Shingo's accusation lingers in the air. Jun stares at him blankly.
"I'm the culprit, huh?" Jun says. "I suppose you've got proof?" Even now, Jun is as cool and collected as ever. He seems curious, more than anything.
"Of course," Shingo replies. He crosses his arms, smiling slightly. "I said I wouldn't beat around the bush—so let's start with the most damning piece of evidence. Tell them, Koi!"
"Huh?" I say, startled.
"The piece of evidence that most strongly links Jun Mujun to the crime," Shingo clarifies. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"
"Oh… um…"
TRUTH BULLET: FLASH DRIVE
"Are you talking about the flash drive we found in his room?"
"The what?" says Jun. He seems… genuinely taken aback. Which is rare. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen him taken aback, until now.
Shingo holds up the little black rectangle. "Do you recognize this?" he asks.
"Never seen it in my life," Jun replies, frowning.
"Well, you should. Koi and Emi found it hidden within one of your socks."
"Emi?" Jun says, shifting his attention to the Kimono-clad girl beside me. The fog of confusion clears from his eyes—and flames of anger rush in to replace it. "God fucking dammit. I should've known."
"Perhaps you ought to choose your next words carefully," Emi says, radiating smugness.
"Get fucked, Emi, you cocksucker."
"Hmm," says Momoka. "That… wasn't very careful…"
"Um," says Jeff, "excuse me, but—am I the only one who's confused?"
"No," says Naomi. "I must admit—I'm out of the loop, as well."
"To begin," says Shingo, "let's all see what's on this flash drive."
Shingo plugs the flash drive into his e-Handbook. Then he holds up his handbook, showing everyone the text file—green text on a black background. He also reads it aloud, for those not close enough to see it clearly.
[D8]
8:11 PM: TRASH ROOM
8:58 PM: SHAFT
[D9]
12:40 AM: TRASH ROOM
1:26 AM: SHAFT
1:55 AM: TRASH ROOM
2:24 AM: SHAFT
6:35 AM: TRASH ROOM
6:57 AM: SHAFT
9:50 PM: TRASH ROOM
10:10 PM: SHAFT
[D10]
9:45 PM: TRASH ROOM
10:08 PM: SHAFT
[D11]
7:18 AM: LOCK DISABLED
There's a silence.
"I see," Jeff says, scratching his chin. "So, those words… they must mean… something!"
"A most curious code," Takeru says. "These times and locations must bear some significance. However, I cannot comprehend the meaning of 'D8,' 'D9,' 'D10,' and 'D11.'"
"Yeah," says Tsubasa, "I'm drawing a blank, there."
"It's quite simple, actually," says Shingo. "If you think hard about it, you should be able to figure out what 'D' stands for."
What 'D' stands for? Let me think…
-HANGMAN'S GAMBIT-
D**
…
…
…
DA*
…
…
…
DAY
"Oh—I get it," I say. "They're all different days. And 'D11' stands for 'Day 11'—because today is the eleventh day of the killing game."
"Is it?" says Jeff. "I've honestly lost track!"
"Koi is exactly right—as usual," says Shingo. "This file is a record of certain occurrences between Day 8 and Day 11 of our killing game."
"Um, okay," says Rin. "But, like. What 'occurrences'?"
"You should know, Rin. After all, you spent time today in the trash room and the shaft—both of which are mentioned in this file."
The trash room and the shaft… what lies between them is…
TRUTH BULLET: HATCH
"I see," I pipe up. "This must be related to the hatch in the trash room—the one that leads to the garbage pit."
"Oh," says Tsubasa, "you mean that locked hatch in the floor? Yeah, I remember—we talked about that during the investigation. Jun said it was locked electronically."
"Jun was right. There are two electronic keyholes—one in the trash room floor, and one in the shaft wall below. When the hatch is unlocked from one of those places, a nearby green light turns on for a moment—the hatch only stays unlocked briefly, if it isn't opened. This flash drive… maybe it picks up a signal every time the hatch is unlocked. So, the times refer to when the hatch is unlocked, and the locations refer to where it's unlocked from."
"Precisely," says Shingo.
"Hold on," Jun says, still frowning. "A file like this could easily be manipulated."
"That's a strange accusation," says Shingo. "After all, if anyone manipulated this file, it would be you—seeing as the flash drive was found in your room."
"I told you. I've never seen that thing before in my life."
"My, how interesting," Emi says, smiling provocatively at Jun. "Of all the lies available to you, you've chosen the most foolish one."
"Let's play along for now, Emi," Shingo says, barely restraining his own smile. "Fine—it's possible that this file was manipulated. But I doubt it. The vast majority of its information is provably accurate. For example, look at the last line."
[D11]
7:18 AM: LOCK DISABLED
"Wait," Tsubasa says. "If today is Day 11, then… 7:18… wouldn't that be around the time of the Body Discovery Announcement?"
"I… I think I get it," says Kenji. "There's a rule about doors becoming unlocked during investigations. If the investigation started with the Body Discovery Announcement… then… that must've been the exact moment when the hatch's lock was disabled."
"Good job, Kenji!" I cheer. "That's totally right!"
"Th-thanks…"
"Monokuma," says Shingo. "Can you tell us the exact time of today's Body Discovery Announcement?"
"Hmm," says Monokuma. "Well, that's not secret information, or anything—so I don't see why not. Okey dokey, then! The Body Discovery Announcement for this case was broadcast at exactly 7:18 a.m., on the dot!"
"There you have it," says Shingo. "If someone added that manually, they'd have to have done so this morning—and they'd have to have thought extremely far ahead, in order to pay close attention to the time of the announcement. More likely, that information was sent to the device automatically.
"Furthermore, there are several other times in this file that I can confirm as being correct. For example, look at the first few lines."
[D8]
8:11 PM: TRASH ROOM
8:58 PM: SHAFT
"I understand," says Naomi. "That was… the first time we…"
"Exactly," says Shingo. "This was three days ago—'Giftmas,' which also happened to be trash day. At night, the four of us—myself, the Captain, and the First Mates—unlocked the hatch, and entered the garbage pit for the first time. Based on what we found, we decided to check again the next morning, before the 7:00 announcement. This morning excursion can also be seen in the file."
6:35 AM: TRASH ROOM
6:57 AM: SHAFT
"During said morning excursion," Shingo continues, "we discovered that several items had been stolen from the garbage pit. We then removed all the weapons that remained down there, and brought them to the Captain's room. Nonetheless, we decided to continue checking on the garbage pit each night, in case we found clues as to the thief's identity. These nighttime checks can also be seen in the file."
9:50 PM: TRASH ROOM
10:10 PM: SHAFT
[D10]
9:45 PM: TRASH ROOM
10:08 PM: SHAFT
"In other words, there is only one section of this file—documenting two trips to the garbage pit—that cannot be explained."
[D9]
12:40 AM: TRASH ROOM
1:26 AM: SHAFT
1:55 AM: TRASH ROOM
2:24 AM: SHAFT
"These two trips happened mere hours before we discovered that a theft had occurred. In other words…" Shingo points at Jun. "This is when you, Jun Mujun, snuck into the garbage pit!"
"Bull. Shit," Jun grumbles.
"It's not bull turds!" Yuna counters. "It's like Koi said—the lock is electronic. Which means someone must've hacked it! Only the Ultimate Hacker could've done it!"
"Zip your mouth, pissant," Jun growls. "First of all, just because a lock is pickable, that doesn't mean I'm the only one who can pick it. Second, the hatch's lock isn't pickable. I'd know. I fucking tried. It can't be done. Same as the locks on our dorm room doors."
"Is it the same?" asks Shingo. "Let's consult the expert. Monokuma?"
"Hm?" says Monokuma.
"Is it true that the locks on our dorm room doors can't be picked?"
"Of course not!" Monokuma shouts. "Those locks are unpickable! I've said it before, and I'll say it again—a million times, if I have to!"
"I see. What about the lock on the hatch in the trash room? Is that unpickable, too?"
"Um," Monokuma says, sweating, "well… the thing about that is…" Suddenly, he thrusts his paws forward. "That's enough!" he shouts. "No more questions! Figure it out yourself!"
"I rest my case," Shingo says, grinning.
"Jesus Christ," Jun grumbles, scowling. "You morons have no idea what the fuck you're babbling about." He's trying to stay calm—but not really succeeding. The strain in his face is hard to miss. He's unnerved. On edge. I've never seen Jun like this before. "Physical locks and electronic locks are two entirely different animals. Anyone can pick a physical lock. An electronic lock? Forget about it. Can't be done."
TRUTH BULLET: LOCKPICKING BOOK
"No, th—"
"No, that's wrong!" Kenji shouts. "Oh, um… sorry, Koi," he adds meekly. "Did I… um… interrupt you?"
"Haha, it's fine!" I reply. "I'm just glad you're so talkative today. You should try being this confident more often. It's a good look!"
"Th-thanks…" Kenji mutters, his face turning bright red.
"Excuse me," Jun says. "If you two idiots are done flirting, can you please tell me how you came to know more about electronic security than the Ultimate Hacker?"
"Um…" Kenji mutters, still recovering. "Well… uh…"
Shingo intervenes: "I'm sure they're far less knowledgeable than you, Jun. Still, those who don't know can always learn. From a book, for example."
"A book, huh?" says Jun.
"Jun," I say, "a few days ago, a book called A Hacker's Guide to Lockpicking went missing from your office."
"Coincidentally," Shingo adds, "this book went missing shortly before the thieving incident occurred."
"That so?" says Jun. "Well. The Ultimate Offices are unlocked during the day. Any damn one of us could've stolen that book."
"True enough. However, it's the content of the book that's of interest to us right now. During our investigation today, Kenji and I happened to find that very book in the second-floor classroom. I asked Kenji to scour it for information relevant to this case. Fortunately for us, he succeeded. Isn't that right, Kenji?"
"Y-yeah," Kenji replies, his focus returning. "Jun—you said that it'd be impossible to pick an electronic lock. But… that's not what this book says. If an electronic key has an RFID chip, then… there's a method called 'skimming' that can be used to steal its data. More often than not, data like that is encrypted, but…" Kenji's resolve strengthens. "But that's an obstacle an extremely skilled hacker could have overcome."
"A-ha!" says Yuna. "That proves it! Only the Ultimate Hacker could be the culprit!"
"Oh, please," Jun says, rolling his eyes. "You read one book, and now you know everything, huh? Well, let's get a few facts straight, here. RFID skimming requires two things. One, a device—a skimmer. Two, close proximity to the target. That's where your theory falls short. I have no idea where the key to the hatch is. I've never seen this key before. No way have I ever been in close proximity to it."
TRUTH BULLET: EMI'S KEY
"No, that's wrong!" I shout. "Jun, you did see the key. You were in close proximity to it. And, given how smart you are… I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I'm talking about."
"That so?"
"Yes, it is so." I look around. "Everyone—do you remember Emi's most recent gift from Monokuma? It was a safe box—with a golden key inside. Captain Mizuki pulled out the key, and showed it to all of us. And then…"
"A key?" says Jeff.
"Let me see that," says Jun.
The key gets passed down the table until it arrives in Jun's hands. He looks closely at the small, golden key, inspecting it from every angle.
"Thought so," says Jun. He looks up. "This thing's electronic," he says. "The key shape's just for show. Whatever this opens, it does so by being scanned."
"Weird," says Tsubasa.
"But… what does it open?" asks Jeff.
"I'm curious, as well," says Emi.
"We shouldn't th-throw this away," says Mizuki. "I will k-keep it in my r-room until we can f-figure out… what it's used f-for."
"That key," I continue, "is the key that opens the hatch in the trash room. If Jun was hiding an RFID skimmer under his jacket, or in a pocket, or something—then he could have stolen the key's data while he was holding it."
"W-wait a moment," Tsubasa interjects. "Jun wasn't the only one who touched that key. It got passed around the table, remember?"
"That's true," Kenji says. "But why would anyone else have an RFID skimmer on their body? It's not a normal thing for most people to carry around. Unless… unless they're a hacker. Jun probably carries around that sort of thing all the time, just in case he gets a chance to use it."
"Well?" says Shingo. "What say you, Jun?"
Jun softly chuckles.
"He's laughing at us!" Yuna shouts.
"Sorry," Jun says, restraining his grin, "but it's hard not to laugh at the irony, here. I mean. Emi's key. In Emi's safe. Which Monokuma put in Emi's room. And, somehow, this means that I'm the culprit."
"Wait… what?" I say.
"Emi gave us the key," Shingo points out. "If she wanted that power to herself, she could easily have hidden something so small. Instead, she handed it over immediately."
"Also," Kenji adds, "I… don't understand what you think Emi did. Are you saying she… just happened to have an RFID skimmer in her room when she got the present?"
"You're thinking too narrowly," says Jun. "We have no idea how or when Emi obtained that key. We only know what Emi wants us to believe."
"Oh, Jun," Emi says, shaking her head. "You poor, predictable creature. Do you truly believe that this tantrum will accomplish anything?"
Jun frowns. "Consider the bigger picture, here," he says. "First, Emi pulls this key out of nowhere. Her key opens the hatch in the trash room, which leads to the garbage pit. Then, the very next morning, that garbage pit gets burgled.
"And when Emi learned about this burglary, how did she react?"
"So… what now?" asks Tsubasa. "We just have to go on suspecting each other?"
"I see no reason to do so," Emi replies. "After all, the culprit is quite obvious. By the time I finish this sentence, everyone will already have this person in mind."
We try not to look at Jun, but our eyes settle on him eventually.
"Mind elaborating?" Jun says, shooting a mirthless grin at Emi.
"My, my—who might I be referring to?" Emi says, touching her cheek in mock bewilderment. "Perhaps it's the only known criminal among us, now that Ryu has been executed. Or perhaps it's someone who has betrayed us in the past. Perhaps it's an aloof person with a suspicious air about them. My, my… wouldn't it be odd if all of this applied to a single person?"
"She didn't miss a beat," Jun continues. "Right away, she's planting an idea in your heads. Throwing suspicion my way. Not a shred of evidence. She already had her story straight.
"It didn't end there, though. She then spent all day following me around. Watching my every move. Looking for weaknesses. All the while, she'll tell anyone who'll listen about how very, very suspicious I'm supposed to be.
"Then comes the investigation. Emi's searching my room—and an interesting flash drive turns up." Jun pauses. "Do you see a pattern, here?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Naomi scolds. "The flash drive being found in your room doesn't make Emi suspicious. It makes you suspicious!"
"That so?" Jun looks at me. "Koi. Shingo says that you and Emi found the flash drive in my sock. Tell me—which one of you actually found it?"
"Um…" I say. "Well… technically, it was Emi…"
"Thought so." Jun suppresses a grin. "Now, tell me. Did you see Emi find this flash drive? I want to know exactly what you saw."
"Well…" I say, trying to remember the exact details. "We were sitting on the floor, searching through your clothes. And then…"
"Oh, my," says Emi. "What do we have here?"
I look. Emi's hand is deep inside one of Jun's socks. Slowly, she pulls out her hand—and shows me the object it's grasping. It's… some kind of… thumb drive?
"After that, I—"
"Hold on," Jun interrupts. "So, you never saw Emi put her hand in my sock. You only saw her pull her hand out of my sock."
"I… well… I guess that's true."
"In other words, you saw her pull a rabbit out of a hat. And you concluded that the rabbit must've been there all along."
"I… what?"
"Um, bullshit," says Rin.
"Oh, how delightful," says Emi. "It seems that I'm a magician now."
"What nonsense is this, Jun?" Naomi says, glaring.
"Hold on, Naomi," says Shingo. "Let's entertain this theory for a moment. You're saying, Jun, that Emi committed this crime, and intentionally framed you for it?"
"All I'm saying," Jun replies, "is that the shoe fits."
"It's an interesting theory, I must admit. And the way you laid it out makes it sound fairly logical. In fact—come to think of it, there's another piece of evidence that points to Emi, as well. You know what I'm talking about, don't you, Koi?"
A piece of evidence that points to Emi? He must be talking about…
TRUTH BULLET: SECRET STORAGE
"Are you talking about that secret storage space in the Entrance Hall?" I ask.
"Exactly," Shingo says, smiling.
"Um," says Jeff, "is this one of things that everyone knows about except me?"
"Nah," says Tsubasa. "I've never heard of this, either."
"Shingo showed it to me during the investigation," I explain. "It was a trap he laid for the thief… it has to do with those compasses that Akiko got from Monokuma."
"Intriguing," Takeru says. "If I recall correctly, Akiko's first gifted compass was typical, yet her second gifted compass appeared to point in the wrong direction."
"No—that's what we thought. Actually, the second compass pointed to a specific spot in the Entrance Hall. And, at that spot, the first compass can be used to uncover a secret closet-like storage area."
"Indeed," says Shingo. "Thankfully, I discovered this trick the very day Akiko received her second compass. Both compasses were then thrown away, and ended up in the garbage pit. Anyone smart enough to break into the garbage pit, I figured, would also be smart enough to figure out the compass trick. They might then use the secret storage area—and leave some clue as to their identity. Then the thieving incident occurred—and the compasses were, indeed, stolen. Unfortunately, the storage area remained empty for several days. I thought my trap had failed. Until, that is, this morning—when several items turned up. Koi, do you remember the items we found in the storage area?"
"Yeah. There were a bunch of things that had been stolen from the garbage pit. Like Akiko's compasses—the ones we just mentioned. And Hiroto's cube puzzle—his gift from Monokuma. Plus there was… my second gift from Monokuma."
"The vib—" Rin starts.
"Yes, that," I swiftly interrupt. "Anyway—there was one other thing, too. There was… an origami angel. It was definitely something Emi had made. Shingo says that it disappeared from the Ultimate Origamist's Office."
"Oh, really?" Jun says, his muscles relaxing, a victorious grin spreading across his face. "Well. Isn't that interesting."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Yuna shouts. "How does that prove anything? The Ultimate Offices are open to everyone! Anyone could've taken that origami thing!"
"Also," says Kenji, "I… don't understand why Emi would put origami in the storage space. What would it accomplish? It would just… leave an unnecessary clue about her identity."
Jun replies: "You're thinking of Emi as a rational machine. I posit that she's human, flawed as any one of us. Do you remember her first gift—the empty safe? Remember what she said when we all saw it?"
"Lately," says Emi, "I've taken to collecting safes, and locking my art away in them. I've developed some… irrational fears. My family is on the verge of losing… everything, in truth. Nothing I own is secure. When I leave my delicate origami works exposed, I'm plagued with anxiety. I do what I can to stave those feelings off. Though, it's merely psychological."
"It's not logic," Jun concludes. "It's a mental illness. Emi needs to store her art in the safest place possible. A safe, secret place. See what I'm getting at?"
"I do," Shingo confirms. "Here's your case against Emi, as I understand it. It was Emi who originally owned the electronic key. Emi, who constantly tried to cast suspicion upon you. Emi, who then found the flash drive in your room. Emi, whose artwork appeared in the secret storage space. And Emi, whose anxiety might compel her to hide her artwork in such a place." He looks at Emi. "I must admit, it's a convincing story. What do you think, Emi?"
"Oh, dear," Emi says, "it appears I've been caught. How very careless of me."
Her smile doesn't match her words. And Shingo's smiling back at her. They both look like they're sharing some inside joke.
"Hmm," Jun mutters, his gaze shifting between them. "What're you two smiling about?"
"Jun, you fool," Naomi scolds. "For all your wits, you've fallen right into our trap."
"The fuck?"
Shingo adjusts his glasses. "Yes, Jun," he says, "your theory is a compelling one. There's one minor flaw, however. One tiny little hole that tears the whole thing apart." His face grows intense. Then he points at Jun, and declares: "Out of everyone here, Emi is the one person who cannot possibly be the culprit!"
A wave of confused muttering follows. Jun just stares.
Shingo grips the podium tightly with one hand—and reaches into his pocket with another. "Now," he says grinning, "finally, it's time for me to reveal my second gift from Monokuma." He pulls something out of his pocket—and opens his palm. "Behold!"
It's small; I can barely see it from this distance.
"Wow!" says Jeff. "So that's what it is! Amazing! Well… I don't actually know what that is. But it's probably something amazing!"
"Huh," says Tsubasa. "It looks like that… probably… plugs into something?"
"It does," Shingo confirms. "In fact, the plug is compatible with our e-Handbooks."
Now that I look closer… it kind of does look like the thumb drive we found in Jun's room. But a lot shorter, though. Like, just a fraction of the length. A "nail drive," maybe?
"However," Shingo continues, "there's something else it plugs into, as well. Something far more important."
"The cameras," Naomi explains. "Those security cameras that are scattered throughout the school."
Shingo elaborates: "If you look closely at any of the security cameras, you'll notice a small outlet in the back. This device can be plugged into that outlet. It's designed to blend in almost perfectly—you're unlikely to notice anything different about the camera, unless you're looking for it." He holds up the small object. "This device has two purposes: to transmit data, and to record data. When plugged into a camera, it transmits a livestream of that camera's footage to certain, selected e-Handbooks. The device also records that footage to its own internal hard drive. We call it a transmitter-and-recorder, or TAR for short.
"Hopefully, you all see where I'm going with this. We have indisputable video evidence that Emi was in her room at the time of the murder. Her room—where the TAR was installed within the security camera!"
More muttering.
"Whoa," says Tsubasa. "You… spied on Emi?"
"Do not misunderstand," says Emi. "This footage was recorded with my full consent."
"In fact," Shingo adds, "it was Emi who pushed hardest for us to do it."
Mutters abound.
"Um, okay," Rin says. "But, like. Why, though?"
"It seems that I've confused everyone," says Shingo. "Very well, then. I'll explain everything from the beginning, and clarify any remaining doubts. Hopefully, that will force Jun to admit to his crimes—and bring this sham of a trial to its end."
Shingo takes a deep breath. His face becomes intense. Then he loudly declares:
"Here's everything that happened in this case!"
CLOSING ARGUMENT…?
"It all started three days ago—on 'Giftmas.' My own gift was the TAR. I quickly figured out its functions—and decided not to reveal it at the mass opening that morning.
"During that mass opening, the Captain revealed Emi's gift—a certain key. Jun took hold of it, and noted that it was electronic. I immediately realized what that key unlocked. Unfortunately, given Jun's intelligence, I figured that he must've realized it, as well.
"You see, we'd had our eyes on Jun for some time—the Captain, the First Mates, and I. He's long struck us as the biggest threat to our survival, barring Monokuma. This fear was only exacerbated when, on the same day as 'Giftmas,' a certain book about lockpicking disappeared from Jun's office.
"That also happened to be trash day. Many of Monokuma's gifts were thrown away. When we used the key to open the hatch in the trash room, we found—as we expected—that all of our trash had ended up in the underground garbage pit. Given our fears about Jun, the Captain suggested that we immediately move all dangerous items to her room. I… foolishly… argued against this. I didn't want Jun to know that we were on to him. I believed that we could catch him red-handed. The Captain, you see, was strongly against treating Jun unequally based on our mere suspicion. However, if we had solid proof that he was up to no good… then, I hoped, we might be allowed to keep him on a tight leash. Ultimately, the Captain agreed to my plan… though, in retrospect, I only led her astray.
"I've already told you about the trick with the compasses. That was a mere backup plan, however. More importantly, we installed the TAR in the trash room's camera. It'd be impossible to sneak into the garbage pit without that camera picking up footage of the incident.
"But we underestimated this culprit. The next morning, we found that the garbage pit had been robbed. When I plugged the TAR into my handbook to check the footage, I found no sign of anything unusual. Upon closer inspection, the data had been tampered—all the footage was overridden with a one-hour loop of the empty trash room. It was a high-tech crime… once again, all signs were pointing to Jun. But we had no proof.
"After that, Jun and Emi became increasingly hostile toward each other. You all saw a bit of that yesterday morning, when Jun demanded that we keep Emi out of his office. Later that morning, Emi asked to speak with the four of us privately. She was worried that Jun was going to frame her. She asked if we could keep track of her whereabouts, in order to provide her with an alibi. She didn't know about the TAR—but, given the circumstances, we decided to let her in on that little secret.
"We concocted a plan. During the day, Emi would always stay within eyesight of at least one person—be it myself, a First Mate, or the Captain. One of us would walk her to her room at night, and knock on her door in the morning; she wouldn't enter or leave her room alone. Meanwhile, we installed the TAR in the camera in Emi's room. We ensured that a clock was within the camera's line of sight. Furthermore, whenever Emi was in her room, she'd ensure that her e-Handbook was visible to the camera—and was, thus, always accounted for. We took every precaution we could think of.
"It didn't even last twenty-four hours. The very next morning, Akiko's body was found in the pool. At the same time, two bloodstained ninja stars—stolen from the garbage pit—turned up in the Ultimate Attorney's Office. And more stolen items appeared in that secret space in the Entrance Hall, alongside Emi's origami artwork. However… Emi could not possibly have placed it there! Her whereabouts over the last twenty-four hours have been fully accounted for! She did not kill Akiko, she did not hide the ninja stars, and she did not step foot in the Entrance Hall!
"Who, then, tried to frame Emi? Perhaps it's someone who holds a known grudge against her. Someone who's been trying to blame her this entire time. Someone who, within his room, was hiding a flash drive containing data from the hatch that leads to the garbage pit. When Emi found that flash drive, you tried to blame her—but her name has been cleared, and yours only grows dirtier by the moment.
"Yes—I'm talking about you!
"It's time to admit what you've done, Jun Mujun!"
There's a silence.
"Wow," says Monokuma. "That really sucked! First of all, the Closing Argument is supposed to be from the culprit's perspective, not your own perspective. And you're supposed to leave their identity ambiguous until the very end! You just went ahead and accused Jun right away, and then were all, 'Jun this,' and 'Jun that,' and so on! Not to mention, you're only supposed to summarize everything that's already been discussed. You aren't supposed to reveal new information! Worst. Closing Argument. Ever!"
"Admittedly," says Shingo, "I'm not as familiar with Danganronpa tropes as Koi is. I suppose if we ever do this again, I ought to leave the Closing Argument to her. Still, though—I think I said everything that needed to be said."
"Jeez," Tsubasa says. "You… really think Jun found the TAR in the trash room camera?"
"I'm sure he did. To be honest, we should have expected it. Jun is a world-class master of dodging security. Of course he'd check the camera. Of course he'd manipulate the TAR's data. Frankly, the fact that anyone did this is, itself, a clue pointing in Jun's direction."
"But, uh… the TAR… it was transmitting that footage to your e-Handbook, right?"
"Not just mine—we'd set it to transmit to the Captain and First Mates' handbooks, as well. Unfortunately, our handbooks can't record the footage. Only the TAR itself can do that. The crime happened late at night, so none of us were watching the livestream when Jun entered the trash room… we were all sound asleep."
"Dang. Bummer."
"What a story, though!" Jeff says, looking at Emi with amazement. "Emi, you… you really let them record you… in your own room?"
"Constantly," Shingo confirms. "Though, there was one catch. I wasn't allowed to receive the footage—it was only transmitted to the three girls' e-Handbooks."
"I apologize for any inconvenience that caused," Emi says. "It was only natural, however. After all, I remained in the camera's view as often as I could. Even when changing my clothes, I refused to step out of view."
Noises of surprise fill the courtroom.
"Jeez," Tsubasa mutters.
"Emi…" Yuna begins.
"Furthermore," Emi says, "I was prepared to continue this state of affairs for weeks, if necessary. Do you see now, Jun, how far I am willing to go?" Emi's smile now clashes with the rest of her face. Like her lips are remaining curled through sheer inertia. "This is the true difference between us, Jun. I am trusted. I prove as much through all means available to me. You, however, are a compulsive backstabber. You are the scorpion who stings the very frog you are riding, dooming you both to a watery death."
Jun's face is hard to read. His eyes are squinting slightly. He looks like he's trying to decide between several different options.
"I want to point out," Jun says, "that just about everything Shingo said was speculation. We have no idea who altered the TAR's data. No idea who stole that shit. No idea who tried to frame Emi. You suspect me, but that's just a feeling. That's not proof. The only piece of real evidence you have is the flash drive. Two problems, there. One: even if the flash drive's mine, it doesn't prove I did anything. Two: the goddamn flash drive isn't mine. Emi planted that shit."
"Um, hello?" says Rin. "We just, like. Proved that Emi didn't do it."
"Seriously!" Yuna shouts.
"Jun," I say, "I don't get why you're still trying to blame Emi. It seems pretty clear that she's not the culprit."
"She's not the culprit," Jun admits. "But that doesn't mean she's not a bitch."
"Hey," Tsubasa says nervously, "uh, Jun? I, uh, really don't want you to be guilty—like, we've had a lot of fun together, right? But, uh, you're gonna have to come up with a better argument. 'Cuz no one's buying this one."
"I—I've thought of something," says Kenji. "Um. It's just an idea, but… Shingo. The morning after the theft… you, the Captain, and the First Mates did those… those thorough searches of all our rooms. Is it possible that… um…"
"Hey, yeah!" says Tsubasa. "Could someone have planted the flash drive then?"
"Not possible," Shingo states plainly. "We did those room searches in pairs—the Captain often makes us work in pairs, so that we can keep an eye on each other. When it came to clothes, only the First Mates looked through the girls' drawers. Only I looked through the boys' drawers—while the Captain watched. In other words, I'm the only one who touched Jun's socks… and if I did anything suspicious, the Captain would see it, and could provide testimony against me."
Well… Mizuki isn't exactly in a talking mood right now. But her silence wasn't guaranteed, so Shingo's point stands.
"Unfortunately, I didn't find the flash drive back then… however, I was rapidly searching for larger objects, so I likely missed it. Or perhaps Jun was hiding it somewhere else at that time." He looks at Jun. "I suppose this is the part where you claim that, actually, such-and-such was also in your room recently."
"No," Jun replies. "Let me be clear. I'm not saying someone else planted the flash drive. I'm saying, specifically, that Emi did that shit."
"Really, now?" Naomi scolds. "Is that the best you can do?"
"He's totally floundering!" says Yuna.
"Yeah," Tsubasa says, downcast, "I gotta admit… this is getting hard to watch."
"Jun," I say, "you're not making sense. If Emi's not the culprit, then… why would she plant the flash drive in your room?"
"Because she hates the sight of me," Jun answers. "Because I'm everything she despises about herself. Everything she can never admit to being. Emi cowers behind her shallow parody of sheep's clothing. She works hour after hour, day after day, to hide her claws and fangs. Me? I roam free. And that's one thing Emi just can't abide."
"What inane absurdities," Emi says. Her smile barely exists now—it's like the leftovers of a smile long past its due date.
"He sounds like a flipping psycho!" Yuna shouts. "Is anyone even listening to this guy? He killed Akiko, for sure!"
"It's, like, so fucking obvious," says Rin.
"Crap," Tsubasa mutters. "I didn't want it to be Jun, but… yeah, it's gotta be. I mean, the killer had to be strong enough to swing the dumbbell. Jeff and Rin have alibis, and so does Emi… so… the only one left…"
"It's Jun!" Yuna finishes. "That settles it! It totally was him!"
"Um," I say, "except… like I said… I have a weird feeling about the dumbbell."
"It doesn't matter, Koi," says Shingo. "Even if we ignore the dumbbell, there's plenty of other evidence pointing to Jun as the culprit."
"What a load," Jun grumbles. "You've got nothing. Just one flash drive, and a bunch of guesswork. Zero proof."
"I'll admit, we don't have any definitive proof. Unfortunately, I think you're simply too smart to leave anything like that behind. You are an expert criminal, after all. We'll likely never find anything better than what we have. Even so—looking objectively at the evidence, I see very little chance that anyone else could have killed Akiko."
"Jun, you monster," Naomi growls. "You will pay for what you've done."
"You big meanie!" shouts Yuna. "Akiko was the nicest person ever, and you… you…"
"Fucking murdered her," Rin spits.
"Jun…" Jeff mutters sadly. "I… I can't believe that he'd…" He hesitates. "Well… I guess… it's not that hard to believe, though."
"Jun is a man who lurks in shadows," says Takeru. "A human who exists at the edge of humanity. That he would kill another is no surprise."
"Yeah," Tsubasa mutters. "I guess I should've seen this coming."
"Also," says Kenji, "his gifts… the vending machine potato chips…"
"Yeah," I admit, "I... found those pretty suspicious, too."
"That's likely how Jun got the flash drive," says Shingo. "And perhaps other tools of the crime, as well—by switching them with the potato chips."
"The evidence keeps piling up!" shouts Yuna. "What are we even waiting for? Let's just vote for him, already!"
"I agree," Naomi hisses. "Jun has nothing left to say for himself."
"Do you see now, Jun?" Emi says. "Do you see the distrust you've so carelessly sowed? Even Jeff, the most trusting person in this room. Even Tsubasa, who is nearly your friend. Your words fail to reach their ears. This is what your so-called 'freedom' has wrought. Like a toddler, you throw food, and eat paint, and believe this means you are free. In truth, it is but a failure to mature past your larval stage. You are not free, Jun. You are a pathological arsonist of bridges. And now you have no bridges left to burn."
Jun's expression is enigmatic. He's giving Emi a strange look. "Emi, what the fuck are you doing?" he says. "I'm not the culprit, and I think you know it."
"No more talking!" says Yuna. "It's voting time!"
"Seriously," says Rin. "Let's, like. Hurry up and vote, already."
"Hm?" says Monokuma. "Did somebody say 'vote'?"
"Hold on," says Shingo. "Let's see if we can't make Jun confess, first."
"Do not blame me, Jun," says Emi. Her smile has ceased to exist entirely. "You have brought this situation upon yourself. This is what happens when you alienate everyone in your vicinity. Any argument you make, no matter how seemingly logical, will now be heard by deaf ears. You are distrusted. You are disliked. And you will be voted as the blackened. This is the situation as it now stands. I wonder: is there anything you can do to alter it?"
Jun stares at her. "So, that's what it is. A game of chicken, huh?"
"The time for inanities has ended, Jun. Either admit to what you've done, or struggle uselessly until your classmates vote for you. Those are your sole remaining options."
Jun stares at Emi. He looks around, and sees suspicious eyes glaring back at him from all directions.
He closes his eyes.
"Heh. Heheheh. Heheheheheh."
Jun's deep, gruff laugh grows deeper and gruffer.
"Heheheheheheheh. Hahahahahah. HahahahahahahahhAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
He throws his head back.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHAAHAHA!"
Then he throws his head forward, eyes fully open—and I almost scream.
It's impossible to describe the look on Jun's face. The look in his eye. In his soul.
Insanity? No, that's the wrong word. It's a sane chaos. A calm mania. His eyes radiate cold heat and dark light, black whiteness and hateful love, eternal moments and boundless limits—the contradictions bouncing off of each other, spiraling outward, consuming everything and everyone, dragging us into his inconceivable and incoherent reality.
Shadows dance across his face. Across his dark yet radiant eyes. Across his confident, carnivorous grin. Long, messy locks of blue-and-black hair cling to his scalp and neck, drooping down here and there, acting of their own accord. A primal mane. Jun leans forward, clinging to the podium, face tilted, eyes up, looking as if he's about to leap forth. Everything about this sight lends itself to one united theme—an image I cannot expel from my brain.
A wolf.
A lone wolf who refuses to join a pack.
A wild, untamed beast wearing human skin.
"You know," the wolf says, "the funny thing is, I was barely even trying to hide it. I wanted to see how I'd get caught. And you still found nothing. No proof at all. Just some bullshit Emi pulled out of her sleeve. Emi, you underhanded bitch. I underestimated you."
His brown eyes swirl like dark galaxies. Like echoes of the Big Bang—of a primitive, formless energy, following no rules, adhering to no order, bursting forth from an era of infinite chaos. The very image of wildness itself. Of a being that cannot be tamed.
My heart is pounding. I think back to my first meeting with Jun. Back when I was just a giggly schoolgirl, and he was just a tall, cool, mysterious stranger wearing a leather jacket and smugly confident grin. My heart was pounding back then, too. I thought it was attraction.
Now I realize: my body knew. My body's always known.
Jun Mujun isn't just the most dangerous man in this room. He is, probably, the most dangerous man in every room he's ever stepped foot in.
"EEK! Scary!" Yuna squeals, covering her eyes. "Get him away from me!"
"What… what is this?" Tsubasa darkly mutters, pale-faced. "What the hell am I even looking at?"
"This," Emi says, "is the creature which calls itself Jun Mujun. A lowly insect which has acquired intelligence through some cosmic mistake, yet continues to lack the wisdom of higher beings. Without discipline, it is doomed to use its intelligence in foolish, self-defeating ways." She's actually frowning—a rare sight.
"Emi, you conniving slut," the creature says. "You spew a lot of shit, but I've got to hand it to you. Clashing wits with you at this trial is the most fun I've had in a long time."
"Why, Jun?" Naomi demands. "Tell us—why did you do it?"
"Why? I told you before: when I see a lever, I pull it. Just to see what happens. Ask me why I do anything, and the answer will always be the same. To see if it can be done. To test the limits of reality. To tinker and prod, until impossibilities become possible." His wolfish grin expands. "For me, that's the thrill of the hunt. It's what makes me feel alive."
"He's so gross!" Yuna squeals. "Execute him! Execute him!"
"Jun," I say, shivering slightly, feeling a lone tear tickle my eye. "Did you really… murder Akiko for such a… stupid… pointless reason?"
Jun laughs.
"You kidding?" he says. "You think I'd be this careless if I was the blackened? If I wanted to go down that route, I'd have done it days ago. And I'd have gotten away with it. You're barking up the wrong tree."
Multiple shouts and jeers echo along the walls.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" says Rin.
"I'm so confused!" says Jeff.
"I predicted this line of argument," says Shingo. "Jun is going to claim that he's the thief, but not the culprit."
"What?" says Kenji. "But… that doesn't make any sense. The stolen ninja stars… they… they must be involved in the crime."
"Probably," Jun says, shrugging. "Thing is, I didn't steal those ninja stars."
More shouts and jeers.
"Jun," I say, "I… don't understand. What exactly are you confessing to?"
"Well," says Jun, "Shingo got a lot right. I skimmed Emi's key. I found the TAR on the trash room camera, and manipulated its data. I broke into the garbage pit. Stole a bunch of shit. Tried to frame Emi for it. Put everything in that secret closet in the Entrance Hall. All the shit I stole ended up there. Akiko's compasses. Hiroto's puzzle cube. And Koi's vibrator."
Gasps, grunts, and squeals abound.
"The one Monokuma gave me as a prank," I say, correcting Jun on autopilot. "But… why would you steal that?"
"Um, duh," says Rin. "I think it's, like. Pretty fucking obvious."
"How disgusting," Naomi hisses.
"Pervert!" Yuna shrieks. "Execute him! Execute him!"
"Will you idiots pipe down?" Jun says, scowling. "Modern vibrators are often built with Bluetooth compatibility. This is well known in the hacker community, for reasons you would find deplorable, and that I simply find uninteresting. Point is, I've been looking for a Bluetooth-compatible device for a while now. Figured this might be my first lead."
"Yeah fucking right," says Rin.
"A likely story," Naomi scoffs.
"Um," I say hesitantly, "well… it does make sense, though. I remember on the first day of the killing game, when I talked to Jun in his office…"
Jun taps his head. "Hacking is as much psychology as technology," he says. "It's a game of wits between you and the security software engineer."
"That sounds really useful for the situation we're in right now."
"I'm hoping," says Jun. "Unfortunately, Monokuma isn't keen on making this easy. Far as I can tell, the network in this room doesn't connect to anything interesting. If I could find some Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals, it'd be a different story—but that's also looking like a no-go."
"Jun has been looking for Bluetooth signals. So… his story… isn't implausible."
"As for the puzzle cube," Jun says, "there's a little ball inside. Solve the puzzle, and the ball comes out. Figured there might be something interesting there." He shrugs. "I was looking for anything useful. Something to help me bust out of this godforsaken school. All dead ends. Nothing in the ball. No Bluetooth in the vibrator. And the compasses just led to a damn closet."
"B-but…" Jeff starts. "If you were just looking for a way to escape, then… couldn't you have just told the Captain and Quartermaster? I think they would've supported you!"
"Jeff is right," says Kenji. "I thought there might be a hint in my gifts—in those books—and Mizuki's been allowing me to borrow them, as a result."
"Not my style," Jun says. "Seems like you don't grok my personality. So, I'll condense it into three words. I hate rules. Doesn't matter who's cooking them up. The Captain's rules. Monokuma's rules. The government's rules. Society's rules. School, parents, religion. I hate all their rules equally. When I'm told what I can and cannot do, I immediately start looking for loopholes. For exceptions, and contradictions. I even hate the laws of physics. If I could be reborn as anything, in any time period, I'd choose to be a bundle of matter in the early universe. Back before the rules of nature had settled in, when proto-particles were trying all sorts of bizarre things. Testing limits; pushing boundaries. A chaotic, anarchic world. That's my ideal." His wolfish grin returns. "Tell the Captain? Heh. What fun would that be?" He laughs. "Like I said. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Getting past Shingo's security. Framing Emi. Clashing wits. Seeing what happens. Seeing how I get caught. I learned plenty. Gathered lots of useful data. And I had a blast doing it. I don't regret anything. Not one bit."
"H-hey, man," Tsubasa says nervously, "when you go on weird rants like that, uh… it's not gonna look any less like you're the killer."
"Also," says Kenji, "if… if you didn't steal the ninja stars, then… how did they end up in the Ultimate Attorney's Office?"
"Beats me," Jun says, shrugging. "You'll have to ask whoever stole them."
Several people grumble.
"Another predictable argument," says Shingo. "Now you're going to claim that there were actually two thieves."
"Sure seems like it," Jun says. He grins at me. "But you've already figured that out, haven't you, Little Miss Protagonist?"
"M-me?" I stutter, taken aback. "Well, um… I… I did find one thing a little strange. Shingo… you said that Jun made two trips to the garbage pit. Can we look at that part of the text file again?"
"Certainly," says Shingo.
[D9]
12:40 AM: TRASH ROOM
1:26 AM: SHAFT
1:55 AM: TRASH ROOM
2:24 AM: SHAFT
"I just… don't get why Jun would make two trips," I say. "And… I don't get why he would wait thirty minutes to make his second trip."
"I didn't," Jun says. "I climbed out at 1:26, returned to my room, and never looked back. Some other asshole must've broken in at 1:55. Sure as hell wasn't me."
"Yet another argument that I predicted in advance," says Shingo. "The fact is, Jun, there are many plausible reasons why you might've returned to the garbage pit. Furthermore, that trip might itself be fake—it could be text you added in manually, as a last-resort argument, just in case we got this far."
Jun shakes his head. "I'm telling you. You're barking up the wrong tree."
"So," says Jeff, "um… we still think Jun is the main suspect, right?"
"Um, duh," says Rin.
There are various murmurs of agreement.
Jun grins at Emi. "What do you think, Emi? Did I kill Akiko?"
"Of this, I am uncertain," Emi replies. "However, I must admit, I find it unlikely."
There's a stunned silence. Jun laughs.
"…What?" Shingo says, wide-eyed. "Emi, what are you saying?"
Jun's laughter crescendos, then simmers down. "You dumbasses," he says. "Emi played you all like a fiddle. This killer is nowhere near my level, and Emi knows it. Hehehe. HehehehaHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Please, Shingo," Emi says, "pay no heed to this unhinged rant. I deceived no one. Jun may very well be the culprit. However, I never expressed certainty that this is the case. I merely told Jun to confess to his crimes. Our original goal, as you'll recall, was to prove that Jun was the thief. This became all the more pertinent after Akiko's death. Regardless of whether or not Jun is the killer, proving that he committed theft is an important step toward uncovering the full truth."
"No," says Jun. "That's bullshit. We could've found the real killer before I admitted anything. Everyone would've assumed that the killer stole all the shit I stole. I'd get off scot-free. Emi couldn't let that happen. The bitch has it out for me. That's why she planted the flash drive in my sock."
"What?" I say, startled.
"Are we in some kinda time loop?" Tsubasa says, scratching his head.
"Really, Jun?" Naomi says, grimacing. "You're still making this claim?"
"Emi planted that shit," says Jun. "And it was fucking ingenious. With one piece of fake evidence, she turned all of you against me. Made it so you were about to vote for me as the blackened. Emi and I'd both die if you did. So, she played chicken with me." He laughs. "I could've strung it out. But I gave in. I had an uphill battle ahead, if I didn't. More than that, though. I wanted to make one thing clear. Emi planted that shit. I wanted to reiterate it, once I'd laid everything out in the open."
"Emi," says Shingo, "is any of this true?"
"Absolutely not," Emi says, frowning. "These are but the ravings of a known liar."
"But… why would Jun still be lying about this?" I ask, confused. "He's already admitted to theft. He doesn't have any more reason to lie about the flash drive."
"Jun Mujun is not a rational being," Emi replies. "He is an impulsive bundle of spite. He despises me, for I helped reveal the truth of his crimes. He therefore seeks to dirty my name in retaliation. It is but the desperate, feeble act of a lowly parasite."
"Emi, Emi, Emi," Jun says, grinning. "I almost admire your tenacity. I may be an asshole, but you? You're the biggest bitch in the universe."
"So," says Kenji, "did… did the flash drive belong to Jun, or Emi? Is there even any way to find out?"
"It was obviously Jun!" Yuna shouts. "Because he's the culprit! He's lying about the flash drive, just like he's lying about not killing Akiko!"
"I… I agree with Yuna," Jeff says, wearing a troubled face. "After everything we just saw… I… I can't trust anything Jun says, anymore."
"I, like. Totally still think he's the killer," says Rin.
"Yeah," says Tsubasa. "I mean, like I said… we've ruled out Emi, Rin, and Jeff, but… someone had to be strong enough to swing that dumbbell."
"I agree," says Naomi. "Also, it simply makes logical sense that Akiko was killed by someone stronger than her."
Stronger than her?
Stronger than Akiko?
Stronger… than Akiko…
Wait a moment.
"That's it!" I blurt out.
Many faces turn my way.
"Listen, everyone," I say. "Jun isn't the culprit!"
I hear a lot of noise—but I try to ignore it, and press on.
"This whole time, we've been assuming that the killer was probably stronger than Akiko. But I think I can prove that the killer was weaker than Akiko!"