Danganronpa: Hope for the Hopeless/Chapter 1 - Deadly Life

## Story

“Wakuni, get her down!” Yakawa said in a low, no-nonsense tone. He was the one to break the silence that had hung in the air. It seemed like I had be staring for minutes, but I supposed it had only been seconds.

I’m not sure what I was expecting afterwards. I supposed it was for Wakuni to get up to the catwalk. Instead, he just raised his rifle at the rope and fired a single shot that accomplished multiple things. First and foremost, it rung in my ears and made me stagger for a few seconds. The second thing that it did was slice through the rope. The bullet itself was too quick to see but part of the rope snapped under the strain of Naya’s body. Finally, the bullet pierced a glass tile behind the rope on the second floor. I didn’t hear the noise, but I saw the glass shatter and spill outwards.

By the time I had recovered, Yakawa was already wearing gloves and kneeling on the ground checking Naya for any signs of life. I didn’t know whether he determined that she could be saved or not, but he was attempting chest compressions. Meanwhile, Wakuni was standing next to me with his rifle now pointed at what looked like a horrified Koike.

“Please just come down so that we can get this all sorted out.” Wakuni stated politely but in a low tone with an equally menacing glare.

Unsurprisingly, Koike complied with the demand as soon she recovered from the initial shock. She took a ladder down and just about made it when I heard a noise by the entrance. A quick glance told me that it was exactly what I expected. Between the body discovery and the gunshot, everyone had frantically scrambled to come to the garden.

A wide eyed Seno was the first to arrive. He just looked at me and the others before finally zeroing in on Naya’s body. “What happened?! Tell me this isn’t what I think it is!”

Yakawa got up from checking Hitomi, shook his head, sighed, and looked over at Seno wearily. “Somebody killed Naya, recently too, and strung the poor girl up from the balcony.”

“So- we’re to believe that not even you can’t save her?” Shiro stated while simultaneously gagging. From the look on her face, she was resisting the urge to vomit.

“I’m a paramedic, not a miracle worker.” Yakawa said with a growl in his voice. He looked down disdainfully at the body. “You see, first she was stabbed in the heart with an 8-inch kitchen knife. It punctured her Pericardial sac, hit her heart dead center, and likely killed her within seconds. Now, I have treated people with similar injuries but I’ve only succeeded in saving one of them and it wasn’t this extreme either. Besides that, even if I could save her well-”

Yakawa looked down at the head, everyone’s gaze followed up past her neck and what was unmistakably a noose wrapped around it until they found the knife in her head. “After that, the killer lodged the same 8-inch knife in the back of her skull and her brain. More specifically, a region of the brain called the medulla that controls most of her vital functions including her breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate. Finally, she was literally hung from the balcony. During which her cervical cord was severed. It is safe to say she isn’t coming back.”

The reactions were mixed. Some looked away from the body unable to look at it directly while others were fixated on it. I was one of those people. While I couldn't speak for the rest, I knew that the killing game was very real. Yet this was irrefutable proof for anyone who still held out that we could all get along that they were wrong. It proved that this game would get to people and cause at least some of them to murder someone.

Eto came over to where Wakuni was standing and spoke up. I could see tears swelling up in her eyes. “Poor Naya. I didn’t really know her well, but I feel like we could have been friends. But now she really is-”

“Dead!” Monokuma interrupted from out of nowhere. It caught a few people by surprise and startled them, but I wasn’t one of them. As much as a hated to admit it, I was expecting him to show up soon. “Yep, someone finally bit it! I guess I was wrong to question your initiative.”

“This is all your fault.” Wakuni growled. He refused to look at the bear directly or acknowledge it with any respect. “So I take it you’re here to tell us something?”

“Pretty much. Well that and to bask in the nostalgia. It’s been such a long time since I’ve last hosted a class trial.” Monokuma started cheerfully. I clenched my fists but didn’t do anything else. After all, there wasn’t anything else that I could do. “I just wanted to come by in person to say that we will have a class trial in a short amount of time so it’s in all of your interests to look for evidence as to whodunnit.”

“But you’ve already said that. Surely there’s another reason why you’re here.” Saeki reasoned in a cautious tone from the back of the group. Yet both her arms were crossed and it was clear that she was enjoying this just as much as everyone else which was not at all.

“Nope! I’m just here to lighten the mood. Although since you’re here, I might as well give you guys a reward for your troubles.” Monokuma said as he put his right paw up to his chin in thought. It didn’t take him too long to decide what to give us though. “If you all check your ElectroID’s there should be a new tab. If there isn’t, too bad because I don't know how to fix it!”

I scowled. For one thing, I highly doubted that. But I was mostly angry because this killing game had resulted in Naya’s death, will result in at least another death if we successfully find the culprit, and would be even worse if we didn’t. Nevertheless, I did pull out my ElectroID and turn it on. Like Monokuma said, there was a new icon for me to click on. This one had the appearance of a sticky note. I reluctantly tapped on it.

Monokuma File 1:

Subject: Naya Hitomi

Height: 5’7”

Weight: 118 lbs

Blood type: A+

Birthday: September 10th.

Subject was discovered in the greenhouse at 7:33am sharp. The estimated time of death appears to be somewhere between 7:00am and 7:33am. The cause of death appears to be an 8-inch stab wound in the heart. Additionally, the victim was stabbed by an 8-inch object in the back of the head near the top of the spine. Furthermore, the victim has an acute spinal fracture in the middle of the neck.

“Well, I guess I had better leave you guys to search for clues. See you at the class trial!” Monokuma said with the same sadistic glow in his red eye that was there from the first time he introduced the graduation rule. I looked up in time to see him to a backflip into a trap door that subsequently closed and sealed. Once again, we were left speechless.

“I know the proof is in front of us, but I can’t believe she’s really dead.” Sanda said in a glum tone. He had been mildly upset and even panicked before, but this was the saddest I had seen him ever since we met. Not that I could blame him. This was also the first time that somebody had died.

“I don’t blame you for feeling like that.” Yakawa said ruefully but reassuringly. “It usually is hard to process the death of someone. Especially when you aren’t used to it or expecting it. It can often feel surreal.”

“Even so, this is downright terrifying. We’re actually going to have to go through a trial and put our lives in danger. Sama said avoiding eye contact. “It’s so terrible it’s- everyone says this has happened before but this- this is like something out of a bad fanfiction.”

By that point, Senji seemed to have collected himself enough to step forward. “Ladies, gentlemen. I know this is really bad but we still have to deal with the class trial which means we that that bear will execute us if we can’t run a proper investigation.”

The shock slowly died down and Yasui was the first to reply. “Why don’t we start by listening to this four.” He said gesturing towards myself, Koike, Yakawa, and Wakuni. “They were first to arrive so I bet they know something about the case that we don’t.”

“Y-yeah, like who did it maybe.” Seno said as he perked up just a little and raised his head to meet eye contact with us. He looked at us desperately for the answer he sought but when nobody answered, he just took a deep breath and continued. He was obviously disappointed but he was also clearly willing to keep going. “Is there anything that anyone here wants to tell us?”

“There really isn’t too much to say.” Yakawa said flatly. “Wakuni and I were with each other when we came here. We both saw Naya’s body hanging from the catwalk before Wakuni shot through the rope. Oh, and Nishi and Koike were already here so they can vouch for us.”

Wakuni nodded fervently in agreement. “It is all true. Koike was the first here and she was standing on the catwalk so I would ask her what happened if I were you. Oh, and in case you need our alibis. I was with Yakawa all morning. Besides, we all saw each other in the cafeteria.”

*(Except for Naya and Koike-)*

As soon as I thought it, the attention of the others shifted to myself and Koike but mostly the latter. I looked over at Koike nervously. She had more people expecting an answer from her and I imagined that telling them the truth would help her either. Still, I couldn't deny what was already obvious and it wouldn't help the investigation even if I could.

I reluctantly spoke up. “I told Wakuni and Yakawa to come here after breakfast so I could talk to them and I came here after I saw Naya through the glass. I don’t want to say it but Koike was on the catwalk when I came here. I don’t know exactly what she was doing up there but she was messing with the rope used to hang Naya.”

Everyone turned their eyes to Koike for a moment. Surprisingly, nobody had thrown an accusation at her. No doubt they were suspicious though. Even I was pretty suspicious of her since she didn’t have any alibi at the time of murder and she was found at the scene of the crime, but I still wanted get to get all the facts straight before I decided who the culprit was.

“Hold on a sec, did Koike even come to the dining hall during breakfast?” Yasui asked rather unhelpfully at the moment.

Senji defended Koike before she could even open her mouth. “You’re probably looking at this the wrong way. I admit that it is suspicious but we should hear what Koike has to say first.”

“Are you sure about that?” Seno asked with a quick suspicious glance at Koike. “You’ve spent the most time with Koike so bet you think you know her. But it’s completely plausible that she killed Naya Hitomi. Nobody’s even seen her until now.”

“Why don’t we give her a chance to speak. She might know something that we don’t and we really don't want to jump to conclusions do we? Not with such severe consequences for choosing the wrong person.” Tanabe interjected on Koike’s behalf.

Koike shivered and crossed her arms. Then, she took a deep breath and pleaded with us. “First off, I talked to Yasui eleven minutes ago. Second, I know it looks bad but I’m innocent. I was-” She paused and blushed. “Well I was hiding because I was trying to steal one of those triple chocolate bars. It seems so trivial and I’m embarrassed to say it but now but I never would have done it if I had any idea that someone was going to die. I noticed Naya hanging from the catwalk so came to get her down and save her. I swear I didn’t kill her! Nishi, Wakuni, and Yakawa really are innocent as they claim but that doesn’t mean I did it.”

Koike looked around for support but she didn’t get any. Nobody said it, but everyone including Koike herself knew she was the prime suspect of the investigation. Regardless, I tried to remove any biases in my thought though her explanation didn't make it easy. While it was suspicious that she was found on the catwalk and had no alibi for the morning, we needed actual proof that she killed Naya.

I was about to say as much when I noticed a metal box right behind her. It was next to a shovel lying on the ground. I wasn’t exactly the greatest investigator in the world but I would guess that the culprit intended to bury whatever was inside of it. I wasn’t the only one to notice either because Yakawa spoke up.

“This isn’t getting anywhere. We know who has an alibi so why don’t we continue our investigation alright?” Yakawa stated. He seemed calmer but he was still taking deep breaths. “Why don't we start with the thing behind Koike?”

Seno for one nodded then looked at Koike. “Good plan.” He headed forward but stopped as he passed by Koike. “Oh, and Koike, I’m not going to lie. Things don’t look good for you. But we know you’re not the only person here who could have killed her. If you are innocent, you’re going to want to cooperate with us.”

“Let's do that then.” Koike said with a fervent nod of agreement.

In the seconds that followed Wakuni, Sasori, Yakawa, and Seno all approached the object. At least they did until Sasori said something to the others that got them all to take a few steps back and let him look at it himself. If I had to guess, he probably suggested that it could be a trap such as a bomb. Still, he cautiously opened it. And after he thankfully didn’t explode, he showed us all the contents.

Of course, nothing prepared me for what was inside when they opened the container. There were two things inside the container really. The first thing was a full set of clothes that appeared belong to Koike. At least I guessed as much since it was her school uniform. The second thing I noticed was blood. Lots and lots of blood that covered almost all of the surface area of the inside of the container. But the epicenter of it all appeared to be the stains on the clothing. If anyone was willing to give Koike the benefit of the doubt before, they probably wouldn’t now.

Reactions were mixed but they all were understandably all negative. Some were as mild as looking at Koike again but some were more severe such as turning paler which both Shiro and Koike. Likely for their own separate reasons. I myself startled with surprise, but I took a few deep breaths as soon as i recovered and supposed that I should have considered the possibility.

“I hate to say it but that’s a wrap. I don’t see how anyone other than Koike could have gotten a hold of those clothes.” Sasori stated while putting his right hand to the bridge of his nose in what looked to be disappointment.

Koike was already paler than normal but after the accusation from Sasori she started sweating disproportionately to the temperature of the room. “I-I swear I was telling the truth. This is a frame up. I- I would never hurt-”

“You’re the only one with access to that uniform. Besides, Tanabe is probably the one other person ho could even wear clothes that size if he wanted to.” Seno said. He crossed his arms and apparently gave up on his prior notion of a fair trial for Koike. I didn’t think it was a good idea but I couldn’t blame him given the evidence. Tanabe frowned at Seno’s mention of him of course but Seno amended his statement after one glance. “Of course, it isn’t Tanabe’s shirt nor was he found at the scene of the crime. So it couldn’t have actually been him.”

Yakawa was the next to butt in. “First, I want it noted that I personally don’t think she has the upper body strength to do everything the culprit did. But I could be wrong and I need to point out that the blood splatters on the clothes match the injuries that Naya obtained perfectly.”

“No-no it wasn’t me. I told you what happened. I hid from everyone because Senji rationed out those stupid chocolate bars and I wanted to take one without anyone noticing. If I had known a murder was going to happen, I never would have done all of that. And- and I only came here to try and save Naya. I know I can’t prove it, but i’m telling the truth. Please- just believe me for all of our sakes. Or- or at least consider the possibility when you’re searching if you can’t believe me.” Koike said with rather blatant desperation in her tone.

It looked as though the usual people were going to accuse Koike again and refute her. Quite frankly, this was starting to go in circles. However, Saeki interrupted before any of them could say anything else.

“Hey guys, why don’t we look around? I don't know how much time Monokuma has given us and we’ve already spent a wasted a lot of time by all talking to the witnesses.” Saeki said with a frown. I couldn’t tell whether she chose now to say it because she wanted to break up the argument or if she just thought that it was true.

Regardless of Saeki’s reasons, everyone seemed to agree including Machi. At least she did upon one condition. “True but someone has to keep an eye on Koike. She is the prime suspect and we can’t have her interfering with the evidence.”

“I-its fine. I won’t interfere. You’ll all be here to watch so it’s not like-” Koike began. However, somebody cut her off before she could continue.

“I’ll watch her.” Wakuni suggested upon seeing at least four other people dissatisfied with Koike’s response. “For everyone’s safety, including hers, and we can stay out of the way near the cafeteria so that people can focus on the investigation.”

Koike just went wide eyed and protested immediately. “Wait, you can’t do that. If- if everyone is accusing me, I need to be able to defend myself or we’ll all die!”

“No can do Koike. I’m afraid you have to sit this one out.” Sama said while avoiding eye contact. She clearly wasn’t happy about the prospect of accusing Koike but it was clear from her tone that she believed Koike did it. “I don't want to believe you did it, but I do. I do enough to agree that you shouldn’t come anywhere near the evidence. Besides, It’s not like it would help you much anyways with the hole that you dug for yourself.”

“But I already told you it was a set up. You at least have to give me a chance to defend myself.” Koike once again pleaded. Unfortunately for her, the majority did not seem to be very receptive to her protests. A few people looked like they were going to say something but most didn’t. Even those who sided with her either probably didn’t know what to say or had a reason to keep quiet.

Tanabe was not one of those people. Instead, he replied irritatedly. “We aren’t a lynch mob. Koike is right, even though she probably did it, we have to give her a chance to defend herself. Otherwise, what will happen if we’re wrong by some off chance?”

Saeki solemnly refuted Tanabe. “I believe that Wakuni’s right in this case. It’s bad not to let Koike defend herself, but as Wakuni also pointed out, it’s for her own defense just as much as it is for the investigation. I’m not going to call anyone out but I know some people-” Saeki almost avoided looking at Eto but I noticed a quick glance. “Were close to Naya and might try to harm Koike. So the best solution for everyone’s sake is to search fairly for evidence that might convict or acquit Koike. That way, this won’t be a problem.”

Everyone was silent after that. Even the people who might not nearly as opposed to Koike’s possible innocence. Even Koike herself had nothing to say on the matter. Likely because she probably didn’t want to put herself in danger from others. So, everyone just stared at each other for a full minute waiting for someone to speak up.

“Hey Machi, do you want to help me search the catwalk?” Sanda said to try to dissolve the silence. He didn’t sound happy but he didn’t sound as worried as he had before. “I think you might be able to help me figure out a few things.”

“I- guess I have nothing better to do.” Machi played along. She didn’t seem nearly as distant as before but that might have been because of the situation’s urgency. She then turned to speak to all of us. “Just none of you go into the AV room. I wasn’t able to finish uploading all of my recordings from my search last night so I tried to catch up this morning and I really don't want anyone to mess it up.”

After that, Seno mustered up enough courage to address the class with a deep breath and a weary smile. “Alright everyone, let’s disperse. But don’t forget to share any evidence you find. We need to find all the proof we can that Koike did it if we’re all going to vote correctly.”

Aside from Koike’s shudder and a few murmurs from people who believed that Koike might possibly be innocent, Seno’s response was mostly met with nods in agreement and one-by-one. The entire group dispersed. Koike, Wakuni, Saeki, and Senji were the only people to actually leave the greenhouse but everyone else started looking at different parts of the greenhouse. I myself went over to Naya’s corpse but both Yasui and Yakawa were already there.

“Have you found anything new that might be useful in our investigation?” I asked. I looked down at Naya. It was still just as terrible as when I first saw her body but for some reason I couldn’t look away.

“I’m not sure, but I can make a pretty good guess that she was caught by surprise.” Yakawa said. I didn’t look at him but he sounded dead serious. “It’s really complicated and quite frankly, we don’t really have the time for me to explain it to either you or Yasui. Sorry about that.”

There was a brief silence after that before I looked up at Yasui and he spoke. “You made it sound like she died brutally.”

“It does sound like it doesn’t it.” Yakawa said as a statement before shaking his head to answer his own question. “No, all three of her wounds would have killed her pretty quickly. The first, being stabbed in the heart, was the slowest of the three. But she still didn’t suffer for very long if that’s what you are worried about.” Yakawa surmised with a frown of his own. “I know you want to stay but the most immediate problem now is, what are we going to do? I think I will guard the body but you both need to consider how you’re going to prepare for the upcoming trial.”

“Well seeing as the murder weapon looks just like the knives in the kitchen, I’m going to check the there for more clues.” Yasui said as he tore his eyes off of Naya’s body. “You sure you don't want help guarding her body?”

Yakawa smiled at the offer but shook his head. “I can handle myself. I even have a rifle full of blanks with me to scare them off.” Yakawa mumbled something about how Wakuni wasn’t supposed to load his rifle with live rounds but I couldn’t fully understand what he said before he continued talking with us. “Besides, I highly doubt our killer has anything to gain from desecrating her body.”

With that, Yasui left us and headed out of the greenhouse, presumably to head for the kitchen, and I was left to speak with Yakawa. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do to be honest. I’ve never been in this situation before. But- I think i’m going to do my own independent investigation. I’m going to see what everyone knows and help in any way I can.”

Yakawa nodded. “Good plan, I’ll just leave you to it then. And don’t worry about experience Nishi, I doubt anyone here has it.”

“You can rest in piece Naya. Someone will find out who did this to you. I promise.” I thought out loud before turning away from Naya one last time and leaving Yakawa. I meant it too because I was pretty sure that at least one of the smarter people in the class would be able to figure out who killed her and I would do everything in my power to help.

I started my personal quest for answers by looking around the room. Most of the group had left but Tanabe, Seno, Eto, and Sasori had all decided to search the main area of the greenhouse. I decided that it would be best to talk to them first before I searched outside and Sasori was the closest to me out of all of them so I walked over to where he was.

“Any ideas of what might have happened? Who might have killed her or how they went about it?” I asked in the friendliest tone I could muster under the circumstances. I wanted to know who killed her but anything he could provide would be useful.

Unfortunately for me, he just sighed and shook his head. “Nothing here tells us who killed her. And I didn’t find anything suspicious this morning either because I was with Yasui most of the time. I’m just going to go ahead and say that it is a very good thing that you saw the body when you did or we might not have been able to find all of the evidence that we did.”

“Do you know how long you were with Yasui for? It never hurts to get everyone’s alibis in order.” I said choosing to ignore her last comment entirely.

Koike was pretty suspicious of course but there were still several unanswered questions to consider like what Yakawa said about her not having the upper body strength to pull this off. He admitted he could be wrong but something about it nagged me the more I thought about it. It wasn’t the only thing either. I was pretty sure I found something earlier this morning that didn’t add up either but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Regardless, Sasori answered my question calmly enough. “Not all morning but I can account for our whereabouts after 7:25am. I even checked the watch he was wearing so I’m positive of the time. Trying to narrow down the suspects in case we’re wrong?”

“I’m only trying to get all of the facts.” I said with another brief frown.

“Well, I think you should know that I’m not opposed to the possibility that Koike is telling the truth. If you find anything that suggests otherwise, be sure to bring it up during the class trial.” Sasori said. “Oh, and you should probably talk to some of the others. They might be able to help you with what you’re doing.”

“Thank you. That is what i’m going to do.” I said with a nod.

With that, I went on my way to finding the next closest person to talk to. The closest was Eto standing by the entrance of the greenhouse staring blankly out the glass at the hallway. The only explanation for her behavior that I could think of at the time was that the murder took a toll on her but that made enough sense and I approached her regardless.

*(I should probably see if she’s okay after this. She even confessed that she expected this to happen earlier.)*

Before I could say anything, Eto spoke up in a somber tone without even turning around to face me. “I can’t believe Koike of all people would be the person to commit a murder. I hope-” Eto paused. “I can’t believe I’m saying this and don't tell anyone else I said this, but I hope Monokuma strings Koike up with her own entrails.”

“Don’t give the teddy bear ideas Eto. I have the feeling we’d all regret it.” I scolded. But after i finished, I softened my tone. “I’m sorry. I know you seemed to like her.”

“That I did Nishi. That I did.” She began to trail off but quickly regained her focus. “I feel like we could have been friends.” Eto continued finally turning to look glumly at me. She gave her brief signature smile but it was a worn smile. “But at least we caught the culprit red handed right? Oh.”

She gave a quick frown and responded. “Is something wrong? I mean aside from Naya’s death of course.”

“Nothing like that.” She said shaking her head. “I just remembered something that might be useful for the investigation. I don't know why I didn’t think of it before. I must be an idiot. Well, I did a jog around the greenhouse this morning. I’d normally do it outside but the weather prevented me from doing that. Anyways, I did three laps around the greenhouse earlier and met up with Tanabe afterwards. I didn’t see anything in here then and I even came through here on my last one so the murder definitely couldn't have taken place before that.”

“And when was that?” I asked a little more quickly than I would have preferred. No matter who killed Naya, it could prove critical to solving the case.

“Easy, I finished the lap just seven seconds before 7:26am. I know that because I have a nifty little athletic tracker in my room!” She beamed and somehow genuinely smiled for a few seconds before she reverted back to her wearier smile. “I can't say the exact time I met up with Tanabe but it was roughly a minute after I did the three laps.”

I silently acknowledged what she said. If Eto was telling the truth then it pretty much cleared up six of the remaining fifteen students that could have committed the murder. I opened my mouth to respond. I wanted to thank her, to tell her to hang in there, and to tell her that I was sorry to discover Naya’s untimely death. But before I could, someone approached.

“Eto, I hope you’re doing okay. I promise we’re going to find the culprit. None of this will have been in vain.” Seno said in a relatively uplifting tone as he approached from behind me. “I promise everyone except for Koike is going to survive and we’re all going to get out of here.”

“You both seem pretty sure that Koike killed her. The shirt is pretty suspicious of course and I believe it myself but should we really be acting like she’s already been convicted before the trial even begins?” I asked the both of them.

“Yes.” Seno replied in a stern but pained tone. “We might as well just vote right now. It’s already painfully obvious who did it, this investigation is only making everyone feel worse, and we’re only doing it because we need a fair trial. In fact, I came over here in part to thank you Nishi for probably saving us. Who knows what would have happened if she had the time to dispose of the evidence. But thanks to you, this class trial is going to be the easiest to date.”

“Great.” I said flatly. And even though I left the sarcasm out, I was thinking it. “So have you found any actual evidence pertaining to the case?”

“None yet. That’s why it’s such a good thing you caught Koike red-handed.” Seno said with a frown. He did hold up a 500 yen coin for me and Eto to see. “I can prove it to you though. This coin was displayed in my room and I hear that coin flips can be used to decide things. While I don’t normally like to rely on my talent, this is a special occasion right. So what do you say?”

Silence followed after that. I shook my head but Eto bit her lip in thought. Finally, she answered. “I’ve heard of the tradition. How about, ‘heads she’s innocent’, ‘tails and she’s guilty’?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Seno concluded pleasantly enough. He didn’t look too happy with the situation, but he was trying to cope and he was clearly trying to help Eto cope.

He flipped the coin in the air. The object was suspended for a brief moment. But when it came down, Seno caught it and revealed it to all of us. It wasn’t anything that any of us were expected so we all stood silently staring at the coin. Even I believed that Koike was more likely to be the culprit than not but the coin landed on heads in spite of Seno’s talent.

“So does that mean-?” Eto started with clear hesitation in her tone.

Seno shook his head. “Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. Even i’m not completely lucky all the time. How do you think I wound up here? Once in a blue moon I have regular luck. We’ll have to try again to know for sure.”

He did so. He flipped the coin, caught the coin, and showed it for all three of us to see once more. This time however, it landed on tails and Seno appeared to be a lot more sure of himself. Even though it was like someone who had won a costly battle more than anything else.

“That settles that then.” He said. He still didn’t smile however. “If Koike we’re innocent, then both of my coin flips would have told me. But since the second one landed on tails, we can only assume the first one was a fluke.”

“Hey-” I interjected in protest. “We’re not seriously actually going to trust our decision to random luck are we?”

“Well no. It’s just the principle of the thing. You don't need to doubt that we have the right person as the killer.” Seno said in what I thought was an attempt to assure me. “If you want you can keep looking around but you won’t find anything that says otherwise.”

“I think I will keep looking.” I stated and began to head away because I had already spent too much time talking with them. But before I got too far away, I turned around to say goodbye one last time. “Good luck on both of your searches. And Eto, we’re going to get through this.”

They waved and I went on my way. I wanted to check the shed next since it seemed like the perfect place for our killer in question to hide any additional evidence. But first, Tanabe was standing by the shed entrance looking at a part of the shed where there was a fairly pronounced dent in the side. Tanabe was examining it as I walked towards him.

“You see it too?” Tanabe asked as though it wasn’t completely obvious that anyone passing by and paying attention would see it.

“I see it but that isn’t why I’m here. I was actually wondering if you could confirm Eto’s alibi. She doesn’t seem to be taking the murder well and I’d hate for someone to accuse her.” I said with a sincere tone.

Tanabe just smiled at the mention of Eto. “By alibi, you must be talking about her meeting up with me after her jog. Yes I can account for both of our whereabouts during the time of the murder. Which of course would have had to have been after Eto went for her jog.”

“Yeah I’ve heard it already.” I said in agreement.

“So is there anything else I can help you with? I’m glad to, but remember that it’s dangerous to waste time during an investigation.” Tanabe said in a rather warning tone.

“Of course.” I said after a few seconds of silence. “I just wanted to see if you’ve found anything useful that might help me with my investigation. Other than the dent of course.”

“Well, other than the dent. Something bothers me.” Tanabe said. He crossed his arms and stopped just long enough to make me consider asking before he started talking again. “What if she was killed on the catwalk with everything else prepared in advance?”

“Does it make a difference?” I asked wracking my brain to try and understand what he was talking about.

“I mean, well it’s a really long shot, but what if her injuries were self inflicted? We only realistically have Monokuma’s file to go by and it doesn’t explain which injuries she suffered in which order or how long she had to live after each so it’s not impossible. At least, I don’t know that it is impossible. I’m not an expert. It might even be possible in the order Monokuma gave too if she fell over the side after she stabbed herself.” Tanabe suggested cautiously.

(I’m pretty sure the injuries happened in the order that Yakawa said.)

“Do you really think she do that to herself? Especially in such a brutal manner as to make it look like a murder?” I asked as I repressed my own thought for the sake of the argument.

“Well I don’t think she did, that’s why I said it was a long shot. I just want all my bases covered before I vote.” Tanabe said. “But you have to admit that it isn’t impossible. She seemed fairly nervous about the place even before the killing game started. Now combine that with the fact the weather only made her feel worse. And on top of that, some people seem to be more aware of past killing games than others. What if she knew how the killing game was going to turn out and felt there was no way out. Is it impossible that she snapped under the stress and just decided to end it?”

I opened my mouth to say something but then closed it again without saying anything. I wanted to believe that Tanabe was wrong and he probably was wrong. It didn’t even seem like something that Naya would do. But it was always possible that Yakawa was wrong about the order or injuries too and he didn’t say how long any of them would have taken to kill Naya. On top of that, It wasn’t exactly easy to judge how a person can react to stress since it messes with the human mind to make people do drastic things. Some of which could be pretty messy.

“I’ll have to talk to Yakawa about it later because I bet he can clear this up quickly.” I finally said with a sigh.

Tanabe just nodded. “I’m sure he can. Listen, Nishi, it’s probably best that you get on with your investigation. I’m probably wrong so you probably don't want to dwell on it. I for one would hate to mess your deductions up. I just wanted to give Koike a fair trial is all.”

“Well you’re not wrong to consider the possibility. I think it’s better to be careful than to vote for the wrong person.” I said. “Anyways, I guess I’m going to get going then.”

Tanabe just gave me a wave and resumed looking at the dent in the side of the shed. No doubt he was trying to discern whether or not it meant anything important in regards to the murder. I myself had a lot to think about as I mulled over what Naya had done. She probably didn’t kill herself. I felt like I had seen something that had contradicted that. Yet she had been upset about the weather and she had acted weird the night before her death. Particularly when she went into my room and stole one of my recorders.

*(What were you up to Naya?)*

But I didn’t have too much time to consider what she was or was not up to because I was headed to the shed next and the double doors stood in my way. Slowly, I opened the left door and peered inside.

I had to admit that it wasn’t quite what I expected. Aside from the fact that Shiro and Sama were already in the near right corner and the former appeared to be dry heaving of course. The inside was a well lit blue in contrast to the exterior of the shed with the exception of a white concrete floor.

The walls were naturally lined with tools on either side and most of which were on three tier shelves. I also took notice to several cabinets on the far end. The ones on the left seemed to house more tools but the ones on the right seemed to be holding seeds if the labels were correct. However, nothing other than the shovel in the greenhouse appeared to have been used. A camera also hung from the ceiling because of course it did. Finally, the center of the room housed a bright red lift cart. Again, there was nothing special about it in of itself except for two things.

First, there were small sprinkles of dirt on the floor leading up to it. Second, and this explained Shiro’s reaction, there were two massive blood splatters on the lift cart. Just the lift cart. There wasn’t any other part of the shed with so much as a speck of blood.

“Great, because one person interfering with my investigation wasn’t enough apparently.” Sama said sarcastically as she looked between myself and Shiro. From the looks of things, she did in fact appear to have her hands full.

“I’m just going to take a look around.” I said with just a hint of irritation in my voice before proceeding to do exactly that. I scarcely made a few steps when Shiro came apparently mustered up the strength to explain something to me.

“Hey- Nishi- everything is right where is right where it should be- aside from- aside from the shovel missing on the rack and the blood.” Shiro struggled to say. “We both checked. In fact I’ll be leaving momentarily.”

I checked the nearby area just in case and true to Shiro’s word, the only things out of place was an empty spot between two shovels that the shovel that would’ve been used to bury the shirt was supposed to hang from. It was then that I looked at the lift cart itself. I didn’t want to take a closer look but I was willing to bet that neither Shiro nor Sama had taken a good enough look. Besides that, I was pretty sure I could avoid touching the blood at least.

As I stepped up right next to it to get a closer look all the while, I spoke to Sama. “Did you find anything else that I should know about?”

“No, nothing. Just that the shovel was the only thing taken from the shed and that the murder likely took place on top of the lift cart. The lift might have been used as well, but we don’t know for certain.” Sama said while staring blankly at me. I knew she wasn’t upset with me, but she sounded more stressed than most of the other classmates though I supposed Shiro was somewhat to blame for that along with the fact that she had spent time with the main suspect.

“Yeah, I can tell.” I said all while ignoring her stare. It really wouldn't be fair to judge her given the stressful situation anyways. After all, she did have to cope with a lot given the recent turn of events in the killing game.

It was true that the blood splatters did seem to originate near the center back of the lift cart. It was also fairly easy to tell that the blood splatter should have continued to at least a few parts of the shed interior. Finally, I noticed the controls by the front and climbed up onto the platform. Though I was careful to avoid the blood splatters for two reasons. Firstly, to preserve the investigation, and secondly, because I didn’t feel like touching Naya’s blood.

With the blood successfully avoided, I found myself facing the control panel on the vehicle. Namely because I needed to determine how the thing operated, if it was difficult, and anything else that might help in determine who could operate it. Unfortunately, it looked like anyone could operate the thing.

It had a shift to the left of the steering wheel and a pedal in front that allowed it to move forwards, backwards, lock in place and controlled the movement speed the wheel itself was used for turning of course, there was a small switch to change speed, and there were buttons of the wheel to lift and lower the thing. Finally, there were two gauges. One for how fast the lift moved, and one for the lift pressure. All of which were labelled. Overall, there was very little to note.

“Hey Shiro, aside from the blood. Can you tell me anything about this lift that might be good to know?” I asked her. I felt a small twinge of guilt as I did because she evidently wasn’t taking all the blood very well but it the question still needed to be asked.

“Nothing specific. It’s a Rebolt 40N model produced by an independent conglomerate in Japan. It is both cheap and fast once you get the hang of its maximum speed, it even fully extends and retracts in under fifteen seconds, but it’s relatively high maintenance. They are most commonly used in low budget operations that require lifting such as certain small building services. This one is set to maximum speed but I’m actually surprised Koike could operate it like she did.” Shiro surmised from what must have been memory sense she refused to so much as glance at the vehicle.

With that, I stepped down and looked around one more time to determine if there was anything else that needed to be examined. But once more, I my search showed was that everything else was in place. With nothing else to look at, I decided that the best course of action was to leave and continue my search elsewhere.

I did so. I stepped outside of the shed and held the door open for Shiro. “Sama, I’ll see you at the trial. Shiro, are you ready to go?”

Sama just waved before saying something. “Yeah, I’ll see you at the class trial too. Hopefully things get better for us survivors once we get through it.”

Meanwhile, Shiro scoffed but walked through the doorway nonetheless. “You have no idea. This place is getting worse by the second. After Naya’s unfortunate fate. Thanks for the help with the investigation and the door though. So where are you going to look next?”

“Search the catwalk.” I replied closing the door behind myself. “How about you?”

“I think i’ll opt to stay in the greenhouse. A body is always disturbing but otherwise it is the perfect place for me to calm my nerves for the class trial and whatever Koike’s fate will be after.” Shiro said pleasantly enough now that we were in fresh air. “Now good luck on your investigation Nishi. Just please don’t tell anyone what happened to me in the shed. I wish to keep my dignity at least.”

“I don't think anyone would care but I promise I won’t tell anyone.” I said reassuringly. I briefly thought to mention that Sama already knew but decided against it on the off chance that Shiro was willing to kill for her secret.

With that, I headed over to the nearest way onto the catwalk that I could find. The lift was already being investigated so I couldn’t use that it get up onto the catwalk but there was a ladder in the far right corner from where the front entrance to the greenhouse was. I made my way over to it and started climbing.

Of course I climbed the ladder relatively quickly but I had more than enough time to feel increasingly uncertain about Koike’s guilt. I protested on Koike’s behalf earlier because I wanted all of my bases covered but more and more things were starting not to add up. Shiro’s statement about how she shouldn’t have been able to operate the lift at its maximum speed was just icing on the cake. I still leaned towards believing she did it, but I would need a few explanations.

It didn’t take me long to get to the top and get onto the catwalk. When I did, Sanda was waiting for me. “I noticed you coming this way so I thought I would ask if there was anything special that brought you here. If you’re here to help, we shouldn’t have too much trouble finding anything between Machi and myself so you might be more useful helping someone else like Sama.”

“She might be able to help us. We haven’t found anything yet other than the rope and a few cameras hanging around.” Machi said with more than a hint of disdain in her voice. “And we already know that the cameras are for Monokuma to watch us so that leaves the rope.”

“I actually already did talk to Sama. It turns out that everything in the shed is right where it should be except for the shovel that would’ve been used to bury the evidence. More importantly, we believe the murder took place on a stored in there since there are two blood splatters on top of the thing.” I replied.

“Hmm. Well that explains how that explains how Koike got Naya’s body up here.” Sanda said rubbing his chin with his right hand in thought. He forced one of his smiles as though he were trying to cheer himself.

“You don't have to sound so happy about it.” Machi retorted after she evidently noticed Sanda smile at me and misinterpreted it.

Sanda frowned and snapped back to defend himself. “Can’t I be one happy that we’re one step closer to proving that Koike killed Naya? Yes I am upset that Naya’s dead. Do you think I’m happy about it? We can’t control that but we can make sure that fourteen of us survive by the end of the next class trial so I’m trying to focus on that.”

That seemed to shut Machi up because she just bit her lip and turned around to keep searching. I myself looked over at the rope tied around the catwalk. While the rope was split by Wakuni’s bullet, the knot was still there. Not that I recognized it. I imagine that everyone recognized the noose that was around Naya’s neck but the knot used to tie the rope to the catwalk was a different story.

“If it isn’t too much trouble, could you tell me everything you know about the rope?” I asked curiously. Mostly to find new evidence but also to diffuse the situation. As soon as I did, he headed over to where the rope was tied to the railing and I followed.

“There isn’t much to say really.” Sanda surmised as I carefully inspected to rope. “Koike probably got the rope from the storage room. As for the knot, I don’t remember the name of it but I’ve used it in at least a dozen of my more grandiose tricks. It’s meant to be a high bearing knot that reduces the strain on the rope. It’s kind of an obscure knot though. I’m surprised Koike knew about it.”

I nodded silently as I examined the rope a little more carefully. It was a little frayed on the end as if someone really had been tugging at the knot. I took out my ElectroID, took a picture of it, and put it away. The knot didn’t prove anything, but it was the final straw. There were just too many coincidences for me to automatically assume that Koike killed Naya. At the very least, I would want answers since Naya couldn’t have tugged at the knot.

I turned around to ask Sanda another question. “First, I’m beginning to possibly consider that Koike’s telling the truth about this being a frame up. Second, did you find anything else that I should know about other than the rope?”

“But you already proved that she did it between catching her red handed and the bloodstained clothing we found. Didn’t Yakawa say it was a realistic blood splatter?” Sanda challenged all while ignoring my second question.

“He did-” I relented. “It’s hard to say. Right now it’s just a theory and i’ll need to look at all the evidence before I know. That’s actually why I’m here. I’m trying to gather all the evidence I can find. So if you can tell me anything else you’ve found, it would really help.”

“I’ll take it from here.” Machi said behind me apparently having returned from her search. I turned around in time to hear her explanation. “We haven’t found anything else yet. There isn’t even a trail of blood although that is to be expected since the everything is coated in water.”

I looked at the catwalk and nodded everything was in fact saturated as it would have been given the fact that the sprinkler system saturated everything inside the greenhouse in water. And like the ground a story below, the catwalk was still damp from it all. Granted, there was mud tracked on the platform but it didn’t prove anything since Sanda and Machi would both have gotten their shoes muddy walking through the greenhouse to get here.

“It sounds like that’s about it then.” I conceded. “Well, I’d better get going. I’d hate to waste any of our time.”

“You don't need to worry about that Nishi. We’re already probably wasting our time.” Machi grumbled. “Nonetheless, I’m sure you have places to be so good luck.”

“Yeah, good luck.” Sanda butted in.

With that, I was off. I headed down the ladder and back onto the ground. After I was safely on the ground, I headed towards the entrance of the greenhouse. I had already talked to everyone in the greenhouse and found everything here that might be useful in the upcoming class trial. I also doubted that the case was confined solely to the greenhouse so searching nearby might be worthwhile.

I opened the door without the use of my card scanner because apparently it was only needed to gain entrance. As soon as I stepped outside, I shivered for a second. While the hallway was warm, it was much colder than the greenhouse and I realized it as I adjusted to the change. Yet it did provide me an opportunity to look at my next stop, the supply closet. It was pretty close by so the killer likely hid something valuable inside.

I opened the door but I was a bit underwhelmed by what I found or the lack thereof. All the chemicals and other supplies were accounted for on the bottom and middle shelf, the top shelf had all the mats folded together, and the mop and bucket didn’t have anything noteworthy either. I sighed. I was about to leave empty handed when something occurred to me.

*(Wait, last time I checked the mats were facing the opposite direction-)*

I grabbed the entire stack of mats and laid it on the floor of the supply closet to save time. It was all wrapped together into a single fold but surely I unwrapped it unsure if I would find anything at all. My efforts were rewarded with several bloody times inside the tarp along with a few stains on the tarp itself that likely just came from the items.

The first item was a clothes hanger which I recognized immediately as the ones used to hang our clothes here, the second thing I saw was a large clear wrap with blood on only one side of it as well as a few holes large enough to stick an entire arm through, and finally I saw several pieces of duct tape which had much less blood than the sheet but more than the clothes hanger which had none.

I got out my ElectroID and took another picture of the entire pile of evidence. I was pretty sure that at least some of my classmates would want to see this. For the same reason, I left the matt right where it was since there was no point in putting it back only to have more people take it off the rack again to inspect it.

With everything searched and taken care of, I put my ElectroID away and left to the hallway. My next stop would be the kitchen and cafeteria for two reasons. First, because the murder weapon was a kitchen knife so the killer might have messed up and left something there. And second, because Koike said she was going to be in the cafeteria. It wouldn’t hurt to get a more complete account of her side of the story or even to make sure she was alright.

That was when I noticed something on the floor. Well, that was when I noticed Senji taking a picture of something and subsequently noticed the thing of which he was taking a picture. A half-eaten triple chocolate was on the floor. It was insignificant in of itself, but I was pretty sure that Senji found something useful if he was taking a picture of it.

*(Besides, didn’t Koike claim to be eating one of those during the murder?)*

“Do you see it as well Nishi?” Senji asked politely. Nevertheless he sounded a little more urgent. “Koike said she was busy eating one of these when the murder happened. I don’t know if I’m going to go anywhere with this but I find it at least a bit interesting.”

“So you think she might possibly be innocent too?” I asked. I hesitated because I wasn’t quite sure what to think, but I asked nonetheless.

“Think? No Nishi, I know for a fact that she’s innocent.” Senji said as he gave me a quick reassuring smile.

“So you see them too?” I asked. He just nodded as I continued. “I noticed a few inconsistencies in the investigation. Including the fact that she would have to know two different things that she shouldn’t know how to do. But that’s just the start of it. Also, is there a way to send me the picture you took?”

Senji shook his head and put his ElectroID away. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to take a picture for yourself. Though I can explain why Koike is innocent if you promise not to tell anyone until the class trial. I don’t want our killer to come up with a rebuttal.”

I nodded and pulled out my ElectroID. I focused on it instead of him so that I could take a good picture of the possible evidence. Well, evidence was a strong word for it but at the worst I could always delete the picture later.

“You see, there is a sprinkler system that drenches the entire room at 7:30am sharp for at least a minute. Yet Koike was completely dry save for mud that she had on her shoes which means she would have had to gather all the materials, kill Naya, set everything up, and transport Naya onto the catwalk all under four minutes which would be impossible.” Senji just continued normally.

My eyes widened at the realization. I took the picture and looked up at the Super High School Level Butler. Everything that he had said up to now was true. Koike was sweating a little but nowhere near as drenched as she would be if she had been in there when the sprinkler system turned on. There wasn’t a faint chance that Koike was innocent, she had to be innocent. I took the picture, put my ElectroID back in my pocket, and looked back up at him.

“You’re right. I- I suspected that she might be innocent but she would have went out of her way to get caught if she were the killer which I know nobody would do.” I said with the concern evident in my tone. “You know that almost everyone believes she killed her? How are we going to save ourselves?”

Senji sighed and allowed his shoulders to sag. “I know it won’t be easy Nishi but we just have to show everyone else the conclusion we came to. I believe that the class is smart enough to see logic when it’s showed to them.”

“You know it won't be easy.” I warned. “Seno’s pushing for Koike to be the culprit. Even without him, the shirt and her lack of an alibi have a lot of people convinced. Not to mention the fact that the actual culprit will be working against us.”

“That’s why we need to narrow down the pool of suspects as much as we can. Once we find our killer, nailing him or her will be more than enough to save everyone else.” Senji surmised.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and took it all in. I now knew that Koike was almost guaranteed to be innocent. It was sure enough for me to bet my life at least. I also knew that the culprit would be pushing for everyone to condemn Koike so that narrowed it down by a few of us. Finally, I knew that a few of us, including myself in case i’m accused, had alibis assuming they all checked out. I had to admit the Shoda brothers’ alibi’s were a little questionable but nothing worth accusing them over.

Finally, I opened my eyes and asked my next question. “Is there anyone who you suspect killed Naya Hitomi?”

“That’s hard to say.” Senji replied in an almost reluctant tone. “I don't want to say it because I don’t want anyone to jump to conclusions but I have two main theories as to who did it. The first is that one of the three who investigated the shed did it because they panicked but that is just a theory.” Senji emphasized the last part. “It is equally likely that someone is just taking advantage of the situation to make us think that it is one of them in case they can’t frame Koike. So it could realistically be anyone without an alibi.”

There was a brief pause after that that but something came to mind before Senji could leave. “So Senji, would you know where Seno was this morning? Everyone else involved with the incident yesterday has offered an explanation but I don’t think I've asked him yet.”

“That isn’t a problem. Seno claims that he was outside investigating what was left of the shed for evidence when the murder occurred. So far though, I have not had to time to test his claim and determine if he is telling the truth.” Senji said with a smile.

“If that is the case then all I have to do is access his locker and search the men’s changing room for-” I began as I felt a small wave of relief. At the very least, I knew some people were innocent and I was able to save time by getting the answer to my question from Senji at least. Unfortunately, my sentence was cut off by Monokuma jumping up from out of nowhere.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Monokuma chimed in merrily while Senji crossed his arms. “You remember the metal plates on the floor in front of the door? Try to use an ID to get into the wrong area and i’ll mince you!”

“I thought it looked like an electrical plate when I saw it.” Senji remarked cautiously. “So if we use our ElectroID’s to access areas of the opposite gender, do we get shocked?”

“Oh no, It is so much more than a slight shock. More like BZZZT electrocuted to a crisp!” Monokuma raised his arms dramatically as he said that. “You’re heart will blow out! There won’t be anything left of you! It’ll be the closest thing the lodge has ever had to all natural beef!”

Senji and I just stared into space for a moment. I didn’t know what he was doing but I was trying to think of a response. Senji was the first to speak up though it was addressed to me. “It’s okay Nishi, I’ll meet you in the coat room and i’ll take all the pictures you need- and I suppose I will also tell the others about the electric pads so you need not worry about that either.”

“Ooh. Don’t make things too steamy in there if you know what I mean. You still have a class trial to attend you know.” Monokuma stated. I blushed in response, looked at Senji who gave an unamused stare, blushed even more visibly, and looked away from the both of them.

I considered telling Monokuma to go away for a very wide variety of reasons. But I looked at Monokuma and managed to calm down enough to ask him a proper question. “Since you're here, is there anything you’re willing to give us? Evidence? Advice? Mercy perhaps?”

Monokuma, apparently wasn’t having any of it because he just shook his head. “No, no, and heck no! What would be the fun in any of that? This is a genuine do-it-yourself experience. I’m sure you want the full deal.”

“No I don't actually.” I immediately replied without any thought on my part.

“I let you get back to your investigation.” Monokuma said while he blatantly and blissfully ignored me. After that, he jumped up into the air, did his signature backflip, and landed somewhere under the floorboards without a trace.

There was a brief silence that followed but I broke it. “So- I’m going to talk to Koike in the cafeteria and possibly stop by the kitchen but after that, will you be able to help me investigate the coat room area?”

“I may be a few minutes early or late depending on when you get there but yes. I was curious about his alibi until you brought it up. And since two people think it’s worth investigation, it should be.” Senji said pleasantly enough. He still wasn’t smiling like he was before Monokuma showed up however. “See you soon Nishi.”

“See you soon.” I said. With that, I turned towards the kitchen doors away from him and entered the room.

Inside was Yasui just like he said he would be. He personally was keeping an eye on knife rack. I imagine that that was the first place he looked but even if he didn’t realize it, I saw that the 8-inch knife was missing from it.

Yasui seemed to notice me at about that time and know about the rack because he explained it to me as though I didn’t. “I’m pretty sure the 8-inch knife missing from the rack was the murder weapon. I asked Koike but she just kept insisting she was innocent.”

“You never know. You can’t decide before she had a fair trial.” I insisted.

Yasui just nodded but frowned all the while. “I understand. And believe me, I’ll try to help keep Seno in line so that she gets a fair trial. But I wouldn’t hold my breath on her being innocent. You saw everything I saw back in the greenhouse. And she even made herself a last meal. I actually tried to get Senji to help her because I know how much she means to him and he insisted on investigating but that’s beside the point. The point is, if she were innocent, she would be protesting being relegated to this area so she could get out and make her case.”

*(Except she did. Nobody wants to give her the chance.)*

I kept my thought to myself. I didn’t currently have a proper argument and I wouldn’t until I figured out how to explain both pieces of evidence so I kept quiet about it. Of course I could tell him what Senji said, but I decided against that as well.

“So, did you find anything useful around here?” I asked seriously to stress the importance of searching for evidence.

“Nope, nothing.” Yasui shook his head. “I couldn’t find anything but I’m sticking around to make sure nobody messes with the murder weapon. Also, i’m here if either Koike or Wakuni screams for help.”

“Well in that case, can you at least account for Sasori’s whereabouts? He said he was with you and I might as well cross him off the list of potential killers if I can.” I said. I thought about telling him that he would also be helping himself but I decided against it.

“Sorry but no.” Yasui sighed. “We were only with each other between 7:25am and the time you discovered the murder. I don't know if that helps any though.”

I gave him a reassuring smile. “I know it might not seem like much but every little piece I that I can get helps.”

At least I hoped so. I had only ever dealt with one mystery before in my life that I remember and it wasn't exactly a murder mystery like this. Still, I refrained from frowning for Yasui’s sake. I didn’t know whether or not he would be able to see through given his talent, but I tried not to concern him at least.

“Well that’s it I guess. I’m going to keep searching but between you and me, I know Koike is innocent. All I’m asking right now is for you to accept the possibility.” I politely requested. I started to leave but he blocked the way to the cafeteria.

“Don’t worry about that. There’s a lot to worry about but you don't need to add that to it. I told you I would try to make sure she had a fair trial.” Yasui said. With that, he stepped aside. I continued but he resumed talking. This time, he sounded more tired than anything else. “Before you go Nishi, I want to thank you for helping me yesterday. It still- it still troubles me but I really appreciate what everyone did for Me, Machi, and Seno. I promise i’ll repay you.”

I shook my head. “No need. We just wanted to help. You can repay me by helping out if the same ever happens to me.”

With that, I was off. I passed Yasui and bounded towards the cafeteria. When I opened the door, I saw Wakuni sitting on a table with his feet on the stool of one of the chairs. His rifle thankfully was pointed at the ground and he didn’t appear to be troubling Koike aside from a few nervous glances from her. Koike on the other hand, was eating a sandwich just like Yasui said she made.

“Nishi?” Koike started to speak apparently having noticed me. “Nishi, you believe me right? This is a frame up. I don't know how to prove it and it’s not like I can since I’m not allowed near the crime scene but it’s the truth.”

“You can relax Koike, I believe you. Senji also seems to believe you and Yakawa is open to the possibility. Yakawa is guarding the body but the Senji and I are conducting our own searches so we’ll find something.” I tried to reassure her.

Koike visibly relaxed but Wakuni raised an eyebrow when he heard that his brother might believe that Koike is innocent. I looked to him for an answer and he picked up on my queue almost immediately. It wasn’t like there was anything else it could have meant after all.

“Look-” Wakuni began critically. “I’m not an idiot. I know I haven’t seen anything that you found since I left the greenhouse but I think what I did see was pretty conclusive. Besides, I’m pretty sure someone would have let me know if the group found anything that could acquit her.” She looked over to Koike. “I hate to say it and I don't believe you would kill her under other circumstances, but I think you killed Naya and you already know that.”

Koike just drooped solemnly and looked back over to me. There wasn’t much else that I could say that shouldn’t be saved for the Class Trial. Senji did have something to help prove Koike innocent but he made me promise to keep quiet about it so for now, all I could do was try to make sure Koike was alright.

“Are you- okay? Other than the accusations, has anyone given you trouble?” I asked her. I didn’t look at Wakuni because I didn’t want to implicate him, but he would have been the most likely to mistreat her.

“No. Wakuni said he wouldn't allow it and almost everyone who’s checked in on me are people who might believe me.” Koike replied. She paused for half a minute, looked up at me again, and continued. “I know i’ll only make things worse for myself if I leave the area, but is there anything I can do? I hate having my life on the line and not being able to do anything about it.”

I thought about it. I didn’t sit down because I knew I needed to get to the coat room, but I did think of something to ask her and spoke up. “It would help if you gave me a complete account of where you were this morning. And I don’t just mean what you gave us in the greenhouse. I need a full account and the more details you can give me the better.”

Koike sighed, briefly put her hands to her head in frustration and shame, and began. “Well you already know what I told you in the greenhouse but- well I got up early. I can’t remember the time exactly but I know I got dressed and headed towards the kitchen to grab breakfast. I walked to shortest route there and that was when I met Yasui in front of the AV room at I think 7:22. He was eating one of the triple chocolate bars but we both knew that Senji was rationing them so I asked him how he got it. He reluctantly told me where they were hidden and demanded that I not tell anyone about the place in return.”

“If you are telling the truth, it means you were pretty unfortunate.” Wakuni said in a rather skeptical tone. While I knew he was wrong, I couldn’t blame him. It was a very bad streak of luck to say the least.

“I know It’s ridiculous but it’s also true.” Koike defended. “I doubt either of us would have done what we did if we knew about the impending murder. Anyways, I thought it would be an easy snatch and grab so I snuck in there. I mean, everyone I've talked to has had a chance to try them but me and I really wanted to. Regardless, It still took me a while to find it without being sighted, but I found it. I was looking for a place to hide when I saw Naya. That was when I rushed into the greenhouse and climbed the ladder to try and get Naya down so I could save her but- but I didn’t know she was too far gone. That’s when you came Nishi-”

Koike gripped her plate a little tighter and I could tell that reliving the events wasn’t making her feel any better. But I already had what I needed and she already told me so all I could do was try to reassure her and get back with my search.

I nodded. “Koike, you didn’t do anything wrong and there was nothing you could have done. But I promise that we’re going to find out did this and-” I looked over at Wakuni. “Show everyone that you’re innocent.” I looked back at her. “And i’m going to do everything I can to help.”

“You already are.” Koike said with a sigh. She didn’t look too happy but she seemed relieved enough that at least a few people believed her.

“I think I had better get going if I’m going to prove you innocent. I wish I could stay but we all have an impending class trial.” I reluctantly said.

“Tell me about it.” Koike said bitterly. She looked over to Wakuni and even he looked irritated by the prospect of a trial. Koike then continued. She sounded a little more optimistic but it was clear she was just trying to brace herself. “You go ahead. We need everything we can get and I’ll do everything I can from here. Even if all I can do is try to convince passerbys. Goodbye Nishi.”

With that, I left out the front of the cafeteria, made my way past the AV room, down the stairs, and rounded the dorm area until I reached the coat rooms. However, Senji wasn’t there when I went inside. I looked around but I couldn’t find him.

*(I suppose that’s only fair. We can’t be expected to arrive at the exact same time.)*

I waited for a few minutes doing nothing of course but I noticed that Seno’s locker had been disturbed. It was closed but it did not appear to be locked so that meant that Senji was somewhere around here. Regardless, I opened Seno’s locker door while I waited for Senji. Inside was his coat clothes of course. The boots were wet and there was a puddle on the bottom but everything else was dry. Also, there was soot all over the inside of the locker.

“I see you’ve found Seno’s locker. I’ve searched the men’s changing room like you asked and I have pictures for you.” Senji said calmly. I jerked around and closed the door all the while considering how easily people have snuck up on me in the past. Senji meanwhile, pulled out his ElectroID and handed it to me to show me a few pictures.

It wasn’t too much different than the women’s room. The men’s changing room had the same layout but it was a mirror opposite and everything that was pink in the women’s changing room was light blue in the men’s changing room. The only difference that I noted as I flipped through them was that there were five white towels. Finally, I came across the last picture and it showed the inside of Seno’s locker like I had seen a few seconds ago.

“So how did you get Seno’s ElectroID?” I asked Senji with a curious tone. “I doubt he would just hand the things over to you.”

“You would be surprised. I mentioned that someone might question his statement of where he was at the time of the murder and he happily lent it to me. I’ll be returning it once we’re done here However.” Senji added. All the while he took his own ElectroID back, pocketed it, pulled Seno’s ID out, and used it to lock Seno’s locker.

“I hope you found something of value because I have a favor to ask of you. I need you to do the same for me and show me the women’s changing room. For the investigation of course.” Senji Added.

I nodded to his question and in agreement. “I guess that’s only fair. I think I found something interesting but I’m not sure about it yet. I’ll still help you regardless though so wait out here and I’ll take those pictures.”

I did the same thing Senji did. Specifically, I slid my ElectroID through the red reader at the entrance to the women’s changing room. All the while, I couldn't help but glance down at the metal place on which I was standing. Nothing became of it but I my pulse picked up just a little from the danger the entire time.

When it did open, I went inside and took pictures of the same things of which Senji took pictures. I took one of the room as a whole again. There wasn’t anything special there. After that, I took ones of the changing areas. Apart from mirrors on the far side of them and benches on the sides nearest to the entrance, there wasn’t anything new there either. I took one of the inside of the emergency shower as well. Once again, nothing special. Just a shower head, a lever that only appeared to have high pressure cold water, a rack, and a door to the farthest changing area. Finally, I took one of where the towels were. There were three white towels hung there. It took me a second to realize the implication of it.

*(Wait, three?!)*

I just stared at it wondering how it was even possible. Yet it was the truth. There were only three white towels hung up. It took me a half a minute to shake my head and head towards the door. I had no doubt in my mind that Senji was going to want to see this.

Eventually, I managed to look away from my ElectroID and make my way out of the area, but I still held it in my hand. And as the door closed behind, I turned it on and handed in over to Senji who was patiently standing there outside for me. I wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there, but he didn’t look like he thought I took too long at least.

“I take it you found something?” Senji said politely as he took the ElectroID from my hand and went through the evidence I had found. I carefully looked to make sure he didn’t accidentally delete anything. Fortunately he didn’t and eventually, he handed the thing right back over to me. “Good find Nishi. You were right about something being off here.”

“I literally couldn't have done it without you. Not without being electrocuted at least.” I asked while I took my ElectroID back.

Senji frowned. “Even so, I think this will help my investigation Nishi. Who knows, it might have allowed me to identify the culprit.” Senji stopped before being prompted by my curious stare. “I can’t tell you who it is right now. I’m still need to determine a few facts about the case.”

“That is a shame.” I said as I took a deep breath and sighed. “You’re the only other person I’ve met who is certain that Koike is innocent and quite frankly, one of the best chances of finding out who really killed Naya.”

“I suppose that is true. I am one of the best chances since I’m one of the few people who believe that Koike is innocent but it's a team effort. You never know who will crack the case.” Senji said. “It could just as easily be you.”

In spite of everything, I smirked and shook my head. “No. There’s no way I could figure out who killed Naya. If it’s up to me to find out who did it then we’re all dead. Except for the blackened.” I stopped talking for a second but thought of something important to add. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure I could solve it if I had enough practice but this is the first time I have ever been involved with a murder mystery in real life or fiction.”

Senji just crossed his arms. I could tell my explanation didn’t please him. “Even if that is how you feel, you have already helped with my investigation. And I will be counting on you to provide support during the class trial. At least until we prove Koike innocent.”

I nodded since that was only fair. “I’m still going to try of course. If I find out who did it by some miracle, you all will know.”

“Oh I know Nishi.” Senji replied. He uncrossed his arms and looked over at the door. “Well, it has been a pleasure investigating with you Nishi but I’m afraid I have to return Seno’s ID and resume my search. I’ll see you at the class trial.” Senji started to head away but as he opened the door, he turned around to face you. “Nishi, you should not go around selling yourself short. From my observation, that has only brought turmoil. I know you believe that we can do this, but you need to believe that you can do this or you will not be able to contribute.”

I nodded again but I wasn’t sure if Senji saw it because he left for the hallway soon after he spoke and the door closed behind him. I was left to think about what he said for myself and consider what I wanted to do next.

In the end, I didn’t think too much about what Senji had told me but I did figure out my next few steps. I was going to find Saeki wherever she was, ask her if she found anything useful, fill Koike in on everything I knew except for what Senji asked me not to, and do another round trip to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

I bounded out the door and into the hallways of the dorm area. I had no idea where Saeki was exactly. But since she was in charge of the incinerator room during the time of the murder, I figured it would be a good place to start. Even if she wasn’t there, the culprit might have tried to burn something there anyways so it was worth a look anyways.

I made my way around the corners of the square area that was our dorm halls. Likewise, I made my way up the stairs and to the front room without a hitch. But when I found myself in front of the AV room, I started to get second thoughts on whether or not the incinerator room would be the next place I should search.

*(I wonder what kind of progress we’ve made towards escaping this game.)*

I slowly looked over at the AV room knowing full well that I would get to the incinerator room when I was finished looking in there. Sure Machi had told us not to go in there and mess with her stuff but I needed to know how close we were to actually getting out of this nightmare of a lodge. It would certainly help calm my nerves to have some good news like knowing that fourteen of us could possibly get out alive if the spotless won the class trial.

Of course I considered Machi and respecting her wish for nobody to interfere with her private investigation but ultimately, I decided in favor of going in and seeing just what she had been up to. Besides that, I wasn’t going to touch anything so it wasn’t like I was going to cause any problems.

After I had fully convinced myself to go inside, I slowly opened the door so I didn’t accidentally hit anything that Machi may have placed near the entrance. It turned out that there wasn’t anything placed near the entrance fortunately and I stepped inside without a hitch as the door closed behind me. It appeared as though Machi didn’t need to change much of the AV room because all I saw of note was a drone hooked up to a charger cable and another cable that connected to the screen in the back. If I had to guess, it was uploading footage somewhere because I could see images from a drone’s flight displayed on the screen.

I pulled out my ElectroID and took a few pictures. The skies were clear in the image but what I saw wasn’t exactly comforting. The mountain was vast according to the video with no sign of an end. Of course there was an end, but this drone clearly had a limited range as I could tell from the heads up display. In the bottom right corner was an arrow pointing in the direction of what might have been the lodge with a distance marker right above it and to the left of that was the battery which was only at 18%. That was all bad enough but the temperature readings were in the bottom left corner and they were mostly in the single digits.

I forced myself to look away from the video, put my ElectroID up, and headed out of the AV room. Behind me, the door shut a little harder than I intended for it to. I was hoping for some semblance of good news but our search had barely even started meaning we weren’t going anywhere soon. It also meant of course, that Monokuma had plenty of time to incite more murders once this one had been dealt if. If this one is dealt with.

*(No wonder Machi didn’t want us looking in the AV room.)*

I sighed and shuddered a little but I took a few deep breaths. I knew it was bad news, but I also knew that I had to focus on the present situation before I could try anything and that meant getting through the next class trial. Luckily enough, going to the incinerator room would be the perfect distraction so I headed that way immediately.

I made it to the incinerator room without any trouble. I didn't even need to swipe the card reader because Saeki noticed me and opened the door from the inside. Before I knew it, I was cringing and reluctantly stepping into the room while Saeki was looking out into the hallway and shutting the door behind me.

“So you think our killer might have thrown something away too?” Saeki asked confidently when all was said and done. Apparently, her mood had improved in her time away from the group but she still looked around diligently. “And watch your step. There is a bit more garbage backed up than usual. I’ve had to put my incinerator duty on hold for a day or two i’m afraid.”

I looked down, then back at the incinerator, then back at her. She was telling the truth. The incinerator wasn’t crowded but there had been much more trash than the first time I had come to see the incinerator room.

“Definitely noted.” I said. “And yes, I think our killer might have thrown something away.”

“Something that might prove themselves to be the killer or prove Koike innocent?” Saeki suggested. She seemed to perk up to listen to my answer. The answer was already obvious but the fact that Saeki said it showed that she was open to more possibilities concerning the case than most who had been investigating. Namely Seno.

I just stopped and scratched my head. “How did you know that Koike is innocent? I’ve been trying to prove it to others for a while now.”

Saeki gave a weary knowing smile. “Well I don't blame you for not knowing. I believe that Koike is innocent for the same reason that I’m here right now. I found something some time ago that implicates someone else and I’ve come back to see if I missed anything.”

“Really, what did you find?” I said a little too eagerly and loudly. For a moment, I allowed myself to hope that the upcoming trial would be easier than I thought.

Saeki just shook her head. “I’m not going to tell anyone until the class trial when the time comes. What I’ve found isn’t decisive evidence but it might be enough to sway everyone’s opinions so I don't want to risk the bias until we’ve heard other theories at the class trial.”

“If you show me, I promise that won’t let it influence my investigation. After all, i’m not letting anything Seno found at the greenhouse to affect me.” I said. “I mean, i’m taking it into consideration but it’s not driving my search.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t Nishi. But no, I don’t think I should show you early either. What I found is-” Saeki looked away and stopped as if at a loss for words but she looked back at me within seconds. “Well what I've found is unfortunate to put mildly. I’m afraid I only want to say it once and that will be to the whole group. But try not to worry Nishi, I have the utmost confidence that the two of us can help Koike prove her innocence.”

“Four of us. Yakawa is willing to believe that she’s innocent so we might be able to sway him early on and Senji believes without a doubt that Koike didn’t kill Naya.” I argued.

Saeki just hummed in amusement. Even if it wasn’t as joyful as it would have been in other circumstances. “Yes Senji did look like he knew what he was doing when I past him by to come here.”

“Will you at least tell me who you think did it?” I begged. I wasn’t desperate to hear what she had to say but any piece of evidence was worth looking into. Saeki opened her mouth to say something but before she could, an all-too familiar jingle played.

Ding dong, bing bong.

“Attention all students, our first Class Trial is about to commence! If I may remind you, attendance is mandatory for all remaining students! You have five minutes to finish what you are doing and begin congregating at the elevator.” Monokuma said over the speakers. “Oh, and I almost forgot. For those who may not know, I’m talking about the elevator on the side of the AV room. If you get lost, hollar and I’ll take you there!”

I just stood there taken aback while Saeki started to open the door. “But I didn’t even get a chance to search this room.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Saeki said sternly as she stopped and turned around to look at me. “I did a thorough search of the place. A little too thorough if you ask me. But I found everything there was to find here.”

I followed her out of the room and past by her as the closed the door. I looked back at the place through the window. It was just a passing glance, but Seaki seemed to notice because she responded to my action.

“Now Nishi, I told you I found everything in there and you can believe that I have no intention of dying.” Saeki warned. “I trust you’re capabilities but now you need to do the same. Unless you’d rather add that to your problems in the upcoming class trial.”

“I- no I don’t” I admitted and looked away. “Do you know where this elevator Monokuma is talking about is? I really really don’t want to summon him.”

“Of course I do. Just follow me and we’ll get there in plenty of time. I’ve never been late before and I’m not going to start now.” Saeki chimed in apparently choosing to ignore both my disappointment and resignation towards the fake headmaster.

Nonetheless, I followed Saeki to our destination. We went down the hall, up the half-flight of stairs, past the hall with the mirror, and turned left at the nearest path past the AV room. This time, I was in the pass east of the AV room and it was there that I saw white double doors.

“Is this it?” I asked Saeki.

Instead of replying, she responded by opening one of the doors. Sure enough, the room was a dark grey metal room with a caged elevator in the back that was suspended over a drop that went on for who knew how long. Inside said elevator was most of the class. Machi, Shiro, Sama, Eto, Sanda, Senji, Yakawa, Yasui, Seno, Sasori, and Tanabe. All of which looked apprehensive in one form or another. Soon after, we joined them.

“Well that makes thirteen of us but where are Koike and Wakuni?” Machi asked blankly as if someone might have known. To be fair, it was possible that Saeki or I might have known but the truth was that we didn’t know where they were.

“He’s probably busy trying to drag Koike here kicking and screaming.” Seno said. He sounded confident but he frowned at the same time. “Don’t worry, i’m sure he’ll come before he runs out of time.”

“I highly doubt that that is the case.” Yakawa chimed in. “First off, my brother is the physically strongest person here. He could easily have brought her here without much of a struggle. Second, i’m pretty sure it would hurt Koike’s case if she did that.”

True to Wakuni’s assessment, both of them came through the door just moments later and Wakuni was not dragging Koike. He didn’t seem to be coercing Koike in any way either. However, I did notice that the rifle from earlier was absent and Koike was panting.

“Sorry we were almost late. We didn’t know where the trial room was so it took a little bit of searching. Wakuni had to put his gun back in his room.” Koike said in between breaths.

Seno looked like he was about to say something, but Monokuma popped up out of nowhere and beat him to the punch. “It looks like everybody made it! We will be leaving soon but before we begin-” Monokuma turned to speak to Wakuni directly. “I wanted you to know that you’re are going to pay for what you did to that glass in the greenhouse.”

“Monokuma, is that necessary.” I asked. My heart skipped a beat from his announcement considering how he deals with trouble. I looked around to see if anyone else felt the same and they all did. Yakawa had it the worst of all though because he looked much paler than before.

“It is absolutely necessary Nishi. This lodge was a gift and I won’t have people damage it without some form of reparation!” Monokuma said rather vehemently.

“So, when you say pay- you mean-” Wakuni started only to be interrupted.

“By pay, I mean pay. Yen, Dough, Cheddar, Grease, Money, Credit, that window ain’t gonna pay for itself!” Monokuma went on. Everyone visibly relaxed. “You’re lucky i’ll take any type of money. I pride myself in my flexibility you know. I’ll talk to you about it after the class trial.”

With that, the last two people, Koike and Wakuni, stepped into the elevator that would take us down to wherever this trial room was located. Wakuni just headed over to Yakawa relieved but Koike reluctantly stepped on. She was trembling, not enough to tell without careful observation, but it was happening.

“Koike, you might as well confess now.” Seno said as she stepped into the elevator. He almost sounded like he pitied her. “You can spare everyone a lot of pain if you do. Yourself included you know. Do you really want to drag the trial on knowing what the outcome will be?”

“Guys, I really didn’t kill her.” Koike said as though she were barely keeping herself together.

“Try to lay off her a bit guys. She already knows she’s the prime suspect and she doesn’t have to confess if she doesn’t want to.” Wakuni said. Despite suspecting her himself, he wasn’t quite willing to throw her to the wolves.

“The evidence you saw with us alone is enough to incriminate her.” Sasori chimed in response to Wakuni. “I realize that she wasn’t allowed to search the place but that doesn’t change the fact that everything we saw points to her.”

“I don't want to be that person but if you are innocent, you can at least give us some reason to believe you. Contrary to what you might think, saying you are innocent over and over again isn’t going to cut it.” Sama said directly to Koike while ignoring the other altogether. She rolled her eyes at the last part, but the gesture also seemed to have lost most of its sarcastic edge and instead seemed a bit pained.

“But it’s like Sasori said.” Yakawa said taking a stand by Koike. “You didn’t give her a chance to look around. How could she possibly even begin to find something that could prove her innocence when she is confined to the cafeteria under close watch?”

“Besides that, not everyone agrees that Koike is the culprit. We should conduct a fair trial and come to a consensus instead of forming this lynch mob.” Saeki said as she also joined Koike’s side. Tanabe nodded in agreement but stayed on Seno’s side of the elevator. It was then that I noticed a rift between the two groups.

Senji, unsurprisingly, chose to join the other two in defending Koike. “I for one have no doubt in my mind that Koike is innocent. And by the end of this trial, every last one of you will know that Koike didn’t kill Naya. Isn’t that right Nishi?”

It was then that all eyes were on me and I realized that I was the only person who hadn’t formally taken a stance on the whole, is Koike innocent debate. Of course I knew the right answer and I was about to join Koike when Monokuma interrupted.

“This is exciting and everything but save it for the class trial.” Monokuma asserted. “Aside from that, the elevator is ready, we will be heading to the class trial shortly.”

With that, the teddy bear disappeared over the side of the elevator cage and fell to who knows where. I was going to make a lighthearted remark about the odds that he destroyed himself but I decided against it. Instead, I silently took my place next to Senji.

Finally, the elevator whirled to life and began to descend with the clatter of cables into a dark shaft. Sending us to the trial room and possibly our deaths. I took one pleading glance at the others before it became too dark to recognize their faces. I couldn't help but feel my pulse pick up soon after. We would have to find the real culprit and convince at least three of them of who really killed Naya. I didn’t know if we could do it, but I knew that one thing was for certain.

*(Our first Class Trial is about to begin.)*