Author Note: Sorry this took so long. Shortly after the last posting, I placed myself under a Danganronpa embargo to prevent spoilers from Danganronpa V3. Now that I've beaten the game, I'll be able to post these more often again. Hope you enjoy this.
Voices called out in the darkness that surrounded me. Though I couldn't see anything, I knew they were the voices of my classmates.
"So, you two are also leaving for now. It is a shame, but as your teacher, I understand given the situation."
"It has been a pleasure." This voice was Tomoki's, I recalled. "I pray we meet again when things calm down."
"I guess this leaves us with seven left." Another voice, Mitsuba's this time. "Ultimately I hate to say so, but I might be joining you soon."
Other voices joined in in their goodbyes, each saying their own. Beside me, an all too recognizable voice spoke out.
"Are you ready, Kirika?"
That was right; those were the words Seiji spoke to me as we started off. It was my shyness that made him steak around for as long as he did. I no doubt nodded or gave a curt replied, because he began speaking again.
"Be careful. At this point, a minor thing could set off the Parade."
That was right again. This finally set in. What I was dreaming wasn't a fantasy conjured by my mind. The scene that was being heard was a memory of mine.
Chanting and yelling became audible. I could hear the angry noises coming from the crowd.
Suddenly, I was jolted awake by the sound of Monokuma's announcement. The fact that one of us was dead bothered me. As I slipped on my clothes to head out, I murmured something I couldn't pick up. Instead, those words were right in my heart. I knew what I'd said.
"I ran and this is my punishment…"
The doors begin to open on the first floor of the dorms. With five people coming out of the doors, the girls knew they were safe. They begin their trek down word to see who had been murdered.
Downstairs, the boys have exited the rooms and noticed one has not left yet. When the girls arrived, everyone knew who it was. As they opened the door and turned on the lights, an audible slump could be heard among the crowd.
"No…no…no, no, no, no, NO!" she screamed out.
It was understandable. Right now, the pain she was going through must have been harsh.
"Sei…ji…" she mumbled on the verge of a breakdown.
Indeed, Seiji Utaru laid in his bed; a small pool of blood by him.
"Man, a simple "We're breaking up" would have worked, wouldn't it?" Monokuma said popping up.
Kirika sent a glare at the bear; sadness in rage intertwined.
"Whoa, sweet cheeks, I'm just joking. Anywho, I figured after that abysmal trial you had, I might as well help you were little. Heaven knows you need it. So, without a doubt, here's the first Monokuma File."
With a ding, everyone's handbook lit up, displaying said file.
"Well, I'll leave the rest to ya. See you soon."
And with that, the bear took off.
The eyes in the room turned towards Kirika who was barely keeping herself together.
"Here." Sora said, extending a hand towards Kirika. She reluctantly took it; standing herself up. As they started to leave, he piped up once more.
"I'll take care of her. Find out for me."
At that, the seven others opened their e-handbook to receive the info from the file.
Victim: Seiji Utaru
Throat was pierced by an object. Victim appeared to have died in his sleep. Time of death was 1:27 AM. Only in entry wound is evident, no other wounds.
"No weapon…" murmured Mitsuba. "So, we don't even have that."
"I have no apprehensions that Monokuma excluded any information that would deliver the culprit to us." stated Tomoki.
"I think we should split up again. I did do so great at finding evidence last time." Aiyaka gloated.
"But we didn't find the culprit." Takura bluntly stated.
"Well, the clock's ticking. I say we go with Aiyaka's suggestion." Takashi said.
Upon dividing up the groups, each one went their own way and began the investigation.
As soon as Suzuki, Takashi, and Mitsuba left the room, the others got to work.
"Don't worry, I'll monitor the entryway." Takura said as he slid down the wall by the door.
"Sure, sure, whatever makes you seem less lazy." Aiyaka chided.
"Aiyaka, we need you to double check the body. Give us clues about what the weapon might be." Ito asked.
"Okay!"
Aiyaka bent down and poked around the injury. After observing for around two minutes, Aiyaka lept back and stretched before giving her verdict.
"Whelp, I think I got some possibilities. Wanna hear?"
The others look at Aiyaka, giving her a look as if they were tired of her routine.
"Fine, here it is. The whole is small and cylindrical. Given that we don't have an exit all, the weapon is no adult small. I'd wager it's like an ice pack or some junk like it."
"Interesting data and theory. Thank you for helping us." Tomoki said "I believe this demonstrates good has developed from the horrors you experienced."
"Thanks…I guess…"
While Aiyaka examined the body, Tomoki and Ito had covered the rest of the room. Checking every other corner, the pair had an uncovered anything out of the ordinary. As such, the two reported so when Aiyaka finished her assessment.
"In the end, we only got a step closer to the murder weapon, huh?" said Ito.
"Well, there is the door."
The sudden statement from Takura surprised the three as they turn their attention towards him.
"What is that you speak of, Takura? Tomoki asked.
"Probably because my only task is guarding the entryway, but I took note of the door. If you come over here, you can see evidence that door was tampered with."
Following the Ultimate Editor's words, the trio began checking the exterior side of the door.
"He's right, there is something around a lock." Ito stated. "Look right there."
The others noticed with Ito was pointing to. Right near the keyhole were marks were makeshift tools had no doubt been used.
"I see." muttered Tomoki, "Without a doubt, someone pick the lock to gain entry. Although the tools required appear not to have been accessible, leaving the culprit to try other materials. It is this clumsy method that has resulted in the scratches present."
"Are we sure it's not just wear and tear?" Aiyaka chimed in.
"I don't believe so." Ito replied, "All the others seem to be in good condition." To prove her point, Ito walk to the other girl across the hall to Takura's room to prove so.
"So it looks like we have a possible weapon and a forced entry." Takura said. "I wonder what the others have gathered already."
"Alright team, given the time crunch where with any hidden evidence likely to be tucked away?" Takashi asked. "Let's get up a think tank as we walk."
"Given the timeframe, I'd wager they would only have time to go to the fourth floor maximum if they cleverly hid anything and went back to their room to blend in." Mitsuba said.
"Hmm…" Takashi thought for a second before speaking. "The fourth floor is laid out in a way where there's no place to hide objects."
"If you ask me, I'd say the second and third floors are the most likely places for anything." Suzuki chimed in. "Although, the shipping area on the first floor might be a place of interest."
The other two nodded in agreement as Suzuki's assessment. As they neared the door for the main entrance, Mitsuba chimed in again.
"Thinking about it, one could hide the weapon in the room. There is enough stuff to hide it in could cut the time down."
"And then they could wait till after the trial to have all the time to dispose of it should they had gotten rid of the wrong person!" interrupted Takashi.
"Then let's start on the girls' rooms since we're here." said Suzuki. "The culprit'd be able to hide a thin object anywhere. Let's go look before you run out of time."
The trail begin their search, we are in from room to room. Starting with Aiyaka's, the trio found nothing out of the ordinary. Moving next-door, the search of Ito's room turned nothing out either. Suzuki's room directly across the hall showed the same results the first two. Even Mitsuba's next-door was fruitless. Knowing the others would check the boys' rooms, the group made their way to the room of the least likely culprit.
"Oh, you three." Sora let out as the group entered Kirika's room. The man was seated on the edge of the bed next to the face down, crying artist.
"We don't want to worry you or imply anything," started Takashi, "but we're just having everyone's room trip. Please pardon the intrusion."
Sora nodded softly while Kirika gave no reply; her face buried in her pillow angry. After a short search, the group gave a small gesture and left. Unfortunately, or perhaps in this case fortunately, they'd uncovered no evidence. They departed to check the other places they'd planned out, unsure of what the future investigations my own.
Having finished checking the crimes scene, the group of Aiyaka, Ito, Takura, and Tomoki began the search of the boys' rooms. As the timer ticked closer to the trial, fortune seemed to favor the quartet. The group entered the first room and begin to inspect it.
Look for searched every inch for clues when Takura spoke up.
"I need a little help." he spoke. "The bottom drawer's stuck."
The others gathered around as bent down as Tomoki bent down to open the drawer himself. Pulling on it, the drawers stopped almost as soon as it started moving.
"This is strange." Tomoki mused.
"Let me try!"
Shoving the pair aside, Aiyaka pulled repeatedly on it until it opened with a dull thump. Finally opened, the trio saw what contents were trying to hide inside. Takura called over Ito, who was distracted at the door, and the group analyzed what they found.
In the drawer sat a lone ice pick. The metallic tip was stained with semi-fresh blood. Given its size and the sound just heard, it was highly likely it was the item that had blocked the door from opening.
"Why is this in Sora's room?" Tomoki asked.
DING DONG!
"Investigation time is over, kiddos." Monokuma's voice started out. "Please proceed to the main hall."
Having heard the announcement, each of the three group starting towards their destination. Ahead lied the trial to determine who had killed Seiji Utaru, the Ultimate Composer. Entering the room, the nine took their spots as once again the battle of hope and despair continued.
"Welcome back to my little courtroom." Monokuma spoke as the ten flooded in. "As you can see, I've done some slightly redecorating. I must say, I really believe the Seiji memorial picture ties the room together."
The monochromatic bear felt a hostility in the air as he began to scan the crowd. His smile shone as he spotted Kirika shooting a murderous gaze as she clinched her fist and began to step forward.
Thoughts raced through Kirika's head as she stared him down. Here he was making fun of Seiji's death; the man she loved. She couldn't just let that stand. As she began to go for the little bear, she felt a hand on her left shoulder.
"Don't…" the hand's owner let out.
Now looking towards the owner, Kirika could see the concern in Takura's tired eyes. Quickly, Kirika turn back and stood looking down.
"Oh, come on!" Monokuma cried out. "Let her do what she wants. There's no rule against fighting me, although that doesn't mean I won't fight back." He chuckled loudly as his claws gleamed at the ready.
"Monokuma, stop this. Allow us to proceed with this trial. All of this is already enough." Mitsuba spat out.
"Fine, fine, I guess knocking off one of you and hopefully executing another is too much for you. Guess I'll settle on one execution. Now, make papa happy and figure out who killed Seiji!"
"I don't want to help Monokuma's goal, but we need to solve this." Takura added.
Looking across the room, Sora fixed his eyes on Kirika. The artist had let go of her rage towards the bear and retreated back into herself.
"Don't worry, we'll find the culprit this time!" he said trying to reassure the girl.
"Let's start with what we know." Takashi said, gesturing towards the Monokuma File on his e-handbook. "We know he had his through pierced. Out of everything so far, they should lead us to our first clue. So, what was the murder working?"
"Ooo, ooo, I have an idea!" Aiyaka spike like a child.
"I believe all our group does." Ito added. "Remember what we found."
"I know, Strawberries. It's just, what if we're wrong. That's why I said idea."
"Strawberries? What you call Ito "Strawberries", Aiyaka?" Takashi asked.
"That's what you're concerned with!?" Ito shouted in disbelief as her face grew flushed.
"Yeah, Strawberries. Y'know cuz Ito's always wearing panties with strawberries on them."
Tomoki interrupted the conversation with a slight cough, drawing everyone's attention towards him.
"Aiyaka, Takashi, I believe we are just disembarking from our current topic. As our compatriots were discussing before, our team discovered what appeared to be the weapon used to murder our dear friend."
"The ice pack, correct." said Ito, now having calmed herself down.
"An ice pack? Are you sure?" inquired Suzuki.
"When we found it, it's still had a bit of drying blood on it." Takura spoke. "Plus an ice pick matches up with what the Monokuma File said."
"I can verify all this after I checked the wound." Aiyaka agreed.
"Why do you know all this about puncture marks?" asked Sora.
"Let's just say after being in Towa City, one starts to see a lot of slashes and puncture marks."
"So, you found this ice pack and it seems it's the murder weapon in question." Mitsuba said. "Where exactly was it located when you found it?"
"It was wedged in the bottom drawer of Sora's desk in his room." let out Takura.
The room fell silent momentarily as the editor's words sank in. Suddenly, Sora could feel several eyes lock onto him.
"Looks like we have our killer." accused Suzuki.
"What!? I don't know how that got there!" Sora spat out.
"Sure, sure you don't." Suzuki continued.
"I didn't. And even if I did, why would I just place it in my room. Wouldn't the culprit usually hide it?"
"Well, the pick was wedged so it would stop the door from opening." added Aiyaka.
"See. Case solved." Suzuki finished. "It was in your room and only you had access to it."
"No, that's not correct." Ito spoke up. "While the other three members of my group check the room, I was observing his door."
"What's a door gotta do with anything?" asked Takashi.
"It's not exactly the door itself. It's the doors lock." Ito continued. "I spotted markings on the lock that were similar to those on the lock on Seiji's door."
"And why do these markings matter?" Suzuki asked.
"It shows Sora's room was broken into as well." Takura said. "I pointed out the lock picking done to Seiji's room and everyone in my group would know what it looked like. I trust Ito's observation."
"It's because of this, Sora is off the list. Whatever the killer is planted the evidence on him on the chance they killed someone that wasn't the mastermind."
"But why me?" Sora questioned.
"I hypothesize the reason is basic. Your room is located next to our deceased colleague. By leaving the ice pick in your room, the culprit solves two problems at once." Tomoki stated.
"It incriminate someone else and allows the culprit less time to be seen with the weapon." said Mitsuba.
"OK, so we know how died, with what, and Sora got blamed. This doesn't get us any closer. No one has alibis. Guess even I am suspect here." Aiyaka said as she jokingly stuck out her tongue.
"She does have a point." agreed Takashi.
"If anything, I'd wager Mitsuba as the next most suspicious. Remember what she said, Takashi, about hiding a weapon in one's room? Suzuki stated.
"Someone's being Lil' Miss Blame Game lately." Aiyaka added in. "Sora, Mitsuba, as a former victim of her accusations, I understand how you feel."
"You don't understand anything." Suzuki said as she stared down Aiyaka in disdain.
"So it looks like we don't have any suspect." Takura said. "I guess were in the same boat as last time."
"NO!"
The sudden outburst shocked the room. All eyes fell on Kirika. The girls stood with determination; her eyes evident that she was holding back tears.
"Someone here killed Seiji and this trial isn't over till we find them. Everyone looked back at the facts. We should be able to find them."
"But we don't have any more leads." Sora spoke.
"Fine, I'll do it myself. Isn't that right, Suzuki?" Kirika said.
"Huh, what about me?" Suzuki pondered.
"I wanna know why you'd hide your lockpicks under your hat."
What? Why are you accusing me? What made you think I kept telling bobby pins under my hat? Why me?"
"That." Kirika said with a slight surprise. "You were quick to accuse everyone so I started my guessing with you. I think I got the culprit right off the back."
"You guessed and you're calling me the culprit. What exactly do you mean by that? Why would you say that?"
"It was your word choice. I said lock picks."
"And she said bobby pins…" Ito finished.
"True, we never specified exactly what picked the locks during this case. A fatal Freudian slip." Tomoki calmly stated.
"I'm willing to do whatever I need to avenge the love of my life. Even if I had to accuse everyone here, I'd find his killer. So, any last words?" Kirika said harshly.
"No, I-"
"Suzuki, it's over. Guess the tables have turned." said Aiyaka.
"I…I…"
"Brrzzt, Times up. I always hate it when they get cornered and ramble on. Now, using all the evidence before you, choose the blackened." Monokuma chimes in. "Let's see if you're right or wrong."
As the boating commenced, everyone shows the answer. As the last person selected theirs, the screen disappeared.
"The votes have been tallied. With eight out of nine votes the court has chosen Suzuki Kanaboshi. That's…Correct. Indeed the killer of Seiji Utaru, the Ultimate Composer, is Miss Kanaboshi."
"Suzuki, why… Why did you do it?" Kirika said she gritted her teeth. What appeared to be more anger was evident on closer inspection to be Kirika's attempt to maintain herself. After everything she did, it was clear she was slipping back into tears.
"I already told Aiyaka. You wouldn't understand." Suzuki spat.
"It was the motive, wasn't it?" stated Ito. "Letting someone save someone else. You thought it was made to protect Kirika and Seiji; that they were both controlling Monokuma."
"Why would you think that!?" Kirika called out.
"You wouldn't-"
"Understand? Suzuki, please tell us why. Allow us to understand you." Tomoki said.
"Fine." Suzuki resigned herself. "It's because of Mirai."
The group know who's Suzuki meant. Mirai Takano, a former classmate who was the Ultimate Florist, with Suzuki's best friend. Unfortunately, she was one of the class members who had stayed and lost her life.
"After everything that happened to her dear friend Mirai, Suzuki grew to distrust people. However, her distrust stems from her own self hatred. Hatred born from the fact that she ran and her best friend died. Right on the money, aren't I sweetie?" Monokuma explained.
"Yes…" came Suzuki's dejected reply.
"Is that why you distrust me the most? Because I ran first?" asked Aiyaka.
"Woah, woah, woah, keep some things to the imagination." Monokuma said. Anywho, we've got an execution to get to. So let's give it everything we've got! It's Punishment Time!"
As Monokuma pushed a button, the floor beneath Suzuki give way as a monitor drop from the ceiling. The screen flickered on as it should Suzuki land on a conveyor belt. The belt search forward as Suzuki appeared disoriented by the things around her. Two metal hoses flagged her sides; spraying her with a white powder. While those above couldn't tell exactly what it was, she knew it was flour. Another two hoses blasted her, baking soda this time, as the belt began to reach its destination. With the distractions gone, Suzuki saw what awaited to her. Now aware, she tried to hop off only to notice her legs had been strapped to the belt at some point. Finally, she reached the end; entering the big, black tunnel. Behind her, a small door closed as her restraints opened up. However, it was too late as all around the girl flames sprung up. The other eight could only watch in horror as the flames consumed the bluenette. Eventually, the fire die down, but it was no use.
"Wow, what a way to go!" Monokuma exclaimed. "Well, looks like our time here is done. Have nice dreams if you can after seeing that. See you all in the morning."
With that, Monokuma disappeared leaving the others to know the situation was only getting worse. Whoever the mastermind was, they needed to be found. The game had to end.
Survivors: 8