Chapter 3: Sums For Our Fallen Grace (Deadly Life #02)

Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos (thanks Maggi- Wait. You're dead now. Meaning there are no sexual innuendos!... Maybe! Hooray!), and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series, most notably the first one. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there!

With that said, please enjoy!

Two hours before the party, Barracuda was having a small crisis. He boasted about how much he was a good baker toward the others and he forgot the most important part: Flavor. He didn't know what everyone liked! He can make classic chocolate chip, vanilla bean, banana nut… but would those flavors be sufficient enough for them?

How about some classic M&Ms?! Those were good for cookies right?

"Hey Barry, how are those cookies holding up?" a voice forced him out of his small moment of stress.

"A-Ah, Maggie," Barracuda blinked. "Pretty…. Not good…"

Barracuda tried to boast before looking down. He wasn't even going to pretend that he was having a good time baking. He can bake but what flavors? There were so many! And he didn't know these people that well. They had just met after all.

"Oh?" Maggie perked her head. "What's wrong?"

"I just can't figure out what kind of cookies I want to make," Barracuda frowned. "I want something nutritional and healthy. But the flavor. I don't know if anyone is allergic to nuts or shellfish or…"

"Pft, shellfish in a cookie?" Maggie raised an eyebrow, smirking at him with fluttery eyes. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"W-Well yeah, of course!" Barracuda nodded. "I'm a fitness trainer! I have to know what I'm doing at all times! That's the way this works!"

"Alright, calm down Hercules," Maggie playfully rolled her eyes. "You just need a little kick to get you started. I can understand that."

"Kick?" Barracuda blinked.

"Chocolate chip, Barry," Maggie shook her head. "Just make chocolate chip cookies. It's the most common flavor and everyone loves chocolate. Those who don't can just skip out and leave some for the rest of us. It's really not a big deal."

"A-Are you sure?" Barracuda blinked. "I want these to be perfect for all our friends."

"And the point of having this party is so we can have a little Hope that we'll escape this place together," Maggie pointed out. "Kind of ruins the point if you're stressing out over cookies. You get me?"

Barracuda glanced back toward the dough he had just started planting down. Then, turning back to Maggie, he noticeably felt a little bashful when she gave him a small wink. A little bashful to the point where it was easy for him to just acknowledge it as a phase.

"Er, y-yeah," Barracuda blinked.

"Trust me Barry, whatever you make, we'll love it," Maggie gave him a genuine smile. "So, take it easy and I'll see you at the party."

Without much else to say, Maggie left, leaving behind a more hopeful Barracuda. He pumped his fists in the air with a grin.

"Y-Yeah, Maggie is right!" Barracuda grinned. "Chocolate chip is the way to go!"

…

Barracuda opened his eyes.

Where was he?

Oh, right. The Infirmary. He was still kind of banned from going to the Trial. Well, not banned but people weren't going to let him go anyway so…

He clenched his fist.

He would never forgive himself if he can't avenge Maggie somehow. She was his responsibility. Everything that happened to her… that's on him. He had to get out of bed.

He had to go to the Trial!

He just had to!

Slowly, Barracuda climbed out of the bed, grunting in pain and gritting his teeth. He had to go. He had to… Urk!

The chest pain started to burn but he pushed through.

He had to push through.

He just had to…

…

He toppled down to the ground, wincing in pain. He curled into a ball, clutching his chest. He had to push through. But he couldn't. He growled. The same word flashed through his mind.

Disappointment.

Disappointment.

Disappointment.

…

Then a memory flashed through his mind. A memory… that was important. His eyes widened. He clenched his fist.

Disappointment no more.

He had to push through.

He had to push through.

He had to get up.

He had to get to the Trial.

But the pain.

The pain!

Clenching his fist tighter, he punched himself right on the wound, forcing him to curse and cough out blood. He yelled out in pain, letting blood drip down his mouth.

He slowly got up, letting his chest burn him with pain.

He had to get to the Trial.

He had to get to the Trial…

TRIAL COMMENCE

"Allow me to remind everyone the rules of this Prison Trial," Monohebi began, coiled up on the large throne that oversaw the 16 podiums. Occupying Kane's, Titus', Yuumi's, Mayu's, and now Carter's and Maggie's podiums were their respective mugshots with two X's crudely drawn over their eyes and scribbles to represent fire that possibly hinted at the fact that they were burning in Hell. Barracuda's podium on the other hand was just left empty because he was still struggling to live. "There is a blackened among you. Your job is to argue amongst yourselves to ultimately come to a conclusion on who you think the blackened is. Once you have come to an agreement, you will be permitted to vote on who you think the blackened is. If you vote correctly, only the blackened shall receive punishment. But if you vote incorrectly, then everyone besides the blackened will be punished and the blackened will be able to escape the facility. Now, today's Trial is a more special case."

"Because this Trial will be looking at a Double Murder Case, right?" Jared asked with a serious stare.

"Precisely," Monohebi tipped her head forward with a nod. "The rules of the Double Murder Case are as follows: Your goal is to figure out who killed the first victim of this case. The second victim is entirely optional and up to you to solve if you feel like it. But please, don't waste too much time figuring out who the killer for the second victim is. Killers of any secondary victim will not be executed in these Trials."

"So, to sum it up briefly, only the murderer of the victim who died first truly matters," Arthur summarized.

"Correction," Monohebi interrupted. "The murderer of the victim who was discovered first truly matters. Whether the victim died later than the second or not doesn't matter. We just want whoever the Body Discovery Announcement was played for first."

"But how do we determine who was discovered first and who was discovered second?" Zuri asked, confused. "It'd be hard to answer that question when they were in the same room together."

"This question isn't exactly relevant when we just assume that there is only one killer who killed both Carter and Maggie," Arthur folded his arms. "I say we just dive right in and see what we can discover based on the evidence we found."

"Very well, let this Prison Trial officially commence," Monohebi tipped her head. "Who is the decisive victim of this case? Is it Carter Franklin or Maggie LaDroubi? And more importantly, who killed the first discovered?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mimi immediately jumped in with a heated look on her face. "The killer is obviously Ina! She escapes from Cell #66 and suddenly so many people get attacked and killed. This was all because of her! She's the killer!"

"Oh, we're starting out like this are we?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow.

"I can see why you would think that Mimi," Ina glanced away. If it wasn't for the fact that everything that had happened to her made her look suspicious, there was also her attempted murder in the last case that could've sparked this pressuring accusation. "However, I insist that it was not me. I was unconscious until you discovered me in that suit."

"L-Likely story!" Mimi frowned. "You were there at the scene of the crime! It had to be you who killed both Carter and Maggie and tried to kill Barracuda!"

"I-" Ina tried to say before stopping herself. She didn't try to fight. She didn't really have much of an argument to defend herself with. She hoped someone would take over this conversation, if not for the sole reason of just getting past Mimi's heated assumptions.

Of course, her rescue had to come from him of all people.

"Before we jump to conclusions, perhaps we should debate about things more thoroughly," Arthur gave a cold glance toward Mimi. "I won't believe it's Ina until we find that it is indeed her without reasonable doubt. Besides, given how the crime scene actually looked, I beg to think differently that perhaps it really was Ina who killed the two..."

"B-But-" Mimi tried to argue. But of course, this was Arthur she was going to have to go against. So, looking down, she submitted to his words. "F-Fine..."

"...Let's begin with the Autopsy Reports then…" Holland began the discussion, opening up his eHandbook to pull up the Reports at hand, adding, "For both…"

"Um, for Maggie," Zuri took a deep breath as she read what the Autopsy Report stated. "She… died from blunt force trauma on the top of her head. Time of death is around 6:00 PM."

"For Carter…" Arthur began as he pulled up his Report. "He died from blunt force trauma to the side of his head. Time of death is also estimated to be around 6:00 PM."

"Finally, a case where we have a working time of death this time," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Thank God for that reward... But still, it doesn't help us that much. We already kind of know that both of them died around the same time. They also died in the same room for God's sake."

"And both of them did have the same type of weapon the other was using by their side," Abigail added.

"Given the fact that the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell was the scene of the crime, ended up in a mess, and two people died in similar ways probably by the same weapons, our two victims probably got in a fight that ended up killing both of them," Jared stated as a matter-of-factly before asking, "And if that's the case, that would probably mean one of our victims is the killer, right?"

Jared turned to Monohebi when he threw that idea out there. Perking her head up curiously, the snake was kind enough to give him an answer.

"If that is the case, yes, one of the victims would be the blackened you're looking for," Monohebi nodded.

"So then, that would mean the blackened is between Carter and Maggie," Zuri blinked. She rubbed her chin. "But who was discovered first? Carter or Maggie?"

"I don't know, and I also don't know how to answer that question," Mimi looked down. "They were both in the same room when they died so naturally the Body Discovery announcement should've played for both of them at the same time, right?"

Abigail widened her eyes at what Mimi said. She had a good point, except that wasn't what happened was it? No, if she remembered correctly, the complete opposite happened.

"No, wrong," Abigail narrowed her tired eyes in determination. "The Body Discovery announcement didn't play for both of them at the same time."

"Attention all prisoners," Monohebi's voice echoed throughout the facility. "A body has been discovered. After a certain amount of time has passed, the Prison Trial will begin. That is all."

What?

The next time Barracuda woke up was when Monohebi made her announcement. And he wasn't the only one. Mimi woke up to the sound of Monohebi's announcement as well.

"H-Huh?" Mimi rubbed her eyes. "D-Did she just say…?"

"Attention all prisoners," Monohebi's voice once again echoed throughout the facility. "A body has been discovered. After a certain amount of time has passed, the Prison Trial will begin. That is all."

...

"B-Big Sis Maggie?"

Poor Mimi Kazoo could not catch a break. First Yuumi. Now Maggie. She had dropped onto her knees, tears slowly forming from her eyes as she mindlessly stared at both Maggie and Carter's corpses. Judging from how pale and lifeless the bodies were, it seemed like they had died quite a while ago.

So much could happen in those one and a half hours of searching for Ina…

"D-Did I hear the Body Discovery Announcement play twice–" Zuri barged in with Cassandra, Holland, and Arthur. The moment she saw the scene in front of her, she couldn't help but let out a loud, "E–EEEYAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"J-Jesus!" Cassandra looked taken aback by the gruesome double feature before her. "What the fuck?!"

"Ah, fuck, you're right," Haruto looked slightly miffed. "When Abigail and I first found the bodies, the Body Discovery announcement sounded as it normally did. But when Mimi arrived at the scene, a second Body Discovery announcement was played."

"Yes, now that you mention it, two Body Discovery announcements did play after a certain amount of time between one another," Arthur rubbed his chin.

"But what does that mean?" Mimi blinked, confused.

"It means that one of the bodies was discovered before Abigail and Haruto had discovered them," Jared narrowed his eyes. "And if I'm not mistaken, Abigail and Haruto were the first people to come across the bodies, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Haruto sighed.

"Which means one person had to have come before them to find a body in the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker Cell," Arthur deduced as he folded his arms, eyes closed in thought.

"W-Wait, I'm still a little confused," Mimi blinked. "Can someone explain it in more detail, please?"

"Think back to Rule #10 on our Rules App," Abigail explained to Mimi carefully.

Rule #10: The "Body Discovery Announcement" will play when three or more prisoners discover a body.

"Oh yeah, so if three people find a dead body, then…" Mimi tapped her lower lip.

"The Body Discovery Announcement would've played," Abigail nodded. "When Haruto and I found both Carter and Maggie's body in the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell, the Body Discovery Announcement played. By the time you arrived, however, a second one played shortly after."

"Meaning, one of the bodies was discovered by someone else before you and Haruto, completing the three-person criteria!" Mimi began to understand. "I get it! And then when I arrived next…"

"The three-person criteria was fulfilled for the second body," Arthur nodded. "Meaning, someone here discovered one of the bodies first before the other and is keeping quiet about it for some odd reason…"

Arthur narrowed his eyes, glancing at everyone suspiciously.

"But wouldn't the three-person criteria count in favor of the killer as well?" Mimi asked, curiously.

"Not at all, Miss La Vega," Monohebi answered, as she comfortably remained coiled up on that big red throne of hers. "A victim's killer does not count toward the Body Discovery Announcement requirements. After all, you can't discover a body you killed."

"Alright, but here's the thing I don't get," Zuri began, her face noticeably confused. "Weren't both bodies found in the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell? If one person had actually come over and discovered a body then realistically, they should've discovered the second body as well. Instead, there was a delay in discovery. Isn't that weird?"

Arthur looked at Zuri after she pointed out that trifling matter. The room had gotten quiet before the Ultimate Snowboarder found himself smirking. A brain teaser for someone who often had a logical approach to certain issues. How he actually found some fun with that!

"Yes, that is weird, isn't it?" Arthur smirked, a thought seemingly popping into his mind. "Why would that be?"

Why would that be? Why would one body have fit 1/3rd of the three-person criteria and the other have not if they had both perished in the same room? Why would no one speak up about finding a body? Why would that be?

Ina grimaced, her eyes widening slightly.

"Could it be?" Ina stated. "That the person who discovered the first body…

…

…

…

…

…

...

…was one of the victims?"

The thought blew away some of the members of the Trial. Haruto looked as if he got hit on the head with a basketball. Zuri covered her ears as if there was a loud noise. Mimi covered her eyes with her hat as well in surprise at the possible revelation. Arthur was practically the only one who didn't seem at all fazed by the thought.

"Excellent deduction my dear half-sister," Arthur gave her an actual positive, supportive smile. Ina glanced away slightly. Frowning before sighing, Arthur continued. "That is exactly what I had thought of."

"Wait, but can dead people fit the criteria as well?" Mimi widened her eyes.

"Of course, they can," Arthur deduced. "Try putting this into perspective. The killer has just murdered one of the victims. However, after their crime, our second victim stumbles upon the scene. With no other choice left, the second victim is killed as a means to silence them. Then, the killer makes it look as if both victims had fought and killed each other."

"That… makes a lot of sense actually," Cassandra had no argument about that one. "Huh. Nice work Kingston, I guess."

Complimented by Cassandra! Doesn't Mister Arthur Kingston feel all happy now!

"Okay, but that still doesn't tell us who was discovered first," Jared pointed out. "The pinnacle of this Trial depends on knowing who the culprit of the first discovered victim."

"True, but fortunately, in my scenario, the killer killed both victims," Arthur stated. "Hardly matters at this point. And I also think it's quite simple to figure out whose body would've been discovered first in this scenario as well."

"Really?" Mimi blinked. "How?"

Of the two victims: Carter and Maggie, there could have been only one person who would have been discovered first in Arthur's scenario. It of course had to be the person who was killed first. And just as Arthur stated, it was simple. Zuri herself had figured it out, eyes riddled with shock.

"Ah!" Zuri gasped. "N-No way. Could it be that the first person who was discovered and murdered was…

…

…

…

…

…

...

…Maggie?!"

"Maggie was the first to die?" Mimi exclaimed, holding her witch's hat close to her head. "B-But why Maggie?!"

"Why wouldn't it be Maggie?" Jared lowered his police hat as he looked away. "It's because of the motive…"

"Pair A: Abigail (0) [TRUST] vs. Haruto (0) [TRUST]

Pair B: Arthur (1,000,000) [TRUST] vs. Ina (0) [DISTRUST]

Pair C: Barracuda (0) [DISTRUST] vs. Maggie (1,000,000) [TRUST]

Pair D: Carter (0) [DISTRUST] vs. Zuri (1,000,000) [TRUST]

Pair E: Cassandra (500,000) [DISTRUST] vs. Jared (500,000) [DISTRUST]

Pair F: Holland (1,000,000) [TRUST] vs. Mimi (0) [DISTRUST]"

"Maggie had a one-million-dollar bounty on her head," Jared explained. "The culprit would've been someone who desperately needed that cash."

"And not only that, but there was without a doubt that she would've become the most emotionally vulnerable out of all of us," Arthur added. "The betrayal Barracuda pulled did quite a number on her. Because of that, she became the easiest target of those with that amount on their heads."

"Especially since she distanced herself from everyone since..." Abigail looked away.

"And that's in comparison to Carter, who there was really no reason to murder in the first place," Zuri looked pained.

She was reminded of the Minigame in which she was ruthlessly betrayed by Carter and as a result, was stuck with the same bounty that had gotten Maggie killed. At the same time, those harsh memories couldn't compare to the fact that the young man who had been betrayed had now been murdered.

"And once the culprit killed Maggie…" Haruto grumbled. "Carter must've walked in on them. And that's when the killer… Fuck man, I hate that this makes a lotta sense."

"But is this really true?" Mimi looked down. "Could Maggie really have died first? I mean, where's the evidence?! There has to be evidence that says otherwise!"

"Whether she died first or not, what does it matter?" Cassandra rolled her eyes. "She's dead and she's not coming back to us, so..."

"Okay, maybe you could've said that a little less harsh than you just did," Zuri pointed out, sheepishly.

"If you need evidence just for confirmation, Mimi," Jared grimly sighed. "Then you should remember what I did when we checked the bodies."

Mimi looked at Jared, a little sad but also ready to hear what the police officer had to share.

He noted just how much ghoulishly the deceased Maggie looked compared to Carter. He's seen dead bodies look just as ghoulishly before. And like all ghoulish dead bodies, Jared figured that maybe the body temperatures between both bodies might help decipher who may have died first.

So, he placed a finger onto Maggie's bare arm. For Investigation purposes of course!

She would've liked that.

As soon as he did though however, everything felt cold. What did he expect? Dead corpses usually are cold. At least that was what he thought… Jared scratched his head and then touched Carter's body for comparison.

"Er, what are you doing?" Mimi asked.

"Checking body temperatures," Jared stated.

"...Her body was colder than Carter's," Jared frowned. "Meaning rigor mortis and the likes set in much quicker for her than it did for Carter. Which definitely means that Maggie was the one who died first."

"So, the murderer we're looking for is the one who murdered Maggie," Cassandra blatantly concluded. "...Not that it really changes anything since technically the murderer still killed both of them in this scenario."

"You seem to have reached a conclusion for that conundrum quite quickly," Monohebi noted, her voice seemingly impressed. "Very well then, based on your deductions, the question you should be answering is, who exactly is it that murdered Maggie LaDroubi?"

"I suppose in order to figure that out, we need to figure out how Maggie was murdered," Ina pointed out.

"Well said, Ina," Arthur nodded in approval.

Ina glanced away. She wasn't exactly sure how comfortable she felt with Arthur acting all nice with her. She recognized how worried he was... How... genuine it felt. But could she really accept him? Also didn't help that her comfort was being tainted by her being the number one suspect list. In fact, the only reason she wasn't pursued enough was because her demon half-brother was making sure no one would go for her without solid evidence.

"But where do we start exactly?" Zuri blinked.

"Well, let's look at the facts," Haruto began. "Maggie was killed from a blow to the top of her head. The only thing I can think of that could do that were the hammers by her body!"

"There were two hammers at the scene of the crime," Cassandra sneered. "Which one was it?"

"Fuck if I know!" Haruto glared. "Which one was closer to Maggie?"

"Justice Hammer #4," Jared answered. "That was the hammer closest to Maggie's body. The one beside Carter's was Justice Hammer #1. Both of which, containing a smear of blood on them."

"So, are we to expect that the two of them happened to grab Justice Hammers from the same wall in order to attack each other?" Abigail deadpanned.

"No, we aren't," Jared shook his head.

Leave it to Jared, the guy who literally investigated that crime scene, to figure out that there was a flaw in what Abigail had just said. Lowering his hat, Jared began to respond to her flaw with obvious evidence.

"...Justice Hammer #4… did not come from the 'same wall'," Jared revealed.

"What?" Abigail raised an eyebrow. "How can you be so sure of that? They're both Justice Hammers so… "

"Yeah, but here's the thing," Jared continued. "The Justice Hammers in the Right Ultimate Cell are actually Justice Hammers labeled #1, #2, and #3."

"Huh?" Zuri blinked. "But you said the Justice Hammer that was found by Maggie's body had the #4 on it!"

"Exactly," Jared nodded.

"What kind of company would manufacture four different Justice Hammers with four different labels?" Abigail grumbled to herself. "And if that's the case, then where did Justice Hammer #4 even come from?"

"Well, that's obvious, isn't it?" Cassandra rolled her eyes. "If it didn't come from the Right Cell, then obviously it must have come from the Left."

"...Yes, and Zuri and I can attest to that," Holland jumped in with a nod.

And finally came the star of the room themselves: the two hammers hung on the wall. One was adorned in the similar coloration of Robo Justice with the number '4' and the other, a blank normal hammer. But upon closer inspection, both of them had one thing in common besides the fact that they were both hammers:

There were faint dried traces of blood.

"A-Ah, is that blood?" Zuri covered her mouth. "D-Did these things… W-Were they used…?"

"...This hammer…" Holland reached out for the #4 hammer, grabbing it, and then examining it closely. "...I knew it…"

"What?" Zuri glanced at the game designer frantically. "What about it?!"

"...This is a Justice Hammer," Holland explained to Zuri.

"Yeah, Justice Hammer #4 came from the Left Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell," Zuri nodded in confirmation. She pondered the thought for a moment. "But hmm, when that's the case, why was it in the Right Cell then?"

"Because that was the weapon the killer used to murder Maggie," Arthur answered. "Most likely, they retrieved that weapon in advance and then they struck Maggie with it. Simple."

"Quit horsing around!" Abigail interjected. The hair that covered her eye flew as she kicked her podium. She gritted her teeth and her eyes just seemed quite tired of everything. Almost like getting no sleep makes you downright crabby. "No, it's not that simple."

"And why isn't it?" Arthur frowned, displeased that his solid logic was being challenged. He was certainly a little taken aback by the outburst but remained cool and collected.

"Well, use your head and think for a moment," Abigail frowned. "You're saying that the killer prepared Justice Hammer #4 from the Left Ultimate Cell in advance for their kill in the Right Ultimate Cell."

"Yes, and what of it?" Arthur folded his arms.

"Well, that doesn't make any sense at all," Abigail declared. "Because the killer wouldn't have needed to prepare a weapon from the Left Ultimate Cell… or anywhere else at all!"

"Your point?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"The Right Ultimate Cell had weapons of their own," Abigail kicked her foot onto the podium. "You guys said it yourself. There are three perfectly good Justice Hammers sitting on the wall in the Right Ultimate Cell. Why would there be a need for the killer to prepare a weapon in advance when they already had weapons they could've easily obtained and used in the same place they were going to commit their crime?"

"She's right!" Zuri exclaimed with a gasp. "That doesn't make sense at all! The killer could've just taken one of those Justice Hammers instead!"

Yes. What a fine point, Abigail made. The fact that the killer had all the weapons they could use at the crime scene doesn't make any sense for what the killer actually did: Bring a weapon from a Cell from an entirely different side of the intersection.

Despite this inconsistency with the facts however, Arthur still remained calm and quiet, allowing the expert on the crime scene to speak up.

"Because the Hammers in the Right Cell… don't work," Jared pointed out.

"They… don't work?" Abigail blinked in surprise. "How on Earth do hammers suddenly not work?"

"Well," Jared glanced away. "Mimi can attest to that."

Mimi clutched onto the Justice Hammer she held. She was noticeably frustrated. If this was true, then she had yet another person to be disappointed in. To disapprove of their actions. To just be so… so angry… at…

…But she let her emotions get the best of her as the hammer slipped out of her hand and fell onto the ground, breaking into pieces.

"Ah!" Mimi gasped. "O-Oh no!"

"D-Did you just break the murder weapon?" Jared stared at the broken hammer on the ground, flabbergasted. Such unprofessionalism!

"I– I didn't mean to!" Mimi exclaimed. "I… I didn't even know hammers could break like that!"

"Yeah, the Hammers are really fragile," Mimi looked down. "The moment I dropped one of them, it broke instantly. And not only that, but the Hammers can't be put back together so even if they were used. They're all a one-time use!"

"Precisely, therefore, the Justice Hammers in the Right Cell could not have been used for the crime because of their fragility," Arthur stated.

"A lot, if not, all of the items in the Right Cell are fragile," Cassandra stated. "Jared and I saw that back when we investigated the Cell for the first time together."

Hm, I wonder," Cassandra rubbed her chin curiously. She walked up to the Robo Justice suit and eyed it cautiously. At first glance, it looked pretty heavy. And not only that, the price tag suggested this be 10000 dollars.

Rolling her eyes, Cassandra pushed the Robo Justice in this Ultimate carbon copy Cell onto the side. Almost instantly, once it hit the ground, Robo Justice dismantled itself into nothing but cardboard and dried up glue.

"…10000 dollars my ass, they're all ripoffs," Cassandra narrowed her eyes.

"So, what does this mean then?" Ina asked, narrowing her eyes.

"It means that Abbygail is a dumbass," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with what Kingston said. The killer prepared Justice Hammer #4 in advance and used that to kill that bitch, Maggie."

"A-Again, let's not be too harsh on the victims," Zuri pointed out to the real bitch here. (Yes! Zuri– I mean Cassandra!).

"But there is something wrong," Abigail glared at Cassandra. "I'll admit, the Justice Hammer #4 preparation makes sense. But what about the other hammer? What about the hammer that was used to kill Carter? Didn't you guys say that was labeled as Justice Hammer #1?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Jared raised an eyebrow.

"If the hammers in the Right Ultimate Cell don't work, then how was Justice Hammer #1 used to kill Carter?" Abigail frowned. "That hammer was supposed to be a Justice Hammer that was too fragile, right?"

Yet another point that can be easily countered. The Justice Hammers in the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell could not be used due to their fragility. By that logic, Justice Hammer #1 couldn't have been the weapon that was used to kill Carter… right?

"I fear you are overcomplicating this situation," Arthur shared his displeasure toward Abigail. "Justice Hammer #1 was never used to kill Carter. Remember, when it was found, it was intact. Something that is immediately strange when you know it's supposed to be a one-time use object. No, there was a far simpler weapon to be used."

"Oh yeah?" Abigail pointed a stare toward Arthur. "And what's that?"

"Justice Hammer #4, obviously," Arthur folded his arms, closing his eyes in thought. "Think back to what I said. The killer prepared the weapon in advance to kill Maggie. After killing Maggie, Carter stumbled in. What would the killer have been holding in their hands?"

"...J-Justice Hammer #4," Abigail answered, realizing how much she had been overthinking this conundrum.

"Precisely," Arthur nodded.

"O-Okay, then how do you explain the appearance of Justice Hammer #1?" Abigail attempted to fight. "Why would the killer leave another hammer near Carter if it wasn't even used to kill him?"

Now that was a good question! The appearance of Justice Hammer #1 still seemed to trip up Abigail. She needed a resolution to this problem. And there was one easy resolution that could clear up the doubt she had.

"...Well, we need to think back to how the scene looked when we discovered the bodies," Holland stated. "What was everyone's first thought when they stumbled onto the scene?"

"...From the looks of it however, it seems more like they killed each other," Holland remarked.

"Maggie and Carter… killed each other?" Mimi mindlessly asked. A tear started to trickle down her eye. "Maggie and Carter killed each other. B-But why? Why would they do that? Why fight over something so… so…"

"...That maybe Carter and Maggie fought each other and then…" Mimi couldn't finish the thought. Not because it was the incorrect assumption at this point, but because it was so wrong to say as well. Carter and Maggie would've never fought to the death against each other. Never!

"...Exactly," Holland nodded, stoically. "Perhaps that was why Justice Hammer #1 was added in the first place. To get people to believe that Carter and Maggie had a fight and killed each other."

"But thanks to what we know of the Right Ultimate Cell, that plan failed," Cassandra affirmed.

"And thus, this should remove any doubt from your mind regarding the hammers," Arthur pointed a smug look of superiority toward the Ultimate Equestrian.

"...No," Abigail frowned. "Not yet. Because there is still something off about Justice Hammer #1."

"Oh really?" Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Just give up already, Abbygail. You're just embarrassing yourself at this point."

"The blood on Justice Hammer #1," Abigail stated. "You guys keep saying that Justice Hammer #1 couldn't have been used but what about the blood that Jared mentioned?"

"Didn't all of the hammers in both Ultimate Cells have blood on them?" Haruto perked his head.

"Yeah, but they were dried stains, most likely from that past incident," Jared nodded in confirmation, slightly grimacing over the mention of this so-called past incident. "She's referring to the fresh ones on Justice Hammer #1."

"Yeah, that's right," Abigail nodded. "Even if it was fragile, there could still be the chance that the hammer probably needed a couple of usages before it could effectively break. So maybe it really was used to kill Carter! And the fresh blood on it proves it!"

The fresh blood on Justice Hammer #1 serves as a general conundrum to this everlasting set of general conundrums. Because if Justice Hammer #1 was as fragile as everyone said it was and still intact, then how did blood get on it? How did blood get stained on it?

There was a brief moment of thoughts before finally, Haruto spoke up.

"Yo, Abs," Haruto blinked. "You remember it right? What we found in the Infirmary?"

"I thought I told you not to call me that," Abigail looked away. "But you're going to have to be a little more specific."

"Specifically, the trash can," Haruto stated. "There were a bunch of empty stuff in there, like an empty blood packet, remember?"

"Yeah?" Abigail blinked. "What about– Wait!"

"Now you fucking understand," Haruto gave her a grin. "Of course. That empty blood packet must've been used to stain the fucking hammer! Goddamn, Abs. You fell for the enemy's trap! Justice Hammer #1 was a fucking decoy weapon! Planted by the killer to make it look like Carter killed Maggie!"

"A-Ah!" Abigail was taken aback by Haruto's smugness. That was so embarrassing.

"Yes, Justice Hammer #1 was never used as the weapon," Arthur nodded. "It was nothing more than a distraction from what truly happened. Are you happy now, Ellsworth?"

"I– I– Agh!" Abigail exclaimed suddenly. Without warning, she kicked her leg onto the podium, before slowly sliding down and doing a diagonal split. Her face of course looked quite dazed from having been beaten in this Cross Sword Duel.

...

"So now that we've proven that Abbygail's a certified dumbass," Cassandra smugly continued the Trial, ignoring Abigail's glare. "Where does that get us now?"

"From what I have gathered," Ina began to reiterate what they have learned in the Trial thus far, since now that's pretty much her job. "The killer used Justice Hammer #4 to kill both Maggie and Carter and planted Justice Hammer #1 as a fake murder weapon in order to fool us into thinking our two victims had attacked and killed each other."

"So, we have the killer basically trying to fuck with us, and an even bigger problem," Haruto frowned. "We don't have any suspects. Who the hell is pulling all this shit?!"

"Why don't we ask Ina?" Mimi glowered her gaze toward the revolutionary. "She was in that Robo Justice suit at the crime scene! So, she must know something!"

"Unfortunately, as I have said many times, I was unconscious," Ina frowned. "I woke up as soon as the investigation started."

"Lies!" Mimi pointed her finger toward the revolutionary. "You had something to do with this! I know you did! Just like what you did to Yuumi, you did something to Big Sis Maggie as well!"

"I–" Ina didn't even have the energy to fight back against that. Just mentioning Yuumi was enough to spark a sense of guilt in the poor girl's mind.

"...By the way, where did you guys even find Ina?" Holland asked.

"The crime scene," Jared answered. "Inside the Robo Justice suit."

"...Hm, that seems... strange," Holland pondered, rubbing his chin in thought. "I do have to admit that Ina is suspicious in that case but if Ina really was the killer, why was she even in the Robo Justice suit? Especially in the suit found at the crime scene. I don't think she would be that stupid enough to hide there of all places."

"Well, because she had nowhere else to hide so she chose the Robo Justice suit!" Mimi deduced. "I mean, Cassandra said it herself. Cell Block C doesn't have many places to hide anyway! That robot suit was her only hiding spot! So, she tried to hide, realized she was going to get found anyway, and then pretended to have been unconscious so she can play the sweet old lady who is actually the evil queen with the poisoned apple!"

"That's absolutely ridiculous," Arthur jumped in. "Both your deductions and your reference to an obscure fairytale."

"Well then, explain why she was in the suit in the Right Ultimate Cell!" Mimi glared at Arthur.

"The killer obviously placed her in there," Arthur deduced. "Just as another means to frame her for murder. You're falling for the killer's trap as hard as Abigail did."

"Hey, there's no need to remind people of that," Abigail frowned.

"Evidence!" Mimi declared. "Give me evidence that shows that she's being framed! Because I won't believe anything unless you bibbidi-bobbidi give me the evidence!"

"That didn't rhyme at all…" Zuri pointed out.

"The fact that Ina was there in the Robo Justice suit is odd in itself," Jared pointed out, lowering his police hat. "You should remember this well, Mimi."

"What do you mean?" Mimi pouted, slightly impatient.

"Remember what we found underneath the Robo Justice suit that Ina was in?" Jared questioned.

"You see what's on the ground, right?" Jared asked Mimi.

"It looks like…" Mimi squinted her eyes.

When it took a moment for Mimi to decipher what exactly Jared was referring to, the police officer figured that the Robo Justice suit had pretty much obscured her vision of recognition. So, he moved the suit away, toppling it to the side.

"A-Ah!" Mimi gasped. "Another Robo Justice suit! Only this one looks way cheaper than the one Ina was found in. It's broken too!... Wait…"

"Yeah, I imagine you saw it too when you investigated this Cell a few days ago," Jared nodded. "The one that Cassandra broke was a replica of this Robo Justice suit here."

"So then, does that mean that suit came from…" Mimi blinked.

"The Left Cell?" Jared finished Mimi's train of thought. "Maybe. Maybe we can also find a clue somewhere on the suit too though."

"A-Ah, the other Robo Justice suit," Mimi bit her finger nervously. "The one Cassandra destroyed..."

"Okay, well I wouldn't say I destroyed it," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I just gave it a shove to see how sturdy it was. It fell apart on its own."

"...So, you destroyed a priceless artifact," Holland, despite being emotionless, had a twitch in his eye. Perhaps he didn't like the idea of Robo Justice being destroyed so cruelly.

"Cheap ripoff, more like," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "What's the point of bringing that up anyway?"

"Don't you find it odd that there were essentially two Robo Justice suits at the crime scene?" Jared asked. "After all, there was the one that Cassandra broke and the one that Ina was found in."

"Huh?" Zuri blinked. "Wait, where did the one Ina was in come from, then?"

"Kane's Left Cell," Jared answered.

"I'm afraid to ask but... did anyone even go and investigate the Left Cell?" Zuri asked.

"Mimi and I did," Jared folded his arms before glowering toward Zuri. "Because I'm thorough like that."

"O-Oh okay," Zuri seemed a little taken aback by Jared's rudeness but pressed forward. "D-Did you two perhaps find anything?"

"We found nothing!" Mimi exclaimed.

"Th-That's not something you should sound proud of," Haruto grumbled.

"Mimi meant what she said," Jared shook his head. "The only thing that is even remotely important in the Left Cell were a bunch of missing items, which we all know were found in the Right Cell."

"The hammer to kill Maggie and Carter," Arthur nodded. "And the Robo Justice suit to hide Ina in."

"So, someone moved a bunch of stuff from the Left Cell to the Right Cell," Cassandra noted. "And they were used for the murder. Gotcha."

"Ah!" Mimi pulled her witch hat closer down to her head, slightly desperate to believe that Ina did the murder. "But wait! Maybe Ina brought the Robo Justice suit over as a makeshift hiding spot, right before doing the thing!"

"Er, what thing?" Ina asked.

"The murder, you evil queen!" Mimi exclaimed.

"No, not possible," Cassandra sighed. "That Robo Justice suit was definitely missing since this morning. Hung out around both Pawnbroker Cells before the Morning Meeting and I don't remember seeing it there..."

"And it wasn't in either of the Ultimate Cells?" Abigail raised an eyebrow.

"Nope," Cassandra bluntly answered, popping the 'p'.

"So, what that means is perhaps the killer had long already obtained the suit for their plot," Arthur answered.

"What plot?" Zuri blinked, confused.

"The plot to frame Ina for their murder," Arthur answered suddenly with an insightful look to his eyes. "After all, that was most likely why they stole the key to Cell #66 in the first place. To obtain the scapegoat for the crime."

"Ah, that's right," Zuri frowned. "I still don't understand how I could've lost sight of the key so easily."

"But why would they want to obtain the suit in the first place?" Jared asked.

"Well, if someone had been caught carrying Ina, an attempted murderer who would've been unconscious, someone would've definitely tried to stop them," Arthur deduced. "That is why they needed the Robo Justice suit. As a means to hide who exactly they were escorting."

"No way, that's too fucking crazy," Haruto grumbled. "Someone would've seen that shit and still stopped them. The last person who pulled off something like that was that whole Yuumi on horse shit! No one would fall for it!"

"...Weren't you the one who fell for that?" Holland asked.

"I– Ugh– Sh-Shut up," Haruto stuttered, before folding his arms and looking away. "They made it look really believable alright?"

"If anyone did see it, no one is speaking up," Abigail noted.

"Meaning the killer got really lucky with escorting a whole Robo Justice suit from Cell Block S to the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell," Zuri blinked. "I mean, did no one see anyone carry a Robo Justice suit like that?!"

No one responded.

Apparently, the killer was that lucky.

"No one saw anyone carry Robo Justice?" Zuri asked in disbelief. "How did no one see anyone carry a large suit like that?!"

"...It would have to depend on when Ina was carried to the Right Ultimate Cell, though," Holland answered. "If the Robo Justice suit was long gone before the Morning Meeting, then I would guess that the killer must've gotten straight to work after the Morning Meeting…"

"B-But that's literally everyone in this room," Zuri stammered.

"...Yeah, you're right about that..." Holland admitted, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Does anyone have a time estimate to when they realized Ina was missing?" Jared asked.

"That would be some time after the Morning Meeting," Arthur surmised. "When I went down to talk to Ina, the door was already open. I rushed to Zuri to ask her about the key and then she along with Mimi joined me back to Cell #66 to investigate. By the time we arrived, it was already 6:15 PM."

"Fifteen minutes after the time of Barracuda's attack and the murders," Jared grimaced. "So, by that calculation, we have to assume Ina was taken some time after the Morning Meeting and before 6:15 PM."

"The Morning Meeting started much later than usual," Abigail pointed. "By the time we were finished, it was already 3:00 PM."

"Still doesn't help much but at least we have some sort of time frame," Jared shrugged. "Between 3 and 6:15, then."

"Er, how about we ask Ina about what happened?" Zuri started to turn toward the Ultimate Revolutionary. "Assuming she can remember what exactly happened during the time she got taken."

"But why are we listening to what she's going to say?" Mimi pouted. "She could be lying for all we know!"

"And if she is lying, we'll discover it," Arthur hastily stated. "Now testify dear half-sister. Just tell everyone what you told me, Jared, and Mimi."

There were a few mixed emotions staggering within Ina's mind. One of them was confusion from the condescending tone Arthur kept throwing her way, even though that was probably how he showed how much cared. The other was guilt, as she was pretty much the reason why Mimi had become so hostile toward her. But ignoring her own feelings, she did as she was told anyway.

"My memory is still hazy," Ina rubbed her head as she forced herself to remember.

"Don't force it," Arthur calmly told her.

"...All I remember is it being yet another day locked in that cell," Ina frowned. "So, imagine my surprise when it was suddenly unlocked. Curious, I walked out and that was when I felt someone grab me from behind and a pinch on my neck…"

She trailed off, instinctively rubbing her neck. Then she groaned slightly.

"That is… all I can remember," Ina sighed. "I apologize."

"No need, you did wonderfully," Arthur complimented.

"Do you remember when you were knocked out?" Abigail asked, tiredly.

"Unfortunately, no," Ina shook her head. "I have lost all track of time ever since I found myself locked in that cell."

"But you remained knocked out until we found the bodies," Jared pressed.

Ina merely nodded at that.

"What do we even get from this?" Mimi pouted, feeling as if this whole discourse was quite meaningless. Especially with someone who was thinking with her feelings rather than with her brain.

"You get an idea!" Haruto declared with a grin. "Assuming Ina had been knocked out since after the Morning Meeting till after we found the bodies, then whatever was used to knock out Ina had to have been a strong fucking knockout ailment of some kind!"

"So, what we're looking for is a knockout drug," Cassandra stated.

"Or a syringe," Zuri widened her eyes. "Wasn't there a syringe on the floor inside Cell #66?"

"A-Arthur?" Mimi curiously asked. "W-What's wrong?"

"I…" Arthur couldn't form a response.

Instead, the rich snowboarder, stricken with more anxiety and worry, turned to reveal what he had found on the floor. And that heightened the situation much more than it needed to. In Arthur's hands, was nothing more than:

A syringe.

"Is that…" Zuri widened her eyes.

"Th-That's a syringe," Mimi gasped. "Then that would mean…"

"...I… I don't want to know what it means," Arthur hugged himself, desperately. "I can't… I just can't…"

"L-Let's not jump to any conclusions, okay Arthur?" Zuri advised the snowboarder. "We don't even know what was in that syringe. For all we know, it could be like some sort of knockout drug or something."

"Or poison," Arthur pessimistically stated. "Whatever it was, it was already injected into Ina. There are barely any traces of the substance that used to be in this…"

"Yes," Arthur gave a cold stare, remembering the feeling he felt when he thought he may have lost his half-sister but a little relief that the syringe was starting to get a little more recognition after Jared and Mimi had so rudely discounted that. "And whoever used that syringe would have retrieved it from the Infirmary."

"Yes, the Infirmary would definitely have anesthetics of every kind," Abigail nodded. "Some of which could definitely knock out someone for up to 12 hours."

"So, what you're saying is, whoever had the anesthetic has to be the killer right?" Cassandra tapped her chin in thought.

"...What exactly are you planning?" Holland pointed his emotionless face toward the Ultimate Bitch in suspicion.

"What exactly am I planning?" Cassandra repeated the question before smirking. "That isn't the right question. What you should be asking is, 'What exactly did I find?'"

"C-Could it be?" Mimi blinked. "Did you find the anesthetic?"

"That and even better," Cassandra smirked. "I know who had it."

"Bitch!" Haruto glared. "You really gotta start sharing these things sooner!"

"Oh, and throw a trump card away so easily like that?" Cassandra scoffed. "Fat chance, Naruto. Yeah, I found the anesthetic. But take one guess where I found it."

"We give up," Jared bluntly stated. "Where?"

"Pch," Cassandra rolled her eyes. Clearly, her peers were no fun, especially if it was with her. She confidently smirked, remembering exactly where she found it and how it finally fits...

Cassandra's gaze slightly darkened. She narrowed her eyes. All before she finally noticed something on the floor. She raised an eyebrow, squatting down, and then picking said something up.

"...What is this doing here?" she murmured to herself.

"The Therapy Room," Cassandra revealed. "There. Happy?"

"Huh?" Zuri blinked. "The Therapy Room? But that's– that's–"

"That's where Barracuda was found!" Mimi exclaimed, finishing Zuri's sentence. "There's no way you can be serious!"

"Way too serious," Cassandra smirked, retrieving the anesthetic from her pocket and waving it in the air. "This thing was found right next to where the fish's body was. Didn't know what it was for but… now I do."

"Then, does that mean?" Ina blinked. "That the one who attacked me was…?"

No. This couldn't be real. There was no way this was real. There was absolutely no way the conclusion they were about to reach could be considered the real truth. But unfortunately, the evidence doesn't lie. And Arthur was the first to react accordingly.

"That blasted buffoon," Arthur gritted his teeth. "I knew he was stupid, but I didn't think he was that bloody stupid! When that dumb gorilla recovers, I will spear that man in the chest again!"

"Whoa there icy hot," Haruto looked a little disturbed by how Arthur literally just threatened a dying man a painful death. "Chill out there, will you?"

"That buffoon touched my sister," Arthur clenched his fist. "How could I?!"

"...And I thought I had anger issues," Haruto whistled to himself.

"But this– this– this doesn't make any sense!" Mimi exclaimed. "Barracuda is the sweetest and most lovable teddy bear out of all of us! He would never try to kill anyone or kidnap Ina or do any of this!"

"Or so we thought," Jared frowned, his eyes looking dark. It was clear he was affected by what seemed to be Barracuda's ultimate betrayal. "Is Barracuda really so sweet and innocent? Can you really say that after what he did during the Minigame?"

"I– N-No…" Mimi covered her mouth. No. That couldn't be true. She talked with Barracuda. He told her why he did it and she understood his side of the story. The picture they are painting about Barracuda just didn't match up with who he truly was!

"Betraying Maggie, setting her up to become emotionally vulnerable… There is no doubt," Arthur frowned. "Barracuda may very well have pretended to be an innocent dumbass when really, he may have been a master at manipulation."

"Damn, I never thought I would hear a cuss word escape your mouth Kingston," Haruto remarked, noticeably disturbed. "Er, please keep it back in, alright?"

"B-But this still doesn't make any sense…" Mimi insisted.

"Doesn't it?" Arthur frowned. He supposed this was revenge for her constant false accusations on his half-sister. "Who could've hauled a large Robo Justice suit with a person inside from Cell Block S to the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell quick enough to avoid anyone catching them? Who could've easily killed both Maggie and Carter in one go? Who could've ambushed my dear half-sister so quickly? Why not the man with large muscles and a large ego to boot?"

Everything Arthur had listed made sense now. The conundrum with no one catching a person hauling a Robo Justice suit to the Right Cell. The conundrum of two victims. Everything was piecing together so nicely. But there was one problem.

"N-No, I refuse to believe this!" Mimi frowned. "He cared about Big Sis Maggie! So, he had no reason to! Holland! Come on! Say something!"

"H-Huh…?" Holland's stoic expression actually expressed shock. "M-Me? Why me…?"

"Because you're the person who keeps finding a way to disprove stuff like this!" Mimi exclaimed. "You know in your heart that Barracuda's not a bad person! So please tell everyone that they're wrong!"

"...Well, the reason Barracuda betrayed Maggie in the first place was probably because of the money…" Holland bit his lip, though his eyes still contained his emotionless expression intact. "So, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he killed Maggie for the same reason…"

"N-No, not you too," Mimi frowned. Damn it. Of course, Barracuda told his lore and backstory to only her. Neither of them had enough Hope Fragments to believe in him! Probably because Maggie kept hogging them all when she was still alive...

"Actually, I have a tough time believing this too," Abigail crossed her arms. "I mean, if Barracuda really did kill Carter and Maggie, then answer me this. Who attacked him?"

"Ah, yeah of course!" Mimi nodded frantically. "His injury! That injury could've only come from the real killer themselves!"

"Unfortunately, no," Arthur shook his head. "We've already seen someone pull the same trick once beforehand."

"What?" Mimi widened her eyes. "Same trick...?"

Instantly, she understood what Arthur was referring to and those weren't memories she needed to be brought back. Memories from their first ever Trial. Memories of what was done to fool them. Could it really have been done again?

"N-No!" Mimi shook her head, furiously. "You can't seriously think that Barracuda…"

"Shot himself with the speargun?" Arthur finished her deduction. "Of course. Why not?"

"B-Because that's just crazy!" Mimi exclaimed. "Why would he want to shoot himself with the speargun?! I mean, where would he have even gotten the speargun anyway? Wasn't it locked up in Jared's Evidence Room place?!"

"But don't you remember, Mimi?" Zuri looked down. She was also on the fence about this theory but the more they argued about it, the more things started to fit together. "What Abigail found at the Auditorium?"

"Wait," Abigail widened her eyes. This time, it was her memory they were going to flash back to now!

She tiredly stared at the stage before noticing something on the ground.

…

An eHandbook?

"Huh," Abigail confusedly sounded. She was relieved she had something that took her mind off of everything. Picking up the eHandbook, she opened it to reveal a series of information as eHandbooks usually do:

Name: Jared Caertas

Gender: Male

Ultimate Talent: Ultimate Police Officer

Birth Date: June 16

Height: 5'11

Weight: 155 lbs

Blood Type: O+

Abigail stared at the screen for a lot longer than she needed to before grasping the idea at hand. Jared's eHandbook was left behind at the Auditorium. Her guess? He probably left it here after Haruto knocked him to the ground last night.

Didn't even have a chance to pick it up after everyone escorted him back to his room.

"Yes, of course," Arthur frowned. "I told you all I wasn't blind. Because of the effort we put into restraining Jared, his eHandbook would've likely fallen out of his possession. Given how we had to escort him back, he wouldn't have noticed until the morning when it was missing, meaning that eHandbook would have been left behind at the Auditorium all night."

"Damn it, almost anyone could've just grabbed it and used it to take the speargun," Jared clenched his fist, staring down at his podium in slight frustration. He wouldn't have lost his eHandbook had they just let him do what he had to do! "We don't even know what time they could've taken it."

"Whatever the time they took it though, they put it back by the time I found it," Abigail noted, tiredly.

"And must've still had it when I went to search for it in the morning," Arthur folded his arms, a little miffed. His mind was definitely on the 'Barracuda is the Culprit' train, especially since now Barracuda would have also made a fool of his eyesight at the Morning Meeting.

"Plus, there is the matter that he is no longer in possession of his eHandbook," Arthur pointed out. "He lost it during last night's scuffle. Which means, he will not have access to any of the weapons in the Evidence Room."

"Then obviously his eHandbook must be still in the Auditorium, right?" Zuri blinked. "Maybe someone should go and get it. Before someone decides to use that to…"

"I would have loved to, but unfortunately, the eHandbook is missing," Arthur shrugged.

Abigail blinked.

What was Arthur talking about? The eHandbook was right there in the Auditorium. Was he blind or did he not look hard enough or what? In fact, Abigail had it with her right now. So why would he say…

"...Why would you say that?" Abigail asked, curious. "Did you go there and check for yourself?"

"Course I did," Arthur nodded. "When Jared mentioned he lost it, the Auditorium was the first place I went to check. It wasn't there."

"That would explain why Arthur wasn't able to find it in the morning," Zuri noted.

"But still!" Mimi pouted. "To use that to shoot himself?! I mean, even if you think he's trying to get off the suspect list, there's no reason for him to almost kill himself!"

…

"Or maybe that was his intended goal…" Holland merely stated, looking away.

"H-Huh?" Mimi blinked.

"I think you're right, Mimi," Holland mind had just considered a dangerous possibility. "It is too crazy to shoot himself with a speargun just to get off the suspect list. But what if… What if it wasn't to get off the suspect list but…"

"Holland," Zuri glanced at the game designer with widened eyes. "A-Are you really insinuating that maybe Barracuda was trying to…

...

...

...

...

...

...

...kill himself?"

"...Given what we know of this scenario, so far," Holland's stoic expression still conveyed a sense of disappointment. "It would make sense, wouldn't it? Barracuda kills Maggie for the money. Already that's going to make him feel guilty. Double the fact that Carter would've stumbled in…"

"He would've killed him too," Zuri voiced, albeit a little quietly.

"...What do you think would've gone in his mind once he realized he had just killed not only the one person he cared about but also someone who had no reason to die in the first place?" Holland glanced away.

"The guilt would have torn him down," Ina seemed pained at this revelation. "And so, he would have…"

This scenario made sense. Barracuda would've gone mad. He would've desperately wanted to rid himself of this pain. So, he would take that speargun and…

No one wanted to think of that.

No one wanted to imagine Barracuda becoming so distraught about what he had just done that he would consider…

But that was what happened…

Wasn't it?

...

"Christ," Haruto grumbled. His expression was visibly pained by the outcome of their deductions. "This just keeps getting worse and worse. Are we really so sure that it's Barracuda? I mean, everything makes sense but–"

"Barracuda was in possession of the anesthetic," Cassandra frowned. "Ina was locked in that really heavy suit and was found at the crime scene. Hate to say it, but everything just fits perfectly. What else could've happened?"

Could this really have been what happened? The doubt in everyone's minds never settled. In fact, it wasn't really doubt at all, but rather the disbelief that Barracuda could do something like kill two of his peers and then try to kill himself.

There was a moment of silence for those who tried to believe that maybe there was another alternative to this case. But hardly anyone spoke up at all. They were at a loss of words. Barracuda killed Maggie and Carter and then tried to kill himself. That was what they were going with.

But why did that feel so wrong?

"Hm," Jared was the first to speak up. "Something's off with this theory."

"A-Ah, Jared, have you thought of something?" Mimi looked slightly hopeful now.

"What could be so off?" Arthur pointed a stare toward Jared.

"If Barracuda tried to kill himself, why would he do it in the Therapy Room?" Jared asked. "Wouldn't it have been easier to just do it at the crime scene?"

"Maybe he wanted to go to a place closer to the Infirmary," Cassandra suggested. "Who the hell knows what that dumbass was thinking after he killed them?"

"Okay, but realistically, if someone was to try to kill themselves, no one would try to go near the place where people could easily patch themselves up," Jared noted. "No. There has to be a reason why Barracuda chose to kill himself in the Therapy Room. Right?"

"But what reason would he have to kill himself in the Therapy Room?" Zuri blinked.

Jared pondered Zuri's question before accepting the simple fact that this theory that everyone had come up with had a faulty foundation. Folding his arms and showing off his firmest stare, Jared voiced his opinions.

"There wouldn't be a reason," Jared shook his head. "There was no reason for him to kill himself."

"Okay?" Abigail raised an eyebrow toward the police officer. "Why do you think that?"

"It's as I said," Jared explained. "If I really wanted to kill myself after killing two people, I would've just done it right then and there. Why go to the trouble of heading toward a whole different location to do it? It makes no sense…"

"So, then what are you concluding?" Cassandra asked with slight curiosity.

"Barracuda probably wasn't going to kill himself," Jared tried to come up with some sort of theory. "But it's more so possible that he really was attacked."

"Or something else entirely," Haruto stated. His mind had just realized something. After all, there was a clear contradiction with this entire scenario of Barracuda being the killer. "Yeah, I'm gonna call bullshit with this 'Barracuda is the killer' theory."

"And why would you do that?" Arthur frowned. "It makes sense that he was the one who attacked my sister!"

"And maybe there's a chance he wasn't the one who attacked your sister, asshole," Haruto retorted. "Because the timing is all off."

"Th-The timing?" Arthur blinked.

"Remind me, when the fuck was Carter and Maggie killed?" Haruto looked quite confident in himself.

"6:00 PM," Cassandra answered.

"Right and Mimi, when did Barracuda say he was attacked?" Haruto asked once more.

"6:00 PM," Mimi answered.

"Yeah, that's fucking right!" Haruto grinned. "If Barracuda was attacked at 6:00 in the Therapy Room and Carter and Maggie were killed in the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell at 6:00 as well…"

"There would be no time for Barracuda to kill anyone in the Right Cell," Arthur concluded with a twitch of his eye. "But he could also be lying! What about the anesthetic?! He was in possession of that as well!"

"...No fucking idea man," Haruto sighed. "But for the sake of everything, I'd say we trust Barracuda's word about the time and keep going with the discussion. Because it's too early to conclude on anyone being the killer."

"Okay, but if that's the case, let's just take a moment to think this through," Zuri said. "If Barracuda really was telling the truth, then that means he was attacked at pretty much the exact same time Carter and Maggie were killed. If that's the case, then we're dealing with two criminals! The one who killed Carter and Maggie…"

"And the one who attacked Barracuda," Ina hummed. "With both crimes happening at nearly the exact same time in two separate areas."

"Alright!" Haruto cracked his knuckles. "I know exactly how to solve this problem! Who the hell wasn't with Barracuda after he was attacked?!"

"That question isn't going to work," Abigail yawned tiredly. "Anyone could've come from the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker Cell to answer Cassandra's incessant yelling."

"Hey, if I hadn't yelled, that big bozo would've been dead," Cassandra frowned.

"...With Haruto's question, I think we can conclude that the only people that could be innocent for both incidents are the ones that went looking for Ina," Holland noted. "Arthur, Mimi, and Zuri. They have airtight alibis at 6:00 PM. Everyone else, however, is fair game..."

"Even you," Jared stared at Holland.

"...Yeah, even me," Holland noted.

"Unless the culprit really was Ina," Mimi mumbled.

Though some people heard her say that it was promptly ignored. Mostly because they had already somewhat proven that Ina was kidnapped and used as a frame job for the culprit. So instead, the topic of figuring out who the killer was, or the culprit of Barracuda's attack was, based on the timing, shifted. If Carter and Maggie were killed in the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell and Ina was kept in the suit at that Cell, that would put her off the list. And frankly everyone else arrived by the time Barracuda was found.

The case was beginning to feel nearly impossible to solve. With more questions than answers piling up, how was anyone supposed to figure things out?

"Well fuck man," Haruto grumbled. "If that's the only thing my suggestion is gonna prove, then how the fuck are we supposed to figure out who killed Carter and Maggie?!"

"Hmm, what we do know for a fact is that whoever attacked Barracuda can't be the culprit of this case," Jared noted. "Because if Carter and Maggie were killed at the same time of the attack, then all they are really guilty for is attempted murder."

"Unless Barracuda perishes from his wound," Ina pointed out. "Which may be the reason why Barracuda's attempted murderer is keeping quiet. In fear of execution should that happen."

"That is a good point, dear half-sister," Arthur nodded.

Again, Ina shared a look toward her half-brother.

"So, in other words, we got an attempted murderer that won't speak up and help us out," Haruto sighed. "Goddamn it. We're all gonna die if we don't figure this shit out sooner, y'know."

It was a stalemate. What exactly could they do? There wasn't any evidence they could put into attention at the moment. All that they knew really of Barracuda's attack was the fact that he was shot in the chest with a speargun and that once Barracuda was tended to, everyone had long separated to find Ina. That was it. So how could anyone–

An idea suddenly popped into Holland's head.

"...I think there is a way to find out who the attempted murderer is," Holland stated. "...But I'm not too sure if I might be right or not."

"You have an idea, Holland?" Mimi perked her head, curiously.

"...Yeah," Holland nodded. "I think the answer to who shot Barracuda is a lot simpler than we originally thought. And thinking about it now, their actions when discovering Barracuda seems reason enough for suspicion..."

"Well, sounds like you wish to indict someone," Arthur stated. "Who is it?"

"Yeah, who do you think attacked Barracuda?" Zuri asked Holland, curiously.

"First, I think it should stand to reason that the first person who found Barracuda could in fact be the culprit behind his attempted murder," Holland stated.

"The first person who found Barracuda?" Abigail hummed to herself. "Wait… Isn't that…

…

…

…

…

…

…

...

...

...

...

…Cassandra?"

"Cassandra?" Haruto blinked.

"Cassandra?!" Arthur turned to the aforementioned bitch with an astounded look of disbelief.

"Cassandra!" Mimi gasped, pouting at the fact that another more obvious suspect wasn't prevalent in her head.

"Yes, yes, that's my name!" Cassandra narrowed her eyes toward her peers. "I get it! Quit yelling it out, alright?"

"Was it really you who attacked Barracuda?" Zuri narrowed her eyes toward Cassandra with a disappointed frown. This was of course speculation but if there was even a chance that Cassandra was the one who attacked Barracuda...

Similarly, Jared also turned to Cassandra, but said nothing. There was a serious look in his eyes and Cassandra was made well-aware of that. But to her surprise, it wasn't a look of disappointment or anything that the old Jared would have probably given her. It was a look of curiosity. He must have been thinking about...

Cassandra bit her lip before answering Zuri.

"Pch, of course not," Cassandra rolled her eyes. It was clear she was trying to act suave and confident-like. "Your boyfriend is just throwing out whatever shit makes sense at this point. I mean, what's your basis for accusing me of attacking that dumb idiot? Just the fact that I found the guy first?"

"H-He's not my–" Zuri blushed.

"...No, it's not just that," Holland stoically stated, glancing away in slight embarrassment. None of them knew about their "sailing ship" moment, except maybe Haruto, but that man probably didn't realize he cockblocked them into oblivion. "It's just that something was off when we found you with Barracuda."

"And that's it?" Cassandra deadpanned. "I don't know if you know this, but I happen to be considered one of the most suspicious people in this damn Killing Game. Second or first between Kingston over there."

"Where were you before the attack?" Arthur sighed.

"You're serious?" Cassandra bluntly asked Arthur. "You're really going to go through with this?"

"Look, if you're innocent and have nothing to hide, then there should be no problem," Arthur grumbled. "What other options do we have of trying to find the bloody killer?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes and scoffed. She couldn't believe she had to explain herself to something so baseless in the first place.

"No, first you give me a reason why I should," Cassandra crossed her arms. "Why do you have any reason to suspect me? All I did was stumble upon the body and call for help. That's it."

"...No, that's not all you did," Holland shook his head. "What you were doing with the body was strange. Think back to when we first found Cassandra with Barracuda's body. What was she doing, exactly?"

"B-Barracuda!" Mimi screamed out.

"Took you guys long enough!" Cassandra exclaimed, her voice noticeably shaking but still annoyed that it took too long for reinforcements to arrive. Her hands were on the spear, as she tried to wiggle the spear out of his chest. "Now give me a hand here and help me get this thing out of him!"

"What happened?" Abigail rushed to Barracuda's side, attempting to help Cassandra pry the weapon out of his chest.

"How should I know?!" Cassandra sighed, looking visibly frustrated. "I came in here, all curious because I heard this idiot making some noise. Then, once I come in, I see him bleeding all over the place."

"...From the looks of it, someone shot him with this speargun," Holland mused, holding up the speargun.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"She was… trying to remove the speargun from Barracuda's chest," Zuri blinked. "But wait, why is that strange?"

"Because it isn't," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "That thing was stuck in the big guy's chest. Anyone would've tried to remove it."

"...Not when everyone knows what would happen if you did," Holland stated. "After all, it was a topic that came up in our very first Trial."

"A stab wound in many cases can be fatal on its own," Arthur crossed his arms. "However, if we are to believe that he did not die instantly, removing the knife would be the last thing anyone should do. The knife now serves as a plug. Yes, he was slowly dying but if anyone removed that plug, all that blood would've seeped out and he would've no doubt died much quicker which was most likely what happened with Titus's case. Holland may have done the stabbing, but the person who quickened his death by removing that knife would've been the one who killed him... Isn't that right Monohebi?"

"Ah, of course," Zuri blinked. "Removing the speargun had the risk of quickening Barracuda's death. But if that's the case then, Cassandra, why were you trying to remove it in the first place?"

"Grk!" Cassandra's face grimaced as she glanced away. "Okay, so I wasn't thinking straight. Can you blame me? I saw that spear lodged in his chest, I had to get that out of him."

"The Infirmary was right across the Therapy Room…" Holland pointed out. "It would have been easy for anyone to have just carried Barracuda across and done everything there. But instead… you tried to do it on the spot."

"Oh, come on," Cassandra clenched her fist. "Have you seen that dumbass?! How can someone as petite as me carry a large piece of luggage like that? Let alone a room across!"

Cassandra spouted counterargument after counterargument, annoyed that she was being accused due to trivial matters.

"Typical!" Cassandra continued. "I try to save a life! I get accused of murder! That's just how it is in the wonderful world of the Killing Game!"

"...If you were really trying to save a life, then why did you say what you said?" Holland narrowed his eyes.

He wasn't backing down. No, he was confident he was on the right track here. There was something fishy about Cassandra the moment they found Barracuda. He needed to know what.

"W-What did I say?" Cassandra glared.

"You said…" Holland tapped his chin.

"B-Barracuda!" Mimi screamed out.

"Took you guys long enough!" Cassandra exclaimed, her voice noticeably shaking but still annoyed that it took too long for reinforcements to arrive. Her hands were on the spear, as she tried to wiggle the spear out of his chest. "Now give me a hand here and help me get this thing out of him!"

"What happened?" Abigail rushed to Barracuda's side, attempting to help Cassandra pry the weapon out of his chest.

"How should I know?!" Cassandra sighed, looking visibly frustrated. "I came in here, all curious because I heard this idiot making some noise. Then, once I come in, I see him bleeding all over the place."

"...From the looks of it, someone shot him with this speargun," Holland mused, holding up the speargun.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"'Help me get this thing out of him,'" Holland continued.

"...Notice it wasn't anything like, 'Help me carry him to the Infirmary'," Holland added. "She specifically wanted that speargun removed in the Therapy Room."

"B-But why?" Mimi blinked, perking her head confused.

"Christ!" Cassandra interrupted, pounding her fist onto the podium as she gritted her teeth. "These are all trivial things! I'm a human being! Human beings make fucking mistakes all the time! Especially when they see a big ass dude bleeding on the floor with a spear sticking out of them!"

"...Then why did it also take you a while to join us at the Infirmary?" Holland pointed out.

"W-What are you talking about?" Cassandra shook her fist.

"Think back once again…" Holland stated. "When we had gathered at the Infirmary, what happened?"

The door to the Infirmary opened. All eyes (except for Abigail who was working on patching up Barracuda and Barracuda himself) turned to the culprit who opened the door. That's right, it was Cassandra, who entered the room a little later than the others.

"How is he?" Cassandra frowned, tossing some things into the trash can. She cleaned her hand in slight disgust. The blood on her hands from Barracuda was now dry and sticky. Never thought she would go so far as to even touch blood but here she was!

"Stable from the looks of it," Zuri looked down.

"Well, what the hell are we waiting for?" Cassandra asked, putting her arms down. "Let's ask him who the fuck did this to him!"

"Cassandra… arrived later," Zuri widened her eyes. "After we had hauled Barracuda onto a medical bed."

"...You understand how strange that is, right?" Holland asked. "The person who discovered Barracuda's body first ended up rejoining everyone in the Infirmary last…"

"Wait, so what does that mean?" Mimi blinked.

"It means, while the rest of us were trying to help and take care of Barracuda," Abigail folded her arms, glancing at Cassandra suspiciously. "Cassandra here was doing something shady in the background."

"Oh really?" Cassandra rolled her eyes. "And you have proof that I was doing something shady? Or proof that I really attacked that fish idiot? Or proof that I really am the fucking bad guy in this situation? Because you don't! All of this is so fucking baseless!"

"...Then can you explain why you came into the Infirmary, much later than the rest of us?" Holland asked.

Cassandra stayed quiet. She crossed her arms. Her face remained annoyed, but it also almost seemed like she had been thinking of a plausible excuse to get her out of this situation.

"...I needed a breather," Cassandra answered. "Coming across a sight like that. Yeah, not really used to it."

"...I don't believe you," Holland narrowed his emotionless eyes.

"Neither do I with your bullshit reasoning," Cassandra pounded her fist once more. "So, I guess we're both even."

"No way Cassandra," Abigail shook her head, tiredly. "What you said. Not really used to a sight like that. That's totally out of character to who you really are."

"Dead?" entered a new voice in this large group of people. The person at hand was Cassandra, who had just arrived at the Prison Lounge with a nonchalant expression as she admired the destruction the fire had caused and ultimately the work made upon Titus's body. "...Yeah. It sure seems like he's dead alright."

"Bitch!" Haruto growled. "Show some common human decency! One of us is fucking dead and you're gonna flaunt around like you're still the hottest shit in the room?!"

"Hate to say it, but he has a point," Cassandra jumped in, concurring with Arthur's words. "The sailor bitch has been nothing but a little shit these past few days. Frankly, I'm not even surprised she was the one who bit it after everything."

"C-Cassandra?" Jared looked at Cassandra in surprise. "Y-You too?"

"Just stating things logically," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Besides, we don't have time to cry over a dead body. What we need to do is figure out who did this."

"Your lack of compassion for other people here is seriously inspiring," Abigail retorted with a small yawn.

"Yeah, now that you mention it," Haruto glared at Cassandra. "You had no sense of human decency when dead bodies were popping up. Why can't your whole schtick of trying to save Barracuda be a fucking act?!"

"Grk," Cassandra bit her lip. "So what? Your answer is to insult who I am as a person? Yeah, that's really going to get us closer to finding Bitch Lips' and Pussy Boy's killer."

She was getting more irritated by the minute. This was just ridiculous. These people had no proof whatsoever. Their entire basis, in fact, was from things she's said and things she's done. So why couldn't she take a moment to calm herself at times of distress? She had every right to!

"So, if Cassandra wasn't really taking a breather, then what was she really doing?" Mimi blinked. "I don't get it. Is she really Barracuda's attacker? I know she's as mean as any fairytale witch, but why would she attack Barracuda? It just… doesn't make any sense."

"Look at that!" Cassandra started to laugh. "This little freak has more brains than all of you combined! Of course, it makes no sense why I would attack Barracuda! I mean, come on, don't you remember? I had no motive to try to hurt him!"

"Barracuda didn't have any monetary value on his head, yes," Arthur folded his arms with a nod.

"Exactly!" Cassandra smirked. "Therefore, it makes literally no sense as to why I would bother to shoot the guy in the first place."

"...Actions speak louder than words," Holland stated. "The reason you shot Barracuda will make sense as to why you acted the way you did."

"Humor me, nerd," Cassandra challenged. At this point, she was dying to see what ridiculous notion Holland was about to come up with.

"The reason you shot Barracuda…" Holland began to gather his thoughts. He had to think. Was he sure about this? Was this really why Cassandra would shoot Barracuda in the first place? No time to turn back. "...Yeah, this has to be it…

…

…

…

…

…

…

...

...

...

...

...

…You shot him by accident."

There was a silence in the room which could be equated to near awkwardness. It took a moment for everyone to grasp what Holland had said. But the words remained as firm and clear as day. Cassandra burst out laughing. It really was the most ridiculous notion she's heard.

Cassandra shot Barracuda with the speargun… by accident.

"Are you kidding me?" Cassandra laughed. "You really think that's what I did? God, you're a fucking joke!"

"Um, could you explain further, Holland?" Zuri blinked, unconvinced.

"...If Cassandra was the one who shot Barracuda with a speargun," Holland nodded toward Zuri. "Then it stands to reason that she was also the one who went into the Evidence Room to take the speargun in the first place."

"With my eHandbook left in the Auditorium," Jared nodded.

"Why would she want a speargun, though?" Mimi asked.

"...The answer to that is simple," Holland said. "She wanted to kill someone with a high bounty on their head."

"But instead, she ended up shooting Barracuda," Arthur surmised, trying to follow Holland's reasoning.

"Who, as a reminder, had no monetary value on his head," Holland stated. "Meaning if she had ended up killing him…"

"She would get nothing," Jared clenched his fist.

"Luckily for her, Barracuda was still alive…" Holland continued. "Meaning she had another chance. But in order for her to get that second chance at trying to kill someone, what would she need?"

"The weapon," Ina answered, understanding Holland's reasoning. "Which is why she did what she did: to ask people to help her pull out her weapon of choice, so she could use it for her next victim."

"What?!" Haruto asked, flabbergasted.

"You're joking," Abigail's tired eyes looked at Ina and Holland in disbelief.

"...But the action makes sense, doesn't it?" Holland retorted. "Any concerned person would've tried to move Barracuda toward the Infirmary that was directly across from them. But instead, Cassandra focused heavily on the weapon of choice. Why? Because she needed it. And the only way it could've lodged itself inside of Barracuda in the first place…"

"...Was if she shot him by accident," Zuri widened her eyes, fully understanding the implication. "N-No way. Then that means… Cassandra! You really–"

"Ha…" Cassandra dryly laughed at her peers. "I'll admit, everything you've said will make a good story. Fanfiction writers everywhere would love to share their opinions with you. But unfortunately, it's still baseless. Still. Fucking. Baseless."

"Yeah, but things do add up with the way you were fucking acting!" Haruto glared. "Who cares about the evidence! We got you, bitch!"

"Think what you want," Cassandra scoffed. "I didn't do anything wrong. I never shot Barracuda. You're all just being played by a fool by this douchebag here."

She, of course, gestured to Holland, who hardly looked like a douchebag at all.

"Until I see some actual evidence, I'll concede," Cassandra confidently smirked. "But until then, I'm rejecting this narrative you guys are writing about me!"

"Cassandra does have a point," Jared jumped to her assistance. "It's hard to believe something when there's no actual proof."

"Thank you!" Cassandra exclaimed toward the police officer.

"Then, Holland," Zuri twiddled her fingers together. "D-Do you actually have evidence? Please tell me we didn't just debate this topic for nothing."

Holland remained quiet for a moment. He needed time to think. He knew he was on the right track about this. All he needed was the evidence that could solve this once and for all.

Cassandra had shot Barracuda with a speargun. She had help removing it. And then Barracuda was brought into the Infirmary leaving Cassandra behind in the Therapy Room. But if Cassandra's main purpose was retrieving her weapon, then…

"...Yeah, I have evidence," Holland nodded. "I have evidence that Cassandra is the person who used the speargun to attack Barracuda."

"Ha!" Cassandra smirked. "As if!"

"What is this evidence, then?" Arthur firmly asked, curious. "Show it! Now!"

"...Unfortunately, I can't," Holland shook his head.

"The fuck?" Haruto blinked. "But you just said you did! What are you? Trying to play with us, asshole? Quit fucking around!"

"...Yeah, I said I had evidence, but I can't show it," Holland shook his head. "Because the evidence…

…

…

…

…

…

…

...

...

...

...

...

...

…Is with Cassandra."

"GRK!" Cassandra's smug face turned into a wince of pain as she felt a slap across her face from an unseen force. She rubbed her chain. "W-What the fuck are you talking about? What evidence?!"

"...We've talked plenty about the speargun and the fact that Cassandra needed it back," Holland answered. "But after that, has anyone noticed?"

"Noticed what?" Mimi blinked.

"...The fact that the speargun never popped up again?" Holland answered once again.

"W-Wait, yes!" Zuri blinked. "Y-You're right about that! Th-Then that also means... Was that what you were going on about during the Investigation?!"

"You alright Holland?" Zuri asked, curiously.

Holland remained silent for a moment.

"...Yeah," Holland sighed, slightly disappointed. "But it just feels like something is missing..."

"Missing?" Zuri blinked.

"What could be missing from the crime scene except for the fish's body?" Cassandra asked. "Maybe things feel off because you're not used to seeing a scene of a crime without a body. Working shit theory but a theory nonetheless."

It really was a theory.

But Holland wasn't sure.

"Of course, when the bodies showed up, at some point, we should've noticed a sign of a speargun somewhere," Holland nodded. "Especially in the Therapy Room. Because think back. When was the last time we've ever seen that speargun?"

"I'll do it," Haruto took a deep breath. "I got the muscles. I can pull it out in no time at all!"

"O-Okay," Zuri nodded her head slightly. "Just be very gentle–"

"Hwah!" Haruto took out the spear as quickly as he said he would and tossed it to the side.

"AGHHHHHHH!" Barracuda screamed in pain as more blood was seeping out of his chest. Seeped? No. More like pouring. Some blood even sprayed onto Haruto himself.

"H-Haruto!" Zuri exclaimed. "I wasn't ready!"

"Last time I saw it was after I took it out of Barracuda," Haruto widened his eyes. "And you're saying after that, it was just... gone?"

"But then, where did it disappear to?" Mimi blinked before realizing she had the answer in her mind. "Wait– You mean–"

"Yeah…" Holland nodded. "She was left alone in the Therapy Room, once we all escorted Barracuda to the crime scene. She could've easily taken it. And the fact that the speargun never popped up again, well, there's only one reason for that. Cassandra still has it with her. That's the only place it could be!"

"Gnk!" Cassandra felt another slap smack across her face. She hissed in pain. "I– I– I– I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Bitch, you have it don't you?!" Haruto cracked his knuckles together. "Cough it up!"

"P-Pch, as if!" Cassandra crossed her arms. "I don't have the speargun! You're all being delusional! You're letting this guy's wild fantasies run to your fucking heads!"

Cassandra wasn't going to budge. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. But she supposedly didn't know: the fight was won. Holland knew it. Arthur knew it. Almost everyone knew it. The rich snowboarder turned to Monohebi.

"Normally, you won't let anyone leave the podium for any reason nor induce violence during the Trial," Arthur told the snake. "But just this once, could we have the exception to conduct a full body search?"

Monohebi remained coiled up on the throne as the prisoners pressed force, arguing for Cassandra to reveal where she hid the speargun. She contemplated this for a moment. Then, she nodded her head.

"Very well then," Monohebi nodded. "I shall permit a body search of Miss Cassandra Mura. Rules of this Class Trial are on hold."

"Y-You wouldn't dare!" Cassandra hugged herself as she widened her eyes.

"Oh, now you're speaking my language!" Haruto grinned wildly. He cracked his knuckles together before noticing Abigail's raised eyebrow. "I ain't gonna search her like that! Who the fuck do you think I am?"

"N-No, stay away from me!" Cassandra exclaimed, ready to fight back to anyone who would dare come near her. Unfortunately, that meant everyone in the room. All eight of them. All approaching her, ready to seize her and search for that missing speargun... "N-No! N-No! N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

...

By the time Cassandra was fully searched, Haruto had pulled out what everyone could plainly see clear as day as a speargun. Evidence that Cassandra really was the one behind the attack on Barracuda's life… albeit, accidentally. Evidence that Holland's deductive reasoning was in fact… spot on... as usual.

"One speargun, right on the money," Haruto exclaimed, waving the blood-coated speargun in the air. "Still fresh with Barracuda's blood too."

Cassandra, on the other hand, hugged herself, seething that she ended up letting these idiots touch her like that. Glaring at her peers who in turn, looked at her coldly over what she had done, Cassandra had really nothing else to say. She remained quiet.

"Cassandra," Mimi frowned. "Did you really?"

"...So, what if I did?" Cassandra sniped. "You'll throw me into that solitary confinement cell? That fucker is still breathing anyway. With any luck, he'll recover, and this will be all over. Hmph, it's as you said anyway, I shot that speargun by accident. So, I literally did nothing wrong."

"You were going to use that to kill someone with a high bounty!" Zuri scolded.

"But I didn't," Cassandra scoffed. "Would've. Could've. Should've. Didn't."

"And this is coming from the person who stated that she would not have been dumb enough to commit murder," Ina narrowed her eyes. "The hypocrisy of your statement is evident."

"Whatever," Cassandra frowned. "I had a plan and it failed. That's really all there is to it."

"So just like that?" Abigail stared at the unknown Ultimate in disbelief. "You shot Barracuda and you're just going to disregard it like it's just another thing that happens here?"

"We're in a game where we literally have to kill each other in order to leave," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Of course, it's going to be just another thing that happens here. Besides, there are others who have done worse and got executed for it."

"But that still gives you no right to try and act out the way you did!" Abigail pointed her exhausted eyes toward the bitch.

"Oh, like you're any better," Cassandra scoffed. "What makes you so different from me? What makes any of us different from each other? We're all terrible fucking people. Why the hell are we acting like we're little innocent sheep when we've seen each other tear others down to shreds."

"I've fucking heard enough," Haruto grumbled.

"Yeah, at least with Holland, Mayu, Kane, and even Ina, they all owned up to what they did, and they all regretted it," Abigail clenched her fist. "You're definitely more terrible than any of them."

"Whatever, Abbygail," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I may be bad, but at least I'm not as bad as the fucker who killed two people."

Cassandra's smug look widened.

"You can all vilify me as much as you want," Cassandra confidently stated. "But the truth of the matter is, we're looking for the perp who killed Maggie. Not the one who attacked Barracuda. So, you guys can keep bitching and moaning about how terrible I am, it's not going to help any of us catch the real killer."

"Unfortunately, she's right," Arthur frowned. "We still have a blackened to find."

"B-But can't Cassandra still be the blackened?" Mimi pumped her fists out, desperately.

"Nope," Cassandra smirked. "Because the attack on Barracuda occurred at the same time as the killing of Maggie and Carter. And since I'm the culprit of Barracuda's attack…"

"Cassandra cannot be the killer," Arthur looked rather displeased at seeing this side of Cassandra. A little hypocritical of him since this was pretty much him one Trial before finding out about his long-lost sibling.

"That's right," Cassandra smirked, leaning against her podium with confidence.

Cassandra had accidentally attacked Barracuda with the speargun.

That was the narrative now. Cassandra was the culprit of a different crime, and her due punishment was to be discussed at a later time. However, the main crime they needed to solve quickly was the death of Maggie and Carter, specifically Maggie.

But at the moment, how could anyone think to solve for that crime after they had discovered that Cassandra had accidentally speared someone with the intention of it being a whole different person?

"So, because the murder of Maggie and Carter took place at the same time as the attack on Barracuda's life, Cassandra cannot be the culprit behind their demise," Ina recapped. "And as I was stuck inside a Robo Justice suit, unconscious, I am exempt from suspicion as well."

"So, that's how we gonna do it now?" Haruto grumbled. "Process of elimination?"

"Sometimes, the simplest ways are the best ways," Arthur noted. "However, I still have some questions regarding Cassandra's crime."

"...You're referring to the Robo Justice suit, right?" Holland stoically asked.

"Precisely," Arthur nodded. "Our original assumption was that Barracuda was the one who had attacked my half-sister and locked her in that accursed suit. He even had the anesthetic to boot."

"But remember," Zuri tapped her chin in thought. "Cassandra was also the one who supposedly 'found' it at the Therapy Room. Knowing now that she was the one who attacked Barracuda, she could've easily just planted the anesthetic to frame him."

Arthur gave it a thought before nodding.

"Fair point," he noted. "However, if Barracuda wasn't the one who kidnapped my half-sister, then who was it? Barracuda was the only person who could've easily hauled a Robo Justice suit in a matter of time without anyone noticing."

"Yeah, no one else could've done it," Mimi nodded in agreement. "Not even Haruto. And he's second strongest."

"Girl, that's a blow to my fucking ego, I'll have you know," Haruto growled.

"But it's true," Abigail retorted.

Haruto folded his arms and grumbled to himself. Even he had to admit that with Barracuda around, he wasn't the number one macho person of their group. Silver was all he was going to have to get in that competition.

"It's possible they didn't need to be super muscular to have carried that suit as quickly as they could," Jared pointed out.

"Oh yeah!" Mimi gasped, figuring out exactly what piece of evidence Jared was going to bring up.

"Sounds like you two found something that could've helped," Abigail gave a tired look of satisfaction. "What could the culprit who kidnapped Ina had used to bring her to the Right Ultimate Pawnbroker Cell?"

"The trolley," Jared answered. "Yeah. There was one at the crime scene. The culprit could've hauled the suit using that couldn't they?"

"That could solve the speed problem," Abigail noted, tiredly.

"Unfortunately, the only time they would be able to use the trolley is after they have carried Ina from Cell Block S to Cell Block C," Arthur remarked.

"Huh, why?" Mimi perked her head.

"Because the path to Cell Block S to Cell Block C is a set of stairs," Arthur spoke with a deadpan response. "You tell me how you can drag a large suit with a trolley on that!"

"So, we agree that the culprit used a trolley to bring Ina to the Right Cell, but only after they had to carry her up the set of stairs from Cell Block S to Cell Block C," Zuri tapped her chin in thought.

"Which would've been easy for Barracuda," Arthur remarked. "If he was still the culprit we were after, anyway."

"But it would be difficult for anyone else," Zuri nodded, finishing the rich ice prince's thought. "Again, are we sure no one saw anyone carrying a Robo Justice suit? Maybe, to be more specific, from the stairs between Cell Block S and Cell Block C?"

Another round of silence.

Whoever was the culprit behind Ina's kidnapping and therefore, Maggie and Carter's murder, was that lucky.

"If someone did see something, they would have said something sooner," Ina remarked.

"Okay, but do we even have evidence that the trolley was used in the first place?" Haruto asked. "As much as that could clear shit up, I'm still not convinced that the culprit would've pushed a giant ass Robo Justice suit like it was a can of soup in a shopping cart all confident like."

"But I do have evidence of it being used," Jared stared at Haruto, grimly.

"Then speak up about it, damn it!" Haruto grumbled.

"When Jared and I investigated the trolley, there was blood on the wheels," Mimi ended up being the one who answered Haruto.

"Ah, there's more blood here!" Mimi gasped, as she laid on the ground, eyes pointed directly on the floor.

"W-Where?" Jared narrowed his eyes.

"The wheels!" Mimi exclaimed. "Look! See?"

Jared laid down, chest-down first, in order to see what Mimi was talking about. And sure enough, there was a dried-up bloodstain on the wheels of the trolley. But what could that possibly mean?

"Huh, blood on wheels," Jared rubbed his chin. "Usually, you see blood on wheels in hit and run cases."

"The wheels had blood?" Zuri blinked. "Hey, if that's the case… Then, Holland, couldn't that relate to a piece of evidence we found?"

"Ah, you're right..." Holland rubbed his chin in thought. "That evidence."

"Yeah!" Zuri beamed, feeling a little more helpful during this Trial. "The skid marks on the floor. Where Barracuda's blood was."

"Clue!" Zuri pointed toward the ground. "Look, there are skid marks on the ground."

Holland blinked.

He glanced over to where Zuri was pointing. Sure enough, there they were:

Bloody skid marks on the floor that seemed to disappear after a while. Such a trail went from the pool of blood, to outside the Therapy Room, and disappeared off past the Infirmary. Now why would there be such a trail like that here?

"I didn't see why you had to be on the ground to see those," Zuri giggled slightly. "I mean, you can see them perfectly fine when standing."

"...A-Ah," Holland looked a little embarrassed behind his emotionless mask. "I guess it's my fault for trying to copy Cassandra."

"That sounded more like an insult than a compliment," Cassandra narrowed her eyes from the side.

"Okay, but about those skid marks, what do you think they could be?" Zuri asked.

"Obviously, someone was pushing a shopping cart out of the Therapy Room," Cassandra gave a smirk.

"Those skid marks led right outside of the Therapy Room and disappeared past the Infirmary!" Zuri nodded. "So more than likely, the trolley had to have been used at the Therapy Room!"

"But for what reason?" Ina narrowed her eyes.

Arthur let out a chuckle. For what reason? The older Kingston clearly had an idea where this was going and seemed a little too delighted on the realization of what this could mean.

"I think I understand now," the snowboarder smirked. "Yes. There is only one thing the trolley could've been used for, and it was to move Ina in the Robo Justice suit."

"Huh?" Mimi blinked.

"Whoa, hold on," Abigail seemed unconvinced. "Don't you think that's a bit of a reach? I mean, Robo Justice was found at the crime scene so…"

"It's not a bit of a reach until you put another perspective in mind," Arthur tapped his head, feeling confident with his deductions. "That Barracuda was still in fact the one who imprisoned my half-sister in that wretched suit."

"Not this again," Mimi frowned.

"Think about it this way," Arthur tapped his head with a smirk. "Barracuda obtained my half-sister and placed her in the suit. He hauled her up the stairs and arrived at the Therapy Room. It was shortly after that he was shot."

"Okay, but then Ina would have been left in the Therapy Room, genius," Abigail remarked.

"I'm not finished," Arthur responded. "From then, once everyone had left, the culprit behind Maggie and Carter's murder would have gathered along with the rest of us to check on Barracuda. Once we went off to search for Ina, the culprit would've been able to find the Robo Justice suit and carry it to the Right Cell, planning to use the suit to frame Ina."

"You're reaching so far for Barracuda to be the culprit," Abigail deadpanned, tiredly. "It's really not that funny."

"...But in this new scenario, you're suggesting that Robo Justice was planted at the crime scene after Maggie and Carter were murdered rather than before," Holland noted. "I… actually think that works."

"You really think so, Holland?" Zuri blinked.

"...Yeah," Holland nodded. "Because this scenario is the only way the skid marks on the floor actually make sense. It wouldn't make sense for there to be blood leading outside of the Therapy Room unless moving the Robo Justice suit occurred after the murders and Barracuda's attack."

"So, in actuality, Ina was originally inside the Therapy Room?" Zuri blinked. "But when we gathered at the Therapy Room, there was no Robo Justice suit."

"That's because the suit was hidden away," Arthur smirked.

"Hidden away?" Mimi pouted. "How could such a big suit with a literal human being inside get hidden away so easily?"

"Because no one bothered to check anywhere else," Arthur answered Mimi, confidently. "Ina was hidden away in the Therapy Room's side room."

"The room with the ECT machine!" Zuri gasped. "Of course! Because everyone was so concerned over Barracuda's injury…"

"No one would've thought twice to check anywhere else," Jared followed this with hardly any trouble.

"Jesus Christ," Haruto grumbled. "That means, Ina was near us that entire time. We could've found her much sooner had one of us bothered to check the side room!"

"Instead, the culprit moved her to the crime scene," Arthur smirked. "Allowing us to find her much later than we would have."

"Hold on," Abigail folded her arms. "I don't doubt what you're saying… but if the Robo Justice suit was hidden away, then wouldn't that mean that the person who hid the Robo Justice suit would be…"

Abigail turned to Cassandra. Noticing her gaze of suspicion, the rather quiet Cassandra shrugged.

"I'm not going to outright admit that it was me, but what exactly makes you think it couldn't have been that big bozo who hid the costume instead?" Cassandra smirked.

"Because you were the one who shot him," Abigail pointed out. "If he had just walked in with Ina, and got shot, there would be no time for him to bother hiding the Robo Justice suit."

"Fair point," Cassandra shrugged. "Okay. I guess you got me then. Yeah. It was me. I hid the Robo Justice suit."

"But why would you do that?" Mimi asked.

"Okay, well hiding isn't necessarily a good way to phrase it," Cassandra tapped her chin. "I guess it would be more correct to say that the Robo Justice suit was too much of a hassle to have at the scene, so I went ahead and just stored it in the side room."

"Or simply put, you found out Ina was inside and was hoping to use her for your later crime," Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"...Pfft," Cassandra rolled her eyes before avoiding eye contact.

"Wait, was he spot on then?" Mimi blinked.

"Way to ruin a good thing, Kingston," Cassandra muttered.

"Oh yeah, it definitely sounds like he was," Abigail nodded.

"Okay, but if Cassandra was the one who hid the suit, then how did the culprit end up finding it in the first place?" Zuri asked. "Or rather, when would the culprit have ended up discovering it?"

"The culprit would've discovered it when we all separated to look for Ina..." Holland noted. "But then again, who was it that bothered to check Cell Block C again?"

"I was in Cell Block C, watching over Barracuda," Mimi raised her hand.

"Haruto and I checked my Ultimate Cell first in Cell Block B," Abigail pointed out. "Then we went to check Cell Block C, specifically toward the Left and Right Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cells."

"And that's when you found the bodies," Arthur noted. "Which would mean that Ina's body would've already been planted there at the crime scene."

"Okay, well, hold on," Cassandra perked her head. "What makes you so sure that Abbygail and her crippled friend weren't the ones who found it in the Therapy Room, brought the suit with the trolley, and planted the suit there? They were the people who initiated the Body Discovery Announcement. So therefore, they had every likelihood to have been the ones to do it!"

"Hey, fuck you!" Haruto glared. "We had no reason to check the Therapy Room again!"

"Not if you realized there was a whole side room you hadn't bothered to check!" Cassandra smirked.

"Okay, but what we're saying is true," Abigail narrowed her eyes toward Cassandra. "After my Ultimate Cell, we went straight to the Left and Right Cells. We didn't even think about checking the Therapy Room because we thought it would've been already investigated after finding Barracuda all fucked up."

"And do you have evidence of that?" Cassandra smirked.

"I– Well–" Abigail didn't have a response. Neither did Haruto. And if this kept up, they were going to be the next two big suspects behind Maggie and Carter's murder.

"W-Well, do you have evidence that we don't have evidence about us not checking the Therapy Room?" Haruto lamely questioned.

"...Dude, are you serious?" Holland stoically deadpanned.

It was clear Abigail and Haruto had nothing that could exempt them from suspicion. Sure enough, all eyes were on them now. They were the next duo of suspects to be questioned next. Were they the ones who moved the Robo Justice suit? And if so, did that mean that one of them… was potentially…?

"...N-No, it's not them!" a surprising voice exclaimed. "They weren't the ones who moved the Robo Justice suit!"

"Huh?" Abigail blinked, turning to their savior.

"Who the fuck?" Haruto blinked as well, before widening his eyes. "Y-You–"

All eyes shifted from Abigail and Haruto to who else but the one who was absent for a majority of the Trial. The one who was covered in bandages, wrapped around his chest. The one who was noticeably in pain due to how out of breath he was and in turn how badly hurt his chest was from that spear injury...

Who else but…?

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"B-Barracuda!" Mimi gasped.

Barracuda looked to be in absolute pain. But that pain was masked under his injured look of determination. There was blood still seeping down his lips, but he was here in the flesh. He rushed toward his podium, ready to contribute to the Trial. That elevator ride down felt longer and much more torturous than he would've liked. But he was ready to add his input to the case.

"Ah, I suppose this means that you are ready to participate in the proceedings, Mister Marakovich?" Monohebi asked.

"Y-Yeah, I am!" Barracuda exclaimed. "And I got stuff to say!"

"W-Wait, you can't!" Mimi pleaded. "You're hurt! You need rest!"

"No, no, fuck that!" Barracuda desperately stated. "I can't just sit by and let this Trial go on any longer! I have to know who killed Maggie! And if this is going to help, then I for a fact know who moved the Robo Justice suit."

"Y-You do?" Haruto blinked before looking determined. "Alright! Then lay it on us, big guy! Who the fuck moved the Robo Justice suit and decided it to be a good idea for me and Abby to take the fall?!"

"The one who moved the Robo Justice suit…" Barracuda clung onto the sides of his podium as he leaned forward, coughing out blood and letting it seep from his mouth. "The culprit of this entire case. It was…

…

…

…

…

…

…

...

...

…Robo Justice himself!"

Silence.

"...What?" Haruto looked bewildered.

DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE

The Trials have finally begun! After so many rewrites and planning, this is the final product of Trial Part 1! And I have to say with every new Trial, I feel so damn nervous on what y'all might think about it XE Personally, I think this Trial might be mid in comparison to Chapter 1 or 2. But it has potential to be better than 1 and 2 or maybe not as good. Whatever the case is, the opinion is all up to you guys!

Compared to Chapter 2, I had the same problem of trying to figure what topic to start with, and this is especially much harder when you have two victims on your hands XE I also feel like there is a lack of evidence but at the same time, maybe the amount of the evidence is just right. That's my feeling but what matters is yours! :D

Apologies beforehand on how confusing things might seem at first! Especially the part where they talk about the Robo Justice suit and the timing. But hopefully everything gets cleared up in Trial Part 2! Had to edit the hell out of that section but hey, if things make sense then I have nothing to worry about! :D

Either case, hope you all enjoyed Part 1 and look forward to Part 2! Part 2 has yet to be beta'd but we'll just go with the flow for now XD Chapter 3 is reaching its inevitable conclusion!

Prisoners Remaining: 10

Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular) [0]

Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7) [1,000,000]

Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate ? (ExtraMeme) [500,000]

Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Former Basketball Player (theotakureader101) [0]

Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi) [1,000,000]

Ina (Hamamura) Kingston - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping) [0]

Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay) [500,000]

Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan) [0]

Victor "Barracuda" Marakovich - The Ultimate Personal Trainer (Weekaro) [0]

Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45) [1,000,000]