AN: I'm writing this right after posting the first chapter (and I wrote that one a couple hours ago) but depending on how busy I am later this might come out the next day, or the day after. Either way, I had to scribble out this chapter because it contains (I hope) the main reason this story was started in the first place. Anyways, hope you enjoy it.

Future AN: This chapter got waaaaay longer than I expected, but then again, it's really just the investigation.

Monokuma might've disappeared, but the tension in the air continued to thicken, ominously pressing down on their shoulders, lingering like a terrible fog. Naegi found himself mulling over the bear's words, somewhat bitter at having the attention of someone/something he would rather have forgotten about the Lucky Student's existence. Still, considering they had pretty much gotten off scot free despite the abrupt murder attempt, he would take what he could get.

Taking off his now damaged hoodie, Naegi tied it around his waist and gave the gash across his arm a cursory glance, before choosing to slot the injury into the back of his head. There were more pressing concerns to address at the moment.

"Are you alright?" He extended a hand towards the blonde sprawled on the gym floor, ignoring the hubbub going on in the background. She blinked twice, some sort of realisation flickering behind her eyes before they hardened and she grabbed on to the offered appendage, pulling herself back into a standing position.

"Thanks, Naegi."

"Hmm?"

"I'd be dead if you hadn't done something. So…thanks. I owe you one." He smiled slightly, shrugging briefly before waving off the praise.

"Anyone else could've stepped in. I just happened to be lucky enough. Right place, right time. Don't mention it." A poor joke, really, but it coaxed a laugh out of Enoshima and got their minds off the brush with death, so it did its job.

"Woah!" The cry of horror brought their attention to Hagakure, who looked like he had just chanced upon the epiphany of a century.

"That bear…it tried to kill her! That means everything that's happened so far is real? It's not a joke!? SOMEBODY GET ME OUTTA HERE!" Naegi was fairly certain that everyone sighed in unison at that incredibly late connection, before someone else chipped in.

"Regardless, we need to start searching for Maizono-san's killer. Before that however, we need to secure the crime scene." Kirigiri crossed her arms, a hand coming up to rest on her chin as she flipped through the Monokuma File, pausing for a moment on each page before moving on to the next.

"Indeed," Togami shifted his eyes away from Hagakure's panic with something close to revulsion twisting his face, "you. Muscle-head."

"Tch." Owada looked seconds away from throwing down, before the gravity of the situation sobered him up. "Yeah, I'm no good with thinking. I'll take care of the room so you guys can figure out who killed the chick."

"Excellent. We still need another volunteer of course."

"W-why's th-that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The Ultimate Affluent Progeny looked down on Fukawa like he just had the misfortune of finding a trash heap. "Fine then, let me explain in a way that your peabrains can understand. The easiest way to destroy the evidence as the culprit would be to volunteer for guard duty."

"In that case," Ogami raised a hand, "I'll join Owada. That way there won't be a problem."

"2-player co-op base defense with these two? With their stats, they're totally OP!" Yamada adjusted his glasses in an attempt to look dignified, but with whatever gaming nonsense he was spouting, it was likely that no one was taking him seriously.

"Although…" Celeste chuckled before putting a hand to conceal her smile. "This doesn't seem like it'll be too difficult to figure out."

"Huh? What are you talking about…?"

"Notice anything interesting about where Maizono died?" Naegi's heart turned ice cold in his chest as the dots connected in his head. "She died in Naegi's dorm."

"Then, could it be…?"

Everyone turned their gazes onto the stone-faced Luckster. He felt their eyes burn into his skin, and immediately, it felt as though an invisible barrier had sprung up between himself and the rest of the class. Suspicion and fear pervaded the air, and he fought the urge to defend himself. With those kinds of eyes, with the clear message they all were carrying, it would just make him look more guilty. After all, who would believe that Maizono had asked to switch rooms with him in the middle of the night? Still, he refused to break first, especially not underneath the accusing stares of people who had immediately deemed him guilty of killing the last person he would've even considered amongst the class.

"Hey! Quit looking at him like that! Just because Maizono died in his dorm doesn't mean that he was the one to do it!" In a stunningly similar reflection of just moments earlier, Enoshima pushed Naegi behind herself, face drawn into a bitter scowl.

"Y-you don't have to defend him j-just because he saved your life b-bimbo slut." Fukawa was chewing furiously on her fingernails, but somehow still found the nerve to throw out both an accusation and an insult towards someone who could've died at the hands of a killer robot bear. He couldn't fault her, of course, but that didn't mean he would let an insult like that stand.

"Hey, don't—" Naegi was cut off by a sudden shriek, the Writing Prodigy scrambling backwards like he was a feral animal that had broken free from his cage.

"S-stay back! Or are you…are you going to k-kill me next?" He deflated, the fight leaving him instantly at the cutting words as he shut his mouth, deciding that this was one battle he wasn't going to win.

"This is going nowhere." Kirigiri closed the file in her hand with a snap. "We'll figure out whoever did it during the Trial. And we must get it correct." Her piece said, the mysterious teenager strode out the doors of the gym, footsteps echoing into the distance. And just like that, the various Ultimates began to trail out of the room, all studiously ignoring Naegi's eyes as they did so. He remained there, rooted to the spot, fists clenched tightly as something akin to anger flickered within his heart.

Even here, sealed off from the rest of the world, he couldn't quite escape his fate.

"Naegi." A hand tugging at the edge of his shirt drew his attention back to the one person who had stayed behind. He tilted his head slightly in a silent question, causing Enoshima to roll her eyes almost affectionately.

"We both know you're too much of a herbivore to kill that diva girl. But we've got to figure out who did to prove the rest of them wrong, alright?" Despite the dig at his meekness, Naegi couldn't help but smile at the awkward attempt to lift his spirits. Well, he had one person in his corner, at the very least.

"You're right," He took a deep breath, purging the building resentment in his system. "Let's catch a killer."

First, the Monokuma File.

"The victim was Maizono Sayaka. The time of death is estimated to be around 1:30 a.m. The body was discovered in Naegi's room, in the dormitory. All evidence suggests that the death took place in the bathroom. The cause of death was a stab wound to the abdomen. There was also an injury to her right wrist. Specifically, the wrist appears to have suffered a fracture."

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

It was odd that Maizono had died in the bathroom, especially after the conversation they had last night. She had specifically said that she would not open the door for anyone, even if she was sure it was Naegi himself at the door. In that case, she wouldn't have forgotten to lock it, or opened it for any reason. But then again, she was the only one with the key, and he had left her in his room when they chose to switch.

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

"Where do we go first?"

"Where it happened. Hopefully we'll find more clues there."

The duo quickly made their way through the halls and back to the dormitory. Along the way, they crossed paths with several individuals, all of which averted their gaze from Naegi like it physically hurt to look at him, but he could still sense their eyes settling on him from behind. He could feel Enoshima getting more and more tense with each encounter, but chose to bury his own reservations about the whole situation deep within himself. He could think about it when their lives weren't in danger.

The door was wide open, revealing the terrible state of the room and the two guards currently idling within it. Owada was leaning against a wall with a bored look in his eyes, while Ogami was standing in the middle of the room, glancing around at the devastation with a hint of curiosity. He murmured a brief word of greeting to announce their presence before stepping into the crime scene.

He fought the urge to turn and run away upon being reminded of what, or who, exactly was waiting for him in the bathroom, pretending that his hands weren't quivering like a leaf in a thunderstorm. Kirigiri was busy looking at something on the ground, so he chose to analyse the rest of the room before checking on her.

The walls and floor were marked with scratches and gouges that indicated signs of a struggle. Normally that sort of noise in the middle of the night would have immediately raised concern, but considering the rooms were all properly soundproofed, it was likely that no one would've heard a single scream.

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

The stand on which he had placed the replica katana was missing its weapon, so with some minor searching, he located both the blade and the sheath it had originally been placed in. Carefully moving the sheath, he noted the scratches on the metal, as though it had been used to block some sort of sharp object. The blade, on the other hand, had gold dust missing from the handle and several sections across the length of the replica sword, indicating it had seen some use, especially since the dust came off at the slightest touch. Regardless, the fact that both parts of the sword had been used indicated that something must've happened before the katana was unsheathed, especially since the first instinct with a sword is to remove it from its casing before using it in any way.

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

Stepping past the absolute disaster that was his room, he opened the drawers to see if anything had changed, noting that the toolkit he had been provided with remained untouched, and nothing else was amiss. Sliding them back into place, he crouched down and picked up the lint roller, turning it over in his hands. Interesting. The appliance had been used at some point and was several times smaller than how it was the last time he saw it, and considering Naegi hadn't touched the thing after noting its existence…who did?

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

He scanned the floorboards for just a moment before waving Enoshima over, who had been standing in the doorway with a look of indecision on her face.

"What's up?"

"This might be odd, but could you check if there are any traces of hair in this room?"

"Huh? Why's that?"

"...just a suspicion."

"He's right." They stood up in unison, turning to face the source of the voice. Kirigiri dusted off her hands before continuing with her thoughts."

"I was going to ask if you were a neat freak, but considering you had the same idea as I did, there's no point in that."

"Just spit out what you want to say already, jeez, the clock's still ticking."

"Very well. I searched the whole room from one end to the other, and I did not find a single strand of hair. Not from you, or from Maizono, or from whoever killed her."

"That shouldn't be possible. I've been staying in this room for a couple days now."

"Indeed. Which means someone cleaned up the place. And if it wasn't you…"

"It's gotta be the one who's trying to pin this on Naegi, right?"

[Truth Bullet Updated]

Kirigiri brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "There's something else I wish to ask. Do you know how your bathroom door was broken?"

"Broken?" Naegi had a brief flashback to the infuriating conversation he had with Monokuma. "My door gets stuck, so there's a specific way you need to twist the doorknob to get it opened." Kirigiri blinked, a flicker of surprise in her eyes before a small smirk appeared on her face.

"Is that so…" She stepped aside before carefully closing the door behind her. "Tell me, what's off about this?"

He brushed past her before crouching down once more, noting the way the doorknob was dangling. Upon closer inspection, there was a screw missing from the panel it had been attached to, indicating that it had been tampered with. "Someone broke into the bathroom when they couldn't open it."

"And does anyone else know about your bathroom door's issue?"

"No," he shook his head, "just myself and Maizono-san."

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

"Isn't that proof that it couldn't have been Naegi that killed Maizono? Since he would've known how to get into the bathroom?" Kirigiri graced Enoshima with an appraising look, as if she was seeing her in an entirely new light. The Fashionista looked slightly disgruntled at the subtext, but chose not to say anything else.

"Indeed. Still, we need to figure out who the real killer is."

"Right. Enoshima-san, could you take another look at everything in case you find something I didn't? I've got to…see something." He tried not to grimace, but considering the sympathy he could now feel radiating off the four people in the room, it failed miserably.

"You don't have to force yourself if you're not ready."

"We've got no time to get me comfortable with the fact that my friend died in my bathroom. Just…just give me a moment." He took several deep breaths, psyching himself up before pulling the door open and setting his eyes once more upon the bloodstained scene.

"Maizono-san…" He resisted the urge to break down into tears. It wouldn't bring her back.

Hesitantly, he stepped around the blood splatters on the floor, bending down to get a closer look at the scene of the crime.

There was some sort of sharp object in her stomach. It was bloodstained and concealed by the ribbon on her chest, so with some hesitance, he untied it to get a better view of the entire situation. Absent-mindedly stuffing the bloodstained fabric into his pocket, Naegi noted that it seemed to be a kitchen knife. Well, there was only one place that blade could've been taken from, so he needed to check the dining area later.

Tilting her right wrist, the Luckster grimaced at the swollen and bloody state of the appendage, but looked closer and noticed golden flecks lining the wound. Well, it didn't take a genius to figure out what exactly had struck her there. Still, with the clear signs of a conflict going on in the main room, and the stab wound that ended her life, she must've been attacked, got her wrist broken, ran into here…and then was finished off. But why exactly did the murderer swap weapons? If they already had the kitchen knife, why not just stab Maizono and be done with it?

Unless the murderer wasn't the one with the knife.

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

There was also blood staining her left index finger, despite the palms of both hands being perfectly pristine. Glancing around, he looked past the corpse to the wall behind her and found a series of numbers.

11037…considering the blood on her fingertip, this was most likely her dying message. But what could it mean?

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

Nonetheless, that was everything he was going to get from this place. Stretching slightly as he stood back up, Naegi spared Maizono one last look, something bitter and dark curling in his chest as he did so. Just hours ago he made a promise to get her out of here. And before he could do anything, it was broken. The very least he could do was bring her killer to justice. If nothing else, he could do that. He wasn't quite sure what he'd do otherwise.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Naegi felt a weight he hadn't noticed before uncoil itself from the tight hold it had on his lungs. Kirigiri and Enoshima appeared to be having a hushed conversation that, judging from their rapidly darkening expressions, wasn't exactly going well. "Accidentally" colliding with the doorframe, he winced slightly at the new flare of pain lancing up and down his already injured arm. Still, it created a sound loud enough to cut through the building tension. While Enoshima immediately made her way over to him, Kirigiri watched on with an almost apathetic expression, before turning on her heel and leaving the crime scene.

"Ugh, I can't believe that bitch!"

"Slow down, what happened?"

"I was checking round the place like you told me to, and wouldn't you know it, I did find something." He hummed in intrigue as she handed him a slip of paper, skimming through the message once before pausing. The Luckster rubbed at his eyes, reading through the short paragraph once more.

"There's something I want to talk to you about, just us two. In five minutes, come see me in my room. Check the nameplates to make sure you don't get the wrong room, okay?"

It was signed "Maizono Sayaka".

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

His ears began to ring as several emotions warred for dominance in his chest. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. But most of all, he wanted Maizono to be alive so that he could grab and shake her until she spilled the reason for this message's existence. Very carefully relaxing his fingers before he could crumple and tear the evidence within his hands. He smoothed out the tattered edges before depositing them in Enoshima's hands. Best not to keep it on himself and risk losing such vital information. Gesturing silently, he indicated for the blonde to share whatever was going on while he was searching the dead body.

"Right so I was thinking about what you hadn't checked, then I figured, might as well sweep the whole room from top to bottom, yeah? And it turns out that there was a sheet of paper torn from your notepad. I was going to ask you if you used it, but that stone cold asshole started shading the paper beneath it. Pretty neat, but then she wanted to leave without telling you or me whatever it was that she found. Said some bullshit about how you 'needed to uncover the culprit on your own.' I mean seriously, what kinda half-assed logic is that?"

Somehow despite it all, he cracked a smile at the clear disgruntlement in Enoshima's voice as she slipped the note into a pocket. "Thank you, Enoshima-san."

She shrugged almost nonchalantly, but looked away from him as she responded. "All of our asses are on the line this time. Just looking out for myself as well."

"Still," He patted her twice on the shoulder, "I appreciate it."

The Fashionista sighed, but twisted around to give him a deadpan glance, tinged with something he couldn't quite place before it vanished behind a playful mask. "Pay me back by catching the bastard who did this. We can call it even after that." He hummed in response, ending the conversation there and then before they could go in circles.

"Owada-san, Ogami-san." The two in question glanced at him, waiting for his next words. "Any ideas where else we should investigate?"

"Well," the Biker Gang Leader shifted into a thinking pose, rubbing the back of his head, "there's a trash room nearby. If I was someone who wanted to get rid of the evidence of a crime, I'd go there first. Still…" He cracked his knuckles threateningly, "if I find the dude who did that, there won't be any need for a Class Trial."

"And what if the culprit's a lady?" Enoshima pinned the delinquent with an unamused stare. He grunted, mulling the question over before freezing. Owada coughed sheepishly, glancing between the two female members of the room before shifting his gaze to the open doorway, clearly dodging the question. Naegi fought the urge to snicker as his companion rolled her eyes, jerking a thumb at the now awkward teenager.

"Hina and I spent most of the evening together, and I did meet her in the dining room before that. Considering a sharp weapon was used, it might've come from there. Perhaps you might want to get her opinion on the situation?"

The Luckster nodded, mentally taking down the two locations. Since the trash room was just around the corner, they might as well start there before looking for Asahina and some of the other Ultimates. He'd take anything he could get at this point.

Exiting the room, his eyes reflexively darted to the nameplates. Slowing to a stop, he glanced between the one attached to the door he had just exited from, then the one for the room he had spent the night in. Pulling up the dormitory map to confirm his suspicions, the frown on his face deepened to a scowl as he compared their room positions to the corresponding nameplates. Now why exactly were the nameplates on his and Maizono's rooms switched?

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

This, coupled with the note Enoshima had given him to look at earlier, was beginning to paint a picture that he didn't quite like. Scowl thinning into a somewhat neutral line, Naegi turned off his E-Handbook with a harsher than necessary press, shoving the PDA back into his pocket. The investigation came before his suspicions on the matter. As Kirigiri said earlier, everything would eventually be revealed at the Trial.

Sidestepping the few that were idling in the hallway, he and Junko quietly made their way to the trash room, opening the door and poking their heads in to see if anything had changed. The gate was still shut, and when he yanked at it experimentally, it remained firmly rooted in place. His eyes flickered briefly to the switch on the wall he had tested yesterday, then to the locked hatch on the floor.

"No no no!" Both teenagers jumped at the sudden reappearance of the high pitched voice of their jailor. "No entry beyond this point! Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!" He clamped down on the urge to punt the pint-sized terror across the room, tempered by the reminder of what had very nearly happened to Enoshima. Quickly stepping around the off-brand answering machine, he shut the door behind them, exchanging a glance with the other teenager before simultaneously deciding not to talk about what they just witnessed.

Making their way back to the Ultimates roaming the halls, he approached Yamada, who was busy muttering to himself with a devious look in his eyes which would've been far more unsettling if it wasn't coming from the Ultimate Doujin Author.

"Yamada-san."

"Ah, Naegi-dono, here to confess your horrendous crimes? Finally crumbled under the pressure of your sins?" He instinctively extended an arm to hold Enoshima back from creating another dead body while they were still investigating the first one. Not that he wasn't equally seething beneath the polite mask he was struggling to hold on to, but with all the thoughts swirling in his head, it was much easier to repress everything.

"I was looking for the person currently on cleaning duty."

"In that case, you're looking at the guy! Why, you may ask?" He struck a pose that made his measly intimidation factor drop even further. "It just so happens that Monokuma asked me to take care of it yesterday. Unfortunately with what happened, I haven't had a chance to get started."

"I'm assuming you can open the trash room gate then?"

"As expected of a devious criminal mastermind! It is my job after all. And if I didn't have the key to the gate, I wouldn't be able to accomplish it."

"You need a key to get into the trash room?" The footsteps of the esteemed Togami Byakuya drew closer as the teenage boy frowned slightly. "If only the person on cleaning duty has it…ah, that must be why." Naegi blinked at the blond's words, mulling them over before coming to the same realisation.

"It's to make sure no one can just dispose of the evidence and get away with it."

"I see that some of you can follow basic thought processes." There was the backhanded compliment that was less praise and more insult. "The game would be too boring if that was the case."

…ignoring that slightly concerning comment, Naegi turned his attention back to Yamada. "Anyways, could you help us unlock the trash room?"

"Oh, okay!" Odd that there was no sign of his earlier hostility.

Ignoring the ramblings of the Ultimate, he ducked underneath the still opening gate to get as far away as possible from the otaku before a sharp cry made him pause.

"Hold on, Naegi-dono!" Yamada struck another pose. Coincidentally, Enoshima shifted away from the overweight teenage boy. "You wouldn't be thinking of destroying any evidence you might have left behind!?"

"If ahoge-boy wanted to do something like that he wouldn't have brought me along, dumbass."

"Oh-ho!" He adjusted his glasses like a pale imitation of Togami. "But you could be his accomplice! Star-crossed lovers brought together by the allure of death, willing to burn the world for each other…" Naegi sighed heavily, dragging a hand down his face.

"Look, just…you can stand there and watch us to make sure nothing happens, okay?"

He measured the distance between the incinerator and the gate via his footsteps and some quick mental math. Far enough that it would be virtually impossible to toss anything inside without opening the gate first. Minding the glow of the machine, he hovered a hand over the mouth of the incinerator to test the heat.

"Yamada, did you leave this thing on?"

"Say whaaaat?" The teenager scurried over. "Very strange…you see these green and yellow buttons? It's pretty simple, green means on, and yellow turns it off. Still, I could've sworn this was off the last time I visited the trash room…"

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

Getting down on one knee, he picked up a scrap of fabric from the floor, grimacing at the burnt edges and the bloodstain on the sleeve cuff. No prizes for guessing who exactly this belonged to. Setting it back down, he narrowly avoided cutting himself on the shards of broken glass littering the ground. Shifting them around slightly, he frowned.

"Any ideas what this might've been?"

"Ah you see, if you collect seven of these—"

"It's a crystal ball." Ignoring the way Yamada deflated at being cut off, he gave Enoshima a thankful nod before getting back to his feet. There was nothing more to see here. Best to leave before he started considering more permanent ways of shutting the Doujin Author up.

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

The dining hall was empty, bar the Swimmer sitting at the table they had used in the morning for breakfast meetings. She wasn't doing much, just drumming her fingers against the table as they entered, looking up and jolting in her seat when she met eyes with the Luckster. Giving him a hesitant wave which he returned with a slight nod, she watched them go past her and into the kitchen.

As expected, one of the kitchen knives was missing from the magnetic rack on the wall. Silently, he and Enoshima each took one half of the room, checking between boxes and crates to look for the missing tool and coming up empty after several minutes of searching. Grimacing as he took one last look at the room, he quickened his pace to catch up with the already moving Fashionista, who had made her way to Asahina in the time it took for him to exit the room.

With a slight hop, she propped herself up on the table, crossing her legs and resting her heels against one of the chairs.

"Oi, donut girl. Did you see anyone take a kitchen knife?"

"Don't call me that!" Enoshima waved a hand dismissively, which caused Asahina to fume briefly before her brain caught up with the rest of the sentence.

"Well…I did find it weird that one of them would up and vanish like that."

"When did you notice?"

"Sometime last night? One moment all of them were lined up in a neat row while I was getting my tea, and the next, poof! Gone! And it didn't even take that long, cause the change happened somewhere between me getting my tea and me washing the glass."

He leaned forward, trying not to seem too eager to pry her memories out of the Swimmer. "Any ideas who could've had the chance to do it?"

"See…that's the issue here." Asahina looked away from the duo, a complicated expression crossing her face. "The only one who came in here aside from me was Maizono-chan."

For the briefest of moments, his mind struggled to wrap around the latest piece of information. A brief flash of anger made his fists clench so hard that he popped his knuckles, a sickening crack that immediately drew the attention of the other two teenagers in the room. While Enoshima tried to hide her concern, Asahina looked like she was seconds away from cutting her losses and running. He shook his head slowly, anger leaving just as quickly as it arrived, with the only thing that remained a deep-rooted, bitter sorrow.

[Truth Bullet Acquired]

"Enoshima-san, I think I need some time alone."

"You don't have to say that twice. But are you sure?" He forced a smile that must've looked more like a grimace, before burying his hands in his pockets. He gripped the bloodstained ribbon, clutching onto it like a twisted security blanket as he turned around, making his way to the dining hall entrance in a few lengthy strides.

"Naegi-kun!" He turned back slightly to glance at Asahina over his shoulder, who looked equal parts frightened and hesitant. "Did you really kill Maizono-chan?"

He exhaled, shaking his head in resignation before exiting the room, not bothering to dignify the question with an answer.

There were things to do.

I…honestly didn't expect to get this out that fast, and not for it to be so goddamned long. But in any case, we are now this close to beginning the Class Trial, and approaching the scenario that got me to write this fic in the first place. I'll see you soon. I hope so.

Summary: An accusation, an investigation, a realisation. This is where it goes downhill.