Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, while Lucky was editing the last chapter (After finishing up with exams), I actually manage to finish another chapter during that time. It helps that I'm finally at the trial together, where you can put all the puzzle pieces together. So I expect this one to come out earlier than the recent chapters.
By the way, someone asked who's my favorite character is on the previous chapter. And that reminds me, I have a poll set up on my profile, about your top 3 Danganronpa 1 characters. My favorites are Makoto, Hina, and Kyoko. What are yours? Vote on the poll, and if you like, tell me in your reviews, as well as your reasons why.
So, in this chapter, it's the beginning of the third trial. The moment you've all been waiting for. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
A Lucky Soldier: Greetings! This chapter, we're getting some relevant questions again so the question part will return for this chapter!
Q: Who's your favourite character in the original danganronpa? (THH)
L: For me its definitely going to be Mukuro. Sure she wasn't too relevant to the main story, and Danganronpa 3 despair arc definitely did her dirty in terms of characterization, but I'll never forget how satisfying it was for me to finish SDR2 and read DR:IF. I could do a whole paragraph on why she's my favourite so I'll just leave it at that :)
S: Mine is Makoto. It's probably generic to have the main character as favorite, but I like kind characters that most (If not everyone) can get along with, as well as competent and intelligent characters. Makoto is a mixture of both, with some courage and charisma to go along with it. Runner ups are Kyoko and Hina.
Q: Will you still be doing a 77th/etc watching?
L: All I can really say is, it's a distant dream that may or may not happen depending on Spirit. You can say the intent to write it is there, but whether it'll actually happen or not, only time will tell.
S: I won't say that it's definitely gonna happen, as plans may change, but it's in my plan on doing sequels (Hope Lucky will still be there to edit/beta read). There probably gonna be a break in between, however, in order to keep from burning out.
Chapter 59: Watching Ch 3: NGL! STGH! Part 18
"Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results." Monokuma explained on his throne. "If you can figure out 'whodunnit' then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one, then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate! Now then, to begin with…"
"We already know who did it!" Hina interrupted angrily.
"Wuzzat…?" Was Monokuma's bewildered response.
"It was Hiro." Celeste stated simply. "He does not have an alibi for when the murders took place, and we found him in that suit."
"Don't try and deny it! You killed them!" Hina accused the fortune teller.
"Damn." Junko whistled. "The two of you didn't waste time going after Hiro."
"Of course not!" Hina said in response. "We aren't gonna waste any time with this!"
"There's no point beating around the bush when it's obvious who the culprit is." Celeste said, agreeing with Hina.
"How is it obvious?!" The accused himself cried out. "I'm telling you, this is all a coincidence! Some sort of conspiracy against me!"
Makoto couldn't help but wince at this. This was worse than Sayaka's trial, when he was similarly backed against a corner. He could only hope that the charges against Hiro will be quickly turned over.
"I didn't!" Said fortune teller denied the accusations anyway. "Someone knocked me out! I was asleep the whole time! I don't know anything about it!"
"Shut your murdering mouth, murderer!" Jill shouted at him.
"Who are YOU calling a murderer?!" Hiro retorted angrily.
"I am sorry to say Hiro, but we do have evidence…" Celeste told him, holding her e-Handbook to show the evidence. "Blueprints for the suit, parts we assume were used to build it, and all of it was found in your room. You have to admit, the evidence is quite compelling."
She lowered her handbook and put it back in her pocket before facing Hiro once more. "It points to you as having created the suit and wearing it while committing crime after crime…"
"How many times do I have to tell you?!" Hiro exclaimed with mixed anxiousness and aggravation. "I… I…" The fortune teller held his head in frustration. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't KNOW!"
Celeste clenched her fist. This is it. This is where Hiro will pay for his crime. "This trial won't be long." The gambler said confidently. "All the evidence is gathered, and is rather overwhelming."
"I wouldn't be so quick to think that." The heir rebutted. "After all, we have plenty of evidence to say otherwise."
"Oh?" The gambler raised an eyebrow at this. "And what would that be? All I saw was how Hiro was able to do all this."
"Yeah. There wasn't really anything that really proves Hiro's innocence." Hina agreed.
"Just continue watching, then." Was all Byakuya said, smirking confidently. "It's about to get real interesting."
'Is Hiro really the killer?' Makoto asked himself. 'Before anything else, we have to make that clear!'
Once again, the non-stop debate started up, the bullets being gathered before being placed in the revolver. Celeste was the first to speak. "Everything we found in your room, the blueprints, the suit parts, they are all proof enough that you are the culprit."
'No, that's wrong!' Makoto thought fiercely. The bullet was shot as the luckster spoke up. "Are we sure Hiro really made those blueprints?"
"What do you mean…?" Celeste questioned.
"Well, take a look at this…" Makoto held up his note from Hiro. "It's the note Hiro wrote asking everyone to meet up the night before. The handwriting's obviously different, wouldn't you say? When you compare it to the blueprints…"
"...There's no way you could think the same person made both of them." Kyoko finished for Makoto.
That caused the others to look at both the blueprints and the notes. "Yeah, they're right." Leon agreed. "Hiro's handwriting is much more neater than the blueprints."
Celeste subconsciously clenched her hands together. "It doesn't mean anything." The gambler stated. "Hiro could have made the point to disguise his hand-writing."
"I don't think so." Chihiro said, thinking about the blueprints and note. "There's too much of a difference to say that he did…"
"And if the fool was smart enough to disguise his handwriting, he would've been smart enough to place the blueprints and materials anywhere but his room." Byakuya added.
"Not to mention, are you even sure that Hiro is capable of crafting such things?" Mukuro added.
"That is indeed a good point. Hiro's artistic skills were never that great to begin with." Taka agreed.
At this, a small bit of relief washed over Hiro. Finally! Evidence against him being the culprit. He doesn't even mind being called dumb for it.
"Unless the person made it a point to disguise their handwriting…" Celeste retorted.
"No, the differences are larger than that, I think." Sakura pointed out.
"Come on, I'm not smart enough to think of trying to change my handwriting anyway!" Hiro readily admitted.
"Well, that isn't something we can argue with." Junko remarked. Then in one swift unexplainable motion, she changed into her punk persona, pointing a finger at the fortune teller. "But different looking words ain't gonna get you out of shit! You're still number one on our fucking list of suspects!"
"I agree that the blueprints and note alone won't be enough." Kyoko conceded. "But it makes the possibility of Hiro being the killer slightly more questionable."
"And that's not the only thing to be noted." Byakuya added. "There's much more to unveil."
"So Makoto, are you saying you don't think Hiro's the culprit?" Hina inquired.
"And he's not the only one. I think Hiro is innocent, as well." Byakuya spoke up.
"What…?" Makoto looked at Byakuya in surprise.
"Then who the hell was it?!" Mondo asked fiercely. He's been silently listening on, and while he can't argue with the blueprints, he still thinks that Hiro is the culprit.
"Was there another suit, like Hiro said?" Sayaka inquired.
"Then who was in that Robo Justice suit?!" Hina questioned. "Is it like Hiro said? Was there really someone running around in a second suit?"
"The suspicious individual hidden within the suit…" Byakuya then turned towards Makoto. "Go ahead, Makoto. Tell them who it was."
'...And of course he passes it off to me.' Makoto deadpanned in his mind.
"So? Who was in the Robo Justice suit?" Hina pressed.
Makoto frowned in thought. "Other than Hiro… I can't think of anyone else it could have been." He answered. "Obviously he was in that particular suit, and we never found any kind of second suit…"
"Then there can be no doubt - Hiro is the prime suspect." Byakuya declared.
"What the fu-? That doesn't make any fucking sense!" Mondo exclaimed in aggravation. "You just fucking said he wasn't the goddamn culprit!"
"It makes perfect sense." Byakuya retorted without missing a beat. "Hiro was the one in the costume, yet isn't the culprit for the murders! If you used that head of yours, you could've put two and two together."
"Are you calling me stupid, you-"
"So what you're saying is that the one wearing the Robo Justice doesn't have anything to do with the murders." Mukuro interrupted before a fight could break out. "More specifically, the one wearing the suit didn't murder Taka and Hifumi."
"Huh?!" Hina exclaimed in shock.
"Now that's a bold assumption!" Jill stated.
"Indeed! For a mere peasant to deduce such a thing is brave!" Junko exclaimed in her royal persona.
"And what makes you so sure of that?" Celeste asked, a bit biting.
The heir stared at the gambler for a moment before speaking. "I'm sure a explanation will be given soon."
"That doesn't make any sense!" Hina exclaimed in frustration. "You JUST said Hiro didn't do it!"
"It makes perfect." Byakuya responded back immediately. "Hiro was the suspicious individual in the suit, but he's not the culprit."
"So what you're saying is…" Sakura trailed off.
"That's right. The culprit in this case has nothing to do with being in the Robo Justice suit." Byakuya declared.
"What?!" Hina exclaimed in shock.
"Now that's a bold assumption!" Jill stated.
"And what reason do you have to make such a statement?" Celeste asked sharply. "You do have a reason, yes?"
"Of course." Byakuya confirmed. "But before we get into that, there's something else we need to clarify first. So let's get that out of the way."
"Hey, stop trying to boss us around!" Hina protested.
"All things have a proper order." Was Byakuya's cold response.
Hina scowled in annoyance at this. "I hate it when he does that!"
"I know. It's annoying." Sayaka agreed, a frown on her own face.
"But it's necessary." Byakuya rebuked their displeasure. "In order to understand everything, other aspects of the case must be cleared up first."
"So, what is it? What needs to be clarified?" Sakura questioned.
"We must clarify the method of transportation for Taka's lifeless body." Byakuya answered. "It would seem that his corpse was moved using certain particular items. Makoto? Can you tell us what they were?"
"What is he, your servant?" Leon remarked. "Why are you making him finish everything for you?"
"Because most of you would be able to accept the answers if it came from him." Byakuya answered. "As you know, my future self made no allies in the school. Using Makoto as a bridge is necessary to get a point across."
"I don't know how to feel about that…" Makoto said blankly.
Once again, Makoto thought about it for a moment. "They were… a dolly and a tarp, right?"
"...Tch." Byakuya voiced with obvious distaste.
"Ok, what did he do now that got you annoyed?" Sakura asked, irritation clear in her voice.
"Some of you here can't put two and two together." Byakuya answered with a sigh. "He needs to explain how they're used."
'What's with the attitude?' Makoto questioned to himself. Shaking it off, he continued speaking. "So, let's see if I can explain…" The luckster started off. "Taka's body disappeared from the equipment room, and then we rediscovered it in the repository, and when we found it the second time, it was wrapped in a blue tarp, right? It was the same tarp that up until then was stored in the equipment room."
"So the killer must have seen it there and decided to use it when they moved Taka's body." Makoto deduced. "That way, they wouldn't leave any bloodstains while they were moving it."
"Okay, that explains the tarp." Sakura accepted. "And the dolly?"
"Same thing…" Makoto answered. "I'm sure the dolly was in the equipment room when we first found Taka's body there. But when the body disappeared, so did the dolly. Later, when Taka's body reappeared in the repository, so did the dolly."
"So the dolly was used to move my body from equipment room to the repository, with my body wrapped in the tarp." Taka summarized. "Is that right?"
"Yes." Makoto nodded. "It would explain how the culprit was able to move Taka's body so quickly."
"In other words, you think they used the dolly to move the body, am I right?" Celeste summarized. "But are you sure you are not mistaken?"
"Huh…?" Was Makoto's response.
"Are you absolutely positive was in the equipment room when we found Taka's body?" Celeste pressed. "That dolly was made specifically for moving large objects between the repository and art room. It would be very strange to discover it had made its way to the equipment room. Is it not possible that it was in the repository all along, and you simply didn't realize it?"
Mukuro narrowed her eyes at this. "I don't see the necessity of arguing this point further." The soldier told the gambler. "The killer could have just grabbed the dolly beforehand and left it in the equipment room. You seem to be very defensive about this detail though."
"I'm sure she wants to ensure that we are not leading to the wrong conclusion." Celeste answered easily, not letting her poker face waver. "After all, one mistake can lead to our death. Its just due diligence."
Mukuro narrowed her eyes a bit further, but said nothing else. It was clearly suspicious on why Celeste was so hung up on such a small detail, but Mukuro didn't have any further cards to play.
"She's raised an objection. How do you respond?" Byakuya spoke up.
"There is no shame in being wrong. Nobody expects much from you anyway." Celeste politely mocked. "We have all accepted the fact that you rarely understand what is going on around you."
Her polite yet harsh words surprised everyone who weren't ready for it. "Oof!" Leon winced. "That is scary!"
"And it sounds so polite too!" Jill added, impressed.
"Why do you have to be so mean towards Makoto?" Sayaka asked, looking at Celeste. "It's not like his theory is strange or anything."
"I… don't know." Was all Celeste could say. She should be shocked about this, as she has no reason to be passive aggressive towards Makoto, but in all honesty, she wasn't.
'Wow… I've never had anyone sound so nice while being so mean.' Makoto thought. 'But maybe I can change her mind…'
"If you're asking for proof that the dolly moved, I have it right here…" The luckster held up his e-Handbook, which showed the wheels of the dolly. "When I found the dolly in the repository, one of the wheels had a bloodstain on it. There was a pool of blood in the equipment room with a tire mark in it that matched the dolly wheel's tread.
"The killer probably rolled the dolly through the blood on accident as they wheeled the body out of the room. And as the blood dried on the tire, they moved the body into the repository." Makoto then lowered his handbook after finishing his explanation. "So there's my proof that the dolly was used to move Taka's body!"
"Tch-!" Was all Celeste voiced in annoyance.
'Jeez, does Celeste really hate me that much…?' Makoto wondered.
"I'm starting to think so." Sayaka remarked with a small scowl. "Seriously, why is future Celeste acting this way towards Makoto? Did she not want to be shown up or something?"
'More like this little tidbit will help the trial move along things.' Byakuya thought to himself, staring at Celeste. 'And our dear blackened wouldn't want that.'
"Well, anyway. That was just something we had to get out of the way." Byakuya brushed off. "Let's get back to the main subject…"
"Yeah! The subject of how Robo Justice didn't do it!" Hina agreed. "Cuz if it's not a killer robot, then… what kind of robot is it?!"
"I'm not sure that really matters…" Sakura stated.
"I'd be happy to explain why the occupant of the suit couldn't possibly be the killer." Byakuya declared. "If you look back on how the body was transported, it will become immediately obvious."
Chihiro frowned in thought. "Are you talking about how the culprit used the dolly to move Taka's body?"
"Correct." Byakuya nodded.
"That's why you wanted to get the means of transportation out of the way." Sakura realized. "But how does this connect to the killer?"
"Cause the dolly doesn't have a handle." Makoto said, seeing where Byakuya was going. "That means you can't move it while standing up."
"Well, yeah," Hina accepted. "But you just have to bend over, right? If you do that, it's easier to grab the dolly and move it around."
"And that's why the occupant in the suit couldn't possibly move the body." Byakuya stated with confidence.
That did not help the students' confusion. "Huh?"
Byakuya could only sigh in disappointment. How bad were everyone's memories?
Once again, the non stop debate started once again, with Byakuya speaking first. "As we know, Taka was killed in the equipment room. And from there, the body was moved to the repository, correct?"
"Yeah, the culprit wrapped the body in a tarp, then loaded it onto the dolly and wheeled it off, right?" Hina continued.
"Now, keep in mind that the dolly doesn't have a handle." Byakuya pointed out.
"Well, yeah, but even without a handle…" Hina argued. "All you have to do is bend over."
'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "You're absolutely right that you could push a dolly without a handle if you stoop down low." He agreed. "But if you were wearing that suit, do you think you could actually get into a position like that?"
"W-What do you mean…?" Hina inquired in confusion.
"Oh! The suit was not designed to bend at the waist!" Hifumi said as the memory came up. "And you couldn't see in it either! Miss Asahina stated so earlier!"
"Oh yeah, I remember that too." Chihiro said in realization. "When you put that into consideration, it really is impossible for Robo Justice to move the dolly."
"Yeah… that makes sense…" Hina admitted, feeling sheepish for her future self.
"Think back to what you said when we were all checking out the suit together. Remember?" Makoto advised. "When you were in that suit, not only can you not see your feet, but you can't even bend at the waist. Am I right about that?"
"Now that you mention it… yeah…" Hina admitted sheepishly.
"It seems it'd be awfully hard to push that doll if you couldn't even bend over…" Sakura mused.
"Well, what's to stop you from simply pushing the dolly with your feet?" Celeste suggested.
"When you can't even see your feet?" Makoto asked in retort. "You really think someone could kick the dolly all that way?"
"Yeah, it'd be totally impossible! Not that I can say for sure myself!" Jill agreed.
"On top of that, if you were wearing such a rigid, cumbersome suit, it's very unlikely you would have the dexterity to go about wrapping the body in a tarp."
"Agreed." Mukuro nodded. "If you can't even bend at the waist, you wouldn't be able to wrap the body in a tarp."
"Why not just take the suit off and do all that?" Sayaka suggested.
Mukuro shook her head. "Again, it would take too long to do so. The group was only gone for a few minutes. It's a insufficient amount of time to take the suit off, move the body, and then put it back on."
"And we haven't even gotten to the fact that you can't take the thing off in the first place." Byakuya added.
"Well I mean, isn't that just a matter of taking off the suit when you're ready to move the body?" Jill pointed out.
"I don't think taking off the suit was an option." Makoto disagreed. "If you remember, Hiro couldn't get out of the suit himself. There was a latch on the back of Hiro's suit that keeps him from doing so."
"That's true. It seems impossible to put the suit on or take it off without help." Sakura said in agreement.
"With the latch on Hiro's suit, taking off the suit and putting it back on to move the body is out of the question." Kyoko stated.
"So… Hiro wasn't making it up when he said that he couldn't take if off?" Hina asked, eyes slightly wide.
"Of course future me wasn't making it up!" Hiro exclaimed. "Why would I be in that stupid costume in the first place if I can take it off?"
"Well once again, the fool spouts a rare line of intelligence." Byakuya remarked, ignoring the indignant squawk from Hiro. "Anyway, he's correct. If he could've taken it off, we wouldn't have been wearing it when we found out."
"Which means Hiro wasn't wearing the suit, he was trapped in it." Mukuro said.
"Shit…" Mondo gritted his teeth at this. This is getting frustrating. Now that Hiro is likely not the prime suspect, then who is?
"Then… you really can't take it off by yourself?" Hina hesitantly asked. "Hiro wasn't just making it up?"
"O-Of course I wasn't making it up!" Hiro responded angrily.
"If he could have gotten it off by himself, I don't think he would have let us see him wearing it." Makoto pointed out. "Showing up in the suit was basically an invitation for everyone to suspect him."
"Y-Yeah, that's right!" Hiro quickly agreed.
"Okay. The more I hear, the more convinced I am that Hiro isn't the culprit." Leon said. "Thinking about all that makes it seems impossible…"
"That's true…" Hina agreed, frowning. "So it's actually true that Hiro couldn't have done all this?"
"He couldn't have made the blueprints, couldn't have wrapped the body, couldn't have moved the body…" Byakuya listed off. "He most likely couldn't move around the school as quickly as he could."
"S-See?! It wasn't me after all!" Hiro cried out, relief laced in his tone. Finally, he's getting a break!
Celeste, however, didn't share that relief. She clenched her hands together tightly once again, this time gritting her teeth. Is it really true? Is Hiro really innocent in all this? But then, who else could it be? Who else could've possibly killed two people?
The nagging feeling in her heart grew stronger and stronger.
"So… it's really, really, true that Robo Justice couldn't have moved the body…?" Hina asked once more.
"To be clear, whoever did move the body, it couldn't have been Hiro in the robot suit, correct?" Sakura clarified.
"No, wait just a second if you please." Celeste quicky spoke up. "Have you forgotten about the picture that I took?" Once again, Celeste showed them Hifumi's camera and the picture it holds. "You all got a good look at it, did you not? The image of Hifumi being dragged away by Robo Justice? If whoever was in the suit is not the culprit, how do you explain that?"
The gambler placed the camera down. "Besides, do you remember what the now deceased Hifumi said…?" She added. "How Robo Justice was the one who attacked him? So long as those facts exist, the proper conclusion is beyond question. The individual inside the suit and the culprit are one and the same. It was Hiro, without a doubt."
The more future Celeste spoke, the more some of students started leaning back towards the argument against Hiro. "Yeah… yeah, that's right!" Hina said, with more confidence. "I can't believe I forgot about those things!"
"With that evidence, the murderer is definitely Hiro!" Jill said in agreement.
Hearing these things caused Celeste herself to relax. "Yes. With those conclusions, we cannot doubt that is Hiro." The gambler said with a tone finality.
"Wait! H-Hold on!" Hiro spoke up in protest.
"Are you seriously forgetting the evidence supporting his innocence?" Byakuya reminded them, looking annoyed. "There's still the blueprints that are clearly not in his handwriting, and the fact that he can't push Taka's body in the repository, not while he's in that suit."
"Then perhaps he has an accomplice." Celeste shot back, frustration starting to seep out. "After all, Hiro isn't the only one without an alibi. Kyoko could've easily helped him with the blueprints, suit, and the wrapping of Taka's body."
"But what reason would she have to do so?" Mukuro pointed out. "Only the one that does the killing have the chance to leave the school. There's no benefit in assisting in a murder, and Kyoko being as suspicious as she is, has made fair contributions to previous trials as well as not showing any specific ill intent towards others. Hiro wouldn't have been able to trick her in helping."
"Well tell me, what other evidence is there?" Celeste asked with gritted teeth. "Cause so long as the picture and Hifumi's words are there, it is not possible for anything else to take place."
'Celeste…' Makoto could stare at her with a mix of anguish and worry. The future Celeste is trying so hard to pin the crime on Hiro, while the present one is in deep denial about the case. He wonders, once they figured it out… how hard is the gambler going to take this?
"Let's stop arguing about this." Kyoko cut in, stopping the argument. "It's still too early to decide who did it, and pointing fingers is not gonna help anything. For now, we should continue watching how this case unfolds."
"Fine. As you wish." Celeste conceded. "But I doubt anything will change the conclusion."
"I don't think so at all." Kyoko brushed off. "Remember what my future self said before? If we keep at it, something new will reveal itself."
"Besides, while it's true that the photo and Hifumi's words are still there, the same goes for the blueprints and flawed design of the suit." The detective reminded her. "So it is probably best to discuss this more."
Celeste clenched her teeth tighter at this, though kept it hidden. Why? Why are they trying so hard to defend Hiro? What's the point, when the evidence is clearly presented?
"Yeah…! Yeah, that's gotta be right!" Hina said with renewed confidence.
"H-Hold on a second!" Hiro protested.
"It's still far too early to reach that conclusion." Kyoko finally spoke up. "Besides, there's no hurry to decide who did it. Before we rush to a verdict, shouldn't we explore every single possibility? Instead of seizing on one viewpoint, the truth is uncovered by analyzing things from every angle."
As they heard this, both Hina and Mondo couldn't help but feel conflicted and confused about all of this.
The former bit her lip, a frown on her face. What should she think? Who's right? On one hand, with the evidence against Hiro and how the guy is, it seems obvious that Hiro did it… but on the other, Makoto, Byakuya, and Kyoko have shown that they know what they're doing. They're probably the smartest of the bunch. So what's right? And what's wrong?
Mondo, meanwhile, scowled and let out a hiss of frustration. Why does this have to be so complicated? There's evidence to say that Hiro did it, but there was evidence that says he didn't. Who the fuck was right? And who the fuck was wrong? He better get a straight answer soon, dammit!
"Perhaps, but where do we go from here?" Sakura inquired.
"Let's review this series of unfortunate events from the beginning." Kyoko suggested. "Maybe we'll uncover something new…"
"Pfhah! What a pain in the ass!" Jill complained.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Jill…" Leon sighed. "Seriously, this is confusing enough as it is. Now they need to recall all the confusing shit that had happened?"
"While it is confusing to think about, their lives are on the line." Chihiro reminded him. "They have to do everything they can to make sure to get the answer right."
"You have to understand the problem first before you can solve it." Sakura agreed.
"I don't disagree, but our lives are on the line. If this is what it takes, we have to do it." Sakura sighed.
"Plus, maybe we'll get to find out where the heck Kyoko was when everything went down…" Hina added.
Byakuya snorted. "Doubtful."
"I can't disagree with that." Makoto admitted. If Kyoko wasn't going to reveal it before, she won't do so now.
"All right, let's take another another look back at what happened. I suppose we could start with this morning…" With that, Sakura began recalling what had happened. "The four of us gathered in the dining hall - Makoto, Hina, Kyoko, and myself. We waited there for quite a while, but nobody else showed up. So we went looking for everyone. That was around 8 a.m."
"And as soon as we split up, Kyoko went missing." Hina added.
"Soon after that, Hina found Celeste in the rec room, and quickly came to get Makoto and me." Sakura continued.
"It seems I was unconscious for about an hour after I was attacked by my mysterious assailant." Celeste spoke up. "I know it was an hour because I remember being attacked a little after 7."
A flashback of the image being shown for the first time was played. "That was when we saw Celeste's picture and discovered that her assailant had been wearing a costume." Sakura stated. "As it turns out, it was Robo Justice. It also soon became clear that this same Robo Justice had abducted Hifumi."
The TV went back to the trial room. "We were soon joined in our search by Byakuya and Toko, and then went on to find Hifumi in the library. He was injured, so we took him to the nurse's office and resumed our search for the suspect. But not long after leaving the nurse's office…" A flashback of the beginning chase for Robo Justice started playing. "Celeste spotted a shadow of Robo Justice." The flashback ended right after.
"When Celeste told us that, we decided to split up and search the 2nd floor." Makoto continued. "And soon after that…"
"I saw someone moving around on the 3rd floor, and I yelled out to everyone as soon as I did." Celeste informed them.
Kyoko and Byakuya narrowed their eyes as they listened to narration, while Makoto frowned. All three of them realized something about the entire thing. And that's the fact that only Celeste actually saw Robo Justice, and lead the group to where it was supposedly at.
'She was stringing us along the entire time.' Byakuya thought. 'Making us think that these murders were happening during the chase.'
'The costumes, the hammers, leading everyone along to where she wants…' Kyoko mused. 'She had them thinking that Robo Justice was running around the building.'
'And now that I'm thinking about… didn't Celeste bring Hina out of the nurse's office and to a bathroom for a few minutes?' Makoto remembered. 'The perfect opportunity for Hifumi to leave and get to Taka's body.'
The more the three watched, the more they understood how everything played out the way it did. Not to mention more convinced that Celeste is the killer, the orchestrator of the entire crime.
"And then…" Makoto spoke up once more. A flashback of Hifumi screaming then played. "We heard Hifumi scream. At that point we decided to divide into two groups. Celeste, Hina, and I went back to the nurse's office while Byakuya, Sakura, and Toko chased after the suspect."
Another flashback was shown, this time being Hifumi dead at the nurse's office. "When we got back to the nurse's office, we found Hifumi… dead. And that's when we heard the body discovery announcement."
Mukuro narrowed her eyes at the picture. Now that she's getting a second look, she can confirm to herself that there's far too much blood for one person to bleed out from the head. And more than that… the state of the body looked different from when he was in the nurse's office.
The flashback then ended as Makoto continued. "I left Celeste and Hina there and headed back to the 3rd floor, to let the others know what had happened."
A flashback of Taka's body in the equipment room was shown. "Meanwhile, we had just discovered Taka's body, in the equipment room." Sakura spoke. "We must have found both bodies at almost exactly the same time, because we heard the same announcement not long after we'd discovered his body."
Once again, the flashback ended. "And that's when I told you guys about Hifumi." Makoto stated. "Then the three of us headed for the nurse's office. But right after we left the physic lab, we ran into Celeste, who'd arrived after us, and she told us something very surprising. That Hifumi's body disappeared." A flashback of Hifumi's body going missing was shown. "We rushed back to the nurse's office and saw that she was right."
"Then we remembered we'd left Toko passed out in the equipment room, so we hurried back again." As Sakura spoke, a flashback of Taka's body going missing was played. "But when we got there, we discovered that now Taka's body has also gone missing. Next thing we knew, we were searching the school for two missing dead bodies. And after some time…"
"Celeste informed us that she'd found the bodies, and we all headed to the repository…" As Byakuya spoke, a flashback of the two bodies was shown. "Which is where we rediscovered the corpses."
The flashback ended once again. "I think that about covers it." Makoto concluded.
Leon groaned, holding his head. "Just hearing the whole thing make my head hurts."
"Indeed. There are many mysteries around this case." Sakura agreed as she turned towards Kyoko. "So, do you think that's enough for your future self to figure things out?"
"Plenty." Kyoko said with confidence.
"I see… the whole thing sounds exceptionally complicated." Kyoko stated. "It certainly seems to me that these are not a simple series of connected events."
"Okay, well… if that's true, then what?" Makoto inquired.
"Rather than a single series of events, I think we have to consider each murder a separate situation." Kyoko concluded. "And from there, we can uncover the contradictions surrounding all of them."
"So in other words, break everything into separate pieces for us to solve, right?" Makoto summed up. He smiled. "That will definitely help everyone figure it out better."
"You think so, Makoto?" Hina asked, tilting her head. "I don't see how it could."
"Think about it. We're trying to figure out everything when we connected all the events." Makoto told her. "And that's not going anywhere. So instead, we put them into separate situations, and solve the mysteries of each of them. Doing so will help solve the smaller mysteries surrounding the case, so when we re-connect them, it would be more clear as to what happened."
Kyoko nodded, a small yet proud smile entering her face. "Exactly."
Hina thought about Makoto's word for a minute. "Ok, now I see what you mean." The swimmer looked at Makoto with slight amazement in her eyes. "You're really getting better at this Makoto."
That brought a blush and a bashful smile on the luckster's face. "You think so?"
"Yeah!" Hina confirmed with a rapid nod. "I'm willing to bet that you can match with Kyoko and Byakuya in brains!"
"I don't think I go that far." Makoto protested. "I'm sure those two are still leagues ahead of me."
'I'm not sure about that.' Kyoko thought to herself, the smile still on her lip. She's willing to bet that with time and effort, Makoto could match her and Togami in an intellectual spar.
Or rather… instead of becoming better at this, Makoto is showing more and more of the intellect hidden inside him.
And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Gonna try to send the next one as soon as possible, but don't expect to be as fast as this one. Got my own exams to worry about now, as well as homework I need done. Make sure to vote on the polls, and tell me your votes in the reviews. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.