Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Here, they're going to see Byakuya facing the accusations, as well as find out Chihiro's little secret. Hope I got their reactions accurate. Enjoy.

P.S. Lucky actually finished editing and beta-reading this at the 9th, but for some reason, I didn't receive any notifications on my phone about it being in my docx. Didn't know that he was done until today. So, sorry about that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

Lucky Soldier: Hey readers! This is probably one of the more normal uploads since forever. Enjoy!

Questions:

Q: Will the victims and blackened of each chapter be visited by Makoto each time?
L: I am not sure how Spirit would be handling this, but I suppose only as appropriate.
S: Like Lucky said, only as appropriate. As for Kyoko visiting, I feel like that she would only visit somebody if the betrayal towards Makoto is more on the personal level and, from what I saw, only Sayaka's and Kyoko's were like that.

Q: When will Class 78 show up?
L: You might be misunderstanding something my friend, class 78 are just watching their future on a big screen TV. Technically, they all showed up already :)
S: Did you meant Class 77?

Chapter 37: Watching Ch 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 15

Byakuya stayed silent at the accusation given by Makoto.

"A-Are you saying….Mr. Togami did it?" Hifumi gasped in shock.

Again, the heir stayed silent. "Then the reason he pushed the theory of Genocide Jack being the killer so hard was because he wanted to pin the crime on her!" Celeste deduce.

"So he arranged the scene to disguise it and make it look like I'd put my stamp on it….!" Jill figured out. A heavy blush then hit her. "The adorable glasses man was behind it all?! Ahh, I'm on fire!"

"..." The group slowly inched away from the crazed serial killer, especially Byakuya.

"...Well, Byakuya? What's your response?!" Taka demanded.

"I see…." Byakuya murmured loudly. "So now the suspicion falls on me." He then turned his attention towards Makoto. "Then I must ask….when would you say I began acting suspiciously? Surely you must have an answer…."

"Hmm, looking back and thinking about it now, the way you were acting right before we discovered the body was a little strange…." Makoto mused. "You wanted to go to the girls locker room right away, right? But since you're a guy…."

"I should have naturally thought of the boys locker room first. Is that what you want to say?" Byakuya finished for him. "The victim was Chihiro. A girl. Hence why I said we should check the girls locker room."

"Nothing strange about that, I'd say!" Hifumi stated.

"On the contrary, there's something very strange!" Makoto countered.

"How is it so strange?" Hina asked in confusion.

"There's nothing strange about a guy looking in the girl's locker room." Hifumi stated. "Taking the chance to look in the girl's locker room is a natural action for any guys!"

"Yeah, if they're creepy perverts." Leon shot back.

Ignoring Hifumi, Makoto turned to Hina. "I think future me is going to explain soon. But yeah, thinking about myself as well, I think it's strange too." After all, how could Byakuya know where to look in the first place?

"Okay then, what's so strange about it?" Byakuya asked. "Go ahead, share it with the rest of the class."

"I'll tell you what's so strange about it…." Makoto declared. "Because up until we actually discovered the body, we couldn't have known who the victim was! So your claim that you went to the girls locker room first because Chihiro was the victim doesn't hold up!"

"That is a good point." Celeste agreed. "The only ones who would've known about the body being there is the killer."

"So it really was the asshole that killed her?!" Mondo questioned, looking ready to strangle Togami here and now.

"For now." Sakura said with her eyes closed, still thinking about the situation while Byakuya stayed silent.

"I see….that's a good answer, I must admit." Byakuya conceded. "Interesting. Very interesting, indeed. But your reasoning is still too weak!"

Makoto was taken aback by this. "Huh….?"

"What's wrong? Is that it?" Byakuya questioned. "Surely you've got more than that. Go ahead, show us…."

The others were also surprised by this. "Um, doesn't he realize he's being backed into a corner?" Leon questioned. "He's being weirdly calm about this!"

"That is strange, even for Byakuya." Celeste said in thought.

Makoto frowned. 'What's with Byakuya's attitude….?' He thought to himself. 'It's like….he doesn't even care. I've got him cornered, but he's acting like it has nothing to do with him….!'

"Maybe because it doesn't." Byakuya sighed. "Or, at the very least, wasn't the one who ended Chihiro's life."

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" Mondo demanded. "The only one who could've done is you! None of us here knows about the body arrangement!"

'True. But that doesn't mean he killed her.' Kyoko thought to herself. While she isn't counting him out yet, him setting up the arrangement doesn't necessarily means that he was the one to murder Chihiro. At least, not with the current information so far.

"What's the matter? You're not finished already, are you?" Byakuya taunted. "There must be more to it…."

"Th-There is…." Makoto said, with slightly less confidence. "I think…."

"There is more to it." Kyoko confirmed. "Think about it. We just talked about the difference between this case and past Genocide Jack incidents. The proof you're looking for is hidden there…."

"...Oh?" Byakuya inquired. "Proof that I'm the culprit, you mean?" Kyoko stayed silent at that.

'Oh yeah!' Makoto thought to himself as he watched his other self on the screen trying to piece things together. 'The plug!' But when he thought about the plug, along with Byakuya's behaviour during the entire thing, something felt wrong to him.

The non-stop debate began once again, with Genocide Jack being the first one to speak. "What, the difference between the cases?" She asked. "You want me to explain it again?!"

She then went explaining once again. ""When I want to kill, I use my very own special scissors!" The serial killer stated. "And I use those same scissors to arrange the body!"

"But…..Chihiro was suspended with…." Celeste said in thought. "It was some kind of rope, was it not?"

"That's right! It absolutely was!" Taka confirmed.

"Then there must be something very fishy indeed about that rope…." Hifumi said.

"Hey, Byakuya! Where'd you get it from, huh?" Mondo demanded.

"I've never seen that rope before in my life…." Was the heir's response.

'No, that's wrong!' Makoto thought. The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Actually, I'm pretty sure you have seen it before. Because you see, that rope - or should I say….that extension cord?"

"What?!" Hifumi exclaimed. "An extension cord?!"

Makoto focused his attention on the heir. "Byakuya - you've used the extension cord in the library more than once, haven't you? And the same extension cord that was in the library all this time went missing after the murder! There's no way someone who uses that extension cord as much as you do wouldn't discover that fact!"

"So it's Byakuya who took the cord and used it!" Taka stated. "More evidence that Byakuya is the killer!"

"So, Byakuya really did kill Chihiro?" Hina asked, frowning.

'I'm not sure about that.' Makoto thought to himself. This isn't right. The mistakes Byakuya are making, the evidence he's leaving, those aren't the things Byakuya would do. Despite being arrogant, he is smarter than this.

Which leads to the conclusion that he's doing those things intentionally.

"Then Byakuya must be the one who took the extension cord!" Taka stated. "I can't imagine any other possibility!"

The heir was silent for a moment before speaking once again. "That's really what you think?" He asked. "That your conclusion is something like this….? I killed Chihiro in the girls locker room, then hung her up and wrote that bloody message. I intentionally made it look like Genocide Jack was behind it. Is that about right?"

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with him?" Mondo demanded. "He's backed into a fucking cornered, and the asshole is still completely calm!"

"Despite Byakuya's arrogance, he's not immune from panicking or losing his composure." Sakura said with narrowed eyes.

"So why isn't he panicking?" Junko asked with a 'frown'. It was easy to figure out that he altered the crime scene, but the murder itself was another story.

Makoto was silent to this. 'He's doing it again….' He thought to himself. 'He's totally calm, totally unconcerned. As if he's not even involved….' That's when it struck him. 'Wait….not even involved….?'

"What are you thinking, Makoto?" Mukuro inquired.

Makoto frowned in thought. "I'm….probably thinking that he might not be involved in the murder."

"Huh?" Hifumi said in confusion. "But, wasn't it future you that accused him in the first place?"

"I know, but, the way he's acting, how calm he is, it just doesn't seem right." Makoto said. Like Sakura had said, Byakuya would've panicked like anybody else if backed into a corner.

"What's wrong?" Byakuya questioned. "I asked you if you think that's what happened."

"Hell yes that's what happened!" Mondo quickly spoke up. 'So that's it, right? Byakuya's the killer!"

"I don't disagree with not disagreeing!" Jill stated.

"He kept calling this a game, right?" Taka asked rhetorically. "So he'd totally willing to do something like this to 'win'!"

"No, not when he declared his intention to everyone before the murder." Kyoko disagreed, shaking her head. "Byakuya may be arrogant, but he's no fool."

"True enough." Celeste agreed. "The smart thing would to be to wait until he knows for sure that the others won't accuse him."

"Or wait as everyone else eliminate each other one by one." Mukuro added. "Surviving through the whole game doesn't necessarily mean killing somebody and deceiving everyone else."

"Um, let's stop all this strategizing please." Sayaka pleaded, concerned about where this topic was going.

Makoto was silent through all of this. After a moment, however, he spoke up. "Um, sorry but could we hold on just a second?" He requested. "I….I think we need to talk about this a little more."

"Huh? Do you really need to?" Hiro sighed. "We've already decided who did it."

"Do you want to die?" Celeste questioned incredulously. "Cause it seems that way to me."

"No I don't!"

"Then you need to stop be so quick to decide on who the killer is." Kyoko scolded him, hiding her irritation. In fact, several of her classmates needs to stop that way of thinking. Jumping to conclusions that quickly in their current situation is extremely dangerous, if not fatal.

"I know, but still…." Makoto persisted. "There's something that still bothering me…."

"Is that right? And what, pray tell, is still bothering you?" Byakuya questioned. "I killed her in the girls locker room, then disguised my crime. Specifically, I dressed it up to make look like it was the work of a homicidal psychopath. What about all that 'bothers' you?"

'Wait….' Makoto thought, processing what Byakuya said. 'What was that just now? Something's not right….'

The present Makoto also caught that. 'I almost forgot about that. The possible crime scene switch!'

Makoto then decided to speak up. "You say you killed Chihiro in the girls locker room, right? But are you sure about that? Isn't it possible that the murder took place somewhere else?"

That earned a scoff from the heir. "How disappointing…." He said in disdain. "What kind of question is that? Even in the world of disappointments, this is a true letdown. She was found dead in the girls locker room. There is absolutely no question about that. How could the scene of the crime be anywhere else?"

"Well….I think it's entirely possible that she was killed somewhere else, then carried there later…." Makoto theorized. "...along with the rest of the murder scene."

The last part got everyone's attention. "The rest of the murder scene?" Junko repeated in 'confusion', covering up the fact that she's leading him on to reveal more information. "What the heck are you talking about?"

Kyoko, who quickly caught on beforehand, made the deduction for them. "You're talking about the posters and floor mats being switched, aren't you?" Makoto nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Taka questioned. "What does the posters and mats being switched have to do with anything?"

"I think that question will be answered soon." Mukuro interjected before more people could ask for answers.

"The….rest of the murder scene?" Byakuya said in surprise. He then narrowed his eyes at the lucky student and addressed him. "That was awfully specific. Please tell me you have a reason for saying all of that."

"Wait a minute, was Byakuya taken off-guard?" Leon asked with wide eyes.

"I believe he was." Celeste confirmed, amused by his reaction. "And he was so confident before…."

"Did he not realize the that scene of the crime could've been somewhere else?" Kyoko asked.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Mondo demanded in frustration. "How could Byakuya not know? He's the one who killed Chihiro, isn't he?"

"Considering I don't know, it probably means that I didn't kill her." Byakuya said crisply.

Mondo growled at him, but before he could snap at him, Chihiro grabbed his arm, giving him a silent plead to calm down. Sighing, which sounded more like a growl, he calmed down. Well, as calm as he could be right now.

"I believe I do…." Makoto responded back. 'Hey, Byakuya….did you just….did I take you off-guard?' He asked to himself. 'When the story suddenly moved to the crime scene, Byakuya, who'd been so confident up until now, maybe didn't even realize that the actual scene of the crime could have been somewhere else.'

"Hey, don't just move on without permission!" Taka interjected. "What do you mean she was killed somewhere else?!"

"Come on, Makoto!" Byakuya pushed. "If there's any chance the murder took place somewhere else, let's see the proof!"

Shaking his head out of his thoughts, he begin explaining. "The proof that she was killed somewhere else is….the poster that's hanging in each locker room."

"Your proof….is some posters?" Byakuya asked, baffled.

"The poster in the girls' locker room was…." Taking out his e-Handbook, Makoto showed them the posters. "A picture of a supermodel. But don't you think that kind of strange? Why would the girls locker room have a poster like that?"

"I bet those massive jug of hers were totally fake!" Jill stated, ending the statement with some laughter.

"Hey! I was going to say that!" Junko complained.

That earned a few sighs or facepalms. "Was that comment necessary?" Byakuya groaned, ignoring Junko.

"Of course it was! Nobody else was going to!" Genocide Jill said proudly.

"That because we learned a thing called decency." Leon remarked dryly.

Makoto ignored the serial killer. "Meanwhile, the boys locker room had a poster of the super popular boy band, Tornado. Again, that doesn't really seem to belong in a boys locker room."

"So you're saying that maybe the posters were switched?" Celeste clarified.

"And there's one other thing I noticed about the locker room…." Makoto continued. "You know what I'm talking about, right Sakura?"

"You're referring to my protein coffee, aren't you?" Sakura deduced.

"...Protein coffee?" Hifumi asked in confusion.

"While I was in the girls locker room earlier, I spilled some protein coffee on the carpet." Sakura explained. "But I noticed that after the murder, the stain had been totally scrubbed away."

"The stain on the girls locker room carpet wasn't scrubbed away." Makoto told her, pulling up the picture of the stain. "In fact, I found it on the boys locker room carpet."

"That's….definitely the stain from the protein coffee!" Sakura exclaimed in confirmation.

"Then….does that mean that the carpets were switched, too?" Celeste asked. "But….why would anyone do that?"

"Like Makoto said before, to move the murder scene from one place to another." Mukuro said. "That is possible."

"Not only is it a possibility, but it's most likely true." Kyoko said. "The coffee stain, which Sakura confirm that it was the same stain she spilled, is proof of that."

"But, why would anyone even bother switching the crime scene?" Celeste pointed out. "That seems like an awfully wasted amount of time."

'...Maybe to hide the fact that Chihiro is a boy?' Makoto thought to himself. 'That way, the list of suspects would either point to the girls or anyone?' One thing he's certain of, however, is that if the murder scene has been switched, it was one of the guys that did it.

"To move the murder scene from one locker room to the other." Makoto theorized. "It's certainly plausible, don't you think?"

"What?!" Taka exclaimed in shock.

"In other words, in order to completely swap the scene of the crime, the bloodstain carpet and the posters were moved along with the dead body." Makoto explained. "By doing this, the killer was able to change the entire room where the murder took place."

"I can certainly follow your reasoning, but….why would the culprit bother doing that?" Celeste asked.

"Huh…?" Was Makoto's response to the question.

"Why would they go to all the trouble of switching the scene of the crime?" Celeste inquired. "Actually, an even bigger question….if the murder did take place in the boys locker room, then how did Chihiro get in the boys locker room in the first place?"

"Ah-!" Makoto gasped, eyes wide, realizing the hole in his argument.

"To get into the girls locker room, you have to swipe your e-Handbook across the card reader device." Celeste reminded them. "But Chihiro's handbook should have only allowed her access to the girls locker room. She had no way to get into the boys locker room to begin with."

Several eyes widen at that. "Ah, that's a good point!" Taka realized. "With the card reader, it would make it impossible for her to get in!"

"And she can't get in with Leon's handbook, since it's broken." Kyoko remembered, frowning.

"Then, maybe she hacked into her own handbook and changed it?" Hina suggested. She turn to the programmer, who didn't speak for a while. "What do you think, Chihiro?"

The programmer looked down. "Maybe. If Monokuma didn't add anything to prevent that." She said quietly.

"No, she DID have a way!" Hiro stated in confidence. "And I can tell what it was!"

"I highly doubt that." Was Celeste response.

"Shut up! I'm telling you, I know how she could have done it!" Hiro insisted.

"Why can't you just believe in me for once?" Hiro griped.

That earned an annoyed sigh from Celeste. "To even ask such a question…."

The non-stop debate began once again, with Celeste doing the talking first. "Is it really possible?" Celeste questioned. "Could Chihiro really have gotten into the boys locker room somehow?"

"Ah! I've got it!" Taka spoke in realization. "She must have hacked her e-Handbook! She was the Ultimate Programmer, after all. I'm sure it would've been no problem for her!"

"No, I don't think that's it…." Hiro disagreed. "She used the thing that was in the main hall!"

"Huh? What thing?" Hifumi asked.

"I'm talking about Leon's handbook, of course!" Hiro answered.

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "No, I don't think Chihiro used Leon's handbook."

"Why not?!" Hiro exclaimed.

"Because Leon's handbook was broken." Was the simple answer given.

"Oh! Well then yeah, I guess that'd be pretty impossible, huh?" Hiro said in response.

Some were stunned at how quickly Hiro gave up. "Seriously? You gave up that quickly?" Leon asked in disbelief.

"Hey, I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong." Hiro said with a shrug.

"Probably one of the few good traits about you." Sayaka remarked with an eye roll.

"I am struck silent by how quickly you gave up…" Sakura sighed.

"Plus, isn't there a regulation against using someone else's handbook?" Celeste questioned.

"Actually, the rule states that loaning your handbook is prohibited. It says nothing about borrowing one." Byakuya pointed out. "In other words, you could borrow a dead person's handbook all you want, and you'd be safe."

"Yup, yup, yup! Hit the square nail square on the noggin!" Monokuma confirmed.

"Of course, if it were broken, that wouldn't make any sense anyway…." Byakuya said.

"So then, she must have hacked hers like I said!" Taka stated. "She used her Ultimate Programmer skills and-!"

"Bzzzt!" Monokuma interjected. "You can't fix an e-Handbook. The instant you open one up, a security buzzer starts blaring!"

"Well, that roots out that theory." Hina sighed. "Isn't there any other way to get into the boys locker room?"

"Nothing that I could think of." Sakura sighed. "She can't hack her handbook nor can she use Leon's handbook."

"Does that mean Makoto's theory is wrong?" Junko asked, looking forward to see him wrong for once.

"So it would seem." Celeste said with her own sigh. "There isn't any other way for a girl to enter the boys locker room."

'...No.' Makoto thought to himself. 'It is possible for Chihiro to enter the boys locker room.' Unfortunately, he, Leon, and Mondo are the only ones who knew of Chihiro's secret.

"So if she didn't use Leon's handbook, and she didn't modify her own…." Sakura trailed off.

"...Maybe Mr. Naegi's initial assumption is just….wrong?" Hifumi finished.

"It seems like there's no other way she coulda get into the boys locker room, so I guess so…." Hina sighed.

"Okay then, I vote for Byakuya!" Taka declared.

Byakuya scowled. "Is that it, then? Are they going to vote for me as the culprit?"

"The evidence suggests that you did it, Byakuya!" Taka told him. "There's no going around that!" Mondo nodded in agreement, still looking extremely angry.

Makoto and Leon, meanwhile, frowned, and looked at one another. They both know that Chihiro is a boy, which means that the programmer could easily enter the boys locker room. However, no one else, aside from Mondo and Chihiro herself, knows that, and their future selves doesn't know that either.

They both could see that in order to survive the trial, and find the real culprit, Chihiro's true gender needs to be reveal somehow.

Chihiro, coming to the same conclusion, found herself in a very difficult situation. On one hand, if they don't find out, they could all die but on the other hand….the thought of her friends knowing her secret terrified her.

Makoto was silent through all this. 'Is that it, then?' Makoto asked himself. 'Chihiro was killed in the girls locker room, and Byakuya's the one who did it? Really? But still….I don't know what else I can do….'

"...Hold on a second." Kyoko finally spoke up. "I agree with you, though. I think you're on the right track."

The fact that Kyoko spoke, after so long, caused them to jolt in surprise. "She speaks!" Junko announced dramatically.

"What do you mean, Kyoko?" Taka inquired in confusion. "How could he be in the right track, when it isn't possible for Chihiro to enter the boys locker room?"

"I'm not sure." Kyoko murmured, her eyes narrowed. There's something her future self knows that they don't. What is it?

"What the-? You finally decide to open you mouth, and that's what you've got to say?" Mondo exclaimed. "There's no way she could get in the boys locker room, right?! So-!"

"Why are you so sure she couldn't get in?" Kyoko inquired. "There's still one other way she could have gained access."

"...What?!" Mondo said in shock.

Her words also surprised the others. "What the hell? What do you mean, there's another way?" Mondo demanded. Inwardly, however, realization hit him as the possible way for Chihiro to get in hit his angry addled mind.

'Ooooh, so the detective figured it out!' Junko giggled in her mind. 'Oh, this drama is gonna be entertaining to watch!'

Chihiro, meanwhile, has her eyes wide, terror forming in her heart. She knows. She figured it out.

"What are you talking about?! What other way is there?!" Taka demanded for answers.

"Well, to explain that, why don't we take a little break from the trial?" Kyoko suggested. "I'd like you all to see to come see something."

"Huh?" Hina tilted her head in confusion. "What do she want us to see?"

"It must be something important if she want us to see it for ourselves." Byakuya said, crossing his arms. "But would Monokuma even allow it?"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Just what do you think you're doing?!" Monokuma demanded.

"Don't worry. This'll make the whole trial more exciting." Kyoko reassured. "I'm sure that thought must please you?"

"Huh? It'll make things more exciting?" Monokuma asked, eagerness in his tone. "Well alright then! I declare an official class trial recess!"

"That answers that question." Junko remarked defeatedly. Mentally, she pouted. Curse Kyoko for exploiting her own weakness like that!

Chihiro stiffened even more, the fear and anxiety slowly increasing. Is Kyoko going to reveal her secret to them? Is she going to them her true gender? Though she really hoped it wasn't, it was just a desperate false hope to convince herself to stay composed.

"Huh? For real?" Hina said in shock.

"Now then, what is it you wanna show us?" Monokuma inquired. "It better not be boring, or I'll be very unhappy….!"

"Oh, I have no doubt it'll meet your lofty expectations." Kyoko reassured once again. "Now, shall we go?"

"Ooooh, this is getting interesting!" Jill commented on cheerfully. "Wonder what Miss Sherlock is going to show us!"

"Knowing Kyoko, I know it has to be something important." Makoto said. Inwardly, however, he knows that it's most likely Chihiro's gender that she wants to reveal to them.

The scene switched to the group entering the girls locker room. "...The girls locker room?" Makoto said in surprise.

"We've already searched this place top to bottom!" Taka reminded Kyoko. "What are you trying to pull, missy?!"

"I'd like you to examine the victim's body, one more time." Kyoko requested. "Be sure to examine the entire body very carefully. Take your time."

"Wh-What?!" Chihiro exclaimed, her voice high in fear.

"The hell?!" Mondo cursed, turning to Kyoko. "What do you mean examine the entire body?"

"You mean like….touching her?" Hifumi hesitantly asked, looking very creeped out. Many of the others also looked disturbed by this, even those like Byakuya and Celeste.

"That would be extremely disrespectful!" Taka stated, though his usual passion is a bit diminished.

"I think there's something there that my future self wants the others to see, or feel." Kyoko mused. Her eyes then widen slightly as a possibility occurred to her. Could it be….

"Examine, her….carefully? Like, using our hands?" Hifumi inquired. Immediately, he recoiled in disgust. "Nowaynowaynowaynoway!"

"It's….probably best if I don't run my hands all over a girl's dead body…." Taka said, looking disturbed.

"I-It's not that I'm creeped out or anything. It's just….based on religious grounds, you know….?" Hiro said as an excuse. The look on the other guys' faces says that they aren't doing it either.

Junko huffed. "All of you guys are such wimps!"

"Like any of us would want to touch a dead girl's body!" Leon said in retort. He shuddered. "Even Hifumi has standards."

"...Very well. I'll do it." Sakura said in resignation.

"B-But you're a girl." Hina protested. "You shouldn't have to touch a dead body. Just let one of the boys do it…."

"No, it's okay. I think Chihiro would rather have a girl examine her." Sakura reassured. "So just leave this to me…."

"S-Sakura…."

"What is this, some kind of secret girl-on-girl action?!" Jill inquired eagerly. "Is that what you two are about?!"

"That's not it at all! Stop screwin' around!" Hina denied.

"Seriously, you always think it's like that!" Hina complained, glaring at the serial killer. "We're just friends! Best friends!"

"Denial can only get you so far!"

"It's not denial!"

At this point, Chihiro is shaking, curling herself even tighter. Her eyes are wide with anxiety, fear, and distress. She knew this could this happen, knew that there was a big possibility of her secret being revealed when the investigation started. Despite convincing herself that it may have been something else, she knew this was bound to happen.

Her anxiety wasn't unnoticed by her classmates. "Chihiro? Are you okay?" Sakura asked, concern lacing in her voice.

"Is Cherry really that concerned about being felt up while dead?" Jill commented on casually. "It isn't that big a deal, is it?"

"You, need to shut up!" Leon yelled in her defense as he knew why Chihiro is acting this way.

Mondo, meanwhile, is growling and clenching his fist tightly. Anger is building up at the fact that Chihiro's secret is going to be revealed without her consent.

"Okay, here I go…." Sakura then faced the dead body of Chihiro. "I'm sorry, Chihiro. Please excuse the intrusion…." Putting her hand together in a brief prayer, Sakura began to examine the body carefully.

Chihiro then began hyperventilating. The sight finally caused Mondo to snap. "Stop this!" Mondo roared, startling everyone as he stood. He glared directly at the host of the watching. "Stop this fucking thing right now!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't." Spirit said calmly. "This is one of the many important parts of the future that you all need to see."

"Like hell it is!" Mondo glared at their host. "We don't need to see any of it! It's obvious that it was fucking Togami!"

"This scene might say otherwise." Togami interjected coldly. "There's obviously something here that is important. It would most likely be shown in the trial, so your point is invalid."

"Why you….!" As Mondo stood up to try and pumble either Byakuya or Spirit, Chihiro grabbed his arm.

"M-Mondo, don't." Chihiro pleaded. "We don't have a choice. They need to know, in order to continue."

"But Chihiro-"

"Please Mondo. It's going to be revealed even if we don't watch this scene." Chihiro told him. She then took a deep breath, building up as much courage as she could. "I….I have to be brave. I have to be strong. So please, don't try to hurt anyone."

Mondo stared at the programmer for a long moment before slowly settling down. He clenched his knees angrily as the others stared at the two with mixed caution, confusion, and sympathy.

Chihiro took another deep breath before settling down with a look of determination. Sh-...He have to brave. He had to be strong. If they don't continue, then "it" will happen. And the rest of his friends will die.

"Be sure to check her entire body, and I believe we will solve this particular mystery." Kyoko reminded her.

"Her entire body….? I know you say that, but…." Sakura's eyes widen as she felt a certain area. "What-? This is….what does this m-?" She then let out a roar of outrage and disbelief.

The roar startled several of the others. "W-What the heck?!" Leon exclaimed, still on the defensive on Chihiro's behalf. "What on earth are you feeling?"

"I'm….not sure." Sakura said, also surprised by her counterpart's outburst.

Chihiro flinched at the outburst, but did his best to keep his look of determination. Still, the roar caused to shaking a little once again.

"What is it?!" Makoto asked, startled.

"Not possible….it's not possible!" Sakura said in denial, staring wildly at Chihiro's lifeless form and trembling. "This….this girl is….!"

"Is what?!" Hina demanded.

"...is a boy!" Sakura revealed.

The revelation stunned the entire group. Several eyes widen, mouths were agape, even Kyoko, who had began feeling suspicious, couldn't help but feel at least a bit surprised.

"Wh-Wh- Whaaaaat?!" Sakura roared in disbelief. "Chihiro….is a boy?!"

"She is a He?!" Hifumi squealed in pure shock.

"Wha- I- this got to be a joke, right?" Hiro said, shaking his head in denial. "Right?"

"Sakura wouldn't joke about something like this!" Hina told him, her eyes incredibly wide.

"Then…." Taka looked at Chihiro, clearly rattled. "Chihiro, you're a boy?!"

The programmer, who ducked his head and closed his eyes at the outbursts, hesitantly looked up and nodded. "Y-Yes."

"Eeeeeeek! You're a crossdresser?!" Jill squealed in shock and eagerness. "Now I'm really on fire right now!"

Byakuya and Celeste didn't say anything. Just looked at the boy with shock overriding their faces.

"But, why hide the fact that you're a boy?" Sayaka asked, staring at the newly revealed boy with wide eyes. "Why would you dress up as a girl?"

Chihiro curled up tighter, not ready to reveal that story yet. Before he could say anything, however, Makoto spoke up. "Maybe we can talk about it later, after the trial?"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at Makoto, as well as noticed that Leon wasn't surprised. "You knew about this, didn't you? You and Leon?" She then remembered Mondo's reaction and turned to Mondo. "And you as well, Mondo?"

"All three of you knew?!" Hina questioned in shock.

All three guys nodded in admission. "Chihiro told us a little while ago." Makoto admitted. "He didn't reveal it to everyone yet, so he asked us to keep it a secret."

"I'm surprise you were able to hide it in the first place considering how easy to read you are." Byakuya jabbed at him, taking the opportunity to conceal his recovery from his surprise.

Makoto pouted and took the bait. "Hey! I know how to keep a secret!" He rubbed the back of his head. "While I know I'm not the best liar, I can keep something to myself when I need to."

While Kyoko felt slightly irked that Makoto kept something from her, it was on reasonable grounds. After all, the secret was a personal one.

Chihiro couldn't help but feel extremely anxious at the shocked looks on several of her friends' faces, especially Sakura's. Will they hate her now? Be angry and disgusted at her for dressing up like a girl?

"Ah, I see." Hifumi spoke calmly. "So 'she' was actually a he. Interesting. Thank you for confirming this fact." When the revelation finally finished processing in his mind, he screamed out in shock. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

"...You're joking, right?" Hiro asked blankly.

"I wouldn't joke about this!" Sakura answered.

"Th-Th-Then….Then it's really true?!" Taka exclaimed in shock.

Makoto looked at Chihiro's body with very wide eyes. "Chihiro was….a guy?"

"I'm surprised misses detective or Mr. Pompous figured it out." Junko pointed out.

"I'm….surprised as well." Kyoko admitted. In hindsight, there were several clues that pointed out Chihiro's actual gender. But she dismissed them all due to the boy's shyness.

Plus, she had to admit, Chihiro played a very convincing girl. Maybe one day... she would have to ask him on how to identify such people.

"Hmm?" Monokuma tilted his head at this. "Oh what, you guys didn't know? Heck, I knew right off the bat! Chihiro Fujisaki was totally a guy!"

"Th-Then….he was a cross-dresser?!" Jill squealed. "Now I'm REALLY on fire! I wish I HAD killed him!"

Chihiro suddenly shook in fear from the threat, especially when he saw Genocide Jack looking at him with renewed murderous curiosity.

Fortunately, she wasn't the only one who noticed. "Back off, you murderous psycho!" Mondo growled warningly, holding his arm in front of Chihiro as if to block her from the boy. "You ain't laying a finger on him!"

"If you want to get at Chihiro, you'll have to deal with us first!" Leon backed Mondo up, standing up from his seat and whipping out a metal bat out of nowhere.

Sakura then decided to speak up, shocking Chihiro. "I agree." Sakura said, glaring dangerously at Jill. Though she remained sitting, she was prepared to act at once if Jill tried anything. "If you even attempt to harm her, I will show you no mercy."

Chihiro looked at everyone in surprise, but specifically at Sakura. Why is she defending him? Even after the reveal that he's a boy?

"But, he's an adorable boy! A crossdresser!" Jill whined in defeat. "That kind of thing really makes me on fire!"

"We won't have any of your scissors near him!" Hina declared, also getting up and glaring at her. "So don't even try it!" The serial killer pouted childishly at this.

'Something tells me that Chihiro is going to have bodyguards for a while.' Makoto thought with a sweatdrop. He knew that Genocide Jack would give up as soon as Byakuya orders her to, but the others might not be swayed so easily.

"So that's what Kyoko wanted to show everyone, huh? Interesting…." Monokuma let out his signature laugh. "Yes, that certainly does make things much more exciting! Now let's ride this wave of excitement back to the courtroom and get back to the trial!"

"So, this new information changes a lot of thing." Kyoko mused. "Makoto's initial theory is now very plausible, since Chihiro is a boy."

"Assuming that his handbook registers him as a boy." Celeste pointed out.

That's when Chihiro decided to answer. "Mine does." He admitted. "I couldn't lie to the headmaster so I asked him to keep it a secret."

"And since anyone can get Sayaka's or Junko's handbook, it would be easy to transfer his body from the boys locker room to the girls locker room." Byakuya continued for Celeste.

"That still doesn't mean your innocent, Togami!" Mondo pointed out angrily.

The heir pushed his glasses to his face. "We shall see."

And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Next up should at least finish up the trial. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.