The doors slid open and the fifteen students shuffled out into a large trial room. In dead center was a circle of sixteen stands, each one with a student's name emblazoned on it. As if by cruel joke, even Mamoru was present. His stand was occupied by a picture frame showing a greyed out version of his portrait, a bloody X painted over his face. Kazuma was disgusted by the portrayal but moved to his stand.
If one were to go right around the circle starting with the first stand in front of the elevator, they were all seated as following: Kazuma, Misaki, Rikiya, Ami, Tenri, Kimiko, Mamoru's frame, Sumiko, Katashi, Avanna, Vechs, Emiko, Israfel, Rei, Kaede and lastly Midoriko. Once everyone was at their stand, Monokuma dropped into his throne at the back of the room. The bear turned to face them all.
"Now then, let's begin with a simple explanation of the class trial! Here, you will debate over the murder of your friend Mamoru Arakawa! You'll go over all the clues you discovered during the investigation and see if you can figure out whodunnit! If you are successful and catch the culprit, then the culprit will be executed as punishment! However if you're wrong, then the true blackened gets to go free while the rest of you are punished instead..."
"Wait, what the fuck?!" Sumiko yelled out. "That hardly seems fair!"
"Upupu, but it is very fair to punish you all for blaming an innocent person!"
"But how i-is it fair to punish t-that innocent person too?" Tenri asked.
"Well, it's fair because it's their fault for not being able to clear their name of suspicion!" Monokuma sounded a little annoyed, making Tenri cower in fright.
"I-I'm sorry for a-asking..."
"Enough talking about the basics! Let's just get right into the mystery!"
Kazuma gulped quietly, trying to quell his nervousness. Everyone around him seemed to be just as nervous. No one really wanted to go through with this anymore, but each and every one of them now knew the consequences of just letting this go. Before he knew it, Rikiya started off their debate.
"First off, I kind of want to know how Mamoru ended up in Serenity Park."
"Yes, that does seem like a nice place to start," Kimiko agreed.
"There are plenty of ways Mamoru could've ended up in the park," Rei started.
"Maybe the culprit lured him there? That seems reasonable," Vechs suggested.
BREAK!
Incorrect Statement: lured him there
Bullet Used: Mamoru's Destination
"You've got that wrong!" Kazuma replied. "Why he was in Serenity Park is easy to answer. He wasn't lured there by the culprit, no, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"How can you be so sure on this?" Vechs asked.
"Simply put, I spent some time with him earlier. Back then, he said that he was going outside for some fresh air. I promised to meet up with him later and he told me to use the map to find him because he had no specific destination in mind. That means he just ended up in Serenity Park by chance."
"How can we trust that you are giving us correct information?"
"Obviously, you can't because no one else was present." Kazuma's statement launched them into another debate.
"Well, that is indeed rather suspicious," said Emiko.
"Is it really possible that Kazuma did it?" Avanna wondered aloud.
"I say if no one heard it, he's a suspect for sure!" Israfel stated, but there was doubt on his face.
"He could be using this to cover up that he followed Mamoru and killed him. If he's the culprit, of course," supplied Ami.
BREAK!
Incorrect Statement: followed Mamoru and killed him
Bullet Used: Meeting Times
"No, I'm not the culprit. I have an alibi for the timeframe in which Mamoru was killed. At the time of the murder, I was in the apartment complex coffee shop with Misaki."
"Yeah, I can confirm. He was there at the time of death," Misaki said to build upon Kazuma's previous statement.
Everyone looked troubled. They were back to square one. Those past two debates didn't get them any closer to discovering the true culprit. Kazuma sighed, looking down. He knew that they had to keep going. There was no backing down, or else they'd all die and Mamoru's murderer could go free. He couldn't let that happen no matter what.
He raked over ideas in his head, thinking of what they could go over. They could always go over the condition of the body next. What happened there seems rather obvious, but it's always good to talk over it before moving on to the bigger picture.
"So, Mamoru has stab wounds across his torso and one to the back."
"It's safe to assume that the culprit used that hunting knife for those, right?" Midoriko asked.
"Yeah, it's definitely safe to assume that that's what the knife was used for."
"Well, what about that mark on his neck? How'd he get that?" Kaede questioned.
"Yeah, that is curious. How did he end up with a neck injury?" Katashi inquired.
"Maybe they used rope?" Emiko stated.
"Or perhaps something unconventional, like a jacket sleeve?" Israfel commented.
"There w-wasn't any evidence, w-we don't know what th-they used..." Tenri said, clamping his eyes shut.
BREAK!
Incorrect Statement: we don't know what they used
Bullet Used: Missing Pendant
"That's wrong, Tenri. The culprit did leave behind evidence. In fact, they left behind the weapon they used on his neck."
"Th-they did? I-I'm sorry for being so useless.."
"You're not useless, that statement helped me figure out what they used! Kimiko's pendant went missing from around her neck at some point before the murder, but it was found in one of Mamoru's pockets."
"Hold on!" Ami said. "Can we really be sure that that's what was used to strangle Mamoru? Doesn't it seem a little, I don't know, obvious to you guys?"
"However, don't you think it lines up? There isn't anything else at the crime scene that we could call the weapon used to strangle him."
"I just don't think that it's what was used to strangle him. It seems more like it was placed there to confuse us. There's no real evidence to show that it was used on him!"
CUT!
Incorrect Statement: no real evidence
Sword Used: Strangulation Mark
"Allow me to cut through those words, Ami! There actually is evidence to show that Kimiko's pendant was used to strangle him. If you look at the strangulation mark on his neck, you'll see that there's an odd indent just below the mark. It'd be reasonable to assume that that indent was from the star pendant pressing into his neck."
"Oh. Sorry for arguing then," Ami responded, backing down.
However, someone else did seem to have something to say. Vechs gave Kazuma a calm stare, while motioning that he was about to make a point. His voice was calm when he spoke, his words smooth and even but rather blunt and straight to the main point.
"Kazuma, you do realize that you've bumped two of our friends very high on the suspect list, correct?"
"Huh?"
"Kimiko's pendant was used to strangle Mamoru. If it went missing, Sumiko's title is the SHSL Thief. This puts both of them high on the suspect list. We cannot prove that Kimiko is telling the truth about her pendant being stolen, which means she could be lying. If she's lying, she's just trying to distract us all from the fact that she's the culprit. On the hand that she isn't lying however, that would incriminate our thief, Sumiko."
"You better watch yerself, Vechs." Sumiko responded coldly, glaring at the tactician.
"I'll have you know that didn't help your case in the slightest."
"While that is true and all, there's still the chance that the culprit is neither of them. It's best not to point suspicion on anyone until we have good reason to." Kazuma replied.
Kimiko gave him a grateful look, whereas Sumiko just nodded appreciatively. Kazuma didn't want to doubt any of his friends, but the knowledge that one of them was a killer was lingering in his mind. He didn't want to think the culprit was either of them, and he knew they'd just have to keep moving forward like this until they had definitive proof.
"Alright, well, now we've discussed the stab wounds and strangulation. What about the actual murder weapon? The weapon used to bash his head in." Misaki started.
"It'd have to be something hard..." Avanna noted.
"Ideally, the weapon would be large too," was Kaede's contribution.
"Maybe they just stomped on his head?" Rei suggested.
"Perhaps it was that rock we found?" Emiko supplied.
"No, I think that was placed as a diversion." Ami shook her head.
CONSENT!
Matching Statement: placed as a diversion
Bullet Used: Large Rock
"I agree with that! The only weapon left there at the crime scene that could've been used was that rock, but it was way too clean. If it had been used to break his head open, it'd be coated in a lot more blood than what it was."
"I knew my gut was right this time," Ami said proudly.
"But that doesn't help us at all! We're right back to where we started, we still have no idea who did it." Rikiya's statement was blunt, but it was the truth.
"Then we just have to keep going over things until we figure it out. There's no giving up just yet!" Kazuma stated, willing his statement to inspire hope in them all.
"Back to the condition of the body, there's more things we need to go over. I've been thinking on it, it seems like he was trying to get away." Vechs announced.
"You're right, it does seem that way," agreed Katashi.
"I've got it! He was probably still fighting even after all of those stabs and got up to run, so they killed him with a blow to the head!" Midoriko hypothesized.
BREAK!
Incorrect Statement: got up to run
Bullet Used: Misaki's Account
"You've got that wrong!"
"Huh? What's wrong with my theory?"
"According to Misaki, that stab wound to the back paralyzed Mamoru. There's no way he would have been able to get up and run."
"How do you know she's right? Last time I checked, she's a daredevil, not a nurse!"
"Why are you this determined not to believe her? The stab wound was directly to his spine."
"No way! I don't think that's right. It makes a lot more sense that he tried to run instead of being killed lying down. Besides, there isn't proof that says otherwise!"
CUT!
Incorrect Statement: there isn't proof that says otherwise
Sword Used: Mamoru's Fingernails
"Allow me to cut through those words! There is in fact proof that says otherwise. The proof that supports the fact he was killed on the ground are his fingernails. They're all cracked and bloody, like he was trying to hang on to something while being dragged.
"Oh, so do you have proof for him being dragged, then?"
"I do!" Kazuma presents the Lines of Blood truth bullet. "These lines of blood leading away from his fingertips support that he had destroyed his fingernails trying to hold onto the ground while being dragged."
"Okay, there's still one question for all of this. Who did it? We still don't know and we've been debating for a while now. I think it's about time that we actually figured it out." Israfel stated.
"It's hard to do that though, our culprit sure is good at hiding," noted Kaede.
"I'm startin' to question us bein' able to catch 'em," Sumiko stated.
"There has to be a mistake they made!" Kimiko encouraged everyone.
"This is getting pointless, there's no evidence." Katashi sighed.
BREAK!
Incorrect Statement: no evidence
Bullet Used: Geometrical Shape
"Actually, that's wrong. I think the geometrical shape we found by Mamoru is very helpful evidence."
"What? It is?" Rei looked a little confused, but so did everyone else.
"You're going to have to explain this to us," Vechs said expectantly.
"Well, perhaps we've been looking at the shape wrong. Maybe it has nothing to do with geometry, or doesn't even belong to Mamoru. If you look at it as corresponding to someone else's talent, then one of us here looks rather suspicious."
"Wh-what should we view it as, then?" Tenri asks.
"A guitar pick," Kazuma responded calmly. He felt so stupid for only seeing it just now. "If that's what it is, then there's only one person here it could be."
Make An Accusation: Katashi Yuudai
"Me?" Katashi said, dumbfounded. "You think I did it?"
"I don't want to believe it, but I think it's possible." Kazuma said. "In fact, I have a theory too. If you dropped your guitar pick by accident, then wouldn't that implicate the murder weapon?"
"You sayin' Katashi killed Mamoru with his guitar?" Sumiko questioned.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Kazuma agreed.
"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Katashi fretted nervously. "There's no way I'd kill Mamoru!"
"Well, everything is starting to add up," Midoriko said.
"What kind of monster are ya?" Sumiko glared.
"I didn't commit the crime, dammit!" Katashi said defensively.
"Have you got an alibi to back up that statement?" Avanna asked.
"He would have blood on his guitar if he did it." Kaede suggested.
"No! There's never been any blood on my guitar! It's clean!"
BREAK!
Incorrect Statement: never been any blood on my guitar
Bullet Used: Bloody Tissues
"No, that's wrong!" Kazuma said, wincing a bit as he forced himself to continue backing his friend into a corner. "There has been blood on your guitar. I found bloody tissues in the trash of the men's room at the diner. If you really did crack his head open with your guitar, then you went there to clean off your guitar."
"Ngh!" Katashi looked like he was ready to burst. Kazuma felt horrible about this whole situation. He didn't want to be breaking his friend like this, he didn't want to have to doubt a friend like this. But he knew he had to, because he couldn't let a friend be dead for nothing. They couldn't let this go, not when they had a culprit in their sights.
"This is fucking nuts! I didn't kill Mamoru!" Katashi yelled, making Kazuma rear back in surprise.
"But there's already evidence showing that you did!"
"No! It's not me! I'm not your damn culprit, okay?!"
"I wish I could believe you, but this just isn't the case!"
"I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't fucking do it!"
"Katashi, just back down now! At least let us believe you in the end!"
"You have no proof that I did it, goddammit!"
BREAK!
Incorrect Statement: no proof that I did it
Bullet Used: Torn Fabric
"You've got that wrong! There is definitive proof that you did it!"
"What?!" Katashi looked horrified, his face still lit up with anger.
"Have you ever seen this before?" Kazuma said, showing everyone the torn fabric. The bluish-green fabric matched Katashi's jacket perfectly. Everyone noticed this, and Katashi knew that there was no denying it any longer. Kazuma decided that they had to be absolutely positive about this. It was time to go over this case from start to finish.
"Okay, so this is how the case went down. Earlier today, not that long before two o'clock, I met up with Mamoru on the balcony. We talked for a while, then we parted ways. At the same time, we can assume that our culprit had been acquiring their knife. After getting it, they went off to find Kimiko. The culprit managed to sneakily remove her pendant without her noticing. It was time to move their plan into it's next phase. The culprit moved to Serenity Park, where they would wait for any poor soul who happened to show up. At two, Mamoru wandered into the park and that was where our culprit attacked. They wrapped the pendant tight around his throat so he couldn't scream while he was being stabbed. It can be assumed that he was writhing too much, so our culprit decided to paralyze him with a stab to the spinal cord. Our culprit then dragged him back to the entry to the park so his body would be found quickly. Having had their fill, it was time to end Mamoru's suffering with a hard blow to the head from their guitar. They untied the pendant and stuffed it into Mamoru's pocket, then they placed the rock as a diversion. Next, they went to the diner bathroom to clean off the guitar. What they didn't know is that not only did they drop the pick, but Mamoru had torn off a piece of their jacket. These pieces of evidence they didn't notice is what led to the culprit's downfall. Isn't that right, Katashi?"
Katashi was leaning forward on his stand. He was completely silent. He'd been caught red-handed, and everyone present knew it too. It had all happened as Kazuma explained it. He looked up at everyone. They were all staring at him. They were all staring at Mamoru's murderer.
Monokuma decided now was the time to join the fray. "Alright everyone, seems like you've all decided on a culprit. Now then, if you'd all please select who you think it is on the panels in front of you, we can see if you're all oh so right, or so very wrong!"
Kazuma hated to do it, but Katashi had killed Mamoru. Kazuma selected his name and voted. A soft beep rang out from the panels as everyone voted. A slot machine rose up in the middle of the stands. The slots contained pixelated portraits of everyone present. Slowly, each slot began rolling and then its pace got faster and faster. After a few seconds, the first slot stopped, followed by the second and lastly third. Each slot showed Katashi's portrait. It started blinking with the words "GUILTY" flashing below. Coins poured from the machine.
"Yep, you are all very right! Mamoru Arakawa's killer is Katashi Yuudai!"
TRIAL ONE END.
(A/N:) And there we have it! The first chapter is almost over, and we have our culprit now! Hope you guys liked how I wrote this out, using the style of the games by including the Nonstop Debates, Rebuttal Showdowns and the Panic Talk Action. Aaaanyway, next chapter will finish off Streets of Despair and then we can start Chapter Two! I think you guys will enjoy Katashi's execution. I can tell you now that Chapter Two will be called "A Splash of Hope"! Until next time, upupu~
