Monokuma cleared his throat, "Ahem! Now then, let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! During the trial, you'll present your arguments for who the culprit is, and vote for 'whodunnit.' Vote correctly and only the blackened will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person... I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will gradu-"
"Graduation is meaningless here... We already know that." Kiibo interrupted. "We don't need your rules anymore! We'll find our own reasons to live! And we'll do whatever it takes to survive!"
"Wow! An actual talking robot!" Monokuma gushed. "I've never seen one of those before!"
"Seriously!?"
"What happened to Ouma?" Maki demanded, eyes glowing red with hatred. "Why isn't he here?"
"Aw, don't make that face, killer." Monokuma looked down sadly. "This case has some unique circumstances."
"Unique circumstances?" Himiko repeated, glaring from under her hat.
"Cuz for this murder, the victim's identity is completely unknown! Given these circumstances... I decided to start off this class trial while the victim is still anonymous! After all, it'd be a shame if I let such a rare opportunity go to waste!"
"Is that possible?" Tsumugi sweated. "I thought everyone had to participate in the class trial."
"Don't worry. The person who's still alive is waiting behind the scenes for their cue. It's all part of the overall production. Anyway, let's get this trial moving!"
"Even if we don't know the culprit or even the victim, Monokuma knows everything so we should be fine!" Ichika smiled brightly.
"..." Monokuma glared at Ichika.
"I don't see how that makes anything fine..." Maki sighed.
"Then... I guess we have no choice but the start the trial under these conditions." Kiibo muttered.
"What's there even to talk about? The blackened is the mastermind, Ouma." Himiko grumbled.
"Yeah, that's the only thing I can think of, too." Tsumugi nodded.
"It's too soon to decide anything for certain." Shuichi countered. "We don't even know if Momota-kun was the victim..."
"How long are you going to say that? The victim is Momota... end of discussion." Maki snapped.
Shuichi just sighed. "But we need to be absolutely sure. If we don't positively identify the victim... The other person will never show themselves, right?"
"Now now, just because Momota-san's sleeve was sticking out doesn't completely solidify the fact that he is the culprit. Unless you have something convincing that will prove that he was the victim, stay silent, alright?" Ichika said cheerfully. "After all, maybe Ouma-san actually isn't the culprit-"
"Shut up! There *is* plenty of proof Momota is the victim." Maki glared at Ichika.
"Why are we even talking about something so obvious? What a pain..." Himiko whined. "The victim has to be Momota."
"Momota-kun was taken prisoner by Ouma-kun, like Aki-san... So he could've killed him whenever he wanted." Tsumugi concluded.
"And the hydraulic press had his clothes inside."
Maki sighed. "Ouma can't be the victim because there's no evidence for it."
"No, that's wrong!" Shuichi cut through Maki's words. "I have evidence that points to Ouma-kun being the victim! I found *this* in that hangar!" He showed the students-
"Nyeh! Is that Ouma's coat!?" Himiko cried out in alarm.
"Yes. And look here- there are bloodstains on the sleeve. That would indicate that Ouma-kun suffered an external injury, correct?" Shuichi explained.
"Ouma-kun was injured?" Tsumugi questioned.
"The fact that these were flushed down the toilet implies they're evidence of a crime."
"...What about it?" Maki said sharply. "Momota's clothes were in the hydraulic press. As long as we have that evidence, there's no doubt Momota was the one murdered."
"Y-Yeah, that's right..." Himiko agreed. "It's one of those irrefutable evidence thingies."
"Don't be ridiculous." Ichika rolled her eyes. "Weren't you listening? Just because Momota-san's clothes were in the press doesn't solidify anything. Besides... there's something bothering me about the clothes."
"Nyeh...? Bothering you...?" Ichika nodded at Himiko and turned to look at Shuichi.
Ichika smiled brightly. "Saihara-san, I'm assuming you know what I'm talking about, yes?"
Shuichi jumped a bit in surprise. "Huh?"
"Now... Tell me, what exactly is so peculiar about the clothes?" Ichika smiled. "I'm sure you know~"
Shuichi pressed his lips together. "...The sleeve. Why was only the sleeve sticking out of the hydraulic press? There should have been an arm inside the sleeve as well. So the fact that we found an empty sleeve should-"
"You're dumber than I thought if I have to go out my way to explain it to you." Maki interrupted, visibly annoyed. "If you can't even see that, then be quiet. Otherwise, you're just annoying me."
***
"Yes, it's true, Momota-kun never put his arm through his sleeve... but that was just his right arm. He wore his left sleeve normally. And the left sleeve was the one we found outside the press. Knowing how Momota-kun wore his coat, that's awfully strange, isn't it?"
"Then maybe neither of his arms were through the sleeves." Maki countered. "It's a possibility... In the end, your reasoning is full of holes. Stop getting in my way. I have to defeat Ouma."
"It's like Harukawa-san said, though..." Tsumugi chimed in nervously. "Momota-kun's gotta be the victim. Cuz if Ouma-kun, the mastermind, was dead, the killing game would be over."
"Yeah, that's true." Himiko sighed.
"Monokuma, hurry up and bring Ouma here. We already know who the victim is." Maki demanded, her glare at Monokuma was icy cold.
"Huh? Already? You sure it's not too soon?"
"We need the suspect present now that he's the subject of our discussion," Kiibo said.
"Gotcha I guess I'll bring him out now." Monokuma pumped his paw up in the air and looked at the big metal door on the right. "Hey, Mister Suspect! That's your cue!" The red 'in use' sign started to glow and beep and metal doors slowly slid open to reveal it.
The giant red Exisal trudged into the room and stood behind Kaito's portrait. Everyone stared at it in complete shock, lost for words.
"An Exisal!?"
"Wh-What!? Why is an Exisal here!?"
"Haha, whoops!" The Exisal spoke in Kaito's voice and its arm went behind its head. "My bad. Seems like I gave you guys a scare, huh?"
"Is that... Momota-kun's voice!?" Kiibo shrieked, pointing at the Exisal.
"...Momota?" Maki stared at the machine with gaping eyes.
"There was a lot going on, so I just hid in an Exisal and kinda dozed off. Haha, and that's why I'm so late! Anyway, what's goin' on, guys?"
Tsumugi pointed a shaky finger at the Exisal. "H-Hold on. Then the one that died wasn't Momota-kun-"
"Stuuuupid! That was just a lie!" Kokichi's voice boomed through the trial room. The Exisal jumped to the other side of the room and now stood behind Kokichi's podium. "Ah-haha, you guys thought I died!? I wound never! Noooo way!"
"O-Ouma-kun?" Kiibo looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.
"I'm gonna live till I die! I'm gonna laugh 'stead of cry!" Kokichi sang.
"Wow, that's old! How old are you!?" Himiko yelled.
"I thought as much..." Maki growled. "Your appearance right now is fit for a lowly asshole like you."
"Nee-heehee... You're making me blush! You're getting so angry over me."
"..." Shuichi stared at the Exisal. "Is that really you, Ouma-kun?"
"That's right, Cracker Jack!"
"Then why are you hiding in there? Show yourself!" Shuichi demanded.
Kokichi just laughed. "Oh, this is more for self-defence. Little Miss Crankypants would kill me if I showed myself."
"..." Maki just scowled at him.
"I understand how you guys must feel You can't believe it because I'm like this, right? Nee-heehee... That's what I thought. In that case, I brought evidence!" Kokichi brought out a white camera. "Tadaaa! The video camera! It was in the warehouse, but I brought it to the hangar, just in case. Man, that was a smart move! Thanks to this, I filmed it so everyone could see it clearly. The moment the victim died..."
"Nyeh! Wh-What did you say!?"
"Alrighty then! Let's watch this shocking moment! Heeey, Monokuma! Can you connect the video camera to the monitor?"
"Roger that!" Monokuma took the camera and plugged a cord into it. The room's monitor came up behind him and it played the tape for us. There Kaito was, lying down inside the press. The press came down lower and lower until it stopped for a brief moment, then it came down and crushed him, the blood splattering everywhere.
"Huh...?" Shuichi's face was completely white as he stared at the screen.
Tsumugi shivered. "Th-This is terrible! Why would... something like this...?"
"..." Maki had her head down and her eyes were clenched shut.
"I-I saw it through my fingers... The moment... Momota was crushed... I'm... gonna... *huuurk*" Himiko looked like she was about to be sick.
Ichika hummed. "Hey, hey, Ouma-san. Was that footage edited in any way, shape or form?"
"Nope! This footage has not been doctored in any way!" Kokichi responded proudly. "This video camera only had basic functions. Just the Play, Record and Pause buttons, so you can't edit after filming it. And of course, I didn't upload it to a computer to edit it either. Riiiiiiight, Monokuma?"
"..." Monokuma remained silent.
"Oh, you can talk. Your answer is necessary for a fair discussion." Kokichi said.
"I see! If it's necessary for a fair discussion, then I will answer! No trace of that footage was found on any of the computers inside the academy!"
"See? If it wasn't connected to any computer, then editing the footage would be impossible. Which means, this footage is 100% real!" Kokichi laughed triumphantly.
"If that's the case... then it would seem our suspicions can be lifted," Kiibo said. "The body we found inside the hangar, crushed in the hydraulic press, is definitely Momota-kun!"
"Poor Momota... I can't believe he died such a horrible death." Himiko shivered. "I can't believe he died with his guts and his brains splattered all over that machine!"
"S-Stop it... Now I'm starting to not feel well..." Tsumugi wrapped her arms around herself.
"That's probably cuz I used my magic to transfer all my barf over to you."
"I know that's a joke, but the thought of it... *huuurp*"
"Nee-heehee... It looks like you finally believe that I'm the one in this Exisal."
"Yes. With that, we can definitely say the culprit is..." Kiibo pointed a finger at the Exisal. "...you.
"Huh? Why?"
"You filmed the moment the victim died which means you were present at the scene... As the person who filmed this footage, you're the only one who could be the culprit!"
Shuichi placed a hand on his chin. "But if the culprit shot the video, why would they go out of their way to show it-"
"Aw maaaaan, ya got me. Yeah, I'm the culprit."
"What!?" Shuichi looked taken aback.
Kokichi laughed. "Geez, I totally dug my own grave! Here's the truth- I decided to participate in this trial after I killed Momota-chan. Of course, it was mostly to make the victim unknown, to jazz up this trial! I took that footage for proof, so I could reveal it after you guys get the correct answer... But... ah-haha! I toootally spaced out! I wasn't supposed to show it right away!"
Ichika tilted her head. "I see. So are you admitting to your crime then?"
"...Oh, man! I dug my own grave again!?" Kokichi cried out. "Well, I don't think you guys will believe any of the excuses I make now... So, I give up!"
"You're giving up? Does... that mean it's been decided?" Himiko grumbled from under her hat.
"Yes. With all the evidence shown, Ouma-san is obviously the culprit." Ichika responded, nodding her head.
"Weren't you against that notion earlier?" Maki scowled at Ichika.
Ichika just smiled. "But with this new evidence provided, of course I'd change my stance. Use your brain for once."
"Is it okay that this trial was so short?" Tsumugi questioned.
"That's fine. We knew from the very start that Ouma was the killer. But before we vote, I want to say something to Ouma... You may be the mastermind, but I won't let you escape after you violated the rules. That would desecrate the killing game Enoshima Junko created, right? ...Your beloved Enoshima Junko." Maki growled.
The Exisal froze. "Enoshima...?"
"Whatever!" Himiko barked. "It's Voting Time now! Let's go before Ouma changes his-"
"No, hold on a second! This isn't right!" Shuichi interrupted. "The culprit comes in, confesses to the crime, and the trial ends? That's not how this goes! That doesn't sound like the kind of game Ouma-kun or Monokuma or Enoshima would play!"
"What if the mastermind got tired of it?" Tsumugi suggested. "The Remnants of Despair were like tha-"
"No, if they were tired of it, they wouldn't have put all that effort into the video. There would be no need for this class trial in the first place. Something's not right. We need to get a better feel for the situation. I think... Ouma-kun has some sort of plan. He's trying to trap us."
"Trap us? Are you saying Ouma isn't the killer? Then, are you suggesting one of us is the culprit?" Maki snarled.
"If it's not Ouma-kun then the culprit must be one of us..." Kiibo muttered.
"One of us?" Tsumugi gasped.
Himiko shook her head. "That's not possible!"
Shuichi vigorously shook his head. "No, I didn't say that! I was just saying that it's dangerous to trust Ouma-kun-"
"Nee-heehee... Saihara-chan is so distrusting... But it's exactly as Saihara-chan said! I'm actually nooot the culprit!"
"Wh-What?" Kiibo had an astonished look on his face. "But that contradicts what you said previously."
"Yuppers, that was a lie. Sorry! I lied again. The real culprit of this case is super bad at hiding themselves, so I thought I could help... I pretended to be the culprit by using the footage! It made the game more interesting too!"
"A-Are you serious?" Tsumugi stuttered.
"Nyeeeeh! What's the truth and what's a lie!? I don't know anymore!"
"It's fine... because Ouma is the culprit." Maki interjected. "He killed Momota... No matter how much he deceives us, it won't change our minds. The footage shows he did it! Ouma has to be the only option! There's no doubt that Ouma is the culprit. We all saw that footage from earlier, right?"
"Momota got crushed to death-"
"No that's wrong!" Shuichi cut through Himiko's words. "The safety function would make it impossible to kill Momota with the press!"
"A safety function?"
"Yes, it was written on the safety precautions. The hydraulic press will automatically stop if its infrared sensor detects a living organism."
"Which is why when we tried it, it nearly crushed Kiibo-san." Ichika added.
"P-Please do not remind me of that horrifying experience," Kiibo whined, hiding his face behind his hands.
"You were the one who wanted to do it." Ichika grinned and rolled her eyes.
"Wait, so the hydraulic press won't move at all if there's a living person under it?" Tsumugi questioned.
"Which is why it couldn't have been used to kill Momota-kun!" Shuichi concluded.
"..." Maki stared silently at Shuichi.
"Then you can conclude that Momota-san was probably killed using another method." Ichika explained. "The Momota-san we saw in the video was most likely already dead at that point."
"But you could disable the infrared sensor of the safety function with an Electrobomb." Maki snapped.
"No, Ouma-san wouldn't do that, he's not as dumb as you." Ichika refuted with a smug smile. "That would put him at a significant disadvantage, wouldn't it, Saihara-san?"
"Huh?"
"What kind of disadvantage would Ouma-san be at if he used the Eletcrobomb?"
"...The Electrobomb would've taken down the hangar's alarm and the Exisals' remote control."
"But you can't be too sure I wouldn't do that... I'm the type who would do anything for fun." Kokichi added.
Maki sighed. "Also, we don't have any evidence of a different murder method other than the hydraulic pr-"
"But yes, we do." Ichika interrupted happily. "You see, we have quite a few signs that show a different method being used, one of them being more obvious than the others. A clue that if you had eyes, you would see the moment you walked into the hangar. I'm sure Saihara-san knows what I'm talking about."
"Hey... Aki-san..." Tsumugi stuttered. "I-I don't mean to compare you to him but... You're acting an awful lot like Ouma-kun in the last trial. You sound like you know more than you-"
"I don't know what you're talking about, but we're discussing something else right now. Saihara-san, what do you think I'm talking about?"
"..." Shuichi eyed Ichika suspiciously. "...There was swipe bloodstain in the hangar suggesting a body was dragged."
"Mm-hm." Ichika nodded in agreement. "The bloodstain comes from the bathroom to the press."
"You mean that bathroom that Momota-kun was being kept in?" Tsumugi inquired.
"Yup yup! There were bloodstains on the floor as well, so there's no way it can be a coincidence!" Ichika smiled brightly.
"So Momota was killed in the restroom... then dragged to the press and crushed!?" Himiko shivered.
"Ooor, he could've just bled out on the floor, hence the puddle of blood." Ichika added.
"...If the bloodstain even was Momota's..." Maki sighed. "We only guessed that Momota was killed in the bathroom... Since his body was crushed, we'll never know if Momota died some other way."
"The small hole on the sleeve of Momota-kun's coat is the key to his cause of death." Shuichi spoke up.
"S-Small hole?" Himiko seemed to be getting nervous. "No, no, no! There is no way that holes got anything to do with a weapon! I'll hit you with my 'Everything You Buy Will Go on Sale the Next Day' curse!"
"Yumeno-san, what's wrong? Why are you freaking out all of a sudden?" Tsumugi asked with concern in her voice.
"Um... I'm not freaking out... I'm just saying... It's impossible for the weapon to be that small."
Shuichi shook his head and sighed. "I believe the weapon was the crossbow found in the bathroom."
"Nyeh!?"
"A crossbow arrow would certainly leave a hole a hole that small," Kiibo added. "Can we then conclude that Momota-kun was shot with that crossbow? If so, that crossbow just might be the actual murder weapon used to kill Momota-kun-"
"I-I see!" Himiko blurted out. "It's so surprising that a crossbow was the murder weapon!"
"Seriously, Yumeno-san... What's wrong?" Tsumugi asked, looking more and more worried.
"She probably needs to pee. Anywaaaay, about Momota-chan getting shot... If that was his cause of death, then I wonder who shot him with the crossbow. Well, I already know! But I won't tell youuu!" Kokichi giggled.
"He's just... playing with us..." Tsumugi sighed.
"Then let's show him playtime is over." Kiibo glared at Kokichi with a look of determination. "Let's show him that the students of Hope's Peak Academy will never submit to despair!"
"..." Kokichi fell silent. "Hope...? Despair...?"
"Now now everyone." Ichika clapped her hands together loudly with a bright smile. "We need to figure out who shot the crossbow, right?"
"Mmhm! I wonder who shot Momota-chan with the crossbow. What a mystery, right guys?" Kokichi snickered.
"Who else but you could've done it?" Kiibo yelled.
Maki sighed. "The shot would need to be fired from inside the hangar to hit Momota-"
"That's wrong because even without going in the hangar, it was possible to land a shot with the crossbow." Shuichi cut Maki off. "There was a window in the bathroom of the hangar. Maybe it wasn't possible to get in, but you could've shot through the window and remember that Momota-kun was confined to the bathroom."
"So, if they shot Momota-chan through the window, they've could've killed him in the hangar. Which means the murder suspect list grows to six people, excluding Aki-chan since she was locked up in the storage room next to the washing machine, and that room had no windows or escape routes whatsoever!" Kokichi explained.
"Nyeh!? What did you say?" Himiko gasped.
Kokichi looked over at Ichika. "Awww, that's boring. Now you won't be suspected of murderrr."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Ichika sighed.
"That's true. Aki-san was trapped in the storage room with no means of escape since the door was locked from the outside, so she can't be the culprit." Kiibo explained.
Tsumugi grabbed her arm. "But then... put plainly, that means..."
"It seems Saihara wants to make one of us the culprit. Is that it?" Maki glared at Shuichi.
"...Huh?"
"Do detectives always accuse people, even when they're friends? ...It seems like it. You suspected Momota in the previous class trial, too. You're always suspicious of your friends-"
"Oh shaddup, would you!?" Ichika yelled out suddenly.
"..." Maki looked at Ichika taken aback for only a brief moment before glaring back at her, her eyes glowing a blood red. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Ichika crossed her arms and huffed. "Saihara-san is suspecting us because if he doesn't, we'll all die." Her face turned dark. "Don't twist this on its head because you don't like where the conversation is going, you selfish, blood-covered maniac."
"You little brat." Maki growled. "You need to stop getting in my way. I have to defeat Ouma. I can't let despair win... I can't let it win..."
"Now, now!" Kokichi chimed in. "Let's stop this boring fight and continue on with the not-so-boring trial! So we all agree the murder could be done by anyone and not just me, right?"
"Th-That might be true, but... I... didn't know about the window..." Himiko stammered.
"Really, Yumeno-san. What's the matter?" Tsumugi placed a hand on her cheek. "You've been weird since we mentioned small holes."
"Wh-What!? Are you after my small hole, too!?"
"See? Now that's definitely weird."
"Look at it this way- just because the culprit could be anyone, not everyone is a suspect," Kokichi said. "We can pretty much narrow it down to anyone who knew about the crossbow."
"I never knew about any crossbows!" Himiko shouted. "I-In other words, I'm not suspicious! Th-There's no way you can consider me-"
"It does concern me that Yumeno-san went to the hangar last night." Kiibo interrupted.
"Nyeh!?"
"Whoa, really?" Kokichi exclaimed. "You went to the hangar, Yumeno-chan?"
"Yes, she did. I definitely saw her." Kiibo confirmed.
"It's awfully suspicious that you went to the hangar last night... Okay then, the culprit is Yumeno-chan!"
"W-Wait!" Himiko called out in a frenzy. "Don't say it's me! Harukawa's more suspicious than I am!"
"...What?"
"Th-Th-That crossbow came from your research lab, right? Y-You could've gotten that crossbow whenever you wanted!"
"Anyone could have gone into her research lab though. She's not the only suspect." Tsumugi said.
"I-I dunno about that! She's... d-definitely the most suspicious!"
"..." Maki glared at Himiko with a lot of ferocity.
Himiko cowered slightly. "E-Even if you make that scary face at me... I-I'm not gonna get scared..."
"Cuz if you start panicking, then we'll know you're the culprit!" Kokichi chirped.
"I said I'm not the c-culprit! I swear! O-Ouma's the suspicious one! H-Harukawa too! They're both the culprits!"
"Why am I a suspect? Anyone could've entered my research lab."
"Yeah, I'll admit that I'm suspicious! O-kay! Maybe I am the culprit!"
***
"You said you went to hangar empty-handed, but that's a lie, isn't it?" Shuichi said.
Himiko started shaking. "Wh-What are you talking about...? It's... not a lie..."
"But Kiibo-kun saw you." Shuichi countered. "He said you were heading towards the hangar, carrying a large black bag." He showed them a black bag. "This is the bag you were carrying, isn't it?"
"That's... the crossbow case!" Maki exclaimed.
Kiibo nodded. "There's no mistake. This is the bag I saw Yumeno-san carrying."
"Nyeh... Nyeeeeh!"
"What!? Hold on! Yumeno-san went to the hangar with a crossbow!?" Tsumugi shouted.
"Nyeeeeeeeeeeeeh!!!"
"Uh-oh! Welp, it's decided then." Kokichi said.
"W-Wait, that's wrong! I just brought it there! I-I didn't shoot it! It's the truth! Please believe me!" Himiko begged.
"I don't think Yumeno-san used the crossbow. More accurately... she couldn't use it." Shuichi explained. "The crossbow inside this case was disassembled. Momota-kun and I learned how to assemble the crossbow from Harukawa-san, so we could've done it. But I don't believe someone without the proper training could have assembled it."
"Well..." Kokichi spoke up. "What if Harukawa-chan taught Yumeno-chan how to assemble the crossbow?"
"Sh-She didn't teach me that! Right, Harukawa?"
"..."
"Wh-What's wrong? Are you... mad about before?"
"..."
"S-Sorry... I thought they were gonna suspect me, so... I lied."
"I really have to question your morals if you're blaming Harukawa-chan for your lie, Yumeno-chan!" Kokichi commented.
"I'm sorry Harukawa... Please... can you tell them the truth?"
Maki sighed. "Fine... I'm not going to lie. I didn't teach Yumeno how to assemble the crossbow. She couldn't have used it."
"See! I told you! It's just like I said! Everyone who suspected me needs to apologize right now!"
"She changed back so fast..." Tsumugi rested her face in her hand. "I think I might have whiplash now..."
"Oh well, that's just Yucchan." Ichika shrugged. "Can you tell us why brought the crossbow to the hangar?" She asked.
"I... was asked to," Himiko mumbled under her hat.
Shuichi blinked. "Asked to?"
Ichika hummed. "I see. So someone asked you to bring the crossbow to the hangar. Who do you guys think it was?"
"Was it... Momota-kun?" Shuichi asked.
Ichika nodded. "I doubt that Yucchan would listen to Ouma-san, and she didn't come to me. Well, I mean, she couldn't anyway." She chuckled softly. "Saihara-san just said that he and Momota-san were taught by Harukawa-san how to assemble the crossbow, so Momota-san seems like the obvious choice." She explained, pointing at Kaito's podium.
"But why were you keeping that a secret, Yumeno-san?" Kiibo asked.
"Well, Momota... sorta asked me to keep it a secret... Then Momota died and... I got scared. I thought I was gonna be next." Himiko mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Yumeno-san, when exactly did Momota-kun ask you to do this?" Shuichi inquired.
Himiko hummed. "Ummmm... I think it was around yesterday evening. I was so nervous about fighting Ouma, I couldn't get to sleep... So I took a walk near the hangar, and that's when Momota called out to me. I got startled, and wet myself a little, and then he asked me to bring him a crossbow."
"Umm... That one part was, uh..." Tsumugi shook her head. "You know what? Never mind. So if Momota-kun asked for a crossbow, does that mean he was going to kill Ouma-kun?"
Himiko shook her head. "No, he said it was to disable Ouma. I wouldn't have helped him out otherwise. I trusted Momota and took a crossbow from Harukawa's lab."
"But then what did Momota-kun do after he had the crossbow?" Shuichi inquired.
"I dunno. I just handed him the crossbow then went right back to the dorms."
"Presumably, Momota-kun tried to attack Ouma-kun, only you be disarmed of the crossbow and then, Ouma-kun returned fire and shot Momota-kun. That sequence of events seems logical." Kiibo explained.
"No, it happened a little differently. Both Momota-kun and Ouma-kun shot the crossbow." Shuichi placed a hand over his mouth. "Remember that when we found Ouma-kun's clothes, there were holes in the back and sleeve. The same kind of hole that was found on Momota-kun's coat."
"So Ouma was shot by the crossbow, too?" Himiko exclaimed.
"Then it was Momota-kun who shot him, right?" Tsumugi nervously pointed a finger at the Exisal.
"Hmmm, I'm not suuure." Kokichi drawled. "I don't remember anything like thaaat."
Tsumugi blinked. "You don't remember whether or not you were shot...?"
Shuichi lightly shook his head. "There is no doubt that they shot each other with the crossbow but-"
Maki cut Shuichi off. "It doesn't matter."
"Huh?"
"It doesn't matter what happened in between. In the end, Ouma killed Momota."
"Maybe Harukawa's right. It doesn't matter what happened in the middle." Himiko hummed. "Cuz in the end, there's no mistake that Ouma killed Momota."
"Then, let's hurry up and vote-"
"No, no. Not yet." Ichika said quickly. "There's something about the crossbow I wish to discuss further. How exactly did both Momota-san and Ouma-san shoot each other if there was only one crossbow?"
"Huh... That's a good point." Tsumugi added.
"Ouma could've just taken it off of Momota and returned fire." Maki snapped.
"Maybe, maybe. But I just want to check something. Yucchan, you brought only one crossbow to the hangar and gave it to Momota-san, right?"
Himiko nodded. "Yeah... I gave it to him through the window of the bathroom."
"And he said that he wanted to disable Ouma-san, so that's why he asked for *one arrow*, right?"
Himiko nodded. "Yeah, that's right. He asked for one arrow, so I only gave him one..."
"Wait a minute, Yumeno-san." Shuichi suddenly shouted. "What do you mean only one arrow?"
"Nyeh? Well, I only gave Momota one arrow, so..."
"..." Shuichi's eyes widened. "Are you positive?"
"Of course! There's no way I got that wrong!"
"Well then, that's strange because... there were three arrows in the bathroom, remember?"
Himiko's eyes widened. "Nyeh!? Three!? I know I only gave him one! And like I said before, he only asked for one!"
"Umm... Maybe Ouma-kun had some hidden away?" Tsumugi suggested.
"What's the point of having arrows if he didn't have a crossbow to use them with?" Ichika rolled her eyes.
"But we know for certain that three arrows were recovered from the scene and all three arrows had blood on them." Shuichi explained.
"And Ouma-san and Momota-san both had holes in their clothes. Add the holes together, you get three holes." Ichika turned to Shuichi and gave him an innocent smile. "Hey, hey, Saihara-san! Remember when we were investigating the bathroom?"
"Yes, I do..."
A cheeky smile spread across Ichika's face. "Do you remember the theory I proposed in the bathroom?"
Shuichi nodded. "...A third party. The additional arrows could've been brought in by a third party."
"A third party?" Tsumugi repeated, looking perplexed. "So someone besides Ouma-kun or Yumeno-san?"
Maki sighed. "That's just a guess, though. There's no way a third party exists-"
"But saying a third party doesn't exist is also a guess, no? So please do everyone left in this world a favour and keep your mouth shut unless you have something worth saying." Ichika chirped.
"..." Maki glared at Ichika.
Ichika ignored it and turned to Shuichi. "Let's say, hypothetically, that if a third party did exist, then why would they need to bring the arrows?"
"Momota was the only one with a crossbow. I made sure I handed it to him..." Himiko said slowly, placing a finger on her chin.
"Momota-kun said he only needed one arrow. Clearly, he didn't want to fight." Shuichi explained. "So the other two arrows weren't for Momota-kun... They were for the third party to use for themselves."
"So, the third party didn't hand the arrows through the window... Instead, they went into the hangar and shot the crossbow themselves?" Kokichi suggested.
"Impossible." Maki snapped. "There was an alarm system and an electric barrier arou-"
"Hey! Shut up, shh, sh sh sh!" Ichika pouted. "Stop dismissing everything we say without talking about it first." Her face went blank. "Unless you have something that you're not telling us... shut the hell up."
"...!" Maki's eyes were wide, mixed with both hatred, anger, and a bit of fear.
"What method did the third party use to get inside the hangar." Ichika smiled at Shuichi. "Saihara-san, I believe you remember that extremely obvious piece of evidence foolishly left behind by the third party in the hangar, right?"
Shuichi placed a hand on his chin and hummed deep in thought. His eyes then lit up in realization. "That's it... The Exisal! The Exisal could be used to enter the hangar! We couldn't get in because of the alarm system and the electric barrier... but that shouldn't have been a problem for any of the Exisals, right? So if you wanted to enter the hangar, all you had to do was pilot an Exisal!"
"I saw an Exisal in the hangar last night... So was this third party piloting it?" Kiibo asked.
"By the way, I just wanna confirm something with Monokuma." Kokichi spoke up. "Would the alarm still go off if there was a person inside an Exisal?"
"Well, I wasn't trying to keep this secret, but since it's about the details of the hangar... I guess I can tell you guys. It makes sense that the alarm system and electric barrier wouldn't react to an Exisal. After all, the hangar is where the Exisals are supposed to be stored. It'd be a hassle to disable the security every time an Exisal comes and goes, y'know? So even if someone was inside an Exisal, the security system wouldn't catch 'em. Cuz it'd be a hassle to leave the Exisal every time you have to put it away."
Himiko gasped. "So it's like Saihara said? A third party got in an Exisal and entered the hangar?"
"But... Can anyone just pilot an Exisal?" Tsumugi questioned.
"Well, Ouma-kun?" Kiibo pointed at the Exisal.
"It's surprisingly easy. If you use both hands, both feet and both nipples, you can do it."
"Nipples, too!?" Himiko exclaimed.
"Anyway," Shuichi sighed. "This third party commandeered an Exisal and infiltrated the hangar. That same person must have brought the two other arrows with them!"
"I told you, that's impossible." Maki snapped. "There's no way you can get through security if you pilot an Exisal It's... not possible..."
"Oh my muffins, do your ears even work?" Ichika puffed her cheeks out and glared at Maki. "I said, keep your mouth shut if you have nothing important to say! Unless you have actual proof that you couldn't enter the hangar using the Exisal, be qu-"
"You want proof, you damn brat?" Maki growled, eyes glowing red. "Fine. Outside the hangar, there were four Exisal and they were all moving too. Ouma was controlling them using his remote, so it would've been impossible to get near them."
"Then you could've just used an Electrohammer to disable them!" Ichika pouted.
"That's not possible." Kiibo chimed in. "Electrohammaers weren't an option as they were all recharging last night."
"Wait, not all of the Electrohammers were being charged!" Shuichi interrupted. "I know because Aki-san and I found one during our investigation, lying next to the remaining three Exisals."
"Was that Electrohammer used by the third party!?" Himiko yelled out. "Maybe they used it to disable an Exisal!"
"Yes, I think so. When I saw them last afternoon, there were four Exisals. But this morning, there were only three."
"I noticed that too." Kiibo chimed in. "Was the missing Exisal taken by the third party?"
"Nee-heehee... Saihara-chan is getting warmer..." Kokichi giggled. "How about you say the answer right now? Who did it? Who's the third party?"
Shuichi's gaze fell upon Maki. "Harukawa-san... you're the third party we're looking for, aren't you?"
"What!? It's Harukawa-san!?" Tsumugi screeched.
"..." Maki stared at the ground. "...What are you saying?"
"Remember what Ouma-kun said? The Electrohammer needs to be recharged for 24 hours after it runs out of battery. The hammer was used last afternoon, so it couldn't have been used this morning." Shuichi explained.
"Oh, right!" Tsumugi piped up. "When we were all gathered in the dining room this morning... Harukawa-san was the only one without an Electrohammer, wasn't she?"
"Oh dear, seems like someone got a bit too cocky." Ichika grinned.
"Knowing that, the Electrohammer I found could only have belonged to Harukawa-san. And that leads me to the conclusion that Harukawa-san must be the third party."
"..." Maki remained silent.
"She also knows how to assemble the crossbow and could have returned it to her lab later."
"You brought a different crossbow than the one Momota-kun brought, right?" Kiibo inquired.
"..." Maki still refused to say anything, not catching on to the stares.
"Harukawa-san took two arrows and her own crossbow from her lab..." Shuichi continued. "...Disabled the Exisal with an Electrohammer and infiltrated the hangar. Now we just have to figure out what happened after-"
"Why... are you doing this?" Maki cut Shuichi off, glaring at him with so much intensity. "Why are you getting in my way?"
"Getting in your way?" Shuichi parroted, a puzzled expression on his face. "Harukawa-san what are you-"
"Yes, I'm the third party."
"Huh?"
"I admit going into the hangar with an Exisal, and then shooting the crossbow. But I didn't kill anyone! I'm not the culprit!"
***
"It wouldn't matter where the arrow hit... if it were poisoned." Shuichi deflected Maki's words. She stared at him, stunned.
"P-Poison?" Tsumugi spluttered.
"Yep! You see, when Saihara-san and I were investigating his lab, we found a suspicious bottle... A bottle of poison that had a little less liquid in it compared to the others.
Shuichi nodded in agreement. "That's right. If that poison has been applied to those arrows they would have been lethal, no matter where they connected."
"Harukawa-san, do you have a rebuttal?" Kiibo asked.
"..." Maki was silent.
"Wh-What's the matter?" Himiko stuttered. "Why don't you say anything?"
"She's silent because Saihara-san is right." Ichika smiled innocently. "In fact... There's a good chance that she's the culprit!" She gasped. "Wow, what a plot twist, huh?" She added, her voice laced with sarcasm.
"Th-There's no way she is! Cuz... why would she kill Momota-kun!?" Tsumugi shouted in a panic.
"..." Maki was just staring at the ground.
"Nyeeeeh! I can't understand if you don't explain anything!" Himiko whined.
"Harukawa-san... is still fighting," Shuichi responded. "Do you remember that Harukawa-san said she would do anything to defeat Ouma-kun? Harukawa-san is trying to kill Ouma-kun in this class trial. She wants to kill the mastermind, a Remnant of Despair!"
Ichika hummed. "Do you remember when Harukawa-san said that she was willing to sacrifice anything in order to defeat him? Tell me... What do you think that sacrifice was?" She asked lowly.
"...She plans to sacrifice all of our lives in order to kill Ouma-kun." Shuichi said.
Tsumugi looked taken aback. "Sacrifice us!?"
Ichika huffed. "Hmph. Fitting plan for a heartless murderer like her. She was going to hide the truth from us, so she could make us choose the wrong culprit and kill us all along with Ouma-san." She giggled. "Geez, how dumb and selfish of her, huh?"
"Doesn't that mean that Harukawa's the culprit!?" Himiko exclaimed.
"She knew what happened and tried to hide it from us..." Tsumugi mumbled.
"But that mischievous plan was ruined alllll thanks to Saihara-chan here." Kokichi chirped. "Too bad, Harukawa-san! I already predicted this would happen!"
"You knew all along that Harukawa-san was the culprit. That's why you've been so calm." Kiibo growled.
"This isn't over." Shuichi said.
"Hmmmm?" Kokichi hummed.
"Maybe we do have the truth now, but this isn't over. We have a choice to make. We don't have to follow where the evidence leads."
"Does this mean... You're gonna vote for someone else, even if it's not the truth?"
"Someone else... You mean vote incorrectly on purpose!?" Kiibo shouted.
"Wh-What did you say!?" Himiko exclaimed.
"Momota-kun told me that only I would be able to grasp what lies beyond the truth. That means finding the truth is not enough. We need to grasp the hope just beyond it. So, Harukawa-san... please tell us the truth! The truth that only you know!"
"...So Momota... said that to you." Maki said quietly. "Then... does that mean you guys made up before he died?"
"Yeah... When I went to see him yesterday."
"I see... Okay, I'll talk about it. Especially since it's my responsibility for involving everyone."
"Then... what really happened?" Kiibo inquired
Monokuma sighed. "And so, Harukawa began telling the truth. A truth that would leave us all in-"
"Shut up you care-bear reject, no one wants or cares about your narration." Ichika pouted at Monokuma.
"Well... I guess this turn of events isn't exactly boring either." Kokichi comment.
Maki shot Kokichi one last glare before sighing. "The Flashback light became the motive. When Ouma remembered that he was a Remnant of Despair, I planned to kill him... I thought that if I killed him, this game... and the battle between hope and despair... would end. I was confident in my talent as an assassin. I knew I would be able to do it."
"We've tried to end this killing game before but..." Tsumugi chimed in.
Maki shook her head. "...We were naïve."
"Huh?"
"That's what I thought. I knew Ouma would take advantage of my naivety, simply because it's him."
"Nee-heehee... Harukawa-chan totally gets me."
"That's why I needed to settle it myself. I took the poison arrows and the crossbow... and broke into the hangar with an Exisal. But when I entered the hangar, I saw something I never expected. Momota and Ouma were fighting each other. Ouma was shot in the arm with a crossbow arrow probably by Momota when he fought back. Both of them stopped and looked at the Exisal, most likely surprised by its sudden appearance. Ouma immediately took out his remote and attempted to control the Exisal I was in. I jumped out of the Exisal before he could and shot Ouma in the back with an arrow. That should've been enough to stop him since the arrow was coated in poison."
"The Strike-9 Poison, correct?" Shuichi chimed in. "But why pick that particular poison? Some of the poisons in my lab were far more lethal..."
"...I wanted Ouma to confess his true intentions before he died. And find out why he was always lying and trying to confuse us."
"What do you mean...?" Himiko asked nervously.
"If he was the mastermind, it would've been easier for him to hide in the shadows, right? He could've made it seem as if the late Enoshima was secretly behind this killing game. That way, he could reveal himself as the 'surprise mastermind' to liven up to the game. Because of his suspicious actions, anyone would already suspect him as the mastermind. Especially with that message in the courtyard... Ouma said it was a hint, but was it necessary for him to go out of his way just for a hint?"
"As a Remnant of Despair, I image he wanted to feel the despair of his plan being thwarted," Kiibo muttered.
"I think that if he wanted the thrill, he would've carried out the plan carefully. So when his carefully laid out plan goes to waste, he would be in utter despair."
"So Harukawa-san must have wanted to hear it directly from Ouma-kun..." Tsumugi mumbled.
"But it was pointless. I was a fool for thinking I could have a serious talk with him. I realized it was pointless to continue the conversation, so I shot the final arrow but then... Momota took the arrow for him."
"Momota-kun... protected Ouma-kun!?" Shuichi exclaimed.
"W-Why? Why would Momota protect Ouma!?" Himiko yelled.
"At that moment, my mind went blank. I knew I had to do something about the poison. I rushed to Saihara's lab to get the antidote..."
"So you didn't have the antidote with you at the time..." Shuichi said.
Maki nodded. "I used Strike-9 poison to torture Ouma for info, but I planned to kill him from the start."
"Ah-haha! That's sooo mean!" Kokichi laughed.
"But that was my first mistake. Because of that..." Maki fell silent and clenched her eyes shut.
"You what...?" Tsumugi asked nervously.
"...I ended up killing Momota. When I returned with the antidote, the hangar shutter had been closed. I assumed it was Ouma's doing But because of that, I couldn't enter the hangar anymore. I needed to give Momota the antidote somehow, so I went to the bathroom window. After calling out to him, I chucked the antidote through the bathroom window. Momota noticed it and grabbed the antidote... But Ouma stole it from him. Momota told me to run but... I refused to give up. I tried to enter the hangar by breaking the control panel with my knife but in the end... I couldn't..."
"So that's where the marks on the control panel came from, huh?" Himiko mumbled.
"After that, I returned to the bathroom window once more, but I didn't see anyone. The bathroom door was closed. I called out, out neither Momota or Ouma answered... I couldn't do anything anymore... All I could do... was leave. That's when I made up my mind. As the blackened who killed Momota, I would kill Ouma during this class trial in exchange for all of your lives."
Tsumugi grabbed her arm. "So that's what happened..."
Ichika rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Of course, your first thought after killing someone important to you was to kill everyone else." She smiled innocently. "But I guess that's just to be expected from a filthy murderer like you."
Maki's head snapped to Ichika. "What did you say...?" She growled, shooting Ichika one of her more dangerous glares.
"So you acted on your own without telling anyone, right? Since Ouma was the mastermind, do you realize how dangerous that was? You put not only yourself but everyone else in danger as well because you were too blinded by your hatred for Ouma to think logically." Ichika puffed her cheeks. "Seriously!? What kind of moron does that?"
Kiibo blinked. "Aki-san! Are you okay? You seem really on edge-"
"Be quiet!" Ichika snapped at Kiibo who instantly backed down at her sharp tone. Ichika pointed accusingly at Maki. "Because of this killer, if we manage to miraculously survive to this trial, then we're all going to lose someone important to us, and it'll all be her fault! It's her fault that we have to carry out this plan and-"
"Carry out this plan?" Shuichi cut Ichika off. "What do you mean?"
"Huh?"
"You said, 'we have to carry out this plan'. What plan and... who is... *we*?" Shuichi asked.
"..." Ichika fell silent.
Shuichi stared at Ichika with an unwavering glare. "Aki-san... You clearly know a lot more than you're letting on, don't you?"
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