3RD PERSON POV
Monokuma: Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out "whodunnit" then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one... Then I'll punish everyone *besides* the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate! Okay, well! I'll leave the rest up to you!
Byakuya: Well, without a doubt, the killer of the seventeenth student is Kyoko Kirigiri!
Y/N: Can you prove it?
Byakuya: Allow me to explain... Just after nighttime last night, myself and Hagakure went to the garden. So I can confirm that at that point, there was no dead body there. So, the murder must have taken place after we left the garden. However...Hiro, Toko, Hina, Mukuro, Celeste, Y/N, Chihiro and I were in the gym the entire time.
Kyoko: The gym?
Y/N: That's right. The eight of us were there trying to dismantle Monokuma. The whole time we were very careful not to go anywhere alone. We even went to the bathroom in pairs. All of which is to say the eight of us all have iron-clad alibis. The only ones without alibis...
Kyoko: Are me and Makoto. That's why you're able to narrow down the list of suspects.
Y/N: Exactly so.
Makoto: Um, I have something I'd like to say regarding the whole alibi thing.
Celeste: Are you thinking of raising an objection?
Makoto: Well, before that, I just want to try and get a better idea of what time the murder took place. Doing that might reveal some kind of clue.
Hiro: Me and Byakuya can both confirm that the body wasn't in the garden at... Well, it was after nighttime for sure. I'd say it must have been around 10 o'clock. So the murder musta happened after 10pm.
Hina: Then I guess we can say the timeframe for the murder was between then and when we found the body?
Chihiro: But what time did we find the body?
Y/N: The one who saw the body first was Toko, right? When she went to go get the mattock.
Makoto: The body must have been discovered at 9am, since that's when Toko went to get the mattock.
Toko: H-He's right, it had to be around th-then.
Hiro: So we can be totally sure the murder happened sometime between 10 at night and 9 in the morning.
Makoto: For me, I was already asleep before nighttime hit. So I don't have an alibi after 10 o'clock... But I'm sure I met up with everyone else before 9 this morning.
Hina: We ran into each other in the dining hall, right? That was around 7:30! I remember checking right before I went in, so I'm totally sure about it.
Mukuro: Which means from 10 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., you don't have an alibi.
Byakuya: We've established a timeframe for the murder. It took place somewhere between 10 o'clock at night...and 9 o'clock in the morning.
Makoto: No, that's wrong!
*BREAK!*
Makoto: Actually, the murder couldn't have happened anywhere near 10 o'clock. It had to have taken place way later!
Chihiro: What makes you say that?
Makoto: Because of the sprinklers in the garden. The sprinklers are set to go off right at 7:30 every morning, right? So if the body had been in the garden before 7:30 then it should have been completely soaked!
Toko: H-Hold on! I remember this part p-perfectly! The body w-was wet! Dripping wet, in fact.
Makoto: Sorry Toko, but you're wrong.
Toko: I'm wrong? H-How? Are you saying o-only the mouth down south was wet?! How dare you spew s-such indecent words?!
Makoto: No, I'm saying that the body was wet, but not because of the sprinklers.
Toko: What do you m-mean? By d-denying the sprinkler...are you trying to deny my e-entire existence?!
Hiro: Man! You're totally wacko!
Toko: If you r-really think it wasn't the sprinkler, y-you'd better tell us why!
Makoto: Just remember what the body was like after the explosion and you'll see why it wasn't the sprinklers. The top half of the body was wet, yes, but the bottom half was completely dry. If the sprinklers got the body wet, shouldn't the whole body have been wet?
Toko: Oh my, wet on top and dry on bottom?! Internet Rule 34 don't fail me now!
Celeste: I'm so sick of her.
Y/N: Let's just...move on. The reason only the top half was wet was because while the body was still on fire, we had to douse it with water. But only the part on fire, in other words the top half.
Toko: O-Oh...then I guess the sprinklers r-really didn't do it.
Makoto: So if the sprinklers didn't get the body wet, then the murder must have taken place sometime after the sprinklers turned on at 7:30 in the morning!
Mukuro: Which means she must have been killed sometime between then and when the body was discovered at 9.
Hina: But Makoto's alibi was only missing from 10 o'clock last night to 7:30 this morning, right?
Hiro: So there's no way Makoto could have done it! I guess you had an alibi, after all. Good for you!
Byakuya: In which case, the only one left without an alibi...is Kyoko.
Kyoko: I'd just like to say one thing. If you vote for me, and I die here, the mystery of this school will stay hidden forever. Which is why...I can't let that happen!
Y/N: So are you saying...you're not the culprit?
Kyoko: Of course I'm not. I have no reason to kill anyone. Don't you see? I'm being framed! This is a trap the mastermind has laid for us.
Chihiro: A trap?
Monokuma: Ahahahaha! We're this far into the game, and now you decide to blame me? Stop wasting time! Stop wasting energy! You really think your little trick is gonna work?!
Y/N: Shut up, you!
Monokuma: You got it, babe! Shutting up now!
Y/N: Babe?!
Byakuya: Anyway... Kyoko, you actually did have a reason to kill her.
Makoto: Huh? She did?
Byakuya: She thought the seventeenth student was the Ultimate Despair. In other words, the mastermind behind everything. So she killed her to try and put a stop to all this. Isn't that right, Kyoko? But you made one catastrophic mistake. The seventeenth student wasn't the mastermind at all. And as a result, we were forced into another trial, something I'm sure you weren't at all expecting.
Chihiro: So that was her motive?
Hiro: If she had a motive, and no alibi, well then...I think it's pretty clear Kyoko's gotta be the culprit.
Kyoko: I'm not the only one without an alibi. Makoto's explanation is still insufficient. The sprinklers didn't get the body wet, but that doesn't mean the murder happened when he said it did.
Makoto: Huh? Wh-What are you-
Kyoko: Because you see, there is a way the body could have avoided getting wet. All it would take is covering the body with a certain something to keep it from getting wet.
Y/N: You're talking about the tarp, aren't you?
Kyoko: You're right. All you'd have to do is cover the body with the tarp, and that'd take care of the water. In fact, that's exactly what the killer did. The dirt pattern on the tarp can attest to that. Only one side of the tarp got dirty, because that's the side that got covered in water. The side that faced down over the body, meanwhile, kept perfectly clean. This proves that the killer used the tarp to keep the body from getting soaked.
Mukuro: But why would they go to all that effort just to keep the body from getting wet?
Y/N: Most likely so they could cloud the issue of when the murder actually took place.
Kyoko: In other words, to create an excuse exactly like the one Makoto just gave us.
Makoto: Wait...something's not right.
Celeste: And what might that be?
Kyoko: By covering the body with the tarp, the killer prevented it from getting wet.
Hiro: So the reason the tarp was only dirty on one side is because the sprinkler got that side wet!
Chihiro: But the underside of the tarp was totally spotless, right?
Hiro: It's cuz that side was protected from the water! Since it was facing down toward the body of course it didn't get dirty!
Y/N: No that's wrong!
*BREAK!*
Y/N: Actually, one side being clean is pretty strange, if you think about it, because the blood wasn't dry before the body got blown up, right? Byakuya said it himself, not to touch it or you might get some on you. If you put a tarp on a body in that state, it absolutely would have gotten blood on it.
Mukuro: Well...maybe the culprit washed it, so nobody would know they'd used it.
Byakuya: If they had, they would've washed both sides. Just washing the one side wouldn't hide anything.
Mukuro: Oh yeah, true.
Kyoko: More than that, what if the very blood we saw on the body was meant as a kind of camouflage? What if, after the killer used the tarp to avoid the sprinklers they then covered the body in blood that didn't belong to the victim?
Toko: Y-You mean...someone else's b-blood? Where would they get something l-like that?
Hiro: I know! They coulda grabbed some of the blood packs from the nurse's office!
Kyoko: No, that's not what happened this time. The killer got the blood from right there in the garden.
Y/N: Could it have been...chicken blood?
Hina: Chicken blood?!
Y/N: When I checked the chicken coop before the murder, there were five chickens. But after the murder, there were only four.
Chihiro: S-So you're saying...someone killed a chicken and then covered the body with its blood?
Mukuro: Man, that's messed up!
Hina: Killing a living thing just to do something like that is awful! They should have at least eaten it!
Celeste: I wonder if the killer had to get the blood from the scene so they wouldn't be spotted walking around.
Kyoko: Anyway, there's no denying that a chicken went missing, which provides a basis for my theory.
Byakuya: Perhaps, but even so...there's one thing that still doesn't make sense. You said the culprit used the tarp to avoid the water, and then covered the body in blood, right? But if that's the case, then the blood should have soaked into the ground around the body. But that's not what we saw. Only the victim's clothing had blood on it. The ground was completely clean.
Celeste: I have to agree, that certainly is strange. Maybe they didn't apply the blood at the scene. Maybe they covered the coat in blood beforehand.
Makoto: They covered it...beforehand?
Kyoko: When you discovered the body, was it wearing the coat like you normally would?
Makoto: Um...I think so. Wait, no. The head was through the neck hole, but the arms weren't in the sleeves.
Kyoko: Then that settles it.
Hina: Sorry, I'm having a tough time keeping up. What settles what?
Kyoko: Here's what happened. The murder took place before the sprinklers went off. But the body didn't get wet, because the killer covered it with the tarp. Then, later, at the same time the killer was gathering up the tarp, they pulled the coat over the body. The coat they'd already covered in blood. This series of cover-ups was meant to disguise the actual time the murder occurred. They wanted us to think the murder happened sometime after the sprinklers had gone off, at 7:30.
Byakuya: If that's actually what took place, it certainly becomes possible that the murder happened earlier.
Chihiro: But...to pull all that off...wouldn't they have had to go back to the garden after the sprinklers turned off?
Kyoko: That actually wouldn't have been all that difficult.
Chihiro: Huh?
Kyoko: They already had the coat ready. So they just had to grab the tarp and pull the coat over the body. They'd be done in no time.
Makoto: Maybe, but still...
Kyoko: Hina. After you met up with Makoto in the dining hall, did you two stay together from that point on?
Hina: Oh, no. I headed off to the gym, and Makoto didn't show up till later.
Kyoko: Then he had plenty of time to spare, wouldn't you say?
Makoto: Th-That's not-
Kyoko: Don't bother saying it's not possible.
Makoto: Ng...!
Byakuya: I must admit, Kyoko's reasoning is sound. Makoto's alibi is...inadequate.
Y/N: Well then, it looks like we're back to square one. Makoto's alibi is no good, so once again our suspects are him and Kyoko.
Hiro: For serious, man...which one of 'em did it? Hey, why don't we let luck decide? Let's flip a coin! Fifty-fifty odds!
Hina: Oh!
Hiro: See? Pretty good idea, right?
Hina: No, not that! I just remembered something super serious!
Byakuya: Well, don't just stand there. Out with it.
Hina: You know that knife we found all black and burnt?
Mukuro: The one we found stuck in the body before it exploded, right?
Hiro: According to the Monokuma File, the knife went all the way through, from front to back. So? What about it?
Hina: I'm pretty sure I'd seen that knife somewhere before... That's what I thought when I first saw it. I just remembered!
Toko: I-It's...the knife we g-gave to Makoto?!
Celeste: You don't seem surprised. You must have noticed earlier.
Makoto: Y-Yeah.
Celeste: Then why did you hide that fact?
Makoto: It's not that I hid it. It's just...
Hiro: Suspicious... Very suspicious indeed! The knife we found stuck in the body came from Makoto! Now I'm totally convinced he did it! Twelve thousand percent convinced! If he did have that knife before, then that seals it! Makoto did it!
Makoto: Just because I had the knife once, that automatically makes me the killer?
Hiro: Well, getting stabbed is what killed her right? So there's no question! You took that knife of yours and killed her with it!
Makoto: You've got that wrong!
*BREAK!*
Makoto: Wait, hold on. The stab wound isn't what killed her. That should be clear from the description of the cover-up we just heard! The killer covered the dead body with the tarp, and then put the bloody coat on it, right? In other words, the victim never wore that bloodstained coat until after they were dead.
Hiro: Okay, fine! So what?!
Makoto: So, when we discovered the body, the knife had been thrust through the coat along with the body. Meaning, if she wasn't stabbed until the coat was put on, and she was already dead at that point, that obviously means the stab wound isn't what killed her! The Monokuma File clearly states that there was actually two stab wounds.
Chihiro: M-Maybe you stabbed her twice! Once to kill her, and once to cover it up!
Hina: Then the knife was just another piece of camouflage set up by the true killer.
Y/N: They probably stabbed her to draw attention away from what actually killed her. Exploding the body afterward was probably meant to do the same thing. The explosion severely damaged the body, making it impossible to know what really killed her. It was all the killer's attempt to destroy all evidence of their crime!
Byakuya: So they wanted us to notice the first stab wound, and then detonated the body afterward... They meant for us to latch onto the knife as the cause of death, then destroy any evidence proving otherwise.
Chihiro: Oh, hey, I have a question! It kinda goes back to the beginning, but... What's the deal with that explosion, anyway? Why'd the body just blow up all of a sudden like that?
Celeste: If you bothered to put that lump of grey matter between your ears to use, you'd know the answer.
Chihiro: Well if you're so smart, just tell me!
Hiro: I'll tell ya! I bet some unknown quantum particle caused an atomic-level spontaneous combustion!
Byakuya: Erghhh... Go ahead, Naegi. Tell him, or we won't make any headway on this.
Makoto: After the explosion, we found a tiny fragment of something on the ground near the body, right? That fragment reveals the cause of the explosion.
Hina: Huh? You know, I feel like I've seen something like it before.
Makoto: That's only natural. Because, of course we saw the same thing when we dismantled Monokuma. It's part of a bomb.
Hina: Oh! Then the explosion was cuz of the Monokuma bomb!
Byakuya: Anyway, the culprit's motive is becoming more and more obvious by the minute. They wanted the initial knife wound to look like the fatal injury so that we'd suspect Makoto...The only other possible suspect. You, Kyoko.
Kyoko: This is ridiculous. Execute me, and the school remains a mystery. I'm sorry, I cannot allow that to happen.
Byakuya: Really? So you do nothing in your defence instead of staring dejectedly at the floor?!
Makoto: Hold on a second, Byakuya.
Byakuya: What's the problem?
Makoto: Well I just feel like...we need to think this through. We still don't know what actually killed the victim.
Chihiro: That's true! It's definitely bugging me. What really killed her?
Byakuya: Fine, I have no problem with that. Let us continue the debate. It won't change the facts of the case, regardless. Then shall we continue the debate? The victim's fatal injury has yet to be determined, correct?
Hina: The explosion didn't kill her for sure, I guess.
Hiro: Well, yeah. She was already totally dead when that happened.
Chihiro: And it wasn't because of the knife, right? Then there's only one other thing.
Hiro: Oh yeah, um...according to the Monokuma File...That's gotta be it! There was evidence that showed she was hit on the back of her head!
Makoto: That's right! The seventeenth student died because of the blow to the back of the head she suffered!
Hiro: What about the other stab wound and the broken wrist? They didn't have anything to do with it?
Y/N: The Monokuma File makes it clear that those weren't fresh wounds.
Hiro: Oh yeah, good point. If they were old, I guess they don't really matter.
Celeste: Okay, then we're safe in assuming the blow to the back of her head is what killed her.
Hina: But then...what was the murder weapon?
Hiro: The Monokuma File says the body showed signs of blunt trauma to the back of the head consistent of a metal pipe or cudgel, whatever that is. There you have it, in the garden with the lead pipe!
Byakuya: Kindly stop trying to think please. I just so happens we already know.
Toko: W-We already know!? I knew we could count on you, M-Master!
Mukuro: So what was it?
Byakuya: Go ahead and tell them, Naegi. Surely you've deduced the real murder weapon?
Makoto: The student was hit in the back of the head with something, and that's what killed her. And that something was...the titanium arrow we found in the locker in the dojo.
Chihiro: An arrow... That's what the culprit attacked the seventeenth student with?
Byakuya: Indeed, there's no doubt about it.
Mukuro: But arrows are for piercing not blunt force trauma!
Toko: H-Hey! How dare you back-talk Master?! You have n-no right!
Mukuro: I'm not back-talking anything! I'm just saying what I think!
Hina: But Byakuya, are you really sure?
Celeste: You don't sound convinced. What's the problem?
Hina: Well, cuz in the Monokuma File...it said the weapon must've been about as think as a metal pipe, right? It seems like an arrow would just be too thin.
Y/N: No, that's wrong!
*BREAK!*
Y/N: You're right. Just the one arrow would've been too weak. That's why the killer used another weapon.
Hina: Another weapon?
Makoto: Inside the dojo locker, we also found a balled-up wad of duct tape. The killer probably used this duct tape to bind multiple arrows together. Bundling them together using the duct tape would easily create a single weapon as think as a pipe. And that's exactly what the killed did!
Belial: It's similar to Aesop's fable about the bundle of sticks. One stick is weak, but put them together, and they become strong. It's meant to teach cooperation.
Hiro: Damn, that's harsh.
Belial: You know, they threw Aesop off a cliff for being sarcastic...
Hiro: Waaah?! I wasn't being sarcastic, I swear!
Byakuya: Moving on, that explains the murder weapon. As for who the culprit is that stashed the weapon in the dojo locker, it was you, Kyoko!
Kyoko: I've never been to the dojo.
Byakuya: Oh no, you absolutely have.
Hina: How can you say that with such confidence?
Byakuya: Because we have evidence that refutes that claim. Specifically, the dojo locker's key.
Celeste: And how does that prove anything?
Makoto: Because...I found it in Kyoko's room.
Kyoko: It was...in my room?
Byakuya: Don't bother trying to play dumb. That key is just the final piece of the puzzle. Your non-existent alibi, your clear motive, your attempts to frame Makoto for the crime. This all proves that you are the true culprit. You can't explain this away, so just give up.
Makoto: Hold on a second. It's just... There's one more thing I need to ask her. Kyoko, I want you to tell me something. Last night...you were in my room, weren't you? Why? What were you doing there? That's what I need to know.
Kyoko: I was just...protecting you.
Makoto: What?
Byakuya: That's enough. The time for idle chatter is over. A verdict is close at hand.
Kyoko: Wait. I'm warning you, don't make this mistake. I'm not the killer.
Byakuya: I knew you were stubborn, but this is just getting ridiculous.
Kyoko: Can you tell me I'm wrong?
Byakuya: I...should know? Those words you just spoke... What do you mean?
Kyoko: Exactly what I said. I'm not the killer. You should understand that more than anyone here.
Chihiro: Byakuya, what are you hiding?
Toko: Master would n-never hide something from me!
Byakuya: There's proof that you aren't the culprit... Is that what you're saying?
Kyoko: You stated a theory earlier. You said I hid the evidence of my crime in the dojo locker...and then left the locker key in my own room. Correct? But...could I really have done that?
Makoto: No, she couldn't have! If I'm right, Kyoko wouldn't have been able to get into her room.
Mukuro: Huh? Why not?
Kyoko: Because I had given my room key to you, Byakuya.
Byakuya: I see. So that's what you meant. And if I had the key to your room...
Kyoko:...then obviously I had no way of getting in. Without my room key, I couldn't possibly put the locker key in there myself. Am I wrong?
Byakuya: It...would appear not.
Kyoko: Then you're finally starting to understand.
Makoto: ....
Byakuya: Makoto, why are you staring off into space? Don't you have a rebuttal for Kyoko's claim? Have you decided to accept her assertion as fact?
Makoto: ...
Byakuya: I see. So you still refuse to accept it. I suppose we have to admit that Kyoko didn't put the locker key in her room, that it was someone else.
Hina: But...who else could it have been?
Y/N: Byakuya had her room key, right?
Toko: Y-You! What are you t-trying to imply?!
Byakuya: But of course I have an alibi. From nighttime on, I was with you guys the entire time. I couldn't possibly have killed anyone, or put the key in Kyoko's room. There's only one other possibility I can think of. Someone could have had the key on them, then once they arrived at the scene, pretended to "find" it there.
Makoto: What? What are you saying?
Kyoko: If I can't enter my room as I please, I'm afraid it's the only plausible explanation.
Chihiro: So i-it had to be Makoto...right?
Makoto: W-Wait a second! You've got it all wrong! Let's think about it one more time! There's got to be a hidden side to this case!
Hiro: Huh? A hidden side?
Makoto: There's something off about this entire trial! This whole trial is a set-up! The seventeenth student, who we didn't even know existed, suddenly shows up dead, and then we're thrown into a trial...! And Kyoko even said, it's a trap the mastermind set for us! So that's why...this has to be-
Monokuma: Okaaay! Time's up!
Makoto: What? Time's up?
Kyoko: What do you mean time's up? There's no "time's up." Since when have we-
Monokuma: It's because you were late! So we had to push back the start time! So then, it's time for voting time, okay? Everyone, please vote using the lever in front of you!
Makoto: Voting time?!
Monokuma: Now, who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?
Makoto: Hey, hold on!
Monokuma: What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!
Makoto: Damnit, I'm telling you...IT WASN'T ME!
*ONE SLOT MACHINE THING LATER*
Makoto: What? You think..... I'm the.... killer? Everyone...you're wrong...! You've got it all wrong! I didn't do it! ARE YOU PEOPLE OUT OF YOUR MINDS?!!!!
Monokuma: Good job, everyone! They got it right!
Makoto: N-No, I know that's not true... None of this makes any sense... This whole trial doesn't make any sense!
Monokuma: It makes perfect seeeeEEEENNNSSSSSEEE!!! It's the same as always! It's just like all the other class trials! And I'm gonna end it the same way! It's time for your heartpounding, positively thrilling punishment!
Makoto: W-Wait! Why do I?! Kyoko?
Kyoko: I don't expect you to forgive me. I know this is all my fault.
Makoto: Kyoko....
Monokuma: Let's give it everything we've got! It's...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!
Monokuma: Huh? Huuuuh?! Excuse me?! Wh-What was that?!
Mukuro: Hey, was that?!
Hiro: Ah! Yeah, it had to be!
Chihiro: Alter Ego!
Byakuya: Damnit! I knew Naegi wasn't guilty!
Monokuma: Alter Ego? is this some stupid virus from you, trap boy?! You must have planted it when you invaded my network...! Damn it all to hell! I don't believe this!
Kyoko: It seems you finally made a miscalculation.
Y/N: No...you miscalculated from the very beginning.
Monokuma: What was that?
Y/N: You heard me, bear! What I'm saying is, you shouldn't have underestimated us.
Monokuma: Hmph! Why are you talking like you've already won? I barely felt a thing! It was a pinch, an itch! The stupid virus is gone now, got it?! And so is Makoto... Maybe I didn't get to smash him flat, but you're never gonna see him again! To waste away in a garbage-strewn pit... In a way, that's an even BETTER special punishment for that snot-nosed punk! But it's still not enough. I'm still not satisfied! I'm still gonna bring despair to the rest of you. I'll bring despair to the entire world! Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu!
With that, Monokuma left, a massive smile plastered on his face.
Hiro: Is he...gone?
Byakuya: Hey, Kyoko. What's the meaning of all this? Just what the hell is going on?
Kyoko: It's okay. We're not the ones being trapped this time. Now it's the mastermind that's ensnared.
Celeste: The mastermind is ensnared? What are you talking about?
Kyoko: You'll understand soon enough. Very soon indeed....
********
There we go, Chapter 16 is done! Now, I will be writing smut for the next part, but it's not actually gonna be in the story. Well I mean it takes immediately after 9.5, so it kind of is and isn't, if that makes sense? Anyway, thank you very much for reading, and I'll see you guys, gals and non-binary pals later!
-B