Chapter 3: Trial of Sayaka Maizono
After Sayaka Maizono was found dead, the students and the heroes take an elevator down to a large courtroom under the school. In front of Monokuma's stand are 32 stands for each of them.
"Wow. Pretty swank for a courtroom." Makoto commented.
"Goodie gumdrop! Took your time, I see." Everyone heard Monokuma and they see him on his seat. "Be honest, now: you were expecting something considerably less tasteful."
"Screwed up either way, if you ask me." Mondo said.
"Before we get started..." Shadow said, gaining the others' attention. "I have a question relevant to our task. Why those portraits?" There were two black and white portraits of Sayaka and Junko placed where they should stand. The portraits have a red X over their faces, confirming their status as deceased.
"Why not? Just because they're dead, I'd hate for them to miss the proceedings." Monokuma said.
"And the extra podium belongs to whom? Counting our departed classmates and esteemed guests, we number thirty-one. Why thirty-two places?" Celestia asked.
"You're reading too much into it, darling. The extra podium just means this courtroom is tricked out for a maximum of thirty-two jurors." Monokuma said as his red eye glowed. "Speaking of which: that's all the time we've got for pleasantries. Ladies and germs, time to get judicial!" Everyone took their places. From the empty stand, the places are as follows starting from the left: Hagakure, Rainbow Dash, Chihiro, Chloe, Togami, Shadow, Celestia, Knuckles, Leon, Alya, Toko, Max, Hifumi, Tails, Makoto, Luka, Sayaka, Adrien, Marinette, Ishimaru, Applejack, Junko, Nino, Sakura, Twilight, Sonic, Kyoko, Kagami, Mondo, Sunset, and Asahina.
"This is jacked up..." Makoto said. "Nobody here really thinks one of us killed her?"
Togami simply smirked. "They'd be correct, my boy! No room for doubt, I'm afraid." Monokuma confirmed.
"Right. Everybody, close your eyes! If you're the murderer, raise your hand!" Ishimaru said.
"Yeah, that'll float like an old lady's fart." Mondo said.
Monokuma laughs. "Enough chit-chat... Commence debating for your lives!"
"Makoto, we need to stay focused..." Tails whispered to Makoto. "One wrong move, and we're all done for."
Class Trial
In Session!
"So, uh... How does debating work?" Asahina asked.
"Knowing where to start's half the battle." Hifumi said.
"Well, I suggest we begin by considering the murder weapon itself, see where that takes us." Kyoko said.
"We can be sure it was the weapon because of where it was found..." Ishimaru said. "Sticking out of the victim's midsection is not generally where a knife is kept!"
"Congratulations. You're good." Mondo said.
"Go easy on him; it's important." Tails said.
"What?" Mondo asked.
"Just stop and think about it for a sec. The knife had to come from the kitchen." Makoto said.
"So does... that mean anyone who was in the kitchen last night is a suspect?" Asahina asked.
"He's just trying to get us to split hairs. He's the killer, remember?" Leon asked.
"Wait, you know what? I think I can prove Naegi isn't the one who took it!" Asahina said, prompting a surprised gasp from the Ultimate Lucky Student. "I would know, because Sakura, Kagami, and me spent most of the day yesterday hanging out in the cafeteria.
"I'm sorry... Sakura is who, exactly? No offense." Chloe said.
"None taken." The muscular woman spoke, making the room silent for a time.
"Something tells me I won't be able to get used to that..." Luka whispered.
"We were there until late... Enjoying a lovely evening tea, as it happens." Sakura continued.
"I was on edge... Sakura and Kagami were sweet enough to keep me company and try and calm my nerves." Asahina said.
Toko huffed. "Well...! What if the three of you did it? If you teamed up... you'd just have to keep your stories straight."
"I don't think that's possible." Marinette spoke up. "I reviewed the rules and one of them states that if two or more people teamed up to commit a murder, the only one eligible to graduate is the one who made the kill."
"She's correct. It's clearly stated in the rules." Togami agreed.
"I see... In other words, no one stands to gain anything from opting to team up." Celestia said.
"Yeah, fine... Then stop beating around the bush and tell us who took the knife already! Swim hussy!" Toko yelled.
"You take that back!" Asahina fired back.
"As Asahina said earlier, we were there for some time... We know who took the knife because we witnessed its removal." Kagami said.
"And the reason for not telling us this sooner?" Togami said.
"I guess... because it's... rude to speak ill of the dead." Asahina said.
"Hold on... Ill of the dead? You mean..." Adrien spoke.
"Yeah. It was Maizono... I don't know why, but I'm sure it was her." Asahina said.
"But that doesn't make any sense... Why would she take the knife?" Makoto asked.
"I could think of two reasons: either she wanted to defend herself from whoever planned to attack her..." Sonic mused.
"Or she was concocting a murder plan of her own." Shadow said.
"Either way, it isn't enough to clear Naegi's name." Togami said.
"Aha! See?! There's murder written all over his face!" Toko yelled.
"Damn it, I told you it wasn't me!" Makoto said.
"En Garde, everyone! He's attempting to steer the debate in his favor!" Hifumi accused. "What a skilled manipulator you are!"
"I'd be careful if I were you." Shadow spoke up. "I think it's too early to point the finger at Naegi."
"Yes, there's evidence we're not considering." Kyoko said.
"Huh? You believe me?" Makoto asked.
"What evidence?" Sakura asked.
"Try to remember how the crime scene looked when we found the body." Shadow said as they remembered how Makoto's room looked when Sayaka was murdered. "Did the culprit have easy access to the shower? I think not."
"Hey, he's right. The doorknob to my shower was thrashed. I saw it." Makoto said.
"In point of fact, it did look like it'd seen better days." Hifumi said.
"So?! What is that supposed to prove except he broke it to get at his prey?!" Toko asked. "Animal!"
"It's that small detail that convinces me and Shadow that Naegi couldn't have been the murderer." Kyoko said.
"What are you, nuts? He needed in: Boom... He broke it; end of story..." Mondo said. "Not like he had much of a choice, seeing as she locked the door on him."
"I can prove you wrong!" Marinette countered. "Didn't you hear Monokuma's announcement last night? The boys' showers don't have locks installed, those are all on the girls' showers."
"Yeah, Marinette is right. If you still doubt that, ask Monokuma. He said so himself." Makoto said. "Go on, sir, tell them."
"Huh? Yeah, sure. Whatever." Monokuma said lazily.
"But what made the killer go through the trouble of breaking the doorknob just to get at Maizono?" Chihiro asked.
"That's because my door's wonky. There was a trick to opening it." Makoto said. Chihiro gasped.
"A trick the killer didn't know... figured the door was locked... For all intents and purposes, to them, it was a girl's room..." Sunset said.
"Yeah. They'd have thought the only option was to bust the doorknob." Makoto said.
"If Naegi were indeed the murderer, he'd have been aware that the door doesn't lock and, knowing the trick to opening it, simply walked in." Kyoko said.
"Makes sense... I suppose. Ugh." Toko groaned upon hearing her theory being shot down.
"But that brings up an important question: What gave them the idea that the door was locked? Were they unaware that the two had switched rooms? And even if they didn't, why be there?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"That's the point, Ms. Dash. From the evidence, I think we can safely assume the killer believed he or she was actually in Maizono's room." Kyoko said.
"So, what you're saying is... the culprit was in the dark about the room swap?" Chihiro asked.
"Please... We were all in the dark about it!" Toko shouted.
"Hey, arguing about it won't narrow down our list of suspects!" Knuckles said.
"So? Then we put it to a majority vote..." Ishimaru suggested.
"That could work... Yeah." Leon said.
"I mean... we are in a bit of a pinch, right? Either we put someone on the chopping block or we all get the axe." Hagakure said.
"No need to throw our hands in the air, Yasuhiro... The devil is in the details... I urge you all to focus." Celestia said.
"Now that I think about it... If Maizono was freaked out like Naegi says, how'd the killer get into the room to begin with? She wouldn't have let them in." Asahina asked.
"The dorms' tumbler locks are reinforced electronically, so lock-picking is out of the question." Max said.
Hifumi chuckled. "Prepare yourself for an ingenious bit of sleuthing, friends! Contrary to the assumption we've been laboring under, I put it to you that Maizono indeed let the killer in herself!"
"Haven't we've been over this already? She was too scared to open the door. She even promised she wouldn't open the door for anyone, not even me." Makoto said. "I don't know about you, but I have a pretty hard time believe she'd answer the door after saying something like that."
"Perhaps that was the idea... Her terror could have been a ruse." Kyoko said. Everyone gasped at the thought.
"No... She wouldn't lie to me! Maizono and I were friends!" Makoto fired back.
"Yes, I will grant you, it is an unpleasant possiblity to consider... But, I'm afraid, necessary." Kyoko said as she revealed a note impression to Makoto.
"There's something I want to talk about in private. Please come to my room. Make sure to check the nameplate so you don't go to the wrong room by mistake. Sayaka Maizono."
"What's that supposed to be?" Makoto asked.
"The impression of a letter she wrote. I found it on the notepad in your room... I'm sorry." Kyoko said. "Are you trying to say it was you who wrote this?"
"No... It wasn't." Makoto responded.
"Of course not... I thought as much." Kyoko said. "As you can see, the signature is quite legible."
"I don't get it. Why would she...?" Makoto asked.
"I think she wrote this letter with the intent of luring someone to their death." Kyoko said. "This would mean that she was, as Shadow put it earlier: "concocting a murder plan of her own." Makoto gasped at the idea.
"Someone would have to be dead inside to overlook a personal invitation from a teen idol of Maizono's caliber... That is... Unless they were already perfectly satisfied with those of the 2-D variety." Hifumi said.
"But the note said to come to her room, didn't it?" Celestia asked.
"It did, but after they switched rooms, she slipped out and swapped the nameplates." Tails said.
"Right. My notebook missed this detail entirely." Kyoko said.
"Then she was luring someone into Naegi's room..." Chihiro said.
"Well, if memory serves... I believe the phrase tossed out a little earlier was "luring someone to their death." Togami said.
"Yes... Seems so... And it's the only logical conclusion left... Of course, that points the finger away from Naegi." Kyoko said.
"That would mean... the person she invited to Naegi's room turned the tables and got the drop on her." Luka said.
A lot of the people gasped in surprise. "We're actually going with this idea that she swapped rooms with Naegi to try and off someone?" Asahina asked.
"Far from the worst of gambits... Once the deed was done, she'd have an out... She had but to switch the nameplates back to pin it on you." Togami said glancing at Makoto.
"The only misstep she made in her plan was giving her potential victim an opportunity to fight back with the replica sword in your room." Shadow said.
"That would explain the damaged sheath and how her wrist was broken." Chloe said.
"Yes, and had things gone according to plan... Maizono would be standing here now, pointing the finger at Naegi." Togami said.
"I trusted her... Why would she..." Makoto sighed.
"Why wouldn't she? It was an ironclad way out of here, was it not?" Celestia asked.
"If we omit the fact that it was a spectacular failure, yes." Togami said. "Poor fool."
"Don't talk about her like that!" Makoto defended.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You have a reason to defend her?" Togami asked.
"No! But still-!" Makoto said.
"Calm down, Naegi! Arguing about what she did won't find her justice." Luka said.
"Luka's right. Focus." Kyoko agreed.
"Yes, quite right. The murderer is still at large, and time is short." Celestia said.
"Let's get to it, then. It's one of us." Togami said.
"Well, duh! But how the hell do we pick?!" Hagakure asked.
"Ugh! We're all goners! I know it! I'm too young to die! It's not fair!" Toko yelled.
"(I got to think! If we don't figure out who killed her, it's the end for all of us!)" Makoto's thoughts ring in his head. "(There's got to be something we've missed...)"
"Well... Guess that's pretty much it for us..." Leon said. "Damn... If only there was more to go on, right? We're outta clues." Hearing that made Makoto figure out something.
"That's where you're wrong!" Makoto countered.
"The hell am I missing then?" Leon asked.
"Something pretty big, actually." Makoto said. "Tails told me she left us a message... One you can't find on a notepad."
"Wha... What are you driving at?" Leon asked.
"She left a dying message. One scrawled in blood on the wall behind her." Kyoko said.
"That's right, what did it say?" Hagakure asked.
"You must be talking about that random string of numbers you found, is that it, Tails?" Alya asked.
"Yeah, I believe so." Tails agreed.
"Hey, you're supposed to be some kinda crazy genius with numbers, ain'tcha? The ones she left behind mean anything special or what?" Mondo asked the Ultimate Programmer.
"I tried every decryption trick in the book... but whatever they're supposed to mean, it's not code I know. I'm sorry..." Chihiro said.
Makoto then pondered on what the message meant. But that's when it hit him. "That's it! I've got it!" Everyone turned to the lucky student. "The message wasn't a string of numbers! She wrote out her killer's name!" Everyone gasped.
"Of course! It only looked like numbers because of how it was written, but if you flip the marks 180 degrees, you'll see it, clear as day... L-E-O-N." Tails said.
"Whad'ya know... That's your name isn't it? Leon Kuwata." Makoto said, glaring at the Ultimate Baseball Star.
"Well, Leon? If there's anything you have to say... Now's the time." Luka said. Leon whimpered as he became the prime suspect.
"Disappointing, Leon." Sakura said.
"Gimme a break! You're not seriously listening to this lying little punk!" Leon shouted.
"Maizono was able to identify her murderer from beyond the grave... A name she wrote as her life slowly ebbed away." Sonic said.
"Scrawled that way because of the angle of her head... Poor girl probably didn't have the energy left to hoist herself around the right direction." Makoto said.
"Maybe someone's trying to frame me! You think of that? Everything you've got is circumstantial!" Leon said angrily.
"Let us assume you're not the perpetrator. Care to explain why you tried to destroy evidence?" Kyoko asked.
Leon gasped, followed by everyone else. "Somebody explain!" Ishimaru said.
"I think... She's referring to those charred pieces of shirt and glass ball fragments that were found in the garbage room!" Tails said.
"Right! I'd forgotten all about those!" Hifumi said.
"Y'know, come to think of it, I haven't seen my crystal ball in a while... Think that's what happened to it?" Hagakure asked.
"Well, Naegi. I would say this case is just about solved." Shadow said.
"Yes, and we're of the same opinion. Puzzle it out yet?" Kyoko asked.
"Here's what I believe happened..." Makoto said as he explained the events of the murder.
"Maizono's killer was in over his head... He hadn't planned on killing anyone that night; the evidence had to be dealt with fast..." Makoto explained. "Unfortunately, the garbage room was on lockdown. This is where Hagakure's missing glass ball comes in. Activating the incinerator from the other side of the gate required immense arm strength and sharp focus. Two skills our culprit wielded, as he is the Ultimate Baseball Star. Once finished, our perp figured he could relax, walk back to his room as if nothing happened... But that proved to be his biggest mistake... A scrap of the burning bloodstained shirt sleeve fell out... Gotcha. Hard evidence... He thought he had improvised the perfect plan, but in his haste, he left a trail leading us right to him." Makoto concluded as he fingered Leon as the culprit. "Deny if you want, that's how it went."
"You stand accused. Now would be the time to object." Kyoko said.
"Object? Hah. Yeah... Let me think about that." Leon said before becoming enraged. "You're damn right I object! This is all a buncha BS! Oh-ho-ho-ho, hell to the no! Think I'm takin' the wrap?!"
"You're the only athlete apart from Rainbow Dash with the arm strength to throw Hagakure's glass ball to hit the incinerator switch with that much precision and you know it!" Makoto said.
"Yeah! Nice try, but screw you!" Leon shouted. "What about Yamada?! He's on trash detail! He could've opened the gate!"
"If that were the case, why would he need the ball? He could've just used his access key and walked off without any of us having a clue." Luka said.
"Ha-ha! Yeah, big man, trying to trick me into fessing up! Well, like I said, it's all circumstantial!" Leon yelled.
"It may be circumstantial like you said, but there's still one piece of evidence that points directly to you." Luka said.
"What, you gonna make something up now?!" Leon asked angrily.
"The bathroom doorknob... its screws were removed." Luka said.
"Who gives a flyin' rat's ass?!" Leon yelled.
"How exactly do you think the murderer removed those screws?" Tails asked.
"Whatever you jerkwads are drivin' at, you're barking up the wrong tree!" Leon yelled.
"Well if what we're driving at is on the money... the proof should be in your toolkit. Care to give us a look?" Marinette asked.
"Never-never-never-never-never-never-never-never! This is a sham! I'm warning you all! BACK OFF!" Leon yelled.
"You just struck out on your last inning, Leon Kuwata!" Rainbow Dash said.
"All you have to do is show us what's inside your toolkit!" Makoto said. Those words made Leon gasp in shock.
"Well, what's the big deal?" Sunset asked. "What have you got to hide?"
Leon stood with a look of absolute horror frozen on his face. "Bear in mind, if it's been used, prepare to explain... in minute detail, until each and every last one of us is satisfied." Byakuya said.
"And under the current circumstances... Not knowing is not going to be acceptable." Kyoko said.
"N-N-Nev... Nev...er..." Leon stuttered as he plunged into despair.
"Typical. He has nothing to say in his defense." Shadow said.
"I know it hurts. We're sorry." Makoto said.
Monokuma laughs. "I'd say you all have hashed this one out nicely... Major kudos! Let's move on to Voting Time! Kindly lock in your votes by pressing the switches there in front of you." Monokuma said. "Who's the guilty so-and-so? Feel good about your final choice? And the award goes to..."
A slot machine appears and the reels spin until three pictures of Leon appear. The machine whistles as it spits out a ton of coins and confetti rains down around it and the word "GUILTY" flashes below the pictures.
"Correct! Well done, peeps! Sayaka Maizono's murderer was indeed... Leon Kuwata!" Monokuma said.
"I..." Leon stuttered.
Everyone was surprised to hear that Leon would do such a horrifying act of violence. "Oh wow..." Asahina said in shock.
"Unbelievable..." Kagami said.
"You dumbass! What the hell got into you?!" Mondo asked the baseball star.
"I didn't want to..." Leon said. "She was... I mean, she was trying to kill me, right? I just... I didn't know what else to do, okay? What if she'd gone after you?! You'd all have done the same thing in my shoes!" He breaks down into tears after that confession.
"Right, so there you have it. Excellent job dispensing tough justice; and I mean that..." Monokuma said. "Moving on now to the punishment phase!"
"No! I didn't have a choice! The crazy skank was gonna kill me, what was I supposed to do?!" Leon asked, desperate to defend himself. "Come on, guys... I acted in self-defense! Special circumstances! I-I'm not really a murderer!"
"Special circumstances?" Shadow said, gaining Leon's attention. "If you had left the poor girl alone when she fled into Naegi's bathroom, this trial wouldn't have happened in the first place! But no... You were afraid... desperate... You had to finish what she started."
"I hate to take sides on this, Leon, but Shadow's right." Adrien said. "You killed someone, and that can't be taken back."
"I'm afraid it's true. And rules are rules. You killed and you got caught, which means you die." Monokuma confirmed.
"N-No...! No! Get me out of this place!" Leon yelled as he ran and tried to claw his way out.
"For the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon Kuwata, whose talents behind the plate certainly held more promise than his career as a lady killer, I've come up with a very special method of execution... Play ball!" Monokuma announced.
"NOOOOO!" Leon screamed at the top of his lungs as Monokuma used a gavel to press a large red button.
GAME OVER
Leon has been found guilty.
Time for the punishment!
Leon stood nervously with everyone else eyeing him. Suddenly, a shackle appears and clasps around his neck and pulled him in. He reached out, hoping someone would grab him and spare his fate.
"What's going on?!" Sunset asked.
"When a person is found guilty in a trial, they are executed in a manner commensurate with their talent. In this case, since Leon is the Ultimate Baseball Star, you all have a front row seat as he is pelted to death... by baseball!" Monokuma said.
The chain pulls him to a dark room and he is shackled to a pole under a scoreboard in a batting cage. A pitching machine appears in front of him and is loaded with baseballs.
The 1,000 Blows!
The execution started slow, the pitching machine firing one baseball at a time until it picks up speed and fires hundreds of balls at him, Monokuma hitting a few of his own. Everyone was watching in horror as the baseballs hit him in his face one final time. Everyone stood in horror at the sight of Leon's corpse, surrounded by bloody baseballs.
"Ha-ha! Now that's what I call extreme! I feel the adrenaline coursing through me like lightning!" Monokuma said.
"How awful..." Twilight said.
"This is... This is..." Chloe stuttered in absolute horror.
"Yes. I want you to feel the despair." Monokuma said with glee. But what he heard from Sonic surprised him.
"No!"
"What's that?" Monokuma asked.
"You heard me! You can make us play your crazy game, but we'll never fall into despair!" Sonic said.
"This isn't over! One of these days you will feel so much despair, you'll be playing my game for all of time!" Monokuma said.
"Just try us! We can take it!" Marinette said. Our heroes then looked at Leon's lifeless body.
"He didn't deserve to go like that." Shadow said as a blue vapor then appeared before them, forming into Leon's spirit.
"Of course I didn't." Leon said. "This... was all my fault. You were right, Shadow. If I had left Maizono alone when she fled, she and I would still be alive."
"You were worried for her too, weren't you?" Luka asked.
"Yeah, I mean, have you even seen what that bear has showed us? She was at her breaking point." Leon said. "Listen. I have a favor to ask you: Save all of us that die from our despair!"
"We will. Whoever is trying to bring us down into despair, their plan will fail." Shadow said. He then glanced at Monokuma. "We don't know how, but we will bring them down once and for all!"
"You better, because if you fail, I will haunt you!" Leon said. Shadow then pulled out a bronze medallion with an orange jewel in the center and Leon entered it.
"What's that?" Chloe asked.
"A Soul Medallion. Scarlett told me that in the event that any of these students die, I use this medallion to house their spirits." Shadow said. "He asked us to save them, and that's what we aim to do."
"You may have survived this one, but rest assured, by the next trial, your hearts will become engulfed in despair." Monokuma said.
"We shall see about that. You can show us as many trials and executions as you like, you'll never be able to break us." Adrien said.
The students then returned to their rooms as Shadow and Marinette walked the halls. Shadow glanced at Sayaka's room and sighed heavily.
"Why so upset, Shadow? We just gave Maizono justice and found her killer." Marinette said.
"I know, but... I really didn't want Maizono to die in vain for this." Shadow said. "Marinette... Thanks. What do you say we find a way out?"
"Yeah, and while we're at it, we find out who is responsible for this... and take them down." Marinette said.
"Before we head back, there's something we need to do first." Shadow said as he held out the medallion, revealing Sayaka's spirit.
"Marinette... Shadow... I take it you know what I did. I just... I wanted to make sure they were okay." Sayaka said.
"I know. You must be worried sick about them. I know videos like that can leave some deep scars. If they were any worse, you'd have changed completely." Marinette said. "Listen, Naegi told me about your shows. You're a good person and... I wanna make sure everyone here can find hope, even beyond death."
"And I want to carry the spirits of those that die here. At least until we find a way out." Shadow said.
"What? Are you sure about that, Shadow?" Sayaka asked.
"Once this nightmare is over, we'll find a way to set you out into the world." Marinette said. "We can save you, if you can trust us."
Sayaka smiled with tears as she entered the medallion.
31 have entered and three have been eliminated. Only 28 remain. Who will be the next to die and who will be put to trial?