A/N: Here's Chapter Two Deadly Life Part Six. Please read, review, and enjoy!
Danganronpa 4: Next Generation Killing!
Chapter Two: A Thin Line Divides Heaven and Hell!
Deadly Life Part Six: Is Kirumi Innocent?
"You…" Kiki gasped, her palm shooting up to her lips in shock. "You tried to kill…Ryoma…?"
"Yeah…it's true." Ryoma nodded nonchalantly. "I was supposed to be the victim, not Snake."
"Hey!" Lotus nearly shouted. "None of this makes any sense!"
"Yeah, why did my brother die instead of Ryoma?!" Clover passionately agreed.
"I think you should tell us exactly what happened." Ace stared at Kirumi. "How did you try to kill Ryoma?"
"Yeah, and why did Snake die instead?" Seven inquired.
"…Very well, I shall tell you everything I know about the incident." Kirumi sighed before she began, "After Clover announced her magic show, I determined that it was an opportunity to graduate without suspicion of my involvement. So, as I helped with the setup, I discreetly inspected the stage, determining exactly how the trick would be performed."
"You u-used me…" Clover growled, gritting her teeth. "You used me and my brother for your own benefit!"
Kirumi's eyes lowered in shame. "Yes, and I have since come to regret my shameful behavior."
As Clover opened her mouth, Kiki cut her off "I know you're angry, Clover, but we need to hear the rest of Kirumi's story."
As Clover grumbled, Kiki nodded at Kirumi, causing the maid's eyes to shine in gratitude. "After nighttime began, I went to the gym to make the final murder preparations. Specifically, I climbed up to the top of the piranha tank and removed the glass pane covering it. That permitted me to use it as a partition to separate the piranhas from the body."
"Okay, so that's how the pane got removed." Seven commented. "What then?"
"Afterwards, I began to roam the halls in search of a target…which is when I ran into Ryoma."
The tennis player nodded. "We ran into each other on the fourth floor, in front of the storage room. We had a conversation, and after that, I turned around."
"It was then that I saw my chance." Kirumi continued. "I saw a nearby metal rod, and with only a moment of hesitation, I grabbed it, and swung it over Ryoma's head."
Ryoma took off his hat and bowed his head, allowing everyone to see the slightly bloody wound. Directly at the center of his head, his flaming red hair was a darker shade of crimson from being caked in dried blood. "I don't remember anything after that." The tennis player admitted as he placed his cap back on.
"I dropped the rod and picked up Ryoma's unconscious body." Kirumi explained. "I had just stepped out into the hallway when I felt a sudden wave of dizziness and fatigue. I didn't manage more than a few steps before I fainted, collapsing into the hallway."
"You…fainted…?" Kiki asked, her brow furrowing in befuddlement.
"When we both woke up, we realized that we were late for the magic show. We rushed to our rooms to get a spare change of clothes before we went to the gym together. And when we arrived…we were looking at Snake's skeleton."
"Well, that's all we know." Ryoma concluded.
"So wait…" Seven pressed "Snake wasn't part of your plan?"
Kirumi shook her head. "No, he was not. We were just as surprised as you were when we found out that he had been murdered."
"If that is the case, then that means Kirumi cannot be the blackened." Keebo realized.
"Yes, that's right!" Gonta agreed. "Gonta knew Kirumi was innocent!"
"Still…" Teruaki stammered "She just a-admitted she t-tried to commit a m-murder!"
"Yeah, we shouldn't just let that go." Lotus agreed.
"I must concur." Ace admitted. "After all, you didn't tell us this story during the investigation. Why should we believe that this is the truth?"
"I can understand your reasoning." Kirumi conceded. "All I can do now is insist that the account we just gave you is the truth."
"Besides…" Kiki pointed out "What would be the point of lying about planning a murder-"
"Revenge for my brother!"
Clover completely cut off Kiki's counterpoint, forcing the heterochromatic girl to look directly into the pair of angered, burning eyes. Clover, what are you…?
"I can't believe you're defending that witch!" Clover gritted her teeth as she seethed "Why are you protecting my brother's killer?"
"C-Clover…I'm not defending Snake's killer. I'm on your side, Clover, but there's a chance Kirumi might not have done it."
Clover huffed at the hurt girl frowning at her. "If that's what you think, you're even more naive than I thought! I won't let Light's murderer get away! I'll prove to you that she's guilty, and she should die for what she did!"
Rebuttal Showdown -Truth Blade-: Clover vs Kiki!
"Kirumi has to be the culprit!" Clover insisted angrily.
Is she though? Kiki pondered. I'm not so sure about that…
"She lured Ryoma out,"
They ran into each other by accident.
"and then knocked him out!"
We already know this.
"Then when my brother discovered them…"
Did he even see them?
"She decided to drown him instead!"
"But why would Kirumi suddenly switch targets?" Kiki pointed out. "It would have been much easier to just drown Ryoma instead."
"Because!" Clover rebutted. "He had already discovered what Kirumi did!"
Again, we still don't know if Snake truly saw either of them last night. Kiki repressed the urge to sigh in exasperation as Clover continued her argument.
"Kirumi took the metal rod she used to knock out Ryoma…"
The one I found in the Storage Room?
"And struck him cleanly over the head!"
Is that really how it went down though?
"My brother couldn't even fight back!"
Kiki focused on Clover's final assertion as she raised her hand and pointed at the grieving girl. "Let me cut through your words!"
"No, I don't think Snake was defenseless." Kiki shook her head, causing Clover to plant her hands on her hips as she stared skeptically at her fellow survivor.
"Huh? But why not?"
"Because the metal rod was damaged." Kiki explained "When I found the rod, it had a noticeable dent on one of the ends…the end opposite from the one that had blood on it."
"It was…dented…?"
"But wait…" Kirumi interjected, her head cocked in befuddlement. "When I used it on Ryoma…the end I picked up wasn't dented."
"So that side got dented after Ryoma was knocked out?" Tsumugi questioned curiously.
"If that is the case, then it corroborates Kirumi's claim that she fell unconscious after using the improvised weapon on Ryoma." Keebo concluded.
"But what could have dented the metal rod?" Gonta hummed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, there's no way you could damage a hard metal rod without a weapon, unless you're as muscular as Gonta or the elephant over there." Lotus commented, causing Seven to close his eyes and exhale through his nose.
"Actually, Snake had a way of damaging the rod without a weapon."
"W-what?!" Teruaki stammered in shock as he stared with widened eyes at Kiki.
"Then tell us, how was a man as lanky as Snake able to dent a metal weapon, even if it was improvised?" Ace questioned.
The evidence that proves Snake damaged the metal rod… Kiki cycled through her memories of investigating the pool until the vital piece of evidence flashed in her mind. That's the one! "Snake has a prosthetic arm."
"A…prosthetic arm…?" Ryoma asked curiously before Clover's eyes shined in realization.
"That's right; he lost his arm in an accident when we were kids, so the doctors gave him a metal one." Clover's brow furrowed in confusion. "But wait, we couldn't find it in the investigation, could we?"
"Actually…I found it, but it wasn't in the gym…it was in the pool."
"The pool?!"
Kiki nodded. "Yeah, when I found the scratches on the side of the pool, I also found Snake's lost arm at the bottom of the pool."
"Lost arm? You mean…this lost arm?"
Monokuma gleefully pulled out the arm, tossing it at Kiki. As she scrambled to catch it, Clover's eyes narrowed in anger.
"Hey, what were you doing with my brother's arm?!"
Monokuma assured them "Don't worry, I didn't tamper with it. I just kept it for safekeeping until the Class Trial once Kiki found it. I think you'll agree it was a much better solution than Kiki trying to hide it under her clothes."
"W-WHAT?!" Clover shrieked, staring incredulously at the now blushing girl. "You were gonna hide my brother's arm under your clothes?!"
Everyone's eyes turned curiously towards her. Even Shuichi's flickered with curiosity as they waited for an answer.
"G-Gimme a break, I was trying to think of a way to transport it so I could prove my claims at the Class Trial…I had just barely dived down to retrieve it…"
Keebo eventually took pity on her, frowning in sympathy. "Let's…move on, shall we? The important thing is that we have this evidence to consider."
Kiki sighed in relief once everyone's eyes finally broke with her own. "So, if Snake was attacked, he could have dented a weapon like the metal rod with his own metal fist." Ace mused.
"Still…" Tsumugi pursed her lips, staring skeptically at Kirumi. "All we know so far is that Snake was attacked with the metal rod, and he fought back."
"Yeah, there's still nothing that proves it wasn't Kirumi who knocked him out and drowned him." Seven sighed.
"Well…" Lotus muttered. "I guess Kirumi's still our prime suspect."
"I hate to agree with the exhibitionist grandma." Seven muttered "But unless someone can explain how she suddenly lost consciousness in the middle of her crime, I'm more inclined to believe her alibi is an alilie."
Everyone sweatdropped at Seven's out-of-nowhere joke before Clover exclaimed, "Well, there you have it! Kirumi killed my brother! Now let's start the vote!"
"What? Already?" Monokuma asked. "You're suuuuure you've made the right choice? Are you really okay with banking your lives on the decision you've made?"
"We have no viable suspects other than Kirumi." Ace answered with a confident nod. "I see no reason we shouldn't move forward with Voting Time."
"Wait!" Kirumi pleaded, her hands gripping the rim of the podium in a death vice as she began to sweat nervously. "I beg of you, don't make the wrong choice. I'm not the killer, even though I fully intended to become one."
"But…" Tsumugi pointed out reluctantly "…You're the only one who could have done it-"
"We don't know that!" Kiki interjected, causing everyone to stare incredulously at her. "Believe me, I know Kirumi's alibi is wishy-washy, but what about the evidence we've uncovered? What about the dent in the rod? What about the placement of her gloves? Are we really gonna just ignore those clues?!"
Lotus sighed, resting her hand over her forehead and gently squeezing it before she admitted, "…I'll admit, there are some…inconsistencies…but are those really enough to prove Kirumi's innocence?"
"Is the evidence against her really enough to throw out those contradictions?" Kiki countered. "Are we really okay knowing there's a possibility that Kirumi might be innocent? Especially when our lives are on the line?"
"Hey!" Clover stared at Kiki, befuddlement dancing in her eyes. "Why are you so adamant about defending her?"
"BECAUSE I PROMISED KAEDE!"
Everyone was struck silent as Kiki gripped the railing of her podium, holding back her emotional tears. Her voice threatened to crack, and her knuckles nearly turned white from how hard she was squeezing the rails of her podium.
"I promised Kaede that I'd do everything I could to get everyone out of here alive! If I went along and sentenced Kirumi to death without being completely sure, without a shadow of a reasonable doubt in my mind, then not only would I be putting all of our lives in jeopardy, but I'd be disrespecting Kaede's memory! I COULDN'T LIVE WITH MYSELF IF I DID THAT!"
"Kiki…" Kirumi muttered, staring in awe at the heterochromatic, emotional girl.
As Kiki barely restrained herself from breaking into sobs, everyone else looked down, stunned silent by her speech. So taken in were they that none of them noticed the dormant grey eyes that seemed to flicker to life.
"…Alright, let's ask ourselves one more time." Lotus finally sighed. "Does anybody, anybody at all, have any idea as to how Kirumi's alibi that she suddenly lost consciousness can be explained?"
Everyone frowned as one-by-one, they shook their heads. Kiki felt her heart drop as she closed her eyes, a single tear dropping in defeat.
So that's it? We're…all going to vote for Kirumi? I can't believe that's the right answer…but I have no idea how to explain her alibi! I can't do this by myself! I need help! I need-
"…She was drugged."
"Huh?!" Kiki gasped, opening her eyes before she and everyone else turned towards a pair of grey eyes.
They sparked with hesitant determination in their depths, a far cry from the defeated despair that had been pooling within them. No longer were they looking down at the owner's podium. Instead, they stared straight ahead at the others, the lips beneath them forming a reluctant, but powerful expression.
"Shu…Shu…ichi…?"
"It's about time!" Koto and Kiri exclaimed as they watched Shuichi finally raise his head.
"Well, it seems that Shuichi finally found his second wind." Maki observed.
"…Onee-chan must have inspired him." Mokubo concluded with an approving nod.
"But what does drugged mean?" Koto asked.
"…It means she was given something that made her fall asleep." Mokubo explained.
"Oh, that makes sense." Kiri replied.
"As heartwarming as this is to see…we should probably hear what he has to say." Kyoko suggested, though she smiled proudly at her eldest son.
"Yeah, you're right." Makoto agreed as he smiled proudly at his former student. There's the detective I've come to know!
"Wait…she was drugged?!" Seven exclaimed.
"That's correct." Shuichi nodded. "Kirumi lost consciousness because she was exposed to a drug that made her lose consciousness."
"But how would you know that?!" Clover stared skeptically at Shuichi. "You didn't even lift a finger during the investigation!"
Well, that's not entirely true… Kiki corrected in her mind but kept quiet as Shuichi explained, her eyes starting to light up at the fact that he was participating at all.
"Remember just before the trial, and I said that I went to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat?" As the others nodded, he continued "Well, when I was about to throw away my trash, I found this in the trash can."
Shuichi held up a small, white cloth, sealed inside a ziploc bag. "Is that a handkerchief?" Keebo asked.
Shuichi nodded. "That's right, and when I held it up to my face out of curiosity, I felt a sudden wave of drowsiness."
"That sounds suspiciously familiar to how I felt when I lost consciousness." Kirumi observed.
"So, you think the handkerchief knocked out Kirumi?" Gonta asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"But what if it was just used to knock out Snake?" Lotus asked.
"At first I thought that too, but after digging through the trash some more, I found multiple shards of glass in there as well." Shuichi held up another plastic bag filled with several shards of glass. "And being in proximity to these shards gave me a similar reaction as the handkerchief."
"But what does that broken glass prove?" Clover inquired curiously.
"Ah, well, it leads me to reason that both may have been applied with the same kind of chemical."
"O-okay, so they were both d-doused with c-chemicals…" Teruaki stammered. "How does that prove that Ki-Kirumi was d-drugged?"
How do the drugged handkerchief and glass shards prove that Kirumi was drugged? Kiki pondered. Let's see…they weren't both used by Kirumi…the culprit didn't use one on themselves…that's the one! Kiki's eyes widened as she realized "One of them was used to put Kirumi to sleep…the other was used to knock out Snake."
"Hold on a moment." Ace interjected, pointing out "If the culprit used chemicals to knock out Kirumi and Snake, then the Chem Lab should contain signs of use."
"Well, did you check out the Chem Lab, Shuichi?" Seven inquired before Shuichi nodded.
"Yes…I checked, and none of the chemicals in the cabinet showed signs of use."
"So our culprit wasn't some Shou Tucker?" Tsumugi asked, causing Shuichi to sweatdrop.
"I'm, ah, not sure what you're talking about, Tsumugi. Anyway, the chemicals themselves weren't used, but I did see that some of the lab equipment was left out."
"The…lab equipment?!" Ace exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.
"But what would be the point of using equipment from the Chem Lab without any chemicals?" Keebo pondered.
"Well, the culprit didn't need to use pre-prepared chemicals…not when they had a natural alternative to work with."
"What do you mean, a natural alternative?!" Clover exclaimed. "Stop speaking in riddles so I can understand what your point is!"
A natural alternative to chemicals…It's probably not food in the kitchen…I'm guessing it's not chlorine from the pool…that's the one! "You're talking about the plants in the Greenhouse, right Shuichi?"
"Yeah, that's right." Shuichi nodded. "Once I deduced that they used that, I grabbed a book from the Chem Lab and went to the Greenhouse. Next, I made a note of all the plants that had been picked that could be used for medicinal purposes."
"And…what did you find?" Keebo asked curiously.
"All of the plants used were ingredients for one very specific anesthetic…Soporil."
"Soporil?" Kiki asked curiously.
"Yeah, it's an effective sedative, either inhaled at room temperature in its gaseous form, or injected via syringe in its liquid form."
"So…Kirumi was given…Soporil…and was knocked unconscious?" Gonta pondered.
"Yes, and then Snake was knocked out with a second dose before he was taken to the pool and drowned. Well, that's my hypothesis, anyway."
"Hey, Shuichi…" Everyone turned towards Ryoma, who asked, "…Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"
"Agreed." Ace nodded. "You had multiple opportunities to bring this up…so why wait until now?"
"…" Shuichi sighed as he admitted, "…I wasn't lying before, I really didn't intend to participate in this investigation. Even after I found this information out, I still didn't want to use my talents to take any more lives. But…after seeing Kiki fight so hard…so hard to keep her promise to Kaede…I realized something."
"You…you did…?" Kiki breathed in awe as Shuichi nodded, smiling at her with a hint of admiration glowing in his eyes. Shu…Shuichi… Kiki's eyes grew misty, her lips tugging into a touched smile.
"…If I don't do my part to find the culprit…then not only would I be disrespecting Kaede's memory with my cowardice…but my inaction would cost more lives than I'd be saving. It's an awful choice, but I have to use my talents as a detective to save as many lives as possible! I'll do my part to help solve this mystery and find the blackened who killed Snake!"
"Wowee!" Monokuma crowed. "So the professional detective has finally gotten his groove back! But is it too little, too late?"
…Glad to have you back in action, Shuichi! Kiki beamed at her reinvigorated friend, ecstatic that he was finally participating with the rest of them.
"I hate to break up the kumbaya…" Sokyu interjected. "But in case you haven't noticed, we still have to decide whether or not Kirumi's alibi holds up."
"I…I'm not buying it…" As Kiki stared in shock, Clover argued "It seems too convenient. Kirumi happens to get drugged right after she knocks Ryoma out?"
"She's got a point. Besides, there's nobody else who saw this." Lotus agreed.
"So…Shuichi's evidence is…meaningless?" Tsumugi cocked her head in confusion.
"He c-could just be ma-making it up!" Teruaki exclaimed as he pointed at the detective.
"Shuichi would have no reason to lie on my behalf." Kirumi pointed out.
"Yeah, he wasn't a part of any of this." Ryoma vouched.
"Still, he did sit on this critical information for so long…" Ace pointed out.
"Yeah, he's right." Seven reluctantly admitted. "I mean…we haven't seen any of this evidence ourselves. Who's to say he's not fibbing?"
"Shuichi's not lying! And neither is Kirumi!" Kiki exclaimed. "There's no reason to doubt either of them!"
"We must approach this calmly and logically." Keebo advised.
"Calm down, everyone!" Gonta gently interjected in an attempt to settle the tensions between the two forming factions. "Gonta's sure if we discuss our disagreement-"
"I SEE THROUGH YOUR ARGUMENTS!" Startled, everyone turned towards Monokuma, who exclaimed "…Disagreement? What?! A disagreement?! You mean, you're split down the middle again?!"
Oh no… Kiki barely suppressed her groan as she realized what was about to happen.
"Then, Kibou University is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds! Yippee! I've been waiting for this!"
"Geez…" Seven grumbled "Do we gotta do that whole crazy thing again?"
Monokuma ignored him as he took out his key and turned it inside the lock. With a powerful rumble, their podiums began to lift up towards the ceiling, forming a spiral staircase before flying into two parallel lines.
It looks like we're split on Kirumi's guilt…but if we focus on the evidence, everything should become clear. Kiki glanced at Shuichi's whose podium has settled next to hers. Shuichi faced his fears to give us this chance! I can't let his courage go unrewarded! All I have to do is show them and make them accept it. If I can't get them to see the truth now, Shuichi's efforts would have been for nothing… She narrowed her eyes as she vowed …I won't fail.
Debate Scrum Split Opinion: Was Kirumi drugged?
Kirumi wasn't drugged! Clover, Lotus, Ace, Teruaki, Seven, Sokyu, Tsumugi
Kirumi was drugged! Kiki, Shuichi, Kirumi, Ryoma, Gonta, K1-B0
"Did the culprit leave any evidence behind to implicate Kirumi?" Tsumugi pondered.
"The gloves left at the gym seem like they were purposely left to implicate Kirumi." Shuichi answered.
Sokyu's brow furrowed, seemingly unconvinced by the argument. "Is it not possible that she's merely lying about missing her gloves?"
Kirumi barely withheld her exasperation. "If I were the killer, I would not be caught lying about something so obvious."
"She did it!" Clover gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. "You thumped my brother over the head!"
"Snake did not show any signs of head trauma before being devoured." Keebo gently, yet firmly reminded her.
"Who's to say that Kirumi didn't drug Snake unconscious first?" Lotus's brow furrowed suspiciously before Ryoma shook his head.
"If Kirumi went after Snake first, what would be the point of knocking me out?"
"Kirumi made use of Clover's magic show to perform the murder." Ace sighed heavily, only for Kiki to shake her head.
"If her plan to use the magic show had been successful, Ryoma would be the victim, not Snake."
"Why sh-should we b-believe Sh-Shuichi's e-evidence?!" Teruaki pointed at Shuichi, paranoia dancing in his pupils.
"Shuichi has never lied, so Gonta will believe in Shuichi!" Gonta rested his fist over his heart, unwavering in his faith in Shuichi.
"So if Kirumi's telling the truth, then who's the culprit?" Seven bit his lip, his eyes softening as he considered the argument.
Seeing her chance, Kiki pounced, admitting "I don't know who the culprit is…" Her eyes suddenly flared, narrowing in determination as she insisted, "…But I know it isn't Kirumi!"
Both sides slammed their hands on their podiums, glaring at each other as they refused to cede ground. Eventually, Kiki's opponents wavered, their eyes softening just enough for Kiki and her allies to point at them and shatter the argument with four, unified words.
"THIS IS OUR ANSWER!"
"There are too many inconsistencies for Kirumi to be the culprit." Kiki insisted as everyone's podiums returned to their original positions, except for Kirumi's. She listened from her position in the center as Kiki explained, "The dent in her weapon, the change in victims, the careless misplacement of her gloves, all corroborated by the evidence Shuichi uncovered!"
"Plus…" Shuichi volunteered "What would the point in lying be after already confessing to the crime?"
"…Yeah, he's got a point." Seven agreed. "After all, if she isn't the culprit, and we vote for her, then she'll just die along with us."
"So…she's not the culprit?" Clover asked suspiciously.
"Of course I'm not." Kirumi insisted as her podium pulled back to its original position.
She shot Kiki and Shuichi a grateful smile before she turned her attention back to Clover. The maid stared into the girl's grieving eyes, speaking softly and without deception.
"I had no motive against Snake, and I already had a victim in Ryoma. Your brother's death was a completely unnecessary tragedy, and you truly have my deepest sympathies for your loss."
"Well then, who is our culprit?" Lotus wondered.
"I bet Shuichi's already figured it out, right Shuichi?"
Shuichi sweatdropped as Kiki beamed expectantly at him. "Ah…"
"That's right!" Gonta exclaimed. "Shuichi is a professional detective, so he must have the answer!"
"Well, ah…"
"Well then…" Ace inquired with a hint of curiosity. "What's your deduction, then?"
"Yeah!" Clover demanded "Who's the lying crook who killed my brother?!"
"I…" Shuichi tugged nervously at his collar before he admitted, "I…don't actually know."
Kiki nearly fell over in shock, feeling her knees wobble as she gripped the podium for support. "You…you don't know who the culprit is?!"
"W-well…I didn't do most of the investigation on this case…" Shuichi defended with an awkward smile.
"Nyohohohohohoho!" Monokuma laughed, his red eye glowing in amusement. "I can't believe you idiots! Relying on a detective who didn't investigate for the answer! You must be more desperate than a fortune teller in debt to the yakuza!"
"…Ignore him." Lotus sighed.
"And I wasn't done…" Shuichi took a deep breath before he turned towards Kiki, his eyes shining with faith. "I didn't do most of the investigation…but you did, Kiki."
"M-me?!" Kiki began to sweat nervously as Shuichi nodded.
"That's right. You pushed forward and made all these deductions already, without any official training. Kiki…" Shuichi's cheeks flushed pink as he admitted, "…You're as capable as any detective."
"Shu-Shuichi…" Kiki's own cheeks turned rose as Keebo nodded in agreement.
"You've done a fine job leading this investigation so far, and I have no doubt you'll enable us to come to a logical conclusion."
"Hahaha!" Seven laughed. "The little cyborg's right!"
"C-Cyborg?!" Keebo huffed indignantly. "I did not originate as a human, I'll have you know."
"Ignore those two idiots, Kiki." Lotus sighed before she smiled. "You've corrected all our misconceptions so far. I see no reason why you can't solve this case."
"Expose who killed my brother, Kiki!" Clover demanded. "I know you can do it!"
"You…you guys…" Kiki began to tear up, overwhelmed by everyone's faith in her.
"They're right, Kiki." Shuichi tipped his cap. "You have all the pieces you need. You just need to put them together."
Kiki closed her eyes, smiling as she mused, I have all the pieces…everyone's right. It's up to me to figure out who killed Snake. I have to expose the blackened and make sure Snake gets justice. We've come this far, so let's finish it! For Rantaro, Kaede, and Snake… Kiki's eyes opened, flaring with determination and newfound confidence. I promise I'll find the blackened, and get everyone else out of here!
"Well…I wouldn't say she had no training…" Kyoko chuckled with an amused smile on her face.
"That's right." Makoto nodded, beaming proudly at his daughter on the TV screen. "She's just finally tapping into the training she's forgotten."
"Kick their butt, Kiki!" Koto cheered.
"Yeah!" Kiri pumped her fist. "Grab the culprit by the tail!"
"…She still doesn't know who it is, yet." Mokubo pointed out, sweatdropping at his siblings' enthusiasm.
"Well, let's see if she can expose them." Maki gestured to the TV. "It looks like the debate's about to continue."
…You can do this, Kiki… They all thought as they focused on the TV screen, confident that the young woman would rise to the challenge.