(3rd Person's POV)

Monokuma: Hey, by the way, Shirayuki! What about that one thing!?

Sora: ...What. What "one thing"?

Monokuma: Puhuhu...What do you think? I'm talking about...your sister.

Sora: ...

The blonde stayed silent, but narrowed her eyes.

Monokuma: Puhuhuhu! Don't tell me you forgot about that video message! So what do you think? Are you sure your twin sister are still okay?

Sora: ...Why're you bringing that up now?

Monokuma: Not to mention your family. Your mothers, your father, your beloved aunt, and even your precious wittle cat Kobayashi! Are they really as safe as you might have assumed?

Sora: H-How... (Clenches her fist as her eye twitched) How do you know about all of them?! And what the hell are you implying?!

Kyoko: (Places a hand on her shoulder) Calm down, Shirayuki. He wants you to get upset.

Sora: ...

She let out a sigh. Kyoko's right. She can't let Monokuma's antics get to her. He's just saying that 'cuz he knows they're getting close to the truth of the bio lab! So if she wants to shut him up...

...She'll need to expose the inconsistency and slam him with it!

---

BULLET TIME BATTLE: THE MOMENT OF TRUTH!

Monochrome Menace - Monokuma

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm not listening!"

"You're getting all riled up!"

"What are you talking about?"

"That's impossible!"

"Grarr!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Better luck next time!"

"What? What do you want?"

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm not listening!"

"You're getting all riled up!"

"What are you talking about?"

"That's impossible!"

"Son of a biscuit!" 

"La-la-la! I can't hear you! La-la-la-la-la!"

Sora's Truth Bullet: Bio Lab Lights

"GOTCHA, BITCH!"

---

Sora: The inconsistency Kirigiri's talking about is...the lights!

Monokuma: Ga-haaah! Wh-What are you talking about? What about the lights...?

Sora: Like I said before, the bio lab also acts as a morgue. And as part of that, a giant refrigerator was installed in there. That's where everyone who's died is stored.

Kyoko: And it was set up so that when a slot had a body in it, a blue light would turn on.

Byakuya: In other words, if the blue light is on, that means there's a body in that slot.

Sora: But I counted up the number of blue lights that were on, including the one Ikusaba was in...and there were only nine!

Hiro: Why does that matter? You gotta give me the bite-size version here, man!

Nine lights doesn't make sense. The number of lights that should be on is...

---

-Six lights

-Eight lights

-Ten lights

"EASY PEASY."

---

Sora: Ten of the lights should have been on. Any other number is incredibly suspicious!

Toko: S-Suspicious...? Why?

Kyoko: That's simple. Just recall who's died here so far, and it should become clear.

Sora nodded in agreement. That's the key to solving this mystery...

Sayaka died first...

Junko was second...

Leon was third...

Chihiro was fourth...

Mondo was fifth...

Taka was sixth, then Hifumi was seventh...

Celeste was eighth...

Sakura was ninth...

And victim number ten was Mukuro.

Hina: Hm... So ten people in all?

Sora: That's right. Any other number should make you immediately suspicious. But according to the lights in the bio lab, only nine people were being stored there...

Hiro: Y-You're saying a dead body just...up and disappeared!?

Hina: I got it! The mastermind destroyed one of the bodies to get rid of evidence!

Sora: (Shakes her head)  But if they wanted to do that, they would've destroyed Ikusaba's body, since they actually killed her. And yet...her body was left alone.

Hina: Then...whose body disappeared?

Kyoko: It may very well be...that none of them disappeared.

Toko: B-But if that's true, then why doesn't the b-body count match...?

Kyoko: Including Monokuma's executions, there have apparently been ten deaths. But there were only nine bodies. That's the point I'm trying to make.

Hina: I'm completely lost! How can the number of victims be less than the number of murders!?

The reason there are less bodies than murders... The explanation for more murders than victims... Why is that...? What would it take for that to make sense...?

---

-Only nine murders took place

-The mastermind destroyed

-The same person was killed twice

"EASY PEASY..."

---

Sora: Here's an idea. What about if...the same person was killed twice?

Hiro: Huh? Killed twice...?

Sora:  Officially, ten murders have been committed so far. But one of the victims may have been murdered...and then murdered again.

Toko: Murdered and...m-murdered again...?

Sora: If that's the case, there could have been ten killings but still only nine victims, right?

Hina: T-Technically you're right, I guess, but still...something like that--

Kyoko: Could easily have happened. No, it is what happened.

Byakuya: Sounds like you're already convinced. Then can you tell us who was killed twice?

Kyoko: Before she was killed as Mukuro Ikusaba, she was killed as someone else.

Byakuya: And that's why the body had to be stored in the bio lab until the moment we found it in the garden...

It was at this point that Monokuma started getting frustrated, and quickly interjected.

Monokuma: No no no, that's crazy talk! She was killed as someone else? Come on! Besides, who could that "someone else" even have been!?

Kyoko: All you have to do is look at those bodily injuries of hers and that will become obvious.

Monokuma: Nothing's gonna become obvious...!  Because Kirigiri's totally delusional!

---

NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!

Monokuma: Who is this "someone else" that Mukuro was killed as? Was it... Sayaka Maizono? Junko Enoshima? Leon Kuwata? Chihiro Fujisaki? Mondo Owada? Kiyotaka Ishimaru? Hifumi Yamada? Celestia Lu--whatever? Or maybe Sakura Ogami? No no no... There's no way anyone was murdered twice!

Sora's New Argument: Junko Enoshima

"THE ANSWER...COULD ONLY BE THIS!"

---

Sora: Junko Enoshima... Wasn't her fatal injury pretty similar to Ikusaba's?

Hina: What do you mean...?

Sora: Well, remember what happened to her? She was impaled by a bunch of spears, all over her body.

Byakuya: And Ikusaba died from a number of wounds across her body... When you compare that to the stab wounds Enoshima suffered...

Toko: Then the s-similarities...match...?

Kyoko: Yes, and those are the only fatal injuries that match up. That explains why those "two" bodies are actually one and the same.

Byakuya: So let me see if I have this straight... Enoshima, or someone going by that name, was stabbed to death with multiple spears. Then her body was kept in the bio lab for however long, before being dragged out again. Only this time, it was presented as the corpse of one Mukuro Ikusaba.

Sora: It all matches up, right? Those wounds Enoshima suffered could easily be these same injuries.

Hiro: Then...it's really true? Ikusaba and Junko are the same person...? Then...it's really true? Ikusaba and Enoshima are the same person...?  Wait, so then... (Groans in confusion) Nng! What does it all mean!?

Byakuya: It means that there haven't been ten victims, but nine. Which also means that among the people we thought were dead...one is still alive.

Hina: ...And that's the true identity of the mastermind!?

Hiro: Who is it!? Who's behind all this!?

Toko: We already kn-know the answer to that... It's Ikusaba! Sh-She's still alive! She took E-Enoshima's body...and made it look like she was th-the one who died! S-So Ikusaba is still alive. She's g-gotta be!

Monokuma: (Puts his head down in a disappointing manner) ...

Toko: Total silence...? Then I m-must be right...! I'm right, aren't I?

Mukuro...alive? The one that's still alive is Mukuro...? But... Can they really believe that?

---

NONSTOP DEBATE: MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!

Toko: The body we f-found in the garden... It wasn't Ikusaba!

Hina: Then she's still alive!?

Toko: Th-That's right. She made it look like Enoshima's b-body was her! S-So the mastermind's true identity is...Ikusaba!

Hiro: Whaddya say, Monokuma!? Do you give up!?

Monokuma: Hmmmmmmm...

Sora's Truth Bullet: Mukuro Ikusaba's Profile

"I DOUBT THAT!"

---

Sora: No, the body we found in the garden was Ikusaba; that's one thing we can be sure of. The body's appearance and measurements are consistent with her records. (Looks at Kyoko) Right, Kiri?

Kyoko: She was 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighed 97 pounds. Her vitals were 31-22-32.  Everything in her profile is consistent with that corpse.

Sora: And then there's the matter of the Fenrir tattoo. So there's no question it's her.

Toko: B-But...if Ikusaba's not the mastermind, then...who's actually still alive...?

Sora narrowed her eyes, puplis' shining with confidence. Someone's made it look like they died, but they're actually still alive... There's only one person it could be...!

---

SELECT SOMEONE: CHOOSE YOUR SUSPECT!

...

...

...

...

Chosen: Junko Enoshima

"THIS IS THE ONLY POSSIBILITY!"

---

Sora: It's Enoshima. Junko Enoshima is the one who's still alive. That's the only possibility.

All the students stood in silence, taking Sora's answer in. Until...

Byakuya: ...Are you sure about that?

Sora: ...?

Byakuya: I admit, since Ikusaba is undoubtedly dead, Enoshima does seem to be the only other explanation. But we saw her get impaled. She died right before our very eyes... If Enoshima were still alive, the death we saw would had to have been some kind of charade. But Makoto confirmed she was dead. And you saw it, did you not?

Makoto: Actually... yeah, now that I think about it...

---

Sora watched as Makoto walked up to Junko's dead body and put his hand on her wrist, possibly to check for a pulse, although she didn't really see the point in doing that. After being impaled from multiple sides, it was obvious she was dead.

"She...really is dead."

---

Sora bowed her head down, biting her lip softly.

Sora: I...guess you have a point. There was no question that at that point...Enoshima was dead.

Hina: So...the idea that she's still alive...

Sora: (Lets out a deep sigh) It must be...wrong.

Toko: Th-Then you're withdrawing your p-previous statement...!?

At that moment, seeing the semi-stoic blonde look lost, Monokuma let out a mocking laugh.

Monokuma: Puhu... Puhuhu! I know you gave it your best shot, but too bad! I guess your conclusion was a dud! Ahahaha! Too bad, too bad!

But when the answer seemed lost, a certain detective spoke up.

Kyoko: This case hasn't been decided just yet...

Monokuma: Oh...?

Kyoko turned to Sora, folding her arms with a confident smirk.

Kyoko: You haven't given up already, have you Shirayuki?

The drawing expert lifted her head back up and shook her head.

Sora: Of course not. After everything we've discovered so far...how could I give up that easily?

Byakuya: That's all well and good, but how do you intend to solve the problem standing in your way? Enoshima absolutely died. Ikusaba absolutely died.

Hiro: Then both of them are dead, right!? There can't be any kind of survivor story!

Kyoko:  I think we need to look at this from the opposite direction.

Hina: Huh? The opposite direction...?

Kyoko: Let's assume Enoshima is still alive. If so, how could she have survived?

How could Junko have survived...? But...Sora saw. Everyone saw her get impaled multiple times over by Monokuma. Junko's dead. She's sure of it.

But still...if she were alive somehow... Could it be that...Junko's not the one that died? It wasn't Junko, but someone else entirely? Maybe she used some sort of trick...

---

HANGMAN'S GAMBIT: THINK ABOUT IT!

R.E.P.L.A.C.E.D.

"EASY PEASY."

---

A lightbulb activated inside Sora's head, her ahoge straightening up like an antenna.

Sora: That's it! What if she switched places with someone else!?

Toko: S-Switched places...?

Sora: That's right. Before the spears could kill her, she got someone to take her place.  Specifically, Mukuro Ikusaba!

Byakuya: Then that would make it Ikusaba's corpse that showed up later.

Sora: Which is why the body's height and weight and everything matched Ikusaba's profile, right?

Hiro: I dunno anything about this switching places thing, but...that had to be Enoshima who got stabbed to death, right?

Toko: Yeah, you're s-saying they switched? When could they even h-have done that? Right when she was a-about to die? Like she used some kind of ninja r-replacement technique?

Hina: Good point. There's just no way they could have switched like that. So maybe the whole idea is wrong...

No, there has to be some way... I need to figure out how to explain how they could have switched...!

---

-They switched at the beginning

-They switched after death

-They switched at the moment of death

"EASY PEASY."

---

Sora: The two of them...may have switched places from the very beginning.

Hina: What...? From the beginning?

Sora: Yes, from the moment we first met. If that's when they switched...then they wouldn't have had to switch at the moment of death, right?  After all, the one we saw at that point would have already been Ikusaba.

Hiro: H-Hold on...! So you're saying the "Enoshima" we first met...was actually Ikusaba all along!?

Toko: Th-Then...we'd already met her!?

Hina: I had, like, a normal conversation with her!

Byakuya: When we first met, none of us knew who anyone else was. So Ikusaba could have simply told us her name was Junko Enoshima...and we never would have known the difference. That would easily allow the two of them to switch places from the very beginning.

Hina: Wait, but Ikusaba had a tattoo on the back of her hand, right!? Enoshima never had any tattoo like that, did she?

Kyoko: She could have hidden it with foundation or something like that. If she did, it likely melted away in the explosion, exposing the tattoo after the body was extinguished. Plus, there were the fake nails found on the hands of Ikusaba's body. They were the same fake red nails she was wearing when we all met for the first time.

Toko: B-But...if she really did use foundation...

Kyoko: (Nods) Correct. Even if there was no tattoo on her hand, I couldn't say for certain it wasn't Ikusaba. So I'm glad nobody noticed that glaring hole when we were trying to figure out who attacked Shirayuki... (Looks at Monokuma with a smug smirk) But too bad for you, Monokuma. You can't deny it anymore.

Monokuma: ...

The bear had a blank look on his face, as if his mind entirely shut down.

Hiro: Wait, so...! This whole thing was a set-up from the very beginning!?

Byakuya: If that's true, it was quite an elaborate plan, to be sure. Making it look like Ikusaba was Enoshima...

Monokuma: ...

Kyoko: The reason such an elaborate plan was possible is because the two of them were working together.

Makoto: So Ikusaba, the Ultimate Despair, teamed up with someone like her... In other words, it would be fair to say that Enoshima herself was also the Ultimate Despair!

Monokuma: (Turns his back to the students) ...

Kyoko: What's wrong? Lost the will to fight back?

Hina: (Scowls) I think he's just afraid...

Monokuma: (Turned back to face the students) Afraid? What's that mean, afraid? Fear is only possible where hope is possible. I only have despair, so fear is an alien concept to me.

Byakuya: Then why haven't you been saying anything?

Monokuma: Because it's a bunch of nonsense. Enoshima's my secret identity? Puhuhu! As if!

Sora: Really, now? If that's the case, then why did you try and protect Enoshima's real identity?

Monokuma: (Tilts his head) ...I tried to protect her identity? When did I do that?

Sora frowned. So he still refuses to admit it. But... He can try and deceive them all he wants, it doesn't matter. Because she's already figured it out... He tried to hide Junko's identity. And not just once, but twice... The first time was during their latest investigation...

---

PRESENT KEY ITEMS: SHOW YOUR PROOF!

Sora's Truth Bullet: Interview DVD

"EASY PEASY."

---

Sora: While I was in the A/V room, watching the DVD of our interviews with the headmaster...

---

"What...just happened?"

"Oopsie! Looks like it broke! Out of service!"

"Really...? I just happened to broke just now? How inconvenient..." 

"Now, then, when, doesn't matter! Failure can strike anywhere, anytime! That's what failure IS, right!?" 

---

Sora: You made sure I couldn't finish watching the video. And the reason you did that...is because you didn't want me to see the real Enoshima, did you?

Hiro: Oh, yeah! If everyone was in that video, of course Enoshima would've had to show up!

Hina: And if Shirayuki saw the real Enoshima...it would've been totally obvious that the Enoshima we met was an imposter!

Monokuma: Th-That whole power outage thing was just a fluke!

No, it wasn't a fluke. The mastermind definitely orchestrated that power outage...! And that's not the only time they tried to hide Junko's identity. The mastermind tried to cover up one other piece of evidence. She's gotta reveal that!

---

BULLET TIME BATTLE: THE MOMENT OF TRUTH!

Headmaster of Hope's Peak - Monokuma

"Grarr!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Better luck next time!"

"What? What do you want?"

"Punishment is waiting for you!"

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm not listening!"

"You're getting all riled up!"

"I'm not sure what your talking about!"

"That's impossible!"

"Bears never lie!"

"Grrar!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Punishment is waiting for you!"

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm not listening!"

"Mothertrucker!"

"You're treading on thin ice, blondie!"

"I tried to protect her identity?"

Sora's Truth Bullet: Group Photo

"I'LL CUT THROUGH YOUR WORDS!"

---

Sora: The video wasn't the only thing you tried to cover up. You did the same thing with this group photo!

Monokuma reeled back, as if he got punched in the gut. He started sweating profusely.

Monokuma: Uh--! Uh-ooooohh...!

Sora: I noticed it just a little while ago, when we were all comparing the photos we'd gotten. In all the photos, there's a certain similarity, an unusual circumstance.

Monokuma: Wh-What's so unusual about them!?

The unusual circumstance common to all these pictures... The unusual circumstance is...

---

-The ones who got the photos

-Junko's face

-Mukuro's face

"EASY PEASY."

---

Sora: Enoshima's face. The one thing common to every single photo is that you can't see her face. It's hard to believe her face would just happen to be hidden in every single picture, don't you think? Once is a little eyebrow-raising, but having it be hidden in every single one is too suspicious to be called a mere coincidence. And on top of that, in this photo you can see that Ikusaba is clearly visible. So in other words, at that point, the two of them hadn't switched yet. With all that in mind, there's no doubt that the girl whose face is hidden here is the real Enoshima. Which is why you had to have pictures that didn't show her face. Because if we could have seen her face, then it would have clearly revealed...that the Enoshima in the pictures wasn't the Enoshima that we knew!

Monokuma: (Reeled back again) Xanadu!

Kyoko: I believe everything Shirayuki said is true. Enoshima and Ikusaba switched places before we met either of them.

Byakuya: So she killed Ikusaba, who had taken her place, making it look like she'd died. And the real Enoshima...is still alive.

Sora: And she's the one behind this whole murderous situation, this "killing game"... She's the true mastermind and the Ultimate Despair!

Monokuma: Xanadu times two!

Kyoko: With this, the identity, and the crimes, of the mastermind have been exposed.

Monokuma: N-No, wait...! Hold on!

Sora: Save it. Don't bother trying to deny it. There's no more room for debate. You don't have anywhere left to run. For trying to murder me and framing me for your crime...I'll prove everying thing right here...RIGHT NOW!

---

CLOSING ARGUMENT: CLIMAX INTERFERENCE; SHIRAYUKI EDITION!

"THIS...IS WHO THE MASTERMIND TRULY IS!"

ACT 1: We met the Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima right after we all arrived here... But that wasn't the real Enoshima. The girl we saw before us was actually the seventeenth student, who had taken Enoshima's place. And that girl's name was Mukuro Ikusaba. 

ACT2: But it wasn't long before she died at the hands of Monokuma. In other words, the mastermind...Junko Enoshima.

ACT 3: Her body was kept in the bio lab, which had been converted into a morgue. Until Enoshima decided to put her body to use. Enoshima dragged the body out of the bio lab, using the tarp to carry her to the garden. She fabricated the murder to try and frame Kiri, who'd proven to be one big thorn in her side.

ACT 4: Meanwhile, she wanted us all to think Ikusaba was still alive, and hiding somewhere inside the school. So she put on a mask and then attacked me. After making sure I'd gotten a good look at the mask, she left the room... Then she put the same mask on Ikusaba's body. This was all to make us think the person who attacked me and the corpse were one and the same... She wanted us to believe the murder had only recently taken place.

ACT 5: Finally, by strapping a bomb to the body, she was able to destroy any remaining evidence. She needed to hide the body's true identity. She had to make sure we didn't find out it was actually the same person we'd met in the beginning. This is the truth behind Ikusaba's murder. And the one who carried it all out is the true mastermind, the one who framed me, the one controlling Monokuma, and the one who orchestrated this entire killing game...

"THEIR TRUE IDENTITY IS...THE ULTIMATE DESPAIR, THE REAL JUNKO ENOSHIMA!"

---

Sora: That's the whole story behind this incident! Well? What do you have to say to that!?

Monokuma: ... .... .... .... .... ...

The bear's head flopped down, looking at nothing but the floor. It's as if he became despondent.

Byakuya:  What, are you broken again?

Monokuma: ...

Hina: You can't get out of this, so don't even try!

Monokuma: ...

Hiro: Come on! It's time you finally revealed yourself!

Monokuma: ...

Toko: It's not like y-you're an endangered species or something! How l-long do you plan to keep hiding?

Monokuma: ...

Makoto: I told you, didn't I? When you killed Alter Ego...one of these days, you will pay for what you've done! And that time is right now!

Monokuma: ...

Kyoko: Give it up, Enoshima. The game's over.

Monokuma: ...

The bear silently turned his back to the students once again. And then, he spoke...

Monokuma: ...Over? Puhu... Puhuhu... Did you really think the story would end once we reached the climax of the case? Wrong! There's still plenty more to go!

Without any warning, Monokuma jumped behind his seat. Then, a mysterious gust of smoke entered the trial grounds, and surrounded the bear.

Once the dust settled, the students looked to see that...Monokuma was gone. And in his place was a young woman. A young woman with strawberry blonde hair and deceitfully sweet light blue eyes. A young woman that the students recognized all too well.

Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair...

And like Monokuma said, this was only just the beginning...

Class Trial: On Hold

To be continued...?