Danganronpa: Goodbye Despair

Chapter 40: BELIEF & DOUBT

Third Class Trial (Part Three)

Nagito: "...Ah, can you hold on a minute?"

Hajime: "Huh?"

Nagito: "Well... I know I'm being intrusive and all. And I mean, I have no place to say this. I missed all the critical parts, and I doubt I have anything worth saying at an important time like this..."

Hajime: "W-What are you saying?"

Nagito: "But still... there's definitely no way I can overlook the killer this time."

Hajime: "Huh?"

Nagito: "I thought it was suspicious all along. From the very beginning... investigating with a suspect in mind creates a different result than investigating with no leads."

Gundham: "Hey, what are you trying to say?"

Nagito: "Well, thanks to that... I was able to discover a truth that nobody else knows."

Kazuichi: "Wha?! Are you serious?!"

Nagito: "I've been so focused on everybody else this trial... but I guess now's a good time to say it, right?"

Fuyuhiko: "You better not have kept quiet on purpose! This isn't a game, you know!"

Monokuma: "Actually, this IS a game!... Well, kinda. It's more like a story based on said game."

Monomi: "Please don't say such controversial statements!"

Chiaki: "Well... what do you know, Nagito?"

Nagito: "Well, it's nothing big, really... only a small, decisive clue that points to the killer."

Akane: "Dang! That's a huge deal!"

Mikan: "A d-decisive clue... does something like that... really exist?"

Nagito: "Let's take a look, shall we? Regarding the rope Ibuki was dangling from..." As if there to help Nagito make his point, an image of the rope popped up on the tablet hanging above them. "This rope... was supplied by the supermarket, right? There weren't any ropes inside the music venue."

Akane: "Again with the supermarket... that place is a hot spot for criminal goods."

Nagito: "If they got it at the supermarket, that means it was brand-new, right?"

Fuyuhiko: "What's wrong with that?"

Nagito: "I want you to take a close look at this rope, and keep in mind that it's brand-new. Near the middle of the rope... it's frayed, as if it was rubbed strongly. But why is it like this? The loop Ibuki used to hang herself is on one end of the rope... and the part of the rope that hung from the baton lighting is on the other end."

Akane: "Hey, you're taking too long. What's wrong with the rope being frayed?!"

Nagito: "It means... well, from what I can infer, I think the rope was used like this. The killer wrapped the rope around Ibuki's neck, pulled both ends at full strength, and strangled her. The centre of the rope is frayed because that's the part they used to strangle Ibuki."

Hajime: "Hold on... I've been listening to you for a while, and it sounds like you knew about this rope clue all along. You told me that the rope wouldn't be much of a clue."

Nagito: "Not everyone cooperates at a class trial... those who lie and conceal the truth will obviously be here too... just like this case's killer! I was just copying them a little bit!"