The Elevator continued to descend, deeper into the mountain, deeper than before even. The wait was agonizing, and Ichijou couldn't help but to sigh in relief when it stopped, the grate opening to the Courtroom. As Ichijou got a look inside, however, it was just as gloomy as the outside: the ground was paved with cobblestone, cracked and uneven. The walls had several low steps, displaying a number of gravestones, each with a unique name. Like before, the podiums and Monokuma on his chair were unchanged, except the addition of two new portraits.

As everyone began to step out, Ichijou noticed as Kirigiri began to study them. Monokuma ordered once more, "Alright everyone, please find the podium with your name on it and take your spot, so that we can begin!" Glancing back at the Elevator, Ichijou saw that one of the Students hadn't moved.

Ganaha whined, "I don't wanna..."

Turning back, Ichijou asked, "What's the matter, Ganaha-chan?"

The Producer pouted, "It looks like a graveyard and graveyards are creepy!"

Minami grumbled from her podium nearby, reminding her, "If you don't vote for the correct Culprit, you'll have more to worry about than ghosts."

Sitting in his throne, Monokuma laughed, "You'll be a ghost!"

Ganaha swallowed, before finally stepping out of the Elevator, her and Ichijou heading over to their podiums. As he reached his he couldn't help but look around, examining the two new portraits. In between Tamura's portrait and Ganaha's podium was Mikage's portrait, crossed with a blood colored cross. Like Kobayashi Nagisa's, Sanada Shinji's portrait, situated right between hers and Ichijou's, had a different marking. Two, stylized, pointing hands, were crossed over his face, fingers aimed at the corners.

As Ichijou looked around, Monokuma growled, "Sure, take your sweet time, Killygilly!"

Kirigiri frowned, before ceasing her inspection of the tombstones. She muttered, "Victims of the Killing Games, some from Volume 2, some from our current game, and a number of them that I don't recognize, likely from the newly discovered Secret Volume."

Ishihara gasped, "Secret Volume?"

Nodding, Kirigiri placed the black and yellow electrical book down on her podium, she answered, "It was underneath the Auditorium stage, along with this. We'll get around to it after the Trial. I haven't read it that one yet, however, I left it in the Library." Turning to Monokuma, she asked, "Shall we begin?"

Monokuma snarled, "Once you're all done yapping!" Clearing his throat, he began, "Welcome back, Students of Hope's Peak Academy, to the Class Trial! Allow me to explain the rules. Now that the investigation is concluded, you must use what you have learned to uncover the Culprit. When deemed appropriate, you will all vote on who you believe the 'Black' Culprit is. If you are correct, the Culprit will be Punished. If you are wrong, and vote a 'White', innocent Student guilty, the Culprit will Graduate and be allowed to leave, while everyone else Flunks, and is Punished." Looking, around, Monokuma suggested, "How about we start with-"

"Summarizing the course of events," Kirigiri interrupted. Looking over to Ganaha and Saruta, she said, "It would be a shame for you not to participate in anything but the voting process. Mitsuzi-kun, would you do the honors?"

Thinking over things in his head, he said, "Okay. Well, we were all at the barbeque, when Kasumi-chan, Jouji-kun, Minami-san, and Mikage-kun, who were in the Ranger Station, went through the hatch and down the metal ladder to the Mines. There, they all had a hallucination from the Monokuma Gas. Mikage freaked out, and ran off, and the others split off to find him. Then, there was a cave-in, caused by someone hitting the lever to the mine cart, causing it to spill its rocks and block the ladder off, so no one could reach them. The other exits were also sealed off: the metal door to the Auditorium was attached to electric wires, so it burned anyone who touched it." Ichijou held up his gauze wrapped hand in testament to his claim, before continuing, "The tunnel to the Hot Spring was only accessible by rope, but that rope was cut, so no one could get out until Nagasaki-chan and I could get to the Auditorium and fix the door. By then though, it was too late. Mikage was killed, with both a pickaxe and the elevator he was placed under."

Saruta blinked, asking, "Would anyone mind showing me their Monokuma File?" From a space away, Minami leaned over, handing hers to him. He nodded in thanks as he looked over it.

Kirigiri began, "Now, I suppose we should start from the very beginning. The Culprit had to have set all of this up somehow, no? But how? When? We only just searched the area for the first time this morning."

Ishihara suggested, "Then, the next time we were all together was dinner, and that didn't start until past six or seven."

Furugori thought, saying, "We finished searching a little after noon, I think. So they would have had a good five hours or so to manipulate everything."

Minami asked, "They would have had to pass through the Auditorium, and spend some time there, then they may have been at the Hot Spring or Third Level Ranger Station."

Kirigiri interrupted, "Well, even before that, they would have needed some supplies; this book, for example. They also needed the wire, to disable the door. Everything else was found in the Mine. Except for one missing piece: what could they have used to cut the rope?"

Nagasaki muttered, "A knife?"

Uzatei suggested, "Or the hatchet, perhaps."

Thinking about the two weapons, Ichijou said, "You'd have had to take the plastic off though, right? I mean, the knife might be able to stab through it, since it's still pretty sharp with the plastic on, but you couldn't cut with it like that."

Minami shook her head, pointing out, "Not that rope. It was far sturdier than clothes or skin. There's also the fact that it's round: a straight stab would be difficult, and missing would risk stabbing the rock behind it, or even yourself. Cutting the rope would be far more practical, which would require removing the plastic, as you said."

Kirigiri noted, "And after last Trial, it's highly unlikely that anyone would be foolish enough to use their granted weapon. Though, if someone doubted that, then may we take a short intermission to gather our weapons?"

Monokuma grumbled, "No luck! I'll confirm it just to save me the pain and suffering of waiting: no one has used their weapon since last time! Now get on with it!"

A bit smugly, Kirigiri nodded, "I thought so."

Ganaha mumbled with a tinge of frustration, "Then what did the Culprit use?"

Ishihara mumbled, "There were two Kitchen knives missing. One was Nagasaki-san's."

The Survivalist shook her head, insisting, "I didn't..."

Ichijou agreed, "Of course you didn't. But the other knife..." Thinking back, he realized who had taken it. "Minami-san? Didn't you grab one this morning? So you could cut the rope if need be."

A look on realization came over Minami's face, and she reached into her back pocket, retrieving the kitchen knife and placing it on. Shaking her head, she said, "I apologize, I forgot to return it."

Kirigiri looked over to Ishihara and Ichijou, asking, "Are you willing to accept that?"

As Ishihara pondered, Ichijou realized, "She grabbed it before we got into the Mines in the first place, so I think she's telling the truth. We didn't need it, so it makes sense that she forgot."

Kirigiri nodded, admitting, "I see." Looking around, she asked once again, "Then what was used to cut the rope?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Minami suggested, "Perhaps you used Kobayashi Nagisa's hatchet? Using the excuse that no one would dare use it as your shield."

Kirigiri scoffed, "Such a flimsy shield. And naturally, you conveniently ignore the fact that Monokuma said no one used their granted knife or hatchet, nipping your hypothesis in the bud."

Trying to come up with a suggestion to end the argument (long overdue, Ichijou had to admit), the Luckster blurted, "Uh, the trowel."

Kirigiri gave him a disappointed look, "That was last Trial."

Furugori butted in, "Wait a second. Did anyone check the Gardening Shed? There might have been something sharp there used to cut the rope. The trowel vanished with Tamura's corpse, but I think Sanada returned the hoe."

Nodding, Ichijou concurred, "That's it! The Culprit could have come and grabbed something at any time. Even returned it, they had hours." Looking over to Nagasaki, Ichijou asked, "Nagasaki-chan, you go by the Greenhouse more than anyone, did you see anything?"

Nagasaki frowned, shaking her head, "I took care of everything there while you were away. I was going to check the plants again after dinner, but I never got a chance."

Kirigiri thought for a moment, before sighing, "Then it inconclusive. We can't figure it out for certain yet, so we should move on." Looking over to Ichijou, she smiled, "I apologize for doubting you before thinking it through."

Ichijou shrugged, smiling, "No worries."

Moving on, Saruta asked, "Now, if we could focus on the door. I'm curious about how that was managed."

Nodding, Kirigiri explained, "Using a wire and a nail, they ran electricity from the panel behind the Auditorium stage and ran it to the metal door to the Mines past the hallway. This resulted in the electricity flowing from the panel through the door through a nail and into the ground, heating both the nail and the door. From the side of the Mines, it would have been nearly impossible to open it due to the risk of getting burned, like Mitsuzi-kun did." She gestured to him, and the Luckster nodded, holding up his bandaged hand.

Then Kirigiri held up the book, stating, "That's what this was used for. The guide would have allowed anyone who had the patience to read it to figure out how to set up something like that. However, once again, we are limited by timeframe: this isn't exactly a short book, and the Culprit would have to have been quite inspired to come up with a trap like that. I believe that while they were in the planning stages, they noticed the electrical panel, the recalled that they'd seen the book, and used it to set up the trap."

Minami glared, "Then it was most likely to have been you, no? Your fondness for books is no secret."

Kirigiri smirked, continuing, "It's also possible that the Culprit, having a fondness for electrical work due to her Talent, already knew how to set something like this up, and planted the book here to make it seem like it was otherwise. In which case it would have been you."

Minami harrumphed, "Quite a few leaps in logic there. Anything to support your argument, no matter how ridiculous, I see."

Trying to keep the peace, Ichijou shouted, "Anyone could have found that book!"

Kirigiri nodded, but pointed out, "And yet, only three of us were there with Mikage-kun." Looking over to Ishihara, she asked, "Ishihara-kun, you can read, correct?"

Ishihara answered, a bit insulted, "Of course I can!"

Ichijou swallowed as tensions started to rise. He didn't want to think any of them had done it, but there was no choice. There had never been a choice, it was the Culprit, or it was everyone.

Trying to take control again, Ichijou began, "So, the Culprit cut the rope and electrified the door, but then there was the mine cart. How did they manage that one? I mean, how would the mine cart have moved?"

Kirigiri pointed out, "A suitable amount of bulk would have sufficed."

Minami scoffed, "With that many rocks? You overestimate me."

Trying to think back, Ichijou pointed out, "There was that pile of dust around where the mine cart was this morning though, how did that get there?"

Uzatei suggested, "Perhaps the rocks weren't stacked properly, so upon rolling, some fell out?"

Furgori shook his head, pointing out, "A lot of them were pretty large though. They'd be hard to move."

Ichijou wondered aloud, "And why was the mine cart tilted forward?"

Saruta asked, "Forwards? By what perspective?"

Remembering, Ichijou answered, "Well, the front end was angled downwards, and the back end was angled upwards."

Saruta shook his head, reiterating, "And which way was the front pointing?"

Ichijou answered, "Oh! Towards the wall and cliff, while the back pointed to the other side."

Uzatei snapped, "Which side!?"

Furugori answered, "We saw earlier!"

Uzatei sighed, "I know, but we should be keeping it straight."

Ganaha shrugged, "I've never even been to the place, so don't mind me."

Ichijou finally answered, "Well, the lever, mine cart, and pile of rocks were all on Side A."

Saruta nodded, suggesting, "I see. Do you think that the mine cart was angled to shift its center of gravity? Even slightly, it would have allowed for ease of pushing it. And if properly oiled, it might not have been too difficult to push, no matter the load."

Kirigiri sighed, "And yet, you claimed you wouldn't be able to push it, Minami-san. Are your muscles secretly flesh colored balloons?"

Minami shrugged, "It looked heavy. I also factored in the possibility of rust, but not the idea of oil."

Ichijou remembered, "It really wasn't rusty though. Not like the lever."

Kirigiri nodded, "Speaking of the lever, I suppose I should mention that Mitsuzi-kun and I were able to pull it."

Ishihara asked, "Wait, wasn't it rusty?"

Ichijou confirmed, "Yeah, there was some rust around it. The Culprit could have used the sledgehammer to knock some of that rust off."

Furugori wondered, "Wouldn't that have bent the lever though?"

Minami shook her head, "It depends on where the lever was struck. If someone tried to move it with the hammer, certainly, but if they hit the base? That would have knocked some of the rust off. Then, I suppose anyone could have pulled it."

Kirigiri quickly interjected, "I'll also mention that I was unable to do it myself. It wasn't until Mitsuzi-kun helped that I was able to knock it free."

Minami grunted, "Oh? Did you pull like a girl or like a man? If you'd put your body weight on it, I'm sure you could have done it."

Kirigiri shook her head, insisting, "I'm half your size."

Minami shrugged, "Argue all you want: I see you for the manipulative slime you are. Playing the weakling to get Ichijou-san to help you? Have you even heard of the word 'honor'?"

Kirigiri said coldly, "It sounds familiar. Perhaps I read about it?"

As Minami glared, Ichijou and Ishihara simultaneously interrupted, Ichijou saying, "Anyway!" while Ishihara said, "Guys!" The two girls shot each other another pair of glares, before turning away. Ichijou had to admire Kirigiri though, exchanging words fearlessly with a girl who was, as she put it herself, twice her size.

Trying to get things back on track, Ichijou repeated, "Okay, so both of you could have pulled the lever, but should we get on the actual Victim? I mean, Mikage-kun hasn't even been mentioned. Your testimonies added up, but there's no way all of you would have just missed him every time again."

Ishihara suggested, "Well, maybe we can try and fill in the blanks of where he was? I mean, he started by running off, and there were only so many ways he could have gone, and the three of us went in every possible direction. Then, later, we found him under the elevator on Side A. If we try and figure where he could and couldn't have gone, we might get an idea."

Uzatei nodded, "Sounds like a plan. So, from Side A, where the four of you started, he ran away while you were suffering from hallucinations. He could have taken the elevator to the top, gone to the middle level, or gone across the bottom."

Minami shook his head, "No, he couldn't have taken the elevator: it was down on Side A, and up on Side B when we got there, and it still was when I took it up after we split up to find Mikage."

Ichijou nodded, "So he must have gone up to the middle or across the lower part."

Ishihara said, "If he went to the middle, that means I would have followed him, and if he went lower..."

Kirigiri nodded, "I would have followed him." Stopping to think, she suggested, "Perhaps, instead, we should work backwards? Where was Mikage just before the elevator came down and crushed his skull?"

Shuddering at the grizzlies, Ichijou suggested, "Well, he would have been lying there, right?"

Kirigiri asked, "Then why didn't he move?"

Thinking about it, Ichijou suggested, "Well, there was the leg injury, and the pickaxe."

Ishihara suggested, "What if he was knocked out?"

Kirigiri nodded, "There's a possibility. Someone found him, knocked him out, and placed him appropriately. Or perhaps he was discovered when he was somehow knocked out? Between the hallucinations and Monokuma Gas, the idea of him falling and hurting himself isn't really too farfetched."

Saruta shook his head, insisting, "But there weren't any other wounds. The Monokuma File says he only had the three. No bruises or blunt trauma anywhere."

Kirigiri sighed, "Disregard that then. I won't accept that he simply lied down and fell asleep, that would be far too convenient for our killer."

Minami spat, "You change your mind easily when contradicted, don't you? After all, how could the File possibly refer to blunt trauma? If he was struck in the head, any injury would have been erased with his skull."

Kirigiri returned fire, retorting, "To blather on about a false point would be needlessly stubborn. We have more to discuss. Besides, even if it is possible that he was knocked out somehow, it has yet to be shown that it's relevant." Turning back to the others, she said, "So, before being situated under the elevator, it's likely that he was disabled somehow. Excluding the idea of him being knocked unconscious, there are two options: the wound on his leg, and the wound in his chest. However this is where things get a bit strange. Given the severity of the chest wound and the damage done by the elevator, both would have been fatal, however, only one of them could have been."

Remembering the Monokuma File, Ichijou gasped, "Ah! The File didn't say what the cause of death was!"

Saruta concurred, looking at the file sitting open on his podium, "No, it does not."

Furugori wondered aloud, "Is there even a way to tell?"

Kirigiri suggested, "There are two possibilities: the elevator came down on his head first, or the pickaxe was driven into his chest first. The question may not be 'which?', however, it might be 'why?' Why kill Mikage with the pickaxe only to maneuver his body under the elevator? Or conversely, why put the pickaxe into Mikage's already dead corpse?"

Ganaha grumbled, "To make absolutely sure he was dead?"

Ignoring her, Uzatei said, "Perhaps the pickaxe blow wasn't as fatal as it appeared?"

Furugori suggested, "Maybe one was done to hide the other?"

Minami mumbled, "One may have been accidental..."

Kirigiri jumped down her throat, spouting, "Wouldn't that be conveniently unlucky?"

Ichijou quickly interrupted, "Whoa, wait: Furugori-kun! I think you're on to something!"

Furugori thought for a moment, before saying skeptically, "I dunno. I mean, if the elevator was what killed him, how could we tell who did it?"

Saruta pointed out, "It would have been whoever had hit the button, no?"

Turning to Monokuma, the bear confirmed, "Yup! The person who called the elevator, no matter which side they were on, would be the Culprit."

Kirigiri nodded, before continuing, "But with that much blood...the one to kill him must have been the very last time the one on Side A went down, when Minami and Ishihara called the other elevator up. Before that, the one to use the elevator on Side A was...oh? It was Minami-san, wasn't it?"

Minami nodded, before pointing out, "It's not as if I was the only one there before hand. You yourself claimed to be on Side A in the middle level, yet Ishihara-san didn't see you ahead of him, thought your light should have been visible. Isn't it more likely that you were a bit farther ahead than you claimed?"

Kirigiri smirked smugly, insisting, "Oh? Did the elevator move on its own then? You can presume what you want, but none of us were in the position to move that elevator, only you."

Minami shrugged, "Really? It makes more sense to me. I would have had to grapple with Mikage to get him to come with me. Not hard, with my brawn, admittedly, but the chance of injuring him would have been quite high. You however, wouldn't have needed too, however: he was rather enamored by you. It was your fault he came down with us in the first place! He would have followed you without hesitation! All you needed to do was use the pickaxe to cut his leg, kill him, then shove him under the elevator to make it look like I did it."

Kirigiri's smug smirk didn't fade, which only made Minami grumble louder. She mused, "Trapped in your own words. You said it yourself, didn't you? He wouldn't have been down there if I hadn't, but I wouldn't have been down there if you hadn't. Who was it that claimed they heard something below the Ranger Station? In our intoxication, I believed you, and was curious. Ishihara-kun was too noble to let us go alone. Mikage never really understood what was going on, he simply followed me. In other words, the four of us were led right into your trap."

Minami gritted her teeth, before saying, "You...you made that noise! You were the closest to the table."

Kirigiri shook her head, insisting, "Hardly. You're just going to be suspected even more if you stubbornly hold on to your lies."

A vein visibly bulging on her forehead, Minami gripped her podium roughly, as if to restrain herself from going across the Courtroom and making Kirigiri's skull match Mikage's.

Remembering a loose end, Ichijou said, "Er, she might have heard something, I mean, there are other explanations right? Like the Monokuma Gas, or the Sixteenth Student."

Kirigiri gave a sigh, saying, "Can we accept something so convenient?"

Ichijou gave her a look: that was a bit unlike her. Pointing it out, he said, "We have to look at all the options, Kasumi-chan."

Kirigiri blinked, before caressing her forehead. She gave a sigh, admitting, "Er, sorry. I just feel as though we're so close." Ichijou was a bit relieved: he was starting to feel as though Minami was the Culprit, but it felt as if Kasumi was being almost too zealous in pinning her down. The only explanation Ichijou could think of was that she was absolutely certain it was Minami. But in that same vein, wasn't Minami absolutely certain it was Kirigiri? What if they were both being tricked?

Kirigiri sighed, as if a bit tired, "So, if the Sixteenth Student were indeed down there, be they Gold Dragon or the Priest of Despair, they would have had all the time in the world to set everything up. However, trying to imagine them going around in the dark, not being seen by anyone or making any noise. Staying still in the dark might be possible, but moving?"

Ichijou said, "Couldn't they have followed one of you? Well, maybe not on the ground level, there was too much rubble. But on the upper two, maybe."

Minami wondered, "Then who were they following?"

Trying to think, Ichijou said, "Well, after they set everything up, they attacked Mikage with the pickaxe, injured his leg somehow, and put him in the elevator shaft. They also caused the cave in by pulling the lever."

Struck by realization, Minami suggested, "They may have been following me. Or something like that: they waited until I passed the lever, then activated it. Even assuming that they could incapacitate Mikage somehow, there's still the question of how they got back down."

Kirigiri nodded, "They could have simply taken the elevator. I went up on Side B, if you recall. Our Culprit may have waited in the elevator on side A, and descended along with it."

Minami shook her head, insisting, "I was on that elevator. Remember?"

Kirigiri thought for a moment, before saying, "Okay...well, after that, I went to the middle, while Ishihara-kun went back from the middle level to the ground level to talk to Mitsuzi-kun. And where were you at this time, Minami-san? You say you headed back up, but how could you possibly have if it was Ishihara who took the elevator up next? I had already taken Side B up earlier, when you went down. There was no one to use the Elevator to put it into the position you claim it was in." Raising her gloved finger, she jabbed it in Minami's direction, crying out, "You're a liar, Minami Fuyuko!"

Ichijou's head spun: it had gone so quickly from the Sixteenth Student back to Minami, he wasn't sure how to react. Neither did Minami, apparently, as she stood frozen, her eyes wide with surprise. Her eye twitched, and she let out a low growl, admitting, "I may have...lied."

Pressing him, Kirigiri asked, "About what?"

Minami admitted weakly, "The door...I trapped it, electrifying it."

Kirigiri continued, "The rope? The cave-in?"

Minami nodded, "I used my knife to cut the rope. I pushed the mine cart, and pulled the lever with my bare hands, and planted the sledgehammer there to suggest that it could have been anyone."

Ishihara asked, "Then...you found Mikage."

Minami swallowed, before admitting, "Naturally. I found him on the upper level. I held him down and kept him quiet. Before I could go back down to the lower level though, the elevator went down on its own: Kirigiri came up on Side B, so I hid until I had my opportunity. Perhaps that was my luck, however, because Ishihara came up on Side A, and went right by me."

Ishihara gasped, "Huh? Where were you hiding?"

Minami explained, "The tunnel, the caved in one near the door and lever. My flashlight was turned off. You left rather quickly." Continuing, she said, "So, while Kirigiri and Ishihara went down to the middle level, and I took the elevator down with Mikage. When we got to the lower level, I used the pickaxe to injure his leg, and got back in the elevator and went up. I held him in a position where he would drop into the shaft when the elevator went up. When I got to the top, I ran into Ishihara, then, we went to Side B. I pressed the elevator button, we went down, and came across Mikage's corpse."

The Contractor took a breath, glaring up at Kasumi as she explained, "But I'm not the only one lying! I saw you! You searched the upper level, but when Ishihara's elevator came up, you ran! Why? And the pickaxe: I set it aside, but the next I see it, it's lodged in Mikage's ribs!"

Uzatei nodded, "A kill theft?"

Kirigiri shook her head, saying, "I think you are incorrect. And I can prove it. Come to the center of the Courtroom please."

Minami gave a low growl, but complied, stepping forward. Looking over to Ichijou, Kirigiri asked, "Mitsuzi-kun, would you kindly join her?"

"Eh?" Ichijou gasped.

Minami snorted, "Too afraid to face me properly?"

Kirigiri shrugged, "Do you blame me?" Minami pondered for a moment, before giving a shrug of her own.

As Ichijou complied, stepping past his podium, Kirigiri asked, "Do a good search of her clothes, if you don't mind."

A bit cautiously, Ichijou followed her orders, looking Minami over. As he started to get uncomfortable, Minami insisted, "Do what you must, I have nothing to hide." Unfortunately, that did little to help Ichijou's mood.

As he looked her over, however, he recalled Kirigiri mentioning something like this earlier. Now with a purpose, he began to look for that gold dust. Once he knew what he was looking for, he exclaimed, "Ah! She's got gold dust on her shoulders and shoes!" It was rather hard to see, as, especially on her shoulders, most had been brushed away. But like with Ichijou's yukata, it wasn't gone completely.

Minami blinked in confusion, asking, "Yes, and?"

Kirigiri nodded, "The gold dust on your shoes is explainable: you manipulated the mine cart after all. But can you explain how you got dust on your shoulder?"

Minami thought for a moment, before explaining, "When I was pushing the mine cart, perhaps. I tried to be quick, so I used my back."

As she spoke, she looked at her hand, eyes widening. Ichijou looked over as well, revealing, "You've got some on your hand too."

Minami held her hands in front of her face, examining them as she, muttered, "But how?"

Kirigiri explained, "Did you even notice that there was gold dust on the pickaxe handle? The one you used to kill Mikage Naoki? It was no doubt scattered by the falling rocks banging against each other. Quite the mess you've made."

Minami looked at Kirigiri with a clear flash of anger in her eyes. Her fists clenched, and Ichijou wisely backed away, returning to his podium. Then, she let out a breath, grumbling, "Fine. I have no further arguments." Turning away, she returned to her podium as well.

Uzatei said warily, "So...you did it?"

Ishihara asked fiercely, "But why?"

Minami grunted, getting angry, "Why? Why!?" Her teeth bared, she took a deep breath, calming a bit, before answering, "I was reminded 'why' as soon as I returned to the Mine. Rats? Close quarters? The thought of dying here unfulfilled, the thought of never seeing my loved ones again, the thought of not being able to live my life to the fullest: that is true fear." Crossing her arms, she turned away, silently.

Kirigiri nodded, beginning, "Very well. It all began when the Cu-"

"I know what I did, and I know what you believe I did, so let's bring this Trial to an end," Minami interrupted. Kirigiri paused, but didn't argue, simply nodding.

Monokuma laughed, "Well then! Let's move on to the voting period! You know how it goes!"

As the screen on Ichijou's podium changed, the Luckster looked at Minami's portrait before raising his hand.

"Are you satisfied?" came a voice.

Surprised, Ichijou looked up, seeing Kirigiri staring at him. At his confusion, she repeated, "Are you satisfied?"

Ichijou blinked in confusion at her question. It seemed simple, but Ichijou couldn't really get what she was asking. Was he satisfied with...the reveal? The Culprit's identity? All the clues had been accounted for, hadn't they? They'd been thorough, he thought.

"A thorough clothing check might be prudent: last time, we were able to tell Nagasaki-san was involved because she only had her one weapon."

Was there something they'd missed?

"But, Naoki-kun, you're not a Super High School Level Brew... Maybe I should just have a drink."

"I'm not so confident in my climbing skills, however, and Mikage..."

As Kirigiri's words played in his mind, Ichijou realized it was simple. There was nothing to think so hard about. There were only two answers to the question Kirigiri had asked. And Ichijou's was...

"No."

As his hand hovered in front of his touch screen, he shook his head, repeating, "No. I'm not satisfied, Kasumi-chan."

The Students paused their attempt to vote, looking up at the Luckster and the amnesiac, who simply stared silently. Clenching his fist, he retracted his hand, raising it and pointing it at Kirigiri, insisting, "We need to be thorough!"

Expression unchanging, Kirigiri put her gloved hand to her chin, nodding, "I see. What was bothering you?"

Thinking to her words, he said, "I remember, before, you had no problems calling Mikage 'Naoki-kun', like he called you 'Kasumi-chan'. But ever since he died, you've been using 'Mikage'."

Kirigiri looked aside, before explaining, "Isn't that natural? It's sad, but he's deceased: there's no reason to use an honorific."

Ichijou nodded, admitting, "Maybe, but the other thing...if you were the Culprit, you would have gotten gold dust on your hand."

Kirigiri nodded, "Then I would have wiped it off. On Mikage Naoki's clothes. Why not?"

Having not thinking about that possibility, Ichijou thought for a moment, before shaking his head, "No, there was blood everywhere, and dust. Finding an opportunity would have been too difficult down there. And even if you had, it doesn't come off easily."

Kirigiri scratched her chin, before saying, "So I must have wiped it on my own clothing, correct? Shall I strip for you?"

Ichijou shook his head, asking, "There's no other way you could have removed it!"

Kirigiri shook her head, "Could I not have just washed it off?"

Thinking back, Ichijou said, "There...wasn't any water. The Restaurant was locked, and the water in the Lodges was turned off."

"The Lake?" Kirigiri suggested, adding, "I was near the Library when we were called to the Courtroom."

Blinking, Minami noted, "I haven't installed the ropes yet, you couldn't have gotten up alone, let alone without getting muddy."

Looking back to Kasumi, Ichijou asked, "Would you take off your gloves?"

Kirigiri paused for a second, before smiling slightly, "Very well. I suppose it would be easier to simply show you." Her confidence offered Ichijou some relief, the boy being glad at the fact that he was wrong. Kirigiri took off her right glove, and revealed her palm.

"Well done, Ichijou Mitsuzi," Kirigiri said, as the Luckster saw small shining bits of gold reflecting on her hand.

Ichijou felt his mind blank and heart sink as Kirigiri demanded, "Finish it."

Ichijou's eyes darted around as he stammered, "I...what!?"

Kirigiri insisted, "You called me out, didn't you? You know exactly what I've done." Throwing her glove roughly on the ground, she shouted, "Finish it!"

Swallowing, Ichijou gathered his thoughts, still barely able to believe what had happened, before beginning, "Okay... After our exploration of the Mines, Minami Fuyuko decided to act on the incentive. Gathering a wire, an electrical information manual, a nail, and her knife, she headed back to the Mine, and prepared to seal herself in along with everyone she could manage. She cut the rope leading to the Hot Spring, and manipulated the mine cart, moving it over to the edge of Side A. She also left a sledgehammer there for later. Then, she went to the Auditorium, where she used the knowledge from the manual to set up a trap for the metal door to the Mine, before hiding the book underneath the stage. The preparations in place, she went back to her normal pace until dinner."

"At the barbeque dinner, everyone except Minami, Furugori, and I drank some of the alcohol, which messed with some of our minds. Towards the end of dinner, Minami claimed to hear something coming from underneath the Ranger Station, and was able to lure Ishihara, Mikage, and K-er...the Culprit down with her. Once they were in the Mines, the Monokuma Gas took hold, reminding them of their fears. Mikage, the alcohol and Gas working against him, panicked, and ran, trying to find a way out. The other three split up to find him. Minami took the elevator on Side A to the top, while Ishihara went to the middle level, and the Culprit went along the bottom. Minami encountered Mikage, and with full intent to kill him, kept him in check. However, before she could go down to the bottom level, Ishihara came up, taking the Elevator on Side A down while Minami hid. At the same time, the Culprit ascended, still looking for Minami. While Ishihara explained to me what was going on, the Culprit looked around the upper level until Ishihara returned, and they ran."

"Once Ishihara and the Culprit were on the middle level, Minami took the elevator down with Mikage. She took a pickaxe and injured his leg, not even noticing as she got gold dust on her hands. She then placed him near the elevator and ascended, letting Mikage fall near the elevator shaft, too injured physically and mentally to move. Ishihara, hearing the elevator, went back up, meeting Minami at the top. Meanwhile, the Culprit went lower, stumbling across the wounded Mikage. Taking the opportunity, they took the pickaxe, driving it into Mikage's chest and ending his life. Using their gloves, they hid the gold dust, avoiding the chance of making things messier by rubbing it on something. Then, the Culprit fled, waiting nearby until the coast was clear. Minami and Ishihara came along, and then the Culprit returned, acting as if nothing had happened."

"But...Kasumi-chan..." Ichijou muttered, still hardly able to believe it himself.

With a slight nod, as if she didn't care, Kirigiri cast her vote on her touch screen. The other Students were frozen at the exchange, even Minami.

Monokuma laughed, "Gyahahaha! What an upset! Hurry up and vote now, don't you hold me up any longer!"

Nagasaki muttered with a bit of horror, explaining, "I'm sorry, I already voted..." Looking around, Ichijou doubted she was the only one who cast their vote early.

Now being rushed, the remaining Students quickly cast their votes. Ichijou was still unable to think as straight as he desired even as he pressed Kirigiri's mugshot on the touch screen. In moments, the votes were cast, and the large colored wheel rose from behind Monokuma's throne. It began to spin doing so for a couple seconds until it finally landed on the pale purple section, the black writing reading '-ri Kasu-', the rest being scratched out . As the wheel locked into place, Monokuma laughed, "Well, that was surprisingly close! Probably due to a few gun jumpers, but in the end, it was our forgetful Kirigiri Kasumi voted Culprit. Aaaand...you got lucky this time! Kirigiri Kasumi was our killer. People forget a lot of things, but never basic human nature! Such a shame too, you were so close to getting out of here!"

Still a bit stunned, Ichijou muttered, "I still don't understand..."

Raising an eyebrow, as she removed her other glove, Kirigiri mentioned, "Really? You seemed to have everything figured out."

"But...but why?" Furugori muttered, frowning.

Kirigiri looked away, mumbling, "Don't give me that look." Keeping her gaze aside, she answered, "And why ask me? Minami has had me pinned for a Culprit for...how long now? Long before now, certainly."

Minami snorted, but said nothing, as her role in things meant she was no better. Saruta wondered, "But why act now? Opportunity?"

Kirigiri smirked, "Why? I had Minami pinned for a potential murderer the moment she claimed to hear something the other three of us failed too." Turning to the hulking girl, she insisted, "Had I not killed him, I would have unveiled you easily, and you would-"

"Why not just save him?" Uzatei mumbled bluntly.

Kirigiri's visage fell, and a look of horror crossed her face as she stared at Uzatei. Raising her hand to her forehead, she muttered, "I...could have saved him..." Her breath shaky, she continued, "All I needed to do was pull him out of the elevator." Kirigiri staggered, supporting her shaking legs with the podium in front of her as she finished, "I'm just...a murderer."

Ichijou felt his mood sinking by the moment: not only had he seen his friend act out the role of murderer, the guilt she felt only made Ichijou return it with pity.

Regaining some of her composure, she stood straighter as she said, "It's not fair. Monokuma...he teased me, with a memory, one of my childhood. Nothing significant, it was like a picture: I was young, playing in my room, in my home. That was it, but...I could remember things I couldn't remember feeling since. Safety: the knowledge that I wasn't hounded by the risk of death, the knowledge that there was someone outside my room who would protect me no matter what. And then, when I was hit with the hallucination in the Mines, I felt...how awful, it would be, to live never knowing who I was, who I am. I couldn't bear that fear. Mikage...he wasn't conscious when I found him, but if he were, maybe he would have been able to stop me. Maybe he could have begged me for his life. It's not fair! It's..." The girl trailed off, looking away shamefully.

Shaking her head, she continued, "No, that was a lie. I was wrong. It is fair. Those feelings, the confidence and trust I felt from my family, and the loss resulting from being separated from them...the rest of you, you've been contending with that since we got here, haven't you? Monokuma didn't give me an unfair disadvantage, he leveled the playing field. And I revealed my weakness. But the rest of you...you're strong. In more ways than one. You can get through this without me, I think."

"Kasumi..." Ichijou mumbled. He had many things to say, but he couldn't find the words.

Turning to him, Kirigiri forced a smile, saying, "Good job, Mitsuzi-kun. You impressed me today. If you find yourself in the Courtroom again, I don't think you'll have anything to fear." As she finished, she slowly turned to the Execution Chamber.

Before Ichijou could say anything, she stopped, turning back, her slight smile still on her face as she added, "Oh, I almost forgot. That recommended reading material? I left it in the Library for you. I never got around to giving it to you."

Ichijou tried to grasp for a way to say his thoughts, she turned, continuing to the Execution Chamber. The Luckster finally spit out, "Kasumi...thank you. For helping me."

Pausing her walk, Kirigiri didn't turn to face him. After a moment, she said, her voice shaky and weak, "Goodbye."

KIRIGIRI KASUMI(?) HAS BEEN DECLARED GUILTY OF MURDER

PREPARING EXECUTION...

As calmly as she could, Kirigiri strode into the Execution Chamber as she removed the hair tie binding her ponytail in place. A tense look crossed her face as it opened, revealing a stone path to a gloomy mansion, painted white and black, dim light coming from its windows, rain pouring from above in the light fog. As she walked through the opened metal gate, she tightened her blazer around her as she got wet, no doubt too anxious to question the whole thing. As she reached the door, she knocked on it, and it swung opened. As she stepped in, the door closed behind her, locking her in.

The Sleuth's Final Case: Opened!

Now standing in a grand entry chamber, with two staircases, a large chandelier and a few doors, Kirigiri Kasumi looked around, examining her surroundings before stepping in. As she walked, the chandelier above swayed unnaturally, before the chains hooking to the sealing began to snap and break. Kirigiri glanced up, before jumping ahead. Once she was out of the way, however, the chandelier stopped, simply hanging quietly. A bit hastily, Kirigiri headed up the stairs, her eyes warily on the chandelier.

Her distraction cost her, however, as some of the steps collapsed underneath her. As her leg went underneath the stairs, she fell forwards, jarring her chin on another step. Quickly, she pulled herself up, climbing to the top and looking around as the mansion seemed to shudder around her. She stood at the top of the stairs for a few moments, until the mansion shuddered violently again, as if demanding her to move, a chilling 'upupupu' echoing throughout. Reluctantly, she complied, going down a hall, past a window, and into one of the rooms. Stepping into a bedroom, she looked around as she stepped in, noticing as a bookshelf wobbled towards her. She jumped away as it fell, crashing through the floor and ripping it open. As it shook, Kirigiri lost her footing, and fell after it. It crashed on the ground, and she landed in its pile of broken wood and clothes. Sitting up, she looked around, horror dawning on her face as she realized she'd landed in the Kitchen.

Scrambling up, she dared to look for a way out, but something caught her eye: a wire around a rack on the wall above her, looped around the two support nails in the corners, the rack filled with knives pointing downwards. Following the wire, she saw a certain bear perched near the door, a pair of the taught threads in hand a barely concealing mask over his face. Hoping to dodge to convoluted mechanism, Kirigiri attempted to flee, but Monokuma pulled one of the wires, which was looped around the handle of a cabinet door, which made her buckle, falling back towards the rack, which shuddered as the other wire was pulled. Her way blocked, her gaze turned, she could only close her eyes and accept her fate as the knives tumbled down upon her.

After a clatter of noise, and the spreading of warm blood from the knife riddled corpse, the masked Monokuma laughed as he took the wires and left, chuckling cheerily.

As the door to the Execution Chamber closed, the Students once again stood in stunned silence at the execution. Monokuma returned to his seat, laughing, "Well, she sure fought, didn't she! Almost all the way to the end! That girl just couldn't make up her mind. 'Live, die, no, live! Eh, nah, I'll die.' If anything, I have to give her credit though: not since the veeeeeeeery first Game of Mutual Killing has someone come that close to winning it all, upupupu."

Starting to feel sick, Ichijou gritted his teeth at Monokuma, muttering, "You..." Stopping himself, he took a breath, trying to steady himself, before leaving his podium and heading to the elevator, along with everyone else. As they piled in, the Elevator began to rise.

The journey upward was silent for several minutes, until Minami mumbled, "I still don't understand..."

Uzatei guessed, "I thought she was clear. She wanted to get out of here, just like Kobayashi. Just like Sanada."

Minami shook her head, clarifying, "No, it's not that. Kirigiri had it in the bag: she was moments away from leaving this place behind and all of us with it. But she threw all of that away. If she took Mikage's life...why would she throw that action away, and make it meaningless? Live a villain, die a villain...does it matter?"

Ichijou shook his head, insisting, "I don't feel like she died a villain though. I don't even feel the same about Kobayashi. They were Victims as much as Moriko or Mikage or Ryunosuke or Hina. Sanada though...I don't know how I feel about him."

"Scum," Nagasaki hissed.

Ichijou nodded, unable to disagree fully, but he added, "But still, I felt like there was more too him. He was going to say something before he died, but Monokuma stopped him, then gave us that newspaper article that he may have been related too. But now I'm not sure if we'll ever know. Same goes for Kasumi's past."

After a moment, Ishihara reasoned, "Well, Monokuma might give us something else to clue us in. There's always Hope."

"True," Ichijou admitted.

A few minutes later, the elevator came to a stop. As the door opened, Ichijou could hear the sound of cicadas, meaning it was now later than five in the morning. The Trial had gone through most of the night. Ichijou presumed that they'd be able to see a glow on the horizon once they got close enough.

He focused on that for a few moments, trying not to remember how the first Trial had been solved by the absence of those same cicadas. He didn't want to think about her right now. But of course, as he lingered in the Elevator, one of the others hung back as well. When everyone else was out of earshot, Minami Fuyuko asked him, "Ichijou-san, do you have a moment?"

Snapping back, Ichijou replied, "Huh? Er, yeah."

Minami looked him over, before asking, "Do you really think that? Do you really think Kirigiri Kasumi died a victim and not a Culprit?"

Ichijou thought for a moment, before nodding silently. Minami then asked, "And what of me? Am I to be another victim? Or do you think that because I tried once doesn't mean I'll try again?" Ichijou's eyes widened as he gave her a look of disbelief. Minami continued, "Don't you get it? I can't stand it here. I can't stand Monokuma, and your lives are meaningless next to my loved ones and ambitions! I can't live my life to the fullest here, and the Monokuma Gas only made me see that clearly. I tried to repress it, to hold onto Hope that we could get out of here, but I don't think I can anymore, and the incident in the Mine doesn't change that."

Ichijou hesitated, taken aback for a moment. As he tried to find the right words, he realized had been standing there for a few seconds quietly. Unable to think of a good response, he gritted his teeth, blurting, "Fine! Then in that case, I'll help you! You wanna build something? We've got a whole forest down there! There's a Mine too! Let's make that Fort look like a tiny, worthless shack!"

Minami looked at him in confusion, before chortling, "Fine, I'll hold you to it." As she walked away, Ichijou was a bit worried about what he might have gotten himself into.

The last one out, Ichijou headed back to the Lodges, crossing the First Level. As he saw the cliff side, he was correct: a light glow could be seen on the horizon, the sun was coming, the fog rolled away. It was looking to be another perfect day in Arashimine Resort. Heading back to his Lodge, he entered, lumbering in and sitting on his bed.

Taking a breath, he sought to unwind, but a rush of thoughts hit him. He buried his face in his hands as he thought about the Trial once again. He didn't shy from it, or lie, to himself or others. Kasumi had killed Mikage. Kasumi had been seconds away from letting everyone else die. Ichijou wanted to say it was her sense of good that had made her reach out to him at that last moment, but the truth was, he couldn't make any assumptions about her any more. For everything that he'd said, in the end, he could never be sure what would have happened if he'd said 'Yes'. One of the people he trusted most to see them get through this had almost done just the opposite.

But maybe...that was fine? Kirigiri had said it herself, she was weak. With every murder, perhaps things were getting more stable, not worse.

At that thought, Ichijou laid down on his bed, feeling nauseous. To think those things...maybe he had to? Despite his failings, the others admired him. Kirigiri had said they were strong. What was Ichijou's strength? His 'optimism'? Whatever it was, he had to accept it, he couldn't let this incident change that. Right?

As he tossed and turned, he felt as though a heavy weight had been pressed on both his heart and shoulders.

Elsewhere in the Resort, as the sun continued to steadily climb in the sky, a hand stroked a chin contemplatively as a voice chuckled. A mind contemplated on the events of the Trial they had witnessed.

A heart prayed that none of those faces would smile again.

CHAPTER 3 END

SURVIVORS: 9

They say it's always darkest before dawn, but in truth, the night has only just fallen.

That is to say, I feel like my next two Chapters are going to get a little...dour. I'm messing around with some weird stuff, and I can only hope you'll enjoy it, so thanks for reading!

Next chapter is going to have another pair of Free Times. Our last ones, so if you want to see more about these guys, be sure to vote! Polls can be found here: /1998215

Lastly, we have our Chapter Design Notes, as usual: /ypKwBPcJ