Part 31: The Sound of Silence

MUSIC: Mr. Monokuma's Lesson V3



Obviously, I know. Cuz I know everything.

What!? Know everything!?

No! Everything!

Daddy knows everything about anything. He basically traded his bearhood for godhood.

YES... HE-HAS-BETRAYED-HIS-URSINE-ANCESTORS.

Traded? No, I'm still obviously a bear. It is obvious, right? Right, you guys?

Ya sure ain't no fish! But ya damn sure smell like one!

Anyway, since I know everything, I'll give you the whole story later. Try your hardest to nab the culprit. And believe me, that's no lie. If I lied, it would shake the game to its very foundation. So trust me and please enjoy the class trial without any worries.

VIDEO: Class Trial #1, Post-Intermission





I dunno who the culprit is! But I'm not paying attention, so it's okay!

Yeah, but there's one thing we do know.

The line between victim and attacker ain't as clear as you might think.

...I suppose that's one lesson we can take away from this case.

I cut off the leg before the poison spread! By spring, flowers'll grow from the stump!

...



Say something already.

Your tongue-tied silence speaks volumes! I fuckin' knew you were the culprit!



Shuichi was with me the whole time we were on lookout.

When are you suggesting Shuichi killed Rantaro?

Were you really together the whole time?

Huh? What do you mean?



W-Well, I guess we weren't together the *whole* time...



I'll come with you!

No! You stay and keep watch, Kaede!





Don't become emotional. We must seek the truth in a calm and logical manner.

Or all our lives will be lost here.

I'm not being emotional here. I'm saying it with conviction!

Even if Shuichi did go to the basement, he couldn't have killed Rantaro because...











By the way... I wanna confirm one thing with you, Kaede.



Huh?



I'll set it carefully so the camera has a clear shot when mastermind moves the bookcase.

Let me take care of the security sensor on top of the bookcase... And we'll set the cameras near each door.



What about it...?

Did you actually check for yourself if the sensor was set on the bookcase, Kaede?

No, I didn't check...



A...A lie...?

...



But in actuality, he was holding it the whole time.

And when he met up with you, he secretly triggered the sensor...

...to make the security alarm go off.



I see! Sneaky little fucker!

...



I have to do something! I know for a fact that he's not the culprit!





Your Truth Bullets will disappear if they touch these lines, so think of them as obstacles.
Please time your Truth Bullets just right so they won't get interrupted by the white noise.
You can use the silencer with [X] to shoot down the white noise.
Now, why would you do that?
Because not only does that make it easier to shoot the right weak spots...
you will also get additional time. What a great deal!
Use it to your heart's content!



MUSIC: V3 Argument -BREAK-

VIDEO: Class Trial #1, Nonstop Debate #6





The security sensor was armed, but...





The sound Kaede heard came from...





So when Kaede heard the sensor go off...



Only an idiot could make that mistake!





That's right, and I should have evidence that proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt!



It's super unlikely that we got those exact shots if Shuichi did what Kokichi asserts he did.









KAEDE: We were only able to get it because the sensor was triggered by the hidden door!



...

Uhhh, I guess you're right. Sorry, I didn't think that far ahead.

You're giving up that easily!?



You speak as if you knew that from the start... Even I was taken in...



Now wait just a minute...



The security sensor was set up on the bookshelf, and Shuichi had its receiver...

However, Shuichi turned the receiver off.

Huh? How come?





And thanks to the 30 second interval, he's got time to go in after Rantaro.

He could have collected the sensor from the hidden bookcase after killing Rantaro.

I see. Then he caused the receiver to go off in front of Kaede to trick her.



It's certainly plausible, considering that Shuichi knew about the intervals.

Nyeh... How needlessly complicated... But I guess it's not impossible.

Then...Shuichi really is the culprit?







Shuichi...what's wrong? You're...not culprit, are you?

Hey, you gonna say anything? We'll all vote for you if you don't.







...

Why won't Shuichi say anything? Is there...a reason he won't say anything?...



To protect everyone, I need to take control of this debate.





Now, I know that sounds crazy... Telling a lie in a class trial?
But...sometimes telling a lie is necessary to reach the truth.
Oh, but don't worry. There are no lies in this tutorial.



Before, you had to refute the lies... But now, you'll have to lie yourself.
Doesn't that get your heart pumping?
Here's how it works. Select a Truth Bullet like normal Nonstop Debates...
But when you hold [TRIANGLE], the Truth Bullet will become a Lie Bullet with the opposite meaning.
Releasing [TRIANGLE] will shoot the Lie Bullet.
When you use a Lie Bullet to argue or agree with someone's statement...
It will become a Perjury, a statement that paints over the truth with lies.
While lying, your Influence Gauge will drain. A successful lie will restore it.
But if you miss with your Lie Bullet, you will take damage, so be careful!
Also, I've heard a rumor that there's a secret way to advance debates...
It's called a back route...
Let's just say that only those who lie well will be able to find it.



NEW MUSIC: V3 Argument -PERJURY-

VIDEO: Class Trial #1, Nonstop Debate #7





In previous games, holding [TRIANGLE] let you turn a weak point into a truth bullet. We're not doing that this game.



The security sensor was placed on the moving bookcase...







a picture was taken, without the alarm sounding.





And then, he grabbed the security sensor from the bookcase...

and returned to the lookout spot!

Afterward, he set off the receiver in front of Kaede on purpose...

to make her think the murder had just happened...



So Shuichi was just using Kaede...



If I can argue against that, everything should be okay...! I have to retake control! I have to tell a lie... so we can get closer to the truth!

Now, the influence drain makes it kind of risky to experiment with telling lies.



But game's good at letting you know when and how Perjury is required to proceed.





Oh hey, I got the V even though my focus ran out.





Forgot...?

To tell you the truth...it was me. I had the receiver.

...Huh?





If that is true, then the entire premise of the argument thus far is wrong...

Is this true, Kaede?



That'd only screw yourself over. If we mess up, you're dead too, y'know?

Or perhaps...you wanted to cover for Shuichi, even at the cost of your life.

...Huh?



Words from a true heartless robot! Emotions are only for meatbags!

That is a harmful stereotype. I can produce heartfelt remarks through calculations!

Like "less than three"? Those kinds of calculations?





Kehehe... I most certainly have, at least.



Kaede and Shuichi are pretty buddy-buddy with each other, so I wouldn't doubt that.

Plus, the way Kaede just acted right now, I'm preeetty sure she lied.



...

Well, what do you guys think? To believe or not to believe Kaede?

Umm...I do wanna believe Kaede, but Shuichi does seem pretty suspicious.

He has been strangely quiet for a while now... which is classic degenerate male behavior.

Nyeh... I agree.



So we all agree that Poo-ichi did it!? Then let's just vote already!



Umm...I agree. I sort of can't believe that Shuichi is the culprit.

Yeah, this ain't right!

I agree!



This is quite troublesome... It seems our opinions are on opposite ends.

How we supposed to decide? We're split right down middle...







So wait, your ears don't do anything!?



...Morphenomenal trial grounds?

The trial grounds are gonna morph!? Seriously!? I tooootally wanna see that!!!



We can't vote for Shuichi, because he's definitely not the culprit.

If we vote for him, all hope is lost... I won't be able to save everyone...

But I haven't lost hope yet! I won't give up!





At times like this, Debate Scrums are perfect!



Then, you argue your opinions against each other.
But look, everyone's so fired up, the subjects of your statements don't match.
That's not how you debate at all!



That's how you make a good debate!
Your side's subject keywords will be displayed, but your opponents' subjects won't be revealed yet.
Listen closely for the subject of your opponents' argument!
Before your opponent finishes their statement, find the same subject keyword with [D-PAD]...
And press [TRIANGLE] to argue the subject with the same keyword.
If you and your opponents' arguments match, then your opponents' keyword will be revealed!
And when all the statements match up...



Continuously tap the button displayed on the screen to push your opponent's claim out!
Don't get pushed back! Push their claim out for a Perfect Refutation.



NEW MUSIC: V3 Argument -SCRUM-

VIDEO: Class Trial #1, Debate Scrum









This is one of my favorite parts of the game. The buildup and the music to this minigame are both fantastic.





Oops! Looks like someone in localization forgot to take out this frame.







Heaven or hell? Let's rock!



The actual mechanics are a bit underwhelming in comparison, though. I never had any trouble with this part in any of the trials.



If you have any knack for diagramming sentences in your head, this'll be a piece of cake, espeically this early in the game.

Unlike Shuichi, I actually have an airtight alibi!

Kaede backed up Shuichi's alibi, didn't she?

With Kaede shouting people's names to tag them in, the presentation remains strong throughout.

Shuichi and Kaede weren't together the whole time, were they?

Both of them were together when the receiver went off.

If Shuichi had the receiver, it could have been disguised.

Kaede is the one who actually had the receiver!



This line is kind of a meme in the community, as I understand it.



Sadly not everyone gets to say something, and the participants will only go down as the difficulty goes up.





And a little button-mashing to see us home. This is the part of the video where my roommate started watching me play and I fucked up more than usual. It's fine.





And just like that, the trial ground's back to normal. Imagine everyone twiddling their thumbs waiting for their podiums to come back to the ground.

If we vote for Shuichi, we'll be making the wrong choice!

And if that happens... Everyone will be executed...



Kaede...

Yeah, it's just like Kaede said! Shuichi ain't the culprit!

Gonta believe in Shuichi, too! Gentlemen always believe in friends!



We've already exhausted all possible avenues of discussion...

No way. There has to be something else we can discuss. We just gotta think.



Huh?

Shuichi...even though you're not the culprit, you've been quiet for a while...

It's because you realized something, huh?





...

I thought so...

Shuichi...



Don't be scared to say it. Not just for me...but for everyone else.

Please...face the truth.

...



...Picture?

The picture from the camera aimed at the hidden door, just before the murder.



ANGIE: Hm? What's suspicious?

SHUICHI: If you look at the picture, it looks like Rantaro is trying to remove the camera... But that must mean he noticed the camera we set up.



I believe it was when the camera took its first picture.



SHUICHI: At that moment, something made him notice the camera.



SHUICHI: The sensor was triggered, and that's when this picture was taken.



You're confusin' everyone! Except me, of course! Just get to the fuckin' point!

I've been contemplating what it could be. Why did he notice the camera?



KAEDE: I see... Shuichi knows...







Nyeh? The flash?

Yes. The flash went off when the hidden door camera took a picture. Rantaro noticed the camera's flash.



Well, if you compare it to the other pictures that we have... Remember the pictures that were taken when I took down the cameras?







KAITO: Whoa! The brightness is totally different!

KEEBO: Same room, circumstance, and camera. And yet, there is a disparity in brightness...



What was the purpose of leaving the flash on? Especially since it was meant to be hidden...

A mistake, maybe?



That camera was placed for another reason.

Another reason, huh?











KAEDE: Rantaro moved the bookcase, noticed the flash, and then walked over to the camera. But the culprit didn't expect the camera to take another picture when the door closed.



What is it?

Is...something wrong? You've been acting...kinda strange.

...Strange?



Do you know who the culprit is!?

...



...Hm? Long time?

Because there was only one person able to set the flash on the camera.



...