A/N: I DEEM PIED PIPER A MOTHER- EFFIN'- BOP!!!!! DON'T TEST ME, I WILL WIN!

-TRIAL, ALL RISE!-

Monokuma explained the rules and gave us the first topic, the murder weapon.

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Sakura Ogami: Chihiro's fatal injury... It appears it was a head wound.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru: According to the Monokuma File, the killer used a "blunt instrument," but... What kind of "blunt instrument" could it have been!?

Yasuhiro Hagakure: I bet it was an iron pipe! (COUNTER WITH "LOCKER ROOM DUMBELL")

Makoto Naegi: NO, THAT'S WRONG!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"Can we agree that the object that dealt the fatal blow was the dumbell, found at the scene of the crime?", Makoto asked.

"Yeah, it makes sense. It was covered in blood, and there was nothing else at the scene that could have caused that kind of injury.", I nodded while showing everyone the picture of the dumbbell.

"And the wound on the victim's head is consistent with the shape of the dumbell. As far as I'm concerned, there's no mistake and no room for doubt on this one.", Kyoko confirmed.

"You... looked at her head wound?", Hina gulped.

"Kyaaah! That's sooo creeeepy!", Hifumi gasped, but Kyoko wasn't fazed.

"If you don't mind, I will proceed from here. Let's move on to discussion of the culprit. Although, I believe the criminal behind this heinous act is already quite clear.", Byakuya stated.

"What? For real!?", Hiro gasped.

"Chihiro's killer is... the fiendish serial killer, Genocide Jack!", Byakuya claimed with confidence.

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Byakuya Togami: The culprit is Genocide Jack, I'm sure of it. Case closed, as far as I'm concerned.

Aoi Asahina: But... that's impossible!

Byakuya Togami: Why? What makes it impossible?

Aoi Asahina: Well, I mean... come on...! There's just no proof for it!(COUNTER WITH "GENOCIDE JACK CASE FILE")

Kuno Sawa: OBJECTION!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"I think I know one reason Genocide Jack could be involved...", I offered.

"What!?", Hina gasped.

"Makoto, Byakuya and I found this file while we were looking around the archive in the library...", I showed a picture of the file.

"Yeah, that's true. I guess it's some kind of confidential file the police put together about the Genocide Jack case.", Makoto mumbled.

"What...? That's kinda weird as sh*t, isn't it? What was something like that doing in the library?", Mondo asked.

"Who knows?", I sighed.

"The why of it is probably more trouble than it's worth, so let's forget about that for now. More importantly, it outlines all the specifics of every Genocide Jack in exceeding detail. According to the file, there appear to be two defining characteristics in every Genocide Jack case. The first is that a bloody message is found written at the scene of every murder.", Byakuya explained.

"Oh, that's right! "Booblust"!", Hifumi chirped. I grabbed my gun and aimed it at him.

"You get one more try. Get it wrong, and your brains will stain every corner of this trial ground.", I smiled.

"I-I-It was "Bloodlust"! Yes, I j-j-just remembered!!", Hifumi squealed.

"Good.", I nodded and put the gun away.

"But more important is the other characteristic. And it's something that has never been made public...", Byakuya stated.

"Never made public...? What the hell is it?", Mondo asked.

"Why don't you tell them, Makoto?", Byakuya smirked.

"I GOT IT!! Apparently, in every Genocide Jack case, the killer suspends the body in a certain way. Other than the killer, the only people who know about this are the higher-ups in the police department.", Makoto explained.

"However, Chihiro was most definitely suspended in the same way. So, how did the culprit know about this, when only high-level police officials were aware of it? There's only one logical answer I can think of. It's because the culprit in this case... is the real Genocide Jack.", Byakuya exclaimed.

"No f*ckin' way!", Mondo gasped.

"You're saying Genocide Jack... is one of us?", Celeste asked. Right then and there, Byakuya dropped a bombshell that I saw coming ever since I read the Genocide Jack file.

"Yes. In fact, it's Toko."

"Wh...?", Toko looked scared.

"Genocide Jack's true identity... is Toko Fukawa.", Byakuya stated.

"YOU LIIIEEEEEEE!", Hifumi gasped.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-What?", Toko struggled to speak.

"Hey, okay, wait, hold on a sec! Toko has like, bloodophobia or whatever, remember? What kind of serial killer is afraid of blood!?", Hina asked.

"Is Toko Genocide Jack? The answer is yes... and no.", Byakuya replied.

"Another riddle? Man, why's this gotta be so complicated?", Hiro grumbled.

-HANGMAN'S GAMBIT!-

SCHIZO

NOW I SEE THE TRUTH!!

-SUCCESS-

"I think Genocide Jack is part of a split personality.", I suggested.

"...Huh?", Hina mumbled.

"I think I read that somewhere in the file, too... They thought that the suspect might have... what did they call it? "Dissociative identity disorder." ", Makoto explained.

"O-Okay... but still, to go and say that about Miss Fukawa is--", Hifumi was cut off by Byakuya's voice.

"Perfectly acceptable. Toko's strange behavior after seeing the body is proof enough that she has a split personality.", Byakuya stated.

"I GOT IT!! You're talking about how she started acting totally different than usual, right?", Makoto asked.

"Yeah, that's it.", I nodded and showed everyone the picture of the description.

"That's right. Think back-- she fainted when she saw Chihiro's corpse, and then when she woke up...", Byakuya began

I'm fine, I'm fine! Kyehaha...! Whoa, is that a dead body!? Hey! Are you dead!? Kyeehahaha!

She musta hit her head *real* hard when she fainted...

The world has a front and a back, a top inning and a bottom, a sea of truth and a web of lies!

This is... quite concerning. I mean, she sounds completely different...

"She was acting funny, that's for sure! That melancholy tone of hers completely disappeared!", Taka exclaimed.

"Don't go assigning adjectives to my t-tone without permission...", Toko grumbled.

"Not to mention, once she regained consciousness and saw Chihiro's body again, she was utterly calm. In other words, within her is one personality that can't handle blood, and one that obviously can.", Byakuya stated.

"N-Ngh...!", Toko gasped.

"So when Toko trapped herself in her room, it's because she was scared of Genocide Jack...?", Hina asked.

I w-won't let Genocide Jack have control! I'll d-drive out... the killer... D-Drive out the murderous fiend...

"The reason she locked herself in her room wasn't to keep other people from getting in... It was to keep her other personality from getting out.", Byakuya explained.

"What...?", Hina mumbled.

"Toko was afraid-- afraid of the murderous fiend inside of her, of killing even more people...", Byakuya sighed.

"H-H-How...?", Toko muttered.

"Yeah, how can you know all this!?", Hina questioned.

"...I do believe you misunderstood her. What she's trying to say isn't, "How can you know all this?" No, what she wants to know is, "How could you tell them?" ", Byakuya explained.

"... Huh?", Hina muttered.

"Last night, just before Monokuma gave his "motive" speech, Toko and I had a strange conversation. She told me a most interesting story... She said a murderous fiend lived within her, and she was afraid it could appear and attack at any time. And that trepidation is what's caused her to have such a bleak attitude. Isn't that right, Toko?", Byakuya mocked.

"Urg... gaah...!", Toko's blood boiled.

"This is all a lie... right, Toko?", Hina asked, fear in her eyes.

"Y-You said you wouldn't t-tell anyone...!", Toko yelled.

"...What!?", Hina gasped.

"You p-promised...! I can't b-believe you l-lied!", Toko balled her hands into fists, ready to punch someone into oblivion.

"You have only yourself to blame-- you came to me with your tragic little story. I didn't ask you to. This is the real world, not some romantic fantasy fairytale.", Byakuya shot.

"Gyah...! G-Gaah!", Toko gasped.

"Besides, you broke your promise first. You said that as long as you were here, no matter what, you wouldn't let Genocide Jack kill anyone. But in spite of that promise...", Byakuya fake-sighed.

I-I'm sorry. I couldn't k-keep our promise... But don't w-worry. Never again... I...! I won't let Genocide Jack have control ever again!

"I had a feeling you knew something about Toko that we didn't...", I seethed.

"You said if I k-kept my promise... you would g-go out with me! Th-That's the only r-reason I promised...!", Toko yelled.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I never said that. But you weren't able to do it-- you just couldn't resist that rush you got from killing, could you?", Byakuya spat.

"I-I tried... I swear I t-tried to control it! B-But...", Toko pleaded.

"But your efforts were useless. What a dissappointment.", Byakuya tsked.

"Nggh... I hate you...", Toko spat.

"Well, the opening act nearly finished. All that's left is to hear from the person in question directly.", Byakuya nodded.

"Wait... Byakuya, that's too dangerous!", I gasped.

"Quiet, you. We are here to find the killer.", Byakuya growled.

"The p-person...? Y-Y-You don't m-m-m-mean...!?", all of a sudden, Toko's body collapsed backwards. A loud crash echoed across the courtroom. But a second later...

"Well hello there! Is it me you were hoping to see!?", it wasn't Toko, it was Genocide Jack. Her tongue was hanging from her mouth, almost reaching her collarbones. Her eyes were sharp, her stutter gone. It sent shivers down my spine.

"Gah! Eugh, what the heck!?", Hifumi gasped.

"So you figured it out, huh? Well, whatever! What're ya gonna do!? I'm the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, Genocide Jack! Or better yet, let's go with Genocide Jill!", "Jill" offered in her confident voice.

"What the f*ck is this!?", Mondo growled.

"What the hell...? I didn't expect her to be like this!", I muttered.

"Toko... what happened to you?", Taka mumbled.

"Not Toko! That's a loser name! And what happened is a textbook split personality! So what if one of them happens to be a serial killer!? You should turn a blind eye to one's faults! Kyeehahahaha!", Jill laughed her a*s off at us.

"She's so... intense!", Hiro gasped.

"Like they say, sound in murderous mind, sound in murderous body!", Jill referenced.

"This one is so different from the one we've come to know...", Sakura muttered.

"Yes, well, the world is composed of a front and a back, you know. Just like how every inning has a top and a bottom, or how in the depths of every truth lives a little lie... Behind every dark and gloomy soul lives another that shines as bright as the sun! Kyeehahahaha!", Jill laughed so loud that my ears hurt. She was insane, pure and simple.

"Um, Miss Jack--er, Jill? Can I ask you a question...?", Hifumi mumbled.

"What's up!?", Jill asked with a small smile, her tongue still sticking out.

"Some of us think you might be the mastermind behind our entire situation. What are your thoughts on that?", Hifumi asked.

"Well I'll tell you! I am the mastermind of all masterminds!... Just kidding!", Jill laughed.

"Then... it's not true?", Makoto asked.

"Of course it's not true! How dare you try to link me to that creepazoid!? And another thing! The police and government and society in the outside world are totally powerless! I mean, they just let this idiotic bloodthirsty maniac go buck wild all over town!", Monokuma laughed.

"Sure, I'm a bloodthirsty maniac. But life is pain, right? To live is to hurt other people. It's a necessary evil if you want to survive. The act of living itself causes pain for everyone...!... Just kidding again! Kyeehahaha!", Jill laughed out loud with all her might.

"...", I was stunned into silence, looking at Byakuya for answers.

"This should be enough to convince you. This murderous fiend is responsible for Chihiro's death. There's clearly a motive, so there should be no doubt.", Byakuya stated.

"...A motive?", Sakura asked.

"Remember what Monokuma told us? If someone didn't murder and graduate within 24 hours, an embarrassing memory or secret would be revealed. Well, let's assume that Toko's secret was about Genocide Jack. If a secret like that came to light, Toko's life would have undoubtedly been forever ruined. So she had a very clear motive to never have that side of herself exposed.", Byakuya explained.

"Interesting... Very very very interesting...! But sorry! As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not the culprit!", Jill admitted.

"... Huh?", Taka muttered.

"But I can't imagine anyone other than you could murder someone is such a bizarre fashion...", Celeste narrowed her eyes at Jill.

"Maybe so, maybe so! But nevertheless, it's the truth.", Jill shrugged.

"...Do you really expect any of us to believe you?", Sakura crossed her arms.

"Yeah! I could never believe a word you say, you monster!", Hina yelled. She was right, but something was bothering me about all this. Something just didn't fit, and we had to find out what.

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Genocide Jill: Sorry, but I didn't kill anyone!

Sakura Ogami: You say that, but do you really expect any of us to believe it?

Celestia Ludenberg: Perhaps if you had an alibi, that would change things...

Genocide Jill: Ohh, an alibi, huh? Now we're talkin'!

Byakuya Togami: When you compare your past murders to this incident... the modus operandi matches completely. (COUNTER WITH "STATUS OF THE BODY)

Kuno Sawa: OBJECTION!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"I beg to differ on that statement, Byakuya. Are the methods of murder really exactly the same? I think there's a slight difference between the Genocide Jack cases and this one...", I pointed out.

"Huh? How's it any different?", Hiro asked.

"Uh-oh, you don't know? Well then, human garbage, let me tell you! I murder with passion and conviction! I consider myself a professional, and I have a very particular way of doing things! Imagine you go to a fancy Italian restaurant, They're very picky about the noodles, the sauce, everything. But what happened to Chihiro... It'd be like if that same Italian restaurant started using Ragu or Chef Boyardee! This is no creation of mine!", Jill gasped. It didn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

"Let me rephrase that, in a way that maybe makes more sense... There are two clear differences between the Genocide Jack cases and this one. I GOT IT!! For one, the cause of death is different. In the Genocide Jack murders, all the victims were killed the same way. According to the case file, they were all apparently killed with... a pair of scissors. But Chihiro died from a blow to the head, right?", Makoto explained.

"Ah, yes! That is remarkably different from the other murders!", Hifumi chimed in.

"Isn't it odd that someone who kills the same way without a difference suddenly change it up? And there's more-- one more contradiction.", I explained.

"That's right! In my recipe of murder, if the bloody message is the tortellini... then the arrangement of the body would be the pesto sauce!", Jill gushed.

"Could you please stop comparing killing people to cooking...?", Hiro sighed.

"S-So... are you saying the other difference has to do with how the body was arranged...?", Taka asked.

"I KNOW THE TRUTH!! Do you guys remember what the killer used to suspend Chihiro? They'd used some kind of rope to hang her up by her wrists.", I explained.

"What is your point?", Celeste questioned.

"Well, in all the previous Genocide Jack cases, something else was used to suspend them... Specifically, pairs of razor-sharp scissors.", I noted.

"And guess what! I used my own specially designed scissors for the murder AND the arrangement! Like I said, I'm a professional. So naturally I'm very picky about the tools I use! And--andandandandand ya know what else!? Kokonut and Big Mac said there's two differences, but they're wrong!", Jill laughed.

"Big Mac and Kokonut...? Are you referring to Kuno and I?", Makoto mumbled, I just shrugged and went with it.

"Listen up, Big Mac! You too, Kokonut! There's actually one more difference!", Jill pointed at us.

"... Huh?", Makoto muttered.

"My word! You really didn't notice? Take a look at who the victims were in each Genocide Jack case... There's a pattern there just waiting to be discovered!", Jill exclaimed.

"A pattern?", Sakura raised a brow at that.

"Figure that out, and it'll be plain as death why I couldn't have possibly killed that little loli girl!", Jill laughed.

"I GOT IT!! Is it because... Chihiro was a girl?", Makoto asked.

"BINGO! Bull's-eye! Right on the money!", Jill laughed hysterically.

"What are you talking about...?", Hiro mumbled.

"In all the Genocide Jack cases, all the victims had something in common.", Makoto nodded.

"They were all guys...!", I gasped.

"That's right! The people I kill with such passion and conviction... are all adorable little men! Kyaah! I can't believe I said it! I'm so embarrassed!", Jill giggled.

"The hell is wrong with you!?", Mondo yelled.

"I can't help it. I'm just a full-throttle boy-on-boy fangirl! And the mopey side of me just hates it! But now I'm on the fast track to becoming a full-fledged fanmadam!", Jill cheered.

"So since Chihiro was a girl and not an "adorable little man"... you wouldn't kill her?", Taka asked.

"Would an Italian chef suddenly start making ramen, just because they're both noodles? Don't be stupid! I have too much passion and conviction to cross that line! That's the absolute reality of the one and only!", Jill claimed.

"We get it. You've clearly explained your hobby and your philosophy. But that's not all there is to it. It's a different matter entirely... when you're forced to kill in order to survive.", Byakuya stated.

"Quiet, lowly cur!", Jill yelled.

"Lowly... cur?", Byakuya gasped. I almost burst into laughter at his expression, but I just ended up snickering like a madman. Byakuya gave me a death glare, but I didn't care.

"I would never kill for a reason as petty as mere survival! And! If by some fluke I *did* kill to survive... why would I bother with the message and arrangement!? It'd make me the obvious suspect!", Jill pointed out.

"That's what's been bothering me! Why would she write the message and stuff if it meant it would lead to her being a suspect?", I asked.

"That... does make some amount of sense.", Celeste nodded.

"PLUS! Whatever reason I have for killing, I would NEVER leave out my prized scissors! Who would go out of their way to use a big stupid heavy dumbbell!?", Jill laughed.

"Maybe you used the dumbbell cuz you couldn't find any scissors in the school?", Hifumi suggested.

""Any" scissors? I don't use just "any" scissors! I only use my own set of high-class, envy of the entire world scissors!", Jill gritted out.

"Okay, whatever, there still aren't any in the school...", Hiro shrugged.

"Are you sure about that...?", out of nowhere, Jill reached under her skirt and pulled out FOUR PAIRS OF SCISSORS and started waving around like a madman. "Da da-da daa!"

"Grgh! She's fully equipped!", Hifumi backed up in fear, as did I while holding my knife to protect myself and the others.

"That's right! So I can kill anywhere, anytime! Why would I resort to dumbbells or rope, when I have my trusty scissors by my side? Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong. You can't, can you? Gutter dogs, all of you! Not to mention, I have no clue how to tie a good knot. So rope's totally out of the question anyway!", Jill laughed, twirling her scissors around her finger.

"Ngh... ngraah...! I have no idea what's going on anymore...! Could such a heinous villian really be innocent!?", Taka grumbled.

"But... the body really was suspended, right? And nobody but the police knew about that...", Mondo shrugged.

"Yeah! That's why we figured it had to be the real deal and not some copycat killer or whatever!", Hina pointed out. I knew there was only one person who could have replicated it.

"ADMIT IT!! Byakuya... it's possible you could have found out, isn't it? You'd have no problem gaining those classified documents or internal police records. And you admitted to reading about the Genocide Jack cases before all this happened.", I laid down the facts. Byakuya just stayed silent, looking at me with a sort of bored expression.

"A-Are you saying... Mr. Togami did it?", Hifumi gasped.

"Then the reason he pushed the theory of Genocide Jack being the killer so hard was... because he wanted to pin the crime on her!", Celeste concluded.

"So he rearranged the scene to disguise it and make it look like I'd put my stamp on it...! The adorable glasses man was behind it all!? Ahh, I'm on fire!", Jill giggled to herself.

"... Well, Byakuya!? What's your response!?", Taka asked.

"I see... So now the suspicion falls on me. Then I must ask... when would you say I began acting suspicious? Surely you must have an answer...", Byakuya smirked.

"Hmm, looking back and thinking about it now... The way you were acting right before we discovered the body was a little strange...", Makoto mumbled.

And the locker rooms... They're suspicious. Very suspicious, indeed. Wouldn't you agree?

It seems nobody's searched the locker rooms. Let's start with the girls locker room...

"You wanted to go to the girls locker room right away, right? But since you're a guy...", Makoto pointed out.

"I should have naturally thought of the boys locker room first. Is that what you want to say? The victim was Chihiro. A girl. Hence why I said we should check the girls locker room.", Byakuya explained.

"Nothing strange about that, I'd say!", Hifumi laughed.

"On the contrary, there's something *very* strange!", Makoto retorted.

"Okay then, what's so strange about it? Go ahead, share with the rest of the class.", Byakuya shot.

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Aoi Asahina: So you said Byakuya was acting kinda weird before we found the body...( HIGHLIGHT!) But he was acting weird... how?

Hifumi Yamada: If you're presented with the opportunity to check out the girls locker room, you absolutely take it...! That's a natural reaction for any guy!

Byakuya Togami: The victim was Chihiro, who was a girl.( COUNTER WITH "BEFORE WE FOUND THE BODY") 

Makoto Naegi: NO, THAT'S WRONG!! 

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL- 

"I'll tell you what's so strange about that... Because up until we actually discovered the body, we couldn't have known who the victim was! So you claim that you went to the girls locker room first because Chihiro was the victim doesn't hold up!", Makoto pointed out.

"I see... That's a good answer, I must admit. Interesting. Very interesting, indeed! But your reasoning is still too weak!", Byakuya shot.

"What was so weak about that?", I asked.

"What's wrong? Is that it? Surely you've got more than that. Go ahead, show us...", Byakuya taunted. He acted like he had nothing to do with this, as if we didn't just corner him, but I was still determined. "What's the matter? You're not finished already, are you? There must be more to it..."

"Th-There is... I think...", Makoto mumbled.

"There *is* more to it. Think about it. We just talked about the differences between this case and past Genocide Jack incidents. The proof you're looking for is hidden in there...", Kyoko explained.

"... Oh? Proof that I'm the culprit, you mean?", Byakuya taunted. Kyoko stayed silent, giving us the signal that we should take the wheel again.

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Genocide Jill: What, the difference between the cases? You want me to explain it again!? When I want to kill, I use my very own special scissors! And I use those same scissors to arrange the body!

Celestia Ludenberg: But... Chihiro was suspended with... It was some kind of rope, was it not?

Kiyotaka Ishimaru: That's right! It absolutely was!

Hifumi Yamada: Then there must be something very fishy indeed about that rope...!

Mondo Owada: Hey, Byakuya! Where'd you get it from, huh?

Byakuya Togami: I'd never seen that rope before in my life... (COUNTER WITH "LIBRARY DESK LAMP")

Kuno Sawa: OBJECTION!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"I think you *have* seen it before, Byakuya. Because that rope-- or more accuratly... that extension cord?", I taunted.

"What!? An extension cord!?", Hifumi gasped.

"Byakuya-- I have seen you that same extension cord before in the library multiple times. Correct me if I'm wrong? That extension cord also disappeared right after the murder took place. so explain! There's no way someone who uses that extension cord as much as you do wouldn't discover that fact!", I pointed.

"Then Byakuya must be the one who took the extension cord! I can't imagine any other possibility!", Taka declared.

"... That's really what you think? Then your conclusion is something like this...? I killed Chihiro in the girls locker room, then hung her up and wrote that bloody message. I intentionally made it look like Genocide Jack was behind it. Is that about right?", Byakuya taunted.

"Why are you so calm about this...?", I whispered. It suddenly dawned on me that there could have been another conclusion to this. And it looked like Makoto was hesitant to go to the original conclusion as well.

"What's wrong? I asked if you think that's what happened.", Byakuya urged.

"Hell yes what's what happened! So that's it, right? Byakuya's the killer!", Mondo declared.

"I don't disagree with not disagreeing!", Jill laughed.

"He kept calling this a game, right? So he'd be totally willing to do something like this to "win"!", Taka scoffed.

"... Um, sorry but could we hold on just a second? I... I think we need to talk about this a little more.", Makoto suggested.

"I agree. Something seems off about this...", I mumbled.

"Huh? Do we really need to? We've already decided who did it.", Hiro shrugged.

"I know, but still... There's something that's still bothering me...", Makoto mumbled.

"Is that right? And what, pray tell, is still bothering you? I killed her in the girls locker room, then disguised my crime. Specifically, I dressed it up to make it look like it was the work of a homicidal psychopath. What about all that "bothers" you?", Byakuya asked.

"I GOT IT!! You say you killed Chihiro in the girls locker room, right? But are you sure about that? Isn't it possible that the murder took place somewhere else?", Makoto suggested.

"How disappointing... What kind of question is that? Even in the world of disappointments, this is a true letdown. She was found dead in the girls locker room. There is absolutely no question about that. How could the scene of the crime have been anywhere else?", Byakuya questioned.

"Well... I think it's entirely possible that she was killed somewhere else, then carried there later... along with the rest of the murder scene.", Makoto revealed.

"The... rest of the murder scene?... That was awfully specific. Please tell me you have a reason for saying all of that.", Byakuya urged, looking a bit shaken up. I noticed that the second Makoto mentioned the crime scene, Byakuya was caught off guard. This was what I needed. Byakuya never considered the crime scene could have been somewhere else.

"Hey, don't just move on without permission! What do you mean she was killed somewhere else!?", Taka asked.

"Come on, you two! If there's any chance the murder took place somewhere else, let's see proof!", Byakuya growled. (PRESENT "TWO LOCKER ROOM POSTERS")

"I KNOW THE TRUTH!! The proof that she was killed somehwere else is... the posters in each locker room.", I pointed out.

"Your proof... is some posters?", Byakuya mumbled.

"The posters in the girls locker room was... a picture of a large-breasted supermodel. But don't you think that's kind of strange? Why would the girls locker room have a poster like that?", I asked.

"I bet those massive jugs of hers were totally fake! Kyeehahaha!", Jill laughed while twirling her scissors around.

"And the boys locker room had... a poster of the super popular boy band Tornado. Again, doesn't really belond there, in a boys locker room.", I pointed out. I even showed them the pictures of the posters that I took.

"So you're saying that maybe the posters were switched?", Celeste asked.

"And there's one other thing I noticed about the locker rooms... You know what I'm talking about, right Sakura?", Makoto nodded towards Sakura.

"You're referring to my protein coffee, aren't you?", Sakura asked.

"... Protein coffee?", Hifumi echoed.

"While I was in the girls locker room earlier, I spilled some protein coffee on the carpet. But I noticed that after the murder, the stain had been totally scrubbed away.", Sakura explained. (PRESENT "BOYS LOCKER ROOM CARPET")

"I GOT IT!! The stain on the girls locker room carpet wasn't scrubbed away. In fact, I found it on the boys locker room carpet.", Makoto pointed out.

"I saw it too!", I gasped and pulled out the picture of the carpet that I took.

"That's... definitely the stain from my protein coffee!", Sakura nodded in surprise.

"Then... does that mean that the carpets were switched, too? But... why would anyone do that?", Celeste asked.

"To move the murder scene from one locker room to the other. It's possible, don't you think?", I smirked.

"What!?", Taka gasped.

"In simpler terms, in order to swap the scene of the crime... the bloodstained poster and carpet were moved along with the dead body. By doing so, the killer was able to change the scene of the crime to the girls locker room.", I explained.

"I can certainly follow your reasoning, but... why would the culprit bother doing that?", Celeste questioned.

"That... I don't know.", I sighed.

"Why would they go to all that trouble of switching the scene of the crime? Actually, an even bigger question... If the murder did take place in the boys locker room... then how did Chihiro get in the boys locker room in the first place?", Celeste asked.

"Ah--!", Makoto gasped.

"To get into the locker rooms, you have to swipe your e-Handbook across the card reader device. But Chihiro's handbook should have only allowed her access to the girls locker room. She had no way to get into the boys locker room to begin with.", Celeste explained.

"No, she DID have a way! And I can tell you what it was!", Hiro declared.

"I highly doubt that.", Celeste sighed.

"Shut up! I'm telling you, I know how she could have done it!", Hiro retorted.

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Celestia Ludenberg: Is it really possible? Could Chihiro really have gotten into the boyus locker room somehow?

Kiyotaka Ishimaru: Ah! I've got it! She must have hacked her e-Handbook! She was the Ultimate Programmer, after all. I'm sure that would've been no problem for her!

Yasuhiro Hagakure: No, I don't think that's it... She used the thing that was in the main hall!

Hifumi Yamada: Huh? What thing?

Yasuhiro Hagakure: I'm talkin' about Leon's handbook, of course!(COUNTER WITH "BROKEN E-HANDBOOK")

Kuno Sawa: OBJECTION!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"No, I don't think Chihiro used Leon's handbook.", I shook my head no.

"Why not!?", Hiro asked.

"Because Leon's handbook is broken at the moment.", I pointed out.

"Oh! Well then yeah, I guess that'd be pretty impossible, huh?", Hiro laughed.

"I am struck silent by how quickly you gave up...", Sakura sighed.

"Plus, isn't there a regulation against using someone else's handbook?", Celeste asked.

"Actually, the rule states that loaning your handbook is prohibited. It says nothing about borrowing one. In other words, you could borrow a dead person's handbook all you want, and you'd be safe.", Byakuya explained.

"Yup yup yup! Hit the nail square on the noggin!", Monokuma laughed.

"Of course, if it were broken, that wouldn't make any sense anyway...", Byakuya shrugged.

"So then, she must have hacked hers like I said! She used her Ultimate Programmer skills and--!", Taka suggested.

"Bzzt You can't fix an e-Handbook. The instant you open one up, a security buzzer starts blaring!", Monokuma explained.

"So if she didn't use Leon's handbook, and she didn't modify her own handbook...", Sakura began.

"... Maybe Mr. Naegi and Miss. Sawa's initial assumptions are just... wrong?", Hifumi asked.

"It seems like there's no way she coulda got into the boys locker room, so I guess so...", Hina sighed.

"Okay then, I vote for Byakuya!", Taka declared.

"W-Wait! Something is off about all this! I just... don't know.", I sighed, wracking my brain for anything to point out. Suddenly, Kyoko spoke to get our attention.

"She's right, hold on a second. I agree with you, though. I think you're on the right track.", Kyoko nodded.

"What the--? You finally decide to open your mouth, and *that's* what you've got to say? There's no way she could get in the boys locker room, right!? So--!", Mondo began.

"Why are you so sure she couldn't get in? There's still one other way she could have gained access.", Kyoko pointed out.

"...What!?", Mondo gritted his teeth.

"What are you talking about!? What other way is there!?", Taka asked.

"Well, to explain that... why don't we take a little break from the trial? I'd like you all to come see something.", Kyoko offered.

"Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait! Just what do you think you're doing!?", Monokuma growled.

"Don't worry. This'll make the whole trial more exciting. I'm sure that thought must please you?", Kyoko smirked.

"Huh? It'll make things more exciting? Well alright then! I declare an official class trial recess!", Monokuma cheered.

"Huh? For real?", Hina gasped.

"That actually worked...?", I muttered.

"Now then, what is it you wanna show us? It better not be boring, or I'll be VERY unhappy...!", Monokuma laughed.

"Oh, I have no doubt it'll meet your lofty expectations. So, shall we go?", right then, the trial was put on hold. We followed Kyoko all the way... to the crime scene. Nothing had changed, which was good for what Kyoko wanted to show us.

"... The girls locker room?", Makoto asked with a raised brow.

"We've already searched this place top to bottom! What are you trying to pull, missy!?", Taka huffed.

"I'd like you to examine the victim's body, one more time. Be sure to examine the entire body very carefully. Take your time.", Kyoko pointed.

"Examine her... carefully? Like, using our hands? Nowaynowaynowaynoway!", Hifumi shuddered.

"It's... probably best if I don't run my hands all over a girl's dead body...", Taka muttered.

"I-It's not that I'm creeped out or anything. It's just... based on religious grounds, ya know...?", Hiro sighed.

"... Very well. I'll do it.", Sakura stepped up to do the search.

"B-But you're a girl. You shouldn't have to touch a dead body. Just let one of the boys do it...", Hina insisted.

"No, it's okay. I think Chihiro would rather have a girl examine her. So just leave this to me...", Sakura nodded.

"S-Sakura...", Hina sighed.

"What is this, some kind of secret girl-on-girl action!? Is that what you two are about!?", Jill gushed.

"That's not it at all! Stop screwin' around!", Hina yelled.

"Okay, here I go... I'm sorry, Chihiro. Please excuse the intrusion...", Sakura put her hands together in a brief prayer, and began to quietly examine her body.

"Be sure to check her entire body, and I believe we will solve this particular mystery.", Kyoko commented.

"Her entire body...? I know you say, but... What--? This is... What does this m--? Huaaaaaaahhh!", Sakura suddenly roared with all her might in surprise.

"S-Sakura, what is it!?", I frantically asked.

"Not possible... It's not possible!", Sakura's body trembled as she stared at Chihiro's lifeless body. "This... this girl is...!"

"Is what!?", Hina asked.

"... is a boy!", Sakura yelled. My eyes went like saucers and my hands to my gaping mouth to cover the gasp I let out.

"A-A-A-A WHAT!?", I yelled.

"Ah, I see. So "she" was actually a he. Interesting. Thank you for confirming this fact. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?", Hifumi screamed with all his might at the weight of what Sakura just told us.

"... You're joking, right?", Hiro mumbled.

"I wouldn't joke about this!", Sakura growled.

"Th-Th-Then... Then it's really true!?", Taka gasped.

"Chihiro was... a guy?", Makoto muttered.

"Hmm? Oh what, you guys didn't know? Heck, I knew that right off the bat! Chihiro Fujisaki was totally a guy!", Monokuma laughed.

"Th-Then... he was a cross-dresser!? Now I'm REALLY on fire! I wish I HAD killed him!", Jill whined.

"So that's what Kyoko wanted to show everyone, huh? Interesting...", Monokuma hummed. Kyoko stayed silent at that. "Puhuhu. Yes, that certainly does make things much more exciting! Now let's ride this wave of excitement back to the courtroom and get back to the trial!", with Monokuma's cheer, he swept us back to the trial grounds in a matter of less than a minute. We all stood where we originally were, still in a bit of shock.

"Ahem! I do apologize for keeping you waiting. Now then, let's resume the class trial! We've all just learned of the shocking revelation that Chihiro was actually a boy! Let's pick up from there!", Monokuma instructed.

"Yes, well... I don't know his reason for hiding it, but the fact is, Chihiro was not a girl, but a boy. And because the victim was male, he would have had no problem gaining access to the boys locker room.", Kyoko explained.

"Assuming his handbook did, in fact, list his gender as male... then yes, that would be true.", Byakuya sighed.

" Of course his handbook said he was a boy! He dressed like a girl, but he was a boy through and through!", Monokuma confirmed.

"So then, there should be no issue with Makoto and Kuno's initial assertions... The victim was killed in the boys locker room, and was then later moved to the girls locker room. And the killer could have easily used Sayaka or Junko's handbook to get into the girls locker room.", Kyoko layed down the facts.

"So Chihiro really was killed in the boys locker room!?", Taka gulped.

"I still don't understand the motive for moving the body, but... yes, that does seem plausible.", Kyoko nodded.

"Well... I must admit, I did find it rather odd... I knew he felt a little... off. There was a certain incongruity to his "female" body.", Byakuya mumbled.

"This is a most titillating situation!", Jill gushed.

"Would you just, for once, shut the hell up!?", I yelled.

"What what what what!?", Jill gasped.

"You heard me, you freak! You're annoying the hell out of me, so keep your trap shut!", I snarled.

"O-Oh my~! Aaah... someone like you, saying such words to me, it makes my fire burn even brighter!", Jill gushed.

"Great, I encouraged her...", I sighed.

"Anyways, so now everything has been connected. All the mysteries have finally become clear.", Byakuya stated.

"Okay, well, connected or clear, or whatever... We still think *you're* the killer, remember?", Hina scoffed.

"Hmhm. Very interesting. This has become very interesting indeed...", Byakuya chuckled.

"Ahh, he's off in his own little world...", Hifumi sighed.

"What about you, Makoto? After everything we've learned, do you still think Byakuya's the killer?", Kyoko asked.

"Well, without a doubt Byakuya's the one that made Chihiro's death look like Genocide Jack did it. But... but I... I think he might not actually be the killer after all.", Makoto sighed.

"What? But aren't you the one who accused him in the first place?", Hifumi asked.

"He just seems to be too... easygoing about all this. Like he's enjoying us solving the mystery... The way he's acting, it makes it seem like it doesn't have anything to do with him.", Makoto pointed at Byakuya.

"And you think that might be because it *doesn't* have anything to do with him?", Celeste guessed.

"Plus, the evidence he left behind was a little too... how can I put it? Overt. He consciously chose to use the extension cord, knowing it could connect him to the murder. At least, that's how I see it... And Byakuya, when you found out the murder took place in the boys locker room, it seemed to rattle you. And then again when you found out Chihiro was actually a guy... If you really were the killer, that stuff wouldn't have had any effect on you.", Makoto explained.

"So that's your thinking, huh? Well, it bothers me that you don't have more concrete reasons, but... It's fine. I guess I'll mark it as correct, for the time being.", Byakuya sighed.

"Mark it as... correct?", Hina mumbled.

"So, you really aren't the culprit.", I gritted my teeth.

"You're right. I am not the culprit. I just happened to come across the corpse in the girls locker room, and decided to alter it.", Byakuya shrugged.

"Are you f*cking with us right now...?", Mondo growled.

"No, I am not... effing with you right now. I'm telling you the truth.", Byakuya explained. (A/N: It's has been confirmed, BYAKUYA LEGALLY CANNOT SWEAR! XD)

"Well I find it very hard to believe!", Taka yelled.

"Go ahead, find it very hard to believe. You're free to be executed along with the rest of us.", Byakuya shot.

"If you're really telling the truth, then... why? Why'd you do that to his body?", Hina asked with a scowl.

"My reasons hardly matter right now. Uncovering the culprit is much more important, wouldn't you say? Now then... if it wasn't me, who was it?", Byakuya challenged.

"Well... I honestly can't say for sure without discussing it a bit more.", I sighed.

"We're seriously gonna keep going? We're all good, aren't we? I thought it was clear Byakuya did it!", Hiro sighed.

"No, I'm with Kuno. If there's any doubt whatsoever, we need to explore every possibility. Because if we're wrong, we all die here.", Kyoko explained.

"...That's true. Very well then, I'm with you, too.", Celeste smiled.

"Damn straight! Count me in!", Hiro saluted.

"Do you not have a mind of your own!?", Taka yelled.

"Of course I do! What am I, an ant or somethin'?", Hiro shot back.

"Anywho, let's discuss this all as a group once more. We still have time to make a decision we all agree on.", I nodded. 

"That's very true...", Sakura agreed.

"Our lives are all on the line...", Hina nodded with a sad look.

"Excellent! Then shall we resume our game of hide and seek?", Byakuya nodded with a sick determined look. We already know that the killer is a guy since the crime scene would need a boy's handbook to get in. Leon's handbook is apparently broken, which means the killer had to use their own. But that isn't enough, we need more clues.

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Sakura Ogami: Isn't there a single clue that might lead us to who did it?

Kiyotaka Ishimaru: Well, clues are one thing, but... Did nobody get a look at the killer!?

Yasuhiro Hagakure: I'm sure if someone saw the killer, they woulda said something by now...

Sakura Ogami: Perhaps someone saw the victim at some point. Even that might be enough for now...

Aoi Asahina: Yeah, all we need right now is any kinda new info.

Yasuhiro Hagakure: It's over... It's all over...! You wanna know who saw the victim? The killer! And only the killer... (COUNTER WITH "CELESTE'S ACCOUNT")

Makoto Naegi: NO, THAT'S WRONG!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"I believe someone else did see the victim before he was murdered. What do you think, Celeste?", Makoto asked.

"Yeah, you did mention that to me, Celeste.", I urged.

"Now that you mention it, yes. I did see him.", Celeste nodded.

"Huh? Really?", Hifumi gasped.

"Oh, but I suppose only Makoto and Kuno know about this. The rest of you had no idea, did you? That is why you're all making such ugly noises.", Celeste giggled.

"Whatever, just hurry up and tell us!", Taka urged.

"It was last night, right before nighttime. I saw Chihiro... in the dormitory warehouse. I saw him stuffing a track jacket into a duffel bag. And then, I assume, he headed off to exercise.", Celeste recounted the events that went down last night.

"A track jacket and a duffel bag? We didn't find anything like that at the murder scene!", Taka exclaimed.

"It seems likely that the culprit destroyed them to get rid of any evidence...", Sakura guessed.

"And that's when he said something that struck me as rather odd...", Celeste mumbled.

Well... I'd better get going. I'm kind of in a hurry.

"Chihiro told me he was "in a hurry." But why would he be in a hurry? Only if someone were waiting for him, I should think.", Celeste concluded.

"So Mr. Fujisaki was on his way to meet with someone, and then they were going to work out together...?", Hifumi asked.

"But Hina and I had invited him to exercise with us plenty of times, and he always declined...", Sakura sighed.

"Probably cuz he was afraid you'd find out the secret he was hiding, right?", Hiro nodded.

"Which means that conversely, he must have trusted whoever he was meeting with very much. Enough so that he was willing to risk his secret being revealed...", Celeste explained.

"Uhuhu! What a marvelous friendship!", Jill gushed.

"The point is, whoever he met up with is the culprit, right? So we just gotta figure out who it was!", Hina crossed her arms in thought.

"But knowing what we know, I can't even guess...", Makoto sighed.

"... No, you already have what you need to make the connection.", Kyoko smirked.

"... We do?", I mumbled, while Makoto looked confused.

"You know who the killer is.", Kyoko nodded with confidence.

"S-Seriously!?", Taka gasped.

"Wh-Who is it!? Who's the killer!?", Mondo frantically asked.

"Think back to the track jacket and duffel bag the killer disposed of. Focus on the details of these items, and it should become obvious who was waiting for him.", Kyoko announced.

"... Are you sure about that? You really think we can figure out who did it based on two pieces of evidence that we don't have?", Celeste cocked an eyebrow in speculation.

"What, you wanna track down some fingerprints or something?", Hifumi asked.

"Even if we had the equipment for that, we wouldn't know how to use it!", Taka shrugged.

"As we noted, the evidence is already gone. There's nothing to get fingerprints *from*.", Byakuya sighed.

"Maybe, but we *can* make certain inferences, if we just take the time to talk it out.", Kyoko suggested.

"Easy for you to say... But fine-- Celeste, did you notice anything special about the bag or jacket?", Hina asked.

"The bag was... just a normal duffel bag from the warehouse. All the bags in there are the same, so I can't imagine what would make that one special...", Celeste sighed.

"Well, if I remember right, there was a decent variety of tracksuits to choose from... Do you think there might be some connection between the culprit and Chihiro's jacket?", Sakura asked.

"Perhaps. Let's explore that, and talk a bit more about the jacket he took.", Kyoko nodded.

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Kyoko Kirigiri: First of all, we know where Chihiro was headed... He was on his way to go exercise. So next we have to ask... Why did he choose the specific tracksuit that he did? 

Byakuya Togami: What do you mean, the specific tracksuit?

Kiyotaka Ishimaru: I got it! He picked that tracksuit because... it matched the one the culprit was wearing!

Mondo Owada: So what you're saying is... The killer was wearing the same blue tracksuit as him?( COUNTER WITH "CELESTE'S ACCOUNT")

Kuno Sawa: OBJECTION!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL- 

"Hold on just a second, Mondo! What did you just say?", I asked with knitted eyebrows.

"... Huh? What'd I say?", Mondo asked with confusion.

"When Celeste testified a while ago, she said...", I recalled.

I saw him stuffing a track jacket into a duffel bag. And then, I assume, he headed off to exercise.

"She never mentioned the color of the jacket! So why did you say Chihiro's "blue" tracksuit!?", I asked.

"What are you--!? You just--!", Mondo stumbled with his words.

"Hey, Celeste. What color *was* Chihiro's tracksuit?", Byakuya asked.

"As a matter of fact, it was... blue.", Celeste nodded.

"Did you tell anyone else about this information before the trial?", I questioned.

"The only one I told about any of this was you.", Celeste explained.

"Then... Mondo, how did you know what color Chihiro's tracksuit was?", Sakura gritted.

"B-Because I--! I just--!", Mondo stuttered.

"I-I'm sure he saw the clothes at some point in the investigation...!", Taka offered.

"No, that can't be it. The bag and clothes were surely disposed of by the time we began our investigation.", Kyoko shut down Taka's claim.

"Then the only reason he could have known what color the tracksuit was... is if he saw Cherry with it before he died! That's the only possibility!", Jill laughed.

"Cherry...? Are... are you talking about Chihiro?", Hina mumbled, which I just gave her a small nod.

"So, how 'bout it!? Did you see the tracksuit or didn't you!?", Jill yelled with her scissors pointed towards Mondo.

"J-Just by chance... I just happened to see it last night... He walked past me, and he was carrying the tracksuit in his hands.", Mondo retorted.

"No, that can't be it, either. According to Celeste's testimony...", Makoto began

She stuffed the jacket into her bag in a hurry. It was almost like she was trying to hide it... And just like that, she was gone.

"When Celeste noticed it, Chihiro made it a point of making sure the jacket was completely in the bag. If you just ran into him briefly, you couldn't possibly have seen what color the tracksuit was.", Makoto retorted.

"Gh--! Nggh...!", Mondo backed up a bit in fear, his fists clenched.

"It would appear you've dug your own grave.", Kyoko cocked an eyebrow at Mondo.

"Perhaps, but you handed him the shovel, didn't you? That's why you said what you did... Focus on the tracksuit, and it'll be obvious who he met with? What a bunch of nonsense...", Byakuya chuckled.

"...Ah, now I understand. It was all one big bluff, wasn't it? Your true intention was to draw a slip of the tongue from the culprit... That's why you said you knew who did it, to put them on edge.", Celeste smirked with her hand covering her lips slightly.

"That's right. However... Mondo was my target all along. I had my suspicions about him from the very beginning!", Kyoko revealed.

"But why...? What made you so suspicious?", Makoto asked.

"That's a good question.", Kyoko nodded.

"Was it the way he talked?", Makoto asked.

"... There was a certain turning point that tipped me off. Maybe you didn't notice it, Mondo, but you tend to refer to men and women differently. You only call guys "dude." For girls, it's "chick." And after he was killed, you happened to refer to him as "dude." Once I picked up on that, it occured to me that Mondo knew something we didn't.", Kyoko explained.

"Wait, so you lured that info out...?", my eyes went wide at how clever Kyoko really was.

"Y-You noticed such a tiny detail!?", Hifumi gasped.

"Are you a witch? She's a witch! You're positively frightful!", Jill laughed.

"No, I'm not the frightful one. Not nearly as frightful as someone capable of murdering a friend.", Kyoko eyed Mondo from the corner of her eye.

"Kh...!", Mondo clenched his teeth.

"Mondo... was it really you? Did you... kill Chihiro?", I asked with a tear in my eye.

"I... I... I-I-I... I didn't kill anyone! You've been all over me, judging everything I say, putting words in my mouth... What gives you the right to treat me like a goddamn criminal!?", Mondo yelled.

"Y-Yeah! He would never do something like that! This is a false accusation!", Taka interjected.

"It's true, my reasoning on that is pretty shaky.", Kyoko nodded.

"Th-That was fast...", Makoto mumbled.

"Well, this does present us with a problem. It seems we are all out of leads.", Celeste sighed. I sudddenly heard confident chuckling coming from Hifumi, of all people.

"Heh heh heh. My time has nearly come... That's what my little ghost friend is telling me!", Hifumi chuckled.

"Yeah, that reminds me! Hifumi, you said you had some evidence to share later on...?", I asked.

"Really!? What kind of evidence!?", Hina gasped with a smile.

"...Actually, you know... now that I'm thinking about it here calmly, it might not be all that relevant.", Hifumi muttered.

"Jeez, did your confidence just get up and walk away? It's fine, man, just tell us!", Hiro sighed.

"I-If you really insist, then... Umm... here it is.", Hifumi pulled out something from his bag; an e-Handbook.

"Hmmm? What do you have there?", Jill asked.

"It happens to be an e-Handbook. I found it laying on the ground, so I scooped it up.", Hifumi shrugged.

"I KNOW THE TRUTH!! We know Chihiro's handbook was missing from the scene of the crime, right?", I pointed out.

"For a fact.", Kyoko nodded.

"For a fact indeed! I was totally sure I'd found it!", Hifumi nodded vigerously.

"Then it must hold some clue about the culprit, right!?", Hina smiled.

"... Well, that's what I was hoping. But it's busted. It won't even turn on.", Hifumi sighed.

"I imagine the culprit broke it to get rid of any evidence after the murder.", Celeste evaluated.

"That's odd. I didn't think the handbooks were quite so... fragile.", Byakuya muttered.

"You're right, they're not! They're totally waterproof and shock-resistant! It would take an aweful lot to break one...", Monokuma explained.

"And yet, this one does appear to be broken. As is Leon's, sitting useless in the main hall. For all your confidence, that is a remarkably high failure rate.", Celeste raised a brow at that statement.

"Puhuhu. Do you think there might be some kind of mystery in there somewhere? How, precisely, did the handbooks get broken?", Monokuma asked.

"I GOT IT!! You already told us before that the handbook has one weak point, didn't you?", Makoto asked.

"Ugyah! You remember that!? S-Sure, maybe I let that slip, but I never told anyone what the weak point actually was!", Monokuma whined.

"But if the handbook is supposed to never break, and two of them broke in quick succession, then...", Sakura mumbled.

"Then we can only assume that someone's figured out its weakness. You know what the weakness is, right Monokuma? So, what is it?", Kyoko asked.

"Huh? You're asking me?", Monokuma giggled.

"I think it's a necessary piece of information if you want this to be a fair trial.", Kyoko nodded.

"But... if I tell you, and someone else decides to copy it, that would be very not good...", Monokuma sulked.

"Just tell us already! Why would we wanna break our own handbooks!?", Hina huffed.

"*sigh* Oh well... I have a weakness for pushy demands. But you're sure you won't follow their example? Then allow me to make a special announcement! The weak point of my cutting-edge e-Handbook is...! When it's exposed to high temperatures for too long, it will suffer a meltdown and totally brrreak!", Monokuma laughed.

"I flippin' knew it!", Hifumi cheered.

"... You knew it?", Makoto mumbled.

"Yeah, cuz I found the handbook laying on the floor of the sauna!", Hifumi revealed.

"The temperature in the sauna can reach over 200 degrees. Strange how you don't get burnt, huh!? It's because as your sweat evaporates, it creates a colling layer of air around your skin! If hot air of the sauna were somehow pushed directly onto your skin, you'd definitely get fried! That layer of air would get blown away. That's why you may feel a burning when you move around. So when you're in a sauna, make sure to keep nice and still!", Monokuma explained.

"Wow, interesting! I learned one new fact today!", Taka nodded.

"That is mere trifling speck of knowledge!", Hifumi scoffed.

"Anyway... If you found the victim's handbook in the sauna... then the killer must have been purposely trying to raise its temperature in order to break it.", Makoto explained.

"Meaning the culprit somehow knew its weakness...", Sakura nodded.

"But how'd they find out? Monokuma said he didn't tell anyone, right?", Hina mumbled.

"Indeed, quite the mystery...", Hifumi sighed.

"What if they found out by accident?", Kyoko offered.

"What do you mean, by accident?", Sakura asked.

"What if the killer took their own handbook into the sauna, not knowing its weakness, and it broke? They'd realize it was broken, of course, and it wouldn't be hard to figure out why. And once they had Chihiro's handbook, they knew they had an easy way to dispose of it.", Kyoko relayed the scenario for us.

"I won't say it's not possible, but... who would have done something like that? I don't know of anyone who took their handbook into the sauna...", Byakuya mumbled.

"... I might know someone who did.", I realized.

"Whoa, seriously!?", Hifumi gasped.

"I think the one who may have taken their handbook into the sauna was none other than...", I began. I saw Taka begin to clench his teeth in fear, balling his hands into fists. (POINT TO MONDO) "IT WAS YOU!! Mondo... your handbook got broken in the sauna, didn't it?", I asked.

"Wh-Wh-What!?", Mondo sputtered.

"Why!? Why do you keep accusing him!?", Taka asked. (A/N: Trust me, sweetie. I don't want too but it's to keep the rest of y'all alive! ;( )

"Mondo and Taka had an endurance contest in the sauna not too long ago. And for the contest, Mondo actually kept his school uniform on. He must have not realized, he'd also left his handbook in one of his uniform pockets. When it was over. that's when Mondo realized that taking a handbook into the sauna would destroy it.", I explained.

"Ngh... Grrhh...!", Mondo grumbled under his breath.

"No, wait, hold on...! You've got it all wrong! He would never kill--! I don't accept this! Show me the proof! The actual, solid proof!", Taka argued.

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Kyoko Kirigiri: Let's test Kuno's assertion. If what she says is correct, then Mondo... You broke your own handbook.

Celestia Ludenberg: In other words, if Mondo's handbook is actually broken... then that proves that what Kuno said is right.

Mondo Owada: Well my goddamn handbook works just fine! (COUNTER WITH "BROKEN E-HANDBOOK")

Makoto Naegi: NO, THAT'S WRONG!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"Mondo, the handbook you have right now... Is it really yours?", Makoto asked.

"...The f*ck is that supposed to mean!?", Mondo yelled.

"The broken handbook that was in the main hall... Isn't that one actually yours?", Makoto questioned.

"What the heck are you talking about!?", Taka asked frantically.

"What I mean is, I think Mondo swapped his handbook out for one that actually works. I think he took Leon's handbook and replaced it with his own... After all, Monokuma said himself that Leon's handbook never should have broken.", Makoto interjected.

"That's right! The punishment it suffered wasn't nearly enough to destroy it!", Monokuma agreed.

"So then, the broken handbook in the main hall is actually Mondo's. Which would mean that the handbook Mondo has right now is actually Leon's, yes?", Celeste asked.

"But doesn't that violate the school regulation that says loaning out your handbook is prohibited?", Hina mumbled.

"Well, here's how I look at it... There is a rule about loaning your handbook to another student. But if they're dead, they're not a student! It's kind of a grey area, I admit, but no worries! If anything, it just makes things more interesting! As such, I decree that exchanging handbooks with a corpse is not a violation of the rules!", Monokuma declared.

"Mondo, if we're wrong about this, speak up. I'm happy to admit I made a mistake, but... I don't want to do this, but I can't ignore this...", I mumbled.

"S-Son of a b*tch...!", Mondo clenched his teeth.

"What's wrong, bro? Come on, tell them they're wrong...! You ARE wrong! You HAVE to be wrong...! Everything you just said is wrong! You made it all up!", Taka yelled.

"Okay, then why don't we look through this case once more, from the beginning? That way, everything will become crystal clear, and we'll all see if we were right or wrong! Makoto, you got my back?", I asked.

"Always!", Makoto nodded.

-CLOSING ARGUMENT, START!- (MAKOTO / KUNO / BOTH)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

(A/N: Just in case you are confused, the pictures go from right to left :) )

"M-Mondo...", I whispered.

First, let's take a look back to before the incident...

Last night, Celeste saw Chihiro in the warehouse, correct?

At the time, she was apparently stuffing something into a duffel bag.

That "something" was a blue tracksuit. You can confirm this, right Celeste?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

With bag in hand, Chihiro headed out, even though it was officially nighttime.

She made her way to the locker room. Specifically, the boys locker room.

But how could the victim, who was apparently a girl, access the boys locker room?

Simple. Because "she" was really a he.

Which is why he was able to use his own e-Handbook to gain entrance to the boys locker room.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Once inside, he met with someone there. And the person he met was the one who killed him!

It seems likely that the killer grabbed the nearby dumbbell, approached the unsuspecting Chihiro...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

...and attacked him.

And that's where the bloodstains on the poster and carpeting in the boys locker room came from.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was likely in the heat of the moment. The body was arranged, but the murder itself unplanned.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Which is why the killer hurried to try and hide the act. First, pulling up the bloodstained carpet...

...then removing the bloody poster...

... and finally carrying the corpse into the girls locker room.

A girl's handbook was necessary to get into the locker room, of course...

But this alone doesn't prove that the killer was necessarily a girl.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

After all, Sayaka and Junko's handbooks had been placed in the main hall.

Using one of those, a boy could get into the girls locker room without much problem.

And that's exactly how the killer did it.

With the carpet and the poster they'd brought with, they got to work...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

They changed the layout of the boys and girls locker room, in what you might call... a crime scene switch!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

That could have been the end of things, but no...

Byakuya discovered the body and decided to... intervene in the situation, making things even more complicated.

So, after stumbling on the crime scene...

...he went and grabbed the extension cord from the library, and then *he* got to work.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

...He used the cord to string up Chihiro's lifeless body.

Then, using the victim's own blood, he left a grisly message there at the scene of the crime.

He wanted to create the illusion that Genocide Jack was responsible for the slaughter.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

And around the same time that Byakuya was putting together this façade...

...the killer, having already disposed of Chihiro's bag and other belongings, arrived at the sauna.

There, they planned to destroy the last piece of evidence... Chihiro's handbook.

And just as the killer expected, the steamy sauna was enough to ruin the electronic gadget.

Somehow, the killer knew that the handbook couldn't stand up to the heat of the sauna.

And the reason they knew that is because the sauna had already wrecked their own handbook!

... And that's how it all played out.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Isn't that right, Mondo Owada!?

-SUCCESSFUL-

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Kh-Kheeh...", Mondo gasped at our observations.

"W-Wait...! No, this can't be right! Where's your evidence...? Y-Yeah, where's your evidence!? You need evidence! You need proof! Without any proof, you can't pin any of this on him!", Taka yelled.

"Fine, if it means I have to ram the sense into you, then so be it.", I sighed and got ready to back up Makoto.

-THE MOMENT OF TRUTH!-

(Taka -- Kuno -- Makoto)

"Show me some evidence!"

"We showed you everything that points to Mondo!"

"You're wrong!"

"We know we're right!"

"I won't listen!"

"You're being naive!"

"I refute you!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"False!"

"Show me what's so false!?"

"You're corrupt!"

"No, we're just!"

"I refuse to vote!"

"You'll die if you don't!"

"WITHOUT ANY PROOF, YOU CAN'T PIN ANY OF THIS ON HIM!" (COUNTER WITH BROKEN E-HANDBOOK)

I CAN PROVE IT!!

-SUCCESSFULL-

"If my thinking so far is right... Mondo must have replaced his broken handbook with Leon's. In which case, we can just check each of our handbooks right now. Once we do that, we'll--". Makoto was cut off by a dejected voice... Mondo.

"We don't gotta do that."

"What...?", I mumbled.

"Bro? Bro... what are you saying?", Taka muttered with a shaky voice.

"I got no choice, man. After hearing all that, I gotta just... give up. Go ahead, Monokuma. Get it over with... Ask for the god damned verdict...", Mondo mumbled.

"Roger that!", Monokuma saluted.

"W-Wait, hold on--!", Taka yelled.

"No waiting! No holding on! Time for the moment we've all been waiting for! Grab your lever and give it a yank! Who will you elect as the blackened this time around? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee!?", Monokuma cheered as I stared down at the levers. Each one had a name. I pulled the one with Mondo's name and waited. A few moments later, a slot machine came out from the ceiling and began spinning. It stopped when pixelated pictures of Mondo came up in a row. It was correct... Flowers, monocoins, and confetti filled my vision for a bit before things died down. "Uh-oh... This time it looks like... you got it right again! Yes, it is so. The blackened that killed Chihiro Fujisaki was... Mondo Owaaadaaaa!", Mondo was just silent, his head hanging low. "In case you're wondering, the vote was NOT unanimous. Kiyotaka chose the wrooong answer! You're treading very close to the danger zone, Mr. Ishimaru! You need to be careful!", Monokuma growled.

"I-I refuse to believe it... There's no way... no way he would kill someone!", Taka mumbled in shock.

"Sorry...", Mondo balled his fists in shame.

"Wh-Why are you apologizing!? Why!? Why why why why why!? WHYYY!? Wh... why? Why did you do it!?", Taka yelled. Mondo stayed silent.

"Please, please tell us why...?", I muttered with tears in my eyes. Mondo didn't even look at me.

"Well, it looks like Mondo's taken a vow of silence, so allow me to explain on his behalf... The story of the murder this time... is the sad story of two men. There was onve a young boy... And his name was Chihiro Fujisaki. He had an extreme inferiority complex regarding his own lack of strength. "You're so weak, even though you're a boy!" He'd heard things like that as long as he could remember, and he couldn't overcome his weakness. On the contrary. he tried to hide and buried himself further and further into that weakness... to take on the fragile form of a petite young girl. He had chosen that as his way out. "Now nobody will be able to say anything about "even though you're a boy"... But no matter how tightly he wrapped himself up in that shell... the inferiority complex had already taken root deep inside of him, and was not easily weeded out. As it turned out, the shell was completely empty. The complex didn't disappear. Instead, it only grew stronger and stronger. "I'm... weak... Weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak...!" Once the killing game had begun here at the school, he had no choice but to accept this fact. After all, this world is survival of the fittest. If you're not strong, you don't survive. And then the lovely and hateful Monokuma announced the revealing of the embarrassing secrets. Which, of course, included Chihiro's embarrassing secret, which I was more than willing to divulge... "Even though he dresses like a girl, Chihiro is actually a boy." And that was something Chihiro couldn't let anyone find out, no matter the cost. If that was revealed, it would be the end. The hardened shell would crack, the armor would fall away. Without a doubt, those around him would torture him more than ever before. Everyone figured being thrust into such a dilemma must have sent him spiraling into despair. And yet...!", Monokuma recounted.

Um... s-sorry, I don't really want to talk about it right now. But I also don't want to leave things the way they are. So maybe I can talk about it later... After I try my best... to become strong... Then I can tell everyone.

"Annoyingly, he used the threat of discovery to motivate himself to become stronger! "Now's my chance... I'm going to get stronger... and accept who I am... Strong enough so that when someone says "even though you're a boy" I'll be okay. I'll get better!" With that thought at the front of his mind, he resolved to take immediate action. And so... That day, he made the commitment to begin exercising. He was prepared to retain his mind and body. But sadly... That would be the first and only chance he would get at it! When he'd decided to start exercising, he thought it would be good to ask for someone's help. But he wanted to tell that person his secret first, and then ask them to help him from there. And the person he went to...", Monokuma pointed at Mondo.

"Mondo... I-I told Chihiro before that you m-might be willing to help him get stronger, but he never told about... his secret.", I muttered.

"You're right. It was me...!", Mondo clenched his teeth.

"Yup, it sure was! The biker gang fella had been painfully clear about how important his manly promises were. So Chihiro probably figured that even if he confided in Mondo, his honor would make him keep the secret.", Mondo stayed quiet. "Plus, Mr. Macho Mondo was the very symbol of a strong man that Chihiro had always aspired to. "Maybe talking to Mondo about it will help give me some courage..." So he went and asked Mondo to help him become strong! That was his aspiration... And he thought that only with Mondo's support would he ever be able to come close to that.", Monokuma explained with a sigh.

"So then, that must be why Mondo did what he did-- to keep the promise he'd made to Chihiro.", Kyoko nodded.

"Huh? Did what he did? You mean...? That's why Mondo carried Chihiro from the boys locker room into the girls locker room?", Makoto asked.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean.", Kyoko confirmed.

"Wasn't that to cover up what he'd done?", Hifumi questioned.

"That could have been part of it, but I don't think it was the main reason. The real purpose was to keep the promise between men he'd made to Chihiro.", Kyoko deduced.

"But... how does moving the body keep his secret?", Hina asked.

"Because if we found Chihiro dead in the boys locker room, we would all question how *she* got into the boys locker room in the first place. And a few of us would even suspect his identity. So... He tried to protect Chihiro's secret by putting him in the girls locker room and stealing his handbook. See?", I explained.

"Then... Mondo did all that to keep the promise he'd made to Chihiro... who he'd also killed?", Makoto asked in confusion. Mondo was still silent.

"Why... would he... do that? The more I hear you talk, the more I don't understand! I mean, you guys trusted each other, right!? So why? Why did you...?", Taka asked.

"Because... no matter what, I didn't want anyone to know...", Mondo muttered.

"So that's what triggered it, after all. The possibility of having your embarrassing memories and secrets exposed...", Kyoko sighed.

"Th-That's impossible! Nothing could have been that bad! Something he didn't want anyone to know, even if it meant killing someone...? It's impossible!", Taka yelled.

"How many times must I repeat myself? To judge others by own standard is the height of folly. Even if you can't comprehend it, he obviously can. That's all there is to it.", Byakuya shot.

"Well, while we're on the subject... why don't I tell you? That embarrassing memory, that secret he didn't want anyone to know... You know what Mondo did? He killed his own brother!", Monokuma announced.

"What...?", I gasped.

"Gh--!", Mondo growled.

"Mondo, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, makes all the hoodlums and riff-raff across the country tremble... But the only reason he had the chance to join a gang in the first place was because of a certain someone. Mondo's older brother's name was Daiya Owada. Mondo had nothing but respect for him. It was because of Daiya that Mondo ever got on a motorcycle. Mondo's brother was his only family growing up. He was the only one Mondo could trust, or respect. He wanted to measure up to his big brother, so he imitated him in everything he did. Mondo was the epitome of the starry-eyes kid brother. Meanwhile, the charasmatic older brother had put together a local motorcycle gang... and before anyone knew it, it had grown into the biggest biker gang in the country. Daiya, the older brother, number one in the gang. And his number two, his younger brother, Mondo. In the beginning, everything was peaches and gravy. But when Mondo started to think about how he would have to take over the gang from his brother someday... his brother's greatness, his reputation, began to gnaw on Mondo's very soul! "The kid's gonna take over Daiya, huh?" "Daiya created this gang with his bare hands! Mondo's just along for the ride." "Can someone like that really be our leader?" "All that'll do is make the gang look bad." Almost every day, Mondo heard the gossip and whispers of the other members of the gang. Which is why... "I gotta get stronger... stronger than Daiya. Once... just one time... No matter what, I gotta win... I don't care what it takes, I gotta come out on top!" And on the night of his amazing brother's retirement ceremony, Mondo challenged him to a street race! But during the race, tragedy struck... The kid brother pushed ahead with reckless abandon, eager for victory, and dashed into oncoming traffic. But suddenly...!", Monokuma gasped.

"Daiya Owada took the blow...", I mumbled with a tear in my eye.

"Laying in his kid brother's arms, the older brother delivered his final words... "M-My bad, kid... I f*cked up. Sorry." Of course he knew it was his brother's fault, but Daiya never blamed him for what happened. "Hey, kid... The rest is up to you. No matter what, you gotta keep the gang together. Cuz it's the team... you and me put together. It's... a pr... a promise... between men..." He decided to hide the truth of what happened from everyone else in the gang. In order to keep the gang together, and keep the promise to his brother... he could never admit to anyone that it was his own weakness that had caused the accident! And as a result... the team was made even stronger, under the banner of the kid who'd bested his big brother. "Daiya was gonna lose to his kid brother, so he got stupid and got himself killed." That became the explanation for what happened. Mondo's lie became the truth. He wanted to lead the team so bad, he was willing to tell all kinds of lies about his brother! "I'm... strong... Strong, strong, strong, strong, strong, strong...!" And yet... As soon as our killing game began, he realized... no matter how tough he pretended to be, he was just another weakling that could die in an instant. And then the lovely, the hateful Monokuma announced the revealing of the embarrassing secrets. At that point, it was clear I would have no problem shedding light on his secret... "Mondo killed his own older brother.", Monokuma explained.

"N-No matter what... I couldn't let the other gang members find out. If that happened, everything would have been ruined... Everything me and my brother had worked to create... woulda been destroyed... His death... all the guilt I'd been carrying around... it all woulda been for nothing. So that's why... That's why I... I...!", Mondo breathed out.

"Mondo...", Makoto whispered. I couldn't even speak, I was just heartbroken.

"After I saw what Monokuma had on me... my head filled up with a kind of fuzzy uneasiness, and just started swirlin' around. I'd never felt anything like it before... I... I didn't know what to do about it. I wasn't sure what to think or say. But after a while, that fuzzy uneasiness... turned itself into a rock-hard lump of anxiety, way down in my stomach...! And it was right around then... that Chihiro asked me to start working out with him. And right there, I... He told me a secret.", Mondo sighed.

Seriously? Jesus... 

Y-Yeah... I'm sorry I lied to you.

But... why? Why now? Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?

...Huh?

Cuz I mean... you've kept that secret all this time, right? If anyone found out... you would...

Y-You're right, but... I want to change. I wrapped myself in lies. I'm weak. I want to destroy that version of me forever!

"His words were like a knife in my gut... I felt like he was exposing the lie I'd been living myself.", Mondo choked out.

I have to change. I don't want to be weak anymore. You're so strong, it can't hurt you, right? Whatever secret Monokuma might tell us... 

... So, what? You're saying I should just say it? You're saying if I really am, I should just be able to tell everyone my secret?

Huh...?

"I was... jealous. I was jealous of Chihiro's strength. He had the strength to face his own weakness, to try and overcome it...! It was the kind of strength I've never had... So I was jealous of him. And that jealousy... broke me.", Mondo mumbled.

Are you making fun of me? I'm strong? Are you f*cking with me right now?

I-I'm not making fun of you. You really are strong, Mondo...

"I felt like I could hear something starting to... creak. Something... inside my head.", Mondo breathed out.

What did he want me to do? What was I *supposed* to do? Was I supposed to just sit back, let my secret get revealed, and ruin everything...?

Wh... what's wrong?

Why did you have to tell me all that? Are you trying to rub my failure in my face?

N-No, I just... really admire you. I admire... your strength...

That's right... I *am* strong... Strong... I'm strong...! Stronger than you! And stronger than Daaaaiiiyaaaaa!!!

"I don't remeber anything after that... When I woke up again, he was laying at my feet... covered in blood... I had the dumbbell in my hand... and I was just staring at him... down on the ground...", Mondo shuddered.

"H-Hey...", Taka called.

"... I... killed him. I killed Chihiro. Even after all this time, I'm still just as weak as I've always been! And thanks to that, I did something I can never take back...!", Mondo yelled.

"M-Mondo...", I whispered.

"Ahh-hahaha! Look at him! You see? You're all just like him! For a secret from the past, for a memory... For that, he killed another living human in cold blood! He couldn't cut free of his regrets from the outside world. He doesn't know what true strength is. Do you see hope anywhere in there!? Cuz I sure don't!", Monokuma laughed.

"You... bastard! Just shut up, you son of a b*tch! Go ahead, say that again, I dare you!", Taka suddenly yelled, trying to run towards Monokuma. I grabbed his arm.

"Let go of me!!", Taka yelled.

"You dumba*s, that's suicide!", I shot back.

"B-But--!"

"TAKA, GET A GRIP! THIS IS HARD ON THE BOTH OF US, BUT IF WE FIGHT, WE'RE BOTH DEAD!!", I yelled back with tears in my eyes.

"I... I dare him to say that again!", Taka growled.

"Okay! I'll say it as many times as I want!... is what I want to say, but... unfortunately, I can't do that right now! Because the time for punishing is fast approaching!", Monokuma chuckled.

"P-Punishing...?", Makoto gasped.

"You mean... execution...!?", Taka was shaking all over.

"That's what I promised you, right? The blackened that disturbs the peace will be punished.", Monokuma shrugged.

"H-Hold on!", Taka yelled.

"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader called "The Cage Of Death!" ", Monokuma announced as he got up on his seat.

"N-No, wait! Wait!", Taka urged.

"Let's give it everything we've got! It's... PUNISHMENT TIIIME!", Monokuma cheered.

"I! Said! WAAAAAIIIITT!!!", Taka screamed at the top of his lungs, but to no avail.

"... Sorry, Daiya, Taka, Kuno... I couldn't keep the promises we made... from one to another...", Mondo whispered. Monokuma slammed the mallet on the red button and an electronic voice came out.

GAME OVER. MONDO HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

Soon, it began... The punishment...

Mondo was strapped onto a Crazy Diamonds motorcycle with no means of escaping, but it didn't look like he was trying to. Monokuma sat at the front and began steering to a large round cage in front of a circus-like stage. Monokuma shot off the motorcycle just as Mondo went in the cage against his will. All od a sudden, the cage was covered in an electric current, almost blinding us all, while Mondo was still spinning in there. It kept going at break-neck speed until it finally stopped, and Mondo was just... not in the cage. A machine connected to the machine lit up and popped out a small box that simply read "Mondo Butter". It was as if it was science fiction, this wasn't real no matter how you looked at it, yet the events just unfolded right before our blown out eyes.

END OF CHAPTER 11!

A/N:

I found this in the middle of my writing and thought it was fitting. K bye, sorry for bringing this up XD