A/N: It's here, everybody- the beginning of the end, Chapter 6! I'll be honest- it still feels a little surreal to get this far with Fractured Fates' story. I mean- this is it, this is the endgame, and it's...man, it's a little wild. I'm happy, though- or, 'proud' I guess would be the better word. I've gotten so far, and a lot of you have continued to read this for so long, and it's- in all aspects, I'm really glad about how FF has turned out so far. Based on my track record with my previous fics, I wondered about how far I'd get with Fractured Fates, I wasn't sure if I'd even get to Chapter 6, and yet- here we are, I still have every intention to keep going to the very end (unless I spontaneously die), and I've got a great audience of readers, and...man, I'm just happily rambling at this point, I'd better get back on topic-

Anyways! So, Chapter 6 begins now- tons of questions about tons of things, Hana and co. were last seen climbing up an elevator shaft after narrowly escaping execution...things got crazy, and this being Chapter 6 things are probably gonna get even crazier. And the crazy train keeps rolling- now!


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HoneyBeeGirl94: H-Hey now! While I can't explain what the person meant by "prototype killing game" because spoilers (kinda), I can say it does not mean there will be sequel. In saying that- at this moment in time, let it be known I am neither confirming nor denying a Fractured Fates sequel, and if I do confirm/deny one I'll do it much later on.


Chapter 6: A Fractured Fate- Deadly Life (Part 1)

"Aaaaah- how much more do we have to climb!?"

"Why're you asking us? You're the one on top, bud."

"But we've been climbing for DAYS! Shouldn't we be kinda seeing the top of the shaft by now!? Or the sky through the opening!?"

"Quit complaining, Miura, and keep going."

"Y-Yeah, please keep going- a-and maybe go a little faster...? I don't know how much more my muscles can take..."

I'm just wondering why they had to make this elevator go so damn deep...

The banter between the Ultimates periodically started up and ended like this throughout the entirety of the ascent- Hana would have contributed were it not for the e-Handbook she was carrying in her mouth, so she was left with inner monologue. At the very least, the sound of her classmates' voices made up for the dull darkness of the climb and assured her that they were all still going strong, despite the circumstances and the fatigue. Even still, Ryoto's latest statements brought up a good point- why hadn't they seen the opening of the shaft yet? Even if it was still far above them, it should have been possible to see the sunlight or starlight or the sky through the opening- so why was the shaft still mostly pitch black?

"You want fast, eh? I'll show you fast- RYOTO MIURA'S THE FASTEST CLIMBER AROUND!" Ryoto boasted, his loud voice echoing in the elevator shaft.

"I sincerely doubt that," Hinata stated.

"WATCH ME!" Ryoto yelled, then (presumably, it was hard to see) quickened his own ascent.

Hana sighed a little at the racecar driver's antics, but continued to climb as normal...that is, until a shocked and somewhat fearful yelp from Ryoto cut through the air, causing the others to stop dead.

"R-Ryoto? What happened?" Asuna called up worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I- I'm fine, but-" Ryoto responded, sounding baffled. "W-What happened to the rest of the wall!? Where's the- why is- w-wait a second, is this-?"

Scuffing sounds could be heard, followed by what sounded like footsteps on stone or some other hard surface. Seconds later, the blue light of another e-Handbook shone downwards on the other students; next to it was Ryoto, whose face was illuminated by the light of the screen- and it was a face of utter bafflement.

"Uh...we made it to the top, guys," Ryoto remarked with a little frown. "But, ah...something's...not right...at all..."

"What...?" Akira began, also in disbelief. "Wait- hold on, let me-"

Akira climbed up and over the edge of the large, fountain-sized opening; Hinata, Asuna, and Hana soon followed. Even before she removed her e-Handbook to hold it in her hands, Hana recognized the stone path circulating around the fountain (or where the fountain would be)- turning on the e-Handbook and shining it downward confirmed this.

Meanwhile, the others were also using their handbooks as flashlights once again, illuminating the ground as they all collectively confirmed they were, in fact, in the courtyard...despite the area being as pitch black as the underground trial grounds. There was no light aside from that being emitted from the handbooks' screens- no sun, no sky, no moon, no stars, it was just inky blackness on all sides.

"I...can certainly see what you meant by things not being right..." Akira remarked, uneasy.

"Th-That's an understatement!" Asuna yelped, frantically looking around and shining her e-Handbook in all directions. "What happened to the sky!?"

"Is it- it just a really cloudy night...?" Hinata pondered aloud, shining his own light upwards. "Overcast nights, they can get...pretty dark..."

Hana shook her head. "No way- I've seen cloudy nights, and they weren't nearly as dark as this. This isn't your average, every day darkness, this is-"

"-ADVANCED darkness?" Ryoto finished.

"Something like that, yeah..." the surfer agreed.

Hinata looked around for a moment, still pointing his e-Handbook upwards...but then, when he looked up himself, his eyes widened. "...What the fuck...!?"

"Hinata? You okay?" Hana asked, walking over to the thief.

When he didn't respond right away, she followed Hinata's gaze up towards the sky- and it was then that she saw what had him so bewildered. There was now a single, tiny spot of bright blue on the black sky- a spot that appeared right where Hinata was pointing his e-Handbook.

Now, it was Hana's turn to stare in disbelief and say, "W-What the-? What is that?"

"I...I don't know, I was just-" Hinata began, lowering his e-Handbook...and when he did, the blue spot in the sky moved and disappeared with the light.

"Huh-!? Did you see that?" Hana yelped as she watched. "What's going on here? First the place is all pitch-black, and now that-!"

Hinata frowned and raised his e-Handbook up again- when he did, the bright blue spot reappeared in the sky, mirroring the movement of the e-Handbook. By now, the other three students had taken notice, and were just as baffled.

"What the fuck!?" Ryoto yelped as he watched the blue spot move. "What is that, a REFLECTION!?"

"Well it's acting like a reflecting, that's for sure," Asuna remarked. "...I think...I-I can't really see it too clearly."

"I don't get this at all..." Hinata muttered as he moved his e-Handbook around some more, and the bright blue dot followed the screen's movement- like a reflection, as Ryoto said.

Akira's gaze was narrowed...but then, her eyes widened in realization. "Wait a second..."

The prosecutor took out her own e-Handbook and shone the screen's light upwards like Hinata was doing. Sure enough, a second blue dot appeared in the sky, this one mirroring the movements of Akira's handbook.

"What...?" Hana asked herself as she watched the two light spots, feeling like she was drowning in confusion.

Akira nodded, then lowered her handbook before turning to the others. "Miura's right- it's reflecting the screens of our handbooks, or at least the light being emitted."

"But- But how is that possible!?" Hana asked, bewildered. "It's the sky, not a mirror!"

The prosecutor was silent for a moment, the answered, "That's the thing- it's not the sky."

She looked up again and elaborated. "What we've been looking up at- it's not a real sky. It must be a...a giant screen or series of larger screens installed and implemented to give off the illusion of being in the open outdoors..."

"W-WHAAAAT!?" Ryoto cried. "S-So you're saying the sky- the sky is- is fake!? HOW THE FUCK IS THAT POSSIBLE!?"

"I-I know they're doing great stuff with technology these days, but this is-!" Asuna began, incredulous.

Akira shook her head and said to herself, "Of course- why didn't I realize it sooner? The constant perfect weather, the lack of any wind or temperature changes...!"

"But- But if the sky is just a bunch of screens, and we haven't actually been outside all this time...!" Hinata asked, growing more panicked by the second. "Then- Then where the hell have we been all this time!?"

"If the sky's fake- what, does that mean EVERYTHING'S fake too!?" Ryoto cried. "IS THIS GRASS FAKE!?"

Before anyone could respond, he crouched down and plucked up a single blade of grass, holding it up to his face as if trying to examine it on the cellular level.

"A-As the gardener, I can definitely confirm all the plants are real!" Asuna informed the racecar driver.

Ryoto tossed the grass blade aside and stood back up. "RIGHT!"

"Then...if this sky is fake, then..." Hana surmised. "The sky we saw in the greenhouse must be fake too, right...?"

"Without a doubt- there must be some kind of heating and lighting apparatus in there too, to ensure the plants would be able to perform photosynthesis- like an indoor heat lamp," Akira responded. "That must be the case in here, too- albeit larger and in a wider area."

"This is wild...who in the world would go that far to make a...a fake skyline to make us think we were outside...?" Hinata asked, shaking his head. "And why would they do that? What, is the actual sky some kinda clue to where we are?"

Akira sighed. "I don't know- right now, I can't fathom many things, but...in all honesty, the issue with the fake sky should be the least of our worries..."

"No kidding- as soon as the power comes back on, Monokuma's gonna be on us as soon as he can..." Hana agreed with a little shudder. I can't believe I almost forgot about that damn bear...what's he gonna do to us once he comes back online...?

"Well- I mean...we're out, we're back up top, what...what should we do?" Hinata asked, looking around in concern. "No way in hell he'll let us live- if anything, he'll just be more mad now that we escaped..."

"...I have an idea," Akira then spoke up, crossing her arms. "But- we'll have to wait for Monokuma to come to us, and since we've escaped our executions I have no doubt he'll do just that."

"W-Wait for him!? Is that really a good idea?" Asuna asked in fear. "W-What if he just charges in and tries to rip our throats out with his claws? Or what if he-"

"LET HIM TRY IT! I'LL CLOBBER HIM FOR TRYING TO KILL US!" Ryoto shouted, cracking his knuckles.

"No! There will be no clobbering!" Akira immediately responded. "When Monokuma arrives, just let me do the talking- trust me, I have a good feeling about my plan."

Normally, Hana would have had her doubts about such a response- but considering the dire situation they were all in, the surfer found herself replying, "Let's trust her, guys- I'm sure Akira knows what she's doing."

Hinata sighed, "Well- whatever this mysterious 'plan' of hers is...what should we do until then? The power's still completely out, so..."

"W-Well, I don't know about you guys, but I...really need to sit down by now..." Asuna spoke up- and true to her word, she sat down on the stone path around the elevator shaft with a small wince.

Hinata grimaced himself and responded, "You know what, that's- that's not a bad idea, I think need to take a seat too..."

As the thief sat down on the ground next to Asuna, Hana finally remembered how Asuna and Hinata were more injured as a result of their executions compared to the other remaining students; in remembering this, the surfer immediately walked over and knelt down in front of her two classmates.

"Hey- Hinata, Asuna, you guys doing okay?" Hana inquired with small, worried frown.

"Not gonna lie- the whole fake sky thing made me forget about all the cuts all over me, but now that things have wound down..." Hinata explained, shifting uncomfortably. "The adrenaline's gone, but the pain's all back."

"S-Same here, I'm surprised I didn't get blood on the rack while we were climbing it..." Asuna added with a little grimace.

Hana's frown deepened somewhat, and she looked around for a moment. "Well...I know Akira wants us to wait until the power comes back on, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to take you guys to the East Wing's medical room sooner instead of later..."

Akira, who had evidently heard the conversation, chimed in, "I don't think that's the best idea- it's not wise to try and treat injuries like that in pitch blackness. While I agree, you two should go to the medical room soon, but in the middle of this blackout-"

"Yeah yeah, we get it- we can sit by for a bit longer, no big deal," Hinata assured her. "Not like we're bleeding bad enough to be dying."

"I-I guess..." Asuna agreed rather hesitantly. "Still hurts a lot, though..."

"Well..." Hana began, gently putting a hand on Asuna's shoulder. "Hopefully, the power will come back on soon, and when that happens-"

Bleep...bleep...bleep...

All conversation cut off as a loud beeping could be heard through the darkness. The group looked around with their handbooks as flashlights- but Hana went motionless where she was kneeling.

"...What...is that?" Akira asked as she looked around.

"Wait- NO! IT'S A BOMB!" Ryoto cried in panic. "EVERYBODY RUN!"

"It's not a bomb!" Hinata yelled at the racecar driver before he could run off. "Why would there be a bomb in the courtyard?"

Hana remained deathly silent, however- because she knew what the noise was. She became acutely aware of the weight of her e-Handbook in her hand- she didn't even need to look down at it to know it was flashing green like it always did. Of all the times for one of those cryptic messages to appear on her device, that moment was probably one of the worst; Hana was aware of this, yet she found herself frozen in place as fight-or-flight took control, and all she could do was tighten her grip on her e-Handbook.

However, the confusion felt by the rest of the students wouldn't last, as Asuna (who was nearest to Hana) spoke up and asked, "Uh- Hana...? Why is your e-Handbook flashing...?"

Hana snapped back to attention as the gardener spoke, holding up her handbook and looking down to its green flashing screen. "That, uh..."

Akira, Ryoto, and Hinata all turned their attention to Hana and her flashing e-Handbook- no doubt, they also realized the bleep-ing sound was being emitted by the gadget.

Ryoto's eyes widened, and he then shouted, "AHA! HANA'S HANDBOOK IS THE BOMB!"

"There is no bomb!" Hinata shouted in response, exasperated.

Akira gazed at the e-Handbook as well in confusion and scrutiny. "Amari- what is going on with your e-Handbook? Care to explain?"

"That...is an excellent question..." Hana responded sheepishly.

When the Ultimate Prosecutor narrowed her eyes, Hana sighed and responded, "Okay, uh...I think we all need to sit down. I...I need to tell you guys something."


Everyone moved to the grass, where the students sat in a circle; Hana's e-Handbook had stopped beeping and the screen was black, but the surfer hadn't bothered to check the text that had inevitably appeared. While her gadget was lying in her lap, the other Ultimates held their handbooks up to illuminate their faces.

"Okay- I...should have told you guys, or someone about this a long time ago, but I just...I didn't know how to talk about it, I didn't even know what to make of it, I..." Hana explained with a guilty sigh. "But, if I learned anything from the last trial, it's that keeping secrets will just screw me over, and- well, you guys saw and heard my handbook anyways, so..."

"Don't beat around the bush- what's going on?" Hinata asked with a frown.

Hana took a deep breath and began, "The...The truth is-"

"You're the traitor Monokuma mentioned!" Ryoto shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Hana.

"Wha-!? No! That's not it!" Hana yelled at him.

"Let her finish before you start accusing anyone of anything, Miura," Akira told the Ultimate, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, the- the truth is..." Hana began again, hesitated a moment, then blurted, "The truth is I've been getting really cryptic messages on my e-Handbook for a while now and they have some really weird and incriminating things on them that make it seem like this killing game isn't what it seems and I don't know what any of it means!"

The others were silent for a few moments, but Hana could see how baffled they appeared. Asuna was the first to break the silence by asking, "Cryptic...messages...?"

"Can- Can e-Handbooks even do that?" Hinata then questioned.

"I imagine it'd be difficult to pull off, considering how advanced these devices are..." Akira pondered. "And I can't imagine what someone's motive for that would be..."

"Hey- you said messages, right? As in plural?" Ryoto inquired. "How many of these have you gotten?"

"Well- it's about to be five," Hana answered, holding up her e-Handbook to indicate the text on the screen.

"But how long have you been receiving these messages?" Akira then asked, partially crossing her arms while still holding up her own e-Handbook.

"Uh...ever since Mikio's trial...?" Hana admitted. "Or, more specifically, a little bit after his trial...you know, when we all went back to our rooms..."

"WHAT!? That early on!?" Ryoto exclaimed.

"And...you've been keeping these messages a secret this whole time...?" Asuna asked.

When Hana nodded, Akira pressed on, "And you haven't told anyone until now? Not even Ashi?"

"Not even Hiroshi," Hana confirmed with another nod.

"Well...why didn't you tell anyone?" Hinata then questioned with a furrowed brow. "And for that matter- what did you mean by the messages having 'weird and incriminating things' on them?"

"It'd be easier to show you guys, but...I need to look at this newest message first before it'll let me go back to my normal e-Handbook stuff," Hana explained, picking up her handbook to start reading. "If you guys want to see for yourselves what these messages are like, be my guest- not really trying to hide this anymore, so..."

Akira, unsurprisingly, was the first to take Hana up on that offer, walking over and bending down so she could see the screen. Before long, Ryoto, Hinata, and Asuna followed; once everyone was in place, Hana looked down to begin reading the newest message...

Hello again, Hana. I'll be honest- I really hope you don't see this message. Because if you've seen this message, the fifth message, then you and the others are STILL in the killing game, and have been in that killing game for...god, I don't even know how long it would be. Too long, let's leave it at that. I'm really hoping the other four messages would have been enough to help you realize what you need to do- hell, that last message combined with everything else should have been enough, but if it wasn't...well, maybe something a little more direct will finally do it.

I'm really hoping it does...mostly because I think this is the last message I'll be able to make. The rest of the files that came with the previous messages should be hidden somewhere on your e-Handbook, so if ever want to look at those again- they'll be there. The same will go for the file on this message. With those messages, you should be able to figure out some things- and especially with this one, you should be at least able to figure out how to shut that damn killing game down.

Hana- I'm sorry my other messages weren't enough, and that I won't be able to provide anything else after this. And I'm sorry I can't do anything else but hope you and everyone else are still okay and still alive- but no matter what happens, I still believe in you and I know you'll be able to sort things out one way or another. I don't know what will happen to me, but you don't need to worry about that- if you even worry about your weird messenger at all, haha. All you know need to worry about- all you need to do- is remember everything.

Remember the class.

Remember your own role.

"...Huh...that's cryptic alright..." Hinata muttered as he finished reading. "A little creepy too, seeing it call you by name like that..."

"What does it mean by 'remember'? Remember what?" Ryoto asked in confusion. "'Class'? 'Role'? What?"

"Your guess is as good as mine..." Hana replied with a little sigh.

"What I'm most curious about are those files..." Akira claimed, thoughtful. "Are those the 'incriminating things' you mentioned, Amari?"

Hana nodded. "Speaking of- this one has a file too, lemme just-"

She clicked on the latest file attachment- an image file- and it opened almost straight away. After the photos of the students and the article on 'The Tragedy', Hana had no idea what to expect from this one...and yet, she was still surprised. The latest image was quite different from other files- it was another photo, but it was of a piece of paper on some kind of innocuous desk. On the paper was a drawing of a diagram: a box with a smaller rectangle on the front face and some kind of hemisphere on top of the box. On the right was some kind of swirl, with an arrow pointing to the left onto the smaller rectangle. Under the box was a second arrow pointing to a drawing of a building- a castle?- with an 'X' through it, and a smiley face to the right of the castle.

"...Uh...d-did the other files look like that...?" Asuna asked. "You know- looking like photos of cryptic drawings on paper...?"

"Ah- not in the slightest..." Hana responded, just as baffled.

"..." Akira shook her head, then told Hana, "We'll deal with that later- show us those other files."

"Well- they're hidden, and it takes a minute to navigate to them," Hana explained, hesitant and apologetic. "And even still, I don't...the stuff in those files, I don't know if you guys-"

"Show us, Amari," Akira ordered again. "Or do you have something to hide after all?"

"Yeah, come on! We can take it! I mean, as long as there aren't a MILLION BOMBSHELLS in those files- what have you got to be worried about, Hana?" Ryoto asked, optimistic.

Aha...oh, if only he knew... Hana thought, still hesitant. It's not like I've got anything to hide with what the messages showed, and yet...the photos of us at Hope's Peak, the article on that 'Tragedy' thing...


"Thaaat's right! Rest assured, you all walked through those doors and become official students of Hope's Peak Academy before being thrust into this killing game," Monokuma told them. "But that time? The time between that moment of blacking out and when you each woke up?"

He clapped his metallic paws together. "BAM! Gone! Erased! Deleted! You guys had your memories wiped!"

Hana could hear many of the others reacting to this revelation, but she was too focused on her own reaction to process theirs; she could almost feel the color draining from her face, her heart rate increasing from fear, and she couldn't say or do anything but let out a short gasp of shock.

"W-What!? What are you saying!?" Hinata yelped, his eyes going wide with horror.

"Uh- you had your memories wiped," Monokuma slowly repeated himself. "I think that's pretty self-explanatory, Scarfy."

"You...You're lying," Hiroshi quickly claimed, sounding almost breathless.

"Y-Yeah!" Asuna added in. "This...has to be a trick- why should we believe anything you have to say?"

"What's this now?" Monokuma asked, looking around at the others. "You all have been begging for answers since day one, but now that I give them to you all you reject them! Talk about a bunch of ingrates..."

"But you- you can't prove that's what happened, can you?" Akira pointed out, her eyes narrowed into a glare. "You have no evidence that we were students at Hope's Peak and then had our memories erased, do you?"


The majority of these photos...they'll prove Monokuma right...they prove we were students at Hope's Peak before the killing game, that we had our memories wiped somehow... Hana told herself. Knowing how badly everyone freaked out before...can I really put them through that again, but- but worse...?

"Hana? Don't tell me there's actually something that makes you look bad on there," Hinata spoke up, crossing his arms."

"There's...There's not, but..." Hana began before sighing- with the scrutiny of her friends on her, the surfer realized there was no going back. "Just...give me a second..."

Feeling almost sick to her stomach, Hana made her way to the e-Handbook's empty files until she found the 'dnlh' folder. Once she did, she saw the numerous documents and image files- with a fifth document and a new image file added to the prior ones.

"Okay- the documents, from what I've seen, just have the text from the messages- you know, what you guys read," Hana explained. "And the images...they're, uh..."

"W-Were they the things the other messages showed...?" Asuna asked. "What are those pictures, anyways?"

Hana grimaced, hovering her finger over the first file. "Just...Just see for yourselves."

She tapped on the file, opening it; the picture that popped up was the very first photo she had seen from the second message- the one depicting Asuna, Azami, and Kaneki together in Hope's Peak uniforms in what appeared to be a school hallway.

Akira's eyes widened as the image popped up. "What the...!?"

"H-Hey- hey!" Ryoto began, just as bewildered. "That- hey! What the hell is-!?"

"That's...That's...!" Asuna began. "Oh my god, that's me! That's me with- with-!"

"W-Why are you and Azami and Kaneki in school uniforms!? Uniforms with the Hope's Peak logo on them!?" Hinata blurted. "And that hallway, it looks like- are they inside-!?"

"...That's not the only photo," Hana told them. "Here, let me-"

One by one, she showed her classmates the various pictures that came with the second message she had received- the same photos that depicted all the members of the 80th Class (including the mysterious, green-haired 'Nanako') being normal, happy Ultimates attending Hope's Peak. She ended this by showing them the picture that came with the third message- the one that showed everyone all together in one big class photo.

When she was done, she lowered the e-Handbook and looked back at everyone sorrowfully. "...I know they're just digital photos, so I can't...I can't say for sure how uthentic they are, but...but even still, they...they..."

"They prove Monokuma was right...!" Akira finished, realization dawning on her face. "When he told us about the memory loss, about how we had our memories wiped, he...he was telling the truth...!"

"Then...Then we really were classmates at some point...!?" Asuna spoke up- she reached up and took her fedora off, staring down at it with a mixture of horror and grief. "We attended Hope's Peak...we knew each other, we were friends, we-"

"A-All of us!? Even the ones who died!?" Ryoto cried, appearing to be the verge of a panic attack. "Me, and Akira, and Hinata, and- and Tadao, and Shiori, and Rumi, and Saku, and-"

"And if that's the case then...then the ones who have been dying...the ones we've been convicting and sending off to be executed..." Akira went on, haunted. "All of them, they...Kurobe, Kunata, Shimaru, Hamasaki, they were our...!"

"Oh my god- oh my god!" Hinata cried, burying his face in his hands. "We've been killing our own classmates! Our actual, legitimate classmates! What the actual fuck!?"

Seeing the distress of her classmates only made Hana's guilt and sorrow even stronger, and she blurted, "I-I'm really sorry, guys! That's why I was so hesitant to show you the photos, because- because I knew they proved Monokuma right, I knew they proved we all really did go to Hope's Peak, and I didn't-"

"Wait...wait, Amari you- you've had these photos for a while now, right...?" Akira then inquired, the horror of the revelation making her almost breathless. "Why...? Why did you keep this information a secret!? What would you-"

"Because I didn't know what to make of any of those photos at first!" Hana cried with all her fears and doubts in relation to the messages pouring out. "I first got these pictures after Kaneki and Saku and Shiro's trials- way before Monokuma told us about the amnesia! What was I supposed to think!? What was I supposed to do!? After what we'd been through with Kaneki's trial alone, would it have been the best idea for me to show up and be all 'Hey guys, so I got this weird message on my e-Handbook that also came with a bunch of photos showing us at Hope's Peak so I think we were actually students and friends and just don't remember for some reason'!?"

"But- But what about afterwards!? When he did talk about the amnesia, you still didn't say anything!" Ryoto pointed out. "Why didn't you say anything then!?"

"You guys were already freaked out over the idea of amnesia and the reveal of someone being a traitor- me showing the photos would have just made things worse! Especially with Shiori's trial and Hinata just coming out of his depression, I-" Hana went on as tears began to build in her eyes. "How do you think I felt!? After Monokuma talked about the memory loss, I-I realized those photos were real, I realized we were all actual classmates, and I could barely come to terms with it! How was I supposed to explain that to you guys!? I didn't want this to happen, I-"

"G-Guys, guys! Stop this, we shouldn't be fighting like this!" Asuna interjected, despite the tears in her own eyes. "It's not Hana's fault, it's not anybody's fault, it's...please guys, please stop..."

The others went quiet; Hana lowered her head in shame before wiping at her eyes. She wasn't sure if she had made the 'right' decision by waiting to show the others the mysterious photos, or even by revealing them at all. Sure, it proved once and for all that the students had their memories wiped, but that did not mean Hana didn't feel guilty about the grief that came from the pictures.

"...I...guess the memory loss explains something..." Hinata spoke up. "It explains why Hiroshi looks kinda different in those pictures- shorter hair, shorter in general, a different demeanor..."

"...But there's another mystery the revelation of our memory loss doesn't explain..." Akira pointed out. "That green-haired girl...who is she...?"

"Oh yeah- I was wondering about that too..." Ryoto remarked, furrowing his brow. "Hana? Did any of the messages explain that?"

Hana shook her head. "All I can say is- well, her name just kinda...came to me when I got that third message and that last photo, but other than that..."

"Her name?" Asuna inquired, surprised. "Can you tell us what it is?"

"Ah- it's Nanako Tokumei, I think," Hana explained. "But that's literally all I remembered about her."

"Knowing her name is one thing- but it's hardly useful information on its own..." Akira claimed. "It doesn't tell us her Ultimate talent, why she's not in this killing game with the rest of us, where she is now..."

"Aaaah, it's too many mysteries for me!" Ryoto cried out. "We already figured out we got our memories wiped after all, we had to deal with that bullshit trial, I'm done with mysteries for today!"

Hana grimaced. "I wish we could be, but...there's something else that I got- another picture."

"OH COME ON!" Ryoto cried.

Akira frowned. "Another picture? Is it related to our lost memories?"

"Well...it's not another class picture, so not exactly," Hana replied. "I...really don't know how to explain it, it's like-"

In that instant, the darkened courtyard became engulfed in light, causing most of the students to yelp or flinch from the sudden brightness. Hana herself immediately threw her arm up and shut her eyes; after a moment, she opened her eyes again to a completely changed scenery. The 'sky' had returned- appearing to be a beautiful mix of reds and oranges as the sun began to set somewhere the students couldn't see. However, its beauty was tarnished with the knowledge that the sky was nothing but a projection on a series of screens- although it was a convincing illusion, admittedly.

"Well- quite the timing," Hinata remarked, looking up at the 'sky' as soon as his eyes adjusted.

Akira scoffed. "Nevermind- we'll have to discuss this other picture later, then. So in other words- keep those files ready, Amari, because we'll be coming back to them."

"Understandable," Hana stated with a nod.

"Well- if it gives us more clues about what the fuck is going on, then I guess we-" Ryoto began, looking around at the others. "...WHOA! I couldn't really tell in the dark but- Hana! You look great in a wetsuit!"

Hana groaned in exasperation as she stood up. "Not the time, Ryoto."

Asuna shakily stood up as well, the fear in her eyes returning. "S-So...uh- if the power's back on, does that mean Monokuma's-!?"

"He's on his way, no doubt," Akira confirmed, also rising from her position and looking around in scrutiny. "I doubt he'd waste time- stay vigilant, in case he does decide to take matters into his own hands."

As he stood up as well, Hinata looked towards Akira and remarked, "Huh- you know Akira, I don't know what happened in your execution, but man it was not kind to your hair."

The prosecutor raised an eyebrow. "Says the person with several gashes and lacerations all over him."

"What? Can't I make casual conversation while waiting for an inevitable confrontation with a killer robot?" Hinata inquired with a casual shrug. "...Plus, I need something to take my mind off the 'amnesia' thing, lemme have this okay?"

"But I mean, he's not wrong about- hey! You've even got a little hair sticking up like Hana does!" Ryoto pointed out in surprise.

Hana looked towards Akira's hair in curiosity- sure enough, thanks to the light returning, Hana was able to more easily see how frazzled her classmate's hair looked. And sure enough, a lock of hair was sticking up towards the back and arching to the side. Akira furrowed her brow, glanced at Hana- then, with a little 'hmph', reached up to smooth her hair out. ...Then, seconds later, the hair poked right back up again, earning a snicker from Hinata and a sigh from the Ultimate Prosecutor.

That was when a new noise cut through the air, ending the small amount of lightheartedness that had been made. Hana recognized this sound as well- although it started out faint, she could clearly make out the sound of the elevator ascending. As the noise's volume grew, the students backed even further away from the hole in the ground than they already had. The only exception to this was Akira who, while still stepping back, positioned herself at the front of the group, likely because of that 'plan' she mentioned.

At last, the elevator platform finished rising from the bottom of the elevator shaft- and there, standing atop the platform and looking incredibly furious, was none other than Monokuma.

"...You kids...you fucking kids...!" Monokuma snarled, his red eye practically glowing with rage. "I'M GONNA TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!"

When he said that, he extended his metallic claws, making his intentions terrifyingly clear.

"Shit!" Hinata yelped, taking another huge step back.

Asuna cried out in terror upon seeing the deadly claws, and Hana stepped in front of the shorter girl just in case Monokuma lashed out- although she hoped it wouldn't come to that, and she hoped whatever Akira had in mind would ensure that.

"NOT IF I TEAR YOU APART FIRST!" Ryoto declared. "RYOTO MIURA-"

"Hush, Miura," Akira ordered the other Ultimate, taking a step forward. "Remember what I said before."

With that, the Ultimate Prosecutor walked towards Monokuma calmly and silently. The other students remained where they were, even Ryoto- despite the tension in the air being almost tangible. Surprisingly, Monokuma did not make any moves towards Akira, instead allowing her to stroll up to the elevator platform.

"Well well- I'm surprised, Ms. Rimutsu! After that whole debacle about how you feared execution, you volunteer to be cut down first!" Monokuma remarked. "Fine by me- makes my job way easier!"

"And why do you assume that's what I'm here to do?" Akira asked, crossing her arms.

"Well- if you have other intentions, it doesn't really matter! Because I'm gonna kill you guys anyways!" Monokuma answered, gesturing to the group as a whole.

Akira narrowed her eyes. "No you're not."

To this, the bear laughed. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You're not executing me, or anyone else in this courtyard," Akira firmly told him.

"Uh, I just said I am! What, gonna try and bargain with me?" Monokuma mockingly inquired. "TOO BAD! You all walked out on your executions, despite losing the trial fair and square!"

"FAIR AND SQUARE-!?" Ryoto began in outrage, but he was interrupted when Hinata slapped his hand over Ryoto's mouth.

"'Fair', you say? Funny- wasn't it you who cut the investigation and the trial itself shorter than usual? Wasn't it you who denied us access to certain areas that would have given us more evidence for the trial?" Akira replied accusingly. "Face it- you interfered with the trial for your own ends, whatever they might be, and for that reason you tried to kill us all."

"Puhuhu- didn't you guys make this spiel before the executions?" Monokuma pointed out, leaning in a bit. "And if I didn't care down there, why would I care up here?"

"Because- it would be a rather anticlimactic end to your killing game, wouldn't it?" Akira stated, raising an eyebrow.

Hana furrowed her brow as she listened to the conversation. What's...Akira doing...?

She went on, "It would be one thing if we genuinely came to a wrong conclusion and were executed for that reason- but that's not the case here. You more or less rigged the trial against us to make us lose."

Monokuma went silent, but Hana could tell his grin would falter if it physically could.

"Knowing you, with your extravagant executions and general dramatics- just outright killing us like this wouldn't be very satisfying, would it?" Akira inquired, raising an eyebrow. "And above all, it wouldn't fit in with that 'despair' idea you've mentioned time and time again. No- wrongfully slaughtering us like this, or even wrongfully executing us, would go against everything this killing game stands for, wouldn't it?"

"Don't go telling me what this killing game does or doesn't stand for!" Monokuma snapped. "What's your point in all this, anyways!?"

"My point is: you broke your own rules by trying to execute us, even though we're all spotless," Akira explained. "And as someone who has been such a stickler for rules all this time, to try and kill a second time- in such an abrupt way, no less- would surely mean your own defeat, and the failure of this killing game."

"My...defeat!?" Monokuma demanded, growing angrier by the second. "Failure!?"

"Precisely," the Ultimate Prosecutor remarked with a smirk. "Of course, there's an easy way to remedy this-"

"No! No no no, you are not bargaining with me!" Monokuma interjected. "I am the headmaster! The lord of this castle! I-"

"You are not above the rules- you've said that before as well, haven't you?" Akira pointed out. "So unless you want this killing game to become null and void, you'll listen to what I have to say."

"I- I-!" Monokuma stammered, his anger making him tongue-tied.

Wow- Akira's actually giving him a hard time, and she's not even hesitating. Hana thought to herself, impressed. ...It's also nice to not be on the receiving end of her lawyer skills for once.

"Like I said, fixing this is rather simple," Akira told the robotic bear. "Let us redo Ashi's trial. No tricks, no withholding evidence, no forced voting- a normal class trial, just like we've always done. The spotless against the blackened, the loser being executed. Simple as that."

"...Haha...ahahaha...!" Monokuma laughed, sounding a little deranged. "This is comedy gold! You waltz right up to me, talk to me like I'm the one on trial, try to bargain for your life and the lives of the others- ahahah! If I had tear ducts, they'd be spilling like Niagara right now!"

He then turned his cruel gaze back to Akira and responded. "I'm the one running this show! My word is law! If I wanted to, I could change the rules to make it so I'm completely allowed to kill you people on the spot! You have no bargaining power here, you can't-"

Then, Monokuma fell completely silent. He didn't move at all either- it was as if the power had been knocked out of him once again, except this time there was no blackout.

"...Wow- you argued him so hard he lost his voice," Hinata finally spoke up from where he stood.

"Did...he die...?" Asuna asked, frowning in concern.

"Hope so!" Ryoto commented.

"I doubt that's it, but...what did happen?" Hana asked, cautiously walking over.

"I'm...not sure," Akira responded, looking rather confused herself. "But...hold on..."

She leaned towards Monokuma, angling her head so one of her ears was directed at him. "Is he...is he mumbling to himself...?"

"Is he?" Hana asked, leaning in herself. Sure enough, she could hear...something that sounded like a voice faintly coming from Monokuma's mouth. "Huh...that is weird...maybe whoever's controlling him-"

"WHAT!?" Monokuma suddenly cried, causing both Hana and Akira to flinch from the sudden assault on their hearing.

Not acknowledging either of them, Monokuma shouted, "You want me to WHAT!? Why should I-!? I-I mean they're the ones-!"

He went silent again for a few seconds. Afterwards, Monokuma nervously went on, "But if I do that, then- then if they get it right, I'll be-!"

Another few moments of silence, followed by the bear pleading, "No, no! You can't! After everything I've done, you can't just-!"

Some more silence. Then, Monokuma growled and snapped, "Fine...fine! FINE! Whatever you say!"

After that, he turned back to the others as if nothing had happened. "Great news every-"

"What the hell was that?" Akira immediately asked. "Were you talking to yourself just now?"

"G-GAH!?" Monokuma yelped. "How- How much of that did you hear!?"

"I dunno, you were like 'you want me to WHAT' and then 'FINE!' and then..." Hinata responded, shaking his head. "Weird as hell, that's all that was."

"...Oh! Well- okay then!" Monokuma replied, calming down slightly.

As if things couldn't get any more strange... Hana thought, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"So- great news everyone! I have spontaneously come to the conclusion..." Monokuma began, retracting his claws at last.

"LIES!" Ryoto angrily blurted.

"...I have spontaneously come to the conclusion that Ms. Rimutsu is completely right! Just because I had a lapse in judgement doesn't mean you or the trial or the mystery fun should suffer for it!" Monokuma cheerfully told the others. "So I will accept your offer- a redo of Mr. Ashi's trial, with full time to investigate and no interference! I swear on my nonexistent heart!"

Akira crossed her arms. "Can we hold you to that?"

"Well if you want me to sign a contract or something, then tough luck! Just take my word for it, would ya?" Monokuma angrily responded. "I'm already giving you-"

Then, the bear stopped himself, and a gleam of realization seemed to flicker in his robotic eyes. "...No...you know what? I'll do you guys one even better!"

With a flourish of his paws, he declared, "I'll open up every room in the castle for your investigation! Every nook and cranny that was locked up before, every suspicious door or hatch- that's all free game for you now!"

Hana's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh- I don't think you need to go that far, we just needed-"

"So feel free to look wherever you like for whatever evidence or information you like- and I mean that in every sense possible! It's all open for you, so search, search, search!" Monokuma insisted before adding, more sinister, "I think you'll find it'll be worth your while. Puhu...puhuhu...AHAHAHAHA!"

With that crazed laugh, Monokuma disappeared off the elevator platform and to parts unknown; however, the platform did not shift back into its usual fountain form this time, even when Monokuma left.

"...Did anyone else think that last thing he said sounded oddly suspicious?" Ryoto inquired, putting a hand on his hip.

"I mean- does it matter? We're actually getting to redo Hiroshi's trial, this is great!" Hana told the others, joyful. "Now we can find out what actually happened to him!"

"But it's strange- why open up the entire castle...?" Akira wondered aloud. "...I suppose we shouldn't complain, though- maybe it will help us in...other areas."

"Other areas?" Asuna asked.

"Yes- mainly, learning the secrets of this killing game," Akira stated, adjusting her glasses. "If every room in the castle is accessible now, then that must included places completely inaccessible to us- namely that secret room in the North Wing, and perhaps others we haven't even found yet."

"Ah...let's do things one at a time," Hana remarked. "We still need to solve Hiroshi's murder more than anything."

"And, uh- still bleeding," Hinata remarked with a little wave. "Asuna too."

"He's right..." Asuna confirmed, glancing down at her own injuries.

"Hm- well, I know where I want to investigate right away..." Akira said to herself. "But it won't do anyone good if two of us are bleeding profusely."

"I'LL HANDLE IT!" Ryoto declared with a little salute. "My face might still be sore, but I can still help my classmates to the East Wing!"

His grin faltered as he went on, "My...classmates that I've known for way...way longer than I thought I did-"

"I-I don't want to think about it too hard right now..." Asuna stated with a sad frown.

"If...you three are going to the East Wing..." Hana began. "Then- Akira, I think I've got a feeling of where you're going, and since I need to go back to my own bedroom and change out of this wetsuit...do you mind if I investigate with you once I'm done?"

Akira raised her eyebrows slightly, but then she responded, "Do what you want- just don't take forever either way."

Thus, she began to make her way towards the South Wing...but then stopped and turned back to the others. "Wait, wait- there's one thing I want to make clear before we begin."

The students turned their attention to the Ultimate Prosecutor- when the did, she asked them, "Can you all look me in the eye and tell me, with certainly, that none of you murdered Ashi?"

Hana couldn't hide her surprise at the question- no, not the question itself, but the fact that it was Akira asking it.

"You kidding!? I've ALWAYS hated murder and the killing game! Why would I switch my tune now!?" Ryoto demanded, resolute.

"Look, I wasn't as close to him as, you know, Hana or someone else...but he was a good dude," Hinata replied with a sad sigh. "I've got no reason to want him dead- never have, and I definitely didn't before the murder."

"Hiroshi...he helped me during Kaneki's trial just like Hana did- if it wasn't for both her and him, I might have been..." Asuna began, shaking her head. "That's why I'd never do anything to hurt him."

"..." Hana was silent for a moment, then spoke up, "Do I really need to say why I wouldn't have wanted to hurt Hiroshi? He was one of my closest friends- you guys know that. Do you really think I'd do something so terrible to him?"

"..." Akira gave a little nod of acceptance. "Alright then. Let's get started."

Hinata nodded as well, then remarked as he and Asuna followed Ryoto to the East Wing's door, "Well- see you guys on the other side, then."

Without another word, everyone split up, with Hana herself following Akira into the South Wing.


Hana jogged ahead of Akira so she could get to her room quicker, and thus change into some normal and non-wet clothing faster. Once inside, she did just that, grabbing her usual clothes from the closet and heading into the bathroom to take off the wetsuit, fully dry off, and change. Once changed, she tossed the wetsuit into the bathtub and looked at herself in the mirror.

There were still some cuts on her arms from the mechanical shark fins and some bruising on her face where she hit the rock spire, but luckily her injuries were not as severe as Hinata or Asuna. She also took notice of her hair, which was rather unkempt now- however, she ultimately decided against taking the time to fix it up, as there were more important matters to take care of.

Exiting the bathroom and pocketing her e-Handbook, Hana made her way to the bedroom door. As she did, she thought to herself, Never thought this one trial would turn out to be so off-the-rails...

She then added to herself, more determined, Well- doesn't really matter what Monokuma tries. As long as we're still alive- as long I'm still alive, I won't stop trying to figure out what really happened. Keep an eye on us, Hiroshi- we're gonna get to the bottom of this, whatever it takes.

With that, Hana stepped out of her bedroom and looked around for Akira- only to find the prosecutor almost right in front of her door, tapping away on her e-Handbook.

"Oh-! Uh, Akira! Were you waiting for me?" Hana asked in surprise.

"Somewhat- after all, your room is right next to Ashi's," Akira pointed out, gesturing to the door in question.

"Oh- right," Hana remarked with a little, sheepish nod.

Then, their talk turned to silence- very awkward silence, at that. This was to be expected, however- after all, this was the first time Hana and Akira found themselves genuinely working together, and with the added revelation that they were once actual classmates at Hope's Peak...

"...In addition to standing, I took the liberty of using the handbook's writing application to type up something," Akira finally informed the surfer, turning her e-Handbook back on and selecting the app in question before turning to show Hana. "Consider this a...better done Monokuma File. It should come in handy."

The victim was Hiroshi Ashi. Time of death was about 7:30 AM yesterday. The victim's body was found inside the North Wing dungeon. Cause of death was electrocution, resulting in burns being left on his body. However, the victim's hands and wrists were also severely mutilated, and both of his Achilles' tendons were sliced. The victim also received blunt force trauma to his right temple, and has odd bruising around his wrists.

"Huh- it almost reads like a real File," Hana remarked, impressed, reminding herself to make a note of the 'sixth' Monokuma File later.

Akira put the device away and turned to Hiroshi's bedroom door. "Now- let's see what we have here..."

She put a hand on the doorknob and slowly began turning it- this time, it turned all the way.

"Hm- so Monokuma was telling the truth after all," Hana commented. "He really did unlock everything."

The surfer then questioned, "But...what do you think could be inside?"

"Something that Monokuma didn't want us to find before, that's what," Akira answered. "Well- that changes now."

With that, Akira opened the door fully, allowing her and Hana to see inside. Hana herself was unsure of what to expect upon entry, but...what they did see still managed to shock her.

On the surface, Hiroshi's room looked just like all the other Ultimates' bedrooms- same basic layout, same carpeting and walls, the only difference being the bedsheets being a soft blue instead of pink. Additionally, a poster on human anatomy was pinned to one of the walls and several textbooks on forensics and anatomy were stacked on the desk. That, however, would have been one thing- it was the rest of the room, and the abnormalities of it, that caught Hana and Akira's eyes.

The first thing she spotted was the room's camera- or rather, the fact that Hiroshi's blue bedsheet was thrown over it, covering the lens completely. The chair for the desk was also fallen over onto its back, and there was dried blood spatter on the carpeted floor near the desk. There was another dried bloodstain closer to the bed, and beyond that appeared to be bloody drag marks heading towards...the wall? Besides the bloodstains, there was something else lying on the floor: one of Hiroshi's latex gloves, strewn on the floor near the bed.

"Holy-!" Hana yelped, one hand going to her mouth as she stared at the scene.

Akira looked around as well, more composed but still surprised. "Well- I can see why Monokuma didn't want us coming in here."

She stepped into the room completely, being mindful of the blood and the glove on the floor. Hana soon followed, far more hesitant than her companion, also trying to avoid stepping on what could be evidence.

This...is a lot more than I was expecting... Hana thought as she looked around the room. Where do I even start...?

She decided to investigate the most glaring piece of evidence: the bloodstains. Apparently, Akira had the same idea, as she was kneeling down to examine the stains more closely.

"Well- I think we can say this place is...definitely some kind of second crime scene," Hana remarked as they stared down at the blood. "Unless that's food dye and not blood."

"It's blood- no doubt," Akira stated. "From the looks of it, I'd say the stains are about a day to a day and a half old- certainly not recent, that's for sure."

"Well, he did go missing the night before yesterday, so you're probably right about that," Hana agreed. "But still- where did the blood from?"

"Ashi had several wounds on him, which were inflicted before the fatal electrocution. The blood in here was likely a result of some or all of those other injuries," Akira surmised. "Which means, whatever torture the killer put Ashi through, it had to have at least started in this room."

She stepped away to look at the bloodstains as a whole, looking down at the carpeting contemplatively. "It looks like...the blood almost forms something of a linear path. Granted, there isn't a massive amount of blood here, and yet..."

The prosecutor gestured to the dried blood. "The spatter starts there, near the desk...then there's the other stain near the bed...and finally, the drag marks from both stains going towards the...wall..."

Akira turned her gaze towards the far wall- the one the bed was placed against, and the one the bloody drag marks moved towards. Of course, the drag marks faded after a small amount of distance and did not extend all the way to the wall, but the direction of the marks was indisputable. Hana herself looked to the path Akira had pointed out, baffled- why were the drag marks going towards the wall? Did the killer do something more to Hiroshi there?

Despite her confusion, Hana still made a note in her e-Handbook about the dried bloodstains, then turned her attention to the other suspicious item on the ground: the latex glove.

"This glove- it's definitely one of Hiroshi's..." Hana remarked, furrowing her brow. "Why's it lying on the ground like that, though?"

"It probably fell out of Ashi's pocket during whatever struggle happened in here," Akira concluded.

"Maybe, but...I don't know, Hiroshi's never really dropped any gloves before, they've always been pretty secure in his pants pocket," Hana pointed out with a little frown. "It's weird, is what I'm saying- weird and suspicious."

In discussing the glove, Hana also made a note of it in her e-Handbook- she didn't know what its significance would be just yet, but she had a feeling it wasn't exactly worthless. She then looked around the room again, her eyes falling on the first thing she saw when she entered the room- the blanket draped over the security camera. Hana made her way to the corner of the room and gently pulled the blanket off the camera, allowing the camera lens to freely survey the room again.

"Huh- you think Hiroshi did this?" Hana questioned, looking down at the blanket she was holding.

Akira raised an eyebrow and remarked, "Well, I can't think of anyone but Ashi who could have covered the camera like that- because this is his bedroom."

"Ah- right, good point," Hana responded, somewhat embarrassed at the question. "But, uh- Hiroshi must have put the blanket over the camera the night he went missing, right? Why would he have done that?"

"Probably to prevent Monokuma from seeing what he was doing," Akira guessed. "Although...I can't imagine what Ashi was up to that would have prompted him to take such measures..."

The prosecutor looked around the room as if searching for a clue to answer that question...and then her eyes fell on something on Hiroshi's desk. While Akira walked over to take a closer look, Hana tossed the blanket on Hiroshi's bed and made a note about the covered camera in her e-Handbook.

Meanwhile, Akira had picked up what appeared to be a piece of paper lying on the desk- Hana hadn't seen it when they first walked in because of the textbooks blocking her view of the. Whatever was on it, the red-haired Ultimate was reading over it closely, her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized over the note. Finally, she looked back up, her gaze directed at Hana.

"Amari. I think this paper- this note- was meant for you," Akira informed the surfer, holding out the paper for her to take.

"Meant for me...? Huh?" Hana asked before taking the paper. "What's...?"

The girl would soon receive an answer as she looked down to read the words on the note for herself. The handwriting appeared somewhat messy, as if the writer was in some kind of rush, but it was legible regardless.

Hana,

Do you remember how I told you I'd be telling you something important "very soon"? Well- it's time.

I'll be waiting for you at a...certain place. Somewhere without cameras or monitors, where we can talk in total private. Go there as soon as you finish reading this, and be quick- but be careful too. I'd like to tell you exactly where to go, but if this note somehow ends up in the wrong hands...yeah. But, you don't really need me to tell you where to go anyways- you know exactly what I'm talking about, trust me.

After all, there was a time when only you and one other person knew about i

Just like that, the writing cut off, like the one writing the note had been suddenly interrupted before he could finish.

"What the...? Did...Hiroshi write this...? Was he gonna give this to me?" Hana asked, more to herself than Akira. "I-I don't get it, what does- I knew he wanted to tell me something, that part's true, but- what's the rest of this mean?"

"Something tells me that's a mystery you alone need to figure out- it's clear Ashi meant to give this to you himself before..." Akira responded, her eyes drifting towards the blood on the carpeting before continuing, "Even so, I don't see the need to turn it into some kind of riddle."

She shook her head and muttered, "That Ashi- still a mystery, even in death."

Hana looked down at the words on the note again, trying to decipher what Hiroshi could have been referring to. A place with no cameras or monitors- did that alone even exist?- a place that Hana would definitely know about, and a place that only she and one other person knew about at some point.

This...is too much. Hiroshi was always a little vague a cryptic, but this? This is overboard! Hana thought in frustration. Somewhere with total privacy, no cameras- there are the catacombs, and at one point only me and Hiroshi knew about them- wait, no, the way he worded it makes it sound like he's talking about me and someone else entirely, not me and him. Aaaah- come on, think! I've kept secrets before, think about all of them!

And so, Hana did just that, remembering all of the times she had kept something hidden for one reason or another, thinking back even before Mikio's trial- and in that instant, the Ultimate Surfer had an idea. No, not just an idea- the only place she could think of that fit all parts of the description Hiroshi gave in his note.

"I...I think I know where Hiroshi wanted to meet with me," Hana spoke up, pocketing the note. "And something tells me it'd be a good idea to go investigate that place myself- even if there's nothing there, I need to at least look."

"Well, I won't stop you- but since this seems to be some kind of personal mission of yours, don't expect me to go with either," Akira responded. "Besides- I need to finish up in here anyways."

Glancing towards the door, she went on, "Afterwards- I plan to go find the other three and bring them to the dining room, so we can discuss the evidence we had during the last trial in addition to what we've just found in here. That way, we'll be able to come up with something more coherent than what we had last time."

"Sounds good to me- I'll meet you guys there," Hana responded, and she practically sprinted out the door and back into the hallway. Indeed, she knew exactly where she wanted to go- she just hoped there would be something there that would provide her with answers.


Hana didn't have to go far- in fact, she didn't even need to leave the South Wing. The surfer exited Hiroshi's bedroom and made her way straight to the wing's main chamber, then down towards the library. Without a moment of hesitation, Hana pushed the doors open and stepped into the expansive room; she passed all the tables and massive bookshelves, striding towards the back of the library. There, a familiar wooden door with a gilded doorknob awaited her, which the surfer also quickly opened.

At once, she was struck with the dimness of the back room- it was far darker than she remembered, but certainly not to the extent of the wine room without its light on. As such, Hana was able to easily see the the shelves lining the wooded walls and the occult books sitting on top of them- but that wasn't what she was here for. She made her way to the center of the room and knelt down as soon as she found what she was looking for: a wooden handle, jutting up enough for someone to trip on but camouflaged into the floor enough so one would miss it initially.

A place with total privacy...that only me and one other person knew about at one point... Hana thought. This has to be the place Hiroshi was talking about- no doubt about it...


Too late, Hana tried pulling on the handle-like object...and to her surprise, a small section of the floor suddenly lifted up, like a hatch or a door of some kind. With a grunt, she opened the section completely, revealing a set of stone stairs that seemed to lead down into another small room.

"Whoa...! Hey, it actually is a secret room! That's so cool!" Hana exclaimed in surprise. "Hey Azami, did you know this was here?"

"...Ah...yeah, yeah I did..." Azami admitted, looking rather...disappointed. "I found it the day we arrived here. I think it used to be some kind of storage room- not that there was anything down there when I found it, just walls, a light, and a table. But, you know, I thought it would be cool if I could...I dunno, make it into my own little hideaway or workshop. A place to practice my tricks and dark arts in privacy- I mean, the bedroom is fine, but this place has a more...mysterious and dark feel to it, something I can really get into."

She sighed and gave the stone steps a sad glance. "I guess that doesn't really matter, now that the secret's out. I should have known this was too good to last..."

"Wh-Wha...? Hey, hold on a second, why do you assume I'm gonna tell anyone?" Hana asked, quickly standing and closing the camouflaged hatch. "Look, you really want this to stay a secret, right? And nobody else knows about it, right?"

"Yes and yes," Azami responded.

"Well then, I'll just keep your secret, simple as that!" Hana assured the Ultimate Illusionist with a smile. "I won't even bother you about it or ask to use it myself- I'll just make sure you can have it all to yourself."

"Y-You'd...really do that...?" Azami asked, visibly shocked. Then, with a somewhat threatening tone, she went on, "If you're serious, you'd better commit to your promise, got it? You cannot tell anyone about the secret storage. If you do, I swear I'll...I'll...I'll put a curse on you or something!"

"N-No need for that, no one will find out," Hana responded, stepping back a bit. "You can trust me, okay? It'll stay between us."


Hana gripped the handle once more...but then she hesitated as she was about to open the hatch. After a few moments of saddened silence, Hana sighed and looked upwards, softly saying out loud, "Sorry about this, Azami..."

With that, the Ultimate finally opened the hidden door once again, coming face-to-face with those stone stairs again. As she began to descend into the hidden room, it occurred to her that, while she was once the only other person who knew about it, she had never actually seen it for herself. Well, no time like the present, as they say.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, Hana took a moment to take in the surroundings. The room, while longer than it was wide, was not too large in general. It was just as Azami described it all that time ago: stone walls on all sides, a single light suspended from the ceiling, and a simple wooden table (and chair) on the far wall opposite to the stairs...but no security cameras or monitors to be seen. In addition, alongside one of the walls was a few items most likely left by Azami- a stack of folded spare cloaks, a few books, and a box that looked like it could be used for makeup storage. Of course, all of these items had dust gathered on them- after all, the owner hadn't been around to maintain them in a long time.

Tearing her eyes away from Azami's belongings, Hana sighed and told herself, I really hope there's something down here- otherwise, I made myself sad for nothing...

Since the only place of interest in the room was the table, the girl walked over to it; when she did, she noticed there was something resting on its surface. Walking closer, Hana realized it was a sleek, black laptop- there was a sticky note attached to it, as well as a gray flashdrive sitting on top. Furrowing her brow, Hana looked around it and the table- the dust on the table seemed to have been displaced in several areas, as if someone had been sitting here recently, not to mention the laptop itself was devoid of much dust at all.

Hiroshi- he must have left this here... Hana surmised, picking up the flashdrive. But...why-?

She looked down at the small drive she was holding- written on the side in faded permanent marker were the letters "Hi As", clearly denoting the object as belonging to Hiroshi. Then, the surfer looked down at the sticky note attached to the top of the laptop. There were only two things written on it in dark pencil; the first were the numbers "0104", the second was a drawing of a little USB symbol with the words "forensics 3" and then "watch me" written next to it.

Hana sighed and asked herself (and Hiroshi), "Seriously...? More riddles?"

Guess it really was a good thing that I came down here, then- but why would Hiroshi leave all this for me to just...find? Hana wondered, taking out the note from Hiroshi's bedroom again and reading it over again. ...Unless...he didn't mean to just leave it here for me to find by chance, he was probably going to actually show me stuff with it, before he got killed...

She frowned as she looked towards the laptop again. But then- what's with that sticky note? What does any of that stuff mean...?

The surfer shook her head- so many questions, so few ways to answer them by just standing around. With that, she made a decision- pocketing the note and the flashdrive, she went and picked up the black laptop, then started to make her way back towards the stairs and out of the hidden room. Maybe the paper or the sticky note alone wouldn't be enough to answer her many questions...but maybe, whatever Hiroshi had left on this laptop or the flashdrive would.


With the laptop under her arm, Hana quickly departed the library and made her way to the dining room. She had no idea if Akira had gathered everyone there already- but if she hadn't, then Hana would wait for them, simple as that. Luckily, it seemed she wouldn't need to wait; upon walking into the dining room, Hana immediately caught sight of Akira and the other three remaining students standing or sitting around the table. Hinata and Asuna in particular looked better, despite having not changed their damaged clothes- she could barely see what seemed to be gauze or bandages through some of the torn holes in their clothes.

"Oh, thank god, you guys are here already," Hana remarked, relieved.

"Yeah- we didn't take too long in the medical room," Hinata told her from where he was sitting. "We were actually heading out of the East Wing when Akira came to get us- we didn't even have time to change or anything. I forgot what she wanted, though."

Akira sighed in annoyance and explained, "I told you, I want to talk about the evidence for Ashi's murder we found before, not to mention the new things Amari and I found in Ashi's bedroom."

Glancing towards Hana, she added, "Though it seems like Amari has something...interesting to share with us."

"Oh yeah! What's that!?" Ryoto questioned, pointing to the laptop Hana was holding.

"A-And where'd you go...?" Asuna also asked. "Akira said you had to do some kind of 'personal investigation' somewhere- is that where you found the laptop?"

"Yes, it was," Hana answered, hurriedly walking over to an empty seat. "As for where I went, it uh- it's hard to explain, just-"

She first pulled out the note found on Hiroshi's desk. "This note- we found it in Hiroshi's room, and it was probably supposed to go to me but I never got it because Hiroshi was probably murdered before he could finish and- and I read it, and I figured out he wanted to meet up in that hidden room in the library- the one Azami had, remember?- so I went there, and I found-"

She set the laptop and the flashdrive down. "-I found these! And they were clearly left by Hiroshi- like, the flashdrive has his initials on it, sort of- so...so whatever this stuff is, it's gotta be important!"

"WHAT!? HE HAD A LAPTOP!?" Ryoto exclaimed. "This whole time the guy had a laptop!? HE COULDA E-MAILED SOMEONE TO GET HELP!"

"I-I don't think it would have been that simple- Monokuma wouldn't have allowed Internet access in here, I'm sure of it," Asuna said to the racecar driver. "If Hiroshi could send an e-mail, he would have, knowing him..."

"But can we be sure this'll be related to the murder?" Hinata asked, skeptical. "Maybe Hiroshi started using the room after Azami died, and none of us knew, and that's why some of his stuff was down there. We might be wasting our time here..."

"Well- the drive and the laptop must have belonged to Ashi, and he clearly wrote that note with the intent to bring Amari to the secret room to meet with him..." Akira speculated. "I can't say exactly what his plan was, but I'm sure these items were a part of it- so, there's a good chance that there's something related to his death either on the laptop or the flashdrive."

"Well- okay, but then what's this?" Hinata then inquired, reaching over to peel the sticky note off the laptop. "'0104'? 'Watch me'? What is this, some kinda secret code?"

"I don't know- but I get the feeling we'll figure it out once I open this up," Hana responded.

With that, Hana flipped open the laptop while her classmates gathered around to see the monitor. Immediately, they were greeted with a screen depicting the inside of a beautiful-looking cave- a default background wallpaper, it would seem. In the middle of the screen was a white box where one could type in something, with a smaller box with an arrow inside to the right of it.

"Aaah, we need a password!" Ryoto lamented. "QUICK! WHAT WAS HIROSHI'S MOM'S MAIDEN NAME!?"

"H-How are we supposed to know that!?" Asuna yelped.

"I DON'T KNOW!" the Ultimate Racecar Driver responded.

"Wait a second..." Hana began, furrowing her brow. "Hinata, let me see that sticky note again."

The thief obliged, handing her the pale yellow paper in question. Hana's eyes fell on the first thing written: '0104'; then, with quick fingers, she typed the number into the password box and hit 'Enter'. Less than a second later, the box disappeared and was replaced with the word 'Welcome' and a spinning loading circle.

"...Oh. That was easy," Ryoto remarked, calmer.

Moments later, the screen changed to that of a pure black background with several icons placed to the side- Hiroshi's desktop. Hana looked down towards the desktop and noticed two things: there truly was no Internet access, and the laptop showed the time but not the day's date.

"That's odd..." Akira muttered, scrutinizing the screen as well. "It doesn't show the date..."

"It doesn't...? I-I can't really tell..." Asuna stated, having to squint to see better without her glasses.

"Well- someone must have messed with Hiroshi's laptop then, to make it not show the date..." Hana guessed. "You know, so we can't figure out how much time we lost with our missing memories. I mean, if someone was able to screw with my e-Handbook, then I think they'd be capable of screwing with a laptop."

"Fascinating- but what are we looking for?" Hinata asked, his arms crossed.

"Try the files- that's the only place I can think of to put or hide something you'd want to show someone else," Akira suggested.

Hana obliged, using the touchpad below the keyboard to direct the arrow to the file icon on the taskbar and then clicking on it. Unfortunately, there were few files to be investigated- the laptop had the default files (documents, downloads, videos, etc.) and a few extra folders, but the contents of these files and folders had no relevance to the case at hand.

After about five minutes of scrutinizing over every file and folder on Hiroshi's laptop, Ryoto shouted, "THIS IS POINTLESS!"

Hana flinched at the sudden yelling, then responded, "Well, there's- there's gotta be something on here! Why would Hiroshi have the laptop down where he wanted to meet if there wasn't-"

"Hana...I think you've looked through just about everything," Asuna spoke up with a little sigh. "I-If there was something, wouldn't you have found it by now...?"

"..." Akira furrowed her brow, then looked down at the sticky note Hinata had removed from the laptop. "...Amari- plug in that flashdrive."

"The flash- oh! The flashdrive!" Hana exclaimed, immediately reaching over and plugging the drive into the laptop's USB port. "I almost forgot!"

"The flashdrive...? You think that'll have much more info for us?" Hinata asked Akira, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know if it will or not- but it's worth checking," Akira remarked. "After all, Ashi drew the USB symbol on that note alongside those other words- there must be some significance to that, and I bet it's tied to that flashdrive."

After a moment, a new icon appeared in the files, this one resembling some kind of hard drive- it didn't even have a real name, just some letters and numbers that probably had some meaning Hana wasn't understanding. Regardless, the surfer clicked the drive icon, and found herself in a new page of new folders- more folders than the group had seen before, but initially they all seemed to have unassuming and miscellaneous names. Then, Hana took notice of three folders in particular: they were 'forensics 1', 'forensics 2', and...'forensics 3'.

Hinata's eyes widened, and he quickly said, "H-Hey! That's one of the things on the sticky note!"

"I know!" Hana exclaimed.

"It is!?" Ryoto yelped in surprise. "TH-THEN CLICK IT!"

"I am!" Hana yelled back at him, frantically clicking the folder to open it.

To her surprise, there was only one thing in the folder: a video, simply titled 'watch me'. Hana felt her eyes drifting to where the sticky note lay as she understood the meaning of the phrases written on it- she wouldn't be surprised if the others glanced at it in realization as well. Shaking her head a little bit, Hana moved the cursor over and clicked on the video; a new window popped up as the video loaded.

"Th-This is weirding me out..." Asuna admitted with a frown. "This video- what could be on it that Hiroshi had to...to basically write out instructions on how to navigate to it? Why keep it so hidden?"

"Well, we're about to find out..." Akira responded, nodding to the laptop.

The video began, and the first thing the group saw was...Hiroshi. He was sitting at a wooden seat in a dimly lit room- Hana soon realized it was the secret room in the library. At first, he said nothing, appearing to be fiddling with something on the laptop; moments later, however, he took a deep breath and turned to face the laptop's camera, his hands placed on the tabletop.

"...Hi there, Hana," Hiroshi on-video greeted.

Hana couldn't suppress a little gasp upon hearing the Ultimate Coroner's voice again- even if it was just a video, the girl still felt a sharp stab of sadness as she saw and heard her friend once again.

"So- this is a little weird. First of all, I'd like to point out that this video is meant for you and you alone-" Hiroshi explained, his voice remaining neutral.

"Oh, shit-" Hinata began. "Ah...should the four of us go, or...?"

Akira frowned. "Whatever's on this video could benefit all of us- there's no reason to keep it a secret."

Hana neither protested nor affirmed their claims- she was silent, focused on the video above all else.

"I'm...sure you have a lot of questions, but I need you to hold off on those for now- and above all, keep calm, and wait until the video's done to ask me things or yell at me or..whatever you need to do," Hiroshi instructed. "Admittedly, I probably didn't need to make a video, but...there are some things I need to tell you that would just...be difficult to tell you in person. So, this video is meant to be something of an...ice-breaker, something to just get started."

Hana furrowed her brow slightly in confusion, but kept silent.

"Now then- if you're watching this, one of two things happened," Hiroshi began more firmly. "Either I was able to deliver my note to you and you're sitting in the secret library room with me while you watch this...or I'm dead and you somehow managed to find the note I meant to give you anyways, and you're watching this video after the fact."

Akira's eyes widened. "What...? Ashi...predicted that he would die? Or, at least, thought that him dying was a possibility? What's going on here...?"

"If it's the former, then rest assured I'll be able to answer everything- both in this video and afterwards," Hiroshi explained, then frowned. "I'll be recording this video mostly under the assumption that I'm still alive when you're watching it. But if I'm not...well, uh, sorry Hana, but this video won't have all the answers you probably want. But, I'll get into that a little later."

The coroner took a breath and closed his eyes. "Now then...where to start...?"

He looked back to the camera. "Well- I guess I should focus on the main thing I need to tell you. You might not like, and I wish I didn't have to tell you like this, but- that's what this video's for, because I don't think I could ever tell you this face-to-face without losing my composure."

Apprehension began to take hold of Hana. That's...ominous...what's he talking about...?

Hiroshi sighed and began, "So, earlier today- or, well, today as of the time I'm recording this- Monokuma made an announcement. He told us about how all of us had our memories from the time we first arrived at Hope's Peak Academy to when we woke up in this castle. He also told us about how there was one exception to that- a 'traitor', someone who had all of their memories intact and knew the full nature of this killing game."

He hesitated, then went on, "Well...he's telling the truth. Hana, we...all of us, we did attend Hope's Peak at one point. But...you probably already had a feeling he was telling the truth, didn't you? Thanks to those messages on your e-Handbook- and yes, I know about the messages."

Hana's eyes widened. "W-What!?"

"I-I thought you said you didn't tell anyone about those!" Asuna remarked, just as surprised.

"I didn't!" Hana responded. "H-How did he-!?"

"But what you probably didn't realize is that we spent just about an entire year as students at Hope's Peak, before...well, I'm getting ahead of myself," Hiroshi continued. "What you need to know, though, is that we were, in fact, a pretty tight-knit group. Even though some of us were a little more sour or mischievous than others...by the end of it our class formed a pretty strong bond- or at least, I believe it was."

He looked down at the table for a moment, then softly added, "But it wasn't just the time we spent at the Academy that was taken. It was more than that...although I can't really say those memories are as pleasant, so maybe them being gone is something of a mercy."

Hiroshi then asked, "You want to know how I know all this?"

Deep down, Hana already knew what the answer was- she had probably realized it even before Hiroshi asked. Even so, she didn't want to believe it- but reality had a way of making itself known, whether it was wanted or not.

"That's right- it's me," Hiroshi answered with a half-hearted smile. "The one who still has all of his memories- memories of everything- and the 'traitor' Monokuma talked about...that's me."

"What...!? What!?" Akira exclaimed from where she was standing. "Ashi was the-!?"

"THE HELL!? PAUSE THAT, PAUSE THE-" Ryoto cried, reaching over Hana to pause the video before the surfer could protest.

"N-No way! I thought- I thought Monokuma might have been lying about a traitor to get us to distrust each other-" Asuna stammered, her disbelief tangible. "But he was telling the truth!? And it was Hiroshi!?"

"Dammit...! YOU CAN NEVER TRUST THE QUIET ONES!" Ryoto shouted, balling his hand into a fist.

"You mean to tell me- this entire time, there really was someone who knew the truth behind the killing game!? And he didn't tell us anything!?" Hinata yelled in outrage.

"Ashi...why would he keep quiet about something like that? All the times we wondered about our situation, asked where we were and who would put us through this- he had all those answers, why did he keep them to himself!?" Akira demanded.

"H-He must have had a reason...right?" Asuna asked. "Right?"

"Ryoto Miura can't think of one, that's for sure!" Ryoto responded, shaking his head with a grimace. "If I had the information that could bring down the killing game, I'd have used it in a heartbeat!"

"That's because there isn't a good reason for that!" Hinata furiously responded. "He could have answered so many of our questions- he could have helped us end this on day one! But he didn't! That son of a-"

"SHUT UP! EVERYONE!" Hana shouted above the clamor. Before anyone could respond or argue further, she unpaused the video- and turned up the volume to make sure she could still hear it in case more yelling broke out.

"-and I'll admit, it's a big bombshell and I have no right to explain myself, but...just keep sitting, keep watching. Please, just...let me at least try to say something in my defense," Hiroshi pleaded. "...See what I mean? It's hard enough doing this in front of a lifeless laptop camera, if I had to explain this you in person I'd probably...I'd..."

His gaze turned to the side, then he humorlessly chuckled and remarked, "You know...when Monokuma first brought up the idea of the traitor, the way he described them- described me- I won't lie, I was a little offended. I mean, I had done my best to help everyone, to be a friend and a companion and a voice of reason, to be a supportive force in the class trials..."

His already fragile, small smile faltered even more as he went on, "But afterwards...I thought about it more, and I realized...Monokuma was right. All those things he said to describe me, bringing all my mistakes to light like that..."

Hiroshi's smile faded entirely, and his gaze turned towards the tabletop. "So many...I made so many mistakes...mistakes I can't even begin to talk about in this video alone..."

"When I think about it more, I realize maybe Monokuma branding me a 'traitor' wasn't really the right word to use after all," the coroner continued. "You know what would have been better, Hana? 'Coward'- that's what I really am."

It was at this point that Hana realized how...tired the Ultimate Coroner looked. Tired and...sad. "I know all about the killing game- why it's happening, who's behind it, how to stop it...but I didn't do anything with it..."

Hiroshi's gaze hardened a little as he explained, "In the beginning, I thought we'd be able to resist Monokuma's temptations, even with the memory loss- I hoped we'd be able to. Because, at the time, I...I didn't see the value in revealing the truth right off the bat. Sure, having the knowledge would have been a relief to you and everyone else, but- that knowledge alone is nothing unless it can be used. And at that time, knowing how to end the killing game wouldn't have meant a thing without me having to explain other...less savory things about the ones behind the killing game..."

He shook his head. "It's not that I planned to never tell you guys, I just...wanted to wait for the right time. For everyone's sake- especially yours, Hana."

Then, he sighed, pain entering his eyes. "But then Azami killed Mikio. And from that point on, the killing game...it was real, irreversible. And I felt like...I felt like if I told the others after that, then...then it would be worse than it would have been otherwise. To tell everyone the entire truth, I didn't...I didn't know how'd they'd take it, how'd they'd react to me...I didn't know how you'd handle the truth, Hana. The...The whole truth..."

Clenching his fists, Hiroshi went on, "But- no. Not anymore. There's no excusing what I've done- or, what I didn't do- but after everything that's happened...I won't let Monokuma and the mastermind manipulate us anymore. I can't bring back everyone who's died, and I'm sure the others will be furious with me...but I know what needs to be done."

He leaned in a bit as he said, "Hana, once this video's done, I'll answer any questions you have...and I'll also tell you everything. Everything about the killing game, about how to end it once again. I won't lie, though- it'll be a hard truth to accept, but it's the truth regardless. Because the truth is, Hana- we both had a role to play in this killing game."

Hana felt a small chill run down her spine as she heard that. 'Both' had a role...? W-What...?

Hiroshi sat back and took a little breath. "Now- I consider this to be the end of the video if I'm still alive. And if I am still alive, then by all means ignore this next part and click out of the video. But if I'm dead and I'm speaking to you posthumously, then- first of all, I'm sorry I won't be able to answer your questions. Second of all, pay attention."

"I've got some other things on this flashdrive- little...notes that I wrote up over time. They're in the other two 'forensics' folders- you shouldn't miss them, they're the only files that have a default name," Hiroshi explained. "Unfortunately, they won't be able to give you all the answers, but they should provide a good amount of information on the nature of this killing game. The rest...I'm not sure, admittedly."

He hesitated a moment, then looked straight at the camera- managing to make eye contact with Hana, despite being separated by a screen and by life and death. "And...Hana. If you're going to end the killing game, you'll find out the truth one way or another- and like I said, it'll be a hard pill to swallow. But I...I know you'll be alright."

"When the time comes, you'll have to make a choice- but I know you'll make the right one. Because that's the kind of person you are," Hiroshi insisted, a smile forming on his face. "The person who didn't stop fighting to find the truth, the person who tried her best to become friends with as many of her classmates as possible, the person who isn't afraid to show what she's feeling, the person I've come to care about so much...!"

He stopped himself, then concluded, still smiling, "That's the Hana I know. Whatever happens, whether I'm alive or dead, I will always believe in you- never forget that."

With that, he reached over and clicked something offscreen, and with that the video finally ended. However, the dining room remained engulfed in heavy silence; Hana herself was no different, finding herself staring at the screen even though the video was done.

"...Well...at least he explained himself..." Akira finally spoke up with a sigh. "I agree that he made many, many mistakes with keeping that information from us...and yet, oddly enough, I don't believe his actions were completely malicious. Misguided, I'd say- very misguided."

"Did you hear the way he was talking? I thought he was gonna start bawling right there on camera!" Ryoto pointed out, shocked. "And here Monokuma made the traitor sound like such a villain, but...I didn't get that from Hiroshi at all! Did you guys?"

"...No...I didn't..." Hinata begrudgingly admitted. "And that makes it hard for me to keep being mad at him, even though I really want to..."

"The way he explained it- it seems like him revealing the truth wouldn't have done us much good at that time...though he was vague, so I don't know why that was the case," Akira pointed out. "'That knowledge alone is nothing unless it can be used'...what's the meaning of those words...? And how does knowing the truth of the killing game tie into finding a way to end it?"

"I get why he didn't want to reveal everything just on video- sort of..." Asuna remarked with a sad frown. "But...still, it would have been nice if he'd been a little less cryptic. Then again, maybe he really didn't think he'd be murdered in the end. Hana, what do you-"

Then, the gardener's eyes widened in concern when she looked over at her silent classmate. "H-Hana-! Are you okay?"

"Huh-? Am I-?" Hana began, breaking out of her stupor- and it was then that she realized she had started crying, finally taking notice of the tears running down her face. "O-Oh! Uh- y-yeah, yeah, I'm fine, it's okay-"

She quickly wiped the tears away so as to not make Asuna or any of the others worry any more. "I'm...okay. Just...hearing him again, seeing him again, I guess it just..."

The surfer trailed off as the room fell into silence once more. Again, it was Akira who broke the silence by asking, "Amari- Ashi said you and him both 'had a role to play' in the making of this killing game. We know how he fits into all this, being the traitor, but- what do you suppose he meant when he said you had a role too?"

"...I wish I knew..." Hana quietly replied, turning back to the laptop. "I really, really wish he knew..."

"Well- he said something about having other files on the flashdrive, right? Files that'll give us some new information about the killing game," Asuna reminded the others. "Maybe...one of those will explain...?"

"Buuut I thought we were gonna talk about Hiroshi's case after the laptop stuff!" Ryoto protested. "Unless there's a photo of the killer in there, why would we go through the laptop's other junk?"

"That 'junk' could provide crucial information about the mysteries of the killing game- something we've been wondering about since the day we woke up here," Akira pointedly told him. "Now, we have answers right here in front of us- literally. Solving Ashi's murder is important, and it's the reason we're having another trial, but learning the secrets behind this game is important in its own right."

"...This laptop, the flashdrive, all the files on it- they were the last things Hiroshi left before he died. And he left them to me- to us- because he wanted us to find the truth about the killing game," Hana said to her classmates, determined. "I'm not gonna waste it, that's for sure."

"Ah...alright, since it looks like we've got a bit more time than before, I guess it wouldn't hurt to do a bit of extra sleuthing..." Hinata conceded, shrugging.

"I think it'd be a good idea," Asuna agreed with a nod.

"...Oooh, FINE! PEER PRESSURE WINS!" Ryoto yelled out in defeat.

"Glad we're all in agreement," Akira remarked before turning back to the laptop. "Now then- Amari, click out of that video, and go to one of the folders Ashi mentioned."

Hana nodded, somewhat reluctantly exiting the video and returning to the window showing 'forensics 3's contents. Clicking the 'back' arrow and returning to the main folder window, Hana couldn't help but feel the slightest hint of apprehension- just what kind of information was Hiroshi hiding on this flashdrive? However, she knew just sitting and worrying about it would do no good- and so, she moved the cursor over and clicked into the folder named 'forensics 1'.


A/N: And thus, the first part of the end is done, and already there were some pretty sizable reveals- the outdoors isn't really outdoors, Hiroshi's room looks very much like a crime scene, and the biggest reveal so far: Hiroshi Ashi was the traitor who still had all of his school memories, just like Monokuma described! But for as many reveals as this part had, there are still tons of questions to be had- and I hope you guys will stick around to speculate, because it's always interesting what kind of theories you guys come up with!

Also, here's an update for ya- school's been cancelled a bit longer for me now, so I am no longer going back on April 6th, instead sometime later in April. Which, even though I'll probably be getting online homework or something, is still good for you guys because it means I'll have even more time to work on Fractured Fates! So Part 2 of Deadly Life (which might be the last part before the trial, it might not, it'll depend) should be out in the near future, so be on the look out for that! Until then- goodbye for now, and I'll see you all next time!