Welcome to what is so far the longest chapter in any of my stories so far, clocking in at 12.8k. The only chapter that comes close to that is the Finale of Another Hope, which is just barely 12k. The final trial will probably surpass these numbers, but part of me feels like it might not, since I plan to split that trial into two chapters. Who knows, though, it might be beefy enough that one of those halves still surpasses this by a good chunk.
One thing I like about this chapter is that, unlike the last few trials where Maki took the lead, she's back to a sort of supporting role here. You'll recall from the last chapter that she didn't get a chance to investigate much, since she was in charge of autopsy. So while she's still one of the more intelligent members of the group, she has to spend a lot of time playing catch-up with Hajime and Chiaki, so she doesn't quite dominate like usual.
Oh, and as always, if there's anything you feel I could do to improve my writing in the future, whether for the trials or in general, feel free to let me know.
In any case, I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 39
In the Name of Despair
CLASS TRIAL! ALL RISE!
The students all stared at Monokuma after he called their mock trial to session. He coughed. "Sorry, force of habit. I know this one doesn't technically count, but I couldn't resist."
He glanced over and noticed that Monomi was glaring him down. "Oh my... Monomi? My cute little sister? You're awfully quiet. What's happened to you? You've ascended the ladder of adulthood and reached the moon? Because you're a rabbit...?" When she refused to answer him and simply stared in defiance, he began wailing on her with all of the previous techniques he used against her, one after the other.
As he did so, Maki cleared her throat and gestured toward the bed. "The victim for this case is Nagito Komaeda, who was attacked while trying to reveal the traitor's identity. Following that logic, it becomes rather easy to tell who his attacker is."
"If he was attacked for trying to reveal the traitor... That traitor is obviously the culprit!" Hiyoko decided. "They were trying to shut Nagito up!"
"...No, that might not be it." Nekomaru argued.
"Huh? Are you trying to protect the traitor? They didn't call out when we were in danger, you know! Wait, don't tell me you're the traitor!?"
"D-Don't say something so stupid! There's no way in hell I'm the traitor!"
"I think I get what Nekomaru means." Maki said. "The culprit was clearly torturing Nagito beforehand."
"The reason Nagito's body is covered with wounds..." Sonia started.
"It's likely because they were trying to torture information out of him."
"No, that's wrong!" Hajime snapped. "Nagito's mouth was covered with duct tape, so he wouldn't have been able to confess anything. If he was being tortured for information, they wouldn't have taped his mouth like that."
Maki's expression was something between a scowl and a smirk, as if she was expecting his argument. "Can you prove that the duct tape was applied prior to him being wounded? What if the culprit simply applied it afterwards, to hide the fact that he was interrogated?"
"No... there's no doubt Nagito's mouth was covered with duct tape before he was beat up."
Chiaki nodded. "You said it yourself, didn't you, Maki? The blood on the duct tape likely came from the wound on his left arm. And the duct tape had a lot of crinkles around his mouth... He must've been struggling to open his mouth under the duct tape."
Maki folded her arms. "Seems you two are still as sharp as ever. Fine, torture is out the window... At least, torture for information."
"Maybe the duct tape was used so he wouldn't be able to scream..." Hiyoko said. "...Then it's like I said at the beginning! The tape wasn't for torture, it was to keep his mouth shut!"
"However, if they wanted to seal his mouth, they did not need to hurt him with such ferocity..." Sonia said.
"They... probably had a deep grudge against Nagito..."
"Then... are you saying the culprit was trying to make him suffer?"
"If so, that's crazy... Did they lose their mind or something?" Nekomaru asked.
"No, this isn't the work of an insane person." Maki argued. "Whoever did this, they thought through every detail. After all, they took the time to set fire to the crime scene to destroy evidence."
"But who could have done that?" Sonia asked. "When the fire occurred, everyone in this room was gathered in front of the warehouse."
"Yeah... and right after I opened the warehouse door, the flames started burning from the very back." Nekomaru recalled.
"Which means... it is plausible to think that nobody here set the fire..."
"The culprit isn't one of us... but that's not the case, huh?" Hiyoko asked. "I mean, it's wishful thinking."
"Even if it was only a coincidence... the timing was just too perfect." Maki said.
"Based on the pattern up until now... We should suspect that some kind of setup was used for this." Sonia decided.
"That has been the pattern before..."
"The direct cause of the fire was... the oil lighter found at the crime scene, right?"
"The culprit used some kind of setup... and lit the curtain on fire with the lighter."
"Some kind of setup?" Chiaki repeated.
"Based on the shape of that oil lighter... it could stand upright while the flame is lit!" Nekomaru pointed out.
"If they tipped over the lighter in some way... It could've burned the curtain." Hiyoko added.
"Some way?" Chiaki repeated.
"Perhaps... opening the door caused..." Sonia started.
"I agree with that!" Hajime cut in. "I also agree that opening the door is what started the fire."
"Just as I thought, it was the wind pressure! A dust devil blown here from glorious Japan!"
"No, not wind pressure... They probably used the Monokuma panels. A huge number of tipped-over Monokuma panels were found at the crime scene, right? It looked like they were scattered everywhere, but some were lying on top of each other in a single line. Just a single line leading from the warehouse door to the fire's origin."
"Does that mean anything?" Hiyoko asked.
"The culprit probably arranged those Monokuma panels to create a domino effect."
"A domino effect... Like those tiles kids play with by lining them up and tipping them over?" Nekomaru asked.
"In place of those tiles, the culprit used the Monokuma panels." Chiaki explained. "So when we opened the warehouse door, the first panel toppled into the second... And from there, they fell like dominoes until they reached the lighter at the end."
"But wouldn't it be obvious that those large panels were falling over?" Maki asked.
"That's probably why they turned off the lights in the warehouse, so we wouldn't notice them..." Hajime said.
"So the reason the warehouse was dark... was to hide the domino effect." Hiyoko said.
"And one more thing... There was something else the culprit did to hide the domino effect, right?" Chiaki asked.
"You're... talking about the MP3 player, right?" Hajime answered. "That hymn blaring throughout the warehouse masked the sound of the falling panels..."
"Ah, so that's what that strange sound I heard was." Maki muttered.
"But those sounds weren't the only strange thing, right?" Chiaki asked. "Looking back on it... it was also strange when we opened the door to the warehouse."
"Ah! So the door was being blocked by a Monokuma panel!" Nekomaru realized.
"And when we opened the door, the domino effect started, and the falling panels eventually reached the lighter..." Sonia said.
"Yeah, and that's how the warehouse caught on fire... At least... that's how it looks..." Chiaki trailed off.
"...You don't sound so sure." Hiyoko noted.
"At the time, Maki mentioned that she could barely open the door..."
"That was because the panel was blocking it, right?" Maki said.
"But the blocked doorway... There wasn't enough space for a person to fit through, right?"
"Is that a problem?"
"It's a major problem... I mean, that door was the only entrance to the warehouse..."
"If the panel was so close to the door that it could barely be opened... The killer inside wouldn't be able to leave, right?" Hajime said.
Maki's eyes widened. "N-Now that you mention it...!"
"Does that mean they were hiding inside?" Nekomaru asked.
"Who? We were all outside the warehouse and accounted for."
"B-Based on the pattern up until now, I believe some kind of setup was used..." Sonia decided.
"You don't have to think so hard... There's actually only one person who could've possibly done this." Chiaki said.
"You don't mean...?" Hajime gasped.
"Um... Hajime...? What do you mean...?" Sonia asked.
Hajime's eyes drifted toward the boy in the bed. "What if... it was Nagito?"
Nagito barely responded to the accusation thrown his way. Without turning away from the window, he let out a single sharp breath, somewhere between a laugh and a scoff.
"Wh-Why are you bringing him up!?" Nekomaru asked. "He's the victim, you know!"
"He's not just the victim... maybe."
"...Huh?"
"N-Not just the victim...? What does that mean?" Hiyoko asked.
"He's the victim, and he's the perpetrator, too... maybe."
"You have got to be kidding me." Maki facepalmed. "Are you suggesting this was a suicide attempt!? His body is covered in torture wounds! Or what, are you saying those are all self-inflicted?"
"But... Nagito might do something like that, don't you think?"
"Even so, that's not the issue. He was tied up! No matter how crazy you are, it's impossible to tie up your own arms and legs!"
"...Yeah, you're right."
Maki paused, clearly not expecting that response. "Oh, well... at least you understand..."
"It seems we need to discuss how Nagito was able to tie himself up."
"N-Need to discuss...? No matter how much we discuss it, it's obviously impossible! Tying up both your arms and legs is impossible!"
"Hold on a sec... Isn't that premise flawed?" Hajime argued.
"Wh-What...? I mean, it's no mistake that his arms and legs were..."
"No, it shouldn't have been both of his arms. The rope on his right arm was completely burnt up... Based on that, you can't say he was tied up."
"But that was burned by the fire. His wounds were inflicted beforehand, when he was still tied up."
"It was burned because of the fire... Like you said, it might look like that... But that was part of the trap. There's no concrete evidence that proves it." Hajime gestured toward where Nagito's bloodied day clothes were hanging. "Take a close look at his right sleeve. Even though the rope was burned up, his sleeve wasn't burned at all, wouldn't you agree? A burn like that, no matter how you think about it, is unnatural. That rope was burned in advance so it would look like it was burned in the fire."
"Then Nagito's right arm wasn't tied up, right?" Chiaki concluded. "He was able to move it freely, right?"
"...Yeah, that should be the case." Hajime agreed.
"Even if his right hand wasn't tied up, he still had a knife stabbed through it!" Maki argued.
"It's impossible to stab your right hand with your right hand... That much is obvious!" Hiyoko agreed.
"Exactly. And even if he somehow did it before tying himself up, the amount of damage it would do would make his hand worthless. In fact, given how bad the injury looks, I doubt he's ever going to regain use of his hand."
"H-Hold on...! There should be a way!"
"Then hurry up and spill it."
"If he threw the knife into the air... and let the knife fall... Could he stab his hand that way?" Sonia suggested.
"Is he a throwing knife expert...?" Nekomaru asked.
"Maybe he propped the knife somehow..." Chiaki suggested.
"The life-sized Monokuma plushie!" Hajime realized. "He must've used that to prop the knife."
"Makes sense, that's why there was a big hole in the plushie's stomach. He inserted the knife handle into that hole to prop it up... then he slammed his hand onto it. If that's it, he had to place the plushie near him, and it also explains the mysterious blood on the plushie."
"So the blood on the plushie came from Nagito after he stabbed the knife into his own right hand..."
"Huh! For a moment there, I thought Monokuma died or something." Nekomaru admitted.
"A bleeding plushie is super scary!" Monokuma squirmed where he sat. "It's got the same fear factor as a doll whose hair grows too long!"
"After stabbing his hand, he no longer needed the plushie so he cast it off toward the fire's origin point." Chiaki explained.
"He probably thought the fire would burn it and destroy the evidence..." Hiyoko said.
"So what do you think now, Maki?" Sonia asked.
Maki sighed. "Okay, so tying himself up and stabbing himself with the knife are both feasible, but there's still one big problem." She gestured toward the table where all of the weapons laid. "The spear. You're telling me that Nagito attempted to commit suicide by impaling himself with a spear? Even if it were possible to do that one-handed... according to the timeline, the spear should've come in after the knife. So how did he do it?"
"Maybe he used the spear first, and as he endured the pain, he stabbed the knife into his right hand?" Nekomaru suggested.
"Th-There is a limit to his constitution!" Sonia gasped.
Maki nodded. "When we found him, he was unconscious and on death's door. In all likelihood, the shock of getting impaled caused him to pass out. There's no way any of his wounds came after the spear."
"Like she said... in that condition, it's very difficult to stab yourself with a spear." Chiaki agreed. "It'd be hard to use a spear with a knife stabbed into your right hand, while your left hand is tied up..."
"So you're saying it's impossible..." Hiyoko muttered.
Chiaki stared at the boy in the bed. "...But no matter what I think, I can't believe that Nagito was attacked by someone else."
"I... also agree with that." Sonia said. "To think that one of us could try to kill someone with such cruelty... I could never believe that."
"You can't believe that...?" Everyone reacted with shock as Nagito finally spoke his first words since waking up. His voice was tired and quiet, but no less intimidating as it had been in the past. "You just don't want to believe it, right? But that's why you keep getting betrayed over and over and over again. Your collective inability to understand just how far some people are willing to go to achieve their hope... and just what kind of vile acts some people are willing to commit in the name of despair... That ignorance... is your ultimate undoing."
"Nagito... is that some kind of confession?" Nekomaru asked.
"Hmph... take it however you want. In case it wasn't obvious from my silence until now, I'm done cooperating with the rest of you. Perhaps it's just stubbornness on my part, unwillingness to accept when I've lost... but I refuse to elevate your atrocity any further. I will not act as a stepping stone for such a tainted idea of hope."
The others were quiet for a while, trying to find a deeper meaning in his message one way or another, but they came up empty.
Eventually, Chiaki spoke up. "As Nagito said... it's true we've been constantly betrayed... But even if I'm betrayed again, I still want to believe in everyone."
"Belief, you say...?" Maki asked. "What place does belief have in a trial? In a killing game? I've been betrayed by the people I care about... people I believe in... so many times. I don't want to fall into that trap any longer. Hope and despair are meaningless, and belief is a joke. The truth is the only thing you can trust. I can't accept any premise that relies on "belief," only cold logic will do. With that said, I simply can't accept that this case is a suicide attempt. It's unimaginable with our current evidence."
"Do you really think so?"
"You said it yourself, remember?" Hiyoko said. "It'd be impossible for him to stab himself with a spear in his condition..."
"...I did say "difficult," but I never said "impossible". I feel that there's... some way he could have stabbed himself with that spear..."
"Wh-What kind of way?"
"...I don't know."
"...You don't know." Nekomaru repeated.
"It's impossible to figure out by myself... so let's think about it together. That's how... we made it this far up till now."
"Everyone... working together..." Sonia muttered.
"...All right, let's do this!" Hajime agreed.
"How did Nagito stab himself with a spear...?" Chiaki repeated. "Let's work together and think this through!"
"When the spear stabbed Nagito... His right hand was covered by the knife, right?" Sonia recalled.
"And his left hand was also tied up." Maki added. "So that rules that out..."
"Hold on!" Hajime shouted. "It's still too early to dismiss the possibility that he used his left hand."
"What?"
"...There was something off about his left hand. The bloodstain on the palm of his left hand... Didn't you think it looked somewhat strange?"
"Ah, now that you mention it... The bloodstain only travelled up to the lower area of his palm. Beyond that, it suddenly cut off."
"When the blood splattered, that's as far as it reached, right?" Nekomaru asked.
"Maybe, but that doesn't explain the rest of it. There was also blood on the back of the tips of his fingers, cutting off at the knuckles."
"Like you said, it looks like an unnatural bloodstain but... what's wrong with that?"
"We might need to think and use our imaginations for a bit." Chiaki suggested. "If there was blood on his palm and the back of his hand... What was his left hand doing as the blood splattered?"
"When the blood splattered, he was probably gripping with his left hand... That's why there was such a strange-looking bloodstain on his palm and the back of his hand."
"Now that you mention it... compared to the rest of his body, the wounds on his left arm are pretty mild. He probably made his wounds mild on purpose, so he could keep his strength while gripping the spear."
Maki shook her head. "But even if he held the spear in his tied up left hand, it'd be impossible for him to stab himself with it."
Hajime nodded. "...Hey Chiaki, what do you think?" She stood in silence, staring at the ground. "Hey... don't tell me you're getting sleepy."
"Ah, I got it... maybe."
"Huh? Really?" Hiyoko gasped.
"Yeah... like I thought, it's no mistake that Nagito was gripping the spear... I think... However, what's important is what section of the spear he was gripping!"
"That's it..." Hajime realized, gesturing toward the spear on the table. "...instead of the handle, Nagito must've been holding on to the cord. There's a metal weight at the tip of the cord, but there are bloodstains on that part too. Plus, the joint between the weight and the cord had a bloodstain shaped like it was cut off by something..."
"Isn't the size of that cut-off section about the same size as a human fist?"
"Ah, you're right!" Nekomaru gasped. "So that's the part Nagito was gripping, huh? And then... the blood that was suppose to end up there... ended up getting on Nagito's left hand!"
"But why does it matter which part of the spear he was gripping?" Maki asked.
"You're not gonna say he gripped the tip of the cord, swung the spear around, and stabbed himself, right!?" Hiyoko asked.
"That is where the clue to solve this mystery resides, right Chiaki?" Sonia asked. When the other girl did not respond, she eyed the floor. "I am sorry... Of course this mystery will not be solved that easily..."
The students began to pace, trying to come up with an answer to this mystery. They repeatedly glared in Nagito's direction, but the boy did not respond.
"It seems we are stuck... shall we have tea time?" Sonia asked.
Chiaki finally spoke. "At a time like this... How about we stick to The Plan to Think One Step at a Time Instead of Expecting the Answers All at Once?"
"That's a long plan name." Nekomaru said.
"One step at a time... What does that mean?" Sonia asked.
"Let's focus on the spear first. Namely where it was and how it was positioned just before it impaled Nagito."
"How it was positioned..." Hajime repeated. "The spear impaled Nagito as he was laying face-up... It must've been perpendicular to him just before that."
"Perpendicular... in the middle of the air?" Hiyoko asked.
"If Nagito did that all by himself... Does he have some sort of ESP?" Sonia asked.
"That'd be awesome but... he probably used the ceiling girder directly above him." Chiaki explained.
Hajime nodded. "Nagito probably slung the cord over the ceiling girder, and using that as a support... he hoisted the spear directly above him. And if Nagito let go of the cord... the spear would've fallen and impaled him while he was laying face-up."
"I noticed a slight red streak on the ceiling girder. It probably got smeared there during the setup."
"The blood on the cord probably rubbed off on the ceiling girder as the spear was falling... So how about it? Using this method, Nagito could've impaled himself with the spear."
"Are you serious...?" Hiyoko muttered. "He really tried to commit suicide... like that...?"
"He... probably chose that spear so he could commit suicide like that." Chiaki added. "If someone else did this... There's no reason they'd go to all this trouble just to kill someone with a spear."
"I agree..." Hajime said. "When I was investigating this case, I kept thinking over and over how strange it was. Why did the killer use the knife and the spear so differently...?"
"So you're saying he needed to use that spear to pull off his trick..." Nekomaru said.
Maki seemed lost, glancing at the boy in the bed. "...Then... this is for real...? Nagito really tried to commit suicide? Every single wound on his body... That was all done by him!?"
"Not just that... he did all that while he was gripping the spear...?" Sonia added. "That spear should not have stabbed Nagito until the very end... Which means Nagito wounded himself while he was gripping that spear, right?"
"Did he put that duct tape on his mouth, too?" Nekomaru asked.
"He probably covered his own mouth so we wouldn't hear him screaming in pain." Chiaki explained.
"D-Did he need to go that far...?" Hiyoko asked. "You sick freak! Why would you do all this to yourself!?"
Nagito barely reacted to her insult or her question, still staring out the window.
"He was probably... trying to get us to make a mistake..." Hajime guessed. "By committing a suicide that looked like a murder... He was trying to steer us toward the wrong answer... His goal... was to get us all executed!"
"A-And that's why... he was ready to kill himself!?" Maki gasped.
"Does he want us to die that badly!?" Nekomaru asked.
"He's messed up... He's seriously so messed up...!" Hiyoko cried.
Hajime shook his head toward the direction of the bed. "Yeah... that's our Nagito..."
For just a moment, the other boy glanced in his direction, a sneer on his face. Just as quickly as the expression showed up, it left.
"However... there is one thing I still do not understand." Sonia said. "He said he would "reveal the traitor," right? Whatever became of that...?"
"He was probably planning to kill the traitor along with the rest of us...!" Hiyoko guessed.
"So why did he not just do that in the first place? If he has no qualms with killing everyone, he did not have to cause a bomb scare to reveal the traitor..."
"The bomb scare was part of the strategy behind his trick." Maki explained. "By having us split up and search for the bombs, he made it so none of us could have alibis. He created a scenario in which any one of us could have killed him!"
"He wanted us to doubt each other... and tried to hide the truth behind his suicide." Hiyoko added.
"Did he cause a bomb scare... for that reason alone?" Sonia asked.
Maki scoffed. "He's a dirty fucking psychopath who tried to kill himself for his delusions of grandeur! My only regret in this case is that he couldn't even end his life properly..."
"You... are right, I suppose..."
"Yeah... I guess that's the truth. This whole thing was just Nagito's attempt to end the killing game once and for all. Well, now it's over, so we can just move on with our lives until we hit the deadline."
"Hmm, that should be okay, right?" Nekomaru asked.
"Hm? Did you notice something we missed?"
"No, I agree Nagito attempted suicide but... I feel like there's something that doesn't make sense with that... Eh, it's probably just my imagination."
"Well, now you have me second-guessing myself. But, though I can never understand his reasons for it, attempting suicide is the only conclusion we can draw from the evidence we've seen thus far."
"You are right... It is not as though we can draw any other conclusions." Sonia agreed.
"Then... it's okay to end it here, huh?" Hiyoko asked. "That means we're done with the killing game... And we can leave this island, right? It's okay for everything to work out like that, right!?"
Maki nodded. "Agreed. This makeshift trial is adjourned. Let's get-"
"...No, hold on a sec." Hajime interrupted.
"Hold on...? Why?"
"...Sorry... Just a little more... I want you guys to wait just a little more... I can't help but feel like... there's still something we overlooked."
"Like who the traitor is...?" Sonia guessed.
"But we can always discuss that later, can't we?" Maki asked. "It's not like we really have any evidence regarding that, anyway, right? No more than we did before."
"That's... true, but..."
"...The mystery isn't just about who the traitor is." Chiaki said. "No matter how you look at it, this case was a suicide attempt... but... I'm a little worried, you know. I'm worried about stopping here while there's still a mystery."
"What do you mean, it's not about who the traitor is?" Nekomaru asked. "What kind of mystery is left?"
"There's just one thing that doesn't make sense, and it relates to Nagito's case... Plus... it's something even Nagito couldn't influence..."
"Are you talking about... the fact that he didn't die?" Hajime guessed.
"What's strange about that?" Maki asked. "He just got lucky- or unlucky, as the case may be- and lived long enough for us to save him."
"But isn't it weird?" Chiaki asked. "If you were planning to kill yourself, you wouldn't pick a method that could potentially backfire, especially if your entire plan hinges on you dying. So why did he leave so much of it to chance?"
"But... I believe his chosen cause of death was quite accurate, was it not?" Sonia asked. "The spear that was in his stomach... It is obvious just by looking at it that it was intended to kill him."
"...No." Maki interrupted. "From the distance between the ceiling girder and the ground, with the length of the cord... there wouldn't be enough potential energy for a surefire kill. You can tell just by looking at the depth of Nagito's torso wound... There was too much room for error. He would have been relying on blood loss, which is what led to his failure in the first place. Knowing how sharp Nagito can be, he would've seen that from a mile away. But... maybe he did it on purpose. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Chiaki's right. There might be more to this case than meets the eye."
"Y-You were the ones who said it was suicide in the first place!" Hiyoko snapped.
Hajime shook his head. "No... I don't think it's a mistake to call this case a suicide attempt, but... But... it's not just a suicide... Come to think of it... Did Nagito really... really try to commit suicide just to get us all killed...?"
"Are you sticking up for him!?" Nekomaru asked.
"That's not what I meant... I mean it in a bad sense."
"...Bad sense?" Sonia repeated.
Hajime started pacing, taking glances toward the boy in the bed. "I just remembered that his malice always defied our expectations... and that concerns me. For example, would that malice... just end here?"
"...Huh?"
"Did Nagito's malice drive him to risk his life for a truth we'd reach this easily? I mean... this is Nagito we're talking about, you know?"
"Puhuhu... how interesting..." Monokuma giggled. "You sure do believe in Nagito, huh? Because you believe in his malice, you continue to suspect his malice... I see... I guess that's what passes for friendship these days!"
"Wh-What friendship...!?" Hajime snapped, while Nagito simply let out a bitter laugh.
"...What should we do, you guys?" Chiaki asked. "Should we stop here for now? I think we should keep going until everyone is satisfied. Even if it's just to be safe..."
"You are right..." Sonia agreed.
"This is freaking annoying..." Hiyoko whined. "But if the rest of you are gonna keep going, I guess I'll try to go along with it."
"...Just to be safe, huh?" Nekomaru repeated. "I guess I have no choice... There's no way I'm gonna back out now!"
"...Maki?" Chiaki asked.
The other girl stood in silence for a moment before shrugging. "You heard what I said earlier. I'm a woman of the truth. If you're sure you want to go down this road, then I'm with you until the end, for better or worse."
Chiaki nodded. "We've come this far, let's work hard till the very end. If we work together... everything should be all right... That's what I believe."
Monomi made a sniffling sound. "Awwwwwww... Splendid... You guys are so splendid right now... That's right! If all your hopes are united, no despair can shake you!"
"So if we're working together, where do we start?" Nekomaru asked. "It's not like we have a Monokuma File to work with."
"Why don't we try removing all our preconceived notions before we discuss this." Chiaki suggested. "In the beginning, our discussion advanced by assuming Nagito was trying to kill himself with the spear... It's better to confirm if there are any other possibilities... that's what I think."
"Other possibilities, huh...?" Maki repeated.
Sonia thought about it for a moment. "If something other than the spear was supposed to kill Nagito, all I can think of is the knife stabbed into his hand but..."
"That was definitely a gruesome wound, but... it wouldn't be a fatal wound, don't you think?" Hajime asked.
"If you think the cuts on his legs and left arm can't be fatal wounds..." Hiyoko started, trailing off.
"...Is that all we got?" Maki asked.
"I feel like... it's possible that we overlooked something..." Chiaki muttered.
"Then let's bring up whatever we can think of, one after the other!" Nekomaru suggested. "That might clear some things up."
"Exactly!" Sonia agreed. "We should cooperate at a time like this! Let us consider a different fatal wound!"
"It's not the knife in his right hand, right?" Hiyoko confirmed. "It's not the other wounds, right?"
"With all those wounds... maybe he really did plan to bleed to death?" Nekomaru suggested.
"There's no way he would've burned to death..." Chiaki muttered.
"Was his chosen cause of death something that cannot be seen?" Sonia suggested.
"I agree with that!" Hajime shouted. "That's it... I totally forgot about that possibility... If the cause of death would've been something we can't see... then we have to consider poison as a possible method."
"Poison...?" Nekomaru repeated.
"It is true that poison is not something we can see but... Why did you bring that up all of a sudden?" Sonia asked.
"I remember... when we went to investigate Nagito's cottage, I discovered something really strange... Inside the refrigerator, I found a bottle of Monokuma's Special Poison."
"P-P-P...Poison!?" Hiyoko shrieked.
"...Additionally, that's a poison made specifically for killing." Chiaki recalled. "I see... now that you mention it... There's no way a toxin like that doesn't relate to the case at all."
"I-If poison were the cause of death, it would not leave an obvious wound on Nagito's body...!" Sonia said.
"It's common for blood blotches to appear on a body that's been poisoned..." Maki muttered. "But given how many wounds and bloodstains his body's covered in, we likely wouldn't have noticed anyway. It's not like we would've taken him to the hospital and cleaned him up if he were dead, after all."
"But still... both of his hands were full, so how would he even drink the poison?" Hiyoko asked.
"His left hand was tied up and gripping the spear... and his right hand had a knife stuck in it..." Nekomaru recalled.
"If it was a slow-acting poison, it is possible he consumed it in advance." Sonia suggested.
"No, however he planned to administer it, he obviously failed." Maki added. "I strongly doubt he was taking it directly."
"Besides, the warning label on the bottle explicitly states the effect is instant." Hajime explained.
"...Hajime, what else can you tell us about this poison? Any other way he could have planned to take it, and any reason it may have failed?"
"What if instead of drinking the poison, we assume he tried to inhale it?"
"Inhale...?" Sonia repeated.
"It's written on the poison's warning label... "Dangerous when vaporized"... In other words, breathing in the gas is fatal."
"Poison gas! Then all he would have to do is breath it in through his nose!" Nekomaru said.
"But if poisonous gas had spread throughout the warehouse, why didn't it kill us?" Hiyoko asked. "Heck, why didn't it kill him?"
"The sprinklers in the warehouse... Thanks to those, the poison gas didn't have a chance to spread." Hajime guessed.
"The poison gas disappeared because of the sprinklers?" Nekomaru asked.
Chiaki spoke up. "Well... this was also written on the poison's warning label... "susceptible to hydrolysis"."
"...Of course, hydrolysis!" Sonia gasped. "The chemical bonds that form the poison were broken down by the water from the sprinklers!"
"Also, the poison is apparently denser than air, so it probably didn't affect us cuz we were standing..."
"But Nagito was lying down. He was probably betting he would inhale most of it that way..." Nekomaru said.
"If it meets the requirements that well, maybe it's not just a possibility anymore."
"Yeah, the true cause of death that Nagito chose... was poisoning!" Hajime declared, pointing a finger in the other boy's direction. "The wounds on your body, the spear in your stomach... It was all to keep us from learning the tru-"
"So what?" Hiyoko asked.
"Huh?"
"Nagito tried to poison himself. So what? It doesn't matter how he planned to do it. In the end, he's the culprit behind the case, right?"
"Nagito tried, and failed, to inhale some poison he prepared." Nekomaru summarized. "We found him before he bled out, and Monokuma treated his wounds for us."
Maki nodded. "With this, we have a clearer picture, and I'm glad that this poison was brought to our attention so we could take measures against it... But that's it. All the mysteries are solved now, right? Then we're done. Trial adjourned, everyone."
"W-Well... but..."
"What? There's still more?" Hiyoko asked.
As all the eyes in the room turned to him, Hajime found himself faltering. Was it really okay to end this here? Was this as far as Nagito's malice went?
Chiaki spoke up. "There might've been... an accomplice."
"Ch-Chiaki? What did you just say?" Sonia asked.
"If Nagito planned to commit suicide by inhaling poison that he brought... Then why wasn't there anything that looked like poison at the crime scene?"
"Anything that looked like poison...?" Nekomaru repeated.
"If Nagito brought poison to the warehouse, it's strange that we couldn't find it there..."
"Are you... talking about the container the poison was kept in?" Hajime asked.
"Yeah. If Nagito brought it, it's strange we couldn't find that container anywhere, right?"
"He can't carry around poison without putting it in a container?" Nekomaru asked.
"Yeah, that was written on the warning label..." Hajime explained. ""Keep this liquid secure by storing it in a cool place in a glass or plastic container, away from sunlight"."
"Is it possible the container melted in the fire?" Maki suggested.
"It's probably plastic or glass, right?" Chiaki asked. "There's no way it'd completely incinerate... Even the plastic fragments of the fire grenades we used to put out the fire didn't completely burn up, you know?"
"Then... does that mean someone got rid of the container?" Hajime asked.
"So that's why you mentioned an accomplice!" Nekomaru gasped.
"Th-That is impossible!" Sonia argued. "I mean... an accomplice? It is just too...!"
"D-Does it really... matter all that much...?" Hiyoko asked. "I mean... even if he had an accomplice... It wouldn't change the fact that Nagito planned the whole thing, right?"
"Y-You're right..." Nekomaru agreed. "Someone might've accidentally taken it away from the crime scene or something, right?"
"Right, so can't we just stop already? I'm not in the mood for anymore twists!"
"...That's no good..." Hajime growled under his breath.
"...Huh?"
Hajime stared directly at Nagito once again. "I feel like... Nagito is seeing through us. By calling this "Nagito's suicide attempt," we're trying to take the easy way out so we don't hurt anyone else... But this is usually the part where, in a typical trial, he would be sneering at us. He'd probably say something like, "So that's the extent of your hopes"."
Nagito let out another bitter laugh at that. "I didn't realize you knew me so well, Hajime. If this were back before I learned what you truly are, I'd probably feel honoured. But to have someone as loathsome as you know me so well... It makes me sick to my stomach."
Nekomaru interrupted. "Hajime, I get what you're saying, but... In the end, the reason he died is still the same as before, right? Even if we solve this mystery, the conclusion won't change at all..."
"I mean... it'd be a suicide attempt either way, right?" Hiyoko asked.
"E-Even if there really was an accomplice... Is there any reason we should take the time to figure out who it was?" Sonia asked. "Like Nekomaru said earlier, it is possible that somebody accidentally removed the poison from the crime scene..."
"But... I just can't imagine ending this by turning our backs on the truth...!"
"It's fine, okay!?" Nekomaru snapped. "There are some things we're better off not knowing! Besides, we probably just didn't notice it! Maybe the container was hiding with the fragments of the fire grenades..."
Hajime stood in shocked silence for a moment. After spending some time thinking about it, he finally came to an answer. "I see... I got it...! The fire grenades! Nagito put the poison inside one of the fire grenade canisters and transported it to the warehouse!"
"What!? He used one of the fire grenade canisters!?"
"Yeah, the container with the poison in it wasn't secretly taken away by someone... Instead, it was in a container that didn't need to be taken away in the first place. As long as he put the poison in the same container he brought to the warehouse... It can be hidden with the other fire grenades we used, so there's no need to dispose of the container later."
Nekomaru turned to Nagito. "You bastard... You definitely knew we were going to throw those fire grenades!"
"Which means... Did Nagito exchange the contents of a fire grenade?" Sonia asked.
"Yeah, that has to be it."
"When I first discovered those fire grenades, I tried to study them a little bit but... The canister was completely sealed shut by a layer of aluminum underneath the lid."
"So he'd just have to peel off that seal and swap the insides, right?" Nekomaru asked.
"Th-That is true but... there was no sign he was even at the break room..."
"...Hold on, did you say aluminum?" Hajime asked.
"Hajime... could it be...?" Chiaki muttered.
"If so, then there's no mistake... Nagito definitely swapped the contents of one of the fire grenades."
"Seriously? That's impossible!" Hiyoko argued. "Sonia said so just now!"
Chiaki shook her head. "Sonia's words are proof... that the poison was swapped with the contents of a fire grenade."
"...Huh?"
"Take a look." Hajime reached into his pocket and pulled out the aluminum foil. "We found this under Nagito's bed when we were investigating his cottage."
"Th-That piece of trash..." Maki muttered.
"N-No... that is not just a piece of trash..." Sonia argued. "The seal I saw on that fire grenade matched this... It is the same aluminum."
"You found that aluminum seal under Nagito's bed?" Nekomaru asked.
"There's more." Chiaki said. "That's not the only thing we found in Nagito's room. We also found a gas mask and gloves under his bed, too."
"Did he... use those to transfer the poison from the bottle to the fire grenade?" Maki asked.
"It's a dangerous poison, after all..." Hajime explained. "He took extreme caution when swapping them."
"S-So what's the issue?" Hiyoko asked. "Nagito put the poison in a grenade, brought it with him, and tried to breathe it in to kill himself, right? So in the end, this is still a damn suicide attempt! Enough already!"
"Y-You're right..." Nekomaru agreed. "If the canister wasn't thrown away, then it just means that there wasn't an accomplice after all."
Maki eyed the floor, before looking up. "What say you, Chiaki? Are you satisfied yet?"
"...I admit that there wasn't an accomplice. That was just my misunderstanding..."
"Y-You are right..." Sonia agreed.
"In actuality... the truth is even more horrifying."
"What did you say...?" Nekomaru asked.
"Wh-What the heck...?" Hiyoko asked. "You still wanna keep going...!?"
"Is this not settled?" Sonia asked. "There is no denying that Nagito tried to commit suicide..."
"...No, he didn't!" Chiaki shouted.
"Ch-Chiaki?" Hajime gasped.
"I'm sorry... but I just realized it..."
"Realized... what?"
"We know Nagito used the grenade canister to store the poison... So when was it deployed in the warehouse? When did Nagito breathe in the poison? When I thought along those lines... that's when I realized it."
"The... horrifying truth?"
"It probably... happened at the same time..."
When he realized it, he spoke slowly. "Are you saying... it was when we all threw the fire grenades?"
"Yeah, I think so. When we all threw the grenades to put out the fire in the warehouse... The poison was deployed... and it converted to poison gas..."
Sonia gasped. "I-If that is true... then the person who brought the poison... and spread it would have been..."
"One of us...!" Hajime shouted.
"Wh-What the heck...!?" Hiyoko shouted.
"So that was your aim all along, was it?" Maki asked, turning on the boy in the bed. "You didn't want to kill yourself. You wanted one of us to do it for you. That's why you set the warehouse on fire, because you knew we'd use the fire grenades... including the poisoned one. You wanted to turn one of us into the blackened, and create a murder that no one could solve. Does that about sum it up?"
Monokuma laughed. "He probably expected that his fake suicide would be found out. After all, a mystery that can be solved is destined to be solved in the end. However, he also prepared a mystery that couldn't be solved. As you solve mysteries and bolster your hope, a huge mystery comes along and smacks you in your faces... For those of you who believe there are no unsolvable mysteries, that is when you finally taste despair... Meaning, he used all of the prior class trial verdicts to prepare this trick. Not all mysteries can be solved. Puhuhu, such a devious trick he played on you! As expected of Nagito."
Maki shook her head. "Sorry, Monokuma. But the only thing I can taste right now is bile in the back of my throat from hearing you speak. This mystery can be solved, and I'm going to prove it."
"Is there a way to find out who the killer would've been?" Hajime asked incredulously.
Maki looked over to Chiaki. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"
The other girl nodded. "Even though it's just a hunch... It's possible that it's probably... There's one way... I think."
"R-Really!?" Nekomaru asked.
Chiaki hesitated, before asking, "...Hey, is it all right if we look at Nagito's crime one more time from the beginning? I want to make sure my hunch is correct. Hajime... please."
He nodded, though he didn't seem to understand where she was going with this. "...I got it. Let's do this then.
"The person who actually arranged this incident was... the victim, Nagito Komaeda. He kept a specific item inside his cottage that he needed for his plan. Monokuma's Special Poison, which he brought with him from the Octagon. Using the gloves and gas mask that he got from the military base... Nagito swapped the contents of a fire grenade he took from the Plushie Factory break room with that poison. When he did that, a specific item was left as evidence: the blue aluminum seal on the grenade. With that, Nagito finished making the poisoned fire grenade, took it with him to the factory... and put it back with the rest of the grenades in the break room.
"The next morning, Nagito appeared before us and declared that he hid a bomb somewhere... While we were looking for the bomb, that's when Nagito headed over to the goods warehouse. In order to set up a fire, Nagito arranged the Monokuma panels in a line going from the door to the curtain, and placed an oil lighter in front of it. From there, Nagito set his insane plan in motion. First, he hung the spear that he took from Nezumi Castle from the ceiling girder by its cord... then he tied his arms and legs at the back of the warehouse with rope. However, he burned off the rope on his right arm beforehand. In doing so, he made sure that only his right hand was free while his remaining arm and legs were tied up... As he gripped the tip of the rope hanging over the ceiling girder with his left hand... He laid down face-up, just beneath the dangling spear. But this was just the beginning of Nagito's plan, and then... he did something no one could've predicted. First, he covered his mouth with duct tape, and after making sure he was unable to scream... He stabbed himself multiple times in his left arm and in both of his thighs. Finally... He propped the knife on the plushie, and slammed his right hand onto the blade! He didn't just want us to think he was tied up, he also wanted us to think he'd been tortured... Through all this, Nagito never let go of the spear. His plan still wasn't over... In fact, it was just about to begin.
"Meanwhile, we finally arrived at the plushie factory and found Nagito's message... After seeing his message, we instantly made our way to the warehouse... But that was part of Nagito's plan. We opened the door to the warehouse, which inadvertently started the Monokuma panel domino effect... The panels fell, one after another, until they reached the lighter, tipped it over, and ignited the curtain. Shocked by the sudden fire, we rushed over to the factory's break room to obtain some fire extinguishing grenades. We then aimed for the fire's origin point, which was the curtain, and unloaded the entire supply. It never occurred to us that one of those grenades was the poison grenade that Nagito had prepared... The poison sank to the floor, instantly vaporizing due to the intense heat, and spread everywhere... At the same time, Nagito let go of the rope in his left hand, and the falling spear plunged into his stomach. However, before he had the chance to breath in any of the poison gas, the sprinklers turned on, and the water broke down the chemicals in the poison. With that, Nagito managed to survive his numerous injuries, but only just barely... This is all the information related to Nagito's plan. His true intention was to set one of us up as the killer... At this time, we still don't know who the killer would've been... Because the killer wouldn't have been aware they killed someone. Try as we might, we cannot reach that truth... That was Nagito's trap.
"This should be the truth behind your trap, Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student!"
"How about it, Chiaki?" Nekomaru asked. "Will that help you figure out the truth?"
"U-Um... Chiaki...?" Sonia called her name, but the other girl simply stared at the ground.
"So, Monokuma was right?" Hiyoko asked. "This mystery really is impossible?"
Maki shook her head. "No. It's not over yet. We're... not done yet."
Chiaki finally spoke. "What Hajime said is... probably true. That's part of the reason why I thought it was a little strange... Did Nagito... really not care who the killer was? He said this to us earlier..."
"It's going to be fine... I'm pretty sure everything will work out in the end... After all... there's no way hope can lose... Absolute hope that can break through any despair can never lose in a place like this! And not only that... I believe in you all. I believe in the time we spent together."
"That feeling of belief is at the heart of his trick. He believed we'd notice the fire grenades... He believed we'd try to extinguish the flames... And he believed we'd fall into his trap... By believing in us, Nagito was able to put his life-threatening plan into effect."
"...Wh-What do you mean, believe...!?" Hiyoko snapped.
"...What's wrong with that, Chiaki?" Maki asked.
"There's one more thing, remember?" Chiaki asked. "Something that Nagito believes in from the bottom of his heart... I want you to try and remember what that is."
Maki scoffed. "As I said before, belief is a joke. And Nagito himself is perhaps the greatest fool among us, albeit willingly on his part. Above all else, he believes in his Ultimate Luck."
"I guess the last thing he could believe in is his own talent..." Hiyoko muttered.
"That's not so strange, really... Most of us here have been relying on the same thing." Nekomaru pointed out.
Hajime averted his eyes from the rest of the group, though he briefly exchanged a glance with Maki. He noticed that she had the faintest trace of a smirk on her face in response to Nekomaru's remark.
"But... in his case, it's pretty remarkable, isn't it?" Chiaki asked. "It almost seems like he has blind faith in it."
"You're right..." Hajime agreed. "The same thing happened when he cleared the Final Dead Room at the Funhouse. But his luck doesn't have anything to do with the case this time, right?"
"I just thought... it was strange that it doesn't connect to anything. He factored in his belief in us, but for some reason he didn't factor in his own luck... No, there's no way." She glanced over at the bed. "I mean... this is Nagito we're talking about."
"So what did he do?" Maki asked.
"You know... he wasn't just after anybody. He probably had a target. A target he was aiming for all along. A person to set up as the killer."
"A target...?" Nekomaru repeated. "Who?"
"The target's true identity... even Nagito doesn't know it... That's why he relied on being the Ultimate Lucky Student, and incorporated that luck into his plan. As long as he had his luck, he believed the target he was after would pick up the fire grenade..."
"You mean... he left his plan to luck?" Sonia asked.
"He risked his life for that!?" Hiyoko shrieked.
"He probably risked his life just so his Ultimate Luck could decide this."
"Who... is it?" Hajime asked. "Who's the target Nagito was after?" He considered it for a moment before realizing the answer himself. "That's it... the traitor. Nagito was after the traitor, huh?"
It was subtle, but Nagito's breathing shifted, and he had renewed scowl on his face.
Maki couldn't help but smirk at him. "I'm willing to bet that that's bullseye, given how you're sweating up a storm over there."
"That's not it..." He protested. "It's just... my injuries. I can't rest properly with the rest of you here, so they're acting up..."
She chuckled. "And you called me a terrible liar."
Chiaki brought the conversation back on-topic. "Nagito didn't know who the traitor was until the very end... all he could do was rely on his own luck."
"So... what he said in his video message? He was just bluffing?" Nekomaru asked.
"That's probably true... By that point his plan should've already been in motion."
"But if he really wanted to weed out the traitor, he didn't have to go and make them the killer!"
"...He wouldn't go that far without purpose." Maki said. "The fact that he did go that far means one of two things. Either Nagito wants to help the traitor defeat us... or he wants us to push us into a situation where we have to defeat the traitor."
"By finding out who the traitor is, our hopes will shine even brighter by overcoming that despair..." Hiyoko mocked.
"...And that concludes my argument." Chiaki said. "Nagito's plan was to make the traitor kill him... What are you gonna do? Are you guys gonna believe me?"
"...The only thing we can do is believe." Hajime declared.
Maki let out a quiet laugh. "What am I going to do with you people? Well, your continued naivete aside, we're sort of at an impasse at this point."
"You are absolutely right..." Sonia agreed. "It is hard to think the traitor would reveal themselves now..."
"...If, by chance, the traitor revealed themselves... during the bomb scare... what would've happened?" Chiaki asked. "Would it have... stopped Nagito from acting so recklessly?"
"...Huh?"
Her breathing hitched, and she started to sound anxious. "But... they couldn't help it... Even if they wanted to reveal themselves... they couldn't do it... Because... they weren't created to do that."
"...Ch-Chiaki?" Hajime muttered.
"What's wrong, Chiaki?" Monomi called out. "Get ahold of yourself...!"
"That's why... I want you guys to guess." She insisted.
"You want us... to guess?" Hajime repeated.
"Yeah, I want you to guess."
"What... what does that mean...?"
She turned to him. "Who do you think it is, Hajime? Who do you think the Future Foundation sent to infiltrate your group as the traitor?"
"Wh-Why...?"
"A traitor who's not allowed to think they're different from everyone else..."
"Why...?"
"A traitor who can only interact with everyone as a traitor..."
"Why...?"
"Because that's the nature of their existence... They can only exist as a traitor..."
"Seriously... why...!?"
"Who do you think... is the traitor?... Hajime... please."
He shook his head, not able to believe it himself, but he slowly choked out his response, his accusation toward who he thought was the traitor.
"...I-It's... you...? Chiaki... you're the traitor?"
"P-Please... hold on!" Monomi interrupted, jumping up on the table she was on.
However, Chiaki's only response was, "...Aww, you totally guessed right! Just as expected... Yep, you're correct... I'm the traitor. The agent sent by the Future Foundation to hide among you all... is me."
Nagito merely stared in silence. It appeared as if a thousand thoughts were running through his head at once.
"H-Hey Chiaki... Are you being serious right now?" Hiyoko asked.
"Ch-Chiaki is the traitor...?" Sonia asked. "That is a lie, right? Surely you must be joking?"
"...I'm sorry. It's the truth."
"What are you apologizing for...!?" Nekomaru asked. "A-Are you saying you tricked us this entire time?"
"W-We were not tricked!" Sonia shouted. "After all, we have been working together all this time... We have been helping each other all this time... Chiaki... being a traitor... Being a member of that horrifying Future Foundation... That is obviously a lie!"
"P-Please!" Monomi cried. "Wait...! The Future Foundation isn't what you think it is..."
Maki simply pointed a finger in her direction. "Be quiet. We're not finished yet." She turned toward the rest of the group. "What makes you so sure it's a lie? What makes it impossible? Your own delusions, that's all. You can't accept the idea that she has her own agenda, because she's your friend. Well, in case you haven't caught on yet, every killer we've had so far has been one of our friends as well. Nagito was also a friend. So was I. Everyone hides things from others, has their own agenda, and it's impossible for two people to truly understand each other. Chiaki is her own person, and the fact that you won't take her at her word when she confesses something this important to you... Well, it makes me wonder which of us is the worse friend."
Chiaki looked up at her. "Maki... you knew from the beginning, didn't you?"
Maki didn't respond, and instead asked, "Is that the extent of your confession?"
"Yeah, I have nothing more to say."
"Wh-Why...!?" Hajime asked.
"Cuz we finally solved the mysteries... Nagito's plan, and the traitor's true identity."
"H-Hold on!" Nekomaru snapped. "We're not satisfied yet!"
"If you say you're the traitor, please provide an explanation that will help us understand!" Sonia begged. "We cannot stop until we are satisfied. That is what you said earlier, Chiaki!"
"Hey... if you're really the traitor, why did you wait till now to say anything!?" Hiyoko asked.
"It's definitely strange, right? Or rather... why was I able to do that? Maybe... I wanted to protect everyone, no matter the cost... Hey Hajime, can you do me a small favour?"
"F-Favour...? Me...?"
"...I want you to prove to them that I'm the traitor."
"What...? What are you saying!? Why do I have to do that...!?"
"I want to explain everything to you guys but... as I expected, that's rather difficult. That's why... the only thing I can do is plead with you... I want you to do it. I believe you can prove it."
"Looks like you have your work cut out for you, Hajime." Maki remarked. "Unfortunately, this is the price of belief. You've been carrying that debt since the moment you put your trust in Chiaki. And now... it's time to collect."
"Looks like... we gotta do what we can..." Nekomaru said. "It's not like I believe she's the traitor, there's just no way we can ignore this without confirming it..."
"If she was just disguised or something, this would be a lot easier to understand, but..." Hiyoko trailed off.
"Sh-She's not disguised at all!" Monomi snapped. "Cuz... Chiaki isn't the traitor!"
"Monomi...?" Chiaki said.
"H-Hehe... too bad... I'm not part of the same group as that girl! I don't know anything about that girl at all!"
"...Hey, are you trying to cover for her like that?" Monokuma asked. "You suck!"
"I've... always been alone... I... have no friends... anywhere... That's why I have no relation to Chiaki whatsoever!"
"Hajime, you're going to listen to my request... right?" She asked.
"Ch-Chiaki isn't my friend! I hate Chiaki so much!"
Hajime hesitated, before he reluctantly stated his argument. "When we investigated Nagito's cottage, I discovered a notebook with an Usami logo on it... That's... your notebook, right? The one Nagito stole from you."
"I-I dunno... I dunno..."
"Don't tell me... Is that where the traitor's true identity is written!?" Nekomaru asked.
"Thaaaat's right!" Monokuma confirmed, pulling the notebook out of nowhere. "Since I knew something like this would happen, I made sure to bring it here today!"
"Ha-wa-wa! So sudden!?"
"Let me see that." Maki demanded, snatching the notebook from Monokuma's paws. She flipped it open and quickly scanned the text. "What is this? Monomi's diary...?"
"Is the traitor's identity written in there?" Hiyoko asked.
"Nagito was probably looking for that too, so that might be why he stole the notebook..." Hajime explained. "But you wouldn't know who the traitor is just by reading this notebook. Of course, Nagito wouldn't know either... However, it's different for me."
"You know!?" Nekomaru gasped.
"It took me this long... but I finally understand. First of all, this isn't Monomi's diary. Apparently she can't write."
"Then the one who wrote it is...!"
"Someone connected to Monomi... Meaning, it's not a mistake to think that the traitor wrote it."
Maki nodded. "It's like a report that the traitor was sending to Monomi. I see..."
"You mean they were watching us and... reporting to Monomi?" Hiyoko asked.
"But how would you know who the traitor is from that?" Sonia asked.
Hajime's expression turned pained. "Because... there's an entry written in here that only me and one other person would know." He walked over to Maki and flipped through the notebook until he reached it. "In the notebook... there was a specific entry."
Day 16: We've been in the Funhouse for three days! Everyone's hungry and on edge! Hajime tried to go in the Final Dead Room today. He's probably panicking because no one believes him.
"There it is... It's true, I tried to go inside the Final Dead Room... But the only one who knew that... That's right... The only person who knew that is... Chiaki. That's why Chiaki is the only person who could've possibly written about this!"
"There must be some mistake!" Sonia argued. "I mean... if Chiaki is the traitor... What was all that time we spent with her!? Was that all a lie too!? Chiaki is... She is being controlled by Monokuma. That is why... we should help her..."
"I'm not satisfied either..." Nekomaru agreed. "I mean, if you were the traitor, there's no way you would've went first when we found the bombs!"
"Hey, you're right..." Hiyoko realized. "Chiaki immediately went to the card reader with her handbook. She didn't even hesitate."
"Chiaki probably knew the bomb was fake." Hajime argued. "That's why she also knew Nagito's trap was a bluff..."
"Sh-She knew...?" Sonia muttered. "That is a mistake! That must be a mistake! Why are you saying such things!? Do you really want Chiaki to be the traitor!?"
"Of course not...!"
"...I will not believe it! I refuse to believe Chiaki is the traitor! There is... just no way!"
Hajime's face fell to the floor, pained and unable to respond.
"Is it truly impossible?" Maki asked. "For some reason, I strongly doubt it..."
"There is no way Chiaki would have known if that bomb was fake or not!" Sonia argued. "The only person who knew it was fake was... Me, when I tried to detonate it!"
"No, that's wrong!" Hajime snapped. "That's not it... Sonia shouldn't have been the only one who knew it was fake... Monomi was also there when you found out the bomb at the military base wasn't real... You said so yourself. Chiaki heard about it from Monomi. That's why she knew the bomb was a fake."
"...Since I've been found out, I'll just confess." Chiaki decided. "The reason I couldn't tell anyone I knew the bomb was a fake was because... if I had said that... I would've had to explain how I heard about it from Monomi..."
"I do not want to do this!" Sonia snapped. "Enough already... Please do not say another word... I do not want this anymore... I am so very tired... of doubting people..."
"Sonia..." Hajime muttered.
"A-And... just because she knew the bomb was a fake... does not mean we should decide she is the traitor! Even if she knew the bomb was fake... That does not prove Chiaki is the traitor! If that counts as evidence... I should be doubted too! After all, I also knew the bomb was fake!"
"Knowing it was a fake isn't the problem... What matters is who told her! What matters is that she heard about it from Monomi!"
"There was someone other than me and Monomi who knew the bomb was fake! That someone is Monokuma! Monokuma said so before, correct? He knows everything about this island! Monokuma probably told Chiaki that it was fake beforehand!"
"You're right. Monokuma probably knew the bomb was a fake... But Monokuma shouldn't have told anyone either."
"Th-That... Monokuma may have just been lying...!"
"No, he won't lie at times like this. You already know that..."
"H-Hajime... Are you going to believe Monokuma over Chiaki!?"
"That's... not it..."
"Even if Chiaki is the traitor, is it okay to believe she was the one caught in Nagito's trap?" Hiyoko asked. "That's basically the same as believing in Nagito's luck, you know?"
"That's not it..."
"There's no way I can believe that bastard!" Nekomaru growled.
Maki scoffed. "It's like I said at the start. Belief is a-"
"I'm telling you, that's not it!" Hajime snapped. "We shouldn't believe in Monokuma... or Nagito... We have to believe in Chiaki!"
"...Huh?"
"It doesn't matter who the traitor is... Even if Chiaki is the traitor, that's not the Chiaki I know. I believe in... the Chiaki who's been with us this whole time. That Chiaki is saying that she trusts us with her deepest secret! So the only thing we can do is believe her! If we don't..."
"...Hey, can you listen to me a little?" Chiaki asked. "There's nothing to be sad about, you know. Cuz... this is different from what happened before. Unlike before, you guys don't have to doubt someone... You guys just have to believe in me."
"You've got guts, Chiaki." Maki said. "I'm sorry this trial had to end this way, when we were only out to catch a killer."
"It's okay, really. It was my choice to come forward." She turned toward the rabbit on the table. "Monomi... I'm sorry, too. You're probably gonna get scolded by a lot of different people for this... But still, I didn't want to hide the truth from my friends any longer. And... I'm happy that I was able to tell them."
"...It's not up to me to decide whether that's right or wrong. However, I think it's truly amazing that you are able to think like that. We could even call this... a miracle."
"Hey, what've you two been talking about?" Monokuma interrupted. "Everyone's jaws are dropping, you know! Now, I know this isn't a standard trial by any means, and the culprit isn't considered "blackened," but still, I thought it would feel a little empty if we didn't at least end this with a voting time!"
With that, every e-Handbook in the room buzzed to life. Everyone pulled their handbooks out of their pockets or, in Nagito's case, off the bedside table, and looked at the new screen that appeared. Seven portraits of the current surviving students appeared, with a "confirm" option in the bottom corner.
Maki scoffed. "You always did have a flair for the dramatic, huh? Well, let's do this..."
Hajime looked up with a nervous expression. "H-Hey... Chiaki..."
"You don't have to worry." She assured. "Believe in me... and cast your vote."
Everyone made their selections on the screens in front of them, selecting who they thought the culprit was. With that, their fates were sealed, and that was the end of their fifth class trial.
My conversation with Chiaki was interrupted by a series of flashing screens and a siren-like sound pouring from the speakers.
I shot up out of my chair. "What's going on?"
"No no no...!" Chihiro didn't answer me as he flipped between windows, desperately trying to find code to work his magic on. "No!"
"Chihiro...?" I rushed to his side. He continued to stare forward at the screen, which lit up his wide eyes in the dim light of the Observation Room. The screen was covered in different windows, and more seemed to be appearing at a rapid pace. It was like how computers in movies and TV always looked right before they blue-screened. Dozens and dozens of windows, and judging from what little I could read before they were covered up by new ones, it seemed to be bad news.
Then, suddenly, it stopped. All of the windows closed at once, and the sound from the speakers went silent. All that was left was the desktop background.
"I-It's over..." He muttered, slumping back in his chair. "She took over..."
"What do you mean, she took over?"
"I've been locked out of the system. The virus changed the credentials and everything. It was so sudden, I... I-I didn't even have a chance to react..."
I took a step back. "Do you think you could hack your way back in?"
"I could, but... Well, Future Foundation is no slouch when it comes to cybersecurity, and the virus is only going to be stacking more defences on top of that. It would probably take a couple of hours for me. For my dad... I don't know if he could do it in the first place."
"Damn..." I shook my head. Chihiro was reaching the end of his shift, and the last thing he needed right now was to work overtime. "What about Alter Ego? Is he okay?"
"I can't check up on him anymore. We've been disconnected. But I think he's okay, for now. The virus hasn't taken over the whole system yet. If it had, well..."
"The killing game would be over by now, yeah." I started wracking my brain. "Could Alter Ego restore your access to the system somehow? Change the credentials back or something?"
"Maybe, but given how big that attack just now was... He's probably doing everything he can to avoid getting deleted himself. We did tell him to focus on defence, remember? I don't think he's going to try anything too dangerous like that."
I thought about it. "Yeah, but on the other hand, since we're not able to give him commands anymore, he might decide to pull something self-sacrificial through his own agency. That's one of the traits he inherited from Uncle Al, after all."
Chiaki made her way over and asked, "Um... Just how much has Junko taken over?"
Chihiro turned to her. "As long as Alter Ego is still around, the virus won't be able to make any changes to the basic rules of the Neo World Program, but... It could potentially bend those rules, or change some of the settings that aren't as essential."
I scratched my head. "What, like... How high the skybox goes, and stuff like that?"
"That's one example, yeah. As long as it doesn't do it in a way that indirectly break the rules, it could really transform the world into anything it wants."
"But you said she could "bend those rules," right?" I stared intently at the screen, my face slowly twisting into a scowl. "How far do you think she could bend them without breaking?"
He considered it for a moment, before he noticed my expression. "Al? What are you thinking...?"
I didn't respond. There was a sinking feeling in my gut.
The same sense of dread I always got just before things went wrong.
Can I just say that writing Nagito in this chapter was kind of fun? Because, when you get right down to it, I get to write his true feelings. No more mask to hide behind, no bullshit to spout, just Nagito sitting there, letting the group know how much he loathes them and everything they stand for. I had fun with him.
Now, while some of you may have expected me to give you the ol' switcheroo and have like, Maki be the one who brutalized and almost killed Nagito or something, I ultimately decided to keep it the same as in canon. Except Nagito's still alive, that part's different. Will this change anything? Will Monokuma pull some last-minute murder out of his ass? Well, we can answer those questions in the next chapter, where we see the aftermath of the "trial."
Apparently, things aren't looking too good on Albert's end. The Junko Virus is gaining rapid control of the Neo World Program. What will she do with this newfound power? Well, I'm sure we all remember how distorted DR2 became once you reached the final chapter. Let's say those distortions are coming in a little early.
In the next chapter, we'll see the aftermath of the trial, and how Albert and his friends plan to react.