It's not real.
But it is. Ainosuke's corpse is lying just a few meters from me. Despite that, it just feels unreal to see it belong to the guy who was alive and well just a day ago. It feels more like a hyper realistic 3D model and for a moment, I'm inclined to move my hand to the off-button on my computer.
But Hanako's cries pulls me back into reality. Ainosuke is dead. And there is no reload option.
BING BANG BING BONG
"Ahum! A body has been discovered! Please make your way to the back of the school. Immediately."
What the fuck was that?
"Holy shit! Is someone dead down there!?"
I direct my head to the source of the shout and look up. Homura is leaning over the railing, Yoru trying to hold her back.
"Is that fucking blood!?" She continues to scream. A part of me wants to shout back, but I've lost my voice. Homura leans back and turns her head, presumably to talk to Mizuki. Then she disappears.
At this point, Hanako is reduced to a wailing mess. I am frozen in place however and cannot help her. I hear footsteps behind me as more people stumble upon the scene.
"Jesus fuck…" Tomoe mumbles at the sight. Kikoi buries her head in her hands but doesn't say a word. Masato looks torn between keeping watch over Toshiya's body and going up to his friend.
Eventually, more people approach. Noriko practically shoves Kikoi out of the way. Yuyami tries to do the same with Tomoe, but horribly fails to move the bigger and more muscular guy.
"The announcement?" Noriko demands, but I can't do anything other than to step aside. Ekorin quickly covers her eyes while Noriko slaps her hand for her mouth. I can hear her mutter a soft 'why' into her hand.
"Huh. Hoped he would last a bit longer. Oh well."
Rea's casual mannerisms feel too alien to be real, but I know all too well that this is in-character for her.
We're all too busy being in shock to mind her. It doesn't take long for the next two, Isamu and Shinri, to arrive. Shinri takes one look at the body before going green and diving around the corner. Isamu on the other hand pales until he is white.
"What…WHAT THE FUCK!" Tomoe suddenly screams as he runs over to the body. Monokuma's sudden appearance makes him stop in his tracks, however.
"Hey, hey, hey! You can't just approach the body like that! You need to be careful, otherwise you'll disturb the body and miss out on a bunch of clues."
"Why the fuck should I care about that!? One of us just died!" He snarls at the bear.
"Upupu…because it could be the deciding factor in whether you live or die."
"I…what?" Isamu mutters, eyes wide.
Right at that moment, the last three students approach the scene. Yoru immediately tears up at the sight. "Two people…"
Masato shakes his head. "No, Toshiya is alive. Unconscious, but alive. He must have passed out or something."
"That doesn't take away the fact that Ainosuke has been killed. Worse, killed at the hand of one of the people here." Mizuki says as she grabs the hem of her dress.
Homura balls her fists. "Who's to say Monokuma didn't kill him himself?"
And for some reason, that is the thing that jumpstarts my speech back to life. "No, that can't be. Monokuma told me himself that since he is the headmaster and not a participant, he won't hurt anyone who hasn't broken a rule."
"Yup, yup! And since match fixer here played by the rules, I'm not allowed to punish him. Thus, that means one of you has decided to play the game!"
"One of us…killed him?" Ekorin's horror perfectly matches that of the rest of us.
Isamu takes a deep breath and steps forward. "If the killer has played by the rules, then that must mean they are allowed to escape this facility, right?"
Monokuma starts chuckling. Then his chuckles turn into laughter. His laugh stuns, confuses and terrifies us all at the same time. This is no laughter of someone who thinks this is funny. This is the laugh of a predator, knowing its prey cannot escape.
"If it were this easy, this courtyard would be filled with bodies! I didn't mention that the murder must be carried out in secret for nothing. Of course, to find out whether this crime was pulled off perfectly, we need to do a bit of testing…" He chuckles.
"Testing?" Rea asks with obvious interest.
The bear is almost shaking with excitement. "Aah, this is my favorite part! Back on topic, to test the skills of both the blackened and the innocent, I've have created the Class Trials!"
"Class…Trials?" Noriko shakily asks.
"Yes, allow me to explain the rules of the Class Trial!"
He pulls out an E-Book out of seemingly nowhere and presents a simple animation of three figures finding a body.
"When three or more innocent people find a body, the Body Discovery Announcement will play to alert everyone in the facility. After the Announcement has played, you will be given a certain amount of time to investigate the body, the crime scene and everything else that may or may not look suspicious."
The picture switches to what looks like a trial room, with figures facing each other. "Once time's up, the living students all round up in the Class Trial and debate on who became the blackened. And the decision is made with a majority vote."
"S-so, like some sort of Ace Attorney game?" Shinri manages to get out from behind the corner.
"Hey, hey! Don't compare that loony law game to this!"
Mizuki cuts him off before he can rant further. "I can assume the 'blackened' means the murderer, correct?"
"Murderer, killer, blackened, it's all the same thing." Monokuma waves it off. "You better make triple sure you vote for the right guy though. If you are correct, the blackened will be punished and the rest of you get to continue living life peacefully in the facility."
One of the figures on the screen has devil horns, while the others have halos.
"However, if you happened to make the wrong choice…that means the blackened successfully pulled off their crime! The rest will be punished for their failure while the blackened gains the right to graduate and as a reward, be granted free access to the outside world!"
Punishment…there must be more than that.
My voice is still a little shaky, but my stance is firm, to my own surprise. "And what kind of punishment will we get?"
His grin is too wide for my liking. "Well, the most fitting punishment for a murder would be…execution."
The words drop like a bombshell. Most of the girls and even some guys let out a yell or scream of horror. I can't bring out a single word anymore. The despair is clawing through my insides, leaving nothing more but fear and terror.
"You don't mean…this can't be!" Yoru cries out. "We'll get killed if we don't catch…?"
"Upupu, as you can see, the stakes are high. Catch the killer or get killed! Pull off the perfect crime or perish! Aah, the tension, the despair…such bliss…"
My head is swarming with thoughts, overflowing until I can't even process what everyone is saying anymore. Their shouts, their cries, they all mesh together in one huge pile of white noise. I don't even know I'm still standing up or not.
If we don't find out who killed Ainosuke, we'll all die.
And honestly, that's the part that scares me the most. Even more than the fact Ainosuke is murdered. Even more than the fact one of us did it. Our lives are hanging on a small tread and if we want to survive, we've got to fight for it.
Strangely enough, Kumachrome's sudden appearance is what startles me out of my trance. He doesn't say a word but instead walks over to his brother.
"File's ready."
"What file?" Isamu asks. Monokuma nods to his brother before answering him.
"To make things a little fairer for you junior detectives, I've created a file to help you start on your investigation. I call it: The Monokuma File!"
"So." Rea says, and it's the most serious I've heard her. "We really have to solve this case ourselves, with minimal help. And if we happen to get it wrong, we die."
"Correct! Aren't you a smart cookie?" Monokuma coos at her. And right then, her frown warps into a wicked, yet terrifying smile.
"I love it. When can I start?"
"Rea!" Noriko calls out weakly.
"Actually, you can start right away! Find as much evidence as possible until I get bored and end the time limit. So, go, go! See you all soon!" Monokuma disappears after those words and Kumachrome doesn't stick around either.
It quiet for a moment, until Rea casually strolls to the body. "Hm, now where should I start? There is so much to do, so little time…"
"How…how can you be so casual about this?" Kikoi asks, tears dripping from her face.
Rea merely looks over her shoulder. "I don't really care about life and death and all of that. And it's the most fun I've had for a while. Grab the opportunity when it presents itself, you know?"
Hanako grits her teeth. "Is this little more than a game to you?"
The strategist only places a mocking finger to her chin. "Why yes, I guess you can call it that. A fun, fun game."
One moment, Hanako is by my side, glaring at her with the most hate she can produce. The next, she has her by the throat, growling out words I can't understand. I can't see Rea's face, but judging by the fact her body isn't wrestling against it, I somehow can't help but think that even now, she is calm.
"You. Fucking. Bitch!" Hanako screams as she draws her fist back to punch her.
She never gets that far. Tomoe is holding onto her wrist. If it weren't for the fact he is just as pale as any of us, I'd have thought of him as being too calm as well.
"Hurting her isn't going to do jack shit. Everyone fucking hates her guts, I know. But this isn't going to work."
She shoots a glare at him. "Funny how that's coming from the guy who almost got himself killed attacking Monokuma."
He doesn't falter under her glare. "At least I try to fucking learn from my goddamn mistakes."
Noriko quickly snaps out of her daze and walks up to her. "I know you're upset. We all are. Everyone is disturbed, scared, sad…but right now, we have a job to do. We need to make sure we survive. And to do that, we need to focus…and do what Monokuma says."
Even though Hanako still has tears of anger in her eyes, she lowers her head and releases her grip on Rea, who wisely steps back.
"Hmm, I get the feeling you guys don't like me that much. Eh, I guess I'll just investigate elsewhere. See you all at the trial!"
She skips away, and I have to restrain myself from running up to her and making the same mistake as Hanako. I take a deep breath to clear my head and speak.
"Alright. Our lives are on the line, so we should start investigating. The sooner we do this, the sooner we get out of this mess."
Noriko gives me a quick nod. "Well spoken."
Isamu crosses his arms as he steps forward. "Before we do that, two or three people should stay on watch, to make sure our killer doesn't tamper with the crime scene. I say Tomoe and Hanako do it. You two are among the most athletic, so you should be able to catch anyone who comes too close."
Tomoe nods, but Hanako starts pouting. "What? No way! I want to investigate too! I'm smart enough to do that!"
He returns her glare with an even icier one. "Somehow, I highly doubt that."
"Want to run that by me again!?"
Yuyami laughs and quickly comes between the two of them. "Yo, I don't think fighting's a good idea now. Let me watch over him instead, kay?"
At least Isamu seems to be willing to allow that. He gives a quick nod and then walks off.
"Hey." Masato draws our attention. "What do with do with Toshiya? I don't think he's going to wake up like this."
Suddenly, I remember something crucial. Wait, didn't Toshiya say he had a phobia of blood?
"Get him away from the body. I bet he'll wake up eventually." I tell him. He looks somewhat uncertain, but then he starts dragging him away.
The group, or, what's left of it, starts to leave one by one, eventually leaving me alone with the body and it's two guards.
I don't want to do this. But…I don't want to bet my life on the skills of others. And if that's the case, I have no choice by to take matters into my own hands.
INVESTIGATION START
The first thing to do is to probably check the file Monokuma send us. I boot up my E-Book and almost immediately see a brief examination of the body.
"The victim is Ainosuke Nakamura: The Ultimate Matchmaker.
The body was found behind the main building.
Time of death is estimated to be around 0:15.
Cause of death is a wound to the victim back, penetrating the lung. The victim died almost instantly.
Additionally, the body has other wounds: a second wound to the back, multiple signs of fractions of the spine, neck and back of the skull and severe bruising on the right arm."
At least this is a good start. I wonder what could have caused all these injuries…
New bullet: Monokuma File #1
Next up is—and I shudder by the sheer thought—investigating the body. I take a few deep, slow, steady breaths to calm myself and approach him. Tomoe leans towards me to make sure I don't take anything away from the crime scene.
He feels cold to the touch.
I draw back my head. This feels wrong. This is wrong. But…I must do it.
Then, I notice something is in his pocket. Careful not to tip him over, I gently reach for it. My fingers close around something long and thin. When I take it out, I see it's a…sparkly pink glitter pen.
Wha- what the fuck was he doing with something like that?
I almost want to pocket it for later investigation, but Tomoe makes a huffing, alarming sound and I remember that he is here to make sure we don't take anything away from the crime scene.
If I don't take it though, I'll probably forget about it…wait, the camera function!
Placing the pen on his pants, I take out my E-Book and snap a picture of it. That's better. But what could he have been doing with something like this?
New bullet: Glitter pen
The File says he was stabbed through the lung. Yikes. I wonder what could have caused that?
Taking a deep breath, I lean over Ainosuke and carefully take a look at his back. The sight that greets me is gruesome enough to make me recoil. Not one, but two wooden stakes are lodged in his back.
Ew, ew, ew! Gross! Ugh…at least I have a good idea of what the murder weapon is…
New bullet: Wooden stakes
…I decide it's better to leave the body alone now. It's better for my stomach.
As I carefully place the body back in its original position, my eyes catch something shiny in the grass next to him. I bent over and pick up a few tiny glass shards. I can't help but wonder what it could have come from, but I know for sure they're here for a reason.
New bullet: Glass shards
Careful not to get caught, I take one of the shards with me, just in case they can't be seen on camera. I want to get up and search somewhere else, but then I spot a small piece of black plastic on the ground. I carefully pick it up. Looks sturdy. Could it be related to the glass?
New bullet: Piece of black plastic
My joints crack as I stand up and stretch. I'm about to look somewhere else when I notice something strange. Ainosuke isn't leaning against the wall. There is a window sandwiched between him and the wall.
Wait, is that the broken window from the classroom? Looks like I'll need to investigate that place.
New bullet: Classroom window
It appears that I'm done here. Satisfied with what I found, I wave to the two guards and make my way to the main building. On my way, I see Shinri standing near the door.
"Hey."
The response is immediate. He jumps a meter into the air and nearly trips over his own feet until he sees it's just me.
"Jeez, what is it with you and scaring me?" He snarls, and I can't help but roll my eyes.
"Yes, because I'm totally at fault for you being jumpy."
"In case you didn't know, there is a murderer on the loose. I have reason enough to be on guard."
"…Do you really think the killer would strike again?" I ask, sincerer. He stays silent for a while, but then sighs loudly.
"I don't know. Honestly, all of this…it's a mess. Before, I could rely on knowledge from years of research. But I'm drawing a blank here. There is no doubt someone here killed him, but we don't have enough info yet to pinpoint them. I don't know what to do in this situation. It's like…walking without glasses to me. Everything is blurry, it's hard to focus and it's making me dizzy. It's…insane."
I awkwardly rub my arm. "Yeah…everything…it's so wrong."
He rubs his neck. "Sorry, didn't mean to bring you down so much. I mean, despite everything, we still got to do everything we can do to stay alive. We couldn't save him, and we can't save his killer…but we can still save ourselves."
His words somehow manage to hit a string and I smile at him. "Nicely said. You could become a poet."
He grins weakly. "Years of practice with scriptwriting gives you a way with words."
"Then, I guess I'm off to find evidence. See you at this 'trial' I guess."
He waves me off and I walk into the building. I immediately head for the classroom window. I'm not alone there though. Homura and Isamu are standing next by the broken window. Guess they had the same idea as me.
"Hey guys. Noticed the window too?" I ask.
Homura turns and nods at me. "Yup. It's really weird. Come take a look."
She steps aside, and I go to stand in her spot. As I look outside, I notice something I should have noticed before.
"How come the ropes of the window are so long?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. Homura laughs nervously. "I was kinda hoping you could tell me. The ropes are far too long. Bet they could reach the roof. But why?"
Isamu snorts. "Obviously, someone replaced them. And probably for a good reason."
New bullet: Ropes
Before I can avert my eyes, they already find the wounds I was looking at earlier and I cringe. However, now that I have a different view of it, I realize there seems to be some sort of white substance on the end of the stakes. And as I look further, the same substance seems to be on the window too.
Strange. What could it be?
Bullet updated: Wooden stakes
Isamu leans back and looks at Homura. "Tell us about the glass."
She rolls her eyes but complies. "Sure. From what I can see, the glass of the window is cracked. Normally, that would be normal, since it fell down and hit the wall, except this glass is a special kind. One that doesn't break easily. Whatever happened to it, it must have been rough. Happy?"
New bullet: Homura's account
"Got a good view from here?" Yuyami teases. Tomoe leans in and dope slaps him. "Don't joke about this. And don't get distracted."
…I've seen enough. I walk out of the classroom. As I pass the cafeteria, I see Noriko sitting on a table in a yoga-pose, taking deep breaths. When I walk up to her, she snaps out of it and quickly slides off the table in a smooth move.
"Hey Yurika! What can I do for you?"
Might as well ask her a few questions.
"Did anything weird happen last night?" I ask her. She looks away. "Oh, so you are deeply investigating too…"
I'm probably far from the first person to ask her that question.
Before I can do or say anything though, she starts talking.
"Not really. I was really tired when the night finally ended, and so was everyone else. I don't think I've noticed a lot of weird things and I haven't got any strange rapports from the others, save for Masato catching Yuyami trying to sneak in. According to him, the guy just wanted a snack."
"I thought the cafeteria is closed at night-time."
"It is, but Yuyami says he wasn't paying attention to that in the first place. He went back to his room after that though, Masato said he made sure of it. We had a briefing around 11.00 pm and 2.00 am. Everyone showed up around 11.00, but half the group was missing around 2.00. There was some time during the night, around midnight or so, when we heard a loud noise near the school building, but Masato said he just happened to knock over something. Aside from that, the only other weird thing is that I never got a 2.00 am rapport from Ainosuke, but we all know why…"
She looks downtrodden and I can't help but feel for her. She tried so hard to protect everyone, only for a member of her patrol to die. I also notice how tired she looks, and her red cheeks aren't helping either.
"I see…anything that happened this morning then?"
She shakes her head. "I don't know. Because I wanted to fresh up before starting the day, I came in later than normal. However, I did put Hanako on guarding duty this morning, so you should probably ask her for more details."
I nod firmly. "I will. And we will catch the culprit, don't worry."
New bullet: Noriko's account
She smiles ruefully at me. "I know. I just wished we were not exposed to the threat of death."
There is nothing I can say to that though. I wish her goodbye and leave the cafeteria. Alright, where next? Maybe they got something from the storage room. It's pretty full of stuff."
When I walk inside, I see Mizuki and Ekorin looking through the items. When the green haired girl notices me, she smiles and waves. Mizuki on the other hand promptly ignores me.
Nothing strange about that.
Though, I do notice something else that is strange. There is a pair of brooms lying against the wall, but there are far too short. When I examine them more closely, I see the tops have been sawed off.
If that isn't suspicious, I don't know what is.
New bullet: Sawed off brooms
"Looking at the brooms?" Ekorin asks me. I nod. "There is no way they aren't involved in this."
Mizuki rolls her eyes at me. "Obviously. I don't even know why you're wasting time with it."
Annoyed, I cross my arms. "Then what did you find, oh wise smart chemist?"
"That there is a serious amount of rope missing, along with a pole. Aside from that, this closet wasn't used much. Though, I'm more willing to bet the culprit used this room to prepare their murder, considering how the brooms seemed sawed off here."
Ekorin puts a finger to her chin. "I wonder where the culprit got something sharp to saw it off with. Perhaps the kitchen?"
Mizuki clicks with her tongue in annoyance. "Haven't you payed attention to Monokuma's announcement a few days ago? He clearly said the kitchen is off-limits during the night. Not to mention, you can't saw through wood with a kitchen knife. They must have used something else."
I think I have enough information here. I leave the place without a word.
The laundry room doesn't seem to have anything interesting, so I abandon it to search the rooftop. Every step feels like fire, but my life is depending on this. Finally, after a hefty climb, I reach the top and open the door.
Yoru turns around and nervously smiles at me. "H-hey Yurika!"
"Hey! Yurika! So good to see you!"
Dammit. Rea is sitting on the railing, swinging her legs back and forth. She waves at me cheerfully, as if there is nothing bad going on.
"Already done with your investigation?" I grumble at her.
"Pretty much. Now then, let's see. Shall I or shall I not?" She asks herself, dramatically putting a finger to her lips.
What the hell is she…
Before I can finish my thought, she nods and jumps off the railing. "I have decided! Since you are a poor computer nerd, I feel like I should give you a little push in the right direction. I mean, it would be terribly boring if I were the only one doing everything."
She motions me to come closer and despite every part of my body and brain saying no, I walk up to her. When I'm close enough, she points at the railing she had been sitting on.
"It's the railing. I don't see…hey, what are these marks?"
There are white, thin lines around the metal, as if it's been scratched.
New bullet: Scratched railing
"And that's not the only thing. Look down." Rea grins innocently and I find myself looking down. I see Ainosuke's body down there, with Tomoe and Yuyami standing guard.
"I don't get it…" I mumble.
Annoyed sounds come from behind me. "My, my, what a shame. I seriously hoped your brain wasn't so underdeveloped. And I even gave you the privilege of sharing a bit of my knowledge."
I roll my eyes and make sure to drip as much sarcasm in my voice as humanly possible. "I'm so terribly sorry for not meeting your- AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
My body slams against the railing from her push and the air is sucked from my lungs. Yoru yells and runs over to me to see if I'm okay. I spin around and almost slap her.
"What in the actual fuck! I could have fallen down if it weren't for the railing!"
She merely chuckles. "Heh, you would have. That's why there are safety railings. But, you know, even the most noble of efforts can be misused."
I can't help but frown as I take in her words. Before she can explain herself though, she turns around and walks away.
"Hey, are you alright?"
I realize Yoru is still next to me, looking worried. I shake my head. "I'm fine. Just…didn't expect that. Rea's just mean again. Just ignore her, she'll lose interest eventually."
It doesn't seem to cheer him up. He just looks down. I decide to give him a bit of space.
Something grey catches my eye and I walk up to it. When I get close enough, I see it's a pair of metal hooks. Since they are hanging rather out of view, I can't help but assume I wasn't supposed to be seeing them.
Perhaps the culprit wanted to hide them but couldn't. What would they do with a pair of hooks though?
New bullet: Hooks
I don't see anything else out of the ordinary, so there is no reason for me to be staying there any longer. However, just as I'm about to open the door, Yoru runs by and forcefully shoves something in my hand before running off. I know I'm not going to catch up to him, so I look at the note instead.
It's written in pink ink and very curly, but I can still make out the words.
'I saw how disappointed you were when you were denied joining the patrol. So, why don't we go together? Two pair of eyes can see better than one. Just meet me on the ROOFTOP at MIDNIGHT and we can show them you're a great patroller.'
…Yeah, that's definitely suspicious.
New bullet: Yoru's note
Armed with new info, I descent down. When I reach the door on the bottom floor, I notice a long pole standing against the wall.
What is that doing here? Could be have been used to block the door? There is no lock after all…
New bullet: Pole
Keeping the pole in mind, I step out…and lean against the wall in a desperate attempt to sooth my hurting legs. The strain of everything that happened weights heavily on my shoulders and I can't help but slide down and take a break. All at once, the reality of the situation sinks in.
I'm trying to find clues to figure out who killed a friend. This is the work of a detective. I'm just a high school student who can't even remember why she is in prison. Fucking hell, what have I gotten myself into…?
"Are you alright?"
The kindness in that voice can only be from one person. I don't even look up as I try to give Toshiya a satisfying answer.
"Yeah, just…this is so fucked up."
He nervously laughs. "I wouldn't put it that way, but yeah, you're right. This is messed up. Do you…want to talk about it? Want me to get you something to eat?"
This time, I do look up and I realize he looks bad. His usually straightened out and nicely done hair looks more like a haystack painted red. His clothes aren't so neat anymore, dirtied by mud. He is pale and standing a bit shakily on his feet.
"Dude, you look like a truck ran over you. I should be the one asking if you're okay."
He waves my worried aside. "I'm fine. I…just passed out pretty badly. If I had the time, I would be taking a shower and a change of clothes, but alas…"
I can't help but give him a weak smile. "Then let's make sure you live to take a shower after the trial."
His chuckles give me enough strength to haul myself from the ground. He immediately shoots to help, but I calmly tell him I'll be fine. "If I can't lift myself from the floor, I have a problem. Speaking of problems, being unable to investigate around the body must suck."
"It's indeed a hassle. I've discovered the file on my E-Book and it gives me some information, but not enough to solve this case. So, I've been looking around to find evidence of preparations. Perhaps they can point to our culprit."
"Haven't you been talking to others? Some of them seem willing to help."
His smile is wry. "Unfortunately, cooperation has proven to be difficult for me, as people don't seem to believe my claim of hemophobia."
But why would they…oh.
"…You haven't told anyone but me about your blood phobia, have you?"
He coughs embarrassed into his fist. "The topic is somewhat sensitive. Specially to mention in a big group. When you arrived, our conversation was mostly between us, whereas most introduction were done in a group. I figured it would be best to avoid mentioning it in the presence of Rea…"
Great. Fantastic. So not only do I have to investigate this shit, but one of the most competent people, not to mention someone I trust, is the main suspect. Which means everyone is wary of him. Meaning I'm not going to get too much help from him.
"Have you tried the roof yet?" I ask him, trying to steer the conversation a bit away. He shakes his head. "No, to be honest, I've only just woken up. Hanako told me what happened."
"Hold up, do you know where Hanako went? I still need to ask her a few things."
He looks thoughtful for a moment. "I'm fairly sure she went to the Kumachrome shop. I suggest you try there. I would accompany you, but it'll only shine a negative light on you…"
Yeah, if the others see me helping him, they may think I'm an accomplish.
"Then, I hope you can find enough clues." I awkwardly mumble. He appreciates it nonetheless. "I will. Good luck to you as well."
I nod and walk past him. Filled once against with energy and some strange sort of determination, I head outside for the shop.
The moment I touch the doorknob, the door suddenly opens, and something slams into me. I can barely keep my balance as someone hurries to grab my wrist to stabilize me. When I look up, I see none other than Hanako herself.
"This is the second time you've run into me." I deadpan. She sheepishly grins. "I guess it was my fault this time. But I am in a hurry! I need to do more investigating!"
She is really determined to contribute to the investigations, huh?
"Wait, before you go, there is something I need to ask you."
She blinks in confusion before breaking into a smile. "Sure, ask away."
"Noriko told me you were standing guard this morning. Did anything particular happen?"
Pouting her lips, she appears to think back to this morning. "Well, I don't think so. But I was pretty hammered after staying up all night. What I do know is that I stood guard until the morning announcement. Masato visited me before the announcement sounded though. After which, he and I chatted for a while until the announcement sounded and Homura and Toshiya came down. I was really hungry by then and I had to pee, and I thought 'no one's going to murder anyone anyways, might as well grab a bite' so I went with them. When we reached the cafeteria, Masato and I went out to pee. When I came back, Toshiya was looking around saying something like 'did you guys hear that?' and then he ran off. So, yeah, I helped out Homura with breakfast until everyone else came in. I'm pretty sure that's it."
…I resist the urge to facepalm. You had one job.
New bullet: Hanako's account
Letting the issue slide, I notice the folded paper she has in her hand.
"What's that?"
Her enthusiasm goes from 0 to 100 faster than the eye as she clutches it with both hands. "This? This is a complete list of everything that has been bought at the Kumachrome shop these past few days. I figured the killer might have bought something from here. It includes the name, date, item and price. Pretty smart, huh?"
Huh, what do you know. That may actually be helpful.
New bullet: List of bought items
"Can I see?"
She hesitates for a moment, but then firmly nods. As she reaches out to give it to me though, the monitor in the shop goes on.
BING BANG BING BONG
"Ahem, this is an official announcement. I'm too bored to last much longer, wrap up your investigation and head to the fountain in the courtyard immediately. Bye-bye!"
The monitor shuts off and Hanako frowns. "Fountain? What fountain? We don't even have a-"
A rumbling noise cuts her off seconds before the ground begins to violently shake. Not even grabbing onto each other is good enough to keep us standing. I would be terrified over an earthquake if it weren't so well timed. When it's over, Hanako gapes and points to something over my shoulder. I turn my head and look.
There is a huge fountain in the yard now. Baring a Monokuma statue. And with a burst of water, it's also completely functional.
The absurdity of the situation is so high, I almost miss Kumachrome's snarking.
"Well? Go there before Monokuma throws a temper tantrum."
I look back at Hanako, who just shakes her head. It appears she has just accepted all the weird shit happening around us. She gives me a goofy grin, shoves the list into her sports bra and nudges towards the fountain.
"Better go before the birds catch us."
At this point, I have completely given up on any kind of logic. Just go along with the flow.
Hanako and I arrive a bit earlier than the rest, so we awkwardly wait until they show up. Hanako looks even more nervous than before, absentmindedly scratching her arm. One by one, the rest shows up.
Yuyami is trying to smile through it all, but all it does is lousily conceal his fear. Yoru is practically clinging to Mizuki at this point, who barely even looks at me. Noriko can't even muster up any kind of speech while Homura seems ready to punch someone, preferably Rea, who just impatiently hops onto the fountain's concrete. Both Ekorin and Kikoi are quiet, the former having red cheeks from crying. The latter is luckier with her dark skin making it harder to notice. Isamu's glare is cold but determined as well. Shinri is looking better, taking deep breaths as he appears to steady himself. Masato trails behind him, before running up to stand next to Kikoi.
Tomoe and Toshiya are the last to arrive, with Tomoe looking ready to lash out the moment the poor puzzler tries something. Everyone consciously or subconsciously makes way for him. My chest feels clamped. In one way or another, they've all already marked him as the 'blackened', as Monokuma puts it.
"Well, we are all here. How long does Monokuma plan on making us wait?" Mizuki says, not even bothering to address the elephant in the room. "I want to get this over with."
Speak, and the devil shall appear. "Settle down people! Do we have everyone? Do I need to do a quick headcount?" Monokuma speaks as if he is talking to a group of middle schoolers, waiting to go on a school trip.
"We are all here." Isamu says coolly. Monokuma counts anyways and nods when he is done.
"Yup, yup! We're all here! Now then, everyone, please enter the elevator so we can head straight for the trial grounds!"
He disappears. I see Hanako open her mouth, probably to point out there is no elevator when the water flow suddenly stops. Rea jumps off, which is a wise idea as the fountain splits in the middle. It opens dramatically and shows a pair of red, metal doors. The doors slide open to reveal a rather large elevator.
After the initial shock has disappeared, we all move into the elevator. As everyone seems to distance themselves from Toshiya, I end up standing in the middle with him. He gives me a smile that's probably meant as reassurance, but I have the feeling he needs it more than I do.
The ride is long and silent. I mentally go over the information I've collected. I almost end up coming up with a few theories, but instantly throw them in the bin.
There is no point to getting ahead when it's supposed to be a discussion.
Eventually, there is a ding, and the doors open. Bracing myself, I step into the trial room.
It's a bit bigger than I expected. Sixteen witness stances are linked together in one big circle. Behind that, there is a huge throne, with Monokuma sitting there. His brother is seated on a simple bar chair with a plush cushion.
"Alright people, take the seat with your name. And hurry the fuck up." Kumachrome grumbles.
We do just that and lo and behold, not only am I facing Monokuma's throne directly, but Rea as well. Jeez, almost like it was planned out.
The first few uncomfortable minutes are quiet, so I have time to mentally go over every piece of info I've found. Every testimony, every scrap of evidence. I take a deep breath to ready my nerves.
I was dragged into a place I wasn't supposed to be. I am playing a game I was never supposed to play. And now I am standing in this insane trial, where anyone can be my enemy. But, despite the paranoia, despite the unfairness, despite the fear…I refuse to die in a place like this!
Bullets:
Monokuma file 1#: "The victim is Ainosuke Nakamura: The Ultimate Matchmaker.
The body was found behind the main building.
Time of death is estimated to be around 0:15.
Cause of death is a wound to the victim back, penetrating the lung. The victim died almost instantly.
Additionally, the body has other wounds: a second wound to the back, multiple signs of fractions of the spine, neck and back of the skull and severe bruising on the right arm."
Glitter pen: A pen with pink, sparkly ink found in Ainosuke's pocket. It's unclear why he has it.
Wooden stakes: A pair of wooden stakes in lodged into Ainosuke's back. There is a white substance on both the stakes and the window
Glass shards: Tiny pieces of glass shards are found in the grass next to the body. It's unknown where they are from.
Piece of black plastic: Among the glass, a small piece of black plastic is found. It's presumed it belongs to the glass shards.
Classroom window: A window is lodged between the body and the wall. The window belongs to the classroom.
Ropes: The ropes that hold up the broken classroom window are far too long. It appears they're long enough to reach the rooftop.
Homura's account: According to Homura, the glass has been cracked, but strangely, the glass itself is supposed not break easily. Whatever hit it, must have been rough.
Noriko's account: According to Noriko, there were no strange reports during the night, save for Masato catching Yuyami and escorting him back to his dorm. There was a briefing around 11 pm and 2 am, but only half the group attended the second briefing. Aside from that, there was a loud sound during the night, but Masato mentioned he knocked something over.
Sawed off brooms: Two brooms in the storage closet have had their tops sawed off.
Scratched railing: The railing on the rooftop seems to have scratches on them. I doubt a human could have made them...
Hooks: A pair of hooks are hanging on the railing on the rooftop. It appears they were meant to stay out of sight.
Yoru's note: Yoru slipped me a suspicious note written in pink ink. It says: 'I saw how disappointed you were when you were denied joining the patrol. So, why don't we go together? Two pair of eyes can see better than one. Just meet me on the ROOFTOP at MIDNIGHT and we can show them you're a great patroller.'
Pole: There is a pole standing next to the door to the rooftop. It may have been used to block the door.
Hanako's account: Hanako, who was standing guard this morning, told me that Masato came to her before the morning announcement. They chatted until the morning announcement sounded and were then joined by Homura and Toshiya. Together they went to the cafeteria, where Masato and her went out to pee. When she came back, Toshiya mentioned hearing a noise before running outside.
List of bought items: A list of the items bought in the Kumachrome shop, made by Hanako. Unfortunately, I was unable to take a look.
Uhhhh...oh god, this took so long. My excuses for it, but I had decided that instead of making the investigation on a whim and having to constantly edit it with new information that readers might end up missing, I wrote both the investigation and trial before posting anything. And honestly, despite all the month of not being able to upload anything, I'm still happy I did it this way, because now I didn't have to worry about readers missing out on clues. The trial is over, but I may decide to write the rest of the chapter before uploading the trial, but I'll see. For now, I hope you enjoyed!