(3rd Person's POV)

Everything was covered in pink. And in the center of all this pink was...

"Y-Yamada...?" Makoto whispered as he looked at his dead body in horror.

Sora sighed. "Good grief..."

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Hina screamed.

"I-It looks like something...very bad has happened..." Celeste grimaced. "I certainly was not expecting this. I did not imagine that Yamada would be murdered!"

Sora looked at Celeste as she cocked her head to the side, confused. Since when did she start showing this much emotion?

"M-Murdered!?" Hina exclaimed in shock. "You're not serious, are you!? He's not really dead, is he!?"

BING, BONG! BONG, BING!

"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"

The students looked up at the monitor, their worst fear becoming reality.

"What the...?" Hina looked at the monitor.

"That was...the body discovery announcement." Celeste said.

The body discovery announcement... When three or more people discover a body after a murder, that's what plays. And since they just heard it, that means...

"It must mean... Yamada... Someone killed him. One of us..."

"One of...us?" Makoto looked at Celeste in disbelief.

"And look at that..." Celeste pointed to something on the floor... Something that had also been on the floor after the last two surprise attacks...

Sora looked down at the ground. Another hammer... Justice Hammer 3... And it's even bigger than the other two...!

"I knew it." Sora spoke. "One hit from that, and it's game over for you..."

"Then the killer..." Makoto trailed off as Celeste nodded.

"There can be no doubt. The suspicious individual, going by what Yamada called him... the culprit must be Robo Justice. Whoever's hiding in that costume is the one that killed Yamada!" The gambler exclaimed.

"But...wait... You saw him on the 3rd floor, right?" Makoto mentioned. "Running back into the hall... So how did he end up in the nurse's office?"

"We can figure out that part later. Right now, we have to tell the others." Celeste told him.

"Y-You're right." Makoto nodded.

The three then glanced at Hina, who was frozen in place as her bright blue eyes lost their color.

"..."

"Hina...snap out of it." Celeste walked up to her and gently shook her.

"...Huh?"

"Are you okay, Hina?" Makoto asked, his tone full of worry.

"S-Sorry...I'm not sure I can move right now..." Hina said as her legs wobbled in fear. "I-I'm feeling kinda..."

"This is a problem. We can't just leave Hina here alone." Celeste said.

"Okay, then me and Shirayuki'll go get everyone." Makoto volunteered. "You stay here with Hina!"

"..." Celeste stayed silent for a minute, as if thinking about something, but nodded. "Very well. I leave it to you, then."

"Okay! I'll be back soon!" Makoto exclaimed as he and Sora left the nurses office. The boy tried to sound confident and upbeat, but...he hadn't stopped trembling from what he'd seen...

Meanwhile, Sora rolled her eyes apathetically as she casually put her hands behind her back before leaving with Makoto.

---

"Where did the others go...?" Makoto asked.

"Well, Celeste said..." Sora trailed off.

---

"I saw him! The strange costumed man...! He ran off as soon as I screamed... I was blocking the stairs, so he headed further down into the hallway and disappeared...!"

---

"He ran off, going further down the hallway... Way into the back...of the hallway?" Makoto mused as Sora shrugged.

They ran down to the very back of the hallway. That was where...the physics room was. But...

"There's...no one here."

"No." Sora shook her head. "I can feel something...over there." She pointed to the back door of the lab. and they went in there.

And when they did, they found...

Another nightmare. The second one today.

There, in a pool of his own blood...was Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass...

First Hifumi, now Taka? The two was the witness to two nightmares, one after another. Actually, no... They weren't nightmares. This is...harsh reality. The true nightmare is this reality, the reality they have to face every day. But still...

"Why...is this happening?" Makoto uttered in frustration as he clenched his fist.

"..." Sora stayed silent, her calm and level-headed expression not moving one inch. Looking up, she saw Byakuya and Sakura there,

"..."

"..."

The two were also looking at Taka's body with a solemn expression. Makoto's eyes headed straight for Toko, who was motionless on the floor.

"F-Fukawa?!" Makoto blurted out. "Don't tell me...! Fukawa, too!?"

"Relax. She just passed out when she saw the blood." Byakuya explained.

"The blood...?" Makoto looked confused for a moment.

That's right... Whenever Toko is her normal gloomy self, she has hemophobia, a fear of blood.

"We've tried everything to get her to wake up, but no luck. Just leave her be for now." Byakuya said.

Sora would then look at the floor, where she saw another hammer. Justice Hammer 4.

"This is...another Justice Hammer..." Makoto mused.

"But...why is it Justice Hammer 4?" Sakura spoke up.

Makoto looked up to her, confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Celeste was attacked with Justice Hammer 1, then Yamada was hit with Justice Hammer 2. But this time it was Justice Hammer 4. What happened to number 3?" Sakura asked.

"Ah--!" Makoto made a quick yelp.

"Ah, jeez..." Sora winced.

"...What's the matter?" Byakuya looked at them, expecting an answer.

"W-Well, when you mentioned Justice Hammer 3, you just reminded me..." Makoto started.

"Out with it. Do you know something?" Byakuya demanded

"Taka isn't the only person that's been killed. Yamada's dead, too." Sora calmly told them.

"Wh...!? Yamada's been killed!?" Sakura exclaimed as she widened her eyes.

"Which is why you came to get us..." Byakuya muttered. "Then we'd better go check it out."

"Of course! Come on!" Sakura made a "let's go" gesture.

So Sakura, Byakuya, Makoto, and Sora rushed out of the physics lab. But as soon as they were out of the physics lab...

"Ah--!" A voice exclaimed as they bumped into Celeste.

"Celeste? Aren't you supposed to be waiting in the nurse's office?" Makoto asked.

"S-Something has...come up." Celeste grimaced.

"Yeah, I heard. Yamada is dead, right?" Byakuya assumed.

"Well...that is not all." Celeste shook her head. "It is...gone."

"Huh? What's gone?" Makoto inquired.

"It has disappeared..."

"What? Just spit it out already..." Sora requested as she sighed.

"Yamada's body has disappeared!" Celeste exclaimed.

Everyone gave Celeste a weird look.

"What." Sora deadpanned.

"What...?" Makoto looked confused.

"What are you talking about? It's disappeared? Don't be ridiculous." Byakuya narrowed his eyes

"..." However, one look on Celeste's face made it clear that this was not an exaggeration.

"...Are you serious?"

"What the heck is happening here...!?" Sakura muttered to herself. "Everyone, back to the nurse's office!"

"You know, I'm getting real tired of having to run all over the place..." Sora muttered under her breath as she followed the students

The group then headed towards the nurse's office. And when they got there...

"...!" Makoto looked shocked. Sure enough, Hifumi's body was gone without a trace, leaving only his blood.

"Huh. You weren't kiddin'..." Sora mused.

"It just...disappeared?" Makoto asked in disbelief. He couldn't believe his eyes...

The students then turned to Hina, who was also there and just as shocked as the rest.

"...Me and Celeste went to the bathroom..." Hina told everyone, her eyes shaking in shock and confusion. "But we were only gone for like a minute! And then, when we got back..."

"This must be the work of the culprit." Celeste spoke up. "They must have come and carried the body away. They must really be enjoying this... Enjoying the sight of us standing around, frightened and confused..." She put her head down. "We're all going to die here. We're going to die, just like those guys died..."

"Huh...?" Sora cocked her head to the side.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Celeste asked.

"...No." Sora shook her head. "It's nothing..."

Now I have a better reason not to trust her other than pure cynicism... Sora thought.

"I don't believe this. I don't believe a body would just...disappear." Byakuya denied. "First there were two murders, and now one of the bodies has been taken? This is...unnatural."

"H-Hold on!" Hina whipped her head to Byakuya. "What do you mean, TWO murders!?"

"Taka's been killed. We found him in the equipment room." Sakura explained as she closed her eyes.

"I-It can't be! Taka, too!?" Hina exclaimed as she put her hand over her mouth in horror. "It can't be... It can't be... NooooooOOOOOOO!!!" She screamed to the skies.

"Hina, calm down!" Sakura went over to her, doing the best she can to comfort her.

"We're all gonna die... All of us... They're gonna kill all of us!" Hina put her hands on her head.

"Then who might the next target be? Fukawa?" Byakuya spoke up.

"Huh...?" Makoto looked at him.

Sakura's eyes went bloodshot. "I completely forgot! She's still unconscious in the equipment room!"

"You left her at the scene of the crime!?" Celeste asked, giving them a "what were you thinking?!" look.

"We didn't have a choice. She passed out, and she refused to wake up." Byakuya said.

"So she is still unconscious?" Celeste placed her hands on her chest.

"Wait, so you knew she was still up there, and said nothing? Why...!?" Sakura narrowed her eyes at Byakuya.

"That annoying little insect clings to me wherever I go..." Byakuya folded his arms and scowled. "We'd be better off without her."

"Y-You bastard!" Sakura growled, a blue aura glowing around her.

"Calm down. You forgot about her, didn't you? You have no right to blame me."

"Everyone stop fighting!" Makoto interjected. "Right now we need to hurry back!"

"I can't take this anymore... I don't want anyone else to die!" Hina exclaimed.

"Togami... If something's happened to Fukawa, I'll never forgive you!" Sakura glared at him.

"Hmph." Byakuya couldn't care less.

---

The students shot out of the nurse's office and bolted up the stairs, heading back to the 3rd floor. They ran back to the equipment room at full speed. And when they got there...

They saw Toko, still unconscious, uninjured, and in the same position as she was when they left.

"Thank Kami you're okay..." Makoto sighed in relief.

Makoto suddenly widened his eyes as he noticed something very different. The rest of them noticed too.

Taka's body, just like Hifumi's...was gone, leaving only a puddle of blood.

"This can't be happening..." Byakuya muttered under her breath.

"Are we hallucinating all this or something?" Sakura grit her teeth.

"No...it's not a hallucination." Makoto shook his head. He knew he saw it before. And what he's seeing now...isn't what he saw before.

"Wh-What!? Are you saying...Taka disappeared, too!?" Hina asked.

"Stop saying "disappeared." It didn't just vanish into thin air." Byakuya said. "Obviously whoever did this has hidden the body."

"But why would they do that?" Makoto asked.

"I couldn't possibly begin to imagine." Byakuya clenched his fist, as even he could not think of an answer.

"Anyway, our costumed suspect is clearly continuing his crime spree." Celeste spoke up.

"We gotta hurry up and catch him, before he kills ALL of us!" Hina yelled.

"Wait, hold on, Hina. They can't do that." Sora spoke up.

"H-Huh...?" Hina looked at the blonde in confusion.

"She has a point." Byakuya agreed. "Think about it... Who could possibly be responsible for killing and hiding these dead bodies?"

"U-Umm..." Hina struggled for an answer.

"When Yamada's death cry went up, everyone here was together on the 3rd floor." Byakuya pointed out.

"After that, we split up into two groups." Celeste added.

"And now this time, you all came here as a group from the nurse's office. In other words, the only ones who could have done this are Hiro and Kyoko, who are still missing."

"H-Hold on a second! Kirigiri has an alibi for when Celeste and Yamada were attacked!" Makoto defended the missing girl. "There's no question that she was in the dining hall with us!"

"Hmph. You seem very adamant about defending her. Perhaps you are...in love?" Byakuya smirked.

"Th-That's not it at all!" Makoto quickly shook his hands, unaware of Sora's eye twitching in the background. For some reason, she felt...bothered by that.

"Well, anyway. Yes, I do accept Kirigiri's alibi." Byakuya sighed.

"Which means, the suspicious individual we're looking for can be none other than...Hiro." Celeste spoke up.

"Which further means, there will be no more murders. The regulations are very clear about that." Byakuya told everyone.

The rest of the students' eyes lit up of realization as the memory flooded through them.

---

"Hold on, hold on. If that's your worry, you don't gotta worry any longer! In any one killing game, the guilty party may only kill a maximum of two people."

---

"Oh, that's right...! There's a rule that says you can only kill a maximum of two people..." Makoto mused.

"As long as that rule is in place, there will not be a third murder. If they were to break that rule..." Byakuya trailed off as Monokuma suddenly appeared.

"I'd mince ya! Mince ya without a second thought! Mince ya, grind ya, turn ya into paste!" Monokuma exclaimed, his red eye glowing. "...By the way, did you know that fish paste can also refer to shellfish, like shrimp or crabs!?" He then left.

"...Yeah, all that." Sora sweatdropped.

"So since two people have been killed, there is no possibility of any more." Celeste mused.

"You knew that from the beginning, didn't you Togami? Which means you knew Fukawa was never in danger..." Sakura looked at the progeny, her expression softening.

"I still meant it when I said we'd be better off without her, though." Byakuya folded his arms. "Anyway, with that in mind, we can now relax and search for the two missing bodies."

The two missing bodies... Two people have been killed, and their bodies have been hidden. The only one without an alibi, the only one who could have done it...is Hiro. But...is he really the killer?

And Kyoko...although she has an alibi, she's nowhere to be seen right now. Where did she go...?

"Hey, Shirayuki." Byakuya called out to her, noticing her looking off into nothingness. "What's the problem...?"

"...Hm? Ah, nothing..." Sora replied.

"Whatever." Byakuya rolled his eyes and turned to the group. "We need to find those bodies, or our little narrative here can't move forward."

"Very well. Then let us split up and begin searching." Celeste nodded in agreement.

"B-But..." Hina timidly stuttered, looking apprehensive.

"There is no need to be afraid. No more murders will take place during this case." Celeste reassured her.

"I-I know that. I mean, I think I do. But..." Hina trailed off as Sakura put a hand on her shoulder.

"If you're still nervous, I'll come with you." Sakura offered.

"O-Okay, thank you..."

"No need to thank me."

"Then let's get moving. Yell out if you find anything." Byakuya told them.

Byakuya left the equipment room, followed by the others. They need to find those missing bodies...

---

Sora rushed around the entire floor. She figured that the culprit couldn't have hid the bodies on the first and second floor, as it would be too risky. If he hid them on separate floors, there was a change that one of the students would discover them.

But she wasn't having that much luck on the 3rd floor. She tried the art room, but the door to the other room was locked for some reason. Similarly, the classrooms she checked were empty as well.

She was now in the middle of the hallway, her hands behind her back as she was staring off into space. Eventually, she felt something tap her on the shoulder.

"Hm?" Sora turned to see Byakuya.

"What are doing, sitting in the middle of here?" Byakuya folded his arms. "We need to get to the repository."

"...Why?" Sora tilted her head in confusion.

"Isn't it obvious? We found the bodies. I've already told Hina and Ogami. Let's go..."

With that, the two blondes went into the art room. She jiggled on the door to the repository when...it opened.

Hold the goddamn phone, wasn't this locked before? Sora thought as her pupils went every which way.

But nonetheless, she opened the door. And when she did, she saw...

The two missing bodies were there. And then...

BING, BONG! BONG, BING!

"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"

Didn't this play already...? Sora thought as she looked up at the monitor.

"And so here we are!" A voice exclaimed as Monokuma popped out. "Without further ado, let me give you all the next Monokuma File! I was going to hand them out when you found the bodies the first time, but I thought something might happen. It was really hard to resist, but...turns out I was right!"

"Just hand it over already." Byakuya demanded.

"Now, make sure to investigate with all of your mental might and prepare for the class trial! Okay, see ya later!" Monokuma waved, and with that, he left.

"...Let's get this over with..." Sora sighed.

"H-Hold on..." A voice spoke up as Sora turned to see Hina glaring at her with a mixture of confusion and anger. "How can you be so...so calm...? I mean, they're dead, ya know!?"

"..." Sora stayed silent, simply looking at the girl.

"Don't just look at me like that!" Hina narrowed her eyes as tears started appeared in the corners of her eyes. "They're dead! Gone forever! They're never coming back! Awful... This is all just too awful!"

She suddenly burst into tears. She clutched at Hifumi's lifeless body.

"Wh-Who would do this...? Why...? WHYYY!?" Hina screamed.

Large, wet tears fell from her eyes. The tears landed on Hifumi's cheeks. If this were some world of make-believe, that might have been when Hifumi opened his eyes. But this wasn't a movie.

As Hina's tears began to spill on Hifumi, groaning can be heard and twitching can be seen from the body.

This wasn't...

"Ng..." A voice grunted out.

Hifumi...woke back up?

"He's alive again!?" Makoto mouth gaped wide open.

"...Okay, now that's just ridiculous." Sora deadpanned. "But whatever... As if anything else had made sense today..."

"Where...am I? Cold...so cold... Is...winter coming?" Hifumi asked.

"Y-Yamada! Wake up!" Hina yelled.

"...Huh? Ahh...that's right... I remember now... Hope's Peak..." Hifumi mused.

"Come on! You gotta wake up!" Hina pleaded.

"Before...I'd met you...all... I'd met...you all..." Hifumi mused as he struggled to left his head up. Sora tilted her head.

"His memories are all blending together. He has nothing useful to offer us..." Byakuya huffed, looking at the boy in apathy.

"Ahh...the light... It's... reaching out...to me... Like...the tail...of a comet..." Hifumi reached his hand up, as if he's grabbing a ticket to the afterlife.

But Hina wouldn't waste this chance to find out the most important question she could think of...

"Hey, Yamada! Who was it? Who attacked you!? Who tried to kill you!?"

The fanfic writer weakly looked up at her, showing that he doesn't have long.

"Who...killed me...? That's right... I remember...their name..."

"Y...Yasu...hi...ro..."

His eyes closed. And they never opened again. Death for the second time... Absolute, undeniable, inevitable death.

No matter how many more of Hina's tears splashed his face...there was no second miracle. Reality set in again.

"This isn't some stereotypical fantasy world. Tears can't restore a person's vitality." Byakuya folded his arms again.

"You have no tears, do you? No blood in your veins, no calcium in your bones." Celeste sighed. "At least you have your meat..."

"...What." Sora deadpanned. She really should've phrased that better...

"You're just angry. Going out of his way to return, just to leave us with those unnecessary dying words." Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Now this game has become exceedingly boring."

"He said...Yasuhiro, right?" Sakura asked.

"Yasuhiro Hagakure... That is the only person he could have been referring to." Celeste mused.

"And with that, the case is solved." Byakuya said.

Sora cocked her head to the side. Assaulting people, and even killing Taka and Hifumi... And then going so far as to hide their bodies... A criminal that hides his face behind a mask, and uses a bunch of giant wooden hammers... Is that what Hiro is...?

"If it's true, I can't forgive him..." Hina shook her head as she stood up. "No way can I ever forgive him! To kill two of our friends...!"

"Anyway, it's about time we tracked down the culprit in our little life-or-death game here." Byakuya spoke up. "Although...this time it's not all that life-or-death. The trial will conclude without much trouble."

"Yes, it does look that way." Celeste put her arm over her other one.

"..." Sora stayed silent as she sighed. This is such a bother... but whatever. She has to go through this...one more time. In order to ensure that she survives, she has to do this one more time!

---

IT'S...INVESTAGATION TIME!

Sighing once again, Sora pulled out the Monokuma file and read all the information on it.

Victim: Hifumi Yamada and Kiyotaka Ishimaru

Cause Of Death: Both Were Bludgeoned On The Head

Other Notes: It Is Thought That Both Victims Were Hit On The Head With Similar Weapons

Sora tilts her head in confusion. That's all? That's even less than last time!

"...That's it?" Makoto looked confused. It seems that the others were thinking the same thing.

"Yeah, it's pretty strange. We got way less information this time than before." Byakuya mused.

"That is no problem. After all, the events of this case unfolded before our very eyes. We should know more about what happened than the Monokuma File could, anyway." Celeste said.

"Maybe..." Byakuya shrugged.

"There's something else that's bothering me... Someone else has been missing for quite a while..." Sakura spoke up.

"You mean Kiri, right?" Sora asked.

"I asssume you're talking about Kirigiri." Sakura said as she closed her eyes. "Without a doubt, she has an alibi for when Celeste and Yamada were attacked. But what if the killer wasn't acting alone? What if they had...an accomplice?"

"An accomplice!?" Makoto repeated in shock.

"An accomplice!?" A voice exclaimed as Monokuma appeared.

"...What are you doing here?" Celeste asked.

"Don't be rude! I'm here to answer your question!" Monokuma said.

"What question...?" Makoto inquired.

"You're talking about accomplices, right? I'm pretty sure I explained it before, didn't I? During the first class trial!"

---

"Speaking of which, I'd like to ask the bear...if there is an accomplice, do they also become "blackened"?"

"So you ask, and so I shall answer! Each murder is allowed to have an accomplice, but only the one who does the killing will get to graduate."

"So in other words, two people can work together, but one of them has no chance of profiting from it..."

"Then there's no way anyone would work together, right...?"

---

"So basically...you can be an accomplice if you want, but there's no gratification in it!" Monokuma informed them.

"So are you saying nobody worked together this time, either?" Sakura inquired.

"Sorry, can't answer that! It would obstruct the free exchange of information between you guys." Monokuma chuckled. "I just want to make sure you don't forget--no matter how much you assist in a murder only one blackened can graduate. An accomplice gets NOTHING!"

"Then we only need to figure out who that one blackened is that did the killing, right? Just like normal?" Byakuya asked.

"Okay, okay, let me take this opportunity to clarify the whole shebang." Monokuma began. "In this class trial, what you need to determine is... the one true blackened who devised the murder plot and put it into action!"

True blackened... Sora thought. So it's just one...?

"Now it's down to the final battle between all of you, and the blackened! Good luck to all the contestants!" Monokuma exclaimed as he, once again, left the room.

"Then I can't see any way Kirigiri would be connected to this case, after all." Makoto assumed.

"You may be right..." Byakuya said.

"If that's true then...Kirigiri, where are you?" Hina asked no one in particular.

"As long as she's not connected to the case, it doesn't matter." Sakura spoke up. "Let's get back to the investigation."

"I have absolutely no doubt that Hiro is responsible." Celeste then sighed. "But for the time being, I suppose it can't hurt to pursue further information."

"You know...don't you think we should consider a certain someone a suspect, just in case?" Hina asked. "I'm talking about the murderous fiend...Genocide Jack!"

"Wha--!? I'm offended!" A voice spoke up as Genocide Jill jumped up behind Hina.

"Kyah!?"

"You..." Byakuya took a few steps back. "When did you--?"

"I've been looking all over for you, Master! When I woke up, you were nowhere to be found!" Genocide Jill exclaimed.

"..."

"Anyway! You there, milk sack swimmer girl!" Genocide Jill pointed her razor-sharp scissors at Hina.

"Milk sack...?" Hina parroted in confusion.

"Why do I gotta be a suspect!?" Genocide Jill asked.

"Well, I mean...you are a serial killer." Hina pointed out as she glared at her.

The ax-crazy killer scoffed. "So what, I'm like a special guest suspect every time!? I have an alibi, you know!"

"She's right about that..." Byakuya begrudgingly agreed. "When we heard Yamada scream, she was with me. And when the bodies disappeared, she was still lying unconscious in the equipment room. Plus, Taka's body aside, I can't imagine any way she would have been able to move Yamada's body."

"Besides, I calculate every move I make! I'm not gonna kill someone when everyone knows what I look like! They don't call me the murderous fiend for nothing!" Genocide Jill bragged.

"That's not the kind of thing you should be bragging about!" Hina exclaimed.

"On another topic, should we post a guard by the bodies like before?" Celeste spoke up. "We can't have them disappearing again..."

"Hina and I can handle that." Sakura volunteered. "You don't mind, do you Hina?"

The swimmer softly nodded. "Sure. I'd be totally useless on the investigation anyway..."

"Then that's that. Let's begin." Byakuya said.

Truth Bullet: Monokuma File #3

---

Sora looked all the hammers that were hanging on the wall of the repository. Although there were more like mallets. They were all different sizes, too...

Hm... some of them kinda look like the Justice Hammers... Sora thought. Could whoever made 'em used these regular mallets as a model?' She then touched them with her finger.

Either way, all the hammers here have obviously seen a lot of use. They're all covered in debris and chalky stone powder...

"Hm?"

She stopped as she felt one hammer across her finger's skin. For some reason...this one hammer is spotless and squeaky clean. And it's...wet.

Did someone wash this recently...?

Truth Bullet: Spotless Hammer

Sora then went over to Taka's lifeless body and leaned her upper body closer to get a better look. According to the Monokuma File, Taka died from a blow to the head. She found Justice Hammer 4 near his body in the equipment room. Is that what was used to kill him...?

And also...there's this weird blue tarp laid out under his body. Did the killer use this to move Taka's body? That way, there wouldn't be any blood left behind while the body was moved...

Truth Bullet: Blue Tarp

She then walked over to Hifumi. His big, cold body laid on the floor. His REALLY big body.

How the heck did the culprit manage to even get him to budge, let alone move? Sora thought. From the nurse's office where he was discovered to here, the repository... All the way from the 1st floor to the 3rd... And all without anyone noticing it. How the heck...?

Sora sighed. No use thinking about it right now. Better save those questions for later. Maybe she should just investigate Hifumi himself.

She did the same thing she did with Taka, and leaned her upper body forward. Something about him was a bit different...

Wasn't his glasses covered with blood the last time we saw his body? Sora thought, recalling the memory.

And now...they're completely clean. Does that mean...someone wiped his glasses off? But who would do that? And why?

Truth Bullet: Hifumi's Glasses

Sora would then walk over to a dolly. It doesn't have a handle... She saw this in the art room when they first discovered this room. If she had to guess, she thinks this is used to move statues around. It's pretty impractical, but if you bend down, it's not too hard to use.

Huh? But wait...Wasn't this in the equipment room when we found Taka's body?

She looks at the wheel. There's a bloodstain on it. So there's blood on the wheel of the dolly that was moved from the equipment room to the repository...this is probably what was used to move Taka's body.

Truth Bullet: Repository Dolly

---

Sora walked over to a puddle of blood as she found herself in the equipment room, not having any need to be in the repository any longer. There's some sort of tire mark going through it.

That reminds me...about that dolly... Sora thought as her mind flashed back to a certain detail. There was blood on its tire...! Could it have come from here...? ...Well, both rooms are on the third floor, so it's possible.

Truth Bullet: Equipment Room Bloodstain

But even if Taka's body was moved with the dolly, there's still no explanation for Hifumi's body. His body was in the nurse's office on the 1st floor. Even with a dolly, there's no way to get it up to the 3rd floor...

"Weeelp." Sora yawned as she stretched her arms. "Done all I could do, and seen all that I've need to see. Next, the nurse's office."

---

Walking into the office, she immediately walked forward, completely disregarding Makoto and Celeste, who were having a conversation.

For some reason, her instincts guided her to a trash can. In there she saw something inside. And it was...

"...Eh?"

It looks like some sort of glasses clothing cloth. And it's got some sort of anime magical girl character on it. And...

"Augh! It's covered in blood! Ew ew, get it off!" Sora exclaimed as she threw the cloth back in the trash can.

Whoever this belonged to must have used it to wipe up some blood. But who would've needed to do that?

Truth Bullet: Classes Cleaning Cloth

---

Now out of the nurse's office, Sora yawned before walking aimlessly around the hallway. She then unconsciously pulled out a familiar note.

"Meet in the dining hall!"

Sora frowned. For some reason...she believes this is important.

Truth Bullet: Yasuhiro's Message

With another yawn, she put the note back...somewhere and continued walked throughout the hall, looking for more evidence that could help her out in the upcoming class trial.

Chapter 24: End

To be continued...?