A/N: So, we've come to the Investigation Period now! This chapter will be a bit shorter, but I promise that the actual Trial won't be the same way. Y'all already have a few pretty interesting theories on who the Blackened is this time around. Won't say if anyone got them right or not yet, but one of you has gotten a lot closer to the truth of this case than the others have. Who did get to that point is something to be revealed in the future however. Speaking of which, let's answer some of the reviews, shall we?
A Random Role Player: Ah, so we have our first sign of one of the readers falling into despair! As for the POV Shift, yeah those don't happen often, only happening once in Super Danganronpa 2, but I figured that it'd be helpful to swap between perspectives for the exchange between Kasumi and Ochiyo, so we can really understand what's going through both of their heads at the time, Ochiyo trying to understand and help a friend, and Kasumi falling into despair at the thought of being alone forever.
NostalgiaSucker96: I'm glad that you think this is good enough to be considered on the level of the games! That's pretty high praise, and I'm glad I'm able to at least somewhat match the quality. But now the big stuff's coming. The trial itself. Here's hoping I keep up the good work! Also yeah, something I realized when writing that chapter was, "Huh. I've written Kasumi and Ochiyo to be very, very gay in this chapter." Overall, an unintended, but not unwelcome surprise!
MythGirl Writes: And now we have our second instance of the readers falling into despair! Yeah, Fumio was the first planned death for a while now, but like I said, I wasn't expecting folks to like 'em! Sorry 'bout that. Also, yeah, Ochiyo set off quite a few death flags this chapter didn't she? But we all know she ain't outta the woods unless she's proven not to be the Blackened. Also, that 'borscht, chanko stew, and chocolate mixture' is actually a reference to Street Fighter IV, where El Fuerte actually made that dish to settle an argument between Zangief and E. Honda. Suffice to say... it didn't go well. Wonder if any of the readers caught that...
Moving on to the chapter itself, since this is the beginning of the Investigation Period, I'd figure I'd introduce two of the mechanics for this story, mainly it's answers to Truth Bullets and Truth Swords in the games. Because I wanted to put my own unique spin on the ball for this story, Kasumi's going to be using her own variations on these two signature concepts from the games.
First off, befitting her status as Ultimate Card Shark, instead of shooting out Truth Bullets like Makoto, Hajime, and Shuichi do, Kasumi will instead be collecting and dealing out Truth Cards. Admittedly, this is basically an aesthetic difference, and they basically function the same as Truth Bullets. Much like in V3, she can also use the evidence to commit Perjury, which in this story will be known as Bluffing. Due to her nature as a Card Shark, as well as the complexity of some cases, Kasumi will be forced to try and bait out suspects by pretending to know things she doesn't.
Secondly, like Hajime and Shuichi before her, Kasumi will have a part of the trials where she forcibly goes one on one against an opponent to duel their own logic with her own. However, for reasons that will be established in later chapters, unlike Hajime and Shuichi, Kasumi will not be using Truth Swords for Rebuttal Showdowns. Instead, her version of that minigame will be Argument Demolition, with her weapon of choice being a Truth Hammer, in which instead of crossing blades against an opponent, she forcibly breaks down her foe's argument with each well-aimed blow with the hammer. Also unlike Hajime and Shuichi, Kasumi can also Bluff during these battles, and in some instances, will be required for her to move on against a particularly tricky adversary.
The rest of the mechanics for this story will be revealed later on when the trial begins proper in the next chapter, but I figured these two bits were the most relevant to talk about this chapter, given that the Investigation Period is when all the evidence is gathered up.
As a side note, if some of you guys like that sort of thing, I've set up a soundtrack for Condemnation of the Guilty on my Author Page. Scroll down a bit, and it should be right near the bottom. I will update it as time goes on, so keep an eye/ear out for it! Now, back to our (ir)regularly scheduled killing game!
(I stood there for several minutes, my eyes wide in shock. Someone... someone's really dead now. I didn't want to believe it, but I was right... One of us really was willing to kill in order to get out of this place. And it's all my fault. I... I left my post just because of a stupid stomachache, and this happened... I let out a breath, before reaching out and closing Fumio's eyes. He may not be around to appreciate it anymore, but I might as well give his body some dignity at least.)
Kasumi: I'm sorry, Fumio. If I was here... If I didn't abandon my post... Maybe this never would have happened to you.
(From behind, I could hear the discordant chorus of voices grow louder, snapping me out of any thoughts of mourning.)
Shiya: *puff* What a pain... I was looking forward to tonight's meal, too... Jeez, couldn't you have killed one of the less useful people here?
Kasumi: What... What's wrong with you?! Fumio, one of our friends, just died, and you're complaining about dinner?!
Shiya: What? I'm hungry... And besides. We already know who killed our dear friend Fumio, don't we?
(All eyes turned to Max once again, some accusatory, some shocked, others enraged. Nervously, the drummer stepped back, sweat dripping down his face as he held up his hands placatingly.)
Max: Wait... please... please wait!
Achiko: Why should we?! The corpse stops here, buddy! Look down at the floor, and you'll see your own name written in blood! I'd say that's pretty solid evidence that you're the killer!
Max: P-pardon?! That's my appellation written down there?!
Yuuto: Of course it is! Can't you fucking read?!
Max: W-well, no, it's in kan-
Monokuma: Upupupupupu! Well, what have we got here?!
(Before Max could finish speaking, a voice came from above, and all of us looked upwards to see Monokuma standing on the now-broken railway of the second floor, grinning that same manic grin he always had. With surprising grace, the bear flipped through the air, before landing face-first on the ground with unsurprising clumsiness. He picked himself off of the ground fast enough though, looking none the worse for wear. Damn shame, that.)
Monokuma: My, my, my, things surely got interesting tonight, didn't they? Finally, one of you brats committed a murder! It was getting pretty boring around here! But now we've finally got some action going on! Upupupupu!
Margot: M-murder... are you really s-saying...?
Monokuma: Yup-yup! One of you kids offed Fumio! You can tell it plain as day! From his wide open eyes, to the puddles of blood around him, to the lack of a pulse! This barista is no more! He has ceased to be! He's expired and gone to meet his maker! He's a stiff! Bereft of life, he rests in peace! If he wasn't lying face-first on the carpet, he'd be pushing up the daisies! His metabolic processes are now history! He's off the twig! He's kicked the bucket, he's shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible! THIS IS AN EX-BARISTA!
(All of us gave Monokuma an annoyed glare as he went on another strange tirade. We had enough to deal with, with one of our friends having his neck snapped. We didn't need to add on a melodramatic cosplaying bear on top of it. Seeing that all of us were already sick of his theatrics, Monokuma spun in a circle, before coughing into his paw.)
Monokuma: Aaaaaanyways, I'm not here just to do my famed one-bear comedy skits, no! I'm here to deliver... DAH DAH DAH DAH! This bad boy!
(Monokuma held a paw in the air, a tablet nestled in his stubby limbs. On it was a simple message: Monokuma File.)
Monokuma: That's right, it's the return of the beloved classic itself after so many years! The Monokuma File! This handy-dandy little autopsy will give you all the information you need regarding the deceased!
Kira: Ah, what a shame. I was hoping that I could perform an autopsy on the departed. I assume that would be considered unecessary now if you did a proper job, wouldn't it?
Monokuma: Hey, if you wanna feel up the stiff, don't let me stop you! Though, I don't think it's the smartest thing to announce that in front of an entire room full of people. Upupupupu!
(With a press on the tablet, several DINGs went off at once. I grabbed the Monopass at my neck, opening the latest notification. True enough, it was the Monokuma File for Fumio.)
[Monokuma File #1:]
[Victim: Fumio Hojo, the Ultimate Barista]
[Time of Discovery: 7:00 PM]
[Body Location: The first floor of the Library]
[Cause of Death: Broken Neck. No other major wounds visible on the body.]
[Time of Death: 6:45 PM]
"Monokuma File #1" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
Shiya: A snapped neck, huh? *whistles* Brutal. I didn't think you had it in you, Yankee.
Max: You must be jesting, madam! I have already informed you on numerous occaisions that I am guiltless!
Shiya: Wow, you killed him, and you don't even feel guilty, huh? That's cold.
Max: W-wait, that wasn't what I-
Ochiyo: Enough.
(All eyes turned to the former Drill Sergeant. Once more, the expression on her face had turned stern, and at once, everyone shut up. Everyone except for a certain black and white annoyance, that is.)
Monokuma: Upupupu! What's wrong, Sergeant Blockhead? Kumbayas not working anymore?
(Ochiyo gave Monokuma a withering glare, and for a moment, I was worried that she might actually try to attack Monokuma. However, she just settled for staring the mechanical bear down, before letting out a deep breath and directing her attention back to the rest of us.)
Ochiyo: Alright, is everyone calmed down now? Good. Now listen up. We can't just keep throwing out accusations like this, we need to actually investigate what happened.
Achiko: Are you kidding?! Do you see this layout? It's obvious that Max is the killer! Let's just vote for him already so we can get it over with!
Monokuma: NO, THAT'S WRONG!
(An angered expression came over the bear's face as he immediately ran between Achiko and Ochiyo and began jumping up and down in rage, steam coming out of his ears.)
Monokuma: Just what kind of circus do you think I'm running here, huh?! I'm a professional with standards, you know! We have a set of rules how these trials work! If we just started voting whenever, then there wouldn't be any fun at all!
SHINK!
(Once again, Monokuma unsheathed his claws, his anger reaching a boiling point.)
Monokuma: Enough pretenses! Get to investigating, you brats! You have one hour before the trial begins! I'm goin' to go get wasted on some honey. Inconsiderate little punks... No respect for the good old ways, no respect!
(With that, Monokuma stormed off, muttering under his breath angrily, leaving everyone else alone.)
Yuuto: Great. Just great. Now he wants us to play detective. How the hell are we even going to start?
Kira: Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'm going to perform an autopsy.
Akio: Huh? An autopsy? I thought the Monokuma File gave us all the information we needed for this case.
Kira: Hardly. This information is bare-bones at best. With a proper autopsy, I can provide a good deal more information than Monokuma's farce her calls a Monokuma File ever could.
Shiya: You sure that you don't want to grope Fumio like Monokuma said? I mean, I wouldn't blame you. Necrophilia aside, he's still handsome.
Keiko: That... that's just abhorrent in too many ways for me to count.
Ryuunosuke: Regardless of intent, perhaps it would be wise if we had someone stay with our makeshift forensic investigator. After all, it would be unwise to leave someone alone with the corpse for an extended period of time, wouldn't it? He could easily tamper with it while we're all busy doing our own investigations.
Kira: What-you dare?!
(Angrily, the thanatologist stepped forward, only to be held back from slugging Ryuunosuke in the face by Aiya and Hachiro grabbing him by his arms.)
Kira: How dare you accuse me of desecrating the sanctity of a corpse for my own benefit! You... you shambling waste of flesh and cloth!
Ryuunosuke: Hmph. You say that now, but you're also a potential killer. Wouldn't you agree, 'Sergeant'?
Ochiyo: I hate to admit it, but Ryuunosuke's right. It does seem risky to leave just one person alone guarding the body. Would you mind if we just had someone be your assistant while you work, Kira?
Kira: Hmph. Fine then. So long as they don't disrupt my duties, they can stay in the library. But little else.
Ochiyo: Thanks for complying, Kira. It really means a lot. Now then...
(Ochiyo looked over the large group of assembled students to try and find a potential candidate. Snapping her fingers, she pointed to one of the fifteen remaining prisoners.)
Ochiyo: Max. Do you mind spending some time with Kira for a while?
Max: M-me, madam? You believe I am a worthy candidate for this task?
Ochiyo: Of course. You can keep watch so that Kira doesn't try anything suspicious with Fumio's body, and Kira can keep an eye on you so that you don't try and hide anything from the investigation. I'd say that would be an acceptable outcome for everyone, right?
(A look of relief washed over the drummer's face, before he immediately stood up straight, saluting Ochiyo. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw just a twinge of a cringe at the gesture, though if it was out of the sloppiness of the salute or the fact that she hated being reminded of her talent, I couldn't tell.)
Max: I-I will not fail you on this duty, Centurion Ochiyo!
Ochiyo: Thank you, Max. So now we have that sorted...
Akio: Wait.
(Before Ochiyo could continue talking, Akio stepped forward, a solemn look on the usually jovial giant's face.)
Akio: Can I stay with them as well? I know it wouldn't be helpful to the case, but I figured that as the Ultimate Priest and... as well as a friend, I should at least give Fumio his funeral rites. I admit, I didn't know what kinda religion he believed in, exactly, but I figured that it'd be the thought that counts.
Ochiyo: ...that would be nice, yeah. Of course you can do that. I guess can't really hold a funeral service for Fumio, given the circumstances, but I think he'd appreciate the gesture if he were still around. Have at it, Akio. Just be prepared to give Kira his space.
(The priest gave Ochiyo a grateful look, before walking over to Fumio's dead body, already beginning to say a short prayer underneath his breath, while Kira and Max respectfully stepped away to give him some space. The former drill sergeant turned to the rest of us, nodding once.)
Ochiyo: The rest of you, fan out so we can investigate the rest of the rest of the prison. Take note of any potentially suspicious things around you, no matter how minor it seems. We need all the evidence we can get for this. We have little under an hour for this, so work fast, is that understood?
(After a few minutes of muttering, the rest of the group left the library, leaving just me, Ochiyo, Max, and Kira. I felt a rough clap on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Ochiyo staring down at me.)
Ochiyo: C'mon, Kasumi. Let's find out who did this. For Fumio.
Kasumi: Yeah... for Fumio.
(I didn't know the Ultimate Barista for long, but I knew that we had to find out who did this to him. Not just for everyone's sake... but to give his soul some closure.)
[INVESTIGATION START!]
Ochiyo: Alright, where do we start, Kasumi?
Kasumi: What, you want me to take the lead here?
(Letting out a tired sigh, Ochiyo rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.)
Ochiyo: I'll be honest, even back when I held my talent, I wasn't exactly what one would call 'detective material'. I'd figure that since your talent is so associated with finding out liars and stuff, you'd be the perfect girl for the job of investigator. Especially since Kira's already busy with his autopsy.
(Okay, first of all, I'm the Ultimate Card Shark, not the Ultimate Gambler. My job's more focused on cheating people by having the advantage from the start, not being a living lie detector! Secondly, that's not how being a detective works! Letting out an annoyed groan, I pressed my hands to my face.)
Kasumi: Fine, fine... I'll... I'll try and figure something out. C'mon, follow me.
(Alright, so where do we even begin with this... Let's check around the library first. After all, this is the scene of the crime.)
Check the Corpse
Go to Second Floor(YES)
(Kira's already plenty busy with his autopsy. Best to look at Fumio's body after he's done searching. He'd probably be able to find out details faster than I could anyways. Motioning for Ochiyo to follow, I moved up the steps, making my way to the second floor. Almost immediately, something stuck out to me. I ran my hand over the railing that hung near the staircase. The wood was splintered badly, some parts even snapped off completely. Even from this high up, I could see fragments of wood scattered on the first floor.)
Kasumi: I noticed this earlier when Monokuma was doing his gymnastics show. Look at the banister above where Fumio died, it's snapped to pieces in a bunch of different places.
(Ochiyo nodded, before grabbing a part of the broken railing that had fallen on the ground nearby. Giving it a few practice swings, she held it out in front of her. Clenching her fists, she raised the broken piece of wood in the air, before-)
SNAP!
(Like a graham cracker, the wood snapped in half over the former drill sergeant's knee. Ochiyo spun the pieces in her hands, turning back to me confidently.)
Ochiyo: It's definitely fragile enough to be broken pretty easily. Do you think he was pushed off?
Kasumi: Definitely. Looks like we have our 'murder weapon', as it were.
"Broken Railing" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
(Wisely, we both decided to step as far back from the now-open space for us to fall as we could.)
Ochiyo: See? We already have our first clue! This investigation will be easy!
Kasumi: Don't jinx it... This is just the cause of death. We're gonna need more than that to figure out this whole problem.
(We walked further into the second floor, passing that strange memorial with the two busts. ...wait, two busts? No, my eyes weren't tricking me, there were only two statue heads positioned in the strange shrine that Yoshino had discovered a while back, the elementary schoolgirl and the plain girl with the glasses. The girl with the pigtails was missing completely now.)
Kasumi: Hey, weren't there three statue heads around here?
Ochiyo: There were? I didn't really do too much exploring on this floor when I had my shifts.
Kasumi: This was before the watch we ended up setting up. Yoshino ended up dropping one of these busts on her foot. It was a crazy-looking gyaru girl or something. I remember seeing it when I took my shift tonight, but now it's gone.
Ochiyo: Why would someone want to steal a funny-looking statue from Monokuma?
Kasumi: I don't really know, honestly... but it might be good to keep that in mind later.
"Missing Bust" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
Ochiyo: Um, Kasumi, I think we might have bigger problems than a missing art piece. Look at back here!
Kasumi: Huh?
(I stood up, immediately moving to stand next to Ochiyo, who was crouched down, holding her fingers up to her face. Blood shone in the dim lights of the library. Splattered nearby the phone booth, there were several more small splotches of blood staining the carpet. Grimly, she turned back to me.)
Ochiyo: Looks like someone got attacked here... You think it was Fumio?
Kasumi: Maybe... but let's hold off on assuming whose blood it is for now.
"Bloodstains Near Phone Booth" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
Kasumi: That's all that seems relevant to the case here. C'mon, let's go check the other rooms for any clues.
Ochiyo: Alright then, how about we check everyone's alibis? After all, if no one's got a solid explanation of where they were, we can out them as a potential suspect!
Kasumi: Yeah... sure...
(You seem way too excited about investigating the death of one of our friends, Ochiyo...)
Move to Main Hall
Move to Laundry Room
Move to Courtyard
Move to Kitchen(YES)
Move to Dorm Rooms
(The kitchen... Fumio spent most of his time there. Maybe there's a clue about his murder there that we might find.)
(When we arrived in the dining hall, the first thing both of us heard was noise. Lots and lots of it. After giving each other a confused shrug, I pushed open the door, and it turned out that two people were already inside. The first person, Achiko, was standing just outside the door to the kichen, seemingly having an argument with Margot, who seemed adamant on blocking the way inside.)
Achiko: C'mon! Make an exception for the wonderful me already! My head's killing me! Let me in!
Margot: N-no! W-what if there's evidence inside? Y-you could accidentally take something important t-to the case!
Achiko: Who cares about the evidence?! This is a medical emergency! Now move aside!
(Angrily, Achiko adjusted her cap, before making a step forward, staring up at Margot, who quivered under her angry glare, but she refused to move despite her fear. Seeing the potential fight about to break out, Ochiyo immediately moved forward, pushing her way between Achiko and Margot.)
Ochiyo: Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's going on, girls?
Achiko: Little... erm... Big Miss Project Runway's not letting me into the kitchen! I've had a headache for ages now, and I need painkillers! She's just being a big jerk about it!
Margot: B-but there could be evidence inside! J-just let me look and see if there's anything here before you do anything! Please!
Achiko: Yeah, but what if you're the one trying to cover up a murder here? How do we know you can be trusted alone inside anyways, huh?!
Margot: E-eep!
Ochiyo: Alright, alright, calm down, both of you. Margot, if we come inside with Achiko, would you be okay with letting her in?
Margot: I-I guess that would be okay...
Ochiyo: Glad that's settled. Kasumi and I were here to do a bit of investigation ourselves anyways, so more hands would easily make it easy for us to find more evidence!
Margot: Really? I-I'm gla-ACK!
(Before she could get another word in, Margot was pushed aside by Achiko, who marched her way over to the pantry, muttering angrily under her breath as she tried to find her painkillers. Ochiyo sighed in annoyance, scratching the back of her head.)
Ochiyo: Is it just me, or does Achiko have somewhat of a grudge against Margot now. Did something happen between the two of them?
Kasumi: I don't really know. The two of them barely interacted if memory serves. Maybe she's just in a bad mood because of her headache?
Ochiyo: Maybe... Margot does have a point though. It's a bad idea to leave her alone in the kitchen, no matter her intentions. Do you mind keeping an eye on her so nothing ends up missing or broken in her search?
Kasumi: I guess. I wanted to go check something out there myself.
(While Ochiyo and Margot began to talk amongst themselves, I walked over to where Achiko was, but she'd already found a bottle of her pills. Pouring a small portion of painkillers in her hands, she crammed them in her mouth, before swallowing. Almost immediately, she let out a small sigh of relief, adjusting her cap again.)
Achiko: Ahhh... that's more suited to the wonderful me... I can already feel the pounding going down.
Kasumi: Why did you have such a bad headache anyways, Achiko?
Achiko: Hm? Oh, that. I ended up banging my head on a pinball machine earlier when I was in my room, taking selfies with my Monopass. The camera function covers my angles gorgeously, as expected for the wonderful me! It was around 6:45 PM when it happened. Stupid floor making me look bad... It's been bothering me for most of the evening, honestly.
Kasumi: Really? I didn't expect you to be that clumsy.
Achiko: Hey! It wasn't my fault! I tripped on the stupid carpet!
"Achiko's Account" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
(Satisfied with the information I had, I gently pushed Achiko aside to look in the pantry. Among the boxes and cans was a small section set off for the medication. Relieved that I'd helped Fumio with the sorting earlier, I reached out and grabbed what I was looking for. A box full of laxatives and similar medications, with several of them visibly missing.)
Achiko: So this is what you were looking for? A few bottles of medicine?
Kasumi: Fumio was complaining earlier that someone took a few bottles of laxatives from the pantry without him knowing. Looks like he never found them.
Achiko: Laxatives? Why would anyone want to take something as gross as that?
Kasumi: I have a sinking suspicion...
"Missing Bottles of Laxatives" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
(Satisfied with what I had, I was about to close the pantry door, until something else caught my eye. Strewn around the floor haphazardly were a bunch of thin pieces of plastic. I picked one off the ground, brushing aside the crumbs. Looked like the wrapper for a chocolate bar of some kind. Now that I looked back up at the shelves, a good chunk of the chocolate candy was taken out of the pantry, leaving nothing but the wrappers on the floor.)
Kasumi: Huh. That's weird...
Achiko: What's weird?
Kasumi: The floor's covered with chocolate bar wrappers. Fumio cleaned the pantry every morning when he woke up. Why would there be such a mess when he was so particular about keeping everything in order?
Achiko: Maybe someone wanted to grab a snack?
Kasumi: Maybe. Speaking of which...
(Reaching up to one of the higher shelves, I grabbed a packet of chocolate chip cookies, opening it up and popping one of them in my mouth. After that horrible bathroom experience, I needed something to fill me back up again. From behind, I could hear Achiko snort in derision.)
Kasumi: What? I'm hungry.
"Messy Pantry" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
(Finished with my investigation and finishing off the bag of cookies, I walked over to Ochiyo and Margot, who seemed to be finishing up their own conversation.)
Ochiyo: Oh, hey Kasumi! I just got finished getting Margot's testimony, and I need you to help back her up on it!
Kasumi: Testimony?
Margot: D-don't you remember? You asked me to help you with... um... your bathroom problem?
Kasumi: Y'know what? Sure. Just... ulp... Go to the kitchen... ask Fumio if he has any stomach medications lying around. I'm not picky, I'll take-Geh! I'll take anything at this point!
Margot: A-alright. Kitchen... ask Fumio... stomach medication-
Kasumi: Oh yeah...
(I couldn't help but cringe at the memory. It was just a few minutes ago, and yet I already feel like repressing it back into the deepest, darkest pits within my mind, so I could never remember it again...)
Margot: I-it was around 6:30 PM when we ran into each other in the bathroom and you asked me to get those stomachache gummies. It took me almost half an hour to find the right ones, since Fumio wasn't in the kitchen. When I got back, it was 7:00 PM, and that's when the Body Discovery Announcement went off.
Ochiyo: It took you half an hour to find just one package of stomachache relievers?
Margot: I-I got lost! Honest!
Kasumi: Yeah, it's weird, but I can back up her story. I have the box of stomach gummies right here-huh?
(As I pulled out the box from my pocket, I felt something else in my hands. Ugh. Why is the box sticky?! Brushing aside my disgust, I shook the packet of gummies in front of the two of them. That seemed to satisfy Ochiyo's curiosity, much to Margot's relief.)
Ochiyo: Well, if Kasumi can back you up on your story, everything checks out then.
Margot: I-I'm glad...
"Kasumi and Margot's Account" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
Ochiyo: Alright, I think that's everything in the kitchen. Anywhere else you think we should go?
Move to Main Hall
Move to Laundry Room
Move to Courtyard
Move to Dorm Rooms(YES)
Move to Library
Kasumi: Let's head to the dorm rooms. We can check if anyone else has testimonies or alibis we can get.
Ochiyo: Sounds good to me. Lead the way, Detective Kasumi!
(Again. Not a detective.)
(At the girls' dorms, there were a handful of people. Aiya was unusually quiet, most of her usual peppy energy drained away. Standing next to her were Yoshino and Shuei, the racer in the midst of comforting the distraught Aiya, while Shuei merely observed from a distance, scribbling in his notebook as per usual.)
Kasumi: That's strange. I didn't take you for the consulting type, Yoshino.
Yoshino: Hm? Oh, it's only you, Miss Card Shark. Well, even if this normally isn't my usual fare, I decided to make an exception for Miss Delivery Girl. After all. She was one of the first to discover the body.
Ochiyo: Wait, really? What happened?
Yoshino: Well, that's not quite accurate. The first ones to find Mister Barista's corpse were Shuei and I. We were both in the library for some... personal time, as it were. I asked Shuei to meet me in the library after I delivered Miss Card Shark's dinner to her.
Kasumi: Wait, so you never left the library? So how long were you two there for anyways?
Shuei: I can answer that question. I arrived in the library at around 6:00 PM. My dear Yoshino was already there, having delivered you your meal at around 5:50 PM, and we spent time laying together on the couches for around half an hour. At 6:45 PM, we both heard a loud THUD, so we went to investigate the noise. After finding the body, Yoshino sent me off to get the rest of the group. Miss Aoyama simply was the first to arrive, which set off the Body Discovery Announcement.
Kasumi: So I'm guessing you two can vouch for each other during the time of death, then.
Shuei: Did we not say just that already, Miss Ahiru? Our alibis are both watertight.
"Yoshino and Shuei's Account" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
Kasumi: Hmph. Fine then. I'll leave you two out of this for now. Hey, Ochiyo!
(I turned around to let Ochiyo know that I was done talking, but surprisingly, she wasn't standing next to me like she was a few minutes ago. Instead, she was crouched down, rubbing Aiya's back as the two talked.)
Ochiyo: You gonna be alright, Aiya? You seem to be taking this kind of hard.
Aiya: Why… why did things have to come to this? We... we were getting along so well. Right? Sure, we weren't all friends or anything, but I'd like to think that everyone was doing okay, despite what was going on. So... why? Why did things have to lead to so much death?
(Aiya... she's really been hit hard by this, hasn't she? It makes sense. She and Fumio spent a lot of time in the kitchen together. It's only natural that she'd be reeling from something like this. I awkwardly raised my hand, before patting Aiya on the shoulder.)
Kasumi: Hey, Aiya. Don't worry. We're... we're gonna make it through this. We won't let Fumio's death go unanswered.
(To my surprise, she just pushed my arm away, before giving me a look of contempt.)
Aiya: You don't get it. That's the worst part of this.
Kasumi: Huh? What are you talking about?
Aiya: You remember the Rulebook, right? About what happens after the Class Trial if someone gets caught?
#6: If the killer (hereinafter referred to as "The Blackened") is correctly identified during the class trial, only the Blackened will be punished for their crime.
Aiya: Even if we find Fumio's killer... even if we don't get killed now... Someone else is going to be killed tonight.
(Ochiyo and I exchanged a look of dawning horror. We didn't even think about that... Not only do we have to deal with the death of one of our friends hanging over us all... but the fact that no matter the outcome of this trial, at least one other person will end up dead before the night ends. Aiya stood back up, before walking away from both Ochiyo and I.)
Aiya: I'm just going to go lie down now... I don't think I can help with this trial much...
(Without another word, Aiya walked off, leaving the rest of us alone. Damn that Monokuma... if it wasn't for him, none of this would have happened. We'd be all fine. In jail, but fine. Instead, we have to deal with death looming over us at all times. Ochiyo exhaled roughly, the same thoughts likely going through her head as well.)
Ochiyo: C'mon, Kasumi. I think we got what we came for here.
Kasumi: Yeah, I think you're right. Let's go.
Yoshino: I wish you luck with your investigation, Miss Card Shark. I'm sure whatever you bring to the table will be quite interesting.
Kasumi: Same to you, Yoshino.
(I just hope that this whole thing ends as quickly as possible...)
Move to Library
Move to Main Hall
Move to Laundry Room(YES)
Move to Courtyard
(It's a stretch, but maybe the killer might have tried to clean up any traces of blood on their clothes in the laundry room... it's as good a chance of as we got right now.)
(Unfortunately, it seemed that my hopes were in vain this time around. There was no sign of any of the machines going off, and the only activity here was the presence of two people, Shiya and Hachiro. There goes that theory.)
Kasumi: Then again, what criminal would be stupid enough to try and run their bloody laundry where everyone can find it?
Ochiyo: You say something, Kasumi?
Kasumi: It's nothing, just talking to myself. Let's just investigate.
(I walked around the room, while Ochiyo went over to talk with Shiya and Hachiro, keeping my eyes peeled for any hint of... well, a hint. Unfortunately, it seemed like I wouldn't find anything interesting in this room.)
Kasumi: C'mon... there's gotta be something heeeeEAAAAAAH!
THUD!
(Before I knew it, I fell ass over teakettle on the ground, my head hitting the floor with a sharp CRACK. Ugh... today is not my day. Then again when is it my day? Grumbling to myself and ignoring the giggling I heard behind me, I got back to my feet, before grimacing. What did I even slip on? I squatted down, and to my surprise there was a puddle of liquid right where I'd stepped. Looking back up, it was clear that it was a puddle of bleach, judging by the jug that was hastily turned over next to the sink. There were also scattered droplets of water and what seemed to be blood.)
Kasumi: Someone was in a rush to clean up their clothes today... better file that one away for later.
"Stains in the Laundry Room" was added to the deck of Truth Cards.
(Rubbing my now-sore behind, I began turning over nearby baskets, opening dryers and washers, searching for any potential clue amongst the multiple possible hiding spaces in the laundry room.)
Kasumi: Well now... what have we here?
(Unlike earlier, this time, my efforts didn't go unrewarded. Sifting through the trash can, I pulled out a small scrap of paper, holding it up to my eye. There was some markings on it, letters it seems. Unfortunately, whatever it was from, I couldn't tell, given that it was only one tiny piece of paper. Sticking my hand in the garbage, I took out more and more pieces of similar sized paper, before I ended up with a sizable pile of the scraps.)
Kasumi: Looks like someone wanted to get rid of evidence in this room. They seemed pretty thorough about it too.
(Damnit, this looks critical to the case, but I don't think I could ever piece this thing together. It's in too many tiny pieces... Still, maybe it'll lead to something useful.)
"Torn-Up Shreds of Paper" was added to the deck of Truth Cards.
(Seems like that's the only other thing of note in this room. I walked over to Shiya, who seemed to be observing as Hachiro and Ochiyo held a friendly conversation. The gunslinger sideyed me, taking another drag from her pipe. If she blew more smoke rings in my face, I swear to god...)
Shiya: Oh, hello there, Ahiru. *puff* Didn't expect to see you here, sweetie.
(Must... resist... urge... to kill...)
Kasumi: Just, *cough cough* investigating with Ochiyo right now.
Shiya: Is that right? *puff* Then I guess you'd like to hear a testimony I've got to deliver, my sweet little detective.
Kasumi: If you have anything that might be relevant to the trials, then please, go ahead.
(And make it fast so I don't have to keep up an extended conversation with someone like you.)
Shiya: Well, unfortunately, I don't have that solid of an alibi for the murders, but I did see something quite interesting before and after the time of death. *puff* First off, I think I was the last one to see Fumio before he died.
Kasumi: You did?!
(Are you crazy?! That's not just 'relevant information', that's outright crucial evidence!)
Shiya: Yup. See, I was headed over to the kitchen at around 6:15 PM to try and get some dinner from Fumio. Unfortunately, Fumio ran right past me. Looked like it was something important too, given that he was holding a crumpled up piece of paper in his hand. Since our resident chef was gone, I just ended up eating a sandwich in the dining hall. Such a shame, him dying... I was hoping that I would get to eat something nice tonight.
(He was a person, you fucking jackass. One of our friends. He wasn't your walking food dispenser or living meal ticket. Clenching a now-shaking fist, I forced myself to swallow down the angry protest that was slowly forcing its way up my throat in order to keep up a calm front before Shiya. Just let it go. Getting mad won't solve anything this time...)
Kasumi: What about after the murders?
Shiya: Oh that? Well, at around 6:50 PM, I realized that I'd left my babies in the dining hall. On my way back from the dorms, I ended up meeting Samegawa. Though there was something strange about her this time...
Kasumi: Something strange? Like what?
Shiya: Her hat, of course. Samegawa's hair was down, like she had just taken a shower, and her hat balled up in her fist. I wanted to ask about the style change, but she shut the door to her room before I could ask. Seems like the poor thing was in a hurry. A couple of minutes after I found my babies, the Body Discovery Announcement went off.
"Shiya's Account" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
Kasumi: Huh. Never thought I'd say this, but thanks, Shiya. That was actually pretty useful.
Shiya: Anytime, sweetie. Perhaps you can reward me with-
(NOPE! NOPE! NOPE NOPE NOPE! I AM GETTING OUT OF HERE! Pushing my way past Hachiro, I grabbed Ochiyo by the hand and walked straight out of the laundry room. As I slammed the door shut behind me, Ochiyo turned to me, giving me a wry grin.)
Ochiyo: Well, someone was in a rush, weren't they?
Kasumi: You didn't have to talk to her. Anyways, did Hachiro have any good information to give?
Ochiyo: Uh... kinda? According to Hachiro, while he doesn't have an alibi for the time of the murders, he insisted he had information that would be crucial for the murder. He actually saw Shuei and Yoshino in the dining hall earlier, doing 'something infernal and suspicious', according to him.
Kasumi: Shuei and Yoshino? But both of them have alibis at the time of the murder, don't they?
Ochiyo: That's what I told him, but he insisted that the both of them were up to something fishy.
Kasumi: Well... what were they up to?
Ochiyo: Well, Shuei was writing something up for Yoshino, apparently. After a few minutes of the two talking, Shuei handed her two letters. After that, Yoshino gave him a good-bye kiss and walked off to the dorm rooms.
Kasumi: Pfft. Really? An exchange of love letters between two people who are dating is grounds for suspicion for him? That's a riot.
(Still, information is information, I guess. At least it's something.)
"Hachiro's Account" has been added to the deck of Truth Cards.
(Well, the laundry room gave us a surprising amount of information. Granted, I'm not sure how relevant all of the information really is in the grand scheme of things, but it's information... Now where else should we go?)
Move to Library
Move to Main Hall
Move to Courtyard(YES)
(When we made it to the courtyard, the area was empty. Not a single person was in the area. Judging from the looks of things, there weren't that much in the way of clues either.)
Ochiyo: Well, damn. Doesn't look like anything's here right now.
Kasumi: Sorry about making us walk all the way here for nothing...
Ochiyo: It's fine, it's fine, really! Let's just keep looking, alright?
Move to Library(YES)
Move to Main Hall
Kasumi: Kira should be done with his autopsy by now, I think. Let's go meet up with him and see what he has to say. Not to mention, we should probably be checking places around the body in case we missed something.
Ochiyo: Sounds like a plan! Lead the way, detective!
Kasumi: I'm not a-! Oh, forget it.
(We walked back into the library, where Akio, Kira, and Max were already in the midst of a conversation. I guess they've been done with their own investigation for a while if they had so much time to have their own little small talk. It seems Kira noticed us, however, and he casually waved us over.)
Kira: I assume you two are here for the fruits of my labor?
Ochiyo: Yeah, we are. Thanks again for doing this autopsy, Kira.
Kira: Oh, it's no issue at all. After all, I am the Ultimate Thanatologist. Handling corpses is simply part of the job for me. Thankfully, Akio's considerable strength was helpful as well for my work. Though, I can't say the same for our squeamish little musician over here...
Max: Leave me well enough alone, mortician! This was merely the rudimentary instance of me dealing with a cadaverific situation.
Akio: Gahahaha! Don't worry, it's good that you're not used to this. This is far from a normal situation, after all.
THWACK!
Max: Eek!
(Letting out a jolly laugh, Akio roughly slapped Max on the back, nearly knocking the poor drummer over. Letting out a panicked scream, he nearly jumped a full meter into the air, skittering away from the priest in terror. Kira let out an annoyed sigh. Seems like this is what he had to deal with while we were out.)
Kira: Quite. Regardless, after giving my own observation on the corpse, I found several key details that Monokuma so carelessly neglected to leave in that sham of an autopsy he gave us.
Kasumi: Really? He left stuff out of the autopsy? Like what?
Kira: First of all, and most importantly, how quickly Fumio died. From a mere few minutes, I was able to find out one major factor about the deceased. Fumio died instantly.
Ochiyo: Died instantly?! Wait, are you sure about that?
Akio: Yeah. Kira was able to find out a lotta weird details that I wouldn't have even thought to be possible just from looking at a body.
Kira: Please. All one needs to do is look closely at a corpse to find out all the important information. From the angle his head rests at, to the torsion of his neck in relation to his torso, to the temperature of his body relative to the supposed time of death, all signs point to Fumio's death being all but instantaneous.
Kasumi: Wait... if Fumio died instantly, then that means...
Akio: Yeah, that's right. The message written by the 'victim' was a setup.
(At those words, the Ultimate Drummer pumped his fists, before letting out a primal scream of a singular word, causing all of us to step back lest we go deaf..)
Max: VINDICATIOOOOOOON!
(Jeez, despite being the Ultimate Drummer, he's got a pair of lungs on him that would impress even the likes of the Ultimate Musician. Kira gave a grimace as he rubbed his no doubt ringing ears.)
Kira: Yes, thank you for that outburst... There was something else strange that we found while I was performing my autopsy. Rather, three somethings.
Kasumi: Three somethings?
Kira: Indeed. First off, despite my analysis corroborating Monokuma's own in that there were no external wounds, there were a few patches of blood found on Fumio's shirt. Not to mention, as you've no doubt already noticed, the message allegedly written by Fumio left some blood on his pointer finger. While I have no doubts that the message was faked, the blood was most definitely not.
Ochiyo: That... is weird, actually... What about the second something?
Kira: On Fumio's chest and back area, there was some noticeable bruising. Not too large, but he was definitely hit with some considerable force before his death. As for the third oddity, Akio, if you would be so kind?
(Kira turned to Akio, motioning for the Ultimate Priest to step forward. Reaching into his pocket, Akio pulled out several small chunks of rock, some stained with blood.)
Akio: Max and I found a whole bunch of these little rocks all over the nearby area near Fumio's body while we let Kira do his thing. While most of these things are as small as the ones I got here, some of the other pieces are actually as large as someone's fist. We showed them to Kira, and apparently he found a bunch of them near Fumio's body too.
Ochiyo: Why would there be a bunch of gravel where Fumio died?
Max: That's what all of us were presuming ourselves when we discovered this oddity. Did Fumio perchance enjoy gathering minerals?
Ochiyo: Not that I can remember... where do you think these came from, Kasumi?
Kasumi: Huh? Wait, why are you looking at me?! I told you, I'm not a detective!
"Kira's Autopsy" was added to the deck of Truth Cards.
"Gravel Chips(?)" was added to the deck of Truth Cards.
Kira: While I have no doubts that my autopsy was flawless, if you wish to investigate further, you're more than welcome to do so.
Ochiyo: Thanks again, Kira. We owe you big time for this.
Kira: Kehehehe... the pleasure was all mine. I'm always appreciative of the opportunity to put my talent to use.
Akio: Uh, maybe you shouldn't be excited for more bodies to show up, dude.
(I crouched down next to the body, my attention focused on one thing in particular: the message written in blood. Sloppily written in plain characters was unmistakably Max's name. Kira already told us the 'dying message' was fake, but the message is still real. How is that even possible?)
Max: Whyhaps are you looking at that accursed text, card sharp? Did the embalmer not already prove the unreliability of the message?
Kasumi: Yeah, but... the blood had to come from somewhere though, right? There wasn't any fake or spare blood found anywhere for someone to fake a message with. Someone would've brought that up when we searched the surrounding area on our first day. Like Kira said, that means one of us here was bleeding at some point. Fifteen minutes wouldn't be enough for a wound to seal up completely. Especially one that spilled so much blood. So how did they hide it?
Max: Oh! I see the meaning of your words! So the ichor came from one of our own, then. But... wait, not one of us was expelling blood or had any exposed wounds! That does not make any sense!
Kasumi: Yeah... something here isn't adding up. But I just can't tell what yet.
"Bloody Message" was added to the deck of Truth Cards.
(I grabbed the hand that supposedly wrote the message, turning it over to observe it. Almost immediately, I noticed several markings on Fumio's hand. The names of everyone trapped in these prison walls. There were smears of blood all over his hand, centered around one name in particular: "Max Grohl".)
Kasumi: That's right...
Fumio: A-hi-ru! Got it! That's all sixteen folks! Aces!
Kasumi: Hey, what's that for?
(Fumio looked up, before turning his hand toward me. On it were sixteen names written out in calligraphy. Mine was written near his thumb in black.)
Fumio: This? I make it a point to write down the names of everyone I meet so I can keep them in my head.
Kasumi: Fumio made it a point to write down everyone's names when he met us. But why are there smears of blood all over his hand...?
"Fumio's Hand" was added to the deck of Truth Cards.
(That seemed to be all the important details surrounding the body itself. But I still have a few questions. Getting up, I walked up to Max, who seemed to be alone while Ochiyo and Kira engaged in a conversation with each other.)
Kasumi: Hey, Max. Mind if I ask a few questions?
Max: Anything that can help clear my name! What is your inquiry, my dear woman?
Kasumi: Something you said caught my ear earlier, but I think you got interrupted by Monokuma before you could finish talking.
Max: P-pardon?! That's my appellation written down there?!
Yuuto: Of course it is! Can't you fucking read?!
Max: W-well, no, it's in kan-
Kasumi: You said you couldn't even read the message that was written next to Max's body. How could you not know what your own name looks like?
Max: Ah. That... Well, as I've informed you before, my grasp on the Japanese dialect is... rather tenuous. I never discovered what my own nome de plume even appears as in your mother tongue. Thankfully, it appears that Monokuma was merciful enough to grant me some respite. All the things within my bedroom are translated in my own jargon. Even my Monopass is in the English brogue.
Kasumi: Really? Can I see it?
(Pulling said device out of his back pocket, he held it in front of me. True enough, the name of its owner wasn't in Japanese, but in English.)
Kasumi: Huh. That's... strangely accomodating of Monokuma.
Max: Surprising, I know!
"Max's Monopass" was added to the deck of Truth Cards.
BING BONG DING DONG!
Monokuma: Attention inmates! Your one hour of investigation time's up! I hope you worked your asses off to find clues, because now comes the fun part! Everyone head to the Main Hall! When all of the surviving students have arrived, we'll proceed to the Trial Grounds!
Ochiyo: Looks like our time's up... Think we got everything we needed, Kasumi?
Kasumi: If we didn't, let's hope that someone else found the rest of the pieces of the puzzle that we needed. C'mon, let's go.
Max: Y-yes. Quite. Let's be off.
Move to Main Hall(YES)
(As expected, the five of us were among the first to arrive in the room. The only others who seemed to be standing in the room were Achiko, who seemed to be still nursing that headache of hers, Yuuto, who I hadn't seen since the investigation started, and Shuei and Yoshino, who seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation of their own. And of course, the Vice-Warden himself was standing impatiently at the fountain, drumming nonexistent fingers on the marble.)
Talk to Achiko(YES)
Talk to Yuuto
Talk to Shuei and Yoshino
Talk to Monokuma
Kasumi: So, your head hurting any less, Achiko?
Achiko: Mmph. It's nothing that the wonderful me couldn't handle. Still, there's some pounding still...
Kasumi: Geez, how bad did you hit your head on that pinball machine?
Achiko: Ugh, trust the wonderful me, it was bad...
(From how much you're complaining about it, I don't doubt you...)
Achiko: Can we just get this whole thing over with so I can go to bed?
Kasumi: Honestly, I'm with you... the sooner this is done, the better.
Talk to Yuuto
Talk to Shuei and Yoshino(YES)
Talk to Monokuma
(I walked over to the odd couple, who seemed to have starkly different reactions to the oncoming trial. Shuei was impassive yet engaged at the same time, his face reflecting no fear at the impending death that lay before him. On the other hand, I could see Yoshino rock back and forth on the balls of her heels, like a child about to enter the principal's office.)
Kasumi: So, where's Aiya? Thought she was with you guys.
Yoshino: Miss Delivery Girl decided to separate from us. It appears that some of Shuei's comments struck a nerve with her.
Shuei: Hmph. She's merely being overemotional.
(I'll bet...)
Shuei: This should be an interesting Class Trial regardless of opinions. The characters are all set and ready. We merely need the major players to show their performance.
(At that, Yoshino merely let out a sigh, one I couldn't tell if it was wistful or just exasperated. Love. Oy vey.)
Talk to Yuuto(YES)
Talk to Monokuma
Kasumi: Hey, I didn't see you around while me and Achiko were looking around the prison.
Yuuto: Yeah, so? What are you, my mother?! I didn't fucking ask you to watch over me, damnit!
(On second thought, I think it's best if I leave Yuuto alone for now.)
Talk to Monokuma(YES)
(When I walked up to Monokuma, the bear was steaming mad. Literally, steam was shooting out of his ears as his face turned about as red as his left eye. God, I did not want to deal with two temper-tantrum midgets right now.)
Monokuma: Rrrrgh!
Kasumi: What's eatin' you, "Oh great and powerful Monokuma"?
Monokuma: What's 'eatin'' me is how no one's shown up yet! Making the Vice-Warden wait so long for things to get underway is UNFORGIVEABLE!
(Unforgiveable? For being late? The hell is his bear's problem? No wait, scratch that. The bear has many problems.)
Shiya: Geez, calm down. Where's the fire?
Monokuma: The fire will soon be all over all of your corpses if you inmates don't speed the hell up! I may not look it, but I'm a busy bear, you know! My time is valuable, SO WHERE IS EVERYONE?!
Shiya: Taking their time, obviously. No one wants to deal with this pain of a trial you set up. Especially with how obvious this whole shebang is.
Kasumi: "Obvious"?
Shiya: Uh, duh.
(The gunslinger casually gestured over towards Max, who was in the middle of a conversation with Akio and Kira.)
Shiya: I'd say that we've got pretty damning evidence against Little Drummer Boy, eh?
Kasumi: Evidence... wait, are you seriously still on that message thing?!
Shiya: I'd say that it's pretty damning evidence if you ask me. puff C'mon, let's get this stupid thing over with.
(Blowing yet another smoke ring into my face, Shiya walked off, leaving me coughing indignantly behind her. Gradually, the rest of the inmates trickled their way into the Main Hall. A few of them held a surprisingly chilling calm on their face. Some of them looked as if they were seconds away from having a complete mental breakdown. Others could be seen shooting Max angry or hurt glares. The Ultimate Drummer could only wince under their harsh stares.)
Monokuma: Finally! I thought I was going to die of boredom! I thought I had terminal boredom disease or something!
Ryuunosuke: Apologies for not wanting to participate in any farce you have planned for us.
Hachiro: Devilish oppressor! What monstrous act do you have planned for us now?!
Monokuma: Upupupupu! Isn't it obvious? I told you before you came here! We've gotta have our Class Trial, of course!
Keiko: You keep talking about a 'Class Trial', but where are we going to have it? Last I checked, we didn't have any real courts here. Do you expect us to simply stand in a circle and talk here?
Monokuma: I'm so glad the Human Calculator asked! BEHOLD!
(Raising his paws to the air, Monokuma clapped twice. At the front of the room, the fountain flipped around, revealing a simple blank wall. The pillars that surrounded the room began to glow a bright pink color. Suddenly, the earth began to shake violently underneath our feet. Just what the hell's going on now?!)
Margot: Kyaaah! It's an earthquake!
Ryuunosuke: An earthquake? No... this is...
Kasumi: Wait... is the floor sinking down?!
(Surprising as it was, I was right. Gradually, the room began moving downward, thankfully stabilizing somewhat as the seconds went on. I leaned against a nearby pillar for balance, taking in large gulps of air as I looked around the room. Just from the worried looks on everyone's faces, I could tell they were feeling the same sort of uneasiness that was currently invading my own thoughts.)
Kasumi: Christ, and here I thought I'd only feel the dread of going to court once. Am I right?
(Unfortunately, all that I got in response was the slow grinding of gears as the lift descended further into the depths of the earth. It appeared no one heard me. Even if they did, it appears that they wouldn't even try to dignify my comment with a response.)
Kasumi: Yeah... I guess that joke was pretty lame, huh?
Fumio: I dunno, I thought it was pretty funny!
(My eyes widened in shock. I turned around to look behind me and saw... absolutely nothing. Nothing but empty air behind me. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.)
Kasumi: I...
Ochiyo: Kasumi?
(I looked back towards the source of the noise. The elevator was completely empty now, with only Ochiyo with me in the room. Before us was a bright light. That must be the Trial Room.)
Ochiyo: Everyone else is already in the Trial Room. Come on. Let's go.
Kasumi: Yeah... yeah, I'm coming.
(The two of us walked together into the shining light. This is it. The time's come. We did everything we could to investigate this murder. Now comes the hard part... weeding out the killer amongst our group. This isn't like conning a bunch of suckers out of their money back home. This is a matter of life and death. No matter how this night ends, by the end of it, at least one other person will be dead.)
[Truth Cards in Deck:]
-Monokuma Rulebook
The list of rules set by the Vice Warden, Monokuma. They are as follows:
#1: Prisoners are required to stay within Hope's Bastion indefinitely, unless one of two conditions are met (See #8 and #9).
#2: "Nighttime" is officially designated as the hours between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. During this time, certain sections such as the courtyard and the gym will be locked off. No exceptions.
#3: All acts of violence toward Monokuma, the Vice-Warden of Hope's Bastion, are strictly prohibited(Punishable by death, Upupupupupu!).
#4: When a murder is committed in the academy, a class trial will be conducted. Participation in this trial is mandatory for all surviving prisoners.
#5: A body discovery announcement will occur when three or more students discover a body.
#6: If the killer (hereinafter referred to as "The Blackened") is correctly identified during the class trial, only the Blackened will be punished for their crime.
#7: If the Blackened cannot be identified, or if an incorrect student is identified as the Blackened, all students except the Blackened will be punished for the crime.
#8: If the Blackened survives the class trial, they are declared the survivor. At which point, they will be formally discharged from Hope's Bastion Rehabilitation Facility and will be set free within the outside world.
#9: If innocent prisoners (hereinafter referred to as "The Spotless") continue to survive class trials, the killing game will continue until only two prisoners remain.
#10: Monokuma will never directly participate in a murder.
#11: Your MonoPasses are very important items that allow you access to certain areas like your cell or the bathrooms. Lose them at your own peril.
#12: As trials go on, more sections of Hope's Bastion will proceed to open up for the prisoners to explore.
#13: The Vice-Warden may add additional regulations to this list at any time.
-Monokuma File #1
[Victim: Fumio Hojo, the Ultimate Barista]
[Time of Discovery: 7:00 PM]
[Body Location: The first floor of the Library]
[Cause of Death: Broken Neck. No other major wounds visible on the body.]
[Time of Death: 6:45 PM]
-Broken Railing
The wooden barrier that prevents people from falling to the floor below. Upon close inspection, a section of it was broken into several wooden pieces. The railing was shown to be fairly fragile, as shown by Ochiyo Kaiga, the Ultimate Drill Sergeant.
-Missing Bust
There were three busts displayed at the shrine on the second floor. The third one, a gyaru girl with pigtails, is missing from its usual spot.
-Bloodstains Near Phone Booth
Near where the phone booth is, there are several noticeable droplets of blood scattered around, as if there was some sort of a struggle.
-Achiko's Account
After tripping and hitting her head on the pinball machine in her room, Achiko had to deal with a headache for several minutes, to the point of needing to take painkillers.
-Missing Bottles of Laxatives
According to Fumio, someone stole several bottles of laxatives from the pantry without him knowing. The bottles haven't turned up since.
-Messy Pantry
Despite Fumio's habit of cleaning and checking the pantry before every meal, the inside of the pantry was covered with candy wrappers.
-Kasumi and Margot's Account
While on guard duty, Kasumi suddenly was hit with a bout of intense stomach pain, and was forced to leave her station in order to use the bathroom, where she ended up meeting with Margot. At 6:30 PM, Margot was searching for stomach medication for Kasumi at the time of the murder. Her search apparently took almost half an hour before she made her way back to the girl's bathroom. Kasumi was there when she left and reentered the bathroom.
-Yoshino and Shuei's Account
According to Yoshino, she came over to deliver the dinner made by Fumio at around 5:50 PM. Ten minutes later, Shuei showed up, and the two spent some 'couple's time' inside the library's first floor together at the time of the murder. At 6:45 PM, they both heard a loud BANG sound, and went over to investigate. When they arrived, they found Fumio's corpse. A few minutes later, Aiya arrived on the scene, brought over by Shuei, and the Body Discovery Announcement played immediately after.
-Stains in the Laundry Room
In the laundry room, there was a puddle of bleach that came from a nearby jug. Whoever used it was clearly in a rush to get something cleaned, given that it wasn't cleaned up. There were also puddles of water and what seemed to be blood in the area as well.
-Torn-Up Shreds of Paper
Stuffed in the bottom of a trash can in the laundry room were several torn-up scraps of paper. It seems like that they once had something written down on them, but the pieces were all torn up too finely to be properly deciphered.
-Shiya's Account
At 6:15 PM, Shiya went to the kitchen to get some dinner. Fumio passed by, holding a crumpled up note in his hands. Later, at 6:50 PM, on her way from the dorm rooms, Shiya managed to pass by Achiko, who was missing her hat for some reason and had wet hair. She was in a rush, so she didn't get the chance to talk with her.
-Hachiro's Account
About two hours before the murder, Hachiro saw both Shuei and Yoshino holding a small conversation. Soon after, Shuei handed Yoshino two letters, before the Ultimate Racer walked off to the dorm rooms.
-Kira's Autopsy
There were no external wounds found on the body. Slight bruising could be found on both the chest and back regions. Cause of death was a quick and sudden twist of the neck, meaning that in all likelihood, death was instantaneous. Despite this, however, there were some patches of blood on Fumio's clothing, as well as blood on the pointer finger of his left hand which was used to write Max's name.
-Gravel Chips(?)
Scattered around the general area where the corpse was were several bloodstained rock pieces of varying size. There were also some smaller pebbles made of similar material found near Fumio's body. What exactly they're from is unknown.
-Bloody Message
Written in blood next to Fumio's body was a singular name in Japanese: "Max".
-Fumio's Hand
Fumio kept a list of everyone's names written down on his left hand in ink. There are smears of blood near the palm area, focused on one name in particular: Max's.
-Max's Monopad
Due to the fact that he hasn't learned how to read kanji yet, unlike everyone else's Monopass's, Max's Monopass lacks any Japanese text. Rather, it's been translated completely into English for convenience, including his name.
A/N: So ends the investigation for Fumio Hojo's death. Now comes the tricky part: piecing all the details together so we can figure out whodunit! Did anyone's theories get debunked after reading through this chapter? Or did your convictions merely get solidified further? Either way, all will be revealed in the oncoming chapters when we enter the true meat and potatoes of this franchise: the Trial Period...