A/N: I hope you guys are ready to put your thinking caps on because this entire chapter is going to be about the trial and it'll be quite logical. I didn't want to split the trial into too many chapters since it'll just confuse everyone, so I'll try to mash it up into three parts.

As always, I enjoy reading your reviews, as they motivate me. So comment if you have any concerns, criticisms, or anything else to say!


[Chapter 10: Trial 1 Part 1]

"Ahem, now then, let's begin with a basic explanation of the trial," Monokuma exclaimed from his seat on the red throne. "During the trial, you'll present your arguments for who the culprit is and vote for them. If you vote correctly then-"

"Alright, alright, we get it, okay?" Kokichi interjected Monokuma's explanation, causing everyone to turn their attention to him, partially in surprise and partially in fear for his wellbeing. "Geez, I'm pretty sure we don't need a reminder. Everyone has already read the rules carefully, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Kaito sweatdropped. "We don't want to die after all. We know how this works."

"Do you, really?" Maki blandly stared at Kaito with both suspicion and mockery whirling in her eyes.

"Upupupu~ in a hurry to start, aren't ya, Kokichi?" Monokuma guffawed, clasping his belly. "Well, I don't mind getting the show running as soon as possible. Let's just start already then!"

"Hell yeah," Monosuke cheered from the sidelines. "Beat the crap out of each other!"

"I don't think that's how the trial works, darling," Monophanie sweatdropped.

"..." Monodam stood silently in the corner as usual.

"Right, so where do we start? I don't really know how trials work," Kaito rubbed the back of his head.

"I don't think any of us knows how a trial really works," Himiko grumbled to herself as she played around with the hem of her dress, obviously uninterested in the trial itself. "Can we just finish this already?"

"Finish?! We haven't even started yet!" Kiibo gaped.

"Shut up, you degenerate male! No talking out of order!" Tenko screamed, pointing a finger at Kiibo, who only whimpered in dejection.

"S-Sorry..." Kiibo pouted, fiddling with his fingers.

Rantaro sweatdropped. "This...isn't really starting out well, is it?"

I facepalmed, rolling my eyes. "No shit, Sherlock."

Rantaro was standing about four podiums away from me. Kokichi was on my right, while Tenko was on my left. I glanced towards Rantaro's seat. Feeling my eyes on him, he turned towards me and nodded.

Before the trial started, Kokichi had suggested that we keep quiet about Rantaro's supposed murder, in order to drag out the true mastermind. If we let the trial move along as if Kaede or Shuichi were the suspects, then we might be able to cause the mastermind to slip. After all, anyone who ends up excessively framing the two would rise up as our prime suspect of the mastermind.

"Well then, might I offer the first topic of interest?" Korekiyo suddenly uttered, catching everyone's attention.

"Huh? What the hell are you getting ahead of yourself for? You want this shit to start that badly, huh?!" Miu accused.

"C-Calm down, guys," Kaede stammered.

"Atua has spoken...He says it is vital that we hear everyone's testimonies," Angie loosely hung her arms on her side, smiling serenely with her eyes closed.

"There's something that I found curious..." Korekiyo continued his line of thought, ignoring everyone else completely. "Why, did the culprit refuse to take advantage of the First Blood Perk?"

"Ah, yes. I thought that was quite strange too!" Tsumugi agreed.

"I bet they just wanted to do a class trial real badly," Ryoma theorized.

"That means...the culprit must have been the mastermind behind this killing game!" Tenko cheered. "Whichever one of you degenerate males it is, raise your hand up high and confess to your sins now!"

"And who would be stupid enough to do that...?" Maki rolled her eyes, sighing in exasperation.

"Hey, how do we know it wasn't Monokuma who murdered Kirumi?" Miu pointed her finger at Monokuma. "This pedobear here could have easily killed any one of us!"

"Upupupu~ of course not! As the rules say, I will never have a hand in any of the killings that occur here in the Ultimate Academy!"

"Then it must be one of us, huh?" Ryoma deduced.

"It's Kii-boy here! Everyone believes so!" Kokichi snickered, swinging back and forth on the sole of his feet.

"H-Huh? R-Really? What did I do?!" Kiibo gaped in horror.

I sighed loudly, shooting a warning glare at Kokichi. "Relax, Kiibo. He's just messing with you."

"Before we talk about the mastermind, let's identify the culprit of this case first," Rantaro suggested. "Then, we can determine whether the mastermind and the culprit are one and the same."

"Let's talk about the sequence of events first then," Shuichi offered. "Some of us here were not present in the building at the time of the murder, after all. It would be nice to recap for those people."

"Gonta agree with Shuichi! Shuichi is Ultimate Detective, after all!" Gonta nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay. Let's review the incident that led up to Kirumi's death!" Kaede declared.


{Nonstop Debate}

"Kirumi's body was found just before the time limit, right?" Tenko asked for clarification.

"She was killed in the library," Korekiyo elaborated.

"Kirumi was alone in the library, so the culprit could have snuck up on her!" Angie declared in a cheery manner.

"What was she even doing in the library, anyway?" Ryoma questioned.

"Well, she must have been following after the culprit who opened the hidden bookshelf door!" Kaito exclaimed. "Once the culprit was caught redhanded, he or she killed Kirumi in a hurry!"

"So the culprit is the mastermind, huh?" Himiko drawled.

"According to the photos taken, Rantaro entered the library first through the rear entrance. Soon later, Shirayuki also entered through the same exact entrance. Then, we see Kirumi entering through the front entrance of the library, though we aren't sure yet why she went there," Kiibo flipped through the photos.

"Anyways, since they were the only ones in the library at the time, the culprit is either Rantaro or Shirayuki!" Kaito yelled out with confidence.

As if on cue, Kaede countered. "No, that's wrong!"

{Argument Break: Shirayuki's Account}


"It's not possible for them to be the culprit!" Kaede shook her head.

"Huh? Why? They're the only ones who interacted with Kirumi in the library, right?" Kaito argued.

"Shirayuki's words tell us the opposite, though," Kaede turned towards me, gesturing for me to speak with her hand. "Isn't that right, Shirayuki?"

I nodded. "It's true that both Rantaro and I entered the library. However, we didn't see Kirumi at all."

"W-What? But how is that possible?! No one else entered the library after Kirumi...so it must have been one of you guys who were in there before her!" Kaito continued to argue.

"I'm not quite sure yet either," Rantaro jumped into the conversation. "It is, however, an undeniable truth that both Shirayuki and I did not see Kirumi enter at all. In fact, both of us left the library together soon after those photos were taken."

"Is that true, Shirayuki?" Kiibo asked.

"We have no reason to lie, right?" I shrugged. "It's true."

"How do we know you're not covering for each other's asses, huh?!" Miu accused.

"There's no benefit to being an accomplice. Only the one who actually commits the murder gets a chance to leave," Rantaro gestured towards Monokuma. "Isn't that right?"

"Upupupu, he's absolutely correct! Even if a number of you team up to murder someone, only the one who does the actual killing gets to be the blackened!" Monokuma clarified.

"I-I see...so it's not possible for these two dimwits to kill Kirumi," Miu blushed in embarrassment.

"And the both of you were together the entire time after that?" Korekiyo narrowed his eyes at us.

"Yeah, we were still hanging around in front of the library," I answered. "Shuichi came running down to see the both of us together, so he can verify for us."

"It's probably true," Shuichi nodded in agreement.

"Wait, so why did you two enter the library, to begin with?" Ryoma questioned. "And Rantaro, you opened that hidden bookshelf, didn't you? The evidence is shown in the hidden door photos."

"T-That's right! How did you know about the hidden door if you aren't the mastermind?!" Kaito pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Actually, I knew about that hidden bookshelf too," I raised my hand as Kaito gaped.

"Oh, uh, both Shuichi and I knew about it too. That's why we set up the cameras, remember?" Kaede stated.

"...I forgot about that. Sorry," Kaito slumped down onto his podium in embarrassment.

"Kekeke, it appears that the true mastermind has done a poor job at concealing their hidden territory. After all, four different students managed to discover the entrance to their lair," Korekiyo chuckled, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Make that five because I knew about it too!" Kokichi waved his hand in the air.

"But then...how did Kirumi get killed? There's not a single picture in here that shows the real culprit," Tsumugi scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion.

"That is true...if Rantaro and Shirayuki who entered the library before Kirumi aren't the culprits, then it must be whoever entered after!" Tenko spoke up.

"As I said, there aren't any photos of anyone entering after Kirumi..." Tsumugi sweatdropped.

"I don't think anyone entered after Kirumi," Shuichi started, turning everyone's attention towards him. "I was in the lookout classroom with Kaede the entire time and we didn't see anyone running down after Shirayuki."

"But you didn't see Kirumi, didn't you?" Ryoma mentioned. "Then there's a chance you also missed someone else too."

"Oh, uh...that's...true," Shuichi muttered, pulling his cap down to cover his face. "Perhaps I should have done a better job..."

"Don't worry, Shuichi. I also didn't hear a single thing!" Kaede chuckled lightheartedly.

"And why are you so proud of that fact?" Maki sighed in exasperation.

"But to think Kirumi was able to make her way past Shuichi without him noticing...maybe she's actually a secret government agent!" Kokichi beamed, amused at the thought.

"Wait, but Rantaro and I were standing in front of the rear entrance of the library the whole time after we came out," I pointed out, ignoring Kokichi's incredulous claim. "If someone else came in after Kirumi, we would have seen them, no?"

"What if Kirumi didn't enter the library alone?" Kokichi said, making me turn to him in surprise.

"Huh?" I stared confusedly at him.

"Like I said, what if Kirumi was actually with the culprit when she entered the library?" Kokichi deduced.

"Then why aren't they in the photos? Kirumi's photo was taken, right? So if she was with someone else, why aren't they showing up in the evidence?" Rantaro asked.

"That's easy! It's because there must be blind-spots in the cameras!" Kokichi exclaimed.

"I see...if there were blind spots in the camera, then the person who knew about them could sneak their way into the library without having their photo taken," Ryoma hummed in agreement.

"Poor Kirumi had no idea of the cameras, so she must have entered blindly," Korekiyo laughed. "Unlike our culprit who must have prolonged their entrance in order to disappear from the photos."

"That means that whoever the culprit was, they knew about Kaede and Shuichi's plans," Angie chimed in.

"Huh? Really?" Kaede gasped, completely taken back by the direction the trial was heading in.

"This case may have become the perfect crime, thanks to your hidden cameras," Korekiyo explained. "The culprit knew about your trap and exploited it in order to commit the perfect crime."

"So after the culprit lured Kirumi and murdered her fuckin' ass, they used Kaediot and Poo-ichi's hidden cameras to arrange the perfect crime!" Miu declared.

"W-Wait, so this crime is unsolvable?" Tsumugi stammered. "W-What do we do?"

"Don't give up just yet! We already believe that the culprit is the mastermind, right? We just need to work together to find the mastermind! Then we can end this killing game," Kaede slammed her hands onto the podium.

"You yap about teamwork and all that, but you still think one of us is the mastermind..." Kokichi started a sly and devious smirk on his face.

"Yes, I know..." Kaede grabbed her left arm, staring off towards the side. "But...but I want to end all of the horrible things that are happening to us!" her voice raised up a notch. "I'll defeat the mastermind and end this killing game! And I'll even use the class trial to do it!"

"...Nishishi," Kokichi started to laugh. "Looks like you're determined to face the cold and hard truth..."

"...Kokichi, what are you up to?" I found myself voicing out, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Is this guy going to lie his way through the trial, just to dig out the true mastermind?

"Oh, nothing much, Shiro-chan! I just found out who the culprit is!" Kokichi suddenly announced, arms spread wide in a majestic manner, catching everyone else by surprise.

...Nevermind, that was a dumb rhetorical question. Of-fucking-course he would totally lie his way through it all.

"Kokichi! Are you serious about knowing who the culprit is?" Kaito gaped.

"Yup! Soooo we all agree that the culprit knew about Kaede and Shuichi's trap, right?" Kokichi drawled out, eying a certain girl with suspicion.

"No shit! That's why they're not in any of the pictures," Miu rolled her eyes.

"So whoever knew about the hidden cameras is the culprit!" Kokichi continued, grinning widely as his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"So who the hell is it?!" Miu growled in impatience.

"It's you!" Kokichi pointed an accusing finger at Miu.

"...HUH?! MOI?!" Miu screeched, pulling the strands of her hair in shock.

"You made the cameras used for the trap, riiiight?" Kokichi snickered. "Obviously, whoever made the cameras knew about their blind spots!"

"B-But I didn't know where they were going to place the cameras! I just...I just designed them!" Miu's face was now pale as a ghost as she frantically came up with an explanation of her innocence. "I-I knew nothing about their plan!"

"Hm~ if someone told me to make cameras, I'd definitely ask them what they were going to use it for," Kokichi brought up.

"How come you never asked what the cameras were for? Huh? HUH? HUH?" Angie swung back and forth as she cornered Miu with her piercing question.

"I...well I was tired from pulling an allnighter before...so I just...sort of passed out...?" Miu attempted to explain herself.

"You're getting awfully worked up. Look at you, sweating buckets like that!" Kokichi laughed.

"I'm always wet! I'm just feelin' extra sensitive, like these big boobs of mine..." Miu flushed as she hugged herself.

I grimaced at her words, mentally throwing up. Someone needs to stop this woman from making sexual innuendos.


{Nonstop Debate: Agreement}

"Why don't you just admit it already?" Kokichi smirked. "You're the culprit, aren't you, Miu?"

"N-No way! That's...t-that's not possible!" Miu stuttered, shaking like a newborn puppy.

"So you knew nothing about the trap in the library?" Kiibo asked.

"I'm telling you I had no idea! Not that it matters," Miu glared at everyone. "Cuz I never went to the library, okay?!"

"The person who made the cameras would have known the blind spots too," Ryoma added.

"Yeah, well, I didn't make the cameras either!" Miu started spouting nonsense, much to my dismay.

"Can your lie not be any more obvious than that?" I deadpanned.

As soon as I finished speaking, Kaede interjected. "You never went to the library? I agree with that!"

{Consent Break: Korekiyo's Account}


"I don't think Miu went to the basement at all! Right, Kiyo?" Kaede smiled as Korekiyo nodded.

"Of course, she didn't. She was in the dining hall with me during the time of the murder, after all," Korekiyo replied.

"Y-You fuckin' slug! Why didn't you say that earlier?!" Miu scowled. "Good job, Kaede! Guess I shouldn't have judged you by your lackluster rack."

"Nishishi, and now you're acting all haughty again?" Kokichi, unfazed by his argument falling apart, continued on grinning.

"Hey, you're one to talk! You just put my ass in the hot seat earlier," Miu screamed in anger. "How 'bout you just keep your fuckin' mouth shut, you lying little abortion!"

I couldn't help but gasp in horror at her harsh words. Towards my right, I heard a loud whimper and I immediately spun my head towards Kokichi. Despite the chance that it could be a lie, there was no doubt that he didn't take in Miu's words very well.

"Wha-!? T-That was really...uncalled for...I only said that to find the culprit!" Kokichi's eyes started to fill up with tears as his lips wobbled. The next second, he was bawling his eyes out. His crocodile tears came flowing faster than I had yet seen since my stay at the Ultimate Academy. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! YOU'RE SO MEANNNNNN!"

Seeing his reaction, I couldn't help but slam my hand against my podium in anger. I whipped my head towards Miu and mustered up the fiercest glare that I could manage. "Hey, to borrow your words, you fucking bitch. That was a disgusting blow. You don't ever say something like that to anyone else again, no matter who they are or what they've done, is that clear?!"

Miu immediately cowered away in fear at the intensity of my gaze. She whimpered and bowed her head down against the podium, shivering. "O-Okay, I'm s-sorry! I'll never do it again!"

"You better keep to your words," I huffed, crossing my arms in frustration. "If you don't want to be called a disgusting pig, then act like you aren't."

There was a long moment of silence after my declaration.

"...Wow, you know my tears were fake, right?" Kokichi suddenly pointed out blankly, loud enough for everyone else to hear.

"I don't care. No one should ever say something that inhumane," I spatted out, clicking my tongue in annoyance.

"My, you really are a fiery one, aren't you?" Korekiyo's eyes twinkled with amusement. "That sense of justice is very admirable."

"I-I didn't think you were the type of person to swear," Tenko stammered, staring at me with awe in her eyes.

"Actually, I thought she was one of the quieter ones of the bunch..." I heard Kaito mutter to himself.

"It seems we haven't learned enough about each other's true personalities yet..." Ryoma shook his head.

"Trust me, you don't want to know better..." Rantaro trailed off, a smug grin on his face.

I scowled. "Oh, shut up already. I just can't let a remark like that pass so easily."

"Awww, thanks for caring about my wellbeing! I'm fine now, all thanks to you, Shiro-chan~" Kokichi swooned as he reached over his podium and patted me on the head, which I swatted away almost immediately on reflex.

"Uh, guys? The trial is still ongoing..." Kaede's meek voice made everyone snap their attention back to the matter at hand.

"Oh, right. The trial. Yeah. So, what were we saying again?" Kaito asked.

Maki facepalmed. "Seriously? That's what you're going to ask? What have you been doing all this time, sleeping while standing?"

"H-Hey! That was uncalled for! I was just...you know...a little confused about what everyone's saying!" Kaito defended.

"You mean to say you couldn't follow the conversation, is that it?" Korekiyo raised an eyebrow.

Kaito sweatdropped. "Well...I mean...kind of..."

"Nyahaha! Someone's brain isn't working as properly as it should be!" Angie cackled as she twirled around on her podium.

"S-Shut up!" Kaito yelled as he attempted to climb over the podium in anger.

The courtroom descended into chaos as everyone tried to calm Kaito down. Rantaro and Ryoma sighed as they shook their heads in exasperation. Maki was rolling her eyes as she shot condescending remarks at Kaito. Everyone else just looked around at each other, unsure of what to do.

Taking advantage of the brief moment of pandemonium, I reached over to Kokichi's podium and tapped his shoulder. Almost immediately, he turned around to me, a curious look on his face.

"Hm? What's up, Shiro-chan?" Kokichi cocked his head to the side.

"What on earth are you doing, calling Miu out as the culprit? We all know the mastermind is the true culprit, since the only person who could've killed Kirumi was someone who watched what transpired in the library and took advantage of either Kaede's or Shuichi's plan after it failed," I started, whispering in a hushed voice to make sure that no one else could eavesdrop. "The cameras might have something to do with Kaede's or Shuichi's plan, but it had nothing to do with the mastermind's murder, right?"

"Of course I know that. I'm not dumb," Kokichi frowned, leaning closer to me so that I could hear him better over the chaos. "I just wanted to make sure that only the mastermind could see what happened in the library."

"Huh? What are you talking about? The only way anyone could tell Kaede or Shuichi's plan failed was through the monitors, so only the mastermind could've done it," I scrunched my eyebrows up in confusion.

"What if Miu did something to the cameras Kaede and Shuichi used?" Kokichi pointed out. "If she created some function in the camera that transferred video footage over to her, she could see what happened in the library, right? Not only that, if she really did create some blind spots in the cameras, then anyone who knows about them could create the perfect crime."

I froze, realizing that Kokichi was making a good point. "That's...true."

"You mentioned the possibility of a third party earlier and Miu has a high chance of being that third party. If there was such a function, then our deduction that only the mastermind could have committed Kirumi's murder falls apart immediately. Miu might have been the culprit, even though she isn't the mastermind. And if she told anyone about the camera functions, they could, in turn, take advantage of Kaede's or Shuichi's plan too," Kokichi continued his explanation.

"Fuck, my head hurts," I groaned, grabbing my head in pain. "But what about the motive? Didn't this murder occur because the mastermind wanted the killing game to start?" I questioned.

Kokichi stared blankly at me. "You're forgetting something, Shiro-chan. There was a deadly time limit that awaited us tonight. What if someone panicked and just went for the kill over that?"

"...Oh shit," I swore under my breath. "I totally forgot that motive."

"Exactly. Our deduction that the mastermind is the killer is all based on the fact that the security cameras were the only way someone could take advantage of the failure of Kaede or Shuichi's plan," Kokichi explained. "After all, if Kaede's or Shuichi's plans succeeded, the true culprit would have no need to dirty their own hands, right? So we need to make this clear now, whether there were any additional functions in the cameras."

"...Right. I'll ask her sometime later," I nodded in understanding.

Then, we both turned our attention back to the courtroom, which had now calmed down.

"I forgot to mention this, but Tsumugi was also in the dining hall, though she left to the bathroom for a minute or so," Korekiyo added. "Kirumi was also in the dining hall with us, though she ran out after Shirayuki."

"Wait, she ran after me?" I spun around to him, eyes widening.

"Yes. Perhaps, if you didn't run out then without any explanation, she wouldn't have ended up going to the library," Korekiyo snorted. "And perhaps, she wouldn't have ended up dying too."

"...So, you're saying it was partially my fault?" I mumbled, feeling a sudden wave of nausea.

"Hey! Shut your mouth, you degenerate male! It wasn't Shirayuki's fault!" Tenko stood in an aikido stance as she gnarled at Korekiyo.

"Yeah! It was Kirumi's own choice to follow after her. Shirayuki did nothing wrong!" Kaito defended me, a confident grin on his face. "Don't worry too much, Shirayuki. If we find out who the culprit is, Kirumi can rest in peace!"

"You guys..." I felt comforted by their kind words. "Thanks."

"So, we can conclude that Korekiyo, Miu, and Tsumugi couldn't commit murder, right?" Angie counted three of her fingers. "Oh, also Shirayuki and Rantaro who were together the entire time."

"I believe so," Rantaro nodded.

"Alright then! You five can leave now!" Angie squealed, pushing her cheeks together.

"Wait, what?! Can they do that?" Gonta took a small step back.

"Of course not," Kiibo sweatdropped.

"Hey, so what about the swines who went to the basement?! They're all suspicious, right?" Miu proposed.

"When I was with Shuichi in the lookout classroom, I saw Kaito, Gonta, Maki, Tenko, Himiko, Angie, and Rantaro," Kaede started. "Well, Rantaro is off our list of suspects due to Shirayuki's account."

"So...the culprit has to be in that group, right?" Tsumugi crossed her arms.

"Nyeh...it wasn't me...I was half-sleeping then," Himiko looked off to the side, sighing.

"Kekeke, we could always torture the answer out of them," Korekiyo had a deadly glint in his eyes.

"W-Wait, please no! I actually have a very low tolerance for pain!" Tenko yelled, flapping her hands around in front of her in a defensive stance.

"Hm~ if the culprit is among that group, isn't Maki the most suspicious?" Kokichi suddenly suggested, folding his arms behind his back in a nonchalant manner. "Just look at her! She could definitely kill someone."

"Stop being stupid. The culprit could easily be anyone like Kaito," Maki closed her eyes.

"W-What are you t-talking about? There's no way I'm the culprit!" Kaito's face morphed into one of true terror. His eyes bulged out of his sockets as his mouth gaped open. Sweat was pouring down his face as he comically froze in place.

"If you aren't, then please don't act so surprised like that..." I facepalmed. "Now you look like you got caught redhanded."

"G-Gonta is gentleman! Gonta no murder anyone!" Gonta shook his head furiously.

"Murder sounds too much like trouble...it wasn't me," Himiko mumbled, pulling the rear of her hat down to cover her face.

"Who the hell is the culprit?!" Miu screamed, frantically looking for answers.

"Oh, great. Now everyone's talking all over each other..." I rolled my eyes, sighing.

"Nishishi~ the trial is reaaaaaally heating up now, huh?" Kokichi just chuckled, amused by the pandemonium.

"I can't hear anything like this," Shuichi sweatdropped, then turned to Kaede. "Kaede, if it's you, you can probably listen to everyone's arguments at once."

"A-Alright. I'll try my best!" Kaede pumped up her fists.


{Mass Panic Debate}

"I'm not even a little bit suspicious," Himiko scoffed.

"I'll prove my innocence to you guys!" Tenko declared.

"I have an alibi, right~?" Angie chimed.

"What about that guy who called us down to the basement, to begin with?" Himiko pointed out.

"I would never punch a foe from behind!" Tenko added.

"Atua says I'm not the culprit~" Angie continued.

"Atua? Who's that?" Gonta questioned.

"Wait, are you talking about me?" Kaito panicked after hearing Himiko's statement.

"I would never do something so underhanded like punching someone outside of the ring!" Tenko screamed.

"Atua is not a person. He is a god!" Angie clasped her hands together and lifted one of her legs up in a yoga position.

"We were having a strategy meeting together, remember?!" Kaito exclaimed.

"So punching is allowed in Aikido?" Kiibo sweatdropped.

"Rantaro's the only one who left in the middle of it..." Kaito rubbed the back of his head.

"Yes! Neo-Aikido uses even wooden swords!" Tenko explained.

At that moment, Kaede pointed a finger at Kaito. "I hear it! That's not true!"

{Panic Break: Maki's Account}


"Wait a minute, Kaito. Wasn't there someone else who disappeared other than Rantaro?" Kaede pressed.

Maki sighed and rolled her eyes. "That idiot already forgot. Gonta also left during the strategy meeting."

"Oh, right. Gonta did lock himself up in the AV room," Kaito sheepishly smiled.

"Is that right, Gonta?" Ryoma narrowed his eyes.

"Y-Yes, Gonta watch bug movie. To fill Gonta with fight, so Gonta can fight Monokuma," Gonta chewed on his fingernails as he explained himself.

"But why did you lock the door?" I asked, frowning.

"Cuz...Gonta need to focus..." Gonta hung his head low and stared at the ground. "It really wasn't Gonta!"

"Well, you don't have an alibi," Tenko shrugged.

"Alibi...? So Gonta just need alibi?" Gonta then raised his hands up into the air, face filled with determination. "Okay! Gonta go get it now! Tell Gonta where to get one!"

"...The way this debate is going, this is going to be hard to refute," Maki deadpanned.

"Kekeke, what will you do now?" Korekiyo chortled while crossing his arms. "At this rate, we'll all pick you as our culprit."

"B-But what do Gonta do?" Gonta fretted.

"You just need to explain to us why you couldn't have killed Kirumi," Shuichi kindly told him.

"If you're not the culprit and we all vote for you, then we're dead too," Ryoma pulled the rim of his beanie down, casting a foreboding shadow over his features. "Our lives are riding on your word. You got this."

"O-Okay," Gonta nodded in understanding. "Gonta will try his best!"


{Nonstop Debate}

"Gonta not culprit!" he yells out. "Cuz to leave AV room, Gonta must walk through Game room where friends are to even reach hallway!"

"If you can't get to the hallway," Angie started. "You can't go to the library!"

"The AV room has more than one entrance," Ryoma stated. "There should be another sliding door facing the hallway too."

"The sliding door across from the rear entrance, right?" Shuichi asked for clarification.

"Even if they did leave towards the rear entrance, wouldn't they just end up bumping into Shirayuki and Rantaro who were leaving the library?" Kaito questioned.

"Since Rantaro and I were standing outside the rear entrance the whole time until Shuichi came running along, whoever the culprit was must have left the Game Room before Rantaro and I exited the library," I pointed out.

"Well then, the answer is obvious!" Miu started. "With that sliding door, he left the AV room before Shirayuki and Rantaro appeared. Then, he met Kirumi in front of the library and went in with her!"

Immediately, Kaede interjected. "No, that's wrong!"

{Argument Break: Sliding Door}


"It's not possible to use the sliding door," Kaede shook her head lightly.

"You saying I'm wrong? You got a lot of ass to be contradicting me!" Miu lashed out in anger.

"The sliding door always jams. You're only able to open it a crack," Kaede pointed out. "The only part of your body that would have been able to go through the small crack is your arm!"

"And there was no indication of the door being forced. There was dust on the track," Shuichi added.

"In other words, the chance they came out of the sliding door is zero," Ryoma turned towards Gonta. "Sorry about accusing you."

"N-No, Gonta is fine. Happy to be of help to everyone!" Gonta beamed, back to his normal cheery self.

"I-I see...so I made a mistake...how rare," the heat rushed up to Miu's face as she fiddled with her thumbs in discomfiture.

"It's not that rare for you to make a mistake! Your entire existence is a mistake," Kokichi giggled.

I spun my head around to face him and glared at him. "Kokichi...your words..."

"Whoops, sorry! Can't make mommy mad~" Kokichi quickly bowed, though it wasn't apologetic in the least.

"So, did anyone see Gonta leave the AV room?" Korekiyo turned towards Kaito.

"Hm, at least I didn't see anyone else leaving other than Rantaro," Kaito shrugged.

"Neither did I," Tenko confirmed.

"Well then, that means Gonta isn't the culprit, since he couldn't have left the AV room," Kaede nodded in satisfaction.

"R-Really? Thank you for believing Gonta!" Gonta smiled.

"Oh, no you don't! Hold it right there," Kokichi suddenly turned everyone's attention towards him. "Nishishi~ you guys are just falling right into the culprit's trap!"

"What are you talking about?" Maki narrowed her eyes at him.

"Wow, that glare can kill!" Kokichi frowned. "But anyway, what I mean is, we can't clear Gonta of all suspicions yet."

"Huh? But we know he couldn't have exited the AV room. So how could he be the culprit?" Kaede tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Nishishi...as I was listening to you guys debate, I had a sudden revelation!" Kokichi started. "See, we were all sooooo fixated on the idea that the culprit must have entered with Kirumi and that they knew about the camera blind spots and all."

"What are you getting at?" Himiko stared at him from underneath her hat.

"I'm getting there, so calm down, Himiko. What I'm saying is...unfortunately, it's impossible for the culprit to have entered the library," Kokichi dropped a bombshell on everyone, causing mass pandemonium.

"W-What? Are you crazy?" Tenko shook her head in disbelief.

"What you're saying makes no sense! How can the culprit kill Kirumi if they didn't enter after her?!" Kaito yelled out, demanding for an explanation.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm not the culprit after all," Kokichi shrugged nonchalantly.

"E-Excuse me?" Kiibo sputtered.

"That's what we need to find out! How on earth did the culprit kill Kirumi?" Kokichi had his signature smirk back on his face.

I clenched my fists as I stared at him. Is he...going to mention how Rantaro and I witnessed the shot-put ball falling from the ceiling? But isn't that a little too early...? We still have no clue who the real mastermind is!

"Explain yourself, you degenerate male!" Tenko glared at Kokichi.

"Nishishi, so we all know that Rantaro and Shirayuki were guarding the rear entrance of the library, right?" Kokichi started as everyone nodded in agreement. "Now, here's the interesting bit. Shuichi came running down soon after, so he was blocking the front entrance of the library. Then, Kaito and Tenko popped out of the Game Room."

"We already fucking know that. Get to the point already!" Miu growled in frustration.

"It's simply impossible for the culprit to leave the library," Kokichi bluntly stated.

"...Huh?" Gonta cocked his head to the side.

"Let me explain," Rantaro jumped in. "All the entrances into the library were blocked at the time of the murder. Even if the culprit could have entered after Kirumi without being captured by the cameras, they simply couldn't have left without being spotted."

"...Holy cows," Kaito facepalmed, groaning. "Why didn't I realize that?"

"No one expected anything from you," Maki rolled her eyes.

"Then what if they ran inside the hidden door?" Kiibo blurted out.

"Unfortunately, the dust was still on the card reader. That means no one entered the door tonight," Shuichi shut his argument down immediately.

"Wait a minute...then how on earth did the culprit kill Kirumi?" Korekiyo had his fingers on his chin as he pondered.

"Well, that's what we need to find out, right?" Ryoma sighed. "How did someone kill Kirumi from the outside?"

"And that's where I come in!" Kokichi suddenly exclaimed. "There's a chance that Gonta killed her from the AV Room!"

"From the AV Room? How?" Ryoma asked, intrigued by Kokichi's deduction.

"Oho! That idea never even popped up in my mind," Angie jolted in surprise.

"Not only that, but he also wouldn't appear on the cameras if he used this method!" Kokichi continued, nodding to himself.

"...Is this another one of your lies?" I deadpanned.

"Just listen to me first, okay, Shiro-chan?" Kokichi waggled his index finger in my face. "The sliding door of the AV room is facing the rear entrance of the library, right? Then, it's possible for Gonta to kill Kirumi by using a certain tool in the AV room to open the rear entrance of the library!"

"A tool...?" I mulled over his words for a second before I understood his train of thought. "Ah, I see."

"See? What the hell do you see?" Miu spatted.

"I think what Kokichi is trying to say is that Gonta picked up the projector screen, rolled it up, and stuck it out of the crack between the sliding door. Then, he opened the rear entrance of the library with it," I said.

"Okay, so it was possible to open the door, but then what?" Kaito scratched his head fervently.

"Have you forgotten what the murder weapon was?" I bluntly asked.

"What? The murder weapon? Wasn't it the..." Kaito trailed off.

"The shot-put ball, right?" Ryoma continued for him.

"Oh, yeah! Right, the shot-put ball," Kaito nodded. "So...what about it?"

I facepalmed. "Dude, put two and two together, please. What do you do with a shot-put ball?"

"Well, you throw it right?" Kaito answered without much thought. Then, he paused as his face lit up in realization. "...OH. HE THREW IT!"

"Nishishi~ exactamundo! And that's how Gonta killed Kirumi from the AV room!" Kokichi beamed. "Now let's get this voting done already!"

"W-Wait a minute, we don't know for sure yet if that's what happened!" Kaede exclaimed.

"G-Gonta no do it!" Gonta pleaded. "Gonta not know where shot-put ball came from..."

I took a short moment to blank out of the conversation.

...Is it really possible for Gonta to throw the shot-put ball through the rear entrance? After all, Rantaro and I were standing at that exit the whole time...unless he threw it after we walked over to the front entrance with Shuichi. But even then, it's not possible for Gonta to throw it because of that obstacle...!


{Nonstop Debate}

"So we agree that Gonta is the culprit, right?" Miu cackled.

"N-No! Gonta not culprit!" Gonta's face paled as everyone started to accuse him. "Honest!"

"A typical degenerate male excuse," Tenko uttered with an awkward expression on her face.

"Kirumi's corpse and the AV room door do line up with one another," Kokichi reiterated. "If he threw it after Shirayuki and Rantaro left with Shuichi to the front entrance of the library, then he would have no obstacles in his way!"

"If one could open the back door of the library..." Korekiyo nodded in affirmation. "One could throw a shot and strike true."

"Well, there's no way an average person could have made that shot," Ryoma frowned. "As a former athlete, at least I can see that much."

"Then again, with Gonta's superhuman strength, it's a different story!" Kiibo crossed his arms together.

"Exactly! Unlike a certain wishy-washy Roomba here, Gonta could easily hurl that shot-put ball with pin-point accuracy!" Kokichi snickered.

"Gah! W-Who are you calling a Roomba?!" Kiibo protested.

"Afterward, to close the back door of the library, he would have used the same rolled up projector screen again!" Angie cheered.

"Seeee? That's all there is to it!" Kokichi grinned widely.

I turned to look at Kokichi with confusion in my eyes.

...What the hell is Kokichi going on about now? We both know it was the shot-put dropping down from the ceiling that almost killed Rantaro and possibly killed Kirumi. Is this part of his act to rouse up the mastermind and lure them into a false sense of security?

I sighed, then pointed a finger at Kokichi. "There's a contradiction in your logic!"

{Argument Break: Moving Bookcase}


"Unfortunately, it would have been impossible for Gonta to have thrown that shot from the AV Room," I shook my head.

"W-What?!" Kokichi took a step back, face paling. "Did Shiro-chan just steal the protagonist flag from Kaede?!"

"Wait, what? The heck are you talking about now?" I grimaced at his confusing words.

"Oh, nothing. But I thought you were my partner in crime, Shiro-chan! Why are you arguing against me?" Kokichi pouted, holding his fists out in front of him as he feigned a furious glare at me. "Just now, you were explaining my thoughts, so why are you taking back your words?"

"Hey, I was only explaining to the others what you were thinking. It doesn't mean I agree with it," I sighed. "First of all, it's true that if Gonta threw the shot-put ball and killed Kirumi from the AV Room, then he must have done it after Rantaro and I left to the front entrance instead."

"Right! So what's the matter," Kokichi frowned, though his eyes were twinkling with realization.

"The moving bookcase was in the way," I stated. "When Shuichi and the rest of us entered the library, we saw the moving bookcase close. That means that before we opened the front entrance, that moving bookcase was in place, hiding Kirumi's body behind it."

"Hm, if that's true, then there is no way that Gonta could have been the culprit," Tsumugi pondered.

"Aw, goddammit. Why are we making this so hard? Just be the culprit already," Kokichi booed as he made a thumbs down with his hands.

"Nyeh, are we still not done yet? I want to go back and recharge my mana already..." Himiko groaned out loud, slumping onto her podium with exhaustion.

I glanced at Kokichi from my position on the podium. He knew there was a loophole in his deduction already, didn't he? He's just trying to make this all more confusing so that we eventually lure out the mastermind.

"Well, what do we do now?" Tsumugi frowned.

"We're out of suspects now. On top of that, we don't even know how Kirumi died," Ryoma clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"So in the end, we only know what the weapon is? How are we supposed to find the mastermind with that?!" Miu barked out.

"We know the murder weapon is the shot-put ball, but where did the culprit get it?" Maki asked.

"I believe it was from the warehouse. I saw track and field equipment there," Shuichi answered.

"Then anyone would have been able to obtain it," Rantaro frowned. "We need more information."

"..." Shuichi suddenly clamped up, sweating with his hand cupped around his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"Hm? What's wrong, Shuichi?" Kaede asked, eyes filled with concern.

"Huh? A-Ah, nothing..." Shuichi stammered out a reply, before he went quiet again.

I raised an eyebrow at his dubious actions. Is he...the one who attempted to kill Rantaro? Nah, that can't be...not Shuichi...but then again, I can't imagine Kaede doing it either.

"Gyahhhhh! How do we find this darn culprit now?!" Tenko screeched, pulling the strands of her hair in frustration.

"Hey, culprit!" Kaito yelled, bumping his fists together. "Quit hiding! Just be a man and fess up already!"

"Uh, we don't if they're a man yet, though," Tsumugi placed a hand on her left cheek, tilting her head slightly as she sweatdropped.

"Or if they're even human..." Himiko suggested.

"We can always ask Atua," Angie chimed in.

Ryoma groaned. "Not this occult stuff again..."

"D-Don't worry guys! We're one step closer to the truth. Don't give up now!" Kaede cheered. "Try to remember what happened. Perhaps, we can find more clues left by the mastermind."

"Clues? What kinda clues?" Gonta sniffed.

"Like...if Kirumi was deceived by the mastermind and went to the library..." Kaede asked.

"I thought we already asserted that Kirumi simply followed Shirayuki to the library," Korekiyo frowned.

"True, but whoever it was murdered her had to have known she was going there, right?" Kaede pointed out.

"I see, so the question is, how did the culprit know that Kirumi would be in the library at the time of the murder?" Kiibo posed a question.

"Wasn't it just pure coincidence?" Kokichi hummed.

"But their murder plan is elaborate enough for them to not be caught on the cameras. This is definitely a premeditated murder..." Rantaro muttered, turning to look at both Kokichi and me.

I returned his gaze and nodded. Kokichi had a sly smirk on his face as he prepared himself to speak.

Right, I think it's time we start exposing who attempted to kill Rantaro. First, we ask Miu about the camera functions. Then, we make either Kaede or Shuichi confess to their plans. Finally, we dig out the real mastermind.

I'll do whatever it takes to find the mastermind...and end this game!

{Intermission}