Yasuhiro Hagakure.
The Ultimate Clairvoyant.
One of my friends that I've been through a lot with.
Escaped a nightmarish hell with.
Bonded with.
Dead.
So, how else could I have responded besides an agonizing scream to compute the fact that one of my friends will forever remain dormant?
"Makoto!" I heard Justine yell as she ran towards my room. "Whatever is wron-AHHHHHHHHH!" Upon noticing the body as well she let out a scream too.
Then a horrible medley came from the monitors that then lead to an eerie voice.
"A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED! HEAD TO MAKOTO NAEGI'S BEDROOM"
As my nightmares return to haunt me in my life, I hear a march of urgency make its way inside to the shambles of the crime scene. As I look at the ones who enter it appears to be Fuyuhiko, Akane, Yuuko, Shitoshi, and Matsudo who all look on with a face depicted of disgust and terror, which the degrees of such emotions varying from person to person.
"You've got to be shitting me..." came a very distraught Fuyuhiko.
"What a toxic blend we've found ourselves in..." croaked Shitoshi, trying to maintain his composure.
"Damn...who could have done this?!" shouted Yuuko, unsettled by the sight before her.
"One of you guys obviously!" Monokuma shouts as he suddenly popped out of nowhere.
"What?! How dare you accuse us for your misdeeds you vile beast!" Yuuko shouts as she gets ready to combat the talking bear.
Then Monokuma looked as if he was pontificating something "My misdeeds? ..." He then began to sweat profusely and look nervous. "Oh no, you've found me out! Darn, I can't make any objections against your pursuit you're making! I'm utterly cornered now, the only thing I can do is confess the truth! " ... Just what gibberish is he spewing out now?
"So you admit that you are the one to have... killed this man?" grimaced Justine as she tries her best to remain calm but it's obvious to state that the presence of the body is getting to her.
"Oh that's what you guys are talking about," Monokuma says all nonchalant like as he remains his composure. "Sheesh warn a guy next time, I thought you found about those illicit websites I visit."
"Y-you... you lie!" Yuuko shouted with uncertainty in her gaze. "You had to have been the one with the vilest of intentions."
"Aw all that complementing is making me a beary excited bear," confided the now flustered bear.
"Even I'm not that dense or persistent enough to think that scathing remark meant anything but 'you're a despicable person,'" commented Shitoshi.
"Calm down everyone," surprisingly the voice of reason turned out to be Akane of all people. "I know this bear seems pretty suspicious but as much as I don't like to admit it, he's probably not the culprit."
"Right you are Akane!" Monokuma chimes in very happily. "I'm much more an instigator than an actual doer of things. I'm like a local drug supplier giving drugs to addicts rather than actually doing the drugs themselves. Since seeing other people take the drug I make and use it for themselves gives me a better high than any drug could give me."
"Enough with the banter, what do you want?" Matsudo says as he casts an icy glare upon Monokuma.
"Oh right, now that someone's dead we can now have a class trial and that means you're going to need to gather evidence," Monokuma explains.
"C-class trial?" Justine mouths the words in confusion not understanding what Monokuma meant. As I look around most of the newbies also look like they don't have an idea of what Monokuma is spouting.
Upon realizing his error he shouts, "Ah I knew I forgot something! It's a good thing this is only for practice or else that would have been a completely idiotic thing to do. Anyways, short version of the class trial is: you all are defending why you couldn't commit the murder and at the end of the discussion you vote who you think the killer is, blah blah blah."
"I see," mutters Justine as she begins to write on her notepad with a pen like she was back at class taking notes. "Blah blah' and 'blah." ... She didn't actually write that part down, did she?
"So is there any other reason you're here besides being an ignorance?" Shitoshi questions.
"Aw, why can't I just say hello?" Monokuma pouts but nobody buys his act. "...Fine. I'm here to give you the... wait for it... Monokuma File!" With that, he gives us each a tablet and explains what it is. "The Monokuma file is there to explain to you what happened to the victim and any details that may be important. Well go give it a look and with that, I must leave my people to need me." And with that, he leaves and we all are left in awkward silence.
However, during the silence, Matsudo begins to shuffle around looking at the room. "Well?" He says as he realizes multiple people are looking at him. "If you have time to look, you guys should find clues yourself."
"Right..." Yuuko nods slowly, still taking in the fact that someone had died. "I'll be here to guard the body, no villain will tamper with the body on my watch!"
"Attention everyone," Justine announced as she raised her hand as if she were still in school, trying to get the attention of a teacher. "If I find anything strange I'll let you all know!" With that, she left the room diligently.
"Well, I guess I'll look for any other clues that may be in the other buildings," Fuyuhiko informs the groups as he leaves. As he leaves others also go around and do their own thing. I guess I'll do the same.
Investigation Time!
Well, I guess first things first, let's have a look at the autopsy report. The autopsy report states "The victim is Yasuhiro Hagakure. The time of death is estimated to be around 12:00 a.m. The body was discovered in Makoto's Room in the dormitory. The victim died in the bedroom near the door of the bathroom. The fatal blow was a stab wound in the abdominal region. There were no other noticeable wounds found." I see, looking at the clock it's 12:27. So this at least tells me that the time of the murder was pretty close to now. I was looking for Justine alone, so that can mean that I can't confirm anyone's alibi.
Truth Bullet: Monokuma Fie 0
Okay, next I should have a look at the surroundings of my supposed room. Well looking at the walls and floor doesn't bring too much suspicion that a murder had occurred. However looking at the bed and the chair you can see slash marks on them. Also, the bed and the chair have been thrown and torn apart sporadically. It suffices to say that there has definitely been a sign of a struggle.
Truth Bullet: Sign of a Struggle
Alright. Now that I've seen the room, it's now time to... look at the body... Wait how about I talk to everyone else here? Actually, I think I'll do that before I see a body. I make my way towards to Akane, the only one I know that is still in the room. "So Akane?" I begin to ask. "Do you have any idea on what could have happened?"
Akane responds with disappoint filling her voice, "I can't say that I do, Makoto. It bothers me that the walls didn't get slashed but there's nothing that I found that's really important to point out. If I do I'll let you know okay?"
"Alright take care," I wave and I then decide to talk to Shitoshi. "Hey Shitoshi, found anything interesting?"
"Well nothing at the crime scene," he shrugs. "However there's something that bothered me."
"Huh? What is it?" I question.
Shitoshi looks as though he is reflecting, " Well when I was trying to mix drink an I got caught by Yuuko, you weren't the only one to pass by..."
"What do you mean?" I wondered aloud.
"I mean before you passed off and confronted us, I saw someone coming from where the cafeteria was a pass by Yuuko and I," Shitoshi informs me. "The person was wearing something white underneath something else but they were to fast for me to see who they were. Usually, I'd be able to tell if they were a man or a woman just by a glance but Yuuko restricting my body from moving took priority."
"I see." I nod as I contemplate what he says. So someone passed by wearing black, could they have been the murderer?
Truth Bullet: Shitoshi's Account
I then approach Yuuko and before I could say anything Yuuko blurts out "Hey Makoto, can I ask you something?"
"S-sure," I stutter due how abrupt she was.
"Do you know where Sonia went?" Yuuko questions. "She wasn't with everyone when we all headed towards your room."
"Oh, I think she went to go survey the area," I answer from what I remember before I parted ways with them.
"That's what Fuyuhiko and Akane said when I saw them last but they said that they split up and haven't seen her since," Yuko states bewildered at the predicament.
I began to look puzzled too and then I signal Akane to come over and explain. "Oh yeah that," Akane starts, "That seemed to have slipped my mind for some reason. Well, what had happened was Sonia, Fuyuhiko and I all decided to split up and look for clues for who the mastermind could be. We were all to report to the main room after our search was completed but Sonia didn't show up. We asked Yuuko and Shitoshi, who were also there at the time but they hadn't seen her either."
I see. So Sonia has been missing ever since, huh? Where could she have gone?
Truth Bullet: Missing Sonia
"I haven't seen her either," Matsudo suddenly informs us out of the blue.
"Matsudo?!" I yelp in surprise. When did he stop looking around?
"I'm done looking around here," He tells us as he continues walking. "I'm going to the kitchen to check something out." Without looking back he gives us a wave and leaves the room.
... I guess that only leaves me the option to check out the body. I then go to look at the body, shaking off any feelings of discomfort. I look at Yasuhiro and he has a knife inside his chest with blood covering his outfit... I'm sorry Yasuhiro, I couldn't save you... Then I look at the location of the knife and I see a shiny glint around the wound of the body. Besides that, I look at the knife and surprisingly it doesn't have a speck of blood on its handle. Strange.
Truth Bullet: Suspicious Stabwound
I decide to look away from Yasuhiro and when I turn my head I see wait... Is that right? I see a strand of long blond hair next to the corpse of Yasuhiro. The only one with long blond hair though is...
Truth Bullet: Long Blonde Hair
I shake my head, trying to give myself hope that I'd understand what this means. Well, with all that information I gathered. There's nothing I can gain more here. Matsudo said he was going to the kitchen... I think I understand why. I'm going to check out the kitchen myself.
Upon making my way towards the cafeteria I slip and fall.
"Ooo," Matsudo, appearing to have been near the door, looks down at me and grimaces at my pain. "Sorry, my bad... luck."
"Oh It's fine," I say as I pick myself back up. "I went here when I had a look at the body."
"I see, are you referring to the knife rack," Matsudo says and I give him a nod. "Well you can check if you don't believe me but I saw that the middle knife out of the five was missing. So it's safe to assume it's probably the murder weapon."
I see so the knife was missing huh? I take a look just to make sure Matsudo was telling the truth and It appears my suspicions were correct. The knife was missing and I'm pretty sure where it is. I really don't like how similar this case is getting to the one in the killing school life, it's making me feel uneasy.
Truth Bullet: Knife Rack
I see, I'm starting to see the puzzles fitting in place and I'm not sure I like its image. However, before I can think more of what the evidence means a distinct jingle plays and Monokuma pops on screen.
"Attention everyone, this is Monokuma telling you that time's up for searching, and the class trial will begin in post haste. And-"
CLASS
IS
IN
SESSION
"And by post haste, I mean right now!" Monokuma chortles as he laughs on a big chair. I then come to realize that I'm already at the trial grounds. I see everyone around, already gathered, ready to debate. I even see Sonia's here, more confused than anyone else. I want to point out the fact that we just suddenly arrive but I don't. "I'm beary sorry everyone but I didn't want everyone to suffer through a long boring cutscene with you guys on the elevator, so I just popped you guys right here. It's easier this way."
"Huh? What happened?" questions Sonia.
"So the trial is already starting huh?" Matsudo muttered with his eyes closed in a contemplative look.
"Alright," Justine nods but then looks confused. "Um, how does this work?'
"Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out "whodunnit" then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one... then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate!" Monkuma explains so cheerfully. "Anyways as for where to begin, how about you start with a summary over the case."
"Well even though I don't trust this bear," Shitoshi begins. "I think we'll have to trust what this bear says for now in order to find out who the killer is."
"Yeah, I have to agree," Fuyhiko nods in confirmation. "As much as I hate to admit it but the only way to not die is to play his stupid game.
"Alright then it's settled," Justine announces. "Let us all discuss what the case in order to find the culprit."
It's about to begin the debate to decide who we think the killer is... Anything I found, anything I noticed... I have to be ready to speak up about everything. Because this isn't just about me. Everyone's lives are on the line!
Nonstop Debate
Sonia: So I'm confused, what happened?
Yuuko: Allow me to explain citizen! We had found Yasuhiro Hagakure dead.
Sonia: Huh?! Yasuhiro is dead
Matsudo: ...
Justine: Yes, Yasuhiro had died, and he didn't have the chance to fight back.
Truth Bullet: Sign of a Struggle
Naegi: NO THAT'S WRONG!
BREAK!
I blurt out what felt natural and I got everyone' attention. "Justine," I begin. "Actually, there was definitely a sign of a struggle."
"Huh?! There was?!" Justine queried. "I didn't see any slash marks."
"Well if you looked at the crime scene for more than five seconds before running away, you would have," remarked Matsudo.
"Ack!" Justine shouts as though she has been seen through.
"Anyways, there's something I wanted to asks," Matsudo informs us. "Who were the ones to fight in the room?"
The ones to fight in the room that was... "Got it!" I yelled. "It was Yasuhiro and the culprit who had fought in that room."
"Right," Matsudo nods. "It'd be dumb to say anyone else had fought beside the two."
"Um pardon me for intruding," Shitoshi spoke in order to get everyone's attention. "But if they were fighting what were the two weapons. Also, follow up question: who was holding the two weapons."
Hm... This might take a bit of guess but I think I can answer his question. *Truth Bullet: Suspicious Stabwound* "I got it! So if you recall the body of Yasuhiro, he had a knife plunged into his body, however, the handle didn't appear to have a speck of blood when it should've if it actually stabbed Yasuhiro."
"Then what actually stabbed the victim?" Yuuko questions.
"Yasuhiro, if I remember right," Akane tries to recollect, "Looked as if his body was shiny near the stab wound."
"So, could the other weapon be something that glitters?" Justine proposes.
"Then who had the weapon?" Fuyuhiko asks.
Nonstop Debate
Yuuko: So we know that the weapons are a knife and a weapon that leaves sparkling residue.
Fuyuhiko: So who had which weapon?
Justine: Did the killer have the other weapon and Yasuhiro had the knife.
Akane: What if the killer had both weapons.
Akane: Or Yasuhiro had both weapons.
Matsudo: I think it might have been that the killer had the knife and Yasuhiro had the other weapon.
Truth Bullet: Shitoshi's Account
Naegi: I AGREE WITH THAT!
BREAK!
"Matsudo is right," I say. "I heard from Shitoshi that he saw someone run from the kitchen."
"Yeah that's right," Shitoshi confirmed. "I couldn't since someone was pinning me to the ground." He shots a look towards Yuuko but Yuuko looks away and whistles innocently. "But, I at least saw that the person was wearing white underneath something else.
After Shitoshi stopped talking, I began to speak once more, "I assume that the one Shitoshi saw was the real murderer since his description doesn't match up with Yasuhiro's. Then while he was in the kitchen he had grabbed the knife and had then made his to-
"Just a moment!" Justine shouts.
Rebuttal Showdown
Justine: Makoto are you 100% sure that the culprit was the one Shitoshi saw?
Justine: Yes, the Shitoshi definitely saw someone suspicious...
Justine: ...Doesn't necessarily mean that that person stole the knife.
ADVANCE!
Makoto: Huh? What do you mean?
Makoto: If the person didn't get the knife then who did?
Justine: Well... Anyone really.
Justine: There's not enough evidence to prove that the person had to have taken a kitchen knife.
Truth Sword: Knife Rack
Makoto: I'll CUT THROUGH THAT CONTRADICTION!
Break!
"Now just a moment Justine," I say as I remember what I have found. "Actually, I found in the kitchen that a knife was missing, So it's safe to assume that the knife missing was used in the murder. So it's safe to assume that whoever needed a knife, stole it from the kitchen. The exact place the person Shitoshi saw left from."
"Oh is that right?" Justine queries dejectedly. "I guess it makes more sense now for why the person could be the culprit."
"Next time look more thoroughly for clues," Matsudo remarks.
"So the person Shitoshi saw was wearing white underneath something else besides himself," Akane states. "Are...Fuyuhiko and Sonia."
"Huh?! Me?!" Sonia sputtered, "I'm not the culprit I swear!"
"Me neither!" Fuyuhiko blurts out, overlapping with Sonia talking. "I didn't do it!"
"Hey, both of you let's just calm down!" Yuuko shouts adding fuel to the fire, making it even harder to hear what everyone is saying.
(Sonia)_-_-_-_-_-_(Fuyuhiko)_-_-_-_-_-_-_(Yuuko)
"I'm not the culprit!" "I didn't do it either!" "Everyone let's just calm down!"
Mass Panic Debate
(Sonia)_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_(Fuyuhiko)_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_(Yuuko)
"I didn't kill anyone!" "Listen you, shitheads, I'm not the culprit." "Everyone calm down! This is getting too hectic"
(Matsudo)_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_(Justine)_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_(Shitoshi)
"Heh if you said you didn't didn't do it then show us proof" "That doesn't sound too convincing y'know?" "Yuuko darling I think you are just making it more difficult."
(Sonia)_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_(Akane)_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_(Yuuko)
"I've never even been in the room to commit murder!" "That's Fuyuhiko alright..." "Don't call me that..."
^_-_-_-_-_Truth Bullet: Long Blonde Hair
Naegi: I heard it!
Everyone becomes silent again when I say something, I then recited what Sonia said,"Sonia, Just now you said you never been to the room where Yasuhiro was murdered, correct?"
"Yes that's correct," She says with a nod. She looks at me with hopeful eyes, like she thought I was going to help her.
I begin to feel sorry for what I'm about to do," Sorry to say this but you definitely were in the room."
"What?!" Sonia shouted in surprise. "Makoto, I swear I don't know anything about that room. I've never been there, I swear."
"No, you had to have been there," I declared. "There was a strand of blond hair that only could belong to you!"
"I don't know anything about that!" Sonia cries." I swear! Please believe me." ... This is odd. The evidence points to her but she's definitely sticking to the same story. She also acts so sincerely about not knowing about the stand of blond hair? Is Sonia not the culprit here?
"Don't lie, Sweetie," My conscious is brought back to the trial as I hear Shitoshi speak toward Sonia. "Most people didn't see you but I did. You were hiding in the bathroom of Makoto's room." That, even though I don't have any proof, I don't think it's true. I don't want people to think Sonia's the killer because of a lie! If it's truly a lie and no truth would work, would a lie work?
Nonstop Debate
Shitoshi: I happen to look at Makoto's bathroom door and I saw the elegant princess popping her head out.
Akane: Why didn't you say this before?
Shitoshi: Obviously I didn't have enough evidence to prove I wasn't making it up but thanks to Makoto...
Sonia: I haven't been in the room at all I swear!
Shitoshi: Then why did I see you peering through the door of the bathroom during when we all were investigating.
Fuyuhiko: Was she really in the bathroom?
Shitoshi: Why else did you think we didn't find her?
Lie Bullet: Sonia Wasn't Missing (Truth Bullet: Missing Sonia)
Naegi: I'LL FIND THE TRUTH THAT LIES AHEAD!
"A-actually, I d-did find Sonia," I stuttered trying to come up with a lie on the spot. "She was in one of the rooms and we ran into each other that way."
"...!" Sonia doesn't say anything but she certainly is surprising. I'm sorry for doubting you before Sonia I don't think you were the one responsible, I hope my lie makes up for that a bit.
"Aww, so she really wasn't in the bathroom?" Shitoshi whines, kind of disappointed that his lie wasn't the truth. "I thought my bluff was actually going somewhere."
"That was a lie?!" Yuuko yells angrily. "Why would you lie about something like that?!"
"Heh, Sonia's cute when she talks," Shitoshi shrugs. "I thought she'd look even cuter if she pleads for her life." That... I hope is a lie... can't say for sure though.
"Y-you pig!" Yuuko yells. " How dare you lie for your own benefit when we're trying to find out whose the culprit."
I understand now. Lying is an effective tool in these class trials but also a dangerous one. I can use it to uncover other lies to find the truth of the matter, however, it can lead to... less than positive feedback if someone catches you. I'll have to be careful in how I use lies.
Alright, we've got Sonia declared not 100% murderer but there are so many unanswered questions. For instance; How did Sonia's hair get to my room? Why did the culprit kill Yasuhiro with the weapon that has sparkles and not the kitchen knife? Where did the weapon go? What if someone's been lying about something and I didn't notice? Most importantly though, who is the killer?! What topic should I touch upon first? I guess if I had to choose it to be-
"That's enough! I can't let you continue any longer! " Monokuma shouts abruptly. What's he doing now? "Why? Cause this is just the demo!"
"Wait, what?" were the last works I spoke before I lost consciousness once more, having my questions left unanswered.
AN: Hey everyone I know it's been a minute but I promise I wasn't dead for the most part. I was writing this chapter and one more that should be also out by the time you view this and I didn't realize how much that takes out of me. I also varried how much I worked on this everyday sometimes I had actual plans, other I didn' these chapters are out now and these should be much easier to writer from now on. I hope. Anyways comment on how you think I did on the trial and investigation part of this story, tell me where I should improve on and what I need to focus on more. I always welcome criticism as long as it's constructive.