(Jeremiah's POV)
We began to investigate for clues. I asked Naegi about his thoughts on Hagakure being the killer. "Well, I don't think that's possible," he said. "You see, if Hagakure did kill both Hifumi and Kiyotaka, then the costume he was in would've gotten blood on it."
I nodded, "Let's also take notice that his costume seems to limit his maneuverability. So, he couldn't have moved the bodies either." We watched as Hagakure struggled with getting out of the costume.
Chihiro was talking with Celestia and I overheard their discussion, "It was awful. Yamada and I were conversing in the arcade, then Hagakure barged in. He was wearing that ridiculous costume and started attacking Yamada. I even took a photo of the event."
She managed to get a photo of Hagakure attacking her and Hifumi? This might be important to remember. I continued to listen to her testimony, but started to wonder about Hagakure's story. I walked over to him and asked for his side of the story. "Hagakure? Can you tell me what happened to you?"
"Sure, brah. You see, I got this note saying that someone might have found a way out. It told me to meet up at the arcade, so I went. When I got there, somebody shoved a piece of cloth in my face and it put me to sleep!" He told me. Somebody used chloroform on him? Probably from the Nurse's Office. "I was out for a while, but then woke up in this dumb suit inside the locker! You don't really believe that I did this, do ya?" Hagakure wondered.
I shook my head, "It's too early for me to say. However, I do think someone might be framing you." He leaned in for a hug, but I stepped to the side and he fell over. Chihiro ran up to me and I nodded to him.
"J-Jeremiah! Have you found anything?" He asked.
I smiled, "Yeah. I got Hagakure's testimony." I then folded my arms, "So, who do you think did it, Chi?"
He flinched, "H-huh?"
"The culprit. Who do you think it is?" I clarified.
He began to ponder, "W-well...there's lots of evidence that points to Hagakure, but something doesn't add up."
"How so?"
"W-well...I-I believe this is too well thought out. I mean, the k-killer was so focused on the plan, they overlooked some details."
I smiled, "Keep this up Chi and you'll be replacing Kirigiri and Naegi in the detective department." Chi blushed and laughed nervously. I couldn't help but smile.
Naegi walked up to us, "Hey guys. Got any clues?"
I nodded, "Just a couple testimonies. How about you?"
"A washed wooden hammer, a note from Hagakure, and a couple of empty blood bags." He listed.
Blood bags? Why were there em--Oh. Oh! Crafty. Very crafty. "Nice. I think I know who actually did it!" I exclaimed. Naegi and Chihiro wanted to know who, but Monokuma called everybody down for the trial. "I'll tell you guys at the trial." We hurried to the elevator and waited to reach our destination. Once we arrived, we got to our spots and waited for Monokuma to start us off.
"Okay, you all know what to do. Talk among each other to find the killer." Monokuma stated.
"Well, it's clearly obvious who did it!" Asahina yelled.
"'Kay, I'll just fade into the background then." Monokuma deadpanned.
"I agree. Not only does he lack a credible alibi for murder and/or body snatching, he was caught in the locker wearing the cosplay in question. That's you, Yasuhiro Hagakure." Celeste commented.
"I'm tellin' ya, it wasn't me!!" Hagakure pleaded.
"Oh give it a rest! Yamada said your name with his last breath!" Asahina countered.
Hagakure was losing it, "Sonuva--So what?! I was in La-la land the whole time, remember?!"
"SHUT YOUR LIE-HOLE, MURDERER!!" Syo yelled.
Hagakure became angry, "Dude! Like you're one to judge!"
Celeste brought out a box filled with stuff, "Order please! Much though it pains me to say so, further evidence has been uncovered." Naegi and I looked towards her. Hold on...something's wrong. She continues, "Highly suggestive items were found in your room. Together, these parts and blueprints speak for themselves. The soothsayer is-without a doubt- our murderer."
"No, that's incorrect!" Naegi refuted. "It can't be established that he wrote those blueprints himself"
"You have something to share?" Celeste asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do!" Naegi said. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "This is the note Hagakure wrote me earlier today. Look closely, compare the handwriting. They don't match up!"
"He likely changed styles to cover his tracks." Celeste countered.
I shook my head, "That's impossible."
Hagakure chimed in, "My writing's barely legible as it is!"
"There's something else. After killing Ishimaru, the killer used the flat-bed cart to move the body. We can deduce this much by the blood on the wheels. But, the Justice Robo costume doesn't bend at the waist. Meaning, Hagakure couldn't operate the cart while wearing it." I added.
Byakuya folded his arms, "I see. So Hagakure was indeed subdued and stuffed into the outfit as he maintains. Ergo, not our culprit."
Hagakure began cheering, "Naegi, Jeremiah, bros! Thanks! I owe you guys big!"
"Hold on a second." Asahina interjected, "What about the pic Celestia has about Justice Robo attacking Yamada?"
"Exactly, Hagakure couldn't have accomplished that unconscious." Sakura added.
"You both raise a fine point. With photographic evidence, he's still our only plausible suspect." Celestia pondered.
"Wait! Don't shrug 'em off!" Hagakure pleaded.
"Yes, we're jumping the proverbial gun here. It'd be crucial to weigh all possibilities carefully. Too much is still in question." Kirigiri agreed.
Celestia sighed, "If Hagakure's innocent, then we have no other choice. There's two other people who lack an alibi for the murders. I'm afraid that's you, Chihiro and Kirigiri. One of you must be the perpetrator."
I was stunned at the accusation, but Kirigiri was not, "A fair assumption, but ask yourself whether, even with the flat-bed cart, girls our size would be capable of moving Yamada."
Syo began to dance, "A girl the size of the ogre would be!"
"Yeah, but the ogre was on the second floor at the time, wasn't she?" Hagakure asked.
I glared at the two, "Keep the unnecessary name-calling to yourselves, now." They went stiff, but nodded.
"Only one person could have managed it." Kirigiri said. "Consider the possibility that Yamada simply moved himself." She shocked almost everyone, "As in, he walked up the stairs of his own volition."
"But that would mean he...would've been alive the entire time!" Sakura stated.
"No. I'm afraid that doesn't make a lick of sense." Celestia disagreed.
"What precisely contradicts my theory?" Kirigiri challenged. It's probably best if I didn't get involved right now.
"The timing of the corpse announcement for one. It played during the exact time Yamada was found the first time, in the Nurse's Office."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't Yamada and Ishimaru found within moments of each other?"
"So Monokuma cut corners by making an announcement that cover both discoveries." Celeste stated.
Monokuma became offended, which stopped him from eating his pancakes, "I do not cut corners, young lady! One, count 'em one, announcement per corpse! According to protocol!"
Celeste gave in, "Fine. Discounting their obvious change in position, nothing on either bodies indicated movement. Nor is Yamada a good enough actor to play possum so convincingly."
Chihiro jumped in, "You're leaving something out!"
Celeste remained unfazed, "By all means, what detail have I missed?"
Chihiro took a deep breath and began, "When we first found Yamada's body, his glasses were dripping with blood. It's an image that stayed with me. But, when he turned up in the Art Supply room, his glasses were clean."
I aided him, "He must've wiped them off to see where he was going. That's the only explanation."
Asahina was confused, "Where'd the blood come from in the first place?"
Byakuya answered her, "It's simple. There's an emergency stash in the Nurse's Office, presumably for transfusions. He, have certainly, had access."
Syo scoffed, "Sounds like Tubby McFat-a** got kinda overzealous applyin' the realism ruse. Ha! What a noob!"
Celeste looked at everyone, "And no one saw him when he was on the move?"
"Now that I consider it," Sakura began. "While tracking down the bodies, Asahina and I noticed the Art Supply room was locked. That door can only be locked from the inside, so somebody had to be in there. All else being as you say, it must have been Yamada. He had probably just moved Ishimaru."
"That's so creepy!" Asahina commented.
"Indeed, and as it happens, I have hard evidence to back up Ogami's assumption. This scrap of paper *shows small piece of paper* was in Ishimaru's hand. It matches the tear pattern on this letter that was stuffed in Yamada's...unmentionables."
Sakura and I were shocked at how thorough Kirigiri could be, "What were you doing in there?!"
Syo was impressed, "You went trouser-fishing?!"
"Yes, yes, whatever. Look closely at the letter." Kirigiri stated.
"Hey, that looks exactly like the one I got!" Hagakure said.
"So, Ishimaru knew that piece of paper could be vital evidence, but it led to his death. So, Yamada stuffed the letter where he thought no one would find it." I summarized.
"In his tighty-whities!" Syo shouted.
Chi became confused, "But, what about the other times we saw Celeste and Yamada? They had different numbered hammers."
I nodded, "I think the culprit was trying to throw us off. You see, Celeste was injured with Justice Robo hammer #1..."
Naegi chimed in, "And Yamada was injured with Justice Robo hammer #2..."
Chi started thinking, "A-and we found Ishimaru was k-killed by Justice Robo hammer #3..."
"...then Yamada was "killed" by Justice Robo hammer #4. So, what about the second time we found him dead?" Togami questioned.
"Naegi said he found a washed wooden hammer in the Art Supply room. So, let's call that Justice Robo hammer #5. Yamada was probably an accomplice, but accomplices don't graduate. So, the culprit hired Yamada and then double-crossed him." I answered.
Before anyone could say something, Monokuma announced, "Time's up, buckaroo's! So, who was the real culprit? Who was heartless enough to get Ex-Hall Monitor slaughtered and iced Blubber Butt when his usefulness ran out?"
No! Not when we were getting so close! Everyone was crestfallen. "Shoot. Just when we were getting close to finding the killer." Asahina said.
"I believe it to be our dear programmer, Chihiro Fujisaki." Celeste accused. She made Chi freeze and clutch his skirt.
"What?! We already proved it couldn't be her!" Asahina exclaimed.
"No, we proved that she couldn't have moved the flat bed cart. However, even a weak, small girl could still be a criminal mastermind." Celeste pointed out.
"S-stop it." Chi mumbled
"Celestia, I would retract that accusation if I were you." I demanded.
"Oh? Has she been pulling the wool over your eyes, too? It would make sense, since you are basically her bodyguard."
"S-stop." Chi said, louder.
"Hm? What did you say? If you are going to say something, then speak up. Enough of your weak-willed mumbling." Celeste ordered.
Something inside Chi had finally snapped, "I...I said....I said 'stop it'!! I am tired of always being weak! I'm tired of hiding behind people! I AM TIRED OF BEING CALLED 'SHE'!!!"
Naegi was taken aback, "F-Fujisaki?! What are you--"
"I didn't kill Yamada. I didn't have an accomplice. Jeremiah's not my bodyguard, he's my friend!! So, to prove it to you all, I have something to confess." Chi took a deep breath, "Everyone....I'm.....actually a boy."
The entire trial room went quiet, until Hagakure spoke up, "You're joking, right?"
I sighed, "No, he's serious. He told me before, but asked me to keep it a secret until he was ready to tell you guys."
Everybody was shocked, even Kirigiri who just flinched, "EEEEEEHHHHHHHH?!?!?!"
Syo began fuming, "You were a boy the whole time?! Oh, that's so hot! I now want to kill you!"
Togami was trembling, "W-w-w-what?!"
Celeste was at a lost for words, but soon regained her composure, "Shocking, I'll admit. However, it still doesn't mean that you're cleared of suspicion. After all, Ishimaru and Yamada were obsessed over your invention. All you had to do was pull a few strings."
"Actually, I'm not the only one who knew that. You also knew that, Celeste. You even talked to me about him," Chi fired back.
"Just because we had a conversation about your AI, doesn't mean I am a suspect," Celeste defended.
Chi was losing the fight, so I helped him, "True, but what was that sentence you said when we found Yamada dead the first time?"
Celeste began to think, "I believe I said, 'We are being hunted down, one-by-one. Just like they are.' Is that correct?"
I nodded, "Yup. Not only that, you just became our new suspect." Everybody looked at me, so I continued, "How did you know that more than one person was dead, even though we only found one body?"
She flinched, "I don't understand."
"Allow me to clarify, you convinced Yamada to murder Ishimaru and to play possum in the Nurse's Office. Then, you had Ishimaru moved to the Art Supply room, which is where you murdered Yamada."
She scoffed, "Why on earth would I do such a thing?" Why is she being so difficult?! She knows she's cornered, but why is she fighting back?! "You lack any proof to prove otherwise and have failed to protect anyone! If you all vote for me, then Fujisaki will walk away. He is the true killer!"
Something inside my head snapped. Memories of my dead friends and Melody swam around my head. I no longer felt like myself. I hung my head and felt my voice become deeper sounding, "Tying up loose ends, huh?"
Everybody looked at me in surprise, even Chi was shocked, "J-Jeremiah?"
I lifted my head and glared at Celeste, "That's why you killed him. You killed Yamada because he knew too much. It wasn't about the money or the will to survive. He knew you. He knew the true you."
Celeste began sweating, "What do you mean, the true me?"
I laughed, "For a gambler, you have a terrible poker face! I'm talking about your real name!"
She became angry, "My real name? It's Celestia Ludenberg!"
"No it's not." I stated. "You see, the last words Yamada muttered was "Yasuhiro". Normally, we would accuse Hagakure again, but the way he said that word was what caught my attention. He and Hagakure hardly ever talked, so it wouldn't make sense for Yamada to say Hagakure's first name."
"So?!" She yelled.
"So, the only person who has a fake name is you." I accused.
She laughed, "What about you? I hardly think your last name is Jeremiah."
"Actually, that's my first name. You see, I lived in Paris but I was born in America. Therefore, I always had people call me by my first name." I clarified. She started yelling at me, to which I ignored her and began thinking. What's her real name? What's her real name? What's--Oh! I got it!
"THERE IS NO OTHER NAME THAT I CALL MYSELF!! YOU ARE FULL OF DREAMS, LIES, AND BROKEN PROMISES!!!" She shouted.
I smiled, "I think that it's time to end this, Yasuhiro."
She froze. We all did. I was proud of myself for figuring out the case. However, Hagakure was confused, "So...how did you know that crazy chick's name?"
"It's easy," I began. "You see, Hagakure, your first name is Yasuhiro, but only people you trust can say another's first name. I highly doubt you trust Hifumi, so I can rule you out. Everyone else here is not named Yasuhiro, so they're ruled out. Therefore, there were two people left with odd names: Celestia and myself. I can easily rule myself out because I was born in America, therefore my name is Jeremiah Rommannoff. So, the only person who was born and raised in Japan with a weird name is...Celestia Ludenberg!"
Monokuma started becoming impatient, "Alright, alright, enough you brats! Either start voting or everybody gets executed!!" When the voting screen popped up, I chose Celestia. I saw Chi choose her, also. After everybody voted, that slot machine popped up on the monitors and started spinning it's wheels. After what seems like eternity, they slowed down until all three wheels landed on Celeste's face. Flowers and coins rained down on us and I knew we had won. Monokuma was satisfied, "About time! Anyway, the killer of Kiyotaka Ishimaru's killer, Hifumi Yamada is...Celestia Ludenberg AKA Taeko Yasuhiro!!!"