NO, THAT’S WRONG!

-Huh, what’s wrong about it, Memopo?

-N-Nothing’s actually wrong, but, it’s peculiar…  which kitchen did you go to..?

-Oh, the orange kitchen, of course. Why are you asking me something like that?

-…! Huh?! Nia, what the heck?! – Maki refuted. Yeah, it’s strange, because… – The green kitchen that has the tea! I know this because I made some tea for Hajime before!

-The green kitchen, you say..? But I entered the orange kitchen, and there was tea. I prepared some tea for myself, and entered the garden.

-The garden, huh? – Hm? Maisake is onto something… – And what was the place that you were saying that it was locked?

-Oh, of course, the-… Oh, I see. Maisake, Memopo. Are you both accusing me of killing little poor Shiroga Nesumi?

-W-WHAAAAAAAAT?!

-N-Nia Tsukiyama killed S-Shiroga Nesumi?!

-H-HUH?! T-Tsu’s the culprit?! N-No way! It can’t be Tsu! 

-Exactly, Hoshi. It’s obvious that I couldn’t have killed Shiroga.

-Obvious? Why’s that?

-Because what I just said was a lie to make you confess.

…H-Huh..?!

…What? Is this… some kind of joke? Why would you lie about something like that..? So sudden.

-…Nia..? What are you talking about?

-Memopo, you should stop your act. It’s so obvious that you were faking everything and honestly? Congratulations, you fooled everyone else. 

-H-Huh?! What are you even talking about?!

-M-Memopo… also lied?!

-Yes, Memopo is a big liar, so I decided to play her little game. But you just fooled yourself. And I have proof. Did you hear me?

-I have proof that you’re the one who killed Shiroga.

-H-Huh..?! What are you talking about?! Please explain yourself!

-Shiroga’s dying message. It’s so simple, yet so cruel. Am I right? – Shiroga’s dying… oh no. Did she fall for that? – 

-Shiroga’s… dying message?! What is it?!

-Inside the storeroom, behind the box around Shiroga’s body, there was a message, written with blood. “Me-mo-po”. Shiroga, on her last moments, oh poor Shiroga, probably trying to save Zeto and the others from the Execution, wrote the killer’s name, to help the innocent ones be saved from execution, and live another day.

-Very, very poetic, don’t you think?

-T-Then… T-the one who actually killed Shiroga was–

-N-No! that’s wrong! That’s definitely wrong! I couldn’t have killed Shiroga! I was knocked out, remember?

-Oh, please, that’s just a lie, isn’t it? And you were the closest one to the storeroom, too. You could’ve planned everything and then used your fainted act.

-I-I’m not a great actor! I didn’t kill her! There’s also a lot of proof that points to that message being fake! 

-Oh, there is? Well, can you please tell me, actress? I’m dying to know. 

-Well…

IT’S THE POWER OF MAGIC!

First, the way it was written! It was like she went on her knees just to write my name in blood! It’s not possible, since she was already struggling with the killer!

IT’S THE POWER OF MAGIC!

-Then, her hands as well! The closest hand to that message was almost 100% clean! There wasn’t any blood on her hands expect the front! 

-The only way she could’ve written this message was at the verge of dying, with her left hand, full of blood, but that hand was way too far from the box!

-And your point is, exactly..?

-W-Well?! All those details were proof that I’m not the killer! And there’s also the fact that we confirmed that the thermostat existed! You may have not felt it, but I did!

-…That is… a lot of proof, actually. Hehe.

-W-What?! What are you laughing about?

-Actually, Nia, you just suddenly jumped at Memopo after she refuted your words. Are you sure that you’re not the culprit?!

-…Huh? Me? Hehe, you’re making me angry now, Memopo and Makoto.

-Yeah… it… it makes sense now! You may have been lying about the closed doors after all! Since you’re the only one that said something about it!

-No, of course not. Why would I lie about something like that in the first place?

-Because it makes sense! You just lied about your alibi just to pin this crime on me! You probably don’t even have an alibi in the first place!

-Yeah, Nia. That was really sudden, out of nowhere and not you, that’s definitely not you

-…Alright, that’s enough. Me?! Lying? What are you talking about, Memopo? – H-Huh?! S-She’s angry out of nowhere, too?! – 

-W-Wah! T-Tsu?! What’s wrong?!

-I may be a serious and relaxed person, that’s for sure.

-But I won’t let a magician tell me I’m lying about facts! You’re the one that could’ve been lying!

-S-So… you’re the one that killed Shiroga… am I right?

-Pfft. Haha. Of course not! Are you really jumping into conclusions just because I made a pretty little lie? You’re making me laugh, really.

-It’s because you’re definitely not acting like yourself right now! You just yelled at me even though I had evidence!

-Evidence? What evidence? A missing thermostat isn’t enough, Memopo. You need solid evidence that you’re not the culprit, not just something without sources.

-Huh?! You’re the one without sources! All the evidence that you told me was probably another lie, and since you lied in a place like this, I’m sure that you could lie again just to protect yourself.

-P-Pfft. Hahaha, Hehe! Oh my, why are you worked up, now? I do have a great sense of humor, you know that. And you’re making me laugh. But it doesn’t make sense. If I’m the one without sources, your sources are just “I think”s.

-T-Tsu.. did you really..?! Did you really kill Shiroga?!

-Haha! Hahaha! Of course not, oh my. Hoshi, please, don’t listen to her. I literally told you the proof that I’m not the killer.

-Then why? Why are you being so difficult? It was so sudden and out of nowhere! It’s literally so strange and you’re just being a disgraceful and rude person! 

-…Admit it, already. Did you murder Shiroga or not, Nia Tsukiyama, the Ultimate Psychologist?

-…………

-…Pffft.

-H-Huh?! What are you–

-Pffft. Hahaha…. Hahahaha… 

-T-Tsu?! H-Hey? What’s wrong?! Tsu?! Tsu?!

At that point… she… just started laughing. She started to laugh, and laugh, and laugh… I couldn’t understand. But suddenly…

-Hahahaha… Ahahahah.. hehehe… hehehe… ahahahaha!!! O-Oh my god..! I can’t even– AHAhahahaHaHaAhAHah!! I can’t breathe! AHAHAHAHAhahAHAhaaHAahAha!!

-I-Is she alright?! W-What’s wrong with–

.

.

.

.

.

Oh my god, you make me laugh so much! Hahaha! That imbecile… They didn’t do anything that they were supposed to do! Isn’t that just stupid?! I might as well just do the next murder on my own!

Nia… took out her braids… and stopped laughing. It was… kinda scary. What’s wrong with her? She wasn’t like that before. That’s not her personality at all.!

-N-Nia?! What’s wrong with you? You’re not like that! What are you talking about?!

-Hehe… that was a good laugh. Oh, I see, I see. Memopo, I do understand your argument, now. You’re definitely not the culprit. Hehe, thank you so much, you helped me calm down for a while.

-W-Who were you talking to? Who’s that “imbecile”..?

-Oh? The one who killed Shiroga of course. Who else could it be?

-…W-What? The one… who killed… Shiroga?

-Yes, after all, it was all part of my plan. I said before that I had one, remember? But everything went downhill when they came to me, crying about killing someone. It was pathetic.

-…A part… of your plan..? You… made a plan… to kill Shiroga?!

-Heh, not kill, of course not, heavens! I’m not a brutal edgy assassin. I really was laughing before because that silly discussion was just hilarious. I just wanted what it was important to me. You know, the motive.

-H-Huh?! – I… I can’t believe it… – S-So… so you know the culprit?! You know who the culprit is?!

-W-Waaaaah?! W-Why didn’t you just tell us? It would’ve spared us for so much despair..!

-Because I wanted to escape, of course. I was only after the key, but after… that imbecile. Came to me, crying, yelling, shaking, about killing Shiroga… I used that to my advantage.

-It was all part of my plan, they would knock her out, get the key, and bring it to my dorm room. But then they… decided to kill her. Freaking stupid.

-B-But… how?! How did you know that she had the key? I told her to hide it inside her bathroom!

-And… I checked her bathroom. She was so desperate, I felt the jackpot coming. So I checked it, found it, and left her dorm without her suspecting anything. It was at the night when I inspected everyone’s dorms. 

-S-So… you saw your talent as a psychologist.. as an opportunity to find the key?! 

-Yes, exactly. For an unlucky student, she was kinda lucky. At least for a while, hehe.

-H-How cruel can you be?! And how did someone agree with your plan?! It’s just… so wrong! 

-..Huh? It’s simple, isn’t it? You remember my talent, right? Oh wait, OH, that’s right, that’s right! I never told you guys something that I received from Hope’s Peak. It was right before the field trip, too.

-S-Something… from Hope’s Peak..? Inside this shopping mall..? 

-Of course not, you dumb-dumb. I was gonna let you guys know if our field trip actually happened. But then, well, let me explain.

-Well, I am a psychologist, sure. For a long time, I prepared myself to be the next generation of psychologists in my family. But… I needed something more than just a psychology title. I needed something more… unique. Everyone can be a psychologist.

-So… W-What happened?

-It’s obviously not the focus of this trial, but… I do have some special interests in Hypnotism. 

-H-Huh?! T-Then, that pendulum in my dorm room..!

-Yup, it was yours. I really just wanted it because it made me remind my true passion. Hypnotherapy.

-T-Then… what you’re saying is…

-Yes. After a while, Hope’s Peak agreed that I deserved more than just a Psychologist title. I studied, studied a lot. I finally understood how manipulate humans feelings.

-M-Manipulate..?

-Of course, Hypnosis isn’t real. The real part is about manipulating someone to understand your point, trying to get them on your side. A good weapon in the psychology world.

-So yeah, I can’t control minds or anything, I’m not a goddess, I just made the killer understand my point, that we should escape this place together. But it seems like… they exaggerated. Honestly? I should’ve expected that, from someone so weak.

-But anyway, I know who the killer is. Of course, Hope’s Peak didn’t gave me the title as the Ultimate Hypnotherapist for nothing. I can manipulate people’s minds to do what I want them to do. To think what I want them to think. I always used this in the good way, but honestly, in a place like this, I really needed to escape. No matter what.

-U-Ultimate Hypnotherapist..?! R-Right before the field trip.. too?! 

-S-So… you’re saying that… you’re… not the killer, but you helped the killer..?

-Yes. Memopo, yes. I do know who the killer is.. Hehe, don’t get me wrong, after this stupid error that they made, I won’t protect them anymore. Of course, knowing them, they wouldn’t protect me either. I just wanted to escape, but alas, let’s keep on going. 

-………

-………

-Hehe, this trial felt weak, all of sudden, what’s wrong everybody? Scared that someone betrayed you guys, again? We already knew that this killer was a weak, pathetic person after all!

Nia… got the Ultimate Hypnotherapist title… a few days before our field trip… and now… she used it for her advantage. 

Shiroga… is dead. The killer is still inside this court room. And now… We have two people to worry about.

When did we all go wrong..? She said that she won’t stop us from finding the killer but… The killer… was manipulated.

But still… one of us… killed her… this is so horrible! Why? Even though she was a psychologist… was she as desperate as Chokakku..?

She was a psychologist but… this is too far… She called me an actress but… she acted even more than this culprit.

…What should I do now? The killer… is one of us. Manipulated… by the words of a Hypnotherapist.

…This is so horrible… I… I just wanted a normal field trip… I… I wanna go home… I… Nia… Shiroga… Zeto… Killer… what were you guys thinking..?

…Well, at least now I’m definitely sure that I’m not a good leader.

@Druwcapa – 2019 – Chapter 1 – First Class Trial –