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!"

"Sorry everyone, but I don't think I'm gonna be much help this time." Katio scratched the back of his head.

Ichika tilted her head and smirked. "Uh, since when were you 'help' at the previous trials?"

"H-Hey!"

"...Who did it?" Himiko looked at everyone darkly, "Who killed Chabashira and Yonaga?"

"Don't let your emotions hasten your judgement. There may be two killers." Korekiyo said.

"So... our other culprit... might nooot be one of us heeeere..." Tsumugi dragged out her words.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Gonta asked.

"The traaaansfer stuuuudent... Maybe our resurrected transfer student dragged Chabashira-san and Yonaga-san into the grave..."

"S-Stop it! Stop making stuff up!" Kaito screeched.

"Say something Saihara." Maki demanded. "It'll be a mess if this keeps going on."

"This crime was committed by the recently deceased. They came back to life and killed two of our classmates!" Tsumugi exclaimed.

"Noooooo!!!" Kaito cried out in alarm.

"While that might seem possible..." Ichika played with the drawstrings of her jumper. "I don't think the ritual succeeded at all."

"Aki-san is right. Yonaga-san's ritual didn't succeed. According to the Necronomicon Monokuma showed us... You have to burn the Necronomicon in the ritual. If Yonaga-san's ritual had succeeded, the book would have be gone."

"So she was killed before the ritual since the book was still in one piece." Ichika hummed. "What a shame. I was hoping we could actually communicate with a spirt. Then again, the idea of the dead coming back to life is boo-sheet." Ichika grinned.

"D-Don't make puns like that dammit!" Kaito barked at Ichika, still shivering.

"Then... I think Amami-kun is probably not the culprit then...." Gonta hummed.

"Oh... I guess you're right." Tsumugi said.

"W-Well duh. There's no way a dead person could... r-resurrect." Kaito stammered

"Now hold on a second! I can't let that comment stand!" Monokuma interrupted. "Sure, everybody knows that you can't bring the dead back to life... But it's easy at the ultimate academy! As long as you use the Necronomicon!"

"Wh-What are you talking about!?" Kaito trembled. "There's no way that's possible..."

"But it's true. I never lie about motives."

Kokichi grinned. "Oooh? So, resurrecting the dead was actually possible this whole time?"

Ichika gasped. "Wow really!? That's so cool!"

"There's no way that could happen, idiots." Maki interjected. "Monokuma is trying to confuse us. Let's hurry up and find out who the blackened is."

"If our culprit isn't the transfer student, then the blame falls on one of us," Korekiyo stated.

"Who!? Who did it!?" Himiko demanded.

"Step aside, half-pint! I'll handle this!" Miu shouted. "I dunno about Chabashira, but I'm pretty fuckin' sure Shinguji murdered Yonaga!"

"What...? Why?"

"Don't play dumb with me, creep show! I already know what happened! The culprit used a katana to kill Yonaga, and it was found in Shinguji's research lab! Which makes you, Shinguji, automatically suspicious!"

"But anyone could have taken my katana, you see."

"So that rusty katana was the murder weapon..." Kokichi interjected. "You were the only one who cared about the thing, Shinguji-chan!"

"I did not care about some katana."

"Just admit it, ya shit-eating worm!" Miu growled. "You went into the classroom, broke in-"

"No, that's wrong!" Shuichi yelled. "Shinguji-kun would not have been able to enter Yonaga-san's lab. Isn't that right, Shirogane-san?"

"Yeah, before Yonaga-san locked herself up in her research lab... She said she wasn't going to open up for anyone but student council members."

"And Shinguji-kun is not a student council member. She would not have opened the door for him."

"Shinguji-chan couldn't have killed Yonaga-chan even if he wanted to!"

"I had no desire to kill her in the first place."

"So, whoever killed Yonaga musta been one of the student council members, yeah?" Kaito said.

"The remaining student council members are Gokuhara-kun, Kiibo-kun, Shirogane-san and Yumeno-san," Korekiyo stated.

"Well, it can't be Yumeno-chan. She was besties with Yonaga-chan. I trust their friendship! You guys do too, riiiiight!?"

Gonta smiled. "Yeah! Of course!"

"...Can we trust their friendship so readily?" Kiibo asked uncertainly.

"Obviously! Let's believe in them!"

"That trims our list of suspects down to three- Gokuhara-kun, Kiibo-kun and Shirogane-san," Korekiyo announced,

"Yep, yep! The culprit is one of those three people!"

"You mean one of those *two* people! Cuz a robot ain't people, jackass." Miu added,

"I will let that remark slide... Anyways, aren't these accusations just a tad too hasty?"

"Whatevs! The culprit should confess already!" Kokichi demanded, "Gokuhara-chan, Kiiboy or Shirogane-chan! Well!?"

"N-No! Not me! I would never kill Yonaga-san!" Gonta cried.

"Yeah! Gokuhara-kun's a gentleman! You shouldn't suspect either of us!"

"Hey! Stick up for me too!"

***

"No, it wasn't just student council members that could have opened that lab door!" Shuichi called out over everyone,

Kokichi tilted his head, "Hmmm? What was it you said earlier about Shinguji-chan opening the door, Saihara-chan? Unless you're a student council member, you cant enter Yonaga-chan's lab, riiiiight?"

"I was referring to Shinguji-kun. He couldn't have done it... but you could have. You know how to pick locks. I saw you do it to open Yonaga-san's lab."

"Ohhh, that happened? I totally forgot." Kokichi grinned.

"...So you're going to pretend you don't remember, huh?" Maki glared at him.

"Ah-haha, quit glaring at me like that. Of course, I remember. Yeah, I did it. I killed Yonaga-chan." Everyone in the trial room fell silent.

Kaito's face paled. "W-Wait, what!? What did you just say!?"

"I picked the lock to her lab, snuck into the room, and the -WAM!- killed Yonaga-chan. The culprit was me all along."

"What are you saying? Is this some kind of joke?" Korekiyo snarled.

"Nahhhhh, no joke! I thought if I confessed, I could atone for my sins. And it helped! I feel soooo much better! Pheeeeew!"

"Wait... so Ouma-kun really is the culprit?" Gonta panicked.

"No, he's lying... I think? Maybe?" Miu sweated.

"He's lying. I'm certain of it." Shuichi interjected.

"Non non! Definitely not a lie. I killed Yonaga-chan. Shouldn't you guys believe the culprit when they confess?"

"Then let me ask you, 'culprit'... How did you lock the room?"

"Huh? I-It's the same as opening it. You pick the door closed from the outsi-"

"No, that doesn't make sense."

"Huh? What doesn't make sense? Can't you lock a door by picking it?" Kaito questioned.

"Maybe, but that's not how the culprit locked the room. They used a different method." Shuichi explained.

"What different method?" Himiko asked.

"Yeah, mumbles! Use your big boy voice and explain yourself." Miu snapped.

"U-Uh," Shuichi stumbled a bit on his words. "There were two doors to the classroom, and the one locked last was the back door. That's how they made this locked-room mystery."

"The back door had a sliding lock, yes? How was it locked from the outside?" Korekiyo inquired.

"The culprit used a certain tool. The gold leaf katana that was stabbed into Akamatsu-san's effigy. The culprit used that to hit the knob of the sliding lock to lock the door."

"So the gold leaf was on the sliding lock because..." Maki started.

"Because when the katana hit the lock, some of the gold leaf rubbed off on it." Shuichi finished. "The gold leaf did peel off rather easily." He added.

"Hmmm... That evidence rings a bell. Specifically, a school bell..." Monokuma butted in.

"Huh!? Are you talking about a different school!? What school was it!?" Monophaine cried out.

"Now now, that doesn't matter anymore. Let's not dwell on the past."

Kokichi hummed. "Oooh, the gold leaf landed on the sliding lock when the katana touched it... So that means, the culprit used the katana to move the sliding lock, right? But wait, how did they move it with a katana? And from outside Yonaga-chan's lab?"

"The clue that might give us the answer is the layout of the area itself. It was an odd setup, after all." Shuichi said. "The katana stabbed into the effigy, the effigies hung upside down..."

"Yonaga didn't do that as part of the ritual?" Miu asked.

"No... nowhere in the Necronomicon did it say to have to hang the effigies. The reason the culprit stuck the katana in the effigy was so that it would hit the sliding lock as the effigy spun!"

"The effigy... spun?" Gonta repeated uncertainly.

"That's right. If you spun the effigy, the rope it was hanging from would twist. Then, if you let go thw rope would unwind, and the effigy would spin the other way." Shuichi explained.

"I see! So the culprit used the katana's counterspin to push the lock into place!?" Kiibo asked.

"The culprit simply needed to spin the effigy's rope and then swiftly leave. This would cause the spinning katana to hit the sliding rock and thus was the back door of an empty classroom locked from the inside." Korekiyo said.

Shuichi nodded. "Yes. That's how Yonaga-san's lab was locked. By using the effigy with the katana."

"A plan born from the heart of a sword, travelling through the air to intercept us." Tsumugi said, drool leaking down her chin. "Oh, but could it have moved the slide lock so easily?"

"The sliding lock was pretty loose. A little push could move it. As long as the spinning katana hit the lock, it would have slid into position."

"Even if the culprit failed the first couple of times, they could keep trying until it was locked." Ichika added.

"Which is why the culprit chose to strike at night time, as to avoid detection." Kiibo said.

Maki nodded. "Yes, since the student council prohibited anyone from walking around at nighttime."

"Are you saying... it's the student council's fault?" Himiko grumbled.

"I didn't say that."

"In any case, the culprit probably used the murder weapon for this trick. It had to have been the right length to hit the sliding lock from the effigy." Shuichi explained.

"The culprit couldn't find a blade long enough in my lab, so they settled for a katana." Maki said.

"The other effigies were only hung up so we'd think it was some kind of ceremony. That way, we wouldn't notice the lock trick." Kaito pointed out.

"But... Ouma-kun did say earlier that he could have picked the lock closed." Shuichi said,

"..." Kokichi remained silent.

"I don't want to completely ignore that possibility... but I can't imagine that the culprit would have done all this just for a distraction."

Kiibo's eyes widened in realisation. "If that's the case, then Ouma-kun's confession earlier was actually..."

"Seriously!? You fuckin' lied again!?" Miu spat.

"Cough it up, Ouma!" Kaito barked.

"Aw maaaaaan, you guys got me... Okaaaaay, I'm not the culprit..."

"You're telling the truth this time, right?" Himiko grumbled.

"I wanna say I'm lying, but I'm not."

"Why did you say you were the culprit?" Maki interrogated.

"He probably did it to lure out the culprit," Ichika spoke up, twirling her jumper's drawstrings between her fingers. "If he confessed he was the culprit, then the real culprit would pressure him to confess." She turned to Kokichi. "Am I right, Ouma-san?"

"Wooooow, Aki-chan, you got it spot on. I'm impressed!" Kokichi grinned. "But, darn it! It didn't go my way because Saihara-chan butted in on my plan..."

"Tch! You and you're fuckin' lies! Go sit in the corner and play with yourself!" Miu growled.

"O-kay! I'll start right now!"

"Alright! So, whos the asshole who set up this locked-room mystery!?"

"Iruma-chan... I can't hold it up anymore..." Kokichi whined.

"What's the matter!? You goin' soft on me now!?"

"Who made the locked room mystery doesn't matter, since anyone could have done it. Don't you even understand something as basic as that, you filthy cum dumpster?"

"C-Cum dumpster...!? Finally...! Someone... finally called me a cum dumpster!!!"

"Alright anyway." Ichika chuckled lightly with a nervous smile. "We need to focus on *who* could have entered her lab."

"Indeed." Korekiyo agreed. "Only one of the student council members - or Ouma-kun - could have gained entry. Therefore, the culprit must be among their number."

"That leaves us with four suspects... Shirogane, Gokuhara, Kiibo... and Ouma." Kaito said.

"Don't forget Yumeno-chan! She's also a part of the student council. Doesn't matter if she was besties with Yonaga-chan, she's still a suspect."

Kiibo glared at Kokichi. "That contradicts what you said earlier, which I can prove using my recording function..."

"...It's fine. That's just a waste of time." Maki interjected.

"Me? A suspect?" Himiko glared at everyone from under her hat. "I'd... never kill Yonaga!"

"So calling all suspects, what should we discuss next? I wanna hear everyone's opinion. What would you say to get yourself off the suspect list?" Kokichi chirped.

"Why are you trying to lead the debate? You're a suspect too." Maki said.

"Silence, outsider! Only the suspect rangers are allowed to speak!"

"S-Suspects rangers?" Tsumugi repeated.

"God you are such a child." Ichika sighed.

"I said silence; mini munchkin!"

"What did you just call me!?" Ichika barked.

"I agree," Korekiyo spoke up. "Those under supervision should explain themselves thoroughly."

"We might catch 'em with their pants down!" Miu exclaimed.

"Anywaaaaay, I wanna ask the suspect rangers... What should we talk about!?" Kokichi chirped. "What should we say to get ourselves off the suspect list!? Well, guys!? I wanna hear what you think!"

Tsumugi shifted nervously. "U-Umm... that's sort of a difficult question, y'know?"

"I'm not smart enough to know the answer to that..." Gonta muttered, looking down.

"Y-Yes... It is difficult to formulate a logical response to that question." Kiibo muttered.

Kokichi huffed in annoyance. "Not articulate with words, huh? Don't you guys wanna prove your innocence?"

Kaito scratched the back of his head. "They don't trust you one bit and I don't blame 'em. You're probably plotting-"

"Why... did Chabashira have to die?" Himiko cut Kaito off. Kaito looked at her confused.

"Huh?"

"I wanna know what happened to Yonaga, too, but... Can we talk about Chabashira's case now and not just Yonaga's-"

"Mwah-hahahaha!" Kokichi's laughter cut Himiko off. "I gotcha exactly where I wanted, Yumeno-chan!"

"Nyeh? What do you mean?"

"The two victims could've been killed by two separate murderers, y'know? So we need to find the first blackened responsible for the first victim. We gotta figure out who killed Yonaga-chan. Until we solve Yonaga-chan's case, Chabashira-chan's case is meaningless!"

"It's not meaningless!" Himiko yelled angrily, startling all the students. "Chabashira's death was meaningless? How dare you! Poor Chabashira... How could you do this to her!?"

"Yumeno-chan, stop it with your crappy lies." Kokichi said with a blank face.

"Lies...?"

"You didn't give two shits about Chabashira-chan when she was alive, but now you're like, 'Oh no! Poor Chabashira!' after she's dead. C'mon, really?"

"Ouma-kun! Enough!" Gonta shouted.

"No... it's okay." Himiko reassured Gonta. "It's no surprise he'd think that. I ignored Chabashira before... That's why... I'm so upset now... I should've faced Chabashira... worked things out with her while she was still alive. But now... its too late. I can't complain to her... or thank her..."

"Yeah, seriously! It's way too late to realize that now!" Kaito barked. "Our only option is to face her death head-on!"

"Nyeh? Face her death?"

"Yumeno... I understand what you're going through. So I'm going to help you out! Let's work together to find the truth! I'm not gonna let anyone say her death didn't matter!"

"M-Momota...! Alright! I'll put a silencing curse on whoever calls Chabashira's death meaningless! The name of the curse is... death curse!"

"Listen up! All you guys are gonna help out too! Abandoning someone and only thinking of your own survival... That's just as bad as a hit-and-run! I won't forgive something so messed up!"

"Chabashira-san was our friend! I want to know why she died too!" Gonta yelled out.

Kokichi rolled his eyes. "I already told you, that's soooo unnecessary. We're getting sidetracked here."

"Maybe, but remember that there is still the possibility that the same culprit killed both Yonaga-san and Chabashira-san. If so, then there's a chance there is a clue in Chabashira-san's crime scene that could lead us to the culprit of Yonaga-san's death." Ichika explained.

"Yeah!" Kaito agreed. "If we don't find out who killed her, we won't be able to work together Not now, not ever. Even if this trial isn't for her, in order for us to survive... We need to get to the bottom of Chabashira's death! Not just to survive this trial! But so we can keep going and live on!"

"Finally, you noticed!" Kokichi rose a finger to his lips. "Geez, you're so slow."

Gonta looked confused. "Huh? Did Ouma-kun want us to notice-"

"Don't listen to his crap. We haven't decided whether there were two different culprits yet." Maki responded.

"Let us talk about Chabashira-san's case, then. Perhaps that will provide us a clue." Korekiyo said.

"So what do we talk about first?" Kaito asked.

"For now, let's see if we can narrow down the list of suspects." Kiibo said.

"Tencrotch probably got killed during the seance, so everyone there's suspicious!" Miu barked.

"T-Tencrotch!?" Himiko glared at Miu.

"It was me, Shinguji-kun, Yumeno-san, and Ouma-kun." Shuichi said. "Aki-san was only with us for the preparation and then left, so I doubt she could've done it."

"Yeah, and I was with Kiibo-san for the rest of the investigation!" Ichika piped up.

"So those four are the culprits!" Miu grinned.

"Oh... Yumeno-san is still a suspect?" Gonta asked.

"Well, that's probably just a coinky-dink. The most suspicious out of the four is really..." Kokichi pointed at Korekiyo. "Shinguji-chan! He suggested the whole seance idea!"

Korekiyo nodded. "True, I may have suggested it. But I explained the procedure beforehand, yes? If we all knew of it before the murder, then we are all equally suspicious. In addition, the seance wasn't entirely in my control either. I was not the one who selected the room we performed it in. It was Yumeno-san..." Korekiyo directed a dark look at Himiko.

"Oh... right." Gonta said quietly.