"You guys go. I'll catch up with you in a second," Daiki muttered, his focus still glued to the monitors in front of him. 

The rest of us looked back and forth at one another. I would have preferred us all going together, but if Daiki wanted to get a few extra seconds of searching in, he probably had good reason. He was smart. I trusted him.

Or, at least I think I trusted him. 

Kichiro, Ruji, and I each climbed out of the trapdoor and again through the toolshed. Only something was different now. 

There was a singular candle right next to Sora's body. The flame was small, yet bright. It was hard to take my eyes off of it.

"Odd..." Ruji muttered.

I nodded in agreement. Seeing candles by each body made me think back to what Ruji had said earlier about one of us being possessed. Perhaps this was something ghost-related.

We all gathered down by the water tank, which had been emptied. Thankfully, Ahmya never had to go in. The investigation started just before her turn.

I wasn't quite sure if that was a coincidence, but I didn't want to head into the trial with a suspect already decided in my mind. If I learned anything from the previous murders, it was that we couldn't suspect anyone until all the information was laid out. 

The air felt colder. I couldn't really tell what time it was, and I didn't want to check the Monopad, but the sky was significantly darker so it must have been getting really close to nighttime. 

Daiki was just a few short minutes behind us. Thankfully, he arrived before Monokuma could pop up and give us his whole lecture. 

"Well, well, well, well, is everyone here?! Are we all ready to go to the next class trial?!" the bear enthusiastically asked.

I think I speak for all of us when I say no, we definitely weren't ready.

"So ready!" Kichiro beamed. "We toooootally know who it is! Prepare to have all your minds blown, amateurs!" 

"Amateurs?!" Bashira gasped. "Who are you calling an amateur? We're all ultimates, are we not?"

"Guys, guys, we need to focus," Yuuki interrupted. "If we all work together, we can come to a conclusion. Like always."

There was a darkness in his tone, though. No doubt, from losing Sora. Sora was our ticket out of here. He was one of Yuuki's friends. He was Yuuki's roommate. He was our escape plan, and now he was gone along with Brittany. Yuuki had always been so full of hope, but I could tell that all this despair was slowly eating away at him. How much longer could he hold up?

"Alright, alright, we don't have time for all this power of friendship talk. What are you, the My Little Pony squad? We have a trial to get to!!" Monokuma chimed. He hit a large button, which made the water tank practically double in size. What was once a solid sheet of glass turned into two sliding doors, which we were ushered through. Once inside, we all took our regular places, then descended into the underground. 

I felt still and fearful. My breathing was short. 

It was dark in that elevator. So dark that I couldn't see Ruji next to me, but I could tell he was there from the sound of his short breaths. 

Stay strong, Suki. Sometimes we have to stay strong, and this was one of those times.

I straightened my back and raised my chin, giving off an illusion of confidence. Not that anyone could see. I didn't need anyone to see. I just needed to convince myself that I could do this--that everything would be okay.

Then, we arrived.

The trial room looked different. For one, we were under the water, surrounded by walls of glass on all sides. Fish, sharks, and all forms of sea life swam over, under, and all around us. It was like an aquarium, but we were the ones trapped behind the glass, not them. 

Ahmya shrieked and covered her face while Bashira wrapped an arm around her to guide her to her place as Monokuma explained that a new location called for a new trial room and began lecturing us on the trial rules once again.

Brittany would have probably been fascinated with this place. I don't know why, but she always seemed like the kind of girl who'd get excited about anything. I bet she used to visit aquariums back when she lived in the United States. Maybe she would have seen the situation as humorous, with us being the ones caged in instead of the fish. 

I'm not sure how Sora would have felt. He was a sky person. He'd probably feel trapped down here. He honestly probably felt trapped everywhere. Did this whole gave give him flashbacks of when he was once trapped in a hospital bed? I bet he was just itching to get back to the skies so he could feel free again.

I hoped he was feeling that way now, wherever he went...

And... I hoped the friend he mentioned before, the one he had been hospitalized with, wasn't still waiting for him outside. It was a terrible thing to say... but nothing was worse than waiting for someone who'd never come.

Once we all were in our place, Yuuki came forth to begin the trial with the information he knew of.

"Okay... the body discovery announcement for Brittany was triggered by me, Bashira, and Rantaro. So that should clear the three of us, right?" the ultimate hero asked. "You know, because the announcement can only be triggered by innocent people?"

"That's correct!" Monokuma giggled. "The body discovery announcement can only go off once three spotless students lay eyes on the body!"

I nodded. This wasn't new information, though. I think we all had already collectively agreed beforehand that the three of them weren't prime suspects. 

"I initially thought Sora was the obvious answer," Bashira breathed, looking down slightly. "You know, since he wasn't at the scene of the crime and the crime happened where he was working. But... well..."

"It still might have been him," Saikoro announced. "I mean, he could have run off, then either killed himself or gotten himself killed by another. If there are two murderers, how would the trial work, do tell."

I noted that Saikoro was trying to act normal and calm, but his shoulders sagged slightly. I remembered the smile he wore when he and Sora sat at the front of our raft, giving each other high-fives and laughing. Now, those moments were nothing more than memories. 

We each turned our attention to Monokuma, who seemed to pause as if debating how to phrase his words without giving anything away.

"If there are multiple murderers, then the one who killed the first body killed is considered the blackened. So the second murderer will have killed for nothing," Monokuma explained. 

"And if that first murderer is dead?" Saikoro pushed. "Brittany died first, so if Sora is the killer, then how do we move forward-"

"Wait," I interrupted. "Before we jump to any conclusions... the monopad doesn't actually say who was killed first. Sure, we discovered Brittany's body first, but... what if Sora was the one killed first?"

"That wouldn't make sense," Saikoro breathed.. "Sora killed Brittany. Then, fled the scene and got himself killed. If Sora died first, then who could have possibly-"

"I do believe that Sora died second," Ruji meekly interrupted. "But... I don't think he was the one who killed Brittany. If he was, then Monokuma would tell us that the second murderer would have to be punished. That's how Monokuma operates. A trial can't end without an execution."

Monokuma seemed to draw back slightly, and I couldn't help but smirk. Despite trying to be secretive, he was still figured out. 

Way to go, Ruji!

The ultimate ghostbuster smiled slightly as well, the confidence in himself growing.

"And how, do tell, did you come up with that answer, ghost boy?" Saikoro said in a slightly hushed, almost cold tone. The smoothness of his voice sent chills down my spine. 

Ruji brought his hands together and started fidgeting with his gloves, his newfound confidence fading fast. "I... uh... well..."

He looked at me as if asking for help, but I had no idea how he knew Sora was killed second. According to the monopad, there was no time listed. Just his cause of death, which was being choked out. Surely that meant he didn't do this to himself, right? There were hand-like bruises around his neck. No one could strangle themselves with their own two hands, right? That seemed impossible.

But wait... there was something else that pointed to him being killed second...

"The blood!" I answered. "Sora had blood on his sleeves! But it wasn't his own, he didn't have any cuts. It must have been Brittany's blood!" 

"Yes, that would make sense," Saikoro nodded. "Since he's the one who killed her-"

"No, that's wrong!" Keiko exclaimed.

We all turned to face her. Unlike Ruji, she didn't seem anxious about us all bringing our attention to her. She was probably used to speaking in front of crowds, being the ultimate public speaker. 

"Sora couldn't have killed Brittany," Keiko stated. "Because Brittany's death wasn't an accident." 

She rifled through her pockets briefly, then pulled out what looked like one of Sora's blueprints for the aircraft he was building. On it, there were red marks circling the propellor that would eventually crush Brittany. But that wasn't what Keiko was trying to draw focus to. 

"On here in black is Sora's notes," she explained. "It's got a schedule of where and when he plans on working on certain parts of the plane. He finished adjusting the propellers yesterday, according to this. Today, he was planning on spending all his time working on the inside. The timeline doesn't match."

"That proves nothing," Ahmya breathed. "What if he just didn't stick to his schedule? Where did you even find that?"

"In the adventure center," Keiko answered. "Out by the storage facility for the BMX bikes. Saikoro was with me. We've been together since his turn in the tank ended. He even stayed with me during my turn, so we both were together when the investigation was happening and we ended up finding this. At first, Saikoro thought it might have been from Sora... but now that I look closer, it's clearly not. Not only does the ink color not match, but the handwriting is off too. And, listen to this. Here's what's written in red, over Sora's instructions for himself."

The ultimate public speaker cleared her throat, then read the writing aloud in a slow, clear voice. 

"'Wait for the pilot to go inside and work in the place where pilots fly the plane, then loosen screws along jet-thing after leading girl under it,'" she read before looking up and waving the paper. "This is someone else's plan. Someone plotted this, then waited for the right moment to do this all behind Sora's back. Just think about it! If Sora was writing this, he would use the correct terminology. I don't think it was him."

I nodded. Not only was that good information, but it also helped clear Saikoro and Keiko's names. 

I was with Ruji, Kichiro, and Daiki, so they were all clear. Bashira, Rantaro, and Yuuki discovered the body, and apparently, Keiko and Saikoro were together.

"So, let me get this straight," Yuuki breathed, running a hand through his hair as he did so. "The story you're proposing so far is that someone planned to murder Brittany while Sora was still inside the plane. They did so... then Sora just left?"

He was right, that didn't make much sense. Maybe the killer chased him away and killed him in the shed, just to make sure he couldn't catch them in the act. 

"Well, I think we need to consider the one person who doesn't seem to have an alibi," Saikoro suggested.

"Perhaps. But first, we need to think about the motive," Rantaro said. "The water tank."

I nodded as we discussed what was going on. Everyone had a chance to go in except for Ahmya and Kichiro. Daiki was in the middle of his turn when the body discovery was announced. 

"I don't mean to call anyone out when we discuss it," Rantaro urged. "I just think it played an important role in this case. The tank was nearing being full. By the time the next round came along, it could be impossible for any one of us to survive, so it could inspire any one of us to do this, not just the two remaining."

"But it did," Saikoro shrugged as he turned his attention to the ultimate arsonist. "Didn't it?"

Ahmya frowned, then looked around at each of us with a shocked expression.

"Wait, you guys don't really think I did this, do you?" she asked.

"Why, of course, we do," Saikoro chuckled. "I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking. You cannot swim, yes? And the body was discovered just before your turn. How painfully convenient."

"That doesn't mean she did it!" Bashira exclaimed. "She wouldn't do this!"

"She's an arsonist. Her talent is literally destroying things," Saikoro calmly replied. "In fact, I'm surprised she didn't do this earlier."

Ahmya stood silently as Saikoro and Bashira both argued back in forth. However, I couldn't bring myself to focus on what they were saying.

Something felt... off...

"You feel it too," Rantaro whispered.

I looked at him, past the empty space where Maikeru once stood. I could see the ultimate security guard's cold, dead eyes stare forward, a bright pink X crossed over his face. 

Something told me he knew there was something fishy about this too.

"Body discovery announcement," Rantaro whispered. 

Body discovery announcement?

Which one? I was there for Sora's, along with everyone in my group. There was nothing all that fishy about it.

But Brittany's...

"Wait, let's rewind," I said, hoping to break up the arguments spiraling between Saikoro and Bashira. "Brittany's body discovery announcement didn't trigger until Rantaro showed up at the scene of the crime?"

"Yes," Yuuki explained. "Bashira and I found it first. But it doesn't trigger until three-"

"What about Sora?" I interrupted. "Wouldn't he have seen the body if he died second? Which would mean the announcement should have triggered when the two of you discovered it..."

Yuuki seemed to frown, then turned his attention to Bashira. The ultimate daredevil didn't seem too concerned, however. She offered a simple smile and shrug as she said, "he probably just didn't see. Or-"

"Or he DID see, and that's why he was killed," Kichiro chuckled. "After all, there are no benefits of killing two people, aside from creating more despair. Perhaps the only reason he died was because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And, if plane-boy really DID see the body... then it means that one of you two must be the culprit."

He gestured to both Yuuki and Bashira.

Neither of them seemed like a murderer in my mind, but I knew he was right. 

Could it be Yuuki? After all, it probably would have been very easy for him to steal some of Sora's plans and use them to create a murder. Even though he didn't seem the type... he was also working with Sora on the plane for most of the day, so he probably could have done it. 

But... where did Keiko find those documents again?

Out by the BMX bikes...

Where Bashira was.

On top of that... Bashira was close to Ahmya.

My stomach started to churn.

Bashira knew Ahmya couldn't swim.

I felt sick.

Bashira knew that Ahmya wouldn't have survived that motive.

"It was you, Bashira," Kichiro smiled.

Bashira drew back, but her smile didn't fade.

"Excuse me?" she laughed. "What are you talking about-"

"He's right," Rantaro stated, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow in a detective-like manner. "When taking the motive and the body discovery announcement into account... it points to you. Plus, the sheet of paper was found at the BMX bikes. And-"

"It could have just as easily been Yuuki!" Bashira pointed out, somehow maintaining her composure. Although, I could start to see the anger seep into her tone.

"It's sooooo obvious now. I can't believe it took you people so long," Kichiro teased. "After all, the paper only showed plans for killing Brittany. Sora wasn't part of the plan. She just killed him so he wouldn't go blabbering about what he saw. Right, Bashira?"

"You're wrong," Bashira hissed, clenching her fists slightly now. Her face was starting to turn red. "You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong."

She kept saying that phrase over and over as Ahmya started to chime in.

"She wouldn't do that!" Ahmya urged. "What purpose would killing in order to save me do if she'd have to have us all executed in order to be successful anyway? If she really did murder someone for that reason, wouldn't she come clean?! You've all got this all wrong, she'd never do that. Me? Sure, maybe. But her?! Never!"

"You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong!" Bashira was now covering her ears, shaking.

We were all convinced. If it weren't for her reaction, we might have had more room for debate, but her freaking out only proved her more guilty. All the signs pointed to her. We all knew it, besides Ahmya.

"Well, is it voting time?!" Monokuma grinned as our attention was brought to the levers in front of us. "Remember, EEEEEVERYONE must vote!"

"No, it's not voting time!" Ahmya cried out, slamming her fist down on her stand. "It's not over until we find a culprit, and we HAVEN'T found a culprit!"

I watched as each student looked down at the levers in front of them and made their selections.

"It's not her!" the arsonist begged. "Please, it's not her!!" 

I let out a sigh as I chose Bashira.

"NO! STOP VOTING!" Ahmya spat, her voice louder and harsher than ever before. She turned her gaze to Kichiro. "I bet it was you. You always do stuff like this. What, do you want us all to die? Is that it?! This all has to do with your insane despair obsession, doesn't it? I bet you're the reason we're all here in the first place! Why put us all through this? Is it because no one loves you? Is it because you're all alone in the world?! Is your life so SAD and PATHETIC that you have nothing better to do than to watch others suffer?! Is-"

"That's enough, Ahmya," Daiki interrupted with a hushed yet stern tone. 

The arsonist shook her head and looked down at the voting lever. With a frustrated huff, she placed her hand on it and voted.

"Aaaaaand, you're correct!" Monokuma chimed. "The person guilty for the murder of Brittany Smith and Sora Tachi is none other than Bashira Gato, the Ultimate Daredevil!! Congratulations! Oh, and Ahmya, your vote for Kichiro was incorrect. Tread carefully, girl. Puhuhuhu!"

Ahmya was silent, but her expression was furious as we all turned to Bashira, who was still covering her ears and muttering. "You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong-"

"You've been caught," Rantaro breathed. "Bashira... it's over. Please, just-"

"Please just what?! Accept my death?!" Bashira cried out. Tears were spilling from the corners of her eyes. "NO! Every risk I take, everything I do, it NEVER leads to death! I always push through. I always end up okay. This is NOT happening. I don't accept it!"

"Why did you do this then?" I cried out. "Bashira... we were working on an escape..."

The Daredevil shot me a glare, then lowered her head. She had given up. She knew she couldn't change our minds anymore. The votes were cast. She was done. 

"Ahmya," she breathed. 

"You realize that if you succeeded, your arson girl would have died anyway, right?" Kichiro asked. "So that really is no excuse. No, you just wanted to take a risk. You live for thrills like this, right?"

"No! No, I just... I knew she'd die in there if I didn't do anything. But... I wanted to escape too. So I... I just thought... she's about to die anyway. If I did nothing, we'd both die eventually. This way... at least one of us has a shot of living."

"So you risked all of our lives," Saikoro announced. "How kind-"

"Shut up," Ahmya hissed. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! You don't know what-"

"No, he's right," Bashira breathed, bringing her hands together. "It... was selfish. But I'm not going to act scared anymore. I always stay brave in the face of death. I am the ultimate daredevil after all... I shouldn't be scared. I... am sorry though-"

"Yeah, sorry because you got caught," Kichiro chuckled. "How do you think your childhood friend feels about this all, knowing you risked her life to aid your own escape? I bet she's just burning up on the inside..."

Childhood friend? Wait, did Ahmya and Bashira know one another before the game?

"She wasn't my friend," Bashira muttered, looking up at Ahmya. "She was my enemy. We always fought and did things that ticked each other off."

Wait, really? But they seemed so close here. 

"Not here, though," Ahmya whispered. "We weren't supposed to be enemies here, Bashira. Why--why would you do this?! When I saw you... I was just so relieved to see a familiar face. I thought we had become a team! I thought... I..."

The arsonist looked down and covered her face with her hand. Then, she quietly began to choke up. Her small body trembled with soft sobs.

"We were a team..." she muttered between hitched breaths. "I thought..."

"We're still a team," Bashira breathed. "I just messed up."

"Now then, I've prepared a very special execution for Bashira Gato, the ultimate daredevil!" Monokuma giggled.

Ahmya had gone silent aside from her quiet sobs. Bashira didn't move. She said she'd be brave, but she had fear behind her eyes. I wondered if she always had that look of fear behind her eyes whenever she performed large stunts and did life-threatening dares.

"Let's give it everything we've got. It's PUNISHMENT TIME!"

The bear hit the large red button in front of him, and Bashira was taken away as we turned our attention to a screen, showcasing her execution.

She was in a small airplane being flown by a skeleton whose clothes oddly resembled Sora's. I felt my stomach churn as the plane shook and deep black gas emitted from it. Then, the words "FINAL DARE," glittered across the screen.

The plane started to go down and the doors opened. Monokuma was with her, thousands of feet in the air. 

Before she could even protest, the bear pushed her out of the falling aircraft, sending her hurtling down to the ground. 

As she fell closer and closer, the world was on fire. Everything was burning. Sweat formed above her brows. She began to turn red as she fell nearer and nearer still.

Until she landed and the flames swallowed her.

The screen flicked off and Ahmya dropped to her knees.

And just like that, another trial was done. Another student was dead. 

We lost Brittany, Bashira, and Sora. Three people I considered friends. Three people I thought I'd escape alongside. 

Sora... he didn't have much time left, but he deserved to live. He deserved to find that friend and let him know he was alright. 

But he wasn't alright. Not anymore.

And Brittany... she had family out there. People who loved her. 

Everyone's lives were taken so lightly here. It was like none of us had any meaning anymore. We were just being tossed away like yesterday's news.