The agent staggered back a bit. "T-that's… unbelievable…" Kaiya sputtered as a haunted expression filled her face.
I looked away with my arms folded. "There's no mistaking it, that announcement means one of us has… fallen," I confirmed sorrowfully, covering my mouth.
"N-no… this t-this should never have happened..." Sukey muttered with a somber expression, rubbing her forearm.
"What are you all wallowing for? We should make way for the dreadful scene!" Arishige commanded as if he was playing the hero. "Chop chop!"
-Ultimate dorms 2nd floor-
As we all busted through the door and into the hallway, we immediately turned to head towards the direction of the stairways to see everyone else staring out the balcony with fear and sorrow in their eyes and expressions. We all darted to them and looked at where their eyes were transfixed on. We did not see Norito's body like we'd expected, but it was just as horrifying, and it all became a haze once I realized what we were looking at.
There, hanging from the balcony, swaying back and forth was the lifeless body of the once energetic Erena Takagi, the Ultimate Biologist herself, as my mind struggled to come back to reality, the body stopped it's motion.
It's all just too shocking, even though I know what happens in these games, it's still not enough to combat the real life experience of seeing someone who was alive not all too long ago turn up as a lifeless body, swaying slowly back and forth above the ground, like a twisted pendulum.
"Erena… is it really true..." Isoyo said while looking down to the side with her arms folded.
"There's no denying the overlying truth, Erena has left us and won't be coming back," The twins affirmed, lacing their hands together with sorrowful expressions.
"Some piece of shit bastard went and fuckin' did it!" Juro blurted out angrily, balling his fists up then punching them together with a growl. "The moment I know who the hell it is they're going to never forget the feeling of my foot going up their ass!"
"It pains me to believe that someone actually killed her, just when I was beginning to strengthen our bonds," Sukey whimpered while burying her face in her hands.
"Guess that motive hit deeper than we could ever imagine," I mused, rubbing my shoulder as my brows creased.
"It was just a bluff…how could they not see that?" Heikichi said, wiping his face slowly while shaking his head. "Son of a…"
Suddenly, Monotokage popped out of nowhere, holding some kind of black file, labeled #1 in purple.
"Aaaaaaaiiiiieeeeeeeee!" Leiko shrieked at the top of her lungs, causing some of us to cover our ears. "Stop using your dimensional traveling powers like that! At least warn us first…"
"Say what?" Monotokage questioned in a confused tone while tilting her head.
"Get out of here you pest!" Norito shouted, quickly aiming his mop at the dark purple and white lizard. "It's your fault that this happened."
"OH, so I'm the pest… sure, not like I have anything helpful to give you!" The lizard said in an offended tone. "As far as I'm concerned, the blackened hiding among you is the pest."
"Just let her speak, she seems to have something to give us," Nene suggested, sounding slightly annoyed.
"On her side now are you?" Leiko inquired before tossing out an accusatory finger and glance. "I bet you're the killer huh!?"
"Please. It's more likely that one of you pathetic beings succumbed under the pressure," Nene rolled her eyes before crossing her arms with an unamused frown. "Unlike the rest of you, I don't crack at all."
"Keh…" Kado offered a sharp laugh. "Always the same with you mortals, tossing the blame around till it settles while whimpering in the corner. Don't you realize what this game is about?"
"Can I just go back to my room? I think my make-up is cracking…" Arishige requested with an awkward smile as he looked at himself through an overly fancy hand-held mirror.
"Why are you concerned about that?!" Heikichi gawked in utter confusion, putting a hand on top of his head.
"Possibly because he wishes to hide some evidence," Kaiya offered, rubbing her chin.
"Jeez, you could cut this tension with butter!" Monotokage commented in a hearty tone. "But just allow me to gift you this handy dandy Monotokage file #1!"
"Why should we trust your files?" Sozen queried with suspicion while crossing his arms and tapping his forearm with a finger. "You've proven to screw around with us before."
"Because, it's in the script that I at least provide you information of the murder," the robotic lizard answered, placing a hand on her hip.
"Just accept the damn file, idiots," Anzai demanded with a huff of annoyance as he put on his monocle. "We're lucky that our host oh so graciously offered us some assistance in the first place."
"I'll just leave it on the floor until someone decides to read it," Monotokage carefully stated, laying the file down gently, giving it a pat. "Good luck on finding the blackened, bozos, toodaloo!"
After she left, I decided to pick it up and read it since everyone else was either staring at it skeptically or still frozen in fear.
"The victim is Erena Takagi, the Ultimate Biologist. The body was discovered hanging from the neck on the chandelier in the ultimate dorms. Death was due to choking, and there is a single deep gash on the left elbow. The body was found at 8:20 P.M.," I read aloud.
*Truth bullet added*
Monotokage file #1
Victim: Erena Takagi the Ultimate Biologist
The body was discovered at 8:20 P.M. hanging from the neck on the chandelier in the ultimate dorms. Cause of death was due to asphyxiation. There is a single deep gash on the left elbow and bruising around the neck.
A ding sounded from our handbooks. I looked to see that there was something new to look at in the truth bullet section. Tapping on it revealed that the file's information was listed there.
"Does this mean that we all get the information others find?" Kaiya inquired.
Monotokage showed up again, making a few of us jump.
"Nope, otherwise, everyone can just make one person do all the slave work while they kick back and relax," She explained. "And where's the fairness in that? So y'all better get to work or you'll be clueless in the trial!"
She jumped off again.
"Good, that means I won't have you peasants relying on my superior genius mind," Anzai said with relief in his tone, offering a smug look as well.
"Like we'd inflate your ego any further," Heikichi shook his head with his hands on his hips.
"Well, we better start investigating, we only have so much time," Sozen recommended with urgency before letting loose a sigh.
-Investigation begin!-
Everyone spread out in their own direction. Leaving me alone with Sozen and Kaiya.
"You don't look all too worse for wear like mostly everyone else," I scrutinized, looking at Sozen's stoic expression.
"Not to sound cold, but I've seen many lifeless bodies throughout my life, so I've gotten used to it," he explained in a sullen tone. "I still wish things could have been different as Erena was one of the few who wanted to unify us... and now she's gone."
Makes sense, a sheriff with as high a stature as Sozen probably went through a lot of gruesome events.
"It is quite... depressing…" I mumbled in response. "So… uh…do you have any advice on how to investigate? You must have some expertise here."
"All you need to do is talk with everyone, search every single spot, and gather alibis. That's what your priorities should be," the sheriff advised, lifting his chin up.
"So, in that case, do you have anything to offer?"
"As you know, I patrol at nighttime at 7:00 P.M. until I can no longer remain awake, keeping track of everyone who leaves and enters their rooms. Everyone is meant to be in their rooms at 10:00 P.M. as discussed," The dark gray haired boy informed, closing his eyes in thought.
"Did you notice anything then?"
"Nothing suspicious anyways, not that many people decided to leave any of the dorm rooms besides Juro, Heikichi, Norito, Isoyo, Rikako, and Kado," Sozen enlightened in a gruff tone. "None of them were doing anything wrong or even remotely off that night, unless you count Kado speaking with me for a bit."
"I see…" I rubbed my jawline with a contemplative expression
"I did leave to check on Norito and Rikako at 8 o'clock PM in the cafeteria, as to why I deemed it necessary to do that. Kashiwa had informed me that he saw Rikako and Shuuyo chasing Norito into the cafeteria as he was passing by the balcony," Sozen notified, tapping his foot.
"He was not lying was he?"
"Not that time, you can ask them yourself," He confirmed, raising his hand to his chest. "Continuing on, I thought I'd have to put a stop to this, considering that for one, I remember only letting Rikako leave and not her sister. Apparently, Shuuyo had managed her way down to the lower floor without me noticing. Unfortunately, I did not return in time for the announcement due to me arguing with them quite a bit."
*Truth bullet added*
Sozen's patrol
Sozen regularly patrols outside of the dorm rooms starting at 7 to 10 P.M., keeping track of everyone who leaves and enters their rooms. He never saw Erena or anyone suspicious any time after 7 P.M. Kado had spoken with him at some point and told him about the twins chasing Norito into the cafeteria, actively going against Sozen's rules. Sozen eventually went to put a stop to whatever the twins were doing and argued with them until the body announcement.
I wonder if that means the killer waited until Sozen left to do their deed. It would make the most logical sense after all. That or Sozen is the culprit, but somehow I doubt that. I do wonder how Shuuyo was able to make her way to the lower floor without being seen by Sozen. Is there some secret pathway we missed in our initial investigation of this floor? Regardless, I doubt the twins are our culprits since they were busied by other people, so it shouldn't matter anyways.
"Hey Kaiya, have anything to say?" I asked, turning to the turquoise haired girl.
"Other than the crippling feeling of sadness over my body?" She quired with a frown.
"Yes… preferably something helpful," I requested with a small smile.
"Honestly, I don't know what I can say, but the body is unreachable from here," the agent apprised, biting a strand of her hair as her eyes scrutinized the details of the chandelier. "In fact, the chandelier is about 8 feet away from us, and a bit above the balcony, so I presume that the killer would have had to lower it to the first floor in order to put her up there."
That would mean whoever went to the lower floor is the only one who could have done it… however, Sozen said that only Norito and the twins went down there, and I don't see how any of them could lower the chandelier and place a body on it without being seen… unless Sozen did it, because only he would have the chance to do that without an eyewitness… but I cannot see him ever murdering someone. Whatever, there's still more to find, so I shouldn't begin suspecting anyone just yet.
"That would make sense… it is quite the distance to throw a body, not many would be able to do it," I added with a pensive look.
"Unless they used some kind of nifty gadget, like an extendo-arm!" Kaiya suddenly raised her voice as if she won the lottery, before looking doubtful. "But no one has access to that kind of technology other than me so that's stupid to think…"
And to mention, for your own sake.
"It may also be important to note that the chandelier is firmly locked in place by it's support beam, which explains why it is not leaning," Sozen brought up, gesturing to the steel beam that was holding the chandelier.
*Truth bullet added*
Chandelier
The chandelier is a bit above the balcony and hangs 8 feet away from it. It's also locked firmly in place by it's support beam to the ceiling.
I should take a look at what else is on the chandelier besides her body.
Upon closer inspection, I could see that the rope encircling her neck was tied to a long metal rod that had hooked on three of the arms of the chandelier facing towards us.
*Truth bullets added*
Rope
Standard industrial grade rope, tied to a metal pole. It tightly encircles the victim's throat.
Metal rod
The rope was attached to this long metal rod which is hooked on three of the arms of the chandelier facing the balcony.
Clearly, the point of the metal rod and rope is to make sure the body stays hanging from the chandelier, the metal rod acting as a hook stopping the body from slipping onto the floor. However, the rod isn't long enough to make getting the body on there in the first place from here any easier.
There was nothing else to find here so I decided to begin searching downstairs.
-Ultimate dorms 1st floor-
I saw Heikichi observing a knife that was stuck into the control panel that operates the chandelier. He looked both perplexed and on edge.
"Heikichi?" I asked with curiosity, my brow furrowing.
"Look, the only thing I have to offer is that I saw Erena at 7:20 P.M. entering her room, and to make things clear, I'm pretty sure she was breathing," he quickly answered in an irritated tone.
*Truth bullet added*
Glimpse of Erena
Heikichi had seen Erena entering her room at 7:20 P.M.
"Is that all? I can tell that there's something off about the panel," I inquired as my eyes flitted over to the broken panel.
"Obviously the killer stabbed this knife, which was most likely obtained from the kitchen, into the panel, completely busting the controls. Probably to keep us from having any chance of reaching the body," e explained, adjusting his visor.
"They certainly thought ahead."
"Yeah well, it's strange though, because this panel was not unlocked in the first place, remember?"
*Flashback*
"You guys love to go the full length when it comes to escaping dontcha?" Monotokage mocked with joy, grabbing her stomach. "It's absolutely hilarious! Gahahahaha~!"
She then left.
"I'm conducting a search on my own," Nene announced, as she left the room.
"I'll be following Miss Wakisaka's example," Anzai said, switching to the monocle. " Since you lot are dreadfully below average intelligence."
He also left the room the same way.
"We aren't very good at this whole 'bonding' thing it seems," Heikichi said as he stopped attempting to hack into the panel. "I really don't need to bother with this anymore."
*End flashback*
"Yeah, I understand your confusion," I said in remembrance of the scene.
If there's no way they could have lowered the chandelier, then they would have had to throw the body, to which we already proven to be highly unlikely. This continues to become more and more puzzling.
*Truth bullets added*
Broken control pad
The control pad that lowers the chandelier has been completely busted by a knife lodged into it. The knife itself is completely clean.
Heikichi's account
According to him, the control pad was electronically locked before the murder and still is despite it being broken now.
"It aggravates me that we even have to do this in the first place," the hacker complained with an irritated expression. "I thought the last of us ultimates would be smart enough to call Monotokage's bluff."
"What makes you so confident that she was bluffing?" I questioned, arching a brow with a curious glance.
"You can't just remove talent, even if you got rid of anything in your memory related to it," he reasoned, frowning. "Our talents are integrated into who we are, we'll just relearn that we have them anyways."
"That's true... for those that have natural talent," I semi-agreed, before shaking my head. "I'm pretty sure that's not the case for every ultimate out there. Even then, just the idea of losing who you essentially are is quite terrifying."
"Sure… whatever, we'll just have to hear it from the horse's mouth then," he said, tapping on his device with an indifferent expression. "Then I'll decide if I resent them for putting us through the ringer like this."
"That's certainly a better way to go about it," I mused. Figuring that I was done here, I then began walking over to Isoyo whom was crouching over something on the floor.
"Isoyo, I see you've found something of interest," I presumed, as I leaned over the petite girl's shoulder.
"I have, there's bloody shards of glass here, underneath Erena's…body," She informed as she stood up, allowing me a better view of what she was looking at.
*Truth bullet added*
Shards of glass
Bloodied shards of glass found on the floor below the victim's body.
"This must be really devastating for you…" I assumed, offering a concerned look.
"I've never felt worse in my life…" Isoyo admitted, slumping her shoulders while closing her eyes. "Trust me, I'm sad, even if I don't show it, I would be crying right now too."
"I can imagine the tears alright," I said with a sad smile.
"Just promise me you'll avenge her death, I want her to rest peacefully," the light brown haired artist requested, looking up at me.
"Of course, It's just a matter of piecing this puzzle together," I reassured in a sympathetic tone. "Which I'm sure we'll be able to do so long as we keep our heads together during the trial."
"..." She simply looked up at Erena with a neutral expression.
Poor girl, even though I'm actually not entirely confident we'll be able to succeed, we have to try… for her and Erena's sake.
"Wait… before you go… I have something to say," Isoyo piped up, pushing up her hat.
"I'm listening," I said, my interest piqued.
"I saw Erena enter the bathroom in her room at 7:30 P.M.," She notified me, clasping her hands together to her chest while looking away.
*Truth bullet updated*
Glimpses of Erena
Heikichi had seen Erena entering her room at 7:20 P.M. Isoyo saw Erena enter the bathroom in her room at 7:30 P.M.
"What were you doing in her room so close to the time of her death?" I questioned, thumbing my chin.
"Please…don't start accusing me…" the artist requested between long pauses as she twiddled with a paintbrush, looking down.
"Right uh… sorry, but you have to explain for us to get anywhere," I mentioned, my eyes softening.
"...I was returning her flower to her, because...she left it in the art room while we were hanging out," she informed, squeezing her fingers. "I placed it on the table in her room...next to the other potted plants."
*Truth bullet added*
Isoyo's account
Isoyo had visited Erena's room at 7:30 P.M. She was returning a flower that Erena had left behind in the art room, placing it on the table with the potted plants.
"Is that all?"
"..." She went back to staring up at Erena.
I'm guessing yes then.
With nothing else to see here, I went to search the cafeteria since that's where the knife came from.
-Cafeteria-
In here I could see the twins and our good ole buddy Anzai. I approached the twins first.
"Did you two find anything useful?" I inquired, crossing my arms with my brow furrowed.
"Nothing…" Rikako started with a sullen expression.
"Nothing but lost souls wandering the now gravely halls," Shuuyo continued, tracing her hand across her chest.
"Why the use of the plural form of soul?" I questioned, rubbing my chin.
"Erena is not the only victim, the staff here must have been killed off as well by the vile reptile," Rikako explained, turning to her sister with a somber look.
"So their souls are trapped here as well, forever, unless we avenge them by destroying our robotic overlord," Shuuyo finished, trailing her hand across her sister's demon wings with a thin smile.
"Oh…" I scratched my neck. "Anyways, Sozen told me that he found you guys with Norito, what was that about?"
"Nothing but a little fun~" Rikako purred as she offered an innocent but mischievous look.
"As in, tormenting the cleanfreak~" Shuuyo said in a sing-song voice, her lips pulled into an unnerving grin.
"If only you were there to see his very horrified expressions hmhmhmhmm~" The twins resonated, covering their lips with their forefingers.
"And when did you first start your fun?" I inquired, crossing my arms while leaning on a foot.
"Precisely at 7 P.M. until the dreadful announcement that some poor soul had crossed the plain of oblivion," The ghostly pale girls answered, twirling each other's black and magenta hair.
I do recall Norito leaving to go grab some snacks for the bonding thing we were a part of at that time. So this means they have a strong alibi.
*Truth bullet added*
Noritoshi, Shuuyo, and Rikako's alibi
While Noritoshi was getting snacks from the cafeteria, the twins had chased him into the kitchen for their amusement at 7:20 P.M. and continued to torment him until they were stopped by Sozen at 8:00 P.M. They, along with Noritoshi and Sozen, did not leave until the body announcement.
"Shuuyo, Do you mind me asking you how you managed to get to the first floor of the dorms without being seen?" I questioned, stroking my jawline. "I know that your sister was already there with Norito, but Sozen told me you never came up to him for permission."
"I used the laundry chute as it was not a long fall, not to mention, the soft landing awaiting me at the bottom," The angel winged girl responded with a soft smile.
"Wait, but how? I recall Monotokage stating that she wasn't allowing live bodies down the chute," My eyes widened slightly in confusion.
"She made an exception since me and my sis's goals were to terrorize someone," Rikako clarified, lacing her hands above her black and white blouse.
"It's true, and the lizard said it like this," Shuuyo began as she took a deep breathe. "Yahehehehe~ well, a little terrorization for fun never ceases to add some entertainment into this game, so I'll allow it seeing that it benefits the both of us!" The angel winged girl then gave a look of disgust. "God… I never realized how gross that voice was until I mimicked it."
"Unfortunately, the laundry room door was locked afterwards," Rikako mentioned with disappointment.
"Right then, that um… explains it quite well."
If that lizard allows people to just break her own rules for reasons like that, then it wouldn't be unwise to believe that she'd let the murderer do the same. Geez, Monotokage certainly doesn't give a damn when it comes to rules unlike Monokuma… it really shows that she's taking the game in a different direction.
I began to approach Anzai to question him, although I'm not expecting much help from him in the first place. It'd sooner end in him flaunting his intelligence and nothing more. I would say it doesn't hurt to try, but in this case, it might.
"Before you ask, let me tell you that I plan on not sharing," the genius boy notified me with an uninterested sigh.
Totally did not see that coming...
"You do know that we all need to discover the true killer in order to live," I told him as he went out of his way to avoid looking anywhere near me. "This is a team effort."
"Doesn't mean I have to assist you imbeciles. What's one less hand in the mix when there's 14 of you?" Anzai countered, pulling up his black #1 student armband before putting on the sunglasses. "Besides, I ain't got a single fuck fuckin' reason to worry!"
"Do you even have a reason for talking so big?"
"When will you learn…?" he voiced his disappointment, offering a facepalm before switching his sunglasses for the horn-rimmed glasses. "My genius level transcends the gods themselves! Minerva herself fears my intelligence."
"In other words, I have already figured this out," he continued, going back to his round glasses with a confident smirk. "Our killer isn't all too clever enough to fool mwah."
"Um… I don't know if I can believe that," I gave a skeptical grin as I plucked at my scarf.
"No it's fine, your tiny brain just can't help but feel jealous, so naturally you won't admit that I am superior in every way," the slate haired boy reassured, patting my shoulder with a fake expression of understanding. "We can't all be perfect."
As I thought, Anzai chooses to show off his ego rather than lend any hands. I just hope he doesn't try calling the shots and turns up wrong and we all die because of his arrogance. As great as seeing his face when he turns up wrong would be, It's not worth our lives.
I brushed by Anzai to take a look in the kitchen and saw that there was a knife missing from the holder. Meaning, it did come from here. Other than that, there wasn't anything important here so I decided to check out the art room.
-Art room-
Upon entering the room, I immediately noticed that a certain object I expected to be here was missing. Among other things, Masakado and Nene were here.
"I see you've seen it too, or more specifically, have not seen it," Kado remarked, scraping the sides of the bone spikes on his arms with his black dagger.
"Yeah, the statue of Erena is not here," I discerned, resting a finger on my dark blue chic vest's neckline with a pensive expression. "But the question is why?"
"Perhaps Isoyo took it so that she could be reminded of her fallen friend," the jade and black haired boy offered.
"That's oddly nice of you to assume," I commented with a hint of surprise in my voice.
"Did you want me to say that she wants to keep memory of just how lifeless and cold Erena's current form is?" The cult leader sneered.
"That's more like what I expected."
"Hmph…" Kado folded his arms across his chest with his eyes closed. "Either way, it may come into play later. So let's make sure we remember the fact."
*Truth bullet added*
Missing wax statue
The wax replica of Erena is missing from the art room.
My guess is that Isoyo did in fact take it for remembrance, but then again, why not wait to do that after the trial, I certainly can't dismiss this as not being strange in the slightest.
"Tell me, do you fear death?" Kado inquired at me, while leaning against the wall. "Do you mourn for those who fall prey to death's grip all too soon such as our dear old biologist?"
"No, I don't fear death, I'd just rather not experience it till I'm an old fool," I gave an honest answer, before giving a solemn look. "And I wouldn't mourn for others normally, but I do feel sorrowful for Erena, she was too naive and kindhearted for this world, and that made her a rare treat so to say. She did not deserve this fate."
"What pitiful thoughts…" he remarked, displeasure ridden in his tone. "Such feelings are meaningless… why must humans continue to cling onto such falsities to the very end…?"
"Because it's natural to see death as undesirable, as only the nihilistic embrace it. It's human to feel saddened by the death of someone who only wished for peace and was trying to be kind to others even if unnecessary," I explained with a slightly annoyed expression. "It's a little thing called emotion, you know? Maybe you should try it."
He sneered.
"Keh..." he gave me a sharp look that nearly made me jump. "Maybe in the past would that statement be true. In this day and age of pure terror, isn't it better to believe that death is our only savior from the tendrils of despair? We all know what happens to us ultimates, we only end up as pawns for destruction and if we try to run we perish…kekekeke… You see, Erena is the fortunate one here, she can rest peacefully in the afterlife while we suffer in this world."
A sweat drop formed at my brow. "Alright, now you're just… uh... acting crazy," I said, resting my hands on my belt, shaking my head numbly. "Before you were just some mildly sinister guy who seemed to just like… um, messing with people, now you really are taking up that title of yours in personality."
"Am I the madman? Or is everyone else?" He queried with a smirk as he traced his jade pentagram that hung from his neck. "By all means, continue to subject yourself to the torture of life, I'll just be on my merry way draining the blood from my body to escape this hell. You'll find my body resting peacefully by the next hour."
It amazes me how sinister this guy is while simultaneously sounding reasonable. It does make sense in a way, what he's saying, but there's a better way to go about it I'm sure. Additionally, I doubt he actually plans on killing himself, that's just one of his lies.
I shook my head in response. "Look, I don't believe that'll happen," I said doubtfully with a frown. "If you truly embrace death, then you wouldn't have come here to survive like the rest of us, in fact, we would only have had 15 ultimates left in the first place."
"Hmpf…" The cult leader's arms went lax as he offered a shrug. "I suppose you caught me in the act. You see, I cannot even end my own existence as I am eternally bound to this hellish land. I was merely hoping that you'd understand my plight, and maybe learn of the only way out, but alas, you are just as blind as the others."
"You know what, I think I'm done listening to your nonsense for one day," I shook my head and went over to where Nene was standing.
"Are you here to take note of these as well?" She gestured to some wooden sticks that are sitting on a table."You probably don't know it, but these were not here before the murder."
"How can you be sure of that?" I inquired with interest.
"I was here last, that's why," The blonde mohawked girl quickly answered with a small frown.
"What were you even doing?" I probed further with a nervous grin. "I never took you for the artsy type."
"I was not here participating in a weakling hobby," The fencer responded, her brow furrowing in agitation. "I was polishing my rapier."
"I… uh, didn't know the right tools were in here..." I said with a bit of surprise.
"Stop suspecting me before I show you another way to polish a rapier," Nene warned with venom in her voice as she unsheathed her rapier, pointing it's tip unnervingly close to my neck. "I'll lend you a hint, it involves bones."
"O-okay okay... " I croaked out, holding up my hands defensively. "I'm just… um... trying to make sure I can get every bit of information after all."
The fencer let out a sigh. "At least you learned to take me seriously," She mentioned, sheathing her rapier. "Others have yet to understand."
She then left the room.
It'll always end up with her rapier at anyone's neck no matter when or what is happening. She did help with what she said though, that's more than I can say to other people here.
I took a ruler out of a drawer nearby to get measurements on the sticks. They were 1 inch thick, 1 inch wide, and 2 inches long. I could even see some saw marks on the ends of some of them.
*Truth bullet added*
Sturdy wooden sticks
1 inch thick, 2 inches long, and 1 inch wide wooden sticks were found sitting on top of the table in the art room. Apparently, they were not there until after the murder. They also had saw marks on the ends of some of them and were quite sturdy, enough to resist a good amount of force without breaking.
Figuring that there was nothing left to find, I went into the garden.
-Botanical garden-
I only saw Juro in here, so that probably means there's nothing helpful here.
The soccer player punched the wall in anger. "It's just so goddamn frustrating that we have to do this!" Juro exclaimed as he stomped around in circles. "The bastard better get what they deserve."
My brows furrowed. "Are you saying you support the executions?"
He looked at me funny. "Executions? I'm just saying that they should get a quick death, so long as they are punished properly," the sandy blonde haired boy said, cracking his knuckles. "If it's just a slap to the wrist then I'll be goddamn furious!"
If this isn't him being furious, then I shudder to think of how worse he can get. However, he must not know about the other killing games, judging by his confusion towards the executions.
I firmly shook my head. "We don't even know their reason yet, it might be reasonable enough to not deem them deserving of that fate."
The irritated boy ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, weren't you there when the motive was announced, we know exactly why the fuck they did it!" He folded his arms tightly as he growled. "for their asshole desire to keep their talent!"
"I'm sure there'll be more to it than that," I offered a nervous smile.
He shrugged with a short laugh. "So what?! if we look at who cares most about their skill, then it must be Anzai!" He accused, putting a finger to his temple in thought. "That pussyboy is always flaunting it like the shithead he is!"
"Let's actually investigate before we accuse," I said, in a disgruntled tone, before giving him a look of suspicion. "Which leads me to asking what you were doing out at night yesterday."
"Huh? I was just getting some exercise to relieve stress," The soccer player answered with a nervous chuckle, offering a look of denial. "Totally not suspicious dude, and if you think it is, then that's whack as fuck."
I glanced at him skeptically. "Right… Did you see anything worth noting?"
"Well, I had seen Erena alive and in shape sitting on the couch in the hallway of the dorms," He informed, tilting his head far to the left, thumbing his chin. "That was… 8 P.M. Exact. Although, I only paid attention to her for a sec."
*Truth bullet updated*
Glimpses of Erena
Heikichi had seen Erena entering her room at 7:20 P.M. Isoyo saw Erena enter the bathroom in her room at 7:30 P.M. Jurobei had seen Erena sitting on the couch in the hallway of the dorms at 8:00 P.M.
So she was alive by 8, meaning the murder could have only occurred between 8 and 8:20 P.M. This also compliments when Sozen left his post. It does ring suspicious that Juro saw her last, so close to when she was most likely killed… but is he really capable of doing this? He's not the brightest after all. This case seems too complicated for him, again, I find myself sounding rude.
I searched high and low but found anything but evidence. So I went back to the dorms and headed upstairs to try to search Erena's room.
-Ultimate dorms 2nd floor-
Before making it there I got intersected by Leiko, causing us to bump into each other full force. Of course, my face just had to make direct contact with her breasts. Naturally, I was blushing hard.
"Are you blind?!" The demonologist accused, jabbing a finger into my chest, nearly stabbing the sharp nail into me.
"I can see just fine," I counteracted, as I rubbed my face.
"I get it… you were paying attention... paying attention to my honkers!" The ice armored beauty accused again, staring daggers into me.
My eyes widened marginally. "U-um... " My face turned beet red once more and I tried to cover it with my golden scarf.
The icy haired girl shook her head multiple times. "No can do Sherlock. I will not allow it," she crossed her arms underneath her bosom. "You should not be investigating my body!"
"Y-you were the one who ran into me anyways," I stammered, rubbing my arm.
"Whatever, just know that I only ship myself with my pillow," she notified with a huff. "As it's the only thing that has given me pleasure thus far."
"..." I stood in silence and awe of her strangeness. "Look, please tell me if you have anything actually useful to say."
She covered her mouth in shock. "Are you saying I'm useless?" She questioned, clearly offended, then giving me a sultry look. "How cruel… yet cruelty is an attractive factor."
For the third time in a row, my face heated up like a fireplace. "J-... that's not something useful…" I looked away.
She rolled her eyes. "Jeeeeezzz, where is the fun bone in your brain?" She complained.
Now she's making up a part of the brain, in a very incorrect way considering there would not be bone in anyone's brain.
"Thanks to my demonic all-seeing eye I was the first on the scene to discover Erena's corpse, along with Juro. I also happened to see Isoyo standing in front of the laundry cart, staring dead at Erena's body," The demonologist informed me, flipping through some book. "The demon, caveman, and robot, what a iconic trio!"
Then they were the ones who triggered the body announcement. Maybe one of them is the killer.
*Truth bullet added*
Jurobei & Leiko's arrival on the scene
They were two of the three to see Erena's body hanging from the chandelier. Right before the body announcement played, Leiko noticed Isoyo standing in front of the laundry cart next to the laundry chute. Making them the ones to set off the body announcement.
"I know what you were thinking, bookworm!" Monotokage exclaimed as she jumped down from above. "But the killer does not count towards the announcement."
"There goes my theory," I lamented, looking down.
"You have to be a demon! How else could you read minds?" Leiko accused, pointing at the lizard.
"For the last time I am not a freakin' demon!" Monotokage protested angrily, raising her hands up, before posing seductively. "I'm just an adorable, sexy, plush-like lizard robot thing!"
Leiko let out a huff of denial. "I don't believe you! Because I can also read minds! I knew what Omezo was thinking as well!" She bragged with an overly confident expression.
"Wanna bet?" The lizard challenged.
"You're on!" Leiko boldly accepted, pointing at Monotokage.
"Fine, then what am I thinking of right now?" Monotokage quizzed, with her arms folded.
"Hrngggggg…" Leiko put her forefingers to the sides of her temple as she struggled to think. "I know it! You were thinking about your love-hate relationship with a cute monochrome bear robot thingy!"
The lizard threw her head back in surprise. "Not right!" Monotokage denied, swishing her arm to the side, shaking her head. "Way of course even."
I stifled a small laugh. "I presume that she was reading her own mind, not yours," I commented with a small smile of amusement.
The icy haired girl lifted a finger. "You could just be saying that to try and fool me!" She presumed, before offering a playful expression.. "But it's too late! I already know it's true hehe~"
Monotokage turned to me looking annoyed and tense. "Omezo, remind me to not appear when she's around, thanks," she then left with those parting words.
I sighed. "Well, I can list you, Juro, and Isoyo as innocent then, since you discovered the body first," I conclude, stroking my jawline. "Unless someone else had seen the body before and has not said anything yet."
Leiko giddely clapped her hands together. "Thank Satan for that!" she said relieved, wiping invisible sweat off her forehead. "I'm no killer, and you can trust me because I said so!"
Thankfully, she skipped off, sparing what sanity I have left. I made it to Erena's room, but first I decided to speak with Sukey, whom was standing outside of it.
The band director was wiping her eyes, giving me a dejected glance."Who… just who…?" Sukey asked in a melancholy tone, numbly shaking her head. "Would do this…?"
"That's what we are trying to uncover," I said sympathetically, resting my hand on her shoulder with a comforting look. "Although, I cannot promise that it'll be the truth."
She buried her face in her hands. "To lose someone so important to our harmony, even if we live, how can I expect people to ever trust each other?" She asked with her voice muffled in her palms.
My brow creased. "I wouldn't say that, sometimes, things like this bring people together," I mentioned with a shrug.
The director gave me a shocked and angry look. "Do you mean this is a good thing?!" She punched my arm.
I held up my hands defensively. "N-no, t-that's not what I am trying to say…" I sputtered in my defense. "I just want you to know that you can't give up on your hope for us to ever unify just yet."
She let out a saddened sigh. "I guess you have a point…" She admitted as she slumped against the wall, resting her forehead on her hand. "But why would they choose Erena of all people…?"
I began rubbing my shoulder. "That is just another mystery that we will have to answer," I remarked, before placing my hands on my hips. "Now then, is there anything you have to offer for our endeavors?"
"You already know this, but thanks to my bonding plan, you, Arishige, Nene, and I have alibis," Sukey explained reluctantly. "But Norito did not stay as he left at 7:35 P.M. for snacks."
*Truth bullet added*
Sukey's bonding plan
Sukey, Omezo, Noritoshi, Kaiya, and Arishige were participating in a bonding activity in Sukey's room from 7:00 P.M. up until the body announcement. Noritoshi left at 7:35 P.M. to get some snacks in the cafeteria.
"Yeah, but he still has an alibi with the twins."
The white haired girl crossed her wrist over her lap while looking down. "...when I think about it, that bonding gig protected you guys from death," she murmured in a hollow voice. "If only I had gotten Erena into it…"
"I can't help but feel bad for Isoyo, for her to lose such a great friend. If she could, I'd imagine that she'd be in tears right about now..." she continued, before furrowing her brow. "Why did the killer have to ruin the only friendship down here… they… they are a real rusty shoelace!"
I don't get how someone could be so angry and that is what jumps out of their mouth. She has some real restraint, and creativity at that.
With that out of the way, I took a look inside Erena's room.
-Erena's room-
Generally, everything looked the same as it was yesterday. I would have checked to see if the flower Isoyo was talking about is in here, but I did not remember how many flowers were there in the first place.
"Hold it!" Someone shouted before I took another step forward in the room.
I jumped back in surprise. "W-wha!" Norito then blocked me from stepping any further, pointing his mop at me like a spear.
He looked around like a dog trying to sniff out something. "My nose is twitching… my eyes must not be deceiving me then, there is… dirt! Yes, that's it!" He exclaimed, crouching down as he eyed something on the floor. "Haha! Not on my watch! No foul mess will escape me!"
"Uh… what are you talking about exactly? I don't see it."
"Of course no citizen like you would notice what only the cleanliness hero can see!" The janitor said with a smirk. "There is a speck of dirt right there, hiding in plain sight like any criminal!"
He directed my eyes to the floor. I actually had to kneel down and really pin my eyes to the floor to see it, but he was correct, there was some dirt there.
I offered a skittish look. "Alright, but ummmm… how is that related to the murder? Isn't it logical to believe that it was there before then? I mean, there are a lot of plants in here…" I said with an addled expression.
The cherry haired boy stood up and jabbed his mop down on the floor like a cane. "That would be true if I was not here before the murder!" He exclaimed, as he covered his face as if he had a cape. "I did clean the rooms in the afternoon and I would never ever! Miss this villainous dirt here, plaguing the poor, innocent carpet!"
Due to his sheer confidence, I suppose I cannot deny that it's possible that the dirt is related, but I don't see how quite yet.
*Truth bullet added*
Bit of dirt
Noritoshi managed to notice the smallest speck of dirt in the carpet of Erena's room.
He gasped as he looked to the left. "And that's not all, I can also see another stain over there!" He announced as he leaped across the room.
I looked to where he was pointing, and could see a much clearer stain in the carpet. I got a closer peek at it, felt that it was cold to the touch, but I could not identify it as anything such as blood or something.
"I wish I knew what it was, because it might be important,"
"I don't know either, I just knew it existed," Norito shrugged as he spun his soap bar hanging from his neck around.
I then heard the door to the room open. "What a glorendous time for me to stupefy you two!" Arishige exclaimed as he entered the room. "As I know what that substance identifies as."
The janitor gawked at the effeminate boy. "Really? Then tell us," He requested with intrigue.
The cosmetologist lifted a finger with a smug look. "I can confirm without a shadow of a doubt that it is hair dye," he identified, brushing his fuchsia jacket off smugly. "My own fabulous product in fact."
I began rubbing my jaw in thought. "That's quite peculiar, why would hair dye be stained in this room?" I mused, my mind trailing off.
Arishige rolled his eyes with a laugh. "Because my cosmetics are top notch! I say they should be staining all your floors! That one on the floor in particular is part of my 'fast acting' line of dyes. You can test one if you'd like," he bragged.
I shook my head. "Again, I'll have to reject your offer," I disclosed, rubbing my palms together.
"No matter how long the list of denials you've given goes, rest assured you will be looking glamorous due to my cosmetics in due time," The eccentric boy stated, flipping his fuchsia bangs back.
I gave him a forced smile. "I'm happy to hear that you are determined, but please don't," I kindly requested.
"I'm guessing you can't tell us the color of it?" Norito assumed, thumbing his chin.
Arishige offered a discerning frown. "I'm afraid so, it's simply improsable,'' he said, shaking his head.
How many portmanteaus does this man have up his sleeves?
*Truth bullet added*
Hair dye
A splash of hair dye, as identified by Arishige, staining the carpet of the victim's room. It is apparently part of the 'fast acting' line of dyes that he's created.
Before finishing up, I made one last look around and my eyes took me to the trash can. What I found there was… enlightening to say the least. There was a note that was crumbled up, with noticeable blood stains on it. I opened it up and my eyes went wide at its contents.
To Erena,
Yo Erena, you should totally open the door for me at 6:00 P.M. ya rad gal. Lisn for a ique knking and you'll kw it's me. Omezo told me that I should try looking for a diffet girl to cook up that won't lily cook me up, so naturlly, you had my eyes next. I feel that we should h for a bit you know? It'd be nice to have a person to trust ght?
Signed, "The nde Bla"
While the blood covered up some of the words making them unreadable, I could tell what it meant. Even though the name is blotted out, I think the wording and poor handwriting speaks for itself to who it is.
*Truth bullet added*
Crumpled bloodied note
A crumpled note found in the trash of the victim's room. It was addressed to Erena telling her to open the door if she heard a certain pattern of knocks at 6:00 P.M. It also has bits of bloodstains on it. Despite the blood covering up the signature, it's clear by the wording and handwriting that it was from Jurobei.
Another reason to suspect Juro, but he was one of the three to trip the announcement, so it can't be him right? Unless, Monotokage also changed that function, then we'd have all the reason to suspect him. Disregarding that until it's proven, the killer must have wanted to plant this on him, but did not take into account that he would be one of the three to see the body first. Lady luck is on our side this time around, as this is just one less thing to worry about. That said, the blood is… strange. The file did state that Erena had a gash on her elbow, but how would her blood get on this note? It might not be hers though... this crime just got more mysterious.
*Ding dong, bing bong!*
"Ahem! Investigation time is over! Please report to the white door outside of the elevator. Better hope you've gotten all that you needed to find. Otherwise, you'll be bringing nothing but bare fists to a gunfight!"
She's talking about that one door that has been locked this entire time. I guess that was the trial room the whole time then, which makes sense as to why we were not allowed there before.
-Outside of elevator-
I headed over to the door and sure enough, it opened up automatically to reveal a pretty wide and long hallway. At the end lay a menacing looking elevator the same width of the hallway, enough to fit at least 30 people on it if they were all pressed together. It was just a box , with its walls being chain link fence, and the floor and ceiling being a rusty metal plating. Just being in this hallway gave me the chills though.
Everyone else had arrived soon after me, we all stood in front of the elevator, waiting for it to open it's gate.
"So this rickety thing is what was hiding behind that door?" Kaiya asked, sounding bummed out. "That's kinda disappointing, I was hoping for a secret laboratory of sorts."
The hacker's eyes narrowed. "It looks like it's straight from a horror game," he observed with a slightly fearful expression. "It certainly fits the atmosphere of our situation."
The soccer player tensed up as he laid his eyes upon the elevator. "I'll say, it gives me the damn creeps!" He exclaimed, running his hands through his spiky hair.
The twins frowned, looking disheartened. "Hmhmhmhmm~ But don't we give you the creeps better than some old elevator?" They inquired, sounding offended.
"You two do have it beat in my opinion," Norito reassured the pale sisters. "But man is that thing unclean, I really hope I get the chance to spiffy it up."
The cult leader frowned slightly. "But, that would ruin the feeling of dread it gives off…" he remarked, twirling his dagger around.
Arishige let out a sound of disgust. "Bleh… I am not stepping in that horrid thing," he said, turning away with his arms crossed. "I cannot afford to have disgusting rust rub off on me."
"Unfortunately, I don't think we have a choice," Sukey mentioned with a glum look.
I walked over to the artist whom was standing in the back. "Isoyo, do you know what happened to the statue of Erena?" I questioned.
She blinked twice. "Oh… I don't know where it went, I only just came back from the art room. I tried my best to search for it, which is why I was the last to arrive," Isoyo answered, biting her paint brush. "As you can tell, I came up short…"
*Truth Bullet Updated*
Missing wax statue
The wax replica of Erena was missing from the art room and could not be found anywhere.
Then it's really missing. Even with that revealed, I don't know if it even plays a role in the crime. Going over everything, I haven't the slightest clue of who the nefarious culprit is, only a few people have alibis at all and no evidence points towards anyone, except that note, but other events dispute that fact.
Sozen loudly cleared his throat to get all of our attention. "I do have one thing to offer to all of you before this all begins," Sozen said as he pulled out some kind of flip-book and presented it to us. "This contains all the evidence of the crime, make sure to read it if you are not confident that you found everything so that we are all on the same page in the trial."
After we waited in silence and a few people looked through the evidence book, the gate to the elevator finally opened, raking across the floor creating an even more dreadful atmosphere.
Juro slowly backed away from the elevator and went behind everyone. "You guys can go before me," the sandy blonde haired boy said, hiding behind Nene. "I need to collect my… thoughts, yeah, that's why."
The fencer attempted to elbow Juro off of her but he managed to dodge it. "More like whimpering in the corner," Nene remarked in annoyance, as she was the first one to step inside.
Everyone else followed suit, and the gate slowly creaked shut behind us. Then began the descent.
It didn't hit me until now just how shaken up I really am over what's transpiring. I can't help but feel… this knot in my stomach… this fear embedded within me and most likely all of us as the elevator drifted downwards. Where we are heading may be our final resting place if we fail.
The elevator finally came to a halt and the gate opened up revealing a large circular room with 16 pedestals arranged in a circle, with a large chair sitting high above them in the back, observing the circle. The room was designed in a very lively sense, it looked practically like a jungle in here, complete with cardboard cutouts of animals.
The lizard greeted us with open arms. "Welcome to the trial room! Be sure to take in your surroundings, because it may be your final resting place!" She exclaimed with excitement.
"What's with the look?" Heikichi asked, arching a brow. "It's very unfitting for a trial room…"
"How dare you disrespect our fallen biologist!" Monotokage shouted, her tail swishing in anger. "This room was designed after her, as a sort of memoir."
"Doesn't that picture of her with the red X serve enough of a reminder?" Isoyo observed, pointing over to a picture of Erena sitting behind the pedestal. It had red vines that formed an X on it, and was decorated in flowers.
"That's there so she can participate in all the trials in spirit!" Monotokage explained with joy, as she held her tail close to her chest, petting it like it was a child. "May we never forget someone so kind!"
The soccer player growled. "You have no right to be saying that bastard!" He declared through clenched teeth.
"The idiot has a point, you were the one to put a fuse on her life with this killing game," Anzai pointed out, backing the blonde boy.
Monotokage turned red with anger. "Gosh… why are young people so disrespectful!" The lizard questioned. "I just want to honor the damn dead!"
I let out a long sigh. "Let's just start the trial already…" I requested, wanting to get this over and done with.
"Your positions are marked on the back of the pedestals, so please situate yourself at the intended one," Monotokage informed us.
We all found our places, while Monotokage sat herself upon the throne, officially initiating the start of this trial, and the game itself.
This is it, the trial of life or death for everyone. I've never been in a more perilous situation like this, where everything is riding on finding the truth. It's no wonder why the ultimates that went through this are scarred, this whole thing feels so dreadful and fear inducing. No matter what, at least one of us will find a fate worse than death. I… I don't know if I even want to send the culprit into one of those horrific executions, but, for whatever it takes I have to, for everyone else and Erena, just like I promised to Isoyo, we will find the Blackened in this case!
AN: Yes, it took me quite a bit to finish this one, and I apologize for that, so hopefully the mystery I came up with is worth the wait. I look forward to seeing your theories if any.
Review Responses:
TheRoseShadow21: As clever as it is, I'm surprised I'm the first one doing it. Thanks for supporting me by the way as you're one of the two from Timeless to actually read this story.
Katastic Writer: I was excited as well to create a mystery for everyone to solve. So hopefully, I succeeded in making a decent first mystery.
pokemansuperallstar: I know, it would just be so terrible of me to kill Norito, because I also love him dearly, so instead I killed someone else that you'll still hate me for doing.
ThePLOThand: I would agree with you, but only two of Timeless's followers are also following this story, and only one of them reviewed, once.