Class Trial #3: False Accusations
(3rd Person's POV)
CLASS TRIAL...ALL RISE!
Monokuma cleared his throat as he began to explain the rules.
Monokuma: Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out "whodunnit" then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one... Then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate! Now then, to begin with...
Hina: We already know who did it!
Monokuma: Wuzzat...?
Celeste: It was Hiro. He does not have an alibi for when the murders took place, and we found him in that suit.
Hina: Don't try and deny it! You killed them!
Hiro: I didn't! Someone knocked me out! I was asleep the whole time! I don't know anything about it!
Genocide Jill: Shut your murdering mouth, murderer!
Sora: (Coughs) Pot calling the kettle black! (Coughs)
Celeste: I am sorry to say, Hiro, but we do have evidence... Blueprints for the suit... Parts we assume were used to build it... And all of it was found in your room. You have to admit, the evidence is quite compelling. It points to you as having created the suit and wearing it while committing crime after crime...
Hiro: How many times do I have to tell you!? I...I...!
Hiro put his hands on his head again, looking like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Hiro: I don't know, I don't know, I don't KNOW!
Sora furrowed her eyebrows. Is Hiro really the killer? First, they have to get that outta the way...
---
NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUEMENT!
Celeste: Everything we found in your room... The blueprints, the suit parts, they are all proof enough that you are the culprit.
Hiro: I-I-I don't know anything about that stuff! It's not true! It's a conspiracy!
Hina: Hiro, why...? Why did you kill them?
Hiro: No! Just hold on a second!
Sora's Truth Bullet: Yasuhiro's Message
"I DOUBT THAT!"
---
Sora: Hey, hold on. Hiro's not the one who made those blueprints.
Celeste: What do you mean...?
The blonde pulled out a familiar note.
Sora: Look at this. This is the note that Hiro wrote, asking us to meet up after you-know-who disappeared. The handwritin' isn't the same.
Makoto: Yeah... When you compare it to the blueprints...
Kyoko: ...There's no way you could think the same person made both of them.
Celeste: Unless that person made it a point to disguise their handwriting...
Sakura: No, the differences are bigger than that, I think.
Hiro: Come on, I'm not smart enough to think of trying to change my handwriting anyway!
Hina: So Shirayuki, are you saying you don't think Hiro's the culprit?
Sora: Nope.
Byakuya: And she's not the only one. I think Hiro is innocent, as well.
Makoto: So do I.
Hina: Then who was in that Robo Justice suit!? Is it like Hiro said? Was there really someone running around in a second suit?
Byakuya: The suspicious individual hidden within the suit...
He looked at Sora.
Byakuya: Go ahead, Shirayuki. Tell them who it was.
She rolled her eyes. Why does she have to do it?
Hina: So? Who was in the Robo Justice suit?
The one in the Robo Justice suit. Sora thought. It has to be...
---
-Hina
-The Illuminati
-Hiro
"EASY PEASY."
---
Sora: It's Hiro, of course. He was the one in the suit, after all. Plus, we never found a second suit during the investigation, so...
Byakuya: Then there can be no doubt--Hiro is the prime suspect.
But Hina was quick to point out their contradiction.
Hina: That doesn't make any sense! You JUST said Hiro didn't do it!
Byakuya: It makes perfect sense. Hiro was the suspicious individual in the suit, but he's not the culprit.
Sakura: So what you're saying is...
Byakuya: That's right. The culprit in this case has nothing to do with being in the Robo Justice suit.
Hina: What!?
Genocide Jill: Now that's a bold assumption!
Celeste: And what reason do you have to make such a statement? You do have a reason, yes?
Byakuya: Of course. But before we get to that... There's something else we need to clarify first. So let's get that out of the way.
Hina: Hey, stop trying to boss us around!
Byakuya: Calm down. All things have a proper order.
Sakura: So, what is it? What needs to be clarified?
Byakuya: We must clarify the method of transportation for Taka's lifeless body. It would seem that his corpse was moved using certain particular items. Shirayuki? Can you tell us what they were?
---
PRESENT KEY ITEMS: SHOW YOUR PROOF!
Sora's Truth Bullets: Blue Tarp and Repository Dolly
"EASY PEASY."
---
Sora: They were a tarp and a dolly.
Byakuya: ...Tch.
The heck's your problem...?
Sora: Okay, lemme explain. Taka's body disappeared from the equipment room, and then we saw it again in the repository... And when we found it for the second time, it was wrapped in a blue tarp, right? The same tarp was stored in the equipment room. Well, up until then. The killer must've used it to make sure they wouldn't leave any bloodstains while movin' Taka's body.
Sakura: Okay, that explains the tarp. And the dolly?
Sora: Same thing. The dolly was in the equipment room when we first came across Taka's body. And when the body disappeared, so did the dolly. When we found Taka's body in the repository...the dolly was there as well.
Celeste: In other words, you think they used the dolly to move the body, am I right? But are you sure you are not mistaken?
Sora raised an eyebrow.
Sora: ...I'm sorry?
Celeste: Are you absolutely positive the dolly was in the equipment room when we found Taka's body? That dolly was made specifically for moving large objects between the repository and the art room. It would be very strange indeed to discover it had made its way to the equipment room. Is it not possible that it was in the repository all along, and you simply didn't realize it?
Byakuya: She's raised an objection. How do you respond?
Celeste: There is no shame in being wrong. Nobody expects much from you, anyway. We have all accepted the fact that you rarely understand what is going on around you.
Sora puffed her cheeks in irritation at the gambler's passive-aggressive patronizing.
Sora: Fine then. If you don't believe me, then I'll just prove it to you...
---
BULLET TIME BATTLE: THE MOMEMENT OF TRUTH!
The Queen of Liars - Celestia Ludenburg
"You have it wrong!"
"I cannot agree!"
"You are a fool..."
"So pathetic..."
"Lies will get you nowhere!"
"Do your worst!"
"Away with you!"
"You miserable wretch!"
"You have it wrong!"
"I cannot agree!"
"You are a fool..."
"So pathetic..."
"Lies will get you nowhere!"
"Are you absolutely positive the dolly was in the equipment room when we found Taka's body?"
Sora's Truth Bullet: Equipment Room Bloodstain
"I'LL CUT THROUGH YOUR WORDS!"
---
Sora made a smug smirk.
Sora: Honestly Celeste... She thought you were smarter than this.
Celeste: ...What are you talking about?
Sora: When I saw the dolly in the repository, one of the wheels had blood on it. Also, there was a pool of blood with a tire mark in it. The culprit most likely rolled the dolly through the blood on accident when the moved Taka's body. And as the blood dried on the tire, they moved the body into the repository.
She then pointed straight at Celeste.
Sora: There's my proof that the dolly was used! (Folds her arms in a smug manner) ...So. Got anything to say now?
Celeste, in a brief moment of anger, simply turned away from the young blonde and huffed.
Celeste: Tch--!
Sora: Aww, what's wrong? Don't be a sore loser, fido. After all, there's no shame in being wrong...
Celeste: Shirayuki, I do not care for you.
Byakuya: Well, anyway. That was just something we had to get out of the way. Let's get back to the main subject...
Hina: Yeah! The subject of how Robo Justice didn't do it! Cuz if it's not a killer robot, then...what kind of robot is it!?
Sakura: I'm not sure that really matters...
Byakuya: I'd be happy to explain why the occupant of the suit couldn't possibly be the killer. If you look back on how the body was transported, it will become immediately obvious.
Whew, that felt good. Sora sighed. Anyway, I need to focus on why the person in that suit couldn't be the killer.
---
NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUEMENT!
Byakuya: As we know, Taka was killed in the equipment room. And from there, the body was moved to the repository, correct?
Hina: Yeah, the culprit wrapped the body in the tarp...then loaded it onto the dolly and wheeled it off, right?
Byakuya: Now, keep in mind that the dolly doesn't have a handle.
Hina: Well, yeah, but even without a handle all you'd have to do is bend over.
Genocide Jill: So the killer just crouched down and carted the body off to the repository!
Byakuya: If you accept everything we just said then you must realize that whoever was in the suit couldn't possibly be the culprit.
Hiro: Uh...sorry, I don't think I realize anything...
Makoto's Truth Bullet: Robo Justice Costume
"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"
---
Makoto: You're absolutely right that you could push a dolly without a handle if you stoop down low. But if you were wearing that suit, do you think you could actually get into a position like that?
Hina: Wh-What do you mean...?
Makoto: Think back to what you said when we were all checking out the suit together. Remember?
---
"Ahh! See, look! See how loose it is? I mean, come on... I'm blind as a bat in here! Can't see my feet at all. I'm surprised you got anywhere in this thing!"
"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"
"And not to mention--! You totally can't bend at the waist! Seems like a pretty obvious oversight..."
---
Makoto: When you're in that suit, not only can you not see your feet, but you can't even bend at the waist. Am I right about that?
Hina: Now that you mention it...yeah...
Sakura: It seems like it'd be awfully hard to push that dolly if you couldn't bend over...
Celeste: Well, what's to stop you from simply pushing the dolly with your feet?
Makoto: When you can't even see your feet? You really think someone could kick the dolly all that way?
Genocide Jill: Yeah, it'd be totally impossible! Not that I can say for sure myself!
Byakuya: On top of that, if you were wearing such a rigid, cumbersome suit it's very unlikely you would have the dexterity to go about wrapping the body in a tarp.
Genocide Jill: Well I mean, isn't that just a matter of taking off the suit when you're ready to move the body?
That's not possible. You can't just take off the suit because...
---
-Once it's on, you can never take it off
-You can't take it off by yourself
-Hiro's not strong enough
"EASY PEASY."
---
Sora: Yeeeah, sorry Jill, I don't think that's an option... Remember when we first found Hiro in that suit?
---
"I dunno what's up with this thing, but I can't actually get it off...! A little help?"
"Why would you make something that you can't take off by yourself?"
"I didn't make the stupid friggin' thing!"
"There's a clasp on the back that's keeping you from getting it off. It looks pretty sturdy. I don't think you can get it off on your own. We don't really have a choice. Let's help him."
---
Sakura: That's true. It seems impossible to put the suit on or take it off without help.
Hina: Then...you really can't take it off by yourself? Hiro wasn't just making it up?
Hiro: O-Of course I wasn't making it up!
Makoto: If he could have gotten it off by himself, I don't think he would have let us see him wearing it. Showing up in the suit was basically an invitation for everyone to suspect him.
Hiro: Y-Yeah, that's right!
Hina: So...it's really really true that Robo Justice couldn't have moved the dolly...?
Sakura: To be clear, whoever did move the body, it couldn't have been Hiro in the robot suit, correct?
But right as they were getting, somewhere, someone had to ruin it.
Celeste: No, wait, just a second if you please. Have you forgotten about the picture that I took? You all got a good look at it, did you not? The image of Yamada being dragged away by Robo Justice? If whoever was in that suit is not the culprit, how do you explain that? Besides, so you remember what the now deceased Yamada said...?
---
"How did you get hurt?"
"That guy hit me..."
"What guy?"
"Robo Justice."
"What."
"Er, that's what I decided to call him, just now..."
---
Celeste: So long as those faces exist, the proper conclusion is beyond question. The individual inside the suit and the culprit are one and the same. It was Hiro, without a doubt.
Hina: Yeah...! Yeah, that's gotta be right!
Hiro: H-Hold on a second!
Sora: Oh, good grief... This is Maizono's trial all over again...
But just as things were looking dim, Kyoko spoke up.
Kyoko: It's still far too early to reach that conclusion. Besides, there's no hurry to decide who did it. Before we rush to a verdict, shouldn't we explore every single possibility? Instead of seizing on one viewpoint, the truth is uncovered by analyzing things from every angle.
Sakura: Perhaps, but where do we go from here?
Kyoko: Let's review this series of unfortunate events from the beginning. Maybe we'll uncover something new...
Genocide Jill: Pfhah! What a pain in the ass!
Sakura: I don't disagree, but our lives are on the lines. If this is what it takes, we have to do it.
Hina: Plus, maybe we'll get to find out where the heck Kirigiri was when everything went down...
Sora: Pfft. I doubt it.
Sakura: Alright then, let's take another look back at what happened. I suppose we could start with this morning... Five of us gathered together in the dining hall--Naegi, Shirayuki, Hina, Kirigiri, and myself. We waited there for quite a while, but nobody else showed up. So we went to look for everyone. That was around 8 a.m.
Hina: And as soon as we split up, Kirigiri went missing.
Sakura: Soon after that, Hina found Celeste in the rec room, and quickly came to get Naegi, Shirayuki and me.
Celeste: It seems I was unconscious for about an hour after I was attacked by my mystery assailant. I know it was an hour because I remember being attacked a little after 7.
Sakura: That was when we saw Celeste's picture and discovered that her assailant had been wearing a strange costume. As it turns out, it was Robo Justice... It also soon became clear that this same Robo Justice had abducted Yamada. We were soon joined in our search by Togami and Fukawa, and then went on to find Yamada in the library. He was injured, so we took him to the nurse's office and resumed our search for the suspect. But not long after leaving the nurse's office...
---
"...!?"
"What's wrong...?"
"I saw a shadow! Something moving around at the top of the stairs!"
Makoto: When Celeste told us that, we decided to split up and search the 2nd floor. And soon after that...
Celeste: I saw someone moving around on the 3rd floor, and I yelled out to everyone as soon as I did.
---
"Celeste! What's wrong!?"
"That was a rather...intense scream for someone like you."
"I saw him! The strange costumed man...! He ran off as soon as I screamed... I was blocking the stairs, so he headed further down into the hallway and disappeared...!"
---
Makoto: And then...
---
"Ungyaaaaaahhh!!!"
"Huh?!"
"Oh, what now...?!"
"That came from downstairs! It must have been..."
"Yamada! He's in the nurse's office! This is bad! Come on, we have to go back!"
---
Makoto: At that point we decided to divide up into two groups. Celeste, Hina, Shirayuki, and I went back to the nurse's office while Ogami, Togami, and Fukawa chased after the suspect. When we got back to the nurse's office, we found Yamada...dead. And that's when we heard the body discovery announcement. Shirayuki and I left Celeste and Hina there and headed back to the 3rd floor, to let the others know what had happened.
Sakura: Meanwhile, we had just discovered Taka's body, in the equipment room. We must have found both bodies at almost exactly the same time because we heard the same announcement not long after we'd discovered his body.
Sora: We told you guys about Yamada, and the four of us headed to the nurse's office.
Makoto: But right after we left the physics lab we ran into Celeste, who'd arrived after us, and she told us something very surprising.
---
"Yamada's body has disappeared!"
---
Makoto: We rushed back to the nurse's office and saw that she was right.
Sakura: Then we remembered we'd left Fukawa passed out in the equipment room, so we hurried back again.
---
"This can't be happening..."
"Are we hallucinating all this or something?"
---
Sakura: But when we got there, we discovered that now Taka's body had also gone missing. Next thing we knew, we were searching the school for two missing dead bodies. And after some time...
Byakuya: Celeste informed us that she'd found the bodies, and we all headed to the repository which is where we rediscovered the corpses.
Makoto: I think that about covers it.
Kyoko: I see... The whole thing sounds exceptionally complicated. It certainly seems to me that these are not a simple series of connected events.
Sora: Now what?
Kyoko: Rather than a single series of events, I think we have to consider each murder a separate situation. And from there, we can uncover the contradictions surrounding all of them. Now then, let's get started, beginning with what happened to Taka...
"Alright...let's get this over with... Sora thought. The things that happened surrounding Taka's death... we have to find a contradiction in there somewhere..."
---
NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUEMENT!
Kyoko: So, regarding Taka's death... I wonder if he died before Yamada... Or perhaps it was after?
Hina: We already know what order they were killed in! Taka came last!
Sakura: What makes you say that?
Hina: Because of the numbering of the Justice Hammers!
Byakuya: It's true that Yamada was killed with Justice Hammer 3 while Taka's death came from a swing of Justice Hammer 4.
Hina: See? So it's obvious Taka came after!
Sora's New Argument: What Order
"I DOUBT THAT!"
---
Sora: Hey, who said that the hammers were used in the same order as the numbers? If anything, that's another trick the culprit used to throw us off.
Byakuya: So you're saying the culprit wanted us to think the hammers were used in order but in reality Taka was killed before Yamada? Okay then, let's see the proof.
The evidence that proves Taka was killed before Hifumi. It's...
---
HANGMAN'S GAMBIT: THINK ABOUT IT!
W.R.I.S.T.W.A.T.C.H.
"EASY PEASY."
---
Sora: That's obvious. It's Taka's wristwatch.
Makoto nodded in agreement.
Makoto: Yeah. It got broke with the hands pointing just past 6 o'clock.
Kyoko: It must have gotten broken when he was attacked by the killer. Because as of last night...
---
"Hey! You! How long were you gonna keep us waiting!? It's almost 10 o'clock, you know that!? Bedtime for all the little boys and girls!"
---
Kyoko: So if it wasn't broken after 6 last night, then he must have been attacked around 6 this morning.
Sora: And that's when he was killed.
Sakura: But if that's true, then he was killed well before Yamada...
Makoto: And before Celeste was attacked this morning, which happened around 7.
Kyoko: That's right. Taka was killed before any of the other incidents took place.
Sora: It's just that we assumed he was killed after Yamada was because of the order of the Justice Hammers.
Byakuya: That's exactly why the culprit wrote the numbers on each hammer, and had them increase in size. That way, when we saw how they were used in each incident, we'd easily make that wrong assumption.
Kyoko: Now, if Taka was killed around 6, then everyone's alibis for his murder go out the window. Because when he was killed, we hadn't met up in the dining hall yet.
Sakura: That may be true in the case of Taka's murder, but all of our alibis still hold true for Yamada's death.
Hina: That's right... With him at least, we're all safe... When we heard Yamada screaming, we were all together. Except for Hiro and Kirigiri... Then we all ran down to the nurse's office, and that's where we found his body...
Genocide Jill: That's totally true! We're all in the clear!
Hiro: Oh, I know! They must've recorded him screaming on a tape or something, then played it later on!
Sora: Oh yeah? Then where's the tape?
He just casually shrugged.
Hiro: I dunno.
Sora: (Rolls her eyes) Of course...
Hina: Don't just go makin' stuff up!
Sakura: Anyway, we all have rock-solid alibis for when we heard Yamada scream. Since all of us were there together, clearly none of us could have killed him.
Celeste: And it does not stop there. There was also the moment when we discovered the body had disappeared... When his body vanished from the nurse's office Hina and I were in the bathroom together, while everyone else was in the equipment room, correct? And then there's the disappearance of Taka's body from the equipment room... At that time, we were all gathered together in the nurse's office because of Yamada going missing.
Genocide Jill: Well, don't forget, I was passed out in the equipment room the whole time!
Hiro: Wait, then what if Genocide Jill did it!? She could've dragged Taka's body out of there right then!
Byakuya shook his head.
Byakuya: Even if she could pull that off, there's no way she could have done the same with Yamada's body. Because, as we just established, she was passed out in the equipment room when his body disappeared.
Genocide Jill: Besides, I didn't do either of 'em anyway!
Celeste: In other words, it is impossible that any of us could have killed Yamada, or moved either of their bodies. On the other hand, Hiro and Kirigiri had disappeared. So they most certainly could have done those things.
Wracking his head, trying and failing to think of other possibilities, Makoto turned to Kirigiri.
Makoto: Hmm... So what now, Kirigiri?
Kyoko: For now, we can't get fixated on who did it, or we'll just keep going around in circles. So instead of "who" I propose we start talking about "how"... In particular, I think we need to figure out how Yamada's body got moved.
Makoto: That's true. We searched everywhere, but we couldn't figure out how to explain his body disappearing. And according to what Celeste said...
---
"We could not have been gone for more than a minute or two, though."
"So then, the killer was able to get in and move Yamada's body in that short amount of time?"
"It would seem so..."
---
Makoto: His body apparently disappeared in the one minute her and Hina took their eyes off it.
Sora: But how? Yamada was thicc with, like, five c's. How did they even manage to lift, let alone move him? To carry his body from the 1st to the 3rd floor would be...
Hiro: ...Oh man, yeah! There's no way! It'd be impossible!
As everyone was trying to think of a logical explanation, Kyoko came up with one.
Kyoko: Well, what if I told you there was a way to make the impossible possible?
Hina: What? How!?
Kyoko crossed her arms. What she said...turned the entire trial around on its head.
"If the dead body...were to move itself."
Class Trial #3: On Hold
To be continued...?
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