"There are four male room checkers," I say. "Shingo and Ryu for morning room checks, and Takeru and Tsubasa for evening room checks. Tsubasa was with Jun and everyone in the hallway—so he wasn't hiding in Hiroto's room. Which means he has an alibi. Takeru and Shingo… never opened the presents Monokuma gave them. So, they didn't get the tape.
"The only one left… the only person who matches everything we know about the culprit… is Ryu Minamoto."
Everyone looks at Ryu.
Ryu smiles.
"That's a pretty good point," Ryu says. "Can't really argue with it."
"You… can't argue?" says Naomi.
"Nah," says Ryu. "I don't like it, but I can't deny that I'm a suspect now. I'm sure as hell not the culprit. But I know you can't just take my word for it." He shrugs. "It'll pass. This is a smart gang. We're gettin' closer and closer to the truth—we'll figure it out before this is over."
Everyone just stares. Ryu's attitude is… baffling.
"You're, uh… really taking this well, Ryu," says Tsubasa.
"Hmm," says Momoka. "Koi and Kenji were freaking out…"
"I don't blame 'em," says Ryu. "Koi and Kenji lead normal lives. They aren't used to this shit. Me? I'm the Ultimate Yakuza. Some geezer has a heart attack within ten miles of me—suddenly, I got fingers pointing my way. It's my daily fuckin' life. I've learned to deal with it."
"But…" I stammer. This is… not the reaction I expected. "Ryu… if you're not the culprit, then… who is?"
"Fuck if I know," says Ryu. "I'm working with the same info as everyone else, here." His smile fades. "All I know is—I didn't do it. I fuckin' liked Hiroto. The world needs more guys like Hiroto. Fuckin' tragedy, what happened to him."
"I… I believe you, Ryu!" says Yuna. "There's no way you're the culprit! You're the only one here who cares about everyone's health! And… being dead is the least healthy thing of all!"
"The girl's got a point," Ryu says, smiling again. "I've been busting my ass to keep everyone alive and safe. Ran for Captain, even. This shit with Hiroto—this isn't how I wanted things to go." He shrugs. "Well, that ain't exactly proof. I've gotta deal with being one of the suspects, now. I just hope it's clear that I'd never do this shit."
There's a silence. We're still not sure what to make of this attitude.
"Ryu… that's wrong," I say, hating that I have to say it. "You're not one of the suspects. Right now… you're the only suspect who makes sense."
Ryu nods slowly, and makes a face like he's thinking about this.
"That's an interesting perspective," he says, smiling slightly. "Can't say I agree, though."
"You… don't agree?" says Kenji.
"This isn't about agreement or disagreement," says Shingo. "Unless we're missing something, the facts are all pointing to you as the culprit."
"Funny thing," says Ryu. "First, the facts point to Koi. Then they point to Kenji. Now me. Almost like this is a complicated case, and we don't know shit about what happened. …Well, fourth time's the charm, right? I'm optimistic. I think we're close to the truth."
Another silence.
"Ryu," Akiko says, frowning. "I don't want it to be you. You're a good Second Mate. And you're fun to work with. But… you can't just act like nothing's wrong. You're in very big trouble right now."
"I agree," says Naomi. "I don't like it either, Ryu. But if you're the culprit… everything starts to fall neatly into place. Without a doubt—you're the top suspect now."
"It's not close, either," says Jun.
"I'm sorry, Ryu," I say. "But… it fits too well."
Again, Ryu appears to think.
"Yeah," he says, "I guess you're right. If you make a big series of assumptions, and mix in your own biases—I look pretty suspicious, don't I? Of course, those are only assumptions."
"Assumptions?" says Kenji.
"Biases?" says Naomi.
"What are you talking about?" asks Shingo.
"You're assuming," says Ryu, "that the killer was a room checker. You're assuming they got the tape from an opened present. Hell, you're assuming that the tape is relevant! And you're assuming that Koi's story—about the killer bein' in the room, changing places—is what really happened. These are all just assumptions. They're guesses. There's no proof."
"They're not assumptions," says Kenji. "They're deductions."
"And… they make even more sense now that they're pointing to you," I say. "Like—it was kind of a stretch for Kenji to replace his gift with a book no one had seen before. But if you replaced your gift with seltzer water… that make way more sense."
"You had plenty of seltzer water in your room," says Shingo. "You could've easily put two bottles into the gift box. If two bottles of seltzer water disappear, it's not exactly a mystery."
"So a man likes hydration," says Ryu, "and now he's a killer?"
"No way!" says Yuna. "Hydration makes people alive! Not dead!"
"Furthermore," says Emi, "Ryu's closeness with the victim likely gave him special insight."
"That's right," I say. "You knew Hiroto. You talked with him a lot. He might have told you about his nighttime walks—and the killer had to know about those somehow."
"Also," says Naomi, "you had plenty of chances to tape up Hiroto's door. It wouldn't have to be during a room check—I'm sure Hiroto would let you in just to talk, if you asked."
"So I liked Hiroto, therefore I killed him?" says Ryu, his smile barely visible. "Sounds like a load of bullshit to me."
"Ryu, please…" Mizuki mutters.
"Sorry, sorry," Ryu says, putting his hands up apologetically. "I'm tryin' not to take this personally, here. I know it's not your fault. The media's feedin' you all these stories about the big, scary yakuza who's gonna break into your home and chop off your fingers—"
"That's wrong, Ryu!" Akiko interrupts. "We don't care about that!"
"Maybe you don't think you do. But I see what's going on, here. One of us is a murderer. One of us is a yakuza. You're puttin' two and two together, and you think you got four." His face is completely serious now. "But all you've got is a big, fat zero. We don't know shit yet. There are all sorts of possibilities. Lots of potential culprits. But if you keep comin' up with ideas and theories until they point you to the yakuza…" His face softens; he shrugs. "I can't pretend it doesn't hurt a little, comin' from people I think of as friends. But I'm a tough guy. I can take the heat."
"That's not what this is about, Ryu!" I say.
"We've considered all the evidence," says Naomi. "What else is left?"
"Funny thing," says Ryu. "We considered all the evidence, and decided Kenji did it. Now you've thought about it more, and decided I did it. So, let's think a little harder, and figure out who really did it."
"Would you like to give it a go?" says Shingo.
Ryu picks up his seltzer water bottle, takes a sip, and puts it back down on the railing. "To be honest, I wouldn't," he says. "Accusin' people is a nasty thing. You gotta tread lightly. It's a tricky business. But I get it—I'm the top suspect. It's my job to point out all the other suspects we can't rule out yet."
"But… what other suspects are there?" I ask.
"Alright," says Ryu, "I guess someone's gotta point fingers—and I guess that someone's gotta be me." He takes another sip. "For starters—Emi's suspicious as hell."
"Emi?" I say, surprised.
"Real big coincidence, right?" says Ryu. "The girl 'finds' a bloody bedsheet where no one else ever thought to look—then she goes about 'sharing' it in the weirdest way possible. Whatever game she's playing, it's not fuckin' normal. Not to mention that 'empty' safe she got. Coulda been a roll of tape in there. Who knows?"
"But Emi was never in my room," says Kenji. "How did she put the tape on my door?"
"The girl has a habit of poppin' up outta nowhere," says Ryu. "Maybe you left your door a crack open, and she stepped in without you noticing."
"Very interesting," says Emi. "It seems I'm a killer now. Though, I'm quite a foolish killer." She turns, and looks at me. "Perhaps you'll explain why, Koi?"
"There's no way it's Emi," I say. "Everyone was ready to vote for me—but Emi kept pushing me to talk about the bedsheet. If Emi was the killer, she wouldn't try to clear my name."
"The hell if I know why people behave the way they do," says Ryu. "Look—I'm not saying it's Emi. I'm not even saying it's likely. It's just one of the many possibilities we gotta consider. …And speaking of possibilities—whatever happened to the idea that Koi was wrong about Hiroto's door bein' locked?"
"That always seemed unlikely," says Naomi. "But it was the only thing we could think of. Now that we have a more plausible story… we don't have to make that leap anymore."
"Also, I wasn't wrong," I say yet again. "The door was locked."
"Well, you were panicked," says Ryu. "You weren't thinking straight. It's still possible that the tape hadn't been removed yet. And if that's possible—then Kenji's still a possible culprit. So is Tsubasa—he's a room checker, and he opened his present. If the door was unlocked, no one in Jun's little experiment has an alibi."
"I bet it was Tsubasa!" says Yuna. "He's trying to speedrun the killing game!"
"…How do I even respond to that?" says Tsubasa.
"Yuna, p-please calm down," says Mizuki.
"…Fine," Yuna says, pouting and crossing her arms. "But—you guys are being way too hasty!"
"You were being hasty!" says Tsubasa.
"Guys, stop it!" says Jeff. "Don't you see what's happening? Monokuma is turning us against each other!"
"Guilty as charged!" says Monokuma. "Keep up the good work, everyone!"
"I don't like it either, Jeff," I say. "But we have to find out who the culprit is."
"I'm… not going to do this anymore!" Jeff says, clenching his fists. "I… I actually thought that maybe Koi could… and then Kenji…" He clutches the podium, and looks down. "It was the Mastermind," he says. "They're hiding somewhere in this school."
"Um… are we in a time loop?" says Tsubasa.
"I thought you got over that already!" says Yuna.
"I should never…" Jeff says softly, looking extremely troubled. "I should never have suspected my friends. It was the Mastermind. That's… the only thing I'm going to let myself believe from now on."
There's a pause.
"Well, it can't be ruled out," says Ryu. "It's a possibility. One of many. We got lots of potential culprits—it's way too early to settle on one. So, let's use our noggins, and try to figure this out."
Another pause.
"Tsubasa," I say. "That tape… it was so sticky, you couldn't get it off your skin. You said that you had to run a faucet over it."
"Yeah," Tsubasa says, cringing. "It was less sticky after we got it wet."
"So," I say, "to remove the tape, the killer… probably poured water over it."
"Hmm," says Momoka. "Maybe seltzer water…"
"Jesus Christ," Ryu grumbles. "You guys fuckin' hearing this shit?"
"Ryu…!" says Mizuki.
"I'm sorry," Ryu says, throwing his hands up. "That was uncalled for. But you can't blame me for bein' a little on edge right now. You're actin' like I'm the only person with access to fuckin' water in this school."
"There's no way seltzer water was used to commit murder!" says Yuna. "It's way too healthy! It can only be used as a zero-calorie soda alternative!"
"The girl's got a point," says Ryu.
"It makes sense, actually," says Kenji. "The condensation from the bottle could have made Ryu's hand wet… and that's how he used the tape without it sticking to him."
"Fuckin' hell," says Ryu. "You don't think anyone else could use a vending machine?"
"I know this doesn't prove anything," I say. "It's just… another detail that fits."
Ryu takes another sip. He puts the bottle down.
He smiles.
"The two of you make a good team," Ryu says. "Koi and Kenji. Workin' together. Clearin' each other's names. …Come to think of it, Koi would still be the main suspect if it weren't for that itty little detail of Kenji's bedsheet."
"She was never in my room," says Kenji. "She couldn't have put the tape on my door."
"Let me guess," says Shingo. "You think she stepped in while the door was open."
"Well, that's possible," says Ryu. "Not likely. Can't rule it out, though." His smile widens. "Then again, there's an easier way Koi could've taken that bedsheet. One that doesn't require any tape, or any sneakin' around."
"What?" I say.
"How?" asks Shingo.
"Simple," says Ryu. "Kenji gave it to her."
We process this.
"…What?" I say.
"I didn't!" says Kenji.
"Well," says Ryu, "I guess we gotta take Kenji at his word. I'm sure a guy like him has no reason to cover for a girl like her."
"Wait… what?" says Tsubasa.
"Um, bullshit," says Rin.
"C'mon," says Ryu. "We've all seen the way he looks at her. The poor guy's head-over-heels. The things we do for love, right?"
"No, that's wrong!" I yell, blushing. "Kenji and I have barely even interacted! There's no way he has a crush on me!"
"Y-yeah…" Kenji mutters, red-faced, looking away.
"Well," says Ryu, "I'll let the rest of you be the judge of that."
"It's an interesting theory," says Naomi. "But it doesn't match Kenji's behavior. He really seemed devastated when Koi presented evidence against him. If that was acting—Kenji's one of the best actors I've ever met."
"It doesn't match Koi's behavior, either," says Shingo. "When the trial began, she nearly talked us into voting for her. Her interactions with Kenji make no sense if they were planning this together."
"I am certain of Koi's innocence," says Emi. "Her behavior in the laundry room indicated that she had no prior knowledge of the bedsheet."
"What I'm hearin' right now," says Ryu, "are a whole lot of opinions. Oh, you don't feel like it's true. You don't think they'd act that way." He shrugs. "Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong. The thing about opinions is, they're open to bias. Koi seems nice—it can't be her. Kenji seems nice—he can't be covering for her. That yakuza guy, though—"
"We keep telling you," Naomi interrupts, "this isn't about that."
"Well, that's your opinion," says Ryu. "I think if you look at the facts objectively, you'll see how many possibilities we can't rule out. There's still lots of angles to look at."
"Fine, then," says Shingo. "Let's talk about the murder weapon. There's an interesting coincidence, which has been bothering me for a while."
"The murder weapon was just a knife from the cafeteria, right?" says Tsubasa.
"It was," says Shingo. "The five of us—the Captain, the First Mates, Ryu, and I—believed we were the first ones to find those knives, on the day they appeared in the cafeteria. No one else ever fessed up to having seen them before us. If only one person had seen them before, and that person just happened to be a killer—that's a strange coincidence, isn't it?
"However, I'm starting to believe that the five of us did find those knives first. If Ryu's the culprit… there's something that makes a bit more sense."
TRUTH BULLET: KNIFE #1,104
"It was the 1,104th knife," I say. "The murder weapon wasn't one of the 1,103 knives you counted that night."
"Which means it had already been taken," says Shingo. "Which removes one troubling coincidence. Ryu came in with us, and found the knives—and while our backs were turned, he hid one in his suit. Only afterward did I count the knives."
"But… how?" I ask. "We had thorough room searches that night—and pat-downs, too."
"That's true," says Shingo. "Though, I seem to recall Ryu taking a bathroom break not long after we found those knives."
"So a man's gotta take a dump," says Ryu. "Nature calls, and that means I'm a killer. Is that it?"
"It's just… another detail that fits," I say.
Ryu smiles.
"We sure are reliant on Shingo," Ryu says. "Good thing he's such a reliable guy. I'm takin' it no one else counted the knives? Just him?"
"That's correct," Shingo says, glaring.
"Come to think of it," says Ryu, "we rely on Shingo a lot in here. He's the guy with the magic eye. The guy who knows where everything is. The Captain gives orders, but the Quartermaster knows. We'd be pretty fucked if he decided to abuse that power."
"The Captain always makes us work in pairs," says Naomi. "You know this, Ryu. Shingo performs his duties as Quartermaster under supervision."
"And you're accusin' me of takin' a knife under supervision," says Ryu. "How's that for a double standard? Shingo had more chances to take a knife than I did. Not to mention, he's a room checker—and he's got no alibi, either. The only reason we passed over him as a suspect… is because he hadn't opened his present. Come to think of it… who came up with the theory that the tape was a present?"
"But the theory makes sense," I say.
"Where do you believe I got the tape from?" asks Shingo.
"Beats me," says Ryu. "Funny, though… we only think the tape is so special because Shingo told us he'd never seen it before." He shrugs. "Well, our Quartermaster wouldn't lie to us, right? If he's never seen it, it must've just popped up outta nowhere."
"No," says Tsubasa. "That doesn't make sense. That tape was really well-hidden. Jun showed Shingo a box of tape… and Shingo immediately said that something was off. So… was he trying to hide the tape? Or did he want us to find it?"
"Maybe he decided to switch things up," says Ryu. "He saw that you were gettin' close… so he decided to cooperate. Act all surprised, when the tape showed up." He shrugs. "The man's a damned genius. I can't pretend to know how his mind works. But you gotta admit—whatever his strategy is, it's workin' pretty well so far."
"I've been giving my all to this case," Shingo says, his glare intensifying. "You, meanwhile, have taken a more backseat role. This whole trial, you've just gone along with whatever the majority says. I can only think of two noteworthy opinions you've contributed. First, when you said the killer probably tested the tape on their own door. Second, when you said the killer's fake gift was probably something unique that no one had seen before. If you're the killer, however—you tested the tape on Kenji's door, and your fake gift was seltzer water from a vending machine. In which case, you've spoken up only when you saw a chance to mislead us."
"You're giving your all, huh?" says Ryu. "The guy's sure been wrong a lot, for a genius who's giving his all."
"I'm afraid you won't get the rise out of me that you're looking for," Shingo says, his glare cold as ice.
"I'm just listing possibilities, here," says Ryu. "Our asses are all on the line."
There's silence. We're all stumped. Ryu just isn't budging.
"This man…" says Takeru. "His verbal self-defense jutsu is that of a master."
"When I first met Ryu," I say softy, "I thought to myself… he could have been the Ultimate Public Relations Manager."
"That comes with the territory," says Ryu. "Like I said. I'm used to this shit." His face turns serious. "I'm not gonna pretend I'm the most innocent guy here," he says. "I've gotten my hands dirty. I've taught some lessons that needed teaching. Guys who double-crossed us. Guys who deserved it." He gazes at Hiroto's crossed-out portrait. "Not guys like Hiroto," he says. "This is a filthy-ass world we're in—but Hiroto was as clean as they come. The man was untouchable. For me to kill him, after all he's done for my family?" He shakes his head. "Say what you want about the Minamoto Clan—but we know what honor is."
"Still not confessing, huh?" says Jun.
"Can't confess to something I didn't do," Ryu says, looking relaxed again. "You ask me, Koi and Shingo are the two most suspicious people. Maybe we ought to question them a little."
"I've got a better idea," says Jun. "Let's question you a little."
"That's what you've been fuckin' doing, isn't it?" says Ryu.
"Tell us about the night of the murder," says Jun. "Use as much detail as you want."
"Not much to say," says Ryu. "I was asleep."
"Before that," says Jun.
"Gettin' ready for bed."
"Be specific."
"The fuck you want me to say? I got changed, brushed my teeth, read a little—yes, yakuza read books—then I turned off the lights, and went to sleep. You want the title of my book? It's a fuckin' page-turner."
"So," says Jun, "you wouldn't describe yourself as an early sleeper?"
Ryu shrugs. "Not too early, not too late."
"When did you fall asleep?"
"Fuck, I dunno. Maybe 11 p.m."
"You might recall," says Jun, "that several people heard loud music in the hallway. Emi, Yuna, and Akiko all mentioned hearing it from their rooms. Koi heard it from Hiroto's room, too. It was playing at around 10:45 p.m. last night. Did you hear it?"
"That annoying-ass music?" says Ryu. "Of course I heard it."
Jun grins. "You heard it, huh?"
"It was loud as shit," says Ryu.
"Hum it for me," says Jun.
"Jesus—seriously?" says Ryu. "It was all dadadaaa, dadadaaa, dadadadaaaaaa."
My eyes widen.
I realize what's happening.
Jun set a trap.
And Ryu fell for it.
"That's it, alright," Jun says, his grin widening. "You definitely heard it."
"Of fuckin' course I heard it," Ryu says, annoyed. "It was loud as hell. Fuckin' everyone heard it!"
TRUTH BULLET: MOMOKA'S ACCOUNT
"No, that's wrong!" I shout.
Ryu gives me a strange look. "The fuck you mean?"
"Momoka didn't hear it," I say. "She was up late, and she wasn't doing anything—just lying in bed. But she never heard that music."
"Seriously?" says Ryu. "Momoka—you goin' deaf?"
"It's malnutrition!" says Yuna. "She needs to eat her vegetables!"
"Hmm," says Momoka. "I'm pretty sensitive to loud noises, though…"
"But you don't remember hearing that music, right?" I ask.
"No…" Momoka answers.
"And I bet it's not just Momoka," I say. "Takeru—if I had to guess, I'd say you didn't hear the music either, right?"
"I remember no such disturbance," says Takeru. "Though, I was awake at the time."
"Ryu said it was 'loud as hell,'" I say. "But I think some people here won't agree."
"It wasn't really that loud," says Akiko.
"I… I think I remember something," says Mizuki. "B-but it wasn't very loud…"
"I vaguely remember an annoying sound," says Naomi. "But I couldn't hum it, if you asked me to."
"Wait… what the hell is going on, here?" says Tsubasa.
"It was, like… so fucking loud," says Rin.
"Some people here need their ears checked," says Ryu.
"It's not their ears," I say. "It's their location. That music was blasting in the main hall—the open space by the cafeteria. The closer you were, the louder it sounded."
"Seriously?" says Tsubasa. "Our rooms aren't that far apart."
"Hiroto once said something interesting," I say. "He estimated that our rooms are '80% soundproof.' That music was extremely loud—but if your room is all the way down the hall, like Momoka's room is, then your room is soundproof enough that you wouldn't even hear it.
"It was really loud from Hiroto's room and Emi's room—they're the closest.
"My room and Yuna's room are the next-closest.
"Akiko's room and Rin's room come after that.
"Then come Mizuki's room and Naomi's room.
"Then Shingo's room and Jeff's room.
"Momoka's room is at the end of the hall. After that, the hallway turns. If you keep going, you'll pass Tsubasa's room, Ryu's room, Takeru's room, and Kenji's room—plus Jun's room on the left. That's why Momoka and Takeru don't remember hearing anything.
"If Ryu was in his room, there's no way he'd remember hearing it. But if he was in Hiroto's room… not only was it loud to begin with, but we also opened the door. Of course he would think it was 'loud as hell.'"
"So, maybe I have sharp hearing," says Ryu. "That makes me a killer? C'mon."
"We'll see about that," says Jun.
He takes out his e-Handbook.
"If you poke around," says Jun, "there's hidden code for a music app on here."
"Hey—wait a moment!" says Yuna. "I thought you couldn't hack those!"
"You sure can't!" says Monokuma. "Well… you can't mess with the main functions. I included some hidden functions, just to throw programmer-types a bone. Otherwise, they get antsy!"
"Takeru," says Jun. "Ryu. Good news. You're both exactly three podiums away from me." He grins. "Let's see who has better hearing. I'm going to play some samples, and gradually decrease the volume. Try to clap along."
"Very well," says Takeru.
"Alright," Ryu says, rubbing his hands together. "Let's do this."
Jun plays the music.
Ryu and Takeru clap.
The music gets quieter.
They clap, clap, clap.
Quieter and quieter. The beat keeps changing.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
I'm in awe of what's happening.
They're playing a rhythm game.
They're playing a freaking rhythm game, and it's actually relevant to the trial.
Unbelievable.
Now the music is hard to hear. It's clear that Ryu is struggling. He keeps changing tempo. He's grimacing, and cursing under his breath.
But Takeru is clapping, clapping, clapping without trouble.
Finally, the music stops.
"Big fuckin' whoop," Ryu growls. "So I heard one thing, and not another thing. Who fuckin' knows why? Fuckin' bullshit to pretend like this is proof of anything!"
"It's the Mastermind," Jeff whispers, eyes closed. "It's the Mastermind. It's not Ryu. It's the Mastermind."
"Ryu…" Yuna says. Her eyes are misty. "You… you didn't really… right? This… is some kind of misunderstanding, right…?"
"Of fuckin' course it is!" shouts Ryu. "So if you asswipes want to fuckin' live, you'd better put aside your fuckin' biases!"
"Ryu!" says Mizuki.
"That was uncalled for," Naomi says sternly.
"Sorry, sorry," Ryu says, throwing his hands up. His tension wanes a bit. "I just don't like bein' accused of murderin' the one fuckin' guy I respected most in this hellhole." He tries to regain his composure. "Funny," he says, "how Jun had that trick up his sleeve. Really waitin' for his chance to use it. …Come to think of it, wasn't Jun the guy who 'found' those tape marks? And he was lookin' real hard for that tape, too. Not to mention, his present was a bag of goddamn potato chips." Ryu shrugs. "The man's the Ultimate Hacker. Who the hell knows what sorta tricks he's been hidin' from us?"
Jun just grins.
"I really shouldn't say this," says Jun. "But now you're pissing me off. So, I'm going to say it anyway."
We wait.
"I knew it was Ryu the whole time," says Jun. "I saw him go into Hiroto's room."
We gape.
There's a stunned silence.
"You're joking," Shingo says plainly.
"To be exact," says Jun, "I saw him on the screens in the Ultimate Moral Compass's Office."
"The Captain's office?" Naomi asks, her eyes wide.
"And you didn't tell anyone?" says Tsubasa.
"Th-this is misbehavior!" says Mizuki. "I—I'm going to have to punish you!"
"Great going, Jun," Akiko says, glaring at him. "You just earned our Captain's very first punishment."
"Did somebody say punishment?" says Monokuma.
"Shut up!" says Akiko. "This isn't about you!"
"I don't get no respect," Monokuma mutters, downcast.
"You guys actually believe this asshole?" Ryu growls, glaring at Jun.
"Jun," I say, "why didn't you tell us?"
"You kidding?" says Jun. "A weirdo like me, throwing a random accusation with no corroborating evidence? No one in their right mind would believe it. I had to wait until Ryu's guilt was proven. This is just the last nail in his coffin."
"Well, you're right about one thing," says Ryu. "No one in their right mind should believe this shit. This asshole keeps nudging the discussion his way, and now he comes up with this baseless load of crap outta nowhere? Suspicious as hell, if you ask me."
"This is a great example," Jun says, "of why I kept my mouth shut."
"Those screens are fuzzy as hell, anyway," says Ryu. "Even if he saw something—who the hell knows who it was?"
"Figured you'd say that," says Jun.
"Hey—wait a moment!" Kenji says, looking angry for the first time since I met him. "You kept implying that I was the culprit!"
Jun grins. "Honestly, I just wanted to see how you'd crawl out of it."
"That's so messed up!" shouts Yuna.
There are several shouts and grunts in agreement.
"Jun," says Naomi, "we'll talk later about your behavior. For now, we need to know everything that happened."
"For starters," says Shingo, "what were you doing in the Captain's office?"
"I've been going to her office," says Jun, "between room check and the 10 p.m. announcement. That's when I know I'll be alone. I'm interested in those TV screens—the ones that show a feed of the hallway cameras. I've been looking for a way to hijack those cameras. Thought maybe I'd get a hint. Though, no success so far.
"Last night, I saw Ryu on the feed, holding a bedsheet. Somehow, he walked into Hiroto's room without using the scanner. The whole thing confused the hell out of me. Ryu's the Second Mate. I wondered if this was some kind of secret mission. Or, maybe he'd done Hiroto's laundry. Honestly, I was mostly curious about how the hell he got in there."
"And you didn't think to tell anyone?" says Shingo.
"Wasn't sure there was anything worth telling," says Jun.
"Is this… why you did that experiment?" asks Kenji.
"Sort of," says Jun. "I'd planned something like that for a while. After seeing that… I decided it was time to try it." He shrugs. "When I see a lever, I pull it. Just to see what happens."
"But, Jun…" I say, a dark anger coming over me. "Jun… if that's true… you did that experiment… because you saw Ryu… and you wanted to see if something would happen…" I'm staring at Jun with wide eyes. "Hiroto died… because of you. You messed around just for kicks, and… during that distraction, Ryu moved to the bathroom… if he hadn't, I would've seen him under the bed, and…"
"And what?" says Jun. "He would've surrendered peacefully? Chances are, if you'd seen Ryu under the bed, he'd have killed you both."
"You don't know that!" I shout. "You… you should've told someone! You shouldn't have just acted on your own! This is your fault! You…!"
"Koi, p-please calm down," says Mizuki.
I try my best to calm down.
"I… I'll punish Jun for his misbehavior," says Mizuki. "But… h-he didn't… k-kill anyone. This isn't his fault. And… if he t-trusted Ryu…" Her face falls. "That's… my fault, too. He was… my Second Mate. I'm…" She's hard to hear, now. "I'm sorry," she mutters.
There's a silence.
"Jun didn't know this would happen," Akiko says softly, frowning. "It's like… if you see your friend with a knife, you don't assume they're going to kill someone. You assume they're going to cut some food. That's… that's what trust is."
My anger leaves through my tear ducts.
"Ryu?" says Shingo. "Anything to add?"
Ryu is oddly silent.
"He's still not confessing," Akiko says sadly.
"It's all circumstantial," Ryu mutters, arms crossed. "You got nothin' solid."
But his heart isn't in it anymore.
"Koi," says Shingo. "This case began with you at its center. Maybe you should put the pieces together, and show Ryu that we have a complete picture of what happened."
I wipe my eyes. I feel better, now.
"Okay," I say. "I'll do it. I'll summarize this case."
I gather my thoughts.
"It all started when Monokuma filled the cafeteria with 1,104 knives. Five people…"
I stop.
"Um… what's going on?" I ask.
Around us, along the walls, those red curtains have lifted. Behind them are large screens.
And on those screens, there's… some kind of manga?
"It's the Automatic Manganator!" says Monokuma. "Our latest, greatest feature! During the 'Closing Argument' portion of the class trial, the AutoManga will create computer-generated comic book images based on the speaker's words. Isn't that neat?"
"Amateurish, if you ask me," Naomi mutters.
"Hmm," says Momoka. "It's pretty good, for a computer…"
"Um…" I say. "Anyway… I'm just going to start over, now." I take a deep breath. "Here's everything that happened in this case!"
CLOSING ARGUMENT
"It all started when 1,104 knives appeared in the cafeteria. Five people entered the cafeteria, and found those knives before anyone else. The culprit… was one of those five people. While the other four weren't looking, the culprit stashed a knife in their suit. Then they left for a 'bathroom break,' and hid the knife somewhere.
"The next day, we all woke up to find a present in our room. The culprit opened their present—and found a roll of white tape. They hid this gift, and replaced it with two bottles of seltzer water.
"During a room check, the culprit secretly placed some tape over Kenji's door—specifically, over the bolt that extends when the door locks. This tape was unusually strong and sticky… it was able to prevent the bolt from extending, so that the door couldn't lock. Also, its color blended in with the door, so it went unnoticed. At some other point, the culprit also taped over the bolt of Hiroto's door.
"With Kenji's door unlocked, the culprit was able to sneak in while Kenji was away. They stole one of Kenji's bedsheets, and then removed the tape—probably by wetting it with seltzer water. But the tape left some marks.
"Now the stage was set. The culprit just had to wait until Hiroto took his nightly walk—between his 9 p.m. room check and the 10 p.m. announcement. At this point, Hiroto's door was still unlocked. The culprit took Kenji's bedsheet, and snuck into Hiroto's room. Then they removed the tape from Hiroto's door—and that left marks, too.
"When Hiroto returned from his walk, the culprit was hiding under his bed. Their plan was to wait until Hiroto fell asleep… and then murder him, using the bedsheet to frame Kenji.
"But Hiroto had an unexpected visitor that night—me. I was terrified that someone was planning to kill Hiroto, so I didn't want to leave his side. Unfortunately, I was right…
"To calm me down, Hiroto let me sleep in his room. We set up a makeshift bed on the floor, next to Hiroto's bed… right beside the culprit. Their hiding place was no longer safe. In order to remain undiscovered… the culprit had to change places.
"Their chance came when loud music started blasting in the hallway. Hiroto and I were confused, so we went up to the door. We opened it—and saw five people. Jun, Jeff, Rin, Kenji, and Tsubasa. When the music stopped, Tsubasa explained the nature of Jun's experiment.
"Meanwhile, the culprit used this distraction to abandon their hiding place. They crawled out from under the bed, went into the bathroom… and locked the door. Neither Hiroto nor I used the bathroom after that, so we never suspected anything.
"While Hiroto and I were fast asleep… the culprit exited the bathroom, wearing Kenji's bedsheet as a cloak. They took the knife… and stabbed Hiroto in the heart, killing him almost instantly. The culprit used Hiroto's own sheets as a shield, but some blood still got on Kenji's bedsheet. After stabbing Hiroto again in the chest, the culprit abandoned the knife, and fled.
"With me in the room, there was no longer any need to frame Kenji. So the culprit went to the laundry room, and hid Kenji's bedsheet behind a washing machine. Then they went to the storage room, and hid the tape in a box of duct tape. The culprit knew that, even if the bedsheet and tape were found, it wouldn't matter—they'd just frame Kenji instead of me.
"What the culprit didn't realize… was that Kenji had an alibi. Because of this detail, we were able to narrow down the list of suspects… until only one remained.
"It has to be you—Ryu Minamoto, the Ultimate Yakuza!"
Ryu doesn't respond. His arms are crossed. His face is stern.
"I'm not going to believe it," Jeff whispers, trembling. "It's not Ryu. It's not Ryu…"
But Yuna can't deny it any longer.
"Why, Ryu?" she squeaks, tears pouring down. "Why… why did you kill Hiroto, Ryu? Did you… did you really hate Hiroto that much?"
"Bullshit!" Ryu shouts furiously, pounding his podium. "You think I'd kill a guy because I hate him? That's not how it fuckin' works!"
Ryu stares at Hiroto's crossed-out portrait. The fury gradually leaves his face.
We're silent.
Ryu frowns. His face softens. There's a deep sadness in his eyes.
He grabs the railing, and looks down.
"I killed Hiroto because I respected him," Ryu mutters. "That's something none of you will ever understand."
Author's Note: the next update will conclude Chapter 1.
