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: I was trying to write the trial as one chapter, but I already reached page 40 and I was only 75% done. So as a gift for the New Year, here's Trial 1 Part 1. The second part should be up soon, depending on my motivation. Please enjoy!

"Stranded"

Chapter Eight

Class Trial…Start!

The students walked out and visually inspected the décor of the room. The room itself was enormous to the point that it resembled an amphitheater. Hikari felt like she traveled back in time to ancient Rome and was about to be executed in a gladiator game. The only thing that proved otherwise was a huge iPad-like structure above one of the entrances to the arena. In the middle of the arena was a set of podiums situated in a circle facing each other. There was also a golden throne nearby the wooden podiums, the seat adorned with soft red upholstery with the black and white bear sitting upon it haughtily.

Monokuma's creepily high-pitched voice rang out. "Okayyy! Welcome!" He grinned as he gestured around him. "This is the class trial field! How do you like it? This is a special place that will decide your fates!"

Fuyuhiko gritted his teeth, scowling at the stuffed animal. "Tch…what the hell is he thinking!?...Locking us up in a shitty looking place like this…!" He clenched his fists, trembling in anger. "Are you fuckin' crazy!? Don't fuck with me, asshole!" Monokuma only giggled at that.

"Puhuhu…Complain all you like, I'm used to it by now." He then laughed abruptly, his paws on his belly as he leaned his head back before continuing on. "C'mon, you're wasting your time and energy. Hurry up and take your seats where your names are written!" The wary teens glanced at each other before slowly finding their assigned places.

Hikari bit the inside of her cheek as she found her podium. The podium to her right was empty save for a memorial picture of Byakuya Togami. T-Togami… The Spirit Medium swore she literally felt her heart travel up to her throat.

"Seishin?" a soft voice whispered as Hikari felt a gentle touch on her left arm. She twirled to find Chiaki watching her with concern. "It'll be okay. We can do this…for Togami-san."

It took all of Hikari's energy to fight back the tears prickling behind her eyes and nod. "Y-yeah…" What other choice do we have…? Hikari stepped up to her podium and felt a wave of relief as Chiaki stood to her left, looking determined. Hikari had no clue she was situated right across from Hajime until Monokuma started talking.

"Now then, let's begin with a simple explanation of the class trial. During the class trial, you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and vote for 'whodunit.' If you vote correctly, then only the blackened will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong person…I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will earn the right to leave the island!"

"S-Such a cruel rule…!" Monomi's high-pitched voice trembled in sadness from Hikari's right. The raven-haired girl turned her head to see the rabbit tied up and hanging from the ceiling besides Monokuma on his throne. Hikari sweatdropped, but a part of her was not surprised at all. Nagito's smooth voice snapped her back to the matter at hand.

"Before we begin, I'd like to confirm one thing. Is there really a killer among us?"

Monokuma nodded. "Most definitely… There's no doubt that the blackened is lurking among you. Such a sad state of affairs, isn't it? By the way, this class trial is gonna be 100 percent fair, so don't worry." He placed his paws over his mouth. "I'm the type who hates favoritism and prejudice…Well, not as much as I hate Monomi, of course."

Monomi looked so downtrodden when hearing that. "You hate me that much!?"

Ignoring her, the bear raised his black paw. "Now let's get started!"

Mikan frowned, looking nervous. "Y-you're telling us to begin…but what are we supposed to do?"

Hikari crossed her arms. "Yeah, it's not like we have any experiences with trial proceedings…"

Akane cracked her knuckles. "Then how about we settle this with our fists?"

Kazuichi facepalmed. "Didn't you even listen to the rules?"

Fuyuhiko grinned. "Didn't that Togami bastard get killed in the dining hall, huh? Then everyone there is a fuckin' suspect."

"Yeah, yeah. What you're really trying to say is that you're not the killer, right?" Mahiru sighed.

"No shit… You guys went off on one of your own and started killing each other. This has nothing to do with me…"

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"A-Anyway…" Nagito interrupted meekly. "Why don't we try talking about the most pressing issue on our minds?"

Teruteru blinked, confused. "Huh? The most pressing issue on our minds…?"

"Where we found the body," Nagito said matter-of-factly. "It's very strange to find a body underneath a table."

"Then…let's start with that mystery," Chiaki suggested.

Everyone had an opinion about this and took a few minutes to have their voices heard. Hajime finally spoke up, countering Kazuichi's theory that Byakuya's body was moved to underneath the table. "No…I don't think the killer moved the body."

The Mechanic scratched his cheek. "…Huh? Why?"

Nagito placed his hand his chin as if recalling a memory. "Try to remember what the body looked like when we found it underneath the table…"

Hikari closed her eyes for a mental image, frowning. "His body was covered in a lot of blood…"

The white-haired male nodded. "Yes…Though there was a lot of blood everywhere, there was no sign the killer actually dragged the body through it."

Mahiru blinked. "So that's why you think it's impossible that the killer moved the body…I see, I get your point." Kazuichi, as expected, became dejected once his theory was debunked.

Ibuki frowned in confusion. "But if there killer didn't move the body, why was it under the table?"

"Togami-san was probably…killed under the table," Hajime said slowly as if still piecing his own notion together.

Nekomaru looked at him alarmed. "What…? You think he was killed under the table!?"

Hikari bowed her head down slightly. "Well…nobody saw blood anywhere else in the room, correct?" After a couple of moments passed with no definitive response, she continued. "Since we only saw blood under that table, Hinata-san's claim seems very likely."

"So Togami-san snuck under the table for reasons unknown, and that's when he was killed…" Nagito stated, trying to progress the trial. "Then, shortly thereafter, we found his body under the table."

"That does make sense, but…why did he go under the table?" Nekomaru questioned.

Once again, everyone started sounding off ideas, none of which made any sense in Hikari's mind considering Byakuya's personality.

"The reason why…is probably connected to what Togami-san was doing during the party, don't you think?" Nagito implied.

Hikari pushed up her glasses, feeling them slide down the bridge of her nose. Think…what was underneath the table during the party…? Hikari blinked. "Oh! The knife!"

Hajime fixed his gaze towards Hikari. "So you think it's because of the knife we found under the table too, Seishin-san?"

"Mmm…Togami-san must've noticed the knife was hidden under there…so to confiscate it, he moved under the table to get it," Hikari reasoned. But…we're missing something here…how would he notice that…and especially during the blackout…?

Chiaki tilted her head to the side. "Instead of knowing about it beforehand, maybe he saw it right at that moment…? Like, for example, maybe he saw someone trying to take the knife out from under the table…?"

"No, that's not possible," Peko proclaimed, arms crossed. "I have proof to back me up."

Monokuma began giggling. "Puhuhu! This is almost like a real trial!"

Hikari deadpanned. I highly doubt that…

Peko calmly explained, "I'm sure Togami-san ducked under the table during the blackout."

"If that's the case… During the blackout, Mr. Ham Hands…must've seen the killer take the knife…"

Ibuki interrupted loudly. "But it was super pitch black!"

Akane smiled in a carefree manner. "Yeah, it was so dark I couldn't see my food!"

"Togami-san couldn't see in the dark, either…I doubt he could have seen the killer," Peko asserted.

"No, you're wrong," Hajime countered. "He was probably the only one who was able to see in the dark."

"…Why do you say that?"

"If he was using those night-vision goggles I found under the table, he could've seen what was happening."

"So…are you saying that it was Togami-san who used the night-vision goggles?" Peko asked, surprised.

"…Yeah," Hajime replied. "That seems to be the case."

Mahiru turned to her left to look at Hajime. "You have it all wrong. It should be the other way around. The killer brought the night-vision goggles to the crime scene."

The boy shook his head. "No. Togami-san definitely was the one who brought the night-vision goggles."

"Then why?"

"Inside the duralumin case Togami-san had with him during the party…I found a smaller case for storing the night-vision goggles."

Ibuki closed her eyes, her index fingers touching her head as if she was receiving a telepathic message. "Which means we can assume that the night-vision goggles were kept inside that duralumin case as well…" She suddenly jumped for joy. "Wahoo! I said 'assume!' Ibuki never uses such clever language!"

"So, Togami-san was the only one who had access to the night-vision goggles since he had the key to the duralumin case…" Hikari thought out loud.

"And he was carrying it around before the blackout in the first place," Hajime added.

"Then, was that knife inside the case, too?" Teruteru asked. "If there were night-vision goggles inside, it wouldn't be weird for a knife to be in there, too!"

Chiaki tilted her head. "It would be weird."

Teruteru chuckled nervously. "I am weird, aren't I…? At times like these, I'd rather be fantasizing about…tonight's 'main dish'…"

Half of the people present either sighed heavily or sweatdropped at that statement.

Hiyoko shrieked, her hands on her head. "Ewwwww! You totally mean that in a perverted way!"

"There was duct tape left under the table where the body was found," Hajime responded to Teruteru's suggestion that the knife was in the duralumin case.

Teruteru blinked, shocked. "…Huh? Duct tape?"

Hikari nodded in confirmation. "I saw it too. The duct tape was still hanging onto the underside of the table when we came upon the scene. The killer probably hid the knife by duct taping it there."

"So…that's why we found the duct tape there," Mikan said quietly, her hands clasped together in front of her.

Nekomaru crossed his arms. "Though Togami-san was thorough, even he couldn't have noticed a weapon taped to the underside of the table…"

Peko looked thoughtful before speaking up again. "…This may be off-topic, but why was Togami-san acting so paranoid? Not only did he bring a self-defense kit, but he had night-vision goggles inside the case as well…"

"That's true! He went above and beyond being a little cautious…!"

Mahiru frowned. "Now that you mention it…That applies to the dangerous items he confiscated too." She sweatdropped slightly. "It's one thing to be a bit cautious, but performing a body check was a bit much!" Hikari couldn't help but agree with the Photographer; that moment definitely made her feel awkward and a bit violated.

"He probably knew," Nagito started, "that someone was planning to commit a murder…"

Gundham appeared taken aback. "Are you saying that he predicted the murder!? Could it be…? Was he also in possession of the All-Seeing Eye…?"

Ignoring Gundham's antics, Nagito turned to Hajime with a smile. "You think so too, right Hinata?"

Hajime took out a folded piece of paper and held it out. "Everyone…Can you please take a look at this?"

Hikari read out loud, "'Be careful. The first kill will happen tonight. Someone will definitely kill someone'…What is this? A warning…?"

"Hinata and I found this in Togami-san's cottage," the Luckster explained.

Hajime looked very serious. "It looks like a threatening letter someone sent to him."

Everyone looked at the letter with apprehension. "So who's the someone?" Akane asked.

Hiyoko giggled with a nervous grin. "Nobody besides Monokuma would write such a dumb, threatening letter like that…"

Monokuma tilted his head, a paw to his cheek innocently. "Wasn't me!"

Even while tied up and hanging by rope, Monomi placed a paw to her own cheek. "…Are you sure?"

The bear put his paws to his mouth and said cheerfully, "The only lies I tell are friendly lies!"

"Those are still lies!" Monomi squeaked, arms in the air, looking panicked.

"It doesn't matter who wrote it yet," Peko declared. "So, Togami-san became paranoid because of this threatening letter?"

"He probably decided to throw a party because of the letter," Nagito supposed.

Teruteru cocked an eyebrow, a hand on his chin. "…What do you mean?"

"By gathering everyone in one place, he tried to create a situation where everyone could keep tabs on each other," Nagito clarified. "In doing so, he tried to put the writer of the letter in a situation where they couldn't act out their intentions."

"But the letter might've been a little prank…"

"As long as he was determined not to let any of us die, he couldn't take that risk…His strong sense of responsibility…made him believe that the letter was legitimate."

Nekomaru gripped a fist in frustration. "Tch! He should've told us he received a threatening letter…!"

Nagito glanced down sadly. "If he had, we would've panicked…Togami-san probably knew that, too."

"So…" Sonia began to speak. "He tried to do something about it without telling anyone?"

Peko grimaced slightly. "I see…His strong sense of responsibility as our leader was his undoing…"

Akane started cracking her knuckles, growing impatient. "Tch! Screw the noise! Who the hell wrote that damn letter!?"

"Well, obviously the killer…" Mahiru answered.

Others were beginning to become restless. Gundham scowled, "Hmph, enough already! Show yourself, you coward!"

Hikari frowned a little. That's impossible in this death game, right? If the killer did reveal themselves, that's an instant death sentence…there's no way anyone here would do that.

"Um…Pardon me," Sonia addressed to everyone in the room. "May I say something, please?"

Kazuichi grinned happily. "…What is it, Sonia-san?"

"I regret that I must return to this topic, but…I just realized something concerning the night-vision goggles. If Togami-san was indeed wearing the goggles…how did the killer manage to navigate in the dark?"

Hikari furrowed her eyebrows. I feel like I should know this…I feel like the answer's within my grasp…

Nekomaru stood behind of his podium eyes closed and arms crossed. "Even if the knife bore some sort of mark…it would've been difficult to see it in that darkness."

A mark on the knife! Hikari felt her breath sucked away as Nekomaru unknowingly reminded her that important clue she discovered with Hajime. She slammed her hands on the podium, blurting out, "The glowing paint on the knife!" A few people jumped in surprise, everyone staring at the Spirit Medium. Hikari felt her heart thumping in her chest and her body trembled with the adrenaline rushing through her veins as she felt everyone's eyes piercing at her. "The knife had glowing neon green paint…on the handle."

Hajime took over from there. "With that, you'd be able to get the knife even in the dark. In actuality, the knife we found under the table…"

"…and the duct tape stuck to the underside of the table…were both marked with glowing neon paint," Hikari finished Hajime's train of thought.

Mikan looked back and forth between Hajime and Hikari. "Does that mean…the killer painted them in advance?"

Hikari licked her dry lips, looking at the central space to focus her thoughts. It seems highly likely...when else would they do it?

"But painting them with glowing paint…?" the Photographer asked in disbelief. "It's as if they knew that the blackout was going to happen.

Chiaki held up her index finger. "They had to have already known. That's why they used the glowing paint as a mark."

"…Which means whoever set up the blackout is the killer!" Hiyoko surmised smugly.

Kazuichi scowled, hand on his hip. "That seals it. The killer is whoever was in the office with the circuit breaker…" He clenched both fists confidently. "…Which means it was you Pekoyama Peko!"

Hikari gaped at this accusation, her eyes darting from Kazuichi to the stoic young woman standing right next to him. Wait…what!? Even Peko was taken aback.

"…I am not the killer," Peko stated calmly despite her surprised reaction.

Akane shrugged nonchalantly. "…Oh. I guess she's not."

"…How can you believe her so easily!?" shouted the pink haired teen.

"But…" stammered Mikan. "With Pekoyama-san's height, I don't think she'd be able to reach the circuit breaker in the office…"

"I-I don't care about a technicality like that! Pekoyama-san's the one who tripped the circuit breaker and caused the blackout!"

Peko shifted uncomfortably. "That's impossible…I wasn't in the office…not even before the blackout."

Hajime nodded in agreement. "I think Pekoyama-san is telling the truth."

Kazuichi placed a hand on his hip, scowling. "Hm-hmmm, don't tell me you're crushin' on Pekoyama-san?" Hikari felt warmth covering her cheeks, but only briefly.

"I-It's nothing like that at all…!" Hajime quickly fired back, unknowingly giving Hikari a wave of relief. "Nidai-san's account is actually Pekoyama-san's alibi!"

Nekomaru nodded solemnly. "It's true, someone was occupying the bathroom for a long time shortly after the party started…It was finally freed up…after Togami-san's body was discovered."

"Ah!" Mahiru gasped. "Then the person who was in the bathroom the whole time was actually…!?"

"Everyone else besides Pekoyama-san was in the dining hall after the party began, right?" Hajime asked. They all nodded excluding Fuyuhiko who didn't show up to the party.

Hiyoko blinked. "I see…So there's no way anybody else could've locked themselves in the bathroom except Pekoyama-san."

"I-I guess that would be true…" Peko said quietly, still looking uneasy about this discussion.

"Y-You locked yourself in the commode!?" Kazuichi exclaimed. "You should've said so earlier!" At this, most of the girls and even a couple boys sweatdropped at Kazuichi's lack of tact.

Mahiru glowered towards the Mechanic, hands on her hips, being the one to voice the general consensus of the group. "There's no way she'd actually say that! Gosh, you are so insensitive!"

"If she locked herself in the bathroom for that long, there's no doubt…It's shit," declared Nekomaru matter-of-factly before he suddenly started to laugh loudly. "GAH-HAHAHAHA! Aw, there's no way that she'd admit it! There's no way she'd admit she was taking a shit!"

Hikari sighed quietly. And we have our lives on the line here…we really should get serious… "Can we please stop talking about this and move onto something else?" the Spirit Medium asked, her voice giving away a hint of annoyance.

Nekomaru turned to Peko reassuringly. "Don't worry, the smell wasn't that strong! I used the bathroom right after you, so you can trust me!" At that moment, Hikari felt like smashing her face against her podium.

Hiyoko smirked towards Peko, holding back giggles. "But still, you were in the bathroom for a really long time. Did you get food poisoning or something?"

"As soon as I stepped into the office, I felt this sudden rush of pain in my stomach…" Peko replied. "Because of that, I was unable to leave the bathroom…Including when…the blackout occurred…"

A sparkle lit up in Teruteru's eyes. "Hey, how did it feel to do your business in the dark? Did you get…excited?" Hikari swore if the shenanigans continued any further that she felt that she might be liable to become the next blackened right there, her eyebrow twitching.

Fuyuhiko glanced at the Swordswoman. "But still, your stomach pain…Was that really just a coincidence?"

"Hey, what's the deal?" Mahiru huffed. "Don't butt into other people's business, especially if you didn't do any investigating."

Hikari held back a heavy sigh. Here we go again… she thought, waiting for an impending shouting match between the Photographer and the Yakuza. Instead, Fuyuhiko just smirked.

"Heh, I'm only buttin' in cause you fuckin' idiots are outta your element," he taunted.

"Stop this childish nonsense…" Gundham ordered, eyes closed and arms crossed. "Just what do you mean by 'coincidence'?" he asked the blonde male.

"What I mean is…Is it possible someone slipped her some laxatives?" Fuyuhiko asked. "If so, the killer could've tripped the breaker as soon as the girl left the office, don't you think?"

Hikari blinked. Huh…never thought about that…

Hajime shook his head. "No, it's impossible that laxatives were slipped into the food in the dining hall…because…Pekoyama-san wasn't the only one who ate that food. Owari-san ate some of it, too."

"If the food had laxatives in it, I'm pretty sure that Owari-san would've had stomach issues as well…" Mahiru pointed out.

Akane grinned wolfishly. "I feel totally fine!"

Hikari smiled nervously to herself. Or you have an iron stomach and can eat anything…

"Like I said," Teruteru whimpered, "th-the dishes are innocent! Don't go making weird accusations!"

Peko closed her eyes. "…I apologize for causing a scene."

"Kuzuryuu-san should apologize, not you! He's the one who made the laxative accusation!" Mahiru reassured the silver haired girl.

Hikari stared at the surface of her podium. The accusation does make sense though…We have to look at this case at any and all angles…

Before the short-statured teen could voice her thoughts, Fuyuhiko snarled towards the freckled Photographer, fist clenched tightly. "What the fuck did you say, bitch!?"

Sonia suddenly held out her hand. "Cease this bickering!" Everyone went silent for a couple of moments.

Mikan poked her index fingers together timidly. "Let's just dismiss Pekoyama-san's stomachache as a coincidence…and go back to discussing the blackout…"

The group took a few minutes trying to figure out what exactly caused the blackout. People bounced around plausible scenarios, but Mahiru's suggestion of the blackout being caused by a power surge caught some attention.

"It's as Mahiru said…" Hajime stated. "The blackout was caused by a power surge. Of course, that's not a coincidence. Someone caused it intentionally."

"Which is why those three irons in the storage room were arranged to cause the blackout," Nagito added.

Hajime turned to the Luckster. "When you found them right after the blackout, the irons were still on, right?"

Mahiru gasped lightly as if a lightbulb turned on above her head. "So by leaving those irons on in the storage room, they deliberately caused a power surge."

"Yeah, it seems that's how our killer caused the blackout…" Hajime began.

Nekomaru yelled defiantly at the plain looking male, "There's no way that's possible! We all were in the dining hall before the blackout. Are you saying that someone left before the blackout to turn on the irons in the storage room and come back unnoticed?"

Hajime stood his ground, looking determined. "The irons are just one reason the blackout occurred, but they weren't the direct trigger…The direct trigger was when the air conditioners in the dining hall and office clicked on."

The Team Manager gripped his hair in shock. "THE AIR CONDITIONERRRRRRRS!?"

"The timers for both air conditioners were set to 11:30 p.m."

"11:30 p.m.…" Hiyoko muttered before she blinked in realization. "Mr. Ham Hands died around that time, too!"

"I see…When the timers activated the air conditioners, the breaker was tripped and caused a blackout," Nekomaru said, frowning before he grinned, relieved now that he finally understood what Hajime meant. "I see! I understand! Indubitably!"

Sonia blinked, very surprised. "…Indubitably!?"

Nagito looked pensive. "They probably checked the old building's energy usage in advance, and used the irons to nearly max it out. So once they set the air conditioners' timers, they just had to wait until they started up on their own…"

"If so, even if Pekoyama-san was in the office, it still would have been possible to cause a blackout. Indubitably!" Sonia declared confidently, flexing her right bicep.

Hikari stared at Sonia, holding back a couple of giggles. She is just so precious…

"Regarding the energy usage…" Chiaki thought out loud. "They probably asked Monokuma about it."

Monokuma covered his mouth with both paws. "Dun-dun-dunnn!" Even if his creepy grin was permanent on his face, Hikari was positive that the bear would be smirking until his cheeks hurt.

Monomi was swinging the rope slightly, not able to do much else. "Is she right!? Such a hateful bear…You deserve to die a thousand deaths…!"

"A thousand, you say? If I died that many times…I might really stay dead, you know…"

Hikari glared at Monokuma. Don't give us that sliver of hope…

Peko closed her eyes, feeling guilty. "I couldn't have prevented the blackout even if I was in the office. But even so, I feel regret…If I was in the office, I could've reset the breaker in time…And maybe the murder wouldn't have occurred…"

"No," Nagito said comfortingly. "The breaker in the office was built into a high area of the wall that's impossible to reach…Resetting the breaker in that darkness would've been impossible, no matter what."

Fuyuhiko crossed his arms, looking to the side. "…Sounds like you don't need to blame yourself."

Hikari sighed, tapping her foot in anxiety. "We keep going in circles…At this rate, are we going to find the killer?"

"It's all right. You don't have to worry," Nagito replied encouragingly. "Because…they're just a petty killer, right? They can't defeat symbols of hope like you guys!" Hikari raised an eyebrow, confused as Nagito continued on. "There's no way everybody will lose now. This little incident will just be a stepping stone for you all. In the end, hope always wins! That's what I believe!"

"Komaeda-san…?" Hikari whispered, concerned.

"Wh-What happened to you?" Hajime asked, stunned by the Luckster's sudden change in behavior.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Nagito asked Hajime innocently.

"Well…you have been saying this whole time that there's no way a killer could be among us."

"Oh, is that so?" Nagito spoke with a smile, looking as calm as he did a minute ago. "Well, let's just put that minor detail aside for now and talk about the incident. For now…we found out how the blackout occurred, but the question is who caused it, right? Anybody could've hid and set the timers for the air conditioners…Setting up the irons in the storage room could've been done before Togami set foot in the old building…What a shame. Any one of us is capable of that."

Hikari couldn't believe what she was hearing. What the hell is going on!? Is this really Komaeda-san? Could the situation we're in have finally caused him to break down? He is pointing out very real possibilities though…

Nagito sighed, looking discouraged. "Despite the fact that we've discussed this at length, there's not even one clue that leads to the killer…" All of a sudden, he went back to his carefree self, smiling casually and looking optimistic. "But that might be because…there's no way any of us could be a killer."

Hajime frowned, very confused. "Y-You're changing your story again?" However, the Luckster carried on, ignoring the plain-looking teen.

"Anyway… I have an idea about what we should all do at this point. …Has anyone thought about our situation like this? Instead of surviving by doubting others, isn't it better to get killed for believing in others?"

"W-What!?" Hikari gaped at him as the others were becoming restless with unease.

Hajime kept his eyes on the white-haired boy. "Komaeda-san! There's definitely something wrong with you!"

Nagito only chuckled. "Haha… You guys only think there's something wrong with me because there's something wrong with you. Suspecting each other like this…There's no way that's healthy behavior…Let's stop this already! We don't have to find out who the killer is!" He started to panic. "I can't stand this anymore! I don't want to do this to my friends! Especially not to her!"

"Her?" Teruteru whispered, fidgeting nervously. The group looked at every girl with suspicion.

"Whom may I ask are you implicating?" Sonia asked, her head tilted to the side.

Nagito closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before turning towards Hikari, frowning. "I'm sorry…I just couldn't hide it anymore…"

"What are you talking about…?" Hikari asked as everyone looked at her with apprehension.

Nagito sighed, a hand on his hip. "Drop the act, Seishin-san. You are Togami-san's killer." Hikari's face paled as Nagito explained his reasoning. "You were in front of the back table where Togami was killed when the blackout occurred."

Hikari shook her head. "Only because my drink was there."

Nagito crossed his arms. "What a coincidence…and were you leaning against the table or something like that too?" People started muttering to their neighbors or to themselves.

The Spirit Medium bit her bottom lip. "My hand was on the table when the lights went out so I knew where I would be…"

"So you could get access to the knife, right?"

Hikari closed her eyes tightly, feeling her whole body tremble from stress. "No! You're wrong!" Why? Why is he accusing me!? There was no way I could've done this!

Mahiru looked at the accuser disapprovingly. "Komaeda-san, let us hear her side." Mahiru moved to face Hikari. "Seishin?" she asked gently like a mother would to a child.

Hikari gazed at the redhead with gratitude, tears burning in her eyes. "Koizumi…" The small girl took a staggered breath before reiterating the same story that she told Hajime. "I was standing by my drink when the lights went out…" Hikari explained as clearly as possible so everyone could hear her. "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 tell whose was whose…except Togami-san…I can't really recall what he said…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…That was it."

"So, there's no way you didn't just toss your glasses aside to make it seem as if you had them knocked off?" Kazuichi questioned the black-haired girl.

Peko eyed the Mechanic through her own glasses. "I don't believe so. There would've been possible damage to them if tossed carelessly. If she had fallen on her side like she says, then the height from where the glasses fell from was almost ground level and not from about Seishin-san's height."

"I picked them up," Hajime said. "I didn't see any damage from what I can tell."

Hikari took off her red framed glasses to display them to everyone. "There are no scratches or dents."

As Hikari placed her glasses back on, she could tell that Nagito was still unconvinced. He still stared at her, arms crossed. "All right, but where were you this afternoon before the party?"

Ibuki raised her hand energetically. "Oh! Oh! Ibuki can answer that one!" Ibuki grinned, hands on her hips, looking very proud. "Seishin-san was with Ibuki! We ran around the animal ranch and jumped in the mud!" Hikari sweatdropped towards Ibuki as everyone's serious demeanors softened.

Hiyoko started laughing and pointing at Hikari. "Guess she wanted to be with her kind!"

"I don't weigh that much! I'm only 40 kilograms!" Hikari blushed from embarrassment.

Mahiru smiled. "So there was no way Seishin could have prepared the planned power surge or the knife with glowing paint beforehand."

"Yeah…It took a while to clean the mud off of me…" The Spirit Medium slowly felt the nerves fade; she never had anyone stand up for her except her sister. Yet here she was, being defended by people she only met a couple of days ago. She smiled gently, her eyes watering up. "Thank you everyone…for believing in me…even though I…can't use my talent." Hikari's smile saddened.

Hajime smiled heartily. "Hey…you tried your best at contacting Togami-san, right? You also investigated the crime scene with Komaeda-san and me and helped Koizumi-san with plotting out everyone's locations at the time of the blackout. Plus, you're helping us with the trial."

Hikari looked down sheepishly, her face burning up. "I guess you're right…"

Fuyuhiko frowned, a hand on his hip. "Didn't we just go around in yet another damn circle? This is starting to get really fuckin' annoying…" Everyone started becoming agitated once more.

"We're all friends…aren't we?" Nagito asked wearily. "Now that we've eliminated the prime suspects, I'm positive this time. There's no way one friend would murder another…" Hikari focused on Nagito silently.

Was that really his reason? Was he trying to clear my name and to make sure I wasn't a suspect? What is his deal…?

Hajime slammed a hand on his podium, staring at Nagito. "Then why did Togami-san die!?"

"Who cares anymore…? Let's just give up already…" Nagito laughed sadly. "There are no clues that lead to the killer anyway…Not a single one…"

"That's wrong!" Chiaki said intensely with her soft-spoken voice. "…I think." Hikari blinked, looking at the pink-haired girl to her left.

Nagito quietly watched the Gamer before looking at her sarcastically. "…Did you say anything?"

"Cuz…we've already found a clue that might point to who the killer is."

"A clue, you say?" Gundham probed.

"We did?" Hikari asked.

"The killer? I dunno…" Chiaki admitted, putting her cat hoodie over her head. "But we do have a clue about a suspicious person…I think."

Suddenly, Nagito started to get excited. "I see…Then care to tell me? What's this clue you're talking about?"

"First of all, let's try thinking about how the killer was able to obtain the knife during the blackout."

Nagito glowered in annoyance. "Didn't we already cover that? They used glowing pain as a mark."

"No, not that…" Chiaki countered. "I mean, before that."

"Let's try examining the situation…" Hajime suggested. "Koizumi's diagram might be useful here."

"The diagram of where everyone was standing before the blackout, right?" Mahiru searched her pockets. "Um…Here it is…" She placed it out for everyone to see. Hajime studied the diagram in silence, his eyes wandering to the back table, seeing Hikari's name but also another familiar name close to hers.

Since Seishin-san was cleared from being the killer…it has to be this person, thought Hajime. "The killer must've used the desk lamp to move to that table in the dark."

Hikari blinked. But how…?

Nagito chuckled. "The desk lamp…? I hope you don't mean they turned on a light or something."

Hajime pointed at Nagito. "They didn't turn the desk lamp on, they used its power cord."

"P-power cord…?" Mikan asked meekly.

"They could have felt their way to the table using the power cord, right? By doing that, the killer was able to move to the table, then used the glowing paint to find the knife."

Chiaki regarded the diagram thoughtfully. "And…there's only one person here who could've done that." Hikari stared at the diagram, widening her eyes to see whose name was closest to the power cord.

Hajime closed his eyes briefly but opening them to face Nagito solemnly. "Komaeda-san…It was you, wasn't it?"

Nagito looked taken aback. "M-Me…?"

"Judging from everyone's positions before the blackout…The only person near the power cord was you."

The Luckster frowned in irritation. "That was my line of thinking in regards to Seishin-san. She was the closest to the table."

Hikari's eye twitched. Why is he going after me…again!? "Hey! We proved my innocence! Plus, you had a chance to hide the knife under the table earlier today, right?"

Hajime nodded, putting the pieces together in his mind. "Komaeda-san…Weren't you cleaning the dining hall all day? If so…you would've had a chance to hide the knife!"

Nagito gritted his teeth nervously. "Th-That's…!" However, Hajime still was on the offensive.

"If you factor in the power cord and the time you spent cleaning, you're the only one who could've done it!"

"S-Seriously, that's all just a coincidence!"

Chiaki tilted her head. "If it was just one coincidence, like Seishin's location next to the table, it'd be fine…But when it's one right after another…I wonder…Is something like that even possible?"

"Could it be…?" Mahiru whispered, arms crossed. "Did you give yourself cleaning duty on purpose so you could hide the knife under the table…?"

Nekomaru frowned. "Now that you mention it…Komaeda-san did prepare the drawing to pick who cleaned the dining hall…"

"You rigged the drawing, didn't you?" Mahiru accused the Luckster, pointing at him. "That's how you got picked to clean the dining hall, isn't it?" Nagito stood there, speechless.

Chiaki held the straps of her backpack as she gazed at Nagito. "I don't know if you're the killer or not, but…Regardless, it proves that you're suspicious, right?" Nagito bit the inside of his mouth, looking very frightened.

Nekomaru cracked his knuckles, becoming increasingly angry. "If that's the case…That strange speech you made earlier…That was part of your plan, too…" The bulky teen wasn't the only one who was pissed off.

"You got us to lower our guard and tried to hide the fact that you did it, didn't you, you motherfucker!?" Fuyuhiko shouted, hand clenched and a vein on his forehead visibly throbbing.

Mahiru pointed at Nagito, frazzled. "Well? Just admit it already!" Nagito started to breathe fast, feeling cornered.

Hajime closed his eyes, gritting his teeth, troubled that he was implicating his investigative partner, his friend, of murder. "Komaeda-san, tell me you object to this…Frankly, I don't want to believe it either…We investigated together…You were so kind…I can't believe you're the one who killed Togami-san…" Nagito still did not say a word. Hajime opened his eyes and slammed his hands on the podium for the second time. "Komaeda! Say something!" Nagito sputtered incomprehensible noises before he started to laugh maniacally.

"The SHSLs are working together to combat the despair of their friend's death!" Nagito declared, his eyes becoming wild-looking. "Ah, how wonderful, how beautiful it is!"

"…Huh?" Hajime blinked, looking at his crazed friend cautiously. Hikari stared at Nagito in disbelief as well, mouth open.

"Let's cut to the chase…You're correct! It was my doing all along! I'm the one who hid the knife under the table before the party started. I'm the one who used the power cord to find my way to the table in the dark. And, of course, I'm the one who caused the blackout. After all, there's no way I'd knowingly whip out a knife in front of everybody, right?"

Hikari felt her heart drop to her stomach, feeling cold shivers run through her body. Ibuki fidgeted nervously since she was standing to his right. "I-Is it just me…or does he seem a little nuts right now?"

"But…I never expected Togami to have night-vision goggles…" Nagito admitted. "Because of that, we had ourselves a little scuffle under the table…and, well, you all saw how that played out." He smiled, a hand in the air. "But with a twist ending like this, I think we can all agree this ended up being a very interesting mystery." Hikari trembled as Nagito started laughing hysterically again. "Hahaha! Togami performed admirably!"

Hikari watched him, stunned, feeling a small pit of anger in her stomach starting to form. H-How dare he mock Togami's death…! Does he really think this is a game!? This is about our friend's murder! She tightened both fists strongly until her knuckles turned white.

"Don't tell me…" Mahiru said with a shaky voice. "Is this your true nature? Were you lying to us this whole time?"

Hikari bit her bottom lip. That's what I want to know too, Komaeda...Were you just pretending to be nice to us…to me?

"Me, lie?" Nagito asked. "That's outrageous! There no way someone like me could ever lie to you guys!" He smiled sadly. "I understand better than anyone else that I'm ultimately worthless. I'm too arrogant to have dreams or cling to hope…I'm too disdainful to actually try at anything…I've made my peace with the fact that I'm a lowly, stupid, insignificant human who can't do anything right."

Nekomaru placed his hands on his hips. "Hey Komaeda-san…If you were behind all of this, then did you also send that threatening letter…?"

"Yep. I sure did. There's nobody else on this island whose handwriting is that painful to look at, right?"

Hiyoko frowned at the Luckster. "But why would you send a threatening letter in the first place?"

"I think…somewhere deep in my heart…I was probably hoping to find someone who would stop my evil deeds." Nagito showed another one of his carefree smiles. "…Well, I bet if that really was my reason, at least some of you would feel sorry for me."

Hikari was starting to feel mentally exhausted from trying to understand Nagito. Why is he being so nonchalant about this? I don't get him at all…

"By threatening Togami-san, Komaeda-san was likely able to manipulate his actions," Chiaki explained. "In doing so, Komaeda-san was able to manipulate everyone to the scene where the murder occurred…Am I wrong?"

"That reminds me…Komaeda-san was the one who suggested I guard the office," Peko stated to the others.

The Traditional Dancer blinked. "Oh, I get it. If Pekoyama-san was guarding the storage room, Komaeda-san wouldn't have been able to use the irons."

"The threatening letter…along with all your suggestions…It was all a trap to manipulate us."

Nagito crossed his arms, looking pleased with himself. "Yep, that's all true too! ...But you're wrong about one thing."

"H-Huh?" Mikan squeaked. "Wh-Wh-What…?"

"I didn't need to rig the drawing for cleaning duty, you know?"

"If that's true, then how did you conveniently get picked for cleaning duty!?" Mahiru interrogated.

Nagito only smiled. "I see…Well, there's no way I'd expect you to remember it. A worthless talent for a worthless human…"

Hikari blinked, amazed she didn't realize it sooner. "Komaeda-san…you're the SHSL Luckster…so did you…?"

"That's right," Nagito confessed. "I just trusted my luck. I trusted that I'd be picked for cleaning duty."

Teruteru gaped. "Y-You just relied on your luck?"

"It's not just luck…It's true my talent sucks, but I'm still the SHSL Luckster, you know? At the time, Hinata said I wasn't lucky…But it was actually the opposite…I was lucky! That's why I got picked for cleaning duty, just like I wanted!"

Hajime clenched his fist. "Enough…I don't care about that anymore…" He glared at Nagito. "More importantly, why did you kill Togami-san!? Answer me!"

The white-haired teen sighed sadly. "Togami-san was a very capable leader…For someone like him to get killed…Oh, the despair it brings…" He grinned creepily. "It's only fitting that you symbols of hope should use his death as a stepping stone to shine even brighter." Nagito gazed at everyone around him with a crazed, yet satisfied look in his eyes. "That was my only motivation!"

Fuyuhiko's patience was running out. "Let's start the damn vote already! I'm ready to fucking kill this psycho!"

Hikari frowned, still not believing that they all would be voting for someone's death.

"P-Please wait!"

Days Left: 19
Survivors: 16