Monokuma Case File #4
Victim: Ringo Takagami
"The victim's body show's signs of poisoning, with foaming from the mouth, and even the discoloration of the face. There are also three claw marks along the neck."
"Cause of Death seems to be due to cyanide poisoning."
"The time of death is approximately 5:14 P.M"
"The body was discovered in the Shrine at 5:48 P.M"
TRUTH BULLET
Alice's Autopsy
Lack of Poison Residue
Strange Burns
Nail Bombs
Shiori's Account
Claw Marks
Cyanide Poisoning
Smeared Chalk Circle
Rigged Explosives
Bullet Holes
Missing Bottle
Xialyn's Account
Poisoned Candles
Twelve Minutes
Time-frame Issue
Shuhei's Account
Takagami's Target
Missing Cyanide
Gunpowder Residue
Chapter 24: Birthday Blues: Act Four
6:55 P.M Day Nineteen
Horizon Deck
Observatory Trial Room
"Pupupu this room sure is getting a lot less cramped. I have to say, I'm beary surprised that Takagami was the one to bite it. I do enjoy surprises though." Monokuma snickered as his gaze flitted around the room. "Being as this is the Fourth Trial, I'm sure you kiddos know how this works. Discover the blackened or get snuffed out in mass!"
"I know this is fairly obvious, but can we safely assume that Wei isn't a suspect? Since you deemed him unfit to be here?" Shuhei asked as he eyed the dual toned bear.
"Yuk Yuk Yuk. Of course. You don't think I would let the killer sit this out now do you?" The bear grinned wildly.
"Enough. Let's get this started already. I don't like the idea of Wei being alone like this." Akiho said as her lips pulled into a tight line.
"You got it babe! Let the Fourth Trial commence!" Monokuma exclaimed with a wide grin as he pumped his paw into the air.
"Where should we start?" Shiori asked quietly as she slightly fidgeted with her hands "I was sort of out if it, for a while." she murmured softly.
"We'll approach this as we have every other trial. Let's start with the autopsy, I'm already familiar with it. However perhaps you'd like to go over it Bailey?" Giselly asked as she stared over at the blonde.
The former medic nodded her head slightly, as she peered down at her handbook. "From what I could tell from my observation, it seems that Ringo's symptoms are in line with Cyanide poisoning. I couldn't find any residue however, but his symptoms were almost certainly the same that Aya had been suffering." *TRUTH BULLET*
"Is it possible he could have gotten cold feet? Maybe he ingested it himself?" Sayaka suggested as her brow knitted together.
Akiko shook her head. "No I don't think that's possible right? I mean this is Takagami we're talking about. The guy didn't seem to be phased by anything. I can't imagine him chickening out now of all times."
"Agreed. Not to mention if he had simply poisoned himself, there is something crucial that is missing." Xialyn said in a slightly disinterested manner.
"The bottle itself." Shuhei said simply as he folded his arms. "I'm not sure how Takagami could have poisoned himself, then disposed off the container that was used." *TRUTH BULLET*
"What if the poison was put on something else? Maybe something he ate or drank? Maybe he never had the bottle on him to begin with?" Shiori suggested.
"Well we did establish that it's unlikely he was the one who stole the poison, he must have been busy setting up his traps." Giselly said with a slight frown.
Akiho bit her lower lip as she hung her head low. "It's all my fault. I had seen him earlier today, I should have made a bigger deal about it. I didn't know what he was up to. If only I had said something, Wei wouldn't have lost his leg." she said as she began to grind her teeth together.
"Hey you can't be so hard on yourself. I don't think anyone would blame you for trying to give Ringo space. We knew he was unstable, but he never expected him to go this far." Sayaka said with a sympathetic expression.
"Be that as it may, according to her testimony she may very well be the last person to see him alive." Shuhei said as he thumbed at his chin. "We can't entirely discount that."
Alice's eyes widened slightly. "Wait you can't think she had something to do with this? That's crazy."
"Is it though? If Ayashima was poisoned, it is most certain that one of the people who had access to the party is the culprit." The Scientist said as his eyes narrowed.
The Occultist quirked a single brow. "So you believe these two incidents are indeed connected?"
"I mean he's not wrong to consider that. Especially since the poison seems to be the root of all of this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Alice,Galexialyn,Sayaka, Akiko, Akiho, and Wei all had access to the kitchen at some point. Since the poison was placed in the candles it could have been done by practically anyone of those six who had access." Giselly stated. *TRUTH BULLET*
"That's insane. I can't believe you're even suggesting this. We were only trying to give Shiori a nice birthday. I can't believe any of us would want to hurt her." Sayaka said with a look of disbelief.
"I-I hate to even consider it a possibility, but she's right. How else could it have gotten there? Takagami was rigging traps and Shuhei and Giselly weren't even on the same deck as the rest of us." The Psychologist said as frown pulled at her lips. "We'd have to consider all the possibilities, even if they're unpleasant."
"I-It's okay. I have faith in everyone. Maybe it was all an accident?" Shiori suggested though it was clear she doubted her own words.
Chijimatsu rubbed at her forehead. "Accident or intentional, perhaps we should try to resolve this first incident to give us clarity on Ringo's death. Who was the person who acquired the candles in the first place?"
There was a brief pause, before Alice hesitantly raised a hand. "I found them in the storage room, and I was also the one who decorated the cake. However I swear I would never do anything to hurt Aya."
"There's no way Ali would ever hurt Shiori. So don't even consider it." Akiko said with a terse expression as her jaw tensed.
The Ultimate Hacker shook her head. "And how can we be certain of that? Look I'm not saying that she is the culprit. However she was the one who planned the entire event and had the most access."
"I have to disagree Gis. While it is true that Alice did plan this for Ayashima, surely she'd know that it would be suspicious once the candles turned out to be poisoned. No I think it's more likely that they were either poisoned before or after they were retrieved for use." Shuhei suggested. *TRUTH BULLET*
Chijimatsu frowned. "Well if they had been poisoned before they'd been gathered, it's difficult to believe that Alice wouldn't have poisoned herself in the process."
"Not necessarily. Don't forget that glove Alice wears all the time. She could have unintentionally protected herself. I bet there is residue on that glove." Akiho said as her brow furrowed.
The Veterinarian stared warily at her glove, before delicately removing it and dropping it on the podium. "What you're saying is, that it is my fault. If Chijimatsu hadn't saved her, I could have effectively poisoned her." She said as her face went pale.
"It's okay Sis. Even if that's true, it's not your fault kay?" Shiori asked with a tiny smile.
Giselly sighed. "Regardless of what the case may be, it still leads us no closer to an answer. We don't seem to be any closer to establishing who took the bottle of cyanide, and then there is another glaring problem. As far as I can see, there is no hole in any of our alibis."
"I had considered the same thing. All of you were present at Ayashima's party, while we were heading towards the Ground Deck. And yet when Takagami died, I'm not sure anyone would have had time to reach Sub Deck 3. Let alone have time to murder him."
"I agree with that and I can prove it." Sayaka said as she held up hand handbook. "Akiko and I timed how long it would take to reach Takagami from the Ground Deck. Even from the Bio Dome it would have taken over ten minutes, because of how slow the elevator is and the sheer size of this place. Also that was us running too. It would have taken even longer if we'd walked. I don't think anyone of us could have been in that room." *TRUTH BULLET*
"Maybe that's it. Maybe none of us were in the room with Takagami when he died?" The Jeweler suggested.
"Are you suggesting he took his life then? I thought we established that it was unlikely due to a lack of a bottle." Galexialyn said.
"What if he didn't kill himself intentionally, but accidentally? If someone poisoned something, and then he ingested it?" Akiko mused as she ran a hand through her short hair.
"I suppose it's not impossible. However for someone who's been so careful, it just seems like such a careless mistake to make. That and I can't see him allowing anyone close enough in the first place." Giselly said with a doubtful expression.
"There's another thing that disturbs me. The clues we've documented mention claw marks on Takagami's neck. Where precisely did these originate from? It doesn't seem to be the cause of death, and yet it seems odd to say the least." The Scientist said as he stared at his handbook.
"M-Maybe it was the bear who did it?" Shiori suggested as she eyed Monokuma.
"ME?! I take offense to that little lady. I would never kill any of you like that. That's your job after all." The bear chortled wildly as he clutched at his sides.
"Nothing seems to add up. We have two people suffered similar symptoms around the same time, but everyone seems to have an alibi. Beyond that it seems unlikely Takagami would be tricked into ingesting poison. Unless someone just magically snapped their fingers and killed him I don-" Alice trailed off a moment as a look of uncertainty filled her face.
"What is it? Did you think of something Ali?" Akiko asked as she eyed the blonde.
"Seriously if you've thought of something, you better spit it out Bailey. This is no time for games." Giselly said sternly as she shoved her hands into her hoodie.
The Veterinarian bit her lower lip a moment. "My theory is a crazy guess, but it's the only thing I can think of. I don't feel comfortable just throwing out accusations without any real proof though. Those kind of things can hurt people."
Shuhei pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alice please. Even if you believe it to be a preposterous notion, please share it. We're fresh out of leads at the moment."
"I mean it can't hurt right? I mean we're just throwing ideas our right?" Sayaka said with a weak smile.
The blonde took a steadying breath as she leaned against her podium. "Please forgive me. I hate myself for even suggesting this, but what if this crime wasn't committed using traditional means?"
"You're going to have to be more specific. You're just confusing me more right now." Akiho admitted with a baffled expression.
"What if one of us was capable of killing without ever leaving the room they were in? What if they used some sort of ability most of us couldn't possibly fathom?" Alice suggested as her gaze fell upon the Ultimate Occultist. "Time and time again Aya has mentioned that she refrains from using black magic, but that you do not. Giselly and I found a chalk circle in the Cafeteria where you'd been with Shiori. If you have an explanation, please tell us Chijimatsu."
"You must be joking. This is the big conclusion you've reached?" Kisaki sighed as he rubbed at his face.
Galexialyn actually offered a wry smile as her shoulders slumped marginally. "Shuhei I already told you that you really should put more stock into magic. I have to say that I thought that Shiori would be the only one to figure it out. Even now I believe she knew, but wanted to believe it wasn't possible."
"Whoa hold on a second. You're saying that you actually did you some sort of magic?" The Jeweler asked with an unnerved expression.
"Not just any kind of magic dear. A covenant if you will, with a horrible creature. As Alice so kindly pointed out, my expertise is limited to darker magic. Healing in a traditional sense is beyond my scope, however shifting an affliction onto someone else? Now that was a very easier task." The dark haired girl mused with a neutral expression.
"Xia please. Why would you? Why would you do this? H-how can you be so calm about it?" Shiori's voice cracked as she stared over at the much taller girl.
The Ultimate Occultist offered a bemused expression. "I told you last night, we're blood sister now little one. I would not hesitate to implore darker methods, to keep you safe."
"I'm sorry. I can't fathom what you're trying to say. You're saying you conjured some sort of creature? And that's how you killed Takagami? If that's true, why not kill the asshole behind this?" Giselly asked with a doubtful look.
"I wouldn't be so skeptical, there's a lot more to the paranormal than you know." Sayaka said quietly as she bowed her head.
"Indeed your disbelief does you a disservice. As for why I did not kill the person behind this? Even my magic has it's limits, without knowing their identity I had no way of targeting them. My hope was that Takagami's death would also coincide with the traitor's death. Alas it seems I was not so fortunate." The girl said as she regarded her own hands.
Akiho shook her head. "If any of what you're saying is true, how can you be so calm? You don't seem phased in the slightest."
"And why should I be phased I wonder? Ringo Takagami was the worst kind of human being. He was perhaps even more vile then someone such as myself. I've told you all this before, but I'm incapable of feeling pain or hardly anything for that matter. In my pursuit to fix what I perceived as a flaw, I lead a deadly cult. We were known as the Whispers of the Damned. Many of them had their own agendas, but my goal was to simply gain the ability to feel as the rest of you do. That single minded goal left rivers of blood in our wake. Even if it was not my intention to see so many dead, it doesn't change the result. I won't ask for forgiveness in being responsible for his death. In an amusing twist, it may be the most noble act of my life." she said with a bemused look on her face.
"T-This magic of yours? Just how precisely does it work pray tell?" Shuhei asked clearly uncomfortable with the idea.
"Why bother explaining the particulars to you? It's clear you're a man of science and the very idea makes you uncomfortable. Shall I instead describe what happened?" Galexialyn asked as she arched a single brow.
"Chijimatsu how can you be so calm about this? Even if you don't feel bad for his death, your life is now on the line." Alice said with a pained expression, as she stared at the much taller girl.
The Occultist chuckled lightly. "Oh I'm not too worried about that dear. However we'll tackle that in a moment, we have to address Ringo's comeuppance first."
*BEGIN FLASHBACK*
5:10 P.M Day Nineteen
Ground Deck
Cafeteria
"Shhh let one. It's going to be alright. I promise." Galexialyn whispered as she gently lay the girl who was barely thrashing into the middle of a chalk circle.
It was clear that Ayashima didn't have much time remaining.
The Ultimate Occultist stared down at the chalk outline Aya lay in, before setting her jaw.
'I've never felt this before. This sense of fear. Not of killing, but of losing something. Of losing someone.' The girl thought as she flipped through a tome a moment, before her finger extended to a particular passage.
She clicked her tongue against her teeth as her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Takagami consider this your reckoning. Mine will come someday, but not before yours." she breathed as she cleared her throat.
A few seconds elapsed before she began to read a line of incantations in Latin.
The circle of salt began to vibrate as the air itself started to grow thick...
*CONTINUE FLASHBACK*
5:12 P.M Day Nineteen
Sub Deck 3
Shrine
The Ultimate Marksman allowed a pleased smile to grace his lips, as he leaned back against the wall.
Of course he'd heard the explosions not too long ago.
He hadn't intended to take the nuclear options this early on, however if all of the others were wiped out simultaneously. Then he would win by default.
There was no sense in leaving anything to chance. Even if any of them survived, their advantage in numbers would soon be gone.
One way or another, he would be the last man standing.
This was how he'd been bred, and it's how he would rise above the rest of these fools
The blue haired teen suddenly tensed as he made out a low growl that reverberated throughout the shrine. He could almost swear the temperature had dropped several degrees.
'What the fuck was that? could the explosives have damaged this deck too?' he wondered to himself.
He dismissed the sound a moment, before noticed a pair of haunting red eyes and saw a black silhouette suddenly towering over him.
Ringo's throat caught as he registered such a foreign emotion.
Fear.
However despite his reaction, he didn't hesitate as he raised his gun, before pulling the trigger twice in quick succession.
The bullets passed through what appeared to be the shadow creature's head, before embedding into the wall.
"No fucking way." The boy breathed as he began to spring to his feet only to be stopped, as the creature's dark arm lunged out.
It's claws dug into his throat as he was forced back to the ground.
He could feel a searing heat in his throat as suddenly he begun to feel it becoming harder to breathe.
Before he knew it, his body had begun to thrash uncontrollably.
He could only make out the dark shadow towering above him as the foam spewed out of his own mouth.
Those murderous eyes were the last thing the boy saw, before he found himself swallowed by the void.
Ringo Takagami was now dead.
*END FLASHBACK*
7:23 P.M Day Nineteen
Horizon Deck
Observatory Trial Room
"A Demon? Xia? B-But the cost. There's always a high price. It wasn't worth it." Shiori said as she squeezed her eyes shut.
"It was worth it to me. You're still alive Shiori. Rarely does life have such fair moments, but keeping you alive while removing that one? I have no qualms with that." Chijimatsu said as she folded her arms.
Shuhei sighed. "This is outside of my depth. I don't suppose you could prove such a thing even exists?"
"Oh I certainly could Kisaki, however a creature such as that only emerges when blood is to be spilled. So I doubt you'd wish to meet him. Of course if you have a better solution for this case, by all mean go ahead. However I'd rather not see you all snuffed out for making a terrible decision." Xialyn said as her gaze flitted around the room.
"Very well then. I suppose just this once, I will have to put my faith into the unknown." The Scientist sighed. "Are we prepared to cast our vote?"
"Well before you rush to a vote, I have something else that needs to be said. Though this is more directed to Monokuma." Galexialyn said a thin smile spread across her lips. "You will uphold your rules that have been in place since the beginning correct?"
"Pupupu of course. What do you take this bear for? I'd never hear the end of it, if I changed the rules now." The dual toned bear laughed.
"Excellent. Then I believe this case is concluded, shall we return to our festivities?" The girl suggested with a wide smirk.
"W-Wait a second. I'm still stuck on the whole demon summoning thing, but I'm even more confused now." Akiko said as she shook her head.
"No kidding. I knew strange things were possible, but this is even a lot for me to swallow." Sayaka admitted.
The dark haired Occultist chuckled. "It's quite simple really. I wasn't sure until now, however Monokuma just admitted that the rules have remained constant from the beginning. Which of course means that while I may have been behind Takagami's death, I'm not the killer. At least not by the game's rules."
Alice's mouth fell open in surprise. "Aiko's death. It's sort of like that isn't it?"
"Indeed it is dear. Now if were in a real world court, and you could prove I summoned a demon that killed Takagami? Perhaps I would face punishment. However I simply asked my dark friend to do my bidding, but I wasn't the actual one who took Ringo's life." The girl said with a mischievous expression.
"W-Wait a darn moment! Don't tell me. You think you can just get away with pull something like that?! You're making a mockery of my court room!" Monokuma sputtered as he jabbed a paw at the tall girl.
"She does make a good point though. If you deemed Takagami innocent in the first trial, because of the manner of his involvement. Then this isn't much different. She might have unleashed some sort of entity, however if she didn't kill him herself then you have no choice to find her innocent. Unless you wish to change your rules to suit your situation?" Giselly asked as she eyed the bear intently.
Monokuma held his paw up a moment, before bowing his head. "I can't believe I've been had by some goth chick and her magic. However if you think for a moment that I would let you kids leave without some despair, you're sorely mistaken."
"Stop being such a sore loser! We totally showed you up! Well technically Chijimatsu did, but still." The Psychologist said as she jabbed a finger at the bear.
"Oh so you feel like you've won something huh? Let's keep things in perspective shall we?" Monokuma lifted his head as a dark glint filled his eyes.
The bear pressed a switch, before several large television screens flickered on.
As the vision focused it seemed to be centered on a small asteroid that was hurtling forward swiftly.
"That looks really close." Shiori said with a wide eyed expression. "Like really really close."
"She's right. Didn't you say we had 32 days when this began?" Shuhei asked as his jaw clenched together.
"YUK YUK YUK. Yeah about that. I lied. This was meant to be a motive, but since you all were enjoying a moment of victory. I thought I'd put things in perspective for you." Monokuma cackled as he grabbed at his sides. "Today is the third day of March, in 2020. So your bearings are a little off for Ayashima's party, but hey here's something for you all to celebrate. In less then a week, there won't be anything left of you all but space dust. Where's your hope now kiddos?" Monokuma laughed wildly as he grabbed at his sides.
"So that's your game. You want to use the impending doom to force us to butcher each other?" Giselly asked quietly as she balled up her fists.
"That's insane. I knew we were running out of time, but to have less than a week?" Maizono shook her head as her lips pulled into a fine line. "It's always steps back after one step forward."
"Pupupu you got it zombie girl! Of course I'll be sporting. Even though you pulled a fast one, I'll grant you access to the next deck. You know that's the best thing about despair! It's best when you're dangling false hope, that someone can never actually reach." The bear grinned darkly as his gaze flickered around the room. "We may be nearing the end, but the game is just about to get really interesting."
9 Survivors Remain
*AN* Alright before you all start throwing tomatoes at me, I just have to be honest with you. I had gone back and forth a lot while planning this particular trial. Eventually I settled on this direction. I'm a big fan of the idea of the heroes getting a brief victory only to have it wrenched away with something far worse. I also thought it would serve to build up to the ending as their frame just got slashed considerably. Which in itself, I think is very fitting for Monokuma.
I'll clean off all the tomato on my face and thank you guys for voting in the latest poll. I have to say it was a pretty good split. These are the results for the favorite ship in Final Horizon:
Alice/Hayate: 33%
Nico/Charles:16%
Akiko/Alice: 16%
Giselly/Shuhei: 16%
Rei/Hikaru: 5%
Akiho/Wei: 5%
Raef/Hayate: 5%
Really appreciate you all who got involved. My next poll should be an equally fun one. Of the 9 survivors, who do you want to survive? For fun I'm going to allow you guys to vote for up to 3 at a time. I'll reveal the results in the next chapter! Thanks again guys!
Jeptwin
Stay tuned to find out! :D On the next exciting episode!
doomqwer
Oh that comment made me so hungry while I was writing this xD
GuestDS
Aww well thanks. I really appreciate it! =)
MudkipOfDespair
Well thanks I really appreciate that. I have a lot of neat things in store for all of the above hehe.
PainX65
Hey no worries at all. You've gotta take care of yourself. I appreciate the review though. I look forward to seeing your next chapter in Scrapyard =)
Danganfanboy101
Yeah I pretty much bury myself under expectations don't I ? Lol. I think it should be fun though. I'm going to wait till the others have wrapped, before trying to juggle that one.
HoppsHungerfan
I know it wasn't the most exciting chapter, but I wanted to take what was obvious and throw a major spin on it. That's just my style x3
Blazerxz
Hey thanks. I really appreciate you saying that! Sometimes it's been a challenge, but I genuinely love doing this and it's been amazing to see this community grow as time has gone on.
ThePLOThand
Well I have to give you props. Your suggestion almost singlehandidly changed my mind. I was going to go for a much smaller group. However I realized for the last SYOC of this generation, it would be sort of lackluster to have it end on the smallest group yet. So I figured what the hell? I love burying myself in these fics xD
NomadChild
Well I tried to play through the idea of someone who knows it's dangerous and reckless. However her walls were crumbled by seeing the guy she cared for laying half dead like that.
Natsukumo1000
Lol I love the idea of a rabid Bon Bon on the loose. I should have submitted that as a joke chapter just to see the reaction xD
Solrac XD
Aww well thanks I appreciate that. I was trying to address what was obvious in this arc, but throw a spin on it. Let the cast give a win over the bear, because we know how long that'll last mwehehe.
Fee5H
No you totally nailed it. I knew it was going to be easy to spot it. What I figured wouldn't be suspected was the way the rest of the chapter played out. I know it wasn't nearly as bloody or exciting, but I think it'll setup for a lot of fun going forward.
bellatrixshine
You were totally right. Hehe I wonder how many people are going to chew me out for a fake out. I'll just crawl under a rock xD
SootyThunder
Again another element is left unanswered at the end of this trial. Who actually took the poison in the first place?
Wintersmith23
Hehe you've got me. Right on multiple accounts actually. I'm curious to hear your theories. Feel free to PM me sometime.
pokemansuperallstar
Poor Takagami. He really did get the short end of the straw, but he made for such a fun antagonistic character throughout a large part of this story. I appreciate his inclusion so much!