A/N:
It is with a heavy heart that I bring you this chapter today. A great legend has passed away, the great Stan Lee, creator of Marvel Comics and a lot of my favorite super heroes. I still don't know how to react, I thought it was a hoax at first, but my friend sent me the article and I didn't know what to say. I remembered all of the cameos he made in his movies, in Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spiderman, hell even Big Hero 6. A truly wonderful man who will be missed, but his legacy lives on in Marvel Comics. Heroes may die, but Legends live forever. Rest in Peace Stan Lee, you beautiful man. May the Stars Be With You Always, This chapter is dedicated to you.
I truly do hope you all are liking this chapter. I know for a fact a lot of you are going to be tearing me a new asshole after I am done, so I welcome your hatred and despair. At the end of this chapter you'll probably be left with a lot of questions, which I will welcome. Act 10 will be posted sometime later this week. I'm still suffering from the goddamn flu, so I'm sick as shit, and on top of that I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving, time to stuff bread up a birds ass and roast him until he's golden brown. I shit you not, last year I was stuffing my turkey and my finger accidentally slipped up its rectum, right in the cloaca, it was honestly the most violated feeling I felt. And I'm sure the turkey felt violated too. Regardless I do hope you enjoy the mystery that is this chapter.
I dedicate it to those we have lost in the past. Remember, nothing is as it seems and pay attention to everything! See you all later!
Morning Hope Academy's
New Semester of Killing
Chapter 1 Act 9
Drugs Seldom Do any Good
(Deadly Life: Day Nine)
Investigation Start:
"Such a shame...we only had another day and a half to go. As if Gabriella losing a hand wasn't bad enough. Now Himiko and Kiibo are gone as well. I wasn't expecting to see something so horrible...seeing her body twitch like that...such a waste. Blood doesn't look good when needlessly spilled on the floor." Harrison said, as he poured over the scene with a firm gaze. His eyes were on Himiko's body, which lay on the ground, arms broken, legs twisted at an odd angle, the rope still wrapped around her neck.
Jonathan grinded his teeth in anger, slowly standing up from where he had been kneeling. He strode up to Harrison and punched him across the face with all of his strength, knocking him to the ground. He just sat there, shocked and holding his now sore cheek. The Ultimate Songwriter knelt down, grabbing a hold of the bass guitar that Kaikane had dropped, pulling the plug from it, holding it above his head.
"Jonathan don't!" Veruca shouted, fear and worry in her voice. Jonathan stopped, a mere second from bringing the instrument down on Harrison's skull. The Jeweler didn't even look scared, though his face was blank, there was a look of amusement in his eyes. Jonathan turned away from him, slamming the instrument down onto the wooden stage.
No one did anything as he brought the instrument down various times. It was well built, so the guitar itself wasn't getting that damaged. The floorboards were breaking from the force, the strings having snapped as well. He rose the instrument one final time, stopping when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Attached to the railing of the second floor balcony, were three ropes, two of them were running through the chandelier's hanging hook, while one of them had been cut. He followed it, seeing it had been run above the stage, through the scaffolding, attached to the stage light that had crushed Kiibo. He let go of the guitar, which fell uselessly to the ground.
A few others followed his eyes, gasping a bit at what he had discovered. He jumped off the stage, brushing past Lucy and a few others, heading toward the doors. He grabbed a hold of the handle, turning it down and pulling on it, only to be met with resistance. He tried pulling the door open, but was unable too.
"What the fuck?" he muttered.
"Did you find something?" Mei-Ling asked, having stopped next to her friend.
"The door won't open...there are three ropes up there. Two of them were cut and one of them is attached to that stage light."
"So...it was some sort of relay?" the folklore researcher asked. Jonathan nodded, glancing back at the door.
"A relay...of course. As soon as the stage light was dropped, the rope was pulled taut. Because of that light, this door can't open. That means if we cut the rope, this door will open." he thought, a pensive look on his face.
Three Ropes was added to your Truth Bullets...
Jonathan turned around, unable to access the second floor balcony, as that was the only door. Tenko's cries mingled with the cries of a few other students. Some where still stunned about what happened, other were hurrying out of the theater, to stunned to remain inside. The Songwriter walked back onto the stage, kneeling down next to Himiko's body. He sighed, rubbing his face a bit as he did a silent prayer, hoping the Mage would find peace.
"Her arms and legs are completely broken...this is all due to the fall though." he mumbled, reaching for the girl.
"Don't touch her!" Tenko cried, pushing him aside. He fell on his ass, but quickly regained his composure.
"Listen Tenko, I get that she was your friend, she was my friend too. But goddamn it don't do this...we have to find the fucker responsible. The only way we can get a clue of what happened here is by examining her body for clues."
"Clues? What exactly do you hope to find?" Veruca asked curiously.
"I'm not sure...anything will do."
"I'll do it...I may not be a Forensic Scientist, but I am at least somewhat classified." Celestia did, reaching into her pocket for a pair of black gloves. She pulled off her claw, handing it to Jonathan for safe keeping. He just slipped it on his finger, not wanting to misplace it or lose it. Once she had donned the gloves, Celestia started examining parts of the body.
"There's a bruise around her neck...this is likely due to the rope. Her neck is broken, this is what lead to death." she said firmly.
"No shit...she was suspended from the stage. In fact to me it looked like she fell from the rafters. She was twitching a bit too...so she must have been alive." Chris said, a look of disgust on his face.
"Can we not talk about her final moments like that?" Tenko asked softly. Kaede placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile.
"I know it hurts...but her twitching is a clue. It means she was alive during the performance, and what lead to her death was her falling. She could have probably even been asleep during all this. All we know is that it was quick, and she didn't suffer." she said. Tenko buried her face in Kaede's neck, letting out another stream of tears. Jonathan looked up at the rafters, a frown on his face.
"Is that it? Was Himiko truly asleep? Shit, I haven't even looked at the Monokuma File...maybe that will shed a clue on all of this."
He reached into his pocket for his Student ID, clicking the Truth Bullet app that had lit up on screen. The file loaded, showing the Monokuma Files belonging to Kiibo and Himiko.
Monokuma File #2
Victim Name: Himiko Yumeno
Cause of Death: Hanging
Time of Death: 5:56PM
Himiko Yumeno's body was seen by everyone gathered in the Theater. The Victim was hung by the neck, the weight of the fall caused it to snap, death was instant. There are traces of Acetaminophen in her blood stream, along with heavy traces of ethylene glycol. Himiko showed signs of acute renal failure before her death.
"Ethylene Glycol?" Jonathan said, confusion written on his face. The name of the substance was familiar, but he didn't know where exactly he had heard it.
"What did you just say?" Veruca asked curiously.
"I read the file...it says Himiko had high traces of Ethylene Glycol in her body. Apparently, she was going into renal failure as well." he said, standing up from the ground. Celestia frowned, placing a hand on her chin.
"This is rather serious...I fear someone tried to poison Himiko."
"Huh? Wait Esti, you know what this shit is?" Chris asked, earning a nod from the physicist. She took her gloves off her hands, placing them inside her pocket.
"Ethylene Glycol is a viscus compound, created when mixing various periodic elements together. It is a colorless, odorless, kind of alcohol that has a sweet taste. You could drink some and not even tell what it was because of its sweet taste. It is commonly used as a de-icing agent."
"Antifreeze? You mean someone fed her that?" Veruca asked, disbelief written on her face.
"It could be...Tenko dear, you mentioned earlier that Himiko wasn't feeling well. Would you be so kind as to list her symptoms for me?" the Physicist asked, having pulled out a small pad and a pen. She nodded, brushing her tears away from her eyes.
"She was sweating a bit, and said she felt really dizzy. She was having trouble walking, was vomiting a lot and I think she had diarrhea too. I thought she was just coming down with the flu, or maybe it was due to the aphrodisiacs. I didn't think someone could stoop so low as to poison her."
"Hmm...those are the signs of Antifreeze poisoning. The renal failure all but confirms it...it seems she was entering the final stages of it. There is no cure, eventually the person will fall into a coma they won't recover from. This type of poison became popular with women after the surge of Nurses using Succynolcholine to kill their victims."
"Yeah, except there's no Antifreeze here. And I doubt they got it from Kiibo. I don't know if he even used that stuff." Chris said.
"He must have...he's a robot so he has to use Antifreeze to keep certain parts moving. We'll have to split up our search, Veruca, Chris I need you to grab some alibis. Make sure you speak with everyone that wasn't in the theater. Keep an eye out for anything that you might find off in their statements. After what happened last time, we have to make sure we have nothing but the truth. Celestia and I will search for clues around here and see if we can find that antifreeze. I believe that may be one of our smoking guns." Jonathan said firmly.
"I'll stay here and keep an eye on Tenko...I don't think she's going to leave right now." Kaede said, still hugging the Neo-Aikido Master.
"Let us do a quick sweep of the stage area. The band members may know something. I suppose we can start with you Kaede...did you see anything odd here today?" Celestia asked, her pen poised to write.
"No, in fact I wasn't here for most of the set up. I didn't want anyone to hear us practice, so I had Kaikane and Tsubaki practice in the Weight Room, which was empty at the time. Rantaro just took the sheet music, said he'd do with that."
"So you weren't here during the set up? At all?" Veruca asked.
"That's right...Alice was the one who set up the keyboard for me. It was an older model, and she wanted to make sure it was working. She said her ODC helps her literally clean every single thing. It was working smoothly too, I think she actually took the thing apart. If anything ask her, she might know more than me." the Pianist asked.
"Hmm...I do recall you coming to get us. I was delivering a tee shirt to Jonathan, as he was soaked in blood from the Lunch room mishap."
"I can corroborate that too...I was alone in that bath until Celestia came to get me." Jon replied.
"I was unconscious in the cafeteria. I do recall Tsumugi and Ryoma tending too me. Rantaro was most likely in the theater by then." Veruca said.
"That leaves me...sorry guys but my alibi is shit. I was in the Entrance Hall by myself. I wanted to get away from everyone for awhile, trying not to pound Esti has been hard." the boy said, wiggling his brows a bit. Celestia didn't look amused, especially with the pervy look on his face.
"Quite...well that clears us all I suppose. Christopher's alibi is a bit questionable, but seclusion is hardly a motive for murder. Do keep your nose clean dear, someone might claim you are behind this."
"Tch...I would never hurt Himiko or Kiibo. Himiko reminded me a lot of my little sister, I would never lay a hand on her." the Lepidopterologist said, quickly glancing away. Jonathan was going to ask him something, but the expression on his face told him otherwise.
Monokuma File #2 was added to your Truth Bullets
Ethylene Glycol Poisoning was added to your Truth Bullets
Himiko's Symptoms was added to your Truth Bullets
Kaede's Account was added to your Truth Bullets
Celestia's Account was added to your Truth Bullets
Veruca's Account was added to your Truth Bullets
"Thanks for sharing this guys. Let's meet up in the First Floor Plaza once we have more evidence. We'll compare notes and see if anything correlates." Celestia said, earning a nod from Veruca.
"Take care of him for me Celestia, if anything happens to him, I will turn your face into peanut butter." the Nut Specialist said firmly.
"Fufufu...I'll take extra care of him. I may even have my way with him if he's a good boy." she teased, earning a flush from the boy in question.
"Let's just go." he said. Veruca shared a tight embrace with the boy, not wanting to let him go. Chris rolled his eyes, grabbing a hold of her wrist, pulling the two apart.
"Come on, before we run out of time." he said.
Jonathan looked around the stage briefly, trying to find someone he could talk too. Tsubaki and Kaikane were off to the side, the two still very shaken. Rantaro was standing next to the drum set, inspecting something rather closely. Alice was standing by herself, looking like she needed a bit of time to herself. She had been crying, and he didn't want to disturb her at the moment. He decided to speak with Rantaro first, in case he had found something of interest.
"Hey Rantaro, mind if we ask you some questions?" he asked, causing the green haired boy to look up.
"Of course...I'll be sure to share anything you may find useful."
"Excellent, let's begin with Gabriella's accident. When was it that you left the cafeteria?" Celestia asked. The boy frowned, eyes narrowed in thought.
"It must have been around 1:20 or so. I remember sticking around, and helping tend to Veruca. Since Gabriella was taken to the Nurse's Office, we couldn't move her. Jonathan had left to clean up. It wasn't long after that Kaede approached me with an idea. To put on a performance to cheer everyone up. She gave me the sheet music and I spent about two hours here practicing, I left at around 4:15 to check on Gabriella. When I came back, I helped Alice do some checks on the instruments, practiced for a bit longer and then everyone started filing in." Rantaro said.
"Okay then...so you left at 1:20, milled about here until 4:15 where you checked on Gabby. Came back and the clock ran out until we performed. That about right?" Jon said, summarizing the statement.
"That's about it."
"Thanks Rantaro, I'm sure this will help us out a bit." Celestia said, finishing up his statement.
Rantaro's Account was added to your Truth Bullets
"Actually, I have something else to point out. It seems Kiibo tripped a trap none of us were aware of. That caused it to be released, and the stage light dropped onto him, killing him instantly. That state light seems to be an old model, which looks to be around 400 to 500 pounds in weight." Rantaro said, pointing to the large stage light still on the deceased Ultimate Robot. Oil and various fluids had leaked out over the stage, Kiibo's head being completely crushed and warped beyond recognition.
"I see...look at that Jonathan, there are two ropes attached to the stage light. One of them seems to have a loop tied at the end of it." Celestia said, taking a hold of the lengthy rope. Jonathan examined it closely, a frown on his face. He took a step back, his foot sinking slightly into the floor. He noticed the floorboard went down due to his weight, causing it to rise up from the ground, his eyes widened a bit when he saw where it was located.
"I think I know how this trap was set. This rope was run from the rafters, all the way down to the stage. Somehow, it was run underneath it and attached to this floorboard. It's right in the middle of the room, next to the drum set even. It's as if they were hoping someone would trip it." Jonathan said.
"So you think someone set this up to kill Rantaro?" Celestia asked. The Ultimate Adventurer chuckled dryly, rubbing his neck.
"I doubt anyone would want to kill me. Then again, with so many of us here, I can't rule out any possibilities. I believe what must have happened is this. Someone set that trap, so someone could trip it. The one who tripped it would then be the blackened student, as they got someone else killed."
"That is rather interesting...but what would happen is someone tripped it, and they ended up dying? Would they then be the blackened?" Celestia asked. Jonathan frowned, a pensive look on his face.
"That is a good question. Does that mean traps fall in a gray area? If you trip someone else's trap, and you die. Technically speaking you are your killer. So no one is to blame but you...but was this trap set for that? Or were the they hoping one of us would set it off? How does Himiko even fit into this?"
"Sorry...I can't come up with anything, just theories."
"It's quite fine dear...a theory is better than nothing." Celestia said.
Celestia's Trap Theory was added to your Truth Bullets
Stage Light Trap was added to your Truth Bullets
"You know...I think there has to be a relay. There's no way a floorboard is strong enough to hold that stage light." Jonathan said firmly.
"Well...I heard a metallic bang the moment Kiibo stepped onto the board. I thought it was the light coming down on him. Perhaps the rope was slipped through something, which held its weight until the right time." Rantaro said.
"Where did it come from?"
"Over there, behind the stage curtains. I think there's an area that leads under the stage, there's a trap door too, though Alice made sure it was locked." the Ultimate Adventurer said firmly.
"Thanks for helping us, we'll let you know if we need anything else." the Ultimate Physicist said, giving him a smile.
"Sure, glad I could help. Good luck on the search, I'll stick around here and see if I can find something else." he replied. Jonathan and Celestia moved away, heading toward the back stage area.
The first thing that Jonathan noticed when he stepped back there was the metal bar that was laying on the ground. He also noticed several large round black discs. They had been stacked off to the side at one point, but now lay sprawled on the ground. Celestia knelt down next to one, grabbing a hold of it.
"Weights...these are usually used for weight lifting. In fact, this is an entire set, the bar is here as well. I believe we found our relay."
"So, whoever set that trap, ran the rope through this barbell. It compensated for the weight of the light. When Kiibo stepped on the board, that released the rope, it ran through here, tipped the bar over and the light fell onto the Robot." Jonathan said.
"Yes...that seems to be the case...so that means we'll have to check the Weight Room. There's a storage room here, but I doubt a barbell and some weights would be stored here. If there was a set missing, then whoever was in that room is a suspect."
"You're right...I think we...shit." the boy stopped, his eyes drifting over to the Aulani Twins. Tsubaki was holding Kaikane's hand, talking to the boy, who had his eyes on Himiko's body. Celestia followed his gaze, frowning when realization hit her.
"According to Kaede's account, the Twins were in the Weight Room. Do you suspect them?"
"I dunno...I can't suspect my friends, but the rational side of me is saying to suspect everyone. Just because we're friends doesn't mean they wouldn't consider it. However if they are innocent then I will defend them. Let's go get their story next, it may help us find who did this." he said. Celestia nodded, taking the lead as she calmly and carefully strode across the stage.
Jonathan had to admit, she was doing a better job at keeping her emotions than he was. He had been ready to bash in Harrison's skull after saying what he said. He had just been emotionless for several moments, and even now those feelings were on fire. His rage had almost blinded him and he had almost made a mistake. Celestia remained calm and in control, poised and graceful. He definitely admired that, he was glad that someone was able to keep a level head during all of this. Tsubaki looked away from her brother, giving her two friends a sad smile. Her eyes were a bit puffy from crying, but she was doing he best to keep her brother calm. He just looked destroyed, seeing Kaikane like that really made Jonathan sad, especially because the Surfer was always smiling brightly and helping his friends.
"Hello...I hate to be a bother, but we have some questions for you. Kaede said you two were practicing in the Weight Room because it was empty. Did you notice if any barbells were missing?" Celestia asked, a firm look on her face.
"I didn't notice anything. We just took our instruments, went to the area near the dumbbells and started practicing. Thankfully I was able to actually learn the part. I've never been so glad to be forced to learn an instrument, hehe." the Figure Skater said, trying to remain upbeat.
"From my perspective, that major lift was pretty bad." Kaikane said, earning a jab to the side from his sister.
"It was not! Your fucking D's were all flat!"
"Because the damn strings were old as shit. They needed to be replaced but all the extras are in the Music Hall on the 3rdFloor. I had to make due with what I had! That poor guitar...it's all broken now." Kaikane said, glancing over at the broken remains of the Bass Guitar he had been using.
"Yeah...sorry about that." Jonathan said, rubbing his neck.
"It's all good bro, better the guitar than Harrison's face. As much as I hate him, you don't want his blood on your hands."
"Let's get back on topic. You two were in the Weight Room...about what time?"
"Uh...I think we got there at 1:30. We practiced for awhile...Kaede said we needed to head back before 5:30. She told us she wanted us all there so we could have one practice together. So we left at around 5:00, and Alice was setting up. We practiced both songs and then people started filing in, Rantaro was already there. It was...what 5:15?" the boy asked, earning a nod from his sister.
"That's about right...I'm happy that you were able to remember all of that little brother. Any other details you might recall? I don't remember anything else." Tsubaki asked.
"Hmm...now that you mention it...I think Lee was mad at something. He came into the Weight Room during our practice. He didn't mind us playing, and actually said
"It's the sickest shit I have ever fuckin heard, keep it up!" and went to one of the Benches. I think he was angry because one of the Barbells was gone." Kaikane said, glancing up at the ceiling.
"So...Lee noticed the missing weights. That means they were missing before Tsu and Kai were there. That's a sigh of relief." Jonathan said, earning a frown from Tsubaki.
"Don't tell me you suspected us of doing this Jon?"
"Apologies dear...we have to look at all the possibilities. We know you two are innocent, but we just have to be ready." Celestia said. Though Tsubaki looked miffed, she sighed deciding to relent. After all she and Kaikane had been in the Weight Room, and a barbell had turned up. If she was in their shoes, she'd be suspecting them too.
"Hey...I don't mind if you suspect us but...promise me you'll find the fucker behind this?" Kaikane asked.
"Definitely...thanks for your testimonies guys. They'll definitely help us out in the long run." the Songwriter said, giving his friends a smile.
Missing Barbell was added to your Truth Bullets
Aulani Twin's Account was added to your Truth Bullets
"Hey...would you two do me a favor? The stage light is attached to a rope, running through the chandelier and keeping the door to the deck closed. I need to get up there, I think I might find some clues. But we have to investigate the Weight Room too, and search for the missing Antifreeze. Think you can manage?" Jonathan asked, earning nods from the two.
"We'll get you up there, promise. You two just keep doing what you are doing!" Kaikane said, a smile on his face.
"Good...thanks guys, Celestia let's head out." the boy said, earning a nod from his companion.
xxx(Veruca's POV)xxx
"So...any idea who might have done this Ruru?"
"I haven't the foggiest, not yet. Also I forbid you from calling me that, I accept being called Ruca, but that nickname is particularly saved for Jonathan." the girl replied firmly. He scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he continued to follow after her. They continued walking, heading toward the Nurse's Office.
"Uh...why are we here?"
"Because we need to speak with Victoria and Setsuko. They hold a vital piece of this investigation." she replied, not bothering to look at him.
Setsuko was sitting at the Nurse's Office, several cans of Monster Energy being placed next to her, all of them empty. Victoria was tending to Gabriella who had yet to awaken from her injury. The blood bags had been removed, replaced with some IV fluids. The Ultimate Pirate was resting on one of the gurneys, as they didn't have proper hospital beds. Her left hand was completely wrapped up, what remained of her wrist having been sown up by Harrison and Victoria. The Ultimate General was sitting down next to her, looking worn out, face and hair soaked in sweat. She would usually be wearing her Prussian Uniform, but due to them not having proper clothes, she had borrowed a spare tee shirt from the Gymnasium, remaining in her skirt, pantyhose and heels. Her hair had been pulled from its braid, hanging loosely down her back, slightly frizzy and out of place. Setsuko noticed the two, and sat up slightly, giving them a smile.
"Damn Setsu, you look like hell." Chris said, earning a jab from Veruca.
"Be polite you wanker! A women is supposed to be complimented, it isn't our fault we all have no access to our day to day necessities."
"It's quite alright Veruca. I usually have make up to hide my imperfections, this week has been hell on us. We uh...found out what happened in the Theater. I'd like to give you my condolences, I wasn't expecting someone like Himiko to pass on in such a horrible fashion." the Ultimate Media Critic said, grabbing one of her energy drinks. She downed it in one go, tossing the can into the overflowing trash bin.
"It has been very difficult for all of us. Ve did all that ve could with Gabriella, but in the end she lost her hand. I'd like to commend Jon for his quick thinking. Cauterization vas vhat ultimately saved Gabby's life. Harrison did a magnificent job as vell...I had little to do." Victoria said. She grabbed a rag, dipping it into a basin filled with water. Once rung out, she used it to wipe away the sweat from Gabriella's face, a content smile appearing on the girls' face.
"I wish to know the goings on in this place. Tenko said that Himiko had been brought here because she had been ill. Tell me, how did she look when she was brought in?" Veruca asked, having pulled out a small notepad and pen. Chris was honestly impressed, since he hadn't seen her grab it.
"Tenko was carrying her, she was laid up on the bed near the door. She wanted a bit of ventilation from the shaft. Despite her looking sick, she was very alert. She got up a few times to go to the bathroom, there isn't one here so Tenko had to take her to the ladies room. Every time she came back, she threw up a bit into that pink basin, which I emptied and rinsed out." Setsuko said firmly.
"Vhenever Tenko vasn't helping, I vould take over. Himiko was showing these symptoms just after dinner." Victoria said.
"After dinner...you mean last night?" Chris asked, earning a nod from the General.
"Ja, that's right. Tenko had brought her here for some medicine, Angie had given her some flu medicine. Some NyQuil I believe."
"That correlates with the Monokuma File. Traces of Acetaminophen were found in her blood, consistent with NyQuil, that's the active medicine in it. Tell me, did you notice Himiko eating or drinking anything in particular?" Veruca asked.
"Yes...Tenko kept bringing her Gatorade bottles, to keep her hydrated, due to the diarrhea. Himiko insisted she get her the Cool Blue flavor. But there were none in the machine. Tenko had to go to the Storage in the kitchen, pull out extra bottles and put it in the refrigerator for her. Sadly all of those bottles have been consumed." Setsuko said, holding up two empty bottles.
"I remember...she brought exactly ten bottles." Victoria added, earning a hum from Veruca, who kept jotting everything down.
"What's up Veruca? Find something?"
"I'm onto something yes. Setsuko, what's the volume of that Gatorade bottle?"
"The volume? Hell if I know...it's 591 milliliters if that matters." the Media Critic said, looking at the tag.
"You trying to run calculations? Maybe leave that for Esti, she knows her shit." Chris suggested.
"No...I'm trying to figure out how many bottles it would take to kill a person. Those bottles were loaded with Antifreeze, the high amounts of Ethylene Glycol in her system prove it. If Himiko drank those 10 bottles, with her stature and weight, she would have been dead by poisoning by 12:00AM tonight."
"Are you certain?" Victoria asked, earning a nod from the Nut Specialist.
"I am...that amount of Antifreeze in a small body would definitely cause more than renal failure. She was in the final stages, would have likely fallen into a coma in the following hours. Hell, I'm more than certain she was in a coma when she was hung. Those twitches were most likely death twitches, like the ones animals display when shot." the brunette said, making the three teenagers gulp.
"So they were involuntary. That means Himiko couldn't have taken herself up there, someone had to have taken here there." Setsuko asked.
"Wait...don't you know that? Weren't you here the entire time?" Chris asked curiously. Victoria shook her head, a frown on her face.
"The two of us left for a period of time, around 1:30 in the afternoon. Ve vent to zhe Bath house to use zhe sauna, zhis was around zhe time everyone vas setting up in the theater. Around 5:00PM, Tenko had come in to check on Himiko, so ve let her know and left. I came back vhile Setsuko was in the Laundry Room, gathering our clothes." the Ultimate General said.
"So, there was a period of time when the two of you weren't here. Tenko was here the whole time then?" Veruca asked.
"Yes, vhen I came back, she left. I vent to the gym right after, searching for a tee shirt for Setsu, since her's was soaked in sweat. Vhen I came back, Himiko was gone. I thought Tenko had come back, and taken her to the theater. I should have checked with Tenko...zhis could have been prevented!"
"Come on Vicky, this isn't your fault alright? Shit...this is no one's fault...no one except the fucker that poisoned her. We need to find the one behind that."
"There is something I don't understand...if Himiko was being poisoned with Antifreeze, it's obvious the one behind it noticed it. So why hang her?" Setsuko asked curiously.
"It could be that the poison was planted. Whoever drank it would die and since it's antifreeze, anyone could have done it. With so many of us, no one would know who put what in those bottles. Hell, someone could have passed it up as her getting sick and dying from that. We aren't doctors, we don't know the signs. She looked like she was suffering from the flu after all." Veruca said.
"Shit...so that means we have no idea who the hell did this. Wait...what about the Gatorade? Is it still in the fridge?" Chris asked, a panicked look on his tone.
"Tenko brought 10 bottles and put them in the fridge here. There must be more in the storage room! We have to get rid of them before someone else drinks out of it!" Setsuko cried out.
"We'll take care of it, thanks for helping us out. Make sure Gabby isn't left alone, last thing we need is another body dropping on us." Veruca said, turning swiftly to leave the room.
Himiko's Condition was added to your Truth Bullets
Himiko's Symptoms has been updated
Poisoned Gatorade Bottles was added to your Truth Bullets
Victoria and Setsuko's Account was added to your Truth Bullets
The two students hurried down the hall, ignoring the odd looks from the people hanging around the plaza. The cafeteria doors were thankfully left open, and the two just raced inside. There were a few people hanging around, all of them speaking in hushed tones. Most of them were talking about what had happening, while others were just lazing about, not bothering to search for clues. In their minds, the work would be done for them so they didn't bother. Veruca's eyes scanned the students, gasping a bit when she saw Chloe about to take a drink from a Gatorade bottle. She moved on instinct, vaulting over a table, practically tackling the girl to the ground.
"Ah...what the fuck?!"
"You didn't drink it did you?" Veruca cried, pinning the blonde down. Chloe growled, pulling her arm back, slapping the brunette across the face. She fell back, almost hitting the table.
"You stupid cunt! The fuck is wrong with you? Do you seriously wanna die?"
"Hey, maybe try thanking her instead? She just saved your pathetic life!" Chris said, holding his hand out to Veruca. Chloe looked at him oddly, scoffing as she crossed her arms.
"What now? What could have possibly happened to me by drinking that Gatorade?"
"How about death? Himiko had high amounts of Ethylene Glycol in her system. Something found in Antifreeze, several bottles of Gatorade were filled with it. So if you drank that bottle, even half of it, you would have been fucked!" the girl said firmly, glaring at the Queen Bee.
"What are you going on about?" Nick asked, approaching the three students, pulling his wife Cara along. Ryoma, Tsumugi and Jill had come as well, wondering what all the fuss was about.
"It must be very serious, especially if Veruca outright tackled Chloe to the ground. Would you mind explaining?" Ryoma asked, earning a nod from the Nut Specialist. She gestured for Chris to head to the Kitchen Storage, while she explained.
"Someone took some bottles of Gatorade and refilled them with Antifreeze. Specifically, it was the Cool Blue flavor of Gatorade. Ethylene Glycol is a poisonous substance, it's colorless, odorless and tastes sweet. You'd drink a bottle of it and wouldn't even know it. Thing is, this stuff will kill you in about three days. Himiko drank ten bottles of it, from last night throughout today, she would have died by midnight. In fact she was most likely in the final stages of Ethylene Glycol Poisoning when she was hung." she explained.
"Oh my goodness." Cara said softly, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Who would dare do such a thing? That's so horrible...especially to someone so innocent like Himiko?" Tsumugi said.
"I wouldn't put it past anyone...people with knowledge of Antifreeze and its active ingredients could have done it. I'm sure you all suspect me huh? Since I'm a murderer."
"Ryoma, man...I don't suspect you for shit. You haven't shown a single ounce of murderous intent. If anything it was probably that fucker Harrison. It seems like something he would do." Nick said.
"I have to agree with that...that piece of shit rubs me the wrong way. I haven't noticed any Antifreeze though. I'm sure I would have noticed gallons of it if it was kept in here. Perhaps the Laundry Room storage will yield results, that's where Kirumi keeps the cleaning stuff." Jill said, earning a nod from Veruca. Chris walked out of the kitchen, holding a cardboard box in his hands, which he put down on the table. He pulled out two bottles of Gatorade, holding them out to Veruca.
"You were right...these bottles are supposed to be new and unopened. But they've been refilled. Look at this Apple flavored one and this Cool Blue one...the amounts don't match, they're filled to the brim." he said, holding out the bottles for comparison.
"You're right, these were obviously refilled. What flavor were you drinking Chloe?"
"It...it was the blue one. I haven't drank any of that until now, I just needed something sweet. I'm sorry for slapping you." she said, a sheepish look on her face. Veruca shrugged it off, a small smile on her face.
"It's alright, mother used to hit me harder than that. I have to admit though, had you hit me with your ring hand, I would have likely cried out." she said jokingly, earning a small giggle from the girl. She sighed, glancing away from her.
"Tell me...have you found any headway? On who killed Kiibo I mean."
"Sadly no...it was a trap as far as I know. Someone rigged it so that stage light could fall on someone. Guess Kiibo was the unlucky victim." Chris said, placing the bottles back in the box, closing it up. Nick pulled some tape from his utility belt and taped it up.
"I'll get rid of these after the investigation. We may need them for evidence after all." he said.
"Veruca...I'd like to make a request of you. I hate to admit it but...Kiibo was beginning to...move away from being a lowly peon. He was starting to become an acquaintance. I remember him telling me that being alone wouldn't do me good. I can't say I agree but...he was the only one who was kind to me in this shithole. Find the one that killed him, please." Chloe said, taking the Nut Specialist by surprise. She gave her a nod, holding her hand out, her pinkie finger being extended.
"This is my most sacred vow, I promise to find the killer and sentence him or her to what they deserve. Not just for poisoning Himiko, but for killing Kiibo. I shall not falter, my judgment shall be swift." she said. Chloe frowned, but wrapped her pinkie around it, accepting the vow.
"Yeah, whatever. Let's move this shit along to what was important, Jules and Ryoma weren't present for the show. Mind telling us where you were?" Chris asked.
"If I tell you I was getting fucked would you believe me?" Jill asked, a smirk on her face.
"Normally yes, that ass is too fine not to be ignored. But from Shorty here? I doubt it. Besides I know for a fact you weren't gonna risk your hand being blown off, especially after what happened to Gabby. Seriously, what were you two doing?"
"If you must know, I was helping Miss Ray out in the kitchen. Kirumi was tending to some laundry orders. She was a bit shorthanded, so I decided to provide my assistance. I cooked while I was in jail, so I know my way around the kitchen." Ryoma said, pulling the candy cigarette out of his mouth.
"So, you two were in the kitchen. How about the married couple? Off making out somewhere?" Chris asked smugly.
"At least I have someone to make out with buddy. I don't have to practice with my hand, because I have this hot piece of pussy to come back too every night." Nick replied, arm wrapped tightly around his wife, who just flushed crimson.
"Enough with that...where were you two during all of this?"
"We were with Tsumugi of course. Cara wanted to ask her some questions and ended up talking about Hello Kitty for awhile. At about 5:30 or so we headed toward the Theater and watched the performance." Nick said.
"That correlates with what I've got. Me and Cara got way caught up in our conversation, she even showed me the tattoo she got on her leg, which is so adorable!" Tsumugi said.
"It's just Hello Kitty Tsumugi. It isn't that special."
"Pfft...isn't that special. I suppose your half of our bedroom isn't special then? That's cool...first thing I'll do when I get outta here is set it ablaze."
"You will not! If you do that then I'm crushing your Soap box car with my dad's tractor!" Cara said firmly.
"You don't know how to drive a tractor dumbass. You can barely handle a goddamn forklift. I feel bad for that poor bottle nose you almost killed. As if washing up on the beach wasn't bad enough, you got clumsy Cara here dropping his ass. Ultimate Marine Biologist my fucking ass!" Nick said, finishing his drink.
"You know what? We aren't having sex tonight."
"Like I care, I still have that full scale replica of your muff. I don't need you."
"We're just gonna go...thanks for your testimonies." Veruca said, turning on her heel, leaving the cafeteria.
"Estas chingado hombre." (You're so fucked man.) Chris said, following after the Nut Specialist. Nick shrugged, not seeing the piercing glare his wife was giving him.
Box of Poisoned Gatorade Bottles was added to your Truth Bullets
Jill and Ryoma's Account was added to your Truth Bullets
Nick and Cara's Account was added to your Truth Bullets
"Have you come up with anything?" Chris asked softly, as Veruca headed toward the Laundry Room.
"A few things."
"Let's hear it then."
"Okay, this is just an idea so don't take it as gospel. I believe someone is putting traps all around the school. Baits as it were. I am almost certain our culprit is the one who put the poison in the bottles, that Himiko was given to drink." she replied.
"I could have told you that, except you forget one thing. If it's a trap, then the person who poisoned the bottle isn't the killer. The one who gave Himiko the poison is the one who killed her."
"Tenko." Veruca said softly.
"However...the first bottle that Himiko drank was clean. I'm more than certain of that. I remember seeing Tenko buy one from the machine last night, it was the last Cool Blue bottle. Himiko was drinking that one during dinner. I remember Himiko heading into the kitchen and grabbing one from there. So Tenko isn't responsible for this, Himiko is. She drank it, unknowingly, so in the end she killed herself." Chris said.
"That's a load of shit! How do you expect me to believe that? You want me to believe Himiko drank poison, though unknowingly, and then took herself to the theater and hung herself from the rafters?" Veruca cried, stopping mid stride.
"Obviously not. What I am saying is that the poison doesn't matter right this second. Figuring out who put her up there does...she might be in a coma, but she can still move. Perhaps she was in the last stages and passed out...someone found her, rather than taking her to the Nurse's Office, they instead put her in a precarious situation. They wrapped the noose around her neck, when Himiko turned, she fell and snapped her own neck. Himiko killed herself, no matter how you slice it." Chris said. Veruca paused, licking her lips as she searched for an answer.
"What is all of this? Has Christopher actually hit the nail on the head? Could it be that someone found a loophole in the rules? I understand that you can kill anyone in any manner but...if you set a trap then you're obviously guilty. You set the trap...it is an interesting theory but I just can't agree to it."
"Am I right or am I right?" Chris asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"No...you aren't right or wrong, you are a chauvinist pig though."
"I'm sorry? How am I a chauvinist pig?" the boy said, looking hurt.
"You keep insulting Celestia and Jules. Listen, I am not sure if you are attracted to them. But if you wish to start something with either, stop talking about their ass all the time. Value what they are worth, because in this school, you aren't guaranteed a tomorrow. I can tell there is a bit of an attraction with Celestia. However what Jules thinks eludes me, just treat them better, and stop sexually harassing them."
"Veruca, listen...I know what I am doing okay? You already have Jonathan wrapped around your pinkie. Let me handle me and you handle Jon, kay?"
"If you say so. Just letting you know now, as a woman, you aren't getting anywhere."
"Are you considered a woman though? Human squirrel is a bit closer to what you truly are." he said. Veruca's expression shifted to one of sheer anger, her cheeks tinged crimson. One could almost see the smoke coming out of her ears. She clenched her hand, knuckles cracking as she did. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a walnut, which she held under his chin.
"Uh, what are you doing?" he asked, not bothering to stop her. Veruca said nothing as she pulled her arm back, uppercutting the boy as hard as she could, cracking the nut in the process. The boy fell to the ground, clutching his chin as he cried in pain. She held her hand out, the entire walnut falling into her palm.
"Don't fuck with me." she said, tossing the nut into her mouth, crunching it loudly.
"Duly noted...ah...fuck." Chris muttered, rubbing his chin, picking out the shell pieces from his chin. Veruca waited for him to pick his sorry ass off the floor, turning toward the Laundry Room, whose door was closed.
"Uh hey...I don't wanna say anything but...I don't feel so good, about closed doors I mean."
"Oh don't tell me you are scared? You ninny...women like confidence, you can't act scared all the time." the brunette said, patting her dress slightly.
"Yeah...in a normal situation. I don't want a knife in my neck honey, so excuse me if I am a bit paranoid."
"Whatever...allow me to take the lead, would you like me to hold your hand?" she asked, grabbing a hold of the handle.
"You hit me, you insult me and you call me a pussy. What does Jonathan see in you? Especially when he has that babe Carla pinning after him?"
"Clearly the walnut wasn't enough. Don't make me pull out a macadamia, those are hard to break normally. I can find a creative way use your skull as a nutcracker." Veruca said. The boy sighed, shaking his head.
"Fine, open the goddamn door."
Veruca nodded, pulling the door open. Her face turned white as a sheet as she looked at the scene before her. The Ultimate Maid, Kirumi Tojo was laying on the ground, blood having pooled around her body. Attached to one of the washing machines was a brown bamboo rod, which had a knife fashioned onto the end of it, held with duct tape and string. She noticed a long white rope attached to the end of the rod, which was clearly used to hold the rod in place until it was triggered. Veruca swallowed hard, turning back to Chris who had a sickly expression on his face.
"It seems there are more traps laying in wait for us. We must tread lightly, get someone from the cafeteria. If we get another witness then that should trigger the announcement." she said.
"A-alright...how can you be so calm?"
"I must be calm, despite losing so many friends today. If I am not calm, then you won't be calm. If you aren't calm, you panic and if you panic then that will cause everyone else to panic. I must keep a level head, please just get someone here?" she said. He nodded, heading back toward the cafeteria. The brunette took a shaky breath, holding onto the side of the door as she tried not to look at Kirumi's body for too long. She took another breath, getting her bearings straight before deciding to step into the room.
"It seems whoever is responsible for this, they are very well trained." Veruca muttered. She took a step forward, making sure the room was completely free of traps before turning to the one that was rigged, placing a hand under her chin.
"This is rather primitive, a Feather Spear Trap. A bar is pulled back, and several spikes are attached to the end of the rod. The tension is what's deadly. The rope holds it back and whoever triggers it gets a nasty surprise...this however is a trap for cattle...why would someone set this here?"
Feather Spear Trap was added to your Truth Bullets
She glanced around the other side of the room, being careful not to trip any traps that may have been laying in wait. Thankfully, no other traps had been set there. She opened the door in the back, where all of the cleaning supplies were kept. A quick survey told her there was nothing of interest there, not even any empty bottles of Antifreeze. She frowned, glancing back at Kirumi, kneeling down next to her body.
"I'm sorry this happened to you...you were such a good friend to me as a little girl. Even though we are the same age, you were so wise, kind and caring...you were a good woman...I'll ensure you're legacy continues. I hope you rest in peace, old friend." she said softly. She removed one of Kirumi's gloves, placing it on her own hand, which shook slightly as she tugged on it. She sniffled a bit, wiping a stray tear away.
"Veruca! Chris told me what happened!" Mei-Ling cried out, stopping at the entrance to the Laundry Room.
Ding Ding Ding
"Well, look at that! You guys are 0 for 3 right now, this is excellent! I can't believe you guys have found another stiffy! Guess I'll have to extend the time for the investigation. You know the deal then, keep collecting information for...oh wait a second! Oh boy oh boy!"
"That doesn't sound good." Veruca murmured, as Chris returned, followed by Jill who let out a shrill scream, falling down to her knees.
"Kirumi! Who did this to her?"
"Hate to break it to ya Jules, but we aren't sure. Someone rigged a trap, she triggered it and died as a result. It could have been at any time." Chris said, kneeling down next to the raven haired bartender. She wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into the crook of his neck. He hugged her tightly, frowning.
"Good news everyone! Well...not so good for you, but it is for me. Turns out there's a fourth stiffy in the Weight Room! There's no camera in there so even I didn't know about him! This is so exciting, four bodies, boy oh boy! It's almost like Christmas morning!" Monokuma cried cheerfully through the PA system. The students gathered at the Laundry Room were beginning to wonder when this day was finally going to end.
xxx(Jonathan's POV)xxx
Jonathan frowned as he felt his Student ID buzzing in his pocket. He reached for it, tapping the Truth Bullet application, seeing another two files added to Himiko's. Kiibo's hadn't been added, due to everyone seeing him die, Monokuma thought it was pointless to waste time on someone that wasn't flesh and blood. A further insult to the Ultimate Robot. It made him angry, but there was nothing he could do. With each moment that passed, more people could be dying, and he didn't know when or if he would be next.
Monokuma File #3
Victim Name: Kirumi Tojo
Cause of Death: Stabbing
Time of Death: Approximately 6:25PM
The Victim was found by Veruca LeGume, Christopher Bacon and Fa Mei-Ling in the Laundry Room. The Victim received a single high speed stab to the center of the chest, consistent with the tension of a Spear Trap. The victim bled out moments after she was stabbed.
Monokuma File #4
Victim Name: Lee R Emerson
Cause of Death: Blunt Force Trauma to the Head
Time of Death: Approximately 6:15PM
The Victim was discovered in the Weight Room by Jonathan Hyles, Celestia Ludenberg and Carla Williamson. The Victim was found sitting at the Bow-Flex machine, two weights having crushed his head. Death was instantaneous.
"Goddamn it." he muttered dryly.
"Who was it?" Carla asked softly, a look of fear on her face.
"It was Kirumi...she was found in the Laundry Room. Seems she was the victim of a trap as well. Celestia have you found anything?" he asked. Celestia had been closely investigating the body, trying not to step on any blood or skull fragments currently littering the floor. The weights were soaked in blood and bone, Lee's head had been completely destroyed, not a recognizable feature left. Her gloved hand traced the edge of the machine, noticing the wires holding the weights had been cut.
"Hmm...very peculiar. It seems this Bow-Flex machine was tampered with. These arms here have wires running to the weights, when you flex your arms, the weights move. The more weights you add, the more it takes to flex, thus leading to a core arm workout. Whoever did this cut through the wire enough for it to break. Perhaps Lee was worked up about something and didn't notice it, a grave mistake in this instance."
"So this is just another fucking trap?" Jonathan cried out, anger in his voice.
"Seems like it...I must apologize, I know this is become rather taxing. Perhaps we should meet with the others. I've looked around the area, but there is nothing of interest here. The Bow Flex machine is what caused his death."
"Y-yeah...I came here earlier because I wanted quiet. I didn't think Lee would...I didn't think he would be..." Carla said softly. Jonathan wrapped his arms around the girl, rubbing her back as she held back her cries.
"This shit is fucked...whoever is doing this is a professional. Someone has to have some degree of training. But there aren't any trap makers here...no wait...Victoria is a General...would she know how to make traps?"
Monokuma File #3 was added to your Truth Bullets
Monokuma File #4 was added to your Truth Bullets
Bow-Flex Machine Trap was added to your Truth Bullets
"You have a pensive look on your face. Tell me dear, have you stumbled upon something?" Celestia asked, a degree of seriousness on her voice he hadn't heard before.
"I'm starting to think this is all being set up by someone with military training."
"Victoria you mean?"
"Yeah...I don't want to suspect her, but you can never be too sure."
"It isn't her...she's been with Gabriella all day! It would have taken hours to set this stuff up. Kaikane and Tsubaki were here too, and so was Lee. This machine was fine before we all went to the theater." Carla said.
"That's true...that means this happened during the show. We sung two songs, both around 4 minutes along. That's eight minutes...could someone run from the Theater to the Laundry Room, to The Weight Room and back before someone noticed?" Jonathan asked.
"It might be...you know I've been doing my own secret investigation. I've met everyone here, but there are two people in particular that strike me as dangerous. The Ultimate Child Care-Giver, Maki Harukawa. She doesn't strike me as one that is fond of children, not to mention she's been carrying a knife the entire time she's been here."
"I noticed that too...I tried telling her a joke and she just walked away. She has never smiled once, and I think I heard her threaten Chloe. She said something like "I will cut you". It was pretty scary." Carla added, wiping her tears away from her face.
"Hmm...I do have a question, Celestia do you know Japanese?"
"I have traveled abroad, so yes I do know some Japanese. Not a lot, I cannot read it but I can speak it partially. Why do you ask?" she queried, a look of interest on her face. He reached into his pocket, pulling out Alice's Faculty ID, though since it looked like a Student ID, neither girl noticed the difference. He pulled up Maki's profile, which had the same information that Maki's Japanese ID was showing.
"What does Cho koko-kyu no Ansatsusha mean?" he asked, trying his best not to butcher the pronunciation. Her brows furrowed a bit, as she lost herself in thought.
"I'm not exactly sure...may I see it?" she asked. He was a bit wary, but decided to trust her enough to hold the ID. Her eyes scanned the phrase, seeing the Japanese characters that were written under the Westernized Words.
"Jonathan dear, how were you able to procure this?"
"I can't tell you yet, I'll let you know later but keep it a secret. You too Carla, I mean it." he said firmly.
"Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye!" she cried, giving the boy a grin. He rolled his eyes turning back to Celestia, who's look had turned into one of worry.
"I was able to translate some of those characters. I wasn't able to translate it all but I was able to read the word Super as well as the Japanese word for Assassin."
"Super...Assassin?"
"Oh I think I know this! I remember reading on the internet that Hope's Peak Academy used to give their students a different title. Before everyone was called an Ultimate they were called Super High School Levels.It was changed to Ultimates in 2000, as it was apparently too long to write in the student profiles." Carla said.
"That's an interesting piece of information, one I wasn't aware of. If we apply what Carla said, that means that title is that of the Super High School Level Assassin, or rather the Ultimate Assassin."
"That means Maki isn't who she says she is...that means she's my number one suspect." Jonathan said. A small laugh filled the room, causing the three to look toward the door. The brown haired girl in question had her arms crossed, as she leaned against the wall, a look of amusement on her face.
"It's hilarious how you assume I did this. I wouldn't bother with traps, that's too pedestrian."
"Maki! What are you doing here?" Carla cried fearfully.
"Am I not allowed to conduct my own search?" she asked curiously.
"Touche...mind explaining to us why you kept your title a secret?" Celestia asked.
"Of course, only if you tell me why you parade yourself as a woman when you are in fact a man." she replied back. Celestia frowned, lips curving downward.
"Wait...Celestia is a boy?" Carla cried out.
"I love how that is the only thing you focus on." Jonathan said, earning a pout from the Lucky Student.
"Very well...a secret for a secret, I assume you've closed the door?"
"I have, now talk." Maki said firmly, pushing herself off the wall. Celestia remained cool and collected, her hands folded in front of her. Despite one of her biggest secrets being out in the open, she was rather calm about it.
"I have to admit, Celestia can certainly keep her cool under any situation. I mean...I myself knew the truth, but hearing it out of Maki's mouth...I still have a hard time believing it."
"Well, no use beating around the bush then. I sexually identify as a woman, and am currently undergoing my transition. I suppose you are aware of the pills I carry with me. I disguise them as Oxycontin, which I "use" for my "back pain". They are in fact Hormone Supplements that I have requested from our captor, so that I can continue my transition. I've undergone breast augmentation surgery, but I haven't had a full transformation yet. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"
"What is your name? I deserve to know that bit, since you know what I am." Maki replied.
"Hey...maybe she shouldn't. You got your answer, so tell us what you are hiding." Jonathan said firmly, stepping in front of Celestia. He glared into Maki's crimson eyes, only to be met with the same gaze back. There wasn't many things that Jonathan feared, but he felt genuine fear from this woman, of course he couldn't display that to her. Her lips curved into an amused smile, backing away from him.
"Alright...you win. I am indeed the Ultimate Assassin. The reason why I masquerade as the Ultimate Child Care-Giver is because I cannot share my true talent. You must understand, in a game such as this where killing is commonplace, an assassin wouldn't make anyone calm. I'm also not stretching the truth, for some reason kids are rather fond of me, despite me not liking them." she replied.
"Okay, I have a question. Do you know how to set traps?" Carla asked.
"Question for a Question honey, what does that tattoo on your bicep mean?" Maki asked. She frowned, holding a hand over her neckerchief.
"It isn't a tattoo...it's a scar...I made one on my arm when I was little, when my first family abandoned me at the orphanage. The second one was a reminder." she replied.
"A reminder? Of what exactly?"
"Answer my question and you might learn about it." Carla replied firmly. Maki sighed, giving her a nod.
"I am the Ultimate Assassin, I do not specialize in traps. I do know how to use various weapons. Firearms, projectile launchers, bows, crossbows, and knives. I prefer to be silent and deadly, setting up a trap has risks. I can be caught, I can be discovered, I can forget where I set it. An assassin is good when they are alive, not dead...your answer lies elsewhere."
"I suppose we have what we need then. If you say you aren't the one who set these traps around the school, then it isn't you. I can tell you aren't lying to us...trust me, out of anyone I know how to spot a liar." Celestia said happily.
"Maki...do you know who might have done this?" Jonathan asked. The brunette whirled around, turning toward the door.
"Hey wait! He asked you a question!" Carla cried out. Maki said nothing as she reached toward the door. The Ultimate Lucky Student sighed, biting her lip.
"When I was eleven years old, I was setting up for a prank. It involved some fireworks, and I had some hidden in the backyard of my house. I waited until it was late to get them, I didn't want my mom and dad to find me out. During that time, three men broke into our house. My dad was a retired Army Vet, and went down to investigate, he was shot when he stepped into the living room. My mom was killed right after. I heard the gunfire, but thought someone was popping some firecrackers. When I went inside, I walked past the living room, right past their bodies and didn't even notice them. I went to sleep, hiding the fireworks under my bed. Fifteen minutes later, the police kicked my door in thinking they were still there. It was then that I realized what had happened...that second scar...it's so I wont forget my parents...the Williamson's...the ones who finally gave me a mommy and daddy." Carla said, bowing her head slightly. Maki glanced over her shoulder a firm look on her face.
"Anastasia Katrina Klevorick, she is part of a Militia Group known as Fenrir. Due to her time with them, she gained various skills, including the skills of those men and women. She was trained to have the skills of a 100 normal soldiers. During that time, she grained the Moniker, Baba Yaga, Boogeyman...she vowed to kill the men who shot her father...men that were part of the Russian Mafia. She was discovered by the talent scout of Hope's Peak Academy, and given the title of Ultimate Mercenary...do with that information what you will." she said, and with that, the Ultimate Assassin walked out, leaving the three students in silence.
Maki Harukawa's True Talent was added to your Truth Bullets
Anastasia Katrina Klevorick's True Talent was added to your Truth Bullets
xxx
After gathering all of the information they could, Jonathan figured it was time to reconvene with the others. He had met up with Veruca, Chris and Mei-Ling, and headed towards Classroom 9-D. It was silent as they all looked around, wondering just what that hell had lead to today. Celestia had begged Carla and Jonathan to keep her secret, as she wasn't comfortable with sharing it yet. The two readily agreed, deciding to omit it from everything. He also decided personally to keep Maki and Anastasia's true talents to himself, asking the two girls to do the same. He was going to save that as a trump card in case they couldn't get any headway in the trial.
"So...that seems to be all of it. Veruca managed to amass quite a lot of details, I'm very impressed."
"I helped you know." Chris said, earning a smile from Celestia. The boy flushed, glancing away. Jonathan smirked, holding back a chuckle.
"Oh Chris, if only you knew who you are messing with. Celestia is too much for you to handle, godspeed you bastard."
"So one among is is setting traps. We gathered some of the others and managed to find two more in the Gymnasium. We were successfully able to disarm them, Dan was moments from triggering one. He would have been our fifth victim of the night." Veruca said firmly.
"This shit is fucking crazy...the way this was all set up...it must be meant for one person. However, there are others who keep getting caught in the middle. I'm sure Kirumi wasn't a target, neither was Lee." Chris said firmly.
"But we cannot discern that this wasn't random either. Someone put Antifreeze in the Gatorade bottles. I wasn't even able to find a single gallon of it, despite us searching the Laundry Room." Mei-Ling said.
"There's a trash compactor in the Kitchen, which dumps the trash into an underground incinerator. I'm certain that's where our evidence is. Regardless, Nick boxed up the bottles so we still have the Antifreeze itself." Veruca said, frowning as she looked at her notebook, her neat handwriting greeting her.
"There is one thing I don't get...why traps? Why couldn't someone just outright kill a person?" Jonathan asked.
"That's easy peasy Jo-Jo! When a hunter sets a trap on a game trail, who's the one responsible for setting it off?" Carla asked, earning a confused look from the boy.
"Uh...depends on the animal. If its a snare, then a deer, if its a counter-weight trap, then most likely a fish...why are you asking me that?"
"I think I get it...the one setting the trap off isn't the hunter, it's the prey. Those traps were set by a hunter, the victims were the prey. Kiibo set off a trap, and was crushed by a stage light. Kirumi set off a trap, and was stabbed in the chest, Lee set off a trap, his head was crushed by two weights. All of them are prey, they killed themselves." Veruca said.
"So wait...are you telling me that we're all looking around for nothing? There's no blackened because this is all classified under a suicide?" Jonathan cried, eyes wide in shock.
"It's just a theory for now...there's no rules against traps, this is something we must discuss during the trial. However there is one person responsible, the one who poisoned Himiko. Only they would have known the effects of Antifreeze, they must have been monitoring her closely in order to take advantage of her. If Himiko fell into a coma, there is no way she hung herself."
"Not just that Ruru, we still have to figure out who set these fucking traps. Especially because anyone is in danger of setting one off, last thing we need is someone else fucking dying on us!"
"Do not call me Ruru! Was the walnut earlier not enough of a lesson?" the Nut Specialist cried, causing Chris to gulp. Jonathan and Mei-Ling shared a look, but she just shrugged, just as confused as he was. The door suddenly opened, causing them all to jump. Kaikane and Tsubaki walked into the room, panting slightly from having run.
"We got...the door open. The deck in the theater, we can go in now." the Surfer said. Jonathan jumped off the teacher's desk, brushing past the twins as he headed back to the Theater. Lucy, Kaede, Rantaro, Alice, Tenko and Kokichi were still in there, most likely staying to guard the scene just in case. The Songwriter made his way up the stairs, quickly stepping into the second floor balcony.
He saw a long brown rope on the floor, which actually trailed back down the stairs and was attached to the door handle itself. He continued following the rope, stopping at the railing, glancing at the three ropes. He grabbed the two ropes, one was frayed, the other had an iron bar attached to it.
"Did you find something dear?" Veruca asked, having followed her boyfriend onto the balcony.
"Yeah...these two ropes...I think I know exactly what they were. One was attached to the stage light, and used to keep the door firmly closed, the second one held Himiko's body." he said, grabbing a hold of the bar. He tried pulling it, but was unable too, due to the weight of the light.
"I see...so this bar was attached to the floorboard. When Kiibo stepped onto it, it released this bar, which traveled through the bottom of the stage, releasing the light."
"No Jonathan, that's not right. Remember, the rope down there had a loop on it, this rope can't be the one holding the stage light. I believe this rope was used for something else." Celestia said, having arrived at the scene.
"Something else...like what exactly?" the Songwriter asked.
"A means of escape for the one who set it. Once they were here, perhaps they realized they couldn't leave. So they used this rope as a way of escape."
"That's too far of a stretch Esti, even for you." Chris said firmly.
"No it isn't...once the rope was attached to the door, you couldn't exactly risk being spotted. Especially when there are five people looking straight at the exit of the theater. They had to wait up here until the performance began. Their eyes would be on the stage, not above...so they were able to use this rope to get all the way across the theater, maybe even wait on the chandelier until the right time, when Himiko's body was hanging above the stage." Celestia said firmly.
"But is that it...is that seriously what happened? Because if it is then whoever did this is quite an incredible person. Being able to rig all of these traps and weight until the right time to escape? Jesus who is this person, Solid Snake? All they need is a cardboard box and they'd be all set!"
Escape Rope was added to your Truth Bullets
Ding Dong Ding Dong
"Ahem...I'd like to say thank you all, students and staff of Morning Hope Academy! You have given me quite the exciting afternoon, I mean the music was shit, but the murder. Oh it turned me on so fuckin hard! Well, I do hope you have reached a satisfying place in your investigating. Head on down to the First Floor Plaza and get ready for the thrilling ride of your lives! Because you are all heading back to the Class Trial Court Room/Aquarium! See you all there, don't leave me hanging around, I would be crushed if you decide not to show up. Of course I'll just stab all of you repeatedly until your heads are turned into a pile of goop. AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Jonathan swallowed hard...this was it. The end of another investigation and the beginning of another trial. He was worried he hadn't gathered all of the necessary clues. But he had to make due with what he had, what he had gathered. Himiko Yumeno, Kiibo, Kirumi Tojo, Lee R. Emerson, those four names would be forever engraved in his mind. As the names of the victims that died. All he wanted to do was raise morale for his friends, to do what he loved, and sing a few songs straight from his heart. But all he did was deliver heart break on a silver platter. He felt Veruca's hand slip into his, she gave him a firm look, a cute pout on her face. He could see the look of worry in her eyes. He gave her a smiled, turning toward the door.
"Let's find the one responsible, maybe if I ask nicely, Monokuma will let me hit the button."
End of Act 9: Drugs Never Seldom Do Any Good
Surviving Students: 33
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 (Deceased)
Calem Kurogane
Christopher Patrick Bacon
Chloe Raincomprix
Sofia Nilsson
Celestia Ludenberg
Class 79 of Hope's Peak Academy
Kirumi Tojo (Deceased)
Kaede Akamatsu
Shuichi Saihara (Deceased)
Kaito Momota
Miu Iruma
Rantaro Amami
Korekiyo Shinguji
Himiko Yumeno (Deceased)
Tenko Chabashira
Kokichi Ouma
Gonta Gokuhara (Deceased)
Kiibo (Deceased)
Maki Harukawa
Ryoma Hoshi
Tsumugi Shirogane
Angie Yonaga
A/N: Ha! You all thought Kiibo and Himiko were the only ones who were gonna die. That's now how I roll...I set out to make a standard, and goddamn it I deliver. Apologies for those who liked Kirumi or Lee, but I needed victims and they provided bodies.
You all must be wondering, why I keep killing V3 characters and not OC's...well that's because the OC's are still enigmas. Don't get me wrong, Chapter 2 will have more OC deaths. But I want to leave some OC's behind so that we can learn more about them. I didn't want to kill Lee, he still had story left. But I felt that his death was more of an accident than anything. If anyone ever wants to know more about an OC that has passed away before everything about them was learned, feel free to ask me and I'll gladly PM you their entire profile, or I may just post it at the end of the chapter. Perhaps at the Epilogue.
Well...this is the Act where various secrets are coming too light. Anastasia and Maki's true talents are revealed! Celestia reveals something rather personal about herself, but wants to keep it secret. We get to see Veruca finally crack a nut! This Act has a bit of everything!
But the question stands, who set the traps? Why were the traps set? Could they have discovered a loophole and abused it? How many people are behind all of this? Who Put the Antifreeze in the Gatorade Bottles? Do Dogs Chase Cats? None of this and more in Act 10! See you all soon, I shall await your flames and hatred with clenched ass cheeks!
Coming Soon...
Act 10: Hunters and Prey...