Without looking at any other replies to this topic, I’m gonna share some deductions here before I enter the first class trial.
Gonta is the obvious suspect, which leads me to conclude he was framed.
It’s possible that Kiibo was hiding inside the room for a long period of time and got in through the vents before Kaeda and Shuichi entered that classroom. He then made it look like he entered with the other classmates. Note his position in the photo: He’s standing by the wall. Might be looking into it too much but it’s very possible he did it.
However, this case gets blown open if we assume that Shuichi tampered with the sensors BEFORE arriving with Kaeda, specifically when he left on his own to investigate the others. The fact that he was never mentioned by anyone else’s testimony is very suspicious and leads me to believe he left for the library. But… The photos don’t really allow for that. Is it possible he somehow tampered with the cameras and removed an incriminating photo where he entered the room? I won’t deny the possibility. If so, this case gets a lot more complicated.
Were they killed from inside or outside the room? Both are possible, but there’s too many variables to accurately determine a killer from just this info. Were the cameras and sensors tampered with?
My gut is telling me the killer is Kiibo, but it’s also possible Ouma or Shuichi did it, or maybe even Tsumugi. The time of death could’ve been much earlier than we think, but then we’d need someone else to open the door, as we see it closing when Kaede is arriving. Hmm…
Guess we’ll see how this turns out…
If we assume the cameras and sensors weren’t tampered with, then it’s also possible someone was hiding in the vent the whole time, and from atop the bookcase, threw the shot put ball so it landed on Rantaro’s death, retreating back into the vent and entering the room along with everyone else. Suspects for this are Kiibo, Ouma, maybe Tsumugi…
Update: Okay fuck I never expected that. I kept thinking it would be interesting if the player character ever committed a crime, but I dismissed it as an inviolable rule of the DR series that it couldn’t happen.
What I love is that the narration was STILL reliable, despite my character committing the murder. That’s amazing writing. It all clicked when I realised the possibility, but wow…