"So, it's shaping up to look like one of us really is the culprit," Yamato said. "I hate to say it though, but we have no evidence as to who, even if some of us may have our suspicions."
"Well, how about we look at what happened in the Dining Hall?" Leiko asked. "Maybe that can help us to piece this together."
"I know it's a bit late to ask, but what is Hisoka allergic to?" I said. "We should probably get that straightened out before we start."
"He's allergic to Almonds," Jitsuko said. "Does that help?"
"Almonds, huh?" I said. "Anything else?"
"Most tree nuts," Jitsuko said.
"He's got it real bad if you ask me," Leiko said. "Nuts are the best!"
Nuts, huh? For some reason, that seems oddly familiar to me...
PRESENT EVIDENCE
Truth Bullets
- Monokuma File #01
- Poison
- Last Meal
- Circular Cardboard Piece
- Moments Leading Up To Death
- Hisoka's Inventory
- Yamato's Testimony
- Wake Up with Nuts Bar
- Hisoka's Spot
- Seating Arrangement
- Autoinjector
- Mayu's Testimony
- The Number 5 Locker
- Bar Restriction
- Brass Monokuma
- Pillow
- Dolly
- The Black Marker
- Electric Spice Grinder
- Iyona's Testimony
Used Truth Bullet: Wake Up with Nuts Bar
"Shit, how could I have missed that!" I exclaimed. "The Wake Up with Nuts Bar! That's how Hisoka was killed!"
"Wake Up and Nut?" Leiko said. "Sounds like an interesting time if you ask me..."
"No, Leiko, it's a muesli bar," I said. "It contains nuts, and one of them was missing from the packet in the dining hall! I'm willing to bet that whatever was in that soup was chunks of that very bar!"
"Well, if that is indeed the case, there is still the small matter of who killed Hisoka Arai," Daigo said.
"The logical conclusion to draw here was that it was one of the cooks," Iyona added. "They could've done it with ease."
"And since it can't be anyone from Purple Team, that means it is most likely Hoshi," Mayu said. However, I was not wholly convinced. If it was Hoshi, she wouldn't have to put it in Hisoka's bowl alone, she could've loaded it into everyone's meals together. However, I had no proof for this. In this class trial, proof would be the thing that separates a good judgement from an accepted truth: I had to learn that truth.
NON-STOP DEBATE
Truth Bullets
- Circular Cardboard Piece
- Wake Up with Nuts Bar
- Electric Spice Grinder
- Poison
- Mayu's Testimony
"So, the cook Hoshi was responsible all this time?" Daigo said.
"That is odd though," Yamato said. "With the amount of forethought put into the murder plot, I'm not quite sure the blackened could be Hoshi."
"Hey, I'm not stupid you know!" Hoshi said. "You take that back!"
"Well, obviously you are," Samuru said. "You just gave up your only avenue out of this. That was a pretty stupid thing to do."
"Well, Hoshi?" Noriko said. "Are we right in suspecting you?"
"Of course," Daigo said. "She was the only person excepting Mayu who could tamper with the soup: thus, she was the only person who could plant the allergen."
"Wait, something's amiss!" I said.
Used Truth Bullet: Mayu's Testimony
"Yamato, if I'm correct," I said. "Hoshi wasn't the only one who could've planted the allergen, right?"
"Yeah," Yamato said. "There was a point at which anyone could've entered the dining hall, as I said. Also, Hoshi and Mayu weren't alone in cooking. Daigo, myself and Samuru were acting as waiters that night."
"So, it could've been virtually anyone still?" Leiko said. "Argh, bloody hell! That Wake Up and Nut Bar did absolutely nothing except send us on a goose chase!"
"Hold on though, Hitomi," Hoshi said. "You're saying that stale nut bar is the murder weapon? How'd he not notice that shit in his food? I almost broke my teeth on that thing!"
"Stale... Stale, huh?" I said to myself, and an idea began to form in my head.
CLASS TRIALS: SYNAPSE GAPS
This is the last minigame introduction, I swear. Anyway, Synapse Gaps is equivalent to Logic Dive or Psyche Taxi in that you have to assemble an idea of what happened in order to reach the appropriate conclusion about what happened in a case. Since we can't exactly have an action-packed mini game in a written word fanfiction, I'm going to have to rely a little on your imaginations for this one. Anyway, the essential premise is to piece together strings of information in order to understand what happened. Once the question is answered, the correct answer will be in bold.
SYNAPSE GAPS
The crime scene is visualised in your head. The brown remnants of some decimated allergen lie in the soup - the murder weapon. However, if the murder weapon truly is the Wake Up with Nuts bar, then how did it end up in this state?
What happened to the Nut Bar?
- It was Crushed
- It was Shaved
- It was Ground Up
So, if it was ground, then the obvious candidate for that was the Electric Spice Grinder. However, if that was the case, then one of the five on-duty members of the food preparation team that day should have heard the whirring of the machine and the enormous noise made by grinding the stale bar. Since both Mayu and Hoshi were together in the kitchen the whole time; in addition to Daigo, Samuru and Yamato being together in the dining hall, when was the Nut Bar ground up?
When was it ground up?
- Before we arrived
- Before the Third Night
- On the Third Night
So, it was ground up before the third day, and someone who wasn't on Purple Team put it into the soup sometime after that point. There was someone who is a suspect right now who wouldn't have known about the nut allergy at this point in time, so who can we clear of suspicion?
Who is no longer suspicious from the food preparation team?
- Yamato Kaga
- Hoshi Nakashima
- Daigo Yamamoto
Conclusion: The Nut Bar was ground up at some point before the third night by someone other than Hoshi Nakashima.
"The truth is in my mind's eye!" I said.
"Hoshi can't be guilty," I said. "I have proof."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Mayu asked.
"Mayu, did you hear a grinding noise while you were working away at the soup?"
"No, as a matter of fact I did not," Mayu said. "I would be suspicious if I heard something like that since we were making soup."
"I want to ask you something, Mayu," I said. "Did Hoshi leave the dining hall at any point during the cooking?"
"No," Mayu said. "Both of us cooks stayed behind while the waiters went out to tell everyone about dinner."
"Well then, I think it's safe to say that Hoshi couldn't have committed this crime," I said. "The blades were dulled on the Spice Grinder, so the Nut Bar must've been tough. The Spice Grinder would be too loud to be used at the scene without anyone noticing, they must've crushed the nuts earlier!"
"If they crushed the nuts earlier, then..." Mayu said.
"Then Hoshi couldn't have committed the crime, since she didn't know about Hisoka's nut allergy yet," I said. "That means Hoshi is innocent!"
"Thanks Hitomi," Hoshi said. "Guess I owe you one: you're a lifesaver."
"Jesus, it might not be Hoshi, but if that's the case then how the hell do we find out who the hell it is?" Hiroyuki said. "We still need a damn answer, don't we?"
NON-STOP DEBATE
Truth Bullets
- Last Meal
- Hisoka's Inventory
- Circular Cardboard Piece
- Mayu's Testimony
- Yamato's Testimony
"Even if it couldn't be Hoshi who did it, she could've been helping someone else!" Hiroyuki said. "Hoshi, I hope you know that being an accessory to murder is a punishable offense!"
"I'm not working with a murderer!" Hoshi said. "Besides, if anyone could do it, it'd be you!"
"Me?" Hiroyuki asked. "How could I do it?"
"You were on prep for the first night!" Hoshi said. "You ran toward the inventory room and got there before anyone else, ain't that sus' as shit?"
"It is possible that you could have put something on the broth while no one was looking," Mayu said. "It appears my doubts about your character were well-founded after all."
"Oh, come on!" Hiroyuki said. "Don't be so cold, I'm not the killer!"
"Wait, something's amiss!" I yelled.
Used Truth Bullet: Last Meal
- BREAK -
"The Brown Particles... weren't just on the soup, they were in the soup. However, there's no doubt about it, Hisoka's is the only soup with the Nut Bar Traces," I said. "The killer must've mixed the allergen in by some method, of which we yet don't know."
"But why would they go to the effort of mixing it in?" Goro said. "It would've been much simpler to powder the top, and there would be less chance of traces left on the bottom."
"A man's fucking dead, and you're talking about the simplest way to kill him?" Hoshi said.
"We can't afford sensibilities," Goro said. "There's a murderer among us, after all."
"Goro is right," Yamato said. "It is up to us to figure out what happened, as tact and good sense are luxuries not afforded by a place like this. With that in mind, there must be a specific reason the killer had for mixing the allergen rather than simply putting it on the top of the soup."
"Well, how are we supposed to know that?" Chizuko said. "They're a murderer, they could just be a twisted fucking weirdo with a compulsive desire to mix shit. We can't know their motive, we don't even know what they're doing let alone what they're thinking!"
"I believe... that thinking we can't is what is hindering us from reaching the truth," Erika said. "We have to believe we can: if tragedy has taught me anything, it has taught me that the best in humanity comes through belief in oneself: believe in yourself."
"So, Erika's discovered her latent talent in motivational speaking?" Samuru said. "I believe you have left your run a little late, that would've been more useful downstairs than up here, Erika."
"Still, it is up to us to find out the truth," Ryoma said. "We should probably return to the discussion at hand. How is it that the allergen was mixed in with the soup, and why?"
"Maybe they used a spoon?" Yoshimi said. "That would've done the trick, right?"
"There's no evidence of a dirtied spoon besides those on the table, and they were all clean when we commenced the dinner," Noriko stated. "I am afraid that is not the case, not in this case."
"W-w-what ab-bout the m-m-marker?" Kumi said.
"That was beneath the Spice Grinder shards, I'm afraid," Seita said. "Sorry Kumi, but if the Spice Grinder was used earlier than the start of dinner preparation, there's no way that the marker can be used to stir the soup."
"I-I'm s-s-sorry!" Kumi said.
"Don't worry, you've helped us out so much this far," Seita said.
"What if... they had no other choice," Sora said quietly.
All attention turned to Sora. Eyes previously filled with the hollow dejection of despair now shone brightly with radiant hope, as he realised the truth behind the lies of the court. "The reason the particles were in the soup, stirred without any implement to stir with. What if they'd been in the bowl the whole time?"
NON-STOP DEBATE
Truth Bullets
- Hisoka's Spot
- Circular Cardboard Piece
- Mayu's Testimony
- Wake Up with Nuts Bar
- Moments Leading up to Death
"What are you saying, Sora?" Hiroyuki said. "That's not possible!"
"Hold a sec, Sora, you're saying that the killer rigged the bowl with the nuts?" Leiko said. "How the fuck did they do that!"
"They didn't, that's how!" Hoshi said. "I looked at each of them before I poured soup into them, I think I would've noticed shit in the bottom of the bowl!"
Sora did not comment, and remained silent.
"Huh, cat got your tongue?" Hoshi said. "Come on, is that all you've got?"
"Unfortunately, I think the conclusion is clear," Yamato said. "I am afraid that with Sora's inability to justify what he's saying, we'll have to rule against his theory."
Used Truth Bullet: Circular Cardboard Piece
- BREAK -
"Wait," I said. "I think I know why you didn't see anything in the bowl, Hoshi."
"What? You saying I'm blind, huh?" Hoshi said. "Sure, I didn't get a real good look, but anyone could notice something like that. Brown shit's pretty hard to miss!"
"I know that, but I think I know how you could've missed it," I said. "Leiko, thanks. You searching around in the bin may have actually cracked this case wide open."
"Hey, look at that, huh!" Leiko said. "And my parents said I'd never amount to anything, well look at me now!"
Leiko was an Ultimate Student, so it was a surprise hearing those words echo from her lips, but she jokingly played them down as if they were nothing.
"Anyway, Leiko, do you remember that cut-out piece of cardboard you found in the garbage can?" I asked. "The one with the the string attached to it?"
"Of course I do!" Leiko said. "It was dirty on one side with soup, and on the other it was pretty clean. Although, I did find some flecks or something on it. Is that important?"
"Yeah, it's absolutely instrumental," I said. "Hoshi didn't have much time to investigate the dishes when she was pouring soup into them, so the killer used this gimmick to their advantage. They poured the nuts into the bowl, before placing the circular piece of card over it. Hoshi then poured the soup over the top, and oblivious to the piece of card, the killer left. Then, they could just remove the card using the attached string, and the nuts would soak in from the bottom!"
"So, that means..." Samuru said.
"Not anyone could have performed this murder," I said. It was clear to me now. The murderer had to be someone who could easily have walked up to Hoshi and collected a soup portion without looking conspicuous, and someone who was able to place the poison on the table. It could only be... that person.
SELECT SOMEONE!
1. Hitomi Itou
2. Yamato Kaga
3. Ryoma Shiozu
4. Kotaro Hino
5. Hoshi Nakashima
6. Goro Maeda
7. Leiko Iwai
8. Samuru Mori
9. Seita Mori
10. Iyona Hatsukuni
11. Hiroyuki Kazetani
12. Kumi Himura
13. Mayu Amari
14. Erika Sakaguchi
15. Daigo Yamamoto
16. Chizuko Adachi
17. Noriko Yanai
18. Kenji Nakasone
19. Kiyoshi Tachibana
20. Sora Sendo
21. Jitsuko Saito
22. Yoshimi Isozaki
23. Akemi Fujioka
24. Hisoka Arai (X)
SELECTED: Daigo Yamamoto (15)
"I know who did it, I see now," I said. "It had to be one of the five on duty, with the exception of Mayu and Samuru of Purple Team. It couldn't be Yamato as well due to the poison, and Hoshi's already been ruled out because she couldn't have ground up the nuts. That only leaves you... Daigo."
Daigo's otherwise calm composure shifted to an expression of absolute mortification as he stood with his mouth agape, staring back at the court as all eyes glared in his direction. It took the room a few seconds to process those words, but once they did all the eyes once directed at me had now shifted their focus: to him.
"That theory is simply preposterous!" Daigo responded. "There is at best limited evidence supporting Yamato's innocence, in fact, is there any? Do you have some inexplicable vendetta against me, Hitomi? I thought we were friends."
"I'm not so sure about Daigo committing the crime either," Taro said. "Yamato has much more motive to off Hisoka, he was vying for leadership after all."
"Oh, ho ho hoah," Noriko said. "I wouldn't be betting money on that."
Noriko's expression changed. Before it was slightly concerned, but now it had warped into something boastful and gloating. She smiled a wry smirk as she stared at the court.
"Truth's a potent substance, you know?" Noriko said. "The right truth's more powerful than any concoction, and I've got your info right here. It looks like it's my time to shine: I know what Daigo's Seventh Day Secret was, a truth more powerful than anything imaginable!"
"What do you mean my 'Seventh Day Secret'," Daigo said. "Are you insinuating that I had some dastardly secret to be unearthed upon the final day?"
"I most certainly am," Noriko said. "I've been investigating it a hell of a long time as well, took me a while to pin down the evidence, but I got it with tireless persistence and ears everywhere. By the way, you might want to take off that boutonniere now, I'm getting real sick of hearing myself twice."
Daigo looked down at the wilted flower-pin on his lapel for a few seconds, before realising what Noriko had done. Noriko had been naturally suspicious of him since the beginning, so the second something went awry, it made sense that she'd try to listen in on him. But Daigo had gotten to the Inventory Room first. That meant...
"You get it now?" Noriko said. "I've been tailing you for much longer than you'd think, and boy you've got secrets orbiting about you like you're a dwarf star. Really helps me get my fix, you know? Knowing that which isn't known to anybody else about one of the most powerful people alive!"
"How... how did your wiretap land in my possession?" Daigo said. "My bodyguards are scrupulous and unrelenting, they should have caught onto your ploy!"
"Well, they're also underpaid," Noriko said. "I just gave them a little cut from the secret of a lifetime, you know?"
A certain madness flickered in Noriko's eyes. What was once a passionate yet rational expression turned into a maniacal face wearing a twisted smirk, warped by a lust for that which was unsaid, and driven to insanity by the ramifications. She was no villain, but at the same time she certainly wasn't the sort of person you'd trust and put faith in. In just an instant, she had changed herself entirely from a composed individual who helped guided us to truth to a deranged person lauding herself.
"I've got information on every Ultimate in this room, every student in Tsubaki who's made waves would have something they don't want said, and I collect that information," Noriko said. "Truth is the ultimate narcotic, and I'm a dealer of that beautiful drug we call knowledge: that forbidden fruit we call wisdom, that is my true talent!"
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, here's a bunch of revelations within a thousand or so words. There's still more to come, but now at the very least we have an idea of where it's all headed. Originally, this chapter was intended to be a lot longer with a lot more material dedicated to Noriko, but I ended up cutting it down a bit. She's got enough to say later anyway. There's still one more trial chapter to go, which should have a few twists in store, but for now we've gotten close to understanding the truth of this case: whatever that may be. Apologies for not leaving a comment on last week's chapter, unfortunately I didn't get the chance to write up a note before posting: not that it means all much, we all know you certainly aren't brought here for my end of chapter notes anyway.
There's only two more chapters before the end of Chapter 1, so I guess now is a better time than ever to tell you about Hiatuses and Free Times. When I'm going on a chapter break after writing for a while (maybe a month) I'll occasionally post non-canon updates such as Profiles and Free Time Events. I'm going to post Free Times for both the victim(s) and the culprit following the completion of a case, as well as Profiles for a few characters. These will probably be in an external fiction, which I'll link once Chapter 1 is completed in the author notes, with heavy spoiler tags emblazoned all over it for obvious reason.