Hello again everyone, I've finally finished the Chapter 2 Deadly Life! I hope this was worth the wait, cause I wanted this to be done right. Also thanks to CandleFire45 and NSPunny for giving me their opinions on parts of the deadly life and Amy47101 for helping me plan out everything.

So, like the last deadly life, both chapters have been completed and the update schedule will be every other day. Any theories I ask that you send to me rather than put in a review just because I want to give everyone an equal experience in figuring it out.

Well, that's all from me. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2 Deadly Life: The Flower That Blooms in Adversity

Maria could hear Hibiki cursing as he came to kneel beside her. Arisu, like she always was now, was at his side, kneeling beside Chia and wrapping her arms around the shocked girl's shoulders. But everything felt so far away, as if she had slipped under water and was listening to everything from a distance.

"Fuck it, Snow, snap out of it!" Hibiki snarled. His voice caused Maria's eyes to snap back up to his, finding him glaring at her and looking seconds away from shaking her like a ragdoll. "I get that you're in shock, but we have bigger fucking things to worry about!"

"I agree," Chiasa stated, stepping closer to the group of four surrounding Robin's body and observing him. Her arms were crossed and her gaze steady, but there was regret in her eyes. "We can't afford to rest and grieve yet. Not when that despicable bear is bound to show up."

"Aw, Little Red, you really think that of me? I'm so touched, I could huff…and puff…and eat your grandma with one bite!" Monokuma sobbed as he appeared in the room. Maria glared at him but didn't say a word.

Chiasa already looked ready to murder the bear for his words, anyway. The only thing holding her back was Hibiki grasping her wrist and glaring at her.

None of them would ever forget what Enoshima had done to her own sister. They could not risk attacking Monokuma, no matter how angry they were.

"You will regret making that threat," Chiasa warned, her eyes practically glowing with her fury.

"Also, shouldn't we start getting to work?" Akihito suggested. There wasn't a joke to be found in his tone of voice, belying the seriousness of the situation. His gaze was on Monokuma, his gaze steadfast and cold. He smiled a moment later, slipping back into the Akihito Maria knew. "Wouldn't want our dear king to get bored after all, right kingsy?"

"I don't appreciate the nickname, but I suppose Aladdin does have a point," Monokuma huffed. He didn't move, however, instead looking at Maria where she still knelt beside Robin. If a robot's eyes could glimmer in victory, Maria would have said Monokuma's did exactly that. "Alllllllright! Our dear Kai was whisked away to the freezing home of the Snow Queen at long last and it certainly looks slow! Shall we discover what we can?" Monokuma stood directly over Robin's body and held his scepter over his body. "By the might of my goddess, show me the end of Kai's fairy tale!"

The scepter glowed a dark, blood colored red once more and in a flash of light, a scroll appeared on the ground next to Robin's body, just barely missing the puddle of blood.

As if it were a newspaper, Monokuma picked up the scroll and hummed before he moved throughout the room, passing it out to each of them. Maria felt the tingle of feeling returning to her fingers as she looked down at the scroll. She hated the drawing she saw at the top, an exact replica of Robin's body, it was like something out of an anatomy textbook with how clinical it looked. She could feel the tears burning again but she couldn't cry now.

She had to do whatever she could to get justice for Robin and to stay alive.

"Puhuhuhu! This sure is a mystery, isn't it? I can't wait to see how you solve this one! That is…if you even can!" Monokuma giggled menacingly as he finally left Chia's Talent Room behind.

As soon as they were alone, Yoshi punched the closest wall.

"Dammit!" he cursed, his entire body trembling.

"Y-Yoshi!" Fuwari cried, pulling him back towards her so she could look at his hand. "You shouldn't do something like that! What if you broke your hand?"

"I've failed you all. This is the least I can do to pay back what I owe to Robin," Yoshi whispered, a shade of regret falling over him.

"You couldn't have done anything to prevent this, Yoshi," Ren argued, his voice gentle. "You did what you could, after all."

"And it wasn't enough!" Yoshi snapped.

"Oh please, what do you think you are, a superhero? Fucking get over yourself, asshole," Nat scoffed, rolling their eyes.

"We shouldn't be fighting like this right now," Sayuri added. She stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Yoshi's arm. "None of us blame you for what's happened, Yoshi, so please, don't blame yourself."

"Um, if you're all done with your little pity party, can we get to work? I, for one, am not interested in dying for some killer's sake," Satou piped up.

"There had to be a better way to phrase that," Jordan muttered under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Similar roles as last time?" Maria asked, her vocal chords finally seeming to work since Robin last spoke with his. Chia still looked in shock and Maria didn't blame her. Thankfully, it seemed Arisu intended to stick by her side and keep her going. Good, that was good.

"Hibiki and I will guard the body," Chiasa confirmed. Hibiki let out a quiet grunt of agreement, pushing Maria aside so he could look over Robin some more.

"Chia and I will go to the kitchen," Arisu spoke up, her voice gentle and empathetic. Maria felt her heart ache for both girls, knowing the pain they were now connected by.

"If you need anything-" she started to offer.

"We'll come find someone! That's part of tutorial #1!" Arisu grinned, though it was obviously forced.

"I'll join you two, maybe see if there's anything in the kitchen for the investigation," Sayuri added. Maria saw her eyes dart to the weapon stabbed in Robin's chest, clearly hoping she could find the source if it truly was in the kitchen before Chia did.

"I will look over the body once more," Rosamie stated, already stepping forward to do exactly that.

"That leaves the rest of this…mess to us, doesn't it?" Irusu asked, a revolted expression on his face.

"Yeah…otherwise, we're all gonna die," Maria confirmed, slowly pushing herself to stand up. Her knees felt a bit weak, but she forced herself to stand. She couldn't do anything if she was frozen here at Robin's side.

Instead, she took in a deep breath, preparing herself for what came next. As terrible as it was, looking at Robin as nothing more than notes on a piece of paper, she had to do this.

She had to.

With one more deep breath, she unrolled the scroll.

Monokuma File #2: Robin Yukimura

Information:

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 146 lbs.

Blood Type: O-

Birthday: December 21st

Cause of Death:

The victim is Kai, Robin Yukimura.

The body was discovered inside the Little Match Girl Talent Room.

The time of death was 8:45 am.

He suffered from a single stab wound to the left side of the chest.

Official Cause of Death: stabbing.

"He really likes just giving us the most basic of basics, huh?" Hibiki growled, glaring down at the scroll with a vehement gaze.

"We should probably start investigating then," Ren suggested. He already looked tired and Maria couldn't blame him.

"Yeah…" she sighed, trying to get herself to ready to do this. She didn't have a choice. "Let's do this."

"And where do you even start with something like this?" Irusu scoffed, crossing his arms in irritation.

"Ooh, I know! Iri, Jordy, come with me!" Satou grinned, latching onto the two before they could even begin to think of an answer, running out of the room as if it were on fire.

"And that…just happened," Akihito stated plainly, clearly shocked. The statement was so blunt, Maria found herself choking on a laugh. A glance at Ren told her she wasn't the only one, which made her feel a bit better. Akihito was grinning, clearly having intended for this result. "Alright, then! Let's do this!"

"You're far too excited," Maria chuckled, but she appreciated it. Akihito only grinned at her, nudging his shoulder against hers.

"Where to first?" Ren questioned as he glanced around the room. "Perhaps we should investigate the door itself?"

"The door?" Maria repeated, surprised. "Why did you think of that?"

"Well, neither you, Chia or Jordan have stated the door was locked. So if we check the door, we can get an idea if Robin came here willingly or if he hid here," Ren elaborated. He then raised a hand to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. "Of course, that might not be the best course of action."

"It's a place to start and that's what matters!" Akihito grinned. With a skip in his step, he led the two of them over to the door. Obviously trying to match his demeanor, Ren turned to Maria and gave her a western showman's bow, allowing her to go ahead of him.

Maria bit her lip as she examined both sides of the door. There weren't any scrapes or marks that would indicate someone had been messing with it to get inside, from what she could see.

"Anything look like a lockpick was used, Akihito?" she asked bluntly.

"How rude! What makes you think I would recognize such signs?" Akihito huffed, lifting his nose into the air snootily. Maria shared a look with Ren before they both turned to face him with complete deadpan expressions. Akihito grinned. "Wellllll, if I did recognize the sign of a lockpick being used…I don't see any."

"Really?" Ren asked, bending down slightly to get a look. "How can you tell then?"

"There'd be scratches here," Akihito explained, pointing not to a specific side of the door but the keyhole. "They're pretty subtle but if you know what you're looking for, you can pick it out."

"Huh…interesting. Actually, I think I remember something in the library…I'll meet you later," Ren said, pointing back out into the hallway.

"Give us a yell if you need anything," Maria offered, drawing a smile to Ren's face. As soon as he left, Maria slowly turned to face the body, crossing her arms. "Are you ready?"

"If you are," Akihito whispered, his voice soft. Maria smiled slightly at him in thanks before she took a deep breath and approached the group surrounding the body.

The red of Robin's blood was stark against his clothes and skin, only broken by the slight silver of the blade that had claimed his life. Rosamie crouched down near his body, just out of the blood as she carefully examined him. Hibiki, in turn, watched her as he knelt on the other side of Robin's body while Chiasa remained standing and watched the rest of the room at large.

"So…what's your verdict?" Maria asked as she came to stand beside Hibiki. Seeing Robin like this sent icy chills down her spine, but she didn't have a choice in this.

"It appears the only wound is here," Rosamie stated, blunt and cold. "I don't believe that he died quickly though."

"What do you mean?" Akihito questioned, sounding curious.

"Snow, you found him here with Sparks, yeah?" Hibiki asked.

"That's right." Maria nodded in confirmation.

"Well, the location of the wound and the amount of blood shows just how long he was here," Hibiki explained, a remorseful look on his face.

"The location is not sufficient for a quick death," Rosamie agreed, a finger tapping her chin. "The amount of blood pooling around his body suggests he has been here for quite some time, perhaps hours."

"And the blade kept him from dying quickly," Chiasa stated firmly, even as she continued looking around the room. "If anyone pulled that out, he would have died pretty quickly. It's a method I use with my own hunts, removing the weapon that struck the killing blow quickly so their death isn't drawn out."

"Meaning they wanted Robin's death drawn out…" Maria whispered, horror filling her once again. How could any of them have done that? She didn't think anyone was so inhumane as to leave Robin like this for hours.

And yet, the evidence that someone had done exactly that was right in front of her.

"That is all I can see from the body," Rosamie reported, glancing up at Maria and Akihito with that same cool, blank gaze she always wore.

"And there's no fucking point to grab alibis for everyone either," Hibiki growled, punching the floor in irritation. He then glared up at Maria, pointing a finger directly between her eyes. "You better fucking figure this out, Snow, or I swear to god…"

"Aw, c'mon, Hibiki! We've got this!" Akihito grinned reassuringly. "You guys just keep the body safe, 'kay?"

"As if we needed your permission to do that." Chiasa rolled her eyes.

"That's the spirit!" Akihito grinned, even as all three of those surrounding the body simply stared at him blankly. "Ooh, tough crowd."

"Come on, you dork," Maria sighed. She could feel a smile trying to grow on her lips but hid it as best as she could. "Let's go check with Yoshi and Fuwari. Did Nat run off too?"

"Yes," Rosamie stated. Nobody else offered any further explanation.

"Right, thanks then," Maria smiled, ignoring how plastic it felt on her face. Without another word, she made her way to the side of the room where Yoshi and Fuwari were examining the wall. "What're you two doing?"

"Searching for the source of the weapon," Yoshi answered, a bit tense but not as bad as he had been earlier. "If it came from within here, there should be remnants of where it was found. If not, then I am certain someone will be able to find it if we are unable to."

"It's somewhere, that's more than enough," Fuwari insisted, trying to encourage Yoshi and herself.

"That's the spirit!" Akihito grinned. Fuwari's smile grew at Akihito's support. "So you two have this side, we take other?"

"That is an efficient solution." Yoshi nodded in agreement, never looking away from the wall as if there were a hidden door somewhere. "Are you prepared, Fuwari?"

"Yes." Fuwari clenched her fists tightly in determination, a fire in her eyes. "I-I want to help you and Robin."

"I'm glad," Yoshi smiled slightly down at her. "Now then, shall we?"

"Yes!" Fuwari smiled, a light dusting to her cheeks. She then turned to Maria and Akihito. "Good luck, you two."

"You too, Fuwari," Maria smiled shakily as she watched the two of them head further to their half of the room. It was so strange, how much quicker they were all getting over the shock of finding Robin compared to when they had found Michi. Not to say that they weren't mourning Robin any less, no. Instead, they were simply compartmentalizing better in order to focus on surviving.

There was no doubt in Maria's mind that many of them would break down when they finally went to bed tonight.

"Hey," Akihito gently called, bringing Maria back to reality. "You okay?"

"I'd be lying if I said yes," she chuckled humorlessly. "But I can tell you're itching to get exploring."

"Only when you're ready," Akihito whispered, his eyes serious in a way that was both unfamiliar to Maria and startingly familiar.

"Then yeah…I'm ready." She nodded in agreement. Akihito smiled gently at her before he ran over to the wall. "That doesn't mean you get to leave me behind, jerk!"

"You snooze, you lose, Masha!" Akihito stuck his tongue out childishly, causing a laugh to startle out of Maria.

Shaking her head at him, Maria made her way to the wall and began to feel along it, searching for an area that could hint at a secret entrance. Her palm traced against the stone as she walked and that was the only reason she noticed the strange crack at all, her palm slipped over it as she passed it.

Turning sharply, Maria narrowed her eyes. The candlelight made it difficult to see, but not impossible. There was definitely a crack in the wall.

Or rather, there was a cut for a door.

"Akihito," Maria called, causing him to fall into step with her. "I think this is it."

"I have to say, you have a good eye for these things, Masha," Akihito grinned. "You sure you're not a smuggler or something and just never told me?"

"Aki, shut up and open the door," Maria huffed, the words slipping out without thinking. It took her several seconds to realize what she had even said, never mind that Akihito was using her own nickname when she had never told him it.

So how…?

"Maria? You okay?" Akihito asked, concerned again. Maria shook her head roughly and smiled.

"Yeah, sorry, just tired," she admitted. Akihito raised a skeptical eyebrow but didn't argue with her.

Instead, he turned his focus onto the hidden door they'd found and pushed against it with all his weight thrown into it, grunting from the weight of the door.

"Geez…did he have to make this door so heavy?" Akihito huffed once he finally had the door fully open, leaning against it as he actually panted for air. "Hell, I don't even think Chia can open this!"

"We can't be sure since she hasn't tried, as far as we know, and we definitely can't have her try now," Maria insisted. She laid a hand on Akihito's back. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," Akihito sighed, finally straightening up and gesturing for her to go inside. "Shall we?"

"Yes," Maria stated simply as she stepped past the doorway, only to freeze at what she saw.

A dark, dingy alley littered with trash, papers and all sorts of sharp items, from razor blades to knives and daggers. It gave off a cold and lonely air, startingly different from the rest of Chia's talent room. And yet, the small matches that littered the ground with traces of smoke clearly indicated this was still part of her room.

Maria wrapped her arms around her body and shivered. This was a part of Chia she didn't know yet, but the starkness of it left her feeling cold and so very scared for Chia herself.

And the absolute last thing she wanted to do was say the possibility aloud, but she knew she had to.

"It could've come from here…" she whispered. The knives littering the ground were a similar size, at least, but there wouldn't be a way to confirm without checking the blade itself and none of them would do that. "The weapon could have been here and Chia…"

"She had access to it," Akihito finished her sentence, as delicately as she knew he lifted the profit of his thievery from his targets. "Meaning she could have…"

Neither of them said it aloud, but Maria was well aware that they both knew exactly what this could mean. And the thought scared her, because Chia had been the one person who she had never thought would kill someone and even if she did, she would never have killed Robin.

The alley was as freezing as the rest of the floor, with none of the warmth of the rest of Chia's Talent Room. Maria shivered, feeling the edge of just how this could look for Chia.

"Let's go look somewhere else," she said aloud, unwilling to continue on this train of thought. "Maybe we can find something in her and Robin's rooms. There might be some evidence there."

"Yeah." Akihito nodded in agreement, unnaturally subdued. But then again, neither of them expected to find this in Chia's Talent Room, let alone the implications it gave.

As soon as Maria stepped out into the hallway, however, she abandoned her plans to head downstairs.

"Stay the fuck away from me!"

"And why on Earth are you so intent on remaining here? Robin is dead, you should be helping find his killer!"

"Did that sound like-" Maria started to ask, but Akihito cut her off.

"Some fun? Hell yeah!" he grinned, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the source of the voices, even as she yelled at him for doing so. He pushed the library doors open with a flourish, causing them to bang against the wall behind them, cutting off the argument within.

"I told you to let me go!" Maria scolded, pulling her hand away as soon as she could. Akihito laughed brightly, looking completely unrepentant. Maria wanted to be angry and annoyed with him, but his laughter was infectious and she found herself stifling some giggles of her own.

"Hey, it lightened things up, didn't it?" Akihito beamed, placing his hands on his hips in a proud manner. He then turned to face the rest of the library. "Now, who's causing trouble in here and how can I join?"

Maria rolled her eyes as she followed his line of sight, finding Nat, Yoshi and Fuwari staring at them with varying expressions of shock and annoyance. Maria could see Ren further in, clearly trying to hide from the argument as he bent over a book.

"Are you two done flirting now?" Nat asked sarcastically, crossing their arms.

"Never." Akihito winked, only causing Nat to roll their eyes with a heavy sigh.

"That's not the point, what's going on here?" Maria asked, stepping forward.

"Perhaps you will have an easier time getting through to this…this vagrant than I," Yoshi huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at Nat. "They simply refuse to leave in order to assist with the investigation!"

"Cause it's not my problem," Nat snapped, glaring right back at Yoshi.

"But it is," Fuwari stressed, her voice quiet but the conviction obvious. Her fingers were nervously turning the bracelet on her wrist around and around. "You might find something the rest of us miss and it could mean the difference be…between us living and dying."

"You helped with Michi-chan's investigation, didn't you, Nat? What changed?" Maria asked, curious. It was a sudden change that, in this situation, made no sense.

"And how the fuck do you know I'm doing nothing?" Nat scoffed. "Rosamie and I decided to split this time since we can't fucking trust anyone here. I was checking on shit here first before I got to it. Now can I fucking go or does the inquisition want to detain me for a longer witch trial?"

"Sure thing, long as we see you later," Akihito agreed, waving Nat on to the door. Without a word, Nat marched out of the library, grumbling under their breath.

"Akihito!" Yoshi scolded, glaring at him. "Why did you allow Nat to leave? That was not a sufficient answer and I still had questions for them!"

"We have a time limit though," Akihito pointed out, his voice still light hearted, but Maria could have sworn there was a serious look in his eyes. "And us arguing with Nat here won't help us. This way, they can chill out in the woods, ya know?"

"That was a terrible pun," Maria sighed, laying her palm against her forehead. "It is a good idea though."

"I think so too." Fuwari nodded, glancing up at Yoshi. "Should we keep searching here or look for the weapon source somewhere else?" Yoshi hummed thoughtfully.

"Hey," Ren called out, drawing their attention. Maria walked over to the table he sat at, a book open in front of him. "Have any of you heard of the phantom thief, Tsukki?"

"But of course." Yoshi nodded.

"Yeah! They're on the news pretty often, ya know!" Akihito grinned.

"A little," Fuwari confirmed.

Maria could feel her cheeks heating up as she bit her lip. She couldn't remember the name at all, never mind recall seeing it on the news. She hadn't really been able to bring herself to watch the Japanese news after the Tragedy. But even still, she knew she'd have to ask.

"I haven't," she admitted, quietly.

"They must not be that well known in Russia," Ren smiled kindly, shifting slightly so Maria could see the book over his shoulder. When she leaned forward, she saw that it was full of newspaper articles. "Not much is known about who they are, but they've been pretty active in terms of stealing jewels after announcing the theft via a calling card. They've never been caught, not even seen on camera. Many say it's like magic, especially considering the security measures they get by."

"Wow," Maria whispered, looking down at the various newspapers. The entire book seemed to be page after page of news articles, all announcing some theft Tsukki had pulled off until a title started to appear. "The Ultimate Phantom Thief?"

"Yeah, that's what the public calls them," Akihito confirmed. "No clue if that's official though."

"I've heard rumors of Hope's Peak reaching out to them, but I doubt they're credible," Yoshi stated simply. "Why the sudden interest in this…thief?"

"Because I thought maybe they could be here." Ren shrugged. "We still don't know if Ren met his killer in Chia's Talent Room or if he ran there. I figured if it was the latter, this could explain why the lock has no signs of being picked."

"That's a good theory, Ren," Maria complimented, patting his shoulder. "We'll have to keep that in mind."

"Um," Fuwari called out, drawing everyone's eyes where she stood near the bookshelf. She looked nervous.

"What's wrong, Fuwari?" Yoshi questioned, looking concerned.

"I was just seeing what books were here, since I hadn't yet and…" Fuwari bit her lip, her breathing hitching a bit. "I can't move a book."

"There's no shame in not being able to reach a book, Fuwari," Ren smiled gently as he closed his own book and stood up.

"Spoken like someone who can reach any book he wants," Maria grumbled. She crossed her arms dramatically, partly to make Fuwari feel better and partly because yes, these boys were not allowed to talk about being short.

"N-no, it's not that." Fuwari shook her head. "The book doesn't move."

Sharing a look with Akihito, Maria and the boys moved towards the shelf and examined the book in question.

"Arsene Lupin…?" Maria read, surprised even as suspicion rose in her. She hadn't actually seen this book in the library before, amongst all the fairy tales that lined the walls, both the ones that Monokuma assigned them all and ones he did not. So why hadn't she seen this one…?

An idea floated through Maria's mind but she didn't want to consider it, nausea rising in her stomach.

"Well, might as well see what's going on," Akihito grinned. He reached out to pull the book out.

"Akihito!" Maria shouted right as he pulled on the book. It stopped a second later, but Akihito continued to pull.

A click rang out through the library.

Maria's eyes practically leapt from her skull as she watched the wall directly next to the bookshelf open, revealing a room hidden behind the wall.

"Whoaaaaaaaa," Akihito gasped, his eyes as wide as Maria's when she glanced at him. "This is so cool!"

He ran inside without another word, just as Maria registered jazz music coming from within. She could see what looked like a complex obstacle course that took up half the room with what looked like various tools to change the course as one liked.

"Remarkable…" Yoshi breathed, walking in a bit slower than Akihito, though his gaze was just as filled with awe.

"It really is," Ren agreed.

"Why am I not surprised the boys are already in love with this room?" Maria stage whispered to Fuwari, causing her to giggle.

When she and Fuwari followed after the boys, Maria had to admit the room was impressive even outside of the obstacle course. The wall opposite the course was half full of books and half a corkboard with threads connecting blueprints and plans as well as various tools laid out to make gadgets. The room was in warm shades of red, brown and gold, giving the room a jazz club feeling and the plush study chair only enhancing it.

There was also a desk in the corner and Maria approached it, curious. Amongst all the gadgets that littered the surface, there were various cards as well. And they were all signed by the same person.

"Hey, Yoshi?" Maria called out. "You said Tsukki leaves calling cards, right? What do they look like?"

"They're pretty distinct, I studied them due to counterfeits being delivered to my store," Yoshi explained. "The specific sign of Tsukki is the red crescent moon with a stylized English T in the center."

"Like this?" Maria questioned, extending the card out. She felt Yoshi take it and looked at him steadily.

"Yeah. Just like this." He nodded in confirmation. "An associate of mine showed me the one he received when Tsukki stole his prized ruby. He set up the most elaborate security measures money could buy and hired the best security team in Tokyo. But just a minute after midnight, it was gone with no sign of anything being disrupted."

"Wow. Wonder if they ever met my mentor," Akihito mused, obviously trying to alleviate the tense atmosphere.

"I highly doubt that," Ren chuckled weakly. As the boys passed around the card, Maria looked to see Fuwari examining the tools on the wall.

"Looking for a possible match to the murder weapon?" Maria asked quietly as she stepped over to stand beside Fuwari.

"Yes, but it doesn't seem like there is one," Fuwari confirmed, gesturing slightly. "N-not that there isn't anything that could be a weapon here."

"Yeah," Maria agreed, her eyes drawn to the various blades and some gadgets she wasn't sure she wanted to know the function of. Whether these were tools for Tsukki's trade or weapons Monokuma left to entice a murder, she couldn't tell. She glanced over at Fuwari. "Want to help me take some pictures of the room?"

Fuwari agreed and the two got to work.

As they worked, Maria spotted something that surprised her. The desk in the corner had a red leather bound notebook that was left open, as if the owner had been writing in it before they had to quickly leave.

Maria stepped closer, squinting down at the writing. It was loopy and curling, making it extremely difficult to read. She squinted, trying to read.

"What's up?" Akihito asked, suddenly appearing at her shoulder. "Oh, wow, that's one angry note."

"Really?" Maria questioned, feeling a spike of frustration. "I can't read it."

"Well, this says 'If this is meant to be hell, then it's a damn effective one'," Akihito read aloud.

"Then it might be helpful," Maria mused, picking the journal up. She then looked at Akihito and raised a single eyebrow. "Now, please, see if there's anything else while I get more pictures with Fuwari."

"Yes, Masha, dear," Akihito grinned, saluting her. Maria rolled her eyes, though a smile pulled at her lips when she heard Fuwari giggle.

"Alright, alright, let's get back to work," she urged, raising the MonoPad to take more pictures.

By the time she and Fuwari had finished taking pictures of the room, the boys had finished inspecting the rest of the secret room and they had all agreed to separate to keep investigating.

Which was how Maria found herself making her way to the first floor alongside Akihito to finally look inside Robin and Chia's rooms.

"Let's check out Robin's room first," Maria suggested, spotting the door in question. "We might be able to find an explanation of how he ended up in Chia's Talent Room."

"And about Rinka too," Akihito agreed. He crossed the hallway and opened the door for her with a flourish.

"You think Robin left something behind to tell us about her?" Maria asked, curious as to what Akihito's answer would be.

"I think it's the only thing that makes sense." Akihito shrugged. "There's pretty few ways he could hear the name."

"True and if she's important to him, then it's likely he had something to remind him of her," Maria agreed. She glanced around the room, only to find it almost immaculately clean. "Well, at the very least, he didn't leave under duress."

The only noticeable thing was a box sitting on his desk and the scroll from the motive next to it.

"Rinka…" Maria whispered when she reached the desk. The box in question was an old, dark brown with an almost childlike scroll spelling out the name in question. Her fingers traced the characters that spelled out the name. It was quite obviously well loved, reminding Maria of her own box of mementos she'd kept during the Tragedy. "Whoever she is, she seems to be important to Robin."

"Maybe he was just hallucinating her?" Akihito suggested. "He did lose a lot of blood, I think delusions are possible."

"Maybe…but I'm not so sure," Maria hummed. Slowly, delicately, she opened the box.

Inside, she found all sorts of trinkets, from pressed flowers and unique stones to childhood toys. But nestled in the center in what seemed to be the place of honor was a candle that was shaped like a robin.

"Wow…" Maria whispered, delicately picking up the candle to get a closer look at it. The detail in the candle was absolutely stunning, leaving her speechless as she turned it gently. It definitely looked handmade and whoever made it certainly put a lot of love into it.

"That's an impressive candle," Akihito whistled, leaning over Maria's shoulder to get a closer look.

"Yeah." Maria nodded as she gently set the candle back into the box. She took out her MonoPad, taking a picture of it. "I wonder if Rinka made it?"

"If so, she's pretty damn good with her hands," Akihito commented. Maria let out a snort at the comment. Of course he'd focus on that. She didn't comment on it, instead turning her focus to the scroll sitting next to the box.

Based off the previous case, the motive was no longer in effect, meaning reading it was no longer something risky or to be avoided. So it was only with the slightest among of hesitation that Maria grasped the scroll and unrolled it, revealing the secret that laid within.

Her breath caught in her throat as she read it over and over again, just to be sure. But it was all there in black and white.

The secret Robin had been given was Rinka's.

Maria and Akihito practically ran to Chia's room, startling Jordan when Maria crashed into him.

"Whoa!" he cried, just barely catching Maria and keeping them both from falling. "What's the rush? Are you okay?"

"We're fine, we just…" Maria started to say but bit her lip when she saw the confused look in Jordan's eyes. Consciously, she switched to Japanese and repeated herself. "We're fine, we just need to check something out really quick."

"Oh?" Satou questioned, popping up out of nowhere and startling Maria. "What could you want right before the trial, hmmm? That's a little sus, Sugar Plum Princess."

"Weren't you the one insisting we head to the art gallery?" Irusu demanded as he joined them, scowling at Satou. "Are you seriously dragging the two of us on a wild goose chase?"

"Aw, Iri! Don't be so grumpy," Satou cooed, puckering her lips as if Irusu were a child. "I was just curious!"

"Well, your curiosity has been satisfied!" Irusu snapped, crossing his arms tightly.

"Now, now, it's not a big deal. We can still check out the gallery," Jordan cut in, pacifying the two. "Will you two let us know what you find?"

"Sure thing!" Akihito confirmed. When Maria glanced at him, she found a servant bent in front of Chia's door beside him, unlocking it.

"Thank you," Jordan smiled before he began ushering both Satou and Irusu away. He looked so tired and if Maria had a bit more time, she would have wanted to talk to him about it.

But there was no time and as soon as Chia's door opened, she and Akihito ran inside. Maria barely noticed the fire and street motifs of Chia's room, finding what she wanted instantly.

On Chia's vanity was a beautiful ice crystal.

Maria stared in shock, barely able to share a look with Akihito with how beautiful the crystal was, with the slightest indication that it had once been a necklace.

And that was when a bell rang and the TV spritzed to life.

"Hear ye, hear ye! Your king has an announcement to make!" Monokuma's voice announced quite joyfully as he appeared on screen. "It is now time for the moment you have all been waiting for! It's time for the Court Trial! Again, as this is a formal event, I expect everyone to be dressed their best and arrive on time! And if you're not, well, let's just say I have ways of making sure you are. Puhuhuhu…oh, I'm so excited, it feels like I've been waiting for this moment for two years and four months now! Ahem! When you're all properly ready, please head to the red velvet doors to enter the courtroom! See you really soon, puhu!"

The TV faded to black and, just as they had the last time this happened, the silent servants grasped onto Maria and practically yanked her from the room, forcing her to clutch the crystal tightly in her hands.

Without hesitation, she was dragged back to her room and made up as Snow White once more.

It was time at last.