[A/n] A few warnings. First of all, though I've stated this before, MAJOR, MAJOR spoilers form Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. If anything about its last chapter is news to you, prepare to be spoiled if you proceed. Also, my book of Free Time Events is, at this point, required reading, which I've also said before but I want to further emphasize. Lastly. This part is LONG. I probably overdid it. But hey, it's my very last investigation part! Enjoy, my lovely readers!

Ren, January 9th, 11:30 am

Not gonna lie, I was honestly really hoping that I'd never have to go into this damn passageway again. I've been running and crawling around all day and now I have to inch through this inclined slope while sore from yesterday and WHY did I think it would be a good idea to exercise a day before an investigation?! Sure, it was a nice bonding moment with Chimon, but he hasn't had nearly as much physical stuff to do!

As if reading my mind and disagreeing, Yuu pipes up cheerfully. "Honestly, this isn't the worst! I used to be pretty sporty, but it's been a while since I quit soccer. It's almost a little nice to be getting active again! The gym is intense but this is fun."

"I hate you," I retort automatically. A stiff silence falls over the four of us.

"Yuu, stop trying to puzzle out whether he's serious or not. He doesn't hate you," Gou corrects me.

"Huh?! Wait, yeah, I was just exaggerating! You're my friend!" I blurt out.

I hear a barely-stifled sigh of relief. Fujiko giggles. "You boys are, like, so adorable. None of you feel the need to hide that you care about each other!"

"Do any of you know CPR? Cause you all take my breath away..."

"Rennnnnnnn," Yuu groans.

"This climb isn't the only thing getting my heart rate up."

"But you're not, like, actually about to pass out, right? I don't want you collapsing on top of me. Oh, and I want you to not feel bad, obviously!" Fujiko rambles.

"I'm fine."

"Look, we've pretty much made it!" Gou encourages. In fact, he hauls himself up into the monitor room, Yuu right behind him, and then offers me a hand. He hoists me out of the tunnel with so much ease I nearly feel like I'm about to melt. Or maybe it's just my knees nearly giving out on me.

"Fuck, I am putty in your hands. You're so STRONG!"

He pauses and quirks his head. "Wait, I've known you for ages at this point and I still don't know. Do you have a type? It doesn't seem like it."

"That... feels incorrect. But I don't know what my type actually is. Holy shit, I've fallen for so many people and I still don't know my own type."

"Not that this conversation isn't incredibly compelling," Yuu says, sarcasm shining through his nerves, "but things are getting urgent and we really have to search!"

"I just don't even know what we could've missed! We searched this place all over just a few days ago!" Fujiko mentions, opening a bunch of cabinets and drawers.

"Time for another game of crazy ideas, gang!" Gou announces. I do everything I can think of. I climb on top of things to see if I see anything from a higher vantage point. I literally try and see if the office chair has a separate compartment. Gou fiddles with the computer, looking through a bunch of useless (and ridiculous) files. He looks so fucking done with all of this, and I pity him. At last, however, he pulls up a file and blinks, stunned. "What...?"

We all immediately turn our heads toward him. "Oh, that's morse code," Yuu identifies instantly. He comes closer and squints. "Hi WDR BOSS. What is this about?" Gou's jaw drops and his eyes widen. "What? Surprised I know morse code?"

"No, I mean– that's–" Gou's brain seems to blank and then, after a couple seconds, he says, "Sorry, I've been looking at nothing but decade-old memes and drawings of trolls that look straight out of fairy tales for like ten minutes. Wading through all that and finding a puzzle is a little infuriating." He gives a laugh, avoiding eye contact.

"Maybe we need to beep or knock out the message somewhere!" Fujiko beams.

"Do you even know how to tap out morse code?" She shakes her head. "Do any of you?"

I raise my hand with pride. "I once worked with this fabulous composer who made a drum beat out of morse code. It was the coolest shit I've ever seen in my life!"

Yuu's eyes sparkle. "Holy crap, who even pays attention to that?! I need their name yesterday so I can become obsessed with everything they make."

"Later." As for now, we frantically teach Fujiko and Gou how to do this, and we commit the message to memory before we all proceed to knock on EVERYTHING. Eventually, Fujiko happens upon a specific cabinet and squeals as it rumbles and moves out of the way. "Seriously?! A secret room inside a secret room?! Talk about excessive!"

"Right?!" Gou agrees, marching inside boldly. The three of us look at each other in some weird game of chicken before Fujiko takes a deep breath and heads inside. If she can do it, so can we.

"This looks a lot like the room we found Inheritance in! Why are there so many mostly-empty rooms?" I ponder aloud.

Gou picks up some sheets of paper illuminated by a spotlight. "More email transcripts. Lots of names and possibly pronouns are scribbled out here, but I'll try to read them.

HI Boss,

I finished the scripts for the fear simulations. For the sixteen of us, that is; I haven't done all the weird alterations for people experiencing each other's fears. I'm just gonna say, this is a lot of work for a "backup" motive. And... uh... Blank... doesn't really seem to know why I've been spread so thin lately. Blank keeps trying to get me to work on Blank's message for the second motive. Honestly though, that doesn't need an extremely complicated script; you hyping it up will pique... Different Blank's???... curiosity for sure. Why are you keeping my task a secret from first blank? I don't really get it. Honestly, boss, I'm starting to feel a bit weird about all this. Any advice?

Signed, Blank.

And then in response:

Blank,

It's all good, you hard-working chickadee. I know what we're doing isn't the most easy to stomach. But remember: the world is lying, and it's only serving to hurt people like us and people way weaker than us. There's so much talk about how peaceful and boring the world is, but you have to live every day pretending to be someone else because nobody seems to care what you have to say. They shut down everyone who has something powerful to share because they don't want to be uncomfortable, and then they have the gall to complain about how dull everything is. We can change everything here. We can bring a voice to the voiceless, the little ones suffering all alone. Everyone will finally start paying attention, and those ignorant people will have a chance to grow. I believe in you. Thank you for being so diligent.

Your fearless WDR leader"

None of us really know what to say or how to parse this. If they're talking about the killing game, like... how could they ever excuse what they've been doing to us? But it feels so easy to get swept up in those words. I never liked how the news is full of nothing but wholesome stories when people I've talked to don't seem very happy with their lives, either. Sure, there's no war anymore. Sure, the gender wage gap of the past is non-existent. But people are still flawed, crime still happens, poverty still exists... pain happens. Trashy tabloids pushed to the back of every mall and journalists working for dimes swoop on that for a living, so we know it's there. But it seems like we're allergic to acknowledging that publicly. I can understand wanting to make a point against that. And that sickens me, knowing what WDR did to innocent people.

TRUTH BULLET: EMAIL TRANSCRIPTS #2

Just as we're trying to process all of that, another spotlight shines. Fujiko glides over there and picks them up. "Huh. This is weird. They look like..." she pauses. "Letters of recommeup– recommendation. I see my mom's handwriting on this one."

"And here's my dad's. Woah, woah, wait. This says it's for a week-long enrichment program. We were told it was a month, right? And it wound up being nearly six?" Yuu points out.

I lean over at the spread of paper and find my mom's. "The wonky timeline feels... underwhelming compared to everything else we're discovering," I sigh.

TRUTH BULLET: LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

"Should I even bother trying to push all of these through ciphers?" Gou asks weakly.

Fujiko moves her hand to get to his cheek. "Honey... no. For your sanity's sake."

...

Azumi, January 9th, 12:45 pm

"Are you not unsettled? They have been gone for a startling amount of time. They may be in grave danger, for all we know, whilst we stay here and write summaries," I fret.

"Azumi, you've asked me if I'm worried six times in the past forty-five minutes, and my answer hasn't changed. Yes, I'm worried about them, but the four of them can handle themselves. They need us here, doing this." His eyes scan over words with ease, but I see them retreat to further up the page often. He sighs and sets down the book. "I can't process this anymore. I swear, the time crunch isn't to keep things entertaining, it's to make us so exhausted that we can't draw any rational conclusions."

I consider that for a fleeting moment, as much effort as I can commit to it. "Actually, that may be valid speculation. Weariness may make us senseless. I feel as though we have likely covered enough of the book... we know how Danganronpa 'ended,' and the societal ramification of the 'last,' episode. Would it be terribly irresponsible of us to rest?"

He broods upon this. "Ummm... we could cook something and have an actual meal. That way, it's not wasted time but it's still good for us."

I fall silent. "I... er... to be completely honest, cooking makes me a smidge anxious. I threw myself into it for the sake of bonding with Tozen, but..."

He raises a hand to cease my explanation. "I can do it. I can't do anything super complicated, but I'll make something good. You can come watch, if you want!" I nod, so the two of us head into the kitchen. I watch as he makes chikara udon followed by a fruit salad. He likely invited me as a witness in case I suspect him. Even so, I am vigilant not because I fear poison or even the building burning, but because I do not wish for him to slice his fingers. Just as he finishes the meal and sets it all out on the table, the others at last return, laden with many more papers and drained expressions.

"Food!" Gou yelps, as if instantly revitalized. He dashes to the table, halts to set the papers down gently, and then barrels to his seat to begin partaking immediately.

"So we spend the time sorting through pictures of trolls, tapping things out in morse code, and being disturbed by emails... and you spend it cooking." Yuu clicks his tongue and shakes his head, but there is a smile there.

"I beg your pardon!" I gasp, pretending to be slandered. "We perused and summarized multiple chapters, so our time was far from unproductive!"

"Thanksies! I literally could NEVER!" Fujiko exclaims, pinching my cheek with gratitude.

"Y'know, I'm sure that can't be easy reading... but you can read my heart like an open book anytime you want," Ren rattles off as if on instinct, eagerly filling his bowl.

"...Trolls?" Chimon interjects, flabbergasted.

"Long story," Gou dismisses. Or at least, that is what I assume he says. The words are muffled, as he is speaking with his mouth full. Were he not my age, and were the circumstances less dire, I would perhaps scold him. But instead, I sit to partake of the food myself.

Between bites, we launch into the explanation. "Alright! We do not recall any of this, so it feels almost surreal, but truthfully, the vast majority of Danganronpa seasons include memory loss... so perhaps wiping our memory that it ever existed at all was vital for this. It came to a conclusion five years ago... during the season labeled 'V3: Killing Harmony.' A young man named Shuichi Saihara rejected the choice between hope and despair, having gained the insight that, as long as either prevailed, the suffering would persist. People were... truly fanatic about this show. It was so disturbing... These people were not considered people, because their identities were written out for them by producers, but they were of our own flesh and blood, and they were murdered for entertainment."

"Shuichi, with the help of remaining survivors Maki Harukawa, Himiko Yumeno, and K1-B0– or Kiibo– appealed to the morality and sympathy of the audience. They claimed that, fictional or not, they had the power to change the hearts and minds of the outside world... and people believed them, despite the best effort of writer Tsumugi Shirogane. In the aftermath, there was a LOT of rebellion as people essentially tried to dismantle Team Danganronpa with their own hands, decrying it all as cruel. The book talked about the possibility of them returning to an entirely fictional format– video games and anime as opposed to "auditioning participants"– and reception has been... lukewarm. There are a few things I'm wondering about, though. The first is... why the HELL did Danganronpa start up again, after everyone seemed so rightly infuriated by it? Second... what about our loved ones? Sure, maybe all of our memories were wiped. But to do that for literally EVERYONE we know? Anyone who could speak up on our behalf, anyone who knew what was happening to us? That's ridiculous," Chimon concludes.

TRUTH BULLET: THE END OF DANGANRONPA

After that, they relay to us their escapade: HI WDR BOSS, the double-secret room, the harrowing emails, all of it. Yuu is mostly silent, abandoning his half-eaten food to make a detailed drawing and occasionally listening to things I've recorded on Keiji's tape recorder. "This building makes literally zero sense! I don't understand! There are weird passages and rooms that are different in layout from floor to floor– some of which are basically EMPTY, by the way! It doesn't match the map of the place that Keiji brought in here! It doesn't even look like it does on the outside– not by a longshot! I can't even begin to form a logical understanding of how this place would be constructed!" he rants, showing off the utterly absurd schematics he has detailed.

"It looks like something straight out of a fantasy movie!" Fujiko gasps.

TRUTH BULLET: BUILDING SCHEMATICS

Ding Dong Bing Bong

"What?!" I yelp. "We– We have more time, we need more time!"

"Hiya, my sweet chickadees! Please report to the screening room! I have some very important evidence for you!"

We all sit in silence, looking one another in the eye. I feel glued to my seat, as though I could never remove myself. Gou shudders, eyes wide, but slowly pushes himself to standing. He gathers everything into one of those backpacks we use for evidence. And then he offers Fujiko a hand. She casts a glance at it and then at each of us, eyebrows quivering. Ren gives a nearly imperceptible nod, and in response, she slips her hand into Gou's. Somehow, though I am not quite sure how, we all manage to make it to our feet and make our way, passing by Monoinu sent to fetch us. We say nothing the whole way through, and my heart is throttling, and my knees feel close to buckling.

"Hi! Thank you all soooo very much for your promptness! You're so on the ball today! Take a seat, take a seat! Right in the front row!" His voice is eerie, but we comply. The lights dim and the big screen begins to glow, on but with nothing yet displayed. "I have some very interesting videos to show you! A little something called your 'Free Time Events!' Sounds thrilling, right?!"

My heart plummets and I start immediately feeling like I may pass out. "No! You CAN'T! Please, please, don't!" Chimon begs. He tries to stand up and then I feel cold metal cuff my hands and legs to the chair. My ears start to ring and my head starts to rush.

The other four of us, the ones who do not know about Danganronpa, stare at us, stunned at Chimon's outburst and my hyperventilating. "They... they are very personal conversations... with the people here we drew closest to. Any secret you may have disclosed in a moment of intimacy... will very likely be violated here and now!" I heave. The things I told Bisque... are things people worked to hide for a decade!

Three of them can do nothing but sit in horror as Monokuma inserts the first DVD, but Gou does not take it lying down. "HEY! THIS IS BULLSHIT AND YOU KNOW IT! I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS TO THEM!" he screams, flailing and fighting against the cuffs. Chimon is acting much the same, but with less fury and more desperation. Metal clatters.

"Oh, really? That's a bit surprising. What do you plan on doing about it?"

"Whatever I fucking can!" he retorts. Before anything can come of that, however, he almost instantaneously loses consciousness, slumping back in his chair. His neck rolls forward with a lurch, as though he is a rag doll.

"GOU!" we scream in alarm.

Just like that, I lose consciousness as well. Though it is not akin to when I faint from stress. It feels more like I am suddenly flying through moments in time, awake and then not and then awake again in an instant.

"I'm constantly working just to be cared about. Love is earned, not gifted, and because of that, it's flimsy. I don't know if anyone really loves me for me, or if they ever will, so how can I trust romance?!"

"Actually, me ol' salt had gotten somethin' similar a few years ago. 'Cept, instead o' a month, it was just a weekend convention. I was temp cap'n while 'e was away. But now, 'e's not in the age range fer this... 'e ain't a minor anymore."

"We need to be teammates! Everyone has something that makes them unique, and we're all good at some things and bad at others, so we'll be way better and more likely to get out if we combine our power!"

"Since I recently turned seventeen, I just got my private pilot's license! I figured, if I'm gonna study the atmosphere so intently, I may as well spend some time up there, too."

"It's already been three years... What am I supposed to do?! How am I supposed to live like this?!"

"Well, I have no right to stop you, do I? Doesn't everyone deserve access to information?"

"She said that when I was found, I was midway through farmhand training and going by the name Sora Yamamoto. I always think it's funny when she tells that story! She always says it so seriously even though it's a really wild one."

After that, my eyes fly open. Oddly enough, despite my confusion, I feel refreshed, as though I have had a full night's sleep.

...

Gou, January 9th, Time Unknown (Past 1:20 pm)

"Goodie gumdrops! With that, your time is up! But don't worry, my chickadees! There's no need to skeddadle on to Meeting Room A! Our trial grounds will be right under here!"

"Add that to the schematics..." I hear Yuu mutter.

"Dude, priorities!" Ren hisses.

"There's no way our time is up! That couldn't have been, like, three or four hours! It felt like a twenty minute beauty sleep!" Fujiko shrieks. "Or, um, I feel like I slept all night? But that felt like no time at all!"

I have a splitting headache and I'm really tired, but I'm relieved. We hardly got to hear any of that. "Sorry, my dovies! If things had proceeded as planned, it would've felt like a proper amount of time passed! But a wrench got thrown into the works and something went a little wrong. Honestly, this'll just make it suck for you more later, but oh well! I tried!"

"I'm frightened," Azumi admits, honey-brown eyes fixated forward at nothing. "I am so very frightened of what lays beneath us."

"Thank you," Ren breaths, "for being honest. I'm scared too. I didn't think it was possible for me to be scared of anything more than I was scared of the sun."

"Help. Help, I need help. Please, someone, anyone. I don't wanna die," Yuu pleads. "Obviously I'm gonna do as much as I can, but I can't do this alone. I'm relying on you."

"I'll do everything I can," Chimon swears, "not just for you, but also because I have so much I still have to do outside. I can't afford to die here."

Fujiko tilts her head forward and closes her eyes. "Guys, I believe in us. We can do it. We have to do it. If we lose, I'll— I'll never forgive us. I'll find you in the afterlife, or when we're run— reincarnated, and I'll slap you." She laughs a little, but it's a shaky sound.

Her words ring through my head, echoing there. There's only one thing I can express as everything else dies on my lips. "I love you all. I love you. You're my best friends."

I hear a chorus of reciprocation, and my heart feels full, but then he speaks again. "Aww, how cute! You're all such a bunch of sweet, sappy little freaks, aren't you? Well I think that may be one of my favorite things about you! Y'know..." He disables the handcuffs, though our ankles are still bound tight. Almost immediately, we grab for each other's hands, squeezing senselessly. "Puhuhu! That's what I like to see! But nevermind all that. It's time to get started."

He clicks a button and we plummet. Aside from Chimon, forever terrified of this part, none of us scream. The air howls across my face and I close my eyes. There's so much adrenaline. It's almost nice. In any other circumstance, I'd be laughing at this. I almost want to. Dying here means I'd never get to do anything like this again. How did I get caught up in all of this? I was just a nobody kid driving a race car around, chasing a thrill.

We come to an abrupt halt and everything is silent for a few dead cold minutes. The courtroom is not grand or cool or out there. In fact, we can hardly see anything at all. Our seats rotate into a circle, a table rises up, and spotlights beam down at places of interest: a giant one covers us, Monokuma, and the table, and ten smaller ones highlight the pictures of the friends we lost along the way. Wakumi's portrait is crossed out with a skull-and-crossbones. I give it a nod; though it was probably meant with disrespect, I know she'd wear that like a badge of honor.

"Let's begin with a brief explanation of the class trial! This one is a little different, guys, so bear with me!" We ignore the pun. "Tough crowd, eh? Anyways, your objective is not to identify a Blackened. Rather, it is to expose the secrets of this killing game. I would say special emphasis ought to be placed on who I am, who WDR is, and why you are here! I will give you no time limit, and as you progress, I will further elaborate on what the future holds! But don't worry, my sweet chicks. There is a way to guarantee that the six of you can leave this place behind you alive!"

"What's your catch?" Ren asks quietly.

"No catch! This time, my method of granting you despair is not to cheat, lie, or any of that. No. I think the truth will do a perfect job of that without me interfering. Puhuhu! Well, unless there are any further questions..."

"No physical pain for wrong answers?" Yuu pipes up weakly.

I swear, if Monokuma could smirk. "Valid concern, but no. Feel free to bump around and get as lost and confused as you want. I did find myself growing quite fond of your 'Crazy Ideas' game, so who would I be to punish it? Anyone else?" We're silent. "Good, good! You can start whenever you're ready!"

I do this for Azumi, who taught me that you can be wise but still lean on others when you're struggling. She's always soothed us and cared about us deeply, and though she's made some... desperate choices, she came out of this much more truthful and open to new perspectives.

I do this for Chimon, who taught me that there will always be someone who cares about your true self. He entered here acting like a cute, sensitive little boy, hiding behind that. Now he stands before us a mature, insightful individual who's mischievous and playful and kind.

I do this for Fujiko, who taught me that you're worthy, no matter what you may think of yourself or what people have told you. She always used to consider herself just a pretty face, good for encouraging us but nothing more. Now she seems to be more comfortable taking the lead, speaking her mind, and even using what people think of her to help us.

I do this for Ren, who taught me that cowardice isn't always a weakness, and that fear can be a tool toward getting help. He was cautious and scared, trying to hide his albinism and lock himself away from the things that frightened him. But he's here, blond hair and all, having faced the sun and his own worries of us taking advantage of him.

I do this for Yuu, who taught me that, no matter what kind of mistakes you make, even if you can't fix them, you can always bring more light into the world. He had this so rough, already feeling self-loathing and mistrusting before even arriving here. And at first, the killing game seemed to confirm his suspicions. But when everything was at rock-bottom for him... somehow, he persevered, and he's learned to put his faith in us.

I do this for Wakumi, who taught me that friendships don't have to be free of conflict to be meaningful. I was never fully able to understand her and give her what she needed, and she was always, always angry. But she made me laugh, and she encouraged me at times, and she even let me get to know her vulnerabilities, just a little. And she stood up to the Mastermind to save us all.

I do this for Tozen, who taught me that selflessness sometimes looks like self-love. He always offered all of his time and energy and caring to keep us happy and nurtured. But when he lost himself and his own needs to that desire to never disappoint us, that's the only time he hurt us. When he discovered this, he learned how to let himself be introspective and reach out for help.

I do this for Monterio, who taught me how vital communication is, even if that doesn't necessarily mean words. He always knew how to listen without judgment, but through one of our fiercest conflicts, he claimed his own identity and was able to express his desires more freely. He even knew how to tell us that he had sacrificed himself... and he made that decision with no prompting.

I do this for Kana, who taught me accountability. When she would make mistakes, even if it took time, she always tried to right them. She also showed me that sometimes, being a leader is bringing a megaphone to everyone's best traits, listening to input taking advice. She really is the queen of improvement, in my book.

I do this for Haruto, who taught me that, no matter how scared you are, being a good person means doing everything you can with love. He dedicated his whole heart into everything he did and everyone he talked to. He was earnest, welcoming, and optimistic. Even when he doubted himself, he still loved.

I do this for Joanie, who taught all of us to extend olive branches. She always seemed a bit burnt out, but somehow, she relentlessly offered peace. She was the only one who tried to understand Keiji. She had a genuine bond with Wakumi, whom she initially seemed to hate. And she worked to mend the Schism even when we fought her every step of the way.

I do this for Sayuri, who taught me that knowledge should always be pursued, but only for her benefit of the world around us. Her poetry was made to inspire people to be their true selves, and her exploration of everything life had to offer was admirable. On the flip side, she showed what happens when a need for knowledge leads us to hurt others, instead... and it's not pretty.

I do this for Keiji, who taught me that it's okay to take baby steps in the right direction. He acted in ways that were calculating, cold, and mocking. But given a bit of guidance and one good person to believe in him, he tried to do better. He didn't have much more time before he died, but he played with us... had fun with us.

I do this for Nari, who taught me that care shouldn't be given for notoriety. She may have acted dour and distant, but Ren told me that, on that first day, she noticed he was struggling and gave him sunscreen. She never told anyone when she did something good. She was kind just because it was the right thing to do.

And lastly, I do this for Hachi. She's where this all began, this girl who taught me about boundaries and unabashed self-expression. And with her in my heart, forever, she's where this will end.