Just One More Time

5 - Trials Take a Toll on You

"What's our height order?" Chabashira asked, the class trial having reached a dead end.

"Hoshi, Yumeno, Yonaga, Harukawa, Chabashira, me, Amami and Momota. Shortest to tallest," Shuichi muttered without thinking.

"How did you know that so quickly?" Yumeno asked.

"Huh? Oh, I thought about it before whilst we were investigating," Shuichi chuckled. He knew it was a lie, in all truth, he'd been around them enough to have memorised everyone's precise height. Everyone seemed to accept the explanation and ignored their prior accusations.

"Well, Tenko knows it's Momota! He's the tallest!" Chabashira glared at the male in question.

"It can't be. He was with us in the dining hall at the time of the murder," Amami reminded them. "Along with Saihara and Yumeno. All four of us had been there the entire time."

"The culprit must have stood on something to get up high!" Yonaga beamed.

"Focus on the cause of death. It's not in the Monokuma File so let's figure it out," Harukawa interjected, steering the class trial in a different direction.

"The chandelier is suspicious," Yumeno drawled.

"That might've been set up to obscure the true death. We don't know," Hoshi sighed.

"I'm not too sure, Ouma's body had burn marks and injuries," Amami hummed. Shuichi subconsciously nodded, attempting to piece together the situation on his own. "He also had a few fractures and lacerations, right? That could be from the chandelier falling on him, along with the blood underneath it."

"It almost seems too obvious... right?" Shuichi wondered.

"Ouma wouldn't be dumb enough to stand directly underneath the chandelier and allow someone to drop it on him," Hoshi argued.

"His Monopad was on the table, remember?" Momota pointed out, sticking out his thumb with a grin. "The blackened could've lured him where they wanted him with that."

"To lure someone like him that easily? He's pretty smart, Ouma wouldn't fall for that." Shuichi reinstated Hoshi's argument, unconvinced someone could kill the Ultimate Supreme Leader so easily.

"The table was moved! Atua says that has something to do with this case!" Yonaga piped up during the discussion. "Also, the carpet was bunched up behind it!"

"Meaning it was pushed to the side," Harukawa finished Yonaga's thought.

"I'm sorry but surely Ouma would see if the chandelier was tampered with?" Shuichi asked. No matter how much he thought, something didn't sit right with him.

"Why are you so against this Saihara?" Yumeno accused.

"It's not adding up, do you really think Ouma would be so stupid?" Shuichi frowned. "Are you trying to accuse me of being the culprit?"

"You could be," Yumeno huffed.

"Shut up. To answer your question Saihara, the chandelier hadn't been obvious. I checked it during the investigation and found it was loosened, not damaged," Harukawa informed them.

"Does that mean if something hit it, it'd fall?" Yonaga frowned in thought. Despite the frown, she somehow remained cheerful.

"Correct," Harukawa nodded.

"What do you mean Yonaga? If you have an idea, tell us," Hoshi demanded.

"I think I know," Amami muttered. Everyone turned to the green-haired male as he continued his train of thought. "During the investigation, I found a tennis ball hidden amongst the wreckage. If the chandelier had been tampered with, a tennis ball could've loosened it with the right aim." Hmm, I wonder if that's how it truly transpired. I find it hard to believe someone threw a ball at the fixture to drop it on Ouma. How did they remove his body afterwards?