Guest: One of them was pretty obvious wasn't it…
electricalangel12: You'll learn when you're older dear… (Basically sexual activities involving a dominant, a submissive and loads of enjoyable pain and humiliation. Look it up… actually don't look it up…)
TheRoseShadow21: Well just in case… I'm very sorry, again… Anyway, really glad you liked it! I enjoyed writing that one scene as well!
Sacchin: Would Mukuro pick Shiki over Junko though? It's not impossible since Mukuro seems to be quite close to Shiki... But to try to avoid spoilers, there's more to it than that... At least one person here has guessed one of the plot twist (though not in details) but I still have an ace in the hole ;).
Kamilia07329: Thanks a lot! Taeko is bittersweet perhaps? Ishimaru will be pleased XD.
CaiK7: Thanks a bunch! Ishimaru and Oowada seem to be the general consensus. I half-expected as much. I'll try to make the ones dying a bit more sympathetic so we'll see how it works out for you guys.
AnimesWorld: Merry (even later) Christmas friend. Guess nagging people to leave reviews every chapter gotta pay off at some point XD. Hope you get better soon. I'll keep that one in mind, though do know that I rarely watch movies these days (except when I'm on planes). Well he didn't say so outright and it's rather complicated… Actually cutting off his fingers after flaying them is kinda a waste since the punishment from flaying comes when the victim has to start dealing with his rotting fingers on a daily basis. Also even stumps are less shameful than flayed fingers… I really like the idea of sewing his eyes and mouth shut though, that's pretty damn cool! Though if we're going there we should do something about his ears as well. About the CD… You're a bloody prophet friend... The world has bigger problems than seeing two teenage nutters getting it on in the infirmary I think… But if we're going down that train of thought, Celes's staying on top, don't ask. Would be pretty easy to get the corpse out of the way don't you think? No one there's that heavy. Okay maybe Oogami... Ah Mirai Nikki, seen that one. Mixed feelings on that show (most of it stems from me just taking things too logically all the time), though I will say that they do have pretty great OPs/EDs. Personal favorite is the first OP.
By the way I'm going with the assumption that their rooms' doors open outward so just run with it yeah? Things wouldn't make sense otherwise. Also I don't know how long blood takes to dry but let's assume that takes no less than half a day… I really should have done my research before this shouldn't I?
Initially this update was going to come sooner since it's Christmas holiday and everything but I guess when I'm not distracted by school I'm distracted by games… Apologies for those holding their breaths for an early update.
But anyway, enjoy!
And now, the (obviously not) shocking victim is…
edit (1st January): Accountless Fan: Balls... I was afraid my lack of knowledge on the subject was going to bite my in the arse at some point. I did skim through wikipedia's revolver page and there was nothing on bullet casing so I assumed... Quickly googled specifically 'revolver bullet casing' and voila... Anyway, should be fixed now. In case you don't feel like going through 6000 words again, the bullet was found in the cracks on the ceiling, no casing this time.
Chapter 22
"We got a corpse here! We'll be holding a Class Trial pretty soon, so make good use of the time you've got!"
What a fantastic start to yet another wonderful day…
"Y-You heard that right?" Kuwata asks nervously. Right… the door was blocked last night so we had to sleep in Ludenberg's room…
"Unfortunately…" Ludenberg answers. "Go check the door Kuwata."
So he did, it opens nicely. "I-It worked!"
"Evidently. Can you tell us what was blocking the way?"
"There was a chair here… someone moved it out of the way. There's one in front of every room… or I assume there was… someone moved them all to the side. Hold on a second… There's a broken chair in front of Oogami's room."
"That explains…"
"She probably brute forced her way out…" Maizono says. "Her being the Super High-School Level Fighter and all…"
"More importantly, we have a corpse." I point out.
"Yes we do… Go check on it while I get change." Ludenberg orders.
"Might well… Kuwata, Maizono, let's go."
I quickly glance at the clock as I leave the room. 7:30, half an hour passed the usual wakeup call. It's understandable that we missed that one since we all gone to bed pretty bloody late.
We can hear people talking as soon as we step into the hallway. Heading in that direction, I spot a trail of blood right in front of the bathhouse. Inside, I see Oogami and Asahina gathering around something, talking. The room, on the other hand, is completely trashed. Furniture are fallen, chairs are knocked over, clothes are sprawled all over.
"Another one…" Oogami whispers.
"One of them did it…" Asahina says.
"We don't know that…"
"Yes we do! One of them must have done it… Those amoral…"
"Ladies." I greet.
"Eeeek!"
"Nakahara." Oogami nods.
"If you don't mind, we'd like to see what we have to work with today." I point out calmly. I'll just ignore your previous accusation Asahina…
"W-What if…" Asahina starts. "What if one of you did it!? We can't…"
"Asahina…" Oogami calms her down. "We're all in this together now. They deserve to know. Their lives, like ours, will be at risk today."
Asahina looks like she's about to protest, but gives up before she makes a further fool out of herself. They move out of the way.
Sprawled on the floor was Ishimaru's corpse, blood around him. He lays on his front, with a hole straight through the back of his head to his forehead, most likely a bullet hole.
"Where's the gun?" I ask.
"D-Didn't Naegi say…" Asahina starts.
"Just in case, no one found the gun around here right?"
"N-No…"
"Bollocks… Where's Naegi?"
"You don't seriously think…" Maizono starts.
"I don't think anything yet, but Naegi had the gun. Kuwata, go get him."
To my surprise, he just nods and does as I said.
"I'll assume you're responsible for freeing us from our room Oogami?"
"Yes."
"Can you recount exactly what happened?"
"You're not the damn investigator here! Don't…" Asahina shouts.
"It's alright…" Oogami says. "This'll just make us look suspicious anyway. I got up, discovered that the door was locked, brute forced my way out, freed Asahina, moved all the chairs out of the way, spotted the trail of blood and here we are."
"No one came with you?"
"No one but Asahina. You were the first people we saw today."
"I see…" Truth? Lies? Can't quite tell. I'm inclined to believe that Oogami wouldn't resort to… this… not when she could just as easily break his neck with one hand. But what I'm inclined to believe didn't help with the previous two cases…
"G-Guys?" Someone's behind us… Naegi… You have some explaining to do my little friend… "What's going… ah… is that…"
"Ishimaru"
"N-No way…"
"Where's the gun?"
"Huh?"
"The gun. Where is it?"
"I-In my drawer, back at my room…"
"Are you sure?"
"Well…"
"Go get it."
Naegi, predictably, nervously complied, accompanied by Kuwata.
"You don't think he…" Maizono starts.
"I think nothing Maizono, be quiet."
"Do you talk to all your friends like that?" Asahina asks.
"When there's a corpse involved, yes."
"Ishimaru this time is it?" Ludenberg arrives suddenly. "As expected…"
"What do you mean as expected?" Asahina asks angrily.
"He was losing it. That fact was clear as day."
"That doesn't mean…"
"Quiet!" I shout. "It doesn't matter. There's a murderer out there, focus your rage on him, nothing else."
"It could have been suicide." Ludenberg suggests casually.
"There isn't a weapon at the scene."
"I see…"
"There's also the matter of our room being blocked last night. Someone was trying to hide something."
"Rather crudely too…"
"It worked."
"It did…"
"Um… guys?" Naegi returns.
"Don't you dare disappoint me now…" I grumble. "You had one thing to keep… Don't you dare tell me you messed up…"
"T-The gun's gone…"
"You incompetent wide-eyed mummy boy sack of shits..."
"That's uncalled for Nakahara!" Maizono shouts.
"IS IT? HE HAD ONE GUN! IN HIS ROOM! LOCKED AWAY! AND HE LOST IT!"
"But still…"
"Or perhaps he didn't mess up… Perhaps he's the killer… Kuwata, tie him up…"
"NO!"
"A-Are you sure?" Kuwata asks nervously.
"I didn't do it!" Naegi shouts. "I-I'm sorry I lost it but…"
"Tie him up. I'll give him the usual treatment. I'll pull the story out from under his skin if I have to…"
"I-I won't let you!" Maizono yells. "This is too…"
"We have a few hours before the trial start! I'm not going to let any of us die because this little twat…"
"Nakahara…" Ludenberg says.
"WHAT!?"
"This is dangerous…"
"Yeah sure it is he's…"
"…for you…"
"Huh? I…"
She places a hand on my chest, and finally I notice my heart rate going at a dangerous rate.
"S-Shit…"
"You of all people can't afford to lose your head Nakahara."
"I-I know…" I step back, place a hand on my chest and breathe slowly. I notice my other hand has been gripping my knife unconsciously all this time. What the hell is wrong with me? "Sorry… That was a bit much…"
"I-I'm sorry as well…" Naegi apologizes. "I know I messed up… but…"
"W-Was…" Painful coughs… "When was the last time you know you have the gun in your room?"
"Um… When I first got it?"
"…when was that?"
"…three days ago…"
"Naegi you mentally-damaged piece of…" No… Calm your tits Shiki… "Right… Three days ago… Who has been in your room since?"
"Kirigiri, Ishimaru, Togami entered on the first day to…"
"THE FIRST BLOODY DAY! In three days who know how many times it could have exchanged hands! Naegi you…" No! Bad Shiki! "…right… and any of them could have taken it?"
"I… guess…"
Today's not a good day for murder Shiki… Today's not a good day for murder… An honest mistake stemmed from simple carelessness and naivety is all it was… But perhaps taking a bit of his skin wouldn't hurt… Yes it would hurt! That's the bloody point! Because of this inept fool we… Bad Shiki! Today's not a good day for murder Shiki… Another day…
"Nakahara, I think it's best you go get a cup of coffee while people with more tolerance for stupid deal with Naegi no?" Ludenberg suggests. "Any more of this and your heart's going to burst I'm afraid."
"S-Sorry…" Naegi mumbles.
Recreation Room
"Y-You're alright there dude?" Kuwata asks.
A sip, Shiki… Coffee makes everything more bearable… "Yes… I'm alright…"
"You really gave Naegi…"
"DON'T. TALK. ABOUT. NAEGI." Heart rate Shiki, careful…
"Okay okay… So… um… What do you think of all this? Could it be… murder?"
"Well obviously. How else did he die?"
"Um… shooting himself in the face?"
"The gun wasn't found anywhere near him."
"Someone took it from him maybe? Last time someone who messed with the crime scene too."
"That someone now has a bit less skin on him." I chuckle.
"A fair point…"
"Who would have done it though? He's no threat during the trials and he doesn't go out of his way to make enemies…"
"Ishimaru and Oowada don't seem to get along very well…"
"Not to the point of straight-up murdering though…"
"Who knows… people's minds are funny…" Yes they are… "I'd say Togami and Kirigiri could have done it…" Kuwata suggests.
"Togami was one of the ones likely to have taken the gun so that's a fair point. Moreover he's now unable to perform many physical tasks so firearm is one of the few ways he could easily kill someone. That and his whole sociopathic tendencies but I can't throw stones in that direction. Kirigiri though… we know bugger all about her, why her?"
"Because we know bugger all about her."
"Ah… Good point…"
"Could the ones with Oowada have done it?"
"Unlikely… but… Asahina being the wildly impulsive one… we can't rule out that front… and because we would never in a million years expect Oogami to need firearms, perhaps that's precisely why she would have used it."
"…Naegi?"
"Don't. Get me. Started."
"…right… so… everyone but us?"
"Everyone but us"
Investigation
Bathhouse
The crime scene… Well nothing new about it I suppose… still trashed pretty bad. Someone fought pretty hard here. Looking at the way the furniture are fallen, I can't really see the direction the fight was taking, but it must have gone on pretty long for things to get this bloody chaotic… though there's something strange about the way this room was messed up… Can't quite put my hand on it…
Whatever, first thing first, Monokuma's file…
. A hole was found in the middle of his forehead going all the way through his skull, likely the cause of death (oh thanks captain Obvious).
. No other wound was found on the body.
. Has been dead for at least a few hours.
. A trail of blood behind the body leads out of the bathhouse and cuts off abruptly.
No other wound huh… Guess I shouldn't rule out the possibility of poison… Starvation and dehydration seems highly unlikely… Drowning… possible… we've got water nearby after all… In the end though it's likely just a bullet…
Been dead for at least a few hours, keyword: at least. Could have happened before curfew for all we know. We did go to our rooms early last night.
Trail of blood cuts off abruptly… Perhaps the blood was left while he crawled toward the bathhouse? Why the bathhouse? Though to be fair a dying person would probably just crawl away from his murderer so maybe it's sheer coincidence.
Well nothing more to learn without touching the body itself…
"Kirigiri, I have…" I start.
"No."
"…I beg your pardon?"
"We're not exchanging clues this time…"
"…why?"
"Because."
"…"
Women are funny people…
I stand there, watching Kirigiri going over the body, checking areas… Wait a minute… she's not investigating... she's pretending too… there's a certain amount of carelessness and indifference to her movements…
"You're not really checking the body." I point out.
"…"
"Why?"
"…I have my reasons…"
"Like already knowing who the villain is?"
"…no…"
That's what a villain would say…
Kirigiri gets up abruptly and walks out. I make no attempt to stop her. Something's off… I'll have to keep this in mind. This is not going to help your case Kirigiri. We're in trouble if she turns out to be the villain though… This one has been doing most of the work thus far and our collective survivability is going downhill without her.
I turn the corpse over for a careful examination. The file was accurate as far as I can tell. A hole, no other wound. Blood around him. Judging by his facial expression… I'd say he knew what his murderer was about to do. He wasn't shot from behind then? The trashed room does suggest a struggle… Still, judging things by the corpse's facial expression is quite unreliable, let's not put much hope in that. Well there doesn't seem to be much...
I found something in his pocket… a piece of paper? I roll it open. In it, written in impressively neat letters:
Meet me in the hallway when the others are all in their rooms.
Tell no one of this.
Please.
Interesting… Seems our killer forgot something of his… sloppy sloppy… This will be very useful indeed.
I shove that last bit of clue into my pocket and take one final look around before heading into the bathing area.
No obvious clues here. Hold on a second… wasn't there more towels in the corner before? Don't we get resupplies on a daily basis? It's possible the villain used this to wipe the blood… but the trail of blood is still there… Moreover, these towels are pretty damn big, shoving them down the toilet won't do. The incinerator perhaps? Should remember this, might be useful.
Everything else seems to be in order so I begin heading out, avoiding the fallen furniture on the way. Am I forgetting something?
Wait… if this room was beaten up like this…
I approach the locker where Alter Ego was kept… Still there… good…
"Is something wrong Nakahara-san?" the screen boots up suddenly.
"Shhh… I was just checking whether you were okay…"
"Oh. I'm alright, thanks for worrying about me! But why do you… I… I-Is that?"
Right… webcam… "Yes, that's Ishimaru…"
"No way…"
Can machines cry? Because I'm pretty bloody sure this one's about to.
"Quiet… we still have to keep you a secret. I'll tell you about this later if you want me to."
"Sniff… okay… I just… okay…"
"I'm shooting for the stars here but did you see or hear anything last night? That would… y'know enlighten us as to what happened here?"
"Nothing… Not a thing…"
I sigh. "Of course… that would be too easy…"
"Sorry…"
"Forget it. Be quiet now and stay safe okay?"
"Okay… You guys… You guys survive the next trial okay? Please?"
"Will try…"
"Promise? Now that my lord isn't visiting me anymore…"
"Not making any promises I can't keep Alter Ego."
"T-That's…"
"I can lie if it makes you feel any better."
"…it's alright… I understand… You can't make that kind of promise… I… I'll wait…"
"You do that. Stay safe."
Garbage Room
"Seems we have a sloppy villain on our hands…" Togami says.
"Yup…" I say.
He left the damn key in the door! Someone definitely got rid of the evidences, or tried too... I mean the bloody key!
"Who was in charge of disposing the garbage after Yamada died?" Togami asks.
"I-Ishimaru…" Naegi says.
"Well that's bloody convenient isn't it?" I grumble. "The killer just took the key off his corpse then!"
"Probably yeah… Maybe the killer was in a hurry?"
"If so let's hope he left some more clues in there…" Though that makes little sense since he had time to block all our rooms last night. One would think that had given him plenty of time to be careful with hiding the evidences.
I approach the door to turn the key. Christ this thing is loud! Who the hell designed this? It echoes all the way to the hallway.
"Blood…" Togami points to a few drops on the floor, right in front of the incinerator. The smear looks as if it was stepped on by someone trying to wipe it off.
That's something at least…
"Why would there be blood in here?" Naegi asks. "The murder happened all the way out there."
"It's possible the killer got some blood on him during the fight. The crime scene did suggest quite a struggle. But then again no one was missing any part of their usual attires back there, so if that was the case I don't know what was dumped into the incinerator."
"He could have gotten changed."
"The key clearly suggested our killer was in a hurry."
Something to consider for the trial…
"Naegi, go check the incinerator." Togami orders.
"…why me?"
"Are you asking someone of my status to touch that thing?"
"What he was meant to say…" I say. "Are you asking someone with two fingers flayed to do some heavy lifting?"
Togami glares at me, no doubt intending to look intimidating. He just ends up looking pitiful. I imagine he'd be clenching his fist right now, had that simple action not been enough to cause him to scream.
Naegi, sensing the tension in the air, quickly approaches the incinerator and does as he was asked. "Ashes… this was definitely used…"
"Can you identify what was burnt?"
"I… don't think so…"
"Thought not…"
Ishimaru's Room
The room looks exactly as one would expect Ishimaru's room to look like: obsessively orderly. Okay fine my room's also obsessively orderly but that's for efficiency rather than some strange perfectionist compulsion that this room oozes.
Well nothing more to see here…
"Eheheh…" Ludenberg giggles.
"Hmm?"
"Can't you smell something out of place here Nakahara-san?"
I take a few sniffs around the place. "Um… what… alcohol?"
"Indeed. Never would have expected such thing to be in Ishimaru's room now would you?"
"You think it's connected to the murder somehow?"
"Perhaps… But these were here at least a day ago…"
"Your familiarity with alcohol is frightening…"
"We all have our talents. Still… alcohol… this case sounds more and more like a suicide by the second don't you think?"
"You're quite fond of this theory of yours."
"Proving a suicide is easier than finding a murderer."
"That doesn't change the fact that it was clearly murder. Everything about this case so far, aside from the alcohol and the fact that Ishimaru's not doing too well, screams murder."
"Fair enough. We'll see where this goes."
"Indeed."
I take one more look around the room. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. Just… stuffs… and a faint, out of place, smell of alcohol in the air…
"That thing with Kuwata last night…" Ludenberg starts… or maybe Yasuhiro…
Oh balls…
"You didn't tell him did you?"
"Obviously not."
"I don't think you would either. You'd probably try blackmailing first."
"What? That makes sense no?"
"Heh… I'm not judging, I would as well."
Birds of a feather…
"But it's strange that he would tell you about his intention of peeping on us…"
"…um… yeah… strange that…"
"…without inviting you…"
And here we go…
"So did he?"
"Why do you think he would?"
"One feels less guilt when one has a partner."
Fuck that's exactly what happened…
"Did you?"
"If I say no would you believe me?"
"Possibly."
"If I say yes?"
"If you say yes… well… if it's Nakahara-kun… I… well... to be honest..."
I turn to her very slowly, checking whether she was serious. Yasuhiro sticks her tongue out at me, her face otherwise deadpan, ruining the effect. What the hell was I expecting?
"Moron. What did you think I was about to say?"
"…you're not cute at all…"
"No? What would a cute girl do?"
"Hmm… Fidget… Hands behind your back… Look downward… Blush… Stammer…" I'm just pulling random stereotypes out of the air here…
"Can you imagine Celes doing that? In these outfits?"
"Eh… No…"
Yasuhiro's deadpan face suddenly distorts into a shy expression. She even manages to conjure up a blush. Her hands go behind her back. Her eyes on her feet. Yasuhiro begins slowly rocking back and forth. "If you say yes… well… if it's Nakahara-kun… I…"
"…"
"How was that?"
Focus Shiki… Investigation and everything… "It's… well… certainly… something..." Master of charm Shiki…
"Are you into that?"
"…not usually no…" A minute ago the answer would have been a straight 'no'.
"Didn't think so. That's enough of that. Straighten your back. Chin up. Focus. Continue with the investigation and ace the next trial for us would you?"
That's quite a shift in her tone… Focus Shiki! Investigation! Trial! Survival! All that stuffs!
"And if I find out that you were peeping on us with Kuwata you owe me a few billion yens."
"…y'know an ordinary girl would have settled for beating the shit out of the culprit…"
"Why?"
"…good question… I never figured that one out either. A few billion yens sound much more useful."
"I know right? Ordinary girls are dumb."
"Heh heh… You're quite something…"
Hallway
The murderer clearly needed time to do something out here. These chairs were placed after curfew. It makes little sense however… Putting these chairs into place would take a very long time. There isn't any chair in the dorm area aside from the cafeteria. However the cafeteria is locked after curfew. Guess I should check the cafeteria later…
"What's this?" Maizono asks, her finger on the floor.
I turn her way to examine the thing in question. "Blood?"
"S-Seems so… There are other smears here and there too…"
"Where do they lead?"
"Nowhere… The trail dies off pretty soon…"
Too good to be true I suppose… "How did we miss these before?"
"Because they weren't here…"
"You sure? Those are pretty small…"
"I notice these little details Nakahara. I would have seen them when we left our room had they been there."
"I… see… if that's the case… the murderer was walking through here, dripping blood even after we left our room? He was sneaking back into his room, after the chair was moved, so he can leave it naturally?"
"I… guess…"
"And had we actually kept someone here this whole time to watch out for anyone who wasn't in his room, we would have caught our villain right then?"
"…damn…"
"If we all end up dead during today's trial I want you to know that we bloody deserve it…"
Cafeteria
"Someone really didn't like these doors…" I mumble to myself.
The doors to the cafeteria are filled with small dents. Judging by the shape… it could have been anything I suppose. The dents are, understandably, uneven and of varying sizes and shapes but it's likely that they were caused by the same object. But what's important is that there's a small hole in the middle of the door, pointing slightly downward from where I'm standing. The hole is about… less than a meter above the floor. Its size suggests a bullet, but without the gun here, I can't really be sure.
The bathhouse, the garbage room, the hallway and now the cafeteria… Our killer sure gets around…
Perhaps it was the victim, trying to get away. In his panic, he forgot the fact that the cafeteria locks itself after curfew.
Not much else to see here I suppose…
The interior of the cafeteria, however, remains spotless. The chairs, as I thought, did not come from here.
Oowada and Asahina are looking over the place, having a small conversation.
"You sure you're alright Oowada?" Asahina asks. "I know you two didn't get along lately but…"
"I'm… I'm fine now… I can't be weak now… We have to stay strong and find the one behind all this… and avenge my…"
"Yeah… I understand…"
Excuse me but I'm starting to zone out at this point. Oowada's holding out better than I'd expect. Asahina too, considering. Perhaps they're finally getting used to all this?
Unproductive thoughts, I decided, a villain to catch and, provided we succeed, a new floor that may provide more clues to our escape.
1st Floor's Classroom (Does it matter which one?)
Found it…
The chairs are missing from one of the classroom. This must be where the villain got them. Sixteen chairs… imagine that… running back and forth from here to the dorm sixteen times… eight times if you can carry two chairs at once but that's still a lot of effort and time spent. And these chairs aren't light either. These are Hope's Peak's quality chairs. Perhaps that explains why only Oogami was the only one able to break her way open.
But the point of all this is that someone spent an awful lot of effort to keep us in our rooms last night, and for what? Was the villain just paranoid that one of us might have broken the curfew? To be fair at least four of us would have had last night but still…
"Nakahara-san?" Naegi calls out from behind me.
Deep breath… Keep calm… "Yes?"
"T-Togami wants us to gather in the cafeteria… there are things he wants to know…"
Keep the conversation short Shiki… "Right. Fine. Will be there." Suppose this will be beneficial for us all…
Cafeteria
"Recount exactly what happened this morning." Togami orders.
Oogami sighs and gives the exact story she gave me. She got up after the morning call, left the room, saw the chairs, moved them, got Asahina and found the body.
"And you didn't get any of us?"
"No, that would have taken too long. I sensed something was wrong so I went and look as soon as I made sure Asahina was safe."
"Very convenient don't you think?"
She said nothing.
"Suppose… You didn't break out of your room, because the chair was never blocking it…"
"How would you explain the broken chair!?" Asahina shouts.
"It was broken and left there before she entered the room. Since everyone was locked in no one could have came out and seen it."
"Are you accusing…"
"Yes I am. Breaking the chair when it was arranged like that? That would have required inhuman strength…"
"You could lock me inside so I can demonstrate it again if you so desire."
This clearly caught him off guard. "Yes… but perhaps later… now we have a more important matter to discuss."
"The weapon?" Kirigiri asks.
"The weapon"
"S-Sorry…" Naegi mumbles.
"C-Could he have…" Oowada starts.
"We searched him and his room thoroughly." Kirigiri says.
"That proves nothing if the villain has access to the incinerator, which he did." Togami interrupts.
Kirigiri just nods.
"But to be sure, I demand everyone here to be searched on the spot. You are to give up your room key for this purpose as well."
"W-What…" Kuwata starts. "Who the hell do you think you are!?"
"Y-Yeah!" Asahina chimes in. "You can't just demand that out of nowhere."
"I can and I did." Togami says.
"Eat dicks." Oowada says.
"Your keys, now"
This is… not ideal… I have my notebook and Enoshima's knife in my room. Those need to stay hidden. Togami can still maintain an authoritative voice, someone's going to give in, causing the others to be more inclined to comply. If I reject it then, I'd stand out as the suspicious one.
But then, this works both way.
I turn and start walking out of the cafeteria.
"Where are you going?" Togami asks.
"Back to my investigation"
"Have you been listening? I said…"
"I heard. I just couldn't give a toss what you want Togami."
"He's right…" Kuwata says. "Who gives a shit about what you say, I'm out."
"Like I said, Togami, eat dicks." Oowada says and begin walking out.
Success. Defiance breeds defiance. Authority's a fragile thing. If the rebellious ones cannot be squashed quickly, order starts tumbling down. This was the case for Ishimaru and this is the case now.
One by one the students just walk away, most of them without words. Togami just stands there, unable to stop us. Establish yourself quickly as an outsider Togami, and this happens…
Cafeteria (after some more fruitless investigation)
Been here before, I know, and logically there's little to see here. But the dents and the hole on the door bother me, so here I am.
I close the door and start tracing where the bullet would have gone had it caused the hole. The spot where this theoretical bullet would have landed has no distinguishable feature, no mark or dent. Are these floors just that good or did a bullet not come through here? If a certain someone still has a gun right now I'd be able to check… If a certain someone still has the gun right now the murder would not have happened… Calm yourself Shiki… Let's not have those murderous thoughts just yet…
I sigh, purging my mind of any thought involving my knife going under Naegi's skin and continue my investigation.
Or at least I would have…
"Aww right!" Monokuma yells through a nearby monitor. "I think that's enough time to investigate no? Y'all know the drill by now so head to the courtroom when you're ready. See you guys soon!"
That's that I suppose… I head out of the cafeteria, spotting Oogami checking something on the floor.
"Found something?" I ask.
She turns to me and shows me a used revolver bullet on her between fingers. "This wasn't here before."
Interesting… I look around for any likely source. Oogami quicklys get my attention before quietly pointing to the ceiling. Cracks...
"It was stuck there."
"I don't see how anyone could reach that height…"
"I can."
"Heh… Honesty at its best… in any case, why would someone shoot the ceiling?"
"A question for the trial perhaps… I think we should go."
Courtroom Foyer
"Alright… Since this is probably the most important thing here… No one here admits he has the gun right?" Kuwata asks.
The obvious silence ensues.
"Of course… No one found the bullet?"
"Obviously not." Togami says. "The killer had access to the garbage room. He would have taken care of that."
"I found the bullet." I say. "...or rather... Oogami found the bullet."
"Is that so…"
"Likely the only clue we're going to find about the gun too, since bullet cases won't be here."
"Wait… what's a bullet case?" Oowada asks.
"Are you serious?" I ask.
"…yeah!?"
"That's basic firearm knowledge. Who the hell doesn't know these things?"
"…I don't…" Kuwata says.
"Well you're a natural moron so…"
"Neither do I…" Maizono says.
"Okay there are exceptions to every…"
"What's a bullet case Nakahara?" Asahina asks.
"Oh Christ…" I rub my head in despair at the current level of knowledge possessed by those of my age. "The casing is…"
"Skip the details!" Oowada yells.
"IT GETS PROPELLED OUT OF THE GUN WHEN FIRED OKAY?"
"Uh… why?"
"Well you see its purpose…"
"Y'know what, I don't care."
"…"
"So it's like a second bullet that comes out but doesn't kill." Kuwata displays his peerless expertise of firearms.
"It comes out the opposite direction and..."
"Right, got it."
"Ugh…"
"So why wouldn't there be one in this case?"
"Because revolvers' casings are..."
"Right, got it, because revolvers."
"..."
Whoever said the world's a dangerous place clearly lives in a different world… These guys don't even know how firearms work!
After a short while, Naegi, the late one-man-catastrophe arrives. Two Monokumas appear to greet him.
"Wassup!"
"There's more than one of you!?" Naegi asks. There's a horrible thought.
"No, there's only one. It's all an illusion. You only think you see two. I'm utilizing the afterimage effect resulting from me moving back and forth at super high speed!"
"That's not how physics work." I say. "You see…"
"Tehehe… can you tell which Monokuma is the real one?"
"DOES NO ONE CARE ABOUT THESE VITAL TECHNICAL DETAILS ANYMORE!?"
"We don't have time for this!" Togami says.
"Sigh… You're no fun…" Monokuma whines. "Fine then…"
"Before that, I have a question." Kirigiri starts.
"Oh?"
"Do you know who the villain is this time?"
"Obviously"
"How?"
"I saw it with my own eyes! What's up with these dumb questions Kirigiri!?"
"I see… That's all."
That's… an odd question certainly…
"Ah whatever… The elevator's all yours kids. See y'all at the trial!"
"This case's weird… seriously weird…" Naegi mumbles.
"I imagine it'd be a lot less weird had you still have the gun. I imagine there won't be a case at all had you still have the gun." I point out.
"…I said I'm sorry…"
"You can apologize once we step out of this one alive. If we don't… well…"
The elevator opens. The students enter one by one. We descend.
A trial awaits. A villain still walks. A victim lays dead.
But does it really matter? Ishimaru's not getting up either way. Flesh and blood is all he is now. Will the next floor really help us in our escape? Isn't all this ultimately futile?
It doesn't really matter… We do what we can because we must. We do what we must because we can. I don't know if surviving for a few more days will be all that great, but I still want to see this through. I want to know what's going on. I want to know why my memories were taken. I can't do that dead.
Beside there's that promise…
If one of you has to die, so be it.
Let the game begins.
For the record I know shit all about firearms so apologies if I'm making myself look stupid to any readers out there who may be experts on the subject…
But yes. That's the investigation chapter over with. Trial next, obviously. See if you can make sense of what happened.
Hope you liked it! Leave reviews if you've got time.