A/N: Here's Chapter Four Deadly Life Part Six. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Danganronpa 4: Next Generation Killing!

Chapter Four: Pride and Prejudice!

Deadly Life Part Six: Back on Track!

Sokyu let out a heavy sigh, now standing in the middle of the circle of podiums. Everyone's eyes fell expectantly on him, silently coaxing his testimony out of him.

"I guess it all started after I left the Dining Hall. I was just gonna stay in my room, but I saw this slip of paper underneath my door."

"A slip of paper?" Kirumi cocked her head in curiosity.

"Yeah, it told me to meet them at the entrance to the dormitories at 11:30. I figured if I didn't go, they'd just knock on my door until I answered it."

"Oh, I guess you really wanted to be alone, huh?" Tsumugi commented. "So who was waiting for you?"

"Well, after I grumbled and went to the entrance, I saw…"


"Yo. You doin' okay?"

Sokyu grimaced at the oversized presence standing awkwardly between him and the hallway. "Oh, it's you. What do you want, Seven?"

Seven sighed. "Hey, I just wanted to check up on you, that's all. Everyone gave you quite the beating back there, right?"

Sokyu narrowed his eyes. "Just tell me what you want so I can get back to being in peace and quiet."

"Alright, alright!" Seven held up his hands in surrender. "I was just thinkin' about invitin' you for a walk."

Sokyu raised an eyebrow in surprise. "…A walk…?"

"Yeah…you seem pretty lonely, and everyone needs a friend in their corner. So I thought if we took a walk, it could clear both our heads and let you know you're not alone."

Sokyu rolled his eyes. "You're starting to sound like that overbearing girl."

Seven pursed his lips but let the jab slide. "So, you comin' or not?"

Sokyu sweatdropped, shaking his head in defeat. "You're not gonna leave me alone until I agree, are you? Fine, let's just get this over with. Where do you want to go?"


"That must have been when I saw them walking in the halls…" Keebo realized.

"What happened next?" Shuichi gently prodded.

"Well, we took a walk through the halls, just like he said." Sokyu continued. "As we walked down the floors, he made various suggestions of things for us to do…"


"Got some Monocoins, wanna see what we can get from the vending machines?" Seven offered.

"And get another weapon someone can use to kill us?" Sokyu countered.

"Yeah, good point. How about goin' for a swim in the pool?"

"After Snake drowned in there?"

Seven exhaled through his nose. "What about the Game Room? I'm sure we could find somethin', like Clue-"

"You really wanna play a game about finding a killer with someone who's literally killed?"

Seven sighed. "We could go blow off some steam in the Dojo. There's tons of Kendo equipment. I'm sure after we swing some stuff around after a while-"

Sokyu let out an annoyed sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, you don't have to do this, okay? You don't have to force yourself to spend time with me."

Seven's brow furrowed in concern. "Hey, I offered to spend time with you, alright? I'm just tryin' to help clear the atmosphere a little."

Sokyu shrugged. "Not much we can do about that. Half the group already hates my guts, and for good reason."

"And the other half is willing to give you a chance." Seven pointed out. "Isn't that why Kiki fought so hard to get everyone to spend time with you?"

"…The girl's just wasting her time." Sokyu shook his head. "I don't know why she's so upset about the fact that they don't trust me. We're in a Killing Game, after all."

"It's because of that, Sokyu, that she's fightin' so hard. She doesn't want anyone else to die, and the more divided we are, the less likely we are to make it out of this prison. Plus…" Seven smiled softly. "I think she genuinely wants to be friends with everyone. She's just…that kinda girl."

Sokyu grimaced, his eyes wavering for just the slimmest of seconds. He pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Naïve…she's so naïve. Stupid things like friendship aren't gonna keep us alive. We need to exercise caution and be suspicious of each other, not place blind trust. The others are right to be suspicious of me; that's why I've tried to stay out of everyone's way."

"But-"

Sokyu handed Seven the slip of paper before turning his back. "I'm heading back to my room. I promise, I'll only come out to grab food."

With that, Sokyu walked off, leaving Seven by his lonesome self in the hallway.


"After that, I went back to my room. I didn't see Seven again until after the body discovery announcement told us where to go."

"I see…so if that's true…then you never had an opportunity to kill Seven…" Kirumi mused.

"Wait, hold on!" Ryoma interjected. "This sounds fishy to me."

Sokyu raised an eyebrow. "And what's fishy about it?"

"You said that you gave Seven the message he sent…but we never found anything like that on Seven's body!"

"Shuichi, you investigated Seven's body, correct?" Keebo inquired "Did you find any kind of paper on his body or in his clothes?"

"Ah, well…no." Shuichi sighed. "There was no paper in the crime scene."

"Then it's likely that Sokyu's account was just another lie." Ryoma argued.

"Could the culprit have gotten rid of it, though?" Tsumugi suggested. "It's possible that the culprit threw it away after they killed him."

"Yeah, Gonta thinks that's possible, too."

"Ah, why don't we discuss that possibility?" Shuichi suggested. "Instead of being suspicious of everything Sokyu says, we need to use facts and analysis to judge it critically."

"Very well. Do we have evidence that proves Sokyu's story?" Keebo inquired.

Evidence that proves that Sokyu's alibi is the truth…Kiki closed her eyes, sifting through the evidence she had gathered in her mind before the note flashed in her mind. That's the one! She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out the slightly damp slip of paper. "I was investigating the bathrooms and I found this message in the trash."

"You…dug through the trash?!" Tsumugi exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.

"Please tell us you washed your hands afterwards." Kirumi requested.

Kiki bit her lip, causing everyone except Shuichi to grimace. Pouting, she grumbled "Come on, guys, I was in a hurry to find evidence. I didn't have time to worry about hygiene!"

"Ah, she's right…" Shuichi awkwardly defended. "There are times when detectives have to search in a number of undesirable circumstances…even in garbage. Of course…we usually have gloves to keep our hands clean and avoid contaminating evidence with fingerprints. I guess she didn't have any on her at the time, so she worked with what she had available."

"Next time, make sure to wash your hands with soap before dirtying my courtroom!" Monokuma chided, waggling a paw at her.

"Let's…move on to the evidence." Keebo suggested. "What does it say, Kiki?"

Clearing her throat, she read aloud "Hey, Sokyu! Meet me at the entrance of the dormitories at 11:30 a.m. I wanna talk to you alone, okay? Seven."

"That…definitely matches Seven's speech pattern…" Ryoma reluctantly admitted.

"I think we can definitely conclude that this note is legitimate, which means Sokyu's alibi is legitimate as well." Shuichi concluded.

"If that is the case, then Kiki was right and Sokyu was telling the truth." Kirumi reasoned.

"Then, all our suspicions…were wrong?!" Tsumugi nearly shrieked.

"I…guess that's true…" Ryoma sighed.

Kiki let out a sigh of relief as Sokyu's podium retracted to its original position. Everyone except Sokyu and Shuichi stared apologetically at the former suspect and Kiki, though she didn't permit herself the indulgence of their silent apologies.

It's good that we finally proved Sokyu's innocence, but this is far from over. Right now, we have to find the true blackened…by working together, like I should have done from the start.


"It looks like everyone's finally on the same page." Relief bled into Makoto's voice, echoing Koto and Kiri's sighs.

"What a relief. I thought they were done for after Kiki was caught lying." Koto admitted.

"Thank Kami Shuichi still had her back." Kiri concurred.

"It's good that they're finally working in unison, but don't celebrate just yet." Maki cautioned.

"Indeed." Kyoko nodded. "That was just the first act of this trial."

Mokubo hummed in agreement. "There still aren't any clues narrowing down who the culprit actually is."

"True…" Makoto admitted. "Still…I'm confident that they'll be able to find the answer, now that they're not focused on fighting each other." Though I have a feeling the answer won't be pretty…

With Makoto's unspoken thought hanging over them, they returned their attention back to the TV. They watched with anticipation as Ryoma continued the discussion.


"Well, if Sokyu's not our culprit, then who is?"

"We should not rush to judgment on a suspect." Kirumi counseled. "The last thing we want is to blind ourselves to other possibilities."

"I agree." Keebo nodded. "Besides, Kiki should have uncovered more evidence during her investigation. It would be illogical of us to simply ignore it, as long as she promises to be honest with us going forward."

"Yeah." Shuichi smiled. "I think we can trust her to tell us the truth from now on."

Kiki held back her happy tears from Shuichi's vouching of her as Tsumugi agreed, "Yeah, we can't solve this case without her. Go ahead, Kiki, tell us what you found!"

Seeing everyone stare expectantly at her, she sweatdropped and stammered nervously, "A-Ano…I'm happy to share what I found…but where should I even start?"

"Hmm…good question." Gonta hummed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Gonta's not sure how to answer that…"

"…Perhaps we should discuss if there was anything you found that could have been connected to the crime scene." Shuichi suggested.

"Was there even something Kiki found that could have been used in the crime scene?" Ryoma inquired, furrowing his brow in skepticism.

"…I think there was." Shuichi explained "I think there was something Kiki found that had a different application than the one she initially argued."

"A different application?" Keebo hummed. "But what could have been used for a different application?"

"More importantly, what evidence could Shuichi be referring to?" Kirumi contemplated as Kiki closed her eyes.

Evidence that had a different application than what I thought it did? Kiki bit her lip in contemplation. I think I know what it is…it's on the tip of my tongue. Think, Kiki, think! What evidence did I find that could have been used differently?

She took a deep breath, focusing and parsing her thoughts into separate parts. Once she was able to organize and focus on them, she arranged them into a coherent combination. Eventually, the image of the evidence flashed before her eyes, the young girl realizing the answer.

G-L-U-E! That spells GLUE! Now I get it! Opening her eyes, she exclaimed "The glue! It was the glue in the Art Room!"

"The…glue…?" Tsumugi tilted her head in confusion. "Didn't Kiki try to argue that the culprit used it to seal the door?"

Shuichi nodded. "Yes, that's correct. Kiki thought at first that the culprit glued the door shut."

"But we already determined that the culprit used the kendo sword to hold the door in place." Kirumi reminded them.

"Yeah…it was broken into pieces." Gonta recalled.

"Hmph." Ryoma tugged at the hem of his hat. "Seems to me that there's no way the glue was used."

"If we're thinking strictly about the door, then yes, the culprit didn't use the glue." Shuichi frowned, seriousness hardening in his eyes. "But I think they used the glue for something else."

"Something…else…?"

"Perhaps we should discuss what that something else was." Keebo suggested.

"Yeah, Gonta agrees." Gonta nodded. "Let's work together to find out what the glue was used for!"

So, the glue was used for something completely different…whatever it is, we have to find out what. There's no doubt it was used somehow…but if not for sealing the door…what did the culprit use it for?

Kiki's ponderings were interrupted by Gonta's ponderings. "So, what did the culprit use the glue for?"

"Let us consider the evidence at the crime scene for the answer." Keebo suggested.

"We uncovered a lot of evidence at the crime scene." Ryoma hummed in contemplation. "But how did the culprit use the glue with it?"

"Perhaps the answer lies in Seven's cause of death." Kirumi postulated.

"Cause of death?" Sokyu wondered. "Are you suggesting the culprit force-fed him glue and poisoned him to death?"

"Ah, no, that's not likely." Shuichi shook his head. "I don't think the glue was digested. If anything…it probably has to do with the murder weapon."

Kiki's eyes widened, gasping in realization before she turned towards the young detective. "I agree with you!" Turning back to address the others, she explained "The glue wasn't used to seal the door. It was used to glue the murder weapon!"

"Glue the…murder weapon…?" Tsumugi pondered before Shuichi nodded.

"Remember, the murder weapon was a small arrowhead lodged in Seven's body. But killing someone with only an arrowhead would be pretty difficult, don't you think?"

"That is true." Keebo admitted. "Even if you threw it at a person, you wouldn't be able to use the force or accuracy required to pierce a victim so deeply."

"Yeah, the tip would need to be attached to something." Ryoma agreed.

"But what did the culprit use to launch the arrowhead, if not an actual arrow?" Kirumi questioned.

"Are we sure they didn't just use an arrow?" Sokyu questioned.

"No, that seems too obvious." Shuichi shook his head. "They must have used something else…something that would be easier to hide…"

"Let us determine then what the culprit used to provide the force and accuracy for the arrowhead."

Everyone nodded at Keebo's suggestion as Kiki thought What did the culprit clue the arrowhead to? We need to find the answer…there has to be a clue, something that'll show some sign of being used in the crime! I have to find it!


"…Something was…glued to the arrowhead?!" Koto exclaimed. "But what could it have been?"

"Why couldn't it have just been an arrow again?" Kiri asked, clearly befuddled. "It seems way easier if you use an arrow."

"Not if the culprit wanted to cover their tracks."

Kyoko nodded, pride twinkling in her eyes. "Indeed, Moku. The ease of using an arrow would conversely make it too easy to trace the culprit's steps."

"I see…" Maki realized. "So instead of using the obvious, orthodox method, they used one that most people wouldn't be able to deduce."

Makoto nodded. "That way, it would be easier to hide where they went and what they did during the murder."

"Okay…but what did the culprit use, Dad?" Koto asked.

"Yeah, Mom!" Kiri demanded. "What was the other thing the culprit glued?!"

"Ano…well…" Makoto stammered, causing Kyoko to sigh.

"What your father's trying to say is that we don't know yet. Let's just watch your sister and the other survivors deduce the answer."

The family turned their attention back to the TV. They listened with curious interest as Sokyu began the debate.


"So, if it wasn't an arrow…what did the culprit use?"

"Could it have been one of the weapons in the dojo?" Tsumugi pondered.

"That seems unlikely." Keebo shook his head. "If they used something from the Dojo, the rest of us would have found it."

"Yeah, especially with Shuichi leading the investigation of the crime scene." Gonta nodded.

"Maybe the culprit used a slingshot, then." Ryoma mused.

"But a slingshot wouldn't require glue." Kirumi countered.

"Well, what other possibility is there?"

"Perhaps the culprit used something else to create a makeshift arrow. One of the instruments in the Music Room could be a viable alternative."

Focusing on Kirumi's suggestion, Kiki pointed at the young maid. "I agree with you! The culprit used one of the musical instruments to glue the arrowhead to!"

"A…musical instrument?" Intrigued, Sokyu asked "Was there an instrument that showed signs of tampering?"

An instrument that showed signs of tampering… Kiki sifted through her memories of the evidence before the proper musical instrument appeared in her mind. That's the one! "It was a clarinet."

"A clarinet…?" Shuichi asked curiously, causing Kiki to nod in confirmation.

"I found a clarinet in the Music Room. It showed two signs of unusual tampering."

"Unusual tampering?" Ryoma asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the first sign of tampering…" What was it…? It wasn't that it was broken…it wasn't painted a different color…it wasn't that it was stolen…that's the one! "It was the glue that I found in the mouthpiece."

"Glue…in the mouthpiece…?"

"So you're saying that the arrowhead was glued to the clarinet's mouthpiece?" Keebo inquired.

"Well…the hole is small enough that it would be possible, anyway…" Shuichi hypothesized. "You mentioned that there was a second sign of tampering. Was there something else inside the clarinet, maybe?"

Something inside the clarinet… Kiki mused. It wasn't spit…it wasn't paper…it wasn't a drumstick…that's the one! "There was a small shard of wood inside the mouthpiece as well."

"Wait, a shard of wood inside the mouthpiece?!" Tsumugi jolted in her podium.

"Didja get a splinter from digging in there, Kiki?" Monokuma teased. "Do you need Headmaster Monokuma to kiss it better?"

Everyone sweatdropped before they did their best to ignore the bear. "But where did that come from?" Tsumugi wondered.

"My guess would be that it came from an arrow." Shuichi hypothesized. "Remember, during the investigation, we found out that one of the arrows was missing the arrowhead. It's possible…that the culprit took the arrowhead off, glued the fractured wood still attached to it, and stuck it into the clarinet's mouthpiece."

"I see…that is a logical deduction…" Keebo concluded.

"Yeah…Gonta thinks that's true, too."

"Okay, so we know now how the arrowhead was combined to create the murder weapon." Ryoma's brow furrowed. "But how did the culprit use it?"

"Well…to answer that…we need to determine if there were any other clues left behind." Turning to the heterochromatic girl, Shuichi asked "Kiki, was there anything else that stuck out about the clarinet?"

Anything else about the clarinet… Kiki hummed as she reinspected the clarinet in her mind. It wasn't the mouthpiece…it wasn't in disrepair…it wasn't part of a matching set…that's the one! "There was a large handprint around the circumference of the clarinet."

"A…large handprint…?" Sokyu cocked his head curiously.

Kiki nodded. "Yeah…it was crimson red."

"So…" Tsumugi gasped "The culprit performed an ancient, tribal ritual with that clarinet and Seven's blood?!"

"Ano…I don't think it was a ritual…" Kiki sweatdropped. "Anyway, I think it's likely the culprit was holding the clarinet in their hand when Seven was killed."

"Yes, that seems logical…" Keebo mused.

"But who could it belong to?" Kirumi tilted her head curiously.

That handprint…it was unusually large. I can think of only two people that handprint could belong to…it wasn't Seven and Shuichi…it wasn't Seven and Kirumi…it wasn't Seven and Sokyu… Kiki barely held a gasp, turning pale as the only option left seemed to strike her in the heart. …That's the one… With a shaky breath, she answered with an air of disbelieving reluctance "It was…Seven…and…"

"…It was Gonta…"

The gentle bug enthusiast's guilt-ridden voice echoed in their ears as his podium pulled towards the center. His eyes were downcast as everyone's shocked, widened eyes centered squarely on him.

G…Gonta?!