All things considered, the notion of having to go through with something that Bankei was trying to do seemed off. She never seemed like she had everyone's best interests at heart. She made it very clear in private conversation, on their first day together, that she didn't really care about their situation that much. Hell, she actually seemed like she was interested in the social deduction process that they were currently doing for the second time.

On the other hand, chances are, she was innocent. They had already made a decent case of this before. The idea that she could both kill Sasa and frame Kimi didn't seem right at all, for the reasons they already had given. She wouldn't know about where Kimi was, and she probably wouldn't even know where Sasa was. Thus far, however, she had been more than willing to question the innocence of others, and had done so with little if any real hesitation. She did so with Kimi briefly, and did so with Hoshi with much gusto. The latter was apparently her attempt to segue into something important. With that in mind, the fact that she was not only not participating in the discussion of Haru's potential guilt, but seemed unhappy with it, caught his eye.

Could she have known something? Perhaps she had a hunch. She said earlier that she had the eyes of the Sphinx, and that she could essentially read other people. If so, maybe she figured something out already. If so, well, that idea certainly got Naoko thinking. In fact, he took a moment to ponder a detail or two about the crime that seemed off, and...well, there was one thing he remembered.

"Hey, Haru," Naoko said.

"What's up, man? You got somethin' to say, say it," Haru replied.

"Can I ask you about the mallet?"

"The mallet at the crime scene, you mean?" Haru asked.

"Yeah," Naoko replied. "It came from the equipment room, didn't it?"

"'Course it did. Where else would it have come from, the kitchen?" Haru replied. "Anyway, yeah. It's one of the tools that's usually put up on the wall in there."

"You said something interesting to me about that earlier," Yori pointed out.

"Oh yeah!" Haru said. "'Bout the hammer that was supposed to be up there! Yeah, I remember."

"I heard that too," Naoko said. "Can you explain that?"

"Well, Aside from the mallet," Haru began, "there's also a claw hammer. Pretty standard, really, but the real issue was where I found it when we were checkin' the place out. See, it's supposed to be up on the wall with most of the rest of the tools, but I found it lyin' on the workbench instead."

"What's that have to do with anything?" Ishi asked. "As far as we know, the mallet, like, saw use, but the hammer sure didn't."

"That's what it seems like, sure," Naoko said. "But maybe it was brought to the music room. Maybe the mallet was a red herring."

"A red herring?" Hoshi asked. "How so?"

"Well, maybe it was supposed to be the murder weapon, but that ended up not happening. From what we know, the fight ended with Sasa being choked with the flute, right? So what happened to the original weapon?"

"You're the one telling us," Mine pointed out. "If you have an idea, lay it out for us."

"Okay," Naoko replied. "I noticed something in the music room. It was a small indentation in the wooden floor. I don't think it was ever there before, so...maybe it was made when something hard and round hit the floor during the struggle."

"Like the head of the hammer!" Mine exclaimed energetically. "Yes! That's perfect, Naoko! So, what, you're saying that Haru brought a hammer against Sasa and a mallet against Kimi?"

"Hey!" Haru called out. "What the hell?!"

"What?" Mine replied annoyedly. "I'm just saying what we're thinking."

"That's not...entirely what I'm thinking," Naoko replied. "What I'm thinking is that the hammer was meant as a murder weapon, while the mallet was used to incapacitate Kimi. After all, the head of the mallet is made of rubber, so it'd be softer."

"Well, yeah, that makes perfect sense," Haru agreed. "Not to mention the fact that the head of the mallet is bigger, so there's more surface area. If you hit someone's head with a hammer, you could totally kill 'em."

This observation caused multiple people to look at Haru suspiciously. Haru, for his part, didn't seem like he understood why until someone said something about it.

"So, you would know what tool to use for what," Eryu summarized.

"Huh?!" Haru said. "Hang on a damn minute! Just 'cause I have common fuckin' sense doesn't mean shit!"

"The main thing this tells us is that the killer used both a hammer and a mallet," Naoko interjected. "When the killer put the hammer back, they put it in the wrong spot."

"Aha!" Haru exclaimed. "See, you guys? Naoko's makin' sense! Why the hell would I misplace my own damn equipment?!"

"Your equipment?" Mine said skeptically. "That room isn't technically yours, y'know? It's for us. I could use it if I wanted to...not sure what for, but still."

"Besides that, that doesn't prove anything," Eryu added. "You could have left it there because you were in a hurry."

Naoko was becoming increasingly concerned. He had hoped that by making the case that Haru wouldn't do what the killer did, that would put them on the right track, but it didn't work. If anything, Haru just looked worse. He was failing.

"I wouldn't misplace equipment for any reason!" Haru claimed. "Let alone would I fuckin' kill somebody!"

"I would like to believe you, Haru," Yori said. "Unfortunately, I cannot. Truth be told, we've gone over our suspects, and among them, I would say that you are the primary one."

"But why?!" Haru exclaimed. "How the hell can you say that?! Where's my, uh...Fuck! I forgot the word!"

"Motive?" Naoko suggested.

"Yes!" Haru said. "Exactly! Why would I kill Sasa and frame Kimi?"

Naoko was wondering about that himself. Could he really have a reason to do so? Thus far, the possible motive for the crime was a bit of a mystery. Then again, whoever got away with a murder would be free to go, so that could've been it. But the idea of Haru killing Sasa, just for that...Well, based on what Naoko knew, he actually had one idea for why recent events would have motivated the crime.

The problem was that it made Haru look even worse. With that in mind...he had an idea. It was risky, but he felt like he needed to do something.

"Well," Mine began, "I know why you'd frame Kimi for it. You totally hate her!"

"So what if she's a brat?" Haru defended. "It's not like I'd try to have her or any of you killed! This may be a shitty place, but I'm not gonna let you all die so I can leave!"

"What if you had another reason, then?" Eryu suggested. "Michio had more than one reason."

"I've thought about this myself," Yori said. "I believe if there were a motive, it would be tied to the Lita-22."

"You said that earlier," Eryu pointed out. "I still can't see that as very likely."

"Well, it's really messed with our emotions," Mine pointed out. "Maybe it made Haru really hate Sasa?"

"Let me clear this up," Naoko interjected.

This was it. This was his one chance to get things back on track. He was going to lie. Would he be able to get away with doing so? Would Haru even play along? Naoko didn't know, but he had to try.

"I don't think that Haru hated Sasa," Naoko said. "If anything, I think the opposite is true. I think that Haru maybe...loved Sasa."

"Wait, what?!" Kimi asked, utterly blindsided.

"Oh?" Bankei said. She didn't seem as unhappy as she appeared when Haru was simply being accused, which Naoko was quick to notice. Now, she looked intrigued. "I had hardly considered something like that much of a possibility. Then again..." She looked down, as if contemplating.

"Where did you get that idea from?" Hoshi asked. "I never noticed him acting any differently towards her."

"Well, um," Naoko stumbled, trying to figure out what to respond with, "I feel like it's more the little things that I noticed. For example, I'm sure you all remember earlier that time a couple of days ago, when I found Sasa listening to Takeshi playing for me, and I talked to Haru about it."

"Oh, yeah," Takeshi replied. "We went over that, yeah. Of course, I wasn't there when it happened, so I'm guessing you noticed something?"

"I think I did," Naoko confirmed. "Like Haru said earlier, he wasn't happy hearing that Sasa was snooping on us. If anything, it seemed like he was concerned. If he were in love with her, then I think it'd make sense that he wouldn't like hearing about her in a negative light like that."

"Well…" Haru looked back at Naoko awkwardly. He looked like he was trying to think about how to respond to that. "It's not like it's fun hearin' about a girl like her actin' all anti-social, or whatever it's called."

"I feel that way too," Mariko said. "But it's not like I was ever in love with her, or anything like that. I couldn't be unfaithful. How do we know he was like that because of love?"

"Why don't we just ask him ourselves?" Yori suggested. "Haru, is Naoko correct?"

"Uh…" Haru didn't look happy being put on the spot like that, and didn't offer up an answer right away. "I mean, I guess I kinda liked 'er, a little."

"Oh!" Ishi exclaimed in surprise. "Well, that changes everything! ...Wait, what does it change, exactly?"

"I guess if Haru's telling the truth," Kimi responded skeptically, "then I guess if he did kill because of that shit in you guys' systems, he would've killed Takeshi instead. Seriously, think about it. He could've looked at Takeshi as being in the way of his true love or some shit and killed him. I mean, that's a classic yandere maneuver right there."

"I...I don't know if he'd do that or not," Naoko replied. "Still, he didn't like them being together, I'm sure. I remember he dragged Takeshi off when Sasa tried to invite him to a board game. If he wanted to kill for love, though, chances are, he didn't do it."

"Hell yeah I didn't!" Haru agreed.

Naoko took a moment to look over at Bankei to see how she felt, as she seemed interested in where Naoko was going. Sure enough, she was looking right at him. She was even smiling.

"With all that being the case," she weighed in, "I must say that the concept of Haru killing Sasa intrigues me, especially with this idea in mind. Surely, if you had been compelled to love someone, and you decided to kill them...that would likely lead to a lot of inner turmoil. Conflicting feelings, if you will."

"Hm...I'd imagine so," Hoshi cautiously agreed. "It's perhaps a bit paradoxical? I'm not sure if that's appropriate terminology in this case, but yes, it would likely leave quite the impact. Has anyone been acting strangely, perhaps? If, keyword being if, this is the truth behind this matter, that might be the key."

Bankei smiled even wider, and Naoko had a feeling he knew exactly where her train of thought was going with it all. In fact, he remembered some things that happened not too long ago. Suddenly, his lack of assuredness in regards to his own course of action began to fade. He felt like he was really starting to piece things together. Everything needed a function, he told himself. If he could figure out all the unanswered questions from that point, he could really do it. But first, he needed to speak up again, to get the ball rolling.

"That does remind me of something," Naoko replied. "Can I ask one of you something about some things you said earlier?"

"Who are you asking, exactly?" Eryu asked.

"I guess I'd like to ask Yasuo."

Yasuo looked perturbed by this. "I'm sorry? Did I say something out of turn earlier?"

"No, I wouldn't say that," Naoko assured him. "It's just that, when I was talking to you with Yori and Haru, you said something kind of interesting."

"I'm sorry, Mister Koga, I don't remember saying anything particularly odd during that conversation."

"Oh, it wasn't odd. We were just talking, and you said that you had recently had to deal with a lot of conflicting emotions recently. Could you explain that?"

"Huh?" Yasuo's expression went blank. He seemed off-put by this. "I'm sorry, I don't remember saying that."

"Well, you did," Naoko replied. "I remember you said that."

"If I did, sir," Yasuo began, "then it would likely be due to the circumstances at hand. We spoke of the party a bit during that conversation. I was certainly conflicted by how it was going, because it wasn't doing as well as it could have, but that was very negative, so I didn't want to say anything bad about it."

"That's not exactly what I would refer to as being a source of conflicting emotions," Mareo said. "More a source of negative emotions."

"Well, Mister Hano," Yasuo responded quickly, "at the time, we were also discussing how I wished to agree with Mister Hagane's sentiments. The problem was that doing so would be negative. I was conflicted, you see."

"Really?" Yori asked. "Then it sounds like you remember that conversation quite well, actually."

"Hm." Yasuo looked like he was starting to get rather tense. "I suppose the memory came to me well enough, after all. Apologies."

"So, you weren't conflicted by Sasa's death, is what you're saying," Naoko surmised.

"I don't see why I would be," Yasuo replied. "Sasa's death was tragic, after all."

"If you happened to have been emotionally attached to her, then yes," Bankei said. "Tell me something, if you please: Was Sasa important to you?"

"I-I'm sorry, what?" Yasuo said, flinching. "Of course she was. By no means was she any more important than any of you, of course. I mean...Come now, why would I do any of this?"

"I don't know," Yori admitted. "You seem so kind that I wouldn't expect you to do something like this...but I can't ignore the possibility. Especially considering the fact that quite a few of us haven't been acting like ourselves."

"The Lita-22," Naoko said to himself. "Could that have affected Yasuo?"

"As far as I'm concerned," Eryu said, "probably. IMONO hasn't said anything, and it pointed out Kimi being a special case. I just haven't noticed him acting differently at all."

Hoshi eyed Eryu skeptically. "I believe I have."

"You have?" Eryu asked. "You should've said so earlier, then."

Hoshi sighed. "I suppose I would have, if I had given it a bit more thought. You see, I was just thinking of the topic of love, in relation to...well, you know. Something we observed about it was that one way it manifests is through...I suppose taking people's side."

"Sycophantic, is how I said it," Mareo explained. "It sounds to me that the 'love' that's caused by the Lita-22, if nothing else, leads to a sort of desire to support the target of infatuation. To help them, and stay with them. I've certainly felt that way myself, so I believe it's likely that's just a potential symptom of what's been affecting us as of late."

"And, thinking back," Naoko said, "Hoshi and Yasuo both went to comfort Sasa after Kimi snapped at her."

"Well, is there something wrong with wanting to comfort someone who's badly upset?" Yasuo asked.

"Not necessarily," Naoko replied. "Just tell us: Were you in love with her? You know, at all?"

Yasuo looked around concernedly. With the questions thrown his way, it looked as though he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"That is a very personal question," Yasuo said.

"Well, if I had to admit it, so do you, so out with it!" Haru commanded.

"Now, now, sir, please," Yasuo said in a placating manner. "Are we sure if this is even important? Eryu has stated before that he would rather we not dwell on this topic."

"That was...a while ago," Eryu said after some thought. "Times have changed. At this point, I'm letting this question slide. So, you're going to have to answer it. Sorry, Yasuo."

"W-well," Yasuo stuttered, "alright. If it's really necessary, then I'll admit that my actions at that time may have been motivated by feelings of love. However, I would say that I did my best to avoid acting on those feelings in an unhealthy manner. Does that answer your question?"

"So, what you're saying is that you loved her?" Naoko asked.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Yasuo confirmed.

This was it. Given what he already knew, that fact was odd. Waiting to bring it up was something Naoko was hesitant about, but he felt it would probably pay off to wait before unveiling it. And it'd be paying off now.

"If that's the case, you actually said something else earlier that I think is weird."

"I, um, did, Mister Koga?" Yasuo asked concernedly.

"You did," Naoko replied. "When we found her body, and you read that file you were given, you said you didn't know how to feel about it."

Yasuo began to sweat. "Oh my. I don't like where you're going with this."

"Well, I'm just saying," Naoko responded, "if you really did love her, why would you be unsure of how to feel? Wouldn't you be...heartbroken, maybe?"

"Well...I suppose I…" Yasuo looked like he was having a lot of trouble figuring out what to say. "...I don't know exactly...what I was thinking at the time, but...I…"

Quite suddenly, Haru decided to interject, slamming his fists on the table.

"Oh, come on, man!" Haru shouted. "If you're innocent, just say so!"

"W-What?!" Yasuo exclaimed in surprise. "Haru, please, do not act so aggressively! I would have an easier time explaining myself if I weren't accused of killing a young woman that I found myself attracted towards. That's not an easy thing to process, is it? But in any case, I can explain why I am innocent."

Yasuo then did something that he didn't do very often: He furrowed his eyebrows, and looked at Haru angrily.

"And, to be frank, if anything, I must say that if anyone should be put under suspicion, it should be you."

"Excuse me?!" Haru shouted.

What just happened was something that Naoko wasn't entirely expecting. Then again, this wasn't the first time Haru specifically was thrown under the bus, as it were. Luckily, with what they had, they would probably be able to argue for Haru's innocence yet again. However, it wouldn't be exactly simple, nor would it be stress-free. Naoko had the distinct feeling that things were going to get very heated, very fast.

INTERMISSION

A/N: I'll admit that this wasn't how I originally intended the chapter to play out. I wanted to make sure it was of decent length, and also ended on a good cliffhanger, and that meant a lot of stuff needed to be covered beforehand. So if the discussion at the beginning seems a bit strange, that's why. In any case, I have good news, because next chapter will show the end of the trial!