Chapter 1-4
Abiding Breather, Commando
"To be honest, I was surprised when I got the invitation for Hope's Peak Academy. I was wondering what I could learn at a school that I hadn't learned during all of my training. How would an education help me with my line of work?
"I was really surprised how much of a purpose it gave me, to have friends, to realize that I wasn't just fighting for a paycheck. Graduating from Hope's Peak Academy has given me reason to not only become a better fighter, a better mercenary, but also a better person.
"One day, a mission I am sent on will be my last; however, I am not afraid for that day. I know that every time I fight for a better tomorrow, to protect the good people of the world, it had meaning, it had purpose.
"Now you all keep to your careers, and I'll keep to mine. Let's leave the world a better place when it is our time to go. Takeo Onishi, signing off from Hope's Peak. God's speed."
-Takeo Onishi's graduation speech
Day 04, 9:45 AM
Main Plaza
Western Edge of the Plaza
Almost everyone had gathered in front of the Takeo's stiff body. Only a couple of them dared to venture closer, Emanuel and Saiko trying to inspect the body closer. There was a lot of fear and whispering amid the graduates staring from the street.
"What," Kimiko stammered, "what the fuck is going on? What the fuck is going on?!"
"What happened to him?" Souma asked, looking to the others for answers. "What happened to Takeo? Does anyone know?"
"He's been turned to stone!" Fiora screamed, gripping her fedora. "He's a statue now! We have a Medusa here! There's an Ultimate Gorgon amongst us! The motive was real!"
"Hey, stop that," Ishiku snapped at her. "Magic is not real! And you can clearly see he's not turned to stone."
"Mythology changes so much over time, however," Futaba remarked. "Maybe it's petrification, or being turned to stone is merely a way of saying that they have been solidified to death."
"Oh, give me a break!" Blake shouted. "Are we really discussing this? There's no fucking snake lady amongst us."
"Actually, the Medusa-"
"Will you all shut up?" Saiko hollered, grabbing the attention of everyone there. "He hasn't been turned to stone! But he is dead, make no mistake about that."
"Then what happened to him?" Odelios asked, gripping his orange hair as he impatiently bounced on his feet.
Before Saiko or anyone else could speak, everyone was startled by the sudden shouting that managed to reach all of their ears.
"RISE AND SHINE, URSINE~!"
The five Kubs popped up, almost out of nowhere. They were quite suddenly in front of Takeo's body, in the way of the graduates and his preserved corpse.
"Oh," Monophanie whimpered, "oh bear Gods! How gory! How horrid! How… how… BLEAAGHGGH!"
The pink Kub bent over the sidewalk, and puked into a drainage grate. The other Kubs ignored her, except for a comment from Monotaro about how he knew that was going to happen.
"We have a death in our city," Monosuke shouted. "You know what that means, people! We have to have a Town Trial, after your investigation!"
"Find out who did it, you murdering bastards," Monokid declared. "If you don't, you ALL die!"
Saiko, losing all patience as she wanted to move over to Takeo's body, glared at the Kubs. "Alright fine, we get it! We all saw the Killing Games. We know how it works. Investigation, then the Trial, now can I please inspect the body?"
With more vomiting from Monophanie after the word "body," Monotaro approached the forensic investigator. "We understand your concern, but we want to make sure that everyone knows how this works, since this is our first time! Father is getting the trial room ready, we want this to be perfect."
"How dare you!" Hikari shouted in outrage, stomping her foot at Monotaro. "Someone is dead, this isn't a game or a show!"
"It's… kind of all we know," Monotaro remarked, looking dejected at the comment. "Please though, just keep your wits about you and investigate. We will let you know when the investigation time is over."
"How long do we have?" Saiko asked.
"Um, I don't know, that's up to Father. But he'll give you enough time, don't worry."
"If that's how you want to be, fine; I've all but gotten used to your cryptic ways," she snapped, then held out her hand. "Now, the report?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Monotaro asked, staring up at her with confusion in his beady eyes.
"The Monokuma Body Report, the file, whatever it is called here," Saiko said, snapping her fingers. "In every Killing Game, there was the tablet with the death report on it. Give it over now, since that's always been the case."
The Kubs stared at her for a few seconds, then Monosuke burst out laughing. "Youse gotta be pulling our leg, toots! Do you really think we got one of those?"
"Wait, what?"
"Does Penjar look like the kind of city that just hands out tablets?" the orange Kub continued. "Do we have an electronics store? We bear-ly have electricity and water going through our little quaint town.
"What makes you think you're getting a tablet with information on the body and the case?"
There was a stunned silence from everyone there, with the graduates staring at the Kubs. Monosuke and Monokid were snickering, laughing even at their bewildered expressions.
"But, but that's not fair," Aka declared. "There was a case file for every Killing Game ever! It was necessary! How are we supposed to know when or how he died?"
Monosuke's condescending snicker continued, and then he said, "Well, that's just gonna hafta be part of your investigation, now isn't it?"
"You cannot always get what you want," Monokid bellowed. "So bust your butts getting the answers, you dumb fuckers, or this investigation may prove fruitless, and then you'll be ripped gutless!"
"Bleahghghgh!" added Monophanie.
"IF-YOU-ARE-WANTING-INFORMATION," Monodam spoke up, "WE-ARE-ABLE-TO-ANSWER-SOME-QUESTIONS-DURING-YOUR-INVESTIGATION."
"Yes, but we're going to branch off amongst you all, make sure none of you try to make a run for it," Monotaro said. "Like Father said, if you try to leave Penjar during a murder investigation, you will be killed."
The graduates all exchanged glances, realizing just how real this situation had become. Brave faces were put on, though some of them couldn't keep their fear in total check. Saiko and Emanuel were staring at Takeo's body, the former controlling her breathing while the latter took a swig from his flask.
"Okay then, I think we get it," Saiko said, glaring down at the Kubs. "Which one of you is going to be watching over those investigating the body?"
"That would be Monodam," Monokid said with a laugh, "because he's the least likely to tell you anything! Haha!"
"…" responded Monodam.
Saiko growled in frustration, and turned towards the collection of Hope's Peak graduates. "Alright people, listen up! We need to form into five different groups, one of them being this group right here! I will be investigating the body, and unless you think you can help with something I have worked with my whole life and career, keep the fuck out of my way!"
"Wait a minute there," Crystal spoke up, stepping forward. "We cannot just leave you alone with the body. We need some people here as well, two more at most."
With a roll of her eyes, Saiko muttered, "Fine. Emanuel seems to be ready to investigate, so he can stay. And… Drake, you stay here too."
"What?" the cartoonist exclaimed, staring in terror at Takeo's body. "Why me?"
"I'll explain in a minute, we don't have a lot of time."
As she said this, Monokuma peeked from behind Takeo's solidified legs. "You're right about that, short and well-rounded! I came to give you all a very important message."
The graduates and Kubs all faced the bear of despair, silent as they waited for his words. Monokuma walked in front of Takeo's body, and pumped his fist into the air.
"The investigation has officially begun! Start searching for clues, and get to work! For when the announcement for it being over is played, you are all to form up in front of Town Hall! Anyone who tries to disobey is going to be in big, big trouble! Upupupupu!
"Are you all ready?"
"Ready as ever, Father!" Monotaro declared.
"You'll pay for this," Yitro snarled, "you craven little black 'n white bastard."
"BEGIN!"
INVESTIGATION START!
Monokuma ran off as soon as he made the declaration, laughing all the way; when his laughter cut off with distance, the graduates turned towards Saiko.
The forensic investigator walked over to Takeo, putting on a rubber glove. She started to touch his body, trying to move his arms.
"Um, I'm sorry, Saiko," Angelique called out nervously, "I'm sorry, but, what are we supposed to do, exactly?"
Saiko growled and turned towards the large group. "Are you all so dense that you cannot think of investigating anywhere else? Go on then, five groups, each with their own Kub! Get as much info as you can."
"But how are we supposed to know where to go?" Anzu asked, staring with horrified crimson eyes at Takeo's body. "I mean, if he was really petrified or turned to stone or whatever, do we really want to go around this town if someone or something can do that?"
"He wasn't turned to stone!" Saiko snapped. "I think-"
"Taxidermy human statue," Emanuel said aloud, staring at Takeo without pause. When everyone looked at him, he continued. "That's what I'm sure our little bluebell is going to say. Someone turned this poor bastard into a taxidermy trophy." *TRUTH BULLET*
Many of the graduates balked at this, while only Eisei remained absolutely calm at this news. "That's definitely more believable than a gorgon turning him to stone. Still, that opens up even more questions; this is definitely going to be a difficult mystery to solve."
Saiko, who had been glaring daggers at Emanuel ever since the "little" comment, turned towards the others. "Will you all get going already?!"
The graduates were still confused, until Souma walked up and raised his hands, gaining all of their attention. "If I may, allow me to divide us up for maximum efficiency:
"Saiko, Emanuel, Drake, and Eisei will stay here to help investigate the body and scene.
"Angelique, Yitro, Ishiku, Yejoon, and Blake, would the five of you investigate the taxidermy store? See if there is any evidence there that this was a taxidermy-styled murder.
"Myself, Jin, Pyrrha, Shinobu, and Shuuya, we will investigate Takeo's house. That is our highest priority, but we will also go through everyone's homes; we are dealing with a murderer here, people, I do not want to hear anything about invasions of privacy.
"Samson, Ken, Kimiko, Crystal, Aka, and Ignatia, you all explore the roads, streets, and corridors of all of the surrounding area. We need to find out anything that may have been hidden or discarded, anything will do.
"Everyone, investigate the other shops and buildings that we have been in, maybe there will be something there. When you're done with those places, start with the right side of our housing area; my party with start with the left side, which is my house, when we're done with Takeo's.
"Let's move on out, people! We have to find Mr. Onishi's killer, for our sake, and for his soul's. Please, let's work together, like I know us Hope's Peak graduates can."
With these motivational words, the groups split off as Souma instructed. Monophanie walked towards the housing area, Monokid went to the taxidermy shop, Monosuke headed for the road, and Monosuke was with the group heading towards the café.
The only person who didn't jump to action was Yejoon, who had stayed back. He stared at Takeo's body, cocking his head to the side to inspect it. Saiko, who was trying to search the body, eventually had enough of this.
"Will you leave and join your group at the taxidermy shop?" she snapped.
"In regards to Souma's instructions, I believe I would like to give my regards to this artistic murder, if I may?" Yejoon replied, glancing over at Saiko.
The investigator glared at him, and responded, "Take off that damn mask if you're going to try and cooperate then!"
Without hesitation, Yejoon did so and ran a hand through his hair. He set his mask on the appropriate latch on his belt, and thus moved forward. As if his own movements made him realize something, he reached towards the waist of Takeo's body.
"Hey! What are you-" Saiko shouted, before the sound of a blade being unsheathed silenced her.
Yejoon was holding a combat knife in his hand, inspecting it closely. "Military-grade blade, blacked out for stealth, nicely sharpened," he listed off, "and it also looks completely clean."
"Takeo had a weapon on him?" Eisei asked. "Or the killer put it on him for the full statue effect of a soldier with his weapon?"
"I'll guess that he had it with him," Saiko commented, "because I don't know why he wouldn't. I even vaguely remember him having it at his side last night." *TRUTH BULLET*
"I… I remember that too," Drake commented, nervously rubbing behind his ear. "I tend to notice details about you all, since I'm sketching you all. A little, not much, that's not creepy, is it?"
Emanuel grunted as he stared at the body more. He walked up for a closer look, staring at the jacket that was zipped up to the collar. With a quick unzip, he pulled it open and stared at Takeo's shirt.
"Well shit, he didn't stand much of a chance, did he?"
The five people there stared at Takeo's chest and stomach, which were almost visible with the large cuts that had almost shredded his shirt. His shirt was bloodstained all over, soaked and dried with the horrid sight and smell all there.
Saiko pulled at the shirt slightly, and saw that the man's chest and stomach had been stitched up, rather crudely, in numerous places. "Looks like cause of death was blood loss, shock, or a fatal stabbing during the assault," she commented. *TRUTH BULLET*
"Emanuel, can you check his back, see if he has more there?"
"I ain't your damn partner, do it yourself."
With more glares between the two, Saiko proceeded to inspect Takeo's back. Yejoon held the combat knife up near the cuts, comparing the hilt to the cuts.
"Hmm, not the same size," he commented. "But then again, not too surprising, since this blade looks completely clean. Doesn't smell of bleach or cleaning chemicals either."
"He's got stab wounds in his back," Saiko announced. "His jacket is all cut here too, bloody as well."
Eisei let out a frustrated sigh, as he pulled a pink lollipop from his pocket. He placed it in his mouth, and seemed calmer to them as he spoke. "So you're telling me the Ultimate Mercenary was stabbed to death without being able to defend himself with his own knife?" *TRUTH BULLET UPDATED*
Emanuel reached down and inspected Takeo's hands. He tried to bend the fingers, which worked out a bit. "Okay, I don't think he was totally turned into a taxidermy statue. Killer took shortcuts, he hasn't been stuffed in the hands and fingers."
"Wh-what do you mean?" Drake asked, rubbing behind his ear more. "How do you take shortcuts to such a horrible thing?"
"Kid, shut the hell up if you're not going to contribute," Emanuel snapped, glaring at the nervous young man. He went back to the hands, and muttered, "Amateurs. If stupidity was a source of fuel, this place could run an airport."
"No need to be so rude," Eisei commented, shaking his head. "The information needs to be shared, so please explain to us how the killer took shortcuts."
When Emanuel refused to answer, Saiko took the lead. She gestured to Yejoon to hand over the knife, which the artist did with a confused expression. The forensic investigator took the blade and cut some of the stitches on one of Takeo's chest wounds.
"Isn't that a bit much?" Drake asked.
"Under normal circumstances, yes, but these are not normal circumstances, so I'm taking shortcuts too," Saiko remarked. She finished reopening one of the wounds, and pried it open a bit. What appeared to be straw and cotton was collected inside of Takeo's chest. *TRUTH BULLET*
"Okay, he's been stuffed normally in his chest, but let's see other areas. If you haven't a strong stomach, you might want to look away," Saiko suggested.
She started making cuts in other areas of Takeo's body, with Yejoon and Eisei watching while Drake couldn't bear to do so. Emanuel grew impatient with this, and proceeded with his own investigation. The Bête Noir was going through Takeo's utility belt and pockets, and wasn't moving for Saiko.
"Dead bastard doesn't have anything else on him," he remarked, with a roll of his eyes. "Then again, he might have a note in his shoe; I heard some military personal do this if they want to leave last notes. Let's get his boots off."
"Will you hold on for two minutes?" Saiko angrily replied. "I'm still investigating the body."
"Listen, you bitchy little bluebell, I have dealt with taxidermy murders before, four in fact. This fucked up world doesn't surprise me at all, I've seen this kind of shit before. I already have everything I need here, but you're just getting in the way.
"I'm gonna go search elsewhere. Let me know when you're going to cooperate."
Emanuel walked off, leaving the group around Takeo's body rather startled. Saiko merely snarled and turned her attention back to the corpse. "He was right about one thing," she said, "the killer took shortcuts. Takeo's head and hands haven't been properly stuffed; it's his chest, arms, and legs." *TRUTH BULLET*
"My, how unprofessional," Yejoon remarked with a dry chuckle. "Still, I can only imagine that was due to time constraints. Even if it is just his chest and limbs, I can only imagine that would take an awful long amount of time. Is there any way you can discern when he died, Saiko?"
"That's going to be really, really hard for me to do with what I have here. I'm almost certain the body has been tampered with as well, heat or cold, like I think they do with taxidermy. *TRUTH BULLET*
"You wouldn't happen to know how it works, would you, Yejoon?"
"I never dabbled in taxidermy, nor has my sister, or anyone else I know for that matter. It's not the type of art I ever cared for."
Saiko sighed, then glanced down at Monodam. "Hey, green cub! Since we're not getting a case file, will you tell us the time of death?"
Monodam didn't respond to her, he didn't even move. He was as motionless and lifeless as Takeo next to him. Saiko growled again, then turned to Drake. "You, try to get something out of him."
"Huh? Why me?"
"You've spent the most amount of time with these wretched little bears, you're probably the only one they get along with. As weird as that is, we need you to at least try!"
Drake sighed, and knelt down to Monodam. The green Kub glanced over at him, moving for the first time.
"Is there any way we can learn the time of death?" he asked Monodam.
"NO," was Monodam's answer. "FATHER-HAS-DECLARED-THAT-A-SECRET."
"Damn it," Saiko muttered. "Can we get cause of death?"
"Can we, Monodam?"
"I-CANNOT-SAY."
"Guess we're gonna have to go with my theory for now," Saiko remarked. "Damn it, he's useless, never mind."
"Maybe we need to ask different questions?" Eisei offered.
Drake tapped on his temple, then looked at Monodam pleadingly. "About the talent motive, Monodam, did the killer get one of them?"
"I-CANNOT-SAY."
"Did Takeo get one of them?"
There was a brief silence, then Monodam replied. "NO." *TRUTH BULLET*
"That's something, if that talent motive turns out to be true," Eisei said.
"How could something like that be true?" Saiko replied. "And I sure know that I haven't felt extra gifted, so I'm not going to trust that it's real just yet, thank you. Do any of you feel capable of taking on an ultimate mercenary in a fight to the death?"
"Not in particular," Eisei admitted, while Yejoon and Drake shook their heads.
"THE-MOTIVE-DID-HAPPEN," Monodam insisted. "FOUR-OF-YOU-HAVE-NEW-TALENTS-UNTIL-MIDNIGHT-TONIGHT."
"Wait, so whoever has those talents will have them during the trial?" asked Drake.
"THAT-IS-CORRECT." *TRUTH BULLET UPDATED*
Saiko hummed in thought, staring at Takeo's body. Eisei watched her at work, and then spoke up. "I inspected his mouth yesterday, so maybe I could do a dental check on him?"
"You don't exactly have his records," Saiko remarked.
"No, but I can see if this really is him, and not a really, really good statue."
"Eisei, his head is the real deal, I don't think we have someone who could replicate that perfectly. But fine, one minute…"
She moved to his mouth, and tried to pull it down. It refused to budge. Saiko stood in front of Takeo and moved his lips open. With a disgusted sigh, she muttered, "His teeth have been glued together."
"What would the point of that be?" Drake asked.
"Beats me to hell and back," Saiko replied, rubbing the sole of her foot on the floor. "Maybe another shortcut? I wish I could fully inspect him, but this feels like a combination of an autopsy and a deconstruction."
"Maybe we should look in his boots like Emanuel suggested?" Eisei said. "We aren't going to learn more just by looking at him."
"There is one thing that is rather worrying me," Yejoon spoke aloud. "Apologies to you, Drake, but it is a rather gory question."
"What is it?" the cartoonist asked, bracing for impact.
"Well, if he's been stuffed properly in his chest and limbs, where exactly was everything that was in there to begin with?"
Day 04, 10:15 AM
Ye Olde Taxidermy Shop
"This place has seen better days."
Yitro calmly scanned the entire shop, as the other three were far more visibly disturbed. The displays of animals had been ravaged, including the cases with insects and other, smaller creatures.
"Man, someone hated these critters," Blake remarked. He stared at the hollowed-out hyena, and then noticed that the kangaroo that had been a piece near the window had been smashed. He cast a salute towards it and sighed.
"Not all of them," Angelique said, reaching up towards one of the shelves. She pulled down a taxidermy fox, and inspected it. "Where did this little guy come from? I don't remember a fox here before."
"I don't even remember animals being here in Penjar," Monokid declared, as he made himself comfortable on the main counter. "Stupid fucking animals."
"It was probably in one of the cabinets or something, but it's one of the few survivors. Most of the animals in here have been destroyed," Ishiku remarked, "most of them, anyway. Some really went on a safari in here." *TRUTH BULLET*
"I wonder why?" Angelique said, as she set down the taxidermy fox. She looked at a mess that used to be a bird of some kind, a touch of cotton amid the outlining of its gutted form. Her glossy pink nails pinched it out as she inspected it more closely. "Did they think there was something important in them or something?"
"Let's just inspect the rest of the building, shall we?" Ishiku said, heading to the back room. "The less time we spend in here, the better…"
When he opened the door, a strange and sharp smell came wafting into the main room. Ishiku made a face, then stepped into the back room. A few seconds later, he gagged, choked, and then sprinted out of the building.
He barely made it before he violently puked on the sidewalk outside. This almost hit Emanuel, who was heading towards the shop.
"Dios mio, you little shit," he shouted at Ishiku. The magician had dropped his staff and was spitting the rest of the sick from his mouth. Angelique ran outside and rubbed his back, trying to calm him down.
"Whoa, we got another Monophanie here," Monokid called out, enjoying himself.
Yitro and Blake walked outside too, quite concerned over what would cause such a reaction. Ishiku managed to collect himself, then he said something that sent a shiver up everyone's spine.
"There's… there's insides in that room. Organs… blood… guts…"
"Oh my God," Yitro remarked, glancing back into the store, at the back room. "You mean…"
"Looks like my case is proven," Emanuel said, before finishing off his flask. "Mercenary boy got gutted and turned into a taxidermy statue, right back there in the store." *TRUTH BULLET*
"This is so horrible," Angelique said, still comforting Ishiku as he heaved slightly. "Someone butchered that poor man?"
"We're going to have to get the right clues if we want to survive the trial, so push the pity aside," Emanuel snapped. "I need to inspect that backroom, but I doubt you'd all let me go to a crime scene alone. Who's with me?"
"Fuck no," Blake remarked. "I'll search the dead, destroyed animal trophies, but I'm not going into that room."
"I'm staying out here with Ishiku," Angelique replied firmly. She glanced up hopefully at Yitro, who nodded at his friend.
"I can handle it," he said before turning to Emanuel. "Shall we?"
"Sure, I guess a former swordsman is good enough when investigating a gutted victim."
Yitro scoffed, but went into the taxidermy's back room with Emanuel. Monokid was right behind them, still looking quite amused by everything. The back room was like a workshop of sorts, with a couple cabinets with all sorts of goods and tools. There was a workplace, a large table with a wax paper covering with bloodstains on it.
On the floor in front of the table was a sloppy pile of organs, guts, muscle, and blood. Yitro winced, and pulled his scarf over his mouth and nose. He noticed Emanuel had pulled his shirt up over his own mouth and nose too.
"I'm gonna need," the Bête Noir muttered, "another drink after this shit."
"I might join you for that, I picked a hell of a time in my life to go sober."
Yitro examined the table, avoiding the pile of insides as much as he could. "Okay, it seems that this would be the place of operation. There's a whole bunch of bloody tools here too."
"Everything you would need for taxidermy is here," Emanuel remarked, looking through the cabinets. "Fucking hell, this isn't how a taxidermy shop is really like. Why is everything in this town so wrong?"
"So someone could definitely do taxidermy here if they knew how," Yitro remarked, glancing very briefly at the gore pile. There was a bit of cotton and straw scattered on the floor as well, which he regarded. "And they did." *TRUTH BULLET*
"Just gotta figure out who can kill a mercenary face-to-face, and who knows taxidermy to boot. What a fucking day," Emanuel muttered, "I think I'm going to refill my flask."
"So that's what inside of a human," Monokid declared, staring at the gore pile. "That's fucking gross, now that I see it. You meat bags are gross!"
"Excuse me, Monokid," Yitro said as he stared down at the blue Kub, "but if we aren't getting a Monokuma case file or something, can you at least confirm one thing for me?"
"What'd that be?"
"Neither Monokuma nor the Kubs are allow to interfere with the crime scenes or the murder, right?"
"Yes, that's… right," the blue Kub looked like he wanted to add an insult in there, but didn't know quite how.
"And there's been no other people in Penjar except the twenty-eight of us since we got here, right?"
"That's also right. Now let's get out of here, it smells." *TRUTH BULLET*
Day 04, 10:25 AM
Housing Area
Takeo's House
"Nothing?" Pyrrha asked, glancing around at the four. "He only had the usual traveling goods?"
"I was really thinking he'd be carrying an arsenal or something with him," Jin remarked, rummaging through a desk. "You'd think a mercenary would have some guns with him or something."
"Maybe he couldn't get the permits or the goods?" Shinobu suggested. "Anyway, let's not give up just yet, let's look a bit more."
"Pardon me, but I doubt we're going to find more inside of his living quarters," Shuuya said, crossing his arms after finishing looking through some cabinets. "There's nothing here."
"Just look a little longer, good sir," Souma requested. "If we find something, anything, it may be vital to this investigation."
With a defeated sigh, Shuuya joined the others in turning the room upside-down. Pyrrha even inspected the toilet tank, while Jin started inspecting all of the items around the sink; it resulted in a lot of toothpaste being wasted.
"Out of curiosity," Shuuya spoke as he looked underneath the bed, "we have a couple knowledgeable people here. Does anyone know what Takeo's combat prowess or history involved?"
"I could answer that," Souma said, as he very carefully inspected one of Takeo's suitcases. "According to his history, Takeo has been trained to be a soldier since he was young, about fourteen, I believe."
"I heard a little something about that too," Shinobu said. "While I don't have all the details, or know everything about everyone at Hope's Peak like some think I do, I remember Takeo had a bit of a special case."
"He was already hardened and trained to be a top-notch fighter by the time he went to Hope's Peak," Souma said. "He was highly trained in firearms, knife fighting, and hand-to-hand combat. He had been on several missions, and had killed before."
"Hope's Peak took him in and gave him more purpose to life, something more than just killing and fighting," Shinobu explained. "It was like a heartwarming story, giving someone who had been hardened and beaten to be the best fighter there was, given a real life."
"I see," Shuuya said, crawling out from under the bed. "The most important part is that Takeo really was the kind of fighter that could handle most anything, and yet he's our victim." *TRUTH BULLET*
Monophanie was watching them from the doorway, quietly holding the door for them. The mist didn't travel into the house while she was doing this, it merely rolled on down the street and sidewalk.
"May I ask you all something?" the pink Kub chimed in.
"I thought that you were here for us to ask things?" Jin replied, checking Takeo's hair brush.
"Oh. That's right. Sorry."
Pyrrha glared at Jin, then turned to Monophanie. "Go ahead, we don't mind," she said, before turning her attention back to a chest of drawers that Takeo had been keeping his clothing in.
"Did any of you ever ask Mr. Onishi why he was here in Penjar?"
Pyrrha paused her search, then sighed. "You know, I never did. From what I gathered, he wanted to try to find out more about despair."
"I would imagine he either wanted to destroy it," Shinobu said, "or someone ordered him to come here. He was very prone to taking orders."
"Oh yes, very much so," Shuuya commented. "I mean, he was pretty much doing anything anyone ever asked him to do. That was an unusual quality, but that kind of loyalty is commendable."
Souma paused his searching at well, then glanced at everyone else. "Do you think that's what happened? Did he get orders that were fatal to him?"
Pyrrha shook her head, her red hair swinging wildly. "No. I know for a fact that Takeo wouldn't do anything that could be fatal or extreme." *TRUTH BULLET*
"Really now?" Shinobu asked, as she was searching the closet once more. "What exactly did you…"
She stopped when she was searching a spare pair of boots in the closet. The historian tilted the boot, and a piece of paper fluttered out. Shinobu picked it up, opened it, and read it out loud:
Takeo,
Meet me behind the town hall at 1 AM. That is an ORDER. We need to discuss how to defend the people of this town. There will be a select amount of people at this meeting.
"Oh my God," Shinobu declared, her eyes scanning it over and over again. "Someone lured him out. That's how they caught him off-guard." *TRUTH BULLET*
"He must have stored that note in one of his boots just in case," Shuuya remarked. "That's what a lot of military personal do, they keep notes in their boots; usually, it's in the boots they are wearing, but still."
Jin drummed her pink nails on the bathroom counter, then said, "Weren't there people talking about about patrols or defense? Is that what the note is referring to?"
"There were a few people speaking about that, I believe," Souma said. "In hindsight, maybe we should have done that, but I believe most people thought that the motive wasn't real. As it turned out, someone took it quite seriously."
Shinobu sighed heavily, and remarked, "I don't understand why anyone would be so foolish to go out alone. But let's hurry, we might be running out of time. Are we, Monophanie?"
The pink Kub nervously tapped her chin, and remarked, "If you want to get through all the buildings, you might want to consider hurrying."
Shuuya fiddled with his pockets, then commented, "Let's hurry then."
Day 04, 10:35 AM
Ye Olde Café
Isaac was taking deep breaths as Hara rubbed his back. The reporter was gripping his hair and beanie, as if trying to get a physical grip as well as mental.
Odelios walked over to them, holding a tray that had numerous mugs of steaming coffee and chocolate drinks. "A little caffeine or sweet drink for the morning rush? I got hot chocolate, white chocolate, hazelnut, cinnamon-"
"Odelios, thank you," Hara interrupted, reaching over to take two of the drinks. "I'm sorry, we really do appreciate it, but don't rush him."
"Is he going to be okay?" Odelios asked, staring at Isaac. "Takeo's body really seemed to frazzle you."
Isaac let out a small, humorless laugh. "Let's… let's just say I don't do well with posed dead bodies like that."
"Well, I ain't gonna pry into your life story, dude, so allow me to just get drinks passed around."
"Oh, if you could," she called out, "if you could get a mint-tinted decaf drink… I mean, I know I shouldn't do requests, but we haven't even eaten-"
"Say no more, Hara, I'm on it after this!"
Odelios hurried over to Fiora, Hikari, and Futaba, who were searching around the café for anything. The three ladies weren't having much luck, since they were mostly looking for something blood splattered; or at least, that was what Fiora was searching for.
"Okay, what if," Fiora declared, "what if the killer had a frozen icicle, and stabbed Takeo with it? I directed a movie where a killer did that, it's effective because the murder weapon melts!"
Hara pat Isaac's back, then walked over to Fiora. "Fi, sweetheart, the murder weapon isn't probably something like that. Takeo could handle someone holding an icicle, I'm sure."
"But it's possible, eh!"
"Yes," Hara struggled on how to argue with this, "but then what would you be looking for, if the murder weapon doesn't exist? Just you should be looking for something that does, we only have so much time."
Fiora took a deep breath, as she tried to process all of this. "Okay, well, here's the thing… Hikari and Futaba aren't listening to any of my theories, but I have one that's a pretty good lead!"
The movie maker pulled out her cellphone, which she held up proudly. "I have a blacklight app on my phone! I can start shining it around and see if our killer cleaned up blood anywhere."
Hara bit her bottom lip, wondering if it was really worth arguing this, but she had to try. "Fi, blacklight doesn't just illuminate bloodstains. You need luminol spray for that first."
Fiora blinked a great deal, but recovered fast. "Does y'oor forensic investigator have any of that?"
"I don't know…"
"Lemme go check with her!"
Fiora hurried over to the café entrance, and almost ran into Emanuel. "Oh, sorry there, big guy," she said, "but… oh! Do you have luminol spray?"
Emanuel glared at her. "Why would I carry that with me?"
"Because you're a detective, and I have this app on my phone that…"
With a very swift movement, faster than Fiora could react, Emanuel yanked her phone right out of her hand. He turned around and chucked it as far as he could, over into the plaza.
"I told you," he shouted in her face, "to never call me that! Puta!"
He stormed off into the kitchen, while Fiora stood there, completely shocked. "Hey come on," she whined, "I had all of my photos on that, you jerk!"
She sprinted outside, calling out for her phone. Everyone inside of the café was shocked, but quickly went back to the investigation. Hikari was inspecting all of the knives in the kitchen, as well as the other tools. Futaba was inspecting inside of the freezer that the café had.
"Anything, darling?" Hikari remarked, scratching her earlobe in thought as Futaba stepped out.
The anthropologist pulled on her singular glove, and shook her head with a heavy sigh. "Nothing that would imply that the body could have been kept in there. I thought for sure that they would do that to throw off time of death."
"But we weren't given a case file."
"The killer couldn't have known that."
The two heard a loud scoff, and they turned to see Emanuel prying through one of the cupboards. "Look at you two, thinking you're so clever. You do at least have one good point, Futaba, the killer wouldn't have known about the lack of a case file, but there's also one thing that escaped your mind."
"And what would that be?" Futaba remarked sharply, pulling on her glove again.
"Our killer only had so much time before everyone was going to be awake. You think they had enough time to freeze the body? Come on."
Emanuel pulled a rather large bottle of whiskey from the cupboard, and started filling up his flask. Then he took a rather big shot of it, making Hikari wince.
"Is that something you really want to be doing right now?" she lectured him.
"I can handle ten times more than this and still solve this case," Emanuel replied. "Mostly because I'm already fairly certain who did this, and how."
"What?" Futaba declared. "You're sure?"
"I wouldn't say it unless I meant it. Now if you would excuse me…"
He started to walk out of the kitchen, then collided with a rushing Odelios. A coffee mug went crashing down to the floor, splashing hot coffee on their feet. Emanuel cried out in shock, then growled at the clown. Without a word, he reached out and shoved Odelios hard.
The clown fell backwards, somersaulted backwards, and was back on his feet again as if taking a tumble. "Sir, not only are customers not allowed back here," he shouted at Emanuel, "but I will be going online and writing a story about how much of a jerk you are as retaliation."
Emanuel just stormed out of the building. Odelios went right back to making more coffee, whistling to himself as he did so. Hikari and Futaba exchanged glances, then agreed to go check out the cafeteria.
As they left the building, Fiora came running back in. She was huffing and panting, rather upset, though neither of the gals wanted to get in her way. The movie maker first turned towards them, sighed as they left, then turned towards Hara and Isaac.
"Okay, why is everyone ignoring me now?" Fiora asked. "I'm feeling really put 'oot, with how I'm being treated."
"Fiora," Isaac muttered, glancing over at her, "people are doing an investigation, we're not really trying to be mindful of feelings right now."
"Oh come on, I was shouting and calling out to you all to come to me across the street, because I found something important! But if you all are going to ignore me even when I'm screaming…"
"I wouldn't ignore you," Hara assured her, "but I didn't hear you."
"What? I was hollering just right across the street! How could you not hear me?"
"I assure you, I didn't."
"Come on, follow me, please!"
Fiora gripped Hara's arm and pulled the confused explorer out of the building with her. They walked across the street, and then Fiora pointed triumphantly at what she had discovered.
"Look here! He's not doing anything to help us!"
Monosuke was fooling around with a cell phone that looked suspiciously like Fiora's. The orange Kub chuckled, and said, "You got quite the interesting collection of photos here, toots," he said, glancing up at Fiora. "Tell me, do you take a picture every time you-"
"Give it back! You're supposed to be helping us, eh!"
She struggled to pull the phone from the orange Kub, who didn't want to give it up just yet. Hara sighed heavily, and shook her head. Fiora's antics were starting to really get to her. "If that's everything, Fi, I'm just going to go back in."
Fiora yanked her phone from Monosuke, and declared, "No! You have to believe me, I'm trying to help! Maybe your future hubby can help us get information from Monosuke?"
"Youse will never get me to spill any secrets!" Monosuke declared. "I'm too loyal!"
"HEY! ISAAC!" Fiora screamed, sharp enough to make Hara and Monosuke jump. "GET OVER HERE! WE NEED YOUR HELP!"
Hara shook her head, her patience wearing a bit thin now. She glanced at the café across the street, the mist flowing rather thickly in front of it. She couldn't make out Isaac through the mist and the window, but she knew where he was and with no obstructions, she would clearly see him.
"Here, use this, youse," Monosuke offered, holding up a megaphone. Fiora gleefully took it, and Hara covered her ears…
"ISAAC! GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE, NOW! … PLEASE, EH!"
The movie maker glanced over at Hara, who had still heard that quite clearly even with her hands over her ears. "Soo'ry for yelling at him like that, I remembered I'm still a Canadian."
Hara sighed, then watched the café to wait for Isaac. A minute passed, and still her fiancé didn't come out. Now she was a little confused, she didn't think he would just ignore that shouting.
The two women exchanged glances, then Fiora got her 'idea' face. She held up the megaphone, and declared…
"IF YOU DON'T GET 'OOT HERE IN FIVE SECONDS, I AM GOING TO DO THINGS TO YOUR FIANCÉE!"
"Wh-what?!" Hara balked. "No no, don't even joke about that, Fi, he can be really protective!"
But even with this declaration, Hara didn't see Isaac coming out. Now that was suspicious, and she walked back into the café. Isaac was sitting in his chair, sipping the drink that Odelios had given him.
"So what did Fiora find that was so important?" he asked Hara.
"Honey… she was screaming at you to come out of the café to join us. Fi even said something that I was sure would get you to come out."
"I didn't hear her at all."
"She was using a megaphone!"
"What? I still didn't hear her, Hara. And where did she get a megaphone?"
"And where can I get one?" Odelios asked from the kitchen.
Hara tapped her chin, then walked over to her fiancé. "Honey, do me a favor. Go outside to Fiora, and try calling me."
Confused but listening to her, Isaac walked out of the café. He was sipping his drink, not hearing anything in this ghost town, until he was halfway across the street…
"… AND YOU DON'T EVEN WANT TO KNOW WHAT I CAN DO WITH A CAN OPENER!" Fiora was hollering, the noise almost blowing Isaac's beanie off with the forceful winds from the megaphone. "I CAN… oh, hello, Isaac!"
Blinking as he rubbed his ears, Isaac took a moment, before something dawned on him. "I literally didn't hear you until I could see you, Fiora."
Remembering what Hara had told him, he turned around and called as loud as he could for her. She never came out, and when he walked back into the café, she was waiting for him.
"What is going on?" Isaac asked her. "I literally couldn't hear Fiora until she was in plain sight of me, and you couldn't hear me calling out to you from there?"
"No, I couldn't. Isaac, something is very wrong with this town right now. Sound isn't traveling normally."
Fiora sprinted into the café, still holding the megaphone. Monosuke was by her legs, looking very smug. "You two," she declared, "is it possible that the mists are a sound dampener, and we cannot hear people if we're too far away?"
"That's not possible," Isaac replied, then he glanced to the side. "Wait, is it?"
There was a devious chuckle from Monosuke, and the three stared at him. "Youse better get used to Penjar throwing a few surprises and curveballs at you," he said. "Because if you cannot learn to adjust, you might be collecting pigeons on your head like your merc buddy is now!"
Hara stared at Isaac, and said, "The three of us should experiment a bit more, just to make sure this is actually happening, but it truly looks like the mists are dampening sound in the city." *TRUTH BULLET*
"Great googly moogly," Fiora muttered. "If that really is true, this murder case just became a lot moo'r complicated."
"Indeed, Fi," said Hara, nervously tapping her nails together, "indeed it will be."
Day 04, 10:45 AM
Eastern Side of Penjar
Behind Town Hall
Aka was kneeling down in the middle of the road, waving her hand frantically around to brush the mist away. It wasn't easy, but eventually she managed to expose the street to everyone around her.
"SEE?! See, I told you I wasn't just imagining things," she declared, pointing at the copious bloodstains on the ground. "I knew I stepped on something odd!"
She even lifted her shoe sole, which had a tiny amount of a blood stain on it too. "Look! Look, it's still wet, even if just a little!"
Ken stared down at the ground, sniffing deeply. With a disgusted sigh, he stood up and corrected himself. Tenderly rubbing his elbow, he remarked, "Yes, that's blood alright. I can never forget that smell." *TRUTH BULLET*
"God damn," Kimiko muttered, staring at the bloody street until the mists covered it up again. "You think this is it? You think Takeo died right here?"
She was clutching the dog tag around her neck, taking deep breaths. Glancing around at everything, she tried to gauge their reactions as well.
Ignatia was leaning up against the back of the town hall building, looking down at her boots as if she had just discovered them. Crystal was turning around and examining the area, as if she was scanning it and downloading it to memory. Samson had his hand firmly on his hip, as he studied the blood splatter as well.
Monotaro was seated on a trash can, watching all of them with his arms crossed. He wasn't really saying much, mostly because the graduates were ignoring him.
"Is there a trail?" Samson asked. "There is a lot of blood here, was he dragged somewhere?"
"Maybe to the taxidermy store," Crystal remarked, staring at the nearby buildings. "I highly doubt that the killer did their work in a random building around here."
"Maybe they did, we should inspect the nearby buildings," Ken declared.
"That'll take a lot of time," Crystal remarked. "Are you really going to go through all those buildings when the most likely scenario is the killer used the building made for the end result?"
"If you think that, go ahead, but I'm going to double-check," Ken said, defiantly walking towards one of the nearby abandoned buildings. They watched him go, and Crystal sighed dramatically.
"Honor before reason, I see," she muttered to herself. "He's not entirely wrong, but it is still a waste of time and manpower; he's not going to find anything."
"Maybe, but I'm going to see if there is a blood trail or not," Samson said, swinging his arm around to wave the mist away. As if it was becoming more defiant, it was getting harder to see the ground.
"AWK!"
Monotaro let out a cry as someone yanked up the trash can lid and sent him sprawling to the floor. Ignatia walked over with the trash can lid. She swung it, blowing a large portion of mist away. There were some blood drops and smears, leading back to the northeast corner of Town Hall.
"Let's follow the trail, mime girl," Samson cheered, hand still on his hip as he helped lead her.
Aka watched them go, and then stared at Crystal and Kimiko. She glanced around, and remarked, "We don't have to look anymore, do we? I mean, what else could we possibly find, we found the area where Takeo died."
"I'm not going to give up," Kimiko declared, and started looking around the area. "If the killer or Takeo dropped something, anything, we need to find it."
Crystal stood in place, deep in thought. Even when Aka nudged her and asked what was on her mind, she didn't respond. The skier gave up and approached Kimiko, trying to find something to do.
"Our military adviser has gone off into her own military world," she said to the biker gang leader. "Guess she really-WHOA!"
She dodged as Kimiko threw a trash can lid behind her, almost hitting the skier. The biker gang leader turned, and muttered, "Oh sorry, hot stuff, didn't hear you. Could you help me look or something?"
Kimiko turned the trash can upside-down and shook it. Nothing came out of it, no matter how hard she shook. With a frustrated sigh, she chucked the bin away.
Aka watched nervously, then tried to think of something, anything, to say. "So, um, you lead a bike gang, right?"
"That's how I got the title, yeah."
"Well, if things don't work out with me and Hikari, are there any cute single members of your gang?"
Kimiko stopped what she was doing, and turned towards Aka. The confused and slightly miffed look on her face was rather interesting to the skier. "What? You're… you are seriously going on about that now? NOW?"
Aka held up a finger to her lips, and glanced over at Crystal. "There's something about her that really worries me. She almost seems to be leading us astray, and not just during this investigation."
"What, Crystal? I doo'nt knoo'…"
"I'm telling you, something happened last night that is really suspicious…" *TRUTH BULLET*
Day 04, 10:55 AM
Ye Olde Antique Shop
Anzu was desperately grabbing at everything in the shop. She tried everything, even the shop items like the cash register. She was grabbing at them in different angles, struggling to get a reaction.
"Come on," she shouted in frustration. "Mahiru, are you there somewhere? Hello? Damn it all, you cannot do this to me!"
She, in frustration, grabbed a vase and chucked it against the wall. It bounced off it, and then thudded against the floor. Anzu blinked, and muttered, "What the hell does someone need a rubber vase for… oh to hell with it!"
The actress draped herself on the countertop, and sobbed aloud. "I could have prevented this! I could have… if I had been honest… why…"
She pounded her fist against the counter, groaning and crying in frustration. "Why… why didn't I just tell everyone? Why…"
So deep in her grief was she that she missed the chime of the front door. Someone approached her from behind, reaching out, and she only heard a floorboard creak as her only warning…
She whipped around and backed up, flinching sharply and almost striking Hikari's hand with her arm when she turned. The steampunk model recoiled, startled as well.
"Sweetheart?" Hikari said, staring at Anzu. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. But… wait, what's wrong?"
Anzu covered her face with her hands, and let out an exasperated sob. "I'm… I'm sorry! I just cannot… I'm so confused."
Hikari offered a calming smile, and reached out again, patting the girl's shoulder. "I know, this whole experience is stressful and terrible for us all. But we have a lot of amazingly smart and clever people working on this, and we will get through this. You needn't be afraid."
"It's… it's not that," Anzu admitted. "I'm… I'm afraid I'm going insane."
"Is that why you're back in this shop? This was where you passed out, right?"
The actress swallowed nervously, and stared at the steampunk model. She was so beautiful to Anzu right now, a picturesque version of feminine loveliness, calm demeanor, and a sensual black and white ensemble that was…
For some reason, Anzu found it amazingly trustworthy, for reasons she didn't even fully understand. Maybe she just wanted to tell someone?
"Hikari, something happened to me when I passed out. It wasn't just a fainting spell, it was…"
She went into detail about her vision, being back in Hope's Peak Academy, about Mahiru and her warnings, and how real and sinister it all felt. The more she talked, the more confused Hikari appeared. *TRUTH BULLET*
The model glanced outside, where Futaba was standing around, inspecting the front of the building. "Um, sweetheart," Hikari said when Anzu stopped explaining things, "I… I don't know what to make of that."
"I'm not crazy, I swear! But I know it's beyond bizarre and crazy, and I'm a porn star so people don't believe what I say…"
"No, it's not that! Look, there's a lot of really weird things going on, and I'm starting to wonder what's reality myself. Look, let me tell you something…"
"There is something that is highly unnerving me, but I doubt anyone would believe me. You see, I am a people person, and I am a big ol' flirt too; you definitely have noticed that, right darling?"
"Yes, I know that, beautiful, but… what's that got to do with this?"
"You see, I know it's only been a couple days, but I think I can get a good grasp of people, both male and female; however, something is disturbing me. I cannot quite explain it, but there is one person who is unnerving me for reasons that people wouldn't believe me over…" *TRUTH BULLET*
As Hikari explained things to Anzu, trying to soothe things out between them, Futaba was left alone outside for the time being. When Hikari had gone into the store to talk to Anzu, she had volunteered to just stay outside.
"Bloody oversexed lesbian huntress," she muttered to herself as she tugged on her glove once more. "I know we're stressed and such, but can you just try to stay focused for a few minutes without going after a girl like you're some teenaged boy?
"And it's not like you were just talking to a girl previously," she added, her grumbling growing more sour. "What am I, chopped liver?"
As she said this, she saw the unusual sight of Ignatia, Samson, and Monotaro. The mime waving a trash can lid to blow the mist away from the street floor. The two were walking slowly, inspecting the ground, while a rather put-off Monotaro trudged behind them.
"What are you two doing?" Futaba asked them.
"They're not asking me anything at all," the red Kub mumbled.
"We found a very large bloodstain on the road behind Town Hall," Samson explained. "There's been blood droplets and smears leading up this road, but we didn't see anything in front of any of the shops." *TRUTH BULLET UPDATED*
"I mean, I have loads of information to give if anyone were to ask…"
"If Takeo was dragged or carried up here," Futaba remarked, "do you really think the killer would do it in plain view of all of the shops and cafés?"
"If they did it in the middle of the night, no one would be there," Samson replied. "This is a ghost town, and everyone in our group would be sleeping in the housing area; you cannot see the shops from where we sleep." *TRUTH BULLET*
"Though I think I have forgotten most of it by now, since no one asked me for so long…"
"Hmm, good point," Futaba admitted. "But still, that's one hell of a brazen tactic if they went up this road. Have you checked any of the other roads?"
"Not yet, we wanted to make sure this road was clean."
And right after saying that, the blaring whine from the speakers of Penjar reached all of the living souls' ears.
"Attention, all guests of Penjar," Monokuma's voice, thick with gleeful sadism and boastful authority, "your investigation time is OVER. Please report to the front of Town Hall, at the front steps, within the next ten minutes. Anyone not there may be subject to immediate execution. Thank you for visiting our town~"
Futaba fluttered her eyes, as she gave one last tug on her glove. "I think we just ran out of time. I don't think we want to test our host's patience on this, a few of us," she glared at Ignatia, "have really been pushing it with the frequent attacks on him."
The mime shrugged, tossed the trash can lid to the side unceremoniously, and walked off. Samson sighed, and followed after her. Futaba glanced into the antique shop, seeing Anzu and Hikari leaving and joining her as they headed to Town Hall.
Odelios ran by, carrying a full tray of coffee and chocolate drinks. He had made it to Takeo's body, offering some to the investigative team there. Saiko slogged down two mugs by herself, while Eisei and Drake gave one more observation of their victim.
"Okay, this is like giving an early morning report before I've even had breakfast, and plenty of java," Saiko remarked, grabbing a third mug. "Thank you, clown boy, you did good. We should get going now."
As the three started to walk away, Drake realized the clown wasn't with them. He turned around, seeing Odelios setting the now empty tray next to Takeo's body. The clown saluted the mercenary's corpse, standing still for a few seconds.
"Sorry I treated you so bad," he said softly, before turning towards Town Hall and sprinting towards their designated area.
Day 04, 11:10 AM
Town Hall
Front Steps and Door
The graduates were gathering up rather quickly in front of Town Hall, anxious but determined. Some of them tried to engage in information exchanges, but there was so much movement and talk that it was difficult to get everything across.
Anzu and Hikari stayed close to each other, until Aka came over to talk to the steampunk model. The three talked in semi-private, keeping away from the others. Shuuya watched them, trying to overhear but unable to get close enough without seeming suspicious.
Isaac, Hara, and Fiora walked over to the group, the movie maker still holding the megaphone. She had a big grin on her face as she examined everyone there, as if expecting something. Before she could do or say anything, Monosuke yanked the megaphone from her hand and walked away with it.
The Kubs were forming up on the main stairs, observing the humans. It felt like a council, one of the most unusual ones in the world, but still rather intense and worrisome.
"Are we all here yet?" Ishiku asked, rubbing his wrist as he leaned on his staff. "The sooner this starts, the better."
"Why do you smell so bad?" Jin asked, glancing up from her colored nails. "Oh gross, the closer you get, the more I can smell it; I hope I don't have to stand next to you."
"Just stay calm, everyone," Pyrrha pleaded to those around her, as she fiddled with her waterfall braids. "We can do this, we have a lot of brain power and strength amongst us."
"We're going solve this case, no problem," Fiora declared, glancing around at the three who had spoken. "The person who stabbed Takeo, and did that horrible thing to him, is not going to get away from us! In fact, Isaac, Hara, and I found out something really weird about the town that you all need to know-"
"Save it," Emanuel muttered, pointing at the movie maker. "You keep all information until the trial, and you will speak when spoken to. We don't need you running your mouth nonstop."
Fiora sighed, defeated. She crossed her arms and drummed her fingers against her elbow, lost in thought immediately. Something really seemed to have distracted her, but she wasn't speaking like normal.
"Can I at least ask," Isaac spoke aloud, looking at Souma and the others who had been part of his group, "how the investigations of the housing went? Did you get through them all?"
"Sadly, no," Souma remarked, shaking his head. "We only managed to get through half of them, or maybe a little less than that. I'll let you know which rooms we investigated when the time comes during the trial." *TRUTH BULLET*
As Isaac tried to get some more information, there was a rather loud, familiar, sinister laugh from inside Town Hall. The front doors were thrown open, and Monokuma stood there with his arms outstretched.
"Welcome, guests of Penjar. Come on in, and head to the back of the room!"
The Monokubs turned around and hurried into the building. They scattered, and the faint sound of doors being slammed could be heard before the graduates could walk into the building. None of the Kubs were in sight, but they could see Monokuma at the far end of the building.
The inside of Town Hall was as rundown and old as everything else in the town, but even more dirty. It was a two story building, with doors on both floors; dust was settling around some of those doors.
The large, empty lobby was a circular mess of broken tiles on the floor, and peeling paint on the walls. At the back end of the lobby was an incredibly large service elevator, with Monokuma standing next to the doors. The group of twenty-seven graduates walked towards it, the distance short but felt like hours to cross that lobby.
Monokuma reached up and pressed the down floor button, and the door slowly scrolled open. The twenty-seven graduates managed to fit in, not too much shoulder room but enough so they weren't cramped.
The despair bear reached up and pressed the button again, and the door to the elevator slid shut. There was a mechanical rumbling, the elevator bounced a little, then started to go down…
Down…
…
…
Down…
…
…
Down to however low it would go…
…
…
Down even further…
…
…
Hearts were racing amid the graduates. No one was speaking, no one could find something to say. Some leaned against the walls, some were breathing deeply to calm themselves.
The elevator was still moving, for, again, what felt like hours. It was rumbling uncomfortably, making the ride as unnerving as the destination.
At long last, the elevator stopped. The door scrolled open, and everyone was shocked to see where they were.
It was a gigantic trial room, with a huge circle of stands for all of them. The well-lit room had quite the high-rise ceiling, which, like the walls and floor, were made of dull, gray stone; it was as if someone had solidified dust and made it into building material.
And in partitions amid the circular trial room were large statues of the mythological creatures known as gorgon. They were all posing, some with hideous faces, some with seductive looks, all with large breasts and snakes for hair. Their snake bodies were coiled in different ways, each a work of art.
Some of the graduates flinched and backed away from these statues, trying not to look at them. This elicited a chuckle from the bear at the main chair.
Monokuma was seated on a raised, royal-looking chair that was for a way bigger being. His chair was bright red and outlined gold, making it stand out more than a little amid the dull gray room.
In front and slightly down below from him were the five Monokubs, lined up and waiting for the graduates to arrive. They definitely weren't the most patient, some of them bouncing up and down or spinning around, trying to do something to pass the time.
"Welcome to the Penjar Trial Room," Monokuma declared. "We're still working on it, so you may see changes down the road. That's just how it is in the PTR!"
"There are nameplates on the individual spaces in the PTR," Monosuke commented. "Please find yours, and wait for Pops' announcement for the trial to begin."
"Oh, this is so tense," Monophanie whimpered. "I really hope it all ends up well, with as little blood as possible!"
"Hell no, I want a bloodbath!" Monokid declared, rocking on a new guitar.
"Please show respect for the room's scenery, furniture, and our shrine for the departed," Monotaro remarked.
"…" Monodam finalized the speech.
Everyone glanced at the podiums, seeing name tags on them all. They were quick to find theirs, though Isaac and Hara realized they were on opposite side; with a kiss and a quick whisper to each other, they had to moved to their spots.
Twenty-seven people were now standing at their respective podiums. At Takeo's podium was a stand with a grayscale photo of the mercenary, in a memorial frame, with a big, red X over his face. Those who had to stand next to it were slightly unnerved.
"Isn't this exciting?" Monokuma declared. "Very soon, the first trial of Penjar will begin! I hope you're all ready for this!"
Everyone exchanged glances. Were they ready? Did they find everything? Most of them were thinking about how they couldn't believe this was where they were…
It was incredulous, but this trial of life and death was still going to happen. An incredulous trial, for an incredulous death…
*Jin glares forward, three fingers correcting the rim of her owl-themed eye mask.*
*Yejoon stares through the eye holes of his fox mask.*
*Crystal focuses her attention downwards, as if surveying a map or field.*
*Isaac is leveling a studying stare straight forward with a hand extended, as if wanting an answer.*
*Fiora is gripping the sides of her head, appearing flustered and wide-eyed.*
*Aka has a hand on her skiing goggles perched on her head, looking bravely forward.*
This was the trial for Takeo Onishi, the Ultimate Mercenary. He may not have been a forthcoming man, but he was diligent and reliable. Though mysterious, he didn't seem like a bad person, and he will be missed.
*Saiko has her hands on her hips, glaring downwards at someone or something.*
*Drake is nervously glancing to the side, while holding his sketchpad up and close to his chest.*
*Souma has an arm raised as he is apparently in the middle of delivering a speech.*
*Hara has her hands clasped together, staring anxiously forward.*
*Shuuya is glancing over his shoulder, with his arms crossed defiantly.*
*Eisei has a lollipop in his mouth and looks half-interested in whatever is going on.*
One of the graduates has murdered him, and most brutally. How was that even possible? How could they have overpowered him?
*Blake is cracking his knuckles and growling in frustration.*
*Ignatia is glancing from the side, seemingly uninterested.*
*Hikari is taking a confident pose with a smile, hand on the brim of her hat and her chest stuck out with pride.*
*Shinobu is holding a finger up, trying to prove a point about something or other.*
*Odelios is holding up a rubber chicken and is pointing at it, as if to accuse it of the crime.*
*Yitro has his arms crossed and eyes closed, scarf pulled up slightly over his mouth.*
Are there any other factors in this Killing Game? Was the cause of death supernatural? Did Monokuma really give four random people a new talent?
*Ishiku is grinning and is holding up one of his signature chocolate coins in-between two fingers.*
*Samson glares forward from underneath the brim of his hat.*
*Takeo pumps his fist into the air with gusto.*
*Emanuel gives a tired stare from the side as he is holding his favorite flask close to him.*
*Ken salutes and stands proud, staring up to the sky.*
*Angelique has her hands over her heart, silently praying.*
There's only one way to find his killer, and to survive another day so more of the mysteries of Penjar can be solved…
*Kimiko is pointing forward while shouting defiantly.*
*Pyrrha is making a heart with her hands, a sad but sweet smile on her face.*
*Futaba has a finger touching her glasses, narrowing her eyes.*
*Anzu stares forward defiantly, her frown and posture confident and ready.*
And that is to make it through the Town Trial of Penjar!
Truth Bullets for Case 1:
Takeo, Taxidermy Statue - Takeo Onishi was killed, and his body was stuffed like a taxidermy statue. He was discovered at the western edge of the Main Plaza, nearby the Housing Area.
Cause of Death Hypothesis - Saiko's report is that Takeo was stabbed many times, though how suddenly he died is a mystery. The blade wounds are slightly smaller than his combat knife.
Takeo's Combat Knife - Takeo's military-grade combat knife was still in its scabbard on his utility belt. It is clean and sharp, and it does not smell of cleaning products or blood. He was wearing it all day yesterday.
Taxidermy Stuffing - The taxidermy stuffing inside of Takeo consists of cotton and straw.
Taxidermy Shortcuts - Takeo's head, hands, and feet were not worked on. His face was slightly worked on, but his mouth was glued shut.
Time of Death Unknown - Takeo's time of death cannot be estimated, due to the state of his body.
Talent Motive - Monokuma's first motive was to give four random guests a new talent. Who received them, and what the talents were, is still a mystery. Monodam has said Takeo did not receive a talent.
Destroyed Taxidermy Animals - The vast majority of the taxidermy statues in the shop have been destroyed and hollowed out.
Gutted Remains - Takeo's insides are all over the floor in the back room, as well as bloodstains all over the wax paper on the work table.
Taxidermy Tools - Everything that could be needed for a taxidermy job is inside the back room of Ye Olde Taxidermy Shop.
No Outside Interference - Monodam has assured the graduates that no one other than the twenty-eight guests have been in Penjar since the first day. This means no humans or mythological creatures.
Takeo's Combat Prowess - Takeo was a master in hand-to-hand combat, knife fighting, and more; he was intensively trained, and has had a little over a decade of experience.
Orders for Takeo - Takeo would do anything ordered of him, as proven by Odelios giving him ridiculous commands. However, Pyrrha knows for a fact that Takeo will not take any orders that would be directly fatal for someone, including himself.
Meeting Note - A note in one of Takeo's spare pair of boots asks him to meet for security reasons, at 1 AM behind Town Hall.
The Mists of Penjar - Isaac, Hara, and Fiora discovered that the mists, or something else entirely, is causing a sound-dampening effect around Penjar. If people are too far away to properly see each other, sound doesn't travel to meet them.
Bloodstained Street - There is a troubling amount of blood staining the road behind Town Hall. Smears and droplets trail towards the road that the shops are on, but do not travel down it.
Aka's Suspicion - Aka is highly concerned about Crystal's actions, though what exactly she has only confided in with Kimiko and Hikari.
Anzu's Vision - When Anzu touched the camera a couple nights ago, she had a vivid and puzzling dream in which a girl named Mahiru Koizumi giving her an enigmatic warning. She told everyone she just had a dream, but told Hikari the truth.
Hikari's Suspicion - Hikari herself has a suspicion about someone amongst the graduates, but who and why are kept a secret because of how ridiculous the reason behind her suspicions are. Only Anzu knows of this.
Location of Shops and Houses - The shops are on the northern road of the Main Plaza, with the housing area being southwest of them. The shops and houses are too far apart for someone at one of them to see the other; one can see the western side of the plaza from some of the houses, however.
Housing Investigation - A group of five graduates (Souma, Jin, Futaba, Pyrrha, Shuuya) and Monophanie investigated Takeo's room. They also investigated a little less than half of the other rooms before they ran out of time.
…
THE TRIAL WILL COMMENCE SHORTLY!