A/N:
Ah, it's a beautiful day for despair. Especially because it's raining in the North East...so I get to release my anger through my writing, and you get to see it in action. You all are a bit spoiled, normally I don't write long chapters but the last few days you've been getting 50 and 60 page chapters...consider that my gift to you. Longer chapters equals more despair!
Oh...this is going to be a good chapter...even better, you all get to wait 2 days for the next update. But hey, at least you get to stew in this...speculate on who will live an die, who's responsible for this little murder...and who knows? Maybe even facilitate the rest of the murders of this story. Trust me...I'm going to enjoy myself. When everything is a lie, who's telling the truth? Is the truth just another ideal? Or is it just a baseless lie shrouted in false ideals? Am I just confusing you? Will you hate me? yes...most likely.
Have fun...I'll be posting the lay out of the Class Trial Court Room on deviant art later on today or tomorrow. Believe it or not, it is hard to draw a circle without a guide...I have some more surprises in store for this story. Lucky Lucky 7.
Also, the song in the last chapter was written by Trix, and its a parody of Colors of the Wind. I suggest you listen to it because it's hilarious. Anyway...embrace despair...
Morning Hope Academy's
New Semester of Killing
Chapter 1 Act 2
Betting it all for a 5 Minute Call
(Deadly Life: Day Two)
"Come on, come on! Don't keep your Dean waiting!" Monokuma cried, as everyone slowly filed into the Theater. There was little room to stand, so everyone filed into an empty seat, none of them bothering to sit down.
"Alright, we're all here...what is this about? Who killed Gonta?" Kaede asked, a firm look on her face.
"Sorry sweetheart...but that's a mystery you all have to solve. As I said yesterday. When a body is discovered, an investigation will be held. I will give you an unspecified amount of time for you to gather clues. Once you do, I want you all to gather at the red doors in the First Floor Plaza."
"Who the hell do you think we are, detectives? We can't figure out this shit on our own!" Chris shouted angrily.
"Yeah. Gonta was the gentlest out of all of us, why did you do him like that?" Kaito added, earning a laugh from the monochrome bear.
"I didn't do anything...it was one of you. Seems like someone was tempted with that 5 minute call I talked about. As I said before, the A/V Room is now closed during this investigation. The owner of the phone shall receive the charger, while you are all investigating, you can leave the phone in my care. So step right up, if you have the phone that is." Monokuma said. Mei-Ling swallowed hard, remaining firmly rooted in place. Everyone started looking around, hoping to find the owner of the phone.
"Well? Anyone gonna cough it up? I wanna update my Facebook."
"Shut up you twit! This is serious, this may be our only chance to escape." Veruca snapped, glaring at the Queen Bee.
"Guys! Are you serious? You are relishing in the fact that one of us can make a phone call? Gonta is dead, show some respect!" Jon cried.
"Darwinism at its finest my friend. It seems our little Entomologist was far too trusting. That lead to getting shanked in the chest. Well...if none of you wish to step up, then I'll find the owner of the phone later and hand them the charger. They won't be the only one reaping the rewards, you know?" Monokuma said, glancing around the room.
"Atua is telling me you are hiding something. Out with it bear, tell us what you are hiding, his divine light doesn't lie." Angie said firmly, a look of hurt on her face. Jonathan frowned, remembering the previous day. He had met Gonta and Angie at the same time, perhaps they had been starting to become friends.
"Ah...ya caught me...yeah I am hiding something. Something that's beary beneficial for one of you. It's called the First Blood Perk, the first to spill blood gets to leave this place without a trial. It's a secret one time dealio, just like the cellphone."
"Grr...who would dare accept something like that?" Kaede cried.
"Hmm...if this person does commit murder, do they get to walk out of here free?" Korekiyo asked curiously.
"That's right...no class trial or nothing...only I know if they made good with the offer. It's a one time deal after all...anyway it's time for the much anticipated, but never antiquated Monokuma File!" the bear said happily. He pulled out a monochrome tablet, pressing something on the screen. Everyone felt their Student ID's vibrate simultaneously, causing them all to reach for them.
"The Monokuma File? Is this some sort of autopsy report?" Calem asked curiously.
"Something like that, a little something from me to you. Get you sniffing in the right direction. Fraid to say, everything is confined to the cafeteria. Kept me very entertained though...go on start gathering clues...I'll be waiting for ya! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
"It seems the bear has gotten things off with a bang. Still...I'm curious to know, which of you bastards got that perk?" Kaito asked firmly, glaring at the others.
"Hey, don't look at me. This ensemble is an original Christian Dior, I am not going to get some losers blood on it." Chloe said, glancing away from the boy.
"Good to know you're fucking clothes matter more than someone's life. You fucking cunt." Miu said, glaring at the Queen Bee.
"Before anyone says anything...perhaps we should focus on not just the murder. But also on procuring that cellphone...I have been working on something since yesterday. If I have access to the internet, I can get some help from using my blog." Setsuko said firmly, looking around the room.
"Seriously? This is all you care about? A goddamn phone?" Mei-Ling snapped angrily.
"I know it may sound callous, but this may be our only chance to escape. I have millions of followers on my blog, here in America and across the sea in Japan. All around the world, they'll be able to send for help."
"As if...I'm not putting my life in the hands of a 13 year old insomniac hyped up on fuck thunder and coffee. It is time to get to the bottom of this murder. And when I find the Thundercunt responsible, I'm going to beat him so hard his asshole is going to be sucking up buttermilk!" Lee shouted, stomping out of the theater.
"I believe we should follow his example. I didn't want this to befall my students here...I made a vow to protect you all. This is just so sad." Alice said softly, holding back her tears. Dan placed a hand on her shoulder, helping to keep her calm.
It wasn't long before everyone filed out of the Theater, none knowing what to do. Mei-Ling headed over to the maple tree in the center of the plaza, looking at it with an emotionless tone on her face.
"This was all my fault...I should have just come out with the phone. Destroyed it in front of everyone...if I had removed temptation, this wouldn't have happened!"
"Mei-Mei, are you okay?" Carla asked, causing the girl to whirl around. She stumbled a bit, her arms flailing as she tried to regain her footing. Thankfully, Veruca caught her before she fell.
"Careful...wouldn't want you to break your neck."
"Thanks...I really hate these heels, but I have no other shoes at the moment. However that is the least of my worries." the girl said.
"I know...it isn't the best way to start our morning. However we have to ascertain the identity of the blackened. If not, I fear we may all face the gallows." the Nut Specialist said. Mei-Ling swallowed hard, her hand flying to her neck.
"I don't want to face the gallows...though they do sound fun!"
"Tch...if ye wishes to have the hempen knot tied around ye neck, then I invite ye to ignore this man's death." Gabriella said, holding her head as she walked past them.
"Ignore her...let's just read the File and see what we can find." Veruca said, clicking on the Truth Bullet app that had appeared on her Student ID.
Victim's Name: Gonta Gokuhara
Time of Death: 10:50PM
Cause of Death: Internal Bleeding.
The body was discovered at 7:45AM by the students of Morning Hope Academy. Gonta was duct taped to a post, furthermore there is an open wound on the bottom of his foot. He also has a single stab wound in the center of his chest, consistent with a knife stab. The blade of the knife severed his Aorta, causing internal bleeding. Death was nearly instantaneous.
"Erm...that is quite graphically detailed." the Nut Specialist said.
"Check out the time...10:50 at night...that means he's been dead for the entire night." Mei-Ling said.
"I noticed that too...it is rather odd...I believe for now we should gather alibis. We must be certain about where everyone was during this time."
"Okay, that should be easy! Carla was in the gym, though no one was there with her." the Ultimate Lucky Student said, looking a bit sad.
"I was in my dorm sleeping. Sadly that isn't a good alibi." Mei-Ling said.
"Better than mine at least, I too was in my dorm room. I decided to catch up on some reading. I should warn you, since none of us bear a credible alibi, we may fall under suspicion."
"Bah! Me? Suspicious? I would never kill someone!"
"But no one knows that Carla...we're all strangers. I trust that you didn't do this, you're my friend. It isn't going to help anyone else though." Mei-Ling said, a frown on her face.
"We should proceed with investigating the cafeteria. Perhaps something will pop up."
"Yeah...I hope." the Folklore Researcher said, glancing at her feet. She sniffled a bit, thinking about Gonta and the fate he had been given. Carla placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up.
"Don't be sad Mei-Mei! We'll avenge Gonta, he's up in heaven surrounded by little bugs and other things that he likes! He's the first Ultimate Angelic Entomologist!"
"Hehe...yeah, he's in a better place." she said, giving the girl a grin. Veruca frowned, but said nothing as she started for the cafeteria entrance.
Monokuma File #1 has been added to your Truth Bullets
xxx
Jonathan frowned as he looked at Gonta's body. He was trying his hardest not to vomit. Kevin's death was still fresh in his mind, but at least his had been painless. He could see the look of hurt on Gonta's face. His eyes were wide open, dried tears rolling down his cheeks. His body was stiff, held together by many layers of duct tape. Gonta was a tough person, with a rather built body. Jonathan found it impossible that duct tape held him in place. He looked at the ground, noticing the lack of blood on the floor, aside from a few drops and the blood on his suit. There was no sign of the pink liquid.
"How peculiar...I guess the Monokuma file wasn't wrong. Internal bleeding would account for the lack of blood." he mumbled. He started looking around the body, noticing a small trickle of blood at his wrist. Searching further, he felt a sharp needle just beneath his suit sleeve.
"A needle? No...an IV line...but for what?" Jonathan thought to himself. He looked around, but didn't find anything attached to it. He sighed, shaking his head.
"Maybe I'm imagining that...it's probably irrelevant." he mumbled, dismissing the thought entirely. He knelt down glancing around the bottom of the post. There was nothing that stuck out to him. He noticed a bit of blood on the bottom of Gonta's foot.
"Find anything?" the voice of Kaede said, causing the Songwriter to look up.
"Not a lot, I'm afraid." he said. She reached into her backpack, pulling out a box of medical gloves, holding them out to him.
"I figured you wouldn't want to ruin the crime scene. It's so bad...thinking about this...I still think this is all a bad nightmare." she said. The boy reached for the box, pulling out a pair of gloves, slipping them onto his hands.
"Yeah...I'm trying not to think about it. I thought Kevin's death was bad, clearly there is something worse than that. I'm afraid the one who did this wanted this game to start. Finding them is going to be a bit difficult." he said. He felt around Gonta's foot, feeling something hard. He grabbed a hold of it, pulling it free from the foot, holding it up.
"A broken piece of glass?" Kaede asked, looking at the sharp looking glass spike.
"There's nothing broken here though...I guess he must have stepped in some broken glass. That means he most definitely wanted to remove it. Instead of walking around through the gym, he cut through the cafeteria. I fear he was probably ambushed here." Jonathan said.
"Ambushed? I find it impossible that this beef cake was ambushed." Chris said, causing the young songwriter to groan. He slowly rose to his feet, glaring at the black haired teen.
"Do you have anything interesting to add or are you here to just make quips?"
"A little of both. Come with me, I wanna show you something." the Lepidopterologist said. Kaede and Jonathan shrugged, following after him. Shuichi was standing at the counter of the School Store, examining something. He looked up, pulling on his hat slightly as he noticed Kaede.
"Hello, how fares your search?" he asked.
"Nothing yet I'm afraid...what about you? You're the Ultimate Detective right? Any ideas on who might be our culprit?" Kaede asked curiously.
"No...nothing conclusive. I wouldn't call myself an Ultimate Detective...like I said before. I'm barely classified as one, I'm still green. This is actually the first homicide case I've been put into."
"But...the last case you solved? Wasn't that a homicide?" the pianist asked. He shook his head, glancing at the counter.
"It was a cold case...one that hadn't been solved in years. I just looked at all of the gathered evidence and pointed something the others missed. I guess that was enough for me to get this title."
"Yeah yeah, enough of your waterworks. Tell them what you found here." Chris said. Shuichi frowned, moving away slightly, revealing several empty rolls of duct tape.
"It seems whoever killed Gonta used up half of the rolls of duct tape sold here. There were twenty when I was last here, and now there are ten."
"Hmm...10 rolls would be enough to keep him from moving. Duct tape can be quite strong if used properly. I feel like he was restrained first...looking at the body, his arms and legs were taped to his body. Then he was taped onto the post.." Jonathan said.
"But...he was raised off the ground by a few inches. Do you actually think someone could lift him up and tape him to the post at the same time?" Kaede asked.
"Anything is possible, none of us know what each of us is capable of. It's only been a day...someone might be stronger than they let on. This is certainly an interesting point though." Jonathan said, examining the rolls of tape.
"Still...ten rolls of tape...would that even be enough? Well...if five were used to restrain him. The other five could definitely be used to hold him up to the post. Still...getting him off the ground, not without a little help."
Broken Piece of Glass was added to your Truth Bullets
Used Duct Tape Rolls was added to your Truth Bullets
"There is something else that is missing...a spool of kite string. I don't know if Morning Hope Academy sold kites but...I'm sure it was taken along with the tape." Shuichi said.
"Now that I think about it...there was something that clattered to the ground earlier...this warrants further investigation. I'll take another look around. Thanks for sharing this Shuichi."
"Uh...I was the one that brought you here."
"Yeah, but you keep acting like a prick." Jonathan said, dismissing Chris entirely. He walked across the cafeteria, heading toward the kitchen.
It was the first time he had actually set foot in it. It looked rather big, off to the right of the room was a series of large refrigerators. All of them were a stainless steel color. Off to the right, was the service window, where the cooks would hand the food off to the ladies who worked the Lunch Line. Walking further into the room, there was a large island in the center of the room, which housed sixteen gas burners, along with a griddle and even a grill. Above it was a hanging rack, which contained various pots, pans and other cooking utensils. The back of the kitchen featured three large ovens, and even a Pizza oven. Finally, the very right of the kitchen featured a large selection of fresh produce. There was an area that lead into what he assumed was a freezer, most likely to store fresh cuts of meat. Nodding to himself, Jonathan walked further into the kitchen, finding Jill and Kirumi, busy cooking breakfast.
"Morning Ladies...though it isn't exactly a pleasant one."
"Tell me about it...I asked Jill here to help me prepare breakfast. I'm not good with investigations. No one has eaten yet, I know it isn't the appropriate time but I wish for everyone to relax." the Ultimate Maid said.
"Hey, I don't blame you. None of us are cut out for any of this...but I have a question for you and Jules. We're either of you here last night? Before 10:50?" Jonathan asked.
"Sorry sweetie, I clocked in early. After the hell that was yesterday, I really wanted to go to sleep." Jill said, focusing on plating the food that Kirumi was finishing.
"Okay...what about you Kirumi?"
"I was taking care of Miss Raincomprix's laundry. So I was in the laundry room folding clothes during that time." Kirumi replied.
"You...did her laundry?"
"Not just hers, I did several loads for a few others. In fact, between the hours of 8 and 11 last night, I was in the Laundry Room." she said.
"Interesting...did you hear anything from the Laundry Room? I mean it's across from the Cafeteria, and the doors should have been open." Jonathan asked curiously. The woman paused what she was doing, handing Jill the pan that contained some Huevos Rancheros. Jonathan didn't have to guess to know who those were for.
"Now that you mention it, I did hear someone closing the cafeteria doors. I managed to get a glimpse at who it was...however they were wearing a black hooded trench coat. They were walking toward the Gymnasium."
"Hmm...I believe you may have spotted our killer Kirumi. Thanks for sharing this with me." Jonathan said, jotting down her testimony on his notepad.
Kirumi's Account was added to your Truth Bullets
"Hey Kirumi, do you know where the knife is? That really good one I used yesterday." Jill asked. Kirumi turned around, looking at the knife block, only to find an empty slot.
"It isn't here."
"What?"
"Not to alarm you, but I believe that knife was embedded in Gonta's chest earlier."
"Oh...Jesus do you really have to say that?"
"Sorry Jules, I'm just trying to cope...I'm usually optimistic...but I guess this time, I'm being forced to be realistic. Facing the truth is never an easy thing." the songwriter said. The Ultimate Bartender frowned, walking toward one of the refrigerators. She pulled out a few things from within, along with some tumblers from the cupboards. The boy watched her work, impressed with her technique. After a few seconds, she poured the drink into a glass, handing it to him.
"Here, a Harvey Wallbanger. My boss usually charges 13 bucks for this, but for you it's free of charge." she said, giving him a wink. He took a hold of the glass, taking a sip of the drink, cringing a bit.
"That's strong."
"It has gin in it, helps to numb the pain." she said softly, returning to her previous task, plating everyones food.
"Thanks Jules."
"Any time, say...why are you calling me that instead of Jill?" she asked. The boy frowned, pulling his glass away from his lips.
"I don't know...I usually give people more personal nicknames. I call Carla, Carls, Mei-Ling is Mei and well...you're just Jules. It fits." he said with a shrug. She nodded, glancing back at Kirumi who had a small smile on her face.
"I know it isn't the right time, but perhaps you should take a break. Drinking with an empty stomach usually results in vomiting."
"You're right...thanks for breakfast then, Kirumi." he said, accepting the scrambled eggs she had handed him.
xxx
"Everyone here is a bloody wanker. Rubbish, the lot of them!" Veruca hissed angrily. Mei-Ling and Carla had followed her outside, where most of the students had been gathered. Those that hadn't participated in the investigation were just standing around, looking rather lost. Half of them were at least on the ball.
"Veruca, I know it's hard...but sometimes you have to hear what everyone has to day. Even if their testimony is useless to us." Mei-Ling said, trying to remain cheerful.
"I know...I just wish they'd take this seriously, considering our lives could very well be on the line."
"Ahoy Mateys! Carla has found something interesting over yonder!" Carla cried, waving her hand around. Veruca sighed, but decided to go over to where the Ultimate Lucky Student was. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw the broken pieces of glass, along with several bloodied foot prints leading away from it.
"Nice job Carla, you may have found something credible." she said, kneeling down before the shards.
"No problem Chief! I can see your panties though!" she said, pointing to the girl's skirt. Veruca growled, quickly standing up.
"Mei-Ling, would you mind?"
"Sure Ruca, I'll take care of it." the girl said softly. Veruca sighed, normally she would correct her, but she could tell the Folklore Researcher was out of it. The short girl knelt down before the broken glass, being careful not to cut herself.
"Hmm...seems like a broken bottle to me." she said, grabbing a gold and black label from the ground. She sniffed it, turning it around.
"Rum...I think Gabriella threw this over here. There's a bit of a forested area over here. Perhaps Gonta was behind there, it was dark and he stepped in the glass, cutting his foot." she suggested.
"Likely theory...I noticed a piece of evidence was updated a moment ago. A broken piece of glass was embedded in Gonta's foot, clearly its origins are here." Veruca said, eyes narrowed a bit as she reviewed the information.
"I believe we should ask someone else, maybe Gabby knows about this?" Carla suggested. Veruca nodded, glancing around for the Ultimate Pirate, who was currently sitting by herself on the outdoor deck.
The three girls moved toward the deck, avoiding a few people as they approached the Puerto Rican girl. She cracked open a single, eye, the black make up around them making her eyes pop out. She gave them a toothy grin, a few of her gold teeth shining in the light.
"To what do I owe this visit? Not many are brave to approach a filthy swain like me."
"Well, I can certainly say you are filthy. When was the last time you had a proper bath?"
"Veruca!" Mei-Ling snapped, earning a sigh from the girl. Gabriella laughed, sitting up in her seat.
"Worry not little dragon, it takes more than petty insults to offend me. State your business, you wish to invoke parlay? Normally I would disregard such notions. Yet...I cannot discard them liberally as I hast in the past."
"Oh my god...okay...you were drinking last night weren't you? About what time did you leave the cafeteria?" Carla asked, looking a bit annoyed. Mei-Ling was impressed, she wasn't aware the Lucky Student could even get annoyed.
"Twas 10:40 when I left the mess hall. Belligerent as I were, there was one thing on me mind. Delicious rum...that scrawny landlubber got rid of most of it." Gabriella replied, looking annoyed. She turned her head slightly, glaring at the Former-Ultimate Dancer.
"10:30...are you sure that was the time?"
"Indeed little dragon...ask that blonde puta right over yonder. She can attest to this." the Ultimate Pirate said, pointing toward Victoria who was sitting with Setsuko.
"Thanks for your testimony Gabriella, please do consider taking a bath. A woman should smell pleasant, not like..."
"A soggy bum!" Carla cried, earning looks of disgust from Veruca and Mei-Ling. Gabriella just chuckled, standing from her seat.
"Aye, just because I'm a pirate, doesn't make me a dirty swain. Next time though, I'd like for ye to join me." she said, tracing her finger down Veruca's jaw. She brushed her hand away.
"Do not touch me like that!"
"Bahaha...I'll be seeing ya lassies. Yo-ho, all hands...hoist colors high! Heave, ho! Thieves and beggars! Never shall we die!" the woman sung, as she stumbled toward the dormitories.
"She's not that pleasant but at least she was informative. Let us speak with Victoria." the Ultimate Nut Specialist said, walking over to where the Ultimate General was sitting.
"Ah...Guten Morgen, may ve help you?" Victoria said, greeting the three girls kindly. Setsuko remained silent, feverishly typing something. Mei-Ling's eyes widened a bit in surprise. She continued typing with a single hand, while holding a mug of coffee to her lips.
"Gabriella said you witnessed her leaving the cafeteria late last night. It was around 10:30, and she broke a rum bottle by throwing it away. We'd just like for you to corroborate this."
"Yeah...we saw her, she said something to us in Spanish. She was piss drunk so we didn't pay much attention. It was around 10:30 when this happened." Setsuko said, lowering her mug from her face.
"Hmm...okay, did you see anyone in the cafeteria after that?"
"Not zhat I know of...zhese doors are made vith shatter proof glass. For some reason, ve cannot see inside." Victoria said, pointing to the glass doors.
"Now that you mention it, I couldn't see Gonta's body either. Even now I can't see anything going on inside. So you two could have been eye witnesses and be none the wiser." Veruca said.
"Yes...I arrived at that conclusion. I was so busy with my blog that I wasn't paying attention. If I had run out of coffee and was going to get some canned ones from the machines. If I had opened the door, I could have maybe saved his life." Setsuko said, glancing at the floor.
"Do not blame yourself Setsuko. It isn't your fault...none of us thought this would happen. All for a damn five minute call." Mei-Ling said, clenching her tiny fist tightly. The girls all looked at her, but remained silent.
"Even then...a 5 minute call could prove advantageous for some...at this moment, any one could be responsible for this. Bloody hell, I didn't think we'd have to deal with this so early. Then there's the First Blood Perk...that has me worried."
"Ja! I vould never kill for somezhing so callous and cruel. Zhat doesn't stop someone else. Perhaps looking for the one who vould benefit the most vill yield the answers." Victoria suggested. Veruca nodded, rapidly typing something into her Student ID.
Broken Rum Bottle was added to your Truth Bullets
Broken Piece of Glass has been updated
Gabriella Vertran's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets
Victoria and Setsuko's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets
"It shouldn't be much longer...I wonder if anyone else has found anything interesting?" the Nut Specialist murmured, glancing at the acrylic sky. She longed to see the real clouds, but she knew that was a far cry, at least for now.
xxx
"Looks like I found where that spool of kite thread went." Jonathan muttered dryly. He was kneeling on the floor, looking at the knife that had once been in Gonta's chest. The handle was wrapped with kite string, quite a lot of it.
He followed the string, all the way toward the door handled, where it had been tied. His eyes focused on its length, a small hum leaving his lips. He sighed, his heart beating hard in his chest. He was trying his hardest not to break down. Seeing all of this...it just killed him. He didn't know Gonta but he was sure the Entomologist was harmless, especially going by what a few of the others had said. He was shaking a bit, though he was trying not to make it noticeable. He felt someone kneel beside him, and glanced up, seeing the concerned face of the Ultimate Figure Skater.
"Are you okay? You look like you're having a panic attack."
"Maybe? I dunno...I feel like screaming, and running away if that makes sense." he admitted. She took a hold of his hand, pulling him to his feet. Without a word, she dragged him out of the cafeteria, and back toward the Theater room, which was completely devoid of people. She gave the boy a smile, giving him a hug, pressing his ear against her chest.
"Shhh...it's okay. I know this is hard, but I can see something else in you. You want to search for the truth right?"
"Y-yeah...I want to end this farce, find the liar among us, the one who isn't admitting to doing this. But it's so hard...I don't know why, but seeing Gonta like that...it hurts more than it should. I've never met him, and his death hurts me so much." he said. She shifted her hold a bit, glancing up at the ceiling. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she began singing a song.
"Cruel and cold, like winds on the sea
Will you ever return to me
Hear my voice, sing with the tide
My love will never die
Over waves and deep in the blue
I will give up my heart for you
Ten long years I'll wait to go by
My love will never die~"
Jonathan didn't know why, but he found Tsubaki's voice to be rather soothing. He recognized the song, one he had heard before, and strangely enough found comfort in. The Figure Skater released her hold on the boy, giving him a smile.
"I could feel you slowly calming down. I used to sing this song to my little brother when he was scared. He almost drowned once you know."
"Did he? But he looks like a strong swimmer." the songwriter said.
"Even strong swimmers can get hurt. He was eight years old, and we were swimming a little further than normal. He ended up pulling a muscle, the waves pulled him down. I was so scared, seeing him at the bottom like that. Thankfully a lifeguard got to him in time. He wouldn't go near the beach afterwards."
"How did he become the Ultimate Surfer then?"
"Ah...that's a story he has to tell you I'm afraid. I'm a little shy on the details. However, back to the song...for awhile, Kaikane would have nightmares. So I would crawl into his bed and hold him until he fell asleep. Normally, a baby will stop crying when they hear their mother's heartbeat. I guess the same thing applies to twins...he fell asleep and didn't have a single nightmare. Often times, he would just slip into my bed and just listen to my heart." she said, a smile on her face.
"I see...so that's when you decided to soothe him with your voice too?" Jonathan asked.
"Yeah...that song was a pirate shanty. A love song between the goddess of the seas and the man who bound her in human form."
"I know the one...it's such a beautiful song. It goes from love, to anger, to rejection, to acceptance, to love. I truly do enjoy songs like that...when you can feel the passion in the words. When you can see the characters in your mind, singing their woes to the wind. That's when music truly makes me feel alive...thank you Tsubaki, for singing that to me. I think I have what it takes to get through this case now." he said firmly.
"Any time sweetie...I just couldn't let you have an anxiety attack like that. I've done my best to keep Kai away from the cafeteria. He shouldn't have to see something like that. He wants to be everyone's friend, which is why I do my best to watch out for him."
"You're a great big sister...I wish I had a sister like you. Someone to talk too whenever I had personal issues."
"I can be your sister if you want. I always wanted to have another brother, one that's not as surf obsessed as Kai. If you ever wanna just...talk. You can come find me." she said cheerfully.
"Thanks Tsubaki."
"Call me Tsu, all my friends do. Especially my siblings." Tsubaki said with a wink. He chuckled, giving her a nod. He took a deep breath, glancing at his Student ID.
"Well...back to the grind I guess...the knife that was used to kill Gonta was attached to the door with Kite string. It had quite a bit of slack. However, I think if the knife was in his chest, it would have been taut. That way, whoever opened the door would have pulled the knife...but why do that? If he was already dead?" he asked.
"What if the Monokuma File is a lie? Monokuma made it after all...who's to say it's accurate?" Tsubaki asked, earning a frown from the boy.
"I would hope that isn't the case. Monokuma may get off on all this, but I doubt he would outright lie to us like that."
"He blew up Kevin's head, after promising him not to punish him. Right now, its up in the air." the Figure Skater said.
"Could that be it though? Then again, Monokuma offered someone the First Blood Perk. Meaning he wouldn't necessarily have to be truthful. After all that was a secret offer, same with the cellphone. Tsubaki could very well be right."
Knife on a String was added to your Truth Bullets
Missing Kite String was added to your Truth Bullets
Monokuma File's Credibility was added to your Truth Bullets
"Wait a minute...I just remembered something. Tenko said she was in the cafeteria, she must have seen something right?" Tsubaki asked curiously. Jonathan nodded, a firm look on his face.
"She has to know something, I mean if you walked right into the cafeteria, you would see it. Especially if he was dead for more than six hours. Come on, we need to talk to her." he said, earning a nod from the platinum blonde.
They left the Theater, looking around the school for Tenko. She was rather hard to find when she wanted to be. Though thankfully, the two had managed to find the Ultimate Neo-Aikido Master inside the Nurse's Office, along with Himiko, who was sitting on one of the gurneys. She looked up, her smile fading slightly as the young man walked into the room.
"May I help you?"
"Sorry to bother you Tenko, I know you don't like men so I'll make this quick. You said you were in the cafeteria this morning right? Because you wanted to get Himiko some coffee. Did you happen to see anything?" he asked.
"No, I didn't see the Bug loving Degenerate at all."
"How? If you walked through the Outdoor Deck, you had to have passed him. There was no way you could have missed that." Tsubaki said firmly.
"Yes, except I didn't use those doors. I was in the gym practicing some Neo-Aikido to clear my mind. As soon as the Morning Announcement went off, I headed to the cafeteria. I went through the wooden doors from the First Floor Plaza. The vending machines are next to the doors, so I had my back turned to the scene the entire time." Tenko replied, earning a sigh from Jon.
"Shit...now that I think about it, unless you actually walk there, you wouldn't see anything. The posts are big enough to hide Gonta's entire body. Though I am curious, how did you miss the tape?" he asked.
"I wasn't looking ahead. I was buttoning my shirt when I walked in, so my eyes were on that. Then as I looked at the drinks, I was fixing my hair. I never once noticed the tape, if I had I would have noticed everything."
"Hmm...that seems like a good answer. You also seem like an honest young woman, so I doubt you have anything to gain from lying." Tsubaki said, earning a flush from the girl.
"Hehe...I'm glad I could help you Tsubaki."
"Erm..."
"Sigh...and you too degenerate." the girl added. Jonathan didn't feel any better, but at least he was glad to be acknowledged.
"Nyeh."
"Uh...something you wanna share Himiko?" Jonathan said, glancing over at the Ultimate Mage.
"I noticed there were some missing blood bags in the fridge. There were supposed to be 50 in stock, but there are only 47 in there."
"Missing blood bags? Hmm...I didn't see any in the cafeteria, did you Jon?" Tsubaki asked.
"No...I didn't...though that does raise suspicions...probably a red herring...anything else you can think of?" the boy asked, earning a nod from the mage.
"That creepy guy with the deep voice...he said yesterday that one life for thirty eight others would be worth it. He might have killed Gonta." she said.
"That's right...Anaji was it?" Tsubaki said, earning a nod from the small girl.
"Tch...I'm totally okay if degenerates kill each other. But I don't want them to lay a hand on Himiko, or any other girl!"
"Tenko...may I ask you a personal question?" Jonathan asked firmly.
"No."
"Please? Just one." he said. She frowned, looking away from him.
"Well?"
"Would you...would you teach me some Aikido? I know we might not get along. Hell, I still feel getting flipped onto my ass yesterday. But after today...I just wanna be able to defend myself." Jonathan said, glancing at the floor. Tenko looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.
"You have a lanky looking body, and look rather weak and spineless. However you show promise...your leg sweep was sloppy...but I can see you getting better. I'll consider it."
"Thanks Tenko, I appreciate it." he said, giving her a smile. She flushed slightly, looking away from the boy.
"Yeah, whatever. You should be honored that I would consider helping a degenerate male like you."
"Looks like that's the closest form of praise you'll be getting out of her, Jon." Tsubaki said. The boy gave her a silent nod, glancing at the evidence he had gathered, seeing some of it had updated.
"Looks like I got someone of interest. Time to track down the Ultimate Horror Artist and ask him a few questions. Not to mention, the missing blood bags are a concern now...ugh...what a mess."
Missing Blood Bags has been added to your Truth Bullets
"Hey Tsu, I'm gonna take off. Thanks a lot for earlier."
"Sure, no problem. I hope you can find all the information we need, I'm pretty useless in stuff like this."
"Don't worry, I'll do my best." he said. He left the Nurse's Office, using his map to find Anaji Hora's location.
As soon as he stepped outside however, he saw a small group of people gathered near the fountain. He didn't know what was going on, but it seemed as if a heated argument had broken out among the students, and the Faculty members. He quickly shortened the distance, seeing a few familiar faces leading the crusade. The Ultimate Inventor pointed a finger at Alice and Dan, a look of anger on her face.
"Just admit it you fucks. It was you who killed Gonta, you're gonna use the First Blood Perk to get outta this shit hole. You wanna leave us here to rot while the two of you fuck off to who knows where!"
"That is a bold accusation Miss Iruma. We have already told you, we didn't kill Gonta. I would never dare lay a hand on one of my students!" Alice said firmly.
"You aren't my teacher miss. Besides, I'm sure it was you who set up that intricate little trap. Since you are balls deep with the Mastermind, you could easily stage this." Kokichi said, a grin on his face.
"Hey man, I know Gonta was dealt a shitty hand, but I doubt the teachers are responsible. They're the adults here, I doubt they'd do that. Besides, none of them have shown any connection to the Mastermind." Kaito said, quickly defending the two adults.
"How do you know that? You only met them yesterday, neither of them are trustworthy, not even you Cara. I bet you aren't even married to that bumbling idiot next to you." Harrison snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at the Ultimate Craftsman. He growled angrily, the can of Mountain Dew in his hand bursting from how hard he squeezed it.
"Now listen here motherfucker, you think you're hot shit eh? It's fucking easy to point the finger. But why don't you do us all a favor and shove that finger up your ass? Before I slice it off your fucking hand and feed it to you?"
"Nick!" Cara cried, pulling her husband back. The glare in the teenager's eyes made Harrison shake a bit. Not in fear but in excitement.
"Everybody please...I believe it is time for us to dissolve this argument. Nothing good will come from this argument, it will only lead to more blood shed. Trust me, that is the last thing anyone of us wants." Kamron said, his soothing voice helping to calm the situation. Kokichi however, didn't want the argument to end, at least not yet.
"I get it, the real killer is Kamron here. He's just persuading us to look somewhere else."
"Proof is something you must have to convince the others that I have committed murder, but with words alone, all we have is lies." the boy said calmly, brow quirked as he looked at the compulsive liar.
"Ugh...who gives a shit! Just cough up that damn phone already! I wanna call my daddy so he can get me away from you worthless hacks!" Chloe shouted.
"I've told you already Miss Raincomprix, I do not have a cellphone on me. Even if I did, I wouldn't hand it to a brat like you!" Dan spat back.
"I find this quite funny...seeing how an adult, and a teacher of this magnificent institution, becomes nothing more than a brat himself. Are you not used to dealing with this kind of situation Mr. Arche? Are you perhaps responsible for Gonta's demise?" Korekiyo asked curiously.
"Sounds to me like someone is calling the Kettle Black." Nick said firmly.
"Uh...you do know that saying doesn't apply in this situation correct?" Kamron asked.
"Yes it does."
"No it doesn't. For it to apply, someone would have to say something ironic or hypocritical." the Ultimate Persuader said. Nick took a sip from his drink, lowering his can right after.
"Listen...it's just a saying okay, I didn't mean to offend you."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well you're black, so you feel offended right?"
"Nick, maybe now isn't the time." Cara said firmly.
"Jesus woman, I was trying to apologize." he said.
"God you are such a waste of sperm." Miu said.
"Excuse me? Now that is definitely the Pot calling the Kettle black. If anyone is a fucking waste of sperm, it's you Miu. You're birth certificate is an insult to the condom factory. Hell, I bet your momma wishes she would have swallowed." Kokichi said.
"Gahh...no...please I'm sorry." the Inventor said, melting under the boy's insults.
"Everyone here is a fucking idiot. I cannot believe all of you are just standing here, arguing like playground children. One of our friends is dead, yet here you are wasting time!" Jonathan cried out, having had enough of the arguing.
"Gonta was no friend of mine...while I do feel his passing, I meant what I said. His life will ensure the rest of us survive, provided we find that cellphone. We just wish to figure out who owns it." Anaji said, his voice making the boy shudder. It didn't help that his white eyes made him look like he was blind.
"Oh? And who the fuck would you call? Tell me, who would you call? If the United States Government is aware of this, then they aren't going to help us. We're smack in the middle of Cali-fucking-fornia! Hell, we're not that far from Disney Land. I bet you hundreds of people are aware of this shit and I assure you none of them are going to help!"
"Heh...I thought you were going to be optimistic. What happened to that let's be happy, Kumbaya bullshit from yesterday?" Kokichi asked, a grin on his face.
"Excuse me if I'm sad because a person FUCKING DIED!"
"Standing here and yelling at each other isn't yielding results. Let's face it, not all of us are adept at finding clues. You have a family member in the FBI, this must be natural to you." Rantaro said, arms crossed as he looked at the Songwriter.
"Just because my dad is in the FBI doesn't mean I know how to do this. I'm not an Investigator let alone an Agent. What I am doing is trying to figure out which of you fucks, did this. Since you are all too chicken shit to admit it."
"Oh? Is that so...why don't you tell us why you did it then? It was you who stabbed Gonta right? Now you're feeling guilty and wish to find the clues to prove yourself innocent."
"What?" Jonathan growled, glaring at Kokichi who had a grin on his face. He shrugged, his face changing to one of calmness.
"It's true isn't it? That's why you are doing all of this...this is a lie."
"Fuck you! You mangy piece of shit!" Jonathan said, grabbing a hold of Kokichi's neckerchief.
"Cadet, stand down this instant. If you do not release Kokichi, I will have to use force on you. Do not make me do that!" Lee cried, grabbing a hold of Jonathan's arm.
"You lying sack of shit, you might get pleasure in all of this, but I do not. I will find the one responsible, and I will make sure they pay for what they have done. All life is precious, and we shouldn't sit here playing God. We don't have the right to take away another persons life."
"Pretty words whispered through prison bars often lose their charm." the Ultimate Supreme Leader said, a small smirk on his face. Jonathan let go of the young man, walking away from the group.
"You soulless fucks...all you care about is yourselves! You don't give a single shit about anyone else. Why the hell should I even worry about them?" the Songwriter thought.
"Jon?"
He stopped in his tracks, meeting eyes with Veruca, who had been watching the entire exchange. She had a frown on her face, and seeing her with it honestly angered the boy. She looked so much better with a smile, even if she did look a bit evil. He could see the hurt, not just in her eyes, but also in her eyes. He sighed, brushing his hair out of his eyes.
"What's up Ruca?"
"Don't call me...oh what's the use? I'm like a broken record with that now."
"Sorry...I just want to give you a nickname...all my closest friends get one." he admitted. She smiled a bit, glancing away from the boy.
"Fine...you may refer to me as Ruca if you wish...now then, I have to ask...why did you plunge headfirst into that?"
"I wanted to speak with Anaji. I believe he may be responsible for this." he said softly.
"A baseless accusation, have you gathered the evidence?"
"No...I was just following a lead, more of a dead end now. Anyway, have you found anything?" he asked.
"Lots, most of it is rubbish but in context they may provide some clarity. Have you looked at the door?" she asked.
"Hmm? Not really...what did you find?" the boy asked. She turned around, leading him toward the glass doors. All of the others were still locked, the only open one being the one they had entered. She held it open, pointing to the floor.
"The latch wasn't all the way in, which was why the door was still open." she said, pointing to the latch. Jon knelt down next to it, seeing a small bit of string attached to it.
"Wait...could it be that the left door was locked, and the right one was left open? These doors don't open unless both are unlatched."
"That's the answer that I arrived at. I believe this was rigged with the kite string, which was wrapped around the knife. When the door was pulled open, the string snapped, allowing the door to be opened. The latch was opened from the string, once it was already opened, it just popped." the Nut Specialist said.
"I see...that would be the likely cause...by why set it up that way? I mean if Gonta was already dead, why go through the trouble of setting up the knife?"
"Who's to say he was dead? Perhaps there lies an inconsistency with the Monokuma File." Veruca said, causing the boy to frown.
"Yeah...Tsubaki said that too...but if the file contains a contradiction, how exactly can we be sure?"
"Are you familiar with the five stages of death?"
"Huh? Not really."
"Then allow me to explain...when a person dies, the body goes through a process of decomposition, named the five stages of death. The first stage is Fresh Decay. When the heart stops beating, the body is no longer warm. It slowly cools and matches the temperature of the room it is in. This is when rigor mortis sets in. It is often accompanied by the paling of skin, usually blue in nature as the body begins to breakdown." the young woman explained. She walked over to Gonta's body, a grimace on her face as she looked it over.
"I look at Gonta's body and I don't see any difference in the skin. It is much more noticeable on pale skinned individuals. However it remains the same, his body still has color. Furthermore, if his body was here for hours, it would begin to stink. Especially in a hot environment like the cafeteria, which happens to be the only room without air conditioning, might I add." Veruca said.
"I noticed that too, I guess that's why the doors are usually open in here." he said softly.
"Mhmm...one more thing, another thing that happens during the Fresh stage. All of the blood in the body begins to pool, rather it begins to go down to the extremities. It is no longer flowing, so the abdomen and legs are swollen with blood. Gonta has a deep laceration on his foot, due to stepping on glass. If he had been here all night, then there would be a visible pool of blood under his foot, yet there's only a tiny bit. It's safe to assume that Gonta hasn't been dead for more than 45 minutes, an hour at most. It hasn't been that long since we discovered him." she said, pointing to the wall clock, which read 8:25AM.
"Is this true? Then I guess it makes sense for the knife to be used...the Monokuma File mentioned it piercing his aorta. If it happened recently, the knife kept his blood from shooting out, leading to internal bleeding. However, he was still alive, just slowly bleeding. Meaning that when the door was opened, the knife was released and he bled out...it makes sense."
"Have you arrived at something?"
"Yeah...our murder weapon was also acting as a plug. He was slowly bleeding internally. But he didn't fully die until the knife was removed, at that point, the blood wouldn't shoot out the wound, rather into his chest cavity. The pained look on his face set in, probably from the knife being pulled out. He couldn't move, by the time we all realized what was happening, he was already dead." Jonathan said, glancing away from Gonta.
"A plausible theory, assuming the Monokuma File is a fabrication. The time table seems to be the only questionable aspect of it. Everything else lines up perfectly...too perfectly in fact."
State of the Body was added to your Truth Bullets
Veruca's Decomposition Theory was added to your Truth Bullets
"I must commend you...you are doing a brilliant job here...more than the other fools at least."
"Please don't praise me Ruca...I'm still trying not to break down here." the boy said, turning away from her. She sighed, taking a hold of his hand.
"Hey...it will all be alright...these guys are rubbish. Despite all of what's happening, you are swallowing your feelings, and keeping a firm look on your face. You are finding clues, and piecing this thing together. You are doing a better job than the Ultimate Detective at least." she said.
"I know that...I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt Ruca. I care about you and Carla, and Mei, and Kai and Tsubaki. You're the first real friends I've had in a long time." he said.
"Hmm...I must admit, I never considered making friends here. However given the circumstances I can say that you are a welcome edition to my personal circle. Don't betray me and we'll be cool...is that how you Americans say it?"
"Hehe...yeah." he said. Veruca smiled, glancing through the open door, catching sight of Mei-Ling and Carla, who were both looking at the crowd by the fountain. She could see the expression on the Folklore Researcher's face from where she stood.
"It seems Mei-Ling is dealing with this differently than us. She seems to blame herself for this, yet I do not understand why. She's been acting a lot less peppy than normal."
"Maybe we should go see if she's okay. Seeing two people die in the span of 24 hours isn't healthy for anyone." he said, about to head outside when the alarms started blaring through the school.
Ding Dong Ding Dong
"Ahem...time for investigating is over kiddies. Now the fun part begins, all students and staff are required to be present. So mosey on down to the Red Doors in the First Floor Plaza. It's time for you all to see just how fun this part is going to be! Do you all have the necessary information? Are you ready to face the truth? Or do you wish to delude yourself with a lie? Let's head on down and see what we're all made of!"
"That certainly doesn't make me feel better." Veruca said.
"Same here...we should go. The faster we find the culprit, the better." he said.
"Um...may I keep holding your hand? I don't feel safe with so many potential murderers around us." the girl said, flushing slightly as she looked away.
"Sure. You can hold it for as long as you'd like."
"Ew...you make it sound so gross!"
"Eh...oh, oh god...I'm sorry!" he cried, earning a giggle from the girl.
"I'm just breaking your nuts Jonathan...let us be off then." she said, giving him her famous smile. He shuddered a bit, deciding to head toward the double doors.
xxx(Investigation End)xxx
The students of Class 79 of Hope's Peak Academy and Class 24 of Morning Hope Academy, gathered outside the red doors. 38 people remained now, and none of them knew what was ahead of them. Jonathan was standing at the front of the group, still holding Veruca's hand, though she insisted they hooked arms instead. Mei-Ling had been silently standing next to him, trying not to meet eyes with anyone else. Everyone was just whispering things, others lost in conversation. He was ignoring the still arguing students, blaming each other falsely for Gonta's death. It didn't take long for the crimson doors to open. Everyone just shared a look, with Jon taking the lead into the long hallway that sprawled ahead of him.
They arrived in another room, an old style elevator opened up, the iron gates creaking as they snapped open. Jonathan looked around briefly, before stepping into the metal box. It was rather large, enough to fit everyone comfortably. The iron doors closed behind them, making them even more nervous than before. The small panel flashed to life, showing the face of Monokuma.
"Welcome one and all to the Class Trial Elevator. I've been dying to use this one for awhile. This is your one way ticket to the Class Trail Courtroom. And for one of you, the ticket that will lead to your doom! Hold on tight, because the Class Trial Courtroom is quite far off from the rest of the school. We didn't skimp any details when we created it." he said.
The elevator slowly started to move. Jonathan felt it slowly start going down. After awhile though, he felt it start to shift slightly, as if it was changing directions, though he couldn't exactly ascertain this.
"Anybody else notice how we aren't going down anymore?" Kaede asked.
"Probably one of those horizontal elevators. I didn't think they existed though." Miu said.
"I can't believe you exist." Kokichi quipped.
"Hey, let's not start things yeah? We've been through enough bullshit today." Jonathan said firmly, causing everyone to shut up.
After what seemed like an eternity, the metal room stopped moving, a loud ding echoing through the elevator. The doors slowly slid open, and Jonathan stepped out into the room. His eyes widened, jaw dropping in surprise at what he was staring at.
The path lead to what looked like a large glass dome, a thin tunnel connecting to the elevator. As soon as they left the dome however, they were all left to gawk at the array of ocean life around them. Large lights were shining outside of the dome, keeping the area well illuminated, revealing several sea creatures. From schools of fish, to even sharks, all of them swimming in swarms around the dome. Jonathan tried to make out the surface of the water, but couldn't see anything, other than a slight crimson tinge.
The room in front of them was circular in shape, with what looked like stands on the outer edges of the room. There was a large screen hanging down from the very back of the room, currently turned off. A crimson runner lead to the most intriguing part of the room. Several wooden stands were lined up, forming a circle in the center of the room. The floors of the room seemed to be made out of LED lights, currently showing images of bugs, all of them crawling around. Various ones, ants, beetles, bees, hornets, even butterflies could be seen. It was another grim reminder of the person they had lost, Gonta Gokuhara, the Ultimate Entomologist. Monokuma clapped his paws, urging them forward.
"Welcome one and all to the Class Trial Courtroom! A lavish area built with the extra funds from Morning Hope Academy. Please come and enjoy the beautiful sea life that our Mother Earth has to offer, while you discuss murder among yourselves! Each of you has an assigned stand, so hurry up and get to it!" the bear said.
Everyone hurriedly split up, looking around for their assigned stands. Jonathan found his rather easily. He looked around, seeing everyone else finding their stands rather quickly. Everyone was placed in such a way that they would be able to look at each other. A perfect circle. Everyone was guilty until proven innocent, meaning they were all deliberating for their own innocence. He swallowed hard, a frown on his face. His eyes drifted around, taking note of everyone's positions around the room.
He was in that seemed to be the bottom of the circle. Beside him stood Mei-Ling, taking the stand to his left. Anaji stood to her left, and Lucy took his left. Setsuko, Victoria, Tsubaki, Kaikane, Nick, Cara and Anastasia stood next to each other. There was an empty stand in between Anastasia and Carla, which he found rather odd. Harrison stood next to Carla, followed by Kamron, Alice, Julianne, an empty stand containing a portrait of Kevin, his face crossed off with an X. Gabriella took the stand next to his, followed by Dan, Lee, Calem, Christopher and Chloe.
From where he stood, Jon was directly facing Kaede. Next to her was an empty stand. Kaito followed next, with Shuichi standing next to him and Miu taking his left. Another empty stand separated them from Rantaro, who stood next to Korekiyo. He was followed by Himiko, Kokichi, an empty stand containing Gonta's crossed out picture, Tenko, Maki, Kiibo, an empty stand, Ryoma, Tsumugi, Angie an empty stand, and finally Veruca, who stood to Jon's very right and was separated from Angie via three empty stands. Everyone was looking around in confusion, wondering why the room had such an odd configuration.
"Well, not that you have found your stands, I can finally get this shindig started. You see, this room is very special. It is here where you will all present your evidence. Everyone here is the judge and the jury. You have to exonerate yourselves or else you'll find yourself in quite the predicament." Monokuma said cheerfully.
"How does this work exactly?" Kaede asked.
"So glad you asked, all of you are to present your evidence accordingly. Once you hone in on the suspected killer, we will host a vote. Each of you has a touch pad on your stands, which contains the pictures of everyone here. You all have to vote, if you don't beary bad things will happen."
"Okay then...on the off chance that we have a hung jury, what happens then?" Anaji asked curiously, stroking his beard as he spoke.
"Hung juries are no bueno in this place. On the off chance that none of you can reach a verdict, the Sacrificial Clause comes into effect. Off one of your buddies, be they innocent or not. As long as you live another day right?"
"What do you mean off?" Mei-Ling asked nervously.
"Yeah man...I don't like the sound of that." Kaito said.
"Bwahahaha! What do you think I mean? Execution of course. Under the power vested in me by the State of California, and under the Constitution of the United States of America, those found guilty of murder shall receive Capital Punishment! The Death Penalty!" Monokuma cried out. Everyone gasped in surprise, not having expected that turn out.
"So...the killer will be killed, only if we vote correctly? Am I to assume there is a repercussion should we vote incorrectly?" Calem asked.
"You betcha! If you vote wrong, the Blackened student walks a free man or woman, while the rest of you hang! See? Isn't that fair?"
"No it isn't! What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you honestly get off on making all of us suffer like this?" Jonathan cried, glaring at the bear.
"Ah...that's the expression I crave, pure unadulterated despair. Now then before we start this game, I did say one of you got a phone call...you refused the charger earlier, but I was able to charge your phone for you. So, Fa, Mei-Ling! Step right up, call your mommy and tell her how you're doing!" the bear said, holding a crimson cellphone in his hand. The Ultimate Folklore Researcher stood stock still, glancing at the floor, not moving a single muscle.
"Mei-Ling...you were the one with the phone?" Veruca asked.
"Heh...Mushu was hiding a tool to facilitate our escape from this hellhole. Just when I was beginning to like you, you go and pull this shit on us." Chris said.
"Shut your fucking mouth. If Mei-Ling didn't say anything it's because all of you fuckers don't give a shit. Not a single shit about anyone but yourselves! Out of everyone here, only 13 of you actually bothered investigating. What does that say about you? You self absorbed buffle brained bastards. No...it's good that she kept this to herself, because none of you deserve to call home!" Jonathan said firmly.
"Man, who the hell asked for your goddamn input? We should have talked about this as a fucking group!" Nick shouted.
"Why? I bet you wanted to call Pepsi and ask for a shipment of Mountain Piss." Miu snapped, causing the boy to hurl a can in her direction.
"Don't you fucking dare insult Mountain Dew you fucking slut!" he shouted. Mei-Ling finally broke, letting out a stream of swears in her native tongue. She stepped away from her stand, walking toward Monokuma who was still holding her cellphone out to her. She grabbed it from his paw, tossing it onto the floor.
"You wanna make a call? Well you're all going to have to find your own goddamn phones." she shouted, driving her heel into the screen. She ground it hard, shattering what was left of the device. She grabbed it from the floor, smashing the remainder into tiny bits. Nothing but broken pieces of plastic and glass remained, along with the battery.
"Well...aren't you a little bitch?" Harrison said, a smirk on his face. Mei-Ling came to a stop before the boy. She pulled her fist back, punching the man straight in the jewels. He screamed loudly, flipping over his stand onto the middle of the room, clutching his Mommy Daddy button hard.
"Zai diyu li fulan ni de shi!" (Rot in hell you piece of shit) she swore, walking back toward her stand. Everyone remained silent after her outburst, watching her quake with anger. Jonathan placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair slightly.
"Well done Mei, when you have temptation you have to get rid of it. I would have gladly done it for you."
"Tch...you have doomed us all...I truly do hope you are proud of yourself." Chloe said.
"Fuck you, all you cared about was calling your precious daddy. I honestly hope someone kills you, give the man some piece and goddamn quiet!" Veruca shouted back.
"Yawn...who cares about the phone? That wasn't even the most interesting part of this. We can skip formalities and move on to our normal school lives! That is is one of you wishes to make use of the First Blood Perk." the bear said, glancing around the room.
"I doubt anyone wants to make use of it. No one is that callous!" Cara said firmly, holding her husband's hand tightly.
"Either that or the one who was given the perk, isn't the killer. At this rate, no one knows anything." Jill said, crossing her arms. Kokichi smirked.
"Was it you then Julie? I see you were fond of that knife, and it found a resting place in Gonta's chest."
"Screw you!"
"The pointing game begins...this is going to be a rather interesting trial." Korekiyo said. Jonathan growled, due to his mask, no one could tell if he was grinning. The Songwriter knew the man was enjoying himself.
"Trust me...I will see to it that the one responsible gets a new asshole torn into them." Setsuko said, looking at everyone in the room with a firm look.
"You should just admit to it! You all are in for a world of shit when I am through with you. Forget sucking buttermilk through your asshole! I will make sure every bone in your body is broken. So much so that you will have to piss through a catheter for the rest of your meager existence on this planet. I'll beat your ass so fuckin hard, the only thing on your mind will be the sweet release of death. But I'll get the last laugh, because I won't let you fuckin die! I will PT you until you are cumming blood and shitting sperm!" Lee shouted angrily, slamming his fist against his podium.
"I don't wanna shit sperm! I wanna vomit condoms and shit out Big Macs!" Carla cried, a cheerful look on her face.
"As much as I enjoy this, I shall have order in this court! We shall now proceed with the opening statements! Feel free to deliberate to your hearts content. This is definitely going to be beary entertaining! UPUPUPUPUPU!"
"I can't believe the turn out...now that Mei-Ling was exposed for having a phone, it's going to make everything that much harder. Her trust with what little friends she had is severed...they're all rubbish, the lot of them. I wonder who'll stick around after this trial is over...I doubt even our group will want to speak with her...poor thing..." Jon thought. He sighed audibly, no one saying a single word.
"I guess I'm gonna have to take care of this trial, seeing as no one else is going to. Our lives are on the line, and as much as I hate half of these fucks, I'm gonna have to save their asses if I wanna live another day. Though if there is a hung jury, I'll at least have a list of potential sacrificial lambs." he thought, a small smirk on his face.
End of Chapter 1 Act 2
Surviving Students: 36
Surviving Faculty Members: 3
xxx(Cast)xxx
Class 24 of Morning Hope Academy + Faculty
Fa Mei-Ling
Jonathan Hyles
Anaji Hora
Lucy Cadwell
Setsuko Inoue
Victoria Louis
Tsubaki Aulani
Kaikane Aulani
Veruca LeGume
Nicholas Ladd Gardner
Cara Ladd Gardner
Anastasia Katrina Klevorick
Carla Williamson
Harrison Evans
Kamron Luca Di Carita
Alice Lois Caroll
Julianne Natalie Ray
Kevin Hicks (Deceased)
Gabriella Vertran
Dan Arche
Lee Harvey Emerson
Calem Kurogane
Christopher Patrick Bacon
Chloe Raincomprix
Class 79 of Hope's Peak Academy
Kirumi Tojo
Kaede Akamatsu
Shuichi Saihara
Kaito Momota
Miu Iruma
Rantaro Amami
Korekiyo Shinguji
Himiko Yumeno
Tenko Chabashira
Kokichi Ouma
Gonta Gokuhara (Deceased)
Kiibo
Maki Harukawa
Ryoma Hoshi
Tsumugi Shirogane
Angie Yonaga
A/N: So last night, I asked my dear buddy Crit Fail to pick two numbers. They were 13 and 31 respectively. I discarded the 1 and left the 3's. That left me with 33, I subtracted 11 and then added 13, ending with 34. Which as you know, is Gonta Gokuhara. So I'm afraid it wasn't me who decided to off him first.
Call this the first of many vengeful plots...the tragedy that will occur in the next chapter...well it all stems from my rage. In all seriousness, I love ya Crit...but I love making you squirm even more...
EMBRACE DESPAIR UPUPUPUPUPU!