Chapter 1: Kill and Live
Naegi finds himself in his room and glares at the security camera. He finds a notice on his door. Monokuma then speaks through the PA system.
"Attention students! Please be advised: As per the notices on your respective doors, while all dorm rooms are equipped with fully functioning showers, the water will be shut off at curfew. No exceptions." Monokuma announced
"So, if I wanna take a shower at night, I'm outta luck?" Naegi said.
"Additionally, bear in mind only the showers located in the girls' rooms have locks installed." Monokuma continued. "Oh! And you'll find I've left a small token of welcome for each and every one of you." Naegi opens his nightstand drawer and finds a toolkit. "I encourage you to let your imaginations run wild!" Naegi became quite angry at the idea, took the notice off his bathroom door, and threw it in the trash bin after balling it up. Once he did, Sunset and Marinette came in.
"You seem a little on edge, Naegi." Sunset said.
"Well, of course I'm on edge! That bear wants us to kill each other!" He shouted as they noticed a replica katana on the dresser. He then turned his attention to the wall clock and saw that it's almost 10PM. "Guess I better clean up while there's time." He walked over to his own bathroom door and tried to open it, but it won't budge. "Really?" He tries to force the door open, but no luck. "Aw, come on!"
"And he said the boys' showers don't lock." Marinette said in disbelief.
"Bingo! Give the lady a prize!" Monokuma said, surprising them.
"Where did you come from?!" Naegi asked.
"On the subject of locks, some friendly advice: I wouldn't leave my bedroom door unsecured if I were you." Monokuma said.
"What do you want this time?" Sunset asked.
"Oh, I can see you're in a fix, Naegi! Yeah, apologies for the wonky doorknob there." Monokuma apologized for the faulty door. "I'll put in a work-order first chance I get. Embarrassing, I know." Naegi gasped. "Meantime, the trick is to lift and turn simultaneously. Takes a bit of left-brain right-brain coordination, but..." Before Monokuma could finish, Naegi manages to open the door.
"Oh, hey, there we go." Naegi said.
"What do you know, it worked." Sunset said.
Monokuma laughs. "Seriously though... what are the odds of you getting the one bathroom door that plays hard to get? Hilarious!"
"I wouldn't worry about it too much." Marinette said.
"Marinette's right, it's no big deal." Naegi agreed.
"But you're supposed to lead a charmed life, right?" Monokuma said. "Frankly, though, Dame Fortune just doesn't seem all that into you." Naegi growled at the bear as the latter began to leave. "Well, that's it for me. A thankless job, but at the end of the day, it's all about the kids. And remember what I said: lock this door. Better safe than sorry!" Naegi looked upset after Monokuma closed the door behind him, but he locked the door.
Naegi sighed. "Yeah, not that into me, huh? Guess if she was, I wouldn't have wound up in this place." Once he said those words, the doorbell rang. "Yeah?"
"Um, hi... It's me..." He hears Sayaka's voice.
"Maizono?" Naegi spoke as he opens the door to see her looking scared.
"Mind if I come in?" Sayaka asked.
"Is something the matter, Maizono? You're looking scared." Marinette asked.
"I have a bad feeling in my room..." Sayaka began. This made them a bit surprised. "While I was getting ready for bed, my doorknob started to rattle. Softly. Somebody wanted in they were trying to be stealthy about it."
"Well, it might've been Monokuma." Naegi guessed.
"When I flung the door open, there was no one in the hallway. He must've moved quickly." Sayaka continued.
"Do you think it could be one of the others?" Sunset asked.
"Look, we don't have to go there." Sayaka said. "I just... I'm kind of freaked out."
"Hey, it's fine, don't worry. We all agreed not to leave our rooms after dark, right?" Naegi asked.
"Yeah, but it wasn't a hard and fast rule." Sayaka said. "Sure, we all promised, but what if someone lied?"
"Sort of paranoid, but here's an idea." Naegi said. "You could stay in my room tonight. I mean, you know, if you'll feel any safer."
"Huh?" Sayaka asked.
"The rules don't say who has to be in which room, only that it's smart to be in one after curfew." Naegi explained. "So, there you go. Loophole. Problem solved."
"But you might... W-Wouldn't it be kind of awkward with us both in one bed?" Sayaka asked. The idea made Naegi and Marinette blush.
"Whoa! Th-That's not what I meant! I, uh... I mean, you said you were freaked out, so, I wanted to give you options." Naegi said.
"That's not it." Sayaka said. "I know you didn't have anything pervy on the brain. You're not that kind of guy. I trust you, believe me. I just wonder whether it might be easier for us to swap rooms for the night."
"Swap rooms?" Sunset asked.
"Yeah, sure." Naegi agreed. "Like I said, all about giving you options. Whatever makes you feel safer. But... It doesn't weird you out to have a guy sleeping in your bed?"
Sayaka giggled. "Like I said, I trust you. It'll be fine."
"Well, okay... We're good, then." Naegi then went over to his bathroom door and showed her how to open it. "Just be warned, my shower door has a mind of its own."
"I'm sure I'll figure it out." Sayaka said just as the PA played another announcement.
"Attention, everyone. At the tone, time will be exactly 10PM..."
"Whatever happens, don't open the door. Promise me." Naegi said as he gave her the key to his room.
"You got it. That door's staying locked even if I know it's you on the other side." Sayaka said. "Would sorta defeat the purpose of us swapping rooms otherwise, right?" Naegi, Sunset, and Marinette then leave the room, leaving Sayaka alone. Sunset and Marinette then left for the classroom to join their friends and Naegi went into Sayaka's room.
The next morning, everyone agreed to have breakfast and joined together in the cafeteria. Some of them like Asahina, Ishimaru, and Applejack were on time, while others like Mondo, Hifumi, and Junko came a little later. "Sorry, I'm late. My hair and makeup took forever to put on this morning." Junko told them.
"Excuse me for us gawking." Shadow said.
"What's the haps?" Junko asked.
"Well, you look so different. In person, at least." Sakura said. "Forgive me if we offended you."
Junko simply laughed. "Yeah, they sorta gussy me up for the magazine shoots. Heh, that's the magic of touching up for you."
"Hmm. You don't say." Sakura said.
"Aww, c'mon, how different can I really look?" Junko said. "You're gonna hurt my feelings."
"Honestly, I'm kinda glad Rarity isn't with us." Sunset whispered to Applejack. "She'd flip her lid if she heard that."
The others then came in one by one. "Yeah, see, but that's the thing. I didn't oversleep. I got lost. I'm telling ya, this place is like a freaking labyrinth." Hagakure said as he took his seat.
Ishimaru stood up and looked around. He sees that two people are missing. "This still isn't everyone, though."
"He's right, where are Togami and Maizono?" Asahina said.
"I see one of them coming in." Knuckles said as Togami took his seat.
"Dude, Maizono behind you or what? I'm starving?" Mondo asked.
"Do I look like her keeper?" Togami retorted. "I came here directly from my room, thank you very much."
"Little out of character for her to be late, she's usually here before I am." Hifumi noted.
"Uh-oh, think maybe she's sick?" Asahina asked.
Sonic noticed a worried look on Naegi and Marinette's faces. "Hey, what's with you two?" He asked.
"Yeah, something wrong?" Hagakure asked.
"Excuse me. I should probably go check on her! Come on, Marinette!" Naegi said as he and Marinette ran over to the former's room, where she slept for the night. "Maizono!" He checked the bedroom door and found it unlocked. "What the heck? It should be locked!" When they came in, they found the room in shambles, slash marks on the floor, the replica katana on the floor, and the bed completely messy.
"Please tell me this isn't what I think it is..." Naegi murmured. He saw the bathroom door slightly opened with the doorknob looking like it might fall off. Once Naegi opened the door, he and Marinette gasped in horror at what they saw.
They saw Sayaka Maizono lying at the back of the shower dead with blood splattered all over and a large knife in her stomach. Naegi and Marinette freaked out as they screamed at the top of their lungs. They then blacked out.
The two of them suddenly reawakened at the gym with everyone else gathered inside. "Oh, good, you're awake." Alya said.
"Ugh... What happened...?" Naegi asked groggily.
"The gym...?" Marinette asked.
"Yeah. We found you two passed out and had to carry you here." Asahina said.
"Well, Ogami did the heavy lifting, actually." Chihiro said.
"So, what I saw... was real." Naegi murmured before remembering something. "How's Maizono?!"
A silence filled the room. "We're sorry. We checked her a dozen times. She... She's dead." Tails said somberly.
Hearing that made Naegi try and sprint to where Sayaka's body is before Ishimaru grabbed him. "Where are you going?" Ishimaru asked.
"Where do you think I'm going?! I can't just leave her there, can I?!" Naegi shouted.
"Naegi! We need you to get a hold of..." Ishimaru tried to calm him down before Naegi pulled away.
"Let go! I have to-!" Naegi yelled.
"You're wasting your time, my friend." Togami said. "I can assure you the girl is well and truly departed."
"Then why are we all standing around with our thumbs up our butts?" Naegi asked. "Someone's been murdered! We can't just treat this like any other day!"
"Understand, Naegi, it isn't as though we chose to stand around." Kyoko said.
"So then what the hell's going on?" Naegi asked.
"Ugh. It was the damn bear. The "principal." He ordered us to meet in the gym." Toko said. "Something about a "pep rally."
"Believe me, man, we are all against the idea." Ishimaru said. "How on earth can you be so disrespectful," we said. But then-"
"Because they took my and Shadow's suggestion and complied." Kyoko said. "It's best if we just do as the bear says for now."
"Kirigiri..." Naegi breathed.
"As things stand now, we're his prisoners, plain and simple." Kyoko said. "Nothing good can come of us defying him on impulse."
"She is correct. Unless we want more casualties, the best course of action is to play by his rules for now." Shadow agreed. Sonic placed a hand on Naegi's shoulder.
"I know it hurts losing a close friend, but we'll figure out how to get her back. Trust me." Sonic told him.
"He killed her... She was vulnerable and he killed her... I know it!" Naegi said, blaming Monokuma for her death.
"BAAAH! As if little old me would do something like that!" Monokuma denied that claim as everyone turned to the bear on the pedestal. "Scouts honor! It wasn't me!"
"You monster!" Naegi glared.
"Use your head, Mr. Jumps-To-Conclusions. Why would I do something that goes against the whole point of this fine institution?" Monokuma said. "You're supposed to do the killing, not me. Rules are rules. You should've seen me at the zoo when folks ignored the "do not feed the bears" sign!"
"Then, if you're not the killer, who is?" Chloe glared.
"Like we don't know. Wake up and smell the formaldehyde!" Monokuma said. "The killer is one of you!" Those words made everyone shocked.
"Ugh. Really? THAT pulled the rug out from under all of you?" Monokuma asked. "And here I thought you were "gifted" students! It's obvious! One of you sent poor Maizono to the sweet hereafter so you could breathe free air again. And that's okay! It's what you're supposed to do!"
"This is horrible." Chihiro said meekly.
"He's lying!" Asahina said.
"Of course he's lying!" Naegi shouted in agreement.
"Hate to break it to you, but for once, he's speaking the truth." Applejack said. "One of us here silenced Maizono. And right now, that person knows that all too well."
"Are you sure he's telling the truth, Applejack?" Chihiro asked the farmgirl.
"I demand whoever did it come forward immediately!" Ishimaru barked.
"Huh. Sure, that'll work like a charm." Toko said sarcastically. "Do you ever listen to yourself?"
"Look, whoever it is, I won't judge." Celestia said.
"I-It wasn't me, I swear!" Hifumi yelped.
"Nuh-uh! I know you're not looking at me!" Leon said.
"Silence, all of you." Togami barked. "Right, then. Let us assume the perpetrator is in fact one of us. By your own rules, shouldn't they have "graduated" by now?"
Monokuma laughed. "Well, aren't we a Glass-Half-Full kind of guy? I like your reckless optimism! Having said that, though, the main attraction's still to come."
"What do you mean by "main attraction?" Marinette asked.
"Listen up, me droogs! Freedom isn't straightforward; there are a few "supplemental" rules." Monokuma said.
"I get it. He's referring to one of the rules in the digital notebooks, which states "Whoever kills a classmate may graduate, but he or she must not get caught by the other students." Max chimed in.
"Exactamundo! Someone studied!" Monokuma said. "Murder alone won't cut the mustard; the killer has to get away with it."
"To put it simply, to go free, one must commit the perfect crime." Celestia said.
"After each homicide, you'll have time to investigate before convening to debate the guilt or innocence of those who remain." Monokuma continued. "We call these debates—wait for it—"Trials!"
"You... can't be serious about this." Naegi said.
"The trial format is loosely modeled on parliamentary procedure; fierce back and forth being the order of the day." Monokuma went on. "If the guilty party is correctly identified, they will be summarily punished and the rest of you allowed to carry on under normal school conditions. Accuse someone wrongly, however, and the defendant goes free while the rest of you are punished, so point the finger at your own peril! There you have it! High stakes trial by jury! Beautiful system, really."
"Uh, sir, these "punishments," what do they consist of?" Hifumi asked.
"Ah, I suppose another name for them would be "executions." Monokuma responded.
"But surely you... You don't mean that?" Chihiro asked.
"Oh-ho! I mean exactly that, sweetheart!" Monokuma said. "We're talking electrocution. Gas chamber. Death by hurricane, which, yes, we CAN make happen." Everyone is shocked by the idea.
"Wait. I want to be sure I understand." Ishimaru said. "Decide incorrectly and the jury gets killed?"
"Let no one say you're not the smartest chimp in the tree." Monokuma said. "Oh, and way to imply you're not the culprit, by the by. Well done."
"So, what this means is we're each other's judge, jury, and executioner, right?" Luka asked.
"For someone I've only known for a couple days, you're a lot smarter than you look." Monokuma said. "Yep, those are the roles you all get to play, so I'd proceed with caution if I were you!"
"Nuh-uh! You're a nutjob and I refuse to be part of this crap!" Junko spat out in retaliation.
"Beg pardon?" Monokuma asked.
"You heard me, you psycho hairball. Far as I'm concerned, the whole trial thing can get bent!" Junko argued.
"But why?" Monokuma asked.
"Is that even a question? I'm not playing juror if it means risking my damn life and that's that!" Junko said.
"Oh, be reasonable!" Monokuma yelled.
"Don't try to talk to me about being reasonable, you sadistic freakazoid, I'm out of the game." Junko declared.
Monokuma started sweating. "The presence of evil before me is so overpowering, whatever shall I do? I shan't succumb! Perish the thought!" The bear then bares his claws. "No, ma'am. I'm stronger than that! When Monokuma fights, he fights to the last breath. I will not be defeated!" He jumps down from his pedestal and approaches Junko. "I'll nip this budding rebellion and reign victorious-" But just as he was about to finish, Junko kicks him down and pins him with her foot.
"I'm sorry. You were trying to say something?" Junko said.
"Uh, that was a mistake, Enoshima." Adrien said.
"He's right to warn you...!" Monokuma glared.
"Huh?" Junko asked in confusion.
"Manhandling the principal in any way, shape, or form is strictly forbidden." Monokuma said. "The rules, remember? I know I warned you about breaking 'em!" The siren started buzzing loudly. "Activating summoning magic! Save me, Gungnir Spears!"
Everyone stood in absolute horror as Junko is impaled by several spears that came out of the floor. Junko shuddered in pain from the spears that pierced her. "Okay... Not gonna lie, kinda weird... It's, uh, I dunno really..." Those words were all Junko could say before she collapses onto the gym floor dead. Most of the people who witnessed Junko's brutal death felt sick. Toko, at the sight of the blood, fainted.
"Oh no... oh no..." Chihiro whimpered.
"This is seriously messed up." Leon said.
"I've heard of overkill, but this brings it to a new level." Sonic said.
"Honestly, I'd wanted to avoid messy situations like that as much as humanly possible." Monokuma said as he climbed back up to his pedestal. "But, when an example's begging to be made, you can't let a bad attitude slide. Let's hope the gravity of your situation is beginning to sink in. High stakes are high."
Everyone stood in shock. "Best of luck playing junior detectives! The trial will be getting underway soon, so put on those thinking caps and start a-case cracking!" Monokuma then left via his disappearing act.
"This is insanity… What do we do?" Naegi asked. "If that was an example…"
"As much as I want to feel sorry for Enoshima, mourning her won't help us solve this case." Shadow said. "The best thing to do is spread out and search for any clues."
"Agreed. The last thing we need is to end up like her." Kagami agreed.
The digital notebooks were suddenly updated. "Heads up, everyone! We got some new pages!" Hagakure spoke up. The new page showed a detailed description of Sayaka's death.
"The Monokuma Files", huh?" Ishimaru said.
"Says here that she died not in her own room, but Naegi's." Celestia said. Everyone began to suspect him.
"If that's the case, that would make him the prime suspect." Mondo said.
"Guess we better start looking. Of course, we already know who went and did it." Ishimaru said as everyone left. The only ones left in the gym were Naegi, Sunset, Sonic, and Marinette.
Makoto showed them the Monokuma File. "The victim is Sayaka Maizono. Time of death: approximately 1:30am. Her body was found in the dormitory wing, specifically in the private room of classmate Makoto Naegi." Sunset read the file.
"Death occurred in the aforementioned classmate's shower. Cause of death: a stab wound to the stomach with a large butcher's knife." Marinette continued reading the file from Sunset's place. "Other injuries: deep lacerations to, and broken bones in, the right wrist, indicating the victim struggled against her attacker." The evidence found as they searched is the knife in Sayaka's stomach and the replica sword on the floor. In the incinerator room, Naegi, Sonic, and Hifumi find a burned piece of a blood-stained shirt and shards of a broken glass ball.
Back in the shower where Sayaka's body is, Tails kneeled down and checked the body before noticing a series of numbers on the wall behind her. The message read 11037. Kyoko noticed something peculiar on the notepad on the desk. When she and Kagami left the room, the former noticed Sayaka's nameplate on the door. She checked the map of the dormitory and saw that the room they left was appointed to Naegi.
Naegi stood in the center of Sayaka's room in contemplation. Marinette was with him. "I agreed to switch rooms with her. Does that make me responsible for her death?" Naegi asked himself. Marinette then noticed something in the trash bin.
"Naegi! Check out what I found!" Marinette said as she revealed a DVD labeled "Sayaka Maizono."
"What's that?" Naegi asked.
"I don't know, but I'll bet whatever's on this most likely caused the events that led to her death." Marinette said. "Let's head to the multimedia room and watch it."
When they're in the Multimedia Room, Marinette puts the DVD in the video player. It showed a video of Sayaka and her pop idol group performing a chart-topping song. The video then cut out for a moment, then showed the other four members on the stage floor with Monokuma on the screen.
"Here's a puzzler for you: Why on earth would this phenomenally successful vocal group disband?" Monokuma asked from the video. Then a message appeared at the end.
"Learn the answer after graduation!"
Marinette and Naegi gasped in horror. "Oh no. He is a monster." Naegi said. "Is there nothing he won't do to make sure we play his psychotic game?"
"Who in their minds would bring down a chart-topping band?" Marinette asked. Then the bell starts chiming.
"Alright, kiddos, your principal's bored out of his gourd, so what do you say we get this show on the road?" Monokuma said. "Time for the highly anticipated trial phase! Kindly march your butts over to the red door located on the first floor at the end of the academics wing and mosey on through."
"Nice one. Don't you two know how to tell time?" Ishimaru said. "We've been waiting, I'll have you know."
"Hah. I suppose you can hardly blame him. Right?" Toko said. "He knows it's only a matter of time before he's executed."
"Go easy on him, okay? There's no proof that he did it." Nino said. "Besides, the man's owed a fair trial."
"Whatever, man. Look at him, he's totally guilty." Leon said.
"So you all think he's the culprit because the body was found in his room?" Chloe asked.
The glares are pointed at Naegi, believing he's guilty. The only people who know the truth of Sayaka's death are the heroes and Kyoko.
They hear Monokuma's laugh through the speakers as the elevator doors opened. "Is everybody in? Hop aboard and be conveyed, as if by magic, to the student courtroom. Otherwise known as the Moment of Truth Room, for all of you." Naegi whimpered nervously.
"You're looking nervous." Kyoko said. "The way I see it, you have two options: Bring Maizono's killer to light or suffer the fate rightfully theirs. The choice is yours to make." Everyone then boarded the elevator. The elevator was big enough to fit everyone. The elevator then starts a long descent.
"This is it, Naegi. This is where we prove your innocence and find the truth." Marinette said.
"We want to avenge Sayaka as much as you." Sonic agreed.
"And to help you, we must find who the killer is." Sunset said as the elevator stops.
"Sonic, Sunset, Marinette… We can do this. We can bring the killer to justice." Naegi said as the doors open revealing a large courtroom with 32 podiums forming a large circle. "Let the first Class Trial begin!"
To be continued…