A/N: Here we go, buckaroos! The Chapter 6 train of weird and wild revelations just keeps on going with Part 2- which will not actually be the last Deadly Life part, there'll be one more after this.
So last time...things happened. The sky is fake, Hana finally tells the group about the messages she's been getting since the end of Chapter 1, Monokuma's allowing a redo of Hiroshi's trial, Hiroshi's bedroom looks suspicious as heck, and most importantly: Hiroshi is the traitor! The guy who still has all his memories from before the killing game and knows the truth about said killing game! And yet, there are still more secrets to uncover before the trial- what'll they be, and how crazy will they be? Read on to find out!
Review Replies
HoneyBeeGirl94: Is that sarcasm? Ah well- if people guessed Hiroshi was the traitor beforehand, I'm not upset about it- if anything, I'm smiling and nodding proudly that the readers were able to figure things out earlier than the characters. As for the idea of remorseless traitors- I'll agree, that'd be an interesting concept to see more often! However, Hiroshi is simply not that kind of character, so that concept wouldn't really work here- so, no subversions on that end.
gabriswitch: Oh yeah- you did, didn't you? Well- congrats! Your prize is bragging rights! And as for the apology suggestion- I already have things planned out, so maybe Akira will and maybe she won't, you'll just have to read and find out!
Chapter 6: A Fractured Fate- Deadly Life (Part 2)
When clicking into the 'forensics 1' folder, the group noticed it was filled with numerous documents, images, and even a video or two- each one related to some topic from forensic science, anatomy, autopsies, etc. The exceptions were two documents, simply named 'Document 5' and 'Document 6'.
"Hm- that must be what Ashi was talking about," Akira observed, seeing the two documents without name changes. "So whatever is on those documents will lead to some answers about this killing game..."
"Yeah- does it matter which one we read first?" Hana asked, glancing over her shoulders at the others.
"Uh- let's just go in order," Asuna suggested as she moved up somewhat to see the screen better. "I can't imagine there'd be a specific order to these..."
Nodding, Hana moved the cursor and double-clicked to open up 'Document 5'. In the new window, there appeared a simple white document page with words already typed onto it; no title, no date, just words. With that, Hana began to slowly read what Hiroshi had typed...
It's only been a couple weeks, but I already feel like I'm going insane. The violence, the chaos, the death- how could things turn so horrible in such a short time? It's like 90% of the world just...went insane. I really wish we had chosen to stay together, but...no, everyone made their choice, and I just have to keep moving forward. It's not like there wasn't a logic to it, either- whoever caused that massacre at Hope's Peak will surely target any other Ultimates who somehow survived, so maybe splitting up was the best option. I might not ever know.
I've been trying to get back to my aunt's place, but with everything going on, to call it 'difficult' would be an understatement. I don't even know if she's still alive...but I sure can hope for it. I know for a fact other peoples' families aren't so lucky. I know Hope's Peak Academy was a big deal in the Japanese public- and to a lesser extent, the whole world- but I never thought that its fall would cause so much destruction and despair. The news even started calling all this "The Tragedy"- yeah, I couldn't have come up with a better name if I tried.
Hana wasn't sure what she expected from the document, but to read something so grim- it sent a chill down her spine. But what perturbed the surfer even more was...she recognized the information Hiroshi had typed. Her eyes drifted to where her e-Handbook was as she remembered one of the other messages she had received; this event Hiroshi was describing...could it be...?
"...Oookay, uh...anyone else thinking this is a little weird...?" Ryoto nervously asked. "I know we got our memories wiped or whatever, but...what Hiroshi's describing here, it's like...it's like some kinda apocalypse...!"
"'Massacre'...? At Hope's Peak?" Akira asked herself, baffled. "That can't be- what is this? 'Violence', 'chaos', 'death'- just what was Ashi typing here...?"
"This can't be right...it can't be!" Hinata insisted, shaking his head. "What about those pictures Hana got on her Handbook? Clearly, they were taken throughout the whole year we're missing, and did the world look all grim and destroyed in those pictures? Was Hope's Peak all ruined or whatever? No way!"
"H-He's right! In those pictures, everything was perfectly fine- nothing like the- the destruction Hiroshi wrote about here!" Asuna agreed, sounding somewhat desperate.
"..." Hana wanted nothing more than to agree with them- even though deep down she knew it was wrong, and she was fairly sure the others felt the same way- but she had actual proof that prevented her from doing so.
"Y-Yeah, yeah! A misunderstanding, that's it!" Ryoto insisted with a nervous laugh. "The world's not destroyed or anything! Hana, you agree, right?"
"..." Once again, Hana said nothing, instead staring down at the table as her face grew more pale.
"...You're awfully quiet, Amari," Akira remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because I'm...you know...trying to figure out how to word this..." Hana spoke up, just as apprehensive as the others, but for a different reason.
"Word...what?" Akira asked, furrowing her brow.
"Uh...okay, uh- don't shoot the messenger here- or, uh, the person getting something from the messenger..." Hana began, turning to the face the others with a cringe.
"Stop rambling about messengers and SPIT IT OUT!" Ryoto yelled.
"One of the other messages I got on my e-Handbook showed a news article talking about a massive world disaster that destroyed society!" Hana blurted in response to the shout.
"Wha-!? Other message!?" Hinata began, bewildered.
"Yeah! Remember? Back in the courtyard, I told you guys there was another picture I had?" Hana reminded them with a frown.
"Well why didn't you show us then!?" Ryoto then asked.
"I was going to! But then the power came back on and Monokuma showed up and Akira and him talked and-" Hana explained, flustered.
"Well- does this other picture have something to do with...whatever Ashi wrote about here?" Akira inquired.
"I think so..." Hana began, pulling out her handbook and navigating to the image file in question. "When I first got this, I...I had no idea what it was about- even now, I still don't, but it...it ties into whatever Hiroshi wrote about, I think. Just...see for yourselves."
She had the image ready, and thus turned the device so the others could see the screen- and more importantly, the words of the article.
Today marks yet another day in what has become weeks of increasingly violent riots and attacks that have been spreading throughout the country. The crime rates have risen to astronomical levels, with the death toll becoming uncountable by this point. Reports also show an increase in the level of overall destruction caused by these incidents, which sources have been likening to terrorist attacks. However, the scale of these incidents indicates this is much more than a series of terrorist movements; the chaos is not just exclusive to Japan, but has grown widespread across the globe. There have been reports of similar, horrible events taking place in nations such as the United States, Russia, Brazil, etc.
What once started as demonstrations to protest talent and other social issues, stemming from the destruction at Hope's Peak Academy which led to the school closing its doors indefinitely, has grown into something much larger- an apocalypse, and no end appears to be in sight. As this is being written, there is no doubt more destruction is being spread in other parts of the world, whether in large nations or the smallest village.
Thus, reporters all over the world have taken to calling this movement of anarchy and death "the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history".
Hana could practically feel the dead silence emanating off her classmates as they each finished reading the odd article. She couldn't blame them for their confusion and shock- she had felt the same when she first read it.
"Oh my...oh my god...!" Asuna gasped, her hands covering her mouth in horror.
"This- This is fake, right? This has to be fake! This could be fake, right? No, it looks real- wait, no, it could be faked!" Ryoto rambled in growing panic. "IS IT FAKE!?"
"I don't think so, Miura...the way this picture is, it doesn't look like a simple editing job..." Akira responding, slowly shaking her head. "This...is real..."
"But- But what does that mean, is this- is the "The Tragedy" thing that Hiroshi wrote about?" Asuna fearfully asked, turning back to the laptop.
"I...I have no idea," Hana replied, shaking her head. "The names sound similar, and the way Hiroshi described his event sounds a lot like the way this article described its own, and yet...!"
"But- But these things are talking about the end of the damn world!" Hinata spoke up. "That doesn't- that doesn't just happen overnight! Those photos you showed us, and what Hiroshi talked about on his video- we spent almost an entire year at Hope's Peak, completely normal and peachy! But- But these things, talking about some big apocalypse-!"
"If this is true, then- then the world outside, it's all-! But that doesn't make sense with the pictures we saw, everything looked-!" Asuna cried out, practically hyperventilating. "How...How much did we actually forget!? How much time are we missing!?"
"Everyone! Calm down, right now!" Akira ordered the other Ultimates.
"HOW!? First we find out we forgot at least a whole year of our lives, and NOW we find out the world MIGHT be in shambles!?" Ryoto demanded. "HOW CAN WE CALM DOWN!?"
"Well figure it out, because panicking will only get us all killed!" Akira snapped at him. "I don't know how accurate either of these pieces are, but however precise they end up being we cannot lose our heads right now! We have a mystery to solve- two mysteries, one of which we're going to be having a trial for! Panic on your own time, but now is not the time to do it!"
Turning to Hana (who remembered why she was always so intimidated by the Ultimate Prosecutor), Akira remarked, "Amari- you showed us those other messages back in the courtyard, right? The photos of us at Hope's Peak and the...diagram. Is this article the last thing you ave to show us?"
"Um- sort of," Hana responded, trying to move past her fright. "The first message I got didn't even have any attachments, so the things I showed you guys- then and now- were all I got. There is one last picture I got at the same time as this article, but...I really don't know what that one was all about, same as that weird diagram you guys saw with the last message."
"Then make a note of all those- even that odd diagram. Clearly, they too have some connection to the mystery of the killing game," Akira ordered. "As for this last picture you mentioned- I would hope you plan on showing us at some point before the trial."
"Of course I will! Once I, you know...figure out what it's all about..." Hana responded.
In truth, she both did and didn't know what to make of the other picture she had received with the fourth message- the symbol of 'Dark Hand'. Obviously, whatever 'Dark Hand' was, it was tied to the killing game- and maybe to Hana herself, if those strange thoughts and feelings were any indication. Beyond that, however, Hana's understanding of what 'Dark Hand' actually was was next to nothing.
As Hana began to make note of everything they had found- the class photos, the article on that world catastrophe, the strange box diagram, and the document Hiroshi had written about 'The Tragedy'- a quick, sharp pain struck her deep in her skull. While not horrifically intense, the ache was sudden and strong enough to cause Hana to noticeably wince and clutch her head with one of her hands.
"Hana? What's the matter?" Asuna asked as Hana tensed up from the pain.
"Ah- nothing. Just a little headache, it'll pass," Hana reassured the gardener as she thought, That's another thing- what is with that stupid hand and giving me headaches...? It can't have something to do with our missing memories, can it...?
"Man...we're not even at the trial, and I already feel more tired than before..." Hinata muttered. "Can we read the rest of these documents so we can move on?"
Nodding, Hana exited Document 5 and clicked on the next file, 'Document 6'. It was another regular text document, identical in appearance to the previous one, the main difference being the words on the screen.
I've had a lot of shocking days so far- these last few weeks being the worst yet- but I can't stop reeling over the events of- what, less than a week ago? You'd think something called "Ultimate Despair" would just be someone with an odd talent at Hope's Peak, not the name of the group responsible- directly and indirectly- for all the terrible things you've seen. But I think what shocks me more is that its leader- the one truly responsible for The Tragedy, who put her own classmates through death and showed it to the world...was another Ultimate, just like my classmates. Just like me. I was in the same school, the same year, as a person like that- isn't that messed up?
Then again, she didn't strike me as the kind of person to have morals to begin with. Ultimate Despair- what goes on in the head of those people? To do nothing but spread despair wherever they go, to make despair their one purpose in life, to have no motivation but despair...with the Ultimate Despair being the worst of all of them. I guess it doesn't matter now- she's dead, thanks to the efforts of the last few students, and the world is all the better for it. I'd like to think things will only improve from here, and yet...Ultimate Despair itself isn't quite finished. It's only been a few days since her demise, and while the vast majority of Ultimate Despair seems to have disbanded in some way, it seems like the group's top members are only intensifying their efforts.
For that reason, I'm still afraid for myself and my classmates, but I also can't help but fear for the other Ultimates. I'll admit, learning they got to spend an entire year in what is almost like a fancy safehouse (before that girl made her move) made me pretty jealous, but I would never wish what they went through on anyone. Besides, even if only a handful survived, it brought me a little bit of solace knowing the 80th Class wasn't the only group of Ultimates who survived the initial fall of Hope's Peak- it makes me wonder if maybe there are others out there, wandering the ruins of the country like I am. Let's hope whoever remains of Ultimate Despair won't find them- me and my classmates included.
"Okay...this is less freaky, I guess, but way more confusing," Hinata spoke up, scratching is head in confusion. "It's like half of this is written in some foreign language!"
"'Ultimate Despair'...? Look, I'm not one to judge talents, but that one sounds just plain messed up!" Ryoto remarked with a shudder.
"But it's not a talent- at least, not in the sense that we're Ultimates," Akira argued. "Read it again- it sounds like Ashi's describing some kind of...group, or organization."
"H-Hold on, it...it also says the leader of this group is- was?- another student at Hope's Peak...?" Asuna began, both baffled and disturbed. "As in- we went to the same school as whoever that was...!?"
Hana shivered as well. "I know we don't remember them, but just the thought of it is- I agree with what Hiroshi typed, that is messed up..."
"But- if this 'Ultimate Despair' girl did all this stuff that he's vaguely talking about, who is she!? He doesn't even say her name anywhere!" Ryoto pointed out, frustrated. "What's her name!?"
"Her name...probably isn't important, let's just skip it for now," Hinata stated with a little shrug. "Besides, there's weirder stuff written down here..."
"Like the fact that Ashi referenced 'The Tragedy' again? And the fact that he referenced some kind of event at Hope's Peak just like the article Amari received?" Akira went on, crossing her arms.
"If Hiroshi's referencing stuff from the article, then...then does that mean the article's true...!?" Asuna asked, horrified. "Does that mean the outside world is actually-"
"We...We can't say that for sure yet," Hana answered. "I wish there was some other way to know that, but with that article and Hiroshi being cryptic like this...I guess it's possible, but..."
Deep down, Hana knew it wasn't just possible- it was highly likely. And yet, despite the proof staring her in the face, something in her heart just wouldn't allow her to accept it until they had something a little more- and right now, she and her classmates didn't have that.
"...That's not all..." Akira began, furrowing her brow. "In this document, Ashi keeps referencing 'other Ultimates'...classmates of this Ultimate Despair girl, claiming they 'survived' something, something about a 'safehouse'...? I'll admit, even I can't make heads or tails of any of this- there are so many things he makes mention of, and yet..."
"It's like some kinda big jigsaw puzzle, but half the pieces are gone and you don't even have the picture on the box..." Hinata remarked, shaking his head. "I'm getting frustrated just thinking about it..."
"Well...let's just try and remember the information for now then, and move on," Asuna suggested. "It won't make any more sense just by staring at it..."
"Good idea," Hana replied with a nod, clicking out of the document before making a note in her handbook about the document about 'Ultimate Despair'.
"Okay then- where next? Is there anything else in the folder?" Ryoto asked.
"No, but remember- there's still that other folder," Hana reminded him, entering the folder titled 'forensics 2'. "I just hope whatever we see in here will be a little less confusing..."
"We're trying to piece together the truth behind a massive killing game while missing at least a year's worth of memories- 'confusing' is an understatement," Akira remarked dryly.
The contents of 'forensics 2' seemed similar to those of 'forensics 1'- various files on forensics and anatomy and such- and just like the last file, there were two files with default names. One was another document file- 'Document 11'- and the other was an image file named 'untitled'.
"Ooh, click the picture! The picture!" Ryoto insisted, excitedly pointing to the image file. "Pictures are WAY less confusing than words!"
"Famous last words, bud..." Hinata muttered.
"I mean, again, I don't think it matters which one we look at first..." Asuna pointed out. "So- sure, let's go with the image."
Hana nodded in understanding, then proceeded to click 'untitled' to open it. What appeared in a new window appeared to be a screenshot of sorts. Hana couldn't tell if what she was seeing was a series of text messages or emails, but one thing that was for certain was that this was a digital conversation between two people. Unfortunately, the image was cropped made it impossible to know who was speaking on either end.
"OH NO, THERE'S READING ANYWAYS!" Ryoto cried in dismay.
"Get over it, Miura," Akira curtly responded as she, and the others, began to read the conversation.
A: And you read every detail of that guy's research, right? One slip up, and you might end up killing someone.
B: Relax, I studied all of it. I know the procedure like the back of my hand- nothing will go wrong.
A: I'm just worried, you know? Not just because we might get caught, but because this is actually life-threatening for the other party too. And let's face it, you may be good with your hands and a scalpel, but you're no Ultimate Surgeon.
B: I can do it- I'm sure of it. And besides, we've come this far- for the sake of our classmates, we'd might as well see it through to the end, right?
A: Maybe, but it won't mean a thing if we get caught, or even worse- caught before the procedure's done.
B: I'll admit, getting caught before or during the procedure would be a disaster- but if we had to be caught, I'd prefer it be after. If it was after, then they'd already be too late.
B: Their game would be as good as done at that point. After all- you can't run a deadly mystery game if the overseer has no memory of it, right?
A: Yeah yeah, I know that part. Still, wish there was a quicker way to do this whole 'memory wipe' thing.
B: Well, you and I both knew the risks going into this. But we also agreed this was the best way to stop the game before it even begins, short of...you know, outright killing You-Know-Who.
There was more underneath that last message (and before the first one, incidentally), but the words themselves were cut off by the ends of the screenshot, so there was no way to read them.
"Hm...well, there's certainly some kind of story to this..." Akira pondered. "It seems the mastermind- and perhaps their accomplices- weren't the only ones planning to erase memories prior to the start of the killing game."
"But...why would Hiroshi have this?" Asuna asked, tilting her head a little in confusion. "I get the documents, he must have typed those himself, but this...?"
"I mean- Hiroshi's gotta be one of the people in this conversation, right?" Hinata offered. "Why else would he have been able to screenshot this?"
"That's a good point," Hana responded. "But then...who was he talking to?"
"Could it have been someone from the class?" Ryoto wondered.
"I'm not sure...and I don't just say that because of our own lost memories," Akira replied. "What I'm most curious about is what these two were planning...whose memories were they going to tamper with, and why...?"
"Well, I think we can see part of the 'why'..." Hinata remarked. "Looks like they were trying to 'stop the game before it even begins'- stop the killing game..."
"Well, GREAT FUCKING JOB they did there!" Ryoto yelled towards the ceiling with a fierce glare.
I mean...if these two- one of them probably being Hiroshi- had a plan to stop the killing game before it began... Hana thought. Then...something must have gone wrong- but what?
Seeing as there was nothing else to be garnered from the screenshot, Hana made a note of the messages' contents in her e-Handbook before clicking out of it. She then moved the cursor towards the last item of interest in the folder- 'Document 11'.
"Whatever's in this last thing better be good- so far, all we've been seeing is confusing and cryptic stuff, I want some real answers!" Hinata said, crossing his arms with a deep frown.
"Well- we'll see what's in this one, then," Hana told him before clicking on the document. Once it opened, the students would find this document looked just like other two, save for the actual words typed up. And as such, the five of them wasted little time reading...
I'll say this much: at least there's a solid roof over my head now. In truth, I don't completely know where I've been taken; some kind of building, that's for sure, though I'm not sure if I'll be staying here or not. At least the ones who took me allowed me to keep a few things- including my laptop. Of course, there's no Internet, so no calling for help- but at least I can still type. So, I'd might as well put down what I've been able to figure out about my kidnappers.
They call themselves "Dark Hand"- a fitting name, I suppose, for the insignia they use for themselves. There's graffiti of it sprayed not far from where I'm sleeping- I even managed to snag a picture of it.
Sure enough, beneath that small paragraph was a somewhat blurry picture inserted into the document. Though the lighting was terrible, one could still clearly make out the outline of something spray-painted to a dark wall in red. There it was again- that symbol; that accursed red hand symbol. Was there no escaping it?
Hana stared at the photo for a moment...and then, in the next moment, she grit her teeth and visibly winced again as another headache cut through her skull.
"What the-? Another headache?" Akira spoke with a slight hint of surprise in her voice.
"Th-The last one was only a few minutes ago!" Asuna remarked in worry.
"I know!" Hana responded, clutching her temples in pain.
"Why do you keep having these headaches?" Hinata asked, baffled.
"I don't know!" Hana answered- the headache hadn't quite subsided yet, and it was evident on her face.
"Uh- maybe you should take a break," Asuna quickly suggested to the surfer. "If that headache's really bothering you, you shouldn't-"
"I'll be alright- i-it's already kinda going away, actually!" Hana replied with a weak, somewhat forced smile. "Just- let's just keep reading. Keep reading."
I think they're some kind of...terrorist group, a lot like Ultimate Despair actually. But there is a major difference between them: their goals. While Ultimate Despair wanted nothing more than to spread- well, despair all over the world and keep The Tragedy going, Dark Hand doesn't seem to believe in spreading despair but rather...cultivating it? Maintaining it? It's hard to describe- I guess a better way to put it would be that they're trying to 'kill' the idea of hope, in a sense, instead of just spreading mindless chaos. Not only that, but it seems like they're actually trying to bring about an end to The Tragedy in some way- not that it makes them the good guys, not by a long shot. I just can't see how those two goals are connected- ending The Tragedy by 'killing' hope...quite a paradox Dark Hand's created.
I don't know how long they've been around and operating, but I was able to figure out their leader- I haven't seen him, but I think his name is 'Kurosora'- was actually a member of Ultimate Despair himself. I guess he ended up leaving the group at some point in the early days of The Tragedy, so Dark Hand certainly didn't exist at all prior to it. And yet, I've still never heard of these guys until now; I guess that's another thing that separates them from Ultimate Despair, they operate in secret. Deadly secret, if you ask me- Dark Hand's killed people before, I can tell. Like I said- they're terrorists as well.
But in saying that...I don't know what they're plan is with these kidnappings. I'm not the only one they've taken- I've seen some of my other (former?) classmates as well. On one hand, I'm immensely happy to see some of them are alive after all this time, and yet...I have no doubt whatever Dark Hand is planning with us isn't good. I'm not the first of my classmates to be taken, and I have a horrible feeling I won't be the last.
The headache had subsided enough for Hana to finish reading the document, and to be subsequently confused by it.
"...Well, so much for real answers..." Hinata stated in disappointed.
"So- first there's 'Ultimate Despair', now there's 'Dark Hand'..." Ryoto recapped to himself before yelling, "How many terrorist groups are we dealing with here!?"
"...You all saw that symbol in the photo, right?" Akira inquired. "We've seen it before- on the door to the secret room in the North Wing, remember?"
"Oh! Oh, that's right!" Asuna spoke up. "Hana, you and I saw that symbol on those banners we found in the East Wing, too!"
Hana nodded. "And when the West Wing first opened, Hiroshi and I saw a tiny version of it kinda...carved into the floor of the sunroom, before Monokuma got rid of it."
She then grabbed her e-Handbook and went on, "And...And I saw the symbol in one other place- that last picture I mentioned to you guys after I showed you that news article."
"Hm? That's what the last picture is?" Akira asked Hana, surprised.
Hana only nodded as she pulled up the picture- a picture of the Dark Hand symbol- and showed it to the others. "At the time, I really didn't know what this symbol was- I don't think any of us did, even when we all saw it on that door in the North Wing."
"Hm- and you said this came with the fourth message, right...?" Akira questioned. "In that case, you and some of the others already seen the symbol before, apparently..."
"You didn't get a headache when you saw this symbol too, did you?" Asuna then asked.
"Ah...I did, but it didn't last too long..." Hana told her, glancing away for a moment.
"..." Akira narrowed her eyes at Hana, then asked, "Is there something else you're not mentioning, Amari?"
Hana tensed up. "N-Not exactly! It's just I- I didn't...I sort of..."
She frowned in thought and remarked, "Remember earlier, when I showed you guys the photos of us at Hope's Peak, and I mentioned the name of the green-haired girl we haven't seen before just kinda...came to me?"
"Oh yeah- what'd you say it was again? 'Nanako', right?" Hinata inquired, which Hana answered with a nod.
"So then, did something...'come to you' in regards to this symbol too?" Akira asked with a frown.
"Mm-hm. Namely, the name of the group- 'Dark Hand'," Hana admitted. "Not that I knew what that meant either, let alone that it was the name of some kinda terrorist group..."
"It's weird, though- what's with these things just kinda...popping up in your head?" Hinata asked. "I know there's the whole 'amnesia' thing we've got going, so those are probably memories, but I mean- why are you sort of remembering this stuff when the rest of us aren't?"
"I...couldn't tell you..." Hana replied apologetically.
Suddenly, Ryoto slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "TADAO!"
"W-What?" Asuna began, startled. "What about him?"
"Ryoto, you can't go blaming Tadao for everything, he's not even alive now," Hinata pointedly told him.
"No no, hear me out!" Ryoto insisted. "Hana, do you remember what happened in the wine room between you and Tadao? You walked in on him trying to set up stuff for a murder so he knocked you out with a wine bottle?"
Hana shivered at the memory. "How could I forget? He didn't just bash me on the head, he stabbed me too..."
"IRRELEVANT! The stabbing, I mean- the bludgeoning is VERY relevant!" Ryoto explained. "What if, WHAT IF- Tadao hitting you on the head knocked some of your memories loose?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Miura- that kind of thing only happens on TV," Akira scoffed.
"...I mean...now that I think about it...I started having these really weird dreams after that incident..." Hana then confessed. "Well- more like nightmares, honestly. And the things that happened in those dreams, they...they remind me a lot of what that article talked about. About the- the 'biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history'..."
"What...?" Asuna asked, shocked.
"Oh man- those dreams, remembering Nanako's name, remembering the name of 'Dark Hand'...! It all started after Tadao hit me with that wine bottle!" Hana concluded, growing more and more bewildered as she connected the dots.
"See!? Getting your skull bashed like that must have done something to cause some of those memories to come back, even if it was only a tiny bit!" Ryoto explained eagerly. "...I wonder if the same thing would happen to us if we got bludgeoned lie that."
"L-Let's not try it," Asuna suggested, inching a little bit away from Ryoto as she did.
Akira frowned in contemplation, then inquired, "So if that's the case...could that explain why Amari's reactions to seeing the Dark Hand symbol are always more visceral than ours? With the headaches and the changes in mood and such?"
"That...makes sense..." Hana replied, one hand going up to head. I never really thought about it that way, actually. The reason I get so weird around that symbol...could that really be it...? Is it really that simple?
"Well Hana- on the off chance you suddenly remember something else majorly important, you mind telling us right off the bat?" Hinata requested, raising an eyebrow. "Y'know, instead of keeping it to yourself until the last second?"
"Well, surprisingly, I didn't connect 'physical assault' with 'lost memories resurfacing' right away, so there!" Hana angrily responded.
Akira sighed in frustration. "Look, for now, it's a non-issue- the important thing right now is that clearly, this 'Dark Hand' group is playing a massive role in our situation, so we'd do best to remember them."
While Hana took Akira's advice and made a note about Dark Hand in her handbook, Hinata asked, "So- now what? Are there any other cryptic files in here?"
"Um...? I don't think so..." Hana began, exiting the document and going through both 'forensics' files once more. "No, it doesn't look like it- Hiroshi said the important things would be in the files without actual names, and...it was just those four things."
"WHAT!? That's so dumb! This didn't tell us anything, it just made us freaked out! And confused!" Ryoto angrily said, glaring at the laptop screen. "Why couldn't Hiroshi have, you know, left us ANYTHING ELSE!?"
"H-Hey, I'm sure he did his best! And besides, this is way more than we've ever had before now- with the video, we're practically close to figuring out everything!" Hana quickly responded, defensive.
"Well yeah it's more, but it's not...you know, coherent or anything," Hinata pointed out. "If we had more stuff, we might be able to start putting the pieces together, but right now..."
He scoffed. "Too confusing to think about, I don't wanna spend that kinda energy on it."
"Well...remember how Monokuma said we would be given access to the entire castle?" Akira spoke up thoughtfully. "I think I have an idea of where we could go to find more information on what's going on."
"You do? Where?" Asuna asked.
"Hm- one thing at a time, Izumi," Akira replied, adjusting her glasses. "For now, since we're done with that laptop- I'd say it's finally time to discuss what we're truly having the trial for."
"Hiroshi's murder? Sweet, something a little less confusing...a little," Hinata remarked, a less-than-confident grin appearing on his face.
"YEAH! ...Wait, how are we doing this?" Ryoto asked, tilting his head.
"Simple- we already discussed the majority of our evidence during the previous trial," Akira explained. "Now, we re-compile that evidence in addition to what Amari and I found in Ashi's bedroom."
"...So just so we're clear- I'm not the only one that thinks Akira willingly working with Hana is a little weird, right?" Hinata commented. "Guess that goes to show insane everything's gotten."
Hana sighed. "Don't worry about it, Hinata."
"Indeed," Akira added with a grunt- although anyone with eyes would be able to tell the prosecutor wasn't as annoyed with that comment as she would have been prior to Hiroshi's first trial.
"Speaking of which- Hana? Akira? What did you guys find in Hiroshi's room, since it sounds like you guys were able inside this time?" Asuna asked, taking a seat to listen.
"Oooh boy..." Hana began. "Where do we start..."
From there, Hana and Akira proceeded to explain to the other three Ultimates what they discovered in Hiroshi's bedroom besides the note that led Hana to finding the laptop. Naturally, they were in shock over the state Hiroshi's room had been in, but they also shared the same conclusion as Hana and Akira: something major happened in that room, and it certainly hadn't been good for Hiroshi.
"But...what about that camera?" Asuna asked once the explanation was done. "Isn't blocking cameras against the rules?"
"Actually...the rules say destruction of surveillance cameras is prohibited," Akira pointed out. "Nowhere does it say we can't obstruct the cameras' view. Evidently, Ashi seemed to realize that as well."
"Seriously!? We coulda been blocking those damn cameras this whole time!?" Hinata yelped before groaning. "Man, if I'd known that, I wouldn't have had to worry about some creepy bear watching me in my sleep..."
"Well, nothing we can do about it now, I guess..." Hana responded. "But, now that you guys are all up-to-date on that..."
"We can talk about our prior pieces of evidence," Akira finished. "I'm sure we've all got something to say in regards to that, so let's begin."
"WHOA! They finished each other's sentence!" Ryoto yelped in shock. "EVERYTHING REALLY IS TOPSY-TURVY NOW!"
Rolling her eyes, Hana closed Hiroshi's laptop and stood up. So, we're just going over what we figured out in the last trial, huh...? That sounds easy enough- but who should I talk to first?
Looking around the room, Hana decided to speak with Akira first and foremost, as she seemed to have a better grasp on the overall case than the others (for the most part), especially during the trial.
Seeing Hana about to talk to her, Akira spoke first, "Hm- so you're here to ask me about the case, is that it?"
"Well- yeah," Hana replied. "The whole...you know, thinking I was the blackened situation aside, you knew a lot of what was going on yourself. Plus, you know- you had more time to investigate than I did, so..."
"Well, don't rely on me for all your evidence- even you know you should be getting accounts from the others as well," Akira told her, crossing her arms. "But, since you're already here- what exactly did you need to ask me about?"
"Mm...I guess the first thing that comes to my mind is that drink bottle you brought up during the trial," Hana replied after a moment of thought. "I didn't get to really go anywhere beyond the North Wing, so I don't know anything about that bottle- what's the deal with it?"
"Well, it's exactly what you think it is- a bottle of grape juice from the West Wing's banquet room," Akira explained. "As stated in the trial, it was hidden inside the shaft of the dumbwaiter between some gears- that's why it wasn't working for a while. To make matters more suspicious, there was blood around the base of the bottle, so it was likely used as a weapon against Ashi at some point."
"Sounds like it could be," Hana agreed, remembering the discussion about Hiroshi's head wound. "But..."
"But...?" Akira began, frowning.
"I'm just- thinking back to the third trial. Back then, Tadao used used some glass drink bottles to attack me and Saku- and when he did that, the bottles ended up breaking a little bit," Hana explained. "Was there anything like that on this grape juice bottle you found?"
Akira furrowed her brow in thought, then responded, "Not particularly, no- the bottle was not damaged in any significant way. Still, not all glass bottles are made the same way- they won't all react the same way when being used as a blunt weapon."
"Maybe not, but..." Hana began, hesitant. "...Something still doesn't feel right..."
Regardless of what she was feeling, the surfer made sure to make a note of the drink bottle in her e-Handbook.
Hana then turned back to Akira and remarked, "Hey, while I'm here- you investigated Hiroshi's body too, right? Any ideas about the cuts on his hands or ankles?"
"Mmph- well, you proved that they weren't the cause of his death, for one thing," Akira reminded her classmate. "What I can't quite figure out is how the killer made those precise slashes on Ashi's ankles. I can come up with ideas on why they did it, but as for how..."
"Oh yeah...that..." Hana sighed. "Well, don't ask me for ideas, I'm just as confused by it."
"I didn't plan to," Akira stated. "At the very least, the wounds on his hands and wrists are more self-explanatory- the killer probably just used Miura's knife to make those wounds."
Hana nodded in agreement; having been recapped on the lacerations to Hiroshi's ankles and wrists, the girl made notes in her handbook about both pieces of evidence.
"Okay- that was all I wanted to ask about," Hana informed Akira. "I should probably go talk to the others, see what they have to-"
"Not so fast, Amari- there are some things I'd like to ask you, too," Akira immediately responded, holding up a hand in a 'stop' gesture. "I'm sure you won't have any objections."
"Oh, uh- no objections, no worries," Hana replied with a little nod.
"So, to be clear- the last time you saw Ashi and truly interacted with him was about two nights ago, the same day Monokuma announced the existence of a 'traitor'," Akira recapped. "Correct?"
"Yeah- me and him talked after he stormed out of the dining room after that big argument we all had, he said he'd have something to tell me later on- and, well, we all know what he meant by that, now- and then he went back to his room," Hana explained once again. "That was the last time I saw him- alive, anyways..."
"Right- which means, based on your idea about his time of death, Ashi was electrocuted to death that next morning..." Akira surmised. "Which means he made all those preparations- creating that video, leaving his laptop and flashdrive in the library room, writing that note- the night you last saw him. And that also means he was attacked that night as well...hm..."
"Are you trying to come up with some kind of timeline?" Hana asked.
"Of course- that way, we can all follow the culprit's path a little easier," Akira replied. "Still, there are many facets to the order of events, as the last trial revealed..."
Glancing back, the prosecutor went on, "Among those are Ashi's body itself. We discussed the nature of his various wounds and the discrepancies in his outfit-"
"You mean his missing vest and the fact that he didn't have any gloves in his pockets?" Hana asked.
"Indeed, although at least in regards to that it's easy to see why and how the killer did what they did," Akira pointed out, closing her arms for a moment. "Still- the fact that his body was still damp that baffles me..."
She continued, "Again, it's evident the culprit rinsed the blood from Ashi's wounds off of him, and it's easy to decipher why that was done...it's the how that I'm wondering about the most. So, I need to ask- did you happen to find anything that could explain how Ashi's corpse became so wet?"
"No, sorry- but it's not like there are no options to explain that," Hana replied. "There's the fountain, the bathrooms in our rooms, the greenhouse's sprinklers- hell, maybe they used the kitchen sink somehow."
Akira rolled her eyes. "Baseless speculation means nothing without evidence to back anything up. The killer could very have used any one of those, but for now it seems like no one can say."
Returning to her calm, professional demeanor, she continued, "But regardless of that- now, I need to know about the situation with the catacombs."
Hana couldn't suppress a grimace as the prosecutor brought that up. "Oh- that. Uh...I already said sorry about not telling you guys about that sooner, right?"
"Regardless of your mistakes, I believe the secret of the castle's catacombs will play an important role in this case," Akira said, her gaze on Hana scrutinizing. "So, tell me- prior to the last trial, you're certain it was just you and Ashi that knew about the other catacomb entrance in the West Wing?"
"Well, I'm sure the mastermind knows about them too, but besides that- yeah, I'm pretty sure it was just me and Hiroshi," Hana answered. "You guys know I didn't tell anyone, and I don't think Hiroshi did either- I mean, keeping the entrance a secret was his idea, so..."
"And it was just the West Wing's entrance that you two found? You didn't know about the fact that all four wings had an entrance, let alone that they were all connected, before Monokuma revealed it in the trial?" Akira then questioned.
"Right- I definitely didn't know, and if Hiroshi knew he never told me," Hana replied in honesty. Then, she frowned and muttered, "...That's weird, though..."
"What is?" Akira asked.
"Well...we know Hiroshi was the one who had all his memories intact, and he knew just about everything about the killing game- apparently..." Hana explained with a little frown. "But when I showed him the West Wing catacomb entrance, he looked just as surprised and confused as I was. So either he should be the Ultimate Actor too, or...he didn't actually know about the catacombs either."
Akira furrowed her brow upon hearing this. "Huh- odd indeed..."
Shaking her head, the prosecutor remarked, "Well- that'll be all, then. Still, I may have questions for you later on, so be prepared for that."
"Don't worry- I haven't been withholding anything, and I won't be keeping any more secrets," Hana assured the prosecutor. "Wouldn't want to make myself look suspicious by accident again."
"I'll hold you to that- believe me, I will," Akira told her with a little glare.
With a somewhat nervous chuckle, Hana stepped away and said, "Y-Yeah, I believe you, I believe you."
Walking away from the red-haired Ultimate, Hana decided now would be a good time to make notes of Hiroshi's disappearance, the condition of his body, and the secret of the catacombs in her handbook. Having done that, she looked around at the remaining three Ultimates- Hinata, Ryoto, and Asuna- trying to decide who to speak to next. Finally, the surfer chose Ryoto, and as such approached the Ultimate Racecar Driver.
"Hey, Ryoto-" Hana began as she walked up to her classmate.
"Hana Amari! I see you're here to ask me questions!" Ryoto dramatically observed. "Well, ask away! Ryoto Miura will do whatever he can to help in the investigation!"
"Aha- thanks Ryoto," Hana replied, sheepishly. "So-"
"I know things are confusing right now- we've had our memories erased this entire time, there may or may not be an apocalypse outside, all the terrorist groups ever seem like they're involved in what we're going through, the sky isn't even real- BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER!" Ryoto declared. "As your actual, actual classmate, I will support you ONE THOUSAND PERCENT!"
"I'm, uh, glad to hear you say that..." Hana responded. "Anyways, I-"
"And listen- whoever was DUMB ENOUGH to kill Hiroshi in such a cruel way, they will NOT get away with it this time!" Ryoto yelled. "REVENGE WILL BE-"
"RYOTO!" Hana barked at the racer. "I get it- can you let me ask you stuff now?"
"...Oh! Sure! Sorry, I was caught in the moment," Ryoto replied with a nod.
"Okay- so, what I really want is for you to tell me about what you heard in the East Wing's watchtower again," Hana said to the young man. "I...know you've talked about it a few times already, but- you know, for investigation's sake, one more time should be fine, right?"
"Sure! So- it was the day we all split up to search the castle for Hiroshi once we first found out he was missing," Ryoto began. "Oh, things were so different back then..."
"It was yesterday, Ryoto," Hana stated.
"After we all finished our searches and met in the dining room, I went back around to do some more searching on my own- that night, I ended up in the East Wing, and it was when I got to the watchtower that things started to REALLY get weird!" Ryoto continued with the drama of a storyteller.
"Right...you heard some rustling at the top, right?" Hana remarked. "But you couldn't go up there because the stairs were still broken?"
"Exactly! And since whoever was up there didn't respond to my yelling, I had no choice but to leave and find something to bridge the gap with!" Ryoto went on. "I'm sure this gave whoever was up there enough time to get away, because by the time I was able to climb up to the top of the tower, no one was there!"
"And you never even saw a glimpse of who was up there?" Hana then asked.
"Not even a hair! It was just me, the floorboards, and the pulley they dismantled!" Ryoto concluded. "I was confused about it for the rest of the night!"
He added, "I was sure it was Hinata during the trial, but you kinda poked a hole in that theory, so now I don't know what to think..."
You and me both, Ryoto... Hana thought as she made a note about his account once more. But at least he's telling me the same story as he did before the trial, so he wasn't lying then and he isn't lying now. But that just raises an even bigger question- if Hinata wasn't the one in the tower, taking the rope from the pulley...then who was?
"You know what ELSE confuses me!?" Ryoto suddenly interjected. "THE KNIFE!"
"Oh, yeah- the one you had in your room, right?" Hana responded with a nod. "That's definitely gonna be one of the bigger questions we'll have to answer in the trial."
"Well, I'll tell you again- I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!" Ryoto loudly insisted. "The killer may have taken my knife somehow, but all I did was put the knife in my room! To protect myself, no less! I can't help it if someone decided to try and set me up by taking my weapon to use it for murder!"
"I know you're innocent- we all have an alibi for the time Hiroshi was killed," Hana reminded the Ultimate Racecar Driver. "But...you're sure there's no way anyone could have taken the knife?"
"Well, I'm kind of a heavy sleeper, I'll admit- but that shouldn't matter! My door was locked tight, and there's no way to get inside anyone's bedroom besides the front door!" Ryoto responded. "Whatever the culprit did to get my knife- it must have been- must have been- MAGIC or something!"
"At this point, I wouldn't argue if 'magic' really was the answer..." Hana said to herself as she typed up another note about the kitchen knife.
She then said to Ryoto, "Okay...I guess while I'm here, I could ask you about the power room again. After all, you spent a lot of time in there before the murder, so..."
"I did! And I'll tell you this much- live cables wouldn't have been my first choice for a murder weapon!" the young man commented with a frown. "Let alone cables with THAT kinda power! What was the killer thinking?"
"You need to remember this is the same killer who hung up Hiroshi's body with a noose," Hana pointed out. "This person doesn't just think outside the box- they're five miles away from the box."
"Boxes or no boxes, this person must have REALLY wanted Hiroshi dead- why else would they have chosen such a weird way to finish him off?" Ryoto argued. "Though- I don't the entire power room is important to the case, just the broken cable."
"You think?" Hana asked.
"Yeah! Aside from the insulated gloves, the killer really only messed with that cable, and it's the murder weapon, AND it's what was causing all those blackouts!" Ryoto explained. "So, we should really focus on that specifically."
"Huh- good point," Hana replied with a little nod. With that, she made of, not the power room itself, but the broken cable the killer used to ultimately kill Hiroshi.
"Now then! Anything else?" Ryoto asked, putting his hands on his hips.
"Nope, that was about it," Hana told him once she finished typing. "I'd better go talk to the others- I've got just many questions for them, too."
"Good luck, Hana Amari! If something else comes up, do NOT hesitate to ask!" Ryoto declared. "I'll be SO truthful, I WILL THROW SO MUCH TRUTH AT YOU THAT I-"
Not wanting to hear all of his ranting once again, Hana stepped away from him to turn her attention to her two remaining classmates, Hinata and Asuna. After a bit of thought, Hana decided to speak with Asuna next.
Walking up to the Ultimate Gardener, Hana greeted her with, "Hey, Asuna."
"Oh- hi, Hana," Asuna responded as she turned to face her classmate. "Hey, uh- are you still okay?"
"What-? Do you mean the headache?" Hana asked. "Don't worry, that's gone now- I feel fine."
"Well...that, and..." Asuna continued with a little frown. "You know- with Hiroshi's death, and that video...finding out that he was the 'traitor' too..."
She quickly added, "N-Not that I think he was a bad guy, far from it, I'm just...wondering how you're dealing with it."
Hana went silent for a moment as she tried to formulate a proper response. "...I...It's a lot to take in, okay? I thought we'd be done with all this with the last trial, but getting a redo and then finding out...all this stuff, not just about Hiroshi being the traitor, it's...hard to wrap my head around every little piece."
The surfer continued, her tone firm, "But- no matter how confused I am, I can't let that get in the way of finding his killer. So, that's what I'm focusing on right now- and that's why I need to ask you some things."
"Well- what is it? I'll answer as best as I can," Asuna assured her with a nod.
"Thanks, Asuna," Hana replied. "The main thing I want to know about is what happened last night- when you told us you saw Hiroshi going into the East Wing."
"Oh, that!" Asuna said. "Sure, uh- let's see..."
She began, "Last night, I went up into the study so I could lock up the storage room- I did it a bit later than I usually do because I forgot to lock up before dinner, so it was just after 10 PM when I got up there. When I was done and I left the study, that's when I saw him- I caught a glimpse of Hiroshi as he was heading into the East Wing from the second floor."
"Right- you only really saw his back, right?" Hana asked. "Just as he was leaving?"
"Uh-huh. I called out to him and ran after him, hoping I could catch him, but..." Asuna went on. "W-When I turned the corner...there was no sign of him. I kinda...stood there for a second because of how shocked and confused I was, b-but after that- well, you know the rest."
"Yeah, you woke up me and everyone to tell us..." Hana reminisced. "Still, seems like you haven't changed your story at all, so that makes my job easier."
She then frowned and added, "Sort of...?"
"'Sort of'?" Asuna asked.
"Well- I'm sure you're not lying, but..." Hana began with a little cringe. "Remember what I said during the trial, about Hiroshi's time of death?"
Asuna frowned a little. "Yeah...?"
"Well, it's...if you saw Hiroshi last night, a little past 10..." Hana explained. "Then...he should have already been dead at that point..."
Asuna's eyes widened as she connected the dots as well. "Oh my-! You're right!"
Then, she grimaced and looked down. "But- But I know what I saw, it was...!"
"Asuna- think back to last night. Is there any chance you maybe didn't see what you think you saw?" Hana asked the other Ultimate, leaning in somewhat.
Asuna, however, shook her head, "Hana, my- my sight's not the best normally, and it definitely isn't right now with my glasses gone, but when I do have them on- I can see pretty well! S-So, in other words, I don't think there's any chance I mistook what I saw!"
She then frowned and added, "But...you're right, it is weird that I saw him...I wish there was a way to explain it, but..."
"It's alright- if I was in your shoes, I'd be just as baffled..." Hana replied as she made note of Asuna's account. I don't think I'm wrong about when Hiroshi was killed, but...if that's the case, then- what in the world did Asuna see?
"Okay- there's something else I want to ask you about, something you brought up during the trial," Hana said once she was done typing. "It's about that duct tape you said went missing from the storage room. You said it went missing yesterday, right?"
"That's when I noticed it was gone, yeah- afternoon, to be exact," Asuna explained. "L-Like I said, the reason I didn't bring it up until the trial was because it seemed so...innocuous at the time. For all I knew, someone just took the duct tape earlier and forgot to bring it back, I didn't think it had anything to do with Hiroshi..."
She then furrowed her brow and remarked, "Come to think of it...you're asking about that because of the marks on Hiroshi's wrists, right?"
"Yeah. I saw the body too, so I agree with Akira's theory that the duct tape was what the killer used to tie up Hiroshi's wrists," Hana responded. "Not that the duct tape is really decisive evidence- the storage room is only really locked during nighttime, so it's not exactly the most secure place in here."
"I-I know, but...you know, I don't think that roll of duct tape was ever returned, so..." Asuna pointed out. "M-Maybe, if we end up finding it somewhere- that'll give us more of a clue."
"I'm hoping," Hana remarked before making note of the tape marks on Hiroshi's wrists. "One more thing- you helped Akira find that bottle in the dumbwaiter shaft, right? So you saw the bottle?"
When Asuna nodded in confirmation, Hana continued, "So...do you think the bottle could have been a good weapon to give Hiroshi that head wound he had?"
"Uh...well, I never looked at his body that closely, so I didn't see the shape of the head wound..." Asuna pointed out with a little frown. "So I couldn't give you a good answer on that..."
She immediately went on, "But- that bottle, it...it was pretty tall, especially the neck. And it didn't seem too heavy either...like the glass wasn't too thick. You might be able to swing it pretty easily, but to actually hit it against something...i-it just seems like the bottle would have broken a bit if that happened."
The gardener then said to herself, "But...there wasn't much damage on the bottle when we found it, just the blood, so...maybe I'm wrong."
I'll be sure to remember that anyways. Hana told herself as she added to her note from before about the drink bottle.
"Alright, well- that's about all I wanted to know, so I'd better get to talking to the others," Hana told Asuna. "If something else comes up that I need to ask you about, will you be good to answer?"
"Of course! Anything to help you out, Hana," Asuna affirmed with a resolute nod.
Nodding in thanks, Hana stepped away so she could walk over to the last student she needed to talk to: Hinata.
Walking up to the Ultimate Thief, Hana began with, "Hey there, Hinata."
"Heya- you've got a serious look on your face," Hinata observed, raising an eyebrow. "Ya got something to ask me?"
"Yup- just a couple things I need to know, nothing too serious," Hana replied. "The most important thing I need to ask you, though, is about what happened when you were looking around the West Wing yesterday. You know, when you thought you heard Asuna in the wine room?"
"Hm? I told you and Akira about it before the trial, didn't I?" Hinata stated with a frown. "You got the main gist of it down anyways- I was looking around the top floor of the West Wing, the power went out again and I tried to go into the wine room, it was locked and I heard Asuna- or, who I thought was Asuna- on the other side of the door telling me not to come in, the door was unlocked by the time the power came back on, and when I went inside there was no one there."
"See, that's the weird part- if Asuna wasn't in the wine room, then who do you think you heard?" Hana asked, cocking her head.
"No idea- it sounded like Asuna, that's for sure, but if it wasn't her then...I couldn't tell you who it could have been," Hinata shrugged. "At least we know it was that bottle that made the dumbwaiter stop working- so whoever was in there must have been the one to shove it into the dumbwaiter's shaft."
"Probably...just a matter of finding out who- or what- you heard in there," Hana replied with a nod, making a note of Hinata's account once again. We may have figured out some more stuff, but the mysteries just keep piling and piling on, don't they?
"Actually, speaking of that bottle..." the surfer continued. "I remember- you looked at Hiroshi's body with me, didn't you?"
"Somewhat," Hinata answered with a nod.
"And you saw that head wound he had, right?" Hana then inquired.
"I think so," Hinata said in response.
"Well...in your opinion, do you think that bottle could have been enough to cause a head injury like that?" Hana inquired, curious.
"I dunno, I'm not a head injury expert," Hinata replied with a shrug. "Hell, I've only ever really seen two bad ones- the one on Hiroshi, and the one you had from when Tadao attacked you."
He added, "Besides, I've never actually seen the bottle that got the dumbwaiter stuck, so for all I know it's the shape of a hammer."
"I...don't think it is," Hana remarked. "But, you make a good-"
"But- if I had to give my opinion..." Hinata then interrupted. "I'd say...the wound was pretty deep, probably didn't kill him but it musta hurt like hell, and...it was kinda round, yeah?"
"Yeah, all true," Hana confirmed with a short nod.
"Well- a glass bottle doesn't really strike me as the kinda weapon that would make an injury that shape," Hinata said. "Sure, the base is circular- I'd assume- but besides that it's like...a cylinder, right? If we're talking the injury Hiroshi had, I'd blame it more on like...a baseball bat or a ball or something."
"But...I don't think we have either of those around here," Hana pointed out with a frown.
"Never said it had to be those specifically, just- you know, you get the idea, right?" Hinata asked with a sigh. "But- what do I know? I'm not a forensics dude, just talking based on what I saw. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe a bottle could make a wound shaped like that, I dunno."
"I'll keep that in mind anyways," Hana told him as she made a new note about Hiroshi's blunt trauma in her handbook.
"You know what I'm really wondering about? That rope," Hinata then remarked, crossing his arms. "Like- okay, we know where it came from, we know what it was used for, but..."
"You're wondering about what Ryoto talked about- with the person rustling around at the watchtower's top, right?" Hana asked. "Actually...I mean, we proved it wasn't you he heard up there, but still- you were able to go up to the top of the watchtower before, right?"
"You mean during Shiori's case?" Hinata replied. "Yeah- why?"
"Well, do you think it's possible someone else could have gotten up and down the tower without Ryoto seeing them?" Hana questioned.
"Sure- you just need something to use as a bridge, because I don't think there's anyone still alive here that can wall-jump across like I did," Hinata explained. "Plus- you know, you'd need to be fast enough to get out of the tower before Ryoto came back from the armory."
"So- in other words, there's not much you'd need to go up and take the rope?" Hana asked.
"Basically," Hinata stated with a nod.
So, that rope by itself won't be much of a clue- still, I'd better remember it, just in case. Hana told herself as she made a note of the rope.
"So- need anything else?" Hinata inquired.
"Nope- that was it," Hana responded. "Thanks for the info, Hinata."
"Hey, I've got nothing to hide, and all our lives are riding on this trial," Hinata responded, casually putting his hands up. "No reason for me to lie or anything."
With a nod, Hana walked away to find discussion somewhere else. However, it seemed as if everyone had finished talking about whatever they needed to, and now everyone was gathering around yet again.
Hinata was the first to speak up. "Okay- so we've got our old evidence from the last trial, and we've got the new stuff Hana and Akira found- but where does it get us?"
"Well, now that we know the killer wasn't any of us five, we can probably go into the new trial completely open-minded, maybe look at our old evidence a little differently," Hana replied. "And...besides, there's still a lot of questions we need to figure out, even with the clues from Hiroshi's room."
"Yeah! Like what the hell happened in his room to make all those bloodstains!?" Ryoto responded with a nod.
"Not even that- questions we couldn't figure out in the last trial," Akira said, crossing her arms. "How did Miura's knife go missing? Who took the rope from the watchtower? What did Izumi see the night before? Who did Yonade talk to through the wine room's door?"
"It just- it seems like we're missing some...missing link between all these events, a-and the murder itself," Asuna observed, shaking her head. "I-If we could only find that out, I feel like identifying the killer would be a lot easier..."
"Question is- what kind of link would we be looking for...?" Hana asked herself. "And where would we even find it?"
"AGH- MY HEAD'S HURTING AGAIN!" Ryoto cried. "This is too much brainpower for me! Can we investigate somewhere else now!?"
"But where? We found a lot of the evidence we were missing before- and then some," Hinata pointed out, glancing at Hiroshi's laptop. "Are there any other places we could go that might be tied to the murder?"
"I don't believe so...despite our shortened time limit from before, we were able to gather a decent enough amount of evidence," Akira remarked. "And the evidence we found in Ashi's bedroom and the video from his laptop helped us understand the nature of the murder better than we initially did, and yet...I can't think of anywhere else that would hold answers to Ashi's death."
"S-So you're saying...we've done all we can in terms of Hiroshi's murder?" Asuna asked. "But- But it seems like we still have a lot of investigation time, we can't just waste it! There must be somewhere else we can investigate!"
"I never said there wasn't anywhere else to investigate in general," Akira stated. "Monokuma...he said the entire castle was open now, didn't he?"
"Yeah, and?" Hinata asked.
"Well- if he was being completely truthful about that, then there should be another place in the castle we couldn't enter before," Akira explained. "And while it might not have any clues to Ashi's murder, I'd wager it holds clues to another mystery we've started to unravel."
"Another mystery...?" Hana began. "You mean the killing game itself?"
"Really? Well, wherever you're going, sign me the fuck up," Hinata remarked, stepping forward. "Anything to explain that stuff Hiroshi had on his flashdrive."
"Me too! I like answers to stuff!" Ryoto added in, also stepping up.
"Well, if you insist on joining- though I don't think it'd require all of us..." Akira stated with a little sigh. "Whichever you all choose, I won't stop you."
Unsurprisingly, the other four students were adamant on investigating this other area with Akira, especially since the Ultimate Prosecutor allowed them the choice. They chose to leave Hiroshi's laptop, the drive, and the sticky note on the banquet table in case anyone wanted to return here later and look over some of the important items again (although Hana had a feeling that wouldn't happen).
However, just as they were about to depart, Asuna suddenly stopped and said, "W-Wait a second guys! Uh- before we go..."
"Huh? What's the matter, Asuna?" Hana began, turning around to face her shorter classmate.
"Well...since this might be the last time we come into this dining hall..." the gardener continued, gesturing to the back side of the room- the spot where the memorial was. "You think maybe we should...you know, say something? O-Or at least go up to it and..."
She went silent, but she didn't need to say anything more for the others to understand what she wanted to do. For a moment, no one moved- they just glanced around at each other as if deciding how to respond.
Finally, Hana was the first to step away and respond, "Yeah- that sounds like a good idea."
As she said that, Hinata himself walked up to them and said, "Yeah, it does- I'm...sure we've got the time too."
"W-Well hey! Don't leave Ryoto Miura out!" Ryoto indignantly responded as he ran up to them himself.
Akira was silent, appearing rather...hesitant. Finally, she followed the other four and said, "Let's just- make this quick."
Hana followed her classmates to the memorial, which still appeared in good condition- even the flowers that had been added later on appeared to be as healthy as ever (perhaps Asuna had been taking care of them in her free time). Hana looked over all the makeshift pictures of their deceased classmates- the nine before Hiroshi's death.
"I...really wish we could make a picture for Hiroshi..." Hana sadly remarked. "He'd like that- being a little closer to his classmates in death..."
"We may have extra time now, but we don't have that much extra time," Akira reminded her.
"I know, I know," Hana replied with a sigh. "Doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it, though..."
"I...I still can't completely believe it..." Hinata softly said, reaching out a hand and setting it down near Rumi's picture. "We...really did know each other before all this. We were in the same class, we were...we were..."
"Friends...? Yeah, we..." Asuna began, taking off her- or, considering who it used to belong to, Kaneki's- fedora as she gazed at the pictures. "We were...weren't we...?"
"...What do you think we were all like back in Hope's Peak?" Ryoto asked, putting a hand on his hip. "I mean- without the stress of a killing game, you think we had the same friends and stuff? Like, ah- you think Rumi would have brought most of the girls together as pals like she did here?"
Hinata sadly chuckled. "Knowing her, I'm sure she found a way."
"No doubt- if she could bring us all together in a killing game, she totally could have done it at Hope's Peak," Hana agreed with a small smile, feeling herself becoming choked up.
"I-I mean, I'm sure I would have been her friend- Kaneki, too, she would have..." Asuna began, tightening her grip on the hat a little more. "I...I'm sure Kaneki liked Hope's Peak- with how big it was, so many places to look around, and actual freedom to do so, she would have..."
The gardener then asked, more to herself than to the others, "I...I wonder if she...if she was able to be more honest about...about her past. Itachi, too, and...and Shiori, and..."
"Remember what Tadao said before he was executed? About how...he didn't care that much because we were never actually classmates?" Ryoto asked. "Well- first, he was completely wrong, but...what if he had known, for some reason? Would he have cared enough not to kill Saku and Shiro? Or- hell, what about back at the Academy? Was he more friendly towards us, or was he still kind of an asshole...?"
"Speaking of Shiro- he would have had a way better time at Hope's Peak than he ever did in this hellhole," Hinata remarked, closing his eyes. "I can only imagine what he wrote about- whatever it was, he was probably way happier. If nothing else, I don't think Itachi ever betrayed his trust back then."
"A-And Saku- he hated conflict so much...Hope's Peak was probably peaceful enough for him to enjoy," Asuna observed. "And...And Azami, and Mikio..."
"...I hope I got to be their friends...both of them, I hope...I got to be a little closer to them, like I...like I tried to do here..." Hana went on, clenching her fists as she fought back tears.
"Knowing you...I'm sure you did," Hinata assured her, standing upright again. "...I just wish those photos weren't the only memories we had left of them..."
In hearing that, Hana was almost tempted to take out her e-Handbook and view all the photos of her classmates- including the elusive Nanako Tokumei- once again, but she decided against it because doing so would only cause her to break down into tears for real.
"..." Throughout all the talking, Akira had been completely silent. Her arms were crossed, and her head was turned to the side; but there was no sign of annoyance in her eyes or on her face, just...hesitation. Though the others didn't see it, she visibly tensed up- almost a flinch- whenever they mentioned being in the same class, being classmates, being friends and companions. All of them, even the blackened students (or, in Shiori's case, attempted blackened) Akira had talked about with such scorn and anger in the past.
Perhaps it was that past disrespect towards her own classmates, a hatred that Akira now realized was somewhat misplaced, that made the Ultimate Prosecutor so hesitant to speak alongside the others in the present.
"...There's no justice in this place. We've known that from the first trial, but now...it's even more apparent," Akira finally said, shaking her head. "But with this trial- this upcoming one...mark my words, that will change. Monokuma and the mastermind's intent with Ashi's death will be revealed, and maybe- if we're lucky, the answer will be the key to finishing off this entire killing game."
The prosecutor added, "It's the most we can do for the ten who died here- all of them. To end the killing game...will be to ensure they can finally rest in peace."
"..." Hana was silent as she considered these words, but finally she spoke, "After Saku and Shiro's trial, I made a promise that I would do what those weird messages said and find a way to end this killing game for good. I still don't know what they meant for me to do, but- it doesn't matter. Whatever it takes, whatever needs to be done, even if I have to give up my own life- I will make good on that promise and put an end to all this...no matter what."
"That's noble of you, Hana- b-but can you please word that a little differently next time?" Asuna nervously asked. "Preferably without the death?"
"W-Well it's true!" Hana sheepishly insisted.
"Yeah, but you shouldn't say it," Ryoto pointed out with a small frown.
Hinata reached into his pocket and took out something to look at- the broken remains of Rumi's pearl bracelet, which he had kept since Shiori's trial. With a little nod, the thief put the bracelet back in his pocket and said, "Alright- think we're good here? We should really head to that place Akira talked about."
"Indeed- there's still time, and still places to investigate," Akira agreed with a nod.
"Y-Yeah- let's go," Asuna replied, putting the fedora back on as she and the others turned to leave.
As they departed, Hana couldn't help but look over her shoulder one final time at the memorial- at the pictures of her lost classmates, sans Hiroshi.
Mikio, Azami...Kaneki, Itachi...Saku, Shiro, Tadao...Shiori, Rumi...Hiroshi...just you guys wait. Whatever the world's like outside, however the mastermind's gonna try and trip us up, none of us are giving up. Hana said without hoping for a response. We'll find your killer, Hiroshi, and we'll solve this killing game. We'll end this killing game.
Me- I made a promise to do just that a long time ago, and I still have every intention of keeping it. No matter what.
A/N: And so, Part 2 draws to a close, and we're one step closer to the start of the final class trial. Part 3 will come along soon enough, but first- some news!
So like I said last time, school's been cancelled for me a bit longer now- now, the closure is until April 30th. While that sounded good and sounded like I'll have even more time to write, the thing is I will, in fact, be doing online schoolwork for these next few weeks. Heck, I've already been doing that this past week, which has somewhat delayed my progress like I thought it would- not too badly, mind you. Still, just a head's up for the future- I'll keep writing when I have the time, like I always do, but I've gotta prioritize my schoolwork, because I'm a good noodle like that.
Besides that, all is fine, I hope you guys are staying safe through these quarantine times- remember to stay indoors if you can help it, keep up your hygiene (wash your dang hands), and above all- stay positive! I'll see you guys in the next update- so long for now!
