"So… you've finally said it."
Sayua muttered those words after Masashi had accused her of being Sorao's killer. A few of the others such as Kasumi and Takumi looked quite surprised, but Sayua seemed fairly indifferent, judging from her voice and her straight posture. She stood still with a blank face even when the others looked at her with the silent expectation that she explain herself.
"Sayua?" Masashi said. "Why are you… acting like that?"
"Acting like what?"
"I thought that after being accused, you'd be a bit more… upset."
"In fact, I've noticed that you've been quieter this time around," Haruyuki added. "You've not really contributed much to the conversation. But formerly, you liked to butt in with your reckless speculation and accusations."
Sayua glowered at the charge against her. "You think I'm guilty just because I've decided to shut my mouth for once? Pfft, that's no argument! And besides, there's one thing you haven't even clarified, and you haven't even noticed! Honestly, Haruyuki, you suck."
Haruyuki sighed, his annoyance seeming more to do with the childish words than with the substance of her argument. "And what is that thing you speak of?"
Sayua scoffed, setting her arms on her hips. "The part about me trying to abduct Sorao in his room. You're saying that I tried to abduct him by knocking him out, only for him to snatch one of the Simulation Room keys from me and run away?"
"That's more or less what has been suggested, yes."
"Sure, I admit that it could've happened… But…"
Sayua looked daggers at him as she crossed her arms. "What about the time when I went to Sorao's room? You can't say for sure I'm the culprit unless you tell me what time it was!"
Huh? Masashi thought. That's... not what I expected for her argument. Why's she arguing about the time of all things?
Haruyuki looked unfazed by this new topic. "Very well, then. We know at the very least what time it happened after. Do any of you remember what time the culprit attacked Faye and Maiha?"
"It was… 7:10 PM, according to Monokuma," Faye answered. "So Sayua simply tried to kidnap Sorao after 7:10 PM. What's the problem with that?"
"Just hold on a minute! You're missing something else!" Sayua replied. "To get to Sorao's room, I have to pass through the dining room in the woodland kingdom, right?"
"Yes, and in fact, Masashi, Takumi, and I were there for much of the time. And we saw you come in from the main deck," Haruyuki said. "I believe that the time was 7:15 PM."
"So since Lady Sayua came in from the outside… she must've gone to Sorao's room after 7:15 PM!" Takumi said. "We would've noticed her if she had come earlier!"
"And she went down to the lower decks," Haruyuki added. "Then around 7:30 PM, she came back up to us and asked us to launch Arashi's remaining fireworks, as part of an attempt to reach out to the outside world. We launched the fireworks out on the main deck."
"Afterwards, we waited for a few minutes, and then she accompanied us to the Neptune Clubroom," Masashi said.
"Now that I think about it, that was really, really suspicious!" Takumi said. "Why did she make us go to the Neptune Clubroom?"
Maiha crossed her arms. "I think her true purpose was quite clear: to ensure that you should not be in the way before she tried to abduct Sorao. If you had still been in the dining room, transporting Sorao to the Simulation Room while undetected would've been impossible."
Takumi gasped, covering his mouth with both hands. "N-No way! Th-That's why...?"
"Personally, I thought there was something suspicious when she had appeared earlier," Haruyuki added. "She seemed to be slightly agitated, and I suspect she must've realized how she had come off."
"Suspicious, me?" Sayua snorted as she set a hand on one of the fringes of her blond hair. "You're out of your mind. I wasn't doing anything funny, moron."
No… you're definitely hiding something, even if you're trying to pretend otherwise, Masashi thought. And yet… why do I have a strange feeling about this? Something's off about this…
"That's what you say, but it's clear what you did," Haruyuki said confidently. "The timing's no problem at all."
Nonstop Debate
"You were planning to go to Sorao's room and abduct him," Haruyuki began. "But Masashi, Takumi, and I were in the dining room."
"With their presence, it was too risky for you to begin the abduction," Maiha said. "You must've spent some time thinking of a plan to drive us away."
"So you came up with the fireworks show and had us go to the Neptune Clubroom!" Takumi said.
"That's a very clever trick, if I have to admit!" Kasumi added.
"The fireworks show was at 7:30 PM," Haruyuki said. "And we went to the Neptune Clubroom at 7:45 PM."
"That's right!" Takumi said. "And then Sayua left us! She was all by herself at that point!"
"Then it's clear," Faye said. "Sayua must've tried to abduct Sorao after 7:45 PM."
Truth Bullet Chosen (Refute): Kasumi's Account (1)
No, that's wrong!
"Wait a minute… Sayua couldn't have done it after 7:45 PM," Masashi said. "After all… Sorao was no longer in his room at that time."
"Wh-What?" Faye said. "How can you be so sure about that?"
"That's because Kasumi had already encountered him by then. She said that she had gone to the Simulation Room and had seen him at 7:40 PM."
"Oh yeah, that's right!" Kasumi gasped. "Then… Sorao must've left his room before 7:40 PM!"
"Precisely. That's long before the coast became clear for Sayua to do whatever she wanted without being noticed," Masashi said. "So… that's why she couldn't have done it after the fireworks show!"
"I-I don't get it!" Takumi said, looking frazzled. "How does that show she's not the culprit?!"
"There was only one time when Sayua could've gone to Sorao's room to abduct him: after the fireworks show ended at 7:45 PM," Masashi said, astonishment still in his voice. "But we proved that Sorao was already at the Simulation Room at the time. It's all thanks to Kasumi's testimony… She encountered him at 7:40 PM."
Takumi gulped. "Um, Lady Kasumi? Are you sure you had the time right?"
"Of course I am! I'm absolutely positively sure!" Kasumi added, looking quite confused. "But what this phantom thief doesn't understand is how Sorao got out of his room, then!"
"Looks to me you were never on the right track," Sayua said with a smug look. "Maybe you should think things over from the beginning!"
"I-I can't believe it!" Maiha said, letting out a short grunt. "To think that that moron of a cheerleader has not been proven guilty yet!"
"I'm admittedly surprised as well… this certainly wasn't what I expected of this case…" Haruyuki said, glancing to the side with a puzzled expression.
Sayua smirked once more and bore a relaxed stance. "Yeah, well, looks like you underestimated me! Despite what you may think, I'm not dumb, you know!"
So that's why she wasn't fazed at all when I accused her. She must've remembered the time when Kasumi saw Sorao and guessed what we would say, Masashi thought. Still, now what? If Sayua didn't try to abduct Sorao after the fireworks show, then how did Sorao leave his room in the first place?
"Um… could I say something?"
It was Takumi, who was raising his hand.
"What is it?" Masashi asked.
"I've been thinking… are we sure what Sayua says is right?" the storyteller said. "She said that she could've done it only after 7:45 PM, but maybe that's wrong!"
"Wh-What?" Sayua said, eyeing him with some surprise. "Wh-What are you saying? That's the only possible time!"
"I'm not sure, though. Lady Kasumi said that she'd seen Sorao in the Simulation Room at 7:40 PM… so doesn't that simply mean that Sayua must've tried to kidnap him before 7:40 PM?"
"Ah… you have a point there," Haruyuki said, looking astonished once more. "It's perfectly possible that Sayua went to Sorao's door after 7:15 PM and tried to abduct him then."
"Gah…" Sayua grumbled as she glared at Takumi. "Why, you little…"
"But that still doesn't answer the question of how Sorao fled to the Simulation Room without being noticed," Maiha pointed out. "He had no opportunity to slip past you, Masashi, and Takumi in the dining room, did he?"
"Maybe… we're not quite correct," Masashi said.
"Are you saying that there was an opportunity?"
"It's possible," Masashi added. "I think… maybe we should think over that part again. Maybe Sorao found a way to slip past the three of us."
"Wh-What?" Sayua looked a little rattled. "You're only wasting your time!"
That reaction of hers… she's definitely not faking it… Masashi thought. That must mean we're on the right track, and there's a trick to this all along!
Nonstop Debate
"Sorao must have already fled from his room before 7:40 PM," Faye said. "After all, Kasumi saw Sorao in the Simulation Room at that time."
"But how did Sorao slip past the three of us in the dining room?" Takumi asked, cocking his head to the side. "Did he… use some kind of magic?"
Maiha sighed out of frustration. "The solution is grounded in reality. He must've found another way to go up to the main deck without going through the dining room."
"Or perhaps there was a moment when our eyes were directed elsewhere, and he could've slipped past us," Haruyuki said.
"Or maybe he used camouflage, and you didn't notice him!" Kasumi suggested.
"I… doubt he could somehow blend into the walls," Faye replied, eyeing her with bewilderment.
Truth Bullet Chosen (Agree): Fireworks Show
I agree with that!
"Haruyuki, you're right! There was a moment when our attention wasn't on the room!" Masashi replied. "During the fireworks show, we were looking up at the fireworks!"
Takumi gasped. "That's right! They were really, really pretty like a knight riding his horse across a field while he's on fire!"
"Just what kind of metaphor is that supposed to be?" Kasumi remarked.
Maiha grumbled in frustration. "Haruyuki, is it true that all of you were looking up at the fireworks?"
The art critic nodded. "As far as I remember, yes, we were all mesmerized by the sight of the fireworks. We were all standing at the ship's bow, and our backs were turned away from the stairs, so I suppose it's possible for someone to creep to the space station without our being aware."
"That was the only moment before 7:45 PM when Sorao could've crept by us," Masashi said. "And since the fireworks show began at 7:30 PM, Sorao could've gone to the Simulation Room in a matter of minutes. And he could've encountered Kasumi at 7:40 PM!"
"Oh! The timing matches!" Faye exclaimed.
"So it's clear," Masashi said. "Sorao used the fireworks show to his advantage. When we were standing out on the main deck and looking up at the fireworks, he used this chance to creep past us—"
"Hang on a minute!"
It was Sayua.
"Do you even understand what you're yapping about?" she said. It was then that Masashi noticed that there was more confidence not only in her expression but also in her voice. "Have you forgotten why there was a fireworks show in the first place?"
Why we held a fireworks show… Ah!
"You… You were the one who suggested that we launch the fireworks," he said, his confidence in his theory quickly waning.
"Aah!" Kasumi cried out. "But if she's the one… then that doesn't make sense! Why would she have suggested a fireworks show in the first place if she'd been going after Sorao?!"
"Exactly! Fucking exactly!" Sayua replied, sounding bolder and bolder. "And besides… a fireworks show would've helped Sorao sneak off to the space station! Why would I have done something that would help him?!"
"That… would have been rather strange," Faye said. "I don't know what to think anymore… It doesn't seem like Sorao could've crept past you guys with the fireworks show."
"If any other person had suggested the fireworks show, then I could believe that Sorao took advantage of the opportunity," Maiha added. "But it was that cheerleader of all people, the one who was supposed to be pursuing him."
"Either way, you guys agree that I'm innocent, right?" Sayua said smugly. "I wouldn't have suggested doing the fireworks show if I'd been the culprit!"
"She's right…" Faye said resignedly. "If Sayua had been Sorao's attempted abductor, she would've been busy with looking for him, not proposing to do a fireworks show."
"I must agree," Haruyuki added. "I find it hard to accept the premise that Sayua was Sorao's attempted abductor."
Masashi groaned, unable to muster a response. The problem of how Sorao had managed to get to the Simulation Room while undetected had become a major problem for assuming that Sayua had tried to kidnap him. The only way that Sorao had remained unseen was the use of the fireworks show as a distraction, but that fireworks show was suggested by none other than Sayua, his attempted kidnapper. Nothing about it made sense.
Wait a minute…
Masashi widened his eyes after a certain thought arose.
My whole logic assumed that Sayua had tried to abduct Sorao… But what if…
Hangman's Gambit
Question: What was Sayua's true role in the crime?
?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?
Sayua proposed the fireworks show… and Sorao used it to sneak to the space station.
A-C-?-?-?-?-?-?-?-?
Those facts don't have to contradict each other… There's one scenario in which they make sense!
A-C-C-O-M-?-?-?-?-?
Sayua knew that Sorao would use the fireworks show to his advantage!
A-C-C-O-M-P-L-I-?-?
She was helping Sorao all along!
A-C-C-O-M-P-L-I-C-E
The two of them were working together!
ACCOMPLICE
"I can't believe it… but there is one explanation for all this."
Masashi looked at Sayua with a mix of dread and determination. "Sayua… you weren't trying to abduct Sorao in the first place. Rather, you were helping him as his accomplice!"
His accusation drew gasps from everyone without exception. Sayua was the most surprised of them all, looking at him with a gaping mouth.
"Wh-Wh…. WHAT?!" Kasumi cried out. "Sayua… was Sorao's accomplice?!"
Faye stared at him with a completely bewildered expression. "A-Are you crazy?! Mad?! Deranged?!"
"Y-Yeah, are you?!" Takumi asked.
"I know it sounds ridiculous at first, but think about it," Masashi replied, trying to sound as calm as he could, even though he understood everyone's bewilderment. "Proposing to do a fireworks show wouldn't have made sense if she had failed to abduct Sorao and had been chasing after him. But what if she wasn't actually trying to abduct Sorao? What if she was helping him sneak to the space station all along?"
"She intentionally had us do the fireworks show so that Sorao might sneak past us undetected…" Haruyuki muttered, growing in amazement. "To think that she was in cahoots with Sorao all along… how could I have missed such a possibility?"
"It sounds ridiculous, but..." Maiha said, staggered. "I... cannot completely rule it out."
"Th-That is..."
Sayua had merely muttered those words, looking stupefied by his accusation. The fact that she was not reacting in outrage suggested to Masashi enough that he had hit the mark. If he had been wrong, she would have already dismissed it as hogwash.
"If Sayua and Sorao were working together, then that means that a few other things about our theory should be changed," Masashi continued. "After Sayua stole the key to Sorao's room from Maiha, she went to his room… and freed him. They planned to go to the Simulation Room for some reason. But there was a problem: Haruyuki, Takumi, and I were in the dining room. They needed to get past us first."
"So Sayua acted as a distraction," Haruyuki added. "She had us go to the main deck and launch the fireworks, supposedly as part of a last-ditch attempt to reach out to the outside world."
"Then… when the fireworks were launched…" Takumi gasped. "Sorao was on the main deck with us?!"
Masashi nodded. "We didn't notice it at the time, of course, because of Sayua. But by the time we launched all the fireworks, Sorao had already successfully crept to the space station. That is how Sorao managed to go to the Simulation Room without being seen—"
"Just shut up already!"
Sayua slammed her podium with a fist. "Shut up… just shut up! You have no idea how wrong you are!"
"Wrong?" Masashi said. "What part of my theory is wrong?"
"I-Isn't it obvious?!" Sayua said, glaring at him with hateful eyes. "All this time, you keep insisting that I was working with him! But you've forgotten one thing!"
"One thing?"
"W-Well, listen up, dumbass!" Sayua growled, though her aggression felt more forced than usual. "All the crap you're spewing couldn't have been true, not now, not ever!"
Rebuttal Showdown: Sayua Tomi
"If Sorao had worked with an accomplice…" Sayua began. "The two of them would've needed to plan the whole thing out first!
"But you're suggesting that I somehow communicated with him!
"But after that one incident with him days ago... Maiha had forbidden me to do meal duty for him!
"Since then, I hadn't seen Sorao until we saw his dead body!
"So I couldn't have agreed to become his accomplice!"
"Even if Maiha no longer allowed you to go to Sorao's room," Masashi said, "that doesn't mean that no opportunity ever opened up for you."
"Opportunity? What fucking opportunity?!" Sayua said. "Are you suggesting that I broke into his room before tonight?!
"Or did he somehow invite me to his room?
"Oh, but he didn't have his keycard, so it was impossible for him to open the door for me!
"So there was no chance for me to go to his room after all!
"It's impossible that there was an accomplice involved in the case!"
Truth Bullet Chosen: Sorao's Meeting
I'll cut through your words!
"No… there was one chance for you to meet up with Sorao," Masashi said. "Monokuma told me that last night, he agreed to grant Sorao's request to have someone come to his room. Monokuma has the authority to unlock any door here, so a meeting could've been arranged!"
"Nggh!" Sayua let out, scowling as her face grew paler.
"Monokuma did that…?!" Faye said, gaping once more. "But why?!"
"Because I felt like it would be a nice thing to do!" Monokuma said. "After Sorao told me some interesting things, I felt that it would be unthankful not to grant him his request! Isn't that how you humans repay back others for their gratitude?"
"That's not how it's done!" Maiha said, frowning. "Because of you, you let Sorao meet up with his accomplice and plot murder!"
"S-So what?!" Sayua blurted out, sounding more aggressive and yet more frightened. "Just because Monokuma asked me, it doesn't mean—AAH!"
"Quite a slip of the tongue there," Haruyuki commented coolly. "You have just admitted that you were the one whom Sorao requested to see."
"So it really was you!" Kasumi added.
"E-Even if I was, that doesn't matter!" Sayua replied, looking away. "There are way bigger problems with your theory to begin with!"
"Could you explain, then?" Masashi asked.
Sayua snorted, but looked far less bold now. "For one… why the fuck would I ever try to work with someone to win this killing game? We all know that only one person can escape this place, and the whole contract motive doesn't apply anymore. So even if there were an accomplice, that person wouldn't benefit!"
"Yep, that's right!" Monokuma added. "You're allowed to have an accomplice, of course, but only the one who does the actual killing is considered the blackened. And let me assure you, there is only one person in this case who is the blackened!"
"Oh, I know!" Kasumi said, clapping her hands in excitement. "Maybe Sorao and Sayua agreed to kill one person together! Like, maybe if Sayua stabbed someone, and Sorao stabbed that person as well, then they're both the blackened!"
"Bzzt! Sorry, but that's not even a good attempt at a loophole!" Monokuma responded rather readily. "Let me make it clear: if more than one person tries to murder someone, then only the one responsible for the most recent murder attempt will be considered the blackened!"
"So no matter how you look at it, there's absolutely no way that both Sorao and Sayua could benefit from a partnership…" Faye said. "Only one of them could escape this place alive."
"And another thing!" Sayua continued. "Even if I had some reason to use an accomplice… why the hell would I have chosen Sorao of all people?! I hated him for what he'd done to Tanjiro! There's no reason I'd have ever helped that scumbag!"
"That's correct," Haruyuki said calmly. "And yet… I find it curious."
"Wh-What?"
He looked askance at her. "Why didn't you mention those reasons at first? When Masashi accused you of working with Sorao, you should've responded with those reasons first. After all, the very rules of this killing game discourage the use of accomplices, and we're all well aware of your hatred of Sorao. And yet you instead argued about the opportunity to become his accomplice. That's quite a peculiar argument as your first defense. It's almost like there is a reason that you worked with Sorao, and you were trying to divert our attention from it."
"Oh, yeah, that's a good point!" Kasumi said. "I didn't notice that at all!"
Haruyuki chuckled, looking quite flattered. "Words bear meaning not only in what they signify but also in how they are arranged."
Sayua ground her teeth. "Y-You're gonna go with Masashi's bullshit theory just because of the order I said those things in?! C'mon, you're smart enough to know that's not even close to hard proof!"
"It's not, I know. But at this point, I cannot agree with you that we should automatically dismiss Masashi's argument," Haruyuki answered. "You've been acting far too suspiciously at this point."
Sayua winced, staring frightenedly at him. "Y-You…!"
"Still, she's right," Faye added. "Why would she ever work with someone, let alone Sorao?"
That's the one thing I don't understand, Masashi thought. I'm absolutely sure that Sayua and Sorao were partners. But why? It makes much more sense to think they weren't.
"There's one important thing we should consider," Haruyuki said. "Sorao asked Sayua to come see him. That means that it was Sorao who made the first move. So it is extremely likely that it was Sorao who was behind the partnership. And it was Sorao who gave Sayua a reason to work with him. A reason so compelling that she would ignore the disincentive in being an accomplice and would set aside her hatred for the man."
"Could such a reason even exist?" Maiha said.
Sayua scoffed, glancing a sidelong glance. "Of course not… it doesn't. I'd never have worked with the man, never fucking ever!"
No… At this point, I'm sure there's a reason! Masashi thought. If I manage to find what the reason was… then I can get Sayua to confess her guilt!
Hangman's Gambit
Question: How did Sorao compel Sayua to work with him?
?-?-?-?-?-?-? ?-?-?-?
Instead of racking my brains about the beginning, maybe I should think more about the end.
S-?-?-?-?-?-? ?-?-?-?
Sorao managed to get Sayua to work with him, and in the end, he was killed.
S-U-?-?-?-?-? ?-?-?-?
Was that a sign that Sayua had betrayed him? But surely Sorao would've seen it coming. There's no way he was blind to her feelings toward him.
S-U-I-?-?-?-? ?-?-?-?
Wait a minute… what if the outcome was intended all along?
S-U-I-C-I-?-? ?-?-?-?
Then… Sorao was supposed to die in the end!
S-U-I-C-I-D-E ?-?-?-?
Oh my God… No way…
S-U-I-C-I-D-E P-L-?-?
Since it was Sorao who asked her to help…
S-U-I-C-I-D-E P-L-O-T
He was plotting his own death all along!
SUICIDE PLOT
Masashi felt his lips quiver, amazed at the conclusion that he had reached. It was unbelievable, but in light of the outcome, it made complete sense.
"It's true… normally, you wouldn't have had reasons to ever work with anyone, let alone Sorao," he said. "But what if… Sorao had asked you to kill him?"
His answer drew far more gasps from the others than last time.
"Are you saying that Sorao wanted to die?!" Maiha said, gazing at him incredulously.
"It was a suicide plot?!" Kasumi said, her jaw dropped.
"U-Unbelievable! Unthinkable! Unimaginable!" Faye said, looking anxiously at him. "Sorao wanted to die?!"
"I know… it's unbelievable. But if you think about it, it's the only reason why I can ever imagine Sorao and Sayua working together," Masashi explained, willing himself to continue, despite the negative reactions. "Sayua, you said earlier that there was no reason for anyone to be an accomplice to someone else. After all, only one person could become the blackened. But that wouldn't be a problem if one of the two were always meant to be killed by the other. Only one person would remain to become the blackened."
Sayua said nothing, her face turning pale. The lack of a response was enough to push him.
"And what's more, you said that you'd never work with Sorao. After all, he'd wronged you by playing a role in Tanjiro's death," he continued. "But that also shows that you have a motive for wanting him dead. And if Sorao himself wanted to die…"
"If your own enemy asked you to help him… terminate himself," Haruyuki muttered in amazement, "then perhaps your hatred would push you to work with him."
"Oh… Oh my God!" Maiha blurted out, sounding quite ungraceful.
"I can't believe it!" Takumi squeaked. "Lady Sayua? Is… Is Masashi correct?"
"N… No!" Sayua said, but her voice was far meeker and tamer. "I-It's not true… It's not true, it's not true, it's not true!"
Nonstop Debate
"It's absolutely not true that Sorao asked me to kill him!" Sayua said. "The very idea of it is… is… is stupid!"
"Then pray tell, why did Sorao summon you to his room last night?" Maiha asked.
"He… He just wanted to whine about his situation, that's all!" Sayua answered. "I'm no killer! It was someone else, and there was no suicide plot!"
"What do you think happened, then?" Haruyuki asked.
Sayua shrugged. "You figured it out earlier, didn't you? The killer found Sorao unconscious in the Simulation Room and then forced him into the virtual world. And then they poisoned him with the smoke machine!"
"And then the killer escaped through the secret passageway…" Faye said. "They had to break the glass painting in the Relaxation Room to gain access."
"Nothing about that shows it was a suicide plot!" Sayua retorted. "It was a murder plot all along! And I had nothing to do with it!"
Truth Bullet Chosen (Refute): VR Helmet
No, that's wrong!
"Actually… there's one thing that's been bugging me," Masashi said. "There's a bloody handprint on Sorao's VR helmet."
Sayua did not turn outraged at being objected to and instead gazed at him warily. "So…? So what?"
"I should've realized it earlier… we still haven't explained what that handprint's doing there in the first place," he answered.
"Huh? I… I don't understand, Sir Masashi," Takumi said, looking quite shaky.
"It's pretty simple: if the killer had placed Sorao in the virtual world… then it's weird that there's a handprint in the first place," he explained. "All the killer would've needed to do is put the helmet on his head and press the button on the right side. Nothing about that would've involved getting the killer's hands dirty with blood."
"Oh! So… what does it mean?" Kasumi said, looking as if she had realized something for a moment.
"Are you saying the killer slipped up when setting up Sorao in the chair and putting the helmet on him?" Faye asked.
"I thought that was a possibility… but now that I think about it, that doesn't make any sense," Masashi said. "After all, that handprint can't be the killer's!"
"H-Huh?" Kasumi responded. "Then whose is it?"
The bloody handprint can belong to only one person, Masashi thought. And that person is…
"Sorao left it there," Masashi said. "I noticed that his right hand was bloody, and the handprint on the helmet matches it perfectly."
"So it was Sorao who put on the helmet and pressed the button?!" Kasumi said.
"W-Wait a minute!" Sayua rebutted. "Most of his body's pretty bloody, in case you're blind! The killer stabbed him multiple times with a knife when he was already dead! The blood on the hand could've been the result of that!"
"Yes, but there's a problem: the blood on his hand doesn't seem to have been the result of blood splatter," he responded. "And his hand's not wounded, either, so it couldn't be the result of an injury."
"But then… where did the blood on his hand come from?" Maiha asked with a befuddled expression.
If the blood didn't come from the stab wounds or a hand injury, Masashi thought, then there's only one place left.
"Kasumi, when you saw Sorao, and he attacked you with a wooden club," he said, "you managed to grab it and knock him on the head, right?"
"Yeah, that's right," she said, nodding, "right after he attacked me with my own tranquilizer… Oh!"
"I think I have some idea of what happened after you knocked Sorao unconscious," Masashi continued. "After you fell unconscious in the roller coaster, Sayua came to the roller coaster and saw that you were in it. She removed you and rode it to the Simulation Room floor.
"But here's where things change. Instead of putting him in the chair and sending him to the virtual world… Sayua woke him up. I imagine that as he woke up, he must've felt a throbbing feeling in his head."
"Ah, so he would've naturally touched his head, which is how the blood got onto his hand!" Faye said, her jaw dropped. "That… makes a lot of sense, actually!"
"Funnily enough, didn't the same thing happen to Tanjiro in the previous case?" Haruyuki said. "Right before he died, Tanjiro woke up and touched his head from the head wound that Takumi had dealt him. And he left behind a handprint that ended up being valuable evidence."
Takumi groaned, burying his face in his teddy bear. "Oh… Please don't remind me of that…"
"So, uh, what happened next?" Kasumi asked.
"It's simple," Masashi answered. "Sorao put on the VR helmet, which caused him to leave a handprint on it. Then he pressed the button on the helmet to send himself to the virtual world."
"But that doesn't make any sense!"
It was Sayua, who looked quite winded.
"Why…?" she muttered, glaring at him. "If you really think… that Sorao asked me to kill him… then why in the world would he want to go there? There's nothing there!"
That may be, but there's a reason why Sorao chose to die in the virtual world rather than the real world, Masashi thought. The virtual world had one thing that made it special.
"It's separate from the real world," he answered. "We talked about it in the beginning of the class trial."
"A-And Sorao still died from the poison, even though he was in the virtual world?" Takumi asked, his head cocked to the side.
Maiha nodded, albeit with a look of derision. "Must I explain everything? Yes, of course he did. His consciousness was in the virtual world, but his body in the real world was still prone to any dangers that it was exposed to."
"Ah!" Maiha winced. "Don't tell me… that's why Sorao wanted to die in the virtual world?"
Masashi nodded gravely. "Sorao's consciousness was in the virtual world, which means that he felt no pain while his body in the real world was suffering from the poison."
"Then… he used the virtual world as a way to die painlessly..." Faye said.
"Holy cow!" Kasumi exclaimed. "I never would've thought someone would ever use a video game to help kill himself!"
"It's quite an unusual way for art to be used, I must say," Haruyuki said, sounding almost impressed. "But it makes sense. If he wanted to die, then he might wish to die the most painless way available."
Masashi faced the cheerleader. "Well, Sayua? Any objections to what we think?"
"Ngh… I… I…"
Sayua hung her head down, her expression showing no signs of anger or will to argue back. For a few seconds, she said nothing, despite the others' silent demand that she explain herself. But eventually, she looked up with resignation.
"I can't believe it…" she muttered. "I can't believe that… you've managed to figure that all out."
Faye let out a small gasp before she covered her mouth. "Are you confessing?"
Sayua nodded timidly, looking nothing like her former boisterous and confident self. "Yeah… I know when to call it quits. I admit it: I was the one who killed Sorao... because he asked me to."
The others cried out in surprise at her response, looking more and more bewildered. Though Masashi had already figured out the answer, hearing it straight from the horse's mouth still made his heart sink.
"I-It's true?!" Kasumi said. "Sayua… you really agreed to be Sorao's accomplice and be his killer?!"
"I can't believe it!" Takumi said. "Lady Sayua… was working with Sorao of all people!"
"Explain everything that happened. Now," Maiha said, glaring at her so intensely that Sayua would drop dead if looks could kill.
Sayua winced, taking a step back. "Everything?"
"There are still quite a few parts of our theory that need explaining," Haruyuki added. "We need more information before we can move on to Voting Time."
Sayua looked hesitant for a second before she nodded. "A-All right… since you've already found me out, I may as well just tell you.
"As you figured, last night, I went to Sorao's room after Monokuma woke me up," she began. "I was still pretty suspicious of Sorao. Still, I went anyway… I wanted to know why he wanted to talk with me in the middle of the night."
"So what was Sorao like?" Kasumi asked. "Was he all dark and brooding?"
"Well… he sure was quiet. Didn't look happy at all," she answered. "I asked him what he called me here for, and then… he dropped a bomb with his suicide plot."
"But why?!" Kasumi said. "Sorao never struck me as the suicidal type, especially with how handsome he was!"
"Hey, hey, hey, now's not the time for that!" It was Monokuma. "The important part is that Sorao apparently wanted to kill himself! We don't need to delve into his reasoning! Otherwise, I'll have to work overtime!"
"Guess I have to skip over that part for now…" Sayua said. "Suffice it to say, I believed him. From his tone, I could tell he was serious about going through with it. And the plan sounded impressive, and I didn't see anything wrong with it."
"Could you explain why he chose you?" Haruyuki asked. "We theorized why you would agree to it, but why did he choose you to begin with?"
"I asked the same thing, honestly," Sayua answered. "And he explained it clearly."
Sitting on the floor, his head leaned back on the wall, Sorao let out a short mirthless chuckle.
"Why do I want you to help me with my suicide? It's simple," Sorao said as he looked at her sternly. "You're the only one I can trust."
"Huh?" Sayua blurted out, standing away from him. "You… 'trust' me? But I…"
"You hate me? What's the problem with that?"
"Excuse me?"
"None of the others would ever work with me here. They feel attached to others in the group or have morals that cause them to waver. Even if I get one of them to work with me, I cannot trust that that person will not backstab me.
"But you're different, Sayua. You are distant from the others and have no attachment to them. And I've wronged you greatly, I acknowledge. You want me dead at all costs, do you not? You dream of it, you imagine it, you are fueled by the thought of sending me to my grave."
Sorao then smiled, though the fatigue in his eyes grew.
"You and I… have a common interest."
She had no words. They were all coming from that fiend, and much as she wanted to tell him that he was wrong, she could not.
"Hmm. You still hesitate."
Sorao stood up and walked up to her slowly. Though his hands were cuffed, Sayua could not but feel a hint of apprehension as he neared her, and she failed in hiding it on her face.
"I can tell… that you are conflicted," he said softly. "Your heart tells you that you should work with me here. But your mind still tells you that what you are doing is wrong. You may act all cold and cruel, but even you are still bound by morals."
"Sh-Shut up!" she could only say.
Sorao smirked. "Then let me put it this way: don't you think that killing me is the right thing? After all… it's what Tanjiro would want."
"Tanjiro… would want it?"
"Of course. I tried to kill him, and I ended up living. I received no punishment for my crime. That's unjust, is it not?"
"'Unjust'?" she said, relaxing her shoulders.
He leaned forward. "Tanjiro liked to pontificate about how justice was often left unserved. If you help me, then you'll fulfill Tanjiro's wish by doing the right thing."
"Tanjiro's wish... The right thing…"
The more she let those words seep into her mind, the less she fought against it, his sweet words ridding her of the ugly thoughts that had driven her. Yes, that sounded right. She needed to kill him because it was for justice' sake.
"Fine. I'll do it."
Sorao smiled. "Thank you, Sayua. I can assure you, with my plan, no one will be any the wiser."
"Intriguing…" Haruyuki said. "It's rather fascinating that you hated him the most, and yet paradoxically, that made you the most trustworthy in his eyes."
"I guess he was so sure that Sayua would want him dead that he had no doubt that she would follow his plan," Faye replied.
So it's confirmed… Masashi thought. Sorao summoned Sayua to his room so that he could have her agree to be his accomplice.
Updated Truth Bullet: Sorao's Meeting - Sorao asked Monokuma to have Sayua come to his room. This was made possible because Monokuma can unlock any door in this ship. The purpose was to have Sayua agree to work with him on his suicide plot.
"So were we right about Sorao's suicide plot?" Kasumi asked.
"For the most part," Sayua answered. "Sorao wanted to die, but that didn't mean he was okay with dying in pain. He wanted to do it peacefully… so he wanted to die in the virtual world. And he thought using the smoke machine was 'cleaner'. Even though he wouldn't feel it anyway, he didn't like the idea of having his body all covered with blood."
"And you agreed to that condition of his?" Maiha said.
"Yeah... his plan seemed pretty solid, so I figured I'd better follow it to the letter if I wanted the best chance to not be caught."
"Wait, if he already had come up with his suicide plot, why didn't you go through with it last night?" Kasumi said. "Sorao's door was unlocked back then, so he could've left his room!"
No, that's not right… Masashi thought. It was impossible for the suicide plot to be executed. And that's because…
"They didn't have the keys to the Simulation Room," he answered. "Maiha had them. But she had already locked the Simulation Room, so to access it, they'd need to get the keys from her."
Sayua nodded. "Sorao told me that I had to get the keys from Maiha. Not only the keys to the Simulation Room but also the keycard to his room and the key to his handcuffs. But since I'm no pickpocket, I figured I had to use force."
"Then I presume," Haruyuki said, "that it was you who dropped this?"
He took out from his black coat a small white piece of paper, which Masashi recognized to be the note that they had found in the kitchen.
"Hey, that's the note I lost!" Sayua said, pointing at it. "Where did you find that?!"
"It was in the kitchen, where you attacked me!" Maiha answered for him. "I remember that when I tried to flee from you, a white piece of paper slipped out of your pocket!"
"So it dropped out during the attack on you and Faye, then," Masashi said. "Sayua… that note there had directions for using the smoke machine. Did you write that?"
This time, the cheerleader shook her head. "Nah… it was Sorao who wrote it. He wanted to make sure that I did everything correctly for that part of the plan. Course, I didn't realize I'd dropped the note till later."
Updated Truth Bullet: Note - During Sayua's attack in the kitchen, when Maiha tried to flee from her, a note fell from Sayua's pocket. The note is a directive from Sorao about using the smoke machine.
"You know what happened next: I freed Sorao from his rooms," Sayua continued, "and we ended up having to use the fireworks distraction to get past Masashi, Takumi, and Haruyuki. Well, to be honest, it was Sorao who came up with the idea."
"I should've known that it was Sorao who came up with that idea," Maiha said haughtily. "Someone of your intelligence would not have had the idea of using such a distraction."
Sayua gave her the evil eye for a moment. "Anyway… right before the fireworks show, Sorao asked me to give him one of the two Simulation Room keys I'd stolen. He said he wanted to make sure that everything in the Simulation Room was ready to go."
"So Sorao had one of the keys, and you had the other…" Faye said. "And then you did the fireworks show."
"The distraction worked like a charm," Sayua said, sounding somewhat proud of that fact. "Right after I made sure that you guys were in the Saturn Theater, I headed down to the roller coaster room at once. But then I found something really unexpected!"
"Wh-What was it?!" Kasumi said.
"You!" Sayua said, pointing at her. "You were unconscious in the front seat! I had to remove you since you were in the way!"
So we were right: it was Sayua who found Kasumi and put her on the floor… Masashi thought. And it was Sayua who rode the roller coaster to the Simulation Room, which is why the roller coaster wasn't on Kasumi's side when she woke up.
"After you arrived at the Simulation Room floor, did you go straight to the Simulation Room?" Masashi asked.
"Well, yeah! Sorao was supposed to be there waiting for me!" she answered before a puzzled look appeared on her face. "But you know, when I was walking to that room, I called out Sorao's name. And right afterwards, I heard something… it sounded like… something being closed."
"'C-Closed'?" Faye said, looking startled. "Do you know what made that noise?"
"Nah. But it sounded like it'd come from the Simulation Room," she answered. "I heard a bunch of other sounds. I thought it might've been Sorao, so I headed over there. And what should I find but Sorao lying unconscious on the floor, with blood on his head! It scared the crap out of me!"
Takumi shuddered, covering his face with his teddy bear. "I... I don't like the sound of that... Oh, not the blood..."
"Did Sorao wake up?" Masashi asked.
"Sure did. When he came to, I told him that I'd found Kasumi unconscious, and then he told me about the scuffle that he and Kasumi had gotten into," Sayua answered. "Oh, and when he woke up, he rubbed his head with his hand and complained about how much it hurt. That's why his hand has blood on it."
"Then Masashi was right about that," Haruyuki said, sounding more and more fascinated. "Did you notice anything strange in the room?"
"Nah. I didn't really take a good look around the room, but I didn't see anything weird at first glance."
Nothing out of place… Masashi thought. I don't know why, but that sounds strange, even though it shouldn't...
Updated Truth Bullet: Sorao's Right Hand - There is some blood found on Sorao's right hand. It does not appear to have been the result of a hand wound or splatter from one of Sorao's bodily wounds. Instead, blood got onto his hand when Sorao rubbed his right hand on his head wound caused by Kasumi.
"You both proceeded with the plan, I presume," Maiha said.
Sayua nodded. "Sorao was rushing it. He thought that there was still some time since Kasumi was unconscious, but sooner or later, she'd wake up, so we had to hurry. Since I'd dropped the note, Sorao quickly reviewed the instructions with me. After we were done... Sorao sat down at one of the chairs and wore the VR headset. I said my final words to him, and then he… pressed the button on the side of the headset. He had gone into the virtual world just like that. And since there was no logout button, and it'd take too long to get to an exit, he was basically trapped there."
"And then you headed off to the Control Room?" Takumi asked. "The place with all those buttons?"
"Well, duh! Before that, though, I made sure to lock the door to the Simulation Room. I didn't want any of the smoke to leak out to the hallway," Sayua said. "And once I was in the Control Room, I pressed the button for the smoke machine."
"According to Monokuma, you pressed the button at exactly 8:00 PM," Maiha added.
"Coincidentally, that was the same time as when I woke up and had the roller coaster come to my station!" Kasumi said. "Isn't it funny how things worked out like that?"
"And how long were you in the Control Room?" Masashi asked.
Sayua thought for a few seconds. "Well… the machine itself stopped running after two minutes, I think. I guess the smoke machine doesn't run for that long. But Sorao told me that even a few minutes' worth of smoke would kill him, so I knew he'd still die. And just to be safe, I stayed in the Control Room for a few more minutes after I turned on the air purifiers. I didn't know how long they'd take."
"After that, you went back to the Simulation Room," Haruyuki said. "And that's when you saw for yourself that Sorao Mineta was indeed dead."
Sayua nodded with a rather gloomy expression. "To be honest, I was still unsure whether he really was dead. Maybe it was all a trick. That's why I decided to check all the boxes in the room to make sure there wasn't anything funny going on. You know, like a hidden camera filming me or something."
"But in the end, you found nothing suspicious, yes?"
She hung her head down. "Yeah... once I felt secure, I took a good look at his corpse...
"I still couldn't believe it. It really sank in: I finally managed to take down that bastard… I killed the man who was responsible for much of Tanjiro's torment!
"And yet... I was upset. I thought I'd be happy that he was dead, but no! I thought that I'd done the right thing. I thought that this was what Tanjiro would want! But…"
Sayua let out a short growl, clenching her fist as she lowered her head with an agonized expression.
"I realized it… I had told myself that his death was for justice. But deep down, my heart never truly believed it. My heart wanted nothing more than revenge against the man who took away Tanjiro. I wanted him to suffer for what he'd done! And yet, he died a painless death!
"And… that's why…" she continued, her lips quivering. "I… I took out my kitchen knife and stabbed his corpse several times!"
The others gasped, looking utterly mortified.
"I-It was you…?!" Faye said, eyes widened. "You were the one who stabbed him?!"
"I'm sorry! I know it was an indecent thing to do!" Sayua said, her cheeks red and puffed up. "But... stabbing his corpse... seeing his body in ruins... it made me feel that I had really killed him! I was done with my revenge!"
"Speaking of that… there's one thing I'd like to clarify," Haruyuki said, the only one in the group not looking bothered by this revelation. "Why did you have a kitchen knife on you in the first place? Sorao's suicide scheme did not involve a knife in any way."
"Oh, that knife? I took it from the kitchen after I attacked Faye and Maiha in the Mars Cafeteria," she answered. "I trusted Sorao and his plan, but… I thought there was a chance that he might try to do something funny with me. So I took a knife as my secret weapon, and I kept Sorao in the dark about it."
"Hey, wait a minute…" Takumi said, having turned pale. "S-Stabbing Sorao's corpse several times… shouldn't that have caused you to be all bloody?"
There's no way that there wouldn't have been blood splatter, Masashi thought. That's why Sayua had to use something to protect herself.
"I found a bloody cloak near Sorao's corpse," Masashi said. "You used that to shield yourself from the blood splatter, didn't you?"
Sayua nodded. "I wore that cloak when I attacked Faye and Maiha, and I wore it again when I went to the Simulation Room and met up with Sorao. Since it was all bloody, I took it off and left it and the knife there."
"Right after that, you left the Simulation Room and locked the door," Haruyuki said. "But you encountered a problem. As we discussed earlier, Kasumi had woken up a few minutes ago and had called for the roller coaster to come back to her side of the ride. That meant that the roller coaster was no longer available for you."
"And since Kasumi had made the post in the Simulation Room floor's station inoperable, Sayua could not call the roller coaster back," Faye added.
"Believe you me, I was freaking out when I saw that the roller coaster was gone, and the button wasn't working!" Sayua said. "I knew I had to find another way out! That's why I checked the whole floor thoroughly, hoping that there'd be some secret way out! I even tried opening the locked door in the Control Room, but that damn door wouldn't budge! And that's when I remembered something I heard from Sorao!"
"Wh-What was it?" Masashi asked.
"Right before Sorao went to the virtual world, he took a short walk around the room to make sure everything looked right. And that was when I heard him mumbling something to himself. It was… 'time hides…' or something like that. I couldn't make out the whole thing."
"'Time hides'? Why does that… sound so familiar?" Kasumi said.
That's because we've heard it before, Masashi thought. And the reason we've heard it before is…
"Sorao must've been mumbling the password to the founder's chest!" Masashi answered. "You all heard me say the password when I opened the chest here earlier. It was 'time hides all wounds'!"
"So that's what he was saying!" Sayua said. "I didn't get it, really... but it gave me an idea. I'd always been suspicious about the painting in the Relaxation Room. It was the only room that had a painting on glass walls! And I thought that the clock tower in the painting stood out a lot! That's why I thought... maybe there was something hidden behind the clock! So I grabbed a sledgehammer from the Control Room and smashed the painting at the clock's spot!"
"Wait a minute, you discovered the secret passageway to the projection room by pure luck?" Faye said with such an incredulous tone. "I… I'm shocked! Amazed! Flabbergasted!"
"I cannot believe that despite your ignorance, you managed to find a way out of your plight!" Maiha added with equal bewilderment.
"Y-You can't call me stupid for that!" Sayua said defensively. "I always thought that there was something funny about that painting, and I happened to be right!"
"Why had Sorao said the password earlier, anyway?" Kasumi asked.
"Sayua said that Sorao had taken a look around the room when he said it," Haruyuki answered. "Perhaps when he saw the chest, he remembered the password and mumbled what was on his mind."
"Well, I know now that it's actually the password to the founder's chest, but at the time, I didn't!" Sayua continued. "Anyway, since I'd found the passageway, I figured that I might as well check it out. Better than staying on the floor and waiting to be discovered. I left my key to the Simulation Room by the shattered painting since I didn't need it anymore. And I reached the end of the passageway without a problem, and it led to the projection room in the Saturn Theater."
"Did you see anything unusual along the way?" Masashi asked.
"Actually… there was one thing I found by the exit to the projection room."
Sayua took out something from one of the pockets of her yellow and white jacket. It looked like an orange keycard, and Masashi saw nothing remarkable about it and was about to dismiss it as just a keycard when Maiha exclaimed.
"Wait a minute!" she said, pointing at it. "That keycard! That's…!"
Maiha reached her hand into the pockets of her black dress. She too took out an orange keycard, and it was then that Masashi recognized the keycard.
"That's the staff keycard you got from Monokuma during the investigation!" Masashi said. "With that keycard, you could unlock the doors to the secret passageway!"
"That's right! In fact, the keycard that Sayua found works the same way!" Monokuma said. "And besides the keycard that Maiha's holding, Sayua's keycard is the only one I put in the ship!"
"What? Is that so?" Maiha said. "But according to what you told me earlier, you said that you had put a keycard in the founder's chest instead!"
"But when I looked in the chest earlier, I didn't find a keycard…" Masashi answered. "So did the keycard somehow move to the secret passageway?"
"Puhuhuhu… Who can say?" Monokuma cocked his head to the side. "It is pretty puzzling, though. I put that keycard in the chest a long time ago, but days ago, when I checked the chest, it was gone!"
"What? It disappeared... from the chest?" Faye asked, her voice full of uncertainty. "But why?"
Monokuma chortled. "I've never heard of a walking keycard, so I'd be amazed if the keycard I put in the chest had managed to grow legs! Either way, I can tell you that it wasn't on the floor in that passageway until tonight!"
He's not answering our question… Masashi thought. I don't know whether the keycard's even connected to this case, but... I should note this down, anyway.
Updated Truth Bullet: Keycard - According to Monokuma, days ago, the keycard that he had placed in the founder's chest went missing. But tonight, it somehow made its way to the secret passageway, and Sayua found it by the exit to the projection room.
"That's it," Sayua said resignedly. "You've heard everything from me. Go ahead… send me to the gallows. I don't care anymore…"
"It's finally over... We've found the truth..." Faye groaned. "If only things hadn't come to this..."
"Unfortunately, they have, and there's nothing that we can do to change them," Maiha said, heaving a heavy sigh. "I am loath to say it, but even if Sorao asked Sayua to kill him, it still makes her the blackened."
Is… Is this it?
The culprit had been revealed. And all the steps to the culprit's scheme had become clear, especially when the culprit herself had explained it. Naturally, they had reached the end of the case.
Still… why do I feel that… we're forgetting something?
"Let's move on, then," Maiha said. "On to Voting Time—"
"Hang on a minute!" he cried out. "We shouldn't stop here!"
"Wh-What?" Maiha stared bewilderedly at him. "What's there to go over? We've already heard the killer's confession!"
"Yeah, I don't see anything else to talk about! She's explained everything!" Faye added.
"Oh, I get it!" Takumi said excitedly. "You want to do that closing argument thing like always, right, Sir Masashi? You always make it sound so dramatic!"
"I know, right? It feels like he has fun doing it!" Kasumi added, nodding.
"No, no, it's not about that!" Masashi replied, feeling his cheeks get a little red from the suggestion. "It's just that I don't think we've discussed everything yet."
Kasumi let out a cry of confusion. "But all the relevant mysteries have been solved, haven't they?"
"Yeah, we know that Lady Sayua killed Sorao! She's the blackened, even if Sorao asked her to kill him!" Takumi added.
"Well, I say that we entertain Masashi's plea to review the case," Haruyuki replied, looking curiously at him. "Masashi has surprised us many times with his thinking. I suspect that we are in for another surprise."
Maiha breathed out, shaking her head in frustration. "Fine. But if this discussion turns out to be a waste of time, then we'll move on to the vote. I wish not to stay in this horrid place longer than needed."
"Masashi… what are you doing?" Sayua said, looking straight at him with utter bafflement. "Why are you continuing the trial? I'm the killer! I've already said all that I know!"
"I don't doubt that… but what if all that you know isn't the whole story?" Masashi replied.
"H-Huh…?" Sayua said nothing else as she watched the others with a wary and careful look.
What are we missing? Masashi thought. Until we figure it out, I can't let the class trial end here!
Nonstop Debate
"What is there to discuss?" Maiha began. "We've already heard about Sorao's suicide scheme from Sayua."
"She's already confessed to poisoning him with the smoke machine," Faye said.
"And we've confirmed with Monokuma already that the smoke machine was used exactly once at 8:00 PM," Haruyuki added.
"Everything about Sayua's actions seems pretty clear to me!" Kasumi said.
"And so does everything about Sorao's actions…" Takumi said. "He wanted to die for some reason…"
"With a clear confession from Sayua, what is there to go over?" Maiha said.
Truth Bullet Chosen (Refute): Founder's Chest
No, that's wrong!
"Hang on a minute!" Masashi said. "We've forgotten to talk about one thing! Sorao put a tub of water in the founder's chest, and Kasumi saw him do that. But we still don't know why he did that."
"Oh, that's right!" Kasumi said. "I sure did, no mistake about it! I didn't know why he did that in the first place!"
"Well, Sayua?" Masashi said. "Did you know anything about that?"
Sayua widened her eyes, her mouth slightly open. "W-Well… he said that just in case the smoke machine didn't work for whatever reason, he wanted another way to die. He said something about wanting to be drowned instead since it was bloodless. So when I saw the tub of water inside the chest, I thought that was what he was referring to."
"But that's curious…" Haruyuki said. "When you found Sorao in the Simulation Room and asked him what had happened, did he mention anything about putting in that tub of water in the chest?"
"N-No… I don't think so," Sayua answered. "But I figure he would've told me about it if the machine hadn't worked. Since it did, he didn't have a reason to bring it up."
"Well, that makes sense," Faye said. "I don't really see anything wrong with that."
No… there's something wrong.
Though he could not say exactly what the source of his discomfort was, Masashi found himself unwilling to dismiss the issue.
"Hang on!" he said. "I think we need to talk about it some more."
"About what?" Maiha said, looking somewhat annoyed.
"I find it hard to believe that Sorao was simply preparing a backup plan. He hid the tub of water from Sayua, and he placed it in the founder's chest when there were plenty of other places to put the tub in."
"So?" Faye said. "What does that change? Sayua's still the culprit, isn't she?"
"It looks like it, yes, but..." Masashi breathed in. "It's possible that we've still not figured out the whole story behind Sorao's death. That's why we can't end the trial here!"
"Then… we're not going to Voting Time?" Kasumi asked.
Maiha grumbled as she snarled. "If nothing new comes out of this, then this whole thing will have turned out to be a waste of time."
"Well, unless we discuss it further, there's no way to determine whether it will be a waste of time, yes?" Haruyuki replied smoothly.
"But even so, where do we go from here?" Faye asked. "Sorao putting in a tub of water in the chest may have been a bit weird, but it doesn't tell us much, don't you think?"
"Oh, is there something about the water that's strange? Maybe that's it!" Kasumi proposed.
Masashi thought for a few seconds, recalling his investigation of the water earlier in the trial. "It didn't strike me as odd… other than the fact that it was lukewarm."
"The fact that it is still lukewarm rather than cold suggests that the water was hot not too long ago, I suppose," Maiha said dismissively. "But that tells us little."
"Um… everyone? There is something I've been wondering."
It was Takumi.
"What is it?" Kasumi asked encouragingly.
"It's about those two plastic bags we found in the founder's chest… They came from the Control Room, right? And they were empty, but… I don't think Sorao would put it in empty plastic bags in the chest. That seems a bit too weird."
"You have a point there… I don't see any purpose in those bags," Masashi replied. "Sayua, do you know anything about them?"
"Huh?" Sayua said with a confused expression. "Of course not! I don't know anything about those bags! Sorao made no mention of any bags, either."
"Oh, oh, I've got it!"
Kasumi raised her hand excitedly. "What if those bags weren't originally empty? What if Sorao filled them with something, but then they became empty later on?"
Maiha rolled her eyes. "Well, what is it that he filled it with? You have merely repeated the obvious!"
"If something was in the bags, then maybe there's a trace of its disappearance," Haruyuki proposed. "Was there not something like that in the investigation?"
Wait... come to think of it, something was confirmed to be missing! Masashi thought, excitement rushing through his veins as he struck upon the answer. That's it! That thing was…!
"The ice!" he answered. "During the investigation, we found the ice box that is used as part of the smoke machine. When we looked inside the ice box, it was completely empty."
"S-So?" Sayua said. "I pressed the button for the smoke machine, and it stopped whirring after two minutes or so. The machine must've used it all up."
Masashi shook his head. "No, that can't be it. According to what Monokuma said, when the ice box is full, the machine can run nonstop for fifteen minutes."
"Ah!" Maiha gasped. "That's right… He told us this…! How could I have forgotten?!"
"F-Fifteen minutes?!" Sayua said, now looking uneasy and leaning forth on her podium. "W-Wait a minute, you sure you got that right?! The machine didn't run for that long!"
"I can officially confirm that the machine runs that long when the ice box is full!" Monokuma answered. "And I suppose I should confirm that I refill the ice box every night. That's one of the many tasks that I have as an underpaid captain."
"Oh! And Monokuma told us that the smoke machine was used only once today: at 8:00 PM!" Takumi said, his face brightening. "So no one else has used it today!"
"Yes, so when Sayua used the machine… it should have run for fifteen minutes," Masashi replied. "But instead, the machine stopped running after about two minutes! That proves that the dry ice box was mostly empty when you used the machine, Sayua!"
"Wh-What the?!" she exclaimed. "Th-Then who?! Who removed the ice?!"
"It must've been... Sorao," Masashi said. "He was the only one who had access to the founder's chest. He was the only one who knew the password. So he must've taken out most of the dry ice and put them in the two bags."
"B-But doesn't it hurt to touch dry ice?" Kasumi asked. "That's what I heard some time ago!"
"Normally. But we found a pair of used gloves in the Control Room," Haruyuki answered. "Those gloves were designed for dry ice handling, so it's evident that they were used to take the dry ice out."
"Sorao put the bags of dry ice and the tub of water in the chest," Masashi said. "I can understand why the tub of water was there if he wanted to die by drowning, but the ice doesn't make sense. It's possible that he was up to something else instead!"
"Sure, but... why would Sorao go through all that effort?" Faye asked. "I don't see why he would put a tub of water and two bags of dry ice there in the first place."
"Y-Yeah, that's a good point, Lady Faye!" Takumi said. "I don't get it as well! Was he… coming up with some magic formula?!"
"Something with these things would fall more in the realm of chemistry!" Kasumi replied.
Wait… chemistry? Masashi thought, feeling close to remembering something important. Could it be…?
The class trial continues! It turns out that Sayua is the one responsible for a lot of tonight's events. Of course, even after her confession, there's still more to this case than meets the eye, which you probably saw coming when some Truth Bullets were updated.
Next time, the class trial concludes! I think you have enough information to piece together the case. Who do you think is the culprit?