Part 60: Do You Believe in Magic?

Tragedy strikes during Himiko's magic show, and Ryoma is killed. Shuichi must now complete the new trial to fulfill Kaede's wish.



Thanks to how often I've replayed sections of this game to get footage, I'm a bit overleveled for this point in the game. We also have a new haul thanks to how many friends we've made, as well as the casino.

Envious Influence (Debate Type, 8 slots)
Increases maximum influence a lot. Effective during all parts of the class trial. Can't be combined with Attentive Influence.

Menacing Focus (Debate Type, 8 slots)
Increases maximum focus a lot. Effective during all parts of the class trial. Can't be combined with Extraordinary Focus.

Tranquility (Debate Type, 16 slots)
Makes the reticle stop shaking. Effective during Nonstop and Mass Panic Debates. Can't be combined with Cool and Composed.

Laser Beam (Debate Type, 8 slots)
Increases the speed of fired Truth Bullets. Effective during Nonstop and Mass Panic Debates.

Trigger Happy (Debate Type, 8 slots)
Decreases the delay after using Truth Bullets or Truth Blades. Effective during Nonstop, Mass Panic, & Rebuttal Showdown.

Machine Gun (Debate Type, 8 slots)
Makes the Silencer fire rapidly. Effective during Nonstop and Mass Panic Debates. Can't be combined with Shotgun or Grenade.

This is the demo freebie skill. I'm gonna try out new silencer modifiers for each trial.

Point Blank (Debate Type, 8 slots)
Allows the [TOUCHPAD] to be used to destroy white noise. ls effective during Nonstop and Mass Panic Debates.

Initial A (Hangman's Gambit Type, 6 slots)
The first letter will be filled in from the beginning. Effective during Hangman's Gambit Ver3.0.

Zanbato (Refute Type, 6 slots)
Increases the size of slashes. Effective during Rebuttal Showdowns.

Beat Heaven (Argument Armament Type, 6 slots)
Makes the beats easier to hit. Effective during Argument Armament.

Librarian's Glare and Clear Mind deal with new mechanics we'll see shortly. I don't want to spoil those now. On to the clue review:









































VIDEO: Class Trial #2, Opening Statements



















Um... The person who's most suspicious is—



Because the murder happened during the magic show, the culprit can only be—



Tenko! Why are you interrupting me? We can't have a good trial if you talk over me.

Huh? I'm not interrupting you. Whatever you have to say is probably worthless anyway, cuz all males wanna talk about is S-E—





Hey! Angie, how can you accuse Himiko!?



Um... I'm just telling you what Atua is telling me.

He is using His divine knowledge to show us the way to survive...



Screw Atua! That guy's got nothing on me!



But it does point to Himiko being the most suspicious.

Ryoma died during Himiko's magic show.

His body appearing in the water tank leads one to think the escape trick played a part.



N-No, that's wrong... The Underwater Escape...wasn't a trick.



That's not the part you need to deny! You gotta tell us you're not the culprit.

Magic, huh? That's so cool... What a mysterious miracle.





It's true, though. Himiko used The Underwater Escape trick to kill Ryoma.

But I still don't have a clue how Himiko did the trick...

Th-There's no trick... That...really was magic.

Y'know, maybe it really *was* magi—





I get that you want to defend her, but that might be a bit much...

As I expected, the others suspect Himiko...



I can't let this case get derailed by misunderstandings.



VIDEO: Class Trial #2, Nonstop Debate #1

MUSIC: V3 Argument -PERJURY-







The culprit used the Underwater Escape trick...

to pull off a sneaky switcheroo with Ryoma.

After that, the time ran out...





Eaten to bone by piranhas...

Savage way to go.

No, that's wrong!

The Underwater Escape was no trick! It's magic!

We heard ya the first time, titless! No one cares!



That is a fact, but that doesn't mean it was the cause of death...



Once more, we get an easy one to start us off. Easy unless you want the V-point, anyway, since it swings offscreen and doesn't give you much time to get a bead on it.









So it wasn't the piranhas, then. He was drowned.

Oooohhh, I see. I haven't checked the Monokuma File yet, so that's news to me.

Y-You lying, little brat! Telling lies is what turns you into a degenerate male!

Hehe, so what?



No, Himiko only had 60 seconds to escape from the tank...

Even if they changed places at the start of the show, that's insufficient time to drown someone.

If that is the case, then when did he drown?

When did Ryoma drown? It was obviously...







Kehehe... Agreed.



KIYO: To be precise, he made no movements whatsoever. Yes... By that point, he had already joined the ranks of the dead.



Hidden...where?

The culprit would have had to hide the body near the tank, and then show it during the act.

Easier said than done!

Was there a place on stage where the culprit could've hid the body?



Himiko...why won't you just explain it to us?

Cuz it's magic.

Y'know, maybe it really *was* magi—

Shut up.





We should let him vent. After all, it's tough being the man of the house.

Man...we gotta figure out how the trick works to find where the body was hidden.

But Himiko does not wish to tell us how she performed her act.



So...not real magic?

No, it was real magic.





Aren't incantations usually more, um...comp|icated than that?



If we can't figure that out, this case is going nowhere.

VIDEO: Class Trial #2, Nonstop Debate #2

MUSIC: V3 Argument -BREAK-





How did Himiko escape the water tank?

Maybe she just climbed out and no one noticed.

Nah, she definitely would've been caught.



The curtain covering the tank was certainly suspicious.

What about that square pane of glass we found in the tank?

Maybe the tank had a secret hatch?

It must be real magic!





And one of 'em was Tsumugi in disguise!

Hey! My costumes aren't "disguises."



If I remember my investigation, there was some trick to the tank...



Good thing the game didn't make us search the thing by hand.







I see, so it did have one.

That's right. I discovered a similar tank in Himiko's lab.







Hm? What do you mean?

Hmph! And you don't even know why you're wrong, either! Typical degenerate male!



VIDEO: Class Trial #2, Rebuttal Showdown #1

MUSIC: V3 Argument -BLADE LOCK-







doesn't have anything to do with Himiko's escape! She didn't use an escape hatch!









What makes you so sure she didn't?



This one moves almost too fast for you to listen to her and get the full combo at the same time.

the water would have gushed out with her!



That wouldn't be magical at all!

The whole trick would be ruined!

With that outta the way, I'm gonna punch you!



But that's exactly why there was a second step to this trick... If I figure out why the hatch was in that exact spot, I'll know the answer!



There was something covering that spot, and water nearby, too.







The staircase that was attached to the water tank.





SHUICHI: Meaning, the water tank was connected to the inside of the staircase.



Knowing that, it's clear how Himiko made her escape from underwater.



SHUICHI: ...allowing Himiko to enter the staircase from the hatch undetected. Any water that spilled out would've simply funneled into the staircase.

TSUMUGI: So how do you get out from the staircase?



SHUICHI: It's placed so that the water would not drain from the staircase.

KEEBO: In which case, a person could exit and leave water inside the staircase.





KAITO: So when Himiko came out from the stairs, her wet clothes dripped water all over!





Judging from Himiko's reaction, you hit it right on the bull's-eye!

But...Himiko's clothes should've been wet when she left the water tank...





O-Of course. That's cuz my Underwater Escape wasn't a trick... I-It was magic.

No, magic had nothing to do with why her clothes weren't wet...



One answer seems more thorough and plausible than the others.



...It's because she changed her uniform.

The dormitory is stocked with uniforms. Did you hide one behind the stage in advance?

Nyeh... Nyeeeh!

I remember seeing Himiko go to the gym this morning, carrying a uniform and a towel.





I see. She had a towel, too. She may not have had time to fully dry her hair...

But her short hair and hat ensured we were none the wiser.



Huh? Like a duck?

Himiko... C'mon. Give it up already.

...



It's just like you said. The water tank and staircase both have mechanisms.

...So I was correct.

B-But that doesn't mean I used them!





Now that we understand how the trick was performed, let us move on.

Yes, let us proceed. Where did the culprit hide Ryoma's body?

From our discussion earlier, his body could have been in the space inside the staircase.

But that's where Himiko would escape from, right?



That seems unlikely. There isn't enough space for two people to fit in there.

Yeah, the stairs are pretty cramped. It'd be hard to fit even Ryoma and Himiko in there.

Who says they went in together? She could've made the switch as she was leaving the tank.









Who else but Himiko could've done it?



Ughhh... Angie, you spent more time with Himiko than any of us, so why are you accusing her!?

You may think you're protecting Himiko, but what if she really is the culprit?

We'll all die, and it will be all your fault. Atua will lose precious devotees.

...Are you okay with that, Tenko?



What...?

I don't care what anyone says!



...

I *want* to believe in her, no matter what! If I can't do that, then I'd rather just die!



Next time, find out why we won't get rid of Tenko that easily.