A/N: AAAAAAND WELCOME EVERYONE! Are you as excited for this as I am? Well if not- I dunno, you're still reading this, so thank you anyways!
Welcome back to Fractured Fates, where the character deaths are brutal and their feelings don't matter! Today at long last, after some life stuff happened that prevented me from making quick progress, is the latter half of the fifth investigation (sort of...but I'll explain that later), which means one step closer to the dreaded class trial! Now, as I hinted at before- we return to Hana's POV in this part. That means, while Akira was getting down and dirty with the investigation, Hana...wasn't! And now it's time to remedy that- but will the loss of time hinder Hana's efforts to find Hiroshi's killer? Let's find out!
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PokeDrifter: Oh no indeed- and not just for the reasons you may think. Buuut I won't go into that little detail- and if your memory's good, you won't need me to! (wink-wink)
And yes, a good ol' POV switch to shake things up a bit- interesting to see things from Akira's perspective for a change, no? At any rate, the speculation is great to see- now it's a matter of time to see if you're right at all.
Chapter 5: Ultimate Truth- Deadly Life (Part 2)
"Wait, Hiroshi- come back to the dining room with me? Even if you're not that mad at the others, they'd want to apologize anyways..." Hana asked the coroner- she would have ran forward and grasped Hiroshi's hand if it wasn't for his aversion to physical contact.
"There's no need for that- besides, there's something I need to do," Hiroshi told Hana, stopping in his tracks but not looking back at her. "Something I should have done sooner..."
"What...? Where are you going, what are you-?" Hana began, attempting to follow Hiroshi again.
Hiroshi turned back to Hana, his expression hard to read. After several moments of deep silence, he walked up to Hana- the surfer, meanwhile, was unsure of what Hiroshi was doing...
However, the coroner leaned in and softly said to Hana, "Listen, Hana- there's something important I need to do, and something important I need to tell you. I won't be telling you right now, but soon- very soon, I will. Trust me, you'll know when. Until then- just wait for me, alright?"
He stepped away, smiled that calm smile of his, and added, "And don't worry, okay? One way or another, things are going to work out- just keep having faith, Hana."
There was a body suspended by that noose- the body of Hiroshi Ashi. His corpse was devoid of much blood, but it clear great harm had been done to the young man. His hands and wrists were badly mutilated, especially the former, and Hana could see traces of blood on the backs of his shoes, as if injury had been done to his ankles. His hair was matted slightly in one area on the right side of his head, as if he had received an injury in that spot. His outfit appeared normal, but the young man's trademark black vest was gone, leaving only his gray sweater; and most noticeable of all was the large kitchen knife sticking out of his chest.
Hana knew there was no denying it, but she didn't want to believe it in the slightest. There he was, the friend and classmate she and the others had spent almost a day searching for...hanging from the ceiling of the dungeon, lifeless. Hana wanted to look away, but her eyes were drawn to the sight like a magnet; more specifically, she was staring at Hiroshi's face, at his eyes. His eyes were wide open- those gray, knowing eyes, once so full of confidence and secrecy, were now as dull as dirt.
It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a nightmare. Hiroshi was not merely wounded- he was dead.
Hana backed away a few steps as reality struck her once more. Already, her breathing began to speed up, and her heart rate intensified tenfold from terror...and in that moment, the Ultimate Surfer was overcome with horror and grief, and so let out a piercing, horrified scream.
"HIROSHIIIIII!"
Hana's eyes flew open in an instant and she drew in a sharp, terrified gasp. By the racing of her heart and the horrible memories, the surfer's thoughts immediately went to chalking up everything that had happened- the search of the North Wing, the discovery of...his body- to a bad dream. A simple (if vivid) nightmare, nothing more. There was no murder, no disappearance, everything was fine- Hiroshi was fine.
Then, Hana realized she wasn't in her bedroom. Instead, she found she was staring up at the light-colored ceiling of the East Wing's medical room; propping herself up on her elbows, a look around the rest of the room and seeing the beds and cabinet of medical supplies confirmed this suspicion. Not to mention the girl could feel a dull pain on the back of her neck- the exact same spot Monokuma had struck her just before she lost consciousness.
Did...someone carry me here after I was knocked out...? Hana wondered as she fully sat up. B-But then...me being here, me blacking out, my aching neck...th-that means...!
Realization came crashing down on the surfer yet again. It...really hadn't been a dream- Hiroshi truly was dead, there was no denying it.
Coming to this conclusion caused the pain and grief Hana had felt before to resurface in full force, nearly overwhelming the Ultimate right away. She grit her teeth and lowered her head, burying her face her hands.
Hiroshi...! Oh my god, he...he's actually...! Hana thought, fighting back the urge to cry again. I...I...why...?
H-How...could he be dead...? How could someone...do that to him? After everything that's happened, everything we've all gone through...why would someone kill again? Again!? And... she went on in her mind, wiping at her eyes to be rid of any tears threatening to spill over. And...why Hiroshi...? What did he do to anyone to deserve dying like that? I...I don't get it at all...
The surfer sighed and finally stood up, shaking her head. I...I guess I can't keep putting if off, though. If I want to answer any of those questions, I need to investigate...again...
Then, the thought of the investigation made Hana realize something else. Wait...how long was I out?
Panic instantly took hold of her, causing her to cry out to the empty medical room, "Oh, crap!"
Not giving herself any chance to think, Hana immediately sprinted towards the medical room's exit. There was no way to know how long she had been unconscious, but since Monokuma hadn't appeared at all for any reason clued her in to the fact that the trial likely hadn't started yet. However, that didn't mean she had a lot of time to investigate- for all she knew, the investigation could end in ten seconds. With the fear of not being able to investigate fueling her, Hana threw the door open with the intent of running through- only to find herself running into something (or, rather, someone).
"GAH!" someone shouted as Hana rammed into them- which the surfer quickly registered as Ryoto. Evidently, he had been about to head into the room right as Hana was running out, leading to the two colliding.
"Gh-! What the-!?" Hana yelped as she stumbled back from the impact. "Ryoto?"
"Huh? HANA! You're awake!" Ryoto happily exclaimed, running over and grasping Hana by her shoulders as if to confirm what he was seeing was real. "AND you're alive! That's great!"
"Y-Yeah I'm alive, it just got knocked out- I-I think..." Hana responded. "Right?"
"No, you're right, Monokuma knocked you out cold," Ryoto confirmed with a snap of his fingers. "Just like that! So, Akira told me to take you here to the infirmary and to keep an eye on you while investigating."
"Oh, uh- thanks, Ryoto," Hana replied, shifting in her spot. "Uh- uh- hey, how long have I been out? Is there still time for me to look around and investigate?"
"Mmm- I'm not sure how long exactly you've been out, but I can tell you the investigation is still underway!" Ryoto confidently assured her with a nod. "I don't know how much time is left, but I'm sure there's a good amount of it! Enough for you to get down to the North Wing and do some of that good ol' sleuthing!"
"R-Really? W-Well then- yeah, I gotta get going!" Hana stammered, beginning to run past Ryoto towards the door. "Uh, shit, I- I didn't miss anything big while I was out, did I?"
"Not that I know of! Just normal investigation stuff, from what I've seen!" the Ultimate Racecar Driver told her, crossing his arms. "So, you should be all set. And if you ever need to ask Ryoto Miura about something weird, I'm aaaaall ready for cooperation!"
Because of her rush to leave and start investigating, it didn't occur to Hana to ask Ryoto any questions at that moment. Instead, she quickly responded, "Y-Yeah, I'll- I'll remember that. Thanks Ryoto, uh- bye!"
With that awkward farewell, Hana ran past her classmate and was out the door in practically less than a second. She then continued on, running down the main hall of the East Wing towards the doors to the courtyard, not even wanting to think about how much time might have passed since she was knocked out. While she ran, Hana also fumbled to take out her e-Handbook and look at it- no doubt, the Monokuma File was on there.
When she saw the icon, around the time she was entering the courtyard, Hana wasted little time clicking on it. It was the same screen as all the other times, save for the number beside the text now depicting a red '#5'; she scrolled down to find Hiroshi's physical profile, just like usual. Hana then scrolled further down to see the actual autopsy report, scanning through it as she entered the courtyard.
The victim was Hiroshi Ashi. Time of death is unknown. The victim's body was found inside the North Wing dungeon. Cause of death is unknown; however, the victim's hands and wrists were severely mutilated, and both of his Achilles' tendons were sliced. The victim also received a single wound from blunt force trauma to his right temple and a single stab wound directly to the chest.
Hana stopped dead in her tracks a few steps away from the doors to the North Wing. "What...the hell...?"
What kind of Monokuma File is this...? There's- There's no time of death, no cause of death- there's nothing here! Hana thought in dismay as she stared at the words on the screen. Then, she calmed down by telling herself, Wait- I haven't actually looked at the body that closely. Maybe one of the things the File mentioned will end up being relevant? Or not so obvious?
'The body'- how did thinking about the murder of a dear friend become something to nonchalant?
Shaking her head, Hana put away the e-Handbook and pushed open the doors leading into the North Wing. Looking around, the main hall did not appear any different from that morning; of course, Hana knew better than to judge a book by its cover. To that end, the surfer turned her gaze towards the hall leading to the dungeon- the crime scene.
"..." Just thinking about the dungeon was enough to cause the image of Hiroshi's corpse to resurface as vividly as ever in her mind, and she could already feel her hands starting to tremble.
Stop, stop- you have to go to the crime scene, you've got to! How are you gonna be able to find Hiroshi's killer if you can't even investigate the crime scene? Hana scolded herself. It'll...It'll be no different, you just...need to do it.
Taking a deep breath, the Ultimate Surfer made her way across the main hall and down the stone steps leading to the dungeon. She then stood in front of the iron door that served as the dungeon's entrance, momentarily frozen in place by apprehension. Taking another moment to steel her nerves as best as she could, Hana pushed the door open to finally begin her investigation.
Upon entering the crime scene- which was completely devoid of people, indicating the group had chosen to forgo crime scene guards this time- Hana noticed a few things had changed since she first found Hiroshi's body. The most glaring difference was the corpse itself; it was no longer hanging from the ceiling, instead having been lowered to the floor. Hiroshi was now lying on his back, his face towards the ceiling; in addition, the rope and the knife in his chest had been removed as well and were placed next to the corpse. This meant the area had been investigated by others already, so it was understandable that the victim's body was lowered- it would be difficult to investigate otherwise.
She took a few steps towards Hiroshi's body, her steps growing slower and slower until she finally stopped. At this point, all she could do was stare down at the Ultimate Coroner's body; by now, the sentiment that investigating yet another body would be 'no different' from all the previous was just plain wrong. It still felt like a dream, seeing Hiroshi of all people end up another murder victim- even now, a part of Hana was still hoping this was all just some elaborate dream.
...Hiroshi, I... Hana began, taking a few more steps towards the body. ...What do I even say here...? Say to him?
She then noticed Hiroshi's eyes were still wide open, now staring emptily at the stone ceiling, just like they had been when she first discovered him. Hana winced upon seeing this and glanced away for a moment- the last time she had seen one of the murder victims in such a state was during Kaneki's case, and she still had some aversion to the memories of that gruesome scene.
However, upon reminiscing upon that murder...she remembered something else. An exchange she and Hiroshi had during the initial stages of that investigation...
Hana figured the best place to start would be the body itself. Steeling her nerves, the girl approached Hiroshi and said, "Hey, Hiroshi. Have you...started looking over the body yet?"
"Well...I was just about to," Hiroshi responded, his expression unreadable. "But...I got a little distracted, sorry."
Hana looked down at Kaneki's body, and in an instant she understood. The explorer's face was still frozen in that look of pure terror, and Hana recoiled somewhat upon seeing her friend in such a state again. For a few moments, she and Hiroshi stared down at the body of their classmate, stuck in their own grief...then, Hiroshi's facial expression shifted somewhat as he knelt down. Hana thought that this would be when the Ultimate Coroner would begin his makeshift autopsy- however, Hiroshi proceeded to manually close Kaneki's eyes and mouth, making the Ultimate seem more...peaceful, in death.
"Just...you know, even in death, a person deserves some dignity," Hiroshi explained, glancing at Hana.
"..." Before she knew it, Hana found herself looking back at Hiroshi's corpse, walking over fully, and kneeling beside him. Taking a moment to herself, she reached over and manually closed his eyes and mouth as well- it was surprisingly easy, too. Once that quick gesture was done, Hana continued to kneel next to the body, her eyes starting to fill with tears again.
"...Hiroshi, I...I'm going to find out who did this to you. I'll make sure the blackened doesn't get away with this- I promise," Hana quietly vowed aloud, though she knew she wouldn't receive a response. Even still, her voice still hitched from the unshed tears, though she did her best to avoid breaking down again.
That's when she heard the door opening again with a loud creak, and someone walking in while muttering to himself.
It was Hinata, and he initially didn't notice anyone else in the room. But when he did, it came as a shock, and he instinctively yelped, "GYAH!"
"AH!" Hana cried at the same time, not expecting anyone else to suddenly walk into the dungeon. She practically jumped to her feet and quickly wiped at her eyes to remove any traces of tears in them.
"Hana? The hell, when did you wake up?" Hinata asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Um- a few minutes ago," Hana answered, walking over. "Ryoto told me the investigation's been going on for a little while now, so I'm just trying to get caught up with the evidence and all that."
After a moment of thought, the surfer asked, "Hey- did you find anything weird at all while you were investigating? Well- you have been investigating, right?"
Hinata scoffed. "Of course I've been investigating, I'm not that lazy- that's actually the reason I came back down here."
"'Back' down? Oh, wait- were you the one that lowered Hiroshi's body from the ceiling?" Hana asked, glancing up at the beams where the rope was initially swung around.
"Yeah- Akira's orders," Hinata confirmed with a nod. "In fact, that's...kinda related to why I'm down here again. So, if you'll excuse me..."
He walked past Hana and bent to pick up one of the items next to Hiroshi's corpse- the rope, to be more specific. Hana raised an eyebrow as she watched Hinata look over the rope with such scrutiny, she had to wonder if it held all the answers to the killing game itself.
"Ah- Hinata? What's got you interested in that rope?" the surfer asked with a slight tilt of her head.
Hinata frowned, as if trying to figure out how to work his response, then explained, "It's weird, I- when I was lowering Hiroshi's body, when I was holding the rope, I got this weird sense of deja vu or something. Like, I know I've seen it- I've held this rope before. It's been bothering me since- so, I came back down here to look again."
Hana frowned in thought. "Well, I'm not sure about the 'familiarity' part, but...do you mind if I look at it too in a bit? I was gonna look at Hiroshi's body first, but that rope's clearly evidence too, so..."
"Hm- guess you're trying to be the new Ultimate Coroner, eh?" Hinata remarked with a teasing raise of his eyebrow. "But- knock yourself out. Hell, it probably wouldn't hurt for me to glance at that corpse a little more too, so I don't get messed up in the trial or whatever."
Hana nodded, then turned her attention back to Hiroshi. What's that Hiroshi said...? 'Time to let the dead speak'? I'm not sure if he ever expected to end up on the receiving end of that- I sure as hell didn't- but either way...here's hoping the killer didn't silence him completely...
She took a breath and knelt down, wishing she had a pair of those gloves Hiroshi always used in his examinations. To that, she found herself reflexively glancing down at the pocket of his jeans where he usually kept them- and that's when she noticed something odd. The pocket in question was completely empty- even feeling around inside herself (which was such an odd feeling, and Hana envied Hiroshi's ability to feel around a dead body without hesitation) further proved that. Additionally, feeling the pants pockets allowed Hana to realize the clothes Hiroshi was wearing- at least the shirt and pants- were somewhat damp. And there was one other thing about his outfit that bothered Hana...
"Hey- Hinata?" Hana asked. "Do you know what happened to Hiroshi's vest?"
"His vest? Nah- it was gone when the body was discovered, and I personally haven't seen it," Hinata answered with a shrug. "It's either in his room or the killer incinerated it, I'd think."
Hana internally cringed at the idea of Hiroshi's iconic vest being destroyed in some way. Still, it was an odd detail- the missing gloves and the lack of his vest, not to mention the dampness.
Those things alone would be weird enough, but... Hana pondered to herself. If the Monokuma File's mentioning all these wounds- why aren't there more bloodstains? Hell, that stab wound in his chest alone should create a lot of bleeding, but there's...barely anything...
She shook her head- there were too many oddities about the condition of Hiroshi's body to ignore. Thus, she took out her e-Handbook and made of note of them.
Hana then decided to look at the actual wounds on Hiroshi's body- and she decided to start with the stab wound, the most blatant and visible of all the injuries mentioned.
Hm- wasn't the knife stabbed into Hiroshi when we found his body? Actually- someone else probably took it out earlier in the investigation... Hana surmised. Can't really investigate with a huge knife in the body, can you?
With the stab wound not yielding many other clues, Hana turned her attention to the actual weapon- the knife, which was lying near Hiroshi's body.
Looking down at the weapon- but not picking it up- Hana thought, This- This just looks like a normal kitchen knife. Anyone could have grabbed this at some point, so that alone won't narrow down any suspects...
Taking notice of Hana investigating the knife, Hinata spoke up, "You know- a big ol' knife stabbed into your heart...that'll kill someone pretty quickly, right?"
"Well- yeah, but it could just be a trick by the killer," Hana pointed out with a little frown, eyeing the thin hole in the gray fabric left behind by the knife. "I mean- the Monokuma File specifically called it out, and there's no blood on his sweater where the knife went in..."
"Well- maybe the killer cleaned the blood off? Or changed his clothes?" Hinata suggested with a shrug.
Hana pursed her lips. I don't know...the fact that the killer left the knife behind like that...could that really be the murder weapon?
Nevertheless, Hana made a note of the kitchen knife in her e-Handbook, wondering if it would still play a role in the trial whether it was the weapon or not.
Taking a deep breath, the Ultimate Surfer reached out to adjust one of Hiroshi's lifeless legs so she could take a look at his ankles. Oh my god, oh my god I'm touching a dead body- I'm touching a dead body extensively, I'm doing it by choice, oh god oh-
Once his leg was lifted enough, Hana was able to see the thin but deep lacerations cutting through the back of his ankles, just like the Monokuma File indicated. However, it wasn't just one cut- there were three, each one almost perfectly horizontal and parallel. Hana couldn't tell if all three of them were deep enough to slice through his Achilles' tendons, but based on the information provided by the File, at least one them had to be. Examining Hiroshi's other leg yielded the same findings: three cuts, almost identical.
Okay- I can guess getting your heels cut like that must hurt like hell, but...I'm pretty sure cutting the back of your heels specifically screws up your walking, right? Hana wondered, knowing she no longer had Hiroshi around to confirm or deny her anatomy questions. I don't think it'd kill a person, though.
She then asked herself, And- why'd they make three cuts? What, did they screw up the first two? And how'd they make them so- identical...?
With a little, frustrated sigh, she examined the wounds a little closer to see if there was some other detail that may provide an explanation; the only thing that caught her attention, aside from the lack of any damage or blood on the legs of his pants, was the fact that there was also very little blood around the ankle lacerations themselves. Well, see could see faint traces of blood, but it looked like the majority had been washed or rinsed away.
The oddities too major and numerous to ignore, Hana also wrote down a note about them in her handbook.
"Hey Hinata- how's that rope looking?" Hana then spoke up, turning her attention to the thief in question.
"It's...a rope, that much is obvious..." Hinata responded, his face still screwed with skepticism. "Shit, what am I...?"
He glanced back at Hana. "And how's, ah...Hiroshi? Find anything really damning?"
The surfer sighed. "Not yet, but...there's still stuff I have to look at, so I'm definitely not done yet. God, how did Hiroshi do it...?"
"He's- he was- a coroner, that's kinda their job," the Ultimate Thief pointed out. "He wouldn't really be the Ultimate one if he had an issue looking corpses, right?"
Hinata then went on, "You know- have you looked at Hiroshi's hands yet? They looked pretty bad- not that I've taken a hard look at his body myself, but just walking in the first time- well, they were probably the first thing I noticed. After the rope he was hanging from. And the knife in his chest."
"Oh! You're right!" Hana remarked, lightly smacking her forehead. Fuck, that should have been one of the first things I looked at- I'm really not at the top of my game right now, am I?
Seeing this, Hinata remarked, "Hey, don't beat yourself over it, Hana. I get it, you've been out cold for a couple hours, your best friend's fucking dead, you're still probably not feeling 100%- but don't go losing your cool just yet, okay? There's still plenty of time for you to catch up with investigating."
He then added under his breath, with much less confidence, "I think..."
Hana frowned for a moment at that last comment, but she nonetheless sighed and responded, "Well- thanks anyways, Hinata."
With that, she turned her attention back to Hiroshi's corpse, and moved her gaze upwards towards his hands. Once again, the information in the Monokuma File appeared accurate; there were several deep, nasty gashes cut into the flesh on his hands and wrists, nothing like the clean and precise lacerations on Hiroshi's ankles. Hana grimaced as she looked over them; no doubt, even if Hiroshi had survived whatever the killer had thrown at him, it would unlikely for him to be able to perform any autopsies in the future.
There was something else about the gashes that caught Hana's eye, however- much like the cuts on his ankles, these wounds had only faint traces of bloodstains around them, like someone had tried to clean away the blood in this area as well. But to what end? The gashes were still clearly visible, and Hana was unsure if slicing one's hands and wrists would be enough to kill them- so what was the point of trying to clean the blood away?
Hana hesitated for a moment, then adjusted Hiroshi's hands and arms to more closely examine them, hoping to find something else. And indeed, she did notice one more thing, quite obscured by the torn skin and rinsed traces of blood: faint red abrasions, quite extensive to that end and more severe in some areas, that extended completely around Hiroshi's wrists.
Well that's...suspicious... Hana thought to herself as she examined the scraped skin. These aren't like the gashes at all- it's like something was...torn off his skin, almost...? Like...when you tear off a Band-Aid after a little while, but- worse. But...what the hell could have caused it?
Unable to find any more strange details, Hana made some notes about the lacerations to Hiroshi's hands and wrists, as well regarding the abrasions around his wrists.
Okay...there's one more thing the Monokuma File mentioned... the surfer thought as she moved her examination even further upwards- to Hiroshi's head. It said he got hit in the head...on his right side...?
Examining Hiroshi's right temple, she saw what the File was referring to: a deep, round-ish impression, which also appeared to have been cleaned of any substantial bloodstains. Hana couldn't help but flinch upon seeing it, putting a hand up to her own head- the area where Tadao had bludgeoned her some time ago. Sure, the wound had mostly healed by now, but just looking at Hiroshi's own injury caused Hana's own head to feel like it was throbbing once again.
In remembering that, Hana realized the head injury could be just as valid of a cause of death as all the other injuries, perhaps from blood loss. Of course, there was the bigger question of what could have been used to inflict such an injury- although the castle was certainly well-stocked in all manner of blunt weapons.
I wonder- did the killer use a bottle, like what Tadao used on me? Hana asked herself. But...shit, do I have time to go to the West Wing and look...? Maybe I could, uh...
"Hinata- you and Asuna investigated the West Wing yesterday, right?" Hana questioned the thief. "Did you notice anything...weird? Or missing? Out-of-place, possibly?"
Hinata dryly chuckled. "Oh, I noticed something alright- but I don't think it's what you're looking for."
...What in the world is that supposed to mean? Hana wondered, baffled. Ah- I'll have to ask him in a second...
She quickly made a note about the head injury in her e-Handbook, then looked down at Hiroshi's body one last time. Man...so the Monokuma File really was useless after all- all it told me was stuff I could have easily seen by myself! And without a time or even a cause of death...hell, just about any of those injuries could have killed him! How am I supposed to narrow down anything in such a short time!?
"...You know, I can't help but notice you still seem a little bewildered by everything," Hinata spoke up; it seemed he had given upon the rope and was now standing over the corpse and Hana.
"Well, have you seen the Monokuma File? It doesn't tell us anything, there's barely any evidence on Hiroshi's body, I'm not an Ultimate Coroner so I can't do any autopsy stuff, the trial's gonna happen soon and I have ZERO idea what the hell I should even be prioritizing-!" Hana rambled on with growing frustration. "I've only looked at one area and already my head's hurting trying to piece everything together!"
"Whoa, whoa- what'd I tell you about losing your cool?" Hinata responded, putting his hands up as a 'calm down' gesture. "Look, did you...I dunno, did you look under his clothes?"
Hana swiftly turned to Hinata and asked, bewildered, "Excuse me?"
"J-Just, like, under his shirt or something!" Hinata quickly added. "I mean- look at that stab wound in his chest. Don't you think you'd be able to see it better if you looked under his shirt? Maybe there's something you missed."
"You've...got a point..." Hana responded with a little frown. "But...aaagh, having to look at his body normally is hard enough, but to mess around with his clothes and everything else-!"
Hinata raised an eyebrow. "Well, do you want me to do it?"
Hana stared at him. "Would you?"
"Sure, I mean- you're just looking at his chest and stuff, right?" Hinata responded with a casual shrug. "And I...kinda did some screwing around with bodies in the last case, so I guess you could say I'm a little more desensitized at this point."
He knelt down and remarked, "Besides, I like being around you more than I like being around Akira, so I don't mind doing this little favor for ya- you owe me for it, though."
"Oh- thanks," Hana responded with a little smile, her mood lifted somewhat.
Taking a little breath, the Ultimate Thief delicately grasped the bottom of Hiroshi's shirt in his fingers and lifted it, the slightly dampened fabric sticking to the coroner's skin somewhat. Hana wasn't sure what she expected- possibly some more faintly rinsed bloodstains originating from the stab wound, previously hidden by the shirt? Any preexisting expectations were thrown out the window, however, the moment Hiroshi's front torso was fully exposed.
Burns. Harsh, reddish-black burns that spread all over Hiroshi's chest and extended all over his body. They seemed to lessen in severity the further they were from Hiroshi's chest, to the point where they were practically nonexistent halfway down his forearms and shins- perhaps that was why Hana hadn't noticed them until now. Of course, the worst of the burns were concentrated around his chest area, making the stab wound in his chest difficult to spot at first glance.
"W-What the-!?" Hana yelped upon seeing the burns. "Burns!? Where'd these burns come from!?"
"W-Whoa! Man, this killer really went all out, didn't they?" Hinata remarked, just as startled. "God, that's rough..."
"Understatement of the year..." Hana responded with a grimace. "But what- what could have even caused these? Did they light him on fire at some point, or...or what?"
Though she would have preferred not to, the surfer had to look over the burns more closely. Just like all his other injuries, the most severe Hiroshi's burns showed signs of having been cleaned or rinsed of excess blood; whether the same had been done to the stab wound was impossible to tell.
"Well- I'm no detective, but I think these burns of his are your best piece of evidence so far," Hinata told Hana.
"What makes you say that?" Hana asked.
He gestured to her e-Handbook. "The File- I looked over it too, y'know. And I can tell ya one thing it didn't mention at all."
Hana's eyes widened as realization dawned on her. Indeed, among all the things mentioned and omitted from the Monokuma File, the strange burns on Hiroshi's body were in the latter group. And based on past experience regarding the Monokuma File having missing information...
I think Hinata's right- so far, these burns are the only real leads I've got... Hana thought with a little nod. With this in mind, she made a note about the burns in her handbook, then stood up to signify the end of her examination.
"I hope you're right about those burns being important, because that's the last thing I could get off of Hiroshi's body," Hana said to Hinata with a little frown. "Uh- you can fix his shirt now."
Hinata shrugged and pulled the deceased coroner's shirt back down, then stood up himself.
"By the way, Hinata- did you figure out anything about that rope?" Hana then asked, walking over to examine the item in question herself.
"Nah- I'm telling you, I've seen that rope before, just...can't put my finger on it," Hinata replied with a little sigh. "Honestly, feels like that whole thing with the Despair Drink all over again..."
Hana herself had to admit there was nothing particularly eye-catching about the long rope, save for one end being tied into a noose. Even so, it was the same rope used to suspend Hiroshi's corpse, so it had to have some significance to the case. Thus, the Ultimate typed out a note about the rope as well.
"Okay...while you're here and done looking over that rope, I guess now would be a good time to ask- before, when I asked if you or Asuna saw anything while you were looking around the West Wing yesterday, you kinda implied you...did," Hana began. "Do you mind giving me a little more detail?"
"Well, I can try, but it's...kind of a weird story," Hinata admitted. "Do you remember the other day, when I told you guys about how I couldn't get into the wine room to investigate for a little bit because the door was blocked or something?"
"Yeah- you said it happened during another little blackout," Hana responded with a nod.
"Weeeell, I...might have forgotten to mention something," Hinata went on, glancing away for a moment. "And that's where the weirdness comes in. I didn't say anything about it the other day because I wasn't even sure what to make of it, but since we're in another murder investigation..."
He shrugged. "Pay close attention, Hana- here's what actually happened when I tried to go to the wine room."
"EIYAAAAAAAH!"
As another blackout engulfed the top floor of the West Wing, Hinata let out yet another shriek and bolted for the closest door he could find. He felt his hand close over a doorknob- the door to the wine room, he could only presume. However, when he tried to push the door open, the thief would realize the door wouldn't budge.
"Wha-!? What the fuck!?" Hinata yelped to himself as he tried to force the door open- to no avail. "What's goin' on here!?"
As if things couldn't get any stranger, the Ultimate would then hear a voice, evidently coming from the other side of the door: "H-Hey! Please calm down, d-don't break that door please!"
Hinata's eyes widened- though the door slightly muffled it, he recognized that high-pitched, slightly anxious, feminine tone anywhere. "A...Asuna? Is that you?"
"Uh- y-yeah! Who else would it be, it's me!" Asuna sheepishly confirmed with a chuckle.
"W-Well- what are you doing in there? I thought we agreed- I search the top floor, you search the bottom, and whoever got done would just go to the South Wing!" Hinata responded, dumbfounded.
"Y-Yeah-? Yeah, but...I-I thought a bit of help wouldn't hurt, right?" Asuna explained. "So, uh- here I am! Investigating the wine room, by myself, no need to come in!"
"No need to-?" Hinata began, trying the door again. "Why'd you block the door?"
At that moment, the lights came back on, allowing Hinata to confirm that he was, in fact, in front of the wine room.
"B-Because I want to investigate alone! I-I won't be too long, don't worry! Hehe-" Asuna responded, just as sheepish as before. At that point, she went silent, and Hinata- realizing he couldn't force the door open- did the same.
"And that's all she wrote," Hinata concluded. "About a minute or two after the lights came back on, I was able to head in, but...Asuna wasn't in there. The place was completely empty."
"Okay...yeah, that's definitely weird," Hana agreed. "But...you're sure it was Asuna in there...? I mean, it's not like you could go in and see, so maybe-"
"No way- look, it may have been pitch-black, and the door may have muffled the voice a smidgen, but I'd recognize Asuna's voice anywhere," Hinata insisted. "It was her in there, I'm sure of it. Why, I don't have a clue."
"You and me both..." Hana muttered in response. That can't be right...can it? I saw Asuna after she finished her own investigating. Or...did this happen before I saw her...? A little after, when me and Akira thought she was heading to the dining room...?
Then, another detail crossed her mind, and she was compelled to ask, "Hold on...Hinata, you also mentioned something about the dumbwaiter not working anymore. It was...It was after all that with the wine room happened, right?"
"Yeah- I went in, no one was there, and then dumbwaiter was just...stuck. Wouldn't move no matter how many times I pressed that button," the thief answered.
"Did anyone find out why it was stuck?" Hana then inquired.
"Man, I don't know- and as far as I know, no one else's figured it out either," Hinata responded.
Well that doesn't help me much... Hana thought with a little frown. And I don't know if I even have time to go to the West Wing and check it out myself...
Hana grabbed her e-Handbook again to make a note of Hinata's account. "Well, thanks anyways, Hinata."
Hinata nodded, then spoke up, "Actually, Hana- while we're in the vein of questioning one another...did anything seem weird with Hiroshi the last time you saw him?"
Huh? Why would he ask...? Hana began to herself.
Then, she thought for a moment and answer her own question: Hiroshi was found to be missing yesterday, with the night before being the last time anyone- namely, Hana- saw him. Thus, the surfer came to the realization that she was the last one to actually, truly see and interact with Hiroshi before his disappearance and subsequent murder.
"...I...don't really know, honestly," Hana responded. "We talked, he...said there was something he wanted to tell me later, and then he just...went back to his room. And...that was that."
Hinata furrowed his brow. "Well- what was he gonna tell you?"
Hana sighed. "I don't know- that was the last time I saw him, remember? I wish I knew, but..."
She then glanced at Hiroshi's corpse yet again. Then again...if it was a choice between finding out what Hiroshi was going to tell me and Hiroshi still being alive, then...
Hinata shrugged and responded, "Welp- so much for that lead. I dunno- maybe that whole timeline of him being missing will end being a clue, I can't see why it wouldn't."
Hana nodded, remaining silent. No doubt about that- Hiroshi didn't just disappear, he was gone for a whole day before he found his body. Between when I last saw himand when we found his body today...what could have happened to him during all that time...?
"Well...guess I've found just about everything I could in here," Hana remarked, looking around again. "Not that I got that many answers to...anything..."
"Eh- maybe the rest of the wing'll give you better luck," Hinata suggested.
"Any ideas where I should look next?" Hana then asked, glancing back at the Ultimate Thief.
"Well I'll tell you where I don't recommend looking- the throne room," the young man replied. "I went in there myself to look around, and I didn't find a lick of evidence. Not even in that weird hidden room, which is ironic considering how suspicious it already is."
"Really? Huh- I'll take your word for it then..." Hana remarked. "And not just because I'm so short on time."
"Appreciate it," Hinata said with a little smirk. "Me- I'm sorry, but if I don't figure out the deal with that damn rope, I think I'm gonna lose it."
"I'm just wondering where the killer could have gotten a rope to begin with..." Hana muttered. "I never saw one in the storage room, not the armory or the furnace room or..."
She crossed her arms. "Actually, the only place I've seen a rope is the East Wing- you know, with the pulley in the tower."
"Mm- yeah, that-" Hinata began...before his eyes widened, he stared at the rope again, and he shouted, "HOLY FUCK!"
Hana jumped at the sudden exclamation. "Huh!? Why did-?"
"Oh my god, why didn't I remember it sooner!?" Hinata cried, completely ignoring his classmate. "I gotta- I gotta-!"
Before Hana could form a response, the thief quickly sprinted out of the dungeon, only yelling, "I gotta get going! I need to see something!"
"Wait, what!? Hinata!?" Hana cried, as she could do nothing but watch him run off to parts unknown. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?"
However, Hinata did not hear her, and so the surfer was left alone with far more questions than answers. She looked around again, the silence of the dungeon only unnerving her even more, before making the decision to leave as well.
I don't know how much time I've got left to investigate, so wherever I go next- I'd better make it count. Hana told herself as she began to walk through the dungeon's entrance.
She couldn't help but make one last, solemn glance towards Hiroshi's motionless corpse. She then silently added to herself, Just wait, Hiroshi- I'll find the truth behind this case, one way or another.
Ascending the stairs back up to the North Wing's main hall, a part of Hana was tempted to go up and investigate the throne room despite what Hinata said before- after all, assuming he was the killer, he could have been lying. However, in addition to wanting to have faith in the other Ultimate, Hana also realized how little time she most likely had to search every nook and cranny of the wing- thus, she decided to forgo looking at the throne room. Perhaps, if she still had time, she would investigate later.
Eliminating the throne room from her list of places to look, Hana realized there was really only one other place to search: the power room. With this in mind, she quickly jogged across the main hall and down the hallway leading towards the power room. In her rush, she barely even registered the secret entrance to the North Wing's catacombs in that very hallway- not that she would have stopped to investigate anyways. After all, even if the killer had hidden evidence down in those dark halls, Hana had a feeling she didn't have the time (or patience) to explore the maze and find out.
In what felt like no time at all, Hana was in front of the metallic door and pushed it open. Upon entry, Hana did not see anything initially- but rather, she heard something odd. A crackling sound, almost like...static electricity?
Poking her head through the door, the Ultimate Surfer glanced around the room and immediately saw the source of the noise. There were a pair of large cables hanging low from the ceiling, with electricity sparking at the damaged ends. That wasn't the only thing that caught Hana's attention, however; she wasn't the only one in the room. She quickly caught notice of Ryoto again, standing precariously close to the cables, with his bright yellow hair being a stark contrast to all the metallic gray and silver around the room.
Having heard the door squeak open, the racecar driver turned around. "Oh! Hana Amari, good to see you! Been a while, eh?"
"'A while'-? You saw me earlier when I woke up," Hana reminded him, closing the door behind her.
"HAH! Ryoto Miura doesn't care about time when there's MYSTERY AFOOT!" Ryoto shouted with a laugh.
"Ah...alright then," Hana sheepishly responded.
She walked over to where the cables were hanging, opting not to approach too closely to avoid electrocution. My god- look at the size of those things! And those sparks- I mean, I guess this explains the blackouts, but didn't Monokuma say he was going to fix whatever was broken in here...?
Glancing upwards, she noticed some of the other cables hanging from the ceiling showed signs of tampering and repair, not to mention they seemed to have been shoved up into the ceiling more haphazardly than before. Thus, it seemed something had been worked on in the power room, and yet...
"Monokuma didn't really do the best job at repairs, did he?" Hana remarked as she stared at the cables. "I mean, just look at those wires hanging down there...!"
"I agree- I can't imagine why he'd try to do electrical work with those stubby little paws of his!" Ryoto responded, his arms crossed.
Hana glanced at the Ultimate again, once more noticing how close he was to the sparking cables. "I-In saying that...Ryoto, maybe you shouldn't be so close to the wires like that? It's kinda, you know- dangerous? Life-threateningly dangerous?"
"HAH! Ryoto Miura doesn't care about danger when there's MYSTERY AFOOT!" the young man shouted again.
...Why did I even bother? Hana asked herself with a little sigh.
She went on, "But isn't it kinda...weird? Monokuma made such a big deal about wanting to keep us out of the power room while he was 'fixing' stuff- hell, it was even the reason we couldn't go into the North Wing for a whole day! So how come the repairs aren't a little- you know, better?"
"PAY ATTENTION! I already said Monokuma's probably not the best at electrical stuff because of his little robo-paws!" Ryoto answered. "And as for whoever's controlling him...well, clearly they're no master of electricity themselves..."
"Apparently not..." Hana muttered.
She turned her eyes to the table on the other end of the power room, where the various tools used for electrical work were placed. From where she was standing, however, it was hard to tell how much use they had seen- and there was no way Hana was going to risk stepping through the live cables to reach the table.
"Hey- Ryoto- this cable's been like this the whole time, right?" Hana inquired.
"Right you are! And I even looked at that table over there, and someone DEFINITELY did some work in here!" Ryoto responded. "The wire cutters, the pliers, even those big ol' gloves all look like they were used!"
"Huh? How in the world did Monokuma fit those gloves on his-" Hana began, baffled- only to come to an even worse realization and blurt out, "H-Hey! You didn't actually walk through those cables, did you!? You could have gotten electrocuted!"
"All in the name of catching a killer, Hana! Besides, I'm fine- look at me!" Ryoto responded, spreading his arms out in emphasis.
Well, maybe I should be thankful- Ryoto looking at that table earlier means I don't have to risk zapping myself to get some info... Hana pondered to herself. Honestly, this whole room- there's something suspicious about it, I can feel it. I don't know how related it is to Hiroshi's murder, but...I can't ignore it.
With that, she took out her e-Handbook and made a note about the power room- how it was closed off, the live wires, the tools and gloves, all things suspicious.
"Actually, Ryoto- I am kinda glad I ran into you here," Hana then remarked after some typing on her gadget. "I kinda wanted to ask you something about your searches yesterday. You know, of the other wings."
"Huh? What do you wanna know?" Ryoto asked, frowning in confusion.
"Just...did you see anything weird?" Hana began. "You and I both searched the South Wing, so I don't think you saw anything weird there, but...what about the East Wing? You looked around there too, right?"
"I did! And I can confirm- something weird DID happen!" Ryoto answered with little hesitation. "You're the second person today to ask me about it, actually!"
"Second? Who was the first?" Hana curiously asked.
"Akira- a little bit after you woke up," Ryoto told her. "And since I'm NOT the killer, and so I've got nothing to hide, I'm gonna tell you EXACTLY what I told her!"
"W-Well- okay!" Hana responded, readying her e-Handbook to type down Ryoto's information.
"So, first of all- I didn't find anything in the East Wing either, and you're right about nothing weird happening in the South Wing either..." Ryoto began. "But the East Wing? No- something DID happen while I was looking around there!"
"Well, don't leave me in suspense! What was it?" Hana immediately inquired.
"Okay- by itself, it didn't seem like that big of a deal, but it was still suspicious!" Ryoto explained. "I was searching the whole wing, everything was normal aside from the occasional blackout. BUT THEN-! I, Ryoto Miura, arrived at the watchtower, and that's when the weirdness began!"
He continued, "The stairs were still broken, so I couldn't go up to the apex, but despite that...I heard someone up there! Someone was rustling around in the stuff up there- like, the sacks and crates and shit. And even when I called up to them, they didn't say ANYTHING! LIKE THE SNEAK THEY WERE!"
Hana furrowed her brow. "So someone went to the top of the tower before you got there? Did you see any bridge or something they could have used?"
"If I did, you can bet your ass I would have SPRINTED up there to see who it was! But there wasn't anything there, so I had to run over to the armory to grab something myself!" Ryoto went on. "And for the record- nothing looked missing from the armory either, so whatever the person used to cross the gap in the stairs did NOT come from there!"
"Okay...but I'm guessing you never got a chance to see who was up there, right?" Hana deduced. "You keep saying 'the person' and 'the sneak', so..."
"Ahaha- smart as ever, Hana Amari! Yeah- the individual must have slipped away while I was at the armory, so I never saw who it was!" Ryoto lamented. "Just- POOF! GONE! VANISHED! ADIOS!"
"Well...yeah, that's suspicious alright..." Hana muttered as she typed. "But what happened when you got to the top of the tower? Even if you didn't see the person who was up there, did they leave behind anything?"
"Nope! The most suspicious thing I saw was the pulley being dismantled, but that was it!" Ryoto answered with nod.
"Okay, the pulley-" Hana said...before gasping. "Wait, what did you say?"
"The most suspicious thing I saw was the pulley being dismantled, but that was it!" the Ultimate Racecar Driver repeated, the same tone as before.
"The- The pulley was dismantled? How?" Hana asked, still dumbfounded.
"Uuuh- I didn't look at it that closely. I remember the platform was on the ground instead of being suspended by the rope, so..." Ryoto responded, crossing his arms in thought.
The rope...! The rope from the pulley system...! Hana thought as realization dawned on her. Could the rope used on Hiroshi...come from there? And if that's the case, then...that would explain...
"I'm just wondering where the killer could have gotten a rope to begin with..." Hana muttered. "I never saw one in the storage room, not the armory or the furnace room or..."
She crossed her arms. "Actually, the only place I've seen a rope is the East Wing- you know, with the pulley in the tower."
"Mm- yeah, that-" Hinata began...before his eyes widened, he stared at the rope again, and he shouted, "HOLY FUCK!"
Hana jumped at the sudden exclamation. "Huh!? Why did-?"
"Oh my god, why didn't I remember it sooner!?" Hinata cried, completely ignoring his classmate. "I gotta- I gotta-!"
Before Hana could form a response, the thief quickly sprinted out of the dungeon, only yelling, "I gotta get going! I need to see something!"
"Wait, what!? Hinata!?" Hana cried, as she could do nothing but watch him run off to parts unknown. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?"
Hana grimaced to herself. But...I can't confirm it unless I go to the eastern watchtower myself, and I don't know if I have the time...!
"Heeeey, Hana? You look like you've got a headache," Ryoto remarked with a little frown.
"It's...nothing," Hana responded with a shake of her head. "Thanks, Ryoto- that information helped a lot."
She then inquired, "Actually, come to think of it- is what happened in the watchtower the reason you patted me and Hinata down this morning?"
To that, Ryoto suddenly grew nervous. He glanced away, wrung his hands, and began, "Aaaaah, hehehe...about that- my reasoning for doing that was...a little unrelated to the thing with the tower..."
"'A little unrelated'?" Hana began, then glared at him. "So then what was the reason you did that? Seriously, I'm still curious about that, and even though it may not be related to Hiroshi's murder, I still want some answers!"
"I-I-" Ryoto stammered, looking very cornered. "If...I Ryoto Miura answers you, then- then you have to promise not to freak out, got it!?"
Hana stared at him. "...Ryoto. What does that mean?"
"I...I...!" Ryoto began, visibly hesitant. "RYOTO MIURA FAILED AGAIN!"
Hana continued to stare, only now it was in bewilderment. "F-Failed? Failed at what?"
"Do you remember...remember the kitchen knife I took yesterday? The one I planned to use to defend myself from another kidnapping? The one I kept in my room?" the young man began. "This morning...when I woke up...the knife...WAS GONE!"
Hana's jaw nearly dropped. "You...lost the knife...?"
"I don't know how it happened...true to my word, I kept the knife in my bedroom, more specifically under my pillow..." Ryoto began, still rather panicked.
"You lost the knife?" Hana asked again, this time more firmly and angrily.
"But then, this morning, it was just- just GONE!" Ryoto cried. "I tore my whole room apart to find it, but it was NOWHERE! Nowhere at all! It just vanished! But no- no, I know it was no ordinary disappearance-"
"You lost the knife!?" Hana shouted, throwing her hands up.
"IT WAS STOLEN!" Ryoto shouted back.
"A-Are you sure!? You're sure it wasn't anywhere else at all!?" Hana demanded. "You searched everywhere in your room!?"
"I promise!" Ryoto responded. "I swear on my life, I swear on your life-"
"Don't go dragging my life into this!" the surfer angrily yelled in response.
"Like I said, it wasn't anywhere in my room!" Ryoto explained. "Sooo, the obvious conclusion is that it was STOLEN! Hence why I patted you and Hinata down, so I could try and find before-! Before...!"
"Before...?" Hana began, only to gasp in horror. "Oh no...! Ryoto, don't tell me-! The knife we found in Hiroshi's chest, was it-!?"
"It was my knife- the knife I took for protection yesterday..." Ryoto admitted. "THE KILLER BAMBOOZLED ME! I'VE BEEN TRICKED BY A KILLER AGAIN! RYOTO MIURA, MORE LIKE ULTIMATE FAILURE!"
"But- But that doesn't make any sense! How could anyone have taken the knife if it was locked in your room the whole night!?" Hana yelped, dumbfounded by this turn of events. "And even still, h-how can we be so sure the knife used on Hiroshi was the same one you had? The kitchen...the kitchen has tons of blades in there, really!"
"No...No, I know, deep in my heart, that the knife we saw at the crime scene was the one I had..." Ryoto refuted, shaking his head. "Like I said, I looked all over my room to find it, but it was nowhere to be seen- consider that evidence of my knife and the knife at the scene being one in the same..."
Hana frowned deeply, but made sure to make a note of this new information regarding the knife in her e-Handbook. Well, that's one mystery solved, even if it does open the way to a bunch of other questions. But still- just because the knife is the same one Ryoto had, that doesn't link him to the murder...does it...?
She sighed and told him, "Well- I wish you hadn't taken the knife to begin with, but it's not your fault someone took it. Besides- it's not like the knife was the clinch that caused the murder in the first place, so I wouldn't go calling you an 'Ultimate Failure' because of it."
Ryoto hummed to himself for a moment, before shouting, "AHA! You're right! I did everything I could to keep that knife out of someone else's hands- it's not my fault someone was crafty enough to break into my room and take the knife!"
"Haha- there you go!" Hana happily affirmed. Phew- glad Ryoto's the type to bounce back from being all sad so easily. That optimism- I'm glad to have it around, especially now...
"HAH! Maybe if we can find out how the knife went missing, we can narrow down who could have killed Hiroshi!" Ryoto declared. "And that's what exactly what I'm gonna do with the little time we have left!"
"Yeah, that's-" Hana began again...only for her apprehension to suddenly spike up. "Wait, what do you mean 'little time'?"
"Well, the investigation's been going on for some time now- even less time for you, since you were knocked out before-" Ryoto explained. "I dunno, I just feel like the investigation's gonna be done pretty soon."
Hana's fear only grew upon reaching this conclusion. Oh my god- he's right! I've been out for so long, and I've been investigating for even longer...!
"You...You're right, I-" she stammered in growing panic. "I-I need to get going! Th-Thanks for everything, Ryoto!"
Without giving the Ultimate time to respond, the girl sprinted out of the power room and back into the hallway outside.
Once outside the power room, Hana ran back down the hallway and reentered the main hall of the North Wing. From there, she...didn't go anywhere else, at least not right away. She furiously paced around the hall, back and forth and back and forth, turning the evidence over and over in her mind in an attempt to draw some kind of conclusion- any conclusion that may help in identifying Hiroshi's killer.
I've got a good amount of evidence, and yet...and yet, it barely fits together! There's so many gaps in so many places, I know I'm missing stuff...! I just don't know what, let alone if I have time to find it! Hana thought to herself in increasing frustration. And not even that- what about what happened with Hinata in the West Wing? What Ryoto heard in the East Wing? Hiroshi disappearing in the first place? And then there's what Asuna saw just last night-
Then, she gasped. Wait- Asuna! I still need to talk to her! About what she saw last night, and about what Hinata told me about...maybe, just maybe, something she'll tell me will give me some kinda lead! Right now, it's the only thing I can hope for!
Nodding to herself, Hana took off towards the doors leading into the courtyard- she had no idea where Asuna could be, but she had to search anyways. There was also no telling how much time was left in the investigation, but that was all the more reason to track down the gardener before-
"Huh-? Hana...? H-Hey! Hana! Over here!"
-or, perhaps, the student she was looking for would find her first.
Hearing the call, Hana stumbled to a stop and turned around; the voice sounded somewhat far off, but not too distant. Sure enough, on the other side of the main hall and atop the stairs, the Ultimate Gardener was standing and gazing towards Hana.
Overcome with relief, Hana called back, "Asuna! Oh thank god, you're exactly who I was looking for!"
Hana immediately ran over to the stairs; Asuna, meanwhile, quickly descended from the stairs to meet the surfer.
"Hana, I- I had no idea you were awake," Asuna remarked once the two were face-to-face. "When did you wake up?"
"Ah- a little bit ago," Hana answered. "I've been investigating ever since. As a matter of fact, investigation was the reason I was just going out to look for you-"
She glanced up at the top floor of the North Wing. "Um- did you just come from the West Wing?"
"Yeah- uh...Akira wanted my help with something, and I...didn't have much of a choice," Asuna explained, glancing up at the the hallway leading to the West Wing.
The shorter girl then shook her head and told Hana, "B-Before we keep talking, though, I-I need to know- are you okay?"
"Okay...?" Hana began. "Uh...physically or emotionally?"
"..." Asuna hesitated, then answered, "Ah- both?"
Hana winced. "Physically, I'm fine enough. Emotionally, I'm..."
She glanced away. "I...I'm focusing on the investigation, okay? This is all still so surreal, Hiroshi of all people ending up as a victim, but...but solving this crime is the most I can do for him. And that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Turning back to Asuna with a more steely gaze, Hana went on, "And that includes asking you some things, Asuna."
"O-Oh- okay! If it helps you, then- whatever you need to know, I'll answer as best as I can," Asuna responded with a resolute nod.
Hana let out a little sigh of relief in response to the gardener's cooperation. "Okay. Okay, well- can you tell me again about what happened when you saw Hiroshi last night?"
"That...? Well- it's like what I told you guys last night," Asuna explained. "I had forgotten to lock the storage room prior to dinner, so after dinner I went upstairs to do just that. I was leaving the study just after 10 that night, and when I did..."
"That's when you saw Hiroshi at the end of the hallway, right?" Hana spoke up, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh. I saw him just as he was heading into the East Wing," Asuna replied. "I tried calling out to him, but he didn't respond. And when I ran after him, he- he was already gone. I turned the corner into the East Wing, and...just as quickly as I saw him, he was gone."
She frowned. "It's still a weird story, I know...a-and I wish I could make sense of it, even now. B-But, even so- w-what I'm telling you is the truth, Hana, I swear!"
Hana took a moment to think, then responded, "I'm not doubting you- especially since your story hasn't changed since last night, so that adds to the credibility."
She frowned and went on, "But...you're right, it's still super weird to think about. Why would Hiroshi have ignored you...? And how could he have just...disappeared like that...?"
"Those are...good questions, but- I don't know...I just don't know..." Asuna replied, her gaze going to the floor. "All I know is...is, based on everything, I...guess I'm the last person to have seen Hiroshi alive..."
"E-Even still, it- it at least confirms Hiroshi was still alive and walking around last night, right?" Hana reassured her. "That...should help in the trial, right...?"
That's right...Asuna was pretty forthcoming and honest with me, so willing to help me out- just like always. Hana told herself. She's...not the kind of person who'd kill my best friend. With that honesty, it must mean she's got nothing to hide- that she's not the killer! ...Right...?
Even so, Hana grabbed her e-Handbook yet again and made a note about Asuna's account in her e-Handbook. Sure, it wasn't exactly new information, but it was important nonetheless.
"Hey- Hana?" Asuna then spoke up. "You said you wanted to ask me some things, right...? As in, you wanted to ask me something else...?"
"..."
Hana thought about her other question, and thought about what had prompted the question in the first place- about Hinata's claim that Asuna had blocked him from entering the wine room for some unknown reason.
...If I ask her about that, will she still be as forthcoming...? What Hinata talked about, it was super suspicious, so what if she denies it...? Hana wondered. I've been doubting a lot of things today, and I'll probably be doubting stuff during the trial...
She glanced away, hesitant. I...I don't want to give myself even more doubt, doubt towards anyone, least of all towards Asuna, of all people...!
"...It's...nothing," Hana finally answered. "Nothing- forget it. It's not that important, really- I don't have any other questions for you. Don't worry about it."
Right as Hana insisted on that, as if on cue...
Ding dong, bing bong
The monitor closest to the girls turned on (as did all other monitors throughout the castle, presumably), and Monokuma's grinning face appeared. Seeing him on that throne, Hana had to wonder if Monokuma was on top of those stairs right now, in that throne room, recording and broadcasting this latest announcement to all the surviving students.
"You know what I love best about time? If you play your cards right, you can use it against people in so many ways! If you tell people to come to your birthday party at 3:00, but then decide to change it to 2:00 without telling anyone, you can guilt trip them into giving you even better presents!" Monokuma rambled on the screen. "And on the subject of time and inevitability...your guys' time is up! Please report to the usual spot for the class trial as soon as possible- don't dawdle, or else I might just switch up the deadline on you!"
The monitor went dark again- and with it, Hana's face grew pale.
The investigation...! It's over...!? Hana asked herself in fear. N-No way! There's still so much I haven't investigated and- and- I didn't get a chance to look around Hiroshi's bedroom at all! And I always look at the victims' bedrooms!
Asuna sighed. "W-Well, I...guess we'd better get going...again..."
Noticing Hana's apprehension, she asked, "Hana...? Everything okay...?"
"Y-Yeah, it's just, I...I wish I had more time to do more investigating..." Hana admitted with a little gulp. "I...I wish I hadn't let myself get knocked out...if I hand't tried to attack Monokuma, I might have had more time..."
"Hana, don't- don't worry about that, it's...not like you're going to be the only one trying to solve Hiroshi's murder," Asuna reassured the surfer. "We're all going to try our best to find the blackened, no matter...no matter what, right...? All...of us..."
The more she spoke, the less sure of herself Asuna became- and Hana could immediately guess why. Despite everything the class had gone through, someone had given in to murder once again- and the rest of the students would have to sacrifice that person for their own survival, once again. With that in mind, Hana understood how conflicting it was, especially with so few students left...
For all Asuna knew, Hana herself could be the killer.
"Let's just...let's just go," Hana finally spoke up. "We can't skip out on the trial and live, so..."
With that grim response, the two Ultimates made their way down the North Wing's main hall and towards the courtyard.
When Hana and Asuna walked out into the courtyard, they immediately noticed someone was already by the fountain: Akira Rimutsu, who appeared rather annoyed and deep in thought.
Despite this, Hana couldn't help but blurt out, "Huh? Akira?"
Hearing the surfer caused Akira to glance up and see Hana and Asuna. "Mmph- Amari. So Miura was right- you really are awake. I hope you didn't waste whatever time you had left to investigate."
"I didn't," Hana told her, walking down the stairs. I see she's as friendly as ever- and this time, I'm not even gonna have Hiroshi to counter her bitterness...
Akira gazed at Hana for a good moment, as if she had something else to say...before she shook her head and turned away, her frustration even more palpable.
Not long after Hana and Asuna's arrival, the doors to the North and East Wings opened almost at the same time, and Ryoto and Hinata entered the courtyard respectively. Neither of them said anything, both deep in thought in their own ways as they stepped towards the fountain themselves. Hana looked around at the small group, which was deathly silent; everyone was either gazing off contemplatively or glancing at the others with suspicion and doubt. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife.
Seeing everyone so on edge, Hana turned to the side in the hopes of receiving some words of advice or encouragement from Hiroshi...only to immediately remember who the victim of this case was.
...I need to stop forgetting he's gone...I need to accept it, sooner or later...especially sooner, because... the surfer sorrowfully told herself. Because...with this latest trial...I won't be able to rely on his support to help me...
I'm going to be completely, utterly on my own.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Akira sighed and spoke up, "Okay- before we go into this trial, I need to confirm one massive elephant in the room..."
She glanced towards the sky, as if expecting to discern the time from the sun and sky. "Did anyone notice this particular investigation felt somewhat...shorter than the others? At least to an extent?"
"N-Now that you mention it- y-yeah, it...did feel a bit short...!" Asuna responded with a little nod.
Hana, however, furrowed her brow. "Uh- did it...?"
"Ah, you wouldn't know, Hana- you were knocked out for almost half of it," Hinata pointed out with a sigh.
First- rude, but true... Hana thought to herself. Second- if Akira's observation is true, then...maybe I shouldn't feel too bad about not being able to investigate fully...? Maybe the others ran into a similar problem...?
...But somehow, I doubt that.
Before the discussion could continue, however, the scenery trembled and quaked- the usual predecessor to the fountain's transformation. By now, the sight had gone from awe-striking to mundane and routine- and if anything, it served to strike dread and apprehension into the hearts of the students.
Hana took a deep breath upon seeing the elevator, telling herself, Remember what Hiroshi told you, Hana- 'trust in the evidence'. That's how I'll find the truth- one way or another...
Clinging to Hiroshi's mantra, as it was the one thing she could truly believe in at this point, she and her four classmates stepped onto the platform as they had done many times before. Soon enough, the gate popped up and the elevator moved downwards, leaving the five Ultimates to await the end of its descent underground- all the while, the air still being heavy with suspicion and fear.
As for Hana...well, she was still attempting to get used to Hiroshi's absence. No matter how she tried to 'accept' his demise, there was no denying the lack of his presence on that elevator just felt...well, wrong. Sure, death was inevitable, especially in this killing game, but for it to come for the Ultimate Coroner himself...well, it was as shocking as it was ironic.
By now, the elevator ride was so uniform, it felt over in moments- or perhaps Hana was still just numb from the loss of her dear friend. Whatever the reason, the group stepped off the metallic platform the moment the gate lowered and onto the stony floor of the stony hallway. The silence persisted as they each walked down the hall towards the entrance to the trial room- although, for Hana, her own thoughts filled the silence enough.
Hiroshi Ashi...the Ultimate Coroner. He was...he...what can I even say about him that I haven't said before? He was...he was one of my closest friends, one of the first people I met when this killing game first started, the one who consistently helped me and supported throughout everything...! Not just me- he believed in everybody, he saw good in all of us, even when it seemed unreasonable...I still don't understand how he could keep up that attitude, but it was one of his best aspects. To think that...someone like him, even he couldn't survive this damn, game, he...
...Why...? That's all I want to know- why Hiroshi? Why did he have to die, and die so...so brutally? Even if I never find out what he was going to tell me, I at least want to know why the blackened decided to take his life...what could he have possibly done to justify it...? Hana wondered, her fists tightly clenching. And not just that...after what we've all been through, could one of those four...really be capable of killing him...? Maybe I'm just being sentimental, but...
Asuna...
Ryoto...
Hinata...
Even Akira...
Can I...really live with accusing one of them of being Hiroshi's killer...? Am I gonna be okay with convicting one of them and sending them off to a horrible execution, just like all the other killers...? I...I really don't know anymore...!
The group pushed the red doors open and stepped into the trial room. The room's latest design...well, it was probably the most disturbing so far. The walls and floor were made from bluish-black stone bricks, with pillar-shaped molding spread out along the circumference and extending up to the ceiling. Iron torches were attached to the pillars, but their light was dim and only added to the creepy ambiance of the room. Chains dangled from the ceiling, and a few skeletons could be seen cuffed by their wrists to the walls and suspended; this was accompanied by what looked like dried bloodstains of various sizes scattered on the walls. Admittedly, the skeletons and bloodstains were most likely fake, but even so- they added to the feel of this trial room being in a true medieval dungeon.
As usual, Monokuma sat in his own seat- the color of which greatly contrasted with the rest of the room- and this time, he seemed particularly eager. "Welcome, welcome, blah blah blah- hurry up and get to your spots! I'm dying to get this trial started- not as much as this case's victim though! Puhu- now come on!"
Monokuma's ushering only slightly improved the pace of the grim students, who did as they were told regardless. Once in her own spot, Hana immediately took notice of the two latest memorial portraits added to the others- both of which were right next to her. To the podium on her immediate left, Hiroshi's portrait, the same grayscale headshot with a standard red 'X' painted over it; to her immediate right, Rumi's portrait, but her photo did not have the typical 'X' shape that all the other culprits had. Instead, her photo was splattered with red paint droplets that appeared somewhat diluted, as if to emulate water or rain drops on a window or glass pane.
The five students were still gazing at one another- some were trying to mask the apprehension and doubt in their eyes, others (mainly Akira) were not being so subtle in their suspicion. One thing was still certain, however- Hiroshi's killer was among them, and for their survival the spotless would have to weed them out, whatever it took. Hana knew that, deep down, and yet...she couldn't deny the strong connection she had to each and every one of them, and the connection they had to each other. The idea that one of them had committed such a gruesome murder...could it really be true?
And thus, whether the class was ready or not...the curtain rose on their fifth murder case. A deadly mystery...a deadly betrayal...who was the blackened? The only way to find out was to survive the class trial- a class trial of life...or death.
A/N: And so, after a long delay, Deadly Life has officially come to an end!
So, to make some time stuff clear- in Part 1, Ryoto told Akira about Hana waking up around the halfway point, if not a little after; so that means this part, or at least the actual investigation stuff, is taking place at the exact same time as the latter half of Part 1. Which you can kinda see in a few places- Ryoto being back in the North Wing after Akira saw he was just entering it in Part 1, Asuna coming from the West Wing after Akira's request, Akira not being in this part at all until after the investigation because, by the time Hana woke up, she had finished in the North Wing and was looking around the other wings...
I thought having that be a thing and explaining it here would help put some time stuff into perspective, especially in regards to Akira's comment about the investigation being a bit shorter than usual- because, if you really think about it, this investigation wasn't exactly two halves like in the other chapters, this investigation really only took place in one part. If...that makes sense. And hey, will the fact that the investigation was a little short end up being important? ...Perhaps- or perhaps not. You'll just have to wait and see!
But for now, it's that time again! Put your speculation to the test, and vote on who you believe the killer is! I'm very interested to see what you guys think, especially this time around. The code for the strawpoll is right here: 38x86pas
And in the meantime, leave a review, speculate, compare and contrast Akira and Hana's stuff, do whatever you gotta do during the wait for the fifth class trial! I hope to see you guys there- bye-bye!~
