Part 78: Trial 3, Part 5

Click here to watch this update's video.







: Huffy had the note, right? Then the person it was intended for must have been Huffy!
: But remember what the note said. What time did it say to meet?
: 6 a.m., I believe...
: The time doesn't matter!
: The note has nothing to do with Tick Tock!

The time mentioned in the note... I feel like that's the key.

: Taka's wristwatch was broken around the same time the note said to meet.



> Shoot "nothing to do with Tick Tock" with "Broken Wristwatch"











: No, there absolutely is a connection!
: Wh--!? What the hell are you talking about!?
: The note said to meet at 6 a.m., which is the same time Taka was murdered.
: We've already proven that using his wristwatch.
: But there's more--look where the note says to meet.



: The equipment room, right?
: Which is where Taka was killed. I see...
: So, Taka was murdered at both the time and place written in the note.
: I think that should be plenty to show that this note was definitely meant for Taka!
: Hmm...well, when you put it like that...
: No further objections! Kyeeehahahaha!





: Then someone used that note to trick Taka, just the same as me...
: Gh--! The culprit really is a cold-blooded monster! Telling people they'd found a way out...!
: But if they gave the note to Taka...what was Hifumi doing with it?
: Stuffed down his pants, no less!
: Most likely, Hifumi stole it off Taka's corpse after he died.
: Huh? He stole it...?
: Where's your proof? Go ahead, show us.

Proof that Hifumi stole the note from Taka...



> Present "Kiyotaka's Scrap of Paper"





: When I searched Taka's body, I saw that his lifeless hand was gripping a small scrap of paper. If I'm right about this, the sheet of paper this piece came from is...



: I knew it! It fits perfectly with the note we found hidden on Hifumi!
: Then Taka's scrap and Hifumi's note...
: Yup. They're from the same piece of paper.



: Hifumi had the note meant for Taka, while Taka's corpse still grasped a small piece of that note... There's only one way to explain it...
: Taka died clutching the note. Hifumi tried to free the note from his death grip leaving behind only one small scrap. Did I get all that right?
: That means Hifumi knew the note was important...
: Exactly. Which proves that he was an accomplice in the murder.
: Whoa...!



: Yeah, after seeing all this, Hifumi was super involved in this whole thing for sure! In fact...
: He was behind the whole thing! In FACT, he's still alive!
: ...Sorry, no.



: When we found him in the repository, Hifumi was truly and completely dead. The second body discovery announcement proves that.



: So then...who killed Hifumi?
: Whoever did is the mastermind...the true killer.
: He was killed in the repository, so he must have been killed not long after transporting Taka's body.
: So he must have been killed after Taka's body vanished but before we found both bodies in the repository...



: During that time, we'd all split up and were searching for Taka's missing body.
: In other words, during that time...none of us have alibis.
: Wait, but me and Sakura were together!
: Stop trying to steal the spotlight, ya stupid walrus!
: Who are you callin' a walrus!?





: Anyway, when they were killed bothers me too, but there's something that's been bothering me even more!
: And what might that be?
: The weapon they used to kill Hifumi!
: The weapon...?



: Yeah, cuz I mean...according to the Monokuma File... The way Taka and Hifumi were killed was almost the same, with them having similar fractures and all...
: But Justice Hammer 3 and 4 were still laying around in the nurse's office and equipment room, right?



: So if Hifumi was killed in the repository, the culprit woulda had to grab one of the hammers, kill Hifumi, then put the hammer back where they found it.
: But wouldn't that be seriously risky for 'em?
: ...I'm surprised. It seems there's some semblance of a brain knocking around that skull of yours, after all.
: Hell yeah, it's packed in there good and tight!



: He's right, though. I don't understand it, either. The Monokuma File makes it clear that they were killed using similar instruments... But if the hammers were already laying around those other rooms...
: So the question is, how could the culprit have gotten their hands on either of the hammers? Personally, I haven't a clue.
: So which hammer was used to attack Celeste? Number one or number two!?
: Those were accounted for in other rooms, too. And I don't think either one is big enough to kill someone.
: Um...then, uhh...



: ...Is it not possible they used a different weapon?
: I don't think is *is* possible! They were both killed with the same kinda thing, right?
: So then, what was used to kill Hifumi...?

The weapon that was actually used to kill Hifumi... The whole picture surrounding this case won't become clear until we figure that out. Somehow, I have to find the truth!







: What was used to kill Hifumi...? Was it Justice Hammer 3? Maybe Justice Hammer 4?
: Well, whatever it was, there's one thing we have to figure out. How was the culprit able to move around so freely with the weapon? How did nobody witness them carrying it?
: Sounds like a Justice Hammer 5 is about to make its appearance! Check out murdergear.com/hammertime for more info!
: Well, one thing seems pretty clear... The murder weapon had to be one of the Justice Hammers!
: And, uh...that's about it.

If the weapon used to kill Hifumi really was similar to the weapon used to kill Taka...

: We found that odd spotless hammer that looked like it had been recently washed in the repository.



> Shoot "one of the Justice Hammers" with "Spotless Hammer"









: The murder weapon wasn't a Justice Hammer at all. No, it was something completely different.
: But...seriously? A different weapon?
: Specifically, a hammer from the repository. The killer could have easily used that to kill Hifumi.



: Now, all the hammers in the repository were covered in flecks of grit and debris... But for some reason, one of them had been scrubbed clean.
: Huh...?
: And the reason it had been scrubbed clean was most likely because it had been used to commit murder. If the hammer got covered in Hifumi's blood, of course they'd have to clean it off.



: I'd also like to point out that the repository has all kinds of hammers--big ones, small ones, and even some flat, mallet-like ones. I think whoever made the Justice Hammers used those as a basis for their design.



: If that's true, that would explain the Monokuma File's note about the wounds being similar...
: So Hifumi moved Taka's body to the repository, where someone then used a hammer to kill *him*.
: And whoever did that is the true killer--the one Hifumi was working with...and the one who betrayed him...!



: Hold on a moment. I still think it's strange to assume someone was working together with him. The way the "graduation rule works, there is no benefit to helping someone else carry out a murder.
: So the idea that anyone would work together like that is simply ludicrous. We talked about this, did we not?

We did talk about how there wouldn't be any reason for anyone to work together... At least, that's what we thought at first. But...







: Based on the rules that have been laid out for us... Even if more than one person is complicit in the murder...only the one who actually carried out the act can "graduate" and survive.
: Assuming the rule holds true, it is simply impossible that two people worked together on this.
: That *is* how the rule was explained to us...
: But that only really applies if there's one murder, right?
: In this case, however, there were two murders.

Is the possibility of an accomplice really that insane? Or is there some chance...?

: Our Truth Bullets are once again not very helpful. The reasoning behind why the answer is what it is require a little thinking but even on Mean difficulty there are only two Weak Points here.



: It doesn't take much to realize that you're supposed to memorize Kyoko's statement, even if you're not sure why you're doing it.



> Shoot "impossible" with "two murders"









: Since there were two murders, it's at least plausible that more than one person was involved.
: ...What do you mean?
: If there'd only been one murder, then yes, the idea of an accomplice isn't really worth considering.
: Naturally, if only one person can be saved per murder, an accomplice has no risk versus reward benefit.
: Risk versus reward...benefit?



: The payoff for working together--the reward that balances out the risk of taking part in the scheme. There's no point in being someone's accomplice if there's no benefit to you.
: However, if there *were* some potential mutual reward for the risk, then cooperation becomes possible.



: You're saying that two people could act as each other's accomplices to commit two separate murders.
: I think that's what the true killer told Hifumi; they would each have an accomplice for their crime. And based on the case's events, Hifumi would have been the first one to act, murdering Taka. They made him carry out the first murder so he couldn't back out of helping them later on.
: So in this case, there wasn't one single person committing multiple murders...
: Instead, each person killed someone, creating two separate incidents. And it only looked like one person because that's how the true killer designed it to look.
: A single suspicious individual, a similar weapon used in each crime, disappearing bodies...
: By creating one seamless set of circumstances, they made it look like one person was behind it all!



: The mastermind picked their target and managed to convince him to go along with their plan. And then, to avoid the "no accomplices" rule, they simply...killed their accomplice.
: Which, if true, means that betraying Hifumi was part of the plan from the very beginning.
: Th-That's just...awful! How could anyone be so cruel!?
: You think so? I can't help but admire its cunning. Still, their choice of accomplice seems...odd.

The effort made to convince us the two murders were the same. That was the main characteristic this time.



Kyoko must have noticed that fact from the very beginning... Which is why she said not to look at this as a series of connected events, but entirely separate incidents. Kyoko really is amazing. Although...when you think about it, she's almost *too* amazing. Like, it's almost unnatural how good she is at this...



: I understand how an accomplice could be involved, but then who was the one pulling Hifumi's strings?
: That's problem numero uno right now!





The true killer manipulated Hifumi to carry out a number of actions, and in the end...murdered him. In the debates up till now, the way the case has unfolded... When you consider all that there's really only one person who seems to fit.