back to normal chapters for now! :)

"We're dealing with two separate killers this time. "

Akihito's mouth fell open at Kyouko's words, and Reuben did the same. Dai, surprisingly (not), remained calm.

"Well, it would seem we have our work cut out now, don't we?" he asked.

"Hmm." Kyouko's expression was a mixture of guilt, anger and sadness.

"Anyway, I was thinking I should go visit Naegi-kun before the trial starts. How is he?"

Kyouko gave Dai a guarded look.

"He should be fine. Kobayashi-kun is taking good care of him. "

"That's good to know."

Dai left them, leaving Kyouko, Akihito and Akaya with Afar's body. Reuben began to pay attention to the storeroom's state. The box that had been a big part of the first trial (and now one that he thought of as the X-rated box) was untouched. The floor around Afar was a mess, as a result of all his junk and he appeared to have knocked over boxes and bags of sporting equipment when he had fallen.

The sporting equipment triggered something in Reuben's head, but he couldn't quite get at it. If he could, he was sure he'd be able to figure out the culprit responsible for killing Afar. But he couldn't get it. It was frustrating.

"So…"Akihito said, breaking the silence and Reuben's thought train "You going back to visit Naegi-kun?"

"I think I'll see what Kasuragi-san and the others have been up to first. Then I will. "They both left, Akihito heading to the infirmary with Akaya, Kyouko to the laundry room.

The camera followed Kyouko. When she got there, Janus and Suzu had joined Emi and Nanako, and Arisa had left.

"Kobayashi-san kicked us out, said that some of the others should have a turn at helping him." Janus explained.

Kyouko nodded.

"Did anyone find anything?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Emi held out her arm and uncurled her hand to show that she was holding a small collection of gems.

"We think they came off something, possibly the murder weapon?" she explained. Nanako rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, what idiot would decorate a weapon?"

"If it was ceremonial, perhaps. Or something that wasn't actually intended to be used as a weapon-a decoration." Kyouko said patiently.

Nanako pulled an annoyed face in response. Everyone else ignored her as Kyouko pulled out a small plastic bag to put the gems in. As she did, the plastic bag containing the secret found on Afar fell out. Suzu went to pick it up.

"Thanks." Kyouko said.

Suzu regarded the piece of paper in the bag. This, for some reason, made Nanako cackle.

"Can you believe the hoarder was hoarding secrets? Not even his own!"

Suzu raised an eyebrow at her and continued scrutinising the paper. Reuben was irrationally glad that they were all ignoring Nanako. She got on his nerves.

"What's wrong, Suzu?" Janus asked.

She held the paper out to him, and pointed.

"I don't get it…" Neither do I…

Suzu sighed, and took out her notebook, scribbled a single word on it, and showed it to Kyouko so that she could read it out.

"Folds." Kyouko obliged. "Could you explain?"

Suzu wrote something else.

"The folds are weird." Kyouko read out again. Her face wrinkled up in confusion.

"I think you should hold that thought for the trial. I'm going to check up on Naegi-kun."

"I think we'll come back with you. " Janus said. "What about you, Tamuro-san?"

Nanako shrugged.

"It's not like I have anything better to do with my life. "

Kyouko merely nodded at them and left the room. The others followed.

When they got there, the infirmary was in an uproar, everyone somehow managing to fit in to the room.

"What happened?! " Kyouko demanded, her voice almost drowning in the noise.

Eventually, everything quietened down enough to allow Arisa to explain that someone had gone and attacked Naegi-again, managing to reopen the wound he'd sustained before.

"How did that happen?" Janus asked.

"Unfortunately, the infirmary doesn't have its own bathroom, so I left for just a few minutes…when I got back, Yoshida-kun, Kiyomizu-san, Ishi-san and Sayuri-san was trying to raise the alarm." Kosuke said, not turning around.

Kyouko regarded them with a cold look, which made Arisa and Sayuri flustered. Akaya reddened slightly; apologising for not being able to keep a proper eye on him, and Dai simply raised an eyebrow in response.

"Perhaps this should be saved for the trial?" Janus suggested.

Kyouko thought about this.

"That's probably a good idea. How is he now, Kobayashi-kun?"

"I don't know? Hopefully the damage isn't too great. I don't think he felt anything this time, considering the anaesthetic wouldn't have had worn off yet, so hopefully that is a comfort to you. "

"Thank you." Kyouko said.

"I hope he'll be okay…" Chihiro said, looking up at Eirik with an expression that reminded Reuben of Matilda.

He wasn't entirely sure what the story was behind that, but they seemed to have attached to each other pretty quickly after coming out of the public bathroom –something he'd never thought possible of the frosty Eirik. But there were bigger things at stake, as Monobear had suddenly come into the already packed infirmary and announced that it was time to get them down to the trial.

"I can't leave." Kosuke said shortly." I have to take care of Naegi-kun. He is my patient. "

"ARE YOUUU VIOLATING I AUTHORITY?" Monobear boomed, jumping manically.

"I am pretty sure that was grammatically incorrect….." Shika muttered.

"It was." Akihito muttered back.

Everyone (Reuben included) watched Kosuke and Monobear stare at each other, neither willing to back down.

"He isn't dead yet. I want to keep it that way."

"Uuuu…that wouldn't be fun now, would it?"

"…"

"Ah, well. He's supposed to be SDHSL Good Luck….let's see how that works out!"

"I assume we're done then."

"Yes, yes! Now the rest of you, get down to the courtroom!"

"Woah, wait!" Everyone looked at Nanako. "What if he's one of the culprits? Then he'll get away with it!"

Huh. She actually said something smart.

Akihito expressed this sentiment, causing Nanako to glare.

"That's actually a good point. Then again, why would he sabotage his own patient?" Arisa said.

"Munchausen's Syndrome?" Eirik said the words in English, causing confusion.

"It's where someone deliberately harms someone in their care to appear special or to get attention. It's a psychological disorder. But I doubt Kobayashi-kun has it. "Akaya clarified. Everyone nodded distractedly.

"Well, well, this is all real interesting but you need to get down there to discuss it!"Monobear squawked. "But, I'll make the lives of you bastards just a tad easier and say this-Kobayashi-kun isn't a culprit, for either case. SO LET'S GO!"

The video stopped abruptly. Reuben rubbed his eyes, then shut the computer down and went straight to bed.

…

"Did you actually sleep last night?" Reuben's mother asked him over breakfast, noting the bags under his eyes and the fact that he hadn't bothered to tidy his hair.

"Yeah…" his mother gave him a look, and he buckled a bit "Revision. "

"You do realise that you don't need to spend the entire 24 hours studying, right? As long as you don't neglect it….."

Reuben rolled his eyes.

"It's fine, really."

"Anyway, that nice girl, Lucy's friend, is supposed to be coming to help you later, right?"

"Ah, you mean Kimiko-san. Yes, she is. Thomas is coming around too. "

"Of course. Don't destroy the house, okay? And will you pick Matilda up from day care this afternoon?"

"I can do that. It'll give me a break. "

"Okay! I need to go now, so don't destroy the house, okay?"

"You already said that, mum. Have a good day." Reuben grinned.

When she left, he wondered what to do.

Changing out of your pyjamas might be a start. He berated himself.

So he did, and then brought down his biology notes and textbooks and set them on the large round dining table. And soon, he was stuck again. He briefly considered watching the next video, but decided against it. If Thomas and Kimiko arrived while he was watching it, then he wouldn't be able to approach the topic tactfully enough, as he'd still be buzzing. No, it was best to hold out.

The next hour passed in a blur of TV, flicking through notes and wandering around the kitchen until finally , the doorbell rang.

…

All through the first half of the study session, Reuben was distracted, trying to figure out how to approach the issue with Kimiko. She seemed to notice he wasn't on top of things, but was tactful. Thomas, on the other hand, was not.

"Reuben! Wake up!" he said for the millionth time, poking him in the arm. Reuben gave him a sour look in response.

"I am awake." He said irritably.

"Perhaps now is a good time for a break." Kimiko suggested.

"FOOD!" Thomas declared. Reuben got up from the kitchen table and started pulling things out from cupboards.

"I'll make something quick. Toasted sandwiches?"

"Hell yes." Thomas said.

"That would be good, thanks. " Kimiko said more politely.

Reuben went about making it, listening in as Thomas attempted to flirt with Kimiko (although it sounded more like a good-natured interrogation)

"So…where did you live as a kid?" he asked.

"In Tokyo. My parents are quite wealthy, so we were right in the middle of the city. "

"Ohh, so they're bankers or lawyers or something?"

" Musicians ,actually. "

Reuben was surprised. "Really?" he asked "They must be quite famous. "

"They are. Kentaro and Michiko Ishi?"

Thomas started again.

"I haven't heard of them, unfortunately. Perhaps sometime you should force me to listen to their music. I'm sure I'll be transformed. "

"Perhaps." Kimiko said guardedly.

There's a story there… Reuben thought.

"And are you the only one? Or are there lots of Kim clones walking around?" Reuben mentally groaned.

"I have one sister. Arisa. She's 15."

Arisa Ishi .The name fit. Reuben started to feel cold.

"Oh. I'm sure she must be a genius like you. "

This made Kimiko laugh. Her laugh was very similar to Arisa's, which went even further to confirming Reuben's suspicions.

"Actually, she's more of a Maths genius. You guys do Maths, right?"

"Reuben does." Thomas said.

"I see. You might have found her helpful-if she was patient enough. God, that girl." Reuben detected a tone of fondness in Kimiko's voice. Clearly she loved her sister.

"I'm going to visit her when we go to Japan. She's at boarding school at the moment, but because I used to go there, they'll let me visit. "

"Boarding school eh? That's tough. "

"Well, not really. You see, this isn't any ordinary boarding school. "

"You so need to explain this. " Thomas said in mock shock.

This is it. This is where I find out that I was justified in worrying. Reuben brought over the sandwiches and sat down.

"Thomas, stop talking like a cheesy American girl." He said jokingly.

"Whatever. So, tell us, what makes your school so special?"

"Well…it's a bit of a strange concept, but this school seeks out the most talented students, regardless of field, and takes them in. I was entered as a Biologist, and Arisa as a Mathematician. "

"That's….." Thomas (for once) was speechless.

"I know, it's odd. But I was happy there, and when I last heard from Arisa, she was happy too. "

"Are you talking about Hope's Peak?" Reuben asked before he could control his mouth.

Kimiko gave him a suspicious look. Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"What? I might have read about it on the internet. It sounds familiar."

Kimiko seemed satisfied with the explanation.

"We call it Kibogamine in Japan. Leading up to January, there's a big buzz on various internet forums, so that's possible, I think."

Reuben immediately spotted something odd with that statement.

"January?"

"Oh, yeah. The school year at Kibogamine starts in January and ends in December."

"Right…"

"Anyway, I think we should eat and get back to working, okay?"

…

The first thing Reuben did once Kimiko and Thomas had finally left was to check the time. He was pleased to see that he had an hour and a half left before he needed to pick up Matilda, so he headed straight to his computer. There was another video that needed watching.

Rather than starting at the place it had stopped, this video showed everyone already in the courtroom, all behind their stands.

Kyouko was the first to speak. There was the slightest tremor in her voice, but she was as quietly authoritative as always.

"Before we start, you need to clear up some things, Monobear."

"OH? "The bear was grinning in a way that defied physics. Which was saying something, as Reuben hated physics, and didn't take it as a subject.

"We have two culprits, not just one. What does that mean in terms of the rules?"

" Huh? Oh , yes! Well , well, Kirigiri-san is a smart one, isn't she guys?" When nobody responded, the bear pouted "Oh, never mind! She is! Well, let me see…."

"You don't KNOW?!" Arisa yelled. Reuben shivered as he saw her, knowing that if she was real, then there was a good chance everyone else was too.

"Now I do! Basically, get both culprits, and only they die. Get only one and…hmmm, I think I'll say that only the undetected culprit should escape. "

"Ah. So as usual, this is another fight for our lives. In that case, I have no more questions. Shall we begin?"

"Let's start with Toar-kun." Akihito said "I think his case may be the easier one to discuss, if not solve first."

"You were the one who discovered him, weren't you?" Shika asked curiously.

"Well…technically, that was Sakamoto-san."

Everyone looked at Mirai, who reddened a bit. Her fingers moved in a rapid typing motion.

"Well…Chii-Chan was having a nap…so I was wandering around….and I saw him. He looked kinda asleep, but there was blood on his head…" Reuben recalled Mirai's confusion when she had relayed the news to Akihito.

"When was this?" Kyouko asked.

"Erm…in the afternoonish, I think."

"That's not very precise." Akihito pointed out.

Mirai's response was to make a noise that sounded vaguely like "adfgggg"

"Anyway…It was about 3pm when I walked past her, so I guess we can say he died around then." Akihito said "Right?"

Kyouko looked thoughtful.

"I found Naegi-kun at around 3:15…"

"HOLY CRAP! The crimes happened at the same time, almost!" Akihito yelled

"That's kinda scary." Shika said. "It's as if the killers were working together."

"I doubt it. " Janus said. "They both had a completely different M.O., right?"

"M.O.?" Shika, Arisa, Mirai, Akihito and Nanako echoed.

"Modus Operandi." Eirik translated, causing Reuben to stifle a grin.

"A what? Is that a type of weapon?" Nanako asked.

"No. It's basically a term to describe the way in which the criminal works their method of killing or whatever. "Eirik explained.

"He's right." Kyouko said. "Toar-kun appeared to have been hit over the head a few times, randomly almost. So I think the intention wasn't to kill him, but simply to subdue him. Either that, or the person is an amateur killer."

"Aren't we all?" Janus commented.

"Naegi-kun, on the other hand…the wound across his throat was precise, a straight line. He wouldn't have had time to struggle. And the fact that the killer tried to reopen the wound shows that the killer knew exactly what he was doing. He was utterly professional." Kyouko continued.

"But nobody here is an SDHSL Assassin or Professional Killer now, are they?" Dai argued "So surely that makes all of this conjecture irrelevant. "

"No, it doesn't." Akaya piped up. "She's saying that in this case, the person had the intention to kill –he came looking for Naegi-kun purely to kill him. "

"Even so, why would that matter?" Dai asked.

"Motive tells us a lot." Janus replied. "It could make or break the case."

"Abandonato-kun talks sense." Arisa said "But maybe we should go back to the timings? I have a feeling it will be easier to go from there rather than the motive."

"I think so too…but I do keep telling everyone, calling me Jay is fine. " Janus said.

"Anyway…" Akihito said. "The times. Around 3 is all we know, because Sakamoto-san can't even-KYAA!" Akihito jumped, as Mirai had snuck over and licked his ear. She grinned evilly.

"Mirai-Chan! That was disgusting." Eirik scolded her.

Mirai pouted in response.

"Boo to you too, Onii-Chan." She slunk back to her place. There was an awkward silence.

That made no sense.

"Onii…Chan?" Dai echoed questioningly.

"Well, Chii-Chan calls him that!" Mirai said defiantly. Eirik simply shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

"Don't you have a sister of your own?" Arisa asked.

"Actually, I don't." Eirik replied, the grin replaced by a faint look of anger.

"Oh. Fair enough. I think. "

"Perhaps we should get back on topic?" Kyouko asked the beginnings of amusement on her face.

"YES. We should. "Akihito said in a dramatic voice. Reuben laughed, and everyone on screen gave Akihito a look, which didn't seem to faze him in the slightest.

"So…where were we?"

"Times of death." Kyouko reminded him.

"Ah…." Akihito put on a face of deep thought.

"What about the Monobear files?" Shika suggested.

Everyone stared at her in surprise.

Yeah, this isn't the best place to end the chapter. Unfortunately, it was in danger of becoming endless. Clearly I must be having an off week or something…. I promise the next chapter will be better!