This wasn't like Yuzuru's death or even Grant's, they happened with in days of being here- too early to feel the revaluation of this being real. Yukihiro's murder was our moment of lucidity, we weren't tired or too detached from each other to not react properly this time. My heart sinking at the loss also brought a sense of guilt to how little I reacted when Grant and Yuzuru were killed. But now is not the time to dwell on that, right now we have a investigation to do. Or did, until I heard a loud sniff and a hiccuped breath. It was unsettling to see someone like Akira cry, it wasn't unnatural in the sense like M or even me bursting into tears, but something sadder and more surreal. It was made even more depressing when you realize Yukihiro would be the best one to comfort her now. It was Haruna who was the first to react, giving a huff and walking up to the shaking Akira.
"She wouldn't want you like this, and I would know, she told me herself," Haruna proclaimed, "Yukihiro above all did not want to needlessly worry you, so suck it up!"
What wise words of inspiration...uh oh, Akira looked like she wanted to cry more but instead she wiped her eyes in one quick motion and stood up straight, "Yo-you're right, now is no time for crying."
"Don't worry Akira, we will all do our very best to find the killer and make them regret it," Danny reassured, Akira nodded in affirmation.
"You hear that!" Akira's face was red and tear-streaked but that was overshadowed by her determination, "I don't know who did it, and I don't know if I even want to, but I'll find the killer anyways. So be ready because I'm going to avenge Yukihiro with all my might!" Akira's challenge was taken heartfelt and sweet by some while others crudely rolled their eyes. The door to the pool opened to reveal a tired but alert Kojiro and Yoshiki.
"I heard the announcement," Kojiro said, "I just woke up."
"What about Alan," Akira asks.
"Still asleep when we left," Yoshiki explains, "they both only woke up a few minutes ago."
"How do you know Yoshiki?" James wondered.
"I got worried that it was one of those two who got killed so I wanted to check on them," Yoshiki said.
"He's the one who woke us up," Kojiro said confirming this. The doors opened once again to reveal a slouching Mono-teacher holding a clip board.
"Hello... I have the monokuma file... and since someone is dead... I can now remove your cuffs," Mono-teacher 42 said, he lazily passed the clipboard to the closest person (Kenta) and proceeded to remove the cuffs in the slowest most annoying way possible. But because 42 did that I noticed something odd, Haruna and Veliah cuffs were already connected, they must have forgotten to get them off or discovered the body before they could... actually how did they discover Yukihiro? The pool wasn't the easiest place to stumble on. I gestured for the two and they came over after removing their cuffs, and I brought us away from the group.
"How did you two discover Yukihiro?" I ask them, this was far too suspicious to let go. Haruna narrowed her eyes and went to say something before Veliah stepped in.
"We found her in the swimming pool," Veliah stated, I could see her start to sweat. But I ignored it, she had her hood pulled up and the pool was known for being uncomfortably hot, "I had forgotten my feather hair ornament in the locker room after I took it out to dry it, when we looked for it we discovered Yukihiro." I thought back and now that I remember it the clip had been gone, she must have taken it out when Haruna jumped into the pool a few days ago when the second floor just opened.
"I remember that," I agree. Their reasoning made sense but for some reason I couldn't let it go just yet, I then realized where this feeling was coming from. Haruna and Veliah wrists were bruised and a red hand print was beginning to form on Veliah's face, her hood had blocked it before but now it was obvious. I wasn't sure what happened between the two but I knew for sure they were lying about something. I'll bring this up in the trial later, when they will have to tell the full truth with the others there.
OBTAINED TRUTH BULLET: Bruises on Haruna and Veliah
"Hey come look at this," James said bringing attention to something on the monokuma file, I walk over to check out what he meant. This file wasn't very different from the previous but this time we were provided a time of death, it wasn't until I read the last bullet that saw what was so surprising.
Victim: Yukihiro Yamika
"The time of death was around 10:30"
"The cause of death was drowning in the swimming pool"
"There are no external wounds or injuries"
"There was more then one attacker"
OBTAINED TRUTH BULLET: Monokuma File
"More then one attacker?" Akira observed seriously, "Does that mean multiple people... k-killed her, I thought that was impossible?"
"It is, maybe she was attacked multiple times but there was only one killer," Evan said, "Either way we have more work trying to distinguish between the two. I'm more interested that it says Yukihiro drowned, but she must have put up a struggle before hand," Evan said, "and there's nothing here that suggest that."
"Because the fight happened in the girls changing room," Akira stated confidently, but her voice was shaky.
"Why do you think that?" Evan asked.
"Because you all came through the boys side that means you didn't see it, but the girls room is messed up," Akira explained, "since this is a investigation I'm sure you can go in there now." So we all went to the women's side and it was indeed roughed up, it looked like a tornado happened in there. I look around at the toppled weight equipment and disheveled rug.
"She's not wrong a fight definitely happened here," Evan observed, "but I don't think Yukihiro was involved, perhaps this has to do with the multiple attackers."
OBTAINED TRUTH BULLET: Fight in the Girls Changing Room
"They destroyed school property so it must have involved the killer or else they would have been punished," reasoned Kenta, "hey Girls Room Guard what's the rules behind school property damage?"
"If there was killing intent behind it then destruction is allowed," GCRG replied.
Evan thought about what she had said before asking, "who determined it was killing intent? And are we allowed under any circumstance besides investigation to go into opposing changing room?"
"I watched everything that had happened so that call was my judgment, and you can only enter opposite changing rooms if you are unconscious or dead," the GCRG explained before resuming her guard and answering no further questions.
"I see..." Evan mumbled, "that explains some things." Evan then exited the room and disappeared, James soon followed behind him after seeing there wasn't much else to find in here.
I noticed a trash can in the corner with some papers in and was reminded suddenly of the note Yukihiro received last night, I shifted the can to see if they had what I was looking for. Danny came up behind me, "What are you doing?" He asked.
"Looking for a note Yukihiro had," I replied curtly, searching the trash can, then the rest of the equipment.
"Why? Did you give her one?" Danny questioned, but he began to look with me anyways.
"Yesterday I saw Yukihiro holding a note with blue ink and she was worried," I turn to Danny, "I think it might be important, but I can't find it anywhere."
"If it's not here," Danny thought for a second, "then maybe Yukihiro still has it?" That's very likely, so we went back to the group doing the autopsy. M, Kenta and Haruna where looking over the body. My attention was caught on Haruna but I figured with Kenta and M around she wouldn't do anything suspicious, at least she wasn't screaming this time...
"Have you all found a note?" I ask.
Kenta shakes head 'no' then responds, "We did discover something else."
"Yukihiro put up no struggle," M continued, he pushed his messenger bag farther on his shoulder and held out the clipboard, "it's like how the file says, she doesn't have a single bruise or cut on her, and she should if we are to think she fought in the girls changing room." I look more closely at Yukihiro and confirmed what they said, she barely even has a hair out of place, not a thing wrong except-
"Her shoe is gone?" I pointed out.
"Yeah we don't know what happened there, we think she just lost it," Kenta shrugged.
"Her cuff's cracked too," Haruna said picking up Yukihiros wrist and shaking it, "how did she do that?" The crack had a interesting shape, the glass of the screen was shattered out from a tiny hole in the center.
"Ah!" Danny said suddenly, "Her countdowns stopped, if she broke it when she got attacked we can know when it happened."
OBTAINED TRUTH BULLET: Cracked Cuff and Count Down
"Urgg, that's some math skills I don't have..." I admitted, the red lights flickered in and out but the time remained the same.
"I think that adds up to 10:15 or around there," M adds up, "25 minutes before she died and it takes 5-10 minutes to drown to death."
"What about her hand," Haruna said, she then crouched down and preyed open Yukihiros fist. Inside her hand was the note I've been searching for, my heart skipped and I crowed next to Haruna to read it. The others came up behind us and Danny pointed to the runny blue ink.
"Its to wet to decipher much, but I think that says 2A?"
OBTAINED TRUTH BULLET: Note- 2A
"There's also a piece ripped off," Kenta pointed out, "there's a lot missing at the bottom, I wonder if the killer or Yukihiro did that?"
"I'll go to 2A, you all stay here and check out the surrounding area," I said already standing up to leave. I went through the boys side and met Kojiro looking around the room, "what are you doing?"
Kojiro turned to face me, "I was trying to find anything that might hint to who the killer was, I thought that maybe I could find some hair strands or something to identify the killer, like how they did that in the first trial of the first killing game," Kojiro said before rubbing head in embarrassment, "that was until I realized this was a changing room and it wouldn't make sense..." Talking to Kojiro brought something important to mind.
"You passed out earlier right, how did that happen?" I ask. Kojiro thought about it before speaking.
"I honestly have no clue it just kinda happened, I think it's because I cracked my cuff," Kojiro exclaimed, "it was crazy looking, the part that magnetize the cuff together or something was completely gone and it was shattered too, and my countdown stopped!"
I perked up at that, "hey, Kojiro can you get your cuff- we could use it in the trial."
"Huh? Oh sure, I threw it away but it should still be there," Kojiro muses, "Alan might know some more, his cuff cracked too," Kojiro then suggests, I turn around and walk to Alan but I stopped when I noticed Alan picking a large black item up.
"What's that?" I ask him.
Alan turns around to face me, "It's a shoe."
"Really," I come up next to him and get a better look, it was Yukihiro's missing shoe, "why's that in the boys changing room?"
OBTAINED TRUTH BULLET: Yukihiro's Shoe in the Boys Changing Room
"No clue, maybe it got lost?" Alan brushed off the question before going back to the pool, "I'll show the others." With that information noted away I continued on to 2A and met Yoshiki in the hallway, I told him what I found and together we went to the classroom. Once inside I didn't notice anything suspicious or out of order until Yoshiki bumped into desk with a 'Oof'.
"The desks are moved," he said rubbing his side, "they are not lined up like they used to be when we came last time, and there are scratch marks on the floor," and it was true, hard to notice if you weren't looking or bumping into them. I saw Yoshiki pale in shock before reaching into the desk he bumped into and tentatively pulled out a knife.
"There's a knife in the desk, it was just... sitting in there," Yoshiki said dumbfounded, "there's no blood or anything on it, it doesn't even look used."
OBTAINED TRUTH BULLET: Disarrayed Desks in 2A/ Knife
"Maybe it was a back up plan?" I question, "or maybe it was used to threaten instead?"
"It's likely, it could be why Yukihiro came here," Yoshiki theorized, he then went to place the knife back before reconsidering, "we should go check the kitchen and see if it came from there." And so, now armed with a knife and new puzzling information, we went to the kitchen. Inside the cafateria we were surprised to see a few of us already there.
"Oh, good Sanyu," Akira said when she noticed me walk in, "The others managed to decipher more on the note, something about information found and to meet at 10:1-something."
"We checked out classroom 2A and we found the desks had been moved and inside one of them was a knife," I told her, I gestured to Yoshiki who was still holding the knife and coming up behind James who jumped almost a foot in the air when he noticed it. I do a head count of the room and notice Haruna wasn't with us.
"Kenta, have you seen Haruna?" I ask him seriously, "I think they are up to something."
Kenta stalled for a second, "You don't honestly think they are the killers do you?" He grins, "try someone different, see if there's any others just as suspicious."
"You're starting to sound a little suspicious yourself," I reply coldly, Kenta only seemed to find it funny.
"Alan might know, I haven't seen him around either," Kenta gets a disinterested look to him when says this, "maybe Kojiro too?" I huff in annoyance before resigning to his suggestion and asking Alan.
"I don't know," Alan replied when I asked.
"Hey... you don't think Haruna and Veliah are the killers, do you?" I ask hesitant, i can't be the only one who think they are suspicious?
"I'm sure you of all people know what a little despair can do," Alan sighs, "try asking around I'm sure someone has seen them."
"Eww, what did I just step in!" Danny recoils away from where he was standing.
"It smells like a cleaning solution," Akira said wincing, "maybe Yukihiro was going to clean the floor and got attacked?"
"Makes sense, this is where the drink table spilled," Evan added.
"I thought I cleaned that up earlier though?" James wondered, "I guess my job wasn't good enough..."
"You only picked up the bottles and tables, you never mopped the floor," Danny said, "Yukihiro probably wanted to finish the job."
"That's strange..." Akira muttered, she bent down and touched the solution and rubbed it between her fingers, "I've seen this somewhere else, but where?"
"The storage room?" James suggested unsure.
"You're probably right," Akira agreed, "we should check it out, but before we do that let's swing by the kitchen I need to wash whatever this is off, I think it's already giving me a rash." Akira then went into the kitchen, Yoshiki and me following.
OBTAINED TRUTH BULLET: Cleaning Solution in Cafeteria
"Good news and bad news," Yoshiki said as he observed the knife rack on the wall, "the knife did come from here, but there's another knife missing."
"What do you mean?" Akira asked, "why would the the killer need two knives? Especially since Yukihiro had no physical wounds."
"We worked with the food this whole time at the party, they must have taken it when we were there," I said, "or during the party?"
OBTAINED TRUTH BULLET: Two Missing Knives
"Did you guys notice anyone acting weird?" I ask, "or hear anything?"
"No, nothing," Yoshiki said, "not until a hour ago."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"I was watching the infirmary," Yoshiki explained, "I just couldn't leave Kojiro and Alan passed out like that, especially during night hours."
"That's not weird at all," Akira said.
"That wasn't the strange part, what was weird was that I heard a noise and when I went to see what it was but no one was there," Yoshiki said, "it sounded like a thud and all I found was a monokuma cuff."
"Really? Was someone missing their's?" I asked.
"It looked banged up and it was falling apart, I couldn't even pick it up without all the pieces falling off," Yoshiki explained, "and when I went back to the infurmary no one was there and Kojiro and Alan were fine, then the announcement went off."
"What did you do with the bracelet?" Akira questioned.
"I threw it away, in the infirmary," Yoshiki says.
"Then let's go get it," I said and the three of us proceeded on, when we arrived Yoshiki peered into the trash can.
"It's gone!" Yoshiki exclaims, he shifts the trash, "the trash wasn't emptied out, there's glass shards from the cuff still in there, but then why is most of it gone?"
"You don't think the killer went back for it do you?" Akira asked, I could only shrug in response before the intercom screeched to life.
"It appears you are out of time, proceed onwards to your destiny!" The robotic female voice of our new announcer proclaimed. With that we all headed to the elevator and we're slowly taken down... and as we were going I made a resolution, don't worry Yukihiro I'll be sure to find your killer!
So can you figure out who did it? Hopefully it's not too confusing, it's hard to judge if things are making sense with my author knowledge :/ and I've also figured out that I have no clue how to write romance... got any tips on that? I guess I'm just too trigger happy to write despair rather then love...
Beta notes: uuuuuuuuh can i get a burger
Question for you: Who do you think will survive until the end? (I'm always changing my outline for the ending, there's just too many places to take this!)