My mind was fuzzy, but I could feel myself waking up slowly. I tried to open my eyes, but the lights above me hurt like hell. I hissed quietly and screwed my eyes shut again. I was in the nurse's office, by what I could tell. Laying on the uncomfortable bed was not fun. I could hear voices around me, getting louder.

".. ie!"

"She wo... ro"

"...'s waki..."

What are they saying?

I heard myself groan, a little louder this time. The voices became clearer, I could hear Makoto gasp and rush towards me.

"Kuno! You're finally awake!", I heard him say as he wrapped his arms around me. I winced at how loud he was at that moment, but I didn't have the energy to retort. "You were out of it for the entire trial..."

"... Trial? Who... died?"

"Well, technically, none of the students we know.", I heard Byakuya say from the other side of the bed. "We are all safe, however someone is dead..."

"I see...", I muttered. It was confusing, but at least it wasn't one of the students. "But wait... who died then?"

"We don't know, man. The had a mask on and everything! Died anonymous", Hiro huffed.

Did... Did G die...?

"What did the mask look like?", I muttered.

"Well, it had a huge grin on it, and it was black and white, I recall.", Hiro explained.

Well, G where's an animal mask that's one color so... Most likely, not them.

"How are you feeling? We tried waking you up but you were so out of it, nothing could get you to wake up! We were so worried...!", Hina muttered with tears in her eyes. "I... thought we lost you."

"... You could never lose me. As for how I'm feeling... hungry.", I chuckled.

"Mistress, I-I got you a t-ton of fruit from t-t-the kitchen!", Toko stuttered out, showing me a basket full of fresh fruits.

"And I got you some baked goods! I know you need the carbs, Kuno!", Hina brought a box of donuts and other goods. The two girls placed them on either side of me. 

"Thanks everyone, it means a lot that you looked after me while I was down and out.", I grinned.

"Hmph, you sure took your time...", Byakuya huffed. "We need to start investigating once more. Someone recap everything to Kuno so we don't waste time."

"I will.", Kyoko offered, taking a seat next to me. "Everyone, keep investigating. Kuno and I will join you soon."

"Alright... We'll see you guys later!", Makoto nodded, leading everyone out.

"So... what happened?", I asked. Kyoko explained everything to me; the secret 17th student(That wasn't G), the faulty trial, how Makoto almost got executed, Alter Ego saving the day last minute, Kyoko getting her memories back and remembering her father, everything...

"... And that's everything."

"Did G contact you at all?", I whispered. Kyoko pulled out a small note from inside her jacket, handing it to me.

"This was under your bed after you passed out. I kept it hidden until we could both read it.", Kyoko explained as she opened the letter. She began to read it out loud.

Dear Kuno Sawa, Kyoko Kirigiri,

I hope you two are well. Kuno, if you are reading this, I hope your rest was well. Kyoko, thank you for looking after Kuno when I was busy with my research.

"You looked after me?", I smiled.

"Mm, someone had to. Also, Makoto came by before everything that went down, he was worried..."

"I'll apologize later. Keep reading, please."

I have been working and sneaking about, trying to get as much info as possible. It was not easy, the mastermind/Monokuma has been running around to hide as much as possible. However, they are in a panic... And panic leads to mistakes. With how much the late Sakura Ogami revealed before her tragic passing and with me digging around in between every nook and cranny, I think I have an idea of who the mastermind is. I, however, can't reveal that info myself. You guys need to look into it. I'll send you some places you need to look. I left what I could behind while the mastermind wasn't looking. They can't interfere now. 

Good Luck -- G

Behind the note was a list of areas we needed to check. leaving her signature at the end.

"We need to check these places now, before the mastermind finds everything and tries to go back on their word.", Kyoko explained. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I feel better. Let's get to it.", I got up, grabbed my bag that was left for me on the ground and Kyoko and I began our investigation. Kyoko first showed me the Monokuma file for Mukuro Ikusaba, the hidden student.

"Due to the explosion, the victim's identity is unknown. They were, however, dead before the blast. The victim had been stabbed a single time with a knife, which went completely through the body. They had also been struck in the head with an object about as thick as a metal pipe. The body was covered with other wounds, but these were at least several days old."... Hm, I need to look into the places G highlighted... Let's start with the 2nd floor of the dorms.

-Monokuma File #6 has been added as evidence-

"Let's go then, we don't have much time.", Kyoko nodded. We made our way there, seeing the 2nd floor; it looked like a battlefield, debris and random blood splatter everywhere.

"Holy crap... This looks like a nightmare...", I whispered.

"Let's look around.", Kyoko simply stated, walking in front of me. I followed her to the first room; a locker room with a giraffe print on the door. Going inside, the lockers looked busted and unkept for years. A lot of the lockers were covered with metal plates, but a few were left uncovered. I went up to one of the lockers that didn't look busted, but it had a e-handbook card reader on it. I tried using mine, but it didn't work.

"Hm, maybe this was someone else's locker.", I sighed.

"It's unlikely that any of our e-handbooks would open these. Let's check the next area.", Kyoko guided me to a room that had big brown doors. I walked in and it looked like a professional office, nothing like the ruined areas of the rest of the floor. "It's the headmaster's private room."

"Makes sense... Have you been here before?"

"I've been through this room several times already, but I still have one little regret . So I decided to check it out one more time.", with that, Kyoko led me to the computer on a lone desk. "Whoever used this last, it looks like they were very interested in the Ultimate Despair. The PC still has some search results left on it..."

"Then we might be able to get some info on the Ultimate Despair!?"

"There's not much, though. Nothing we don't already know. "The Ultimate Despair isn't one individual, but instead points to some kind of group . That group is responsible for The Tragedy , which happened one year ago. They're the worst sorts of people, whose driving force comes from despair..." And that's all there is. Not much to it, is there? But I guess that's the best he could do as a complete Kirigiri failure..."

"Hey, your father left information about the mastermind, right? I'll take whatever info I can get."

"I see. That's a good outlook to have.", Kyoko mumbled.

-The Ultimate Despair has been added as evidence-

I looked to the side, seeing an indent on the wall. I walked up to it and tried to push it, but no dice. I could feel a very faint breeze from the corners, so something had to be behind that wall.

"There's a gap here...", I stated to Kyoko, who was already standing close behind me.

"I know. There's likely an open space on the other side of this wall."

"A hidden room..."

"I think I might know [how to open it] ."

"You know how to open it?"

"A very easy trick, yes. So easy, I'm not sure you can even call it a trick... I saw a program on that PC that I think controls it. Enter the right password, and the door should open right up. But I don't have a clue what that password might be. All we know is it's probably made up of letters and/or numbers. We can't really go from there..."

"Yeah, that won't do us any good, really..."

"I looked through all his paperwork, all the files on the PC, everything I could think of. I learned more about him than I had any desire to, but nothing that might have been his password... When I think of how much time I wasted on this..."

That's what she meant by regret... I think we can assume that there must be some kind of clue waiting in there. But maybe for her, there's more to it than that... Anyway, if we want to get in there, we need to figure out the password. And if Kyoko can't figure it out, no way do I stand a chance... ...No, wait. There might be a chance... The password could be... Something Kyoko wouldn't have thought of. Or something she didn't *want* to think of... For example...

"Have you tried your name?", I asked. Kyoko raised a brow at me, as if I just made a really bad joke.

"Huh?"

"It could be your name."

"...It's not like you need my permission. If you want to try it, try it. Do whatever you want."

"Alright then..."

I'm glad I thought of trying Kyoko's name. But if that's not it, that might just hurt Kyoko even more...

"If you're worried about me, Kuno, don't be. I already know that your guess is wrong.", Kyoko shrugged as she was looking over the headmaster's desk. I collected myself, then turned to face the computer monitor. I typed in her full name, "Kyoko Kirigiri"...

*Beep* ... *Krrrnnnn* ... the passcode was accepted. The indent moved to the side to let us in the secret room.

"Kyoko! It worked!", I cheered. I turned and saw Kyoko looking so distraught and confused.

"... Why?"

"K-Kyoko...?", I called quietly. Kyoko simply walked past me into the room. "Kyoko!", I called, a little louder this time as I followed her in. The room looked like the walls of a boiler room, with a desk in the center. A huge present box sat on top of the desk, almost eerily. "You... want to open it, Kyoko?"

"I'm not sure it's safe."

"Why, you think it's dangerous?"

"No, not dangerous. But...surprising, probably."

"Surprising?"

"If it is what I think it is...at the very least, it's not something you'll be happy to see."

"Wait, so...you know what's in there?"

"Just don't scream or anything, okay?"

This won't be good... but I have to. For the truth...

"...O-Okay, I'm just gonna open it!", I approached the box. I took a deep breath, then took hold of the lid. Slowly, ever so slowly, I lifted it up... once I took a peek, I couldn't help screaming anyways, against Kyoko's advice. Inside was a disassembled human skeleton, a very much real human skeleton. "What in the hell!?"

"Just as I thought."

"Just as you thought...? How could you have known that? There's a skeleton in there!"

"Well, it's not that I was thinking of the bones specifically. I just...had a feeling it would be his body."

"His?"

"My father..."

"... Don't tell me..."

"What you found in the box... Those bones... That...body... That's my father. Or at least...what's left of him."

"H-How do you know...?"

"Given all the information we have already, that's the only possible answer. Alter Ego said that the headmaster was probably here in the school...but the only ones who were alive at the start of the killing game were us sixteen students. When you put those two ideas together, it doesn't take much to assume... that most likely, my father *was* in this school, but he was also dead . That's my assumption, anyway.", as Kyoko explained her analysis, she was completely calm. Or, no...she *wasn't* calm. She was only trying to *seem* calm . She said it was just as she thought. So she knew it was a possibility. But I had to believe that at some point, she wanted to be proven wrong. Which is why she never looked in the box herself, even though she had plenty of chances. I know Kyoko said she wanted to see her father so she could cut off all ties. But it didn't seem like that was all in that moment. I didn't want to take a photo of the skeleton, so I just committed it to memory.

-Hidden Room Present has been added as evidence-

I sighed and turned, my eye stopping on a picture frame. I walked up to the picture and picked it up. On the faded picture was a man with his back to the camera holding a young Kyoko Kirigiri.

"Hey, Kyoko, look!", I showed the picture to Kyoko and she went rigid. "Kyoko...?"

"...! ...Well, this is annoying. I came here to cut myself free of the past. And yet... To now find something like this... So what do you expect me to do now...?"

Knowing the headmaster had this picture all this time... He must have really cared about her...

"Why? What...? I wanted to face him and tell him myself. To cut him out of my life for abandoning me... That's the whole reason I came here. And now he's abandoned me again. And this time, he even stole the only opportunity I had to move on. Has there ever been a worse father...?"

"Kyoko..."

"Don't worry about me. Feel free to look around as much as you like."

"I can't leave you like this and you know it.", I sighed as I put my hand on her shoulder. "Your confused, Kyoko. Probably tired, very mad, so many emotions running around you and you're not used to it. Just... Talk to me."

"... Maybe later. Never let anything get in the way of the investigation. I don't."

"... Okay, just keep that in mind.", I looked around in the desk next to the present box and found an e-handbook with a label that said "In Case Of Emergency".

"Emergency?"

"A handbook with no limitations , given to the school's ultimate authority, the headmaster... I'm assuming that's what it is."

"Makes sense..."

"It might prove useful as we continue our investigation. Why don't you hold on to it?"

"I guess I could keep it.", I shrugged as I pocketed the e-handbook.

-Headmaster's Handbook has been added as evidence-

"...Listen, Kuno...?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a [favor] ?"

"A favor? What is it...?"

"I know it's completely unreasonable to ask you this. And I know it'll only inconvenience you that much more. But... could you leave?"

"Leave?"

"Just for a little while. I'd just...like to be alone for a bit."

"K-Kyoko..."

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I just need to calm down a little... I need to...get my emotions in order."

"...You know, Kyoko... You mentioned before the relationship you had with your dad. How you're only connected by blood, not by heart and soul. But..."

"Maybe that picture motivated him, maybe he hoped to see me again someday. Is that what you were going to say?"

"It's a possibility, isn't it?"

"If so, it's just a theory (A/N: A GAME THEORY-- sry I'm binge listening to fnaf game theory stuff plz help). And this isn't an issue that can be settled with theories. That picture doesn't change the facts of what happened, what I went through. That problem can't be solved so easily."

"You're right... I'm sorry."

"Once I've got myself under control, I'll return to the investigation immediately. So please, just give me some time to myself."

"I understand. Then...I'll see you later.", I made my way back to the locker room to see if I can open the locked locker. I found Makoto there, trying his e-handbook on the locker but it wouldn't open. "Makoto!", I called. The boy turned to me and smiled.

"Kuno! You look better!"

"Yeah, I'm investigating right now. Are you trying to open the locker?"

"Yeah, but I don't know how. I don't have the right e-handbook for it."

"Actually...", I pulled out the headmaster's e-handbook. "I found this with Kyoko in the headmaster's office. It might open it!"

"R-Really? The try it out!", Makoto took a step back from the locker, allowing me to use the e-handbook to unlock the locker. The locker is practically empty. There was just one thing--some kind of pocketbook. I didn't see a name written on it, so I couldn't say for sure whose it was. But there was some writing inside. I opened the notebook and looked at the writing.

"It looks like a girl's handwriting... And all the letters are spaced out evenly, like whoever wrote them was measuring them. Whoever wrote this must have been really meticulous.", I muttered. Makoto looked through with me before pointing at a certain page.

"Wait, look!", Makoto quickly took the notebook and read the page aloud. " "There's a plan to turn Hope's Peak into a shelter, and isolate the students here in a communal life. I decided to talk to the one who came up with the plan directly. It just so happens to be the headmaster--and my father. He was willing to give me some more details regarding the plan. Here's what he said... 'The point is to keep our student prodigies safe, to keep them as our hope for the future. Only their genius can overcome disaster, and only their hope can overcome despair. For the future of our country, our world, it's not an exaggeration to call this our final hope. We must isolate our superior youth from the corrupted world, to server as the foundation for a new era. This is the only hope we have. I hope that you'll be willing to go along with this plan...' "So that's what my father had to say to me. As usual, he made a selfish decision without consulting anyone else. I can't imagine a worse father." This...can't be true, can it? This is..."

"Kyoko's pocketbook...!", I finished the sentence.

"But if this belongs to Kyoko..."

"What was it doing in this locker? And what she wrote here completely contradicts what she already told us. She said she hasn't seen her dad since he left when she was little.", I mumbled while looking through the rest of the pocketbook. When I looked at it... Unlike the rest of the pocketbook, the writing here was messy, disorganized, scrawled. Stuff like "There is a second despair" and "Despair walks among us and so we survive..."

-Locker Pocketbook has been added as evidence-

"This doesn't make any sense...!", I grumbled, handing Makoto the notebook and opening another locker. Inside was an absolute mess. Tarot cards, fortune telling artifacts, runes... "This can't be..."

"...It's...just a coincidence, right?", Makoto mumbled. I looked in the back, pulling out a crystal ball. "No...it can't be..."

"Hold on, there's a bunch of notebooks in here.", I stated as I pulled out one and opened it to the name page. On it, in bold lettering... Yasuhiro Hagakure . "Holy shit..."

"He...attended classes here?", Makoto muttered.

"There are notes on different subjects and test notes... He studied here!"

-Locker Notebook has been added as evidence-

"A notebook that seems like it belongs to Hiro... And a pocketbook that seems like it belongs to Kyoko... There has to be some kind of explanation. But if we want to find that out, we have to keep moving the investigation forward. And we have to believe in everyone."

"Right... You want to come with?"

"Sure, I need to look around more anyways.", Makoto and I made our way to another location while I explained what I saw in the headmaster's room. We went to the Data Center, walking in and finding Hina there as well.

"Ah, Makoto! Kuno! Are you here to look around, too?", Hina asked

"Is that what you're doing here?", Makoto smiled.

"Yeah. I can't help but wonder about that Monokuma door...", Hina pointed to a door with Monokuma's face plastered on it. "So I figured...if all the doors in school had been unlocked, that one should be open too, right!? Although...I couldn't being myself to open it. Cuz it might explode, right!? And that'd really suck. So...you open it!"

"Uh... Hina, it sounds like your okay with Makoto blowing up...", I mumbled.

"Okay, so...I guess I'll open it.", Makoto shrugged as he approached the door.

"Ah, wait! Lemme take cover first! I don't wanna get exploded!", Hina grabbed my arm and pulled me behind the desk. "Okay! Go ahead!", I could hear Makoto sigh and open the door. Hina and I followed Makoto in. The room looked like the inside of a transformer. "Whoa! This place is totally sci-fi!"

"...Yeah, I was kinda thinking the same thing."

"I mean, every part of this school leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but... this place is like number one gross! It's in a whole different league of creepy!", I walked up to one of the devices, stepping over a hatch, and analyzed it.

"What is this device? It looks like some kind of...control panel. It's really over the top, though. Like some kind of military installation or something...", I muttered.

"Yeah, it kinda looks like a mech cockpit, right? Hifumi'd probably freak out if he saw it!"

"Hmm..."

"Alright! Let's start poking at it or whatever! I'm gonna start pushing buttons!"

"Hina, no! You can't just "or whatever" something like this!", But it was too late... Hina was already jabbing away at the control panel. Something outside of the Mecha room appeared with a loud spring sound.

"Huh? Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I think it came from the other room. Hina...what did you push?", Makoto asked.

"I-I'm not totally sure, but...I think it was that one. The button that says Data Center ."

"Data center...?"

"I'll go check it out.", I stated and walked out of the room. In the center of the room was Monokuma, staring off into space.

"What are you doing here?", I grumbled.

"Graar! Groooar! Gimme all yer donuts!", "Monokuma" growled.

"Donuts..? Hina!?"

"What!? Aw man, busted! How did you know? Anyway, what is this? Some kinda remote-control camera kinda setup?"

"You don't even know what you're controlling!?"

"Well I mean, I can't really see anything from in here. Ah, guess what I found! A self-destruct button!"

"Well don't push it!!"

"Aww maaaan!"

"Were you gonna blow me up, Hina!?", I sputtered. I walked back into the room and Hina and Makoto looked at me with a bit of confusion.

"Whoa! Hey Kuno, what the heck was that just now!?"

"Monokuma, that's what."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What you were controlling just now. It was Monokuma."

"Monokuma...? What!? For real!?"

"Yup. It looks like that panel definitely controls Monokuma. Which means...the mastermind has been controlling Monokuma from this room."

"But...if the mastermind's been controlling Monokuma from here...that means they've been inside the school this whole time, right?"

"That's correct."

Then the mastermind, Monokuma's puppeteer, really is the seventeenth student...

"What's wrong, Kuno? I don't like that face you're making..."

"S-Sorry, just thinking..."

"O-Oh, okay..."

"What about you? Is everything okay?", Makoto asked Hina.

"Oh, well, it's just... This is where the mastermind's been hiding, right? Who knows if they set up traps or something...? So, like... You guys wanna leave soon? There's still lots of other places to check out."

"Yeah, good point. We can't waste all out time standing around here. Okay, you wanna get going, Kuno?"

"Yeah, let's move on.", as soon as we walked out, a click sounded behind us. I turned and tried to open the door, it wouldn't open. "Shit, it's locked!"

"But...why?", right then Monokuma came into view with a devious grin.

"Of course it's locked! Because the data center is now restricted!"

"M-Monokuma!?"

"Hey, no fair! You can't just go around restricting whatever you feel like!", Hina scoffed.

"It's for YOUR benefit! Cuz if that room stays open, I won't be able to move around. Imagine how depressed everyone would get if the school mascot just up and stopped moving!"

"I'd be more than happy if you dropped dead..."

"Then...that room...", Makoto whispered.

"As you may have guessed, that's where my controls are!"

"So...right now, you're being operated by someone in that room?", Hina asked.

"Correctamundo!"

"But that doesn't make any sense! We were just in there, and we didn't see anyone!"

"Oh you didn't, did you? Puhuhu... Are you sure you were as thorough as you could have been? Did you happen to check...a certain suspicious hatch?"

"Shit... you were in the hatch!?"

"Puhuhu, too bad! That was your one big chance, and ya blew it! Of course, that hatch can't be opened from the outside anyway. So whatever! Now then, this room is officially restricted. So no more investigating! I'll be relying on you guys to tell the others. Puhuhu... Peace!", with that, Monokuma waddled away.

"Gh... Fuck!", I screeched and kicked the wall with all my might. I was so done with the mastermind.

"Kuno, please, calm down...", Makoto grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him. Hina walked up to me as well and rubbed my back with her palm. "We'll find them, they want you to get mad."

"... You're right. Yeah, I should just... calm down."

"He's gone. But... was he telling the truth? The mastermind was hiding in there?", Hina asked.

"In fact, if you think back to when we got locked out of the control room, that proves it for sure.", Makoto shrugged.

"Then...when I said we should leave..."

"Well, that hatch couldn't be opened from the outside anyway, right? So it's not your fault."

"O-Okay..."

"Anyway, we don't have to let it get to us. We have to stay positive and make the most of the time we have left!"

"You're right... If there's one thing I'm good at, it's keeping my body moving...! Okay! I'm gonna go run around and tell everyone what we found here! Nice! You've got me all motivated again! Okay, I'm out! See ya later!", Hina quickly picked herself up and sprinted to the others, leaving Makoto and I to keep investigating. 

"Hey Kuno, I actually want to look around on my own, is that okay...?"

"Of course, just... stay safe?"

"Always.", Makoto nodded and left. With that, I made my way to the headmaster's room. I opened the door and found Byakuya looking around. He turned to me and then looking back at the papers thrown around the room.

"I see you've finally gotten up to work.", Byakuya scoffed. I smirked and put my arm around him.

"Yeah yeah, scoff all you want, you need me~"

"Tch, don't get cocky. I can solve this on my own."

"I got the attitude from you, blondie. Now, what did you find?"

"Well, I guess I can show you. Would you like to see [something interesting] ?"

"You had me at interesting..."

"Take a look at this... It was on top of that pathetically ostentatious desk.", Byakuya pointed to a file on the desk. I read it aloud.

"Class #78...Student Registry."

" It contains profiles for all of us...and Mukuro. Apparently class #78 ...refers to us."

"Wait, when you guys found Mukuro's profile in Kyoko's room..."

"That's right. It also mentioned class #78 . This must be where Kyoko got that page. And since the rest of our profiles are listed in there along with hers... there can be no doubt. Mukuro was a student here at Hope's Peak Academy, just like the rest of us. But it seems that Kyoko was in a hurry..."

"Why's that?"

"I'm talking about when she stole it. The uneven tearing, the way the paper had been crumpled, she must have been in a hurry."

"Well, since she snuck in to get it, I'm sure she wanted to get out as fast as possible. But what's your point?"

"She was in so much of a hurry...that she only got the first page."

"There's more?"

"Correct. Mukuro's profile actually contains *two* pages. In other words, when it comes to this profile...there was more [information about Mukuro] that we still didn't have."

"What kind of information is it...?"

"Why do you ask me to explain every little thing? You can read, can't you? It seems to be some sort of detailed report put together by the headmaster himself. I don't know what kind of man he was, but I'm glad he left us such an interesting clue..."

"Alright, alright, I'll read it. Just thought you might review it for me.", I rolled my eyes as I read over the file. " "Mukuro reappeared suddenly, and in the background an entity floats, close but just out of reach. The entity known as...the Ultimate Despair. Right now, I can't be sure if this is a single person, or some kind of group. Whatever it is, Mukuro definitely has some sort of connection to it. I have a bad feeling about all this. I need to push forward with my research into the Ultimate Despair. And I need to pay attention to Mukuro's behavior, too. This is just my gut feeling, but I think she's dangerous. Despite the countless battles she must have gone through as a member of Fenrir, when she entered Hope's Peak, she didn't display any signs of battle wounds or scars. That fact alone proves her tremendous skill in battle. Naturally, I want to believe in her. She's one of my students, after all. But if I decide she's a danger to the other students I will be forced to take all reasonable measures. Also, she seems to be to be getting weapons from another student in this school. Kuno Sawa. I don't think she knows about the Ultimate Despair, she just thinks it's for Mukuro's training, judging by her testimony with other students and myself. G has contacted me as well, they are also suspicious of Mukuro Ikusaba."... Wh--", I felt Byakuya pin me against the wall by my shoulders, making me grunt in pain.

"What do you know?"

"I don't know anything, okay!? I don't remember anyone with this name, this is my first time hearing about this!"

"... Hm, just like Kyoko said. You wouldn't remember Mukuro."

"W-What?"

"Kyoko explained what's going on between you and the... anomaly.", Byakuya sighed as he took a step back. "And how you may not remember things, like Kyoko. So I just wanted to test you, in case Kyoko was trying to cover for you."

"Uh, so am I off the hook?"

"I suppose, you sound just as confused as ever.", Byakuya shrugged. "But enough of that. By what the headmaster wrote in the file, you knew Mukuro, but not that she was a part of the Ultimate Despair. And G had their suspicions as well. But I should probably point out one other thing. There's another important bit of information within the file that you should note."

"Wh-What is it?"

"Did you notice the picture in there? A picture of a girl perhaps you've never seen before? A girl who seems to be included as part of our class #78. That should be enough for you to figure out who the girl is. And further information about that girl is included in the file. 5 foot 7 inches, 97 pounds. And it even lists her vitals...31-22-32. Well? What do you think?"

"Uh, are you asking me if she's hot?"

"Tch, of course not, you hopeless idiot. What I'm trying to tell you, is maybe you'll want to keep that in mind for later. Maybe you'll make your way back to the corpse, and maybe you'll think, "Oh, could that mean...?" Personally, what I'm thinking seems all but impossible. But it wouldn't hurt to confirm, right? That's all I was trying to say. What you do with that information is your business."

-Locker Notebook has been added as evidence-

"Oh, and one last thing... It's a bit of [advice] from me to you, so I suggest you pay attention."

"Uh, okay?"

"You seem to be getting along with Kyoko quite well."

"That's true."

"Well, don't put too much faith in her."

"And why is that?"

"The cost of that faith might be more than you can afford."

"Why are you saying this exactly...?"

"Just what I think. Call it a hunch."

"A hunch..."

"But my hunches tend to be proven right. The advice is free this time. Take it or don't, as you will."

"... You're not jealous, are you?"

"WHAT!?"

"Just saying, I mean... it's just a hunch~", I shrugged with a smirk. Byakuya just huffed and went back to sifting through papers. I bid Byakuya a farewell and made my way to the 5th floor bio lab. The lab was freezing, making me shiver immediately.

It's so cold...! It's like...abnormally cold. I feel like I'm in a giant refrigerator. Seriously, why is it so cold!?

There was some kind of weird machine or something built into the wall. And on the left side, there was a bunch of glowing blue lights... But on the other side...

Ah, that's it! I've seen this kind of thing in horror movies and stuff... It's...a fridge for storing dead bodies. Does that mean this bio lab is actually...a morgue?

I looked at the desk in the center, finding an instruction Manuel.

" "We offer an eco-friendly alternative to standard dry ice for all your cadaver needs. In addition to the germicidal lamps, we also provide an ozone generator for the removal of ethylene gas. Simply insert the cadaver, and the blue light will let you know the automated systems have activated. Temperature and humidity levels will be adjusted automatically for optimum settings. With our system, anyone can keep a body fresh as a daisy for as long as you need! In the unlikely event of a problem, the red light will activate and an alarm will sound immediately. The exterior is stainless steel, and we do offer an optional leather upholstery upgrade package." "

This is...the instruction manual for the fridge?... Only some of the lights are on... The ones on the left. The right-hand lights are off... Well, looking around, I think I get it... It seems clear to me now... It was a makeshift morgue.

-Bio Lab Secret has been added as evidence-

And about those lights by each slot... It looks like it's set up so that when a slot is occupied, the blue light comes on. Which would mean, inside each slot lit up in blue...another one of the victims is...

-Bio Lab Lights has been added as evidence-

I sighed, controlling my emotions a bit before making my way to the dojo. Toko was there, pacing around the room.

"Oh, Toko. So this is where you were."

"M-Mistress! Should you b-be walking around right n-now!?"

"I'll be fine, Toko. We need to end this, I can't be sitting on my ass."

"S-So noble and cool~!"

"U-Uh, okay, I thought maybe you'd found a clue here..."

"Well I h-haven't... I didn't find anything... Not one s-single clue! I figured since this place was r-related to the case, it would have to h-have something, right? But there wasn't a-anything out of the ordinary here! Give it b-back... Give me back my precious t-time!"

"Calm down, Toko."

"B-But When everyone finds o-out, they're gonna call me useless! G-Good for nothing!"

"I'll tell them to back off."

"But Master will! I don't want that! I'm sick of a-always being looked down on! Why w-won't anyone accept me...? Gh...ngaaaAAaAAAahhH!", with that, Toko booked it out of there.

"... Okay. I guess I need to check the garden now. The body has to be there... or what's left of it.", I muttered the last part as I ran to the garden. The thing was, the body was gone.

"It's...not here? Ugh... toolshed it is.", I grumbled as I opened the shed. No dice. "Is the body... in the bio lab?" I looked around and found the tarp that was supposedly covering the body.

The killer used the tarp to keep the sprinklers from getting the body wet. Which means the killer might have left some clue behind here... I don't think anyone noticed this before, but there's a small stamp on one corner of the tarp. It says...bio lab.

-Tarp has been added as evidence-

Right then, the announcement jingle rang out, Monokuma clearing his throat to speak.

"Umm, this is a school announcement... Is everyone working hard? Is your investigation coming along nicely? Well then. Since you're all giving it your best, your generous headmaster will give you a little hint! Puhuhu... For those of you who are interested, please make your way to the gym ASAPossible!"

What...? *Now* he wants to give us a hint? It's suspicious, there's no doubt about that... This could be a trap... I have to check though.

I sprinted to the gym, finding Hiro walking out of the room looking nervous.

"Oh, Hiro, how's the investigation going?", I asked. Hiro seemed jumpy, taking a step away from me.

"Uwah! Kuno!?"

"Why'd you act so surprised?"

"O-Oh, no reason!"

"You heard Monokuma's announcement, right? Did you see the clue?"

"I...I... I just did, actually. I'm on my way out..."

"You already talked to him? What'd he you see?"

"...Listen, sorry, b-but I...! I gotta go!", Hiro ran out, leaving me confused. I sighed and walked into the gymnasium. There, Monokuma was waiting.

"Hello, welcome! Welcome, hello! Are you ready for your final hint!? Well, it just so happens to be in the envelope on the ground in front of you!", Monokuma pointed at the envelope on the ground. I slowly picked it up and examined it. "Puhuhu... And just so you know, I won't be answering any questions about what you find inside!"

"Why?"

"Don't worry, just get on with it!"

Monokuma's cryptic words didn't make me feel any better, but I picked up the envelope...and opened it. What I found was...a single photograph. It featured a bunch of faces I recognized extremely well. It was everyone who'd come to Hope's Peak at the same time as me. Everyone had gathered in the lunch room, hanging out and eating with one another... and someone was in the photo, someone I hadn't met but I knew; Mukuro. She was sitting in the very back, looking directly at the camera with a small smile.

"Why is Mukuro here with everyone else? And even more than that... Why am *I* not in there?", the photo had everyone but me. It's like I was never there.

"Could it be...? Everyone else...? And just me...? Everyone here except me is...?"

No, I can't doubt my friends! Maybe... there has to be an explanation, I'll look into this!

"Puhuhu... How long are you gonna keep up this rambling soliloquy of yours, Marilyn? You're kinda gettin' in the way standing there, ya know? So...I mean...get out!"

"But I have que--!"

"I told you, I'm not fielding any questions! What kind of mystery would this be if I gave you all the answers? That'd be totally out of left field! dugretTt/r@@2e!-- brRRrqffqZZzzkkKk>3", with that weird glitch, Monokuma left.

-Group Photo has been added as evidence-

Maybe I should just ask everyone directly. That should clear all this up.

I ran into Byakuya and called for him.

"Byakuya!"

"..."

"Listen, I need to talk to you about the hint Monokuma gave."

"..."

"Uh, Byakuya?"

"I have nothing to talk to you about. Don't talk to me as if we're friends.", with that, Byakuya stormed out. I blinked and felt myself get mad.

"Fine, be that way, asshole!", I huffed as I went to look for Hina. I found her and quickly caught her attention.

"Hina, Listen, I was hoping to talk to you!"

"K-Kuno!?", Hina squeaked as she took a step back from me. "...S-Sorry! Gotta go!"

"W-Wait, Hina, come back!!", but Hina ignored me as she sprinted away. "What's going on...?", I grumbled as I ran around and found Hiro. "Hiro!"

"Gwah! K-K-Kuno!"

"What's going on with you all? Every time I see anyone, they freak out or give me the cold shoulder!?"

"N-No, I... No! Sorry, but I'm in a big hurry!", Hiro ran before I could try and hold him back.

"Ugh... Gotta check on Toko then...", I grumbled as I ran all the way to the Bio lab. Inside, Toko was on the floor, passed out. "T-Toko!?", just then, she woke up and Genocide Jack was awake.

"Kyeeehahahaha!"

"Oh God!", I yelped.

"It's cold... It's super cold! It's so cold, I think I might catch cold!"

"Well, you are napping in the Bio lab..."

"What, I was asleep? Ahh, I musta fainted again! I bet you were standing there, staring at me, getting all excited! Weren't you, Mistress~!?"

"Uh, no."

"Oh, then what? Hot and bothered? Straight-up hor--"

"Why did you pass out!?", I asked while almost choking.

"I dunno! Last thing I remember was me waking up just now! What'd you do to Miss Morose~!?"

"Oh, that's right. Your memory stops and starts each time you switch... Also, I didn't do shit!"

"Bingo bazinga! We share some basic knowledge, but our memories are very much separate! And don't say it like it's a bad thing! It's a blessing as far as I'm concerned! Cuz even if *she* forgets something, I totally remember! So it's like double the memory! But all I wanna know right now is, where's my little darling!? Tell me now, or I slit your throat! Cutely, of course~!"

"Hmph, I don't know. I'm sure Byakuya's around somewhere, doing his own investigating. And ignoring me...", I huffed.

"Is he by himself!?"

"I think so."

"I knew it! I totally knew it! I'm a total pro when it comes to all things Master! Anyway, I gotta hurry! I can't even imagine how lonely he must be right now! Don't miss me too much~! Kyeeeeehahahahahaha!", Genocide Jack shot off, her eerie laughter echoing behind her. I looked around the Bio Lab and saw that one of the fridge units was open. In it was a covered up body.

Huh, I don't remember it being open when I left...

"That must be why she passed out. She faints so easily...", I heard from behind me. I turned and saw Kyoko walking in.

"Kyoko! Glad you're back..."

"It's getting late, isn't it?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry if I made you worry."

"Don't apologize for needing some space."

"But listen, about this room...It's a morgue."

"Yeah, I gathered."

"I suspected as much. And Toko must have looked inside the fridge, seen what was in there, and...well, there you have it."

"You knew she'd fainted?"

"I was on my way here, when Genocide Jack came running past me. I assumed she must have sneezed, but once I got inside, the real reason became clear. I imagine she came here to investigate, and when she opened the slot there..."

"That's when she saw the body inside and dropped like a sack of metal dust..."

"Anyway, we should close it up. Don't want to leave it hanging open like that..."

"Yeah, good idea..."

"Give me a hand with this.", Kyoko approached the fridge, hands outstretched. But suddenly...she stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"Maybe we should wait a second before closing it."

"Why?"

"Because [Mukuro's body] is in here."

"Are you serious!?", I gasped as I got closer to check.

"Just like every other time, the mastermind probably brought it up here while we were in the class trial and you were out of it."

"Because they assumed we wouldn't be doing the class trial over again."

"You may be right... Either way, now I can finally get a good look at the body. I need to do my own examination of the corpse as soon as possible. I'm going to find a clue this time, and I'm going to grab the mastermind by the tail..."

"You want me to do anything?"

"No, it's alright. I'll let you know as soon as I'm finished."

"Alright.", I nodded, going to the back to look at the bunch of tarps and reexamined the lights.

-Tarps and Bio Lab Lights have been updated-

After looking everything over, I went to Kyoko to ask her about the group photo.

"I wanted to ask you something, Kyoko..."

"...What is it?"

"It's about that announcement Monokuma made earlier..."

"You mean the one about a "hint" or something? I didn't take him up on the offer."

"Why not?"

"The only reason he'd give us a "hint" at this point would be to confuse us, to cloud our judgment. I can solve this mystery on my own, without whatever hints he may have to offer."

"Hm... good point."

" Okay, Kuno. I'm done."

"Wow, that was fast!"

"Anyone can do good work if they go slow. In that spirit, I'll make my [report] brief."

"So, did you find anything?"

"I paid careful attention to the wounds and the traces of blood. And it seems highly likely that the stomach wound and blow to the back of the head were inflicted after death ."

"Really?"

"The burnt tissue made things a little difficult, but I'm completely confident in my findings."

"The only other option is those "other wounds ," but the file said they were old."

"Where does it say they're old?"

"... What?"

"All the Monokuma File says is that they were inflicted at least several days ago ."

"I... don't see the difference."

"Well the difference is immense, considering the impression they give. You seem to be equating "several days old" with simple "old ". But that doesn't quite follow logically. "Old wounds," it makes it sound like they've been there forever, like they're not related to the murder."

"Are you saying they are? But we all got the Monokuma File right after she was killed, right? So if the wounds were at least a few days old, there's no way they could've had anything to do with it."

"But what if Mukuro herself wasn't killed within the last few days."

"Huh...!?"

"Certainly you can allow it as one of the many possibilities, can't you?"

"I... guess so."

"A detective doesn't have supernatural powers. There's no way to predict the answer from the beginning. Instead, the ideal detective begins by imagining as many possible scenarios as they can. They envision these possibilities without prejudice, without bias, using only their logic and common sense. Then, as they investigate, they test what they find against each of these possibilities. Of course, me telling you this doesn't mean you'll be any good at detective work. but beyond using that to solve this particular mystery, you should keep it in mind for the future."

-Kyoko's account has been added as evidence-

"So, if there's anything else you'd like to know about [the condition of the body] , now's the time."

"...Earlier, when I was looking at Mukuro's profile, it listed her height and weight..."

"5 foot 7 inches, 97 pounds. Vitals were...31-22-32. Did I get all that right?"

"You have a good memory."

"They are indeed consistent with the corpse."

"So then..."

"And don't forget about the Fenrir tattoo. There's absolutely no mistake... Our victim in this case is, without a doubt, Mukuro Ikusaba...!"

-Mukuro Ikusaba's Profile has been added as evidence-

"Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"Um, there is one more thing, Kyoko... I know I shouldn't, but I feel like I have to ask..."

"Go ahead, then."

"Have you really not seen your dad even once since you got here?"

"What...? What do you mean?"

"you know all those lockers on the 2nd floor of the dorms?"

"I do, yes. But to get into any of the lockers, you'd need the handbook of whoever the locker belongs to."

"I managed to get them open using that emergency handbook. The one we found in the headmaster's hidden room..."

"So? Did you find anything worthwhile in the lockers?"

"I found a pocketbook. And after looking through it...I think it must be *your* pocketbook."

" ...What makes you say that...? Like I said, only the locker's owner should be able to get into it, right? I can't imagine those lockers belonged to any of us... After all, we only got access to that area just recently. What I'm saying is, there's no way I could've had access to any of those lockers. And if I *did* have a pocketbook, why would I bother putting it in a locker?"

"Everything you just said makes perfect sense. But there was something written inside... It was about the headmaster--about your father."

"...!? Could that mean... That video...is real, too...?"

"Video? What video?"

"Kuno...I think everything is finally starting to fit together to reveal a cohesive picture. Although...I'm afraid that picture might be worse than anything we could have imagined."

"What are you talking about?"

"I need to go investigate those lockers, right now. I need to confirm what you just said with my own two eyes."

"Oh, let me give you the headmaster's handbook. That way you can--"

"That won't be necessary. If I'm right about this, I shouldn't have any problem opening the locker with my own handbook. After all, it would seem that it's my locker."

"Your locker...?", Kyoko then pulled out a dvd and placed it in my hand.

"If you watch this, it'll all make sense."

It says..."Class #78: Urgent Interviews"!?

"I found it in that hidden room, after you left. I don't have time to explain what I think it means, so just watch it and see for yourself. I think you'll realize exactly what it means... You'll understand why you found my pocketbook in a place none of us have ever seen before."

-Interview DVD has been added as evidence-

"Oh, and now it's my turn. Do you have a second to listen to me ramble...?"

"Of course, ramble away."

"So as it turns out...the arrangements I'd made...didn't stick. What I mean is, I'm less and less sure of everything. Even my own feelings... I can never find the answers to the questions I wanted to ask. For the rest of my life... But there's one thing I *am* sure of. When it comes to the mastermind, there's no room in my heart for forgiveness. I swore to destroy the mastermind. This is just one more reason to follow through on that.", Kyoko's eyes burned with the fire of determination... The determination to defeat the mastermind. " It's strange...to be confronted with his death, and suddenly feel this way. I couldn't care less if my father had found happiness. So why is it...? Why does it bother me so much to know how he suffered...? It's ridiculous. There's just no understanding it, I guess...", she let out a small laugh as she said it. But her smile was filled with sorrow. "So, that's it for my rambling. There's still much to do before I can consider my task complete."

"Thank you for talking to me about this. Your feelings are real and complicated, and that's not a bad thing per se. And you're right, we still have a lot to do."

"But keep this in mind... There is only ever one absolute truth. Whether that truth serves justice or suffering ... Whether it's the greatest truth, or the worst ..."

"What do you mean...?"

"Even if the truth you uncover is filled with hopelessness...you still can't give up hope."

"Absolutely not. All I can do is keep moving forward. That's pretty much all I have been doing, no matter how good or bad I am at doing that..."

"Indeed... Sorry if that was...strange."

"Don't apologize, it's the truth, hehe~"

"Anyway, I need to get going. I'll see you at the class trial... Good luck.", Kyoko smiled as she walked away. I sighed, gripping the DVD and going to the A/V room to check it out. I made my way there, not wasting any time and popping the DVD in the computer in front of me to watch. 

-Interview DVD has been updated-

Right then, another announcement rang out.

"For anything that has a start, there has to be an end. And if the end comes, then that means it's time for a fresh start. There is no night that doesn't have a dawn... Although that dawn is totally pitch-black! There is no storm that won't eventually end... Of course, then that leads to drought! But as I said, every end is the promise of a new beginning. Which is why I'm sure we'll get to meet again. Because the end is only the beginning! Anyway, let's get started! The beginning of the end of the class trial! Everyone gather once again at you know where! Puhuhuhuhu! Puhuhu!", with the laughing echoing around me, I made my way to the elevator room. When I made it there, I saw Kyoko standing in the corner and Makoto standing in the center.

"You're early, Kuno. Does that mean you feel prepared?"

"You two are as well... But where's everyone else? Why aren't they here yet?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be here soon.", slowly, everyone trickeled in. They all ignored me... and also ignored one another, as if they can't trust anyone. Silence. And it wasn't any normal silence. It was the deafening silence of fear and suspicion. It was like...the first class trial... well, it was silent until Genocide Jack ran in.

"AaaahhhI'mlaaaattteeee!!!", Byakuya and I just blinked.

"Ahh, strong silent Master and Mistress are so wonderful! So cool, so hot, my loins are ablaze! Now listen, everything'll be just fine if you leave it to me! With my scissor-sharp scissors in hand, I'll stab and gouge and shiv the master of evil...!"

"But, I thought you couldn't kill anyone but adorable little boys...", Makoto mumbled.

"If it's what Master or Mistress want, it can be a boy, girl, or anything in between! I can handle it...", right then, Genocide Jack sneezed and Toko blinked slowly." N...nng...where a-am I?"

"No human language can describe the disappointment I'm feeling right now.", Kyoko sighed.

"Puhuhu. Is everyone here? Ooh, and wearing our Gloomy Gus faces, I see! Okay, well then...let's begin! This final class trial is gonna be slathered in pitch-black despair! Climaximum sorrow!", Monokuma cheered.

"You're right. This *is* the final class trial. And this time, it'll be fair."

"Whaddya mean, THIS time!? Stop with all the slander! I'm a bear in good standing, ya know! If there was a Mr. Fair Guy Universe contest, I'd take home the tiara every year! I'm gonna win this game super fair and square! And I'll make sure everyone watching at home knows...that despair is mightier than hope ."

"Enough of your tedious drivel. Begin the trial already.", Byakuya scoffed.

"Sure, sure. Let's begin the trial already! I'll be waiting for you down below. So don't try and run away... Ahh-hahahaha!!", Monokuma laughed as he went down the elevator. When the elevator came back, we started to file in. Byakuya seemed to have a confident aura, while the Hina, Hiro and Toko looked so nervous.

"They're all acting...odd. Like they're paranoid, suspicious of each other... But you two know why that is, don't you?", Kyoko turned to Makoto and I.

"Yeah, I think I do."

"Y-Yeah, I think so too..."

"Well, you can tell us all about it soon. At the class trial..."

"You're right. We're ready...!", Makoto nodded.

"Ready to win, right?"

"Always.", I smirked.

"I'm glad to hear you two say that.", Kyoko and Makoto walked into the elevator. I started making my way toward the opening. Step after step toward that gaping maw... I'd resolved that this would be the last time. I repeated to myself that there was no fear, no mystery left. I pushed my anxiety down, calmed my trembling body. And finally, on steady legs... I passed the threshold and stood in the elevator. Without warning it began to descend... Deeper and deeper... Deeper...deeper...deeper still. Deeper and deeper, deeper and deeper, deeper and deeper... Deeper and deeper it fell... I closed my eyes, and sight fell away. All sound, too, disappeared. Alone in the universe, I waited for the elevator doors to open for the last time. What could have been seconds or centuries later...I felt the gentle vibration of the elevator come to an end. I slowly opened my eyes. The final sight looked like the inside of a bunker.

"This...is the final trial site?", Makoto asked.

"Whaddya think? Isn't it just the perfect background for deciding a person's fate!? It's the long-awaited last stage! The always-exciting final boss battle! Puhuhu... And I'm gonna sit in on this one! I'll just sit right here in the vacant seventeenth seat! Well then! Let's...BEGIIIIIIIIIIIINNN!!!"

CHAPTER 40, END!!

(A/N: PROBABLY 3-4 CHAPTER LEFT IN THIS STORY EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!)