-This is made by Starrshard on Ao3 and Wattpad, please check them out. I have been given permission to upload this to, as they do not have an account on this website-
The trial room was as usual. The checked floor, the golden throne, the red carpet, the crystal chandelier, the high domed ceiling- it was all too familiar to Yaomomo.
We've condemned so many to their deaths in this room.
It's not fair, really...
"Upupupu! And so we return for the sixth time!" Monokuma was sitting on the throne alone this time. Yaomomo was sure he still had Kurogiri and probably Spinner on watch, in case someone tried to attack him.
"Why are you alone? Are you so arrogant that we can't stand up to you that you don't need bodyguards?" Mezou asked coldly.
"Upupu... my friend this trial is currently in the room, actually, so I won't be alone soon!" Monokuma taunted, his beady black eyes fixated on the students. "Now then, you know the drill, you've done this half a dozen times now! Get to your podiums! It's time for the class trial!"
The class did as they were told; after all, what more could they possibly do?
We can only play the game.
Class Trial : Start!
"As per usual, I guess we will start with the Monokuma File," Yaomomo said with a sigh.
"Yeah... as per usual." Tooru was more down than usual as well; of course she would be, her best friend just died. Got murdered.
"..." Hitoshi was silent today, his eyes haunted, tears filling them and threatening to spill over. He was wiping them away periodically.
Yaomomo pulled the tablet out and read the information from it. "The victims were Mei Hatsume and Mashirao Ojirou. Mashirao died from decapitation, and Mei is bleeding from a wound in her back. There's a knife by Mashirao's body. Mei died at roughly two-thirty in the afternoon."
"So the missing info." Mirio paused. "Mei's cause of death, Mashirao's wounds other than his fatal one, Mei's murder weapon, and the order of the deaths."
"That's quite a lot..." Denki muttered.
"Let's tackle something a bit simpler first: Mei's cause of death," Shouto suggested. "We have Mashirao's, so let's get Mei's down."
Mei's cause of death... this should be pretty easy. Almost too easy, but the solution is clear.
Select Something in the Image!
...
Chest Wound : I got it.
"It's clear that Mei died from being stabbed in the chest. There was a stab wound over her heart, and it was deep enough to puncture the vital organ," Yaomomo said. "It's pretty straightforward. I found no traces of poison, or anything of the likes anywhere at either crime scene."
"I-If that's cleared up... the next thing to figure out is to establish all of Mashirao's wounds," Tamaki suggested softly.
"In my autopsy, I found that other than his fatal wound, there was a stab wound in his arm," Yaomomo said. "It doesn't conclude much, but there may have been a tussle."
"Thank you, Yaomomo," Mirio said. "Your autopsies really do prove useful."
"I only do what I can to help," Yaomomo muttered. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, with that out of the way... we can deal with Mei's murder weapon later. First, we should see if we can determine the order of the deaths."
"The order... umm..." Denki mused. "Mei died at... two-thirty in the afternoon. And Mashirao was seen at lunch, which ended at o-one."
"Did anyone see Mashirao past one? Hitoshi?" Mirio lowered his voice as he turned to regard the violette. Hitoshi was unresponsive, his gaze shadowed as he stared at his feet; he only continued to weep silently, maybe even more hurt by Mirio's question.
Of course... because...
Select a Truth Bullet!
...
Hitoshi's Account : I got it.
"No." Mirio returned his attention to Yaomomo. "Hitoshi didn't see Mashirao past one. They parted ways; Hitoshi went to the library, and Mashirao said he'd do some housekeeping in his dorm. Doing the laundry would be included in that, actually."
"If I remember correctly, Tooru saw Mei's body at about... two-forty," Denki spoke up again. "S-Some time must have elapsed between Mei was killed and Tooru found her, or Tooru would probably have seen them. So... one to two-thirty is a good estimate for both of the v-victims."
"Furthermore, Mashirao and Mei's bodies were discovered at the same time," Yaomomo said. "The body discovery announcements were pretty much one after another."
"With the evidence we have now, it's difficult to determine the order," Shouto agreed. "We should move on and clear up a few more things with each victim's individual case. Then we can connect them."
"Let's investigate Mashirao's case further," Yaomomo suggested. Hitoshi subtly winced at the mention of his dead lover; she tried not to feel guilty, probing at something the Psychic was obviously hurting from. I have to, though. For the trial...
"If we're to work together, let's discuss," Mirio spoke up. "Equal voices, equal debate."
Non-stop Debate : Start!
Truth Bullets: Hitoshi's Account, Megablade, Knife - Mei, Misplaced Ceiling Tile, Camera
"From what we know right now, Mashirao evidently... evidently died in the corner, tangled up in a net. It looks like it's only on his shoulders and below," Tamaki said.
"He got his head cut off... maybe by the knife lying by his body," Shouto added.
"Maybe the killer had been hiding out in the room, waiting for someone to enter," Tsuyu suggested in a shaky voice.
"Or maybe they knew he would be there, or followed him," Mezou offered coldly.
"Anyway, we know for sure the killer attacked him," Nejire decided, "Threw the net on him, and decapitated him."
"No, that's wrong."
Misplaced Ceiling Tile : Counter!
"No, the killer didn't manually throw the net," Yaomomo corrected.
"Hm? But how else could they get the net on Mashirao?" The Beauty Pageant inquired.
"They must've set a trap in the room," the ravenette replied. "Allow me to explain. There had been a misplaced ceiling tile in the corner where Mashirao had died. Shouto and I found a button that moved the ceiling tile when it was pressed, and a loud sucking noise came from above the ceiling, through that hole."
"So the killer set this trap to throw the net on someone and ensnare them," Mirio commented. "It was used to tangle up Mashirao, before they killed him... did they intend to do this to just anyone who entered the room? How'd they get him in the corner anyway?"
"No, other people have entered the laundry room today, in the morning," Denki cut in. "For example... I did. So did Mezou, I think; I saw him walking that way with some clothes." His voice got softer as he went, eyeing Mezou's cold stare nervously.
"The trap couldn't have been put up just after lunch, it's a bit complex," Yaomomo stated. "There's another part to it, as well. It explains how the killer knew Mashirao was there, and headed out to physically corner him and trigger the net."
The second part of the trap, one the killer used to monitor the laundry room... I can see it...
Mind Mine : Start!
...
Camera and Tablet : I see it.
"There was a camera in the room," Yaomomo explained. "It was connected wirelessly to a tablet. The killer could monitor the laundry room using this setup, and know when to head down. They were targeting Mashirao specifically; that much is clear, since they didn't do anything to anyone in the room this morning."
"This whole setup... the trap, the camera, this whole complicated plan. Not just anyone could've done this... only one person realistically could," Tamaki muttered. "Yaomomo... you must know, right?"
Yes, only one person could have possibly created this elaborate trap... it's got to be...
Select Someone!
...
Mei Hatsume : It's got to be you.
"...Mei. Only the Ultimate Inventor could've created all this complicated machinery," Yaomomo said coldly.
"Eh? Mei?!" Tooru cried out, but was ignored.
"Not only that, it also explains a certain something found by her body," Shouto added.
The certain something Shouto speaks of, it's-
Select a Truth Bullet!
...
Buzzer : I got it.
"The buzzer, right?" Yaomomo regarded the Theorist. "She had it on her. It must've been connected to some part of her trap; she has no other reason to have it."
"Ooh, what if she made a sensor?" Nejire suggested brightly. "The buzzer alerts her when someone enters the room. Then she would check her tablet. She wouldn't have to watch the tablet all day, which frees up time for her and is less stressful. It's not out of her league, either."
"Good idea, Nejire!" Mirio commented. "That sounds plausible."
"Regardless, there's even another part of this case that Mei being the culprit reinforces," Yaomomo added. "It's..."
Select the correct answer:
Two Masks
Mashirao's Head
Megablade
Mina's Outfit
Megablade : I got it.
"...the megablade."
"Wh-what's a megablade?" Tsuyu asked.
"It's the big knife Shouto and I found in Mei's lab," Yaomomo replied. "Denki, Mezou, Tooru, and Shouto himself can all confirm."
"Yeah... that thing was pretty scary-looking," Tooru said, shuddering.
"I can confirm," Shouto also said. Mezou nodded silently.
"Shouto decided to call it a megablade," Yaomomo continued. "Anyway, it was a massive silver blade that could be folded up into its handle, like some oversized switchblade."
"Putting aside whatever you decided to call it, how is this thing supposed to connect Mei to Mashirao's murder?" Mezou asked.
"It has to do with Mashirao's murder weapon, right, Yaomomo?" Shouto suddenly cut in, regarding the Detective-Affluent Progeny.
Yaomomo returned his gaze evenly. He can read my thought process like an open book... great minds think alike, huh?
Psyche Taxi : Start!
...
Question 1: What was found by Mashirao's body, which is presumably his murder weapon?
Left: Kitchen Knife
Middle: Megablade
Right: Black Ivory Knife
Left : Correct!
...
Question 2: Is the kitchen knife Mashirao's murder weapon?
Left: No
Right: Yes
Left : Correct!
...
Question 3: Why can't the kitchen knife be Mashirao's murder weapon?
Left: Because Mashirao died from decapitation.
Middle: Because the knife is Mei's murder weapon.
Right: Because the knife is too small to behead Mashirao.
Right : Correct!
...
Question 4: What is Mashirao's real murder weapon?
Left: Black Ivory Knife
Middle: Megablade
Right: Kitchen Knife
Middle : Correct!
Success!
Question 1: Kitchen Knife
Question 2: No
Question 3: Because the knife is too small to behead Mashirao.
Question 4: Megablade
Break!
"Mashirao's murder weapon... was the megablade," Yaomomo determined.
"Eh? The megablade was used to kill him?" Nejire remarked. "But I thought it was found with Mei, and the kitchen knife was found by Mashirao."
"That is true," Yaomomo said. "But that kitchen knife is too small and dull to slice off Mashirao's entire head from his neck so cleanly. The megablade is bigger and sharper, so it's more likely. Also, the megablade is unlikely to have been Mei's murder weapon as well, since the tip is curved and far from ideal for stabbing."
"The only person who could've created such a weapon is Mei," Tamaki added on. "The fact it wasn't used against her adds to the idea that she was the one using it against Mashirao."
"But what about the blood on the megablade?" Denki asked quietly. "If it were used to behead Mashirao, shouldn't it be covered in blood?"
The evidence that explains this unusual fact... it's got to be that one...
Mind Mine : Start!
...
Bloody Cloth : I can see it.
"There was a bloody cloth found in one of the boxes in Mei's lab, among other things," Yaomomo replied. "Mei's killer likely found her in the lab, killed her, and took her possessions. Anyone with an ounce of curiosity would test the megablade and realize it was covered in blood."
Wait...
No... that doesn't sound right...
But despite Yaomomo's second thoughts, the rest of the class appeared to be going along with it well.
"This all makes sense now," Tooru said shakily. "Mei killed Mashirao... before someone else killed her in her lab."
"Y-Yeah! Let's just vote for her now!" Denki exclaimed.
"Wait, no! We don't technically know the order of the deaths!" Tamaki retorted.
"But we've already figured her out," Mezou stated. "We should vote."
"But we don't know which body announcement was for who!" Shouto argued. "What if Mei's was first?"
"Guys, come on, stop being so la-" Yaomomo began, but was swiftly cut off by a certain monochrome bear.
"HOLD ON!"
Break!
"Upupupu~ A split opinion already?" Monokuma grinned. "To vote or not to vote... to decide what to do...
"The League of Villains presents their very own morphenomenal trial grounds..! Again!" The bear was delighted, switch and key already in paw. "Heeeeere we go!"
Oh, now look at what being lazy has dragged us into... a Scrum Debate.
Scrum Debate : Start!
Should we vote for Mei?
Vote for Mei: Mezou, Tooru, Denki, Tsuyu, Nejire, Hitoshi
Don't Vote for Mei: Mirio, Tamaki, Shouto, Yaomomo
"Mei is Mashirao's killer, we should just vote for her!" Denki exclaimed.
"Mirio."
"Just because Mei was Mashirao's killer doesn't mean we should just jump to vote!" Mirio retorted.
"Mashirao was found first, so Mei's the blackened," Mezou stated.
"Shouto."
"Be logical. We don't know who was found first since the announcements were one after the other," the Theorist said.
"Let's just get this over with... why bother trying anymore?" Hitoshi whimpered, his voice trembling.
"Mirio."
"We have to keep trying, or else we'll only give in to despair!" The Ultimate Hope exclaimed.
"All this talk about hope and despair... we already figured out the case, why not go ahead and vote?" Tsuyu muttered.
"Tamaki."
"We can't just vote, we only figured out one case," Tamaki replied.
"If we've already gotten the identity of the blackened, why waste energy figuring out a meaningless case?" Tooru murmured.
"I'll do it."
"Mei's life was not meaningless," Yaomomo said. "She has the right to at least be done justice in this trial."
Crouch Bind : Set!
W - A - D - A - W - S
Full Counter : Break!
"Come on, guys, don't be lazy," Yaomomo chastised. "We only figured out Mashirao's case. We have to figure out Mei's too, because we don't even know which of them was discovered first."
"Well, what if we can't figure out the order and there are two different killers? How are we supposed to know who to vote for, then?" Denki pointed out.
"I'm... I'm not sure," Yaomomo said slowly. "But I'm sure there has to be some way to figure out the order of the announcements."
"Yaomomo, haven't you noticed?" She looked over to meet Mezou's stony gaze. "Can't you tell? We don't want to keep trying. Not when making it through a trial only means more suffering."
"I don't care if you've all given up or not," Yaomomo snapped back. "I don't care if you all want to die. I think a part of me had decided to give up long ago, too, when Fumikage died. But I kept going, for the sake of playing the game and pulling the class through to another day. Nothing you say can change that."
Silence followed her words. Ha. Guess I really am just an Ultimate Detective...
"If we've gotten that out of the way..." Shouto cut in gently. "Why don't we talk about something that's been bothering me about Mashirao's case for a while now?"
"Eh? What is it?" Nejire prompted.
"His body discovery. Only Mezou and I were present at the body when both announcements went off. The body discovery announcement only activates when three people have seen the body... so why did it go off when Mezou and I saw it?" Shouto mused.
"It must be because the first person to see it saw it before you two," Tamaki easily deduced. "But who is that person?"
"If you fess up now, you'll be free of suspicion, too," Mirio reminded the students. "But if you lie and get found out, it would make you look suspicious."
"So if anybody would like to say they saw the body before Shouto and Mezou, speak out now," Yaomomo demanded.
The trial room was quiet. Everyone looked from person to person, as if searching for someone who would step up. No one did, of course.
"Nobody? Nobody would like to confess they saw it?" Nejire sounded surprised.
There's so many things that don't stack up when you look at the big picture, Yaomomo realized, her mind whirling. The two masks, Mina's costume, the blue cloth in Mashirao's hand...
"I think... it's because the person who saw him first knows they're suspicious," she said slowly.
"Come again?" Tooru asked.
"Mei... may not have been the killer of Mashirao after all," Yaomomo said.
I have to explain to everyone, show them the hidden truth in this case that we didn't consider..!
Non-stop Debate : Start!
Truth Bullets: Hitoshi's Account, Two Masks, Ochako's Outfit, Buzzer, Camera
"Mei may not have been Mashirao's killer? What are you saying?" Denki asked.
"Yeah! Only Mei could've set up this complicated trap!" Tooru agreed. "None of the rest of us have the smarts to make all that stuff."
"Yeah! It's pretty clear," Nejire said. "Mei set up a trap to kill Mashirao in particular for some reason, carried it out perfectly, and then got killed by someone else in her own lab!"
"No, that's not what I think happened," Yaomomo retorted.
"Then what did happen?" Tamaki asked. "Mei was definitely involved in the murder."
"Maybe Mei set up the entire trap, and masterminded it..." Shouto theorized. "But never set a finger on Mashirao himself?"
"But then why would she be dressed in Ochako's outfit?" Mirio pointed out. "She had to have gone down there personally!"
"I-If she was involved and personally approached Mashirao, maybe... oh!" Denki exclaimed. "What if... Mei had an accomplice?"
"I agree with that."
Two Masks : Consent!
"There's a lot of evidence that points to Mei having an accomplice," Yaomomo said. "But the most straightforward are the two masks we found in the boxes. She must've worn a mask when going down to kill Mashirao; just Ochako's outfit isn't enough to hide her identity. The second matching mask points to an accomplice being with her."
"But what if she set up two masks so we'd think that?" Tooru pointed out.
"There's more than just the masks," Yaomomo said. What's another piece of evidence that proves it..?
Hangman's Gambit 3.0 : Start!
What's another piece of evidence that points to Mei having an accomplice?
? ﾟﾗﾆ? ﾟﾗﾆ? ? ﾟﾗﾆ? ﾟﾗﾆ? ﾟﾗﾆ
...
MINA'S OUTFIT : I got it.
Break!
"We also found Mina's spare outfit in the lab," Yaomomo said. "There was even blood on it. It wasn't blood splashed onto a folded outfit, either, as a setup; it looked like the blood splashed on it while it was being worn. Mei was wearing Ochako's outfit; she was killed wearing it, considering the bloodstains from her wounds. I bet the accomplice wore Mina's outfit and used the second mask."
"Ah... an accomplice's presence would explain how only two people set off Mashirao's alarm," Shouto said. "The accomplice would fill the criteria of person one to see the body. Mezou and I are persons two and three."
"That makes sense and all, but Yaomomo, what did you mean when you said Mei might not have been Mashirao's killer?" Tsuyu asked.
"Looking at a specific piece of evidence, Mei's accomplice is more likely to have been Mashirao's killer, actually," Yaomomo explained. And that evidence is...
Select an item at this location!
...
Blue Cloth : I got it.
"When I investigated Mashirao's body... I found a scrap of blue cloth in Mashirao's hand. There's nothing containing blue cloth in the room, so I'm pretty sure he ripped it from someone's outfit," Yaomomo continued. "He got into close combat with someone wearing blue. Mina's outfit -the accomplice's outfit- has a blue ribbon and skirt. I didn't pay attention to see if the outfit had any rips, but it's the more plausible option here."
"Not so fast!"
Break!
"Hold up!" Mirio cut in. "You can't just assume that blue cloth was from Mina's outfit, especially when you didn't check it for rips yourself!"
"But like I said, it's our only option!" Yaomomo retorted.
"Then explain! There's definitely other possibilities, I'm sure of it!"
Rebuttal Showdown : Start!
Mirio Toogata : Momo Yaoyorozu
Truth Blades: Laundry Room, Camera, Button, Mashirao's Clothes, Ochako's Outfit, Mina's Outfit
"Just because Mashirao had blue cloth in his hand doesn't necessarily mean it was from Mina's outfit!" Mirio began. "There's no proof it was from that outfit specifically. He could've ripped it from anyone, anywhere!"
"But why would he rip a part of someone's outfit off, or rip a random scrap of blue cloth from somewhere in the school? It only makes sense if he was forced to fight someone wearing blue," Yaomomo retorted.
"Yes, and? Maybe he was fighting some other person who had blue clothes," Mirio said. "Shouto also wears blue." A pause. So does Tamaki, Yaomomo realized. He's digging himself into something he doesn't want to. "It's possible the blue cloth could've been from anyone's outfit!"
"Shouto's outfit has stripes. The scrap of cloth is too wide to somehow not cover a single stripe. Tamaki's blue tie is more likely, if you're going to go down this road," Yaomomo replied.
"O-Okay, then maybe the attacker grabbed something blue from somewhere in the room to throw at Mashirao, and Mashirao ripped it?" Mirio suggested, obviously not wanting to expand on the idea the blue cloth was from Tamaki.
"I'll cut through your words."
Laundry Room : Break!
"There is nothing in the laundry room that is blue. There's no blue clothes hanging up, there's no blue towels, and there's no blue clothes in any of the machines," Yaomomo said. "Even though the blue cloth coming from Tamaki's tie is possible, I doubt he would've been able to go from helping Mei to being casual, as Mirio found him so quickly. Tamaki, can you give an alibi from lunch to the body discoveries?" She turned to the Florist in question.
"Sure... Um, I stayed with Mirio after lunch, since Nejire went to her dorm," Tamaki began. "W-We went to the library together, and we saw Hitoshi there. We stayed there until about two, at which point Mirio went to the cafeteria to get a drink. He came back a few minutes later with two drinks, and we stayed in the library until two-twenty-five, when we went up to the kitchen."
"Ah! Did you notice if there were missing kitchen knives?" Shouto jumped to ask.
"I didn't exactly pay attention to that... but I think there were some empty slots on the knife rack," Tamaki replied.
"I can confirm his entire alibi, by the way," Mirio noted.
"If that's true, I believe his alibi is sound," Yaomomo said slowly. "Since Mei set a trap and was monitoring it with the camera to specifically find Mashirao, her accomplice would stay with her. Otherwise, there's the risk of Mashirao being the laundry room and the accomplice not being present, therefore making Mei taking an accomplice in the first place pointless. Tamaki being with Mirio for most of that timeframe makes it unlikely he's accomplicing Mei."
"That rules out all possibilities for other places Mashirao could obtain a scrap of blue cloth," Nejire concluded. "Except for that outfit of Mina's."
"There's also the blood on Mina's outfit," Tooru reminded. "So I agree with Yaomomo."
"In order to behead someone, you would need to get in close quarters with them," Denki added. "Th-That megablade... it isn't that long. You'd need to get relatively close to Mashirao; close enough that he could rip something from the outfit. It also explains... um, it explains the bloodstain."
"So, to recap..." Shouto spoke up. "Mei had an accomplice, who wore the second mask and Mina's outfit as a disguise, while Mei wore Ochako's outfit and the first mask. The accomplice did the dirty work of actually beheading Mashirao, but in the process, Mashirao ripped a scrap of blue cloth from the outfit."
"That sounds about right," Tamaki noted. "B-But now... we have no leads on who the accomplice could actually be."
"Since Mashirao's case involves Mei, we should move onto her. It seems too convenient that someone would just happen to kill her right after she commits a crime. They might be connected," Shouto suggested.
"Alright... we should start with the basics of Mei's case, and analyze further from there," Yaomomo said.
"Well, first off, Mei was killed in her lab," Tooru stated. "Using... using what?"
"Mei wasn't killed using the Megablade, since she died from a stab wound to the chest," Denki said. "Didn't we find a knife in one of the boxes? Maybe she died from that."
"But... if that knife was used, wouldn't there be blood on it?" Tsuyu inquired.
No, not necessarily... there's something that could explain how the knife was clean.
Select a Truth Bullet!
...
Bloody Piece of Fabric : I got it.
"They could've used that bloody piece of fabric again to clean it off," Yaomomo said. "Both were hidden in the boxes, so it's likely."
"Then the killer was prepared," Mezou said. "They brought that knife, and they also bothered to clean it... why?"
"If I had to guess, I'd say they wanted to hide the identity of the murder weapon, for whatever reason," Shouto theorized. "It's a weak attempt, though. It might've worked if we didn't find that cloth, or if we didn't search the boxes at all."
"Now that we have the murder weapon, we should discuss," Nejire suggested. "We can piece it together."
Non-stop Debate : Start!
Truth Bullets: Mashirao's Wounds, Tablet, Mei's Wounds, Monokuma File #5, Knife - Mei
"So, the killer brought a knife and a cloth with them, intending to kill Mei," Denki began. "They attacked her in her lab and killed her, leaving her on the lab table."
"Th-They then cleaned off the knife with the cloth and hid the items, but left everything Mei had on her in the lab," Tamaki continued.
"Why would they leave all that stuff there?" Tooru asked. "Doesn't all that stuff look suspicious?"
"Even if they investigated it a bit, they have no reason to hide it. It only makes Mei look bad, not them," Shouto said.
"Okay. So, to envision the scene..." Nejire began. "The killer... attacked Mei, stabbed her in the chest, and when she tried to run stabbed her in the back?"
"No, that doesn't sound right..." Mirio disagreed. "I think... the killer stabbed her in the back first and killed her while she was stunned. Basically, they attacked her from behind."
"I agree with that."
Mei's Wounds : Consent!
"Considering Mei has two wounds and the chest wound was fatal, it makes sense the stab in her back was inflicted first," Yaomomo said. "And it makes sense for the killer to attack her from behind, and then stab her in the chest fatally while she was stunned from the first attack."
"W-Wait a second!"
Break!
"Hold on... if someone attacked Mei from behind like this, why didn't the accomplice do anything about it?" Tamaki inquired.
"What does that mean?" Yaomomo asked.
"I think I'll just show you," Tamaki said. "And I think you'll see it makes perfect sense."
Rebuttal Showdown : Start!
Tamaki Amajiki : Momo Yaoyorozu
Truth Blades: Camera, Buzzer. Hitoshi's Account, Buzzer, Missing Device, Mina's Outfit
"Well, think about it... Mei and her accomplice just finished killing s-someone. Mei hid her mask and and Mina's outfit; the accomplice would've helped her clean up and hide stuff. If the accomplice stayed with Mei, w-wouldn't they notice if something snuck up behind her and attacked her?" Tamaki reasoned. "Why wouldn't they do anything? They had- they had the megablade. Why wouldn't they fight back?"
"I'm not sure, honestly, now that you bring it up... maybe they had already left at that point, though," Yaomomo suggested.
"B-But something feels off," Tamaki insisted. "How w-would Mei's killer just so happen to kill her right after she commits a crime herself, and hide their evidence in the same place as Mei? It's so weird. They didn't even take anything of Mei's..."
"I'll cut through your words."
Missing Device : Cut!
"The killer actually did take something from Mei: her device. It was missing from the lab," Yaomomo said.
"What if she took it to her dorm for safekeeping?" Nejire asked.
"No, Mei always insisted on keeping it in her lab," Tooru said, her voice softening as she spoke her late friend's name. "For the sake of not having to move it back and forth, she said."
"Why would the killer take her device then?" Mezou asked. "It makes no sense."
There's only one person who would take the device, who wouldn't want it used... Yaomomo suddenly realized. That person... their identity as...
Hangman's Gambit : Start!
Who would take Mei's device?
? ﾟﾗﾆ? ﾟﾗﾆ? ﾟﾗﾆ?
...
TRAITOR : I can see it.
"The traitor."
"Eh?" Denki started.
"The traitor. Only they would want Mei's device rendered unusable, if it was an opportunity for escape," Yaomomo reasoned. "The traitor killed Mei."
"And to add to that..." Shouto suddenly spoke up. "What Tamaki said earlier made sense. Why wouldn't the accomplice fight back? And how did both Mei and her accomplice and Mei's killer just happen to hide their evidence in the same place?"
"...ah." There's a solution to that, Yaomomo realized. A slightly crazy one, but one that makes sense nonetheless.
Select the correct answer!
The accomplice left.
The accomplice was helping Mei's killer.
The accomplice is Mei's killer.
...
The accomplice is Mei's killer : I got it.
"It's because... what if the accomplice was Mei's killer?" Yaomomo suggested.
"Huh? So are you saying..?" Mezou murmured.
"Yes. Mei's accomplice killed both Mashirao and Mei. And even more than that... we can deduce that the accomplice is also the traitor," Yaomomo declared darkly.
"The traitor... Mei unknowingly teamed up with the traitor, who killed both her and Mashirao?" Tooru whimpered. "Why... why would they kill her..? Wouldn't they both trust each other to keep their mouths shut during the trial, if Mei let this person be her accomplice?"
"I'm not sure," Yaomomo murmured. "But it's clear the traitor didn't want Mei saying anything that revealed them, or something along those lines. Whatever the reason, the traitor is our blackened."
"So we have to figure out who the traitor is," Mirio concluded. "Since they killed both Mei and Mashirao, we won't have to deal with finding out who died first, either."
"Do we have a single lead right now?" Nejire asked.
"Well, the traitor wore Mina's outfit," Denki suggested. "So maybe they're a girl?"
"That doesn't mean much. Anyone can crossdress," Tsuyu commented.
We're leadless.
It's like we've run out of evidence...
If that happens... what would happen if we can't figure out who the traitor is?
...
No. I can't let that happen.
For my class, for the people surviving... I don't care if they want to die.
I want them to live.
So I'll fight.