"Well, the fuck do we do now!?" Miu bellows
"How are we supposed to know!?" Tenko scowls slightly
"Oh man, I haven't been in a trial in, like, forever!" Kokichi laughs
"You've been in a trial?" Tsumugi questions curiously, tilting her head
"Since I'm the leader of evil and stuff, hah, I've done a loooot of bad things." Kokichi declares with a smug grin
"That doesn't matter!" Tenko's scowl deepens as she glares at Kokichi who shrugs in response
"Where do we even start in a trial?" Kaito asks, scrolling through his monopad casually
"Gonta not sure where to begin..." Gonta confesses
"We need to remember our No, No, No's! No pushing, No running! No talking!" Tenko commands proudly
"We're not in a school," Himiko mumbles dejectedly
"Communication is the foundation of any discussion!" Keebo barks out incredulously
"We shouldn't have to worry about how we start, this ain't a normal trial." Ryoma cuts in
"Each of us will be serving as a potential culprit, lawyer, prosecutor, and jury member. Let us proceed with that in mind," Kirumi explains
Sounds confusing, I sigh.
"I'll begin our conversation then-"
"Don't get ahead of us!" Miu shrieks, only to be ignored.
"Why did the culprit not take advantage of the first blood perk?" Kiyo continues with a slight glare directed towards Miu who whimpers
"I thought that was strange too!" Tsumugi cries in delight
"They probably just wanted to do a class trial," Kokichi reasons, looking at his nails
The first blood perk... that's my problem. I don't know why they wouldn't take it. It's a get out of jail free card, no strings attached. Right?
"We could try and determine the sequence of events," Shuichi suggests quietly
"Gonta agrees with Shuichi!" Gonta happily responds
"Maybe the circumstances of his death then?" I recommend
"Then let us review the incident," Kiyo speaks smoothly, as if we were talking about the weather.
NON STOP DEBATE
START
*Monokuma File 1
*Bloody Shot Put Ball
*Tenko's Account
*Murder Weapon
"Rantaro's body was found in the kitchen, right?"
"The body was discovered around 9.20,"
"When was the last time anyone saw him!?"
"I didn't see him all day,"
"Damn fucker must've been hidin'!"
"That can't be right!"
"Do not speak ill of the dead,"
"The last time anyone saw Rantaro was this morning,"
"No, That's wrong!" Kaede shouts "Someone did see Rantaro!" Kaede points directly at Tenko, "Tenko and Himiko saw him, Isn't that right!?"
"Ah, we passed that degenerate on our way to the basement around 6." Tenko grumbles, "We needed snacks to keep Himiko's mana up!" Tenko finishes with a cheer
"Nyeh, he was in the kitchen making food," Himiko speaks up when everyone turns to her for confirmation
My mind stutters to a halt at her words. Food...
I think back to empty plates left in the warehouse. I pale slightly and glance at Kokichi, catching my eye, he nods. We forgot the plates.
"So it's settled, Rantaro was killed between 6 and 9pm!" Kaede says
"But what of the murder weapon?" Kiyo smoothly cuts in
"Wh-What are you on about?" Kaede looks at Kiyo nervously
"What's there to talk about!? The damn knife went right through his head!" Miu bites out angrily
"I was not speaking of that weapon, I was talking about the Shot Put Ball," Kiyo responds idly
"Oh yeah, that old thing was on the ground next to Rantaro!" Kokichi recalls
Kaede starts to sweat at that, "I forgot."
"It is no worry at all Kaede, we will help you remember." Keebo beams easily
I stifle a laugh at his response, Keebs you are great.
"Well, it clearly wasn't the murder weapon," Kaede starts
"But it may have been used against Rantaro," Kiyo counters
"Rantaro had a wound on the back of his head, the culprit could have tripped him with it," Shuichi responds carefully
"Rantaro could have easily been knocked out," Maki reluctantly admits
"With Rantaro down the culprit could have finished him off!" Kokichi suggests eagerly
"Th-That is true," Kaede laughs weakly, face oddly pale
I stare at her for a while, Kaede's been confident so far, so what gives?
Is it something we said? Is it the Shot Put Ball? It can't be that, not after what I did, but then again...
I curse under my breath, I should have checked the shotput ball to know if it was hers! I breathe in deeply. It's just a game, don't get so damn emotional!
"It came from the warehouse, right?" Kaito asks, glancing between Kaede and me.
"That's right! When we were cleaning out the warehouse, there was a box full of them!" Tenko nods rapidly
"Yeah, lot's of sporty stuff!" Miu cackles "Perfect for-"
"Eh, I can't remember," Kokichi shrugs, speaking over Miu
Tsumugi glances at me before speaking up, "Um, They were plainly obvious to see, but... Angie and I moved them... after the others left,"
"What!? Why!?" Tenko shouts incredulously, leaning over her podium
Tsumugi winces before continuing, "We, ah, all agreed that the sports equipment was dangerous and Angie approached me after we all finished if we could move some of it. It was already risky having it on the shelves altogether, so we moved some of it." She looks at me sadly, guilt shining in her eyes, "We also moved the shotput balls."
And that's when everyone exploded. Accusations and desperate pleas were thrown around like there was no tomorrow.
How ironic that there might not be a tomorrow~
NON STOP DEBATE
START
*Tsumugi's Account
*Angie's Account
*Shot Put Balls
*Kokichi
"One of them has to be the culprit,"
"Angie and Tsumugi wouldn't do something like this!"
"Do they even have alibis for Rantaro's death?"
"They were most likely in the warehouse today as well,"
"You degenerate male! They said they were in the warehouse yesterday, not today!"
"Who else could have gotten the shot put ball!?"
"What does it matter!?"
"Leave em' alone you bastards!"
"Stay out of it cum dumpster!"
"They were the only ones who were in the warehouse recently!"
"No, that's wro-!"
"Whatever you have to say doesn't matter!" Kokichi cuts in, cutting off Kaede and, stopping all conversation, "I already figured out who killed Rantaro!"
"What!?" Monokuma screeches
"Why are you so surprised?" Maki stares up at them
"Cuz if he's right..." Monokuma trails off, looking thoughtful
"This'll be the fastest trial to date!" Monotaro continues
"What was the previous record anyways?" Monophanie asks
"Shut up!" Kaito roars
"Back to me!" Kokichi laughs, "I know who it is!"
"Well, who the fuck is it!?" Miu demands
"It's you!" Kokichi smirks, pointing directly at her
"Moi!?" Miu cries out in shock
I swiftly turn and glare at Kokichi. He winks at me, causing me to pause. I carefully look around the room. No one's looking at Tsumugi or me anymore. I look back at Kokichi. They're all so focused on what's happening now, latching onto someone new to blame, that they don't care about the shotput ball.
Thank you, Kokichi.
"D-Don't be an asshole! I-I have an Alibi!" Miu stammers
"Nu-uh! Your 'alibi' is that you were in your room all day!" Kokichi wags his finger at her, "That doesn't count!"
"You're wrong!" Miu cries, desperately turning towards Kirumi, "Y-You saw me! I was in my room all day, you know I'm telling the truth, dammit!"
Kirumi hesitates before speaking up, "While it is true I saw her, I cannot guarantee she was there. I frequently went into my room,"
"EH!?" Miu cries, staring at Kirumi in horror
"You had better explain soon, you're pitiful denial only damns you further!" Kiyo declares
"Oh man, this is getting good. Entertain me, peasants!" Kokichi laughs
"Miu can't be the culprit!" I shout. I know Kokichi did this to get me out of the hot seat, but damn it, it's not her! It's not possible, why would she do it? She's not as desperate as during the game. I've been helping her!
"Oh, and why not?" Kokichi sends a sly grin my way, leaning over his podium, a challenging glint in his eyes swirling with amusement
I go silent at that, looking at Miu. Kokichi knows damn well why, but...
"Do not become emotional, we must seek the truth calmly and logically!" Kiyo urges, a hint of irritation and curiosity in his voice
The others have the opening for the culprit by an extra hour. We narrowed it down further. They can't. I can't back Miu up without revealing who really saw Rantaro last, but maybe...
I stare with shaking hands at my monopad, the truth bullets.
I turn towards Kokichi.
I can help her, I can help Miu!
By targeting someone else!
After all, It is just a game.
Sorry about not having an update last week, I had a lot of work to do. The next part of the trial will be coming soon. I'm off from school next Thursday so I'm not sure what's happening with next week's update.
