I feel a chill as we enter the main hall. Hiroto's room is just ahead. I have to be ready. I can't let my emotions get the better of me.

Before we get there, however, we find Jun just outside Hiroto's room, staring at the wall. No… not exactly. He's staring at the scanner in the wall. "Hi, Jun," I say as we approach.

He sees us. "Hm," he says. "So, you decided to investigate after all."

"What are you up to?" Rin asks, crossing her arms. "Another one of your weird-ass experiments?"

"Something like that."

"Hopefully this one won't, like, break my fucking eardrums?"

Jun looks at the scanner, brow furrowed. "To be honest, Koi," he says, "your account bugs me. If you're innocent, that implies someone broke into one of these dorm rooms. This person did something that I've failed to do, despite my repeated attempts."

"Um," says Rin, "and why have you attempted to break into our dorm rooms?"

"Same reason I do anything. To see if it can be done."

"Okay, perv," Rin says, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure that's the reason."

"Wait a moment," I say, containing my excitement. "Does this mean you believe me?"

Jun shakes his head. "Belief or disbelief isn't the issue," he says. "If you deny being the killer, it raises the possibility that someone broke into this room. And I don't like impossible possibilities."

"Um, hold up," says Rin. "Aren't you, like, the Ultimate Hacker? How do we know you didn't, like, hack your e-Handbook to trick the scanner?"

Jun grins. "Ask Monokuma," he says. "He'll take offense to the implication."

"…I can do that at the class trial," I say. I don't want to summon Monokuma if I don't have to…

"Anyway," says Jun, "go on in, if you want. I'll follow. Want to take a look at the door."

We walk around Jun. The door—to his left—is open. I let a shiver pass through me. Then I step forward, through the threshold.

Into the crime scene.

Rin takes my hand. "Tell me if it's too much," she whispers.

I'm looking at my feet. I'm doing this for Kenji, I remind myself. Be strong for Kenji.

I look up, and see the blood-splattered room. I squeeze Rin's hand.

"So you've arrived," says Takeru.

"Hey, Koi!" says Jeff. "Um… are you sure you'll be okay in here?"

Jeff is standing on the left side of the bed. Takeru's on the right, near my floor bed.

"I think I can handle it," I tell Jeff. "I mean… I have to try. I need to prove my innocence."

"That's the spirit!" Jeff says, giving me a thumbs-up.

"You say that," I say, smiling sadly, "but… I'm sure you don't believe me yet."

"I… I do believe you!" says Jeff. "I wasn't sure at first but—that's because Monokuma is turning us against each other! He made me doubt my own friend!"

"You really believe me?" I ask, my smile turning genuine.

"Of course I do!" says Jeff. "There's no way any of us killed Hiroto!"

My smile shrinks. "…Any of us?"

"Monokuma is clearly the culprit!" Jeff says, clenching his fist. "He's the only one evil enough to do something so horrible!"

"Um…"

"But, like," says Rin, "wasn't Hiroto stabbed with a knife? How would Monokuma even hold that?"

"Yeah," I say apologetically. "He doesn't have opposable thumbs, so…"

Jeff thinks about this.

"…It's the Mastermind, then!" he concludes. "The one controlling Monokuma!"

"Maybe," I say, "but if the Mastermind is one of us, then… we're back to square one."

"There's no way the Mastermind is one of us!" says Jeff. "It's someone hiding in the school, like Junko in the first Danganronpa!"

"…I guess that's possible…"

Jeff relaxes and smiles. "I've met and talked with everyone trapped in here," he says. "They're all good people. I'm positive that none of them would do this. Not you or anyone else."

I… wish I had as much faith in people as Jeff does.

I'm glad that another person believes me, though.

"So," says Rin, "are you two, like… guarding the body, or whatever?"

"Indeed," says Takeru. "This was the task our leader assigned to us. However, Jeff found that he was… uncomfortable with the appearance of our fallen comrade."

"Yeah," Jeff admits, smiling awkwardly, "I was getting kind of freaked out, so… we pulled the sheets up over his whole body."

Finally, I allow myself to look at the bed where Hiroto died.

As they said—there's no body visible. Just a blanket with a lump under it. Even the face seems to have been concealed. "That's kind of a relief, actually," I say, feeling my tension wane.

"Um," says Rin, "wasn't there, like… a knife in him?"

"Oh, yeah," I say. The lump has no visible protrusion. "What happened to it?"

"Shingo removed it," says Takeru. "He and Ryu are in the cafeteria, comparing the murder weapon to the many knives therein."

"I had a theory that it wasn't the real murder weapon," says Jeff. "But I got shot down pretty quickly."

"We compared the knife with the wounds which slayed Hiroto, and found a remarkable consistency. There is little doubt that this knife was Hiroto's downfall."

"Well, that makes sense," I say. "If the killer already had that knife, there'd be no reason not to use it. It's not like it implicates anyone. There are more than a thousand of them in the cafeteria."

"Yeah, I felt kinda silly when I realized that," Jeff admits.

"Is there anything else you discovered while investigating the body?" I ask.

"Sadly, quite little," says Takeru. "The sheets are stained on the inside, facing Hiroto's body. They were likely used as a shield between the assassin and the flow of blood. However, a stab wound to the heart would produce a remarkably strong fountain of blood—this shield would not be entirely adequate."

"Um," says Jeff, "I think that's a bit too graphic for someone who's still grieving…"

"It's fine," I reply honestly. "I'm on a mission now. As long as I'm focused on that—I can look at the facts objectively." I look around. "Where is everyone, anyway? Shouldn't they be investigating the crime scene?"

"Well," says Jeff, "there were people here earlier, but they didn't really find much, so they left. A lot of them went to, uh…"

"To investigate the abode of the prime suspect," Takeru finishes.

"Oh," I say, my face falling. "Well. That's just great. Everyone going through my things. Rummaging through my underwear. Love it." An idea strikes me. "Wait a moment!" I say excitedly. "That's it! My clothes! Takeru—you said there'd be some blood that made it past the sheets. In other words, the killer had to have gotten some blood on their clothes. But I have no bloodstains on any of my clothes! Not this uniform, or any other! And Naomi has seen all my clothes, so she'll know that I didn't throw out a uniform, or anything!" I'm smiling. "That's it! This'll prove that I'm not the killer!"

No one shares this excitement.

"…Right, guys?" I ask.

Jeff and Takeru are looking away. Their faces are red, for some reason.

"Koi," says Rin, giving me a strange look. "Um. You could've, like. Washed the blood off your body, though."

"But I'm talking about clothes," I insist. "Bloodstains don't come off that easily."

Rin rolls her eyes. "Like… c'mon, Koi," she says. "Don't treat us like prudes. You obviously weren't wearing any clothes."

I'm taken aback by this.

"…Rin!" I squeal after a delayed reaction. "No! Of course I wasn't… we didn't…" My face is burning. "Why would you say that? In… in front of these boys?"

"It's okay, Koi," Jeff says, scarlet-faced. "I mean—we're at that age, right? It's perfectly natural."

He's avoiding eye contact. So is Takeru. I clutch my temples, realizing the terrible truth. "Is this… is this what everyone thinks happened?"

There's silence for a moment.

"The… popular theory," Takeru mumbles, "does involve… romantic entanglements."

"No!" I shriek. "There were no entanglements! We… we didn't even kiss!"

"Well," says Rin, "like… you did sleep in his room, though? So, like… what are you acting so surprised for?"

"Such liaisons are to be… expected," Takeru mumbles, "when a woman enters a man's abode at night."

I'm blushing furiously. "But… but…" A realization hits me. "Hiroto died in his clothes!" I insist, feeling relieved. "The bloodstains on his shirt will prove it! So—that proves that I was wearing clothes, too! A girl wouldn't be naked with a guy who's wearing clothes, right?"

"Jesus fucking Christ, Koi," Rin mutters. "We weren't fucking born yesterday."

"Are you kidding me?" I shriek, covering my face. "You know, that's really the cherry on top of this whole nightmare cake. I'm a freaking virgin, and people are accusing me of things I don't even understand."

Rin hesitates. "Um," she says, "if I were insensitive, I would totally make a pun about the cherry on top being an unpopped cherry. But, like…" She pauses. "…I guess I just did, though."

I sigh, and let my hands fall. "What am I even supposed to do?" I ask. "I feel like I've already hit a dead end."

"Upon defeat," says Takeru, "a warrior will often simulate the battle, in order to discover the point at which it was lost."

"Oh," I say. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I should retrace my steps."

"Ah, that's what he meant," says Jeff. "Thanks for translating from Takeru-talk."

I think. "Well, I was worried about Hiroto," I say, "so I decided to check on him."

"Oh, I saw you leaving your room!" says Jeff.

"Yeah, I saw all five of you when I left," I say. "You, Rin, Jun, Tsubasa, and Kenji. I went to Hiroto's door, and knocked—but he didn't answer at first. I got nervous, so I started shouting, and shaking the doorknob—but it was locked, obviously—"

"Hold on," says Jun.

I'm startled. I'd forgotten that Jun was behind me, investigating the door this entire time.

"The door was locked?" says Jun. "You're certain?"

"Y-yeah," I reply. "I mean—it was closed, and these doors lock automatically. It was pointless to even try—but I tried anyway, and it was definitely locked."

"So," says Jun, "the door was locked when you entered. And the door was locked this morning, before Monokuma unlocked it. Presumably, the door was also locked at every point in between. Do I have this right?"

"…Yeah, that sounds right."

"Shit," Jun mutters.

For some reason, he chooses this moment to leave the room.

TRUTH BULLET: LOCKED DOOR

"…Anyway," I say, turning back to Jeff and Takeru. "I got all panicked, but… then I heard a toilet flush. Hiroto opened the door, and said he'd been using the bathroom."

TRUTH BULLET: HIROTO'S BATHROOM

"We talked for a while, and… oh, he showed me his e-Handbook, because I got scared someone had stolen it. But it was on his desk."

"Monokuma left it there," says Jeff, "since this is a crime scene. But he says we can't touch it."

I walk over, and look at Hiroto's desk. "Yeah, it hasn't moved at all," I say, looking at the thin electronic rectangle. "He put it right back down after showing it to me. Unfortunately… I don't think that really tells us anything."

"By falsifying theories, we come closer to the truth," says Takeru. "We now know, at least, that the assassin did not sneak in using this device."

TRUTH BULLET: HIROTO'S E-HANDBOOK

"Right…" I walk back to Rin. "Anyway—I was still really scared, and I ended up telling Hiroto that I might have a panic attack if I went back to my room. So he let me stay the night. I insisted that I sleep on the floor—so he took out some stuff from the closet, and we made a floor bed." I point. "That's it right there, next to Hiroto's bed. But right as we were finishing that… we heard some loud music from the hallway."

"Yeah, I told Takeru all about that little incident," Jeff says.

"God, don't fucking remind me," Rin mutters. "I was, like, all excited for this super-secret experiment Jun had hyped up? But it was just, like, some bullshit about sleeping in the hallway. And then there was that annoying-ass music."

"We talked to Tsubasa in the doorway," I continue, "and Kenji and Rin saw us… but then they moved on, and we closed the door."

TRUTH BULLET: LOUD MUSIC INCIDENT

"After that," I continue, "Hiroto went back to the closet, to get some finishing touches for my floor bed. And—"

"Allow me to interrupt," says Takeru. "This closet door was opened multiple times, both before and after the music incident?"

"Yeah," I confirm.

"And yet," Takeru says contemplatively, "at no point did an assassin leap out from within. Interesting…"

TRUTH BULLET: HIROTO'S CLOSET

"An assassin prepared for battle might hide in the closet," says Takeru. "However, for an assassin who seeks to maximize stealth, hiding under the bed is a far superior option. Might this be where Hiroto's assailant lay in wait?"

"Um," I reply, "well… actually, right before I went to sleep, I looked under Hiroto's bed—but there wasn't anything there."

Takeru's brow furrows. "Interesting…"

TRUTH BULLET: UNDER HIROTO'S BED

"And… that's just about it," I conclude. "We talked for a little bit, and then we fell asleep. When I woke up… this had happened."

We're quiet for a moment.

"Sorry," I say. "I guess… none of that really helped all that much."

"Nonetheless—we must share all relevant details, lest anything be overlooked," says Takeru. "In that vein, I have my own contribution—though it is unlikely to be of much use. Last night, I was on duty within this very abode."

"Oh, that's right—you and Tsubasa are the male nighttime room checkers. So… Tsubasa checked this room the night before last, and you checked it last night."

"Indeed," says Takeru. "These room checks are performed at approximately 9 p.m.—and last night was no exception. I have little to report from this. However, Hiroto informed me of something interesting. After his room check—but before the 10 p.m. nighttime announcement—Hiroto liked to take a stroll around the school."

"A stroll?"

"It helped him relax before bedtime—or so he told me. As I left his room, I witnessed him begin his nightly stroll."

I think about this. "Wait… that might be it!" My mind is racing. "If he accidentally left the door open, or something… someone might have snuck in, and hid somewhere!"

Takeru shakes his head. "Hiroto was not such a careless person. I, myself, witnessed him close the door. I am certain that it was shut tight."

"Oh…"

TRUTH BULLET: TAKERU'S ACCOUNT

"If someone did sneak in," says Jeff, "where would they hide?"

"I have contemplated this, as well," says Takeru. "Yet Koi's account has eliminated both the closet and the area under the bed as possibilities. The bathroom, too, seems to be out of contention."

We look around.

"Um," says Rin, "not to be a downer? But there's like… no other hiding spot in here."

"Yeah…" I mutter, downcast. "I guess it's looking worse and worse for me, huh?" I look at Takeru. "But… you know I'd never do anything like this. Right, Takeru?"

Takeru looks away. He hesitates. "A shinobi is trained to trust his intuition," he says. "However, when a man's intuition conflicts with the evidence of his senses… that man… must make a difficult choice."

"I see," I say quietly, also looking away. "Well… I hope you make the right choice."

After that, Rin and I look around the room a bit. But there isn't anything to find.

Before we leave, I have one last request.

"I need to see it," I say, "just… one last time."

I peel back the covers.

I stare at the face that used to be Hiroto's.

A minute later, I pull the covers back up.

"Okay," I say, wiping away a tear. "I'm ready. Let's go to the cafeteria."

But we don't leave yet, because Jun's back. He's staring at the edge of the door. For some reason, he's using a magnifying glass.

"Look at Sherlock fucking Holmes over here," says Rin.

"Did you get that from the Ultimate Accountant's Office?" I ask.

"Sure did," says Jun. He's smiling. "I think I've found something interesting." He points. "It's electronic, but this lock is physically like any other lock. The bolt slides into the box, holding the door shut."

"The what slides into what?" asks Rin.

"A metal bar slides into a hole in the doorframe," Jun clarifies. "This bar, right here."

We look where he's pointing. A flat metal surface on the door's edge. I understand—this is a metal bar, but it's completely receded into the door, so we can only see its flat edge.

"If you look closely," says Jun, "there are some marks on it."

"Marks?" I repeat.

"Look for yourself."

He gives me the magnifying glass, and I look.

The metal edge is bronzish. But now that I look, there are some tiny white spots on it. They almost look like they're… stuck on? It's like… when you tear off a sticker, sometimes there are little traces of paper where the sticker used to be. I say this as I give Rin the magnifying glass.

"Another thing intrigues me," says Jun. "Those marks are about the same shade of white as the door itself."

"That's true," I agree. The metal bar is bronze-colored, but the door is painted white.

"Well, it might be nothing," Jun says, as Rin gives him back the magnifying glass. "But I'm going to check all the other doors. Might find something interesting."

TRUTH BULLET: MARKS ON HIROTO'S DOOR

Jun leaves for Emi's door, and we leave for the cafeteria.

However, we haven't gotten far when a loud whistle blows behind us.

We turn around, and walk briskly to discover its source.

Jun—looking extremely annoyed—is covering his ears. Yuna is glaring up at him. She's holding a whistle; I recognize it from the Ultimate Moral Compass's Office.

"Hooooly shit," Jun growls. "What the fuuuuck is your problem?"

"What the flip is your problem?" Yuna counters. "You heard the Captain! You can't go in any of these rooms alone! Not even your own room! You might tamper with evidence!"

"I'm not going inside," says Jun. "I'm just stepping in to—"

Yuna blows her loud loud whistle. God, it's so loud and shrill. The three of us—Rin, Jun, and I—are covering our ears.

"You will respect my authority!" squeaks Yuna, who's a foot and a half shorter than Jun, and whom Jun could probably pick up and throw down the hall. "Either find a partner, or don't go in at all!"

"I told you," Jun growls, "I'm not—"

Yuna blows the whistle. Jun, Rin, and I are all screaming at her to stop.

"Oh my fucking God," Rin whines, still clinging her ears. "First last night, and now this."

"Jeeeesus," Jun concurs, cringing. "Fucking stop that."

"Stepping in is still going in!" says Yuna. "You will respect my authority! The Captain chose me to enforce this rule!"

"Oh?" says Jun, grimacing. "And how do you suppose you'll do that?" He steps toward Yuna, towering over her. He cracks his knuckles. "You gonna overpower me?"

She blows the whistle.

"Goddammit!" Jun grunts—and he reaches for Yuna. But in a flash, Yuna has already run down the hall. From there, she glares at Jun. The whistle's still in her mouth. "That fucking toddler," Jun growls.

Yuna seems to be the only person who can get this reaction out of Jun. Even Monokuma never seems to faze him. Only Yuna.

"Well," Jun says, turning toward me and Rin, "as it happens, I brought a spare magnifying glass, just in case." He pulls another magnifying glass out of his pocket. "Either of you ladies care to join me?"

"I'll do it," says Rin. "Koi—you should like, go to the cafeteria."

"Thanks Rin," I say. "Let's meet back up when we're done, okay?"

So Rin starts investigating doors with Jun, and I walk to the cafeteria.

Inside the cafeteria, I find Ryu and Shingo staring down at a pile of knives. I look around. The knives are still in piles—but they look like they've been rearranged a bit. "Um… hi, guys," I say, to announce my presence.

They see me. "Koi," Shingo says blankly. "I didn't expect to find you out and about."

"It's good to see that you're doing better," Ryu says, smiling slightly. "Remember—you gotta stay hydrated. It'll keep your mind sharp. I got something right here, if you need it."

"Thanks," I reply. "I'm fine though. Anyway—Takeru said you guys had taken the murder weapon here. Did you figure anything out?"

"Not much beyond the obvious, unfortunately," says Shingo. "The cutting knife in Hiroto's chest is identical to the knives in here. This is definitely where the killer obtained the murder weapon from."

"The thing is," says Ryu, "it's not one of the 1,103 knives Shingo counted before."

"I even recounted," says Shingo, "just to be certain. None of the piles I organized had been touched. None of the knives had been taken. The murder weapon was the 1,104th knife."

TRUTH BULLET: KNIFE #1,104

Shingo's brow furrows. "I was careless," he says. "We knew it was possible that someone had taken a knife before anyone else discovered them. But I got stuck on that 'prime number' theory. I should have been looking harder for unaccounted knives. In this one case, being a damn math nerd was to my detriment."

"Hey—it's not just you," Ryu says. "We all got duped."

"Yeah," I say. "It feels like we did everything right—there were even those thorough room searches after the knives appeared."

"Plus," says Ryu, "Shingo's been keeping detailed files on all known objects in the school."

"I've dedicated several cabinets in my office to the task," says Shingo. "And yet, somehow, this one knife eluded us." He looks at me. "I'd like to hear your theory on how that happened."

Shingo and Ryu are both staring at me.

"I… I have no idea," I say, trying to ignore the implications. I decide to change the subject. "And I also don't understand why the killer left the knife in Hiroto's body."

"Well, that's simple enough," says Ryu. "The knife can't be tied to anyone. From the killer's perspective, it's safer to leave it at the crime scene. Taking it somewhere else could create a trail of evidence."

"It feels almost like we're being mocked," says Shingo. "As if the killer is taunting our inability to use the murder weapon against them."

"I see," I say. "So… this is one case where the murder weapon isn't really a clue."

"Unfortunately not," says Shingo. "From this, we've learned exactly two things about the killer. One—that they were probably planning this for a while, given the timing of when they took the knife. And two—that they're a clever bastard who managed to keep this knife out of all of our sights." He gives me an intense look. "I have to admit, Koi," he says. "I'm very curious to learn how you did it."

Shingo and Ryu are both staring at me.

"Um…" I try to stand firm. "Well, I didn't do it, though…"

Shingo exhales. "I suppose it's too early to draw any conclusions," he says. "No matter how blatantly obvious those conclusions may seem."

"Well…" I'm definitely not welcome here, so… "I think I'll go investigate somewhere else, now…"

I turn to leave.

"Koi," says Ryu.

I turn, and look at Ryu.

"Listen," he says. "I respected Hiroto. A lot. The man was a godsend for my family. I respected him the most out of everyone here in this shithole of a school." He pauses. "And I respect you," he says. "I respected you from our first meeting. And when I saw how much Hiroto respected you—I respected you even more." His face looks pained. "The idea that one of you might've killed the other… it doesn't sit well with me. It makes me uncomfortable. I don't want you to be guilty. I guess you could say I'm rootin' for you. Whatever the evidence says, I'm gonna try my best to believe you didn't do this."

"Thanks, Ryu," I say, smiling sadly. "Your best is the most I can ask for… I guess."

I turn, and leave the cafeteria.

What now? …I might as well go check on Rin and Jun.

I walk past dorm rooms—past Yuna, who glares at me with her whistle in her mouth. I soon notice that Akiko is standing outside Mizuki's room—the fourth on the left, two doors down from my room. "Koi!" she says excitedly as I approach. "It looks like you're doing better! Good for you!"

"Hi, Akiko," I say, stopping to talk. "Are you… guarding the Captain's room?"

"Yep yep yep!" says Akiko. "Someone's gotta, and the Captain chose her First First Mate to be that someone!"

"That makes sense. These doors are unlocked, and the Captain's room has… all sorts of dangerous objects in it."

"That's right! When it comes to dangerous or suspicious objects, the Ultimate Moral Compass is the one person we can all trust!"

"But… you still do room checks here, right?" I ask. "You and Naomi… and Momoka at night."

"Yep, yep, and yep!" says Akiko. "The Captain isn't exempt. This is a pirate ship, so we're all equals!"

"And none of the dangerous objects have been tampered with? Or the presents?"

"Nope!" says Akiko. "We've been checking every day. We even checked again when the investigation started. No one's touched any of that stuff, for sure!"

"I see," I say. "So… no clues here, then."

Akiko's smile shrinks. "Sorry, Koi," she says.

There's a pause.

"Well," I say, "I should get going…"

"Hey, Koi," says Akiko. She's giving me a melancholy smile. "I just want you to know that… I believe in you."

"You believe in me?" I say, feeling my spirits rise.

"Yep," says Akiko. "I know that you're trying really hard to come up with a super moving confession that'll bring everyone to tears. I believe you can do it! I have faith in you!"

"…Oh," I say, feeling my spirits fall again. "But… I actually didn't kill him, though…"

"Haha, of course not!" Akiko says, winking.

"I seriously didn't!" I snap back. "If… if I killed Hiroto, then… how come I don't have any bloodstains on my clothes?"

"Oh, were you wearing clothes?" says Akiko.

My face burns hot. Before I come up with a retort, though, I see Rin walking by. "Rin!" I say, glad for the distraction. I walk with her. "So," I say quietly, "did you find out anything?"

"Yeah…" Rin replies, just as quietly. "It, like. Probably has nothing to do with anything, though? But, like. We did find those marks on just one other door."

"You did?" I feel a burst of energy. "That's—that's great! This could be the clue that leads us to the killer!"

"Yeah…" says Rin. She looks troubled.

"So, whose door was it?" I ask.

"Um…" Rin hesitates. "…It was Kenji's door."

TRUTH BULLET: MARKS ON KENJI'S DOOR

My face falls. "…Oh."

"It's probably just, like… a total coincidence, though," says Rin.

"Yeah," I admit, "I may have jumped the gun there a little."

We stop. We're in the main hall now. "So," says Rin, "like… where to next?"

I sigh. "I honestly have no idea," I say, feeling overwhelmed. "I can't think of any other relevant places to look."

"My, my," says Emi, "what a dilemma."

Once again, Emi has appeared behind me out of nowhere, and I have to restrain my urge to run away while screaming at the top of my lungs. How does she do that?

"To catch a killer," Emi continues, "perhaps you ought to think like a killer? For example, suppose you had to hide a piece of evidence somewhere innocuous. Is there a particular room you might choose?"

"Um…" I look around. The laundry room is behind Emi. "…I guess the laundry room is pretty innocuous."

"My, what a clever insight," Emi says, her smile widening. "Perhaps we ought to check the laundry room for clues?"

She walks toward the laundry room.

Rin and I glance at each other. It's clear that Rin is just as creeped out by Emi as I am. But… she's taking us on a ride, and we just have to go along with it at this point. We follow Emi into the laundry room.

Inside the laundry room, Emi stops, and turns to face me. "The time has come, Koi," she says, "to test how clever you truly are. Where, in this room, might a clever person hide a piece of incriminating evidence?"

I look around. There's really not much in here—just a row of washing machines, a couple tables, some chairs, and a vending machine. "Um," I say, thinking. "Well… I guess, during an investigation… people aren't very likely to check the washing machines for clues."

"How insightful," says Emi, her face steady. "Yes, fools would overlook such an innocuous hiding place. Though, even a fool might do laundry at an unexpected time. Such a killer would be taking quite the risk—or, perhaps that killer is simply a fool, as well."

We stare at each other.

"Um…" I say. "…Maybe I should check, just in case?"

"Ah," says Emi, "I'm afraid our killer is a bit cleverer than that. I have looked inside each of these washing machines, and there were no clues to be found."

Again, Rin and I glance at each other. This is… weird. But it's hard to say "no" to Emi.

I keep looking. I walk up to the washing machines. I walk around them, trying to think.

"There's a tiny bit of space," I say, "between the washing machines and the wall. Like… maybe just two or three inches." I peer into this little space. "I can't really see anything—it's too dark. I think you could hide something in here, though."

"Oh, my," says Emi. "How delightful. I do enjoy witnessing clever minds at work."

"Um…" I say, squinting. There are seven washing machines in a row; I can see a little bit behind the first one, but that's it. "I would need a flashlight, or something, though…"

"Perhaps one of us ought to retrieve a flashlight from the storage room?" says Emi. She walks to a table, grabs a flashlight, and brings it to me. "Oh, how convenient. It seems one of us has already done this."

Hesitantly, I grab the flashlight. "Um… thanks…" I turn it on, and shine it behind the washing machines. Again, I squint. "I… I think I see something. It's pretty far back there. It looks like… maybe some kind of bedsheet?" I walk around the washing machines—passing all seven—and look behind them from the other side. "Yeah, it's just as far away from this side. I think it's behind the fourth washing machine—the middle one."

"Very interesting," says Emi. "And how might you retrieve this item?"

"I don't know," I say. "Maybe if I had something long and narrow. Like… a broomstick, or something."

"Perhaps one of us ought to retrieve a broom from the storage room?" says Emi. She walks to the wall, grabs a broom, and brings it to me. "Oh, how convenient. It seems one of us has already done this."

Hesitantly, I grab the broom. "Um… thanks…"

There's no way I can reach from the sides. It's annoying, but I have to go on top. I lift myself onto the fourth washing machine, kneel, and peer into the narrow space between the machine and the wall. I stick the broom handle in there, and fish out the… whatever it is. I lift up the broom handle. Yeah, there's a white bedsheet draped over the handle now. But, um…

"Holy shit!" Rin gasps. "Is that blood?"

I carefully drop the bedsheet onto the washing machine next to mine, then let myself slide down to the floor. I'm trying not to react—but there were definitely red marks on that thing.

"Oh, my," says Emi. "What an interesting item you've found." She walks up to the washing machine, grabs the bedsheet—and unfurls it, holding it up for us.

"Hoooooly fuck…" Rin mutters, gaping.

"Oh, wow…" I say, staring wide-eyed.

These aren't just any bloodstains. This bedsheet was, indisputably, splattered with blood.

TRUTH BULLET: BLOODY BEDSHEET

"Emi!" I say, my excitement swelling. "This—this is huge! This cracks the whole case wide open!"

"Does it, now?" Emi says, smiling knowingly. "I wonder… how might we use this item to discover the killer's identity?"

"That part's easy, though," I say. "We just have to check every dorm room—there should be four extra bedsheets in each closet. And I guess we should check the beds, too, to make sure they aren't missing any sheets. Whoever's missing a sheet—that must be who this belongs to."

"Very astute," says Emi. "Though, it would be a shame if the killer learned of our discovery."

This time, Emi acts on her own. She folds the bedsheet, jumps onto the fourth washing machine, and drops the sheet between the machine and the wall, right where I found it.

Soon, she's in front of us again. "Shall we depart?"

"I'll go," says Rin. "Koi, you should like… keep investigating, or whatever."

I smile. "Thanks, Rin." I can tell Rin doesn't enjoy being around Emi, so I really do appreciate this sacrifice. "I'll check Hiroto's room. I wanted to take another look at the crime scene, anyway."

We depart for the dorms. Rin and Emi go into Emi's room. Yuna's glaring at them, whistle in mouth. I walk toward Hiroto's room. "I can go in here, right?" I ask Yuna. "Jeff and Takeru can keep an eye on me."

Yuna drops her whistle, frowning. "Fine," she says reluctantly. "Kenji's in there, too, so he can also keep an eye on you."

"Kenji?" I say, surprised. Yuna just glares at me.

I walk into Hiroto's room.

Jeff waves. Takeru nods. I nod and wave back.

There's something happening in the bathroom. I walk over to look.

Yeah, there's Kenji. He's messing with the bathroom door, for some reason.

"Hi, Kenji," I say, smiling.

He sees me, and his eyes widen. "Um… hello, Koi," he says. He clearly wants to run away, but there's nowhere to run to. Sorry, Kenji! You'll have to actually talk to a girl, for once.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Um," he mutters, pink-faced. "I was just…"

I wait patiently as he gathers his words.

"I was trying to figure out," he says, "how someone would break into a locked dorm room. These bathroom locks use the same kind of metal bar as the dorm room locks—even though they're not electronic. So… I was just seeing if I could… figure out anything."

"Any progress?" I ask.

"Well…" he says. "Not really, but…" He hesitates. "There's just one little thing I found interesting… it's probably not important, though…"

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

His blush deepens. "Okay… well… you'll have to come inside, though…"

I join Kenji in the bathroom. He partly closes the door, but leaves it open a crack. "Like I said," he says, "this door locks the same way as the dorm room door—there's a metal bar that extends from the door to a hole in the doorframe. But it happens automatically for the dorm room door. For the bathroom door, you have to turn a dial." He turns a dial on the door. A metal bar extends outward from the door's edge. He's turning the dial clockwise. When he turns it counterclockwise, the bar recedes back into the door. "That's… not unusual, or anything. There's just… something I found interesting."

He puts his open palm in front of the receded metal bar. Then he turns the dial clockwise. He keeps turning until it stops. Finally, he removes his hand. The bar hasn't extended at all.

"In a way," Kenji says, "this door… thinks that it's locked. The dial is turned—it's in a position that a locked door should be in. But because of my obstruction, the lock never activated. It wasn't that hard to stop the bar from extending."

TRUTH BULLET: KENJI'S EXPERIMENT

"So," Kenji says, "my first thought was… maybe something was obstructing the bar in Hiroto's door, and prevented the door from locking. Like… a wedge, or something." He looks at his feet, and his voice lowers. "But… that's impossible. When the door's closed, there's no space at all between the door and the doorframe. Plus, we didn't find anything like that at the crime scene, so…" He scratches his elbow. "…Sorry… I guess this was just a waste of time."

"Of course it wasn't," I say, trying to cheer him up. "Actually, I think this might turn out to be useful!"

"I don't know…"

I pat Kenji's shoulder. "Thanks a lot for helping me, Kenji," I tell him.

I exit the bathroom, worried that maybe touching him was a little too much.

I check, but Hiroto's room has no fewer bedsheets than it had last night. In the end, there's not much else to do at the crime scene, so I leave the room again.

And as I'm leaving, Mizuki walks by—carrying a very large pair of scissors.

Naomi is following behind her. "What…?" I try to ask. But they're walking pretty quickly, and they ignore me. I follow them.

They lead me to the storage room. Where—as it turns out—quite a scene is happening.

For one thing, it's a mess in here. I'd heard that Shingo had neatly organized everything in this room—but that's apparently been undone. There are boxes and piles of junk all over the place—on the floor and on the metal shelves.

Shingo's here, actually, and so is Ryu. Jun, too. They're all looking at Tsubasa, who's struggling with… something. He looks unhappy with this situation… whatever it is.

I follow Mizuki and Naomi—and now almost half our class is in this storage room, for some reason.

"We've got the scissors!" Naomi announces.

Mizuki walks up to Shingo, and gives him the scissors.

"Um," I say, "what's going on in here?"

"It's this frickin' tape!" Tsubasa growls. I see now that he's struggling with a roll of white tape. It's stuck to both his hands. "It's frickin' indestructible!"

"We tried using normal scissors," Ryu says, shrugging, "but it wouldn't work. Hell of a sturdy roll of tape you found, Jun."

"Jun?" I ask.

Meanwhile, Shingo—using the large scissors—cuts the tape, separating the roll from Tsubasa. Tsubasa sighs with relief—but it doesn't last long. There's still a length of tape on his hands. He pulls and pulls, but it won't come off.

"Jun insisted that we tear this room apart," says Shingo, "in case the killer hid evidence somewhere."

"Lots of junk in here," says Jun. "Seemed like the right kind of place to hide something."

"In the end," says Ryu, "all we found was this roll of white super-tape."

"I keep detailed files of every object in this room," says Shingo. "I'm positive that this tape wasn't here before. The duct tape in here was all silver or brown—not white."

"Um, guys?" says Tsubasa. "A little help? This stupid crap won't come off!" Poor Tsubasa is struggling and struggling, but he still has tape on him. "Dammit, Jun! Why'd I have to be the guinea pig?"

"Heh," says Jun. "Sorry."

"Um," says Mizuki, "m-maybe we should… try the nurse's office…"

Tsubasa—still struggling—leaves for the nurse's office, accompanied by Mizuki and Naomi.

TRUTH BULLET: STURDY TAPE

"Should we keep going?" asks Shingo. "Otherwise, I'd like to get back to my office, and double-check my files."

"Go ahead," says Jun. "I think we've found everything we'll find in here."

Shingo and Ryu leave. It's just me and Jun now.

"Where'd you find that?" I ask.

"Where you'd expect," says Jun. "A box of duct tape. Though, it was buried. I showed Shingo the box, and he confirmed it'd been messed with. We fished it out together." He grins at me. "Funny, isn't it?" he says. "That shade of white… same shade as our dorm room doors, wouldn't you say?"

Jun leaves the storage room. I stay for a moment, putting the pieces together in my head.

Then I leave, too.

What next? Maybe I should check on Rin and Emi.

I walk down the hall, past several dorms. Past Yuna. Akiko and I wave to each other.

There's also a third person at the end of the hall. Momoka. She's slouching in the corner—between her own room and Tsubasa's room. She's wearing a whistle on a string around her neck, like Yuna. Another whistle from Mizuki's office.

"Hi, Momoka," I say, stopping to chat.

"Hmm," she mumbles, nodding.

"So," I say, "were you and Yuna both given hallway duty?"

"Mhm," says Momoka. "It's kind of annoying, though. These whistles are really loud. And, I really hate loud noises…"

"You must have been really annoyed last night, then," I say, grinning.

"Last night?" Momoka says, tilting her head.

"Yeah, with that super loud music playing in the hall."

Momoka thinks. "Hmm," she says. "Yeah. People were talking about that. I didn't hear it, though."

My smile fades. "You didn't? Well… you must've been asleep, then. It happened at… around 10:45 p.m., or something like that."

Momoka shakes her head. "I had trouble sleeping," she says. "So, I was up pretty late. I don't remember hearing that, though."

I think. "Were you playing music, or wearing headphones, or something?"

Again, Momoka shakes her head. "I was just… lying in bed. Not doing anything. Maybe I heard a noise… I guess it didn't bother me, though."

"That's… interesting."

TRUTH BULLET: MOMOKA'S ACCOUNT

Soon, I round the corner, and keep walking past dorm rooms.

But I don't get very far. Rin and Emi are approaching. Emi's smile is a bit wider than usual. Rin, though… she's not looking me in the eye. She looks more troubled than ever.

"So, what's the story?" I ask.

"It's quite curious," says Emi. "Nearly every room had the correct number of bedsheets. However, Kenji's closet had three bedsheets, rather than the usual four. I wonder why that might be?" She walks past us. "Very curious," she says, walking further away. "Very, very curious…"

TRUTH BULLET: KENJI'S MISSING BEDSHEET

I look at Rin. She's still not looking at me.

"Are you sure that's right?" I ask. "Only Kenji? Maybe… we should double-check?"

Rin hesitates.

"I don't want to do this anymore," she mutters.

"Rin…?" I say, surprised.

Again, she hesitates. "I was, like… totally ready to forgive you for killing Hiroto?" says Rin. "But, like. Kenji is like… the nicest guy in the world. And, like. If you're trying to frame him…?"

"I'm not trying to frame anyone! I told you, I'm innocent! This… this doesn't make sense to me, either! I'm sure Kenji isn't the killer. I… I don't know why…"

Silence.

"I just… don't want to be a part of this anymore," Rin mutters.

Just then…

Ding dong, bing bong.

"Okie dokie then! I've given you plenty of time to investigate. It's time for the class trial to begin! That's right—your very first class trial! And possibly your last! Please go through the red door on the first floor of the school. I'll be waiting!"

Monokuma's announcement blasts through every speaker in the school; his face shows up on every monitor.

Then it's over.

Rin and I walk in silence.

We walk through the red door, into a small, featureless room. Most people are already here. I see Tsubasa rubbing his hand, grimacing.

"You got the tape off?" I ask him.

"Yeah," he says, sounding disgruntled. "We ended up having to run a faucet over it. And it still smarts. I'm pretty sure it took some skin off…" He palms his forehead. "The worst part is, it was totally useless. Hiroto was murdered with a knife, not some frickin' tape."

"It might be a clue, though," I say. "I mean… it did just pop up out of nowhere."

Tsubasa shrugs. "I wish I could believe that," he says. "But I'm pretty sure I just tore up my hand for nothing."

Soon, Yuna and Momoka enter the room. Naomi, Akiko, and Mizuki follow behind them.

Then Monokuma appears on the monitor, and makes another announcement.

"Okay… everyone's here! You know what to do, right? Just board the elevator in front of you, and it'll take you to the courtroom. See you there!"

A gate opens. It's the door to the elevator. People start boarding it.

I walk in behind Kenji. Once we're standing in the elevator, he sees me. I'm worried he'll get flustered again—but he pushes through, and smiles. "I… I'm sure we can bring out the truth," he whispers to me. "I've been thinking hard about… about how to prove your innocence. So… I'm going to try my best."

"Thanks," I whisper back. "I'll be trying my hardest, too."

But the smile I give him isn't genuine. There's a horrible sinking feeling inside me.

Kenji…

I'm sure you didn't do it, but…

When I show everyone that evidence… how will they react?

Why…

Why did it have to turn out like this?

The elevator rattles as it descends. A steel cage. Fifteen teenagers locked inside.

Like dogs in a crate.

The elevator slows—but my heartbeat speeds up. I feel a sudden rush of adrenaline.

This is it.

Do or die.

It's just like in the videos. A circle of podiums—sixteen, in total. One per student. A circular room—red curtains and blue wallpaper, everywhere we look.

I take my assigned podium. Rin is standing to my left; Emi to my right. It seems Monokuma took some inspiration from our cafeteria seating arrangements.

It's four podiums to my right—past Emi, Yuna, and Takeru. The empty podium.

With a raised photo. A photo of Hiroto's face—with a red X over it.

Hiroto Oshiro, the Ultimate Attorney…

I only knew you for a few days, but… I fall in love way too fast.

And when my heart breaks, it shatters.

Thanks to Kenji, I was able to keep going. I was able to pick myself up, and search for the truth. The truth of who really killed Hiroto.

But… will the truth just break me all over again?

No. I can't think like that. I'm on a mission. I will prove my innocence.

This adrenaline rushing through me…

I'll let it drive me forward.

I'll survive.

We'll survive.

We'll make it through this deadly class trial.

Author's Note: the virgin Koi vs the chad Rin.

Next update will be very long. It'll be posted on Sunday.

Perhaps one of us ought to write an Author's Note? Oh, how convenient. It seems one of us has already done this.

STUDENT E-HANDBOOK: TRUTH BULLETS

~·~·~

Monokuma File #1

The victim is the Ultimate Attorney, Hiroto Oshiro. The estimated time of death is around midnight. The victim was stabbed in the heart, killing him almost instantly. A cutting knife was found lodged in his chest. The victim's body was found lying in his bed. Bloodstains indicate that he died in this position. There are no signs of a struggle.

~·~

Locked Door

Koi tried to open Hiroto's door—but it was locked, as expected. It was also locked the next morning. The dorm room doors lock automatically when they're closed.

~·~

Hiroto's Bathroom

Koi heard a flushing sound. Hiroto then opened his door, and said he'd been using the bathroom.

~·~

Hiroto's e-Handbook

Hiroto showed Koi his e-Handbook, and then put it down on his desk. It doesn't appear to have moved since then.

~·~

Loud Music Incident

Koi and Hiroto heard loud music. They opened the door to investigate. When the music stopped, Tsubasa explained that Jun's experiment had caused this disturbance.

~·~

Hiroto's Closet

To create a makeshift bed for Koi, Hiroto retrieved several items from his closet.

~·~

Under Hiroto's Bed

After she lay down to sleep, Koi looked under Hiroto's bed. However, there was nothing there.

~·~

Takeru's Account

"After his room check—but before the 10 p.m. nighttime announcement—Hiroto liked to take a stroll around the school. It helped him relax before bedtime—or so he told me. As I left his room, I witnessed him begin his nightly stroll."

~·~

Marks on Hiroto's Door

There are tiny white marks on the bolt of Hiroto's door.

~·~

Knife #1,104

The knife found in Hiroto's chest is identical to the knives in the cafeteria. However, Shingo claims that it is not one of the 1,103 knives that he counted earlier.

~·~

Marks on Kenji's Door

According to Rin, there are white marks on the bolt of Kenji's door, similar to those found on Hiroto's door. Rin and Jun did not find these marks on any other door.

~·~

Bloody Bedsheet

There was a bedsheet hidden in the laundry room. It appears to have been splattered with blood.

~·~

Kenji's Experiment

By obstructing the bolt on the bathroom door, Kenji was able to prevent the lock from activating.

~·~

Sturdy Tape

A roll of white tape was found in the storage room. It's extremely strong, and extremely sticky.

~·~

Momoka's Account

Momoka claims that she didn't hear the loud music playing in the hallway. "I was just… lying in bed. Not doing anything. Maybe I heard a noise… I guess it didn't bother me, though."

~·~

Kenji's Missing Bedsheet

According to Emi, Kenij's room is the only room that's missing a bedsheet.