The investigation is finally here! It also ended up way longer than I intended, so I'm splitting it into two chapters (and I'll include the full list of evidence at the end of the second one).
"Xin…? Hey, what's the big idea?" Kaede asked, shock rendering her voice to barely more than a whisper. She took a step forward, but Beatrice flung her hand out.
"Don't move!" She shouted furiously. "This is a crime scene, you morons! No one comes any closer!"
"Crime scene?" Masanori asked. He moved in as well, fists clenched tightly. "What's wrong with him, Beatrice? Is he okay?"
"Grr, how thick are you? Xin is dead! D-E-A-D!"
"No no no, don't fuck with me," he didn't back down, his features quickly darkening into a grimace. "I-I know CPR, maybe Juzou can look at— hey, are you alright?!"
Concern suddenly flashed across Masanori's face, as he made it to Juzou's side in two long strides. I hadn't realised because he was behind me, but the Ultimate Pathologist was in a state of near-panic.
"Fuckin' christ… what the fuck…" Juzou panted. He was making an obvious effort to avoid looking at Xin, yet beads of sweat were streaming down his face and he was clearly shaking. He looked… fragile, like this. "Haaah—…! I-I'm gonna be sick…"
"Hey, man up already!" Beatrice shot accusingly. "Aren't you a pathologist!? What are you getting worked up for!?"
"S…shut up…!" He attempted something resembling a retort through laboured breaths. "I… I can't do it, okay!? Why do you think I'm not a doctor!?"
"What, so you picked second best? How did you even get into this school!?"
"That's enough, Beatrice," I quickly intervened. If things continued at this rate, Juzou was either going to throw up or straight up collapse. "We need to get Juzou out of here."
"I… I'll do it. Leave him to me," Kaede volunteered immediately. Gingerly, she took Juzou's arm from Masanori and hurriedly led him out of the clearing.
"It's unfortunate, isn't it?" Monokuma asked, popping up after the two left. "I hate to interrupt, but are you still planning to board the Escape Drill? I can't wait forever, you know!"
Riley gasped in shock at his lack of sympathy. "Are you serious!? We can't leave Xin like this!"
"I agree, but what should we do?" Ayano pointed out anxiously. "Our phones have been taken, so we can't call the police…"
Which was… a really good point, actually. What on earth were we going to do now…?
"We can't sit around on our heels. Let's figure out who did it ourselves," Mio jumped in before a heavy silence could settle over us, suddenly offering up a solution. "Considering the situation, I think it's the least we can do."
"Can a bunch of highschoolers really figure this out?" Yuuta asked sceptically. "I mean, we're Ultimates, but it's not like we have any detectives here…"
"I'm the Ultimate Journalist. Finding the truth is what I do… and I know the truth is here. If we put our heads together, I think it's doable," she insisted. "This is a 'closed circle' murder, if anyone has heard the term before. There's no way out, so all the clues to what happened to Xin will be in here somewhere."
I turned the thought over in my head for a moment. My thoughts pretty much echoed Yuuta, but when she put it that way… it definitely seemed like a massive burden to take on, but Mio had spoken with a persuasive conviction in her voice. We had only known each other for a few days, but I trusted her - so if she really believed that we could do it, then that was enough for me.
"I'm with Mio. I think we should try it," I said aloud. It's not like we had many other options right now, so despite my reservations I was willing to give it a shot. I think everyone else understood that too, because the others voiced their agreement one by one until there was a eventual —if a bit uncertain— agreement between us.
"Hm… okay! I see how it is," Monokuma announced seeing we had reached a decision, putting his paws on his hips. "If 'murder investigation' is how you want to play it, then I'll help out as best I can. In fact, I bet I know who did it!"
Seriously!? "Wha—? Who is it!?" I asked, practically shouting at him.
"I can't tell you that… but I have a little inside knowledge, you see. I know the culprit broke the Sector Earth rules, but they had special permission to avoid punishment," he explained patiently. "Obviously, it must have been the traitor! I didn't want to bring it up so soon, but there's a very bad person among you. I bet they could do something like this."
"A traitor…?" Riley frowned, rubbing her chin lightly. "I don't think I follow."
"Who cares about that?!" Beatrice snapped. "Are you seriously suggesting one of us killed him!? Maybe it was you!"
"Me? It's because I'm a bear, isn't it!?" Monokuma retorted indignantly. "No, no, it was one of you. Why would I want to kill poor Xin? I'm just trying to get you all back to Hope's Peak Academy."
"Throwing around accusations is going to get us nowhere. Times like this is when a cool head prevails, trust me," Genichi cut in calmly. "At the very least, he's not any more likely than one of us to be the culprit."
"Genichi…!" The bear gasped happily. "Anyway, time is ticking… so I suggest you get investigating!"
Monokuma disappeared the moment he'd finishing saying his piece, so Beatrice settled for glaring at the spot he had just vacated. "What the hell was that traitor stuff about? Grr… there's something off about that bear."
"Just ignore it. We should focus on figuring out what happened to Xin," Genichi replied, crossing his arms in thought. "We've got a lot of ground to cover, so I say we split up and investigate separately. We can reconvene later and compile what we've found."
"So we hafta figure this out between us, huh…" Masanori wondered. "I'm happy to help, but what exactly are we lookin' for?"
"Ah… that's a little hard to quantify. We're looking for anything related to Xin's death, so be on the lookout for anything suspicious."
"Oh," he mumbled. He rubbed the back of his neck, seeming a little disheartened. "I'm not any good at that kinda stuff… but don't worry, I'm gonna give it my best shot!"
"Then let's do this!" Riley cheered, charging forward. "Okay! Investigation is—"
"Halt!" Asuka barked. Riley had barely managed to make two steps before the Ultimate Servant blocked her path. "You are not permitted to come any closer. I have been ordered by Beatrice to prevent interference by punching intruders in the face!"
"What? Since when!?"
Asuka only bowed formally in apology, before starting to advance on us. "Prepare yourselves!"
"Asuka?! Hey, violence is totally not the answer!" Riley said quickly, hurriedly backing up to maintain a safe distance from the Ultimate Servant. "I order you to, uh… not punch me in the face?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot comply! I have also been ordered by Beatrice to ignore your orders!"
"Eh, you can do that? Interesting, interesting…" From somewhere behind me I heard Lana muttering to herself, something which would have concerned me more if it weren't for the fact that Asuka was still getting closer.
"Tch, what the hell is this…" Toranosuke muttered. "Isn't this gaming the system?"
"Ihihihi! I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!" The Ultimate Genius cackled, waving her hand dismissively.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
That voice…! There was a sudden scream, followed by the appearance of a familiar face. Well, flower.
"W-w-w-w-w, what's going on here!?" Flower-chan cried frantically, trying to take in the scene as quickly as possible.
"Flower-chan! What are you doing here?" I exclaimed. Didn't Monokuma say she wasn't coming back?
Of course, in that instant I realised two things simultaneously; first, Flower-chan had chosen to make her reappearance right next to Asuka, which put her right in the danger zone… and second, it was already far too late to stop what was about to happen.
"Flower-chan!" Asuka thundered, her intense red eyes locking on the little flower. "Are you trying to interfere!? I cannot allow this!"
"Eh? What are you talking about, Asu—" Flower-chan barely had time to register surprise before the purple-haired student violently kicked her into the side of the fountain. She stood no chance against the hard rock, instantly shattering against it with a sharp crack.
"Oh no…! Asuka killed Flower-chan!" Mio gasped. "Now we'll never find out why she's back!"
"Hey, Asuka!" Beatrice scolded, "I said to punch them in the face, not kick! Are you the Ultimate Servant or what?!"
"Your order was not specific enough! Flower-chan does not have a face!"
"What the heck? What kind of technicality is that!?" She yelled back, unimpressed with Asuka's excuses. "I don't care! I wanna see someone get punched!"
"Yes, at once! But please remember to cover technicalities next time!" Bowing to acknowledge her new command, Asuka strode over towards the shattered pot and immediately began vigorously pounding the soil with her fists.
"Honestly, I don't really care that much… but isn't this really over the top?" Nichira asked, watching Asuka pulverise Flower-chan's 'corpse' with evident disinterest.
"Don't sweat it. Flowers can't feel pain," Genichi said, wincing as the purple-haired servant landed a particularly solid hit. "… Well, by this point she probably wouldn't be able to feel pain anyway. Asuka sure knows how to lay down a beating."
"Guys? Let's stay on track, yeah?" Masanori coached gently. Right, investigation.
I tore my gaze away from the commotion Asuka was making and tried to focus on our new goal. In truth, I was actually quite glad the serious atmosphere had evaporated somewhat, no doubt due to a combination of things moving too fast for me to digest and Asuka causing the situation spiral into absurdity. More importantly, now that Asuka had made an unnecessarily bloodthirsty example of Flower-chan, it was abundantly clear she wasn't going to be letting anyone near Xin's body any time soon.
Other people were already starting to move, so I followed the first thought that popped into my head and looked around for Mio. I had no idea where to even start in something like this, so I figured that my time would be best spent assisting someone who actually knew what they were doing. Thankfully, she hadn't left yet, and she enthusiastically accepted my idea of acting as her assistant. With that set, all that was left was the hard part…
Location: Fountain | Sector Earth
The area where we discovered Xin's body. The fountain and escape drill sit undisturbed, and the clearing is currently populated by me, Mio, Asahara, Beatrice, and Asuka. The latter still bars access to Xin's body, so everyone else has left to investigate other areas of Sector Earth.
SHINJI: Well, I guess it's time to investigate. What would you do first on a case like this?
MIO: Hm… it's definitely clear we need to collect as much evidence as we can.
MIO: However! We need to cover our bases first, otherwise we won't understand the situation properly.
MIO: Also, don't tell anyone I said this… but it'll give everyone else has a head start in their investigation, so we can just ask around instead of investigating ourselves.
SHINJI: … Nice.
MIO: Efficiency is key in any good investigation! So before we go anywhere, let's start with the basics. What information do we have on hand?
SHINJI: Well, Monokuma just sent us something…
MIO: Hm, a good place to start. Let's make a note of it.
:: Evidence Received: Monokuma File A (1) ::
Victim: Ultimate Good Luck Xin Sakai.
Time of Death: Unknown.
Cause of Death: Multiple stab wounds to torso inflicted with a bladed weapon.
Additional Notes: The victim would only have lived a short time before dying.
MIO: Monokuma File, huh…? I guess this is his version of an autopsy report.
MIO: Not that there's much to it. The main thing we can take from it is that Xin was killed with a bladed weapon.
SHINJI: What, like a sword? Where would you even get one of those?
MIO: Not necessarily. The file only specifies a blade, so it could be something like a knife or a pair of scissors too.
MIO: I'm sure there are a few places to get something like that… but you're right, it wouldn't be that easy to come by. We should keep an eye out for anything that could have been used.
SHINJI: Alright… that shouldn't be too hard, I suppose.
MIO: See, progress! There's also something else we can get from our student IDs. I'll save you the trouble of guessing— we're getting a refresher on the rulebook Flower-chan gave us.
SHINJI: The rules…?
:: Evidence Received: Sector Earth Rules (2) ::
#1. Rule breaking will incur a punishment, so please obey the rules!
#2. Malicious destruction of property is forbidden. Please be nice to your fellow students!
#3. Let's keep Sector Earth clean! Littering is forbidden.
#4. To ensure water purity, the fountain in the central clearing is off limits. Please do not touch!
#5. Night time occurs between 10 pm and 7 am. During this period, the cafe is locked and the observation deck elevator will not run. However, there is no curfew, so you may move around Sector Earth whenever you wish!
MIO: In a 'closed circle murder' situation like this, rules are important to know. You can think of them as parameters of the method used.
MIO: The rules apply to all of us, so if the culprit is a student they have to abide by them as well. If we take that into consideration, it could help us understand what they did and why.
SHINJI: Not a bad sales pitch… but didn't Monokuma say earlier that the culprit broke the rules?
MIO: Oh yeah… um, forget I said anything.
MIO: Just kidding! That works in our favour too, you know. We just have to keep an eye out for rule breaking.
MIO: If we find it, we know the culprit was responsible. That's good, because we'll need to piece together everything the culprit did to commit the murder.
:: Evidence Received: Culprit's Rule Breaking (3) ::
According to Monokuma, the culprit broke some of the Sector Earth rules but wasn't punished for it. Why or how did they get away with it…?
SHINJI: Woah, that's smart. I didn't think of it that way.
MIO: Ehehe… there's always a silver lining. Anyway, I think we're ready to get started. Let's see if we can convince Beatrice to let us look at Xin.
ASUKA: …
SHINJI: (A-Asuka us staring us down…)
MIO: … Well, if we can get past Asuka. What's Beatrice doing over there, anyway…?
BEATRICE: Hey Asahara! Where do you think you're going?!
ASAHARA: Um, I was going to go investigate…
BEATRICE: Investigate what? You're staying here with me and Asuka!
ASAHARA: B… But three is my unlucky number… What if I get cursed and reincarnate as a slug?
BEATRICE: Who cares? You're talking to the Ultimate Genius, I don't give a crap about curses!
ASAHARA: Uuuu, it's no use… I can feel the universe turning against me…
BEATRICE: Ihihihi, too bad! Now quit whining and give me your tools!
ASAHARA: Eh? W… What are you going to do with them?
BEATRICE: What do you think I'm going to do, you idiot? The autopsy!
ASAHARA: Nooooooo! I don't want my tools to have blood all over them!
BEATRICE: Ihihi! Asuka, take Asahara's tools and give them to me!
ASUKA: Yes, at once!
SHINJI: Hey Beatrice, aren't you being kind of heartless? You shouldn't bully Asahara into it if he doesn't want to.
BEATRICE: Heartless?! Do you think I'm enjoying this?!
BEATRICE: Listen up, you silver-haired monkey. If you think I'm letting the loser who did this get away, you've got another thing coming.
BEATRICE: Someone needs to examine Xin, and I'm the only one who can do it as long as that idiot pathologist is being useless. Therefore, I'm doing an important role… so I'm going to have an assistant whether he likes it or not!
BEATRICE: Grr… I should be out solving crimes, but here I am doing grunt work. Asahara, this is all your fault!
ASAHARA: Waah! Forgive meee!
SHINJI: (Damn it, Beatrice…! It's annoying, but she does have a point…)
BEATRICE: Speaking of which, what are you two doing here?! Let me work in peace!
MIO: Don't worry, we won't be here for long. We'll clear out after this, but can you at least tell us how you found the body?
BEATRICE: Hm… Fine! I'll allow it, so listen up!
BEATRICE: I found Xin when I went for a walk, so I called Asuka to secure the area!
MIO: Eh? How did you call Asuka?
BEATRICE: You can call her with your student ID. What, didn't you know that?
SHINJI: I never heard anything about that. Since when?
BEATRICE: Since always! What good would an Ultimate Servant be if you can't call them?!
BEATRICE: It's a secret function, but I guess you're all too stupid to figure it out. Ihihi.
MIO: You know… I never really thought about it, but that actually does make sense.
SHINJI: I suppose if anyone would know about it, it'd be Beatrice. I guess that's also why Asuka always seems to be hovering around her…
MIO: I'm totally making use of that in the future. How do you do it?
BEATRICE: As if I'd tell you that! It's my secret weapon!
MIO: Whaat? That's lame!
BEATRICE: Ihihi! If you're so desperate to know, figure it out yourself!
BEATRICE: Anyway, I didn't know where Asahara was, so I covered the area while Asuka retrieved him.
SHINJI: Wait, why Asahara? Would he even want to see the body?
BEATRICE: Pff, of course not. Since when did that stop me?
SHINJI: (… Ouch. He really can't catch a break.)
BEATRICE: That's all. When she dragged him over here, that weird announcement played.
BEATRICE: Ihihi… I take cash or credit card. I even tolerated you interrupting me to ask questions, so you better pay extra.
MIO: Why would we pay you? I was just asking for background…
MIO: It's good to know everything that happened, but I don't think it's going to help us solve this.
BEATRICE: Huh!? You think my testimony isn't evidence-worthy?!
BEATRICE: Grr… then why ask in the first place!? I'm done wasting my time here!
[ Beatrice storms off in a huff. Asahara isn't escaping her clutches any time soon and I don't want to risk getting punched in the face by Asuka, so there's nothing else we can do here for now. ]
SHINJI: Well… I guess we'd better move on. Where do you think we should go now?
MIO: Xin's room is probably the logical location... but I'd actually like to go to the animal enclosures first.
SHINJI: The enclosures? What's over there?
MIO: Honestly, I'm not sure. I don't even know if it's related, but there's something I'd like to check.
SHINJI: Hey, you're the boss. Let's go.
Location: Animal Enclosures | Sector Earth
There's a solemn silence here, as if the animals know what's going on too. Riley is here and it looks like she's inspecting something, but other than that this area looks perfectly normal. I wonder what Mio wants to check for…?
MIO: Ah, Riley!
RILEY: Hello! Come to investigate the crime scene?
SHINJI: Crime scene? But Xin is over at the fountain…
RILEY: No, not that crime scene. Something else happened here!
RILEY: Get in the loop, Shinji! It's the talk of the town!
SHINJI: A… alright. Can you fill me in?
RILEY: Heh heh, I guess I could be convinced to.
RILEY: Picture it! There was a really suspicious incident last night! It was like, uh… a night time incident!
SHINJI: (Real creative naming, there…)
SHINJI: Well, it sounds suspicious so far. What happened?
RILEY: There was a really big crashing noise outside the girls' rooms! You should have been there, it was super loud!
RILEY: When I went out to see what caused it… I saw a mysterious black mass!
RILEY: That's suspicious, isn't it!? I couldn't believe there were people who didn't come out to see what happened!
SHINJI: That is strange. If you heard something that loud, it'd be natural to come see what was happening…
RILEY: Let's see… I think Beatrice, Ayano, and Lana were the ones missing.
MIO: Didn't Asuka not come out as well? Nichira ended up calling her out to make her investigate for us.
RILEY: Ah, you're right! Ahaha, I forgot about that…
RILEY: Anyway, ready for the explanation!? While I was sleeping, one of the hanging pots fell down and smashed to pieces!
RILEY: It looked like Flower-chan after Asuka beat her up! If that thing hit me, I could have died!
SHINJI: (But weren't you asleep? Why would you have been outside…?)
MIO: We thought it might have been some sort of fault in the suspension cables, but according to Asuka it was knocked down by an owl that escaped the enclosures.
RILEY: Yeah, and it's totally true! Look, someone opened up the enclosures!
SHINJI: (Ah… I hadn't realised that there were doors on the enclosure walls, but one is open right now. Definitely big enough for an owl to fit through.)
MIO: Good work! That confirms what Asuka told us, so I'll write all that down.
RILEY: Ha, how's that for detective work!? Man I'm good at this stuff!
:: Evidence Received: The Night Time Incident (4) ::
A hanging flower pot near the girls' rooms fell down and broke last night; Kaede, Nichira, Riley, and Mio left their rooms to investigate. Apparently, it was caused by an escaped owl.
MIO: … …
MIO: Wait, but who opened it? I'd assumed that the owl had managed to escape by itself...
RILEY: Oh, good question. Now I think about it, Asuka didn't say anything about the enclosure door being open…
RILEY: More importantly, that means someone caused the night time incident! Quick, write that down too!
:: Evidence Received: Released Animal (5) ::
Someone unlatched a gate on the animal enclosures, which allowed an owl to escape that caused the night time incident. I wonder who could have done it…?
MIO: Since when did we have owls, anyway? I never saw one.
SHINJI: Owls only come out at night, don't they? I know I only ever visited the animal enclosures during the day, so I must have missed them.
SHINJI: But anyway… do you think all this is related to Xin?
RILEY: Eh? Oh crap, I forgot we're investigating that too!
RILEY: Hmmm…
RILEY: … … …
RILEY: To be honest, I don't see how it ties in at all…
RILEY: But it happened last night, so that's totally suspicious! Xin could have been killed if he was hit by it, you know!
MIO: Technically true, but I think we're going to need a little more than that to prove a connection…
MIO: Anyway, that's everything I wanted to investigate here. Shall we move on, Shinji?
RILEY: Oh, you guys are leaving? Check out the girls' dorms for me!
RILEY: It's where the pot fell, so you might find something. Just be on the lookout for rogue flower pots, okay?!
SHINJI: … Sure. It's nearby, so I guess we may as well check it out now.
Location: Girls' Rooms | Sector Earth
Everyone is busy investigating, so none of the girls seem to be around… well, except for Mio. There's no guarantee the night time incident is even related to the murder so it's honestly a long shot to expect any evidence here, and I sure don't see anything that strikes me as suspicious. Yuuta seems to have had the same idea as us though, because he's here as well.
MIO: Oh, Yuuta!
YUUTA: Hey. What are you two doing here?
SHINJI: We were sent here by Riley. I take it you're investigating the night time incident too?
YUUTA: Is that what you're calling it…? I heard about it from Nichira, so I came to look around.
YUUTA: Asuka was right about it being a flower pot, at least. You can see where it used to be, but the debris has been cleared away already.
SHINJI: (True… I don't know what Riley was hoping we'd find, but there's nothing here.)
YUUTA: Although, if it was caused by an owl… I wonder where it is now?
MIO: Sleeping somewhere, maybe? It's daytime now, after all.
YUUTA: I guess so. … It won't be here, anyway.
SHINJI: So there's nothing here.
SHINJI: (It was good to check, but this was totally a waste of time…)
YUUTA: Yeah. I did find out something, though.
YUUTA: Do you know when the sprinklers come on? The device that controls them is in the cafe's storeroom.
YUUTA: There was even a pamphlet… they automatically go off every day at 6 AM and 11 PM, and leave the ground wet for half an hour.
MIO: Hm… so in other words, one hour before morning, and one hour after nightfall.
YUUTA: Yeah. Uh, it might not be important… but I saw footprints near Xin, so I thought I should find out.
SHINJI: (There were footprints…? He must have good eyes, because I hadn't noticed at all.)
SHINJI: (He's definitely right about the other one, though. You don't leave footprints in the gardens when the ground is dry.)
:: Evidence Received: Sprinkler System (6) ::
There are sprinklers placed around the Sector Earth gardens that water the plants every day at 6:00 am and 11:00 pm. However, they also double as fire sprinklers when smoke is detected. For half an hour after the sprinklers are active, walking on the ground will leave footprints.
YUUTA: Got that? There's nothing else here, so I'm moving on… good luck.
SHINJI: Hopefully we won't need it, but good luck to you too.
SHINJI: Now… where should we go next?
MIO: Let's see… investigating Xin's room is definitely high on our priority list, but it's also on the opposite side of the sector right now. I don't want to backtrack all day, so we should check out other areas as we head towards it.
SHINJI: Well, I think I saw Lana up on the observation deck. She was one of the girls who didn't come out during the night time incident, right?
MIO: Right! It'll be a good opportunity to ask her about that. Let's go.
Location: Observation Deck | Sector Earth
Lana is still here when we reach the observation deck. I don't see anything of interest —which is to be expected, considering you can't hide anything up here— but Lana is leaning over the railing in a rather suspicious manner. Ten bucks says she's plotting something.
LANA: Well well, if it isn't Shinji and Mio. Watcha doin'?
MIO: I'm glad you ask! We're looking into the night time incident that happened last night.
LANA: 'Night time incident'? No idea what you're talkin' about. Invite me next time, will ya?
MIO: But… it was a really loud crash right outside your room. Don't tell me you didn't hear it?
LANA: Nup, didn't hear a thing!
LANA: Let me tell you, once ya live on a ship for a while you learn to block out noise. I sleep like a log, y'see.
LANA: Hehe… next time you wanna wake me up, just yell 'I promise there's treasure!' I'll be up right away!
LANA: But there better be real treasure, yeah? If not, I'll have to refer to the Great Six Secrets to Success in Business, rule five.
LANA: Funny rule, that one. Do either of you happen to remember it?
SHINJI: … It's the leg breaking one, isn't it.
LANA: Ohoho, I see we're learning. Keep that up and ya might make a good lackey one day!
MIO: Ah, the sidekick position I never made? You should go for it Shinji, you have my blessing!
SHINJI: Uh… I'll pass, thanks. (Hey! I don't want your hand-me-down title!)
MIO: But anyway, that's in the past now. What are you doing up here, Lana?
LANA: Stagin' an assault! I wanna check out Xin, so I've decided to climb down this here rock wall to get past Asuka!
LANA: It's close to the fountain, see, so I can get down without even touching the ground.
LANA: It'll be like scaling a ship without the rocking. Easy peasy!
SHINJI: (That's right… it's possible to move between the fountain clearing and the observation deck using that wall. I saw Masanori do it on our first day here.)
SHINJI: (We don't have any evidence anyone actually used it, but it's probably a good idea to make a note of it anyway.)
:: Evidence Received: Rock Wall (7) ::
A climbable rock wall in the central clearing connects the gardens and the observation deck, and provides an alternate route to using the elevator. It's situated very close to the fountain.
MIO: Well, sounds like you've got a plan… but what are you going to do about Asuka? I mean, she'll still be there even if you can get to Xin.
LANA: We improvise! Me and Shinji have the high ground, so it'll all work out.
SHINJI: What kind of plan is 'improvise'...?
SHINJI: And since when was it a 'we'!?
LANA: Word of advice, Shinji: You'll never get anywhere in life with that outlook. If you have a can-do attitude like me, you can shoot for the stars!
LANA: Now, are we ready? Is that a yes I hear?
SHINJI: No! Not ready!
SHINJI: Lana, we're going to get punched in the face by Asuka. This is the stupidest plan I've ever—
LANA: No time for dawdling, plan sorted! Great Six Secrets to Success in Business: Golden Rule #1! DIVERSIFY, DIVERSI—
MONOKUMA: Hello! How's your investigation coming along?
LANA: … Eh? Oh, Monokuma! I guess I'll put our plan on hold for the moment.
SHINJI: (… Thank god. My life was starting to flash in front of my eyes…)
MIO: It's going pretty well, all things considered. Are you here to tell us something, Monokuma?
MONOKUMA: Upupu… you know me too well.
MONOKUMA: That's right! I'm here to kick you out.
MIO: What…!? Hey, what kind of teacher does that?
LANA: You can't force me to go anywhere! Ohoho, touch me and I'll sue ya for abusing a student.
MONOKUMA: Haah, so harsh… I'm only trying to do my best!
MONOKUMA: I said I was going to help you, didn't I? I have something very special in mind!
MONOKUMA: Since I'm sure you're all dying to know, I'll be setting up a special arena here. But building takes time, and I'll have to make this a staff-only construction zone.
SHINJI: (An arena…?)
SHINJI: Well, he is doing it to help us… I don't think there's anything up here anyway, so we may as well clear out.
MIO: That's true… oh, but since you're kicking us out, can you get Beatrice to let us examine Xin's body? She hasn't let anyone through since we started investigating.
MONOKUMA: Hm? Well, alright. If it's for your investigation, I'm happy to help!
LANA: Huh… is this diplomacy? Odd, I didn't think that worked in the real world…
SHINJI: (… I'm just going to leave that one alone. Time to go talk to Beatrice.)
SHINJI: Hey Beatrice, can we come take a look at Xin yet?
BEATRICE: Ihihi! Why don't you come down here and beg?
MONOKUMA: Upupu… I'll take it from here.
MONOKUMA: Hey Asuka! There's been an unexpected turn of events… I'm kicking these guys out, so they have nowhere else to go. As your teacher, please let them investigate poor Xin!
ASUKA: Understood! I will not punch them in the face!
BEATRICE: Hey, what the heck…!? How did you get administrative permission!?
BEATRICE: Grr… Fine! See if I care!
SHINJI: (Score! Alright, down the wall…)
Location: Fountain | Sector Earth
We've finally been granted permission by The Lord Almighty Beatrice to investigate the area around Xin's body. Now I have the opportunity to get a closer look I can already see something lying near Xin, but… did Asuka put up a fence around his body?
ASAHARA: My… my tools…
BEATRICE: Psh, quit whining. It's not like I actually cut him open.
SHINJI: Er… I'm almost afraid to ask, but what's with the fence?
ASUKA: Beatrice ordered me to secure the area! With a physical blockade in place, I will be able to ward off over 200 people attempting to rush the scene at once!
MIO: Wow, talk about efficiency! But how many people would a Monokuma count as?
ASUKA: Approximately a 0.18:1 ratio to an adult male! His small stature would make him an effective non-lethal projectile!
LANA: What, only non-lethal? Maybe if we filled him with lead and shot him outta a cannon…
MONOKUMA: Hey! I heard that!
BEATRICE: Enough with the peanut gallery! Are you here to investigate or what!?
SHINJI: (Hm… there are a couple of things to look at here. We should talk to Beatrice, too.)
[ Beatrice seems to be taking a break now we've barged in, so it's a good time to talk to her. I'm still considering what I should ask about when Mio beats me to it. ]
MIO: So Beatrice, do you remember hearing anything strange last night? A crash, perhaps?
BEATRICE: Do you think I'm an idiot!? Of course I heard it!
MIO: Eh, you did? Why didn't you come out to have a look?
BEATRICE: Like I cared! I have better things to do than investigate weird noises!
BEATRICE: Of course, you're not a genius so I don't expect you to understand my priorities.
SHINJI: (I can agree to that last part, at least. The way she acts sure is incomprehensible sometimes…)
SHINJI: Well, is there anything else you can tell us about Xin?
ASAHARA: U-um, not really… but we did find the weapon.
BEATRICE: Ihihi, thanks to my amazing eyesight! You can see it in the fountain under Xin!
MIO: Oh, that sounds promising. What is it?
BEATRICE: Do you expect miracles out of me now or something? We're not allowed to move Xin or that weapon out of the fountain, so it's hard to tell.
SHINJI: (That's right, the fountain is off limits thanks to one of the Sector Earth rules… well, no points for guessing it was the culprit who threw the weapon in there.)
BEATRICE: Grr… the culprit is allowed to break the rules, but not us? What kind of stupid system is this?!
:: Evidence Received: The Unknown Weapon (8) ::
The murder weapon was thrown into the fountain, but it's too obscured to identify. Thanks to the Sector Earth rules, we can't retrieve it...
LANA: It sure is a mystery. Who would've thought there's a way around the rules I don't know about?
LANA: There's only one thing I can think of. They must've asked!
MIO: Eh? As in, asked Monokuma to OK it?
ASAHARA: Um, but wouldn't that mean… Monokuma knows who the culprit is…
MIO: Well… that would be the natural conclusion...
SHINJI: M-Maybe there's some kind of request system we don't know about? He wouldn't have given them permission himself… right?
LANA: Ohoho… that wasn't a serious suggestion, you know. What kinda culprit would be that stupid?
LANA: Everyone knows the real way to ask for permission is to get them to sign a 600 page contract! Stick it real small in the fine print, and you're golden!
SHINJI: (I suppose I should appreciate the effort, but somehow I don't think there are any 600 page contracts involved here.)
SHINJI: (And of course, it still doesn't answer the main question. How did the culprit get permission to break the rules? … Could they?)
[ Anyway, I have better things to do than ponder the mysteries of this case right now. Next up on my list of interest is the electronic ID lying near Xin. ]
SHINJI: I guess this belongs to Xin. It's not looking so good…
SHINJI: (In fact, it's not even turning on. I could definitely see a 'bladed weapon' inflicting this kind of damage.)
SHINJI: (Hm... Actually, Asuka hasn't said anything yet. I wonder what she thinks?)
SHINJI: Hey Asuka, what do you make of this ID? Any ideas on how it got broken?
ASUKA: …
ASUKA: That is not an order! Please only command me to do things!
SHINJI: (... Never mind.)
MIO: I think it's reasonable to say it got broken when he was attacked by the culprit. It wouldn't exactly be strange for him to be holding it.
LANA: Yeah, I bring mine out all the time! I still can't believe we can use these things as room keys!
LANA: Technology sure is amazing! I'll hafta install some on my ship.
SHINJI: (I can't argue with the convenience… but why on earth would you need one on a ship?)
:: Evidence Received: Xin's Student ID (9) ::
Electronic IDs we use to unlock the doors to our rooms. This particular one belongs to Xin, but it's been heavily damaged and no longer works.
[ I'll leave Lana's interior design plans up to her. Now, I remember Yuuta mentioning footprints being around here... ]
SHINJI: Let's see... Ah, footprints. Just like Yuuta said.
SHINJI: (More specifically, a single set of footprints is visible in the ground. Based on the position, I'd say they belong to Xin.)
MIO: We're not leaving any footprints now, so they must have been left while the ground was wet...
MIO: Judging by the direction, it looks like he came here from the east. I'll make a note of it.
BEATRICE: Ihihi… See, aren't you glad I didn't let anyone trample over my crime scene?
:: Evidence Received: Muddy Footprints (10) ::
There is a single set of footprints that lead up to the fountain. However, they are quite shallow, so it's impossible to tell with any certainty who they belong to. Based on their position, it seems like they belong to Xin.
MIO: Hm, but it's strange… I mean, Xin was killed, right? If those footprints are his, shouldn't the culprit have left a set as well?
LANA: That just means they knew what they were doing! If I wanted to kill someone, I sure wouldn't leave footprints!
SHINJI: R-really… and how would you do that?
LANA: Ohoho… I'm not about ta give up my methods that easy. Believe you me, it takes a lot of preplanning.
LANA: But I'll give ya a freebie! Let's just say that those don't hafta be Xin's footprints.
SHINJI: (But then… where are Xin's footprints?)
SHINJI: (I guess it's possible, but it still leaves the question of how…)
:: Evidence Received: Missing Footprints? (11) ::
There is only one set of footprints in the clearing. However… If they belong to Xin, then where are the culprit's footprints? And if they really belong to the culprit instead, then where are Xin's footprints?
LANA: This is the kinda business acumen you need to make it in the financial sector! I'll hafta score a one-on-one interview with the culprit once we catch them!
MIO: Lana, we're talking murder here. I don't know what we should do about them, but giving them an interview is definitely sending the wrong message…
LANA: Hey, can't give up a once in a lifetime opportunity, ya know?
LANA: But once I'm done… I'll chuck 'em to the sharks myself. Count on it.
SHINJI: (H-her expression turned dark all of a sudden… that's a scary face…)
SHINJI: (She's been acting pretty normal, but I guess she's angry about what happened to Xin too.)
LANA: Hmmm… Anyway, my instincts are tellin' me I've seen everything I need. I'm outta here!
SHINJI: That does seem like everything… so I guess we should head out too. Are we still heading to Xin's room?
MIO: Yeah! We'll be passing by the wishing well clearing on our way through, too. I wonder if there's anything there?
Stay tuned for part 2, for the wishing well and the rest of Sector Earth. I just need to make final edits and clean it up, so it'll be out in the next day or two.