The Class Trial Begins: The Kite String’s Secret

With a light leap, Monokuma settled onto the medieval throne, positioned centrally before a closed circle formed by sixteen mechanical platforms.

The throne, symbolizing absolute power, allowed them to survey everyone as if they were mere pawns.

“First, let’s begin with a simple explanation of the class trial! The outcome of the class trial will be decided by your votes.”

“If you correctly identify the culprit, only the culprit will face punishment. However… if you mistakenly accuse an innocent person…”

“Everyone but the culprit will face punishment! Only the culprit, having successfully outsmarted you all, will earn a glorious graduation!”

Takagi Masahiko: “I want to confirm once more… is the culprit truly among us?”

Monokuma: “I am absolutely, unequivocally certain! Yes!”

Amemiya Wakaba: “Ugh…! Culprit, just confess already! I certainly don’t want to stand on these rickety platforms for hours; my back aches and my legs are numb, and it’s truly dreadful!”

Ishii Yoshimi: “If the culprit were willing to confess, we wouldn’t be standing here holding a class trial, would we…”

Kamimura Anko: “Um… Monokuma, you mentioned ‘identifying the correct culprit’… am I to understand that accomplices won’t face punishment in this particular scenario?”

‘To ascertain if the rules governing this place mirrored those of the game, I honed in on that critical piece of information.’

Monokuma: “Yohohoho~ Kamimura-chan truly possesses keen insight, doesn’t she~ Precisely! Conversely, even if the true culprit secures their graduation, accomplices will still face punishment alongside everyone else who isn’t the true culprit!”

Ishii Yoshimi: “It appears there’s no favorable outcome for being an accomplice. We can now put aside any concerns about an accomplice in this murder case!”

Takagi Masahiko: “Let’s put the question of an accomplice aside for the moment. We should begin by discussing the murder weapon itself.”

Kamimura Anko: “Indeed.”

Amagasa Gen: “So what exactly is the murder weapon? Something that could cleanly sever Furuhata-kun’s head…”

Suzuki Minoru: “Something capable of piercing the darkness, yet utterly consumed by it… could it be a sharp dagger?”

Kitajima Kazumitsu: “A dagger?! Then the culprit’s strength and speed must be unimaginably formidable!”

Arisumi Momoko: “Could it be… that one of us is a samurai, or perhaps an assassin?!”

Osakabe Nanase: “No, no… beheading someone with a single strike… that’s far too terrifying…”

Akino Atsushi: “It seems the martial arts masters from manga truly exist in reality!”

Habara Kazuhiro: “A martial arts master?! What a formidable and terrifying identity!”

Chisaka Erin: “Uh… isn’t that a bit too illogical?”

Takahashi Aki: “I agree… after all, everyone here appears perfectly normal. Could there truly be a high school student capable of effortlessly committing such a murder, only to then seamlessly conceal their true self?”

Akahira Yuusuke: “Hmm… I think it might be a katana. Perhaps the murder weapon was obtained from the school store!”

Kamimura Anko: “Absolutely not!!”

‘In an instant, I decisively countered Yuusuke’s suggestion, halting the surge of absurd conjectures.’

Akahira Yuusuke: “It’s not?! But I really can’t think of any other weapon sharper than a katana…”

Kamimura Anko: “Such a weapon… of course it exists!”

Habara Kazuhiro: “Kamimura-chan, really? What kind of weapon could it be…”

Kamimura Anko: “Kite string.”

Amemiya Wakaba: “Kite string??!!”

Kitajima Kazumitsu: “Kite string??!!”

Katagiri Mimi: “Kite string??!!”

Akino Atsushi: “Kite string??!!”

Ishii Yoshimi: “Kite string??!!”

Amagasa Gen: “Kite string??!!”

Each of them appeared to be struck by a bolt from the blue, their stunned faces rigid as wooden stakes, all staring straight at me in unison.

Akahira Yuusuke: “Uh… Kamimura, you can’t be serious, can you?! Kite string as a murder weapon? Something like that could easily sever a person’s head? You’re not… joking, are you…”

Katagiri Mimi: “That’s right, Kamimura-chan, there’s a limit to how far a joke can go.”

Kamimura Anko: “I am certainly not joking.”

‘I fixed them with a profoundly serious gaze.’

Takagi Masahiko: “I support Kamimura-chan’s viewpoint, and I am also convinced that this is indeed the murder weapon.”

Kitajima Kazumitsu: “Then… how did the culprit manage to sever a head using kite string…?”

Kamimura Anko: “Allow me to explain briefly.”

Kamimura Anko: “First, the culprit fashioned a single, adjustable loop at both ends of a rather long kite string, designed to tighten securely with mere tension. Then, at the opportune moment, they slipped one end onto the victim inside the elevator, while securing the other end to a Monokuma pole. Subsequently, the instant the elevator ascended, the victim would be caught in the elevator door gap by the combined force of the elevator’s traction and the kite string’s tension. Given the kite string’s unique material, only a certain speed and force are needed to slit a person’s throat. The culprit’s intention was to transform the string into a sharp blade using the elevator’s traction, horizontally severing the victim’s neck and achieving an instant kill.”

Takagi Masahiko: “Yes, that’s correct. Kamimura-chan and I both discovered blood-stained kite string near the first-floor elevator entrance.”

He then displayed a photograph, captured with a flash on his student ID, which further solidified everyone’s conviction that this was indeed the murder weapon.

Habara Kazuhiro: “Unbelievable…! Kite string can actually kill someone…”

Amemiya Wakaba: “This… it shatters my preconceived notions… killing someone with kite string, of all things…”

Kamimura Anko: “It’s only natural for everyone to be stunned by such a method of murder… after all, who could have imagined that a toy, a cherished companion of our childhood joys, could today become such a terrifying instrument of death?”

Suzuki Minoru: “What a truly ingenious and splendid idea! To combine something so unexpected, normally used for recreation, with the raw power of an elevator! The culprit must have gone to immense lengths to commit murder while successfully evading everyone’s sight…”

Takahashi Aki: “So, the culprit must have visited the school store’s small storage room to retrieve the kite string before meticulously planning the murder, correct?”

Takagi Masahiko: “Yes, there’s no doubt about that point.”

Takagi Masahiko: “Everyone, look! This is a photo I captured after the murder. The spool’s diameter is visibly shorter than when we first observed it, which serves as undeniable proof that the culprit took kite string from this very spool. Isn’t that right, Kamimura-chan?”

Kamimura Anko: “Takagi is correct. Both he and I were investigating the scene at the time, and I can corroborate his statement.”

Katagiri Mimi: “I understand! So, whoever visited the school store’s small storage room last night is the primary suspect, correct?!”

Takagi Masahiko: “Yes, precisely. Monokuma had specifically alerted us about the elevator after dinner last night. With the jamming device inside rendering student IDs useless, coupled with Monokuma’s failure to repair the light tubes around and within the first-floor elevator entrance—leaving much of the area in pitch darkness—the culprit undoubtedly exploited these very factors to advance their murder plan. They quietly ventured alone to the small storage room to retrieve some kite string, then covertly set up the murder device near the first-floor lobby.”

Takagi Masahiko: “Isn’t that right… Suzuki-kun…?”

Takagi’s brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as he fixed his gaze upon Suzuki. Suzuki, in turn, met his stare with a panicked, bewildered expression, while the collective gazes of the others, sharp as spears, converged upon him.

Suzuki Minoru: “Eh, eh-eh-eh?? Wh-what?? Why are all your gazes so accusatory?! W-wait! Please, everyone, allow me a moment to gather my thoughts and offer an explanation!”