The silence that followed Toyogushi's words was overwhelming. Everybody was in disbelief. Chiba, ordering him to frame Kudo? How was that possible?
-"…Wow. I don't know what to say, just…wow"- Yamaguchi muttered
-"Toyogushi-kun, what do you mean with that?"- Toyotomi wanted the Stuntsman to explain himself.
-"I mean that Chiba-san clearly told me to frame Kudo-kun. That's all there's to say about it"- reticently, Toyogushi spoke.
-"But what reason would she have to do that?! What did I ever do to Chiba-san?!"- Kudo was the one most affected by the revelation. It was clear that the last thing he expected was for that to happen.
-"I think you do know pretty well"- the Stuntsman said coldly, and then towards the rest –"I wouldn't have done this if I didn't think there was a good reason"-
-"And you do know the reason Chiba-san told you to frame him?"- Yamaguchi queried. Toyogushi nodded slowly.
-"I…I accept it: I was there when she died. But I'm not the culprit; I merely framed Kudo-kun"-
-Then who's the culprit? If you were waltzing around when she died, then you must know who did it"- Yukio hoped that Toyogushi had seen something good, but his mood dampened when Toyogushi once again looked at his shoes –"Alright, what's going on in here? Do you know who the culprit is?"-
Toyogushi nodded, once again refusing to speak about what he knew. But what's going on? If he knows the culprit, why the hell is he not saying it? –"He doesn't say a name because he's the culprit"- Akane stated.
-"No, I think there's something deep and ugly involved here"- Toyotomi intervened –"Something that we won't like, at all"-
-"Then how are we supposed to proceed? Are we going to hunt for other suspects? Nothing suggests anybody else was awake!"-
-"As I see it, the core of this case is why Chiba-san would ask Toyogushi-kun to frame Kudo-kun. If we solve that question, then I think the murder will be solved"- Yamaguchi commented. Everybody agreed that it was essential to find the answer to that vital question.
-"So, let's suppose that Chiba-san was killed by Toyogushi-kun, and prompted him to frame somebody so he'd make a mistake and get caught. It could be a convoluted strategy to hand us over the culprit"-
-"Are you insane? Do you expect Chiba-san to do that? If she had time to prompt him to frame Kudo-kun, why didn't she do an actual effort to point towards the culprit?"- The Assistant replied, starting to lose his patience towards Akane's vehemence. The Chemist defended herself stating that it was merely a theory.
-"Oh, maybe Chiba-san was killed by Kudo-kun, and after he went away, Toyogushi-kun arrived to the crime scene, and that's when Chiba-san revealed Kudo-kun was the culprit. That may be why Toyogushi-kun did it"- Toyotomi presented another theory. It didn't stick very well, and the Stuntsman didn't bother to confirm or deny it.
-"And again saying I'm the culprit"- Kudo grumbled –"But I think it's very likely that Chiba-san and Toyogushi-kun did talk. She gave him the claw…no, maybe he stole it after Chiba-san died"-
-"But why would he do that? Did he know Chiba-san had the claw?"- Yukio pointed, throwing a wrench into Kudo's supposition.
Akane grunted in concentration. She was rather sure that Toyogushi-kun was the culprit, but as much as she thought, she didn't find a theory that satisfied her. She thought over and over, thinking different scenarios, until she gave up. –"It's not possible. Why would Chiba-san tell her murderer to frame somebody else?"-
-"Haven't you considered you got something wrong from the start?"- Matsukaze was now the part of her mind to her side –"Maybe you have forced everything to fit an erroneous misconception. Try to look at everything from another angle. Forget for a moment that Toyogushi-kun is the culprit"-
Okay, Chiba-san ordered Toyogushi-kun to frame Kudo-kun…and gave him the claw. She knew he'd need it, surely. Then why did she choose Kudo-kun? And why would she need to frame, in the first place?
-"…It's as if Chiba-san knew somebody was going to die, in the first place"- Akane said slowly.
-"She knew somebody was going to die? Why would she know that?"-
-"Maybe she supposed the memories that would be returned would be horrible enough to prompt one of us to kill"-
-"And why Kudo-kun, then? Did she think Kudo-kun would be the one to get those memories back?"-
-"What if Chiba-san was going to kill somebody and got Toyogushi-kun as her accomplice?"- Hikasa suggested, his expression clearly showing he wasn't satisfied with that idea
-"What? Chiba-san, killing somebody?"- Yamaguchi rejected that idea from the start –"She wouldn't do that!"-
-"Most of you thought yesterday that she would"- Akane pointed. -"But she was working towards getting us all out of here. Why would she kill somebody, at a time like this?"-
-"Maybe she lost her mind because she knew the food was scarce, so she wanted to get out of here"- Kudo said
-"Toyogushi-kun, it's obvious you know everything about Chiba-san's death. Tell us what you know, please…save us"- Toyotomi pleaded.
While the rest of the graduates pleaded for the Stuntsman to speak what he knew, Yukio approached Akane –"This is bad. Nobody has a clue of what was going on in here. I seriously doubt Chiba-san was even capable to kill anybody"-
-"I think the same, she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt of having killed somebody"- Akane replied.
-"She was a Strategist, and had connections in the army. She was going to be Chief of Police, too. I think killing people was something she was capable of"-
-"But she wouldn't let herself kill a friend. She's not that kind of person"-
-"Now that's something I do agree with. Chiba-san was a very nice woman"- at that moment, Yukio widened his eyes. It was as if he had an epiphany –"Oh…I just thought…I thought of something horrifying"-
-"What is it?"- Akane was starting to be in discomfort at the Assistant's expression. Yukio grabbed her arms, and asked her in the most urgent tone she had heard from him
-"Akane-chan, tell me all about the evidence you found in the pantry and the cafeteria"-
Akane proceeded to list all the evidence she had found, along with her conclusions of each one. At each piece of evidence, Yukio nodded, until she mentioned the ribbons. At that moment, Yukio's eyes glazed, but Akane didn't notice. When she was done, Yukio sighed. –"I see…I found out who the culprit is"-
-"Really? Is it Toyogushi-kun?"-
-"Akane-chan, those ribbons were in my possession until just after the end of yesterday's trial. Then I gave them to Chiba-san"- he said, returning to his podium –"Think about this, too: besides Toyogushi-kun, there's one suspect you haven't considered yet, somebody who was awake during the time Chiba-san died"-
Why don't you give a straight answer, for once? She thought, bemused, but analyzed what Yukio had said. There's something about those ribbons that got his attention. And then there's the matter of what he just said. Now who's the culprit…?
Logic Dive
How did the ribbons get into the slingshot?
They fell into the contraption
They were part of the contraption
They are false herrings
They were part of the contraption
When were the ribbons added to the slingshot?
They were there since the beginning
They were added after the slingshot was shot the second time
They were added after the slingshot was shot the first time
They were added after the slingshot was shot the first time
When was Chiba killed?
The second time the slingshot was used
The first time the slingshot was used
In a time unrelated to the slingshot
The second time the slingshot was used
Who's the person most likely to have added the ribbons to the contraption?
Reiji Ohmoto
Tomoe Chiba
Takeshi Toyogushi
Kaiji Kudo
Tomoe Chiba
Akane took a moment to calm down before once again thinking about the conclusion she had gotten to. It was monstrous to even think about it, but she didn't fully realize the implications of the possible answer to the murder.
Chiba…Chiba really was going to kill somebody with the slingshot?
However, when she was about to say that aloud to everybody else, Yukio got everybody's attention. –"Uh, everybody, I think that I have solved this"-
-"You mean you got something that will show beyond any doubt the answer to this whole mess?"- Toyotomi hoped the trial would finally end. The Assistant nodded.
-"I do. Toyogushi-kun, do me a favor and please look at me"- the Stuntsman obeyed –"Good. Now don't stop looking at me. I need to see your expression when I announce it"-
-"What are you going to…to…"- he was starting to fill with a sense of alarm –"Everybody, we need to vote for Kudo-kun. Please do it, we must do it!"-
-"Stop that! You know very well what happened, and now we'll all know. If I'm right about this, I'll know, at least. So look at me"- Yukio took a deep breath. What he was going to say had already taken a toll on him –"Everybody, the culprit of the murder of Chiba-san is…none other than herself.
Tomoe Chiba committed suicide."-
The reactions this time weren't of silence. They were of outrage.
-"You have to be kidding. Say that you're kidding!"- Kudo shouted, furious
-"Chiba-san, suiciding? Why the hell would she do that?!"- Hikasa was ready to punch Yukio for not taking the trial seriously
-"That's, that's…I don't know what that is, but it's…"- Akane was at a loss of words. That definitely wasn't the conclusion she had expected Yukio to have.
Despite their screams and exigencies of an explanation, Yukio only observed Toyogushi. The Stuntsman had reacted just as the Assistant had expected. He had sunk his head in defeat, practically admitting it. Everybody else were too busy with their outrage to notice, so Yukio took the situation calmly –"Everybody, please be silent! Let's give Toyogushi-kun a chance to confirm or deny this"-
-"But if he's the culprit then of course he'll support it. It'd mean he'd go free!"- Kudo argued.
-"By saying things like that you'll make him refuse to tell us the truth. Give me some space"-
Toyogushi raised his head, finding that everybody was looking at him expectantly. He swept the sweat off his forehead, and tried to explain. –"I…This isn't easy to say. Chiba-san was our friend, and somebody who strived to get us out…"-
-"Did she suicide, yes or no?"- Hikasa urged. Toyogushi cringed, and finally answered.
-"She did. I saw her suicide right in front of my eyes"-
The rage that had been sparked by Yukio's revelation had died, replaced by shock. Nobody could outright believe that Chiba had suicide, especially because it didn't make any sense to any of them. –"Do you know why she suicide?"- Toyotomi inquired hoarsely.
-"I do know. She told me why, and then she gave me the order, and…then she killed herself"-
-"Tell me that you didn't stand there and let her kill herself. Tell me you weren't a high-class moron"-
At that point, Toyogushi started crying silently. There was something pitiful on seeing a man in his early thirties, the oldest graduate there had been in that shelter, crying. The graduates let him cry for a moment, to relieve the grief that surely filled him. –"I did try to stop her. It happened so, so fast…I'm sorry, I really am, I'm sorry I couldn't stop her"-
-"How did it happen…?"- Hikasa asked, still astonished, but Toyogushi didn't reply. He stayed in silence, weeping very softly.
-"I think he isn't in condition for an interrogation"- Yamaguchi intervened –"We'll have to figure the rest by ourselves. What's there to figure out?"-
-"The weapon of the crime and the reasons Chiba-san had to suicide"- Akane muttered –"I personally think that the slingshot was still the murder weapon. I don't think she could grab that stake and plunge it into her chest just like that. So we only should need to find the reasons for her suicide"-
-"I think it isn't that big of a mystery"- Toyotomi said –"She was a person that despite everything we went through in this hell still managed to hold on her hope. There's only one thing that could have pushed her off to the far end"-
I do agree. It has been mentioned enough times already, but one time more shouldn't hurt
Stake
Monobear File #5
Missing Memories
Wounds
Hair Chopsticks
Contraption in the Pantry
Pantry Key
Ribbons
Cut Plastic Bags
Custom Knife
Chewing Gum
Cafeteria Disaster
Hole on the Wall
Workshop Knife
Kudo's Toolbox
Claw
Toyogushi's Photography (2)
Transcription from Reiji's Diary
Future Foundation Agents
Missing Memories
-"The stolen memories"-
-"Exactly"- Toyotomi agreed –"Something in those memories was terrible enough to make her kill herself. Is there something that could point to what it could be?"-
Akane tried to remember everything she had heard so far, from the moment the motive was revealed. There was something bound to give her a hint, surely.
-"It must have been something very bad, maybe something we haven't seen in the shelter"- Kudo hypothesized
So here's the motive: if nobody dies, starting from midnight I'll start returning you people your darkest memories
-"Most likely during the week deleted, but the possibility of it being something from before that is still on foot. Monobear doesn't play nice"- Yamaguchi said.
Curtis carefully rolled up the sleeves of Chiba's military suit and gasped.
-"Wow, these are very ugly wounds. Something like this doesn't happen by accident"-
-"I wouldn't be surprised if Monobear planted false memories, too"- Yukio shrugged
Akane stood up, and looked the disaster around. It looked like a bomb had exploded in the cafeteria. Nothing was intact, not even the door to the kitchen. –"Something very bad must have happened here. The little food you had has been smeared around, not any jerk does that"-
-"Does he even have the technology to do that? He can remove memories and give them back, but can he fabricate them? I think the memories are genuine and untouched"- Kudo argued
Just like Curtis, Chiba had a stack of envelopes with the Future Foundation's logo
-"But it isn't likely she has done something to feel bad about. She's a nice person"- Yamaguchi said, softly.
-"Do you know how many Future Foundation members are in the shelter?"- Kudo asked. Toyotomi nodded.
-"I do know. There is a grand total of…"- he made a dramatic pause before lifting two fingers –"…two members"-
-"Who is the second member? Is that person in this room?"- the Stunstman inquired. Toyotomi looked sadly at one of the empty podiums. That was all Toyogushi needed to see to know what the Prosthetic Makeup Artist meant.
-"She's dead. My partner is dead. Chiba-san was a Future Foundation member too, of my same rank"-
-"It could have been a strategy gone badly, a blunder in some sort of important plan in her past"- Toyotomi suggested.
-"Okay, look, if we got called here by the Future Foundation, then it's valid to suppose this shelter is their property, right? So the Future Foundations members were likely to be already here when they organized the whole thing"-
-"It must have been a really bad mistake, then. Did she do something like that as an agent of the Future Foundation?"- Yukio asked to Toyotomi. The Prosthetic Makeup Artist meditated.
So wouldn't the obvious conclusion be that the Future Foundation is the group behind the mutual killing game?"-
-"I can't think of anything. She was very good in her job, from what I saw before we got in here. We haven't interacted much, ever"-
While the rest of the graduates pleaded for the Stuntsman to speak what he knew, Yukio approached Akane –"This is bad. Nobody has a clue of what was going on in here. I seriously doubt Chiba-san was even capable to kill anybody"-
-"I think the same, she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt of having killed somebody"- Akane replied.
-"HOLY CRAP!"-
Akane fell down from the podium and hit her face, from the sudden realization of what was the only thing that could have made Chiba suicide. Yukio rushed to help her stand up, and soon she was back on the podium, although with a bruise on her forehead, but her idea was still intact.
-"What was up with that ridiculous display of shock?"- Toyotomi asked, unsure if he should groan or add how stupid Akane looked in that moment
-"I…I think I know why Chiba-san suicide"-
-"Oh, what a surprise! Not really, I was expecting you do find it out"- Yukio sneered –"Toyogushi-kun, please confirm or deny what Akane-chan is going to say"-
-"Who cares about that?"- Toyogushi muttered –"It isn't like it matters anymore. Why haven't we ended this yet? I already confessed that Chiba-san suicide, why are we still going on?"-
-"We should understand what was in Chiba-san's heart"-
-"Then leave me alone, find out by yourselves. I failed with what I had to do. I couldn't get Kudo-kun voted guilty for this. I once again failed to complete the last will of a woman who died in front of me. Nothing matters now. Let me crumble down and die"-
-"Toyogushi-kun, don't give up. We still can get out of here"- Kudo said sympathetically, but the Stuntsman ignored him.
-"Toyogushi-kun, the last you could do would be to at the very least confirm or deny my theory. After that, we'll end the trial. I promise"- Akane said, and Toyogushi didn't answer. The Stuntsman looked at her emptily, but the Chemist wasn't going to wait for a permission to do it.
-"…..."-
Wake up from your grief, Toyogushi-kun. Even if I have to slap you silly, I'm going to force you out of it. Several of us have gone through our dose of grief already. You can't be left behind in yours!
Panic Talk Battle
TOYOGUSHI: …
TOYOGUSHI: …
TOYOGUSHI: …
TOYOGUSHI: …
TOYOGUSHI: …
TOYOGUSHI: …
TOYOGUSHI: …
TOYOGUSHI: …
TOYOGUSHI: …
TOYOGUSHI: …
…..
Tomoe Chiba thought she was the Mastermind
-"It's something so, so outlandish in my opinion but it's the only thing I think would have pushed Chiba off the far end: the memories she received made her think she was one of the Masterminds"- she said while she approached Toyogushi.
Akane had wanted to deny it all she could, to not to sully her dead friend's memory, but that was the only conclusion she had. The mere thought of labeling her as a Mastermind was monstrous, but it needed to be said. Nobody would be able to rest easy if they didn't know why she had killed herself.
Not that now anybody would rest easy, since she had said that their leader and friend had been one of the people to organize the mutual killing game.
Nobody said anything. They wanted Akane to say more, especially if it was something that could paint Chiba in a positive light. She got to the Stuntsman, and continued –"I know that she wouldn't have forgiven herself if she killed somebody she was friends with. She wasn't the type of person who would commit such betrayal"-
-"Technically, she made easier Matsukaze-kun's death, remember? Or was it intentional, since she was the Mastermind?"- Yamaguchi remembered. The Chemist replied vehemently.
-"No, I never said she was a Mastermind. I said she thought she was a Mastermind"-
-"So if she didn't get a memory that specifically said she was the Mastermind, what did she remember? How did she get to that conclusion?"-
-"Her memories…I think she remembered that she was a Future Foundation agent. And she also had a few elements in her room that I think she hadn't linked to herself. Maybe she thought those envelopes and the list of the belongings had been left in her room by Monobear"-
-"Didn't you ever talk to her as a Future Foundation agent?"- Hikasa asked to Toyotomi. The Prosthetic Makeup Artist fidgeted for a moment.
-"I didn't talk to her as an agent. The most likely reason I was here with a false identity must have been to obfuscate my identity from my objective. After all, and although I don't think it's true, there was a chance she could be Vorudemoto, so…I wasn't going to ruin my mission by revealing it to her"-
-"So she thought she was one of the Masterminds, which would mean she contributed to what would very likely be the death of sixteen people, including her…"- Yamaguchi summarized
-"It's no wonder she killed herself. That's a very heavy burden, especially if she thought of us as her friends"- Akane commented.
-"But she had contributed to Matsukaze-kun's death, technically. If being responsible for other people's deaths made her so guilty that she'd kill herself, why wasn't she affected by that?"- Toyotomi argued, but was interrupted by Toyogushi.
-"It's easy for you to say she wasn't affected. You weren't the one who spent time listening to her regretting about it. I saw how much she regretted giving that guy the interceptor. I barely convinced her that Miyata-kun would have killed him even if the interceptor hadn't come into play"-
-"But the interceptor was a big part of the whole thing in the first place. Without it, it may not have happened"- Yukio pointed. The Stuntsman glared at him.
-"Shut up, will you? Just end this now. Chiba-san is the culprit. End this"-
-"But how is all this related to she making you frame Kudo-kun? That still hasn't been answered"- Hikasa tried to get an answer, but Kudo interrupted him.
-"Let's leave that for after the vote, okay? Monobear, let's do it"-
-"It was about time you bastards got to a conclusion"- the bear grumbled –"So you know how to do this and know what happens if you get it incorrectly. Let's start the voting!"- The surviving graduates quickly marked Chiba-san's name in their podiums –"You all voted unanimously for Chiba-san. And the answer is…"- he mimicked a drumroll, but nobody paid attention to his gestures –"…correct! Chiba-san is responsible for her own death! She set the slingshot and stood in front of it while the stake was fired! I bet you lot didn't see it coming!"-
-"We wouldn't have known if somebody hadn't told us about Chiba-san's orders"- Akane caustically said, clearly directed to Toyogushi –"Now why don't you tell us what happened? The trial is over. We were all saved, and your attempts to frame Kudo-kun failed. Let the truth be free"-
Toyogushi sighed, defeated, but didn't say anything –"You'll feel better if you tell us"- Hikasa said, although Akane had the impression he was more concerned about Kudo-kun's framing than Toyogushi-kun's feelings.
-"I know. It's…it's just that this isn't the first time somebody dies in front of me and I fail to complete their last will. First my wife, now Chiba-san. It affected me to once again go through this"-
-"Your wife?"- Kudo asked with a sympathetic tone. Akane thought that the Stuntsman would talk about what she had seen in the secret she had received, back in the third motive.
-"Yes, my wife. She was killed by rioters in front of me and I couldn't do a thing to stop it. She asked me to take care of…our son"-
-"Your son?!"- Hikasa yelled –"You're a father?!"-
-"Yeah, I left him with a friend before coming to this place. But I can't take care of him when I'm locked in here, and chances are that we'll starve. The Mastermind won't let us go. I failed"-
The graduates stayed in silence for a moment, until Kudo cleared his throat –"So, about Chiba-san…"-
-"I couldn't sleep. I was too worried about everything and the perspective of our deaths, so I went outside to walk around and try to read something…"-
Toyogushi passed in front of the cafeteria doors when he heard a strong noise coming from within. He carefully opened the door, finding that the cafeteria had been destroyed. The food smeared across the floor, the door to the kitchen hanging from its hinges, and somebody flipping tables around without a care. The Stuntsman recognized the person. –"Chiba-san?"-
The Strategist stopped and looked at Toyogushi. He could see the deep despair and sadness in her eyes –"What's going on? What are you doing?"- He said as calmly as he could.
Chiba didn't reply. Instead, she let out a yell of desperation and slid down the wall, crying and grabbing her arms. Toyogushi slowly approached, trying not to provoke her into throwing a fit or attacking him. It was obvious there was something very wrong going on. The Stuntsman got to her side and sat, putting a hand on her shoulder. –"What's going on, Chiba-san?"- He noticed something on her sleeve, and rolled it up, revealing a myriad of scratches, most of them bleeding. He gasped, guessing she had done that to herself –"Chiba-san, what happened?"- He asked, alarmed.
Chiba didn't reply. Instead, she covered her face with her hands and sobbed for a fifteen minutes. During all that time, Toyogushi started to her side, murmuring what he thought were calming words, and looking around. Chiba really had done a mess. She had even managed to open the pantry, and there was a metal rod sticking from the wall.
Finally, the Strategist calmed enough to talk. She wiped the tears from her face, and stuttered –"I did it. I'm responsible for everything. Eight people have been killed horribly, and now the rest of us will slowly starve to death"-
-"You're not responsible for this, Chiba-san. Yeah, we may still be trapped here, but don't blame yourself"-
-"You don't get it. I'm one of the Masterminds"- she stated.
Toyogushi stared at her blankly, trying to process the information. Was Chiba-san really confessing that she trapped them all in this shelter? –"I don't understand…"-
-"How hard is it to understand?! I'm a Mastermind! Monobear showed it to me! I have caused all our deaths!"- She screamed. Toyogushi made her lean towards him and hugged her.
-"Don't believe what that asshole says. Surely it was a lie"-
-"It wasn't a lie. It can't be a lie! I remember how it went…how my partner and I got this shelter using our resources as Future Foundation members; how we summoned those people…I even remember the talk I gave to everybody. How I said that we were going to change the world for the better, to get rid of despair and bring a new hope. I'm despicable. I can't believe I said those words and then betrayed everything by trapping them into this shelter"-
-"Your partner'"
-"Yes, the second Mastermind. Kudo-kun is my partner and a Future Foundation member"-
-"Are there any other members in here?"-
-"No, we're the only two. It's all over. Everybody will want me dead once they find out I'm a Mastermind. It'd be better if I do it by myself instead of giving them the…dubious honor of killing me"- she stood up and went to the stake on the wall, and pulled as hard as she could. When I got to her side and pulled her from it, the stake fell from the wall, clattering on the floor.
-"Chiba-san, nobody here needs to die! All we need is make Kudo-kun let us all go. You're not a bad person, it'll all go okay!"- Toyogushi spoke with determination. Chiba laughed bitterly, taking the stake from the floor.
-"How do you expect to convince him to let us all go?"-
-"I don't care, if it's necessary we'll strangle him until he lets us go, but we'll do it"-
-"That is it? Do you think he'll give you all the satisfaction of forcing him to open the door of the shelter? I know him pretty well. I remember working with him before, for a long time. There's only one way for him to open the door"-
-"And what would it be?"- Toyogushi was dreading what it could be.
-"To corner him, yet give him a way to escape punishment. Kudo-kun is a coward man. If he can get away with his crime, even if the plan itself failed, he'll do it. And the only way I see is…for him to be executed.
-"Executed'"- the dread was slowly increasing.
-"He's the other Mastermind. He won't kill himself. Surely he'll let Monobear drag him into a punishment chamber, and pretend to die. Then he'll let you all go, pretending some sort of miracle happened and everybody got saved, and that'll be the end. That's the only way for this to happen"- Chiba glanced grimly at the stake –"And I suppose you know what's the only way for an execution to happen: with a trial. And no trial happens unless…somebody dies"- at that point, the Strategist pointed the stake towards Toyogushi's chest, advancing slowly. While Toyogushi stepped back, looking at the point of the stake, he tried to argue back.
-"B-But the risk of starving is very real for him too. He could pretend to have starved, and that'd be enough!"-
-"And do you think nobody would make sure he's dead? He won't risk faking his death unless it's ensured nobody will see his dead body. All I need to do is to kill somebody, frame him and get him voted guilty. I can even enter his room. I have Monobear's claw in my pocket"- she continued advancing. Her expression was absent, as if she weren't really there.
-"Chiba-san! You don't have the enough evil in you to kill a friend. I-I-I know you don't. You can't kill me!"- Toyogushi was starting to be terrified. He was going to die, skewered by the stake. He could easily fight and maybe overpower her, but he didn't want to hurt her. He hoped he'd be able to convince her that a death wasn't needed.
Luckily, it seemed that Toyogushi had touched the right strings. Slowly, Chiba lowered the stake, and sobbed quietly. –"You're right. I can't kill anybody, but I can't let you all die here because of me. I don't know what to do"-
-"We'll see later, Chiba-san. For now calm down. Here, sit"- Toyogushi lifted one of the chairs and brought it to her, while Chiba stood there, playing with the stake –"Want tea? I could try to see if there's tea left. Maybe there's enough for a cup or two"- he said kindly. Chiba nodded, but before he left towards the kitchen, she stopped him and spoke with an authoritative tone.
-"Toyogushi-kun, promise me that if something happens to me, and somebody dies, , you'll make sure Kudo-kun is voted guilty"-
-"I promise"- Toyogushi had said that without really meaning it, thinking that it was going to be enough. Chiba made him repeat it again, and let him go into the kitchen. Toyogushi started searching for a bag or two of tea, and put a kettle on the stove. While the Stuntsman was in the kitchen, Chiba stood and walked to the pantry, examining the contraption. She understood how it worked, and made her final move. She used the ribbons Yukio had given her earlier that day to complete the slingshot mechanism, and put the stake in its place. Chiba closed the door, breathing irregularly, and put the hand on the door handle.
-"There was only one bag left, and it has your name on it"- Toyogushi got out of the kitchen trying to feign a cheerful tone, but his façade dropped when he saw Chiba standing in front of the pantry –"What are you doing?"-
-"Please remember your promise. You promised"- and with those parting words, she opened the pantry door. Toyogushi didn't even have time to step forward before the stake was launched to her chest, embedding itself. Chiba stood there, gasping for air, until Toyogushi finally got over his shock and raced to her, catching her in his arms before she fell.
There were no more words, she didn't even last long. Just a few more seconds, before she finally passed away. She had died in Toyogushi's arms, without ever knowing the effect it would have on him.
He gently laid her on the floor, and after what seemed like years to him, he finally took the decision to honor his word. He remembered the claw Chiba had mentioned, and retrieved it from her pocket. With a last look to her corpse, he left the cafeteria to do what he could to frame Kudo for that murder.
-"…Poor Chiba-san"- Hikasa said, and looked at Kudo with hate. The Philanthropist didn't have his usual placid expression. Instead, he seemed as if he was restraining his outrage.
-"Chiba-san is…was…misguided. I'm not the Mastermind"- he said with gritted teeth. However, Yukio had the impression that this denial was different than the denial he had used when he was accused for the murder. The Assistant got shivers, as Kudo's tone was almost intimidating now.
-"Aw, what a fine tearjerker story!"- Monobear mockingly crossed his paws over where his heart would be –"If bears could cry I'd be bawling with a vat of ice cream!"-
-"Why don't you shut up and let us out? The trial is over"- Yamaguchi ordered.
-"Yamaguchi-san, don't you remember how trials go? First you debate, then you vote, then there's an execution"- Monobear's eyes shone red. Akane gasped. Was he really going to execute somebody? But Chiba-san was the culprit!
Yukio was the one to say that aloufd–"Chiba-san killed herself, there's nobody to execute!"-
"It's a real bummer she's dead, but I already have the execution mechanisms ready and it'd be a real shame if they weren't used. So, who will diiiiie?"-
The graduates tensed. The bear looked at each one, while none of the graduates looked at him to the eyes, in fear he'd chose whoever did it. Finally, Monobear spoke –"I have taken my decision! I'll execute he who had a part in this murder!"-
-"He who…Toyogushi-kun?!"- Toyotomi looked at the Stuntsman, who had turned pale.
-"Exactly! Reiji-kun, Toyogushi-kun and Chiba-san each had a part in this murder, but two of them are dead, so it only makes sense to kill the third!"-
-"That doesn't make sense at all! Why'd he deserve to die? He didn't contribute to her death!"- Yamaguchi argued, but Monobear ignored her. Instead, he walked to Toyogushi.
-"He didn't stop her suicide. That's worse as if he had killed her with his own hands. It makes perfect sense! Besides, he has talked way too much in the recent minutes…way too much. It's my responsibility to silence him as I should have done before he babbled everything"-
-"No, I can't die, I have to get out…"- Toyogushi started to mutter feverishly, but Monobear didn't care about what he had to say. Akane half-expected the bear to jump over Toyogushi's neck and slit his throat like he had done to Miyata-kun, but instead the usual chain appeared, grasping the Stuntsman's neck.
-"It's time for an execution! Ex-Super High School Level Stuntsman and resident Daddy Dearest, Toyogushi-kun, is our target today! Let's roll!"-
Toyogushi was dragged into the darkness, screaming. His screams echoed until nothing else was heard, and the screen turned on.
The Greatest Stunt You'll Ever See
What looked like a stadium at night filled the screen. There were rings of fire, rows of cars, a lot of ramps, and on top of the highest one, a motorcycle some of the graduates recognized. And on it, Toyogushi, chained to the seat. The Stuntsman was struggling against the chains. Monobear appeared behind the motorcycle and put what seemed like several sticks of dynamite all over the motorcycle and Toyogushi, until there were around three dozens in total. Toyogushi had widened his eyes when he realized what Monobear was going to attempt, and it was confirmed when the bear lighted all the sticks, and turned on the motorcycle. Somehow, maybe the Mastermind controlled it; the motorcycle sped down the ramp.
Toyogushi would have grasped the handles of the motorcycle if it weren't for the chains. In his actual position, he watched powerlessly how he jumped over spikes, landing on a narrow ledge. Around him the sticks of dynamite were getting closer to the moment of the explosion. Soon he got to the end and onto another ramp, which let him jump over the row of vehicles. Only the ring of fire was left, the Toyogushi feared they'd make the dynamite explode instantly.
The moment of the last jump arrived, and the motorcycle was launched through the ring and onto great heights. The momentary relief Toyogushi felt was cut short when he realized that even if the fire didn't affect the dynamite, all the sticks were active.
That's when the explosion finally happened.
The motorcycle and the man on it turned into a ball of fire, while an incredibly loud noise sounded in the trial room. The graduates could even feel how the ground and the walls rumbled, that's how strong the explosion had been. Soon the ball of fire faded, and it as noticeable that there were no more traces left of who had been the Stuntsman, other than a few scraps of metal falling onto the ground, bloodied and battered.
The graduates watched horrified Toyogushi's death. They hadn't expected Monobear to kill somebody else. They all had said over and over that the eight, then seven, would get out together. Now there were six, and the chances of surviving the whole ordeal were still pretty low.
-"Rest in peace, Toyogushi-kun"- Yukio said quietly.
-"So, Kudo-kun, you're the other Mastermind, eh?"- Hikasa cracked his knuckles menacingly –"You have the option to let us go now"-
-"I don't have any option. I'm not the Mastermind, you moron"- that as Kudo's reply. Hikasa narrowed his eyes but before he could choke the suspect, Yamaguchi held him off.
-"Hikasa-kun, it's not confirmed he's the Mastermind. Don't rush into conclusions"-
-"Yes, besides, it's clear there's a lot of things we don't know, and I bet Chiba-san didn't know either. Her tale had an huge contradiction with what we do know"- Yukio said
-"Contradiction? Oh!"- Akane realized what he was talking about.
Stake
Monobear File #5
Missing Memories
Wounds
Hair Chopsticks
Contraption in the Pantry
Pantry Key
Ribbons
Cut Plastic Bags
Custom Knife
Chewing Gum
Cafeteria Disaster
Hole on the Wall
Workshop Knife
Kudo's Toolbox
Claw
Toyogushi's Photography (2)
Transcription from Reiji's Diary
Future Foundation Agents
Future Foundation Agents
-"Chiba-san said that she and Kudo-kun were the Future Foundation agents. Toyotomi-kun said it was he and Chiba-san. Both of them made clear there were only two members. Kudo-kun, are you a Future Foundation member?"-
-"I'm not"- -"He's not"- Kudo and Toyotomi answered at the same time.
-"See? There's a lot to investigate yet. We can't jump to conclusions, but just in case, keep an eye on him. That should be enough"- Yamaguchi let Hikasa go, who agreed to watch over Kudo and alert of any suspicious actions while the rest investigated.
-"Monobear! We're going out to find clues to solve everything once and for all"- Akane took the metaphorical helm as the leader of the survivors. The bear shrugged, as if he didn't care at all.
-"Alright, do whatever you want. Just so you see I'm a fair, fair, fair bear, I'll be giving you lot free access to the last door, the one at the end of the fifth section. Ah, and access to my office"-
-"There's a catch, isn't there?"- Yukio inquired
-"Upupupu, you may think of it as a catch…you'll have only ninety minutes to investigate. Then you better get back in the trial room to end this once and for all. There'll be only one single trial, one single chance to solve all ten mysteries. I won't accept anything less than that"- Monobear made clear what his conditions were. Akane hoped that ninety minutes would be enough to do an investigation, but her reply was full of determination.
-"We won't fail. We'll unmask you, and everything you have done"- then, towards everybody else –"Come on, let's go. We need to organize ourselves to cover as much ground as possible"- and with that, she led every graduate out of the trial room.
Monobear watched them go, with a dangerous glint in his eyes –"I can't wait to see how well you fare, Ogata-san. Let's see if you're a worthy opponent"-
-ooooo-
Valkyrie examined the tip of the machine the team had built. –"This is a monster. I'm impressed"-
-"It's guaranteed to open that door as if it were butter"- Vieiras proudly declared, on the seat of the machine. After Valkyrie got out of the way, he carefully aimed to a spot in the metal door, and pressed the button. An orange beam emerged from the tip of the end of the machine, starting to burn into the steel. After a few seconds, Vieiras stopped the beam, and got off to examine the work –"I'm brilliant"-
-"Taking the whole credit"- Wolfenmaus approached, upset –"This wasn't your work"-
-"It wasn't yours, either"- Vieiras retorted. Valkrie rolled her eyes, stopping them from fighting like children, and examined what the machine had done.
On the steel vault door, there was a deep scratch. As Vieiras had promised, the machine really was able to cut into the steel door. –"This is the end of the game. Let's get this over with before the old geezer realizes there's something odd in the whole matter"-
Vieiras nodded and sat again on the control, and started again. It was going to take a while to cut the entrance, as it was thick steel and a wide entrance was needed for the whole group to enter, but it was bound to happen. They'd get in.
Wolfenmaus and Valkyrie gathered the troops. –"Listen, everybody. Once the entrance is destroyed, we must end this as quickly as possible. It's true that Volkos is in there. No, we don't know if he's alive or dead. But what we do know is that he's a traitor, and everybody in there is on his side. There won't be prisoners. Aim to kill"- Valkyrie made emphasis on the last three words. The troops nodded, accepting the orders. Wolfenmaus entered pushing two big boxes.
The bulking man opened one, and retrieved its contents. He started passing guns around, of different calibers and sizes. Valkyrie claimed for herself a gun, and clamored aloud: -"Whoever embeds a bullet in Volkos' head will be handsomely rewarded!"-
After everybody got a gun, Wolfenmaus opened the second crate. Valkyrie continued giving the directions. –"We'll need to disguise our alignment, in case somebody survives and gets the word out. We'll use these masks, and if you can mutter 'despair' over and over. That should be enough"- Wolfenmaus gave to everybody a Monobear mask. Anybody who looked at them would think that it was a group of rioters, despairing and with the sole objective of spreading despair.
Valkyrie donned her mask, snickering to herself. She felt huge pleasure on making everybody use those masks, as they unwittingly were carrying the orders of SHSL Despair. She monologued mentally –"Today's work will be a huge step towards the right direction. Before anybody notices, Diavolos Avante will have a new administration. Die, Volkos, Veritas, pair of dumbasses, and let SHSL Despair take over your efforts"-
Chapter 5: Ignorance is Bliss END