Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, this chapter is gonna wrap up the trial. Oh, and for those who want the results, here they are:
1st place: Makoto Naegi. 2nd place: Kyoko Kirigiri. 3rd: Mukuro Ikusuba. 4th: Junko Enoshima. 5th: Chihiro Fujisaki. 6th-7th: Sayaka Maizono and Byakuya Togami. 8th: Toko Fukawa. 9th-10th: Aoi Asahina and Celestia Ludenberg. 11th: Sakura Oogami. 12th: Kiyotaka Ishimaru. 13th: Mondo Oowada. 14th-15th: Yasuhiro Hagakure and Hifumi Yamada. 16th: Leon Kuwata.
So, Makoto, Kyoko, and Mukuro wins 1st-3rd, with Makoto and Kyoko having large margins. Those three, along with Junko, have kept their spots since the beginning. The other have fluctuated in placements. Poor Leon, however, have no votes, while Hifumi and Yasuhiro manage to get at least one vote.
Alright, now that that's out of the way, enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
A Lucky Soldier:
Hey guys, its been a while. I didn't leave a quick note last time because I didn't really have time and I needed to get the other chapter back to Spirit fast (It was a busy week for me, and I didn't want to delay it longer than it needed to be). So anyways, here is the next one! I see a whole lot going on in the reviews and all I can really say is to just ignore CU.
Anyways, lets not have that take up too much of our time so we'll dive straight into the questions and the chapter!
Q: What is favourite and least favourite trial from each game?
L: My short answers are: 1-3 Fav, 1-1 Least. 2-5 fav, 2-1 Least. V3-4 Fav, V3-1 Least. If anyone's interested, I'll explain more after the chapter.
S: Here's my answer: For Danganronpa 1, my favorite is trial 4. Even with the chair blocking door situation, it was difficult to imagine Sakura, of all people, choosing suicide. And it was incredibly emotional, from Byakuya losing his composure, to Hina breaking down. My least favorite is trial 3. Really frustrating to see Celeste pushing so hard that Hiro is the culprit of the case, with Hina eating it all up. Especially when all that evidence looked seemed too set up.
My favorite for Danganronpa 2 is trial 5. It was clever, shocking, suspenseful, and emotional all at once. One of the best trials out of all of them. My least favorite is trial 2, mainly because of Hiyoko. Got really frustrated at how uncooperative the girl was being, especially since she was innocent. Admittedly, I can understand why she was hesitant to reveal what really happened, but it still frustrated me so.
My favorite for Danganronpa V3 is also trial 5. On that trial, Kokichi did something not even Nagito could've done: he stumped Monokuma. Not only did he create a trial the students could figure out, but also a trial that Monokuma himself couldn't figure out. And he created that plan in a matter of minutes, after being attacked by Maki. My least favorite is trial 2. Tenko trying to roadblock everybody, with Himiko insisting that her trick was magic, made me want to bang my head on a wall.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Chapter 62: Watching Ch 3: NGL! STGH! Part 21
Wary and concerned eyes were aimed at the Ultimate Gambler, after her outburst. But despite the worry they felt, the group turned their heads back towards the TV.
At first, Celeste was silent. But then suddenly, she started giggling, rather darkly. "You all have vivid imaginations, you know that?"
"Imaginations…?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow at this.
"You claim that I was lying when I told you about the suspicious person I saw…" Celeste stated. "Then what about the picture I took?" She held the picture of Hifumi being dragged away by Robo Justice. "How do you explain this picture of the costumed villain dragging Hifumi away?"
"That definitely conflicts with some of the stuff we know." Leon sighed.
"But, it's got to be some kind of set up, right?" Hiro spoke up, trying to think of what the set up. "Maybe, Celeste put a timer on the camera and… and put the costume on herself?"
"Did you already forget that that suit was designed for you and you alone?" Mukuro said in disagreement.
"And like hell I would do that!" Celeste growled before anyone could say anything.
"Plus, the camera doesn't have a timer." Hifumi softly added. "It's not that type of camera."
"I-It has to be some kind of setup, right?" Hiro said, thinking hard. "Celeste put the suit on herself, and then… and then she used the camera's timer to… set up the picture!"
"Have you so quickly forgotten? You are the only one who could have possibly fit into that suit." Celeste pointed out. "Plus, I happen to know that this particular camera does not have a timer. In other words, it is an unassailable fact that this a picture of Hifumi being dragged away. If everything I told you was a lie, how can this picture exist?"
"Exactly." Celeste agreed with herself, managing to get her accent and composure back somewhat. "That picture wouldn't be here if those words was a lie."
Both Byakuya and Kyoko was about to speak about to refute her words, but both caught Makoto shaking his head, telling them not to. The Togami heir rolled his eyes while the detective sighed, but they kept silent for the time being.
"Simple. Are we sure that's really a picture of the suspect dragging Hifumi away?" Kyoko asked.
"...What could you possibly mean by that?" Celeste slowly inquired.
"Surely there are other explanations than the one you offered up." Kyoko told her.
"No… there is no other explanation." Celeste denied.
'Other… explanation?' Makoto thought to himself. 'If it wasn't a picture of the suspect dragging Hifumi away… the only other possibility is…'
"It's not a picture of the suspect dragging Hifumi away…" Makoto declared. "I would say it's a picture of Hifumi dragging the suspect away!"
"Kh-!" Celeste scowled at this, gritting her teeth.
That reaction was immediately caught. "Look like we're on the right track." Byakuya remarked.
"She's losing ground." Mukuro commented.
"That's certainly within the realm of possibility." Kyoko agreed. "The one being dragged off in that picture isn't Hifumi, but the person in the robot suit. We've simply been led to believe that it's the other way around."
"And the strange costume might only exist to lead us astray even further." The lavender haired girl continued. "If you saw someone wearing something like that in this situation, of course you'd notice and be suspicious."
"Th-That's what happened!" Hiro quickly cried out angrily. "You put me to sleep and made me out to be the bad guy in all this!"
"You've been constantly pointing fingers at me! Trying to have everyone turn on me!" The present Hiro spoke up in anger. "You, Hifumi, the two of you have been setting me up!" Said fanfic creator winced at the reminder of his part in all this.
Whatever composure she managed to get back was lost after all this. "Why… why do you keep accusing me?" A mix of anger, fear, and desperation entered her features as she stared at her classmates. More specifically, Makoto. "Why are you so determined to see me outed as the culprit?!"
"I don't want to make you out as the culprit, Celeste!" Makoto argued, the look of hurt on his face. "I don't want to accuse any of us being killers! But I can't ignore the proof when it's there! Especially when everyone's lives are at stake! I mean, when you think about it, it's technically not you at the same time!"
"But that IS me too!" Once again, her accent was lost amongst her hysteria. "In fact, there's no proof that it was Hifumi who was dragging Hiro! That's only a speculation you're making!"
Celeste let out a dark, almost mad, giggle. "Such a thing… is utterly impossible." She declared. "Hifumi was dragging him away? Ridiculous."
"Is it?" Kyoko rebuked. "I don't think it's ridiculous at all."
"Then shut your mouth and allow me to educate you." Celeste responded viciously.
That had a few reeling back. "Damn, that was vicious." Junko remarked. "Think there might be a catfight?"
"Now isn't the time for jokes like that Junko." Taka cut in, his eyes focused on the screen. At the one who killed his future self.
The non-stop debate started once again, with Hiro being the first to speak. "You dressed me up in that suit after I passed out…" He said angrily. "Then you just draped me across Hifumi and had him carry my weight! You tried to make me look like the bad guy!"
"Like I said - ridiculous." Celeste repeated. "As you can see in the picture, the suspect is standing perfectly upright. If the person inside the suit was unconscious, there's no way they could stand up straight like that."
'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "No, even if the person inside the suit were unconscious, they could still stand up like that." He explained. "Because that Robo Justice suit had a certain characteristic…"
"That's right!" Hina said in remembrance. "They totally made a mistake when they made it, so it couldn't bend at the waist!"
"I'm not so sure it was a mistake…" Kyoko said. "I think the suit was designed from the beginning to be used the way it was."
"Ngh…!" Now the gambler started to look frustrated, as well as nervous.
"Celeste and Hifumi took the suit they'd specially designed and stuffed Hiro into it…" Makoto explained. "That's how they were able to fake that whole thing. The point of it all was to make us believe whoever was in the suit was to blame!"
"Ngh-gh-gh!" Celeste looked even more rattled now.
More cracks were made in Celeste's mask of denial. The evidence being presented, as well as her future's self reaction, is making it more and more difficult to deny that she was the mastermind of all this.
"Well, look this whole mystery is solved." Junko remarked purposefully. "Everything seems to connect-"
"No!" Everyone jumped at the sudden shout Celeste made. They all turned to see the gambler's facial expression completely unhinged and furious, veins clearly visible in her eyes. "I'm not the guilty one! You're not gonna put me in your little guilty box!"
"Celeste, enough." Kyoko stated sharply, cold purple eyes staring down the frantic red ones. "All the evidence points towards you. Everything clearly connects with you as the culprit."
"Did you forget already?!" Celeste growled at her viciously. "Hifumi is told us the killer's name! Ya! Su! Hi! Ro! AS IN YASUHIRO HAGAKURE!" Her last sentence was screamed at the top of her lungs. "And there's no way in hell you can counter that!"
"Well then, I suppose this is checkmate…" Byakuya said with a smirk.
"Checkmate…?" Celeste repeated slowly. Then suddenly, she let out a dark chuckle. A similarly dark smile entered her lips as she continued laughing… before she snapped. "Don't make me laugh, you idiot! What do you mean, checkmate?!" She shouted, her accent gone and her face filled with rage.
"C-Celeste…?" Hina stuttered out, reeling back at Celeste's outburst.
"I-I never seen Celeste so… emotional before…" Hina whispered to Sakura, slightly scared of incurring the gambler's wrath.
"While she tries to act like it, Celeste isn't infallible." Sakura responded back softly. "Like anyone else, she can panic when backed into a corner."
"Clearly, you want to cram me into your little 'guilty' box. Well there's one little problem!" The gambler exclaimed. Her accent came back, mangled up, when she said the next words. "Have you already forgotten what Hifumi told us as he lay dying?!"
She gave a fake, pleasant smile as she recounted his last words. "When we asked him who had attacked him, his answer was quite clear, was it not? He said, and I quote, 'Yasuhiro'." Almost like it was an illusion, her smile was dropped and her look of rage was back. "In other words, Yasuhiro, Hagakureeeee!"
"W-Wait, but my name isn't Yasuhiro!" Hiro protested. "It's actually Taro!"
"BULLSHIT!"
The gambler's scream got several of them yelping, especially Hiro.
"Disregarding Celeste's outburst, lying isn't helping matters." Kyoko spoke up calmly. "It's only making things more confusing."
"W-Well, what am I supposed to do?!" Hiro cried out. "Hifumi said that I was the killer, and I have no idea why he did it."
"Honestly, was the fool still blindly loyal to Celeste, even after her murder attempt?" Byakuya remarked.
Hifumi frowned at bit at this. Would his future self really stay loyal like that, even after that betrayal?
"No." Kyoko shook her head at that. "I think it's something else. Something that our future selves will bring up."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Celeste growled. "What else could there be?"
'...You're biggest secret.' Makoto thought, looking down.
"Your confusing statements don't make any sense. You're only making things more complicated." Sakura told him.
"He did say Yasuhiro, but are we sure he was really pointing fingers at Hiro?" Kyoko asked.
"Huh?" Was the statement of several, with Leon asking the question on their mind. "Why else would he say Yasuhiro, even if ain't condemning Hiro as the culprit?"
Instead of Kyoko answering, Makoto did. "There's a certain characteristic that Hifumi has." He told them. "A way that he talks to us in the past."
Some were confused, or frustrated, but there were a few that understood what he meant. Hifumi was one of those people. 'Oh right! I don't call people by their first names!' The fanfic creator remembered.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Celeste growled menacingly. "I'll burn you alive!"
"Kyoko… what do you mean by that?" Makoto inquired.
"Think back to how Hifumi used to talk to us…" Kyoko advised. "How did he refer to each of us?"
Makoto frowned in thought before remembering. "...That's right! Our last names!" He exclaimed in remembrance. "He called us all by our last names!"
The furious glare on Celeste's face was replaced with wide, frightened eyes. "W-What?"
"Oh yeah!" Sayaka spoke up, also remembering. "He does refer to us by our family names whenever he's talking to us."
"An otaku to the core, that's for sure." Leon grumbled.
"Exactly." Kyoko nodded. "I know I heard him say 'Mr. Naegi' more than once, for example. So if Hifumi did mean to say Hiro's name, he would have said his last name - Hagakure."
Celeste's anger was replaced with panic at this. "I'm sure it was just incidental - by chance he just - his first name…!" She stuttered out in her panic.
"Indecent…?" Jill offered up.
"Don't talk." Byakuya ordered sharply.
"Random chance… now isn't that a convenient explanation?" Kyoko remarked. "No, there's no reason to think he would have said the name any different than normal. But he must have run out of energy before he could say anymore."
Celeste began breathing erratically now, on top of her frantic look and wide eyes. "No, no, no, no…" She repeated to herself, wrapping her arms around herself. 'It's impossible. Impossible. He couldn't have known. He can't have.'
"So Hifumi was trying to tell us the last name of whoever killed him…?" Makoto summed up.
"But the name he said doesn't apply to anyone here…" Sakura pointed out.
"Well, no, hold on…" Makoto disagreed. "There's one person it could apply to…" He then turned his eyes towards the gambler herself. "And that's Celeste. She never actually told us what her real name was…"
At this, something inside Celeste snapped. Whether it was her denial or sense of reality, she couldn't guess. Right now, all that she could hear was Makoto's words being repeated in her head. 'Her real name, her real name, my real name…' How… did he Hifumi knew her real name?
The others were also shocked at the reveal. "So she shared my name?" Hiro spoke up in surprise.
"Wow. I never would have thought that that was her last name." Sayaka said, wide eyes.
"I actually joked once that her name was Yasuhiro, thinking it's why she hated Hiro." Leon brought up. "Never really thought that I got the right answer."
"Well, you did." Makoto confirmed reluctantly. "Her last name is Yasuhiro."
Immediately, the group noticed that Makoto wasn't at all surprised by this. But before any of them could say anything, Celeste slowly spoke. "...H-How…?"
Eyes went towards her, some wary while some were nervous. But Celeste did not take notice of the attention. "How… does he know…?" She asked herself, a catatonic look on her face. "How does he know my name…?"
"C-Celeste…"
The gambler didn't react to Makoto's worried call. Instead, she continued her rambling. "How? How does he know? He shouldn't know!" Her voice started to louder and more frantic, as a manic expression entered her face. "It's impossible! Impossible! It has to be talking about Hiro! HE HAS TO-"
"CELESTE!" A shout and a jostle broke Celeste out of her unhinged state of mind. Wide, red eyes stared into pleading hazel ones as the luckster bent in front of her, holding her shoulder. "Just... think about it. Think about how you are now, and how you were before Hope's Peak."
The gambler could only stare at him, frozen, prompting him to continue. "Like I said before, our future selves aren't technically us, right? It's how we were in the past." He told her. "Try to be honest with yourself. Could you really say that it would be impossible for you to do this kind of thing, before any of this?"
At his words, her mask of denial finally shattered. Celeste thought about everything they saw, from the murders to the trial, letting the honest conclusion finally sink in. Defeat, dread, anger, and various other emotions swirled in her red eyes as she finally accepted that she did it. That she was the culprit. The blackened that's going to be executed.
When Makoto saw flux of emotions in Celeste's eyes, he knew that he managed to get through to her. He began to let go of her shoulder, planning to move back to the couch, but stopped when he felt a pair of hands gripped his wrist. He looked at Celeste, who had a resigned and defeated look. However, her eyes was pleading for him not to go. To stay beside her.
He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should, but he realized that his gambling friend was desperately trying to cling to her composure, to keep from breaking down. Plus, he couldn't say no to those pleading red eyes, so he moved to sit beside her, letting her grip one of his hands. He will play the part of the knight she wanted for now.
"Wh…? What did you just say?" The gambler looked taken aback, fear clear in her eyes. "To think you'd take your false accusations so far… I don't know whether to laugh or spit…"
And once again, she exploded in a fit of anger. "Come on! Enough with your idiotic blather! Yasuhiro is a loser's name! Do I look like a loser to you?! Well?! Dooooo I?!"
Leon breathed noisily at this. "Damn. She's completely losing it…" Leon muttered.
"I-It's worse than when Leon and Mondo were backed into corners…" Chihiro stuttered out, a bit fearful of future Celeste's reaction.
"What?!" The gambler noticed the startled and fearful looks of the remaining students. "I think I've earned the right to be a little on edge!"
"Ok, then fill us in…" Makoto demanded. "What's your real name?"
"Fine! Make sure your ear holes are wiiiiiiide open and listen up!" She demanded back. "My real name is Celestia Ludenberg! Could you PLEASE stop making me repeat myself over and over again?!"
'Stop it, future me…' Celeste thought to herself, utterly ashamed of how pathetic she looked. 'You lost. It's over.'
Byakuya let out a sigh. "She's not gonna stop this act." He stated as fact. "She'll need to be forced to accept it."
"Looks like Makoto will have to leave no room for argument…" Mukuro stated, looking at the screen neutrally.
Byakuya sighed. "How long do you plan to go on pretending…?"
"I'm not pretending. It's the truth!" The gambler insisted.
'Celeste isn't going to give up.' Makoto thought with resignation, as the camera angled towards the side of his face. 'So then…'
It then moved to the furious Celeste. "And since you have no way to contradict me…"
It moved back to Makoto. 'I have to make her accept it!'
And back to Celeste. "That's the only truth there is!"
Finally, it moved back to Makoto, with the luckster glaring at Celeste with determination. "No, that's wrong!"
The camera froze towards Celeste's furious expression, moving closer at different angles until the image cracked and shattered. "What?!"
"The handbook!" Makoto stated confidently. "Anytime you turn on your handbook on, it shows the owner's name when it boots up, right? Monokuma told us all about it before…" He pulled up his own handbook. "So all we have to do is check her handbook and that'll clear up everything. That's how we can find out Celeste's real name!"
Celeste recoiled at this. "Th-That's an invasion of privacy!" She argued in futality. "I-I refuse to cooperate!"
Byakuya scoffed at this. "She actually thought that would work?" He rhetorically asked. "We're far past the point of accepting that excuse."
"True enough." Sakura sighed. "It's basically all but admitting your guilt."
Makoto looked away sadly. It hurts to see Celeste like this, desperately trying to fight off the forming conclusion. Even though she killed two of his classmates, he still can't help but feel sympathetic.
Makoto merely closed his eyes, a melancholy look entering his face. "Celeste… can you please just tell us what happened?" He pleaded with her softly. "Please, just tell us…"
Celeste was silent for a moment, staring frantically at everyone. Then suddenly, she pulled back on an obviously fake smile as she spoke. "Even when I'm put in check, it's just in my nature not give in. Because…" Her smile became more strained as she continued speaking. "Because, because… because, because, because, because, because-!"
"Until the game's over, you never know what might happen!" She finally exclaimed, her smile gone once more.
Like Makoto, Hifumi was also pained at the desperation Celeste was showing. 'Miss Ludenberg…'
Makoto sighed before giving the gambler a look of resigned determination. "Fine, then. Let me settle it." He said, his voice still soft. "Let me go over the case again, from the beginning, and shed light on all your crimes. And that'll bring everything to an end!"
"The closing argument…" Taka said gravely, memories of the last chapter playing in his mind. "This finalize that Celeste was the one who did it."
So… Celeste, or whoever the fuck she's called, was the one who killed Taka. Who killed his best friend. His bro. Again, the part that wanted to strangle the culprit is roaring at Mondo to do so. But there was another… just wanted to know why. Why she did it.
Celeste, meanwhile, felt herself paralyzed. She gripped onto Makoto tightly, not wanting to see the closing argument. But something compelled her to look at the screen, to witness her crime being played out.
'Why?' Celeste asked herself. 'Why… did she do something so foolish? Why risk her life for this?' Despite asking herself this, however, she knew why. She knew the reason her future self did this.
The TV switched to the comic style closing argument, first showing Hifumi and the culprit talking in his room. "Before anything, the killer persuaded someone to help carry out the murder. And that person was…" It then showed the two shaking hands, as well as them holding evil grins at the bottom. "Hifumi. With an accomplice, the killer was able to execute a number of otherwise impossible schemes."
Act 2 was then displayed, showing a clock hitting one a.m. "First, they convinced someone to meet them in the rec room last night in one in the morning." It then showed Hiro entering the rec room, with the duo waiting for him. "That 'someone' they met with was Hiro. The murderous duo intended to pass Hiro off as the prime suspect. So when they met up with him…" A scene of Hiro being drugged, as well as a evil-looking silhouette of Hifumi was next. "...they drugged him, knocked him out, and stuffed him into the Robo Suit." Pictures of Hiro being stuffed into the suit was shown. "Next, Hifumi positioned himself to make it look like Robo Justice was attacking him, while the killer used a digital camera to take pictures of the 'assault'." The next scenes were the culprit holding the camera, and Hifumi positioning the fake crime scene. "They did all this just to create evidence that would put the suspicion on Hiro."
Hiro gritted his teeth as he listened to all of this. His future self got drugged, put into the suit, and framed for something he didn't do. Celeste still attempted to put the blame on him, both future and present. And several of his classmates were so quick to write him off as the killer! Do they really think of him that badly?
"When they were done with him, they shoved him, still unconscious, into the pool room locker." The showing then moved to Act 3, first displaying Taka's watch and then Taka looking at it while Hifumi lurked in the background. "And then finally, at 6 a.m., they moved into the 'murder' phase of their plan. They called Taka into the equipment room."
Pictures of a maniacal look on Hifumi, the Justice Hammer 4, and the fanfic creator readying the hammer was next, before moving to the next set of pictures. "And that's where Hifumi killed him, making the first scene of the murder." Those pictures were Hifumi swinging the hammer, Taka turning around in shock, the moral compass laying down while the fanfic creator stood above him with an evil smile, and the Justice Hammer with blood on it.
Taka flinched at the playing out of his murder. He gritted his teeth, wondering how his future self could've been so stupid as to fall for such a trap. Though a part of him wondered if he himself would have fell for it. Would he be so naive as to think someone actually found out?
Some of the others also flinched or looked away from the scene, especially Hifumi. He looked so evil, so… bloodthirsty. Like many of the insane anime villains and scientists. Did his future self really had that murderous intent?
Mondo, meanwhile, was shaking in rage, just like the last trial. Seeing his bro killed, and who killed him, lit that fiery anger even brighter. 'Why? What goddamn reason do you have for killing him?' The biker thought to himself. 'What fucking thing was worth taking his life?'
"I don't mean to interrupt but, that's exaggerated right?" Hiro asked quietly.
"Probably, I doubt Hifumi can ever look like that even if he tried." Leon replied before getting a 'shush' from Makoto.
"The murder weapon was Justice Hammer 4, which was left there in the equipment room. The reason hammer number 4 was used was to create confusion about the order of the crimes."
"So, next they falsified two more assault crimes." Act 4 was next, showing the culprit showing the camera to Makoto and the picture of the fake crime. "For these attacks, the killers pretended to be the victims, to solidify Robo Justice as the suspect. The first fake incident was the attack in the rec room. There, the killer wanted us to see Justice Hammer 1 and the Robo Justice picture they'd taken. They wanted to make sure we bought the 'surprise attacks' story."
"The second fake incident was at the library. This time, they planted Justice Hammer 2 and an 'injured' Hifumi to sell us the story." It then showed Makoto and co. opening the door to the library, the "injured" Hifumi, and Justice Hammer 2. "With these two incidents, the killers were able to create a certain perception in our mind. That the suspect was increasing the size of the hammers and attacking people in order as they did. We fell right into their trap and started looking for the suspect based on that, but…"
Act 5 then appeared, starting with Hifumi being left in the nurse's office and the others leaving. "...while we did that, we left Hifumi alone in the nurse's office. This is exactly what Hifumi was hoping for. He took a blood packet from the refrigerator and the hammer…" Pictures of Hifumi grabbing the blood packet, rubbing the blood on his head and face, the teen holding his arms out while the blood surrounded him, and Justice Hammer 3, bloodied. "...and turned the room into a crime scene, in which he himself had apparently been brutally murdered."
"He let out a scream to draw us back, and when we returned…" The next scene was Makoto, Hina, and the culprit looking at the created crime scene. "...that's what we found." It then showed Byakuya, Sakura, and Toko seeing the actual murder. "Meanwhile, the other group that had been out searching found Taka's body at the same time. So when we heard the body discovery announcement, we naturally assumed it was for Hifumi."
'Everything… all of it… was just one big act.' Hina thought, various emotions dancing inside her tear-filled eyes. 'And I fell for it! Fell for it hard! Acted like an idiot, while Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya managed to figure it all out!' Was she really that stupid, to believe those lies so easily? To not even think about the flaws on Hiro being the killer?
"We left that nurse's office, and Hifumi once again took advantage of the situation." Act 6 was next, with Hifumi getting up and looking around. "When we learned his body had disappeared, we all rushed back to the nurse's office. And once again, Hifumi had the chance he was waiting for. This time, he snuck into the equipment room…"
It then showed Hifumi wrapping the body, the body being placed on the tarp, the fanfic creator pushing it all the way towards the repository, and then unwrapping it. "He wrapped Taka's body in a tarp and used the dolly to move it all the way down to the repository."
"But even Hifumi didn't know what the true killer had in mind for their final act…" Scenes of Hifumi acting like an obedient dog in front of the culprit, and said culprit readying a hammer behind the happy Ultimate was shown. "Their plan all along was to kill Hifumi and get rid of the one person who could betray them. And they did it with an ordinary, everyday hammer from the repository." A splatter of blood, the culprit looking disdain, Hifumi's body lying right near Taka's, and the bloodied hammer were the last scenes.
Once more, there were flinches at the sight of Hifumi's murder, including the victim himself. The fanfic creator shrivelled up in his seat, his hands over his head as if to stop the hammer from ever coming near his head, while Celeste curled up beside Makoto.
He got tricked. Played with. Used as a tool, then discarded like one. Worst, it was the person he willfully let himself be used by. Does Celeste really think that low of them? Saw him as nothing other than a tool she could use?
The girl herself, however, had no such thought. Guilt, a feeling that she was familiar with, but have pushed down for so long, started to consume her. Almost felt herself choking on feeling as she watched her crime being played.
She was no stranger to manipulation. She has done it for a long time, lying and manipulating the playing field in her favor, with no remorse to what her opponents was left with. But this… was different. She manipulated Hifumi to kill one of her classmates, before killing him herself. Attempted to manipulate the entire class to vote for Hiro, knowing they will all die if they did so. Did all this, just so she could escape by herself. With a million dollars in hand.
"That should cover everything that happened in this case. And the villain behind it all is…"
Finally, it ended with the pictures of Makoto and the culprit, flower frames surrounding them. The two figures moved close, as if to kiss, before passing each other. As they did, the silhouette revealed itself to be Celestia Ludenberg. "Celeste! Sorry, you lose!"
"And with that, every contradiction is cleared up." Byakuya stated with finality.
Kyoko turned her eyes towards Celeste. "So, can you deny any of this, Celeste?"
Celeste took a deep breath, making sure she won't act emotionally, before speaking. "I… can't." She softly answered, not bothering to keep up her accent. "You heard Makoto. I lost. Checkmate."
"So now you admit it, rather than continue your pitiful state of denial." Byakuya remarked, ignoring the few disapproving stares given to him. "Question is, will your future self?"
"She will." The gambler answered, not sounding doubtful. "I don't like to be a sore loser, at the rare times I do lose."
The screen switched back to the trial room, with Celeste looking stunned. "I… lost?" She repeated, as if it's a foreign concept to her. "I lost…?!" She held onto the handles in front of her, looking faint. "When was the last time… I was forced to utter such words? They hang heavy around my neck…"
"Then you admit it?" Makoto asked. "You're the killer?"
"Hm. Heh…" She snorted out. "Listen to you, trying to take charge. As if you're my private instructor. I, Celestia Ludenberg - actually, no…" Her voice began going back to her natural accent. "Taeko Yasuhiro is fine…"
"Taeko…?" Makoto's eyes widen in surprise.
The others were also surprised by the name. "So Taeko is your actual name?" Sayaka asked the girl herself.
The gambler, now known as Taeko, nodded. "Yep. Taeko Yasuhiro." She repeated her name.
"I don't see a problem with the name." Leon remarked, crossing his arms. "It's a fairly normal name."
"That's why I hate it." Taeko grunted. It's normal. Boring. Unsuitable for an exotic girl, with an exciting lifestyle.
"So, you finally accepted it." Byakuya remarked.
"I'm that kind of person." Celeste, now known as Taeko, explained with a shrug. "Once I've lost, I don't like things to drag on."
"Interesting…" Was all Byakuya said on the matter.
Taeko let out a sigh before speaking. "Okay, Monokuma. I'm ready to begin. Or, no…" She looked down with a heavy frown, wrapping her arms around herself. "I suppose this is the end, isn't it?"
Everyone tense at this, quite familiar with what's gonna come next. Celeste herself was tense, gripping Makoto's arm like a lifeline. As if it will stop the fear she's feeling from spreading into her body.
"Hmm. Hmm." Monokuma hummed. "It is indeed the moment we've all been waiting for! Time to vote! Okay? Okay! If you would, please locate your lever and cast your vote! And when the votes are tallied… who will become the blackened?! Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!"
Anxiety gripped Hifumi's heart. Not only is he gonna see someone who he considered a friend executed, but hear why she did it. Why she tricked him into killing Mr. Ishimaru… and then murdered him right after.
Once again, the screen switched right to a slot machine. It then rolled around before stopping on Celeste. That caused lights to flash, with cheers and coins flowing out of the machine.
The scene went back to the students, who were off their podiums and gathered around. "It's basically a formality at this point, but once again you're totally correct!" Monokuma announced. "The blackened this time… the true killer who devised the whole stinkin' scheme, was… Celestia Ludenberg! Or more precisely… Taeko Yasuhirooooo!"
And again, that was a statement that hit the group, though not as much as the previous two trials. None of them were overly shocked at who the killer was, and it didn't felt so heavy. Some didn't even know how to feel about Cele- Taeko's betrayal. But most of them do want to know why.
There were plenty of different reactions, however. The more stoic ones, Byakuya, Kyoko, Sakura, and Mukuro merely stared at the TV, waiting to see what Celeste/Taeko is going to say. Others had more conflicted expressions, especially Hina, Taka, Hifumi, and Mondo.
Taeko merely kept her eyes on the TV, trying not to show any emotions. Any type of weakness. She knows that this won't be pleasant. Her future self explaining her actions, and why she did what she did, will not draw any pleasant reactions from her classmates. Not even sympathetic. So the most she could do is control her own emotions, if barely.
"I lost… Well, that sucks." Taeko sighed. "I guess trying to work with someone else was a mistake, after all."
Her reaction, or lack thereof, caused some to stare at her incredulously. "That sucks?" Sayaka repeated in disbelief. "Thats all you have to say about being revealed as the killer?"
"How are treating this so… casually?" Hina questioned with equal amount of disbelief. "As if it's just a small mobile game you lost?"
Taeko couldn't help but looked away from all the incredulous stares. "What else am I supposed to do? Throw another tantrum? Express disbelief or regret that I got voted?" She rhetorically asked them. "I lost. I got voted for, despite all efforts. There is no use crying about it."
Makoto knew that Taeko is just putting up an act, so she wouldn't show how she truly felt. Still, he doesn't blame the others for feeling incredulous about how she's acting.
"Hifumi's ineptitude was beyond all my calculations."
"So you really did approach Hifumi with this plan?" Kyoko sighed, her question more of a statement. "But how did you get him to agree? I can't imagine he would happily agree to commit murder."
"I'm sure she relied on her speciality - lying." Byakuya suggested.
"My speciality?" Taeko snorted. "Don't make me laugh. I didn't have to lie to get him to agree."
Immediately, some manage to connect the dots. "Alter Ego." Makoto grimaced.
"So Celeste, or Taeko rather, took it." Kyoko said, crossing her arms. "And use it to have Hifumi comply."
"So it wasn't taken by Monokuma?" Hina asked, sounding a bit hopeful. "And not by anyone working with him either?"
"It appears that way." Byakuya stated.
"Then did you use… you know…?" Kyoko asked hesitantly.
"I knew you'd figure it out, Kyoko." Taeko sighed. "You're absolutely right. To get Hifumi to act as my accomplice… I used 'it'. The one thing both Hifumi and Taka were super into."
"He killed my bro… for a fucking computer…" Mondo repeated, in a raging numbness. His words got a flinch from not only Hifumi, but Chihiro as well.
"Mondo…?" Taka looked at his friend cautiously. With Celeste revealing the details of her plan… this might bode well for his friend's hair trigger temper.
Makoto immediately gain an idea as to what she's talking about. 'Does she mean… Alter Ego?'
"What?" Monokuma tilted his head in confusion. "What, what, what?! What are you talking about?!"
"Don't interrupt." Kyoko told him coldly. "We're in the middle of a very important conversation here."
That caused the monochrome bear to droop his head. "I'm totally out of the loop, as usual. How sad…"
"Then you're the one that stole it?" Kyoko asked, turning her attention back to Taeko.
"That's right." The gambler confirmed with a nod.
"And you used it to drag Hifumi into the plan you'd come up with."
"Right again." Taeko nodded once more. "Last night, after we had our meeting, I paid Hifumi a little visit."
A flashback began playing, with Celeste at the door of Hifumi's room, with the fanfic creator facing her inside. "Oh, um… what are you doing here?"
"I was hoping to talk to you. Alone." Celeste requested, coming inside the room. "It is about what was stolen. I know who did it…"
"What…?" Hifumi exclaimed in shock.
"It was Taka. He stole it."
"What?!" The fanfic creator exclaimed even louder.
"YOU FUCKING FRAMED MY BRO?!" Mondo roared. Taeko actually flinched and shrunk a little at Mondo's rage, while Makoto tensed up, ready to jump in front of Taeko if needed.
"W-What?" Taka stuttered, shocked at the fact he was being framed for something he didn't do.
"Not really surprising, when thinking about it." Byakuya remarked. "I have mentioned before Hifumi murdering Taka had something to do with their infatuation with Alter Ego."
"True, but I was thinking more of the lines of blackmail or bribery." Leon admitted. "Not straight lies and manipulation."
"And I have proof. Would you like to see it?"
"As it turned out, I'd found a use for the digital camera." Present Taeko said as flashback Celeste showed Hifumi a picture. "I'd taken 'it' to Taka's room earlier and took pictures of it there. I deleted the picture as soon as I'd shown it to Hifumi, of course."
'Huh?' Makoto caught was she said. 'She deleted it?' Why would she feel the need to do that?
The others, however, didn't caught that. "He left the door open for somebody to come in?" Leon questioned incredulously. "What is with our future selves and leaving our doors unlocked?"
"I-I'm guessing we're thinking that no one would come in if we weren't in there…" Chihiro suggested, looking nervously at the furious Mondo.
Hifumi let out a growl. "So it was HIM!" He cried out. "But how did he do it?! She was supposed to yell if either of us got close to her!"
"You are correct." Celeste nodded, looking down. "Which is why Taka forced me to steal it."
"Whaaaaat?!" Hifumi screamed in shock.
"Please forgive me. He… he threatened me." The gambler told him nervously, looking shameful.
Her words caused the group to go still, any warmth in the room being zapped away. "What…?" Mondo hissed with pure venom.
"H-He did…?"
"He came to my room unannounced, and then…" Celeste started shaking a little. "It's hard for me to even say. He… abused me…"
"What?!" Hifumi repeated once again, looking horrified.
"And he… he took pictures." She continued. "He said if I did not do as he asked, he would show them everyone. So I… I had no choice…"
Shocked, appalled, and horrified looks were spread around everywhere. Many of them couldn't believe what was being said, what lies Celeste/Taeko was spreading.
Taka was one of the most affected. His eyes were wide in horror, his body shaking, unable to comprehend being framed for such a thing. Does Celeste really think that people would see as such a monster? Would people actually believe he was capable of such dastardly deeds?
Next to Taka, Mondo was equally affected. His head was bowed, hiding his face from the group. But if anyone would have dared to look, they would've seen pure, feral wrath on the biker's expression. 'H-How dare she accuse him of such a cowardly crime! How dare she accuse him of ANY crime!'
Makoto looked sicken, keeping his eyes away from Taeko. Having his future self being tricked by Sayaka, and being accused as the killer, he could emphasize with both Hifumi and Taka. So seeing Taeko manipulate Hifumi like this was... difficult, to say the least. Especially since he's sitting with the girl herself.
"Th-That's a crime! An absolute crime!" Hifumi cried out in rage. "I mean, I knew he'd gone a little crazy, but…! I never imagined he would… he would go that far!"
The screen switched back to the present trial room. "It was amazing how completely he bought it." Celeste said with a giggle. "I can't express how enjoyable that was."
Her words sickened the group even more. "How… how could you enjoy that?!" Hina cried out, tears starting to fill her eyes. "How could anyone enjoy manipulating and lying like that to someone?! To anyone?!"
"That is just… sick…" Leon breathed out, looking ill.
Kyoko merely stared at the screen, her eyes turned ice cold. False allegations, especially those of abuse and rape, was always something of a pet peeve of hers. It makes it harder to believe the real allegations. So suffice to say, she is far from approving of what Celeste did.
"I… I…" Hifumi himself looked dazed, as if every emotion he could feel was taken away from him. Even the sense of betrayal was hardly felt. Seeing Miss Ludenberg manipulate him, lie to him, used his feelings for Alter Ego like she did.., and him eating all those lies up, like the idiot he was. It overwhelmed him.
Taeko flinched once again at the reactions around her, especially Makoto's sickened look and Hifumi's dazed looks. Despite her efforts, she cannot stop the feeling of guilt creeping into her heart and entering her face. She doesn't know at what point she had regained her conscience, but as of right now, it's hitting her hard.
The flashback was back once again, the camera focused on a angry Hifumi. "I'm about to say something I've never said before in my life…" Hifumi growled. "I'm going to kill him! I'm going to f… f… fucking kill him!"
That threat causing something inside Mondo to snap. For a moment, his body froze, as if trying to decide what it wanted to do. Immediately after, he burst from seat, pushing the couch back, and startling Taka and Chihiro.
Just as fast, Sakura and Mukuro jumped from their seats and grabbed the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, chains wrapped around his legs, while Makoto and Celeste were startled at the sudden lunge. It was an impressive leap to say the least, with Mondo currently being held back quite literally in front of Makoto's face as he happened to be in front of Celeste.
"YOU BITCH!" Mondo roared, struggling from Mukuro's and Sakura's grip. "YOU FUCKING BITCH! FRAMING MY BRO! ACCUSING HIM OF COWARDLY SHIT HE WOULD NEVER DO! GETTING THAT FAT BASTARD AIMING TO FUCKING KILL HIM!"
He then snapped his head towards Hifumi, who yelped in shock and fear. "AND DON'T THINK YOU'RE FUCKING INNOCENT EITHER! HOW THE FUCK DID YOU EASILY BELIEVE THOSE GODDAMNS LIES?! HOW ON FUCKING EARTH DID IT COME TO MIND THAT TAKA COULD'VE DONE THOSE THINGS?! IS YOUR BRAIN A GODDAMN SHITFEST?! ARE YOU-"
"Wait Mondo!" Makoto cried out, doing his absolute best not to speak with a shaky voice. "Let's all calm-"
Before he could finish, Mondo suddenly broke free Mukuro's grip and threw a fist square into Makoto's face.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
And that's the end. So… yeah, I ended it here. Didn't plan to, but the chapter was getting pretty long, and I knew I wouldn't be able to get to the execution. So, again, yeah. Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter in sooner, but I won't hold my breath right now.
So, what do you think of this chapter? Good? Bad? Too dramatic? Not dramatic enough? And what do you think of the placements for the group? Do you agree or disagree with the overall votes? Let me know all this in the reviews. Reviews, favorite, and follow and I will see you later.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
A Lucky Soldier:
Going through all the reviews so far, I would like to first say a few things before explaining my answers above.
1) I will take fault for the Grammar and Spelling mistakes that still do pop up. Its funny when I work on a text editor because there are days where I spend more time looking at text than I do not, and sometimes my brain automatically pieces stuff together even though the word is incorrectly spelled, or the sentence doesn't make proper sense. Sometimes, even words blur together though that's probably more of me staring at the screen for too long.
2) I will also take about 70% responsibility for why some chapters take so long to come out. I must credit Spirit that he does complete chapters fairly quickly, but by some misfortune, he sends it to me at inopportune times such as when I have a lot of other stuff queued up to finish. There's also moments where I finish the other stuff, and 100% have time to look over the chapters, but choose not to simply because I'm already drained and don't feel like it. I feel guilty about it, but in those moments, I literally cannot find the energy to do so and so, I don't.
Anyways, I really wanted to get that out just so you guys can understand. You guys can take that however you will and if there's hate, I can only ask for you to respectfully hate me in the reviews :)
So, back to the explanations to my favourite and least favourite trials. I'll do my best to keep it short so it doesn't become another long-ass read for everyone.
DR1 Favourite: 1-3. I loved this case simply because of how wrong I was when I was going through it for the first time. I was played as hard as Hifumi was by Celeste from beginning to end, and I really didn't see her as the killer until she started slipping up in the class trial. And even at the end, I was very surprised at how they portrayed Celeste at her execution, which once again, I was wrong about how it was going to go. So because I was proven wrong at almost every step of this chapter, it is my favourite chapter.
DR1 Least Favourite: 1-1. This is just a personal reason to hate it, the chapter is by no means bad. They just decided to off Sayaka, which isn't a very popular character, but I like her. I think I mentioned that I had to put the game down for a couple days after Leon happened. Just remembering this makes me feel bad ):
DR2 Favourite: 2-5. Nagito's chapter was by far, the craziest and most intense thanks to one of the best tracks in the game. Even though the investigation wasn't "timed" that track alone made me rush the investigation and feel the adrenaline of the situation. The setting for it was perfect. All the running around, questioning, and trial leading up to the finale was absolutely well done. I don't think I need to say more since it's a very popular opinion that this was one of the best trials ever.
DR2 Least Favourite: 2-1. This chapter almost convinced me that DR2 was going to be a bad story. Overall, I didn't feel the whole chapter to be very impactful. Teruteru didn't play the villain well (even though he wasn't), Twogami died too early for my liking (I feel like the plot could've been much better if he lived at least another chapter), and the scene of the crime seemed comical to me rather than serious. Considering I went straight from DR1 to SDR2, I was kinda expecting a huge stab to my heart like they did to Sayaka, but I didn't get anything near it so yeah.
V3 Favourite: V3-4. V3 as a whole was hit or miss for me. Some chapters were great while others felt lackluster or I didn't feel it was done well. However, the whole virtual world thing done here was a really nice new direction that the game went in. It opened up so many more possibilities to keep me guessing and Gonta being done dirty really hit me that chapter.
V3 Least Favourite: V3-1. Ok I know all the first chapters here are my least favourite, but this one in particular is partially reddit's fault. Back before V3 was released, the Dangan reddit was full of theories, guesses, and such. And one of the more common theories was that at some point in the game, the player character was going to be a killer and that the player character will change in the game. And then what do you know, it happens in the first chapter of the game. You can imagine how let down I was. And the second reason this is my least favourite chapter is that I was very much looking forward towards a female-protagonist game (as tagged by Steam), only to be once again, let down by the very first chapter. Not to mention, one of the hidden achievements is max bonding everyone with Kaede by replaying Chapter 1 (which is a pain in the butt). I don't want to relive the pain of being let down over and over. Also, RIP Kaede.