Toyotomi wasn't behaving as if he were in middle of a trial, with people asking him to tell who he was and what his reason to be there was. –"So, I think I said I'd tell you guys about me, right? Okay, let's see…"-
-"You're a Future Foundation member. Tell us about that"- Akane requested. Toyotomi closed one eye and paced around, carefree.
-"As I was saying, I know I said I'd tell you guys stuff, but wouldn't it be better to do it after the trial? We still need to find Chiba-san's killer"- However a quick glance at the graduates' expressions was all the answer he needed. –"Hey, don't look at me like that! It was merely a suggestion. Okay, here we go…
Yeah, I'm a Future Foundation member, and a high-rank member. As such I hope you understand there is a lot of stuff I can't tell you guys. Confidential stuff"-
-"Do you know how many Future Foundation members are in the shelter?"- Kudo asked. Toyotomi nodded.
-"I do know. There is a grand total of…"- he made a dramatic pause before lifting two fingers –"…two members"-
-"Who is the second member? Is that person in this room?"- the Stunstman inquired. Toyotomi looked sadly at one of the empty podiums. That was all Toyogushi needed to see to know what the Prosthetic Makeup Artist meant.
-"She's dead. My partner is dead. Chiba-san was a Future Foundation member too, of my same rank"-
The information was a surprise for most except Akane and Yukio. –"It was to be expected. I had envelopes in my room too, after all"- Chiba said to the Chemist –"But it's still worth remembering.
Future Foundation Agents
Toyotomi and Chiba are both Future Foundation members
Information added to both lists of evidence
-"What's this shelter? Why were we called here? If you called us here then there must have been a reason. Why did you do this?"- Yukio pleaded for an answer. Toyotomi fidgeted and tried to play with his apron before remembering he had thrown it away mere minutes ago.
-"I…It'll be hard to believe, but I have no idea. I…I don't know"-
-"What do you mean you don't know?! Aren't you a high-rank member? Then surely plans like whatever happened here should be stuff you know!"- Kudo shouted.
-"Yeah, it's true. I have enough clearance level to be privy to plans that involve something like this shelter, but I have no idea"- then his face lightened up, as he thought of something –"Hikasa-kun, pass me one of those letters"- the Weightlifter complied, and soon Toyotomi had one of the Future Foundation letters in his hands. He carefully examined it, until he got to a conclusion –"…This is authentic. This did come from the Future Foundation, and this is definitely my signature"-
-"Couldn't it have been faked?"- Hikasa suggested.
-"No, it can't. I have my measures to know when my signature is authentic, and…"- he lifted the letter up until light shone through it –"…there's no room for doubt. I signed these letters"- after giving the letter back to Hikasa, he seemed rather unsure of himself –"Then why I have no recollection of having done this?"-
-"That's an easy one. If the letters are authentic and that is your signature, then there's only one explanation"- Akane stated.
Missing Memories
Piece of Paper
Curtis' Annotations
Toyogushi's Photography (1)
Chiba's Strategies
List of Belongings
Future Foundation Envelopes
Letters from the Future Foundation
Hallway Museum
Face on the Wall
Future Foundation Agents
Missing Memories
-"It isn't that you don't remember doing it. It's that you were forced to forget it"-
-"Forced…to forget it? So you mean the Mastermind took any recollection of having called you all here and got rid of it?"- After the Chemist nodded, Toyotomi stammered –"That is…wow"-
-"So you could be responsible for our situation yet you don't remember. Or it could be an act, and you're pretending to be innocent"-
-"If the Future Foundation called us here then they must be the ones behind the game"- Toyogushi commented. At that statement, Toyotomi's eyes widened and he stomped until he faced the Stunstman. Obviously enraged, he said, threatening.
-"Listen here, no Future Foundation member would ever take part of something like a mutual killing game. Not me, not Chiba-san, and nobody else"-
-"Wait, guys, there's something…if the Future Foundation are the bad guys here, and Chiba-san and Toyotomi-kun are the members, then…would that make both of them the Masterminds?"- Yukio said.
-"I won't allow anybody to soil our reputation!"-
-"Calm down, Toyotomi-kun! You can't deny it's possible. You could have forgotten you're one of the Masterminds and…and…Chiba-san forgot too and…uuuuh…"- Toyogushi realized his words had started to be nonsensical. Toyotomi's bemused expression shut him up. Sensing that things could be taking a turn for the worse, Yukio hurriedly changed topic.
-"Heh, hey, Toyotomi-kun, what do you remember, then? The recent times, that is"-
-"Hmmmmmm…"- Toyotomi thought for a moment –"Besides the events of the murder game? I do remember my actual mission"-
-"Your mission? Are you allowed to tell it to us? It sounds like confidential information"-
For a moment Toyotomi hesitated, but at the end he shrugged –"Well, chances are that my objective is already known by the person I'm looking for. They're smart, after all. Alright, pay attention, because this will be only the general outline:
There have been some suspicions that among our ranks there was a mole, feeding information to a shady organization"-
-"A mole?"- Hikasa had been struck by an idea –"If the Future Foundation was involved in any way, it's fitting that the mole, the traitor, is the Mastermind here!"-
-"It's possible"- Toyotomi conceded –"I wouldn't put it past them, but you all know who I am looking for. This person has a codename, which we all heard…but we can't mention"-
-"You mean Vorudemoto?"-
-"Stop calling them that!"- Yukio chastised Hikasa.
-"Yeah, that person. The one whose name caused Matsukaze-kun and Miyata-kun's deaths. I was tasked with the mission of finding the traitor and dealing with that person. And…my memories are pointing that this traitor is here, in the shelter"-
-"And who is it?"- Hikasa asked. Toyotomi rolled his eyes tiredly.
-"If I knew, I'd have said it by now. That's the problem I have right now. I can't remember who the traitor is. I do…have the feeling I found it out, but surely I was forced to forget it"-
-"This should settle it up: Vorudemoto is the Mastermind. And…if I remember correctly, this person had ties with an organization called Diavolos Avante, according to Miyata-kun"- Kudo stated
-"So in a nutshell, there's a chance the person behind this is a member of that organization, posing as a Future Foundation agent"- Hikasa concluded.
-"I think that really is the case: the traitor to the Future Foundation is the Mastermind. However, again, there's a problem: my memories were modified, most likely, and the only thing I remember is my mission and that Chiba-san is an agent from the Future Foundation too. And I am sure she's not Vorudemoto"- Toyotomi stated.
-"Why were you chosen to be the one to catch the traitor? Your talent doesn't strike me as the most useful to follow moles"- Hikasa commented. Toyotomi laughed sheepishly before replying.
-"I think it's because I'm really good at disguising. I remember I used to follow the traitor using different disguises, in an effort to catch them red-handed"-
-"… Ogata-san, do we need to continue with this?"- Kudo asked –"We still need to finish the trial for Chiba-san's murder. We could continue the Mastermind discussion later.
-"I agree with him. Let's finish one thing at once. I think we need more clues before discussing the Mastermind any further"- Yukio agreed –"And we won't be let out of here unless we finish Chiba-san's trial. Let's continue"-
I hope that what we talked about the Mastermind was worthwhile, then.
How is The Future Foundation involved in this mutual killing game?
The Future Foundation were the ones to call the sixteen graduates to the shelter. Also, the Future Foundation has is that one of their members, a traitor, is the Mastermind. It's possible the traitor, Volkos, used the Future Foundation's resources, taking advantage of his status as a member. What does Chiba and Toyotomi have to do with this?
How is Diavolos Avante involved in this mutual killing game?
Volkos, a member of this organization, is said to be the Mastermind
How is SHSL Despair involved in this mutual killing game?
Why were you sixteen chosen to be part of the game?
What's this shelter, exactly?
Most likely, an asset of the Future Foundation, as they were the ones who summoned us here. But how did this shelter exist?
Why is the mutual killing game happening?
What happened in the week that was erased from your memories?
Is everybody here who they say they are?
Ian Curtis was actually Masamune Toyotomi, agent from the Future Foundation, his real talent being Prosthetic Makeup Artist. Tomoe Chiba was an agent of the Future Foundation, presumably with the same title, Strategist
How did the Mastermind get access to your memories and your deepest secrets?
Who is the Mastermind?
Volkos, member of Diavolos Avante, is supposed to be the Mastermind. Who is Volkos?
-"So, as it was being confirmed before we got sidetracked into equally important matters…"- Toyogushi once again pointe dat Kudo –"…that man is the murderer"-
-"Not again. Are we going to accuse me of this?"- Kudo replied tiredly.
-"But Toyogushi-kun said you had the key to the pantry. I think that is definite evidence that you had something to do with the slingshot"- Toyotomi reminded him. Kudo started arguing that he had no idea about any key, and once again the discussion devolved into people shouting left and right.
While people argued, Akane was again organizing her ideas. She was sure she had found the real culprit, but he wasn't going to let himself be caught easily. –"Guys, guys! There's something I'd like to…propose. Another suspect"-
-"Another suspect…interesting. Who is it, then?"- Hikasa asked, expectantly. Everybody paid attention to Akane, while she readied herself to point at the person she thought was the culprit.
-"…It's him!"-
Akane Ogata
Chihiro Toriumi
Masashi Sakurai
Aya Sawashiro
Mika Yamaguchi
Reiji Ohmoto
Mishio Matsukaze
Saburou Hikasa
Kaiji Kudo
Ginchiyo
Masaru Miyata
Hoshio Saitou
Takeshi Toyogushi
Yukio Ohmoto
Ian Curtis
Tomoe Chiba
Takeshi Toyogushi
-"…Toyogushi-kun. You are involved in this murder, aren't you?"-
The Stuntsman didn't reply, instead he glared at Akane. Finally when he talked, he did it coldly. –"No I'm not"-
-"Ogata-san, do you really think he's the culprit?"- Yamaguchi queried –"That'd explain why he's so interested in hounding down Kudo-kun"-
-"I'm interested in getting him declared guilty because he's the culprit. All the evidence points towards him"-
-"I don't know if he's the culprit, but…he has to be involved in this murder"- Akane clarified.
Nonstop Debate
Hair Chopsticks / Wounds / Contraption in the Pantry / Claw / Kudo's Toolbox
TOYOTOMI: Toyogushi-kun has been behaving different in this trial
TOYOTOMI: He being the culprit is actually a possibility
TOYOGUSHI: How can I be accused of being the culprit…
TOYOGUSHI: When there's a myriad of evidence against Kudo-kun!
HIKASA: Just to make sure, what is this evidence?
TOYOGUSHI: The knife in the contraption…
TOYOGUSHI: …taken from his toolbox
TOYOGUSHI: The key to the pantry…
TOYOGUSHI: …found in his room
TOYOGUSHI: And the chopsticks…
TOYOGUSHI: Found in Chiba's pocket
HIKASA: I see. Everything does point to Kudo-kun
YUKIO: Akane-chan, you heard it, didn't you?
YUKIO: Something Toyogushi-kun shouldn't know about
-"Toyogushi-kun, what you have said is…pretty decisive"- Akane said slowly. The Stunstman nodded with energy, thinking he had Akane's approval
-"Yeah, I know! Who else could have done it other than him?"-
-"Yeah, who could have…I'd say you"- Akane replied. Toyogushi's expression didn't falter.
-"Still with that, I see"-
-"You confirmed that you are more related to this murder than what we thought. You named a piece of evidence that hasn't been mentioned so far in the context you use. None of us has said anything about the key found in Kudo-kun's bedroom"-
-"But it's the pantry key. We have said stuff about that already"- Yukio said, prompting Akane to continue.
-"Yes, but nobody had said a thing about the key being in Kudo-kun's room"-
Toyotomi gasped dramatically –"She's right! How did you know about the key in the bedroom, Toyogushi-kun?"-
-"I didn't tell anybody. Did you tell anybody about it, Akane-chan?"- The Assistant queried. When Akane denied having done that, Yukio clapped, triumphant –"And there it goes! It's clear that a certain Stuntsman knows more than what it seemed"-
Toyogushi gulped nervously, and cringed when he realized he had swallowed gum –"I…I don't…I mean, it was…"-
-"So, Toyogushi-kun, how did you know about the key?"- Akane urged him to answer. The Stuntsman gripped the podium with all his strength. After a minute or so of waiting for an answer, finally a voice broke the silence. It wasn't his, though.
Toyotomi was the first to realize the implications of the silence. –"…He planted it. He planted the key into Kudo-kun's bedroom"-
-"He had planned to blame Kudo-kun for the crime, and he did it by planting the key"- Hikasa continued. Toyogushi released the podium, almost throwing it onto the floor.
-"No, wait a second there. I admit that I planted the key into his room, but that doesn't mean I'm the culprit!"-
-"What other reason would you have to plant evidence and blame somebody else for it?"- Toyotomi smiled tensely, baffled.
-"I did it because I know that Kudo-kun killed Chiba-san! I…I wanted to make sure he was voted guilty, so I threw the key under his door. It being in his room was all I needed"-
-"That's why you suggested me to inspect the bedrooms!"- Yukio pointed at him –"You told me to do that because you hoped I'd find the key in Kudo-kun's room!"-
-"Yukio-kun, you were the one to tell me to do that"- the Chemist said.
-"I was passing you an idea that seemed good at the time, but it originally came from that guy"-
-"You! You killed Chiba-san and tried to make me look guilty. There's no way you're innocent!"- Kudo accused, enraged with the Stuntsman's attempt to make him look guilty.
-"No, now wait a minute there. Even if I planted the key, that doesn't disprove the rest of evidence against Kudo-kun"- Toyogushi countered.
-"He's right about that"- Yukio confirmed with caution –"He planting the key doesn't make him the culprit, or makes Kudo-kun innocent. We'd need to take a better look at the rest of evidence before voting"-
-"Alright, stuff against Kudo-kun: the chopsticks and the knife on the slingshot, which supposedly came from Kudo-kun's toolbox. Ogata-san, you were the one to examine the toolbox. Are you sure it came from it?"- Hikasa asked, ready to continue the trial
-"I'm positive; it had the same design than the rest of the tools. I doubt there are two of the same"- the Chemist replied
-"As I see it, the knife is more damning evidence than the key. As long as the knife stands, then Kudo-kun is our suspect here"-
-"Ogata-san! You know that Toyogushi-kun is the culprit. You know that I'm innocent. Please, find a flaw somewhere!"-
-"Why does it always have to be you?"- Sakurai grumbled, the only dead person with Akane –"He should make an effort instead of pushing everything onto you"-
-"I think my behavior has made me the detective in this place"- Akane replied, and focused. If Toyogushi-kun is the culprit, then that means the evidence against Kudo-kun must have been tainted in some way. Think, Akane, what's odd about the evidence?
Logic Dive
What's the most crucial piece of evidence against Kudo?
The pantry key
The knife in the contraption
The chopsticks
The knife in the contraption
What flaw could there be about that knife?
It came from a different toolbox
It was found in the contraption
It doesn't belong to Kudo
It doesn't belong to Kudo
If the knife doesn't belong to Kudo, what does that imply?
Implies that Reiji is the owner of the knife
Implies that the knife is the weapon of the crime
Implies that the knife was planted
Implies that the knife was planted
Who is the person most likely to have planted the knife?
Takeshi Toyogushi
Reiji Ohmoto
Tomoe Chiba
Yukio Ohmoto
Takeshi Toyogushi
-"I understand now!"-
-"What do you understand, Ogata-san?"- Yukio asked
-"I see how the knife is related to this murder. No, no, wait, let me rephrase that: I see how the knife isn't related at all with the murder"-
-"The only way it isn't related to the murder is that it isn't on the contraption"- Toyogushi stated. Akane shook her head, smiling widely.
-"No, there's another way for it to not to be related at all yet make it look like it is: planting it as well"-
-"…More planted evidence?"- Hikasa repeated, in disbelief
-"Yes. And I think we all suppose who did it, right?"- Akane looked smugly at Toyogushi. He gripped the podium again, in panic.
-"You're not insinuating it was me, are you?"-
-"Of course it was you. It wasn't Chiba-san, for sure!"- Yamaguchi said, exasperated.
-"Toyogushi-kun, the knife on the contraption isn't Kudo-kun's knife"- Akane stood as tall as she could be, proud and ready to fight for the truth –"It's yours! You planted the toolbox in Kudo-kun's bedroom so we would think it was his!"-
-"And if I said it was mine nobody would have believed me"- Kudo said bitterly
-"No, stop right there"- Toyogushi tried to fight back –"You can't say such thing as that without proof. And there's no proof that can mark that toolbox as mine"-
-"Maybe the toolbox has the name of its owner somewhere?"- Yamaguchi suggested.
-"No, I didn't see anything like that when I found the toolbox"- Akane replied
-"I took a look at it too, after Ogata-san left my room, and I didn't find a name either"- the Philanthropist confirmed
-"And there you see. It isn't labeled as mine, how can you say it's mine?"-
-"Because there's a piece of evidence that points, without mistake, that you're the owner"-
Stake
Monobear File #5
Missing Memories
Wounds
Hair Chopsticks
Contraption in the Pantry
Pantry Key
Ribbons
Cut Plastic Bags
Custom Knife
Chewing Gum
Cafeteria Disaster
Hole on the Wall
Workshop Knife
Kudo's Toolbox
Claw
Toyogushi's Photography (2)
Transcription from Reiji's Diary
Toyogushi's Photography (2)
-"I found a photograph in your bedroom, in one of your albums"- Akane said, passing it to Yamaguchi
-"You…you peeked into something as personal as my photo album?"- Toyogushi clenched his fists, astonished and enraged
-"I'm sorry, I was curious"- And that was half-true. It's true she was investigating, but she was also curious, at the time.
-"Who cares about how she found her. Aren't these Toyogushi-kun and Ginchiyo-san?"- Yamaguchi screamed, rubbing her eyes. Hikasa rudely took the photograph.
-"It's true, it's them. Why didn't you ever tell us that you knew her?"-
-"I didn't know Ginchiyo-san…"- Toyogushi seemed genuinely confused. He stood aside Hikasa and looked into what Akane had found –"That's indeed me but…why is Ginchiyo-san in this?"-
-"It doesn't seem like he did know about this…"- Akane muttered to nobody in particular. Toyogushi's attitude intrigued her. If they hadn't met before, why is there a photograph with them together?
Hikasa was the one who reached what seemed to be the correct solution to that question –"The missing memories. Monobear took more memories than we thought"-
-"But he had said he had only taken the memories from one week!"- The Chemist countered, starting to fear the implications of there being more forgotten than they had thought
-"It is clear Monobear lied. What…what else could we have forgotten?"- Yamaguchi gripped her red coat. It was clear to Akane that she was afraid that in the past she had gone along with anything Enoshima had done and now had forgotten it. For her friend's wellbeing, Akane hoped nothing had happened
-"Uh, Ogata-san, it was an interesting tidbit, but how does that photo prove the toolbox belongs to Toyogushi-kun?"- Kudo managed to bring everybody's attention back into the trial. Toyotomi, who in that moment had the photography in his hands, examined it closely.
-"Wait, I see something. Ogata-san, there's a toolbox in this photo. Is it the one you had found in Kudo-kun's room?"- He asked, barely containing his excitement at the development
-"Yes, it's the same. How else can Toyogushi-kun have a toolbox that supposedly belongs to Kudo-kun? By that being a lie, that is how"- Akane confirmed.
-"No, stop there…maybe…maybe Kudo-kun was a little to the right, out of the photo and he brought the toolbox with him and…"- Toyogushi had meant to say that Kudo could have been in the place the photo had been taken, but his way of speaking made it sound ridiculous. Cornered, he did the only thing he could do. –"Oooh…aaag…aaaaaaaaaaaagh!"- Toyogushi grasped his head and screamed as loud as he could. It was obvious he was under a great pressure right now, with Akane directly pointing at him as the responsible for the murder. And not only her: everybody else in that room was ready to condemn him as the culprit for Chiba's murder.
-"You're the culprit. You staked Chiba-san through the chest with extreme prejudice"- Akane declared coldly –"And now I'll tell how it happened"-
-"Wow, this'll be the shortest trial we ever had"- Toyotomi commented. He did a gesture with his hands, signaling Akane to start –"Bring it on!"-
Climax Inference
It all started at midnight. Nobody had died, so Monobear went ahead with his motive. He had planned to return the stolen memories to one of us, and the unlucky soul chosen was the culprit. After a process I'm not privy to, the memories were returned. It's possible that something in these memories pushed the culprit to kill, I'm not sure.
The first thing was to do a plan. With that objective, the culprit had taken the pantry key with them, and used it to open the pantry, making the contraption shoot. Then the culprit rigged the slingshot so the mechanism would be active again.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT
Yukio had interrupted Akane's tale. The Chemist stopped, surprised. –"Yukio-kun?"-
-"The culprit made the mechanism shoot, then remade it so it was able to shoot again? How do you get to such conclusion?"- The Assistant was utterly confused, and wasn't going to accept silence. Akane nodded, confident that her reasoning was correct.
-"If you want to, I'll explain to you. Please listen to me"-
Rebuttal Showdown
Kudo's Toolbox / Cafeteria Disaster / Toyogushi's Photography (2) / Custom Knife / Stake
YUKIO: You do are good at deductions…
YUKIO: But you can't drop a bomb like that
YUKIO: And expect us to take it at face value
YUKIO: The mechanism shooting twice could change it all
YUKIO: That's how important it is
YUKIO: This could change the base of the whole case!
OGATA: The evidence is what led me to this conclusion
OGATA: And I'm sure I'm right about it
YUKIO: Then show the evidence!
YUKIO: Nothing on the mechanism hints it was retouched
YUKIO: And the cafeteria can't have been…
YUKIO: …affected by the slingshot
YUKIO: And there was no physical hint on the slingshot that…
YUKIO: It was fired, in the first place
YUKIO: And the stake itself is pristine
YUKIO: Can it have been shot before?
YUKIO: Why don't you stop beating around the bush…
YUKIO: And go to the point now?
-"I can't believe you missed it, Yukio-kun…"- Akane said with…disappointment? She wasn't sure what she was feeling, exactly –"You yourself pointed to me that the knife on the slingshot was changed with the one in the Workshop"-
-"Uh, yeah…"- Yukio said, realizing what Akane meant. He facepalmed, ashamed he had forgotten about that
-"How do you think it was exchanged? By opening the pantry and doing it, of course. And that means the mechanism must have been shot"-
-"And what if the slingshot was defective? If it was, then it may not have shot in the first place"- Toyotomi theorized.
Nonstop Debate
Cut Plastic Bags / Missing Memories / Monobear File #5 / Hole on the Wall / Pantry Key
KUDO: I think Reiji would have checked it worked
YUKIO: But how would he do that?
YUKIO: The pantry can't be opened without activating the slingshot
OGATA: But is it really a possibility that the slingshot was defective?
KUDO: Well, it really is possible
KUDO: Opening it would leave some sort of clue, though
YUKIO: It would have to be something not easily done
YUKIO: Something only the slingshot would be capable to do
TOYOGUSHI: ….
YUKIO: Don't you have anything to say, Toyogushi-kun?
TOYOGUSHI: ….the stake…
KUDO: He's shocked he was caught, let him be
-"You're correct, Kudo-kun. The slingshot was opened and a clue was left"-
-"…Remember that it should be something that can't be done through any other means"- Toyogushi mumbled. Akane barely heard what he had said, he had talked too softly. However she was sure she had more or less understood what he meant.
-"Uh, I think it doesn't mean what you said it means. I'm talking about the hole on the wall"-
Akane stood on the center, and gestured to the podium. –"If that's the pantry, and I opened it, the slingshot would activate. The stake would be launched, and if it didn't hit me, then it would go straight to the other side of the wall"-
-"So there was a hole on the wall opposite to the pantry?"- Yamaguchi started to catch on.
-"Yes! And its position does show it's possible that hole was made when the stake hit the wall the first time it was fired!"- The Chemist concluded.
-"Excellent, that confirms it's possible the slingshot was modified!"- Hikasa cheered.
-"But to remove the stake from the wall one would need strength, right? Toyogushi-kun isn't a weak person. I think this is another piece of evidence against him"- Kudo asserted correctly. Toyogushi winced and continued looking to the floor.
-"Okay, so, as I was saying…"-
The slingshot was set again so when the victim opened the pantry, there would be a death.
So the culprit had to search for a victim and settled on Chiba. Surely it wasn't hard to get her to the cafeteria. Maybe all they had to do was to say there was an emergency, Chiba, being the caring person she was, wouldn't have doubted to go.
So the culprit and Chiba got to the cafeteria, and that's when a struggle happened, turning the place into a disaster. During that fight, the culprit scratched and wounded Chiba's arms until they turned into the mess we saw. Then the culprit made Chiba open the pantry, somehow.
The stake was fired, and pierced Chiba's chest, killing her. That's when the culprit formed another part of their plan: making somebody fall for that crime. I'm sure that blaming it on Reiji was considered, but was dropped because it was to be expected. That's why they chose to blame it on somebody else.
And Kudo was the scapegoat here. First the culprit took a knife from their toolbox, and rigged the custom knife on the slingshot. The culprit sneaked into Kudo's room, put the toolbox in there, and took the chopsticks to put them with the body.
THERE'S SOMETHING MISSING HERE
Akane had once again been interrupted in middle of her recounting of the murder. Now Yamaguchi had been the one to do that. –"So Toyogushi-kun sneaked into Kudo-kun's room? That's impossible, isn't it? He'd need Kudo-kun's ID"-
-"There could be other ways to enter the bedrooms"- Akane replied
-"I don't think Monobear would let that happen. The doors are invulnerable. How did Toyogushi-kun enter the room?"-
Nonstop Debate
Claw / Monobear File #5 / Cafeteria Disaster / Stake / Chewing Gum
YAMAGUCHI: The doors are made to ensure nobody sneaks in
YAMAGUCHI: The first trial showed that to us all
YAMAGUCHI: One would need a good trick to bypass the doors
YAMAGUCHI: And if Toyogushi-kun was awoken during the night…
YAMAGUCHI: …and got his memories returned…
YAMAGUCHI: …then it's pretty much impossible for him…
YAMAGUCHI: …to have planned something to go through the door!
OGATA: Just because it's hard to do
OGATA: Doesn't mean it's impossible
YAMAGUCHI: Then how did he do that?
YAMAGUCHI: It isn't like there's a spare ID or a spare key
YAMAGUCHI: The door can't be forced, either
YAMAGUCHI: And Kudo-kun wouldn't open the door for him
YAMAGUCHI: No matter how you see it
YAMAGUCHI: There's no way for this to happen!
-"Yamaguchi-san, listen here. It may not be exactly a key or an ID, but it works as one"- Akane took out the claw she had found under Kudo's bed. Yamaguchi asked what was that –"It's Monobear's claw. Remember in the second trial? I think it was mentioned that it can open doors too, along with some technological mumbo-jumbo"-
-"Oh…yeah, I do remember it. Where did you find it?"-
-"In Kudo-kun's bedroom, under his bed"-
-"Ogata-san, if it was in Kudo-kun's bedroom, how can you say Toyogushi-kun was the one to have it?"- Toyotomi asked. For a moment Akane was unsure of her logic. Why would Toyogushi leave the claw in that room? It isn't like it'd link Kudo to the murder
-"What if it fell from Toyogushi's pocket or something? I mean, maybe he merely lost it in Kudo-kun's room. That'd explain it"-
-"I think that's possible!"- Kudo approved.
-"Good! Now I'll finish my deductions…"- Akane tried to continue, but there was one more interruption
YOU'LL STOP THIS NOW
Toyogushi had finally reacted to Akane's tale. His face was red, and Akane could see the despair in his eyes –"Ogata-san, I can't believe I haven't realized it sooner"-
-"Realized what?"-
-"You have nothing that suggests I was even awake. When did I put the knife and the toolbox? Couldn't it have been before the murder even happened?"-
-"Are we expected to think you'd find the slingshot, get the stake unstuck from the wall, change the knife and then put that stuff in Kudo-kun's room, without reason?"- Yamaguchi said tiredly
-"Yeah! Who says that wasn't what happened? Who's to say that wasn't what happened?"-
Akane browsed mentally through the evidence. There was nothing outright conclusive, but with some luck, she could bluff enough for Toyogushi to stop attacking. She was completely sure that the Stuntsman was the culprit; it was matter of getting it to be obvious for everybody else. –"I can demonstrate it"-
Toyogushi snickered –"Then show me. This'll be good"-
Rebuttal Showdown
Workshop Knife / Ribbons / Chewing Gum / Cafeteria Disaster / Wounds
TOYOGUSHI: As long as there's nothing that shows when everything was done
TOYOGUSHI: Then everything you have said are merely theories
TOYOGUSHI: As long as I insist
TOYOGUSHI: You can't mark me as the culprit
TOYOGUSHI: Not to mention I never had a motive to kill Chiba-san
TOYOGUSHI: And no, I haven't got any memories back
OGATA: But the rest of your actions are suspicious enough
OGATA: I don't need to do anything for you to be voted guilty!
TOYOGUSHI: So what? Let that be, then
TOYOGUSHI: But this is what I say:
TOYOGUSHI: I modified the slingshot far before the murder
TOYOGUSHI: I put the evidence in Kudo-kun's room far before the murder
TOYOGUSHI: And that's all I did
TOYOGUSHI: I didn't even go into the cafeteria…
TOYOGUSHI: …Before we found Chiba-san dead!
-"I found something that doesn't quite fit your words, Toyogushi-kun"- Akane said –"I'm talking about some chewing gum, spit on the floor"-
-"But I could have done that anytime, days ago. I do spit gum around pretty often"-
-"…ew"- Akane expressed her disgust, but continued –"No, it only could have been in middle of the murder. Possibly during your struggle with Chiba-san"- At this point Akane was bluffing, as she didn't even know when the gum was left. It was clear that it was after the mess in the cafeteria was done, but Toyogushi could say that he had spit the gum before Akane investigated the place. The Chemist hoped that wouldn't be said.
-"…oooooogh…"-
-"It was above the food over the floor, after all! If it had been at any point before the murder happened, it would have been buried under it!"-
-"Wow, Ogata-san found chewing gum on the floor in a mess. She does take investigations seriously"- Kudo said with admiration
-"Heh, should you tell them you found it by mere coincidence?"- Sakurai smirked, and Akane ignored his dead friend.
-"So that should be enough. I'll end this, Toyogushi-kun. You're the culprit, you killed Chiba-san!"-
Akane tried to continue her tale of how the murder happened, but a fourth interruption stopped her. However this one was far gentler than the other three. Akane took a deep breath and hiding her annoyance, she asked –"What now, Yukio-kun?"-
-"Akane-chan, it's merely personal opinion, but I think there's something bigger here than we thought. Toyogushi-kun's despair…I don't know how to express it, but it doesn't strike me as a culprit's despair"-
-"But he tried to frame an innocent person for the murder! Why else would he do that other than because he's the real culprit?! The evidence is pointing towards him!"- Akane screamed, at the edge of her patience.
-"Toyogushi-kun, you'll get only one single chance to save yourself, and I do expect you to be honest. If you're innocent, you'll answer truthfully. You do understand that hiding anything from us can lead to our deaths, including yours. So say it: why did you frame Kudo-kun?"-
The Stuntsman stared blankly to Yukio. A few times it seemed he had gathered enough energy to talk, but he fell silent again. The Assistant waited patiently, glaring at anybody who looked like they'd interrupt it. Not even Akane was allowed to speak. Finally Toyogushi said something
-"…I didn't do it out of malice. I…I thought it was the right thing to do"-
-"But why Kudo-kun? What were you trying to do, why did you do it?"-
Toyogushi grasped the chains around his neck, taking deep breaths. It was clear that there was something big in his mind, whatever he was hiding was overwhelming. Yukio's firm tone was helping him to decide to leave behind that weight, and spoke something that nobody in that trial room, except Monobear, had expected to hear.
-"…I framed Kudo-kun because Chiba-san ordered me to"-