"Let me begin with a simple explanation of the trial rules!" said Monokuma.

Didn't he explain this before in the E-Handbook? Regardless, if this is going to repeat every time we have a trial, I'd rather not listen.

Awkward silence ensues.

"What are you waiting for?" asks Monokuma.

"Let's start off with the body," says Yuuki. "Yuri told us that Hirohito was stabbed with a regular kitchen knife, correct?"

"He was," Yuri confirms.

"Didn't you have a knife like that, Yuri?" asks Chikara.

"No... I mean, I did, but I'm not the killer!"

"Hirohito was stabbed 35 times in the torso area, particularly the chest," Katsumi says, probably so that no one else jumps to conclusions. "And though there was a knife at the crime scene, do you remember Kodo announcing the second, missing knife?"

"It wasn't exactly missing. More like, freshly cleaned and in the sink where I didn't instantly see it," Kodo corrects.

"So that knife must've been the murder weapon, and not the one at the crime scene," states Reiko in Nitoru's voice. "What was the one at the crime scene for, then?"

"I think I dropped mine around that area just passing by," says Yuri.

"The one at the crime scene was possibly, coincidentally just Yuri's knife at the wrong position," Nitoru suggests.

"You're wrong!" I shout. "Clearly, we were all tricked by the killer when we saw Yuri's knife at the crime scene. It may have been recognizably the same size, nor would it match the wounds, but kitchen knives are kitchen knives, and at first sight, it'd seem like an obvious murder weapon, and Yuri would be an obvious killer, though too obvious for anyone to believe she was the actual murderer."

"What do you mean by, 'kitchen knives are kitchen knives'?" Nitoru asks. "You said earlier there's no need to state the obvious."

"Think about this. Although they are different sizes, they are both kitchen knives. You'd assume that knife was used until you either discovered the one in the kitchen, which was the case for me, Katsumi, and Kodo, or found out that it didn't match the stab wounds, which was the case for our coroner, Yuri."

"Here's a question I have," says Ikeru. "Why would the killer make it so obvious that that particular knife in the kitchen was used, of the five remaining ones?"

"During an investigation, you don't expect someone to suddenly walk into the kitchen, especially if they value their life. However, Kodo did exactly that, and thus, the real knife was discovered," says Yuuki.

"'Someone' is singular," says the girl in glasses.

"Aren't we all single," replies the Ultimate Archer.

"Besides, the killer only had as much time as the fire alarm and sprinkler system to dispose of any evidence," adds Hikari.

"That's wrong!" I reply. "The corpse was dragged, remember?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hikari responds.

"It means the murder didn't take place in Phoebe's room. The corpse could've easily been stored somewhere else."

"Speaking of Phoebe," says Katsumi. "It is possible to act like you were framed, and play the victim when you were the culprit in reality."

"What? No, that's impossible. She was clearly framed," says Riku. "You've got proof, don't you, Hayato?"

"You can't be that gullible, can't you see?" Katsumi responds. "Explain, if there was a fire in the dormitory, and the killer was wearing a bedsheet according to Phoebe's testimony, why do you think there wasn't any burnt, bloody, and wet bedsheet in the crime scene? There wasn't enough time for him or her to reach the laundry room."

"Maybe it was the ash on the floor?" suggests Natsuki.

"That was wood ash, wasn't it?" Chikara corrects.

"What if the bedsheet was hiding in plain sight?" Kudoko queries.

"I agree with that," I consent. "Where do you normally expect a bedsheet to be?"

"Don't fuck around, Ultimate Forensic Psychologist!" shouts Riku. "Are you stupid? The bed in Phoebe's dorm was completely intact, even the bedsheet!"

"Language, Riku," says Yuuki. "This is your first warning!"

"Does it look like I give a fuck?"

"I don't mean the bedsheet was in Phoebe's dorm. What if it was in the killer's dorm, a place we never bothered checking?"

"Well, then whose dorm is it?"

"That's what we're figuring out. But we can say that it's definitely not Phoebe's."

"Am I off the hook yet?" Phoebe asks.

"Objection!" shouts Takeshi. "Phoebe could just hide the bedsheet in another person's dormitory, right?"

"After all, we never checked the rooms near her but Hirohito's!"

"Or, it could've been inside somebody's trash can..."

"How 'bout this: Phoebe folded up her bedsheet, hid it under her jacket, and disposed of it in Hirohito's room when we went there!"

"Allow me to cut through those words!" I shout. "Remember, Phoebe's bed was completely intact, and even the bedsheet was present, just unmade — which further supports Phoebe's alibi."

"Besides... When I examined the corpse, the killer appeared to be either left-handed or ambidextrous. I've noticed Phoebe's right handed," Yuri adds.

"Alright, then. So if Phoebe's not the killer, who is?" asks Kodo.

"I think we can get one step closer to the answer by discussing how and where the murder may have happened," I state.

"We already know the murder weapon was the one in the kitchen..." says Yuri.

"And, it definitely didn't happen in Phoebe's room..." Yuuki adds.

"If the corpse was dragged..." says Ikeru. "Then it's obvious that the killer did it in his or her dorm."

"I think the blood suggests it was dragged from one of the rooms behind Phoebe's," Katsumi shares.

"I consent with that idea!" I declare. "That eliminates multiple possible rooms, however all of us can still commit murder in another's dormitory."

"According to the map presented on the E-Handbook, that means it could either be Natsuki, Reiko, Chikara, Hikari, Hirohito, or Riku's room," states Phoebe.

"You're not suggesting that Hirohito killed himself, are you?" Kodo responds.

"Have you been listening? Excuse me, we have already previously stated that it's the place the murder really happened, and not the actual murderer's room," Katsumi refutes.

"You are right, Katsumi... But you are kind of wrong, too. Same for Kodo," I say.

"Hmm?"

"It's possible that the culprit used Hirohito's room just to throw us off and confuse us, but with the evidence found, no."

"Oh! By evidence, do you mean the notebook?" says Reiko in Yuri's voice.

"The notebook?" Natsuki repeats. "How's that gonna help?"

"Well, if we look at what Hirohito's routine would've been like, I don't think he spent much time in his room," I say.

"Prolly because he's been spending his whole days checking out what's inside the girls' bathrooms!" says Takeshi.

That's one way to put it...

"Wait, I think I got it," says Yuuki. "If you remember Phoebe's room key, I think Hirohito was the one who stole it so that there'd be some commotion and so he could sneak into Phoebe's room at the same time."

"And?" responds Nitoru.

"Well, if the notebook suggests that Hirohito was spying on everyone, don't you think the murder killed in his or her own room while Hirohito tried to sneak inside?"

"Wait. How does that connect with Phoebe's room key?" asks Yuri.

"I think the killer stole Phoebe's room key from Hirohito as he entered their room," Yuuki explains, clearly stressing out Katsumi. "That also gave the culprit an extra advantage in relocating the corpse."

"Makes sense," says Kodo.

"We didn't check who the last one in that notebook was, did we?" asks Kudoko. "Because all this's making sense to me, and if I got what y'all are saying right, then whoever the last person was on Hirohito's notebook would be the killer!"

"We didn't," replies Nitoru, annoyed. "Is this the end of us? Is this Monokuma robot really gonna be the end of us? I always knew this'd happen!"

"Well, I had a feeling this'd happen," I admit. "When we started reading Hirohito's notebook, I knew I wouldn't have enough time to memorize every detail, so I brought it here with me — that's not against the rules, is it, Monokuma?"

"Only one piece of evidence is allowed in the trial ground at a time— and, I will not allow murder weapons, large objects, or corpses, understood? That rule has now been added to your handbooks."

"So the notebook's fine," I say with a sigh of relief. "Let's invade Hirohito's privacy, just as he invaded ours."

"You were the first one, right?" says Yuuki.

"Yep, I was, followed by Kodo. On pages 3 and 4 are Natsuki and Ikeru. The 5th is Katsumi... And the 6th has a name, but no details about the room, and the rest are all blank pages."

"Wait, so the notebook already has the name of our culprit?" asks Hikari.

"That's right. That would also be the sixth name written here."

"So? Who is the sixth person?" asks Chikara.

"The sixth person, who is also most likely the blackened of this case..." I say. "Is you, Hikari Himura, the Ultimate Pyrotechnician!"