Danganronpa: Joy of Ferocity
Cuddles: (N-No... No way...)
Toothy: "...M-Mime? Russell...?"
I keep staring at the bloody room, and at the remains of our friends.
Toothy: "I think... I think I'm going to throw up..."
Cuddles: (...)
This was by far the most gruesome sight I've ever seen. I can't believe my eyes.
Cuddles: (These two... They've always been the most cheerful out of all of us... They didn't do anything wrong... Then why... Why did this happen?!)
Cuddles: "I can't..."
Cuddles: (They're dead. Both of them. They'll never be with us ever again.)
Cuddles: "I-I can't t-take this anymore...!"
A monitor turns on.
Monokuma: "A body has been discovered! After a short investigation, a class trial will begin! See you there!"
Toothy: "...It's happening..."
Cuddles: "...All over again..."
We hear laughter from the back of the room.
Monokuma: "Puhuhuhuhu! I see you two are the first to discover the body!"
Cuddles: "D-Did you...?"
Monokuma: "Did I...?"
Cuddles: "Did you do... Did you do it...?"
Monokuma: "Nope! Of course not! Aren't you used to it already?"
Cuddles: "...You..."
Monokuma: "Well! You know what they say! Third time's the charm! You'll probably get used to it after this class trial... If you can even make it out alive! Bwahahaha!"
Toothy: "...Please... Can you leave us alone...?"
Monokuma: "Hmmm, let me think about it! Nnnnope! Instead, I'll give you the third Monokuma file!"
He hands us the files.
Toothy: "...But..."
Monokuma: "Hm? What is it, buckteeth?"
Toothy: "...We're the only two people who discovered the bodies... Why did the announcement play?"
Monokuma: "Aha! That's something I can't tell you... But maybe, this means that somebody in your group has already seen the bodies, and left them behind! Maybe, they helped the killer with the murder! Oh, so many possibilities, but only one can be true! Can these hopeless kids figure out the mystery to this case? Find out now! Bwahahaha!"
Monokuma disappears, leaving us alone in the bloody room.
Cuddles: (It's all happening again... But I have no other choice than to push through. It's what they would all want me to do.)
I look around the room.
Cuddles: (Russell... His head has been completely shredded to bits...)
I hesitate, but I walk closer to him.
Cuddles: (Up close he looks even more bloody...)
I can feel myself having the urge to puke and cry at the same time, but I hold it in.
Cuddles: (...Stay calm, Cuddles... You're doing this for them, remember? Don't let them down!)
Russell has been completely decapitated, leaving a big splat of blood on his entire body.
Cuddles: (How did this even happen...?)
I look at the wall he's leaning on, and see a bloody machine with a saw inside.
Cuddles: "This is... the Monokuma Sculpture Making Machine!"
I take a closer look at it, and notice that it's activated.
Cuddles: "I-Is this how Russell...?"
I still couldn't admit that he's dead. It was too heartbreaking. It was all happening again, like a bad dream.
Cuddles: (This is how he... died. Someone turned the machine on and pushed him in... Just like Monokuma said back then...)
(Flashback)
Monokuma: "Well, I'm glad you asked! There's some wood in the storage room, so you take that, insert it in the machine, and while it's in there, the many saws carve it in the desired shape, and out it goes!"
Monokuma: "But if a person gets stuck in the machine... Heheh, I trust you can guess what happens next!"
Cuddles: "...!"
Monokuma: "Bwahahaha!"
(End of flashback)
Cuddles: (I can't let this happen ever again!)
I turn off the machine, but as I do, I notice scattered parts of some organs in the machine.
Cuddles: "AH!"
I quickly turn away from there and focus my attention on the body.
Cuddles: (...Those were his organs...!)
I take a deep breath and look at his body again.
Cuddles: "Huh?"
There's blood on the entire body, but my eyes land on a specific part.
Cuddles: "There's blood on his hook..."
Toothy: "Woah, yeah... That's kind of strange."
Cuddles: (Why would there be blood on his hook? I know there's a lot of blood on his entire body, but I feel like this is too convenient...)
I hear a shuffle from behind me.
Toothy: "Cuddles!"
I turn back and look at Toothy.
Cuddles: "What?"
I see him staring at the wall behind me, so I look there too.
Toothy: "Look...!"
Cuddles: "MIME!"
I tackle him into a hug.
Cuddles: "Are you okay?!"
I don't know why I even asked, because he can't reply, but I'm still hugging him. There's a lump in my throat and tears falling from my eyes, even if I don't know why.
Cuddles: (Why am I crying...? I saw him dead but I didn't cry... Then why am I doing it now...?)
I keep looking at him, he's got a surprised look on his face.
Cuddles: (I'm crying because he's alive, right...? I already got used to all the despair of death... That this is too overwhelming for me... I'm so happy...)
I could hear Toothy cry as well.
Cuddles: (We're both feeling the same thing, huh...)
I let go of Mime, even if tears are still dripping from my eyes.
Cuddles: "M-Mime... You're... a-alive..."
Mime stares at me, with a slight smile.
I look down at myself and see that some of the blood on Mime's shirt rubbed on me.
Cuddles: "O-Oh! Darn it...!"
I wipe my tears and try to get rid of the blood, which unfortunately makes me even bloodier.
Toothy: "M-Mime... You're actually a-alive... How come...?"
Mime pulled his shirt up, and to our surprise, there were no wounds.
Cuddles: "Wait a sec!"
I take out the Monokuma file and read it.
There is only one victim shown.
Cuddles: "Mime's not on here..."
Toothy: "Why would Monokuma trick us like that?!"
Monokuma: "Bwahahaha!"
Before we knew it, Monokuma was back.
Monokuma: "It worked! It actually worked! I knew it! Puhuhuhu!"
Cuddles: "Y-You... Are you serious?!"
Monokuma: "Ahahaha! It was ALL worth it! I laughed my butt off watching you two cry over his quote on quote "dead" body! It was hilarious! The peak of comedy has been reached!"
Toothy: "Just shut your mouth and stop acting like this is some sort of TV show where deaths aren't important!"
Monokuma: "Well, how can you say for sure that this is NOT a TV show? I mean, you don't even know who might be watching..."
Toothy: "Just leave us alone you sadistic bear!"
Monokuma: "Give me a few more minutes!"
He walks up to Mime and passes him a file.
Monokuma: "Alright! Monokuma out!"
Monokuma disappears.
Cuddles: "..."
Mime keeps staring at Russell's body.
Cuddles: "...Are you okay...?"
Mime slowly nods, not looking away from the body.
Cuddles: (He doesn't look okay...)
Cuddles: "We'll do our best to avenge Russell!"
Mime is unphased.
Cuddles: (...)
I look at the Monokuma file.
Cuddles: "It's about time I read this..."
There's an image of Russell's dead body, with a description. It reads:
"The victim is Russell."
"The body was discovered in the art room. The wall next to the body is bloody, due to the victim's injuries."
"The body has been decapitated and its blood has dirtied the walls and the nearby objects."
Cuddles: "..."
I put the file away.
Cuddles: (There isn't any new info here...)
I turn to Toothy.
Cuddles: "Did you find anything?"
Toothy: "I think so..."
I walk up to him, and he picks something up from the floor.
Toothy: "What do you think this is?"
He shows the brightly colored rubber material towards me.
Cuddles: "I dunno..."
I look down, and see more of the same material, scattered around.
Cuddles: "Mime, do you know what this is?"
Mime slowly shakes his head.
Toothy: "Oh! Over there! Look!"
Toothy points towards a few balloons.
Toothy: "Maybe they're balloons!"
Cuddles: "Could be! But why would balloons be popped in the first place?"
Toothy: "No idea. But we should keep this in mind! It might be important!"
Cuddles: "Right!"
Toothy drops the material back on the floor.
Cuddles: (I don't think there's anything else suspicious in this room.)
Cuddles: "Well, I'll leave and tell the rest about this... Are you coming?"
Toothy: "Yeah. What about you, Mime?"
He nods, following Toothy.
I look towards the vent.
Cuddles: (This is the only way the killer could've gotten in right...?)
I walk up to it, attempting to crawl inside, before I see a suspicious trail of blood.
Cuddles: "W-WOAH! When did this appear?!"
Toothy: "What?"
Cuddles: "There's a blood trail in the vent!"
Toothy: "W-What?! Really?!"
Cuddles: "Yeah!"
Toothy: "But we haven't seen it on the way here...! Is it fresh or something?"
Cuddles: "It doesn't look fresh..."
Toothy: "How did we miss it?!"
Cuddles: "Well, to be fair, it was dark..."
Toothy: "I guess... But this means the killer must've entered through here! There's no other way!"
Cuddles: "Yeah... So it can't be Monokuma..."
Toothy: "..."
We crawl into the vent, one by one, and drop down into the hallway intersecting the many locked rooms.
Sniffles: "AH!"
We see Sniffles, his hands gripping on the laptop, and staring directly at Mime.
Sniffles: "What happened to him?!"
Toothy: "S-Sniffles... Did... Did Monokuma tell you...?"
Sniffles: "A-About the m-murder?! Of course n-not! I mean, he did, but...!"
I spot something on the ground, near him. It looks like a ball of paper.
Cuddles: (Is that the Monokuma file? Did he ball it up or something?)
Sniffles: "W-What happened to Mime?! You still didn't answer!"
Cuddles: "Well... We don't know. We just found him in the art room looking like this..."
Sniffles' expression turns from one of fear to genuine horror once he hears this. He starts speaking in a weak voice.
Sniffles: "I... I need to go..."
He pushes the laptop off of him, shaking, and runs away.
Cuddles: (What happened to him?)
I look at Toothy, and see him grab the laptop.
Toothy: "Look! There's a red dot on the map!"
Cuddles: "Huh?"
Mime and I take a look at the screen. There really was a red dot there!
Cuddles: "Who else could be in the vents at this time?"
Toothy: "Maybe..."
He cuts himself off.
Toothy: "W-We should keep this in mind. Maybe we can look for whoever's in the vent by following it?"
Cuddles: "Good idea! Let's go!"
We start following the path it takes, leading us to the cafeteria.
Toothy: "This should be the place, I think."
Someone drops down from a vent, and directly onto a table, making me drop the laptop on the floor.
Cuddles: (Darn it!)
Flippy: "Oh! Hi!"
We stay silent.
Flippy: "I wanted to say that I removed all the traps!"
He's too gleeful in this situation.
Flippy: "Did something happen?"
Cuddles: "You didn't get it?"
Flippy: "G-Get what...?"
Cuddles: "The-"
"THE MONOKUMA FILE!"
Out of nowhere, Monokuma appears!
Monokuma: "Ah, my fellow brethren! How long have I waited to see you out of those wretched tunnels!"
Flippy: "...What's going on...?"
Monokuma: "AHEM! ...You guys just glossed over my line, huh?... Anyway! I wanted to give you the third Monokuma File!"
He passes him one, but Flippy immediately slaps it away.
Flippy: "NOT AGAIN!"
He starts shivering and stares at Monokuma.
Flippy: "NOT AGAAAAIN!"
Monokuma shrugs, and leaves. Flippy is curled up in a ball, trembling.
Cuddles: "Flippy, are you okay?!"
Flippy: "Not again...! Not again!"
Cuddles: "..."
Cuddles: (I think it'd be better if we leave him alone for now... At least the vents are safe.)
We leave the room, and spot Lammy on patrol, next to The Mole.
Toothy: "Oh! L-Lammy! Mole!"
Lammy: "W-What?! What happened to Mime?!"
She points towards him.
The Mole: "Who even is Mime...?"
Cuddles: "U-Um, we don't know what happened to him, we just found him like this!"
Lammy: "I-I should help him get his shirt cleaned up!"
Mime shakes his head and blushes in embarrassment.
Lammy: "M-Maybe I should just lead you to your room then? Just in case..."
Mime stops shaking his head and shrugs, defeated.
Cuddles: "Lammy, did you see anything on patrol?"
Lammy: "No, nothing at all... But me and The Mole have an alibi! We've been together ever since you left us alone!"
The Mole: "She really likes talking, surprisingly..."
Toothy: "Thanks, Lammy!"
Lammy: "It's my pleasure! Mime, I'll follow you to your room! The Mole can come too!"
The Mole: "I've never heard this "Mime" speak at all..."
Lammy: "Well what do you expect? He's a mime!"
They walk away, still chatting.
Cuddles: (They seem pretty happy... A little too happy... But it's better than being sad! This is for Russell!)
Toothy: "Where do we go next, Cuddles? We don't have much time left."
Cuddles: "We should search in other rooms!"
Toothy: "But the doors are locked..."
Cuddles: "Oh, right. I forgot."
Cuddles: (How did we get into the vents in the first place? Oh, yeah! Lumpy helped us! We should see if he can help us again.)
Cuddles: "Let's go to the nurse's office and talk to Lumpy!"
Toothy: "Good idea! It shouldn't be too far from here, either."
We enter the nurse's office, where we hear Lumpy and Splendid talking to each other.
Lumpy: "...Remember! We'll get through this together!"
Splendid: "...I really don't think I'll be able to help..."
Cuddles: "Hey, guys?"
Lumpy: "Oh, hi Cuddles and Toothy!"
Splendid stares at us.
Toothy: "We were wondering if you could help us get into the vent again?"
Lumpy: "Oh, sure!"
Cuddles: "Are you two feeling better though?"
Lumpy: "You bet I am!"
Splendid: "..."
Toothy: "You okay? You haven't really been yourself lately..."
Splendid: "I'm sorry, I just... I haven't really felt well. Oh, right, you're probably here for some kind of alibi? If it helps, I went to the lab then got hurt by a trap in the vent, then came in here."
Cuddles: "Thanks, Splendid!"
Toothy: "I hope you feel better!"
Lumpy helps us up into the vent.
Cuddles: "Thanks!"
Toothy: "C'mon, let's hurry... I'm getting nervous..."
Cuddles: "We'll be fine, Toothy!"
We crawl through the vents, and drop down into the kitchen.
Petunia: "AAAH!"
Handy: "Oh. It's you two."
Cuddles: "Huh? Why is Petunia wearing that?"
Petunia: "Handy gave it to me so I can be protected from any possible traps."
Handy: "..."
Me and Toothy look at each other, then back at them.
Petunia: "Do you want our alibi or something?"
Cuddles: "Uh, yeah."
Petunia: "Well, we were together the whole time, so we're safe!"
Toothy: "That's exactly what you said last time! It's not like we'll trust you for that!"
Handy: "Well, you don't need to trust us. I don't care if we die, anyway..."
Petunia: "Handy! Stop saying things like that!"
We hear a jingle from the monitor.
Monokuma: "Ahem! The investigation is officially over! Please assemble at the gym to start the Class Trial! Puhuhuhu, see you there!"
Cuddles: "What?! Already?!"
Petunia: "Well, I guess we should get going then..."
Petunia takes her hat off and puts it on Handy.
Petunia: "There! It looks better on you anyway."
Handy: "..."
We leave the kitchen and enter the gym.
Cuddles: "..."
As usual, Monokuma appears on the stage.
Monokuma: "Yup, yup! That's all of you! Now, it's time for the long awaited third trial!"
He grabs the key and unlocks the door, and before we knew it, we were all in our seats.
I notice the image of Russell.
Cuddles: (Russell... Why did he even die? He didn't do anything to deserve this! He was so kind and helpful... He'd never hurt a fly! Then why did someone choose him?! Everything was going just fine... Why did someone kill?! I have to find the truth... And avenge Russell!)
Monokuma: "Okay! Let me explain how the trial works again, just in case you forgot!"
Monokuma: "If you can figure out who the Blackened is, then everyone other than them will be spared! But if you pick the wrong person, everyone except the Blackened will be punished! Does everyone understand? Great!"
Flippy: "Ah... Where do we even start...?"
Cuddles: "C'mon! We have to think of something!"
Lammy: "Well, I don't want to sound like I'm accusing anyone, but... Don't we have an easy way of figuring out the possible culprits already?"
Cuddles: (Who could she be talking about? Who are the most suspicious people here?)
Lumpy: "Huh? What do you mean?"
Lammy: "The most suspicious people here, based on past events... They have to be the culprits..."
Sniffles: "Are you talking about... Petunia and Handy?"
Petunia: "Whaaaat?! Why me?!"
Handy: "Well, you did attempt to murder Disco Bear with Giggles' help."
Petunia: "T-That's...! Y-You know you're being accused too, right?!"
Handy: "Yeah, but I couldn't care less..."
Petunia: "There isn't any proof to say we're suspicious! Someone, tell them they're wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong!"
Cuddles: "I agree. I mean, you two did stay together the whole time, based on what you told me in the kitchen..."
Toothy: "Cuddles! They could've worked together! There's no other possibility!"
Cuddles: "No, that can't be right... Because..."
Cuddles: (The only reason that's not possible is...)
Cuddles: "Handy can't enter the vents! So he couldn't have helped out with the murder!"
Toothy: "I guess you're right..."
The Mole: "But what if Handy helped Petunia indirectly? Giving her ideas and such."
Cuddles: "W-Well... I don't know."
Toothy: "Then does that mean they're still suspects?"
The Mole: "In my opinion, yes."
Splendid: "It has to be them...!"
Cuddles: "Hey, we can't just accuse others just yet! We have to discuss the murder and stuff!"
Lumpy: "But what should we discuss?"
The Mole: "What about the murder weapon?"
Lammy: "Well that one's easy! Russell got decapitated by the machine in the art room!"
Petunia: "Just a second! How do we even know if he died that way?"
Cuddles: "What do you mean?"
Petunia: "I bet that this crime scene is staged!"
Cuddles: "Staged? But it's pretty obvious that-"
Petunia: "Oh, are you refuting me just because you don't want your crime to be found out, Cuddles?!"
Cuddles: "Huh?!"
Petunia: "That's right! I know you did this!"
Cuddles: "That doesn't even make sense!"
Petunia: "You might have stabbed Russell to the point of death, and then you could've dragged Russell's corpse to the machine and turned it on! It's that simple!"
Cuddles: "Petunia, that's wrong! The Monokuma File clearly states that the cause of death is decapitation!"
Petunia: "..."
Cuddles: "There's no other way! Unless... Someone manually decapitated him..."
Sniffles: "But who could've done that to him...?"
The Mole: "What about Flippy?"
Flippy: "M-Me?"
The Mole: "He is skilled with weapons, knowing that he's a veteran."
Lammy: "That's possible..."
Petunia: "Yeah! He's super suspicious!"
Lumpy: "Aren't you suspicious too?"
Petunia: "No!"
Lumpy: "Hmmm... Okay, I believe you!"
The Mole: "...You're not very bright..."
The Mole: "So, Flippy, did you do it or not?"
Flippy: "N-No! Of course not!"
Cuddles: "Yeah! I'm sure Flippy didn't do it!"
Toothy: "Cuddles..."
Cuddles: "...?"
Toothy: "You do know that we found a blood trail in the vents, right?"
Cuddles: "..."
Toothy: "That could mean that... The theory may be possible..."
Cuddles: "Are you sure?!"
Toothy: "W-Well, no! But... It wouldn't be so far-fetched if Flippy killed Russell with a trap..."
Cuddles: (No, Toothy is wrong! I just have to find the right evidence... The reason Flippy couldn't kill Russell is...)
Cuddles: "The popped balloon pieces we found on the floor!"
Toothy: "Huh? What about them?"
Cuddles: "Remember when we lured Flippy into the garden with Russell using the balloons? If we figure out when the balloons were popped, one of the two options is possible!"
Cuddles: "Either Flippy killed Russell in the vents, then got lured to the art room, or Flippy killed Russell in the art room, then turned back to normal due to someone popping the balloons!"
The Mole: "But... None of them seem logical at all."
Cuddles: "Exactly! Because none of this could've happened!"
Handy: "How come?"
Cuddles: "Flippy didn't know about the murder!"
Petunia: "How do you know that?"
Cuddles: "Well, uh..."
Cuddles: (Darn it! I know there's someone who can prove my point, but who? If I think about it, the only person who should know most, if not all the alibis, is...)
Cuddles: "Sniffles! Did you see Flippy enter the art room even once?"
Sniffles: "N-No... I didn't."
Cuddles: "Then it's settled! Flippy couldn't have caused the murder!"
Flippy: "Phew! I was holding my breath the entire time! I was so scared... Thanks, everyone!"
Handy: "So who else is suspicious? We've got to have more suspects than this."
Monokuma: "Ooooh, who's next on the suspect list, I wonder?"
Cuddles: "Anyway, let's focus on the evidence, guys! We shouldn't accuse anyone just yet! Any ideas?"
Splendid: "What about the whole patrol thing? There has to be some kind of information..."
Lammy: "Based on what we decided, the people that should've been in the vents the most are Lumpy, Mime, and Splendid!"
Lammy: "And the people that can keep track of the alibis are Sniffles and me!"
Lammy: "So the main suspects are the ones that went in the vents the most, and the ones that are clean are the ones on patrol!"
Petunia: "And how do we know that you didn't kill Russell? You could take advantage of your "patrol" and have a fake alibi!"
Lammy: "I-I swear I'm not!"
Handy: "But can you prove that you're not?"
Lammy: "Yeah... Proof... I know there's some proof here... Somewhere..."
Sniffles: "You don't sound too sure of yourself."
Lammy: "I-I'm sure someone here can prove that I'm innocent!"
Cuddles: "That's right! I can!"
Lammy: "Really?! Thank goodness!"
Cuddles: "Lammy and The Mole were together during the patrol, and The Mole said she was talking the entire time, so he knows how long Lammy was there for!"
The Mole: "Correct. She didn't stop talking anytime soon... And she didn't even go to the toilet..."
Petunia: "So it's either Lumpy, Mime, or Splendid, right? This should be easy enough!"
Sniffles: "Yeah... The culprit is obviously Mime!"
Everyone turns to Mime, and he flinches. He shakes his head and waves his arms in the air, with a worried look on his face.
Petunia: "No, no! It's CLEARLY Lumpy!"
Lumpy: "Me?"
Petunia: "Yes, you're the culprit!"
Lumpy: "Hmmm... I dunno... Seems a bit hard..."
Lammy: "Why not Splendid? He's changed ever since the second trial, so maybe something happened to him!"
Cuddles: (Everyone's having mixed opinions... I have to discuss each and every one of them, and prove them wrong!)
Petunia: "It's Lumpy! I know it is! He was in the vents the whole time, he could've dropped in the art room at any moment, and killed Russell!"
Cuddles: "He wasn't in the vents the whole time! He went to the nurse's office!"
Petunia: "Eh? And how do you know that?!"
Cuddles: "Splendid's account! He saw Lumpy, so he has an alibi!"
Sniffles: "But that makes Splendid suspicious too, then! He was in the lab the whole time, wasn't he?"
Cuddles: "No! He didn't find anything in the lab, and he went to the nurse's office after he got caught in a trap!"
Lammy: "Then... Who is it?"
Sniffles: "My hypothesis was correct! It has to be Mime!"
Sniffles: "He came out of the art room with Cuddles and Toothy... And his shirt was stained with his victim's blood!"
Sniffles: "I was on patrol, so there's no reason not to trust me!"
Cuddles: "Wait a second, that's right! You could see where everyone went, right? So you can confirm their alibis!"
Sniffles: "Er... Yes. So... Just as I said, Mime is the only possible culprit. There's no other option."
Mime keeps shaking his head, denying it.
Cuddles: (Seriously?)
Cuddles: "Well then... Let's discuss!"
Sniffles: "Mime was on the right side of the vents the whole time."
Sniffles: "Because of this, he had the opportunity to enter the art room."
Sniffles: "Then, when he saw Russell, he attacked, and pushed him into the MSMM, and killed him."
Cuddles: "No, we don't know if that's true or not!"
Sniffles: "Huh?"
Cuddles: "We can't determine who came in first!"
Sniffles: "...That's true. Then how do we find out?"
Lammy: "This could be important!"
Cuddles: (That's it! Maybe, if we figure this mystery out, we'll figure out who the culprit is!)
Lumpy: "What now...?"
The Mole: "We need to find some sort of evidence that can prove the person who entered the room first."
Flippy: "Umm... Maybe there was something on the Monokuma file that can show the time?"
Cuddles: "No, there isn't anything like that on it."
Flippy: "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't actually look at the file myself, hehe..."
Toothy: "W-Why not?! Do you want to get us killed or something?!"
Flippy: "N-N-No! I just... I just didn't want to see the body..."
The Mole: "Well, it seems as though we've reached a dead end. Is there any other evidence we haven't discussed yet?"
Cuddles: (Evidence we haven't discussed yet? I'm sure there's still something left...)
Cuddles: "The popped balloons! What were they used for?"
Petunia: "How can they be useful to the case? They seem utterly useless!"
Lammy: "We already said that they could've been used to lure Flippy in, but... knowing that he's not involved in this case, that isn't very likely."
Sniffles: "But who would even know about them?"
Cuddles: (Huh? Something seems familiar... The only people I can think of are...)
(Flashback)
Handy: "Actually, how does it even work? I didn't even see you put any wood in there or anything."
Monokuma: "Well, I'm glad you asked! There's some wood in the storage room, so you take that, insert it in the machine, and while it's in there, the many saws carve it in the desired shape, and out it goes!"
Monokuma: "But if a person gets stuck in the machine... Heheh, I trust you can guess what happens next!"
Cuddles: "...!"
Monokuma: "Bwahahaha!"
Monokuma disappears.
Mime makes a balloon resembling Monokuma, and uses a nail to pop it.
(End of flashback)
Cuddles: (Mime... And...)
(Flashback)
POP!
Russell poked the balloon with his hook.
Cuddles: "Wow! Cool!"
He does the same thing, over and over again, until there is only one balloon left.
(End of flashback)
Cuddles: (Russell...)
Cuddles: "The only people that could've known about the balloons are Mime and Russell!"
Mime looks surprised.
Petunia: "Wow, what a coincidence..."
Cuddles: "But how does this help...?"
Toothy: "What if it was an attempted suicide?"
Cuddles: "Huh?"
Petunia: "Suicide?!"
Toothy: "Yeah."
Petunia: "And why the heck would that be the case?!"
Toothy: "Well..."
Toothy: "What if Russell tried luring Flippy there with the balloons to try to kill himself, but failed?"
The Mole: "Isn't that a little unrealistic?"
Toothy: "M-Maybe instead, Russell was trying to kill Mime by luring Flippy?"
Cuddles: "That's... possible."
Lammy: "How?"
Cuddles: (Thinking back on it, it makes a lot of sense...)
(Flashback)
Handy slowly steps towards the trap.
Fliqpy: "YOU IDIOT!"
He lunges towards him, and pulls him away from the trap.
The Mole: "What's happening...?"
Fliqpy: "Handy almost went straight into my trap!"
Handy: "Isn't that what you want, though? You set the trap for a reason, didn't you?"
Fliqpy: "Of course It's for a reason! It's just not for people like you two to get caught!"
The Mole: "Why not us...?"
Fliqpy: "Seriously? You don't know?"
The Mole: "..."
Fliqpy: "It's because it's against the warcode!"
Handy: "Huh?"
Fliqpy: "If I'd even DARE to disrespect it... I-I'd lose my job! And I couldn't serve the country anymore!"
The Mole: "...?"
Fliqpy: "And most importantly... Killing someone with a disadvantage isn't fair! No, no, not at all!"
Handy: "...What happened to you?"
Fliqpy: "Just listen to me and leave already!"
The Mole: "Handy, I think we should go."
Handy: "Fine..."
Handy exits the room, and the Mole follows after him.
Fliqpy: "Ugh, finally!"
Flippy climbs back into the vent, leaving the trap alone.
I look at Toothy.
Cuddles: "What just happened there?!"
Toothy: "No idea... I'm just glad they didn't notice us."
Cuddles: "Yeah, me too..."
Toothy: "Hey, you know what this means, right?"
Cuddles: "Huh? What?"
Toothy: "Flippy won't be able to kill anyone with a disability!"
(End of flashback)
Cuddles: (That's it!)
Cuddles: "Russell must've known that Flippy doesn't kill anyone with disabilities, so he'd be spared, even if Flippy kills Mime!"
The Mole: "No, no, that can't be right."
Cuddles: "Huh?"
The Mole: "Russell has a hook. That's technically a weapon. So Flippy should have targeted him instead of giving him mercy."
Cuddles: "Oh."
Handy: "Wait a second, how did you know about that?"
Cuddles: "Know about what?"
Handy: "The "warrior code", or whatever it was called. Me and The Mole were the only ones in the room."
Cuddles: "Ah, well, we were also there, but nobody noticed..."
Lumpy: "Actually... That's a bit suspicious."
Toothy: "What do you mean?"
Lumpy: "Cuddles and Toothy always get involved in weird situations. What if they're the killers and we don't realize?"
Sniffles: "What are you-"
Lumpy: "If you think about it, it makes total sense! They were the first people to find the body, and the only ones that investigated it! They could've messed the crime up and stuff!"
Cuddles: "No, you're wrong! We weren't-"
Lumpy: "Oh okay."
Cuddles: "But I didn't even-"
Lumpy: "Nah, it's fine."
Cuddles: "..."
Cuddles: (I didn't even finish my sentence...)
Toothy: "So... The only two people that could've used the balloons are Mime and Russell."
Mime gets nervous.
Toothy: "If we assume that only Russell knew about the fact that Flippy could be lured with the balloons, and he wasn't involved in this case, that only leaves one person..."
Cuddles: (...)
Cuddles: "Mime."
He freezes.
Cuddles: "You were definitely involved in this case, weren't you!"
He smiles nervously, and shakes his head.
Sniffles: "Where's the proof that you WEREN'T involved in this case?"
He keeps denying it.
Lumpy: "So, did Mime do it or not?"
Cuddles: "..."
Cuddles: (...All the evidence is pointing towards Mime, but could it really be him...? I won't believe it... No, I can't believe it!)
Toothy: "...Um..."
Cuddles: (...?)
Toothy: "...We're still missing his motive."
The Mole: "His motive?"
Toothy: "Mhm. The reason he..."
Sniffles: "...Why is the motive so important? We figured it out, didn't we? Mime's the culprit... He killed Russell."
Toothy: "W-Well...!"
Cuddles: "..."
Monokuma: "Time's ticking, everyone! Hurry it up!"
Mime keeps trembling in fear.
Cuddles: "..."
Cuddles: (Is this how it ends...? Is Mime really the culprit...? Why would he do all this? Everything was going well... Why?!)
Handy: "So... I still have a suspect left."
The Mole: "Hm? Who?"
Handy: "Sniffles, you're a witness to all this, aren't you?"
Sniffles: "Ah, yeah?"
Handy: "Tell us what you saw."
Sniffles: "...Sure, I can do that... Er..."
Sniffles: "In total, there were five people in the vents, two of them were on the left, and three of them were on the right."
Sniffles: "Someone entered the art room, and after a couple of minutes, someone else followed."
Sniffles: "During this time, someone entered the nurse's office, and another person entered the lab."
Sniffles: "A few minutes later, someone also entered the nurse's office, and then, two other people went to the art room, and then Monokuma's announcement played."
Sniffles: "See? Everything's fine."
Handy: "That's the thing. How do you expect us to believe you? For all we know, you could be lying to us and making fake alibis."
Sniffles: "D-Don't confuse everyone n-now! Let's just vote!"
Handy: "Why are you so adamant about voting?"
Sniffles: "I'm not...!"
Cuddles: (They're arguing?! At a time like this?! Do we even have evidence for both of them?)
Toothy: "Hey, I have an idea!"
Handy: "Don't interrupt-"
Toothy: "Sorry, but I have to! You two are getting nowhere!"
Sniffles: "..."
Toothy: "There's something we still need to discuss. Some evidence we haven't fully figured out yet."
Cuddles: (Toothy... What's he talking about? This evidence... Is he talking about...)
Cuddles: "The bloody hook?"
Toothy: "Yeah! We still haven't decided who got hurt by it."
Sniffles: "It's Mime, isn't it? I saw his shirt being bloody, so... he was there when he pushed Russell into the machine, and probably got hurt!"
Cuddles: "No, that's wrong!"
Cuddles: "Mime had no injuries on himself! Only his shirt was bloody, nothing underneath!"
Lammy: "Then who else could've gotten hurt?"
Cuddles: "I don't know. But Mime isn't the culprit of this case!"
Mime sighs in relief.
Lumpy: "So who IS the culprit?"
Lammy: "Based on what Sniffles said, the fight only broke out between them..."
Sniffles: "Then it can only be Mime!"
Cuddles: "..."
Cuddles: (There has to be a way to prove his innocence... But how? What could've happened in that room? Why would Russell have blood on his hook?)
Cuddles: "Maybe... Russell attacked someone?"
Petunia: "WHAT?! Impossible!"
Cuddles: "I guess it is pretty unrealistic..."
Mime shakes his head, looking towards me.
Cuddles: "...?"
Mime gives me a thumbs up.
Cuddles: "Huh?"
Splendid: "What is he...?"
Mime points to his eyes.
Cuddles: "You saw it happen...?"
Petunia: "Oh, come on! We can't trust him unless he has other witnesses! Let's just vote!"
Flippy: "Let's just let him tell us. Any information will be helpful right now..."
Sniffles: "What?! He's misleading you! Monokuma, just get to voting!"
Monokuma: "Did someone say voting?"
Toothy: "No, no! Hold on a second!"
Cuddles: (From what Mime showed us... It seems like he saw Russell attack someone... But can we really prove that?)
Cuddles: "Mime, who did you see get attacked?"
Mime freezes, and rubs the back of his neck, nervously.
Splendid: "Why are you hesitating? Just tell us. We don't want to wrongfully accuse you."
Mime shakes his head.
The Mole: "How about we recap this case with that information in mind? That Mime saw Russell attacking someone."
Lammy: "Umm... Okay!"
Toothy: "So, two people entered the art room, someone following another..."
Sniffles: "These two people could only be Mime and Russell."
Lumpy: "And... Mime saw Russell attack someone...?"
Cuddles: "No, that's wrong!"
Cuddles: "Mime couldn't have possibly seen Russell attack someone!"
Lumpy: "Why not?"
Cuddles: "Because Mime and Russell were the only two people that were with each other! There wasn't a third!"
Toothy: "Unless..."
Cuddles: "...?"
Toothy: "...Unless..."
Handy: "Unless Sniffles lied."
Cuddles: "HUH?!"
Handy: "Sniffles doesn't have any evidence proving if he saw what happened or not. If Mime is telling the truth, then Sniffles lied about the alibis. But if Sniffles is telling the truth, then Mime's the true culprit. Believe whatever you want, but... I'm sure someone as nervous as Sniffles would be the culprit of this case."
Sniffles: "...!"
The Mole: "Then... You're saying that Sniffles is the culprit, not Mime?"
Handy: "Yeah, I guess."
Flippy: "But that doesn't seem very likely! I mean, apart from his lie, is there any other good reason that he's the killer?"
Toothy: "Well... He decided everyone's alibis. Splendid, Lumpy, and Mime wouldn't have been where they were unless Sniffles decided it."
Sniffles: "..."
Lammy: "So you're saying Sniffles had the perfect plan for killing someone?! That's crazy!"
Flippy: "Wait, if Mime saw Russell attack someone, wouldn't that mean that Sniffles was the victim of his attack?"
Handy: "I guess so."
Splendid: "...Is there any way to prove his involvement, though?"
Cuddles: "I think so..."
Lumpy: "How?"
Cuddles: (The only evidence we have of an attack can only be...)
Cuddles: "The blood on Russell's hook! The culprit had to have been injured somehow!"
Sniffles: "THEN IT'S MIME!"
Petunia: "We already said that Mime can't be the culprit! Do you have memory loss?"
The Mole: "So the only person that was in contact with Russell is someone who used to have an injury."
Toothy: "So... Sniffles, did you have an injury...?"
Sniffles: "No! Of course n-not!"
Handy: "Great job asking the LIAR that."
Sniffles: "I'm not a liar!"
Petunia: "Says you!"
Cuddles: (The only way we can confirm that is by having a person with a real alibi say what they know... And that person is...)
Cuddles: "Lammy! Do you remember seeing Sniffles enter the nurse's office?"
Lammy: "No... And I didn't see him exit either."
The Mole: "Then he either entered through the vents, or he didn't enter at all."
Lammy: "I think he's too short to go back through a vent, just like most of us here."
Lumpy: "But not me! Heheh!"
Cuddles: "Then... Sniffles is telling the truth...?"
Sniffles: "OF COURSE!"
Handy: "Then who WAS attacked by Russell?!"
Cuddles: "The only person I can think of..."
Cuddles: (Someone involved with this case... And got into direct contact with the victim and was witnessed by Mime... That person can only be...)
Cuddles: "..."
Cuddles: "..."
Cuddles: "..."
Cuddles: "I don't know."
Cuddles: (I'm lost.)
Cuddles: (Darn it.)
Monokuma: "Time's almost up-"
Toothy: "It's Splendid, isn't it?!"
Cuddles: "Huh?"
Toothy: "I've been keeping it inside me for a while now, but Splendid's the only person that I think could commit the murder!"
Lumpy: "Woahhhh, I never thought of that!"
Petunia: "What makes you say that?!"
Toothy: "He's the only one with a scratch mark...!"
Splendid: "..."
Cuddles: "W-Wait! That can't be it, Toothy! He got hit by a trap, remember?!"
Toothy: "I-It's just the only thing that makes sense to me!"
Cuddles: "Both Lumpy and him got hit by traps! And there were different traps and everything!"
Flippy: "Wait a second... Did you say different traps?"
Cuddles: "Huh? Yeah."
Flippy: "..."
Cuddles: "What is it?"
Flippy: "I only put one type of trap in the vents."
Cuddles: "...!"
Toothy: "Then that means...!"
Cuddles: "N-No way! Splendid?!"
Splendid: "..."
Toothy: "I-I dunno! I might be wrong but this is all that I could think of...!"
Cuddles: "But he was in the lab right?!"
Toothy: "He doesn't have an alibi, Cuddles...!"
Cuddles: "N-No...! I just can't imagine it... Splendid?! The person who was leading us all this time?! Sure he made some mistakes, but he'd never kill someone in cold blood!"
Splendid: "Stop defending me..."
Cuddles: "...?!"
Splendid: "He's... right. I-I can't stay silent anymore. I'm... the killer."
Cuddles: "..."
Mime stares at Splendid, on the verge of tears.
Splendid: "I'm the one who killed Russell in c-cold blood..."
Cuddles: "I can't believe it... I d-don't understand..."
Toothy: "...Going over the case again with this information should help..."
Cuddles: "..."
Cuddles: "One day before the murder, Flippy flipped out and placed traps inside the vents, and Russell helped us bring him back to normal using the balloons."
Cuddles: "The next day, we came up with a tactic to help us survive better after Monokuma's new motive - patrolling."
Cuddles: "Sniffles and Lammy were assigned to keep an eye on who enters the vents, and Lumpy, Mime, and Flippy were assigned to get rid of all the traps. The Blackened was also supposed to investigate the lab, but something distracted them, changing the plan..."
Cuddles: "They noticed that Russell and Mime were following each other into the art room, so they decided to follow them inside. Little did the Blackened know, something horrible was soon to occur..."
Cuddles: "Russell began the attack, heading straight for the Blackened, and as they used the balloons as a shield, they pushed Russell into the Monokuma Sculpture Making Machine, killing him instantly, and Mime was there to see it all happen."
Cuddles: "During the fight, the Blackened got scratched by Russell's hook, and had to heal themselves in the nurse's office. Because of their wound still being relatively new, they left a blood trail through the vents, leaving the only trace of the murder behind."
Cuddles: "There's no other possibility, is there...? The only one who could've killed Russell is..."
Cuddles: "You, Splendid! The Ultimate Superhero!"