Four notes that sounded like a bell played in a melodious tune.
"A body has been discovered! Please gather behind the Greenhouse! Upupupu..." Monokuma laughed after announcing on the monitor before it turned off. Everyone gathered around the corpses, looking in terror and shock at them.
"Two people this time?! This should be illegal!" Elio cried. "And I was just getting to know them!"
"Too bad, Elio!" Monokuma cackled. "Anyways, students! Here is the Monokuma File!" He laughed maniacally as he handed out several tablets with the words "Monokuma File #3" on it.
The victims were found dead behind the greenhouse. All injuries have been proven to be about 3 days ago. The time of death was approximately 11 PM for both victims.
The first victim, Eliyen, the Ultimate Gardener, was 5' 10" and 124 lbs. Her blood type was O-. The killing blow was multiple punches to the head, resulting in lots of damage to her head along with several open wounds. There appear to be no other external injuries.
The second victim, Cairo, the Ultimate Aeronaut, was 5' 6" and 110 lbs. His blood type was AB+. The killing blow was multiple hits to his stomach, resulting in internal bleeding. There appear to be no other external injuries. But, due to being stuffed in a small box, blood has made its way through to spill out his mouth.
One sentence seemed to catch his eye. "All injuries have been proven to be about 3 days ago."
"Everyone done reading? If you're not, sucks to be you! It's Investigation Time!" Monokuma snickered as he disappeared. Shuttle and Cele eyed each other before nodding and gathering together.
"Three whole days ago?!" Kora panicked. "I should have noticed earlier! I disrespected them so badly!"
"No, it's fine. You didn't know at all, and the idea didn't pop into your head." Cele encouraged. "Anyways, it seems off that these murders were three days ago."
"You're right." Shuttle agreed. "For now, we should inspect the bodies."
Eliyen's eyes were blank and blood was dried on her head. Her body seemed weak and her fists were beat up. Cairo's eyes were bloodshot and his fists seemed beaten up as well. Blood that was dried seemed to have dripped from his mouth. The box that Cairo was stuffed in had dried blood as well.
"I guess the deaths being three days ago was right. All this blood is dried." Cele observed.
"If they were three days ago, then shouldn't we be worrying about what everyone did that day?" Shuttle asked. "I mean, no one knows what they could have been doing that day."
"Hm. That is true. Come on, let's look further." Cele conceded, nodding her head to the left, beckoning Shuttle to follow her.
"Dried Blood," "Monokuma File #3," and "Bloody Box" have been added to the Truth Bullets section of Shuttle's Monopad.
"Wait, before we do, look." Cele pointed. She slightly moved the box and held a small grip on a piece of what looked like trash. "Maybe this is a huge hint. It may have an immense clue on who it is. But that's just a guess. Plus, look at their fists. They're bruised up."
"It's just a piece of trash. There's no way a fabric like that is important. Let's go..." Shuttle trailed off and Cele followed along.
"Piece of Trash" and "Bruised Knuckles" have been added to the Truth Bullets section of Shuttle's Monopad.
"Hey, Shuttle! Hey Cele! You're going around for clues too, right?" Elio asked.
"Yes, we are. Do you have anything? And after that, may you provide us your alibi for three days ago?" Cele answered.
"Of course! Look. There's a pocket knife just stabbed into the dirt over there. That wasn't there, like, ever." Elio pointed to the pocket knife stabbed in the ground. Cele walked over to it and inspected the knife.
"It seems that this has no blood on it. And judging from the shine, it never had any." Cele observed. "Now, can you give us your alibi?"
"Sure. I accidentally broke Shuttle's entire door that day and spent the rest of the day fixing it. It was like solving a puzzle with no image to look at! Like, how do you solve one without a reference image? You're just building a blob of a mess at that point." Elio compared.
"Yeah, he did break my door. I spent the rest of the day with Ali." Shuttle confirmed.
"Hey, it's not like it was on purpose! That door was jammed!" Elio shook his arms around frantically in anger.
"Wait, his door was jammed? I wonder why?" Cele asked, looking up at the sky trying to find a reason.
"Elio's Account" and "Knife in Dirt" have been added to the Truth Bullets section of Shuttle's Monopad.
"I just want to take a quick look at your door real quick. Just to make sure it's truly fixed, if that's fine with you." Cele requested.
"Sure you can. I'll come with you for safety." They walked to the dormitory and looked at the door.
"Yep, it's stable– wait, look over there." Cele pointed. "There's... Eliyen and Cairo's head accessories. The sunhat and goggles."
"Where?" Shuttle questioned, looking everywhere possible that Cele could be pointing at.
"Under... whose room is this?" Cele looked up for a nameplate above the door next to Shuttle's. "Ah, it's... Ron's room. The hats are under his bed."
"Under Ron's bed? Out of every place, the hats are there? Why do you think they're there?" Shuttle's had was a mess trying to think of all possibilities.
"I don't know, but look here. The doorknob looks like it's been tampered with. It's all dented." Cele observed.
"Hidden Hats" and "Ron's Busted Doorknob" have been added to the Truth Bullets section of Shuttle's Monopad.
"Let's look further in Ron's room. Don't worry, we aren't going to go through anything personal in there." Cele suggested. Shuttle hesitantly agreed, and they searched through Ron's room for any other clues. After a few minutes, they gathered back together and discussed what they found.
"Well, I found a few bloodstains. They seem faded out as if they were just carelessly wiped off. In the trash can, there seemed to be an abnormal amount of tissues with blood as well." Shuttle recalled.
"I found another pocket knife under Eliyen's sunhat. Maybe the culprit didn't see the pocket knife under there and randomly threw it under." Cele looked straight into Shuttle's eyes, with nothing but a sense of determination to find out who killed Eliyen and Cairo. "The pocket knife there had very little blood on it."
"Maybe when the culprit beat Eliyen on her head, the pocket knife caught some of her blood and it fell under?" Shuttle guessed.
"Faded Bloodstains," "Bloody Pocket Knife," and "Bloodied Tissues" have been added to the Truth Bullets section of Shuttle's Monopad.
"That is a good estimation. Let's get back to asking for accounts. We're running out of time staying here." Cele ordered, sternly walking out of the dormitory. But you're the one who asked to go here... Shuttle thought. He shrugged it off and followed her. They quickly met up with Ron on their way out.
"Greetings, Ron," Cele said. "Is it all right if we ask you for your account approximately three days ago?"
"A-Ah, sure. Early that morning, I was in Ariose H-Hall, scuffling backstage since I lost some music sheets. The rest of that day was spent in my room, doing nothing. I did fall asleep a few times, b-but that's all. I swear." Ron stated.
"Thanks. And don't worry, whatever's making you anxious is gonna be fine." Shuttle gave a thumbs up to Ron and he nodded.
"Wait. I-I forgot a big detail." Ron abruptly said. "Renory was watching over me while I was in my room, occasionally leaving t-to get anything either he or I needed... He- He did stay overnight though."
"Thanks again!" Shuttle exclaimed.
"Ron's Account" has been added to the Truth Bullets section of Shuttle's Monopad.
As Shuttle and Cele walked around the school for any other clues, they struggled to find anything. They broke into conversations while scavenging for traces of evidence.
"You know, I wonder why we're even here." Cele wondered. "Like, how did we get here, and why don't we have any memory of how we got to this school?"
"Well, only the one behind this knows how and why. We might as well call them... the Mastermind or maybe even Ms. or Mr. Schadenfreude. Because they, for sure, enjoy seeing us in despair." Shuttle analyzed. He looked ahead to keep walking forward, but Cele swiftly stopped him.
"Don't walk any further." She held her arm out to stop Shuttle from walking. "Look at the grass. It's not supposed to be flattened. It's even going to the Greenhouse."
"Flattened Grass Trail to Greenhouse" had been added to the Truth Bullets section of Shuttle's Monopad.
The two continued walking around for accounts.
"I just chatted the whole day with Kora and Little," Sahara remarked. "We were all irritated for some reason, and I guess we just started saying how much we wanted to... do anything."
"Sahara's Account" has been added to the Truth Bullets section of Shuttle's Monopad.
"At some point, Little was dragged by Renory, then after that, he said he had to go. I think that's all."
"Thank you." Cele thanked.
"Three days ago?" Gehenna asked. "I remember it fondly! Well, Elio did break Shuttle's door. I spent the rest of the day hanging out in my Ultimate Lab, testing all the items in there and such. But when I was going back to my room at night, I remember seeing Eliyen and Cairo just sneaking around. I think they had something shiny with them, and it wasn't Cairo's goggles or pencil."
"Gehenna's Account" and "Witnessing Eliyen and Cairo" have been added to the Truth Bullets section of Shuttle's Monopad.
A chime in the rhythm of a tune played throughout the school. Shuttle and Cele looked at the nearest monitor with Monokuma's face on it.
"Investigation Time is over, students! Please gather at the back of the school... Upupupu...!" Monokuma giggled before the monitor turned off. All the students headed to the back of the school, waiting for someone to activate the elevator. Sahara, with her new mallet, hit the brick like it was whack-a-mole and the elevator climbed its way up. Everyone went in and the elevator descended to the trial grounds.
"Shuttle, maybe you're right about someone being behind our presence here." Cele thought out loud. "I mean, it's the only logical explanation."
"I can't say for sure, but it probably is." Shuttle agreed. "I mean, some people here look more ominous than some other people." As Shuttle said that statement, the elevator made a ding noise and opened its doors to reveal a new look at the trial grounds. The walls now looked like an eyesore of the sky. The windows shone brighter than before. The ground looked like clouds, and the podiums seemed like they were made of neon lights.
I've to avenge both Cairo and Eliyen's deaths. Shuttle thought to himself. I'll find out the culprit and make sure everyone is satisfied with the results! Whoever it is, we'll catch you right on the spot and eradicate you from your crime. We'll put an end to this killing game, no matter what it takes! Whether that means having to take out even the most loved people, we'll find out who killed Eliyen and Cairo and put an end to their crimes!
Monokuma laughed and ordered everyone to stand at their podiums. "We shall start the trial with a basic explanation of the Class Trial. During the Class Trial, you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and vote for whodunnit! If you vote correctly, only the blackened will be punished! But if you pick the wrong person, I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will earn the right to graduate!" Monokuma cackled and paused to let the students begin.
"Before we begin, I'd like to confirm one thing," Kora stated. "Everyone has an alibi for three days ago, right? You know, the day of Eliyen and Cairo's murder."
"Of course we do. We all have lives, don't we?" Elio sarcastically questioned.
"It wouldn't make sense if they were just murdered like that, so we have to go around for alibis," Cele ordered. Monokuma set the atmosphere color to blue, signaling that the Non-Stop Debate session had begun.
"Well, all day I was fixing Shuttle's door. It was in pieces, I tell you." Elio half-heartedly answered.
"Ah, I was in my Ultimate Lab just testing everything in there," Gehenna remarked.
"I was with Shuttle for the entire day," Ali stated. "He did get pulled by Little for a while, but he returned."
"I-I was in my room the whole day." Ron nervously stammered. "Renory was with me for a bit."
"I, Kora, and Little chatted for a bit that day. I forgot what, but we were all irritated about something." Sahara informed.
"So everyone's innocent? None of us saw Eliyen or Cairo at all?" Kora asked. The contradiction stuck out wildly and had to be pointed out.
"No, that's wrong!" Shuttle yelled, breaking the Non-Stop Debate session. "Gehenna witnessed both of them at the same time that night. Didn't you, Gehenna?"
"Yeah, I did! You're really smart." Gehenna beamed with joy.
"You saw them?" Kora surprisedly asked. "What were they doing?"
"I think they were discussing something. They had something shiny though... It wasn't Cairo's goggles or pencil. I just saw a shine from their hands and that's all I could see." Gehenna informed.
"And when did you see them?" Cele asked.
"Like, a little bit after the nighttime announcement. Thirty minutes after is my guess."
"Where?" Ali queried.
"Right outside and to the right of the dormitory if you face the doors."
"So, last night is when they were last seen. Besides the dormitory is where they were. Did you overhear them?" Cele asked.
"No, but all I heard was like... "If he's there, we'll fail."
"If he's there, we'll fail?" What do you think that meant?" Shuttle wondered.
"Can you all stop asking questions?! I feel pressured now!" Gehenna screamed, waving her arms in anger.
"Okay, sorry!" Shuttle yelled back, then got deep in thought. If they were by the dormitory, and they had something shining, then... He entered a Logic Dive session in his deep in his mind.
Where were Eliyen and Cairo last witnessed? He asked himself. The dormitory, greenhouse, and school came to his mind. He sank deep into thought again and concluded to himself that they were last seen at the dormitory.
What could the shiny item that Eliyen and Cairo had been? The pocket knives, Cairo's goggles, and a piece of metal were all he could come up with. After diving deep into his mind, he came up with the idea that it was the pocket knives.
Why did they say the phrase "If he's there, we'll fail?" Either they were going to attack someone without being seen, or they were going to attack each other without being seen. He ran through the possibilities and concluded that it was someone they were going to attack.
"I got it!" Shuttle abruptly said. "I think... I think they were going to attack somebody."
"Huh? There's no way they'd do that. Is there physical evidence for that claim?" Kora asked, irritated by the absurdity of the claim. Of course, there is. Using that piece of evidence... He thought of all the hints he found and used the Bloody Pocket Knife.
"Sure there is. There was a bloody pocket knife under Eliyen's sunhat, which was under Ron's bed." Shuttle counterclaimed.
"Wait, her hat was under Ron's bed?!" Sahara exclaimed, visibly sweating out of fear.
"H-Huh?!" Ron gasped, appearing more shakily than usual. His hands were trembling and his eyes were widened. "W-Why were you even l-looking in my room...?"
"Your door was left open, and from a distance, I could see the two head accessories underneath." Cele informed.
"Why... was my door open? I-I swore I closed it before I fell asleep. When I woke up, I thought someone opened it for me..." Ron fearfully quivered. Why was his door open? Shuttle asked himself. He came up with an answer in his mind.
"Because it was Ron that Eliyen and Cairo were originally planning to attack." Shuttle pointed out.
"M-Me?! What did I do to them...?" Ron panicked.
"That's not important. We need to find out how they ended up dead, even though you were their planned victim." Cele stated. "Was anyone with you overnight?"
Ron started shaking more. "N-No..."
Cele sighed and went deep into thought. "That's odd. Maybe–"
"I have an idea!" Kora yelled, interrupting Cele's sentence. "Then if no one else was with you, you killed them!"
"N-No, that can't be, Kora..." Shuttle began. "He wouldn't just do that. Not even in self-defense."
"But he's the only one that Eliyen and Cairo could have last seen other than Gehenna!"
"That may be true, but there's solid evidence he wouldn't!" Shuttle yelled, beginning the Rebuttal Showdown session.
"Ron is the only one that could have killed Eliyen and Cairo." Kora began firmly. "If they were planning to kill Ron, and they ended up dead, then Ron killed them!" She moved her arm quickly like she was stabbing someone to show how she thought it went. "He hit Eliyen on the head, and Cairo on his stomach, and killed the two! He dragged the bodies bare-handed and got the box from the warehouse right after!"
"No, that's wrong!" Shuttle yelled, breaking the Rebuttal Showdown session. "The dragging part may be true, but there's a flaw in the statement you just said. If he got the box right after dragging them, then there would be gaps in the flattened trail on the grass."
"Huh?" Kora squinted her eyes at Shuttle.
"If you looked close enough, there was a straight trail leading to the back of the greenhouse. If it were the bodies, there would probably be a hint of blood and uneven patterns in the trail."
"Oh. So even with glasses, I'm still blind." Kora analyzed. "Heh, not like they've been treating my vision any better!" She grinned and quickly shook off the pressure.
"Wait, so how'd he take the bodies there in the first place? Box first and then the bodies inside?" Gehenna asked.
"Of course it would be box first and then the bodies placed inside. That would explain the bloody mess in the box even though Cairo's bleeding a little." Cele explained.
"B-But I'm not capable of dragging anything heavier than an oak bed frame..." Ron quietly whispered.
"Really? I always thought you could lift something at least like, that long part of a couch," Sahara said. "You look like you could do that."
"So if Ron can't even lift a simple bed frame, then what happened?" Elio asked, unsure about all information given.
"I think only Ron could answer that. There were blood stains in his room, after all." Cele stated.
"I-I don't know anything... I was asleep. I swear." Ron sweated.
"I checked on him occasionally that night. He was asleep the whole time." Renory defended. "He's clear of suspicion. Although I did get a few minutes of rest, he appeared to be fine."
"Wait, wait. There appears to be a gap in that story." Ali paused Renory. "If this happened three days ago, and specifically at night, then how come every time you checked, he seemed fine?"
"I don't know either. That's what I'm asking myself as well." Renory shrugged. But what is that gap...? Shuttle asked himself. He thought of all possibilities and decided on an answer.
"Renory... Maybe when you slept for "a few minutes," it was more than you anticipated?" Shuttle guessed.
"That... actually makes sense. I never checked the time when I woke up or slept, so it should be the only logical explanation." Renory raised his eyebrows in surprise and nodded.
"Well, considering the fact that there's a lot of bloodstains in Ron's room, it must have been a really long and bloody fight." Gehenna said, observing whatever came to her mind.
"So it's got to be a couple of minutes, with thirty at minimum." Elio confidently concluded. "If a fight's gonna have like, what, ten bloodstains in one room? Then the fight must have been longer than either twenty or thirty minutes. Trust me, I've been in ones before."
"Before?!" Gehenna screamed.
"Let's not get off track." Cele firmly stated.
"No, I have something to say, and it's totally off-topic." Gehenna smiled. "Y'know, I'm actually really surprised no one's targeted Sahara yet. She looks just as innocent as a child!"
"If any of you ever try to make me your victim, I'll make sure those useless ass tables turn the hell around." Sahara threatened.
"Eek! I-I changed my mind! She's totally scary!" Gehenna squealed, going farther away from Sahara as possible while remaining at her podium.
"A-Anyways... So, from Elio's estimation, the killing must have lasted from twenty to thirty minutes. That's enough to kill two people at the same time and hide the evidence." Cele stuttered.
"But Ron said he can't lift an oak bed frame. Two people inside a box definitely weigh more than a bed frame. He must have had some kind of help when disposing the bodies." Ali stated.
"I wasn't awake during nighttime. Sure, I did eventually wake up after hearing something that night." Little said.
"Wait, you heard something?" Kora asked in surprise. "What did it sound like?"
"I can't tell, but it was probably sobbing. It was pretty distant and muffled, so I can't tell." He answered. Sobbing? But why was someone sobbing?
"Maybe... Maybe someone saw the bodies and got emotional?" Sahara hesitantly guessed.
"Huh?" Renory gasped.
"But I'm one of the only people that I know that really cared about people dying. Specifically Eliyen and Cairo. And I wasn't awake at 11 PM." Kora observed. But if barely anyone was awake at that time... Then the only one who could be crying was...
"I think it was Ron that was sobbing." Shuttle declared, looking up from his podium.
"Ron? Why him?" Gehenna asked. She squinted her eyes and spread out her hands in confusion.
"Shuttle has a point. Think about it. By chance, the culprit might have killed the two in cold blood before Eliyen and Cairo could do anything, and took the bodies inside Ron's room to accuse him of such a murder. That would explain the amount of bloodstains in his room." Ali analyzed. "Then after the crime, Ron awoke from his sleep and witnessed the bodies. The rest is unknown."
"That's a really good idea." Cele nodded. "However, I don't think the culprit took the bodies into Ron's room." Monokuma set the atmosphere color to blue to signal that the Non-Stop Debate session had begun.
"If the bodies were found in Ron's room but left no other trails..." Gehenna started. "Then did the killer kill them in Ron's room?"
"Maybe Eliyen and Cairo killed each other to throw us off." Sahara wondered, looking up at the ceiling.
"But if they did do that, then who could have dragged them out?" Renory asked.
"Ron did." Gehenna concluded with a dumb smile.
"We already established that Ron couldn't have carried them in the box." Ali irritatedly responded.
"I-I didn't even see a single thing... I just saw the bloodstains when I woke up and never mentioned it..." Ron shivered.
"Obviously someone dragged them. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a body discovery and we'd be stumped even harder." Sahara insisted.
"Then how did they end up there?" Gehenna asked, throwing herself in one direction.
"The culprit obviously fought the two in Ron's room overnight. They killed Eliyen and Cairo, splattered the blood on the walls and floor purposely, and cleaned it up like nothing happened." Ali concluded.
"I got it!" Kora exclaimed. "Maybe Ron was asleep, Eliyen and Cairo busted into Ron's room, but the culprit saw them or heard their plan and killed them! Bonk!"
"You have a point!" Shuttle yelled, breaking the Non-Stop Debate session. "Ron's busted doorknob is proof of that. They were armed with pocket knives, and the way the doorknob is damaged can't be imitated by a simple fist."
"Really? I was right for once? Yay!" Kora cheered. "But... we still have no solid lead on who killed them. Ron's a suspect, but he was asleep and only woke up seeing the bloodstains everywhere." She's right... We don't know exactly who it could have been... It's like someone's hiding information. We're stumped...
~COMMERCIAL BREAK (STARRING: MONOKUMA)~
"Hmm... It appears I lost something. Monokuma, can you help me find it?" Monokuma asked. Another clone of him appeared and started scuffling everywhere, looking for whatever the real Monokuma lost.
"There's nothing." The other Monokuma said.
"You're useless. You made a promise you'd find it!" Monokuma yelled, hitting the other one so hard, he flew to somewhere unknown. "And that's why you always keep your promises. Or else you'll get punished!"
~COMMERCIAL BREAK: END~
"We're stumped." Cele stated. "That's new... Is anyone concealing any information?" She has a point. Someone has been near quiet this entire time... They've also been very paranoid since the body discoveries and downright hostile. Shuttle's glare went around the room and focused on one person.
"Ron, you know something that you haven't told us, don't you?" Shuttle asked.
"H-Huh?" Ron stuttered, trembling out of fear.
"Shuttle is right. You haven't told us something." Cele nodded her head in agreement.
"Please. For the sake of everyone's lives, tell us." Shuttle cautiously said.
"...B-But if I tell everyone, then I'll have no one..." Ron quivered whilst he was near tears. Cele sighed and nodded again. She looked up at Ron assuringly.
"Ron, I understand how you feel, but can you please tell us?" She requested, practically begging through the way she looked at Ron.
"I-I don't want the one that's been there my entire life to go!" Ron cried, now sobbing as if his life depended on it. His "entire life?" Since he knows more, and the one he's talking about is most likely the culprit... It can't be me since we rarely talked to each other before now, and it can't be Little since he took him in for only five years, and going on as of today... So it has to be them. Shuttle gazed across the room and concluded his head.
"Are you talking about... Renory?" Shuttle guessed.
"Renory?! But there's no way he'd kill two people!" Kora exclaimed, panicking at the thought. "He was asleep the entire fight!"
"It isn't me. You already know that I slept longer than I anticipated, and the fight happened in between the times I slept and woke up." Renory declared, almost letting irritation out in his voice.
"I-It isn't him! I promise, it isn't Renory!" Ron wept, yet angrily pointing at Shuttle. The three exclaimed their claims all at once in the order they spoke.
"It seriously isn't him! Are you dumb?!" Kora angrily yelled. / "I thought I've been cleared already. The culprit's gotta be someone else." Renory calmly argued. / "That's my brother w-we're talking about! He'd tell me if he killed someone!" Ron continued crying.
Monokuma let out a hearty, despairful cackle and changed the atmosphere color to red, signaling that the Mass Panic Debate session had begun. Shuttle's head began hurting but shook it off and began focusing on everyone's claims they were about to throw all at once. He swore he could have seen a couple of neon bullets fly around but shook that off as well.
"Let's think about it. He's the Ultimate Guardian, right?" Kora asked. / "I've said it several times. I was asleep for longer than I expected, but that's what I believe, at least." Renory analyzed. / "There's no way he would have killed two people at once! H-He would have made a lot of noise, and I'm a light sleeper!" Ron cried.
"Yeah, and what about it?" Cele responded. / "That's what you believe. Exactly, you're lying that you slept." Ali countered. / "Ron, the only time you've waken up easily is when you're hit right on the head." Little insisted.
"The definition of "guardian" is simply just a defender or protector. People like that rarely kill!" Kora grinned, confident of her mentality. / "I was asleep for a bit though. All I remember was sleeping when it was slightly dark and woke up when it was brighter." Renory refuted. / "Dad, please! I-I really don't want people to get angry at Renory for something he didn't do!" Ron coughed out.
"That doesn't even help, Kora." Elio squinted his eyes at Kora's idiocy. / "So, you were with Ron a couple times, but slept in your own room?" Sahara asked. / "He would have told me if he killed someone! Even two people!" Ron yelled, his tears becoming enraged.
"It doesn't? But how come you all think it's him when he's only a protector?" Kora questioned, pouting at her failure of persuasion. / "Yes. I remained by Ron a few times, but left to get some rest." Renory nodded his head. / "Not all siblings tell each other everything. I'd know cause I had one." Elio informed.
One of the statements stuck out like a red flag in the middle of a meadow.
"No, that's wrong!" Shuttle yelled over the three, breaking the Mass Panic Debate session. "Renory, you said you left to sleep, right? During nighttime that day?"
"Yeah."
"But during Investigation Time, Ron said you stayed overnight. I wish I realized that contradiction sooner."
"Then... What really happened?" Gehenna barely managed out.
"W-What do you mean...? I slept through the killing that- that night..." Ron shakily spoke.
"Hold on. I'd like to confirm something." Cele started. "We're close to concluding that Renory might be the culprit based off Ron's statements, right? But the thing is, do we know exactly what happened? Like, how did the murders go on?"
"He obviously bonked Eliyen on the head and beat the life out of Cairo on his stomach!" Gehenna sarcastically answered.
"I meant it as in what went down. Why was Eliyen and Cairo's originally planned victim Ron? How come there was no blood on the trail to the greenhouse? And if Ron knew it was Renory, how did he suddenly know?" Cele asked.
"Those questions have to be the most confusing ones I've ever heard in my life." Sahara crossed her arms. No, but she's on the right track. What happened? There's a huge gap in this entire trial. Shuttle thought. I can't think of any possibilities on why Ron was their victim, but I can try figuring out a reason why there was no blood on the trail... He thought through three main likelihoods and decided on one.
"Maybe the reason there isn't any blood on the trail is because both Eliyen and Cairo were stuffed in the box?" Shuttle hesitantly declared. "I mean, from the position Cairo was in, it only makes sense the two were in the box."
"That is true, and it does explain why there's a lot of blood in the box." Gehenna observed. "But wait, what about Cele's last question? How did Ron know?!" She started waving her arms around.
Shuttle went deep into thought and tried coming up with an answer. "Maybe–"
"Sh-Shut up!" Ron abruptly yelled. "Renory didn't kill anyone, I woke up with bloodstains everywhere in my room, and he would have told me everything!"
"Ron, calm down–" Shuttle began before Ron yelled at him.
"No! I'm not backing down! If you're going to be accusing such a person, I can't allow it anymore! You're accusing my brother of killing two people!" Ron cried angrily, slamming his hands on his podium.
"If you can just tone it down a bit, we can resolve this!"
"I'm not going to keep listening to your little rants! It's all false!"
Monokuma cackled and almost everyone's podiums shifted to the side. Ron and Shuttle remained in the middle, facing each other. Monokuma signaled that the Logomachy Royale session had begun.
"There's no way my brother would kill! The only thing he's capable of is protecting!" Ron argued. "Why are you blaming him? He wasn't armed at all! He couldn't have even gone out of my room when he left to drag 'em out!" Shuttle shot down enough statements to proceed to the next phase.
"Shut up! You're just accusing him so that you don't have to die! I would have awakened if the killings happened just like that! You're just guilty and taking it out as anger!" Ron cried out, pointing at Shuttle. "He would never kill two people! He's too nice to do that! You know that as well! You know Renory wouldn't kill!" Ron kept yelling his claims in attempt to persuade Shuttle. He failed miserably, and Shuttle proceeded to the next and final phase.
"Why won't you stop?! It's so clear that Renory didn't kill Eliyen and Cairo! Do you just want to feel the despair of everyone?" Ron's eyes widened, his mentality immediately changing. "Quit it! Quit accusing him! Quit yelling random claims! Quit accusing Renory for something he didn't do! Quit accusing Renory!" Shuttle cornered Ron, stumping him from coming up with contradictions.
"How do you think I would even know it was Renory?!" Shuttle tried quickly coming up with an answer. Once the answer finally clicked, it was like finding the key that fit perfectly in a lock.
"You woke up during the killing!" Shuttle concluded, breaking the Logomachy Royale session. Ron cried out in anger at his failure, grabbing his hair, defeated.
"Wait, so... It is Renory?" Kora stuttered. "But... But it can't be!"
"Kora, it's the only logical explanation. Eliyen and Cairo were planning to kill Ron, but the tables turned around with a new player and they died instead." Ali went over.
"Why...?" Sahara asked.
"Ah, the... the disease was still going around. You know, CFD. Ron wasn't impacted a lot by it, but I wanted to make sure he was going to be okay. So I stayed with him overnight that day." Renory explained. "Some time during the night, I heard very loud banging against the door, and then terrible scratching noises. I looked around, trying to find anything that could defend Ron. The door busted open before I could find anything and... You can imagine how the rest went."
"I-I'm sorry I couldn't go on any longer..." Ron wept. "I tried. I really did try making you look innocent."
"It's okay." Renory nodded in an attempt to assure Ron. Cele looked at Shuttle, and Shuttle looked back. They nodded and started discussing the closing argument.
"What are you two up to at a moment like this?" Little asked. He crossed his arms and side-eyed the two irritatedly.
"Quiet. We're discussing significant matters." Cele shot back before going back into their conversation. A few minutes later, Shuttle rose up.
"We have our closing argument!" Shuttle declared.
"Yes we do." Cele adoringly applauded. Shuttle cleared his throat and began going over everything.
"It all started one night. The culprit was concerned about Ron, who was impacted by the on-going disease, CFD. They decided to stay with him overnight to make sure his health stayed stable. At the same time, Eliyen and Cairo were planning to kill Ron. They started banging on his dorm door in an attempt to break in. After a few tries, they went to slashing the door knob. Eventually, they succeeded breaking the door down only for their plans to be thwarted with the culprit's presence. They probably stood there, wondering what would happen next. Eliyen and Cairo probably tried attacking first, with the culprit blocking all their attacks to do so. Ultimately, the culprit started attacking them to protect Ron. The noise from the bloody fight woke up Ron in the middle of the fight, making him a witness and the first to discover the bodies. A very important clue, a pocket knife, fell under Ron's bed during the fight. Afterwards, Eliyen and Cairo were killed, and taken to the back of the greenhouse via box. Whatever happened after that is unknown, but I can easily conclude who it is based off all evidence we've been given! Renory Kurasu, the Ultimate Guardian, it's you!" Shuttle declared, completing the class trial.
"Wait, Shuttle, before we vote, I just want to say something." Cele began. "Remember the piece of trash we found by the box? Doesn't it match to... Renory's gloves?"
Realization hit Shuttle hard in the head. "Oh... Yeah, it does! Now it clears up so much!" He sighed.
"Are you all done chattering? 'Cause it's Voting Time!" Monokuma exclaimed as everyone hesitantly looked at each other, then voting. "Now, did you vote correctly and vote for the Blackened? Or did you make the dreadfully wrong one and pick an innocent student? Let's see!" A dart wheel came down from above and started spinning as the dart prepared to shoot and landed on Renory's part of the wheel. Victory music started playing, showing the students that they voted correctly. The third class trial had ended, and Monokuma shouted the word "Allrise."
"I... I'm so sorry I couldn't properly defend you." Ron apologized.
"Ron, it's okay. It really is." Renory nodded.
"Well, now we know why... Why it would have gone unnoticed. Because no one acted odd because of the disease. It's... cruel." Gehenna looked down at the ground upsettingly.
"But... now you're gonna get killed because you killed." Ron sighed. "I don't want that to happen, I-I don't want you to die. It's reasonable that you get punished for a crime like this, but... Isn't an execution a bit too much...?" Renory placed a hand on Ron's shoulder.
"It's fine. At least I'll die knowing I successfully protected someone. Especially my brother." Renory sighed as well.
"It's so boring! But at the same time, it's so exciting! Seeing all your faces in such despair is so entertaining! Can we begin the execution?! I'm gonna start it anyways! Get ready for Punishment Time! Let's give it all we got!" Monokuma cheered, grabbing out his trial hammer and hitting a large, red button with it.
"No! Wait!" Ron yelled as Renory began falling down into an endless pit. Ron went after him, falling along with him.
A pixelated screen popped up with Renory getting dragged away by Monokuma. The words "Renory has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!"
Renory and Ron fall until they end up in a vast, desolate desert-like place. The sky is bright and the wind blows peacefully. After a few seconds, several armaments reveal themselves from the sky and aim at Ron. A sword is flung in Ron's direction, but Renory quickly rushes over and grabs the sword by its handle to protect Ron from getting transfixed. An axe flings itself from the sky as well and Renory blocked it using his forearm. Multiple arsenals fly out and Renory blocks most of them, injuring himself in the process. A sword comes from behind Renory and stabs him right in the middle of his stomach. Another one comes and chops half of his right arm off, making Renory collapse to the ground. More sharp-edged weapons fly at Ron, but Renory takes them all.
"Stay strong for me, aight?" Renory whispers to Ron in his final moments and all the life leaves his body. Ron, stunned and left stagnant, gets dragged back up by his arms and plops back onto the trial grounds, concluding Renory's execution.
Everyone began rushing to Ron's side, asking him questions about his physical health frantically.
"Are you okay?! That axe barely missed you just before Renory blocked it!" Gehenna fearfully questioned.
"Nothing hurt you, right?" Cele asked. "You're all good, right? None of those weapons got you hurt?"
"If anything is burning or stinging, allow me to tend to it. Just let me know, but as of right now, I need to make sure you're fine," Ali said neutrally.
"Stop crowding him. Give him some space, you're not letting him even breathe." Little spread his arms out, moving everyone from Ron. "You're asking if any weapon hurt him, but not making sure he's okay emotionally? He just lost his brother. You call yourselves friends to him? You can't even make sure he's alright both physically and mentally. I know it's cheesy, but people usually say that emotional wounds are even more intense than physical ones."
"Who does he think he is, just pushing us away like that?" Gehenna grumbled to herself.
"Shut it. That's Ron's dad, idiot." Sahara nudged Gehenna's forearm harshly. "He has a right to do it."
"Oh. Right."
Little stopped looking around at everyone in disappointment and turned to Ron. "Are you okay? You seem weak and forlorn." Ron sighed, lowered his gaze to the ground, and started crying. His tears flowed like a river down his face, the room standing in place, sympathizing.
What seemed like hours passed as he kept bawling his eyes out. It seemed Cele and Little were the ones who understood him enough. Eventually, he calmed down and headed back to his room. Everyone did.
I should probably check Bob's board. Maybe he's got something for us again. Shuttle thought as he walked to Bob's Ultimate Lab. Before he could even walk in, he could already hear paper shuffling noises. He looked inside and saw no one but a paper falling down as if someone dropped it. Shuttle looked at the board and saw three new portraits connected. Renory's had a pink pin attatched to Eliyen and Cairo's black pins. A paper in the lower middle had everyone's names, with a few crossed out. Meri, Bob, Neru, Jodie, Renory, Eliyen, and Cairo's names were crossed out, of course. But what intrigued Shuttle the most is that some alive students' names were crossed out. Such as Cele, Ron, and Kora's names were also crossed out. Shuttle looked at the top of the paper and it had the title "Mastermind Poissibilities."
"What's this...?" Shuttle asked himself, looking at a paper and a terribly taped vase of white egret orchids. The paper said "Please give this to Ron!! Thanks -Bob." He chuckled, and took the vase.
"You up to something?" Cele asked.
"Oh my god!" Shuttle jolted up. "You scared me... at least give me a warning that you're here. I thought I was going to die."
"Haha, sorry. I was knocking on your door and received no reply, so I figured you were already here." Cele explained. "Anything new on the board?"
"No, not really. The culprit-victim thing got updated, and there's a "Mastermind Possibilities" paper now. I guess you aren't the Mastermind. That's a good thing, trust me." Shuttle informed.
"Ah, alright. By the way, it's pretty late. You should go to bed. We'll solve this in the morning." Cele calmly ordered.
"Gotcha, boss." Shuttle smiled as he walked out Bob's lab, heading to Ron's room. He knocked on the door. "Ron? You there?" The door creaked open and Ron peeked through the door.
"Yeah." He whispered.
"It's... A gift from Bob." Shuttle handed the vase to Ron, and he slowly took it.
"Tell him I said thank you. I... Really like these. A lot." Ron said before closing the door. Shuttle sighed and went to his room. He laid on his bed, looking straight up at the ceiling.
"I miss the guy already." Shuttle looked to the side before his eyes slowly closed and fell into a deep slumber.
Nine students remain.