CHAPTER 4: NEVER FALTER, NEVER HINDER, NEVER GIVE UP
DEADLY LIFE
As if on cue, everyone else walked in.
The detective was still in shock at Eunji walking in, so she was still in her kneeling position.
But more importantly...
"H-Hirokazu...?" Kaori said. "N-NOOOO!"
The dancer fell to her knees, tears already forming as she looks at her fallen lover.
"Oh, come on, what the fuck?" Naomori said.
"So, it was for real, huh?" Takashi said. "Someone's killed again..."
"How could this possibly be?" Youngjae asked.
"Oh Missus Detective, you better have a good explanation for this." The actress said.
"What, are you accusing ME of killing him?" The detective snarled.
"Look, can we not start accusing each other already?" Yeeun said. "For fuck's sake we're not even in the class trial room yet..."
This definitely does look bad, though...
Miyumi, right in front of the corpse...
Then, Monokuma appeared.
"Well, well, looks like Hirokazu's dead!" Monokuma said.
"S-SHUT UP!" Kaori yelled.
"Mmm... bummer it wasn't Izumi though..." The bear said. "Looks like you kiddos will have to face another class trial! Which means I'll get to kill another one of you myself!"
"Oh, fuck off." Eunji said. "Just give us your monokuma file so we can get investigating already."
"Jeez, Eunji, could you be even more excited to investigate this dead body?" Seungyeon said.
Seungyeon...
"It's the Monokuma File!" Monokuma said. "A nighttime investigation, how exciting!"
The bear gives out the 9 files, and then disappeares.
Fuck...
I literally just saw Hirokazu like, two hours ago.
He was still alive and happily chatting away with Kaori.
How could this have happened?
Don't worry, Hirokazu, we'll find your killer and bring them to justice.
"It's about that time." Miyumi said. "Kaori...?"
The dancer sniffled, wiping a tear away. "I'm okay... I want to make sure the bastard who killed him gets what they deserve. He'd want that."
Kaori...
In the distance, Seungyeon raised an eyebrow. Eunji quickly caught this.
Huh?
What's with that reaction?
I'll have to ask her later...
"Alright... it's time for the investigation." Miyumi said. "Ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." Eunji replied.
-INVESTIGATION START!-
"Let's start with the Monokuma File." Eunji said.
…
MONOKUMA FILE #4
Hirokazu Tsukuda: Ultimate Astrologist
DEAD
The victim is Hirokazu Tsukuda, the Ultimate Astrologist.
He was found in the library in the fourth floor, surrounded by unknown liquid.
…
"What, that's it?" Eunji asked. "Gee, thanks for the help, bear!"
"It's clear that there's more to that meets the eye to this case." Miyumi said. "I'll investigate the body. I'll probably be able to estimate the time of death and cause of death then."
I suppose so...
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – MONOKUMA FILE #4
"So, now you have to investigate the body..." Eunji said. "I don't think you'll want to see this, Kaori."
"No, it's fine." Kaori said. "Everyone's here, anyways..."
"Yeah, not like we can go anywhere else, hah." Naomori scratches the back of his head.
"So..." Miyumi said. "There's this mysterious liquid substance surrounding him."
"Yeah, I thought that was weird." Eunji replied.
"Hmm..." Seungyeon looks around the library. "Oh! I found this like, smashed mug."
"Okay...?" The idol said.
The detective continued investigating Hirokazu's body.
"He couldn't have been dead for more than... hmm... 2 hours, I think." Miyumi said. "His body still feels and looks relatively fresh. He must have died at 11 PM-ish."
"Fuck me." Eunji said.
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – MIYUMI'S ESTIMATION TIME
"So once again, a murder that we could have stopped..." Naomori said. "Ugh, maybe Kazuhiko did have a point about that student council."
"No way, we would have just up and killed each other!" Izumi remarked.
The detective sees some liquid on Hirokazu's mouth.
"Huh..." Miyumi said. She then looks at the liquid on the floor, and dips her finger in it. She takes a quick whiff. "Ugh... that's poison."
"WHAT?" Kaori said. "H-He got poisoned? Oh god... Hirokazu..."
The detective rubs the poison on a handkerchief she pulled out. "The smell of the poison on the floor and the smell of the liquid on his mouth definitely matches. That's his cause of death."
So... Hirokazu died from poisoning...
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – HIROKAZU'S CAUSE OF DEATH
"So then... that smashed mug Seungyeon found..." Eunji said.
"That must be where this liquid came from." Miyumi said. "That's important. Keep note."
Already on it.
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – SMASHED MUG
"Kaori, do you happen to know what Hirokazu could have drinking that could lead to this?" Eunji asked.
"Well, um... he used to love drinking tea. It was his favorite thing." The dancer replied.
Mostly everyone had already split off, investigating other areas.
"Hmm..." Eunji said.
"W-What?" Kaori asked.
"Well, it's just... I didn't know about his tea drinking habits. Who else did?"
"I think you're the only one who didn't." Kaori said. "He would ask every morning and every afternoon for Youngjae to brew him some tea. Everyone would watch as Youngjae gave it to him."
"Is that so?" The detective replied.
"I-I don't think Youngjae poisoned the tea..." The dancer replied.
"Well, we'll just have to ask him." Eunji said.
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – KAORI'S ACCOUNT
"I don't think there's anything else to investigate here." Miyumi said. "What I want to know, is where that poison came from."
"It could have been from the chemical lab, right?" Eunji asked.
"That's a good bet." The detective said. "Um, Kaori... I'm really sorry for your loss."
"I'll cry for him later..." Kaori said. "He would want me to stay strong and find his killer."
"Right." Eunji said.
Miyumi and I then made our way to the chemistry lab.
…
The two entered the chemistry lab, just to see it's still normal.
"Huh." Eunji said. "The poison must have come from here, right?"
"I'll check all the vials." The detective said.
While the detective searched, the babysitter entered the chemistry lab.
"Oh, hello, didn't know you two came in here." Youngjae said. "I'll just head on out-"
"Nope." Eunji said, grabbing his shoulder. "I have some questions for you."
"I knew it." Youngjae said. "Kaori told you that I make his tea, right?"
"Yeah. Every morning, and afternoon." The idol said. "As much as I don't like it, this does make you suspect number one."
"Look..." Youngjae said. "When I make tea, it's piping hot, right? So, Hirokazu usually leaves it out, lets it cool down. Sometimes he forgets about his tea, and the next thing you know it's already night time and it's more than cool. That's plenty of time for someone to mess with his tea."
He is right...
Leaving your tea out unattended like that is pretty stupid, but...
That definitely is what a future killer would want.
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – YOUNGJAE'S ACCOUNT
So...
Hirokazu drinks tea, and someone must have poisoned it.
It feels like that's all there is it to it... but I also feel like something is up...
The detective then returns.
"Hey, babe, did you find anything?" Eunji asked.
"Um... babe...?" Miyumi said. "This is a bad time to be calling me pet names, you know?"
"R-Right... sorry."
Stupid me...
"And that's the thing. I didn't find anything." Miyumi replied.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Eunji asked.
"It means that none of the poison vials have been tampered with." Miyumi said. "Each and every one of them have the same amount. It doesn't make sense. Where else could the poison have come from?"
Huh...
I know something was up...!
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – CHEMISTRY LAB POISON INTACT
"Huh..." Eunji fell silent. "You know something... and this might be a bit crazy, but..."
"What is it?" Miyumi asked.
"Naomori's lab has a bunch of stuff that he can use to make anything, really." Eunji said. "You don't think he could have made poison?"
"Well... I guess there's only one way to find out." Miyumi said.
…
The two made their way inside Naomori's lab, in which the herbalist was there, moving his shelves around. Obviously hiding something.
"AHEM." Eunji said.
"Shit..." Naomori said. "H-Hey, you guys..."
"So... what were you doing, hm?" Miyumi asked.
"Ah.. you know, nothing..." Naomori said. "J-Just cleaning up some stuff."
"Dude, you're making it SO obvious." Eunji remarked.
"Now, now, Eunji." Miyumi replied. "He could just have a valid reason."
"Huh?" Eunji said.
The detective gave her a wink. "Well... if you're not doing anything important, then I guess we should just depart."
"Y-Yeah, that'd be a great idea!" Naomori said. "Bye!"
Well... we just left...
…
"Miyumi, what the hell?" Eunji asked. "Why did you-"
"I saw what he was hiding and where he was placing it." Miyumi said. "Once he leaves the lab, we can go back in there by ourselves and see for ourselves."
Of course...!
Miyumi, the trusty Ultimate Detective!
"His suspicious behavior is definitely something to keep in mind." Miyumi replied.
Read my mind!
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – NAOMORI'S SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR
"Well... if we can't check out Naomori's lab, what else can we do?" Eunji asked.
"Ask around a bit more. Others have to have some idea why someone would kill Hirokazu." Miyumi asked. "I'll stay here and wait for him to leave. I'll come to you with my findings afterwards."
"Okay..." Eunji replied.
With that, I made my way downstairs.
…
I approached Takashi, who was in the nurse's office. He must have known something.
"Hey there." Eunji said. "So um... I have a question for you, Takashi."
"Yeah?" Takashi asked.
"You said you were keeping an eye on Naomori, right?"
"I was, why?"
"Well.. he was acting pretty suspiciously when Miyumi and I found him earlier. Was there a moment when you didn't have him in your sight...?"
"Um... now that I think of it, I had to go the bathroom." Takashi said. "I tried to have Naomori go with me but he told me he would just wait outside."
"Huh... interesting..." Eunji said. "And what time was this, give or take?"
"I went in at 10:40, maybe? Left at 10:45." Takashi said. "Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing..."
5 minutes... that's definitely enough time for Naomori to run to his lab and get... something...
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – TAKASHI'S ACCOUNT
A lot of this seems to be adding up to Naomori...
But is it really that simple?
Or is there something else going on...?
Eunji went to the dorms, and saw Seungyeon in the hall.
"Seungyeon." Eunji said. "Do you have anything useful to tell me?"
"Well.. what classifies as useful...?" Seungyeon said. "Hey... you don't think..."
"What?"
"Do you recall when the library door was locked? What time it was...?"
It was...
About 11 PM!
"You mean...?"
"When the door was locked, the culprit was probably watching as Hirokazu died from the poison." Seungyeon said. "Pretty fucked up, huh?"
She's right...
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – LOCKED LIBRARY DOOR
"Seungyeon, didn't you stick around the fourth floor?" Eunji asked. "Didn't you see who the killer was?"
"Ah.. no... sorry." Seungyeon sighed. "I went inside the chemistry lab to look at the chemicals and stuff."
"Huh... hold on." Eunji said. "Did you notice anything was up, like a poison vial being missing or something?"
"Now that I think of it... I think there was something missing." Seungyeon replied. "Not sure if it was poison, though."
So... the poison used must have been from the chemistry lab...
But if that's the case, then why was Naomori trying to cover up his lab...?
Something doesn't add up...
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – SEUNGYEON'S ACCOUNT
"You definitely gave me a lot of useful info, thanks, Seungyeon." Eunji said.
"Oh, really? I didn't realize I was a huge help." The actress said. "But don't forget, the show hasn't started yet~"
Seungyeon then leaves.
Huh...?
What is she talking about...?
Anyways... I should go find Izumi and Yeeun.
They're the only ones I haven't heard from yet.
…
I went inside the lab building, and then quickly went to Izumi's lab.
I found her and Yeeun talking about something.
"Hey there." Eunji said. "So, uh, Izumi... do you happen to know anything?"
"11 pm..." Yeeun said.
"No, I don't believe I know anything of any importance." Izumi said. "Although, there is something that's bothering me."
"What is it?" Eunji asked.
"Do you recall in the regulations? It states that the body announcement discovery only rings if 3 or more people found the body." The hacker said.
...That's right!
"So, what's weird to me, is that the body discovery announcement rang after Miyumi found the body." Izumi said. "Which means two more people had to have found it, and didn't say anything."
Wow... shit...
That totally changes everything, doesn't it?
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – SCHOOL REGULATIONS
But then...
Seungyeon...
She was in the fourth floor...
Is it possible that Seungyeon could have found the body?
But why wouldn't she tell us...
"Izumi, how good is your access to the systems? Can you like, see in the cameras and whatnot?" Eunji asked.
"No." Izumi replied. "The only cameras I can access are the cameras in this lab, and that's to prevent Monokuma from seeing what I'm doing."
"Shit..." Eunji said. "Is there anyway for you to know who could have found Hirokazu's body ahead of time?"
"Sorry, but no." Izumi sighed. "I've only been accessing their files. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Damn..." Eunji said.
Seems like we're starting to run low on evidence...
What exactly is happening here?
…
Eunji went back to the main building, and there she found Miyumi.
"Oh, hey, Miyumi." Eunji said. "What did you find?"
"Well, Naomori was definitely right to hide something." Miyumi said, taking out a little bag. "This right here? That's poison."
"From Naomori's lab?"
"Correct."
So...
Two poisons...?
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – POISON IN NAOMORI'S LAB
"Well, Miyumi, I do have some questions." Eunji said. "You went up there, right?"
"Yeah." Miyumi said.
"What exactly led to you finding Hirokazu's body?"
"Oh... I was up in my lab, getting books, then suddenly I heard a door slam, and loud footsteps running across the hall." Miyumi said. "So, I went to investigate it. There, I could see the library door was still open, presumably from the it being slammed. That's when I found Hirokazu's body."
I see...
So, either the culprit or another innocent found the body and quickly ran out...
Leaving Miyumi to find it.
"I'm gonna be honest, I feel a little unsatisfied with my investigation on the library." Miyumi replied. "I feel like we missed something."
"You think so?" Eunji asked.
"Yeah... let's go back up there."
With that, Miyumi and I headed back upstairs.
…
We arrived back in the library, and Hirokazu was still there... still dead.
"What exactly did you miss?" Eunji asked.
"There's something that bothers me." Miyumi said. "So, Hirokazu was poisoned, correct?"
"Yeah."
"So, that mug is smashed over there, that must be the poisoned tea. There's liquid all around Hirokazu, and his mouth still had some poison left.
"Makes sense."
"So... my assumption is that he didn't know he drank poison, and when he felt himself start to die, he panicked."
"Okay...?"
"Don't you think that's odd? The library is way too clean for someone who was gonna die. He would probably freaked out, starting grabbing at things, or trying to run out. Something, you know?"
"Apparently, he wasn't alone."
"Uhuh... that doesn't change anything, though. As a matter of fact, that makes it even more strange. If the culprit was there to watch him die, why isn't the library a mess? No fighting, no struggles? Hirokazu didn't even try to grab onto something?"
Miyumi's making a lot of sense...
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – LIBRARY TOO CLEAN
"Is there anything else?" Eunji asked.
"If we're running off the assumption that Hirokazu was poisoned by the culprit... then..." Miyumi went quiet. "How could he have possibly known to go here? There is no letter or anything of the sort on his body."
"So you think he was ask by the culprit in person?" The idol said.
"Something like that." The detective replied.
Makes sense...
TRUTH BULLET ADDED – IN PERSON INVITATION
DING DONG BING BONG!
"Ahem! Investigation time is now OVER!" Monokuma announced. "It is now time for the class trial! Everyone! Please head to the red door!"
"Well... I guess that's it, then." Eunji sighed. "We're doing it again..."
…
Once again, all of us returned to the elevator lobby.
"Certainly feeling more empty..." Kaori said sadly.
"Yeah..." Eunji sighed.
"C'mon kiddos, into the elevator!" Monokuma remarked.
With that, we all stepped into the elevator.
Fourth murder...
Fourth trial...
I've been sitting out for too long.
I've had Yeeun do this for me...
But...
I have to face the truth, and accept it.
I have to expose it.
For all those who died.
For Ayaka...
I'll be strong enough this time.
I'll be strong enough to save everyone!
Miyumi reached for Eunji's hand, their fingers intertwining.
"Hey." Miyumi said. "My dear... don't worry, we'll be okay."
"Yes... we will." Eunji replied.
Yes...
We will...
…
And the elevator reached it's stop.
We were back in this dreaded room.
This futuristic class trial room graced my sights again for the third – well, for everyone else, their fourth – time.
"Here we go again..." Takashi sighed.
"Take your places, kids!" Monokuma said. "It's time to begin the class trial!"
…
And then we all took our spots in the 16 different podiums.
Hirokazu... I don't know why someone would kill you...
Eunji, Reika, Naomori, Takashi, Jutaro, and Youngjae's pictures showed up.
You were such a friendly and loving guy...
Ayaka, Yeeun, Hirokazu, Masahito, Izumi's pictures showed up.
But I'll avenge you, don't you worry.
Kazuhiko, Kaori, Miyumi, Ichiro, and Seungyeon's pictures showed last.
The killer who murdered you will be brought to justice.
Four times already.
Four times playing this horrible game...
This horrible life or death game..
But I'm not afraid, not anymore.
I'll do whatever it takes, I'll face this life or death... class trial.
Chapter 4: Never Falter, Never Hinder, Never Give Up: CLASS TRIAL
Hirokazu has been killed. The kindest and most friendly guy has been killed. But Eunji will no longer have fear. No matter how cruel this truth will be, she will find it. And she will bring the culprit to justice.
TRUTH BULLETS
Monokuma File #4: The victim is Hirokazu Tsukuda, the Ultimate Astrologist. He was found in the library in the fourth floor, surrounded by unknown liquid.
Miyumi's Estimation Time: Miyumi estimates that Hirokazu must have died at 11 PM-ish.
Hirokazu's Cause of Death: According to Miyumi, Hirokazu drank poison, which is what killed him.
Smashed Mug: Smashed mug on the floor containing the poisonous liquid that Hirokazu drank.
Kaori's Account: According to Kaori, Hirokazu was a avid tea drinker. He would request Youngjae to make him tea every morning.
Youngjae's Account: According to Youngjae, Hirokazu leaves his tea out to cool down for a bit before he drinks it.
Chemistry Lab Poison Intact: According to Miyumi, none of the poison vials in the chemistry lab have been used.
Naomori's Suspicious Behavior: Naomori acting suspiciously and wouldn't let Eunji and Miyumi investigate his lab
Takashi's Account: According to Takashi, there was a 5 minute period where Naomori wasn't in his sight.
Locked Library Door: At around the time Hirokazu died, the library door was locked.
Seungyeon's Account: According to Seungyeon, there was a missing poison vial in the chemistry lab when she went in at 11 PM-ish.
School Regulations: The school regulations state that the body disovery announcement only plays when 3 of more people find the body. This means that two others found it before Miyumi did.
Poison in Naomori's Lab: Miyumi did in fact find poison in Naomori's lab.
Miyumi's Account: Miyumi heard someone in the fourth floor, which is what led to her discovering Hirokazu's corpse in the library.
Library Too Clean: According to Miyumi, the library is way too clean for Hirokazu to have been unknowingly poisoned.
In Person Invitation: Hirokazu had to have been asked to meet the culprit by the culprit themselves in person.
