Danganronpa: Corrupted Hope (SYOC) Chapter 9: Silence of the Sacrificial Lamb (Part 8), a dangan ronpa kibou no gakuen to zetsubou no koukousei fanfic

Chapter 1: Silence of the Sacrificial Lamb (Deadly Life #03)

Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos (thanks Maggie), 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!

Holland brandished the kitchen knife in his room with that straight-faced expression he always bore, both in public and in private. He gripped the helm of the knife tightly as he stared at the dried blood on the blade, the blood of Sayaka Maizono. His hand shook as he held it. Despite his face being as expressionless as it usually was, his shaking hand quite clearly called out his nervousness.

He was no killer. Yet he had to do this. He had to kill someone. He had to leave. He had to. For her sake.

He heard his mother's voice in his head. Her pleas, begs, and prayers. On his video, she had been begging to whatever god out there- Jehovah, Allah, Buddha -to give him back to her. And she was in distress. She was so tired. So distraught.

"Please Holland! Come back to me!"

The same words rang over and over in his head. Holland could visualize his distressed mother begging the police officers to find him, the exact scene he was given on his motive video. She needed him back. And he had to return. He can't die here.

No way.

Otherwise, she would be all alone with no one to look out for her…

His hand stopped shaking. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His face had twitched, switching to slight desperation before switching back to his normal neutral expression. He wasn't nervous anymore. What was this feeling? Confidence?

No.

It was determination.

…

Holland hid the knife in his jacket as he sought a quiet place to make his move. He had passed by the Revolutionary Cell and the Police Officer Cell. At the time, no one was inside so he had to keep moving. He checked in the Prison Lounge. He vaguely remembered someone saying they would clean in the room… maybe they were there.

The name Maggie popped in his head.

Holland bit his lip.

His only thoughts: "I'm sorry Maggie."

…

To his surprise, Maggie wasn't inside. Instead, it was Titus. His back was turned, he held a bottle, and he was looking directly at a corner of the Prison Lounge. The corner with the gramophone and the jukebox. Did he want to have another party or something? Holland didn't question anything. He was here for one purpose. He had to strike. If he doesn't strike now, when will he ever-

"Oh?" Titus turned around, having heard someone enter the room. He saw Holland walk up to him, albeit a little quickly. "Yo! Holland! What are you-"

Stab.

"H-Holland?" Titus widened his eyes as he was met with a striking sense of pain over his stomach. He slowly lowered his eyes toward his stomach and saw it there, plain as day. A knife lodged in his stomach. The hand that had done the deed was Holland's. And Holland's face darkened but for the first time, he could see that it was filled with remorse. That emotionless expression… with remorse?

Crash.

Titus's hand dropped the bottle as he reached over to his bleeding stomach out of instinct. Then he stumbled back over a table of neatly organized chess pieces. Holland and Zuri hadn't cleaned up since their last chess game. And now, Titus was about to make a bigger mess as he toppled over it, sending all of the chess pieces on the floor.

Holland watched Titus stumble, his eyes blank and emotionless but it was clear he had regrets for what he did. That was when he saw something roll to his feet. The other weapon. The King chess piece. The one with the sharp tip.

He was going to get found out. He can't be found out. He had to see his mother again. By any means necessary!

Holland looked at Titus one last time.

"...I'm sorry," Holland stated before taking the King chess piece and rushing out of the Prison Lounge. He was lucky no one had passed by to see him leave. After all, half of the group was off on that escape excursion. Mayu was in the Cafeteria. Everyone else was lurking around Cell Block A.

It was luck that had granted him this opportunity to not get caught. Now, all he had to do was seal the deal.

He knew exactly what he was going to do with that chess piece…

…

Pain. Only pain.

Titus shuddered as he stared at the Prison Lounge entrance where Holland had left. He shook. Why? Why Holland? That was all he could say but he didn't dare say it. He couldn't. He was too focused on that wound on his stomach. He dared not touch the helm of his knife. If he removed it, he would die quicker. He knew that all too well. Maybe… Maybe he can hold through.

Maybe…

TRIAL RECONVENE

"...I stabbed Titus."

When Holland spoke those words, everyone couldn't speak. Silence was the only thing they had chosen to keep as Holland hung his head down in shame. Most of the prisoners looked away in disbelief that someone so quiet and seemingly kind could do something like this. Zuri especially looked to be the most affected. Holland was her closest friend here and yet here he was, confessing to the stabbing of Titus Erskine.

"...Everything you all deduced was true," Holland admitted. "I took Arthur's eHandbook, switched it with Mimi's eHandbook... I didn't even know her name was Isadora until it was brought up. I just switched it because it was the closest to me and Arthur's. Then I went to go get the knife from the Evidence Room..."

"And what made you want to take Arthur's eHandbook?" Ina pressed with a stern look.

"...I saw him," Holland looked away. "I saw him enter the Evidence Room in the morning. At the time, I didn't know it was because of the advantage but... I knew getting Arthur's eHandbook would help in covering my tracks."

"And that was why his name popped up twice," Abigail nodded, finally getting a confirmation about that. "He entered in the morning. And you entered during the Cafeteria fight."

Holland merely nodded.

Zuri couldn't help but feel a tear trail down her eye as she thought of the day they became friends.

"...I'm sorry Holland," Zuri twiddled around with her fingers. "I'm just… I'm just not good at trying to meet new people, y'know?"

"...Me too," Holland merely stated. "But you'll probably be able to make more friends than me anyway…"

"Huh?" Zuri blinked. "What makes you say that?"

"...You're very nice to other people," Holland tapped his chin. "And you're the type of person people like to be around. Very good quality for friend-making."

"And you aren't?" Zuri asked with a slight frown.

Holland didn't say anything. Instead, he just closed his eyes and fixed his shirt before opening his eyes back up again.

"...People find it hard to talk to me," Holland responded. "...So that's why I think you're better at making friends than me."

Zuri looked at Holland. As straight as his face is, something in her told her that he was probably a little down on himself over this. So, she moved her bishop over a pawn onto a diagonal space. Holland merely stared at her.

"Well, I'd like to be your friend Holland," Zuri gave him an assuring smile.

Zuri felt another tear. She couldn't contain the silence anymore. She had to know.

"W-Why Holland?" Zuri asked. "Why did you do it? Why did you… kill Titus?"

"...Yes, of all people, why him specifically?" Arthur added, raising an eyebrow.

Holland looked ashamed, avoiding everyone's gaze. He didn't need see their eyes to know that they were disappointed and hurt by his sudden act of monstrosity. He just knew they didn't agree with him. That every opinion they had of him went from whatever high it was to down low.

"...He was alone," Holland looked away. "And I took my chance. That was all."

"In other words, it could've been any one of us and you wouldn't have batted an eye," Arthur shook his head with a rather disappointed gaze.

"...I'm sorry," Holland looked away once more. "I just... I just wanted to see my mom again. I wanted to leave and… be with her again. Even before the motive video, I missed her so much because she was the only person out there who was always taking care of me and making sure I was doing good. She always took on so many harsh tasks, even when I told her not to. She did everything for me. Even if I was nothing more than… than a nuisance for her, she was still there for me. H-How could I leave her all alone and worried for me? What kind of son would I be if I let her just worry for me?"

"Is that really your reason for committing murder?" Ina crossed her arms. "There are other people here that have someone they love back home too. The rest of us have people we did not want to leave all alone and yet you were the only person who gave into that weakness and the Devil's commands. There is no sympathy for people like you."

"I-Ina, please," Zuri looked at her in sadness. "There's no reason to be so harsh."

"Isn't there?" Ina looked at Zuri, seriously before turning back to Holland. "Holland took a life and was willing to damn the rest of us all for his own selfish gain. We would have died had we not figured out his plans. That is why I cannot sympathize with someone like him. Surely the rest of you agree."

"...Yeah, I do," Jared tipped his police hat down as he avoided glancing at Holland. The police officer was willing to turn a blind eye to who Holland was when he had first met him.

"For once, you make a solid point," Cassandra gave a smug nod of approval.

"I still want my eHandbook back," Arthur crossed his arms with a cold gaze toward Holland.

"...I understand," Holland frowned, looking away. He held out Arthur's eHandbook and passed it around the group until it finally reached the snowboarder. "...I'm sorry for everything. I just… I just really wanted to see my mom."

"And what if you succeeded?" Maggie spoke up, a stern look pointed directly toward the game designer. "Don't you realize that if you had killed someone just to see your mom, you would be living with the guilt that you have killed 15 other people just for her? And how would your mom feel once she learned that her son was nothing more than a murderer? If you think you're nothing but a nuisance to her now, how about when she learns that little fact? I'm not your mother Holland but if I was, I would be very ashamed of you."

Holland felt a breath escape his lips. He tried to clutch his hoodie cords to attempt to escape back in but that was when he remembered that he had completely destroyed that hoodie of his during his breakdown.

God.

What had he done?

"I-... I'm sorry," Holland's voice got quieter as he looked down.

…

"In accordance with the odd yet respectful silence to Mr. Delaney's simple reasoning as to why he would commit this heinous act, should I expect you all to be ready to cast your votes and for me to hand my verdict?" Monohebi asked, still coiled up on that throne of hers. Her voice never changed. Heck, it sounded like she had been paying close attention to the trial proceedings with much dedication.

"I think we are very much ready to hand in our votes," Ina nodded.

"Ugh, finally," Cassandra sighed. "Standing up like this is really tiring. Let's get this over with. I want to rest my legs in my room."

"Very well," Monohebi tipped her head as she flicked her tongue. "I shall ready the vote."

...

"Wait," Jared crossed his arms, looking serious. "I… I don't think we can vote just yet."

"What are you talking about?" Ina raised an eyebrow toward Jared. "Have we not proven that Holland is the one who stabbed Titus? He even admitted to the deed. What more do we need?"

"...There's still some unanswered questions regarding this case," Jared stated. "I don't think it's safe to vote until we've cracked everything in this case."

"But… What more is there?" Mimi asked, curious. She for one couldn't wait for this trial to be over so she could make amends with Yuumi.

"The fire for one," Arthur tucked his eHandbook away, agreeing with Jared. "Yes, Holland may have stabbed Titus, but how does the fires in the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell and the Prison Lounge tie into everything? Everything Holland admitted to was merely the stabbing but not the fires. We still need to consider circumstances of that fire. What caused it and why was it caused in the first place?"

"...Well, there were some pieces of glass on the ground," Zuri pointed out. "And not only that, but there was a faint scent of alcohol on it too."

"F-Faint scent of alcohol?" Carter asked. "H-Hey, wait a minute. That sounds like the molotov bottles we found in the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell. Th-There were glass pieces and a faint alcoholic smell too!"

"These pieces of glass," Carter scoured the floor for more pieces of glass, noting the faint smell of alcohol and then finally trailing his eyes toward the empty cabinet.

"Then that would have to mean that the molotov bottles would have been the cause for the Prison Lounge fire," Jared deduced. "Both locations have the same modus operandi when it comes to glass shards and faint alcoholic scents."

"Alright, as for the why?" Arthur seemed content with Jared's answer.

"Didn't we say that the fire was caused to destroy the evidence?" Abigail asked, tiredly.

"Yes, we did but what exactly was the evidence that was destroyed?" Jared rubbed his chin. "That's the part I don't get."

"The body maybe?" Barracuda suggested.

"Perhaps..." Arthur folded his arms. "Maybe the fire was a failed attempt at hiding the body. I mean, we probably would've found out who the body belonged to regardless..."

"Next is Lawson the Lamb," Jared rubbed his chin.

Ina tensed up a bit when the subject was brought up. Carter was the only one who noticed.

"Oh yeah," Haruto blinked. "Why he was all mangled up as fuck and why there was a fire in the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell is still a big fucking mystery."

"The Prison Lounge I get," Jared nodded. "Titus's body was there so of course someone would try to burn the crime scene. But then, why burn down the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell?"

Ina's mind floated around. She could see Carter giving her a nod. Perhaps this was the right time to reveal it. Carter seemed to think that now was a good time to say something. Besides, what was she afraid of? She's a fighter of demons. She shouldn't be afraid of a little suspicious glance here and there!

"...I apologize but that is my doing," Ina looked down. "I was the one who destroyed Lawson the Lamb and ultimately was the reason my own Ultimate Cell burnt down."

"Was that what you and Carter were whispering about?" Arthur asked Ina with a pitiful sigh. "Goodness. This could've been resolved much sooner if you had confessed from the start."

"H-Hey, maybe she just didn't want to get those f-fingers pointed at her!" Carter interjected, throwing his hands up in the air. "Y-You never know!"

"No Carter, he is right," Ina frowned. "I should have said something sooner. And it is just like you said. I was just worried that the murder of Titus would have been pinned upon me. That is why I kept quiet. And for that, I am sorry."

"Wow, you are pretty mature about admitting mistakes," Mayu looked quite impressed.

"Then I suppose you can talk us through how exactly you destroyed your Ultimate Cell," Arthur folded his arms, his exasperated expression never changing at this new revelation.

Ina looked at Arthur. It was clear to her that he wasn't happy that she had decided to keep something so vital to the investigation to herself. Unless his condescending tone truly did not mean much of anything, Ina couldn't back down now. Not that she wanted to. She merely nodded and began:

"The way I set my Ultimate Cell on fire is simple," Ina closed her eyes in thought. "I headed into my Cell shortly after speaking with Carter. Since the Lamb was already in my Cell, I did not need to worry about the hassle of moving him elsewhere. So, I beat him using nothing but my fists and later set him on fire using the lighter from the cabinet of molotovs. I only meant to burn the Lamb so believe me when I say that it was a shock to see my entire Cell get caught up in flames..."

"W-Wait a minute there," Carter blinked. "W-What about the molotov bottles? D-Didn't you use any of those when you burned the Lamb?"

Ina shook her head.

"Not at all," Ina stated, perking her head slightly. "I never touched any of the molotov bottles. In fact, I don't know how all of them got shattered on the floor like that but-"

"Wait, you don't know?" Mayu blinked. "But... what made the molotov bottles fall?"

"Ina," Jared looked at Ina seriously. "Are you sure you didn't touch any of the molotov bottles in order to destroy Lawson the Lamb?"

"I would not lie or make a mistake like this," Ina crossed her arms, returning that serious gaze. "I am positive I used only the lighter."

"Then how the fuck-" Haruto was at a loss of words. Just a moment ago, he thought they had finished their first trial with ease after outing Holland as a cold-blooded murderer. Now they were stuck with a bottle conundrum.

"Guys, should we really be concerned with something like this?" Cassandra sighed. "We have the guy who killed Titus, don't we?"

"No Cassandra, we don't," Maggie glared at her. She turned to Ina. "Ina. From what I understand here, it sounds like you started the fire, yes. But the reason the fire got so large probably wasn't directly caused by you."

Ina blinked. She had been so caught up with the fact that she caused the fire that she never really considered that she was not the reason the fire grew so large. Now that she thought about it, it made more sense. Those molotov bottles would've been the reason why the fire got large, and she never touched those.

"So then... who dropped the molotov bottles?" Ina asked, blinking. "The killer?"

"Yes, the killer!" Cassandra pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Let me paint a description for you to understand. Holland went and did all the shit of grabbing the knife and then stabbing Titus. Once he stabbed Titus, he took that sharp King piece with him. After that, he goes to the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell and grabs a molotov bottle. Then he sets the Prison Lounge on fire in order to cover his tracks. That's when he goes to the bathroom to stab himself. There. Problem solved."

"Oh, well I guess that makes sense," Barracuda scratched the top of his head.

"D-Don't just agree with her so quickly," Carter blankly stared at Barracuda before turning to Cassandra.

"But Cassandra, how does that explain why every molotov bottle was shattered on the floor?" Maggie gave a hard stare toward the unknown talent.

"It's simple," Cassandra crossed her arms. "The moment the Holland brat went to go get the molotov bottle, he probably accidentally ended up knocking every other bottle onto the floor. That's why it was all shattered on the floor."

"That does seem to be the most logical solution," Ina stated, closing her eyes in thought about this. Then she opened her eyes when another thought occurred in her mind. "However, when I got there to destroy Lawson the Lamb, all of the molotov bottles were sitting in the cabinet, intact."

"Well of course they were," Cassandra crossed her arms. "Because he went to go get the molotov bottles after you had fun fucking up Lawrence the Lawyer Lamb or whatever. What else would've caused him to knock all of those molotov bottles over?"

"So, you're saying Holland seeing Lawson the Lamb's burning body caused him to knock over the bottles," Abigail repeated.

"Yes, Abbygail," Cassandra sighed bitterly. "If you came into that cell to retrieve something and then turned around and saw that thing burning, would you just stand there or would you jump back and bump into something out of shock?"

"Most likely the latter," Maggie rubbed her chin. "I have to admit. All of this sounds plausible. Holland goes to the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell, gets a molotov bottle, sees the mess Ina made, and then ends up knocking over the rest of the bottles."

"Yep. This is the crack theory that I came up with and it fits the puzzle pieces perfectly," Cassandra smugly stated. "Therefore, let's stop wasting time and just get to the vote. It's obviously Holland. I mean, he hasn't even tried to deny anything."

Holland merely stared at Cassandra.

"...If I tried, no one would believe me," Holland pointed out.

"As we should after all the shit you've pulled," Cassandra smirked as she looked at Holland with slight contempt.

Everyone remained silent as Holland looked down at the ground, ashamed of everything. Was Cassandra right? Was it really all Holland? Sure, he admitted to the stabbing but surely, as Arthur had made some mention, he would've admitted to causing the fire as well. For some reason, he was quiet about that, just as he typically would be about anything else.

Something felt off. Something felt like this wasn't as clear cut as Cassandra would have liked it to be.

"Hey snake, we're read-"

"No, not yet," Mayu stated.

"Ugh, not you," Cassandra groaned in disgust.

"Ugh, so rude!" Mayu stuck her tongue out to Cassandra. "Dirty average being! Your theory might make sense but there's still a little hole in it. Holland could've taken the molotov bottle, yes, but how would he have lit it up?"

"Are you serious?" Cassandra stared at Mayu, dumbfounded. "Obviously with a lighter. The same lighter Ina used to light the fucking Lamb up."

"But the thing is, I found the lighter inside Lawson the Lamb, most definitely because of Ina," Mayu revealed. She didn't know. It made her smile that Cassandra didn't know about the condition of the lighter and where it was found. "In other words, if Holland really did take the molotov bottle to light up the Prison Lounge, he should also have the lighter as well."

"...But if the lighter was found in Lawson the Lamb, then that lighter would've been there ever since Lawson was burning," Arthur nodded, following Mayu's logic. "In other words, Holland wouldn't have anything to light his molotov with."

Cassandra widened her eyes and thrusted her face to the side as if someone had slapped her across the face.

"Could this mean that Cassandra's theory is wrong?" Mimi slowly asked.

"W-Wrong?" Cassandra hated that idea. She couldn't be wrong! She correctly identified that Holland was lying and everything. There's no way she could've messed up with this! "Like hell I am wrong. What does that lighter even prove huh? He could've just lit up the molotov bottle, tossed the bottle at the Prison Lounge, came back and-"

"-Came back and what?" Haruto glared at Cassandra. "Run through a burning Cell just to put it in the Lamb? Come on, even you know that's a shit theory!"

"Gah!" Cassandra thrusted her face to the other side. Some invisible force had slapped her again.

"In other words, that lighter practically proves that Holland couldn't have been the one who caused the fire," Jared widened his eyes. "Because, how else would he have lit the molotov bottle?"

"He- Once the molotov bottles shattered on the ground and made the fire, he lit the molotov bottle there!" Cassandra started to grasp onto any rebuttal she could think of.

"Are you kidding?" Haruto looked at Cassandra with a flabbergasted look on his face. "No one would have the balls to do that. Not with the risk that the bottle would explode with that many flames coming out of that Cell."

"Th-Then," Cassandra started to sweat as she gritted her teeth.

"If it's not Holland, then who could've lit the bottle?" Abigail folded her arms, eyeing everyone tiredly. "I mean, I'm not technically on Cassandra's side or anything but even with the lighter conundrum, Holland isn't completely off the hook just yet. He could've lit it some other way."

"But what other way could there be?" Yuumi asked, looking up from Sailor Penguin, who she had been hugging so tightly.

"And granted, anyone else could've done the same thing as Holland did in Cassandra's theory," Maggie pointed out. "They could've taken the molotov bottle, saw the burning Lamb, and then knocked everything over, causing the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell fire."

"But what clues do we have that could point to whether it's Holland or someone else?" Barracuda asked.

"Well, for one, if the lighter was left behind at the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell," Zuri tried to think. "Then there had to be something near the Prison Lounge that could've helped light up the molotov bottle."

"Can anyone think of anything?" Abigail asked.

There was a moment of silence. And then, someone spoke up. There was an idea fresh in their head. That idea started turning some cogs and wheels. Who had that idea?

"...There was one thing near the Prison Lounge that could've lit up the molotov bottle," Jared rubbed his chin before tipping his police hat down. He didn't like where this was going. "And… looking at that evidence now, I think there's a new suspect at hand."

"Well, don't talk all cryptic and shit!" Haruto growled at Jared. "Fucking tell us!"

...

"...Wasn't there a burning jacket on the ground near the entrance of the Prison Lounge?" Jared asked.

"Yes, that was mine," Kane nodded, raising his hand. "My jacket caught on fire, so I had to throw it away just outside the Prison Lounge entrance. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Y-Your jacket caught on fire?" Carter blinked. "And you tossed it outside the Prison Lounge entrance? Th-Then… couldn't the culprit of the fire just used that to light the molotov bottle?"

"...Exactly," Jared looked toward Kane. "...And Kane. You never left the intersection that entire time, right?"

"...Yes," Kane raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure I'm following-"

"The one who caused the fire…" Jared looked down before pointing toward Kane. "...Was it you Kane?"

There was a moment of silence. It seemed no one had processed what Jared had said until finally Mimi spoke up with a shocked expression on her face. She held her witch's hat in place and looked at Jared in shock.

"W-What, it's… you think it was Kane?!" Mimi exclaimed.

"K-Kane?!" Yuumi looked equally shocked.

"N-No, there's no way," Zuri looked surprised as well.

"I… Jared, why are you accusing me of doing something like that?" Kane blinked, looking at Jared in surprise. Not only in surprise, frankly he was a little hurt.

"...Because you admitted it yourself," Jared looked down. "The culprit of the fire had to be someone who had to light the molotov bottle without the lighter since the lighter was trapped in the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell. Your jacket was the only thing at the scene of the crime that could've been used to light the molotov bottle. And you even admitted that you never left the intersection. So, if it were anyone else, you would've seen them."

Kane widened his eyes but remained silent. Silence out of shock? Out of fear? Or just to hide what he had done?

"Yes, but my jacket only got caught on fire because I went to open the door to the Prison Lounge!" Kane exclaimed. "That's when all the flames started rushing out! I never started the fire!"

"But lighting the molotov with your burning jacket makes the most sense..." Abigail perked her head to the side with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but how else would my jacket have been burnt?" Kane tried to plead his case. "Of course, from the Prison Lounge fire! I didn't light the fire! The fire was already there when I got there!"

"...There is another place you could've gotten caught on fire," Maggie frowned. She too didn't want to believe it. Especially not after... "Kane. Did you forget what we had theorized? If we use Cassandra's theory but replace Holland with you, suddenly, everything makes more sense, doesn't it?"

"H-Hey..." Kane looked much more hurt than before. "M-Maggie. Not you too..."

"S-So… I was half-right," Cassandra grumbled. "But still right nonetheless."

"Kane would've gone to the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell to grab the molotov bottle," Ina began to envision in her mind. "In the process of doing so, he sees the work I did to Lawson the Lamb. Out of shock, he knocks over the molotov bottles, creating a larger fire thanks to the flames from the Lamb. The resulting fire would have caught his jacket on fire. Then, he rushes toward the intersection to the Prison Lounge."

"He takes off his jacket, realizes he forgot the fucking lighter, uses his jacket as a fire pit for the molotov bottle and then fucking sets the whole Prison Lounge on fire," Haruto finished.

"W-Wait a hickory moment," Kane began to sweat a little with a nervous smile. "N-Now why would I do something like that? I mean, you guys say that me lighting the Prison Lounge on fire makes sense but why would I light it on fire in the first place? I mean, if you're trying to talk about sense, how about that, huh? That makes no sense at all!"

Everyone listened to Kane. They had to agree with what he was asking. Why would he do such a thing? Why light the Prison Lounge on fire? That was the number one question on a lot of people's minds. They just haven't found an answer to that yet.

"I mean, Holland was the one who killed Titus!" Kane chuckled sheepishly. "So why would I want to burn the Prison Lounge? That would be destroying evidence! And why would I destroy evidence and make things harder for you guys, me included?! Holland has to be the one who burned the Prison Lounge! Not me!"

"I… I'll just say this now that there's some evidence stacked elsewhere," Holland looked away. "I… had nothing to do with the fires. After stabbing Titus, I went straight to the bathroom to… stab myself."

"L-Liar liar pants on fire!" Kane gave a glare toward Holland. "You burned it up like the Fourth of July in 1984!"

"W-What the hell does the 4th of July have to do with anything," Carter blinked before pushing up his glasses. "A-And since when did you care about an American holiday?"

"S-Since I'm the number one suspect here!" Kane clenched his fist. "I'm telling you! There's no reason for me to burn the Prison Lounge! I wouldn't burn up evidence of someone else's dirty deed!"

"...That's true," Zuri looked to be at a loss. "Kane wouldn't do that. He's been… too much of a team player to try to destroy evidence like that."

"E-Exactly!" Kane looked hopeful. "S-See?! The American girl gets it!"

There was some silence. Some people were flustered, unable to choose between what they wanted to believe in and the facts. But others stayed on one side and one side only: the facts.

"...We said earlier that the reason someone would cause the fire was to get rid of evidence," Abigail looked to the side.

"Y-Yes!" Kane pointed to Abigail with a smile. "W-We did! And I wouldn't get rid of someone else's evidence! N-No siree! Th-That's not me!"

"...Yeah, of course you wouldn't get rid of someone's evidence," Abigail gave a harsh look toward Kane. "In fact, you didn't get rid of someone else's evidence. You only got rid of evidence connected to you."

"A-Ah?" Kane widened his eyes. Then he let out a shrillish scream as he held out his hands in an old-style fight move. It looked to be kung-fu but a poor attempt at that. "Eeeeeeeeeee!"

"What evidence?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "I don't see what kind of evidence your dumbass of a leader would've left- Wait…"

Cassandra widened her eyes. Abigail nodded as well.

"...What if we were wrong this entire time?" Abigail asked. "We thought all this time that Holland killed Titus but what if it was someone else? Someone else who might've finished him off. Someone else who stumbled onto the scene of the crime, finished them off and then tried to cover their tracks by setting the crime scene aflame."

"W-Wait, so Holland… is innocent?" Barracuda widened his eyes.

"Far from it," Abigail folded her arms as she looked at the ground with a frustrated look on her face. "He still stabbed Titus, yes, but I don't think Titus died from it. Remember, the Autopsy stated that he died from blood loss, meaning he didn't die instantly. There's still a moment in time where someone would have arrived and killed him themselves after the initial stabbing."

"And Kane is the one who did it?" Ina turned to Kane.

"H-Hey, w-why are you looking at me like that?" Kane held onto the podium as he began to sweat bullets. "I'm innocent! I'm the little lamb to Miss Mary! Baaa!"

"Okay, now you're just being weird," Mayu looked a little grossed out by Kane's antics.

"But is there any evidence to back up your theory?" Jared asked Abigail.

"...Well, this probably might help but I don't exactly know what happened to Titus after I... stabbed him," Holland stated, still a little uncomfortable with mentioning his crime. "I merely... stabbed him, took the chess piece, and left. So, it's very plausible someone could've come in to stab him again."

"No, no one could've stabbed him twice," Arthur stated. "The Autopsy Report makes sure to state that he had been stabbed once."

"Is there anything else we should note about Titus's stab wound?" Zuri asked.

The heads of the Trial started to turn. Was there anything off about the stab wound? Titus was stabbed once. Holland stabbed him with the kitchen knife and left. It was like a game of spot of difference but with no visible image to compare to except for what they could try to piece together in their minds.

"...Hey, Holland," Jared looked up at Holland, flicking his police hat up above his hair. "By any chance, was the knife still lodged inside the body when you left?"

"...Um, yeah," Holland nodded with that neutral expression once more. "As I said, I stabbed Titus and left. I left the knife in his body and then got the idea to bring the King chess piece with me."

"I see," Jared rubbed his chin.

"Wait!" Barracuda widened his eyes. "But then, the knife wasn't lodged in Titus's body when we found it! In fact, it was beside his body!"

There was blood on Titus's hands. Jared could imagine what might've happened. When Titus got stabbed, he must've placed his hands around his stomach area instinctively. A futile effort to stop the bleeding.

Then his attention pointed toward the murder weapon: the knife that was sitting so casually beside Titus.

"...Which is why I asked," Jared nodded at Barracuda. "In other words, Abigail's theory is most likely correct. Someone did come to the Prison Lounge after Holland and killed Titus."

"But what killed him?" Zuri asked. "I mean, there were no other injuries. And the Autopsy said he died from that stab wound-"

"No, it said he died from the blood loss," Abigail pointed out. She looked serious. Tiredly serious. Seriously tired. "...Which means, he was still alive when he had that knife stuck in him. The only way he would've died…"

"...Is if someone removed the knife!" Jared widened his eyes as Abigail trailed off. "Of course!"

"H-How does that work?!" Barracuda looked shocked.

"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?"

Arthur had turned to the snake who seemed a little surprised that someone was acknowledging her presence and role as the presiding judge of their little trial.

"As unfortunate as those circumstances are, yes," Monohebi tipped her head down as a nod. "The one who removed the knife would be considered the blackened of this case as they were technically the one who killed him."

"...And that person was you, wasn't it Kane?" Abigail gave a hard stare toward the Ultimate Pawnbroker.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Haruto clenched his fist. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kane was their number one suspect as the culprit… and all he did was remove a knife from body. "This is some bullshit."

"...I…I… I don't know what you're talking about," Kane was sweating bullets. "I didn't kill Titus. I-It wasn't me!"

"That's why he set the Prison Lounge on fire then?" Mayu asked, a stern gaze toward Kane. "To cover up what he had done?"

"N-No it's not," Kane trembled, still in his strange old fighting stance.

"That's what I think," Abigail nodded.

"S-Stop, it's not true," Kane began to sweat bullets.

"Did you really do it Kane?" Yuumi looked down with a heavy sigh. "Did you really kill Titus?"

"W-Wait…" Kane looked at everyone.

"Should we vote?" Mimi asked, peeking her eyes from beneath the witch's hat.

"I said wait, darn it!" Kane took off his loafers and banged it on his podium desk, gritting his teeth. "All of you whippersnappers, listen up! Where do you get off on picking an old man like myself?! Haven't your parents taught you to respect your elders?!"

"Elders?" Abigail raised an eyebrow in confusion before frowning. "Dude. You're like the same age as us."

"I'm pretty sure I'm older if I'm being honest," Jared pointed out.

Kane banged his loafers on his podium desk again. He wasn't having it. These people who he had so rightfully tried to lead were now turning on him over a random theory backed up by weak evidence. He wasn't going to have it. He wasn't going to let these people get the better of him.

And most importantly, he was not a murderer!

"Listen to the grown-ups when they speak!" Kane declared. "You punks started this false accusation because you think I started a fire?! That is just circumstantial evidence! You guys said it yourself! Anyone could've fit the role of a damn pyromaniac! It doesn't have to be me! It could be you! It could even be that snake for all I care!"

"How dare you assume I would play a hand in a murder manifested by you prisoners?" Monohebi's eyes flashed an intense stare toward Kane.

"You rant but literally every puzzle piece fits with you at the center of it," Abigail sighed, shaking her head at Kane's attributes.

"Then where is the proof?" Kane raised his loafers in the air as if he were preparing to attack a fly. "If I really did throw a burning bottle at the Prison Lounge, then where is the proof? And don't even think about saying my jacket is the proof because that just proves nothing! It just proves it was burning at the time of the fires! That's all!"

"The proof?" Zuri blinked.

"I say we just vote," Cassandra crossed her arms. "This guy is getting too jumpy to not be the killer."

"And risk the chance of dying alongside me?" Kane asked. He had taken off his other shoe and began slapping it on the podium desk. "Would anyone else like to take that risk… no wait, the certainty that you'll be wrong?"

That tensed some of the prisoners up. Some of them were ready to side with Cassandra but the moment Kane had said that, suddenly their minds were filled with doubt. Kane had to be the culprit, right? But what if there was something else that was missing? What if Kane wasn't the culprit?

"Hey, don't listen to him!" Cassandra glared at Kane. "He's just trying to rile you up, so you don't vote!"

"Doesn't that sound familiar?" Kane glared at Cassandra. Cassandra knew exactly what he was talking about. Day 2, when she had split everyone up so cruelly. Now it was Kane's revenge.

Cassandra glared back at him as everyone else was at a loss on what to do. There wasn't anything they could relatively do to prove that Kane was the one who had removed the knife. No witnesses that saw him go to the Prison Lounge. No witnesses that saw him leave.

Fuck.

They were at a stalemate.

"I say we vote now!" Cassandra declared.

"I say don't," Kane retorted. "I'm not the culprit! I wouldn't kill anyone! Honest!"

"What the fuck do we do?" Haruto gritted his teeth. "Yo! Abigail! Jared! You two were the brains of this whole theory! Did you find anything to prove your argument?"

"...I… No," Abigail looked away.

Jared was still deep in thought, covering his eyes with his police hat.

"So, in other words, all that shit about Kane removing the knife and causing the fire was just a pile of shit," Haruto glared.

"It wasn't a pile of shit!" Abigail argued. "The killer had to be the person who removed the knife. And if Kane was the one who set the Prison Lounge on fire, it naturally had to be him! Why else would he set the place on fire?"

"I didn't set the Prison Lounge on fire!" Kane declared, adamantly. He had clenched his fist and shook it high in the air like an old man. "I... I thought we were all allies in this! W-Why are you all ganging up on me when I'm innocent?!"

"Like hell you are innocent!" Haruto roared.

"Th-There's... so much yelling," Mimi slightly whimpered.

"Hey, what happens if we split the vote?" Cassandra turned to Monohebi.

"C-Cassandra?" Zuri blinked. "What are you saying?"

"You don't get it?" Cassandra asked. "We're going to tie the votes between Kane and Holland. But before we even try that, I wanted to ask the snake what would happen."

Monohebi flicked her tongue. She eyed Cassandra carefully before speaking.

"Well, I suppose that should the situation arise…" Monohebi began. "If one of the tied votes is the blackened, then both will be executed. But if both are innocent, the two and everyone besides the blackened will be executed. Of course, this is the default rules of this Killing Game. Master White Collar may change them as he pleases…"

"Then we got nothing to worry about here," Cassandra smirked. "Kane seems to be the most likely suspect at the moment and Holland was the one who started this entire shit. I'd say this doesn't seem too much of a loss once we split the vote."

"A-Are you insane?" Zuri asked. "We can't just do that!"

"At this point, what choice do we have?" Abigail sighed. "We're literally at a stalemate. This could be our only chance at the rest of us surviving."

"Y-You're literally going to kill Holland if you-" Zuri began before getting interrupted by a fiery-eyed Cassandra.

"So?" Cassandra glared at Zuri. "Why should we care if he dies or not? He started it by stabbing Titus. Hell, he could even be the culprit for all we know. But if you want to back out of it and cry about losing your fucking freak of a boyfriend then go ahead and try to stop us. The rest of us who have brains and want to live will just split the vote ourselves."

"...At this point, I am willing to agree with Cassandra," Arthur frowned. "There is no other way. If we damn two of our own to execution for the rest of us to survive, then so be it…"

"Since when did you care about everyone surviving?" Jared glared at Arthur. "You've been nothing but a cold piece of shit who only cared about himself since you got here! I for one vouch that we don't try to split the vote. Anything can go wrong with making a perfect split!"

"I agree," Maggie nodded. "I… I don't want to lose two other people over Titus's death. Titus… Titus wouldn't want that."

"Yeah, well he wouldn't want the rest of us fucking dying!" Cassandra glared at those who were resisting this idea. "God! You guys are nothing but big babies when it comes to doing what's necessary! Doing this is our only ticket to survival! So, either split the vote or fucking die!"

"S-Stop!" Mimi exclaimed, pulling on her witch's hat as she looked close to tears. This was perhaps the loudest she sounded compared to the past few days of being that happy innocent smol girl that everyone knew and loved. "All this yelling! It's so scary! Please! What happened to all of us?!"

Everyone went silent for a moment as they looked at Mimi silently. When all eyes were on her, the tears began to bubble up and swell, until finally... just finally, they started to fall down her cheeks. Maggie looked at her with the most sympathetic expression. Everything was so chaotic for the poor girl.

"W-We... We used to be happy," Mimi sniffled. "We used to be friends. We vowed to get out together. We even had a party. It was so much fun! H-How did everything go so wrong? H-How did we start being mean to each other?"

Mimi looked down into her witch's hat as she started to cry. Everything was falling apart. They were so kind to each other when they all first met weren't they? So why...? Haruto coughed and looked away. Yuumi bit her lip and avoided looking at her. Maggie just watched her cry. If she was allowed to, she would've left her podium and head toward Mimi to give her a hug.

"M-Mimi," Carter was the first to speak up. "I-It's going to be okay. W-We'll get this done and over with..."

Carter had spent the last few moments in silence to himself. He was busy trying to think of an answer regarding their current conundrum. At the moment, the issue at hand was finding irrefutable evidence that Kane started the fire. That was the main focus. There had to be evidence. If there was no evidence, then this would be a nigh impossible case. But nigh impossible cases were impossible unless you were a master serial killer or criminal. Kane or Holland. None of them were masters at killing or getting away with a monstrous crime like this.

So there had to be an answer. Something they all missed. Something they were all overthinking...

"What makes you say that, Carter?" Maggie asked Carter.

"We still don't know what evidence can be used to prove that Kane set the Prison Lounge on fire," Zuri looked down.

"Well, the jacket but Kane said we can't use it, so I guess we're not allowed to touch him with that clear-cut decisive piece of evidence," Cassandra rolled her eyes and shrugged. She muttered quietly, "Bitch."

"It's circumstantial!" Kane shook his fist once again. "Everything is! Meaning you have no case against me!"

Circumstantial. No case. No. Carter was certain that the theory they had come up with was correct. He had to think. Think outside of the box. The question wasn't what proved that Kane set the Prison Lounge on fire... Instead, it was...

"W-Why did he set the Prison Lounge on fire?" Carter asked.

"Seriously?" Abigail asked with a slightly exasperated tone. "As I've said countless of times, it has to be because he wanted to get rid of evidence connected to him."

...

"...B-But isn't that just odd?" Carter asked. "Th-Think about it from H-Holland's confession. H-Holland s-stabbed Titus and left. Th-That was it. A-All the killer had to do was remove the knife and no one w-would be the wiser. Th-There was no need for a fire to destroy any evidence because th-there wouldn't be any evidence left behind...I- I think."

"Then why did the fire start?" Barracuda asked, confused.

Good question. Now he was getting somewhere. A theory was starting to formulate in his head. If there was no need for a fire, then why did the fire start? What reason would Kane have to start the fire if there was no need for it in the first place. Wait.

"...N-No need for a fire in the first place..." Carter repeated his thoughts out loud before widening his eyes. "N-No... No way."

He thought back to Cassandra's theory of the shattered bottles in the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell. How someone would've been so shocked that they would've unwillingly bumped into the cabinet filled with the molotov bottles and knocked every single one of them down. Could something like that have happened in this case as well?

Yes.

Yes, it can.

It was the only thing that made sense!

Carter leaned against his podium, gripping his fountain pen tightly. He looked at everyone as if he had made a big breakthrough. A logic that could be a leap but at the same time, it made the most sense.

"Did you think of something Carter?" Maggie was the first to ask.

"I-I did," Carter widened his eyes.

"W-What is it?" Mimi wiped away some of her tears, looking at him.

"I... I c-can't believe we never considered this," Carter looked away. "But i-it's the only way th-this makes sense. W-We've been under a preconception th-that the f-fire was used to r-remove evidence. B-But we never considered another way the fire could've been used. Another simpler reason why the fire started..."

"What do you mean?" Ina looked at Carter, slightly impatient.

"Th-There was no need to destroy any evidence," Carter repeated explained. He pointed his fountain pen just how someone would point their index finger. "I-In fact, the fire was never an act to remove evidence...

...

Th-The fire was a complete accident!"

"W-What?!" Barracuda looked as if his mind was blown.

"Huh?!" Ina looked incredulous.

"An accident?!" Jared clutched his heart as if he had been shot with something.

"AGH!" Kane took the blow the hardest, as he had thrown his shoe into the air and let it hit his head. "Ow!"

"Z-Zuri," Carter looked around before settling his eyes on the Ultimate Bassist. "Y-You mentioned the glass pieces of the Prison Lounge's m-molotov bottle. W-Where were they located exactly?"

"Ah!" Zuri widened her eyes as she realized what Carter was getting at.

Zuri took another glance at the glass shards she had just shattered into tinier pieces. From the looks of it, they originated near the Prison Lounge entrance. Anything else of note, Zuri wouldn't know. Whatever it was originally, the glass shards seemed too unrecognizable now thanks to how shattered it was.

"They were... near the Prison Lounge entrance," Zuri answered.

"And what about that burning jacket?" Carter looked around to anyone who could answer that. Typically, most of the people here knew about the burning jacket anyway as it would be the first thing, they would've seen upon entering the crime scene.

"N-No way..." Abigail widened her eyes as well, starting to understand what may have happened.

Abigail wasn't able to continue her thoughts as she was interrupted by the sight of Mimi and Yuumi on the floor and the smell of something burning casually sitting on the ground, near the entrance of the Prison Lounge, covered in soot, and practically destroyed from the fire.

"It was... also near the entrance of the Prison Lounge," Abigail answered. "But on the other side, right outside the Prison Lounge."

"...Y-You get it now, right?" Carter asked.

"The shattered glass of the molotov bottle was located at the inside of the Prison Lounge, and Kane's burning jacket was located outside the Prison Lounge," Jared put the pieces together. "But both were near the entrance of the Prison Lounge. And if the molotov bottle was shattered..."

"The flammable substance would've spilled," Arthur nodded. "And no doubt seeped through the Prison Lounge entrance."

"And when Kane arrived, he would've tossed his burning jacket..." Zuri continued the line of reasoning. "...Toward the flammable substance. After that... Oh my God."

"T-The fire would've started," Carter nodded. "Burning the Prison Lounge and half of Titus's body."

"W-What kind of outlandish theory is that?" Kane looked at his so-called allies with a bewildered expression. He was slightly sweating but held his shoe as if it were a self-defense weapon. "Y-You're basically saying that the fire came before the killing. Before the murderer took out the knife! Th-That's absurd!"

"He has a point... if the fire came before the killing, then you're saying the killer would've had to go straight into the burning Lounge to take out the knife," Mayu pointed out.

"E-Exactly!" Kane exclaimed, pointing his shoe at Carter. "W-Why would I even do something as crazy as that?!"

Carter looked at Kane. He didn't know the answer to that. Why would he do something as crazy as that? He was no Ultimate Daredevil or Firefighter. He was just a Pawnbroker...

...

"...Because you thought someone was inside," Maggie spoke up, looking shocked and hurt at the revelation brought upon her. "That was why..."

Maggie recalled a conversation she had with him:

"What did you want to talk about Kane?" Maggie asked Kane, pressing her cheeks against her fingers.

"...Where were you, Maggie?" Kane looked at Maggie in concern. "W-When I saw that there was a fire in the Prison Lounge, I… I got worried. You said you would be cleaning at the Prison Lounge so…"

Maggie blinked at Kane before looking down and rubbing her arms. She sighed and played with a lock of her hair, even biting it at times.

"...You thought I was in there," Maggie repeated, her expression filled with distraught. "That's why you ran inside. You thought I was in there but-"

"Instead, you found something much more surprising," Arthur interrupted Maggie, glaring at Kane, coldly. "You found Titus, bleeding on the ground. That was when you took action. You took the knife out of his stomach... and killed him."

"N-No!" Kane began to shake, holding up his shoe as a shield.

Jared slammed his hands on the podium desk as he closed his eyes. He couldn't believe it had come to this. First off, the stalemate was lifted. Something he didn't think would actually happen. Second, all of their deductions came to one final conclusion and now a definite apparent suspect.

"...We've been under a preconception that the killer killed Titus and then burned the Prison Lounge," Jared stated. "But now we know that it was the other way around. The killer burned the Prison Lounge first and killed Titus. And the only person who could've done that… was you! Kane!"

"AGH!" Kane jumped in shock as he tossed his shoes in the air. Soon, both pairs came toppling down, smacking him on the head. "Agh! Ow!"

"Yes, of course," Arthur glared at Kane. "This makes much more sense if you never burned the Prison Lounge to hide any evidence. Everything we had just deduced, that is the truth of what happened, isn't it Kane?"

"N-No!" Kane glared as he pointed his shoe at Arthur. "H-How did I burn the Prison Lounge then if you say I burned it all accidentally, huh?! If I remember correctly, you whippersnappers stated that I used a molotov to burn the darn Lounge! But a molotov is only proof that I did it with intent!"

"That's true," Zuri pointed out. "We said that Kane did it by accident. But if it was by accident, how does the molotov bottle come into play? Why was it shattered inside the Prison Lounge?"

"Maybe he dropped it accidentally?" Barracuda suggested.

"...He never had it in the first place," Holland stated. "...In fact, if we go with the theory that Kane set the Prison Lounge in flames by accident, then we have to scratch the idea that he would go to the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell to get a molotov in the first place."

"Then where did the molotov bottle come from?" Maggie asked.

Holland looked down. He recalled the moment he saw that bottle.

Instead, it was Titus. His back was turned, he held a bottle, and he was looking directly at a corner of the Prison Lounge. The corner with the gramophone and the jukebox. Did he want to have another party or something?

And.

Crash.

Titus's hand dropped the bottle as he reached over to his bleeding stomach out of instinct.

"...That's because... Titus was the one who had the bottle," Holland revealed, finally remembering such an important detail. "I… didn't think of it then but before I attacked him… Before I stabbed him, he was holding that bottle in his hands."

"And let me guess," Abigail looked at Holland. "When you stabbed him, he dropped it."

Holland nodded.

"And once the bottle dropped, it spilled flammable substance all over the floor," Arthur nodded before smirking slightly. "Hm. The pieces are coming together quite nicely."

"Jesus Christ, what the fuck was he doing with a fucking molotov bottle?" Haruto asked with a growl.

"H-Hang on for just a moment!" Kane began to sweat as he clenched and trembled his fists tightly. "So dropping the bottle spilled stuff on the floor! And you say that my burning jacket lit it on fire! But you whippersnappers don't get it! I mean, how would my jacket have gotten caught on fire in the first place?!"

"The same thing still applies from my original theory!" Cassandra glared at Kane. "You went into the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell and accidentally knocked down every molotov bottle in there, causing bigger fire and burning your jacket."

"And what reason would I have to go into the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell, you juvenile delinquent?" Kane pointed his shoe toward Cassandra. "You just said to scratch the idea that I would have to get a molotov bottle in the first place! And if that's the case, then who would see Lawson the Lamb burning on the floor? Who would knock down every molotov bottle from the cabinet? It can't be me because I have no reason to go to the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell anymore. And therefore, there is no way my jacket would've caught on fire because I went into the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell!"

"Shit, he's right," Haruto tried to think. "We scratched that theory when we came up with this new one. There would be no reason for him to go that Cell in the first place."

The group fell silent, but the pursuit was still on. There had to be a reason why Kane went into the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell. After all, this was the most plausible scenario they have at the moment. There had to be evidence. Something that would prove-

...

"...No, there is a reason why Kane would go to the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell," Ina stated.

"T-Try and think of a reason!" Kane declared, pointing his shoe at Ina.

"...I have," Ina folded her arms as she merely said. "Have you forgotten that there was something burning in my Ultimate Cell?"

"That's right!" Mimi gasped as she hit her hand on the palm of her other hand. "The Lamb!"

"Precisely," Ina nodded before glaring at Kane. "Because the Lamb was burning, anyone who walked past my Ultimate Cell would have smelled the burning and gone in to investigate. Then, the original theory still applies. You saw the Lamb and knocked over the molotov bottles in a fright…"

"...Which is how your jacket got burned," Jared tipped his hat with a frown. "You must've been shocked and scared so much that you practically ran over to the Prison Lounge entrance to try to diminish the fire. That was when you quickly took off your jacket and tossed it to the side. But that created a domino effect and lit Titus's molotov bottle on the ground."

"N-No…" Kane held onto his shoe tightly.

"...And once you set it aflame, you went to check inside for me," Maggie frowned. "That's when you found Titus."

"N-No-" Kane trembled.

"...And you took that time to remove the knife, killing him before leaving the scene of the crime," Zuri looked away from Kane.

"N-No, no, no no no no no no nononononono!" Kane clutched his head, throwing all the shoes up in the air once more and feeling it rain down all over his podium.

"It's over Kane," Mayu frowned at Kane. "Admit defeat as the murderous peasant you are!"

"There's nothing else you can say to deny all accusations," Ina pounded her hand on the podium desk. "Your jacket lighting up the scene of the crime. You heading inside while it was burning. It's all backed by evidence. You killed Titus!"

"N-Nooooooooooo!" Kane screamed, clutching his head as he dropped down to his knees.

...

…

...

There was a moment of silence. Everyone looked relieved. They had done it. They had figured out who the culprit was. Who the blackened of the case was. As it turned out, it wasn't Holland or Lawson the Lamb, but Kane.

Their leader.

The one who said he would do anything to get them all to escape.

The one who was so nice and yet… here he was, the first, technically second, person to act like this.

That was Kane they knew. The person they had backed into the corner and accused of murder… was that really the real Kane? Or the Kane they had failed to notice all this time? Whoever it was, it was now someone who had killed one of their own.

Cassandra looked to Monohebi, ready to vot-

"...All backed by evidence?" Kane asked, his head down as he looked back up. He had gotten back up from his knees. A look from his eyes practically dared his accusers to challenge him. There was still some fight left in him, forcing some of the prisoners to look at him in shock.

"H-How can you still deny everything we've deduced?" Carter widened his eyes.

"...Because everything is still circumstantial," Kane stated. "Don't you whippersnappers get it? You still haven't proven anything! All you did was prove that I set the Prison Lounge on fire..."

"Fucking bastard!" Haruto yelled. "What the fuck haven't we proven? It was your jacket that burned the Prison Lounge! Titus was the one who had the molotov bottle in the first place! What more-"

"Don't take that tone with me little boy," Kane gritted his teeth at Haruto as he pointed his shoe at the basketball player. "Even after all of that, you still haven't proven the most important part. Me killing Titus."

"W-What?" Haruto looked at Kane with a surprised yet very hateful scowl.

"What do you mean?" Ina frowned, leaning forward against her podium.

"...You guys said it yourself," Kane folded his arms. "There's no evidence that links me to Titus's murder. Because I didn't kill Titus."

"Then what about the molotov bottle and the jacket?!" Zuri looked at Kane with a slightly frustrated look on her face. This was probably the first time she's ever raised her voice in such a scenario. "Holland saw Titus with the molotov bottle! Are you saying-"

"That Holland's lying?" Kane scratched the back of his neck. "Well, after every lie he has spout in this trial, it wouldn't be lying if he made up a detail like that just to get you juveniles off his back. And as for the jacket, well it's just as I said. My jacket caught on fire because of the Prison Lounge fire. I opened it up, the flames burst through, and I tossed my burning jacket away. It didn't set the Prison Lounge on fire as you riff raff have thought, and I most certainly didn't kill Titus."

There was a pressuring number of glares from his peers. Kane was still denying the fact that he killed Titus. At this point, it had to be him! All the facts fit and make sense if only he was the killer!

"...We should just vote," Cassandra grumbled for the gazillionth time.

"But is it really safe to do that?" Kane asked. "If there's even a chance that I'm not the culprit, would you take that or just vote to get it over with? Because the chances that I'm not the culprit are a hundred to ten, darn it!"

"...I'm all for voting but we have to make sure it's one hundred percent Kane," Jared tipped his hat down. "Otherwise, we might look over the possibility that it could be someone else and die because of it. Just as we nearly did with Holland."

"Your fucking funeral," Cassandra huffed, looking a little irritated by how long Kane's actions were dragging out the trial.

"Kane wants proof that he killed Titus," Mimi looked down. "But how do we do that? There was no evidence at the crime scene."

"God, maybe he took the evidence and left the crime scene with it," Abigail sighed as she was getting tired of having to work around Kane's rebuttal of there being no proof he took the knife out of Titus. Simple murder methods are often the hardest to decipher. "Might be reaching, but if the Prison Lounge was an accident, and not on purpose, then that means there should be evidence of him doing the deed anyway, right?"

"What do you mean?" Ina looked at Abigail.

"Think about it this way," Abigail began. "We had originally thought that Kane caused the fire to get rid of evidence. Evidence he must've known would've been hard to clean up without the use of fire to burn everything."

"Okay…" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Go on…"

"But we just came to the conclusion that the fire was an accident and Kane hadn't gone in until after the fire had begun," Abigail continued. "Meaning there was no evidence at the time. But if he went in and took the knife out…"

"There should be evidence of at least him taking the knife out," Jared blinked. "But what is the evidence?"

"...None of you guys found anything at the crime scene, right?" Holland asked. "...Because if so, such evidence would…"

Holland turned to Kane who was impatiently tapping his shoe on the podium desk.

"...Still be on him," Holland stated.

"Ha?" Kane looked at Holland with a funny expression. "Whippersnappers! Riff raff! Darn punks! You don't even know what the evidence is!"

"We need to think," Maggie folded her arms as she played with her hair nervously. "Was there anything off about Kane when anyone saw him. Maybe he was nervous about something. Or maybe he seemed a little off."

"The only thing was that was off about him was that he was missing his jacket, but that's only because of the fire," Mayu pointed out.

"W-Wait, jacket," Maggie blinked. She remembered something from that very instant when they had all gathered around Kane's body.

"So that's what you look like without your brown jacket on," Maggie weakly chuckled. "You do realize you're wearing your shirt inside-out, right?"

"H-Hey..." Kane looked away with a small blush on his face. "D-Don't judge my fashion sense. Back in the old days, wearing shirts inside-out was like a big deal in the ol 1800s!"

"...Somehow, I highly doubt it," Maggie shook her head playfully before moving toward the floor.

...

"...No..." Maggie looked down as she quietly murmured. She couldn't believe this was happening. She really thought Kane was a cool guy. Not some... murderer. She glanced at Kane once before turning to the rest of her peers. "I... Kane... Kane wears his shirt inside-out. In fact, he's wearing his shirt inside-out right now. It's a really odd thing to do but I never thought much of it until Mayu pointed it out just now."

"God!" Kane slapped his shoe on his desk. "So insensitive you younglings are! I told you, this is a fashion statement of the good ol days!"

"...No, no one wore their shirt inside-out in the 'good ol days'," Arthur gave a hard stare at Kane.

"Well sorry you don't appreciate my taste in fashion and passion!" Kane pointed his shoe at Arthur. He pointed his shoe at the other prisoners. "And besides, what does my fashion sense have to do with anything?"

"...It's the last piece of evidence we need," Haruto stated, crossing his arms with a scowl. "Yeah, I think I get it now. This is just like Holland's situation."

"Holland's situation?" Zuri blinked.

"That's what I said," Haruto clenched his fist. "Holland's situation revolved around the fact that we couldn't find anything at the scene of the crime, right? This is a similar situation. If Kane really did kill Titus, there would have to be evidence on him that can be pretty damn fucking brutal."

"Yes, we know," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "What's that evidence then?"

"...Kane went into the Prison Lounge," Haruto stated. "What was he wearing at the time?"

"Well, since his jacket was tossed to the side, it would have just been his shirt, right?" Yuumi answered, looking away as she hugged Sailor Penguin tightly.

"Exactly, now he finds Titus," Haruto nodded, looking deadly serious. "Then fucking removes the knife. What would've happened to his shirt then?"

"If he removed the knife… some of the blood would've at least blasted out," Jared widened his eyes. "Meaning the shirt would've been stained."

"That's right," Haruto nodded before pointing his finger at Kane with a death stare. "And the bastard wouldn't have time to hide any evidence at that moment because everything was happening all at once. The fire. Holland. There was only one thing he could do in that instant."

"Change his shirt inside-out," Maggie concluded with a guilt-ridden look before glancing at the sweating Kane. Normally a line like that would also be a huge turn-on, but with the circumstances now, she was a little turned-off. She had been for a while now.

Kane jumped, yelped, and threw his shoes into the air… hitting him on the head with his podium desk.

"Then does that mean…?" Barracuda looked at Kane with a shocked expression. "Kane is… wearing the blood of Titus right now?"

"N-No, I-!" Kane held his shoes up in the air defensively.

"How about it, Kane?" Jared frowned. "Even you can't refute something like that. We got the evidence you wanted. So how about you take off your shirt and let us see what's on the other side of it?"

"N-No, n-no-" Kane shivered. "S-Stay away! I'm… I'm an elder! I… I was your friend… W-Why are you guys treating me like… like a criminal?"

"Because you are one Kane," Jared looked down. He felt pity. Guilt. Regret. Kane had been so helpful in trying to maintain the peace and leading them a more optimistic path. But now it seems all that optimism was for naught. Jared pointed his finger toward the Ultimate Pawnbroker. "You're a criminal and the worst kind. You are the blackened that murdered Titus!"

...

"I-... I-..." Kane only stood there for a few moments. He dropped his shoes toward the ground as he repeated what Jared had said. "I… I'm the blackened. I murdered Titus. I'm… I'm a criminal…"

He clutched his head as he began to shake uncontrollably. His mind was afflicted with countless memories and painful feelings of what he had done. God. What had he done? He remembered the fire, Titus's dying body, the blood… everything. It all happened so fast and now…

"A-AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kane let out a scream as he tossed a bunch of his shoes into the air. It wasn't just the pair, mind you, it was a whole army of shoes flying high into the air until they finally hailed down, attacking everyone in the courtroom.

"E-Eep!" Mimi ducked and covered her head with her witch's hat.

"W-Where the FUCK did this guy get these many shoes?!" Haruto exclaimed.

"Unnecessary shoe violation, code #39," Monohebi wailed like an alarm. "I repeat. Unnecessary shoe violation, code #39."

Then all eyes were on Kane as he continued to scream. A shoe fell right into his open screaming mouth, snapping him out of his breakdown. With a blink, he looked at the shoe in his mouth before he received one final boot to his head. With a clunk, his eyes widened, went pale, and finally he fell to the floor, all thanks to the boot that had stopped his incessant shoe violations.

...

DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE

Act 1: The case began at the Cafeteria, earlier that day. Everyone but Cassandra and Zuri were gathered watching Haruto and Yuumi argue over the events of the Minigame. This was where the main instigator of the case, Holland, stole Arthur's eHandbook and replaced it with Mimi's eHandbook. Using the fight as a distraction, Holland slipped away but along the way, he bumped into Zuri, who was on her way to tell everyone about a possible escape route.

Act 2: Holland stole Arthur's eHandbook because he was one of the winners of the advantage of the Minigame: access to any active locked keypad, which included the Evidence Room. Accessing the Evidence Room, Holland took his weapon of choice for his crime: the kitchen knife that was used to murder Sayaka Maizono.

Act 3: When everyone was off and away, Holland took this time to strike and headed into the Prison Lounge where he would find Titus. Acting quickly, Holland stabbed Titus and took a King chess piece with him. The most notable thing about the King chess piece is that it has a really sharp tip. For some reason, Titus was also in possession of a molotov bottle so when Holland stabbed him, he dropped his bottle, shattering the bottle and causing the flammable substance to spill near the Prison Lounge.

Act 4: This is where the real culprit of the case would come in. First, they would detect a strange smell from the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell. This strange smell was Lawson the Lamb, burning in the cell, courtesy of Ina. The scenery shocked the culprit so badly that they managed to knock over every molotov bottle in the room, effectively destroying the Cell and catching their jacket on fire.

Act 5: In a panic, the culprit raced toward the intersection and tossed their jacket away near the Prison Lounge entrance. However, as Titus had dropped the molotov bottle earlier, the unfortunate series of events set the Prison Lounge on fire. Thinking that Maggie was inside, the culprit raced inside the burning Prison Lounge. However, instead of finding Maggie, they found someone else: Titus.

Act 6: Using the situation to their advantage, the culprit took out the knife that was lodged into Titus. This is what ultimately killed Titus. However, this action also stained their shirt a bit, and since the fire was beginning to spread, the culprit had to no time to hide their crime. The only way they could do so was by turning their shirt inside out and feigning ignorance.

Act 7: Meanwhile, at the boy's bathroom, Holland put the final piece of his plan in action. Using the King chess piece, Holland stabbed himself on the leg to create an alibi. The resulting action forced everyone who had gone to find an escape route to rush over to find him. He insisted that Lawson the Lamb was the one who attacked him, unaware of the events that had transpired whilst he placed his plan into motion.

While Holland was the main instigator in this case, the true culprit was the person who removed the knife and ultimately did the killing blow. That person was Kanenoshin Amao, better known as Kane, the Ultimate Pawnbroker!

And thus marks the official end of the Chapter 1 Trial, if the Closing Argument wasn't obvious enough hehe! (Also, for those who thought that the trial ended with Holland being the culprit, hehehehe ;D I could've put a big fat Trial Intermission instead of the story title, but I didn't ;D)

I have to say, I started out nervous with how this trial turned out, but the more I edited Trial Part 2 and the more I reread my own case, I ended up being really proud of what I crafted. I hope the rest of you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it because it sure was a doozy and a fun one at that! I have more to say in the next chapter regarding the culprit I chose and perhaps a little bit about Chapter 1 itself.

But until then, please let me know what you thought about the Trial and await for next time. For next time... is the final chapter of Chapter 1! The ending of the first case and the beginning of what more to come! Just be advised that I did not have everything written for the next chapter so update may take a classic two weeks before it comes out! But at the same time, the next chapter might be shorter than my previous chapters so who knows?!

Prisoners Remaining: 15

Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular)

Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7)

Barracuda - The Ultimate Personal Trainer (Weekaro)

Carter Franklin - The Ultimate Opinion Columnist (armadas)

Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate ? (ExtraMeme)

Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Basketball Player (theotakureader101)

Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi)

Ina Hamamura - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping)

Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay)

Kanenoshin Amao - The Ultimate Pawnbroker (benkj6)

Maggie LaDroubi - The Ultimate Supermodel (Project Drama)

Mayu Mashiro - The Ultimate Heiress (zetsunaflame)

Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan)

Yuumi Kizuchi - The Ultimate Sailor (Shamelles410)

Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45)