Danganronpa: Fresh Meat (SYOC CLOSED)

by mandipokemon

The youth is the future of tomorrow. Schools train their students either to lead or be led. This is no different when it comes to Hope's Peak Academy with their Ultimates. What will happen to the supposed leaders of tomorrow if they find themselves stuck in a remote island to compete in a twisted killing game? Will a leader emerge? Or, will the group crumble to pieces?

27. What Lies Beneath 10

The end of chapter 2 is here! I am so excited to reveal who dunnit!

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The remaining eleven campers were gathered in the trial room discussing the murder of Naoki Toshiro, the ultimate private investigator. Despite their lack of confidence with their collected pieces of evidence, they managed to make progress with the trial. Certain aspects of the murder have been identified by the group. With what they have agreed on, certain campers were already decided on who the murderer was. Based on the timeline they discussed, the group has ascertained who their prime suspect. To the surprise of many, it was Akari Fujiyama, the ultimate actress, the person who has mourned the most for the untimely death of their acquaintance. Due to her lack of alibi, many were convinced that the only answer to the question "Who did it?" was Akari.

All of them were on board with this conclusion. Even Monokuma was convinced that the group already has the answer. Offering to commence the voting, Monokuma was about to end the trial and a lot of them were able to let out a sigh of relief since the discussion was over. However, not all of them agreed with the outcome of the conversations.

Is it really Akari? I don't think it is her. I am not convinced with this conclusion. How can we put the blame on Akari like this? We are still missing a lot of details. But, I don't know how to prove it. I can't think of anything that I can use. Nothing is loading in my brain anymore. It is all just a hunch but it is not Akari. Is it just me who thinks like this? Doubting the group's decision, Mitsue knew he had to say something. However, thinking that he was alone, he stayed quiet.

"It seems that the group has reached a conclusion! It is time to-" Monokuma was only seconds away from ending the trial when the ultimate runway model cut him off with his monotonous voice.

"It is not yet the end of our trial." Hiroto stated, crossing his arms.

"What do you mean? We have her in the corner. She is speechless. It is all over for her! Don't give her the chance to recover!" Kai asked, pointing at Akari.

"It is not Akari." Hiroto declared. I am not alone in believing Akari's innocence? Is my hunch correct?

"You think so too?" Mitsue asked.

Hiroto nodded.

"You also believe Akari is innocent?" Otoha asked.

"Weirdly, I do…" Mitsue nodded. I just cannot see Akari doing it for this motive. She is the ultimate actress after all. She has power, fame, and money. There is nothing she cannot obtain when she possesses those three. I really hope Hiroto will be able to prove Akari's innocence.

"You two believe me? Thank you! Thank you!" Akari asked as she stood up wiping the tears off of her cheeks. Seeing people still believed in her, the actress recomposed herself as she attempts to help in proving her innocence.

Out of nowhere, Kaya asked, "Why do you believe in her? Everything that we have is pointing towards her as the killer. We are just wasting our time discussing over this! What does Akari have to prove her guiltlessness? Did we miss something? "

"We are forgetting that we have already discussed the detail that would prove Akari's innocence and narrow down our list of suspects to three." Hiroto revealed. Hearing this, everyone was stunned. Yo audibly gasped pointing at Hiroto while Kai was grinning at the runway model.

"This ought to be fun!" Kai whispered to himself.

"What is it then?" Kaya asked, slapping her hand on her podium.

Giggling on his throne, Monokuma commented, "Things just became more interesting. I guess I will let you continue with your trial. Upupupu!" Then, the bear gestured his paw for the group to carry on with the trial.

The room grew silent as they waited for the next words Hiroto was about to say. Everyone's attention was on the runway model's next revelation. What could it be Hiroto is referring to? I hope this will truly lead us to the right answer!

After a few more seconds of idly standing in silence, Hiroto finally shared to the group, "You found a piece of the letter the killer sent to Naoki, am I right?"

"That is true. What about it?" Connor asked.

"What do we know about the letter so far? Can anyone tell me?" Hiroto continued.

"Well… It was pretty! Is that what you want to hear?" Yo answered. Dumb bitch! That was not it!

"It was written by Ayame according to Kai." Mitsue shared.

Hiroto shook his head. "What else did we come up with about the letter?" That was not the answer he was looking for? Then, what is it that he wants? I am lost. I am really shitty with this stuff but I cannot stop. I need to think this through. What else do we know about the letter that we have already mentioned? After a few seconds, Mitsue sighed. My mind is not working anymore. It is completely blank. I am too tired to think of anything.

Suddenly, Kaito slammed the palm of his hand onto his podium. Grabbing everyone's attention, the astrophysicist pointed at Hiroto. With complete confidence, he shared, "Proxima Centauri! I think I got it! It has something to do with what type of paper the letter was written on, doesn't it?"

The runway model, with an expressionless face, stared at the astrophysicist for a few seconds. Feeling like the eyes of Hiroto were piercing through his skin, Kaito took a step back. His confidence shrank and was quickly replaced by doubt. Leaning towards his podium, Kaito asked, "Am I right, or was I completely off? Just break it to me. I cannot deal with this anymore."

Tilting his head, Hiroto answered, "You are right."

"I am? Phew! I thought I was wrong. It would have been embarrassing if I clearly missed the mark." Kaito commented, gripping onto his chest with his right hand.

The paper? What does the paper tell us about the killer? I cannot imagine anything that would make the paper special. What is so special about the paper? And, how can this prove Akari's innocence? Is this small detail enough to convince the group to not persecute Akari? I doubt it but I have not heard Hiroto's whole explanation yet. I hope he can persuade everyone to change their thoughts on Akari's guilt.

"The paper? What makes the paper not incriminate Akari?" Kaya asked.

"I am having a hard time being convinced by this. Can you please elaborate on your claim even further?" Mizuki added, clasping her hands together.

"Is the paper special? Does it have special features? Is it made with magic? What makes it this important to the case? Please tell us more!" Yo begged.

"Obviously, it is not made of magic, Yo. However, I am curious how it became significant to the case. Does it have special marking or a secret code written on it that we had no idea about?" Otoha remarked. It is not magic. And, I don't think a code has something to do with it. Hiroto did not see the paper firsthand since their group never found it. It was our group along with Kaito's that discovered it. It must be because of something so small that we are completely disregarding it.

"Can you please share with us already the answer?" Mitsue asked.

Hiroto nodded. "According to Yo, the paper that was used by Ayame, assuming they are the killer, is the same stationery paper the ladies used to write their letters. Is that correct?"

"Yup! You are completely, totally, and undoubtedly one hundred percent correct about that, mister! We all used the same paper because I was the one who picked it out and no one asked to use another piece of paper. After all, it was oh so cute! I just thought it would be the perfect paper to use for writing a letter of confession!" Yo shouted, jumping as she raised her hands in the air.

"Who are the only ones who used the stationery paper?" Hiroto asked.

"As far as we know, it is only the ladies who used them. Does that mean our killer is a girl? Am I thinking this through correctly or am I assuming things again?" Kaito commented, scratching his head.

"You are correct. We are dealing with another female killer here. It is one of the five ladies who mercilessly killed Naoki." Hiroto confirmed, glancing at all the women in the room.

"Wait a minute! I get that all of us girls will be prime suspects because we used the same piece of paper as the killer did but I do not understand why we are ruling out the possibility that a guy did it. It is possible that, if it is one of the men, they knew what kind of paper the women used. Or, at the very least, they might have coincidentally picked the same paper to use to trick Mitsue. After all, the killer might have decided to make a letter of confession to trick Mitsue and thought the paper would be fitting for what they have in mind." Otoha added.

"Otoha has a point. The paper does present itself as a viable option for a love letter. If Yo did not give us the paper and I wanted to write a love letter, I think I would have picked the same paper." Mizuki remarked. The two ladies have a point. Just because the killer used the same paper the women used does not mean it is automatically one of the ladies. It can be a lucky choice for the killer. Or, the killer could have known what the women were planning. But, looking at Hiroto, he seems confident with what he came up with. There must be proper logic in his declaration.

"It is not possible one of the men knew your plan of writing a letter since you secretly met up for it in the arts and crafts cabin the day before the party. The only men that knew about your plan were me and Mitsue." Hiroto explained.

"Are you not digging your own grave by claiming you knew the ladies' plan to hand out letters?" Kaya asked, raising her right eyebrow.

"Although we knew your plan, we had no idea what paper you were using. We only overheard what you were planning. We had no idea what paper you were using. You never described it out loud for anyone else to hear." Hiroto shared.

"Wait, you overheard our meeting?" Kaya asked, looking at Mitsue.

"Yes, we did. However, we only did so because we heard a scream but it only turned out to be Akari." Mitsue explained, gesturing to Akari.

"You were eavesdropping on our conversation starting from that point?" Kaya asked.

Mitsue nodded.

"But, if you began listening from Akari's shriek, doesn't that mean you heard…" Mizuki commented, turning to Otoha.

"Oh my freaking glob!" Yo shouted, pointing at Mitsue. "You heard Otoha has a thing for you! You definitely did, didn't you? How does it feel someone on this island likes you? Does it feel nice to have an adorable admirer like our sweet Otoha?"

"This is interesting… Something I can use to poke fun at Mitsue and Otoha." Kai commented, grinning from ear to ear. Ugh! Fuck him.

"We already talked about it." Mitsue replied.

"So… Are you two dating?" Yo asked, tilting her head while clasping her hands together as if she was praying the pair would be.

"No." Mitsue coldly answered.

"What! How could you answer that with little to no emotion? Aren't you afraid of hurting our dear dollmaker's feelings?" Yo added.

"We already talked about it and everything is clear." Mitsue shared.

Out of nowhere, Akari added, "Besides, Mitsue can't have a thing for Otoha since he is gay…"

"You are gay? I did not expect that." Kaoru shouted.

"That is awesome! You get to freely live your truth!" Connor commented.

Realizing what she has said, Akari covered her mouth with her hands. "I am so sorry! I did not mean to out you." Akari apologized. Whatever. I don't give a damn if people knew what my sexuality is. But, we should not be talking about this right now. We should focus on the case.

"Our medic boy has a thing for boys!" Kai sang in a taunting melody. "That is one more thing I can add in my arsenal for teasing Mitsue. I did not think this case would be this great! Learning new things about everyone is fun!"

"We can talk about my gender some other time. For now, we should get back to the case. We are losing time as we speak more about unrelated topics." Mitsue declared.

"Sorry for derailing the convo! I did not mean to!" Yo apologized, scratching her head.

"Going back to the trial, Hiroto claimed that he and Mitsue could not have picked the same stationery paper the women used on purpose because they did not see what we were using. But, there is still a possibility you and all of the other men could have coincidentally used the same paper." Kaya added.

"It is not possible because none of the men could have written a letter yesterday." Hiroto stated, crossing his arms.

"It is not possible? What made you say that?" Kaya further asked.

Suddenly, the runway model turned to Mitsue. "When did you receive the letter?"

"Going to the music cabin, I did not receive any notification about any mail. It was only during Connor and Kaito's practice that I had a notification but I only took the mail after the practice." Mitsue answered.

"That means the letters were put in Mitsue's mailbox when we were at the music cabin with Connor and Kaito. This proves that the letter could not have been sent by me, Connor, Kaito, and Mitsue since we were together the whole time." Hiroto explained.

"What about Kai and Kaoru? It does not prove their innocence. It could still be either one of them." Otoha asked.

"It is not Kai since we already established that he was the one who swapped the letters. If he was truly the killer, he would not have done that. He would have stuck with killing Mitsue because it would be easier to win this case without him." Hiroto added.

"Then, what can prove Kaoru's innocence?" Mizuki asked.

"Kaoru had been tailing Naoki the whole time. I saw those two together before I went to the music cabin and after I left the group. The killer would not let anyone, especially someone as smart as Naoki, see them send a mail to their victim." Hiroto added.

"This means that we are left with the five women, just like what Hiroto claimed in the beginning." Kaito commented.

"That is true. However, this still does not prove Akari's innocence. She is still part of the list of prime suspects. I hope none of you are forgetting that we are still talking about this case because you insisted on her not being the killer. If we are going to waste our time like this, I suggest we continue with voting for Akari." Kaya reminded everyone while her arms akimbo. Kaya is right. We still not have proven Akari is not the killer. If anything, we solidified the idea since she is one of the women. But, I trust Hiroto. I am sure he has something up his sleeves. He has been that way since the start of the trial.

"Chill, lady! I am sure my guy is getting to that point. Plus, Monokuma is not even rushing anymore. Take a note from that bear's chill mode." Connor commented, pointing at Monokuma on the throne.

"Just get to it!" Kaya replied, rolling her eyes.

"Since we have made it clear that it is one of the ladies who killed Naoki, what are we supposed to assume about the letters they made during their meetup?" Hiroto asked. The assumption about the letter? What are we assuming about their letters? I have not really given it much thought. What is Hiroto thinking about?

"One of the letters they made is the letter Naoki got and led him to his doom." Kaito answered.

"That is correct. The only time the killer could have written the letter was at that moment. While the rest of you were genuinely writing a letter for someone you admire or for your loved ones, one of you was already taking another step in fulfilling their plan to kill someone." Hiroto explained. All we have to do is go down the line until we crackdown on the killer. It sounds easy but it will be difficult to make the killer confess. They have proven themselves to be one tough cookie. I am sure they will not crumble under pressure easily.

"Woah! I just got chills hearing that! While I was writing a letter for my family, someone was thinking of killing someone! That takes guts to do it with everyone around them." Yo remarked, shaking her head.

"If that is the case, things just became easy for us! All we have to do is find out which of you wrote the letter. We are almost there! Let's keep pushing on until we solve this case!" Connor counted.

"We can already rule out one person from the list of suspects if that is the case." Kaito shared, staring at the floor. One person is off of our list right off the bat? Who could it be?

"Can you please share with us who you are talking about?" Mizuki asked.

"The first lady that should be cleared of any doubt is the person we have been suspecting the most this whole time." Kaito shared, glancing at one of the women in the room. "Akari is the most innocent out of everyone."

"Akari? What made you say that?" Kaya asked, crossing her arms.

"If you think about it carefully, out of the five of you, the only person whose letter's content is known to everyone is Akari's. Akari's letter is a genuine letter of confession for Naoki. Unfortunately for her, Kai messed it up and gave it to Mitsue. If Akari was truly the killer, she would not have met up with Mitsue since she already killed Naoki earlier. It would have been pointless for her to gamble her anonymity. For that reason, Akari could not have killed Naoki. It was somebody else. It is one of the remaining four ladies." Kaito explained.

"Holy moly! That means Akari was not acting the whole time! She was truly heartbroken by Naoki's death." Yo commented. Then, the fan club president turned to the actress, looking apologetically. "And, that means we owe her an apology for doubting her admiration for Naoki. I am so sorry Akari for thinking that you killed your crush! I mean it from the bottom of my heart! Please forgive me! Will you be ever able to forgive this lowly fan club president?"

Akari simply stared at the fan club president. Seconds passed before the silence grew into an uncomfortable awkwardness within the room. She did not utter a single word. All she did was shift her eyes from Yo to the middle of the room. Standing at the right side of the actress, Connor tapped Akari on her shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"

Snapping back into reality, Akari jerked away from the saxophonist's hand. Then, she turned to Connor. "I am sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were fine." Connor asked again.

"I am… I am just… Am I finally clear? Does everyone in this room believe now that I could not have killed Naoki? That, it wasn't me?" Akari asked back.

"Yes, we do not think you are the culprit. We are sorry for putting the blame on you without fully understanding what went down with Naoki's death. I am so sorry." Otoha answered, placing her right hand on her chest.

"It is alright. I understand why all of you thought I did it…" Akari remarked, bowing her head as she stared onto her podium. Although her innocence has been proven, why does she still look like everyone is against her? Something is definitely going on in her head. I should check up on her after this trial, if we ever survive this trial.

"Now, we know that it was not Akari who did it. However, that still leaves us with more unanswered questions. There are several of those but the most important one is 'Who killed Naoki?'' Kaya shared with the group.

"Based on the discussion so far, we only have four options to consider. We have my great leaders Kaya and Mizuki, Otoha, and Yo. It is one of these four ladies who did it." Kaoru enumerated, gesturing at each of the women he mentioned.

"Make that only three." Kaito added, showing three of the fingers of his right hand.

"Three? Why? What happened to one of us? Who are you talking about?" Otoha asked.

"According to what was said earlier, it could not have been Yo as well." Kaito answered.

"What made you say so?" Kaya asked.

"The killer should have known the mushroom was deadly. Out of the four of you, Yo was the only one who did not know this since she was half asleep when Kaya announced this news to everyone. This means that it is only between the three of you who did it." Kaito answered, pointing at the three women. We are getting closer to the truth. We only have three suspects left. But, I have no idea how to identify the culprit from the three of them. What should we do now?

"From eleven suspects to three! We sure are getting nearer to figuring out this murder mystery. Who do you think it could be? Is it the anti-social leader, Kaya? Did our angelic televangelist, Mizuki, committed the devilish crime? Or, will it be our sweet motherly Otoha the dollmaker? The progress of this trial is becoming more and more eye-catching!" Kai commented. It is one of those three who killed Naoki. I cannot believe the killer is within that trio! I never thought anyone from them could do the deed. I wonder how we are going to move forward with this information.

"The three most reliable women on the island are now the prime suspects. This is mind-blowing!" Connor exclaimed.

"It cannot be Mizuki nor Kaya! They are the great leaders of the group! They will not do anything to hurt us. I hate to say this but it must be Otoha who did it! Otoha, confess already before you drag Mizuki or Kaya down with you!" Kaoru shouted, pointing at the dollmaker.

"It is not me! I swear!" Otoha quickly replied.

"Kaoru, calm down. We still do not have enough evidence to incriminate Otoha nor prove Kaya or Mizuki's innocence." Mitsue shouted.

"Kaoru, I think you are forgetting you once worshipped Mitsue for being the leader of the group until he tried to kill Kia. If I were you, I would learn from that experience and not be overly trusting of anyone, even if they are your leader. Don't you think so too?" Kai taunted.

"I do not know what you are talking about. All I know is that the only leaders I have are Kaya, Mizuki, and Naoki." Kaoru retorted, turning his head to the right.

"Wow, you really are in denial." Kai commented, shaking his head.

"Reeling the conversation back to the topic, how can we differentiate the killer from the two innocent ones?" Kaito asked.

"I am not so sure as well. I am stuck with what we have right now." Mitsue commented. I do not know how to do this.

"Can someone summarize what we have so far? That might help us pick up what we are missing and recall important details we already have." Kaya asked.

"I can do that." Kaito volunteered. "So far, we know the killer sent out a letter to Mitsue but their letter ended up with Naoki because of Kai. Naoki met up with the killer after 9:30 am. Then, the killer enacted their plan by poisoning him by spraying spores of the purple mushrooms mixed in a solution. After that, the culprit dumped Naoki in the lake with an iron ball chained to his ankle just to make sure he will not be able to escape their fate."

"I am lost. I do not know where to go from here. Everything seems to make sense so far. Is there something wrong with what we have right now?" Connor asked. I do not think we have made any mistake in our hypothesis so far. It all flows well with what everyone has contributed to this case. However, I believe there is nothing we can use to separate the killer from the rest of us. We have hit a roadblock. It would be best to continue for now the discussion and come back to it. As long as we know it is between those three women, we still have a great chance of catching the murderer.

"Let's move on with talking more about the case. We still have a lot to talk about. I am sure we will be able to figure something out, later on, to cut down our list of suspects from three to only one. We should fill in the other gaps we have in this case." Mitsue shared.

"Does anyone have an idea on what to talk about for now? I do not really have anything to add right now." Otoha asked, gesturing her hand to everyone.

"No clue whatsoever! I have used up all of my brain cells from understanding what we have so far." Yo shouted, crossing her arms as she pouted.

"Maybe we can talk about what happened to Naoki after he was poisoned?" Kaito suggested.

"Why should we talk about that Kaito?" Mizuki asked, tilting her head.

"Well, we know Naoki was poisoned in the morning but he only died in the evening. A lot of time has passed for Naoki before he kicked the bucket. I am sure the killer did something to him while waiting for the evening to come." Kaito answered.

"Are you saying the killer did something uber duper nasty to Naoki?" Yo asked, leaning towards Kaito.

"That is not possible. The killer could not have tortured Naoki. He did not have the usual markings of a torture victim. I am sure of my assessment." Mitsue turned down Yo's suggestion.

"That is not what I meant. I am talking about how the killer made it possible for no one to notice Naoki was missing the whole time." Kaito clarified.

"Is it not simply because we were all too busy that we did not notice him missing?" Kaoru asked.

"That could be a factor to why the killer managed to get away with it easily but I do not think it would be enough to conceal what was happening to Naoki. If you think about it, if the killer just left Naoki somewhere while he slowly suffered from being poisoned, there is a great chance someone would have found him and saved him from his death." Kaito added, pointing at Naoki's photo.

"It is true that everyone was busy preparing for the party. But, it is also true that everyone was going around the island from building to building trying to grab all of the materials we needed for the celebration. The killer should have expected this. They needed to find a way to hide Naoki from everyone else. They must have had a plan to save themselves from this dilemma." Mitsue shared. But, what did the killer do then? Did they just leave him somewhere no one will likely be able to find him and hoped for the best that no one will discover Naoki? I do not think this is right. The killer is too smart for that.

"Is there any place anyone could think of that no one would ever imagine going to?" Otoha asked.

The room grew silent. Everyone was focused on finding the right answer to this question. However, to everyone's dismay, it seems that the simple question is getting the best of them. Is there even a way to know the answer to this question? I just cannot think of any place the killer could have used. Everyone had access to every area available on this island. It is either the killer made a secret hideout which I doubt would be it since no one has the time for that or used something no one would think of using.

"Oh God! Please help us figure out the right answer! I am sure we will get through this with your help." Mizuki prayed, clasping her hands together.

"Why can we not just vote now with who we think the killer is out of three ladies? I am starving already." Kai commented.

"If you want to finish this quickly, then help the group out with thinking of the answer." Otoha commented.

"I want to sleep in my cabin. I am too tired to continue!" Yo yawned, stretching out her arms.

Suddenly, Kaito pointed at Yo. "Camelopardalis! That is it!"

"Why are you pointing at me? Did I say something wrong?" Yo asked, pointing at her face. I do not think Yo said anything important. But then again, Kaito is better at this than I am.

"Nothing is wrong with what you said. Actually, I think you said the right answer." Kaito added.

"Really? I was not thinking when I was talking earlier. Hahahaha! By the way, what did I say?" Yo continued.

"I think the answer might be the cabins." Kaito revealed to the group.

"The cabins? What made you say that?" Mitsue asked.

"Well, because everyone was busy going around the island, no one had that much time to go back to their cabins. If you think about it, it is the perfect place to hide Naoki. The killer must have hidden him there. They could have used their own cabin or even Naoki's. And, if they are that bold, they could have also used either Kia's or Orie's cabin. No one would dare to go in either of those cabins. What does everyone think about this?" Kaito asked.

"I agree with Kaito. With what we have so far, it is the most logical answer. The killer must have used the cabins." Kaya agreed, nodding her head.

"But, how did the killer hide Naoki in the cabins? According to Kaya, Naoki was rushing to meet someone outside. That means that Naoki met up with the killer somewhere probably far away from the cabins. How did Naoki end up in one of the cabins then?" Mizuki asked.

"The only way to explain it is that the killer somehow transported Naoki from their meet-up to the cabins." Kaoru answered.

"But, what did the killer use?" Otoha asked. The only thing I could think of is the carts. However, the problem with that is every cart was being used at the time. And, each cart has presumably more than one passenger. The killer could not have done it when someone is with them. But, I do think the carts play a huge part in this case. I just do not think we are headed to the right conclusion.

"I think one of the carts was used." Kaito answered. Same answer but I do not think we have the same feeling about where we are headed in this trial.

"What made you say that?" Kaya asked.

"It is because of the purple specks we found in one of the body bags in one of the carts. I believe those came from Naoki. Hear me out. I think this is what happened. After Naoki met up with Kaya and Kaoru, he rushed to the meeting place the killer told him to go to. Once her got there, he was attacked by the killer with a spray of poisonous spores. When Naoki has grown weak from the attack, the killer transferred him into a body bag and shoved him into the trunk of the cart they were using. Unbeknownst to the killer, some of the spores that Naoki got were smudged onto the insides of the body bag. After that, the killer simply went back to the cabins and hid Naoki until it was time to dump him in the lake. Does it all make sense now?" Kaito guessed.

"I think that might be what had happened to Naoki. The killer must have rushed through all of those things just for the sake of hiding Naoki properly." Mizuki commented. That is a lot of things the killer has to do just to hide Naoki which already makes me doubtful that it is what happened. But, I think Kaito is forgetting something about the process.

"It is plausible but I do not think this is what happened." Mitsue shared.

"Why? Is there something wrong with what I said? Did I miss something?" Kaito asked.

"Not only does it sound like it is a lot for the killer to do, I think it endangers the killer from exposing themselves to everyone. The killer has to transport Naoki from somewhere else to the cabins. The culprit has to pull him out of the trunk and carry him up the patio and into the room. Although Naoki is not the biggest of the men here, he is still pretty heavy and not hard to miss. Even if the killer is confident that no one would be at the cabin at the time when the transfer Naoki, I do not think they would risk it. Plus, the killer would be overly cautious about when they have to bring him out of the cabin just to dump him in the lake. Around that time, everyone was going back to their cabins to change into their pajamas." Mitsue shared.

"I guess that does make sense. But, if it is not the cabins, we do not have any other option for a hiding place. We are stuck again. Holy Jupiter and all of its giant moons! We are doomed." Kaito shouted. Where else could have the killer hidden Naoki? What are we not considering? Are we forgetting something? Is there a detail we are overlooking?

When the room was becoming silent riddled with doubt, someone asked a question breaking the piercing soundlessness of the room.

"Does it have to be one place?" Hiroto asked the group. Does it have to be a place? What does he mean by that? I do not get his question.

"What do you mean, Hiroto?" Kaya asked.

"What if there is no certain place the culprit hid Naoki in?" Hiroto continued, further confusing everyone.

"Are you saying the murderer made Naoki disappear into thin air? Is the killer a magician? That would be cool if they are!" Yo commented, clapping her hands.

"What if the killer brought Naoki everywhere? That would explain why no one saw Naoki at one place." Hiroto explained. The killer dragged Naoki with them wherever they went? That is an interesting idea. That would give the culprit the ability to prevent anyone from seeing Naoki since they have him the whole time. But, how did they do it?

"Bringing Naoki everywhere does sound like a creative idea. However, how would the killer have done that? Just like what Mitsue has said, Naoki is not that hard to miss. If the killer brought him everywhere, they are literally giving everyone a chance to spot him." Kaya asked.

"Of course I did not mean the killer literally carried Naoki. However, they did bring Naoki wherever they went using the cart." Hiroto explained.

"Using the cart?" Mitsue asked.

Hiroto nodded. "The killer simply has to use a cart to do this. Once they poisoned Naoki, they put him inside a body bag and locked him up in the trunk of the cart. Since Naoki is paralyzed, he would not be able to do anything to let anyone know he was there unless someone opens the trunk without the killer knowing it which I doubt they would let anyone do this."

"Hmm… This theory of yours does seem interesting and honestly quite plausible since it does favor the culprit when it comes to supervising Naoki. However, my only concern is that if this is the case, we will not be able to single out the killer." Kaya shared, shaking her head.

"What made you say that, my great leader?" Kaoru asked.

"Everyone who was using the cart at the time was never alone. Otoha was with the girls sewing the pajamas. Connor was with Kaito the whole time running around for errands. And, I was with Kaoru the whole time. So far, the only one who does not have an alibi during that time is Akari, which we have already ruled out as the killer because we know what her letter contains and she never used the cart on her own. Are we really on the right track here? Did the killer take Naoki and shove him in the trunk of their cart while they were with someone?" Kaya asked the group.

Everyone turned to Hiroto. Not wasting any second, Hiroto calmly replied, "It did not matter if the killer knew they can easily manipulate who they were with." The killer controlled the people they were with as well? This is becoming more fascinating. I wonder what Hiroto is thinking with this one.

"Manipulate? The killer tricked the people they were with?" Otoha asked.

"There is manipulation on this case too? The killer has surely outdone themselves this time. Whoever they are, I must applaud them for being one tricky culprit." Kai commented, slowly clapping.

"Did the killer brainwash people with good old-fashioned hypnosis using those dainty but dangerous pendants?" Yo asked.

"They did not need to because they knew every order that they will give will be followed without any question." Hiroto added, eyeing at someone in the room.

"Are you saying the murderer had an accomplice? Are we dealing with two bad people?" Mizuki asked.

"Nope. We are only dealing with one smart, cold-blooded killer and a brainless fool." Hiroto added, crossing his arms.

"Can you just clarify yourself? Even I am lost with everything you are saying." Kaya commented.

"I believe the killer knew alibis will be greatly discussed during the trial. That is why they have prepared to make a solid alibi by being with someone the whole day. With that, they will not be questioned about having the opportunity to kill anyone during the day. However, because of their plan to bring with them Naoki everywhere using the cart that they borrowed from the garage, they need to be careful about the person they choose to create the alibi with. Luckily for them, there is someone they can easily trick into being their lackey. They brought their lackey with them who sat obediently beside them without knowing they are being used as a pawn to this killer's vile scheme." Hiroto explained to the group.

"Out of our three remaining suspects, we can already rule out Mizuki being the culprit. Mizuki never borrowed the cart on her own. This means that she could not have used the cart to hide Naoki if she was the killer." Kaito shared.

"Thank Lord I am free of suspicion! Now, I can do my best without feeling worried." Mizuki commented, letting out a sigh of relief.

"That is great but that also means our killer is either Kaya or Otoha." Kaito added.

"Dude, this cannot be it! How can one of them be the killer?" Connor commented, pointing at the two women.

"It cannot be Kaya! A great leader like her would never do something below her such as this! I refuse to believe that my leader is the one we have been looking for!" Kaoru commented, slamming his hands on his podium.

"Well, I do not think Otoha would do it either. She has been a sweetheart the whole time! I would dare compare her to an angel that was sent by the gods above to take care of us, sad mortals." Yo shared.

"This is preposterous. I cannot believe all of you think it is me after everything I have done for this whole group. Whatever! Even though some of you are not on the same level as Hiroto and Kaito when it comes to intellect, I am sure you will come to the conclusion that it could not have been me." Kaya commented, rolling her eyes as she shook her head.

"It is not me!" Otoha shouted, placing her hand on her chest. "It could not have been me! I was busy since this morning preparing everyone's breakfast. Then, I immediately jumped into creating everyone's pajamas. I never had the time to do something as elaborate as killing Naoki. I was busy. I hope everyone can see that I was being genuine with my care for everyone and that I would never do something as unpleasant as this experience."

I never expected it will come down to these two women. They have been instrumental in keeping the group together. Although she can be anti-social, Kaya has been helpful in guiding the group in doing the right thing. She has proven herself as a great leader even though she was coerced into taking the position. Then, we have Otoha who has been nothing but supportive to everyone. She is basically the mother of the group taking care of everyone's needs. Whoever is the culprit between the two of them, I know it will be a great loss to the group. I cannot believe Monokuma was able to convince one of these amazing women to kill.

"Who is now the killer between the two of them?" Kai asked the group.

"Let's describe first the killer." Kaito suggested.

Everyone agreed.

"We know the killer used the cart to hide Naoki. They chose to be with someone the whole day to create an alibi. And, they chose this person because they can make them obey their orders easily. Out of the two of them, who fits this description better?" Kaito laid down the facts.

The group grew silent as they pondered on this. As seconds passed by, one by one, they have come to a conclusion. Heartbreakingly, they chose to believe one of them killed Naoki. It is her. There is no other answer. It is only her who fits all of the criteria. That means we have been fooled by her this whole time.

"It is you, isn't it?" Kaito asked as he stared at Kaya, the ultimate mycotoxicologist. "You killed Naoki, Kaya…"

The group grew quiet as they waited for Kaya's response. After a few seconds, Kaya let out a sharp exhale.

"I am not the killer! You are sorely mistaken for accusing me of such a crime. I could never harm my partner. This is nonsense! It is not me! I could have never done it! The answer is Otoha!" Kaya shouted, pointing at the dollmaker.

"It seems to me that your façade is cracking. Kaya, you are cold but I never thought that you are this cold-blooded. I guess it is true what they say about loners. It is only a matter of time before they are pushed to their breaking point." Kai commented, staring at Kaya with a grin on his face.

"This is poppycock! I could have never poisoned Naoki. I was with Kaoru the whole time!" Kaya added.

"That is the reason why you are in this mess." Mitsue commented.

"What are you talking about, Mitsue? Out of everyone in this room, I thought you would be the one that will understand what I am going through right now the most since you have been falsely accused before even though you were the leader of the group." Kaya slammed her right hand on her podium.

"Throughout yesterday, you drove the cart with Kaoru only. Also, Kaoru fits the description of the culprit's lackey. You knew Kaoru will never do anything you did not want him to do. That is why you chose him to be with you. A few days ago, you were just complaining how much you are annoyed of Kaoru tailing you. Why did you suddenly choose to spend the whole day with Kaoru?" Mitsue asked.

"Just because I was annoyed of him a few days ago does not mean I am not capable of changing my view on people. And, he was extremely helpful in doing the tasks just to prepare the idiotic and useless party." Kaya answered.

Out of nowhere, Otoha asked, "Kaoru, did you ever get the chance to open the trunk of the cart?"

"Me?" Kaoru asked with a surprised look on his face. Then, he turned to Kaya. Is he still going to act like a minion by Kaya even though it is clear he is being used? Is this how blind he is in following his leader? Don't think of her. Tell us the truth. Your life is at stake too.

"Kaoru, I am begging you, please tell us the truth. God would want you to share the truth." Mizuki asked.

"My leader…" Kaoru mumbled as his gaze shifted to the televangelist.

"Kaoru, you truly amaze me. I can never be as blinded by admiration as you are! Although everyone is screaming at the top of their lungs that you are being used by your idol, you still choose to pretend you hear nothing. Go on Kaoru! Continue being the mindless pet that serves whichever master who is holding your leash." Kai commented, crossing his arms as he smilingly stared at the aromatherapist.

After a few more seconds, Kaoru answered, "I never opened the trunk since I did not need to. None of the tasks I did require me to use the trunk. That is what happened but I never did it because Kaya told me not to touch it."

"Wow!" Kai clapped. "Even in telling the truth, you still manage to defend your leader. Have you ever considered becoming a personal assistant? Celebrities will kill to have someone like you to clean their mess."

"I told you that it is not me! You can stop now before you waste any more time. There are so many things we still have yet to discuss. We cannot afford to lose more." Kaya shared.

"Like what exactly? What details have we not yet talked about? Do tell us!" Kai taunted.

"Like the purple specks in the shower room." Kaya randomly shared.

"Purple specks in the shower room? I do not recall our group going to the shower rooms near the lake. How do you know that? Did you just slip and told us something only the killer would have known if they were in your situation? Someone is cracking under pressure." Kai continued with his teasing.

"Shut up, Kai! You do not know what you are talking about! I just remembered Mitsue mentioning that detail earlier. Stop falsely accusing me." Kaya retorted.

"Am I though?" Kai asked.

"If you want to talk about it, it is easy to guess what happened in there. You must have washed off the purple specks that got on you just to prevent it from entering your system." Kaito answered.

"If I may add, you must have done it after dumping Naoki in the lake. This is based on the fingerprint you left on the ladder at the wooden dock. After realizing you have spores on you, you went to the shower room. Then, thinking that your outfit must have been contaminated as well, you changed into the pajamas Otoha sewed for you." Mitsue shared.

"Oooh! That is a nice point you brought up, Mitsue! I was wondering what made you suddenly dress up in the pajamas. In the beginning, you were vehemently against wearing it. When I first saw you last night, I told myself, 'She must have killed someone to wear those pajamas.' I guess I was right!" Kai continued with his attacks.

"That is ludicrous. Just because I wore the pajamas does not mean I did it! What a dumb idea to have! If that is your reasoning, then everyone could have done it. They could have chosen to wear pajamas that night because their outfits were contaminated." Kaya added.

"Fair enough! I will give you that. But, what about the solution made with the spores of the mushroom. No one in this room has the skill to make something as potent as the poison used on Naoki. It is only an experienced mycotoxicologist that could have done. The jig is up! It is time for you to admit defeat!" Kai continued with his relentless attacks.

"Kai does bring up a good point. No one in this room knows how to handle spores as toxic as the ones described that were used on Naoki. If any normal person did it, they might have ended up poisoning themselves. However, this person clearly shows experience in handling poisonous mushroom spores. The only one that satisfies this description is you." Otoha added.

"It is not that hard to handle spores. You are overestimating my abilities. Any human being with common sense will use personal protective equipment in making the poison. Using a pair of disposable gloves, a mask, and a lab coat is enough to prevent being contaminated by the spores. All of us have access to this equipment in the clinic. And, the spores are not that complicated to make it challenging for anyone to make a poison out of it. Equal parts water and spores should do the trick. Does that sound too complicated for anyone to do?" Kaya continued with her defense.

"Did you just tell us how you made your poison from those spores? Interesting… I should take note of that for the next drama I will write. It might be fun little detail to use." Kai giggled as he stared intently at the mycotoxicologist's eyes.

"Are you deaf? I just said how I would do it if I were the killer. However, as disappointing as it may sound to you, I did not murder Naoki! This is incredibly frustrating!" Kaya shouted, gripping onto her podium.

"So you are telling us how you did it since you are the killer…" Kai added, winking at Kaya.

"Ugh! You are just trying to get under my nerves like what you did to Orie last trial. Well, I am not falling for that because I did not do it! I hope that will get through your thick skull so we can focus on catching the true culprit. I bet the killer is smiling on the inside seeing I am being blamed for what they did." Kaya commented, crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes.

"I am doing what I did to Orie but not because I want to get under your nerves. I am doing this for the fun of it. And, from what I am seeing, it is working like how it was with Orie." Kai commented.

"Excuse me? I am not as weak-willed as Orie. I am not giving up until the end of this trial." Kaya added, raising her right eyebrow.

"But, you are as cold-blooded as Orie for killing someone who I imagine is the closest to you." Kai pointed at Kaya.

"Whatever! Responding to you is a waste of my time. I will never be able to make you change your mind. You are already set with me being the culprit." Kaya continued.

"That is true. So, are you admitting defeat already since you cannot convince me?" Kai asked.

"Of course not!" Kaya turned to the others. "Going back to what was being discussed, based on what I said, anyone could have made the poison themselves. They did not need any professional help to create something as dangerous as that. As long as they knew the spores are dangerous, anyone that is willing to kill someone will risk it all to make that spore solution. Most of you should know how lethal those spores were since I told you about it." Kaya indeed told everyone how toxic they were but I am not convinced that would be enough for the killer to make this complicated plan.

"What did Kaya tell the group exactly?" Mitsue asked.

"It was a simple warning that the spores were dangerous and we should avoid it at all cost. However, if you truly want to know the word-for-word announcement, I am sure Kaoru can fill you in with that." Otoha suggested, pointing at the aromatherapist.

Quickly, everyone turned to Kaoru.

"Kaoru, what did Kaya tell the group exactly?" Mitsue asked.

"Well…" Kaoru's eyes traveled to Kaya.

Unexpectedly, Yo grabbed Kaoru by the chin. Then, she turned Kaoru's face towards Mitsue. "Do not look at anybody else except Mitsue. After all, he is the one asking you. Don't you think it is a bit rude if you do not look at him?" Yo whispered.

Forced to look at Mitsue, Kaoru answered, "'Everyone, do not touch the purple mushrooms. Rafiki died from eating it. It is extremely lethal. Unless you want to meet your maker, I suggest staying away from it as much as possible. Do not be as dumb as a monkey.' That is what Kaya told the group. Can you put your hands off of me?" Kaoru tapped on Yo's hands.

"Of course! No problemo! Thank you for sharing that wonderful intel!" Yo exclaimed, pulling away from Kaoru.

"Why did you ask that, Mitsue?" Mizuki asked.

"Based on what we know of the killer, they must have anticipated Naoki getting paralyzed. If they did not know Naoki will not die immediately, they would not have been able to plan how they can create an alibi. But from what I just heard, Kaya never told the group the specific effects of the spores. So, how could have the killer planned this whole murder off of Kaya's announcement? They could have only done it if they knew what happened to Rafiki. Out of everyone here, the only one who knows about that is me and Kaya. Unfortunately for Kaya, I do not fit any of the criteria to label me as the killer unlike her." Mitsue shared.

"That does make sense. The whole event is becoming clearer. Kaya is the only one with the knowledge and the opportunities to commit the murder." Kaito commented, nodding his head.

"What do you have to say about that, Kaya? You are slowly but surely being pushed in the corner. What is your next move to get out of this predicament assuming that you still have something up your sleeves?" Kai asked.

"I am not yet done! There is still one more thing that everyone in this room has completely forgotten about. We first thought it was Akari who did it because she was the only one without an alibi when Naoki disappeared. During that time, I was with Kaoru. Even if we say that Kaoru is a brainless, obedient dog, I am sure he would not stay silent if he saw anyone kill someone else right in front of their face. Do you really think Kaoru will not make a big deal out of me killing another leader he admires?" Kaya asked the group.

She does have a point. Kaoru would have definitely made a fuss about it. Now, how did she do it with Kaoru being there? Did she make Kaoru do something else while she dealt with Naoki? That cannot be it. It is too simple for her. How did she pull off this shit?

"It looks like no one can answer me. If you cannot answer that simple question, I do not think it is right for the group to continue persecuting me for a crime I did not and obviously impossible for me to commit. I suggest you shift the energy you are pouring out just to convict me into something that can truly help the group in winning this trial." Kaya commented, putting her right hand on her hip.

Out of nowhere, Hiroto shared, "Kaoru was not there."

"What do you mean Kaoru was not there? If you are thinking I made him go somewhere else while I poisoned Naoki, you are dead wrong. I was with him since eight o'clock in the morning. We never separated and did our tasks side by side." Kaya added.

"That is right but that does not matter because you did not do it later than eight in the morning." Hiroto retorted.

"What are you talking about, Hiroto?" Mitsue asked.

"Didn't you find it weird that we saw Kaya eat her breakfast early and did not join the group for that? And, was it not strange that she had to tell us that Naoki joined her eating but left her alone. Naoki has problems communicating but he is not rude. He will not leave anyone just because he was finished eating already." Hiroto answered.

"Are you saying Kaya set that up?" Kaito asked.

"I am. And, I did not share this earlier but I think I should bring this up. I did see Naoki leave his cabin while I was raking this morning. It was way earlier than he would normally wake up. It was I would say a quarter before five but I never saw him return. But hearing Kaya say Naoki joined her for breakfast, it made me dismiss this thinking he was with Kaya the whole time. That was why Naoki has not returned. The strange thing is I never saw Kaya leave her cabin. That means she woke up earlier than I did. I went out to rake the grounds around 4:30 am." Hiroto shared.

"That is strange. No one would wake up that early if they did not have anything urgent to do around that time." Connor commented, placing his hand on his chin.

"Ooh! What were our two leaders doing that early in the morning? Did you do anything naughty Kaya around that time with Naoki? Like, I don't know, killing him?" Kai asked.

"I did not meet up with him to kill him. And, it was because of the stupid party. There were a lot of things to do that we needed to wake up early so that everything will be set up perfectly. I did not think you will be this imaginative, Hiroto. Also, do not forget that Kaoru and I met up with Naoki later in the morning." Kaya continued, pointing at Kaoru.

"That is not true." Kaito immediately replied.

"What is false with what I am saying? Kaoru and I did meet him." Kaya emphasized.

"Correction, you supposedly met up with Naoki in his room while Kaoru stayed quietly at the cart. Is it not that what happened, Kaoru?" Kaito asked.

Everyone turned to the aromatherapist.

With his head bowed down, Kaoru answered, "Kaya went inside Naoki's cabin while I stayed in the cart to guard it against anyone taking it." If that is the case, Kaya is the last person who saw Naoki. However, Kaya is the prime suspect. Her statement has lost its credibility. We now have a new sequence of events.

"This whole time, we have taken your word and ran with it as the truth. Now that we know you are the prime suspect, your words should be taken lightly. You made us think there were two of you who met up with Naoki but the truth is the only person according to your statement who saw Naoki is you. With that in mind, the last person who has truly seen Naoki is Hiroto. Hiroto saw him leave his cabin around 4:45 am and was never seen by anyone again. After that, he went missing." Kaito concluded.

"It looks like that is the end for you, Kaya. What do you have to say for yourself?" Kai asked.

Kaya could only look at her podium as she dug her nails into it while clenching her jaw. It is over for her. It is about time to end this trial.

"Does anyone want to summarize the case?" Mizuki asked.

"I want to do it." Akari volunteered.

"Take it away!" Yo shouted.

"I will try to do my best." Akari remarked.

---

Naoki Toshiro's Murder Case

"The killer of this case first planned this murder when they saw what happened to Rafiki when it ate one of the glowing purple mushrooms of this island. Taking note of this, they devised a scheme that would have made sure that they could have gotten away with this easily. Unfortunately for them, from the start they executed their plan, everything would not go the way they have originally planned.

They first prepared the poison they would have used on Naoki. Using their extensive background with poisonous mushrooms, they made a solution that is potent enough to paralyze the ultimate private investigator and kill him in the end. Other than the potion, they also wrote a letter telling their victim to meet with them early in the morning of the day of the party using the stationery paper Yo gave them.

The culprit has planned to kill Mitsue originally because Mitsue's medical knowledge and his witnessing of Rafiki's death posed a great threat in winning the trial. For all these reasons, they sent to him the letter. Unknown to them, Kai mixed up the letters which ended up with Naoki receiving their letter instead. Once Naoki got the letter, he agreed to meet up with the killer.

Naoki woke up early in the morning to meet up with the killer. Once he arrived at their meeting place, the killer attacked Naoki by spraying him with their homemade poison immediately paralyzing him. At this point, the killer did not care if it was Mitsue or Naoki. As long as they can kill anyone, they are okay with it. This is how desperate the killer was.

Once Naoki was paralyzed, they put him in a body bag and hid him in the trunk of the cart they were going to use all day. They went to the dining hall and pretended that Naoki ate breakfast with them.

As time passed by, the killer invited Kaoru to join them to create a solid alibi for the trial. They knew Kaoru would be easy enough to use for this since he does not ask questions about orders that are given to him. To make sure they even have a stronger alibi, the killer went to Naoki's cabin to pretend that Naoki was still okay during that time and let Kaoru see this so someone can back them up during the trial.

The day has passed and the evening was about to come. The killer, along with the others who used the other carts, parked the cart and left together to prepare for the party. Then, they quickly went back to the garage and drove the cart to the lake. They also brought with them an iron ball. They took out Naoki and transferred him to one of the boats with the iron ball and went to the center of the lake. Once they reached the middle of the lake, they tied Naoki's ankle to the iron ball and dumped him into the lake. He either died of drowning or multiple organ failure due to the poison. However, it does not matter which happened first. His fate was sealed once he went into the water.

The killer went back to the dock and left a purple fingerprint on the ladder. They got purple spores all over them from handling Naoki. Because of this, they rushed to the shower room to rinse off any spores on them. They had no choice but to wear the pajamas Otoha made for them since their clothes got contaminated. Once they were clear, they drove the cart back to the garage and disarrange the carts. They walked back to the party and waited until morning for someone to find out what they did to Naoki.

Out of everyone on this island, the only person that could have done this is none other than the Ultimate Mycotoxicologist, Kaya Ogino.

---

That is it for this trial. I am happy it is the end but I do not feel okay with this. Are we really going to vote for someone to get executed again?

Out of nowhere, Monokuma shouted, "That was a great trial! Since you have come to a conclusion, it is time to cast your votes!"

Without sparing any second, Mitsue cast his vote.

---

Mitsue Naozumi - Ultimate Emergency Response Team Leader

Yo Bashira - Ultimate Fan Club President

Kaoru Giwan - Ultimate Aromatherapist

Kiania Salvador-Hishima - Ultimate Zoologist

Kaito Kiyora - Ultimate Astrophysicist

Orie Kumagai - Ultimate Virtual Talent

Connor O'Reilly - Ultimate Saxophonist

Otoha Okumura - Ultimate Dollmaker

Naoki Toshiro - Ultimate Private Investigator

Akari Fujiyama - Ultimate Actress

Kai Hayashida - Ultimate Drama Writer

Kaya Ogino - Ultimate Mycotoxicologist

Hiroto Hisoki - Ultimate Runway Model

Mizuki Yamagata - Ultimate Televangelist

---

"All of you have voted! It is time to see the result!" Monokuma shouted.

The screen above Monokuma's throne was suddenly turned on and displayed a slot machine. The machine was painted in rich purple color. Its edges and lever were plated with gold. It had three slots that displayed different pictures. Slowly, the lever was pulled and the slots began rolling. As it began working, several of them had their faces appear on the machine along with items that would be commonly displayed on a slot machine such as cherries and gold bars. Slowly, the slots stopped with all of them displaying a portrait of Kaya. Out of nowhere, confetti rained down the screen and a signage made of LED lights appeared displaying the word "Congratulations!"

Then, the screen displayed the result of the voting.

---

Voting Results

Kaya Ogino – 10

Otoha Okumura - 1

Answer: Kaya Ogino

Correct!

---

The room grew quiet as everyone stared at the mycotoxicologist who was only staring at her podium. It really is her. I know she is cold but I did not think she would be cold-blooded as well. What made her do it? How did she let Monokuma make her play his game? She is smarter than this. Kaya, explain yourself.

"That was a splendid trial! There were a lot of bumps and turns along the way which made it one hell of a trial that made me forget I was in the mood to rush things! You really are a promising bunch! I am glad I was assigned to this camp!" Monokuma shouted as he clapped his hands for the campers.

Suddenly, Kaya laughed as she continued to stare at her podium.

"What is so funny? Why are laughing? Do you take what you did that lightly? Is killing Naoki not that big of a deal for you?" Akari shouted, slamming her hand onto her podium.

"Oh, shut up! I am not laughing because of that. Do you think it was easy for me to decide to kill someone?" Kaya asked, rolling her eyes.

"Then, can you explain to us why you are laughing right now?" Mizuki asked.

"I am laughing at the fact that I lost to all of you. I did not think I would be in this position after learning from Orie's mistake in the last trial. I made sure I had an alibi. I tricked everyone into thinking anyone could have made the poison. I did my best to make sure the cause of death will be unidentifiable. I hid Naoki somewhere no one would think of. Heck, I even took out the smartest kid in this camp even though they were not my original target. Everything was in my favor but I still managed to lose to a bunch of morons. I guess I am the fool going into this with full of confidence of making it out alive." Kaya declared, glaring at everyone.

"Why did you do it? Why did you kill Naoki and used me?" Kaoru asked.

"Obviously, I wanted what the motive offered to me." Kaya answered.

"What was in your contract?" Connor asked.

"Monokuma offered me a cabin in a woods where no one can ever find me but I can leave whenever I need to. However, I negotiated with Monokuma and changed it into owning and living on this island where no one can reach me but I can reach the outside world through the internet." Kaya answered.

"You wanted to be alone on this island? But, why?" Otoha asked.

"I have two reasons. The first reason is because of the abundant fungi I might discover on this island. There are so many new species I have found within just the two accessible areas. Just imagine what the other restricted areas have to offer. I want to study every aspect of these fungi without being bothered by anyone around me. Of course, I am not greedy with the knowledge I will find. I will still share it online but I will not have to interact physically with anyone anymore." Kaya shared.

"That is it? You are willing to trade someone's life for fungi?" Connor asked.

"You do not understand me because you are not an academic. In the pursuit of knowledge, anything can be sacrificed, even the lives of the innocent." Kaya answered.

"What was your second reason?" Kaito asked.

"I am sick and tired of being around other people. I do not want to interact with anyone! Growing up, people talk to me as if we are close because of my contributions to science. They think we are buddies when we are not. I do not care for them. I am sick and tired of shaking hands and smiling at them. I just want to be left alone. Why are people unable to give me some space?" Kaya shared.

"You want to be alone but wouldn't that be lonely?" Yo asked.

"Just because I will be alone does not mean I will be lonely. Those are two different things." Kaya clarified.

"Wow… If you dressed up in black and white, you will be that one emo goth kid in class who wants to be left alone and views the world in sadness. How depressing of you to treat people as a simple annoyance. If that is how you truly feel, you should not appreciate the small things other people do for you such as your parents providing you your basic needs, the accolades given to you such as your title, or the services you acquire from people. Although you are the best in your field, you will not be able to do everything on your own. There will come a time you will need help." Kai teased, pointing at Kaya.

"I do not think so. I can solve every problem on my own." Kaya retorted.

"You were not able to solve this problem on your own." Kai smilingly remarked.

"You think it is great to be alone until you have felt true isolation." Hiroto commented. Everyone stared at the runway model. "Once you have completely cut off everyone from your world, you will know how painful it is to live alone. You will seek the warmth you have experienced from interacting with other people. That is the only time you will only appreciate the worth of the people around you. You have only felt annoyance because you think so little of the people around you. All of the praises you have received through the years have inflated your ego and made you think you can do everything on your own. I hate to burst your bubble but no one can truly live on their own, especially those who have lived comfortably because of other people."

Kaya simply snickered. Rolling her eyes, she commented, "Nothing anyone can say will change my mind."

"You are so smart but so dumb at the same time… How disappointing…" Yo commented, shaking her head.

"By the way, before I get executed, I want to thank Connor and Mizuki for the help in making my plan come to fruition." Kaya added.

"My help? Are you losing it lady? I never helped you kill Naoki! What are you talking about?" Connor shouted.

"I will never help anyone commit a grave sin such as killing my neighbor. I am disappointed with you for accusing me of such an act!" Mizuki commented, shaking her head.

"If Connor did not suggest to have a party and zealously campaigned for it and Mizuki did not support the idea, I would not have decided to go through with killing someone. Because of your influence, you gave me the opportunity and I seized it. Although I failed, I wanted to thank you two for giving me hope that I might be able to live the life I want." Kaya explained.

"I allowed you to mess things up?" Connor asked.

"Yes, you did just that!" Kaya answered, clapping her hands at Connor.

"I cannot believe you are trying to pass some of the blame on the two of us! How low can you go! You have definitely succumbed to evil! I hope you repent when there is still time for you before your punishment." Mizuki shouted, pointing at the mycotoxicologist.

"No thanks. I believe in science, not God." Kaya commented. I cannot believe how calm Kaya is right now. There is not a single hint of remorse present on her face. Has she been this cold-blooded from the very beginning? Does she not care about anyone besides herself? She is a borderline psychopath!

"Wait, I have a question. Why did you burn the safe? I still do not get its relevance to the case." Kaito asked.

"I burned the safe so I can get a new copy of the contract. Monokuma told us we can get a copy of our contract if something happens to it. I needed a copy to have something to negotiate with Monokuma. I thought it would be the right thing to do." Kaya explained.

"Is that true?" Kaito asked the bear.

"That is what she did. Honestly, I have seen plenty of killers in my time as a moderator of this game but I have never seen anyone as cold-blooded as she was throughout this process. Once she burnt the safe, she did not hesitate and called me to bring her a copy of the contract. Without wasting any second, she went straight to the negotiation. Even for me, her calmness about this decision sent chills down my spine." Monokuma shared.

"You are ruthless." Akari commented.

"I have been called worse." Kaya remarked.

"Well, it has been fun seeing how things will go down once the killer's identity was revealed but, sadly, we have to proceed to the main event, the execution. I hope everyone has said their goodbyes to Kaya because this is the last time you will see her breathing. Hahahaha!" Monokuma shared, guffawing.

I cannot believe someone is going to be executed in front of us again.

"I do not think anyone will be sad if I die. Monokuma, just take me already." Kaya requested, staring at the bear.

"Not again!" Kaito shouted. Gripping onto his podium, the astrophysicist yelled, "I cannot take this anymore! Stop all of these useless executions! If anything, all we are turning into is some sort of experiment for the sake of the amusement of my sister and her friends… Even though the remnants of hope are nothing anymore, why does it feel like they are still reigning over all of us?"

"Calm down, Kaito. Don't worry. You are not alone. We are here with you." Otoha rushed to Kaito's side, gently patting him in the back.

"Wait! I have something to ask." Mitsue shouted, reaching his hand out toward Kaya.

"What is it?" Kaya asked.

"Are you really Ayame?" Mitsue asked.

"No. Do you really think I would prepare meals for you?" Kaya asked back. That is a relief to hear. I knew Ayame can be the kind of person she is.

"Then, how did you know about Ayame?" Mitsue continued.

"I saw someone prepare a meal for you and left a note with it. I saw the person wrote the note using that alias." Kaya explained.

"So, you know who Ayame is." Mitsue added.

"I do." Kaya confirmed.

"Can you tell me who it is?" Mitsue begged.

Kaya's eyes drifted to someone for a split second. Then, it went back to Mitsue immediately. "It is not my secret to share. Just know someone is willing to take care of you."

Suddenly, Kaya turned to Monokuma. "What is taking so long with the execution? I do not want to be around these people any longer."

"Sorry! I was curious how that conversation will end. I did not think it would end this way. Anyway, since you cannot wait to die, I should not prolong your agony anymore. Let's give it everything we got. It's punishment time!" A red button appeared in front of Monokuma. Then, with his wooden mallet, Monokuma hit the button.

"Why does this have to happen again?" Otoha commented.

Crouching down, Kaito mumbled, "Someone is going to be executed again! I cannot look! I am going to be next. One by one, all of us will receive the same end. I will die in here! I cannot do this anymore."

Mizuki did a sign of the cross. "I pray for God's forgiveness of your sins." Afterward, tears slowly trickled down the televangelist's cheeks.

Suddenly, the screen was turned on and displayed a pixelated sprite of Monokuma dragging Kaya appeared. Then, the screen changed displaying this:

---

GAME OVER

KAYA OGINO has been found GUILTY

TIME FOR PUNISHMENT!

---

The Magic Mushrooms

Kaya Ogino

The Ultimate Mycotoxicologist's Execution

-Used-

The screen showed Kaya was lying on the floor as she was tied to a cross made of rotting wood. She was in the middle of a barren land with harsh sunlight beaming on her. Suddenly, she erected in the middle of nowhere. Tumbleweed appeared rolling in front of her. At first, she tried to struggle and get out of there but she soon accepted her fate. She stared at what was in front of her.

Slowly approaching her was Monokuma with what looked like to be a flamethrower. The bear walked step by step as it taunted Kaya with the flamethrower it was holding. With only a few feet away, Monokuma positioned himself. He aimed the flamethrower at Kaya. In the count of three, Monokuma turned on the flamethrower.

To Kaya's surprise, only a fume with spores came out of it and covered her. Spores entered her nose, mouth, and eyes, Her clothes were dusty from the spores. It was as if chalk dust was poured onto her. She coughed up a lot of the dust making it hard for her to breathe. After a few seconds, she continued wheezing from the spores around her.

Suddenly, the sky turned grey as it was filled with clouds. Monokuma looked up and immediately ran away. Kaya was left alone under the cloudy sky. Then, it began pouring heavily drenching Kaya. However, it was no ordinary liquid that rained down on her. It was a special growth serum Monokuma made for the spores.

After a few seconds, in being soaked in this serum, gigantic mushrooms began to sprout from Kaya. With each mushroom, roots of these enormous fungi pierced her flesh. Some of it was able to get through her bones. Every time a mushroom grew, Kaya howled in pain. Each yelp echoed and pierced through everyone that could hear it. The pain was excruciating. In the end, all she could do was shout and hope that there will be a miracle that she will survive this. It was only a matter of time before she died from being torn apart by these mushrooms. The rain stopped and the clouds went away. The only thing that was left was the cross Kaya was tied to with mushrooms growing on it. And, on the ground was the flesh and bones of Kaya that flew away as the mushrooms grew.

---

The group could only silently watch Kaya's demise. None of them could say anything. Although some of them chose to look away, it was not enough to make them feel at ease. Kaya's visceral screams were enough to give them a clear picture of what was happening to Kaya. In the end, no one could say a word. Another execution has been engraved in the minds of the young campers. It has reminded them of the cruel nature of the situation they were in.

That was disgusting. Kaya did not even have a fighting chance to survive. She was put through hell and she could not even do anything to save herself from the pain. I know she did something awful but this was beyond the punishment she deserved. It was beyond being a punishment. It became more of an exhibition for those who enjoy this stuff.

Breaking the chilling silence, Monokuma shouted, "Another successful execution by yours truly! That one was amazing! Screams of pain are truly music to my ears! I cannot wait for another execution. I will be waiting patiently for the next one. Hopefully, it will be as satisfying as watching our mycotoxicologist's death! Hahahahaha!"

"You are a sicko!" Yo shouted, pointing at Monokuma.

"I am! I am sickeningly amazing at my job! Hahahahaha!" Monokuma retorted.

"There is no need for you to anticipate for the next time you can do this because this will be the last time you execute one of us!" Mitsue shouted, pointing at Monokuma.

"I always hear that after every trial. I think you also said that last time but look at where we are now! Hahahaha! You will never be able to resist what this game has to offer. There will always be at least one of you who will be tempted to take my offerings. Actually, I am surprised about a certain someone in your group." Monokuma commented.

"What are you talking about?" Kaoru asked.

"One of you has been consistently the first to consider killing someone. But for some reason, they always end up withdrawing at the last second letting other people get the kill first. I wonder why they are holding back. They should just let their inner monster out. From what I have seen from them, they are for sure going to do something crazy. I guess I will just have to come up with a more enticing motive for next time. If they ever decide to act upon their brewing murderous intents, I will personally throw a party." Monokuma shared with the group.

Everyone began looking around. Gazes filled with doubt littered the room. Someone as cold-blooded as Kaya is still with us? Will they wreak havoc just like what Kaya did? I cannot deal with another murder like this. There has to be a way to stop this shit and that should start by not being scared of whatever this fucking lunatic has to tell us. The more we cower in fear, the more Monokuma has power over us.

"Say whatever you want to say. It does not matter! We are stronger than you are. You will never see us again in this room." Mitsue declared.

"We will see about that." Monokuma snickered. "Anyway, since the trial is over, you may leave now. I have to go. I still have a snack to eat." Monokuma pulled out a grilled fish. After a few seconds, Monokuma disappeared into thin air leaving the ten campers silently standing in the room.

Most of them were unmoving. Akari was blankly eyeing at her podium, picking at the buttons. Connor spaced out as he looked at Kaya's empty podium. Kaoru's eyes were fixated on the screen above Monokuma's throne. And, Kaito was still having a breakdown while Otoha stayed beside him. There was an unnerving silence that proliferated in the room. No one has anything to say. None of them had the energy to initiate to lead.

Out of nowhere, Kai shouted, "That was an interesting tidbit Monokuma gave us. There is at least one more person who is willing to kill. Who do you think it is going to be? My money is on Mizuki. It is always the sweet angels that have a hidden devil inside of them."

"How dare you call me a devil! With God by my side, no devil can ever possess or tempt me to join their side!" Mizuki shouted.

"Then, who do you think Monokuma was talking about?" Kai asked.

"There is no need for me to answer because I believe it was all just a lie to divide us." Mizuki answered.

"Bull roar! I know everyone in this room suspect at least one person after Monokuma's speech." Kai shared. Then, he turned to the actress. "What about you Akari? Who do you think will kill next? Do you think they will kill one of us like how Kaya killed your beloved Naoki?"

"How could you joke about Naoki's death?" Akari shouted in disgust.

"That was not a joke. Who said I was joking? Just answer the question. Who are you betting your money on? Who is the secret monster?" Kai asked.

As Akari stared, tears began flowing down her cheeks. "I hate you!" Akari shouted before running to the elevator.

"I will follow her to make sure she is okay." Yo told the group as she dashed off to follow Akari.

"Wow! What a disproportional reaction to a simple question! What a drama queen…" Kai remarked, rolling his eyes. Kai is unbelievably annoying the fuck out of me! What does this bastard want? Can't he be a bit more humane? How can he be so apathetic about how everyone is feeling right now? I just wish he can sense how annoying he is all the time.

"Can you just stop being like that? It is not helping the group!" Mizuki commented.

"I am amazed!" Kai clapped. "You are capable of being assertive. Where was this when Kaya and Naoki were alive? I did not think you had a voice of a leader but you are proving me wrong. What a transformation! Just to get this side out of you, all that had to happen was for your fellow leaders to die."

"Will you please stop disrespecting our leader!" Kaoru shouted.

"Oh, shut up, you useless piece of garbage! Mizuki is an over-glorified moral compass while you are a good-for-nothing fanatic. You are one of the reasons Kaya felt confident in murdering Naoki. Honestly, I doubt you have what it takes to kill anyone unless someone ordered you to do so. I am not scared of you. Your presence is meaningless without a leader. You are a pathetic hunk of flesh." Kai shouted, waving his hand to shoo away the aromatherapist as he rolled his eyes.

"Do not listen to him Kaoru. There are some people only God can change." Mizuki commented. Afterward, she walked away to the elevator and was followed by Kaoru.

Suddenly, Kai commented, "I will be off then. I already have my fill of drama for today!" Then, he showed two thumbs-up to Hiroto and Mitsue. "Good job to the two of you! You really saved us all. I hope you will be able to work again in harmony in the next trial."

"You do not need to worry about that since this will be the last." Mitsue commented, shaking his head.

"Sure, whatever you say! Goodbye!" Kai waved his hand and left the room. Only five of them remained.

Still taking care of Kaito, Otoha told the group, "You three can go ahead. I will stay here until Kaito calms down."

"Are you sure? I can help." Mitsue asked.

"Don't worry. I can manage. I am sure he will come back to his senses." Otoha smiled back at the emergency response team leader.

"Ok then…" Mitsue turned to Hiroto and Connor. "Let's go."

Hiroto nodded.

As Mitsue and Hiroto walked away, Mitsue noticed Connor was still by his podium completely stuck in his own world. What is going on with him? Is there something wrong with him? Worried, Mitsue went to check on Connor. "Hey, are you alright?" Mitsue asked, tapping Connor on his shoulder.

"I am…" Connor nodded as he continued to stare at the screen. Something is bothering him but I should probably let him be for now. It has been a long day after all. Maybe he just needs some rest.

"Let's get out of here." Mistue whispered, putting his hands on Connor's shoulders as he led him to the elevator.

Connor simply nodded and joined Hiroto and Mitsue. The three men entered the elevator and silently took the ride until they reached the ground floor. No one had the energy to break the silence. All of them were just eager to get out of there. Once the doors opened, they all immediately went out and were greeted by the clear sky.

It is only the afternoon. For a minute there, I thought it would be evening already. Time flowed differently when we were inside that god-awful trial room. Out of nowhere, Mitsue's stomach grumbled loudly. I guess we did miss eating lunch. I am sure these two men are also hungry. Maybe I should prepare something for these two.

"Do you want to have lunch? I can cook something for us." Mitsue asked the two.

Hiroto nodded.

"I don't feel like eating. You guys can go on without me. I will stay in my room." Connor replied.

"Ok then… Just tell me if you need anything." Mitsue added.

After that, Connor walked away from the two. I hope he will be back to his chipper self tomorrow. I guess going through all of that can drain even the jolliest people.

Mitsue was left with Hiroto. After a few seconds of staring at Connor, Mitsue turned to Hiroto. "What do you want to eat?"

"Beef bourguignon, coq au vin, ratatouille, eclairs, souffles, tarte tatin… Honestly, I just want to eat anything that reminds me of home." Hiroto answered as he walked beside Mitsue. I know that feeling. I just want something that can remind me of the comfort of my own home and make me forget I am stuck on this bloody island.

"I can make a ratatouille and an apple tarte tatin for us." Mitsue shared.

"That sounds great." Hiroto remarked, smiling at Mitsue.

The two men went on to have their late lunch in the dining hall trying to find comfort from their meal on a seemingly unsalvageable horrendous day.

---

What Lies Beneath (Deadly Life)

-END-

Status

Mitsue Naozumi (Ultimate Emergency Response Team Leader): ?

Yo Bashira (Ultimate Fan Club President): ?

Kaoru Giwan (Ultimate Aromatherapist): ?

Kiania Salvador-Hishima (Ultimate Zoologist): Eliminated

Kaito Kiyora (Ultimate Astrophysicist): ?

Orie Kumagai (Ultimate Virtual Talent): Terminated

Connor O'Reilly (Ultimate Saxophonist): ?

Otoha Okumura (Ultimate Dollmaker): ?

Naoki Toshiro (Ultimate Private Investigator): Terminated

Akari Fujiyama (Ultimate Actress): ?

Kai Hayashida (Ultimate Drama Writer): ?

Kaya Ogino (Ultimate Mycotoxicologist): Terminated

Hiroto Hisoki (Ultimate Runway Model): ?

Mizuki Yamagata (Ultimate Televangelist): ?

Remaining Survivors: 10

---

That is it for this chapter! I would like to thank Ziggymia123 for submitting Kaya! She was an interesting character to write and I related so much with how she reacts to being around other people! She is one of my personal favorites in the cast. Sadly, I have to kill her off. I hope you enjoyed her in my story!

I would like to congratulate those who correctly guessed the killer especially those who are part of the discord server. Your theories were amazing. However, I have to say that I am surprised no one guessed the sequence of the events correctly. But, it is not about getting it correctly. The most important part is having fun with theorizing and I hope all of you experienced this!

What do you guys think of the ending of this chapter? What are your thoughts on the chapter in general? You can tell me through the comments!

The next update will be part 1 of chapter 3! I am shocked we made it this far! I am so excited about what is about to come.

If you want to talk about this story and other fun stuff, you can join the discord server for this story. The invite is on my profile!

That is all for now!

Stay safe!