Since the investigation has started, I walked up to my partner for the case, Kaito. "Katio, are you ready to start?"
"Yeah, let's do this." Katio said, punching his hands together with determination. "There's a lot of ground to cover. I'm counting on you, sidekick!"
"Sidekick?"
"Yeah! We both came up with plans for the strategy meeting, and even then you were already working on how to end this killing game by yourself!"
"So...how does that make me your sidekick?"
"I'm more of a scientist kinda guy, so I'm not really suited for investigations like this. It's why you paired me with you, right?"
"Well...I guess, but I would think that kind of trait would be useful here."
"Plus, the only stage fit for Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars, is the universe itself. So I'll leave the details to you. Pave the way for my success!"
"Doesn't that make you the sidekick?" I asked with a chuckle.
"Don't worry about it. I'll make all the tough calls, you just gotta do what I say." Kaito said. He's jumping the gun again, isn't he? "So...I'll take full responsibility. Since you're my sidekick, you don't gotta worry about failures."
"Huh?"
"So what should we start with? There's a lot to cover, right?" Kaito asked. I don't have to worry about failures? Is Kaito...trying to help me overcome my insecurities? He must know how I blame myself for failing to save Kirumi. He's trying to help me by lessening the burden I've placed on myself. I chuckle. He really is something else…
"Let's start with the body. We have the Monokuma File, but we should check if it's accurate. Monokuma also said it wouldn't contain info that would reveal the killer, so we might find something crucial." I began.
"Right. Let's go." Kaito said, a bit hesitant about examining Kirumi's body. It's understandable. Kirumi was our friend, and for her to end up like this… I pushed down the thought as me and Kaito walked up to the body. When we got closer to the body, I couldn't help but stare. The last time I saw Kirumi, she was perfectly healthy. We chatted like we always did. She even tricked me a bit. Yet that's all over now. I shake my head. Stop it. Kaito's right. It's not my fault. I need to focus on how to move forward. "So why is Kirumi even here?"
"Hmm?"
"Well, from what you, Shuichi, and Kaede said, there's a hidden door over there." Kaito said, pointing to the bookcase. "Did Kirumi also come here for the door? If so, why is her body over here in the corner?"
"That's a good point. There's also no drag marks, and there's a pool of blood that seems to have been undisturbed, so I don't think she was moved to this position. Hmm… Why did Kirumi die here?" That's probably going to be an important topic in the trial, so I'll need to find an answer soon.
Truth Bullet Obtained: State of Body
"So about the body… where do we even start?" Kaito asked. I crouched down towards Kirumi and bowed my head.
"Forgive me, but I need to investigate." I apologized as I began to closely examine the wounds. Monokuma was right. There were about 13 stab wounds scattered around Kirumi's chest and torso. Each wound was in a different place and looked like they were quickly and brashly made. Either they had a deep hatred for Kirumi, or they needed to be quick with the stabbing. While investigating the wounds, one in particular caught my eye. "What the…?"
"What is it? Did you find something?" Kaito asked as he leaned closer to where I was.
"Yeah. I found something...concerning? I wish I was a coroner, so I could accurately say my discovery is true, but I can't be sure. Maybe if I ask someone who knows about this sort of stuff…" Just as I say that, I see Maki and Tsumugi walking up to the body as well. Perfect. "Hey, Maki. Can I ask for your opinion on something?"
"On what?" She asked sternly.
"Look at the wound on Kirumi's chest. This one." I said, pointing to a stab wound that looked like it was in the dead center of her chest. "This wound looks deeper than the others, right? If this was the only wound Kirumi had, what do you think would have happened?" I asked.
"Why are you asking Maki that? How would she know?" Tsumugi asked, tilting her head.
"Maybe she had good intuition, or maybe she has experience patching up wounds as a caregiver?" Kaito gave a guess.
"..." Maki looked at me with a stern look of confusion before she took a look at the wound and sighed. "If I were to guess… I would say it would cause instant death, if not something close to that. This wound is deeper and in a fatal location. The other wounds are a little more shallow."
"And do those other wounds look more...sporadic?"
"Hmm… They do, actually."
"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." I thanked Maki and turned back to the body.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Maki's account
"How did you know?" Maki asked me.
"Huh?"
"A normal person wouldn't notice something as small as differences between stab wounds. So how did you see that?" I felt another chill crawl up my spine after hearing Maki's question. How did I know? The only way I could have known is if…
"...How did you know?" I shot back. "You seemed to know about what I was talking about, so how come you were able to answer my question, Miss Child Caregiver?" Maki stared at me before sighing.
"Who knows. Maybe the same way you know." She told me as she got up and walked away.
"I hope not…" I muttered as I continued my investigation.
"Tsumugi, what's your thoughts on this?" Kaito asked.
"I don't know. I can't possibly imagine who killed Kirumi, but I know it's Monokuma's fault that it even happened. Because he pressured us...this happened. The time limit motive and even that strange music that started playing."
"The music...yeah. It was definitely annoying. Disturbing as well." I commented.
"I bet someone felt pressured by that and killed Kirumi." Tsumugi added.
"...We can't do anything about it now. All we can do is to find the culprit and avenge Kirumi. For her sake, and ours." Kaito said determinedly.
"...Yeah." I said.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Promotional Video BGM
"We should check her belongings she had on here as well." I said before I started searching her pockets, mentally apologizing again for disturbing her body. "Let's see… there's her dorm room key, a pair of spare gloves, her Monopad, and-." I stopped myself as I pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper.
"Hmm? Is that a note?" Kaito said, taking the piece of paper from me. He opened it up and tried to read it, but his eyes widened when he saw what was on it. "What is this?"
"What's wrong?"
"This note is written in multiple languages! I think it's written in Russian, French, Chinese, and Latin!"
"Written in those languages? Why?" I asked.
"Maybe they were trying to hide the contents of the note, though since Kirumi had it, maybe she understood all of it. From what I can read from the Russian parts, it looks like someone wanted her to do something." Kaito said as he looked at the note one more time before handing it back.
"Oh right. You know Russian from your training." I said.
"Yeah, but I haven't learned those other languages. I wonder if anyone here can even read this note."
Truth Bullet Obtained: Kirumi's Belongings
Truth Bullet Obtained: Note to Kirumi
"Oh look! Over there!" Kaito said, pointing to a knife that laid beside the body that was drenched in blood. I picked up the knife and looked at it. Wait… this was… "Isn't that the knife you had on you when we first found you?" Kaito asked me.
"It's the same type of knife. Same shape and size too." I said, setting it back down. "Are you suspecting me?"
"Of course not! You would never kill anyone, let alone kill Kirumi!" Kaito said confidently.
"Why do you… nevermind." I was going to ask him why he said "let alone kill Kirumi", but that's not important right now. "So what do you think this means?"
"If it's the same knife, or the same kind of knife you had, is someone trying to frame you?"
"That seems likely." I said, sighing a bit. Great. This will be fun to refute against in the trial.
"Why'd you have a knife anyway?" Kaito asked.
"...Self-defense. In case I actually ran into the mastermind and they tried to kill me." I answered.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Bloodied Knife.
"There's also this, I guess, but I can tell you it probably has no relation to the case." I said as I picked up the shot put ball that almost hit me. It was still in the place that I left it.
"You say that, but isn't it possible that the person who tried to kill you killed Kirumi?" Kaito said.
"Normally, I'd be inclined to believe that, but since I know who tried to kill me, I can say with confidence that they didn't kill Kirumi."
"O-Okay…?" Kaito said with uncertainty. "Anyway, you said the shot put ball dropped from one of the bookcases, right?"
"Yes, but like I said, it has nothing to do with the case."
"It's still good to know about what happened. To clear up other's suspicions." Kaito said. He does have a point, I guess. I just hope it doesn't come to that.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Shot Put Ball
"Ok. That should be it for investigating the body and what's around it. Let's check out the rest of the library and then go from there." I suggested.
"Sounds like a plan, sidekick!" Kaito said as we began to move around the library. We were about to leave, but I couldn't stop staring at the body. I hate doing this. I wish I didn't have to. And yet...why do I...
"...You're lucky, you know." I whispered to Kirumi with a sad smile. "You get to finally take a break while we all have to work." I tried to chuckle, but wasn't fully able to. "I wish it could have been me. That probably would have been better for everyone. Heh… 'Nothing left to lose', right? Not like I had anything in the first place…" As I continued to stare at Kirumi's body, Kaito came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder.
"...Hey, Rin. You should take these." Kaito said as he handed me the pair of Kirumi's spare gloves that we found.
"Huh? Why?"
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Besides, I think it'll make you feel better." I looked at the gloves with a raised eyebrow before I slowly took them. I looked at them a bit before putting them on. I never liked gloves before, but these ones were quite nice. I moved my fingers to test out the feeling. It fits quite nicely. Perfect for working. I smiled as I looked at the gloves. I do feel a bit better now.
"Ok. Let's go." I said. As we started to look around the library, we saw Miu and Keebo loitering around and decided to ask them some questions, but before we could even get a word in-.
"Don't talk to me, Space Bitch and Hoodie Fucker! I'm fuckin' busy!" Already completely done with Miu's attitude, I felt my fists tighten, but I didn't say anything. I just closed my eyes and smiled, though it was a forced smile. Fortunately, Kaito noticed my aggression rising and said something before I could.
"What's that you have there? Looks like a controller." Kaito said while pointing to the device in Miu's hand.
"Dun-dun-duh-dunnnn! It's a prone!" Miu answered, acting as though we were idiots for not knowing.
"Prone?" I asked.
"I believe she is actually referring to devices known as 'drones'. The machines that are remote controlled flying devices." Keebo answered.
"A drone? Then does that mean-?"
"Hah-hahaha! Now you're gettin' it, White-haired fucker!" Miu cackled as she pointed upward. "Feast your eyes on the latest creation from the gorgeous girl genius, Miu Iruma! It's a drome!"
"It's a drone…" Keebo corrected again.
"Ah! That's what you were working on in the dining hall!" I exclaimed.
"How perceptive of you! I modified this RC plane and even attached a camera on it! It's perfect for this, right?" With this, I can use the photos to draft a floor plan of this room to help with the investigation! That way, I can get outta havin' to do any actual investigative legwork! Bwah-hahaha!"
"Wow! That's actually really useful!" Kaito commented.
"Of course! The only problem is, I'm not used to operatin' a drone and takin' pictures with it!"
"I suppose that isn't really your fault if you don't have experience using a drone." I say while rubbing the back of my head. "Well, with these pictures, we'll be able to have a better view of the library and prove how that happened if need be."
"That? Are you talking about Kirumi's murder?" Keebo asked. I didn't respond. I just thought about what those pictures could possibly show.
"Oh, by the way, Keebo, I'll need to speak with you later if you don't mind."
"With me? Does it have to do with-?"
"Yeah. We can talk right before the trial starts so that we can get the most out of the investigation."
"Understood. I'll be sure to relay that information at that time." I nodded and walked away.
"What were you and Keebo talking about?" Kaito asked.
"Don't worry about it right now." I said. "For now, we should-." I stop when I see Shuichi and Ryoma doing something with the hidden door. "What are they doing?"
"Let's go find out." Kaito said as he rushed over with a wave. "Hey guys! Whatcha doing?"
"Ah! Kaito, Rin! Me and Ryoma were investigating, and I decided to check if the security sensor I put up on the hidden door is still there." Shuichi said.
"Want me to get the ladder?" Kaito asked.
"That's a stepladder." I corrected him.
"Huh? What's the difference?" Kaito asked.
"They're completely different!" I stated.
"Rin, I think you just gotta take a step back and not over think it. It's a ladder, end of story." Kaito told me.
"But it's not a-oh, whatever." I finally muttered. Why does it feel like I've had that same conversation hundreds of times?
"Stop arguing. I'll get it." Ryoma interrupted as he went and got the stepladder. Shuichi climbed up it.
"Yeah, the sensor is still here. I should take it down." Shuichi said.
"Removing it is fine, but won't your receiver go off when you move it?" Ryoma asked.
"No, it's alright. I turned the receiver off."
"Huh? You can turn it off?"
"Yes, I made sure to switch it off on the way down here. I thought the mastermind could still be inside, and I didn't want to alert them..."
"That makes sense." Kaito said.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Receiver on Shuichi
"Actually, about the hidden door, I think I have something to show you guys." I said.
"What is it?" Ryoma asked.
"Well, when you move the bookcase, the door is revealed, right? But watch this." I walked up to the bookcase and opened it up. I then let go, and after a little bit, the bookcase moved back into place.
"It can close on it's own!?" Kaito exclaimed.
"Makes sense. It would be pointless if the mastermind entered through here, but the bookcase didn't close. That would mean people would find the door immediately after they enter." Ryoma explained.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Moving Bookcase
"If the bookcase moves on its own, does that mean the mastermind could have killed Kirumi and ran back into the hidden door to hide?" Kaito asked.
"That's possible. We should check to see if that's possible." Shuichi said.
"We can do that?" Ryoma asked.
"You placed dust on the card reader, right? Kaede told me about it." I said.
"Kaede told you?" Shuichi asked.
"Yeah. Remember when you ran into me when you were exiting the basement on our second day here? I discovered the hidden door right after, and Kaede approached me and asked about if I found it. I told her I did and we discussed it a bit. She told me about the dust and asked if I wanted to work with you guys, but I refused."
"You refused?" Ryoma asked.
"Yeah. I didn't think Shuichi would trust me, or that I would mess up whatever plan he was setting up. Besides, if I made my own plan to work alongside him, one of our plans has a greater chance to uncover the mastermind, right?" I explained.
"I suppose."
"Anyway, let's check the card reader." Shuichi then opened the bookcase. The 4 of us leaned in closer to look at the card reader.
"Looks like it's still there." Ryoma stated.
"It looks like the card reader wasn't used. That means the mastermind didn't hide here." Shuichi said.
"That's not necessarily true." I muttered.
"Really? Why do you say that?" Ryoma asked.
"Well… It's just a theory. Nevermind me for now. I'll bring it up later if I find evidence for it."
"Oh! I know! What if the mastermind replaced the dust after using the card reader? Rin was saying how the mastermind probably knew about your plan, so it would make sense if they knew about the dust." Kaito said.
"No, I remember exactly where I put the dust. This hasn't been moved at all. I think it's safe to assume the mastermind did not go through this door." Shuichi said.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Card Reader Dust
"Even if the mastermind didn't go through the door, that alone is still a clue, right?" Kaito said with a smile. "With this, we're getting closer to the truth!"
"Y-Yeah." Shuichi nodded. Having finished investigating the hidden door, Me and Kaito walked over to the final group that is in the library at the moment: Tenko and Kaede.
"Kaede, I have a question for you." I said as we walked up.
"R-Rin...sure. What is it?" Kaede asked hesitantly. It's obvious that she still feels guilty. I'll have to make sure she understands that I completely forgive her after we're done.
"What's up with those books?" I said as I pointed up to the stacked books on top of the many bookcases. "I didn't notice until now, but those books weren't stacked before. They were carelessly placed up there before all of this. Did something happen?"
"Oh that. When me and Shuichi were placing the cameras, I was wondering if I could place a camera up there, so I started to stack the books a bit to try to find a good place. It didn't work out though."
"But you still stacked all the books though? How come?" Kaito asked.
"Well...do you see that vent up there? Shuichi was worried that someone would be able to crawl through the vent, so I kept stacking books as a sorta wall to prevent people from doing that. If the books were disturbed, then that would have meant that someone entered through the vent." Kaede said.
"But didn't you say that you and Shuichi were hiding out in the classroom near the stairs to the basement because you were guarding the vent?" Tenko asked.
"Well, I didn't find out that was where we were going to wait when we were arranging everything." Kaede answered.
"...I see." I said as I thought about what she said.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Stacked Books
"Alright. I think we're done with the library." I told Kaito.
"Where do you think we should go then?" Kaito asked.
"We should go to the dining hall to check the knives. We should also check the classroom Shuichi and Kaede were staying in."
"Anything else?"
"Well...if we get the chance...there is one more place I think we should check out." I said, though a bit hesitant. If my suspicion is true, then this place would be… and the culprit would be… "But we can save that for last. What about you? Anything you want to check out?"
"There is one person whose actions I thought were weird." Kaito said begrudgingly. "I want to know why Gonta locked himself inside the AV Room. We should also get the other's alibis."
"Alright. Gonta should still be nearby, so let's go question him first." I said as we exited the library.
We entered the Game Room and went into the AV room and saw Rantaro and Himiko questioning Gonta, with Kokichi just watching from the side.
"Wait! Gonta not murder anyone!" Gonta yelled.
"I'm not saying you did. I just want to know why-." Rantaro then got cut off by Himiko.
"No...it's him alright. He's got the face of a killer."
"How boring...this is going on forever…" Kokichi groaned.
"N-No judge Gonta by his outside. On inside, Gonta gentleman." Gonta argued.
"Don't worry Gonta. You're not scary looking, and I know you can't be the culprit." I said as we entered the room.
"Oh, Rinny! You're here too!" Kokichi said happily.
"R-Really!? Thank you Rin for believing Gonta!" Gonta said happily.
"You know he isn't the culprit?" Himiko asked.
"Yeah. There's two doors to get into the AV Room, right? One from the game room and one out in the hallway that's across from the side library entrance. If Gonta had left, he would have had to go through the game room and run into you, Angie, and Maki."
"But couldn't Gonta just use the other door?" Kaito asked.
"Actually, no. After I left the game room, I saw that door in the hallway. I checked to see if Gonta was still in the room, but…" I pulled the sliding door as much as I could to show them.
"Oh I see. It gets stuck and doesn't open fully." Rantaro stated. "It must not have been installed incorrectly. A person can only get an arm through, realistically."
"No, no...if it's Gonta, it doesn't matter if the door was stuck. He's strong enough to throw that super heavy manhole cover, remember?" Himiko said.
"Yeah, he could eat this door for breakfast." Kaito added.
"Totally! Gonta is the culprit!" Kokichi shouted.
"Gonta no eat door for breakfast! Breakfast most important meal for any gentleman's day!" Gonta said.
"I agree." I said. "Not only did I see Gonta inside the room, but if you look at the door railing, there is dust piled up. This shows the door hasn't moved in a while, otherwise the dust would have been disturbed."
"Yeah! Gonta couldn't possibly be the culprit!" Kokichi added.
"Didn't you just say he was the culprit?" Kaito asked.
"So then… he just forced his way through the gap." Himiko argued.
"Not possible. Like I said, you can only realistically get an arm through for a person." Rantaro said.
"So then… he probably used magic that makes you slim and keeps the fat off."
"Gonta no can use magic!"
"Oh! I can use magic!"
"Himiko…" I sighed.
"This will probably go on for a while, but it's good to know that Gonta is innocent." Kokichi said.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Sliding Door
"If Gonta couldn't leave the AV Room, then why did he lock himself inside here?" Kaito asked.
"Gonta watch bug movie! Bug movie fill Gonta with fight! Make Gonta ready to fight Monokuma!" The others were speechless for a while before they turned to me.
"I saw Gonta, so I can confirm that he was watching bug movies. He was so entranced that he didn't notice me opening the sliding door."
"...I suppose we can leave it at that then." Rantaro said with a chuckle.
"Bug movies? Really? What a stupid way to get ready for a fight, but I suppose it makes sense for stupid, gullible Gonta." Kokichi said with a sigh.
"Don't be rude." I said. "And shouldn't you be investigating more?"
"Whatevs… Not like we really have to do anything. After all, we have those hidden cameras, which make this case easy and boring."
"Didn't I say that it was highly unlikely that the photos would show the culprit?"
"You did, but you could be wrong. Or better yet, you could have been lying so that we wouldn't see pictures of you killing Mom." Kokichi said with an evil grin.
"Rin would never kill! He's my sidekick, so I trust him!" Kaito interjected.
"Your sidekick? Now that's gotta be a joke. Shouldn't you be Rinny's sidekick?" Kokichi asked.
"Shut up!" Kaito said.
"Calm down Kaito, it's fine." I said.
"Well, not that I believe in the stupid spaceman's easily earned trust, but if you're not the culprit, then I think you're hiding something." Kokichi said.
"You think so?" I asked.
"I know so. You didn't go into detail about the trap you planned out. You didn't say if it failed or succeeded either, so I wonder… Do you already know who the culprit is?" Kokichi asked with a knowing look.
"Rin...already knows who the culprit is?" Rantaro asked. I stared at Kokichi for a bit and sighed.
"I have a suspect in mind. Nothing more and nothing less until I get more evidence and we discuss it."
"Oh, if that's the case, then nevermind! Hopefully your suspicions won't get us killed like Mom!" Kokichi said as he smiled innocently. I felt myself get taken aback a bit as Kokichi turned to Gonta. "C'mon Gonta! Let's go look somewhere else!" With that, Kokichi ran off.
"Wait, Kokichi! You no can go by yourself!" Gonta shouted as he ran after the Supreme Leader.
"That guy… he's like a mischievous little kid." Rantaro said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, but he's a lot smarter than he lets on." I muttered. That...and he's a little prick! Douchebag… "Let's go Kaito. We need to check out the classroom."
"Right. And don't worry! We'll definitely find the culprit, so you don't gotta worry bout a thing! You're my sidekick, so if anything goes wrong, it's all on me!" Kaito reassured me. I smiled and nodded. He's a great help, always making me feel better. Even if he is all talk at times, and the responsibility of the mistake if I fail doesn't really fall on him, it's still really nice.
"Good luck you two. I'll try to make sure me and Himiko get some investigating done." Rantaro said with a laugh as we left. Kaito and I headed up the stairs and entered the classroom, seeing Kiyo and Angie already inside.
"Nyahaha! Look! It's Rin and Kaito! Did you also think this room was suspicious?" Angie asked as she happily turned to us.
"Well, Kaede and Shuichi were in here as lookouts. I don't think it's relevant to the case, but I want to check something just to be sure." I said as I looked at the vent that was in the room.
"Doesn't this vent connect to the library? Kaede said that, right?" Kaito asked. "The reason they were in this classroom was because it had a great view of the stairs and because they could guard the vent."
"Yeah, but let me check this." I said as I crouched down to the vent. I pulled the grate, and it easily came off. "I see… so the entrance grate can open up."
Truth Bullet Obtained: Classroom Vent
"Hey, Angie, what are you doing, anyway? Shouldn't you be investigating?" Kaito asked the girl who was busy giving prayers.
"Investigating is important, but I gotta say my prayers to Atua, too. O Atua… Please let Kirumi enter heaven safe and sound."
"Kehehe… how pieous of you, to say a pray for a deceased friend." Kiyo commented.
"Praying is good and all, but that doesn't mean you can slack off! You gotta pave the way to tomorrow with your own hands!" Kaito declared.
"...I hope there is a heaven out there. Then maybe Kirumi and anyone else who has died can rest in peace. It would be nice if that's true." I said sadly.
"Don't worry, I'll pray hard. If I pray hard enough, I'll earn enough points to become a platinum disciple." Angie claimed.
"Angie...I've never heard of a religion that uses a point system like what you would see in those app memberships." I stated. As I said that, Kaito approached Kiyo to ask him something, but Kiyo beat him to the punch.
"Kehehe… Let me guess. You wish to hear my alibi, yes?" He assumed.
"Well yeah. How'd ya figure?" Kaito asked.
"My appearance and actions thus far suggest I am someone who would commit a murder." Kiyo said.
"So you're aware…" Kaito said.
"Hey, that's rude to assume he's the killer just from appearances. Besides, Kiyo has an alibi." I said.
"Indeed. When the body discovery announcement played, I was in the dining hall, eating what I thought would be my last supper. The Monokubs prepared the meal for me. It was listed on the menu as 'Pasta that tastes like a lonely old lady eating her grandkid's birthday cake' or some such…" He said.
"So that's what they were serving there. Glad I didn't have any when I was there. That sounds horrible and depressing." I said.
"Was anyone with you in the dining hall?" Kaito asked.
"Yes. I was with Miu, Kirumi, and Tsumugi. Miu was tinkering with a machine or something, and later there was a brief period where Tsumugi left to use the restroom. After that, Kirumi also left, saying she had a request to fulfill. She then asked me and Miu to stay put until she returned."
"She said that?" I asked.
"Yes, though I have no clue what she was doing. Tsumugi came back after you had checked up on us, Rin. That is all I have to say about my alibi." Kiyo concluded.
"I see. I'll have to keep that in mind when I ask for everyone's alibis."
"Speaking of alibis, what of you two?" Kiyo asked.
"Let me explain. Me, Rin, Maki, Tenko, Angie, Himiko, Rantaro, and Gonta were in the game room before the time limit expired. Gonta locked himself in the AV Room, but there's no way he could have left from there, so he's fine. The rest of us stayed in the Game Room for a while. Rin then left, but after a while, me, Tenko, and Rantaro went off to find him. We ran into Kaede and Shuichi and heard about the mastermind being in the library. We entered with them and saw Rin."
"As for me, I left the Game Meeting so I could investigate the library. I entered the library and didn't see anyone. Kirumi's body was definitely not there. I opened the hidden door and…" I paused for a bit and sighed. "Well, after opening the hidden door, the receiver Shuichi and Kaede had on them must have gone off, since those two, along with Kaito, Tenko, and Rantaro, entered the library and saw me. We talked a bit before the time limit ended."
"That's when you said you almo-."
"Kaito. Please." I interrupted him before he could finish. "Anyway, after the time limit ended. That's when Monokuma showed up and told us that someone was dead. I ran out in a panic to check on everyone. The others followed and helped look for whoever was dead. Kaito and Tenko went out to the courtyard, Kaede went to the second floor, Shuichi went to the warehouse, and Rantaro went to the gymnasium. Meanwhile, I went to the dining hall. You saw me check up on you, remember. You told me Tsumugi went to the bathroom, so I went to the girl's restroom to make sure she was safe and if Kirumi was with her."
"S-So that's why you came out of the girls's bathroom." Kaito mumbled.
"I found Tsumugi there, but Kirumi wasn't there. I exited the bathroom and ran into Rantaro, Shuichi, and Kaede. Since they had found nothing, I thought...maybe we were tricked and the mastermind was doing something with the hidden door. I ran back to the library, and we found Kirumi."
"During all that, Me and Tenko went to the dorms and found Keebo standing near the entrance to his dorm room. We talked for a bit, asking about the others at the dorms. He said that no one had left or entered. After searching the dorms together for a bit, me and Tenko went back to the basement and entered the library with everyone else who was in the game room."
"I see… so that is everyone's alibi for this case then?"
"I'm going to confirm Keebo's and the other people who were in the dorms about their alibis, but yes, that should be it.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Everyone's Alibi
"Very well. I believe me and Angie will continue investigating now." Kiyo said as he and Angie left the classroom.
"So now we should go to the kitchen and dining hall, yeah?"
"Yeah." I told Kaito. We made our way to the dining hall and entered the kitchen. The kitchen itself wasn't very large, thankfully, so we easily see nothing too strange about it just at a glance. We quickly searched the cupboards and drawers for anything that might be missing, but we only found 1 thing of note.
"Hey, Rin. Look at this. This is strange." Kaito said as he showed me the knife cabinet. "You only took one knife, but there are two missing."
"And judging from the empty space missing from here, the 2nd knife is most likely the same size and shape as the one I took." I said. "This proves that someone was definitely going to frame me."
Truth Bullet Obtained: Missing Knife
"We still have time to investigate. What was that last place you wanted to check out?" Kaito asked.
"Yeah, but you might not like it." I said with a small grimace.
"Whatever! Just tell me. It won't bother the Luminary of the Star!" Kaito proudly proclaimed.
"...Fine. But don't freak out or get any wrong ideas." I sighed. "Kiyo said Tsumugi went to the bathroom, and I found her there, so I want to investigate that bathroom."
"O-Oh…" Kaito said, looking slightly embarrassed. "N-No matter! This is all for the investigation. No reason to be ashamed!" Kaito said.
"Yeah…" I said. We left the dining hall and walked into the girls bathroom. As soon as we entered, I started looking for anything that might be related to the case. I checked the floor and the stalls, but there was nothing strange with them. The floor was spotless and the stalls were typical everyday stalls you would find in any bathroom. Disappointing, to say the least. I thought I would find something. While I was looking, Kaito started to cough a bit and scrunched up his nose.
"Bro, you smell that?"
"Smell?" I sniffed a bit and realized what Kaito was talking about. "Is that bleach?"
"I think so. Damn, it's a strong smell. I'm dying over here." Kaito said as he coughed from the smell and tried to swat it away. "It also smells like cleaning stuff, like soap and detergent." Now that I was noticing it, I had to agree. It was pretty bad, but it was worse where he was. And he's right next to...
"Hold on a minute." I said. I walked up to what seemed to be another small room in the bathroom. I opened it up and saw that it was a supply closet, which I had originally thought it was. "The girl's bathroom here has a supply closet, unlike the guy's. The smell might be coming from here, but…"
"There's no way that this kind of smell would be just from unopened bottles." Kaito finished.
"Exactly. Does the girl's bathroom always have a strong smell of bleach and cleaning chemicals, or did someone recently clean in here?"
Truth Bullet Obtained: Bleach Smell in Girl's Bathroom
Just as I had that thought, another one came to mind. "Why does this bathroom have a supply closet anyway, but the boy's restroom doesn't?"
"That's a good point. It is a little strange. Maybe it's so that Kirumi could get them since she's a girl and the one who would get the most use from them as a maid?" Kaito suggested.
"If that were the case, why not put it in her Research Lab or another separate area for it. There's no reason to put it in the girl's restroom, is there? Maybe there's-."
Ding dong, bing bong
"That's...an announcement chime?" I asked out loud as the monitors flickered to life.
"It's time, you bastards! Time for the long-awaited class trial!" Monotaro cheered.
"No, it's not! We're just announcing that the photos are ready! Don't interrupt meeee!" Monophanie shouted. "Anyway, I'll be waiting at the warehouse." Monokid then started acting weird again, which was expected since his face was turning shades of multiple colors. The monitors then shut off.
"The photos, huh? I'd rather stay here and investigate the bathroom more, but everyone's probably expecting us. You also want to see the photos too, right?" I asked Kaito.
"Well yeah. I know you said you aren't expecting anything from them, but maybe it'll still be helpful to see them. And who knows? Maybe the culprit is on the cameras!"
"I suppose there is a slight chance…" I said begrudgingly. I followed Kaito out of the girl's restroom and followed him to the warehouse. I wonder...could my suspicions be correct?
