None of the students moved, looking from Monokuma to the newly revealed window with wary eyes. Icy dread slid through Naegi's veins, chilling him even with Togami's arms still warm around him. What was going on? The mastermind had already forced them to watch Fukawa's execution – what else could be outside that window? He didn't know – but he knew that whatever it was, it would be just as horrifying as what they'd already witnessed.

"What do you mean, we're all trying to break the rules?" Asahina asked, drawing closer to Ogami as if the presence of her best friend could ward off the fear filling the room. "We had the trial, didn't we?"

"You sure did," Monokuma agreed. "My heart was pumping away the whole time, wondering what would happen. I just couldn't decide!"

"What could you possibly need to decide?" Togami demanded. "You have your cameras watching us all the time – you knew who killed Hagakure from the start."

"Oh, that?" Monokuma's eyes widened in a mockery of surprise. "That's old news! Who'd bother with yesterday's headlines when there's a brand new scandal sweeping the nation? People only care about the fresh new things, you know – once you lose that cutting edge, that's it!"

"Then what exactly are you saying?" Kirigiri asked, stepping up beside Naegi and Togami so that she could stare directly at the enthroned bear. "What are you accusing us of doing?"

"Huh? Don't you know?" Monokuma tilted his head. "But I thought you knew everything! Oh, well, guess you can't trust everything you hear!" He looked around the room. "It breaks your poor headmaster's heart to say it, but it seems that some of you don't like the rules that have been set to give you a comfortable, peaceful life here in this school." He raised a paw, and wickedly sharp talons snapped out to gleam in the light. "Some of you have been cheating."

Naegi froze, a horrible thought occurring to him. Could the mastermind know about Alter Ego? Was this about the data that Alter Ego had uncovered for them – or worse yet, for the AI's attempt to hack into the school network? He'd completely forgotten about Kirigiri's plan to distract the mastermind when they'd discovered Hagakure's body – but surely an actual murder would have been an even better distraction than whatever Kirigiri had been preparing to do.

"No one has broken any of your ridiculous rules," Togami said, glaring up at the bear. "We've all been very careful to follow the exact wording of your rules. If we've exploited loopholes, then maybe you should have been more careful about what you said."

"Is that what you think?" Monokuma asked, grinning at him. "Are you sure?"

Suddenly, five bright beams of light began circling through the room, sending spotlights whirling across the walls and floor. Naegi grimaced, the dizzy patterns making his head spin again, but he didn't dare look away when Monokuma was clearly in the middle of something.

"You think no one has broken any rules?" Monokuma went on as the spotlights danced around him. "Well, maybe your headmaster needs to hold a little session of the academic honor court to clear up this little question. Just who are the cheaters among you? Let's find out… now!"

And with that, the spotlights froze, coalescing into two solid beams of light. One shone down where Asahina and Ogami had pressed together, while the other blasted full on where Naegi, Togami, and Kirigiri stood.

"What exactly is that supposed to prove?" Togami snapped, narrowing his eyes against the glare of the spotlight.

"Aw, you didn't get it?" Monokuma asked sadly. "Oh, well, I guess I can't expect you to follow along – after all, you're the only goody-goody left!"

Togami's arms tightened around Naegi. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"He's saying that the other four of us have all broken a rule," Kirigiri said, crossing her arms.

"That's right!" Monokuma beamed at her. "We've had more rules broken in the last day than the whole rest of your time here – almost twenty-four solid hours of rule-breaking, in fact."

Twenty-four hours – the time period that Naegi and Kirigiri had set for Alter Ego's hacking attempt. That couldn't be a coincidence, could it? That had to be what Monokuma was talking about. After all, Naegi knew that nothing else he'd done had even come close to breaking a rule.

Although now that he thought about it…

"Which rule are you talking about?" Naegi asked, frowning. "What are you saying we did?"

After all, he'd known all along that the mastermind wouldn't like it if they found out about what he and Kirigiri had done with Alter Ego – but he wasn't sure he'd actually call it rule-breaking. Thinking back over the list of rules from the e-handbook, Naegi couldn't think of a single one that they'd violated. And they definitely hadn't involved Ogami or Asahina in it.

"You don't even know?" Monokuma tilted his head inquisitively. "Hmmm. Maybe I should have made it more clear. After all, it makes things so confusing when you add a new rule after the game's in motion!"

"You're talking about the new rule? The one about breaking down locked doors?" Naegi blinked. "But we didn't break down any doors."

"Oh? Didn't you?" Monokuma asked, leaning forward. "Are you calling your headmaster a liar?"

The spotlight burned down on Naegi, sending drops of sweat trickling down the back of his neck. "No – that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Monokuma pressed. "Are you saying I'm mistaken? That I don't know a locked door when I see one? Or maybe it's you who can't recognize locked doors – what do you think?"

"We're all well aware of what a locked door is," Togami snapped, his fingers squeezing Naegi's arm until it was almost painful. "Get to the point."

"Aw, but I wouldn't want anyone to be confused about it!" Monokuma said. "You're still in school, after all – learning new things should be a very important part of your daily life! I think it's time for a very special lesson, by a guest speaker who knows all about it." He raised his clawed paw, pointing out towards the students – but he wasn't aiming at Naegi.

His claw pointed directly to Ogami.


Author's Note: Sooo... that sounds like a good place for a break, doesn't it?

Well, I know it's not ideal, but unfortunately it's where I'm going to have to leave you for a little while. I have a few things to do in real life that will take up some time. Also, I need to spend a little time plotting out exactly what needs to happen in the rest of the story - I have the broad strokes, but the details need some refining. And honestly - well, the daily posting is a little exhausting. I need a break so I don't get too burned out!

So with all that in mind, I'm going to take about a week off from posting. If the stars align, it might be sooner, but I can't promise that will work out. You can expect the next chapter by next Sunday 2/7 at the latest. See you all then!