"Alright, so we understand Miu plotted the murder, but we need to find out who killed her," Maki declared.

"And in order to figure that out, we need to understand Miu's actions... So, let's discuss her murder scheme step-by-step!" Kokichi announced, voice loud and full of cheer. "Let's see, Miu manipulated the Virtual World to use it as part of her murder plan. If she had succeeded, she would've gone past the wall between the chapel and mansion...and then—WHAM!—murdered me on the roof with the hammer."

"She would make the murder seem like it happened in the real world, and proceed to pin the blame onto Kaito," you added. "For her own alibi in the real world, she could say that she was logged into the Virtual World. In the Virtual World, she could say she was near the chapel the entire time."

"She'd make an excuse about how she couldn't reach the mansion 'cause of the fallen bridge," Kokichi continued. "She dropped the bridge on purpose, so she could separate the chapel from the mansion. Then secretly passed through the wall she installed, and took advantage of the loop. After, she headed to where we were supposed to meet up—the mansion's rooftop. Oh yeah...Kaito was probably logged out around that time, too."

"That's when I saw Miu," Tsumugi quickly interjected.

"Problem is, because of her murder plans, we don't even know where she was killed," Kaito commented.

"She was killed on the roof, right?" Maki inquired. "Kokichi told us the roof was locked, and that he couldn't get through."

"Maybe...that when culprit killed her?" Gonta wondered.

"That's probably what happened. The culprit killed her on the locked roof," Kokichi claimed.

"Did the culprit lock the door to the roof?" Kaito asked.

"Perhaps. I don't think Miu did it," Shuichi spoke. "If Miu did lock it, she would have done it when she called Kokichi to the roof. Even if someone came up, I don't believe she would change the target of her plan. She knew that Kokichi would come up later. Locking the door would be suspicious."

Tsumugi looked off into the distance. "Well, it's possible she didn't even think that far ahead..."

"She was smart... But also really, really dumb," Himiko added.

Just some casual insulting someone who just died, you thought, nothing much—

"N-No say such mean things," Gonta spoke up. "Killing game bad, not Miu. Miu not bad person. Gonta think we coulda been friends, if things different."

"That...might've been difficult. Even without this killing game."

"That wouldn't happen."

"Nuh-uh. No way, Jose."

"We should really continue our discussion," you anxiously interrupted them. "So... If Miu was killed on the roof of the mansion, then the culprit must have moved her avatar to the chapel after killing her, right?"

"So the next thing we should talk about is how they moved her avatar," Kaito announced.

"Now we know that the mansion and chapel were actually next to each other," Himiko spoke, "but the problem is the wall between them."

"Only Miu was able to go through that wall. The culprit wouldn't have been able to..." Kiibo noted.

"Then you're saying the culprit sent Miu's avatar through that wall?" Maki asked.

"Yeah, that's the only way, right?" Tsumugi questioned.

Kaito tilted his head. "But how would the culprit do that? I mean, it's not like they coulda thrown her."

"Gonta not throw her!"

"We know that..." you mumbled. "You couldn't because the avatars' physical strength was equalized."

"Physical strength...equalized? That problem! Gonta no can protect everyone if that happens!"

"Geez, keep up with us," Himiko grumbled. "We're already in the second half of the class trial."

"Hmmm... How did they send Miu's avatar to the other side of the wall?" Kokichi wondered. "Maybe that thing has something to do with it? Y'know, the loud sound you heard? Because of that sound, you guys went to the side of the chapel, right? That's when you found the dead Miu there, riiiight? If so, then I think that sound and her avatar being by the chapel are related."

"It was probably Miu's avatar hitting the chapel wall," you spoke up. "There were other things there as well, but they were all too small to make that noise. With process of elimination, we can come to the explanation that the sound was Miu colliding with the wall."

"If that's the case, Miu's avatar must have hit the chapel wall really hard," Himiko commented. "We felt the impact all the way from the inside of the chapel."

"Miu's avatar probably hit the chapel's wall with pretty considerable force... But why did it hit the wall with such force? Can you guys figure it out?" Kokichi questioned, a cheeky smile plastered onto his face.

"Hold on, Kokichi," Kaito interjected. "What's up with the way you're talkin'? Why are you talking like you know everything!?"

"...Let's not worry about that right now. More importantly, we gotta solve the mystery! Fighting among friends is a waste of time."

"'Friends'? Us?"

"...Can we talk about that after we figure this problem out?" Tsumugi asked awkwardly. The two boys rolled their eyes at each other but complied.

"Anyway, a way of transporting Miu's avatar that would cause it to crash into the chapel..." Kiibo trailed off.

"Here's a hint," Kokichi chimed, "since the mansion was on top of a hill, the roof was pretty high up. Past the brick handrail, the roof was at a pretty steep slope. And that slope faced the chapel wall. On top of that, there was snow on the roof. If the culprit needed force to move the body, I wonder how they did it?"

"....I got it!" you suddenly announced. "The culprit used the sloped roof as a slide for Miu's avatar!"

"Um, no," Kaito said flatly. "Even with the slope and the snow, Miu's body wouldn't have slid—"

"Wrong," Kokichi cut him off with a blank expression. "It would slide."

"But the avatars can generate friction. We wouldn't have been able to walk, otherwise," Maki stated. "So I doubt that it would have had that much momentum."

"Non, non! It would slide," the boy insisted.

Did he just speak French...? you wondered, but you didn't have much time to linger on that thought—

"It wouldn't slide!" Kaito yelled. "Just like Maki said!"

Kokichi drew fists up near his face, brows furrowing in frustration. "It would slide! Just like my beloved (Y/N) said!"

"Beloved!? What does that mean!?"

You blushed a bit and pulled your scarf up a bit to hide your face. Then you breathed heavily and recollected yourself. "True, just sliding Miu's avatar down wouldn't work because of the friction slowing it down, and then it would just...be awkward. But, there was something near her avatar that could've helped her slide. It was the piece of lattice. If the culprit placed Miu's avatar on top of the lattice like a sled and then slid it on the sloped roof, it would be enough to overcome the friction and hit the chapel wall as hard as it did."

"Ding ding ding! You are correct, my dear!" Kokichi chirped, wide eyes looking at you with admiration. "After the culprit killed Miu on the rooftop, they placed her corpse on a sled and slid her down the roof's steep slope!"

"The sled picked up speed, flew off the roof, glided through the wall that only objects could pass through...and hit the chapel," you finished his explanation.

"The impact made all of her belongings scatter, including the hammer and cell phone..." Kiibo added.

"Now that we know how the body slid down, we're just one step away from the culprit," Kokichi announced. "Does anybody have an idea as to whodunnit?"

"Oh, y-yeah... In the end, we'll still need to guess the culprit, huh?" Tsumugi sighed.

"But...Gonta can't believe one of us killed Miu."

"However, since we know she was killed on the roof, we can narrow down the list of suspects," Kiibo spoke. "Meaning, the culprit must be someone who was investigating the mansion. Aside from Miu, the people at the chapel could not go through the wall or cross the river."

"So that means...the suspects are Kaito, Tsumugi, Shuichi, and Gonta..." Kokichi listed off.

"You left yourself off the list, and you know that..." you mumbled, looking down at the ground.

"Nishishi... Oh, you got me."

"...Kokichi, there's something I need to know," Shuichi spoke up.

"Hm? What do you need to know?"

"Why did you lie just now?"

Kokichi simply placed his hands behind his head and smiled. "Which lie are you talking about, Shuichi? I lie a lot, so you'll need to jog my memory."

"Fine. I'll expose your lie right now... When you were explaining that the door to the roof was locked, you said that you never went to the roof, not even for the meeting. But later, you were able to detail parts of the rooftop that you shouldn't have known if you didn't go up there yourself."

"Oh, yeah! Now that you mention it...how did ya know that stuff!?" Kaito shouted at him.

"You could probably see the steep slope of the roof from outside the mansion, but you wouldn't know about the brick handrail unless you went up to the roof yourself," Maki told him.

Kokichi's podium was moved towards the center. "..." In a quick second, his eyes were widened in fear, and a nervous sweat was covering his face. "H-Huh? Wh-Wh-What...?"

"Kokichi, explain yourself," you said quickly, feeling nervous yourself. "Did you actually go to the rooftop or not...?"

"I-I-I...d-didn't..." he stammered, lowering his gaze to the ground. "I already t-told you that b-before..."

"Why you look so nervous?"

"Is this a sincere reaction?"

"B-But...there's no e-evidence that p-proves I went to the r-roof..." Kokichi quickly perked up. The change was so quick that it startled you. "Oh, wait! I remember now! That thing Himiko said!"

"Nyeh!? M-Me!?"

"At the start of the class trial, I remember you saying the handrail was made of bricks. Ooohhh! You so clumsy, girl! Gotta be more careful there, Himiko!"

"I-Is it my fault...?"

You closed your eyes, breathed in and out, and opened your eyes once more. "I have a feeling that you're lying."

"Nooo... She toootally said that!"

"No she didn't!" Kaito yelled at him.

"Yes, she did!" Kokichi yelled back.

"She did not!"

"She did too!"

"Then when!? Tell me how long ago! In hours, minutes, and seconds!"

"Puhuhu, what a worthless fight," Monokuma chuckled.

"I'm not gonna apologize! 'Cause Himiko said it!"

"Grgh—! So damn stubborn!"

"Guys, stop!" you interjected. "We don't have time for this! Ugh...I think my head is starting to hurt."

"Oh, well I'm sorry that Kaito is screaming and fighting like a toddler and hurting your head," Kokichi huffed while glaring at Kaito.

You sighed and tried to collect yourself. Even with me, he's stubborn... It looks like we'll have to get the truth out of him another way.

"I didn't go to the roof!" the boy repeated.

"I've had enough of your lies, man!"

"I'm not lying! The rooftop door was locked and I couldn't open it!"

"So what did Kokichi do?"

"I turned back at once, of course, and stayed in the salon the whole time, y'know?"

"Kokichi," Shuichi suddenly spoke up. "You're lying right now, aren't you?"

"...Huh? Lying about what?"

"Just before the murder occurred, I went to the salon to check on you. But you weren't there. I waited there for a while. You never showed up."

That also doesn't sound true either.

"What's this all about, Kokichi?" Kaito asked the boy in a condescending tone. "Didn't you go right back to the salon after finding the roof door locked?"

"..." A thin smile slowly crept its way onto Kokichi's lips. He ran a hand near his hair, the hair causing an ominous shadow to fall onto his face. "I see... You use underhanded tactics, too. Huh, Shuichi?"

"..."

"So, who are you guys gonna believe? Shuichi or me?"

"Well of course I'm gonna believe Shuichi!" Kaito yelled.

"I believe in Shuichi 100%!"

"The one who's not Kokichi."

"One hundred house points—no, Himiko points!—to Shuichi!"

"But to go to the salon," Tsumugi spoke up, "Shuichi would need to pass by me in the dining room... Umm... I wonder why I didn't notice Shuichi there..."

Shuichi just looked at her nervously, remaining silent.

"Oh well. I'll believe Shuichi anyway. He's usually right about stuff."

You just pointed out how to debunk his lie! you screamed inside your head. Is this lie...necessary, though...? If you were to be honest with yourself, you weren't quite fond of the idea of having to lie to him.

"Sorry, but...Gonta believe Shuichi, too."

Kokichi looked down, a sad look on his face. "Ah, I see... I wanted at least Gonta to believe me...and it seems like (Y/N) is undecided. Now I feel even worse..."

"Heh, what comes around goes around! That's what happens to liars like you!" Kaito taunted the boy.

"Why do you guys hate lies that much?" His voice was devoid of its usual, playful lilt. "There's only one truth, but endless, possibilities for lies, y'know? And some of them are only white lies, or lies to be kind to people... If you deny all of that just because it's a lie..."

Kokichi looked back up at everyone, a creepy expression greeting its audience. "Then that means you guys are just terrible at being lied to! Seriously, the worst!"

"Just spit it out already!" Kaito yelled, frustrated. "You went to the roof, didn't you!?"

"Isn't that where he met up with Miu?" Maki asked.

"No, he didn't just meet her there," Himiko spoke. "He probably ki—"

"Okay, fine!" Kokichi snapped. "I'll tell you if you wanna know that badly! Consider this my revenge."

What does that mean...? A heavy weight was quickly forming on your back.

"Revenge?" Gonta repeated questioningly.

The sly grin and ominous shadow returned. "You got some balls lying to me. I'm gonna take away your fun for p*ssing me off, Shuichi. I won't let you do any detective work, or deduction, or mystery solving, or anything! So, I'll confess everything! You guys better listen carefully."

"A confession!?" Kaito repeated. "So you are the culprit after all!"

Kokichi's podium was moved to the center, where everyone could stare at him like predator stalking prey. "I came up with a plan after Miu asked me to meet up with her. She asked me pretty eagerly, too. So I decided to pry some info out of her... She gave me the rundown of the Virtual World, before she explained it to you guys. As I listened, I realized she was planning a murder. On me, no less...

"When I investigated the Virtual World, I found out that a person can die from shock. Without a doubt, she planned to use that for my murder. So that's when I decided to prepare my own crime with her plan. I pretended to cooperate with her, and lured everyone into the Virtual World. That's also why...I worked together with Monokuma."

Something was pulling at the insides of your chest. Something toxic was burning inside your stomach. The weight got heavier, and it felt like it was getting harder to breathe.

"You...worked together with Monokuma?" Kaito questioned.

Eyes turned to Monokuma, casually sitting in his plush seat. The bear sighed. "I guess the jig is up. Yeah, everything he said is true. Kokichi came up to me with an idea to make the killing game more interesting... It was such a good idea, I decided to place a motive in the killing game simulator."

"Then the secret of the outside world is the motive, right!?" Shuichi suddenly yelled, pointing accusingly at the black and white bear.

"No fair! Monokuma can't take sides!"

"I didn't help him with anything, and I had nothing to do with the murder itself..." Monokuma responded. "He merely suggested a way to spice up the killing game and I accepted. Kokichi and I had a 'quid pro quo' relationship. Technically, that doesn't violate the rules!"

"Bullsh*t! No matter how you look at it, you guys are working together!"

"Shhh, calm down," Kokichi told everyone. "I'll explain my relationship with Monokuma, so let me finish my confession."

"I'm fine with that, but...you're confessing without much of a fight," Maki noted.

"Nishishi... I told you, I'm gonna get in the way by taking away the mystery-solving fun. If I can't win this game, then I'll make it boring for everyone! That's my revenge! Well, then..

"The culprit is Gonta."

Your eyes widened in surprise. So many questions were running through your head, and it seemed like the same could be said for everyone else...including the suspect.

"...Huh?" The gentle giant looked lost and confused. "W-W-Wait! When did Gonta kill Miu!?"

"That's a lie! He didn't kill her! Kokichi's just lying!"

"Why you... Now you're trying to pin things on Gonta!? Do you really expect us to believe such an obvious lie!?"

The weird part is, though...that this doesn't feel like a lie. You bit on your lip. Maybe my intuition is acting weird, but...I still can't shake the feeling...

"Yeah! There's no way Gonta could commit a murder this complicated. He's not sma—"

One hand motion from the boy made Himiko shut up. "The truth is... Gonta and I worked together. We formed a dup to end this killing game... As the Killing Game Busters!"

"Wh-What Busters!?"

"We must win this killing game, in order to end this killing game!"

"What you mean, 'we'!?"

"By the way, I came up with the murder plan, and Gonta carried it out."

"Gonta what!?!?"

"Why are you more surprised by that than the first thing he said!?" Kaito asked.

"'Cause...Gonta have no idea what he's talking about..."

Kokichi smiled at the other, as if there was nothing wrong. "C'mooon, quit lying and tell us the truth!"

"Gonta is telling the truth! He's not someone who lies all the time like you!" Tsumugi yelled.

"Any no matter how naive Gonta may be, I doubt he would ever team up with Kokichi..."

"..." You stayed silent. If words could hurt then...Kokichi wouldn't be in the best state at all.

"Yeah... Not after 'Insect Meet and Greet' incident," Gonta mumbled.

"Heh, it's obvious what he's trying to do. Gonta doesn't understand the Virtual World, so Kokichi's trying to trick him! He's trying to sacrifice Gonta to escape from his crime!"

"Nyeeeh! You're a terrible person! How dare you use Gonta like that!"

"You're right..." Kokichi said in an obviously exaggerated sad tone. "I'm sooorry... I did something horrible to Gonta... I didn't want Shuichi to hog all the glory, so I told everyone the truth!"

"U-Umm... Gonta not understand what's going on. But still... Gonta...not kill Miu. Gonta...really not know anything." Gonta looked down at the ground, shutting his eyes close. "And also...Gonta not tell lies. And Gonta not make trouble for others... 'Cause that not how gentlemen act! That why Gonta not culprit!"

"Yeah, Gonta's not lying... I can just by looking at him!" Kaito exclaimed.

"No, you can't!" It was the first time that you had spoken in what seemed like forever. Your eyes were trained to the ground as you continued. "No...you can't... Instead of yelling at each other and wasting time, why don't we try to discuss this like human beings?"

Kokichi turned around to face you. His face was blank, and he was to far away from you to try to look inside his eyes... "...Thank you. Right now, it seems like you are the only rational person here. Now, guys...if it's not Gonta, then who's the culprit? It can't be me, because we already have proof that I couldn't have killed Miu."

"What proof?" Maki asked him,  a bitter edge to her tone.

"Remember the setting on Kokichi's avatar?" you questioned her. "Miu modified his avatar to where if she touched him, he wouldn't be able to move. It was set up for her plan to...murder him."

Kokichi wore a weird smile that felt like a mixture of things. Satisfaction? Pride? What was with that soft part to it...? Nevertheless, he added onto your testimony, "So I would've had to kill her instantly, such as stabbing or hitting... I couldn't have murdered her by strangulation, because it'd be game over if she touched me."

"Well...if you were using the toilet paper, you wouldn't need to touch her directly," Kaito clumsily countered.

"You're going to touch her if you're having to wrap the toilet paper around her neck," you retorted.

"Which means..." he smirked, "as long as she died from strangulation, it couldn't have been me!"

"W-Wait! What if it was something besides strangulation, then? Like—"

"We've already discussed this. No doubt she died by strangulation." You know, Kaito...you are really starting to p*ss me off...

"Nishishi... Kaito is reeeally desperate to make me the culprit..." Kokichi lilted. "No matter how much you whine about it, you can't change the truth! The culprit who killed Miu is Gonta Gokuhara! This is the truth you all adore so much!"

"N-No! Gonta not kill Miu!" Gonta cried out. "It's true! You gotta believe Gonta! Gonta would never hurt anyone!"

"I believe you. You've been risking yourself to protect everyone. There's no way Gonta would kill! He won't even kill bugs!"

"I...believe Gonta, too. I'm not gonna listen to Kokichi's lies..."

"O-Of course! Who'd believe a liar like him!?"

"..." You watched as some pairs of eyes traveled to you. You were surprised with yourself when you managed to hold your position.

"...You know, (Y/N)'s been awfully defensive of Kokichi lately," Himiko mumbled.

Kaito snapped his head around sharply to look at you. Raw anger and frustration at such an intensity that you had never seen before laid behind his eyes. "He's lying about Gonta being the culprit, so there's no point talking about it!" He turned back around. "Right, Shuichi!? You think so, too, don't you?"

"Huh?" The detective closed his eyes for a second in thought before deciding to speak again. "I know how important it is to believe. But as the Ultimate Detective...I know we can't solve this case with belief alone. It's just that...something doesn't add up. I have this feeling...something's off. We can't keep going back and forth like this. We need to discuss this."

"What, you...wanna suspect Gonta?"

"Too bad, Kaito," Kokichi spoke, a smug grin on his face. "Looks like I have another follower who agrees with me."

Shuichi perked up in alert. "N-No, I'm not trying to—!"

"Oh, the irony! It's all thanks to Kaito that Shuichi got his act together as a detective. And now, Shuichi's intuition as a detective has made him more suspicious of others. Welp, can't be helped."

"That's not it, Kokichi!" Shuichi's voice was rising steadily. It was a terrible mix between exhaustion and exasperation. "I'm just trying to make sure that everyone survi—"

"Shuichi..." Tears started to run down his face. "Gonta really not do it... Gonta..not culprit... Please...believe Gonta..."

"...We might as well discuss it," Kiibo said after a pause. His voice was calm and soft. "As a precautionary measure, that's all. I think we need to seriously discuss whether Gonta was capable of committing this crime... Only then can we arrive at a logical decision."

"You guys... Why don't you get it? That's just what Kokichi wants!" Kaito was clenching his teeth together, and his hands were balled up into fists. "He's just trying to split us up! Shuichi! Open your eyes!"

...Split? you repeated in side your mind. You glanced at Monokuma, and as if on cue, he lifted his arms dramatically in there air with a "hold on!"

"Sorry to ruin this tense moment, but you guys seem pretty evenly split right now..." the bear said. "So, the Ultimate Academy is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!" And the podiums started to move.

Finally in position, with Monokuma at the end, the bear lifted up a sign that read "Could Gonta have committed the crime?" Two lines had formed. Kaito, Maki, Himiko, Tsumugi, and Gonta made up the line saying that he couldn't. Kiibo, Shuichi, Kokichi, and you made up the other line saying that he could.

"Shuichi, are you saying that Gonta is the culprit!?"

"I can't say for sure he's the culprit. I'm saying we can't rule it out!"

"Gonta is such a sweetheart. He wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Don't you realize these so-called sweethearts can commit crimes too?"

"Could Gonta have even made it to the rooftop without being noticed?"

"The entrance hall is the only thing separating the rooftop from the mansion exterior."

"There should've been witnesses at the entrance hall!"

"No, none of us were in charge of the entrance hall!"

"But Kokichi confessed he was working with Monokuma!"

"I did cooperate with Monokuma, but only on a temporary basis."

"It's all a lie! Kokichi is the one who killed Miu!"

"That's impossible because Kokichi's avatar had special settings."

"Gonta not kill Miu! Honest!"

"The truth is, Gonta could have murdered Miu!"

The opposing side had nothing else to say, so Monokuma made all of the podiums return to their normal positions.

"In my opinion...as long as it is possible that Gonta is the culprit, we have to discuss it," Shuichi said.

"That's ridiculous... You're going to believe Kokichi over Gonta?" Tsumugi asked the detective.

"I just want the truth. If we're going to survive, I have to find the truth!"

"But...Gonta telling truth..." He was tearing up again. "Gonta...r-really not culprit..."

"I...s-still don't think Gonta's lying," Himiko mumbled.

"But...didn't I tell you guys already?" Kokichi asked. "If you're planning to expose a liar, then you have to corner them psychologically... Only then will they reveal their true self as a liar—hiding beneath a layer of deceit!" His brows suddenly furrowed.

"That's why it hurts my heart to persecute Gonta like this! Gonta! If you understand, then do it right! Make logical arguments for the truth!"

What's going on here? The sudden change in attitude definitely wasn't expected. This might be the most intense trial that I've ever been in...

"L-Logical arguments?" he repeated in a lost tone.

"It means, use your head to make arguments!"

"Use...head...?"

"What I'm trying to say is...if you aren't the culprit, then you gotta prove that you aren't!"

"But...Gonta really not know..."

An angry blush grew on Kokichi's face. "I'm sick of hearing you say you don't know! God, why are you so dumb!?"

"Gonta just wanna help everyone! Like true gentleman!" Gonta cried.

"You're a true gentleman!? More like a true nincompoop!"

"Hey!" Himiko snapped. "Now that's just bullying!"

Kokichi's face was devoid of any emotion now. "...Bullying? Yeah, so what? That's what you do in this game, right? You guys blame and gang up on me, but now you're gonna pretend to be good people?"

"N-No...I never ganged up—"

"Gonta, argue back already!" Kokichi shouted, ignoring the other girl. "Just make an excuse or...whatever!"

"Stop it!!!" Kaito interjected. "That's enough!"

"...Hm? Stop what? You mean stop the game? Hey, do you even know what you're saying?"

"Yeah, I know...what about it? I don't want to survive if it means I have to stoop to your level."

"Ooh, that's a low blow right there... Then just die in a hole for all I care! We wanna live, so stop getting in our way!"

"Please, Kokichi! Breathe and calm down for a second!" you pleaded.

"Quit it," Maki spoke up, red eyes glowing. "If you don't shut your mouth, then I'll shut it for you...permanently."

Why don't you just shut the f*ck up already!? you thought. You were just concerned about Kokichi at the moment...and obviously, Maki wasn't helping at all.

"Maki, please! Calm down!" Kiibo exclaimed.

Gonta just looked around at everyone, mouth gaping. "Sorry... It's Gonta's fault everyone so upset... But...Gonta telling truth! Gonta really not culprit! 'Cause Gonta not know anything! Really!"

"Cut it out already!" Kokichi yelled. It was a wonder how his vocal chords could even still work at that point. "That's all you've been saying this whole time!"

"You're the one that needs to cut it out!" Tsumugi snapped.

Shuichi suddenly perked up, seeming to just realize something. "Did...Gonta get into an accident in the Virtual World...?"

"...Accident?"

"When we logged into the Virtual World, an avatar user error occurred. Ever since Gonta logged out, he's been saying 'I don't know, I don't understand'..."

"That's because Gonta doesn't understand the Virtual World, right?" Tsumugi asked.

"That's what I thought at first. But I think it's because of the error."

"Wh-Whachu mean?" Gonta questioned.

"I believe it's possible that Gonta doesn't remember what happened in the Virtual World," Shuichi explained. "You started saying 'I don't know anything' after leaving the Virtual World... I think that's the result of some kind of memory error."

"Ooh, that's why he doesn't remember anything that happened in the Virtual World," Kokichi spoke. "...Not even killing Miu."

Gonta looked down at the boy with a horrified expression. "What!?"

"That's ridiculous! Quit screwing around!" Kaito yelled.

"Yeah! It's absolutely ridiculous!" Tsumugi joined in.

"What do you mean he doesn't remember!? He's just confused!"

"Gonta told us he was bad with computers, remember?"

"Memory or no memory... Gonta...never hurt anyone!"

"Gonta's definitely not the culprit!"

"Gonta not culprit!"

"No way Gonta's the culprit!"

Then there were a blur of voices. Voices overlapping each other and cutting each other off. But then one thing stood out.

"No, Kaito, you're wrong, there was an error," Shuichi declared. "The cause of that error that affected Gonta's avatar is the two cords on the helmet used to log in to the Virtual World. I think that Gonta messed up something with the cords causing the error."

"If he mixed the consciousness and memory cords, then there'd be an error with memory," Kokichi added. "Like...an error that won't let you bring your avatar's memories to the real world..."

"Wh-What!?" Kaito asked, eyes widened.

"Gonta," you spoke up, "do you believe that you may have incorrectly connected the cords?"

"Huh? How Gonta supposed to remember that...?"

"H-He couldn't have messed it up!" Himiko shouted. "I said it over and over! Right is the hand you hold your chopsticks in!"

"Oh, but Gonta hold chopsticks with this hand..." He lifted up one of his hands...

"Nyeh!? Th-That's your left hand!"

"Whaaaat!?"

"Ah-hahaha! Looks like it's decided!" Kokichi exclaimed, spreading his arms out dramatically with a smirk on his face.

"What's...decided?" Tsumugi asked. "He's wrong, isn't he, Gonta? You remember the Virtual World, don't you?"

"G-Gonta not remember... Gonta not even go to this 'Ver-chew-ul World' place... Gonta fall asleep when he put helmet on... When Gonta wake up...Miu dead... Gonta not know what happened... So...Gonta worry. Gonta not understand what everyone talking about... But Gonta try his best to understand. Gonta imagine real hard—"

"That's enough, Gonta. We already know," Kokichi interrupted.

"Kn-Know what...?"

The boy pressed a finger up to his lips. "We know that you totally forgot about teaming up with me...and killing Miu."

"W-Wait a minute! That lie! Gonta not kill Miu!" He started to cry, "'Cause...why would Gonta do that!?"

"Yeah, it's a lie! I'll never accept this!" Kaito exclaimed. "And besides! Gonta's got no motive to kill Miu!"

"...I already gave you my testimony on how I came up with the murder plan," Kokichi reminded everyone.

"And I'm saying I don't believe you!"

You awkwardly cleared your throat. "Kokichi...if what you're saying is true then...why did you plan it like this? You wanted to plan the murder yourself, but have someone else carry it out?"

"Is the person who planned it also included as a blackened with the perpetrator?" Maki asked while glaring at Kokichi.

"Nope!" Monokuma announced cheerfully. "Only the person who actually commits the murder becomes the blackened!"

"Then...that means there's no incentive more this murder," you mumbled.

"But Gonta's such a gentle soul. Why would he agree to this?" Shuichi asked.

"Hold on! That hasn't been decided yet!" Kaito growled.

"Who cares about the motive?" Kokichi asked. "Let's vote for the culprit already."

"I care about the motive!" Tsumugi told  him.

"Well, I don't care. Finding the culprit is more important in this class trial. Talking about the motive is meaningless. It's not necessary for this specific case."

Kaito held up a fist, an aggravated expression locked onto his face as he grumbled, "No matter what you say...I'll never believe your lies."

"We all agree that Gonta is the culprit, right? It would be impossible for anyone but him. I mean, it's pretty obvious if you use the process of elimination..."

"Quit screwing around! I'm done putting up with your selfish bullsh*t!"

"Kaito, we should really calm down and try to listen to his explanation," you calmly told him. "Our lives are depending on this."

"Grh..."

"Sooo," Kokichi started, "we can now take off Kiiboy, Himiko, Maki, and my dear (Y/N) off the suspect list... (Y/N), I'm sure you know why. Care to explain? I doubt that they'll believe it if it came from me."

You bit your lip in concern before answering, "We're off the suspect list because we couldn't have accessed the crime scene."

"Correct! The bridge from the chapel to the mansion was gone, and only Miu could pass through the wall. The four at the chapel had no way to get to the mansion, so they couldn't have done it. Kaito is the next one off our suspect list. And you know why, right?"

"It's because Kaito logged out ahead of us," you replied.

"Miu logged Kaito out from the start, but she did that to make us think the murder happened in the real world, right? Since we figured out the actual killing happened in the Virtual World...it would've been impossible for Kaito, who had already logged out. Miu's time of death was around 6:30 in the morning. That's after Kaito logged out."

"Nyeeeh... Kokichi's completely running the show now," Himiko whined.

"My synergy with (Y/N) is super on point now," the boy giggled, "so let's move on to the remaining suspects. Gonta, Tsumugi, Shuichi, and me... Tsumugi and Shuichi can be crossed off. But what's the reason for that?"

"Tsumugi and I are witnesses to each other's alibis," Shuichi spoke.

"Both of you heard Miu hitting the chapel wall, right?" Kokichi asked him. "The culprit was definitely on the roof during that time since they slid Miu down. Because of that, Shuichi and Tsumugi can't be the culprit. That leaves only Gonta and me as the remaining suspects..."

"Then you're the culprit!" Kaito barked.

"Kokichi couldn't have strangled Miu. If she touched him, he'd freeze in place," you explained.

Kokichi nodded before tilting his head. "So then, it's down to one person. Aaaand...who was that again?" he asked, acting oblivious.

Gonta looked down, tears starting to roll down from his eyes.

"Weeeell? Who is it?"

"Don't answer, Shuichi!" Kaito growled. "You don't need to answer that! This is all Kokichi's trap!"

There was a moment of silence. As if everything had paused in time. The tension was thick in the air...

Shuichi closed his eyes. "I-It's...it's...Gonta," he muttered with hesitation.

Kokichi spread his arms out dramatically as he exclaimed, "Yup! Gonta is the only person who could've committed the murder! You get it now, right? That's the truth we were all reaching for." He started to frown. "The thing you guys wanted so badly! A truth without any lies! Miu Iruma's killer...is Gonta Gokuhara!"

That look... You visibly flinched when you saw the boy's face morph into something you didn't think was possible for him to make. Something that should have been impossible for any human to make.

"R-Really...? Did Gonta...really do it...?"

"Geeeez, is that really your reaction? It would've been fun if you went all crazy... But you forgot everything. So, oh well. A culprit who can't remember their murder is pretty interesting, so better than nothing. If Gonta remembered, his cover would've been blown so fast. Especially since he's an idiot."

"H-Hold on!" Kaito stammered. "I-I still haven't accepted this! This has gotta be...Kokichi's trap... I still believe in Gonta! He's not the kinda person who'd kill!"

Again with this believing stuff...?

Kokichi looked down at his hand with a bored expression on his face. "I already said this a million times, Kaito. You shouldn't use emotions to re—"

"You want proof!? I've got your proof!"

Gonta looked confused. "...Huh?"

A small bit of confidence was making itself visible in Kaito once more. "After Tsumugi and Shuichi heard Kiibo's voice in the mansion, they ran outside. And who did they see out there?"

"Gonta," Shuichi answered.

"Kokichi said it himself... When Miu's avatar crashed into the chapel wall, the culprit musta been on the roof."

A smile began to grow on Tsumugi's face. "I see! If Gonta's the culprit, it'd be weird if he wasn't on the roof!"

"It's possible that he fled the mansion after he heard the impact..." Kiibo spoke up.

"You'd have to go through the entrance hall to get outside the mansion from the roof," Maki added. "Is that where Shuichi and Tsumugi ran to when they heard the crashing sound?"

"Maybe he jumped off the roof...?" you inquired.

"That's not possible! That rooftop was pretty high up!" Himiko countered.

"If Gonta was the culprit, there's no way he coulda been outside the mansion!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Now you can't say Gonta's the culprit! Congrats, Gonta!"

"What!? Really!?"

"But just because Gonta was at the mansion doesn't mean that he isn't the culprit. All the culprit needed was a way to get from the roof to outside the mansion," you interjected.

"Nishishi... Looks like my beloved (Y/N) got it. I must say, I really am proud of how far you've came..."

I...I appreciate the compliment, but is this really the time??you questioned mentally. Shaking your head slightly, your eyes glanced over Kaito, a desperate look on his face.

"..."

"...Kaito," Shuichi spoke, "I know how you feel. I know because we all feel it. But...we have to face the truth. No matter how cruel that truth may be, we need to face it...to survive."

"Whose side are you on, Shuichi?" Kaito grumbled.

"Kaito, please!"

It's no use now, Shuichi... you thought. It's gotten to the point where there's always that one person who refuses to listen to anything anyone else has to say...until the very end.

"Aren't you my sidekick!? Was that...just a lie!? Fine then! I'll tear that sorry reasoning of yours apart and wake you up!"

I can't fight him. You sighed and looked over at the nervous detective. Good luck.
***

"You're stubborn, Kaito," Kokichi commented. "You're still going on about this..."

"Of course I am! I'm gonna believe in Gonta till the very end!"

"But there was a place to tie the toilet paper around in order to get down," you told him. "I'm referring to the binoculars that are mounted there. Maybe they didn't actually tie it rather than just hung it...and then they used the doubled-up toilet paper to climb down. In that case, they would just need to tug on it in order to get retrieve it."

"Yup, that's correct!" Kokichi chirped. "'Cause I came up with that idea! But I thought I told Gonta to put the toilet paper back in the bathroom... Oh! I guess he ran into someone on the way, and then threw it somewhere close by."

Kaito stayed silent, closing his eyes in defeat.

"Nishishi... Looks like Kaito's morale is shot, so this whole thing is done now!"

Gonta looked down mournfully. "So...it true. Gonta...really kill Miu."

"But I'm the one who came up with the plan! Anywaaay...just admit your crime, Gonta." Just at that moment, a convenient shadow made his smile look more much sinister... "Even though you don't remember...you still did it."

"How can you say that so casually...?" you muttered to him. He glanced at your general direction...before looking away completely.

"B-But...why did Gonta do...such...terrible thing...?"

"Wait, before you start crying...you gotta admit your crime fir—"

"Stop," Shuichi said, interrupting the boy. "I won't let you, Kokichi. If anyone is going to get him to confess...it's me."

Honestly, that sounds a bit egotistical...

"Gonta...I'm going to look back at the whole case one more time, okay? When you're convinced, you just let me know, alright? Let's end this together."

Gonta started to cry. "O-Okay..." he whispered through his tears.

"The case began last night..."

As Shuichi began his explanation, you couldn't help but to stare at Gonta. He was trying to wipe away his tears while listening to the detective. It seemed like everyone else was listening in disbelief, casting pity filled glances over towards the gentle giant.

"The reason Miu modified the simulator and brought us to the Virtual World was to kill Kokichi in the Virtual World, but make it look like he had died in the real world!..."

Your gaze was redirected to Kokichi. The boy seemed to be shifting his own gaze around, from Shuichi, to Gonta, to the floor, and then the cycle repeated. Sure, I don't want Kokichi to die. I never wanted anyone to die...but...

But what? Was it a good thing to use someone else to kill someone in order to save your own life? No, that sounds horrible. But that's also when other factors came in, like motives, the value of the people involved...

Every time that you saw Kokichi look up at Gonta, you noticed that his facial expression changed just the slightest bit. It felt more soft, and...some other emotion that you couldn't quite place your finger on. So why would you do this...?

You kept repeating your thoughts and questions, despite it all just making you feel dizzy. They kept repeating just like a broken record, as if you repeated them enough times, the answer would finally arrive...

"This is the truth you've forgotten! Gonta Gokuhara, the Ultimate Entomologist!"

Shuichi's final declaration snapped you out of it and back into reality.

"Gonta...this is the truth we've reached," the detective spoke.

"S-Sorry..." Gonta said while looking down. "Gonta not really understand. 'Cause...Gonta not smart boy... But...if everyone agree, then...everyone probably right. Gonta...trust everyone! But...why? Gonta kill Miu...forget everything... Gonta even think he not do anything bad... And then, Gonta try to blame someone else, and make everyone suffer! Wh-Why...? Why Gonta do such terrible thing!?"

You bit the inside of your lip in anticipation. Just say something, you begged yourself. But even if you tried to open up your mouth to say something, you just knew that you would end up gaping like an idiot.

"Gonta... It's not your fault," Kiibo told him.

"It's Kokichi's fault. He...must've tricked Gonta," Tsumugi claimed as she stared darkly at the boy. The boy who wasn't giving Gonta soft looks anymore, the one who put the mask back up.

"Huuuh?" Kokichi asked with his head tilted. "I totally didn't trick him. Before we go into that, it's Voting Time! We should finish up the class trial first."

"But...is this the right answer? We're not being fooled by Kokichi?" Himiko questioned.

"For once...I wish that we were," Shuichi mumbled.

"..."

"Huh? Wrapping things up already?" Monokuma asked, perking up. "Hmmm... What a buzzkill of an ending. It lacks the rush of previous Voting Times... Well, after so many killing games, I guess it was bound to happen eventually!"

So many killing games... you repeated mentally. Just another thing to add onto a yet to be made list of ominous things I've either seen or heard...

"Now then, pull yourselves together and let's begin! The heart-racing excitement as the blackened and the spotless face off! It's...VOTING TIME!!!"

You watched as your classmates clicked the button to vote for Gonta, some with tears in their eyes... Questions still racing through your mind, you shakily pressed down and voted for him.

"Puhuhu... It seems the voting has finished. Now then, let's see the result."

The large screen that was all too familiar came down. Eight votes for Gonta, one for Kokichi. Most likely Kaito's vote, you thought.

"Who'll be chosen as the blackened!? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one!?" the bear cheered as everyone stepped out of their podiums. "Well, look at that! You voted correctly! Congratulations, you guys! Give yourselves a hand! Let me hear your joyful voices!"

Tsumugi let out a soft sob.

"I said, let me hear your joyful voices!"

"Dammit...why!?" Kaito asked.

"Geez, they're all just moping around! They should be happy for themselves!" Monokuma then raised a paw up, claws unsheathing. "Hey, Kokichi... You said this would liven things up. What gives, huh?"

"..."

"You said you were gonna liven up the killing game and the class trial... And I said I'd put the motive—the secret of the outside world—into the killing game simulator."

"Ah-haha, that was juuust a lie," the boy responded cheekily.

"He just laughed it off!?" Himiko's face was red with anger.

"Are you satisfied, Kokichi?" Shuichi asked. His mouth was still open like he wanted to say something more, but you couldn't help but to interject.

"Kokichi, can you please...tell us what the 'outside world' is? Is it the motive you gave Gonta?" You bit harder on your lip. If you did that for any longer or bit harder, then you were sure that it was going to bleed.

Kokichi tilted his head again, avoiding your gaze. "I plan to explain all of that...but it's more like, how do I say it...? You guys are just gonna assume it's a lie if you hear it from my cute lips... Oh, yeah! Then let's have Gonta explain!"

"...Huh? Gonta?" Gonta looked down at him, confusion in his eyes.

Kiibo frowned. "Gonta doesn't remember anything; how can you expect him to—"

"Then, we should all go back into the killing game simulator! Why don't we ask the Gonta in the Virtual World?"

"B-But...going back to the Virtual World is—"

"Puhuhu... There's a much easier way than that pain-in-the-a** method," Monokuma interrupted. Then, with the blink of an eye, the bear had a laptop set up right in front of him as he furiously typed away at it. "Gonta's memories didn't transfer over, so they're still in the Virtual World as data. I can combine Gonta's consciousness from his last log-in with that leftover memory data!"

Some more typing...and then he flipped the screen over. "Ta-da! Alter Ego Gonta is now complete! Basically, it's a separate Gonta that only exists in virtual space. If we listen to what he says, we should be able to find out what happened in that world."

Gonta's avatar that was on the screen blinked, looking around curiously. "Huh? What this? What happening?"

You watched the real life Gonta rush up to the laptop. It...hurt your heart more than you expected that it could. "Is this...Gonta?" he asked.

"Is that...Gonta?" the alter ego asked back.

"W-What sort of phenomenon is this? What did you do?" Himiko stuttered.

"Relax, Himiko," Monokuma told the girl. "It's not magic and it's not a trick. Alter Ego Gonta is just a computer simulation. It's just imitating Gonta's thought patterns. It's actually different from the real Gonta."

"G-Gonta not understand... Who this 'Alter Ego' person?"

"See? It's even stupid like the real Gonta! You can hardly tell the difference! Plus, he's got Gonta's memories of the Virtual World, so he should remember what happened."

"Th-Then, other Gonta...tell Gonta. Why!? Why did Gonta kill Miu!?"

The alter ego suddenly wore a terrified expression. "Kill Miu...? Why does other Gonta know about—"

"Unfortunately, our plan failed," Kokichi spoke up. "You can tell them the truth now..."

The Gonta on the screen closed his eyes. "...Oh. Then...Gonta no could save everyone?"

"Save everyone? What do you mean by that...?" you blurted out.

"Gonta just...want to...save everyone," the Gonta on the screen replied. "Gonta think for long time... How can Gonta be useful for everyone? Gonta not smart enough to help with trials... Gonta strong, but no can fight Exisals... Gonta feel frustrated...'cause Gonta no could do anything."

"Gonta understand...how this Gonta feels," the real Gonta mumbled.

"Technically, they are the same person," Kiibo spoke.

The alter ego continued, "So that's why...Gonta think he have to do it, for everyone's sake. Gonta think he gotta do it, 'cause everyone else not want to. So...Gonta kill Miu."

"What do you mean by that? I... I don't get it at all!" Kaito exclaimed.

"...Geez, Gonta is bad at explaining as always," Kokichi said, looking down at his hand with a bored expression. "I guess I'll have to help. So, if you remember what with that certain thing... The thing I ran off with..."

"The...card key," you mumbled in realization. "You actually ended up using it?"

"After working tirelessly, I finally found the door for the card key. After opening it...I saw the outside world."

"...The outside world?" Maki repeated incredulously.

"That was Monokuma's motive?" Tsumugi asked. "But why would seeing the outside world be a motive?"

"I'll tell you guys in a second, but...that was when I found out about Miu's plan," Kokichi continued. "And it hit me... If I combined the two, then I'd be able to save everyone."

"Save everyone...? What does that mean?" Kiibo inquired.

"Hey now, you gotta listen to everything I say first. Anyway, that's when I made a deal with Monokuma. If I livened up the killing game...then he would let me use the outside world as a motive again."

"...Again?" you repeated in a questioning tone.

"Lemme chime in!" Monokuma piped up. "The motive key card that Kokichi nabbed was the right to view the outside world. But even though he saw the outside world, he didn't try to use it for the killing game. That disappointed me, but then Kokichi suggested that we reuse the motive. He said we should bring back the right to view the outside world one more time, and I decided to run with that idea... So I loaded a Flashback Light with memories of the outside world and put it in the simulation."

"Memories of the outside world...in the Flashback Light?" Shuichi questioned.

"The secret of the outside world in the Virtual World was about the Flashback Light?" Maki asked.

"And, if it was the Flashback Light..." Kokichi interjected, placing a finer up to a sly smile, "it would mean the secret of the outside world is part of our forgotten memories."

"But why would anything about the outside world be a motive in the first place?"

"What's...going on here?"

"Huuuh, you can't remember? O-kay, fiiine." Kokichi sighed. "Let's talk about the motive later. We have to finish up this case first. Monokuma hid the Flashback Light in the simulator, but I knew where it was hidden...and I showed it to Gonta in the Virtual World."

"Hey! You even knew where it was hidden!? That's not fair!"

"Whoa, I just placed it," Monokuma spoke. "I never actually said I 'hid' it. If anyone had asked, I would've gladly told you where it was."

Wow, you thought sarcastically. Monokuma, the Ultimate Sh*thead... "It's a bit late for that," you told the bear, a bit of edge to your tone.

"So Gonta was exposed to the Flashback Light!" Kaito growled.

"Yeah, when Kokichi and Gonta leave together..." Gonta trailed off, allowing everyone to remember what had happened.

"Was Kokichi...trying to lure Gonta off by himself?" Tsumugi asked, tilting her head to the side a bit.

Kokichi nodded and let the alter ego continue, "After that, Gonta...got taken to forest near mansion." The screen switched over, showing what you figured to be Gonta's memory...

"Is this...Flashback Light?"

"It looks like it... Maybe the secret of the outside world is hidden in it?"

"We gotta tell everyone!"

"Wait!... Are you sure you wanna believe a liar like me so easily? This might be a trap, y'know? Shouldn't you check if I'm lying first? I mean...you wanna protect everyone, right? This is the perfect time to do it."

"P-Protect everyone...?"

The screen switched back. "And there...Gonta remember secret of outside world. But that...just confuse Gonta more about what to do. What can Gonta do to save everyone...? Gonta no could think of anything..."

"So I told him," Kokichi chimed in. "If he wants to save everyone, he should put everyone out of their misery. In other words...a mercy kill."

A...mercy kill? That's the motive...?

"Was Gonta...tricked!?" Gonta cried out.

"No, you not tricked. 'Cause when Gonta remember secret of outside world, Gonta think...it would be easier...to die."

"...What?" Gonta asked.

"Remember what everyone said at the beginning? That this academy is hell?" the alter ego asked. "Gonta...agree. Academy that force students to be part of killing game is hell. So everyone think they wanna escape this place, right? But...if it's still hell outside, what do we do?"

Still hell outside...? you wondered.

"What do you mean, Gonta?" Shuichi asked the question for you.

The Gonta on the screen cried a bit. "Inside is hell! Outside is hell! What should Gonta and friends live for!? And everyone who died... What did they die for!? And then, Kokichi tell me... Best way to save everyone from hell, is to put them out of misery while they still not know. And only one who could do such dirty work...is Gonta."

"That's right..." Kokichi said, tone surprisingly a bit softer than usual. His gaze was locked on the floor. "The only way you can save everyone is to free them from this hell. Gonta took on the dirty work for us. If he had survived this class trial, he would've lived in this hell alone."

Tears formed at the corners of the boy's eyes. "Gonta took on that role for us! Shouldn't we appreciate him more!?"

"Wait a minute!" Kaito interjected nervously. "I still don't get what's happening!"

"What outside world are you talking about? What do you mean it's hell out there...?" you questioned, a heavy feeling both pulling and pushing down on you.

"What did Kokichi and Gonta see? What did...we forget...?" Shuichi inquired.

"Hurry up and tell us. Or else we won't be able to understand it," Maki told him. She was perhaps the calmest person there. It started to aggravate you, even if you knew that you couldn't do anything about it.

"Gonta, what pushed you to do such a thing!?" Tsumugi cried.

"..."

"Answer, Gonta!" Gonta demanded.

"Sorry! Gonta no can tell you!" The alter ego had tears in the corners of his eyes.

"Can't tell us!? Why!?" Shuichi wondered.

"B-Because...if Gonta tell you, then...everyone will end up like Gonta... Everyone...despair."

What?? Anxiety started to prickle in your chest—the sensation was absolutely awful and painful.

"I...know it..." Kokichi was gritting his teeth together, seeming to be in an attempt to keep his composure. "A despair that makes you want to die... A despair that makes you want to put everyone out of their misery... Did you think the kind Gonta would tell you about such despair from his own mouth?"

"But now we don't know any more than when we started..." Shuichi commented.

"Now you know how Gonta and I formed the Killing Game Busters, right? Then...can't you accept everything about this case? You can imagine the rest, right? I...used Miu's plan and turned it against her... I hid Gonta away from sight...where Miu and I were supposed to meet."

You tried to imagine the situation. But then, once the first few images appeared in your mind... It was a lot to take in. Maybe even too much for the time being, so you decided to clear it out of your mind as best as you could.

"I-It can't be... Gonta...would never..." Tsumugi trailed off at a loss of words."

"You should know that it was Gonta's idea to slide the body to the chapel wall," Kokichi commented.

"What? Gonta's idea?" Gonta questioned.

"Before Gonta went to the roof, he happened to see...Miu walk through the wall," the other Gonta admitted. "Gonta tell Kokichi, and he think of everything else..."

"Gonta gave me that chance. I like to think...we make a pretty good team."

...A better team than Kokichi and you...

"Good!?" Tsumugi shouted. "What's good about that!? You're the worst!"

"...That's whole story. That's...everything that happen."

"So in the end...you don't plan to tell us the secret of the outside world... " Maki spoke slowly.

The Gonta on the screen sweated a bit. "Sorry! Gonta no can tell you that!"

Kaito scowled. "Well, I mean, hearing that story, it sounds like you were tricked by Kokichi."

Kaito is stubborn... Kaito is so f*cking stubborn... You gritted your teeth, praying to whoever may have been watching you all in that courtroom that nobody was able to see how you were about to crack.

"But..." Gonta was looking at the ground as he spoke, "Gonta did kill Miu... Gonta really did it... Sorry! Everyone...Gonta is so sorry!"

"But...Gonta's plan to save everyone fail... Gonta not save anyone... Gonta just make everyone suffer more... Gonta...is stupid! So stupid! How can Gonta call himself a gentleman!?"

"Everyone...please forgive him," Kokichi pleaded, lip quivering slightly. "Gonta tried to save us all from despair by taking on the sin of killing us. But...you reached for the truth. And Gonta's plan failed. All of you could've been saved if you died without knowing anything..."

"So you're saying it was wrong to fight for the truth!?" Shuichi asked, sounding a bit shocked and lost.

"Yes, it was. At least, Gonta and I think so. You should have all died ignorant... Gonta even killed Miu for that sake, y'know?"

"Enough of your sh*t! You made him kill her!" Kaito barked.

"No! Gonta is bad! 'Cause Gonta kill someone! Gonta is murderer! It's true! Yes...Gonta make everyone suffer. That is true..."

"Sorry! Gonta is sorry he fail everyone..." The alter ego and the real Gonta were crying now. "Gonta is sorry for being stupid! Gonta is sorry he make everyone suffer! Gonta so sorry!"

"W-We get it..." Tsumugi told him through her own tears. "You don't need...to apologize anymore..."

Looking closer, you could see that Kokichi's eyes were glistening... "You're probably all thinking that I should've taken on the dirty work and not Gonta, right? Everyone...hates me...so the role of villain is perfect for me..."

A single tear secretly slid down his cheek.

"Yeah, I know already!" the boy shouted. "It should've been my responsibility! But...when I realized Miu was targeting me...I thought to myself...she must already have a way to prevent me from fighting back in the Virtual World."

"And you...were right," you said shakily and hesitantly. "She set it up so she...so she could paralyze you with just a touch..."

"That's why I had to ask Gonta! I would've done it myself if I could!"

"Okay, but..." Kaito clenched a fist. "You didn't need to push everything onto Gonta to—"

"Stop! It's okay!" Gonta cried. "Everyone, please... Don't...blame Kokichi anymore... Please..."

Kokichi's eyes widened, another tear slipping down. "Gonta...you...!"

"H-How nice can you be, Gonta?" Tsumugi asked him, tears still streaming down her face. "You really are...stupid sometimes..."

"Y-You're right... Someone as stupid as Gonta could never be a gentleman—"

"Hey, so...are we done yet?" Monokuma interjected. "You guys are starting to talk in circles, so let's just move on to the exciting stuff. Yes! The eagerly anticipated Punishment Time!"

"Wait!" Kokichi shouted. "If you're gonna punish him, then please...punish me too."

"K-Kokichi...!?" you gasped.

"I'm prepared for it! If you're gonna execute Gonta, then I—"

"It's okay, Kokichi. Please let Gonta sacrifice himself...for everyone's sake," the Gonta on the screen told him. "That's all...Gonta can do anymore..."

"Just promise Gonta...that everyone forgive each other and be friends. Okay?" the real Gonta asked.

"..." The small boy drew in a pained breath. "...Alright, I promise."

Kokichi... Gonta... You looked down. A small droplet of water, clear as a crystal, fell to the ground. Then more followed. You wiped your eyes, looking back up and cursing yourself for crying out in public... Even though that's what everyone's doing at this point...

"Alright!" Monokuma cheered. "It's time to punish the Ultimate Entomologist, Gonta Gokuhara! I've prepared a special punishment for him!"

"U-Ugh...!" Kokichi looked up, his eyes so glossier than ever. "W-Wait, please! I don't want this! Don't go, Gonta!"

"Don't cry, Kokichi... Gonta...is okay..."

The real Gonta looked down. "Yeah...Gonta not cry... Gonta's...really not scared... B-But... Gonta upset! Gonta upset...he no could protect everyone!"

"Gonta, you...!" Another more tears escaped. "You...can't cry either!"

"Well then," Monokuma cackled, "let's give it everything we've got! It's...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

"Gonta love you all...!" Gonta cried.

"Gonta is so sorry...for being stupid!" Gonta's alter ego cried.

Then the monochrome bear gleefully brought his hammer down, officially starting the punishment.

Feeling more tears about to run, you reached your hands up to your eyes. That's when you felt something, or rather, someone wrap their arms around you. You didn't even have to look in order to know who it was. But then the arms temporarily left, and your checkered scarf was pulled down over your eyes, obscuring your vision.

"Please..." you heard a small, weak voice whimper. "P-Please don't look at w-what I caused..."

You hugged Kokichi back, trying your best to ignore the gross noises in the background from Gonta's execution. You felt a part of your shirt start to get wet. You knew that if you tried to say something in order to comfort him, all that would come out would be an ugly sob, so you just prompted to hug him even tighter. The two of you waited there like that, hugging each other like your lives depended on it, and both of you were fine with that...