Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, for those who didn't see it, someone named Metal Navy, who affiliated himself with Critics United, reviewed one of the previous chapters, saying that this fic is in violation of this site's rules, and basically threatened to report it and have it removed. Just warning you guys, if this fic is removed, this is why.
Though I hope it doesn't. I like re-reading you guys' reviews, and those will be gone if this fic gets removed.
So, now onto a happier topic. This chapter is gonna continue the chapter, with everyone discussing how each separate scenario happened. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
A Lucky Soldier: Hey everyone! This chapter got delayed again due to my summer classes but at the very least, it's completed! Anyways, on to a couple questions this time around.
Q: How likely is Makoto able to make the connection from "Mukuro worked with the mastermind" to "Junko is the mastermind?"
L: As of now, not very likely but I can imagine it being quite possible for him when the events of Chapter 5 hits. There's not too much I can really comment on about this since my memory of such fine details are very blurry.
S: Like Lucky said, not likely right now. But when he confronts Mukuro about this, it'll probably depend on how much Mukuro is willing to reveal. And Junko's mood/thinking process at the time.
Q: What are your favourite characters in the whole series? Each game? Worst Character?
L: I think my answer might be a bit long so I'll put mine in the end and let Spirit have the spotlight here.
S: Alright. I'll start with favorite character of each game. For D1, that's Makoto, as I've stated before in the previous chapter. For D2, I choose Sonia. She's kind, polite, intelligent, and quirky, all mixed together to make a well-written character. For UDG, I guess Nagisa. For D3, Makoto again. They really developed him well in that anime. And for V3, it's Kokichi. One of the best rivals in Danganronpa, in my opinion.
Favorite character in the entire series? Makoto.
Worst Character in each game? Hiro in D1 (The most useless character in the entire series), Hiyoko in D2 (I hate sadistic bullies), Haiji in UDG (A pedo and abusive brother), Ando in D3 (Hypocritical and backstabber), and Angie in V3 (Controlling and manipulative. Couldn't stand chapter 3 of V3 because of her). Worst character in the whole series? Hiro. I have no patience for idiotic characters. Apologies for those who like the character, but that just how I feel.
Chapter 60: Watching Ch 3: NGL! STGH! Part 19
"Now then, let's get started beginning with what happened to Taka…" With those words, the non-stop debate start up once more, starting with Kyoko. "So, regarding Taka's death, I wonder if he died before Hifumi…" She began. "Or perhaps it was after?"
"We already know what order they were killed in!" Hina stated. "Taka came last!"
"What makes you say that?" Sakura inquired.
"Because of the numbering of the justice hammers!"
'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Hold on, there's no reason to assume that the hammers were used in the same order as their numbers!" The luckster reasoned. "If anything, that's just another way the killer tried to disguise their actions."
That caught some of the students by surprise. "What do you mean, disguise their action?" Hina questioned.
"My future self is saying that the culprit probably wants everyone to think that Hifumi and Taka were killed in that order," Makoto explained. "But in reality, the order of deaths was the other way around."
"And if you need proof, it's on Taka's wrist." Kyoko pointed out.
"So you're saying the culprit wanted us to think the hammers were used in order, but in reality Taka was killed before Hifumi?" Byakuya deduced. "Okay then, let's see the proof."
'Evidence that proves Taka was killed before Hifumi…' As Makoto closed his eyes in thought, the camera angled itself to the side of his body. Said body turned black, and flashbacks of the investigation began showing. 'It wasn't shown on the Monokuma file… and the numbering of the hammers aren't reliable, so maybe…'
"I've got it! Taka's wristwatch!" Quickly, Makoto took out his handbook and presented the wristwatch towards everyone. "See? Look. It broke with the hands pointing just past 6 o'clock."
"It must have broke when he was attacked by the killer." Kyoko concluded. "Because of last night, it was still working. So if it wasn't broken after 6 last night, then he must have been attacked around 6 this morning."
"And that would be his official time of death." Makoto stated in confidence.
"So I was killed way before any of the events happened…" Taka murmured in shock. "Taken out before anyone was even awake." He looked down at his watch. "But that doesn't make sense, what was I doing?"
"Yeah. Despite his change of personality, bro is still a stickler for rules." Mondo grunted.
"That'll probably be explained later." Kyoko stated. If she or anyone else tried to explain the note that was on Hifumi's, that'll bring more questions. Best they see that Hifumi was actually alive before entering the repository, before presenting the note he held.
"But if that's true, then he was killed well before Hifumi…" Sakura pointed out.
"And before Celeste was attacked this morning, which happened around 7." Makoto added.
"That's right. Taka was killed before any of the other incidents took place." Kyoko stated in confidence.
"That simple fact slipped past all of us." Makoto said softly. "We made the wrong assumptions about the order of events all because of those Justice Hammers."
"That's exactly why the culprit wrote the numbers on each hammer, and had them increase in size." Byakuya deduced. "That way, when we saw how they were used in each incident, we'd easily make that wrong assumption."
"I have to admit, what the culprit did is clever." Byakuya mused. "It's a simple tactic, but an effective one none the less. And none of us had the chance to think on it with the disappearance of the bodies."
"Indeed. This culprit does seem cunning in their deception." Sakura agreed. Which made her question what else is being hidden in this… as well as doubt the possibility Hiro being the killer more.
"Now, if Taka was killed around 6, then everyone's alibis for his murder go out the window." Kyoko declared. "Because when he was killed, we haven't met up in the dining hall yet."
"Yes!" Hiro cried out with joy. "Now none of you can say I did it because I have no alibi!"
"Do not forget Hifumi's murder." Celeste retorted. "While there's no alibi for Taka's now, everyone's alibi still holds for Hifumi's. All except you and Kyoko."
"Yep, yep, yep! We're all in the clear!" Jill bopped her head rapidly.
"That may be the case of Taka's murder…" Sakura accepted. "But all our alibis still hold true for Hifumi's death."
"That's right… with him at least, we're all safe…" Hina sighed. "When we heard Hifumi screaming, we were all together. Except for Hiro and Kyoko. Then we all ran down to the nurse's office, and that's where we found his body…"
"That's totally true! We're all in the clear!" Jill agreed.
"It's true for now." Byakuya conceded. "But are you sure those alibis will hold up later?"
"Right now, I'm not sure of anything." The baseball star groaned. "Nothing would surprise me at this point."
"Yeah. This whole double murder case is getting more and more complicated by the minute." Hina groaned, holding her head. "Is every trial gonna get more and more confusing?"
"I doubt that will happen, Hina." Sayaka assured the swimmer. Though hopefully, they won't have to worry about any more trials. Half the class is already dead. Sayaka shuddered a bit as she finished that thought.
"Oh, I know!" Hiro quickly spoke up. "They must've recorded him screaming on a tape or something, then played it later on!"
"If that's true, then where's the tape?" Hina asked.
"I dunno." Was the fortune teller's plain response.
Once again, palms were reunited with face. ""Hiro, dude, just shut up." Leon told him once more. "You're not helping your case at all…"
"Why?" Hiro looked confused at that. "It makes sense, doesn't it?"
"That kind of theory holds way to many questions and holes, Hiro…" Makoto sighed. "Not to mention we haven't even seen a tape."
"Don't just go makin' stuff up!" Hina exclaimed in annoyance.
"Anyway, we all have rock-solid alibis for when we heard Hifumi scream." Sakura stated, getting back on track. "Since all of us were together, clearly none of us could have killed him."
"And it does not stop there." Celeste spoke up. "There was also the moment when we discovered his body had disappeared. When his body vanished from the nurse's office, Hina and I were in the bathroom together, while everyone else was in the equipment room, correct? And then there's the disappearance of Taka's body from the equipment room. At that time, we were all gathered together in the nurse's office because of Hifumi going missing."
"Well, don't forget, I was passed out in the equipment room the whole time!" Jil mentioned.
"Wait, then what if Genocide Jill did it?!" Hiro quickly suggested. "She could've dragged Taka's body out of there right then!"
"Did we not just establish that she was passed out in the equipment room?" Byakuya deadpanned. "She wasn't in a position to carry either bodies."
"Yeah!" Jill agreed. "So don't go framing the serial killer!"
"Even if she could pull that off, there's no way she could have done the same with Hifumi's body." Byakuya refuted. "Because, as we established, she was passed out in the equipment room when his body disappeared."
"Besides, I didn't do either of 'em anyway!" Jill added needlessly.
"In other words, it is impossible that any of us could have killed Hifumi, or moved either of the bodies." Celeste stated. "On the other hand, Hiro and Kyoko had disappeared. So they most certainly could have done those things."
"Hmm… so what now, Kyoko?" Makoto inquired.
"For now, we can't get fixated on who did it, or we'll just keep going around in circles." Kyoko answered. "So instead of the 'who', I propose we start talking about the 'how'. In particular, I think we need to figure out how Hifumi's body got moved."
"Yes, because that's the most pressing question now." Taka agreed, holding his chin in thought. "No offense to Hifumi, but he isn't exactly light."
"And he doesn't have the benefit of a dolly rolling him up to the repository." Sayaka added.
Byakuya smirked, while Kyoko and Makoto glanced at one another. This is where the direction of the trial will be steered.
"That's true. We searched everywhere, but we couldn't figure out how to explain his body disappearing." Makoto said in agreement. "And according to what Celeste said, his body apparently disappeared in the one minute her and Hina took their eyes off it. But to carry that much weight from the 1st floor up to the 3rd, in that short amount of time…"
"...Oh man, yeah! There's no way! It'd be impossible!" Hiro exclaimed.
"The only one who could've carried him was Sakura." Mukuro mused. "But she was with Byakuya and Toko when the body disappeared. And neither Hiro or Kyoko would be able to carry that much weight."
"So how the fuck did it happen then?" Mondo questioned in aggravation. "Cause it goddamned happen!"
Junko had to bite back a grin. Oh, there reaction is gonna be good!
Mukuro, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes in thought. All possible scenarios out of the question… the only thing she could possibly think was the victim moving himself. Could that mean… that he was actually playing dead?
"Well, what if I told you there was a way to make the impossible possible?" Kyoko asked them.
"What?" Hina's eyes widen at this. "How?!"
"If the dead body… were to move itself." Kyoko declared.
At that, those who haven't figured out were completely shocked. "What?" Taka shouted.
"D-Did Kyoko just say, t-the body m-m-moved on it's own?!" Hina stuttered in fear.
"T-That shouldn't be possible!" Chihiro exclaimed, shaking.
"I did not expect you of all people to believe in the occult..." Sakura said.
"N-Nooo! Not more gh-gh-ghosts!" Hiro screamed in terror.
"That's more like a zombie dude!" Leon retorted, looking disturbed himself.
Varying degrees of shocked, disturbed, and fearful looks were displayed amongst the group. Sayaka instinctively clinged onto Makoto's arm tightly, while Mondo's anger was momentarily wiped away, shock overriding it instead.
The victim in question had his eyes as wide as dinner plates and skin as white as a sheet. "Are you saying I'm a zombie?!"
"No. It as nothing to do with the paranormal or necromancy." Byakuya answered. "Just keep watching, and you'll get your answer."
"Huh…?" Was all Makoto could say.
"Th-The dead body m-moved on its own?!" Hina stuttered in fear.
"N-N-N-No! Not another gh-gh-gh-ghooooooost!" Hiro screamed in terror.
"I don't think it has anything to do with the occult." Byakuya refuted. "I think what she's implying is, we thought Hifumi was dead, but perhaps in reality he was still alive."
"He was… alive?" Sayaka gasped, eyes wide. "Like actually alive?!"
"What. The. Fuck?" Was all Mondo could say.
"But… no!" Hina protested, her voice shaking. "They found his body! He was dead!"
"Perhaps he was just faking his death." Mukuro suggested. That would definitely explain the abnormal amount of blood at the nurse's office, as well as the changes with the corpse.
Hifumi could only look dumbfounded. His future self was alive? He was still breathing in the nurse's office?
"He was… alive?!" Hina gasped in disbelief.
"Are you saying Hifumi wasn't carried out of the nurse's office, but simply walked out on his own?" Sakura asked, disbelief also in her tone.
"But I mean… we found his body!" Hina shakily protested. "He was dead!"
"Perhaps he was simply playing dead." Byakuya said in response.
"No, that… that isn't possible!" Celeste, who was sitting in shock silence, spoke up. Some noticed a waver in her voice, as well as her facial expression. "He was dead! There's no doubt!"
That got more than a few worried looks. "Celeste…" Chihiro was the first to hesitantly speak. "Are you alright? You look… troubled."
Indeed. From her usual pleasant smile or poker face, Celeste actually looked a bit of rattled.
Hearing that, and feeling that her mask slipped, she put back on a smile. However, it was shaky. "I am fine. Just… a bit upset from this scenario."
"Is that so?" Byakuya inquired. He could see the cracks forming in Celeste's facade. "And what makes it so disbelieving?"
"Why would he fake his death? How could he fake his death?" Celeste listed off. "And we all heard the body discovery announcement. That all but confirms he's dead."
"Are you so sure about that?" Was Byakuya's response.
"That… it isn't possible…!" Celeste protested.
The non-stop debate started once more, with Sakura being the first to speak. "Are you saying that when we first found Hifumi in the nurse's office, there's a chance he was actually still alive?"
"No… it is impossible." Celeste refuted. "Hifumi was dead, without a doubt."
"And you know that how?" Kyoko asked.
"Surely you heard the body discovery announcement along with the rest of us…" Celeste pointed out. "Hifumi's dead body had been found, and that is why the announcement was made."
'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Was the body discovery announcement that was made really intended for Hifumi?"
"Of course it was." Celeste scoffed. "The announcement was played right after we discovered the body."
"Maybe, but that was also the same time that Taka's body was found." Makoto pointed out.
"That's true." Chihiro said, thinking about it. "Both groups managed to find both bodies at the same time."
"So it's a good chance that we've messed up whether the announcement was for Hifumi or Taka." Makoto stated.
"Can it be for both?" Leon asked. "Monokuma probaby just got lazy and just did one."
"Maybe. But I doubt it." Makoto replied back.
"That's right. It wasn't long after finding his body that we heard the announcement." Byakuya confirmed.
"So there's a good chance we've made a mistake in there somewhere." Makoto mused. "I think we've confused whether the announcement was for Hifumi or Taka."
"First of all, if two bodies had been found, there really should have been two announcements." Byakuya pointed out.
"Maybe Monokuma simply got lazy and rolled them into one…" Celeste quickly suggested.
"What do you say, Monokuma?" The heir asked the bear himself. "Any comment?"
"Well, it's a very sensitive issue, so I can't get into too much detail…" Monokuma began. "But what I can say about the body discovery announcement is that it's only broadcast when three or more people find a dead body for the first time!"
Mondo's eyes twitched in annoyance. "Well that told us goddamned nothing."
"Yeah. We want to know if he was a lazy bum." Hiro sighed.
"That didn't answer our question, man!" Hiro complained. "We're asking if you're a lazy bum!"
"No, actually, that was plenty." Byakuya cut in.
"Huh?" Was Hiro response.
Some of the students shared the same sentiment. "How is it enough?" Taka inquired. "That doesn't seem to tell us anything."
"Actually, it makes sense to me." Makoto admitted, causing heads to turn to him.
"Indeed. Monokuma's statement is helpful." Kyoko added, causing heads to swivel towards her now.
Hina's puffed her cheek out at this. "Can't you guys just act like you're just as confused?" She whined. "You're making me feel stupid!"
"Sorry Hina." Makoto replied sheepishly, while Kyoko and Byakuya gave no response.
Both Chihiro and Mukuro decided not to say anything. The former, because he didn't want to embarrass Hina more, and the latter, because she felt that she didn't need to say anything.
"He said it's only broadcast when a body is discovered 'for the first time'." Byakuya repeated. "Which means, even if we found the same body again later, he won't make the same announcement again. If that's true, then why was the announcement made again later on?"
More eyes finally lit up in realization. "Oh, yeah! The body discovery played again when they re-found Taka's and Hifumi's body." Sayaka realized. "I didn't think anything about it when it happened. Just thought it was to signal that the bodies has been found again."
"But now, it contradicts what Monokuma told us." Chihiro murmured loudly. "If the bodies were just being re-discovered, then that announcements wouldn't have played."
"So if Monokuma's words hold true…" Mukuro spoke up. "Then that would mean one of those bodies was being discovered for the first time."
"Exactly." Makoto nodded at this. "And we all know that Taka has already died. Which leaves Hifumi as the only option."
"Huh? Later on?!" Jill asked in confusion.
"Exactly. We heard the body discovery announcement twice." Makoto stated. "We heard it a second time in the repository when we rediscovered the two bodies. It didn't seem weird at the time… but it contradicts what Monokuma just told us, doesn't it?"
"Exactly." Byakuya voiced his agreement. "If we were actually rediscovering both bodies, the announcement shouldn't have played."
"Then in reality, when the two dead bodies were rediscovered… one of them was actually being discovered for the first time!" Makoto proclaimed.
"So when we found Hifumi the first time in the nurse's office, he wasn't actually dead yet…" Sakura mused. "Meaning he wasn't actually found dead until we came upon him in the repository."
"So… future me was alive in the nurse's office?" Hifumi questioned, shocked. "But… but, why? Why did he fake his death?"
"Hold a moment, Hifumi." Celeste stopped him, her words coming a bit too quick. "It's not for certain that he was faking his death. We don't have enough evidence."
Byakuya scoffed. "The body announcement alone is evidence enough." The heir replied. "But if that's not enough, there's plenty more."
"And that's just part of it…" Makoto said. "There's one other thing that leads me to believe he was still alive in the nurse's office…"
"Oh! Oh! I know! I know!" Jill exclaimed eagerly, raising a hand. "Because he was super good at playing dead! Badda-bing badda-boom!"
"That is the worst logic I've ever heard…" Celeste deadpanned. "But honestly, I do not think there's anything that can prove he was still alive."
"Ok then, let's take another look at the events surrounding the discovery of his body." Kyoko suggested. "Then it should become clear whether he was really alive or not."
"This whole thing is pointless…" Celeste sighed.
Mukuro focused her eyes on Celeste. She's been arguing against Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya from the start, fighting against any hypothesis they make. When more people start leaning to the idea that Hiro didn't do it, she was quick to bring up seemingly indisputable evidence.
It was quite uncharacteristic of her to fight a losing battle like this, and it only made Mukuro more suspicious.
The non-stop debate started up once again, with Hina speaking first. "Well here's one thing we do know…" She stated. "The first time we found Hifumi's body was in the nurse's office. And then, while me and Celeste were in the bathroom, his body disappeared!"
"And the next time we saw his body…" Byakuya continued. "It was in the repository."
"But when you compare his body before being moved, and his body after being moved…" Celeste spoke up. "Other than the change in how it was positioned, there was no notable difference."
"No, that's wrong!" The bullet was shot as eyes turned towards Makoto. "In fact, there was one clear difference between Hifumi in the nurse's office and the repository…" He stated. "His glasses. That fact alone proves he was only playing dead in the beginning."
"...Perhaps you like to fill the rest of us in?" Celeste asked in annoyance.
"Yeah, what about his glasses that is so important?" Hina asked.
"If you had paid close attention, you would've seen the difference." Byakuya remarked. "And the question would not have been needed."
Before Hina could retort angrily, Makoto quickly spoke up. "Everyone was pretty overwhelmed with what we're seeing." The luckster said in defense. "You can't blame Hina and some of the others for not noticing certain things."
Byakuya tsked, but didn't say anything else. A few grateful smiles were sent the luckster's way, to which he gave a modest one back.
"When we found Hifumi in the nurse's office, his glasses were covered in blood." Makoto explained. "But when we found him again later in the repository, they were spotless."
"And! I found the item he used to wipe them clean in the nurse's office trash can!" He pulled his e-Handbook up before showing everyone the evidence. "It was a glasses cleaning cloth featuring a certain anime mascot! One look at the bloodstain on the cloth should make things clear. This piece of cloth was used to wipe Hifumi's glasses clean.
"And the mascot on the cloth is the same one that's on the digital camera, right?" He then showed the camera, alongside the cloth, on the handbook. "And whose digital camera was it? Hifumi's, of course…"
"The character was… Princess Piggles, from Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess I think…" Hina remembered.
"I highly doubt anyone but Hifumi would have brought something like this to school…" Makoto continued.
"That's true." Leon agreed. "The only other people with glasses are Byakuya and Toko, and I doubt either of them would use that thing."
"Definitely not."
"A few tissues is good enough for me!"
"I see your point." Sakura accepted. "And the only people here who wear glasses are…"
"I wouldn't be caught dead using a tacky piece of garbage like that." Byakuya stated in disgust.
"A few tissues is all I need to keep my glasses clean!" Jill stated nonchalantly.
Hifumi would've grumbled about neither Byakuya nor Toko having good sense of taste, if his mind wasn't too preoccupied to the growing possibility of his future self faking his dead. And wondering why on earth he would do that.
"...Then there's no question - it belonged to Hifumi." Makoto stated confidently.
"Mm, mm…" Hiro hummed. "So what you're saying is… what exactly?"
"What I'm saying is, the blood on his glasses was wiped away using his own glasses cleaning cloth." Makoto explained.
"Even if that is true, it does not mean he wiped the blood off himself." Celeste interjected.
"Uh, who else would clean his glasses?" Junko pointed out. "And why? They don't need them."
"That's true. The only one who would benefit from glasses are the owners." Makoto agreed.
"But who would benefit from a clean pair of glasses, other than the glasses' owner?" Makoto pointed out.
"That's a good point…" Sakura agreed.
"Then it must've him… right?" Hiro said unsurely.
"So let's assume that Hifumi was still alive in the nurse's office." Kyoko suggested. "He pretends to be dead, then when he's alone, he wipes his glasses clean so he can see, then he stands up and walks out on his own two feet. And with that, the impossible task of moving his copious corpse… becomes possible, wouldn't you say?"
"When they say all that, it does make sense." Sayaka admitted. "A lot of sense, really."
"But then, why did he fake his death in the first place?" Hina asked. "And what's up with all that blood?"
"Probably came from one of the blood transfusion packs in the fridge." Makoto answered. "Guess Monokuma kept some in there. As for why… well, it'll probably be explored in the trial."
Sayaka looked at Makoto with narrowed eyes. "You don't seem all that surprised by this." She turned eyes to Kyoko and Byakuya. "Neither of you three do. How much do you all know?"
"More than enough…" Byakuya answered. "To see where this trial is going." Both Makoto and Kyoko nodded.
"So do you know whether or not I didn't do it?" Hiro asked hopefully.
"Let's put it this way." Kyoko decided to answer. "With Hifumi still being alive in the nurse's office, and having died in the repository… it can lead to a variety of scenarios."
Hifumi himself was feeling a wide range of emotions. Even he couldn't figure out what exactly he was feeling from this. Was this how his dead classmates felt when they went through this?
And why did his future self played dead? Why was he killed in the repository? What was he even doing in the first place? The lack of an answer only made him more afraid to find out.
Chihiro, meanwhile, felt his mind coming back to the possibility… of Hifumi being a part of the murder. And the possibility is now growing stronger.
"But then, if he was pretending to be dead… what was with all that blood?" Hina asked hesitantly. "Was it paint or somethin'?"
"The fridge in the nurse's office contains packs of blood for emergencies. He probably used one of those." Kyoko deduced.
"He figured if he was gonna play dead, he should go all-out! So he just dumped it everywhere!" Jill stated wildly. "But he got crazy with it, and had to wipe his glasses off when he was done! God, what an idiot!"
"And if Hifumi was still alive at that point, the disappearance of Taka's body is explained." Kyoko stated. "It should be perfectly obvious who must have moved Taka's corpse…"
The pit in Hifumi's stomach grew deeper, while Celeste gripped her skirt tightly, teeths clenched insider her mouth. Realization slowly set in some of the student eyes as they process that.
"It could only have been Hifumi." Makoto answered for Kyoko.
Hifumi felt his blood turn cold. He knew what moving Taka's body meant, and it disturbed him to his core.
"How… can you be so sure about that?" Celeste asked, her voice higher than usual. "What would make sure that Hifumi is the one who moved Taka's body?"
"It's makes the most sense, Celeste." Makoto said softly. "Everything we know, what we talked about, leads to this conclusion."
"While we were all gathered in the nurse's office, he went to the equipment room and took Taka's body…" Byakuya said in agreement.
"That also explains how the door to the repository got locked." Makoto added.
"The door was locked?" Jill asked, tilting her head.
"Well, after the bodies disappeared, we all went looking for them, right?" Hina decided to explain. "So me and Sakura headed for the repository. But when we got there, the door was locked!"
"And the repository door can only be locked from the inside." Makoto pointed out."Which means, when Hina and Sakura got to the repository, someone was already inside."
"And it could only have been Hifumi, who'd just finished stashing Taka's body there." Byakuya stated.
"He convinced us all that he was dead, and when he saw his chance, he dragged Taka's body to the repository." Kyoko began to conclude. "So, Hifumi wasn't just another victim in this case - he was one of the assailants."
At first, many of them were stunned. But then horror and disbelief slowly set in. "You mean… he helped kill Taka?" Leon spat out in shock.
"He took part in this whole crime…?!" Sayaka questioned, eyes wide.
Makoto nodded, his eyes closed. "That's right.."
Chihiro covered his mouth in horror, while Taka merely clenched his fist, uncertain how to react right now. Mondo, however, didn't feel that uncertainty and instead, felt anger.
That fat bastard was an accomplice in his friend's murder? And he dared to accuse him of being the killer?!
"B-But…" Sakura stuttered. "That means he took part in the murders…!"
"I… I just can't believe it…" Hina whispered, a bit pale.
"Agreed, future me…" The present swimmer said in agreement, looking a bit pale herself. "I mean, why would he do that?" She turned to Hifumi, who looked to be in-shock. "Hifumi, do you know why?"
"I… I don't." Honestly, he couldn't even think as to why. After all, his future self should know that there's no benefit in working with anyone. So why would he assist in a murder?
"The answer is probably at end the end of the trial, if not during it." Byakuya surmised. "But if I had to guess, it probably had to do with Hifumi's and Taka's rivalry."
That drew a flinch from the fanfic creator. He didn't forget how he accused Taka of killing his future self, right before seeing the moral compass dead himself. Seeing this now… made him feel a bit of a hypocrite.
"If you're having trouble, would you like me to show you one more piece of evidence?" Kyoko suggested.
"Th-There's more?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah! What else is there?" Leon questioned, baffled.
"Something my future self found before the trial." Kyoko hinted at.
Chihiro, Mukuro, Sayaka, and Sakura quickly connected the dots. 'The note.'
"Oh, absolutely." Kyoko stated confidently. "The single biggest fact pointing to his involvement has yet to be revealed." She then turned towards Makoto. "You know what I'm talking about, right Makoto? The item he took off of Taka's lifeless body?"
"You're talking about the note Hifumi had hidden away, aren't you?" Makoto deduced.
"A… hidden note?" Hina said in confusion.
"That's right." Makoto nodded. "We found it stuffed in his pants."
"What?!" Hina's eyes widen in shock. "In his…"
"...pants?!" Jill finished off.
"Not to mention Kyoko digging through his pants." Leon remarked with a grimace. "Still can't believe she did that."
"Without hesitation." Sayaka added with a shudder.
"I still don't see the problem." Kyoko said with a raised eyebrow. The evidence was there, so she needed to get it.
Byakuya snickered to himself. It's amusing, seeing Kyoko looking so confused to the simplicity of their classmates' thinking.
"Hrm. Yes. His pants…" Sakura said thoughtfully.
"Okay, well, let's forget about the pants for now." Makoto suggested. "Take a look at what the note says…" He pulled out the note and presented for everyone to see.
Once read, Hiro quickly spoke up. "Ah! That's the note I was telling you about! The one that told me where to go!" However, just as he said that, he processed what was written. "...Huh? Wait, this one's a little different. In my note, it said 'Monokuma can't find out, so don't tell anyone else for now. Let's meet in the rec room at 1 a.m.'"
"I see… then this note isn't the same one Hiro got." Makoto stated.
"It's… not the same?" Hiro asked in befuddlement.
"In other words, the killer got in touch with another besides Hiro." Makoto continued. "And that person could only have been Taka! The killer used this note to draw out Taka and murder him!"
"And if Hifumi was the one to take the note, then it's more than likely that he was the one to place the deathblow." Byakuya stated in musing.
That did not make Hifumi feel any better. "I… killed somebody?"
"H-Hold on!" Celeste spoke up, her voice hasty. "What makes you think the note belongs to Taka? It was in Hifumi's pants, wasn't it? It was probably meant for him." However, even as she said it, she knew that argument was weak.
"Yeah!" Jill agreed. "I mean, if Huffy had the note, it must've been for him! Not for Tick-Tock!"
"When Taka was the one to be killed in the equipment room, at six in the morning?" Kyoko pointed out. "That's too much of a coincidence to conclude that the note was meant for Hifumi."
"Plus, there was the scrap that Taka held." Makoto added. "That scrap must belong to that note, which had a piece missing on the bottom."
"Ooh yeeeaaaah." Jill said in remembrance. "I forgot about those bity details!"
Celeste couldn't argue with those reasons, and didn't try to attempt to. But a deep frown held on her face.
"Hello. Over here! Objection! Objection!" Jill protested. "I don't really understand what's going on, but… Hifumi had the letter, right? So whoever wrote it wasn't drawing out Tick-Tock! They were drawing out Huffy!"
"Umm… just to be clear, Tick Tock is Taka and Huffy is Hifumi… right?" Hina inquired hesitantly.
"Ugh, yes!" Jill confirmed in annoyance. "Why must you ruin it EVERY TIME?!"
"Ruin what?!" Hina exclaimed in confusion. "What am I ruining?!"
"You know what!"
"No! No I don't!"
The non-stop debate started up once again, with Jill being the first to speak. "Huffy had the note, right?" She asked rhetorically. "Then the person it was intended for must have been Huffy!"
"But remember what the note said." Kyoko pointed out. "What time did it say to meet?"
"6 a.m., I believe…" Sakura recalled.
"The time doesn't matter!" Jill retorted. "The note has nothing to do with Tick-Tock!"
'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "No, there absolutely is a connection!" He stated in confidence.
"Wh-?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Jill demanded angrily.
"The note said to meet at 6 a.m., which is the same time Taka was murdered." Makoto pointed out. "We've already proven that with his wristwatch. But there's more - look where the note says to meet." He held up the note once again. "The equipment room, right?"
"Which is where Taka was killed." Sakura recalled. "I see…"
"So, Taka was murdered at both the time and place written in the note." Makoto stated. "I think that should be plenty to show that this note was definitely meant for Taka!"
"Hmm… well, when you put it like that…no further objections!" Jill ended that sentence with her usual insane laughter.
"So, I guess we can conclude that the note Hiro spoke about is real…" Mukuro mused. "And the culprit and Hifumi lured both him and Taka for their scheme."
"We can also conclude that Hifumi made the suit, along with the hammers." Byakuya continued. "He also moved Taka's body, once he fooled us into thinking he died in the nurse's office."
"The culprit and Hifumi placed the blueprints and materials in Hiro's room in order to frame him," Kyoko added. "Also ensured he couldn't escape from the suit, so everyone could see him in it."
"And if Hifumi died in the depository, then the alibis for the nurse's office are gone to." Chihiro spoke up softly.
"But there's still a few unanswered questions." Makoto stated. "And when those questions are answered… it'll be clear who the killer is." Before he could stop himself, Makoto sneaked a peek at Celeste.
The gambler have difficulty keeping up a poker face. A deep, anxious frown was set on her face, with her fist clenching over her skirt, and her body rigid. Her facial features was contorting a little, as if trying to keep hidden how much this trial is actually affecting her.
And if the luckster have to guess, then she was definitely having a hard time accepting this.
And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. If you haven't voted on my top 3 Danganronpa character poll yet, do so. And again, if this story end up missing, blame Critics United. But like I said, I hope not. I rather not lose all the favorites, follows, and reviews you guys have given me, and having to re-post all 61 chapters would be a pain. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.
A Lucky Soldier's response to the question above:
Well my favourite character in the whole series is definitely Mukuro. Aside from Mukuro for DR1, I guess my next favourite will be Junko. There's a lot unknown about the despair sisters, and I really like using my imagination to fill in the holes which is why they are the most interesting to me and thus my favourite. Also, I can't get over how funny and interesting a school life Junko would be if she wasn't all despair crazed.
DR2 I will hand it to Koizumi Mahiru. Arguably a very underrated character in DR2 but I got to say, her FTEs were the best in my opinion. Double points for Tsundere.
Favourite in UDG is probably going to be Kotoko Utsugi. I like her character growth (although not a lot) in the game, and her sudden change of heart later in on. Also, her back story is just downright tragic so there we go.
V3, I'll hand it to Kirumi Tojo. Badass Maid that can theoretically do anything? Automatic win. Although sucks she didn't make it out though.
Just in case I'll also do DR3 anime soo... favourite in Future arc is unsurprisingly Kyoko (to which I think they really made her role perform well)and if we're not counting previous characters, then I really liked Yukizome Chisa. She would've made a great support character if it weren't for what happened to her and even still, just thinking about it haunts me.
DR3 Despair arc is pretty much DR2 so favourite is still Koizumi Mahiru.
And worst character? In the whole series or each game? Guess I'll answer both haha
DR1: Hate to say it but it's gotta be Hagakure Yasuhiro. His role in general is basically comic relief and sure he gets involved in CH3, but even still, he plays less of a role than Hina and I just can't seem to think why is he there at certain points of the story.
DR2: Might be a surprise but I'm gonna have to say Monomi. She was kinda annoying to me and I mean I guess she was there for the Monokuma sketches and the end but still, for much the same reason I didn't like Hiro was the fact that she didn't contribute much. I don't really like characters who were there for the sake of being there.
DR3: Bandai. I guess you're starting to see a pattern here. Guy had even less screen time than Mukuro did in the first game and she did more than this guy.
UDG: Can't really say I have a worst character here since I think every character played their role decently despite a few being questionable at times (like Haiji Towa). But if I had a gun to my head, I'll just name Masaru Daimon since he impacted me the least.
V3: Might be a surprise, might not be, but it's going to be a tie between Rantaro and Tsumugi. Rantaro for much of the same reason as Bandai and sure he has his twist in the story, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that compelling. As for Tsumugi, she calls herself a plain girl and that's literally what she is which was quite a disappointment even though she turned out to be what she was.
Whole series worst character? I still gotta give it to Hiro. Guy does nearly nothing significant in the first game, and gets completely side-lined in DR3 like at that point, why even put him there am i right? I mean, he probably doesn't even deserve the amount of disapproval I have against him but I just can't help it.
And that's it! My opinions here are definitely not the most popular (Especially Mahiru and maybe the despair sisters) but everyone has their own opinions. It always feels nice to share them and read them too so if you guys want to share, do so in the reviews! I'll be reading them.