(3rd Person's POV)

Sakura: I understand how an accomplice could be involved, but then who was the one pulling Yamada's strings?

Genocide Jill: That's problem numero uno right now!

Sora rubbed her chin in thought as her lips curved into a smirk. The true killer...the one who ordered Hifumi to kill Taka...and the one who betrayed him.

There's only one person who comes to mind...

---

SELECT SOMEONE: PICK YOUR SUSPECT!

...

...

...

Chosen: Celestia Ludenburg

"IT CAN ONLY BE YOU!"

---

Sora: Celeste...it can only be you.

As the blonde pointed towards Celeste, she feigned shock and surprise.

Celeste: Ah, so I'm the suspicious individual now, am I? Hmhmhm. I really do hate this kind of joke...

Byakuya: A joke? I wonder...

Celeste: So what you are saying, then, is that I specifically chose to work together with Yamada. The idea that I would choose to spend any amount of time interacting with him...

As she turned to the students, her expression contorted into one of rage.

Celeste: That I would go within ten feet of that shit-for-brains! That lazy, worthless goddamn idiot!

Seeing the stares she was getting, she coughed into her fist and went back to her faux-polite demeaner.

Celeste: Ahem. Ah, pardonnez-moi.

Byakuya: Just to be clear, there is evidence to support it.

Celeste: ...Is that so?

Byakuya: It is. Throughout the investigation, there was a certain behavior that was common only to the two of you. Considering what we've learned so far, it only further proves that the two of you were working together!

What Hifumi and Celeste had in common...It was...

---

-The paper hidden in Hifumi's pants

-The screaming

-Encountering the suspicious individual.

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: The behavior they had in common had to do with the "suspicious individual" in the suit, doesn't it? The only ones who ever actually saw Robo Justice firsthand were Celeste and Yamada.

But Byakuya just scoffed at him.

Byakuya: Shush. The adults are talking now.

Makoto: S-Sorry...

Byakuya: As he said, only Celeste and Yamada ever laid eyes on the costumed individual. If we accept that Yamada was one of the culprits, we can't help but suspect what Celeste has said, as well.

Hina: Are you saying everything they told us was a lie...?

Byakuya: After taking Yamada to the nurse's office, we all began our search for this individual, correct? And not too long after that, do you remember what Celeste said?

---

"I saw a shadow! Something moving around at the top of the stairs!"

---

Byakuya: We headed to the 2nd floor specifically because of what she claimed to have seen. Next, to draw is all to the physics lab, up on the 3rd floor...

Sakura: ...She let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Byakuya: And when we'd all come to see what was wrong, what was it she said?

---

"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...!"

---

Byakuya: Once she'd done her job of getting us all up to the physics lab it was time for her partner to get to work.

---

"Ungyaaaaaahhh!!!"

"Huh!?"

"Oh, what now...?!"

"Wh-What was that!?"

"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!"

---

Hina: It was to get us to divide into two groups...so that we would discover both bodies at the same time!?

Sora: Mm...? Now that I think about it...

Byakuya nodded, knowing what Sora was thinking.

Byakuya: Indeed. Celeste was precisely the one who proposed that we split up.

---

"Then why don't we split into two groups?"

"I'll lead the hunting party. That seems much more interesting."

"Very well, then. Naegi, Shirayuki and Hina, you come with me to the nurse's office. I will leave the capture of the suspicious individual to Fukawa, Ogami, and Togami."

---

Byakuya: Well? If Celeste and Yamada were working together, all those chance events suddenly become connected...

Celeste: ...

Byakuya: And on top of that...that piercing cry of yours early on... That was to signal Yamada, wasn't it? It was your way of telling him, "We're on the 3rd floor, everything's going according to plan." Why else would you let out a scream that could have carried across the sea?

Celeste: ...

Makoto: I've just realized another strange thing... When we found Yamada in the nurse's office, who we now know was only pretending to be dead...

---

"I certainly was not expecting this. I did not imagine that Yamada would be murdered!"

---

Makoto: Celeste...you were the first one to say he'd been murdered. You wanted to make sure we wouldn't have any doubt in our minds.

Celeste: ...

Hina: I-I don't believe it... Everything...the whole thing was one big act!

Makoto: Hina. You were with Celeste when Yamada's body disappeared, right?

Hina: Yeah... I was feeling kinda sick, so Celeste took me to the bathroom...

As she explained, her eyes widened as she put the pieces together.

Hina: ...Wait! Then that was--!?

Makoto: She wasn't worried about you. She just saw a chance to help Yamada sneak out of the nurse's office.

Sora: Yep. If you had still been there, there's no way the plan would've gone as well as it did...

Byakuya: Each piece isn't much by itself, but start putting them together and the picture gets very ugly indeed. Wouldn't you agree, Celeste?

The progeny glanced at Celeste, who put on a probably fake smile.

Celeste: ...I have no idea what you mean.

Sora: Oh, that's a load of boosh and you know it. You know why? 'Cuz you made one fatal mistake.

Celeste: ...Oh, did I?

Sora: I found it weird when you first said it, but I chose not to say anything more about it. Now that we have all this evidence, that little slip-up just sealed the deal.

Celeste: Wh-What are you talking about...?

Sora: Remember what you said when Yamada's body disappeared?

---

"They must really be enjoying this... Enjoying the sight of us standing around, frightened and confused...We're all going to die here. We're going to die, just like those guys died..."

---

Sakura: I remember her saying that too, but...I don't understand what's so strange about it.

Byakuya: Then let me fill you in. Ogami, Fukawa, and I were first to discover Taka's body in the equipment room. Then Naegi and Shirayuki showed up and told us Yamada had been killed. So Ogami and I left with Naegi and Shirayuki. Once we were in the hall, we ran into Celeste, and the four of us headed to the nurse's office. Now, the entire time we were together, none of us said anything about Taka being dead. Think about it--Celeste's comment doesn't make sense. It was completely out of place.

Hiro: Yeah, I see what you're talking about. Although I don't really get what it means...

Byakuya: You hear that, Celeste? Everyone's having some trouble understanding. Could you repeat what you said? If you're really not the culprit, you shouldn't have any problem repeating it, right?

Celeste: ...

---

NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUEMENT!

Celeste: All I said was... "They must really be enjoying this... Enjoying the sight of us standing around, frightened and confused... They must be positively elated... We are all going to die here. We are going to die, just like those guys died..." And that is all I said.

Byakuya: And that's all it takes to finish this. It's obvious, isn't it? What was so strange about Celeste's comment?

Sora's New Argument: So Strange

"I DOUBT THAT!"

---

Sora: Of course. There was no reason for Celeste to say "just like those guys died"... None of us told her that Taka was dead.

Celeste: ...

Byakuya: Exactly. And we didn't run into her until after we were all out in the hall. So there was never any chance for her to have seen his body in the equipment room for herself.

Sora looked towards Celeste and gave her a smug smirk.

Sora: So Celeste...how'd you know that more than one person died? And also, how'd you know that they were both guys? During that time, Kirigiri had disappeared too, so for all we could've known, she could've been dead too!

Celeste: ...

She said nothing at first, but...

Celeste: Hmhmhm... You all have such vivid imaginations, you know that?

Byakuya: Imaginations...?

Celeste: You claim that I was lying when I told you about the suspicious person I saw... Then what about the picture I took? How do you explain this picture of the costumed villain dragging Yamada away?

Hiro: I-It has to be some kind of setup, right? Celeste put the suit on, and then...then she used the camera's timer to...to set up the picture!

Celeste: Have you so quickly forgotten? You are the only one who could have possibly fit into that suit. Plus, I happen to know that this particular camera does not have a timer. In other words, it is an unassailable fact that this is a picture of Yamada being dragged away. If everything I told you was a lie, how can this picture exist?

Kyoko: Simple. Are we sure that's really a picture of the suspect dragging Yamada away?

Celeste: ...What could you possibly mean by that?

Kyoko: Surely there are other explanations than the one you've offered up.

Celeste: No...there is no other explanation.

Other explanations, huh? Sora thought. If it wasn't a picture of the suspect dragging Hifumi away, then it must be...

---

-Hifumi and the suspect are dancing

-Hifumi and the suspect had been drinking

-Hifumi is dragging the suspect away

"EASY PEASY."

---

Sora: It's not a picture of the suspect dragging Yamada away...but it's the other way around. Yamada was dragging the suspect away!

Celeste: Kh--!

Kyoko: That's certainly within the realm of possibility. The one being dragged off in that picture isn't Yamada, but the person inside the robot suit. We've simply been led to believe that it's the other way around. And the strange costume might only exist to lead us astray even farther. If you saw someone wearing something like that in this situation, of course you'd notice and be suspicious.

Hiro whipped his head around to Celeste and glared at her.

Hiro: Th-That's what happened! You put me to sleep and made me out to be the bad guy in all this!

Celeste: Hmhm. Hmhmhmhm... Eheh... Such a thing... is utterly impossible. Yamada was dragging him away? Ridiculous.

Kyoko: Is it? I don't think it's ridiculous at all.

Celeste: Then shut your mouth and allow me to educate you.

---

NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUEMENT!

Hiro: You dressed me up in that suit after I passed out... Then you just draped me across Yamada and had him carry my weight! You tried to make me look like the bad guy!

Celeste: Like I said--ridiculous. As you can see in the picture, the suspect is standing perfectly upright. If the person inside the suit was unconscious there's no way they could stand up straight like that.

Genocide Jill: Then the fortune-telling idiot is the culprit after all!

Hiro: N-No way!

Makoto's Truth Bullet: Robo Justice Costume

"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"

---

Makoto: No, even if the person inside the suit were unconscious, they could still stand up like that. Because that Robo Justice suit had a certain characteristic...

---

"You totally can't bend at the waist! Seems like a pretty obvious oversight..."

---

Hina: That's right! They totally made a mistake when they made it, so it couldn't bend at the waist!

Kyoko: I'm not so sure that was a mistake... I think the suit was designed from the beginning to be used the way it was.

Celeste: Ngh...!

Makoto: Celeste and Yamada took the suit they'd specially designed and stuffed Hiro into it. The point of it all was to make us believe whoever was in the suit was to blame!

Celeste: Ngh-gh-gh!

Byakuya: Well then, I suppose this is checkmate...

Finally, after that statement, Celeste finally spoke actual words.

Celeste: Checkmate...? Heh...hehehe... Hah...haha...hahaha...

Ah geez... Whenever people start laughin' outta nowhere, you know things aren't gonna get pretty. Sora grimaced.

Now Celeste's anger was going into full-gear.

Celeste: Don't make me laugh, you idiot! What do you mean, checkmate!?

Hina: C-Celeste...?

Celeste: Clearly, you want to cram me into your little "guilty" box. Well there's one little problem! Have you already forgotten what Yamada told us as he lay dying!?

---

"Hey, Yamada! Who was it? Who attacked you!? Who tried to kill you!?"

"Who...killed me...? That's right... I remember...their name... Y...Yasu...hi...ro..."

---

Celeste: When we asked him who had attacked him, his answer was quite clear, was it not? He said, and I quote, "Yasuhiro." In other words, Yasuhiro Hagakureeeee!

She pointed her finger towards the fortune teller, yelling bloody murder while doing so.

Hiro: W-Wait, but my name isn't really Yasuhiro! It's actually Taro!

Sora: What.

Sakura: Your confusing statements don't make any sense. You're only making things more complicated.

Kyoko: He did say Yasuhiro, but are we sure he was really pointing the finger at Hiro?

Celeste: What the hell are you talking about!? I'll burn you alive!

Sora: Foreshadowiiing~!

Makoto: Kirigiri...what do you mean by that?

Kyoko: Think back to how Yamada used to talk to us... How did he refer to each of us?

---

-He said people's last names

-He liked saying "Good grief" a lot

-He gave people nicknames

-He said "for serious" a lot

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: ...That's right! Our last names He called us all by our last names! In fact, we all call each other by our last names!

Kyoko: Exactly. I know I heard him say "Mr. Naegi" and "Ms. Shirayuki" more than once, for example. So if Yamada did mean to say Hiro's name, he would have said his last name--Hagakure.

Celeste: I'm sure it was just incidental--by chance he just--his first name...!

Genocide Jill: Indecent...?

Byakuya: Don't talk. 

Kyoko: Random chance... Now isn't that a convenient explanation? No, there's no reason to think he would have said the name any different than normal. But he must have run out of energy before he could say any more.

Makoto: So Yamada was trying to tell us the last name of whoever killed him...?

Sakura: But the name he said doesn't apply to anyone here...

Makoto: Well, no, hold on...there's one person it could apply to... And that's Celeste. She never actually told us what her real name is...

The gambler grit her teeth.

Celeste: Wh...? What did you just say? To think you'd take your false accusations so far... I don't know whether to laugh of spit... Come on! Enough with your idiotic blather! Yasuhiro is a loser's name! Do I look like a loser to you!? Well!? Dooooo I!?

Sora: (Blinked twice) ...Wow.

Celeste: What?! I think I've earned the right to be a little on edge!

Makoto: Okay, then fill us in... What's your real name?

Celeste: Fine! Make sure your ear holes are wiiiiiiide open and listen up! My real name is Celestia Ludenburg! Could you PLEASE stop making me repeat myself over and over again!?

Makoto sighed. She won't give up....He has to make her give in!

---

NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!

Kyoko: Yamada was trying to tell us something... He wanted us to know the killer's last name--Yasuhiro.

Hina: If there's one person here who might have that last name...

Sakura: It would have to be you, Celeste. You haven't told anyone what your real name is.

Celeste: How many times do I have to tell you...? My...name...is... CELESTIA LUDENBURG, GODDAMMIT!

Byakuya: How long do you plan to go on pretending...?

Celeste: I'm not pretending. It's the truth! And since you have no way to contradict me... That's the only truth there is! Moron!

Makoto and Sora's Truth Bullet: E-Handbook

"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"/"I DOUBT THAT!"

---

Makoto: That's it...! The handbook!

Celeste: What!?

Sora: Whenever you turn on your handbook, it shows the owners name. Monokuma told us that way back when...

---

"This handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don't lose it! When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one! Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that!"

---

Sora: All we have to do is check Celeste's handbook and then we'll know whether she's lying or not.

Celeste: Th-That's an invasion of privacy! I-I refuse to cooperate!

The blonde saw the look of desperation in her eyes and smugly smirked at her, causing Celeste to growl at her.

Suddenly, she closed her eyes and looked at her with her casual expression as held her arms behind her back.

Sora: I know your type. You're quite the determined type, huh? Even if there's absolutely no benefit to persevering whatsoever. With all this evidence, you're done for. And you keep fighting. Not because of any desire to do good or evil...but because you can. And because you "can", you "have to".

Celeste: Wh-Where are you...?!

Sora: But now....you've reached the end. It's all over for you. Your "master plan" is falling apart at the seams. So, in my personal opinion... The most "determined" thing you can do here? Is to, uh, completely give up, and accept what's to come. After all, there's no escaping the inevitable...

Celeste's face was contorting with anger as her fingers gripped on the trial stand.

Celeste: I-I... You...!!!!

Makoto closed his eyes as he looked down on the ground with a saddened expression.

Makoto: ...Celeste... Can you please just tell us what really happened? Please, just tell us...

The gambler looked like the boy stabbed her in the heart. But any regret she had on her face disappeared in an instant.

Celeste: ...Even when I'm put in check, it's just my nature not to give up. Because...

Sora: Because...?

Celeste: Because, because...because because because because because because--! Until the game's over, you never know what might happen!

Sora: Oh, good grief...

Sora rolled her eyes. This is just getting sad...

Makoto: Fine then. Let me settle it. Let me go over the case again, from the beginning, and shed light on all your crimes. And that'll bring everything to an end!

---

CLOSING ARGUEMENT: CLIMAX INTERFERENCE!

"HERE'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED!"

ACT 1: Before anything, the killer persuaded someone to help carry out the murder. And that person was... Yamada. With an accomplice, the killer was able to execute a number of otherwise impossible schemes.

ACT 2: First, they convinced someone to meet them in the rec room last night at one in the morning. That "someone" they met with was Hiro. The murderous duo intended to pass Hiro off as the prime suspect. So when they met up with him... they drugged him, knocked him out, and stuffed him into the Robo Justice suit. Next, Yamada positioned himself to make it look like Robo Justice was attacking him, while the killer used a digital camera to take pictures of the "assault." They did all this just to create evidence that would put the suspicion on Hiro. When they were done with him, they shoved him, still unconscious, into the pool room locker.

ACT 3: And then finally, at 6 a.m., they moved into the "murder" phase of their plan. They called Taka to the equipment room. And that's where Yamada killed him, making it the scene of the first murder. The murder weapon was "Justice Hammer 4," which was left there in the equipment room. The reason hammer number 4 was used was to create confusion about the order of the crimes.

ACT 4: So, next they falsified two more assault incidents. For these attacks, the killers pretended to be the victims, to solidify Robo Justice as the suspect... The first fake incident was the attack in the rec room. There, the killers wanted us to see Justice Hammer 1 and the Robo Justice pictures they'd taken. They wanted to make sure we bought the "surprise attack" story. The second fake incident was the attack in the library. This time, they planted Justice Hammer 2 and "injured" Yamada to sell us that story. With these two incidents, the killers were able to create a certain preconception in our minds that the suspect was increasing the size of the hammers and attacking people in order as they did. We fell right into their trap and started looking for the suspect based on that, but...

ACT 5: ...While we did that, we left Yamada alone in the nurse's office. This was exactly what Yamada was hoping for. He took a blood packet from the refrigerator and Justice Hammer 3 and turned the room into a crime scene, in which he himself had apparently been brutally murdered. He let out a scream to draw us back, and when we returned, that's what we found. Meanwhile, the other group that had been out searching found Taka's body at the same time. So when we heard the body discovery announcement, we naturally assumed it was for Yamada.

ACT 6: We left the nurse's office, and Yamada once again took advantage of the situation. He simply got up and made his escape. When we learned his body had disappeared, we all rushed back to the nurse's office. And once again, Yamada had the chance he was waiting for. This time, he snuck into the equipment room... He wrapped Taka's body in a tarp and used the dolly to move it all the way down to the repository. That explains how each of the bodies disappeared. But even Yamada didn't know what the true killer had in mind for their final act... Their plan all along was to kill Yamada and get rid of the one person who could betray them. And they did it using an ordinary, everyday hammer from the repository. That should cover everything that happened in this case. And the villain behind it all is...

"Celestia Ludenburg! Sorry, you lose!"

---

Celeste grit her teeth once again as she made a low growl.

Celeste: I...lost? I lost...!? When was the last time...I was forced to utter such words? They hang heavy around my neck...

Makoto: Then you admit it? You're the killer?

She made a mirthless chuckle.

Celeste: Hm. Heh... Listen to you, trying to take charge. As if you're my private instructor... I, Celestia Ludenburg--actually, no... Taeko Yasuhiro is fine...

Celeste, or rather, Taeko's voice changed. Her European accent was completely gone.

Makoto: Taeko...?

Sora: Hmm...

Byakuya: So, you've finally accepted it.

Celeste: I'm the kind of person, once I've lost, I don't like things to drag on.

Byakuya: Interesting...

Taeko: Okay, Monokuma. I'm ready to begin. Or, no... I suppose this is the end, isn't it?

Monokuma: Hmm. Hmm. It is indeed the moment we've all been waiting for! Time to vote! Okay? Okay! If you would, please locate your lever and cast your vote! And when the votes are tallied...who will become the blackened!? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee!?

Everyone pulled their levers at the same time. Then...

Celeste was unanimously voted guilty. Cheers were heard and banquets could be seen. They were right. The mastermind behind this whole case...

Was Celestia Ludenburg, or rather, Taeko Yasuhiro, the Ultimate Gambler...

Class Trial #3: End

To be continued...?