"...I'm leaving. Don't bother me." Those were the words that left Ryoma's mouth before he left Rantaro, Rin, and Kokichi.
"Ryoma, wait!" Rin called out to the ex-tennis player as he got up in an attempt to follow him, but Rantaro stopped him.
"I'll talk to him." Rantaro told him. "You and Kokichi need to head back to Gonta's research lab for that screening party. It's almost nighttime, after all. I'll go talk to Ryoma and make sure he doesn't do anything reckless." Rin gave Rantaro an unsure look before peaking over to where Ryoma headed. He then sighed before giving the adventurer a slight nod.
"Okay. I trust you. If anyone can do it, it's our reliable mysterious adventurer." He said with a nervous smile.
"Yep, that's me. Just focus on what you need to do. I'll handle this." Rantaro told him as he walked off after Ryoma. That's right. This was something Rantaro was good at. It's a skill you would have to pick up when you're in charge of 12 little sisters. Of course, Rantaro didn't think too highly of his skill as a big brother. He was hardly qualified to be called by that lofty title after losing all of his sisters to the wilderness. But even if he was the world's worst older brother, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to try to be that reliable role model for his friends. If he could, he wanted to be someone they could come to for help. A trustworthy friend and perhaps someone you could vent to. He was that person for his sisters, and he never really minded it. If he could help, then he was happy.
Rantaro soon caught up with Ryoma, who had walked away from the dorms to near the Shrine of Judgment. Ryoma heard Rantaro approach him and turned around with a dark expression before he sighed. "I thought I told you guys that I didn't want to be bothered."
"I understand that you'd rather be alone right now, but I can't just leave a friend in need by himself, can I?" Rantaro responded with his usual calm smile. Ryoma just huffed as he shook his head.
"Friends, huh? Wouldn't that be nice." He mumbled as he bit down hard on the candy cigarette in his mouth. "You don't have to pretend to care, you know."
"You think that I'm pretending?"
"Aren't you? You're always wearing that calm, reassuring look, but there's no way that's real after what you just saw. I saw your fists shaking after your video ended." Ryoma noted. "But…that's not a bad thing. You got a reason to survive… That's the complete opposite of me." Ryoma's voice began darker and darker as his expression twisted into one of defeat. "Heh… That's good. If you've got something to live for, it means your life has value."
"That doesn't mean that your life is any less valuable than mine or anyone else's. Don't be stubborn." Rantaro softly chided.
"Hmph…" Ryoma shrugged as he looked around. "...You know, we're all alone right now."
"Huh?" Rantaro felt a chill as he thought about what Ryoma was trying to apply with that statement. Ryoma then turned his back to Rantaro and gave a broken chuckle.
"If anything were to happen right now, no one would be any wiser." He continued as he looked at the starry sky. "If I were to die like this, that wouldn't be so bad. You'll be able to go and save your sisters too, so go on and do it already." Rantaro was completely shocked by what Ryoma said, feeling his stomach tighten as a response.
"Wh…What are you doing?" Rantaro asked. "Why would you tell me that? Why would you want me to do that to you?"
"Why not? It'd be a better use of my life than living for no reason." Ryoma responded. "In truth, I should have died a while ago. No…I've been dead the moment I killed those mafia goons. This will be better for everyone."
"You have no right to say that!" Rantaro shouted, his expression suddenly becoming one of complete anger. It was so sudden that Ryoma was taken aback a little. "Wanting to die and give up…Thinking that you don't have any reason to live… It's completely cowardly!"
"...You say I don't have any right to say that, but you don't have any right to tell me otherwise. What could someone who has something to live for have to say to another with nothing?"
"Because I'm the reason that all of my sisters are in that horrible situation in the first place." Rantaro swiftly replied, catching Ryoma off guard even more.
"What…do you mean by that?" Ryoma asked him with wide eyes.
"I… I've never told this to anyone, but…I'm not a good older brother." Rantaro began with a remorseful look. "How many years has it been now...? Back then, my little sister and I got along really well... We were together all the time. Well... Well not really, uh…" Rantaro rubbed his neck as he stumbled over his words a bit before he began to talk again. "What I mean is, she would always follow me around, and I took care of her, y'know? Anyway, one day, we took a boat trip to another country with the whole family… It was my first time on a boat. I was bouncing off the walls I was so excited. When we docked, I wanted to go on an adventure...so I snuck off the boat. I thought I was alone, but... my sister was following me, as always. But I didn't notice. I didn't see her. I was so busy exploring, y'know? My sister...got separated from me somehow, and...she never... She never came back."
"Rantaro…"
"My parents told me it wasn't my fault, but a big brother is supposed to protect his sister. But I couldn't do that... I couldn't... I'm a failure as a big brother…" Rantaro didn't stop when Ryoma muttered his name. Instead he continued, now unable to stop as he recalled each painful memory of his neglect. Of his failures. Of how he was actually terrible. "That's the real reason I traveled the world and got my Ultimate Talent. I just wanted to find my sister. But somehow, I began to lose more and more. One by one, each one of my sisters were lost, and it was all my fault. It felt like my hands were too small to hold any of them close to me. I was only capable of watching as it all slipped through my fingers." His fists tightened more and more as his chest began to ache at the nights he spent sobbing over each sister he lost because of his incapability to protect them. "Everyone tells me that it's impossible, that it's too late now… And I almost believed them. There were so many times when I just wanted to give up. To end it all because the pain was too much for me to bear. But still…I have to find them. If I gave up on them now, what kind of brother would I really be? Until I see them with my own eyes, I will never stop searching for any of them. No matter how long it takes, I'm going to find all of them and bring them back home."
"Then why don't you-?"
"Do you have any idea how painful it is to know they're within my grasp right now, but to reach them, I have to sacrifice another person?" Rantaro asked him. "You say you have no reason to live, but my reason to live isn't my own. I'm only here, reaching towards another day, so that I can save my sisters. They're everything to me. They were the only reason I was still trying to move forward back then. It was something I obsessed over. But even so, I can't kill you or anyone for them. Because…what kind of example would I be setting for my sisters? That it's okay to kill someone to get what I want? To stomp on someone's life and existence for my own sake? I know that if they were here right now, they would want me to live for myself, not just them. To try to save them without losing anything else. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to kill you, and I won't let you throw away your life if I can help it."
Ryoma just stared at Rantaro, bewildered by everything that had left the adventure's mouth. The two of them just stared at each other before Ryoma sighed. "I didn't take you as the greedy type of person, Rantaro. Trying to save and protect everyone without sacrificing anything is the epitome of greed, y'know?"
"Well, I figure that you need to be a little greedy if you're an adventurer." Rantaro gave a soft laugh in response, causing Ryoma to give a force chuckle as well.
"You sure about this? If you want to save your sisters, the easiest thing to do would be to just sacrifice us. It's not like we're all close friends. We're just strangers in a death game. You would only need to sacrifice those strangers in order to reach what you really want, but to strive to not make any sacrifices and gain what you want is just asking for nonstop trouble." Ryoma told him. "It's…just the same as Rin." Ryoma then shrugged as he walked past Rantaro. "You both are the same kind of idiot. The kind of idiot I don't know how to deal with, so I'll be heading back to my dorm room to get away from your nonsense. I'll see you in the morning."
"...Yeah. Good night Ryoma." Rantaro said as he watched the tennis player walk away until he was out of sight. Rantaro then looked up at the starry sky himself. Nothing he said was a lie. He wanted to save his sisters, but he also wanted to stay with the others. His friends. So what if he was greedy? Greed isn't necessarily a bad thing. Wanting to save his sisters and wanting to save his new friends weren't in conflict with each other. He didn't have to pick one over the other. He would do both. He wanted both. So he was going to do what he's always done: not give up. That's the kind of example he wants to be for his sisters, and the others he wanted to protect.
'So much for that…' Those were Rantaro's thoughts as he opened his eyes. Even though he was being swarmed by his own sense of self-disappointment for failing to protect someone yet again, he couldn't let that stop him as he entered the virtual world for the second time. He wasn't the only one to enter the virtual world either. Alongside him was Kaito, Keebo, Himiko, Tenko, Kokichi, and Shuichi. The moment they materialized back into the virtual world, Tenko globbed onto Himiko and squealed.
"Aww~! Himiko's avatar is sooooo cute!"
"N-Nyeh! Stop it…!" Himiko whined as Tenko spun her around in a tight hug.
"Those two never change, huh?" Rantaro chuckled as he looked at the two of them. It was almost like they were sisters themselves. It was heartwarming.
"So we're back in the salon." Kaito noted as he looked around.
"Apparently we always arrive in this room when we log in." Keebo stated.
"Monokuma's note said that logging in and out isn't possible unless we're in this room, but that was a lie, obviously." Kokichi said with a mischievous smirk.
"That's right. We all logged out at the scene in the forest." Shuichi said as he put a hand on his chin. "We should go investigate the forest. That's where Angie and Ryoma's avatars are."
"Yes. They were both in the clearing in the forest, along with Rin." Keebo nodded.
"Then let's hurry over there!" Tenko shouted as she led the charge, everyone else following her to the forest. As they exited the salon, Rantaro and Shuichi both stopped as they looked at the maps of the mansion and the virtual world.
"Hmm…" Rantaro hummed as he stared at the maps with intrigue, with Shuichi doing the same.
"What are you two doing?" Himiko asked when she saw the two of them stop.
"Oh I get it! You both were the kinds of kids who stared at maps alone instead of playing at recess, weren't you?" Kokichi said with a bright smile.
"Ah…I never did anything like that…" Shuichi muttered.
"Hey, don't forget we're here for you, bro!" Kaito quickly told the detective with a smile.
"You both aren't alone anymore." Keebo then added with a smile of his own.
"Yeah! You guys don't have to hide in your shell anymore since you have all of us. After all, we're all friends, riiiight?" Kokichi teased.
"Nyeh… I can relate a little. I'm happy you both aren't alone anymore and have friends with real people now too." Himiko said with a proud look towards Rantaro and Shuichi.
"I'm getting the feeling you all have the wrong impression of me." Rantaro gave a dry chuckle. "I was just curious about the maps for the case."
"Same. I was curious as to how the group sent to the mansion was investigating." Shuichi added.
"If that's the case, you could have just asked me, bro!" Kaito said. Shuichi didn't say anything in response, causing Kaito to frown a bit. "Hey, it makes me sad when you ignore me like this bro." Shuichi continued to stay silent, causing Rantaro to give him a raised eyebrow before he turned to Kaito.
"If you don't mind, Kaito, could you explain what you all did to investigate the mansion?"
"Sure. Well, Maki Roll and I went to the dining area. I investigated the dining room, and she searched the kitchen. Ryoma went to search the roof, and Angie stayed to search the main hall."
"Meanwhile, I went and investigated the salon." Kokichi then added with a childish smile as he interrupted Kaito.
"Is that so?" Rantaro hummed as he made a mental note of that.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Map of the Mansion
"What about you guys? How did you split up the search on your end?" Kokichi asked.
"Well, as you know, me, Kaede, and Gonta all stayed to search the chapel." Rantaro told him.
"Yes, and the group searching outside split up into three groups. Himiko and I searched the outside of the chapel, Kirumi and Rin searched the forest behind the mansion, and Keebo and Shuichi searched the outside of the mansion." Tenko explained.
"Hmm… So we were all split up across the world, huh?" Kaito said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"We were searching for the clues Monokuma left behind. It only makes sense we would split up to cover more ground." Keebo stated.
"That's true, but perhaps if we didn't split up, this wouldn't have happened." Rantaro sighed.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Map of the Virtual World
"Hmm…actually, not that I think about it, this makes me wonder something." Rantaro muttered as he turned to Kokichi. "Kokichi. You said you searched the salon. Did you leave at any point?"
"Nope! I stayed there the whole time!" Kokichi immediately said before he gave Rantaro a slight smirk. "However, I am a liar, so it's up to you if you want to believe that."
"Well, if that's the case, did you see anyone try to come in to log out?"
"Nope! I can say with complete confidence that no one tried to log out using the phone in the salon. I was there, so I would have known about it." Kokichi replied before giving Rantaro the same sly expression from before. "But I am a liar, so-"
"Yes, I've heard you. You don't have to repeat yourself." Rantaro quickly told the evil gremlin, who huffed in response to being cut off. "So no one entered the salon to log out. I wonder…"
Truth Bullet Obtained: Kokichi in the Salon
"Okay, let's keep heading to the forest." Rantaro said. The group nodded, and they all left the mansion. After a bit of walking, they all finally reached the clearing in the forest, and found it untouched from how they left it.
"The scene of the crime has not been altered since we found it." Keebo noted.
"So there's no possibility that someone tried to tamper with the crime scene afterwards, right? We all logged out immediately, and we've only just come back to the virtual world now." Kaito said.
"The only person who could have tampered with the crime was Rantaro, since he was the last one to log out, but the scene is just like how I remember, so I'm sure we don't have to worry about that." Kokichi said.
"They're avatars don't look different at all." Himiko said as she turned away from them.
"That's true. So when we log out, our avatars disappear, but when someone dies, the avatar remains. It's super creepy!" Tenko shuddered.
"There's a lot of stuff here, so let's check it all out." Kaito said as the group began to examine the scene.
"Both of their avatars are completely unharmed. They don't have any injuries on them. Makes sense, since avatars can't be injured." Rantaro noted as he examined Ryoma and Angie's avatars. The two of them were still there, motionless and frozen in the snow. It made sense why they were still there. This was a killing game simulator, so having the body disappear would hinder any investigation. Still, having the avatars show no sign of injuries was a problem.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Angie and Ryoma's Avatars
"Hmm… I wonder why this is here." Keebo said as he looked at an object that was next to Ryoma's avatar. "It is strange that a shovel is here, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Rantaro nodded. "Perhaps that's the murder weapon? Though without any injuries to examine and no damage on the shovel itself, it's hard to determine if that's the case."
"But it's the only thing here that could be the murder weapon, right?" Tenko asked.
"True. It is the most likely culprit." Rantaro responded.
"Still, it's strange that there's a shovel here. I would have thought it would have been somewhere like the shed on the roof or somewhere else. I doubt the shovel is from the forest. That means someone must have brought it here." Kokichi noted.
"Hmm…I suppose we'll have to investigate possible locations where it could have come from then." Rantaro said.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Shovel
"There's this thing too." Kaito said as he picked up the cell phone. "Kokichi, you found this, right?"
"Yeah. It was next to Angie's avatar. It was sticking out of the ground, so it was easy to see." Kokichi told him.
"This was what we used to log out from here instead of the salon." Himiko said. "So Monokuma lied about us only being able to log out from the salon."
"Kokichi also managed to log out Rin using his cell phone." Keebo stated. "So, with the cell phone at least, it's possible to log someone else out of the virtual world, whether they want to be logged out or not."
Truth Bullet Obtained: Cell Phone
"Hmm…is there any other place that we might need to investigate?" Tenko asked.
"I think we should investigate the roof. That's where Ryoma was searching after all." Shuichi said.
"Then let's get going!" Kaito exclaimed. He took a few steps, but then he tripped, falling right next to Angie's avatar. "Ow!"
"You okay Kaito? You took quite the fall there." Rantaro said as he helped him up.
"Nyeh…there's a bunch of trees here, so it makes sense if you trip on a few roots, but there shouldn't be anything like that in this clearing." Himiko muttered.
"Y-Yeah. What the heck did I trip over?" Kaito asked as he looked over to what he tripped over. "Woah, that's a pretty big rock."
"I'll say. It's the size of my palm." Tenko said as she picked it up. "How did you trip over something this big? It was sticking out of the snow! Anyone with a pair of eyes could have seen it!"
"H-Hey! Lay off me! I didn't see it!" Kaito told her. Kaito braced himself for one of Tenko's insults on males, but all he got was a huff instead as she shook her head in disappointment. However, he did still get insulted by someone.
"Wow, and to think you're the Ultimate Astronaut. If you're tripping over puny rocks here on earth, I don't think you're ready for something like space." Kokichi told him in mock disappointment.
"What did you just say!?" Kaito yelled at him, getting Kokichi to start laughing at Kaito's expense.
"Hmm…" Rantaro looked at the rock with a curious gaze. It was right next to Angie's avatar, and it's fairly noticeable even while in the snow thanks to its jagged shape. It'd be easy to trip over if you weren't paying attention, and Rantaro couldn't help but wonder if it had any place in the case they were investigating.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Jagged Rock
"Hmm…"
"Something wrong, Keebo?" Rantaro asked the robot, who had narrowed his gaze at Angie's avatar.
"I just remembered something." He replied. "I didn't think I was right before, but perhaps I wasn't mistaken with what I saw."
"What you saw?"
"Yes, but it only happened for a second. Maybe not even." Keebo told him. "You see, I thought I saw Angie walking towards the forest."
"Huh? Angie was walking into the forest?" Rantaro exclaimed.
"Well, I wasn't sure at the time. Back then, I just saw a hint of bright yellow in the corner of my eye, but when I looked at the forest, I didn't see anything. I asked Shuichi if he noticed anything, but he said he didn't see anything. So I thought I was just imagining things. But now that Angie's dead, and her avatar is here, I can't help but feel as if I had done something when I thought I saw her…"
"It's not your fault Keebo. You couldn't have known." Rantaro told him as he placed a hand on Keebo's back. "Still, are you sure it was Angie that you thought you saw?"
"Yes. No one else here wears anything that's the same color as her jacket." Keebo told him. "And in this weather, I can't imagine Angie would give it to someone else, especially with how she only wears her swimsuit under it."
"Good point." Rantaro nodded. So Angie left the mansion and entered the forest? Why?
Truth Bullet Obtained: Keebo's Account
"It seems we're done investigating this place." Rantaro noted as he looked around one last time.
"Yeah… Hey, there's something I wanted to ask." Shuichi then said. "Can our avatars hide objects?"
"Well, there's no inventory system like in games, but we can still put stuff in our clothes and pockets like in the real world." Kokichi answered him.
"I see, just like the real world." Shuichi repeated with a pondering look.
"Alright. Let's hurry and head to the mansion's roof. We've wasted enough time here." Kaito said. With that said, the group made their way back to the mansion and walked up the stairs to the roof. Upon entering the roof, Rantaro couldn't help but wonder what exactly happened here. Ryoma was supposed to be searching here, so why did he leave?
"Hey, we should totally take note of these binoculars, right?" Kokichi asked as he ran up to the mounted binoculars on the roof.
"Good point. Even if they aren't related, we should still see if we can spot anything with them." Rantaro said as he walked over to Kokichi, who looked through the binoculars.
"Hmm, you can't see past the river, but you can see the bottom of the hill the mansion is on." Kokichi noted before a grin escaped his lips. "You can also see the front of the forest with these."
"Really?"
"Yep! Would I lie to you?" Kokichi asked.
"Do you really need to hear the answer to that?" Rantaro chuckled.
"What's this?" Rantaro and Kokichi turned their heads as they saw Shuichi bending down to pick something up while he was in the storeroom that was on the roof.
"What's up? Did you find something?" Rantaro asked as he walked over to Shuichi.
"Yeah. Look at this." Shuichi said as he showed Rantaro what appeared to be a paint brush.
"A paint brush? What's that doing here?" Rantaro asked.
"I don't know, but doesn't it look familiar?" Shuichi questioned.
"Are you saying this was Angie's?" Kokichi asked him.
"Maybe. Was this always here?" Shuichi asked.
"I don't think so, but I didn't examine the storeroom very thoroughly when we first came up here." Rantaro admitted.
"It'd be pretty hard to spot this little thing if it was up here the whole time." Kokichi said. "But why would Angie leave this here?"
"Hmm…" Shuichi hummed a bit as he put the brush down. Rantaro could only imagine the kinds of theories that were going through the detective's head at that moment and chuckled at the thought.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Paint Brush
"Oh, there you are… I was looking for you." It was then that the rooftop door opened up, and everyone saw Maki walk through.
"Maki? Why are you here?" Shuichi asked. "I thought you were-"
"Monodam finished analyzing the program, so he told me to gather everyone." Maki cut him off as she explained.
"He finished, huh?" Rantaro mused.
"We should probably head back then. We've finished investigating here anyway, right?" Himiko asked.
"Yeah, you're right. I don't think there's anything else here." Shuichi nodded.
"Well then, let's start heading back." Keebo said, causing Tenko to gasp.
"No! I don't wanna! I don't want to say goodbye to Himiko's avatar yet!" She cried out.
"S-Stop being a bother for everyone…" Himiko said with a bright blush.
"Well, we'll be heading back now." Rantaro said as he and the others left the roof. Shuichi was about to do the same, but then he noticed Maki staring at him.
"...Maki? What's wrong?"
"Well, you're definitely more reliable in a class trial than out…" She told him. "All the others think so too."
"...What?"
"I'm not trying to sound like Kaito or Kaede but…I don't think you should carry all the burden alone. You're Shuichi Saihara before you're a detective. Don't ever forget that." Maki told him before she sighed. "Well, I shouldn't be talking. I threw away my identity as Mki Harukawa to be an assassin…"
"...Thank you, Maki." Shuichi replied with a smile. Maki didn't say anything else as she gave Shuichi a neutral look before she left the roof. With that, everyone walked down to the salon and logged out. Within just a few moments, everyone was back in the real world.
"Man, the real world is way better than some boring virtual one!" Kokichi said as he got up and stretched his arms.
"I'll say. The avatars are fine, but I prefer my real body." Rantaro nodded as he got up from his seat. "So, Monodam. You've finished analyzing the program?"
"THAT-IS-CORRECT."
"Then could you tell us what you found?" Shuichi asked him.
"WELL, I-DIDN'T-FIND-MUCH." Monodam admitted. "THE-PROGRAM-HAS-NOT-BEEN- TAMPERED-WITH-AT-ALL. EVERYTHING-WAS-HOW-IT-SHOULD-BE. NOTHING-WAS- REMOVED-OR-ADDED. HOWEVER…THERE-IS-ONE-THING-YOU-SHOULD-KNOW."
"And that is…?"
"AN-AVATAR-USER-ERROR-OCCURRED-AFTER-YOU-ALL-LOGGED-IN-FOR-THE -FIRST-TIME."
"An error?" Kaito asked.
"THE-CONTENTS-OF-THE-ERROR-ARE-UNKNOWN, SO-I-CANNOT-TELL-YOU-WHAT- HAPPENED. APOLOGIES. STILL, SOMETHING-HAPPENED-TO-SOMEONE'S-AVATAR-WHILE -YOU-WERE-IN-THE-VIRTUAL-WORLD."
"I don't think anyone was acting strange while we were logged in though." Maki said.
"Yes. No one was acting strange when we were logged in," Rantaro said. "However…"
"There was definitely something wrong with someone after we logged out." Kokichi noted.
"Kirumi. She said she couldn't remember anything from the virtual world." Shuichi stated.
"Could her forgetting what happened in the virtual world be the reason why she can't remember anything?" Keebo asked.
"I-DON'T-KNOW, HOWEVER-IT-IS-POSSIBLE-DEPENDING-ON-WHAT-CAUSED-THE- ERROR. BUT-AS-THINGS-ARE, I-CANNOT-CONFIRM-THAT." Monodam told them.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Avatar Error
Ding dong, bing bong!
"Confidence… Dreams… That's what the killing game is all about!" Monokuma proclaimed as he sipped his champagne. "Killing game fans! Hold your head high and watch with your own two eyes! Baseball! Soccer! Mobile games! They're all nothing compared to the killing game! The killing game just can't be beat! Behold, students! The entrance to the trial grounds!" And with that, the monitors turned off.
"So…it's gonna start, huh? We no can stop it anymore?" Gonta asked as he closed his eyes tightly.
"No. We can't." Shuichi sighed.
"THIS-IS-ALL-I-CAN-TELL-YOU-ABOUT-THIS-CASE, BUT-I-DON'T-WANT-ANY-OF- YOU-TO-FORGET. I-WANT-EVERYONE-TO-GET-ALONG. I-WANT-TO-BE…FRIENDS."
"Friends, huh?" Rantaro repeated. Was this part of his programming, or was he actively fighting what he was built for?
"Thank you! Gonta feel relieved!" Gonta thanked the cub, regardless of whether he was truthful or not.
"Still, there's still one thing I can't help but worry about." Kaito said with a worried expression.
"Rin…" Tenko muttered as sorrow painted itself across her face.
"..." Monodam looked at everyone before he nodded. "GO-AND-SEE-HIM. I-WILL-DISTRACT -FATHER-UNTIL-YOU-ARE-FINISHED."
"Huh? Are you sure?" Keebo asked him.
"YES. HE-IS-IN-THE-EMPTY-ROOM-ON-THE-FIRST-FLOOR. THE-ROOM-KAEDE-AND- SHUICHI-USED-FOR-THEIR-TRAP." Monodam said before he left.
"He's…actually helping us." Himiko noted.
"Do you really think we can trust him?" Maki asked.
"Only time will tell. For now, let's go meet up with Kaede and Kirumi so we can check up on Rin." Rantaro said as the group made their way down to the first floor. It took a while, but they eventually reached the room, and just as Monodam had told them, he had converted it into a makeshift nurse's office of sorts. All the classroom things like desks and blackboards were gone now and replaced by things you would see in a nurse's office, or even a hospital. This included things like a shelf of medicine and packets of blood for transfusions. There's also a bed inside the room now, and on that bed was their friend, still sleeping. Kaede and Kirumi were sitting on chairs beside him, with Kirumi staring sadly at Rin and Kaede tightly squeezing his hand. Rin himself seemed normal, like before. There was a certain calmness to his unconscious figure, making it seem like he was just taking a nap rather than knocked out.
"How is he, Kaede?" Kaito asked as everyone entered the room. Kaede turned around to face them before turning back to Rin.
"Monodam…said that he should be fine. He said that Rin should wake up eventually, but he wasn't sure when. We were…really close to losing him." Kaede explained.
"R-Really? But he didn't have any injuries, right?" Tenko asked.
"That is true, however, Monodam said that a damaging amount of pain was transferred from the virtual world, and despite having no injuries, the full force of the pain was directly transferred to Rin's real body."
"In other words, it's as if he really was attacked in the real world minus the bleeding and wounds." Kokichi summarized. "We'll be lucky if he isn't in a coma, or if he doesn't end up with some kind of brain damage."
"Don't say things like that. You're just going to make us more worried." Rantaro lectured Kokichi as he looked at Rin. "Well, we just came to check up on him. You heard Monokuma's announcement, right? We have to go to the class trial."
"But…what about Rin? He can't go when he's like this." Kaede said.
"I'm sure he'll be fine. Right now, we have to worry about ourselves. If we don't show up when we're capable of it, Monokuma will probably punish us." Maki said.
"Do not worry. We will explain our findings as we make our way to the trial grounds." Keebo said.
"...Very well. Let us go, Kaede." Kirumi said as she stood up from her chair.
"B-But Kirumi-!"
"We cannot stay here. Must go do the class trial. For Rin's sake, and everyone else's." Kirumi told her. Kaede scrunched up her face before she sighed and nodded.
"Alright. Let's go." Kaede said as she got up too. She let go of Rin's hand, but the moment she did that, Rin's face began to shift into one of discomfort as he began to groan softly. "R-Rin?"
"What's going on?" Kaito asked as he moved to Rin's side.
"It looks like a nightmare, perhaps." Maki said.
"A nightmare…" Rantaro muttered. Just what could his friend be going through in his head right now?"
"H-Hey…can I ask you why you decided to help me back then? Everyone else was just leaving me alone, so how come you stayed and believed me? I-It's not like I'm s-special or anything."
"Hmm… Well, I know from experience how hard it is to be in that situation, all alone with no one to believe in you. It doesn't matter who you are. Since this is my job now, I've decided that's the kind of person I want to be. Someone who will believe when no one else will." I responded as I turned to her with a smile. That smile then turned into a nervous grin as I rubbed the back of my head. "Of course, I'm only human, so I can only do so much. I can't do impossible tasks like a miracle worker. Still, I'm glad things turned out okay. I suppose I really do have a knack for this." I then averted my eyes a bit as I scratched my cheek, my face getting slightly hotter as I thought about how to approach the new issue at hand.
"Hmm? I-Is something wrong?"
"Well…I was just wondering why you were holding my hand. You've been holding it since we left." I pointed out as politely as I could. It was true. Soon after we left the *REDACTED*, this girl had been tightly holding my hand without letting go for a second as we walked through the city. It wasn't like we were complete strangers, especially now after all that drama, but we weren't really close enough to be friends either. If anything, she was Asuka's friend more than she was mine. Of course, I didn't mind. No guy wouldn't be at least a little happy at this sudden turn of the situation, but I couldn't help but find it odd. Of course, by pointing it out, she let out a little shriek as she quickly let go and pulled away from me.
"I-I-I'M SORRY!" She shouted as she bowed apologetically. "I-I-I-I d-d-didn't mean too-!"
"Woah woah, come down. Breath. I'm not angry. You were just holding my hand." I quickly told her.
"S-Sorry…"
"Really need to stop apologizing when you've done nothing wrong." I chided her softly. "Y'know, it's better to hear a single 'thank you' than a million 'sorry's."
"Right…" She gave a quiet reply as she looked down to the ground. I sighed as I looked around. "So…what exactly are we doing? I've been walking with you for a while now, but that was me being polite by not pointing out how you were just following me. Again, I don't exactly mind, but I'm not sure what I should do right now because of that. Our business is done, so shouldn't you be going back to your home or something? Isn't there anyone waiting for you?"
"...I suppose my grandfather would be waiting for me now." *REDACTED* told me with a solemn look. "But…I just…" She seemed hesitant for a few minutes before she shook her head. She then slapped her cheeks. Hard. It was shocking to see her raise both her hands to her face and slam them into her cheeks like that, so much so I nearly tripped backwards from the shock. Now with red hand marks on her cheeks, she looked at me with a newfound confidence before making her declaration. "I…want to help you!"
"...Huh?" I tilted my head in confusion.
"You've done so much to help me, even though we barely knew each other. I'm nothing special, and I'm sure I'll only burden you like I do with others, but even so! I want to help you the same way you helped me!"
"Uh…I-I…" I tried to think of a response, but nothing came to mind. All that I could express was my dumbfounded confusion. "...Why? Why do you want to help me? I'm fine by myself, so you don't have to worry about anything. You also don't owe me anything. The job is already paid for, so there's nothing more you have to do."
"But still…" She told me. "I want to help you, if you're okay with it."
"What did I just say?" I sighed as I ran a hand through my messy hair. "Look, I appreciate the thought but-"
"You looked really sad when you first accepted the request to help me." I froze as I turned to look at her. "O-Oh…I didn't mean to say something to offend you."
"No, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting that." I told her as I sighed again. "So what does me looking sad have to do with anything?"
"It's just…you're an Ultimate too, but you didn't seem happy with it. I…can understand having a talent that you never wanted. But even though you don't like your talent, you still used it to save me in the end. That's why I want to help you. Because we're the same. And maybe by helping you, maybe I can learn to like my talent too." She then raised her hands defensively. "But I just want to help you! I mean that! I don't want to take advantage of you or anything!"
"I didn't think you were." I said with a raised eyebrow. I stared at her for a few minutes with a raised eyebrow. The longer I stared, the redder her face got and the more she fidgeted nervously under my hardened glare. But before she could start apologizing for something she didn't do, I released a breath I was holding before giving her a softer look. "Fine. If you want to help, then I'll let you."
"R-Really?"
"Why not? My boss said I should get an assistant too, so this works out. Who knows? Maybe just having a partner with this stuff could make it more enjoyable, or at least bearable." I said before I offered her my hand. "So, here's to our new partnership. But are you really sure about this? I can't exactly say any of this will be fun. You do know what my Ultimate Talent is."
"Y-Yes, but even so, I wish to return the favor. You've done something for me no one else ever has. So thank you, and I'll be in your care." She said as she took my hand.
"I feel like I should be the one to say that." I gave a small chuckle as I shook her hand. It was…strangely reassuring, knowing that now there was someone who wanted to help me. That someone wanted to stand by my side. It was ironic. Before, no one wanted to even help me, but now that I'm in the position to help people, it seems that I'm finally finding people who also want to help. How awfully ironic…
Why do you close your eyes from the truth?
Suddenly, the word changed. I was no longer in the city anymore, and that girl was no longer in front of me. I was in an empty, black void, and there was no one in sight. "What the…?" I muttered as I tried to comprehend what was going on.
You are not a hero. You are a coward. The boy who keeps running, for he dare not look back, else he feels the unbearable shame you left behind.
That's when I felt a chill behind me. Something…was there. I turned around, and I felt my heart jump into my throat.
You must face your past.
"...What?" Something absolutely dreadful entered my gaze, along with a rancid smell. I saw a girl, one who was maybe around my age. However, her body had been absolutely destroyed. Nothing looked like it should. Her arms were twisted the wrong way, and her legs looked like they were bending at the incorrect places. And her face… was covered in blood. The worst part was how her eyes were gone, her eye sockets completely void of anything. The girl looked at me, with a look of disdain.
"Why did you leave us Rin? Why did you let us die?"
"L-Let you…?" I stuttered. I then felt a damp hand be placed on my shoulders. I tensed up. When I turned to look at who was grabbing my shoulder, I was met with a headless body of a boy. Blood was pooling his empty neck, pouring out as the headless figure moved.
"We trusted you, so why? Why did you betray us?" A voice came from the figure, one full of anger and sadness.
"I-I didn't do anything… Who… Who even are you people!?" I screamed. I felt a chill and spun around. There were more. Multiple bodies, each damaged in some irreversible way. Crushed, broken, impaled, disfigured, and any other word that could describe any kind of cruelty could fit what was digging its way into my eyes at this moment. I wanted to run, but they were blocking every path. They stared at me with empty eyes, and they all kept asking me the same questions:
"Why did you leave us? Why did you abandon us? Why did you let us die? Why did you KILL us?" I didn't have any answers. I was confused. I was scared. But more than anything, I felt guilty. Why!? Why do I feel this way? I don't know these people, or did I?! Did I really let them die!? I didn't kill anyone! So why do I feel guilty? This… This is just a dream! This is a dream, it has to be! I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything! Why are they asking me these questions? Why are they angry? Why? Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy!?
Why did I have to survive instead?!
Why? Because you're Rin Wakuri, the Ultimate-
Steady your heartbeat. Take a deep breath. Don't be afraid. Trust me. It's not as scary as you think.
Somehow, I heard a small whisper within the darkness. I couldn't remember who they were, but the small flicker of light that they were…I knew I wanted to hold it tight. Even when it feels like my very life is in danger, I hold on to those words, clinging to them desperately. The phantoms around me submerge me into despair, so much so that it's suffocating. My neck tightens up, and I feel my chest is about to explode, but then I remember the caring words Kaede told me.
Please, forgive yourself, and I'm sorry.
I do my best to calm down and take a breath. My heart is pounding and my brain is crying out at me, but then I remember the encouraging words Kaito told me.
If you can see your own weaknesses, then all you gotta do is work harder and get stronger so you don't have to worry about failure.
I don't lose sight and focus on what matters to me. My hands and legs won't stop shaking, and my fingers are going numb from terror, but then I remember the promise Kirumi made with me.
If you need help with anything, I, along with the others, will be glad to help you.
Despite everything, I keep persisting. Eventually, I feel my breathing slow down, and my heart relaxes as the icy grip begins to let go of me. That's when I finally feel someone's hand clasped around mine, and then I hear a voice.
Just because something bad happened, it doesn't mean you're a bad person.
And then, I opened my eyes, and everything felt clearer than before.
"Rin!" I turn my aching head and see the shape of a person. I squint my eyes until my vision clears a little, and I see someone all too familiar. Kaede.
"Kaede?" I mumbled as I slowly raised a hand to her face. "Why…are you crying?" I asked as I wiped some tears off her cheeks. That didn't seem to help as she only began to cry harder as she embraced me tightly.
"You idiot! I thought you were dead! I thought you were going to die!" She shouted as she sobbed into my chest.
"Die…?" I repeated as it all came back to me. Oh. Right. I was attacked, wasn't I? Wasn't I in the virtual world? But now I'm back in reality. Something must have happened, and I didn't die. Lucky me, I guess. Heh, luck. As if that has ever been on my side.
"Rin, are you okay? You're crying too."
"Rantaro?" I asked as I saw the green-haired boy look down at me. I moved my other hand to my face, and true enough, I felt something wet. I couldn't help but give him a weak smile at the question. "I'm fiiiiine~. It's juuuust the timing of everythiiiiiiing~." I told him, slurring my words unintentionally. It was a little hard to regain my bearings when it felt like my head had been hit by a ton of bricks. Did I have a concussion? It felt like I had a concussion.
"Hey, easy man." I heard Kaito tell me.
"Kaito? I'm so sorry. About everything." I told him when I realized he was here too.
"I'm the one who's sorry man. I'm sorry I didn't trust you before." He told me with a worried expression.
"No…I'm the one who was wrong." I told him before realizing that I should be focusing on more important things. "Hey, where are we?"
"Monodam turned one of the unused classrooms into a nurse's office for you." Maki told me.
"I see." I mumbled as I looked around. It definitely looked like a nurse's office that was moved into a classroom. "So what happened?"
"We were hoping you could tell us that." Keebo said.
"We found you in the forest behind the mansion. You were unconscious and nearly dead!" Tenko shouted.
"Please don't shout… It hurts my head." I grumbled as I began to dig the memory out of my skull. "I was…talking to Kirumi. But then, she disappeared. I got worried, and I was about to look for her, but that's when something hit my head. I fell over, and I began to blackout, but…I think I heard people shouting at each other before that." That's when a thought hit me, and I felt my body sober up immediately as I shot upwards, knocking the crying Kaede off my chest as I looked around the room. Kaede, Rantaro, Kirumi, Kaito, Maki, Keebo, Himiko, Tenko, Kokichi, Gonta, Shuichi… "Where are Ryoma and Angie?" I asked in a panic. At my question, everyone averted their eyes. Well, everyone except Kokichi, who only put his hands behind his head with a slight pout. No one seemed to want to say anything, so Kokichi ended up being the one to ease me into things.
"They're dead." He plainly said frankly without sugar coating a thing.
"WHAT!?" I nearly threw my vocal cords out of my throat with that scream.
"Kokichi! Couldn't you have done something to helped ease him into that bomb shell!?" Kaito screamed at him.
"Why? Rinny doesn't seem like the kind of guy who likes it when things are hidden from him." Kokichi grumbled as he shrugged.
"Wh-Why!? HOW!? When did they die!?" I screamed before I realized what that meant. "Shit! The class trial!" I turned to the side as I began to push myself off the bed. "I need to go investigate and-!"
"You're too late. Investigating time is already over." Maki told me.
"H-Huh?"
"You've been unconscious since we found you and the two victims in the forest. You've only just woken up after Monokuma called us for the class trial." Rantaro clarified.
"B-But…Angie and Ryoma…!"
"Yes. We've already investigated the case thoroughly, so don't worry." Shuichi told me. "For now, you should focus on resting."
"That is correct. You should not overexert yourself until you have fully recovered." Kirumi added as she gave me a concerned look.
"Absolutely not! I refuse to just stay here while our lives are on the line!" I responded with anger in my tone. "Two people are apparently dead now! Even if I'm injured, I can't just stay put! At the very least, I'm participating in the trial!"
"No! Did you not hear me! You almost died!" Kaede shouted.
"Yeah, and Ryoma and Angie did die! If anything, I'm lucky!" I replied. "This isn't like the underground tunnel back on our first day. Our lives are literally on the line here, and we need to do everything we can to live! None of you can stop me from coming with you!" That's when I finally jumped out of bed, and I immediately began to stumble a bit. However, instead of falling over or feeling pain, I caught myself and steadied my body until I was perfectly upright again. "Okay, a little woozy, but nothing that'll stop me." I then turned to Shuichi with a stern gaze. "Tell me everything you found out on our way to the trial grounds. I want to hear everything you examined and investigated so I can fully prepare for the trial."
"But Rin-!"
"I don't think there's anything we can do, Kaede." Kaito told the girl with a sigh. "I know that look. That's the face that shows Rin's not messing around. Besides, he'll be a big help with the trial." Kaede stared at Kaito with a look of betrayal before she sighed.
"Fine." Kaede grumbled before she turned to me. "But please don't do anything to hurt yourself, okay? I don't want to…" She trailed off as she didn't want to continue the thought, but I knew what she wanted to say was 'I don't want to lose you'.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Trust me, okay?" I told her. "I promise that I won't go off and die on you. That would be pretty terrible of me, huh?"
"Don't even make jokes about that!"
"What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little and reassure you a bit." I said before I gave her a teasing smile. "Still, I'm glad you care about me so much. It warms my heart."
"Of course I care. You're my…closest friend." She said in a soft whisper. My eyes widened when I heard that, but I then gave her a small smile.
"Yeah. I feel the same. Thanks for looking out for me. I'll have to return the favor." I told her before I turned to the others. "Alright, let's hurry up and head over to the shrine. I bet Monokuma is fuming at the mouth right now. I can't imagine how late we are."
"Yeah. Monodam said he would distract Monokuma until we got there, but I'm not sure how long he'll last." Himiko muttered, shuddering at the thought of Monodam fighting against Monokuma.
"Monodam, huh? I suppose he's another person I owe some thanks too after all this." I noted before I started walking to the exit. "Let's go. The trial awaits." Everyone nodded as we began to head to the Shrine of Judgment. On the way, Shuichi and even Rantaro told me everything they came across during the investigation, which was quite a lot. They really are incredible. I'll have to thank them for picking up my slack later.
All Truth Bullets Transferred
Truth Bullet Obtained: Rin's Account
With them telling me everything about the case, I hardly noticed that we had made it to the Shrine of Judgment already. "Alright, we're all here." I said before looking over at everyone. "Man, this is depressing. It feels like there are less and less of us as the days go on."
"Less friends mean it that much harder to solve mystery." Gonta noted with a worried expression.
"Well, don't worry. I'm sure you've gotten a little smarter by now, Gonta." Kokichi cheekily told him.
"Y-Yeah…Gonta do his best to help…"
"I'd want you to graduate from super-idiot level to at least Kaito-idiot level." Kokichi then told him.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?" Kaito shouted.
"We can't focus on who we've lost so far. All we can do now is keep moving forward." Rantaro said with a look of hardened resolve.
"That's true." Kaede said as she held her shoulder. "It's the least we can do for them, after all."
"Atua…if you really are real, please give Angie's soul some rest. Ryoma too." Himiko gave a soft prayer.
"Yes… If Atua is real, then perhaps she and the others might possibly find peace in the afterlife." Keebo stated.
"Man, it's seriously funny seeing a robot believe in god." Kokichi noted.
"S-So what…? Robots can believe in god." Keebo argued. "Actually…before I even met Angie, I had a similar experience. Hearing voices, I mean. You might call it an inner voice… It tells me what to do whenever I'm in trou-"
"How long are you going to say that for? Atua and gods don't matter right now." Maki chided him.
"The trial this time is going to be rough, and it's all because we fell for Monokuma's trap." Tenko grimaced.
"Even so, we still have to do this. That's all we can do." I said as the elevator opened up for us the same way as before. As soon as we could, we all began to walk onto the elevator in silence. And as soon as we remaining survivors entered the small cage, we began our descent. It was odd. Perhaps it was my mind playing tricks on me, but the elevator felt like it was moving faster than usual. Perhaps it was because there were a lot fewer of us now. I pushed those thoughts out of my head as I looked around. When my eyes landed on Kirumi, I remembered she hadn't actually been here before. She was only here right now because we revived her. I wonder…if reviving her means she's only going to experience worse pain than before now.
Even when my head feels clearer than ever, my mind also feels like it's stuffed to the brim. There's so much going on, so much to think about, that it feels like I'm being overwhelmed. But that's never stopped me before. All I can do is focus on what's important right now. Everything else can be saved for later. It was then that the elevator finally stopped and opened up.
"You're late!" Monokuma shouted at us as we walked into the trial grounds. He was about to shout some more before his eyes landed on me. "Well well well… Welcome back to the land of the living, Mister Wakuri. How was your trip to Death's Door?"
"Enlightening actually." I told him. "I realized you're more of an asshole than I thought while I was there. The devil says hi by the way."
"I see, so you're going to hell as well?" Monokuma laughed. "Well, that's alright with me. Satan and I are good pals, after all!"
"Of course you are. I bet you give him tips every other sunday." I grumbled.
"Puhuhu… As much as I'd love to keep hearing this fun back-and-forth from both of us, let's hurry up and get this started! You guys have kept me waiting long enough!" Monokuma then yelled. "At last, the class trial will begin! I hope you enjoy it to your heart's content!" We ignored him as we moved to our stands, but before we got to them, Monokuma stopped us. "Hold up! I almost forgot. Why don't I help you all get into something a bit more comfortable for the trial?" With that, Monokuma dashed all around us at break-neck speeds. The moment he sped past me, I felt something was different. I looked down at my wrist and gasped. My bangle was gone, and after looking around, I could see that it was the same for everyone else. "There! All done. Of course, there are two bangles missing, but that's fine! Now the trial won't be held back by your forbidden actions! Be grateful!"
"As if we'd ever be grateful towards the one who put those things on us in the first place." Kaede grumbled as she rubbed her wrist. Well, at least we don't have to worry about being poisoned anymore. As Monokuma said, this will allow us to discuss the case fully without any restrictions. I better make a note of the Forbidden Actions then, since they're certainly involved in this case in some way.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Forbidden Action Motive
And with that, we finally made our way to our stands. There were four new portraits this time around. The first was Korekiyo's. Instead of an 'X', his picture looked like he was being engulfed in violent flames. It brought a chill as it made me recall the gruesome way he died. The second was Ryoma's. His 'X' was made with two tennis rackets. With how he always told us he had given up on tennis due to his past, that felt insulting to him. The third portrait was Angie's, who had angel wings and a halo instead of an 'X'. The final picture belonged to Monosuke, who had the number ¥0, which meant 0 yen. Oddly enough, that one felt fitting for the money-grubbing cub.
If there was one good thing to be seen right now, it was how one portrait was now missing. Instead of the awful picture that was to my left, the stand was now filled by Kirumi, it's rightful owner. Seeing her standing beside me helped calm me down as I thought about the case we found ourselves in. The third class trial was about to begin in earnest. Angie Yonaga, the Ultimate Artist. She helped create the student council to try to prevent the killing game from continuing, and she helped me a lot during that time. Even if she acted strange at times due to her culture, she was a very dear friend. Ryoma Hoshi, the Ultimate Tennis Pro. He lost everything, and yet he somehow regained the will to live. He wanted to survive with us, and get out of here. These two who were murdered wanted this killing game to end, but in the end, the game took both of them away from us.
Who could have possibly killed them? Was it one person, or is there a second killer among us? Did they want me dead as well? We need to pin that down if we want to survive. No matter what, we need to find the truth. So I will fight. I will fight with all I have, whether with truths or lies, in this class trial! I'll fight against all the inconsistencies and reality itself in order to win and protect everyone! And nothing is going to stop me!
Truth Bullets
1. Monokuma File 3: The two victims are Ryoma Hoshi, the Ultimate Tennis Pro, and Angie Yonaga, the Ultimate Artist. Both bodies were discovered in the computer room on the 4th floor. The estimated time of death for both victims is 6:30 a.m. Angie's body has no external injuries. Ryoma's body has lethal poison that has traveled from his wrist all the way up to his arm and has reached all of his body, causing a purple discoloration to affected skin. The only external injuries on his body are two prick points on his right wrist.
2. Kirumi's account: Kirumi was the only person to log out of the virtual world program before the bodies were found. She claims to have no memory of entering the virtual world. Upon waking up, she was alerted by Ryoma's bangle that he had performed his forbidden action. She tore off a piece of her dress and tied it around his arm to slow down the poison and ran down to the kitchen to grab something to amputate Ryoma's arm, though she arrived too late.
3. Kokichi in the salon: Kokichi was searching the salon, and he did not leave at all during that time. He claims that no one ever entered the salon to log out.
4. Cell phone: Found on the ground by Angie's avatar. Like the phone in the salon, it allows its user to log out by saying their name into it. However, it can also be used to force someone else to log out by saying their name into it.
5. Map of the mansion: The first floor of the mansion in the Virtual World has a salon, a dining room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The second floor is only the rooftop. While looking for the secret of the outside world, Kokichi searched the salon, Kaito searched the dining room, Maki searched the kitchen, Ryoma searched the rooftop, and Angie searched the main hallway.
6. Map of the virtual world: There are four walls at each side of the virtual world. Everyone was split up to investigate a different part of the world. Kokichi, Kaito, Maki, Ryoma, and Angie investigated the inside of the mansion. Kaede, Gonta, and Rantaro investigated the chapel. Tenko and Himiko investigated the outside of the chapel. Shuichi and Keebo investigated the outside of the mansion. Rin and Kirumi investigated the forest behind the mansion.
7. Angie and Ryoma's avatar: Found frozen and collapsed in the snow in the forest behind the mansion in the virtual world. When a user logs out, their avatar disappears, but if the user's real body dies, the avatar stays in the Virtual World. Since avatars cannot be injured, it doesn't look any different from when Angie and Ryoma were alive.
8. Shovel: Found beside Ryoma's body. Was not scene before the crime occurred.
9. Angie's corpse: Angie has no injuries that are visible. Her Forbidden Action Bangle is missing. Her body appears fine, having no injuries at all, and her eyes are closed, as if she was sleeping. When her body was found, she still had her visor on.
10. Ryoma's corpse: Ryoma was injected by his bangle's poison, despite the bangle being missing. The poison is still in his body, discoloring the skin of most of his body. His eyes are opened and he has a look of pain and confusion on his face. When his body was found, he still had his visor on.
11. Killing Game Simulator: The killing game simulator's text file contained the following information: Objects can't break. Avatars cannot be injured. However, the body's five senses are connected to the avatar, and any damage an avatar takes is felt by the user's real body. If an avatar takes fatal damage, then the real body will also die from shock. Besides that, the Virtual World is the same as the real world, down to the laws of physics. There are no special travel methods such as vehicles or warps.
12. Login/Logout Record: With the exception of Angie and Ryoma, who died before they could log out, everyone only logged in and out once each. However, there is data about someone logging in and out a few hours before everyone else, but the name of this person is not shown, nor can it be revealed by any means. The timestamps for their logins and logouts are as follows:
18:35 logged in.
19:00 logged out.
23:02 Himiko, Kaede, Rin, Kaito, Keebo, Rantaro and Shuichi logged in.
23:03 Maki, Tenko, and Kirumi logged in.
23:04 Kokichi, Ryoma, and Gonta logged in.
23:06 Angie logged in.
06:25Kirumi logged out.
06:44 Rin logged out.
06:44 Kokichi logged out.
06:44 Kaito logged out.
06:45 Keebo logged out.
06:45 Himiko logged out.
06:45 Maki logged out.
06:46 Gonta logged out
06:46 Tenko logged out.
06:46 Kaede logged out
06:47 Shuichi logged out.
06:47 Rantaro logged out.
13. Avatar error: Soon after everyone logged in for the first time, an avatar user error occurred.
14. Device Instructions: For the visors to function, they need to be plugged into the computer with two specific cords. The red cord is for consciousness and the blue cord is for memory. It is unknown what would happen if the cords were plugged into the wrong slots, but there's a chance that some kind of glitch might occur.
15. Clues Hidden in the Virtual World: There were two secrets found in the chapel. The first was found by Tenko and Himiko. It was a photo album that featured Rin and his friends from the past in it. The second was found by Kaede, Gonta, and Rantaro. The item was a worn-out badge with the japanese character 'mirai' engraved on the front and a note detailing strange instructions. Tenko ran inside the chapel to show Kaede and the others the photo album, while Himiko ran to find Rin to let him know. Himiko bumped into Keebo and Shuichi and joined up with them to find Rin in the forest. The three of them discovered the scene in the forest.
16. Rin's account: Rin was investigating the forest with Kirumi. He noticed how Kirumi had seemingly vanished while they were speaking, though he didn't see how it happened. Shortly after Kirumi disappeared, he was hit in the back of his head and fell unconscious. Before he blacked out, he heard two people arguing.
17. Keebo's account: While searching for the secret of the virtual world, Keebo briefly saw Angie enter the forest.
18. Paint Brush: There was a paint brush that looks like it belongs to Angie in the shed on the mansion's roof.
19. Jagged Rock: There is a jagged rock next to Angie's body. It is very noticeable even in the snow, and it's the size of a person's palm. It would be easy to trip over if someone wasn't paying attention.
20. Forbidden Action Motive: The motive for this case was the Forbidden Motives. Everyone had a specific action they could not perform. If anyone performs their Forbidden action, the bangles that were attached to that person's wrist would inject lethal poison into that person, killing them within seconds of injection if nothing is done. The bangles make a jingle when a person performs their forbidden action.
21. Deal with Monokuma: Monodam heard Monokuma mention how he had made a deal with someone. Monokuma offered someone information on the virtual world that wasn't shared with everyone in exchange for that person's cooperation in killing someone. It is unknown who Monokuma made this deal with at this time.
Author's Note: I AM SPEED! No seriously, how do I not write for about a month and then end up making this whole chapter in a single day? This case literally terrified me, and now I'm just blazing through it. I'm honestly amazed at the progress I've made. It's just been too much fun. Man, if I put this much effort into classes, I probably would be the perfect student...
Next few chapters might take a bit longer since I think I'm going to finish the whole trial aftermath before posting those chapters, but it shouldn't take me too long (probably \_(ツ)/ ). I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and look forward to the end of Arc 3 (finally...). I also look forward to seeing all of your theories. I'm fairly certain no one is going to figure out this case until the end, but knowing the internet, I'm probably wrong about that. See ya next time.
