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 gradu-"

"Graduation is meaningless here... We already know that." Kiibo interrupted. "We don't need your rules anymore! We'll find our own reasons to live! And we'll do whatever it takes to survive!"

"Wow! An actual talking robot!" Monokuma gushed. "I've never seen one of those before!"

"Seriously!?"

"What happened to Ouma?" Maki demanded, eyes glowing red with hatred. "Why isn't he here?"

"Aw, don't make that face, killer." Monokuma looked down sadly. "This case has some unique circumstances."

"Unique circumstances?" Himiko repeated, glaring from under her hat.

"Cuz for this murder, the victim's identity is completely unknown! Given these circumstances... I decided to start off this class trial while the victim is still anonymous! After all, it'd be a shame if I let such a rare opportunity go to waste!"

"Is that possible?" Tsumugi sweated. "I thought everyone had to participate in the class trial."

"Don't worry. The person who's still alive is waiting behind the scenes for their cue. It's all part of the overall production. Anyway, let's get this trial moving!"

"Even if we don't know the culprit or even the victim, Monokuma knows everything so we should be fine!" Ichika smiled brightly.

"..." Monokuma glared at Ichika.

"I don't see how that makes anything fine..." Maki sighed.

"Then... I guess we have no choice but the start the trial under these conditions." Kiibo muttered.

"What's there even to talk about? The blackened is the mastermind, Ouma." Himiko grumbled.

"Yeah, that's the only thing I can think of, too." Tsumugi nodded.

"It's too soon to decide anything for certain." Shuichi countered. "We don't even know if Momota-kun was the victim..."

"How long are you going to say that? The victim is Momota... end of discussion." Maki snapped.

Shuichi just sighed. "But we need to be absolutely sure. If we don't positively identify the victim... The other person will never show themselves, right?"

"Now now, just because Momota-san's sleeve was sticking out doesn't completely solidify the fact that he is the culprit. Unless you have something convincing that will prove that he was the victim, stay silent, alright?" Ichika said cheerfully. "After all, maybe Ouma-san actually isn't the culprit-"

"Shut up! There *is* plenty of proof Momota is the victim." Maki glared at Ichika.

"Why are we even talking about something so obvious? What a pain..." Himiko whined. "The victim has to be Momota."

"Momota-kun was taken prisoner by Ouma-kun, like Aki-san... So he could've killed him whenever he wanted." Tsumugi concluded.

"And the hydraulic press had his clothes inside."

Maki sighed. "Ouma can't be the victim because there's no evidence for it."

"No, that's wrong!" Shuichi cut through Maki's words. "I have evidence that points to Ouma-kun being the victim! I found *this* in that hangar!" He showed the students-

"Nyeh! Is that Ouma's coat!?" Himiko cried out in alarm.

"Yes. And look here- there are bloodstains on the sleeve. That would indicate that Ouma-kun suffered an external injury, correct?" Shuichi explained.

"Ouma-kun was injured?" Tsumugi questioned.

"The fact that these were flushed down the toilet implies they're evidence of a crime."

"...What about it?" Maki said sharply. "Momota's clothes were in the hydraulic press. As long as we have that evidence, there's no doubt Momota was the one murdered."

"Y-Yeah, that's right..." Himiko agreed. "It's one of those irrefutable evidence thingies."

"Don't be ridiculous." Ichika rolled her eyes. "Weren't you listening? Just because Momota-san's clothes were in the press doesn't solidify anything. Besides... there's something bothering me about the clothes."

"Nyeh...? Bothering you...?" Ichika nodded at Himiko and turned to look at Shuichi.

Ichika smiled brightly. "Saihara-san, I'm assuming you know what I'm talking about, yes?"

Shuichi jumped a bit in surprise. "Huh?"

"Now... Tell me, what exactly is so peculiar about the clothes?" Ichika smiled. "I'm sure you know~"

Shuichi pressed his lips together. "...The sleeve. Why was only the sleeve sticking out of the hydraulic press? There should have been an arm inside the sleeve as well. So the fact that we found an empty sleeve should-"

"You're dumber than I thought if I have to go out my way to explain it to you." Maki interrupted, visibly annoyed. "If you can't even see that, then be quiet. Otherwise, you're just annoying me."

***

"Yes, it's true, Momota-kun never put his arm through his sleeve... but that was just his right arm. He wore his left sleeve normally. And the left sleeve was the one we found outside the press. Knowing how Momota-kun wore his coat, that's awfully strange, isn't it?"

"Then maybe neither of his arms were through the sleeves." Maki countered. "It's a possibility... In the end, your reasoning is full of holes. Stop getting in my way. I have to defeat Ouma."

"It's like Harukawa-san said, though..." Tsumugi chimed in nervously. "Momota-kun's gotta be the victim. Cuz if Ouma-kun, the mastermind, was dead, the killing game would be over."

"Yeah, that's true." Himiko sighed.

"Monokuma, hurry up and bring Ouma here. We already know who the victim is." Maki demanded, her glare at Monokuma was icy cold.

"Huh? Already? You sure it's not too soon?"

"We need the suspect present now that he's the subject of our discussion," Kiibo said.

"Gotcha I guess I'll bring him out now." Monokuma pumped his paw up in the air and looked at the big metal door on the right. "Hey, Mister Suspect! That's your cue!" The red 'in use' sign started to glow and beep and metal doors slowly slid open to reveal it.

The giant red Exisal trudged into the room and stood behind Kaito's portrait. Everyone stared at it in complete shock, lost for words.

"An Exisal!?"

"Wh-What!? Why is an Exisal here!?"

"Haha, whoops!" The Exisal spoke in Kaito's voice and its arm went behind its head. "My bad. Seems like I gave you guys a scare, huh?"

"Is that... Momota-kun's voice!?" Kiibo shrieked, pointing at the Exisal.

"...Momota?" Maki stared at the machine with gaping eyes.

"There was a lot going on, so I just hid in an Exisal and kinda dozed off. Haha, and that's why I'm so late! Anyway, what's goin' on, guys?"

Tsumugi pointed a shaky finger at the Exisal. "H-Hold on. Then the one that died wasn't Momota-kun-"

"Stuuuupid! That was just a lie!" Kokichi's voice boomed through the trial room. The Exisal jumped to the other side of the room and now stood behind Kokichi's podium. "Ah-haha, you guys thought I died!? I wound never! Noooo way!"

"O-Ouma-kun?" Kiibo looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

"I'm gonna live till I die! I'm gonna laugh 'stead of cry!" Kokichi sang.

"Wow, that's old! How old are you!?" Himiko yelled.

"I thought as much..." Maki growled. "Your appearance right now is fit for a lowly asshole like you."

"Nee-heehee... You're making me blush! You're getting so angry over me."

"..." Shuichi stared at the Exisal. "Is that really you, Ouma-kun?"

"That's right, Cracker Jack!"

"Then why are you hiding in there? Show yourself!" Shuichi demanded.

Kokichi just laughed. "Oh, this is more for self-defence. Little Miss Crankypants would kill me if I showed myself."

"..." Maki just scowled at him.

"I understand how you guys must feel You can't believe it because I'm like this, right? Nee-heehee... That's what I thought. In that case, I brought evidence!" Kokichi brought out a white camera. "Tadaaa! The video camera! It was in the warehouse, but I brought it to the hangar, just in case. Man, that was a smart move! Thanks to this, I filmed it so everyone could see it clearly. The moment the victim died..."

"Nyeh! Wh-What did you say!?"

"Alrighty then! Let's watch this shocking moment! Heeey, Monokuma! Can you connect the video camera to the monitor?"

"Roger that!" Monokuma took the camera and plugged a cord into it. The room's monitor came up behind him and it played the tape for us. There Kaito was, lying down inside the press. The press came down lower and lower until it stopped for a brief moment, then it came down and crushed him, the blood splattering everywhere.

"Huh...?" Shuichi's face was completely white as he stared at the screen.

Tsumugi shivered. "Th-This is terrible! Why would... something like this...?"

"..." Maki had her head down and her eyes were clenched shut.

"I-I saw it through my fingers... The moment... Momota was crushed... I'm... gonna... *huuurk*" Himiko looked like she was about to be sick.

Ichika hummed. "Hey, hey, Ouma-san. Was that footage edited in any way, shape or form?"

"Nope! This footage has not been doctored in any way!" Kokichi responded proudly. "This video camera only had basic functions. Just the Play, Record and Pause buttons, so you can't edit after filming it. And of course, I didn't upload it to a computer to edit it either. Riiiiiiight, Monokuma?"

"..." Monokuma remained silent.

"Oh, you can talk. Your answer is necessary for a fair discussion." Kokichi said.

"I see! If it's necessary for a fair discussion, then I will answer! No trace of that footage was found on any of the computers inside the academy!"

"See? If it wasn't connected to any computer, then editing the footage would be impossible. Which means, this footage is 100% real!" Kokichi laughed triumphantly.

"If that's the case... then it would seem our suspicions can be lifted," Kiibo said. "The body we found inside the hangar, crushed in the hydraulic press, is definitely Momota-kun!"

"Poor Momota... I can't believe he died such a horrible death." Himiko shivered. "I can't believe he died with his guts and his brains splattered all over that machine!"

"S-Stop it... Now I'm starting to not feel well..." Tsumugi wrapped her arms around herself.

"That's probably cuz I used my magic to transfer all my barf over to you."

"I know that's a joke, but the thought of it... *huuurp*"

"Nee-heehee... It looks like you finally believe that I'm the one in this Exisal."

"Yes. With that, we can definitely say the culprit is..." Kiibo pointed a finger at the Exisal. "...you.

"Huh? Why?"

"You filmed the moment the victim died which means you were present at the scene... As the person who filmed this footage, you're the only one who could be the culprit!"

Shuichi placed a hand on his chin. "But if the culprit shot the video, why would they go out of their way to show it-"

"Aw maaaaan, ya got me. Yeah, I'm the culprit."

"What!?" Shuichi looked taken aback.

Kokichi laughed. "Geez, I totally dug my own grave! Here's the truth- I decided to participate in this trial after I killed Momota-chan. Of course, it was mostly to make the victim unknown, to jazz up this trial! I took that footage for proof, so I could reveal it after you guys get the correct answer... But... ah-haha! I toootally spaced out! I wasn't supposed to show it right away!"

Ichika tilted her head. "I see. So are you admitting to your crime then?"

"...Oh, man! I dug my own grave again!?" Kokichi cried out. "Well, I don't think you guys will believe any of the excuses I make now... So, I give up!"

"You're giving up? Does... that mean it's been decided?" Himiko grumbled from under her hat.

"Yes. With all the evidence shown, Ouma-san is obviously the culprit." Ichika responded, nodding her head.

"Weren't you against that notion earlier?" Maki scowled at Ichika.

Ichika just smiled. "But with this new evidence provided, of course I'd change my stance. Use your brain for once."

"Is it okay that this trial was so short?" Tsumugi questioned.

"That's fine. We knew from the very start that Ouma was the killer. But before we vote, I want to say something to Ouma... You may be the mastermind, but I won't let you escape after you violated the rules. That would desecrate the killing game Enoshima Junko created, right? ...Your beloved Enoshima Junko." Maki growled.

The Exisal froze. "Enoshima...?"

"Whatever!" Himiko barked. "It's Voting Time now! Let's go before Ouma changes his-"

"No, hold on a second! This isn't right!" Shuichi interrupted. "The culprit comes in, confesses to the crime, and the trial ends? That's not how this goes! That doesn't sound like the kind of game Ouma-kun or Monokuma or Enoshima would play!"

"What if the mastermind got tired of it?" Tsumugi suggested. "The Remnants of Despair were like tha-"

"No, if they were tired of it, they wouldn't have put all that effort into the video. There would be no need for this class trial in the first place. Something's not right. We need to get a better feel for the situation. I think... Ouma-kun has some sort of plan. He's trying to trap us."

"Trap us? Are you saying Ouma isn't the killer? Then, are you suggesting one of us is the culprit?" Maki snarled.

"If it's not Ouma-kun then the culprit must be one of us..." Kiibo muttered.

"One of us?" Tsumugi gasped.

Himiko shook her head. "That's not possible!"

Shuichi vigorously shook his head. "No, I didn't say that! I was just saying that it's dangerous to trust Ouma-kun-"

"Nee-heehee... Saihara-chan is so distrusting... But it's exactly as Saihara-chan said! I'm actually nooot the culprit!"

"Wh-What?" Kiibo had an astonished look on his face. "But that contradicts what you said previously."

"Yuppers, that was a lie. Sorry! I lied again. The real culprit of this case is super bad at hiding themselves, so I thought I could help... I pretended to be the culprit by using the footage! It made the game more interesting too!"

"A-Are you serious?" Tsumugi stuttered.

"Nyeeeeh! What's the truth and what's a lie!? I don't know anymore!"

"It's fine... because Ouma is the culprit." Maki interjected. "He killed Momota... No matter how much he deceives us, it won't change our minds. The footage shows he did it! Ouma has to be the only option! There's no doubt that Ouma is the culprit. We all saw that footage from earlier, right?"

"Momota got crushed to death-"

"No that's wrong!" Shuichi cut through Himiko's words. "The safety function would make it impossible to kill Momota with the press!"

"A safety function?"

"Yes, it was written on the safety precautions. The hydraulic press will automatically stop if its infrared sensor detects a living organism."

"Which is why when we tried it, it nearly crushed Kiibo-san." Ichika added.

"P-Please do not remind me of that horrifying experience," Kiibo whined, hiding his face behind his hands.

"You were the one who wanted to do it." Ichika grinned and rolled her eyes.

"Wait, so the hydraulic press won't move at all if there's a living person under it?" Tsumugi questioned.

"Which is why it couldn't have been used to kill Momota-kun!" Shuichi concluded.

"..." Maki stared silently at Shuichi.

"Then you can conclude that Momota-san was probably killed using another method." Ichika explained. "The Momota-san we saw in the video was most likely already dead at that point."

"But you could disable the infrared sensor of the safety function with an Electrobomb." Maki snapped.

"No, Ouma-san wouldn't do that, he's not as dumb as you." Ichika refuted with a smug smile. "That would put him at a significant disadvantage, wouldn't it, Saihara-san?"

"Huh?"

"What kind of disadvantage would Ouma-san be at if he used the Eletcrobomb?"

"...The Electrobomb would've taken down the hangar's alarm and the Exisals' remote control."

"But you can't be too sure I wouldn't do that... I'm the type who would do anything for fun." Kokichi added.

Maki sighed. "Also, we don't have any evidence of a different murder method other than the hydraulic pr-"

"But yes, we do." Ichika interrupted happily. "You see, we have quite a few signs that show a different method being used, one of them being more obvious than the others. A clue that if you had eyes, you would see the moment you walked into the hangar. I'm sure Saihara-san knows what I'm talking about."

"Hey... Aki-san..." Tsumugi stuttered. "I-I don't mean to compare you to him but... You're acting an awful lot like Ouma-kun in the last trial. You sound like you know more than you-"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but we're discussing something else right now. Saihara-san, what do you think I'm talking about?"

"..." Shuichi eyed Ichika suspiciously. "...There was swipe bloodstain in the hangar suggesting a body was dragged."

"Mm-hm." Ichika nodded in agreement. "The bloodstain comes from the bathroom to the press."

"You mean that bathroom that Momota-kun was being kept in?" Tsumugi inquired.

"Yup yup! There were bloodstains on the floor as well, so there's no way it can be a coincidence!" Ichika smiled brightly.

"So Momota was killed in the restroom... then dragged to the press and crushed!?" Himiko shivered.

"Ooor, he could've just bled out on the floor, hence the puddle of blood." Ichika added.

"...If the bloodstain even was Momota's..." Maki sighed. "We only guessed that Momota was killed in the bathroom... Since his body was crushed, we'll never know if Momota died some other way."

"The small hole on the sleeve of Momota-kun's coat is the key to his cause of death." Shuichi spoke up.

"S-Small hole?" Himiko seemed to be getting nervous. "No, no, no! There is no way that holes got anything to do with a weapon! I'll hit you with my 'Everything You Buy Will Go on Sale the Next Day' curse!"

"Yumeno-san, what's wrong? Why are you freaking out all of a sudden?" Tsumugi asked with concern in her voice.

"Um... I'm not freaking out... I'm just saying... It's impossible for the weapon to be that small."

Shuichi shook his head and sighed. "I believe the weapon was the crossbow found in the bathroom."

"Nyeh!?"

"A crossbow arrow would certainly leave a hole a hole that small," Kiibo added. "Can we then conclude that Momota-kun was shot with that crossbow? If so, that crossbow just might be the actual murder weapon used to kill Momota-kun-"

"I-I see!" Himiko blurted out. "It's so surprising that a crossbow was the murder weapon!"

"Seriously, Yumeno-san... What's wrong?" Tsumugi asked, looking more and more worried.

"She probably needs to pee. Anywaaaay, about Momota-chan getting shot... If that was his cause of death, then I wonder who shot him with the crossbow. Well, I already know! But I won't tell youuu!" Kokichi giggled.

"He's just... playing with us..." Tsumugi sighed.

"Then let's show him playtime is over." Kiibo glared at Kokichi with a look of determination. "Let's show him that the students of Hope's Peak Academy will never submit to despair!"

"..." Kokichi fell silent. "Hope...? Despair...?"

"Now now everyone." Ichika clapped her hands together loudly with a bright smile. "We need to figure out who shot the crossbow, right?"