9:50am: Dormitory

---------------------------

My eyes opened, i rubbed them as i tried to adjust to the light. I let out a sigh

"What time is it?" I mumbled as i reached for my Monopad, it read:

'09:50am' 

10 minutes before Monokuma's announcement! I hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed. I decided I'd wear the same outfit i wore when i first came here, i looked in the mirror to adjust my witch hat, i smiled

"Today's my last day in this hell!" I said to myself, i grabbed my keys and stuffed them in the lock. As i locked the door behind me, i saw Miu and Maki standing in the middle of the dormitory lobby

"Hey guys!" I greeted them

"Are you fuckin' ready?!" Miu asked me

"Ready as i'll ever be!" I replied

"Good, Monokuma's morning announcement should be going off any second now. We'll get the you-know-what" Maki told me, i nodded. And as if on cue, it happened:

*DING, DONG, BING, BONG*

pause

*GREETINGS STUDENTS, IT IS NOW MORNING TIME, YOU CAN NOW ENTER THE GYM IF YOU WISH*

Go time! I began knocking on everyone's doors, leaving out Miu, Maki and myself. One by one everyone woke up from either me knocking, or Monokuma's announcement, i instructed everyone to meet in the gym, they were confused- but agreed

"What's going on, Hitomi?" Rantaro asked

"We're getting out of here" I told him, he looked shocked- but nodded and retreated out of the dorm, Tsumugi also opened her door, when i told her where to go she just nodded. I glanced at the final door- Kokichi's door, i took a deep breath before knocking.

"Hey, Kokichi? Are you awake?" I'd asked if he was awake, but there's no way he could've slept through the announcement, that loudspeaker was super loud, i heard someone's footsteps approaching from the other side of the door- then it finally opened

"Hey..Crackerjack" He yawned

"Listen, i need you to come with me- to the gym" I told him

"Why? what for?" he rubbed his eyes

"Look, there's no time to explain! You'll see when you get there, everyone else is there- c'mon!" I grabbed his arm as i dragged him all the way to the gym, he surprisingly didn't put up a fight about it.

"Looks like everyone's here" Maki greeted us

"Wait- is that?" Kokichi whispered

"I had to create a reversal spell on it, to undo the damages you made" I told him

"Not everybody- where's Rantaro?" Miu interrupted, i couldn't help but notice Kaede and Shuichi, they looked *really* worried

"Rantaro? i saw him this morning- right after i told Tsumugi to go to the gym- he opened his door and he followed after her" I told her

"I didn't see Rantaro on the way here.." Tsumugi shrugged, then suddenly- Monokuma appeared

"Hey guys! Why're you all here?" he scratched his neck with his paw

"We're here to defeat you!" I shouted at him

"Hell fuckin' yeah!" Miu agreed

"Huh? whaddya' mean?" he tilted his head

"We're ending this killing game once and for all" Maki said coldly

"Huhh? But why?"

"Why?! What do you mean why?!" Kaito shouted at him

"Yeah! you're gonna kill us all since *we* didn't kill anyone!" Tenko shouted

"No I'm not, silly!" Monokuma waved his paw

"Huh?! You're not?" Himiko raised an eyebrow

"Gonta...confused" Gonta crossed his arms

"We've been blessed by Atua!" Angie cheered

"No! That's not it!" A high pitched voice shouted

"Someone *did* die!!" A similar voice chimed in. The Monokubs bashed through the door to join Monokuma

"RISE AND SHINE, URSINE!"

"You guys are fine! No one's gonna die since someone was killed" 

My blood ran cold..

"Someone.. died?!" Kirumi gasped

"Yep! Not by suicide though!" Monophanie confirmed.

"One of YOU'S bastards killed her!" Monosuke tutted

"Hey! You're fuckin' lying!" Miu picked up her mega blaster

"The fuck is that?!" Monokid shouted

"The thing that's gonna fucking KILL YOU!" I shouted as Miu pulled the trigger, a huge bullet shot out heading straight towards Monokuma

"Father, look out!" Monotaro shouted.

Monokuma pulled out a remote, then hammered his paw on the big red button

*CLANK!!*

An Exisal had been summoned directly Infront of Monokuma, the bullet had damaged the Exisal instead of him. We all stood there in shock, we didn't know how Monokuma was going to react

"Wow! quite the damage you done there! I will warn ya though, shoot another bullet and you'll all be torn to shreds!" Monokuma pressed the button again, this time the remaining 4 Exisals stood beside the first one

"Follow me!" Monokuma and the Monokubs began to walk out the gym

"The fuck..."

"What do we do now?" Korekiyo asked

"You FOLLOW!" one of the Exisals plucked the gun out of Miu's hands

"HEY YOU ROBOTIC FUCK! GIVE IT BACK ASSHOLE!" Miu screamed

For once Keebo didn't tell her off for that 'robophobic term' The Exisals made their way behind us as they began moving forward ushering us out the gym, we had no choice but to follow Monokuma to see if he was lying or not- something told me he wasn't, something *horrible*. We made our way to..the library? Was Monokuma in here? 

this is where the Exisals had forced us to go.. i grabbed the handles of the door, i counted to 3 in my head trying to prepare myself for whatever was on the other side of this door...i yanked it open- we filled the room, glancing around for- whatever we were looking for didn't take long to find, my eyes widened...

...

We all stood in horror, a Rantaro Amami lay there Infront of us, deceased.. he lay in a pile of his own blood. Across from him sat a bloody shot put ball, it was obvious this was what the bastard had used to murder Rantaro.

"You..." I hiccupped

I couldn't get a single word out- tears ran down my cheeks, same as majority of the people in the room

"Who could...do such a thing?" Tsumugi shook her head in denial, but there was no point in denying it..it was right there Infront of us, Rantaro was dead- we'd *failed* to save him....

"Yeah, yeah! Blah..blah..blah!" Monokuma spoke up

"Well, a promise *is* a promise! Remember what i said before?" I instantly knew what he was on about:

"Buttt there's a bonus! The first kill will be a free-kill, if you will" ... "it's exactly how it sounds! If you kill someone in the next 48 hours then there will be no class trial held, you'll graduate straight away and the rest of your classmates can live to! but they'll still be trapped here"

So he was still sticking to that...that was a surprise

"So who done it, Huh?!" Maki spoke up as she looked around the room, we all glanced at each other- waiting for someone to own up to their crime, but no one made a peep

"Huhh? What's this?" Monokuma raised a paw to his mouth

"None of yous' bastards are ownin' up to it, but why?!" Monosuke pushed his glasses up

"Well that's a shock!" Monotaro agreed

"Oh? So *THAT'S* how you want it, huh?" Monokuma folded his arms

"FINE! If you wanna do this the hard way, then we'll DO it the hard way. The class trial is back on!" Monokuma declared

"What?! but Daddy, you said the killer would get away with it scot-free!" Monophanie reminded him

"I know! But the culprit's *still* choosing to remain anonymous! So we'll still go through with the class trial then, *their* decision, not mine!" Monokuma tapped his foot annoyed.

"No... WE'RE NOT DOING ANY FUCKING CLASS TRIAL!" I commanded

"What?!" Monokid scratched his head

"We're not playing your pathetic game anymore! It's absolute BULLSHIT!"

Monokuma giggled softly

"What do you meannn?  You've no choice! You cant put any spells on me!" I stared up at the Exisals that blocked the library entrance

"I DON'T CARE! I *WILL* DESTROY YOU! AND THAT'S A PROMISE- EVEN IF IT'S WITH MY BARE HANDS!"

I clenched my fists as tight as i could as i lunged forwards towards Monokuma, who stood there as if he couldn't care less about my threats. All he did was take out his remote and hit the button sending the Exisals in my direction, they moved quick- but i didn't care, as long as i got to Monokuma. That's all that mattered. I'd rip his fucking head off... 

I'D SMASH HIM INTO THE GROUND! I'D-

I felt a hand clutch my arm and yank me back- i turned round to see it was Kokichi

"LET GO!" I tried to pull away from him, but he had an iron grip

"HAH! You're useless without those spells of yours, Hitomi!" Monokuma pointed at me

"Don't think i didn't know about you and Miu's little plan, by the way! I mean, did you REALLY think you'd be able to hide something like that from me?!" Monokuma clicked another button on his remote, the Exisal which had stole Miu's mega blaster held it up in the air- then let go, i watched as it fell to the ground, i *stared* as the rest of them ganged up on it, destroying every last bit.

All i could do was stand there, all i could do was watch...there was nothing i *could* do- as long as Kokichi had a hold on me, he wasn't going to let me do a *thing*... Monokuma's innocent laughs got louder, they became more psychotic, he laughed and laughed- pointing in my face as he did so...it was disturbing, chilling...

i had been defeated.. i failed to save Rantaro... I'd *failed* to save anyone... 

more tears appeared from my eyes, my cheeks turned red.

All i could really do was cry- what else was there to do? I couldn't even face Miu, or Maki....or Kokichi- no one, really, and i absolutely could not *bare* to look at Rantaro's corspe..

"Aww! Don't cry! You've got an investigation to get to! Monokuma called over one of the Exisals, it handed him something- it looked simillar to our Monopads

"This is a 'Monokuma File'! I'm assuming you guys don't have any experience with this sorta thing.. soooo this should help!" He waddled over to Shuichi and gave it to him

"Well? Why are you guys still standing there? Get to work!"

Monokuma left the library along with the Exisals, and Monokubs. No one made a sound.. we all just- stood there.. not really knowing what to do..Kokichi was still grabbing my arm.. if he'd let go, i would've probably fell, i felt weak.. like my knees would give in at any second now

"Hitomi...are you okay?" Miu approached me, i kept my gaze fixed on the ground down at my feet...i didn't know what to do

"Of course not.. how could i be? i *failed* you all" I said quietly

"I was supposed to SAVE YOU!" My voice raised

"Oh, no.. please, do not say that!" Kirumi shook her head sympathetically

"You guys...had a plan to get us out of here?" Shuichi asked

"Miu had been working on it ever since her lab first opened..." Maki told them

"Hitomi's lab also opened, so she offered to collaborate with me" Miu added

"How did you know about this then, Maki? Were you involved in this in any other way?" Korekiyo asked

"No, i wasn't- but Hitomi asked Miu if she could let me in on their plan. She spoke to me..and when i told her i had no hope of getting out of here, she made it her mission to make me change my mind about things- and it worked" Maki replied

"I see" Korekiyo nodded

"You guys didn't fail us, we'll find whoever did this..we'll *avenge* Rantaro and escape this place together!" Kaede told me

"Nyeh...sounds good to me.." Himiko agreed

"I think it's time we get to investigating, how about you sit this one out, Hitomi?" Tenko suggested

"Yes! Leave it to us" Keebo tried to smile

"No- i need to help.." I insisted

"Get some rest.. you too, Miu" Maki reassured me, i nodded slowly

"Let's go" Miu placed an arm round my shoulder as she led me out of the library. I felt so selfish, sure- I'd agreed to leave, but-

"You get some rest, we'll come get ya when it's time for the trial, got it?" Miu told me as we reached the dormitory

"Okay...thanks, Miu" I nodded to her as i shut the door, I felt my tears making a re-appearance, i slid down the door as they began to flow down my face, you'd think i had mini waterfalls in my eyes- i felt awful, where did i go wrong? How did Monokuma even know?

*When* did he even find out?! I shouldn't be sitting here crying, i should be investigating! I wasn't contributing a single bit! All i was doing was causing everyone else hassle! I'd only wanted to save everyone here, to rip Monokuma and his minions to shreds.. then to barge through that door like no tomorrow! Little did i know, there was only one truth to my delusions, there might not actually *be* a tomorrow for us, if our trial doesn't go well then we're finished.. i *knew* I'd never forgive myself if we didn't solve Rantaro's murder.. 

i decided to try something once more..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Research Lab

----------------------

"FUCK!" I rattled the handle with all my might, but to no avail. My research lab wasn't opening- no matter what i tried to do it wouldn't budge! Why the fuck- why weren't my keys working?!

"Sorry! Your labs being locked at this time!" A horrible from behind voice told me, i knew this voice *all* to well

"The fuck do you mean?!" I turned to Monokuma who stood behind me, innocently 

"Wellll..i figured you'd be salty enough to go try make another spell, sooo i changed the locks! Temporarily, of course!" Monokuma replied

"You little shit!" I had been trying to get into my lab, I'd hoped that I'd be able to cast another spell on Monokuma to end this madness for sure, but he was somewhat smart enough to think about that, i began to panic when i realized my keys weren't working, so i tried to break down the door myself. That's when Monokuma decided that was the perfect time to enlighten me that he'd changed the locks!

I marched back to my dorm, i didn't even bother to lock the door- i dove into my bed and grabbed the nearest pillow, i squeezed that thing like my life depended on it, in a weird way it did. If i didn't do *something* to calm myself down then I'd go mad! I just decided to get some sleep for however long we had left until the class trial, as much as i wanted to help i didn't want to face anyone right now- i didn't have the guts. i closed my eyes and began to focus on my breathing, which eventually calmed itself down. Before i knew it I'd dozed off into a deep sleep.

...

"Hitomi... Hitomi..." someone was whispering my name..

"Huh?" I sat up, the room was dark.. nighttime almost.. but i could barely just make out a strange figure standing in the corner- i peered at it

"Hitomi... Hitomi..."

 The whispering seemed to be coming from this.. i stood up slowly.. i made my way to the lamp which was on my bedside table, i flipped the switch to see who it was..my eyes widened.

A bloody Rantaro was standing there... fresh, cold blood was trickling down his neck, dribbling onto the floor.. he was holding the shot put ball in his hand.. the one that killed him. An eerie smile fixed itself on his face- he began to run towards me....

"GAHHH!" I shot up like a lightning bolt, my heart was pounding like a heavy drum- i couldn't breathe, i felt as if I'd been held underwater...barely managing to take in a breath

"Hitomi?!" i looked up to see Kokichi standing Infront of me, he knelt down beside me

"Can you hear me?" He asked rather concerned- that was a first

"Fuck..." I could barely talk, breathe- anything. Unsure of what to do, Kokichi sat down beside me as i managed to get a hold of myself a little

"Jeez, what happened to you?!" He stared at me

"I had.. a nightmare.." I was hesitant to tell him, but he'd probably just bug me until i did. Kokichi looked to the side for a few minutes- then grabbed something from his pocket

"Here" he handed me a drink: Panta, i looked up at him- i took it after a few seconds

"Thanks.." I opened the can and drank a little, it helped soothe my nerves

"What happened- in the nightmare?"

...

"Rantaro.." i gulped as i said his name..it lodged my throat for some reason

"Rantaro?" He repeated

"He was in my room.. all bloody, he came after me with that shot put ball- it..doesn't matter"

I tried to brush it off, i knew he'd make fun of me over this...but to my surprise he didn't

"Wait.. what're you doing in here anyways?" I looked up at my door to see it was wide open

"Well, i was going to the dining hall to get a drink- then Tenko ordered me to go get you since the trial was about to start" Kokichi explained

"Youuuuu forgot to lock your door- i was gonna just lockpick it when you didn't reply, but when i realized it was unlocked i just invited myself in"

It was pretty scary knowing Kokichi could lockpick doors, but i decided I'd deal with that later- i had too much on my plate right now.

 "I see, let's go.. thanks for this, by the way"

I followed Kokichi outside, the whole walk there was silent- awkward, but in a way, it was comforting

"This is it" Kokichi pointed to the building Infront of us, Kokichi gripped the handle

"Wait! before we go in here...please don't tell anyone what i told you, it's embarrassing- and i dont wanna creep anyone out.."

I asked Kokichi, he nodded- even though it was just a nod, i could tell it was genuine.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hello Hitomi!"

Angie greeted me as Kokichi closed the door behind us

"You feeling any better?" Tenko asked

"Yeah, thank you" I tried to smile

"Gonta glad you okay!" He gave me the thumbs up

"What is this place?" I made an attempt to make conversation

"Nyehh.. we're not really sure.." Himiko groaned

"Monokuma told us to meet here, I'm guessing this is where the trial is being held" Ryoma answered

"Where is he anyways?" Kaito scratched his head

"RIGHTTT HERE!" Monokuma popped out of nowhere

"About time you showed up.." Maki complained impatiently

"Well I'm here now! Let's get this class trial started!" Monokuma whipped out a new remote, and with the hit of a button- the ground began to shake

"What's happening?!" Kirumi asked. A huge muscular Monokuma statue that was placed in the center began to descend into the ground, the rich waterfall behind it moved to the sides like a set of curtains revealing a huge door where a path had already spawned

"I'll meet you guys inside! Remember, attendance *is* mandatory!" After that painful reminder, Monokuma made his way through the door

"I can't believe we're really doing this.." Miu folded her arms

"Yes, it appears we have no choice though. We cannot disobey Monokuma" Keebo sighed

"Come on! Let's do this, i *know* we'll get through this. We'll expose Rantaro's killer and escape this place as friends!" Kaede said encouragingly

"Yeah! Lead the way, Kaede!" Tenko agreed. Following Kaede's lead, we all made our way through the mysterious door in an orderly fashion. None of us knew what exactly to expect at the other side of that door- but it was definitely something we'd never think to guess.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class Trial

----------------

"Whaddya' think?" Monokuma asked, he was sat on a  high chair, similar to one you'd see a Judge sitting on in court. Below him were 5 mini seats where the Monokubs were sitting. Infront of them were 17 podiums all connected into a circular shape

"Please choose a stand, any stand, i don't really care" Monokuma told us, i chose the stand directly across from him, Kokichi stood beside me.

"So! Allow me to explain how a class trial works! This *might* not be the only trial you undergo here. Anyways! You're main objective is to uncover Rantaro Amami's murder, you should be able to provide evidence and alibi's throughout the time of the murder and through your investigation period. You are free to say whatever you want, no secrets needed here! It really makes things more entertaining for me!" He chuckled

"It's up to you guys what you decide to talk about first, there's no time limit either- but if i get bored i might usher you guys to speed things up a bit!" Monokuma warned us

"Once you've all decided on it, you guys can request for voting time! that's when you will be given the opportunity to vote whom you think the blackened is. If you guys get it right, the culprit is executed and you guys continue your school life here. Buttt if you get it wrong- then you ALL DIE! And the *real* culprit is allowed to graduate from the school and continue living their old life. You guys ready?" Monokuma asked

"I believe so.." Maki confirmed

"Okay! Get started then!"

"I think it's best if we go over what was on the Monopad first" Shuichi began

"According to that file, Rantaro died at.. 10:05am. I also remember it saying how he was also subjected to blunt force trauma to the back of his skull, which would explain the shot put ball"

He continued

"Didn't it mention how he died immediately?" Kaede asked

"Yeah, i remember it mentioning that"

"So, he instantly died due to the shot put ball 5 minutes after Monokuma's morning announcement, so whoever wasn't in the gym at *that* time is suspicious!" Miu said

"So! Which one of you degenerate males was it?!" Tenko demanded

"Gonta not think it male, it could be *girl* too!"

"Right.. enough of that now" Kaede said trying to get us back on track before the two of them began to argue

"Well, Maki and Miu were the ones who brought the Mega Blaster to the gym. Were you guys the first ones to get there, or was anyone there before you?" I asked

"No, we were the first ones there.. then everyone else piled in" Maki replied

"Other than me and Kokichi, who was with me the whole time- who was the last person to get there?" I shot another question

"Oh yeah! It was Tsumugi" Miu told me, we each turned our heads to Tsumugi

"While i was making my way to the gym, i needed to use the bathroom. That's why i was so late! i didn't see Rantaro at all on my way there or back" She told us,

 i admit i was a little suspicious.

"So you have no alibi for that time?" Tenko raised an eyebrow

"I guess not, no.." Tsumugi shook her head

"Speaking of this, i think we should go over everyone's alibi's for that time" Shuichi suggested

"Okay, me and Maki were with eachother the whole way from my lab to the gym" Miu started

"I can confirm the same for Miu" Maki nodded

"Pretty much everyone saw me in the dorm lobby telling everyone to head to the gym. The last person i told was Kokichi who walked with me to the gym" I stated

"Yep!" Kokichi agreed

"Shuichi and i were woken up at the same time, so we went to the gym together" Kaede said, Shuichi nodded

"Nyehh, i was with Tenko. She and i walked to the gym together"

"Yeah! What Himiko said!" Himiko and Tenko told us

"I saw Korekiyo and Ryoma walking with eachother to the school, and they allowed me to join them" Kirumi explained, Ryoma and Korekiyo confirmed her statement.

"Gonta go with Keebo, Kaito, and Angie" Now all that was left was Tsumugi, who had no alibi.

"Oh.. this isn't looking too good for me, is it?" She said awkwardly, we said nothing

"Let's.. move on" Shuichi finally spoke (which i was honestly grateful for)

"How about we discuss the weapon that was used?" Keebo suggested

"Keep quiet, robot! The humans are busy here" Kokichi ordered

"I refuse to tolerate these horrible robophobic remarks from you, Kokichi!" I shook my head

"Not this again.."

"The shot put ball that was used on Rantaro had to of been thrown at him, surely? I cannot seem to think of any other possibility" Kirumi wondered

"Yes, it is very strange indeed. The shot put ball was rather heavy, you'd need to be reasonably strong to handle it in such a manor" Korekiyo agreed

"If that's true, then the culprit would of had to follow Rantaro into the library and take him by surprise!" Angie assumed

"But that *still* doesn't help us find out who it is!" Himiko moaned

"Actually.. i might have a way" Shuichi spoke up

"Huh? You do?" Kokichi tilted his head

"Yeah! There's something we have to confess.." Kaede continued

"Shuichi and i found a secret door in the library which is behind a bookshelf where only the mastermind of this killing game can enter! We found some cameras and receivers in the storage room and asked Miu to add a few features to them. We set them up in the library so that it would sense movements and take a picture of whoever entered the room...that way we'd uncover the masterminds identity!"

I thought Miu and i were the only ones who'd thought of the possibility of a mastermind..

"We went to an area which was part of our plan, that's when the receiver went off- i *done* something which would serve as the main part of our plan. We headed back to the gym, and *that's* when we noticed Rantaro was missing.."

So that was what Miu's second project was! I remembered seeing the camera's on her desk as i was leaving her lab once.. and i *did* remember seeing the pair of them with a worried look on their face. 

Speaking of that, as Kaede stopped speaking, Shuichi's jaw dropped- what was up with him?

"So.. something went down in that classroom, and you have photos?" Ryoma asked

"Yeah! Monophanie modified them, right?" Monophanie looked up

"Oh! Yes i did!" She reached behind her and handed Kaede some photos. 

By the way Monokuma and the Monokubs grabbed things, you'd think they spawned there.. like teleportation or something- it's ridiculous, but everything seems possible here, except for escaping death..

"Wow! So we have concrete proof here!" Kirumi exclaimed

"Yes, unless any of you guys messed up anything" Kaede glared at the robot bears stood before her

"Nonsense! We would *never*, it's against the rules" Monophanie protested, Kaede nodded her head skeptically as she and Shuichi looked over the photo's.. once they seemed satisfied, they passed them around. When the first photo reached me, i examined it closely- The photo consisted of Rantaro opening a mysterious door inside the library. I handed the photo to Kokichi as i was given another photo from Miu who stood opposite of me. The second photo was a close up of Rantaro who seemed to be reaching for the camera

"The way our trap was supposed to work was that when the book case was moved to reveal the hidden door, the camera would take a picture. The flash would distract the mastermind and lead them to the camera...where" Kaede's voice trailed off, she became *very* quiet, so did Shuichi.

"What's wrong?" I asked, everyone waited patiently for them to say something

"Kaede? You're acting strange, do you know who the culprit is?" Maki asked

"Yeah.. you do too, right Shuichi?" She looked up at his startled face, he looked like he'd seen a ghost. He shook his head, his shoulders slumped

"Are you...okay, Shuichi?" Gonta asked, Shuichi didn't answer- so Kaede spoke

"I'm the culprit..." She admitted, 

when she said it i *swear* my heart skipped a beat

"WHAT?!" The room erupted with gasps and whispers

"What do you mean you're the culprit, Kaede?! This *really* isn't the time to be joking around.." I told her

"I'm not joking.." She shook her head, she glanced at Shuichi, who was looking down at his feet, he was just as shocked as the rest of us

"Shuichi...i talked to you about this, you are the ultimate detective- no matter what, you must *always* find the truth, no matter how horrible or unfortunate it is" Kaede told him, her voice wasn't as confident as it once was.

Shuichi looked up at her, he had tears streaming down his cheeks- he nodded..it looked as if it took him everything he had to even move.

"Kaede's right, *she's* the culprit" His voice was shaky and sad, i could tell they weren't lying

"That's fuckin' bull!" Miu protested

"No..it's not, Kaede..killed Rantaro.." 

I took a step back..

"At first, i suspected Tsumugi seeing as she had no alibi, as well as her having the perfect opportunity to be the culprit.. but now i realize that's not true.." Shuichi held onto the stand, he gripped it tightly with his hands, as if it was the only thing helping him stand. I suspected Tsumugi too...how could the tables turn so quickly?!

"Kaede and i were in a classroom on the first floor, in that classroom there's a vent which connects to the basement- or more specifically, the library. We headed there just before we came to the gym, the receiver went off and.. she rolled the shot put ball down there.." He said

"The fuck?!" Miu blurted out

"No fucking way do i believe for a damn second that it's Kaede!" I pounded my fist on the stand

"Please, just listen- it'll all make sense in the end" Shuichi pleaded with me, i didn't say a word

 "But- are you sure? I mean, maybe it's just a coincidence?" Angie muttered

"What kind of coincidence is that?!" Kaito complained

"Maybe the killer used the same weapon?" Ryoma suggested

"No.. we *found* the shot put ball in the storage room, it was the only one there.." Shuichi shook his head

"How could a measly shot like that be so accurate?" Tenko asked

"Because.. the culprit *intended* it to be...by moving the books around to make a trail- so when the receiver went off and the shot put ball rolled down, it would land on the masterminds head, killing them.." Shuichi shook as he said those words..

"Kaede..." I looked up at her, she gave me a small smile

"I'm sorry, Hitomi- I'm so sorry to everyone!" She announced

"I just wanted to find the mastermind...i just wanted to put an end to this killing game.." She said, i could tell she was still trying to stay strong- must've been hard for her when half of her new friends were crying

"Maybe...he was.." Gonta said hopefully

"Nope! if Rantaro *was* the mastermind, then this game would be over! You'd all *sadly* be able to escape. Well, good thing he wasn't- that would be soooo boring!!" Monokuma stretched.

"I killed Rantaro, for no reason.. he was innocent.." Kaede took a deep breath

"We forgive you, Kaede...we forgive you!!" I shouted at her 

"YOU HEAR ME?!" By now i had two identical waterfalls flowing from my face, she looked up at me

"Thank you...Hitomi" Shuichi wiped his tears as he stood himself up

"Well done, Shuichi...your detective work has really paid off! Great job" She told him

"How can you be so calm...Kaede, i don't *want* you to..." Shuichi stuttered

"I think it's voting time!!" Monokuma declared as a screen appeared on our podiums.

"This is the voting screen! Choose who you think the blackened is! And yes, you *do* need to vote!"

The screen before me flickered to life, a picture of everyone but myself was on the screen, i saw Kaede's profile.. i gritted my teeth as i reluctantly pressed my finger on it

"I'm so sorry.." I managed to say

"Don't be!" Even after all this..Kaede *somehow* managed to muster a smile the whole way through.. i admired it. 

Half of us were apologizing to Kaede- wishing her the best, telling her we forgave her. She accepted everyone's sympathy with a smile plastered on her face constantly.

"Right! The votes are in, 'Kaede Akamatsu' had the most votes" Monokuma interrupted us

"Your vote is....CORRECT!! The blackened who killed Rantaro Amami was indeed, KAEDE AKAMATSU!" Even though i already knew, it hurt twice as much to hear it from Monokuma

"It's okay, Kaede...it's okay.." I rested my hand on hers, she smiled at me weakly

"Hate to break it to ya, but it's not! Well- not for Kaede anyways" Monokuma interrupted us *once* again

"What're you talking about?!" Shuichi asked alarmed

"Don't act like you forgot! If the blackened doesn't get away with their crime, then they're EXECUTED!" He tapped his foot

"Execution..?" Gonta repeated

"Yep! You heard me!" Monokuma confirmed

"No way...you're not actually gonna *kill* her, are you?" Miu laughed nervously

"Yeah! I am. Sorry, that's the rules..it cant be helped" he shrugged

"Shuichi...i believe in you!" Kaede clutched his hand as he could do nothing but hold it back

"Now, let's get this thing started!!" Monokuma whipped out a hammer and slammed it on the little stand Infront of him

'KAEDE AKAMATSU HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY, TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!" A loud speaker announced...

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A large metal collar fell from the sky as it brutally fixed itself on Kaede's neck, Shuichi ran towards her as it pulled her upwards

"KAEDE!!"

He reached out for her, but she was too high up. The room went dark...we began coughing, coughing and gagging horrifically, a small beam of light appeared Infront of us as we tried to adjust to it, we looked up to see Kaede falling down onto a ridiculously large piano, the cover behind it had long lines of spikes laid out on it. She landed on the keys. Monokuma stood on a small platform before her holding two sticks in his paws, he was wearing a tuxedo- he looked as if he was about to conduct a choir of some sort. That's when a song began to play..

"Introducing.. 'Der Flohwalzer'"

Another speaker announced, the collar fastened onto Kaede's neck lifted her up into a standing position, she was just a few inches off the ground. At the bottom of the gigantic piano i could see Monophanie, Monosuke, and Monotaro holding ropes at one side, Monokid and Monodam were at the other, they began tugging at them- as they did i watched to see that Kaede was being lifted up into the air, then being dropped back down. She moved from side to side mimicking someone playing a piano, it was a horrifying sight.

I began to realize that Kaede's movements were getting faster, and faster.. she was being brutally dragged across the keys, the metal collar seemed to be clenched on her neck tightly, it must of been agonizing- it got faster...and faster...and faster...and faster.. Kaede's face had turned a mixture of colors throughout- red, purple, blue...until it was a blend of all three. The music being played became more and more intense, more and more eerie, more and more *terrifying*.

Monokuma raised his arms in the air showing he'd finished his horrific performance, he panted heavily as sweat flew down his face, i fixed my eyes on Kaede..who had stopped moving- the Monokubs had stopped pulling on the rope, she swung there- back and forth, back and forth, back and forth..her body hung there lifeless on display for us all to see. The piano cover began to shake, as it slowly fell onto Kaede.

As that was going on, Monodam lunged at Monokid from behind and kicked him into the piano just before it crushed. Monokids head flew out along with a big splatter of blood, this meant only one thing...the thing we all knew all to well: Kaede was officially dead...dead as dead could be, when i saw her swinging there i- guess i didn't want to accept it. I had *hope* that she could of still been alive somehow, but no. She suffered greatly before she was finally put out her misery...8 hours that'd gone on for.. i felt myself getting dizzy.. i felt sick, what had i just witnessed?! For 8 hours *that* had been on display, merely for Monokuma's entertainment, merely for a simple mistake Kaede had made trying to free us all.. I stared at Shuichi- he had tears rolling down both sides of his face, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He stood Infront of all of us- his eyes were fixed on Monokuma, who walked towards us

"Wow, what a show! Am i right?" He wiped the remaining splutters of sweat off his face as he threw his tuxedo into the corner

"You...bastard.." That was the first time I'd heard Shuichi swear- i think that was *everyone's* first time

"Huh? ...something tells me that you guys don't agree.. oh well! You're free to leave now, but take *that* as a warning"

Monokuma sneered as he waddled past us, how I'd love to grab him by his ears and swing him around until they ripped clean off, and i didn't think i was the only one who had that desire.

Everyone began paying their respects to Kaede before leaving the trial grounds

"Bye Kaede, I'll never forget you!"

"Rest in peace Kaede.."

"Wishing you the best" 

I stepped forward

"You really were something else, Kaede..an amazing soul. Sure i haven't known you for long, and it hurts knowing i didn't get the chance to get to know you more, but if there's one thing i *do* know about you, it's how you were a kind soul, one of a kind. Hopefully in another life, we can be reunited"

I wiped away my remaining tears, I'd lost count of how many I'd shed throughout her whole execution. Shuichi took my place as i turned to leave, i glanced back at him

"I...can't do this...i can't.. i-"

*SLAP*

Shuichi fell to the ground as Kaito stood over him

"KAITO!"

I shouted at him, Shuichi stared up at him

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?!" Kaito yelled

"Kaede believes in you! Her wish was to get us out of here! And she entrusted that onto you!!" Kaito told him

"You hardly even said a THING to Monokuma!" He shook his head

"You can't just give up now! You have to fufill Kaede's wish!"

"Back off Kaito!" I told him

"No...it's okay, Hitomi.." Shuichi shook his head.

I sighed.. and reluctantly turned away to see Kokichi was staring at me- he had a blank expression on his face. After what we'd all witnessed you'd think he'd be more remorseful- clearly that was too much to expect from him. He looked as if he was about to say something- i sped past him before he could even open his mouth, none of us had the energy to deal with him right now- especially not Shuichi.

I just decided to go back to my dorm, i had nothing else to do... everyone else was probably doing the same thing. I closed the door behind me slowly, i just stood there trying to gather my thoughts- trying to process the tragedy which had just took place right before our very eyes. I threw my witch hat across the room along with my shoes as i faceplanted onto my bed, i closed my eyes tightly, i gripped the sheets tightly, i done anything i could to hold myself together- all i wanted now was to fall asleep, fall fast asleep.. then wake up as if it was all a bad dream, as if this never happened, as if i was never even *here* to begin with, as if i wasn't even alive at all...

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