Alright, everyone! It's investigation time! This is definitely the longest chapter that I've written so far, but I'm actually surprisingly happy with it. Hopefully you guys are too!
liammarklh88: Tsuyoshi was rather nice. I honestly do feel bad for killing him, but like you said, someone had to kick the bucket. And a lot of people seemed to have enjoyed Miyu's roast of Sumire. It was certainly cathartic to write! Just as this chapter was pretty cathartic with regards to Ryuu~
alucard deathsinger: Thank you! I love horror movies and would love to actually write one some day, so saying that is a huge compliment! And yeah, the plan seemed to go off the rails pretty quickly. How could that ever happen, considering the people involved? ;)
TheRoseShadow21: Yeah, poor Tsuyoshi. In hindsight, I probably could have foreshadowed his death a lot better, but it is what it is at this point. I'm really glad that you liked the chapter! :)
TheUbermenschWriter: I really enjoyed hearing (well, reading) your preliminary investigation thoughts! We'll have to see if you're right! (And sorry again for killing Tsuyoshi! haha)
Crimson Spider Lily: Yeah, the scene where Miyu drags Sumire was a blast to write. Miyu is just fun in general, let's be honest. I'm glad that you think I'm doing a good job with her! Let's see if Misa will actually trust her at some point. And yeah, I was quite proud of the smoke pun. Zettai just doesn't have a sense of humor. He's lame like that.
MasterSaixus: Yeah, it's always mixed feelings when a body drops. "Yay, it's not mine!" and "Aw, poor [insert character name here]!" A lot of people seem to think that the killer will be female. Let's see what the evidence says!
"I can't believe this," Hoshina said, quickly wiping away her tears. She closed her eyes and almost visibly got ahold of her emotions. Misa knelt down next to Tsuyoshi's body and felt for a pulse. There was nothing there, of course. The coolness of his skin made that obvious.
"Who is it?" Misa's head snapped up at Miyu's question. She still hovered near her door where Fujiko and Satsuki blocked her view.
"Tsuyoshi," Misa said quietly.
Miyu squeezed her eyes shut. "Shit," she hissed just as a surprisingly high-pitched scream rang out. Hoshina leapt to her feet and rushed over to a visibly shaking Ryo. He just pointed at the body, unable to force actual, physical words out. Ryuu stood silently next to him, his face grave. Misa looked away the moment that they made eye contact. She wasn't ready for that quite yet.
Kotoko and Rudolph were the next to arrive. Kotoko let out a small, startled shriek when she first saw the body, but that was the extent of her reaction. She and Hoshina both quickly turned their attention to comforting Rudolph, who somewhat predictably started crying once he saw who it was. His tears and Fujiko's continued angry muttering were the only sounds in the room. Everyone just existed in this stunned or contemplative state, and while only a single word would break it, that would mean fully embracing and accepting what was before them. That Tsuyoshi, someone who just yesterday was living and breathing and smiling, someone who just yesterday had stood with his head held high while he said that everyone would make it out of this hellhole of a situation, was dead. Not just dead, but murdered. By someone else here, maybe by someone that they considered to be their friend or ally.
And so, of course, it was Shouko who broke that balance.
"What lies are – mein Gott!" All of the color drained from her face. Kat, Sumire, Zettai and Itami all filed in behind her. Kat lifted himself onto his tiptoes in order to see around the robotics engineer.
"Heh. Relax, Frankenstein," he said with a small laugh. Itami flinched at the sound. "That's not real. It's some kind of dummy! A body doesn't really look like that. Though seriously, guys, this is a super lame prank. And trust me. I would know."
"Of course you would," Zettai said. He sighed. "I can't believe someone was actually stupid enough to do this." Sumire stood silently at his side, her face completely blank. Still, Misa assumed that she was rejoicing inside. Tsuyoshi wasn't on their list of important people. Depending on who the killer was, their plan has worked exactly as intended.
"Yeah, shut it, Bathroom Buddy," Kat told him. "There's no way that's real. I mean… it – it can't be."
"It's real," Misa said flatly. She internally winced and carefully softened her tone. "Besides, I don't think Monokuma would have summoned us all here just for a stupid prank."
"You got that right!"
Everyone in the room jumped as Monokuma suddenly appeared. Misa quickly scrambled to her feet and turned so that the bear wouldn't be behind her. Monokuma stood with his hands behind his back, gently rocking back and forth. He had a sickeningly gleeful grin on his face. For the first time, Misa noticed Shoma leaning against the wall with his shoulders hunched up around his ears. When did he get here?
"You mean… it's not some kind of joke?" Kat asked. "Heh. Heh… Oh crap."
"No. No," Miyu said firmly. "This can't be true. What if he just slipped and hit his head? What if it was just an accident?"
"Doesn't look accidental to me, kid," Ryuu said with a huff.
"Ding, ding, ding!" Monokuma said. "Score one for the bounty hunter! Someone definitely caused poor, sweet Tsuyoshi's death." He mimed wiping away a tear. "They're always gone too soon."
"Scheisse," Shouko muttered. Misa had no idea what it meant, but agreed with the general feeling behind it.
"Alright, who is it?" Fujiko yelled, holding up her balled up fists. "Which one of you is a filthy murderer? I swear, I'm gonna make you PAY!"
"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast!" Monokuma said, waving his paw at Fujiko. "Leave the punishments to me! Upupupupup! I have such a fun one for this particular blackened. You see, first, I would throw – " he cut off suddenly, clamping his paws over his mouth. "Oops. Almost gave away some pretty big spoilers there!"
"Sh-sh-shut up!" Itami told him, clutching his teddy bear tightly to his chest. "L-leave us alone."
"My, my, you're all such a rude bunch. And after I came here to help you too!" Monokuma said with a pout.
"What kind of help?" Sumire asked. "So far, you've done nothing."
"I'm bantering! People like the banter!"
"People?" Satsuki asked quietly. Misa looked at her in surprise. That might have been the first word she ever said in Monokuma's presence.
"Ya know," Monokuma waved his arms around, "people."
"Wait, I don't know if that makes sense," Ryo said, his brow crunching up in confusion.
"Sure it does," Monokuma told him. Ryo still looked confused. "But onto the main event. There has been a murder, which means that it's time for a thrilling class trial!"
"I d-don't want to," Itami said.
"Aw, you don't?" Monokuma asked, looking absolutely dejected. But that only lasted for a moment before his face turned vicious. "Well too bad! But before we have a trial, you all need to investigate. So then you can truly battle with all of the hope and despair you can muster!"
"How long until the trial?" Zettai asked.
"Hmmm… until I get bored waiting for you."
"That's not an answer!" Miyu told him. "What if we don't find all of the clues?"
"Then the blackened will be very, very happy," Monokuma told her. "But don't worry. I got a little something something to help you all on your way." He proudly held up an array of black and grey tablets that were smaller and thinner than their Monopads. "It's the famous Monokuma Files! All of the information you could ever want about the body is right here in one, handy spot." He placed them on the edge of the sink. "Good luck, everyone!"
With that, he hopped away and disappeared behind the sinks. Misa felt like she could suddenly breathe again. "So that just happened," she said.
"Do we really need to investigate?" Rudolph asked weakly. His tears had stopped, but he still looked like one wrong word would get them started again.
"No, if you want to contribute absolutely nothing to your own survival, please, go ahead be utterly useless," Zettai said with a scoff.
"Thanks, I will."
Fourteen heads turned as one to look at Shoma. He currently looked like he was deeply regretting ever saying anything, but it was too late now.
"Shoma?" Hoshina asked. She took half a step towards him.
"You don't need my help with this."
Hoshina firmly shook her head. "Of course we do! I understand that we're all scared but if we…" she trailed off as Shoma disappeared back into his room and loudly shut his door.
"Well then. That was… an interesting decision," Sumire said thoughtfully.
"I would call it suspicious!" Shouko declared, pointing to the ceiling. Apparently, a murder didn't dampen her theatrics for long. Ryuu just shook his head.
"Ya are forgetting that we already got a murderer," he said. Misa took a deep, calming breath. And then another one when the first didn't work at all. And then a third.
"I was waiting for that to come up," she admitted, forcing a self-deprecating grin. "I didn't kill Tsuyoshi. And blindly voting for me is just going to damn you all."
"Wh-what are you t-t-talking about?" Itami asked.
"It's one of the rules," Miyu said after a small hesitation.
"Rule Nine," Kotoko supplied.
"Right. But if we vote for someone who isn't the killer, then they win and we're all punished," she continued. "And I don't really think that it's the 'take away your TV on the weekends' kind of punishment."
"But remember that the blackened is punished if they're caught," Sumire pointed out. "My, my, I'd hate to be them in this situation."
"Yeah, well, what if you're just saying that to freak us out?" Fujiko demanded. "This is just some kind of criminal mind games!"
"Then I suggest that we finally start investigating," Zettai said. He sounded utterly bored with this whole thing, and Misa couldn't decide if that was comforting or not. "Before that damned bear decides he's bored."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but yes. That's a good idea," Miyu said. Zettai smirked, causing her to roll her eyes. She looked down at the body of her friend. "Tsuyoshi deserves the truth. No matter what it is."
"No matter what it is," Ryuu echoed. It sounded far more sinister when he said it. But it confirmed one thing for Misa. She knew that she didn't kill Tsuyoshi, and she didn't exactly have an alibi to prove that. So if Ryuu was going to continue to push the idea that she was a coldblooded murder, then she needed to be able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was wrong.
INVESTIGATION
START!
She might as well start with the Monokuma File. Maybe there was something in there that could point her in the right direction. She took one from the pile on the sink, taking a moment to pass a second one to Satsuki when the astronomer wordlessly held out her hand. She stepped to the side and turned it on. The first screen showed a black and white outline of Tsuyoshi's body. There was a large pink splotch over his head, indicating the rather visible head wound. She scrolled down.
"The victim is Tsuyoshi Genda, the Ultimate Scientist. He was found in the shower room at 6:05 am. The cause of death was drowning. There is also evidence of a blow to the back of his head."
Misa frowned and reread the small blurb again. That's it? That was barely even a paragraph! What the hell? This wasn't useful at all! Wait, okay. She read the paragraph again. The cause of death was drowning. That was good to know. But where was the time of death? That seemed pretty damn important.
"Oh, come on," Kat muttered, his head bent over his own Monokuma File. Okay, so she wasn't the only one to notice that then.
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Monokuma File #1
Misa looked around the bathroom and bit her bottom lip. Some people were starting to look around, but just as many simply stood there looking lost and confused. They had no idea where the start a murder investigation. Why would they? That wasn't something that normal people had to deal with. But even as she watched, Hoshina took a deep breath and walked up to Rudolph and Kotoko and gently persuaded them to investigate with her. Fujiko did the same for Satsuki. And even Itami, who Misa honestly thought would just sit in the corner with wide eyes, walked over to Tsuyoshi's body with halting steps and stood over it like some kind of guard.
Okay, Misa needed to get started. She took a deep breath and joined Itami. He was the only one near the body, which wasn't all that surprising. Even the great and might Zettai probably had some qualms about being near and touching a dead body. Misa wasn't as affected. This was hardly her first body. And besides, it wasn't that gory.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Itami asked as she knelt down by Tsuyoshi's head.
"Well, he drowned, right? But it's not like we found him with his head in the toilet." Itami went pale. "Sorry. Ignore me. I'm just thinking out loud."
"Y-you're w-weird."
"Yeah, probably." She paused. "Hey, I know that you two weren't exactly friends but you hung out a lot. So, sorry, I guess." Yeah, that sounded a lot less awkward in her head. Itami just looked away and hugged his teddy bear tighter. Right. Okay then.
Misa leaned closer to get a better look at the damage to the back of his head. It apparently wasn't lethal, but there sure was a lot of dried blood. Although head wounds did tend to bleed a lot. She carefully moved some of Tsuyoshi's hair out of the way, careful not to touch the edges of the actual wound. There was a straight, vaguely diagonal cut in the center of the sizable bump. Whatever had hit him must have had some kind of straight edge.
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Back of the Head
Misa frowned and moved her fingers towards the front of Tsuyoshi's head. The hair there was still damp. But not with blood. Her fingers were still clean when she pulled them away. But then what was it? Water? That would make sense considering that he was drowned.
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Damp Hair
"S-stop t-touching him!" Itami suddenly said, loud enough to draw attention from those nearby. Misa immediately held her hands up, glancing around to see who was watching. Great, basically everyone. "It's w-w-weird!"
"We need to investigate the body if we want to know what happened," Misa said. She was actually surprised with how steady and calm her voice was. "That's all I'm doing. And if everyone was smart, they would do the same thing."
"You're very comfortable over there, Misa," Ryuu said.
"Why don't you take your implication and shove it up your ass, Ryuu?" she asked. Someone to her right snorted. She couldn't quite tell who. "You're really not helping." Ryuu rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his investigation. Misa sighed and scrubbed a hand over her face. "Can I keep working, or will you yell at me again?" she asked. Itami shrugged without looking her in the eye. She took that as a yes.
There was nothing in any of his pockets, and none of his clothes looked disturbed. Which was good. That probably meant that there wasn't really a struggle. She didn't want to imagine Tsuyoshi fighting desperately for his life only to have the horrifying realization that he would lose. She looked back up to his face. No, it was calm and unafraid. It was a small comfort, but Miyu would probably like to know that he wasn't scared in his final moments. Actually, now that Misa really looked at it, there was no damage to Tsuyoshi's face at all. It was completely free of scrapes or cuts of any kind.
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Tsuyoshi's Face
Misa rocked back onto her heels and stood, ignoring the way that her knees popped. There was nothing else that she could find here. She needed to move on. She took a deep breath and looked around. At some point, she needed to get everyone's alibis. And give her own crappy non-alibi. Wait, might as well start here then since Itami wasn't really doing anything other than just standing there.
"Hey, Itami? You mind telling me what happened yesterday? You know, where you were and what you did?"
"I g-guess not. Um, I w-went to the m-m-meeting with Hoshina and s-stuff." He looked at his feet. "And T-tsuyoshi and I g-got into an argument s-so I went to m-my t-talked to Zettai f-f-first. And then I w-woke up early and went t-to the dining hall. Other p-people can v-vouch for me. T-that's it."
"You guys got into an argument?" Misa asked. Well, that was… convenient. And potentially very helpful, if only as something to offer up to muddy the waters if people seem intent of accusing her. Itami hesitated, his eyes wide. "Relax, I'm not accusing you. I'm just trying to figure out what happened since I was in my room basically all day."
"Because you k-k-killed someone."
"Because Ryuu is an asshole who – who brought up something very painful. And yeah, I reacted badly but…" Misa trailed off, her mind whirling, searching desperately for anything to say. Thankfully, Itami spoke up.
"He t-talk about my t-talent. And was angry w-when I s-said I didn't w-want to be a patient anymore."
"I heard that you can't get sick." Itami nodded miserably. "Okay. Thanks for telling me."
She gave Itami what she hoped was an encouraging smile and moved on. Kat and Ryo stood not far away, looking like they wanted to approach the body but weren't quite sure about how to do it. Kat was lightly holding onto the cross that dangled from his bracelet.
"Hey, Solo," he said.
"Hey, Kit Kat. Ryo. I don't suppose you guys mind telling me your alibis?"
"Alibis?" Ryo asked, tilting his head to the side like some kind of bird.
"Where you were and what you did yesterday," Misa clarified.
"Oh! Well, I woke up, had breakfast with everyone and Ryuu puffed up like a big, angry bird trying to scare someone away and then you ran away, but I don't think you're a killer, don't worry! Like I said, you're a little scary and you're like a stray cat, but you're not mean! But then I went to my room for a bit before Hoshina and Kotoko told me to come to the group-bonding thing. And then Itami started yelling – "
"Oh, yeah!" Kat interrupted. "Man, that was intense. I didn't know that Itami could even talk that loud."
"Wait, you guys were there for the argument too?" Misa asked. Kat nodded.
"Yeah, basically everyone was. Well, everyone at the thing. It was very loud. And I mean, I'm sure Ape Face probably told Chess Queen, who probably told Bathroom Buddy."
"Oh, and I saw Fujiko telling Satsuki about it!" Ryo chimed in.
"So basically everyone knew about this argument but me," Misa said. Kat nodded again.
"Basically. Well, Shoma probably didn't know either because he's kinda weird and anti-social. He only really talks to Hoshina, and she's way too nice to gossip." Ryo nodded in agreement. Honestly, these guys were a couple of bobble heads.
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Argument
"Um, hey, Hannah, Solo, whatever. Do you think you could, uh, sum up the body thing? It's… I know that it's Tsuyoshi but I can't make myself step one foot closer."
Misa quickly summed up her findings for a very grateful Kat and Ryo and was about to give her own alibi when Shouko stole the spotlight once again.
"Eureka! Haha, you thought that you could hide form the brilliance that is the Iron Maiden! How foolish." The robotics engineer was hunched over on her hands and knees, the multiple magnifying lenses on her glasses pulled into position.
"How foolish," Zettai repeated, although Misa had a feeling that he wasn't talking about whatever it was that Shouko just found.
"What did you find?" she asked. Shouko carefully picked something out of the floor tiles and held it up for all to see.
"The killer left behind white fibers!"
"How do you know it's from the killer?" Sumire asked, and yeah, that was a fair question. Shouko narrowed her eyes.
"I have searched every inch of this floor, and it is the only evidence I found," she said. "It must have been from a struggle between Tsuyoshi and his killer!"
Misa frowned. That didn't quite sound right. She hadn't found any evidence of a struggle on Tsuyoshi's body…
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
White Fibers
Misa stepped away from the pair and directly into a puddle of water. She sighed and looked down at her now wet foot. She frowned. She was currently standing directly over the shower drain, which still had a small puddle of water around it. It was nowhere near close enough to reach Tsuyoshi's body, but it was in the process of being drained away, albeit incredibly slowly. She looked back at the body thoughtfully. It was lying inside of the recessed area of the showers. If a shower was running for long enough, the resulting puddle would be quite large.
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
The Shower Drain
Misa stepped out of the puddle, shaking off her boot to try and get the excess moisture out. Sure, her sock was already wet and therefore was a lost cause, but it was the thought that counts. Okay, now where? She checked the body, Shouko already checked the floor… She saw Hoshina, Kotoko and Rudolph clustered around the shower directly behind Tsuyoshi's body and wandered over in that direction.
"Should we look in other places?" Kotoko asked. "I'm not sure where, but the killer might have hidden a clue elsewhere. Dumped it in a trashcan or something."
"Yes, that's true. It seems like everyone has been focused in here," Hoshina said. "It sounds like only Shouko has found a clue so far, though."
"Really? Because my Monopad's buzzed at least half a dozen times, so I think I've found at least that many important clues," Misa said, inserting herself into the conversation.
"Oh yeah! I think mine's buzzed a few times too," Rudolph said. He reached into his pocket to double check. "Yep! I got four truth bullets so far. I don't know what it means, but it has it's own button the screen."
"It must be to help us remember things during the trial," Kotoko said. She actually looked fairly relieved to see this. "We're not completely alone then."
"Shoma is. He won't have any help," Hoshina said quietly, her eye going to his closed door.
"He didn't want to help us, though," Rudolph pointed out. "He chose to go away and hide in his room."
"He… there are extenuating circumstances," Hoshina said, her ever-present smile fading ever so slightly.
"Have you seen the inside of his room?" Misa asked. Hoshina's response was incredibly guarded.
"Have you?"
"Yep."
"What's so special about his room?" Kotoko asked, looking between both girls.
"Nothing," Hoshina said, placing a comforting arm on her shoulder. "The color simply doesn't match the color of the number on his door. It's nothing to worry about. I think that Shoma simply has demons that he's not ready to face yet, and we need to give him time and space so that he feels comfortable here."
"Is that a professional diagnosis?" Misa asked, her tone more than a little flippant. She got three looks, two flat and one questioning. "Right. Not the time and place. Sorry."
"We missed you yesterday," Kotoko said suddenly in a very transparent attempt to change the topic of conversation. "I thought that you would come and hang out with everyone."
Misa shrugged. "I stayed in my room all day. Didn't think that people would want to hang out with someone who's supposed to be a murderer."
"That… is a fair point," the onomastician allowed, a flush creeping up over her face.
"Did you really kill your boyfriend?" Rudolph asked. "Because you were pretty nice to me, and I can't really see you killing someone because of that. I can't see anyone here killing anyone!"
"Well, obviously someone did," Misa pointed out, which really probably was not the right thing to say in the moment, but it was the truth. They had a murderer among them. The body that was only a few feet away was ample proof of that.
"I wish that I had just woken up a few minutes earlier," Hoshina said sadly. "If I had heard something or gone inside sooner, maybe I could have saved him." Now it was Kotoko's turn to be the source of comfort.
"No, you couldn't have. Girls are only allowed in the bathroom after six, remember? You got here basically as soon as you could have," she said. Misa nodded.
"Yeah. Besides, even if you did wake up earlier, you wouldn't have heard anything anyway. The showers and all of the bedrooms are soundproof."
"Really?" Rudolph asked.
"Yeah," Misa said. "A group of us figured that out on the second day, I think? Whenever we split up into groups to explore everything again. We just didn't tell anyone because, well, it would make killing someone a lot easier if you didn't have to worry about them screaming for help."
"Who was in that group again?" Kotoko asked. Misa shrugged helplessly.
"Umm… me, obviously, Sumire, probably Ryuu since Sumire was there, Kat, and… Shouko. I think. Oh! And Tsuyoshi too."
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Rule 5
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Soundproofing
"Tsuyoshi knew about the soundproofing?" Hoshina asked. "That's…"
"A coincidence, isn't it? Yeah," Misa said.
"Yes, but Misa also listed off five names in addition to him," Kotoko said. "That's nearly half the group. Three-eighths, I think."
"This is really scary," Rudolph said, anxiously shifting his backpack straps higher up his shoulders. "And I know that I shouldn't be scared of scary but this… this isn't a story, is it?"
"Trust me. It's good to be scared right now," Misa told him. "I'd be a hell of a lot worried if you weren't."
"There… are a few people who aren't," Hoshina said. "I'm not saying that they're a murderer, but it's… interesting to note from a psychological standpoint."
"Yeah. Oh, before I forget again, can I have your guys' alibis?"
"All three of us spent basically all day together in the lounge. We had our bonding exercise, and then we hung out afterwards," Rudolph said. "But before that I was in my room, because I was a little nervous."
"What Rudolph said. We hung out until the nighttime announcement, and then the three of us all went to bed," Kotoko said. "The only thing really worth mentioning is that Itami and Tsuyoshi got into a small argument."
"I heard that it wasn't that small."
Hoshina sighed. "Tsuyoshi was pushing Itami about his talent. Itami is… very sensitive to that, and heated words were exchanged. Tsuyoshi felt awful about it afterwards."
"Oh, okay. And then I guess that you found the body then?"
"Yes. I went to the showers almost as soon as I was able to in order to wash up, and I just saw him lying there. When I saw that he… that he…" Kotoko wrapped an arm around Hoshina's shoulders. "I began knocking on the girls' doors. Fujiko and Satsuki came out right away. That's when Monokuma made the announcement."
Huh. Misa must have slept through the knocking then. She must have been in the middle of a dream or something; her lifestyle had turned her into a fairly light sleeper.
"What about you?" Rudolph asked.
"Oh, I stayed in my room basically all day. I left briefly to test something with the hidden room that I found with a small group of people, but that's it. And yeah, I know that's not really an alibi."
"It's okay. A lot of us don't really have alibis for late at night anyways," Kotoko said. That was true. At some point, everyone went to bed. Once they're in their rooms, then there was no telling what they did or didn't do.
"Hey! I found blood!" Fujiko called out. She and Satsuki were right on the other side of the shower from where Misa and the others were standing. "Well, Satsuki found the blood. But she was too quiet to announce it."
"Yes, thank you," Satsuki said.
"Where?" Misa asked. Luckily, she was close enough to get there before everyone else crowded around. Satsuki pointed to a spot on one of the corners two-thirds down. Just like Fujiko had said, there was a small splash of blood. And it was a sharp, straight edge, just like the wound on the back of Tsuyoshi's head.
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Shower Corner
"Well, I guess that explains that," Miyu said. She stayed just long enough to see where it was before stepping away to let Sumire through. She was pale, her eyes just a little too distant. Shit. She and Tsuyoshi were friends. Of course she was taking this harder than a lot of people. She was probably the one who was closest to the little scientist. She caught her eye and titled her head towards the back, away from the prying eyes and ears of the others. Miyu smiled tiredly and followed.
"You good?" Misa asked. "Or is that a really stupid question that I should be ashamed of asking?"
"It's a little stupid."
"Right. Got it."
"I knew that people were going to die but…" she trailed off, looking over her shoulder at Tsuyoshi's body. "Why did it have to be him?"
"I think that's one of the things that we need to figure out," Misa told her.
"He was my friend," Miyu said. "And now he's dead, and I bet Zettai and Sumire are just ecstatic about it." The bitterness of her words shocked Misa, leaving an uneasy unsteadiness in her chest. It was just… wrong to hear Miyu so vicious and angry.
"I don't know. I haven't talked to them yet."
"No? That surprises me."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I thought Zettai would have given you orders by now."
"I'm not his foot solider, Miyu."
Miyu closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers. "Sorry."
Misa waved her off. "It's fine. It's been… a really rough twenty four hours."
"You can say that again."
"I don't suppose you have any thoughts on who the killer might be?" Misa asked. Miyu just shook her head.
"I know who I want it to be," she said, a ghost of a smile appearing for a moment before vanishing like wisps of smoke.
"Yeah, me too, but I don't know if I have any evidence that points to him," Misa said. As if on cue, she could feel eyes burning into her back. Still, she refused to turn around.
"He's staring," Miyu said.
"Yeah, I know." Misa's eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, if I were to try something, can you make sure that nobody follows me except for him?"
"You want to get him alone?" Miyu asked. "I'm not sure if that's the best idea…"
"Aw, don't get jealous. I just want to try and get some answers from it before the trial," Misa said with a grin. Miyu looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Is that a 'yes'?"
"You're going to be the death of me," Miyu said before the full weight of her words hit her. Yeah, maybe there was no just casually mentioning death or killing or even just using those words as a figure of speech. Still, Misa let her grin grow softer in thanks. She gently stepped past Miyu and headed purposefully towards Tsuyoshi's room. He didn't speak up until she laid her hand on the door handle.
"Where ya going, kid?" Ryuu asked, his voice carrying clear against the room. Misa turned to face him with her most innocent and charming grin.
"Tsuyoshi's room to see if there's any other clues. We can't all be stuck in here forever, after all."
"By yourself?" Ryuu asked.
"Yep. That was the general idea."
"So ya can go and get rid of evidence?"
"You know, if you really don't trust me, then you're more than welcomed to join me. Unless you think that there might be better uses of your time?" Misa tilted her head to the side, and fought hard to keep any and all smugness of her face when the bounty hunter grumbled something under his breath before stomping over to join her. Misa opened the door with a flourish to let him in. The bright neon yellow of the walls was blinding. Oof. Maybe Tsuyoshi dying was actually a mercy. How the hell did he sleep in that room? Ryuu eyed her for a long moment before finally stepping into the room. Her grin dropped in an instant as she slammed the door closed behind her.
"What the fuck, Ryuu?" she demanded, striding up to him so that she was right in his face. Right now, she reveled in the fact that she was a solid five inches taller than him. It was an incredibly heady feeling. Ryuu raised his chin defiantly in order to look her in the eyes.
"Don't know what da fuck you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb. It isn't cute. You didn't have a single problem with me before yesterday. What changed?"
"What do ya think changed? Don't play dumb, kid. It isn't cute."
"You're the one who went off script," Misa told him, jabbing a finger into his chest. Ryuu shoved her back to create a little distance. And with those two acts, the air turned deadly still. Misa wasn't a brawler – there was a reason why she preferred her guns – but she had been in enough fights to recognize the moments leading up to one. And as satisfying as it would be to punch the bastard's lights out, this really wasn't the time or place. So, unfortunately, she took another step back and let some of the tension in the air dissipate.
"I went off your script. Don't remember ever signing off on it," Ryuu growled.
"You're the one who hung around outside instead of just coming in like a normal person!"
"'Cuz that meeting really helped ya, huh?"
"Well, considering the fact that Sumire and Zettai are on my side and not yours…" But the faith that she had in her statement faded as Ryuu just smirked. She did have both of them on her side, right? They had seemed supportive yesterday. Especially Zettai, which had surprised her at the time but kinda made sense in hindsight if she squinted and looked at it in the right way. But now…
"Like I said, kid. I only went off your script."
Fuck.
Okay.
No, not okay.
Okay.
Fuck.
Fuck!
Okay, fine. She would deal with this later, after the trial.
"You know that I'm still in a stronger position than you, right?" Misa asked. Her voice was incredibly steady. Yay her! "I have other allies, other groups. Who do you have?"
"Half of 'em think you're a murderer," Ryuu told her dismissively. "Which, now that it's just us in here, kid, is the right thought. You and me both know it."
"You don't know anything," Misa told him. Shit, her voice was starting to waver again. She needed to keep it steady. "And I'm pretty sure that number is a hell of a lot less than a half. Besides, you can't pin this one on me. I didn't kill Tsuyoshi. So give it up, or we'll all die."
Bing bong, Ding dong
What? No! This wasn't enough time! Misa wasn't doesn't investigating!
"Rise and shine, everyone! Wait. Oh… you're all already awake. Never mind then!"
The announcement clicked off and Misa nearly sagged in relief. It was just the morning announcement. They still had more time. She looked back at Ryuu. The momentary interruption had done wonders for her mood, but the mere sight of him caused the anger and hurt to creep back up. He opened his mouth and she braced herself, a snappy comeback on the tip of her tongue.
"I know ay didn't kill Tsuyoshi."
"…Huh?"
Ryuu stared stubbornly at some point in the middle distance. "Took a shower at 12:30. No one else was in there. So unless ya got a secret passage – "
"I don't."
"Ya couldn't have gotten in there to kill him."
"Or any girl for that matter," Misa said. That… really narrowed things down. Unless Ryuu was trying to cover up for someone…
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Ryuu's Account
"Wait, why did you just tell me that?" Misa asked. "Not that I don't appreciate it or anything, but it doesn't quite fit everything else you've been doing."
"We vote for the wrong person, I get da feeling we're all gonna end up dead. I ain't dying for you or for anyone," Ryuu told her, a fierce light shining in his eyes. "And maybe you're playing me with a secret passage, but I don't think ya that smart."
"Wow. Thanks," Misa said flatly. Ryuu shrugged, completely unrepentant. She pressed a knuckle against her forehead. "Look, I'm not ending this conversation, but I really do want to search this room and the obnoxiously bright yellow is seriously giving me a headache."
"Still not gonna let ya search alone, kid."
"Yeah, I figured."
Between the two of them, though, the search was actually fairly quick. It helped that there was absolutely nothing suspicious at all whatsoever. Everything was exactly where it should be and there was nothing missing. It really looked like Tsuyoshi had just left the room for a moment with every intention of coming back, just like he had dozens of times before. The only brief moment of excitement that they did have was when Ryuu found a Monocoin. It clinked against something else metallic when he slid it into his pocket.
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Tsuyoshi's Room
Misa and Ryuu returned to the bathroom, which was considerably emptier than it had been when they had disappeared into Tsuyoshi's room. They must have finally spread out into other areas. Only Miyu, Sumire and Itami were left.
"Find anything?" Miyu asked. Misa shook her head as she watched Ryuu and Sumire out of the corner of her eye. They didn't say a word to each other, but they didn't need to either. There was some mental communication there that would have put her and Tetsu to shame. The corners of Sumire's mouth tightened, but her expression smoothed out a moment later. She wasn't happy. Good. Itami watched them all openly. It wasn't like there was anything else for him to do.
"Oh, Misa! I don't think we've managed to talk yet today," she said.
"Nope," Misa said. "But it's been pretty crazy."
"You can say that again. To think, poor Tsuyoshi could have been murdered while I was drinking my tea."
"You were up early?" Miyu asked. Sumire glanced at her before nodding.
"I have trouble sleeping, and last night I just gave up. Went to the dining room at 4:30 in order to have a cup of tea."
"4:30 am?" Misa clarified. She nodded. "Alone? That's… stupid or brave or both. Not sure which."
"Thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself," Sumire said. "And it wasn't for long. Kat and Zettai joined me at 4:50."
"That's a pretty specific time," Miyu said.
"There's a clock on the wall. That tends to help."
"So it was just you three?" Misa asked. Sumire thought for a moment before shaking her head.
"No. Itami came in at 5:00, and then Shouko at 5:20. We were all together when we heard the announcement."
TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED
Sumire's Account
"Thanks. That's good to know. I think you're the first actual alibi I've heard," Misa told her with a quick grin. Sumire mirrored it.
"And yours is?"
"Not an actual alibi. Went straight to my room after the smoke test. Didn't leave or see anyone until I heard the body announcement."
Sumire covered her mouth with her hand. "That is unfortunate," she said.
"Isn't it?" Misa agreed. "But I think I've seen enough of this place for today. I'm gonna go try and check out some other places."
"I'll come with you," Miyu volunteered. "Itami?" The patient just shook his head. "Okay." She hesitated. "Just don't stay in here alone, okay?"
"I w-won't."
With that, the pair left the bathroom, cutting through Misa's room. They were both quiet as Misa led them towards the dining room. Maybe there were other, better places to check, but this was the only place that Misa knew for sure had other people in it potentially around the time of the murder. It was as good a place to start as any.
The dining room, surprisingly, wasn't empty when they arrived. Zettai sat in one of the chairs, calm as you please, a cup of steaming tea in front of him. He merely inclined his head in greeting when the girls entered.
"Hard at work?" Misa asked him. Zettai shot her a look.
"Please. I finished investigating an hour ago. This really isn't that difficult to figure out."
"Then who killed Tsuyoshi?" Miyu asked. Zettai actually laughed.
"Oh, come on. The game's no fun if I just tell you the answer. I trust that even you should be able to figure it out if you just thought about it for a second."
"You – you think this is a game?" Miyu demanded.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but we are in a Killing Game, yes?"
Uh oh. Misa quickly stepped in front of Miyu before she could do something stupid like try to dump Zettai's teacup over his head. Not that she would necessarily blame her. But Zettai would probably be more likely to answer questions if he was dry.
Keeping one hand on Miyu's shoulder, she turned to face the tactician. "Did you and Kat get here at like 4:50?"
"Yes. And yes, Sumire was already here." He paused while he sipped from his tea. "Although I'm not sure the exact time. It very easily could have been 4:30."
"There's literally a clock right above your head," Misa said.
"You should eat something before the trial. Wouldn't want you to suddenly feel faint if you were accused of something. That would hardly be a good defense now, would it?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Miyu asked. Zettai completely ignored her. "Hey!"
"Miyu," Misa said quietly.
"Oh, don't 'Miyu' me."
"I'll be right back," she said. "Try not to kill each other, please? I really only want to go through one trial right now." She regretted the words the moment that she saw the stricken look on Miyu's face, but it was too late to take them back.
She ducked into the kitchen. Zettai telling her to eat something was way too random not to be some kind of clue or riddle. But as she looked around, nothing really jumped out at her. None of the plastic food looked displaced, and all of the food machines looked perfectly normal. Absolutely nothing had changed since the last time she was in here. She muttered a curse under her breath and looked around one last time, her gaze finally falling on the clock placed high on the wall. She stepped closer to it and frowned.
"8:50," she said to herself before half-running out of the kitchen and back into the dining room. The clock above Zettai's head said 8:30. Zettai followed her gaze and smirked.
TRUTH BULLET AQUIRED
Dining Room and Kitchen Clocks
Bing bong, Ding dong
"Alright, I'm bored! Investigation time over! Everyone please report to the black and white doors. You know the ones."
Despite everything, Misa's stomach sank all the way to her feet. She looked at both Miyu and Zettai and could see her own fear and anxiety reflected in their eyes. Granted, Zettai's was incredibly muted, but it was there in the way his teacup clattered against the saucer when he put it down.
It was time for the class trial to begin.
And that is it for the investigation! Remember that the poll for who you think the blackened is is still up on my profile. I always love seeing your thoughts, whether it's through the poll or in a review!
Until next time!
