Knowing that it was the last time any of them would ever be in the courtroom made Makoto look at the place with a weird kind of nostalgia. He wasn't going to miss the place-far from it , he couldn't wait to escape –but life had been anything but normal these past few months, so the idea of going back to normal was a little strange.

As his friends filed in , Monobear babbled excitedly from his throne.

"Upupupu! It would appear that this is the final stage of the Mutual Life of High School Killing…it's such a shame , I would have hoped for less of you to be here by the time we got to this stage…oh well , I am sure you will all sink into despair and die anyway , so it's fine!"

"Well, that's encouraging." Arisa muttered in annoyance.

"Where should we start?" Makoto asked, looking at Kyouko. He felt for the notebook in his pocket, and part of him hoped he wouldn't have to reveal it, although it was a foolish hope.

"How about-how long we've been here?" Kyouko suggested.

"Clearly for longer than we think we have!" Arisa said.

"That's right! The karaoke stuff would suggest that we've been here for longer…before the school year started, perhaps?" Kosuke suggested.

"No. I am convinced we've been here the full school year-well, not the full year, as such , but we've been here since the start of the year." Kyouko countered.

"Ah! Like the letter you found!" Makoto said. "The one sent out to parents?"

"Yes."

Akihito yawned "Huh? Remind me again, what was that about?"

"You know! It told parents not to worry about not hearing from us?" Makoto said "And it was sent out in March…" he realised that he was about to reveal Alter Ego's presence in front of Monobear, and trailed off.

"Ah, it's fine!" Monobear said. "I already knew about the AI! Silly bastards, you are, thinking you could keep a secret like that!"

"Eh? Y-You knew?!B-but how?" Chihiro looked visibly shaken.

"Ah, don't worry. It's not as if you'd ever be able to find out everything with that piddly little thing, so I left it!Upupupu!" Monobear produced a large pot of honey and began dipping his paws into it.

"Let's get back on track…" Kyouko said smoothly. "I don't really think we need to stretch this out too much-I think by now we all know we've been here for at least 5 months. The earliest it's possible for it to be now is mid-May."

"That…would certainly make sense. But how is it possible for us to not know that?" Kosuke asked.

"Because our memories got taken away, clearly." Emi said. "That's what happened to you, right, Kirigiri-san?"

Kyouko nodded. Once again, Makoto fingered the notebook.

"Yes. But with me, I believe it is to a much greater extent. After all, my father is-was-the principal of this school. The true principal." She aimed this last sentence at Monobear, who ignored her.

"But how? How is that physically possible?" Kosuke asked.

"Does it matter? Would knowing these details make it any more believable?" Janus responded bitterly. Everyone stared at Janus for a moment. Makoto was sure that the nice, if arrogant boy was still there underneath the numb, cold demeanour, but it was hard to remember that sometimes.

"Maybe we were drugged like the sleeping people!" Mirai said unexpectedly.

"You're talking about the people you pulled hair from?" Eirik asked. Mirai nodded.

"Erm…what are you talking about?" Makoto felt a little lost. Kyouko pulled out a small evidence bag containing hair.

"Oh!" Arisa exclaimed "That's what you were doing when you snuck in there, right?" Mirai nodded.

"We found a sliding-wall secret room place on the second floor earlier. It concealed a set of dorms. We would've investigated properly, but Monobear kicked us out. Luckily for us, Sakamoto-san did something useful for once!" Emi explained. "The hair must be from people in the dorms."

Mirai showed her agreement by nodding.

"Sakamoto-san made her way to us, asking for an evidence bag. I decided to keep the hair in my possession." Kyouko said.

"Sakamoto-san, how old did these people appear to you?" Makoto asked, curious.

Mirai thought about this.

"Maybe our age? Bit older? I didn't recognise any of them!"

"It is possible you weren't meant to anyway-if we really have been drugged or whatever, then maybe our memories of whoever these people are was one of those taken." Eirik told her.

"Hey, perhaps those people were our seniors!" Akihito said. "It'd make sense, wouldn't it? If our memories of our previous time here were taken, then obviously we'd not remember our seniors."

"Erm, how can you be sure that it's memories of here that got taken?" Emi asked. Then her expression changed, and Makoto could almost see the gears in her mind turning. "Actually, never mind." She grinned sheepishly. It was in that moment that something occurred to him. If the sleeping people Mirai had discovered were really their seniors, then it followed that one of them was his old classmate from middle school. Maizono-sempai.

"I am more concerned as to why Monobear felt the need to hide this, when all doors were open." The tone of Kyouko's voice demanded an answer.

"Meh, why's it your business?" Monobear answered with a question.

"You said all doors would be open for this final investigation." Kyouko said evenly

"Erm, that isn't a door. Or are you too stupid to realise? Did grief make the great detective's daughter stupid?"

"That was uncalled for!" Makoto said instinctively, feeling bad for his good friend. Kyouko looked at him and smiled gratefully, although she shook her head in a scolding gesture.

"And I think you'll find it WAS a door, actually!" a pissed off Arisa countered. Monobear steamed up.

"Whatever, it's not like I can reverse time or anything, even if I am all-powerful!"

Akihito laughed. "You? Powerful? Clearly you're just a puppet to whoever is really controlling you. Advanced, sure, but you didn't do anything. It was the person who is controlling you who did."

"But you haven't found out who that is, have you?" Monobear jeered.

"Oh just shut up and let us get on with this." Eirik said irritably. Surprisingly, the bear obliged.

"Anyway…where were we?" Kyouko asked, rubbing her forehead. Makoto wondered if she was getting a headache.

"We were talking about the people in the secret dorm, but I was thinking that doesn't matter so much. I mean, the memory loss explains a bunch of other things that we've directly experienced. Naegi-kun's song, for example." Akihito said. "Oh, and the windows."

"What about them?" Chihiro asked curiously.

"We were the ones that made the steel coverings on the windows. Possibly we put them up too." Akihito pulled at a roll protruding from his backpack and opened it, showing it to the rest of them.

"Are those blueprints of the window?" Kosuke asked.

"Yeah. Apparently, I was working on this. So were you, Kobayashi-kun. And there are some other names, presumably of those in the years above us. Mondo Oowada. Callum Jackson. Ryou Inoue. Hanna Valentine. There are some other names, but I don't really think that they matter." Akihito explained.

"That…that's madness! Utter madness!" Emi declared. "Why would we do something like that?"

"Because something bad happened. Or was about to happen. Not that I can possibly contemplate anything that is worse than what I've already been through. What we've been through." Janus said dully.

"How would you know this?" Kosuke asked. "And have you been getting sleep? You look awful. Sorry to be blunt, but it's true."

"Sleep? What is that?" Janus was utterly serious. If anyone else had said it, Makoto would've taken it as a joke.

"Is this actually the time for you to be diagnosing illness?" Emi asked, eyebrow raised. "Also, Janus-kun didn't answer the question."

"Haven't any of you been to the 6th floor? " Janus asked irritably.

"Most of the rooms there look like struggles have taken place. One of the classrooms was in a particularly bad state-there were even bloodstains around." Makoto explained quickly. He held back the fact that someone-he was sure it was Kyouko-had been attempting to hide in that room. He would reveal that only when it seemed like it was relevant. It would not be fair otherwise. It was the verbal equivalent of pulling her gloves off.

"Why only that floor though? All the other rooms are pristine." Arisa pointed out.

"Clearly, our culprit didn't think that we'd ever reach that floor." Emi said. "So he didn't feel the need to clear it up."

"Our culprit. I can't help think that that's the most important question of all. Who is he?" Eirik asked.

"She." Makoto, Kyouko, Kosuke, Arisa and Akihito said in unison.

"She?" Emi asked.

All 5 of them pulled notes out of their pockets.

"'Who is Mukuro Ikusaba?' That's what this says. I found it in a locker that I think must be Kirigiri-san's."

"Where is Mukuro Ikusaba now?" Arisa read. "Why does this random name matter anyway?" she added.

"She could be the culprit." Makoto offered.

"No…not the culprit. I've come across the name recently. Asides from this note. It's escaped me though…"Kyouko rubbed her head again. "In any case, the note I found was in the principal's office, and it asks 'Where did Mukuro Ikusaba attend school?'"

"I found mine in one of the magazines in the recreation room. A fashion magazine, if that detail matters." Akihito said. "What did Mukuro Ikusaba want to be when she grew up?"

"Eh? That's kind of random. Is this person just a child?" Arisa asked. "Anyway, Kobayashi-kun, what was your question?"

"Who murdered Mukuro Ikusaba?"

There was a long, long silence as the words sunk in. Everyone was stunned.

"Why does this person matter if they're dead? I mean, in terms of this. I'm not saying they're an unimportant person generally…" Emi trailed off.

"It's a child murder!How can that not matter? Child murder is the worst." Arisa was still hung up on the idea of Mukuro Ikusaba being a child.

"Perhaps the death of Mukuro Ikusaba, whoever he or she may be, is the motive for this entire situation." Kyouko mused.

"Y-You mean, like revenge?" Chihiro asked. Kyouko nodded.

"But who? Mother, father, sister, brother?" Akihito sighed. "This is making no sense."

Another silence fell. Then Eirik gasped.

"I think I know who Mukuro Ikusaba is."

Everyone stared at him. Eirik sighed.

"Kirigiri-san, do you remember the case file I showed you?"

"You showed me quite a few, because they were my father's." Kyouko replied.

"I mean the one about the murder of Maiko Enoushima?" Eirik prompted.

Kyouko looked blank for a moment. Then realisation dawned on her face.

"...Now I do." Kyouko looked so tired. "Maiko Enoushima went by the nickname Mukuro Ikusaba sometimes. She wanted to change her name to that when she became a soldier. She wanted to be a brave soldier who protected everyone."

"Well, that answers two questions!" Arisa said cheerfully at the same time as Akihito said "Enoshima?"

"Not 'Enoshima', but 'Enoushima'." Eirik corrected Akihito.

"Maiko Enoushima was 8 years old when she was murdered by a bunch of highschoolers in the autumn of 1998. They went to the same private school that she attended with her younger brother and sister. That school was called Morning Glory. The school was closed after the murder." Kyouko explained.

"So, I was right!" Arisa said happily.

"Woah, wait, what?!" Emi exploded verbally. "Why are little kids attending a high school?"

"They were exceptionally talented, so although they were poor, the school gave them scholarships to attend the school. It was the best place for them to nuture their abilities."

"A bit like this school." Chihiro observed.

"More than you think, my Imouto-Chan." Eirik said. "This school is what replaced Morning Glory, 7 years later."

"Four questions answered." Arisa announced, a little randomly.

"So…where was she murdered?" Akihito asked absently. He seemed preoccupied. Makoto briefly wondered why.

"On school grounds." Kyouko said.

"HERE?!" Arisa looked pale.

"That would explain a lot. The person who did this may blame the school for the death of the child." Kosuke said.

"What were the names of her siblings?" Akihito asked Kyouko suddenly.

"Ichiro and Junko. Why?"

"Is there a photo of them?" Eirik held up the photo for Akihito to see. It showed three children with black hair and blue eyes. Their poverty was evident but they still seemed happy.

"If someone wanted to pick a stage name, would picking one that was similar to their real name work? You know, throw others off the scent so they think that the real name cannot possibly be anything like the stage name." Akihito continued to fire questions.

"Erm…I believe you yourself have just explained why someone may do that. But why does that matter?"

"Junko Enoushima grew up to be Junko Enoshima, the model." Akihito declared.

"That's impossible. The surviving two triplets and their mother were given the family name 'Hisanuma'." Kyouko countered.

"She started as Enoushima, became Hisanuma, and as a model chose the surname Enoshima. She would say that Hisanuma is her real surname." Akihito retorted.

"Ichiro Hisanuma is an author, right?" Emi said. "I've definitely heard the name in literary circles."

Makoto filed the comment away, but for now chose to ignore her, the same way the others were.

Akihito was still talking.

"If you look at all the magazines, they're either all fashion magazines from every year and month leading up to about March of this year, or crime magazines from 1998, 1999 or so. All those crime magazines mention Maiko Enoushima. All the fashion magazines feature Junko Enoshima in one way or another. The handwriting the notes are in is girly. In pink ink, no less. "

"Junko Enoshima is a model on the up-and-up." Kosuke pointed out.

"Who had blue eyes and pale skin and definitely wears make-up."

Kyouko thought about this.

"Watari-kun, do you have a picture of the model? Did you bring any of these magazines with you?"

"Erm…"

"I took photographs." Janus said. He tossed a camera at Akihito, who grabbed it neatly, and grinned at Janus. In response, Janus attempted a smile in return. He managed it, but it didn't last.

Akihito flicked through the pictured. Found the correct one, and turned the camera around so that everyone could see the screen. The picture was the front cover of a magazine. Junko Enoshima had her dyed hair in ponytails, each tied with bobbles. She was wearing a white summer dress and winking at the camera.

"I see a resemblance, between the girl there and the girl in the picture." Makoto eventually offered.

"I see it too." Chihiro agreed.

"But we need something definite." Kosuke pointed out. "Don't we? I mean, if we're assuming the model is indeed the sister of the murdered child and therefore the culprit."

Kyouko nodded slowly. And Makoto knew that this was the time to reveal the notebook.

Sorry, Kirigiri-san.

"I have something that might help." Makoto felt a little exposed when everyone turned to look at him, but he persevered "I found it in that trashed classroom. Somebody tried to get rid of it." He took the notebook out of his pocket, and opened it at a random page.

"Can you confirm this is your handwriting, Kirigiri-san?" Makoto thought he sounded so formal. Professional. Quite unlike the self-image he had of himself being ordinary.

"I believe it is so."

"This notebook contains all your observations and thoughts about the school. Some of the pages were ripped out, but it is clear that there was chaos in the school before our memories were taken and therefore reset, and there is enough to confirm the culprit, I hope."

"Well, that explains the windows at least." Emi commented. "Why was the notebook in the classroom then?"

"I think…I think when things went south, Kirigiri-san was hiding there. She was interrupted…Kirigiri-san, is it OK if I read out the final few entries in here?"

"It's for the investigation." Makoto took that as a yes, and looked for the relevant page.

"- have not been able to find much, but I have noticed that Junko Enoshima was particularly interested in us first-year students. Whatever she is planning, it is bad. If I don't find out soon, I think we will all die.

March 7th, 2014: Just been looking up the history of the school, and the grounds in general. It has all come together now. What I don't understand is how Father did not recognise her. He had actually been telling me little bits about the case, about how that set into motion the things that happened when Mum died. I guess it doesn't matter now. I must go and find him, tell him about this, before it is too late.

March 9th, 2014:I have been hiding here for over a day. I am scared for my life. The rumours were true, but not accurate. Despair is already here. It has been for 16 years.

March 10th, 2014: I ventured out briefly, and looked for Naegi-kun and the others. I got some food, and returned here. Someone has put up steel plates on the window. I think it is likely it was one of the others-the despair rumours were effective in instilling fear. How long will I need to wait? Hopefully not long, as I intend to make my esca-"

"Is that it?" Akihito asked.

"Didn't Naegi-kun mention that I was interrupted?" Kyouko responded. She looked cold, and a little lost.

"Ah. But anyway. Isn't that enough proof?"

"Yes-"Kyouko was interrupted by Arisa, who had noticed(or remembered) something.

"Her hairbands! In the photograph! Enoshima, I mean. Not the kids."

The camera screen had gone dark, so Akihito found the picture again. He stared at the picture before turning the camera round to show everyone.

"Bloody hell!" when he turned it around, he pointed to one of Junko Enoshima's hairbands.

"Monobear!" Mirai shrieked.

"Yes?" They all jumped, not expecting Monobear to respond.

"We have an answer." Kyouko was the first to recover from the shock. "The culprit, the one who is controlling you, is Junko Enoshima, former student of Hope's Peak Academy."

"Damn! Didn't think y'all would get it right!"

All of a sudden, smoke rose up from behind Monobear's throne, along with a flash of light. As the smoke began to fade, a distinctly female silhouette could be seen coming close to them. The sound of high-heels tapping the floor got closer.

Junko Enoshima had arrived.