Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole, Part V (Class Trial)
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With a loud crashing sound, the elevator stopped dead. The doors then opened up, beckoning us into a large room. We walked out of the elevator and was greeted with a fairly grand sight: blue walls, gold columns, red curtains, a black and white checkered floor with a crimson carpet, and a pair of massive doors in the distance.
There were no less than sixteen podiums arranged in a circle in the room. A portrait of Mugen, bordered by black funeral ribbons, was already placed on a stand behind one of those podiums. Between two of the unoccupied podiums was a small throne: Monokuma was sitting on it, having most likely been waiting for us throughout our elevator ride.
Monokuma raised his hand, gesturing us to come over and stand behind the podiums. I did as I was implicitly told, went over to one of the podiums, and took my position behind it. With minimal protest, the others walked to podiums of their own. Nobody dared to move Mugen's portrait. After everyone had chose their spots, all was silent. Then Monokuma, with his smarmy voice, introduced us to the Class Trial.
Monokuma: Welcome, one and all, to the courtroom! After every investigation period is over and done with, you are to gather here for the subsequent Class Trial!
Masao: After every investigation?
Monokuma: Yes, says the man who's too much of a coward to use real swords. Anyways, the rules are simple: debate about who's the culprit 'til I get bored and make you vote on who's the culprit. A correct vote is a victory for the "spotless"; the "blackened" gets thrown out like the trash they are and everyone else is free to go!
Yura: ...Out of this hellhole?
Monokuma: Nope! Just back into where you all were before. But an incorrect vote spells T-P-K.
Souta: Excuse me. What does that mean, sir?
Monokuma: Total party kill. Every "spotless" dies, and the "blackened" is free to go! And unlike the previous example, they're free to leave back into the outside world! Regardless of the state it is in! Global war, global recession, practically any global crisis, all that matters is that the culprit walks out with the blood of their classmates on their hands, and more importantly with their life. Capiche, everyone?
Ayane: ...You are no ordinary judge.
Monokuma: Sure I am not! What's your point?
Ayane: I wouldn't dare to call you a judge.
Monokuma: Oh, you being cocky, huh? You think you're above me?!
Yukiharu: Sooner or later, we're gonna be above you!
Monokuma: Keep in mind that here, I am judge, jury and executioner, so shut up! Now, let this most wonderous Class Trial... begin!
Kaori: (This Class Trial... starts now...)
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(Non-Stop Debate)
Ayane: Mugen is dead. There is no denying that.
Ren: And there was a blatant wound on his head.
Luka: There was blood all over his forehead...
Daigo: So, being hit on the head was what killed him?
Yukiharu: Are we even going to try and find out who stabbed him to death?
TRUTH NEEDLE: Monokuma File #1
Kaori: No, that's wrong!
BREAK!
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Kaori: Yukiharu, the cause of death was bludgeoning.
Yukiharu: Yeah? How do ya know?
Kaori: The Monokuma File. "The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the front of the skull," it says.
Yukiharu: And was there anything in there proving that he had been bludgeoned?
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(Select Truth Needle)
TRUTH NEEDLE: Bloodstained Brick
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Kaori: Yes. The bloodstained brick we found next to Mugen.
Yukiharu: Damn... Now I feel like an idiot.
Kaiji: (sigh) Like me.
Madoka: Get your act together, Kaiji.
Kaiji: Fine then... Listen, I think, as the Ultimate Private Investigator, that I should be the one to lead this discussion.
Souta: Maybe it could help with your self-esteem? Make you feel useful?
Kaiji: ...I suppose.
Kaori: Do you have anything to say, Kaiji?
Kaiji: Yes. More specifically, it's about Daigo.
Daigo: Huh? What do I have to do with it?
Kaori: Let's see... The day before Mugen was killed...
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(Multiple Choice)
1. Daigo did a favour for Mugen.
2. Daigo gave something to Mugen.
3. Daigo argued with Mugen.
Answer: Daigo argued with Mugen.
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Kaori: You argued with him, remember?
Daigo: Yeah. About him possibly being the mastermind-
Yura: And that's a clear motive!
Kaiji: That's exactly what I was going to say... I heard rumours that Daigo argued with Mugen, and I assume that he couldn't let it go.
Ren: For shame.
Hirou: Also, can we talk about the dying message we found next to Mugen's body?
Kaiji: Can you stop beating me to everything, everyone?! I would have helped out!
Hirou: I apologise, Mr. Kudo.
Kaiji: Thank you. (sigh) As I was going to say, upon closer inspection... judging from how the "numbers" were written... they weren't numbers.
Kaori: Really?
Kaiji: They... were more akin to a name... Gah, I've heard of that before...
Kaori: So...?
Kaiji: Flip those "numbers" upside down, and what name do you get?
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(Multiple Choice)
1. Kaiji.
2. Daigo.
3. Mugen.
Answer: Daigo.
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Kaori: "06187"... upside down is... Daigo.
Kaiji: ...
Daigo: ...You're saying I'm the one who killed him?
Kaori: It looks like it, Daigo.
Daigo: ...Well, I'm not the killer...
Kozue: He could be right, he could be wrong, so for now let's give him the benefit of the doubt...
Daigo: Would you expect an Ultimate Salaryman to kill someone?
Madoka: Try expecting an Ultmate Florist...
Haruhi: ...
Madoka: Or an Ultimate Gemcutter...
Hirou: Excuse me?
Madoka: Or even an Ultimate Birdwatcher.
Umiko: Ah...
Madoka: Nobody here expected anyone else to get a brick and bash Mugen's brains in with it, huh?
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(Non-Stop Debate)
Yura: So we've got him dead to rights! Daigo killed Mugen!
Haruhi: Mugen wrote his killer's name in his own blood, I presume.
Masao: And that settles everything! We must vote now!
Hirou: Don't get too hasty, everyone. Something's up with his body.
Luka: If that's true, then why was there no blood on his fingertip?
TRUTH NEEDLE: Mugen's Corpse
Kaori: I agree with that!
BREAK!
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Kaori: Wait a second, everyone. Luka's made a valid point.
Madoka: What do you mean by that?
Kaori: If Mugen had indeed written his killer's name in his own blood, then there would have been blood on the finger he used.
Madoka: And is there?
Kaori: There wasn't, from what I know.
Ren: But he still could have wiped the blood off his finger before kicking the bucket.
Kaori: No, because...
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(Multiple Choice)
1. Mugen was instantly killed.
2: Mugen was too far away from the message.
3: Mugen was knocked out beforehand.
Answer: Mugen was instantly killed.
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Kaori: The Monokuma File mentioned that Mugen's death was instant.
Hirou: Ah?
Kaori: By the time the brick hit the floor, Mugen was already dead.
Kaiji: So, we can conclude that the message was written by somebody else. Presumably the culprit, in an attempt to frame Daigo.
Kaori: ...That is an acceptable theory. Thank you, Kaiji.
Madoka: Do you really believe that?!
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(Rebuttal Showdown: Vs. Madoka Uryu)
Madoka: I'll admit, the dying message was not written by Mugen.
Kaori: Indeed.
Madoka: That doesn't mean he's out of the woods yet! He still had the perfect motive, and who's to say that he didn't write that message himself to stave off suspicion?
Kaori: But there exists another suspect!
Madoka: Prove it to me, then!
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TRUTH BLADE: Diary
Madoka: Daigo managed to find out... (cut) ...the mastermind's identity... (cut) ...which was Mugen! (cut) Simple as that! (cut)
ADVANCE!
Kaori: How did he learn about Mugen allegedly being the mastermind?
Madoka: He confronted Mugen... (cut) ...and that was when he put two and two together. (cut) Daigo knew, Mugen knew... (cut) ...nobody else knew! (cut)
Kaori: Allow me to cut through those words.
BREAK!
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Kaori: Daigo is in the know about Mugen potentially being the mastermind.
Madoka: That's the point I was making. Daigo knew that Mugen was the mastermind, and killed him over it.
Kaori: But... Daigo learned it from somebody else... from Ren.
Daigo: That's what totally happened! Ren told me, so I confronted him about it!
Madoka: Are you out of your mind?!
Kaori: Why else would the diary be in Ren's room? Ren must have read through it... and found out about what Mugen was possibly up to.
Madoka: But it's not out of the question for Ren to let Daigo in his room and for him to plant the diary there.
Kaori: (I've got to prove Madoka wrong... Think about where the diary was originally...)
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(Multiple Choice)
1. In the coffee machine.
2. In the open box.
3. In Daigo's room.
Answer: In the open box.
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Kaori: Monokuma's motive, remember? He left behind a box in the gymnasium. Somebody opened it overnight, the night before Mugen was killed.
Hirou: Yes, we do know that.
Madoka: Hmph.
Kozue: And how exactly did they do it?
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(Select Truth Needle)
TRUTH NEEDLE: Lockpicks
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Kaori: They used hand-made lockpicks found in Ren's room to crack the lock and take the diary.
Ren: Hey! You found out about all that because you thought it would be a good idea to snoop in my room.
Kaiji: We had to snoop in your room because you asked us not to.
Ayane: As they say, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.
Ren: ...Drat.
Yukiharu: But the culprit must have known the code!
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(Non-Stop Debate)
Masao: While committing their crime, the killer came across the code... such is my theory.
Ren: But we have no clue where the code was being hidden.
Umiko: All that Monokuma told us was that it was somewhere...
Kozue: I was searching high and low, and didn't see a thing!
Souta: But I found "412" etched into the coffee machine!
TRUTH NEEDLE: Coffee Machine
Kaori: I agree with that!
BREAK!
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Kaori: Souta did find a number that could be it. More specifically, he found "412".
Souta: That's right! I found "412" etched into the coffee machine! Surely it meant "4-1-2", right Monokuma?
Monokuma: You're spot-on! The code for the box was indeed "4-1-2"! ...No rewards, though, because nobody figured it out before it got broken into!
Umiko: Se-see? So the culprit knew the code, to the box, where the diary was being held!
Kaiji: Don't think so... Monokuma just said that nobody knew the code before the box was opened.
Ayane: Yes, the important thing is that the box was broken into before the coffee machine was adjusted.
Haruhi: You're right. The culprit must have... (cough)
Daigo: You alright?
Haruhi: I'm... I'm fine. Don't ask any more questions.
Daigo: Okay, then...
Haruhi: As I was saying, the culprit must have used their lockpicks as a last-ditch effort to obtain what was in the box.
Kaori: (Not even the culprit initially knew the code... Proving themselves unable to find it, they resorted to using their lockpicks...)
Daigo: And as I said, I learned out about what Mugen was up to from Ren!
Ren: Yeah. That's right. I told him.
Umiko: So... is it safe to rule out Daigo?
Kaori: (I've got to tell her the opinion of someone that is trusted...)
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(Select Truth Needle)
TRUTH NEEDLE: Kaiji's Account
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Kaori: And if Kaiji is to be believed, Daigo was sleeping along with everyone except Mugen and the culprit.
Daigo: That's exactly what I was doing. Then I was woke up shortly afterwards by Ren.
Kaori: (Ren?! So they were the two I saw conversing in the dark, the night Mugen died...)
Daigo and Ren's Conversation has been added to the Truth Needles.
Ayane: This means that our only two suspects remaining are Daigo and Ren. And from the looks of it, Daigo is being framed.
Souta: ...So we're back to square one, then?
Kaiji: Looks like it.
Madoka: More like square two. Because we're on the trail of the true culprit.
Monokuma: Indeed, you're right everyone! But you've got to be quick to get to square three, and four, and five... 'cuz time is short! Just like life!
Yukiharu: We know already.
Daigo: Thanks a lot. As thanks, I'll tell you everything now. About why me and Ren were up at night.
Ren: ...Wait a second, Daigo?! I thought we were buddies.
Daigo: But... I've got a gut feeling... you're the one who killed Mugen.
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Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole, Part V, End
15 Remain