This time there was no dialogue, just the heavy weight of silence above our heads like a hanging knife. We all looked at each other solemnly as the elevator came up and we stepped inside, my insides churning like butter.

Hanako: Everything's gonna be alright.

The lift descended into the trial room, the walls scraping against the shaft once more, letting out rumbles and croaks like a nail on a chalkboard.

This time there was one victim. Nothing different from the past few cases. There was only one victim. Surely this would be easier.

One victim.

Easier.

Right.

Rachel, Chloe, Hanako, Randi, Yu Xuan, Ashton, Sophie.

And me.

Someone here killed Sumana.

But something in my gut told me the story wouldn't be so simple.

It told me that out of everybody in this elevator, someone else was responsible.

Or was it?

Honestly, I could no longer tell. Everything was a mess of truth and lies, hope and despair, past and present.

As the elevator doors opened, I felt the burn of everyone's eyes on me, the cold of the trial room, and the scent of blood and betrayal.

I looked up at the television screen hanging in the room, above the stands. Someone was going to die here.

And it would either be the killer, or everyone else.

Sumana, the ultimate runner, the one who we mistrusted until the end. The one who we thought was planning a murder, ending up dead. She had lost everyone, Annan, Hannan and Miyoshi, it's not hard to believe she lost herself as well. But she was strong, she was still so nice to us, even though we treated her as an enemy. I know saying this will have no more use, what's done has been done, but I wish we had treated her better. Maybe then she would have at least spent her last few days happily.

The only way to apologise now is to find the killer.

We approached our stands, looking back and forth at each other in the uneasy silence.

Monokuma: Now then, let's begin with a simple explanation of the Class Trial! During the Class Trial, you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and vote for whodunnit! If you vote correctly, only the Blackened will receive punishment! But if you pick the wrong person... I'll punish everyone besides the Blackened, and that person will earn the right to leave this mall!

Yu Xuan: So, we're back here again. Where do we begin?

Sophie: ...

Ashton: How we always begin. Let's talk about the murder weapon.

Non-stop debate!

Truth bullets:

Monokuma File 5

Broken robotic arm

Wooden stool

Bloody rope

Broken leg

Chloe: So, Sumana's body in the dream world was found , right?

Hanako: Yes, so how was she killed?

Yu Xuan: She was , right?

Rachel: , could she have died from those?

Randi: How do you hang someone? Don't they need to loop it around their neck themselves?

Ashton: Maybe, but there could be a way for someone to get them into that position. - - - Bloody rope - - -

Ashlyn: I agree with that! - - - CONSENT - - -

Ashlyn: The killer could've used the bloody rope to pull Sumana onto the noose! And the slits on her wrist! Those could be the marks left from the rope rubbing on her skin!

Ashton: That would mean the killer bound her there by a rope on the wrists.

Chloe: The rope? Really? How would that work?

Randi: It seems impossible that the killer would be able to pull Sumana onto the noose and keep her there with a rope.

Rachel: Yea, how would they make sure Sumana actually stays in position and doesn't leave?

Sophie: I think the killer took many measures to ensure that Sumana wouldn't be able to escape. Ashlyn, I'm sure you know this too.

Ashlyn: Wha...?

Sophie's right. To prevent Sumana from fighting back, the killer...

1. Covered her eyes

2. Broke her robotic arm ✓

3. Tied her to the noose

4. Knocked her unconscious

Ashlyn: That's it! - - - GOT IT - - -

Ashlyn: The killer broke her robotic arm...

Randi: That's right, her robotic arm was her strongest body part, of course the killer would want to get rid of it.

Chloe: Wait... There's an important part we're missing.

Ashlyn: We can talk about that.

Non-stop debate!

Truth bullets:

Chloroform

Torn cloth

Wooden stool

Broken leg

Drops of blood

Ashton: So what we know so far...

Yu Xuan: Sumana was , which left small slits.

Hanako: And to make sure that she didn't try to fight back, the killer .

Rachel: Then the killer made her loop her head around the noose and hang herself, right?

Chloe: No that doesn't make sense. If that was the case, this would be a suicide.

Randi: Oh yea! So then, how did the killer kill Sumana?

Sophie: Yea... Judging by what everyone is saying, it would be ... - - - Wooden stool - - -

Ashlyn: No that's wrong! - - - COUNTER - - -

Ashlyn: No... There is a way.

Chloe: What is it?

Ashlyn: The wooden stool that was kicked over in the corner... That's it.

Sophie: The killer kicked the wooden stool under Sumana's feet, hanging her on the noose.

Hanako: Jeez... What did Sumana do to them?

Ashton: Great, so now we know how Sumana was killed and what was used to kill her. What now?

Yu Xuan: I have a question. How do we know that Sumana didn't kill herself and make it seem like a murder?

Rachel: Why the hell would she do that?

Ashton: We need to go back and look at the motive. The one Junko gave.

Monokuma: Oh my! Now that you bring up Junko, my heart is pounding with excitement! Puhuhuhuhu... So many memories...

Chloe: Shut up Monokuma, this ain't about you.

Sophie: Look who woke up and chose violence.

Chloe: The motive was that we all got wristbands with a certain word. When we touched the screen of our wristbands and said the word, we would go to sleep and go to the dream world.

Rachel: Killing only counts if you do it there, and if you know another person's word, you can send them there too.

Randi: So could Sumana have killed herself?

Hanako: You guys left out an important part. There's a traitor among us.

Sophie: Someone working with Monokuma, who promised to kill someone.

Ashton: If the traitor was killed within 3 days, we wouldn't have a class trial.

Ashlyn: If we're having a class trial now, Sumana was obviously not the traitor, right?

Randi: Yea, she didn't have a reason to kill herself. And as Ash said, we're having a class trial right now, so she wasn't the traitor.

Yu Xuan: But what if she was trying to make sure the traitor didn't get what they wanted, so she killed herself to save the rest of us?

Rachel: But that doesn't seem too likely.

Ashton: No, we can't rule out the possibility, Yu Xuan could be right.

Monokuma: Looks like you guys are all split once again! Puhuhuhuhu, you know what that means!

Hanako: Ah shit, here we go again.

Monokuma: The ultimate academy is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!

Ashlyn: Wait but we skipped this part in the last tri-

Monokuma pulled out the large key from his non-existent pocket and slid it into the also large keyhole in front of him. And our stands began to float into the stale air high above the trial room for what we hoped would be the last time.