Fourth Class Trial

As always, we went to our assigned seats. I glanced at all the portraits of those who have died here, which matched the number of us remaining. Monokuma, as always, sat in his seat, staring down at us.

"Wow, all that work for the Eating Contest, just to have the contestants die on you. What a dud! Now, who ruined this for everybody?" Monokuma's red eye flared up for a second, then returned to normal.

Kokichi spoke up. "Obviously, it was Maki! Murder girl did it!"

Maki...I swear I saw flames dancing in her eyes. "I did not murder those two, you stupid son of a bitch!"

Sighing, I looked over at Kokichi. "Red isn't always sus, you know..."

Kokichi put his hands behind his head and leaned back, smiling at me. "Nee-heehee! That was a lie. I already knew that Maki-"

"Shut. Up." Maki uttered, menacingly, at Kokichi, who then pretended to cry, his "feelings hurt by her meanness". I just rolled my eyes.

"Anyway..." I retook control of the conversation, to avoid Maki killing Kokichi in front of us. "I think we can safely eliminate Byakuya, too, as he had nothing to do with any part of the contest."

Peko nodded. "I believe that is a safe assumption to make."

Nagito and Maki agreed, as did Kirumi.

I continued. "I doubt Peko, Mikan or Kokichi had anything to do with this, either. In my mind, that leaves us with two suspects: The waiter, and the cook."

Kirumi spoke up. "And one other person...You."

I looked at Kirumi, confused. "Huh? Me?"

Kirumi nodded. "From my observations, you have shown a rather...unhealthy obsession with the Chemistry Room. According to my questioning of Nagito, you even went in there with him, a few hours before the murder, and even asked Nagito about Potassium Cyanide, specifically."

Byakuya pushed his glasses to his face, using his fingertip along the bridge of his nose. "Yes, that does sound rather suspicious, Shurinku. Why were you asking about THAT specific poison, rather than poison in general?"

A chill went through me. Crap, they were accusing ME? And nothing, that was said, was a lie. This was bad.

Taking a breath to steady my nerves, I responded, "Because I've heard that Potassium Cyanide can smell like bitter almonds, and was thinking the killer used this knowledge to their advantage."

Kirumi and Byakuya considered this information, while Nagito spoke up. "When Shurinku and I left the Chemistry Room, he didn't have any poison in his hands, nor did I notice anything in his pockets. I don't think he took the poison with us to the Dining Hall, so he couldn't have-"

"That merely means Shurinku brought the poison in beforehand, and tainted an ingredient used for the almond pie with the poison," Kirumi interjected.

Byakuya nodded. "A likely scenario, but..." He then trailed off, doubt written on his face.

"I never touched the poison, nor did I ever use it anywhere!" I shouted back.

Kirumi shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you're the only one who has shown any interest in the Chemistry Room. You're the only other person, aside from Nagito, who even spoke about Potassium Cyanide. You were also present at the Eating Contest, so you could very well have done it. I was too busy preparing the food, and Nagito was the server. Also, I am confident Nagito is innocent, as I never saw him touch anyone's food; only their plates. Thus, Shurinku Kansatsu, you did it."

My breath caught in my throat. My hands were shaking lightly. I knew I needed to speak, but my panic had my voice. I also didn't know if it was Nagito or Kirumi, but I was CERTAIN it was one of them. But with no proof, an empty accusation would seal my fate.

All I could muster was, "No...It wasn't me... I didn't do it..."

Nagito muttered, "What crushing despair..."

Byakuya shook his head in disappointment. "Well, if no one else has anything left to say, I'd say it's time to vote."

Kirumi, Peko, Mikan, and Maki agreed. Nagito just looked at me, sadly. Kokichi seemed to not be paying attention, staring at the ceiling above Monokuma's chair, humming to himself.

Monokuma spoke up. "Allllll-righty! Now, if no one has any objections, let's start the-"

"OBJECTION!"

The loudness of that single word made me jump. Quickly, I shot my head towards the source of that one, single word...

...Kokichi?

Kokichi was leaning forward, hands on his pedestal, grinning evilly.

"You know, the ONE THING I hate more than anything..." Kokichi then turned his head, facing Kirumi. "...is being lied to!"

Kirumi tilted her head. "Is this another one of your lies, Kokichi? I don't understand..."

Kokichi quickly replied, "Then let me make it CRYSTAL clear to you!"

Kokichi then produced a container of powdered sugar, held his breath, and poured some of it out on his pedestal. Licking his finger, he started to dab his finger into it. Meanwhile, I stared at him in confusion, wondering what he was up to.

And that's when it happened.

"Kokichi! Stop! Don't!"

...Kirumi?

Kirumi was looking panicked at Kokichi, for some...

Oh. Ohhhhhh...Now I understood.

Kokichi, meanwhile, tilted his head playfully. "Huh? Why not? I just wanted a taste..." He then moved his finger further down, towards the pile of powdered sugar.

Kirumi began panicking even more. "Wait, stop! Please!"

Kokichi paused, nearly touching the pile. "Now, why do you want me to stop? It's not like you put Potassium Cyanide in the powdered sugar, right? So it's perfectly safe for me to eat, right now, riiiiight?"

Kirumi closed her eyes and shook a little bit, then she calmed, slumping her shoulders.

"Selfless...devotion..." She muttered to herself, then she opened her eyes. "I sincerely apologize. I have failed my duties as a maid, in the worst way possible."

Byakuya turned his attention to Kirumi. "Care to explain yourself?"

Kirumi composed herself. "As a maid, fewer things are more insulting to me than to be referred to as a maternal parental figure. Mom, Mother, Mommy...those are all degrading terms to me. I am no one's mother; I'm just like any of you."

Kirumi took a deep breath, then continued. "When Aoi and Kokichi kept calling me Mom, even after I repeatedly asked them to stop, I...simply could not take it anymore. I had to do something about it. When Aoi asked me to help with an Eating Contest, I knew I had my chance to stop it."

Kirumi looked at me and Nagito, as we stood next to each other at the Courtroom. "Regretfully, I had originally planned to pin this on Nagito, claiming that he poisoned the Almond Pie when he served it. However, when I discovered Shurinku had been investigating, and asking about, the poison, I ended up choosing to frame him instead. These actions were shameful of me, and I have disgraced myself as a maid."

Nagito replied to Kirumi, as I processed her plan. "I forgive you, Kirumi. I was lucky enough to be picked to serve for the Eating Contest, but then unlucky enough to get involved in the double murder of two of my friends. Such is my life, an endless cycle of good luck and bad, of hope and despair."

I just glared at Kirumi, saying nothing. She nearly caused my death, despite not exactly lying to me, and I was not ready to forgive that so easily.

Kirumi looked sadly at Monokuma. "I imagine you have a request for me now, right Monokuma?"

Monokuma replied, "Not until after the vote is decided. With that said, it's voting time! Cast your votes now!"

Everyone's screens on their podiums changed to the usual 4x4 image of all 16 students, with half of them crossed out. Without batting an eye, I picked Kirumi.

When everyone cast their votes, Monokuma's podium showed the Craps display again. Both dice bounced off the far wall, then rolled to a stop, with Kirumi's face on both dice.

Kirumi shed a single tear upon seeing the results, then turned to Monokuma. "Now, your request, Monokuma? I will fulfill any request of yours."

Monokuma nodded. "I have one request. Fulfill it, and I won't send the manacle after your throat!"

Kirumi nodded, though her body shook slightly with fear for just a few moments. "What is this request?"

The door to the Execution Room opened up, revealing a wheelchair with straps on the arms. Monokuma gestured towards the wheelchair. "Sit in that wheelchair, Kirumi, and put your arms inside the straps."

Another few tears escaped Kirumi's eyes, and her lower lip trembled slightly, but she nodded. "As you request, Monokuma."

Kirumi then walked gracefully over to the wheelchair, and sat down in it, sliding her arms underneath the straps and resting her feet on the footrests. She looked at the rest of us, tears silently falling down her cheeks and her lower lip trembling more. She then lowered her head, with a look of shame upon her face.

Monokuma went over to the wheelchair, and tightened the straps on the wheelchair, including on the foot rests. Afterwards, he looked at the rest of us. "This execution will not be held in the Execution Room. Instead, I have a mess to clean up in the Dining Hall, and since Kirumi helped make the mess, she's gonna come with me to clean it up!"

Monkouma's red eye started glowing again. "Now, let's give it everything we've got! It's...Punishment Time!!"

Monokuma started pushing Kirumi out of the room, towards the elevator. A screen came down over Monokuma's chair, showing Kirumi going up the elevator, head bowed. A sign above the monitor read "Kirumi's Execution: Kleaning with Kirumi and Kuma!" Monokuma and Kirumi then left the elevator and wheeled themselves over to the Dining Hall.

Upon arrival, Monokuma parked Kirumi at the end of the table closest to the kitchen. Next, Monokuma grabbed a trash can, a mop and bucket, and some washrags. Then, he poured some bleach into a bucket and filled it with hot water, while placing the trash can behind Kirumi's wheelchair. After that, he sprayed a mop and a washrag with glass cleaner, then dipped them both into the bleach water.

I was puzzled for a moment as to why he did this, but then the realization hit me. Glass cleaner contains ammonia, and ammonia and bleach creates...chloramine gas. Very toxic, can cause eye irritation, coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, nausea, unconsciousness, and eventually...death.

Monokuma began wiping the vomit off the table and chairs, as Kirumi's eyes began to redden. After disposing of each wet washrag, he threw them away in the trash can, next to Kirumi. Kirumi began coughing and wheezing, struggling to breath, as Monokuma then began mopping the floor, spraying glass cleaner on the vomit first. This caused even MORE chloramine gas. Kirumi's head dropped, seemingly losing consciousness, but Monokuma continued mopping anyway, until ALL the vomit was gone in the Dining Hall. After that, Monokuma dumped the water down the drain in the Kitchen, then walked off the screen with the trash, presumably to throw it in the incinerator, leaving Kirumi in the Dining Hall alone.

Kirumi, at the meanwhile, was no longer moving, her chest and shoulders no longer rising and falling. She was merely slumped over, tied up in her wheelchair...dead.

While we all stared at the screen, Monokuma finally reappeared from the elevator. "Alright, Dining Hall's all cleaned up! It's off limits for the rest of the day, though, until the gases clear up."

I had one question for Monokuma. "Can you be honest with me about something?"

Monokuma cocked his head. "Well...it depends on what that 'something' is...but I won't lie to you, I'll promise you that."

I took a deep breath. "What do you get out of killing all of us in here? Do you get some kind of enjoyment from this sick game?"

Monokuma laughed at me, holding his stomach while leaning backwards, like a sadistic Santa Claus. "Well, the audience LOVES this kind of shit! You should see the ratings we get when you kill each other, or get executed yourselves!"

Monokuma then stopped laughing. "As for me, however, I don't even care if you kill each other or not. I never have; I just knew you would end up killing one another to get out of here, and simply stood back, observed, and let it happen. Ah-hahahahahahaaaaa!"

Ummmm...excuse me? Did he just say he didn't care if we killed each other or not? I knelt down, glaring at the little black and white fucker eye-to-eye.

"Now, you listen here, you little fucker. When I find out who's controlling you, I'm personally going to rip off their head and shit down their neck. Just...you...fucking...wait!" I growled at him in a low, menacing voice.

Monokuma's red eye glowed brightly for several moments, then dimmed as he started laughing again. "Don't threaten me with a good time, Psycho Guy! Now, everyone, get out of my courtroom!"

We all left, going up the elevator in silence, and went our separate ways. I decided to head to the Dojo, and beat on the punching and kicking bags until my hands and feet were numb and red. I even busted three of my knuckles (two on my right hand, one on my left) in the process. Once I was too tired to punch or kick anymore, I slowly made my way to my dorm, too tired to even eat, and slept the rest of the evening away.

I...was NOT...gonna let Monokuma get the better of us. Ever...again!