A/N: Hey, peeps! For those of you who came from my Wattpad account, I announced there earlier that I was having trouble finding my way home with all the panic going on. Thankfully, I've made it back to my home country just in time before the country closed its borders *phew* My classes have been moved online, so I'll still have some trouble updating often, but I promise I'm doing my best!

And don't forget: your health is of the utmost importance. Don't harm others with your negligence, take care of yourselves, and relax. Everything will be okay.

[Chapter 19: Investigation Trial 2 Part 1]

We knew this day was coming. Even if we all tried to be positive, we knew deep inside that someday, the game would start again. It was simply inevitable. Monokuma would never let the game after just one round.

But no one expected Gonta of all people to be the next victim. That pure, innocent, child-like boy who was stronger and kinder than anyone. No one could ever hate the guy.

The initial shock was overwhelming. Not a single breath was heard. Everyone simply stood there dumbfounded, staring at the impossible reality in front of their eyes.

Why did this happen to Gonta? And how, of all people, did the strongest man in our ranks end up killed?

*Ding Dong Bing Bong*

The screen on the monitor buzzed. "A body has been discovered! Please head over to the swimming pool!"

"G-Gonta?" Shuichi was the first to break the deafening silence.

"What the fuck is going on here?!" Miu screamed, her legs quivering. She slid a few steps back, her face paling after each one. "W-Why is he dead?!" Her emotional outburst broke everyone out of a trance, triggering an explosion of panic and chaos around the room.

"W-Why? Why Gonta?" Kaito clenched his fists. His voice trembled in disappointment and anger that was aimed at everyone else, but mostly himself for being so powerless and weak. "That guy...he was the kindest person I knew...SO WHY?!" His jaws shuddered uncontrollably as Kaito felt all his beliefs crumbling into irreparable pieces.

"K-Kaito, calm down." Kiibo frowned as he walked up to him and patted Kaito on the shoulder, squeezing tightly. "We're all angry, but now is the time to be calm." Although Kiibo was trying to console Kaito, the crushing grip on Kaito's shoulder said otherwise.

"I know that," Kaito snapped back with a glare directed at Kiibo. "But I can't just— damn it!" He cursed up to the skies, hot tears pouring down his eyes. "Just, why? Why Gonta?"

Nobody knew what to say. We were all just as confused and lost. I felt myself tightening my grip on Kokichi's hand. His fingers twitched in surprise, but he didn't brush me off.

"I...I don't understand," I whispered in a hushed voice as I shook my head in disbelief. "How? And...why?"

Kokichi didn't answer. He just stared intently at Gonta's floating corpse, eyes dark like polished coal. An inexplicable emotion was flickering through his eyes, and I had no idea how to bring it up. There were no words to describe this situation, and all I could do was grip his cold hand even harder.

"But he was still fine yesterday!" Tenko exclaimed in disbelief. Then, she turned around to glare at all the other men in the room. "Which one of you degenerates did it? Leave it to you degenerates to kill your kind! And of all people, you chose him?!" She pointed the finger at Gonta's body, floating lifelessly above the water.

"T-Tenko, calm d-down." Himiko attempted to ease Tenko's anger but failed miserably as she visibly wobbled for everyone to see, face ashen with horror.

"Oh my, he's dead? That's unfortunate." Angie frowned, pushing her hands against her cheeks. "What a pity. He was such a kind soul."

"That's all you have to say? Really?" Rantaro crossed his arms and stared at Angie with distaste.

Angie placed her hands together and prayed, closing her eyes. "Atua says all we can do is pray for his soul to rest in peace."

"No...it's...happened again? We have to go through that stupid trial, again?!" Miu slammed her fists against the wall. "Whichever one of you fucktards did it, you better confess up now, you hear me?!"

"Who the heck's going to confess just like that?" Kaito rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Miu whipped her head around to glare at him. "The hell did you say, turf head?"

"Kehehe, things have taken quite an interesting turn. I wonder what kind of hope I will witness this time around...?" Korekiyo chuckled in amusement as he watched everyone descend into pandemonium.

"S-Stop, guys!" Shuichi exclaimed, barging into the center of the fight. "This isn't the time for fighting!" But his voice was way too timid for the others to notice him, and the room continued to spiral down into chaos.

"W-What do we do?" I muttered, eyes flickering back and forth. "Everyone's panicking, Kokichi." There was no response, and I glanced up at him. "Kokichi...?" My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. I snuck a sideways glance at his face. Kokichi was still frozen stiff. He wasn't paying any attention to the chaos around him. All of his attention was focused entirely on Gonta's body in front of him.

An eerie feeling filled my stomach as I stared in dread at Kokichi. My lungs felt as if they were being crushed under his cold, ruthless gaze. I shivered at the darkening look in his eyes. If I didn't know him better, I'd think he was simply blanking out in boredom.

But this was different.

Something's wrong. He's taking this way too personally compared to before. What is he thinking...?

"...Who was it?"

The arguing immediately died down. Tenko and Kaito froze mid-fight. Even Miu, who was usually so out-spoken, zipped her mouth shut. All eyes turned to look at Kaede. Her shoulders were quivering as her head hung low, casting an ominous shadow over her usually cheerful features.

"I said, who was it. Who did this," Kaede repeated. It wasn't a question. It was a demand — an order.

Nobody answered. The rest of us glanced at each other, unsure what to make of her change in demeanor.

"Don't you get it?" She lifted her head and glared at all of us with wet, damp eyes. Streaks of tears flowed down her reddening cheeks as the anger continued to spill out of her lips. "You're making the same mistake I did. Whoever you are, let me ask you this: have you not learned from my mistakes? Did you forget the sin I've committed last time?"

She raised her voice, making everyone wince. Shuichi silently walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kaede, it's okay. We understand."

Kaede reached her hand over to grasp his and took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down. "Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't it have ended with just my failure? Why did someone attempt to take someone else's life again? Aren't we friends?!"

Her words sent everyone diving even further into despair because she was absolutely right. We had successfully won against Tsumugi, one of the masterminds in the last round. There was no reason to start the killing game again unless someone else involved in this killing game initiated this second round.

Is that it? Is the other mastermind on the move?

From the ceiling, the Monokubs suddenly dropped down onto the floor. Monophanie started vomiting the moment she saw Gonta's body. "BLERCHHHH, HE'S DEAD!"

"Holy schnitzel, damn Tarzan got owned!" Monokid struck his guitar once and started guffawing, spraying his spit all over the place.

Monotaro quivered as he started foaming from his mouth. "O-Oh god! Gontaaaaaaa," he started wailing, though nobody paid any attention to him.

"Upupupu," Monokuma's laughter echoed throughout the room as he appeared from the ceiling, dropping down to the floor. "How does it feel to have a second murder happening? Hm? Is it just me, or is the air around here so dark and dreary?" Monokuma feigned ignorance, popping his head to the side.

"All of the punks are just shocked, dad!" Monokid continued to play his guitar. "Leave 'em be for a while, and they'll be all gung-ho again."

"Upupupu, you're right," Monokuma laughed, his red eye flaring with amusement. Then, he reached his hand into his pockets and pulled out a bunch of tablets. "And, here you go! A gift from me to you~"

"Is that the Monokuma File again?" Korekiyo inquired, narrowing his eyes at the object with suspicion. "The fact that I'm seeing this again makes me realize this isn't just a nightmare."

"Hm? Of course, it isn't a nightmare!" Monokuma bellowed out. "Your dear friend, Gonta Gokuhara has been killed! Not only that, but he was also brutally murdered by one of you," Monokuma declared, snickering. "Have fun weedling out the blackened! The class trial will start in a few hours, so you better use that time wisely if you don't want to die~"

"Hell yeah! I've been waiting for the next trial to happen!" Monotaro cheered.

"So long, bear well~" The Monokubs sang their usual farewell and disappeared from the pool area along with Monokuma, leaving the rest of us to wallow in the silence and despair.

"...What are we going to do now?" Kiibo meekly asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Miu scoffed. "Some stupid idiot started this goddamn game again, and now we're going to have to participate in that trial!"

"Not again..." Tenko grabbed her hair in frustration. "I don't want to do this anymore!"

Suddenly, the door behind us slammed open, and we turned our heads to meet the newcomers. Maki and Ryoma ran into the swimming pool area, sweat rolling down their faces.

"What happened?" Maki immediately demanded an answer as she stepped forward towards the poolside. As her eyes landed on Gonta's floating body, her gaze softened with pity and remorse. She sighed, shaking her head lightly. "So the killing game has really started again, huh?"

"And here I thought I would have a peaceful day for once," Ryoma shifted his beanie. "All I wanted was to rest, but life likes to throw shit our way, huh?"

"Where were you guys?" Korekiyo questioned. "Did you not know about Himiko's performance today?"

Maki shrugged. "I knew about it, but I wasn't really in the mood for a magic trick."

Ryoma frowned. "I wasn't really well and was resting up in my room. I made sure to tell Rantaro to inform you guys about my absence." Ryoma glanced over at Rantaro, who nodded in response.

"I did inform them earlier," Rantaro reassured him. "I'm sure they'll understand."

"Understand?" Kaede clenched her fists harder. "Sure, I understand how you might fall sick under this dire situation, but what I don't understand is why the killing game has happened again!"

"Kaede, calm down first," Shuichi bit his lips in agony. "I know it's hard, but we have to keep on going. You were the one who taught me that, didn't you? To not look away from the truth. To keep on fighting until the very end."

Kaede turned her attention to Shuichi. Shuichi walked up to her and grabbed her hands, covering them with his own. He squeezed lightly and shot her a small smile. "We may have made the same mistakes again, but we won't give up until we end this game for good, right?"

Kaede sniffed once, then twice. Then, she let go of Shuichi's hands and quickly rubbed her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt. "I know. I'm just...upset. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize about, Kaede!" Kiibo smiled. "We are aware of how much you care about all of us. Now is the time to return the favor. I will make sure this mystery is solved!"

"Wow, since when were you just a confident robot?" Kokichi suddenly perked up, catching me by surprise. He let go of my hand and nudged me off to the side with his elbows. I blinked, moving away from his path.

Kiibo snapped back at him. "How many times do I have to keep telling you this, but stop being robophobic!"

"Nishishi," Kokichi chuckled. "Anyway, I'll catch the culprit this time for sure!" He pranced towards the Monokuma Files lying on the ground and snatched one of them. "I'll be taking one of these, okay? Alright!" He pumped his fists into the air. "Time to investigate~"

He suddenly ran off towards the exit, and on reflex, I grabbed him by the arm, halting him. He turned around to stare at me, stunned. "What's wrong, Shiro-chan?"

I frowned. "What's wrong? That's what I want to ask you. Are you sure you're...okay?"

His mischievous expression stiffened for a split-second. "I'm feeling great, Shiro-chan! In fact, I think I can solve this mystery alone! So don't follow me, okay? I'll be doing my investigation alone this time. I'll tell you about my findings later before the trial~"

"Wait, Kokichi!" I yelled after him, but he swiftly dodged my grip, sprinting out the door. "What the heck is up with him?"

"Leave him be," Rantaro suddenly walked up behind me with a knowing look on his face. "If he wants to investigate alone this time, let him. We'll also do our part to help him when he needs it later."

"R-Right," I nodded in agreement, though a part of me couldn't help but worry over Kokichi's peculiar actions.

It was blatantly apparent that he was not feeling as great as he said, but then again, knowing him, he probably wouldn't tell me even if I asked him to be honest with me. Kokichi would be Kokichi until the very end. I sighed heavily before turning my attention back to the rest of the crowd. "So, what do we do? Break up into groups like last time?"

"Well, we need two people to watch over Gonta here. We can't have someone messing with the crime scene," Shuichi pondered, rubbing his chin. "Do we have any volunteers?"

"I'll stay here!" Tenko shot her hand up. "Himiko will stay with me too!"

"Nyeh? And when was I supposed to know about this?" Himiko frowned.

Tenko just grinned at her, flashing a v-sign. "Right now! Come on. We can do some investigating together too. Angie can join us too."

Angie jolted in surprise, her eyes widening. "Oh? That's a surprise. You're inviting me to join you?" Although there was hostility lurking in the air between them, Tenko forced herself to smile at Angie. "Hm, but I want to search the dining hall instead," Angie decided.

"What?" Tenko blinked. "Well, if you don't want to, that's fine..." Tenko looked as if she had something else to say, but decided to keep it in.

"Well, I guess that means we'll have two people watching over the swimming pool." Shuichi nodded, then turned towards the rest of us. "What about you guys? Will you be investigating alone too?"

"I'll stick with Rantaro," I replied. "I investigated with him last time too, so we'll be fine on our own."

Rantaro smiled. "I'm fine with that as well. We'll make sure to investigate carefully, don't worry about us." Then, he shifted his attention to Ryoma, who was standing alone in the corner. "Ryoma can also help us with his keen insights."

Ryoma raised an eyebrow before he smirked at Rantaro. "You and your nosy personality..." He walked over towards Rantaro and me with exasperation in his eyes, but there was no reluctance in his movements. I glanced back and forth between the two of them.

Did they befriend each other while I wasn't around?

"I'll stay with Kaede as usual," Shuichi said. "I hope you don't mind?"

Kaede nodded enthusiastically. "Of course!"

"I'll walk around with Maki-roll then!" Kaito beamed as he swung his arm over Maki, who immediately swatted his arm off.

Maki grimaced. "Don't touch me, and don't call me that stupid nickname."

Kaito ignored her and promptly dragged her out of the swimming pool area.

I blinked in surprise. "Wait, since when were those two friends?"

Rantaro shrugged. "Who knows? At least they aren't fighting anymore, and that's worth celebrating."

Ryoma sweatdropped. "I don't think that counts as them being friends." He pointed at Maki, who was currently strangling Kaito's neck outside the swimming pool area. I laughed awkwardly, wiping the sweat off my forehead.

"Well then, should we start investigating now?" Rantaro said.

I nodded. "Yeah, let's start. We don't have much time. Let's just start at the swimming pool since we're here."

The group dispersed, and we all focused our entire attention on investigating the crime. There was no way we were going to give up and die here. After all, we had already come too far to go back.

~~O~~

Kokichi Ouma wandered alone down the hallway to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water from the shared refrigerator and gulped down the contents, feeling the cold liquid sliding down his throat, soothing the burning pain inside of him. As soon as he finished, he chucked the empty bottle halfway across the pantry and watched it land perfectly into the garbage bin.

He stood in silence for a moment, brain processing everything that had occurred up until now. Then, he slammed his fists onto the countertop.

"Why am I so agitated?" Kokichi whispered to himself. He shook his head lightly, trying to shake off any remnants of anger, only to no avail. "This isn't like me." He groaned and wiped his forehead with his scarf.

Kokichi never enjoyed the killing game — and never will. Period. That much, he had made clear to himself. Although he always played the fool, irritating everyone that he met with his cheerful antics, it took him much longer than usual to recover his facade this time. Shirayuki, who was already perceptive, to begin with, could have realized that something was off with him, even with her eyes closed.

He was being so obvious about it that his pride as a masterful liar started to crumble. Something was off with himself and he needed to decipher his own emotions now before he could even start investigating.

And as much as he knew Shirayuki would gladly welcome him with open arms, his ego wouldn't allow him to ask her for comfort and help. Besides, this was something that he had to deal with himself.

The moment that he saw Gonta's body, something inside of him shattered into pieces. He wanted to hurl, cry, and destroy his entire being. As dramatic as it was, if there were a black hole near him, he'd dive right into it if it meant he could end the numbing pain inside of him.

When Shirayuki gripped his hand harder, and he felt the soft vibration of her quivering, it only made him want to run further away from it all.

There was no other way around it. He had to admit to himself. What he was feeling now wasn't just disappointment that his plan had failed. It wasn't just anger at the blackened for wrecking everything.

It was guilt. Plain, dirty, guilt.

A part of him felt as if he had brought Gonta to his doom. He was the one who involved Gonta in his plans. Maybe someone targetted Gonta instead of him, knowing that the other was more gullible.

And that was what angered him the most — the possibility that someone had decided to murder his frie— no, tool instead of him. Killing Gonta was the same thing as picking a fight with him.

But that wasn't all.

The moment that train of thought entered his head, it was inevitable that he would immediately think of Shirayuki.

What if the next time, she becomes the target?

Kokichi was no hero. He wasn't a foolishly down-to-earth and kind person. Such heroic actions like sacrificing himself to save the greater good never entered his mind. All he wanted was to win the game, survive, and end everything — once and for all. And if it meant destroying this blood-stained game of death, some small sacrifices had to be made.

Gonta was a naive fool — or at least, he appeared to be. Kokichi never trusted a single person in the Killing Game, and that included Gonta. In Kokichi's eyes, Gonta was another possible betrayal, ready to happen. His innocent demeanor was probably just an attempt to manipulate everyone into believing him if he decided to commit murder one day. Kokichi had no doubts about that.

Really, emotions were over-rated. They prevented you from looking at the pure, logical truth. They led you astray from the safest path and blind you from the reality in front of you: that people were never who they appeared to be.

So why...am I feeling this way...?

He shouldn't be feeling guilty. He simply used Gonta to advance his own goals. There was nothing to feel guilty about it. The one tricked is at fault for being too trusting of others.

But for the first time in his life, he felt afraid of his own decisions. The thought that he would be bringing others to their downfall irked him.

And he knew exactly what, or more precisely, who brought this change.

He had grown attached — way too attached for comfort and way too attached for him to revert to his old ways.

He had started a dangerous game that he now had trouble backing away from.

But he didn't have much time to ponder about it. He had to decide now whether to throw in the flag and accept his new-founded emotions or push that reset button inside of him.

If she stays near me, it'll only endanger her. It'll be fine if I keep a distance from her.

And that led him to his next dilemma: Kokichi needed Shirayuki's presence to help him win the game. She was his most prized tool — one more useful than Gonta or anyone else. It would be so easy to manipulate her into his plans, knowing how much she had also become attached to him.

Which meant he needed to keep her close without digging his own grave at the same time.

Then I'll have to reset everything back to zero. Any lingering attachments need to go.

He needed to focus all of his attention on the trial. There was no time left.

Kokichi mentally envisioned a button and pressed it, flipping the switch to his usual persona. A frolicking, wide grin made its way up to his face as he snickered to himself.

"Nishishi! Alright! Let's get cracking with this case. I won't lose!"

He quickly glanced around the kitchen, noting all the subtle clues, then sprinted out the door to his next designation.

~~O~~

"We should look at the Monokuma File first, right?" I flipped the switch on the machine and scrolled through its contents. Rantaro peered over my shoulder, skimming the file as Ryoma hopped up and down. "Oops, sorry." I lowered the screen so that Ryoma could see it as well. "Does this height work for you?"

Ryoma only puckered his lips and stared at the floor. "Y-Yeah, this is fine."

Is he feeling conscious about his height...?

"The victim is Gonta Gokuhara," Rantaro read aloud. "His body was discovered in the Swimming Pool. The cause of death was electrocution. He died an immediate death. There is a bruise on the victim's neck."

[Monokuma File 2 has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad]

My brows shot up in surprise. "Wait, electrocution? I really thought he got strangled by that tube." I glanced at his corpse next to us, noting the purple wound on the front of his neck. Tenko had nudged the tube off his neck with a fishing rod she found from the warehouse and dragged him out of the water onto the ground beside the pool.

"What on earth did he get electrocuted with?" Rantaro pondered, placing his finger on his lips thoughtfully. "There aren't that many tools that allow for electrocution to occur around here."

"Hm, can't you just throw your Monopad into the water?" I suggested.

Rantaro shook his head. "If that's the case, someone would be missing their Monopad right now, and that'd put them right on the suspect list."

I clicked my tongue once in annoyance. "Damn, you're right."

"Electrocution, huh?" Ryoma muttered to himself as he crossed his arms.

I snuck a glance at him and frowned. "Did you come up with something?"

Ryoma nodded. "I don't know if it's related, but...something was missing in my room when I returned to my room last night."

"What was it?" Rantaro asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Do you remember that night we went to the casino together?" Ryoma turned to face me.

I nodded. "Yeah. If I remember correctly, you won big, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but do you remember the prize I got from Miu?" Ryoma asked.

I paused for a moment, flipping through my memories. "Uh, wasn't it an RC car? One that she made?" I answered.

"That's what went missing," Ryoma explained. "It was there yesterday when I woke up, so someone must have taken it later on, either in the afternoon or in the middle of the night."

"An RC car, huh?" Rantaro squinted his eyes, his gaze landing somewhere in the water. "I see. That's what caused Gonta's death."

I whirled my head towards him, scrunching my face in confusion. "Why do you sound so sure about that?"

He smiled knowingly and jerked his head to the side. "Take a look at that," Rantaro said as he pointed his thumb at the pool.

I followed his gaze and immediately noticed what caught his attention. There was a shadowy object lying at the bottom of the pool. The white rope that was floating in the water seemed to be connected to it. "Is that...?" I mumbled as I walked over towards Tenko and tapped her on the shoulder.

Tenko who standing guard next to Gonta's body jolted at the touch. She spun her head around to face me and blinked. "Hm? What's up, Shirayuki?"

"Do you mind pulling this rope for a minute?" I lifted the end of the rope lying on the floor and handed it to her. "I think there's something connected to it."

She stared at me with confusion but obliged. "Uh, okay?" Tenko muttered as she slid her feet back and pulled at the ropes. The rest of the rope slowly slid out of the water as she took slowly walked backward.

*Clank*

An object drifted out of the water, landing on the ground with a thud. The end of the rope was tied to its body. I gasped, recognizing the object immediately. "Wait, isn't this the RC Car?"

Ryoma sauntered over towards us, inspecting the object. He nodded stiffly. "Yeah, that's it, alright."

"Nyeh?" Himiko poked her head out from behind Tenko's back. "Since when were you one to play with RC cars?"

Ryoma scowled. "Of course not. I'm not a child. Miu gave it to me."

"It seems we've already found the murder weapon." Rantaro slid up behind me, peering at the RC car. "Be careful not to touch it directly, Shirayuki. You don't want to end up being the second victim."

On reflex, I slammed my elbow into his ribs, causing him to wince. I glared at him. "What, you think I'm that stupid?"

Ryoma scoffed, rolling his eyes at my comment. "More like reckless."

"What?!" I placed my hand on my hips, looming in front of Ryoma. "I'm not that reckless!"

He shrugged in response. "If you weren't, then why would you befriend that kid of all people?"

I opened my mouth to retort, only to freeze the moment I heard his words. "What are you talking about?" My eyes swept over towards Rantaro for a split second, but he only looked away, whistling innocently.

Did he tell Ryoma something?

"That boy's beyond saving, you know?" Ryoma's lips thinned, his expression stony and blank. "I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but it'd be in your best interest to leave him be. At this rate, he might be taking you down with him—"

"It's too late for that."

My immediate reply caught Ryoma by surprise as his eyes widened. Rantaro stopped whistling as he turned to look at me, eyes narrowing. Unbeknownst to them, I had also caught myself by surprise at how easy those words flew out of my mouth.

A day before, I was still shaking like a new-born deer at the thought of him killing me, but now...

I heaved a sigh. "I'm already a goner, after all." A clipped laugh followed my reply. It wasn't resignation, but merely an acceptance of the facts — that I had already swum too far from the shore to return.

Tenko and Himiko glanced at me before their gazes flickered over to Ryoma and Rantaro in confusion. Rantaro had a blank look on his face, betraying no emotions that he was bottling up inside. Ryoma's eyes softened as he reached up to pat me on the shoulder once. His grip tightened as he stared into my eyes with something akin to pity and understanding.

"Sorry. It wasn't my place to say that," Ryoma apologized. "It's your life, after all. Live as you wish."

The corner of my lips tugged up into a lop-sided smile. "Yeah, thanks for the warning, but I've already decided. I stuck my nose where it didn't belong, and now I'm suffering from the consequences of my actions." I paused, closing my eyes for a moment as I recalled Kokichi's peculiar actions from earlier.

I was too occupied with the despair of finding Gonta's body to realize that when I grabbed his hand earlier, the trembling wasn't just from me.

His hands were shaking as well.

He was acting strangely, but I chose to let him go anyway. Maybe it was cowardly of me, declaring that I was going to expose and save him from himself, only to back away from any confrontation with him under the excuse disguised as kindness. Even if I should've stopped him right then and there, I chose to let him go, thinking that I didn't have the right to force him to open himself.

But perhaps that was just me running away from the responsibility that came with changing the man called Kokichi. I had entered a dangerous game in a fatal situation, and it was way too late to back out from it.

There was no other choice but to continue forward, even if that meant destroying myself in the process.

"I promised him, so I can't back away now." I shrugged, smiling at Ryoma. "Besides, I want to believe."

"To be honest, I'm sort of against this." Rantaro suddenly stepped up, his eyes blazing with a mixture of anger, but also sorrow. "As much as I understand your point of view, I can't help but think this will work against you."

"Thanks for worrying about me." I gave him a reassuring smile. "If I seriously fall hard, pick me up, will ya?" I flashed a toothy grin.

Rantaro stayed silent for a moment before he sighed heavily, shoulders drooping as he stared at the floor. "You are too stubborn for your own good, you know that?"

I rubbed the back of my head, sheepishly. "Well, that's just who I am!"

"Uh, what on earth have you guys been talking about for a while now?" Tenko interjected into the conversation.

"Nyeh, I don't care, can we hurry up with the investigation already?" Himiko pouted. "I want to get this done with soon."

Ryoma sweatdropped, shaking his head in disapproval. "You do know your own life is at stake, right?"

"She's right, though. We should hurry up with the investigation," Rantaro agreed, changing the subject. "Shall we continue, Shirayuki?"

I nodded in response. "We'll need to check with Miu later about the RC car," I said. "She should be lurking around the dining hall right now."

[RC Car has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad]

"Right, let's get right back into investigating," I yelled out, pumping my fists into the air.

Rantaro and Ryoma nodded, going back to their search. Tenko and Himiko were engaging in small talk. I knelt down and grabbed the rope again, examining every detail on it. My fingers trailed after the long rope, reaching the opposite end of the rope eventually.

I inspected the ends of the rope and frowned.

Wait a minute...

I slid the rope back towards the middle and squinted my eyes.

This rope...it's somewhat torn at the end. Also, there are many areas along the rope that seem frazzled or burnt. I wonder how that happened?

[Long Sturdy Rope has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad]

Standing up, I walked over towards the inner tube. "There's also a rope tied to the ends of this inner tube," I whispered to myself. I bent down and immediately noticed the same burn marks in the middle of the rope.

This rope too? What does this mean?

[Inner Tube in the Pool has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad]

"Found out anything?" Rantaro said from his spot near the pool warehouse.

I waved the ropes around in the air. "Yeah, these ropes are kind of burnt. No idea how that happened, though."

"There's something I've been wondering about," Ryoma suddenly perked up from the opposite corner of the pool. He stood in front of the signboard and mused. "According to this sign here, the pool is prohibited during night-time, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Monokuma confirmed that for us a while ago," I answered. "What about it?"

"Well, if Gonta died here in the pool, wouldn't that mean he was killed before night-time?" Ryoma pointed out. "No one can enter here after night-time, so if they killed him, it had to be before night-time."

Tenko overheard the conversation and beamed. "Wow, you're right! For a degenerate male, you're pretty good!" Then she paused and eyed Ryoma with suspicion. "Unless you know about this since you were the one who killed him?"

Ryoma scrunched his lips in disgust. "No, I didn't. Anyone could have use logic to figure that out, Tenko."

Tenko made a weird face, eyes blank like a dead fish's. "Huh, okay."

"You don't believe me at all, do you?" Ryoma accused.

Tenko only peered off to the side. "You're suspicious, okay? You even came late this morning to Himiko's magic show. What was up with that?"

"I said I was feeling well," Ryoma replied. "Rantaro can back me up on this."

"It's true," Rantaro joined the conversation. "Ryoma wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I told him to rest up today."

Ryoma scoffed. "Well, some rest this is. Someone got murdered while I was sleeping."

"Wait, hold on," I immediately interjected. "There's something that's been bugging me for a while now." I turned to look at Rantaro, then glanced back at Ryoma. "What's going on with you two? Since when were you guys so close?"

"Ah, about that," Rantaro's eyes flickered to the side for a moment. "I was actually with Ryoma most of the time yesterday."

"Oh?" My brows shot up. "How did that came to be?"

"I had something to talk to him about, so I visited his room," Ryoma replied. "After that, we were pretty much together the whole time until Gonta came running towards us."

"When was this?" I questioned.

Ryoma took a moment to remember. "I was in my lab with Rantaro until around 7:30 pm when Gonta barged in. I managed to escape from Gonta and shut myself inside my room, although it seems like Rantaro wasn't fast enough."

Rantaro winced at the memory. "Don't remind me about it. Gonta was scary when he came chasing after us like that." He shuddered visibly at the thought. "There's no way I can outrun that guy when he's serious."

"Hm, so you guys were together most of the time, huh?" I crossed my arms. "That means Ryoma's alibi checks out pretty much until Gonta came."

"What, you're suspecting me too?" Ryoma sighed. "I was sleeping the whole time, but I guess no one can back me up on that."

"Don't get me wrong." I waved my hand back and forth to emphasize my point. "I don't mean to suspect you, but I have to look at this case from every angle of possibility, right?"

Ryoma nodded in understanding. "Yeah, no worries. I understand."

[Swimming Pool Rules has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad]

[Ryoma's Account has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad]

"Since we're already talking about alibis, we might as well ask you too," Rantaro said as he faced Tenko. "What were you guys doing last night?"

"Nyeh, we were together most of the time. The whole afternoon, Shirayuki, Tenko, Angie, and I were together in the gym," Himiko replied. "Then Tenko left around 7:00 pm for dinner, and Angie followed after her. Then, around 7:30 pm, Shirayuki left, and Angie came back."

"So, Tenko never came back to the gym after that?" Rantaro pressed further.

Tenko shook her head. "Well, I finished dinner by 7:30 pm but ran into Gonta near the entrance to the school while I was chasing after Angie. He caught me and took me to his lab. You were there when I came in, so you must've known."

"Ah, yes. I do remember that. I was carried over to the Insect Meet and Greet right before you were," Rantaro said.

"So Himiko, you were alone after that, weren't you?" Ryoma narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Nyeh? I guess so?" Himiko frowned. "Are you suspecting me now?"

"What?!" Tenko gasped and immediately took on her aikido-stance. "H-How dare you! Himiko isn't the culprit. No matter what anyone says, I'll defend her until the very end!"

Himiko's eyes slightly widened at the sight, though she didn't comment on Tenko's actions.

"Leaving that thought aside for now," Ryoma glanced towards me. "According to Himiko here, you left around 7:30 pm?"

"Well, I promised Kokichi that I'd meet up with him in the courtyard before 8:00 pm." I shrugged nonchalantly. "So I left then to go meet up with him."

"So Kokichi can back up your alibi, huh?" Ryoma shifted his beanie and gave a wry smirk. "How ironic."

[Himiko's Account has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad]

I took a quick look around the swimming pool area and nodded in satisfaction. "Well, I think that's about it. Nothing else is catching my eye around here. How about you guys? Found anything else?"

"Nothing much." Rantaro sighed. "I guess it's time we move on."

"Let's go to the dining hall to find Miu. We need to ask about that RC car," Ryoma suggested. Then, he paused and stared at the machine on the ground. "Wait, should we take this with us?"

"Isn't it kind of dangerous to touch it now?" Tenko frowned. "I don't know much about science, but if that small thing really electrocuted Gonta, I don't want to touch it," Tenko said as she grimaced.

"Uh, does anyone have a rubber glove or something?" I asked.

Ryoma scoffed. "Who the hell would carry a rubber glove around?"

I laughed sheepishly. "You're right. I think there's one underneath the sink in the pantry, though. We can get it when we stop by at the dining hall."

"Ah." Rantaro suddenly made a noise, his eyes lightening up with realization. "I just remembered something. I don't know if it's important, though." He walked over towards Ryoma. "Do you remember that conversation we heard when we walked pass Gonta's lab earlier yesterday?"

Ryoma blinked. "The conversation...? Ah, you mean the one Gonta had with someone?"

"EXCUSE ME?!" I sputtered as I felt my jaws drop to the floor. "THAT SOUNDS SUPER IMPORTANT TO ME!" I growled as I stomped closer towards Rantaro, jabbing a finger into his chest. "Why didn't you tell us that earlier?!"

Rantaro sweatdropped, taking a few steps backward. "S-Sorry, I just forgot, okay?"

Tenko snorted. "Yeah, as expected of amnesia boy here. So suspicious."

Rantaro chuckled dryly. "Uh, yeah. Forgive me. Anyway, if I recall correctly..."

~~O~~

"So why on earth are we meeting here at my lab?"

Ryoma and Rantaro casually walked alongside each other, heading up the stairs. Rantaro had taken a few minutes to gather his belongings before he met Ryoma outside in the courtyard. Ryoma waited impatiently near the bench, shifting on the sole of his feet, perhaps eager to have Rantaro return what originally was meant for his eyes only.

"Well, I was originally going to invite you to my room, but I decided...that..." Rantaro trailed off, his voice slightly shaking. His eyes darted up to the ceiling as sweat trickled down his face. "I thought it would be best to have you here near what you love."

Ryoma only closed his eyes, shoving his hands inside the pockets of his pants. "Hmph. What I love, huh? Unfortunately, there's no such thing anymore." Behind the darkness pooling in his eyelids, he could vividly see the sinking ship, the gunshots, the sobbing, and the broken racket in his hands on that fated day.

His heart hurt again, so he forced himself to open his eyes. They had reached the front of his lab, and he took the opportunity to ask Rantaro straightforwardly. "Was it bad?" His words came out more scathing and scornful than he wished.

Rantaro jolted, glancing at Ryoma's sullen demeanor. "Well...it wasn't bad, I'd say." For the first time since he'd been trapped in the school, Rantaro felt genuinely nervous. He wasn't prepared at all. Although he acted as if he were, he didn't know what words to say to console Ryoma the moment the truth was revealed.

Ryoma suddenly laughed, though there was nothing boisterous about it. "So that means it wasn't good either, huh?"

"Well...that's..." Rantaro trailed off. Then, he sighed, casting a strained, exhausted look Ryoma's way. "I'm really not fit for this acting thing."

Ryoma snorted once. "Well, at least you know you're not the Ultimate Actor."

"Definitely," Rantaro chuckled. "There's someone else who fits that title way more than I am."

"Oh? And who would that be?" Ryoma questioned.

"Kokichi, maybe," Rantaro stated as he rubbed his chin. "That guy's a talented liar, alright."

"Acting and lying isn't the same thing, though," Ryoma commented. "Anyone can lie, but not everyone can act. Unless you can turn the lies into the truth, you're nothing but a big, fat liar."

Rantaro shook his head. "No, that's exactly why I'm saying he's a great actor. He's even managed to trick himself."

Ryoma blinked, catching on to Rantaro's implications. "You mean...that brat is not only lying, but lying about lying?"

Rantaro grimaced at Ryoma's choice of words. "When you put it that way, it sounds alarmingly confusing."

Ryoma rolled his eyes. "Well, you started it, but if that's true, then I pity the poor guy." He sighed heavily, nudging his temple with his fingers. "If the liar can't even figure out the truth from their own lies, then who on earth could?"

Rantaro paused for a moment before he suddenly launched into a fit of laughter. Ryoma could only stare in confusion at Rantaro's sudden outburst. "Wait, did I say something funny?"

Rantaro sniffed, rubbing the tears out of the corner of his eyes. "N-No, it's nothing. You're absolutely right." His mind flickered to an image of Shirayuki, who was always stuck by Kokichi's side. "Only a fool would bother trying."

His heart ached for her, but there was nothing he could do. After all, if he stopped her, he would only be contradicting himself...

Since he also chose to trust her before, ignoring logic and reasoning. Really, what a hypocrite he was.

"H-Huh? B-But that's not gentlemanly at all! And everyone agreed not to do that!"

Ryoma paused as he was about to close the door. "Who's that? Was that coming from the other end of the hallway?"

Rantaro blinked. "Gonta? That was Gonta's voice."

"W-Well yes! A gentleman should always return lost items to their rightful owner! Ah—"

"Yeah, that's definitely him, alright. The guy's got a pretty loud voice for a personality like that," Ryoma agreed. "Is he talking to someone?"

"O-Okay, I'll give it to you!"

Rantaro could only frown as Gonta's words sank in. "Why does that sound like someone's exhorting him for money?"

Ryoma coughed, clearing his throat. "Well, he does seem like the gullible type, but I doubt anyone would try to exhort money out of him here when their lives are at stake, to begin with."

"R-Really? Gonta just need to get this? Okay, Gonta do it for everyone's sake!"

Rantaro could only facepalm at the situation. "Poor guy's being tricked."

"Probably Kokichi," Ryoma said as he rolled his eyes. "Should we go see them?"

Rantaro shrugged. "Up to you. We can have this conversation later if you want. I'm not planning on going anywhere just yet." His words had a double meaning, showing his resolution to survive the Killing Game.

Ryoma smiled slightly at that show of determination. "Hmph. If you're that confident, then I guess I should be too, huh?" Ryoma shut the door to his lab behind him and dragged Rantaro off towards a bench.

"Show it to me."

~~O~~

"So, you wanted to talk with Rantaro about something in the Ultimate Lab and heard Gonta's voice?" I asked for clarification. "That conversation sounds sketchy to me." My eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Rantaro closed his eyes, his shoulder dropping slightly. "Yes, now that I think back in hindsight, perhaps we should've checked up on him then."

"He could have been talking to the blackened," Ryoma deduced. "Judging from the contents of the conversation, it's obvious he was being deceived into doing something."

"We'll have to keep that in mind," I muttered. "Exactly what time was it when you heard this conversation?"

"Well, we were in the lab for a long while, so it was probably around 3 in the afternoon?" Rantaro approximated.

"Hm, that's when I was about to meet Himiko in the gym to help her prepare for the show," I pondered. "It's going to be hard to determine who Gonta was talking to. No one has an alibi during the afternoon since everyone pretty much minded their own business."

"That's true," Tenko chimed in. "I was exercising in my room the entire morning."

"And I was in the toilet before I met up with you guys," Himiko held up a finger, jutting her chin up proudly. "I made it to the toilet myself."

"Uh, okay...good for you..." I trailed off, unsure of how to react to her odd piece of extra information.

[Overhearing Gonta was added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad]

"Well, I guess that's about it." I turned towards the exit. "Let's go to the dining hall next. We need to talk to Miu about the RC car."

"Sure, we'll stay here and watch over Gonta!" Tenko reassured us as Himiko simply yawned in boredom.

As we shut the door behind us, Rantaro urged us to run. "We're running out of time. Let's hurry up and run to the dining hall."

Ryoma and I nodded in agreement as we all started sprinting towards the school building.

My heart was thundering as I weaved my way through the courtyard. Sweat glistened along my forehead and cheeks as we burst into the school building.

There was no time to waste. We have to find Gonta's murderer — for his sake and ours. Failure could not be accepted.

I'll do it...I'll definitely find the blackened. Just you wait for me!