AN: Hey! Waiting a week for a new update? Sorry. I did this once already, and I'm doing it again. This update is going to be a lot shorter than usual, because it's essentially half of a full chapter. (Well actually, this is probably a bit shorter than a half, but we'll let it slide.)
I was actually preparing for a sleepaway camp for the the majority of this week. Because of that, I didn't get to work on the chapter as much as I wanted. So I'm giving you this, because the camp should last about a week, and I won't be able to finish the chapter until like a week after that. You've been waiting too long, so here's an update for the sake of updating.
No replies to reviews this time – sorry! I don't want to clutter this chapter with author notes. With that said, here you go! Sorry for another half-assed update. Hope it's good, nevertheless.
Soundtrack: Class Trial FUTURE PART
NOAH: You say there's another theory, Mirai, but the only one I can think of is what I came up with.
MIRAI: Well, I agree with some of the things you say. Namely, he probably entered the wave pool at 10:45.
MIRAI: But he wasn't killed at 11:00.
NOAH: What?
MIRAI: ...I think.
NOAH: What's wrong with my theory?
MIRAI: Well, first of all, we never considered how long Kaito's swimsuit was going to last.
NOAH: …
MIRAI: The earliest Kaito could have entered the wave pool, would be at 10:45. Realistically speaking.
MIRAI: So assuming that's true...then that means two things.
UNMEI: Well, obviously, one of them narrows down the time of death to 10:45 and 11:00.
MIRAI: Mmhmm.
KEIKO: And the second thing..?
MIRAI: I think his swimsuit could only have been the 30 minute one.
NOAH: Why do you think that..?
MIRAI: Because everything kind of matches up then.
MIRAI: If Kaito had a 30 minute swimsuit, and entered the wave pool at 10:45...
MIRAI: He would have stayed there for 5 minutes and 52 seconds, considering that his timer stopped at 24:48.
MIRAI: Now, it's about 10:51. But what happened at 10:51..?
KEIKO: The timer stopped? And...
KEIKO: Is that when the heat waves started?
MIRAI: I think so...
KEIKO: No, wait, but that's not right. I was at the beach house a little past 11:00.
KEIKO: That's around when the room suddenly turned cold.
MIRAI: Well, what if the killer did that on purpose?
KEIKO: Huh?
MIRAI: Here's what I think happened...
MIRAI: Somewhere between 10:30 and 10:45, Kaito found a 30 minute swimsuit.
MIRAI: He then went to the wave pool, and entered at 10:45.
MIRAI: Hanging out there for about 6 minutes, the heat wave struck, detonated his swimsuit, and froze his timer.
MIRAI: After that happened, the killer, knowing Kaito's location, went to the wave pool to strike a finishing blow, using the glass.
MIRAI: That accounts for a lot of things, doesn't it?
NOAH: ...But what about Keiko passing out?
MIRAI: The killer could have randomly changed the weather of some rooms to cause confusion...maybe like a red herring.
MIRAI: Remember, some people experienced the weather changes, but no one ever mentioned what time the weather changed.
NOAH: I see...
YOSHINORI: Hold on, there are a couple problems I have with this.
MIRAI: ...So I was wrong?
YOSHINORI: W-well, not yet, but...
YOSHINORI: That sounds a bit too convenient to me.
KEIKO: What do you mean..?
YOSHINORI: If Mirai is right, then the killer also found the swimsuit in that time frame.
YOSHINORI: Without that, the killer couldn't have entered the wave pool to finish the final blow.
HIKARU: The killer could have found it while carrying out his plan.
YOSHINORI: That's risky as hell though, ain't it?!
NOAH: ...Well then, we could always go back to the possibility of an accomplice.
YOSHINORI: But there would be no gain for the accomplice, right? Only the killer gets to graduate.
MONOKUMA: Upupu...that's right! Objectively, there's no real purpose for an accomplice to exist!
YOSHINORI: I mean, that's what I think.
KEIKO: But, it's not like it's impossible. I think Mirai's theory is the only one we can rely on right now.
YOSHINORI: ...Guess you're right.
YOSHINORI: Just thought I'd put that on the table.
NOAH: So we have two possibilities right now.
NOAH: One, the killer was lucky, and two, there could have been an accomplice.
NOAH: So, what else is there to discuss?
UNMEI: Um...I remember something, but...it's on the tip of my tongue right now.
NOAH: ...Do we have anymore clear evidence?
UNMEI: Why are you ignoring me?!
KEIKO: Clear evidence..?
KEIKO: ...Well, not really.
NOAH: So what now? Are we just stuck talking like this?
UNMEI: ...Hold on, I remember now!
HIKARU: …
UNMEI: Hikaru, you're the one who told me about Kaito's death, right?
HIKARU: ...Oh, yes.
NOAH: He did..? Why did you stay silent about this?
HIKARU: It was not important, I thought.
UNMEI: But, wasn't it? I mean, you were wearing a swimsuit and all.
HIKARU: …
NOAH: Hikaru, what is the meaning of this?
HIKARU: It's nothing.
NOAH: ...Are you sure?
HIKARU: Yes. If you want the full story, I'd be more than happy to explain it to you.
NOAH: Yes, I believe that would be necessary.
KEIKO: Noah, do you think Hikaru did it..?
HIKARU: …
NOAH: I wouldn't say that with complete confidence.
NOAH: But if Unmei was right...
HIKARU: She was right.
HIKARU: I was indeed in the wave pool with Kaito at one point during the murder.
KEIKO: Wait, what?
KEIKO: I thought he was only there for like...five minutes.
HIKARU: Most likely.
MIRAI: This is a problem them...Hikaru, were you with Kaito during those five minutes?
HIKARU: ...I'm assuming so, yes.
NOAH: So you were the murderer after all, huh..?
HIKARU: ...What's important is that I was with Kaito.
HIKARU: However, it wasn't me that killed Kaito.
HIKARU: I do not tell lies.
NOAH: That's rich, coming from a prisoner...
NOAH: Well, whatever. You seem to be baring it all, so if you could, please give out a testimony.
HIKARU: You don't need to tell me that.
[I feel like there's something going on between these two...]
Soundtrack: HEAT UP! 2nd Mix
==PHASE NINE==
Nonstop Debate!
::1 | Hikaru's Whearabouts
::2 | Hikaru's Testimony
::3 | Noah and Hikaru's Involvement
::4 | Swimsuit Detonation #2
::5 | Timeline of Events
HIKARU: Coincidentally, I happened to find a swimsuit around the same time Kaito did.
HIKARU: After that, I walked up to the wave pool...
HIKARU: And I saw him, alive.
HIKARU: However, while observing him...
HIKARU: It appeared Kaito was alive.
NOAH: He was alive when you first saw him..? Then who the hell could have killed him?
HIKARU: Who knows. It was moments later...
HIKARU: That I saw Kaito collapse, most likely due to his swimsuit detonating.
NOAH: So what? You're saying that Kaito was killed right in front of your eyes?
NOAH: That's impossible. ==Kaito must have been affected by something else.==
KEIKO: You've got that wrong!
Ammunition Used: [Swimsuit Detonation #2]
Soundtrack: Class Trial FUTURE PART
KEIKO: Actually, Noah, what Hikaru's saying might actually be true.
NOAH: What..?
KEIKO: According to our current theory, Kaito was in the wave pool when the heat suddenly rose, right?
NOAH: Yes, well, obviously.
KEIKO: That means if Hikaru was with him...his swimsuit should have exploded too.
NOAH: Yes..?
KEIKO: The fact that Hikaru reported Kaito's death to Unmei meant that Hikaru saw Kaito dying.
KEIKO: But, Hikaru couldn't have been in the room with Kaito!
UNMEI: W-wait, hold on a minute.
UNMEI: Remember what I told you, Keiko? I definitely saw Hikaru in the wave pool.
NOAH: You what..?
UNMEI: Y-yeah, I saw Hikaru with Kaito at the wave pool.
NOAH: ...Can you tell me when?
UNMEI: I would say shortly before Hikaru reported Kaito's death to me...
UNMEI: ...But, huh
UNMEI: That can't be right...
NOAH: No, if you're telling the truth, then Hikaru is most likely the murderer!
UNMEI: No, but it doesn't fit in with the theory we have.
UNMEI: If I saw Hikaru with Kaito...
UNMEI: Then why wasn't he electrocuted?
AN: Again, sorry for the short chapter. The circumstances didn't turn out that well.
I do have a slight estimation for how long the story is going to last at this point, however. It's going on track so far, even with this interruption.
Look for the next chapter, it's gonna come! (I hope.)