Kaede stared at Hiro's corpse in mute horror, not even realizing a streak of blood had splashed against her cheek. Everyone else was just as deathly silent: Hiro's violent end had stunned practically everybody. And much like her, it seemed the others had also been caught in the splash zone. The members of the Staff had it the worst though: she could see that all three of them were drenched in Hiro's blood and viscera.

It was ultimately Miu who broke the petrified silence that had enveloped the room, as she gave a sudden, shrill scream. That seemed to set off everyone else, as cries of alarm and horror filled the room. Kaede herself clutched a hand to her mouth, before doubling over, suddenly and abruptly vomiting the contents of her stomach onto the floor.

"O-oh god, he actually..." Sayaka gasped out, fighting back bile.

"Well, that's a shame," Nagito said calmly, flicking off a piece of gore from his face. "His hope was fleeting, and he gave into despair. Now he has become a stepping stone for all of you to overcome! Isn't this amazing?"

"Ibuki thinks you're not right in the head..." she sputtered, wiping her face.

"What are we supposed to do now?!" Chihiro cried, tears streaming down his face.

"Pop goes the weasel!" Usami cackled, shaking in delight as she laughed. "Poor, unfortunate Hiro...guess he just couldn't stand the pressure, fufufu!"

"Oh god..." Kaede groaned aloud, clutching at her stomach as she struggled to recover. She felt her body give a few dry heaves, but nothing came out thankfully.

"Eh, you're all a bunch a pansy cucks! But...I guess we're not getting anywhere while you're like this. Take five, everybody! It's intermission time!" Usami declared after a moment.

A moment later, the sound of a ringing bell echoed through the room, and duplicates of Usami started streaming into the room. One ran up to Usami Prime, apparently doing her 'makeup', while a few offered hand towels to the Staff, for the good it would do. And a few others started cleaning up the blood, gore and vomit, dragging away Hiro's body in the process.

As the students numbly watched the Usami clones clean up, a few mulled around, giving hushed whispers and having quiet conversations with one another.

Mondo was silently standing off to the side, a blank expression on his face. However, he was sneaking furious glances over at an equally lonely Nagito, as nobody was within 20 feet of the lucky student.

Sayaka was comforting a crying Chihiro, having given him a towel to wipe his eyes with. Meanwhile, Teruteru, Ibuki, and Mikan were all talking, the musician trying to comfort her two friends. And Sonia was showing Rantaro Mukuro's knife.

Kaede was snapped out of her musings as Tsumugi approached her, the cosplayer giving her a tired look.

"Hey, how are you holding up Kaede?" she asked.

"Well, I just watched a man die right in front of me, I threw up my breakfast, and we're still no closer to finding out who killed Shuichi. So I'm doing just peachy," Kaede snapped in reply, grimacing as she hugged her shoulders. She paused immediately afterward, before giving a small sigh. "Sorry. That was uncalled for. I'm just...god, this is all so fucked up."

"No, it's alright. You have every right to feel that way." Tsumugi replied, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Ever since we found Shuichi dead, my one thought has been on making sure his killer pays. But... after Mondo's revelation, and Hiro's death, I'm second guessing myself. What if his killer was manipulated by Nagito too?"

"It's possible. I doubt we'll get a straight answer out of Nagito either way," Kaede stated, briefly glaring at the white-haired boy. "All we can do now is try and follow the evidence. If I could just figure out the password to these videos, I'm sure we could break the case wide open...but I'm drawing a blank. Any ideas, Mugi?"

"No, none. And that upsets me because I feel like it should be something we know. After all, he was smart, I'm sure he at least accounted for his death a little bit, right?" The cosplayer cried out in annoyance, grabbing her head and shaking it. "I dunno, maybe I'm overthinking it..."

"Well, maybe if we're lucky, we'll come up with something during the trial. Or Byakuya might finally be allowed to read the letter he found: maybe there's a clue there?" Kaede suggested, offering Tsumugi a weak smile.

"Okay people! Intermission is over! We're back on schedule! Let's get this party moving!" Usami announced seconds later. Her clones all started rushing out of the room after that, and at her direction, they all went back to their podiums. One last clone stayed behind, seeming to count down before nodding at Usami Prime.

"And we're live! Time to get back to more thrills, chills, and kills! You've managed to figure out who killed Hifumi Yamada...but can you do the same for dear Shuichi?" Usami questioned as she maliciously chortled.

An oppressed silence was the only reply Usami received. Everyone present seemed traumatized and shaken by Yasuhiro's violent, bloody death.

"Well? Are we just gonna stand here holding our dicks all day, or are we gonna get something done here?" Akane finally interjected, rolling her eyes slightly as she glanced about the room.

Well, almost everybody.

"Well excuse me, but some of us are having a hard time adjusting to what just happened!" Sayaka snapped, glaring over at Akane. "We just watched someone die right in front of our eyes!"

Akane, however, gave a soft scoff and shook her head. "Oh, please! As if anyone here actually gave a shit about Hiro. I mean honestly: did anyone actually like him?"

Sayaka, and more than a few others for that matter, openly gawked at Akane's brazen attitude. Before anyone else could argue with her however, Rantaro jumped in.

"Whatever our feelings might have been about Yasuhiro, we have more important matters to resolve. Hiro's death was a tragedy, but we can't let ourselves lose sight of our goal. We know who killed Hifumi: now we must figure out who it was that killed Shuichi," he firmly stated, crossing his arms.

"He's right…" Kaede agreed, giving a little sigh. "We'll have to mourn Hiro later. We still need to get to the bottom of what happened with Shuichi. It might seem callous, but, well...we don't have much of a choice in the matter."

"Quite right. In that case, we should review the facts of Shuichi's case as a group. What do we know of his murder?" Korekiyo pondered.

"Well, we know Shuichi died almost an hour after Hifumi. He was stabbed with Mukuro's knife, which she lost the other day, and bled to death not long after. We also know Shuichi wrote some sort of letter...but so far Usami has denied us access to it. We also know Shuichi apparently left two videos on his pad, but we haven't figured out the passwords for it yet, so that's not helpful either," Sayaka recounted with a grimace.

"Speaking of which...it could be a long shot, but maybe Chihiro could take a look at his pad? H...er, she's a programmer, so it shouldn't be too hard to hack past the password prompts, right?" Tsumugi suggested eagerly.

"I, uh...it doesn't exactly work like that…" Chihiro hesitantly replied, scratching his chin nervously. "B-But, I can at least take a look!"

Kaede nodded at that, and proceeded to pass the pad along, until it reached Chihiro. The programmer took it eagerly and started looking through it right away, chewing on his lip thoughtfully as he worked on it.

"In the meantime, there are other facts to consider," Sonia brought up. "Shuichi died on the ferry...which, I have to say, I still find suspicious. Why was he there in the first place?"

"He was lured there, obviously!" Tsumugi interjected with a huff. "Someone must have lured Shuichi there to kill him, right? That's all there is to it!"

"But do we know that for sure?"

Kaede blinked in surprise, and glanced over at Rantaro. He had a rather intense look on his face, and a vigilant gleam in his eyes.

"There are other possibilities here to consider," Rantaro continued. "And we need to consider them all. Including...the possibility that Shuichi wasn't lured to the ferry."

"Rantaro...just what are you suggesting here?" she asked, feeling a knot starting to develop in her stomach. Surely he couldn't mean…?

No, he definitely did: the look on his face said it all. And when he spoke again, his words confirmed her suspicions. "No matter how distasteful it may be...we have to consider the possibility that it was Shuichi who was luring someone else to the boat."

"Wh-what?!" Tsumugi reared back in shock, her eyes widening. "Y-You can't be serious! Shuichi wouldn't...he's not that kind of person! He's not like Mondo, or Nagito!"

"And how do we know that for sure? Most of us have all known each other for what, a few days, tops? Do we really understand each other that well?" Akane countered. "Besides, Shuichi wasn't an idiot or anything. He was a fucking detective after all! So why would he ever go out at night, alone, to meet someone on the ferry? Even I could have figured out it was a trap!"

"Much as I wish to disagree with this notion...it does carry some disturbing amount of sense," Sonia murmured anxiously. "We already know Shuichi was keeping secrets from us."

Korekiyo raised an eyebrow at that, clearly intrigued. "Why, whatever do you mean by that, dear Sonia?"

"My apologizes, we really should have spoken about this sooner. Myself, Tsumugi, and Kaede found these files in the basement of the admin building that had information on everyone, though some were missing. There was also a file that was burnt...though now that I've had some time to examine the remains, I do believe it to be a police report. Regardless, we had our suspicions that maybe Shuichi had discovered these files earlier. After all, he was one of the people who investigated the basement when we first explored. And if he did...well, he never told anyone about it." she elaborated.

"I see…" Rantaro tapped his chin consideringly, as he mulled over her words. "We don't have any conclusive proof, of course. But if Shuichi did discover these files, and didn't tell us...well, it only makes him even more suspicious."

"B-but you're wrong! Shuichi, he'd never...never do something like this! Isn't that right, Kaede?" Tsumugi cried, looking over to her for guidance.

"I…" Kaede's voice died in her throat, as she looked away uncertainly. Just an hour ago, she would have eagerly leapt to Shuichi's defense. But now…

Well, Nagito had turned out to be something far worse than any of them could have imagined. As much as she hated to think about it...could she really rule out the same possibility with Shuichi?

"I'm sorry, Tsumugi, I really am, but...we have to consider this," Kaede finally declared, unable to look her friend in the eye. "Besides...Shuichi...he was acting odd last night, wasn't he?"

"After all this is over...would you still want to be friends with me? Either of you?"

"You two...are far kinder than I really deserve."

"I…" Tsumugi grimaced. "I mean, he was a little...melancholy, I guess? But...but, this is still such a big leap! There really isn't any evidence here that suggests that!"

"Oh, but isn't there?" Usami snidely cut in.

That got everyone's attention. The malicious rabbit broke out into a series of giggles, and waved a stubby paw at them all. "Ding da ding ding! Now we're really getting somewhere! And because of that...I think I'll throw y'all a bone now, fufufu. It's time everyone got to hear that letter!"

"Hmm...something tells me this isn't going to be good," Rantaro darkly muttered, as he glowered at their captor.

"Still, we're not making any significant headway here. Until Chihiro can crack open Shuichi's pad, this letter here is our next best source for evidence," Sonia countered.

Byakuya, meanwhile, gave a relieved sigh. He nodded to himself as he reached into his blood-stained suit, and unfolded the letter. He glanced through it one last time before he looked down at them all.

"The letter is long and lengthy, so I shall do my best to summarize. However, I am afraid that there is some truth to Master Rantaro's suspicions. I regret to inform you all that...Master Shuichi wasn't a victim. He wasn't lured to the boat by someone else. In fact...he was planning on killing someone there."

A deafening silence gripped the courtroom in the aftermath of that revelation, as shock and horror coursed through all of them. No one was sure what to say, least of all Kaede herself.

Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, and the walls felt like they were closing in on her. It felt as if her whole world was crumbling around her, as Kaede struggled to come to terms with this revelation.

"Shuichi...how could you…?"

Finally, Tsumugi broke the stunned silence with her frantic, repeated denial. "W-What? That has to be a mistake! Shuichi, h-he'd never do anything like this! He's..he's not like Nagito!"

"Hm, sometimes we don't know people as well as we think we do..." Rantaro sighed unhappily. "I honestly didn't want to be right here."

"God, this changes everything...wait, does this mean that...whoever killed Shuichi, that they did it in self-defense?" Sayaka pointed out, looking vaguely disturbed.

"Byakuya...y-you can't be serious. Shuichi...he'd never..." Kaede felt herself grow pale, as she stared in disbelief at the butler. He merely shook his head in response though, holding up the letter with one hand.

"It's all in here, Kaede. Shuichi's confession. There's more to the story, however. He wasn't planning on killing just anyone...no. His prey was a serial killer," he declared, grim-faced. "According to Shuichi's testimony, he uncovered the fact that someone among our midst was in fact an infamous serial killer. I'm not sure who it is...any mentions of the killer or their true identity have been censored in the letter, no doubt by Usami. But in this letter, Shuichi was a hundred percent sure that someone among us is a serial murderer."

"What what what? A secret serial killer, here, with us! Kyahahaha, how scandalous!" Toko chortled with a wide, unnerving grin. "Whoever could have Master Shuichi meant by that?"

"My, what an intriguing turn of events! It is quite the question to consider, as well. Who among us could be hiding such a powerful secret?" Korekiyo openly wondered.

"Eureka! The files! That must have been how Shuichi found out!" Sonia declared, eyes lighting up in realization. "At some point he must have gone back to the basement, discovered the files...and found out that someone among us is a serial killer!"

"Yeah, that could be it. He's also a detective...he might have noticed some signs that none of us could have seen? At the very least, I wouldn't be surprised if what Shuichi found, or tried to find, with the files only confirmed his suspicions," Kaede agreed, reluctantly nodding her head. A fact that she regretted almost instantly, as she felt quite dizzy all of a sudden.

God, this was really happening, wasn't it? Shuichi had tried to kill someone. Sure, it was a serial killer, and not some innocent person...but did that really make it any better? Did it make up for the fact that Shuichi had betrayed her, had betrayed them all, in trying to commit such a heinous act?

...

Why hadn't he said anything? Why had he kept her and Tsumugi in the dark about all this? His melancholic mood last night...it must have been about this. That's why...he was acting the way he had. Had he had second thoughts, then? Or had their talk only strengthened his resolve? More likely than not, she'd never know for sure...

"Have you been able to discern anything from what's left of the report?" Rantaro asked after Kaede herself had fallen silent. He spared her a brief glance, before focusing back on Sonia. "The one that was burnt, that is. You said you thought it was a police file?"

"Oh, yes! I wasn't sure how it factored into things before, but I'm starting to get a clear picture now," Sonia replied, her eyes lighting up with determination. "Yes, like I said, it was a police report. And from what I could tell...it was about the infamous Genocide Jack, a serial killer in Japan that kills young men, typically high school boys, exclusively!"

"Uh, Ibuki thinks you're too excited about this..." Ibuki chuckled nervously.

"Oh, apologies. You see, studying serial killers is kind of a hobby of mine." Sonia admitted sheepishly with a laugh.

"A serial killer named Genocide Jack...? Yeah, that name does sound a little familiar," Kaede noted with a frown. "Still, it doesn't give us a lot to go on...how did Shuichi even suspect that this Genocide Jack was with us in the first place?"

"Kyehahaha, a very good question!" Toko enthused, giving another deranged bout of laughter. "I wonder, I wonder, what tipped him off?"

Rantaro eyed her oddly, before shaking his head after a moment. "Toko's definitely lost it. I think she might be in some sort of delusional state or something..."

"Delusional..." Sonia eyed Toko suspiciously for a moment, before clearing her throat and continuing. "Anyways, I do believe I can offer a bit of insight on Genocide Jack. Obviously, since this file is here, we can assume that someone here is this elusive serial killer. Police reports indicate that it is a high school girl, which would eliminate half the people here. Perhaps we can start from there?"

"A female serial killer? May, how unusual and intriguing!" Kiyo proclaimed, chuckling slightly. "Still. that does help eliminate half of our suspects. And as we know it cannot be Mukuro, as established by earlier guidelines...we have eleven suspects available: Kaede, Tsumugi, Sonia, Akane, Monaca, Mikan, Toko, Sayaka, Ibuki, Miu, and Chihiro."

"Well, it certainly isn't Monaca! She was in bed all night with Big Sis Mukuro!" Monaca interjected, pouting slightly as she crossed her arms.

"Akane was with me all night too. I can vouch for her whereabouts," Rantaro chimed in.

"A-And don't you go implying I'm some misandrist serial killer, you cr-creepy dickwad!" Miu interjected, shivering uncomfortably as she crossed her arms over her cleavage.

The poor girl was covered in Yasuhiro's gore, and the fact she'd been wearing a bunny-girl outfit ensured that plenty of her bare skin was covered in blood. She looked downright traumatized by all this, but she seemed to be holding herself together by some miracle.

"I am inclined to agree with Miu...I hardly see her as the serial killer type, to be perfectly frank. A masochist and sexual deviant, most certainly, but no more than that." Korekiyo mused. "So that leaves us with eight suspects then."

"W-Well, it's definitely not me!" Kaede interjected, wanting to nip that suspicion right in the bud. "And it can't be Tsumugi or Sonia either...I mean, Sonia's telling us all this in the first place, it wouldn't make sense. And Tsumugi...well, we both trusted Shuichi, and he trusted us. There's no way we'd ever...harm him. Or do anything to anybody else, for that matter!"

"Indeed. Also, I'm not even Japanese." The princess added, looking around.

"It can't be me too," Sayaka interjected. "There's hardly ever a time when I'm alone in my personal life, whether it is because I'm with bandmates, producers and such. I just don't have time for a serial killer double life."

"I-I-It's not me either! I-I-I could never hurt anyone!" Mikan protested, tears gathering at her eyes as she nervously clutched her apron. "I-I swore to only do good, and heal people! I could never do anything so cr-cruel!"

Chihiro, for his part, remained silent. He looked deeply uncomfortable, as he looked around the courtroom nervously. "I...well. I didn't want it to come out this way...but, I guess I don't have a choice. If it helps narrow down our suspect list...well…"

He steeled himself, taking in a comforting breath of air, before blurting out, "Um, I'm...um...not a girl. I'm actually a guy."

Another stunned silence filled the room, as just about everyone turned their attention to Chihiro. Chihiro, meanwhile, flushed heavily at their stares, squirming in place as he looked down at his podium.

"Um...Ibuki can back this up. For sure. J-Just don't ask Ibuki how, or why!" she exclaimed, as her face grew incredibly red.

"Well. Um. I ah, suppose that eliminates Chihiro from our suspect pool," Rantaro finally stated, his eyes blinking rapidly.

"Oh my god...there's a boy that's cuter than me…" Sayaka murmured, dumbfounded. "There's a boy that's cuter than me!"

"Eh, I'm not sure I buy it...maybe we outta see some proof first, huh?" said Akane, a wolfish grin on her face. "Maybe he should whip out that-!"

"Th-that's not gonna be necessary!" Kaede interjected, clearing her throat. "Tsumugi and I can also vouch for Chihiro. It uh, might be hard to believe...but he really is a guy."

Korekiyo, for his own part, simply shrugged. "There is no shame in crossdressing. In fact, it is a practice near as old as history itself. Regardless, we do need to get back on track. We have hard alibis for Mukuro, Monaca, and Akane. By logic and reasoning, we can rule out Sonia and Sayaka. Chihiro is a boy, and thus disqualified. That just leaves Mikan, Miu, Ibuki, Kaede, Tsumugi, and Toko left for potential suspects. Though I myself doubt that either Mikan or Miu could be our culprit."

"Uh, to be fair, Ibuki is just as busy as Sayaka when it comes to being a musician! Wellll, maybe not as busy, but still! Ibuki is constantly going on tour, playing to crowds, refining her talent!" Ibuki declared, thrusting a hand up into the air.

"Quite right. So Ibuki is out...I think most of us are fine taking Miu and Mikan out of consideration...so that just leaves three suspects left," Rantaro noted.

"Hey! Kaede said it already can't be us! We were closest to Shuichi! We'd...we'd never hurt him!" Tsumugi protested, glaring heatedly at him.

"My apologizes, but we can't be for sure. Some serial killers like to get close to their victims, after all...and besides, Shuichi was spending time with you two the most: perhaps because of that, he noticed certain signs that could have made him suspicious. Not that I'm accusing either of you two, of course," Sonia pointed out.

"No, it's fine. We understand," Kaede was quick to reassure. She still felt drained, and so very tired...but she had to pull through now. For her sake, and Shuichi's.

"Still, I know I'm innocent, and I believe Tsumugi is too. And if it's not either of us two...then that only leaves…"

Kaede paused, and turned her gaze to someone she'd already defended...someone she hadn't thought possible of killing Shuichi. Of course, that was before all this new information came to light. Now she knew better.

"Toko..." Kaede spoke softly, her eyes slowly narrowing. "She's been acting strange this entire trial, hasn't she? Not to mention she's the only other girl besides Tsumugi and I that I can think of, that Shuichi spent a lot of time with. By process of elimination...it must be her! It has to be her!"

"It's a somewhat flimsy and shaky line of logic...but, I think it's right all the same!" Sonia agreed. "And her acting strange was something that tipped me off. Mostly because it has been speculated that Genocide Jack is a split personality... and 'Toko' has been acting odd for quite some time, as if its a completely different person..."

"Wait a gosh darn minute now!" Teruteru hastily interjected. "We can't be jumping to no conclusions now! We only got one shot at this! Besides, Toko's behavior don't necessarily mean she's got another person in her head. I mean, she could just be reacting to the stress of it all. At the very least, we should let Toko defend herself!"

Toko, who'd remained disturbingly silent the whole team, nodded her head. "Yes, yes! It's only fair now, isn't it? Well, I can definitely say I did not kill Master Shuichi! How dare you hussies make such a baseless accusation!"

Toko pointed dramatically at them, scowling fiercely as she went on. "Besides, where's your proof, huh? All you've got are some meaningless claims! You're sure eager to deflect blame too, Kay-day. Wanna get suspicion off of you and your personal carpet muncher?"

"Wh-what?!" Kaede balked at that. "I-I already said, it can't be us! We—!"

"But it's pretty flimsy reasoning overall," Rantaro interjected. He gave a sheepish sigh, an apologetic smile on his lips. "Sorry, Kaede, but Toko's got a point. Sure, she's acting weird, but we don't have any hard evidence against her either. And until we can get conclusive evidence to clear either you or Tsumugi...we can't really just discount you as a suspect."

Tsumugi gave a frustrated groan at that, gnashing her teeth together as she tried to find something to refute Rantaro's reasoning. Finally, she looked over at Chihiro, and desperately beseeched, "Please, Chihiro, have you had any luck whatsoever? Have you gotten access to those videos yet? I'm sure it's a message from Shuichi telling us who his killer is!"

"I'm sorry…" Chihiro gave a little sniffle, and shook his head. "This is a lot harder to break into than I thought. I haven't made a lot of headway. I might be able to break into it eventually, but...that could take more time than we have right now."

Kaede frowned in distaste, crossing her arms over her chest as she considered her options. Those videos would no doubt provide the key evidence they needed to take Toko down...but until Chihiro cracked the pad, or figured out the password, they were utterly useless.

What now? How could they possibly advance forward? It wasn't as if she or Tsumugi had a good alibi for last night…

"You're thinking about this far too hard, Kaede. The answer is right in front of you, it's so simple!" Nagito suddenly spoke up.

Kaede stared over at him in surprise: he'd been silent for so long, she'd almost forgotten he was even here.

"Think about it long and hard...I know you can do it! After all, your hope shines the brightest here, out of all of us!" Nagito went on, spreading his arms wide. "Believe—!"

"Shut up, Nagito! No one wants to hear your deranged advice!" Tsumugi interrupted heatedly.

Kaede glanced over at him one more time, before closing her eyes in thought. She had to do this...she had to figure out this case! For her sake, and Shuichi's...for everyone, really. No matter how hard this was, she had to figure everything out!

Okay...if she were Shuichi in this scenario, what would she do? How could she prove that she and Tsumugi were innocent, or that Toko was guilty? Toko honestly had a good point. They didn't have any hard evidence...

Maybe...she should find some hole in Toko's words? A gap in her defense? What had she said to defend herself? Was there any contradiction there?

….

….

...No, no contradictions...but a lack of something. A denial that Toko hadn't made!

Kaede opened her eyes, and stared Toko down. "You didn't deny it. When you defended yourself earlier...you didn't deny being a serial killer. You made no effort to deny that you were Genocide Jack!"

"Eh?" Toko questioned, tilting her head in response.

"That's right!" Tsumugi gasped. "She told us she didn't kill Shuichi, and that we didn't have any evidence to suggest she was guilty. But even after we accused her of being a serial killer...she didn't deny it!"

"What what what?" Toko questioned. She gave a slight huff a moment later, rolling her eyes for affect. "Oh, fine! If you wanna be pedantic about it...fine, I'm not this serial killer you're looking for! Hell...there's no way I could be! After all...Master Shuichi wasn't killed in Genocide Jack's signature style, riiiight? He was killed with a knife, and we all know Jack uses scissors to off her victims!"

Kaede was momentarily flummoxed by that, her mind sent a whirl. Was that really the case…?

But Sonia gave a sudden, dramatic gasp, and her eyes lit up. She thrust a hand out towards Toko and declared, "No, that's wrong! You're right, I mean, Shuichi wasn't killed in Jack's signature style...but! How do you know about Jack's scissors? I know everything there is to know about Jack's case...and nowhere in the public reports, was it made known that Genocide Jack uses scissors to kill her victims! That information was kept confidential, and known only to the police and investigators! I know this for a fact, because the police report I salvaged talked about the scissors! So tell me, Toko...how did you know about Genocide Jack's preferred tool for murder?"

A sense of tension flooded back into the courtroom, as all eyes landed on Toko Fukawa, waiting for her response. Kaede herself couldn't help but watch with bated breath...though deep down, she knew this was it.

There was no way Toko was gonna talk her way out of this.

Toko remained silent for a good, long moment, before suddenly grinning wide. Letting out another cackle, she declared, "So, you figured it out huh? Whatever! I won't deny it any longer. So congrats, you're right! I'm the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, Genocide Jack! Or better yet, let's go with Genocide Jill! Kyeehahahaha!"

That said, her hands darted to her skirt, and in a flash, Toko—or rather, Genocide Jack/Jill—pulled out a pair of distinctive scissors, one in each hand!

"By Paris Hilton's breasts!" Teruteru exclaimed, his eyes growing wide as he stared at Jack, aghast. "So done gone and admitted to it!"

"Toko...no, Jack. You really did it..." Kaede took a step back, swallowing nervously as she stared down the serial killer. So this was the truth...all along, the mousy, antisocial Toko Fukawa was an infamous serial killer! Or at least, had a split personality that was a serial killer, if Sonia was to be believed.

Chihiro stared wide-eyed at the murderous fiend; his knees shaking as he tried to stay upright. Putting a brave face, he raised his head in determination to look at Jill. "W-Will you please tell us what happened? We just want to find out the truth."

"Yes, while I have many questions for you, they will have to wait." Sonia giggled, before straightening herself and clearing her throat. "Apologies. I'm kind of a huge fan."

"...are you kidding me right now?" Rantaro sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"The truth huh? You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! Kyehahahaha!" Jack chortled, before shaking her head. "Just kidding! Honestly, I ain't got a single idea of what happened."

"...What?" Kaede asked, giving Jack a blank look. "Toko—er, Jack—now's not the time to be joking around. Please, we just want the truth about what happened with Shuichi!"

Jack rolled her eyes, and thrust her scissors in her direction, snipping them as she cried, "What part of split personality don't you get?! That gloomy girl and I may share the same body, but we don't have the same memories! All I know is that she fainted last night while on that boat, and I came to while Shuichi was dying. I gotta tell ya, I'm pretty miffed about that too. If anyone was gonna kill Master Shuichi, it should have been me!"

"So it was Toko who dealt the final blow." Sayaka surmised, turning to Usami curiously. "This actually raises an interesting question: do Toko and Jill count as two different people? And if so, how would punishment be carried out? After all, Jill had nothing to do with this... and I can't believe I am defending a serial killer."

"That's a very good question! Well, normally, Toko and Jill would count as two different people. Buuuut...they do share the same body. I can't really punish one without punishing the other, so consider it a two for the price of one deal!" Usami declared with a decisive nod.

"So, regardless of whether it was Toko or Jack that killed Shuichi, they will both be punished for it," Kiyo summarized, staring at Jill in obvious fascination. "My my, how intriguing!"

"Not the time for intrigue and fanboyism." Rantaro chided, glaring at Sonia and Korekiyo. He turned to face Jill. "As fun as this has been, is there any way you can switch back to Toko? We need to talk to her and figure out what happened."

"Well tough shit, Mister Tall and Handsome! I can't just do it at the drop of a hat!" Jill retorted, snipping her scissors at Rantaro. "I—!"

Usami interrupted Jill, suddenly zooming through the air and landing on her podium. She then flung a fistful of pepper onto her face. Jill gagged, before giving a sudden sneeze. And in the blink of an eye, Jack was gone, and Toko was back.

"H-huh? Wh-what's going on?" she asked, looking around in a daze.

"We're at the trial for Hifumi and Shuichi's death," Tsumugi said somewhat coldly, glaring daggers at Toko. "And we just figured out that you killed Shuichi to protect your murderous split personality."

"Ummm, Ibuki thinks you're being a bit harsh." The musician piped up. "After all, she killed him in self-defense, right?"

"That's what we need to figure out. Perhaps it is time we hear from the person in question?" Sonia offered.

Toko paled considerably, and her eyes darted around the courtroom in a clear panic. She lowered her head, grabbing her hair with both hands as she gave out a low, pained groan. "I-I-It wasn't my fault! It...th-this is a nightmare, it has to be! I...Master Shuichi, he...h-he slipped a letter under my door, in the middle of the night. T-Told me to meet him on the boat at a specific time. S-So, I was elated! I went to go meet him...b-but, when I got there..."

It was late at night, and a little scary if Toko was being honest with herself, but she found that she didn't care. All that she knew was that her Master wanted a secret, late-night meeting with her! That could only mean one thing of course...and the very thought of it had her so excited!

That in mind, she climbed up onto the deck of the ferry with ease, looking around for Shuichi anxiously. "Ma-er, um, Darling Shuichi...I-I'm here! Wh-where are you...?"

"I'm right here." The detective replied, stepping down from the stairs of the ferry. "You came alone, right?" He asked the writer somewhat coldly.

"Y-Yes, of course!" Toko confirmed, nodding her head happily. "L-Like I'd bring anyone here to ruin our special night together, Darling! Although...er, n-no offense, but confirming our love on a boat wasn't what I had in mind...b-but, I'm sure it'll be great!"

"That's not why I called you here." Shuichi muttered abruptly, cutting her off. He paused for a moment, before going on.

"You know, I didn't want to believe it. Despite your...personality, I didn't want to think that you could be...a monster. But that boy...the one you told me about on the first day. I recognized that name right away. How could I not, when he's the first known victim of Genocide Jack? It could've been a coincidence, of course...however, the signs I saw kept adding up. My uncle trained me thoroughly, taught me how to notice and observe the subtle signs of behavior people like you exhibit. Your odd changes in personality, your obsessive behaviors, your tendency toward stalking, your fixation on certain kinds of men, your self-loathing...it all added up over time. Can you imagine how I felt, when all these signs and behaviors also fit in with the profile my uncle created for Genocide Jack? Honestly...do you think I'm blind? An idiot? At the end of the day, I'm still a detective through and through."

He closed his eyes briefly, before staring at her again, finishing his speech shortly thereafter. "And when I finally went digging around in some of those files...I found many interesting things, including a police report you tried to destroy. In the end, that only confirmed my suspicions."

Toko froze, her breath hitching in her throat as she stared at Shuichi in dawning horror. She looked away for a moment, clearly uncomfortable, and more than a little ashamed as she stuttered, "Y-You found out? B-But, you have to understand, Darling! That...that beast isn't me! N-Not really. She's...a split personality. Some...d-d-demon that possesses my body! I swear, I don't m-mean to hurt people...b-but I can't stop her! There's n-nothing I can do to stop her!"

"A split personality huh? Just like my uncle theorized," Shuichi mused, appraising the girl in front of him. "Toko, I have worked for years with my uncle and the police to help track down Genocide Jack. A classmate of mine even became one of Jack's victims. We weren't close, but...I couldn't help but feel responsible. Never catching Jack was one of my greatest regrets. But now... I can end this." he began taking cautious steps towards her, pulling a hand from behind his back as he revealed his knife. "I'm sorry Toko... you seem like a nice girl, and this is nothing personal, but I have to put a stop to Jack before she hurts someone innocent here on this island."

Toko stumbled backwards, staring agape at Shuichi as his knife shone in the vibrant light of the moon. Before she could even fully process what she was doing, Toko rushed towards Shuichi, reaching for the knife. The two of them engaged in a brief struggle, as Toko desperately tried to wrench the knife out of her beloved's hands. After a long minute, she even succeeded: it wasn't until the blood started running down her hands, however, that she realized she'd stabbed Shuichi in the scuffle.

Shuichi coughed, spitting out blood from his mouth as he began to bleed out. He stumbled backward, hitting the wall behind him and slumping against it. The handle of the knife stuck out from his stomach, his slick pink blood already staining his uniform.

Toko could only stare at him in horror, her whole body trembling. Finally, she couldn't take any more of it, and found herself swiftly losing consciousness.

Toko fell silent as she finished recapping the prior night, tears in her eyes as she anxiously clutched at her hair.

For her part, Kaede wasn't even sure how to react. She'd wanted to believe it was a lie or a misunderstanding...but it wasn't. Shuichi really had tried to kill her.

Granted, Toko was an infamous serial killer, and Shuichi had only been trying to protect them all. But did that make it right?

"Well, this was not how I expected any of this to go." Rantaro sighed. "Not everything is so black and white."

"What do we do now?" Sonia asked quietly.

"Easy. We have to decide who to vote for." Rantaro answered. "Regardless of our feelings on the matter, we have to come to a consensus."

"Ah, but that isn't true. Usami pointedly said that whoever has the most votes in a two killer scenario, is the one who is executed," Korekiyo pointed out, giving a dry little chuckle. "Which is a good thing I shall say. I fear that getting a consensus on this case will be difficult, at best."

"Yes, it's quite the fascinating dilemma, isn't it? Do we vote for someone who killed in cold blood, yet was unwittingly manipulated into doing it? Or do we vote to kill an admitted serial killer who only fought in her own self-defense? Whose hope shall reign supreme here?!" Nagito openly questioned, spreading his arms wide as spirals danced in his eyes.

"Shut up, Nagito! No one's talking to you!" Kaede snapped, glaring at him briefly before giving a sigh.

Her gaze flickered back and forth between Toko and the still silent Mondo, weighing them both in her mind. "...He's not wrong though. It'd a tough decision to make..."

"Agreed," Sayaka said softly, hugging herself. "They both honestly deserve a shot at redemption... can't we just vote for Nagito instead?"

"I... I'm not sure I can choose!" Chihiro blubbered, shedding tears.

"It's really not that hard in my opinion. I know who I'm voting for." Tsumugi muttered, eyeing Toko.

"Well, I don't think it's a tough call to make. Honestly, I don't blame Shuichi going after Toko. She's a fucking serial killer! Genocide Jack has killed over a dozen people. Sure, she killed Shuichi in self-defense, but let's not forget she already has innocent blood on her hands," Akane declared as she glowered at Toko.

Teruteru, however, tugged nervously at his collar as he started speaking up. "Now hold up! Now, I ain't tryin' to defend no serial killer or nothin'...but are we just gonna ignore the fact that Mondo here killed Hifumi? We can all agree Nagito's at fault here, but Mondo's still the one who lost control over his temper. He killed a man in his blind rage! Are we just gonna forget about that?!"

"..." Mondo, for his part, remained speechless. His face was still quite pale, and he seemed to be staring almost obsessively at his own bruised hands.

"Enough chit chat here! I think I've let you all simmer on this long enough!" Usami butted in. The mechanical rabbit leaned forward on her throne, eagerly taking in the scene below her. "It's voting time, boys and girls! Time to make your final picks! Will it be Roid Rage Mondo that earns your ire, or will it be Dark and Brooding Toko who's burned in a fire?! Cast your votes, people! Fufufufu!"

For her part, Kaede remained silent, sparing Toko one last glance, before casting her vote with everyone else.

"And the results are in! Did you make the right decision? Does it really matter? Let's find out!" Usami enthused, before turning her gaze upward. A second of the upper wall opened itself up, revealing a screen with 8-bit animated sprites of everyone on it. The votes were displayed next to each sprite, revealing the result was—

"A tie?!" Usami nearly fell out of her seat as she gaped in shock. "I knew it! You goddamn losers can't get anything right! I can't believe I got a tie!"

"W-wait, that can't be right...there's only fifteen of us voting, yeah? The Staff didn't vote. So who's the sixteenth vote?" Rantaro pointed out.

"Eh, don't think about it too hard. That's just your last classmate's vote: he ain't ready to join you schmucks yet, so he's been getting a feed of this in his hospital bed," Usami impatiently explained, rolling her eyes. "And no, I ain't answering any questions about 'em!"

Rantaro shook his head, massaging his forehead. "I guess that's a mystery for another time. What a mess."

"So... what do we do now?" Tsumugi asked, apprehension visible on her face.

"As if this couldn't be dragged out any longer..." Sonia replied tiredly. "Is there a way to break the tie?"

"Ah, but I believe the solution is staring at us right in the face," Korekiyo announced, before glancing over at Usami with keen eyes. "You said you counted Genocide Jack as a separate entity, yes? Does that not mean she gets a vote, too?"

"H-huh?" Toko finally broke out of her stupor, before she warily glanced at the rabbit.

"Oh ho! Good point there, pretty boy! Yes...I suppose Jack does deserve her own vote, doesn't she?" Usami declared, before giving an impish giggle.

Without any warning she suddenly launched herself at Toko, whipping out a taser that she then jammed against Toko's neck. Toko gave out a strangled cry and collapsed to the ground, convulsing in agony...but after a moment, she stopped. Before anyone realized it, she popped back on her feet, apparently no worse for wear.

"Woah! Talk about an electrifying awakening! Kyehahahaha!" Jack cackled as she shook with mirth. "So, what'd I miss, huh?"

"Well, we voted for who should be executed... you and Mondo tied, and you're the tiebreaker." Sonia sighed, accepting the inevitable. "I'm assuming you will not be voting for yourself?"

"Are you kidding me?" Tsumugi mumbled under her breath somewhat bitterly.

"Ibuki feels kind of bad..." she said sadly.

"I see, I see..." Jack nodded to herself. "In that case, I know exactly who to vote for!"

...

...

...

"And? Who are you voting for?" Kaede finally pressed, when Jack fell silent.

At that, Jack gave a fiendish grin and madly cackled some more. "Why myself, of course! That'll teach that hussy for killing Master Shuichi! Nobody kills somebody I was gonna maybe kill before me! So that rotten bitch will burn in hell! Kyehahahaha!"

Shocked silence settled over the courtroom, as everyone processed what just happened.

"Excuse me, what the fuck?" Rantaro breathed out, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry Jack, but I think you misunderstand." Sonia pressed, clearly stunned. "If Toko is executed, you will perish too. Surely you don't want that?"

"Kekeke. The mind of a serial killer is truly an enigma. They often act outside of logic. To try to understand them based on reasoning is pointless." Korekiyo explained, clearly amused by this turn of events.

"H-he's right," Mikan spoke up, the nurse finally breaking her long silence. "Scientists in the medical field can truly never accurately predict the thoughts of split personalities."

"Sure, I'll die too, but at least I'm taking that hussy with me! Kyehahahaha!" Jack cackled, before she grabbed the taser out of Usami's hands, and shocked herself with it.

Jack flopped down to the floor, but after a few seconds, it was Toko who unsteadily got back up. She gave a slight groan and looked around in an obvious daze. "Huh? What's going on? D-did Jack vote?"

"Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy! You have been found guilty of the murder of Shuichi Saihara! Now it's time for your execution! Let's give it everything we've got!" Usami thunderously declared as she flew back to her throne. "It's punishment time!"

"Wh-what?! No, no, wait! This has to be a mistake!" Toko cried out, tears trailing down her eyes as she started backing away.

"W-wait! Can't we at least have a minute?!" Chihiro asked desperately.

"Naw, ain't nuthin' we can do now..." Teruteru spoke up, averting his gaze. "We did what he had to do..."

"For what it's worth...I am sorry, Toko. Truly," Kaede replied. She turned her eyes away from her after a moment and used Shuichi's cap to help hide her eyes from view.

"No, wait! Please! I—!" Toko tried to speak up in her defense but was cut off as a mechanical claw extended from the ceiling and clamped around her neck.

Before anyone could react, she was jerked away, and carried off to face her execution...

A moment later, the tv screens hanging on the walls flickered to life. The screen was pitch black for a moment, until a bright light turned itself on.

Toko Fukawa appeared on the screen, standing on top of a giant piece of blank paper. She looked around in a frantic daze, looking desperately for some avenue of escape. Unbeknownst to her, however, a giant Usami slowly emerged into view behind her.

Before Toko could react, the Mecha-Usami sprung into action. She grabbed the edges of the sheet of paper, and expertly folded the paper up, trapping Toko inside as a result. She shrieked and struggled the best she could, her body flailing against her paper prison, but the material seemed to be too thick for her to break out of.

That wasn't the end of it, however. Seconds later, Mecha-Usami reached behind her back, and pulled out a giant pair of geno-scissors!

"I like to call this little gem Blood Bath Fever! Fufufu!" Mecha-Usami laughed. Then, with a flourish of her scissors, she started to cut.

Toko screamed, as bits of paper, blood, and gore flew into the air from Usami's rapid snipping. All the while Usami continued to cut her, uncaring about her agony and pain. If anything, she seemed to take a perverse delight in Toko's suffering.

Toko continued to wail and screech, blood spraying everywhere...until suddenly, she just stopped. Not long after, Usami stopped her own cutting, and proceeded to unravel the bloody paper. A chain of pink-soaked paper dolls was revealed, with the center doll containing Toko's mangled corpse, pinned to the fabric by her own blood and viscera.

Without a doubt, Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, was dead.

Cries of terror and dismay filled the room, as the horrid image of Toko's corpse lingered on the tv screens. Kaede herself couldn't help but retch in response, doubled-over as her body was wracked with dry-heaves. If it weren't for the fact she'd thrown up already, she was fairly sure she would have vomited for real just now.

"Oh god…" Teruteru gripped his podium tightly, his body shaking while his face paled to a considerable degree. "Th-this can't be real. Th-this has to be a nightmare! Oh god, oh god…"

"I-I know she was a killer...b-but, even someone like her didn't deserve that!" Tsumugi cried out, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"Jesus, this is so messed up!" Akane growled out, narrowing her eyes at Usami. "And I've seen some pretty disturbing shit in my day."

"Oh shut up already! Jeez, yall act like you haven't seen a dead body already!" Usami huffed out, crossing her paws over her chest. "Bunch a pansies, the lot of ya!"

Kaede took in some deep, calming breaths, hoping to regain some semblance of control over herself. When she finally did, she glanced around the courtroom, trying to figure out what to say now. What could she say, in the aftermath of that?

Especially considering she had voted for Toko herself…

Byakuya, however, came to her rescue. While a disturbed look hung over his face, nevertheless he did his best to compose himself and speak up. "For better or for worse, it seems this trial is over now. All we can do now is to pick up the pieces, and try to move on. I-!"

"But is it over? Monaca wonders about that," Monaca interrupted, tapping her chin in thought. Oddly enough, she seemed to be the least perturbed out of them all, if the calm look on her face was any indication. "After all, Mondo is still alive, and he actually killed Hifumi in cold blood! And then there's Nagito, who instigated that in the first place...is this matter really over, as long as they're still alive?"

Uneasy glances and accusatory looks were sent to the both of them at Monaca's words. Mondo, for his part, looked suitably shamed, and flinched at their stares. Nagito, however, didn't seem to show the least bit of remorse as he casually gazed back at them all.

"Well, to be fair, I'm not sure you'll have to worry too much about me now...after all, knowing my luck, any more plans of mine wouldn't succeed here. Mostly because you'd all see me coming now," Nagito declared, giving an aloof shrug. A moment later, however, spirals started to dance in his eyes as a crazed look shone across his face.

"Still, I have no problem whatsoever if any of you want to kill me now! In fact, I'd be more than happy to help you out! I don't care if the killer survives, or if everyone but the killer lives...I just want both sides to do their very best! I want to see with my own two eyes...the absolute Hope that lies ahead! I want you to use me as a stepping stone so everyone-!"

Nagito was cut short into his tirade when Mukuro wordlessly marched down from her dais, walked over to him, and smashed her fist against his face. Nagito instantly tumbled to the ground, stopping short a few feet away. Her blow had left him alive, if his rising chest was any indication, but he was definitely knocked out cold.

"I have been waiting for the entire trial to do that," Mukuro muttered aloud, looking faintly pleased with herself.

Kaede stared a little uneasily at Nagito's crumpled body, though if she was being honest with herself she hardly felt any remorse for him. It wasn't as if he hadn't had this coming.

"I think...the best we can do, for now, is to try and move on with our lives," Kaede spoke up after a moment, glancing warily at Mondo, before gazing over to Byakuya. "We can work something out in regards to Mondo and Nagito later. Right now...I think it's best if we all get some rest, and decompress from all this. I think I speak for everyone when I say that this has been an...incredibly taxing morning."

God, was it still only morning? It felt like they'd been going at this all day, but only two hours had passed since the start of the trial. It was definitely going to be a long, unbearable day once they got out of here...but still, it'd be better than being stuck in this courtroom a minute longer.

"I agree with Kaede," Byakuya said, giving her a faint smile. "With this...crisis solved, I think we should adjourn for now."

"Oh? And who died and make YOU queen, Twogami? This ain't over until I say it is!" Usami abruptly interjected.

Kaede froze, before glancing over uncertainly at their robotic captor. She swallowed nervously, before asking, "But what's left? We did what you wanted. We solved the murders, and voted for the Blackened. What more do you want from us?"

"Fufufu, you say that like I'm a bad host or something! After all, I'm only doing what's in the best interest for you all. And because you did such a good job in solving this case...I think it's time for a little reward. A little trip down memory lane, huh?" Usami replied with an ominous cackle.

Before Kaede could begin to question her further, Usami reached behind her throne and pulled out...well, what she could only describe as a bulky, more sci-fi looking version of a flashlight. Usami aimed the flashlight in their general direction, and smiled widely at them.

"What was that you guys said earlier? You've all known each other for a few days? Oh me, oh my! How quaint of an idea. And how wrong it is. Do you want to know the truth? Do you want to know how futile your cute little struggles and arguments have been? How pointless these murders were? Then again...I suppose it's only inevitable. Stripping away a year's worth of memories really does show your true selves! Shuichi more than proved that case, fufufu. But now...it's time to peel back the curtain! Let's return to the past now, shall we?"

With that, Usami activated the strange flashlight, and Kaede's entire world disappeared, as she was consumed by a brilliant white light.

17 Students Remain

With special thanks to JC for helping to write this chapter!