1st Arc: Our Fun, Twisted, Broken Killing Game
Deadly Life
I was able to stand up again after a while. Even after that, I still haven't shed one tear. Kaede was apparently the one who was trying to comfort me as I fell apart once again in front of her. She helped me stand up after she had finished crying. I felt numb. Like nothing mattered anymore. Does anything matter anymore? Kirumi is dead. The killing game has started. One of these people, my friends, killed another. And despite this despair, it felt oddly familiar. Numbness. My brain seemed to throb from the familiarity of this situation. This pain. This despair. This reality. Nothing makes sense anymore. And nothing will ever again.
"What...is this?" Shuichi asked hesitantly.
"Why is Kirumi…?" Rantaro trailed off as he stared at the body. At that moment, the front entrance to the library opened up again, and Kaito, Tenko, and everyone else who was in the game room, rushed in.
"Guys! Did you find out if anyone-?" Kaito began to ask before stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Kirumi's body. "Wh-What in the world!? What the hell is going on!?"
"K-Kirumi?" Himiko asked as she shivered violently.
"Ah...aah...aaahh…" Tenko raised her hands to her mouth as she began to shriek.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Gonta joined in with his own scream.
"Waaaaaaaaaahhhh! B-Blood…! So much Blood!" Gonta shouted.
"Huhhhh? Isn't that Kirumi? What's wrong with her?" Angie asked when she saw the body.
"...She's dead." Maki answered sternly.
"Whaaaaat? She's dead? Well, that's unfortunate." Angie said without care. I almost wanted to strangle her for that reaction, but I could barely move an inch. Kaede still had to help me stand, as my knees were still shaking to the point of not working.
"How can you be so calm!?" Gonta asked.
"...Rin already checked the body, but...just to be sure…" Shuichi walked up and examined Kirumi's body, like I had before. He placed his hand in front of her mouth to check for breathing, but… "...We're too late." He shook his head, confirming what I had found.
"T-Too late…? You mean...dead?" Gonta asked softly.
"S-She's dead…?" Kaito repeated. My vision began to darken and narrow again. I wanted to fall over and die. I felt worthless. I was worthless, unable to protect anyone. Questions I had no answers to began to pop up in my mind. Why was Kirumi here? How did she get here? And… who killed her?
"This means the killing game has started, huh?" Maki asked.
"What?" Kaede asked.
"K-Killing game!? Then someone killed Kirumi and-!?" Tenko was then cut off by the sound of the monitors.
Ding dong, dong ding!
"...What?" Everyone looked at the monitors in confusion as the screen showed Monokuma sitting in a fancy chair while holding a glass of champagne.
"A body has been discovered!" He said happily. "Everyone, please gather in the library!" With that, the monitor turned off, and Monokuma appeared in the library. "What a relief. A murder took place even after time ran out!" He said as he appeared.
"M-Monokuma!?" Kaede exclaimed.
"I gotta admit, I was a little nervous there cuz the killing game hadn't started yet. Mister Wakuri here had also accurately called my bluff and was trying his hardest to prevent murder. But whew!" He wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Geez… you guys really know how to keep me in suspense." He then turned to me and gave me a malicious grin. "Like I said, Mister Wakuri, you've already failed. You couldn't save anyone. Watching you struggle pathetically in those few moments as you realized this was very enjoyable! And that look of pure agony and despair is quite the sight to behold! This is exactly what makes the killing game so enjoyable!" I didn't even dignify him with a glare. I just kept staring emptily at Kirumi's corpse. Yes...a corpse. That's all that she is now. Just then, Shuichi spoke up.
"Wait! The pictures! We can check the pictures! I'm sure that the cameras we set up in the library will give us the ans-." At that moment the library door swung wide open, and everyone else came rushing in.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!" Tsumugi cried out when she saw the body.
"Kirumi!? But...why!?" Keebo asked, horrified at the sight.
"Hrk…! Th-That's Kirumi? Oh, thank god! I thought that was a pile of dirty rags!" Miu stated. What I would have given to switch Miu with Kirumi, no matter how evil that thought was.
"I see… So this ended up happening after all." Kiyo commented, an unamused look on his face. "Kehehe...my, my. What a world this is, so full of jokes like this." Just from the tone of his voice, I could tell he wasn't pleased in the slightest.
"Wh-What…? This is a lie, right? Mom is dea-" Kokichi started to say but then cleared his throat before continuing. "Oh, I mean… was kiiiiiiiiiiiiiilled!" He shouted as tears flowed out of him. It was hard to tell if they were fake or not.
"That's the same thing…" Kaede muttered sadly.
"What the hell happened here? I thought you two were going to handle things?" Ryoma asked, looking at me and Rantaro. I couldn't reply at all.
"I'm not sure what happened. We came here after looking for Kirumi, and found her like this." Rantaro explained. "I want an explanation as well. What happened?" He then said with a dark expression.
"Nah. An explanation isn't necessary. At least, you won't be getting one from me!" Monokuma said. Before he could continue, the Monokubs entered the room.
"Father's right! Whoever did this gets to graduate, after all." Monotaro chirped.
"What?" I asked, finally talking.
"Thanks to the First Blood Perk, the one who killed that bastard gets to leave scot-free without a trial!" Monosuke said.
"Then congratulations! Would the blackened who's about to graduate by killing Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid, please raise their hand!" Monotaro asked.
"The one who...killed Kirumi?" Tsumugi asked.
"I knew it! A degenerate male killed Kirumi, didn't he!?" Tenko asked.
"How you know boy do it!?" Gonta asked.
"I just know, okay!? Violent crimes are almost always committed by violent, disgusting men!"
"Tch… I don't believe it. How dare someone kill Kirumi!" Kaito said angrily. "Who the hell did it!? I'll friggin' punch you into orbit!"
"Now, now. You best send off your graduating classmate with warm farewells." Monophanie said, while trying her best to look away from the body. "Ughhh… I'm not gonna look… I don't wanna look at a nasty, dead body…"
"You could also send 'em off with hostility like a bunch of catty popular girls! That's fine, too!" Monosuke said.
"Either way, we won't let you interrupt the process. Now, if the blackened would please raise their han-." Monotaro didn't get to finish as I lunged at Monokuma. I pounced on him and grabbed him by the neck, choking him as hard as I could. My red eyes burned with hatred as I picked up the robotic bear.
"I won't let you."
"R-Rin!? What are you doing!?" I heard Kaede ask in horror as I threatened Monokuma.
"F-Father!?" Monotaro screamed as the Monokubs watched me.
"I won't let you. I won't let you give the culprit a free pass! I don't care what you do to me! I'll make sure the blackened suffers before you kill me!" I screamed. "You've made a grave mistake! You've PISSED OFF THE ONE PERSON HERE WHO HAS NOTHING TO LOSE!"
"L-Let go of Daddy right now!" Monophanie screamed as the Monokubs readied themselves for action, however…
"No, no my dear cubs. Rin here doesn't mean any harm." Monokuma said with a laugh. "Actually, I have to agree with him on this. As the headmaster of this academy, I can already see that this blackened has no need for the First Blood Perk. They would rather do a trial anyway!"
"What?" Rantaro asked.
"Very well, then. I will take away the desired First Blood Perk and hold a class trial instead, as the blackened and/or Rin wants! I will also excuse Rin for his outburst just now. So please, be a good student and drop me." Monokuma said that last part in a more serious tone than the rest. I glared at him, not wanting to give up my hold on him, however, Rantaro and Kaito made me drop him and dragged me away from him.
"Wow!" Monotaro exclaimed.
"Now that's a spicy twist!" Monosuke bellowed.
"W-Wait… What the heck's going on?" Kaito asked.
"Like we said before, we're going to hold a class trial so you bastards can find Kirumi's killer." Monosuke explained.
"Get it right and only the blackened will be punished. But if you get it wrong-." Monotaro said.
"Simultaneous surgery! Brain and knee! Then brain surgery again!" Monokid described the executions.
"...Everyone besides the blackened will be punished." Monotaro continued.
"Everyone besides the blackened… Everyone…" Kaede looked incredibly distraught.
"This outcome is much worse. The culprit should have just stepped forward, and Rin should have kept his mouth shut." Maki pointed out with an angry glare.
"Really? I don't believe Rin thinks that." Monokuma said as he pointed at me. Everyone turned to look at me. I hadn't noticed it until now, but once Monokuma took away the First Blood Perk, I started smiling. It was a wide, dark, malicious smile that I couldn't stop myself from having.
"This is...perfect." I muttered. "With this, everything will be…" I trailed off as I began to think of my next plan of attack.
"R-Rin?" Shuichi said, not sure what to make of what I said or how I looked.
"Well… before we can hold the class trial, you all gotta investigate first." Monokuma continued. "If you don't investigate the murder, you won't be able to argue over who did it."
"So you're saying we need to do the investigation ourselves, too?" Ryoma asked for clarification.
"Of course! The investigation is what makes the killing game so good! You guys are gonna investigate this crime and uncover the truth! Puhuhuhu… The blackened's handiwork and the plans made around this crime have made this much more entertaining than I expected… All right! The trial will begin soon, so please give the investigation your all!" With that, Monokuma and the Monokubs disappeared.
"Alright! Let's get going then!" Kokichi said with stars in his eyes.
"W-Wait… where do we start?" Gonta asked.
"We're looking for the truth of Kirumi's death, right?" Ryoma asked. "If we can't figure out who the culprit is, then we'll be annihilated for sure."
"I-I don't wanna be annihilated! The girls should be allowed to live, at least!" Tenko claimed.
"Nyeeeh… I'm just a cute, normal girl who can use magic, y'know." Himiko complained.
"You're the last person who should be callin' herself cute!" Miu yelled rudely.
"Don't worry everyone. I'm sure we can figure this out. It'll be like one of those murder mystery stories or games." Rantaro said, trying to ease the tension. "Right, Shuichi?"
"R-Right…" Shuichi hesitantly agreed.
"I'm in trouble… I've never watched or played murder mystery stories." Keebo said nervously.
"Well...there's no need to think so hard. We need only converse with the corpse…" Kiyo stated. "A corpse is not simply a dead person. That is just an assumption made by the living. Yes! By coming face to face with the corpse, you will learn a great many things!"
"Why are you getting excited!? You're not into dead bodies, are you!?" Tenko asked.
"Well… Rin appears to agree with me. He is already conversing with the deceased." Kiyo said, causing people to turn to me. I had walked away from the group and had already started investigating the area around the body.
"Wh-What the hell are you doin'!?" Miu yelled out in a panic.
"What does it look like? I'm investigating the crime to find the culprit." I narrowed my eyes on all of them. "After all, one of you killed Kirumi." Everyone stiffened when I said those words. They began to look at each other with suspicious looks.
"But...is it true? Is one of us really the culprit?" Tsumugi asked.
"...The odds are one in 16. That shouldn't be hard to figure out." Maki said.
"Agreed. I already have a suspect in mind. I just need to prove it." I added.
"That's not the problem here!" Kaito claimed.
"Wh-Who's the fuckin' culprit, huh? Is it you? Or maybe it's you!" Miu starts accusing random people.
"Eeny, meeny, miney, moe... who's the killer? Only Atua knows…" Angie said ominously.
"You no can choose that way!" Gonta said.
"Ah-haha, everyone's competing to see who's the most suspicious. Yeah, that's not boring." Kokichi smiled, seemingly amused.
"Wait… Wait, stop! We can't do this! We can't go back and forth accusing each other! For now… we need to trust each other and start a serious investigation."
"Huh?" Kaede and a few others were baffled by Shuichi's sudden confidence.
"If we all lose our trust in one another because of this… it's all over! We have to believe in each other and investigate this case." Shuichi said.
"Investigating is the same thing as not trusting each other." Miu pointed out.
"No, it's completely different from what Monokuma wants us to do. He wants us to throw accusations at one another, and lose all trust in each other… and we… can't let him get what he wants. We need to investigate this murder. Not because we don't trust each other, but because we do." After he said that, a familiar awe-struck silence filled the library. "Ah… did I… say something wrong?"
"You were just so...direct and assertive." Kaede said.
"Ah, no, I just… said what was on my mind…"
"You really are a detective! Now that we need to investigate, you're becoming super reliable!" Kaede said happily.
"I agree with Shuichi. Actually, he just said exactly what I said!" Kaito said.
"Males may be degenerate creatures who betray others easily, but I'll trust you this time…" Tenko said." The only good thing about males is that girls give birth to them!"
"Gonta not smart. Not sure Gonta be much help. But Gonta do his best for everyone!" Gonta stated.
"I will work hard with Atua's guidance. I'm much happier alive than dead anyway." Angie said.
"As novice investigators, logic dictates that we work together rather than give in to paranoia." Keebo stated.
"Everyone's going to trust each other and work together, huh? That sounds like a good plan. I'm all for it." Rantaro said.
"You can leave it to me! I'll find the culprit in no time!" Kokichi claimed.
"So everyone is going to keep fighting? I suppose that's fine." I sighed. "I'm glad no one's given up, but we'll still need precautions."
"Precautions?" Kaede asked.
"Even if we trust each other, one of us is still fighting against the rest to escape and survive. So if we leave that person alone, then they'll be free to tamper with evidence." I explained.
"Makes sense. If the culprit destroys crucial evidence, we'll be in trouble." Ryoma agreed.
"Oh, right… One of us is the culprit…" Tsumugi said sadly.
"So what do you suggest we do to stop that from happening?" Keebo asked.
"We should pair up during the investigation. Everyone investigates with another the entire time. This will give each of us accountability."
"Kehehe… If each of us watches the other, no one will be able to hide any evidence." Kiyo summarizes.
"I suppose we don't have a choice. After all, if we don't find out who the culprit is, we'll all be killed." Kaito said.
"Okay, so everyone agrees we need to pair up?" I asked. Everyone nodded. "Good. Now, I'll assign pairs."
"You're going to assign pairs?" Maki asked.
"Yes, because I don't trust some of you to actually pair up on your own. Some of you might also choose someone and not get anything done because you're with that person. You may switch with another if you like, but I believe these pairings will work for the best. We have a limited amount of time, so I'll only say this once. I expect you to keep to this. First off, Keebo, go with Miu. Keep her out of trouble and keep her focused."
"What!? Why the fuck would we listen to-?"
"Understood. I'll keep an eye on Miu." Keebo interrupted Miu and dragged her away from me to prevent her from arguing.
"Maki, please go with Tsumugi."
"Me and Maki…?" Tsumugi asked, looking over to Maki with a concerned look. Maki just sighed.
"...Fine." Maki said.
"Gonta, you go with Kokichi. Make sure he doesn't cause trouble."
"Understood Rin! Gonta work hard with Kokichi!" Gonta said.
"Oooh! You're pairing me up with Gonta? How interesting." Kokichi smiled as he spoke.
"Rantaro, you're with Himiko."
"Nyeh?" Himiko squeaked when she heard her name.
"Hmm… I see…" Rantaro thought about the pairing and nodded.
"Kaede, please go with Tenko."
"Ha! You knew not to pair me up with a degenerate male, I see! This pairing is fine for me!" Tenko said happily.
"Y-Yeah. Ok." Kaede agreed, though a bit hesitant. She probably wanted to be with Shuichi.
"Kiyo, go with Angie."
"Kehehe… Very well. This pairing does not bother me." Kiyo said with a chuckle.
"Nyahaha! Angie isn't bothered by it either!" Angie cheered.
"Shuichi, you go with Ryoma."
"Me and Shuichi, is it? That's an interesting pair…" Ryoma said.
"Ah, alright. I'll do it. If that's ok with you, Ryoma." Shuichi said.
"Hmph. It's fine. It's reassuring to be paired with the Ultimate Detective." Ryoma said with a small smile.
"Kaito, that means you're with me."
"Alright! Let's find the culprit together!" Kaito said, giving me a thumbs up.
"Hmm… very impressive." Rantaro commented.
"What is?" Kaede asked.
"Avotaro probably has figured out what Rinny has done, right?" Kokichi chirped coyly.
"What has he done?" Ryoma parrotted.
"His pairings… they all have people who might have trouble with the investigation paired with people who seem like they are more skilled in investigations." Rantaro explained.
"Basically, Rinny paired up all the stupid people with smart people." Kokichi summarized. "He also made the pairings based on relationships. For example, he kept Kayayday and Shumai appart cause they might get distracted or work together if they were paired. Same with Tenko and Himiko. And Kee-boy is a dense robot, so he'll probably keep stupid, dumb Miu on track with the investigation."
"R-Really?" Kaede asked.
"If that's the case, did he think about all that in just this moment?" Kiyo asked. I sighed. They're getting off track, but I suppose I can elaborate a bit further.
"None of you are stupid. I just thought it would be smart to place more experienced and observant people in each group. It makes sure everyone gets the most out of investigating. Now we should really hurry up and start." Everyone gave their agreements and we started investigating. Or at least we were, before Monokuma appeared once again.
"Hmm… This isn't quite the mood I was expecting, but it's okay! At least now you guys seem like you're getting into it!"
"You again!? The fuck are you doin' here!?" Miu screamed at Monokuma.
"Puhuhu… Don't be so crude. I've come to bring you all a wonderful present."
"This is giving me the heebie-jeebies." Tenko said with a blank disgusted expression. Monokuma then pulled out multiple tablets that looked similar to the Monopads.
"Dun dun dunnnnn! A notebook that will kill anyone whose name is written in it!" Monokuma exclaimed.
"Could it be!?" Tsumugi exclaimed excitedly. "The Death N-!"
"Whoops, my bad. It's a Monokuma File."
"You...did that on purpose, didn't you?" Tsumugi asked in a defeated tone.
"Monokuma file?" I asked.
"The Monokuma File is a detailed report that summarizes all the info about the dead body! But there's no info that would point to the blackened, cuz that would ruin the trials. I dunno, maybe you guys'll find it useful since you're not all experienced investigators like mister Ultimate Detective over there, y'know?" He then handed me all the tablets and disappeared.
"Pfft, Monokuma File? Like hell am I gonna believe something he made." Kaito said.
"Well, I guess that's your choice to believe it or not, but we should still take a look to see if the information is accurate, right?" Rantaro asked.
"Agreed. We should take whatever Monokuma says or does with a grain of salt, but when it comes to the trials, I think Monokuma wouldn't lie about this stuff. We should at least check it out." I said, handing out the other copies to Shuichi, Kaede, Maki, Rantaro, and Keebo.
"Atua has spoken… He says we shouldn't take our eyes off of the Monopad." Angie said while in a prayer pose.
"Alright. There is a limited amount of Monokuma Files, so I'll read it out loud while everyone passes it around to look at it. Does that sound good?" I asked.
"Y-Yeah." Shuichi said, turning on his that I turned on my file and read it's contents out loud for everyone to hear. The file showed an image of Kirumi, basic information about her, a picture of the crime scene, and a description.
"The victim is Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid. The victim's body was discovered in the library. The estimated time of death is 10:07 p.m. The victim was stabbed multiple times, approximately 13 times, in the chest and torso region, resulting in death. No other injuries or outside chemicals were detected."
Truth Bullet Obtained: Monokuma File 1
Kirumi was stabbed 13 times? Why would anyone go that far? "I know it's a little late, but...seeing this makes it real… Kirumi...is really dead." Tsumugi said while clutching her arm as we passed the Monokuma Files around.
"This is their fault." I muttered angrily. "They're the reason she's dead. I won't stop until they get what's coming to them."
"...I'm sorry, but what are you talking about? Who is this 'they' you are referring to?" Keebo asked.
"That's simple. The culprit of this case...is the mastermind." I bluntly said.
"What?" Kaede asked.
"Mastermind? What are you talking about?" Himiko asked.
"Let me explain." I then explained my theory about how there was a mastermind among one of us. This mastermind was the reason why we were here and why we were forced to play the killing game. I told them how I found the hidden door and showed it to them. I then told them I set a trap to catch the mastermind, though I didn't go into detail about it.
Shuichi and Kaede then explained how they also knew about the hidden door and set their own trap to catch the mastermind using hidden cameras and motion sensors. They then explained how someone got caught in their trap, causing them to come check out the library, only to find me. I explained my being there was part of my plan to find the mastermind, but didn't say anything more about it. I then explained how after everyone found me, the time limit ended and Monokuma hinted about how someone was dead, causing us to run around trying to find who he was talking about. After running around, we returned to the library, only to discover Kirumi's body.
"So you, Shuichi, and Kaede knew about the hidden door and made plans to try and catch the mastermind." Rantaro summarized.
"Kh! So you used those cameras I modified for this bullshit!?" Miu asked angrily.
"And what you told me at the dorms… was that-?"
"Yeah Keebo. All a part of my plan. I'll have to ask you about that later, by the way." I told him.
"So that's why you wanted the meeting to be in the Game Room?" Kaito asked me.
"Yeah. It was close to the library, which was where I needed to go."
"But...why would you three keep something so important a secret from us?" Kaito asked.
"Once we knew one of us was the mastermind, we'd start fighting over who it was…" Ryoma clarified. "That's what you three were afraid of, wasn't it."
"Y-Yeah… That's right…" Kaede said.
"That was part of the reason for me. The other, main reason I didn't tell you all was because I needed the mastermind in the dark about my plan, or at least, as in the dark as possible. It was impossible to try to hide all of it from them, but I tried my best to be as discreet as possible." I explained.
"So that's what you meant by 'Secrecy is key' back in the dining hall." Kiyo commented. I nodded.
"But if there are cameras, won't this case be solved really easily?" Kokichi asked. "Aw maaan, that's so boring!"
"Your amusement is the least of our concerns! We need to check the cameras right now!" Tenko said.
"The culprit should be in the pictures. It'll be case closed." Himiko pointed out.
"I doubt that." I said, not caring how they would react. They all looked at me like I was crazy. I sighed and then explained. "Tell me… do you really think the mastermind didn't know about Shuichi and Kaede's plan?"
"...What?" Both Shuichi and Kaede asked with bewildered expressions.
"Like I said, I expected the mastermind to figure out I was planning something. It's just I tried my best to hide the important details of it as best I could. I bet the mastermind knew about their trap completely. I mean, if they didn't, wouldn't there have been another person besides me to enter the library? The time limit ended without anyone else entering the library to get to the hidden door. That also leads me to state that Shuichi and Kaede's plan had a few flaws they couldn't account for."
"F-Flaws?" Kaede stammered
"Yes. Flaws. However, I still need to gather evidence to support my claims, since they're just theories at the moment. But don't let what I said stop you from developing the film. Those pictures are still evidence after all. Anything they show, or lack thereof, could still be useful in leading to the culprit."
"A-Alright. Let me go get the cameras…" Shuichi said nervously. Shuichi quickly retrieved all three cameras and rushed back to everyone. "Okay, I've got them. It was hard removing the camera that Kaede set up, she really taped it down well…"
"Well, I really didn't want that camera to fall, since it was aimed at the moving bookcase." Kaede explained, sweat dripping from her face as she avoided eye contact with me. Sure, that's the reason it was tapped down like that.
"Oh right. That camera…" I muttered as I looked at it. "I have to apologize, actually. I turned the sensor off on that camera."
"Y-You turned off the sensor? You mean you knew where the camera was?"
"Well, kinda. I knew you had cameras set up from overhearing your talk with Miu, so I knew they were there somewhere. I expected it to be around the entrances and the hidden door, obviously. I didn't plan on disturbing the cameras if I happened to notice them, but that one in particular was...annoying."
"Annoying?" I didn't explain further to Shuichi. He thought about it for a moment, seeming to come up with an idea, but it seemed like he didn't want to believe it.
"W-Well… anyway, these are the 3 cameras. Now, we just have to develop the film…"
"If only we had the Ultimate Photographer here." I said, trying to lighten the mode a little.
"If Mom were alive, I bet she could do it!" Kokichi said cheerfully. I nearly broke my neck with how quickly I turned glare at Kokichi, who pretended not to notice my gaze or how inappropriate his comment was. Luckly, Tenko and the others weren't very appreciative of the comment either.
"Have some tack, you male!" Tenko shouted, others voicing their agreement. Kokichi just shrugged.
"Well, how are we gonna develop the photos?" Kaito asked. Just then, Monophanie appeared.
"I heard everything you said! If that's what you need, just leave it to me!" She said.
"Huh?" I asked.
"I'll develop the photos so you bastards can focus on the investigation! Cuz if you guys get punished, it would be way too gory!"
"H-Hey! Don't butt into our-!" Kaede tried to argue, but Monophanie had already taken the cameras from Shuichi.
"...Ah!" He exclaimed.
"I am a strong, sensual woman. Do not underestimate me." Monophanie said.
"Hey! Give those back!" Kaede demanded.
"No need to worry. We all have to follow the rules. We won't do anything underhanded or devious. So I'll let you know when I'm finished developing the photos." With that, Monophanie left.
"W-Wait! Give the cameras back!" Kaede yelled. I put my hand on her shoulder and shook my head.
"She's already long gone, Kaede."
"Awwwww, there she goes." Angie pouts.
"N-No… That was important evidence." Kaede whimpered sadly.
"I'm sorry… I-I was being careless…" Shuichi apologized.
"It probably okay. She say she develop photos, then give photos back." Gonta pointed out.
"And she said she had to follow the rules, so I don't think she would destroy evidence." Keebo added.
"I agree. Rule 9 states Monokuma can't directly interfere with a case, and I'm guessing the rules apply to the Monokubs too. Besides, this makes the investigation easier. We get to examine the crime scene without having to take our own time to develop the photos." I commented.
"Looks like we've got no choice but to believe that." Ryoma said.
"It's important to believe. Atua only shows mercy to those who believe." Angie added while making a pose. Kaede was still tense, so Shuichi came over and grabbed her hand.
"Kaede… I know you're worried, but you can trust me. We just have to be patient." Shuichi said.
"That's not all I'm worried about…" Kaede said. "I thought this whole thing would be over once we exposed the mastermind, but now… we're just in a bigger mess. A mess...we have to see through to the end."
"...That's all we can do." I muttered. "Alright, I think we should get started. Everyone, get into your pairs and start looking for clues. All our lives are on the line, so don't miss anything." Everyone cheered in agreement, and we all started investigating. We will find the culprit, the mastermind, and end this game. No matter what.
