We all stared at the bloody coat Kokichi had held up. No doubt about it, that was definitely Amaimon's coat. But it wasn't the same one he was wearing right now. Did he change clothes some time in his room?

All attention was shifted to Amaimon....who now wore a scared expression, his face turning pale. I also took notice of how Junko looked nervously at the demon. Was this the person she was trying to protect? Was Amaimon really the culprit? 

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Amaimon, but this is your coat right?" Kokichi asked, waving the flag up close to Amaimon. I narrowed my eyes, looking away. There was still one thing I didn't understand. If Amaimon was the culprit, what would be his motivation for killing Rin? And why would Junko try to take the fall for his crime? That much I don't understand....

"....I'm not the culprit."

We all looked to Amaimon. He still had a nervous look in his eyes, but he had at least somewhat composed himself. "In truth, no one knows who the culprit is," he looked over at Monokuma, "not even you." Everyone looked around in confusion. Monokuma tilted his head, placing a paw over his mouth as he chuckled.

"Pufufufu, oh? And how's that so? How would I not know who the culprit was?" he asked.

"You have all forgotten one important detail about that room; there are no security cameras." Amaimon stated. That made everyone look at each other, eyes wide with realization. "H-He's right. There aren't any cameras. There's nothing to record the crime. So, how would anyone even know who it was without proof?!" Ulric said. Mello clenched his fists, looking away.

"Shit, then what does that mean?! We still can't narrow down Amaimon as the culprit?! But there's all this evidence that leads to him!" he stated. "....but there's all this evidence leading to Junko as well. We can theorize that she wanted to be pinned as the culprit, but we can't determine that for sure." Crona stated. 

"For all we know, the two of them could've commit the crime together. And without any video footage to prove anything....no one has any idea of who killed Rin." Near stated. Everyone looked around in silence, frustrated by this problem. This has been the most difficult and the most confusing trial yet, and so far its look like it can't be solved.

"Oh my! No video footage! Oh dear, then whoever could be the culprit? My oh my, you guys surely are in a pickle, aren't ya?" Monokuma said. His tone was in fake concern, which confused me. If there was no video footage, then shouldn't be panicked too? Cause then he couldn't prepare a proper execution.

"Ugh, can we not vote for both Junko and Amaimon?!" Kanato stated.

"Nope, nugatory! You can only vote for two culprit if they both actually killed the victim. And there's only one culprit in this case." Monokuma stated. "What? You know who the culprit is? But how?! There aren't any cameras in that room!" Mello stated.

"Gee, you're right. How do I know who the culprit is? Hmm..." Monokuma said, crossing his arms across his chest. I placed a hand on my cheek. He knows who the culprit is. But how? Did he already tell someone this special condition.

"Do you not get it, Violet?" Kokichi asked me. I looked over at him. He wore a smirk on his face, hands on his hips. "Come on, Monokuma told us this room was special, remember?" he said. "What?! You know the condition of that room?" Magane asked. 

"Yes in-dee-dee-do! In fact, Monokuma told three of us. Me, Rin, and Violet. I'm just disappointed that Violet doesn't remember. Maybe she wasn't paying attention." Kokichi said, pouting slightly. The boy looked back at me, his smirk returning. "Come on Violet, use your head. I know you heard that conversation. Why is that room special? Why would Monokuma know the culprit without using security cameras?" he asked.

I felt irritated. I didn't understand why Kokichi wouldn't tell me, and just told these riddles. However I pushed aside my frustration and sighed, closing my eyes. If I was there, I should be able to remember, shouldn't I? Come on Violet, what was special about that room? Think....

My eyes shot open as it hit me.

"Audio recorders." I murmured. Near blinked, looking at me curiously. "Say that again?" he said. 

"Audio recorders! There are audio recorders! Monokuma may not be able to see anything, but he can hear everything that happens in that room!" I stated. "Bingo! Haha, we have a winner! She gets it!" Monokuma stated, standing up from his chair and clapping. Meanwhile Junko and Amaimon's eyes widened, looking beyond shocked. 

"What? A-Audio recorders? That can't be...." Amaimon said. I looked at Amaimon seriously. "You tell us you're not the culprit. So if we heard the audio recording, would we not hear what was happening? Would we not hear you in anyway?" I demanded. Amaimon looked away, not saying as much as a peep. Monokuma chuckled, his smirk growing wider.

"Oooh, juicy~ Let's just see what our recorders caught on, shall we?" he said. A hatch opened from the ceiling, and a large speaker lowered down and hung above us, causing us all to stare up with wide eyes, eagerly awaiting what the speaker would present....

"You sure you got this? There's still a bit to do before the party starts." That was Ulric's voice.

"Yeah man, I got it. Go rest up. I'll have this done in no time." And Rin...

"Alright. Thanks Rin. See ya later." there were footsteps in the recording, getting softer and softer. Rin's humming could be heard as the sound of moving tables and bowls could be heard. Meanwhile, a new set of foot steps could be heard. 

"Huh? Hey Junko, what's up-" Rin was interrupted with a loud smacking sound, making me cringe. That must've been when Junko had struck his head with the baseball bat. "You damn bastard. Thought you could trick us, didn't you?! All your pathetic sweet talk about hope and not giving up, it was all bullshit, wasn't it?! Well, listen up pal, I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone else ever again! You hear me!"

I could only clench my fists as I imagined the scene in my head. Junko raising the bat over Rin, who I imagine is clutching his head in pain while looking up at Junko.

"J-Junko...wait-"

"RIN!" My eyes widened. That was Amaimon's voice. An angry roar emitted from the speaker, followed by a loud smack and a crash, causing Junko to cry out in pain. The sound of the baseball bat being dropped could be heard. "Stay away from him. That's my brother!" Amaimon shouted. The sound of metal being ripped off could he heard. This must've been when he ripped the metal bar off the roller coaster set.

"I'll kill you!" Amaimon shouted. Suddenly, scurried footsteps squeaked on the floor....and a squelch sound came next, making my stomach turn. Rin....was he impaled, just now? By Amaimon? The continued audio recording answered my question.

"Rin...w-what are you...." Amaimon said weakly. As the audio played, I noticed Amaimon turned his head away, clenching onto the court stand, his claws digging into the wood. A weak cough could be heard from the audio, and then a sad chuckle. "I-I'm sorry, A-Amaimon....b-but, I-I couldn't let y-you...hurt her...." Rin's voice only got softer and softer, until there was silence.....and then following after that silence, came Amaimon's scream.

"RIIIIIIN!!! NOOOOOO!!!" 

We all stood completely stunned as the audio continued to play Amaimon's screams and crying. A minute or so passed before Amaimon's screams finally ceased, slowly but steadily. That's when he muttered, "...I killed him."

"....I'm sorry." finally, Junko replied to the demon, with her voice filled with regret. "Why? Why did you try to kill Rin? Why did you cause this to happen?!" Amaimon demanded, almost snarling afterwards.

"H-He was the traitor Monokuma told us about. I...I didn't have a choice. Or he would've hurt us all." Junko explained. "How do you know that?" Amaimon asked. "I got an email from Monokuma about it. Trust me, he is the traitor." Junko stated. Hearing that over the audio, Junko looked away in shame, now knowing she was indeed incorrect about that statement.

"But, why would Monokuma do that?! And if Rin was the traitor, why would he try to protect you just now?!" Amaimon asked. "How the hell should I know?!" Junko snapped. Amaimon's breathing got heavier, as if he was panicking. "I'm gonna be executed...." he murmured.

"...no you're not." Junko stated. 

"What? B-But I-" Junko interrupted Amaimon, "Look, I have a plan. We just gotta cover this all up." she stated. "How?! Everyone is gonna know Rin is dead! H-How do we..." Amaimon stuttered. "We'll reset the crime scene, make it look like I killed Rin." Junko stated. 

"Junko...I-I don't understand. Why would you do that?" Amaimon asked. 

"Because you were right. This is my fault, not yours. I'll take the blame for it. Besides, Monokuma won't find out who the culprit is anyway. There aren't any cameras in here. We can do this." Junko stated.

"....okay." Amaimon said.

With that, the audio cut off and the speaker was hauled back up into the hatch above. Afterwards, Monokuma was chuckling like crazy. Then he just burst into laughter. All eyes were on Junko and Amaimon, who were dead silent. The air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. After an uncomfortably long moment of silence, I finally broke it.

"Amaimon....tell me if we've got this correctly. When you went up to the candy shop, Junko and Magane were already singing at the karaoke room. However, Junko left just as Ulric went to his room, before you got up there. She attacked Rin with the baseball bat, but you came in to save him before she could kill him. In your attempt to kill Junko....you killed Rin instead. So the two of you decided to set the crime scene to make it look like Junko was the culprit. Is that what happened?"

"....it was an accident." Amaimon began to start shaking, a shadow cast over his eyes. Lilac's expression softened, and she gave the demon a sympathetic expression. However I noticed Kokichi's smirk only widened as he watched Amaimon finally caught in his crime. Small tears streamed down Amaimon's cheeks, but he quickly wiped them away.

"....Monokuma. Get on with the voting already." Amaimon murmured.

"All righty then! Okay ladies and gents, let's finally wrap this trial up! I hope you're confident n your choice! Get to voting!" Monokuma stated. The screen below my court stand lit up, revealing the selection screen. I swallowed the lump in my throat. This had to be the worst part of a class trial, selecting which friend gets executed. With huge reluctance, I pressed Amaimon's button.

"Pufufufu! Will you make the right choice? Or the dreadfully wrong one?" Monokuma said.

A screen turned on from behind Monokuma....revealing ten votes for Amaimon, and one for Junko. It would seem Junko decided to vote for herself. 

"Let's see if your votes are correct, shall we?" Monokuma said. Suddenly, a spinning wheel popped up beside Monokuma's chair. The spinner in the middle started to spin around frantically, only increasing my anxiety. And the knot in my stomach only got tighter as it slowed down....landing on Amaimon.

"Congratulations! You all got it right! The one who killed Rin Okumura was none other than his own half brother, Amaimon!" Monokuma declared.  Crona looked up at Amaimon.

"Amaimon..." he murmured. Said demon refused to look at any of us. "I'm sorry....I didn't want to hurt Rin. I didn't want to hurt anyone. It was an accident. I swear...." Amaimon stated. Junko's eyes were teary, filled with anger. "This is bullshit..." she murmured. She slammed her hands into the court stand.

"This whole thing was my fault! Why did this have to happen?! Why can't I be the one to suffer?!" she shouted. She began to cry, head hung low as she grabbed onto her head. Magane went to her side, placing her hands on her shoulders and pulling her close. "Junko, yamete. It wasn't your fault." she stated. 

''...she's right." Junko paused from her crying to look up at Amaimon. I could tell he struggled, but he attempted to put on a smile for her.

"You tried to help me. You tried to help us all. You couldn't have known that email was fake, or that Rin wasn't the traitor. So don't blame yourself. This is my sin, and I need to face it." he stated. Junko's eyes widened and she looked at him in shock. "Amaimon...." she said. Mello clenched down on his teeth and looked away.

"Damn it all...." he growled under his teeth. Everyone around had that same expression of pain and frustration. Everyone except for Kokichi and Near, who said nothing. Eventually, Monokuma yawned.

"Boooored! Yeah yeah, sad sap speech. Blah blah blah, let's just get to the best part, kay? It's punishment time!" he declared. I gasped. No, it couldn't be. Not yet. Not ever.

"You asshole...." Ulric growled. I could tell he wanted to argue against this, but he knew it was pointless. It didn't work when we tried to defend Johannes, and it didn't work when we tried to defend Rena. Why would this be any different. Amaimon took a shaky breath and nodded. "....I'm ready for whatever you have planned for me." he stated.

"....well I'm not!" Junko suddenly snapped. Before any of us knew it, she marched up to Monokuma's seat. Next thing we knew, she smashed her boot onto the robotic bear, making him cry out.

"OW! Hey! What the hell are ya-" Monokuma could only cry out more as Junko continued to smash her foot down onto him repeatedly.

"Screw you *smash* and this stupid *smash* fucking killing game! You can just *smash* go to hell *smash* AND NEVER COME BACK!!! *smash* *smash* *smash*" 

She didn't pause once from her stomping, even when he was already reduced to screws and spare parts. "Junko! Junko! Calm down!" I cried. "Junko yamete! Yamete!" Magane said. Magane and I both rushed to her, each grabbing her arms and pulling her away. She was breathing hard, face red. Amaimon stared at her in disbelief.

"Junko." he murmured. Finally, she gave a small smile, and even chuckled.

"I think I killed the little fucker." suddenly, something dropped down from the ceiling....and wrapped around Junko's throat. It was a collar, just like the ones that dragged away Rena and Johannes. My eyes widened with horror, as did Magane's. Junko blinked, then gave me one last glance, as if silently pleading to not let me go. Then suddenly she was yanked up towards the ceiling, making her choke and scream as she reached out for us.

"JUNKOOOO!!!" Magane screamed. But Junko had already disappeared. 

"Pufufufu! You think you can kill me that easily?! We'll see about that!" Monokuma's voice boomed from the speakers. Suddenly another collar dropped down, and wrapped around Amaimon's throat. He inhaled sharply, immediately latching onto the collar with both hands. Lilac's eyes widened and she immediately began to bolt towards him. However, he only managed to shout one thing before he was dragged away.

"Don't die here! Get out of here! All of you!" 

Then he was suddenly pulled high up to the ceiling, and disappeared. We all looked at each other in a panic before hurrying towards the exit, where the execution room was nearby. All of us almost couldn't squeeze through the door, but once we did, we immediately locked our eyes onto beyond the caged fencing. Junko and Amaimon were dropped in the center of the room, groaning.

"So, you guys thought you could end me for good, huh?! Well then, let's really put that to the test!" Junko and Amaimon looked behind them, eyes widening as many red eyes began to glow.

I let out a shaky breath. "W-What the?! H-How are there so many Monokumas?!" Crona stuttered. "I don't know! Maybe he...had these prepared or something?" Ulric said.

"Kusoga, what can they even do now? They're trapped!" Kanato stated. One Monokuma charged right for Junko, who stood paralyzed. However Amaimon got in front of her, and swiped him in half with her claws. We all watched as Amaimon stood in front of the girl in a protective stance. More Monokumas charged towards them. Amaimon growled and continued to destroy each one. Swiping his claws, kicking them to the ground, or just simply smashing them into the wall. As the fight continued, we all began to lighten up.

"Holy crap! He's actually gonna survive this!" Ragnarok stated. "They're gonna make it! They're gonna make it!" Magane cried with a smile. "That's it, to the left! Then the right! Come on, kick'em harder!" Kokichi cheered. I'm pretty sure he didn't care if they lived though, he just enjoyed the actual fight. 

"Are they actually gonna make it?" Mello said, watching in disbelief. Amaimon continued to destroy every Monokuma until one remained. It charged right towards them, and Amaimon raised his clenched fist, ready to punch it. 

However...the Monokuma began to beep.

Everyone looked away as the blast of heat crashed upon us, making me wince slightly at the intensity. It took a few seconds before the flames of the explosion died down....revealing a small fire, with the two scorched corpses of Junko and Amaimon lying beside it.

"N-No way...." Crona murmured. "They...they did't make it." Ulric said, looking away and clenching his fists. Near let out a small sigh. "Unfortunately, this was inevitable. It was obvious Monokuma was prepared for something like this. It couldn't be avoided." he said.

"Ya bet'cha kiddo!" We all whirled around, seeing Monokuma chuckling behind us. "Pufufufu! Nice try, guys! Really, I didn't see that coming at all. But think twice before you try killing me next time. Karma is a bitch after all." he said. Kanato glared at him. "Damn you! Why did you have to kill Junko?! She didn't kill anyone!" he stated.

"School rules, bucko! No harm shall come to the principal, yours truly, or you'll be punished. So consider this a warning to any of ya who thinks I was joshing." Monokuma explained. "You damn bastard..." Ulric growled under his breath.

"Whelp, guess that concludes the third trial, kids. Good job on surviving yet another trial! See ya all later! Pufufufufu!" with that said, Monokuma disappeared once again.

"I can't believe this. Three of our friends....gone...." I murmured.

"Yes yes, so terribly sad. Boo-hoo, poor suckers. But ya know, crying over spilled milk isn't gonna get anywhere." Kokichi chirped, placing his hands behind his neck. I looked at him surprised. How could he say that?! Those were our friends, and now they're gone. "Hey, maybe you don't give a shit, but others here do. So keep your mouth shut, will ya?" Ulric snapped. 

"I'm just saying, we're not gonna feel better moping over it." Kokichi stated. Ulric growled, taking a step towards him.

"Why you little-"

"He's right," we all looked to Near in surprise, who acted as if nothing had happened, "while it is a shame to have lost others, there is no point in letting their deaths consume us. If we are to ever get out of here, we need to move forward." Mello narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Even so, it wouldn't be right to just forget them. Act as if they never lived to begin with." he stated. "Magane? Are you okay?" Crona said. I turned my attention to her. A shadow had cast over her eyes, and she was deathly silent. "Magane?" I said. The girl only slowly walked past us, and out of the room. I ran after her.

"Magane wait!" I called out. I ran out of the room and followed her down the hallway, placing a hand on her shoulder. I could hear footsteps behind me, and I glanced back to see Lilac and Crona following me. However I quickly brought my attention back to Magane. I didn't need to ask what was wrong. She just lost a close friend. She's gotta feel terrible.

"....I'm sorry about Junko." was all I could say.

....for the first time ever, I saw tears stream down Magane's cheeks. She attempted to wipe them away, but more kept falling. Lilac immediately ran towards and wrapped her arms around her neck, embracing her tightly. Magane let out a small gasp in surprise, looking down at my sister. However a small smile spread across her face and she hugged her back. 

"Arigato..." she murmured.

I sighed, looking down. "I can't believe they both died. That's...that's unfair. All this is unfair...." Crona stated, holding his hands close to his chest. Ragnarok seemed to droop slightly, seeming a bit sad himself. Look at what you've done, Monokuma. Look at what you've done to our friends. Is this what you wanted, you despicable bear?

"He won't get away with this." 

We all looked behind us, seeing Ulric walking towards us. His eyes held a mixture of fury and determination. "He can't take us down that easily. We're getting out of here. All of us. Otherwise everyone else died for nothing." he stated. My eyes widened. Magane pulled away from Lilac and nodded, putting on a smile.

"That's right! Monokuma won't bring us down!" she stated. "Yeah, you're right. We shouldn't give up." Crona stated. Lilac put on a determined smile, and gave a firm nod. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked back at Ulric. 

"You with us?" he asked. I looked deep into his eyes. Those same eyes that held hope, just like Rin and Nagito did. They had the same burning passion to escape together, just like everyone else. I put on a smile and nodded.

"I'm in."

Some time later.....

???'s P.O.V.

I sighed, walking down the hallway quietly. Maaaan, I don't want to be out here so late at night, but I gotta make sure he'll keep up his end of the deal. Otherwise he might rat me out. Okay let's see, now which one of these was his room again...oh, it was this one. I happily paused in front of the door, and gave a small knock.

"Helloooo? Honey I'm home~" I said.

"Enough games. Come inside." I gently pushed the door open, then closed it behind me. "What are you doing here?" the boy asked.

"Oh man, you missed it. I saw this awesome moth flying around, it was glowing and everything. You toootally should've seen it." I replied. "Enough of your lies. I asked a question, now answer it, Kokichi." the boy again demanded. 

"Well, I guess if it isn't obvious, I have completed your task. I sent that email to Junko, just like you asked. I hope that satisfies you." I stated. "I see. But if your task is complete, then why do you insist on seeing me?" the boy asked. "Oh you know, just making sure of some stuff. Like making sure you keep up your end of the deal." I stated, lowering my voice to a threatening tone.

"I assure you, Kokichi, I will not spill your secret...you traitor." 

"Oof, that hurts. You've got a lot of nerve saying that to me, considering you just betrayed your friends too..." My smirk widened.

"Right, Near?"

*    *    *    *

And then there were nine....

Damn, they're just dropping like flies, aren't they? And what a juicy twist ending, huh? You gotta wonder just what could happen next, right? Why would Near betray the group? And what is Kokichi, the traitor, gonna be cooking up next? But of course, let's not forget the lives that have been lost today. Let us watch these memorial videos in memory of Rin, Junko, and Amaimon....

R.I.P. Rin Okumura:

https://youtu.be/7lCexVxxDm0

R.I.P. Junko Enoshima:

https://youtu.be/qW-quSJ05dc

R.I.P. Amaimon:

https://youtu.be/CILR9j5J_Hc

Oh boy! This next chapter is sure to be filled with drama and despair! Who will be the next culprit?! Who will be the next victim?

Think you can take more delicious despair?

Then please proceed, with Chapter 4....