*Camera pans over to a grave. The grave is marked, "Here lies PotatoSorcerer. They did some things. Then they died." Suddenly, a hand claws its way from the earth. Slowly, PotatoSorcerer pulls themself from the ground.* Wait, I can't die yet, I haven't finished my fanfiction! *checks calendar* And I'm about a month late for the spooky "rise from the dead" joke. Great.

Um, hey, yeah, hiatus, how about that? Good thing it's over now and I definitely won't let my schedule slip ever again, right? Haha, right? Guys?

In case you weren't in the loop, I disappeared to try and focus on writing the next few chapters, like I did back for the third trial. Problem is, that hiatus only took eight-and-a-half weeks. This one took twelve. It's been almost three months. What is wrong with me? Well, funny you should ask, because I've noticed a trend. For all my previous trial chapters, I've made note about how they took me so long. I think my problem is that I don't trust myself to write mystery. Which... *glances at the third trial of Another Hope*... Yeah, maybe it should stay that way. In any case, that kind of distrust brings with it many rewrites, and me telling myself "Nobody's gonna like this dreck," which ends up eating a lot of time. Hence, twelve week hiatus.

And, if you're already the kind of person who goes "It's okay, writing takes time, I can wait" then you earn a gold star. Can you teach me how to tell myself that?

In any case, I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter.


Chapter 29

Pressing Matters

Nekomaru walked down the stairs from Strawberry House's 3rd floor to its 2nd. As he reached the bottom step, he noticed Maki out of the corner of his bulbous eye. She was sitting on the top step of the staircase leading down to the 1st floor. At the sound of his footsteps, she stuffed something into her coat pocket.

"Maki, what are you doing in Strawberry House?" He asked. "It's almost 10:00 p.m., you should be getting ready for bed in Grape House, right?"

She glanced at him, but didn't turn to face him. "Well, I'll admit, I haven't checked the clocks in a while. But even so, it's not like we have a curfew or anything, right?"

"That's no excuse! Without a good night's rest, your condition will only worsen! You're not a robot like me, remember? You still need sleep!"

"I guess you're the Ultimate Team Manager for a reason." She rolled her eyes. Then, tiredly, said, "Well, come on then. Out with it."

"...Huh?"

"I've had the same conversation so many times since the last trial. I try to apply practical logic on how this game works, but the person I'm talking with throws some self-righteous nonsense at me and pretends they won the discussion. So, you might as well just come out with it, while you have the chance."

"...While I have the chance? What does that mean?"

She put a hand on her stomach as it growled. "There's ten of us. If someone has to die for us to get out of here, then the chance of it being you or I is 2 in 10. Even more than that, assuming a murder doesn't happen and people start dropping from starvation. Or, in your case, battery-depletion. In any case, I don't feel confident in the idea that the two of us are going to survive this motive."

"H-Hey, now... I know it's bad, but-"

"You're still suffering, too. Aren't you?" She finally turned her head to look him in the eyes. "We both lost someone we cared about. I'm not going to try and one-up you on whose got it worse. I just want someone to tell me I'm not alone here."

He sighed, or at least mimicked the sound of one. Was that what was causing Maki to act like this? She felt like everyone else had moved on already? He walked over and took a seat next to her on the stairs. "...You're not alone. She's always on my mind. They all are, actually."

She nodded. "But it's a much different beast when it's someone you formed a bond with, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is..." He sounded like he would've choked up, if he had a functioning throat.

She stared down at her hand, the one wrapped in bandages. "...Did you love her?"

He didn't give an answer.

"I guess it doesn't matter. "Love" comes in a lot of different forms. But I loved Mikan, and I don't love easy. That's why I can't die here. I just can't."

"Because it would make their sacrifices in vain, right?" He said.

"Yes, but not just that. How do I put it...? Even after we die, we live on in the way we changed those around us. That's our legacy. That's the legacy of those who came before us. So long as we remember them... as long as we carry their dreams and their wishes in our hearts, then their deaths weren't meaningless."

He made a sniffing sound. "That's really deep. I like that thought."

"To give credit where it's due, I didn't come up with that myself. I borrowed it from... someone I used to know."

"Well, your friend is very profound."

"I... wouldn't call him my friend. I actually kinda hate his guts. I don't want to, but..." She shrugged.

Nekomaru thought for a moment before remarking, "You said you don't love easy. But you seem to have no trouble doing the opposite."

"Heh, I guess you're right. I've been betrayed and abandoned so much, it's like hatred has become part of who I am."

"You can always fix that, you know. I wasn't always the supportive, optimistic team manager you know me as. You can always change for the better."

"I... I don't know how." She continued to stare at her hand, closing it into a fist. "I've always just tried to stay alive. Anything else was always secondary. Like I said, we carry the legacy of those who came before us. I've seen so many people die... if I died too, it would be like killing all of them all over again. That's why... I can't die here."

Finally, Nekomaru could understand where she was coming from. Everyone had spent the last few days worried about Maki, about what was going on in her head and how long it would take until she snapped. Finally, he was able to glean some insight. She was just afraid to die. It was that simple. But of course, something like that could never be simple in a killing game.

"...I may not look like it... but I've got a pretty close connection with death, as well."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me..." Her words were dismissive, but her tone invited him to continue.

He mimicked an inhale, before he began telling his story. "I was born with a heart defect... The doctor told me I would only live to be 20, at most. Because of that, I never got to play sports when I was growing up. I didn't even participate in P.E. either... I was teased a lot when I was young, too... My childhood consisted of being unable to make friends, and frequent trips to the hospital. However, on one particular day... I was put in the same room as this boy by coincidence, and it completely changed my life. Like me, that boy had a similar illness. He made frequent trips to the hospital, too. But...there was one key difference between that boy and me. Someone always came to visit him. He would have fun conversations...and sometimes very serious ones. From what I could overhear...the boy was a team manager for a baseball team. His athletes were visiting him... I asked him why he would do something like that. At the time, I didn't understand it at all... I mean, he couldn't even play baseball with them... But then...he said this to me: Even though I can't play baseball with them, I can still share their victory and defeat with them... But...in the end, he died in that hospital without ever seeing his team win... Perhaps he worked himself too hard gathering stats for the sake of that important game... Or maybe... he already knew he didn't have much time to begin with. I honestly don't know. So...I decided to take all the stats he risked his life gathering for the sake of his team... My very first job as a team manager...was leading that boy's team to victory."

She slowly nodded at the conclusion. "...Not that that story wasn't interesting, but why did you decide to bring it up?"

"...As long as you have friends who have your back, you'll be able to clear a path to the future without giving up. That's what that boy taught me, and I've carried that with me for as long as I've carried the title of team manager. You asked me before how I was able to stay so positive, even though my body's been replaced with this one, and so many of our friends have died. But with this body, I have an even greater chance of living and carrying on my friends' memories, for as long as I have to."

"But you can't even feel anything, right?" She pressed. "To me, that feels like it'd be pure torture... How can you even be sure you exist when you're like that?"

He shook his head, and clapped her shoulder. "You worry to much about the small stuff. "I think, therefore I am." That's all there is to it."

"...I guess you're right." She slowly rose to her feet, and Nekomaru followed. She stared up at him for a moment before saying, "It seems we both have "legacies" that we're living to carry on. I sincerely hope that we can both make it out of this alive."

"Ha! I know we can!" Now that the sombre conversation was over with, his bravado returned full force.

For some reason, rather than walk down the steps, Maki leapt from the top, just barely managing to clear all the steps and reach the landing at the bottom. She turned back and gave him a sort of salute. "Goodnight, Nekomaru. Hopefully, I'll see you in the morning."

"It's a deal! Don't worry, I'm not dying that easily!"

She nodded, and continued down to the 1st floor. Nekomaru turned and headed to his room for bed.


Hajime slowly opened his eyes. It was morning, as best he could tell. He tried to get up, but the command stopped in his head. His body was too heavy, and his strength had left him. The only movements he was able to make were shivers from the cold. With his body anchored, his mind wandered. He recalled being briefly awakened halfway through the night by a loud noise, like an earthquake. He was barely able to muster the strength to wake up and investigate it, so he eventually returned to sleep, the ringing sound in his ears carrying him to sleep. Now that he looked back on it, he wondered if it was something he should've looked into...

"I need... to go to Grape Tower..." He recalled. Thinking about what could happen to everyone if he showed up late for Monokuma Tai Chi, he was able to gather up enough power to move into a sitting position. After a few more seconds, he finally pulled himself to his feet. "What... time is it?"

With heavy, shuffling footsteps, he made his way out of his room and to the lounge. Glancing up at the clock, he could see it was already five minutes until 7:00 a.m. "Let's go... to Grape Tower..." He muttered to himself, turning and making his way to the stairs.

When he finally made it to the bottom of the steps, Sonia was there to greet him. "Ah Hajime! Good morning!" She had a far-off look in her eyes, but otherwise seemed to be in a pleasant mood.

"Sonia... you seem energetic..." Hajime managed.

"Hahahahahahaha."

"Wh-What's so funny...?"

"My goodness Hajime... when did your face become Mont Blanc all of a sudden?" She said, somewhat giddily. "Um... just the corner is fine, so... may I take a bite out of you?"

As Hajime inched away from her, a new voice entered the conversation. "...You'd get a stomachache." Chiaki explained.

Sonia's eyes lit up when they fell on Chiaki. "Oh my, now there's an adorable shortcake."

"I'm not a shortcake... I'm Chiaki."

"Shortcake, huh? Are you sure you're not talking about Hiyoko?" Maki remarked, making her way down the stairs behind Hajime.

The Traditional Dancer groaned, trailing not far behind her. "Seriously, how long are you gonna keep up those height jokes?"

"Chiaki, Maki, Hiyoko... Are you all heading over to Grape Tower?" Hajime asked.

"It's almost time." Chiaki said simply. "C'mon, if you're too slow, we'll be late."

"Yeah... you're right..."

"Ugh... if I get punished because one of you were too slow, I'll bop you on the head..." Hiyoko threatened weakly.

"...You're moving slower than the rest of us." Maki noted.

"That's not the point...!" She growled.

Slowly, the ragtag group made their way to the end of the long corridor, until they found themselves in front of the door to Grape Tower. Hajime leaned against the wall next to the button, catching his breath. "Then... I'll press the button..." It seemed as though even the button had more resistance than before, but it was nothing compared to the walk down here.

The button was pushed, and the group waited for the door to open. And waited. And waited. After what felt like an eternity, the door flew open, revealing the horrible scene before them. There was no warning, no time to hold their breath before the floodgates of despair collapsed over them. There was only the image of death before them.

The tower was a mess. One of the marble pillars was knocked over, its base completely destroyed by what appeared to be an explosion, due to the charred rubble where the base used to stand. Lying with their torso crushed beneath the fallen pillar was one of their classmates. The figure's face was contorted in horror, as if their last moments were spent fighting to push the massive pillar off themself. The dried gore painting the underside of the toppled marble made it clear that life had left the figure long ago. The figure, the remains of their friend...

...belonged to the Ultimate Breeder, Gundham Tanaka.


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

"Wh-What the hell... is this...?" Hajime asked, shivering. "Why... why is this... happening...?"

Sonia, now snapped from her daze, made her way over to the body. "G-Gundham...? No... this is a lie, right...?"

"Based on our situation, and the body discovery announcement..." Chiaki muttered. "It's unfortunate but... there's no doubt that another killing happened."

"Gundham..." Maki sighed. "So, he was the one to die, huh?"

"Why...?" Hajime asked again.

By this point, Sonia was knelt beside Gundham's body, crying. "Why...? Why is Gundham...? Why did he have to die...? Th-This... is just too much..."

"...Why?" Chiaki repeated. "Why... does this always happen? No matter how much I try to stop it, this is always the result... Is this something I can't stop?"

Maki glanced between them, then to Hiyoko, who had yet to say anything as she was still shocked at the gory scene. Before she would have a chance to recover, Maki snapped, "That's enough!"

The others' attention fell on her. She continued, "I hardly knew Gundham very well, but even I could tell you that this isn't what he would've wanted. He played the villain up until the very end, and he would've wanted his death to be met with celebration, not giving up. And am I the only one who heard the announcement just now? Gundham's death wasn't an accident, someone murdered him. And if we can't catch that someone, they're going to get away with it, and kill the rest of us, too. And maybe that's what you want, or what you think you want, so that you can be reunited with him. But when you meet him next, do you want it to be because you failed to avenge him, to catch his killer? I know Gundham wouldn't want that outcome. So wisen up, put on your big kid pants, and let's actually do something instead of standing around and moping, okay?"

A moment of silence passed. It was ended by Monokuma suddenly appearing. "Looks like someone is finally pumped up. Even though it's getting a little boring, let's get on with the usual routine! The Monokuma File! Also, this is a gift from me to you... Red bean bread and milk! I brought you guys a present since the killing went off without a hitch. Besides... If I don't feed you, you guys probably won't last long enough for a class trial! Eat it slowly. It'd be bad if you got a stomachache."

The students began devouring their small meals. It was enough to ease the growling pain of their stomachs, but the discovery of their friend's body brought with it a different kind of pain. Still, with the exception of Maki, who had a permanent look of tiredness about her, everyone regained their energy and the colour in their faces.

"Looks like you've gotten your strength back. Then let's hurry up and start already!"

Hiyoko's eyes turned to the door, out to Grape Hall beyond. "Where are the others? They sure are taking their sweet time..."

"You mean the guys in Strawberry House...?" Hajime asked. "Now that you mention it, no one's here..."

"That's weird..." Chiaki said. "They should've come to Grape Tower because we had Monokuma Tai Chi..."

"Jeez, how unacceptable!" Monokuma grumbled. "I never expected all of you to ditch Monokuma Tai Chi. Honestly, it was way beyond my expectations... Well, since it happened anyway, I guess it is what it is. Puhuhu, now do your best to investigate! I'll see you again at the class trial!" With that, he disappeared.

"...What about the others?" Sonia asked, looking up from Gundham's body. "Is it all right that we have not summoned them here?"

"They must've heard the body discovery announcement." Maki said. "Regardless, it seems like Monokuma expects us to begin investigating without them. We can fill them in on whatever we find when they get here, so let's just get started for now."

"Yeah... you're right." Hajime agreed.

As if acting on instinct, everyone turned their eyes to the Monokuma Files.

The victim is Gundham Tanaka. His body was discovered in Grape Tower, which is inside the Funhouse. The cause of death is crushing of the torso, effectively splitting the body in two. Most of the victim's internal organs were damaged beyond repair. His eardrums were also found to be ruptured.

Hajime raised his head. The description was no less gruesome than the sight before him. Why would someone kill Gundham is such a specific and cruel manner? That was what he had to find out.

He made his way over to the body. Sonia was still knelt at Gundham's side, and Maki seemed to be examining his... wound, if that word was strong enough to describe it. With the massive pillar in the way, it was easier said than done.

Maki, upon seeing him approach, said, "There's not much to see here. The Monokuma File, while brief, tells it like it is. This pillar seems to be the murder weapon. He was "struck" once, and died. End of story."

"But that cannot be everything..." Sonia said. "Wh-What about his Four Dark Devas...?"

Maki opened her mouth to answer, then closed it, then opened it again. "...Good question. He takes those things everywhere he goes, and they wouldn't have been able to escape this room without someone's help. And there's no sign that they were crushed under the pillar, either." She fingered her cat-ear hairband. "...Queer."

"So, that's all, huh?" Hajime asked.

"Well, I did notice something else." Maki pointed toward the gore under the pillar. "It's hard to see, since it's stuck under the pillar, but it appears Gundham brought a length of metal wire with him. Was he perhaps planning something?"

Sure enough, there was a coil of metal wire just barely peeking out from the pool of blood. Hajime nodded. "That is weird. What would he be doing here so early in the morning with this wire, and without his hamsters?"

Chiaki spoke up. "Either way, it doesn't look like there's any other evidence on the body. We should investigate somewhere else."

"You're right..." Hajime agreed.

"I was about to explore the base of the pillar." Maki explained. "Although I can already guess, all that rubble and debris makes it pretty clear how the killer toppled the pillar."

"Some kind of explosive?" Hajime guessed.

"That's my idea. It would also explain why his eardums were ruptured. See, there's even a switch on the floor near his feet. He probably stepped on it, and that's what triggered the blast." She pointed to a small plate on the ground. It appeared to be made of metal, but it's surface was reflective, matching the pale green of the tower's floor.

"...Where would the killer obtain either of these things?" Sonia wondered. "Prior to now, I do not believe I have ever seen an object like that... Was it hidden somewhere?"

"I must admit that it's a first for me as well." Maki said. "But it would also explain one other mystery. Hajime, Chiaki, I'm sure you two heard it too, right? That loud rumbling sound earlier this morning?"

"Rumbling..." Hajime repeated.

"Ah, I remember that." Chiaki said. "It woke me up for a little bit."

Maki nodded. "I got up to check what caused it, but with my lack of energy, I didn't really go far. Incidentally, though, I did manage to check the clock in the lounge, and it was around 4:30 in the morning. We can presume that as the time of death."

Hearing this, Sonia opened her Monokuma File. "Um... In this case's Monokuma File, there is no written time of death."

"Didn't that happen when Ibuki and Akane died, too?" Hajime recalled.

"...Oh, did it?"

"And the reason it wasn't was because it was central to the mystery." Maki explained. "Which means the same is probably true this time around, as well."

Hiyoko decided to speak up next, still standing a safe distance from the body. "So, just to make sure we're all on the same page... It's safe to say that Strawberry Tower and Grape Tower are the same place, right?"

"Well... that's the only thing we can think of." Hajime said. "Even when we experimented with Chiaki's handbook and left it in Grape Tower... It still showed up in Strawberry Tower."

"The reason each tower's wall is different colours is because the floor lighting is changing colours..." Sonia added. "The reason Usami's floor portrait is different in each tower is because it is merely a projection..."

"Okay, okay, I was just asking..." She groaned. "It just seemed a little too easy, compared to how Monokuma messed with us before."

Maki nodded. "That's a good point. In any case, the two buildings are undoubtedly one and the same. Which means the killer didn't necessarily murder Gundham in Grape Tower. They could've done it in Strawberry Tower, which then transformed to Grape Tower when we arrived through this side."

Hajime glanced over at Chiaki, who had her hood up. "...What is it? You seem lost in thought."

"Hmmm, well... The Final Dead Room."

"The Final Dead Room... What the heck...!? Why are you bringing up that place all of a sudden?"

"Well, the explosive that knocked over the pillar... and whatever mechanism caused it to go off when it did... All this evidence consists of things we've never seen inside this building, doesn't it? But as long as we can't leave, then there's no doubt that they came from somewhere within this building."

"So that's why you mentioned the Final Dead Room... Monokuma said beyond that room, there's an Ultimate Weapon in a place called the Octagon..."

"Yeah, so if we think of that place like an armoury, then that's where the killer obtained their tools, right?"

"If so, let us go confirm it!" Sonia suddenly jumped to her feet.

"No... that's dangerous." Hajime said. "If you go in there, you have to play the Life-Threatening Game..."

"Yeah, I'm willing to go to some lengths to find the truth, but I'm not risking my life on something like that." Maki declared.

Chiaki glanced at her, giving her an odd look, before she decided, "Then... I'll be the one who tries to confirm it."

"...Huh?" Hajime stared at her for a moment. "Wh-What are you saying!? You were the one who said that place was dangerous, right!?"

"We don't have time for this." Maki interrupted. "Whether or not Chiaki's playing the Final Dead Room, we need to get moving. Sonia, Hiyoko, you two don't mind staying here, right?"

"...Huh?"

"Hajime, Chiaki, and I are the best investigators with access to this crime scene at the moment. We can't spare any of us as security, and it takes a minimum of two people to watch a crime scene. As such, you two need to stay behind. Get it?"

Hiyoko seemed to think for a moment, before pouting. "I guess I don't have anywhere better to be."

Sonia glanced at Gundham's body. "...I understand. Please be careful, all of you."

"That's the plan."


As the trio left Grape Tower and made their way down Grape Hall, they noticed a sound in the distance. A ringing sound. They exchanged glances between each other.

"It sounds like it's coming from the floor above us." Chiaki said. "But what could it be?"

With that, the three headed up the stairs to find out. As they reached the 2nd floor and began heading to the lounge, however, Maki slowed.

"You know what? You guys go check it out. I'll get a head start investigating elsewhere."

"Are you sure?" Chiaki asked. "I thought you said you didn't want to go in the Final Dead Room?"

"Maybe not, but I still have some other areas in mind. I'll see you at the trial, alright?"

She turned, and Hajime couldn't help but note her odd choice of words. "At the trial" implied she didn't plan to see them for the rest of the investigation.

Still, he and Chiaki made their way to the lounge, where the ringing drowned out any other sound they made.

"Jeez, it's so noisy." Chiaki called out. "It looks like that phone is ringing."

Hajime approached and picked up the phone, pushing the strawberry button on it.

"...Oh, you finally answered!" Nekomaru's voice said from the other end.

"That voice... Is that you, Nekomaru?"

"Jeez, we were trying to call you for a while now! I was starting to worry no one would ever pick up!"

"Wh-What are you guys doing?" Hajime asked. "Are you all still in Strawberry House?"

"Even if we wanted to go over... we can't. Somebody broke the elevator, we can't get it to move at all... So we've been sitting here trying to call you for about an hour now... Hey, are you listening?"

"Y-Yeah... I'm listening... Anyway... everyone in Strawberry House is safe, right?"

"Ah, about that... well... First of all, Gundham is missing, we can't find him. Do you know where he's at?"

"...Didn't you... hear the body discovery announcement earlier?"

"Dammit..." Nekomaru muttered. "...so that's what that was...! Gundham, too... How could this happen...?"

"Too...?"

Nekomaru made a sound like he was taking a deep breath. "Hajime... Gundham's not the only victim. The only reason there hasn't been a body discovery announcement from our end is because you need three people to discover the body first, so we don't have enough."

Hajime's breath caught in his throat. There was another victim!? He noticed a problem with Nekomaru's math, but he didn't speak up, as there were more pressing matters at the moment. He couldn't think of anything to say, however. All he could manage was, "...Who was it? Who else died?"

Nekomaru took another breath.

"...Fuyuhiko and Byakuya. They both died. They... were killed."

It was like getting hit by a truck. Or more like getting shot. It was sudden, with no warning. It happened, and there was nothing left to be said. Hajime nearly dropped the phone and fell to his knees. Fuyuhiko and Byakuya were both dead? Just like that? Why them? Why did they have to die? And... both of them? Three victims? How could this happen...? The rules forbid a killer having more than two victims...

Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder... Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza... Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny... how could all three of them die at once?

Who devised this triple-murder?


Yeah, I just did that. Remember when I said "Nobody's gonna like this dreck"?

Why did I choose to kill these three, specifically? Well, I have my reasons, but to avoid spoilers, I'll have to stick to a meta point of view. You'll get an in-universe explanation in the trial chapter. You see, each victim has an interesting circumstance in this story. Gundham is someone who is supposed to die during this chapter, which is something I tend to do a lot. Fair enough.

Byakuya, however, is someone who was supposed to die much earlier. Killing him here proves an interesting fact: someone surviving past their designated chapter doesn't grant immunity. There was never anything stopping me from killing off Chihiro or Celeste, for example, nor is there anything stopping me from killing Hiyoko later down the line.

Finally, we have Fuyuhiko, a survivor. It's not weird for me to kill off survivors (who else would I kill off?), but Fuyuhiko's an interesting case in that I already stated that I considered, and decided against, killing him off all the way back in chapter 15. Remember that? So, what's up with that? Am I a lying motherfucker? Am I KOKICHI!? Well, no. All I said was that he was my favourite character, and that I didn't want to kill him off without character development. He got his development, so now I have no hangups about killing him. Okay, yes I do, but like I said at the end of AE:AH, I'm riding this Despair Train alongside you guys. Now someone pass the tissues.

In the next chapter, the students will investigate the circumstances of these murders.