CLASS TRIAL START
"Let's begin with a basic summary of the class trial. During this trial, the innocent and the blackened will face off together in an epic battle of debate! Should the innocent win, the blackened will be executed and the rest will continue to live their life in this killing game. In the case that the blackened wins, everyone besides the blackened will be executed and the blackened will be granted freedom to the outside world."
Isamu interrupts Monokuma's speech. "Just to be clear, the blackened can only be the person who actually killed the victim, am I correct?"
Monokuma nods. "Yup! Accomplishes won't be counted as the blackened, so they will be punished with the innocent in that case."
Yuyami laughs nervously. "Hey, what if this was just some crazy mistake or something? Like an accident?"
"Then whoever caused the accident will be painted as the blackened." He chuckles darkly.
Masato grows a little pale. "So, you're saying you don't even need to kill someone on purpose to become the blackened? Even in self-defence?"
He grows irritated at this point. "Like I said! Intentions don't matter! If you kill someone, you've killed someone! No pardon!"
Like usual, Rea sounds more than casual. "What happens if there are two murderers? Do we vote for both or does one just get a free pass?"
"Hmm, it kind of depends on the situation, but if two blackens were to face off with each other, only the one with the most votes will be executed. Any more questions?"
To my surprise, Noriko is the one who answers. "Yes." She points with disgust towards one of the stands. "What is that?"
My heart stops for a moment when I see what she means. In Ainosuke's place, there is a stand with a photo of Ainosuke. He is cruelly crossed off with what looks like blood, the tops of the cross bending to form a heart. Seeing him smiling feels like a punch in my stomach.
"Oh, that? Well, you see, in theory, everyone is supposed to attend the class trial. Ainosuke just happens to be dead. Since I can't drag a whole body here, this is the next best thing! Now it'll be like he is still with you!"
His words are so awful, even Rea's smile seems to falter. Not that I can blame her. It's so incredibly hurtful, disgusting and unnecessary that it's ridiculous.
"Okay. Where do we start?" Toshiya awkwardly begins, but the amount of death glares he gets in return is painful.
"I'd say, with the obvious." Isamu's cold voice. Shinri, who is standing next to me, crosses his arms.
"Eh, no. The first suspect is never the culprit. It's too obvious."
Isamu redirects his glare. "This isn't a work of fiction. This is a real murder case. You can't rely on foolish tropes."
The boy almost seems to explode. "Excuse me! I know fully well what is and isn't fiction! I'm just saying we shouldn't just put all of our focus on him and ignore other options!"
Hanako nervously laughs. "Maybe we should start with something small. Oh! What about the murder weapon? In cop shows, that's always the first thing that's discussed!"
Mizuki narrows her eyes at her. "No, we should start with alibis, as it should be obvious to everyone what the murder weapon is."
Gritting her teeth, Hanako balls her fists. "Are you calling me dumb?"
"No, but you might as well be."
Toshiya looks down and starts muttering. "Can we actually start discussing instead of fighting?"
Rea giggles. "That's funny, considering that you're the prime suspect around here. It's not like anyone will believe what you say, so why don't you just shut up and let the others ruin it for you?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the entire courtroom blows up. It's one big chaos. People are shouting at each other, making accusations. And it is getting worse by the minute. Monokuma seems to be enjoying himself, but if this continues, we're most likely all going to die.
Ugh, fantastic. Isamu is too biased to pay attention to everything else, Shinri is too emotional to think rationally, Mizuki only wants to be right, Rea is too much of a bitch to take this seriously and Toshiya is too suspicious to everyone to have his voice be heard. And everyone else is too moronic to get anywhere.
As the discussions slowly starts to merge into one big argument, I take a deep breath and clear my mind.
Looks like if I want to survive, I have to do this myself. Alright: break through a weak point, make a good argument and be loud enough to be heard. I will not die at their hands!
NON-STOP DEBATE!
-
Bullet: Monokuma file
-
Noriko: Everyone, calm down! We're not going to solve anything like this!
Mizuki: Yes, we will.
Mizuki: If everyone would just agree on discussing alibis…
Mizuki: …we can move the discussion forward.
Hanako: No way, we should start with the murder weapon!
Ekorin: I have to agree with Hanako.
Ekorin: If we can put the obvious away, we can move onto other things!
Tomoe: You want obvious?
Tomoe: There is a pair of stakes in his back and there are no other injuries.
Tomoe: Done. Can we move on?
"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"
Everyone is surprised by my sudden shout and it is enough to make them temporarily shut up. Alright, got their attention. Take this chance!
"Tomoe, I agree with you that one of the stakes ended up killing him. However, saying he has no other injuries is…terribly wrong. In the Monokuma file, it states that he has multiple fractions on his spine, neck and back of the head. And he has severe bruising on his right arm."
"I'm honestly disappointed that you needed that to be spelled out. You were guarding him. You had plenty of time to look at him." Isamu snarls at him.
Tomoe crosses his arms with a huff. "You make it sound like I enjoyed looking at him. I was paying too much attention to my surroundings to look at him."
Yoru scratches his head. "Okay, so, he got a lot of injuries, but does it really matter that much?"
Mizuki nods at him. "It could be a sign of a struggle."
Crossing his arms in uncertainty, Shinri shakes his head. "A struggle that bad? I don't even think that's possible."
"Maybe they used a crowbar or something." Homura offers lamely. Ekorin shakes her head, almost whipping me in the face with her long hair.
"There are no crowbars in the facility. Mizuki and I checked." Ekorin says. "Although, I'm fairly sure there was a pole at one point, but I don't know where it has gone to…"
Tomoe rolls his eyes. "Then it was obviously used by the killer."
"But why?" Hanako asks. "Why beat him up so badly if you're not even using it as the murder weapon?"
I have the feeling we're getting into another discussion. She makes a good point though…
NON-STOP DEBATE
-
Bullet: Classroom window
-
Hanako: Why would you use a weapon when you're not killing someone with it?
Yuyami: Maybe he knocked away the pole and the killer had to use something else?
Mizuki: In that state? He wouldn't even be able to walk.
Shinri: Perhaps there were two culprits.
Noriko: Like, someone beat him up, then fled and someone else put the nail in the coffin?
Rea: Nice analogy you're using there.
Noriko: Don't derail my point!
Masato: Could it be that Ainosuke was wielding the pole?
Yoru: Or maybe the window just fell on him!
Yoru: You know, like an accident!
"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"
"Are you going to do that every time someone is being stupid?" Rea asks with mock-curiosity. I ignore her.
"The window can't have fallen onto him. It was sandwiched between the body and the wall. If the window had really fallen onto him, it would have been on top."
"Besides," Yuyami laughs, "a fallen window can't have made an injury like that."
Toshiya seems to want to speak up, but he falters. I'm not sure whether he is trying to make a point or object.
"Alright," Hanako says, "but I still don't have an answer to my question."
"What I want to know is: how in the hell did the killer manage to plant not just one, but two wooden stakes in his back? I mean, stabbing someone, especially in the back, is already pretty hard, but with a wooden stake? Defintely not my first choice for a murder weapon." Shinri looks around as he says that.
Rea chuckles. "You know a lot about stabbing…"
The guy in question huffs in annoyance. "I am a critic, I need to do research. How else do you think I get my information?"
"Calm the fuck down, it's just Rea. She always talks shit." Homura chuckles.
Masato frowns and crosses his arms. "Going off from the stakes, where exactly did they came from? It's not a weapon that's just lying around somewhere."
Tomoe snorts. "My bet is that someone made them. There is plenty of wood around the facility. If you have enough patience and something sharp, like a knife, it's not that hard to carve a wooden stake."
"The outside looks pretty smooth though, as if only the top and bottom were carved. How the hell do you accomplish that?" Hanako points out.
Yeah, where did the stakes come from? Hmm, I'm pretty sure its…
Bullet: Sawed off brooms
"It's carved from the brooms! If you cut off the tops and then sharpen them, I bet you can make a solid pair of stakes."
"So, the killer snuck out a knife from the kitchen and sharpened the brooms? Seems like a lot of effort when you can just stab someone with the knife." Homura asks.
Noriko shakes her head. "The kitchen is closed during night-time, and I personally made sure all the knives where there before I left. Kumachrome had to practically shove me out of the kitchen."
Rea chuckles. "Chrome? Confirmation? We don't want our dancer here to lie in this trial."
The girl in question sputters, but Chrome just nods. "Yup. Dance girl's right. And annoying if you ask me."
Shinri strokes his chin as it he has a beard. "Okay, so where did the knife come from? Did the killer improvise and use something in the storage closet?"
"No, there was nothing sharp enough to match a knife." Ekorin says. "Mizuki and I checked the closet together."
"Most likely, the facility wanted to keep our hands off anything that could hurt someone." The chemist adds.
"Then the only other option is that the killer bought something from the Kumachrome shop." Isamu concludes.
"Ugh, all these different topics are confusing me. Can we go back to the window?" Yuyami whines.
Toshiya mutters something quietly, but because of the fuzz, I can't hear what he is saying. The person next to him does and seems curious.
"Hm? The window? Is something wrong with the window?"
As soon as Yoru has spoken these words, people look at them. Noriko strokes her chin. "Well, if you think something is amiss with the window, it can't hurt to take look at that. We're not getting anywhere with the injuries or the stakes. Might as well switch to a new topic."
"That is, unless he is trying to set us up." Isamu snarls. I'm getting really annoyed at him.
"Why don't you shut up for once and let him talk." I snap at him.
He narrows his eyes at me and I feel like the temperature just dropped 10 degrees. I'm frozen in my spot as his icy glare seems to pierce through me. "Are you sympathising with our primary suspect?"
My legs. My body. My mouth. It's not working how I want it to work. It's as if he cast a spell on me. I want to protest. I want to talk back. But the words don't want to leave my mouth. I'm…helpless.
"You said suspect. As in, we're not sure if he really is our guy."
I tear away my sight from Isamu to look at Hanako, who is glaring back with fire in her eyes.
"The rules state that if we pick the wrong guy, we all die. We can't afford to have doubts. If you want to suspect him, go ahead. But until then, let's make sure we have no more doubts about this case."
Her words somehow, for some reason, strike a chord. I can't afford to die here. That's why I need to solve this case. To survive.
Ekorin clasps her hands together. "Well said. Now, like Noriko said, let's switch topics. Yoru, you were talking about the window, correct?"
The short boy shakes his head. "Not me, Toshiya was. I just tried to ask him about it."
We all turn our attention to him. Shying away, he looks down, flustered. "Well, I was thinking about a few things concerning the window, but it only makes less and less sense the more I think about it."
Noriko edges him on. "Well, go on then."
After he few hesitations, he continues. "I doubt many will believe me, but the reason I was near the body was because I was in the cafeteria when I heard a noise coming from outside. It sounded like something being dropped. Looking back on it, the most logical conclusion is that the window fell down, but that doesn't make any sense."
"Why?" Kikoi's voice is barely hearable. He doesn't immediately answer.
Well, the answer to that question is easy.
-Time of death doesn't match up
-The grass is bloody
-The cause of death doesn't match up
"Is it because the time of death doesn't match up?" I ask him. He nods. Yuyami scratches his head.
"Time of death? What's wrong with that?"
I want to tell him, but someone beats me to it. "According to the Monokuma file, Ainosuke was murdered somewhere around midnight. We have just established that the window fell down after Ainosuke was murdered. After all, there weren't any blood stains pointing to the body being dragged around. However, if the window wasn't what made that noise, then what was it?"
…Goddamn it Mizuki, stop stealing my spotlight!
Isamu doesn't look very convinced. "That's still assuming he isn't lying."
Luckily, before there can be any kind of uproar, Noriko hastily tries to calm him down. "Let's make sure we know how everything played out before we start pointing fingers."
His silence confirms that he isn't letting this go, but it's better than nothing. After all, the sound is far from the only suspicious thing…
"So, we have this mystery weird shit noise Toshiya's freaking out about. Now what?" Tomoe sounds annoyed.
Masato nervously laughs. "Guess it's up to us to find out what it was."
NON-STOP DEBATE
-
Bullet: Homura's account
-
Ekorin: This morning, Toshiya heard a loud noise…
Ekorin: …that should already have sounded.
Mizuki: How can we be sure those things are related?
Mizuki: For all we know, they might as be two different occurrences.
Masato: Maybe you just heard a window break.
Toshiya: No, it definitely came from behind the school.
Homura: I dunno dude. I was in the kitchen when that happened.
Isamu: Can we even be sure that second noise was real?
Hanako: Ugh, we're not getting anything solved this way!
"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"
Masato blinks owlishly at me. "Huh? How can you be so sure about that?"
"Well, honestly, I'm not the right one to explain that…"
Mizuki gives me a cold look that outdoes Isamu's. "Then stop wasting time."
Don't get fed up, don't get fed up, don't get fed up. I tear my eyes away from her glare and make direct eye contact with the girl I'm looking for.
"Homura, can you repeat what you said to me when we were in the classroom?"
It takes her a visible moment to realize what I'm saying. She just blinks confused at me. I'm almost ready to remind her when she gives me a small 'oh, that'. She coughs somewhat awkwardly in her fist before puffing out her chest.
"Alright! Listen carefully everyone, 'cuz I'm 'bout to explain some shit."
Several eyes roll. I'm among them.
Undeterred, she pulls up a picture from her e-book. A flat screen tv is suddenly lowered from the roof. It throws her off for just a second, but then the tv springs to life and portrays a picture of the window. Despite the close angle, there is still some blood on it. I feel movement on my left side and I realize that Shinri is kneeling, looking once again green. Toshiya has averted his eyes, but has trouble standing straight. The others are either uncomfortable, disturbed or have too much of a calm posture for me to see what goes through their mind right now.
"…Okie dokie then. Thanks Chrome." Homura mutters. The teddy bear flashes a thump's up.
As if nothing just happened, she regains her posture and starts explaining. "You see that crack in the glass right now? I did some investigating and discovered that the crack is only on one side of the window. It's double glass, so it can do that."
Huh, she didn't tell me that…
"Nothing wrong, right? Any window would have at the very least a crack if it fell down like that." Her eyes glitter in her way I haven't seen them do before. "But that's the thing. This glass isn't like any normal glass."
She lets the silence fall for what I guess is dramatic suspension, but it only irks me.
"Get to the point." Both Mizuki and Isamu repeat at the same time and she chuckles nervously. "Okay, okay…"
With a grin, she continues talking. "So, this glass. Looks normal right? But it's not. This type of glass is a special kind. One that's barely out of testing and not used for everyday purposes, so you can't find in the shop either. They call it Titanium Crystal, for the fact that is was specifically designed to withstand large amount of abuse. And this window? A double Titanium Crystal."
"In short, this glass was made to be unbreakable?" Yoru summarizes. Homura nods. Rea grins cheerfully. "Makes perfect sense. You wouldn't want these poor little delinquents to go around and break windows, now would you? Besides, that would make this game far more chaotic than needed."
"Uhh, what? The game? But wasn't the facility made-" Yuyami asks. She just shrugs as if it's not that big of a deal. "Just putting my two cents in."
"Ignoring that, yes, I can confirm myself that this glass is hard as fuck. I actually got a plate or two through some connections and let me tell you, it's pretty damn hard. Not perfect, it's far too stiff to be used for blowing, but it does its job well. Which is why I'm even surprised there is a crack at all." Homura explains.
"But there is a crack. Which means something, or someone must have been able to go over its limit." Noriko points out. "Any idea how that can happen?"
Homura herself casually shrugs. "I mean, if you were really dedicated to it, you could find a way. Like I said, it's not perfect. From what I've experimented with it, you either need something really, really heavy, like, seriously heavy, or get something slightly less heavy and drop it from a huge distance onto it. Like, I guess if you'd drop a bowling ball from the rooftop onto it, you could make a dent. Maybe get something heavier, but it would be a start."
From the rooftop…
Bullet updated: Homura's account
Hanako places her fingers on her temples to calm herself. "Wait, ok, and you said it was only on one side of the glass, right?"
Homura frowns. "Yep. On the inside. Whoever the fuck thought it would be a great idea to smash the glass like they would smash a girl, it happened from the inside of the classroom."
Shinri pushes up his glasses. "Huh. That's interesting."
Rea breaks into a grin. "I guess you could say this was an…inside job."
Multiple people groan. My mind is too occupied with something she said during the investigation. Or, well, something she did earlier…
Come to think of it, there are a few more clues that point to the rooftop. Hmm, what if I try putting them together…
Connecting Clues!
(What is strange here?) - Classroom window – (What proves something is wrong with the window?) - Homura's account (What is connected to that window?) – Ropes (What is tied to the ropes?) – Hooks – (What proves the hooks were there?) Scratched railing – (Why would anyone need to do this?) Yoru's account
Conclusion: Crime happened on rooftop
"I'VE CONNECTED THE DOTS!"
Silence falls, and I just realize I said that out loud.
"Well?" Rea edges me on. "What dots have you connected? The one on your panties?"
"This is no time for vulgarity." Isamu snarls at her.
Toshiya warmly smiles at me. "Since she has made some good points up until now, I'd say we hear her out."
…Aw shit. I didn't think I'd have to put my theory up front now. I have to approach this from a different angle, otherwise it'll be too weird for them to take this seriously.
Luckily, there is one person who can help me out.
"Hey Kikoi."
The girl is question is startled from having her name called out like that. She weakly looks at me, fearful, as if I'm suspecting her.
"Have you worked on jungle movies and spy movies in the past?"
Taken aback by the strange question, she is silent for a moment. Of course, the moment she notices everyone staring at her, she tries to mumble an answer.
"Well…I guess…Coffin Crusader could be…may be…a jungle movie…and I have…there is…White Tiger and Renegade of The East…those are spy movies…"
Before Isamu and Mizuki can object to this seemingly random question, I nod firmly. "So, can I ask you a hypothetical question? Let's say you are standing on the ground and you want to have a hook hanging from the railing on the rooftop, preferably bound with rope. Could you swing a hook so far up that you could reach the roof?"
Kikoi blinks in confusion. "You mean the rooftop of the facility?"
I nod. She thinks, but then slowly shakes her head. "No…I don't think so…I mean, a hook can be heavy…and to throw it up…and spinning the rope…even Tomoe could not throw that far up…are you suspecting him?"
The accusation is quick and Tomoe sputters in protest. "Wha-again!? No, you fucks, I didn't fucking do it!"
"I'm not accusing you!" I hastily say before everyone starts distrusting my words. "I was just thinking about a theory."
There are a few suspicious looks, but most seem content with my reasoning. I sigh deeply and resist the urge to plant my face in my hands. Back to square one it is. Dammit, I thought I had it…
"…Unless you used a grappling gun."
Huh? "What did you say?"
Kikoi gives me a tiny smile. "A grappling gun. If you tie the rope to the hook, or just use the cable itself, you could shoot the hook up to the rooftop."
Boom. There it is. The piece that ties it together.
I barely manage to get out my words. "Has anyone seen a pair of grappling guns either in the storage room or in the Kumachrome shop?"
Ekorin almost smacks me in the face again with her hair as she shakes her head. "No, there haven't been any grappling guns in the storage closet."
"I saw a pair of grappling guns in the shop." Yuyami huffs. "I was saving coins to buy them because they looked epic, but they're gone."
"Well, that does it." I mutter. Shinri gives me a wary look. "What do you mean?"
I close my eye and take a deep breath. "I have…a theory. It's going to sound very crazy, I know, but to me, it makes the most sense."
I open my eyes, determination burning behind them. "What if the true confrontation didn't happen on the ground, but somewhere else?"
"Uh, what?" Homura asks in confusion. Looking at everyone's faces, she is far from the only one.
"This is going to take some explaining but bear with me." I say. "Alright, so, say you want to commit murder. What the last thing you want to happen during the kill?"
"Be caught in the act, obviously." Tomoe mutters.
I give a nod of confirmation. "Exactly. So why did the killer choose to murder Ainosuke in a place where they had a huge chance of being found out? The courtyard was being guarded by several people at the time."
Noriko nods along. "That's something that has been bothering me as well. Despite the fact the entire facility was heavily guarded, we only discovered Ainosuke's body this morning. Why hasn't any of my members stumbled upon it?"
Hanako coughs in embarrassment. "I…may have neglected the back of the school after our first meeting."
The dancer opens and closes her mouth in shock and outrage. "Hanako!"
"It's not like I completely neglected my task! Just the back of the school! I mean, how was I supposed to know someone would die there? What's the odds of someone sneaking past three people in almost complete darkness?"
"She has a point." Tomoe notes. Noriko glares at them both. "Who was your partner? Why didn't they say anything?"
The sprinter looks at her as if she'd grown three heads. "Ainosuke, remember? You were the one paring us up."
Shinri cuts between the two of them. "Woah, wait, what is this about? Partners?"
Noriko doesn't look him in the eyes. "Yes, I had pared the patrollers with each other, so they could swap positions every hour. It would keep them sharp and throw off anyone trying to memorize the pattern. Masato and Kikoi, Hanako and Ainosuke and Tomoe and I were pared together."
Masato nods. "And then we would regroup two times during the night, to report on everything that happened. I ran into a trashcan at one point, so I missed the second meeting while I was changing."
Isamu clicks with his tongue. "Any reason you've kept it silent until now?"
Noriko shakes her head. "I kept it between the patrol to make sure no one would make use of it. When…the investigation started, I completely forgot about it. I was and still am very tired."
However, she then turns to Hanako. "That doesn't explain why Ainosuke didn't object to you skipping work."
Obviously annoyed, Hanako crosses her arms. "Hey, I wasn't the one to come up with that."
Wait, what?
Upon seeing Noriko's confused look, Hanako explains. "He was the one who told me it was sort of pointless to keep changing positions if the entire point was to watch out for anyone going out at night. Like I said, it's hard to believe someone would make it past at least two or three people before running into us. Besides, someone could only make use of the position changing by running while we were distracted taking our places. He just told me to stick to my route and lie to you. I agreed because he was fucking right about it."
The new information seems to have stunned Noriko, though I'm not sure what the cause is: Hanako making a good point about her flawed plan, levelheaded Ainosuke being the one to suggest it or Hanako flat out admitting that she lied to her. Maybe a combination of all three.
"Looks like your patrol isn't as faithful as you thought it would be. Don't tell me you really thought everyone was going to stick perfectly to your little plan." Rea drawls, but the only one to react are Hanako and Ekorin, shooting angry glares at her.
Noriko herself looks…lost. Betrayed. I don't know why she makes such a huge fuss about it. I would certainly ditch some parts if I was among the patrol squad.
I shake my head. We have no time to discuss betrayal and tardiness. I have a point to make. "Getting back on track. Whether or not the killer knew about Hanako skipping out on duty, it's not really that smart to kill someone in a place where anyone could catch them."
Mizuki grip on her stand tightens. "Don't dance around the issue. Explain why the killer killed Ainosuke behind the school."
My next words almost seem to echo through-out the courtroom. "They didn't."
The silence lasts for a few seconds, as everyone seems to take in my words. Then, Isamu looks me directly in the eye. "Don't play games Yurika. No bloodstains have been found anywhere other then the crime scene. Ainosuke died there."
I snort, but my tone is humorless. "Oh, I can believe that. What I am saying is that the killer confronted him somewhere else. Specifically…on the rooftop!"
"What!?" Yuyami yells out. "What!?"
"That isn't possible! How can the location of confrontation and the location of his passing be two different places?" Ekorin's confusion matches that of everyone else.
Shit. Maybe I should have broken this down a bit more. Hopefully I can still fix it!
"Guys, hear me out! I think I figured out a way how that can be possible!"
The group quiets a bit down. I visualize the scenario in my head before I start speaking. "Alright. Everyone knows about the broken window in the classroom, right? It's held up by rope. While we were investigating, I noticed the ropes were far longer than usual and it got me thinking. Why? Well, let's look at it this way. What if the ropes were changed, so that you can tie them to the grappling guns and shoot them all the way up to the roof. From there, the only thing you have to do is to use the ropes to raise the window until it's practically flat in the air. Then, you slap the murder weapons onto the glass, lure someone to the rooftop and throw them from the rooftop onto the window. Either they die from being impaled, or from the fall itself. And tadaa!"
I swing my arms up. "You killed someone…and have the perfect alibi to get away with it."
No one reacts. And this time, the silence is freaking me out. Minutes pass, all the while they are staring at me. Until finally, Shinri reacts.
"That. Is…
THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!"
I internally sigh. Dammit. I should have expected this answer. A glance around the room confirms my suspicious. Everyone is looking at me as if I have lost my mind. Their murmurs accuse me of trying to cover something up and I realize I have to do something and fast.
NON-STOP DEBATE!
-
Bullet: Wooden stakes
-
Shinri: In case you didn't know, we are solving a murder!
Shinri: Not making a goddamn conspiracy theory!
Rea: Aw man, how disappointing…
Rea: And so close…
Mizuki: And here I thought you were one of the smarter ones.
Isamu: This was a complete waste of time.
Shinri: You don't even have the slightest bit of proof.
Shinri: Not to mention, the stakes would just fall off like that!
Tomoe: …And you're missing the point.
"NO, THAT'S WRONG!"
"I have proof!" I yell with all the strength I can muster. Shinri looks like he is daring me to try. No, scratch that. He is daring me.
"Then show it." He can barely keep his temper down and it's hearable. Knowing that I only have one shot at this, I bring up the picture. He flinches at the sight of it.
"Oh no, don't you dare try to get out of this by-"
"Will you listen for a sec!?" I lose my temper at him. Before he can object, I continue talking. "The wooden stakes have a strange substance on them, so does the window. I've pondered over it, but I think I know what it is."
The answer is:
-Water
-Paint
-Glue
"It's glue. Now, you tell me, why would someone glue a wooden stake onto the window? Maybe to keep it standing upright while he raises the window up?"
He can't seem to find an objection to that and to be honest, I don't know whether that's a good or a bad thing.
"One coincidental piece of evidence doesn't prove your outlandish theory." Mizuki points out. I nod with a determined look in my eyes. I will not yield to her!
"I know. That's why I have more."
Seemingly taking the challenge, she stares right back at me. "Alright. Then tell me, what proves that the hooks were shot up to the rooftop?"
I grab the right bullet from my brain as I continue the staring contest. "The fact I found a pair of hooks on the rooftop. The were hidden away from sight, so obviously someone did not want us to see them."
She won't admit defeat that easily though. "It could be a red herring. Where is the proof that the hooks were there at the time of murder?"
I give a triumphal huff. "There are scratches on the railing that couldn't have been made by humans. I am more willing to bet that those scratches are from the hooks."
"It could still be a coincidence! What proves they were connected to the murder!?"
"The rope! It's so long it could reach the roof! Why else would someone replace a rope that long?"
"So? There could still be a hundred more reasons! How can you be so sure someone was dropped onto it!?"
"Because Homura said earlier that the glass had been cracked by something heavy that fell from a high place. A body from the rooftop would make the perfect fit!"
"Argh! Your theory is outlandish! How does this make any sense to you! How did you jump from a broken window to a complicated trap? Why would anyone come up with this!?"
"Because someone was trying to lure and kill Yoru!"
My words ring through the room, as Mizuki finally breaks. She takes a step back, her eyes wide and face pale. Bewildered, she turns to look at Yoru. "W-what?"
I immediately feel guilty for putting Yoru on the spot like this, so I take over. "Yoru came to me with a note during the investigation. Well, more like he shoved it into my hand."
He swallows. "Someone slid it under my door last night. I was showering at the time, so I didn't get a chance to go out and see who it was. It didn't have a name on it either. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to get worried."
I take the note from my pocket and unfold it. "It told him to go to the roof at midnight. If you ask me…someone tried to kill him using that trap. Yoru looks relatively light, so he shouldn't be much of a hassle to throw over the rooftop. That's why he was targeted."
Shinri leans over to see and he frowns. "I'm surprised you can make that out. It's so curvy and swirly it hardly resembles letters anymore. Hell, even my doctors have better handwriting than this."
The letter ends up getting passed around. "You're right," Kikoi says, holding the letter an armlength away from her face, "the only…thing you can make out clearly is…the time and location. As if he wanted to make sure…ensure…that he…you know…would get it…"
"So why did Ainosuke end up getting killed instead?" Yuyami asks.
"Maybe he figured out someone wanted to kill Yoru and went in his place instead." Ekorin theorizes.
Yoru shifts around a bit. "That's a possibility. I didn't see him last night."
Wait, what?
My words barely come up. "You mean, you actually went out!?"
Isamu blinks in awe. "That must be the epitome of stupidity."
Yoru raises his hands up in defense. "I didn't think it would be that bad. I just thought that maybe I could take a quick look and leave if things got too dangerous. Besides, when I got to the door to the rooftop, it was locked, so I went back. I thought whoever had been waiting for me got bored and left."
Noriko looks like as if she has been slapped. "B-but, how in the world did you get past my patrol?"
At her words, he looks at the ground, twirling his fingers. "I didn't."
Silence rings through the room, Tomoe being the one to break it. "What."
"When I went out, I was so nervous I didn't look up from the note. I crashed into someone and fell to the floor. After which, there was a bright light that shone in my eyes. When my eyes were okay again, there was no one there anymore. After which, I just avoided being spotted. I have a pretty good night sight, so it wasn't much of a problem."
This information…may have just changed everything.
A small giggle rings bring my attention to Rea. Her smile is small, but oh so devilish. "Hmm, looks like the patrol suddenly got very suspicious. Makes sense too. Being allowed to walk around at night, with no one to check on what you are doing? Seems like an opportunity too great to turn down. It's the perfect excuse. Not to mention, a bright light? Sounds like a flashlight to me."
At this point, Noriko seems at the verge of tears. Not that I blame her. In the span of one night and one day, her plan to protect everyone was hijacked by the murder of one of the people she trusted, her volunteers reveal to have lied to her and broke her trust, someone slipped under their radar anyway and as it turns out, her very wish to protect everyone became the perfect stage for a crime. Everything she did came falling down into pieces. And now there is a big chance someone in her patrol may have been the one to off Ainosuke.
Shinri lightly coughs to cease the murmurs that arise by this revelation. "Getting back on track, could it be possible that Ainosuke might have been the one to bump into you?"
Yoru thinks, but then shrugs. "I honestly don't know who I bumped into. They didn't say anything, and the light blinded me, so I didn't see them either."
"Perhaps he saw the note you dropped and decided to put a stop to it." Mizuki theorizes.
"Hold up! That makes no sense!" Hanako suddenly shouts. "Why would he go to the dormitory? That wasn't in our route. Our route was a part of the courtyard and the hallway. I even saw him switching routes with Masato, so he could have that route. There is no way he could have bumped into you if he was never around there to begin with."
Wait, huh?
Yuyami scratches his head. "Huh? That's weird. How did he get on the rooftop then?"
Isamu clicks with his tongue. "Perhaps the roof theory was wrong after all."
Ekorin frowns at him. "After so much evidence?"
"Those strings of evidence could have been planted to throw us off track or be coincidental." Mizuki points out. "We still have no reliable theory."
As the others keep discussing, their voices turn into white noise. I stare at the note, remembering a clue I almost discarded. The puzzle pieces fall into place one by one, as I realize…
My voice is chocked, but my words reach out anyways. "I think I know who set up this trap."
Everyone falls silent again, shocked by my words.
"What? You know? No way, we aren't even done discussing why or why not your first theory is legit!" Yuyami whines.
"Who cares about that? We finally have a suspect!" Hanako cheers. "We are getting somewhere."
"Don't leave us waiting, fucking tell us!" Homura eggs me on.
The only one…who could have done this…is…
Select someone!