Art by stormy_aozora71

Monokuma cleared his throat. "Ahem! Now then, let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! During the trial, you'll present your arguments for who the culprit is, and vote for Vote correctly and only the blackened will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person... I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will graduate from this academy! Also, refusing to vote will result in your death, so you better vote for someone! Now then, let's get the crazy, awesome, crazy-awesome trial underway!"

Kaede was the first to speak. "So, it's starting, huh?"

"Ah-haha, oh man, I haven't been in a trial in, like, forever!" Kokichi commented.

"Oh, so you have experience with trials...?" Tsumugi responded.

"Yeah, since I'm a leader of evil and stuff. I've done looooots of bad things."

"So, what are we supposed to do? Where do we even start?" Kaito interrupted.

"I've never done a class trial before... I'm not too sure where to begin..." Gonta trailed off.

"First, breathe in! And breathe out!" Tenko chirped. "We need to remember our 'No, No, No's'! No pushing, no running, no talking!"

"But communication is the foundation of any discussion!" Kiibo exclaimed.

"We should not worry about procedure. Especially since this is not a normal trial." Kirumi spoke calmly. "Each of us will be serving as a potential culprit, lawyer, prosecutor, and jury member. Let us proceed with that in mind, shall we?"

"Then might I offer the first topic?" Korekiyo offered.

"Don't fuckin' get ahead of us! Ya tryin' to start some shit!?" Miu barked.

"C-Calm down..." Kaede said nervously. "How about we listen first?"

"God has spoken... He says it is vital that we hear everyone's testimonies." Angie said.

"I'm a good listener cuz my ears are clean. Once, I cleaned then so hard, they bled." Himiko commented.

"I'll begin the conversation, then." Korekiyo sighed. "There's something... I found curious- Why, I wonder, didn't the culprit take advantage of the First Blood Perk?"

"I thought that was strange too!" Tsumugi piped up.

"I bet they just wanted to do a class trial real bad." Ryoma stated.

"Then Monokuma's the culprit! Duh-doy! Cuz this whole class trial was his idea! Hoo-yeah! Easy peasy! I'm a fuckin genius!" Miu laughed.

"Wait, is it even possible for Monokuma to be the culprit?" Kaito questioned.

Monokuma put his paws to cover his mouth, "Of course not. I would *never* do anything directly to you guys."

"Even if *you* can't, it's a different story for the person controlling you, right?" Kaede interjected quickly. "Is it possible that the mastermind controlling Monokuma killed Amami-kun?"

Monokuma played dumb. "Mastermind? Wuzzat?"

"I-I dunno any mastermind..." Monotaro nervously backed his father up.

"N-Never heard of em..." Monophaine followed.

"Don't play dumb with me! Who's the mastermind controlling you!?" Kaede's voice rang throughout the trial room.

Ryoma covered his eyes with his hat. "The mastermind, huh? Odds are it's one of us."

"It's Kiiboy over here! Everyone else thinks so too!" Kokichi shouted.

"D-Does everyone really think I am...?" Kiibo asked timidly.

"We'll get to the bottom of this..." Kaede grumbled, glaring at Monokuma.

"Puhu... Puhuhuhu..." Monokuma just giggled.

"We shouldn't be too rash and try to rush things. We need to find the culprit before finding the mastermind... or we're all kinda dead." Ichika laughed nervously.

"Then... we could start by determining the sequence of events?" Shuichi spoke for the first time. "Let's take a closer look at Amami-kun's death."

"I agree with Saihara-kun! Saihara-kun is the Ultimate detective after all!" Gonta chirped.

"Then let us start by reviewing the incident." Kirumi said.

"Amami-san's body was found just before the time limit, right?" Tenko asked.

"He was killed in the library." Korekiyo said.

"Amami-kun was alone in the library. The culprit could've snuck up on him." Angie suggested.

"What was he even doing in the library anyway?" Ryoma questioned.

"He was opening the moving bookcase for one reason... Cuz he knew about the hidden door!" Kaito shouted. "That means Amami was masterminding this whole thing!"

"Wait a minute!" Kaede interrupted Kaito. "I don't think Amami-kun was the mastermind!"

"Huh!? Why!?"

"Because, Amami-kun didn't have the card key to open the hidden door. You'd think the mastermind would have that card key on him, right?"

"Perhaps the culprit took the card key after killing Amami-kun?" Kiibo asked.

"But none of the pictures show Amami-kun holding the card key." Shuichi countered. "So I don't really think he had the key at all."

"Also, if the mastermind had died there, this killing game would've already ended." Maki sighed.

Kirumi nodded. "You are correct... The possibility of him being the mastermind is quite low."

"Then how did Amami-kun know about the hidden door...?" Gonta questioned.

"Maybe he stumbled across it in the library?" Kokichi suggested. "Y'know, like how Saihara-chan did?"

"Or maybe the mastermind told him about it." Ryoma said.

"Whaaaat? Why would the mastermind tell him that?" Angie inquired.

"To lure Amami into the library... and kill him."

"Does that mean the culprit and the mastermind are one in the same!?" Kiibo exclaimed.

Ichika hummed. "That does seem possible. In fact, it's also highly likely that the mastermind knew about Akamatsu-san and Saihara-san's trap."

"The mastermind knew about our trap this whole time?" Kaede gawked at Ichika.

Ichika simply nodded. "The mastermind, using your hidden cameras and trap altogether, used it to their advantage to commit this murder."

"So after the mastermind lured Amami and murder his ass... they used Bakamastu's and Kusaihara's hidden cameras to arrange the perfect crime!" Miu explained.

"Did they really take advantage of our trap though?" Kaede questioned with uncertainty.

"Is this really... the perfect crime? Are we in an unsolvable mystery!?" Tsumugi exclaimed.

Himiko sighed. "I guess this is a dead end..."

"Wait, don't give up that easily!" Kaede shouted. "We already know the culprit is the mastermind. We gotta work together to find the mastermind! Then we can end this killing game!"

Kokichi rose a finger up to his lips. "You yap about teamwork and all that, but you still think one of us is the mastermind..."

Kaede nodded solemnly. "Yes, and I know that's a horrible thought. But that's why I want to end all the terrible things happening to us! I'll defeat the mastermind and end this dumb killing game! I'll... I'll even use this class trial to do that!"

"Akamatsu-san..." Shuichi breathed out.

"Nee-heehee... Wow, looks like your determined to face even a cold, hard truth." Kokichi grinned. "Then here it comes - the cold, hard truth!"

Kaede looked confused. "Huh?"

"I already figured out who killed Amami-chan."

"Wh-What!?" Monokuma exclaimed, sweat pouring down his face."

Maki glared at Monokuma. "Why are you surprised?"

"Cuz if he's right, that would make this the fastest class trial to date!"

"How fast was the previous record anyway?" Monotaro asked.

"Real fast, lemme tell ya." Monosuke sighed.

"He was like... a leaf on the wind." Monophanie hummed.

"Shut it you weirdos!" Kaito barked. "This is an important conversation! Ouma! Are you serious about knowing who the culprit is?"

"Yup!" Kokichi smirked. "Soooo... We all agree that the culprit knew about Akamatsu-chan and Saihara-chan's trap, right?"

"No shit!" Miu barked. "That's why they're not in any of the pictures! So who is it!?"

"So whoever knew about the hidden cameras is the culprit."

"So who the hell is it!?"

Kokichi pointed at Miu. "It's you!!!"

"Moi!?!?"

"You made the cameras used for the trap! Riiiight? Obviously, whoever made the cameras know about the blind spots."

"Before breakfast was the only time someone would be able to sneak by." Ryoma added.

"W-What the hell brought this on all of a sudden...?" Miu whined. "I...I just designed the cameras... I didn't know they'd get set up in the library..."

"If someone asked me to make cameras, I'd totally ask what they were for." Kokichi said.

"How come you never asked what the cameras were for?" Angie asked cheerfully. "Huh? Huhhhh?"

"I...I...I pulled an all-nighter makin' them... and afterward, just sorta... passed out..." Miu stammered.

"You're getting awfully worked up." Kokichi taunted. "Look at you, you're sweating."

"I'm always wet! I'm just feelin' extra sensitive, like these big boobs of mine..."

Tsumugi sighed. "For someone so aggressive, you're kind of a wimp, huh, Iruma-san?"

"C-C'mon, lemme off the hook already... D-D-Do you want money!? Is that it!?"

"Your pathetic excuses are consistent with those of a common male criminal!" Tenko snarled and Miu flinched.

"Why don't you just admit it already?" Kokichi grinned at Miu. "You're the culprit, arent you, Iruma-chan?"

Miu frantically shook her head. "N...N...No way! That's not possible!"

"So you knew nothing about the trap in the library?" Kiibo inquired.

"I'm tellin' ya, I had no idea! Not like it matters... cuz I never went to the library, okay!?"

"I don't think Iruma-san went to the basement either!" Kaede spoke up. "Right, Aki-san?" Kaede looked over at Ichika.

Ichika gasped. "Oh, yeah, she didn't! Iruma-san was in the dining hall when the murder happened. I saw her tinkering with some machine while Shinguji-san and I ate some pasta the Monokubs made."

"The pasta on the menu tastes like a lonely old lady eating her grandkid's birthday cake!" Monotaro chimed in.

"Yeah, it was a pretty spathetic pasta." Ichika giggled. "Anyway, in conclusion, the pretty girl does indeed have an alibi."

"You fuckin' midget!" Miu barked. "Why didn't you say so earlier!?" Miu then smiled at Kaede. "Good job, Akamatsu! Guess I shouldn't have judged you by your lackluster rack!"

"What Gilgamesh-level condescension!" Tsumugi exclaimed. "But which Grail War are you from?"

"Wow... another reference we don't get." Kokichi chuckled. "Heh, you must be a hardcore loser."

"...Oh, sorry. Sometimes my hobbies just sorta slip in..."

"Hey! don't be actin' all cocky, Ouma!" Miu snarled. "You put my ass in the hot seat earlier! How 'bout you just keep your fuckin' mouth shut, you lyin' little abortion!"

"Wha-!? Th-That was really uncalled for..." Kokichi whined, his eyes becoming glossy. "I only said that to find the culprit!" Kokichi burst out into crocodile tears. "WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! YOU'RE SO MEEEEAAAAANNN!!!!!" Kokichi stopped crying immediately. "...'Kay. I feel a lot better now."

"Cool your jets, kid." Ryoma said.

"I should also mention that Shirogane-san and Toujou-san were also in the dining hall with us." Ichika added.

Kiibo nodded. "We can dismiss those five as potential culprits if they were together the entire time."

Ichika shook her head and smiled. "Nope! There was a period of time when Shirogane-san left for the bathroom."

Tsumugi sweated. "Oh... so you brought that up after all... It's true. I went to the bathroom closest to the dining hall."

"...Oh, did I hear that right?" Monokuma chimed in, tilting his head. "The bathroom, you say? Excellent! I was waiting for this moment! I'm getting so excited right now"!

Tenko pulled a face of disgust. "Ew! Why!?"

"Did you take a firm dump!?" Monotaro asked. "Or was it a soft one?"

Monosuke sighed. "...Why're you assumin' she was droppin' a deuce in there?"

"But I really did just go to the bathroom." Tsumugi continued. "Not the basement, you know? Also, I don't think I was there long enough to be suspicious, right?"

"You're the Ultimate Cosplayer, though," Ryoma said. "You could've just disguised yourself as someone else while you were out."

Tsumugi eye's widened. "D-Disguised!? No, no! I don't do disguises!"

"I don't think that's possible." Kaede agreed. "And I know the reason why. Shirogane-san can only cosplay as fictional characters!"

"That's what cosplay is supposed to be in the first place!" Tsumugi barked, then looked down at the ground sadly. "Lately, some people prefer to cosplay as non-fictional characters, which is unforgivable... It's so unforgivable that I break out in cospox if I even attempt it..."

Kaede let out a shaky sigh. "Yeah... The cospox was pretty gross..."

Ryoma hummed. "I see... If that's the case, then there's no way you could've been in disguise. Sorry about that, Shirogane. I just thought it was something to check."

Tsumugi shook her head with a small smile. "Oh, no, it's fine. I'm not bothered by it at all."

"Awww, Shirogane-chan is so nice! She's waaay better than Iruma-chan!" Kokichi called out.

"Well, fuck you too!" Miu glared at Kokichi.

"Getting back on topic..." Kirumi spoke up. "We now have alibis for the people in the dining hall."

Maki nodded. "So we know that Toujou, Shirogane, Iruma, Aki, and Shinguji cant be the culprit."

"Congratulations to the five of you! You can all leave now!" Angie chirped.

Gonta looked at Angie shocked. "Huh? Can they?"

"So what about the swines who went to the basement!?" Miu snapped. "They're all suspicious, right!?"

"Which one of us went to the basement...?" Korekiyo looked around the trial room.

"Well, when Saihara-kun and I were on lookout, we saw..." Kaede paused; collecting her thoughts. "Momota-kun, Gokuhara-kun, Harukawa-san, Chabashira-san, Yumeno-san, Yonaga-san... and Amami-kun... So, seven people in total."

"So the culprit is among those seven?" Kiibo inquired.

"Nyahaha! But of course!" Angie giggled happily.

"Why are you laughing!?" Tenko yelled. "That includes you, too!"

"Why not torture the truth of them?" Korekiyo suggested. "It would be the quickest method..."

"W-Wait, please! No torture! My tolerance for pain is actually really, really low!" Tenko cried out. "I'll tell you everything! Anything! Just please don't hurt me!"

"If the culprit is among that group, then wouldn't Harukawa-chan be the most suspicious?" Kokichi pointed at Maki and grinned. "Just look at her - she could definitely kill someone."

"Stop being so stupid." Maki snapped. "The culprit could easily be anyone... like Momota."

"Wh-What are you talking about!?" Kaito stammered. "There's no way I'm the culprit!"

"Who's the culprit!? Who!?" Miu cried out frantically.

"I am a gentleman! And gentleman most certainly do not hurt people!" Gonta yelled.

"I-It's not me either... Murder sounds like way too much work." Himiko grumbled under her hat.

"I have an alibi!" Angie called out.

"Who's the culprit, for fuck's sake!?" Miu was getting increasingly erratic.

"We need to calm down!" Kaede yelled over everyone's voices. "If everyone talk's all at once, then we can't discuss anything!"

"...It's alright, Akamatsu-san." Shuichi reassured. "We just need to listen to everyone's statements. You can do this, right?"

***

"Wait a minute, Momota-kun!" Kaede cried out over the sea of overlapping voices. "Wasn't there someone else who disappeared other than Amami-kun?"

Maki rolled her eyes. "That idiot forgot already. Gokuhara also left during the strategy meeting."

"Yeah, he locked himself up in the A/V room and-"

"Is that right, Gokuhara?" Ryoma interrupted Kaito.

Gonta nodded meekly. "Y-Yes, I was watching bug moive. It was to fill me with fight, so that I can fight Monokuma."

"But why would you lock the door?" Ichika inquired, tilting her head.

"Because... I needed to focus..." Gonta's eyes suddenly widened. "Hm? Does everyone suspect me? Why!?"

"Because you don't have an alibi!" Tenko snapped.

"Okay! I will get an alibi! Just tell me where to find it!" Gonta beamed.

Maki sighed. "The way this debate is going... *this* will be difficult to refute."

"So the Ultimate Entomologist doesn't have an alibi, huh?" Ichika grinned mischievously. "Wow, that really bugs me!"

"Did you just make a pun!?" Tenko yelled in shock.

"Gokuhara-kun, please understand that in order to reveal the truth, you must also participate." Kirumi spoke up.

"But... I'm not sure where to start..."

"You just have to tell everyone why you couldn't have done it." Shuichi explained.

"If you're not the culprit and we all vote for you, then we're all dead too." Ryoma said ominously. "Our lives are riding on your word. You got this."

"Okay... I will try! For everyone's sake!"

"Nyahahaha! Fight, Gonta! Fight, fight, fight!" Angie chanted.

"Cut it out, you fuckin' bobblehead!" Miu snarled.

"I am not the culprit! Because in order to leave the A/V room... I needed to walk through the game room where my friends are to even reach the hallway." Gonta stated

"If you can't get to the hallway, you can't go to the library!" Angie chirped.

"A/V room's got more than one entrance, though." Ryoma countered. "There shoulda been a door facing the hallway, too."

"The sliding door across from the rear entrance, correct?" Shuichi said.

"With that sliding door-"

"No. It's not possible to use the sliding door." Kaede cut Miu off.

Miu glared at Kaede. "You sayin' I'm wrong!? You got a lotta ass to be contradicting me!"

"The sliding door always jams." Kaede explained. "You're only able to open it a crack. The only part of your body that would be able to go through is your arm!"

"And there is no indication of the door being forced. There was dust on the track." Shuichi added.

Ryoma hummed. "In other words, the chance they came out the sliding door is zero."

"I-I see... So I made a mistake..." Miu played with her hair, an embarrassed blush spreading across her face. "How rare..."

"It's not that rare for you to make a mistake. Your entire existence is a mistake." Kokichi chirped happily.

"Y-You vicious little...!"

"If Gokuhara-kun couldn't use the sliding door, then in order to get to the library..." Korekiyo continued, ignoring Kokichi and Miu.

"He'd have to go through the Game Room. But I didn't see him at all." Kaito finished.

"See? I told you I'm not the culprit!"

Kirumi solemnly shook her head. "No, we cannot confirm that just yet."

"...Eh?"

"My apologies, Gokuhara-kun. I do not mean to put you on the spot like this, but..." Kirumi's face became very serious. "Because I promised to do my best, I will fulfil that responsibility."

"A-Are you saying that Gokuhara-kun could still be the culprit?" Kaede stammered.

"There is the possibility that Gokuhara-kun killed Amami-kun from the A/V room."

Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "From the A/V room? How...?"

Angie placed her hands on her cheeks in shock. "Oh-ho! I didn't know that was a possibility!"

"Not only could he have killed Amami-kun from the A/V room, but also..." Kirumi continued. "...He would not appear in any of the pictures from the camera placed in the library."

"Woah, perfect!" Tenko exclaimed cheerfully. "But wait, then how did Gokuhara-san kill him?"