We all froze at this revelation…
There's just… no way…
« W-what did you say, Ryoma… ?! » Kaito asked in shock.
« You heard me right. I killed Angie in self-defence. » Ryoma repeated.
« Why ?! I thought you wanted to live ! » Kaede exclaimed.
« I did, and that's why I defended myself, and ended up killing her. Heh, I wanted to live, yet I will die because of it. » Ryoma said with sarcasm at the end.
« Everyone, let's remain calm and listen to what Ryoma has to say. Please tell us how it happened, Ryoma. » Kirumi said.
« Right, thanks Kirumi. So around 7:30 am, during my nightshift, I noticed Angie calling Himiko for the ritual. Just in case, I decided to follow them. As they entered, I noticed she closed but didn't lock the door, so I entered as well. I noticed Angie had knocked down Himiko, so I confronted her. She told me she discovered the two of us were spies, and she wanted to sacrifice us for the ritual. She had a ritual knife and she used it to try to kill me. I fought back for a bit, and I fell on top of her, stabbing her heart. So in a way, I guess it was also accidental… » He sighed.
« I-It's true… »
Everyone turned to Himiko, who was still crying.
« A-angie did hit me in the head… » Himiko got her witch hat off her head, as she kept crying.
Kirumi inspected Himiko's head to look for any injuries.
« I do notice a small bump, which is indicative of a strike to the head. » She nodded.
« Welp ! I guess that settles it ! Ryoma is- » Kokichi grinned.
« No. »
We all stared at Kaito, who was clenching his fist, looking down.
« Kaito… ? » I didn't like where this was going.
« I still believe in Ryoma ! He's not the type of person to do that ! » Kaito exclaimed.
I sighed… This would happen again… Except sooner…
« Kaito, I'm serious, I did kill Angie. There's no need to defend me, I confessed ! » Ryoma frowned at him in confusion.
« Shut up ! I don't know why you're saying this, but it doesn't make sense- » Kaito yelled.
« Rise and shine, ursine ! » The Monokubs appeared.
« What's the deal, Monodam ?! I thought you were gonna make everyone get along ! » Monophanie scolded him after puking.
« DON'T-WORRY… OVERCOMING-THIS-WILL-BRING-EVERYONE-CLOSER-TOGETHER. THAT-HAS-BEEN-THE-CASE-SO-FAR, YES ? THEIR-BOND-GETS-STRONGER-WITH-EACH-CLASS-TRIAL, DOES-IT-NOT ? MURDERS-ARE-NECESSARY-TO-BRING-EVERYONE-CLOSER-TOGETHER. » Monodam replied.
« Ugh, but how… ? » Monophanie said.
« SO… LET'S-GET-STARTED. CONDUCT-A-FRIENDLY-INVESTIGATION. THEN, WE-WILL HAVE-A-FRIENDLY-CLASS-TRIAL. WE-MUST-DISTRIBUTE-THESE-FIRST. » Monodam added.
They gave us the Monokuma File and left us.
« Everyone, I suggest we start our investigation right away. You all know what to do, right ? » Kirumi suggested.
« Is there even a point in the investigation ? Ryoma confessed ! » Kokichi said.
« No ! You could be the culprit ! » Kaito exclaimed.
« E-eh ? What did you say ? » Kokichi asked in surprise.
« Angie was planning to start the ritual today. She planned to not let anyone enter but the members of the student council… which means… Other than Himiko and Ryoma, Keebo and you Kokichi could have killed her ! » Kaito yelled.
« H-hold on a second ! I-I would never kill Angie, I trusted her as much as I trusted Atua ! » Keebo exclaimed.
« Ohhhh great thinking, Kaito ! The machine betraying and killing its master, we should have thought about that ! » Kokichi grinned.
« Shut up ! You're as much as a suspect as me ! » Keebo glared at him.
« I suppose so, I only really joined because I was bored. » Kokichi rolled his eyes at him.
« It only makes you more suspicious dude ! » Kaito glared at the purple haired shota.
« But I said that because I have nothing to hide. Also your reasoning is trash, though I didn't expect that from an idiot like you.~ » Kokichi grinned at him.
« . .IDIOT ! » Kaito yelled.
« ENOUGH ! We are wasting our time right now ! » Kirumi yelled to get their attention.
« Agreed, we should hurry. We will figure out if Ryoma was telling the truth, bur for now, we must gather clues. » Rantaro added.
He's right… We got to do this… again…
I just hope there won't be a second victim…
« Hey Shuichi, are you alright ? » I heard Kaede call me.
« Yeah- Well no… I just can't believe we have to do this again… » I told her.
« Me too… But we have to do it to survive ! Come on, with you on our side, we can overcome this ! » She gave me a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless.
« You're… right. We must survive ! » I nodded.
She's right, I can't give up ! I must fight, for my friends, alive and dead !
Investigation Start !
« We should check the Monokuma File first. » I suggested, as she nodded.
The victim is Angie Yonaga, the Ultimate Artist. The body was found in the Ultimate Artist's Lab. The time of death is approximately around 7:30 am. The cause of death is a single stab wound to the heart. She died almost instantly. Other than minor bruises, no other major injuries have been noted.
Seems to match Ryoma's testimony… I better ask him more details just in case.
Monokuma File 3 has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad.
« Let's go check Angie's body really quick. » I told Kaede.
We approached Angie's body, as she was lying on her back, her eyes open with shock, with her hands still nearly gripping onto the ritual knife stuck in her heart.
« Hey guys, you want to check the body ? » Maki asked.
« Yes, please ! Wait, where's Kaito ? » Kaede asked.
« He didn't feel well, so he left the room. That bastard of Kokichi joked about the ritual succeeding, with the transfer student returning to life and being the one who killed Angie, so Kaito really felt uncomfortable and had to leave for some fresh air. » Maki sighed.
« Poor Kaito… I know he was afraid of ghosts, but not this bad… » Kaede said sadly.
« Yeah… Look… The Necronomicon… » I said.
« Angie used it to perform the ritual written in the book, right ? » Kaede noted.
« Yeah… We should take a look at it to see what she was trying to do. » I suggested, picking up the Necronomicon.
We read everything, which was the same as last time.
« That's it… ? That's how she was supposed to bring back Tenko ? That's… kinda hard to believe. » Kaede said.
« Of course it's hard to believe, it's bullshit. » Maki rolled her eyes.
Necronomicon has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad.
« By the way Maki, what's with this knife ? I never saw it before. » I asked.
« Never did I saw it. I assume it is Angie's, considering how much she wanted us to give her blood donations for Atua. » Maki explained.
« That does make sense. But could it belong to Kiyo ? I'm sure his Ultimate Lab must have one of these. » Kaede suggested.
« That's not possible, Kaede. And you know why. » I told her.
« Huh ? Do I ? » She raised an eyebrow in surprise.
« Yes, the rules state that an Ultimate Lab remains locked if their owner die before it is opened. » I explained.
« Oh you're right ! Then maybe they could have picklocked or forced open the door ? » Kaede proposed.
« Not possible. The rules also prohibit breaking down a locked door, and I'm sure it includes picklocking. » Maki added.
« Oops, how could I forget these ? Sorry ! » Kaede giggled sheepingly.
Ritual Knife has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad.
Rules regarding Locked Doors and Ultimate Labs has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad.
Now let's go see Ryoma…
« Hey Ryoma, can we ask you some questions ? » I asked him.
« Yeah, sure thing. You wanna know how I did it ? » He asked.
« Yeah… Can you explain again how it happened ? Try to give us more details, please. » I replied.
« Well, like I said earlier, around 7:30 am, I saw Himiko going with Angie to her Lab, so I followed them, and since she didn't lock the door, I entered. I saw her knocking out Himiko with a wooden hammer, and I confronted her. She told me she discovered Himiko and I were spies, and Atua told her to kill us for this betrayal. So, I defended myself, and I fell on top of her, stabbing her with the ritual knife she had. She tried to get it off for a few seconds before dying, and I left. She was dead when I left, I'm sure of it. Tch, I first kill an entire mafia gang, and right when I wanted to live again, I kill someone… » He said somberly.
Then… Something caught my attention…
« You said Angie used a wooden hammer to knock out Himiko ? » I asked.
« Yes she did. » He nodded.
« The reason I am asking is because I can't find it, do you know where she left it ? » I asked.
He looked around, his eyes widening when he didn't find it.
« That doesn't make sense… I am certain it was here before I left the Lab and closed the door ! » Ryoma exclaimed.
« Then that means someone took it and moved it elsewhere, but who ? And why ? » Kaede wondered out loud.
Yeah… What's up with that ?
Ryoma's Account has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad.
Missing Wooden Hammer has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad.
« Shuichi, since Keebo and Kokichi are the Student Council members and suspects, we should ask them what they know of this case. » Kaede suggested.
« Yes, good idea, Kaede. I take Keebo, you take Kokichi ? » I said.
« Sounds like a plan, see you soon. » She left to go see Kokichi.
Meanwhile, I looked for Keebo and approached him.
« Hey Keebo, you don't mind me asking you some questions ? » I asked him.
« Not at all, go ahead ! It will help prove my innocence. » The robot nodded.
« Since you guys have night watch, did you see anyone during nighttime yesterday ? » I started.
« No, I didn't see anyone who wasn't part of the Student Council, which means Himiko, Angie, Ryoma and Kokichi were the only ones who could be outside with me. Everyone else was in their room. » He replied.
« Is it possible you missed the culprit during that time ? » I continued.
« It's a possibility, but unlikely. » He answered.
« Could anyone have entered Angie's Lab ? » I added.
« No, because Angie always locks her lab's door when she's in it. She would only open the door to the Student Council members, which means me, Himiko, Ryoma and Kokichi. » He explained.
« But the door wasn't locked during the time of the murder, you know that ? » I asked him.
« Yes, if we assume what Ryoma said is correct. But since Angie told us everyone she would lock her door when she is in it, I doubt anyone would have tried to open it. » Keebo replied.
« Alright, thanks Keebo ! That's all for now ! » I thanked him.
« No problem ! Hope it clears my name ! » He nodded.
Keebo's Account has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad.
I saw Kaede approach me, so I went towards her.
« So Kaede, what did Kokichi told you ? » I asked her.
« He said he saw no one during his night watch yesterday. And no one could have entered the lab since we all assumed it was locked. » She replied.
« Yeah, Keebo said the same thing. Now, I need to check something on that door. » I went towards the lab's door, and inspected the keyframe.
« What are you doing, Shuichi ? » Kaede asked me.
« You remember during the first case when I checked dust on the Library's card reader ? I'm doing the same thing with the keyframe of Angie's Lab, hang on. » I said while still checking the keyframe.
After a couple of seconds, I finished investigating it.
« Hmm… There's no dust, which means someone used this door, which isn't surprising, but it proves it was Angie who opened it. » I concluded.
« Actually, there might be someone who could open it. Kokichi. » She interrupted me.
« Crap, you are right ! He could have picklocked the door ! » I exclaimed.
« As for the hammer missing… Maybe he removed it from the crime scene after killing Angie ? » Kaede theorized.
« But why would Ryoma lie ? He has no reason to defend Kokichi. » I said out loud.
« You are right, it is weird. Should we look for that hammer ? » She suggested.
« Yeah, good idea. Let's go. » I nodded.
Art Lab's Front Door has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad.
Kokichi's Lockpicking has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad.
We began to look around, when we saw Himiko in one of the empty rooms.
« Hey… I found it… » She pointed… at the missing hammer !
« So that's the hammer that Angie used against you, Himiko ? » Kaede asked.
« Yeah… You can see a bit of blood on it… But I'm ok… » Himiko said sadly.
« Himiko… » I said.
« What Ryoma said is true. I followed Angie for the ritual, and everything went black after she hit me with it… And I only woke up when you guys discovered the body ! » Himiko cried.
I pulled her into a hug, where Kaede joined in.
« Don't worry, Himiko. We will find out who did this, whether or not it is Ryoma. » Kaede told her.
« I can't believe it is Ryoma… But everything seems to point at him ! » Himiko exclaimed.
« Then we will use what we learned in this investigation to figure out if he really confessed or not ! We will survive this class trial ! » I exclaimed.
Himiko's Account has been added to the Truth Bullets section of your Monopad.
Speaking of which…
Ding dong, bing bong
« Alright ya bastards ! It's time for the class trial ! » Monotaro spoke through the monitor.
« Go to the entrance to the trial grounds at the Shrine of Judgment ! Quickly ! » Monophanie added.
Monodam didn't say anything as the monitor shut off.
« It's time, Himiko… » I told her, putting my hands on her shoulders.
She nodded in silence, as we went to the courtyard where everyone was waiting for us.
To our surprise, Monokuma was also here with the Monokubs.
« What's going on ? » I asked Rantaro.
« They are trying to bring back Monokuma, but to no avail. » He replied.
« Daddyyy ! I love you, so please go back to normal ! » Monophanie begged.
« I wanna see you, Father ! I love you with all my heart ! » Monotaro begged as well.
« Awww, you're makin' me blush ! » The real Monokuma appeared !
He began to lick them again… Urgh…
« Hold up, who is that faker right there then ? » Miu pointed at the balding Monokuma.
« Oh, just a part-timer I got to cover me while I was gone. » Monokuma replied.
The balding Monokuma didn't say anything.
« Here's your pay, like we agreed on ! Now take it and get outta here ! » The real Monokuma gave him Monocoins, as the fake one left.
« Now that's done, I wait for you down there ! Don't make me wait ! » Monokuma and the Monokubs left.
« Well, it looks like everyone is here… I hope your investigation was successful. » Kirumi noted.
« Ah, Kaito, are you feeling alright ? » I asked him.
« Yeah, thanks ! » He nodded.
« I know it's a tall order, but try to use your brains this time so I don't have to use mine ! » Miu told us all.
« Atua, please… Lend us your power… » Keebo said to himself out loud.
« Man, it's kinda funny seeing a robot believe in god, especially Atua. » Kokichi grinned.
« S-so what… ? Robots can believe in god. In fact, I had a similar experience before I met Angie. » Keebo glared at him.
« Is that so ? What happened ? » Kaede asked out of curiousity.
« I heard a voice, an inner voice, if you will. It tells me what to do whenever I'm in trou- » Keebo began to explain.
« I don't mean to interrupt, but we might wanna get to the class trial, if we want to live. » Maki noted.
« She's right, we better get going. » Rantaro nodded.
« Relax guys, Ryoma confessed ! And with Shuichi to confirm what he said, this is gonna be a piece of cake ! » Kokichi said cheerfully.
« Don't forget you and Keebo are still suspects ! We have learned everything is not as it seems ! » Kaito exclaimed.
« Kaito… » Ryoma sighed.
Himiko didn't say anything.
We didn't waste anymore time and went inside the elevator. As Kirumi noted, everyone was in it. Which means…
'No second victim this time… I at least saved someone…' I told myself…
But it barely made me feel better…
« Hey uhh, is it me or is the elevator faster now ? » Kaito asked.
« Probably because there are less people boarding it now. » Kirumi replied somberly.
« Ohh… R-right… » He nodded.
The rest of the descent was in silence, and then we got out.
« Boy, they look really depressed. Must be cuz there's even less participants now. » Monotaro noted.
« Don't say they look depressed ! You will make Monodam sad ! » Monophanie scolded him.
Monodam didn't say anything.
« Puhuhu… As much as I would love to keep hearing this adorable back-and-forth… Let's hurry up and get started ! At last, the class trial will begin ! I hope you enjoy it to your heart's content ! » Monokuma told us.
We got to our respective seats once again, with Tenko and Angie's crossed portraits joining us. Like last time, Angie's portrait wasn't actually crossed, but angel wings with a halo. However this time, Tenko's portrait was a pair of aikido staffs forming a cross. And finally, Monosuke's crossed portrait was a regular one.
Angie…
Looks like I wasn't able to save you this time… But I promise you I will win this class trial so your death won't be in vain…
But who is the blackened ?
Is it Ryoma, like he claimed to be ?
Or is it someone else ? I have to find out…
CLASS TRIAL IN SESSION
« Well, you know how the class trial works by now, and I won't repeat how it works now ! So, get moving ! » Monokuma told us.
« Actually, there's no need to do the class trial ! We already know who it is ! Ryoma ! » Kokichi exclaimed.
« That's right, let's vote right now- » Ryoma nodded.
« No ! I refuse to believe you're the culprit ! It just… doesn't match what you have told us so far ! You wanted to live ! » Kaito interrupted him.
« To be honest, I have to agree. Maybe whoever killed Angie tried to frame him ? Or perhaps Ryoma is protecting them ? » Kaede suggested.
« Guys, I'm telling you- » Ryoma tried to say.
« Hey now ! I won't accept a result without actual debates ! You will decide your verdict after some time ! » Monokuma interrupted him.
« I suppose we should lay out the facts first. Plus, like Kaito said, Keebo and Kokichi were members of the Student Council, since they could have access to Angie's Lab. » Kirumi noted.
« Hold on ! Maybe it's someone else ! » Kokichi exclaimed.
« Oh yeah, who ? » Kaito asked him.
« The traansfer stuuuddeeent… » Kokichi made ghost like noises.
« W-wait ! Y-You mean… T-the ritual worked… ?! T-there's no way ! » Kaito began to panic again.
« Say something, Shuichi. It will be a mess if this keeps going on. » Maki sighed.
Well, here we go again…
NON-STOP DEBATE
« I'm telling ya guys ! Tenko came back to life and killed Angie ! » Kokichi exclaimed.
« I-I don't believe it ! W-why would she kill her best friend… ?! » Kaito shivered.
« Who knows ? Maybe she wasn't thinking clear and killed Angie by accident ! The ritual did work ! » Kokichi replied.
« No, that's wrong ! » I exclaimed.
BREAK
« No, it didn't, Kokichi. » I told him.
« Hmm ? What makes you think that, Shuichi ? » Kokicji tilted his head in confusion.
« Well, according to the Necronomicon Monokuma showed us… It must be burned for the ritual to work. Yet it wasn't burned. » I explained.
« So she must have been killed before the ritual started, since the book was still intact. » Keebo noted.
« Awww… I guess it's not possible then… But it would have been so cool ! » Kokichi pouted.
« S-stop screwing around ! It's impossible to resurrect the dead ! » Kaito exclaimed.
Then Monokuma tried to confuse us again…
« Let's hurry up and find out who the blackened is. » Maki told everyone.
« Ok, so if the culprit isn't the transfer student, then who is it ? » Rantaro asked.
« Oh, oh, oh ! I know who it is ! It is Kokichi ! » Miu exclaimed.
« Oh ? Whatever do you mean ? » Kokichi grinned at her.
« You're a member of the Student Council ! You could have accessed Angie's Lab ! » Miu grinned back at him.
« H-huh ? W-wait just a minute… » He began to panic.
« She's right ! And that's not all ! Kokichi told us he could picklock any doors ! That's it ! We got him now ! » Kaito added.
Is it really Kokichi who murdered Angie ? I have some doubts…
NON-STOP DEBATE
« We know Angie was stabbed by a ritual knife. So after Kokichi entered her lab, he stabbed the fuck outta Angie ! » Miu started.
« I don't mean to interrupt, but where does this ritual knife come from ? » Rantaro asked.
« Well, it is a ritual knife, and Kiyo loved this kind of stuff, so I bet Kokichi went to Kiyo's Lab and stole it ! Hoo yeah ! I'm a fuckin' genius ! » Miu boasted.
« No, that's wrong ! » I interrupted her.
BREAK !
« What the fuck did you just say ?! How is it wrong ?! It makes perfect sense ! » Miu glared at me.
« Sorry Miu, but it is wrong. Kokichi couldn't have entered Kiyo's Lab. It was locked. The rules state that should an Ultimate Lab be discovered after its owner's death, then it would remain locked forever. » I explained.
« E-eh ?! H-hold on ! He just picklocked it ! Yeah, that's it ! » She exclaimed.
« Not possible either. The rules also state that should anyone break in or picklock a door, they would be executed. » I added.
« But wasn't Angie's Lab's door opened when the murder happened ? » Kirumi asked me.
« True, but there's actually a reason no one would have tried to open it. » I said.
« And what's that ? » Kaito asked.
I know what it is, because someone told me !
« It's because Angie specifically told us she wouldn't let anyone enter unless they were members of the Student Council, right Keebo ? » I explained.
« That's right ! She would only open her lab to me, Kokichi, Ryoma and Himiko ! » Keebo nodded.
« So… It's really one of them who did it ? » Miu asked.
« Hang on ! It can't be Himiko ! She was besties with Angie ! I trust her ! » Kokichi exclaimed.
« For once, I agree with him. I believe in Himiko as well ! » Kaito exclaimed.
One by one, we told our trust to Himiko. She looked up, and gave us a weak smile. A weak one, but a smile nonetheless.
« Ok fine ! I will play along for now... There are still Keebo, Kokichi and Ryoma as suspects ! » Miu rolled her eyes.
« Hold on, aren't those accusations a tad too hasty ? » Keebo exclaimed.
« It wasn't me ! I have nothing to do with this crime ! » Kokichi said.
« I am the culprit, so let's just get this over quick. » Ryoma sighed.
Their podiums advanced forward, as I had to figure out who did it.
MASS PANIC DEBATE
« We must consider other possibilities ! » Keebo told us.
« I didn't kill Angie ! » Kokichi exclaimed.
« I did kill Angie, you shouldn't doubt me. » Ryoma said.
Nothing yet…
« Surely, there must be suspects outside the student council ! » Keebo suggested.
« In fact, I have nothing to do with this case at all ! I didn't do anything ! » Kokichi
« So let's just end this. » Ryoma added.
« I heard it ! » I exclaimed.
BREAK
« No, Kokichi. You do have something to do with it. » I told him.
« Huh ? What now ? » Kokichi asked.
« So he's the culprit ? I knew it ! » Miu exclaimed.
« Actually no, I don't think Kokichi is the culprit, but he did take away the hammer Angie used to knock out Himiko. » I shook my head.
« That's right ! We found it in one of the empty rooms, it wasn't even hidden. » Kaede added.
« But why would Kokichi tamper with the crime scene, if he isn't the culprit ? » Keebo asked in thought.
« That's actually very simple. Because it was too easy for you, huh Kokichi ? You didn't want this case to be done quickly… So if we assume Ryoma is indeed the culprit, then you entered Angie's Lab after he left, took the hammer and dropped it inside the empty room. Am I right ? » I confronted him.
…
…
« Yup ! You're correct ! I mean come on, it wouldn't be funny if it was done in five minutes ! » Kokichi chuckled.
« Give me a fucking break… » Maki sighed in frustration.
« Hey, but at least I know who the culprit is now ! » Kokichi grinned evilly.
« Yeah right, you're still screwing around as usual ! » Kaito rolled his eyes.
« No, I swear I'm not this time ! Because you're the culprit ! » Kokichi's evil smirk was even wider now.
Absolute silence.
Did he… did he just say… ?!
« W-wha… What did you say ?! » Kaito exclaimed in shock.
« Yeah, you're the culprit ! You pretended to defend Ryoma, since it's in your character to do so, which allowed you to pass under the radar, murderer ! » Kokichi pointed at him.
« H-hold on a minute ! You have no proof I did it ! » Kaito snapped at him.
« Oh, but I do.~ Your motive is that terminal illness you got.~ » Kokichi winked.
Damn you, Kokichi !
« Wait, what is he talking about, Kaito ? » Ryoma asked.
« Tch ! He's talking about a disease I have… I already told Shuichi, Kaede, Maki, Himiko and Rantaro about it. I planned on telling the rest of you, but that little bastard beat me to it. » Kaito glared at Kokichi.
« Hey, I had to ! You're the culprit 'cause that's your motive ! » Kokichi exclaimed, pointing at him.
« What… do you mean… ?! » Kaito kept glaring at him.
« Because you have a disease, who knows if you could die from it ? And with Angie preventing us from leaving, you could die… So you had to kill Angie to get out of here ! » Kokichi grinned evilly.
« W-what the- N-no, that's not- » Kaito's eyes widenede.
« Holy shit… So Kokichi was right… He did try to pretend Ryoma so we wouldn't suspect him, only to screw us off ! » Miu glared at him.
« It does make sense… He also wanted us to suspect Keebo and Kokichi, as they were Student Council members. » Kirumi noted.
« So it could have been someone outside of the Student Council after all ? » Rantaro asked.
« Kaito… That's not true… Right ? » Kaede asked him.
« No ! I'm not the culprit ! » Kaito exclaimed.
« But you're pretty suspicious right now. » Keebo said.
« That's just Kokichi messing with us again ! I believe in Kaito ! » Maki exclaimed.
« Kaito is not the culprit, I am. » Ryoma nodded.
« Hold on ! Are you seriously divided again ? In that case… » Monokuma interrupted us.
« The Ultimate Academy is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds ! » The Monokubs declared at the same time.
« Yipee ! I have been waiting for this ! » Kokichi cheered, with stars in his eyes.
« What were you waiting for it ?! » Kaito exclaimed.
So it begins again… I believe in Kaito ! He couldn't have done this crime ! I picked my answer, and we went up once again.
OPINION OPPOSITION
Could Kaito have committed the crime ?
He could have !
Gonta
Kiyo
Keebo
Kaede
Rantaro
Kirumi
Miu
Kokichi
He could not !
Shuichi
Kaito
Maki
Himiko
Ryoma
Tsumugi
Tenko
Angie
Scrum Debate Start !
« Kaito is the culprit, because he had a motive ! » Kokichi started.
I got this ! / Kore da !
« Just because he had a motive, doesn't mean he committed the crime ! » I exclaimed.
« And how ?! He's the most suspicious person here ! » Miu yelled.
Maki ! / Harukawa-san !
« Keebo and Kokichi are suspicious too ! We can't vote for Kaito right now ! » Maki exclaimed.
« I had no reason to kill Angie ! Kaito has one ! » Keebo countered.
Ryoma ! / Hoshi-kun !
« I was the one who killed Angie ! She tried to kill me and I defended myself ! Kaito has nothing to do with this ! » Ryoma argued.
« I don't want to believe Kaito killed Angie… But… » Kaede said sadly.
Kaito ! / Momota-kun !
« Believe, Kaede ! I'm not the culprit, and you should know that ! » Kaito exclaimed.
« But the evidence points at Kaito being the culprit. Should we continue ? » Kirumi asked.
I got this ! / Kore da !
« Yes we should ! Because I have evidence Kaito is innocent ! » I replied.
This is our answer !
« You do have evidence, Shuichi ? Tell us please ! » Kaede begged.
« It's simple. We said earlier that Kaito couldn't have entered Angie's Lab, since everyone believed it was locked due to Angie only opening it to Student Council members. » I explained.
« Who knows ? Maybe he opened it and got lucky since it was unlocked. » Kokichi suggested.
« No, I don't think luck was involved. The only one who could have entered Angie's Lab were you, Keebo and Ryoma- » I said.
« Time for me to shine ! » Kokichi interrupted me.
ARGUE
« Hang on Shuichi, what if… Kaito killed her after Ryoma left ? » He proposed.
« What ? » I said out of surprise.
« Enough of you doing all the work ! Let me take the spotlight from you ! » He grinned.
REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN
« That's it ! Ryoma did stab Angie, but Kaito was the one who finished her off ! » He started.
ADVANCE !
« What do you mean he finished off Angie ? Do you have any proof ? » I asked him.
« I mean, it's just common sense ! Angie didn't die after Ryoma stabbed, so Kaito saw this opportunity to kill her ! » He explained.
« I will cut through your words ! » I countered.
BREAK !
« That's not possible, Kokichi. Kaito couldn't have entered and killed Angie after Ryoma left. » I told him.
« Huh ? But why not ? » He tilted his head to the side and placed his index under his chin in confusion.
« Because Ryoma himself told me Angie was dead by the time he left the lab. Right, Ryoma ? » I explained.
« Yeah, she did survive the initial stab, but she died very soon after, no mistakes there. » He nodded.
« He's just lying to protect Kaito ! That's not proof ! » Kokichi frowned.
You want proof ? I got one…
« Well I have another one. The Monokuma File. It says the cause of death is a single stab wound to the heart. If Kaito had indeed finished Angie off… » I explained.
« Then it's impossible for him to have killed Angie ! » Himiko exclaimed after being silent for so long.
« Not only that, but as we said earlier, he couldn't have entered Angie's Lab due to her telling us she would lock it and not let anyone enter other than Student Council members, and we wouldn't know it was actually open. » Maki added.
« Then… Kaito is really innocent. » Rantaro noted.
« Of course I am ! You guys shouldn't even have doubted me in the first place ! » Kaito exclaimed.
« I'm glad you're innocent, Kaito ! I just wanted to be sure you were ! » Kaede sighed in relief.
« Then we are back to square one. Our suspects are still Kokichi, Keebo and Ryoma. » Kirumi noted.
« How are we supposed to figure out which one of them is the culprit ? » Miu asked.
« I propose that we review what we have learned so far to answer that question. Shuichi, will you do us the honors ? » Kirumi suggested.
« Yes, leave it to me. » I nodded.
Psyche Taxi
PSYCHE TAXI START
Question 1 : What is the murder weapon ?
The Hammer The Ritual Knife
Question 2 : Where does the ritual knife comes from ?
Angie was the one who had it Kiyo was the one who had it From the kitchen
Question 3 : Who could have committed the crime ?
Anyone Only the Student Council members
« It's all coming together ! »
COMPLETE !
« So… The murder took place around 7:30 am, when Angie brought Himiko with her to her Ultimate Lab. As soon as they arrived, Angie used one of her wooden hammers to knock out Himiko. The reason she did this was because she discovered Himiko and Ryoma were actually spies, and thus traitors to the Student Council members. She planned to sacrifice them for Atua. However, according to Ryoma's testimony, he was doing his nightshift, and he noticed them on their way to the Ultimate Lab, so he followed them out of curiousity. Angie had forgotten to lock her door, which allowed him to enter, just after Angie knocked Himiko out. She told them what she was about to do, and tried to kill Ryoma. He fought back, but ended up killing her… » I concluded.
« Then… If Ryoma was telling the truth… » Keebo realized.
« Then he was the only one who could have done this crime. » I sighed.
« Don't be naive, Shuichi ! » Kaito interrupted me.
ARGUE
« That doesn't prove he was the only one who could have killed Angie ! Did you forget Kokichi most likely followed him to watch what happened ?! » He exclaimed.
« Kaito… I'm sorry… But Ryoma seems to be the most likely culprit… » I told him.
« Oh well… My sidekick's mistakes are my mistakes ! I'll make it right ! » He sighed.
REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN
« How can you believe Ryoma is the culprit when we have two other suspects who are as likely as suspicious as him ?! Ryoma is our friend, he is someone we can trust, unlike Kokichi who is trying to mess with us ! » Kaito exclaimed.
ADVANCE !
« Kaito, I don't want to accuse Ryoma as much as you do, but we have to if we want to survive this class trial ! » I told him.
« That's nonsense ! He didn't do it, there's not enough proof that shows he was the only one who could have done it ! » He growled.
« I will cut through your words ! »
BREAK !
« No, Kaito. Ryoma is the culprit, I'm sure of it. » I replied.
« What do you know ?! » He exclaimed.
« Because of the nightshift the Student Council members did. Keebo, you confirm no one was outside of their rooms ? » I asked the robot.
« No, only the Student Council members were out, I'm sure of it. » He nodded.
« That proves only Student Council members could have done this crime. Himiko was knocked out and would have been killed by Angie, so she's out of the question. Ryoma, you confirm no one was near Angie's Lab when you left it ? »I asked him.
« Yeah, no one. I was the only one. » He nodded.
« Until Kokichi came in ! » Kaito exclaimed.
« To remove the hammer… He couldn't have done the crime since Angie was dead, we talked about it… » Kaede sighed.
Kaito didn't reply in horror.
« Kaito, I know how you feel. I know because we all feel it. But… we have to face the truth… No matter how cruel that truth may be, we need to face it… to survive. » I sighed.
SELECT SOMEONE !
« Ryoma… is the one who killed Angie. » I concluded.
« So it was really him ? Kinda anti-climatic. » Kokichi rolled his eyes.
« You saw everything, so don't act like that ! » Keebo exclaimed, pointing at him.
« Ryoma… » Kaede cried a bit.
We couldn't find words to describe how horrible this situation was…
« Whose side are you on, Shuichi… ? »
I could see Kaito glaring at me…
The same glare he gave me during Gonta's trial…
« Kaito… » I said.
« Aren't you my sidekick ?! Was that… just a lie ?! » He snapped.
« Kaito ! Calm down ! » Kaede exclaimed.
« Fine then ! I will tear that sorry reasoning of yours and wake you up ! » Kaito shouted at me.
So I have to expose him the truth the hard way again… But this is for the better…
ARGUMENT ARMAMENT
Start !
Ryoma can't be the culprit !
I refuse to believe it !
He has done nothing wrong to us !
He even wanted to help us by spying on Angie !
Which proves his innocence !
His weapons fell off.
Why are you trusting Kokichi ?!
He's still a suspect !
He's framing him, I'm sure of it !
That's why I believe Kokichi is the culprit !
There's no doubt about it !
The alien accompanying him left, and half of his spacesuit was gone.
Who do you want to believe ?!
Kokichi has done nothing but messing with us !
Ryoma has always tried to help us one way or another !
How could you not trust Ryoma ?
Whose side are you on, Shuichi ?!
The rest of his spacesuit disappeared.
This is it!
« Why accuse him when Keebo and Kokichi were also out of their rooms ?! » He asked angrily.
YOU-ARE-IN-DENIAL
« It ends here ! » I exclaimed.
« Damn it !- » He screamed before stopping suddenly.
BREAK !
Kaito stopped talking, and started to go completely still…
His once fiery eyes… Now completely blank…
« Kaito ! Kaito ! Answer me ! » Maki went to him and shook his shoulders.
« Nishishishi.~ It looks like Kaito couldn't handle it, so his mind broke and went blank !~ » Kokichi mocked him.
« Shut up, Kokichi ! This is serious ! » Kaede scolded him.
« Yeah… Shuichi. Review this case one last time before we vote, would you ? » Ryoma suggested.
I sighed, nodding, trying to focus…
CLOSING ARGUMENT
Act 1 :
It was just thirty minutes before the morning announcement. Angie was supposed to prepare the ritual, but she had other plans now… She was going to commit a double murder.
Act 2 :
The reason she wanted to do this is because she found out Himiko and Ryoma were spies… And Atua told her to sacrifice them for the ritual. So she knocked on Himiko's door, and Angie led her to her Ultimate Lab.
Act 3 :
But someone had noticed them… The culprit, Ryoma. He followed the girls, and opened the door of the Ultimate Lab that Angie forgot to lock this time, and came across an horrifying sight… Himiko unconscious, because Angie hit her with one of her wooden hammers.
Act 4 :
She revealed her plans to him, and attacked him, with a ritual knife she brought with her. They fought for a bit, until Ryoma landed on top of her, stabbing her in the heart with the ritual knife. She died almost instantly.
Act 5 :
Ryoma killed Angie… But he didn't want to win the class trial and get us killed. So he left Angie's Lab to confess when we will discover the body. But little did he know, a certain someone saw him leave… Kokichi. He didn't want the class trial to end too quickly, so he took the wooden hammer and left it at the hidden room to confuse us. But it wasn't enough…
The blackened was on the left, with guilt on his face, with Shuichi looking sad.
« Because you made sure we would catch you, Ryoma Hoshi, the Ultimate Tennis Pro. » I finished.
The blackened quickly turned to Ryoma, the guilt even more noticeable.
COMPLETE !
« And that's what happened… » I finished, sighing.
Kaito looked a bit better, but remained silent.
« Well, I think it's time to vote everyone. » Ryoma told us.
« Alright ! One Voting Time, comin' up ! » Monokuma cheered.
« THE-HEART-RACING-EXCITEMENT-AS… » Monodam said.
« As the blackened and the spotless finally face off… » Monophanie continued.
« It's VOTING TIME ! » Monokuma and the Monokubs spoke at the same time.
I picked Ryoma on the voting screen, with the TV conforming everyone voted for Ryoma, including himself.
The spinning wheel appeared, and landed on Ryoma's picture, the coins came out of it, indicating our victory.
« Wow ! Seriously ?! You're correct again ! Amazing ! Well, not really, yeah the one who killed Angie was Ryoma. Kinda anticlimatic come to think of it… » Monokuma turned away from us.
« W-when… When will this stop… ? » Kaede cried.
« Why do we have to lose our friends in such twisted ways… » Keebo looked down dejectedly.
« Sorry guys, I wish I stopped Angie without killing her. » Ryoma sighed sadly.
Kaito stared at him without a word.
« We will miss you, Ryoma. » Kirumi said.
« I will miss you all too. You better live and get out of here, got it ? » Ryoma told us.
« We will, Ryoma. That's a promise. » I replied.
« Now then, I have prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Tennis Pro, Ryoma Hoshi ! » Monokuma interrupted us.
« I'm counting on you all ! Don't disappoint me ! » He winked at us and gave us a thumbs up.
« Let's give it everything we've got ! It's… PUNISHMENT TIME ! » Monokuma shouted.
Monokuma pulled out his gavel, and hit the red button.
Ryoma's blue sprite appeared on the black screen as he was taken away by Monokuma to the right of the screen.
GAME OVER
Ryoma has been found guilty.
Time for the punishment !
Ryoma was taken by the metal collar, which had little trouble to send him flying due to his small size. Our podiums led us to his execution room, which was a tennis court, with Ryoma attached by chains to a pole, with an iron fence separating us from him.
The 1000 Blows : Second Strike
Ultimate Tennis Pro
Ryoma Hoshi's Execution : Executed
Monokuma, with a cap and tennis racket, activated the pitching machine, which began to shoot a few tennis balls at Ryoma while the scoreboard registered the hits.
But then, the machine began to shoot the tennis balls at immense speed, hitting him in all directions !
Then it spinned around his body, still shooting at him !
And to add insult on the injury, Monokuma even began to use his tennis racket to throw a few balls to Ryoma's face !
Monodam began watching this scene, when out of the sudden, he went inside the cage and held onto Ryoma, taking hits in, as the two remaining Monokubs watched their brother commit suicide.
The machine stopped, as the remaining students, and somehow Monokuma despite the fact he was on the opposite side of the fence, watched Ryoma's bloody dead body and Monodam's mangled body, with thousands of bloodstained tennis balls laying on the floor.
We just stared at Ryoma in silence, ignoring the Monokubs react to Monodam's suicide.
« Welp, unless you guys don't wanna try to bring back the transfer student, I will take back the Necronomicon ! Last channnnceee !~ » Monokuma teased us.
« Leave us alone. » Rantaro glared at him.
« Alright, jeez ! Suit yourself ! Don't come back begging for it ! » Monokuma chuckled as he left with the Monokubs.
Kaito began to go for the elevator…
« Hey, Kaito… » I placed my hand on his shoulder.
« Leave me alone ! » He snapped, causing me to back off.
Everyone stared at him in shock.
« Just… leave me alone… » He said, resuming his walk.
« Kaito… » Maki said.
« It's best if we leave him. He's been through a lot, like the rest of us. » Kirumi suggested.
« Well… I guess the Student Council is no more… » Keebo noted.
I couldn't help but notice Kokichi staring at me seriously…
« Only ten of us left now… » Kirumi noted.
« Just… ten of us… » Keebo repeated.
I was getting worried by Kokichi's silence…
« Everyone, we must escape together, I believe in you all+ » Kaede told us.
« I agree, this is our best chance to get out of here alive. » Rantaro smiled at her.
We all left the execution room, and made our way to the dorms…
When I felt someone push me against a wall, and pull a knife against my throat !
It was…
« K-Kokichi… ?! » I said in shock.
« How do you figure out things so quickly… ? » He asked seriously.
« W-well, because I'm the Ultimate Detective ! » I explained.
« No… Not just that… You know stuff you shouldn't know… Like my organization… despite the fact we never met… » He growled.
« T-that was just intuition- » I tried to lie.
« Stop lying ! I know a liar when I see one ! So tell me the truth, damn it ! » He snapped.
Shit… He's getting angry… I know he won't kill me, but I can't take the risk of getting hurt…
You know what ? No matter what I did to try to do things right never worked ! I will tell him the truth !
« You want the truth ? Fine ! Maki, Himiko and I all survived the killing game and wished upon a shooting star to being us back to the first day to try to save everyone. Tsumugi was the mastermind in our killing game, so we exposed her here yet the game is still going. Oh, also this game is a reality show where our talents, personalities and all have been written by the team behind this show, and there's a strong chance they rewrote you because in the original killing game, you never joined Angie's council. » I told him everything.
He stared at me for a few seconds, analyzing me…
Then backed off me, his eyes widening, the knife dropping to the ground.
He didn't say a word, but then…
« Ah… ah… ha… haha… » He began to laugh.
« K-kokichi- » I began to worry.
« AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ! » He maniacally laughed !
That laugh… It was the same after Gonta died in my original killing game and onwards… God, what have I done ?!
« So… It's just a game… ? We kill each other, watch other people die… for some people's amusements ?! » He kept laughing.
« Kokichi ! Get it together ! » I yelled.
« There's a way to end it… I can end this killing game once and for all… » He eyed the knife…
I ran after it as he did as well !
I grabbed it, as he tried to stab himself in the neck !
I knocked it off his hands, and restrained him. Despite not being strong myself, I could handle someone like Kokichi.
« LET ME GO ! LET ME FUCKING GO ! » He screamed.
« No… Calm down, Kokichi… » I began to snuggle him and pat his hair…
« Let go of me… I'm tired of this killing game… » He began to cry…
« I'm here for you, Kokichi… We all do… But you need to stop hiding behind your lies… We need the real Kokichi… » I soothed him.
« I-I want to… B-but they won't believe me after what I did… » He said through sobs.
« Go to sleep, and tomorrow, you will tell them everything… » I got up, letting him go.
« Wait… I want to show you something… » He got up, grabbed my hand and the knife, and led me towards the dorms.
He made me enter his dorm, and showed me the whiteboard…
This time of course, the order of death was different. Gonta killed by Tsumugi and Kiyo killed by Tenko.
« P-please… Make the order in your original killing game. » He told me.
I did so, as he watched carefully, as I explained what happened.
« So… Rantaro got killed by Tsumugi but got Kaede killed by framing her, Kirumi got her motive video and killed Ryoma, Kiyo killed Angie and Tenko for his sister, I made Gonta kill Miu, and I made Kaito kill me, where you three managed to defeat Tsumugi ? » He repeated what I have said.
« Yes, that's correct. I was planning to use all of this knowledge to prevent the murders from happening… But I failed… And I'm afraid the fourth murder will still happen… » I replied.
He didn't reply for a bit…
« I will help you. » He said seriously.
« Huh ? » I said.
« You're right… I am tired of this facade… I'm tired of tjis killing game… I will help you end it ! » He exclaimed.
« Thanks Kokichi. It's getting late, we should sleep. You will tell everyone about you have been going through tomorrow. But make sure to not mention what I have told you about us three, ok ? » I smiled at him.
« Oh don't worry, if I did, they will just think I'm screwing around.~ Good night ! » He smiled back.
« Good night ! » I left his room for my own.
I lied down on my bed, and began to think once again…
I can't believe six of us are gone…
But now Kokichi will be able to move on…
We might have a shot at this…
We just have to try !
To Be Continued
You received the Handcuffs Present !