---

---

"Oh god, no.." Once Mercy and Alice were inside Shaun's room, the plague doctor froze in place at the sight of Marianne's corpse, strung up in the remnants of the fire. Although she seemed to chuckle at Jezebel's joke, it was obvious that Mercy was shaken, as with the others.

And suprisingly, Alice appeared sorrowed by the herbalist's demise. The recon had though about trying to be friends with Marianne before then, she was the first person there to show her kindness, after all.

With despair looming around the group of infinites however, the recon's expression changed to one of vengeful determination. "Come on, let's go look for evidence." Alice said to Mercy, before leaving Shaun's room, the plague doctor following behind.

"Right, you can check the hospital wing and the upstairs resort. I'll look around here and the patient's quarters."

Once Alice and Mercy arrived in the first-floor resort, the two decided to split up the search and meet back up after. "Okay but, are you...okay?" Mercy asked the recon, moving her mask to the side of her face.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well..with the others in greiving for the herbalist, it's kinda weird that you're..I dont know, unaffected?"

With a quick look of unamusement, Alice sighed in defeat, before giving the plague doctor her hat back. "This is only the second death we've face, Mercy. Giving into despair now is like giving up on a patient for you, or quitting in the middle of a competition for some of the others. So Im not losing hope, and you shouldnt either. Got that?"

With a quick moment of silence, Mercy's smile returned, as the plague doctor threw her hat back on. "Understood." She answered, before walking to the hospital facilities. With Alice walking back to the study, in case she missed anything inside.

When Masson entered the room, she could see a familiar glowing eye on the other side of the vault.

“How wondrous.” The robot whispered, but the voice carried over to Masson's ears. “There's been a murderer, and as long as the blackened is stopped, this door will open a bit more.” There was a pause as the carnage sister waited. “I will do everything in my power to help you solve this case.”

Overhearing Parker, Masson made her way over to the vault. "So it seems. Glad you're with us in this." The recon replied, taking out her E-handbook to look over the Monokuma File. "Marianne Roche, strung up and stabbed in the heart and torso." Masson explained to Parker. "The only room I can think of for the blackened to obtain rope is the theatre, but im not sure what the weapon could be.."

“Ahhhh...” Parker's voice sounded like a sigh. “This is my first time seeing this woman. And since I have never been outside this vault, I am unaware of many things that wait for me out there in the game. But what I can tell you is that someone was trying to hide something in this vault.” Parker caressed the edge of the door. “Someone tried to throw a wallet into my vault. I heard them enter, but they ran off before I could get a good look at them. I think that was the other day.” She paused, as if to think. “But then a few minutes ago, a man came in here. He seemed on edge, but wanted to know if I had seen anything. I just told him about the wallet before handing it to him. He thanked me and walked off.” Parker paused again. “The only people I really know about are you and Shaun. You are the only people I've ever spoken with before today..”

A wallet? Who would throw that in here? This isnt exactly a bank vault.. Masson thought to herself, before looking back to Parker. "Did you see who the man was? Or what he looked like?" She asked Parker.

“He did not like being looked at.” She whispered. “I only knew it was a man by the sound of his voice. Perhaps I should have tried to look at him, but I was hoping to gain his trust by remaining in hiding as he left.” She laughed like a wraith. “Well, a murder has started now, so I'm sure the two are related. I hope I was helpful.”

"At this rate, anything can be useful." Masson replied, before moving away from the vault. "Well, See you after the trial." The recon said, before walking back to the resort.

Once Alice was back in the resort, on cue, Mercy appeared from the staircase to the second floor. "I didnt find anything yet, you?" She asked Alice. "Ah, thats a pity..but hey, I found some evidence, if you're curious."

"Sweet! Let's go back to the others!"

"Right."

Cyrus got closer to the body with grim determination. They needed to solve this case, no matter what. He had hoped the prior case would've been the last. That nobody would dare risk facing a gruesome execution like the one that had befallen Lucas. But apparently, he had been wrong. Marianne had been killed in a horrible fashion. He scanned her, looking for any clues that weren't displayed in the monokuma file. But alas, he didn't find anything of interest. Biology had never been Cyrus's strong suit. Perhaps somebody more medically inclined would have more luck.

Backing off a little with a sigh, he looked around the room. The fire had ravaged the room. He did note that Marianne herself hadn't really been affected by the fire much.She and her wounds were both very recogniseable. The killer hadn't intended to obfuscate how Marianne died with the fire. That must've meant there must've been some very incriminating evidence that he needed to get rid of. Perhaps he should look for that?

Bliss was also in the room, along with a few other infinites. She had her back to Marianne's body and appeared to be searching the walls. Though she must have spotted Cyrus out of the corner of her eye. “Um, Cyrus?” She must have noticed him out of the corner of her eye. “It would appear knowing what killed a victim doesn't instantly solve their murderer. I actually kind of wish her body was in a suit of steel right now.” Her eyes suddenly opened wide. “Um! What I meant to say is, do you think we should cut her down?”

Cyrus looked at Bliss with a face that still clearly showed his grief. "Indeed, the murder method isn't what we need to figure out this case. It's the circumstances around it." He deduced. "What happened with Shaun and his handbook, I reckon." He wasn't sure what to make of the rest of Bliss' comment, but he responded with a slow nod. "We probably should But first we should record the way she was strung up there. We might destroy evidence if we do it now.." He took out his hand book and focussed it on the bindings that held the girl suspended, and took a few pictures from different angles. He then motioned over Bliss, to get this over with.

The nanny placed her hands on her dress. “Oh, I just realized I don't have anything to cut her down with.” She looked around before spotting something on the ground. “Here we go.” The nanny reached for a knife and picked it up. Cyrus noticed that there were small traces of blood on the edge of the knife.

Cyrus looked at Bliss somewhat stunned. "You do realise you're likely holding the murder weapon there, do you?" He asked bluntly as he inspected the knife. It had remarkably little blood on it for a weapon that must've stabbed Marianne multiple times. Had it been cleaned? "Let's have a look. How well do the knife wounds match up to it?"

Bliss jumped when she noticed the blood. “Oh dear, you're right!” she placed a hand on her cheek. “It looks like it was smeared, not exactly the tidiest way to clean a knife.” She held the knife up sideways to one of Marianne's wounds. Bliss was noticeably turning her head to to not look directly at the body. “Um, it looks pretty close. I think you're right!” Bliss turned to face Cyrus. “So what did they clean the knife off on? Did it burn up?”

Cyrus nodded "Most likely, but it's still a good idea to look around." He said. "The fire didn't get to burn very long, so there's a good chance not every bit of evidence was destroyed." He then smiled at her. "But hey, we have one clue already. Good job." He said in an attempt to cheer her up a little. Then, he refocussed on the room around them.

After a short scan through the room, he suddenly noticed something red. "Over there." Cyrus said to Bliss as he walked over to the unknown object. Upon closer inspection, he was certain he had seen something like this before. Yes, it was a hospital gown, or what was left of it. It had been burned mostly, but what was left of it was damp and dyed red."Blood." Cyrus easily confirmed.

“And a lot of it.” Bliss stood beside Cyrus. “There's more than just what was on the knife.” Bliss sighed.
“Do you think the killer wore this when they...” Bliss trailed off.

"To shield their own clothing, likely." Cyrus mused. "The killer couldn't risk being spotted in bloodied clothing, after all." He looked at Bliss.
"Do you happen to know where it would be easiest to procure one of these?" He wondered. Even though this was a hospital, people don't just leave gowns everywhere for people to grab.

“Honestly, I think we all have at least one. It's like killgood said, everything we had with us before entering the killing game is in our rooms.” Bliss placed the knife next to the gown. “I know I had one in with all of my clothes, but there were a few in the laundry room as well. So I don't think that's going to help us all that much.” the nanny let out a defeated sigh.

"It could've even been Shaun's gown, in that case." Cyrus agreed with the Nanny. That line of thought wasn't going to get them anywhere. Still, it was good to have it considered. He then looked back to Marianne's corpse. "I guess we should get it down now." He then looked back to Bliss."You cut the rope, I'll hold her and make sure she doesn't fall."

The nanny blushed. “T-thanks, I was going to ask if you'd do that actually.” Bliss stood up, taking the knife with her as she did so. It appeared that the ceiling tiles had been moved out of the way so that Marianne's body could be hoisted up by pulling the rope over the joists in the ceiling. The ropes were anchored down to the bed, which was one of the few items that hadn't been burned. Bliss aproched one of the ropes and placed a knife against it. “Just tell me when you're ready.”

Cyrus got himself into position, positioning one arm under her knees and the other at her back, ready to catch her in his arms as she was cut loose. It wasn't a glamorous job, but that's why he figured it was better suited to him than Bliss. "Ready"

Bliss fret her brow and pushed the knife into the rope, causing it to flex slightly. Already the tiny fibers of the rope were starting to snap in front of the fine blade. The nanny took hold of the rope in one hand and sawed it in half with one motion. Bliss turned around just in time to see Marianne fall int Cyrus's arms. She fell so suddenly that the politician wasn't quite able to contain her momentum. The politician simply wasn't a body builder. He found himself stumbling backwards when he could feel Marianne's upper body pull away from him. Bliss had rushed up behind her and taken hold of her shoulders. With Cyrus holding her legs, and Bliss holding her torso, they gently lowered her to the ground. The two looked at Marianne's body. If not for the stab wounds and the blood on her head, they might have thought she was sleeping. Though her wounds, and the blood the two had gotten on themselves, was a reminder that she would never wake up. Bliss almost looked like Marianne did when she held Krista's throbbing head.

“Cyrus?” Bliss looked at Cyrus, and only Cyrus. She did nothing about the blood soaking into her clothes. “Do you believe there's ever a good reason to kill someone? Outside of them being a killer themselves?”

Cyrus gave the question some thought. "For other similar, serious crimes, maybe." He answered. "Still, it wouldn't be up to any individual to kill another. We have judicial system for that." He shook his head grimly at Bliss. "No, no single individual should ever kill another, it's simply barbaric." He then returned the question. "What do you believe?"

“I think for the most part, you are correct.” Bliss was starting to look fatigued. “But maybe there are rare circumstances where such a thing should be allowed. Like, what if the person being killed gave their consent?”

Cyrus had on more than one occasion delved into the policy and ethics surrounding euthanasia, so this was not something he had never thought about. "If one decides for themselves they wish to die, then I guess there is room for consideration." He started. "Still, I'd argue that there should first be thorough consideration on the party giving said consent. It is an irreversible decision, after all." He wasn't sure why Bliss was bringing this up now. He doubted Marianne had given up her life here willingly. Not to mention, Marianne knew that would bring everyone else in danger. If she really wanted to die without consequence, she could've done it during the carnage hour.

"Do you want to sit down for a bit, maybe?" He asked Bliss, her fatigue not going unnoticed.

Bliss nodded. “N-not here though. Maybe I'll see how Felix is holding up.” The nanny stood up and started to walk outside. “I guess I'll see you later.”

Cyrus nodded back. "Do that. But do take care of yourself." he replied as he started to inspect the body for new clues that they might not have been able to spot with it suspended. "See you later."

Feeling agitated, Braden paced around Shaun’s room, trying to be useful. His puppets were tucked safely in his pockets - he had made sure of it when he’d heard the commotion during the search for Shaun’s handbook. The puppets soothed him, but only for a moment until Braden would turn around to pace again in the direction of Marianne’s body. He kept a close eye on Bliss and Cyrus as they pulled the lifeless body down. He touched Elias’s hair from inside his pocket, almost hearing Elias chiding him for remaining when countless others seemed to have paired up and left.

So why hadn’t he?

For one, he didn’t know anybody here well enough to want to approach them himself. That felt too forward, and he wasn’t even sure what to do after that. Was it normal to approach somebody to ask if they want to join you with the investigation? Hopefully not, that would definitely be cause for concern.

Instead, Braden reasoned, he was going to guard the scene. That’s something he could do, right? What was there to guard anyway, the room was a mess and the body was retrieved. But it was the closest to being useful he could get, so he kept pacing.

"Hey, did anyone find evidence back here?" Mercy asked, appearing from the doorway. When she noticed Braden though, the plague doctor quickly elbowed Alice on her head when the recon tried to peak inside Shaun's room. "Ahaha, excuse me for a moment..." She told the three inside the room, before moving away from the door.

"Doc, what the hell?" Alice asked Mercy, rubbing her head. With a deep breath, Mercy turned around to answer.

"I'm not sure if I saw correctly, but I think your brother is here."

With a genuinely supprised expression being her response, Alice moved past the plague doctor, and went inside Shaun's room. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in a different hospital!" The recon unknowingly asked Braden, tapping his shoulder.

Different hospital? Braden inwardly scoffed. Was this really the time to joke around now? He pulled out the two puppets from either pocket, turning around to face the girl who poked his shoulder and disrupted his ‘investigation’. “You and me both, pirate lady. Wanted to be in Axis Mundi, now I'm in hell.” It was Elias’s irritatingly higher pitched voice that spoke. “Gotta say though, that’s a wicked eye patch even if you don’t look as hot with it on.”

And that was when Alice knew she made a mistake.

Her supprised expression turning to a mortified expression, the recon slowly turned her head over to Mercy, who was lightly snickering at her problem.

"Heheheh... uh, I gotta go now. Bye!"

"MERCY I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!!" Alice yelled, chasing Mercy out of the room. Once the plague doctor was out of sight, she turned back to Braden, holding her head in frustration. "Sorry about that. My old friend back there thought you were my brother..." She apologized to the ventriloquist.

“Be glad you’re not Grumpy Cat’s sister over here, his real one is already sick of him as it is—”

“Shut up you pathetic waste of cotton! She doesn’t need to know that!” Erica’s puppet was held up between Elias and Alice, almost in the latter’s face as Elias recoiled slightly from surprise. Braden kept an eye on Alice’s reaction.

"Wait, really..?" Alice asked Elias with concern. "What's wrong with her...?"

“None of your business you Captain Hook reject.” Erica harrumphed, her small arms folded across her body.

From behind Erica, Elias spoke. “Forget about what I said! Tell me ‘bout you, why’s your bro in hospital?”

"Uh... Do you know about the infinite pianist..?" Alice asked back, scratching her head. She hadn't had the time to talk about herself and her family, so she was a bit nervous.

Braden and the two puppets shook their head.

"Ah, well... he's my brother, Henry. But he's called Deimo." The recon explained to Braden. "During one of his performances, he was crushed under an unstable piano..." Alice crossed her arms, lowering her head. "He's alright though, just broke one of his legs..."

Braden looked between her and Cyrus’s back awkwardly. There’s a dead body in the same room as them, was this really the time to be discussing family? Elias didn’t seem to mind whilst Erica seethed at being ignored. “Whoa! No way! But if he’s an infinite, why isn’t he in Axis Mundi? Abbie did say it was the best place to be for us talented folks?”

Noticing the ventriloquist was getting uncomfortable at her conversation with the puppet, Alice decided to cut it short. "We didnt exactly have a Axis Mundi near us in England, so Henry was taken to the next best option." She told Eilas, before looking back to Braden. "I should properly introduce myself though. I'm Alice."

“Elias! And this guy is Braden Clarke, the infinite ventriloquist! Thouuugh,” The puppet drew out the final word as he leaned closer towards the recon, “I’m totally the real deal.”

“Hello? You’re not gonna introduce me?” Erica asked, incensed. When she was still ignored by Elias, Erica harrumphed again. “And I’m Erica.”

Alice couldn't help but chuckle at the puppets' antics. "Nice to meet you three." She said, with a small smirk on her face.

“Trust me, it’s a pleasure to meet you—” Elias was interrupted by Erica, who made a gagging sound. Seeing Elias return to his flirtatious comments, Erica took charge.

“Did you know the dead girl? Did she have any enemies? Friends? Boyfriends?” She asked.

"Not really, I haven't got to know her since i've arrived here." Alice answered, pulling up the monokuma file in her E-handbook. "The only person here she seemed to hate was Bliss over there, but that could have been just pressure over the trial."

"Trial?" Erica asked, urging Alice to tell her more.

"After we gather enough evidence, a trial is held in the Court of Carnage. There, we debate and decide on who the blackened, or murderer, is. If we chose correctly, the blacked is executed, and we live another day. If we chose the wrong infinite however..." Alice explained to Erica, heistating on the last detail.

"We all get executed, and the blackened is freed."

The puppets did not have a funny comment for once. They, along with their master looked at Alice in stunned silence. Was that really expected of them? Suddenly Braden didn't feel so good anymore... Elias gave Braden a quick glance back before looking at Alice. "I... guess we'll make sure that we don't have to die! I know I'm not dying cus of some stupid guy that couldn't get the girl!"

"God he's an idiot..." Erica mumbled.

There wasn't really much to say about Zachary's reaction to the carnage sisters entering the room and the one acting like some sort of queen. There was irritation at the shenanigans, there was him silently waiting for them to vacate the area so his attention could be focused on the start of the investigation, and there was the brief moment where he looked over the details regarding the state of the body and the cause of death.

The heart being pierced was the actual cause of death, but it was possible she suffered through the other wounds before then. She was hit in the back of the head with something blunt, so perhaps she was unconscious during all of this? One can only hope.

That was the best possible scenario, given the limited information Zachary currently had at the beginning of this investigation. Assuming this wasn't a perfect killing, it was likely more details would be revealed in time, even if nobody here was a true detective. The Infinite Archer hoped that, for her sake, Marianne hadn't suffered through so much pain when she died. It wasn't human to wish an innocent person to suffer like that.

"Some others seem to be checking other possible points of interest, but do you mind investigating the room with me, Jez? I know we won't be the only ones, but this would be the most obvious place to find something important. At least, I think so." he sighed. "I'm not exactly a detective, so I guess my opinion in these matters doesn't hold very much weight."

Jezebel hadn't fully recovered from seeing the body the first time. She was still shaking a bit, and the corners of her lips were twitching. “Yea, it's a mess in there anyway. Shaun is a total slob, haha!” She walked inside. “Maybe someone set the fire to tidy things up?” Jezebel kneeled over the ground and started shuffling around the debris. The sprinkler system had soaked just about everything, which made it even harder to sort through the wet, burnt debris.

"I would like to joke about the dirty room, but to be honest I have problems keeping my own room tidy." Zachary gave a soft laugh as he looked around the room. He noticed others doing their own thing, such as a couple of other Infinites going around and, presumably, learning alibis or something along those lines. His gaze paused momentarily on Noel, before he turned back to face Jez.

"Err, I guess it would be more accurate to say that I had that problem. I don't exactly own enough stuff in my room to really make that big of a mess, as you've seen."

Watching his step, Zach made his way to one side of the room near the front and began inspecting the walls and around them. He wanted to see if anything looked suspicious, but was honestly unsure what that would fit that bill. Shaun was... the Infinite Web Designer, yes? Then, Zach figured, anything that didn't seem web-designy was what he was looking for, but it wasn't exactly a clean room, as his friend had mentioned earlier. He opted to avoid investigating the corpse itself due to others already doing so, and also because he didn't want to force Jezebel to get too close, as she was certainly still not at 100%.

"...A fire, huh. Do you think it was meant to cover something up, or do you think something else caused it?" he asked curiously. On that note, Zach wondered what even caused the fire. Perhaps that would be answered soon.

“This was totally the killer's doing, if that's what you're asking.” Jezebel started to sort the debris into several piles. “I mean, Shaun is a web designer, isn't tidy coding and junk suppose to be their thing? Or do you think a betty like Marianne was just too hot for this room to handle?” She was still spouting out those odd jokes. “I mean I doubt Marianne was just having a smoke and forgot to put the cigarette out, if that's what you're asking.”

Continuing along the wall as they spoke, Zachary noticed, well, mostly what you would expect. The fire had either scorched or burned a lot of the room, and most of the stuff that was left was either unimportant to the case or simply didn't last very long under the heat of the flames. Jezebel hadn't spoken up about seeing anything either, which was a bit disappointing, but if finding evidence was this easy, then the killer simply wasn't trying hard enough.

"You're probably right. Err, about it being the killer's doing, not about Marianne being hot enough to ignite the room." Zachary clarified with the faintest hint of a blush, as he spotted something that grabbed his attention just a tiny bit more than anything else had so far. He began to move further down the wall, towards a corner of the room. "I'll admit, I'm not too sure why I asked something with such an obvious answer, haha."

...hmm?

As he drew closer to the item of interest, he couldn't help but scratch his head. Unless Shaun was into playing practical jokes on people in his room, then he wasn't sure why it would even be here. And Shaun didn't seem to be the kind of person who could manage that. At least, from what Zach had seen.

"Hey, Jez, could I get you to come look at this?" he asked, holding up the small object for her to see.

To him, it looked like one of those small buzzer devices you use to shock people when giving handshakes, but the back cover wasn't on. Could be in better condition, too, but then again, so could most everything in the room currently. The fact that he could tell what it was meant it hadn't really suffered a horrible fate at the hands of the fire.

Jezebel stood up and wandered over to see what Zach had found. “Hey, that looks like a hand buzzer. Bitchin'! That's a weird thing to find in here.” She placed a hand on her chin. " It's so wrecked! someone pulled the positive and negative leads out. It totally won't work like that.”

This was some great news! Since Jezebel confirmed that it was indeed a hand buzzer and that it was indeed quite odd to find it in Shaun's room, that meant Zachary wasn't going crazy. Unfortunately, Zachary was not sure what use a broken hand-buzzer was good for.

"It is... definitely a bit odd." he agreed. "It looks like someone doesn't appreciate being pranked."

“I actually found something too!” Jezebel took Zachary's hand and walked back over to thje piles she was sorting through. “I found some metal arrows. Just over twenty in total I think.” She picked up one. “Some of them are so bent though, I doubt they would ever fly straight.” she held one of them out for Zachary to look at. They were made of metal.

Zachary wasn't able to properly respond to being taken by the hand, having been rather intrigued by her discovery. Metal arrows? The only people who should have these would be Zachary himself, being the Infinite Archer and all... or the man who could produce these, and the one who gave him the nice bow. He gave the one Jez was holding a lookover before speaking his mind.

"This is... probably a bigger discovery than the buzzer I found." he chuckled. "Yeah, these bent arrows aren't really suitable for firing anymore." he rubbed his chin again. "They're definitely the same kind I used when we tried dealing with one of the Sisters, so I guess we can safely say they came from our Infinite Metalworker." he mused. They were hollow on the inside, but all that meant to Zach was that they weren't used for bowfishing, likely. But they were used for something. There was no reason for them to be here otherwise. But for what?

"I think we should ask Shaun and Calvin about these, when we get the chance." he suggested. "There's no way these aren't related to the case in some way."

“Yea, we should totally find Calvin and tell him about this.” Jezebel nodded. “Unless he did it? No way! Well...” she stood there for a moment in thought. “We should go ask him about it anyway. Shaun too, but this doesn't seem like something he'd have. I don't se a bow or anything in here. Unless it burned up.”

So a broken buzzer and some bent arrows... how do these relate?

Being a detective sure was hard work. Could people not simply use a normal weapon or methods in their murders so this could be easier for him? Well no, obviously not. Whomever committed this crime must really want to get out and there was zero room for screwing around if they wanted to survive. After all, if they did, then the other Infinites would apparently lose their lives.

"I can't imagine Shaun having a bow, but we can ask Calvin about that too, since the ways to acquire one are rather limited here." The Infinite Archer had a difficult time believing that the Infinite Web Designer was capable of creating his own bow. Hell, anybody who wasn't Calvin or Zach himself probably wouldn't know how to do so. "Either way, I'm not sure exactly how yet, but I feel like we've discovered some important clues." he declared triumphantly. "Or, well, I really hope so, and that these are just remains of a hidden hobby that doesn't pertain to the case. That would kinda blow."

“Kinda thinkin' there are better places to practice archery than in a grody room like this.” Jezebel smiled warmly. “You could so just throw the arrows around, and like, It just doesn't seem right.” The clown seemed especially stable when she spoke. "like this place is starting to get crowded, we should totally talk to Calvin before the bear calls off the investigation.”

---

The performance ends, and there is great applause. The man on the stage, tall and dressed in a green coat and matching scarf, takes a theatrical bow but remains where he is. He steps up to the microphone, an honest smile on his pale face.

“Thank you! Truly, you are too kind to this humble poet!” He clears his throat, the chilly air having taken its toll on his voice. “Now, ladies and gentlemen, I have one more surprise in store for all of you!”

He signals backstage, and an older man comes forward with a guitar in hand. There is a surprised cheer from the crowd, especially when the guitarist starts playing some soft opening chords.

“Most know me as a man of words, not melodies,” the poet continues. “But now with the help of an old friend, I am here to show you that the wonders of art know no boundaries!”

The guitarist picks up his tempo as the applause dies down, playing a distinct blues rhythm. The poet begins, not singing, but fitting his words to the instrument:



The combination worked very well and created a fantastic atmosphere on the stage and in the audience, who did not expect to hear much music at this gathering.



The poet ends the last note with outstretched arms, taking in the final applause.

“And so goes the No Man's Ballad. Thank you!”

---

Daimyon let out a wistful sigh as he reread the recollection of his last performance before being hospitalised. Illness had struck him down at the worst time; he had been full of energy and vitality, genuinely living a second flush of youth.

He remained hopeful, however, that the ballad would not be Daimyon Londe's swan song. Besides, that was not even what he was looking for when he opened up his trusty notebook; he merely stumbled upon it. He was looking for a different memory, namely the one shedding light to the bunch of unexplained scars tattering his chest. They were small and thin, covered under his shirt and he had only noticed when he had first taken a shower here. Even then he had ignored it until today when he decided that he would finally get to the end of the matter. Smaller accidents and injuries slipping his mind were not uncommon, but if it even had a modicum of importance—and those scars looked like they did—he had recorded it in the notebook.

Alas, that did not seem to be the case. He skimmed the thick document carefully, but it brought no fruition. Resigned, he put it back down on the wooden table, lay back in his chair and breathed out. His eyes wandered back to the other writing sitting conspicuously on the table: the mysterious book he had procured some time ago from the study. The unshakable gut feeling that the piece was vital persisted, and thus he devoted more and more time to it. These recent days, most of his waking moments had been spent trying to crack and understand its secrets; it had him like a man possessed. Even its title was cryptical: he had managed to figure out some additional letters, making it the ‘Ryoshi Membook’ when read together. What became clear at least that it had once been a schoolgirl's personal diary, something certainly not meant to be published. How it got to a hospital library was beyond him, but it just added to the overall eerieness surrounding the book.

Of course, it was not the title that held his interest the most. He had read through the book more thoroughly and found, aside from numerous pages that had been unmistakably ripped out, a few entries that were, for the lack of a better word, censored. Almost every identifiable name in them got plastered over, as well as details of seemingly essential events. Hungry for information and a mind bursting with imagination, Daimyon had decided to restore these pages to the best of his ability, using context cues to assemble the missing pieces of the enigmatic girl's life. He had made good progress already, though unfortunately, it came with the price of him being cut out of the loop with matters concerning the rest of the Infinite group. He had caught bits and pieces of big things going down but generally stayed out of the action.

---

It would have been the same today too, had he not heard a commotion outside. There had been a few before, but this was the first time that he was not too engrossed in anything else to care about it, not to mention this time the centre of the action seemed to be particularly close. Also, was his nose misguiding him or did he just smell smoke? That was certainly unusual. He stood up from the table and stretched out his numb legs before picking up his e-handbook and opening the door.

The sight of the opposite room wide open with a number of people standing inside registered in the poet's mind at the exact same instant that a terrifying ding hit his ear:
“A body has been discovered. The patients have a limited time to collect evidence before being called into the court of carnage. Do your best everyone!”

“W-what? A...body?” he uttered, an inexplicable force pushing him forward into the room ahead of him. He did not get farther than its door before the image that had been looming in the background as he approached came to the forefront: a woman strung up by her wrists, her write dress bloodied by several—

“—Marianne!” Daimyon exclaimed. She was the only one who he had honestly spoken to in a few days: she had knocked on his door to check on him when he was just getting into his restoration work; he had even noted her thoughtfulness. And now she was...no!

The same force that drove him this far now shut him down completely. He only managed to make it to the corner of the room before he had to lean against the wall for support. He shut his eyes as if to escape from the scene, but the image only got more vibrant in his head. The room also came alive with a cacophony of sounds: people shouting, talking, crying; some entering the room, others leaving in a hurry. The initial shock passed for Daimyon, too, overtaken by crippling...numbness? Why? Why was he not feeling anything? Marianne was important to him...was she not?

It took him several minutes to recompose himself. His incessantly vibrating e-handbook was what snapped him out of it finally; opening it up he saw numerous ‘truth bullets’ already discovered by the more acute Infinites. Of course...that was how things went in Axis Mundi. If you kill, you have to get away with it too.

They were not going to let that happen.

Grasping onto this shot of determination to shake off the numbness, he looked around in the room—the murder scene. He took out his notebook to make some observations but was rather surprised to find out that he had forgotten to bring his pen. Though his room was close, his first instinct was to reach for the desk here to procure a writing instrument. The table, however, was blackened—not unlike the killer—by the fire and there was nothing on it. The room in general was a mess, and Daimyon almost turned around and left for his own. Not before he nearly stepped on something, though: a pink card of some sort lying on the ground nearby, its edges charred but mostly intact. It stuck out sorely from the scene, and the poet found curiosity getting the better of him.

Curiosity had the right idea, for once.

The card had a single sentence written on it:
‘They were the original infinite trickster, before the current one.’

They? Who? Marianne? The Infinite Trickster? That did not sound right—and was entirely too suspicious to be an ordinary writing by the room's owner. He slid it into his notebook for safekeeping; perhaps it would serve a purpose at the trial.

Having also found a replacement pen amongst the scattered debris, Daimyon felt compelled to sit down at the table. He could feel it: the swallow of his imagination was taking flight again. A glance back at Marianne's lifeless body and right then and there, on the burned table, he began penning down a piece.

For a long time, Mary had closed herself off. Even when she hung out with the ventriloquist and clown, she gave out her standard streaming act: try to be cute, try to be funny, don't let them see a frown on your face. Ever since Mondatta died, she had to cope with the loss, and did so on her own way, which was pursuing Cookie and keeping her mask on at all times. But even that lost it's luster over time, and now she just stayed in her room. She kept re-recording and deleting snippets of film, taking new cuts over the smallest of things. Something was always wrong...Or maybe, she was right, and she had become a nobody, a complete void of popularity. It was what she feared, and she knew in her heart it had come to pass. Thinking such heavy thoughts, she went to sleep.

Mary was in her room, sleeping, when the alarm struck. She ran right to Shaun's room, which was the scene of the crime. She gasped when she saw the victim.

"Marianne! Oh my god, no!" She looked away, lest she be traumatized by the sight. But she had a feeling it was too late.
"We were just getting to know each other...Why!" She bit her lip, trembling.
"Marianne..." Ice showed his frustration again, just like the time when he asked everyone to help him beat Alexandria. Of course, Mary said nothing then. After all, what was a dainty woman like her going to do against a killer robot?
As always, Cyrus was the one who brought the group together, and Mary gave a faint hint of a smile upon hearing him speak. He was always so dashing and refined, even during times of crisis. She nodded, her will resolute on the matter; Marianne was a friend of hers, and friends don't abandon each other.

"Yeah...Marianne deserves it. I'll see what I can do."

Mary learned a bit about how investigating worked from the previous case, but she was still very clueless on what to actually focus on. So she tried to be useful in her own way; she took the video camera from her room, and began filming the crime scene and the investigators there, making sure their conversations were caught on tape so they could quickly review them during the trial; instead of having to rely completely on the memory of possible witnesses, they also had tangible clues on hand.

The halls of Axis Mundi always seemed so much more ominous when an investigation was underway. Even in times of relative calm, they certainly weren't welcoming, but every corner seemed to be hiding all manner of imagined horrors at times like these.

There had a been a moment of clarity when Calvin had first seen Marianne's body. It was a terrifying sort, the kind he wouldn't wish on anyone he knew, but still. This game would continue, whether he took part or not. While he could simply give up and check out - he had been on the verge of doing so - it wouldn't change anything. The game would continue. Perhaps not for him, but for the others. And he wasn't prepared to leave them behind. Not all of them. Not yet.

He turned a corner on the 2nd floor of the building, letting out a deep breath. "Come on, Ibbs." He muttered to himself. His attempts to find Monokuma had been fruitless, and now he thought it best to wander and try to collect his thoughts. "Time to get back in this thing."

Before Calvin could get very far, he could hear a voice coming up the stairs. “Oh Baldwin number... Uh, Calvin, I totally need to ask you something.” The voice belonged to Jezebel. While the two hadn't spoken to each other much, the valley girl accent made her voice particularly memorable to the smith. “Come on Calvin, I know you're around here some wheeeeeeeeere.” Calvin didn't have to wait very long before he saw the clown peek around the corner of the stair case. Though he saw her hat long before her eyes could get a look at him. “There you are!” With a giggle, she sprung up the stairs to meet him. “So like, this is probably an odd question, but how many of those arrows did you make?” She folded her hands behind her back and spun her hips side to side. “Did you make any for anyone else?”

Calvin shook his head gently. He looked at Jezebel, taking a moment to truly take in the Trickster. He had seen her in Axis Mundi quite often, but they had never truly had a frank discussion. "Only made some for Zach. Nobody else would have known how to use them to begin with." He took a moment to rack his brain. "I made a full quiver. 24 arrows." He looked at her intently. "Do you think you know who did it?" He wasn't expecting a straight response, not from the Infinite Trickster, but any information might be of use.

“I have a few suspects, totally.” Jezebel placed her hands together. “The murderer so happened inside Shaun's room. So like of course I suspect him the most. Or at least I did. But now, like...” Her finger shot out and pointed at the smith's nose. “I'm suspecting you!” The clown giggled. “You spend way too much time in that forge to only make twenty-four arrows!” She folded her arms. “B-but like, if we find out that you are telling the truth, then, like, maybe Shaun... Or Cyrus could have used his political powers to, like... Or maybe Ice's bandages concealed like... or Krista used a violin string and like totally... Perhaps the Poet in a fit of Passion like..." With a sigh, Jezebel's smile vanished. She looked at the smith out of the corner of her eye. “Yea, this would be so much easier if it's Shaun.”

Calvin blinked, taken aback by the Trickster's openness and candour. But when his name was brought up, a bit of fire came to his otherwise cool eyes. "Hey hey hey - I'm being serious. Not a huge fan of making arrows in the first place, so I just made enough to be done with it." Jezebel continued to list off a variety of killers and methods, and Calvin simply stood, shocked. "It could be Shaun... but I don't know! Kid doesn't really seem like much of a killer." He took a moment. "Neither did Lucas, though." He shrugged.

“Well, I need to see what everyone else found I guess.” Jezebel turned to face Calvin. “So like, did you open your motive note thing? I didn't look at mine. Seemed kinda campy.” She giggled again.

"We agreed not to." Calvin said, shaking his head. "Anything Killgood does is set to hurt us. If it had just come from Alexandria..." Calvin looked away. "Some ass probably opened theirs and killed Marianne for it."

“Perhaps.” Jezebel tapped her arm with her index finger in thought. But before she could respond, all of the monitors turned on. It was Willow up on the screen.

“Hello, Vagrants!” The proud queen started. “Your time to probe the premises for evidence is over. It's come time to head off to the court of carnage. Steel yourselves for the trial ahead, and...” Her eyes shifted to the side. “King Killgood? You um, you look a little mad. Aren't you happy to see how capable your daughter is?” There was a long pause. “So I'll go get my sisters and scrounge up all of the vagrants.” The queenly carnage sister slowly moved out of screen.

Just seconds later, Monokuma rose into view. “So um... I think the investigation has gone on long enough.” The bear was looking at a spot between his feet. “You'd better get going. It would be unsightly to be dragged into court by one of my daughters.” The monitors turned off.

“I guess we're going to have to move or something now.” Jezebel sighed with a smile. “Going into the court is always a nerve wrecking experience, but I think it's going to be easier for me this time. It helps when you have a few people who so couldn't be the killer. You know?” Jezebel was making her way back downstairs. “Do you have anyone you trust like that, Calvin?”

Calvin shook his head lightly. "Not in here." he lied. A small lump grew in his throat as he realized just how cut-off he was from the others. His gauntlets curled into small fists. "There's people in here who can't kill. Who wouldn't." His face flushed slightly. He hoped he wouldn't be proven wrong.

The clown just closed her eyes and lowered her head. “Well that's a shame. But the fact that you think some of us couldn't kill shows that you totally trust some of us.” She turned her back on the smith and started to skip away. “I guess we should go before we get dragged into the court. That would be a downer. Make sure to bring your note with you!”

---

It didn't take everyone long to assemble at the roller coaster. Monokuma was already sitting at the helm, and all of his daughters, Alexandria included, were waiting nearby. They were mounted on robotic horses on the boarding platform.

“The peasants have arrived.” Willow chuckled nervously, occasionally looking towards the doctor in the front seat of the train. He did not look especially pleased. “Well, you know the routine. Strap in and we'll send you on your way.” No one opposed Willow. Everyone got into their seats and let the carnage sisters lock them in place. Though when it came time for Alexandria to lock down Calvin's seat, she had something to say to him first.

“We had something special. I can't believe you threw away our future!” Even though her face still looked like an adorable anime character, her disapproval was evident in her voice. Alexandria lowered the restraints and pushed them tightly into Calvin's chest.

“Come on Alexandria, you-” Calvin’s breath was cut off by the restraints. He caught it quickly. “What other option did they have?” His face was genuine, and although there was regret on it, below it was a hard line of gravitas. He was aware of the other infinites who were watching, and was trying his best to ignore the lowered eyes and dark glares he was likely receiving.

“Are you passing the buck mister?” Her entire head glowed cherry red. “You armed each and every one of those sons of doggies!” She was vibrating, if such a severe thing could be called that.. Alexandria was shaking so hard, she was sliding across the platform. “How are you going to make this up to me!?”

“You can’t walk around with weaponry like that and expect us all to fucking wait around!” His face was becoming red. “Your sisters are dangerous. You’re dangerous!” He chewed his lip for half a second before continuing. “And now I have to make this up to you? You killed the closest thing that passed for my friend in this place!”

In an instant, Alexandria's body stopped moving. Her the trembling, the glowing, everything. She was like a statue. Are you saying... I was never your friend? N-not once? her voice was cracking.You mean when I resisted the urge to boop you in my room, or when I did boop Shona, we weren't friends? She leaned over Calvin's cart. I-is that what you're saying?

Calvin stopped. He felt a small pang of guilt in his gut, and for half a moment, he considered apologizing. Anger, as it so often did for Ibbs, won out. “Nobody’s friends in here! Have you noticed what’s going on?” He looked her dead in the eyes. “God damn it, Alexandria - people are being murdered! There’s a lot on my fucking plate!” His voice grew cold, lacking in its usual verve. “I’ve gotta make sure I don’t die in there.” He gestured forward, in what he thought to be the general direction of the court.

The doll just stared at him, turning it's head left and right. "Oh okay!" She stood upright. With a giggle. "We'll talk later then. I hope you catch the killer then. Unless it's you I mean." Calvin offered no response, his jaw set and his face white.

Geina rolled her eyes "Fuckin' gross!" she pulled a lever that sent the infinites flying into darkness. Regardless of how much everyone liked or hated roller coasters, the ride was never as horrifying as where they would wind up. After taking some sharp twists and turns in total darkness, they would emerge in the court of carnage. Everyone's seat rotated, the restraints lifted, and the roller coaster stopped with everyone facing a podium.



“Alright, did everyone survive?” Killgood looked at everyone. His train was starting to telescope up into a large throne. “Alright, get to your positions. The entertainment is just about to start!”

---

---

---

---

"I said it once and I'll say it again. If the blackened is exposed during the trial, they alone will be punished. But if they aren't exposed, everyone besides the blackened will be punished. Now depending on who you are, you probably want one of these outcomes to happen more than the other. So I'd try my best if I was you.”

“So it's happening again.” Bliss folded her arms.

Jezebel folded her arms and leaned over her podium, flashing a smile. “Well doy, someone died, of course it's going to happen again. No doubt it was because of that motive. We should look and see what everyone got.”

“I'm not so sure.” Bliss folded her arms “Lucas used the motive as an opportunity to pin the blame on someone else. That's not to say we shouldn't look into it, but it's possible the motive was simply put in place to give a killer an opportunity rather than a reason to kill.” She turned to look at Shaun. “It's the same reason why I don't want to just point fingers at who looks most suspicious.”

“First we should cover our basics, make sure we understand the crime scene.” Ice turned to the rest of the group. “Do we know how the fire started?”

---

While Felix anticipated the joyride on the rollercoaster, Max was taken a bit off-guard. It was a surreal experience, feeling the adrenaline and excitement of a roller coaster in a situation like this. Guilt filled his mind as he actually enjoyed the distraction that the ride provided, but he never stopped thinking about what was about to come, and neither did Felix.

Before they knew it, everyone was in the now familiar circle that would spark many debates and emotions, none of which were pleasant. Yet some of us were already debating; not even hesitating to get started as if they had no thoughts or doubts filling their mind; it motivated Felix to join them. But of course Max wasn’t sitting in the back either, he had been thoroughly theorizing in his head, and now the time had come for his theories to be put to the test.

Jezebel and Bliss were already talking about the motive cards, bliss having the more supported arguments, and Max was about to join the debate when ice asked his question, Straight to the point and as cold as his nickname.

“It’s not nearly enough, and if anyone has an alternative, please say so.” Max grabbed his e-handbook out of his pocket and started scrolling through the clues. “But if you look at the clues we gathered during our brief investigation, the most likely culprit would be the buzzer.” Looking up from his handbook, Max started looking and talking to everyone as if hosting a presentation. “By cutting the wires and applying a metal conduit, you can create sparks that could light a fire, and with so many flammable materials in our rooms, it would be easy to set the entire room on fire.” He stopped for a second to scratch his chin.

“The question is…why?”

The exchange between Calvin and Alexandria would’ve excited Noel, had they not been in such a precarious situation. However, the ecstasy of their drama was drowned in the tragedy that was Marianne’s death. Noel had reported about many deaths, murders and disasters with countless casualties, but the anguish never changed. And this time it was personal. She was determined to see whoever did this straight to their execution. She shared in Calvin’s anger, though she tried her best not to show it too much. She could only despise the behavior of the dolls, who seemed barely concerned with their predicament. Then again, why would they be?

Cyrus stepped out of the rollercoaster stoically. Much of it was a façade. Honestly, he felt as irritable as the last trial. But he couldn’t let the anger take over again. The trial last time was, by all means, a downright mess. And Cyrus knew his anger had been a sizeable contribution to that. They couldn’t count on the murderer making a giant misstep during the trial a second time. If Cyrus wasn’t the one to lead bringing order to their discussion, who would? There were many good people in their group, he couldn’t let them die. And he, himself, still had too many things to do to die here. He settled himself and focused.

Cyrus nodded in agreement to Ice’s statement. The motives undoubtedly had some connection to the case. However, Cyrus agreed they were better left for later. Casting suspicion on someone with the motives was too likely to create bias. It was better to focus on the facts they were presented with on the crime scene.

Noel smiled at Max’s observations, finding herself in agreement by the lack of a better alternative. It’s likely the buzzer was used, indeed. As for the metal conduit, I think the arrows we found on the floor were used for that? She mused, then turned to Calvin. ”I am quite sure nobody here had the tools or skills to procure those besides you, Calvin. I am not suggesting you are directly involved. However, I think it would be fruitful for you to tell us what you know about them.” She tried to reassure Calvin, knowing how easily he was to anger. She didn’t suspect him (or at least, not yet), but they sorely lacked knowledge right now.

Cyrus picked up the second part of Max’s statement. ”The killer likely wanted to erase evidence using the fire. He paused for a second bringing up his own e-handbook. ”We cannot be sure what was lost to the fire. But we know which items were saved from destruction by the fire suppression system. We have the hospital gown and the motive note. He closed his eyes, thinking for a second. ”Can we conclude something from that?”

Tentatively, and somewhat weakly, Shaun followed on behind Krista as the two ventured towards Marianne's room. To think that somebody else had been murdered, let alone in his own room... it wasn't really something he wished to think about, but he didn't appear to have a choice in the matter. Every second his mind would flash back to what little of the scene he saw before Krista dragged him away; smoke, cinders, scorched furniture, and the hanging, blood soaked corpse of one of their friends.

Since the last trial, Shaun had done very little. While he hated to admit it, the constant recurring though had continued to haunt him ever since - who would be the next one to die? He hated to admit that he thought about it, but it wasn't something that he could avoid. Before coming to Axis Mundi, he though himself at least mildly strong. He could stand up with himself. Or... maybe that was the lie he told himself. What was true and false seemed to blur within the confines of the Ultimate Mastermind's machinations, and under the weight of everything he felt crushed. Apparently he was wrong to think he had an inkling of strength; since arriving, what help had he been to the group?

Moisture gathered at the ridges of his eyes as he thought. Shaun Ellen had done nothing. He couldn't help Shona, nor Mondatta, nor Marianne, and he barely helped in bringing Lucas to the justice he so thoroughly deserved. Or... did he? How evil were the killers? Lucas clearly had malign intentions, so much was evident from when he was voted to be executed, but what of the others? How many of them were capable killers, bent to ruin with the determination for escape?; and how many of them were unwitting victims, forced to the gravest of sins in both desperation and despair?

In that vein he felt like he understood the killing game, or at least part of it, to an extent. Despite his misgivings to compliment the mastermind, the carrot on the stick approach made murder plenty abundant, even within a group of sound morals. To that end he supposed Davis's only goal in the end was to watch people be slowly murdered, once after another, in an infinite loop, or so it was implied. What the man could hope to garner from such a ploy was beyond Shaun - but it terrified him to no end.


The moment the trial commencement announcement rang through the halls, Shaun near enough leapt from his skin. He had been, alongside Krista, digging through Marianne's astoundingly neat room. To call it organised wasn't a far cry from the truth, but it wasn't on point. It was immaculate; not a page nor plant out of place, and an aura of calm that resonated despite the miasma of despair that lay thick across the grounds. He could easily see the dread reflected on his compatriots face as his own, and despite all attempts at positivity the weak smile he attempted to feign faltered upon its derivation.

In that nervous anticipation, he once again followed on slowly behind Krista, purposefully moving slower as to delay the inevitable. No matter what, the Court of Carnage was one place Shaun never wished to see the light of again, and in his nauseous, post anaesthesia state his eyes and face plainly expressed a distinct desire to avoid the roller-coaster that proceeded the trial. Reluctant to bade Krista, his supporting friend for the past hour, goodbye until trial end, he kept relatively close to her until forced into his seat on the carriage. He felt the restraints tighten around his neck, and subsequently his whole body, forcing him close against the seat uncomfortably, before the ride began its excursion.


The ferocity of the ride left Shaun dumbfounded as he stumbled from within his restrains to the encased podium he found himself stood behind. It was clear it had shaken the others similarly, despite being the second time experiencing it for many of them - but that foreboding sense of knowing what was to come merely made it worse. Pale faced and sweating of the experience, he found himself clutching at both mouth and stomach in a fit of nausea not unlike the one prior, his countenance betraying a clear desire to throw up in the moment.

Instead, however, he stood, merely choking down his own vomit, not that he could bring himself to be sick in the situation. While he struggled, people were discussing the murder - a topic far more important than his own issues. If they had any chance of living to see another day that had to defeat the blackened, once and for all. With a cough, and a pained swallow, he reached into his jumper to pull from it his handbook.

As his hand entered the usual pocket it was contained in, however, he found himself greeted merely with the soft fabric lining, and in the instant he remember why. Krista hadn't yet returned it. The killer had... stolen it from him, and they found it in the trash room... lightly, Shaun felt his teeth grind together, his eyes fixated on the floor as the discussions around him continued.
"U-um... Kr-Krista..?" he started, trying his best not to interrupt the theorising happening around him, "Y-you never... g-gave me back m-my handbook... I-I can't see the cl-clues, s-so c-could I, u-um... h-have it back..?"

There was a dull seed of despair in Calvin’s stomach as he stepped out of the rollercoaster. All his mind wanted to do was think of Alexandria, of the implications of their conversation, but he had instead focused on the ride to the court. That had been his first mistake. By the time the trial started, Calvin could feel his innards rolling. He took a deep, warm breath, and let it out. Another. Another. Clarity came to him, as he looked around the court, ready to deduce the blackened, with whatever information he had.

Something felt off about the motive notes. Calvin understood, from an objective sense, why the group wanted to defer revealing them until they had established some basics of the case. But still, he eyed Bliss uncomfortably. Just when he was about to question her, he heard his name mentioned, and a cold set of eyes focused on him. He turned to look at Noel, but saw no ill-will in her expression. He seemed to puff up as he was asked about his craftsmanship. “Those things could conduct electricity for sure. I mean, lot of energy would be lost, these things aren’t fucking super conductors, but. I guess you could.” He shrugged, then felt a jolt up his spine. “But more people could have known that! Not just me, I mean.” As always, he felt out of the place in the court. He gripped onto his railing tightly, creases forming in his leather gauntlet. His ears perked up when he heard Krista speak.

"Or.... maybe the killer set fire to the hospital gown? I mean... It was found mostly burnt... and I'm sure that blood will not stop the fire from burning away at the material... But, wouldn't the gown be entirely burnt up if it was the starting point?" The Infinite Violinist said, and Calvin shook his head slowly.

“I mean, there was plenty to start the fire. The fact that this thing was covered in blood says it was used for more than tinder, right? Unless blood dripped off and onto it, but even then, shouldn't it be all burned up?” His voice was shaky and he knew it. He wasn't quite sure of the statement, but it was the only thing that made sense to him. He looked at Krista, who was far across the court, trying to determine if her flub had been intentional. It couldn't be.

---

Felix had been fairly quiet up till now, most people were discussing the clues and he didn’t want to stop the momentum they had built up, so he stayed out of it. Looking over to Shaun who still looked completely devastated, Felix wished he could do something for the poor kid, but finding anything to say proved to be nearly impossible, so Felix regretfully turned his attention back to the discussion.

Most of the arguments and theories were reasonable, but something didn’t quite click that he couldn’t pin down. Did someone contradict something? Was there anything that was missing? Nothing seemed to stand out, not until Calvin spoke up. And what he said was exactly what Felix was missing.

“Yes...yes that’s it.” whispered Felix to himself before pointing at Calvin and speaking a bit louder. “Calvin is onto something, and I just might know what.” A faint enthusiastic tone appeared on Felix as he started to connect the dots. “I thought it didn’t make sense to use a bunch of metal arrows as a metal conduit when all you need is the buzzer itself, and the fact that some of the arrows are bent must mean something too. And now the gown, if it was only a fire starter, it wouldn’t have blood on it now would it?” He said raising a hand in question."

“Now think about this. What if the arrows are bent, because they were used as a club? And the gown would be wrapped around the arrows to stabilize it. It would explain the blunt force trauma on-“ Felix stopped in the middle of his sentence with a numb expression. This wasn’t some unrelated case he was thinking about, it was real, and very dangerous. But stopping in the middle of his argument would only cause suspicion so after clearing his throat, he continued. “O-on the back of Marianne’s head, and uh, it would stain the gown with blood as well.”

Monokuma patiently watched the infinites debate and reason amongst themselves, until Shaun called out to Krista for his handbook.

“Oh, this reminds me.” The bear's ears perked up. “Alice and I were very displeased with you animals last time. So we thought up some rules to keep you all in line.”



“And without further ado...” A soft light shined down on krista. When she moved, the violinist noticed that it hovered over her position.



Jezebel was giggling to herself. “Like, you really don't need a conduit with the buzzer's current set up and junk. Just touching the wires together is enough to create a spark. You totally wouldn't want to use a metal arrow though.” With a deep breath, her giggling seemed to calm down. “Like, those wires are at most a size twelve? And those arrows are a lot bigger? If you were going to use a 'conduit', you'd totally want to use something smaller than the wire. Say, some steel wool or some junk.” She turned to Braden, who inquired about the buzzer. “It's so simple. Like, the two wires connect to two metal plates, and during a hand shake, you complete the circuit.” her grin widened. ”Like, Marianne was a sour puss french woman, so I made it my goal to cheer her up. One day I met her by the entrance to her room before breakfast. I shook her hand with one of these though and she totally slammed the door in my face.” Jez sighed. “I did manage to hand one to her later as a peace offering, but she so wasn't talking to me after that.”



Bliss lowered her head.”That sounds exactly right. The arrows were hollow, so a few of them probably would bend a little if they were used as a club.”

Dr Killgood was outraged. “A club made out of arrows? How unoriginal! Junko did it first!”

“It sounds correct, but I'm not sure we can call it 'exactly' correct.” Ice had his arms folded. “There are exactly twenty-four arrows. I believe the killer might have had a full quiver of arrows. That would also hold them together tightly enough to be used as a club.

Bliss looked up at Ice. “We didn't find a quiver, did we?”

“It might have burnt up in the fire, the killer might have emptied it out and discarded it elsewhere, but I'm sure the killer had access to a full quiver of arrows.” Ice fret his brow and looked towards Zachary. “Where do you keep the arrows Calvin made for you?”

Bliss started to count her fingers. “Okay, so the arrows were used to knock her out, and the buzzer was used to start the fire. We'll probably never know exactly what was used with the buzzer, but there was a lot of dry linen around that could have been used. And Jezebel suggested steel wool, but would the killer think to use that?” Bliss looked around the court. “Do we know anything else?” She looked at Mary. While Alice, Mercy, and Daimyon had been pretty quiet, Mary looked the most upset. “Are you okay Mary? Can you think of anything?”

Mary hated the roller coaster ride, as it only reminded her of the first time they got on it, for Mondatta's murder. She despised the idea that Monokuma treated the whole ordeal like a sick game show, and that they were simply contestants, and not prisoners in an abandoned hospital. Still, she had to keep her head on straight if she were to get to the truth behind Marianne's death. And so she took her place, and gave a courteous smile to Caora next to her before she turned serious.

"The buzzer?" Mary reacted in bewilderment.
So, could the kil-eh, blackened have set the fire outside the room? That's a scary thought."
She held her sides and shivered...Until Krista made one of her infamous puns. "And I'm beary ashamed to hear that." She bit her lips when Monokuma decided to add more rules, and gave an annoyed gasp.
"Indecent exposure? When did anyone do that?"
She asked, and then blinked in surprise when everyone stared at her. She reflexively wrapped her arms around her chest; her cheeks blushed as she remembered the last trial. "...Point taken."

The discussion on the arrows threw the Infinite Streamer out of the loop, so she took her video camera and rewound the footage tape. She didn't immediately answer Bliss when she tried to get her attention, until she averted her eyes upon seeing Marianne's lifeless eyes again. "Ugh...Oh, sorry Bliss, I was just thinking about the whole deal in that room. Like, why was Marianne even in Shaun's room?" She pondered about it, until something hit her.
She gave a sly little smile to Shaun, and leaned on the podium with her elbow, facing the Infinite Web Designer. "Ah, could it be? You two...My, didn't expect that you would cheat on your girlfriend~"

---

Zachary did not like to make it public knowledge, but the absolute truth was that he really didn't take too well to rollercoasters. He couldn't tell you exactly why, though. Was it because of the speed? No, he did not mind going fast. Perhaps it was the fact he couldn't control where it was going? Being in control was nice... but that probably wasn't it. Then...

Oh, wait, yeah that dumbass horror movie. I think it was the fourth one. Or the third? At the very least, one and two were about a plane crash and a pile-up on the highway, so it can't be them.

There was nothing that could be done, anyways. They needed to reach this horrid courtroom so that the group could discover the identity of the murderer. And no silly phobia of roller coasters was going to get in the way. He was as strong, reliable person. He would begin this trial strong and finish even stronger! Everybody would praise how great he was!

...

...

...

If one were to be honest, Zachary had wanted to join the trial a lot quicker than he had managed to. However, he simply hadn't entirely recovered from the dark death trap that they were thrust into. The pitch darkness more or less had stunned the Archer with fear, so a pitiful attempt at looking serious was all he could manage at first. Everybody else, however, seemed either okay with the ride or at least used to it, leaving the young man out from all the discussion for some time.

Contrary to himself, Jezebel had been rather proactive in his trial already. The buzzer had brought some attention to her, but she didn't seem fazed at all. If he was going to call himself her friend, then should he not make sure he could be just as reliable? He didn't want to depend on anybody if they couldn't do the same.

And while he had been unable to present any theories or the sort, he had not, however, blacked out or anything -- he still picked up on what was being discussed. Namely, the buzzer had been agreed as the cause of the fire, that, for some reason, there were now new rules being added to the trials, and that given Mary Hansen's reaction to the rule about Indecent Exposure, the first trial had been quite the fiesta.

Did he miss out?

Some of the participants had moved the discussion onto the arrows that were found at the crime scene by Jez. It was very surprising that some people began to throw their gaze at both Calvin and Zach himself. After all, if Zach wasn't Zach, then he'd suspect Zach too. He, along with the one who created the arrows, was the one who looked most suspicious because of that Truth Bullet. It seemed he was not going to be able to remain silent any longer.

Snapped out of it, Zachary was now able to participate. He hoped his silence up until this point hadn't indirectly led to any added suspicion. Or that anybody noticed his fear, either. That would blow, but the former was probably worse in a situation where one decision could lead to his death.

"The arrows from Calvin had all been placed in my own room on my nightstand," he informed Ice. "My room's a bit... well, empty. Anyways, since we haven't had any scuffles with the Carnage Sisters since that night, I haven't had any reason to move them from my room."

Quickly, Shaun took the handbook from Krista as she shuffled her way onto his position in the Court. He was still thankful to her for looking after him after everything, and as such passed onto a small, relatively meagre smile, the best he could manage, as she made her way back to her respective place.

He listened on, trying his best to wrap his head around the case. If an idea popped into his head, he hesitated, looking upon Cyrus, remembering the way the last trial played out. No idea he had presented was useful, and in the aftermath of everything her found it difficult to bring himself to say anything for fear of being shouted at. But even without that threat, the words caught in his throat; he had no idea what to say, nor do, not after everything had happened.

The colour drained from his face as Mary came to him. Her accusation took a second to register, before the sudden realisation of what it implicated struck him like a bulldozer.
"Wh-wh-what..?! N-no, th-th-that's not..! I-it w-wasn't..!" his face flushed a deeper colour than could have possibly been imagined, and eventually he just stopped talking, sinking his face into his scarf.

With his eyes closed, he a took a breath, attempting to steady himself. His eyes scanned the other Infinite's cauotiouslsly, no doubt meeting their eyes as they allowed at him.
"M-Marianne... a-approached me a few d-days ago... she was... w-worried about her n-note, s-so she spoke to m-me, someone sh-she said she c-could trust... w-we scheduled to m-meet at my room... th-that was where I-I was heading, wh-when..." he trailed off, avoiding the eyes of everyone as best he could.

Daimyon stayed in the room, hunched over his notebook until the screens came alive again and announced the end of the investigation. Against all impulses, he forced himself to pen the final words—he would have had more to write, but something told him it was not wise to ignore the urging call. Even still he made it to the gathering place last, almost missing the trial. He felt particularly squeamish on the rollercoaster, though not for its twists and turns but the heavy atmosphere that pressed down on the group of Infinites. The poet had always possessed a good intuition, and more often than not the general mood of his surroundings influenced his own, for better or worse.

As they each took their place at their designated podium in the ‘courtroom’ and the discussion began, Daimyon was reminded of something rather crucial. He would have remembered it earlier were it not for the, ah, even more crucial thoughts that had occupied his mind until this very moment. Still, it was no excuse to forget something so much depended on, and that brought the poet another query: why was his mind having so much trouble keeping thoughts in order? Perhaps he had isolated himself too much for his own good. He needed to refocus his priorities; give that mysterious diary a rest.

He would have time to decide on that later. For now, he buried his head in his documents, opening the fourth tab of the e-handbook and pouring over the information in there and matching it up with the observations he had written down in his notebook. He could see that most of the group was already engaged in theorising and hoped that no one would mind his temporary silence. Once he felt a bit more equipped with knowledge, he looked back up, waiting for an opportunity to speak up. He felt obligated to when Mary's words made Shaun's face go red as a beetroot.

“That is no cause for concern! Marianne was also in my room a few times—doesn't mean anything, ahem, happened.” The poet smiled an unassuming smile. “As with me, she must have had an appropriate reason for visiting Shaun as well.” The hapless web designer next to him promptly gave the answer which lit yet another light in his head. “The note! Of course!” With a quick sleight of hand, he pulled out the card nestled inbetween the pages of his notebook and read its words out aloud. “‘They were the original Infinite Trickster, before the current one.’, it says. Why, we already happen to have an Infinite Trickster in our ranks,” he turned to the Infinite with that title, “Jezebel! Might I ask, are you aware of anyone possessing your talent before you?”

Cyrus was pleasantly surprised to see everyone discussing the case diligently. The last case had been a rather huge mess, to say the least. Maybe the memory of how close they had gotten to getting completely wiped out is what drove everyone now to perform their best? Cyrus could at least hope. In any case, the killer would probably not stand a chance if they didn’t sow chaos. Cyrus would keep an eye out for troublemakers.

The thought that the arrows had been used as a club was an interesting one. Cyrus hadn’t known the arrows were hollow. He wondered how Bliss knew this in the first place, but decided not to question it for now. Something else then came to mind as they discussed the likely uses of the items. ”I find it odd she would carry around that buzzer, though. “ He mused. ”Marianne didn’t seem to me like the pranking type, unlike Jez. Wouldn’t she either throw it away, or just put it in her room? “ He looked unsure. ”I know it explains the presence of the buzzer if Marianne had it with her, but that just seems almost too… convenient to be true?” Of course, there was the option that Marianne had plans with that buzzer of her own, but there was nothing to back that up either.

Noel’s interest piqued as Mary addressed Shaun on the possibility that he had something going on with Marianne. She smirked and looked with glee as the poor boy turned red. ”Oh, youth these days.” Noel snickered. She wasn’t sure if the note was Marianne’s true intent, even if it was Shaun’s. Shaun was probably gullible enough to believe it in any case. ”So, Shaun, did anybody else know about your meeting? Was anybody around when you discussed this?” She wondered, returning to the case at hand.

Daimyon’s revelation of Marianne visiting his room was similarly interesting. Of course nothing had happened. Who believed that? Not Noel, that was for sure. But the note was interesting. ”By the way, Shaun. Was that your note?” She questioned. Unlike last case, the killer had seemingly made an attempt to get rid of this motive, making it likely it actually was involved with the case.