A/N: Surprise, surprise! Unlike last time, the end of this chapter will not conclude the trial. Instead, this is only the beginning. With the added complexity of this case, there's a lot of ground to cover, and oh man, have I had to write a lot already. But yeah, anyways, I'd say I did the best I could on this chapter. Writing this has been arduous, and whether or not I'll be able to escalate from here still remains to be seen.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kimi asked incredulously. "I already told you what I know! I went to the laundry room, and next thing I know, I found myself lying on the floor in the music room!"

"I know you've claimed that already," Hoshi replied. "I just have trouble believing it."

"Oh, please," Kimi retorted frustratedly. "You're a writer! You've probably gotten people to suspend their disbelief on dumber ideas!"

Hoshi looked irritated at this remark. "Kimi, this is real life, you know. And just because I'm a writer doesn't mean I can ignore the obvious signs that point towards your guilt. Specifically, the fact that you left the scene of the crime holding an instrument of murder in your hands."

"I told you I was confused! How much more do I have to repeat myself?! Ugh," Kimi groaned sickly.

"Well, Kimi," Eryu cut in, "if you can't say anything else about that, then you'll have to give us something else for us to work with."

"Like what?!" Kimi snapped back. "You're the ones accusing me! Just ask me about something else! God!"

"I have a question of my own, if that's okay," Yori said.

"What is it?" Eryu asked.

"This question isn't directed towards Kimi. It's actually directed towards Hoshi. I'm sorry, Hoshi, but I believe you referred to the mallet as being an "instrument of murder". Is that correct?"

"Yes, I did," Hoshi confirmed. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Well," Naoko replied in Yori's place, "I don't know if it's wrong, per say, but it doesn't seem very accurate."

"Why is that?" Eryu asked. "Considering the circumstances, I'd say it's an accurate use of the term."

"Sort of?" Naoko replied warily. "It's not the murder weapon, is the thing."

"Wait, it's not?" Ishi asked. "Then why are we talking about it?"

"'Cause Kimi ran outta the room with one of my mallets, that's why," Haru replied.

Naoko looked towards Yasuo. "You read the file that we were given out loud, didn't you? Can you read the last part for us again."

Yasuo smiled warmly. "Oh, certainly." He then took out his phone and began to read the file's final sentence. "Cause of death was suffocation caused by a flute found lodged in her throat."

"Wait," Mine interjected, "if that's true, then what about the mallet? What does it have to do with any of this?"

"It seems like Sasa actually was struck with it," Naoko answered. "The file doesn't say anything about it, so I'm guessing it wasn't related to the cause of death."

"That's exactly right, Naoko," Mareo replied. "There was an impact wound on Sasa's forehead. Most likely caused by the mallet."

"Impact wound? On her forehead?" Mariko asked. "Wasn't that what you guys said about Keiko?"

"It was," Naoko confirmed. "I remember Michio admitted he knocked out Keiko, then set up a delayed trap to kill her. It's kind of strange. To me it is, at least."

"Pardon me if this sounds silly, but I have an idea," Takeshi said.

"Yeah?" Eryu inquired.

"Alright, hear me out," Takeshi said casually. "Let's say the killer remembered that little trick, and did something similar."

"Wait," Mareo interjected, "you're saying Sasa was knocked out, and the killer...set up a delayed trap to choke her to death with a flute? That's...that sounds pretty silly to me."

Takeshi frowned at this. "That's not quite what I was thinking, but...eh, I figured it'd be off anyhow. Sorry about that. I'm trying, believe me, but I don't know what to tell you guys."

"Perhaps it isn't entirely the same," Yori suggested. "Let's say that Kimi was the killer, and used the mallet. She could have used the mallet to incapacitate Sasa, then use the flute to cause her to suffocate."

"So, like what Michio did, kinda?" Ishi asked absentmindedly.

"Oh, please," Kimi scoffed. "Like hell I'd want to be compared to that violent, backstabbing prick. Besides, if I did that, I'd be stealing his idea. Yours truly does not plagiarize!"

"Well, okay," Naoko began. "Now that I think about it, I'm having trouble imagining what happened was quite like what happened with Michio and Keiko."

"Are you sure, Naoko?" Eryu asked. "The signs are starting to point to the two murders being similar. Isn't that right?"

"Maybe," Naoko admitted. "Even if things were similar, though, they couldn't be exactly the same. If that were the case, then there are some things that just don't add up."

"Someone's gettin' rusty!" Haru cut in unexpectedly.

"I'm sorry, Haru?" Naoko replied, dumbfounded. "You seem really on edge."

"Of course I am!" Haru exclaimed. "You're really gonna throw away all this? Just 'cause it doesn't 'seem' right? Don't be an idiot, Naoko. I know you're better than this. You gave it your all last time, and you saved my ass from crappy accusations! With something like this, you need to give 110%. That's why I'm not lettin' you get away with sloppy work!"

Apparently, Haru had a major issue with Naoko's current train of thought. Naoko himself had a feeling that the disagreement between them came mainly from a lack of understanding. He'd have to make sure they were on the same page.

"Like hell Kimi is gonna tell the truth," Haru reasoned. "She coulda gotten the idea to knock Sasa upside the head. And like hell she'd be doin' it with her fists. So, she grabbed a mallet, and knocked Sasa out cold! That way, she could take 'er out no problem. There wouldn't even be any sorta struggle between them."

"Allow me to prove you wrong," Naoko said defiantly. "This is where things don't make sense to me. If Kimi used the mallet against Sasa like we're suggesting, then there probably wouldn't be much of a struggle. The problem is that there was."

"Right. The music room definitely showed signs of a struggle." Yori added. "In particular, a chair and music stand were knocked over. We also found Sasa's glasses in that same area, broken."

"So what?" Haru asked confusedly. "Doesn't prove Sasa put up a fight. They coulda just knocked 'em over before Sasa took that mallet to the head, y'know?"

"That's possible, yeah," Naoko admitted. "But that wouldn't explain the other wounds that were on Sasa's body."

"Other wounds?" Haru scratched his head. "I wasn't told about that!"

"Both of Sasa's arms," Mareo began, "specifically around the wrist area, had signs of bruising and scratch marks. If the murder really occurred the way we've been speculating, then those bruises shouldn't have been there on her body...I guess that means by doing so, we've wasted a lot of our precious time."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Yori responded flatly. "Perhaps it would be best if we consider other possibilities."

"What do you mean by that?" Eryu asked. "What other possibilities?"

"I'm referring to possibilities in which Kimi isn't the killer."

"Wait, really?" Ishi asked. "Is that where we're going?"

"It's what I think would be for the best," Yori replied. "If we spend all our time talking about ways in which we can assign blame to Kimi, I fear that it will lead us nowhere. And we may, in fact, die."

"But wait!" Mariko interjected. "What about the whole thing with Kimi running out of the room with a mallet? Doesn't that make it really important?"

"It is important," Yori responded. "How it ties into the murder is unclear, however. I believe that in order to understand what occurred, we need to take a step back, and consider things from a broader perspective. There are many questions that we've ignored, and have yet to be answered."

Mariko visibly deflated at this rebuttal. "Oh. I guess that makes sense." She looked to her side with an apologetic look. "Sorry, Eryu. I know you're suspicious of Kimi and everything. I tried my best, sweetie."

Eryu practically cringed at this, and resigned himself to sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn't too happy about that little aside, clearly.

"So, what, is that it?" Kimi asked almost exuberantly. "Are we done accusing me now?"

"For now, I guess we are," Naoko shrugged.

Kimi practically cackled with glee at this. "Finally! God, that took way longer than it needed to."

"Wait. Wait a minute," Eryu said annoyedly, "not so fast."

Kimi let out what sounded like a cross between an annoyed sigh and a scream at this. This was followed by her slamming her fists on the table in front of her, the pain of the act making her swear. "Fuck! Argh! Seriously, man?!"

"I'm sorry, Kimi," Eryu apologized. "I just have one more question I'll be asking everyone before we move on from this."

"You have an inquiry to make? Now? Are you sure you shouldn't have asked it earlier?" Mareo asked.

"...Maybe I should've," Eryu admitted hesitantly. "I may as well ask it now, though."

"Okay," Naoko replied. "What is it?"

"It has to do with what Kimi has been claiming. All of our suspicions of her are based on her being at the scene of the crime. She says she doesn't remember going there, and that she has a gap in her memory. How do you explain that?"

"Ah, I remember Kimi saying just that," Hoshi replied.

"Of course you remember that. She brought it up just a few minutes ago," Mareo pointed out.

"Eh-heh," Bankei laughed. "It's good to see you've both been paying attention. As have I. Unfortunately, I myself have yet to determine the meaning of such a claim."

"Well, that's perfectly understandable," Yasuo said. "Perhaps mister Koga can shed some light on this? He's proven himself to be quite reliable, I'd say."

"Yes," Bankei replied, no longer looking amused, "he certainly has shown himself to have a way to control our point of view via his own reasoning." A small smile returned to her face. "Perhaps a...certain someone could learn from him."

Naoko looked over to see that Eryu was directing his gaze away from her in apparent disgust. Mariko was also displeased.

He couldn't be distracted, though. This was something that he felt he had to do. If he didn't, whether or not they'd be able to explore any other possibilities was up in the air. He focused his thoughts on whatever seemed like the best explanation, and once he had it, all he had to do was back it up.

"Mareo?" Naoko turned to face him. "You have some decent medical knowledge, from what I've heard."

"I would say I've picked up some interesting bits of knowledge in my time, so, yes," Mareo replied. "I'm also you guys's doctor, so…"

"Right. Can I ask you something?"

"I have no problem with that, sure," Mareo replied.

"What are the side effects of a concussion?"

Mareo definitely seemed intrigued by this question. "Oh! I see what you're getting at. Right. I know about this, yes. A concussion can lead to a lack of consciousness, as well as memory loss, and a variety of other symptoms as well." Mareo began to count off his hands. "Dizziness, nausea, clumsy movements, all sorts of things."

"You said memory loss, right?" Takeshi asked. "Well, I guess that'd answer the question."

"Not bad, Android Boy," Kimi said, half-sarcastically. "So you know a lot about concussions, huh?"

"I'm assuming you're implying I get concussions on a regular basis," Mareo replied, casually pointing at Kimi.

Kimi smirked. "Something like that, just with words people actually use."

Mareo gave her an unamused look and crossed his arms. "That's not very funny."

"So," Mariko began, "Kimi has a concussion? As in, right now?"

"Eh," Kimi shrugged. "Probably. I gotta say, I haven't been feeling very good. My head is pounding, and I feel like I'm gonna be sick."

"Wait, really?" Mariko asked worriedly. "You've been acting so...normal."

Kimi looked borderline offended. "Of course I have. What the hell am I supposed to do? Moan in agony? In front of all of you? Good god."

"Hang on a minute," Eryu interrupted her. "You can't just claim that you've been feeling like that after Mareo listed a few symptoms. For all we know, you could be making that up!"

"Oh, yeah!" Mariko responded enthusiastically. "He's right! Kimi, were you really lying to me? You can't just do that!"

"Tch," Kimi uttered, disgusted. "I wasn't lying, for god's sake. So shut up, you completely irregular landwhale!"

This latest wave of verbal lashing elicited a sharp gasp from Mariko. "Wh-what?! You c-can't say that!"

"But I just fucking did, so get off my back!" Kimi yelled, before suddenly winding down. Her expression contorted to a sickly look, and she groaned softly.

"Alright, everyone," Yasuo spoke up, looking like he was trying not to seem worried, "let's maintain some level of calm. Clearly, we have a disagreement, but I'm sure it can be worked through."

"Well, how are we supposed to prove that Kimi isn't lying?" Hoshi asked.

"You raise an intriguing question," Yasuo admitted with a hint of distastefulness. "I suppose such a thing would be hard to prove."

"I disagree," Yori countered. "We can answer that question if we look at things from a different perspective."

Yori's claims intrigued Naoko, and he gave it some thought, and realized that she was right. "Before Mareo listed those symptoms, I remember some things about Kimi that I think could help her case."

"I remember her sayin' somethin' about a jackhammer, I think," Haru commented. "Is that what you're gettin' at?"

"Right," Naoko replied. "She said she remembers being on the floor in a daze, and that her head was throbbing. When she said that, we hadn't even brought up the idea of a concussion."

"That's what she said, sure," Eryu admitted, "but that doesn't cover, say, the whole 'nausea' thing. Not to mention the fact that she's only been saying that, not showing it."

"I'm pretty sure I just heard her groaning," Takeshi pointed out.

"Because I did," Kimi snapped back.

"That was after we started talking about this," Eryu rebutted. "That's not good enough."

"Well, what about how she's been acting before the topic of concussions came up?" Yori suggested.

"That's right!" Naoko said, memories from before and during the trial playing back in his head. "I remember when I found Kimi. Some of her movements seemed a little clumsy, and she didn't look well. She told me afterwards about how she was in a daze, and felt like throwing up."

"Ah, really?" Ishi asked concernedly. "Man, that would've been, like, nasty."

"As I said," Kimi responded, "I've been kinda feeling like throwing up for a while now. Hearing you use the word 'like' like that ain't helping it."

"Okay, rude," Mareo muttered.

"Right, you mentioned that earlier. Love-related talk 'added to' your urge to puke," Naoko recapped.

"Okay, well," Eryu admitted, "with this in mind, I guess it's possible she'd gotten a concussion, and isn't faking her symptoms. But I have to ask: Where'd the concussion come from?"

"If I had to guess," Naoko replied, "it was probably given to her by someone intending to frame her by leaving her at the scene."

"So, she was probably attacked in the laundry room, when her back was turned," Yori surmised.

"Whoever did so was the real killer, then?" Yasuo asked. "Is that where this is leading us?"

"It seems like that's what happened, yeah," Naoko replied.

"If she isn't the killer, then that would certainly make sense," Yasuo agreed. "Still, if she was rendered unconscious, how did the killer do it?"

"If I had to guess," Takeshi began, "it was with the mallet. If Sasa was hit on the head with the mallet, I don't see why Kimi couldn't have been, too."

"Makes sense to me," Haru shrugged.

"Eh-heh. Wonderful work, Takeshi," Bankei complimented him. "You've tied this all together nicely with that little theory...Though, I can imagine Naoko and Yori had similar thoughts already. Speaking of, however, would you two mind if I suggest some questions for us to answer together?"

"I, um," Eryu responded, "I don't know how I feel about that idea."

"Oh, come now, Eryu," Bankei politely supplicated. "At least let the other members of your little triumvirate give their thoughts before dismissing me. They are on equal footing as you, authority-wise, are they not?"

"Well…" Eryu paused, looking a bit concerned by this questioning. "I would say that they are."

"You would say?" Bankei asked curiously. "I suppose I can take that as a yes, so long as you're not speaking indecisively. Naoko, Yori, your thoughts?"

"That would depend on whatever question you want us to answer," Yori answered cautiously. "As I said before, there are questions I'm interested in addressing."

"To be honest...yeah, I agree completely." Naoko didn't need any sort of internal bias to agree that there were some things he had been noticing that they'd need to touch on. But with Bankei at the helm, all bets were off.

Bankei smiled. "Well, don't worry about that. I have some great questions in mind. So, Hoshi, why don't you join me?" Her voice then took on a strange, incredibly smooth tone. "We can solve this little mystery together."

INTERMISSION