"I would like to go on record and confirm that everything Miyu reported was true," Haruna finally said. "However, I have one last piece of information that I wish to share with all of you that I did not share with anyone else, even Miyu…"

"H-Haruna…?"

"Oh, not another dramatic reveal!" Shinobu complained. "What happened to the No-Confession rule?"

"You're the only one who signed off on that, Shinobu," Kyoko chuckled darkly.

Haruna bit her lip guiltily. "I know we have damaged our credibility in your eyes, but please, a moment of your time, for this is a matter most important. Everyone's lives depend on it." Despite themselves, even the most resistant among them finally yielded to listening to what Haruna had to say. "Can we really assume that Kurumi's death was caused by the injections?"

"Oh my God, ok, that's it, I quit!" Shinobu facepalmed so hard that the smack was heard around the trial room.

"Oh, calm down, Shinobu," Esora rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You're one to talk!" Yuka cried, but Esora ignored her.

Haruna, meanwhile, addressed them all calmly, though her questions were mostly directed at Miyu. "Listen to what I have to say, then decide for yourselves." Those more shameless among them envisioned themselves on motorcycles, racing down signpost-ridden streets. Every signpost was a question guiding them towards their final destination: the truth.

What happened after Miyu injected Kurumi?

She was temporarily revived, then she began to die again.

What did Haruna ask Miyu to do after that?

To fetch an empty syringe so that Haruna could extract the dangerous concoction from Kurumi's veins.

What happened when Miyu returned with the empty syringe?

Kurumi was already dead by then, and Haruna was holding her in her arms.

It was something Miyu never even thought could be questioned; it was an obvious moment of love between two friends—two family members—as one died in the arms of the other. But what if the reason one died was because the other made it so?

"S-s-s-strangulation…?" Miyu felt choked just saying it, let alone trying to wrap her mind fully around it.

"B-but, we saw no strangle marks!" Yuka cried, just as worked up as Miyu, though reacting the opposite way. She gestured to their PheFo photos.

"There is more than one way to suffocate a person." Haruna smiled bitterly, then looked at Miyu. "You were close. It wasn't strangulation, but smothering. All it took was a hand over a mouth and nose, and in less than a minute …" The dying girl was finally dead. "Why do you think I sent you to fetch a second syringe?" Haruna's brown eyes were heartbroken and happy at the same time. "You know you can't "un-inject" people…"

All I needed was a minute or two. That is exactly what Miyu provided. And why hide it from her? I did not mean to take away her final moments with Kurumi. I still feel so horribly selfish for doing so. But I did not want her to see… I did not want her to be burdened with the truth of what I was going to do. She would find out eventually anyway… A look of genuine pain and regret flashed onto Haruna's face.

"If it is of any comfort to anyone, Kurumi assented to the plan…"

"What?!" Several of the students instantly began doubting Haruna again, but she only shook her head calmly.

"Monochio, would you be willing to confirm my testimony?"

"Bold of you to ask," Monochio's tail twitched. Haruna smiled grimly.

"In order for these trials to work, you must be certain of who the true culprit is even before they begin. If that is the case, you should know exactly what led up to me being that culprit… Including Kurumi's last words."

ooo

"I'm sorry, Kurumi, but I can't let Miyu be executed…" Haruna wept as she placed her hands over Kurumi's mouth and nose. At first, the Ultimate Prankster's tan brown eyes widened in fear, hurt, and betrayal, but when she heard Miyu's name on Haruna's lips, she understood at once. She still felt the sting of betrayal, another reminder that she was but a third wheel to Haruna and Miyu, but she understood.

I would've done the same for Miiko. She didn't want Miyu or Haruna to be executed, and she couldn't make the decision herself. Haruna could, though. Such was the ultimate responsibility of the Ultimate Chairman, caring for her charges and making the toughest of decisions for them.

"Good luck," Kurumi whispered. "I'll see you soon, so bye for now… I… I… I love you… Chairman…" With the last of her strength, Kurumi pulled Haruna's hand back over her mouth and nose, a silent blessing for Haruna to finish what was started.

"Who are you calling…?" Haruna couldn't even finish their age-old call-and-response as she pushed some of her weight onto Kurumi's face. She sobbed and shuddered as Kurumi's involuntary convulsions grew weaker and weaker until stopping entirely, forever.

ooo

Monochio ultimately refused to confirm or deny Haruna's testimony, on the grounds that doing so was too direct of a hint. It battled Miyu earlier, but that was merely about the medicine, not the victim's final words.

"Honestly, how do we know Haruna isn't just lying to protect Miyu?" Shinobu asked warily. In case the trial had not yet made it clear, memories were the original, intended motive, but the motive that actually came into existence was… Miyu.

And who among us would be the most likely to die or kill for Miyu…?

Miyu bit her lip, barely holding in a sob. By contrast, a beatific smile spread across Haruna's face. Not wishing for anyone else to bear the burden, the Ultimate Chairman volunteered to tell the tale of her own demise.

"It all started when Monochio informed us of the motive videos. They showed us a life outside the academy that we'd long since forgotten. It was enough to get us all curious for more. Some more than others… And that was when Monochio told us about the Implememor-Es. The scavenger hunt was on! And then… something happened. We will never truly know for sure, but Saki must've seen something in her Implememor-E, for midway during the search, she took flight, racing away from us and to the top floor of the academy.

"As it that floor was still locked, however, it was against the rules for Saki to enter, but she entered anyway and was executed shortly thereafter. Her death was only just the beginning. Even though it stunned the rest of us into wishing to avoid further interaction with the memories, one student in particular was still desperate for more: Kurumi Shiratori. She wanted more memories of Miiko; there had been so few of them during our initial hunt, after all. Perhaps it was intentional on Monochio's part. In any case, Kurumi had no interest in the academy's secrets, only Miiko.

"And so, in the dead of night, she snuck out of bed, pilfering more Implememor-Es for her own, ulterior motives. I believe Esora discovered a toy car located near the door of the sixth floor, shedding light on how our Ultimate Prankster was able to circumvent Monochio's rule. I, of course, cannot verify the next part of the story, but I am willing to bet that after Kurumi had the stolen Implememor-Es, she took them to the computer lab to watch them safely only to be attacked by another late-night wanderer, perhaps one who didn't want her seeing those Implememor-Es…

"I do not know how exactly she was attacked, but the damage done to her and her PheFo was enough to trigger an app I and several others set up for her and Miyu's PheFos. This app was designed to detect severe and dangerous changes to the PheFo, and being brutalized certainly qualifies. Alas, by the time Miyu and I arrived, all attackers and weapons were gone, and Kurumi was completely unconscious. That was when I sent Miyu to the nurse's office to fetch some of Monochio's Miracle Medicine while I stayed behind and stabilized Kurumi.

"As discussed in trial, whatever Kurumi was injected with was nonlethal, so the moment we used Monochio's Medicine for Kurumi's injection, the effects of the injection were reversed, turning them fatal. The Medicine did work as expected on her head injury, though. But by then, the influence of the injections were going to override the blunt force trauma. That was when I decided to kill Kurumi myself, and spare Miyu from execution, but first, I needed her to go away for just a minute or two…

"I am sorry, everyone, but this is the only way I knew how to protect her, and all of you, by becoming the murderer myself! That is the truth of the case!" Haruna winced, but she met their eyes bravely. Now they knew they could trust her. Shinobu was right to question Haruna's loyalty to Miyu, and how that might've influenced her decisions the night Kurumi died, but she was wrong about Haruna lying to save Miyu's life.

I love her, yes, but I love all of you as well. I want to take care of everyone! As the Ultimate Chairman, it is my duty and responsibility! Because Shinobu was right. If Miyu was the murderer, everything Haruna said would've been a lie that would've gotten all the rest of them killed. But Haruna wasn't like that. By interceding and becoming Kurumi's killer, she ensured that Miyu would be safe, and so would everyone else. Only she would die today.

AN: Tiny reminder that Mental Motorcycle is D4's version of Logic Dive/Psyche Taxi, though I can also imagine each unit having a different vehicle. Ex: Hapiara in colorful bumper cars, Peaky in hotrods/racecars, Photon in alien saucers, M4 on surfboards, (RONDO keeps the motorcycles), and a carriage or dove for LL.