Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Danganronpa series. I only own Hikari Seishin and her family.

Note: I try to make the story as canon as I can with obvious creative liberties.

Author's Note: Sorry for the unexpected hiatus. Tried to have this chapter be about both the investigation and trial, but it would probably push at least 40 pages and I didn't want to wait any longer to send this out. Please enjoy!

Chapter Seven

A Friend Gone

Everyone stood where they were, still trying to process that Byakuya was lying dead in front of them, blood surrounding him and staining the inside of the tablecloth.

"Togami…san…? Wh-why is Togami-san…?" Sonia weakly asked, hoping that Byakuya was playing a very cruel prank. Deep down, she knew that the dominant teen would never have done such a thing.

Mahiru shook her head, wishing this was a bad dream. "N-No..." she whispered faintly before closing her eyes tightly, screaming at the top of her lungs. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Hikari and Hajime did not move a muscle as everyone else started panicking, the dining hall filled with their friends' screams. Hikari still gripped Hajime's shoulder tightly, not sure if Hajime was shaking or Hikari herself. Their eyes could not move away from their classmate's body, staring at it in silence.

"…Wh-why!?" Mahiru cried, shaking with tears falling down her pale cheeks.

Nekomaru gripped his hair, looking on in disbelief. "WHAT IS THISSSSSSSSSSSSS!?" Teruteru also grabbed his long slicked back hair in shock, screaming. Suddenly, Monokuma came out of nowhere.

"Good gracious…" Monokuma glanced around the room. "Things quickly took a turn for the worse…" He started to laugh hysterically, his paws covering his stomach, his head leaning back. "My my, now this is interesting! On this tropical paradise known as Jabberwock Island, the very first murder has finally taken place!"

Hikari's heart stopped when she heard Monokuma's voice. He can come in here…Are Monomi and Chiaki all right…? If they are…was Monokuma able to come in from the start? Did he anticipate that a murder was going to happen? Is that why he didn't show up until now? Hikari slowly let go of Hajime's shoulder as he stood up to turn towards Monokuma.

"M-Murder…?" Hajime spoke up, his voice a bit hoarser than usual.

Nagito stepped back, horrified. "H-Hold on! Then, does this mean…!?"

"Pupupu…" the sinister bear giggled, his paws covering his mouth. "Of course…Togami Byakuya…was killed by one of you."

Hajime looked at him, dumbfounded. "Wha-!?"

"If you look at the body, you can tell instantly. He was obviously murdered." The black and white bear stared at the crime scene. "Look, he has such a horrible expression on his face, don'tcha think…?" he asked wistfully, tilting his head to the side with a sadistic grin. "A face filled with regret that his life was ended by force, all thanks to someone else's selfish desires…To have a dying face such as this…If this isn't murder, then what the heck could it be?" Monokuma turned back to look at the faces of the stunned teenagers. "Togami was most likely sacrificed…by someone who reaaaaally wanted to leave this island."

Hikari still couldn't feel her body, feeling frozen at the spot she was kneeling, her deep blue eyes taking in all the red staining white. This has to be a dream…there's no way…any of us did this! Togami can't be dead…he promised that there wouldn't be a victim with him in charge… The Spirit Medium's body was visibly shaking in front of Togami's body.

"L-lies…It's all lies! You're lying that he was murdered!" Hajime yelled at the stuffed bear. Hikari looked up at Hajime, frowning as she saw that he was trying to hold back his own trembling, not quite sure if it was due from shock, anger, or even both.

"W-what…is this!?" a feminine voice rang out from the entrance of the dining hall. Some of the students turned their heads to see Peko mirroring their own expressions of pure shock. "I-is that…really Togami-san?" Chiaki was standing beside her, looking very troubled.

"Why…why did this happen? Why…Togami-san?" Chiaki asked out loud. No one knew those answers.

Monokuma looked around the room, paw over his eyes. "I see, I see…It appears that Kuzuryuu is the only one who isn't here…" He put his paws to his mouth in glee. "Sooo, in the spirit of keeping everyone on the same page, how about we do this the usual way!?"

Hikari blinked, confused as a bell chimed throughout the property.

*Ding dong, dong ding*

The monitor on the top right corner of the room turned on, showing the usual: Monokuma sitting on a wicker chair with a tropical drink in hand. However, the message was a far cry from the normal daily announcements. "A body has been discovered!" Those words sent shivers down Hikari's spine as Monokuma's message continued. "Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin!" Then the screen went blank.

Everyone still stared at the blank screen, trying to process the announcement. Hajime broke the silence. "Class…trial…?"

Monokuma nodded. "I've already explained this to you, right? If one of you is murdered…" Hikari closed her eyes, feeling a wave of dizziness hit her, her ears blocking out all sound. She still couldn't believe any of this, especially since she couldn't sense his spirit…

That's right…I lost my talent… Hikari clenched her fists, frustration starting to mingle with her panic. She took a few deep breaths, focusing on her breathing, trying to calm down. Just breathe…I won't be useful to anyone if I have a mental breakdown…Breathe in…Breathe out… After a few minutes of this mantra, her hearing recovered to listen in on the group's discussion concerning the class trial.

Hajime was still standing close to Hikari, looking miserable. "Do we…really have to do it…?"

Mahiru looked like she was on the verge of tears, looking away from the back table. "No…I don't want to do something like that…"

Mikan was already sobbing, looking petrified. "I don't want to do it…either! I-it sounds so scary!"

Peko frowned, her eyebrows furrowed. "However, it is just as Saionji-san said. If we are going to get killed for not doing it…then we must do it."

"But still…" Nagito sighed sadly, a hand on his hip as he gazed upon the bloody scene. "I can't believe one of us killed Togami-san…There's no way I can believe it…No way…So, for that reason…" The white-haired boy paused, his arm fell at his side. He looked at everyone with a determined look. "I'll do it! I'll investigate Togami-san's death…I will do my best to prove that there's no killer among us. There's no need to deceive or doubt each other. What we need to fight is not ourselves…" Nagito clenched his fist. "…but that which is trying to crush us…This despair!"

Hikari didn't really understand what he meant by that, but she didn't feel as weighed down as before. Innocent until proven guilty…? But then who killed Togami-san if Komaeda-san proves that none of us killed him? What the hell is happening on this island? Could it really be Monokuma? So many questions ran through her head with no plausible answers. Chiaki's curious voice broke the Spirit Medium's never ending stream of questions in her head.

"Ah, before we start, can I say something?" The Gamer took everyone's silence as a cue to continue. "In closed-circle detective games, the player usually has to decide on who's going to guard the crime scene…What should we do?"

Hiyoko blinked, poking her cheek. "Oh yeah, it would be bad if the killer destroyed evidence and got away with it."

Mikan squeaked, looking shocked. "D-destroyed the evidence…?"

"Pointing!" Ibuki pointed with her finger guns towards Nekomaru. "Look, over there! That big, bulky, brawny guy is perfect for the guard job!" Hikari glanced over to Nekomaru who still looked to be constipated, his whole face covered in sweat, tightening his fists. Suddenly, he threw his arms in the air, his hands gripping his hair with a loud yell and sprinted out of the dining hall. Everyone looked after him with confused looks.

Hajime blinked, sweatdropped. "W-What the hell? What happened?"

Kazuichi closed his eyes, itching his right cheek. "That guy…has a sensitive heart, despite his looks…" Hajime still sweatdropped, looking at the Mechanic.

"…I-is that what that means?"

"Um…I can be the one who watches the crime scene…" Mahiru volunteered with a soft voice, still visibly upset. "I don't have enough confidence to investigate the body…and it's not like I have the brains either…I'll just stay by Togami-san's side. That's the least I can do. That's what guard duty is, right?"

Hikari smiled compassionately towards the redhead. "Koizumi…" She closed her eyes, pushing her glasses closer to her face before standing up on shaky legs. "I'll stay as well. I'll try using my talent to try to communicate to Togami-san's spirit. Maybe by some miracle, it'll work…" Mahiru smiled weakly at the ebony-haired girl, her eyes full of appreciation, knowing Hikari volunteered partly to keep her company.

Mikan, seeing this display of friendship between the two girls and towards Byakuya, wrung her hands nervously, squeezing her eyes shut as she spoke. "U-um…I'll do my best! I'll do my very best…to not get in your way!" She clasped her hands firmly against her chest. "I-I have medical training so i-if it's not too much trouble, I can perform the autopsy…Please."

Chiaki looked at the stuttering basket case known as Mikan. "So you're going to stay as well…is that okay?"

Ibuki giggled nervously, poking her index fingers together. "And what, specifically, should we be doing now? I have noooooooooooooo idea!"

Nagito placed a hand on his chin pensively. "It's pretty obvious that we're all amateurs. Going through each grain of sand on a beach just to find a clue would be a waste of time. The only ones who can do that are the police…There's no way amateurs like us would be able to do that." The Luckster raised an index finger in the air, his other hand on his hip. "So…let's first rely on our intuition. We'll start from there and prove that none of us could have killed Togami-san."

Monomi, who came into the dining hall with Chiaki, started sobbing. "But…to perform an autopsy on your friend…How cruel…"

Mikan started shaking like a leaf, holding back tears. "But…I have no choice, right? There's no way I could…do something like decline, right?"

Apparently, Mikan wasn't the only one trembling. Teruteru shook so much it looked like he was vibrating. "I-I won't believe it…Togami-san got killed…I don't believe that at all…" When he calmed down, he laughed weakly, "F-Fine…I'm in…"

Sonia frowned. "You are right…If we are to survive…this is our only path."

Mahiru murmured, "Something like this…is the only thing we can do in order to stay alive…"

Hajime also did not look enthused by this impending investigation and trial. "Even so…I still gotta do it," Hajime whispered, giving himself a short pep talk.

All of a sudden, Monokuma started shoving tablets in people's faces. "…The Monokuma File!" he screamed. Hikari glared angrily at the stuffed bear after he shoved the electronic device at her, squishing her glasses against her face. She held the tablet and held it at a comfortable distance to her eyes, seeing a white screen with the words "Monokuma File 1" typed in the center. "Just as I thought, you amateurs need this, right?" his voice asked mockingly.

"What t-the hell…is a Monokuma File…?" Hajime asked, taken aback by the eFile being thrown at him unexpectedly.

Monokuma looked towards the floor, dejected, his paws behind his back. "Jeez, explaining the rules all the time reaaaaally breaks my bones…" He then raised his black paw in the air, seeming to be irritated. "Well, it's not like I have bones in the first place…Like, don't even make me say such lame jokes!" Hikari and Hajime stared at him, deadpanned.

We aren't making you…you're saying them on your own… Hikari thought bitterly.

"Let's seeee…" Monokuma began to explain. "The Monokuma File contains precise and detailed information regarding the dead body." The stuffed bear rubbed the back of his head, appearing to be very proud of himself. "I've brought it to ya so you guys can smoothly proceed with the investigation. I'm such a nice guy." He grinned nastily. "I'm so nice I wanna be known as the Mother Theresa of the Mascot World!"

Monomi threw her paws in the air in anger. "'Nice,' you say…You're just a selfish meanie!"

Monokuma tilted his head to the side. "My my my…Monomi the Meaningless Mascot, you're still here?"

"Don't put me in the meaningless mascot genre!"

"C'mon, let's go! Your turn is already up! Hurry up and get the hell out of here with me!" Monokuma barked out, showing his claws, a vein throbbing on the white half of his face. He walked up to Monomi, aggressively pulling her long ears and started dragging her out of the room.

Monomi squirmed with tears in her eyes. "Ouchie! Don't pull my ears! They're gonna come off!" Her voice faded away as the stuffed animals left. Everyone seemed to relax a bit once they were gone.

Hikari glanced down at the tablet in her hands and swiped at the screen. The next thing to appear on the screen was a full-length image on Byakuya on the screen with basic information to the right of it. Togami Byakuya…Information…Height, six feet…weight, 286 pounds… Hikari swiped the screen upwards a second time to see a new screen on the page. She frowned as she saw the top half of the page bearing a picture of the crime scene, including Byakuya's dead body. Hikari trained her eyes to the bottom half which gave the cause of death. "The victim's body was discovered in the dining hall of the old building near the Hotel Mirai," she read to herself. "The estimated time of death is 11:30 p.m. The victim was repeatedly stabbed over ten times between the throat and abdominal region, resulting in death…Aside from that, the body has no other external injuries, and no chemicals such as poison were detected…" Her eyes glanced at the silhouette of Byakuya's body next to the description, red circles indicating his fatal wounds from his neck to his stomach. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to hold back the coming tears. Who…can be so cruel…to stab someone more than ten times…who is that desperate to leave the island…? However, Hikari already knew the answer to that question. She watched everyone carefully as they all started their investigations. It could be anyone…

Hikari closed her eyes again before slapping her cheeks with her hands. Gotta focus…I need to see if I can contact Togami-san… She knelt down again, positioning herself in front of the back table with Byakuya's body underneath it. Mahiru was standing by the closest circular table, placing photos on the tabletop. Mikan was near as well, going over the Monokuma File in more detail before starting her autopsy. Hikari noticed Gundham at the other end of the room, looking frantic. Oh right…he lost his earring, I think… Hajime and Nagito were still in the room as well, Hajime taking the time before Mikan's autopsy to look at the scene himself.

Hikari scrunched her face a bit, the rusted smell reaching her nose. She had been in the presence of dead bodies but only during wakes or funerals where the deceased were dressed up and surrounded by floral scents. Hikari was approached by the police a few times to aid them in solving cases by talking to murder victims, but her parents never allowed her to be exposed to such things. They didn't want their only surviving daughter to be traumatized by such violent scenes. Yet, here I am now…in front of a murdered friend… the Spirit Medium thought morosely, closing her eyes and letting out a tired sigh.

Hikari just started to empty her mind and began to concentrate when she heard Hajime's voice. She opened her eyes and felt her cheeks heat up when she realized how close the boy was to her. He really wasn't too close to her from another's perspective, but to Hikari it felt like he was almost on top of her. Hajime blinked, a bit confused. "Seishin-san?" He was standing in front of the back table, leaning down towards the Spirit Medium. "Did you hear me?"

Hikari cleared her throat, fumbling with her necklace. "U-um…no…sorry…Can you tell me again?" She suddenly had the desire to want an Invisibility talent to hide the intensity of her embarrassment.

Hajime, still looking at her curiously before standing up straight and pointing at the top of the table in front of them. "Is that your drink?"

Hikari blinked a couple of times, snapping out of her self-pity, following his hand to the tabletop. "Oh…Yeah, it is…or was…I think it spilled during the blackout."

Hajime looked deep in thought, his eyes taking in the tipped glass and the lamp silently. He turned back to Hikari and knelt to one knee in order to have the same eye level as her. "Can you tell me what you experienced during the blackout?"

A nervous knot started to form in the pit of her stomach. "W-why?" the bespectacled girl asked tensely. "Are you suspecting me since I was the closest to the table?" She bit her lip, staring into his eyes, hoping that wasn't the case.

"U-uh…not exactly…" he started, not wanting to admit his suspicions concerning everyone. "I'm asking everyone about their alibis. I'm looking for the truth, that's all." Hikari looked down at her lap quietly. Hajime frowned, about to open his mouth to apologize for upsetting her until she finally spoke up.

"I was standing by my drink when the lights went out…" Hikari explained softly. Hajime shut his mouth and listened carefully to her words to see if there might be a clue hiding in her testimony. "I stood completely still since if I didn't move, I would know where I was in the room while everyone was probably running around panicking. I heard voices, but I couldn't really distinguish whose was whose…except Togami…I can't really recall what he said; I don't think it was a lot though. Then I remember being shoved to my right…falling on my side and losing my glasses in the process. I crawled on my hands and knees to feel for them until the lights came back on." Hikari looked at Hajime sadly. "I'm sorry…that's all I can recollect…"

Hajime knelt there, staring downwards as if staring off into space before realizing she stopped talking. He smiled, "Thank you, Seishin-san. I appreciate you telling me. It might come in handy during the trial." Hikari's lips curved upwards slightly before going back to an empty state of mind to communicate with Togami-san. Suddenly, she heard a loud shout right next to her. She immediately jumped, snapping her eyes wide open, looking around frantically. Hikari scrunched her face even more, the deathly odor getting stronger as she saw Hajime had lifted the tablecloth to inspect Togami's corpse.

"Hinata-san! You scared the hell out of me!" Hikari whined, fixing her skewed glasses with one hand, the other hand over her chest as if it would calm her racing heart. Hajime smiled weakly at her, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"S-sorry…" he said quietly before turning his gaze back to underneath the table. "Why…why did he have to end up like this…?" Hikari frowned, looking at what was Togami…their leader…their friend… "…for Togami-san's sake…" Hajime whispered, his demeanor slowly becoming more determined. "…is to uncover the truth behind his death!"

The girl beside him smiled a little and nodded. "R-right."

Hikari watched silently as Hajime looked over Togami's body, glancing at the Monokuma File every so often. She couldn't help but stare at him as he seemed focused on his task that she almost didn't hear his question. "…Could this be glowing paint?"

"Paint?" Hikari blinked, confused until Hajime pointed at the piece of duct tape stuck to the back of the table. The non-sticky side of the tape was colored in a neon green. "Um…it looks like it might…" But why…? She scanned around Togami's body to find a cooking knife in front of him. Hikari began to etch the knife into her memory.

"It's possible that they stole this knife from the case…" Hajime started to theorize, a hand on his chin.

"Or…maybe they hid it somewhere hard to find," Hikari suggested. "Look closely at the knife's handle. It has the same green paint as the duct tape. Those two clues have to be connected."

Hajime nodded, his eyes still searching the scene. "That could be it…but we need to find more clues to figure out what exactly happened." Hikari hummed in agreement and guessed that was the perfect time to stop getting distracted and try helping out with the investigation in her own way. She scooted a few feet away from the crime scene as Nagito walked over to Hajime to give some input about the googles near Togami and the knife. Hikari closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying, for the third time, to start to communicate with Togami's spirit.

After what seemed like hours but was only minutes, Hikari frowned, opening her eyes. She rubbed her temples, her mind feeling fuzzy. It's no use…is it really gone? I can't communicate with ghosts anymore? She slowly got up to her feet, dejected.

"Hey, Seishin. Mind helping me with this?" Hikari blinked, turning around to see Mahiru smiling softly at her, the shorter girl unaware that the redhead saw her obvious frustration. "I want to make sure I drew this accurately."

"Huh? Uh…sure…" Hikari said as she walked over to the Photographer, curiosity bringing some pep back into her. "What are you drawing?"

Mahiru pointed at a hand-drawn diagram of the old building, the rough sketch positioned below the two pictures she had taken right before the blackout.

Hikari smiled. "Wow, the building layout looks pretty accurate." The sketch even had the back table's lamp and cord. Mahiru's lips curved upwards sheepishly.

"I…just don't want to leave out any details…that's all…" Hikari's eyes glanced over to the redhead who looked a bit embarrassed by the unexpected praise. The blush on the Photographer's cheeks didn't last as she moved her finger between her pictures and the sketch. "Can you double–check everyone's positions? I can't afford to make any mistakes since our lives are on the line…"

Hikari nodded solemnly and began looking at the table's contents closely. She was looking at the picture with the back table that had the lamp when her ears picked up Hajime's voice.

"Did you find out anything, Tsumiki-san?"

Hikari closed her eyes, releasing a breath she didn't know she held. What is wrong with me? Why do I react like this whenever Hinata's around? Is this really infatuation? This is really ridiculous; I have bigger problems to deal with…like this murder… Hikari stared at the sketch, but her mind was not following her eyes, but her ears instead.

"…It can be assumed that…a very thin, sharp object around…5 mm in diameter…was…used to…stab…him…over…and over…again…which is what…I…believe…Ugh…Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Mikan sobbed loudly, unable to hold it in any longer.

Hikari blinked. A sharp object…5 mm in diameter…then it's not the knife with the glow paint...? Her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. What is the murder weapon then?

Mahiru's sharp voice scared Hikari to the point that she might've pulled a muscle when her body went frigid. "Hey, you're here! Where the hell did you wander off to?"

Hikari turned her head to her friend, but realized that Mahiru wasn't looking at the Spirit Medium, but towards someone behind her.

Hikari restrained herself from jolting a second time when she faced Mahiru's target. Hajime stared at Mahiru with an annoyed look. "I wasn't wandering…I was investigating as much as I could."

Mahiru eyed the boy suspiciously before letting up. "I see…Well, if you weren't slacking off, then I guess that's fine."

Hikari saw Hajime was definitely trying to keep his patience with the Photographer. "So…" Hajime started slowly. "Did you find anything?"

Mahiru frowned, looking at her pictures. "Yeah…sorta…"

"…You don't sound so sure."

"Well, just take a look at this." Mahiru gestured to the pictures and the drawing. "Just as you told me…using the two photos I took before the blackout…I tried to pinpoint where everyone was standing…When I did this, this diagram was the result. Seishin made sure I didn't mess up on everyone's positions."

Hajime's eyebrow raised a little, just noticing Hikari. "Okay…Seishin-san, since you're here, did you have any luck in trying to come in contact with Togami-san's…Ow!" Hajime yelped, rubbing his arm after Mahiru sharply elbowed him, not noticing Hikari's expression sadden.

Mahiru smiled innocently as she got Hajime's attention again. "Anyway…! What do you think about this?" Her index finger poked at the sketch of the old hotel building.

Hajime scowled a bit at the redheaded girl before casting his eyes to the table. "So this is everyone's standing position before the blackout…Everyone's pretty much in the dining hall."

Mahiru watched Hikari briefly before continuing her conversation with Hajime. "I've made this diagram from analyzing these photos, so I'm pretty sure it's accurate."

Hajime took in as much of the diagram as he can into his memory. His eyes stopped at who was near that table before the blackout. She can't be ruled out…especially if she was that close to the table…Could she have flung her glasses nearby and make it seem like she was looking for them after she killed Togami-san? Hajime thought to himself. "Huh…? What's this line extending from the table where Togami-san was killed?"

"Um…It's the desk lamp. I drew the power cord for it just in case." Mahiru stared at Hajime curiously when Hajime became silent again. "Hey…did you find something?"

Hajime hummed a bit. "It's not clear to me yet, but…"

Mahiru frowned slightly. "I guess…you're right…I didn't really understand it myself when I was drawing it…that's why I asked Seishin to look at it as another set of eyes in case I missed anyone or anything." Hikari nodded in agreement, seeming to recover from the blow to her ego. "I have a feeling that it's either a potential clue…or just a waste of labor…" Mahiru finished with a sigh.

"No, it wasn't a waste at all," Hajime stated assertively.

Mahiru and Hikari looked at him in surprise. "Hm…?" Mahiru blurted.

*Ding dong, bing bong*

Everyone in the room looked up as the bell chimed throughout the room. They all turned to the monitor as it turned on all on its own. They weren't surprised to see Monokuma front and center on the screen. "Alrighty, guys, it's finally time! That's right," Monokuma exclaimed. "It's time for the long-awaited class trial!" Hikari swore her heart was sliding down to meet her stomach when she heard Monokuma's voice. "Now then, I shall tell you all the meeting place. At the central island of Jabberwock Island, there is a mountain with my adorable face carved into it. That, my friends, is Monokuma Rock! Once you're there, please proceed to the underground by taking the elevator located at the secret entrance." Monokuma started giggling, barely holding in his excitement, the contents of his glass swishing around, threatening to spill out. "Puhuhuhu, I'll see you soon!" With that said, the screen turned off.

The atmosphere in the room was so thick that Hikari was sure a butcher knife would have trouble slicing through. It took a few moments for the teens to walk out of the room, dreading what they were forced to accomplish shortly. Reaching the doorway into the hallway, Hikari turned back to look upon the dining hall, and Byakuya's body, one last time.

Togami-san…no, Byakuya…please rest in peace. We will find your killer or literally die trying, the Spirit Medium mentally prayed, feeling her eyes start to burn from unshed tears. Suddenly she felt someone hold her hand gently, Hikari finding the one responsible was Chiaki. The Gamer studied Hikari's face quietly before giving a solemn nod.

"Let's go."

"…Yeah."

When everyone was walking across the bridge to the central island, Hikari noticed a couple people absent. Tanaka-san and Kuzuryuu-san aren't with us…what will happen to those who don't show up for the trial…? She gave an involuntary shiver, not even wanting to think about outcome of not coming to something Monokuma mandated.

They reached their destination, some people noticing what was in front of them for the first time: a mountain with four Monokuma heads as their peaks.

"Huh…?" Kazuichi blinked at the rock formation a couple of times before freaking out. "Hey, what the heck is that mountain!? Wh-when did that get there!?" Hikari wasn't too surprised by it; she noticed a strange mountain on the way to Jabberwock Park when the group was summoned there by Byakuya the morning they found the object that was counting down. The bespectacled girl thought it might have just been her imagination since she was sleep-deprived that morning. However, here she was in front of the parody of Mount Rushmore.

Peko stared at it apprehensively. "That story…might be true after all. There might be an enormous organization involved in all this…"

Hajime glanced at the Swordswoman. "You mean…what Togami-said before, right?"

Sonia frowned dejectedly. "Togami-san…we still needed his knowledge…"

"Tch…!" Nekomaru gripped his fist, closing his eyes. "I still can't believe he's dead!" Ibuki stood near Chiaki and Hikari, foaming at the mouth, tears falling down her face, muttering Togami's name over and over. Chiaki tilted her head towards the Musician before scanning her eyes over the crowd, voicing Hikari's earlier mental question.

"What…happened to Tanaka-san and Kuzuryuu-san?"

Everyone started looking around themselves, Mikan nervously bringing her hands together. "N-now that you mention it…it appears they aren't here yet…"

Hiyoko jumped with her arms in the air, eyes closed, smiling. "I got it! They probably ran away!"

Hikari had her doubts. I don't think so…even if they could, where could they go? There's no possible way off this island.

Monokuma abruptly popped up from nowhere, looking innocent, a paw on the back of his head. "Ah hell naw! There's no way I'd let them escape, you know!" Hikari deadpanned.

Of course you wouldn't…

"Look! I dragged this one back over here!" Monokuma exclaimed. That was when everyone saw the bear's black paw holding the back of Fuyuhiko's jacket with Fuyuhiko dragged on the ground behind the stuffed animal.

Fuyuhiko struggled, eyes glaring daggers at Monokuma. "Don't fuck with me! I-I'm tellin' you, let me go!"

Monokuma nonchalantly released the Gangster before twirling around toward him, brandishing his claws, looking not too happy himself. "Hey now, if you keep acting violent, I might just eat you up."

Mahiru placed her hands on her hips, looking stern towards Fuyuhiko. "Hey Kuzuryuu-san! What were you doing all this time!?"

The blonde male put his hands in his pockets, an eyebrow raised. "Nothing…I wasn't really doing anything. I was just chilling in my room when I suddenly heard that fat bastard got killed…" He took his hands out of his pockets to cross his arms, turning away from the group. "Tch…Who the fuck cares about that anyway?"

Hikari frowned, the feeling to interject and tell Fuyuhiko off was starting to boil up inside her. However, Mahiru blurted out, "Why you…How can you say something so irresponsible…!?" She stepped near him, pointing her finger at the boy. "Do you understand!? We've been doing our best to investigate this murder, even though we don't want to, just to survive!" Hikari stepped back cautiously.

Definitely do not get Koizumi angry…

Nagito raised his hands up, walking in between the two arguing. "Koizumi-san, that's enough… You too, Kuzuryuu-san…" He looked back and forth between the two.

Fuyuhiko sneered. "Tch…! Dumbass…!" Nevertheless, he left it at that.

Akane itched near her eye, both eyes closed, seeming to be oblivious to the tension next to her. "…And I'm guessin' we're waitin' for Tanaka-san?"

"…I am right here." Hikari turned to her right to find Gundham standing nearby, looking smug with his arms crossed. He opened his eyes and struck a pose with his arms. "Remember well! A main character arrives when he intends to!" The Spirit Medium sweatdropped as Gundham crossed his arms and laughed maniacally as Nagito and Hajime talked to each other briefly in hushed voices. Hikari glanced at them curiously until Monokuma distracted them all with his high-pitched despair-filling voice.

"All right, now that everyone's all together…Let's take the secret entrance to the trial field!"

Suddenly, Monomi jumped up out of nowhere. "Wait! P-please wait a second!"

Monokuma tilted his head in wonder. "…My my, Monomi. Just what are you doing here? Nobody asked for you."

Monomi stood her ground, her eyes narrowed in determination. "I-I…I…"

"Wha-what? Do you actually want to join in~?" Monokuma asked before he put his paws together over his mouth to hold back laughter. "Do you want to taste how powerless you are at the class trial? You're an even bigger masochist than I thought…" He started laughing out loud, his paws dropping to his stomach. "Oh well! I'm a big brother who dotes on his little sister. I shall allow your special participation!" Monomi continued to stand there, staring at the bear, her guard still up as Monokuma waved at the teenagers. "I'll go on ahead and wait for you guys, so hurry over!" As soon as Monokuma disappeared, Monokuma Rock and the area around it began to shake as a roar bellowed into the air.

"What the…!? Something's…shaking…!?" Hajime exclaimed as everyone started to panic, trying to keep themselves balanced as the ground shook.

"Uwaa!" Monomi cried. "Th-This is dangerous! Everyone, please get down!" The second Monokuma head on Monokuma Rock quaked violently before it abruptly opened its mouth to allow a long escalator to emerge like a tongue, the end of the escalator landing with a huge thud in front of the group of uneasy students. Nobody moved, staring at yet another phenomenon of the island.

Mikan jumped back with a shriek. "S-Something came out!?"

"Could it be…Is he telling us to enter it?" Peko asked out loud, taking a defensive stance cautiously. Hikari was even surprised to see Gundham looking terrified, his four hamsters cowering in their perches somewhere on the Breeder's body.

"S-Such a suspicious aura…! Even the Crimson Steel Elephant Maga-Z is trembling in fear…!"

Many of the others also expressed their concern and disbelief of the situation until a frazzled Mahiru spoke up. "C-Complaining won't get us anywhere! If you're really a man, then man up for god's sake!" The redhead bit her lip, looking downcast. "We've come this far…We have no choice but to continue moving forward…"

Hajime nodded slowly. "You're right…There's nowhere for us to run…We need to do it…"

"If that's everyone's decision…I'll just follow you guys," Chiaki said nonchalantly before looking serious at the escalator. "If there were a video game, it'd have a very high level of difficulty…Let's do our best to clear the game."

Hikari frowned, a hand on her opposite arm, not feeling comfortable at all about this. But this…this isn't a video game…this might cost everyone their lives…Why can't I be of more use for this? I have the title of SHSL Spirit Medium, damnit!

Monomi stood nearby quietly with tears in her eyes as everyone started to step onto the escalator. Hikari glanced around to find that the moving steps led them to an elevator. Once everyone was inside the steel-gated elevator, it started to move downwards.

"This…is an elevator!" exclaimed Nekomaru in astonishment from a back corner. "I see…! This entire rock is an elevator!"

Chiaki frowned, standing near the door. "Once again…Monokuma is doing as he pleases…"

Peko crossed her arms, positioned in the back between Mikan and Hiyoko. "However, if he's gone this far and made something like this…I don't think he's playing around."

Akane stood next to Chiaki, staring ahead at the door. "Even so, we're goin' pretty deep."

"You're right…" Hajime agreed quietly. He was standing behind Akane, obviously trying to remain calm. Hikari stood right next to him, eyeing him worriedly despite feeling like she was about to jump out of her skin at a moment's notice. The rest of the journey to the trial room continued in complete silence, the elevator's unpleasant roars as it plunged lower the only noise to the teenagers' ears. After what felt like a lifetime, the elevator gradually stopped with a sharp ding. The steel gated doors slowly opened to reveal the trial room to its participants.

Days Left: 19
Survivors: 16