Seeing the two Monobear files was the confirmation of the deaths. Mitsuhiko slowly slid from the window to the floor, his pants getting stained with soot and ashes. He knew there was an investigation to be done but it wasn't something he could do and hope for the best. This wasn't a mere commander he met in these headquarters a week and half ago. This had been his girlfriend, his fiancée, the person he had chosen to spend his life with.
Nobody could expect it to be easy.
But in the end he had to do it. Monobear wasn't going to give him time to mourn to his heart's content. If he didn't do something then the trial would happen and then they'd all die. And while that was what Yurie would have wanted, except that now Mitsuhiko was among the people who could die.
Oh, and Kishio had died too. Mitsuhiko's opinion to her had greatly diminished during the time he had been in the same building than her. However he had to honor the person he had thought she was. It wasn't fueled by love like his pain for Yurie was and to some people that meant she was much less important than Yurie's death, but there'd be a trial for her death too. It was his duty to find the truth for both of these women.
"Are you okay, Hikari-kun?"
Kobayashi had entered and approached him. The illusionist was standing to his side, holding his hand forward to help Mitsuhiko stand up. The hunter didn't take it, though. "No, I'm not okay, you dumbass" Kobayashi retracted his hand, uncomfortable.
"...I'm sorry for your loss"
"Wow, that makes me feel soooo better. Amy has given me his condolences. Thank you for your empty words" Mitsuhiko knew he shouldn't be so bitter but he felt he had to somehow pour all the pain he was feeling, to steel himself for what was going to come and leave Yurie's death behind. Lashing out at Kobayashi wasn't the way but there was nothing else to be done. Kobayashi gritted his teeth and endured Mitsuhiko's vitriol.
"It's not empty. I'm serious"
"Why don't you go fuck yourself, Amy? Don't you have anything better to do?"
Kobayashi turned around and decided to go back outside to work on Kishio's crime scene. It was impossible to do anything with the hunter lashing out at anybody who came close. But Mitsuhiko wasn't done. Even if nobody was around he continued grunting in pain and sorrow, muttering everything he had wanted to say to Yurie. It wasn't all nice stuff like some people would have thought. Half of everything Mitsuhiko was saying was insults to Yurie for everything she had done to ruin his life. "...destroying everything I had worked for. I was a stupid teenager, what did I know?! What gave you the right to take my parents' lives?! Yurie, you bitch, you should have stayed away of me. I shouldn't have ever talked to you!" The rage he felt when he knew the truth, how she didn't love him, all that, was shouted at the walls and to Yurie's corpse.
...soon he ran out of furious words to shout. Slowly his screams turned into whispers, because even if she had betrayed him without him ever knowing, even if she had twisted him into a hitman who was only good to serve somebody he had only seen once in his life...he had loved her. "...I would have forgiven you... because I know that now, even if it was only in the recent times...I was important for you..."
Mitsuhiko had no idea how much time passed in his despair. His steps had disturbed the soot and moved the remains of the melted wheels but he was at least now...satisfied. Maybe SHSL Despair was like that because they could never let all that despair out just like he just did. Maybe Enoshima had made them keep it bottled until it consumed them, turning them into the monsters they were known as. He didn't know.
But he was satisfied now. He had grieved, shouted all his pain out and although it still hurt he could at least focus on something else now.
Monobear File #4.1
Victim: Yurie Oyama, codename: Zagan
Location of the Body: Cafeteria Hallway
Monobear File #4.2
Victim: Sumida Kishio, codename: Alocas
Location of the Body: Courtyard
"These are some lousy files. Not helpful at all" he commented aloud. A voice sounded from Camp Monobear, having heard him.
"That's wrong, Hikari-kun. They're pretty useful" Mimori had arrived "Are you done howling and talking to yourself? If so then maybe we can work together to solve this"
"Don't talk about what I did or didn't do. Let's get onto the investigation. Why are they useful?"
"Isn't it interesting how they don't mention the cause of death? Anybody would think they were burned to death but this hints there was some other way they were killed"
It was a small relief that Yurie hadn't suffered the pain and agony of the flames slowly killing her. Oh, and Kishio didn't either, that was good too. Of course, without any concrete proof, they couldn't say it with certainty. "Then how did they die? I'm not going to prod their bodies to find out. They look like they would...they would...disintegrate as soon as anybody touches them"
"Koshimizu-san is performing autopsies. He was the one to point how the files could be useful. Here, check his finding of Kishio's cause of death" Mimori flipped some pages of her notebook and passed it to Mitsuhiko, who read it intently.
'The cranium depicts an area with less firmness than the rest of the head. Potential cranium fracture. While I can't confirm it without cutting her head open I theorize Kishio-sensei's head got hit with a blunt object of some sorts. The fire has eliminated any traces that could hint what was used to bludgeon her'
"Is he sure about this?"
"I wrote his exact words about the autopsy but left out the rest. He said something like 'I'm a doctor, not a forensic examiner' but he's also sixty percent sure of what he was saying"
"Sixty. That's no good" Still, it was better than nothing.
Kishio's Cranium Fracture
It's theorized Kishio got bludgeoned before her body was set on fire. The body has no clues about what exact object was used for this purpose.
"Anything else to note about the body?"
"Not really but there is something I did notice when I was going to see what was going on. I was the first to find Kishio-sensei's corpse so I know what I'm talking about here" Mimori gestured at the Courtyard "When I got there everything was undisturbed. Not a single blade of grass was out of place"
"...I'm not sure if that's meaningful in any way"
"Look, you don't think Kishio fell from the sky onto that fence, do you? Somebody must have placed her there"
Now Mitsuhiko was beginning to understand why that got Mimori's attention. Kishio must have been hung from the fence during the time the fire started but Mitsuhiko hadn't seen anybody when he was looking for people in the first floor and the Courtyard. In fact, now that he thought about it, he had seen the mirror from the side, making it difficult to see, but there was nobody in there. There had been no place to hide in, either. It was simply impossible anybody was nearby. Then how did Kishio get in there?
Undisturbed Grass
It's impossible for anybody to have walked on the Courtyard from the time Mitsuhiko checked to the time Kishio's corpse was found.
"That is certainly strange. Any idea of how that could happen?"
"I'm blank. Sorry, Hikari-kun, I simply can't think of a way" Well that was of no help. It was time to see what could be found in this crime scene and then go to the one outside, but before either of them could approach Yurie's body Koshimizu arrived.
"Hope you don't mind me doing the autopsy now" he said bluntly. Mitsuhiko's first thought was demand Koshimizu to keep his grubby hands away of Yurie's corpse but he was the only person that could find out something from that body. If he didn't let the medic take a look then there'd be no progress.
"Go ahead" Mitsuhiko stepped aside. Koshimizu's face showed no expression but the way his hands shook showed how stressed he was. He carefully touched Yurie's skin, moving his fingers and looking for any important details. "...burning the bodies, who would do this? When I thought this couldn't get more brutal..." he murmured while working. The horrible state of both victims had certainly unsettled everybody. And the only person I haven't seen yet is Kimiko. Where is she?
"Eureka. I just found something" Koshimizu stepped aside, not feeling like celebrating "It doesn't make her death any prettier, though"
"Did you find a cause of death?" Mimori inquired.
"Don't get me wrong, it's possible Kishio-sensei didn't die bludgeoned but I'm sure Oyama-san didn't survive this wound. It is...it is disturbing" Koshimizu suppressed the urge to vomit "Hikari-kun, you may want to go away while I tell Mimori-san what to write. This won't be pretty at all"
"I have to see, Koshimizu-san. I need to know everything so I can catch the culprit" Mitsuhiko replied in a way that showed he wouldn't change his mind. Koshimizu didn't seem happy with that, though. He sighed and looked at his hands, seeing how the skin of those carbonized bodies had left residues on his fingers.
"...I tried to spare you the horrible truth of her death. Don't blame me for what you'll see" Koshimizu put his hands on the top of Yurie's head. What he'd do now was something that'd stay in Mitsuhiko's nightmares for the rest of his life.
The top of Yurie's head was slowly pushed to a side as if it were a stone slab covering a hole on the floor. It happened without any problems until it was moved halfway. Koshimizu stopped, having a clear sight of the inside of Yurie's head. "I'm done. I'm done, done, done, done. Excuse me" It was the first time Mimori or Mitsuhiko saw Koshimizu so affected by anything that happened in the Headquarters. The Medical Demon hurried to one of the public bathrooms, slamming the door behind him. It took quite a while for him to come back out.
Mimori was the one to put the top of Yurie's head back to its normal position, although it was obvious she had great difficulty on doing so. Nobody in their right mind would want to touch her corpse. "...what the heck was that..." Mitsuhiko asked, almost unheard.
"I don't know but I feel pity for Oyama-san. She didn't deserve any of this" Although Mimori didn't like Yurie since the first time they met in the first day of the lockdown she had to agree this was a very brutal way to die.
"How is it possible somebody had a weapon that caused this? That's what I don't understand. Do you know how hard it is to cut bone? It's not as brittle as you may lead to think. You'd need special tools or a lot of strength to completely sever bone"
"Not only that, the cut was also abnormally clean. Did you see how Koshimizu-san moved the top of her head? It was like...like..." Mimori had no description for that.
Yurie's Mortal Wound
The top third of Yurie's skull and head was cleanly cut. The cut went as deep as to the other side of Yurie's head.
"Stop talking about that!" Mitsuhiko couldn't take it anymore "Let me see what else is there to find, okay?" He had enough about Yurie's corpse for now. There were other things to check. For example, what was that weird smell? "Do you smell something?"
"Besides the smell of charred flesh?" Mimori wrinkled her nose "Heck no"
"No, there's something else...I have smelled it before but I don't remember where" the smell was pungent and disgusting but had a clear chemical quality Mitsuhiko recognized from somewhere. I'm sure I recently smelled this but where?
"Fires don't happen randomly. Maybe what you smell is the catalyst, you know, like fuel to make the fire happen" Mimori pointed.
"You must be right. Maybe if I can pinpoint the main component of the catalyst we can have a valuable clue" The problem was that he had no idea how to describe the smell. Unless Mimori spent her free time huffing the content of diverse chemicals it wasn't like she'd be able to help "I think we should check the Chemistry Laboratory for more clues"
"Again the Chemistry Laboratory? That place has been related to the crimes three times already"
"I know. I don't get its appeal either. Must be some kind of joke from some god or something" Mitsuhiko looked at the ceiling and mumbled "A joke from some chemistry-obsessed person who lacks originality and wants to shoehorn her interests in the game. It's not funny"
"...what was that?"
"Nothing you should be concerned about. Let's continue"
Chemical Smell
A smell coming from the ashes and remains of the fire in the Cafeteria Hallway. Somehow familiar but...from where?
Unfortunately the fact the crime was simple and straightforward meant there was not a lot of evidence to find. Besides, even if there were, the fire would have destroyed most of it. "There's nothing here!" Mimori refused to approach the body. Mitsuhiko was a bit more daring but even then he really didn't want to look at Yurie.
"I can't find anything either. I think we have done everything we could. Sorry, Yurie" How were they supposed to catch Yurie's killer with so little evidence?
"Why do you think she was going to the Cafeteria? Kishio-sensei clearly said to not to go there"
"Yurie wasn't there the moment that was said. I suppose she was going for breakfast or something" If Mitsuhiko had taken the time to tell Yurie about what Kishio had said then maybe she wouldn't have died. That thought made Mitsuhiko hurt, knowing this may have been prevented easily.
But now that he thought about that...about Yurie going to the Cafeteria...didn't this hallway have a certain trait? That's right! It was slightly sloped, enough for the wheelchair to go forward. Maybe Yurie was murdered and then left to roll forward into the fire or something like that. It was possible.
Cafeteria Hallway Slope
The hallway is sloped almost imperceptibly, just enough for the wheelchair to roll. It's not noticeable otherwise.
"Did you see something that could be a hint, Mimori-san?"
"I didn't notice anything odd before the fires happened, if that's what you're wondering, but there IS something strange. Do you remember what made me go outside to see what was going on? Before that I think I heard a scream"
Mimori was right. A woman had screamed before fire flashed outside. That fire must have been the moment Kishio was set on fire, but then what was that scream? Kishio's last breath? That was possible.
Mitsuhiko's Testimony
Just after Yurie was found there was a female scream coming from somewhere above them. There was also an orange flash outside almost immediately after the scream. Mimori and Koshimizu can testify the same.
"I think that's all we'll see here. We have almost no evidence about this murder so we'll have to rely on Kishio-sensei's death to have enough evidence to convict somebody" Mimori said while she and the hunter were going outside.
"Have you considered there may be two different killers?" Koshimizu came out of the bathroom while they were passing along. Mitsuhiko considered the question and shook his head, it seemed unlikely.
"Two different killers having the same way to kill people? It's more likely there's one single culprit"
"I don't know, Koshimizu-san has a point. The Cafeteria Hallway and the Courtyard are close by but I don't think a single person could kill Yurie and then set fire to Kishio-sensei" Mimori piped up. Koshimizu smirked, satisfied to have somebody backing him up. Mitsuhiko had to acknowledge that was a good point but there was another problem, which he voiced aloud:
"I went around reuniting anybody in this floor and outside to go to the Lookout. There was nobody else other than us three and it's impossible any of us killed Yurie or Kishio-sensei" Unless there was a seriously convoluted way to kill them I can't see Koshimizu-san or Mimori-san as a culprit.
The second crime scene, Kishio's body, was alone when they arrived there. Everybody else had gone back inside to the upper floors so they were free to investigate to their hearts' content. None of them wanted to approach the corpse, though. The stench was unbearable and once again had that chemical scent Mitsuhiko had detected where Yurie died. It definitely was the catalyst or one of its components, there was nothing else it could be.
"Fuck this. I'll get over this now" Mimori swallowed nervously and approached, ready to try to find out any clues. Meanwhile Mitsuhiko focused on the mirror. It was placed in front of the window to the Cafeteria Hallway, which was open. It was positioned in an angle, seemingly pointing at the window that led to the Lounge.
"Where did this mirror come from?"
"I think it came from the Theater. There are full-body mirrors like this one" Koshimizu answered "What I don't understand is why it's here" Because it's related to the murders in some way, why else.
Mirror
A large mirror in the Courtyard, facing the window to the Cafeteria Hallway. It's in an angle, facing directly at the window to the Lounge in the second floor.
"...well that was it" There was nothing else to be seen that wasn't the body. Mitsuhiko gathered his resolve to solve the case and turned to see it, approaching Mimori."So what did you find?"
"This" Mimori had managed to peel off a large mass of plastic. It had pieces of Kishio's burned clothes on it, at least Mitsuhiko hoped those were clothes and not flesh. "It was in her...her pocket? I don't know, there are no pockets anymore"
"It's something, at least" The smell was obviously present on the plastic, as expected from something that was in contact with something doused in catalyst "Get it to the trial later, okay?"
"Me?!" Mimori let it fall to the ground, repulsed "Why don't you do that?"
"Because I don't want to! Look at that thing, it's...so gross..." Mitsuhiko definitely didn't want to carry it around. Who would want to?
Melted Plastic
A heap of clear plastic Kishio had with her. It's unknown what it was before it was melted.
"That's it, I'm over with this. I'll go inside and take a long shower because there's no way I'll investigate any longer" Mimori stomped away, leaving the plastic behind. Koshimizu had left home, gone to unknown places. Mitsuhiko understood very well how they must be feeling, these murders were nightmares compared to everything that had happened so far in the Headquarters. If it weren't because Yurie was one of the victims it was possible he'd have done the same than then.
Holding back the urge to groan in disgust Mitsuhiko walked around the body. From what he saw it seemed the cable it had been hanging from was tied around her feet. Looking upwards to the top of the fence he saw the rest of the cable, but much to his surprise it wasn't tied to the top of the fence like he expected.
Instead it extended beyond it, getting to a nearby tall tree at the other side of the fence. Mitsuhiko couldn't see very well but it seemed like the cable was...tied to a branch of the tree? Or to the trunk? The cable was attached in some way to that tree that was for sure.
Cable (Courtyard)
A long black cable that snapped from the fire that consumed Kishio's body. Part of it ties together Kishio's feet; the rest is hanging from a tree on the other side of the fence.
"That is all I'm going to find here" Mitsuhiko decided. He definitely didn't wish to spend one second more near any of the burned corpses. The hunter practically ran back inside and once he was in the Lobby, away of the stench that filled the crime scenes he sat on the stairs.
The best thing to do was to check the upper floors. That's where the scream came from and Kishio had asked everybody to go the Lookout, so there must have been something interesting to see up there. However, before he could stand up to go upstairs, a commotion sounded, approaching. When he stood up to see what was going on most of the commanders appeared, and among them was a person in a situation he never thought he'd see.
Sugita had her arms held in front of her but that wasn't what got Mitsuhiko's attention in the first place. It was the blood that was splattered across her face and clothes. It didn't seem like she was wounded, though, then what was going on? The group led Sugita downstairs, towards the Infirmary. When they passed where Mitsuhiko was the hunter saw another detail that greatly disturbed him.
Her hands were pretty burned. Of course it wasn't to the extent of the burns the corpses had, but there were several blisters on the palms and fingers. The skin was also reddened and delicate, it was obvious it was painful and must be very uncomfortable for her. That's why Mitsuhiko couldn't understand how her face showed no expression at all, as if she didn't even feel it. "What the hell is going on here?!" he exclaimed. Kobayashi, who was the last one in the group, stayed behind to inform Mitsuhiko.
"We found her upstairs, trying to descend into the Third Floor. When she saw me she tried to run away. That was suspicious so I followed her and that's when I saw the blood she had on her"
"Well yeah..."
"Somebody with blood and without a wound looks very suspicious, don't you think?"
"Are you trying to tell me Kimiko is the main suspect for the murders?" Mitsuhiko's voice trembled from the outrage. Sugita, killing Yurie and Kishio? That wasn't right, surely there was something else going on. Kobayashi twiddled his fingers, mulling how to say it.
"...the burns and the blood are pretty conclusive, I think. She must have done it; she must have killed at least one of them" the illusionist got to the hallway to the Infirmary "Koshimizu-san will deal with the burns. I know you two are friends but I hope it won't...stop you from being...as good in the trials as you always are. It's very unlikely she isn't guilty" Kobayashi notified he was going to guard Sugita until the trial started but until then it wasn't likely they'd allow Mitsuhiko to see her.
This day was a nightmare. The escape plan is destroyed, Yurie is murdered and Sugita is the main suspect? What else could go wrong?!
Kimiko Sugita
Sugita's hands showed signs of being exposed to fire or, at the very least, to great temperatures. She was caught in the Fourth Floor stairs, covered in blood and without any wounds.
Now Mitsuhiko had once another incentive to solve the murder. He wasn't going to be as stubborn as to refuse Sugita was innocent, if there was proof she did it then he was going to pursue her conviction, but until then he really wanted to think she was innocent. To find evidence he ascended to the Third Floor, to his first stop.
The Chemistry Laboratory was the first place to check. After all a catalyst was used to cause the fires, it's to be expected there may be clues in there. As soon as he entered he went straight to the cabinet to see if there was a glaring lack of anything. His gut feeling was correct, something was missing. What he didn't understand was how significant that was.
The bottle of Luminol he had used the day before was missing. Was Luminol flammable? If he remembered correctly it wasn't. But it being missing added another piece to the puzzle of the murder, after all now he remembered where that strange chemical smell had been. The ashes and bodies reeked of Luminol!
The plastic Kishio had...maybe that was the bottle! Mitsuhiko remembered the Luminol had been on a clear plastic bottle. What if it was? No, it was very likely it was!
The hunter, connecting the dots, turned around in a hurry and found once another thing to pay attention too. There were two bottles more on the counter, both of them empty. Only one seemed to belong to the laboratory. Mitsuhiko took them and examined the labels. One said 'Ethanol'. A common thing to find in a laboratory and in a hundred places more, but the second bottle was a bit more intriguing.
Canola oil.
It didn't take long to understand what was going on
Catalyst
A mix of Luminol, ethanol and canola oil. It was mixed and stored in a Luminol bottle, which was in turn found melted with Kishio's body. The remains of the fires smell like Luminol.
A further check of the Chemistry Laboratory revealed nothing useful, so he went to the next door, the Biology Laboratory. Although Mitsuhiko looked around (and was relieved to confirm there were no more animal corpses around) there was nothing to be found. The Physics Laboratory was next and unlike the second one this time there was something potentially meaningful in plain sight.
Of course! The Death Ray was aiming to the window. However it was too far from the window to aim towards anything close to the fence or the Headquarters, there was no way it could hit Kishio. Mitsuhiko approached the window and on the floor found something that could be useful: wheel tracks. Wasn't this machine closer to the window before? He remembered it was. The Death Ray had wheels in its base; it was possible it was pushed away.
Excited, Mitsuhiko fiddled around with the Death Ray controls but didn't manage to turn it on. It seemed like it was completely useless but surely there was some way to turn it on, wasn't there? It was also pretty cold, for some reason. Aren't lasers hot in some way?
Death Ray
A huge laser machine located in the Physics Laboratory. It doesn't work, apparently. It was originally closer to the window than where it was found. It's freezing cold
But despite the potential evidence to be found it didn't seem like anything else from the Physics Laboratory was involved with the crime. As a last thing to do Mitsuhiko peered through the window of the laboratory and found something curious: the window was directly above the Lounge window...which was in turn above the Cafeteria Hallway window. The hunter could clearly see the mirror, but no reflection could be seen from this point. Curious...
The Astronomy Laboratory was the last place to check. This time ALL the solar systems had been dismantled, it was very likely to be the source of the cable, but other than that there was nothing.
It was time to move to the Fourth Floor. The first thing Mitsuhiko did was move to the Principal's Office and its adjacent doors. There he found one, the one he remembered took to Monobear's controls...didn't Kishio say she had locked it with a padlock? Well there was a padlock but the problem was that it was on the table now. The key was just to its side. Wait a second... Mitsuhiko took the key from the table, looking at it closer. It was almost unnoticeable but there was a single drop of blood on it. Could it be that Kishio-sensei was murdered by a Main Board member to obtain this key or to stop the escape? It was something to consider.
But if the key and padlock were here than it meant the Monobear control room was open. Mitsuhiko went to the door and pushed but the door didn't budge. It seemed like there was something big and heavy blocking it from the other side. "I know one of you guys is in there" the hunter said aloud "Valkyrie, Vieiras, that other guy. One of you is in here. I know the Main Board aren't kidnapped, it's you"
There was silence for a moment before a male deep voice sounded from inside the room. "And can you prove it?" Mitsuhiko definitely didn't expect a reply, much less one that sounded like a confirmation of his suspicions.
"...I can't. But it's matter of time before somebody in this building can prove it. Let us go and you may be forgiven"
There wasn't any need to wait before the next reply. Instead, a chuckle very similar to the ones Mitsuhiko was used to hear from Monobear preluded their reply. That masculine voice had now turned into a syrupy tone that gave Mitsuhiko shivers "I'm not a girl who tends to bet but if I were I wouldn't count on that. Show us what you're made of, Hikari-kuuuuuun, we'll be waitiiiiiiiing"
After that there were no more replies. Mitsuhiko spent a while trying to goad the person inside to show themselves or to accidentally reveal something that could be useful but nothing happened. Giving up on that the hunter decided continuing the investigation was a better use of his time.
It didn't take long before he found a very valuable piece of evidence. On the floor of the Security Room, just in front of the console, was blood...and splinters. Something large and heavy made of wood had broken here, as there were a few pieces of wood as big as his fingers. Other than that the Security Room was empty.
Blood and Splinters
In the Security Room, in front of the console, there was blood and splinters of some wooden object.
Although it had been a source of frustration the day before Mitsuhiko was now happy the upper floors didn't have as many places as the other floors. That meant it wouldn't take as long to find stuff. The Archery Range had nothing worthwhile, but the storage of that place showed something had changed. The crossbow Mitsuhiko had seen the day before was now gone. I haven't seen it but...I have a feeling...
The Lookout was the last place to check in that floor. Kishio had wanted them to be here, after all, surely there could be stuff that revealed why. He wasn't disappointed; as soon as he entered he found a lot of stuff that showed Kishio had indeed planned something.
The missing crossbow was in plain sight. Mitsuhiko picked it up, examining it. There was no doubt that the splinters he had found were from the crossbow, it was almost cracked in half. Not only that, there was blood on the wood. I see...so that's what happened. But how did Kishio-sensei...?
Broken Crossbow
A crossbow almost broken in half due to a strong impact. It has blood and hair on the point where it cracked.
"Okay, what were you planning, dear leader?" Mitsuhiko mused, looking around. There were other objects on the floor. The closest one to the crossbow was a lighter. It was...strangely hot. Not enough to burn Mitsuhiko's skin but it was enough to be uncomfortable. This may belong to the culprit. Despite that it didn't have any distinguishable marks.
Lighter
A lighter, generic and unremarkable. Found in the Lookout
The lighter didn't seem related to Kishio's plans, though. It didn't seem likely it could help anybody to escape.
On a side of the balcony there was a pile of what seemed to be long rods of wood with a wide round indentation in middle. It was large and strangely smooth, carefully done. "What are these for? These definitely weren't here yesterday when I explored this floor" It didn't seem like they could be useful in any way and there was nothing that connected it to the murders...
...at least no obvious way. It was perfectly possible these wooden rods were part of a cunning plan and he just couldn't see it yet. At this point he was used to thinking the worst on this regard. Just in case maybe it'd be a good idea to keep one of those rods.
Wooden Rods
A small wooden rod with a wide round indentation in middle. There were several on them piled on a side of the Lookout
As soon as he picked one up a familiar chime sounded through the speakers. Monobear wanted to say something. "Trial. Meeting Room. Be there, everybody". He was...strangely blunt. Not only that, he also sounded annoyed, like something wasn't going according to the plan. Feeling satisfaction at Monobear's bad mood Mitsuhiko turned around to leave the Lookout when he felt something brushing his scalp. Looking upwards he saw part of a cable.
Somebody had tried to hide a large bundle of cable on the Roof. Mitsuhiko pulled from it until he recovered all of it, confirming it was dozens of meters long. One end of it was strongly tied onto a small fence on the Roof; the other end was cut with some sort of sharp tool. There was no time for a throughout examination, so Mitsuhiko hurriedly took a look and left it back where he found it.
Cable (Roof)
Many cables tied together, reaching a few dozens of meters. Strongly attached to the Roof, one end of it was cut.
But he still had no idea what was Kishio's plan. Just what was he trying to do? Mitsuhiko peered to the Courtyard to give Kishio one last look. There was her corpse...directly in front of the Lookout. And under the Lookout was the Physics Laboratory window, the Lounge window and the Cafeteria Hallway window. This couldn't be a coincidence.
And...right to the front of him, at the other side of the fence, was the tree the rest of the cable was tied to. In that moment he finally understood what Kishio had been planning to do, why she had asked all of them to be in this place. Way to go, Kishio-sensei. Maybe this would have worked if you or Yurie hadn't died.
The surviving commanders gathered in the Meeting Room. Monobear was already there, immobile in his chair. After everybody sat, Sugita already cleaned up and with her hands heavily bandaged, Monobear let out an audible sigh of annoyance. "I'm pissed off with all of you. So. Pissed. Off"
"...really?" Kobayashi said tentatively, afraid of the bear lashing out and tearing everybody's faces off.
"What the fucking hell was that fire attempt?! Are you trying to kill us all?! That fire could have spread everywhere in the building! You idiots could have doomed your own lives in the most idiotic and least despair-filled way possible!"
Mitsuhiko had to disagree. If the fire had spread and nobody had escaped he was sure everybody would have despaired, perhaps more than at any other point. Then why was Monobear so angry? "If the sprinklers had worked the fire wouldn't have happened" Romi pointed.
"The sprinklers would have worked if they hadn't been disabled in the first place! Which one of you did it? Say it now!"
"I did" Lily, who until that point had been absent, strolled into the Meeting Room "These people don't have anything to do with the escape attempt, Monobear. Kishio-sensei planned it all and since she's dead you can't punish her for damaging the building. Let it go"
"I should punish you for damaging the sprinklers" Monobear growled, jumping off his throne and glaring at Lily. The robot girl wasn't intimidated, though. She once again prepared her weapon to defend herself. The commanders, knowing that being on the path of her lasers wasn't a good idea, made sure to be away of the range of fire.
"Go ahead. We both know our resources are limited. This is my last body; you're on your last body. It has always been like that, one single spare body. If I kill you right now the game will end and you'll be forced to show yourself"
"But you won't..." the bear said but didn't make any attempt to attack. Lily nodded, smiling slightly.
"I have concrete orders of not attacking you. My directives are final and I won't disobey them. And you know it's against your best interests to kill me, too. If you kill me do you think Master will stop and do nothing else? They'll create me again, and once they do...Diavolos Avante as a whole will fall"
That was definitely a threat. There was a tense silence for a couple minutes while Lily and Monobear measured each other's will to finish the whole feud with the destruction of their foe, consequences be damned. But finally Monobear stepped away, his eye glowing menacingly. "Fine. I will let it go, if only because I'm confident this trial is going to settle everything once and for all. We'll see if you're smiling so smugly at the end of the day"
"...so...are we ready?" Mimori tentatively inquired, returning to her seat.
"I think we are. Whenever you're ready, Monobear" Romi requested. Monobear yelled the trial for the murders of Yurie Oyama and Sumida Kishio was starting now but Mitsuhiko was more worried at everybody's emotional state and situation.
The only people he was sure would be unlikely to have anything to do with the murder were Koshimizu and Mimori. Sugita's eyes were tightly closed and her body was trembling, it was obvious she was under great stress. Sasuga was rubbing her arm, whispering calming words that didn't seem to be working. Romi was indifferent at the situation but the way she moved her eyes showed she had no idea what was going on...apparently. Kobayashi was an expert in mirrors, tricks and illusions, if there was anybody who could create a complicated plan to kill it'd be him. Hasegawa...he had only seen her during breakfast. Where had she been? Right now she was making sure to not to make eye contact with anybody.
Who was the culprit of those two deaths? Or was there more than one culprit? The number of clues pointing at people was pretty low, he had no idea who had done what.
...was he going to fail? Mitsuhiko grit his teeth, trying to calm himself down. I can't look away and do nothing. I don't know what happened but this trial is to find out who did it. I'll just have to connect the dots. I can do it.
Help me, Yurie, wherever you are please watch over me. I'm scared.
Say, I have planned dozens of cases. Not only for this series, but also for future stories I plan to write. I have so many cases planned I think I have enough for quite a long time.
This one may be my favorite among all of them. I think I have something real good here with this whole chapter. There are so many details, big and little, I have planned for this chapter I'm anxious to finish writing it. Well, not literally. I don't think I'll be in a hurry, hahaha...
I hope everybody likes this case as much as I do.
