Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Here we are, with another slightly longer than usual chapter. Had to think carefully on the appropriate reactions for this, if you want to know why I took long. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

Review Reply time! So I apologize if some of your reviews haven't been answered, but that's because I have left my filter to the latest chapter only so any reviews on previous chapters, were ignored. So now, I have dug through the masses of reviews to go back to some of the forgotten questions and what not so this section will be a bit bigger than usual (Only back until Late October/Early November though). If you still had something I had missed and you want answered in the next chapter, please review again under the latest chapter so I'll be sure to not miss it! Sorry guys! - Lucky Soldier

Q: Bang Rowdyruff, Mukuro's relationship with Junko:
L: I'm thoroughly convinced that in the real timeline, Mukuro was already brainwashed in some sense to do everything Junko wants her to do. That coupled with her feeling of responsibility of an older sibling, and their harsh childhood is what molded Mukuro into the poorly portrayed character she was in the anime (I don't like the portrayal, ): ). So everytime Junko tries to kill Mukuro, Mukuro sees it as she's giving her attention and acknowledging her. After all, any attention is better than no attention considering Junko and maybe Matsuda were the only people close to Mukuro at all. (Then I'd go on about how Makoto begins to undo that brainwashing but... I'll keep this short :P )

Q: wwest1, Hifumi's FTE with Makoto's magical girl harem
L: While I personally don't support harems since it's really hard to make all the interactions meaningful, I can imagine that in this story it'll stir up quite a few shits and giggles. I wonder if Spirit will be up for that :P
S: Maybe. It'll probably depend on the number of fte I'm willing to do during chapter 3, and which ones I want to do.

Q: LolaRose, Does everyone know Celeste's real name?
L: In this universe, I would say no due to time constraints. In the cannon universe, I would say yes. That's because in DR:IF, when Makoto wakes up, he convinces Sakura to believe him by saying that she once told everyone about Kenshiro. Deriving from that, I like to think that given the extremes Danganronpa has gone too, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone else knew each other inside out due to bonding. After all, the class photos prove it and how else realistically would Hifumi actually know her real name? :P
S: Yeah, I agree with Lucky. And Celeste is too careful with her secrets for them to be found out by accident.

Q: ronin warriors fanatic, is it unfair that Junko knows more about the 'behind-the-scenes' stuff involving the killing game?
L: I feel like I answered this one before, but I'm not going to dig through the other chapters to double check :P.
She is the mastermind, so I wouldn't say it's unfair. If anything, it's actually stacked against her since the killing game technically doesn't happen, and her plans are being revealed to everyone. However, whether she calls that a win or not due to despair is up to her :)
S: Again, I agree with that. Since she had plan to bring despair to the whole world for some time, it would make sense to know some of the details of her own plan.

Q: D, will Sayaka and Leon talk to each other about what happened? They seem to be avoiding it (Chapter 24)
L: I'm a little late to this one, but they definitely talked it out and moved on from it. :)
S: Most likely in the next break.

Q: In reply to all the "Please update!" and "I'm dying for more!", etc
L: Thanks for all the positive reviews! It's always refreshing to see that we're getting positive vibes from everyone even though we're not even halfway finished (despite already spending close to 10 months editing this). I'm sure that Spirit is working really well trying to push these out every week and a half, and I'm doing my best to edit these as fast as possible so I can get them out for you guys quickly (sometimes even neglecting my own works and some other stuff _ ) Just popping by the review section and seeing the encouragement really makes my day when I'm staring at walls of text all day :) Thanks for the support! Just thought I'd throw this out there after scrolling through pages and pages of reviews :D
S: Not much for me to add to that. Like Lucky said, the fact that most, if not all the reviews, are positive, encourages me to finish each chapter as soon as possible, as well as make sure the quality is up to snuff (And like Lucky, I sometimes neglect my other fics to do this one). Thanks for the support, and the words of encouragement. It really helps a lot.

Chapter 33: Watching Ch 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 10

"...morn….ing." A far away sounding voice said. "...goo….d….Good….d….morning…."

"Um, what's that?" Chihiro asked nervously.

"Whatever it is, it's freaking out me out." Hina said, also nervous.

The scene showed a sleeping Makoto slowly opening in his eyes. And when he did, he was face to face with Monokuma. "Good morning!"

"Uwaaaaah!"

The others yelped or shouted in shock at Monokuma's sudden appearance. "What the hell?!" Mondo exclaimed.

"Why is Monokuma is Makoto's room?!" Sayaka questioned, with a bit of worry in her voice.

Makoto quickly sat up and backed away from the bear. "Upupu! Nice reaction!" Monokuma snickered. "I'm glad to see you didn't disappoint!"

"Wh-What….?!" Makoto, fully waking up, exclaimed, "What are you doing here?!"

"That's what we want to know!" Leon agreed. "The last thing I want to see when waking up is that damn bear in front of me!"

"Here, here." Hifumi agreed. The others nodded or agreed verbally as well.

"I wanted to spice things up!" Monokuma explained. "So instead of a school announcement, I decided to wake you up in person!"

"What the hell for?!"

"Because it's fun." Was the bear's answer.

'Agreed, Monokuma!' Junko mentally cheered. It's really fun to see her classmates react like that! Plus, that little surprise made the viewing less dull for her.

And she has a feeling that there's more to come.

Makoto let out a groan. "It's not fun for me."

"Why did I get the feeling he did that to all of us?" Taka inquired.

"Probably because he did so." Celeste sighed. "He wouldn't miss the opportunity to scare all of us." Heaven knows how she would react to that surprise. Hopefully, she restrained from throwing something at the bear.

"And as long as I'm here, I figured I'd let you hear it right from the bear's mouth."

"Hear what?" Makoto asked in annoyance.

"Are you sure you should be acting this laid back?" Monokuma asked rhetorically. "I mean, even though something happened to one of your buddy-buddy classmates?"

The bear's words incited a wave of fear and dread around the students. The events of chapter 1 was still fresh in everyone's minds.

"What?!" Leon exclaimed.

"S-Something happened?" Hina asked, a little scared on what they'll find out.

"What….?" That had Makoto's face turning pale.

"Wuhwuhwuh-what?" Monokuma tilted his head towards him. "Your face is all blue, like someone on the verge of death!"

"What….what happened?" Makoto nervously asked. He began getting more frantic. "What are you talking about?!"

His response was the bear's usual laugh. "That's for me to know, and you to find out! Good luuuck!" With that, the bear left, leaving Makoto to his own thoughts.

"Did….it happen again?" Sayaka asked shakily.

"It can't be!" Hiro said in panic. "I mean, those were just embarrassing secrets, right? Who would want to kill for that?"

"I told you, you can't judge someone else's experiences based on your own." Byakuya chided. "If it is another murder, which is most likely, then someone thought it was more important than you thought."

"Then how come the future Byakuya failed to address that concern?" Taka cried out.

The heir closed his eyes. It's probably because it didn't benefit him in anyway.

'Something's happened to someone….' Makoto thought in his mind. 'Is it…? Was it-?!' He shook his head. "No, it can't be….there's no way someone would…."

After a moment of silence, he got up. "...The dining hall." He decided to himself. "I need to get to the dining hall." With that, he got ready and went to the dining hall.

When he entered in, the only people here are Sakura, Hina, Hiro, and Byakuya. Hina was the first to speak. "Ah, Makoto!"

"Are you okay?" Hiro asked in concern.

"Did Monokuma talk to you, too?" Sakura inquired.

Makoto counted everyone here. "Hiro, Hina, Sakura, and…." He turned to the last one here. "Byakuya…."

"They're the only ones here?" Mukuro mused out loud, narrowing her eyes. "What about everyone else?"

"We're either searching around the school to figure out what Monokuma was talking about," Kyoko deduced. "Or ... no longer here."

Though she didn't directly say it, she still couldn't lie about the fact that someone has died. Her words put the group on edge a little bit more.

"You're the only ones? Where's everyone else?"

"Either they're off trying to verify what Monokuma said…." Byakuya stated. "Or they've fallen victim to the 'something' that Monokuma mentioned."

"The….something?" Makoto repeated, getting more and more nervous.

"It can't be….has it happened again?" Sakura questioned. "Murder….?"

The reminder of the murder drove the tension up even more in the room with those who aren't on the screen hoping they didn't die.

"D-Did a murder….really happen?" Chihiro asked shakily.

"From our perspective, at least, it's obvious." Celeste said, closing her eyes. "With the ominous foreshadowings been given to us, another murder has most likely happened."

"Now, now, Miss Ludenberg…." Hifumi said nervously. "Maybe Monokuma is just lying, so we could all panic about it."

"While it may be true that he wants us to panic for a bit," Sayaka put in. "I doubt that damn bear would lie about something like that happening."

"No use denying it." Byakuya said, narrowing his eyes. "Let's just see which one of us is the next victim."

That had Makoto's blood running cold. "S-So if something did happen….does that mean someone did it cuz of what happened yesterday?"

"It can't be!" Hina cried out. "That stuff was just a bunch of old memories!"

"'Just old memories'?" Byakaya repeated. "Don't be so sure about that. Clearly someone felt it was more important than that."

"Huh….?" Makoto turned to the heir in confusion.

"To judge someone's else's values based on your own outlook….do you realize how dangerous that is?" Byakuya asked them all.

"Oh, now you say something!" Sayaka cried out, throwing her hands up. "That bit of info isn't gonna do anything for us now!"

"Wh-? Why didn't you say something yesterday?!" Hina demanded angrily.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "Did you already forgot? This isn't a co-op game. It's every man for himself." He told them. "What good does it do me to go out of my way to help you?"

"Are you fucking serious?" Mondo growled. Several of the others also look angry.

"Will he stop saying that it's a game?!" Hina exclaimed. "It's far from a game!"

"That Byakuya is seriously messed up in the head." Leon remarked.

"Stop saying that already!" Hina exclaimed in frustration.

"There's something wrong with him, for serious." Hiro said, looking at Byakuya nervously. "Did he get brainwashed or something?"

"That's not important." Sakura told them all. "What matters right now is that we find out what happened…."

Byakuya nodded in agreement. "She's right. Let's all split up and begin looking." He snickered sinerstly. "The game is afoot."

Byakuya scowled to himself. Watching this was infuriating, a constant jab at his old self. He couldn't even defend himself since they're right.

"So we began searching through the building." Narrator Makoto spoke, as the TV showed Sakura, Hina, Hiro, Byakuya, and Makoto searching around. "We first started at the first floor. After finding no one there, I went to the second. And my search lead me to the locker room."

The scene showed Makoto going into the locker room. When he did, he noticed something. 'Huh….?' As he got closer to the boy's locker room, he saw that the door is opened. 'The door's open. But aren't these supposed to be locked….?'

"Makoto's right." Taka agreed, furrowing his eyebrows. "They should be locked."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Junko muttered with a convincing sense of concern. She hid a smile as several of the others grew more nervous.

After that thought ran in his head, the school bell rung, and the monitor inside the locker room turned on. "For this investigation, I have unlocked the doors. Please look around to your heart's content!"

The mention of the word 'investigation' drove everyone towards the edge once more.

"I-Investigation?" Taka stuttered.

"And that confirms that a murdered happen." Byakuya sighed. "Not that we needed confirmation."

No one tried to disagree with him. It was a fact that no one wanted to accept.

Makoto's eyes went wide at this. "I-Investigation….?"

"Just as I thought." Makoto turned around to see Byakuya behind him.

"Byakuya-!" The luckster gasped in shock.

The heir ignored him. "Judging from what he just said, there can be no doubt a murder really has taken place."

"C-Come on….!" Makoto said, almost sounding like he's whining.

"I know, right?" Hiro whined. "Why did another killing have to happen?"

"What we should asked ourselves is who's the next victim." Celeste remarked towards Hiro.

"I don't think any of us want to answer that right now." Leon muttered.

"And the other rooms…." Byakuya murmured outloud. "They're suspicious. Very suspicious, indeed. Wouldn't you, agree?"

"Huh?" Makoto looked at the affluent progeny in confusion. "Suspicious….?"

"It seems nobody's searched the locker rooms. Let's start with the girl's locker room…." Without waiting for a reply, he went over to the door and pressed his hand on it.

"Um, why do you want to go to the girl's locker room?" Junko asked him, noticing his actions. "I thought that was Hifumi's thing."

"I resent that!"

The heir ignored them, frowning to himself. Why indeed, does his future self want to look in the girl's locker room? It was definitely a strange decision.

With one push, the door slid opened, and the two entered into the room. And once Makoto got a good look as to what's in there, he froze.

Right in the girl's locker room is Chihiro, hung up and dangling from the ground, blood coming from head down to her legs, her eyes wide open, and the word bloodlust written from behind. "What….?"

"I don't know how long it took for me to fully comprehend the reality of what I was looking at." The narrator Makoto said. "But as soon as I did…."

As the screen turned black, Makoto let out a loud, horrified scream. "A wild, almost primeval scream escaped from my mouth."

Yet again, a horrific silence took up the room. Not only had Chihiro died, but the brutal display of her body baffled everyone even further.

Hina's and Sayaka's faces was of complete horror, while Taka, Hifumi, and Yasuhiro were as white as a sheet. Kyoko, Byakuya, and Celeste, on the other hand, still had their neutral expressions on their faces, already thinking about what they saw.

Makoto, once again, is shaking, his eyes wide in horror, grief, shock, and confusion. Not only did someone else die, it was yet another of his closest friends in the class. And what confused him is the fact that Chihiro's in the girl's locker room. How did he get in there? It shouldn't be possible for the programmer to be in that locker room, right?

The programmer herself is staring at the screen with wide, horrified, and confused eyes. Her face is twisted into pure anguish. She's….dead? How? Why? Question after question began flooding her mind with none of them having any answers. There were so many questions and feelings, that her mind eventually shut down after a moment. She settled with a blank expression facing the screen with empty tears slowly streaming out of her eyes.

Toko looked at the scene with horror, as well as realization. But she wasn't focus on the body. No, what she focused on is the words written behind Chihiro. Bloodlust. "W-What….b-but….w-why…." The effect of seeing blood, and the words written on the wall, caused to fell unconscious once again.

Mondo was completely red and looked to be in a state of shock. Horror, fury, confusion, all of those emotions are raging inside him at the site. Despite his state, he was the first to speak. "What….the hell?" He roared.

That broke everyone else from their silence. "C-Chihiro's….dead?" Hina asked, her voice sounding close to breaking. "B-But, why?"

"Curses!" Sakura growled, head hung low. Another of her friends, dead! And Chihiro is the victim this time!

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" Leon growled, looking pissed off. "Who the hell decided to kill Chihiro, of all people?!"

"That is what we need to find out, don't we?" Celeste retorted, doing all she can to keep her emotions in check. "We need to find out, which one of us, killed Chihiro."

Chihiro slowly folder herself into a ball in her chair. Though still expressionless on the outside, her overloaded mind now had to deal with the fact that one of her friends had just killed her. What were friends for? Was she wrong to trust people? Moving forward had always seemed easy, but now, it was suddenly very difficult.

Junko in the meantime, is enjoying the dread and tension. She almost jumped at the beautiful display of a murder. Another one of her classmates are dead and this time, it's their lovable and timid programmer Chihiro. The sight of the current Chihiro trying to hide herself from everyone else was just pitiful too! Oh, the despair is so good! This time, however, she was careful to reign in the pleasure she's feeling, and instead, looked as horrified as anyone else.

(Chapter 2 - Boys' Life of Despair - Deadly Life)

The screen changed to Makoto, who's sitting on his butt and staring at Chihiro's corpse in distress. Byakuya, on the other hand, was perfectly calm. "Most unusual, don't you think….?"

Makoto looked at him in confusion. "Look. Chihiro's corps has been suspended somehow." Byakuya pointed out. "And something's been written on the wall, in blood….'Bloodlust'?"

"Bloodlust?" Hiro repeated nervously. "But, isn't what Genocide Jack writes down whenever she kills somebody?"

The group slowly turned the unconscious book writer. Mondo, getting his senses back, slowly let out a furious snarl. "Was that fucked up serial killer the one who killed Chihiro?"

Kyoko was the one to answer. "Not likely. Remember that in most of her cases, she uses scissors to both kill and hang her victims. Not to mention, all of her victims were male. There's no reason for Genocide Jack to change her methods or her targets."

"Not unless she decided to kill to keep her secret, as well as to survive." Byakuya pointed out.

The detective shook her head. "No. If that was the case, she wouldn't even bother with the message and arrangement. That would obviously point her as the suspect."

"Well, whoever it is, I will beat their ass into the ground!" Mondo growled, his hands curled into fist. "Anyone who would lay a hand on Chihiro is scum!"

"Such a brutal way to kill someone….." The heir trailed off, before slightly correcting his statement. "No, this is beyond brutal. Wouldn't you agree?"

"They killed her. How could it not be brutal?" Makoto exclaimed.

Byakuya shook his head. "No, that's not my point." He stated. "This murder is far too bizarre for any everyday amateur to have committed it. Unlike with Sayaka, this murder was not a crime of passion or necessity. It's almost as if whoever did this….did it for fun. You see what I mean, don't you?"

The idea had everyone's spine crawling. "F-For fun?" Hina repeated, feeling sick.

"But who on earth would do something like this for fun?" Taka questioned in distress.

Makoto had an idea as to who would kill for the thrill of it, other than Genocide Jack. But for right now, he pushed that thought away. He'll save it for the class trial.

The idea stunned Makoto. "...What?"

Before either of them could say anymore, Taka rushed in. "Hey, I heard screaming! Did something-?" When he caught site of Chihiro's corpse, he let out a horrified scream, color draining from his face. "Chihiro?!"

Right after his scream, the school bells rung and the monitor suddenly turned on. "A body has been discovered!" The bear announced. "After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!" With that, the monitor turned off.

The announcement surprised the group. "Um, what the hell was that?" Sayaka asked, looking as bad as the others.

"Obviously, it's an announcement for when a group of people found the body." Byakuya pointed out. "It probably had played during the last murder as well, while Makoto was unconscious."

Makoto looked at the monitor in surprise. "What the hell was that….?"

"Ah, that's right. You were unconscious during Sayaka's, so you don't know about it." Byakuya remembered. "What you just heard was the body discovery announcement. Apparently, when three or more people discover a body, an announcement plays to let everyone know."

"And it seems that I was correct." Byakuya said. No one else commented on it.

"I imagine it's so that the search for the culprit can proceed fairly for everyone involved."

'Proceed….fairly?' Makoto thought, processing what Byakuya said.

"The body discovery announcement?!" Taka exclaimed, still pale. "Then Chihiro really is….?"

"Dead, yes." Byakuya said coldly. "Before you start screaming your head off, go round everyone up. It seems another game has begun. Another life-or-death game to uncover a killer…."

"He's acting so callous about this!" Hina shouted in anger, as well as distressed. "Why is he treating this like a game?!"

"Trust me Hina, we're all asking that." Leon remarked.

While they were talking, Makoto and Mondo looked at Chihiro in concern. The small programmer looked completely lost. Any sign of her usual cheerful self was gone, replaced by an empty husk. "Hey, Chihiro….?" Mondo called out softly. "You okay there?" Slowly, he put a hand on her shoulder.

That caused Chihiro to flinch before turning her head to the biker. Slowly, tears started running down her eyes once again. "W-Why….?" Chihiro spoke out, squeezing her legs tighter towards her, a bit of emotion returning. "Why would any of our friends want to kill me?" Was it because she's the easiest target? Did she earn someone's ire at any point? Or was it something else?

Mondo closed his eyes. "I don't know." He told her. "But one way or another, we'll find them."

Chihiro doesn't know how to feel to that. On one hand, if they don't find her culprit, then they'll all be killed. But on the other, if they do, the one who killed her will be executed. But she doesn't any of her friends to die. Even though one of them had just killed her, she couldn't deny that she didn't want that person to die either.

The screen blackened for a moment before showing nearly everyone gathered around the body, many of them looking confused, fearful, and angry. "Damn….I couldn't keep her safe….!" Sakura growled, looking down.

"So there's another victim…." Taka stated in anguish.

"Which means we are now in the same position once again." Celeste said calmly.

Mondo looked at the scene, stunned. "Fuck, man…." He breathed out slowly. "What the fuck is this?!"

"It's a dream….this is a dream! It's all just a dream!" Hifumi said in denial. "In fact, I haven't even been born yet! I don't have any memory of ever being alive!" He then let out a terrified screamed.

Celeste closed her eyes in frustration. "Will he stop spouting nonsense?"

"At least it isn't Hiro being in denial." Byakuya sighed. "That was more of an annoyance than this."

"True."

"Hey! I have a perfectly good reason to be in denial!" Hiro defended himself. He held his hand towards the screen. "I mean, who would want to believe in this?!"

He….has a good point. One that no one could argue with.

"Shut up." Celeste stated coldly to the fanfic creator.

The attention was then put towards the message written on the wall. "I don't think it's any kind of dying message." Kyoko theorized. "It's just too….strange…."

"That, and she's in no position to actually write the message." Mukuro said, pointing out the position she's in.

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "True."

"But you know…." Taka said, realizing something. "That thing about writing 'bloodlust' in blood….doesn't that sound kinda familiar?"

Memories of them talking about the murderous fiend, Genocide Jack, came into mind. "Genocide Jack!" Hiro exclaimed in shock and fear.

"Then this is….some copycat killer trying to imitate Genocide Jack's 'style'?" Hina questioned nervously. "But….why would anyone do that?"

"Yeah, that's true." Taka said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Why would any of us want to imitate Genocide Jack's style of killing?"

"Probably to frame her, most likely." Byakuya said. "After all, Genocide Jack's signature message would obviously point to her."

"Like the murder happening in Makoto's room." Mukuro said with a frown. "I'm beginning to see a pattern there."

"Yeah." Makoto agreed.

"Perhaps….it's the work of the real Genocide Jack." Byakuya suggested.

"The real….?" Hiro went pale. "Wait, are you saying Genocide Jack is here in this school?!"

"Th-There's no way….!" Hina said in denial.

Leon sighed. "Remember the days where the thought of having a serial killer in our class was terrifying?"

"Now, you could have an assassin inside the class and you wouldn't even bat an eye." Sayaka agreed with her own sigh.

Makoto let out a sigh as well. Where did all the normal people go?

"But going so far as to write bloodlust at the scene….I am surprised at their stupidity…." Celeste commented on.

"I can't imagine a worse situation than dealing with a stupid murderer…." Sakura stated.

"Well, she ain't stupid." Junko said, crossing her arms. "Crazy, definitely, but not stupid."

"No argument there." Hina said, looking at the unconscious book writer.

Hina then let out a surprise gasp, looking at the door. "Ah-!"

"What is it now?!" Hifumi exclaimed in fear.

"Toko!" Was Hina's answer, pointing at the entrance of the girls' locker room.

Sure enough, the book writer was there, staring at the scene in shock. "Ah…ahh…?" She muttered, looking at the scene in terror. Nnnnnno…w-why…? Why…? W…h…y…?"

"WHYYYYYYYY?!" With that screech, she fainted.

"Aaaand, she fainted." Junko announced. "Been wondering when that was going to happen."

The others weren't surprised either.

"She fainted! That did NOT sound good!" Hiro exclaimed.

"T-Toko!" Hina rushed over to Toko and started trying to shake her awake. "Toko, are you okay?! Come on, wake up!"

"Wait a minute…" Hifumi spoke up nervously. "Our future counterparts doesn't know about Genocide Jack being inside Toko, right?"

That caused the others to grow pale, wondering what chaos would happen when Jack wakes up.

"Oh, that's right." Hifumi said in remembrance. "I just remembered what she said, about how she faints anytime she sees blood."

"So she is hemophobic?" Celeste deduced. "I imagine she does not watch too many horror films, then."

"This isn't a violation of the rules, right? I mean, technically she passed out somewhere besides her room." Hiro pointed out nervously.

Makoto shook his head. "No, I think it should be okay. The regulations prohibit 'sleeping'. Like, on purpose."

That provided temporary relief for Hiro. "Ahh, so since didn't faint on purpose, it doesn't count? Gotcha."

Hina, ignoring the commentary, continued shaking Toko. "Toko, can you hear me?! Hey, you gotta wake up!"

As if she heard her, Toko stood up from her spot on the ground, as if she's possessed. A strange smiled and look is placed on her face.

Several of them stiffened. "Oh crap! Genocide Jack!"

"This is going to cause more chaos." Celeste sighed.

Byakuya, however, have a different opinion. "I don't think we have to worry right now." He told the others. "While she doesn't possess the same memories as Toko, they share the same emotions."

"That is true." Kyoko said in agreement. "And you think her emotions will tell her not reveal herself as Genocide Jack?"

"Most likely, so." The heir stated. "And she's not stupid enough to reveal herself if no one else knows. Otherwise, she would've been caught long ago." That relieved the others a bit.

"Huh? What?" Hina said in confusion.

"Sorry about that. I was just so shocked, ya know?" Toko said, for once speaking clearly. "It happens, right? Was I the only one?"

"T-Toko? Are you….okay?" Makoto asked, worried.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" She let out some sort of mad laughter. Her eyes was then set on a dead body. "Whoa, is that a dead body?! Hey! Are you dead?!" Once again, she cackled.

"She musta hit her on head real hard when she fainted…." Hiro said, more than bit creeped out.

"Yeah, I would've thought the same thing if I didn't know a serial killer was also in that head of hers." Leon admitted.

"Ditto." Mondo agreed.

"The world has a front and back, a top inning and a bottom, a sea of truth and a web of lies!" Toko spouted out.

"This is….quite concerning." Hifumi said nervously. "I mean, she sounds completely different…."

"No, no, no, everything' fine!" Toko reassured. "At least the stutter's all gone. That's a good thing, right?!" She ended with her insane sounding laughter.

"It's clear to me that everything's not fine!" Taka refuted. "Your eyes seem strangely vacant!"

"It might be best if we take her back to her room for the time being…." Sakura suggested.

"I don't mind taking her, but….could someone help me?" Hina asked the group.

Hifumi began volunteering. "If you need help, I don't mind-"

"Taka, could you help me?" Hina asked the Moral Compass.

"Huh? She totally ignored me!" Hifumi exclaimed in shock.

"Of course she did. What girl would want to be alone with you?" Junko remarked. Hifumi slumped at that.

"Very well. You take care of the girl, and the rest of us can begin the investigation right away." Byakuya ordered. "Can I assume nobody has a problem leaving Sakura and Mondo on guard duty again?"

"Wait, are you really gonna start the investigation already?" Hina questioned in shock.

"Of course. They have no time to waste, and we all know that it wasn't the mastermind who did this." Byakuya told her. "The investigation needs to be started as soon as possible."

"Byakuya has a point." Kyoko sighed. "If they don't find the culprit, then their lives are forfeited. No time can be wasted."

"Yeah, but still…." Makoto gripped his knees, confliction in his eyes. "We can't have a little time to mourn our friends? No time to grieve?"

Kyoko put a comforting hand over his. "They will once they can get out of there, Makoto."

"H-Hold on a second." Makoto protested. "Rushing into an investigation-"

"The mastermind isn't behind that." The heir interrupted curtly. "After what happened last time, you surely realized that."

Makoto gritted his teeth at that. "There's no question that Chihiro was murdered by someone among us." Byakuya said coldly.

"I can understand Makoto's feeling." Taka admitted. "It just so hard, to think that one of us would decide to kill Chihiro, of all people."

"Well, it's possible that Genocide Jack and Byakuya could've done it." Hiro said nervously. "After all, future Byakuya seems messed up in the head and Genocide Jack is a serial killer."

That earned a glare from the heir. "My future self is not foolish enough to kill somebody after opening up his intention to everyone." He told Hiro. "As interesting as it would make the situation for him, he knows that the others would point to him as the murderer. And we've already discussed Genocide Jack. Do try to use what brain cells you have before throwing accusations at me."

"Okay, okay!" Hiro said, a bit intimidated by the glare. "Alright, what about Cele-"

"Finish that sentence, and you have better prepare for a painful death." Celeste said, a sweet, but cold smile plastered on her face. That caused Hiro to yelp and duck in fear.

Mukuro sighed. "Let's hope the future Hiro could keep his accusations to himself in the trials."

"Agreed." Sakura said with a nod.

"Isn't that right, Monokuma?"

At the call of his name, the bear appeared. "Right as rain!" Monokuma confirmed. "But don't take it as a bad thing. It's just a fact of life! Because….that's how graduation works!"

"Don't take it as a bad thing?!" Makoto said incredulously. "Does he really think we won't?"

"He probably just saying those things to aggravate us." Mukuro sighed, shooting a sideways glance at her sister. Though Mukuro has never been one to rouse at the taunts of others, she had seen plenty of people get fired up from empty aggravations.

Makoto, ignoring Monokuma, stared at Chihiro's life corpse. 'Then….it happened again? Is that what you're saying? That another one of us….?' The screen switch back to the haunted look at Makoto's face. 'Another one of us….killed….a fellow classmate?'

Once again, the look on the luckster's emotionally affected the group. It's not a look they're used seeing with Makoto, and one that they'll probably never get used to. The small whimper Chihiro let out, and the tears falling from her eyes, is not helping.

Mukuro felt her heart clenched once again, guilt eating her up. Not only is she helped cause Makoto distressed, but another classmate is now dead. True enough she had made the decision for this to happen, but her time at Hope's Peak slowly changed that. Once again, she wondered to herself: Can she tell Makoto about her part in the killing game?

"What, does that freak you out? You guys got no balls, you know that?!" Monokuma taunted. "Is there just nothin' down there at all? Well, I'll let you pray to mine if you want. Actually, I don't have any, either! Sorry!"

Veins began popping out of Mondo's temple. "I'm. Gonna. Crack. His. Skull!" Mondo growled, his teeth grinding together. His temper is being pushed to the limit right now, and it took every ounce of willpower to stay in this seat.

"How about punching the mastermind's teeth in first?" Leon asked, also annoyed and pissed off. "That way, he can just shut up!"

"That would be very appreciated." Byakuya said, irritation clear in his voice.

Byakuya then spoke in irritation. "Stop monologuing and give us what you came here to give us." He ordered. "You did bring it, right?"

The bear let out a small. "I sure did, chum!" He then pulled out the next Monokuma file. "Allow me to present to you the next Monokuma File. I know how much you must be looking forward to it! So, please do your very tippy-top best on this investigation!" With that, Monokuma left.

Hina looked sick. "Do we really gotta do another investigation….?" She questioned, glancing at Chihiro. "Examining the corpses of one our friends, having to suspect all our other friends…." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I hate this….I can't take it anymore!"

Chihiro, who was quiet for most part, finally spoke up. "I hate it, too." She whimpered, getting everyone's attention. She seemed to have recovered somewhat from her earlier breakdown, but more importantly, she seemed to have figured out what she feels. "Even though someone killed me, I don't them to be sacrificed. I don't want anyone to die!"

Sayaka bit her lip at that. Despite being killed, despite one of her friends being her murderer….Chihiro doesn't wish them any ill-will. While a part of her wanted them punished for putting a knife in her stomach. 'Chihiro is a much better person than I am.' She thought to herself.

"But if we don't, the rest of us will be killed." Celeste sighed. "There's no favorable option for us."

Chihiro buried her head in her knees. She knows. And she hates that.

"I hate it, too!" Hiro screamed in distress. "I-I-I've had enough! I'm gettin' outta here!"

"Where the hell do you plan to go to?" Leon asked incredulously. "Did Hiro forget that they're trapped in the goddamn school?"

"That is most likely the case." Byakuya sighed.

"Where do you plan on going?" Sakura questioned. "There's nowhere to run."

"Just accept it already. After all, blood is just a liquid." Byakuya said coldly. "A dead body is a simple object."

That was the last straw for Mondo. Before anyone could do or say anything, he shot off like a bullet straight towards the heir.

But just as he got into striking distance, chains suddenly shot from behind him and wrapped around his arms, torso, and neck. He immediately hit the ground, a few feet short of Byakuya's seat, to which even he was a bit surprised. Everyone stared at the scene in pure shock while Mondo struggled against the chains on the ground, anger and confusion mixed together. "What….the hell?"

"While Byakuya deserves a slap to the face, I doubt you'll stop there." Spirit said flatly. "No excessive violence is permitted while I'm around. These chains help enforce that rule."

"You can summon chains?!" Hifumi squealed in shock. Spirit nodded.

"Like I said, many tricks up my sleeves." Their host repeated. "Some of them used to keep the more….temperamental ones, in check. Now Mondo, will you settle down?"

"Like hell!" Mondo roared, still struggling to strangle Byakuya. The heir merely sat stiffly in his chair, with his initial surprise subsided, showed little reaction to Mondo's rage. "I'm gonna fuck him up for what he said!"

"I say let him." Leon muttered angrily. Not only is he calling Chihiro an object, but also him, Sayaka, and Mukuro. And that pissed him off real badly.

Chihiro, however, thought differently. "Stop Mondo, please." Chihiro pleaded weakly, her voice hoarse. "I don't want anyone fighting because of me. So please, calm down."

"Also, remember that everything we're seeing is only happening in the future, bro." Taka reminded him. "We cannot change what happens there."

The biker stood their stiffly, anger clear in his face and posture. But after a moment, he relaxed, causing the chains to retract back into the ground. "Fuck!" Was all he said as he got up, gave a threatening look at the heir before returning to his seat. He seemed to calm down a bit more as he walked pass Chihiro, her pleading eyes doing the work.

Meanwhile, Junko mentally pouted. She would've liked to see that entire thing go down, for multiple reasons.

"You are very….enthusiastic about all of this, are you not?" Celeste inquired.

"How can I not be?" The heir asked rhetorically. "If we don't unmask the culprit, we all die."

"Th-That's true, but…." Makoto protested. "To jump into it so soon…."

"What? Do you want to die?" The heir questioned harshly. "Fine, then go off and die somewhere. Right now, go ahead. You're a waste of space."

That caused Sayaka to let out a growl, her anger towards the affluent progeny increasing. It increased more when she saw the hurt look on Makoto's face. "That. Bastard." She hissed lowly, drawing a concern look from Makoto.

"Sayaka, please don't be bad." The luckster pleaded. "Remember, that this is the future Byakuya talking."

"With his memory wiped." Sayaka pointed out angrily. "Up until the day we all entered Hope's Peak. Which was only months ago." Makoto flinched a little at that.

"I know, but, even if it was only a couple months, I think he's starting to change." Makoto told her, truly believing that. "So please don't get mad at him for this."

Sayaka was silent for a moment before speaking, this time more softly. "Fine." It's only because of Makoto, and his forgiving nature, that she isn't going up there and slapping Byakuya right in the face. It's hard to believe that the Byakuya now used to be so different.

Mondo then spoke up. "A dead body is an….object?" He then started yelling at him. "Chihiro wasn't an 'object'! Show a little respect, or I'll beat some into ya!"

"Everyone stop bickering." Kyoko ordered. "Listen, there's some truth in what Byakuya said."

"K-Kyoko!"

"You actually agree with the jackass?!" Leon exclaimed.

"I don't agree with him on everything." Kyoko reminded him coldly. In fact, she's more than a little angry at what he said to Makoto. "But if we don't find the culprit, we will all die. That's a fact that cannot be ignored."

"Yeah…." Hina said dejectedly. She wonders how her other self is feeling. Pretty bad, she imagine.

The lavender haired girl turned towards Makoto. "If we don't solve the mystery and find the killer, our lives are forfeit. And if Byakuya is right that Genocide Jack is somehow the one killed Chihiro….then unless we do something, more victims could start piling up."

"Forget more victims! If we mess this up, we're all dead meat!" Hifumi exclaimed.

That's when Monokuma appeared. "Hold on, hold on." The bear began. "If that's your worry, you don't gotta worry any longer! In any one killing game, the guilty party may only kill a maximum of two people."

"What….?" Hifumi said, confused. "I don't remember any rule like that."

"Neither do I." Taka agreed. And that is something he would definitely remember!

"He probably just added the rule." Mukuro deduced. "Otherwise, the killing game probably wouldn't last long."

"You think he wants the game to last?" Sakura inquired.

"I would assume so, yes." Mukuro answered, acting like she have as much knowledge as everyone else. "Otherwise, he would've just added every motive all at once. Use that confusion to cause someone to do something rash."

"That's a good point." Kyoko mused. "Plus, there's the added rule." Question is, why though? Is there a reason the mastermind wants the game to last long?

"I just came up with it." Monokuma answered. "I mean, if one person went around and killed everyone, your lovely student life would be all over, right?"

"It would seem that Mukuro was correct." Celeste said. "But why not one, though?"

"The answer would probably be given, soon." Byakuya said, trying to take his mind off of how his future self is acting for right now.

"In that case, why not limit it to one person?" Sakura questioned.

"Well in a good mystery, you don't want to miss out on at least the potential of a serial killer angle!" The bear let out a sinister laugh. "Just one would totally murder that possibility! Farewell for now! I'll catch you guys at the class trial!"

"Does….anyone understand this pyscho's thought process?" Leon groaned.

"I doubt any of us WANTS to understand him." Hina pointed out.

"I can't say I understand his thinking, but if we can kill up to two people….then one more person's life could still be in danger." Celeste said.

"Which is definitely not good." Byakuya stated. "We need to uncover the culprit before something else happens."

"YOU need to shut the fuck up!" Mondo retorted angrily.

"W-Well…." Hina spoke up nervously. "For now, Taka and I are gonna drop Toko off at her room."

"Nice! I'm gonna get dropped off!" With that, Hina and Taka escorted out of the room.

"We have no time to stand around here. We must begin our investigation tout suite." Celeste spoke up. "If we do not solve the mystery of who killed Chihiro, then we will quickly follow her into the afterlife."

'That's true….' Makoto thought to himself. He clenched his hands into fists. 'I hate this, but….if I want to survive….me and everyone else….have to do it. We don't have any other choice!'

"Indeed we don't." Celeste sighed. "And so, our future selves are beginning yet another investigation."

"But, who is the killer this time?" Hifumi asked nervously. "Who would really kill Chihiro, of all people?"

"That is the question we all need to figure out." Kyoko said. "But before we start, someone needs to wake up Toko. Or rather, Genocide Jill."

"No need! I'm here!" With that sudden statement, Jack leapt up from her spot on the ground and landed on her feet, startling some the couple people sitting there.

"Dammit Jill, would you stop doing that?!" Leon exclaimed. "Monokuma is giving us enough heart attacks as it is!"

"Sorry, no can do!" Jill denied. "A famous serial killer such as mwuah must make their dramatic entrance!"

"More like infamous." Hiro muttered.

Jill happily ignored the fortune teller. "So, what did I miss? Did I make my shining introduction yet?"

"Um, I wouldn't call it shining…." The group then began explaining what had happened during her absence.

And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Next up will be the investigation, which will probably one or two chapters by my estimate. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.

A Lucky Soldier: On a side note, it seems I have missed Naegiri week ):. No stories from me for that. Actually, I need to mark this week down so I don't forget it next year x_x. So much to do in so little time... AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH. (Btw, new story from me hopefully coming out next week, if not, definitely before new years!) #Shameless-self-promotion