A/N: Probably my last update of the night. Mainly just a lot of talking with little action, but hopefully you enjoy! 💖👩🏾💻
Chapter 7
Word count: 5k
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As the elevator slowly descended to who knows where, you couldn't help feeling anxious. The closer you got to the trial, the faster your heart was beating. You were trembling slightly, goosebumps started appearing again, and you felt sick to your stomach.
'There it is. There goes that feeling again.' You thought in your head. You sensed that something bad was about to occur, but you weren't sure what. "Hey, are you feeling alright? You look nervous." The voice snapped you out of your thoughts and you looked up to find yourself staring at none other than Nagito himself.
You sent a weak smile his way. "I'm fine...I just feel a little on edge." You told him.
"What's there to be nervous about? I'm sure we'll be fine." He said confidently.
"It's just with the death of Byakuya and now this. One wrong move and...We could all die. I don't want that to happen... I'm so scared right now, Nagi." You confessed in a whisper. Your voice was shaky and tears prickled at the corner of your eyes, trying your best to blink them away. You hated showing how vulnerable you were in front of others. It made you feel weak although it shouldn't have, but there was no point hiding it from Nagito.
You felt him snake his hand in between yours and give it a reassuring squeeze. Your eyes glance down at this in shock before meeting his once more. His pale green eyes stared warmly back at you with a soft and reassuring smile. "There's nothing to worry about because you have me, Hajime, and everyone else standing right by your side. Besides, you're a smart girl. I'm sure you can find out who the killer is." He assured you with confidence. His words made you smile and slightly blush.
"You always know just what to do to make me feel better. It's almost like if you can read my mind." You chuckled lightly at his statement.
"Don't flatter me too much. I'm just here whenever you need support." He told you.
"Thanks. That means a lot." You smiled back. You never realized just how much Nagito meant to you. You were even beginning to have a little crush on him.
But that's when a thought appeared in your head. What if Nagito was the killer? It seemed completely outlandish, mainly because Nagito would never do anything like that. He was a sweet person and cared about everyone. After all, he's been nothing but perfect to you since the day you met him. But over these past few days, you learned anything was possible.
You were brought out of your thought when you heard the door to the elevator open, which gave you a startle. Everyone began filing out of the elevator one after another as you stood there frozen for a moment. Nagito noticed and turned around, confused. "Aren't you coming?" He asked.
"Oh yeah, just give me a moment." You replied. He nodded and started walking away, leaving you all by yourself in the elevator.
You let out a deep breath and tried to calm your nerves down. Everything was going to be fine. As long as you kept calm and kept an eye out, everything should be fine. You weren't extremely religious or anything, but right in this moment, you couldn't help but pray to whoever would listen to your prayers.
"Oh, please, if you are listening. Please make sure to watch over for us. And keep us safe." You mumbled under your breath as you took your first step out of the elevator.
Your eyes roam all around the courtroom you were now in. It was a spacious courtroom with a high ceiling covered in dark wood. The walls were red with large benches that were empty and there was a large tablet hanging on one of the walls. Inside the middle of the courtroom was a podium, where we would all stand.
"Welcome!" Monokuma announced as he sat on a very tall seat. "This is the class trial field! How do you like it? It's a special place that will decide your fates."
"Tsk, what the hell is he thinking!? Locking us in a shitty-looking place like this! Are you fuckin' crazy!? Don't mess with me, asshole!" Fuyuhiko yelled angrily.
"Puhuhu, complain all you like. I'm used to it by now. Consider saving your energy and go take your seat where your name is written!" Monokuma cackled.
We all complied, not like we had a choice, and went to go find out assigned seats. Luckily for you, you got to stand right next to Hajime, which made you feel a lot better.
"Looks like we're seat buddies now." You teased as you walked up to him.
"Yeah, I guess so." He laughed softly. You looked across the podium and noticed Nagito. You waved at him and he smiled back at you.
As we prepared to begin the class trial, you couldn't help but think to yourself. 'This is it. From this point on, we need to find out who killed Byakuya. The person who killed him is in this very room... And I'm gonna find out who...'
• • • •
"Now then, let's begin with a simple explanation of the class trial. During the class trial, you will present your argument about who the killer is, and vote for "whodunnit." If you vote correctly, then only the blackened will receive punishment, but if you pick the wrong person...I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the person will earn the right to leave this island!" Monokuma quickly explained to us.
"Such a cruel rule!" Monomi said as she was completely bound in rope, swinging from the ceiling.
"At this point, it isn't even bullying anymore. This is just a whole new level of low..." You muttered to yourself.
"Before we start, I'd like to confirm one thing. Is there really a killer among us?" Nagito questioned.
"Most definitely. There's no doubt that the blackened are lurking among you." Monokuma confirmed.
"Now, let's begin!" He exclaimed cheerfully.
"Y-You're telling us to begin... B-B-But what are we supposed to do?" Mikan nervously asked.
"No complainin', let's just settle this with our fists!" Akane declared.
"Were you even listening to the rules!?" Kazuichi shouted.
"Didn't that Byakuya bastard get killed in the dining hall, huh? Then, everyone, there is a fuckin' suspect." Fuyuhiko stated with a smug look on his face.
"Yeah, yeah. What you're really trying to say is that you're not the killer, right?" Mahiru pointed out with a scoff.
"No shit, you guys went off on your own and started killing each other. This has nothing to do with me." He spat.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Mahiru asked with raised eyebrows.
"Anyway, why don't we try talking about the most pressing matter on our minds?" Nagito suggested.
"Huh, what pressing matters?" Teruteru asked.
"Where we found the body. It's very strange to find a body underneath a table." Nagito said.
"Then let's start with that mystery." Chiaki piped up.
"Ok well, why was Byakuya's body there?" Nagito questioned.
"His body was found underneath the table in the very back of the dining hall." Gundham informed.
"After the killer murdered Byakuya, they probably moved the body there!" Kazuichi blurted out.
"Huh, why?" Hiyoko asked.
"Obviously, by hiding the body, they tried to delay the discovery! Like a dog burying a bone!" Ibuki exclaimed.
"No, I don't think that's right. There's no way the killer dragged the body." You denied.
"Huh, why's that?" Kazuichi asks in confusion.
"Try to remember what the body looked like when we found it under the table. Though there was a lot of blood everywhere, there was no sign the killer actually dragged the body through it." Nagito spoke.
"So that's why you think it's impossible that the killer moved the body. I get your point now." Mahiru answered.
"But if the killer didn't move the body, why was it under the table?" Ibuki questioned as she tilted her head sideways with a puzzled look.
"Byakuya was probably killed under the table." Hajime stated firmly.
"You think they killed him under the table?" Nekomaru asked.
"So Byakuya snuck under the table for reasons unknown, and that's when he was killed. Then, shortly thereafter, we found the body." Nagito recapped.
"That makes sense...But why did he go under the table?" Nekomaru wondered.
"Obviously, he was hidin' so he could surprise us. That dude was always a big jokester." Akane laughed out loud.
"The hell he was! You seriously couldn't tell what kinda person he was!?" Kazuichi snapped in disbelief.
"M-Maybe he panicked during the blackout and dove under the table." Teruteru suggested.
"It's a blackout, not an earthquake. Just cause the power went out doesn't mean he'd dive under the table!" Nekomaru argued.
"The reason why is probably connected to what he was doing at the party, don't you think?" Nagito raised a question.
You began to think about what was the last thing Byakuya was doing when an idea suddenly hit you. "Could it be the knife underneath the table?" You questioned aloud.
"Knife? Oh, you mean that thing that obviously screams, "I am the murder weapon!"?" Ibuki asked curiously.
"Yes, Byakuya probably noticed the knife was hidden there, so he went underneath the table to retrieve it." You explained.
"He was particularly sensitive to the presence of dangerous items, so I cannot deny that possibility. But how did he notice the knife?" Gundham inquired.
"If he knew beforehand, he probably would've done something about it before the blackout." Mahiru pointed out.
"Then, instead of knowing about it beforehand, maybe he saw it right at the moment? Like, for example, he might've seen someone take the knife out from under the table." Chiaki suggested.
"No, that's not possible." Peko said in a cold tone.
Nekomaru raised his eyebrow at this. "What? You seem rather confident about that."
"Of course, I have proof to back me up." She replied.
"Puhuhu, this is almost like a real trial!" Monokuma grinned evilly.
"I'm sure Byakuya ducked underneath the table during the blackout." Peko stated.
"If that's the case, during the blackout, Mr. Ham Hands must've seen the killer take the knife." Hiyoko concluded.
"But it was super dark!" Ibuki whined in protest.
"It was so dark I couldn't see my food." Akane complained.
"Byakuya couldn't see in the dark either." Peko said. You quickly interjected.
"No, you're wrong and I can prove it." You insisted. This caught everyone's attention, and they turned to look at you. "While I was investigating with Hajime, we noticed a pair of goggles on his body. I put them on and realized they were night-vision goggles, so if he had them on he could see everything that was happening." You continued.
"So, are you saying Byakuya was the one who used those night-vision goggles?" Peko asked.
"That seems to be the case." You told her.
"No, that's obviously wrong! It should be the other way around! The killer used the night-vision goggles, not Byakuya!" Mahiru yelled.
"What makes you say that?" You asked her.
"Because if the killer used the goggles, they could've killed him even in the dark. So that must've brought them to the crime scene!" She explained.
"The killer couldn't have because we found the case for the night-vision goggles in Byakuya's case!" Hajime claimed.
"Which means we can assume that the night-vison goggles were kept in that case as well. Woohoo! I said, "assume!" Ibuki never uses such clever language!" Ibuki cheered happily.
"Plus, Byakuya was the only one who could've taken the goggles because he was carrying them with him all night." Hajime added on.
"I see... When you put it like that, it makes sense..." Mahiru admits.
"Then was that knife also inside that case, too? If the night-vison goggles were inside, it wouldn't be weird for a knife to be in there too!" Teruteru replied.
"It would be weird." Chiaki responds.
"The knife was clearly hidden before the party started because there was duct tape where the body was found." You answer.
"Duct tape?" Teruteru questioned.
"Mhm, they must've hid the knife by taping it to the underside of the table." You told him.
"Oh, so that's why we found duct tape there." Mikan said.
"Though Byakuya was thorough, even he couldn't have noticed a weapon taped to the underside of a table." Nekomaru stated.
"This may be off-topic, but why was Byakuya acting so paranoid? Not only did he bring a self-defense kit, but he had night-vison goggles inside the case too." Peko mentioned.
"That's true. He went above and beyond being a little cautious." Nekomaru agreed.
"He probably knew someone was planning to commit a murder." Nagito said.
"Are you saying he predicted the murder!? Could it be? Was he also in possession of the All-Seeing Eye!?" Gundham gasped in shock.
"Um no... It's probably because of the note me and Y/N found in his room. Here, have a look." Hajime replied as he held the note in his hand.
"What the hell is this?" Fuyuhiko questioned.
"Me and Hajime found it in Byakuya's hut. It looks like a threatening letter someone sent to him to warn him." You told them.
"So who's the someone?" Akane asked.
"It doesn't matter who wrote it yet. So Byakuya became paranoid because of this threatening note?" Peko pondered.
"He probably decided to throw a party because of this letter. By gathering everyone in one place, he could make sure everyone could keep tabs on each other." Nagito informed us.
"But that letter might've been just a prank?" Teruteru suggested.
"As long as he was determined not to let anyone die, he couldn't take that risk. His sense of responsibility made him believe the letter was legitimate." He continued.
"Tsk, he could've told us about the note." Nekomaru grumbled.
"If he had, we would've panicked and Byakuya probably knew that too." Hajime countered.
"So, he tried to do something about it without telling us?" Sonia questioned.
"I see...His strong sense of responsibility as our leader was his undoing..." Peko stated in a saddening tone.
"Tsk, screw that noise! Who the hell wrote that letter!?" Akane shouted angrily.
"Well, obviously the killer." Mahiru remarked.
"Enough already! Show yourself, coward!" Gundham demanded.
"If they were willing to come forward, they never would've committed a murder in the first place." Hiyoko spat. Still, you didn't want to believe that. There's no way someone would actually kill Byakuya, right?
"Excuse me, may I ask something, please?" Sonia spoke up.
"What is it, Miss Sonia?" Kazuichi happily perked up.
"I regret that I must return to this subject, but I just realized something concerning the night vision goggles." She admitted.
"If Byakuya was indeed wearing the night-vision goggles, how did the killer manage to navigate in the dark?" She asked and honestly, that was a really good question.
"Your right, they wouldn't have been able to see anything without the night-vision goggles. But if the murdered had the goggles when they took the knife, then how did Byakuya see them?" Teruteru inquired.
"Even if the knife bore some sort of mark, it would've been difficult to see it in that darkness." Nekomaru agreed.
"What if the glowing paint was the mark? With that, you'd be able to get the knife even in the dark. In actuality, the knife we found and the duct tape were both marked with glowing paint, right?" Hajime theorized.
"Does that mean... The killer painted them in advance?" Mikan asked.
"But painting them without glowing paint? It's as if they knew the blackout was going to happen." Mahiru said doubtfully.
"They had to have already known. That's why they used the glowing paint as a mark." Chiaki clarified.
"Which means whoever set up the blackout is the killer!" Hiyoko exclaims.
"That seals it. The killer, whoever, was in the office with the circuit breaker. Which means it was you, Peko Pekoyama!" Kazuichi accused.
"Eek! Peko killed poor Byakuya? Was this Island not big enough for two glasses-wearers!?" Ibuki cried out in surprise.
"Don't be ridiculous, of course. Peko couldn't be the killer." You refuted the accusation.
"Oh, I guess she's not." Akane agreed with you.
"How could you believe her so easily!?" Kazuichi shouted at her once again.
"But with Peko's height, I don't think she'd be able to reach the circuit breaker in the office." Mikan reasoned.
"I-I don't care about technicality like that! Peko's the one who tripped the breaker and caused the Blackout! Since she was the only one in the office, she could've easily caused the Blackout at any time!" He insisted.
"No, she's telling the truth!" Hajime refutes.
"Hmm, don't tell me you're crushin' on Peko?" Kazuichi questioned him.
"I-It's nothing like that at all! Nekomaru's account is actually Peko's Alibi!" Hajime revealed.
"It's true, someone was occupying the bathroom for a long time shortly after the party started and it was freed up after Byakuya's body was discovered." Nekomaru confirmed.
"So, the person who was in the bathroom was actually!?" Mahiru ask surprised.
"Everyone else besides Peko was in the dining hall, right?" You questioned.
"I see, so there's no way anybody else could've locked themselves in the bathroom except Peko." Hiyoko deducted.
"I-I guess that would be true..." Peko responds.
"Y-You locked yourself in the commode? You should've said that earlier!" Kazuichi yelled at her.
"Or you could not jump to conclusions. No kinda girl would want to admit she's in the bathroom!" You retorted.
"Gosh, you're so insensitive!" Mahiru also scolded him.
"If she locked herself in the bathroom for that long, there's no doubt...It was a shit." Nekomaru concluded.
"Hey, weren't you guys taught basic manners!? Or were you raised in a locker room!?" Mahiru shouted at them.
"Gh! I'm sorry..." Nekomaru apologized.
"It's fine... How about we stop talking about it and move on to something else?" Peko suggested.
"Don't worry, the smell wasn't that strong. I used the bathroom right after you, trust me." Nekomaru reassured.
"I said it's fine!" Peko yelled.
"But still, you were in the bathroom for a really long time. Did you get food poisoning or something?" Hiyoko asked.
"As I stepped into the office, I felt this sudden rush of pain in my stomach. Because of that, I was unable to leave the bathroom. Including when the blackout occurred." Peko answered.
"Hey, how did it feel to do your business in the dark? Did you get excited?" Teruteru creepily asked.
"Ew, can we please stop talking about that!? You're obviously making her uncomfortable." You bluntly interrupted.
"But still, your stomach pain...Was that really just a coincidence?" Fuyuhiko inquired.
"Hey, what's the deal? Don't butt into other people's business, especially if you didn't do any investigating," Mahiru reprimanded him.
"Heh, I'm only buttin' in 'cause you fuckin' idiots are outta your element." He simply responds.
"Stop this childish nonsense. Just what do you mean by, "coincidence"?" Gundham asked him.
"What I mean is... Is it possible someone slipped her some laxatives?" He clarified.
"L-Laxatives?" Mikan stammers.
"If so, the killer could've tripped the breaker as soon as that girl left the office, don't you think?" He added on.
"I see! That mighta happened!" Akane exclaims in realization.
"Peko, did you happen to eat anything weird?" You asked her.
"I don't remember eating anything weird..." She admits.
"Now that you mention it...You brought food from the office, right?" Sonia questioned.
"Just a little bit from the dining hall." She answers.
"There might've been some laxatives in it, don't you think?" Fuyuhiko suggests, but you knew that couldn't be the case.
"There's no way, if there were laxatives in the food in the dining hall, then we Akane would've also been affected." You pointed out.
"I feel totally fine!" She claimed.
"As I said, the-the dishes are innocent! Don't go making weird accusations!" Teruteru defended.
"I apologize for causing a scene." Peko sincerely apologized.
"Fuyuhiko should apologize, not you! He's the one who made the accusations!" Mahiru reassured her.
"What did you say, bitch!?" Fuyuhiko growled
"Cease this bickering!" Sonia ordered.
"Let's just dismiss Peko's stomachache as a coincidence and go back to discussing the blackout..." Mikan tried to calm everyone down.
"Yeah, yeah, we already know that, you trashy skank. You don't have to tell us." Hiyoko snapped at her.
"T-Trashy skank?" Mikan whimpers.
"Anyway, who tripped the breaker and how did they do it? If you can't answer, I'mma bop you on the head!" Hiyoko threatened.
"Did they throw a stone and hit it?" Ibuki suggested.
"Maybe they used a remote control?" Kazuichi proposed.
"They probably messed with the breaker." Mikan adds on.
"It does not have to be the breaker. They may have tampered with the power supply and transmitters!" Sonia surmised.
"Or maybe they caused a power surge?" Mahiru deduced.
"Hold on, wait a minute! I remember inside the storage room there were three irons already turned on. It's possible somebody purposely tried to cause a blackout." Hajime stated.
"That's right, when we found them, they were still turned on." You confirmed, and Hajime nodded his head.
"So by leaving those irons on, they deliberately caused a power surge." Mahiru concluded.
"Yeah, that's how the killer caused the blackout." Hajime responses. Afterward, there was a minor disagreement about what caused the blackout, but in the end, we agreed that it was both the irons and the AC. We then moved on to discussing a different way to find the killer.
"Man, this killer is so sly. I'm starting to worry we may never actually find them." Hiyoko pouts.
"It's alright. You don't have to worry. Because they're just a petty killer, right? They can't defeat symbols of hope like you guys? In the end, hope always wins! That's what I believe. " Nagito reassured his friends, but this comment seemed to strike a chord with Hajime.
"Nagito, what happened to you?" He asked.
"Huh, what do you mean?" Nagito responded in confusion.
"Well, you have been saying this whole time that there's no way a killer could be among us." Hajime recalled.
"Oh, is that so? Well, let's just put that detail aside for now and talk about the incident." Nagito suggests.
"Hajime, what's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?" You ask, confused.
"Huh? Can't you see Y/N?" Hajime replied
"See what?" You ask once again.
"That he's acting like a completely different person!" Hajime frustratedly exclaims. You just couldn't understand; What exactly were you missing right now?
"For now, we found out how the blackout accrued, but the question is, "who" caused it. Anybody could've hidden and set timers for the air conditioners." Nagito explained.
"What a shame. Anyone one of us is capable of that." He laughed.
"What are you implying?" Fuyuhiko angrily asks.
"He's just saying after all this time, we still haven't made any progress!" Hiyoko told him.
"Even though we have been arguing for so long?" Sonia says in shock.
"Unfortunately, it's true...Despite the fact we've discussed this at length, there's not even one clue that leads to the killer, which is why...There's no way any of us could be a killer." Nagito concludes.
"He did it again. You're changing your story up." Hajime calls out.
"Come on you guys, it's still too early to give up. I'm sure we'll find some way to find out who the killer is." You encouraged them.
"I have an idea of what we should do at this point." Nagito suddenly announces.
You smiled brightly at his words. "Alright, let's hear it!"
"Instead of surviving by doubting each other how about... We all get killed believing each other?" He suggests.
"W-What?" That was all you could say. You couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. Was he really suggesting that we...
"Doesn't that mean? A-Are you saying we should just give up and die?" Ibuki shrieks.
"Nagito cut it out! There's definitely something wrong with you!" Hajime yells at him.
"Nagi...This isn't like you. Is something wrong? If there is, we can talk about it." You worriedly ask.
"Haha...You guys only think there's something wrong with me because there's something wrong with you." He laughs.
"Suspecting each other like this... There's no way that's healthy behavior. Let's stop this already! We don't have to find out who the killer is! I can't stand this anymore! I don't want to do this to my friends!" Nagito pleads.
"I...I don't want to do this either." Teruteru admits.
"M-Me too! Please take me home already!" Mikan cried, tears brimming her eyes.
"Waah! I wanna go home and eat candy!" Hiyoko cries loudly, while throwing her hands into the air.
"S-Stop it...If everyone acts like this then I-I'm gonna..." Mahiru was unable to complete her sentence as she too began to cry. The room then exploded into chaos as everyone pleaded to go home.
"You guys...We can't just give up. W-What about Byakuya? We still haven't..." You attempted to reason with them, but none of them seemed to be listening.
"Think about it this way Y/N, if we all just give up, then we can all be happy and you don't have to watch any more of your friends die in front of you. Just like you wanted." Nagito tells you.
Was he really serious? Nagito would never act like this, but a part of you felt he was right in a way. You didn't want any part of this. You were tired of feeling powerless, scared, and always on guard. You wanted to see your coach again; you wanted to go to school at Hope's Peak, and most importantly, you wanted to be back home with your family at your old home, but was giving up really better?
"I-I....I..." You couldn't come up with words, as all you could do was stare at the ground in defeat.
"Everyone calm down!" Hajime shouts, trying to calm everyone down.
"We're all friends, right? There's no way friends would murder another." Nagito insists.
"Then why did Byakuya die!?" Hajime furiously shouted.
"Who cares? Let's just give up already. There are no clues that lead to the killer, anyway. Not a single one." He answers.
"That's wrong!" Chiaki suddenly shouts, catching everyone's attention.
"I think..." She mutters.
"...Did you say something?" Nagito coldly asks.
"Cuz we already have a clue that might point to who the killer is." Chiaki states, looking very determined. This was enough to make you instantly perk up.
"A clue, you say?" Gundham asked, clearly intrigued.
"You know who the killer is!?" Akane inquires.
"The killer? I dunno, but we do have a clue about a suspicious person...I think." Chiaki replies.
"I see...Then care to tell me what's this clue you're talking about?" Nagito requests.
"First of all, let's try thinking about how the killer was able to obtain the knife during the blackout." She said.
"Didn't we already cover that? They used glowing paint as a mark." Nagito reminds her.
"No, not that, before that." She retorted back.
'Before? Is she talking about how the killer got to the knife? Even if they did, they need to get close to the table.' You thought.
Hajime must've had the same thought because he then says, "Let's try examining the situation...Mahiru's diagram be useful here."
"The diagram where everyone was standing before the party, right? Um, here it is." She responds, handing it to him.
Hajime looks at the diagram and nods. He instantly held it up and pointed to something on the paper. "The killer must've used the desk lamp to move to that table in the dark."
"The desk lamp? I hope you don't mean they turned on the light or something," Nagito remarked.
"There was a blackout. There's no way the killer could've used the desk lamp." Gundham adds.
"They didn't turn the lamp on. They used the power cord." Hajime explains.
"P-Power cord?" Mikan asked, clearly surprised.
"They could've felt their way to that table using the power cord. By doing that, the killer was able to move to the table, then used the glowing paint to find that knife." Hajime further explains.
"And there's only one person who could've done that." Chiaki concluded.
"Wh-Who?" Teruteru asks.
"Nagito...It was you, wasn't it?" Hajime asked, pointing at him.
"M-Me...?" Nagito stuttered out, clearly taken aback by his accusation.
"Have you lost your mind!? There's no way Nagito could've done it?" You frantically exclaimed. There was absolutely no way. Nagito would never do something like that.
"He was the only one close enough to the power cord." Hajime simply stated.
"Which means the only one who could've felt their way to the table using the power cord was...Nagito." Nekomaru exclaimed.
"Th-That's just a coincidence!" Nagito denied.
"But still you had a chance, right? A chance to hide the knife under the table." Chiaki continued to press him.
"Nagito, weren't you cleaning the dining hall all morning? If so you would've had a chance to hide the knife!" Hajime added.
"That's..!" Nagito tried to explain, but couldn't.
"If you factor in the power cord and time you spent cleaning, you're the only one who could've done it!" Hajime argues.
"Now wait a minute, guys, there's no way he could've done it. I was with him the whole time, while we were cleaning. If he did do all that, I would've known." You told them, attempting to reason this out for the group.
"That may be true, but didn't you leave to go take a nap? That would've given him plenty of time to put that stuff there." Chiaki countered.
She was right; you weren't there for the remainder of the cleaning, so that gave him plenty of time to do it, but you knew the true Nagito. He would never kill somebody.
"Could it be...Did you give yourself cleaning duty on purpose so you could hide the knife under the table?" Mahiru asks.
"Now that you mention it, Nagito did prepare the drawing sticks to pick who cleaned the dining hall." Nekomaru pointed out.
"You got us to lower our guard and tried to hide the fact that you did it, didn't you, you motherfucker!?" Fuyuhiko screamed at him.
"Well? Just admit it already!" Mahiru demands.
"Nagito, tell me you object to this. Frankly, I don't want to believe it either. We were friends...You were so kind...I can't believe you're the one who killed Byakuya." Hajime sadly said.
Nagito stays completely silent, his head ducked low in shame.
You couldn't believe it, Nagito was actually guilty. No matter how much you wanted to find Byakuya's killer, you never wanted it to be him. In fact, you were hoping it would be anyone but him. It's just absurd, impossible.
"You're wrong...You're all wrong!" You shouted in anger.
"Please, you have to believe me...He would never do this! I've known him ever since we met, and he's been nothing but kind. I just can't accept that this is true." You protest. You turn over to look at Nagito with tears forming in your eyes.
"Nagito, please. You have to defend yourself. Say something...Anything! Tell them...TELL THEM THEY'RE WRONG!" You begged. It was completely heartbreaking for the others to watch you solely defend him, especially after the truth came out. Nagito continued to stay silent as he kept his head down in shame. You waited anxiously for him to say something or at least defend himself, but the words never came. Instead, you were greeted with something unexpected.
"Aha..."
"What?" You questioned, confused.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He began hysterically laughing. It sounded almost psychotic, and the look on his face was absolutely horrifying. His soft green eyes were now filled with an inky black darkness spiraling around. The bright and warm smile on his face was instead replaced with a sinister smile. It sent chills down your spine. There was nothing left that resembled the man you once used to know.
"The ultimates are now working together to combat the depair of their friend's death! Ah, how wonderful, how beautiful it is!" He happily proclaimed.
Your blood froze as you stood frozen like a statue. Was this really Nagito... Or was this him finally showing his true colors?...