more fearful by the second. Even if we try to split the voting- there's five of us! It'll create a majority for someone, and that person will be considered our vote, but it won't matter because we'll be wrong no matter what-!

She softly groaned, burying her face in her hands. Why can't we just have a five-way tie or something!?

...Wait a second- that's...not a bad idea, actually.

"S-So- what, are we just supposed to take the one in five chance...?" Hinata asked, visibly uncertain.

"NO WAY! We're all spotless! We can't vote for ANYONE!" Ryoto loudly reminded him. "THAT CHANCE IS FAKE! WE CAN'T TAKE IT!"

"We won't have to!" Hana suddenly shouted. "Guys- listen to me! I have an idea!"

Akira growled, "Amari, now is not the time for one of your stupid-"

"No, hear me out! Seriously!" Hana pleaded, swiftly looking around at her classmates. "I know how to get past the voting- let's all vote for ourselves!"

"W-What? What does that mean?" Asuna asked in bewilderment.

"I mean- I vote for myself, Asuna- you'd vote for yourself, Hinata would vote for himself..." Hana explained. "So on, so forth, all that!"

"But how's that gonna help us!? It'll just create a five-way tie!" Hinata told her.

"Exactly! A five-way tie! That way we won't get in trouble for not voting at all, and there won't be a majority, which means we won't be voting for the wrong person!" Hana replied.

"What!? That'll never work! We'd just be signing our own death warrants!" Akira yelled.

"But- we gotta do SOMETHING!" Ryoto shouted in response. "I don't really get all that loophole shit, but I'm gonna trust that Hana does get it!"

"I-I'll trust Hana too! Even if we weren't in a life-or-death situation, I-I'd still trust her!" Asuna declared with a nod.

"Well- at this point, we don't have many options, do we?" Hinata pointed out with a sigh. "I'll do it, if it means not dying a horrible death- hope you're right about this."

Akira stared at the other students, baffled, before speaking up, "What!? You're all going along with this!? Have you lost your senses completely!?"

"Akira, Hinata's right- we don't have any other options anyways! This is the best thing we can do!" Hana insisted. "Can't you realize actually voting for someone for real will definitely kill us!? At least this way-"

"This way is just as much of a risk! What makes you think Monokuma will accept the vote!? How do you know this won't be considered breaking the rules either!?" Akira demanded. "This latest little gambit of yours is a certified death trap!"

"So is voting normally! At least with my idea, we have an actual possibility to survive!" Hana yelled. "But we need everyone to be on board for it to work- including you! Why can't you see this is the best choice!?"

"Because this can't be the right choice! Messing with the voting like this- we've never done anything like it before! You can't know the risk will pay off!" Akira shouted. "You're just sending everyone to their deaths, that's all this 'plan' of yours is doing!"

She went on, growing angrier and more desperate as she said, "As usual, you're putting everyone's lives at risk with your baseless assumptions and gambles- and just like before, I won't allow it! On my honor as the Ultimate Prosecutor, I can't allow this to happen!"

"'As usual'!? 'Again'!?" Hana cried, dumbfounded, before growling, "When have I ever put our lives on the line by-"

Suddenly, Hana froze as she considered Akira's words...and then, realization struck her.


"Hmph! So that's it then, your entire argument right now is that 'Izumi is innocent because she was friends with the victim'?" Akira inquired with a glare. "Pathetic. Those kinds of relationships mean nothing in this game, and your argument is completely empty."

"Well! Maybe there's something we missed! Another angle!" Hana insisted.

"Oh? And I suppose this 'angle' is based on your feelings too?" Akira asked, shaking her head. "Is that honestly what you're doing Amari? You're putting our lives at risk, just because of your damned feelings?"

"N-No! I want to find the truth as much you do! But I just...I can't imagine Asuna as the culprit!" Hana explained. "Akira, if you're wrong about this-"

"If you're wrong, Amari, we die," Akira scowled. "I at least have evidence to support my theory. What do you have, huh? Baseless emotions? Those feelings will only blind you to the real truth."


"Would you be quiet already, Amari?" Akira growled at the surfer. "Face it, you've lost, I've uncovered the truth of this case, and all we have to do is vote for the blackened!"

"But he's not the blackened!" Hana shouted. "This is a mistake, I'm sure of it!"

"Yamamoto literally wrote a note telling Koichi that he would kill him! You yourself even confirmed that he was the one who wrote it!" Akira yelled.

"He was trying to help Shiro, not kill him-!" Hana yelled right back, her anger only growing by the second- it would probably lead to a massive headache on the count of her concussion, but the surfer didn't care at that moment.


"Arguing that I'm the one in the wrong is bold, coming from you- at least my theories are based on more than just goddamn instinct!" the Ultimate Prosecutor furiously said to the surfer. "You haven't changed in the slightest, Amari, and I refuse to allow you and your faulty reasoning to get us all killed. There is no way Sauchi was killed anywhere besides the tower, and I will prove it!"

"Ah, you've gotta be kidding me...!" Hana told herself, staring back at Akira as she tried to hide her apprehension.


"...Ooh..." Hana muttered to herself, her eyes growing wide. "Oh, I...I get it now..."

"What? What are you going on about now?" Akira furiously inquired.

"Ah...Akira- do you remember when you and I talked in the courtyard yesterday?" Hana asked. "And...I asked if there was more to why you hated me besides the whole 'I have a useless talent and yet I keep solving the murders while you can't so it hurts your pride' thing?"

Akira narrowed her eyes, but nodded regardless.

"Well, I...I think I finally figured it out. The real reason- or, well, the other real reason you hate me..." Hana began. "It's because I take risks, isn't it?"

Now, Akira furrowed her brow. "What?"

"You're Akira Rimutsu- the greatest prosecutor in Japan! You've gotten to the truth in so many cases, even if it meant you'd lose a trial, right? You had to have taken risks in those trials, haven't you?" Hana asked. "But during this killing game, you...haven't really done that. When it comes to these trials, you've been the least riskiest person of all of us- you focus on what the evidence alone says to find the most obvious suspect, and then you just- stick with that person until there's no more denying it!"

Akira's anger returned in full force with a furious glare directed at Hana. "Amari, I suggest you-"

"B-But! But- I get it now! This killing game, its class trials- they're nothing like the normal courtroom trials you're used to, right?" Hana then asked. "In those normal trials, the most that's at stake is...you know, the defendant and their freedom, but you're used to that- you and everyone else in the courtroom will be able to keep going with your daily lives."

She shook her head and continued, "But this place? This place isn't like that at all- it's either you find the truth or...you die! You can't really afford to take so many risks here- a wrong answer would mean death to everyone, including you, except the culprit!"

Akira took a few deep, exhausted breaths before snarling, "Don't...Don't talk as if you know me. You don't know me- you don't understand how I think! What I believe!"

But Hana kept going. "But me? This entire killing game, I've been doing the opposite- most of the time, I'm doing nothing but taking risks. To you, I'm probably no better than a devil's advocate- I argue for the minority side, the side that you're usually not on, Akira...the side that, to you, is misleading and misguided because it's not backed up by evidence. Well- at first, anyways."

"So to you, who's trying to take as few risks as possible to avoid dying..." Hana concluded. "To you, every time I make an argument against you is like...it's like I'm trying to get everyone killed, even though that's definitely not what I'm trying to do! And that's why you can't stand me, right? Right?"

"..." Akira was deathly silent for a few moments, then she quietly responded, "Everything I do in these trials...everything I do in any trial I take part in...is for the sake of finding the truth. This killing game...these class trials...have only made me more acutely aware of that. Because it's as you said- finding the truth is survival, and anything less means the innocents become hanged in place of the guilty."

She gripped her podium a little tighter and continued, "And me- I'm the Ultimate Prosecutor. Uncovering the truth is what I strive for, it's my life's purpose- nowhere has that become more apparent than inside these damn trial rooms, where failing to live up to that purpose means we all die. The thought of dying in such a meaningless way, that alone is enough to...it's enough to..."

"It...scares you...?" Asuna realized, unable to hide her shock.

"...That thought alone would be one thing..." Akira went on, not confirming or denying Asuna'a realization. "But to think that such an outcome would be on my shoulders...because I failed to find the truth, failed my job as a bringer of justice...it's an outcome I would do anything to avoid, even if meant I'd have to play the trials as safe as possible."

She clenched her fists and glared daggers at Hana. "And then you come along, with your baseless arguments with barely any evidence initially, destroying my own carefully laid theories- and then you turn out to be the one in the right? You were the one who found the truth, found the culprit, while I was in the wrong- and had you not done anything, everyone would have listened to me, and it would have resulted in all of our deaths!"

"Do you have any idea what it's like to live day by day with that knowledge!? The knowledge that everyone's deaths would have been your shoulders had someone else not stepped in?" Akira demanded -by now, her hands were starting to tremble, but the rage in her eyes hadn't diminished. "Every time I so much as look at you, Amari, I'm reminded of that fact!"

She then took her glasses off and concluded, "You are the embodiment of all my shortcomings in these trials, all the times I nearly led everyone to death- that is why I hate you! Because not only do you undermine and upstage my skills as the Ultimate Prosecutor, but you put everyone's lives at risk with your opposing arguments in almost every single trial...! Even now, with this gamble of yours, it's..."

As the Ultimate Prosecutor fell silent, Hana remained quiet as well as she tried to sort out what to say in response...but then, someone started for her.

"...You know, Akira- if you'd been a little more honest and open about how you really felt, I'm sure someone around here woulda listened to you," Hinata informed her. "Believe it or not, a lot of us are pretty scared of dying in these trials too, so it's not like anyone would have judged or thought less of you."

"Exactly! We're all doing our best in these trials- except the killers, most of the time, I guess- even if certain somebodies are a little misguided sometimes!" Ryoto added, vaguely gesturing around him. "Ryoto Miura says it's not a good idea to just keep all that fear bottled up like that- you have to LET IT OUT! SCREAM OR SOMETHIN' I DUNNO!"

"..." Akira scoffed and turned away. "I don't need a lecture from any of you."

"Akira- another thing you told me is that you and I are nothing alike," Hana spoke up. "And I completely agreed with you- I still agree, actually, to an extent. But now...you know what we do have in common?"

The prosecutor only glanced at Hana, saying nothing.

"We both try our damn hardest to make sure the blackened doesn't win," Hana explained. "And we're both afraid of what will happen if we fail at that. Right now, I'm terrified out of my mind, but- I'm going through with my plan, because it's the right decision. It's what will help give us that win over the culprit, whoever they are!"

She looked Akira straight in the eye and pleaded, "But it won't work unless all five of us commit to it- that means you too, Akira! I want to survive this trial as much as you do- we all do! If you want to make up for your mistakes from before, then please- help us with this! It's all we've got!"

"...How do you know...?" Akira asked, turning to face the other girl directly. "How do you know it will work? How do you know Monokuma won't just turn around and execute the spotless anyways?"

"I...I don't," Hana admitted with a wince. "But- But I didn't completely know Hiroshi was killed by electricity until I proved it! Same goes for Hinata's innocence in the last trial, Saku's innocence in the trial before that, Asuna's innocence in the trial before that...before I proved those things, I had to follow my instincts, I had to just...trust that I was on the right track."

Akira let out a little 'hmph' and responded, "Are you trying to give me a rousing speech?"

"Um- a little bit," Hana replied. "I mean, I've been told I'm better at talking from my heart than I am from my head, so..."

"Akira? Please- trust her, and trust the rest of us- w-we...we know what we're getting into here," Asuna implored the prosecutor. "A-And even if something happens, at least we'll know we did everything we could to get out of this alive!"

Hana looked around between her classmates. Asuna...Ryoto...Hinata...I sure am glad to have their support. Even Akira, she...she finally opened up a little, even if the circumstances are kind of terrible...

Her relief and joy, however, faltered as she added to herself, I hope this works...god, I really hope this works, I don't...I don't think I can take letting them all down like this...!

"...You know, ah- you really shouldn't conspire to mess with the voting right in front of the guy who runs the entire killing game," Monokuma deadpanned from his throne.

"What? Gonna stop us or something?" Hinata asked, raising an eyebrow.

"..." After a moment of silence, Monokuma regained his cheerful demeanor and declared, "Now then! After that little...tangent, we'll call it, it's time to get on with the thrilling, the bone-chilling, the spine-grilling voting time! You all know what to do with those nifty little levers, so let's get it on!"

"Now then- who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?" Monokuma dramatically went on. "What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee!?"

Hana reached over and gripped her own lever as she had done many times prior- but this time, she paused to glance at her classmates one more time.

I wasn't lying- I really don't know if my plan will work...but I've got a good feeling about it anyways. Hana assured herself, then glanced at Hiroshi's original spot- his portrait and podium. And if you were here...I know you'd agree with me.

With that, she pulled the lever and cast her vote, as did her other four classmates.

Immediately after all five votes were cast, the large monitor from before descended from the ceiling and turned on, basking the dark trial room in artificial light. The screen depicted the usual, brightly-colored slot machine from the previous voting times, and its identical three slots soon started to spin at rapid speed once more. However, while the slots would have usually stopped on the face of the chosen blackened, this time the slots just...slowed down and stopped, not even completely stopping on anyone's face at all. Not only that, but the lights and colors dimmed and the noises just...faded out, as if the power had gone out of the machine.

"...Uuh...I said..." Monokuma began. "What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee!?"

In a split-second flash of static, the animation on the slot machine restarted, and it played like usual...but once again, the slots slowed to an unceremonious stop and the lights faded. There was no fanfare, no flashing 'GUILTY', no rain of coins erupting from the machine. It was just...dead and quiet, as quiet as the rest of the trial grounds.


Monokuma stared up at the monitor- though he still had that perpetual grin on his face, it was certain he would be deeply frowning at that moment if he could.

"I...I don't- WHAT!?" Monokuma cried, dumbfounded. "H-How did-!? You guys-! You broke the damn voting screen! How did you even-!? Don't tell me you actually-!"

The bear went silent for a few moments, but then the display on the monitor changed; the dead slot machine was replaced by a screen with pixellated sprites of the fifteen students (with the deceased students being grayed out), all arranged into a single column on the far left side of the screen. Adjacent to each sprite and extending to the right was a row of fifteen rectangles, no doubt to represent a vote from each of the students.

Next to each sprite of the five surviving students, a single rectangle was lit up in pink- five rectangles in total, one for each student.

"What the-!? You've gotta be kidding me! You five actually-!? I-I mean you-!?" Monokuma stammered, staring up at the screen for a few seconds before angrily turning to the students. "What do you all have to say yourselves!?"

No one said anything at first. Hana stared at the screen in shock for a few seconds, fully understanding what she was seeing but still somewhat surprised nonetheless. She glanced around at the others, who were also looking around at each other, but no one was speaking. Soon, however, the air of disbelief faded. Asuna let out a long sigh of relief; Ryoto chuckled a little bit, as if also releasing some of that internal tension; Hinata and Hana glanced at each other for a moment, and the Ultimate Thief responded with a little triumphant smirk; and Hana turned to where Akira was, her and the prosecutor making eye contact.

In all honesty, Hana had been the most concerned about Akira and whether she would follow through- but the sight of the voting screen was all it took to relieve those fears. As if to further reassure Hana, Akira's gaze was calm and steady- for the first time in a long while, little to no hostility towards Hana could be seen in those eyes.

Slowly, Akira put her glasses back on, turned to Monokuma, and spoke up, "Give it up, Monokuma- you really have been rigging this trial from the start, haven't you?"

"R-Rigging!?" Monokuma blurted. "How dare you accuse me of-"

"She's got a point though- cutting down the investigation, keeping people out of Hiroshi's room..." Hinata listed out.

"AND you made us vote EARLY! You cut the trial itself off before we could keep going anywhere!" Ryoto shouted, outraged. "YOU'RE THE WORST JUDGE EVER!"

"I-! You- You all were the ones who messed up the voting!" Monokuma retorted. "Look at that! A five-way tie- I can't believe you all actually went through with it!"

"You didn't give us a choice! You tried to railroad us into voting for someone even after I proved everyone innocent!" Hana furiously argued. "If that doesn't make you look more suspicious, I don't know what does!"

"And by the way- we wouldn't have needed to do Hana's weird voting idea if you had just let us investigate normally!" Hinata growled at the bear. "All your trials are bullshit, but this one? This one takes the cake by a long shot!"

"'Bullshit'!?" Monokuma replied, growing more enraged as the others continued to talk.

"H-Hana and Akira- they're right, aren't they? About you doing something to this trial..." Asuna concluded accusingly. "Everything you've done so far was to make things even harder for us! I-It's like you've been trying to make us vote for the wrong person!"

"Indeed it does," Akira agreed, crossing her arms with a blazing glare. "Explain, then! What the hell was this trial!? What exactly were you trying to pull!?"

Now, Monokuma's rage shifted to apprehension and avoidance. "W-Well, it's...you see, I-"

"Yeah! Why would you try to screw with a trial all of a sudden!?" Ryoto questioned, exasperated. "What, were you just THAT tired of the killing game and you wanted to get rid of us in one fell swoop?"

"And what does all this mean for Hiroshi's killer, huh!? Are you trying to protect them or something!?" Hana then demanded.

"At this point, I'd be willing to believe it was you! Or the person controlling you!" Hinata yelled, pointing to Monokuma. "Sky's the limit in this trial, I don't even know anymore!"

Monokuma looked out at the angry glares of the surviving Ultimates. Finally, he roared, "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"

With that exclamation, the bear continued on, "Did you forget!? You all voted! The trial is over, more or less! You can't just go accusing me or anyone like this- you cast your votes already!"

Suddenly, Asuna's glare fell, and she asked, "Uh- what...happens now...?"

"Huh?" Hana began, glancing at the gardener.

"He...has a point about one thing," Asuna explained. "We voted...the trial's just about over...b-but we never did conclude on a killer, did we...?"

"Right, it was...we made a five-way tie, there was...really no win for anyone," Hinata remarked with a frown. "So- yeah. What does happen now?"

Hana's eyes widened as she listened to the two Ultimates, and she realized she hadn't quite thought of that. All she had been worrying about was whether Monokuma would consider the voting legit and, as a result, not execute them all- she hadn't stopped to think what any alternatives could be.

"Weeell...we'd get a redo, obviously!" Ryoto suggested with a grin. "Yeah! Like a rematch between boxers! We just do the trial over, and THIS time come to a real conclusion!"

"We wouldn't have to redo just the trial- we'd have to go through the investigation itself again," Akira pointed out, crossing her arms. "Because a certain someone decided to do more meddling than usual."

"All excellent suggestions!" Monokuma interrupted (although Hana had a feeling he wasn't so genuine about that statement). "And it is quite a conundrum- one that I've never seen in a killing game before, I can tell ya that!"

"He says as if there have been other killing games before..." Hinata muttered.

"Hmm...what to do..." the bear mused to himself. "The students did not, technically, expose the true blackened...yet the blackened did not completely win the trial either because there was no majority..."

He then clapped his paws together and said, "Okay! Since a blackened was not identified nor did the blackened completely get away, I see only one proper, just solution!"

"You are letting us get a redo?" Ryoto asked, hopeful.

Monokuma chuckled. "Nope!"

His jovial voice took on a darker edge as he declared, "I'm going to execute all five of you!"

Hana felt like she had been slugged in the gut- the visceral shock of Monokuma's words actually almost caused her to fall over.

"W-WHAT!?" the surfer cried in horror. "Execute us!? All of us!?"

"THAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF A REDO!" Ryoto yelled as his face went pale.

Even Akira could not hide the disbelief on her face as she said, "No- you...you can't do that! The rules only say you can execute the spotless if they do not successfully identify the blackened!"

"And you guys didn't! You voted without coming to a real conclusion!" Monokuma pointed out. "In saying that, the blackened did not completely win either, since the voting ended in a five-way tie...no winners, just like Mr. Yonade said!"

"D-Don't use my quotes against me!" Hinata shouted in rage.

"For the last time- I proved all of us innocent! None of us are the blackened!" Hana shouted once more. "How many times do I need to say it!?"

"And if there are no winners, then that means you're all losers!" Monokuma went on with a cruel laugh. "And if you're all losers, then I have perfect grounds to execute each and every one of you!"

When he said that, the red button from all the other executions rose up from the floor, indicating the robotic bear's imminent verdict.

Hana became more engulfed in fear and panic the more Monokuma spoke, and it only intensified upon seeing that button. No-! No, this can't be happening! This wasn't supposed to happen, this wasn't-!

"N-No, no you can't! You can't kill us!" Asuna pleaded. "This- This isn't fair! Y-You messed with the investigation, you cut the trial short, you-"

"Blah blah blah, do you guys have to blame everything on me all the time?" the bear demanded, shaking his head. "Life isn't fair! Welcome to the real world, everyone!"

"Th-This isn't just a matter of unfairness- to execute us like this because of a clearly faulty trial, it goes against your own rules!" Akira yelled. "It must!"

"Puhuhu! My dear prosecutor..." Monokuma then spoke darkly. "I'm the one that makes the rules."

"Gh-! SCREW THE RULES! Ryoto Miura's not gonna let you wrongfully execute anyone- HIMSELF INCLUDED!" Ryoto yelled, breaking away from his podium.

He then turned to Hana and told her. "Hana, come on! We're probably the two strongest ones here- we can hold him back! He can't execute all of us if he can't reach that button, right!?"

Overcome with fear of execution and intense rage at Monokuma, Hana broke out of her panic and responded, "Yeah! Let's do it!"

Asuna gasped and cried, "W-Wait! Don't! Monokuma might retaliate!"

But Hana and Ryoto were deaf to Asuna's cry. Blistering with anger and determination, Hana and Ryoto sprinted towards Monokuma and the button, leaving Asuna, Hinata, and Akira unable to stop or restrain either of them.

"WHA-!? NO!" Monokuma shouted as he was charged at. "STAY AWAY FROM THERE!"

Suddenly, their 'headmaster' extended his metal claws and, with a shout, leaped off his throne with the same deft as when he knocked out Hana at the start of the investigation. Before anyone could register the counterattack, Monokuma was flying forward and aiming his claws at...only Hana?

Sure enough, before Hana could dodge or react, Monokuma was raking his claws against the girl's face. In reality, he slashes were more superficial- not enough to bleed horribly or cause deep injury, but strong enough to cause Hana to yelp in pain and be knocked back away from Monokuma and the button.

Upon landing on the ground, Monokuma hissed at Hana, "Don't you dare get any closer to that button! Get BACK! BACK, I SAY!"

Hana, whose face was still stinging from the clawing, immediately scrambled away. However, the attack left her baffled- why was Monokuma worried about the button? And why did he single her out when Ryoto was ready to fight back as well?

Adding to this- Ryoto had frozen upon seeing Monokuma attack Hana, as if he too was just as confused.

"...Oh, yeah, you too," Monokuma stated, turning to Ryoto. He then sprang forward and slashed Ryoto's face in the same manner, knocking him away as well. Although, it was clear this counterattack was more of an afterthought compared to Hana's, which baffled the girl even more.

There was no time to dwell on the matter further, however- Monokuma quickly made his way back to the throne, panting a little. "Okay...now I suggest none of you try that again, otherwise you'll just earn yourself a far less flashy death than the ones I'm about to give you all!"

"W-We don't want any deaths! You can't do this!" Hinata shouted, practically pleading by this point. "After everything, you can't just off us like this!"

"You put us into this situation on purpose, didn't you?" Akira demanded, as angered as ever but doing her best to retain some of her composure. "That's why you forced us to vote, forced us to- you've been trying to make this situation unwinnable, weren't you!?"

Monokuma ignored her and gleefully declared, "Now then, I've prepared some very special punishments for- well, everyone! Hana Amari, the Ultimate Surfer..."

Hana stood frozen again, initially unable to react- she was aware that her gamble hadn't paid off like anyone hoped it would, and because of that her worst nightmare was playing out right before her eyes...and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"...Akira Rimutsu, the Ultimate Prosecutor..." Monokuma continued. "...Hinata Yonade, the Ultimate Thief..."

Akira clenched her teeth and her fists, turning away from everyone- clearly, she was still trying to appear calm, but by now it was clear she was as afraid as all of them.

Perhaps it was the overwhelming panic in the room, but Hana soon found herself breaking out of her stupor once again to ask Monokuma, "Hey- Hey, answer me! Akira's right, isn't she!? This whole time you- or whoever's controlling you- you've been playing us, haven't you!?"

Hinata's breathing was growing more rapid as his fists clenched. "No- No, I can't go out like this! I can't! Not now! I-I made a promise, I-!"

"...Ryoto Miura, the Ultimate Racecar Driver..." Monokuma went on. "...and Asuna Izumi, the Ultimate Gardener!"

"No...no, no no no no-!" Asuna whimpered, shaking where she stood as tears began to build in her eyes.

"I...I'm not giving up! I AM NOT GIVING UP!" Ryoto roared, clenching his fists in fury. "YOU HEAR ME!? I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THROW AT ME, I'M NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!"

"Hey! I said answer me, Monokuma!" Hana shouted, even taking a step forward. "What're you planning!? Why go through any of this!? What is going on here!? Answer me already!"

"Let's give it everything we've got!" Monokuma called out, his sick grin more sinister than ever. "It's...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

"NOOOOO!" Asuna screamed.

"DON'T! STOP!" Hinata cried almost at the same time.

Hana, overcome with terror and desperation, practically roared at Monokuma, "I SAID ANSWER ME!"

The words of the students fell on the bear's deaf ears. With that same gavel, Monokuma eagerly slammed down on the large red button, triggering a new animation; pixel sprites of Ryoto, Asuna, Hana, Hinata, and Akira (respectively) stood in a straight line in the same background as the usual animations. Two Monokumas ran across the screen, carrying Ryoto and Akira away to the left and right; nearly simultaneously, two chains shot out from the left and right and dragged away Hinata and Asuna; then, almost at the same time as those, a third chain descended from the ceiling and dragged Hana back upwards. All while these animations played, text appeared on the tiny screen.

GAME OVER

The 80th Class voted incorrectly.

Time for the punishment!


Five chains shot out from five different doors behind each students' podiums- somehow, the chains even managed to find their way to the students who had left their usual spots, namely Hana and Ryoto.

Akira was the first to be dragged away; she didn't look up from her vow of silence until the metal clamp closed around her neck. At that moment, she grimaced at the pressure and discomfort on her neck, and then she was violently dragged through the door by the retracting clamp before anyone could even attempt to help her.

Asuna was right behind her. Her own chain emerged from behind and grasped the terrified girl by the neck, immediately dragging her away with enough force to cause her fedora to fly off her head onto the floor right behind her podium. The only thing the Ultimate Gardener could do was scream and feebly struggle for a few moments as she was taken away.

Next was Ryoto; the moment the clamp closed around him, the racecar driver grasped at the metal band and tried to struggle out of it. However, even he wasn't stronger than whatever mechanism made the chains work, and soon enough he too was swiftly dragged away through the doors, kicking and struggling and roaring in anger the whole way.

Hinata came next, and he too tried to take a few struggling steps forward while reaching his hand out for something- anything- to act as a lifeline. Inevitably, he lost his footing and was carried off as well, the thief only able to scream in anguish as it happened.

Hana was last. Frozen in horror at the sight of her classmates being taken away to their executions, she only regained her senses at the feeling of cold, heavy metal wrapping around her neck- it was her turn. Despite already feeling the chain pulling her back, Hana grasped the clamp with her hands and fought like the devil to resist it, her face contorting into a grimace of strain and fury. But soon that fury faded to dismay as she realized she couldn't fight the pull of the chain any longer, and with a short scream she, too, felt herself falling back and being dragged along the stone ground through the doorway and into cold, heartless darkness.

The monitor in the trial room depicted the live feed of the five executions- not that anyone besides Monokuma would be around to watch them.


Hana had no idea what was happening- she was being dragged through a hallway, a hallway that looked similar to the ones the previous blackened students had been pulled through. She continued to try and struggle, but it only exacerbated the pain of being swiftly dragged along a stone floor. She glanced up ahead and found she was approaching...a changing room? With little time to react, Hana was pulled into and through the changing room, feeling some kind of robotic appendages undressing and redressing her before she was dragged out again. Before she knew it, her outfit had been changed to a black and blue wetsuit and a pair of blue goggles.

With even less time to react, Hana's surroundings changed from the dark hallway to a sunlit beach shore, and she was being pulled across sand rather than stone bricks. Then, the clamp was undone, and she was somehow hurled a long ways beyond the shore and into the deep saltwater; it took the Ultimate a few seconds to register what had happened, but when she did she wasted no time quickly swimming up so her head was above water. She took a few breaths of air and frantically looked around to try and understand what was happening, but was interrupted when a sleek, yellow and light blue surfboard was haphazardly tossed at her from an unknown source, hitting the water next to her with a splash.

Even more confused, Hana looked towards the shore again- the shore that was several meters away- and was shocked when what appeared to be about a dozen large, thin, metal triangles emerged from the water. Then, the 'triangles' rose a little more to reveal they belonged to about a dozen mechanical sharks, each of them having an eye resembling Monokuma's red eye and rows of razor-sharp teeth...and in a split second, the metal sharks began to quickly advance on the defenseless surfer.

Execution: Wipeout!

Hana's eyes widened in horror at the sharks, and she quickly turned back to the surfboard floating beside her- it didn't take her long to realize what she needed to do. With a terrified cry, Hana scrambled onto the surfboard, laid down in the proper position, and paddled forward as fast as she could. Admittedly, she probably didn't even need the surfboard, she was a strong swimmer on her own- but her instinct as the Ultimate Surfer took hold, and soon enough she was speeding through the water with a dozen mechanical sharks chasing her. These same sharks gained ground incredibly quickly, and one after the other they leaped and flew out of the water towards Hana like a bunch of torpedoes to try and take a bite of her her or the board.

Despite her intense terror, Hana was able to maneuver around the attacking sharks- barely managing to avoid the fangs most times and being nicked in the arms by their sharp metal fins on more than one occasion. As she swam for her life, the sky grew dark with clouds, and the water grew more violent- but not in a natural way, a way that felt like they were artificially generated (which didn't surprise Hana- after all, there was no way she was in the real ocean in the outside world). In addition, Hana looked ahead to see she was approaching a series of large, razor-sharp rock spires jutting out of the ocean like the fangs of the sharks that were pursuing her. She had no time to think or wonder how she would escape those rocks- because, in that moment, Hana felt the water rising and lifting her and the board upwards.

A massive, tsunami-like wave had formed behind her, sending the sharks flying and raising Hana up with it. Normally, Hana could have been able to handle such a wave, but once again the surfer was able to sense that this wave was generated mechanically somehow- nothing like the natural sea waves she was used to. Despite this, the Ultimate attempted to stand up on her board and ride the wave out- but as she was about to stand, one of the sharks was hurled towards her, nicking her in the head and sending her flying into the water as the wave crashed down onto the spiky rocks.

Hana swam up to try and resurface, only to find herself being carried up by yet another large wave; this time, she was unable to swim against it, and when it crashed down she was forcefully bashed against the side of one of the rock spires before falling into the ocean again. In her dazed and pain-stricken state, Hana was powerless to struggle when a third tsunami picked her up and did the same thing with another rock spire; then, a fourth and fifth wave performed the same action, the only difference being they took Hana higher and higher. By the time the fifth wave had crashed down, Hana's torso felt like it was on fire, and she could unmistakably taste blood in her mouth.

Finally, a sixth wave- this one bigger and more powerful than the last, carried Hana upwards once again. At first, the Ultimate barely had the strength to even keep her head above water...before she saw where the wave was carrying her. Before her was an even bigger rock spike, the pinnacle horribly sharp and would surely pierce her through if she was dropped on it- and, lo and behold, that's exactly what the wave was aiming to do.

Adrenaline resurfacing, Hana fought against any aches and pains and tried to swim against the wave- but it was no use. The current forced her to face the quickly-approaching rock spike, and even the Ultimate Surfer knew hitting it would mean certain death- but just like she was powerless to prevent the executions, she was powerless to stop the wave from approaching the razor-sharp spire.


Akira found herself in familiar scenery- a normal, every day courtroom. Well, there was one oddity about it: the people in the courtroom in the courtroom were Monokumas. The judge, the jurors, the defense attorney, the prosecutor, everyone was a Monokuma in some outfit or another. The Monokuma defense attorney wore a simple black suit with a blue tie, while the prosecutor Monokuma wore the same outfit except for a red tie. Akira herself realized she was handcuffed to a seat on the defendant's side, with the chair attached to a conveyor belt of some kind. The juror Monokumas were shouting unintelligibly at Akira, forcing the judge Monokuma- who wore an exaggerated powdered wig- to slam his gavel down a few times to bring order to the courtroom.

Execution: Final Judgement

Akira could do nothing but remain in her seat as the two Monokuma lawyers argued back and forth with each other in an exaggerated manner, the 'debate' devolving into the two throwing various things at each other- papers, pieces of evidence, coffee mugs, etc. Meanwhile, the jurors kept furiously yelling for a 'GUILTY' verdict- and all the while, Akira tried to remain as calm and stoic as possible as she glanced around the room.

Finally, after the defense Monokuma appeared sufficiently flustered, the judge Monokuma slammed down his gavel again to quiet down the room. He pointed to Akira accusingly, not saying a word...before slamming down his gavel and pointing towards a door on the right side of the courtroom where the conveyor belt led. The jurors and the prosecutor cheered, the defense attorney dramatically fainted, and the conveyor belt beneath Akira jerked in movement for a second as it was activated. Seconds later, the Ultimate could do nothing as the chair was moved along the conveyor belt towards the right of the room, near the jeering Monokuma jury, before passing through the mahogany doors and out of the courtroom.

The environment dramatically shifted from the interior of the courthouse to what seemed to be a lab or dungeon of some kind. Ultimately, Akira was transported to a brightly lit, grayish-white room that looked like it was taken from a hospital. Another chair- this one bigger, made of wood with leather straps on the armrests and legs, and what seemed to be some kind of metal helmet suspended on top. The helmet was connected to various wires, which were connected to two devices: one was a large dial, the other was a switch. Also in the room was a group of Monokumas in lab coats, two being stationed near the dial and switch.

Akira's handcuffs spontaneously came undone, freeing her...but only for a moment, because in the next moment the Monokumas tackled into her and forced her across the room. In the next moment, she was forced into the electric chair- the leather straps rendering her immobile once again and the metal headpiece snapping atop her head. Once preparations were complete, the first Monokuma turned the dial to a '10'- then, the second Monokuma flipped the switch, sending electricity through the wires and into Akira. The shock wasn't too terrible, but it was enough to cause the young woman to tense up and grimace slightly.

The switch Monokuma shook his head, and the dial Monokuma turned the level up to '30'. The switch was flipped again, sending a stronger and longer-lasting voltage through Akira- in response, she once again tensed up, tightened her grip on the armrest a little, and clenched her teeth again. The dial was turned up to '50', then '60', then '70'- each time, the shock was more powerful, lasted longer, and was far more painful than the last.

Despite her best efforts to remain calm and collected, the agony of being electrocuted over and over again with increasing intensity was too much, and by the time '60' and '70' came around the prosecutor was shouting in pain and involuntarily struggling in her seat. But by some miracle, she was still alive- exhausted, slightly singed from the shocks, but alive. Visibly frustrated, the dial Monokuma turned the dial to the highest level- it wasn't even numbered, it just depicted a little black graphic of a skull and crossbones.

But then, before the switch could be pulled, the building shook and the lights flickered, causing Akira and the Monokumas to look up in confusion. Suddenly, the room's ceiling was torn off like a scene from a monster movie, causing the Monokuma's to run away in terror- but Akira couldn't flee even if she wanted to. Looking up, she saw the judge Monokuma from before, except now he was the size of a skyscraper. He glared down at Akira, his eyes glowing menacingly, then raised his now massive gavel above the chair and the trapped Ultimate. Akira's eyes widened as she realized where the gavel was about to fall, and even her face grew pale at the idea of her coming doom; however, as the giant hammer quickly began to descend towards her, the Ultimate Prosecutor closed her eyes and awaited the deadly blow.


Hinata was dragged and thrown into what looked like a large hallway- the floor and walls were made from a sleek, dark blue tile, with the ceiling being a jet black. The hallway itself was incredibly long, with some kind of hatch or door at the farthest end with a brightly lit 'EXIT' sign above it; in the middle of the hall was a small, golden key suspended by a string. Between Hinata and the key, and then between the key and the door, were dozens upon dozens of obstacles: swinging axes, buzzsaws, darts flying out of walls, fire shooting out of the floor, etc.

Execution: The Heist of the Century

Hinata immediately realized what he needed to do, and was initially deterred by the numerous traps- but since the door behind him was locked shut, he knew he had no other choice. Thus, with determination in his eyes, he got down into a sprinter's position...and then he ran forward into the gauntlet of traps. In reality, Hinata was rather good at dodging the majority of the traps- he didn't stop or slow down, he ducked under axes, he sidestepped the fire pillars and spiked floors, and jumped over deadly pits in the floor with the skill of an Olympics racer. One might even say he looked a little graceful.

Unfortunately, the hallway was long and the traps were plentiful, and by the time he got close to the key there were cuts along his arms, legs, and back, not to mention his clothes were burned in several places. Sweat was running down Hinata's face, but he still didn't stop- when he arrived at the key, he simply jumped up, snatched it right off the string, and kept going. But the distance between him and the door was still immense, and the thief's fatigue was obvious. His dodging was sloppier and more sluggish, resulting in him being sliced by axes and buzzsaws and spikes and what-have-you even more severely. Despite his increasingly serious wounds, however, the fire of resolve in Hinata's eyes did not diminish, and he kept moving forward as quick as he could manage.

At long last, Hinata made it past the last of the traps, and only then did he slow down- slightly. He trudged over to the door- which was more like a hatch angled towards the floor- and caught sight of the large lock across the handles. He quickly gripped the key he had taken and shoved it into the lock- it fit like a glove, making a little clicking sound before the lock fell away. Hinata then tossed the key aside and threw the doors open, seeing nothing but inky blackness; the thief decided to take a leap of faith, as they say, and jumped down the hatch and into the darkness.

He didn't fall far or for too long, eventually finding himself inside a large, pitch-black room with the same general design as the hallway. Light only came from two sources: from the opening right above, and a light shining down on a large, fancy door at the end of the room. Believing this to be an exit, Hinata took a few hopeful steps forward...and then the rest of the lights came on.

The room Hinata was in was designed to look like a museum, with many glass displays lined up on the sides of the room. And surrounding the Ultimate Thief was a circle of Monokumas in police uniforms, each of them standing on stepstools to put them at Hinata's height...and all of them carried shotguns or rifles, the barrels of the firearms pointed right at the Ultimate Thief's torso. The young man barely had time to register what was happening, but he knew one thing- there would be no running or dodging or escaping from the onslaught of bullets that were about to fly at him.


Ryoto found himself thrown into a racecar, becoming completely strapped to the driver's seat- he couldn't move his arms, legs, or torso too much, the only body part he could freely move being his head. Despite this, Ryoto struggled against his tough restraints as hard as he could, but once again he could only move so far. Around him were several other cars, each driven by a Monokuma racer, but their track was not an official racetrack- it appeared to be a metropolitan highway of some kind. Above them, the sky was overcast and dark- a storm was brewing, no doubt. Then, a woman with a Monokuma head in a tight red dress and black high heels approached the center of the road, carrying a checkered racing flag.

Execution: Highway to Hell

The woman raised the flag up for a moment, then swung it down, signalling the start of the race. All the cars accelerated forward in that moment, driving around the woman before speeding down the highway itself. It was here that Ryoto discovered his car was driving all by itself- the steering wheel was turning, the gas pedal was pressed down, and occasionally the brake would lower and raise by itself...Ryoto was simply along for the ride, it would seem. Although the car was driving rather erratically, violently jostling Ryoto around where he sat (the restraints were just loose enough to cause him to be slammed against the door, the steering wheel, and any other tough surfaces around him), the highway itself was not too dangerous or challenging of a track.

No- the real threat came from the Monokuma racers. Most of the time, the other racers would drive over and either slam into Ryoto's car directly or hit him in the back wheels to try and cause him to spin out. That alone resulted in the Ultimate being slammed around the car once again- and Ryoto's face was very much bruised and battered, not to mention his lip had been cut and blood was freely flowing from the wound- but the car he himself was in would often return the flavor by slamming and ramming into the opposing cars. Thus, the race was also partially a demolition derby, and Ryoto could do nothing but be stuck in his seat as he was bashed around and made slightly dizzy and nauseous from the car's terrible driving.

After what felt like an eternity, with more bruising and dizziness for Ryoto, something else happened: lighting erupting from the sky and striking the highway, dangerously close to the cars. The other Monokuma racers found difficulty in dodging the lightning strikes, with the majority of them being hit and being blown up with their cars; but Ryoto's cars maneuvered around the lightning and flying car debris expertly (if not recklessly). By the time they were speeding towards the finish- which appeared to be marked by a gas station with a large, neon sign next to it- only one other car was left, and it was about to pass up Ryoto...but then it, too, was struck by lightning and blown up, nearly causing Ryoto's car to spin out of control.

One of the pieces of the car was hurled down the remainder of the road, striking one of the station's gas pumps and sending gasoline spraying out everywhere, resulting in a huge and lengthy puddle of gasoline being left behind. In spite of this, Ryoto's car triumphantly passed the finish without incident and finally stopped...right on the top edge of the gas puddle. Ryoto was not thinking about this, however- he was leaning back in his seat, trying to allow his heart rate to slow down and his breathing to steady itself. Never in his life had he believed he could be so terrified while inside a racecar , and yet here he was.

Then, what sounded like an explosion nearby caused Ryoto to look out his car window at the source. Another lightning strike had hit the side of the large neon sign, resulting in the tall metal post holding it up becoming precariously bent and the sign to dangerously spark with shorted-out electricity. Then, to Ryoto's horror, the sign began to tip towards the gasoline puddle with a loud metal creak- meaning the sign would fall on the puddle, and the electricity would set the gas on fire, and the fire would spread to where the car was, and the car would surely ignite and explode as well. Ryoto desperately struggled against his still taught restraints to try and escape somehow- but no matter how hard he tried, there was just no time to flee as the sign was mere seconds away from tipping over completely.


Asuna found herself tossed onto what felt like stone ground. She slowly picked herself up and looked around- the ground beneath her was a path made of circular stone tiles with some patches of grass poking through, and the surrounding landscape was filled with tall trees and vines that obscured the sky, hedges that almost acted like walls, and archways speckled with roses. The stone tiles beneath her feet ran in front of her and split off into twisty paths that led to who-knows-where. Normally, Asuna would have found such a landscape to be beautiful- but she knew she was in one of Monokuma's executions, and so all she felt was terror and panic.

Execution: Little Garden of Horrors

Suddenly, the roses on the archway moved on their own to point at Asuna- and then, with little time to reach, they started shooting little thorns out of their centers at the panicked gardener. The first few struck her right in the face and chest, alerting the girl and causing her to cry out, raise her arms to try and protect herself, and run forward under the arch and down one of the paths. As she would quickly discover, however, the roses were just the beginning, as almost everything in the garden lashed out at her in some way. The trees' vines would shoot out and whip her, the hedges would unleash branches that poked and stabbed at her as she ran past, and the roses on the arches would continue to fire barrages of thorns at her. Even the stone tiles she was running along would randomly change elevation to trip her up and leave her to endure further onslaught while she tried to pick herself back up.

Asuna blindly ran along the twisting stone paths, which formed something of a maze. She had no idea where she was going or even if there was an exit anywhere- the girl was just trying to escape the attacking vegetation by any means necessary. However, it hard to tell where she had been or where she was going, as the hedges and trees and arches looked so similar to each other. It didn't help that she had to deal with thorns, branches, vines, and rogue path tiles attacking her, and by now her clothes had little tears in them and there were several little cuts and bruises scattered on her skin.

Finally, an ominous wind swept through the area, causing Asuna to stop for a moment. In that instant, the girl felt something strong and sharp wrap around her right shin, causing her to yelp in pain and look down. A large, tentacle-like vine covered in large thorns had emerged from the hedge on her right and tightly grasped her leg; moments later, a second vine emerged from the hedge and wrapped around Asuna's left leg, the thorns digging into her skin the same as the first vine. Then, the vines swiftly retracted, sending Asuna to the ground as she was dragged away- the impact of her fall, nearly a faceplant, knocking her glasses off.

Asuna was violently dragged through hedges, across paths and grass, to some unknown location in the maze-like garden; she tried struggle and free herself, even clawing at the ground to try and resist the vines, but nothing worked. Finally, Asuna was taken into a large, grassy clearing, and the vines stopped for a moment; then, two more large vines shot out and wrapped around Asuna's forearms, resulting in another cry of pain. Before long, Asuna found herself being lifted into the air by the vines, ending with her being suspended upright in the air and her limbs positioned in a star-shaped pose.

The vegetation on the ground in front of her rustled...and then, something rose up from the plants. It was a massive plant monster of some kind- its body was hard to see, but its plant neck and head were very much visible. The creature's giant head resembled a Venus fly trap- but it had rows of actual, razor-sharp teeth instead of the hairs the plant usually had. Additionally, the vines holding Asuna up seemed to wind and converge towards the monster, meaning they were its appendages; as if to confirm, the vines retracted towards it and moved Asuna closer.

The monster let out a roar, opened its large maw, and lunged towards Asuna- more specifically, aiming to bite her head off. Seeing the monster lunging at her, Asuna could do nothing but scream in terror as its maw quickly grew closer and closer.


Now, all five of these executions were taking place at the same time- naturally, as the five students had been taken away relatively simultaneously. However, there was one massive flaw in this act by Monokuma- perhaps Monokuma or the mastermind hadn't thought about it, or they had simply forgotten, but the live cable in the North Wing's power room was still very much broken. While Hana's deduction from earlier had been correct- in that the first major blackout was the result of Hiroshi's lethal electrocution rather than the damage to the cable itself- that didn't mean the broken cable wasn't an important component in ensuring the castle's power remained on and working properly. And running five executions at once...that needed a lot of electricity.

So, innumerable amounts of power ran through the generators and cables in the power room to keep the executions running...and that included the damaged one. But of course, the damaged cable could not transport that electricity, and so the ends began to spark and crackle much more violently than before. The backup of power in that area soon threw off the other machines, causing them to spark and sizzle with strain as well. Inevitably, a much louder POP split through the air of the power room; less than one second later, the entire castle was engulfed in darkness once again. All machinery, all moving parts- they all stopped dead the moment the power room died again...and that included the executions.

All five students would find their worlds covered in pitch-black, with barely any noise to precede it...but more importantly, they would also find they were not dead, far from it.

Asuna looked around fearfully as the killing blow never arrived; she could only faintly make out the shape of the plant monster's head, its jaws and teeth deathly close to closing around her neck. Moments later, the vines around her limbs loosened, and the gardener found herself being dropped to the ground below.

For Ryoto, as everything went dark and powerless, so did the neon sign. He heard the sigh fall over completely and crash onto the pavement- on the gasoline puddle, but with the power out there was no electricity in the sign, and so there was nothing to spark a fire or explosion.

Hinata stood frozen in place even as the power went out- but he would realize there was no sound of guns being fired, and no bullets flew at him. In fact, all he heard was several metallic clacks onto the tiled floor- either the dead Monokumas dropped their guns or they had lowered the weapons to where the tips of the barrels made contact with the floor.

Akira slowly opened her eyes when she realized the crushing blow never arrived, and was shocked to find everything was completely black. Then, she heard a faint metallic groan as the giant Monokuma tipped over to the side, finally lowering its gavel completely...but instead, it landed on the floor adjacent to Akira and the chair, a faint thud being heard as it fell.

And for Hana, the wave that was about to impale her on the rock spire suddenly and spontaneously died out- as if all the energy behind it had been sucked out. As a result, Hana quickly fell, and fell quick enough to avoid being stabbed on the tip of the rock spike- instead, she smacked into the side of the spire itself, remaining there for a moment before sliding down and landing in the water with a soft splash.


For a moment, Hana believed she had really died- she remembered being hurled towards the razor-sharp top of the rock spire, and then her vision suddenly going dark. It wasn't until she realized she was still flying through the air and then hitting the body of the spire rather than the peak that her mind registered she was still alive. She then felt herself falling into the water once again, but something was different- the water felt much calmer, almost dead. The Ultimate Surfer quickly swam up and resurfaced, but she realized the area was completely dark- she couldn't see where she was, and because of the wetsuit she couldn't retrieve her e-Handbook (if she even still had it, and Hana couldn't tell if she did or not).

What the-!? Is this...is this another blackout? Hana asked herself as she tread the water and looked around. Wait, no- I shouldn't be questioning this, I should be happy! I'm alive! ...I'm alive, right?

She poked herself in the chest to ensure she was still corporeal- and when she did, she felt faint pain in her ribs, confirming that she was still very much alive. Hana nodded to herself, then turned to where she thought she had come from and where the shoreline was- she certainly couldn't remain here, that was for certain. With that, she fought through the pain in her chest and swam through the calmed water as fast as she could manage. Luckily, with the waves gone, the surfer's powerful swimming ability was no longer hindered. That was one of the benefits of being a pro surfer- great swimming prowess.

It figured- the one time Hana's talent came in handy, and it was when she was escaping her own unjust execution.

After swimming through pitch darkness for what felt like an eternity, Hana finally felt her legs and feet make contact with sand. Having reached the shore, the surfer stood up on the sandy ground and sprinted- well, 'sprinted', as actual sprinting exacerbated the aches in her chest and arms- to where she thought the door she had been dragged through was. She didn't find it right away- instead, she found herself feeling some kind of metallic wall. Feeling along it, Hana finally found the doors in question- however, she needed to use what little strength she had left to force the doors open so she could enter the hallway on the other side.

Once inside, she ran down the stone hall with her heart racing- the only sound in the hallway being her own soggy footsteps and the water dripping off of her. Hana didn't dwell on that, though- she just kept running down the hallway. Eventually, she felt herself pass through a curtain, and she knew she was back in that changing room where she had put into the wetsuit. She didn't want to remain inside too long- but then, out of the corner of her eye, she could see a faint blue glow...a familiar blue glow.

Hey, wait a second- that's my-! Hana realized, immediately walking over. She blindly grasped around the area, feeling the familiar fabric of her skirt and the metal of the mechanical claw holding it before she found what she was looking for: her e-Handbook, still in her pocket right where she had left it.

Sighing in relief, Hana quickly exited the changing room and continued down the hallway, now using her e-Handbook as a light source. She eventually reached the initial door she had been pulled through, once again needing to force it open before she could squeeze through the tight opening she had made.

The moment she made it through, however, and found herself back in the trial room, Hana ran in further and shouted, "HEY! GUYS! ANYONE IN HERE!? HELLO!?"

There was no response- the trial room was completely empty, it seemed. Hearing nothing, the Ultimate's heart raced with panic- sure, her execution had been interrupted by the blackout, but not all executions ran through in the same amount of time. What if the others had shorter executions? What if theirs had already run through to completion by the time the blackout occurred, and Hana was just lucky to have one that lasted longer?

No...no! I can't believe that! I WON'T believe that! Hana thought, clenching her fists before shouting, "ASUNA! HINATA! RYOTO! AKIRA! HELLO!? IS ANYONE STILL ALIVE!? ANYONE!?"

She feebly called out, "...Anyone...?"

For a few horrible seconds, the room remained silent- Hana was completely, utterly alone. But then, she heard some kind of metal creaking and groaning- the same sound she had heard when she forced open her own door moments earlier. She turned to where the sound was coming from, seeing another blue glow moving around through a crack in the doors. And then, a voice erupted from the opening as the person successfully squeezed through...

"I LIIIIIVE!" Ryoto roared as he reentered the courtroom, e-Handbook in hand and panting in exhaustion. "NOTHING HOLDS RYOTO MIURA BACK! NOTHING!"

Hana gasped upon hearing and seeing the Ultimate Racecar Driver. "R-Ryoto!? Ryoto! You're alive!"

"Huh!? Hana!?" Ryoto yelped, immediately turning to where his classmate was. "HANA! YOU'RE ALIVE TOO!"

Overwhelmed with joy, Hana ran over to the other teen, and the two hugged...for about a second before they both cried out in pain and backed away from each other, wincing and grimacing.

"Okay, okay- no hugging, not right now," Hana gasped, clutching her side.

"Good idea, very good idea," Ryoto agreed, just as breathless...but then, he looked down at himself in confusion and asked, "What the fuck-? Are you wet?"

He shone his e-Handbook on Hana, seeing the sleek wetsuit and the water still dripping off the surfer's body. "Wha-? Is that a wetsuit?"

"Yes, yes it is- long story," Hana answered with a sigh before taking notice of the bruising on Ryoto's face and his cut lip. "Uh- what happened to your face? Are you alright?"

"HAH! THIS IS NOTHING!" Ryoto shouted in response. "I'll survive, don't you worry! What about you, though? You don't look too good yourself."

"I-" Hana began- only to hear another metal creaking sound on another side of the courtroom. She and Ryoto turned their attention to the source, seeing another e-Handbook's glow as someone else attempted to open the forcefully-shut doors and reenter the trial room.

"God- fucking- just- open-!" Hinata's gruff voice angrily muttered, strained as he tried to make it through the mechanical doors.

"Hinata!" Hana cried out, running over alongside Ryoto and assisting the thief in opening the doors.

"Hana? Ryoto? You guys made it out too?" Hinata remarked in disbelief as the two helped him through the doors. "Well thank god for that- you would not believe what I have just been though!"

"I, uh...think we can imagine..." Hana responded with a little glance at Ryoto.

"HOLY SHIT! Dude, you're bleeding all over!" Ryoto yelped as the lights of their e-Handbooks shone on the numerous gashes on Hinata's arms, legs, and back- not to mention the burns on his clothing. "What, did you wrestle paper shredder!?"

"Something like that..." Hinata responded, stretching for a moment with wince. "Nothin' too terrible though- just gotta visit the medical room, then I'll be good to go."

He then glanced at Hana and observed, raising an eyebrow as he did, "Uh- costume change?"

Hana sighed again, more exasperated. "Don't ask me, I didn't have control over what was happening!"

Ryoto looked around, frowning as he remarked, "Three of us...but five of us were taken away...WHERE ARE AKIRA AND ASUNA!?"

Hinata grimaced as he looked around as well. "Don't have a clue- who knows if they made it out or not, these executions are as unpredictable as they come!"

"D-Don't say that! If the three of us made it out, who's to say they didn't too!?" Hana argued. "Maybe...Maybe we should go into where their executions would be, they might be trapped or something-"

Fortunately, the sound of another door being forced open indicated that wouldn't be necessary; this was accompanied by a frantic knocking on the other side of the door to the left of Hinata's door, further indicating their two stragglers had survived as well.

On the farther side of the room, Hana could make out Akira's form as the prosecutor struggled to make her way through the tightly-shut opening, but luckily the young woman appeared to pass through without needing any assistance.

"Akira!" Hana shouted from where she stood. "Akira! We're over here!"

Akira swiftly turned to where Hana was, also using her handbook for light, and her eyes widened upon seeing the other three lights in the dark. "You? All of you- you all survived too?"

"We did! And Asuna did too, but I think she's stuck behind that door-" Ryoto explained, pointing to the door in question (where frantic knocking could still be heard). "-so I'm gonna take care of that!"

True to his word, the Ultimate ran over and grasped the two doors, pulling with all his might as he shouted, "RYOTO MIURA, AT YOUR SERVICE!"

"-let me out let me out let me out-!" Asuna pleaded in a panicked manner, her words becoming easier to make out once the door began to open.

As soon as the opening was wide enough for her to fit through, the girl stumbled out into the trialroom, dropping to her knees once she was on the other side. She then looked around to see that the rest of her classmates were also alive, then stifled a sob before suddenly hugging Ryoto's nearby leg.

"So- all of us are accounted for," Akira remarked as she walked over. "That's...That's good to know indeed..."

Hana looked over at Akira, shocked to see that her clothes were singed and strongly smelled burnt, not to mention her hair looked a little more frazzled. "Whoa, uh- Akira, are you-?"

"I'm fine- I'll be fine," Akira curtly responded.

"YEESH! Asuna, you're bleeding even than Hinata! And- OH MY GOD, YOU DON'T HAVE GLASSES!" Ryoto cried out as he shone his e-Handbook light on the gardener.

Sure enough, in addition to several bruises and small cuts sprinkled all over her- as well as the aforementioned missing glasses- there were numerous deeper gashes and puncture wounds concentrated around the middle of her shins and forearms. Additionally, her clothes were covered in dirt and grass stains, as if she had been dragged through an entire forest.

"I...I'll be fine, I just...need to go the medical room..." Asuna told him, standing upright as she took out her own handbook and turned it on, gaining a light of her own at last. "A-And I'll be fine without my glasses- I'm just nearsighted, I can still generally see where I'm going. Now, uh- one second, I need to-"

With that, Asuna worriedly ran over to the area around her podium, scanning the blue light around the proximity as if looking for something...

For a few moments, the room fell into an awkward silence- save for the sound of Asuna's searching. Even Hana had no idea what to say- on one hand, she was overjoyed that all of her surviving classmates had escaped their executions, but on the other hand...what did all of it mean? And what were they supposed to do now?

"...So, uh...one hell of a trial, huh...?" Hinata awkwardly began. "Hehe...heh- Asuna, can you be quiet back there?"

"H-Hey, I'm looking for something!" Asuna indignantly responded. "I'm not trying to be- oh! There it is!"

With that joyous and relieved exclamation, Asuna bent down and picked up Kaneki's fedora- she dusted it off for a second before putting it back on her head, finally looking a little more at ease.

"...Okay, that's one crisis solved," Hinata stated, raising an eyebrow before turning to the others.

"But- now what?" Hana asked, finally speaking the main question that was on her mind. "What even happened? Did another blackout happen?"

"THAT IS THE OBVIOUS CONCLUSION! The power room was still pretty badly damaged after Hiroshi's murder..." Ryoto pointed out. "And the fact that Monokuma had not one, not two, but FIVE WHOLE EXECUTIONS running at once- that couldn't have been good for the power!"

"Ah- lucky for us, then," Asuna remarked, looking around in concern. "But- where do we go from here? W-We escaped our executions now, but- the power has to come back on at some point! And Monokuma may be offline now, but won't be happy with us when he comes back!"

"Very true, Izumi- but before we figure that out..." Akira began. "There's something I need to do first."

"Huh? What's that?" Hana asked, facing the prosecutor directly.

Akira herself proceeded to face the surfer and said: "This."

She then punched Hana in the face, Akira's fist connecting with her left cheek and sending her sprawling to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Holy shit!" Hinata cried in surprise as he and the others witnessed the attack.

"And that-" Akira stated with an angry edge to her voice. "-was for your damn voting idea."

Hana groaned- the angle that she landed resulting in the pain in her chest coming back in full force, and she profusely coughed while struggling to stand back up.

"Hana! A-Are you alright?" Asuna immediately asked. "You got hurt during your execution too, didn't you?"

"W-Well, yeah- didn't we all?" Hana responded as she slowly picked herself up, clutching at her chest again. "I...I think my ribs got bruised or cracked or something, but- but I don't think it's life-threatening. I'll be okay."

She then added with a sigh, "Besides, I...I deserved that punch anyways... I really didn't think Monokuma would try and execute us like that, I-I'm really-"

"Now hold on, Hana- maybe you shouldn't settle yourself short just yet," Hinata told the surfer. "I'm not too happy that I almost died, but at the same time...it kinda proves you were right."

"I was...right?" Hana asked with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah- why else would Monokuma rush to kill all of us like that? The explanation he gave was bull, I think we can all agree on that," Hinata explained with a shrug. "So...what other explanation is there besides that there really is something bigger behind Hiroshi's murder?"

Akira's earlier anger softened somewhat, and she replied, "Well- I never disagreed with that idea. I simply would have preferred it if we each individually didn't have to come within mere seconds of death to confirm that."

"Huh. Well then- great job, everyone! We uncovered a conspiracy!" Ryoto said, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. "Go us!"

"B-But we're still stuck down here!" Asuna reminded him (and the others). "And I don't think we'll get lucky a second time!"

"That- is also a very good point," Hana remarked with a quick nod. "Yeah, uh, we- we really should get going."

"Agreed," Akira remarked, already making her way towards the main doors. "This way! Hurry, the power could come back on any moment now!"

The students wasted little time running towards and through the large red doors, the blue of their e-Handbooks lighting the way as they exited the trial grounds in the way they had many times before- except this time, the situation couldn't be any more different.


The students sprinted down the hallway without a word, only their footsteps breaking through the silence. Then, they all stopped almost simultaneously in front of the elevator- the cold, metallic, powerless elevator.

"OH NOOOO! THE ELEVATOR'S NOT GONNA WORK!" Ryoto cried. "The power's outta that, too! We're TRAPPED!"

"T-Trapped!? We can't be! Th-There's got to be another way out!" Asuna yelped, frantically looking around.

Akira narrowed her eyes, and then she stepped onto the platform and shone her light on the sides of the wide elevator shaft. "...Hey. You four- have any of you ever looked at the mechanisms on the side of the elevator before?"

"Huh? Why are you asking about...?" Hana began, walking over herself- then seeing what Akira meant.

Akira's light shone on a large, wide steel rack- the toothed slab being about a meter and a half in width with nearly a foot and a half of space between each tooth- that extended vertically all the way up the height of the elevator shaft. There were two more of these metal racks on two other parts of the elevator shaft; walking right up to the perimeter of the elevator platform and shining her light downwards, Akira revealed a massive pinion fitted into the bottom slots, and it could be assumed there were two more gears fitted to the two other racks. It was most likely with the mechanism of these gears that the elevator platform was able to ascend and descend like it did before and after each trial.

"...I wonder..." Akira muttered, then turned to the others. "Okay- it looks like we have no choice. See these racks on the side of the elevator shaft? We're going to have to climb one of them like a ladder."

"C-Climb those things?" Hana asked, dumbfounded. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"A-Are even physically well enough to do that?" Asuna then questioned, looking over at the wounds of herself and the other students.

"That doesn't really matter- seeing as how we don't have a choice. It's either this or we stay down here, because there's no way Monokuma will let us use the elevator to go back to the surface," Akira told them.

"But...what if the power comes back on while we're climbing? W-Won't Monokuma be able to...I don't know, kill us with the elevator or something?" Asuna then asked, not entirely reassured.

"If this is the only way to get out of here alive, I'm willing to take that risk," Hinata spoke up, walking over to where Akira was.

Hana turned towards one of the racks herself, staring up at it with apprehension. Despite her many misgivings about the idea, she had to agree the group had few options for escape- and besides, she could think of worse things to be used as makeshift ladders.

"Okay...I say we should do it, too," Hana agreed with a nod. "It- It shouldn't be too bad, right? Like- Like a giant ladder, that's it..."

"Well then, as they say..." Ryoto began, stepping to the side. "Ladies first!"

"Actually- Miura, you're the least injured of all of us, so I believe you should go first," Akira informed him. "I'll go up behind you, followed by Yonade, then Izumi, and Amari will go last."

"Because I'm still wet, right?" Hana surmised, glancing down at her wetsuit, which still shone with remaining water. It was the logical choice- couldn't have some of that water be left behind on the teeth of the rack and risk causing someone to slip and fall.

"Well, while you're waiting for us-" Ryoto began, walking over to Hana before unclipping his familiar blue cape and tossing it to her. "Use that to dry yourself off a bit! That way you'll be able to climb up easier!"

"Y-Your cape?" Hana asked, surprised. "But- you love this thing! Won't it get ruined if I use it to dry myself off?"

"No worries! It's a cape- Ryoto Miura can always get a new one at his local party store!" Ryoto assured her, then pocketed his e-Handbook and declared, "And now- I DEPART!"

He ran over to the edge of the elevator before swiftly scaling the metallic fence that separated the inside of the platform from the walls of the elevator shaft; once he did, he was able to step over the small gap onto one of the thick teeth of the rack, then began to climb up. Akira did the same, putting away her own e-Handbook before beginning her ascent.

"You know...this isn't the first time I've had to climb an elevator shaft..." Hinata dryly remarked as he put away his own handbook. "But somehow, this time is definitely the weirdest."

He then scaled the fence and made it onto the rack as well; despite his execution injuries, he was still as skillful and dexterous in his climbing as ever- very befitting of the Ultimate Thief.

Asuna audibly gulped, then said to herself, "W-Well...not climbing will definitely mean death, so I...I've got to do it...! I'm gonna do it, I...I'll do it!"

Though she was still visibly trembling, the girl put her handbook away and climbed the fence just like the others- fortunately, though she seemed to have the most trouble, she was able to begin her ascent up the rack without incident.

Once she knew her hands and feet were dry enough, Hana tossed Ryoto's cape aside- she still felt bad about ruining it and then leaving it behind, but she knew taking it with wasn't an option. She looked down at her wetsuit, realizing it had no pockets; then, she stared at her e-Handbook, wondering how she could take it with her. With a little sigh/groan, Hana realized she had no choice and came to a decision- she fitted the gadget into her mouth, the firm plastic and glass not feeling too pleasant against her teeth. Only then was the surfer able to climb over the fence and onto the rack to begin her own ascent under the others.

You know...if present me told past me that one day she'd have to climb up this metal rack thing in an elevator shaft to escape execution by a psychotic robot teddy bear while also carrying a glorified tablet between her teeth...past me would either laugh, or think it'd be cool because it sounds like something out of an action movie. Hana pondered to herself. But this- this isn't funny, and this definitely isn't cool.

Hana also had to wonder- how could one class trial turn out so wrong? Not to mention the biggest question on her mind remained unanswered- why had Hiroshi been murdered? And if there was some kind of conspiratorial cover-up behind it, what was the reason for that? And what did Monokuma (or maybe even the mastermind themselves) have to do with any of it, what was their motive for trying to kill the rest of the classmates?

Despite the dozens and dozens of questions Hana still had, she tried to shut them out for the time being. She could find those answers later- right now, all she tried to focus on was the climb at hand. After all, all her questions in the world wouldn't matter if she didn't survive to ask them.

Chapter 5: Ultimate Truth- END

STUDENTS REMAINING: 5

TO BE CONTINUED...


A/N: Welp, this part took way longer to write than I expected AND it was longer in general than I expected! In fact, I actually considered cutting it in half- not because of the length itself, but because I was worried about the pacing. That is, until I realized why this part is so long: the executions! Putting in four more executions rather than the usual one added in a whopping ~3,000 words! At that point most people would ask "you know, do I really need to show all the characters' execution"? And to that I say- YES! I'll do it! I didn't come up with all of them to not show all five! So, in the end, it was this discovery that made me decide not to split this part in half- so...you get the full part, and the full conclusion to Chapter 5 in one! Hooray!

But I'll be honest for a moment- this chapter's murder was, without a doubt, the hardest one for me to come up with. I think it was because I wanted to come up with a case so confusing and complex that it left the entire class stumped for the most part- the kind of case worthy for the rollercoaster that is Chapter 5. It also didn't help that, for plot reasons, I wanted to go for something similar to the Chapter 5 case in THH- you know, Mukuro's case. Despite the challenges, though, I think it turned out pretty well in the end- a crazy trial ending on one heck of a cliffhanger...not bad for the penultimate trial of Fractured Fates, eh?

Anyways- next time! Next time...next time. Just- next time. You'll see.

Anyways, one more little update- because of virus stuff, I'm off of school until April 6th, so theoretically that means I'll have all the time in the world to work on FF, right? Well- I also have school stuff I need to do during these next three weeks, so that'll take up a lot of my time I'm sure. So in other words- I don't know what'll happen! I hope to get more progress done and I will certainly try to get more progress done, but- you know how life goes, especially considering how America is very nearly on fire right now.

So with that...remember to keep up that good hygiene, don't give in to the panic and fear, and more than anything- stay safe out there, everybody! See you next time!