(3rd Person's POV)

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!?

Toko widened her eyes, before it was replaced by a hateful scowl.

Toko: Hiding i-in the rec room? Don't be r-r-ridiculous! Wh-Wh-Wh-Why are you all ganging up on me! You're all nothing but v-v-v-vermin!

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

---

BULLET TIME BATTLE: THE MOMENT OF TRUTH!

Paranoid Novelist - Toko Fukawa

"It's a l-lie!"

"I a-admit nothing!"

"I h-hate you!"

"I curse you!"

"Shut up...!"

"N-No no no!"

"I d-don't know anything!"

"That's e-enough!"

"It's a l-lie!"

"I a-admit nothing!"

"I h-hate you!"

"I curse you!"

"Shut up...!"

"I curse you!"

"Shut up...!"

"N-No no no!"

"It's a l-lie!"

"I a-admit nothing!"

"I h-hate you!"

"That's e-enough!"

"Hiding i-in the rec room? Don't be r-r-ridiculous!"

Sora's Truth Bullet: Locker Handprint

"I'LL CUT THROUGH YOUR WORDS!"

---

Sora: Yeeeah, sorry, 'Kawa, but this handprint on the locker room proves otherwise. In the locker in the rec room, someone left a handprint inside. Seemed like they weren't paying much attention to notice.

Makoto: Does this handprint look familiar, Fukawa?

The look on her face said it all, but she would still deny it.

Toko: N-No, it doesn't!

Kyoko: Okay then, let's just compare it to your hand, shall we? That'll clear everything up, right?

Toko: ...

She started shaking, and before long, just like Hiro, she came crashing down.

Toko: KYAAAAAAAAAAHH!

Sora rolled her eyes and got straight to the point now that she knows she's been caught.

Sora: Now that we got that outta the way...can you just tell us what happened?

Toko: ...Okay. It's my handprint.

Sora widened her eyes.

Sora: I don't like how quickly you admitted that...

Hina: Then you killed Sakura!

Toko: N-No! I swear, there's now w-way!

Sora: (Raises an eyebrow) Really? You sure?

Toko: I...I p-probably did kill her.

This is bad...

Hiro: Straight-up again!

Sora: Why's she listening to me all of a sudden...?

Byakuya smirks at his fellow blonde.

Byakuya: Perhaps she has her eyes on somebody other than me...

Sora: ...That's not funny.

Kyoko: (Teasing her) He may have a point...

Sora: Oh, don't you start!

Hina: Wait...what do you mean, "probably"?

Kyoko: Give us the details, Fukawa. What happened between you and Ogami?

Toko: ...

Now it was Byakuya's turn to demand her.

Byakuya: Talk. Now.

Toko quickly complied.

Toko: After I read O-Ogami's note...I decided to go there early. So I w-went into the rec room... I didn't know wh-what she might do if I didn't g-go, but I was too scared to f-face her head-on... So I f-figured I'd just sneak in first, and h-hide in the locker...

Hiro: Then...did you see what happened? Did you see me hit her?

Toko: Yes. And I s-saw you write my name. I saw you f-forge her dying message!

Hiro sweatdropped.

Hiro: Well...that's awkward.

Toko: So after he left, I j-jumped out of the locker and p-put the magazine back on the sh-shelf.

Makoto: But when you did, you put it back upside down.

Toko: I didn't m-mean to... I was in a h-hurry!

Byakuya sneered at her, and scoffed at how easily she did what the note said. And now look what happened...

Byakuya: Imbeciles, all of you.

Hina: Forget all that. Why did you attack Sakura...?

Toko: A-After I put the magazine back, I heard a s-sound behind me, like a--like a monster g-growling... And when I t-turned around...

She shuddered at the memory as she remembered Sakura's pale blue eyes directed right at her.

Toko: ...There was S-Sakura, covered in b-blood...and staring r-right at me! When I saw all that b-blood, I fainted...right there in f-front of the magazines. I don't remember what h-happened after that. If you want to know m-more, you'll have to ask...her.

Sora sighed. Of course she's involved in this...

Toko: ...Achoo!

With that noise filling the trial grounds, Genocide Jill appeared again.

Genocide Jill: Ha-ha! Guess who's back!

Hiro: It WAS your fault, after all!

She giggled.

Genocide Jill: My fault, Master's fault, Mistress' fault! When all our faults combine, they soar to even greater heights!

Sora tilted her head.

Sora: Huh? Who's "Mistress"...?

The serial killer had an innocents smile on her face as she explained.

Genocide Jill: That's you, of course!

The blonde's right eye twitched.

Sora: ...What.

Byakuya makes an amusing chuckle at Sora's plight before focusing on Jill.

Byakuya: Just answer the question. Did you kill Ogami?

Genocide Jill: Well, to be honest, Miss Morose and me don't actually share our memories! So I can't really say what was going on. But I was just minding my own business, sleeping peacefully, when someone shook me awake! Was it a prince paying me a visit, I wondered. So I opened my eyes to see...splatter everywhere! I was NOT prepared for that! And, well...I guess it took me by surprise!

She then laughed as she continued.

Genocide Jill: I got so startled, I smacked her with the first thing I could find. Which I guess was a bottle!

Hina growled at her.

Hina: Sakura was just worried about you, and you...! You're terrible!

Genocide Jill: No, SHE'S terrible! Thanks to her, I murdered someone who wasn't an adorable boy for the first time ever!

Kyoko: And when it was all over, you collected the pieces of the bottle to get rid of the evidence, didn't you?

Genocide Jill: I wasn't about to die for some woman! If I'm gonna go down, I want it to be for killing Master!

Byakuya: Just go away and die your meaningless death alone. Don't drag me into it.

Genocide Jill: But I just can't catch a break, ya know? Fate's got it out for me! Cuz normally, Ogami should've been able to dodge my attack no problem!

Kyoko: Even as strong as she is, she must have still been reeling from Hiro's attack.

Hiro: Hey, come on. That's, y'know... But anyway, I'm not the one that killed Ogre! So that's good!

Sora shook her head. Keep talking like that and Hina gonna roast you a-

Hina: Well then, that's that! Let's start the vote!

Sora raised an eyebrow. She thought for sure that Hina had some scathing words for Hiro for that comment...

Hina: What's wrong? Come on, everyone! We're ready to vote, right? Let's do this!

Byakuya shook his head.

Byakuya: No, not quite yet.

Hina: Huh...? Not yet? Why "not yet"?

Byakuya: Don't you think there was something odd about Fukawa's story? I mean, you had to have noticed...

Hiro: Odd? Huh?

Byakuya: Hiro's attack, and then Fukawa... But that still wasn't the end of it.

He looked straight towards Genocide Jill.

Byakuya: Tell us your story one more time. Tell us what happened after you fainted. Then even this gaggle of idiots should understand what I'm talking about.

Genocide Jill: Your wish is my command, darling!

---

NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUEMENT!

Genocide Jill: I was just sleeping peacefully...And all of a sudden, Ogami was right there in front of me! I remember waking up right in front of the magazine shelf!

Hiro: And you were taken by surprise when you saw Ogre covered in blood... So you smashed her head in with the Monokuma Bottle?

Genocide Jill: You got it! I smashed her good!

Sora: Where did you do it, exactly...?

Genocide Jill: Right where I woke up! I killed her there in front of the shelf!

Makoto's Truth Bullet: Status of Sakura's Body

"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"

---

Makoto: We found Ogami sitting upright in a chair... If the blow by the shelf was the cause of death, there's no explanation why she was in that chair...

Byakuya: So, you finally noticed.

Hina: That's just another lie from a bloodthirsty serial killer!

Hiro: Are you sure you didn't attack her while she was sitting in the chair?

Byakuya: No, I'm sure she's telling the truth. Anyone who saw the murder scene should think the same way.

The evidence that proves there was an attack in front of the magazine shelf... It's...

---

PRESENT KEY ITEMS: SHOW YOUR PROOF!

Makoto's Truth Bullet: Magazine Shelf Bloodstain

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: Ogami was definitely attacked in front of the shelf. The bloodstain by the magazines is proof of that.

Hiro: Then she must have moved the body after she killed her, right? All to make it look like I did it! Cuz when I hit her, she was sitting in the chair!

Genocide Jill: Hey, come on now. Look at me. I can't carry anything heavier than my own scissors! There's no way I could move a muscle-bound heavyweight like that!

Hiro: Then...then what's the deal?

Byakuya looks at Hina with a smug smirk.

Byakuya: Well? Are you still convinced the case has come to an end?

Hina: B-But...!

Kyoko: Plus, the biggest mystery of all--the locked room--still has yet to be explained. Until we take care of that, we can't say this case has been properly settled.

Hina: Oh, that part's easy! After she killed Sakura, Fukawa just hid in the locker again!

Hiro: Huh! So she just hid in there till everyone showed up and opened the door? And while everything was all confused and hectic, she just snuck out of the locker into the group!

Makoto shook his head.

Makoto: No, I don't think that's possible.

The reason there's no way Toko was hiding in the locker is because...

---

-The locker was too small

-I was in the locker

-Makoto saw it for himself

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: Even before we opened the door to the rec room, Hina and I both got a look inside. And at that point, the locker was already open. So obviously Fukawa couldn't have been hiding in there.

Hiro: Hrmm... Okay then, where was she hiding?

Genocide Jill: I dunno! What's this whole "locked room" thing about, anyway?

Hiro: How do you not know!? You killed her!

Genocide Jill: I think the fact that I don't know proves I DIDN'T kill her, thank you very much!

Hina begged to differ.

Hina: Y-You're lying!

Byakuya: No, she's not. I've been saying all along, there's still more to this case.

Hiro: But if Genocide Jill didn't do it, that means Ogre didn't die from the shot to the head...

Byakuya: And?

Hina: W-Well, I can't imagine what else could have killed her...

Byakuya: That's because you're overlooking vital information.

Could they really be missing something so important...? If there's another possible explanation, maybe it's...

---

NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUEMENT!

Hiro: What was it that killed Ogre? If it wasn't from Genocide Jill's attack...then what was it?

Hina: There's no other possible cause. What killed Sakura...I can't think of anything other than the shot to her head!

Genocide Jill: So you're dead set on blaming me, huh!?

Makoto's Truth Bullet: Monokuma File #4

"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"

---

Makoto: According to the Monokuma File, Ogami had vomited blood. I think we can assume this was related to her cause of death. In fact, there was even a trace of blood left around her mouth.

Hina: Well, I mean...maybe when she got hit with the bottles, she cut the inside of her mouth...

Kyoko: If that's all it was, the file wouldn't have specified "vomited blood." Not to mention, I didn't find any cuts inside her mouth.

That comment, of course, didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the students, as some of them gave her a weird look.

Genocide Jill: You even checked in there!? Kami, you really ARE into dead bodies!

Kyoko: No, I'm not "into" dead bodies. What I'm "into" is solving mysteries.

Hiro: But if there wasn't a cut of anything, then what made her vomit blood?

Byakuya: Some sort of reaction within her body. Most likely...

He pushed his glasses up, which made a shine as he revealed his theory to everyone.

Byakuya: Ogami was poisoned.

Hiro: Poisoned...?

Byakuya: That's right! This is the conclusion I've arrived at, and so there can be no mistake.

Genocide Jill: Ahh! You're making me go all weak in the knees!

Sora: Poison, huh...

Hina widened her eyes.

Hina: She was poisoned...? It isn't possible!

Byakuya: Is it really so hard to believe? Then let me explain exactly how the culprit was able to poison her.

Hina: You can...explain it?

Byakuya: Of course. If you don't mind...

Genocide Jill: Everyone, quiet! Shut up and listen to Master!

Sora: You're the only one talking, though...

Byakuya: The key to unlocked this mystery was hiding in the chem lab, up on the 4th floor.

Hiro: Huh? Not in the rec room!? Then I could've found it all along!

Sora: No, you wouldn't. You gave up on searching for anything the moment you got kicked out of the crime scene!

The fortune teller sweatdropped.

Hiro: Well...yeah, good point...

Byakuya: There's a big shelving unit in the chem lab that houses a variety of mixtures and chemicals. And that's where I found...this.

He then pulled out a poison bottle.

Sora: ...Really? Let me see that...

Before he could say anything, Sora ran up and snatched the bottle from the progeny, then went back to her seat.

Sora: Hm...this seems pretty dangerous...not surprised this is what killed Ogami.

Hiro: Where'd you find it?

Byakuya: The shelf is divided up into three sections--A, B, and C. In section A, dietary supplements; in B, reagents; and in C...a variety of lethal chemicals.

Genocide Jill: And that's where the poison came from!? Section C!?

Byakuya: Well...that's the question, isn't it?

The bottle of poison...it came from...!

---

-Section A

-Section B

-Section C

"EASY PEASY."

---

Sora: It was in Section A.

Hiro: Huh? But Togami just said that section A was for supplements or whatever...

Byakuya: Strange, isn't it? Why would there be a bottle of poison mixed in with all those nutritional additives?

Hiro: Yeah, so...why?

Byakuya: Because the culprit switched it out, that's why.

Sora: Oh. Well, in that case...

Everyone couldn't believe what happened next. Sora put the bottle of poison to her lips and...started to drink it.

Kyoko: Wh-What are you doing...?!

The students were so shocked at what they were seeing, all they could do was stand there and watch. But as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Sora was as calm as ever... Soon, her face scrunched up as her ahoge shivered.

Sora: Eugh...!

Genocide Jill: Oh no! Mistress' in real trouble! You have to drink some water! You can't just swallow powder, it'll stick to your throat!

Kyoko: You impulsive idiot! Spit it out, now!

Sora: Yeah, well, the flavor's so bad, I'd want to spit it out. What's so "high-quality" about this sorta stuff anyway...?

Hiro: Huh? What are you talking about?

Sora: This stuff tastes like protein...

Makoto widened his head as his ahoge perked up.

Makoto: Protein...?

Kyoko composed herself soon and looked towards Sora in her normal stoic expression.

Kyoko: Can I see that bottle for a second?

Sora: Mm-hm.

Kyoko took the bottle from Sora and scraped out a bit of the contents with one finger. She touched her finger to her tongue...

Kyoko: This is... It's protein powder.

Makoto: Huh?

Byakuya: Correct. That wasn't poison in the bottle, but harmless protein powder. Which makes one wonder... The poison that should have been in that bottle...where did it go?

The bottle of "poison" was actually filled with protein powder. Which would mean that conversely, the poison must have been in... Could it be...!?

---

HANGMAN'S GAMBIT: THINK ABOUT IT!

P.R.O.T.E.I.N. D.R.I.N.K.

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: The poison...must have been poured into the protein can. If the protein's in the poison bottle, it seems only logical to assume the reverse is true, right?

Byakuya: Absolutely. The contents of each container were switched. So the protein was in the bottle of poison, and the poison was in the protein can... Once you accept that, it becomes obvious how the culprit was able to get Ogami to drink the poison.

Hiro: Holy crap!

Byakuya: All they had to do was hand her something there at the scene, and she was happy to drink the poison herself.

Something at the scene...?

---

-A Monokuma Bottle

-A protein drink

-A cup filled with water

"I GOT IT!"

---

Makoto: You're saying they gave her a protein drink, right?

He nodded.

Byakuya: A protein drink which actually contained a deadly poison...

Hina: ...What?!

Byakuya: That's all it took to kill Ogami. That is the true cause of death!

After a brief silence entered the grounds, Hiro spoke up.

Hiro: Y'know...I do remember Ogre saying that protein stuff was good for all kinds of aches and pains! So maybe she took it to try and help with the whole bleeding-head-would thing!

Byakuya: But what was offered to her instead was a bottle full of poison. And I already know exactly who swapped the mixtures!

Hiro: For real!? Who was it!?

Byakuya: Evidence revealing who replaced the two materials was left in the chem lab for anyone to see.

The evidence that shows who switched them... It has to be...

---

PRESENT KEY ITEM: SHOW YOUR PROOF!

Sora's Truth Bullet: Footprints In The Powder

"EASY PEASY."

---

Sora: You're talkin' about those footprints left behind in front of the shelf, right?

Byakuya nodded.

Byakuya: I visited the chem lab this morning, and there were definitely no footprints there at that point. They must have appeared around the time of the murder, which leaves no doubt that they're connected. What's more, the footprints were in front of section A, where I found the bottle meant for the poison. The culprit must have gone to section A to swap the poison and protein, leaving their footprints behind. And given how clear the prints were, figuring out who they belong to will pose no problem. All we have to do is check everyone's footprints right now! Then we'll see who--

But before Byakuya could finish, someone cut through his words.

"...It was me..."

Once everyone knew who was speaking...

Everyone couldn't believe what they were hearing...

Class Trial #4: On Hold

To be continued...?