(3rd Person's POV)

"Hmmm..." Sora was now in the gym, searching around until she walked to the center and looked down.

The other Monokuma is still laying dismantled on the floor. But...

"It's not here." Sora folded her arms. "Figures."

---

"I just found something."

"...OH."

"What's wrong? What is it?!"

"That's a bomb. There's some installed in every Monokuma robot, I'm sure."

"A b-b-b-bomb!?"

---

And that bomb went missing... There's no doubt about that.

Truth Bullet: Missing Bomb

"Welp, that's all that's useful in here." Sora yawned as she folded her arms behind her back. "Wonder if Togamoney's done with his little errand yet..."

---

Back in the garden, Sora walked in again to see that Byakuya was back and in the same spot his was before he left.

"Hey, Togamoney." Sora approached, ignoring the annoyance Byakuya showed by the nickname. "You think we can go now?"

Byakuya turned around to face her. "You wanted to check out Kirigiri's room, right? Very well. Let's go." He said as he quickly left.

"Hey, wait up!" Sora exclaimed as she followed him.

---

"Well then, here we go." Byakuya said as he and Sora were now in the dorm hallway. He took out the key and slid it into the keyhole.

And then...

CLICK!

" ...And it's open."

"Yep. Thanks, Togamoney." Sora said.

"Please stop calling me that." Byakuya groaned.

Sora smugly smirked. "Never."

With that, Sora turned the doorknob and entered Kyoko's room, with Byakuya right behind her. Once they did, Sora saw that the room was...pretty bland, all things considered.

"Hm?" Sora's eyes flickered to some kind of object on the table. She then picked it up and examined it. It's...some kind of woodblock decoration...

"What's that? What purpose does it serve?" Byakuya inquired once he saw it.

"It's probably some kinda key." Sora assumed with a shrug. "The lockers at those old, traditional public bathhouses use these for their lockers."

Byakuya hummed, deciding to take her word for it. "I wouldn't know. I've never gone to a public bathhouse."

Yeah, it's pretty hard to imagine you doing something like that... Sora thought.

"But if it is a key, I think I might know what it unlocks." Byakuya spoke up.

"Really? Where?" Sora curiously inquired.

"Unless I'm mistaken...I'm pretty sure I saw something in the dojo that this might go to." Byakuya mused.

The dojo, eh...?

Truth Bullet: Woodblock Key

"You wanted to come here, right? So what is it you're looking for?" Byakuya asked Sora.

"Meh, nothin' really in particular." Sora admitted. "I just thought that I might find some kinda clue...one that might help me understand who Kiri really is..."

Byakuya frowned. "You can't be serious. That's why you made me take time out of my search to come here?"

"Hey, you're the one that told me to come see you when you were done playing errand." Sora pointed out. "Plus, it's not like you were doing anything when I came to get you. You were just standing there. ...Actually, most of you were doing nothing, like some kinda NPC..."

Byakuya groaned, rolling his eyes. "Regardless, if you plan on poking around at random, you're doomed no matter how much time you take. Surely you have something more concrete. Something to give us some sort of direction here."

More concrete... Sora thought before opening her eyes in realization. "Oh, I got it!" Kiri gave me something the other day...

---

"W-What's that?"

"Consider it a symbol of my determination. Don't open it yet. Only open it...if something ever happens to me."

---

I'm sure I still have it somewhere wit' me... Sora thought, searching through her clothes, before feeling pulling out the envelope from her skirt.

...Don't ask.

"Ah, I found it!" Sora held it up.

"What's in the envelope?" Byakuya inquired.

"Kiri gave it to me. She said if somethin' were to happen to her, I should open it." Sora explained.

"Well, something has certainly happened. So open it." Byakuya ordered.

"Aye aye, Captain..." Sora rolled her eyes as she opened the envelope and looked inside. There was but a single piece of paper that said...

"Under the sheets"

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

"That's all that was in there?" Byakuya narrowed his eyes, looking disappointed.

"Looks like it..." Sora sighed. But..."under the sheets"...? The hell does that mean?

The only thing that Sora could think of is the bedsheets, as she turned around and stared at the bed that was behind her.

Is there really something under here...?

Sora shrugged. Part of her didn't expect to find anything, but she lifted the sheets, and...

...Found a crumpled piece of paper. Intrigued, Sora picked it up and read it.

Class #78 Student Registry...? Mukuro...Ikusaba...?

"It appears to be Mukuro Ikusaba's profile." Byakuya correctly assumed.

"Mm-hm..." Sora nodded. That's probably the other thing Kiri stole when she snuck into the headmaster's room, along with the key.

---

"Kami, you're so annoying! Fine, I'll tell you! It was a key and ******! That's it!"

---

This must be the "blank" that Monokuma was talking about... Kiri said a death without meaning was "unappealing." And this is what she left behind...

Hearing Sora sigh, Byakuya groaned. "I don't have time for your sentimental indulgences. Hurry up and finish your search."

"Yeah, yeah..." Sora rolled her eyes as she focused on the profile.

---

Name: Mukuro Ikusaba
Sex: Female
The Ultimate Soldier

Although small for her age, she was a military specialist trained in every weapon type imaginable. She showed an interest in the military from childhood and soon found herself completely absorbed in it. In elementary school, she won a survival game tournament and began writing for military magazines.

Just before entering middle school, while she and her family were on vacation in Europe...she disappeared. The story of a young Japanese girl being kidnapped quickly took over Japanese media outlets. An intense international investigation turned up no information, and she was never found.

However, she reappeared in Japan three years later, alone and completely unannounced. She revealed that she had joined a mercenary group known as Fenrir for those three years. She insisted that she hadn't been kidnapped, that she'd received battle training of her own volition. However, she never revealed why she decided to return home when she did.

---

Truth Bullet: Mukuro's Profile

"The Ultimate Soldier, eh...?" Sora mused.

If she was a normal person, Sora would find this information unbelievable. Like where she came from is like a different universe compared to this. A young girl who got lost in Europe when she was a child, and grew up to become a powerful mercenary, to the point that she got the title of the "Ultimate Soldier"...? Something like that would sound like some insane sci-fi movie to anyone else.

But Sora is not a normal person. After the things she witnessed throughout this school, this doesn't surprise her one bit.

"I never imagined I would hear the name Fenrir in a place like this..." Byakuya muttered to himself, though he was still loud enough for Sora to hear.

"You've heard of 'em before?" Sora inquired.

"The Fenrir Mercenary Corps is a collection of battle-crazed warmongers." Byakuya explained, his tone full of distaste and dislike for the group. "But they do have their uses, and they always get the job done. That's worth remembering..."

"Jeez..." Sora rubbed her head. "I've heard of and seen tons of weird things before but...a mercenary group? What's next, a cult of assassins...?"

"I have to say, I'm intrigued. Every rumor I've heard says that Fenrir has already..." Byakuya trailed off.

"Whoa!" A voice exclaimed as Monokuma suddenly appeared. "I feel like our hero is becoming a bit player and a bit player is becoming our hero!"

"What the-?!" Sora jumped up in shock before taking a deep breath, annoyed. "How do you keep doin' that?!"

"Hmm? What have you got in your pretty little hand there?" Monokuma tilted his head, then dramatically gasped. "Uh-oh! You found her profile!?"

"So what if I did? Whatcha gonna do about it?" Sora taunted.

"Don't be such a smug jerk! I'm not gonna hold it against you or anything." Monokuma assured. "And in case you're wondering, I don't hold it against Kirigiri, either. Even though she stole it and hid it! After all, there's no rule against stealing, is there?" He then started getting angry, lifting up his paw. "But who I can't forgive is Miss Ogami, who broke the rules and busted into the headmaster's room...! Maybe I'll drag her corpse out here and slice it up and devour it! Bears are omnivorous, ya know...

"Jeez, overkill much?" Sora said.

"Are rule violations really so unforgivable?" Byakuya questioned. "You're quite adamant about those regulations of yours..."

"Of course I am! A proper school life is built on the dedication to organization and order!" Monokuma darkly chuckled. "Which is why even I, as the school headmaster, have to follow the regulations myself!"

"Oh?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying you have to follow your own rules, as well?"

"Absolutely! I can't have you complaining about how unfair it all is, now can I?

Pfft, yeah right. Sora rolled her eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if the mastermind killed someone and framed one of us for it...

"In fact, on the subject of fairness, would you like to know something interesting?" Monokuma asked.

"...Huh?" Sora tilted her head.

"It's about the one writing all the rules. They're actually..." Monokuma chuckled, creating some suspense before revealing. "One of the participants in this killing game. I don't think I ever actually told you how many participants there actually were, did I? I was thinking, I should probably clarify that! When you all first got together in the main hall way back when, there were sixteen people there, right? I think that first meeting may have led to a little misunderstanding among you all..."

"Misunderstanding...? You mean..." Sora trailed off.

Monokuma grinned. "That's right! There weren't actually sixteen of you... The total number of students taking part in this killing game was actually seventeen!"

So that means...

---

"Mukuro Ikusaba... The seventeenth student, lying hidden somewhere in this school... The one they call the Ultimate Despair... Watch out for her."
---

The seventeenth student...Mukuro Ikusaba... She's part of this school life... So the one making all the regulations is...

"...Why...?" Byakuya clenched his fist as he glared at Monokuma.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Monokuma tilted his head.

"Why are you telling us this?"

"Oh, well because...like old you, this killing game is desperately popular! You wouldn't believe the ratings! And since we've got so many viewers now, I wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. I don't want to wake up to a hurricane of complaints and hate mail, ya know? Make sense?"

"..."

"Okay, that's all you get for now! ...Oh, actually! I do have some revenge to get, so I have an extra bonus for you!"

"...Revenge...?" Sora questioned, her ahoge bouncing up and down.

"I want to get back at that sneaky Miss Kirigiri, so I'm gonna share a little secret with ya!" Monokuma laughed.

"...Really?" Sora rolled her eyes.

"You know how she wears those stupid gloves day in, day out, all the time? Well, don't tell anyone I told you, but... She wears them to cover a bunch of hideous scars that she doesn't want anyone to see!"

"...Huh?" Sora looked confused.

"Puhuhu. Okay, NOW that's all you get! Ahh-hahahahaha!" Monokuma disappeared.

Truth Bullet: Monokuma's Account

"So...Kiri wore those gloves to cover up a buncha scars? ...Wait, on the back of the body's hand..." Sora mused as she remembered that tattoo on the victim's right hand. But...that's a tattoo, not a scar. Maybe...those fake nails...

"Are you thinking about Kirigiri again?" Byakuya asked, interrupting Sora's mental thoughts.

"...Hm?" Sora turned to him.

"Forget about her. What matters right now is uncovering Monokuma's trap." Byakuya said.

"Monokuma's...what now?" Sora tilted her head, placing a finger on one of her cheeks. "Whaddya mean?"

Byakuya groaned. "Kami must have really hated you, to make you so dull."

"Hey, take that back!" Sora puffed her cheeks out in annoyance. "I'm the most complex Danganronpa OC on Wattpad! ...Well, except for Ichika. And maybe Apollo. ...Okay, the 3rd most complex one, but it still counts for somethin'!"

"What nonsense are you spouting out now...?" Byakuya wondered before shaking his head. "No, nevermind. Don't you remember what Monokuma just told us?"

"That there were seventeen students, right? Which means Ikusaba was a student here." Sora mused.

"Obviously, Monokuma was trying to tell us that Mukuro is the one creating the rules to the game. But why would he tell us that? And why now?" Byakuya inquired.

"Well, according to him, he just wanted to make things fair so there wouldn't be any complaints later on..."

"But the mere fact that he said that proves that Ikusaba is connected to this case. That's why Monokuma revealed the existence of a seventeenth student. He needs to make our investigation fair."

"Ah, so that means Ikusaba is related to this case!" Sora realized, her face lighting up.

Byakuya closed his eyes. "Perhaps she's the one who killed Kirigiri."

"A-Are you serious...?" Sora stuttered.

"That would explain why we would have to have a class trial, wouldn't it? If she's a student, and she killed someone, that would make her part of the school killing game." Byakuya concluded.

Is...Mukuro really the killer? Sora thought. Is she the one that killed Kiri...?

"Anyone should be able to come to that conclusion, don't you think? In fact, that's exactly what I thought when the invesitgation first began." Byakuya folded his arms. "But...based on what Monokuma just told us, I've changed my mind. Mukuro Ikusaba isn't the culprit!" He claimed.

"What?! But didn't you just say she might be the one who killed Kiri?" Sora reminded.

"Key word being "might". We thought Ikusaba, the Ultimate Despair, was the mastermind's true identity. But if that's true, Monokuma's behavior makes no sense. Why would the mastermind go out of their way to reveal themselves to us?

"I-" Sora raised a finger to argue, but froze as she admitted. "That's actually a good point..."

"Ikusaba giving us information that would raise questions about her would be bold, to say that least. It makes more sense, then, to assume that Ikusaba isn't the culprit." Byakuya hypothesised.

"So, what you're saying is...the mastermind wants us to suspect Ikusaba as the culprit, and come to the wrong conclusion.

"That's what makes sense to me." Byakuya smugly smirked.

Yeah, when you look at it that way, it does make sense. But...if Mukuro isn't the killer, then...who the hell is?

"Well then, I believe our work here is finished." Byakuya spoke up. "Let's move on. I'm sure there are other places in need of investigation."

"I should go to the dojo. Maybe the key and the dojo are really connected." Sora mused.

"Well? Are you coming?" Byakuya asked as they headed out of Kyoko's dorm room.

---

"Alright, we're here." Sora said as she and Byakuya entered the dojo. Her eyes then sparkled at the beauty of the Sakura Trees.

"Hey, stop wasting our time." Byakuya quietly snapped. "Hurry up and check the locker. That's what we're here for, after all."

"Alright, alright..." Sora sighed as she walked to the lockers. They were wooden, just like at those super traditional public bathhouses. It looks like the key we found in Kiri's room really does go to one of these lockers...

"Shirayuki, do you see the locker farthest to the right?" Byakuya pointed towards it. "That's the only one that doesn't have a key in it at the moment. You understand what that means, right?"

"...That the key I have probably is for that one?" Sora guessed.

"Well? Just try it!" Byakuya commanded.

"Well, just try it, meh meh meh..." Sora quietly repeated in a mocking tone, but did it anyway. She took out the woodblock key and inserted it into the locker's metal lock.

CLICK!

The locker eagerly accepted the key, and it opened.

There are...arrows in here. It looks like...ten arrows in total. Sora thought.

"They look like they're made of titanium, which means they're quite strong despite how thin they are." Byakuya explained. "Of course, without a bow they're nothing but strong little sticks."

I mean, you could just stab people with it, but whatevs...

Truth Bullet: Titanium Arrows

Sora then looked more and found something else in there. It's a wadded up ball of duct tape.

Wonder what that's for...? Sora then looked to see a bloodstain on it. "Is that a bloodstain...?"

"If it is, that means it must surely be related to the case." Byakuya decided.

The duct tape is involved with all this? ...How?

Truth Bullet: Bloody Duct Tape

"Augh, so many clues, yet so little answers... I feel like this class trial is gonna be the death of me..." Sora groaned, before looking at Byakuya, who seemed to be lost in thought. "What's wrong, Togamoney?"

"It's very odd, don't you think? The locker was hiding items that were clearly related to the case. But how did the key to the locker wind up in the victim's room...?" Byakuya wondered. "Or...perhaps..."

"Perhaps...?" Sora parroted, expecting an answer.

Byakuya shook his head. "Forget it. Come on. We need to continue on to the next location."

"There's more?!" Sora asked incredulously.

"Of course. There's still something we need to look into. We need to do more research on Fenrir. "

"That military group that Ikusaba was a part of?" Sora raised an eyebrow. "I understand that you wanna know more 'bout 'em, but how?"

"Isn't it obvious? Where in this school would you go to do research on something?" Byakuya asked.

Research...?

"...The archive...?" Sora correctly guessed. "Oh yeah, there's a buncha stuff in there that the public doesn't have access to."

"We only have so much time before the trial begins." Byakuya reminded as he turned his back to her, preparing to leave. "Let's hurry."

---

Sora groaned. "Okay, we're here, now. Puh-lease tell me this is the last stop..."

"Quit your whining, we'll only be here for a moment." Byakuya reprimanded before focusing on the shelf. "Now, I believe there was a file related to Fenrir somewhere over here..."

Byakuya seemed to know the archive like the back of his hand, and went straight to a shelf in the back.

"Ah, here we go." He quickly returned with a file in hand. "Take a look at this."

Sora then leaned her upper body in, before realization that the book was written in another language. Her eyes sparkled. "Ooh, French! My favorite! Merci, Monsieur Togami~!"

Byakuya blinked twice, clearly not expecting that. "You...know French?"

"Oui, Oui!" Sora smirked as she nodded. "One of my moms is from France, born and raised."

"One of- You have multiple mothers?" Byakuya questioned.

"Long story...anyway, gimme that!" Sora snatched the book and started reading.

---

"Fenrir is an elite fighting unit base out of the Middle East. Unlike military contractors, they are a fierce group of soldiers who engage in direct combat. They claim that a single member is equivalent to an entire company of regular soldiers. Just like Fenrir, the Wolf of Ragnarok, their mere presence is enough to strike fear into any enemy. They have been involved in countless military battles and operations, most of which are highly classified."

"However, some time ago, they completely ceased all activity. At present, their continued existence cannot be confirmed. There are unconfirmed reports that the key members of the group were all neutralized. Rumors indicate they were killed to keep them from revealing the many state secrets they'd acquired. Some, however, believe there was mounting internal tension within the group, and they simply imploded."

---

"Aaaaaand, that's it." Sora finished.

"So, did anything jump out at you?" Byakuya asked. "This may be your last opportunity to learn about Fenrir."

"Well, it did say somethin' about where the name came from, right?" Sora answered.

Byakuya nodded. "That's right. It said Fenrir is...the Wolf of Ragnarok. Speaking of which, would you like to know something interesting related to that? To show that they're a member of the team, each soldier that joins the squad...would get a tattoo representing Fenrir somewhere on their body."

A tattoo? So, that wolf mark on the victim's right hand... Does that mean...?!

Truth Bullet: Mukuro Ikusaba's Profile

DING, DONG! BING, BONG!

"Time is utterly silent, and yet it constantly assaults us--organisms, the earth, natural phenomena... It damages us little by little, until the end. You should really think about that. Anyway! It's time to begin the class trial! So, please meet up in the usual spot! Puhuhu... See ya later!"

"Then the time has come..." Byakuya whispered.

"Well, all that's left is to figure out the truth at the class trial." Sora said.

"It would seem that way." Byakuya agreed. "Let's go."

---

The two walked out of the library and out into the hallway. The would then stroll around the hallways until the reached the red door and was greeted by...

"Whoa, Togami and Shirayuki showed up together!" Hiro exclaimed.

"Huh. Usually, I'm the one who shows up last. Glad that there's a nice change of pace..." Makoto chuckled.

"Where the heck have you two been!?" Hina folded her arms. "You just disappeared without a word!"

"We were investigating, of course. How could you not figure that out by this point?" Byakuya rolled his eyes.

"M-Mistress' ranked high enough for you guys to go off t-together...just the two of y-you...?" Toko grumbled.

"What, are you jealous?" Hina asked.

"Or...are you making up some kind of creepy fantasy for yourself?" Hiro assumed.

"Stop talking and brace yourselves. He'll be here any second." Byakuya said.

Any second... Monokuma is going to show up at any time. Sora let out a sigh and braced herself, but...

...

...

...

The students stood there for a full five minutes, waiting for the monochromatic menace to appear. And then five minutes turned into ten...

"What's going on here? Why hasn't Monokuma shown up yet?" Byakuya wondered, getting impatient.

"Maybe he died again...?" Hiro guessed with rubbing his chin.

"What should we do? Should we keep waiting here, or...?" Hina trailed off.

"Or what!?" A voice exclaimed as Monokuma popped up again.

"Sweet, merciful crap!" Sora flinched.

"Nyohoho! Did I scare you?" Monokuma grinned.

"I demand an explanation! Why did you waste my time and make me wait like that!?" Byakuya narrowed his eyes.

"What? I made you wait? You've got it all backwards. You're the ones making me wait!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"...Huh?" Makoto looked confused.

"I'm waiting for everyone to arrive! We can't start till everyone's here, now can we?" Monokuma rtorically asked.

"What are you t-talking about...?" Toko spoke up. "Everyone is here. We've all been w-waiting for you."

"Puhuhu... Sorry, but you're wrong." Monokuma giggled. "But I've been waiting ten minutes now, so it's okay if I punish the one making us all wait, right? If we all agree it's a violation, I'll arrange a punishment right now--!"

"If it's me you're waiting for...I'm here." A voice said as everyone spun around to see Kyoko Kirigiri standing behind them. "I'm here, and no rule's been broken."

"K-Kirigiri!" Makoto gasped.

"Kirigiri!? You're still alive!?" Hina happily exclaimed.

"K-Kiri...? I thought you were..." Sora muttered.

"N-No...! That's a gh-gh-gh-ghost!" Hiro stammered in fear, placing his hands on his head.

"Stop t-talking..." Toko snapped.

"If you wanna fight, do it at the class trial! You need to save some of the fun for later, right?" Monokuma spoke up.

"But is it okay that there's no particular penalty for being late?" Byakuya asked.

Kyoko folded her arms. "I made it here just fine. What school regulation did I violate? Am I wrong?"

Monokuma growled. "You're so selfish... So spoiled! You're right. There's no penalty, officially. But I bet you'll be sorry later..." He then turned around, a dark grin on his face. "No, I'll make sure you're sorry later...! Anyway, hustle your butts onto the elevator! I'll be just one step ahead of ya!"

As soon as Monokuma disappeared, everyone rushed up to Kyoko.

"Kiri...!" Sora was the first to speak.

"So you really didn't die!?" Hina smiled.

Kyoko let out a small chuckle. "Of course I didn't die..."

"Thank Kami! I'm so glad you're okay!" Hina beamed, tears of joy threatening to fall.

"Perhaps, but that's not necessarily a good thing for us." Byakuya frowned.

"Hm? Why do you say that?" Sora tilted her head.

"He's right! Now we've gotta deal with a gh-gh-ghost!" Hiro cried.

"I told you, stop t-talking...!" Toko hushed him.

"Come on, let's just go. Whatever we need to discuss, we can do it during the trial." Without even looking at Kyoko, Byakuya left for the elevator.

"Master! W-Wait for meee...!" Toko screeched, following him in an instant.

"Good call. Who knows what might happen to us if we take too long...?" Hiro shivered.

"I'll be happy when this trial is all over..." Hina sighed.

"I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about what's gonna happen." Makoto muttered to himself. "But still, I can't just stay here forever..."

One after another, everyone piled into the elevator. But...Sora stayed a little while longer. She had to talk to Kyoko before the trial started.

"Kiri..." Sora approached her as she placed a hand on her shoulder with a tearful smile. "I...I'm glad that you're okay..."

Kyoko made a small smile. "I told you, didn't I? I don't plan on dying any time soon."

"Yeah..." Sora then frowned, a dark shadow covering her face. "But...that being said..."

"Shirayuki?" Kyoko wondered before widening her eyes. "Wah!"

Sora then began to aggressively shake Kyoko, the latter's body going faster than light. "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! I THOUGHT THAT BURNING, ROTTING BODY OUT IN THE GARDEN WAS YOU! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!"

"Waaaahhhhh! S-Sorry! I'm soorrryyyyy!" Kyoko's stern voice was replaced by pitiful whimpering as her vision got blurry.

"Hmph!" Sora eventually released her, stopping the comical assault on Kyoko, who had swirly eyes. "There. I'm mostly satisfied now. I swear, if you weren't so goddamn sexy, I would've slapped you by now. You disappear for at least 2 days and you just walk in like nothing happened..." She grumbled. "Where did you even go, anyway...?"

"I-I...I went to the 2nd floor of the dorms..." Kyoko managed to breath out, still feeling a little dizzy.

"The...2nd floor? Why?" Sora asked.

"There aren't any monitors or cameras there, so I was able to avoid Monokuma completely. Of course, I also missed his announcement because of that. I had no idea a body had been discovered."

"When did you find out?"

"Just now. I finished my search and came back down, just in time to hear the class trial announcement. I took some time to go over the crime scene first. I can't go to a trial completely uninformed, can I?"

"Oh, so that's why you took so long gettin' here." Sora hummed.

"I'm sorry I kept you all waiting." Kyoko then looked at Sora straight in the eyes, her expression softening. "And...I'm sorry that I made you worry."

Sora sighed. "It's fine... I got my revenge already, so I guess we're even. But...if you were on the 2nd floor, then that's where that key goes...?"

"Actually, to be precise...not quite." Kyoko shook her head. "I used Monokuma's secret tool, which can open any lock in the school."

"Really now...?" Sora looked interested.

Truth Bullet: Kyoko's Account

"Hey! What are you two doing!? Hurry up, before we get in trouble with Monokuma!" Hina's called out from the elevator.

Kyoko sighed. "We can go over all the details after we get through the trial, okay Shirayuki? Right now I just want to focus on surviving our current situation. Because this is probably the single most crucial moment so far for me.

The hell is that supposed to mean? The class trial is important for everyone, ain't it? If we don't solve the mystery, we die. And...this ain't the first time we've done this. Why is this the most single crucial moment for her?

"Well, if that's all..." Kyoko then strolled away to the elevator.

Sora sighed. Being the last one left, she then headed on as well.

And the doors slid shut...they began going down.

This time, the clunking was loud enough to hurt Sora's ears, and the dread began to consume her once again... She can't imagine ever getting used to the mental pressure that comes with preparing for an execution. In that dusky darkness, nobody said a word. The students just stood there, silent and still.

After an immeasurable period of time, the doors opened without warning... A dazzling light penetrated every depth of her eyes. But it wasn't the illuminating light of hope...

It was the blinding light of despair.

The first thing Sora saw was the trial room's aesthetic, now being a combination of orange, pink, and purple.

"Ahh, I've been waiting for this!" Monokuma let out a peaceful breath of air. "I feel like it's been forever since we got together like this... The time for pointless jokes and jabs has passed. Let's get on with the show!"

And so, the curtain opened for the fifth time...

A deadly judgment... A deadly deception... A deadly betrayal.

A deadly riddle, a deadly defense, and deadly faith...

A deadly...class trial...!

Chapter 39: End

To be continued...?