Hi! I'm not dead! Most of you on discord already know, but this past year has been really difficult for me for numerous reasons, and it has made it very difficult to be creative or create something that I was proud of and felt like it was good enough to share. But I think I finally got my mojo back, so how about we finally start this trial?

TheRoseShadow21: It is Miyu! She needs justice for her gal pal. Anyone else wouldn't have felt completely right. Also, I aspire to your writing ability so that is a massive compliment, thank you so much!

Prince PokePersona: Shoma did jinx it! You never say that someone will definitely live! That's a death wish right there! It's guaranteed death! But lots of very interesting theories. Let's see if you're right!

Scissor-Snipper: Hello! I'm very glad that you decided to join us again, and that you're really enjoying it! Misa was such a wonderful protagonist because she really messed up sometimes, I think. I shall deeply miss writing her. And yeah, very interesting fact that you picked up on there. ;)

Shirasaur: I love screaming and shrieking! You are always welcome to do those things! It makes me happy and giggle because I'm a sadist.

They walked to the elevator to the trial room together. It wasn't exactly Miyu's preferred choice, but Zettai had waited for her and then easily matched her pace no matter how fast or slow she made it. Miyu expected him to say something. Wasn't that why he was doing this? So that he could say some kind of quip or biting comment meant to dig under her skin? So that he could lord his supreme intelligence over her? His… relationship with Misa?

It wasn't a friendship. Miyu didn't know what it was, but it definitely wasn't anything genuine or caring or good.

But Zettai stayed silent, walking next to her like they were two colleagues out on a pleasant, lunchtime stroll through one of the botanical gardens, one of his hands in his jacket pocket. He didn't even so much as glance at her out of the corner of his eye. Not that Miyu really wanted to have a conversation with him. She definitely didn't. But the silence was fucking weird. Even when he was quiet, you normally could still hear the smug amusement radiating off him, but that was gone too. There was just nothing.

The pair rounded the corner to see Sumire still standing in the doorway to the dining room, looking inside with her chin resting on her knuckles.

"Shouldn't you be going to the trial?" Zettai asked.

Sumire dismissed him with a glance. "In a moment." Zettai rolled his eyes, but kept walking as Miyu slowed down. That gave her the perfect vantage point to watch Sumire tell him, "I guess we're even now."

Zettai froze, head whipping around to glare at the chess master, lips pulled back into a sneer. "Not even close."

Sumire smiled, pleasant as could be, as he stalked away. Still, there was a stiffness to her posture that didn't – couldn't – fully relax. Miyu paused and leaned against the doorframe, carefully not looking inside of the dining room. "What was that about?" she asked.

Sumire shook her head. "Nothing too important. Just some verbal sparring between rivals."

"About Misa."

"Isn't everything?"

Miyu didn't have an answer to that. Sumire huffed and massaged her forehead. "It doesn't matter," she said. "A few more hours and we never have to hear her name again."

"You're glad that Misa's dead, aren't you?"

"My, my, whatever could make you say that?"

Besides the fact that Miyu wasn't a complete idiot? Yes, she was furious and upset and heartbroken and grieving, but her brain still worked. Sumire had hardly been Misa's biggest fan – a feeling that had clearly been mutual – and as much as Miyu hated to admit it, there was definitely a gleam in Sumire's eyes whenever something happened to Misa. A vicious, vindictive gleam that Miyu ignored because it was better than the jolt and the pang that she got whenever Misa tilted her head and grinned. Really, it wasn't that hard of a conclusion to come to.

Sumire smiled at the look on Miyu's face. "Well, I won't lie and say that I'm particularly upset. If I had to pick someone from our little group to die, there were definitely worse options."

"Everyone is a bad option!"

"Everyone?" Sumire repeated. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure!" Miyu told her. "I don't want anyone to be murdered!"

Except… except she was looking forward to the look on the killer's face when the chain finally closed around their neck to take them to their execution, looking forward to the pain and the terror and despair, looking forward to them getting a taste of the same emotions that they forced Misa to go through.

"Then you should be happy," Sumire said before turning to head towards the trial room. "If nothing else, I think that the group will be a lot more stable after this particular trial. Oh, and I love your new jacket."

Miyu pulled the said jacket tighter around her and watched the other girl leave. A lot more stable? Why? Because they had just lost one of their angrier, more volatile members? That… it still shouldn't have been phrased like it was a good thing. A benefit. And maybe she should be looking for the good in the situation, should be looking for something to spark hope and perseverance, but…

She couldn't. Not right now.

Not when Misa laid in the room next to her. Alone. The dining room was eerily quiet now that everyone had left. They had to leave her. Miyu knew that. That's what they did for every other body. They left the body, did the trial, and were secretly thankful when the body was gone when they were done. Erased, as if it had never been there at all. As if the person had never existed.

Miyu swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat, franticly blinking away the burning in her eyes. The trial. She had to go to the trial. As soon as she could force her legs to move. They were locked in place as Miyu clasped both hands over her mouth, stifling a soft cry.

"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!" she whimpered.

"Miyu?" Rudolph stood a few feet away, at the other side of the dining room doorway. His eyes were red-rimmed and exhausted, but his brow was furrowed as he looked at her. "Everyone's ready for the trial. They sent me to look for you."

"Right," was all she could say.

Rudolph watched her for a moment longer before walking over to her. He pulled one of her hands away from her mouth and held it tightly in his. "Let's go." Miyu let him lead her away, even as she looked at Misa's body for as long as she could.

The ride to the trial room was silent, not that Miyu really expected anything different. It wasn't like everyone was chatty during the other two times. Still, the silence only made the imposing atmosphere feel that much heavier. Everyone knew what would happen next. It was unavoidable. In a few hours, someone else was going to be dead, killed in the most horrible way imaginable, because of their votes, their decisions.

Miyu couldn't wait to see it.

Even as guilt swallowed her whole the moment that thought registered, it still didn't change that impulse. She wanted blood, wanted some sort of payment, of recompense. She wanted justice. Justice for the infuriating and intoxicating girl that had been stolen away from her.

The elevator doors slid open before she could interrogate that feeling much further. Monokuma practically bounced for joy on his throne at the sight of the Ultimates. "Come on, come on! Hurry up! Let's get this show on the road!" he said, wine sloshing over the sides of his glass as he threw out his arm in a wide gesture.

Everyone mostly ignored him, even if his eagerness added more unease to the room. Like last time, there were two new plaques in the circle of podiums. Sumire stopped short for a few moments at the sight of Ryuu's, the bounty hunter glaring at the camera as if this were a mug shot, before ducking her head and hurrying to her stand. No one else really reacted to his. They were more focused on Misa's. Her head was tilted to the side and there was this warm, mischievous grin on her face, like this was all some practical joke that she was enjoying. Like she was just waiting in the wings to pop out and surprise them with a laugh and a tight hug.

If only.

Honestly, the only one who didn't look at Misa's picture was Shoma. He had his head bent at almost a ninety-degree angle, looking at nothing more interesting that the tops of his shoes. And he stayed like that even after he reached his podium.

"Alrighty, everyone!" Monokuma called out once everyone arrived at their places. "Make sure you take a few minutes to look over your Truth Bullets! I think you'll find that they are chock full of," he interrupted himself with a giggle, "important information."

Miyu frowned but did as she was told. It would be good to get a refresher. With everything that had happened today, it felt like months since she last saw all of the Truth Bullets.

TRUTH BULLETS:

Monokuma File #3: The victim is Misa Katsu, the Ultimate Smuggler. Time of death was 3:05 am. The body was discovered just after the morning announcement. The cause of death was strangulation due to hanging. There is also evidence of a blow to the back of her head. Misa was conscious at the time of her death.

No Defensive Wounds: There is a lack of defensive wounds on the body, implying that Misa trusted her killer.

Blow to Back of the Head: Misa was hit on the back of the head by a blunt object. The blow is at the base of her skull, meaning it came from someone who was around the same height as Misa.

Hands Bound:Misa's hands were tied behind her back with rope.

Blackened's Cruelty: The killer specifically waited for Misa to regain consciousness before killing her.

Motive: Only four people saw their motive videos before Misa destroyed the projector: Shoma, Sumire, Hoshina, and Rudolph. Misa received an audio clip for her motive.

Monokuma's Deal: Kotoko over heard Monokuma offering Misa a deal. It is unclear what the deal entailed or if Misa agreed to it or not.

Lack of Sleep: Shoma, Zettai, Kotoko, Hoshina, and S̶̛̛̥͓̺͚͇͔̄̇̈́͌̇̑̆́̍́͆͋͝ͅǘ̴̡̹͉̙̦̙̰̹͎̠͈͔͇̻̣̜̪̋͐̃͊̓̍̚͜ͅm̷̧̧̰̳͎̝͙̺̱̠͙͉̒͋̋̃͒ͅį̷̬͉͎͍̺͍̩̲̆̓ŕ̴̢̡̯͈̪̫͓̹͚̩̫͎̣̣̯͉ȩ̵̝̦͓͓͕̪̼͈̗͂̋̉̌̌̈̏̈́̏̇̋͜͝ all noticed that Misa had not been sleeping over the past few days. Kotoko thought that Misa seemed afraid to enter her room.

Party Timeline: The party began at seven pm last night. Misa and Zettai were the last people to arrive at around 7:45 pm. No one left the room until 12:30 am when Zettai left the party. Misa followed him out but returned after a few minutes. Kat, Ryo, and Rudolph left at 1:30 am. Miyu and Sumire left a few minutes later. Fujiko and Satsuki left at 1:45 am. Hoshina, Shoma, and Kotoko were the last to leave at just before 2 am. Misa told them that she was going to be awake for the next couple of hours.

No Alibis: Due to the late hour of the murder, no one has a solid alibi. Everyone claims to be alone, asleep in their rooms.

Misa's Belongings: Misa's jacket and both guns were in the corner of the party room.

Stereo: The stereo that Kotoko had gotten for the party was still blasting music when the investigation began.

13. ̷͇̖̺͓̌̉̈́͘Ę̸̢̢͍̜͔̲̣̭̮̙̭̺̂̂͝l̸̛̩̫͉̪̂̂̏̍̃̔̾̍̀e̴̼̯̼̩̰̋͂́͗̌̑̅̃͑͋̕̕͝͝v̴̧̛̤̥̥͕̥̯̥̱͓̩͍̈́͛a̵͓̥͔̦̫̎͜t̴̙͍͎̦͙͇͋̊̄̿̈́͝ö̸̦̟̞̪́̀̎̋͛͝ŕ̶̡͈̗̥͙͓͉̭̗̠̹̘̃̀̏̇̓ ̶̻̬̘͇̐̇̃͋̽̄̑͛̃̕̚͝Ċ̵̛͇͇͖̥͚͖͙̮̯͖̯͉̱̳̖́̉̽̋̔̐͋́h̶̢̛̻̺̲͔͙̤̹͓͔̔́͐̈̈́̇̓̓̌̔͆̋̅i̴̡̢̨̡̡͔̹̪̣̗͎̤͎̤̓͌͂́̀͜m̵̫̬̖̞̠͇͎͓̜͉̥̗̀̈́́̊̒ͅę̶̮̟̙̠͓̾͋̔̐̔:̴̪̑ ̸̻̲͈͋̍̾̄̀̍͒́̓̆Ţ̵̢̞̗̫͚̲̤̰͙̮̝̖̋̋̓͑͑̐̇̐̔͜͝h̷͙͇͕͍̯̟̹̞͖͋͑̑̚e̵͓͉̳͇̱̯̘͔̯̩͖͌̇͆́̃̎́̎͋͒̉̀̈́͝ ̵͍̪̣͈̭͉͎̖̺͙̫̞̓͂̐̀̊̈́è̶̖͉̩̤̖̙̾̆̄̌̅̍̏̑̂́̐̔͘ḷ̸̺̣͍̦͙͇̦̩́̋̅ĕ̷͓̥̭̳̤̲̼̠̬͑̃̿̌̐̀̽͐̈́̕̕͝v̵̡̲̙̮̦̝̘̲̪̰̪̯͈̩̹͊̊̅͛͒̾̽̀͂̏̑ä̷̛͈͕̤̥͕̻͎͍̯̼̖̭́̾̽ţ̸̛͍͙͍̣̮̫̜̲͈̌͋̃̈́̒͐͊́́̓͋̌͋͝o̵̡̪̤̟̳̝̮͍͓͈̪͚̒͒͜r̸̨͇̬͈̫̘̈̀ ̴̤͍̩̓̋̅̓û̶̮̒̿̐͗̒͠s̷̝̤̳͈̮͖̥͛̍̈́̀̀̈́̐̉̊͒͝ǔ̴̞̺̩̮̝̬̌̋̒͛̏̅͘ä̸̤̭̗͈̓̏̎ļ̸̨̦̲̱̝̜̙̭̩͕̎͒͛̾̓̊̄͂̾̆͆͂̈́͝͝l̴̡̞̬͖̼̗͉̹̤͍͊̓̌̏̂͌̆͂́̐̑̑́ͅý̷̛̠̿̀̈́̒͌̐̀́ ̶͇̫̼̞͈̩̬͕̪͈̹̠̻͇̄̍͘͝m̶̡̹̼̣̦̗͎̜̰̤̽̈́̇a̶̻̝̥̖̥̥͊ͅd̴̢̜̯̾ȅ̴͔̫͇̳͈̜̩̲̭̞̹͍̻̋̂̈̋͑͆̽̕͠͝ͅͅ ̷̛̜̈́̈́͐̃̓͆̒́̀̆̅̑̽̕ą̸̦̟͈͈̱̜̣͚͙̫͍͛͊̅̔̈͂̈̀̏̓͘̚͜͝ ̷͔̳̣͈̈͛̾͌̔́̓́͜v̴̗͙͓͍̮͈͕͋̏͂̀̾̕̚ě̴̟̳̱͔̝̐̋̄́̇̈̂̚͜͝r̸̜̲̠̜̣̪͓̹̟̯͍̠̍̉̿͗̃̊̍̂̓̕y̷̲̞̥̰̔̎̓̄̄́͑̅̈́̉͝ ̸͇̰̪͔͙̰͈͗̓͆̽͒̚͠l̶̡̢͔̮̦̲̝͖̫̩͒̋̆̈́̒̎̅͛̔͑̽͂̌̕͘ǫ̶̼͔̇u̴̲̿̽́͐̽̊̉̃͛̒̓̕͝ḑ̵̱͎̩͇̋͊̆́̾̚ ̶̨̹̩̞̟̟̘̠́̆̈̎̉̌́̄́̄̋̕̚͠n̵̬̂̎̒͋̔̊͋͝ọ̷̡̨̢̰̥̝̗̘͓̳̦̎͛͂͝i̶͔̯͋̑́́̆̑͘͜ş̴̗͘ę̸̙̝̰̘̺̯̫͖͔̰͗̓͘ ̵̡͇͍͉̩͙̳̼̤̩̺͇̟̈́̃̑̕͜͠ͅw̶̛̯̰͔̗̞̞͉̙̣̆̀͋̓̓͆̓̄̎̂ͅh̵̥̩̯̣͖͍̪͈̘͌̀̍e̴͚̹̗̎͌͐̌̆͆̆̓̓͒̊͝n̵̡̛̦̗̮̫͙̫͆̈́̓̋͋̋́̏̑́̂̕͝ ̴̬̣̲͍̹͇̰͙̄͐̃̈́̈̀̌̾̍͠͝ͅí̶̧̖̜̞̤͍̞͜t̸̪̫̳̘̳͈͖̥͈͖͖̜̃̉ ̶̙̮̜̣̑̆́͛̈̀̇̇̓̏́͘͝a̶̱̩̻̼͘r̷̬̫̬͚̗̯͓͇̭͚̮̼̽͋̎͜͜r̴̨̨̛͎͍̙̹͈̖̞̠̘̄͜͜i̶̙͙̇v̴̧̞͈̺͓͍̼̗̦̮̥̞͛̀̑̈͑̓̾̚͝ͅe̷̡̲̖͔̦̝͚̟͖͕͖̙̤̱̒͌ḓ̶̡̢̧͖̟̱̫̠͙͓̤̌͛̈́̋͜ ̶̛͈̬̙̤͖̱͐̍̃͐̒̃͂̚̚̕̚͜ơ̷͓͕̝͎̺̭̞̈́͐̍̄̄̆̈́͐̀̓̈́̀͜ñ̴̨͇̬̪̖̲̩͓̯̥̾̋ ̷̡̧͙̤͓̟͕̰̣̝̥̲̥̯̈́̀͛̔̇͗̉́͊̊͝ẗ̵̢̟̭̜̟͔́͠ḩ̶̪̳͔̼̲̤͈͓̇̾͆̂̅̚e̶̛͚͋̎̒͠ ̸̨̯̮̠̮̻̜͚̘̯͐̐̌͘͘͜ͅt̸͎̞̓̑͑̑͗̌͌̽͋̀̅̇h̷̡̻̱̖̱̫̜̟͕̽̚i̶̡͆̅̽͒̔r̵̢̧̈́͆ḑ̷̢̢̜̼̜̤̜͉̝̯̜̮̭̤̀̿̀̾͑̋̋͐̏̚͘ ̸̨̢̠̲̝̳͍͖͔͆͋̆̐̈͊͜ͅf̷̛͈̲̖̂̃̚͝l̶̡̡̲̰̞̪̳̯̰̹̱͉͍͍̍̆̐͋͗̍̀ͅò̶̧̝͓̤̪̫̋̔̍̌̅͆́̓̿͝ͅó̸̢͓͚͓̮̲̙̜̹̫̹͔͔͉̺̑r̵̡̲̤̺͖̰͈͕̦̹̯̤͓̘̾̀́̑̏̿̓͑͐̈́͠,̸̨̢̟̙̥͕͕̳̟͖̥͎͙͍̫̐ ̶̧̢̛͕̘̝̉̈̍̀͗͂́̓̚͝b̵̗͙̠̮̙̰̤̼͇̳͋̽̋̽͒̎̐̈́͗ư̸͈͗̇̓̾͛͐͋̚̕͘͝͠t̷͖̱͙͖̠̝̰̜̫̲̳͊͌̋́̀̓̽́̇̕͜͝ͅ ̴̢̨͈̲̯̫̺̫̐͛̒̾͒̈͂́̊͜͠ͅS̴̨̨̗̣͇̘̝̥͉̦̐̄h̶̦̭͉͚̣̳̝̤̹͛͊̀̀̌̆̑̉̀͛̑͒͘͠͝ȍ̶̺̼͇̜̅̓̔̍̎̔̉͌͒͝ͅm̸̧̠̜͒̾͂̅̽͒̅͛̈́͆͜͠ȧ̷̧̧̜̳͇̪̖͊̆̈̈́͌̆͌̐̈̂̍̆̚̕͜ ̸̢͌͐̍̂̊̑͗̓̍͑̆́̐h̵̠̥͈̩̗͎͉̹̱̜͚͊͑͑̌́̓̀̇̕͜a̵̡̢̮͓̖͕̭̯͈̪̦͔̗͓̠͊̔̐̚͝͝͝d̸̞̦̠͕͎͈̎͒͋̌̄̊͛͜ͅ ̸͎̝̭̦̱͉͙̺̘̈ͅa̵̧͇͔͂̓̈́̈́͛͂̀͠s̵̻͚͈̳̤̭͓̬̦̏̄̄͂̄̀͊͆̚͝͠k̸̛̫̮̬͎̮̑̀̂͌̓͋e̴̡͈͇̤̖͇̪̩͉͇̼̓ͅd̶̳̠̥̾̈̊̍̅̌͛̓̽̕͝͠ͅͅ ̴̛͈̗̳̻̰͓̩̦͌̔̆͆͆́̊̒̑͝ͅM̶̡̙͈̝̣͉̥̳͈̄̌̚o̷̡͋̃͘ǹ̸̨̜̬̮̞̥͙̊̐͒͒͗͐̓̄̊o̷̟̗̦̰̤̤̾̔̈̆̌̈́́̎́̏̇̐̿͘͝k̷̨̝̱̤̳͖̞̭̫̟̪͔̟̗̾͑ͅư̸̲͚̼̤̝̠͎͛̃̈́͊͌͠m̶̢̛͉̳͎̯̬̬͖̮͙͇͕̆̀͊̿̌ȁ̷̡̛̟̹͍̦͇́̓̾̽̾̃̂̌̓̚̕ ̷̗̠̺̘̺̗́͜ť̸̡̛͈̗͓̞͕͇̲̬̣̥̪̻̼́̒̅̽̒̆̀̈́̐̈̋͝ͅô̵͕̖̹͙̫̤̝̭͉͙̠̊̿̄͠ ̴̲͓͍̙̤̲̘̟̜̪̩͒͌͂̚ẗ̵̺̫͍̠̲̼̦̱́̓͌̀̊͌̂ư̴̱͎͖̟̬͊͛̑̉̾̒́̆̋͂̊̕̕͝r̷̦̝͖͙̬̖͚̮͙̞̄̕ṅ̵̳̥́̍̀̿̈͂̀͊͘ ̶̨̬̜͉̞̰̜̙͕͙̠͙̓͑̂͐͗̓̀̋̈̐̈́͘͝͝͝i̸̛͓͗̓̈́̊̈̈͐̔͋͑t̵̢̪͓̪̪̘͇̪͎̝̬̓͋̓͆̐͘͝ͅ ̵̦̰̦͇͇̤̼̿̾̏́̄̈̑̋o̵͔͈̜̾̈́͂̽̀̀͝͝f̷̨̢̢̝͎͙̯̘̫̹̱̤̦̗͛̂͒̉f̵̨̨̈ ̵͖̣̣̯͖͚̈́̎͆̊̚͝ͅț̶͖̞͙̙͈͎͚̹͎̺͈͎̀͆̓̄̊̽̇͒̅h̷̡̡̤̤̗̥̥͓͇͕̤̆̀̐̃̑͊̀͂̾̀͌̀͘͜͝͝ę̵̤̮̫̃̅̑̀̆̀̽̊͠ͅ ̶̨̝̤͙͕̗̪̝̺̠̂́̒̿̑̑͘͠ͅd̷̢̧̪̣̹̙̙̝̝̟̼͙͝ͅã̵̗̻͉̼̖̗̈́͗͛͠͠y̶͖̞̰̯̖͂ͅ ̷̨̨̫̻̠͉͍̹͈̮̳̪͖̫̭̐̋b̴̧̛̮̦̟̜̻̗̠̤͉̹̯͔̎̈͑͗̈́̕e̴̡͇͇̣̪͔̟̼͎̝̰̾̈́̓́̐̂̀̿̇̆̄̀͘͜͜f̶̢̛͓̘̳̣̠̈́̄͘͠ỗ̴͙̯̥̝̘̼͊̕͜r̶̙̅̏̅͐͐̀̀͛̅̋̈́͝͝ẽ̵̗̠͎͎̦͈̬́ ̷̤̖̯͈̮͕̗̀̃̄̈̏͒̋̏̒͆̚ͅṱ̵͉̱̬͈̋ḩ̴̧̡̹̟̘̘̹̼͔͖̮̺̘͛͆̍͑̑̚͠e̶̹͕̣̟͓̖̤̩̊̑͐̾ ̴̛̱̫̤͚̝̖̦̗͖̺̜̤͕͂͊̉̐p̶̛͉̆͆̾̔̿̏̉a̶̢̢͇̜͔̲͇̦͉̦͕̺̽̾̇͑̈̈́̈́̔͒͜͠r̵̪̭̜̘͍̰͍̒ţ̵̝̮̼̥͍̺̞͈̱̱̩̊̅̚͜ý̸̡̩̰̺̪̟̤̣̝̓̓̃͑̍̄̓́͘͜͜͝͝ͅͅ.̵̻̙͈̟̥̜̣̼͉̲̦̻͕̘̐̏ ̸̯̠̐M̴̥͕̖̭̋͑̉͑̿̀̓͠ͅo̸̮͍̬͔͕̳͉̳̳͆͛͋͛̇̔̓̀͋̒́̕ņ̷̮̫͎̖͖͖̙͓͙̣͂̂̏̽͑̑̀̂ỏ̷̤̖͙̜͕͎̖̈̽̑̄̍̆͋̾̀͜͝͝k̸̪̋̃͌̓̅͆͗͐̕ų̴̛̳̜̠͓͖͚͊͊̍̋́̂͑͗̕͜͠͝m̵̢̡̫̩̗̙͎̹̪̞̳̫̑̌̎̊͝͝ä̶̧̡̢̙̝̞̗̪͖̳͕̥̫͔̬́̂̓̕͘͠ ̴̮̫̼͓̜̬͎̭͇͎͒̾́̊͠h̵̡͓̹̯͕̰̤̹̦͗̋̇̉͘̕̕ͅą̴̱̝̰̺̗͓̮͙̩̖̩͎̯̾̒͂͜d̶͙̤̔̅̈́̉ ̵̠͙̝̫̭̱̲́̈́͋̀̀̈́͋̆̉͘͝ň̶̢̨̪͍̖̙̤̬̎̉͝͝o̸̡̡̢̗̗̗̲̩̲̙̗̱̝̥͆t̶͈͙̝̩̖̖͌̉̍͌̉̓̚͜ ̸̧̡̛̙͈̺͉̝̺̗̲̗̰̰̌͊͌̽̾͊́̚̚ͅt̸̛̩̺̞̣̦̞͖͐̓̏u̵̡͙̦̥̖͂̓r̵̜̝͖͖̜͍̗̓̄̍͝ņ̵̛̳̹̳̯̟̝̮̮̱̎̑̇̔̐͝͝e̶̛̝̒́̃̓̋̑̑͆̓̋͝ḏ̴̡̡̲̜͕̪͕̜͉̱̒̿́̀ͅ ̵̻͇̟̝͔̰̩͔̯̖̎̌̓̾͂͊̈́̀͒̎̒̄̚͠͝ţ̶̺̪̫͉̙̈̈́͊̎͊̋h̴̻̬̩̻̞̟͕͛̒̈́̔̆̇͒̏̉̕̕͝͠͝ͅę̵̖̣̙̫̟̺̳̣̻͉̗͎͇̀ ̴̟̖͈̰͍̮̰͚̹̜̏ͅc̴̥͎̖̟̘̮̥̣̈́͂̈́̓̌͘h̷̖͓̦̭͆̉̈́̇̒̏̅̊̎̈́͘ȉ̵̬͊͋̄̀̿͑͠m̵̛̯̲̦̥̻̥̬͕̟̤͖͖̫̀̔̾̐̕̚͜ͅẽ̵̛̖͉̞̮̞̫̹̽̀̄̇̈́̿̄̊̚̕͝ ̵̧̡̜̞͉̤͎̖͇̯̻͗̀̕̕͜͜͝ͅͅb̸̨̡̧̠̙̲͈̪̣̞̱̍̓͆̌͊ȧ̸͈̬̰͇͍̘̺͉̳̰̠̠̍͋͐̀̈͘͘͜͝ͅc̶̢̡̳̬̭͙̫̠̳̘̮͎͙̃̀͜ͅk̵̡̨͕̫̠̭͈͇͂̌͊̉̓̓̐̔́̂͋ ̴̥̲͈̱̣͉̮̼̾̾ò̷̧͓̰̺̦̙̬̀̔ņ̷̨̖̼̂͊͐̾͐̀̔̀͗̈́̄̿̕.̴̛̛̘̩̺̄͂̇͐͊͘͘̚͘͠ ̸̘͍͈̫̳̳̣̲̗̩̥́͐̋͂̀͑̓̄̊̍̉́͘͝͝

Miyu's frown deepened. What was this? Some kind of glitch? This hadn't happened before. She hit the side of her Monopad with the flat of her hand, but it did nothing to fix the issue. She hit it again and the screen flashed white for a second before returning her to the home screen.

The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up and Miyu looked away fro her tablet to see Monokuma staring at her. "Everything alright over there, Leia?" he asked.

"That's my nickname! Not yours!" Kat said immediately.

Monokuma turned his head to glare at him and Kat immediately shrank away, dropping his gaze to the ground. "Oh, shut up! I can say what I want!"

"Hey, leave him alone!" Rudolph told the bear, looking worriedly at his friend. Monokuma made a disgusted sound but otherwise said nothing. Kat managed a small smile and nod in Rudolph's direction.

Miyu called up her truth bullets again. The screen flashed white for a second time before finally showing them.

TRUTH BULLETS:

Monokuma File #3: The victim is Misa Katsu, the Ultimate Smuggler. Time of death was 3:05 am. The body was discovered just after the morning announcement. The cause of death was strangulation due to hanging. There is also evidence of a blow to the back of her head. Misa was conscious at the time of her death.

No Defensive Wounds: There is a lack of defensive wounds on the body, implying that Misa trusted her killer.

Blow to Back of the Head: Misa was hit on the back of the head by a blunt object. The blow is at the base of her skull, meaning it came from someone who was around the same height as Misa.

Hands Bound:Misa's hands were tied behind her back with rope.

Blackened's Cruelty: The killer specifically waited for Misa to regain consciousness before killing her.

Motive: Only four people saw their motive videos before Misa destroyed the projector: Shoma, Sumire, Hoshina, and Rudolph. Misa received an audio clip for her motive.

Monokuma's Deal: Kotoko over heard Monokuma offering Misa a deal. It is unclear what the deal entailed or if Misa agreed to it or not.

Lack of Sleep: Shoma, Zettai, Kotoko and Hoshina all noticed that Misa had not been sleeping over the past few days. Kotoko thought that Misa seemed afraid to enter her room.

Party Timeline: The party began at seven pm last night. Misa and Zettai were the last people to arrive at around 7:45 pm. No one left the room until 12:30 am when Zettai left the party. Misa followed him out but returned after a few minutes. Kat, Ryo, and Rudolph left at 1:30 am. Miyu and Sumire left a few minutes later. Fujiko and Satsuki left at 1:45 am. Hoshina, Shoma, and Kotoko were the last to leave at just before 2 am. Misa told them that she was going to be awake for the next couple of hours.

No Alibis: Due to the late hour of the murder, no one has a solid alibi. Everyone claims to be alone, asleep in their rooms.

Misa's Belongings: Misa's jacket and both guns were in the corner of the party room.

Stereo: The stereo that Kotoko had gotten for the party was still blasting music when the investigation began.

Wait… twelve?

"If we can finally get started, I have a question," Zettai said, already sounding bored with this whole affair. Typical. The guy was incapable of caring about anything.

"Shoot!" Monokuma said, taking a sip of his wine.

"Your truth bullets are different. You've never given us this much information before."

"… Is there a question in there?"

"Why?"

Monokuma shrugged. "I'm just a generous bear like that! With our lovely, beloved Misa gone, you screw ups need all the help you can get! Otherwise, the blackened might actually get away with this! Phuhuhuhu!"

"Wait. I'm sorry, but I'm very confused," Kotoko said. "It almost sounds like you want the blackened to lose?"

"Who me? Why, I am the very bearly model of impartiality!" he said, placing a paw over his chest.

Kotoko only looked more confused. "But that's not – "

"Stop looking a gift bear in the mouth!" Monokuma interrupted with a growl. "Geez, I try to give you all a fighting chance and this is how you thank me? Ungrateful bastards, the lot of you! Now quit talking to me and let's get this show on the road!"

"Well then," Sumire said. "Shall we get started? Thanks to Monokuma's help, this will be a very short trial."

Ryo cocked his head to the side, not unlike a (somewhat) intelligent bird. "Why? It's not like he said who it is. He's kinda a mean animal."

"My, my, did you even read the truth bullets?" Sumire asked with a smile that somehow managed to avoid being patronizing. "There's two of them that lay it out quite clearly, in my opinion."

What two truth bullets is Sumire talking about?

A) Bullets 7 and 5

B) Bullets 2 and 5

C) Bullets 2 and 3

"The second and third ones," Miyu said, earning a pleased smiled from the chess player. Miyu found herself smiling back. It was a tiny one, yes, but still a smile. "Thanks to them, we know that Misa trusted her killer and that they were the same height as her."

"But Misa was really, really tall!" Rudolph said with a frown.

"Exactly," Sumire said.

"Wait," Hoshina said, "I think that we may be reading too – "

"The killer is obvious then," Zettai interrupted without even a glance towards the psychologist. Hoshina shook her head, annoyance briefly flashing across her face before settling back into her normal, almost placid expression. "It has to be Satsuki."

It was super predictable what happened next. Satsuki was startled, naturally, all color leeching from her face. Who wouldn't be when they were suddenly accused of murder without any sort of preamble? Sumire narrowed her eyes at Zettai. He had obviously hijacked whatever point she was trying to make. Really, she probably should have expected it by now. Rudolph looked between Satsuki and Misa's stands, as if trying to mentally calculate the height difference between them. Kotoko looked down at her hands, wanting to speak up but unable to find the correct words to do so.

Kat stayed quiet and pale, more interesting in his Monopad than in the conversation happening around him. They probably wouldn't get any jokes out of him this time, not that anyone in their right mind would expect any. Hoshina stared at Zettai, who tried hard to pretend that he didn't notice. Ryo still looked confused, like he could barely believe that Satsuki could do such a thing. And honestly? Miyu was inclined to feel the same way. The astronomer was just so… quiet. Almost meek.

And Fujiko… well, Fujiko did what she did best.

"Are you fucking joking?" she demanded, leaning forward as far as she could to jab a finger at Zettai. "You can't seriously believe that Satsuki did this!"

Zettai looked completely unbothered. "She's the only one who completely fits." He glanced at Satsuki. "Honestly, I'm almost impressed. I wouldn't expect you to be so bloodthirsty."

"The only one," Miyu echoed. Now why did she have trouble believing that?

"Stop saying that! It's not her!"

Ryo nodded. "I don't think that she would kill Misa like that. They were friends! They didn't hiss at each other or anything like that."

"Shouldn't we hear from Satsuki herself?" Zettai asked.

"I…" Satsuki swallowed hard and tried again. "I didn't hurt Misa."

"No. You just killed her," Zettai said. For a moment, something dark and ugly flashed in his eyes. Well, uglier than usual at least. Seriously, how could Misa stand to be around him? How could she think even for a moment that trusting him was a good idea?

"I'm sorry, but don't we need actual evidence for this?" Kotoko asked. Hoshina quickly nodded.

"I agree. This discussion is useful – "

" – Bullshit!"

"Fujiko, please. Focusing on the evidence will only help everyone. Okay?"

The navigator grumbled a little before shaking her head. "Fine. I'll just prove that you're wrong then!"

TRUTH BULLETS LOADED

Monokuma's Deal | Motive | Lack of Sleep

Fujiko: Satsuki didn't do it!

Zettai: And where's your evidence for that?

Fujiko: Where's your evidence? Huh? … Fuckface.

Kotoko: Can we please see any evidence? This is a trial. We need proof.

Sumire: Well, I suppose that Satsuki is the correct height to pull this off.

Rudolph: She is pretty tall. Like Misa was.

Satsuki: Please, I have no reason to do this!

Zettai: I'm still not hearing any evidence to back you up.

Hoshina: I'm not sure if your evidence is all that strong either, Zettai.

Zettai: Simple process of elimination. Besides, it's hard to prove something so glaringly obvious.

Satsuki: I didn't hurt Misa!

Kat: Yep. We're just going around in circles. Great.

Truth Bullet Selected: Motive

How's this for obvious?

BREAK!

"What's Satsuki's motive?" Miyu asked. "She's right. She had no reason to do this. She wasn't one of the people to see their videos."

"Hey! She's right!" Fujiko said, flashing a bright grin Miyu's way when the other girl caught her eye. "There's no motive! Can't kill someone without a motive."

Zettai rolled his eyes. "Is that really the best you got?" he asked. "Fine. Who got a motive video?"

Rudolph immediately raised his hand. "Me."

Sumire inclined her head. "I did as well."

"And then there was Shoma and myself," Hoshina said once it became clear that her boyfriend was still trapped in whatever black hole his mind had turned into. "And Misa, of course."

"Thank you," Zettai said, although his words were more directed towards Hoshina than anyone else. He turned his attention back to Miyu. "Now, let's see. I don't think anyone here can honestly say that Shoma did this."

"I… Continue," Kotoko said, curling in on herself when Hoshina looked at her in shock. There was zero reaction from Shoma.

"Hoshina? Far too short. Rudolph? Also far too short. And as much as I personally would love to remove this particular thorn from my side, Misa probably trusted Sumire the least out of everyone here."

"Aww, I'm hurt, Bathroom Buddy!" Monokuma called from his spot on the throne. Everyone ignored him.

"But that sounds like we can't use the motive at all then!" Ryo said. "Isn't that something that's really important?"

"It is important," Hoshina told him gently. "It just helped us to eliminate four people." He brightened up immediately.

"Oh! That is really important then!"

"Shall we continue around the circle?" Zettai asked. "Same process of elimination. Fujiko is the same height as Rudolph, so too short. Ryo, Kat, and Kotoko? All more than half a foot shorter. Miyu?" he met her eyes briefly, "Closer to the correct height but I still say to short, even if rage is an excellent motivator. The fact remains that Satsuki is the closest one here to Misa's height."

Wait.

"That doesn't matter! It couldn't have been Satsuki!" Fujiko insisted. She slammed her hands down on the railing of her podium. "You guys are being really fucking stupid right now!"

"I – I would never do something like this," Satsuki said.

"Yeah, you've said that," Kat told her. "It's the only thing you've said."

"What else should I say? How am I supposed to prove the absence of something?"

"Zettai still hasn't provided any real evidence," Kotoko added, looking between him and Satsuki. "I will not vote for someone without actual evidence. I'm sorry, but I won't."

"There's no need to apologize," Hoshina said. She shot a smile her way. "This is, it's a very important decision." Kotoko tentatively smiled back.

"Doesn't have any evidence anyways," Fujiko said. Zettai shook his head, but she pointed her finger at him before he could open his mouth. "I'm not done! Don't have any evidence because there isn't any. Satsuki and I were talking for a while last night! Way passed the time Misa was murdered."

"So, you are claiming to be her alibi then?" Sumire asked.

"Not claiming shit. I am her alibi."

"My, my, such a passionate defense."

"It is true?" Ryo asked. "Satsuki! Is it true?"

"I – I – " Satsuki looked around with wide eyes as Fujiko nodded firmly.

"No, it isn't," Miyu said. As much as she hated to admit it, there was a very obvious hole in Fujiko's testimony. She couldn't let any lies slip through. Not for this trial. Not if she wanted justice for Misa.

What is the hole in Fujiko's story?

A) Motives

B) Monokuma's Deal

C) No Alibis

D) Blow to the Back of the Head

"Fujiko, you weren't talking to Satsuki during the motive," Miyu said, fighting the urge to rub her hands over her face. "You weren't talking to anyone. You were both in your rooms. Asleep. Isn't that what you said earlier?"

Fujiko blinked, startled that her words weren't being taken at face value. Rudolph shifted uneasily on the stand. Finally, he squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out, "You should have heard something then! The, um, the manner of death wouldn't have been that quiet. Especially since Misa was awake and her neck didn't just… go crack." He looked around at the sudden, awkward silence. "Research?"

That was a lot to unpack, but Miyu wasn't going to touch it for now. There was physically no way Rudolph could have done this, so it was less important than the matter that they really should be discussing instead. (Even if, yeah, she really wanted to circle back to just how much research Rudolph had done into various methods of murder.)

"The point is that Fujiko is lying," Miyu said.

Satsuki looked down at her feet. "Yes, she is. We talked for a little bit, but not nearly long enough to be an alibi."

"Satsuki!"

"Fujiko," she said quietly, and the navigator deflated. The pout on her face would have been rather endearing if not for the situation.

"Are we done with this farce?" Zettai asked, picking at a bit of dirt under his thumbnail. "Unless anyone else has any idiotic things to say?"

"I do," Kotoko said, quiet but still resolute. "Oh! Not that it's idiotic. It's not. At least, I don't think it is."

"Will you just spit it out?" he snapped.

Kotoko flinched. "Sorry. I simply am having trouble believing that Satsuki could do something like this. Isn't there another truth bullet that we can be looking at? You're ignoring all of them in favor of a single point."

"Thank you," Satsuki whispered to her, nearly drown out by Fujiko's enthusiastic agreement.

"I have no issues looking elsewhere," Sumire said with a shrug. Zettai looked at her, his eyes narrowing, but otherwise said nothing. Miyu scanned through her truth bullets again, glad that there didn't seem to be any other glitches. She paused at one bullet about halfway down the list, and thought back to her initial reaction to the accusation.

SELECT A TRUTH BULLET

– Blackened's Cruelty –

"Wait," Miyu said. "Let's think about the other cases. Itami killed Tsuyoshi by accident – "

"Outside interference notwithstanding," Sumire added with a cold smile. Miyu had to take a deep breath before she could continue.

"Itami killed Tsuyoshi by accident, and Ryuu's murder of Shouko was quick and impersonal. It was just because she was by herself. This case is very different."

"They executed her," Kat said, looking no better than the first time he said it. "They wanted to make sure that she suffered."

There was a moment of silence before Miyu continued. "This was calculated and planned and almost as cruel as you can make it."

"And you're implying that this means Satsuki is innocent," Zettai said.

Miyu shrugged. "Can you honestly stand there and tell me that you think Satsuki is capable of this? Honestly?"

"Only Monokuma is that mean," Ryo said.

Yeah, Monokuma and a certain tactician. Fucking smug asshole, standing there like every word that everyone else says is just a massive inconvenience.

"I wouldn't have said her name otherwise," he said.

Shoma tilted his head to the side, the only real movement from him in awhile. Hoshina glanced at him before half-raising her hand. "If it means anything, I can offer my professional opinion. It won't be the same as if it's a formal evaluation, but it's something?"

"Yeah! Why not?" Ryo said. "Do your Mommy Cat thing!"

There was a brief tremor of mild amusement through the group, although Ryo didn't seem to realize that it was mostly directed at him. "I genuinely do not think that Satsuki would have the mental fortitude to go through with a murder this elaborate," Hoshina said. "And I do mean that in the kindest way possible. You simply get very nervous and excitable, and have fainted due to that in the past."

"Please, no offense taken."

"Yeah! What do you say to that?" Fujiko asked, grinning widely.

Zettai was quiet for a moment, a muscle in his jaw working, before he inclined his head in Hoshina's direction. "I'll concede to the expert in her field."

"Is everyone else okay with eliminating Satsuki?" Kotoko asked. Everyone nodded quickly enough, although Ryo quickly frowned.

"So… who do we have left? Zettai's really mean but he's also pretty smart! And he eliminated everyone as suspects already because we're all too short. He went around the whole circle!"

Sumire cleared her throat, almost as if she had been waiting for that exact statement. "Now, it wasn't exactly the whole circle now, was it? He skipped over someone pretty important."

It only took Miyu a moment to realize what she was talking about. Really, she should have picked up on it from the start, but she had been distracted by trying to figure out Satsuki's innocence. "Hey, Zettai. You're pretty close to Misa in height. Maybe even closer than Satsuki is."

"Here it comes," he muttered.

"And thanks to poor Tsuyoshi, I think that the cruelty won't be an issue," Sumire continued.

Again, Miyu had to take a deep breath, but it did nothing to ease the knot in the center of her chest. She was right. They already had proof that he obviously had no regard for human life, that he had no issue manipulating people and throwing them away when it suited his needs. Why would Misa be any different? If anything she was more susceptible to him. She didn't properly realize just what a snake he was. She would have turned her back to him, trusting that he wouldn't hurt her. It was just so easy to picture it in her mind: Misa laughing and saying something as she turned around to pick up a discarded cup, Zettai standing right behind her, arm raised to deliver the incapacitating blow.

"If anything, I'd think that would prove I didn't do this," he said, still looking bored, as if this was just another expected, annoying hassle he had to deal with. "It's not my style to get my hands dirty."

And that was enough.

That was enough to spark the emotions that Miyu had been trying to bury and ignore and deal with later. Her vision narrowed to just him, the buzzing in her head drowning out the yells of the people around her. Some small part of her knew that the others were shocked, angry, horrified, but it all paled in comparison to the fury racing through her veins, growing hotter with every thundering beat of her heart.

"Not your style," she repeated.

"I delegate. It's an important skill."

"So you would have happily let someone else kill Misa as long as someone else ripped the chair away."

Zettai's voice went flat. "Careful, Miyu. Now's not the time to get overemotional."

"Overemotional?"

"Maybe we should all take a break," Hoshina suggested.

"Yes, I think that's a great idea!" Kotoko said, almost tripping over her words in her rush to say them. "Right, everyone?"

"How's this then?" Miyu asked. Her hands were shaking, but she didn't notice. "Turn your own logic against you. You are the only one tall enough to have killed Misa. The truth bullets prove it. Not to mention that she apparently trusted you more than anyone else here since she was more than happy to keep your secret! So that accounts for the lack of defensive wounds. You left the party early so that people wouldn't suspect you and waited for everyone else to go to bed. Then you went upstairs with a weapon that you either hid on you or found in the party room, waited until Misa turned her back, and hit her in the head. Once she was unconscious, you tied her up with rope from the lottery room and dragged her to the dining room. You propped her up on the chair, and because you're a fucking bastard, waited until she regained consciousness so that she would be scared. And then you ripped the chair away and watched as she fought and struggled and died."

She had to pause for a breath, her chest heaving. "And that's why, Zettai Noseifuku, that you are the only –"

"No, that's wrong."

The words weren't shouted. If anything, they were a little bit quiet. But they struck with the force of the gavel the moment after a judge damns someone to death row. Resolute. Implacable. Certain. There were zero doubts in the speaker's mind that he was anything other than completely correct.

"What?" Miyu asked.

"You're wrong," Shoma said in the exact same tone of voice. He had finally lifted his head up in order to stare directly at Miyu. His eyes were too bright, too sharp to be anything close to normal or even sane, but she met his gaze head on. Zettai looked between the two of them, obviously baffled. Honestly, it was almost funny how unprepared he was for someone to defend him. And a little sad, if Miyu was feeling charitable.

She wasn't.

"Do you have proof of this?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

Shoma shrugged. "Just need to ask a question first," he said before turning to Zettai. The tactician looked at him curiously, if still a little uncertain.

"Why not? I'm an open book."

"Did you care about Misa?"

The poll on who killed Misa is technically still up on my profile if you haven't voted for the killer yet. Let me know what you think! Also, if you like my writing and also like Pokemon, check out my new killing game SYOC, Pokemon Hope and Despair!

Until next time! (Which hopefully will not take a year!)