(Kokichi's POV)

After investigating, we head to the elevator and enter the trial grounds. Shuichi looks very nervous. Who wouldn't be when all your friends are relying on you to solve a murder? Kaito walks over to Shuichi's podium and puts his arm around him.

"You don't have to worry, just try your best to solve the case. I'll take responsibility for any mistakes you make. You're my sidekick after all." Kaito smiles. I feel a surge of anger spread through me. Kaito is getting a little too close to Shuichi. My stomach starts to feel queasy.

"He's not just some 'sidekick' you can just boss around and take credit for his work, y'know?" I say trying to hide my anger.

"Of course not, I'm just trying to help him," Kaito says.

I glare at him mentally willing the universe to burn holes into his head.

"Kokichi," Shuichi says trying to calm me down.

"What? You're okay with that idiot bossing you around?"

"Kokichi, he's just trying to help me," Shuichi says.

"Nishishi, sure." I laugh it off pretending like I wasn't angry at all.

We progress through the case and start to piece together what happened. Eventually, we start to run out of ideas.

"Nyeh, we still don't know who the killer is," Himiko says.

"Well, why don't we ask the only two people who don't have alibi's?" I suggest.

"The only two people... You're talking about Maki and Kaito, right?" Shuichi asks.

"Yup. So, what do you say in your defense? If it can only be one of you two, then the logical thing to do would be a debate between Kaito and Maki. One of you knows you're innocent which means one of you knows who the killer is. So, the two of you just need to fight to convince us which one of you is telling the truth."

"But wouldn't they just pass the blame back and forth?" Tsumugi asks.

"Aaaaand?"

"Huh?"

"You guys talk about cooperation and teamwork, but you're all afraid. You're too scared to point fingers at others, so you hide behind the word 'trust.' How do you expect to find the culprit when you're all afraid of hurting each other's feelings? If you're planning to expose a liar, then you have to corner them psychologically... Only then will they reveal their true self as a liar- hiding beneath a layer of deceit! If we want to find the liar, I suggest that the two suspects argue against each other. No more pointless deductions! All we need is for them to fight for their lives! So let's host an argument that's totally not-boring-but-super-fun! We'll catch the culprit in their lies when we find a contradiction! We'll scare the culprit until they screw up! That's how a true class trial works. Right Monokuma?"

"But of course!" Monokuma agrees.

"So I suggest you start the debate."

"It's not me," Kaito says. Maki remains silent.

"So are you saying it's Maki then?" I ask.

"Well-" Kaito starts to say something.

"Well you can't be the only one fighting, Maki needs to talk too," I say. Maki stays silent. I smirk before pulling a motive video out of thin air.

"Kokichi did you just pull that out of thin air?" Shuichi asks.

"Yeah, anime logic," Tsumugi says.

"See, Tsumugi gets it. Anyways, do you know what this is?"

"That's a motive video, correct?" Kirumi asks.

"Yes, but whose? It was the motive video Ryoma received. I'll give you a hint, it's either Maki's or Kaito's."

"Then it's Maki's video, right?" Shuichi guesses.

"However did you know, Shuichi?" I ask.

"Well, I had Kaito's," Shuichi reveals.

"That makes sense then, now do you have anything to say, Maki?" I ask.

"I'm not the culprit." Maki's gaze is cold and emotionless.

"So then it's Kaito?" I ask.

"Of course not!" Kaito shouts.

"So it's Maki," I confirm.

"I'm not the culprit, but neither is Maki." Kaito states.

"Oh? And wheres your evidence."

"Don't have any. Just a gut feeling."

"So it's just a 'gut feeling'? Our lives are on the line y'know."

"Well, I want to trust Maki. So I'm gonna go with my gut. I want to believe in my friends, even if they betray me in the end."

"What? You can't seriously be that stupid." I say.

"Hey, I'm not stupid. I'm just believing in her." Kaito argues.

"I kind of understand, I guess. Alright then, I'll believe in Maki too." Shuichi says.

"W-What? You too? Stop agreeing with that idiot or you'll catch his stupid!" I yell.

"I'm not an idiot!" Kaito yells.

We go through the rest of the trial and almost solve the murder.

"Kirumi, is it you?" Shuichi confronts Kirumi.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Kirumi asks Shuichi.

"It's just, this murder was so precisely planned, the only person I could imagine being that precise is you."

"But it obviously couldn't be me."

"Why not?"

Kirumi goes silent.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong? Hey, what's wrong? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey?" I say.

"I-I would never-" Kirumi starts.

"That black piece of fabric. It came from your glove, right? From when you slid down the rope-way."

"Gh!" Kirumi panics.

"I'm gonna summarize the situation, okay? Tell me if this seems right. The culprit knocked Ryoma out then handcuffed and drowned him in the bathroom sink of his ultimate lab. They then brought him onto their makeshift rope-way. They used their hand to slow their descent down. Normally, this would have rubbed the skin off the culprit's hand, but this culprit was wearing gloves. In the process, a black piece of fabric fell into the pool which the culprit couldn't retrieve due to rules. Once at the gym, the culprit set Ryoma in the tank of piranhas using the glass lid as a partition to keep the piranhas from eating Ryoma for now. The next day, during Himiko's magic show, the piranhas and the body fell down into the tank of the water. The culprit had successfully committed their murder. And that culprit is Kirumi Tojou, the Ultimate Maid."

Everyone votes and Monokuma reveals that the culprit is, indeed Kirumi. Kirumi explains her motive and how she got her own video. She had secretly been the prime minister of Japan and she wanted to leave the killing game to save her people. Monokuma started the execution. Kirumi was being chased down the hall. She came upon a rope of thorns. She grabbed onto it and started climbing, the thorns scraping her legs and pricking her hands. As she got higher a bunch of saws started shredding her skin and tearing apart her clothes. Still, she tried desperately to reach the top. When she finally got to the exit at the top it fell turning out to be fake. The rope snapped and Kirumi fell to her death, smashing Monosuke as she landed on him. The fake exit flutter down covering Kirumi and getting drenched with blood.

A tear slides down my cheek. I quickly wipe it away before anyone else notices.

Everyone leaves the trial grounds. When we get back I make an announcement. "You know, you all may think I'm the biggest liar here, but there's someone that's been keeping something from all of you," I smirk. "And that someone would be-" I'm interrupted by a hand clamping around my neck. Maki lifts me into the air her eyes glowing bright red.

"Maki!" Shuichi yells surprised.

"Y-Y'know...th-this is an interesting turn of events." Maki squeezes my neck. Barely audibly I whisper to her. "Gh, Th-This isn't the first time- I've been choked or held- defenseless. I'm sure you felt the bruises and bandages." She squeezes tighter and I feel like I'm about to pass out. "Perhaps you once felt d-defenseless." My vision starts to blur. "Th-This isn't your style though... you prefer to kill in the shadows. Isn't that right Miss Ultimate Assassin!" She somehow squeezes tighter. Everyone's too shocked to stop her. Desperate for air I claw her hands in hopes she'll let go. I'm gasping but still, no air reaches me. The last thing I hear is Shuichi yelling my name before I pass out.