Review replies!

Lloyd's fics: Thank you!

Crimson Spider Lily: Reading your way of thinking about this whole ordeal is actually really fun! The EitaXLogic ship was a great idea too, definitely making that canon, haha!

Katastic Writer: As you'll see in this chapter, your guessing of the victim was wrong (for better or for worse)!

TheRoseShadow21: As promised, Asuyo got some recognition! The money motive was a good starter in my eyes, but I'll have some other more creative motives down the line! I can only hope you'll stick around to see them, huh?

Third Cosmic Velocity: You'll just have to keep reading to find out who's the first victim! Kiyo and Eita are pretty nice guesses, though.

SongBirds-Lullaby: I do concede I tried to make all three of those suspicious! We'll just see if one of them bit the bullet - or made someone else do it for them, of course.

ACT 1: Adjusting to Anghern

CHAPTER 4: Cold Blood

MORNING

Location: Sierra Resort - 1st Floor

"Wh-What the hell happened!?" I sprinted down the spiral staircase in record time, a few pairs of footsteps behind me. I saw a slumped body next to the door to the kitchen - Chigusa's body - tugging at the straw hat with her shaking little hand, covering her heart and breathing erratically. Next to her, Frances knelt down and fanned her with her hands.

"Frances! Chigusa!" Yatarou descended and stood now next to me, Yuzuru and Shizuka quickly following. "Is everything alright!? What was that announcement about!?"

"S-Someo-one... The-There's... Th-Ther-re's a d-de-de-ad..." Chigusa could barely speak, and the more she tried, the more she stuttered and tears rapidly came to her eyes, overflowing onto her tanned cheeks.

Frances looked back with a fierce but worried look in her eyes. "D-Don't bother her, please! She's in shock!" she pleaded.

I didn't even have time to throw a counterargument her way before two people left the kitchen door. With a shaking and scared voice that drastically contrasted her usually cheery demeanor, Yuzuru faced the two people - Eita and Kikyo - and quivered. "Is there... Did someone... actually..."

"Yes." Kikyo bit her lip. It must've been the first time she and Yuzuru were in the same room in apathetic silence. "He... He's dead... I-I checked his pulse but..."

"No..." I thought. "No! No, no, no!" I took off quickly, past the two who've just left the scene and was thrown off balance by the frigid air the room boasted. Soon enough, I'd pinpointed the source of the coldness, of course - the freezer in the back - from which erupted a disgusting smell I knew all too well what it was. My legs moved on their own and my mind spun, aching whilst spiraling into confusion and despair. There's no way... It can't be!

A limp hunk of flesh that was once a body stood before me, lying face down on the floor. The red vest he once bore was tainted with a different shade of crimson, soaked and slightly solid from the cold temperature. Blood. There was blood everywhere. A large pool of it formed around the lifeless husk of someone I spoke to yesterday. His entire upper body was stained with it, blotches of red on his clothes and skin, all coming from the obvious knife wound he'd suffered in his back. There was no mistaking it...

Yuki Batora, the Super High School Level Butler, lay dead in front of me.

Time kept passing ever slowly as the remaining members of our squadron trickled into the cafeteria, with variations of the expected reaction, save for a few exceptions. Oh should I say, one exception.

"I'm not cleaning this mess." Kiyoshi scratched the side of his head and he yawned his complaint away. "I mean, I didn't do it so why should I clean it up? Besides, why'd it have to be Yuki!? He was the only one here who actually did stuff right. Goddamnit, couldn't someone have offed that stupid Estimator?"

Blackjack threw the Custodian an expressionless glance, although it felt like she was boiling inside. "Mister Ikeda, please refrain from such tasteless comments regarding our current situation. And try to be a bit less-"

"Less of an asshole." Asuyo completed the sentence. Not quite the words she would pick, but Blackjack simply nodded, conceding the right choice of wording. "A jerkish asshat." Kiyo simply rolled his eyes and turned around, sitting on a stool next to the island.

"N-Now what!? H-How did this happen?" Yuzuru shuddered. "This can't be..."

Akahana stepped forward, under the door, her eyes lingering on the body. "Do any of you recall Rule #6 of this Mutual Killing Game?" She was only replied to by confused groans and sobs. "It mentions something called the Class Trial."

"Yes, I do remember such a concept." Blackjack recalled. "What about it? Do you intend to try someone without proper evidence?"

"Don't make me laugh." Akahana was serious in tone, as expected. "I am a prosecutor. A warrior of the law. I thought you would know better, Blackjack."

And as if things couldn't get any worse... he appeared, almost as if he had a cue. "Upupu, hello there, everyone! I see you're off to a great start to your day!" Monokuma chirped happily, bathing in the tension that soared in the kitchen air. "Aww, who killed this poor sap!? He was one of my favourites!"

"Don't act like you don't know." Eita voiced with a tinge of sarcasm to his tone - although barely noticeable due to his monotone way of speaking - earning a chuckle from Monokuma.

"Yes, indeed!" he laughed. "I do know who the perpetrator of this horrible crime is!" he added, almost in a game show announcer voice. A round of gasps followed his boast, but he quickly retreated. "Not that I would tell any of you who that'd be, right?"

Yori simply sighed and leant on Frances for support. He hadn't seen the horror, naturally, but he was just as taken aback by this as we were. On the Tapdancer's right arm, stood a crying mess of a girl - Chigusa - who hadn't stopped mourning the death of her classmate, as everyone else. She was just more vocal about it, I guess.

"Why, you little-" Riou cut himself off when Eita's arm extended over to him, blocking him from stepping forward. With a calming breath, Riou regained his composure. "Just tell us who did this so we can get on with our life."

"Excuse me, what?" Monokuma was fakingly shocked at the Boxer's suggestion. "Oh, Hope's Peak doesn't recruit boxers like they used to... well, at least you're less of an aggressive asshole." he laughed maniacally. What's up with this sick bear and his sudden knowledge of previous Hope's Peak students...? "Nevertheless, I can't do that! But you can try to find out what happened, who did it, how this all occured... be my guest, really!"

Maruko had a sudden realization. "Oh! You must speak of the announcement earlier, ja?"

"Right you are! As you have discovered a body... I will give you a brief period of investigation! During this investigation, you'll search for clues that point you in the right direction - a.k.a. tell you who the killer is!"

"Woah, woah, woah, hold on a sec..." Kikyo's eyes widened and she put her fist on her chest, a baggy kimono sleeve drooping below it, with a bloody streak on it - no doubt from when she checked Yuki's pulse a few minutes ago. "Y-Yuki's dead in there... and you're implying one of us actually did it?"

Asuyo and Akahana shared a thought, and both replied in Monokuma's stead - in perfect sync, to boot. "That much is obvious."

"Listen to the prosecutor, hair girl!" Monokuma agreed. "This is a Mutual Killing Game, for crying our loud! And you guys are the participants. No wonder one of you stabbed that guy in there, duh."

"This isn't right, Monokuma." I squinted my eyes in what I could only hope was a menacing look. "This game, this murder... everything about this is wrong. Where's the fun in watching us writhe in agony and despair while you're just sipping a margherita over on your little jacuzzi with cardboard cutouts of female AIs?"

The bear's red eye glistened and the metallic paws he exhibited in the bathroom a couple of days ago protruded from the same paw. "I really wish you'd shut up. God, why weren't you the one to bite it? Sheesh, you're an insufferable little punk, you know?" he sighed and shook his head. "And I'll have you know I'm more of a pure unadultered vodka kind of bear! That is unimportant, though... any questions?"

"Questions?" Maruko responded in confusion. "Questions about what, pray tell, Herr Monokuma?"

"The investigation, stupid! It's about to begin!" And without any further notice, he vanished.

So much for answering questions, huh?

I eyed the body inside the fridge once again. "This... This really is happening, huh?"

"Tell me about it, Hananari-san..." Shizuka lay a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. "We should proceed, however."

"P-Proceed...?" Chigusa managed to stutter. "W-With wh-a-a-t?"

Akahana had been locked in her own silence for a few seconds when she turned around, auburn hair flipping ever so slightly as it had been let down. "The investigation, I'd wager. I am of the same opinion, time is of the essence, after all."

"We're... We really are going through with this?" Yuzuru found comfort and warmth from the cold around her by tugging at Maruko's arm, the Translator holding her friend close in an awkward embrace.

Eita dropped the logical explanation, as expected of him. "What good will it be if we stand here?" he posed a valid question. "Investigation time is limited, and the Class Trial approaches. If we cannot pinpoint the murderer in the Class Trial, we might have a serious problem."

"Math pipsqueak is right! We should get going!"

M-Math pipsqueak? What kind of a nickname is tha- oh, forget it. We have bigger fish to fry. "Eita is right. Yuki deserves justice... whoever did this to him must pay the consequences... and without a proper investigation, we'll never bring the killer to justice in the Class Trial!"

"We don't even know how that all works though... it could all be a hoax. There might not be a class trial, or the opportunity to solve this case..." Yuzuru seemed hopeless, her face drawn and her eyes were hollow and sad. "We're doomed... we're all doomed..."

Kikyo wasted no time on stomping over to her and slapping the Assassin across the face - a move one would normally not want to do. "Wake up and smell the coffee, Yuzuru! One of us killed Yuki! Our friend is dead!" the more she tried to get Yuzuru to agree, the sadder she sounded and the closer to tears she looked. "We... We need to give him a fair trial! We need to give him an opportunity! Don't you dare give up hope so soon, you hear me!?"

"K-Kikyo..." Yuzuru was bewildered by Kikyo's sudden outburst, much like the rest of the people present, myself included. A few moments of silence transpired. "You... You're right! I... I'll do my best to help. Yuki deserves that much."

Don't you dare give up hope. she said, and right she was... we can't abandon hope. Not now. Not in our current situation, where, actually, hope is all we have.

INVESTIGATION: START!

Sixteen beeps sounded simultaneously, indicating a new notification had been added to our Electro-IDs. A single look to the screen afterwards, we all noticed the same. There was a new piece of evidence stored under the 'Evidence' tab on our handbooks - the Monokuma File #1... whatever that was.

Monokuma File #1 - Victim: Yuki Batora, SHSL Butler

The victim died from blood loss due to a stab in the lower back, resulting in instant death. Time of death is 3h10am. There are also smaller wounds on the chest and abdomen caused by wooden splinters which are still lodged in his torso.

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: MONOKUMA FILE #1

After a couple of minutes of quick task distribution, everyone wandered off to investigate, further motivated by Kikyo's little speech. A quick glance at the island showed me something that could come in handy... There, lay a piece of paper that Akahana used to divide us into squads and give us appropriate tasks so we all could contribute to the proceedings.

Riou Ryielo and Kiyoshi Ikeda: Watch over body
Blackjack and Yuzuru Kanzaki: Investigate pool
Eita Kurogane and Kikyo Namikaze: Investigate kitchen and freezer
Frances Baishou and Yori Hanamichi: Investigate staff room
Asuyo Uemura, Maruko Inubarashi and Akahana Nakajima: Investigate suites
Chigusa Takagawa and Shizuka Matsuoka: Investigate reception, 2nd floor lounge and outdoor patio
Yatarou Nekomirin and Tsukushi Hananari: Free Roamers

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: INVESTIGATION SQUAD LOCATIONS

"Why did Akahana pick us out to be free roamers?" Yatarou questioned with a puzzled expression on his face as we both made our way to the freezer where Kikyo was.

"Beats me." I answer truthfully and throw him a dismissive shrug. "Probably just because there isn't anywhere else to investigate... the other teams have the entire inn covered. So it's not like we'd be necessary anywhere specific, right?"

He sighed in defeat as the cold air of the inside of the freezer really kicked in. "Agh... I guess you're right. Still, there're more buildings in Valley Views to investigate... why don't we patrol those? There might be clues there."

"Again, beats me... but Akahana is a renowned lawyer... she knows what she's doing. She's the head of this investigation."

"Isn't that dangerous...?" Yatarou sounded worried suddenly. "What if she did this to Yuki... we're leaving her to do as she pleases! Besides, we're putting Asuyo and Maruko in danger!"

"Don't worry about it." I answered. "Akahana's squad is the trio upstairs, and they're all searching through our suites together... If Akahana was the killer and did something funny, she'd have a witness to her crime - and the rules don't let her kill more than two people. Which means she wouldn't win the class trial no matter how hard she tried."

Yatarou looked at me with a serious look and waved his hands in front of my face. "Woah, woah, chill down there, Speedy! You had that right on the tip of your tongue... you don't suspect her, right?"

"N-No! Of course not! I trust everyone here... I still believe there's a hidden truth behind this... maybe none of us killed Yuki... Distrust will get us nowhere."

Kikyo was kneeling next to the macabre mat of flesh that lay on the floor, his face now turned sideways to reveal the horrid expression that had been previously hidden from us. With a sad look to her, she whispered an apology as she moved the body on its side to see what hid below him.

"First of all, let's check on what the Monokuma File told us... namely, the splinters." she suggested as she mumbled a second apology, lifting the cloth of Yuki's clothes up to reveal his slim yet toned abdomen. "Sure enough... there're clearly some splinters here."

"What does that mean?" I ask both of the people in the room, receiving unknowing shrugs in response. "Oh well... we'll get to that eventually. We should investigate something we can be sure about!"

Yatarou raised an eyebrow, and Kikyo turned around, standing up to reveal the same expression. "What do you mean?" she asked

"The murder weapon and place of death, of course." I reply, kneeling down. "Those seem to be obvious, however."

"The murder weapon is the knife..." "...and the place of death would be this freezer." Yatarou and Kikyo completed each other sentence, finishing in a reassured nod. Yatarou added "Well, yes... where did the knife come from?"

Kikyo pointed to the back wall of the freezer, to a wooden board nailed onto the wall with a collection of metal knives. "Over there, I assume." Sure enough, one of the knives was missing - and the handle and blade sticking out of Yuki's back looked just like the rest of the displayed ones.

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: MEAT KNIFE

"Yeah, we can be pretty sure about that..." Yatarou said. "Anything else caught your eye? Or should we move over to the kitchen?"

"Sure... let's check out the other room. Kikyo, if you find anything give us a holler or text us or something, okay?" I suggest, earning only a nod from her as she knelt back down. How she's so laidback while being in a chilly room wearing only a thin kimono, I'll never know.

Pacing out of the freezer, I saw Eita on the farthest side of the kitchen, next to the door examining some kind of device. "Stop." he voiced loud, yet expressionless as usual. He then turned around and ordered me to do something. "Look down."

Yatarou and I exchanged a weird glance and obeyed. The floor below us looked normal enough, except... "This is a bit dirty." Yatarou groaned. "Are you trying to make us clean this?"

"Of course not. I have already done so. Yesterday, in fact." he started walking over to it. "Yuki and I were in charge of cleaning the kitchen. And we did so flawlessly."

"Apparently not... you missed this spot." I state the blatantly obvious contradiction in his logic.

Eita shook his head. "I repeat - we did so flawlessly. We made sure of it. Which means whatever those stains are, are related to the case at hand."

"O-Oh." I mouthed. "Anything else off about it?"

"There were also glass shards on the floor." he explained. "But I disposed of them. To avoid needless injuries."

My eyes widened and I brought my hands up to my head in a fit of worry. "Wh-What? That's destroying evidence, Eita! You shouldn't have done that..."

"Tsukushi is right! That's a serious crime back home, you know?" Yatarou agreed, but Eita didn't look or sound particularly fazed.

"Destroying evidence is normally done so the culprit can conceal their crime. I, however, have told you about the evidence. So I am not hiding it, I simply tried to help."

Yatarou and I sighed. "I guess."

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: DIRTY FLOOR

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: GLASS SHARDS

The Tour Guide then walked forward and took a seat next to the island. "What do the glass shards mean, though? Yuki didn't wear glasses or anything..."

"I think it's safe to say that our culprit wore glasses." I ponder. "But that brings us to a dead end. No one here wears glasses."

"Maybe someone wears them in secret?" Yatarou suggested. "Why they would do that beats me, though."

Eita brought us back. "We should not mull over that detail. Everything will come to light in the trial, later. One more thing I noticed - there is a dishcloth distinctly missing from this room."

"The killer wasn't okay with being a dirty punk and a murderer, so they decided to be thieves as well!?" Yatarou puffed his cheeks in annoyance. "Despicable, right?"

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: MISSING DISHCLOTH

It took me a while to address the elephant in the room. The one thing we all ignored during the few days we were here - a jet black device right next to the door, boasting an impressive screen. "What is that, exactly?"

"The Cafeteria Door Usage Recorder." Eita explained. "Accessing that device would allow you to see when the door was opened during Night Time."

"Nothing important then." Yatarou exclaimed quickly. "I mean... you can't see who opened it, right? Then it's not that useful. We already know when Yuki died! What good will that serve us, except for helping us determine the time of death? No good, that's what! So we're done here, haha, let's go Tsukushi!" he quickly tried to rush us out of the kitchen and onto another room.

I raise an eyebrow and release myself from his grip, walking over to the device. "Well... the Door Usage History reads five entries for tonight... 3h04; 3h09; 3h18; 3h46; 3h49;" Almost immediately, I turn around to face Yatarou in the eyes. "Did you come here tonight?"

"N-No! Of course not!" Eventually, the cold stares Eita and I were giving him made him sigh in defeat. "Okay, you're right... I came here yesterday night... but I didn't kill Yuki! Please, you have to believe me, guys!"

"Tell us about your little trip down here then." I cross my arms. "If you're innocent, you shouldn't have a problem. Keep in mind, I don't suspect you, I'm just trying to clear you." I reassure him before he looked at the screen worriedly, then at the door, then back at me and sighed once again.

"It... It was about 3h35 when I woke up... I tried to fall asleep again but I couldn't, so I came down here to get myself a warm glass of milk. I returned to my room right afterwards though!" Yatarou explained.

Eita looked pensive for a bit, then got back to his drowsy expression. "That'd mean the 3h46 and 3h49 entries were yours."

"That's right." he confirmed. "Which means the killer got in either at 3h04 or 3h09, and left at 3h18."

"Was there anything weird about the kitchen?" I asked. "The murder should've already happened by the time you got here - did you see or hear anything weird?"

Yatarou tried to recall his venture last night and came up with a relevant point. "Yeah, actually! The freezer door was slightly open and there was a horrible smell coming out of it. I thought it was rotting food because of the temperature differing - since the door was open and whatnot - and closed it! Then, I walked over to the fridge to get the milk, but on the way there... I slipped on something."

"Something?" I ask. "What something...? You don't mean..."

"Nah, not blood. My clothes weren't dirty at least. The floor was pretty clean, courtesy of Yuki and Eita, obviously." Yatarou explained. "That's it. I don't remember anything else that might be important... sorry about that."

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: CAFETERIA DOOR USAGE HISTORY

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: YATAROU'S ACCOUNT

Eita shook his head. "No matter, you have been a great help. Pieces are starting to fall into place."

"I-Is that so!?" Yatarou asked in excitement. "What pieces!? Do you know who did this?"

"You'll see in due time. For the time being, I'll continue my investigation. Excuse me." And with that, he left, ignoring any further calls.

"Well then... where do we go next?" Yatarou asked, thinking about what to do with our free roaming capabilties. "The staff room is a good option. Or maybe the pool downstairs?"

I then had an idea to help us cover more ground. "How about you go to the pool and help Yuzuru and Blackjack out, and I'll help the duo at the staff room? Frances is basically on her own with Yori helping her."

"You're right. Him being blind isn't helping us at all... not to blame him, it's not his fault. Anyway, I'll take you up on that." He said as we left the kitchen door, hearing Chigusa and Shizuka talk about something upstairs in the 2nd floor lounge. He took a quick turn and went downstairs, waving me a quick goodbye before descending.

With that, I went straight ahead towards the staff room and opened the door. "Hey, you two! How are you doing?"

"Is that Tsukushi I hear?" Yori cocked his head towards the door, following my voice. "We are doing just fine. Investigation is progressing smoothly."

"That's right!" Frances lifted her head as she knelt next to one of the many washing machines, and added in a cheerful manner - as cheerful as she could given what we were doing. "Wanna hear about our findings?"

I walked over to the TV set and the puffs and started looking around there. "I'd like to, if you can!"

"Well, let's see. We investigated the clothes in these washing machines." Yori started. "Some of which held the smell of blood, although it had been significantly diminished in intensity due to being washed. The clothes that smelled funny were in the second washing machine from the right."

"Yori's sight might not be too useful, but his other senses are really heightened, so he was able to catch the scent of blood from the clothes. I sure as hell couldn't!" Frances praised the blind magician, making him smile. "There's also something weird here!" she added. "Everyone has two outfits in the washer from the last two days... but there is a spare black jacket, and a missing blue jacket."

"Jackets?" I asked, confused. "What about it? Judging by the colours... I think Akahana and Asuyo would be the owners - but what of it?"

Frances scratched her head and sighed. "I just felt like taking note of it. We also found a dishcloth from the kitchen... for what it's worth, right?" she chuckled

"Wait, a dishcloth? From the kitchen?" I came to a sudden realization. "Someone washed it, then?"

"Yeah, someone did! Why?" I then explained the investigation going on in the kitchen and how a dishcloth was suspiciously missing. "Oh, is that so? Well... this dishcloth was in the same washing machine as the blood-smelling jackets... but the entire machine was contaminated with the smell so I can't say this ties into the case."

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: WASHED CLOTHES

TRUTH BULLET UPDATED: MISSING DISHCLOTH

Finally we're starting to get somewhere... this room has to be connected to the killing.

"Anything else?" I asked the two investigators.

Yori started combing his bangs with his fingers and looked at Frances who was tapping her foot on the ground. Why he'd look at her is beyond me, though - it's not like he can see anything. "Well, I didn't find anything else here... but I do have testimony to give if you so wish."

"Testimony? Y-Yeah, sure, go ahead. Did you hear or see something?" I asked, excited. This might be a lead, a breakthrough!

"I do believe I'd find it hard seeing anything regarding the crime." he chuckled, almost making fun of both his disability.

Way to put your foot in your mouth, Tsukushi, great job.

"But yes, I heard something." Yori started. "I don't know when I woke, but as I did I heard something crashing to the floor, in the room next to mine. That would, of course, be Yuki's room. In retrospective, maybe I should've went in there and asked if everything was okay... but alas, I did not. I apologize." he bowed down, holding his cane perfectly still with both his hands.

Frances quickly ran up to him, making sure to make noise with her feet so as to not alarm the young Magician. "You don't need to apologize, buddy! If you went in there... maybe you'd already have been killed as well..."

"You mean-" I cut myself off before resuming my train of thought. "You think the killer went into Yuki's room?"

"Well yeah!" Frances stated, almost like it was something obvious. "Yuki died in the freezer downstairs, so he wouldn't be able to come back up after he went down there, right?"

"It is the only logical explanation, I think." Yori added. "At least, as far as I can tell. You, of course, have much more expertise in this sort of thing, however."

I looked at the floor, then at Yori and then at Frances. "Yeah, you're right. That's a really good theory."

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: YORI'S ACCOUNT

"Anything else to report?" I ask, making my way to the exit. Frances and Yori both denied - they had found nothing else as of yet - or so I thought until Frances stopped me.

"Oh wait! That device next to the door is also important!" I looked at the wall next to the door and found a familiar device, identical to the one in the cafeteria. "It's called the Staff Room Door Usage Recorder, according to what it said on the screen. And it recorded two entries tonight!"

Yori finished his friend's sentence "One at 3h26 and another one at 3h30, if I recall correctly." Out of habit, I asked both Frances and the device itself to confirm the testimony and found it accurate - no contradictions here, thankfully.

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: STAFF ROOM DOOR USAGE HISTORY

"Okay then, I think I'll go upstairs now and check on the rest! Keep looking around!"

Chigusa and Shizuka were completely immersed in their investigation - so much so that they didn't even bat an eye at my question. "Found anything?" I repeated, successfully catching the Gardener's attention.

"O-Oh, hello there, Tsukushi... Everything okay?" she asked, going back to her investigation. Her voice was still cracking and weak, no doubt because of what she's just been through. "We didn't find much of anything here in the second floor lounge... the patio and reception downstairs were the same."

My head hung down, as did Chigusa's. "I see..." I mumble with as little enthusiasm as ever, until Shizuka brought something up - something that could very well lift my spirits up a tad.

"Well, we haven't found any material evidence of any use, that much is true, Hananari-san." he smiled nonchalantly and went back to search. I raise an eyebrow, and almost as if he had eyes in the back of his head, he turned around. "Curious, are you? Well... Truth is, Chigusa might have witnesses something of importance yesterday night."

Chigusa's tan skin reddened as both Shizuka's eyes and mine were on her. "Is this true, Chigusa?" I inquire the Gardener, receiving a nod as a response. "What did you hear?"

"I-It's not too important... I just heard someone running in the dormitory hall outside, that's it." she stated. "It must've been around 3h40am when it happened."

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: CHIGUSA'S ACCOUNT

"Why were you awake that late? Couldn't sleep?"

Her face flushed even redder and her eyes snapped shut. "Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes!" she stuttered, instantly turning around to examine the bookshelves. "U-Um, that's it! Nothing more to see here!" she continued, urging me to leave, which I reluctantly complied to doing when I heard a voice calling for me from the stairs.

"Tsukushi!" A familiar International Tour Guide greeted me. "Hey there, Chigusa, Shizuka. Found anything?"

Shizuka nudged closer to his investigative partner. "We've told Hananari-san everything we know. I'm sure he'll tell you. For now, I believe it's better if me and Chigusa here investigate in peace, so to not miss any details."

Yatarou raised an eyebrow at Shizuka's dismissal, but I simply held his hand and urged him into one of the dorm corridors. As far as I could tell, Shizuka was just defending Chigusa because she was embarassed about something - what a gentleman.

"Hey, what gives?" Yatarou asked once we were out of earshot. "I wanted to hear what they had to say!"

Ignoring his complaints, I quickly explained what Chigusa said, as well as what Yori and Frances reported. "That's about it. Did you, Blackjack and Yuzuru get any leads?"

"Nothing." he sighed in defeat. "The pool was clean, not a strand of hair there. I helped them search for a while but I eventually gave up and came to check on you. Investigation time is probably running short, so let's hurry up! Where haven't we searched yet?"

"The dorms." I state. "Akahana, Asuyo and Maruko are investigating them."

Yatarou's eyes widened and he then looked down. "There're sixteen dorms, right? We'll never comb all of them in time!"

"That won't be an issue." I said, grabbing his hand once again to lead him over to one specific suite. After a knock on the door, the wooden slab opened further, revealing Yuki's room, fully adorned like Tsukushi's if not for the difference in wardrobe and a distinct smell of tea.

Asuyo turned around and greeted us. "Hey, what are you doing he- Oh, right. Free roamers, right?" Yatarou and I simply nodded. "Lucky you. I'm tired of being in these stupid musty rooms. I think I'm getting claustrophobic."

"I agree" Maruko chimed in. "Jeg and Asuyo have been in here for quite a while. Akahana is in the girl dormitories... although... talvez that's for the better. If she was ici, maybe she'd destroy evidence..."

My eyes immediately widened at Maruko's assumption. Akahana is a lawyer like myself, a warrior of the law, devoted to find the truth. Why would she hide evidence? "Why would you say that, Maruko?"

Asuyo was the one to respond - being as blunt as she is. "We've found a few bits of proof that might point to Akahana as the culprit. There's a jacket similar to hers on the floor, and... well, look at it."

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: AKAHANA'S JACKET

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: PILE OF CLOTHES

I started looking around in a rush. Sure enough, there was a wet black jacket crumpled on the floor, next to a few copies of Yuki's own outfit that he'd laid in a mound on the floor. "Not very tidy... for a butler, especially." Yatarou threw in his opinion, one that made all three other people in the room agree.

Next up, the desk. On it, were a piece of paper and a handbook - Yuki's supposedly.

"What about these connects Akahana to the case?" I ask curiously while picking up the paper. And what a slap in the face it was. "Th-This... This is a suicide note!?"

"Oui..." Maruko stated simply. "Pero... that's not the thing. Check the handbook, por favor." she asked me, and I reluctantly picked up the device. "Messages." I looked at her, as her voice sounded weaker. She was looking at the floor, her face and eyes darker than usual and her lips tightly sealed.

Sure enough... there it was.

Akahana Nakajima: Greetings,Yuki. It has come to my attention that you are being targeted because of our current murderous incentive, and are as such in grave danger. Please meet me in the resort's kitchen tonight after our curfew. 3h10am is an adequate time so as to avoid being spotted.

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: SUICIDE NOTE?

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: YUKI'S HANDBOOK

Wh-What was this...

"This isn't making any sense!" Yatarou stated, emotionless.

"Yatarou's right!" I agreed. "How... How come Akahana left this much evidence behind? Someone has to be setting her up for the murder. It's too easy..."

Asuyo groaned. "I want it to be true as well, but this is not a murder mystery novel, Tsukushi. Things are normally what they seem." she trailed off, but eventually stopped herself and turned to me. "Or maybe... you feel the need to protect her because you hold similar talents? A sort of occupational crush?"

"No, no, no!" I defend myself. "I'm not into Akahana that way... but this all smells funny to me..." I shake my head and get back into my investigative gear. I can't get distracted by these sorts of things... if Akahana really is the culprit, then we'll reach that truth. "Where did you two last see Yuki?"

"Now we're getting interrogated?" Asuyo groaned again and rolled her eyes. "It was downstairs. I went to the freezer before coming to the dorms, to say my goodbye to him. Before that though... yesterday night, after you went upstairs."

TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED: ASUYO'S ACCOUNT

"Ditto." Maruko added. "Bien, not the part where she pays her respect... Couldn't bring myself to do it, ja?"

I nodded and was about to tell Maruko I understood her when I was cut off by the crackling of speakers inside the room.

DING DONG, DING DONG! INVESTIGATION TIME IS OVER, LOSERS!
GET YOUR ASSES OVER TO THE SUNDIAL SO THE CLASS TRIAL CAN PROCEED!

MID-MORNING

Location: Anghern Sundial

"I see everyone's rounded up already! If only every class was like you!" Monokuma cackled as he counted fifteen heads on the meadow in front of the sundial, the platform of money still staring us right in the face, boasting about how someone got killed because of it. It almost made me sick just looking at it. "Anyway... time for the Class Trial, right? Please enter the elevator!"

After how announcer-y his voice sounded, one would expect the ground to shake and a giant elevator rise from the grass below us but... nothing.

"Aye, bear, what the hell is this?" Kiyoshi complained. "There isn't any stinkin' elevator here."

Monokuma's red eye shone menacingly, making the Custodian bite his lip in recoil. "Be patient, little punk! You're one of my least favourite students here, god damn. Such a little bitch all the time, jeez." he mocked. "It should be arriving in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

And the countdown ended right on cue, as the giant sundial started being lifted off the floor revealing a door built into the giant block of dirt that was rising. Akahana was quick to enter the door, and the sundial changed into something not even my wildest dreams could conjure. Inside the crystal was... a hologram of Akahana entering the elevator, and on the hollow part of it, a hologram of the number '01'.

"Get on with it." Akahana urged us in, and more and more people started trickling in. The holographic people inside the sundial started multiplying, each of the people copied into figurines of light in almost pixel-perfect detail. The holographic number was quickly rising as well, until it stopped at '14'. Only me left, huh?

Not anymore.

The elevator doors slammed shut behind me, the breeze of the abrupt closing tickling my neck. I adjusted my sleeves and looked around, spying people's reactions to this whole ordeal... the presiding emotion was unsurprising enough - despair. I could even feel it creeping in my bones, strangling my heart, making my head spin... and the elevator then started descending, along with everyone else.

The ride down was quiet. Too quiet. Everyone had their hearts filled with despair, distrust, disgust... there wasn't a shred of hope in the air, no matter how hard I tried. But like hell we're backing down. Hope will prevail.

And so it begins... a Class Trial that will put lives on the line.

First Class Trial - Loading...
(SURVIVORS | DEAD)

ASUYO UEMURA | KIKYO NAMIKAZE | YUKI BATORA | RIOU RYIELO
MARUKO INUBARASHI | BLACKJACK 21? | TSUKUSHI HANANARI | SHIZUKA MATSUOKA
FRANCES BAISHOU | YUZURU KANZAKI | KIYOSHI IKEDA | EITA KUROGANE
AKAHANA NAKAJIMA | CHIGUSA TAKAGAWA | YATAROU NEKOMIRIN | YORI HANAMICHI

A/N: And so it begins, with the longest chapter in this story as of now. Yuki was unfortunately our first casualty, due to a mysterious assailant here in the city - thanks a lot to IcarusDash for this great character! I also noticed Yuki was a fan favourite among most of you guys, so I can only hope you feel the despair already, upupu!

I'm sorry if you spot any mistakes around the chapter, there are a lot of details I have to pay attention to in this first case, so please be a bit more lenient in the reviews for this chapter and the coming trial!

QOTC: How do you feel about our first murder? Excited for the Class Trial?

I'll be back soon-ish with our first Class Trial. But until then... Yamazaki out!