"...Is everyone ready?"

"Not like we have choice, right?"

"Kehehe... You are quick to understand. It's as though Monokuma has you trained."

"We've got nothin' to worry about. Right, a**holes? We'll figure out the culprit, won't we?"

"Of course we don't need to worry. The top suspect is super obvious this time... Riiiight, Himiko?"

"..."

You stopped listening to everyone at that point. The world around felt...still. Just a little more dead than it was before—but then again, three people had died, and more death was the only thing approaching. You sighed, only imagining what everyone could be feeling at the moment. You had your scarf back on, as ridiculous as it may seem. Your wrist was tapped to remind you that your 'guide' figure was still there. And with a few more moments that had passed with only a few murmurs hear and there, you heard the sounds of the elevator being revealed and then footsteps.

"Come on...let's go," he mumbled to you. With your head facing the floor, he grabbed you by the hand and led you into the elevator. It was absolutely silent except for everyone's breathing. Your legs starting shaking, but perhaps that was just because of the elevator's movement. Then it stopped, and everyone walked out into the courtroom.

"Welcome!" Monokuma greeted. "You've hopelessly arrived once again! Hm? Did you wanna come here again 'cause of how wonderful it is? Isn't it wonderful? I put so much effort into building this place, it should be a monument."

"Actually, we're the ones who used the Exisals to build this courtroom... But Father just took all the credit!"

"You put a lot of elaborate detail into this courtroom," Kokichi piped up. "Almost like it's for a show."

"For show, huh? That's an interesting way to put it."

"Is this just for show?" Kirumi asked. "Are you showing this to the people outside and—"

"Puhuhu. Those people aren't with us, so you don't need to worry about them. Get it? They're not with us. As in, they're no longer with us, y'know what I mean? In other words...you fourteen are the only ones left in the world. Now, show me just how you intend to bargain for your lives! Ah-hahahahaha!"

Everyone made their way to their own respective podiums.

"Ahem! 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 correct;y 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!"

"I think we all know who the most suspicious one is! It's—"

"Let's combine our power and work together, everyone!" Tenko shouted, interrupting Kokichi.

"Um... The person who's most suspicious is—"

"Now lend me your energy, everyone! So we can catch the culprit!" Catfight.

"Because the murder happened during the magic show, the culprit can only be—"

"HAIYAAAAAAAHHH!!! I'm in top form today!" Just let him speak.

"Tenko!" Kokichi shouted, aggravated. "Why are you interrupting me? We can't have a good trial if you talk over me!"

"Huh?" the female responded, squinting her eyes. "I'm not interrupting you. Whatever you have to say is probably worthless anyway, 'cause all males wanna talk about is S-E—"

"...Himiko seems suspicious," Angie said. You could practically hear the smile in her voice.

"Nyeh!?"

"Hey! Angie, how could you accuse Himiko!? Aren't you her friend!?"

"Um... I'm just telling you what Atua is telling me. He is using His divine knowledge to show us the way to survive..." Angie's tone grew a bit unsettling. "...You should thank Him, lest He pour his holy wrath upon you all."

"Screw Atua! That guy's got nothing on me! I'll protect Himiko!"

"But it does point to Himiko being the most suspicious," Kirumi pointed out.

"Ryoma died during Himiko's magic show," Kiibo recollected.

"His body appearing in the water tank leads one to think the escape trick played a part," Korekiyo added. "It's only natural we suspect Himiko. She was the one performing the trick."

"N-No, that's wrong... The Underwater Escape...wasn't a trick. It was...magic!"

While I don't agree on this trick being magic, I also don't agree about her being the culprit, you thought in your head, but still staying ever so silent.

"That's not the part you need to deny!" Kaito told the girl. "You gotta tell us you're not the culprit."

"Magic, huh? That's so cool... What a mysterious miracle. Now, did you kill Ryoma, Himiko? Atua will hear your confession."

"S-Stop it!" Tenko practically begged, "There's no way any of this is true!"

"It's true, though," Kokichi spoke. "Himiko used The Underwater Escape trick to kill Ryoma. But I still don't have a clue how Himiko did the trick..."

"Th-There's no trick... That...was really magic."

"Y'know," Gonta started to say, "maybe it really was magi—"

"Oh, stop it," Maki cut him off, trying to get to the point. "If you don't reveal your trick now, then we'll vote you as the culprit."

"Stop picking on Himiko!" Tenko interjected. "A cute tiny flower like her couldn't kill anyone!"

'Cute tiny flower' my a**, you groaned mentally. "Look!" you interjected. "It's obvious that Himiko won't reveal anything, so we'll have to figure what happened ourselves." We're finally going to move on with the trial.

>>Monokuma File 2
>>Crammed Piranhas
>>Square Glass Pane
>>Scratched Handcuffs
>>Piranha Tank
>>Marked Window Frame
>>Insect Meet and Greet
>>Gonta's Account
>>Wet Staircase
>>Water Tank Trick
>>Kokichi's Account
>>Scratched Sink
>>Black Piece of Fabric
>>Pool Rules
>>Witnessing Ryoma
>>Maki Alone
***

"What about the secret hatch?"

"(Y/N) is correct," Shuichi said. "I discovered a similar tank in Himiko's lab. There was a panel on the side that could open. That was her escape." I was finally helpful—

"No! Your logic is all wrong, Shuichi!"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Hmph! And you don't even know why you're wrong, either! Typical degenerate male! Nnnrraaaggghhh!!! I'll smash in your face with my fists of hot burning steal!!!" As Tenko was shouting, the atmosphere grew tense. "The side of the tank being open doesn't have anything to do with Himiko's escape! She didn't use an escape hatch! I know she didn't do that! And now, I'm gonna punch you!"

"W-Wait a second, b-before you punch me... What makes you so sure she didn't?"

"Because! If she escaped from a hatch, the water would have gushed out with her! There would have been water everywhere!"

"There was a reason the room wasn't flooded with water," Shuichi explained. "The staircase that was attached to the water tank. Try to remember how the staircase was positioned... It was aligned perfectly with the tank's escape hatch. Meaning, the water tank was connected to the inside of the staircase.

"Inside staircase..." Gonta repeated. "His body was in stairs!?"

"Knowing that, it's clear how Himiko made her escape from underwater. There was a curtain covering the tank during the performance...allowing Himiko to enter the staircase from the hatch undetected. Any water that spilled out would've simply funneled into the staircase."

"So how do you get out from the staircase?" Tsumugi piped up.

"The staircase also has an escape hatch, one facing away from us. It's so that the water would not drain from the staircase."

"In which case, a person could exit and leave water inside the staircase," Kiibo added.

"However, that person would be soaked, meaning that some trace should be left..."

"That would explain why there was a puddle around the stairs..." Korekiyo commented.

"So when Himiko came out from the stairs, her wet clothes dripped water all over!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Haha, b*tch! Caught you soakin' wet and red-handed!" Miu shouted.

"Nyeh... Nyeeeh..."

"Judging from Himiko's reaction, you hit it right on the bull's-eye!" you heard Kokichi chirp.

Tenko's tone seemed to grow nervous at how the situation was playing out. "But...Himiko's clothes should've been wet when she left the water tank..."

"Her clothes were definitely not wet," Kirumi said in agreement.

"O-Of course. That's 'cause my Underwater Escape wasn't a trick... It was magic."

"She probably changed her clothes," you offered.

"The dormitory is stocked with uniforms," Kiibo said. "Did you hide one behind the stage in advance?"

"Nyeh... Nyeeeh!"

"I remember seeing Himiko go to the gym this morning, carrying a uniform and towel," Angie announced.

"Nyeeeeeeh!"

"Aaaaahhhh!!!" Tenko screamed, "Why would you say that!?"

"I see," Korekiyo spoke plainly. "She had a towel, too. She may not have had time to fully dry her hair... But her short hair and hat ensured we were none the wiser."

"Himiko can't get wet! 'Cause her body repels water!"

"Huh? Like a duck?" Tsumugi quizzically questioned the other teen.

"Himiko... C'mon." Kaito already sounded exhausted. "Give it up already."

There was a slight paused until, "Fine...you win. It's just like you said. The water tank and staircase both have mechanisms. B-But that doesn't mean I used them! I didn't need them...'cause I used my magic!"

"Again with the magic crap," Miu groaned, "Were you dropped on your head as a kid!?"

"Now that we understand how the trick was performed," Korekiyo kept them from continuing, "let us move on."

"Yes, let us proceed," Kirumi complied. "Where did the culprit hide Ryoma's body? From our discussion earlier, his body could have been in the space inside the staircase."

"But that's where Himiko would escape from, right?" Gonta asked.

"So Himiko went in the stairs with the body!?" The inventor's tone was disgusted. "What kinda kinky sh*t is she into!?"

"That seems unlikely," Kiibo told her. "There isn't enough space for two people to fit in there."

"Yeah, the stairs are pretty cramped. It'd be hard to fit even Ryoma and Himiko in there," Tsumugi added.

"Who says that they went in together?" Angie chimed in. "She could've made the switch as she was leaving the tank. At the same time, she could've pulled out the body from inside the stairs. That way, she'd have room to put herself in there. See how easy that is? I think that explains how Himiko changed places with Ryoma's body."

Tenko started protectively shouting again. "Wait a minute! Why did you automatically assume it was Himiko!?"

"Who else but Himiko could've done it?"

"N-Nyeeeh..."

"Ughhh... Angie, you spent more time with Himiko than any of us, so why are you accusing her!?"

"You may think you're protecting Himiko, but what if she really is the culprit? We'll all die, and it'll be your fault. Atua will lose his precious devotees... Are you okay with that, Tenko?"

"I'm totally fine with that! I don't care what anyone says! Himiko would never murder someone! That's what I believe more than anything! I want to believe in her, no matter what! If I can't do that, then I'd rather just die! So until this body takes its final breath, I'm gonna keep believing in Himiko!!!"
***

"The glass pane divided the tank nearly in half, right?" Shuichi started his explanation. "The piranhas got crowded together, making it look like there were more of them."

"The more densely the piranhas are packed, the harder it is to see past them," Korekiyo added.

"Because of that, it was difficult to see the body hidden in the tank," Kirumi concluded.

It's only been around half an hour and my head already hurts, you thought silently.

"That glass pane," Himiko started, "...was the lid from the piranha tank. It was really easy to detach that lid, so it's no wonder they used it as a divider."

"Gee, thanks for telling us that useless detail!" Kokichi taunted the girl.

"What the heck are you saying!? That detail was super useful! Sure, the lid looks a little big. But if you set it diagonally, it would fit perfectly... Nice job, Himiko! Your explanation was awesome!"

"With this much evidence, it seems the body was definitely in the piranha tank," Kaito recollected everything.

"Congrats, Himiko! Now there should be no reason for anyone to suspect you!"

"Nyeh...? Really?"

"Yeah! 'Cause if you didn't switch places with the body, then you couldn't have killed him!"

"It only means we now have other suspects," Korekiyo spoke matter of factly. "You are not cleared of suspicion just yet."

"Okay, but still, that's way better!!!"

"That's wonderful news, Himiko! Atua is happy for you!"

"Apologize, Angie! You and your Atua better tell Himiko you're sorry right now!"

"Atua is sleeping. He went to bed angry 'cause you all doubted Him..."

"What a petty-a** god!" Miu exclaimed.

"No, it's okay..." Himiko cut in. "We shouldn't be mad at Angie... We should be mad at this class trial... At this killing game..."

"Oooohhh, Himiko! Bless your sweet, kind heart!"

You coughed awkwardly in an attempt to move on in the trial.

"That's what Atua said anyway," Himiko sighed.

You coughed even louder, hoping that your message was getting through.

"Great, now what are we gonna do!? We're back to square one!" Miu whined.

"And why are we back to square one?" Kokichi asked at your side.

"'Cause any of us could still be the culprit! Geez! You flunk outta 'tard school or something!?"

"Nuh-uuuhh!" the boy sassily retorted. "Not everyooone! We can narrow it down to whoever doesn't have an alibi yet."

"...Eh? What alibi?"

"You'd think that she'd know after the last trial," you mumbled to really no one in particular.

"I guess I should've known a dumb wh*re pig like you wouldn't understand, so lemme explain..."

"Who you callin' a dumb pig!?"

"If there's this much evidence, then there's no mistake the body was hidden in the piranha tank. But for someone to plant the body in there with such limited time is tricky..."

"...It was done yesterday, before nighttime," Shuichi spoke up.

"Ding ding ding! The Ultimate Detective gets it right again!" Kokichi said excitedly.

"W-Wait... How do you know it was before nighttime yesterday?" Miu questioned.

"Stop asking me dumba** questions! It could've been solved with the process of elimination! Geez...fine! I'll explain it to the itty-bitty, pea-brained b*tchlet!"

"B-B*tchlet!?" she repeated breathlessly. It made you wonder what face she was making...but then again, it made you not want to see it.

"First, the gym was closed during nighttime, so no one could've entered."

"'Cause if you try to enter the gym at night, it'll go off!" Monophanie interjected.

"You talking 'bout my butthole?" Monotaro asked.

"No, she means the alarm!" Monosuke yelled at the other bear.

"After nighttime passed, morning came," Kokichi continued. "But hiding the body before the show was..."

"Nyahahahaha! Impossible! Himiko and I were waiting in front of the gym before the morning announcement."

"Which leaves only one possibility—it was done before nighttime yesterday. Anyone who doesn't get this is just as stupid as the wh*re b*tchlet over there!"

Miu started making weird noises. "Ahh... Ahhhh...!"

"So the culprit placed Ryoma's corpse in the piranha tank before nighttime yesterday?" Kirumi asked for confirmation. "Which means, he was also killed during that timeframe."

"Yay!" Tsumugi rejoiced. "Now we know what time the crime happened, right?"

"I still don't really get it, though," Kaito spoke. "Can we narrow down the time of death a bit more?"

After a small pause, Shuichi started speaking, "If we can find out who last saw Ryoma alive, we can narrow down the time of death. Kirumi, you were asking everyone when they had last seen him, right?"

"Yes, Gonta was the last person who saw Ryoma."

"What? Really!?"

"And when was the last time Gonta saw Ryoma!?" Tenko asked eagerly.

"Ummm... When Gonta was inviting everyone to 'Insect Meet and Greet,' so... Gonta think that maybe around 8:00 p.m.?"

"If he was last seen at 8:00 p.m. and was killed before nighttime officially began..." Kiibo trailed off slowly.

"Then we can assume the crime took place between eight o'clock and ten o'clock at night," Kirumi finished the robot's thought.

"So all we must do is find someone with no alibi for that time period, yes?" Korekiyo questioned. "Simple enough. After all, most of us were...detained by Gonta then."

"If I recall correctly..." Tsumugi said while remembering, "the only people that weren't there besides Ryoma..."

"That would be the five of us," the maid stated, "myself, Kaito, Miu, (Y/N), and also...Maki."

"Wow, Kirumi," Kokichi chirped. "You would tell the truth even if it screwed you over."

"I do this for everyone." You could only imagine her smiling proudly as she said that. "It is my duty to unveil the truth, so I do not care if people suspect me."

"Aah! Beautiful!" you suddenly heard Korekiyo praise. You pulled the scarf down for your eyes just a bit, seeing him with his arms out wide open like he was treasuring a god. It almost seemed like a spotlight had been cast onto his figure...somehow. "You're spirit of self-sacrifice is just too beautiful!"

"I will also say this... The crime took place between eight and ten o'clock at night, and I was in the gym during that time. But, I was only there for about five minutes."

"Why would you even say that though?" Kokichi asked her, seeming to be genuinely confused. "You're tying a noose around your neck, y'know?"

"I don't care if it was five seconds!" Miu spat. "It's way too suspicious that you were alone in the gym! I think the cleaning lady here is the culprit! You killed Ryoma, didn't you!?"

"I-Is too soon to tell. We should hear what everyone has to say, right?"

"F*ck that noise!"

"But, Miu," Kiibo spoke up, "you don't have an alibi for when the crime occurred either, do you?"

"Y-You think I'm suspicious? I...don't even know where the gym is."

"Doesn't telling such obvious lies make you more suspicious, Miu?" Tsumugi asked.

"The other three without alibis are (Y/N), Kaito, and Maki. Let us hear your testimonies," Korekiyo said, thought it came out as more of a demand.

"I was in my research lab the whole time," Maki hastily snapped. "I didn't go to the gym."

"But that cannot be proven, can it?"

"..."

"What about Kaito?" Kokichi joined in. "Only murderers grow out creepy facial hair like mustaches and goatees."

"Wh-What!? My goatee's not creepy! It gives me a glamorous celebrity vibe!"

"Anyway, among those five, the culprit must be the one who doesn't have an alibi!" Tenko declared.

"...I apologize but given the circumstances, we have no choice but to suspect you," Kiibo said, genuinely sounding like he had emotion.

"Suspect who!? Who's the culprit!?"

"Wait up! Why are you guys suspicious of me!? I've been helping the whole time!"

"Oh wait, I remember now... I...do have an alibi!"

"You will see whether or not I am suspicious as the trial progresses."

"..." Oh, please don't tell me I'm getting dragged into another one of these...

"I'm not the culprit!"

"I am not the culprit."

"No way I'm the culprit!"

"..." You sighed. How did I end up in this situation?

"I have an alibi!"

"I was running away from Gonta!"

"I was only alone in the gym for about..."

"What is your alibi?"

"I tried hiding in the classroom..."

"...five minutes."

"When I was running away from Gonta..."

"I even tried using the girls bathroom!"

"Himiko and the others were with me..."

"Things got a little...heated, if ya catch my drift."

"P-Pervert! Filthy male pervert!"

"...until they left with Gonta..."

"What's Maki's alibi?"

"Then, right before nighttime, I got tired and fell asleep."

"That was five minutes before 9:00 p.m.."

"I didn't run into anyone."

"In the girls bathroom!?"

"Did you really leave at 9:00 p.m.?"

"..."

"(Y/N), say something, dammit!" Huh? You tried to figure out what happened before...

"What? No! In my own room! Geez!" Kaito shouted even louder, blocking everyone else's statements.

"I got it!!" Shuichi basically had to scream in order to be heard above everyone else. They all shut up. He cleared his throat before speaking. "...No, I think Kirumi is telling the truth. Kokichi's story proves it. Kokichi met Kirumi at 9 p.m., and they were together until nighttime."

"Gonta went to the gym to catch Himiko and Angie five minutes before nine o'clock," the small leader started to add on. "After I left Gonta's lab, I ran into Kirumi. I'm pretty sure Kirumi stayed at the gym five minutes till nine o'clock."

"This information could have been told to us beforehand," Kirumi said, audibly a bit agitated.

"Sorry! Forgot! I definitely didn't keep it secret to make the trial more interesting!"

"Forgot...?" Kiibo repeated. "It seems far more plausible that you were telling another lie."

"Unlike robots, we meat bags can't pull out our memories from our hard drive."

"Was that supposed to offend me? Your irrationality fills me with pity..."

"If I am the culprit, that would mean I killed Ryoma within five minutes..." Kirumi stated, "...transported him to the gym, and hid him in the piranha tank. This seems highly unlikely."

There she goes defending herself, you thought. She seems to be straining it... I don't know. It just feels...unnatural? Weird? Or...suspicious?

"If you called Ryoma out to the gym and killed him there, you wouldn't need to move him," Maki responded. "All you would need to do is hide him in the piranha tank."

"Gonta was in the midst of heading to the gym to capture Angie. Are you claiming I took advantage of that, and called Ryoma for a rendezvous at the gym?"

"Umm...that'd be pretty difficult," Tsumugi admitted. "We should probably look at other possibilities."

"Maybe someone snuck into the gym while Kirumi and I were busy talking," Kokichi offered.

"The only ones capable of doing that are the other four with no alibis," Korekiyo interjected.

"Miu, (Y/N), Kaito, and Maki!" Tenko yelled.

"Gahhhhh! You're including me, too!?" Miu groaned.

"But there's actually one person we can rule out of the suspects list," Kokichi told the group.

"Right? There's one person who's totally not suspicious!" Kaito was obviously trying to nudge the boy on to saying his name. "Say who it is already!"

"...Kokichi, you're talking about...Miu, right?" Shuichi asked.

"Whaaa—!? Miu!?"

"Yeah, you can take her off the list. She actually has an alibi."

"Booya! Suck it, nerds!"

"Wait a sec! Since when does she have an alibi!?"

"If you compare everyone's statements, there's no other possibility." Shuichi briefly shared what Kokichi had told him.

"...A girl walking around half-naked?" Maki repeated incredulously.

"Who else could it be but the horny exhibitionist, Miu?"

"W-We can't jump to conclusions like that... He just saw a shadow, right?" Kaito sputtered, "That could've been anyone walking around in women's underwear! Even me!"

"That'd be a whole different issue," Tsumugi commented.

"No, it's Miu. Without a doubt... Miu and Gonta's statements prove it. Both mentioned Miu using a 'secret woman weapon'," Shuichi explained.

"I see, I see..." Angie started speaking. "It sounds like Gonta got an eyeful, hm?"

"What!?" Tenko called out. "Why the heck were you in your underwear, Miu!?"

"W-Well 'cause, y'know... I'm pretty stacked, so... I figured I'd take my clothes off so Gonta would be too flustered to touch me! Heh, heh, heh! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it, ya cockroaches! Anyway, I think the blood rushed to both of Gonta's head 'cause he got super embarrassed!"

"Miu was in her underwear...and Gonta...got weird feeling... So...Gonta ran away..."

"Well, when you got the body of a goddess, it's only natural to wanna flaunt it! I show my panties to the boys all the time! And I mean, all the time! So you're welcome, Gonta! Think of me during your next tug session!"

"Most of that was unintelligible nonsense, but it would seem that Miu has an actual alibi," Kiibo said.

"Yup. It took a while, but at least we got everyone's alibis cleared up..." Kokichi declared. "Oh, wait! How could I forget (Y/N)?"

"..."

"So (Y/N), give us your testimony! You should have an alibi, right?"

"...I was just in my room the entire day of the murder," you said, starting to pick at your scarf nervously. I know I didn't do it...but my alibi isn't very strong. Hell, can I even call it an alibi? "Gonta...tried to capture me, but he didn't."

"And why might that be?" Korekiyo snapped.

"'Cause Gonta see (Y/N) was handicapped," Gonta explained, presumably referring to your lack of vision. "And they were bleeding."

"Eh? Bleeding...?" Kokichi repeated.

Sh*t, why did he have to tell!? Ugh... "Look. The point is that Gonta left me alone, and then...Kokichi lock picked the door to my room to get my Kubs Pad. He left, and I didn't go out of my dorm until around eleven o'clock, where I went to Gonta's lab to see what was happening. Everyone must have returned to the dormitory without my notice, so I thought everyone was still at the Insect Meet and Greet."

"How do we know that you didn't leave your dorm earlier?" Kiibo questioned.

"..." There really is no reason for them to believe me...

"I went back to (Y/N)'s room," Kokichi suddenly piped up. Huh...?? "I still heard them shuffling around in there. I tried the door but it was locked, so that means they locked themselves in. If they came to Gonta's lab at eleven then they couldn't go to the gym since it was already past the nighttime announcement."

"Why would you go back?" Kiibo asked once more.

"Just to mess with them!"

"That...does seem like something you might do."

But that's a...lie... you thought. You pulled down your scarf a little to shoot the boy a glance—he just quickly smiled in return.

"Now we have another alibi cleared up. We should remember all of this, in case we need to recall these events again."

>>Alibis For Yesterday

Korekiyo went on to say, "That leaves...Kaito and Maki as the only ones without alibis."

"Then one of them must be the culprit!" Angie chimed. "But which one, I wonder? Eenie, meenie,miney, mo! Catch the culprit by its—"

"H-Hold up!" Kaito stuttered. "Don't decide just yet!"

"Uh, maybe we should determine the sequence of events?" Shuichi offered. "The culprit wa—"

Kokichi cut him off. "Nope, we should do something more fun...and I have the perfect idea."

Word Count: 4489
~~~
I know, terrible cutting point. But also, I hadn't worked on this chapter last Saturday or Sunday. Not on Saturday 'cause I just couldn't push myself to do anything and not on Sunday 'cause I was in the car where internet connecting problems greet you at eeeeevery corner. (¬_¬) So on Monday, I wanted to make some progress on this before it'd be too late. I accidentally stayed up until one in the morning working on it, and then I stayed up another two hours reading fanfiction and watching Youtube videos.