I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Mikayla Weissberg, the girl struggling so much to find a way to survive and fight the depression after losing the two people she grew close to… was brutally murdered. That means we have to do this again. The killing game was back on and someone here put it back on.

The doors to the auditorium opened and we heard footsteps approach the stage. Soon Willie and Shana hopped up on the stage and ran forward.

Shana was panting. "We heard Monokuma's announcement! Please tell me it isn't true." But all they had to do was look over as she trembled and cried out as she quickly recognized the body in pink scrubs. "Oh my God! Mikayla nooo!" She tried rushing over to her but Tommy grabbed hold of her. She looked to him and all he had to say to her was a slow shake of his head. Shana's eyes teared up as she began bawling into his chest.

Another door was heard opening and it came from the direction stage left backstage. "Uh… best to stay out of the dude's bathroom in the hallway." Marcel chuckled nervously. "But I heard the news. Did one of us really surf their last wave?"

We all just stared at Mikayla's corpse and he jumped back in disgust. "Dude! What the hell happened to her?! I just thought she was passed out or something but she's…"

Monokuma suddenly popped up on the stage. He screamed out, "Dead as a rat eating poison! More spiritual than you or me! That bitch is gone with the wind or I guess the musical wind? Eh, I didn't think this one through too well but either way that was the most exhilarating party I've ever seen! I wish I could have been here to see it live but watching it on the cameras was beyond exciting enough! I'm so glad one of you kids took advantage of this time to put on such a spectacle!"

The phrase he just used put everyone on edge. One of us. It was true. Someone here killed Mikayla. I felt everyone's eyes dart around at each other with suspicion once again hanging low in the air around us; suffocating us in its deadly force.

"Well, there will be enough time for you to all point blame at each other later! Because right now it's time for you all to investigate! And as usual, I've prepared everything you'll need for your first clue! It's the Monokuma file!" Monokuma cried out as he tossed out the third file to everyone, even the unconscious Melinda as it bounced off her head, before laughing. "Puhuhuhu! Now can you make the upcoming class trial more exciting than the actual murder party? Somehow I seriously doubt that but then again maybe not. Bwahahahahahahaha!"

He promptly vanished yet the tap on the head stirred Melinda into consciousness somehow. Paul glared at Ollie and Marcel before shouting, "Well what do you need, an invitation? Help her up!"

Marcel sheepishly rushed over and Ollie rolled her eyes as she casually made her way there. The two of them helped up Melinda who looked woozy. Melinda looked around. "So… wh-what happened?"

"We're not too sure ourselves but I think it is safe to assume that stage light must have hit you during that light show catastrophe," Paul informed her.

Melinda blinked at him and raised her eyebrow at him. "And you are?"

Everyone's mouth dropped at this, even Paul was left in disbelief. I quickly jumped up, scrambled from Luca, and approached her. "Can you tell me who you are?" I asked.

She nodded. "Of course. My name is… i-it's uh… I think it's like Becca or something, right?"

I looked at everyone. "She's actually got amnesia!"

"Whoa, there partner! Are you telling us the Ultimate Huntress actually can't remember anything?" Willie shouted out.

Suddenly, Melinda let out an ear-piercing screech that made most of us cover our ears. She trembled as we saw her looking at Mikayla's body. "Ewewewewee! Why is there a dead body right there!? Get it away! Get it away!" She cried out like a 5-year-old.

Willie blinked. "Oh yeah, she's more messed in the head now than she was before."

"That's debatable." Ollie shrugged with a smirk.

"Well she's still kind of bleeding so I best take her to the nurse's office and get her patched up," Luca said as he took Marcel's place in holding her up. "Any chance you can help me out, Ollie?" Luca asked her to which she smiled and replied, "It would be my pleasure."

I looked at him a bit stunned. I would have thought he'd ask for my help but he looked at me and said, "Don't worry. Once I get her tended to I'll be back down to help you investigate and examine her body. Be back in a bit." Luca told me with a wink before they began carrying Melinda, who was asking about where she was and who everyone was.

"Well, then I guess I should get started until Luca returns," I said to myself but when I turned around Paul was standing directly behind me, making me jump in surprise. "What is it, Paul?"

"I'm enlisting your help in this investigation," Paul said bluntly.

My eyes shot open. "What!? Why?"

"Well Melinda was my most useful acquaintance and right now she's been decommissioned thanks to that faulty light. And you're the most useful person outside of my group so naturally, I'm going to rely on you for the investigation phase." Paul explained to me with such vanity.

"I'd rather wait for Luca, thanks anyway," I replied before I turned and began walking off. Though I had a feeling that wasn't enough and as expected, Paul called out to me, "Then I guess you don't mind me telling the others about your "Mother", I assume?"

I froze in place and glared back at him. "Are you threatening me?"

Paul shrugged but had a face of malice plastered on. "Take it as you will but I will not be ignored as if I was nothing but a ghoulish spirit. Besides, if you wait around for the traceur boy to patch up Melinda then you'll relinquish what little time you have in the investigation."

As much as I hated this he did have a point. I can't wait for Luca to get back, help examine the body, and then check everywhere that needs checking out before our limited-time runs out. Not to mention the dirt he must have dug up on me doesn't exactly mean I can ignore him. With a begrudging wave overcoming me I looked to him with my arms lifted up by my sides before gravity slapped them back down against my sides. "Shall we get this over with?"

Paul chuckled, "That's what I expected. Now let's begin with the Monokuma file."

INVESTIGATION START!

I rolled my eyes as I held up the file and turned it on. It read, "The victim is Mikayla Weissberg, the Ultimate Veterinarian. Her body was found on top of the stage lighting system in the auditorium. The time of death was 12:27 PM. The victim suffered a head wound from a blunt object, the heart shows signs of erratic beating, and there is bruising on her body, legs, and wrists."

Paul scoffed. "Well, that's useless!"

I looked at him confused. "Why's that?"

"Monokuma didn't put this information in right. He must have meant to put "The victim died from a head wound from a blunt object". He really needs to go back to preschool and learn how to write properly."

"I guess so but at least he actually put down all the information this time. Look see? Last time we didn't have a time of death with Sienna's case but now we got one for Mikayla… at 12:27 PM? But the party started at noon today… and the time right now is…"

"12:35 PM. And if I'm not mistaken when she died, it was during that light freakout that took place not too long ago." Paul deduced.

"But that means she was killed while we were all gathered together! How could that have happened?! We should have heard something!" I shouted in disbelief.

"Well, the music got loud so we probably didn't hear her that way and the lights blinded us so seeing her wasn't possible either," Paul said thoughtfully.

I shook my head before replying, "But wouldn't the killer have been blinded too? And how would they have gotten her up on the stage lights if they were in the middle of all that commotion?"

Paul paused. "Those are… excellent points. How did the blackened kill Mikayla during that flash show and manage to get her up there and themselves down in such little time since that commotion we were in couldn't have been any longer than a single minute or so?"

It seemed impossible to me yet the file didn't lie, right?

Truth Bullet: Monokuma File Obtained

"Well then knowing this information we can only deduce that the killer had to be in attendance at the time the murder took place. She died during that time period of the lights flickering out of control and the only ones not here during that time were Melinda, Marcel, Shana, and Willie. That means all the people here during that timeframe are suspects which include Ollie, Damian, Luca, Tommy, you, and myself." Paul deduced thoughtfully.

It sounded right so I guess it was worth noting. Besides knowing where everyone was at the exact time of Mikayla's death may prove to be useful.

Truth Bullet: Party Attendees Obtained

Truth Bullet: Non-Party Attendees Obtained

"We best explore this area and get all the information we can," Paul said as he walked over to Mikayla's body. Willie and Marcel were standing there, watching her body. "You two love birds playing guard duty?"

Willie nodded. "Yes sir!" He quickly realized what Paul had said and was brisk to add, "Wait no! I mean yes we are guarding the crime scene but we ain't love birds! Just because I had to dance with him don't mean nothing! Not my fault all the gals we're taken! Well except her. Poor thing."

Marcel sighed. "Yeah it was disappointing I couldn't dance with a girl either but hey it wasn't all bad. I let you be the boy in our dance and hey… how do you say it? It's not like that was my first rodeo. Dancing with guys is just as easy as kissing them."

Willie looked at him with a face of disgust. "Okay, there is definitely something wrong with you, kid."

"Well anyway, we want to investigate Mikayla's body so don't mind us," I told them before looking at Paul. "So I usually have Luca help me with the body because I'm not used to the real deal of touching a dead…" But before I could finish Paul leaned down and easily rolled Mikayla's body over on her back with no hesitation.

I didn't think Paul would be that spontaneous and touch a dead body like that but then again it was Paul I was dealing with. I knelt down and felt my stomach curl at her facial expression. Her eyes were wide and rolled back so only the whites were seen and her mouth and cheeks were now dried with how much saliva had drooled out; it made it difficult to get a good look at her.

"Look." Paul pointed down her body. I quickly turned from her face and looked at Mikayla's wrists. Her left wrist had a zip-tie that was tied tightly around it. "She was bound by this."

I nodded. "Yeah, I've seen police officers use them as makeshift handcuffs when they have to arrest multiple people like rioters or mobsters. But it's only on her left wrist though. Why aren't both her hands restrained?"

"Take a look at her right hand," Paul responded as he grabbed the free arm and lifted it up, showing off the wrist. My eyes widened in astonishment. "Her wrist is bruised and has an indent in it!"

"And it matches the zip tie's shape perfectly. The reason why her right hand is no longer bound is because of the break in the tie here." Paul illustrated as he pointed out where the tie was snapped in two.

"So she broke out of the zip tie and got one hand free yet was still unable to fight back? That doesn't seem right." I said unsure.

"Perhaps when she got loose is when she was struck dead." Paul deducted.

I thought for a split second before speaking, "Perhaps."

Truth Bullet: Broken Zip-Tie Handcuffs Obtained

I overheard Willie chuckle, "Golly, that girl had a weird fashion sense. What kind of necklace has a giant ball on it?"

I looked up to her neck and sure enough, there was a plastic ball with an elastic band on either side draped around her neck. But I immediately recognized it and knew it was not a necklace as I felt my face blush up.

Marcel laughed at Willie who glared at him. "Whatchu laughing at, boy?!"

"Dude, that ain't no necklace." Marcel let out a wheezing laugh through his nose before he continued, "It's a ball gag."

"A ball gag? What the hell is that for?" Willed shouted.

Marcel giggled like an immature child and answered, "It's for BDSM."

"And what does that mean?" Willie now asked, perturbed.

Marcel snickered in his throat as he leaned into Willie's ear and began whispering. Soon the Ultimate Cowboy's face evolved from a look of confusion to a pure look of disgust. "I hate to ask but how do you know all that?"

Marcel blushed and rubbed his arm as he sheepishly answered, "Remember how I've said I kissed guys before? Well, with some of them we did more than kiss each other."

Willie looked visually sick. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Paul rolled his eyes as he looked back down. "You are more disturbing than I originally thought."

I quickly shook that imagery out of my mind and hoped to God the ball gag in her mouth hadn't been used. I looked at the gag and saw a perfect imprint of teeth marks on it. However, due to the fact it was plastic, whatever happened to the gag would still be there and yet there was only one set of teeth imprints on them.

Paul grabbed the gag and rotated it before widening Mikayla's mouth wide and gently placed the gag at a certain angle which made me gag just watching him gag her corpse. "Just as I thought. The imprints align with her teeth perfectly. No doubt this was used so we couldn't hear her."

Marcel smiled. "Or maybe she and the killer we're getting frisky and…"

Paul had a dead expression directed at Marcel which quickly shut the surfer up. "For once I agree with the clueless cowboy, something is very wrong with you."

I soon noticed something else on the ball itself now that it was positioned correctly in her mouth. There were five scratch marks on the right side of the ball with four above and one below and each mark seemed to have a bit of the red color taken off.

I tapped on Paul's shoulder. "Hey, Paul? Can I see her right hand again?"

Paul lifted it up as I examined her fingers and sure enough, I could see bits of red pigment under her fingernails. I whispered, "Then the scratch marks from the gag came from her; most likely in a desperate attempt to remove the gag after her hand broke free."

"Those gashes indicate she must have removed the ball in a hurry since she was obviously about to be killed. And we know she succeeded since the gag was found around her neck and not in the mouth like it was supposed to be. But if she was already freed from her hand restraint then why did she go through the trouble of taking the gag off? She could have run on stage and gotten us to see her in trouble." Paul wondered.

I hummed thoughtfully. "You're right. Unless it was necessary for her but why would it be necessary for her to be unbound and ungagged at the same time when doing only one would be enough to get our attention?"

Truth Bullet: Scratched Ball Gag Obtained

"This is just getting more bizarre with every new clue we find. I don't see how things fit together at all." I growled in annoyance.

"Relax Napoleon, there's still much more we need to look at," Paul said as his eyes drifted over and lurched to a stop. "Like that for instance." He stood up and took a few steps away from Mikayla and me and picked up a piece of duct tape.

I quickly caught up to him as he examined the tape. It was thick with layers stacked on top of each other but what stuck out the most was on the sticky side. We found blood and strands of strawberry blonde hair all over on it. "Well, this is intriguing."

"This had to have come from Mikayla," I said glancing back at her and the bloody spot on her head. Yeah, there was no doubt about that.

Truth Bullet: Bloody Duct Tape Obtained

I tapped my finger against my chin. "I'm beyond disturbed about what made the lights go berserk. I mean I know I had the settings on the light boards way down and yet they seemed to have changed on their own during the party."

Paul pointed up to the crow's nest in the back of the auditorium. "Then maybe someone messed with the light boards up there. Let's go up and see."

"Right." I nodded as we jumped off the stage and ran to the door. We went in and climbed the mountain of stairs up to the crow's nest. I quickly looked over all the boards, every dial, every knob, and every lever I know I touched.

"Well?" Paul asked me, inquisitively.

I shook my head. "No. Nothing here was changed. All my settings are exactly the same as I left them after our dress rehearsal this morning. But if my settings weren't altered then why did the lights not stay the same for the party?"

I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever find an answer. Then suddenly, I did. I looked around the jack port and sure enough, I found something or more correctly for something I couldn't find. "The Bluetooth plug is gone!"

"What Bluetooth plug?" Paul asked me, mystified.

"Damian uses a little Bluetooth device that plugs into the light and soundboard that connects his set to the whole auditorium system. It's how he made the lights flash in time with the rhythm and change the light's colors to match the mood of the melody. But that plug that connects him to it all, it's not here." I expounded to him.

Paul looked up in thought. "Maybe Damian knows where it is. We'll need to get him to talk when we find him. I noticed he rushed off in a hurry after Monokuma gave us the files."

Truth Bullet: Missing Bluetooth Plug

"We're not interrogating him like some criminal. He hasn't done anything wrong." I told him yet Paul just gave me an "Mmhm" before he made his way out of the crow's nest. Was he trying to imply something? I don't think I'm gonna like where this goes.

Soon we were back on the ground level and we began making our way back to the stage.

"Well since we found the body on top of that lighting up there, I think we best figure out how they transferred her dead body up there. How do you get up there?" Paul questioned me.

"Oh, that's easy. Follow me." I guided him over to stage right and on the wall nearby was a lever system. I grabbed the appropriate lever, which was centered, pulled it down, and held it down. The light railing suddenly creaked as it slowly lowered closer to the stage. Once it got low enough for us to look at, I let go as the lever snapped back into its center position and the lights stopped moving.

We went back to the stage and approached the railing that held all the lights. I never realized but the metal bars had glittering ribbons spiraled around them across the entire thing.

'Guess Melinda did that as well to help decorate for the party.' I thought but I had to ignore that since the actual evidence I needed to observe was the ropes I saw around Mikayla's body when she dangled above us. I was on the front side of the railing while Paul was behind as we examined the ropes.

I soon found the knots tied around the bars and examined how they were tied. Then something clicked. "I recognize these knots. The knots around the bars are constrictor knots. It was used in one of my survival movies where the boy who survived a plane crash had to scale down a canyon wall to reach the bottom where the only water for miles upon miles could be found. The boy had to use a constrictor knot to tie the rope to a dead tree and around himself to ensure he didn't fall to his death. Someone knows how to tie one of the most effective binding knots."

Paul nodded his head in understanding. "Well, then they must have made a grave error."

My head tilted, disturbed. "Why do you think that?"

He pointed towards the center of the railing where I saw more constrictor knots but then there was one spot where the ropes hung loosely. That was where Mikayla was hanging from but with how we found the ropes criss-cross the top of the railing made it look like it was supposed to hold something down. Or in this case someone yet there was a single spot where there was no knot tied which meant it was never tied or it was just loosely tied?

Once again nothing was making any sense! If it was to hold Mikayla down then why would there be a weak spot in one place yet perfect knots everywhere else? But more importantly, why would the blackened need to put her body up there if she was already dead and not just on the stage floor? And how did they lower the lights, tie her body on, and raise them up before any of us regained our composure?

Truth Bullet: Loosened Ropes Obtained

I soon realized something. "Wait, that light that hit Melinda was on this railing, wasn't it?"

Paul nodded. "Yes, I believe it was." We ran down to the end on stage right and looked, sure enough, there was an empty space where the light would have hung from.

Then I went over to the light that fell and lifted it up. I saw where the bolts that held the light in place we're there but I noticed they were not only loose but that there was some wear on them like someone had stripped them with a wrench.

The body of the light was cracked and so I pulled at it so I could look inside. There were so many wires and pieces that any normal person would have been overwhelmed by the complexity of the stage light's interior. Luckily I learned how to handle stage equipment at a young age with Terry as part of my training so I knew exactly what I was looking at.

"What are you looking for?" Paul asked me.

"Trying to see what caused this light to spark up. I noticed electrical sparks when the lights made me disoriented and I'm sure this was the source of those sparks since it's the one that fell," I answered as I looked at the luminaire and I found all its wiring was proper but what I found near the luminaire made me gasp.

"Don't just gasp and leave me in silence like in your soap operas! Tell me what you see!" Paul yelled out.

"It's the lead inside here. It's been burnt off!" I soon realized there was wiring with electrical tape stuck onto the light that leads to a piece of ground equipment.

"Something about this is all familiar but I can't quite pin down what it is yet. All I know is that this equipment should all be new so the burnt-off lead and the stripped bolts should not be there." I clarified to him.

"That means someone sabotaged this one stage light to do so much damage. Who would be able to pull that off?" Paul consulted me.

"I have no idea but whoever they are, they are horrifying," I admitted.

Truth Bullet: Sabotaged Stage Light

"Although now that I think back on it. There was something else unusual about this light I noticed during the party." Paul said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, surprised.

"After our discussion ended and you went back to the dance floor, I couldn't help but look up and notice that one light was not powered on and it just so happens to be that exact light that fell. Actually, I also realized now that it wasn't pointing downward at an angle like the rest of the lights were; it was pointing directly to my right in a perfect ninth degree angle. Then when the lights and music started getting brighter and louder and left my laptop on the table to yell at Damian, I believe it was around that time the stage light came on because I was looking around in an attempt to understand what was happening around us and I saw it flashing wildly." Paul elucidated.

"That's good to know," I said thankful I recorded his testimony.

Truth Bullet: Paul's Account Obtained

"But the lights are all on the same power source which means that light must have been disconnected from the original power source and linked to a new one. But where?" I asked puzzled.

"Why not follow the leader?" Paul suggested as he pointed to the wiring I pointed out that led into the ground equipment and then the cord that was attached to it.

Understanding what he implied, I grabbed the cord and followed it as it weaved around backstage and soon I found the cord feeding through the crack of a door. I looked up and blinked in confusion. "The dressing room?" I asked, flustered by this discovery.

Paul and I quickly rushed into the dressing room and followed the cord all the way to a clothes rack against the wall. I cautiously placed my hand in between the clothes and quickly parted them expecting to see someone there but to my surprise, there was something even more alarming hiding in there.

Not only was that cord we followed plugged into an outlet in the wall but there was also another lighting and soundboard plugged in as well! It was much smaller than the one in the crow's nest but it had every function and control the bigger one had.

"So there was another place someone could control the lights and sound from," Paul growled in animosity.

I examined the board and discovered something of major significance. "All the settings are the same here except the more vital ones for lighting and sound are cranked up to their highest settings. That's why they went crazy! It was all done here and there's even a jack port but it looks like the Bluetooth device is not here either. The culprit likely took it with them."

"Where did this second board even come from?" Paul queried me.

"I'm not sure but I feel like I have seen it somewhere before," I said thoughtfully.

Truth Bullet: Extra Lighting/Soundboard Obtained

When I stood back up, we heard the door to the bathroom in the room open up and Damian, now dressed in his normal attire, came out with bloody paper towels in hand.

"Fuck man!" He cried out as he wiped the tears in his eyes with his sleeve. It was so out of character hearing Damian swearing instead of using that catchphrase of his which I now realized was probably his censorship of that swear word.

"You!" Paul shouted out making Damian jump up.

"Jesus Christ man! You scared me half to death! How long have you guys been in here?" Damian asked.

Paul scoffed. "Long enough! Now tell me what you were doing in the bathroom?"

Damian looked shocked at him. "To wash Mikayla's blood off my hands and my equipment! Why else?"

"Because maybe you did it?!" Paul shouted at him.

"Hell no man! Her body was dangling above me, dripping blood on me, and dropped down, splattering me and my equipment with her… with her… oh, God!" Damian cried out as he covered his mouth and rushed back into the bathroom where I could hear him vomit into the toilet.

"Oh, that's right. I almost forgot Damian gets sick at the sight of blood. Guess thinking about what just happened didn't help." I recalled.

After a brief moment, Damian came back out, breathing heavily. "I swear I don't know what went wrong. After your performance, Kai, I kept the party going as you sat down with Paul. I noticed that people started leaving for their own reasons and then about 5 minutes later the lights became unresponsive to the music. They were still on but at that point, they weren't flashing in sync with the music. After maybe another 5 minutes of waiting for a response from the lights, I was about to go up to the crow's nest and just let the set play while I checked but then the lights became responsive again. Then a while later, you came back and started dancing with the others for about 10 minutes or more, and then that's when all hell broke loose!"

"Thanks for telling me, Damian. Now I know what happened while I was engaged in Paul's conversation." I said to him.

Truth Bullet: Damian's Account Obtained

Paul shook his head. "Nu-uh! I don't buy it! You're hiding something else, aren't you?"

Damian glared at him. "Man, what is your problem with me! I already told you all I know!"

While the two of them kept screaming accusations at each other, I heard the door slam open and Shana came stomping in. "Kai!"

"W-What?" I stuttered nervously.

Shana suddenly took my hand, gripping it firmly. "You need to see something now!" She then began to yank me away from Damian and Paul and out of the room.

"W-Wait, I'm supposed to be investigating with…" But Shana just yanked me harder, effectively shutting me up. I knew she didn't care as she pulled me to our destination. After a few minutes, we arrived at...

"Mikayla's dorm?" I asked puzzled.

She nodded. "Come on. There's something you should see."

Shana opened the door and entered with me close behind. Mikayla's room looked more like a clinic than it did a room to live in. She had medical appliances and equipment on the counter and desk, pictures of her and different animals in each one; most likely her patients, and I noticed a paw print shaped stethoscope also resting on the counter. I approached the stethoscope and grabbed it. I sighed as I put it in my bag as the memento I would take with me in her memory. I also saw the logbook I saw her write on the first day we met.

I picked it up to look at it but Shana looked at me and said, "Look over here." She pointed to the floor not far from the bed.

I put the logbook in my back pocket and approached the spot. Soon I realized the carpet was stained… with blood. I also noticed there was a small trail from where the puddle was. It led to the bed underneath and I bent down, reaching in. Suddenly I felt something as I pulled out a metal pipe and on that pipe was even more blood.

"Why is there a pipe in here? Is it tied with Mikayla?" Shana asked me.

"It must be. Why else would this be in here?" I asked back.

Truth Bullet: Bloodstained Pipe and Floor Obtained

I looked to her as I stood up. "Keep searching. We may find something else of value to us."

Shana nodded to me as we began looking around Mikayla's room. I searched through her desk and bathroom but found nothing. Shana searched the garbage and drawers thoroughly. When she opened one drawer I heard Shana hum curiously as she pulled out a brown duffel bag.

She set it down and unzipped it, opening the flap, and replied, "What the hell is this?"

I came over and looked in to see something most unusual. "Are those sunglasses?"

"Yeah. But it's filled to the brim with nothing but sunglasses. There must be more than one hundred different pairs in here! I seriously doubt that accessorizing was very important to Mikayla so why does she have a duffel bag with only sunglasses in it?" Shana asked, confused.

"I don't know," I answered. 'It is bizarre though. Is it merely possible she had so many because of how clumsy she was on the job? No. Surely not every job was outside where sunglasses weren't necessary. Hell, it seems unusual for her to wear them during any job. Still, something about this seems off and I may need this for later.'

Truth Bullet: Stashed Sunglasses Obtained

Then something came to mind. "Say, Shana. Didn't you try to see Mikayla during the party?"

Shana nodded and replied, "Yep. A little bit after your performance, I left to try and convince her to join us. She was probably getting killed by that point since she never spoke to me through the door the other two times."

I blinked in surprise. "Two times? So then you spoke with her twice before she was killed?"

"The first time was just about an hour or so after nighttime started. I remember because when nighttime started, Tommy and I were still in the kitchen, and Melinda came in demanding food after all the hard work she did that day. Tommy was quick to whip something up for her as she and I argued as usual. After about half an hour to an hour later she left us to get some rest and we decided to call it quits as well. Tommy offered to clean up so I could get to bed faster."

"I left the cafeteria and went to the dorm hallway only to hear crying down the hall from my room. I saw Mikayla's door cracked open and peeked in. She looked in such bad shape. Plus she was the only girl left I felt like I could talk since the other girl pisses me the fuck off. I tried stepping in and asked her if I could help but she didn't waste time in shoving me out and locking the door. I thought I'd be mad but I felt pain when she did. But I knew I couldn't press her as she was so I went to bed but couldn't sleep as I tried to figure out what happened with Mikayla."

"The instant I heard the morning announcement sound off, I rushed back over to Mikayla and I begged her to talk to me. She soon cracked the door open and said, "I'm sorry for shoving you last night but I don't think I can be helped right now. My personal demons won't leave me alone and I doubt anyone can help, even you and Kai can't do anything for me. Not yet. Please just leave me be." After that, she closed the door and never came back out. But I guess she did since we found her in the auditorium which explains why she never responded to me when I was at her dorm during the party." Shana explained.

I nodded my understanding as I hit the stop recording button.

Truth Bullet: Shana's Account Obtained

Shana's head drooped. "Was… was it our fault?"

"What?" I asked in shock.

"Mikayla. She specifically mentioned you and me last night. Did we put too much pressure on her to get over this depression?" Shana inquired of me.

My eyes shifted. 'Did we? Did I?' I thought to myself before looking up to her and replying, "I'm not sure. It is possible that she felt pressured to move on and accept what happened. I do think I may have come off too much as an annoyance, trying to push her into that mindset but then again I don't think so."

"What do you mean?" Shana asked me, confused.

"I mean that she did seem to notice how much we cared for her. Think about it. You and I did all we could to talk to her and help her out of this slum. I did manage to get her spirits up in the nurse's office before I mentioned the party." I confessed.

Shana nodded before I saw a trickle of a tear course down her dirt-covered cheek. "Kai? Do… you hate me?"

"What? No of course not! Why would you say something like that?" I asked her, more puzzled than before.

"Well, it's just… I never had any friends before coming here. At my old schools, all the girls were major fashionistas who would be compared to princesses like Snow White. Meanwhile, I was one of the seven dwarfs, mining away with an attitude. Because I never wanted to play the role of princess I was always frowned upon by those around me. Even my mom didn't like what Dad had "turned me into". And as a result the only friends I felt like I had were Dad and his mining colleagues. But here everyone has unique quirks and outgoing personalities like me but even then I feel like my vanity hasn't gotten me closer to anyone here. Look at Mikayla. She was so smart and compassionate and beautiful. She had friends that were more like family with Sienna and Brenda and Luca and even you. But not me. I never got a chance to be close to her like everyone else did. And now I'll never get an opportunity. I doubt she ever considered me a friend."

My heart dropped. I felt Shana's pain in her voice as she forced herself to speak. I wanted to give her words of encouragement but for the first time, my script was blank. I didn't know how to console her. I looked back on the photos Mikayla had scattered around of her and her clients.

How many animals will now suffer and die because Mikayla's been killed? All the animals she has tended to, the ones she regularly checks up on, and the ones that will need her help will never get her help again. All because of someone's stupid dream. I know Mikayla was about making dreams a reality and how they fuel your hope of a bright future but is it really worth it by murdering her? And even worse was a potential friendship lost because of this?

Shana leaned on the countertop but put too much of her hand on the duffel bag as the force from her body made it slip down as she and the bag clashed onto the ground in a sea of plastic glasses.

I lightly chuckled at her which was reciprocated with a glare of animosity. I quickly cleared my throat as I helped her up and began putting the sunglasses back. But the next thing I knew there was a sharp pain in my left index finger as I let out a quick yelp.

"Are you okay?" Shana asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, just a paper cut." I replied but then immediately thought, 'Huh? Paper cut?'

I looked back to the pile and saw a corner of paper sticking out. I grabbed it and pulled out a small square piece of paper. There was writing on it. Shana looked at it. "Is that a note that was hidden?"

"Yeah," I told her as I began reading the note.

"I plan on taking advantage of the motive at the party. In order for it to work, I'll need your help. Please respond so I can send you further details."

Then at the bottom was a Y and N the writer left for yes or no response. There was a circle around the Y!

"What the hell is this shit?!" Shana shouted.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" I questioned.

Truth Bullet: Mysterious Note Obtained

Before I could even think, "GIMMIE!" A sudden shout sounded as the note was snatched from me.

"Hey!" I hollered as I turned around and saw Monokuma behind me by the door with the note. He did that snarky laugh of his before running out the door. I chased after him calling out, "Get back here with that!"

I ran out the door and turned down the hall but then from out of nowhere, Luca came rushing in my direction as our heads collided, sending us to the ground in riveting pain!

I heard Shana snicker behind me. "You know what? I think you two have now butt heads together more than me and Melinda!"

I rubbed my skull as I shook the pain off as much as possible. "Yeah, you're probably right." I groaned out with a flushed face.

Luca shook his head before looking up to me. "Kai! There you are! I've been looking all over for you! I thought you were gonna wait for me."

I looked down. "Sorry. I didn't want to waste what little time we have waiting for you. Besides I've had Paul and Shana help me with the investigation."

Luca was surprised by this revelation. "I can understand Shana but Paul? Why him? He's not exactly been a team player to us."

"Yeah I know but his… persuasion is impeccable." I hinted to him which he quickly nodded his understanding.

Luca shook his head as he stood up and helped me up alongside him. "Well never mind that! Come on there is something big Ollie and I found that you should see!"

*Bing Bong Ding Dong*

"I believe you've all had more than enough time to investigate so it's time for the third class trial to begin! As usual please meet up at the library immediately! See you all there!" Monokuma chuckled through the monitors as he ended the announcement.

Luca pinched and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Dammit, I guess I'll have to wait until the class trial to show you what I found."

I dropped my head in shame. "I'm sorry. I must have wasted your time."

He then shook his head, replying, "No, I'm the one who is sorry. I was busy catching Melinda back up and trying to explain everything to her. If anything I would have wasted your time if you waited for me so I'm glad you got your investigating done."

"Speaking of which, any luck with Melinda's amnesia?" I asked.

"No dice. It may take some time before her memories recover. If she recovers." Luca answered.

"I'd love to stay and chat ladies, but we have to get to the library now before the psycho bear makes us into sushi!" Shana forewarned us.

Luca and I nodded at each other as the three of us hurried over to the library. When we entered we saw most everyone else gathered around the bookshelf that led to the trial room deep below the school.

As we approached Paul glared angrily at me. "I'm sorely disappointed that you decided to sneak off when you were helping me investigate!"

Shana stepped forward in front of me. "Well, I didn't exactly give him a choice. I pulled him away while you interrogated Damian. I knew you'd be too wrapped up in your selfish agenda to notice me take Kai away. I needed to show him something and only him."

"Perhaps so you could trick him? I bet Monokuma is going to enjoy executing you next. I know I'll enjoy it." Paul smirked at her as her nostrils flared and snorted. She was an angered bull ready to charge but Tommy was quick to pull her by the horns.

"Forget him. He's just getting a reaction out of you." Tommy warned her. Shana kept her fiery eyes on Paul but nodded her response to Tommy as they walked away from him.

Next Monokuma popped up and guffawed. "Greetings boys and girls! Wait wuh? Are we missing some feminine characters?"

"Ollie is probably trying to help Melinda down from the second floor and the nurse's office," Luca answered him.

"Well, they better get here fast! We can't wait forever! I don't want to wait! It would be unfortunate if they were marked tardy or absent and had to face punishment!" Monokuma said evilly.

"Melinda was badly hurt during the party! It's not their fault!" I shouted at him.

"Well that won't be necessary anyways because they're here now, partner," Willie told me as we looked over and saw Ollie wheel in Melinda in a wheelchair.

Ollie approached us and stopped next to me. "She didn't get enough strength back yet to walk and I couldn't carry her down the stairs by myself so I had to wheel her down the stairs as fast as I could when I heard the announcement."

"Looks like you're not gonna get your punishment off, Monokuma." I laughed at him.

He just giggled back. "Hehehe. That depends on how things go during the class trial. Either way, I'm still gonna get my punishment off! Now then Mr. Celebrity, I believe it is time for you to open the gate to our courtroom and get this trial underway! See you all there!"

I growled as he slipped away. I went and pulled on the book I've had to pull on twice already. The towering shelf trembled as it slowly descended into the flooring and revealed the gated elevator ahead. With everyone moving forward and climbing in, it didn't feel very cramped like when we first entered. I mean we have lost so many good people to this demented game so it was only natural to feel that way.

As we felt the elevator shift and slowly drop down and down, I felt like my hands were clamoring and my heart bang against my chest as it beat so fast beyond comprehension.

This class trial always had a way of putting me on edge despite this being the third one we were being forced into. I glanced at everyone else and I could see it in them too, one way or another. Especially Melinda who trembled with teary eyes. Amnesia Melinda was a newborn child who saw their first death with their own eyes. She couldn't comprehend what was happening and I felt sorry for her right now. Otherwise, I wouldn't since she would have a similar expression that Paul wore; one of confidence and not a trace of compassion for the others around him anywhere to be found.

Soon the elevator ceased all movements and the door opened up to let us disperse into the courtroom. There we saw two new pictures taking up two more student spaces. I stepped onto my pedestal and looked to my left and saw Brenda's photo which had her grayed face crossed out with the red X on it. Then I saw Mikayla's photo and saw her red X looked like two needles crossing over each other to tie in with her medical expertise and abilities.

Monokuma then jumped up from nowhere as usual as he plopped down on that throne of his. "Alright! It's time to get this show on the road! Everyone, please place your e-handbook on the pedestal so I can mark you off as present on my attendance sheet!"

We all did so as Melinda was getting help from Marcel since she had no idea she had an e-handbook or what to do. Soon Monokuma nodded. "Alright attendance is complete and everyone still alive is checked off! We are ready to begin!"

I felt myself zone out as my mind flashed back to the horrific scene of Mikayla's murder as she dangled lifelessly from the stage lights. Mikayla Weissberg, the Ultimate Veterinarian, was a normal girl with big dreams and a love for all animals which included humans. She was clumsy and didn't have the steel stomach expected of her but she made up for that with her dedication and self-awareness to those around her. Then she lost those closest to her and as a result, she lost herself as well. But just when I felt like she was making progress on her road to recovery… she was brutally murdered. The culprit is one of us. Someone standing in front of me in this courtroom took her life and they need to pay for taking advantage of Mikayla and the state she was in!

The curtains draw open and reveal us as the cast who stands more as suspects lined up for the victim to point at and cry wolf. This third act is about to come to an end but I'm not sure if I'm ready to face the ending of this chapter in this deathly game, in this deathly life. In this deathly truth and this deathly lie. This deathly deception; all portrayed in this deathly class trial!

This chapter took a lot longer than expected. I had to redo a lot of this chapter because of how I was going about certain parts of the investigation and the retrival of the truth bullets but I finally got it right where I wanted it. But now I'm very nervous about the next two chapters because I now need to map out the class trial and how im gonna do that is not going to be easy since I haven't written a class trial chapter in what feels like a year. It may have been that long but I honestly can't remember. Either way I hope to get the first part of the third class trial done as fast as I can. Until next time, have a despairful time! Puhuhuhu~ (But in all seriousness don't. Stay safe and careful during these troublesome times!)