TRUTH BULLETS:

MONOKUMA FILE #2

SQUARE GLASS PANE

ROPE

TIED UP HIMIKO

WET STAIRCASE

PIRANHA TANK

INNER TUBE IN POOL

MARKED WINDOW FRAME

INSECT MEET AND GREET

GONTA'S ACCOUNT

CRAMPED PIRANHAS

MIU'S ACCOUNT

KOKICHI'S ACCOUNT

WATER TANK TRICK

BLACK FABRIC

POOL RULES

BLOODY TENNIS NET CABLE

MAKI ALONE


CLASS TRIAL, START:


Monokuma cleared his throat as everyone stood within their witness stands. "Now then, let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! During the trial, you'll present your arguments for who the culprit is, and vote for 'whodunnit' Vote correctly, and only the blackened will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person… I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will graduate from this academy, also, refusing to vote will result in your death, so you better vote for someone! Now, let's get this crazy, awesome, crazy-awesome trial underway!"

"Monaca's been so excited for this ever since we sent out the motive videos!" The woman giggled.

"Everything's going according to schedule, as long as no one messes anything up we should be good," Nagisa smiled.

Jataro chuckled. "This trial's gonna be pretty fun… everyone's gonna hate me so much by the time this is done,"

"We will!" Monaca encouraged with a smile.


"Still hard to believe someone would use Himiko's magic show for their murder," Kaito said.

"Yes, yes, after we put so much effort into it too!" Angie smiled. "Poor Himiko…"

"Yeah, whoever this killer is I want you to reveal yourself, or I'm gonna punch you!" Tenko shouted.

"Nyeh… the thought is appreciated, but… don't actually do that," Himiko mumbled.

"Well, the culprit knows what's waiting for them if they don't get away with this, so I don't think Tenko's threat is gonna work anyway!" Kokichi smiled.

Korekiyo chuckled. "Kehehe… it's the worth the effort though, such a beautiful attempt to defend your belove-"

"Friend!" Tenko shouted with a blush. "My beloved friend,"

Kokichi smugly side eyed the Martial Artist, who grit her teeth at the short boy in response.

"Himiko's magic show is central to this case," Keebo stated factually. "We'll need to get to the bottom of it if we want to solve anything,"

That's right, we'll need to know the ins and outs of Himiko's magic show if we want to get anywhere.


"Himiko's magic show is central to this case," Keebo stated. "We should talk about what we saw then we got there,"

"That's right," Kaito nodded. "Everyone except Maki-Roll was watching Himiko's magic trick,"

"Stop calling me that," Maki grumbled.

"We watched Himiko jump into that tank, and… I dunno probably find some kind of way out," Kotoko shrugged. "There was a curtain in the way,"

"And as the timer hit zero, the piranhas were dropped right into the tank!" Angie cheered.

Kokichi faked a sniffle as he shakily spoke. "A-And then in there… HE WAS EATEN ALIVE WAHHHH!"

"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"


"Wuhhhhhhhhhh?" Kokichi made the noise dramatically, completely getting over his crying fit.

"Ryoma couldn't have been eaten alive by the piranhas, because the second Monokuma File says he died from asphyxiation," Kaede explained.

"It's the only useful piece of information on that hunk o' shit!" Miu complained.

Monokuma cleared his throat. "I'm not allowed to give you information that solves the murder too quickly," The bear said firmly. "That just ruins the point of the Killing Game!"

"Monaca wants to be entertained!" The girl smiled.

"Of course you do…" Kotoko grumbled.

"I guess we should keep that in mind then," Kaede said.

Kirumi cleared her throat. "I do have what I believe is a more important distinction to make,"

"Hm, what's that?" Kaede turned her head.

"Asphyxiation is quite a vague word," Kirumi said.

"Kehehe… it is merely death from oxygen deprivation, that gives a whole host of causes of Ryoma's death," Korekiyo said.

"Exactly my point, I believe knowing the exact cause of Ryoma's death is key to solving this murder," Kirumi said.

What is asphyxiation referring to?

"I GOT IT!"

"I believe it's specifically referring to drowning," Kaede said. "From what we have so far, I don't think asphyxiation can mean anything else,"

"Guess that makes sense," Kaito said.

"Glad we cleared that up," Kirumi smiled.

"Yeah, we know that Ryoma was drowned now!" Kokichi smiled. "Which means that we can assume he was killed in the Gym!"

"Huh, why?" Miu asked, turning her head curiously.

"Well, it's the only place where a large amount of water would be, and the only place where Ryoma's body could've been hidden," Kokichi said. "Did you get that, or do I need to dumb it down for the dumb whore in the back?"

"D-Dumb whore?" Miu groaned.

"Ah, but couldn't Ryoma have been drowned in the pool?" Tsumugi asked. "I mean, it's plain to see that it's a bigger source of water,"

"Yeah, the culprit probably drowned Ryoma there and moved his body to the Gym later," Tenko shouted.

That can't be possible, because…

"THAT'S IT!"

"I don't think it's possible to move Ryoma's body from the pool to the Gym, someone would've seen the culprit doing that," Kaede said.

"O-Oh yeah, right…" Tsumugi mumbled.

"Don't feel too bad, someone as basic as you was bound to completely fuck it up!" Miu laughed cruelly.

"Miu, zip it!" Kaede shouted.

"Eeeep!"

"I suppose that confirms that Ryoma was killed in the Gym," Kirumi nodded. "That makes everyone who helped set up Himiko's magic show a suspect,"

"That makes you a potential culprit, Kirumi," Keebo said.

"I know," Kirumi nodded. "I am willing to put my own safety on the line for all of you,"

"Nyahahaha, how nice of you!" Angie smiled.

"H-Hey, whaddaya mean anyone who helped set up?" Kaito yelped. "Most of us didn't have a chance to kill Ryoma!"

"Yeah, that tank was too heavy! My arms would be too sore to kill anyone!" Kotoko pouted.

"I… don't think that counts as a defense," Korekiyo spoke.

"Where would the culprit have hidden Ryoma's body?" Tsumugi asked. "I'm just plain curious, there didn't seem to be any hiding spots within reach,"

"Ooo, Ooo, I know this one!" Angie smiled. "The stairs of the stage are actually completely hollow; it's rather cramped, but there's still enough space to fit a body!"

"W-Why didn't you mention that until now?" Tsumugi shouted.

"I didn't think it was super important, but all this talk of hiding bodies has made it so!" Angie smiled.

"That's suuuuuper suspicious, but also makes sense," Kokichi nodded. "That space could be the key to Himiko's trick,"

"I-It's not a trick… it's maaaaagic," Himiko said in her lazy showwoman like voice.

"Again, you can drop that shtick Himiko," Kaito said sternly. "We kinda need to know how your trick works to figure this out,"

"It's magic, cause she says it's magic!" Tenko shouted. "And I'm gonna believe that,"

"I'm actually really surprised you made it past high school," Kotoko glared at the woman.

"A-An insult from a girl?" Tenko shouted. "Wh-What is this feeling?"

"Shame, hopefully," Kotoko sneered.

"Koto don't be mean," Kaito sighed.

"Ugh… fiiiine!"

We need to figure out the key of Himiko's Underwater Escape Act in order to solve this case, I just wish she'd stop making getting that information so hard…


"M-My Underwater Escape Act isn't a trick, it's magic!" Himiko declared, raising her voice slightly more than usual.

"Don't worry, Himiko, I believe in you!" Tenko announced.

"We heard you the first hundred times, titless, no one cares!" Miu grumbled.

"Maybe Himiko break through glass?" Gonta turned his head. "Ah, but then that leave water everywhere, Gonta waste everyone's time…"

"Don't worry, Gonta, not all of us can bring up good points!" Kokichi said passive agressively.

"Maybe Himiko had a way to get from the tank to the inside of the stairs?" Kotoko mused. "It'd explain how we didn't see her leaving the tank,"

"I AGREE WITH THAT!"


"I think your theory is correct, Kotoko!" Kaede smiled.

Kotoko giggled. "I knew it was, I'm so smart!"

Kaede rolled her eyes with a smile. "While me and Kaito were exploring Himiko's lab, we saw a spare water tank with an escape hatch on the side,"

"That's right!" Kaito smirked. "That escape hatch could've been used to enter the empty space on the stairs!"

"I-I didn't use that hatch, I used my magic…" Himiko mumbled.

"Listen, Himiko you can say what you wanna say, we've figured out the trick-"

"MIND OVER STRENGTH!"


"Tenko, what are you-"

"Grrr… I can't stand all of you bullying Himiko," Tenko grumbled. "Even if you are a girl, I'm gonna strike you down!"

"W-With your words, right?"

"Oh yeah, I guess that works,"


REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN

KAEDE VS TENKO

FIGHT!


"Himiko clearly used her magic to escape the tank!"

"A girl as nice a-and sweet as her wouldn't lie!" Tenko shouted.

"And even if there is an escape hatch on the tank, Himiko wouldn't have used it!"

"…with that clear, I'm gonna punch Kaito, cause I should never hit girls!"


"W-Wait…"

"Before you punch Kaito,"

"Why couldn't Himiko have used the escape hatch?"


"It's actually quite simple," Tenko said smugly.

"The tank Himiko was swimming in was filled with water!"

"If Himiko opened that escape hatch into the stairs…"

"The water would've gushed out with her!"


I'LL CUT DOWN YOUR ARGUMENT!


"Water did gush out of the tank, actually," Kaede corrected. "There was a puddle of it behind the stairs, near a pile of rope, and Himiko's wet clothes,"

Himiko gave a sad pout as Kaede discussed her trick.

"O-Oh, r-really?" Tenko mumbled. "W-Wait, then how was Himiko completely dry when she-"

"Those clothes explain everything, kehehe…" Korekiyo chuckled. "She wouldn't have had enough time to dry them off inbetween escaping her bindings, so she simply got a change of clothes before she reappeared…"

"And with that tacky hat she wears, she'd totally be able to hide the fact that her hair is wet!" Kokichi cheered. "I can tell that your hair is wet, by the way,"

"N-Nyeh?"

"G-Grrr…" Tenko grumbled.

"Nyahahaha! Himiko, you look very suspicious right now," Angie gave her friend a dark smile. "You could've hid Ryoma's body in that staircase, and then pulled it out during the show to be eaten by the piranhas!"

"I-I wouldn't… there was a h-hatch, but I-I used my magic t-to escape the tank, I swear!"

"Quit bullying Himiko! I thought you were her friend!" Tenko shouted at the Artist.

"And friends don't let friends get away with murder, now, do they?" She turned her head as Himiko's stand flew to the middle of the courtroom.

"That's right, Angie!" Kokichi smiled. "Clearly, Himiko grabbed Ryoma out of the stairs during her trick, and pulled him into the tank!"

Himiko is suspicious… but that specific theory seems off somehow…

THAT'S IT!

"I actually don't think Himiko could've pulled Ryoma out from the stairs during the show," Kaede said. "She was tied up, remember? She wouldn't have a good range of motion to grab him,"

"Finally, something reasonable!" Tenko said, sounding relieved that someone had come to Himiko's defense.

"True, true!" Angie smiled. "However, I did tell Himiko how to escape from my ties beforehand, I left one of the knots untieed, so she could've escaped inside of the tank and pulled Ryoma out!"

"How considerate of you…" Korekiyo wrapped his arms around himself. "We should… meet up once this is over,"

"What a strange offer… sounds good!" Angie turned her head with a wide smile on her face. Miu groaned lightly which everyone ignored as they continued to talk.

"Himiko using her show to pull Ryoma from the stairs seems rather plausible," Kirumi said. "I don't want to accuse you, but this whole setup does make you suspicious,"

"N-Nyeh…"

"I-I don't think we have enough evidence to pursue Himiko, but it seems plain possible that Ryoma's body was hidden in the stairs," Tsumugi said.

Everyone thinks Ryoma was hidden in the stairs, and then pulled out into the tank from there… that feels wrong somehow.


"Ryoma was put into the large tank during the show," Kirumi said. "That much we know for sure,"

"And that space in the stairs is the only place capable of hiding a body," Angie closed her eyes for a moment. "The murderer shoved Ryoma in there before any of us even got there!"

"N-No, that's wrong…" Himiko mumbled.

"You keep saying that, but you've given us nothing to prove it," Korekiyo chastised. "Kehehe… perhaps the killer found the perfect person to frame for their murder,"

"Y-Yeah, Himiko's being framed!" Tenko shouted. "Himiko's no killer, there's just no way!"

"We're all saying that Ryoma was pulled from the stairs, but…" Kotoko trailed off. "None of us actually saw what was going on in there,"

"Y-Yeah, unless someone saw into the tank we can't confirm anything!" Tenko yelped.

"I AGREE WITH THAT!"


"Actually, I think I know someone who saw into the tank," Kaede's looked at Gonta and smiled a very confident smile. "Isn't that right, Gonta?"

"Oh yeah!" Gonta said with an inquisitive look in his eyes. "Gonta jump up on tank to save Himiko, but he see nothing in there,"

"So that means Ryoma only appeared in the tank after the show…" Korekiyo mused. "How interesting,"

"Ugh, why didn't you tell us that earlier, Gonta?" Kokichi pouted. "You've totally wasted our time!"

"Don't be mean!" Tsumugi chastised.

"Gonta sorry!"

"Hmpph, Atua is very upset with you!" Angie somehow combined a smile and a pout into one facial expression. "None of you believed his theory, so he went to bed angry!"

"Petty ass god…" Miu grumbled.

"Ah, sorry!" Kaede said. "Wait, why am I apologising?"

"See? See? Himiko's completely innocent now!" Tenko said proudly. "I never stopped believing in her, so I have no idea why all of you stopped instantly!"

"Hey, I didn't think she was the killer!" Kaito said.

"You being technically right doesn't make you any less stupid," Maki grumbled. "It's not like this makes Himiko completely innocent anyway,"

"What!?" Tenko shouted.

"Even if Maki is a complete and utter megabitch, she kinda has a point," Kotoko said. "There's another place to hide the body in the Gym, you know?"

"Koto, what are you talking about?" Kaito turned his head.

Where else could someone have hidden Ryoma's body in the Gym?

"THAT'S IT!"

"Are you talking about the piranha tank?" Kaede turned her head.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about, that tank could've fit both the Tennis Man's body and the Piranhas in it," Kotoko nodded.

"That actually makes sense," Kaito smiled. "Good going Koto!"

"Thaaaanks!"

"Are you sure?" Angie turned her head, speaking in a passive aggressive tone. "Because I'm pretty sure we would've seen Ryoma's body in there,"

"Yeah, this sounds like a bunch of horseshit!" Miu shouted.

Thinking about it, Kotoko's theory sounds correct. I just evidence to prove it…


Kotoko shrugged. "Say what you want, whore, the piranha tank is the only other place that could hide a body,"

"Wh-Whore?" Miu moaned.

"You don't have any proof for that, though," Keebo said. "You uh… kinda need that,"

"The piranhas would've eaten Ryoma up right away!" Angie bobbed her head side to side like a bobblehead. "They eat dead flesh right up in seconds! It said so on their tank!"

Miu moaned. "G-Guhhh…"

"Yeah, if it was just Ryoma and the piranhas in that tank, he would've been eaten," Kokichi said. "This theory makes zero sense!"

"It would only work if there was something separating the piranhas from Ryoma," Korekiyo added.

"I AGREE WITH THAT!"


"That's a good point, Kiyo, and there was something separating the piranhas from Ryoma!"

"Hm? Well, don't keep us waiting now…" Korekiyo said.

"The square glass pane that fell to the bottom of the tank!" Kaede explained. "I believe that was the lid of the piranha tank that the culprit dropped into it to separate Ryoma from the piranhas to ensure that his body would only be revealed when the show ended,"

"Which would make everyone suspicious of Himiko!" Kaito said, tapping his head with a smirk on his face as he realised. "Really good thinking Kaede,"

"See? You all should've believed in Himiko!" Tenko shouted.

Himiko gave the Martial Artist a small smile as her witness stand moved back to its place next to her.

"I never stopped believing in her, and I never will!" The woman proudly declared with a huge smile on her face. "So the rest of you should too!"

The crowd went silent for a moment, before being interrupted by Kokichi slow clapping.

"Really nice effort, but this blind belief could've gotten us all killed," Kokichi put emphasis on the 'd'.

"Indeed, indeed!" Angie nodded energetically. "And even so, I have some doubts with Kotoko's theory. We would've seen Ryoma's body in the piranha tank, there weren't nearly enough piranhas in there to hide it,"

There's an explanation for that

"TAKE THAT!"

"Actually, at the time there were more than enough piranhas to hide his body, you did say that the amount of piranhas in the tank seemed to multiple, right?" Kaede asked inquisitively.

"Right, right, I was always quite confused about that. It's such a mystery!" Angie gave a wide eyed smile. "What do you have to say about it, hm?"

"I think in using the glass pane to separate Ryoma from the piranhas, they also crammed the piranhas in a small enough space to successfully hide his body from us. The tank was only see through from the front, meaning that'd be the only part of it that the piranhas would need to cover,"

"That settles it, the body was hidden in the piranha tank!" Kotoko put her hands on her hips proudly. "And Himiko's both too short and weak to reach up there,"

"Yeah, I was barely able to reach the window on the stage, the piranha tank is just above it, so I doubt that Himiko could've put Ryoma in the piranha tank," Kaede explained.

"YES!" Tenko cheered. "That's what I would've said, so glad that I was right this entire time!"

"Nyahahaha! Your innocence is proven Himi-"

"You should apologise," Tenko grumbled.

"Hm?"

"Nyeh?"

"You should apologise to Himiko right now!" The Martial Artist made her demands clear from the shouty tone in her voice. "You're meant to be her friend, you're meant to trust her until the very end!"

"Tenko, it's really okay,"

"Huh?"

"Nyeh… it kinda made sense to suspect me, this was my magic show after all…"

"Y-You're gonna forgive her that easily?"

"Well yeah, shouldn't Himiko blindly trust Angie?" Kokichi turned his head all smug and annoying like. "Or are there exceptions to the 'trust everyone unconditionally rule' you won't shut up about?"

"Grr…" Tenko grumbled.

"What are you getting at, Kokichi?" Kirumi asked sternly.

"We're putting way too much faith in each other, any old liar could use that trust to take advantage of us; we all know what happens when we vote incorrectly by now…" Kokichi had a serious look in his eyes, more serious than he had been so far. It quickly changed to a large, excited smile. "That's why I say instead of this stupid back and forth, we have our most likely culprits argue to the death! That's when the liar amongst us will reveal themselves!"

"Oh, he's gone completely crazy," Kotoko shrugged.

"Crazy? I'm just stating my opinion," Kokichi pouted. "If that makes you guys trust me any less, then you're all a bunch of hypocrites!"

"I think you're idea of a debate would just lead to two people yelling at each other for an hour," Kaede sighed as she talked down the Supreme Leader. "That's not going to get us anywhere,"

"I mean, we haven't tried it!" Kokichi shrugged. "Really, I say we leave it up to the rest of-"

"Quit screwin' around Kokichi, this is serious," Kaito scolded.

"We haven't shortened our list of culprits to two people yet," Angie brought up. "We should only try your idea once that's done,"

"Hmm… a good point, the rest of you are totally dumb, though!" Kokichi pouted.

Tsumugi sighed. "I-Ignoring Kokichi, this conversation has kinda left us at a dead end; we don't really know how or when the culprit could've set this whole thing up,"

I think I have an idea of when.

"I GOT IT!"

"No, we have a good idea of when this scene was set up. Yesterday, before nighttime was the only time this crime could've been set up,"

"I guess that kinda makes sense," Kaito shrugged. "But…"

"That's kind of hard to prove," Kirumi said.

Actually, someone's alibi proves when the crime occurred.

"Hey Miu, when was the last time you say Ryoma?" Kaede asked.

"8:30, thought I already told you this, dumbass," Miu said. "Did all your brain power go to those weak ass piano playing f-fingers?" She moaned out the last part of that sentence, much to the chagrin of Kaede (and Tsumugi).

"Gonta can confirm that, actually, I see Ryoma around 8:30 while capturing people for the insect meet and greet," Gonta nodded. "Ryoma was alive up until 8:30 then?"

Kirumi nodded. "I suppose that makes sense,"

"How the fuck does that help us anyway?" Miu shouted.

"Well, it makes it so that only the people not captured by Gonta could be the culprit…" Kokichi smirked. "That includes you, Miu,"

"Wh-Wha, why?" Miu said. "I-It could still be any one of us, y-you can't suspect me!"

No, we definitely can shorten the list of suspects… we're not even saying it's you specifically, Miu!


"Th-The culprit just can't be m-me!" Miu squealed. "I-I'm not f-fucken' dumb enough to try to commit a murder this obvious!"

"It's not me either!" Kaito yelled. "I was too busy hiding from Gonta!"

"I was at my lab the entire time," Maki said. "You already know that,"

"I bet you found Ryoma running around and smashed his head in!" Kokichi said in a singsong voice. "Like the horrible murderer you are!"

"I-I wouldn't do shit like that!" Kaito yelped.

"I-I thought we established that Ryoma was drowned?" Tsumugi said confused.

"Oh yeah, whoopsies!" Kokichi giggled. "Total accident,"

"Hmm…" Gonta looked lost in thought for a moment. "Gonta confused as to what could shorten the list of suspects…"

"It's not like a bunch of us were together while Ryoma was being murdered, right?" Kokichi smirked.

"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"


"A bunch of us were together: Me, Tsumugi, Keebo, Kotoko, Kiyo, Angie, Tenko and Himiko were all captured by then," Kaede said. "We wouldn't have been able to kill Ryoma at all,"

"Riiiight, Gonta did capture all of you for the insect meet and greet," Kokichi shrugged. "Totally forgot, slipped my mind,"

"You manipulated him into doing that so you could show us our motive videos!" Tsumugi accused. "What do you mean you forgot?"

"Actually, Gonta agree with showing everyone's motive videos," Gonta said with a smile. "Gonta only manipulated into capturing everyone,"

"What?"

"See, I only half manipulated him!" Kokichi pouted.

"That's still messed up, Kokichi!" Kaito scolded.

"Yes, we'll have to talk about this once this trial is over," Kirumi said sternly.

"Awwwww… Mom's scolding me!" Kokichi pouted.

"The insect meet and greet shortens our list of suspects to about five: Myself, Kaito, Kokichi, Maki and Miu," Kirumi stated. "Unless there's something to shorten the suspect list further?"

I believe someone's account does that…

"THAT'S IT!"

"Kokichi, when you were getting everyone's motive videos: you said that saw you both saw Kirumi, and I quote a 'strange girl walking around in her underwear', right?"

"Oh yeah, I did say that," Kokichi smiled. "That weird girl was definitely Miu, she's the kind of degenerate to do that!"

"I-I… actually have to agree with that…" Tenko gulped. "What's happening to me?"

"O-Oh right, I-I uh… I did it to distract Gonta, okay?" Miu squeaked.

"Y-Yeah, Miu use her s-secret woman weapon so I can't take her to insect meet and greet," Gonta stuttered, his face turning beet red as he discussed the event as if he was an 80 year old talking about his time in the war. "G-Gonta feel funny, a-and then leave from embarrassment…"

"You should feel lucky, Gonta, it's not every day you see a goddess body like mine!" Miu smirked, instantly becoming more confident. "Think about me during your next-"

"Why would anyone be lucky to see your washed up burlap sack of a body?" Kokichi turned his head innocently.

"Guhhhhh!"

"Hey Gonta, where's the last place you stopped before coming back to your lab?" Kaede asked.

"Oh, Gonta stop at the Gym where he see: Angie, Himiko, Tenko and Kirumi. Kirumi say she busy so Gonta not capture her though," Gonta explained. "Why you ask?"

"Cause it gives a good idea of who could've done this," Kaede said. "You didn't see Kaito at any point?"

"No, Gonta never see Kaito," The man said. "Not in Gym, not in hallway, only see him at around 8 when Gonta captured you… Gonta very sorry about that, by the way,"

"It's all good now, don't worry," Kaede smiled. "That doesn't lower our suspects that much, but is good to know,"

"There's no way to lower the amount of suspects anymore, huh?" Tsumugi said. "It's down to Kaito and Maki,"

"Right…" Maki mumbled.

"Well, it can't be Maki!" Kaito proudly declared, putting his hands on his hips.

Kokichi smacked his lips. "Kaito, I wanted to make you two fight, can you not admit-"

The astronaut quickly interrupted him. "But it can't be me either! I know I didn't kill Ryoma, and I believe in Maki,"

"You… believe in Maki?" Kokichi raised an eyebrow. "At least Tenko and Himiko are dating, none of us even know Maki!"

"N-Nyeh?" Himiko yelped.

"H-How?" Tenko yelped as well.

"Ah… unconditional belief, one of the basic foundations of many societies, kehehe," Korekiyo chuckled, then went back to his usual blank tone. "However, that's not getting us anywhere, without evidence there's a fifty percent chance we vote for the wrong person here,"

"A zero percent chance, cause it's neither of us!" Kaito proudly declared.

"You're really going with that, huh?" Kokichi chuckled. "What an idiot,"

"H-Hey, don't call me an idiot!"

"It is kinda stupid," Kotoko said. "But a cool kinda stupid!"

"He's an Atua damned idiot!" Angie smiled.

"It'd be hypocritical for me to call him out…" Tenko grumbled. "Must… resist…"

"Ah, but it's okay to be idiot as long as you believe in friends!" Gonta smiled.

"Seriously, quit calling me an idiot!" Kaito grumbled. "It really hurts my feelings…"

Maki sighed. "I didn't want to get involved in this, because saying this would make all of you suspicious of me…" The woman grumbled.

"God, finally you actually say something," Kokichi pouted. "Are you gonna finally do something that doesn't involve you being all 'I hate everyone, mimimimi'"

Maki glared at Kokichi. "It's not like he's my friend, but that idiot instilled a bit of hope in me…"

"Seriously, quit it, it's just mean!" Kaito complained again.

Maki began to speak. "I saw Ryoma past nighttime, he had come to me asking for his motive video,"

"What?" Kaede yelped.

"The fuck? Why didn't you say shit about this before?" Miu yelled.

"This is highly suspicious… this evidence singlehandedly changes the context of the entire case…" Korekiyo mused. "You aren't lying, are you?"

"That's so totally a lie, I would know. I am a liar, nishishi~" Kokichi giggled. "Maki's making this up so she can throw off the whole case,"

Maki sighed again, deeper and more dejected this time. "This is exactly why I didn't say it until now, I knew this would happen,"

Maki's stand moved into the middle of the trial room.

The killer can't be Kaito, but… it can't be Maki either. If Kaito believes in her I will too…

I just need to do something that makes her seem more believable…


"Maki's so totally lying!" Kokichi pouted.

"This new information is… suspicious," Kirumi said. "Please do not joke like this, Maki,"

"Kehehe, you truly need to be desperate to lie during a time like this…" Korekiyo said.

"M-Maybe she's telling the truth…" Tsumugi mumbled. "S-Someone m-might be able to confirm it,"

"Even if it is true, no one besides Ryoma and Maki would be able to confirm it," Keebo stated.

"I'll turn this lie into the truth!"


"Actually, Me, Kaito and Kotoko heard Maki talking to someone late at night," Kaede said suddenly.

"Hm?" Kokichi turned his head.

"Wh- I mean yeah!" Kaito nodded nervously.

"Me and Kay-Kay had come back late cause of the insect meet and greet," Kotoko said like it was the complete and utter truth, no nervousness in her voice at all. "So we started our usual exercising pretty late; we heard Maki talking to someone,"

"That's right!" Kaede agreed. "We couldn't make out the other voice, but given Maki's testimony, it makes sense that it'd be Ryoma,"

"So, R-Ryoma was alive during nighttime…" Tsumugi mumbled.

"Horseshit!" Miu yelled. "Why didn't you bring this up until now?"

"Yes, it seems rather suspicious," Kirumi said.

"Well, we were kinda all in on the crime happening before nighttime," Kaede said. "So I didn't think it was super relevant,"

"This testimony means that Ryoma died during the night…" Kokichi said. "But it's probably completely made up, so I doubt it,"

"Kaede wouldn't lie, if she says it then Ryoma died during the night!" Tsumugi declared.

"Yeah!" Tenko said. "It's the only time this could've happened!"

"HOLD ON!"


Monokuma's shouting interrupted the arguing between the students. "I see through your arguments, you're all split down the middle!"

"In that case-" Monaca said before the bear and the teachers all shouted at once. "The Ultimate Academy is very proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!"

"Yippee! I've been waiting for this!" Kokichi cheered.

"How come you're so excited?" Tenko eyed the man suspiciously.


Monokuma once against inserted a key into a hole at the front of his throne, all the witness stands rose splitting the students into two groups.


DEBATE SCRUM:

WHEN DID RYOMA'S MURDER OCCUR?


DURING NIGHTTIME

Kaede, Tsumugi, Kaito, Maki, Kotoko, Tenko, Himiko, Angie, Shuichi


BEFORE NIGHTTIME

Kokichi, Korekiyo, Kirumi, Gonta, Miu, K1-B0, Rantaro, Ryoma


GONTA

"It impossible to move Ryoma's body into Gym during nighttime!"


MUGI!

"Th-They wouldn't need to enter the Gym themselves, only find a way to get Ryoma inside…"


KOREKIYO

"The rules state that no one can enter Gym at nighttime, however,"


KAITO!

"Rules probably don't apply to corpses, y'know?"


K1-B0

"There's no other entrance into the Gym besides the front door, though,"


KOTOKO!

"Does the window not count as an entrance now?"


MIU

"That window connects to the pool, you're not allowed in there during nighttime either!"


MAKI!

"The pool is what's off limits, not the pool area itself,"


KOKICHI

"Wouldn't it be impossible to climb to the window though?"


ANGIE!

"The culprit could've used the rope to climb into the Gym!"


KOREKIYO

"That would've needed time to setup, however,"


I'LL DO IT!

"Anyone left alone in the gym would have had plenty of time,"


KIRUMI

"All of this relies on Maki's rather shaky testimony,"


TENKO!

"But that's okay, cause we got Kaede's testimony too!"


"THIS IS OUR ANSWER!"


"I think we can reasonably prove that Ryoma died during the night," Kaede said. "Given Maki's testimony and the fact that the culprit could've placed the body into the piranha tank from the window,"

"Then, let me ask a question," Korekiyo said. "Where was Ryoma killed if not the Gym?"

"Coulda been the pool…" Himiko said. "There's plenty of water there,"

That's wrong, because…

"I GOT IT!"

"No, the pool is off limits at night," Kaede explained. "If Ryoma was put in there while he was still alive, he would've been killed by the Exisals, and the murder wouldn't have counted,"

"That's right!" Monokuma confirmed cheerily. "You can't cheat and make me do the killing for you"!

"That defeats the whole purpose of the game!" Monaca pouted. "And it makes Monaca sad…"

"Good…" Kotoko grumbled.

"Yeah, Ryoma couldn't have been killed in the Gym, or the Pool-"

"GONTA NO CAN IGNORE THAT!"


"Gonta, what are you doing?" Kaede asked confused.

"Gonta confused, Gonta have no idea where Ryoma could be killed if not the Gym or pool!"


REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN

KAEDE VS GONTA

FIGHT!


"This whole murder case is confusing!" Gonta said. "Gonta not get how Ryoma could die…"

"In any place without water!"

"We already know that Ryoma drowned…"

"There's no other way for Ryoma to die!"


"But the Monokuma file doesn't specify drowning…"

"We only said that, because we hadn't thought about any other method of murder,"


"Drowning still covered by asphyxiation!" Gonta shouted.

"Gonta sorry, but Gonta no want us to make the wrong decision, because proper man never let their friends die!"

"So Gonta need to ask…"

"How does Kaede know that Ryoma died outside of the Pool or Gym?"


"I'LL CUT THROUGH THAT ARGUMENT!"


"Me and Kaito actually explored Ryoma's lab, in there we found some evidence…" Kaede trailed off. "Including some that makes it clear that Ryoma wasn't drowned, but strangled to death,"

"Hm? You do?" Gonta's voice went soft and curious.

"Yeah, the cable holding up the tennis net in Ryoma's lab was undone, and a part of it was stained with blood…" Kaede trailed off.

"That's right!" Kaito nodded. "Me and Kaede didn't know what to think of it, but looking back on it now it's clear proof that Ryoma was strangled, not drowned,"

"Oh… Gonta sorry for wasting your time," The man looked dejectedly at the floor. "Should have just asked for evidence,"

"It's okay, it's good to be thorough, Gonta!" Kaede encouraged.

"Y-Yeah, you were just confused," Tsumugi agreed.

"So, what you're saying is that Ryoma died in his own lab?" Angie turned her head.

"It makes the most sense," Kaede said. "You don't wanna move the murder weapon too far from the murder,"

"If that's true… how was Ryoma moved from his lab to the Gym?" Kokichi turned his head too.

"That's right, that's right. It's quite the conundrum!" Angie cheered.

"I think I can figure out the answer to that-"

"We got this, Kaede!"


Kaito's witness stand didn't move as it was already next to Kaede's.

"Kaito?"

"I said we got this, I think together we can figure out how Ryoma was moved from his Lab to the Gym!" Kaito said confidently. "As my sidekick, it's my duty to help you when you need it!" The man smirked.

"My hero," Kaede smirked back. "Let's do this!"


CONSENSUAL CRAFTING

KAEDE & KAITO

GO:

"For Ryoma to have been moved from his lab to the Gym, he needed to be moved from…"

"Ryoma would need to be moved from his lab's window,"


"THAT'S IT!"


"And from there, he'd be moved to…"

"He'd be moved to the Gym's window!"


"YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT!"


"We're going well, Kaede, now how was Ryoma moved between the Gym and his lab?"

"Ryoma would have to be moved from window to window,"


"WE'VE FIGURED IT OUT!"


"I think we've figured out how Ryoma was moved from his lab to the Gym," Kaito said as he patted Kaede on the back. "Tell 'em, sidekick!"

Kaede smiled proudly.

What in the Gym could've been used to connect the Gym to Ryoma's Lab?

"HERE IT IS!"

"The rope left in the Gym could've been used to connect the two windows," Kaede declared. "Hey Angie, was the rope still in tact by the time you got to the Gym?"

"Of course, of course!" Angie smiled. "I cut it into smaller strips in the morning to tie up Himiko for the magic show,"

"I suppose that does make it possible for the rope to be used to connect the two windows… however, I do have one problem with that," Korekiyo said. "The rope was only 65 feet in length, it wouldn't have been long enough to be used as some kind of ropeway,"

"There'd need to be some kind of second rope," Keebo said.

That's right, what could be used as a second rope?

"THAT'S IT!"

"The tennis net cable would've been perfect to be used as a second rope!" Kaede said.

Kotoko turned her head curiously. "That kinda depends though… how long was it, did you guys measure?"

"70 feet," Kaito declared.

"Huh? That's suspiciously specific, are you-"

The astronaut scoffed as he interrupted Kokichi. "I ain't the killer, I was part of my middle school's tennis team,"

"Ohhhhh, was Ryoma a hero of yours or something?" Kokichi smirked. "Cause it'd be really sucky to watch him be all depressed all the time,"

"You're being a dick about it, but you hit the nail on the coffin, heh," Kaito chuckled. "It's been bugging me ever since I saw him here, I didn't wanna see him give up so easily,"

"Maybe he had a good reason to give up?" Kokichi turned his head. "I mean, he always talked about how he had no one out there,"

"That true, it depressing to think about…" Gonta mumbled.

"Maybe there was someone in his motive video?" Kokichi smirked. "You totally should've let me show them, he probably would've lasted a bit longer if you did!"

"Dammit…" Kaito grumbled.

"I don't think now is the time for this argument," Maki said. "We have more important matters, stop derailing things, Kokichi,"

"H-Hey, K-Kaito started it!" Kokichi cried. "YOU'RE ALL GANGING UP ON MEEEE!"

"We have more important things to attend to," Kirumi said as Kokichi instantly stopped crying. "Like actually confirming Kaede's ropeway theory,"

"The culprit would've needed something to ride the ropeway!" Angie proudly declared. "They could not carry Ryoma and climb at the same time, yes?"

They couldn't, but there was a way they rode the ropeway.

"THAT'S RIGHT!"

"How about the rubber inner tube we found in the pool?" Kaede said. "The culprit rode it with Ryoma under their arm and slid their way down to the Gym's window,"

"The window to Ryoma's lab was higher than the Gym's window," Kaito nodded. "Gravity woulda done all the heavy lifting there,"

"Launching Ryoma and the culprit all the day down to the Gym…" Angie giggled. "And down to hell, like where this horrible murderer will go, nyahahaha!"

"…Himiko, Angie's giving me the creeps again!" Tenko sounded queasy.

"Don't worry about it, she's just joking…" Himiko mumbled. "I think,"

"If this inner tube was used to ride the ropeway, why did the culprit leave it in the pool?" Korekiyo chuckled. "Kehehe… it's almost like they wanted us to solve their murder…"

No, it wasn't done on purpose, they left it there because…

"I GOT IT!"

"They left it there, because it was nighttime," Kaede said.

"Yeah, didn't we already establish that?" Kotoko turned her head.

"But why didn't they just use the rope to grab the inner tube outta the pool?" Himiko mumbled.

Why didn't they grab use the rope to grab the inner tube?

"THAT'S IT!"

"The pool was too deep to grab the inner tube without getting into the water," Kaede explained.

"Yeah, and the longer rope wouldn't be able to grip the inner tube properly," Kaito added. "They'd need a pole for that,"

"I guess that clears it up…" Himiko said.

Kaede began to put the pieces together in her head, slowly coming to a conclusion that made sense.

"You look deep in thought, Kay-Kay, do you know who the killer is?" Kotoko smiled.

"I suppose all of this does lead to one conclusion, kehehe…" Korekiyo chuckled.

That's right, I do know who the killer is now.

Who is the killer?

KIRUMI TOJO

"You're the only one!"


"Kirumi, I believe you killed Ryoma," Kaede said confidently. "Given all the evidence, you're the only one it can be,"

"Hm? What are you talking about?" Kirumi's face scrunched up for a moment. "I do hope you are joking, I wouldn't have killed Ryoma you should all know this by now,"

"Yeah, Mom's always been dedicated to us one hundred billion percent!" Kokichi cheered.

"That's a pretty big accusation, Kaede," Kaito said.

"Yeah, Kaede, it seems pretty out of character for Kirumi to do this…" Tenko said.

"Kirumi's too much of a pussy to kill someone this gruesomely!" Miu shouted. "Gawd!"

No, Kirumi is the killer, and I know exactly what proves it.


"How can you believe that I did this?" Kirumi asked, perfectly calm as usual.

"Your demeanor isn't one of the killer," Korekiyo said. "However, you don't have much of an alibi for nighttime, perhaps that's where Kaede is coming from?"

"None of us have an alibi for nighttime," Kirumi said calmly.

"Gonta too busy sleeping!" Gonta defended himself.

"Most of us would be too busy sleeping to kill Ryoma," Angie smiled. "Not the best alibi, nyahaha!"

"Whoever killed Ryoma would need to set up the ropeway between the two windows," Kaito said. "You coulda done that pretty easily,"

"Preposterous, anyone would've been able to set that up," Kirumi argued.

"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"


"Actually, no, you are the only one who could've set up the ropeway in the Gym," Kaede explained. "When Gonta captured everyone else in the Gym, you would've been left alone in there long enough to climb to the window, and tie the rope to the top of the window frame,"

"She is tall enough to reach it, but if Kokichi's not lying, Kirumi woulda only been in there for five minutes," Himiko shrugged.

"Yeah, that's not very long!" Tenko argued.

"Not long enough to kill Ryoma, but more than enough time to set up the ropeway: tie the rope to the window frame, and put the glass pane in the tank-"

"THIS IS MY SELFLESS DEVOTION!"


"I'm sorry, Kaede, but I can't let you risk everyone's life believing in this theory any longer," Kirumi's voice was far more aggressive, but no less calm. "If you want to prove that I'm the culprit, you'll need actual hard evidence to do so,"


REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN

KAEDE VS KIRUMI

FIGHT!


"Your case for me being the killer relies on a very loose theory," Kirumi began. "The idea that I set up the ropeway within the pool area,"

"While it is not unreasonable to consider this theory…"

"If you consider that the crux of the argument itself it wrong, your entire theory falls apart!" Kirumi raised her voice.


"What do you mean by 'crux of the argument?'"


"I am referring to the ropeway itself," Kirumi explained.

"You say that it's the only way to move between the pool and the Gym…"

"However, you've given no evidence that proves this theory!" Kirumi's voice was passionate as she defended herself. "This ropeway theory seems rather farfetched as long as you are unable to provide actual evidence for it!"


"I'LL CUT THROUGH YOUR ARGUMENT!"


"Actually there is physical proof of the ropeway's existence," Kaede explained. "The frames of both the Gym's window and the Lab's window both had strange markings on the top,"

"Khh!" Kirumi grunted.

"Any rope tied to those would've left some kind of mark…" Korekiyo gave a wry smile behind his mask. "Kehehe, I suppose that does act as confirmation for your theory,"

Kirumi scrambled to compose herself and think of a new argument.

"Now that I've proved that the ropeway was used, do you have any more objections, Kirumi?" Kaede asked.

Kotoko bobbed her head from side to side. "Do ya, do ya, do ya! Cause if you don't you die, guilty or not!"

"Of course I do!" Kirumi shouted, her professionally calm mask beginning to crack. "Even if the ropeway was used, there's no evidence that shows that I ever used it!"

"Well actually… why don't I let Kaede handle this one?" Kotoko smirked.

I know what you're talking about, Kotoko.

"THIS IS IT!"

"You're referring to the piece of black fabric in the pool, right Kotoko?" Kaede said.

"Yep, yep, yep!" Kotoko nodded energetically. "I thought it was just trash, but thinking about it now… the material's pretty similar to your glove, Kirumi,"

"Grrk!" Kirumi grunted in anger once again.

"Oh yeah, it is!" Kokichi smiled. "Well Kirumi? You wanna give us your glove so we can compare the two?" Kokichi gave a look of sadistic, childish glee to the Maid.

"I-I don't need to!"

Kaito sighed. "C'mon Kirumi, we don't wanna believe you're the culprit, but you're gonna need to cooperate to prove your innocence-"

"It's just trash!" Kirumi yelled. "That fabric, this theory, it's all garbage! You have nothing that implicates me, no hard evidence. These are all just a bunch of theories!"

"Kirumi, please calm down-"

"I will not stay calm as you risk our lives for your conceited desire to be a hero, I will not!"


PANIC TALK ACTION

KIRUMI TOJO


"You are incorrect!"

"There's no hard evidence!"

"Kaede, I trust you to make the right decision,"

"Why are you misleading all of us?"

"You cannot deceive us,"

"Everyone's relying on me!"

"I cannot let you all down!"

"This is all a petty theory crafted from your laziness!"

"Do you any of you truly believe this nonsense?"

"I have been devoted to all of you from the beginning,"

"I cannot let this go unnoticed,"

"Your aggression is highly suspicious!"


Kirumi breathed heavily as she reached the end of her rope…

"How is that piece of trash supposed to connect to me?"

KIRUMI'S GLOVE

"IT ENDS HERE!"


Kirumi let out another, louder noise of frustration as Kaede gave her final piece of information.

"The fabric we found in the pool, it can only be a piece of your glove," Kaede explained with determination in her eyes and voice.

"B-But how would the piece of fabric fallen into the pool?" Tsumugi mumbled.

"I believe while Kirumi was travelling down the ropeway, she grabbed onto it in order to more easily control her descent into the Gym's window," Kaede began. "If she crashed too hard into the window she would've dropped Ryoma's body, she needed as much control as possible in order to put it into the tank without messing with the glass pane, or dropping him in the wrong place,"

"That, plain makes sense, actually," Tsumugi mumbled. "I guess that settles it,"

"Yup! You gonna finally admit it, or are you gonna keep denying it like a crazy person?" Kokichi smirked.

"Either way, we vote you out!" Angie cheered. "Die with dignity, Kirumi!"

"I-I won't admit to anything until I hear everything," Kirumi grumbled. "Every part of your insane theory,"

"I can do that for you," Kaede said confidently.

"Here's everything that happened in this case!"


ACT: 5

"The victim's body was found this morning during Himiko's underwater escape act. Her trick had been designed in a way that made us unsure of how it was completed even making a few of us believe that Himiko's trick had failed,"

"Of course, Himiko was fine, it was all apart of the trick, but as Angie opened the curtain to reveal that Himiko disappeared… we instead saw Ryoma floating in the water surrounded by piranhas!"

"The piranhas ate him near instantly, leaving nothing but his bones in the tank. It was the result of the culprit's very own twisted magic trick,"


ACT 1:

"In truth, this case actually begins the minute everyone else in the Gym had been captured by Gonta for the insect meet and greet, this gave the culprit a small window where they were able to set up the beginning of their plan. They tied the rope that would be used for Himiko's trick to the top of the window's frame to act as the first part of the ropeway they would use to travel between the victim's lab and the Gym. Soon after they inserted the lid of the piranha tank into it to create a space where the piranhas couldn't enter,"

"The culprit climbs through the window, and uses the rope to slide their way down into the pool room. They used the fact that the Gym couldn't be entered at night to hide their crime and prevent anyone from easily seeing their setup,"


ACT 2:

"Long after everyone was asleep, the culprit moved towards Ryoma's tennis lab, seemingly aware of the fact that he would be there; perhaps they had set up a meeting between the two,"

"Either way, the culprit knocked out Ryoma, then strangled him using the cable used to hold up the tennis net in his lab, covering a small part of it with his blood. Soon after she tied this cable to the window frame of the lab's bathroom, this left the distinctive marks that allowed us to figure out that the culprit had used a ropeway to travel from the Lab to the Gym,"


ACT 3:

"The culprit climbed down into the pool area with Ryoma in hand, they took a rubber inner tube from the pool's storage area, and tied a small piece of rope to each of the handles in order to use the inner tube as a seat for the ropeway, this would allow them to carry Ryoma and move down the ropway at the same time,"

"Next, they tied the rope and the tennis net's cable to each other to create the ropeway proper, they then moved back into Ryoma's lab,"


ACT 4:

"From Ryoma's lab, the culprit held onto Ryoma's body to ensure it wouldn't fall into the pool, and ruin their plan; in order to ensure that this wouldn't happen they would also need to create enough friction to ensure a smoother ride down the ropeway. They did this by grabbing onto it, this would've caused serious ropeburn if the culprit had not been wearing gloves. In doing this though, the culprit had left a major piece of evidence, pieces of their glove that had fallen into the pool below,"

"None the less, the culprit moved down towards the Gym's window, and gently dropped Ryoma into the piranha tank nearby, they likely leaned on the window to give them more control on where they dropped the body; the rules might prohibit this, however I don't believe putting that little of your body into the gym would count,"

"After Ryoma's body was dropped into the piranha tank, the culprit accidentally left behind a second piece of evidence while hiding the ropeway… they had allowed the inner tube to fall into the pool leaving them unable to take it out without touching the water,"

"These two pieces of evidence were vital in convicting the true mastermind behind Ryoma's murder,"


"And that murderer is you, right Kirumi?"


"So that's it, that's everything," Kaede said. "You can't deny it any longer,"

Kirumi stood there, lost in thought for a moment.

"Wait, you said that Kirumi would need to lean on the window, wouldn't that count as entering the Gym?" Himiko asked.

"Nah… someone had come to me about that, and I said it was fine…" Jataro mumbled. "You'd need to set foot in the Gym for us to punish you…"

"Jataro!" Nagisa shouted as Monaca stared down the man.

"Oh… sorry, I ruined things again…" Jataro giggled.

"Perhaps that someone was Kirumi asking to see if their murder would work," Korekiyo said.

"It… it… it was…" Kirumi finally admitted, defeat evident in her voice. "You figured it out, Kaede, I killed Ryoma," She gave a weak smile.

"So you choose to die with dignity!" Angie smiled widely. "How brave, I'm going miss your cooking, Kirumi!"

"Ugh… it sucks so much that Kirumi has to die, she always did everything for us!" Kokichi pouted.

"I-I was friends with you, Kirumi, why would you do this?" Kaede grumbled.

Kirumi fell silent for a moment. "I… saw my motive video… I went to Ryoma to converse with him about it and…"


"Jeez, you got way more out there then I do…" Ryoma sighed and shook his head.

"Yes, I-I need to know if there's anything you can do for me…" Kirumi frowned.

"I… think I have an idea…" Ryoma sighed again as he bent over to picked up a tennis ball…


"I believe in that moment he truly gave up on his life, he… he let me kill him," Kirumi said.

"He really did give up, huh?" Kaito sighed.

"What is this motive of yours?" Korekiyo asked. "If we can't see it, we can't confirm it,"

"Yup, absolutely none of us know who's motive video is who's!" Kokichi proudly announced.

There's definitely someone who knows…

Who has seen everyone's motive video?

KOKICHI OMA

"Don't play dumb with me,"


"Kokichi, you collected everyone's motive videos, you're fully aware of what's on those," Kaede said sternly. "Don't lie to us, Kokichi,"

Kokichi chuckled and raised his hands in surrender. "You got me, in fact, I have Kirumi's motive video right here…"

"You… you knew the whole time?" Kirumi grunted.

"Yup! Now, let's see what convinced Kirumi to kill!" Kokichi pulled the motive video from his pocket and held it with two hands as he showed the video…


"Here it is, back by popular demand the Motive Video!" Monokuma cheered as the screen turned on. "Who's the most important person in your life?"

"Kirumi Tojo has always been dedicated to the people she's hired by: from business owners, to families, to even the very Prime Minister of Japan himself!"

"She always completed these tasks to the very best of her ability, but one day the Prime Minister gave her a task bigger than anything ever before,"

"He wanted her to make Japan better than it had ever been, so he handed off all of his power to her…"

"Kirumi was now the de facto prime minister of Japan, and with it, every man, woman and child was put under her care…"

"However, some unforseen event will soon befall her people, and if she doesn't get out here… she'll be powerless to stop it!"


The courtroom fell silent as the video played, a wave of confusion, fear and despair had washed over the group.

"That's your motive, the need to protect everyone in the country?" Kaede said, barely believing the words coming out of her mouth.

"Yes, though, I only remembered it once I saw the video…" Kirumi said.

"Hmm…" Tsumugi looked lost in either thought or fear, or a mix of the two.

"W-Wait, Gonta know how Kirumi can live without killing all of us!" Gonta shouted. "Take me instead, Gonta willing to sacrifice his life,"

"I suppose it's worth our lives for everyone else in the country…" Korekiyo gave a wry look.

"Y-Yeah, we should've been told this before!" Tenko shouted.

"Well, you haven't voted yet," Kirumi said. "There's still one last chance to-"

"I wanna live!"

"Hm?"

"You heard me," Kaito shouted over everyone. "No one's life is more valuable than anyone else's, it shouldn't be weird for me to say that I wanna live!"

"That's right!" Kaede agreed. "You can vote for whoever you want when that time comes around, b-but I'm voting for Kirumi,"

"I mean, given what I remember of Japan while Kirumi was apparently ruling it, she didn't do a great job anyway," Kotoko shrugged. "I'm voting for her too-"

"I am not forcing you-"

Kokichi gave a small chuckle as he stared down and interrupted the Maid. "You only revealed this to make us wanna die for you, huh?"

"Y-You… you are a horrible little child," Kirumi gritted her teeth. "You knew exactly what my motive video had in it, and you-"

"Didn't say anything? This was a lot more interesting then us just locking you in your room or something," Kokichi gave a playful smirk.

"Wh-Wha?" Tsumugi mumbled.

"It's not about what's interesting!" Kaito shouted.

"Kokichi, you're such a damn degenerate!" Tenko shouted too.

"It's so unfortunate that you need to die, Kirumi…" Angie said. "I'm sure someone else will take care of your duties,"

"I-I…"

"Stop the conversations and listen up!" Monokuma shouted. "Cause it's voting time!"


The screen on the front of the stand lit up again, and the larger screen came down from the middle of the roof

WHO IS THE BLACKENED?

PLEASE WAIT WHILE EVERYONE FINISHES VOTING…


The larger screen lit up…

KIRUMI TOJO: 13/17

KAEDE AKAMATSU: 1/17


"All the votes are in, will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?" Monokuma chuckled.


*WHO IS THE CULPRIT?*

KIRUMI TOJO!


"You got it right, yayyyyy!" Monaca gave a blank cheer. "You all get to live another day!"

"Well, everyone except for Kirumi that is-"

"NO!" The maid screamed, interrupting Monokuma "I-I can't die here, my people need me!"

"Uhh, you do know that you can't stop your execution, right?" Nagisa turned his head. "Trust me, it's a lot less painful if you just-"

"I-I CAN'T DIE IN A HELL IN A HELL HOLE LIKE THIS!"

As she yelled that, the Maid began to run, run towards the nearest exit. It was undignified, like an animal desperate to escape captivity.

"Kirumi… Kirumi run!" Kaede found herself yelling.

"Run Kirumi!" Tenko shouted too.

"Ruuuun!" Gonta shouted, soon everyone yelled for Kirumi to run away from her execution.

"I WILL NOT DIE HERE! FOR MY COUNTRY, FOR MY PEOPLE!" Kirumi yelled and yelled as she ran towards a door…

The same door that Shuichi had been dragged into by the neck.

"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Maid, Kirumi Tojo!"

"I WILL NOT DIE!"

"Let's give it everything we've got, iiiit's punishment time!"


R

KIRUMI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY

TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!


Kirumi continued to run screaming down a hallway as groups of people protesting her continued work as Prime Minister chased her down the hall… they eventually cornered her.

Kirumi looked around, sweat dripping down her forehead as she looked around for any exit… then a thorny dropped down from the ceiling.


STRAND OF AGONY

ULTIMATE MAID

KIRUMI TOJO'S EXECUTION: EXECUTED


She looked up to see an exit in sight, the light of the sun high up at the top of the tunnel above her… and all she had to do was climb up this vine.

She didn't hesitate, she was willing to do worse for her people. The protesters threw their signs at her legs as she climbed up the vine, her hands becoming bloody as the thorns stabbed into the them.

She climbed, and climbed, and winced, and winced as she climbed up the thorny vine, only stopping when…

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Kirumi saw hundreds of spinning saws above her, she paused for a moment as she thought about if this was worth it…

But the light above called to her, it was her only exit she needed to get out of her. For her country, for her people…

The sawblades pierced her skin, pierced her clothes as they were cut in rags. Kirumi's world melted around her as she lost more and more of her blood, more and more of her flesh and clothes, but she kept climbing towards the light, towards freedom.

There was nearly nothing left of her clothes as she finally reached the top, the light getting brighter as she reached her hand towards it, tapping it with her open, bloody palm…

It was a drawing, it was a drawing, it was a fucking drawing-

Kirumi let out one final scream as the vine broke above her, sending her careening back down to the hall below.

The Warriors of Hope watched from below, Jataro in front of all of them with a smile on his face.

BANG

Monaca pushed the Artist below the hole, Jataro flailed around trying to get back up as the hoarse screaming from above began to get louder and louder and-

CRACK

The Maid landed on The Artist, killing the both of them… the drawing of the sky fell down onto the two corpses and quickly became soaked with her blood…


"O-Ohh my god…" Kaede's voice fell apart as the execution finished.

"Wh-Why did she die like that?" Kaito shouted. "What the fuck!"

Tsumugi nearly threw up as did Tenko as the execution finished.

"I see these executions haven't gotten any less… gruesome…" Korekiyo gulped.

"Extreme, extreme, extreme!" Monokuma shouted. "Oh it feels good to do that again!"

"Wh-What did you do to Jataro?" Kotoko shouted, Monaca looked down at the Actress with her usual blank smile.

"He was ruining the killing game," She said. "Monaca didn't like that,"

"B-But did he deserve to die?" Nagisa stuttered.

"Monaca says yes, you don't wanna disappoint Monaca, do you?" Monaca turned to Nagisa.

"Nagisa please, she's gonna kill you next, please!" Kotoko shouted. "Don't-"

"I-I can't disappoint Monaca, s-sorry,"

"God dammit!" Kotoko shouted.

"Ah…" Monokuma said, relaxed as can be.

"You… you showed her that video, why?" Kaede grit her teeth, rage bubbling within her. "You're not going to get away with this, you hurt my friends, I can't-"

"I didn't hurt her, I fulfilled that promise I made back when Rantaro died!" Monokuma claimed. "I said I'd give back your memories, and I did. It's not my fault she took it so poorly!"

"Y-You…"

"Now get outta my courtroom, trial's over!"

"You heard the bear, chop chop!" Monaca cheered.

"I'm gonna get you for this…" Kotoko muttered under her breath as she left.

Kaede glared at the bear one last time as she and the rest of the students travelled back up the elevator, back to the Academy with one less person than before…


Everyone stood still as they reached the shrine of judgement, standing in stunned silence.

Kokichi quickly broke the silence, his face returning quickly to his usual smile. "Hey, you ever wonder what Ryoma and Maki met up about?"

"I-I don't think we wanna th-think back to the trial right now…" Tsumugi mumbled as Maki glared at the small man.

"Oh, don't be like that… you wanna hear thi-"

Kokichi was interrupted by Maki grabbing him by the neck, holding him up and choking him out.

"Maki, the hell are you doing!?" Kaito shouted.

"W-Wow, y-you're pretty strong… y-you could probably k-kill me right now," Kokichi gave a strangled chuckle as Maki continued to choke him. "Th-That's not your style th-though, you k-kill from the shadows… isn't that r-right, Miss Ultimate Assassin?"


YOU GOT THE SERVANT'S GLOVES!


CHAPTER 2, END


STUDENTS REMAINING…

13/17