[A/N] Thank you so much for bearing with me while I got my bearings straight and made the playlist! I STILL have to write up the next person's Free Time Events, but I promise I will have those ready and out at the end of the trial. I hope you enjoy, my dear lovelies!

Haruto

"Do we have any plastic straws or anything?" I ask, feeling the anxious energy flowing through me. Keiji was the actual worst, but this whole situation is honestly super terrifying. I was kinda wondering if it would be any less scary the second time around... nope!

"Uh, yeah, I believe we have some in one of the kitchen drawers. Why?" Tozen asks.

"Water would be great right about now," Yuu interjects, rubbing at the back of his neck. Water WOULD be great, but all I really want is to stim by gnawing on a straw. Explaining that would be a hassle right now, so it's kind of nice having Yuu here to help out. Not that I'm seriously OPPOSED to telling Tozen about my ADHD; now's just not the time.

Tozen, being as generous and helpful as always, gets some water with straws for us before we start investigating. "You know, this actually might be a good place to look around. We were all here when the music started blasting."

"Plus, if he was poisoned like the file seems to imply, food is probably the best way to go about that," Yuu points out. After Keiji started getting kinda sick, Joanie wanted for us to make separate meals for him, but since Tozen's always busy making US food, we decided to try and take up the mantle to help him.

"Yeah, can we see the schedule again?" I ask.

"Of course." He gets up and shuffles through the kitchen as bit, returning to the dining room with a list. "See, so the day he got sick, Joanie made him lunch. Dinner was you and Azumi, Bisque. Today's breakfast was me, lunch was Yuu, and dinner would've been the dancers. Depending on how fast whatever poison was used acts, that would change a lot."

"But that's assuming it really WAS oral poison. Or, um... that he didn't do it himself," I squeak. They both turn to look at me, and I instinctively start scratching dried clay off my hands as I chew on the straw. "I-I'm sorry! They were just ideas!"

"No, no, you're okay. It's good to try and think outside the box," Yuu chimes in.

TRUTH BULLET: COOKING SCHEDULE

"Let's scope out the kitchen, boys, see if there's any sign of suspicious activity," Tozen cracks his knuckles.

"Yes sir," Yuu gives a casual salute and then the two head in to start looking.

I, on the other hand, stay nice and cozy in the dining room. Cause I have an itty bit of an inkling of a possibility of an idea. I casually tilt over my water. "Guys, I need napkins! I knocked over my glass! I'm really, really sorry! I'm just kind of jumpy, so I keep messing it up!"

"Are you okay?" Tozen asks from the other room as Yuu rushes out frantically and helps me soak up the mess, but I make sure to keep a napkin for myself.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! Just a bit overwhelmed!" Good job! That's not a lie! I didn't lie at all and I got the napkin!

"You're up to something," Yuu mutters gently.

"Art," I wink.

He stares ahead blankly. He takes a sharp inhalation and rubs at his temples. "Okay then. Carry on, I guess."

Alrighty. So she... goes there... and he goes here. Who goes there? C'mon, think, think. Finally, I look over my diagram and get a giddy little feeling in my chest. I can't help but giggle. "Guys, c'mere!"

"Did you find a—"

"A clue? No, I didn't find one. Better! I made one!" I show off, briefly feeling guilty for interrupting. "Oh, um, sorry Tozen."

"Make? What did you—?"

"A seating chart! Crap, sorry again. But just... everyone sits in the same spot over and over again, so I thought maybe it could help us figure out the music situation? I think this is accurate, but we can always ask around if we need to! I know I'm awfully forgetful, but people like the routine of like, never switching it up, so it kinda got drilled into my memory and whatnot! Are you proud of me?"

"Absolutely, Bisque," Tozen compliments, ruffling my hair affectionately. I can't help but give a tiny squeal of joy.

TRUTH BULLET: SEATING DIAGRAM

"What's this? Stuff corner?" Yuu points.

"Yupity yup! People just kinda set out stuff that's too clunky for the table! Stuff like Joanie's staff or Ren's guitar, if he has it around. Sometimes people put their shoes over there."

Tozen's face suddenly lights up. "Guys, keep searching the kitchen. I have to ask Joanie a question. Seriously, great idea, Bisque!" he cheers before rushing from the room.

"Alrighty, let's get cracking!"

"Cracking? I don't wanna break anything, I do that all the time," I joke. He laughs, and I'm filled with even more pride. Gosh, my ego'll freaking explode at this point.

We start rifling through drawers and inspecting countertops. "Yoooo... check out the mortar and pestle. There's like... residue in there. Looks like some kind of white powder." I scooch in closer and stick my finger in. "AH! DUDE, DON'T FUCKING EAT IT! It could be fucking poison, for all we know!"

"I'll spit it out as soon as I taste it!"

"You're crazy! It's still possible to get poisoned from that, I've looked it up before! If small bits of food poisoning can stick around in your mouth, this probably can, too!"

He shrieks like a little girl as I stick my finger into my mouth. Ew. I spit it out into the sink. "That's bitter! And chalky!"

TRUTH BULLET: MORTAR AND PESTLE

"Go brush your teeth NOW, or I swear to fuck, you're gonna give me a goddamn heart attack! Mouthwash too!"

I laugh. "You're so paranoid. I'll be fine!"

He sputters. "I know—Just— BISQUE PLEASE!"

"Okie dokie poki loki!" I nod affirmatively. As I sprint out the door to follow his directions, I quite literally run into Tozen on his way back. "Oh, whoops! Sorry for bumping into you. Hiiiiiiya! What's the news?"

He looks extremely confused. "Someone knows something they shouldn't have known. Joanie told me in secret that her staff has a camera. I was wondering if it caught anything that happened when the speakers started, so we went and checked, and it's totally wiped! She swears up and down that I'm the only person she told."

"It wasn't you," I comment, looking more for confirmation out of necessity than any sort of doubt.

"It wasn't," he assures.

TRUTH BULLET: JOANIE'S STAFF

"Bisque, I swear to God! There's about to be two bodies cause you're actually gonna kill me!" Yuu shouts.

I giggle instinctively. "Okay, I'm going!" Dang, did I forget to take my pills or something? I'm feeling problematic right now.

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

Chimon

I genuinely don't think Fujiko and I have spent any time alone together at all up until this point, but currently we're "kindred spirits," I guess. We're both part of the "Ren stole our spot with the Dancers" club. Not that I'm all that upset; this is a good opportunity to search areas that other people would probably overlook, and Monterio seemed dead-set on going somewhere specific. I would've gone alone, but there are two problems with that: one, that usually looks suspicious as hell, and two, it would've left Fujiko with nowhere to go and nothing to do. That's simply impractical.

"So, umm, where're we headed, little dude?" she asks, drumming her immaculate nails against her thighs.

"We're thinking about toxins, right? The kitchen and infirmary are taken. If there are any other places where we'd find toxins, my bet is on the warehouse and garden," I explain.

"Ooh, that's really smart! But, ummm... we have to go inside the garden?" she fidgets. I seeeeeeee... lemme test something.

"Are you uncomfortable? I can go inside myself, if you're worried. I'm a brave guy," I smile.

"Oh! Um, no, I can handle myself just fine! I may look dainty, but I'm brave, too!" she insists. So she's definitely nervous, but she doesn't trust me enough to leave me alone. That's fair. I toss around an idea in my head, trying to decide if I should go ahead and use my talent.

We start to walk toward the warehouse. "You remember the girls and guys night, right? How we were all playing in the game room when you guys decided to prank us? Do you suppose, perhaps, that's where this whole situation started? Just imagine... someone taking advantage of the situation to figure out some way to massively distract us. What do you suppose they could've done with that time?" I ask, making sure to sprinkle in plenty of key words.

"Umm... I don't really know! It's weird to think about," she says, looking me in the eyes. Perfect.

"Can we hold hands? My thoughts are kind of jumping around, and I feel like that'll help!" I offer my hand.

"Sure!" she reaches for it, and I give her arm a slight downward jerk. She gasps in surprise.

"Sleep," I urge, moving to her side and setting my hand on her back. She starts to slump a bit, yawning, and I continue to guide her. "You're doing wonderful. Keep tilting that way as you sleep." I help her safely to the ground. I rub her back. "Good, good. You can relax. You're perfectly safe. Now, when I count to 5, you'll awaken, and you'll feel refreshed and relaxed, and your mind will be sharp." I proceed to count.

She opens her eyes. "Wow. I guess I just experienced the skill of the Ultimate Hypnotist firsthand. How lucky am I? Thank you, that feels great. Let's go."

First, we enter the meeting room and go down the trapdoor. I flip the lights on, and we start to scour around for poisons. "Got one," I declare. "Ricin: can cause nausea... fever... respiratory failure. Among others. Wow," I remark.

TRUTH BULLET: RICIN

Fujiko calls out, "Okay, so this is probably really irrelevant, but this box of craft supplies' top was loose. There are a whole bunch of scissors, and one of them has like... a tiny scrap of paper stuck to one."

"Possibly irrelevant, but let's for sure keep it in mind, okay?"

TRUTH BULLET: CRAFT BOX

After a thorough investigation that leads to little else of importance, we rush back up the rope ladder and head to the garden. Soothed by my trance, she enters with relative ease, and I was never particularly bothered anyway.

We walk through rows and rows of plants— some of which are labeled and others not. Mostly, the flowers are unlabeled, but the f fruits, veggies, and herbs are almost entirely labeled. Makes sense. This is the shit that we might actually eat.

"Oh! A bottle of... insecticide! I don't know why we'd need it, cause there aren't any bugs in here. Do you think Monokuma specifically put it in here for the sake of poisoning?" Fujiko points out.

This woman is a lot smarter than she gives herself credit for, I note to myself before taking the bottle and inspecting the label. "Injection can result in sweating, coughing, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and erratic heart rate.... among others, once again. That was a really good idea, Fujiko," I compliment.

"Aww, thanks!"

TRUTH BULLET: INSECTICIDE

I linger for quite a while over the fruits and veggies. A few Monoinu work on harvesting things. They're working methodically, going down rows. I quickly go check and see if there's anything that's already been harvested before they get to them— since they seem very orderly, something out of place would probably mean one of us did it. Low and behold, way at the opposite end of a row that's barely been started is a patch of harvested goods. "Fujiko, look! Dill, parsley, basil... and then like, two unidentified types of berries."

TRUTH BULLET: HARVESTED GOODS

"That's really not good! Unidentified berries mean we have no way to check symptoms, if they're even toxic at all! I— I hated that jerk, but seeing him like that... seeing him wheezing and on the ground and literally COVERED in rashes and swollen so badly... I wanna figure out what did that to him. Just looking at him was absolutely terrifying! I can't imagine actually being the one experiencing it."

I try to imagine it. It hadn't even dawned on me to try and pretend it was me. Maybe that'll get me to feel something about it beyond fear for my own life in this trial. Cause honestly, Keiji's decision in that first case made sense to me. And the fact that he was next to die makes sense to me, too. I just wanna feel something about it. C'mon, Chimon. Dig deep. Imagine not being able to breathe, imagine itching all over your chest and neck and shoulders. Imagine struggling to express your last words, how laborious it must've been. I almost get something, but falter at that last part. I don't really have anyone I'd care enough about to express last words to, nor am I emotional enough to even know my own last words. Well... I guess that first one isn't exactly true. But it's barely anything at all. Meh. Better than nothing, I guess.

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

Joanie

Ding dong Bing bong.

"Allllllrighty guys! Your investigation time is up! It's time to get started on the brilliant and heart-racing class trial! Please report to Meeting Room A as soon as possible! And by that, I mean immediately! We'll use force if necessary! See you soon, my friends!"

"Friends? Is he kidding or delusional?" Sayuri asks, twirling the pen that she usually keeps tucked behind her ear.

"I would not be particularly bemused either way. He seems insistent on trying to gaslight us into thinking we have a bond," Azumi points out, stretching her leg straight up.

I glare at nothing and no one. "It doesn't fucking matter. Whether he somehow likes us or not, we are in a fight for our lives. This is happening now. And I'll make it happen." Before the Monoinu can come in and push us, I leave Keiji's room, very possibly forever, since my vote for his momento is in my hand. I wasn't in here very often— this was only the second time— but this space will be burned into my memory like cigarettes burning paper. Just like his face when he said his last. I find myself running to the Meeting Room, not caring whether the other two are keeping up.

Monokuma waves at me. "Excellent promptness! Gold star!"

"You're the fucking bane of my existence, you morally depraved piece of garbage," I retort. I stomp over to my chair and slam my staff down as I sit. It sucks ass that my footage was wiped, but it still makes a very good outlet for my emotions. I hate the hell out of the fact that I have to sit right next to our captor. In preparation for the drop, I take off my wig.

"My, you genuinely appeared like a superhero when you went rushing off like that," Azumi remarks as she enters.

"Is anyone surprised by that development?" Sayuri quips. "How did the typical magical girl staples come about, in terms of costume design, anyway? Honestly, how did the concept of magical girls become so viral? They blossomed into an entire genre, but how are people not tired of them yet?" she wonders aloud as the two of them take their seats next to each other.

The three music talents are the next to show up. Each one is silent, but each one's demeanor is entirely different. Kana wears her typical air of confidence and Monterio maintains his stoic seriousness. Ren starts out looking lax and almost a bit annoyed— which makes sense, because he very obviously hated Keiji with a passion— but his eyes take on a somber note when he sits next to Sayuri and looks over at Nari's seat to find her picture crossed out. The X is made of thermometers, which feels like a crude joke.

The guards are next. "Aye, Ginny, we kept 'is body safe n' sound like I swore, lassie!" she smirks, snapping her eyepatch.

"Thank you. Now girl, what on Earth happened to your leg?"

"Mere flesh wound. No matter."

"Box jumping competition," Gou clarifies. She takes her seat next to Kana, and he takes his next to the empty chair where Keiji should've been. "We've got this, guys. I'll do my best," he vows.

Kitchen crew. Bisque anxiously rubs his hands as he sits between Azumi and Monokuma. "I was feeling pretty okay, but now it's right back to terrified," he admits.

"I've been terrified for the past, like, hour," Yuu responds, "and it's partially your fault, dude." He even looks the slightest bit disheveled, and I can tell since he's right next to me. Poor guy looks pale as hell.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes, earnestness in his tone.

"As long as you're feeling okay."

"I'll help you all to the best of my abilities," Tozen commits, scratching his stubble a little and sitting between Wakumi and Nari's empty spot.

Monoinu usher in Chimon and Fujiko. "Ack! Take a chill pill!" the latter squeals, dashing to fill the spot between Gou and Yuu. Chimon seems deep in contemplation, and it makes sense; he's in the unfortunate position of being between the two girls we've lost.

And with that, Monokuma presses the button. The buckles clasp around us, and I prepare my heart. The rush of motion comes, and I feel this oppressive weight on my chest. Down, down. Just as soon as we started, we stop. The lights go on. And we're here.

"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 repeats. Aika is all about justice, but she's not here. I'm here. And right now, I myself will find justice. With the help of eleven other people, I will find the one rat.

"That was not any better than the first time," Tozen admits.

"You've got that right," Chimon affirms, shuddering.

"Zip it, ye lily-livered sons o' biscuit eaters. Ye 'ave no constitution. Prepare yer frail hearts and batten down the hatches, cause we're declarin' war again."

"All of this over that fucking troublemaker. Honestly, part of me can't believe he's gone. During that first trial, he seemed so... invincible, I guess. I thought he'd be around longer, so even though I hated him with a burning passion, I feel shaken. Like my own sense of safety is unstable," Ren admits.

"Keiji Seikiguchi was a human being. No matter how untouchable he looked, he was only ever a human being," I affirm. A tricky human being— a human who felt pain and dealt it out in spades. A human who was deeply, obviously flawed. But a human who was scared, and, even if he would never admit it in a million years, wanted to start getting better. I didn't know him long, but all he needed was someone to give him a chance. Now that chance is gone. I should've figured it likely would. But now it comes to a head. We can't have any flags on the play; we've got one shot at catching the killer, one take. I'll make it count.

[A/N] Okay, guys, so I just wanted to drop this down here. It's the seating arrangement for during the class trials.