« Himiko's… dead ? She's… really dead ? » Kokichi whimpered.
I heard Kokichi talking behind me, but my eyes stared steadily forward… I could only look on… at Himiko's dead body.
« We didn't make it in time… » Kyoko sighed.
Ding dong, bing bong
While Monokuma's announcement was playing, she then began to gently inspect Himiko's body.
« What are you doing ? » Kazuichi asked.
« I need to examine her body… We have to do the investigation soon… » She replied.
« There won't be an investigation… Because it was one of you… Kazuichi, Keebo and Mahiru ! One of you killed Himiko ! » Kokichi exclaimed, as he begun to cry.
« W-what ?! » Kazuichi recoiled.
« W-wait, I didn't kill her ! » Keebo defended himself.
« I would never murder her ! And you can't just accuse us before we have even begun the investigation ! » Mahiru frowned at him.
« You three hated her ! All just because she was the traitor ! Makoto, Kyoko and I had no reason to kill her ! » Kokichi snapped.
« Ahem ! »
We all turned around to see Monokuma upset, as he tappe the groud with his foot.
« You all know the procedure. You investigate, go to the class trial and either survive or die ! Them's the rules, and I am not going to change them, even if you believe you already found the blackened ! So take the Monokuma File, and get going ! » He gave the files to us and left.
« Well, we must uncover Himiko's killer. » Kyoko said.
« I will guard her body… » Kokichi said quietly.
« I will do guard duty as well. Makoto, I trust you to do my investigation for me. » She told us.
« O-okay, you can count on me ! » I nodded, a bit surprised.
« Not so fast… Kazuichi, Mahiru and Keebo are forbidden to go to the crime scene ! » Kokichi glared at them.
« W-wait what ?! Dude, we have the right to investigate ! » Kazuichi exclaimed.
« I'm NOT letting either of you three get close to Himiko's body. » Kokichi snarled.
« Please Kokichi, let me investigate at least. » Keebo asked.
« Dude ! Are you seriously abandonning us ?! » Kazuichi snapped at the robot.
« Well, Mahiru can take her pictures for afar, and you Kazuichi… I'm sure you can investigate outside the crime scene ? Check the surroundings, see if you can find anything useful ? » Keebo suggested.
« Fiiinnee. I have nothing to hide anyway. » Kazuichi sighed.
« I'm fine as well, just let me take pictures. » Mahiru nodded.
« I don't agree with that ! » Kokichi exclaimed.
« I know how you feel, Kokichi, but you should agree to Keebo's request. » Kyoko said.
« B-but ! » Kokichi stared at her.
« We have to find the blackened, for those srill alive, and to honor her memory. » Kyoko added.
« Fine… I guess that's okay… But don't touch her Keebo ! » Kokichi sighed heavily.
« Now, let's begin. » Kyoko finished.
Yeah, if we want to survive, we have to do it.
Investigation Start
Let's check the Monokuma File first…
The victim was Himiko Yumeno. The time of death is estimated to be around 7 am. The body was discovered in the rec room, on the 3rd floor of the school. No external injury was found, however at some point, the victim suffered from violent vomiting of blood.
Now that it mentions it… There is blood on her chest and lips…
Monokuma File #4 has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
« I think this case might be a challenge… » Kyoko thought out loud.
« What do you mean ? » I asked her.
« The only way into the rec room is the door we just came through, and that door had been jammed shut with the chair from inside the rec room, which means the killer would have had to escape somehow after barring the door. » She explained.
« But it would be impossible to get out, right ? » I pointed out.
« In other words, this is a classic locked room murder. » She finished.
« But is it possible to pull this off ? You only see thse in movies and TV shows… » I wondered out loud.
« Well, there are four types of locked room murders, so listen up. » She told me.
She then began to explain me all the types of locked room murders. The first being created after the murder, the second being already locked before the murder, the third being the killer staying in the room until it's opened, and the fourth being not a locked room at all.
We need to figure out which way was used to commit this murder…
I decided to talk to Kokichi, maybe he knows something.
« Hey Kokichi, what do you know about Keebo, Kazuichi or Mahiru being the culprit ? » I asked him.
« Because she sent them notes to meet her in this room around 7 am ! She told me that before I found her here ! In fact, there's one note at the crime scene !» He exclaimed, pointing near Himiko's body.
I took the note, and I noticed part of it has been removed. I began to read it…
(MISSING PART), please meet me at the rec room on the third floor. We need to talk about what happened recently.
Himiko
So the culprit removed their name from the note to hide their identity, huh…
« So she sent these notes to those three, then ? And no one else ? » I asked him.
« Yeah… She wanted to talk to them, so she sent these notes to each of them... I tried to stop her, but she didn't listen… » He sighed, looking down.
« Alright, thanks, Kokichi. » I nodded.
So they each got a note from Himiko except Mahiru… I better ask them about it…
Kokichi's Account has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
Himiko's Note has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
I decided to ask Mahiru first. She was at the door due to Kokichi forbidding her to get close.
« Mahiru, if you don't mind me asking, did Himiko send you a note to meet her here around 7 am ? »I asked her.
« Huh ? No, I didn't receive anything, why do you ask ? » She asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
« O-oh, w-well Keebo and Kazuichi received one of them from Himiko, so I was wondering if you got one as well. But anyway, did you find anything on your photos ? » I asked again.
« No, I didn't find anything suspicious, sorry… But I will show it to you anyway. » She handed me her camera.
I saw the entire crime scene, but other than what I found so far, nothing out of ordinary.
« It's ok Mahiru, thanks anyway ! » I gave her camera back before leaving.
Unfortunately, we won't have a new evidence thanks to Mahiru's photos… Let's keep looking !
Mahiru's Account has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
Now let's go see Keebo…
« Keebo, did Himiko give you a note to meet her ? » I asked him.
« Yes I did, I found it in front of my door, just outside of my room. I decided not to go since it would be pointless to listen to her. » Keebo replied.
« What do you mean ? » I asked again.
« Well, she would have tried to convince me she wouldn't try to kill us despite what Monokuma told her to do and what he told us. It would be illogical to listen to her after learning she was the traitor. » He explained.
« Alright… Can I see the note ? » I asked him.
« Unfortunately no, since I threw the note in my trashbin, and we can't afford to lose time in our investigation. It must be in the Trash Room anyway. » He shook his head.
Is that so… ? So Keebo seems to have not met Himiko like she requested him to do…
Keebo's Account has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
I looked back at the door, but before I could inspect it, I noticed something…
There's some kind of plastic container rolling around near the entrance to the room…
« It looks like a protein drink… And it's empty… » Kyoko noted.
« But what is it doing here ? » I wondered out loud.
I noticed a label saying CHEM A-2… Wasn't that from the Chem Lab ? I better check it out…
Empty Protein Drink has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
With that done, I checked the door, as well as the chair used to block it.
After a while, I concluded there was no tampering with the handle, same for the chair that was used to block it… But how did the killer get out ?
Rec Room Door has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
It seems I investigated everything here, I better check the Chem Lab…
When I arrived, I saw Kazuichi checking the area.
« Hey Kazuichi, what are you doing ? » I asked approaching him.
« Oh hey, I'm checking that yellow powder on the ground and the shelves. Because I believe I know how Himiko got killed. » Kazuichi turned around.
« You do ? How ? » I raised an eyebrow.
« I believe she was poisonned. The Monokuma File claims there was no external injury, which means she might have internal injuries instead… such as poison ! » He explained.
« That would explain a lot of things… And since you can't go to the crime scene, you decided to investigate here. » I concluded.
« Yeah, and since you're here, wanna investigate together ? » He suggested.
« Sure thing ! Let's start ! » I nodded.
The first thing noticeable was the yellow powder spilled on the ground, but what was more noticeable was…
« Footprints ? And they are only in front of the left shelf… » I noted.
« Don't worry, I drew a sketch of the room, take a look at it ! » He handed me a piece of paper.
I checked the piece of paper, and it was a perfect drawing of the area. The three shelves, the bottle and the content spilled, the footprints and desk. And one thing caught my attention…
« Like we thought, there are only footprints near the leftmost shelf, and nowhere near the others. » I noted.
« Yep, and I need to ask… Can I see your shoes ? I want to see if they fit the frame of the footprint in the powder. » He told me.
Not wanting to appear suspicious, I raised my foot and he caught it, staring at my shoe.
« Yeah, your feet is too big, like mine. Here, I can prove it. » He raised his foot.
I caught it, and like he claimed, his feet is too big to fit the frame of the footprint.
Before checking the bottle, I needed to ask Kazuichi one thing…
« By the way, Kazuichi, did Himiko send you a note to meet her around 7 am ? » I asked him.
« She did, but there was no way I would go meet her ! Who knows what she could have done to me ! » He exclaimed.
« I doubt she could kill you… » I shook my head in disapproval.
« Look, I know you want to tell me she has a good heart and had good intentions to help whoever Monokuma kept hostage from her, but I can't trust her since she's the traitor. » He sighed.
« Fine… Do you still have the note ? » I sighed as well.
« Yeah, here you go. » He handed me the note.
I began to read what it said…
Kazuichi, please meet me at the rec room on the third floor. We need to talk about what happened recently.
Himiko
So it's the same than the note I found in the rec room…
Kazuichi's Account has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
Now let's get back go that bottle…
It says… CHEM C-4…
« By the way, I need to mention one thing… Last time I went in the Chem Lab, it wasn't like this, everything was looking normal, which means the powder has been spilled around the time of the murder ! » Kazuichi added.
Yeah, that seems about right…
Footprints in the Powder has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
Source of the Powder has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
I then checked the three shelves, carefully aboiding the powder to not contaminate the crime scene.
The first shelf was filled with proteins of all sorts, the second was filled with reagents, and the third was filled with poisons and toxic chemicals. All containers either had A, B or C on their labels, and thus, the A containers were in shelf A… Yet I also found a CHEM-9 container in shelf A ! Did someone put a poison container in this shelf by accident… ? I need to find more about this…
Chem Lab Shelf has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
I decided to return to the rec room to report my findings to Kyoko.
« I see… So Mahiru claims to have not received a note from Himiko, while Keebo and Kazuichi did, but the former threw it in the trash ? It seems too convenient, someone must be lying… » She concluded.
« I agree with you. But who… ? » I nodded.
« While you were gone, I noticed something interesting, look down at Himiko's feet. » She pointed at Himiko's shoes.
I looked down, and saw…
Yellow powder ?!
« Th-that's- ! » I was flabbergasted.
« The same yellow powder you found in the Chem Lab. And since you told me it came from a poison bottle… » Kyoko started.
« Then we found our murder weapon. Himiko has been poisoned. » And I finished.
Yellow Powder has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your handbook.
Ding dong, bing bong
« Alright, your investigation is getting boring now. Let's begin the class trial ! You know where to meet, so see you soon ! Puhuhuhu ! » Monokuma spoke through the monitor.
Damn it… We still don't know how the locked room has been done… Well, I guess we will figure that out in the class trial…
We arrived at the elevator and Monokuma began to talk about… emoticons ? We were disinterested so he left.
« What was that about… ? » Kazuichi asked in confusion.
« Let's ignore that and enter. We have a class trial to win. » Keebo noted.
« Yeah… And whoever killed Himiko will pay for this ! » Kokichi said upset.
We all stepped into the elevator, and began our descent without a word.
We entered the courtroom again, redecorated with Egyptian elements.
« Hmm… Just the six of you, huh ? Man, you must feel so lonely ! » Monokuma sneered at us.
« You say that like it's not YOUR fault we're all that's left ! » Kokichi snapped at him.
Kokichi… I guess Himiko's death really impacted him… Like Kazuichi with Sonia… And me with Rantaro and Mikan…
« I wonder, will the class trial end with one less classmate, or will your school life come to an end completely ? » Monokuma laughed.
« Yeah, yeah, shut up already. » Kazuichi groaned.
« Now then, are we ready to begin ? You know the drill ! Get to your assigned seats ! » Monokuma ignored him.
We went to our seats, as Taka and Himiko's corssed portraits joined us. Taka had a regular cross while Himiko had two magical staffs forming the cross.
Pre-Class Trial Portraits :
Junko, Mikan, Kazuichi, Sonia and Taka
And so, the curtain opened for the fourth time…
A deadly judgment…
A deadly deception…
A deadly betrayal…
Byakuya, Rantaro, Kyoko, Keebo, Mahiru and Toko
A deadly riddle…
A deadly defense…
A deadly faith…
Makoto, Miu, Kokichi and Himiko
A deadly… class trial… !
CLASS TRIAL ALL RISE !
« Alright ! You know how it works, so get going ! » Monokuma started.
« We already know who did it ! » Kokichi exclaimed.
« Whoa ! Déjà vu ! » Monokuma tilted his head to the side.
« It was Mahiru, Keebo, or Kazuichi ! It has to be one of you ! » Kokichi continued.
« I told you, I didn't do anything ! » Kazuichi exclaimed.
« I have done no such thing, there's no benefit for me to kill her. » Keebo explained.
« Yeah, I didn't do it either ! » Mahiru added.
« Shut up ! I don't wanna hear your stupid excuses ! Only you three have a motive to kill her ! » Kokichi growled.
Kokichi is convinced one of those three is the killer… But we need to discuss this to make sure we vote correctly !
NON-STOP DEBATE
« One of you is the killer ! There's no doubt about it ! » Kokichi started.
« How are you so sure about it ? » Mahiru asked.
« Because you all hated her ! » Kokichi added.
« That's not going to be enough to accuse us, Kokichi. » Keebo said.
« Yeah ! There's nothing else that can prove we are suspects ! » Kazuichi added.
« No, that's wrong ! » I exclaimed.
BREAK !
« Actually, one of the reasons he is accusing you three is because Himiko sent notes to meet her, right Kokichi ? » I said.
« Yeah ! This proves they are suspicious! One of them did it ! » Kokichi added.
« Then let's continue and see where it leads us. » Kyoko said.
Yeah, they are suspicious… So one of them did do it ?
NON-STOP DEBATE
« Come on, spill it out already ! One of you is absolutely guilty ! » Kokichi glared at them.
« Ok fine ! I did receive her note, but I never went to see her! » Kazuichi confessed.
« Same here, I didn't go see her. » Keebo added.
« I didn't go see her, because I never received a note to begin with ! » Mahiru exclaimed.
« I agree with that ! » I said.
BREAK !
« That's true, Mahiru never received a note… because I think I know where it went. » I said.
« You do ? Where was it ? » Keebo asked.
It was… right here !
« It was in the rec room itself. There was a note found by Kokichi, however part of it was removed, likely by the killer to remove their name on it. » I explained.
« How do you know it was her note ? » Keebo asked again.
« Because I saw Kazuichi's note, it had his name on it, so I assume it has yours on your note ? » I said.
« Yes it did, I wish I could have shown it to you, but I threw it in the trash and it's likely gone by now, sorry… » Keebo replied uneasily.
« See ? I told you I am innocent ! » Mahiru exclaimed.
« Not so fast… You can still be the culprit… » Kokichi glared at her.
« How ?! We literally proved my innocence right here and now ! » She glared back.
« You could have just received the note, torn it and left it there to frame someone else ! Like Keebo ! » Kokichi replied.
« To be fair… He does make a good argument. » Kazuichi scratched his head.
« Actually, sorry to interrupt, but how was Himiko killed anyway ? I think we should focus on that for now before accusing her even more. » Keebo suggested.
« Good idea, I even know how, and so does Makoto. You didn't forget, did you, Makoto ? » She turned to look at me.
Yeah I do, it's this cause of death !
« I got it ! She was poisonned ! » I exclaimed.
« That would explain the absence of external injury. But how did she got poisonned ? » Keebo asked.
It's all thanks to this evidence !
« She was poisonned thanks to the bottles of poison from the Chem Lab ! There was an entire shelf dedicated to it, and I even saw one spilling yellow powder on the floor ! » I explained.
« Which means the killer managed to make Himiko drink this poison to kill her. And with yellow powder found on Himiko's shoes, there's no doubt she was poisonned. » Kyoko concluded.
« How does that prove Mahiru is innocent ?! That only makes her more suspicious ! She left her note in the rec room to frame Keebo or Kazuichi ! » Kokichi exclaimed.
« Why would she risk leaving her own note on the crime scene ? It seems more efficient to keep it to herself without tearing part of it, and if she never received it, that means the culprit took it to frame her. » Kyoko shook her head.
« That makes sense, Mahiru is innocent after all ! » I nodded.
ARGUE
« Too easy ! » Kazuichi exclaimed.
« Nu-huh, Mahiru is definitely the culprit ! » He continued.
« How do you know that ? We have proved her innocence twice now ! » I asked him.
« You seriously forgot ? Alright, guess I will have to remind you ! » Kazuichi grinned.
REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN
« You forgot the footprints left in the Chem Lab ! She must be the one to have walked on the yellow powder ! » He explained.
ADVANCE !
« How do you know that for sure ? We didn't have the time to check everyone's feet and compare to those left in the powder. » I asked him.
« Because mine and yours were too big compared to the ones left in the powder ! It has to be a female's footprints ! Which means she has to be the one to have gone there ! » He replied.
« I will cut through your words ! » I interrupted him.
BREAK !
« I don't think she would be the one to have left those footprints in the powder, because she would have needed to have gone from the rec room to the chem lab. » I explained.
« Uhh yeah ? I don't see how this prevents her from committing the murder ? » He replied in confusion.
« There's one particular reason she couldn't have done it… because of the locked room mystery ! » I exclaimed.
« That's right. Ask yourself this : How could she have gotten out of the rec room after locking it from the inside ? She was with us in the Dining Hall, and the rec room was locked by the chair from the inside. » Kyoko nodded.
« Ohhh that's right ! Then… It's impossible for her to have done it, right ? » Kazuichi chuckled sheepingly.
« Duh ! That's what I have been saying this all time ! » Mahiru rolled her eyes.
« And this also proves Kazuichi and Keebo's innocence, since they would have also needed to get out of the rec room after locking it, which is impossible. » Kyoko noted.
« But then… How was Himiko killed ? » I wondered out loud.
« I think I understand everything now… » Keebo said out loud.
« You do ? What happened ? » Mahiru asked the robot.
« Makoto, there was one particular item found at the crime scene that might explain this whole case, do you remember what it was ? » Keebo turned around to look at me.
« Umm… Shit, I don't remember ! » I cursed.
« Then calm down and focus. You have seen it, I am sure of it. » Keebo told me.
Alright… What was that item that might solve this case ?
Hangman's Gambit !
Question : What is the item Keebo is referring to ?
E? PR?N D?K
EM?Y PR?T?IN DR?K
EMPTY PROTEIN DRINK
« Now I understand ! »
COMPLETE !
« You're talking about the empty protein drink found at the crime scene, right ? » I said.
« That's right ! I believe the poison was put into the protein can she drank without knowing it was poison ! » Keebo explained.
« That would explain why there was a protein drink at the crime scene ! But how did it end there ? » Kazuichi asked.
« I think we need to ask Kokichi, he knows the answer. » Keebo turned to him.
« … » Kokichi didn't reply.
« You killed Himiko, didn't you ? » Keebo said out of the sudden.
…
…
…
« Yes… » Kokichi replied.
« What… ? » I was flabbergasted.
« Yes… I killed her ! » Kokichi snapped.
« W-what ?! He killed Himiko ?! » Kazuichi exclaimed.
« We all thought the footprints belonged to a female, but in reality, it was Kokichi's. He is a small boy with a small body, and he used that to his advantage ! » Keebo continued.
« And since the two were best friends… » Mahiru said in shock.
« She drank the protein drink without a doubt, only to realize he poisonned her. Isn't that right, Kokichi ? » Keebo said.
« Yeah… » Kokichi nodded.
« Not only that, but he was in a rush to make us vote, while trying to pin it on us ! » Keebo added.
« Yeah… She asked me to bring her that poison drink… I switched the contents, and she drank it… » Kokichi explained.
« I don't believe it. » Kyoko said out of the sudden.
« What do you mean ? It makes perfect sense ! I don't want to accuse him, but we have to do it if we want to survive ! We can't allow our emotions take over our judgement ! » Keebo exclaimed.
« Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying this because of some misguided sentimentalism, but because I'm not convinced. » Kyoko replied.
« Stop it… I killed her ! There's nothing more to discuss ! » Kokichi cried loudly.
« Yeah… Kyoko is right ! Kokichi is acting really suspicious right now ! And I think I know what Kyoko is thinking ! » Mahiru exclaimed.
« But he confessed ! We won, what else can we talk about ? » Kazuichi exclaimed as well.
« No, I believe in Kyoko ! We must keep discussing this ! » I said out loud.
« Well then, it's time to use the morphenomenal trial grounds ! » Monokuma declared.
He pulled out his key and inserted it into the keyhole, we picked our answer, and we went up once again.
OPINION OPPOSITION
Did Kokichi commit the crime ?
He did !
Junko
Empty Seat
Sonia
Rantaro
Kiyotaka
Kazuichi
Kokichi
Keebo
He did not !
Makoto
Kyoko
Mahiru
Byakuya
Toko
Miu
Mikan
Himiko
Scrum Debate Start !
« Kokichi has already confessed ! Why should we keep discussing this ? » Kazuichi asked.
Kyoko ! / Kirigiri-san !
« Because Kokichi is acting suspicious right now, and we need to keep discussing to know why. » Kyoko replied.
« I am not suspicious ! I killed Himiko ! Why are we still talking about this ?! » Kokichi cried.
Mahiru ! / Koizumi-san !
« You are suspicious ! The fact you want to end this trial so fast proves it ! » Mahiru noted.
« My logic is sound, you are letting your emotions cloud your judgement. » Keebo said.
I got it ! / Kore da !
« Your judgement is incorrect, Keebo ! And our emotions are allowing us to realize we are in the wrong ! » I explained.
« How am I wrong ? There's no other possibility ! » Keebo said a bit frustrated.
Kyoko ! / Kirigiri-san !
« There is another possibility, because we have missed a couple of elements that we haven't fully talked about yet. » Kyoko replied.
This is our answer !
« We haven't talked about everything ? What else there is to talk ? » Keebo asked, calming down a bit.
« You know what I am talking about, right Makoto ? » Kyoko asked me.
« Oh, uh… I think so… ? » I replied uneasily.
« We talked about it before, try to remember. » She told me, sighing.
Alright, what was it again…
Hangman's Gambit !
Question : What is Kyoko referring to ?
L? ?M
L?D R?M
LOCKED ROOM
« Now I understand ! »
COMPLETE !
« Oh right ! You're talking about the locked room problem ! » I snapped my fingers.
« Exactly. Kokichi, if you are really the killer, explain how you created the locked room. » Kyoko frowned at him.
« T-th- ! That doesn't matter ! I don't have to tell you ! » Kokichi snapped.
« The fact you won't tell us is concerning ! You're hiding something, aren't you, Kokichi ? » Mahiru pointed at him.
« Are you saying… that you don't believe Kokichi killed Himiko… ? » Keebo asked in shock.
« I do not. And for one very particular reason… Why did he leave footprints behind ? It's like Kokichi wanted people to suspect him. » She frowned at the purple haired boy.
« I-I didn't notice it ! That means nothing ! » Kokichi explained.
« You didn't notice ? Tell us more about what happened from the moment you arrived at the chem lab. » Kyoko asked.
« Urgh ! Fine ! But you will see I am the culprit ! » Kokichi sighed heavily.
« I agree, this is a waste of time. There's nothing else to discuss. » Keebo shook his head.
Ok, we need to prove Kokichi's innocence ! There's gotta be something in there that doesn't make sense !
NON-STOP DEBATE
« First, I went to Section C, where I grabbed the poison. » Kokichi started.
« And you spilled some of the powder in front of the shelf, correct ? » Kyoko asked.
« Yeah, when I grabbed the bottle, I dropped it. I then moved from Section C to Section A… » Kokichi continued.
« No, that's wrong ! » I exclaimed.
BREAK !
« Hold on Kokichi, what you said doesn't make sense. » I said.
« What doesn't make sense ? It makes perfect sense ! » Kokichi stared at me.
« No, it doesn't. Because the footprints left at the scene were not moving from Section C to Section A, they were all at Section A ! » I explained.
« He's right ! I saw it myself ! Here's a plan ! » Kazuichi exclaimed.
He handed the plan to us, and then Kokichi froze.
« What's the meaning of this ?! » Keebo asked in shock.
« That's not all. Remember the glass broken at the rec room when we broke in ? Somehow the glass was under the empty protein drink. » Kyoko noted.
« What's so strange about that ? » Kazuichi asked confused.
« If we assume it was there before we broke the window, it would be scattered around the can, and not underneath ! » Kyoko explained.
« Wait, that means… » Mahiru said in realization.
« That means the protein can was put there after we got in, not before ! » Kyoko finished.
« That means the protein can wasn't used to poison Himiko ! Besides, she hates protein ! She made sure to tell Kokichi that ! » I exclaimed.
« But what was used to poison her then ?! » Keebo asked.
« The bottle of poison that was in the Chem Lab of course. She took it from Section C. » Kyoko explained.
« Th-that would mean she wanted to take poison ! That makes no sense ! » Keebo exclaimed.
« No, I think Kyoko is right. We know Kokichi only moved to Section A to get the protein can, which means Himiko was the one who took the bottle of poison and caused the spill on the floor ! » I noted.
« That's not possible ! » Keebo exclaimed.
ARGUE
« What are you saying, Makoto ? Himiko willingly went to Section C to get poison ? Are you claiming she was planning a murder ? » Keebo asked.
« No, that's not what I am saying ! » I shook my head.
« That only proves your and Kyoko's theory isn't correct, and I will prove it to you ! » Keebo frowned at me.
REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN
« If Himiko wasn't planning a murder, she would have no reason to go to Section C to grab a bottle of poison ! » Keebo started.
ADVANCE !
« Keebo, we can find that other reason if we talk this through ! I'm certain Himiko is the one who grabbed that bottle of poison from Section C and spilled it onto the floor ! » I replied.
« We need facts Makoto, not speculations. And your and Kyoko's theory is speculation since you have no proof to back it up ! » He continued.
« I will cut through your words ! » I exclaimed.
BREAK !
« Actually Keebo, I do have evidence. Do you remember that Himiko's feet had a certain yellow powder stuck to them ? » I asked.
« H-huh ? » He said.
« It was the same yellow powder that had been spilled by the shelf in the chem lab… Which means the person who spilled the powder wasn't Kokichi, but Himiko ! I believe she was standing on the side of Section C, which explains why she got powder on her feet but didn't leave footprints near Section C ! » I explained.
« And that's not all. If we assume Kokichi is the killer, how did he leave the rec room and lock it ? » Kyoko asked.
« Er, well… He must have picklocked it ! He is an expert at it ! » Keebo proposed.
« Yeah, that's right ! I did do that ! » Kokichi nodded.
« No, you did not. You used the chair to lock it, if you had picklocked the door, you wouldn't need the chair to lock it. » Kyoko shook her head.
« That's true ! So Kokichi really is innocent ! » Mahiru exclaimed.
« I-I… I was wrong… ? B-but… H-how… ? » Keebo was speechless.
« Because we don't all act according to logic and calculations. We have emotions, that's what makes us humans, we are truly complicated creatures. » Kyoko replied.
« … »
« … »
« Ah… I guess that's true… I still have a lot to learn from humans… Sorry everyone… I nearly sent us all to our deaths… I just wanted to help… I let my emotions take me over when Miu died, and I wanted them to no longer cloud my judgement… But it backfired badly… » Keebo apologized.
« Don't worry Keebo, we know you wanted to help. And now you know while we mustn't let emotions take us over, we mustn't put them aside completely, as they make us stronger. » I told him.
« Not only that, but you know what they say : Mistakes makes us human, so you are becoming human by learning from that mistake ! » Kazuichi cheered the robot up.
« Thanks everyone. I promise I will find that balance between logic and emotions. Putting that aside… Who killed Himiko ? » Keebo said.
« I think it is obvious at this point. Makoto, think of what we agreed so far. If no one could have created the locked room and getting out of it, who is responsible for Himiko's death ? » Kyoko asked me.
Alright… We know it can't be Mahiru since she never got the note asking her to come to the rec room…
Keebo and Kazuichi, while they did get Himiko's note, couldn't have made the locked room and leave it…
And while Kokichi did try to get us the wrong verdict… He couldn't have left the locked room as well…
The only way to lock the room was from the inside, where Himiko was killed by poison…
…
…
No fucking way…
SELECT SOMEONE !
« The one who killed Himiko… was Himiko herself. » I told everyone.
Pure silence reigned the courtroom…
Then everyone understood what I was implying…
« She… She committed suicide ?! » Mahiru placed her hands on her mouth.
« N-no way ! » Keebo said in disbelief.
« Yet it makes perfect sense now… Himiko went and got the poison… She barricaded herself in the rec room, and she drank it… to end her own life… » I explained.
« She is the one who created the locked room… » Kazuichi realized in shock.
« She likely dropped the bottle as she died, and it rolled near the entrance of the rec room. Then we entered and someone replaced it with the protein can, as well as dropping Mahiru's note and removing her name to frame her, right Kokichi ? » Kyoko continued.
« Grr… » Kokichi growled, glaring at her.
« Makoto, think of what we learned so far to tell us what was Kokichi's goal here. » She told me.
« Alright, let me think… » I nodded.
Mind Slide
SLIDE START
Question 1 : How did Mahiru never received the note, despite Himiko putting it at her door ?
Himiko forgot to send it Kokichi took it before Mahiru could get it
Question 2 : Who was the one who replaced the bottle of poison with the protein can ?
Kokichi did it Himiko did it Monokuma did it
Question 3 : What makes Kokichi suspicious before the class trial ?
He didn't get near her body He wasn't with the group when the body was discovered He was near her body
Question 4 : What makes Kokichi suspicious during the class trial ?
He didn't do anything during it He tried everything to get a wrong verdict
« It's all coming together ! »
COMPLETE !
« Kokichi tried to get us a wrong verdict… He must have started it after he saw Himiko drink the poison… He went to the Chem Lab get the protein can, hid it on himself, then he went to the Dining Hall gather all of us, and led us to the Rec Room. Then, after we broke the window and got in, we all rushed to Himiko's dead body… But Kokichi stayed behind to switch the bottle of poison with the empty protein can… But the real Kokichi would have gone straight to her body due to their friendship, almost a sibling-like relationship. » I explained.
« Himiko committed suicide, and Kokichi did everything to undermine the investigation. Such as taking the note Mahiru was supposed to get, remove her name, and leave it at the crime scene after we got in to confuse us. You didn't care who was blamed for her death, as long as we voted wrong. You left clear evidence like the note and the footprints to pin it on you as well. » Kyoko continued.
« So you're saying Kokichi made everything to make it look he killed Himiko ? » Keebo asked in shock.
« Shut up… Shut up, SHUT UP ! I did it, I killed her ! » Kokichi snapped.
« That's enough, Kokichi. It's over. » I told him.
« It's not over ! »
ARGUE
« I killed Himiko ! I don't care what you said ! » Kokichi sobbed.
« Kokichi… You have nothing else to say… » I sighed.
« Oh yeah ? Well listen to this ! » He snapped.
REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN
« I managed to leave the rec room by picklocking back after I left ! » He said.
ADVANCE !
« No Kokichi, we have already said that it was the chair that locked the entrance to the rec room. If you reverse picklocked it, you wouldn't need the chair. » I replied.
« So what if I used the chair ?! I gave her the poison, locked the room before leaving, then took you to the rec room ! She died when we were standing in front of the rec room door ! » He exclaimed.
« I will cut through your words ! » I interrupted him.
BREAK !
« No Kokichi, that's not what happened. Himiko didn't die when we arrived at the rec room. » I told him.
« How the hell do you know that ?! » He asked frustrated.
« Because of the Monokuma File. It says Himiko died around 7 am, when the morning announcement played, and when everyone was waking up and going to the Dining Hall. And it was past the beginning of 7 am when we arrived ! » I replied.
« Tch- ! » He gasped.
« Not only that, but if she died when we arrived like you claimed, you wouldn't have gone to the chem lab to do the switch since you would think she was still alive and call us to try and save her. » Kyoko added.
« … » He didn't reply.
« Himiko really died around 7 am, you saw her drink the poison and die… and you did your entire plan… Makoto, I think it's time to end this properly- » Kyoko told me.
« No ! I killed her ! Stop it ! » Kokichi interrupted her.
« No, we do have to end this ! I will bring you back to reality ! » I told him.
ARGUMENT ARMAMENT
Start !
Kokichi was wearing his DICE cap and cape, and had his mask in his hand.
I don't care what you say !
I killed Himiko !
I poisonned her !
It's all my fault !
There's no doubt about it !
His mask fell off.
I'm not lying !
For the first time I am telling the truth, believe me !
Believe that I killed Himiko !
Why are you doubting me ?
You are wrong !
His cap fell off.
Damn you all !
It's all your fault !
She died because of you !
I had to do it !
I hate you all !
His cape fell off, leaving him in his regular self.
This is it !
« Why… Why do you think I am not the culprit ?! »
YOU-ARE-IN-DENIAL
« This is the end ! » I exclaimed.
« D-Daammnnn you ! » He snapped.
Kokichi was on his knee, one of his shoes missing as well as his scarf.
BREAK !
« You are in denial, Kokichi. We have proved Himiko committed suicide, yet you keep claiming to have killed her, which makes you suspicious, as you know something we do not know. » I replied.
He didn't reply back.
« Not only that, but I heard him say it was our fault ? How is it our fault ? » Mahiru asked him.
He didn't reply again.
« Well, I think it's time to end this. Makoto, please tell us the entire case. » Kyoko told me.
« Right, leave it to me ! » I nodded.
CLOSING ARGUMENT
Act 1 :
This case began when Himiko asked a number of people to meet her in the rec room. Those people were Kazuichi, Keebo and Mahiru.
Act 2 :
But one of them failed to receive the note… Mahiru. Because a certain someone took the note Himiko put in front of her door before she could receive it… But unfortunately for that certain someone, they weren't able to retrieve the last two notes. Not that it mattered, since Keebo and Kazuichi didn't plan to go see her.
Act 3 :
Seeing no one arrived, Himiko locked the rec room with a chair, then sat in the chair, pulling out something she got from the chem lab… The bottle of poison, one of which she spilled onto the floor earlier on. And then… She drank it.
Act 4 :
Himiko was dead… But that certain someone watched everything… And they couldn't believe it… They felt mad, and devised a plan to mess with the crime scene. They went to the chem lab to grab a protein can and remove its contents. They placed it in their pockets, then went to the Dining Hall to warn us about what happened.
Act 5 :
As we saw Himiko's body standing still, we had to smash the door's window and remove the chair to get inside. When we approached her body, that person switched the bottle of poison with the protein can, and when we began our investigation, they took Mahiru's note and torn the part having her name and left it near Himiko's body, all to place the suspicion on themselves, to guide the trial to a false conclusion. And the one who went to all that effort…
Makoto is seen on the right, appearing to yell, while the 'culprit' was on the left, with an annoyed expression.
« Was you, Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader ! » I exclaimed.
The 'culprit' was revealed to be Kokichi, his anger more noticeable.
COMPLETE !
« That's the full truth of the case… Himiko… took her own life… And you claimed to be the killer to hide that fact, isn't that right ? » I finished.
Kokichi didn't answer.
« Okay, okay ! I think we can all agree you made your point. Time to vote ! » Monokuma interrupted us.
We did as told, and we picked Himiko's picture, then pulled down the lever.
The slot machine appeared, and the screen ended on the three rows of Himiko's picture, with the word Guilty, and the flowers and coins coming out.
« Yep, that's right. The one who killed Himiko… was Himiko herself. » Monokuma nodded, a bit bored.
« But, I need to know one thing… Why Kokichi ? Why did you do this ? If we voted wrong, you would have been executed with the rest of us ! » Keebo exclaimed.
« Yeah ! We almost died there ! » Kazuichi nodded upset.
« Why… WHY ?! BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED ! » He snapped hard.
Everyone recoiled from his outburst.
« You… wanted this… ? » I asked uncertainly.
« I did, because she died because of them ! » He glared at Kazuichi, Keebo and Mahiru.
« W-what… ? » Mahiru said in shock.
« You three pushed her in a corner… You may not have been the one to poison her… But you made her do it ! I couldn't let her be the only one to die ! We have to atone for our sins… You three for pushing her around… And Kyoko, Makoto and I for not helping her enough… We all have to pay for our crimes… » Kokichi sobbed.
We were all in shock…
Seeing Kokichi, our mischievious friend, break down like this…
« Kokichi… This isn't you… You're like a totally different person… » Mahiru said.
« Why am I like this ? I tell you why. You think I enjoyed seeing Byakuya, Toko, Miu and Mikan be killed ? You think I enjoyed seeing Junko, Sonia, Rantaro and Taka be executed ? No ! I hated it ! I hate being here since the very beginning, and I had to lie under this cheerful facade I had shown you ever since ! » He explained.
« But why ? Why lie about it ? » Keebo asked.
« Because everytime I try to act normal, everyone thinks I am lying, and I am so sick of it, I actually had to lie about myself to have people take interest in me ! My organization ? We are only ten in total ! And we just do harmless pranks and forbid murder ! » He continued.
We couldn't believe it…
This is the real Kokichi ? We all assumed he was that mischievious kid… But we never realized he was such in pain…
« And that's not all… Do you realize how much in despair Himiko was carrying with her when she died ?! Look at this… » He handed us a note.
Such brutality has made me desperate.
So instead of just waiting to be killed, I will do it by my own hand.
« I found it on the floor, in front of the rec room, when I saw Himiko drinking the poison. It's her suicide note. I should have seen it coming…
Flashback
« You asked to meet those three ? You can't ! Don't you see how dangerous that is ?! » I told her.
« Don't worry… I just want to talk to them… » She told me.
« Don't do it ! What will happen if they gang up on you ?! » I said in frustration.
« Don't think like that… They are friends… » She gave me a weak smile.
« Himiko… » I said.
Flashback ends
« She believed in us… If you just had talked to her, you would have understood… She was a friend to all of us… And yet… You trampled all over her feelings… and you wouldn't even listen to what she had to say… That's how far you have pushed her… » Kokichi cried.
Keebo, Mahiru and Kazuichi felt the worse… If they have talked to her… Could they have prevented her from committing the unthinkable ?
« Ahem, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but… It's just taking so long, long, LONG ! I'm about to fall asleep over here ! » Monokuma interrupted annoyed.
« Shut up ! Leave him alone ! » Mahiru snapped at him.
« I mean, do you really think you knew what Himiko was thinking when she died ? » Monokuma grinned.
« What did you say… ? » Kokichi looked up at the robotic bear.
« What I am saying is… You're wrong ! This, is what happened ! » Monokuma pulled out a piece of paper.
And it said…
Last Testament, Himiko Yumeno
« Huh… ? » Kazuichi said dumbfounded.
« It's Himiko's suicide note ! » Monokuma exclaimed.
« B-but Kokichi has it ! » Keebo stated.
« Oh, I wrote that one. It was all me, baby ! » Monokuma chuckled.
« What ?! » Kokichi exclaimed.
« Oh, I thought it would be boring if you knew straight away she committed suicide, so I swapped Himiko's suicide note with the one I wrote ! » He grinned.
« You bastard ! » Kazuichi groaned.
« Anyway, I might as well read what she wrote for you guys ! » Monokuma cleared his throat.
My good friend Kokichi, you're like a big brother to me, and that's why I have something to tell you.
I hate to do it like this, but you need to know.
This is my final wish.
Himiko is seen writing her suicide note in her dorm room, as her voice replaces Monokuma's.
As you know, I am the spy working for Monokuma and the one who imprisoned you here. It was our first night in this strange school that the mastermind came to see me…
They took control of the school where I studied magic, with all my former teachers and classmates, and demanded I become their tool.
As I cared for them, I had no choice but to accept, for the mastermind could have not only destroyed my former school, but also harm my former teachers and classmates.
The only thing the mastermind asked me to do… was to commit the first murder. Because Sonia had killed Byakuya, I was told to wait until another stalemate.
As I lived here with all of you and Kokichi, I grew closer to all of you, I began to regret what I did, and that's why I betrayed Monokuma.
It's all my fault everyone died, I can't blame you if you all hate me…
Which is why I will do Monokuma's order, I will commit a murder… on myself. I am not a self-sacrificing person, but I have to atone for my mistake. At least I will die knowing you, and my former school will be safe.
Kokichi, I'm so sorry for not telling you, but you would have stopped me, please don't be sad, and please, stop your facade. Everyone can be your friend if you show them the real you. Please use this note to end the class trial quickly.
Please everyone, survive. Don't let Monokuma win.
Thank you so much for be such great friends…
Himiko Yumeno
We all stood there in shock…
« Then… Himiko… didn't hate us… She wanted to protect us… » Kokichi began to cry again.
He sobbed again.
« I thought we were close, but I was so wrong ! I'm such a bad friend ! »
« Yup ! And she died trying to save you, but you almost ended up dying anyway ! Her death was pointless ! » Monokuma mocked us.
« You're wrong… » I said.
« Huh ? » Monokuma tilted his head.
« You're in the wrong with that fake suicide note ! And Himiko's death wasn't for nothing ! » I exclaimed.
« What… ? » He said.
« We are not enemies, but friends, who need to work together ! » I continued.
« Yeah… Damn right ! I won't blame Kokichi or Himiko ! » Kazuichi nodded.
« I am at fault for putting aside my emotions, I will believe in them and my friends ! » Keebo smiled.
« W-what ?! » Monokuma exclaimed.
« The one we need to destroy is you and no one else ! » Mahiru pointed at the bear.
« Tch ! You made that promise from the very beginning, yet everyone killed each other ! » Monokuma rolled his eyes.
« Except this time, we are united. All thanks to you. » Kyoko smirked at him.
« Hmph, whatever. I am the one who has the last laugh ! It's Punishment time ! » Monokuma smirked back.
« Huh ? But Himiko killed herself, how can there be an execution ? » Kazuichi asked in confusion.
« I-is it me… ? » Kokichi asked, stopping to cry.
« Oh heavens no ! Just cuz the blackened is dead doesn't mean I can just sub in whatever ol' student I want ! » Monokuma rolled his eyes.
Suddenly, we felt our podiums moving, leading us to an execution room, surrounded by a wire fence. We were in front of a construction site, and sitting on a table was…
« T-the laptop ! » Keebo exclaimed.
Then, Monokuma wearing a construction helmet, arrived with a bulldozer, stopping just in front of the laptop !
Excavator Destroyer
Monokuma smashed the laptop a first time, before smashing it again repeatedly, breaking it into tiny pieces, then leaving a heavy iron ball, where he left his muzzle and evil red eye before leaving.
We watched the entire thing unfold, shock filling as as we lost our only source of information, even if we extracted everything thanks to Keebo.
« So… you finally noticed it. » Kyoko glared at Monokuma.
« Oh no, I knew about it from the very beginning ! I mean, you guys really thought I didn't notice your rather frequent trips to the Bathhouse ? I looked around, and found that laptop in one of the lockers. I couldn't care less for the data in there, but I thought you guys would try to access the Internet with it, so I had to a little, ya know, reformatting ! » Monokuma explained.
Damn it… That would have been useful…
« Oh ! I almost forgot the post script ! » Monokuma cleared his throat again.
One other thing, it's important for you to know this clue about the mystery of the school.
The mastermind has done something to us.
And I will fight you.
« Woopsie ! Another word and we would have been in spoiler territory ! Anyway, I'm outta here ! » He left.
The mastermind did something to us ?
Kyoko said something similar after Taka's trial was over…
What could they have done… ?
« Let's just get out of here… » Kokichi said, going for the stairs.
We left the room, then went to our dorms where the nighttime announcement played, where I fell asleep.
Until…
« Wake up… »
« Wake up, Makoto. »
I woke up slowly, and saw Kyoko in my room !
« Wh-What are you doing here ?! » I exclaimed getting up.
« I'm here to wake you up. » She replied.
« But my door- » I noted.
« It was unlocked, you're unbelievably careless. » She sighed, a playful smile on her face.
« What time is it… ? » I asked.
« 3 am in the morning. » She said bluntly.
« W-what ?! » I exclaimed.
« I have a favor to ask you… » She said.
« Which is ? » I raised an eyebrow.
« I want to find out what Himiko meant by fight you. » She replied.
« How do you plan to do that ? » I asked.
Then she whispered close to my ear…
« The data center on the 4th floor. I will meet you there. » She left.
I guess I will go to the data center then…
I arrived, but Kyoko wasn't here… Was she inside ?
Shit, still locked-
« What are you doing up, mister ? » Monokuma popped out of nowhere.
« Gah ! » I gasped.
« Were you trying to break in ? » He raised his claws at me.
« No… ? » I replied uneasily.
« What ? You're gonna say you were sleepwalking ? Nice try, but I have seen enough ! Since you didn't break it yet, I will let you leave, 'cause even I get tired ! Go back to bed ! » He groaned.
« What's wrong now ? Why are you out here making a racket ? » Kyoko appeared !
« You too ?! Both of you to bed ! Shoo, shoo ! » He waved his paws at us.
She grabbed my hand and we were on our way back to the dorms.
« So what was it all about ? » I asked a bit impatiently.
« Don't worry about it… » She told me.
I sighed. I guess she won't tell me like she did before…
And then… It happened.
« Mukuro Ikusaba. The sixteenth student, lying hidden somewhere in this school, the one they call the Ultimate Despair. Watch out for her. »
CHAPTER 4
A Small Step for Hope, A Giant Leap for Despair
THE END
Surviving Students
(?), Byakuya, Keebo, Mahiru, Rantaro, Toko, Kazuichi, Miu, Makoto, Junko, Kyoko, Mikan, Himiko, Sonia, Taka, Kokichi
7 ?
To Be Continued
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