The Canary's Birdcage (Danganronpa THH x OC)

3-6 Going Up Salem

⋟Class Trial⋑

🗦Resume🗧

"... Quill" Makoto called for his attention "... Do you already know who the culprit is?"

🎵Never Say Never x Climax Re-enactment V3

[Lufca]

"Oh? What gave you that impression?" Quill hid his smirk

"What you just said... the way you worded it sounded like you weren't including yourself"

"Ah, so the wording matters?" Quill's smirk widened

"Not only that, but you've been acting differently since we found Hifumi in the library. And you've been more quiet"

"Hm, Impressive. But yes, the culprit has been obvious for quite a while. Their story fell apart from the beginning if you paid attention to the right things. But if you were so sure I already knew, perhaps you've also pieced it together?"

"...It's Celeste, isn't it? That's why you insist in being with the group to go back to the nurse's office, you wanted to keep watch over Celeste"

"Precisely"

"Ah, so I'm the suspicious individual now, am I? Hmhmhm. I really do hate this kind of joke..." Celeste deflected

"A joke? I wonder..." Byakuya commented

"So what you are saying, then, is that I specifically chose to work together with Hifumi. The idea that I would choose to spend any amount of time interacting with him..." she grit her teeth before exploding into a yell "That I would go within ten feet of that shit-for-brains! That lazy, worthless goddamn idiot!"

"You really aren't helping your case" Quill told her

"Ahem. Ah, pardonnez-moi."

"Just to be clear, there is evidence to support it." Byakuya said

"...Is that so?"

"It is. Throughout the investigation, there was a certain behavior that was common only to the two of you. Considering what we've learned so far, it only further proves that the two of you were working together!"

"The behavior they had in common had to do with the 'suspicious individual' in the suit, doesn't it?" Makoto guessed "The only ones who ever actually saw Robo Justice firsthand were Celeste and Hifumi."

"Shush. The adults are talking now."

"Then why are you still talking?" Quill asked him smugly

"How dare-"

"Plus Celeste needs to answer questions, so she actually needs to talk right now" the scrape of Celeste's metal claw digging into the wooden stand echoed through the trial room "But it's as Makoto said. Her and Hifumi were the only ones to see the 'suspicious individual' and since we know Hifumi was connected, what Celeste said becomes suspicious as well."

"Are you saying everything they told us was a lie...?" Hina asked hesitantly

"After we took Hifumi to the nurse's office she said she saw something moving at the top of the stairs, something I didn't see despite the fact that I have improved vision and I was also looking directly at the stairs. So we all headed to the second floor, Celeste screamed to draw us to the physics lab. Once there she said she saw him go further down the hallway. Then we heard Hifumi scream"