Oh boy, part 2 of the "Maki chapters," where the focus is on Maki just enough to not spoil future reveals! This time: investigation addition!

Remember when the investigation chapter for the first murder was 8k words, and I was like "LOL, not doing that again!" Well, I did it again. To be fair, I did do my best to trim some fat, but I still wanted to include all the important evidence. As usual, I predict at least some readers will figure out who the killer is. I'll admit I do care more about the impact the mystery has on the story than I do about how impressive the mystery itself is. So, y'know, if it seems overly obvious to you, or if you can't figure it out for the life of you, the important part is that you have fun.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.


Chapter 22

A Song of Silence

"A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin!"

"A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin!"

Maki took a step back. Two body discovery announcements in a row... That meant...

"Wh-What... what is thiiiiis!?" Mikan shrieked.

"Ibuki and Akane...!?" Fuyuhiko gasped.

"Could it be... two victims?" Chiaki asked.

"That doesn't make sense...!" Maki growled. "I-Ibuki's body was the only one here when I arrived earlier... Akane wasn't here! Not even ten minutes passed! How..."

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Monomi screamed as she arrived, causing the others to jump. "Wh-What is thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssss!? Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible... It's impossible for killings to happen on this island..."

"Shut up, idiot!" Fuyuhiko snapped.

"For now... we should lower Ibuki to the ground." Chiaki decided. "Leaving her like that... is just too sad."

"Y-Y-Yessssssssss...!" Mikan squealed. "Ah, but... what about preserving the scene of the crime?"

"...Who fucking cares about that!?" Fuyuhiko asked.

"Th-There's a control panel for the baton lighting on the wing of the stage... you can lower the body with that..." Monomi explained.

"...That one!" Fuyuhiko dashed over and took control. Slowly but surely, the body of the Musician was lowered to the ground. The others carefully removed the noose from around her neck, and laid her gently on the floor.

"U-Ughhh... it's all my fault..." Mikan sobbed. "If only I did a better job... watching over Ibuki..."

Maki put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, Mikan. No one could have predicted this. There's only one person we can blame for this..."

"Jeez! It feels like someone died in here or something." Monokuma said as he arrived.

"So you finally showed up!" Monomi snapped. "The root of all evil!"

"How dare you call your big brother the root of all evil! I even went to the trouble of bringing everyone for you!"

Before the others could respond, the rest of the students ran through the doors of the music venue.

"Wh-What is this...!?" Byakuya asked.

"I-Ibuki... and Akane!?" Sonia shrieked.

"What the-!? It happened again!?" Hiyoko gasped.

"Tch... So two people have been killed...!" Gundham muttered.

"Whoa there... That's not all." Monokuma cut in. "I've also summoned the last person who was at the hospital."

"The last person..." Hajime repeated.

Nagito was sad as he entered the music venue, now dressed in his day clothes. "Looks like another serious incident occurred while I was unaware."

"Nagito... are you okay!?"

"Huh? Of course."

"What do you mean, "of course"!?" Mikan asked.

"Are you talking about the Despair Disease?" Monokuma asked. "Jeez, you guys. That stuff is totally over now."

"O-Over...!?" Monomi gasped.

"Yeah, cuz I got bored."

"For that silly reason!?"

"And now that the killing has started, there's no need to keep that motive around anymore. Yeahhhh... that Despair Disease is gone now, so you don't have to worry about it anymore."

"Wh-What the heck...? That's impossible...!" Fuyuhiko snapped. "How can you spread a disease and cure it so easily...?"

"Aw, who cares about the itty-bitty details? What matters is that it's already been cured. Sooooo let's go back to our main topic and proceed as usual! The Monokuma File!" He produced ten small tablets and handed them out to the students. "Puhuhu, I'll be waiting at the class trial. Do your best to investigate." With that, he disappeared.

Sonia was visibly pale. "A-Again...? We... have to do this again..."

"We have no choice." Gundham said. "Like last time... if this means one of us killed these two... Then... we cannot let this be."

Mikan was still quietly sobbing away. "Uh... gh... wh-why do we... have to do... this...!"

"I know it's horrible, but we have to." Maki said. "I have to make sure the one who did this pays for it, but I need your help to do it."

Mikan nodded at her encouragement, but couldn't stop her tears.

While some of the others seemed content to let her cry it out, Hiyoko spoke up. "Oh, quit whining! Do you think any of us wanna do this, either!?"

Maki was about to say something she would probably regret, but Hajime interrupted. "B-But... what about Nekomaru? What's going to happen to him? Is he not going to participate this time? Is that even allowed?"

"Please leave Nekomaru to me!" Monomi assured them. "Everyone must focus on investigating, so I must do my very best! All righty! I will definitely bring back Nekomaru and win everyone's trust!" With that, she disappeared, leaving the students to their own devices.

"It seems we should leave Nekomaru to Monomi." Sonia decided.

"What about guarding this area? Do we still need it?" Hajime asked.

"We can't be too careful." Maki said. "Still... with Akane dead and Nekomaru out, we can't exactly rely on the powerhouses."

"Um... it's better if I stay here, right?" Mikan asked. "I should perform the autopsy again, right?"

"...I guess I'll stay, too." Fuyuhiko said. "It takes two people to guard a crime scene, right?"

"Then let's get started." Chiaki said. "So we... can end this nightmare for good."

"...I wasn't gonna say anything, but..." Hiyoko started. "Why is it so hot in here?"

Maki tugged at her collar. "You're right. I noticed that when I discovered Ibuki, too. It was sweltering in here. Does this place have a heater or something?"

"Ugh, it's seriously super hot! I'm gonna investigate somewhere else..." With that, Hiyoko and a few other students left the music venue.

Hajime considered the heat for a moment before shaking his head. "No... before that, I need to check the Monokuma File first."

Everyone turned their attention to the Files.

There are two victims this time: Ibuki Mioda and Akane Owari.

Ibuki Mioda's cause of death was a crushed windpipe as a result of choking. There are no other external injuries.

Akane Owari's cause of death was blood loss due to multiple stab wounds all throughout the body.

"...It's strange... Why did the killer kill two people?" Chiaki wondered.

"Huh?"

"I was just about to bring that up, myself." Maki said. "The more people you kill, the more clues you leaves behind. Why take that risk? Well, there's always the chance that there are two killers, and they each needed to become blackened. But... well, from one look at this crime scene, I believe we're looking at the work of a single psychopath. So the reason is... this sick bastard didn't kill for survival. They're playing with us."

There was a moment of silence as the rest of the class absorbed that statement. Finally, Chiaki said, "Regardless, something like this shouldn't be forgiven... so... I will definitely find the truth behind this case... That's what I think."

Maki nodded. "Alright, gang. Let's get to it." And everyone took their cue to branch off and start looking around.

However, before she moved on to begin her investigation, Maki knelt down to the girl beside her. Mikan was still sobbing. "Fyuuu... If only I'd noticed sooner, Ibuki might've been saved..."

"Mikan, look at me. We need to work together to set this right. Can you tell me when you realized Ibuki was missing?"

"Um... After our talk, I went to the on-call room... and that's when it came to me... That I should go check on how everyone in the hospital is doing... one more time before I go to sleep. And so, I went to the patient rooms... and... noticed that Ibuki was gone... So... I quickly ran out of the hospital..."

"I see..."

"And then... I saw Hajime and Fuyuhiko in front of the hospital, so I asked them if they could help me look for Ibuki... Huh? That reminds me, where were you? I thought you were resting in the lobby..."

Maki fingered her cat-ear hairband. "That's a bit of a long story..."

"A-wa-wa! I'm sorry! I-It's not like I doubt you or anything! Th-There's no way I'd doubt you. 'Cause... we've been together... since this morning... and... I-I love you..."

She blushed and averted her eyes. "I love you, too. Now, uh... let's save the mushy talk for later. The point is, we've got airtight alibis for each other." She thought for a moment. "Although... if I'm being honest, I think I'd rather have you doubt me than know that you're letting your emotions cloud your judgement. Is that... weird? Like I said, I'm not very experienced in dating."

"I don't think it's weird, but... I think I would prefer to trust you, no matter what..." Mikan's eyes wandered back to Ibuki's body. "Um... is it all right if I start my autopsy...? If you... talk to me again later, I'll tell you what I know..."

"Sounds like a plan. Until then, try not to let me distract you too much."

The two girls exchanged a short embrace before going their separate ways. It might have been her nerves, but Maki felt the other's eyes on her. She did her best to ignore them as she made her way over to Fuyuhiko and Hajime.

As she approached, she overheard their exchange. "Hey Hajime... take a look at this."

"Hm? What?"

"Look what's in front of the door."

A few feet in front of the door lay a small wooden stick, broken in half. "This... is a drumstick, right? And it looks like it's broken... What happened to it?"

"If something like that is in front of the door... You think it might be a really big clue?"

Hajime's face was blank. "...Why would this be a clue?"

"Remember when we came to the music venue?"

"The door was locked when we tried to go inside, and the five of us charged into the door..."

"But... when I examined it, I found out that this door doesn't have a lock at all. The door is designed to be pushed open... And this is the shape of the handle..."

"You're saying the killer barred the door with a drumstick?" Maki asked.

Fuyuhiko turned to her. "The broken drumstick on the floor in front of the door should be proof of that..."

"But then, how did the killer escape?"

"...Huh?"

"If the door was locked from the inside, then the killer wouldn't be able to use it to leave. But there are no other avenues of escape. They'd be locked in."

"Maybe... The killer was still inside when we broke down the door to the music venue... And they waited until we were already at the scene of the crime to join us...? You know, don't they use tricks like that a lot in mystery dramas and stuff?... If that's the case, there might be evidence of that around here somewhere. All right, I'm definitely gonna find it...! I won't let the killer get away with this...!"

Pumping himself up, Fuyuhiko went off to investigate further inside the music venue. Maki and Hajime thought about what he suggested.

"...I heard what you three were discussing." Chiaki said, joining them with some dramatic flare.

"Chiaki... That was a kinda cool entrance..." Hajime said.

"Besides the broken drumstick, I've also discovered something interesting."

"What is it?"

She lead them over to the open doors, and pointed out her findings. "Look, there's a weird glob where the right and left door touch, see?"

"You're right... What is this? It looks too firm to think it's rubber..."

"Yeah, it doesn't look like rubber, but..." The Gamer knelt down and scraped off some of the goop with her finger, and stuck it in her mouth. "...Nom."

Maki and Hajime each took a step back. "Why are you putting it in your mouth!?"

"Mmm..." She chewed it a few times. "Ah, it smells like workshop chemicals."

"Workshop...?"

"And... this chewiness... I see... this thing may be a glob now, but that doesn't mean it was a glob from the start... For instance... if it was originally a liquid that hardened into this... It might be possible to apply it directly and smoothly in the gaps of the door."

"Wh-What are you talking about...?"

She chewed another few times before spitting the chemicals from her mouth. "...Just as I thought, it tastes nasty." With that, she walked off to continue her investigation.

"That was certainly... a hands-on approach." Maki said.

"Besides that bit about the taste... it's okay to consider this some kind of clue, right?"

"I believe so." Before Maki could move on herself, she saw yet another person approach her.

"Maki... this may be impudent of me to ask but... Will you listen to what I have to say?" Nagito requested.

"...Sure."

"I heard that you witnessed the incident from the very beginning, right? Can you provide me with a summary of the incident? I need to reach the truth behind this incident. For the sake of dedicating my body to... an even greater hope..."

Maki turned to Hajime, who had disdain clear on his face. Not without reason, of course. It was hard for anyone to trust Nagito after his actions during the previous two murders. It was clear that whatever Maki told him would just be used to confuse them for "the sake of hope."

She sighed. "Sorry, Nagito, but I'm a little busy at the moment. We'll have plenty of time to go over all that at the trial."

"...I see, that's disappointing."

Ignoring him, Maki made her way back toward the stage, but rather than interrupt Mikan's autopsy on Ibuki, she headed closer toward Akane's body. Hajime followed her, so it seemed they had an unspoken agreement to investigate together, like they did for the first case. She didn't complain. He had proven an astute investigator in the past.

On the stage, they found Chiaki, staring at the floor sadly.

"...Did something drop on the floor there?" Hajime asked. Maki was going to elbow him for the seemingly-insensitive question, but stopped at Chiaki's answer.

"Nothing dropped... it's just dirty."

"...Dirty?"

"See? Take a cloooose look at the floor. If you look closely..."

Maki knelt where she was pointing, and could see dark red streak across the stage.

"You're right..." Hajime said. "there's a smudge as if something was wiped off... Wait... this isn't "something"... Is this a bloodstain!?"

"Well, a bloodstain isn't strange." Chiaki said. "Akane was stabbed repeatedly not far from here... Rather, what's strange is... why did the killer try to hide it?"

"...Hide it?"

Maki stood and started pacing. "If they were trying to hide their crime, they would've started with the corpse. Instead, it's pinned on display. So why wipe the blood away?"

As they considered the question, Maki made her way closer to Ibuki's half of the scene. She examined the stepladder that was tipped over under Ibuki's hanging corpse. Ibuki's death... it couldn't have been a suicide, could it?

"Ah... isn't that a bloodstain?" Chiaki asked. "Look, there's blood around the left side of the stepladder. As I recall, Ibuki didn't have any external injuries. If that's the case..."

"Then it must be Akane's blood." Hajime finished.

"That's the only thing I can think of."

Maki walked a little further and picked up the noose. "...This is what killed Ibuki. This... is the murder weapon."

"From what I can tell... it looks like a regular length of rope with no unnatural features." Nagito said as he suddenly joined them. "But despite the fact this music venue has a storage room, there shouldn't have been any rope in there. Which means... was it obtained from the supermarket? Did the killer bring it from there?"

"That means anybody could've obtained this rope, and it means it'd be difficult to use this as a clue." Hajime decided.

"...I wonder if that's true." Nagito muttered.

"...Huh?"

"Oh, I just noticed a little something. Is it okay if I confirm it? Excuse me, Mikan! Do you have a moment?"

Maki sighed. "What are you doing now?"

"U-Um... what's happened?" Mikan asked as she made her way over.

"There's something I want to ask you..." Nagito explained. "There's no doubt Ibuki's cause of death was being hanged by this rope, right?"

"Y-Yes... she had no other external injuries, so there's no doubt she died from hanging herself."

"I see, I see... So Ibuki died by hanging herself."

"That... was obvious the moment we discovered the body." Hajime said. "You might not have seen it, but we all saw that she hanged herself."

"You're right! Yep, I got it! So this rope won't be much of a clue... Then I might as well search another place." With that, he left them standing in confusion.

Maki rolled her eyes. "What a guy." She turned to Mikan and smiled. "So, I know you're busy with the autopsy, but you don't mind if we get a closer look at the body, right? I promise to be quiet."

"O-Of course I don't mind. Feel free!"

The three of them made their way over to the corpse, and began inspecting it. As the Monokuma File states, Ibuki's only injury was a crushed windpipe. There was nothing unusual about the rest of her body, or the hospital gown she was wearing.

"...Hm? What's this on Ibuki's feet?" Hajime asked. "It's... blood, right?"

Maki walked over to his angle, and could see what he meant. Flecks of blood were splattered along the soles of her slippers. "It would have to be Akane's... But the question is... how did her blood get on Ibuki?"

"Hey Maki... can I talk to you for a sec?" Fuyuhiko asked, making his way onto the stage. "You already discovered the body before you met up with us, right?"

"That's right."

"Which means Ibuki must've died before Akane was pinned up... That helps. There's no time of death written in the Monokuma File this time... So I wasn't really sure who died first."

Fuyuhiko walked off. Maki thought about what he said before she made her way over to Akane's body. Dozens of arrows were stabbed through her and into the pillar behind her, just barely enough to hold her up. The stench of iron was overwhelming.

"Dammit! Who did this!?" Hajime growled.

Maki offered a sad look. "...Most of the blood is around her torso, so that's likely where she was stabbed first. Then, after her death, her arms and legs were pinned to the wall. But I was gone barely ten minutes. How the hell did the killer have enough time to do all that? Damn it..."

After a brief moment, she looked beyond the pillar and at the wall beside the stage. There was a small control panel on it.

"This looks like the music venue's A/C unit." Hajime said. "...It's running as a heater! Over 86 degrees Fahrenheit!"

"That's over 30 degrees Celsius." Maki noted. "That explains the temperature, at least."

"I better turn off the heater for now. That should cool things off a little."

"I feel better already." She added sarcastically. "Well, I think we're done with the stage for now. C'mon, there's something else I wanted to check out."

She lead him over to the centre of the floor, where some small chunks of metal and electronic parts lay on the floor.

"This appears to be the radio." Sonia said.

"Byakuya put it in the music venue for communication purposes... Hmph, why's it destroyed like this?" Gundham asked.

Sonia turned to Maki expectantly. "Perhaps criminal psychology is at play here?"

"What do you mean?" Hajime asked.

"Even if they know they are not being recorded, there is no way the killer would tolerate committing a murder in front of a radio." The Princess explained.

Maki considered it. "I suppose that's plausible enough... But I don't think it applies here. Before I discovered the body, I heard Ibuki singing from the hospital's radio, so it had to be smashed afterwards. Besides, this radio doesn't even have a recording function, right?"

"Then what is that?" Gundham asked, leaning over and pointing at a small, torn strip of tape lying with the rest of the junk, the kind of tape used in cassettes and other outdated audio recorders.

"...Huh. Did the radio have a recording function? I don't remember anything like that."

"Neither do I." Hajime admitted. "I thought the radio could only send and receive transmissions."

The two moved toward the back of the music venue, toward a door labelled "staff only." Inside, they found a storage area, and Nagito already there.

"Nagito... did you come here to investigate this storage room, too?" Hajime asked.

"I just wanted to confirm what you were thinking... So how about it? Did you find any clues? The tipped over stepladder on the stage... That probably also came from this storage room. There might be other things from this storage room that they used for the crime."

"You always pretend to give me hints... but in the end, you're just going to be on the killer's side, right?"

"Aww... I'm not siding with the killer, you know. I'm just on the side of whoever acts in the name of hope... That's all there is to it. That's the main reason why... this case is really special."

"...Huh?"

"...But I can't say for certain, though."

Maki caught Hajime's confusion at his words, and decided to help him. "Don't even bother trying to understand him, Hajime. People like him, they don't share our concepts of right and wrong. It's why he doesn't bat an eye at the idea of killing or committing suicide. To him, it's not about the actions he takes, but if the actions can further his goal. The end justifies the means."

Nagito listened quietly to her as she spoke, then responded with, "By the way, Maki... I still don't quite understand the details of what happened. Hey, if you explain it to me in detail, I think I'd be able to give you some useful information."

Hajime stepped forward. "...Really? You might end up confusing us again instead. You don't want to find the truth... You just want to make us suffer."

"That's not true... I'm doing this because I believe it's for everyone's sake... Oh well... For the sake of everyone's hope, I'd gladly become the enemy, and I won't even mind when I die... That's the main reason why... I can't overlook this case this time..."

"...Huh? What does that mean?"

"Regardless, I guess you're not gonna tell me, huh? Then it can't be helped. I guess I'll just rely on my gut feelings."

"Gut feelings...?"

"You should come by later, too. I'll go there first and wait for you two."

"Where... exactly are you talking about?"

"...Well, obviously, the movie theatre."

With that, Nagito walked out of the storage room, leaving them alone.

"...Movie theatre?" Hajime repeated.

"As far as I know, the only thing there is... well, the movie." Maki said. "Perhaps he's suggesting the crime relates to the movie? I wouldn't know, I never saw it."

"Neither did I." Hajime said. He did a quick scan of the room. "It doesn't look like there's anything here that pertains to the case."

"Hang on." Maki interrupted, walking over to a shelf. It contained paints, carpets, and wallpapers, one of which she held up the corner of. "There's a bit torn off here, see? I swear I've seen this wallpaper used somewhere before..."

Before Hajime could respond, she was walking out the door of the storage room and stopped, looking up at the baton lighting above the stage. She smirked. "Gotcha."

Gundham made his way over to them. "I see... So you noticed too, fiend."

"Huh? Noticed...?" Hajime repeated.

Gundham turned to him. "So you didn't notice? Hmph, are those eyes just little glass balls? Take a good look at the baton lighting above your head. Have you not noticed that aberrant item?"

Hajime followed their gazes for a moment before he saw it. "...You mean, that!? There's something that looks like black paper... stuck to the baton lighting..."

"Kehehe... so you've finally noticed."

"But I can't really see it from here. I should lower the baton lighting one more time and..."

"Hmph, there is no need...!" Gundham spread his arms, and his hamsters made their appearance. "Go, Mirage Golden Hawk Jum-P! Now is the time for you to take flight! Fuhaha! Feast your eyes upon the brave souls of my Four Dark Devas of Destruction!"

Leaping from Gundham's hand, Jum-P stuck its claws into the pillar, already halfway up, and climbed the rest of the distance at lightning speed. Once it reached the baton lighting, it ran around the slip of paper in rapid circles, until it fluttered down and was caught deftly by Gundham, who then caught his hamster.

"Fuhahaha! Did you see that!? Behold the power of the Ultimate Evil Eye Wielder!" Amidst Hajime's stunned reaction, Maki began clapping, and was quickly followed by Sonia.

"Wow! That is amazing! I have never seen a hamster do tricks!"

"...They're my Four Dark Devas of Destruction. Hamsters are merely their temporary form."

"So what's with that paper?" Hajime finally asked.

The Breeder inspected it. "Hmm... it seems to be some kind of thick paper, though it does not have any special spells scribed unto it... Hmph, it appears it's nothing useful."

Hajime and Maki exchanged a glance. There was no way it was just a coincidence that that scrap was in such an odd place.

She shrugged. "Well, regardless, I think I'll check in with Mikan one more time before I investigate elsewhere. You coming?"

Hajime agreed, and the two made their way over to the Nurse, who appeared quite frazzled.

"Any luck, Mikan?" Maki asked.

"Uhuhuhuh...!" She stuttered. "To tell you the truth... it's been very inconclusive! But it's not my fault! This music venue is just too hot! B-Because of the heat, I can't estimate the time of death!"

Maki's expression turned grim. "That's what I was afraid of..."

"Because of the heat...?" Hajime repeated. "Is that possible?"

"If a body is overexposed to heat or cold, you won't be able to determine a precise time of death..." The Nurse explained.

"Seems our killer thought ahead on this one. But, look at it this way..." Maki nudged her slightly. "That just means they're afraid of you."

Mikan blushed. "E-Even if this heat is the killer's doing... is there any reason for them to cover up the time of death?"

"Oh, good point. I already know the time of the murder. Ibuki died around the same time as the Monokuma morning announcement... and Akane was within the next few minutes."

"And... as long as this is an imitation murder, there shouldn't be any mistaking the order of the murders..."

"...Huh? Imitation murder?" Hajime repeated.

"A murder where the killer uses another crime, either real or fictional, as inspiration for their own." Maki explained briefly. "But... what makes you say this is an imitation?"

"Well... based on the killing order and the way they were killed, it's clearly an imitation of that movie..." Mikan said.

"The assumption is... an imitation murder is the reason why the killer killed two people." Gundham explained.

"The goal was an imitation killer..." Chiaki muttered. "Even so, why did they feel the need to do something like that?"

Sonia interrupted. "Excuse me, if this was really an imitation of that movie... Then is it possible that one more person might have been killed?"

"It's certainly conceivable... if the killer wishes to complete the imitation..." Gundham agreed.

"H-Hold on a sec!" Hajime snapped. "What are you all talking about? An "imitation murder"? One more person might have been killed...?"

"Are you guys worried that there's gonna be another victim?" Monokuma asked as he appeared. "Then nooooo worries! Things would get out of hand too fast if a bunch of people could be killed at once. I'm a reaaaaal cautious fella, so I've prepared a perfect countermeasure! Ahem! On this killing school trip, the same blackened can only kill a maximum of two people!"

"...You mean, you've added another rule?" Chiaki asked.

"Well, if killing everyone at once is okay, the blackened would be able to secure an easy victory, right? This new rule will prevent that! Make sure you slam it into your tiny brains!"

"If it is a maximum of two people... then there will not be any more killings?" Sonia asked.

"...Since you're here anyway... can I ask you one more thing?" Chiaki asked. "You know... I just want to confirm one of the class trial rules..."

"I see, I see. As expected of you, you're very strict about games."

"I don't want to consider this possibility at all... and I don't even want to think someone would do this... If two cases occur at once... what happens if there are two killers?"

"...Eh?"

"Like I said... I'm talking about the possibility that Ibuki and Akane were killed by two different people. That would mean that two killers exist at the same time, but we can only vote for one person, right?"

"If we can only choose one based on a majority vote, the other person could certainly achieve victory..." Sonia realized.

"Yeah, you're right." Monokuma agreed.

"So what happens in that case?" Chiaki pressed. "What about a case where there's three incidents instead of two? Or if four incidents overlap one another?"

"Sh-Shuuuut uuuuuup! It's okay! I'll make extra sure something like that never happens!"

Maki scoffed. "That's a cop-out answer if I ever heard one."

"Meaning, two killers can't exist at the same time..." Chiaki clarified. "So it's safe to say that applies to this case too, right?"

"Ugh...! All right, fine, fine... That's right... there's always one killer at any given time... Even if they had an accomplice, I'd have you figure out who the mastermind is. Maaaan, I ended up giving you a huuuuge hint... She made me say it... Gamer brains are not to be underestimated... I should just shut up and go back to my cave..." With that, he disappeared.

"...Yep, that makes things a little easier." Chiaki said.

"Plus, if the same killer can kill a maximum of two people... It means a third victim would be impossible!" Gundham declared. "Imitation murder breakthrough!"

"...You guys keep saying that and it sounds strange to me." Hajime said. "What do you guys mean by "imitation"?"

"I, too, would like to know." Maki added.

"Ah, could it be...? You haven't seen it?" Mikan asked.

"Seen it...?" Hajime repeated. "Seriously, seen what?"

"Like I said, that movie." Chiaki answered.

"When we first explored this island, Monokuma was passing out invitation tickets." Sonia explained.

"Then the imitation is..."

"Of course, it's an imitation of that movie." Gundham said with a smirk.

"Well... based on the murders this time, it closely resembles that movie, as if they were copying it." Chiaki clarified. "I see... so you haven't seen it. Still, it's not too late... I think. It's probably a good idea if you watch that movie before the class trial starts."

"Looks like... I need to do that." Hajime said, adding it to his mental checklist.

"I guess I have no choice." Maki agreed. "I'll come with you."

"Then I should get going too." Chiaki decided. "There are other places I want to investigate."

"...Where do you intend to go next, Chiaki?" Sonia asked.

"Probably... the hospital, for sure. The victims were there... I don't know what was going on at the hospital in the first place..."

"Thanks to that Despair Disease, we could not go there for some time..."

Maki nodded. "The movie theatre and the hospital. It might also be prudent to look through the victims' cottages, or even the motel. The killer could be someone who was staying there, after all. They may have left clues behind, though I find it unlikely given how thorough this killer seems..."

Agreeing to split up from the rest of the group for now, Maki and Hajime made their way to the movie theatre.


The two investigators walked into the air-conditioned lobby, a place they had briefly explored days ago. The only one waiting for them was Nagito.

"Why hello there, Hajime, Maki. I knew you two would come here. That means you noticed it too, right? The case this time is an imitation case in which the killer used that movie as their theme..."

"We wouldn't know..." Hajime answered. "We haven't watched that movie yet."

He looked between them. "I see... then you really should watch this movie first. Heeeey manager! A customer's here!"

Monokuma appeared behind the counter. "Yesssssss! Didja call me!?... Huh? You guys are the customers?

"Is there a problem with that?" Maki asked.

"Puhuhu... And you said you didn't wanna watch it... but I knew you wanted to see it all along! You were so devoted to being tsundere, you even bought the Monokuma Sticker for 1.5 million dollars!"

"...You paid 1.5 million dollars for a sticker?" Nagito asked.

"Well, I, uh..."

"Not just Maki, but Hajime as well! In exchange for not watching this movie, they each paid 1.5 million dollars for a Monokuma Sticker. C'mon, since we're talking about it anyway, why don't you show it to Nagito?"

"...S-Stop it!" Hajime snapped. But before he could defend himself, Monokuma reached a paw into his pocket and pulled out the Monokuma Sticker.

"See, it's this one! "I'm sorry, I was born stupid"..."

"Y-You bought this... for 1.5 million dollars...!?"

"I'm actually more impressed that he managed to pull the same con on both of us separately." Maki remarked.

"Puhuhu... but in the end, they're still gonna watch the movie."

"Wh-Who cares about that anymore!" Hajime snapped. "Just hurry up and give me an invitation ticket!"

"Okaaaaay! Here ya go!" The bear produced two tickets, and handed them to Maki and Hajime. "It already says so on the invitation ticket, but it's only effective today at this time. By the way, I can only give away one ticket per person! You only have one chance to watch it for free! I've already stamped today's date onto the ticket, so you won't be able to cheat."

"Don't worry... I only plan to watch it once..."

"Then I'll go prepare the projection reel. Please wait a bit, okaaaaay?" With that, he waddled into the next room.

"Ah, guys... about that invitation ticket, I strongly recommend you keep that safe." Nagito said.

"...Huh? Why?" Hajime asked.

"No reason. Just think of it as a protective charm."

They stuffed their respective tickets into their respective pockets as Monokuma arrived once again.

"Looks like the preparations are complete, so please enter the theatre right away! Puhuhu... this is exciting! Exciting!"

The inside of the theatre was unusually opulent and large, especially considering there were only 17 people on the island. Hajime took his seat before the silver screen, and Maki sat so that there was a chair between them. They turned their attention to the movie as the speakers buzzed to life and the lights dimmed.

"Um... I apologize for keeping you waiting. World famous director Monokuma presents a stunning masterpiece that reduced American audiences to tears... "The Wizard of Monomi 2.5D" will be screening shortly."

Hajime groaned. Even the title sounded half-assed.

"Now then, please relax and enjoy the film."

What followed was utterly boring. Minutes became weeks as the story slowly dragged on, filled with dumb humour that only Monokuma would come up with. To summarize:

Monokuma was born in a remote village full of old people because the death rates outpaced the birth rates. One day, Monokuma was swept up by a tornado created by a helicopter gunship during a routine military exercise... And was whisked away to Monomi's country. Monokuma wanted to return to his homeland so he could go back to pestering the old people for change... So he began his journey to see the wizard, Monomi, who was rumoured to grant any wish one desires. Along the way, he met a very loyal group of friends. Monokuma met a Monomi scarecrow who was missing a brain. When he recommended that she commit suicide... The Monomi scarecrow hanged herself and died. He also met a Monomi lion who was missing her courage, so he pumped her full of arrows. He also met a Monomi tin man who was missing a heart, so Monokuma sliced her into lumps of iron. After a lot of other stuff happened, Monokuma reached the wizard Monomi, the great and powerful... Eventually, one thing led to another and he started beating the crap out of Monomi... And in the end, he somehow usurped the kingdom from her. With this, Monokuma enslaved the old people, took their pensions, and lived the rest of his days in luxury. And he lived happily ever after! The End!

When the screen shut off and the lights turned back on, the two investigators sat in silence for a few moments before the real Monokuma showed up.

"Man, movies are the best! That drama was so moving that I needed two boxes of tissues! One for each hand!"

"Alright, Paul Reubens, nobody needs that image." Maki said.

"Now then, let's meet again at the class trial! Goodbye, bye, bye!" With that, the bear disappeared.

"Well, that was a load of shit." Maki announced on the way out of the theatre. "At least he didn't steal your likeness this time, though."

Hajime, however, was too disgusted to even sigh.

Nagito met them on the way out. "How was it...? Actually, I don't even have to ask. I totally expected your reaction."

"That was honestly the worst movie I've ever seen..." Hajime finally said. "Is it even okay to call that a movie?"

"...But thanks to that movie, now you know, right?"

"Yeah..."

Maki went through the checklist. "Ibuki had the Gullibility Disease, so you could say she lost her brain. She was killed like the scarecrow. Akane had the Coward's Disease, so she lost her courage. She was killed like the lion."

"It would've been a complete imitation if the killer killed 3 people, but it seems that wasn't possible..." Nagito said.

"Looks like you got lucky again."

"...What do you mean?"

"The victims were both suffering from the Despair Disease, like you. Plus, you had the Liar's Disease. Lying is seen as morally questionable, so one could say you had no heart. You were a prime candidate for the tin man position. If the killer could kill 3 people, we probably would've found you sliced to pieces."

"Perhaps the killer is upset about that right now? Or..."

Maki nodded. "If there goal was an imitation murder, sure. But... well, I have my own ideas."


Their next destination was the hospital, where they were greeted by Byakuya and Chiaki.

Maki moved to inspect the radio, while Hajime made his way over to the others. He asked Byakuya, "Hey, you prepared that radio, right? Didn't you get this from that shady-looking alley where all those machines were lined up?"

"Yes, that's right." Byakuya responded.

"Then... if there are other radio units... Would it be possible to transmit a signal to the hospital from those radios, too?"

"No, that's impossible. Out of all the radios there, these two were the only ones that could transmit on the specific frequency I had them on. I chose them because of that, to avoid something like what you just described."

Chiaki turned to the Criminologist. "Hey Maki. There's something I want to ask you... You first discovered Ibuki's body at the music venue, right? But why did you go to the music venue? You had a reason for that, right? Did you... hear something with this radio?"

"That's exactly it. I arrived here early this morning, and convinced Mikan to head to bed. Then I came out here and heard the radio turn on. On the other end, I could hear Ibuki singing. I was confused, since last I knew, she was in her room. I had a feeling something bad was happening, so I dashed over to the music venue to save her. But I was too late."

"...Did you check on Ibuki when you arrived here?" Chiaki asked.

"I'll admit, the thought didn't cross my mind, since her condition was the easiest to deal with out of the three. On top of that, I could hear her singing in her room when I arrived. There was only a few minutes between her stopping her singing and me hearing her on the radio. I was so distracted with Mikan... I should've been able to do something..."

Byakuya spoke up. "However... while it sounds unlikely, doesn't the crime scene make it look like she committed suicide? Wouldn't that make her her own killer, by Monokuma's rules?"

Maki considered this. "Hanging is a common form of suicide, and she lacks any other external injuries. It would also be a lot easier for her to slip under my nose if she acted alone..."

"...What do you think, Chiaki?" Hajime asked.

"Hmm... Hmmmmmmmmmm..."

"Of course, there's no way we could figure it out that easily." Byakuya said. "Especially considering that that theory doesn't account for Akane's death, which was clearly not a suicide."

"...Oh yeah, I need to investigate the second floor... I'm heading over there." With that, the Gamer made her way further into the hospital.

Maki thought for a moment before she spoke again. "You follow after her. I have some other places I want to investigate. Hopefully, I'll have the time."

"Where are you going...?" Hajime asked.

"I can tell you later. For now, it's best if we split up." With that, she dashed out of the hospital.

Her destination was Hotel Mirai, specifically the cottages of the deceased.


"Helloooooo! How's everybody doin'? It's me, Monokuma! Yaaaaay, awesome! The class trial's gonna start, you know! Soooo make sure you guys come to Monokuma Rock ASAP! Puhuhuhu, I'll see you soon!"

Maki was in the middle of investigating Ibuki's cottage when she heard the announcement. Cursing, she grabbed the one piece of evidence she was able to find, a tape recorder, and stuffed it into her coat pocket.

As usual, all the surviving students made their way to Monokuma Rock. There was nothing to be gained by defying their captor's orders, after all.

When everyone was present, Monokuma appeared. "Is everybody heeeere!? Do you guys wanna go to the class triaaaaaal!?"

"Hey, jerk!" Monomi snapped as she appeared. "Hold it right there!"

"What? Don't get in my way. You're just a dumb little sister who's short a few brain cells."

"My brain works just fine! Monokuma! What did you do with Nekomaru!?"

"I see... so you've come to avenge him..."

"Avenge!? That sounds like he died!"

""Sounds like," you say...? Oops! Anyway, since Nekomaru is unfortunately unavailable today, let's just say he's absent... N-Now then, I gotta go first!"

"Ah, hold on! I won't let you escape!" With that, both stuffed animals disappeared.

"So, not to be a downer but... Did anyone else hear what he just said?" Maki asked.

"Don't worry about it, there's no way Nekomaru is dead..." Fuyuhiko assured her. "He's just trying to piss us off...!"

"More importantly... it's best if we worry about ourselves for now." Nagito reminded them. "If "something" happens here... every one of us except Nekomaru will die!"

"Wh-Why are you so excited about that...!?" Mikan asked.

"Who knows...? Maybe I'm just looking forward to seeing poetic justice prevail."

"What are you saying, fiend?" Gundham asked.

"You'll find out soon enough..."

"...Then let's go." Chiaki decided.

As she finished saying it, Monokuma Rock once again regurgitated an escalator, and the students stepped on one by one. Maki was one of the last few on, as usual, and she hesitated when her turn came.

"Maki...?" Beside her was Mikan, looking at her with concern.

"Heh... I don't know what's up with me. It's not like me to get nervous before a trial." She reached out and took the Nurse's hand in her's. "But maybe that's not such a bad thing. At the very least, you'll be with me the whole way, won't you?"

"Y-Yes, of course...!"

Both girls smiled at each other before they made their way onto the escalator, together. It carried them up into the steel cage, which shut it's doors behind them and began it's descent below the earth.

Even during the long elevator ride, Maki stared straight ahead, prepared to take on whatever future awaited her in the trial room. She would face it fearlessly, just as she had always done. Nothing would shake her anymore. After a few moments, she realized she was holding Mikan's hand in a death grip. She tried to soften her hold a bit, but the other girl just returned the force herself. And so they stood their, holding onto each other for dear life.

Finally, the elevator stopped, and the students poured into the trial room.

"My, my... It feels pretty toothless with all these empty seats..." Monokuma noted.

"Well, two people got killed at the same time... and Nekomaru's not here, either..." Monomi sobbed. "Is Nekomaru really not participating? If he's alive, you should invite him!"

"...Why bother?"

"What!?"

"Now then... let's begin! It's the beginning of the long-awaited class trial! Please enjoy it to your heart's content!"

And so, the curtain rose on... A trial for life, and a judgement of death... Deception in life, and treachery in death... Betrayal for life, and betrayal for death... The riddles of life, and the mystery of death... Justification for life, and rationalization of death... Faith in life, and trust in death... A life or death... Class Trial!


I remember at the end of the last investigation chapter, I brought up Maki's overblown statement at the end there. I explained that that's what Makoto says at the start of every trial in one of the fan translations, before Danganronpa came to North America. I also considered checking out the fan translation, just to see how bad it is. And, I hate to be the bearer of bad news for anyone who likes that translation, but I finally saw it, and it's as bad as I thought it was. At best, some dialogue just looks like it was put through google translate, and at worst, someone will end up saying something ridiculous or out of character. And a lot of the talent names are vague, or just plain inaccurate. It's actually pretty funny at times, though, so I totally recommend it.

Anyway, this has been my mini-review of the Danganronpa fan-translations.

In the next chapter, we will begin the class trial to discover who killed Ibuki Mioda and Akane Owari.