A/N: Well- here we are, everyone. The penultimate class trial, the complex and wild one, that one that makes people go "WHAT" before the finale which also makes people go "WHAT"! It's the fifth class trial, after forever! I won't beat around the bush here, I'm just gonna let you guys get straight into it! The mystery of Hiroshi's death shall begin to be unraveled (possibly)- today!
Review Replies
gabriswitch: Thank you! That's a pretty big thing to say, with so many Fangans out there, but even still- I'm glad my story made it into one of your favorites! And anyways- yeah, there's a pretty interesting bit of trivia in regards to Chapter 5 and how I developed the case- but I can't go into it now, since the trial's only just started. Maybe later on, I'll talk about it.
HoneyBeeGirl94: Aha- no regrets, making that TV Tropes page! But, ah, I do hope you managed to avoid spoiling yourself on the story's events (unless you're not concerned about that sort of thing).
Anyways- I did my best to ensure the deceased characters would be remembered in some way, even if it's just small call-backs and such- still something, you know? They're all a little important to some extent. And I'm also glad you enjoy Hana so much- I also did my best to make her a fun and enjoyable protagonist, or at least more than just an audience surrogate (nothing against characters like Makoto and Hajime, I like the canon protags).
And finally, thank you for the predictions, speculation gives me strength- now, it's just a matter of time to see which is right and which is wrong! And don't worry- with readers like you and everyone else, I don't plan on abandoning this fic on my own free will.
PokeDrifter: No, give me your theories, I need them to fill my stomach
Chapter 5: Ultimate Truth- Class Trial (Part 1)
Class Trial: START!
ALL RISE!
"Now then, let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial!" Monokuma declared, almost as identical as the four trials that came before. "So, your votes will determine the results! If you can figure out 'whodunit', then only the blackened will receive punishment. But, if you pick the wrong one... Then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one who deceived everyone else will graduate!"
Punishment, execution, blackened students...it's just like all the other trials... Hana told herself as she looked around at the others. So why...why can't I stop feeling so...scared? Scared, and- and tense? I've done this four times now, haven't I? Even if I'll never be totally used to it, I still...I know what I have to do, so...why am I still hesitating...?
"As usual, I'll start with a brief summary of the case," Akira began while Hana pondered to herself. "The victim was Hiroshi Ashi, the Ultimate Coroner. The Monokuma File...well, it doesn't give an estimate of the time of his death at all, but it does make mention of his body being found in the North Wing's dungeon."
From there, the room fell into a vacuum-like silence- and it wasn't hard to figure out why. It was usually at this point that Hiroshi would chime in with his general analysis of the victim's body...but with Hiroshi being the victim himself this time, there was no one to perform that role, leaving a void in the space where he would have spoken.
"...Continuing on..." Akira finally spoke up in an attempt to fill the gap. "The, er- the Monokuma File also didn't mention a specific cause of death, but it did describe the many injuries Ashi received from his killer. A stab wound to the chest, a wound to the side of his head, cuts to his ankles and wrists..."
"Not only that- but the killer even hung up his body, right?" Hana spoke up- no matter what apprehension she still had, the surfer knew she couldn't just ignore the discussion. "That's also-"
"I'm the one talking now, Amari- don't interrupt," Akira forcefully told her, sending a silencing glare the Ultimate's way.
W-Wow...not even five minutes in, and she's already shutting me down... Hana said to herself. I should have known Akira wouldn't make this easy for me, either- as if this alone didn't make me worried enough...
"Oh yeah- what was the deal with that?" Ryoto asked. "The Monokuma File- it didn't have anything in it that we couldn't clearly see for ourselves! Not even a time, not even a time FRAME! It was just about useless!"
"Useless!? I'll have you know I slaved over a hot computer to get all the information on there to you brats!" Monokuma angrily interjected. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to type with these hands?"
"Are we supposed to care? Because we don't," Hinata stated, giving a small yet strong glare at the robotic bear.
"That's a good point, though...we don't know the time of death or the cause, so...we should figure out one of those first..." Hana remarked thoughtfully. "But the question is- which one?"
"Personally, I...think we should sort out the cause of death first," Asuna suggested. "Th-There'd probably be more evidence pointing to that, right...?"
"My thoughts exactly- we'd be better off sorting out how Ashi actually died first, and we can work our way to the killer from there," Akira agreed with a nod. "Any objections to that?"
No one objected. Hana thought to herself, Well yeah, it sounds nice an organized in writing, but...with the lackluster Monokuma File and with so much evidence to sort through and with none of us being experts in forensics, I've...got a really, really bad feeling about this...
"Well if we're trying to sort out the cause of death, then there's something really fuckin' obvious we should talk about first..." Hinata spoke up. "You know- the fact that Hiroshi's body was strung up and hanged? Just a little suspicious if you ask me."
Upon remembering the grisly sight described by the thief, Hana couldn't help but visibly wince...
"W-Well, personally, the very first thing that comes to my mind is..." Asuna began. "Could Hiroshi have hanged himself. Like...a suicide...?"
"NO! There's no way Hiroshi killed himself! He never would have done something like that!" Hana suddenly snapped at the girl.
"S-Sorry! But don't we need to consider everything?" Asuna asked, immediately tensing up due to the surfer's anger.
"That's certainly an idea, but it's highly unlikely," Akira responded. "Yes, the rope was tied into a noose, but there was nothing in the dungeon that Ashi could have used to help with hanging himself. Not only that, but most hanging victims exhibit a broken neck of some kind, and Ashi had no such injury."
"Buuut that doesn't mean the rope wasn't involved in his death, right?" Ryoto pointed out. "Maybe the killer just hung him like that so we'd think it was a suicide, when in reality they...uh, strangled him or something!"
"That seems a bit more likely- but we'll need to discuss it further to know for certain," Akira conceded, crossing her arms.
Seems a bit early to say for sure, but- was Hiroshi really strangled? Hana, who had calmed down, asked herself. Either way, that rope's a pretty big part of this case- seems only natural that we'd talk about it so soon.
"S-Strangling someone isn't that easy, is it...?" Asuna asked.
"It's not- but it wouldn't be the first time someone committed a murder using that method in this castle," Akira reminded the gardener. "And with a rope tied into a noose, I imagine it would be even easier."
"Gotta have a good amount of strength to do it though, don't you?" Ryoto then inquired with a thoughtful pout.
"Like Akira reminded us- Tadao was able to do it, he was probably like...average strength, I'd say," Hinata responded.
"But...there's something else weird about that rope..." Asuna muttered. "Where in the world did the killer even get it? That's not...something you can easily find in a place like this..."
"Wait, that's wrong!" Hana quickly interjected in response to the other Ultimate's questioning. "Normally, I'd agree with you, Asuna, but someone heard something the other day, and...I think it can explain where that rope came from-"
"You don't even need to go that far, Amari- I can attest to where that rope came from," Akira interrupted the surfer. "During my investigation, I had a hunch about where the rope came from, and after a trip to the East Wing, I was able to confirm its origin..."
She concluded, "The rope used to hang Ashi was the same rope used with the eastern watchtower's pulley system!"
Hana went silent for a moment, before softly responding, "I...don't disagree with that at all, I just figured that out myself, I was just going to point out-"
"Well, if it helps, I can personally confirm what Akira found," Hinata spoke up. "When I helped her lower Hiroshi's body, I had the weirdest feeling of...like, I recognized that rope, and I mean really recognized it. Turns out, that was because I had used that rope before...when I screwed around with the pulley during Shiori's case."
"So the rope came from the East Wing! That's easy enough to understand!" Ryoto summarized with a boisterous laugh. "Man, Hana, that's probably what you were gonna say, right?"
"Ah- sort of," Hana responded- having her thunder stolen in such a way discombobulated her thoughts completely, at least in that moment. "I was going to tell them about what you told me, Ryoto- about what you heard in the watchtower last night?"
"Huh...? What did he hear?" Asuna asked, surprised.
"Ryoto told me about how, when he looked around the East Wing yesterday, he heard someone rustling around the top of the watchtower," Hana explained. "But he didn't see who it was, because they had already left by the time he found a way up there."
"Right...the stairs in the eastern watchtower are still broken after the incident with Sauchi, so you'd still need a way to bridge the gap," Akira went on. "Or be an expert free-runner like Yonade."
"Right- I've been wondering about it ever since it happened, and I AT LEAST wish I saw whoever it was! Especially if the perp used that rope on Hiroshi, then maybe-" Ryoto began...only to let out a loud, dramatic gasp. "OH MY GOD! Akira Rimutsu, you just gave me an idea!"
Akira furrowed her brow, skeptical. "Did I now?"
"Oh yeah! I think I know who was at the top of the watchtower!" the Ultimate Racecar Driver declared. "The one who took the rope, and the one who killed Hiroshi with it!"
"Huh? Just like that?" Hana blurted in surprise. "Wh-Who, uh...who do you have in mind, exactly...?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm talking about HINATA!" Ryoto shouted. "THAT'S RIGHT! RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, I'M ACCUSING HINATA YONADE OF BEING THE KILLER?"
"W-What!? Me!?" Hinata yelped. "Why!? Just because Akira made that free-running comment!?"
"EXACTLY! You're the only one with the skill to jump across that gap without needing a bridge- and what did I NOT see? A BRIDGE!" Ryoto yelled. "AHA! I've figured it out!"
"...Uh- Ryoto, I know you like accusing people with...next to no evidence..." Asuna began. "B-But I really don't think now's the time to-"
"N-No, no! My accusations are legit this time, I swear!" Ryoto insisted, putting his hands out in his haste. "I-If you just listen, I'll explain why Hinata's the culprit!"
"Seriously!? No one's gonna entertain that!" Hinata angrily responded.
"Actually- I'd say we should discuss it a little further, if only to see if Miura's claims actually hold any weight," Akira stated. "Who knows- we may figure something out, one way or another."
"R-Really...? I'm seriously a suspect...?" Hinata lamented. "I didn't do anything- and I'm not even trying to mislead you guys this time!"
Poor Hinata- he just became real friends with Ryoto, and he gets thrown under the bus by him right off the bat... Hana thought, sympathetic. Still, I don't think it's anything personal, Ryoto just wants to find the killer like the rest of us. But stiller, I know Ryoto's usually quick to accuse people, but the way he just immediately latched onto Hinata being suspicious...is he just that desperate to name a suspect for some reason...?
She then said to herself, And not only that- Akira's actually humoring him? Oh god, we really are in deep trouble, aren't we?
"So if you really think about it, Hinata's literally the only person who could have taken the rope!" Ryoto insisted. "He's crossed the gap in the stairs without a bridge before- WHO'S TO SAY HE DIDN'T DO IT AGAIN!?"
The racecar driver went on, "AND there's the fact that I never saw anything the killer used to make a bridge, both before and after I made it to the top of the tower- SO THERE! MORE PROOF!"
"Here's an idea- maybe the killer moved whatever they used as a bridge? So no one would see it?" Hinata suggested in irritation. "And when you came back from wherever you went, the person left and took their 'bridge' with them?"
"But there are only so many things someone could use as a makeshift bridge, the majority of which coming from the armory," Akira pointed out. "And if Miura's information is accurate, then nothing was missing from the armory when he went down there to obtain something to cross the gap."
"Th-Then again...there's a lot of stuff in the armory- maybe Ryoto just didn't notice...?" Asuna suggested.
"NO WAY! I would have noticed if something was gone from the armory, I swear on MY LIFE!" Ryoto refuted. "Believe me, the only thing taken was the two axes I used to get up the stairs- that was it!"
"That's still not proof that I was the one you heard up there!" Hinata shouted. "They could have used something else to cross the gap!"
"Like what, Yonade?" Akira inquired with a glare.
"NOTHING! Face it, Hinata's the most suspicious one here right now!" Ryoto yelled. "He'd have the means to take the rope, and he's be strong enough to use it to strangle Hiroshi! And that's how he died, right!?"
At last, Hana had something she could use to further discussion, and so she wasted no time stopping Ryoto's train of thought with, "Wait, that's wrong!"
"Just a second, Ryoto- can we really say Hiorshi was strangled to death?" the surfer inquired. "Because I don't think it's that simple."
"HUH!? Why not!?" Ryoto yelped.
"Because there was nothing on Hiroshi's body that proved he was strangled!" Hana answered. "Remember what he talked about during the third trial? Saku was strangled to death too, and he had a lot of telltale signs of it."
"...She's not wrong..." Akira begrudgingly remarked. "The hemorrhaging in his nose and mouth and ears was proof of Yamamoto's true cause of death, so it stands to reason Ashi would exhibit similar symptoms if he was murdered in the same manner."
"But...Hiroshi didn't have anything like that," Hinata pointed out. "No blood in his ears, or nose, or mouth...and there's no bruising around his neck either..."
"So that means, whatever the rope was used for, it definitely wasn't the murder weapon," Hana summarized. "And that means, even if Hinata did take it, that doesn't necessarily make him the killer-"
"YOUR BRAIN NEEDS A PIT STOP!" Ryoto suddenly shouted at Hana before she could continue.
"M-My- what?" Hana stammered. "That doesn't even make any sense..."
"IT'S AN OBJECTION, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO MAKE SENSE!" the Ultimate yelled back. "Anyways...you make some good points, Hana Amari- but that doesn't completely prove the rope wasn't used to kill Hiroshi, let alone that Hinata didn't do it!"
"W-What...?" Hana began, baffled. "What are you talking about?"
"Well then, PAY ATTENTION! Because I'm gonna explain it to ya RIGHT NOW!" Ryoto declared with a confident grin.
This guy...why is he like this...? Why can't things just be a little simpler for once? Hana thought to herself with a mental sigh. Well- if we're gonna move the discussion along for real, I need to disprove whatever Ryoto's talking about...
"Okay, so maybe Hiorshi didn't have any bleeding out of his face- but not all strangulations are the same, right? A person's not gonna have bleeding every single time, right?" Ryoto pointed out, crossing his arms. "And as for the bruising- Saku didn't have any bruising on his throat when he died, either! So why's it so weird that Hiroshi didn't either!?"
"With Saku, the killer used a softer material to strangle him- that's why he didn't have any bruising," Hana reminded the racecar driver. "But Hiroshi? Assuming he was strangled, the killer used a rope- that's way less soft, and definitely would have left behind some marks!"
"WOULD IT!? You don't know that for certain! Maybe Hiroshi just wasn't strangled hard enough to leave behind any bruising! That's possible, right!?" Ryoto demanded. "And the rope was the only thing the killer- probably Hinata- could have used anyways! So that 'no bruising' thing is just a moot point! MOOT, I SAY! The murder weapon was the rope, no doubt about that, and that means-"
Hana let out a little gasp as an idea formed in her head- an idea that indicated a contradiction in Ryoto's argument. With this, Hana shouted right back at him, "I'll cut through that claim!"
Before Ryoto could respond, Hana immediately rolled ahead and explained, "No, Ryoto- the rope couldn't have been the murder weapon! It couldn't have been used to strangle Hiroshi, let alone by Hinata!"
"Huh!? It's not because of the corpse, is it?" Ryoto asked, baffled.
"No- it's the rope itself," the surfer told him with a shake of her head. "Now, I'm not an expert on strangulation, or ropes, or...strangulation with ropes, but if I had to guess...if you used a rope that way, pulled it tight enough that you choke someone to death...wouldn't it be damaged a bit? Frayed, maybe?"
"I-I, I don't know, maybe?" Ryoto responded with a grimace.
"...It might, actually- rubbing a part of the rope so strongly, as you would when strangling someone, would cause the part wrapped around the victim's neck to become noticeably frayed," Akira explained- once again, she seemed to hate agreeing with Hana, but even she wouldn't argue with concrete evidence. "I've studied many a case where that occurred, actually."
"But...that rope's not exactly new, right? It was used as part of the pulley system in the tower, s-so wouldn't it have some damage already...?" Asuna inquired with a frown.
"Yeah, some wear and tear- but not to the extent that, as far as I know, it would have if Hiroshi was strangled with it," Hana refuted. "Nope, it just looked like a regular, everyday rope..."
She then yelled, "Which means Hinata couldn't have used it to strangle Hiroshi! Simple as that!"
"But- But I heard someone screwing around at the top of the tower! And the rope CLEARLY came from there!" Ryoto stammered. "If it wasn't Hinata who took it, then- then WHO!?"
"I...can't answer that, Ryoto, but I think we can assume for now that it wasn't Hinata," Hana responded.
"And besides- I confirmed where the rope came from, didn't I?" Hinata pointed out with a glare. "Why would I do something like that if I was trying to get away with murder?"
"But...hold on- if Hiroshi really wasn't strangled, then...what was the point of hanging his body like that...?" Asuna wondered aloud.
"If I had to guess, I'd say it was partially to confuse us even more about his cause of death..." Akira pondered. "But the more major reason was probably simple sadism on the part of the killer."
Hana's face paled. "S-Sadism? Hold on, isn't that going a bit- you know, far?"
"And what does religion have to do with it, anyways?" Ryoto also asked.
The prosecutor went on, ignoring both of them, "In all of the previous trials, the bodies were rarely ever tampered with in such a way. Yes, sometimes the corpses were moved from one room to another to hide the true crime scene, and sometimes the culprit did something to obscure the means of death- but those actions were done out of some form of necessity for the killer, and they never escalated to anything too extreme."
Akira shook her head. "But this? Suspending Ashi's body with the rope? Aside from being a sloppy attempt to further obscure his time of death, there was no practical reason for the blackened to do something like that! And yet, they still did- so it must have been an act of particular cruelty, a way to taunt all of us as it were."
"TAUNT US!? No one taunts Ryoto Miura and gets away with it!" Ryoto shouted in anger.
Hana grimaced at Akira's words. Taunt us? Sadism? No, there's no way...there's no way anyone here would do something so cruel! I've known them since this killing game started, I just...I just can't believe any of them would...do something like that, just to taunt us or something... How crazy do you have to be to do that?
"Okay, as...fucked up as that is..." Hinata began, shaking his head. "Can we finally agree that I'm not that much of a suspect anymore?"
"For now, Yonade- but yes, it looks like Miura's baseless accusations have wasted our time again," Akira responded, narrowing her eyes at the Ultimate in question.
Ryoto's gaze went down, and he actually looked rather crestfallen by the response. "B-But I...I thought I actually had a point this time..."
"Y-You know, Ryoto...maybe you shouldn't be so quick to accuse people..." Asuna told him, with an odd firmness to her voice. "After all- you're..you're even more suspicious than Hinata was!"
Hana's eyes widened in surprise as she listened. "Asuna...?"
"..." After a moment of silence, Ryoto burst out laughing. "AHA! AHAHA! Ah, good one Asuna- for a second there, I thought you were accusing me of being the killer!"
"I am!" Asuna yelled at him.
"Hahaha! Hah...hah..." Ryoto began, still jovial...until, evidently, he fully processed the gardener's words. "HUUUUUH!?"
"Not so fun bein' in the hot seat now, is it!?" Hinata growled at the racecar driver- but then asked, "...But seriously, why is he suspicious?"
"I'd like to know that too- and I'd hope you're not trying to waste our time like Miura did," Akira replied with a narrowed, scrutinizing gaze.
"N-No, I swear! I've got a good reason for suspecting him!" Asuna quickly insisted. "It's a pretty big reason, too- come on, you guys all saw it, y-you've got to know what I'm talking about!"
I don't like how she's just jumping to accusations now, like Ryoto was, but...we've gotta keep discussing the case somehow, I guess... Hana hesitantly thought to herself. What's Asuna talking about, though...? Something pretty major, something we all saw, something we should really know about...
Having thought of the answer, Hana spoke up, "Are you...talking about the knife? The one in Hiroshi's chest?"
"Yeah! A-And you guys remember what Ryoto told us about the other day, right...?" Asuna explained. "Also related to a knife?"
Just as Akira was turning to leave, however, Ryoto blurted, "WAIT A SECOND! There's something I gotta tell you guys!"
Without even waiting for a reaction, Ryoto whipped out the thing he had shown Hana earlier and slammed it onto the table: the kitchen knife.
Hinata, Asuna, and Akira stared at the weapon for a good few seconds; Hana, meanwhile, softly sighed and put a hand over her face in exasperation.
"...That there's a knife," Hinata remarked, nodding at the weapon in question.
"Yeah it is!" Ryoto agreed with a pleased grin.
"Miura- would you kindly explain why you have a knife?" Akira inquired with a glare.
"A-And where did you even get it from...?" Asuna also asked with a concerned grimace.
"Protection, he took it for protection..." Hana explained, not taking her hand away from her face.
"And I got it from the kitchen!" Ryoto elaborated. "And for the record, it's not just for protection- well, it is, but there's more to it than that!"
He went on, "See, while I was amazingly searching, I got to thinking- if Hiroshi was suddenly kidnapped outta the blue in the dead of night, who's to say the one responsible won't strike again, huh? Well, they're not gonna get the drop on Ryoto Miura, that's for sure! Ergo- THE KNIFE!"
"He made it very clear to us that he had taken a large knife from the kitchen- a-and that knife, if I remember correctly, looked just like the one used to stab Hiroshi!" Asuna went on with a nod.
Akira, however, simply raised an eyebrow. "So your reasoning for suspecting Miura is because of the knife?"
She scoffed. "It's a better line of reasoning that Miura's, but there are many knives of the same type and design in the kitchen- how can you be sure the one Miura took and the one in Ashi's chest were one in the same."
"WELL! Since I, Ryoto Miura, am NOT the killer- I've got nothing to hide! So, I can tell you guys that it WAS my knife!" Ryoto boldly claimed. "Hana knows what I'm talking about, don't ya?"
"I...do," Hana responded with a frown. Why do I get the feeling this is gonna backfire horribly? Not much I can do about it, now that he's put me on the spot like this... Might as well tell them about that...
"Ah...Ryoto told me, that...well, this morning, he..." Hana began, trying to figure out how to explain in a way that wouldn't incriminate Ryoto any more than it already would. "Hinata- do you remember this morning when Ryoto kinda confronted us outside the dining room?"
"Yeah, don't remind me," Hinata responded. "Didn't ask to spend my morning being tackled by someone..."
"Weeeell, the reason he did that was...that morning, according to Ryoto, he..." Hana hesitantly began again. "He noticed...theknifehetooktheotherdaywasmissing."
Despite the very quick delivery, Akira seemed to decipher it well enough, and her eyes widened accordingly. "What did you say? Miura- lost the knife?"
"I might not have lost it! It might have been stolen!" Ryoto quickly added.
"You lost the knife!?" Hinata yelped in shock. "The hell, dude!? Didn't you learn anything from the other trials? Missing knives- hunting, kitchen, whatever- they are ALWAYS bad news!"
"I KNOW THAT! I didn't ask for it to go missing! If it weren't for the murder, I would have scoured the ENTIRE castle looking for it!" Ryoto yelled in response.
"But...wasn't it in your room the whole time...?" Asuna inquired, more baffled than shocked.
"Ryoto told me he had it in his room last night, yeah," Hana explained. "But when he woke up this morning, it was just...gone. Right, Ryoto?"
"That's right! And it's even more baffling because my room was locked and secure, and no matter where I looked in my room it just...wasn't there!" the racecar driver confirmed. "I don't know, I don't know how the killer did it, but knives don't just VANISH out of the blue and then reappear in your classmate's chest!"
"Well, don't look at me again- I didn't take it!" Hinata immediately claimed. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't because of that one rule of Monokuma's, about not being able to break into locked rooms. And if your room was locked like you said, then..."
"I...Ryoto, do you- do you actually expect us to believe any of that?" Asuna demanded. "I'm sorry, but your story...i-it's just too impossible!"
"IMPOSSIBLE!?" Ryoto yelped. "B-But it's true! Really!"
"I don't think so! Th-The idea that you kept the knife locked in your room all night, a-and then it just inexplicably disappears by the time you wake up..." the gardener went on. "E-Even the idea that it was stolen is impossible because of the locked door! N-No one could have broken in to your room even if they wanted to, th-the rules don't allow it!"
"I have to agree, Miura. So far, your story has just been that- a story, just your word," Akira responded. "But you have nothing to confirm or back it up, do you? And for the record- you telling Amari the same story you're telling us now does not automatically make it credible."
"Y-You've gotta be joking! I'm the main suspect now!?" Ryoto cried. "But- But I didn't do anything! I'M INNOCENT, I TELL YA!"
And there's the backfire... Hana lamented with a sigh. Asuna makes a good point, though...Ryoto's story is pretty unbelievable without evidence to back it up...so does that mean he was lying...? Was he lying to me before...?
The surfer immediately perished the thought. No. No, there's no way Ryoto's the killer- he may have had the knife, and his story may be weird, but I know he's not capable of killing Hiroshi like that. I can't prove his story right or wrong...but maybe I can find something else to convince the others that Ryoto's innocent.
"I-I don't want to think you killed Hiroshi, Ryoto, but..." Asuna began, taking a deep breath. "Right now, you're the likeliest suspect!"
"FALSE! Just because I had the knife before the murder doesn't mean I was the one who did the stabbing!" Ryoto refuted. "I told you, it went missing! Probably stolen, even!"
"Again, that's just your story- and a strange one indeed..." Akira remarked. "I can't fathom a way in which the culprit could have broken into your bedroom to steal the knife."
"Yeah- you said you had your door locked, right?" Hinata inquired.
"A-And you're sure it was in your room when you fell asleep last night?" Asuna added.
"Y-Yes to both of those..." Ryoto answered with some hesitation.
"Then how, pray tell, could the knife have been stolen?" Akira demanded. "The fact remains that you were the one with the easiest access to the possible murder weapon- and your story about it going missing is nothing but hearsay."
"That's right! A-And it was odd of you to take the knife in the first place!" Asuna remarked. "But you making it clear to all of us that you wanted it for protection...th-that must have been to make yourself look less suspicious!"
"Yeah- then all you had to do was grab the knife, leave your room while we were all asleep, find Hiroshi..." Hinata went on. "Then bam! You plunged that knife right into his chest!"
"Wait, that's wrong!" Hana suddenly refuted- at last, an issue in the theory against Ryoto presented itself, and as such the surfer wasn't about to let it slip away.
"Hinata- are you saying the stab wound to Hiroshi's chest was the cause of death?" the Ultimate then inquired once she had the students' attention.
"Well, yeah- did you see that thing? How could it not kill him?" Hinata responded, bewildered.
"Y-Yeah, but...what if it's not that simple?" Hana replied. "What if...the knife in his chest wasn't what killed him either?"
"W-What...?" Asuna began, her eyes widening in surprise.
"WHAT!? But the knife must have gone straight through his heart! No one could survive that!" Ryoto shouted.
"...Ryoto, this is helping you," Hana flatly reminded the Ultimate Racecar Driver.
Ryoto blinked a few times, then happily replied, "Oooh! In that case, I agree with you 100%!"
"Enough games- Amari, do you have evidence to prove the stab wound wasn't what killed Ashi?" Akira demanded. "If not, I suggest you kindly shut it."
"Well- if Hiroshi was stabbed right in the heart, wouldn't there be a lot more blood?" Hana asked. "But...there wasn't. No matter where you looked, there was barely any blood around that stab wound. And do you guys remember what Hiroshi told us about, during the second and third trials?"
"Hiroshi talked about a lot of science shit, you're gonna have to be more specific," Hinata responded.
"He told us about how, after a person dies, their blood stops flowing, and they stop bleeding- no pulse, no blood flow," the surfer clarified. "That's how we figured out the stab wounds Kaneki had were from before she died, and the slit in Saku's stomach was done after he died- remember?"
"I-I...remember..." Asuna replied with a frown. "So...you're saying because there was no blood around the stab wound in Hiroshi's chest, it's...a case of the latter...?"
When Hana nodded in confirmation, Akira scoffed. "Quite the story you've come up with, Amari- however, it has a significant flaw!"
The Ultimate Prosecutor went on, "In case you didn't look at the body close enough, the majority of Ashi's wounds were rinsed of any bloodstains- meaning it would be difficult to know for certain which wounds exhibited more bleeding. Surely, if the killer rinsed off most of Ashi's other injuries, who's to say they didn't do the same with the stab wound, the potential fatal injury?"
Shit, I forgot about that...! Of course the killer would do something like that to throw us all off, the killer never makes things that easy for us! Or me! Hana thought, apprehensive. I can't give up now, though- the more I think about it, the more sure I am that the chest wound is just another red herring...but do I even have evidence to prove it...?
Hana then took a moment to calm herself and suppress her growing panic. No, no- there's gotta be something that proves it. Maybe...I just need to...look at the evidence a little differently. Look for a different angle!
It took her a few seconds to think, but finally the answer- or an answer, at least- came to her. Clinging to that little bit of hope, Hana answered, "Okay- maybe the killer did rinse the wounds off...but that doesn't explain why there was no blood on his shirt, either!"
Akira narrowed her eyes. "What?"
"That knife was stabbed through Hiroshi's shirt too- you guys all saw, and the big hole in the fabric is even more proof," Hana explained. "But if that's the case, then the shirt should have been covered in blood too! And there's no way the killer could have just cleaned it off- blood doesn't come out of fabric that easily!"
"W-Well...maybe the killer went into his room and got a spare shirt, then swapped the bloody shirt out with the clean one?" Asuna suggested. "Then...stabbed him...again...?"
"You know, that's actually where I was headed next with this," Hana remarked. "I think that's exactly what the killer did- they switched out Hiroshi's bloody clothes with clean ones, then stabbed him in the chest to confuse us even more about how he died!"
"That's possible! With Hiroshi dead, they could have totally taken his room key off of him and got into his room without worrying about Monokuma's breaking and entering rule!" Ryoto agreed. "Plus, we do have weird identical copies of our clothes."
Akira glared. "While that would explain how the stab wound was done post-mortem, it's just speculation at the moment- do you have any actual proof, besides the knife, that the blackened swapped Ashi's outfits to hide evidence?"
Maybe not physical proof- but I'm sure observations are the next best thing. Hana told herself, her gaze determined. Either way, I can't choke up here- there was something missing from Hiroshi's outfit, and I need to make that clear to everyone right now!
"How's this for proof: did anyone notice how Hiroshi was missing his vest?" Hana responded, crossing her arms. "No, not just his vest- his pants pocket didn't have any latex gloves in it either!"
"O-Okay, Hiroshi missing his vest, that's...a little weird, b-but what's so weird about him not having any gloves in his pocket?" Asuna asked. "He had to have run out at some point, right...?"
"You kidding? He never ran out- he probably stuffed some gloves into his pocket every morning or something..." Hinata observed.
"Exactly- Hiroshi barely ever went without his vest or some gloves- so isn't it strange that he didn't have either of those when we found him?" Hana went on. "My guess is that the killer didn't think to put any gloves in his pockets when they switched out his pants, and that's why his pockets were empty."
She continued, "And as for his vest...well, I can only assume Hiroshi only ever had that one vest. So, there was probably some evidence left on it when the culprit killed him, and since they couldn't switch that out like the rest of his clothes, they had to just...take it with them and get rid of it along with his old clothes."
"Aaaaand all that proves the stab in his chest was done after he was dead?" Ryoto inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh- obviously, the tear in the shirt means he was stabbed after the clothes were swapped, and since there was no blood in the fabric..." Hana replied. "That means it must have happened after the switch- after Hiroshi was already dead!"
"YES! And that means I'm innocent! Ryoto Miura's in the clear!" Ryoto happily shouted.
Hinata gave a little whistle, "Wow- quite the theory you've got there, Hana. I gotta admit, I can't come up with a good enough argument to counter it, so..."
Akira appeared less pleased. "Don't get cocky, Amari- a good chunk of what you've discussed is very circumstantial. Should I find a contradiction in your argument, mark my words you will pay for it, understand?"
"H-Hey! Th-This is a debate, not a gladiator battle!" Hana sheepishly remarked- no matter what, it seemed she could still count on Akira to be the epitome of intimidation.
The surfer, attempting to regain her footing, went on, "Anyways, uh...since it's pretty clear the kitchen knife wasn't the murder weapon, let's hold off on suspecting Ryoto for now, okay-"
"I-I can't let you say that!" Asuna suddenly shouted, causing Hana to freeze in shock.
"What the-!? Asuna? Y-You're arguing against me now...?" Hana asked once the surprise wore off- and in fact, she actually sounded somewhat hurt when she said the last statement, her voice even cracking a little bit.
Hearing the sadness in the Ultimate's voice, Asuna's bravado disappeared almost instantly and she responded, "Um...y-yeah, uh...sorry about this..."
Then, the firmness returned just as quickly as it vanished. "But I don't think we should let Ryoto off the hook that easily! I-It's too soon to say the kitchen knife wasn't the murder weapon, a-and I'm going to explain why!"
I...do not know what to do about this... Hana thought. On one hand, I want to be proud that she's making such a huge effort to be confident and make herself heard, but on the other hand..why does she have to make an argument against me?
She sighed in resignation. I wish I didn't have to, but...sorry, Asuna- but I know Ryoto's innocent, and if it means proving that, then I'll take down your arguments too!
"O-Okay, so maybe the stab to the chest wasn't the cause of death, I can understand that. B-But that doesn't mean the knife wasn't used at all!" Asuna argued. "Hiroshi had tons of other injuries on him- injuries that, uh, could only have been caused by something like a blade! Hana, y-you saw the corpse too- you saw the wounds Hiroshi had for yourself! Y-You've got to know what I'm talking about!"
"The wounds on Hiroshi...do you mean the cuts on his ankles and his wrists?" Hana inquired.
"E-Exactly! Now, granted, I didn't look at the wounds too closely myself, but- but from I did see, even I could tell the cuts were pretty severe, e-especially on his hands and wrists!" Asuna continued. "Now, if someone was to be slashed in that area, on his wrists like that- even I know that it would cause a lot of bleeding! N-Not enough to kill him right away, no, b-but left alone...Hiroshi definitely would have bled out from the cuts on his wrists alone! A-And that's not even taking into consideration the ones on his ankles!"
"Well, you're not wrong about that..." Hana conceded, but then firmly continued, "But even if those slashes were the cause of death somehow, they don't connect Ryoto himself to the murder!"
"Sure they do! I-It's obvious the kitchen knife was still the weapon used to actually make those slashes, right? A-And both you and Ryoto admitted the knife we found at the scene and the one Ryoto took yesterday were most likely one in the same, right?" Asuna quickly insisted. "Th-Then there's still a chance he could be the killer! He could have taken that knife a-and mutilated Hiroshi's hands and wrists! He, uh, could have done the same to his ankles too-!"
Finally, Hana had something she could use against Asuna's argument- the moment she heard it, the surfer interrupted her with a resounding, "I'll cut through that claim!"
"Asuna- you didn't get a good look at Hiroshi's ankles, did you?" Hana inquired once the Ultimate Gardener was quiet.
"Uh...? N-No, not...really..." Asuna admitted. "Why do you-?"
"Because Hiroshi's ankles weren't cut like his wrists were- the gashes on his ankles were a lot more uniform. A little too uniform, if you ask me," Hana explained. "There were three cuts on both his ankles- and they all looked almost identical to each other, and they were perfectly parallel to boot."
Asuna was looking more and more concerned by the second. "So...?"
"Sooo- can you imagine the kind of precision you'd need to make cuts like that? The only people I can think of who could do that are Shiori and Hiroshi- and they're both dead!" Hana yelled in response. "No matter how you look at it, Ryoto just doesn't have the skill to make those kind of slashes! He's not that precise at all!"
She then quickly added to the racecar driver, "No offense."
"None taken," Ryoto casually replied.
"But...what about the gashes on Hiroshi's hands and his wrists...?" Asuna asked. "Couldn't those have killed him...?"
"Even if they did, I don't think it was Ryoto either," Hana went on. "The gashes there had to have been caused by the knife too, right? I mean, why would the killer use two different weapons like that? So if Ryoto wasn't the one who used the knife on Hiroshi's ankles, then it's pretty unlikely he was the one who cut up his hands too."
The others didn't have much to say to that, but they weren't the ones Hana was worried about- even Asuna, who was the one to start accusing Ryoto in the first place. Turning to the deathly silent Akira, she asked, "So- Akira. Anything to say to that?"
"..." Akira's arms were crossed, and there was an unmistakable anger in her eyes. Nevertheless, the prosecutor replied. "Perhaps...you do have a point. In regards to Miura, I do have one more thing to add."
She explained, "The cuts on Ashi's hands and wrists were severe, and no doubt would have led to heavy bleeding- that much can be seen by the traces of blood having been rinsed off. However, it's actually quite hard to die in such a way, as the main arteries in the arm are quite deep- and you don't even need to be an Ultimate Coroner to know that, just pay attention in school."
"So, what you're saying is- even though the killer cut his wrists, it's really unlikely he bled to death from it?" Hinata inquired. "Musta hurt like hell though, right? And he definitely bleed to some extent, right?"
Hana winced- she didn't disagree with Hinata's observations, but the image of the calm and collected Hiroshi in so much pain just before his death was one she didn't want to think about too much.
"True- but that doesn't necessarily make those wounds the lethal ones either..." Akira conceded with a low sigh. "Therefore, it looks like it was another red herring. For now- for now, it seems Miura's in the clear..."
As she said that, the Ultimate sighed again- not just a sigh, but gave a minor grimace- and ran a hand through her hair, as if to smooth it out. Seeing this, Hana tilted her head a little- was Akira becoming...stressed?
However, the surfer couldn't dwell on that, as Ryoto immediately spoke up, "But- But what about the knife? How'd that get from my room to Hiroshi's chest?"
"I...guess we'll just have to figure that out later," Hana told him. He's right, though- it's still super weird that the kitchen knife just...disappeared from his room like that..how did the killer do it...?
"Hey, uh- speaking of wrists and all that..." Hinata then chimed in. "I was there when Hana was looking at Hiroshi's body, got a few glimpses of what she was looking at myself- and if I recall, those cuts weren't the only thing weird on his arms. Right, Hana?"
"Huh-? O-Oh! Oh, yeah, I know what you mean!" Hana responded with a nod.
"Are you referring to the abrasions extending around Ashi's wrists?" Akira asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah- you think those might have something to d with...well, anything?" Hinata questioned.
"Well, while I can't speak for what exactly caused those scrapes, I can only imagine the killer had Ashi bound by his wrists at some point- most likely before they mutilated his hands and wrists,"
"Uh...I-I might be able to answer that," Asuna said. "I know I was wrong about Ryoto, a-and I'm sorry about that, but this time I know I have a point!"
"What do you mean? You know what caused those scrapes?" Hana asked, surprised.
"Uh-huh. I-I was investigating the South Wing, and I was going to look into Hiroshi's bedroom, b-but before that I investigated the storage room," Asuna explained.
"Oh? Is that what you were doing in the South Wing?" Akira questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Why the storage room?" Ryoto asked. "The murder happened in the North Wing, the storage room is in the South Wing! Can't ya read a compass!?"
"I-I know that! B-But the other day, I noticed..." Asuna anxiously clarified. "Something...Something was missing from the storage room."
Akira's eyes gleamed in interest. "Missing?"
"How could you tell? There's a million things in there," Hinata pointed out, surprised.
"Well- she's been in charge of locking and unlocking it since the South Wing's second floor first opened, so she's been around it more than any of us," Hana pointed out. "If anyone would notice something being missing, I'd think Asuna would be our best bet."
"Buuut I thought she wouldn't want to go into the storage room that much," Ryoto claimed with a frown. He continued in more of a whisper, "You know, after what happened to you-know-who in-"
"Ryoto, I can hear you and I know who you're talking about," Asuna flatly told him.
"Crap! I should've used pig Latin!" Ryoto yelped in sorrow.
Ignoring Ryoto, Asuna continued, "Anyways- he's not wrong, I haven't wanted to go in there too often after...what happened, b-but that doesn't mean I've never gone in there ever since that incident. And from the times that I have peeked in, I have gotten a pretty good feel for what's in there."
"W-Well- don't keep us in suspense! What was missing?" Hana quickly asked.
"Tape. A-A roll of duct tape, sitting on one of the shelves- th-that's what was gone," Asuna explained.
"Duct tape, eh...? Well, the abrasions on Ashi's wrists were certainly rectangular in shape, wide enough to match the width of normal roll of duct tape," Akira surmised. "Not to mention applying tape to one's skin, especially something like duct tape, and then tearing it off would cause the superficial injuries I saw. Like ripping off a partocularly strong Band-Aid."
Narrowing her eyes, the Ultimate Prosecutor then asked, "But here's my question, Izumi- why didn't you mention this missing roll of duct tape before?"
"Well, I only noticed it was gone in the middle of the day yesterday, s-so I didn't think much of it at the time..." Asuna explained. "But when we discovered his body, I started to wonder...m-maybe that missing tape wasn't so innocuous after all...?"
Akira huffed. "Well, while it does explain the abrasions...it doesn't actually provide much evidence pointing to the killer. First of all, I don't suppose anyone found this missing roll of tape during the investigation? I'll be the first to admit I didn't."
Unsurprisingly, no one said anything to disprove the prosecutor.
"Furthermore, the only time the storage room is completely locked is during nighttime- during the day, it's completely open and unlocked, meaning anyone can access it at any time," Akira continued, as stern as ever. "And since there were numerous times throughout the yesterday that several of us wandered around alone and unaccounted for, anyone could have taken it. So, while it explains Ashi's abrasions, it's not useful evidence in terms of identifying a new suspect."
"Oh, ah- sorry, I just...wanted to make up for derailing things by suspecting Ryoto..." Asuna replied with a little sigh.
"Well, Asuna- we know a bit more about how Hiroshi was killed thanks to both that and your tape info, so they weren't total losses," Hana told the gardener with a reassuring smile.
"Besides- I think that little discussion gave me a bit more reason to speak up about something..." Hinata said. "Namely, that I kinda have a suspect of my own."
That changed Hana's mood significantly, and she turned her gaze to the thief swiftly. "W-Wait, what? You too, Hinata?"
"It's not me again, is it!?" Ryoto cried.
"Don't worry, it not you," Hinata responded, then sending a glare at the student he was actually referring to. "It's her."
Asuna's eyes went wide. "M-Me!?"
"Hell yeah, you!" Hinata retorted. "Look, I was following your logic when you were accusing Ryoto, but then that got shot down pretty quickly, and- honestly, I've been suspecting you, even more after you were so sure of Ryoto being suspicious-"
"B-Because I thought he was! I-I hoped he wasn't the killer, b-but I couldn't deny my suspicions!" Asuna replied, looking like she wanted to be anywhere else but behind that podium.
"Slow down, both of you," Akira commanded them. "Yonade- you're accusing Izumi now? And you claim you've suspected her for some time now? Care to explain that?"
"Sure thing- I've got my reasons, for sure," Hinata agreed, putting a hand in his hoodie pocket. "Even beyond the whole 'really quick to accuse Ryoto' thing, Asuna's the only one here with total access to the storage room- so if she wanted to take something from there, like a roll of duct tape, wouldn't she be able to at literally any time she wanted?"
"Y-You can't prove I'm the one who took the tape! I-I'm the one who told you guys about it, why would I do that if I took it?" Asuna asked.
"To throw suspicion off yourself- wouldn't be the first time someone's done something like that," the Ultimate Thief smoothly answered.
"B-But like Akira said- anyone else could have gone into the storage room at any time yesterday to grab the tape, there's no way to prove it was Asuna specifically!" Hana refuted.
"You're not wrong," Hinata replied with a shrug. "Buuut that's just a little speck compared to the main reason I think she's suspicious."
"Well, I hope this 'main' reason is more substantial than a missing roll of tape," Akira scoffed, readjusting her tie. "Otherwise, this will be an actual waste of our time."
You've gotta be kidding me...! What's going on here, some kind of accusation party!? Why are Ryoto, Asuna, and Hinata all suspecting each other so easily!? Hana thought with growing dismay. I don't get it, I...no, no, I can't worry about that right now, I need to pay attention to what Hinata's saying- because no matter what, there's no way in hell that Asuna's the killer either!
"Oooh, I get it- it makes total sense you'd think it was Asuna!" Ryoto remarked to Hinata. "She had full access to the storage room, and no one EVER suspects the short people!"
"B-But I was a suspect in the second trial..." Asuna reminded him, pulling her fedora down to cover her face slightly.
"Regardless- do you have more ground to suspect Izumi on, Yonade?" Akira questioned the thief.
"Oh I've got ground alright," Hinata told her. "And it all goes back to yesterday- when we were looking around the castle for Hiroshi."
"Oh yeah! Weren't you and Asuna assigned to the West Wing?" Ryoto asked.
"W-We were, but- I don't see why that's relevant..." Asuna responded.
"Really? Because while I was wandering around in the dark, something a little strange happened," Hinata pointedly told the gardener. "Care to tell 'em about it, Asuna?"
"T-Tell them about what? What are you talking about?" Asuna asked him, baffled. "I was searching the West Wing just like you! A-Aside from some blackouts, nothing weird was going on!"
"Wait, that's wrong!" Hana interjected. "Wait- I think I know what Hinata's talking about! He told me about it during the investigation!"
"Told you about...what?" Asuna asked, still just as confused.
"Asuna- he told me that, during his search of the West Wing, he heard you in the wine room," Hana explained. "You told him you wanted to investigate the wine room yourself. Also, the door was blocked off, so he couldn't get inside anyways."
"Hmph- Yonade told me the same story," Akira observed. "So the fact that he didn't change it at all between the time he told me and then Amari adds some credibility, at least."
"And I'm still sticking to that story! I know what I saw, I know what I heard!" Hinata angrily insisted. "And I know for a fact it was you I heard in there, Asuna!"
"What!? B-But I never went into the wine room!" Asuna responded in panic. "I-I wasn't even supposed to be up there, w-we agreed that I'd search the first floor!"
"I never said I knew why you were up there, and I don't know how you just...disappeared by the time I got in there- but it was your voice I heard, I'm sure of that," Hinata claimed.
"W-Well...in all fairness, Hinata, even if you did hear Asuna in the wine room..." Hana began with a concerned frown. "I'm not really sure if it's completely relevant to the case. I know it's suspicious, and the way she was trying to pin the murder on Ryoto was weird too, and I know we need all the leads we can get, but- seems kinda like you're grasping at straws here, you know?"
"Actually...Yonade may have solid reason to be suspicious," Akira spoke up after a moment of thought. "Because I have something he seems to be lacking: evidence."
"Evidence...? Of...what?" Hana asked, feeling a pang of anxiety in her gut.
"Well, first, let's go back to the original topic of discussion- Ashi's true cause of death," Akira began. "We established it wasn't suicide, it wasn't strangulation, he wasn't stabbed in the chest, and he didn't bleed out through his wrists. However, Ashi had another visible wound that could have killed him..."
Another one...? Well, he had a bunch of other injuries, which one is she talking about...? Hana asked herself. The surfer ultimately decided to take a guess and answered, "Uh...do you mean his head injury?"
"Yes, I'm referring to the head wound," Akira replied, as if the answer was obvious. "I'm no medical expert, but based on the depth and general severity of the injury, I believe it would be sufficient enough to kill- or at the very least, render him completely unconscious. Left in that state, he would likely die at a later time if he didn't die instantly."
"Sooo, Hiroshi was bludgeoned to death!" Ryoto concluded, clapping his hands together. "WE FIGURED IT OUT! CASE CLOSED!"
"But we still don't know who killed him," Hana reminded him.
Ryoto clapped his hands again and declared, in same tone, "NEVERMIND!"
"A-And even if he was bludgeoned- what did the killer use to do it...?" Asuna asked.
To this, Akira chuckled. "Well, I would expect you'd know that, Izumi...after all, you were the one who led me to the potential murder weapon."
Turning to the others, the Ultimate Prosecutor explained, "During the investigation, I commandeered Izumi to help me figure out why the dumbwaiter in the West Wing stopped working- after all, with the dumbwaiter on the bottom floor, she'd be small enough to fit into the shaft and reach the mechanisms on top."
She smirked, visibly confident. "And wouldn't you know, there was something quite odd shoved into those gears that prevented them from moving. It was a glass bottle of grape juice from the banquet room on the ground floor- the base of which was covered in dried blood spatter."
"A-A bottle...? Covered in blood?" Hana began, dumbfounded. "You think that's the murder weapon?"
"The base of the bottle would match quite well with the shape of Ashi's head injury, and with enough force it would inflict significant damage- not unlike what Shimaru did to you and Yamamoto," Akira explained. "So, yes, it does have potential to be the murder weapon."
"Holy shit! That was in the wine room since yesterday, and I didn't even notice?" Hinata cried.
"Y-You mean you were accusing me just now w-without actually knowing if it tied to the murder!?" Asuna yelped, bewildered.
"I-I, er- i-it doesn't matter if I may or may not have thought it through or not!" Hinata refuted. "Because Akira just gave me a connection! You must have been in the wine room yesterday to hide the drink bottle, went back later to grab it so you could attack Hiroshi with it, and then after the murder you hid it back in the same place!"
"Doesn't that timeline sound a little, you know- weird? Or inconvenient, at least?" Hana asked. "Why would she go and hide it twice, once before the murder happened and again after?"
"I don't know, I don't have all the answers! It's just the order that makes the most sense!" Hinata snapped.
"B-But I'm the one that helped Akira find the bottle!" Asuna yelled, her tone a combination of distressed and angry. "Why would I help her if I was the killer!?"
"Simple- as Yonade said earlier, it was to throw off anyone's suspicions," Akira answered. "Sure, it would cause problems for you later on, but being uncooperative with me would be worse in the long wrong- choosing the lesser of two evils, as it were. And beyond that, with all the other injuries Ashi sustained, you were probably banking on us believing one of those were the cause of death, causing us to suspect someone else entirely."
"...Uh- yeah, what she said," Hinata awkwardly agreed.
Hana's face went pale. "No way- you really think Asuna's the killer? Both of you?"
"I'm the one that started accusing her, wasn't I?" Hinata pointedly reminded her. "Hell, if anything, the stuff Akira talked about only made me more certain!"
"AHA! THE TRUTH HAS BEEN REVEALED!" Ryoto declared. "For real this time!"
"N-No, no! No it hasn't! I-I'm not the killer, I swear!" Asuna cried out, her panic only growing.
"You say that- but can you prove it?" Akira asked with an icy gaze.
"I...I...!" Asuna stammered- she looked like she might start crying. "No, no, not this again...!"
Hana grimaced. "Guys, really- can you guys really say Asuna's the killer? Of all people? I- she wouldn't-"
"The same goes for you, Amari- either provide proof, or be quiet. After all, you were the one who disproved the previous theories and accusations- there's only so much evidence and so many suspects left, you know," Akira responded with an angered. "Unless you'd like to confess to being involved somehow."
Okay- I know for a fact that I'm not the killer, and I can't imagine Asuna being the killer either- but how can I prove her innocent? I can't do anything about the drink bottle, I didn't even know about it until now... Hana thought worriedly. Come on, think! There's gotta be a contradiction in Akira and Hinata's theory somewhere!
"P-Please stop, I'm innocent! What have I done so far that's been suspicious!?" Asuna anxiously asked.
"Like I said- yesterday, I heard you in the wine room! You even blocked the door to keep me from getting in!" Hinata hotly reminded her. "And since the wine room was where the bloody bottle was hidden, and the dumbwaiter stopped working at that point..."
"I-I can't explain any of that, b-but all I can say is that it wasn't me!" Asuna insisted. "Someone must have- must have been impersonating my voice or something!"
"HUH!? Impostors!?" Ryoto shouted. "Nuh-uh! You've got a pretty distinct voice, Asuna- I don't think anyone would be able to replicate it that well!"
He then added, more like an afterthought, "Well, maybe Hana might..."
"That doesn't matter! I know it was her voice!" Hinata refuted. "I didn't need to see her to know that!"
"Besides, the timing does add up somewhat," Akira pointed out. "You probably used the dumbwaiter for transportation, as Shimaru did during his murder plan, which is why Yonade didn't see you when he got into the wine room."
She continued, "You probably hid the bottle in the shaft just before he got in, hence why the lift stopped working at that point. Then, you returned later- probably during the night- to retrieve the bottle to use as a weapon."
"Th-That's- not-!" Asuna stuttered.
"Then, since you were the one who initially saw Ashi heading into the East Wing last night- as you told us- you were probably able to go and track him down after retrieving the bottle, and from there..." Akira went on, ignoring Asuna. "You struck him in the head with it, either killing him instantly or giving him a fatal wound."
"Sounds about right to me- nothing really stopping her from doing that, right?" Hinata asked. "Yeah, she's small and scrawny, but..."
Hana's eyes widened as something clicked in her mind. Wait a sec-! What he said just now- that's it! I know how to prove Asuna couldn't have bludgeoned Hiroshi!
Before Akira could continue, Hana shouted in her usual way, "Wait, that's wrong!"
Akira turned her fierce gaze towards the surfer, snapping, "Amari! What are you doing?"
"Proving you wrong! There's no way Asuna could have killed Hiroshi like that!" Hana yelled. That's right- I knew something was bothering me about what Akira was saying! ...Okay, there were a few things, but this one's the most relevant!
"Why not? What's so hard about smashing a bottle over a dude's head?" Hinata inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Pretty hard, actually- at least, it would be for Asuna," Hana replied. "Guys, look at her- knocking someone out with a glass bottle, even killing them with it, isn't that easy. Yeah, Tadao did something similar before, and he wasn't exactly the strongest in the class either- but even he was a lot stronger than Asuna!"
"...Uh...this is gonna help me, right...?" Asuna, whose confidence was thoroughly bruised, asked.
"Yeah, I've got a point, don't worry," Hana assured her, before redirecting her attention to the other students. "And another thing- look at Asuna's height! According to the Monokuma File, Hiroshi was about 5'7"- and Asuna is still way shorter than that! So with both of those combined- how the hell would she have been able to knock out or even kill Hiroshi by bludgeoning him if she's not tall or strong enough!?"
"Seriously? Your argument is 'she was too short to commit the murder'- again?" Hinata asked, unamused.
"Am I wrong?" Hana simply asked.
"...Not really..." Hinata muttered in response.
Akira glared furiously, but then let out a low chuckle. "Grasping at straws, I see. Did you forget that Ashi's ankles were also sliced- specifically, his Achilles' tendons? With those cut, he'd be unable to run away or properly stand- meaning he'd be lower to the ground, one way or another. Therefore, the issue of height and possibly strength is addressed."
"But that's another thing! To slash Hiroshi's ankles, she'd need Ryoto's knife- how would she have gotten it? How would she have gotten into Ryoto's room? It couldn't have been while he was sleeping because his room was locked!" Hana quickly pointed out.
"Mmmm- HAH! Speaking of being the killer..." Ryoto spoke up, having come to some kind of realization. "Wouldn't they need to lift up Hiroshi's body with the rope? Weeell, since this is Asuna we're talking about, I don't think she'd be strong enough to do that! Hiroshi wasn't, you know, heavy or anything- but lifting up an entire PERSON requires some level of strength!"
"...Are, uh...are you guys done now...?" Asuna asked, downtrodden. "I-I think they got the point..."
"But...But, what about what I heard in the wine room yesterday? That had to have been Asuna, and since the dumbwaiter stopped working after that, and the glass bottle was the thing that made it stop working...!" Hinata responded, baffled.
"Not to mention Izumi was, apparently, tasked with investigating the ground floor of the West Wing- where the banquet room was," Akira observed. "Thus, she'd have the best opportunity to retrieve the weapon in question."
Hana grimaced. Right, that- I can't explain that. I don't know what's going on with what Hinata heard, but...that couldn't have been Asuna he heard, right...? When would she have even gone into the wine room, I talked to her in the courtyard after she got done investigating, and then she-
Then, the Ultimate Surfer's eyes widened in realization- maybe, just maybe, there was another way to fully prove Asuna's innocence...but that would depend on how her next question was answered.
"Hey, Hinata- let me ask you this..." Hana began. "What time was it when you heard Asuna in the wine room?"
"Huh? What...time was it...?" Hinata responded, taken aback. "Uh- I...think it was around...12-ish? Like- noon, noon or something, maybe a little after."
Hearing this, Hana couldn't help but let out a small, relieved laugh. "Then- Then, if that's true, then- it couldn't have been Asuna you heard! Because she had an alibi for when Hinata was at the wine room!"
"What!? What alibi!?" Akira immediately demanded. "If this is some lie, then-"
"It's not a lie! She's got an alibi- because I'm her alibi!" Hana told her. "Asuna and I had a conversation out in the courtyard around noon!"
Subconscious anger took hold of Hana and she found herself snapping back, "Of course I'm worried about him! Why wouldn't I be worried about the guy who's been there for me the most throughout this entire damn killing game!?"
Asuna yelped in fright at Hana's sudden anger, but quickly composed herself and responded, "I-I get it- you were- are probably the closest one to Hiroshi out of all of us, s-so...it's hard to imagine what you're going through right now..."
She went on, more resolute, "But- you can't lose your head right now. There's...There's still a chance that Hiroshi's fine, and is going to be fine, so...d-don't give up yet, okay? We're all doing our best to help find him, a-and I'm sure Hiroshi would want you to do your best, too."
The gardener's words were enough to extinguish the anger and bitterness that had grasped Hana, allowing her to think clearly again- though, with that clarity came the urge to break down into tears due to stress and fear, but Hana was able to suppress any tears or sobs.
"You're...You're right, I'm sorry, it's...been a really tough day so far," Hana replied with a long sigh. "And it's only barely past noon by now..."
"Th-That's right...! I-I didn't register what time it was, b-but..." Asuna replied, becoming more hopeful by the second.
Hana turned her own glare towards Akira, then reminded her, "And it's not a 'lie', Akira- you saw the two of us out in the courtyard! You know I'm telling the truth, even if you don't want to admit it for some reason!"
However, before Asuna could comment, another set of doors opened- these ones being the doors leading into the East Wing. Out of these doors came Akira, a stark contrast to Asuna's friendliness. The prosecutor looked around the courtyard for a moment, then caught sight of the two Ultimates standing by the South Wing's entrance.
"Amari, Izumi- what are you two doing?" Akira inquired as she approached them. "I don't suppose you're done searching."
"Uh- I am. Hinata and I split up to cover more ground," Asuna explained. "I finished my area, s-so I figured I'd head to the dining room and wait for everyone else."
Akira's eyes widened- although Hana couldn't tell if it was because of surprise, realization, or something else entirely. Either way, Hana knew she had hit the mark.
"Then, if Hinata heard Asuna at noon...but she was talking to Hana in the courtyard at noon..." Ryoto said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Then...Then...SOMEONE MADE A MISTAKE!"
"It was Hinata- he never actually saw whoever was in the wine room, the only reason he thought it was Asuna was because of that person's voice," Hana answered. "It was an honest mistake- he couldn't get into the wine room anyways, right?"
"Right...Right, I tried, but the door was..." Hinata confirmed with a sigh. "Welp- guess I was wrong to instantly accuse Asuna like that, too."
"...Wait, what?" Hana asked, surprised. "You're not gonna...not gonna try and make more arguments...?"
"How can I? You poked more holes in my ideas than Swiss cheese, and you basically proved it wasn't Asuna I heard in the wine room anyways..." Hinata replied with a shrug. "I'm still wondering about that, but...maybe I was a little quick on the draw...?"
Hana was still surprised by the lack of further argument, but it was soon replaced by refreshing relief. Oh thank god- for a second there I thought I'd need to come up with even more proof. Maybe now, the others will finally stop-
Akira's frustration only seemed to grow- she ran one hand through her hair again, and tightly gripped the podium with her other hand. "Amari...you need to be quiet. Right now. Just...stop...talking!"
...Nevermind, I shouldn't have forgotten about Akira.
"What in the world do you think you're doing!? This entire trial, you've done nothing but continually shoot down theory after theory, suspicion after suspicion..." Akira snarled at her. "Have you forgotten that this is a class trial!? Suspecting others is part of the process of finding the blackened! But by 'proving their innocence', you're hindering any chances of moving forward with finding the blackened!"
"Heeey- that's right! We've been talking on and on about what may or may not have killed Hiroshi, but...but we haven't actually made much progress finding the killer! I-In fact, we have gone backwards! We're clearing suspects instead of actually finding new ones!" Ryoto realized with growing panic.
Hearing these words, Hana looked over to see the same realization dawning on Asuna and Hinata's faces- and soon, the apprehension and panic was as visible as can be on them as well.
Ryoto furiously shook his head. "W-Well no more! Ryoto Miura's not gonna let the killer win because we ran out of time! So- I say we talk about that rope and how Hinata may or may not be involved again!"
"What!? You can't just-! W-We already established-!" Hana cried. Oh, crap, not again...!
"W-What!? No way, I'm not the killer!" Hinata shouted at the other Ultimate. "You know what, screw what I said before, there's a good amount of evidence pointing to Asuna! Let's talk about that instead!"
No no no, they can't just go back to mindlessly accusing each other! This isn't like them at all, they're just-! Hana thought, frantically looking back and forth between her classmates. A-Are they just that worried about the trial...? Is that why they're so desperate?
"M-Me again!? N-No way, I'm innocent too!" Asuna refuted. "A-And for the record, there's even more evidence pointing to Ryoto, s-so maybe we should take a closer look at him!"
"ME!? NO WAY! RYOTO MIURA'S NO KILLER!" Ryoto practically roared in outrage.
This is bad, this is so bad- no, this isn't just 'bad', this is wrong! Hana thought. I know Akira said doubting each other is a part of every trial, but this-! This isn't-!
Akira narrowed her eyes as the three argued. "Okay, when I said we should move forward with finding the blackened, this isn't what I had in mind!"
However, none of them listened to her- not Hinata, not Ryoto, and not Asuna- as they continued to throw various accusations at each other.
Meanwhile, Monokuma let out an amused laugh. "Man! I knew this trial was gonna be a ride, but to see more than half of you at each other's throats- I wouldn't have wanted it any other way!"
"You stay out of this!" Hana snapped at the bear, her frustration and panic boiling over.
I can't take this- Ryoto, Hinata, Asuna...I can't let them keep going like this! This isn't right! But- But they're not gonna listen to me, how do I get them to stop!? Hana anxiously thought, her gaze going towards Hiroshi's portrait right next to her. Hiroshi...if you were here, what would you do? How would you react to this? How would you fix this...?
Hana couldn't tell how it happened, but suddenly the dining room was filled with arguing, defending, and accusing from just about all sides. All the confusion and tension that had been building up since Monokuma's announcement seemingly exploded in these moments into a series of bickering. Hana herself found herself attempting to defend herself against Akira and try to make a defense for this hypothetical 'traitor'- which only made her look more suspicious to Akira.
The only student who wasn't arguing was Hiroshi; he was deathly silent throughout everything- for a time. However, after a few seconds of listening to his classmates tearing each other apart with words, he finally stood.
"You guys...you guys...!" Hiroshi began through clenched teeth before shouting, "You guys!"
Hearing Hiroshi raising his voice- an occurrence rarer than seeing Bigfoot- was more than enough for the students to quiet down and turn their attention to him.
"Why are you all fighting like this? Don't you understand this is what Monokuma and the mastermind want!?" Hiroshi furiously demanded. "When Monokuma said the information he gave us would be a motive if we made it one- this is what he meant! The arguing, the distrust, the frustration-!"
He put a hand to his face and continued, still angered, "I can't believe after everything that's happened, after everything we've all gone through, you all just- so easily fall into this trap! Why!? Why is it still so hard to have faith in each other!?"
Hana stared down at the floor, distraught. Who am I kidding- you'd hate this. You'd hate seeing almost everyone attacking each other again- you'd do everything you could to bring them back to their senses. But- would they listen to you...? Would it work, would it- would it-?
She glanced at all the others- Asuna, Ryoto, and Hinata still furiously arguing, Akira trying to bring order back to the discussion despite looking more frazzled than usual, and Monokuma watching silently while looking like he was having the time of his life.
Hana's hands clenched into fists. No- Hiroshi's dead, but I know if he was here, he'd hate this as much as I do. And that's why- for my sake, for his sake, for everyone's sake- I've gotta stop this! I've never actually taken charge like this beyond sorting out the pieces of the actual murders, but this time- this time, I don't have a choice!
"Guys! Guys!" Hana shouted above the clamor. "EVERYONE! SHUT! UP!"
Finally, Hana's shout caught the attention of her three angered classmates, whose arguing almost immediately faded out as they turned their attention to the surfer.
"Listen! I get that this is a class trial- someone here is the killer, we've gotta find them, we've gotta have suspects, we have to have doubt," Hana told them. "And I- I also get that this is really hard on everyone- this whole case is confusing and frustrating, and we all thought the killings would finally stop, but...to see that Hiroshi was murdered too, it's..."
She shook her head and continued, "But I...I don't want to just stop believing in you guys! I know, we'll have to reveal the killer at some point, but until I know for a fact who that is, I...I don't want to doubt anyone here! Not after everything we've all been through! And if Hiroshi was here, he'd not only agree with me, he'd be really disappointed that you guys are fighting with each other, just like you were the night he disappeared!"
This time, her voice took on a more pleading tone as she went on, "Don't you remember what he said? Why he was so mad? He'd want us to have faith in each other as long as possible- and so do I! I don't want to go through this trial just accusing people outright until there's no other choice, until we know who the killer is, and even then I..."
She couldn't keep going- the idea of any of her four classmates, even Akira, being Hiroshi's murderer was too painful to think about.
"...I...I..." Asuna finally spoke up- but her voice was strained, and one could see tears in her eyes. At last, she cried out, "I- I don't want any of you to be the blackened! I don't want to see anyone else I care about die, o-or be executed! I-I'm sick of it! I just want this nightmare to end!"
"I...I was tried of this from the end of the first trial!" Ryoto admitted, burying his face in one of his hands. "You guys know how much I hate murder! Why do you think I kept doing stuff to try and stop another murder!? Because I HATE seeing everyone die, and I HATE having to keep sending the killers to a goddamn EXECUTION!"
"...You guys should know how I feel about this damn killing game well enough," Hnata stated as he stared at the floor, unable to make eye contact with anyone. "But right now...I'm not...accusing anyone outta malice or anything, I just...don't want to die down here because the blackened was a little too crafty, because that means everything...everything would have been for nothing, right...?"
"Aaah, Hiroshi was right to be disappointed! Why is this so hard!? I wanna keep believing too, but the trial and the murder and the graduation-!" Ryoto rambled on, exasperated. "And this trial's STILL gonna end with another execution! Why!? Why did someone have to go and murder the guy!?"
"I...want to know that too...more than anything, I want to know why Hiroshi had to be..." Hana quietly spoke up with a sigh. Maybe that's why this trial is so much harder on everyone- there's just...no reason for it...why would someone want Hiroshi dead...? What motive could there possibly be, after everything that's happened!?
Akira sighed, still appearing rather stressed. "It doesn't matter whether anyone wants to doubt or how much you hate the process- the reality is, there is still a blackened in our midst, and if we don't find them, the rest of us will be executed. That's how it is, that's how it's always been- to talk about how much you despise it is pointless in our current situation."
She crossed her arms, regaining some of her composure as she continued, "But I do think bickering and constant accusations without full proof- something even I'm not innocent in- has been nothing but a hindrance to us so far...even if it did solve a few mysteries surrounding Ashi's death. So for now, let's be done with that, and debate on the important matters until we have a real suspect."
Hana glanced away, but she found herself unable to be angry at Akira or her words; there was no malice or disdain in what she said- the Ultimate Prosecutor was simply stating the facts just like she always did, reminding the others of the harsh reality they were in.
"Couldn't have said it better myself! You know, the mass arguing was kinda fun at first, but I was starting to wonder if I'd need to get the Arms of Gungnir out again!" Monokuma suddenly interjected from his throne. "But now that that's all over, I'd certainly hope you all would get back to the actual murder..."
He added, with a sinister edge to his voice, "Because, if I recall...your original topic was sorting out Mr. Ashi's cause of death, wasn't it? And- oh! It looks to me you lot haven't even figured that much out yet! Puhuhuhu! At the rate you're going, I might just have to give the blackened the win by default! And you guys don't want that, do you?~"
Hana's face paled as an even harsher truth dawned on everyone. Oh my god- we really haven't made much progress...! We've spent all this time going back and forth, and we still don't even know how Hiroshi was actually killed! That's, like, one of the more basic things in these murders!
If we can't even figure that one thing out- no, if we don't figure it out soon, then...! There won't be much time left to find the real killer!
A/N: Well this trial's certainly an odd one, isn't it? Word of advice- no matter how concerned you are about the outcome of a trial, do not just go mindlessly accusing your classmates without actual, solid ground and evidence. Even Akira knew that in the other trials, even if she ended up suspecting the wrong person in the end. But wow- the 80th Class sure is stressed out, eh? Of course, after everything they've been through only to end up in a fifth trial- can you guys really blame 'em for being a little desperate? Oh and also other factors- but I won't get into the details right now, you guys'll just have to wait.
Now, a bit of trivia for this latest part- after Hinata's argument against Asuna was sufficiently destroyed and he mentioned how he was still wondering about the voice he heard in the wine room, I was gonna put a joke/humorous exchange there. Buuuut with Akira's blow-up at Hana and the resulting mass panic debate that wasn't a Mass Panic Debate, I thought it'd be too great of a mood whiplash- and not a good, clever kind. And since I didn't want to mess up the emotional mood of this part's conclusion- Hana's speech, the others getting all upset, etc.- I decided it'd be best to scrap it. But don't worry- if you're curious, I still plan to implement the joke at a different, more appropriate point...but I won't tell you guys what the joke is/was, needless to say.
But anyways- how in the world is Hana gonna sort out this case with what little evidence that's left, eh? And if she and the others do figure out Hiroshi's true cause of death, will they still have time to sniff out the true blackened? And if they do find that elusive killer, how heartbreaking is it going to be? And what's the deal with all those other mysteries that have yet to be solved, how will they tie into the murder? Will they be resolved, or will they be left for Chapter 6? All these questions and more may or may not be answered in the next part- and I can't WAIT to see you guys there! So long, until then!
