Nari
Searching the bedroom of a dead girl is less than stellar. In fact, it's rather creepy. It feels like we're disturbing something sacred, like Hachi's ghost is breathing on us. I really would've preferred to do something else, but this is one of the most important jobs, and I won't be caught dead slacking. Shit, I guess using that phrase now is kind of insensitive. Or like, tempting fate.

I'm with Azumi and Yuu solely because they also wanted this job. I wanted to go alibi fishing first, but they vetoed me, so we're here. It's kind of weird; we knew Hachi so little, now that I think about it, and it feels like I'm learning more from her room than I heard the whole time we've been here.

For example, this girl was a mild hoarder. It's not excessive, but anywhere you look, there are random little gew-gaws and objects. Some have use, but others I couldn't even begin to fathom. She seems to have been trying to make a tower out of stuffed animals on the bed (how did she sleep?!), the desk has like twenty notebooks, there are various cartoon posters plastered haphazardly on the wall, and flower paraphernalia is EVERYWHERE.

"Well, there's some serious dedication, at the very least," Yuu comments, "I don't think I see a single pair of shoes that don't have fake flowers or a flower pattern on them."

"She seems to have been a writer. Almost none of the contents of these notebooks have anything to do with her academics. Some of it appears to be an attempt at a serious novel, a portion of it is fanfiction, and then there's a few journals," Azumi mentions from the desk.

"Let me guess. Hanahaki?" I snark.

She gives a weak smile in return. "Quite a bit. Not all of it, though."

I rifle through her nightstand. The top drawer has cheap but somehow still tasteful jewelry. The second has stuff that's even more interesting. It's full of scraps of paper, lists and reminders to herself. Give Keiji that book. Well, that's reasonable. The light fixtures remind me of my spy dream. Okay? I don't know what that means? People keep stopping me from climbing that willow tree. I grimace at that one; she got to now.

And then I find a folded one. I open it up and it feels like my heart is in my throat; right here is a list of some of the last people she was possibly alone with, some of the people who could've had an opportunity to kill her.

"What's that?" Yuu asks, suddenly behind me. I jump a little, brushing my hair in front of my ears.

"Fuck, you scared me! Is that what it's like when I do that? Anyway, this is a list of things Hachi thought she'd need for her witch costume, and who she thought she'd get them from."

"What?! You must not leave us in the dark! Read it!" Azumi exclaims.

"Traffic cone to make a hat? Ask Gou.
Table Cloth Cloak from Tozen.
Accessories:
Armor ring? Maybe Nari has one.
My own necklace charm could be a cape clip.
Spooky, Witchy Dress? Ask some of the girlier girls— Fujiko, Sayuri, Kana," I recite.

"Did she come to you requesting an armor ring?" she asks, quick on the uptake.

"Yes," I admit, "a few days ago. I had one, so I loaned it to her. Ren can back me up on that, cause he was there."

TRUTH BULLET: HACHI'S LIST

"Shouldn't we go get alibis now? The people on that list are instantly a little more suspicious," Yuu points out.

"Wait, wait. Might I have a moment before we depart? I think I've noticed something a bit peculiar in this journal," Azumi informs us, eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Sure, we can wait a minute," I nod.

She flips through several pages, each one only for a few seconds, if that. "No, this is definitely off. I cannot be certain that this is related to the case at hand, but I still believe it's important information."

"What did you find?" Yuu asks, adjusting his tie and wiping a bit of sweat off his forehead.

"The past several pages have the words, 'The White Daisy Room,' in the margins. Sometimes it asks what this room is, and sometimes it has messy doodles of daisies."

"Now that you bring that up... is there anything daisy-related in here? I haven't seen a scrap among all this flower stuff," I beckon all around us.

"Y-You're right! Do you think maybe she was killed because she stumbled upon information she wasn't supposed to know?" Yuu frets conspiratorially.

"Personally, I find it particularly improbable, and I suggest you not trouble yourself over it too much in the short-term. I don't believe she discussed any of this with the rest of us, so nobody would have reason to kill her if that was the motive. Unless you mean the Mastermind, but that should probably be our last resort."

"So you don't think we should look into it yet?" I ask.

"No. Perhaps one of us could carry it with us, in case it comes up in the trial. But we should not ask around about it. It shall remain our secret temporarily."

"You know how that sounds, right?" I raise a brow and give her a slight glare.

"Yes, yes! Even so, we do not have unlimited amounts of time, and I feel as though alibis should be the largest priority as of now!" she explains.

"If you're worried about her being the killer, she has an alibi. She, Wakumi, and Tozen were all with me in my room until mere minutes before the party," Yuu testifies. "What about you?"

"Remember how I offered to do everyone's laundry? I was sorting through everything and putting them into loads up until Sayuri came looking for me asking for help with a poem. The loads should still be in the laundry room, if you're curious. I never got to put them in the dryers."

After verifying my claims, we go around asking where everyone was. Chimon, Kana, and Monterio were the first to the party, arriving just before six. Haruto and Gou were playing Speed in the game room and came together. Ren, Sayuri, Keiji, and Joanie were alone like I was.

TRUTH BULLET: ALIBIS

One of the fifteen of us remaining killed her. And, one way or another, someone will die tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sayuri
I'm in way over my head. I believe that no experience is void of merit. No matter what it is, something positive will arise of it, even if the benefit is merely information. Yet now I see with clarity. No information, no experience, no improvement to my poems, could possibly be worth seeing all of this. People should not be seeing this at all. "How could anyone be so cruel?" I ask.

"You've asked that. Thirty-eight times now," Keiji snipes.

"Will you be okay, Sayuri? You can stop if you need to," Tozen reassures.

But I can't back out now. I know what Keiji will think. "She can't even look at the body. How useless," or, worse yet, "She can't face her insidious crimes. She's a killer."  I refuse. "Am I an impediment to your cause?"

"No," they respond in unison. I raise my eyebrows in surprise at Keiji. He shrugs. "What? You ask insightful questions."

So I decide to continue my apparent purpose in this situation. "While Keiji focuses on studying the actual body itself, why don't you and I look at the things surrounding us? It would be wise to study the blindfold and the rope, yes?"

Tozen nods, docile, and pulls the blindfold over her head. He then takes the rope and we settle down a few paces away. "Are you feeling a little better?"

"Are you?" I inquire.

"Yes, but it's not about me. Did you think we'd find you suspicious if you didn't want to back down?" he sympathises. I say nothing. "Well, don't worry. It's perfectly understandable to need to take a minute away from a corpse, of all things."

"How could anyone do that? And if she did it herself, why would she have mutilated herself so horribly? Could anyone hate themselves that much?"

"I don't know. There's a chance that we may not ever know. But the beauty of humans is that we're able to interpret the world and make our own conclusions. Though I suppose that's also one of our biggest downfalls," he muses.

"Why must I yearn so much to understand?" I sigh. "May we examine the blindfold now?"

"Got it. It's awfully thick." He works to untie it, struggling a bit, until it comes undone. "Oh! It's folded!" He unfolds it and gasps. "Agh, that is a LOT of blood!"

"Do you think it... soaked up a bit left in her eye sockets?" I ask, feeling guilty for asking such a morbid question.

"That seems likely, yeah."

"What about all this stuff towards the middle? That looks more like splatter, does it not?"

"Huh, you're right. That's weird. And it's way bigger than I thought it would be. Almost familiar?"

"Why would the killer use such a big blindfold?" I ponder.

"We'll need to think about it."

TRUTH BULLET: BLINDFOLD

"Now, shall we turn our attention to the rope?"

"Let's take a look."

We inspect various parts of it. The end is pinned down by a large rock, because the rope is too long to simply be tied to a branch. When we found her, the noose was hanging on the opposite side of a branch than the end was. Before I can even begin to wonder why she'd use such a long rope, Tozen calls out. "The middle is all frayed. Not like it's about to break or anything, just a little roughed up."

"How did it get that way?"

TRUTH BULLET: FRAYED ROPE

While we're in the midst of theorizing, Nari, Yuu, and Azumi come over to ask the alibis of everyone around, which happens to be a large number of people. Despite my attempts to eavesdrop, I learn very minimal bits of intel. I should try and improve my sense of hearing. But I do discover that Tozen, Yuu, Azumi, and Wakumi were all together. I dread answering that I was alone, but lying would get in everyone's way and prevent the real truth from being discovered, so I respond honestly.

When they leave, Keiji calls everyone to come inspect the body a little more, including the crew that brought up the tools. "First of all, the neck is broken. That's in line with hanging, assuming she didn't suffocate instead. As for what I called you here for... there's an affirmative on small stab wounds," he informs us, positioning the body so that we can all see the back of her neck. Scattered along it are wounds a bit larger than pinpricks. "So I went searching and discovered a sgraffito tool half-buried. Come look." We follow him and find it sitting there. Dirt clings to the blood on either end, but the middle is mostly clean.

"Just the one?" Bisque asks.

"Just the one," Keiji confirms.

TRUTH BULLET: HACHI'S NECK

TRUTH BULLET: SGRAFFITO TOOL

Ding dong Bing bong.

"Alllllrighty guys! The countdown is over and it's now time for the marvelously mysterious class trial! If everyone could convene in our usual meeting place— Meeting Room A— then I'll reveal to you the trial grounds!" Monokuma cries out on the monitor. A group of Monoinu come in and usher us out of the room. I cast one last glance at Hachi; this is likely the last time we'll ever see her. I intend to find the truth. Failure is not an option.

We enter the meeting room just like we always do. That heinous bear waits there with an ecstatic expression. His perverse delight is palpable and it makes me feel sick to my stomach.

"So? Are you going to show us these so-called trial grounds? Do you think we're in the mood to spend time simmering in our doubts while you watch gleefully?"

"Ah, kids these days, so impatient! Can't understand good dramatic timing. Check the chairs!" he responds. We approach and find that each chair has one of our faces on it. We sit.

"Is this really the best you can do?" Kana sasses.

"Oh my! You underestimate me!"

He presses his hand on a button installed in his chair's arm. Buckles suddenly clasp around us and keep us in place. I gasp and my heart starts to pound. And we start rapidly plummeting like those dropper rides at amusement parks. The sounds of our screams echo in the pitch black darkness and my stomach drops.

And then we come to a stop as instantaneously as we fell. The lights burst on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monterio
True to form, the trial grounds look like a slightly spacier camp cabin. Wood and cobble along with that sort of muggy dark grey carpeting. There's a window plastered over with a hilariously obvious printed-out picture of the outdoors, complete with porch, as though mocking us.

A couple of us, though, seem happier than expected. "WOO! That was freaking awesome!" Gou shouts, moving his helmet back into place.

"Aye! What a rush!" Wakumi agrees. Even Bisque can't help but giggle a little bit. Everyone whips around to look at any one of them.

Gou nervously chuckles and then frowns. "Sorry. That was insensitive of me, and I apologize." The other two give out murmurs of consensus.

Not very one seems to have loved the ride, though. Keiji clutches his stomach like he might be ill (serves him right for what he said about Kana). Tozen is gripping the area around his heart in fear. And Chimon looks absolutely terrified. I wish I could go over to comfort him, but Monokuma is looking at us like we're dead if we move. We very well might end up dead regardless of whether we leave our seats, but I would rather not take chances.

In another life, we could've all been having fun and learning together. That could be a real yard. This could be a real cabin. The fifteen of us would still be sixteen and the program would end in a month like it was supposed to. That hazy happiness is dispelled like a fog and we're left in the blinding reality that we might die tonight. The tendrils of loss and loneliness likely grip all of us.

Kana grabs my hand and rubs it with her thumb, a soothing sort of gesture that she does every time we're about to compete. I didn't even realize how scared I was until I started to feel it dissipate a bit. Hopefully, by being among the first to the party, people assume that it's not the two of us, but I have a feeling that we're all gonna have an uphill battle.

"Now then, let's begin with a simple explanation of the class trial! During the class trial, you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and vote for 'whodunnit.' If you vote correctly, then only the Blackened will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong person... I'll punish everyone BESIDES the Blackened, and that person will earn the right to rejoin the rest of society!" Monokuma monologues. We've already heard this information. Having it relayed this way, however, makes it feel so much more daunting. "Can you smell the tantalizing scent of freedom?"

From beside him, Monoinu's robotic tail starts to wag joyously and a metal tongue lolls lazily from his mouth. "I can! Dogs are very good at smelling! Freedom smells like beef and gravy!"

"What are you even talking about?" Yuu blinks in bewilderment.

Monokuma wrangles us in and sets us back on track by continuing. "Additionally, for this trial only, a victorious Blackened will get the bonus prize of selecting one spotless camper to share in the reward! Who could they be thinking of treating? Is it really in your best interest to find the Blackened at all?" he taunts.

"Of course it is! We can't just sit back and bet on a one in fourteen chance that we'll be the lucky one! We have to find Hachi's killer for her sake AND the sake of each other!" Gou shouts.

"And even if you take morals out of the equation entirely, it would be stupid to bank on a chance that small," Ren points out.

Fujiko shakes her head, blonde hair swishing. "Not necessarily! Now I'm just playing Devil's advocate, but it's very possible that the Blackened told whoever they want to take home ahead of time to get their cooperation. What's that word? Accomplice?"

"As much as I hate to say it, that's a valid point. In fact, following that line of reasoning, a Blackened could've even promised freedom to multiple people to earn themselves as many allies as possible. They could have a good portion of the jury in their pocket," Keiji escalates.

People begin muttering in paranoia. "Wait. I just have one question." Everyone immediately shuts up and makes direct eye contact with me. See? If you don't talk a lot, the stuff you choose to say becomes a lot more noteworthy. "In the case that Hachi's death might be... self-inflicted... who would get to go home? Would that mean she would forfeit her right to save a spotless? Or did she somehow name one to you earlier?"

"Wow, what a bright question. You all are such smart cookies! In the event that you vote incorrectly and Hachi is the true Blackened, I will roll my handy dandy D15 to determine who's going home. You'll be alphabetically numbered by your surname," Monokuma explains. He takes out a neon pink die and tosses it as high as he can. It curves left a little and bonks Bisque on the head.

"Ow! I-I mean, let's go for it guys. If you don't have any more questions, that is. Do you have any more questions? Cause I don't, but we've gotten some really helpful ideas and answers out there and I dunno, maybe it'd be best to keep going until—" Azumi cuts him off by setting a hand on his shoulder, and he slows down his breathing.

"I think... we're ready," Joanie declares hesitantly.

From what I knew of her, Hachi Endo was a strange person. She was spacey, she was confusing, and she moved at her own pace. Yet even so, she was admirable in her own way. She never once tried to change herself or dial down any of her mannerisms to appease others. She simply let herself be the way she is. That boldening authenticity, her unique light, was snuffed out by one of us at a time when we were trying to celebrate with each other. Tonight, we find out who. It's time to dance with destiny.