(3rd Person's POV)

Hiro: Yeah... Yeah, that's exactly what happened.

Everyone looked at Hiro as he made his confession.

Hina: Ah! He admits it!

Kyoko: I figured as much.

Makoto: But...why would you write something like that?

Hiro: B-Because...

He looked at them with a fearful expression on his face.

Hiro: Because I killed her!

Sora: What.

Hiro: Please, just let me explain what happened... I got Ogre's note, and so I headed to the rec room right before noon, just like it said...

Byakuya: You just did exactly as the note asked? What a fool...

Hiro: And when I got there...

---

"Sorry, but do you mind waiting? I asked a couple of other people to meet, as well."

"O-Okay..."

"Would you like a piece of candy? It might help give you some energy."

She handed him the candy, and he hesitantly took it.

"O-Oh, sure... Thanks."

"And that's all she said. After that, we just stood around in awkward silence... Suddenly, I heard her mutter something..."

"This is it... I'm going to end it today... I'm going to end...everything."

"As soon as I heard that, I just knew... I knew she was gonna try and kill me! She was gonna kill me and make her escape! So of course I freaked out, and then..."

SMASH!

"I saw my only chance. I grabbed a Monokuma Bottle from the shelf, and smashed it across her head! I...I hit her from behind, before she had any idea what was happening!"

---

Hiro: Then she just...went limp. I didn't see her move again after that. Once it was over, I pulled myself together. I realized if I didn't do something, I'd be caught and executed. So I wrote Fukawa's first name in blood across a magazine on the table, and...I ran away.

Unlike the others, who were shocked or surprised at this information, Sora was...impressed.

Huh. Who would've thought he had the balls...? Sora thought.

Toko: I-I can't believe you! You're the worst! I hope you d-die!

Hiro: Well, that's what happened. Go ahead, roast me, boil me, do whatever you want...

Hina shot a fierce glare at him, her eyes full of hatred.

Hina: You're not gonna get off that easy. It's death...death for the one that killed Sakura!

She turned towards the lever on her podium.

Hina: We're ready to vote now, right!? We know who did it!

But Kyoko would shake her head.

Kyoko: No, I think there's more to Hiro's story...

Hina: What are you talking about? What else could there be!?

Kyoko: There's one thing that Hiro's story just now doesn't explain. And until we figure that part out, we can't consider the case closed.

Makoto put himself in a thinking position. What is it that Hiro did that doesn't make sense...?

---

-Why he picked Toko

-Why he didn't use Sakura's finger

-Why the magazine was hidden

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: That's true. Everything you just said...it doesn't explain why the magazine was hidden, does it?

Hiro: Huh...?

Makoto: By the time the body was discovered, the magazine had been picked up and put on the shelf... Why would you take the time to write that message, then stick it somewhere we might not find it?

Hiro: Oh. Well, uh... I didn't hide it. I'm sure I just left it sitting there on the table.

Makoto looked at him wide-eyed.

Makoto: ...Really?

Toko: H-He's lying! He's g-gotta be lying!

Kyoko: I don't see any reason he would lie now, after already confessing to the crime...

Hina: Then...he's not lying?

Byakuya: Assuming he's telling the truth, someone else must have put the magazine back on the shelf. In other words, at least one other person was in the rec room both before and after the incident.

Kyoko: I don't think there's any question about that.

Hina: Th-Then...who was it?

Sora: It's obvious, isn't it? The one who hid the magazine must've had quite the problem with the so-called "dying message"...

There's only one person that fits that description...

---

-Toko

-Kyoko

-Byakuya

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: It had to be Fukawa, right?

Toko bit her fingernail in nervousness at her name being called.

Toko: Wh--?

Makoto: Who else would want to hide the magazine other than the person whose name was written on it?

Hina: Is he right, Fukawa? Did you really go to the rec room...?

Toko: Wh-Why would I have...? Wait, b-but more important...! That doesn't even m-matter! We already know who d-did it, right!? Hiro just a-admitted it!

The man sadly nodded in agreement.

Hiro: That's right. I killed her.

But Makoto thought otherwise.

Makoto: No, you didn't.

Toko: Wh-Who asked you!?

Makoto: I don't doubt Hiro attacked Ogami with the bottle. But that's not where this case ends.

Hina: What do you mean...?

Kyoko: What he means is that Hiro isn't the killer.

Toko looked aghast at such a proclamation.

Toko: You can't be s-serious! That's just... I don't b-believe it!

Kyoko: Hiro, tell us what happened one more time. If we go through it once more, it should become clear he's not Ogami's killer.

Hiro: Um, so...what do you want me to do?

Kyoko: Just tell us what happened one more time, when you attacked Ogami.

Hiro: I don't really see why, but...okay!

They haven't reached they end of this case just yet. Hiro isn't really the killer. ...They just have to prove that!

---

NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!

Hiro: I didn't want to, but...I did it. I grabbed a Monokuma Bottle from the shelf nearby and I hit Ogre from behind before she could do anything!

Kyoko: You hit her from behind... And you only hit her once, is that right?

Hiro: Yeah, just once... After the first swing, the bottle shattered. And...she went limp.

Toko: S-See? Isn't it obvious? Hiro really is the k-killer!

Makoto's Truth Bullet: Kyoko's Examination Summary

"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"

---

Makoto: If Ogami died from Hiro's single blow, that doesn't explain why she had two head wounds.

Hiro looked confused.

Hiro: Huh? Two...?

Kyoko: That's right. She had two separate wounds on her head.

Byakuya: And remember, this girl examines dead bodies as a hobby. Personally, I'm inclined to believe her.

Hiro: But...I only hit her once. How could she have two wounds?

Kyoko: Two wounds means she was struck twice. What's more, both attacks must have come from a Monokuma Bottle.

Toko: H-Hold on! How can you know that j-just from some cuts on her head? She was a-attacked twice? With two M-Monokuma Bottles?

Kyoko: It's not just because of her head wounds. It's also because of the Monokuma Bottles themselves. There's something very suspicious about those bottles... Once you understand that point, you'll understand why two separate Monokuma Bottles must have been used. Think back...after the incident, there were 4 Monokuma Bottles left on the shelf, right? And we found pieces of a bottle on the ground, along with the chess piece it had inside.

Makoto: That was the bottle Hiro hit Ogami with, right?

She nodded.

Kyoko: For now, just note that there were four intact bottles, and one broken bottle. But originally, there were six bottles in total. Meaning one has gone missing.

Toko: But h-how can you know for sure there were s-six bottles...?

Kyoko: That's easy. If you look at what the bottles all had in common, it should become clear.

The correlation between the Monokuma Bottles... It's starting to become clear... That connection must be...

---

HANGMAN'S GAMBIT: THINK ABOUT IT!

C.H.E.S.S. P.I.E.C.E.

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: That's it! The chess pieces! Inside each bottle there was a Monokuma figure holding a different chess piece.

Byakuya: King, rook, bishop, pawn... I definitely remember seeing each of those.

Sora: And the piece that was inside the broken bottle was the knight.

Toko: So? What's that m-matter?

Kyoko: I guess you don't know too much about chess, do you? Then let me explain...

Oh boy, here comes "Kyoko Kirigiri Explains it All..." Sora rolled her eyes.

Kyoko: In chess, there are six different pieces--the king, the queen, the rook, knight, bishop, and pawn. What was left intact at the crime scene were the king, rook, bishop, and pawn...just those four. And on the ground was the knight.

After a few minutes of thinking, they finally got it.

Hina: ...Oh! So the queen is missing!

Makoto: So we only have evidence for five bottles at the scene, while one apparently went missing.

Toko: What does ch-chess have to do with anything!?

Hiro: Yeah! Shogi is way better!

It is? Cuz I've never played either of them, so I wouldn't know... Sora thought.

Toko: Yeah! ...Wait, n-no! That's not what I mean! So, let's say a b-bottle did go missing... Th-There's still no evidence that h-has anything to do w-with this case! That bottle c-could have disappeared anytime b-before the murder!

Huh. Never knew she could talk that much in a few seconds. And with all that stuttering, too...

Kyoko: No, it's clear that the missing bottle is connected to this case.

Toko: H-How is it clear!?

Kyoko: Think about what state the missing bottle must have been in. Maybe then you'll understand...

Then the bottle that was missing...

---

-It was completely intact

-It was excited

-It was broken

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: The bottle must have been broken.

Toko: What m-makes you so sure!?

Makoto: Because there was evidence at the scene that supports it.

Hina: Huh?

Makoto: That's right. We found evidence that shows there was more than just one broken bottle at the scene.

Toko: And what is this e-evidence!?

---

PRESENT KEY ITEMS: SHOW YOUR PROOF!

Makoto's Truth Bullet: Monokuma Bottle Experiment

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: Earlier, Kirigiri and I did a little experiment. We compared the weight of the broken bottle pieces at the scene to one of the unbroken bottles. And what we found was that the collection of pieces was heavier. And the reason for that is...there was actually more than one bottle's worth of shattered glass.

Toko: Wh--!?

Sora: Oh, that makes sense. ...Kinda.

Kyoko: So from this, we can surmise that two bottles were actually broken at the scene of the crime. But someone did their best to clean up the pieces of one of the bottles, along with the figure inside. But when they did, they must have left behind a few too many pieces. Which is only natural. They certainly had no way to measure the exact right number of pieces to remove.

Hina: But...why would they have to try and get rid of it like that, anyway?

Makoto: Because of what it would reveal about the case...

There can be no doubt that the second missing Monokuma Bottle is involved in this case. It must have been used by...

---

-Some bowling aficionados

-Sakura's second attacker

-Sakura's first attacker

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: The bottle that was removed from the scene was used the second time Ogami was attacked.

Kyoko: The second wound on Ogami's head came from that second bottle. Given all the evidence, this is the only possible conclusion.

Makoto: The killer wanted to make it look like there was only one attack, so they had to get rid of their evidence.

Kyoko: From there, we can conclude that it wasn't Hiro who delivered that second blow. Wouldn't you agree, Fukawa?

The lavender-haired girl gave a stern and accusing look towards the writer, who griped her twin-tails.

Toko: Wh--!?

Sora: Oh, Kami! What's with that face?!

Kyoko: And there's the matter of the magazine. You must have been in the rec room when the incident took place.

Toko: W-W-W-Wait! I admit, maybe there was a s-second attack, but... But there's n-no evidence I had anything t-to do with it!

Hiro: No way! You killed her, I'm sure of it!

Toko: Sh-Shut up! Until two seconds ago, y-you were claiming you k-killed her!

Hiro: I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong! That's just the kinda guy I am! Plus, I just remembered something that proves it!

Everyone looked at him.

Byakuya: Okay, fine, let's hear it...

Sora: This better not be more braincell loss fuel...

Hiro: It was right after I got Ogre's note... I was kinda nervous about it, so I went to the rec room early. Y'know, to stake it out or whatever... So I was waitin' there, and that's when I saw her... I saw Fukawa go into the rec room!

Sora tilted her head.

Hiro: Pretty soon, Ogre showed up and she went in the rec room! I assumed Fukawa was still in there, so I figured everything would be okay. That's why I headed in... But when I got inside, Ogre was all alone! Fukawa had disappeared!

Byakuya: And you just now decided to share that with us...?

Hiro: After the shock of thinking I'd killed someone, I forgot all about it!

Sora facepalmed. Of course...

Byakuya: Could someone tighten the screws on his brain? I think they've come loose...

Hiro ignored the comment and looked straight at Toko.

Hiro: So, Fukawa! Where the heck did you disappear to!?

But Toko would stay persistent.

Toko: You d-don't know what you're talking about. I never went in the r-rec room!

Kyoko: I'm sure she didn't disappear, but maybe she found somewhere to hide...

Toko: What!? Hiding i-in the rec room? Don't be r-r-ridiculous!

She's stuttering more than usual...

Toko: Wh-Wh-Wh-Why are you all ganging up on me! You're all nothing but v-v-v-vermin!

Sora chucked. No, there's definitely proof that shows Toko was hiding in the rec room...!

Class Trial #4: On Hold

To be continued....?