Part 22: Trial 1, Part 2

Click here to watch this update's video.



: So you're saying the knife she took...was then taken from her, and she was killed with it?



: In that case, you may not have taken the knife, but you still could have killed her.





: What!?
: S-See!? He did do it, a-after all!
: No, you're wrong!



: So that's how you would twist the argument and send us all off in the wrong direction!? Hm-hmm... You possess a most terrifying talent...

Damn...! If I don't do something, they're gonna blame *me* for the murder! Don't they understand? If they convict me, everyone's gonna die!



: Hold on. It's still too early to decide conclusively that Makoto is the killer, wouldn't you say?
: Because you see, if the room did belong to the killer, then they did something most bewildering. And until we unravel that little mystery, you simply can't declare that he's the killer.



: Bewildering? What the hell are you talking about!?
: Something was missing from the scene of the crime that by all rights should have been there.
: You know what I'm talking about, don't you?



: As things advance further in a class trial, the Hangman's Gambit will eventually take place. The point of this is to reveal an important phrase related to the incident in question. You'll have to deduce the phrase from the letters flying around and the letters already known. Complete the phrase by shooting down the flying letters in the right order. If you shoot down the wrong letters, you'll suffer damage to your Influence Gauge. If the gauge reaches zero, or if you run out of time, you fail.
: Hangman's Gambit is very simple in this game and can usually be completed in less than 30 seconds. More importantly though, now that the game has mentioned it, I'll briefly explain the Influence Gauge.
: The Influence Gauge is the Heart meter that keeps showing up during the Nonstop Debates and multiple-choice questions. Shoot the wrong weak point or get an answer wrong and you will lose 1 heart from the meter. You only have 5 hearts for the whole trial, but you can replenish them in 1/2 hearts by answering the multiple choice questions correctly. If you run out of hearts, the trial "reaches a conclusion" in which everyone thinks Makoto did it even if there's no connection for him to the trial. But you can also just hit the Continue prompt and he'll shake it off and you just go back to whatever trial segment you were on. You will be docked a little on the final trial scorecard though.



Something that should have been at the scene but wasn't... That must be the crucial point. If we can just figure out what that something is...







: As the tutorial mentioned, you begin with some letters already known. The goal is to shoot the incoming letters in the order that completes the word.



: For example, the word we're trying to complete is "HAIR" because that's what we know to be missing from the crime scene. Therefore, we must shoot the A first, then the R. Red letters take 1 shot to be captured, orange take 2 and yellow take 3. It's a very easy minigame thanks to how many hint letters the game gives you.



> HAIR







: That's right! There wasn't a single hair on the floor!
: So, the culprit removed some evidence?
: Yes. And if I were the culprit, why would I need to get rid of all the hair in my own room?
: It wouldn't be unusual at all to find my hair at the crime scene, if the crime scene is in my room.



: The reason all the hair was gone...was to remove any trace that Sayaka had ever been there. That makes sense, does it not?
: No. If that were the case, they would have had to do something about the body itself, not just her hair.
: Ah-ha-ha! Yes, very true, very true!



: Okay, then why wasn't there any hair on the ground?
: The killer got rid of it all, of course. To remove any trace that *they* had ever been there.



: Wait, then that means...!
: Precisely. It's simply beyond reason to believe that the room's owner and the killer are one and the same.
: Then...Makoto isn't the culprit?





: But are you sure we can decide something so important based solely on the absence of some hair!?
: No. There are other reasons that prove Makoto couldn't have done it.
: I would like to hear these reasons...



: Do you remember anything remarkable about the bathroom at the scene? Sayaka was attacked in the main room first, then fled into the bathroom, right?
: Yeah, then they ran after her, got into the bathroom, and stabbed her.
: And how did the killer get into the bathroom? Did they have any trouble with it?



: What do you mean...?
: It's fairly certain that the killer had some trouble getting into the bathroom. There was clear evidence left behind. Do you remember, Makoto?

The killer struggled getting into the bathroom. And the evidence that proves it is...the object the killer broke.

: Occasionally you will be asked to browse through all your Truth Bullets to find a piece of evidence that supports whatever conversation topic is going on at the time. You can check the full details of each Truth Bullet before presenting your evidence.



: In this case, we know that the bathroom doorknob was the broken object.



> Present: "Bathroom Doorknob"





: Evidence that the killer had trouble getting into the bathroom... You're talking about the doorknob, right?
: Huh? The doorknob? What doorknob?
: The doorknob for my bathroom... It was completely broken.



: See how the top part was unscrewed, and the doorknob's about ready to fall off?



: Oh yeah, true... But what does it mean?
: In trying to bypass the lock, they ended up nearly removing the entire doorknob. This is another most bewildering act for the room's owner. It proves Makoto is beyond suspicion.
: So what, you're saying he wouldn't break the door in his own room?



: But if the only choice you have is to break it, you break it! There's nothing "bewildering" about it!



: You still don't see? Okay, then...
: Let's take another look at how the incident unfolded. Hopefully that will help you understand...

Kyoko said it was a "bewildering act". I almost didn't notice it at first, but...is that the key point here?



: From here on out, the number of weak spots will start going up. But no matter how many weak spots, there's essentially only one lie or contradiction in that debate. What I'm trying to say is, not all weak spots you see are necessarily false. Use a Truth Bullet on the wrong one, and not only will you fail to refute what they said, but you'll also lower your trust with everyone, and your Influence Gauge [Heart meter] will take damage. Now this is important, because if your Influence Gauge reaches zero, you fail. You'll have to rely on your own logic to determine which weak spots are actually lies or contradictions.







: The incident took place in Makoto's room. Sayaka was first attacked in the main room. She then fled into the bathroom.
: Then the killer ran after her... And they got into the bathroom.
: At that point, the killer had to try and bust down the door because Sayaka had locked it.
: And finally, the culprit had Sayaka cornered...
: And to finish the job, they stabbed her with the kitchen knife.
: It was y-you, wasn't it Makoto! A-Admit it! We already kn-know the answer!

It's not because the door was locked. No, there's a different reason entirely.

: We know that the bathroom doorframe doesn't fit the frame and just needs to be lifted while turning the knob.



Shoot "locked it" with "Bathroom Doorframe"









: The reason my bathroom didn't open wasn't because it was locked. After all, the girls' rooms are the only ones with locking bathrooms, right?



: Yes... Now that you mention it, that is true.
: Then...why didn't your bathroom door open...?
: Because it was stuck.
: Huh? What are you talking about?
: My bathroom door doesn't fit the frame quite right. Monokuma over there can testify to that.



: Yup! True as true can be! But ya know...you're supposed to be the Ultimate Lucky Student, right? But to have such a cruddy door...
: Puhuhu...! That's not lucky at all!





: So the reason the door didn't open was just because it was stuck. But the killer didn't know that, and assumed it was locked. So they tore apart the doorknob to get in.



: Okay, but then why would the killer even think the door was locked in the first place? Everyone should have known you can't lock any of the boys' bathrooms.
: The killer could easily make that mistake, thanks to one important detail about the scene of the crime...

The killer was convinced the bathroom door was locked... So they didn't know that the door actually *couldn't* be locked. In other words, the important detail about the scene of the crime that they didn't know was...



> The crime took place in my room



: The killer must not have realized that it was my room.
: What!? Are you saying the culprit didn't even know where he was? That's...inconceivable!
: And yet, he's absolutely right.



: SAYWHAAA!?



: Well, to be more specific... What the killer didn't know was that Makoto and Sayaka had switched rooms. Which is what led to the misunderstanding about the bathroom. If Sayaka had been in her own room, then...
: Then there would have been a lock on the door, and they would've had to break through...!



: So they had no idea how unnecessary their actions were...
: Ultimately, we can't know if it came open by force or simply by accident, but... The killer must have been considerable confused, with no idea how they actually got the door opened.
: Regardless, it was a pointless act. Wasting time trying to break down a door that wasn't locked is...
: ...definitely something I wouldn't do, since I would've known exactly why it wasn't opening. Right?



: That is...a definite possibility.
: So the killer would have to be someone who didn't know they'd switched rooms...?



: Then Makoto *c-couldn't* have done it...!

That's what I've been trying to tell you...



: Okay, then who *did* do it!?
: I'm sorry, but I give up! Quit without saving!
: But...what happens if we can't decide on who we think did it...?



: Well then, why don't we just vote right now? Majority rules!
: Majority rules? Do you really think that's a good idea...?



: Yeah! Our necks are on the line here! Someone seriously needs to do something. For serious...!
: Does no one have any other thoughts or questions? It does not matter how trivial they may seem...



: Oh! As a matter of fact, I do have one question!



: Oh...you...



: You don't gotta sound so disappointed!
: It's fine, it's fine, just ask your question!
: Oh yeah! Okay, so, umm... Well, I was just wondering, how'd the culprit get into Makoto's room in the first place?



: Hmm... Yes, how *did* the killer get inside?
: Maybe Sayaka just dropped the key somewhere and the culprit picked it up. That's possible, right?
: I don't think so. That seems way too convenient.



: Then...maybe someone picked the lock?
: Negative! If you remember, Monokuma made it quite clear that the locks are all unpickable.
: Fine, how about this? The killer got in the easy way.



: They could've knocked and said they wanted to talk or something, and Miss Maizono just...let 'em in!
: No, that can't be it, either.
: O-ho! Trying to argue against me? Sounds like someone doesn't know his place!



: Hello!? Why, exactly, can't that be it!?

Because she asked me to do something in particular, because of how frightened she was. That's the answer right there... There's no way Sayaka let someone in, because...



: We switched rooms with Sayaka because someone tried to break into her room and she got scared.



> Present "Switching Rooms



: Because Sayaka was already scared, remember? That's why she asked me to switch rooms in the first place.



: The same goes for you, Sayaka. No matter who it is, don't open your door for anyone.
: Even if I'm sure it's you, I absolutely won't open it. Otherwise, what's the point of even switching?



: Knowing what she'd been through, I just can't believe she would have opened the door for anyone.



: ...What if her being scared was a lie?
: Huh...?





: Wh-What the hell is that supposed to mean!? Why would she lie about something like that!?
: I know you don't want to consider it, but look at this and tell me...can you still deny the possibility?



"There's something I want to talk to you about, just us two. In five minutes, come see me in my room. Check the nameplates to make sure you don't get the wrong room, okay?"

: I found a notepad during my search, and I shaded in the top sheet with a pencil. And these are the words that appeared.



: Oh man, I've totally seen people do that on detective shows! When you write, it can leave an imprint. Sketch over the next sheet of paper, and you can see the words!
: When I saw that, I was like, "Holy crap! I better make sure I rip the paper out before I use it from now on!"
: It's a pretty old-fashioned technique, but even the classics can be surprisingly useful sometimes. Oh, and I should also mention...I found the notepad on the desk in Makoto's room.
: Huh?
: Which means, only someone who had been in Makoto's room before the incident could have written it.



: Then either it was Makoto, who lived there, or Sayaka, who switched rooms for a single night...
: So Makoto...did you write this?



: N-No, I didn't. But--



: Of course you didn't. Because the note also bears a perfectly legible signature--Sayaka's signature.

Then...that note... Sayaka wrote it...?



: B-But why? Why would she write that?
: The note was likely her way of getting in touch with a certain someone. She must have slid it under their door to let them know she wanted to meet with them in secret.
: If you got an invitation like that from the Ultimate Pop Sensation, what young man could resist?



: Of course, I'm only into 2D so it wouldn't have any effect on me!
: But can we be sure anyone even got this note? And honestly, even if they did, I do not think they are at all involved in what happened.
: Huh? What makes you say that?



: Hmhm... Would you like to hear what I have to say? Very well, then. Pay attention!