Fourth Class Trial

As always, we took our places at the Courtroom table. Monorakun took his chair above us, as well, and addressed us.

"Alright, so who invited Mahiru to play catcher, and made her use her face as a mitt? Obviously not me; that would break the rules of the game, so it was one of you. But...who?"

Korekiyo raised a hand. "Before we start, a question for you, Monorakun. Why was there no Time of Death in the Autopsy Report?"

Monorakun turned his head to face Korekiyo. "Because I didn't put it in there," Monorakun replied flatly, as if he thought Korekiyo was expecting any other answer to that question.

Toko, surprisingly, spoke first. "O-obviously it was either Hiyoko or Fuyuhiko! All those three did together was argue!"

Korekiyo put a finger up. "Now, now, let's not get too hasty," he chided calmly, "we still have evidence and alibis to discuss first. This is no time to point fingers, not yet."

Kyoko agreed, and wished to discuss the crime scene first. She first revealed four long, plastic handles, smashed flat and cracked in several spots.

"I found these in the Trash Room. These appear to belong to a pair of jump ropes, which Mahiru was tied up with. Checking the camera, there were four people who entered the Trash Room today."

"Who would that be, Kyoko?" Sakura asked, though I was certain Kyoko was getting to that anyway.

"Nekomaru was first, at 9:24am. Hiyoko was next, at 10:33am. After him was Fuyuhiko, at 10:57am, and Korekiyo was last, at 11:18am," Kyoko announced. "All of them were photographed carrying a bag of trash in both hands, and these handles were not spotted in any of the pictures."

"So are you saying that one of these four is our Blackened?" I asked, though not wishing to get ahead of ourselves.

"On the surface, yes, but there is more going on here. Remember the history Mahiru has had with two of these people-"

"You mean me and Boss Baby over there?" Hiyoko interjected, to Kyoko's annoyance.

"The fuck are you getting at, Hiyoko? You're not the type to just confess to setting me up for murder this easily!" Fuyuhiko shot back.

"Well, if you wish to volunteer yourselves, yes, you two." Kyoko replied, with an edge of irritation in her voice.

"Well, that's just fucking perfect! Let's cut the bullshit here; everyone knows me and Mahiru did nothing but argue with each other, and I admit that I hated her guts. Well, I have to say Hiyoko, you've done a great job setting me up, but why did you kill your best friend? Did you think I was too strong for you or something?"

Hiyoko looked...insulted? Incredulous? It was hard to tell, but she was obviously surprised and in total disbelief at what she was hearing.

"What are you even saying, you Al Capone midget wannabe? No one would kill a nice person like Mahiru! Well, no one except a piece of shit, menace to society like you, Fuyuhiko! So WHY...did YOU...kill MY friend, you stupid foul-mouthed prick?!"

"Enough!" Sakura raised her voice to stop the back-and forth bickering. "This is getting us nowhere. Let's see what the others have to show and tell us."

"An astute observation, Sakura," Korekiyo agreed. "Let's start with our alibis, shall we? I admit, I threw out the trash in the Boys Bathroom at the time mentioned. It was full of paper towels, and I saw those handles in the trash already. However, I thought nothing of them at the time."

Kyoko nodded. "Makes sense. You were the last one to enter, so of course the broken handles would already be in here. I doubt it would do any good to ask if Nekomaru saw them, since he was the first one in. So that leaves us with Hiyoko and Fuyuhiko."

Hiyoko denied seeing the broken handles in the trash. Fuyuhiko, however, said he saw them in the back of the trash can when he threw his bathroom trash away.

Hiyoko glared at Fuyuhiko. "Yeah, probably after YOU threw them in there!"

Fuyuhiko shook his head. "Where do you see those handles in my photo, then?"

"Where do you see them in MINE?!" Hiyoko shouted back.

True, the broken jump rope handles could not be seen in either person's photo, but they had to have gotten into the Trash Room somehow. Perhaps in a pocket, tucked in a sash, or hidden behind a held trash bag?

"Alright, so w-where were y-y-you two when Mahiru died?" Toko asked.

"How the fuck would I know?" Fuyuhiko asked, clearly irritated. "I don't even know when she died!"

"That's because that stupid bucket of bolts named Monorakun didn't give us the Time of Death," Hiyoko responded, equally annoyed. "So I don't know, either."

Kyoko quickly spoke up. "Ok, let's try this another way, then. What did each of you do today?"

Hiyoko spoke first. "I ate breakfast at about 8:30am, with that stinky four-eyes over there." She pointed at Toko, who grimaced as she glared at Hiyoko. "Then I went to the Dance Hall and practiced some of my dance techniques. Kyoko and Mr. Mummy watched me for a while. Then the alert went off that poor Mahiru was killed."

Kyoko turned her attention to Fuyuhiko. "And you, Fuyuhiko?"

Fuyuhiko crossed his arms and leaned his head back, regarding Kyoko with a mix of annoyance and...contempt, perhaps? It was hard to tell, but I did not like his expression.

"I ate breakfast, then went into the Shop Room for about an hour. Nekomaru saw me in there. After that, I went into the Bowling Room to kill off some boredom. Then I went to the Dining Hall for lunch with Shishano. I had two bowls of yakisoba, and Shishano even made me some tea. However, I never got a chance to try her tea, as the alert went off before I had time to."

I grumbled inside my head, but kept my poker face up. Instead, I nodded and acknowledged that we did, indeed, have lunch together, adding that I had to go to the Chemistry Room for a few missing ingredients for my special tea.

"Kehehehehe...The Chemistry Room, you say? You would have to pass the Batting Cages, then. Did you see or hear anything out of the ordinary during this trip?" Korekiyo asked me.

I thought a moment, then nodded. "Indeed, I did. There was an odd thudding sound coming from the Batting Cages. I dismissed it as someone utilizing it, but the sound was not like a wooden bat on a baseball. Regretfully, I did not wish to keep Fuyuhiko waiting, as he is very short-tempered on the best of days, so I did not choose to investigate." I then lowered my eyes. "My apologies for this inconvenience."

"So you heard something strange, but didn't investigate it?" Kyoko's gaze fell upon me.

"Yes. I was too focused on getting the ingredients for my tea," I responded.

"I sense no deception here, Kyoko," Sakura stated. "I believe Shishano's words."

Rantaro returned his attention to Fuyuhiko. "What were you working on in the Shop Room?"

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "A portable device to scan my E-Handbook when I wanted to play some of the Carnival Room games, without having to constantly leave the game to re-scan it. It worked on a hinge, which could be set to a timer."

"Shall I now turn our attention to the contraption the victim's E-Handbook was in?" Korekiyo revealed the contraption, mostly made of wood, but with metal hinges and a cutout for the E-Handbook to rest in. "Are you saying this creation is yours then, Fuyuhiko?"

"Yeah, that's it! I haven't seen it since I went downstairs for lunch. I think I left it in the Shop Room when I went to Lunch."

Nekomaru shook his head. "No, you didn't. You took it with you when you left."

Fuyuhiko turned to face Nekomaru. "The fuck'd you say?"

Nekomaru squarely faced Fuyuhiko. "I was repairing part of the Devas' cage when you came in, and I was still there when you left, with that device in your hand."

Hiyoko's eyes lit up. "So that's your device that Mahiru's E-Handbook was in, you built it, and you left with it. Doesn't that mean you're the killer now, Fuyuhiko?!"

"Don't be a dumbass, Hiyoko! It just means that someone stole it from me. Someone like you, who could use this as a great way to set me up as Mahiru's killer!" Fuyuhiko fired back at Hiyoko. "And no, I don't know where or when I lost this at. I would guess around the time I went downstairs for Lunch with Shishano."

"Oh, how convenient for YOU, Fuyuhiko! It's more likely that you lost it when you murdered Mahiru! Besides, Mr. Mummy stayed with me until the alert went off, remember?"

"My name's Korekiyo Shinguji, Hiyoko, not 'Mr. Mummy'. I have informed you of this several times already. However, yes, what this little girl says is true. Kyoko had departed us to do...other things, I suppose? I did not inquire. But once I arrived in the Dance Hall at 10:05am, I did not leave the Dance Hall, and neither did Hiyoko."

"Besides, why would I want to kill Mahiru? She was always so nice to me, and taught me how to tie my own kimono when we went to school together. There's no way I would kill a nice person like her, even to set you up!"

I decided this was a great time for me to speak up. "If I may? I think I can shed some light on this matter."

"By all means, go ahead," Kyoko instructed. Rantaro nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

"I have spoken to all three of you regarding your past...issues with one another. And Hiyoko was always adamant about wanting the feud between you and Mahiru to stop. In truth, it would make more sense for Hiyoko to kill Fuyuhiko, as opposed to Mahiru. In fact, the only person who seemed angry about things was you, Fuyuhiko. Mahiru and Hiyoko just wanted to leave things in the past..."

While I was thinking of how to word things next, Rantaro interjected. "But it seems you never could, could you, Fuyuhiko? Instead, you clubbed Mahiru with this baseball bat I found in the Equipment Room, likely either knocking her unconscious or seriously concussing her." He then revealed a wooden baseball bat, with blood on one part of it.

"Then you went into the Gym, got those jump ropes, stomped the handles so you could tie them easier, trashed the handles, then went back upstairs. You subdued Mahiru, brought her to the Batting Cages, tied her up, and used your device to repeatedly turn on the Pitching Machine, sending Mahiru to a truly gruesome death." Rantaro sighed, then continued. "You killed Mahiru because she helped cover up your sister's death, and you could not forgive her for this, could you, Fuyuhiko?"

Fuyuhiko just stared back at Rantaro, a mix of anger and...perhaps grief?...on his face. "An eye for an eye...that's the world I live in. My Yakuza's pride demanded that I repay Mahiru's slight in kind. She helped cover up a fellow Yakuza's murder, so she had to pay with her life...or, so I felt at the time. But now..."

Fuyuhiko closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. Then, he raised his chin high, his eyes flashing open. "No more excuses. I have dishonored the Yakuza with my actions towards Mahiru today. I sought vengeance for my sister's death, but that price was already paid with Sato's life. I'm...sorry that I couldn't let that go. And now, it's too late."

Fuyuhiko finally turned to Monorakun. "It's time to vote, Monorakun."

Monorakun grinned. "Sounds good to me. Let's do it!"

The podium changed to the usual voting display. I selected Fuyuhiko.

After everyone voted, the screen on Monorakun's podium changed to a Roulette wheel. The ball spun around the wheel, in the opposite direction, as always. Finally, the ball landed on Fuyuhiko Kuyuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza.

"And another winner for the students! Fuyuhiko Kuyuryu is Mahiru Koizumi's murderer!" Monorakun announced.

Hiyoko looked like she was ready to explode. "Dammit, Fuyuhiko! Why?! Why would you do this! Your sister is DEAD! Mahiru's best friend is DEAD! And now Mahiru, herself, is DEAD! And guess what? Now you're DEAD too! And for what? I hate you more than ever now! I hate you from the bottom of my heart! You're a stupid fucking bastard who committed the lowest crime possible, murdering poor Mahiru like this! You deserved to get killed for this!"

Fuyuhiko did not respond, only stared blankly back at Hiyoko as the Courtroom Table began to spin, putting Fuyuhiko's back to the Execution Room door. He did not even flinch as he was yanked backwards from his podium, into the Execution Room itself. All of us followed after him sorrowfully. Well, except for Hiyoko, who was still screaming obscenities at Fuyuhiko.

Fuyuhiko was pulled towards the back of a room, which looked like the outside of a seedy nightclub. Suddenly, about 7 or 8 Monorakuns, dressed in stereotypical gangster's trench coats and fedoras, dropped from the ceiling, each carrying a Tommy Gun. Fuyuhiko's chain was going upwards, but had enough slack to not be choking him. Looking up, a sign flickered, reading "Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu's Execution: Chain Gun Cha-Cha!"

The Monorakun gangsters opened fire with their Tommy Guns, peppering Fuyuhiko with rapid-fire bullets. Fuyuhiko violently jerked with the impact of each bullet, almost as if he was being being hit with an invisible Taser while pressed against a glass wall.

Fuyuhiko's head bobbled on his neck, his arms flailed involuntarily, and his legs stumbled backwards. Yet, the Monorakun gangsters continued firing at him. The rapid impact of the bullets were keeping him mostly upright, as he was forced against the back wall by the impact of so many bullets hitting his body.

After what felt like an eternity (but was more likely a minute or so), the Monorakun gangsters finally ran out of bullets, allowing Fuyuhiko's body to finally crumple to the ground. His chest and legs were riddled with bullet holes, and several bullets ripped through his skull as well. He was dead long before he hit the ground.

Then the lights went out in the Execution Room, signaling it was time to leave. We all left in silence, still wrapping our heads around what had transpired.

Suddenly, a long, painful wailing erupted behind me. Hiyoko had dropped to her knees and was bawling her eyes out, the tips of her twintails touching the floor. Sakura had a hand on her back, and was kneeling beside her. However, I could not hear what Sakura was saying to Hiyoko.

However, I could hear Hiyoko's sobbing response. "Mahiru...was really nice to me. She politely...taught me...how to tie my kimono...so I wouldn't have...to ask...my grandma to teach me. I just...want to tell her...that I'll never forget her...even if she's in heaven. She did...want...me to be a better...person...and always chided me when...I would go too far. Mahiru! Maaaahiiiiruuuu!! Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!!"

It was hard to see Hiyoko totally break down like this, but maybe this could be the turning of a new page for her.