Class Trial

We arrived in the courtroom. Kirishima-san's picture had an X chromosome over it. Karita-san's picture had a pair of crossed fingers, as if done behind a liar's back. Asakura-san's picture had an X made of two crossed headset microphones. Since our group was two thirds of what it had been at the start of the previous trial, and barely over a third of what it had been at the start of the killing game, the courtroom seemed much emptier.

"All right, just a quick warning before we get things started," Monokuma said. "If the spotless among you want to survive the trial, you've got to find out who killed both Asakura-san and Karita-san."

"And what about the blackened?" Kurogane-san said.

"Well, that gets trickier," Monokuma said. "If one of you killed both of the victim, then that person's got to get away with both murders. If, however, there are two killers, then only one can graduate, so that person's got to get away with their murder and catch the other blackened. It doesn't matter if either or both of the killers are already dead; you've got to convict that person- or those people- anyway."

I felt a chill go down my spine. With Monokuma's new rules, this class trial had become a lot more difficult for all concerned, and in the worst-case scenario, there might not be any survivors. Of course, if I didn't keep my head on straight, the worst-case scenario would become a lot more likely, so I calmed myself and thought about where to start.

"Let's start by discussing two simple questions," Sayuri-san said. "How many murderers do we have to identify? And how many of them are still alive?"

"I can think of a few different scenarios," I said. "The first and simplest one is that one of the six of us killed both victims. The second is that one of the victims killed the other, before being killed by a third party- again, one of the six of us. The third is that two of us are killers, one for each victim. The fourth one is that both of the victims somehow killed each other."

Perhaps subconsciously, I ranked the theories in the order of how much I wanted them to be true. The first scenario was the "least worst," since if we were able to prove that the culprit committed the first murder, then we could convince them to confess to the second, since they'd die either way if we managed to convict them for the first murder. The second scenario would be similar, but perhaps we could count on the living culprit's cooperation in solving the dead one's crime, since doing so would be as necessary for their survival as it was for ours. The third scenario would be more complex than anything that we had faced, but essentially the same problem, albeit resulting in two executions rather than one. The fourth, however, would require us to figure out the victims' actions without their own testimony, then sacrifice someone who had done nothing wrong.

None of them were pleasant outcomes, but I knew that some were worse than others. Unfortunately, I also knew that I couldn't choose which one was true. I'd have to find the truth and accept it; if I couldn't, I'd die along with the other spotless.

"At least according to the body discovery announcements, there can only be two killers, whether living or dead," Higurashi-san said. "Nagato-san, Himemiya-san and Sasaki-san discovered Asakura-kun's body, so none of them killed him. Kurogane-kun, Tachibana-san and I discovered Karita-kun's body, so the same applies for us in his case. As such, it isn't possible for anyone to have committed both murders."

"I agree," Tatsuki-san said. "Besides, under the motive, it makes no sense for the killer to kill two people. Even if one of the victims was the traitor, they'd still end up in a trial, so they wouldn't benefit from the motive."

"Unless they didn't know that," I said, "or the second murder wasn't planned."

"I'll concede that it's possible," Higurashi-san said, "but I still think it's more likely that there are two killers. In fact, it's possible that the second killer murdered the first, unaware that their victim was also a killer."

I nodded. To me, that possibility seemed most likely at this point, if only because it was the easiest to explain under the motive. Two people set out to kill the traitor, resulting in two murders, one of whom was the would-be killer. But did the second killer know what the first had done?

"That's true," I said. "If that were true, then it's possible that the culprit thought that their target was the traitor, and that once they killed them, they'd be eligible for Monokuma's offer."

"What the culprit thought doesn't matter, Nagato-san," Monokuma said. "The moment the second victim died, the deal was off."

I noticed that Monokuma didn't mention which of the two died first. Perhaps that would be important later, but for now, I had other things to discuss.

"I stand corrected," I said, "but it's possible that the blackened was unaware that someone else had committed murder."

"Perhaps," Himeno-san said, "but if they knew that three people besides the culprit would trigger the body discovery announcement, they likely led us to the victim that they didn't kill."

"That's a possibility, Himeno-chan," Sayuri said, "but I'm sure you recall that the two of us followed Chiyuri-chan's lead, while Nobuhiro-kun gave orders to Tatsuki-chan and Hikaru-kun. The only two people capable of doing what you described are our search team leaders."

"Exactly," Himeno said. "I'd like to point out that while hypothetically, Chiyuri could have used this as a way to exonerate herself of Asakura-san's murder by discovering his body, she didn't choose who would be on each team. Her plan would have been ruined if Higurashi-san's group had found the body first, or if he'd inadvertently put Asakura-san's killer into her group. Therefore, Higurashi-san, as the one responsible for setting up our groups and coordinating the search, is the most likely suspect for killing Asakura-san."

What Himeno-san was saying made a certain amount of sense. Higurashi-san had proposed the idea of my group searching the lower floors while his searched the upper floors. Of course, it still felt a bit soon to accuse him of Asakura's murder, much less both of them.

"I understand why you would suspect me, Himemiya-san," Higurashi-san said, "but are you saying I knew where to find Karita-kun's body in advance?"

"Perhaps you did," Himeno-san said, "since if only one person finds the body, nothing will happen. If you stumbled upon his body while killing Asakura-san, you could bring two other people to the location to trigger the body discovery announcement. You would still need to solve that murder and get away with the one you committed, but you would have an easier time evading suspicion."

I recalled Tatsuki-san and Kirishima-san's cases. Taiga-san had used her status as the only person besides Tatsuki-san who knew Kojima-san was dead to her advantage, creating a diversion that was vital to her plan to save her sister's life. Likewise, Himeno-san herself had found me lying unconscious near Kumakura-san's dead body, and had gone to get the others.

"It's possible that I did know where Karita-kun's body was," Higurashi-san said, "but wouldn't it have been possible for my group to stumble upon Asakura-kun's body first, or at least before your group did? If that happened, and I was guilty of killing him, only two people would discover the body, and the body discovery announcement wouldn't trigger."

I shook my head. There still wasn't enough proof to connect Higurashi-san to either murder, but his argument didn't exonerate him.

"Ordinarily, no," I said, "but I can think of two reasons why the possibility you described wouldn't happen. For one, your group would finish searching the floor and find Karita-san's body before returning to the elevator. It's only a coincidence that my group found Asakura's body when we did, mainly because we decided to take the rear elevator up."

If we hadn't, then it was anyone's guess as to when we'd find Asakura's body, or which group would be the first to do so. The rear elevator had been on the third floor, between the areas we covered, and while it was possible that Higurashi-san's group would remain behind to guard the crime scene, if they hadn't, they'd be just as likely to find the body first.

"R-Right," Higurashi-san said. "What's your other point?"

"The body discovery announcement rule has just been revised," I said. "Monokuma said that in cases like this, three people besides the blackened need to discover the first body, but only two need to discover the second body. Because of that, it's possible for Karita-san's killer to be part of your group."

"Quite true," Himeno-san said. "I didn't mention that earlier because I thought you knew already."

Himeno-san glanced at Higurashi-san with a suspicious look on her face. One would think that if he was the killer, he'd be shocked upon being cornered, but there was only confusion in his eyes.

"Really?" Higurashi-san said. "That's the first time I've heard it."

"Me too," Tatsuki-san said.

"Same here," Kurogane-san said.

"Whoopsie!" Monokuma said. "It looks like I forgot to tell your group."

After a moment of thought, I realized that while the new rule about the body discovery announcement was rather inconvenient, Monokuma's oversight actually worked to my advantage.

"So you didn't tell anyone prior to the murder?" I said.

"Not at all!" Monokuma said. "This is the first time your class has had to deal with a situation like this. Naegi-san and Miura-san's classes went through something similar, but it was in their third cases, rather than their fifth."

I paused for a moment. While I knew that Higurashi-san might have killed Asakura-san, and the because of the change in the body discovery announcement rules, he might also have killed Karita-san, whether he had actually killed either of them was another question.

"That explains it," I said. "In fact, I think that this makes Higurashi-san less suspicious."

"How so?" Himeno-san said. "As we discussed, his group was almost certain to find Karita-san's body before Asakura-san's, an outcome he likely anticipated when he set up the search teams. As you said, if he knew Karita-san was dead, he must have been certain his group would find Karita-san's body before our group found Asakura-san."

"Yes, and he's still a suspect for Asakura's murder," I said, "but he had no way of knowing whether he'd find Karita-san's body before we found Asakura's. It's not as though he went straight to the robotics lab, right?"

"Not at all," Kurogane-san said. "We actually checked the rest of the floor first. We only thought to investigate the robotics lab after we saw the blood trail between it and the elevator."

My argument had been based on a hunch, but luckily for me, it had panned out. In fact, if Higurashi-san's group and mine had found the victims' bodies at the same time, then it was only natural that we'd find them in the last place we looked on our respective floors. Maybe the robotics lab hadn't been the very last place Higurashi-san's group had looked, they had to ride the elevator up, but they'd have found Karita-san first if he'd gone straight there.

"I thought so," I said. "Since the blood trail connected the elevator and the robotics lab, wouldn't it be equally likely that you'd decide to check the elevator first?"

"I believe so," Tatsuki-san said, "since maybe the victim decided to go there. Of course, I suspected that the bleeding person had headed inside the robotics lab before dying, so I asked to search there first."

So this time, my assumption wasn't quite correct. Luckily for me, though, the others seemed to follow my logic.

"True," Himeno-san said, "but we need to find out which victim's body was discovered first."

I nodded, then recalled the evidence that I'd gotten. I was fairly sure of the answer, but wanted to make sure there was no doubt about it.

"I think my group discovered Asakura's body first," I said. "I know I'm probably the most likely living suspect for his murder given my history with him, so you probably think I'm trying to make something up to clear myself of suspicion, but..."

"It's fine, Chiyuri-san," Tatsuki-san said. "I think I know what you're talking about- how we didn't immediately spot Karita-kun's body, right?"

A proverbial lightbulb turned on over my head- an apt image given the subject we were discussing.

"Yes, that's it," I said. "Could you please share what you saw when you checked the robotics lab?"

"The lights were off in the robotics lab when we entered," Tatsuki-san said. "As I was feeling around for the switch, I heard the sound of an email on my student handbook. I think that, in all likelihood, your group discovered Asakura-kun's body first. The second ping only came after I turned on the lights, and the boys followed me into the lab, thereby discovering Asakura-kun's body."

"That makes sense," Himeno-san said, "but is there any reason you might not be sure?"

"Well, the lights were off," Kurogane-san said. "After all, it doesn't count as a body discovery if we can't see the body, right?"

"Not at all," Monokuma said. "I'm a bit surprised that none of the killers so far ever thought to hide the bodies."

Feasibility issues aside, I knew that the killers who were trying to graduate wanted the bodies to be discovered at some point, since they couldn't graduate unless a class trial was held. As for the others, the twins must have known it was only a matter of time before someone found Kojima-san's body or noticed the blood on Tatsuki-san's overalls, while Akira-san only realized that she was responsible for Mihama-san's death near the end of the trial.

"So at this point, it doesn't seem possible for anyone in Nagato-san's group to have killed Asakura-kun," Higurashi-san said, "but my group and Karita-kun are still suspects. Unfortunately, under Monokuma's rules, any of us could have killed Karita-kun."

I nodded ruefully. I was somewhat relieved that we could rule out two of our more obvious suspects for Asakura's killing- the girl he had a grudge against and the girl who wielded a bow- but we were even further away from finding Karita-san's killer than we'd been at the start of the trial.

"At this point, I don't think we have enough evidence to say who did it or how many killers there are," I said, "so let's start looking into the murders themselves."

"Which one should we focus on first?" Tatsuki-san said.

"Let's start with Asakura-kun," Sayuri-san said. "That murder seems simpler, and thus easier to solve."

"Yes, it is," Higurashi-san said, "but let's switch gears and talk about Karita-kun if we run into a dead end."

While Higurashi-san was a suspect in Asakura-san's murder, he raised a valid point. We didn't know how much time Monokuma was planning on giving us for this trial, so even if we intended to divide the remaining time up evenly- 40 percent for one murder, 40 percent for the other and maybe 20 percent to finalize our conclusions and decide who we'd vote for- it wouldn't do any good if we didn't know how much time was equal to 20 or 40 percent.

"I agree," I said. "Not only is our time limited, but it's likely that the two incidents are connected, and we won't solve them just by focusing on one of them. That said, Sayuri-san's right, and Asakura's probably the best place to start."

"I think so, too," Tatsuki-san said. "Chiyuri-san, you and the other girls investigated the murder together, right?"

The three of us said, "We did," together.

"Good," Tatsuki-san said. "I got a glimpse at the body and the crime scene, but I'd appreciate if you could get the rest of us up to speed."

"The cause of Asakura-san's death was clearly the arrow lodged in his chest," Himeno-san said. "However, there was not enough blood in the elevator to suggest that Asakura-san died of blood loss. Furthermore, while the arrow lodged in his gut would have required medical attention, I doubt it hit a vital spot, since it seemed as though he was able to walk away from where he'd been standing when the arrow hit"

"Maybe he was killed on another floor," Kurogane-san said, "and there was a blood trail there. I saw a small blood trail leading to the back elevator on the fifth floor, but that wasn't enough blood to suggest that he'd bled to death."

It was possible that his body had been dragged, but if it had, one of the survivors would probably have blood on them, I could rule that theory out. The same went for Karita-san.

"We didn't see a blood pool or trail on the ground floor, either," Sayuri-san said, "well, apart from the elevator."

"Or the third floor," Tatsuki-san said. "He was most likely attacked on the fifth floor."

All this seemed reasonable enough, but Higurashi-san wasn't convinced. Maybe he didn't know of the evidence that might prove this theory, or he was worried about being accused of the killing.

"Yes, but how is the third floor relevant?" Higurashi-san said. "The blood trail was on the fifth floor, but you found his body in the rear elevator on the first floor, right?"

"We did, but the elevator wasn't originally on the first floor," I said. "When we called the elevator, the display showed a 3, indicating that it was on the third floor at the time- I can't say how long it was there, though. Besides, there's a bloody fingerprint on the 3 button, so Asakura probably tried to go there."

"That's certainly strange," Higurashi-san said. "If I committed a murder, I would want to get as far away from the crime scene as possible, so I'd have gone to the ground floor. What could Asakura-kun's destination have been?"

I had to agree with his theory, but Asakura must have known that with an arrow in his stomach, people would realize that he'd been wounded in an altercation with the victim, and thus be a lot more suspicious. Maybe he could spin a lie about being attacked by the "real" killer, but few would believe him.

"The chemical lab," I said. "I noticed that someone took out some Strike-9 poison, and probably coated the arrowhead with it. Asakura must have realized he was poisoned and gone to the chemical lab in order to get an antidote. It would explain why he died of the arrow even if he hadn't bled to death."

I couldn't recall the symptoms associated with Strike-9 poison, or how quickly it would kill. That said, Asakura probably would know if he'd been poisoned, or at least found it suspicious that his killer would only shoot him with one arrow. As I realized at the archery dojo, it would seem like common sense to take multiple arrows, regardless of whether the killer planned on turning Asakura into human pincushion or poisoning him with a single shot.

"So the killer most likely took the poison out," Sayuri-san said, "but do you know who that is?"

"Unfortunately, not at the moment," I said. "There was a bow near Karita-san's body, as well as a key in his pocket, but we don't know about the poison. It seems most likely that the killer took the poison out, applied it to the arrow and then put the poison back, possibly to take the poisoned arrow out of the technology center without breaking Monokuma's rules prohibiting the poison from leaving the building."

"Very astute, Nagato-san," Monokuma said, "but if the killer tried to poison the food in the dining hall, they would have been punished."

I recalled Monokuma's rule against poisoning food, and how he'd wanted more complex murders. If the murder had been simpler, we probably wouldn't still be trying to make heads or tails of it, but if the killer hadn't left any clues behind, we'd have no hope of survival. Luckily for us, there was a clue, one that would help us unravel the murder plot.

"If anything, this would explain why the killer only took one arrow from the archery dojo," I said. "If the killer hit Asakura with a poisoned arrow, it wouldn't matter where the arrow landed. Without a poison arrow, it would likely take multiple hits to finish him off, assuming the killer couldn't hit a vital spot."

Based on this information, Himeno-san could not be suspected merely because of her skill with a bow; the crime seemed too amateurish for someone like her. Maybe she could have killed Karita-san, but she was one of the least likely suspects for Asakura's murder.

"Yes, I agree that the killer tried to take advantage of the loophole," Higurashi-san said, "but Asakura-kun's murder did ultimately take place in the technology center."

"It's possible that the killer found Asakura-san when he was just getting off the rear elevator, then attacked and killed him," Himeno-san said, "but that wouldn't explain the blood trail on the fifth floor, or the fact that there was a bloody fingerprint on the button for the third floor. At this point, I can only imagine that it's a coincidence that the killer ran into Asakura-san while inside the technology center."

I realized we'd hit a wall when it came to Asakura-san's death. We had some idea how he was killed, but nothing to prove who killed him or the events leading up to it. I could think of a few people who might have done it, but no solid evidence to prove that they had, so asking us to vote on a suspect at this point would amount to a collective game of Russian Roulette.

"I think we've figured out all we can about Asakura's murder," I said, "so let's talk about Karita-san's case. As Tatsuki-san said earlier, Asakura was attacked on the fifth floor, so it's possible his case is connected to Karita-san's."

"Good luck with that," Kurogane-san said. "His murder's even stranger than Asakura-kun's."

I recalled the Monokuma File, and briefly regretted changing the subject. Of course, we'd have to solve the mystery of his cause of death sooner or later, and maybe we could do so now that the six of us were together.

"The main question is how Karita-kun died," Tatsuki-san said. "The boys and I couldn't find any traces of what might have killed him, and nothing turned up when I went with Chiyuri-san."

"That's true," Kurogane-san said. "We found the Spear of Gungnir at the crime scene, stuck in a monitor. It seems like the killer brought it there to use as a weapon against Karita-kun, even if they didn't actually stab him with it."

"That sounds most likely," Sayuri-san said. "Himeno-chan and I saw it in the gallery just before noon. It was probably taken out some time between then and the murder."

"And as I mentioned earlier, I saw Asakura-kun around the gallery at around 1 PM," Higurashi-san said. "I didn't go inside to check to see whether the spear was still there, though."

So there was no proof as to who was responsible for stealing the spear. Asakura was a suspect, but it was a bit premature to say that he was responsible.

"That's useful information," Kurogane-san said. "However, since Karita-kun was not injured with the spear, we can't call that his cause of death."

As Kurogane-san had said a little while ago, that was probably the most baffling aspect of the case. Ordinarily, one would assume that Karita-san's killer stabbed him with the spear, but while it was obvious that they failed, how did they kill him?

"I would suggest that he was poisoned, like Asakura-kun was," Sayuri-san said, "but there aren't any wounds on his body, so he couldn't have been stabbed with a poisoned weapon."

"There are other ways for the poison to enter his body," Himeno-chan said, "but none that would work in a heated struggle. Besides, if the culprit got close enough to stab Karita-san, I'm guessing the spear would have been found buried in his body, rather than the monitor."

"I agree," I said, "although the Monokuma File didn't mention that he didn't have any chemicals in his system, a bit like Kumakura-san."

In Kumakura-san's case, the muscle relaxants were only a way for the killer to make him vulnerable enough to be murdered, so it was possible that Monokuma could have given us that hint without giving the killer away. Of course, Karita-san being poisoned was only a possibility, and not a very likely one."

"Since I never actually went to the other crime scene, I'd like to know somethig," Sayuri-san said. "Might Karita-kun have been strangled to death?"

"He wasn't," Kurogane-san said. "Not only was he not wearing his uniform's tie, but there weren't any weapons that could be used for strangulation at the scene, nor any proof that they'd been used for that purpose. Besides, Karita-san doesn't have any bruises or other signs of injury around his neck."

"Yes, the Monokuma File didn't mention any injuries like the ones you describe," Sayuri-san said, "but isn't it possible that it left them out?"

"It is," Kurogane-san said, "if it's necessary to obfuscate some clue that would have given the killer away too easily. For example, Monokuma would keep the time of death secret if only one person could have done it in that time, or would hide the cause of death if the killer had tried to keep that a secret. The only thing it mentions is the burn on his hand."

Having exhausted all other possibilities, the answer finally occurred to me. It seemed somewhat preposterous, but it was the only answer I knew of that connected the pieces of evidence we had.

"I think I know how Karita-san died," I said. "He was electrocuted. The spear pierced the monitor, and Karita-san must have touched the shaft, which would explain the burns on his left hand."

"But would that count as murder, or an accidental death?" Sayuri-san said.

"If someone else threw the spear, then they were clearly intending to kill Karita-san," I said. "Maybe they never predicted that Karita-san would be electrocuted, but they were clearly trying to kill Karita-san. I think Monokuma would agree."

"That's right!" Monokuma said. "Assuming things happened as you said, then whoever threw the spear killed Karita-san."

Monokuma's answer was par for the course when it came to him. Not only was he unwilling to disclose more than was necessary, but he was hoping that it would turn out to be a murder- that we'd been betrayed by one of our own once again.

"Then the only thing left for us to do is to find out who did," Higurashi-san said, "and then we'll be able to solve Karita-san's case."

"True," I said. "At this point, it seems most likely that Karita-san died where he was attacked, while Asakura was able to get to the elevator before he died. As such, Karita-san most likely died slightly earlier than Asakura did."

"I agree," Tatsuki-san said. "The only question is why Asakura-kun's killer would let him get to the elevator. If Asakura-kun had taken an arrow to the gut, I doubt he could have run very quickly, even if the elevator's just across the hall."

"If Asakura-kun was fatally poisoned, then the killer knew he would die soon," Sayuri-san said, "and might have tried to get away to create an alibi for his time of death."

Tatsuki-san shook her head. None of the murderers prior to this trial, including her, had ever had to deal with an injured but not quite dead victim, so what Asakura's killer would have done was anyone's guess. Then again, she was understandably doubtful about Sayuri-san's guess.

"That's possible, Sayuri-san," Tatsuki-san said, "but if Asakura-kun lived long enough report the attack, then the killer would easily have been exposed. Regardless of whether he was the traitor or their intended target, the killer could't afford to take that risk."

So if what Tatsuki-san had said was true, and Asakura's killer had seen him leave the robotics lab after being shot with the poisoned arrow, then it was possible that Asakura's killer had also killed Karita-san, and had acted to silence a potential witness to their crime. It sounded like a plausible theory, but the use of a poisoned arrow and the necessary prep work seemed to suggest that it was used in a premeditated killing. As such, I decided to keep my theories to myself until I could prove them.

"Assuming we believed Asakura-san," Himeno-san said. "He's not a professional liar like Karita-san, but as someone who was on poor terms with the rest of the group, I doubt many of us would have been willing to listen to what he had to say."

"Of course, it's all a moot point," Sayuri-san said. "He barely even made it to the elevator, let alone out of the building, so he must have been solely focused on getting the antidote in his final minutes."

"So the person who took the poison is the culprit for Asakura-kun's murder," Higurashi-san said, "and, at minimum, this person most likely knows who killed Karita-kun. Now, we just have to find out who that person is."

While we'd managed to find out what had killed both of the victims, we'd once again run into a dead end when it came to linking the two incidents together, so our decision to change the subject was only a partial success. I was about to bring up the one piece of evidence that would either complicate this case or simplify it, but Tatsuki-san was one step ahead of me.

"Yes, but something's odd," Tatsuki-san said. "Chiyuri-san and I found a time stamp for the removal of the Strike-9 poison, and it says it was taken out at 2:10 PM- no date is listed. It doesn't say who took it, though."

"At that time today, everyone has an alibi," I said, "namely, Tatsuki-san's concert. The only ones who didn't know about it were the victims."

If the culprit tried to commit murder during that time, they should know that they'd immediately become the prime suspect if they were the only one alive who hadn't shown up to the concert. None of the six of us were dumb enough to make that sort of mistake, so the only way one of us could have committed the murder was by setting up a death trap, but there was no proof that anything like that took place.

"That's true," Tatsuki-san said, "but considering that the killer would have needed to create an alibi, might they have tried to set things up so that Asakura-kun died while I was playing and everyone else was listening to me?"

"In theory," I said, "but they couldn't fake the time that they accessed the cabinet. The culprit had to be present in the chemical lab when they retrieved the Strike-9 poison."

"Are you sure?" Himeno-san said. "Maybe the poison was removed at 2:10 PM yesterday or the day before. If no one went to the technology center, the killer could have used the time stamp to fool us."

I'd considered the possibility Himeno-san had mentioned, so I knew where she was coming from. If I was the killer, I would definitely

"That's technically possible," I said, "but there are two problems with that. The killer could have timed it to fall during Tatsuki-san's concert, but Tatsuki-san only announced the time this morning."

"What about the afternoon classes?" Himeno-san said.

"They generally let out within 10 minutes," I said, "and the killer didn't know that Asakura and Karita-san would skip them on the day of the murder. If all of us had shown up, then their plan to take out the poison at a time when they had the alibi wouldn't work."

"That's a fair point," Himeno-san said, "but what about Tatsuki? She could have used the time stamp to make it seem as though the poison was taken out during her concert, since she was the one who decided the time."

"She was in the performing arts center for most of the day," I said. "Assuming Higurashi-san is telling the truth, Karita-san could only have been killed after 12:45 PM, Asakura could only have been killed after 1 PM. It would have been difficult, albeit not impossible, for her to commit both murders in the half hour between when you and Sayuri-san spotted her, and when she left for the afternoon classes."

Himeno-san looked at me expectantly. She obviously wasn't fully convinced just yet, but she seemed less suspicious of Tatsuki-san than she had been of Higurashi-san, a sentiment I personally shared. With that in mind, I was sure that she'd listen to the next and more decisive piece of evidence.

"Second, Monokuma will only let us take the Strike-9 poison out of the cabinet if we plan on using it," I said. "He even told me to put it back once I was done investigating. Tatsuki-san can confirm this."

"Yes, I remember hearing that," Tatsuki-san said. "The one thing I don't understand is how the Strike-9 was accessed when everyone had an alibi. If any of us hadn't shown up, that person would be our prime suspect right now."

"But all of us did," I said, "except for the victims, of course."

"No one told them about the concert," Sayuri-san said. "Perhaps the killer was hoping that they wouldn't attend, but any of us could have passed the message along."

"True," Tatsuki-san said, "but it was ultimately up to them whether to attend. Besides, none of us would have been happy to have them around, so we didn't really want to invite them. As for everyone else, though, I can confirm that no one left the performing arts center while I was playing, and my pre-show preparations left too little time to get over to the technology center."

I paused for a moment, at which point I came to an epiphany. Tatsuki-san's concert wasn't meant to provide the killer an alibi; in fact, it made it harder for the killer to carry out their plan. No one in their right minds would have proceeded with their murder plan with all the people who could take the fall for the murder enjoying a concert far from the crime scene... assuming they knew about the concert, that is.

"The most important point is that all six of us knew about the concert," I said, "and headed straight over to the music center together after our afternoon lecture ended. There are only two people who didn't know- the victims."

"True," Tatsuki-san said, "but what are you getting at?"

"If not for your concert, we'd likely have spread out around campus, as we always did," I said. "If we had, it's almost certain that no two of us would be in the same place at the same time, meaning that no one would have an alibi. If someone had gotten killed during that time, virtually everyone would have been a possible suspect, and it would have been very difficult to narrow down the list of suspects."

"Quite true," Tatsuki-san said. "Any of us had at least a 30 minute interval in which we could have killed the victims and gotten away with it, assuming we didn't have anything to narrow down when the victims died."

Because of that, I was grateful for the chemical lab time stamp, which was the only piece of evidence apart from Higurashi-san's testimony that could prove when the killings had taken place.

"I also agree with Chiyuri's points," Himeno-san said, "but of course, we all know that isn't what actually happened. Instead, if one of the two victims had ended up dead during the concert, we'd have immediately suspected the other absentee."

"Yes, I'm sure we would," I said, "but the fact that two killings occurred seems to be proof that things didn't go according to the culprit's plan, since if they were going for the traitor, they could only kill one person. As for the pool of suspects, none of us could have retrieved the poison or put it back while Tatsuki-san was playing, but if that's true..."

I stopped short, realizing what I was about to say and what it meant.

"Chiyuri-chan?" Sayuri-san said. "You look like you've realized something."

I paused for a moment, since once again, my words would sentence someone to death if I was right, and doom all of us if I was wrong. The fact that I'd succeeded before didn't lessen the pressure I felt, nor did the fact that I knew that this trial would not have a happy ending. Once again, I'd have to shed light on the truth behind the mystery, and accept the consequences of doing so.

"I did," I said. "I believe it's possible that both victims... killed each other."

The others were silent for a moment, and I realized that the hardest part of the trial was at hand. Up until now, the killers had, after being accused, given testimony that had ended up incriminating themselves, while Akira-san confessed everything once she realized what she'd inadvertently done. It was impossible for a dead student to give testimony, so neither Asakura-san nor Karita-san could say or do anything to prove themselves guilty.

"You're sure about this?" Higurashi-san said.

"As much as I'll ever be," I said. "The evidence we have rules out all other possibilities."

"But how did this happen?" Kurogane-san said. "Asakura-kun took a few minutes to die, but Karita-kun died instantly, didn't he?"

I nodded. The pieces were starting to fit together, revealing a very disturbing picture.

"That's true," I said, "which is why I believe that while Karita-san died first, it was after he'd wounded Asakura with the poisoned arrow. Once Karita-san was electrocuted and Asakura was fatally poisoned, Asakura must have headed for the chemical lab, thereby creating the blood trail that led from the robotics lab to the rear elevator on the fifth floor."

"Yes, that does explain a lot," Tatsuki-san said. "It would also explain how Asakura-kun accidentally turned the lights off in the robotics lab, leaving blood on the wall and the switch."

"True," Himeno-san said, "but while we have established that both victims were on the fifth floor, there's still one thing that doesn't fit. Namely, how the two of them ended up in a place that Higurashi-san told us was off limits to everyone else."

I couldn't help but shrug. Ordinarily, we'd be able to determine who the killer was by narrowing it down to who had gone near the crime scene at the time of the murder, but Karita-san and Asakura's whereabouts today had largely been unknown.

"Obviously, Karita-san went to get the poison for the arrows," I said, "but I can only guess about Asakura. Maybe he followed Karita-san there, hoping to kill him. If Karita-san was the traitor, maybe Asakura wouldn't need to have Karita-san's body discovered to be rewarded for killing the traitor, while if he wasn't the traitor, maybe Asakura hoped he wouldn't have to go through a class trial."

At this point, if either of the killers were alive, they'd probably desperately try to argue in their defense, telling lies that would only end up further proving their guilt. They might have been responsible for us ending up in a class trial in the first place, but there were times when they helped us solve the problem they caused, so I had to appreciate that. Unfortunately, we had no such luck this time.

"I'd just like to clarify something," Higurashi-san said. "If what Nagato-san is saying is true, who would be responsible for Karita-kun's death? Asakura-kun, who threw the spear? Or Karita-kun who touched it?"

"Asakura-san, obviously," Monokuma said. "Like I said earlier, if Nagato-san is right, it was kind of an accident, but it was an accident that had the end result he hoped for."

"You're unusually cooperative this time, Monokuma," I said.

"Eh, what difference does it make?" Monokuma said. "You seem pretty sure of your theory, so nothing I say will change it. Just hurry up and get it over with, 'cause if you're right, it's not like either of the culprits are alive to confess."

It was rather unsettling for Monokuma to suggest I was on to something, but he had a point. My theory was complete, and now, the only thing left to do was to convince everyone else of it. Even if there wasn't a culprit around to confess, I could present my case to make sure everyone understood and believed me.

"I suppose I should summarize everything, just so we all understand it," I said. "Everyone, please let me know if there's any part that you don't understand or disagree with."

The crime took place this afternoon, while Tatsuki-san was holding a concert in the performing arts center. Both of the victims, who were unaware of the concert, were actually planning on killing each other after afternoon classes let out, when virtually no one would have an alibi.

The two killers must have obtained their weapons during the afternoon lecture. Karita-san procured a bow and an arrow from the archery dojo, locking the locker and taking the key so he could stash his weapon there later, and set out to the technology center to obtain the Strike-9 poison to use on his arrow. Asakura-san stole the Spear of Gungnir from the museum, and also headed for the museum, likely for the same purpose. Maybe he saw Karita-san heading there, or maybe he headed there for his own reasons; we may never know for certain.

Karita-san must have lured Asakura into the robotics lab on the top floor or Asakura must have followed him there, possibly so one could kill the other. Whatever happened, Karita-san succeeded in shooting Asakura with the poisoned arrow. Asakura threw the Spear of Gungnir at Karita-san, but missed him and hit a nearby machine. Karita-san accidentally touched the spear as it was embedded in the machine, and was instantly electrocuted. The conveyor belt was still on at the moment, and carried Karita-san's body to the end of the line.

As for Asakura, he must have known that Karita-san had poisoned him and left the room, turning off the lights and leaving a trail of blood as he did. He hurried to the elevator, most likely intending to go to the third floor so that he could find an antidote, and left a bloody fingerprint on the button as he did. Unfortunately for him, he never made it there. He succumbed to the poison and collapsed in the elevator, after pushing the button for the third floor. Both victims' bodies lay where they fell- in the elevator and at the end of the conveyor belt- until my and Higurashi-san's groups searched for them on Monokuma's order and found them. There is only one answer to what otherwise seems like an impossible murder.

In short, Satoshi Karita-san and Yuichi Asakura both killed each other. I can see no other possible explanation.

The others were speechless for a moment. Maybe they were expecting the killer to confess, like they had in three out of the preceding four trials (in Akira-san's case, her final case summary was her confession), but ultimately realized it would never happen. They would ultimately have to decide whether they believed me, and whether they were willing to risk their lives to choose the culprits I had identified.

"This... seems to be true," Tatsuki-san said.

"I agree, Tatsuki-chan," Sayuri-san said, "but I certainly don't want to believe this happened."

"Me neither," Kurogane-san said.

"If I thought something was off, I wouldn't hesitate to tell you," Himeno-san said. "I suspected Higurashi-san at first, but can't argue with your theory"

"So the majority has spoken," Higurashi-san said. "Well, Monokuma? Are we right?"

"I'm not about to spoil it," Monokuma said, "but it'd be pretty darn disappointing if you were. You seem pretty confident, though, so give it a shot! Just remember- you've got to get both killers right if you want to live- first you vote for Asakura-san's killer, then Karita-san's!"

That bit of information would help prevent us from getting confused during the vote, but it ultimately didn't change what we'd have to do. As horrifying as the aftermath of this trial would be, we had to get the culprits right, or we wouldn't even make it that far.

"Without any further ado, it's voting time!" Monokuma said. "Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?"

We then cast our votes, choosing Karita-san as Asakura's killer and Asakura as Karita-san's killer, and both results were unanimous. The dice rolled twice, showing Karita-san, then Asakura, with a "GUILTY" each time.

The courtroom was quiet as the six of us waited with nervous anticipation, until Monokuma spoke.

"Well, looks like you got them both right," Monokuma said, with a melancholy voice. "Satoshi Karita-san and Yuichi Asakura-san were killed by...each other."

We let out a collective sigh of relief. No matter how tragic the outcome of a class trial was, it was always preferable to the spotless being executed. This was especially true this time, because if we hadn't gotten both killers right, all of us would have been executed.

"But this is quite a disappointment," Monokuma said. "If neither of the blackened are alive, we can't have an execution, or even the part in which they break down and tell you why they did it. Then again, it's a good thing I thought of Rule 16 before the killing started."

We all gasped in terror, with Monokuma's words immediately dispelling any joy we had over this outcome. We weren't out of the woods just yet, and knew that it was still possible for any of us to end up dying.

"In other words, one of you will have to volunteer... or get volunteered; I don't care which," Monokuma said. "Someone's going to have to die, and preferably, someone you all care about. It's no fun when the two least popular students kill each other, after all."

"You son of a bitch!" I said, the word escaping my mouth before my mind even understood what I was saying. "You don't give a rat's ass about being fair, do you?"

The others turned to me, almost as shocked by what had come out of my mouth as they had at Monokuma's decision to enforce Rule 16. At least the latter had been presaged by the rules and Monokuma's personality.

"Watch your language, Nagato-san!" Monokuma said. "Didn't your mother raise you better than that?"

"Yes, she raised me well," I said, "at the very least, better than your mother raised you."

Monokuma ignored that last remark. Maybe he didn't care enough about his mother to be offended by any insults toward her; I, on the other hand, had seethed when some bullies had claimed that Mom was a prostitute who was planning on having me follow in her footsteps. Alternatively, he, being a robot, didn't have a mother, or at least not one he recognized as such.

"Well, disregarding Nagato-san's outburst, you all know you have a decision to make," Monokuma said. "I'll give you a couple minutes to talk it out, and then you'll have to vote for whoever you want to die. Don't even think about trying to get around this by voting for one of the dead students; anyone who tries that will be treated as a non-voter and be executed. So you'd better make sure you agree on someone."

So in other words, all of us would have to participate, and most of us would have the blood of the sacrificed person on our hands. But that was assuming we agreed on someone. Since we'd never had to actually face that scenario before, I could only guess who each of my classmates was most willing to sacrifice.

"What happens if there's a tie?" Kurogane-san said.

"Then both the people you voted for get executed," Monokuma said, "or all three if it's a three-way tie. If everyone votes for a different person, then I'll execute them all and leave the one person who didn't get anyone's vote alive. Of course, it'd be even better if you came to a decision as a group, and the person who has to take one for the team knows how and why they got chosen, which is why I'm letting you discuss this. So start talking; time's a-wastin'."

We were all at a loss for words for a moment, knowing that two facts made our predicament especially cruel. The first was that none of us was necessarily a bad person, so there weren't any "expendable" people ready to be sacrificed. The second was that none of us were willing to sacrifice someone for the greater good.

"I...I think we should begin by ruling out some people," Himeno-san said. "Since Chiyuri has been our primary mystery solver ever since Akira died, we can't afford to lose her."

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved about getting through this vote alive, but I wasn't looking forward to finding out who would have to die so I would live. In fact, if we couldn't decide soon, I might end up dying with most of the rest of the class anyway.

"M-Maybe not," I said, "but I don't think we should sacrifice Mom, either. She hasn't played any role in any of the murders so far, and has done everything she can to see to it that we don't kill each other."

No one seemed to dispute either assertion, which wasn't too surprising. Unfortunately, even if we agreed on who didn't deserve to die, it wouldn't necessarily bring us any closer to figuring out who would.

"As selfish as it might sound, I don't want to see Sayuri die, either," Himeno-san said. "I don't think anyone here has a strong desire to vote for her, do they?"

"I think the same goes for you, too, Himeno-chan," Sayuri-san said, "or any of the other survivors, really, which is the problem. No one here wants to die, and no one wants to kill anyone, either, right?"

"It seems so," Higurashi-san said, "but like on the third island, if someone doesn't get sacrificed, all of us will be executed."

Tatsuki-san sighed, since she was probably the most troubled by this instance of killing game history repeating. Perhaps in the end, everything that had happened, from Taiga-san's sacrifice to Mihama-san and Kumakura-san's deaths, only delayed her demise.

"So... I guess there's only one choice," Tatsuki-san said, "m-me, r-right? Unlike me, the rest of you haven't done anything wrong, have you?"

Higurashi-san shook his head. His stern expression clearly wasn't saying "No, we haven't," but "You're wrong."

"Out of the question," Higurashi-san said. "You're scared, aren't you?"

"Yes, I was," Tatsuki-san said with a hesitant nod, "but I'm sure Taiga was, too, even as she pretended to be me and died in my place. Kojima-kun was probably also frightened if he'd tried to graduate, bring Azuki-san with him and find out about his family and friends. There's no reason why I should hold back and let someone die in my stead just because I'm afraid."

"Maybe not," Higurashi-san said, "but there's no reason you have to. Monokuma is letting the six of us vote, so your classmates should have some say in deciding who has to die."

Tatsuki-san giggled bitterly.

"Indeed," Tatsuki-san said, "and what do you suppose they'd choose?"

"To survive without killing anyone, if they could," Higurashi-san said, "but thanks to Monokuma, that isn't an option. He wants us to choose to sacrifice someone else to save ourselves, but that doesn't mean that we'll go with the obvious or easy choice."

Tatsuki-san looked around, and saw that none of us wanted to execute her. We might have been forced to vote for her in the second trial, but we didn't want this.

"Besides," Higurashi-san said, "considering that Monokuma is acting as though Taiga-san is alive and Tatsuki-san is dead, if we wanted to sacrifice Tatsuki-san, we'd have to vote for Taiga-san... but I'm not even 100 percent sure about that. The last thing I want is for anyone to get confused, vote for the wrong sister and get executed."

"Well, you lost me," Monokuma said, "since Tatsuki-san got charbroiled at the end of the second trial."

From what I could gather if we wanted to sacrifice Tatsuki-san, we'd need to press Taiga-san's button during the vote. Of course, even if that was true, there was still a chance that someone would push Tatsuki-san's button instead and pay for that mistake with their life.

"Then I guess I'll make things simple," Higurashi-san said. "Please vote for me; I'm the only one who needs to die for Asakura-kun and Karita-kun's crimes."

"Th-That isn't fair, Higurashi-kun," Tatsuki-san said. "Unlike me, you haven't done anything wrong."

"Maybe not," Himeno-san said, but I think that Higurashi-san's motive for wanting to sacrifice himself is more honest and selfless than yours. He doesn't deserve to die, but if someone has to, it may as well be him... assuming you don't think someone like me, who's cowardly enough to propose such a thing, deserves it more."

"Not at all, Himeno-chan," Sayuri-san said. "I don't want to have to do this, but... I'm voting for Nobuhiro-kun too. Besides, he raises a valid point about how it's not clear which of the twins' buttons is the 'right' one."

Himeno-san let off a bittersweet sigh. Perhaps she'd hoped that we 'd choose her instead, but at least we agreed on a person.

"Are you sure about this, Higurashi-san?" I said. "Once I commit to voting for you, you will almost certainly be executed, even if you change your mind at the last minute."

"I'm sure as I'll ever be, Nagato-san," Higurashi-san said. "I'm scared, but I'm willing to give my life to prevent any of you from losing yours. You can count on me to vote for myself, although if Kurogane-kun and/or Tachibana-san also vote for me, it won't matter."

Tatsuki-san sighed. With four votes for Higurashi-san and, at most, two for her, the outcome was decided, but she was still having trouble accepting it.

"What about you, Kurogane-kun?" Tatsuki-san said. "Kojima-kun was your friend, so you want revenge for him, don't you?'

Kurogane-san laughed mirthlessly, unsure where he should even begin.

"He was," Kurogane-san said, "before he tried to kill your sister and sacrifice the rest of us to graduate with Azuki-san. In all likelihood, the Kojima-kun I liked and respected never truly existed."

All of the girls who were still alive had suffered the pain of losing someone close to us- a new friend, a childhood friend and servant, a younger friend who was like a little sister, and a twin sister- but we hadn't suffered the pain of betrayal. As for Higurashi-san, he hadn't been any happier about the fourth trial's outcome than the rest of us had been, but he and Kirishima-san had never been friends, so he didn't take it too personally.

"Besides," Kurogane-san said, "even assuming I wanted revenge, I think killing you would be letting you take the easy way out. If you'd been executed back in the second trial, then no matter how horrific Monokuma's punishment was, you could die without regrets, satisfied that you protected Taiga-san."

"I know," Tatsuki-san said. "I still wish that it had happened."

"Maybe, but you can't change that," Kurogane-san said. "Taiga-san gave you a second chance, so don't waste it."

"I...I won't," Tatsuki-san said. "I'm sorry, Higurashi-kun, but I'll vote for you, too."

At this point, Tatsuki-san's decision didn't change anything, since Higurashi-san would receive the majority of our votes and be executed, but that didn't mean that it didn't matter. She'd chosen to live, to take the hard path with the rest of us, and that was the only part of this trial that made me happy.

"Good," Higurashi-san said. "I know this is a difficult choice, but if you live long enough, one day, you'll be glad you survived."

The other girls, Kurogane-san and I all nodded together, knowing that his message was for all of us, not just Tatsuki-san.

"It looks like all of you are in agreement," Monokuma said, "so hurry up and vote. Choose the unlucky student who has to die so the rest of you can live!"

We then voted again, and selected Higurashi-san. He got all six of our votes, and the dice roll showed his face this time. After a moment in which we waited with bated breath, Monokuma announced the outcome once again.

"Looks like you've made your choice!" Monokuma said. "By a unanimous vote, you've all chosen to sacrifice Higurashi-san to save your sorry hides!"

The five of us who would survive the class trial had a variety of expressions on our face- quiet sorrow, despair, and even helpless anguish. Higurashi-san, however, smiled peacefully.

"Thank you, everyone," Higurashi-san said. "For once, it seems as though my words actually got through to all of you. I think you'll do just fine without me."

"We shouldn't have to," Tatsuki-san said. "No one deserves to die for another person's crime- not Taiga and not you."

"Maybe not," Higurashi-san said, "but your sister made her choice, as did I. From the very beginning, I've always wanted to protect you all, and for once, I can say that I've succeeded."

Higurashi-san turned to me and looked me in the eye.

"Nagato-san, you're in charge of the class from here on out," Higurashi-san said. "Do what you must to protect everyone who's still left, even if you may end up having to make some difficult choices in the future."

"Yes, sir," I said. "You can count on me."

"Thank you," Higurashi-san said. "I had hoped to do more for you, even with my limited abilities, but at least I have a good successor. Everyone, promise me that you'll never give up, and that somehow, you'll bring this killing game to an end."

"We promise," the five of us said.

"Good," Higurashi-san said. "I'm ready, Monokuma."

Monokuma chuckled evilly, his disappointment from minutes ago having all but completely vanished.

"About time," Monokuma said. "You sure took your sweet time saying goodbye."

We fell into yet another grim silence, knowing that once again, an execution of a classmate was the price we would pay for our own survival. Perhaps we could blame Monokuma's rules or the victims' actions for putting us into this situation, but in the end, it had been our choice.

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

"Nothing ever went as I hoped," Higurashi-san said, "but I don't regret choosing to protect my classmates. So please, don't regret your choices, either."

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

GAME OVER

Higurashi-san has been found guilty.

Commencing the punishment!

Higurashi-san calmly accepted being dragged into the execution chamber.

The Ultimate Public Speaker, Nobuhiro Higurashi's Execution: Executed

Vox Populi

Higurashi-san stood in what looked like the general assembly chamber of the National Diet, standing before a crowd full of Monokumas in dark suits. A book lay on the podium titled "Holding The Floor: A History of Filibusters in the United States Congress." I wasn't too well-versed in the rules of the American government, but I had heard of the filibuster- a contest of endurance in which the speaker tried to keep talking for as long as possible. Apparently, this was what Higurashi-san was expected to do.

Higurashi-san started reading out of the book, which began with a definition of the filibuster, but as he continued reading, Monokumas in the crowd started heckling him, with some even throwing pebbles at him. The din of their voices quickly grew louder, until it drowned out Higurashi-san, and even more of them started throwing things at him. That wasn't enough for them, as even more Monokumas started talking even more loudly and threw even more things. The chorus of voices became almost deafening... until the audio suddenly stopped and we saw a crossed out speaker in the top right hand corner of the screen, showing that Monokuma had activated the mute function.

The voices seemed to grow even louder, and I saw cracks form in the walls of the Diet Building. Of course, the real problem was above Higurashi-san, as the ceiling was festooned with spikes that started coming loose and falling... some of which were directly above him. A few fell and impaled Higurashi-san as he futilely tried to dive for cover under the podium, after which point the rest of the ceiling collapsed, burying him in the rubble.

We watched yet another execution come to its end. This was the outcome all of us, Higurashi-san included, had chosen, so we owed it to ourselves and to him not to look away. Perhaps Monokuma had forced our hand, but in the end, we'd agreed to let higurashi-san die in our stead. All we could do is make sure his death was not in vain, and live up to his final hopes for us.

"And that's that!" Monokuma said. "I feel a little better now that I've gotten to watch an execution."

"A little?" I said. "Is it because you didn't get to watch us confront the killers?"

"Not exactly, Nagato-san," Monokuma said. "It's kind of disappointing, you know? After all this time, and all these murders, the traitor's still alive."

We gasped in horror and looked around at each other. In all likelihood, the traitor was standing right here with us... or perhaps watching via camera, if it happened to be Mom. Higurashi-san hadn't just given his life for us, but he'd also saved the traitor's life.

"Are you serious?" Sayuri-san said.

"Yes, quite," Monokuma said, "and I'm not going to give you any more hints. You're down to a good number right now, so I don't think there's any point in having more killings or class trials."

I looked around at my four classmates. None of them seemed like the type to kill (except for Tatsuki-san, who had no intention of repeating her mistake).

"Anyway, look on the bright side," Monokuma said. "This trip's almost over, since we'll be arriving at our final destination in the morning the day after tomorrow."

"That soon?" Tatsuki-san said. "Usually we're at sea for about three days after leaving one island and before reaching the next."

"Well, the last island's closer than that," Monokuma said "I'm sure you're eager to see it, but you'll just have to wait."

Considering what had happened on the third island, I had no desire to see what sort of surprises Monokuma had in store for us. At least he'd hinted at that one by listing that stop as a camping trip; it was anyone's guess what the sixth island would involve.

"Is the killing game really going to end?" Sayuri-san said.

"It certainly will," Monokuma said, "after your graduation exam, of course. When we get to the final island, you'll have to investigate the place, then use what you've learned to answer some important questions about the killing game in one last class trial. Rest and relax for now, because your peaceful days aboard the Ursa Major are coming to an end."

Monokuma then left. As he disappeared, I felt a tear roll down my face and slammed my fist into my podium. After Akira-san had died, I'd felt numb and helpless with grief- knowing that I couldn't do anything to change her fate, and unsure of whether I could carry on the work she'd done for us until that point. Now, however, my grief was mingled with rage- there was no good reason why Higurashi-san had to die.

"DAMN IT!" I said. "Damn you, Monokuma! Damn you, Asakura! Damn you, Karita-san! DAMN IT ALL!"

I paused to catch my breath from shouting so loudly, and realized tears were streaming down my face. The others stood around, looking forlorn for a few moments, until Himeno-san spoke.

"You know, Chiyuri," Himeno-san said, a bittersweet smile on her face, "I think Akira really rubbed off on you."

"You think so?" I said.

"I do," Himeno-san said. "When we first got here, I couldn't imagine you doing, well, any of what you did today. Especially not that last part. That's why I wasn't sure you could fill Akira's shoes at first, and I'm happy to say you proved me wrong."

I couldn't help but laugh through my tears. I didn't just admire Akira-san for being a talented actress, but for being everything that I wasn't. She was confident enough that she wouldn't have let other's opinions of her hold her back, intelligent enough to solve the first three mysteries and brave enough to die for us. For a long time, I'd thought she had strength I would never possess, but now, I realized we were more alike than I thought.

"You're right," I said. "All of us have changed in various ways, even if it isn't the way Monokuma wanted. I can only hope that it'll be enough to face what's ahead."

The rest of us silently concurred. We'd gone through the class trials enough to know that even if one of our classmates ended up dead by the end, the rest of us would have to persevere, facing a new island and new temptations to kill. The same held true for this trial, even if we only had the vaguest of notions as to what would await us next time.

Our minds made up, we silently headed to the elevator. As I reached the door, I turned around and saw Tatsuki-san, who was still standing at her seat.

"Are you coming, Tatsuki-san?" I said.

Tatsuki-san hesitantly nodded, then walked over to join us.

"I am," Tatsuki-san said. "So many people have died so that I could live- Kojima-kun, Taiga, Yamazaki-kun, Azuki-san, Kirishima-kun, and now Higurashi-kun. I can't fully repay the debt I owe to all of them, but I know that giving up and dying would dishonor what they've sacrificed. No matter how hard or painful life may become, I owe it to them to keep on living."

I couldn't help but smile at what I'd just heard, which had proved my point.

The five of us boarded the elevator and left the courtroom together. The days to come would likely be more difficult than anything we'd faced yet- seeing the last island, uncovering the traitor's identity, finding out what Monokuma had in store for us at the end of the killing game, and returning to a ruined world, but all of us knew we had to face it. Like Tatsuki, everyone who was still alive owed their lives to the sacrifice of those who had been executed, and the only way we could honor their sacrifice was to make sure that the killing game would not claim another victim.

Author's Notes

Thank you for sharing your theories.

At one time, I thought the culprit was obvious. Both of the culprits made critical miscalculations, choosing a time where, unbeknownst to them, everyone else had an alibi, and didn't live long enough to try to cover their tracks. I try to create challenging mysteries, but I also try to make murder plans that a bunch of teenagers who aren't necessarily criminal geniuses could feasibly carry out. In that regard, some of the failed or unplanned murders from canon may be more realistic than some of the the premeditated murders that were successfully executed.

To make it a bit trickier, I decided to "fake out" potential mystery solvers by suggesting a possible loophole for using the poison, then closing that loophole through Monokuma's requirement for killers to actually use the poison, which means the killer couldn't have just taken it out and left it there until they needed it.

The rule requiring someone to be sacrificed seems only natural for Monokuma, who would never let a trial end without an execution (like how he had Alter Ego executed after the trial in the first game). It's also natural for the protagonists to be afraid of the possibility of having to sacrifice someone who'd done nothing wrong, and it also ties in to Tatsuki and Higurashi's arcs. Tatsuki's prepared to sacrifice herself to atone for her crimes, but gradually realizes that she can best atone by living a good life, and so reluctantly accepts Higurashi's decision to sacrifice himself in order to save his friends' lives.

If this were a Danganronpa game, Himemiya would be the Argument Armament opponent, and be faced early in the trial. Here's a list of all the Armament Argument matchups, with the protagonist first and opponent second.

I:Akira Azuki vs. Hide Yamazaki

II:Akira Azuki vs. "Taiga Tachibana" (actually Tatsuki)

III:Akira Azuki vs. Chiyuri Nagato(who's in denial about Azuki's guilt).

IV:Chiyuri Nagato vs. Seita Kirishima

V:Chiyuri Nagato vs. Himeno Himemiya

VI:Chiyuri Nagato vs. The Traitor

Likewise, the Closing Argument wouldn't feature any gray silhouettes, since the culprits happen to be the victims in this case.

Incidentally, I've noticed that Miura and Chiyuri swear a lot less than the canon protagonists; the former calls her fic's mastermind a "son of a bitch" in her narration, while the latter only swears in this chapter, as well as in the discarded apology letter to Asakura.

The trial is over, but the Chapter is not. There will be one more installment, which shows the journey to and arrival at the final island.

Here's a brief poll among the survivors, showing who they least want to be the traitor. Keep in mind that the traitor's willing to vote to keep their identity secret.

Chiyuri: Yukari (quite simply, she doesn't want to suspect her mother)

Himemiya: Sasaki (as for why she doesn't pick Tsukimura, she knows Tsukimura can't be the traitor).

Sasaki: Himemiya

Kurogane: Kojima (Despite having lost virtually all respect for Kojima, he doesn't want to accept that he could also be the traitor)

Tatsuki: Taiga

Yukari: Chiyuri

And now for the four survivors of Class 33

Miura: Sasaki (The two were good friends while at Talent High School, to the point at which they were on a first-name basis).

Edogawa: Sasaki (The two, as fellow fiction writers and bisexuals, were also good friends)

Inoue: Sasaki (He wasn't close to any of the Class 32 members, but if he had to choose, it would be Sasaki)

Tezuka: Sasaki (It hasn't been mentioned yet, but he and Sasaki are fellow artists).