Just One More Time

5 - Get Your Alibi Straight

"How about we go through alibis?" Shuichi asked as the trial hit a dead end, just as they always did.

"The time of death was when everyone was alone, alibis are pretty useless," Amami sighed.

"Making all of us equal suspects..." Kaito muttered.

"Well, it's safe to say Yumeno died during a magic trick, correct?" Amami asked.

"How do you know that?" Harukawa asked.

"The Monopad. It says her cause of death was 'sawed in half' and the saw in her lab was, uh, definitely the crime scene..." Amami awkwardly chuckled.

"I didn't see the lab but it makes sense and I trust Amami's word," Shuichi smiled. He noticed Kaito's grin falter for a moment and recognised his choice of words. "Oh, don't worry Kaito I just mean Amami's not given us a reason to distrust him, he seems friendly and I don't think he'd kill anyone!"

"It's okay Shuichi, I know what you meant," Kaito chuckled.

"Not the time nor place," Harukawa spat. Both men stared at her with wide eyes and muttered apologies. "Whatever, just shut up about your relationship. Amami's right, Yumeno's lab is the crime scene."

"Hmph, Tenko will murder whoever hurt Himiko..." Chabashira cried, slamming her fists down onto the podium holding them in the air along with the portraits of their dead friends. "Tenko misses her..."

"Chabashira, I understand how you feel right now, it's horrific to lose a loved one but Yumeno needs us, needs you, to remain strong. You can help us figure out who murdered her and bring that person to justice. If not for our lives, do it to avenge Yumeno whilst she cheers you on above." Smiling, Shuichi watched as Chabashira's few tears cleared up as she nodded.

"Atua says Shuichi is a good person for saying that to Tenko!" Yonaga grinned. "He is smiling down on you Shuichi!"

"Good to know Yonaga, thank you." Shuichi smiled at the artist.

"Yeah, thank you... Even though you're still a degenerate male!" Chabashira huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. You said I wasn't a degenerate during the investigation... Oh, whatever, that's not the focus right now.

"That's my sidekick!" Kaito laughed whilst sticking out his thumb. Shuichi blushed and stared at the ground, fiddling with his fingers as he muttered thanks.

"Where did the blackened get a garbage bag big enough for a corpse?" Chabashira asked, rerouting the trial's focus to the original discussion.

"It could've been from anywhere," Harukawa replied. "There's the Ultimate Maid Research Lab, warehouse, even any bathroom in the academy could have them. The location of the bag doesn't help us."

Silence enveloped the group as they awkwardly stared at each other, no one sure of where to continue. As Monokuma sighed and tutted from his throne, Kaito spoke up to continue the trial. "Uh, maybe we should focus on who Yumeno would be doing magic with. She had to have done a trick like that with someone she trusted with her life, maybe it went wrong and the blackened didn't intentionally kill her?"

"That could be right, or at least very close to the truth," Harukawa agreed. "The injury on the body seemed pretty clean, her skin would've been shredded if there was a struggle."

"Her lab didn't show much of a struggle either. Nothing was thrown to the ground or out of place." Amami's evidence matched with Harukawa's and provided the group with another lead, although faint and hanging by a thread.

"Tenko thinks we should go through alibis again to figure out who practised magic with Yumeno!" Chabashira shouted a bit too loudly.

"I took a shower and then went to the gym with Amami," Shuichi explained.