Part 80: Trial 3, Part 6

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: It was Celeste...
: Ah, so I'm the suspicious individual now, am I?
: Hmhmhm. I really do hate this kind of joke...
: A joke? I wonder...
: So what you are saying, then, is that I specifically chose to work together with Hifumi. The idea that I would choose to spend any amount of time interacting with him...





: That I would go within ten feet of that shit-for-brains! That lazy, worthless goddamn idiot!
: Ahem. Ah, pardonnez-moi.
: Just to be clear, there *is* evidence to support it.
: ...Is that so?
: It is. Throughout the investigation, there was a certain behavior that was common only to the two of you.
: Considering what we've learned so far, it only further proves that the two of you were working together!

What is it that only Hifumi and Celeste had in common...



> Encountering the suspicious individual



: The behavior they had in common had to do with the "suspicious individual" in the suit, doesn't it? The only ones who ever actually saw Robo Justice firsthand were Celeste and Hifumi.

♪ Music cuts out. ♪

: Shush. The adults are talking now.
: S-Sorry...





: As he said, only Celeste and Hifumi ever laid eyes on the costumed individual. If we accept that Hifumi was one of the culprits, we can't help but suspect what Celeste has said, as well.
: Are you saying everything they told us was a lie...?
: After taking Hifumi to the nurse's office, we all began our search for this individual, correct? And not too long after that, do you remember what Celeste said?



: I saw a shadow! Something moving around at the top of the stairs!



: We headed to the 2nd floor specifically because of what she claimed to have seen. Next, to draw is all to the physics lab, up on the 3rd floor...
: ...She let out a bloodcurdling scream.
: And when we'd all come to see what was wrong, what was it she said?



: Celeste! What's wrong!?
: That was a rather...intense scream for someone like you.
: I saw him! The strange costumed man...! He ran off as soon as I screamed... I was blocking the stairs, so he headed further down into the hallway and disappeared...!



: Once she'd done her job of getting us all up to the physics lab it was time for her partner to get to work.



???: Ungyaaaaaahhh!!!

: Huh!?
: Wh-What was that!?
: That came from downstairs! It must have been...
: Hifumi! He's in the nurse's office! This is bad! Come on, we have to go back!



: It was to get us to divide into two groups...so that we would discover both bodies at the same time!?
: In fact, Celeste was precisely the one who proposed that we split up.



: Then why don't we split into two groups?
: I'll lead the hunting party. That seems much more interesting.
: Very well, then Makoto and Hina, you come with me to the nurse's office. I will leave the capture of the suspicious individual to Toko, Sakura, and Byakuya.



: Well? If Celeste and Hifumi were working together, all those chance events suddenly become connected...
: ...
: And on top of that...that piercing cry of yours early on...
: That was to signal Hifumi, wasn't it? It was your way of telling him, "We're on the 3rd floor, everything's going according to plan." Why else would you let out a scream that could have carried across the sea?
: ...



: I've just realized another strange thing... When we found Hifumi in the nurse's office, who we now know was only pretending to be dead...



: I certainly was not expecting this. I did not imagine that Hifumi would be murdered!



: Celeste...you were the first one to say he'd been murdered. You wanted to make sure we wouldn't have any doubt in our minds.
: ...
: I-I don't believe it... Everything...the whole thing was one big act!
: Hina. You were with Celeste when Hifumi's body disappeared, right?
: Yeah... I was feeling kinda sick, so Celeste took me to the bathroom...



: ...Wait! Then that was--!?
: She wasn't worried about you. She just saw a chance to help Hifumi sneak out of the nurse's office.
: Each piece isn't much by itself, but start putting them together and the picture gets very ugly indeed.
: Wouldn't you agree, Celeste?





: ...I have no idea what you mean.
: Don't bother trying to deny it.



: You made one fatal mistake.
: ...Oh did I?
: I didn't even catch it myself when you first said it, but looking back, I can say that that one little slip-up was your undoing.
: Wh-What are you talking about...?
: I'm talking about what you said after Hifumi's body disappeared and we returned to the nurse's office.



: They must really be enjoying this... Enjoying the sight of us standing around, frightened and confused...
: We're all going to die here. We're going to die, just like those guys died...



: I remember he saying that too, but...I don't understand what's so strange about it.
: Then pay attention. Sakura, Toko, and I were first to discover Taka's body in the equipment room. Then Makoto showed up and told us Hifumi had been killed. So Sakura and I left with Makoto. Once we were in the hall, we ran into Celeste, and the four of us headed to the nurse's office. Now, the entire time we were together, none of us said anything about Taka being dead.
: Think about it--Celeste's comment doesn't make sense. It was completely out of place.
: Yeah, I see what you're talking about. Although I don't really get what it means...



: You hear that, Celeste? Everyone's having some trouble understanding. Could you repeat what you said?
: If you're really not the culprit, you shouldn't have any problem repeating it, right?
: ...

Byakuya said that Celeste's comment doesn't make sense... But what is he alluding to...?







: All I said was...
: They must really be enjoying this... Enjoying the sight of us standing around, frightened and confused... They must be positively elated... We are all going to die here. We are going to die, just like those guys died...
: ...And that is all I said.
: And that's all it takes to finish this. It's obvious, isn't it? What was so strange about Celeste's comment?

When Celeste said what she did, she shouldn't have known yet... With that in mind, what's so strange about what she said is...

: Yet again, our Truth Bullets aren't of much help, though the correct weak point is probably apparent.



: The bullet you're actually looking for is Byakuya's weak point.



> Shoot "those guys" with "so strange"









: That's right... There's no reason Celeste should have said "just like *those guys* died"...
: When she said that, none of us had told her Taka was dead.
: ...
: Exactly. And we didn't run into her until after we were all out in the hall. So there was never any chance for her to have seen his body in the equipment room for herself.
: So how did you know, Celeste? How did you know more than one person had been killed? And how did you know they were both guys?
: Because Kyoko had also disappeared, right? So she could have been dead, too.
: ...





: Hmhmhm...
: You all have such vivid imaginations, you know that?
: Imaginations...?
: You claim that I was lying when I told you about the suspicious person I saw...
: Then what about the picture I took?



: How do you explain this picture of the costumed villian dragging Hifumi away?



: I-It has to be some kind of setup, right? Celeste put the suit on, and then...then she used the camera's timer to...to set up the picture!
: Have you so quickly forgotten? You are the only one who could have possibly fit into that suit.



: Plus, I happen to know that this particular camera does not have a timer.
: In other words, it is an unassailable fact that this is a picture of Hifumi being dragged away. If everything I told you was a lie, how can this picture exist?



: Simple. Are we sure that's really a picture of the suspect dragging Hifumi away?
: ...What could you possibly mean by that?
: Surely there are other explanations than the one you've offered up.
: No...there is no other explanation.

Other...explanations?



If it wasn't a picture of the suspect dragging Hifumi away...the only other possibility is...



> Hifumi is dragging the suspect away





: It's *not* a picture of the suspect dragging Hifumi away...
: I would say it's a picture of Hifumi dragging the suspect away!
: Kh--!
: That's certainly within the realm of possibility.



: The one being dragged off in that picture isn't Hifumi, but the person inside the robot suit. We've simply been led to believe that it's the other way around.



: And the strange costume might only exist to lead us astray even farther. If you saw someone wearing something like that in this situation, of course you'd notice and be suspicious.
: Th-That's what happened! You put me to sleep and made me out to be the bad guy in all this!
: Hmhm. Hmhmhmhm... Eheh... Such a thing...





: ...is utterly impossible. Hifumi was dragging him away? Ridiculous.
: Is it? I don't think it's ridiculous at all.
: Then shut your mouth and allow me to educate you.

Celeste thinks she can prove that there's no way Hifumi was dragging the suspect away. But is that really possible...?







: You dressed me up in that suit after I passed out...
: Then you just draped me across Hifumi and had him carry my weight! You tried to make me look like the bad guy!
: Like I said--ridiculous. As you can see in the picture, the suspect is standing perfectly upright.
: If the person inside the suit was unconscious there's no way they could stand up straight like that.
: Then the fortune-telling idiot is the culprit after all!
: N-No way!

No, that's not right. There's definitely a contradiction in what Celeste is trying to claim...

: This goes all the way back to the earliest things we established in the trial. You can't bend over while in the suit!



> Shoot "stand up straight" with "Robo Justice Costume"









: No, even if the person inside the suit were unconscious, they could still stand up like that. Because that Robo Justice suit had a certain characteristic...



: You totally can't bend at the waist! Seems like a pretty obvious oversight...



: That's right! They totally made a mistake when they made it, so it couldn't bend at the waist!
: I'm not so sure that was a mistake... I think the suit was designed from the beginning to be used the way it was.
: Ngh...!



: Celeste and Hifumi took the suit they'd specially designed and stuffed Hiro into it.
: The point of it all was to make us believe whoever was in the suit was to blame!
: Ngh-gh-gh!
: Well then, I suppose this is checkmate...



♪ Music fades out. ♪

: Checkmate...? ...
: Heh...hehehe... Hah...haha...hahaha...



: Don't make me laugh, you idiot! What do you mean, checkmate!?
: C-Celeste...?
: Clearly, you want to cram me into your little "guilty" box. Well there's one little problem! Have you already forgotten what Hifumi told us as he lay dying!?



: Hey, Hifumi! Who was it? Who attacked you!? Who tried to kill you!?
: Who...killed me...? That's right... I remember...their name...
: Y...Yasu...hi...ro...



: When we asked him who had attacked him, his answer was quite clear, was it not? He said, and I quote, "Yasuhiro."
: In other words, Yasuhiro Hagakureeeee!
: W-Wait, but my name isn't really Yasuhiro! It's actually Taro!
: Your confusing statements don't make any sense. You're only making things more complicated.



: He did say Yasuhiro, but are we sure he was really pointing the finger at Hiro?
: What the hell are you talking about!? I'll burn you alive!
: Kyoko...what do you mean by that?
: Think back to how Hifumi used to talk to us... How did he refer to each of us?



> He said people's last names



: ...That's right! Our last names He called us all by our last names!
: Exactly. I know I heard him say "Mr. Naegi" more than once, for example.
: So if Hifumi *did* mean to say Hiro's name, he would have said his last name--Hagakure.



: I'm sure it was just incidental--by chance he just--his first name...!
: Indecent...?
: Don't talk.



: Random chance... Now isn't that a convenient explanation?
: No, there's no reason to think he would have said the name any different than normal. But he must have run out of energy before he could say any more.
: So Hifumi was trying to tell us the last name of whoever killed him...?



♪ Music fades out. ♪

: But the name he said doesn't apply to anyone here...
: Well, no, hold on...there's one person it *could* apply to... And that's Celeste. She never actually told us what her real name is...
: Wh...? What did you just say? To think you'd take your false accusations so far... I don't know whether to laugh of spit...
: Come on! Enough with your idiotic blather! Yasuhiro is a loser's name! Do I look like a loser to you!?





: Well!? Dooooo I!? What!? I think I've earned the right to be a little on edge!
: Okay, then fill us in... What's your real name?
: Fine! Make sure your ear holes are wiiiiiiide open and listen up! My real name is Celestia Ludenburg! Could you PLEASE stop making me repeat myself over and over again!?



Celeste still won't give up. So then... I have to do something to make her accept it!

-----

: Quick side note about a detail I love: If you haven't been watching the videos or listening to any of the audio tracks or conversations in the game, Celeste speaks with an accent during the whole game. During this trial though, as soon as she starts yelling and her portraits become exaggerated, her accent totally disappears. At one point she tries to put it back on but she's barely maintaining it through her anger so you can tell she's basically been faking the accent the whole game. I don't know why I like this detail so much but I do and I wanted to share that.
: Stay tuned, the trial conclusion is next!