Everyone was staring shocked at the corpse. Especially Giorno, who maybe had recognised who the victim was.
"That mask...it's the person who tried to kill me." he thought.
"The blood looks the corpse looks wet." said Josuke.
"But...W-Who's behind that mask?" Chihiro asked.
"By looking at the outline of the chest and the rest of the body, I can assume that she's a girl." said Valentine. "And since both Touko and Chihiro are with us, there's no doubt that's Tanya's corpse."
"No, it can't be...I refuse to believe it! She was with L!"
"Kyahaha! You know, we can just take off the mask!" Genocide Jill ran towards the corpse.
"Wait, Sto-"
Giorno couldn't even finish the line that the Serial Killer removed the mask, that caused an explosion and set the corpse on fire.
"TOUKO!" he yelled, worried.
"Quick! Grab some water!" Valentine ordered.
Everyone obeyed and managed to enstinguish the fire but, it was too late. Now, they had no way to ascertain the identity of the victim.
"Great, now we can't be sure about the corpse's indentity." said Josuke.
"H-Hey, what if Tanya is still alive and that's the mastermind? That would explain why Monokuma didn't respond." said Chihiro.
"B-But, didn't Monika said that the Mastermind was a man? Isn't he the Headmaster?" said Josuke.
"Then, the Headmaster isn't the Mastermind." said Giorno. "Instead, I think the girl L talked me about is the Mastermind. Mukuro Ikusaba, the 17th student, the Ultimate Despair."
"What are you talking about?" Valentine asked.
One explanation later, Giorno informed everyone about what L told him.
Then, Chihiro noticed something.
"Look!" he said. "There's something on the floor!"
"It looks like a key." Valentine said, while grabbing it. "Hm. I think I know what this key opens. Everyone, follow me."
The students (plus Touko, who regained her senses) went to the Data Center Room. Valentine opened the door and went inside.
That room, was a surveillance
"What the hell..." Josuke said, shocked.
"This is...a surveillance room?!" Valentine said.
"Hey! There's a TV there!" said Chihiro.
"Let's turn it on, so we can know what's going on outside!" Giorno said.
Josuke turn it on and result was shocking, negatively shocking. The TV was broadcasting the footage of the security cameras.
"What the-Why are we on the TV?" he asked.
"I-I don't know it must be some kind of trick." Giorno said.
"Oh, there is no trick with that." An annoyingly familiar voice spoke.
Everyone turned towards the voice and saw Monokuma, now functioning properly.
"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled.
"Gahaha! No time no see!" the sadistic bear said, laughing.
"Y-Y-You're supposed to be d-dead!" Touko said.
"Me? Dead? Don't make me laugh!" Monokuma said.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Valentine said, pointing at the TV.
"It's simple. As you can see, the TV is connected to the antenna, so it's receiving a signal. So that means..." Monokuma said.
"...That this Killing Game is being broadcasted on TV?!" Valentine said.
"Cooorect! The Killing School Life is broadcasted on all TV channels nationwide!" the bear said.
The students were once again shocked.
"H-Hold on! To hijack the signals you would need a ridiculously high amount of money that only the Togami Corportation, the Shinomiya Zaibatsu and the Jo-Star Group combined could have! How is it possible!"
"Upupu, that's a secret! Anyway, since the victim was a part of the Killing Game..."
Suddenly, everyone heard the Body Discovery Annoucement
"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"
"Now, here's the Monokuma File 5, have fun!" Monokuma disappeared in a blink.
"There's no doubt. Since Monokuma began working again that means that Mukuro Ikusaba is still alive and the corpse in the Garden...Belongs to Tanya." Valentine said. "Let's start the investigation, before the Class Trial begins."
Giorno began looking at the Monokuma File 5.
The File states:
"Due to severe injuries suffered by the explosion, the body's identity is unclear. The explosion occurred after the victim's death. The knife wound in the abdomen area extends all the way to the victim's back. There is just one wound caused by the knife. There are also signs of a blow to the back of the head. It seems to have been caused by a cylindrical object, about as thick as a metal pipe. Other than that, there are signs of many other wounds on the body. However, they are old wounds that were not inflicted during the last few days."
Then, he, along with Touko and Josuke, returned to the crime scena and started investigating the dead body.
First, he noticed a weird symbol, a tatoo of a wolf, located on the right hand.
He also noticed that both of the hands of the corpse had fake fingernails.
Then he also checked the rest of the body and noticed that something suspicious was on the back of the left shoulder of the victim.
Due to the explosion, it was a bit hard to see but it was still recognizable. The corpse had a five-pointed, star-shaped birthmark.
That, was the Joestar Birthmark.
GioGio turned pale from the shock.
"WHAT?!" he yelled.
"Hey! What happened?" Josuke asked, worried.
"The corpse...it...it has the Joestar Birthmark!" said Giorno.
"Wait, WHAT?!" the young man with the pompadour went to check and confirmed what Giorno said: The corpse had the Joestar birthmark.
"Oh My God..." Josuke said in English, like his father.
"At least we can confirm: The victim is not Tanya." Giorno said.
"T-Then...Who is s-she?" Touko asked.
"Definetely not Jolyne, since she's dead." Josuke said.
"M-Maybe it's one of Master GioGio's s-siblings that Lelouch was t-talking to." The girl with glasses said.
"Hey! Come here at the chicken coop!" Josuke said.
The blond young man and the purple-haired girl obeyed.
"Wait, how many chicken were here the moment we entered in the coop for the first time?" Giorno asked.
"F-Five, I think." Touko said.
"Then, why are four chickens here?" Josuke asked.
Then, Giorno looked at the sprinkler system panel.
"The panel says that the sprinklers go off at 7:30...If the corpse was here before then, we would have found it already wet, but instead, it's wet because I threw water at it." he thought."
He left the garden, while he was investigating elsewhere, he noticed that the door of L's dorm was opened. He decided to enter in, perhaps he made some progress with the identity of the Mastermind
There, he noticed two things: A wooden plate that acts as a key for a locker of the dojo and two papers under the bedsheets.
Giorno took the papers and read the first one.
It was a student profile of Mukuro Ikusaba and it stated:
Hope's Peak Academy Class 78-A Student Register
Name: Mukuro Ikusaba
Sex: Female
Title: Ultimate Soldier
Her slender build belies her as a combat specialist, highly skilled in a wide range of weaponry. Since a young age, she had an interest in the military and took part in a international airsoft tournament and gained fame through the world. However, just before she entered in middle school, Mukuro Ikusaba went missing during a family trip in Naples, Italy. The investigation into her disappearance, which was treated as kidnapping, made little progress. 3 years later, Mukuro Ikusaba returned to Japan, alone. She confessed that during these years she enlisted as a member of the Fenrir Mercenary Group. She stated that she wasn't kidnapped, but she joined by her own will. Despite that, it's unclear as to why she suddenly decided to return to Japan."
"Fenrir...Maybe Tanya, since she's a soldier too, heard that name before. Yes, if only she was here."
Then, he read the second paper and it was even more shocking that the first one.
The paper had the logo of the Speedwagon Foundation, an organisation devoted to the medical research and supernatural phenomena, such as stands.
This organisation was founded by Robert E. O. Speedwagon, a British who became friends with Jonathan Joestar, Giorno's "father" and Jolyne and Josuke's ancestor.
The foundation is highly involved with the Joestar Family, in fact, it's also the co-owner of Joseph Joestar, Josuke's father, Estate Group, the Jo-Star Estates.
"Wait, wait, wait. Why is a document of the Speedwagon Foundation inside of this school? Is it involved with Hope's Peak? Are there stands users other than me, Josuke, Yoshikage and Valentine?" he thought.
Giorno started to read the document.
It states:
Research of Stand users inside of Hope's Peak Academy.
During my time as a teacher here, I could gain information about stand users inside the Academy.
Name: Class: Stand Name
Giorno Giovanna 78-A Gold Experience
Josuke Higashikata 78-A Crazy Diamond
Izuru Kamukura 77-B Drunken Sailor
Mukuro Ikusaba 78-A Unkillable Soldier
Maki Harukawa 78-B The Assassin
[REDACTED] 78-A ?
Alastor Broussard 77-B Let's Misbehave!
Funny Valentine 78-A Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Yoshikage Kira 78-A Killer Queen
This is my report about my year as a teacher at Hope's Peak Academy. I'll try to investigate more about the stands users of this school.
Former Ultimate Marine Biologist
Dr. Jotaro Kujo."
"...Wait, this was made by Dottor Kujo?! He was a teacher at Hope's Peak?! When did it happened?! Also, excluding us, there are 5 other Stand users in this school?! There also a "redacted" student in the file. It appears to be one our classmate...but who?" GioGio thought. "Ok, first I have to check the archives about Fenrir. Then, I gonna check the dojo."
The blond boy went to the archives in the library.
"If I remember correctly, Kaguya said that I could get a lot of information here. If it has Genocide Jack Murder Cases, perhaps they have something about Fenrir." he thought
He searched for the File and found it on the right shelf.
The file was in French, but since Italian is similar to that language, he could understand the important informations.
The file stated:
"Fenrir is an organisation of professional soldier operating out of the Britannian colonies in the Middle East. Unlike other private military companies, Fenrir is a brutally violent outfit specialising in direct combat. It is said that a single member of Fenrir has the military strength of 100 ordinary soldiers who, like the Wolf of Ragnarok, inspire fear in everyone they meet in the battle. It is also said at their force can compete with the strongest soldier of the German Imperial Army, the Devil of the Middle East. However, some time ago, Fenrir's strongest soldier suddenly ceased all activity."
The rest, he didn't understand anything except one final sentence.
"To show that they were members of Fenrir, every soldier was required to inscribe the symbol of Fenrir somewhere on their bodies."
"! The tatoo on the right hand!" he thought.
Then, he went to the dojo, he opened the locker and found a bunch of durallumin arrows in some scotch covered in blood.
After that, Monokuma appeared on the screen.
"Ahem, I'm getting tired of waiting here...Let's get things started, shall we? It's the event you've all been waiting for...the Class Trial! Remember where to meet, right? Go through the red door on the 1st floor of the school! See you soooon!" said Monokuma.
"Time's up...Let's end this quickly." Giorno said.
Everyone went to the anteroom of the elevator.
But, they had to wait some time.
"What are we waiting for?" Josuke asked
"W-Well, maybe Tanya is the victim, but I think L is still alive." Chihiro said.
"Well, yes, I am alive." a voice with a familiar English accent spoke.
"Also, what's with the story of me being dead?" A voice of girl with a soft German accent spoke.
Tanya and L finally arrived.
"Guys! Y-You're alive!" Josuke said.
After their appearance, Monokuma arrived and ordered to the students to enter in the elevator.
But, before everyone entered, Giorno asked something to L and Tanya.
"Where the hell have you been?" he whispered.
"2nd floor of the dorms. There weren't any cameras or TVs, so we didn't hear the Body Discovery Annoucement." Tanya whispered.
"So, we did a quick investigation of the corpse. That's why we were late." L said.
"Hey, guys! Come on, or Monokuma will get angry at us!" Josuke said.
The three entered the elevator.
Some minutes later, they arrived at the courtroom.
The students disposed themselves into a circle. Thus, the curtains rised on the 5th Class Trial.
"Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial. So, your votes will determine the results." Monokuma explained. "If you can figure out 'whodunnit', then only they will receive punishment. But, if you pick the wrong one...Then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened! And the one that deceived everyone else will graduate!"
"As far as I am heartened, the main suspects of this case are L Lawliet and Tanya von Degurechaff. I think they're respectively the murderer and the accomplice."
"And with what you evidence you're accusing us?" Tanya asked.
"Simple. We have found the corpse in the Garden at 9 AM. It was discovered by Touko, who went to grab a pickaxe there at Giorno's request. However, when Josuke and I went to the Garden at 10 PM, there was no corpse. Which means that in that time frame the murder happened. Right I and Josuke separated, I have found a broken-down Monokuma in the Gym. After that, I summoned Josuke, Chihiro and Touko there and we spent the entire night disassembling him. You two are the only ones without an alibi." Valentine said.
L objected.
"But, from what I understood, Giorno wasn't with you during that time. So, he also doesn't have an alibi." he said.
Valentine objected.
"I've talked with Monokuma, the sprinklers in the Garden are set to go off at 7:30 AM. But the corpse wasn't wet, so that means it was after the sprinklers were off. Thus, the murder had to have happened between 7:30 AM and 9:30 AM. And during that time, Giorno was with us.
Tanya objected.
"But the body was already wet." she said.
Josuke objected.
"Yeah, but only the upper body. It's because of the water that Giorno poured on it to put out the fire after the explosion." he said.
L objected.
"I see, but we can't be sure that the murder happened after 7:30 AM." he said.
"And why is that?" Valentine asked.
"I have looked in the shed and I found a vinyl shed. It was wet so I think the culprit used it to keep the corpse dry. So that means the murder could have happened between 10 PM and 9 AM, after the body was discovered. Thus, Giorno could have still commited the crime as well." L said.
"Wait, is he suspecting me? What is he up to?" Giorno thought.
Valentine objected.
"Even so, the murder weapon leads back to you." he said.
"You mean the knife?" Chihiro asked. Valentine shaked his head.
"I think the blood wasn't from the victim. Maybe the culprit killed one of the chickens and shed the blood on the corpse." Josuke said.
"According to Monokuma File, the victim was killed with a cylindrical object about as thick as a metal pipe." said Valentine.
"I got it! Those durallumin arrows!" Giorno said.
Everyone was confused.
"There were a lot of arrows in that locker and a bloodstained duct tape, the culprit probably used some duct tape to bundle them togheter." the blond young man explained.
"So that it would be as thick as a metal pipe." Valentine said.
"What do you mean, I never put foot in that dojo." L said.
Giorno objected.
"No, you probably did. I have found this in your dorm. The door was open." he said, pulling out a wooden plate.
"!...I...didn't..." L said.
"Yes, you did! If you didn't, explain it then!" Valentine said.
The pale detective started to sweat cold.
"If you execute me here, the mystery of the school will never be revealed. I am only one who can do this...So, I will not let that happen, no matter what." he said, weirdly enough, some dark flames appeared in his eyes.
"Something's fishy with this trial, like, why did I found the door of L's dorm open? He wouldn't have done such a trivial error like that." Giorno thought.
"Jeez, we're just wasting time! L is the msot suspicious, right? Can we voting now, then?" Monokuma said
"HOLD IT!" Giorno interrupted. "Guys, don't you think something's wrong with this Trial? We don't exactly the identity of the victim, everything is totally unclear! You're plotting something, aren't you?!" he continued.
"Huh? Me? Are you plotting something instead? Don't they say the culprit never keeps their mouth shut?" the bear said.
Everyone was surprised, and began suspecting Giorno (with the exception of Touko and Josuke)
"Okay, time's up!" Monokuma said.
All of the students were shocked.
"W-W-What do you mean "time's up"?!" Touko said.
"The Class Trial it's over, and it's all because of Tanya and L's tardiness! Now, it's voting time!" Monokuma said.
"Wait-"
"It's Giorno who found the key, right? Then, he could have put in my room to frame me." L said.
"Wait-WHAT!?"
Everyone voted Giorno, except himself, Touko and Josuke.
And...they voted correctly?
"I...can't believe it..." Valentine said.
"Giorno..." Chihiro said.
"Hold on a second! Giorno isn't the killer!" Josuke tried desperately to defend his "cousin".
"Y-Yeah! This Trial is a s-scam!" Touko said.
"Alright...IIIIIIIT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!" Monokuma pressed the button.
GAME OVER
Giorno was found guilty.
TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!
Giorno is in a room filled with school desks.
In the center is a large conveyor belt where his desk is located. As he sits there, it goes backwards towards the end of the room.
Behind him at the end of the conveyor belt is a large block resembling a trash compactor that slams down every few seconds intending to crush whatever is underneath.
Above is a television showing Monokuma's face on it. As his desk moves backwards, dressed as a teacher appears in front of him and attempts to teach him a lesson in class ), while Giorno constantly turns his gaze behind him, watching the compactor.
GioGio began to accept his fate and saw his memories flow before his eyes.
"So...It's the end, huh? Such an awful end. I would have preferred a little more nicer, like...that song of Christian masses...That music made by Mozart...what is called?"
At the same time, Chihiro began acting weirdly, like he was possessed by a ghost.
"Ah, right...I remember the name...It was...
Requiem."
The moment, he said that word, he felt weird, like it was pierced by an arrow.
At the same time, Chihiro pressed the detonator and the execution machine stopped.
Everyone shocked, when they looked on the TV, instead of Monokuma's face there was Monika's.
"What's going on?!" Tanya asked.
"I don't know!" Valentine said.
The Spotless students turned pale when they hear Chihiro's laughing.
It wasn't cute or adorable, but rather sinister, creepy and elegant.
"You fool!" Chihiro said, with his voice sounding more like Lelouch's rather than his. "Do you really think I was going to stay in my eternal sleep without getting my revenge?! Boy, if you are wrong! Mark my words, Your fall is upon us! Soon you will keep me company down here in hell! Hehehe...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lelouch's ghost left Chihiro's body and followed Giorno.
"Giorno!" Monika said. "Go into that door on the floor!" she said.
Giorno, without objecting, immediately went inside there.
Everything stopped.
Everyone was confused, but were also happy that Giorno survived.
But, where did he go?
In the basement filled with trash.
There, he heard a voice calling him.
"Giorno...Giorno...Wake up." it spoke.
Giorno opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by a mysterious Golden Wind.
"Over here." the voice spoke. This time was very familiar.
Giorno followed the sound and found the ghost of Lelouch, made of that same Golden Wind, sitting on a chair.
"Good morning, sleepy head." Lelouch said.
"Wait...Lelouch...?" Giorno said. "Aren't you..."
"Dead? Yes, I am and no, you're still alive." Lelouch said.
"What...just happened?" Giorno asked.
"Oh, I just possessed Chihiro and stopped the machine, so that you could survive." the Britannian Prince said.
"But...How? How can I see you?" the Italian young man asked.
"I don't know, try ask your "stand"." Lelouch said.
Giorno turned and saw that his stand was completely different. It was more creepier than the usual.
"What the hell-"
"Greetings, Giorno." the stand spoke.
"I-It speaks?!" Giorno was shocked.
"Yes, I can. I am Gold Experience Requiem, or GER, for short. I am your stand." GER said, with a rather polite tone.
"Requiem?"
"Correct. I exist since you defeated Diavolo after I got pierced by the Requiem Arrow. But weirdly, it seems that you don't remember me."
"...That's very weird." Giorno said. "Now, I have to elaborate. Lelouch, why are you here?"
"I wonder about that, too. I was with the afterlife along with other victims of this Killing Game until, all of sudden I was summoned here." the ghost said.
"I think I caused it." GER said. "Since I ability is involved with life, Perhaps when I evolved I gained the power to summon the ghosts of dead people."
"I see." Lelouch said.
"Okay, what should we do now?" GioGio asked.
"It's better if you rest, you have to conserve your energy." GER said.
Even so, Giorno, GER and the ghostly Lelouch couldn't do anything, they had to wait.
Until one day, some big amount of garbage arrived in the basement.
"What was that?" Lelouch asked.
"I don't know, it looks like some giant pieces of trash fell down." Giorno said.
"Hey, that's not very nice of you calling us "giant pieces of trash"." a monotone yet familiar voice spoke.
Two people emerged from the pile of trash: They were L and Josuke.
"Josuke! L!" Giorno rejoiced.
"Giorno!" Josuke hugged his "cousin". "Thank god you're alive!"
"Well, it was all thanks to him." the blond boy pointed at Lelouch.
"Wait, Lelouch?!" the boy with the pompadour jumped in fright the moment he saw the ghost.
"Hello there." Lelouch said.
"A ghost, huh? This place is surely bizarre." L said.
"Anyway, what are doing here?" Giorno asked.
"To save you, duh!"
L gave to Giorno a bottle of water and some food, which the blond boy immediately finished it.
"Finally, some food!" he said.
"Anyway, let's talk about business." L said. "This Class Trial was utterly fake, the Mastermind made it only because he wanted to get rid of me, since I'm a thorn in his side. By using this key, Tanya and I went to the 2nd floor of the dorms and visited the Headmaster's dorm, and since it was destroyed, I don't think they're the Mastermind. Also, the whole 2nd floor was destroyed...I don't know what in the world happened there." he continued.
"Okay, but, we noe of us killed Mukuro Ikusaba, then...who?" Josuke asked.
"Probably the Mastermind, since they're made this false Trial, they're probably cornered."
"Yes...We're one step closer to reveal their identity, I can feel it." L said.
Act V
THE END
Students: 8
Giorno Giovanna
Josuke Higashikata
Jolyne Kujo - Deceased
Tanya von Degurechaff
L Lawliet
Funny Valentine
Lelouch Lamperouge - Deceased (Ghost)
Yoshikage Kira - Deceased
Kaguya Shinomiya - Executed
Touko Fukawa
Ren Amamiya - Deceased
Aoi Asahina - Deceased
Loid Forger - Executed
Izuku Midoriya - Executed
Chihiro Fujisaki
Junko Enoshima - Deceased
Mukuro Ikusaba (?)
Remaining students: 8(?)
-To Be Continued-
