Chapter 3: In shining lights (A)
(OST Tracks come from Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Credit belongs to the game)
(DAWN/Akiko) Now all attention was on me. How was I gonna explain this? I need to explain what good knowing what went on in Room 3-1... "It could... probably be that..." I tried to say. All the bravado I had a moment prior left my body and now I was a sputtering mess. If I didn't form a coherent sentence soon I'll just look like a fool.
"Akiko." A voice that hadn't said anything since this trial began, addressed me. Atsushi. "I believe the reason you believe it's so important because it gives us an insight on what caused her injuries. Both the fatal and minor."
"Uh, yeah." I replied, dumbfounded at how seamlessly he pulled it off.
"Still not really getting the urgency of it all." Ikazuchi sighed.
"Well, if you remember anything from the Monokuma File, it left out one major piece of information. Does everyone get what I'm saying yet?" Atsushi asked calmly, his expression not changing slightly.
"You're referring to the murder weapon, correct?" Makoto inquired.
"Precisely." Atsushi confirmed with a bit of gusto. "Knowing that the attack started in the classroom then progressed itself into other areas, we can form assumptions. From those assumptions come the truth."
Juku seemed relieved at what Atsushi said. "For a some time, I thought you were a retarded nut. But as it turns out you're pretty smart!"
"You should really mind your tongue! You could say something really offensive!" Destiny retaliated.
"With that confusion out of the way, let's start getting further into this mess." Akihiro spoke up. "Just as Atsushi said, we can now easily explain the rest of these events. First, we know now that she was attacked in the classroom 3-1. I can also safely say that the murder weapon wasn't what had been laying on the ground by the body-"
(TURBULENT) "-What?" Shin asked.
"What stabbed her couldn't have been the knife. I imagine it was placed there as a diversion." Akihiro explained.
"That's impossible." Shin immediately argued. "It was the knife. I just know it was."
"How can you be so sure?" Akihiro retaliated. At this rate, they'd get nowhere.
"It's because I analyzed the scene myself...!" Shin shouted. "The knife matches the wounds on the victim's body!"
"What if I told you, I found something that fits smoother with the wound?" Akihiro insisted.
"As I keep saying, the weapon was the knife." Shin explained. "By measuring the knife and the number of wounds on her torso I was able to deduce that the knife was used to cause injury."
"Can anyone support this idea? Did someone examine it alongside you for example?" Akihiro inquired.
"Yes, Akiko did." Shin responded swiftly.
"It's true. We examined the knife together, and it's entirely possible the killer used that knife." I said.
(ODD) "Well, it seems you both got duped." Akihiro suddenly stated.
"What...!?" I asked in shock. Shin seemed to share the same level of shock but didn't say anything.
"But before I continue, can anyone tell me where this hunting knife came from? More specifically, had anyone seen it prior? Or something similar?" Akihiro asked. I don't know what he's playing at but he seemed confident in his ideas.
"Um... Should I know where this came from?" Hiroaki asked to no one in particular.
"I'm pretty sure we should but... nothing comes to mind." Hotaru answered.
"I think it came from the survival kit Monokuma gave us." Miyako said. "Of course, I'm just guessing... um..."
"You guessed correctly Miyako." Akihiro explained. "This knife's true origin is from someone's survival kit. Now the question is, who did it belong to?"
I took a second to think about who the knife belonged to. I then remembered something before we discovered Akemi's body. "It must've been Akemi's knife." I finally spoke up. "I remember when Destiny, Makoto, and I went looking for her. In her room the survival kit had been opened and the knife was missing. So if everything matches up with what we found at the crime scene then that knife came from her case."
"Very good." Akihiro commended me, but I wasn't sure if it was because I explained it properly or answered a question of his. Either way, he was moderately impressed. "Now then, the knife must have come from her kit."
"But why her kit?"Izanagi asked. "More importantly, how is it relevant to this mystery?"
Ikazuchi shrugged and said without thinking. "Maybe the killer just put it there to confuse us?"
"Exactly!" Akihiro answered. "The killer tried to fool us all by using a false weapon!"Could that really be what happened? I'm not sure of anything right now...!
"Okay, then what was the weapon that she was stabbed with?" Shin asked, not convinced of Akihiro's reasoning.
"Fine. It's up to me to explain everything then." Akihiro sighed. "It was simply used as a diversion. Whilst everyone else was distracted on that weapon, the initial weapon was disposed of. So none of us could find it even if we wanted to."
"... That doesn't sound right." I interjected. That only seemed to anger Akihiro.
"What did you just say!?" He exclaimed. "There is no way I'm wrong!" No, I'm sure there's a way he's wrong. In fact, we said it before.
(-BREAK-) "There's no doubt in my mind that the attacker used that weapon as a decoy!" Akihiro declared.
"How can you be so sure?" Chou asked.
"Simple intuition." He said. "That's all it takes."
"Do you have any evidence for that?" Shin asked.
"That's impossible."
"How would you know either way, then?" Shin went on.
"As I said before, it's my intuition. I'm positive there's no evidence to prove anything! That's why my intuition has to be relied on!"
"Technically, that's wrong." I interjected.
(SOLAR) "I do agree that there isn't any evidence to suggest the knife was used. However, there's none to say it wasn't." I said. "But if you listened to Shin earlier then you would've realized that the knife matches her wounds. Plus there was blood covering the knife. It's hard to argue anything else based on those assumptions."
"How can you trust him, though?" Akihiro asked, with a bit of annoyance.
"Because of my talent. My artist capabilities include sculpting and scaling, which is why I was able to accurately measure the wounds." Shin elaborated. "I'm neither a detective nor anything like that. Things like that come with the territory."
"I-I see..." Akihiro stuttered, for the first time. "I may have... acted rashly..."
"T-that's incredible...!" Miyako gasped. "Not only did Shin just confirm the knife, but also managing to shut up Akihiro..."
"Stop that."
"So, in short, you're saying she was attacked with the hunting knife?" Makoto asked, wanting to keep the debate on the proper track. Shin gave a confirmation by using a nod and a grunt. "While that is plausible considering the circumstances, what was used to cause her head injury? That should be our next question."
"Well," Rei began. "I think it was something in the art room. It's a bit of a logical lea, but my reasoning makes sense."
"So, what is your reasoning?" Hotaru inquired.
"First, I noticed that she had been attacked with something made of some sort of stone. When it smashed, it caused a dust cloud as it made impact with her head. Which is why a powdery layer is potent on her hair. Which also explains her injury."
"What WAS the object? Quit rambling and get on with it!" Juku demanded.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't divulge further since the timer was up by the time I discovered that. Does anyone else know?" Rei asked. "It would've had to have been in the room at the time. Convenient access for the killer, and strong enough to silence Akemi permanently."
"Silence?" Atsushi asked, more with intrigue like he knew something rather than genuine curiosity.
Something in the room at the time. If I remember correctly... "Could it have been... the marble Monokuma statues?"
"I was thinking the same thing." Rei replied. "I remember seeing them and not even marking them as noteworthy. They just seemed so trivial at the time..."
"Well, I don't blame you for that. There was a much larger elephant in the room..." Ikazuchi stated.
"What about the pillars these alleged statues had been standing on? Couldn't that have been what hurt her?" Izanagi questioned.
"I don't think it's too possible..." Ryota interrupted. "I remember, Shin asked me to help him carry those pillars every time he had to move them. They were exceptionally heavy, even with the two of us."
"Besides, it would've left too huge an injury if they used the pillar. Those things are exceptionally thick." Destiny pointed out. "It might've even taken her head clean off!"
"Also, as evidence to further Rei's thinking..." Shin spoke up. "I noticed that one of those statues was missing from the last time I was there."
"Why didn't you mention it during the investigation, then?" I asked.
"Like Rei said, it seemed trivial at the time." The artist stated.
"Hmm, how convenient." Ikazuchi stated. "You, an artist, leaving out such 'minor' details can only mean one thing... You're probably the killer!"
(TURBULENT) "Hmph. I've got nothing to hide." Shin said, crossing his arms defiantly. "I'm not the killer."
"Now that he mentions it..." Miyako said, "I'm positive I saw you enter the main building after her."
"That is true, but remember what you told me." I replied to Miyako. "You said that you also saw Atsushi and Ikazuchi enter the building. Not only that, but Hiroaki told you Destiny and Rei were also in the building. So if we're going to be going based on that assumption, then all five of them are suspicious!"
"I-I personally think it was Atsushi! The guy's totally weird anyway! Plus he's been super quiet during all of this!" Juku declared.
"I wouldn't call myself weird." Atsushi retorted. "But if you're going on suspicious behavior, Hiroaki is honestly suspicious. He's been even quieter than I have and he's been supplying some shady info."
"I-it wasn't me...!" Hiroaki stated. "Ikazuchi looks like the most suspicious guy to me... he started all this...!"
"I still think it was Shin..." Ikazuchi declared. "Besides, I don't want to die because of indecisiveness."
"Upupupu~. You guys are turning on each other. How delectable!" Monokuma taunted. I honestly forgot he was even in the room. "But remember, you have to decide on one person unanimously!"
"Actually, I don't remember that rule..." Chou stated. I almost forgot she was here too.
(DAWN) "Everyone just calm down." Makoto stated, absolutely calm and collected with the situation unfolding. "If we start passing blame onto one another, then we'll never find the culprit. We need to remain calm and work towards a solution."
"Makoto's right..." Ryota added. "We just need to stay calm and think. We'll just be playing right into Monokuma's hands- er... paws." They're right. Even in this situation right now, we have to remain calm. I just need to think through all the chaos and decide what to do.
(-HEAT UP-) "Well, we can calm down all we like..." Ikazuchi said. "But one of you is the killer."
"What makes you so sure it could be us?" Shin asked.
"I never saw Akemi when I went to the school building." The electrician stated.
"I didn't even go near the main building at all!" Hiroaki exclaimed.
"How did you know they went?" Akihiro inquired.
"Easy, we told him where we were going." Destiny pointed out.
"Besides, Miyako could be lying. None of us could've gone at all for that matter!" Ikazuchi insisted.
"No that's wrong!" I shouted.
(FUTURE) "Actually Ikazuchi, I know for a fact you went to the main building." I elaborated. "It's real easy cuz you told me."
"I did...?" He asked in shock.
"Yes. Remember, you'd been searching for something inside the building." I told him.
"Actually, I never said where I was looking for them... but yeah. I was searching the main building..." Ikazuchi admitted.
"Wait, then why were you trying to deny it earlier?"Juku asked with irritation. He balled his hand into a fist and shook it to emphasize his anger. "What kinda fucked up game you playing at!?"
"J-just take it easy m-man..." Ikazuchi said, trying to pacify the enraged Juku. "I'm just... not the killer... okay?"
(DAWN) "Whatever. Right now, what's bothering me most is the fact that both Shin and Atsushi still haven't spoken their alibis." Makoto pointed out. "So, what were you up to?"
"Fine I'll tell you. I was holed up in the art room for a majority of my time." Shin explained. "However, I had no part in the actress's murder. In fact, I most likely left mere moments before she died. Though I did see you Ikazuchi."
"Stop being inconsistent and tell us the first time!" Akihiro shouted, a vein practically bulging from his forehead.
"I went to the library. Didn't find anything good in there." Atsushi responded swiftly. Boy, those two don't waste any time. That makes things go by more smoothly, I guess...
"...So, what do we do now?" Hotaru asked. "Personally, I'm all out of ideas..." She crossed her arms and sighed in defeat.
"Wait a sec, you're just giving up?" Destiny asked, shocked by her actions.
"No. I'm just stumped... get it? Because trees..." Hotaru said, while attempting to hide a chuckle.
"God damn it..." Ryota muttered under his breath. "Looks like we got a real comedian in the house tonight people..."
"Honestly, is now a time for stupid word play?" Izanagi asked her. Hotaru and stupid jokes.
"Cut the crap, we're trying to solve a mystery here. Lest, you want to die with the rest of us?" Akihiro replied, now taking no bullshit from anyone. Something to talk about though to get the conversation rolling again. Damn it Hotaru, you and your stupid- wait.
"I got it!" I shouted at a Eureka moment as my mind suddenly clicked to pieces together. "Hotaru, you're a genius!"
"I...am?" She asked me, tilting her head in confusion.
"Remember what you told me."
I went to find Hotaru, who had been standing in the hallway away from the crime scene.
"Hotaru, what are you doing?" Akiko said.
"Oh, I don't want to get in anyone's way. So I'm just standing here." In other words, she was being lazy. "I'm not good with this stuff anyway."
"Okay. Did you know Akemi had a rose in her hand?"
"A rose you say..." Hotaru gave a moment to contemplate it. "Actually..."
"What? You know something?" I asked her.
"Earlier today I had left my room door unlocked when I went to lunch break with everyone. When I returned, my door had been opened widely and one of the flowers I brought with me went missing. A Carola to be precise." Now that I think about it, the flower in Akemi's hand did look like a Carola rose.
"You told me someone went into your room and stole the rose. All because you left the door unlocked so someone went in and stole it." I elaborated.
"Oh yeah. That." Hotaru muttered, blushing at her actions most likely.
"Why?" Hiroaki asked. "It seems pointless for someone to take some flower without reason..."
"Carola Roses actually symbolize love in a sense." Hotaru explained. "You give someone a bouquet to show how much you care for them. The red shows how passionate your love is for one another... that's what people tell me at least." Once again: lazy.
"So... the killer lured Akemi out, then." Chou inferred. "After all, the rose and the note seem like she was lured out by someone lying to her about romantic pursuits."
"Yeah, that makes sense...!" Ryota commented.
"So then... she was attacked in Class 3-3 after heading there at 6:30. It all makes sense!"
(-HEAT UP-) Chou seemed exuberant about her findings. "Akemi was lured out, that's when the killer attacked!"
"Afterwards..." Ikazuchi tried finishing the thought. "The killer probably dragged her body to the art room."
"Not only that, she was taken by complete surprise in the room." Chou added.
"How could you know all of that anyway?" Shin asked.
"That's easy! I'm totally guessing! Like anyone saw her except the killer?"
"Just... just stop..." I sighed.
(SOLAR) "You guys are getting too wild. Plus you totally forgot, Miyako saw her before anyone else went into the school." I went on, practically droning at this point but why bore you?
"Wait, really...?" Chou said. "I guess I lost it when you guys were arguing..."
"She's right... I remember seeing Akemi around... 6 sharp?"
"Is that a question?" Makoto asked.
"N-No, I'm positive I saw her!" Miyako declared through her stammering.
"But, why at six then?" Izanagi inquired. "If she got the note for 6:30 it doesn't make much sense..."
Damn... he's got a point. If she got the note to meet at 6:30, then why would she show up at six? Maybe Miyako was lying. Or maybe the note has nothing to do with this? Crap, I don't know anything!
(DAWN) Rei spoke up to offer a new perspective. "Are we... looking at this the wrong way?" Huh? What'd she mean by that? "What I mean is that maybe we're looking at this wrong. Like who attacked who." Wait, seriously?
"Are you implying she did that to herself?" Akihiro questioned.
"No, not that. There's no doubt in my mind the killer is still alive." Rei stated. "But maybe, just maybe, we're viewing this from only one perspective. We might need to consider a few... undesirable possibilities."
"What are you saying...?" Ryota asked.
Atsushi sighed in irritation. "Obviously she's saying that maybe instead of Akemi being a victim, we should be viewing her as a culprit."
"A-A culprit!?" I stammered out. "Are you saying she'd just kill someone!?"
"Yeah, I mean... that girl was a few screws loose. So it's hard for me to just imagine an idea like that fitting into a head space like hers..." Juku agreed with me.
"Look, I know you don't want to consider the possibility since you were close." Rei replied. "But there's some things about her actions that seem off. And if you forgot, she's the Ultimate Actress. So she could've been fooling you the whole time." I was dumbfounded. No sound could escape my mouth as I heard something that could only be referred to as blasphemy. I hadn't even considered that Akemi could've been lying to me. I was too trusting of her if she was. I stared at her sign in shock and just continued to be absolutely lost. Unbelievable... "I could be wrong, in fact I hope I'm wrong, but maybe she wrote the note. And it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume she broke into Hotaru's room as well to steal a rose."
"Why go through all the trouble? It doesn't make much sense..." Hiroaki said.
"Roses are signs of love and passion, as Hotaru said earlier. So it isn't entirely out of logic to assume that she could send the note as the guise of a love note." Shin explained.
"So you're saying that she sent a note of passion to a hot blooded individual. However, it was just a ruse to get the target to lower their guard so she could kill them?" Izanagi reiterated. "I will admit, it's ingenious that someone managed to pull that off. But who'd be dumb enough to fall for that?"
"I didn't even know that she did that..." Ikazuchi stated. "To think, I was in the same building as a devious killer...!"
"But, it had to be one of the guys in the building." Destiny suggested. "Rei and I were in the building, but we were together the whole time! Besides, I doubt she'd swing that way with a girl..."
"So, Shin? Atsushi? You're alibis don't hold up." Miyako suggested.
"I never received that note." Shin stated. "Besides, even if I did, women don't interest me." Wait, does that mean he's...? I know I should say something here but I'm still recovering from what they suggested.
"It wasn't me. I was on the second floor. And the crime definitely took place on the third floor." Atsushi said. "Now, does anyone know why?"
I had to force myself to reply to his question. "It was the state of the classroom, the blood streaks in the hall and finally the mess in the art room. Those are all places on the third floor..."
"But, that can't be. Someone had to do it if it wasn't suicide!" Chou exclaimed. "Gah, my head is starting to spin!"
"Actually, it seems convoluted but if we keep at it I'm sure you'll understand." Rei encouraged us. Keep at what? Is there even anything left to talk about?
(-BREAK-) "Is there even anything left?" Ikazuchi asked.
"Well, there has to be something we're missing." Rei said. "Maybe if someone saw anything. Or perhaps we left something out."
"Is it possible we forgot to explain the methods? Or what Akemi was even thinking..." Shin suggested.
"Methods?" Destiny asked.
"What went down precisely. Like how she became the victim. What her plan of attack was. These are the questions we need to be answering." Shin replied.
"How are we supposed to know what the hell to ask?" Juku asked.
"M-maybe... the weapons?" Hiroaki asked.
"What good'll those do?" Ryota asked.
"Well, like Rei and Shin said... it'll help us find out what happened."
"That must be it!" I shouted, acknowledging Hiroaki's statement.
(FUTURE) "Hiroaki's right. In order to solve this final mystery lies within the murder weapons." I explained.
"How so?" Makoto asked.
"Well, there were three objects used to wound her. The knife, the Monokuma statue, and the metal pole in the classroom."
"So someone finally acknowledges it." Atsushi sighed. "Honestly, I was worried no one was gonna say it. In fact, it's crucial to solving the case."
"It is?" Miyako asked.
"Then why didn't you say anything before...!?" Juku growled.
"Because no one would understand if I just gave you the answer." Atsushi stated. "We had to do this in a precise way, otherwise accepting the truth may have proven impossible." My attention now shot to Atsushi. Had he solved everything already? Or at least had a good idea of what happened? He's saying we had to do this in a precise way... did he know we what all of us were going to say and do? Atsushi Tamuki, just who are you?
"So you're implying you knew everything from the start!?" Destiny inquired.
"Not everything. I just had a couple guesses. However, I think I've just about got it." Atsushi replied. He adjusted his glasses and they gave off a bit of a glare to them. So he just needs a little more? Fine then, we just have to keep thinking!
(-HOPE VS DESPAIR-) "I'm almost to a conclusion. Then the mystery can finally end." Atsushi declared.
"How are you so confident? What exactly do you know?" Ryota asked.
"As I said before, I'm not entirely sure just yet. But what I do know is what Akemi was assaulted with first." Atsushi stated.
"But wait a sec, wasn't she attacked with the knife first? That's how she got her stab wound!"
"No, that's wrong!" I cried, suddenly realizing what Atsushi meant.
(SOLAR) "The metal pole!" I declared.
"The... what?" Ikazuchi asked.
"In Class 3-1, there was a pole on the ground missing some paint. Some of the paint comes off the second it comes into contact with another surface. Akemi had some of that paint on her boot right where she suffered that ankle wound!"
"So that's how she got it." Destiny said in relief. "I was wondering that a while ago..." She tried to laugh it off and play it cool. We did the best thing we could do and ignored her.
"So, you're saying the killer used that pole to swing at Akemi's ankle to keep her from moving. Then when she couldn't escape, used the knife to finish the job in a non messy way?" Izanagi pondered aloud. "My question is how they managed to get the pole there."
"I think that's just secondary stuff." Rei responded. "Whether Akemi brought it herself with intent of beating her target to death or if the attacker brought it as self defense we won't know. What we do know is what happened."
"Actually, there is one way." Atsushi said. "Though you wouldn't have seen it with all the blood on her hands."
"So she had the paint on her hands the whole time and it was just under a coat of blood..." Shin said. "Interesting."
"Precisely old chap!" Atsushi said in a mock tone of what I only can assume to be Akemi's British accent. I wasn't too comfortable with that but I decided against an interjection. "She was holding the pole. Then, after she was stabbed in the hall, she crawled the best she could and wound up in the art room. There she dislodged the knife and tried to stop the bleeding. However, the killer had noticed this as he finished disposing of the evidence and finished the job using the Monokuma Statue. All to keep his identity a secret.
"Wait.. he?" Miyako asked. "The killer's a boy?"
"Not just any boy, one in particular. I know you know Akiko. The culprit is the owner of something in the classroom." Atsushi directed attention on me.
(TROPICAL DESPAIR) I... know? I know the killer's identity? He's talking about the dirty gloves... I know that fact. My heart began to pound as it dawned on me who the culprit really was. All this time they've been deceiving us to protect themselves but now their name couldn't be any clearer if you tried. "It was... you, Ikazuchi?"
(ODD) Ikazuchi seemed shocked. "Me!? The killer!?"
"It does make sense. He does fit all the consistencies with the killer so far." Hotaru said. "To think the fruition of my talents to be used for such...such...!"
"Despair?" Monokuma suggested.
"Yes that!" The botanist exclaimed.
"Now wait just a-"
"I can't believe it! Why would you?" Accusations like that were coming from everyone else.
"NOW WAIT JUST A FUCKING SECOND!" Ikazuchi snapped. "Do you honestly think I could kill her!? You're nothing more than dumb sheep if don't think otherwise!"
"Well..." Rei said. "You're behavior up til now definitely counts as suspicious."
"Wha-!? Ms. Naoko!" Ikazuchi seemed devasted.
"First, you forget all about the lesson we had planned. Then ever since the trial started you've been passing the blame like wild fire."
"N-no! You don't get it!" Ikazuchi said. He was building a defensive rebuttal against all claims thrown at him. I knew the evidence that would incriminate him and finally put this case to rest. I wasn't doing this out of vengeance. I was steamed at the fact Akemi was gone, but I just wanted the truth now... the hope and despair of this decision.
(Panic Talk Action) Ikazuchi suddenly scoffed. "Heh. Like you have proof to incriminate me. No one wants to hear your bogus theories, y'know! You're dumber than dumb if you honestly believe I could kill anyone."
"Actually, there's one thing that convinces me for certain." I refuted. "It's not just some dumb theory."
"What...!?" His facade seemed to be cracking. He was now starting to allow his emotions to seep through into his argument. I just needed to play that to my advantage. For him to slip up.
(HYPER PTA) "Honestly, I've got no clue what you're saying! It's all bullshit theories! You're dumber than dumb if you think that's sufficient evidence against me!"
"The evidence I have is-"
(HYPER ULTRA PTA) "ENOUGH!" He snapped once more. This was my chance. "YOU'RE BRAIN DEAD! YOU KEEP THINKING I DID THIS SHIT BUT YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER FUCKING THING COMING IF YOU THINK I DID THAT! WHAT ABOUT AKEMI!? I BET SHE KILLED HERSELF! SHE WAS SO FAR OFF THE DEEP END IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THAT'D SHE'D OFF HERSELF! YOU'VE GOT NO PROOF!" My chance.
"Your gloves!" I declared boldly. His entire facade fell apart as that one fact put the final nail in the coffin. Terror and shock was expressed deeply across his face.
(SOLAR) "You told me you were wearing your spare gloves? But why say that I wonder..."
"Gah-!" He choked.
"Then the gloves in the trash bin are his main pair..." Miyako said. "Meaning he used the pole too..."
"Ikazuchi is this true?" Makoto demanded an answer. Ikazuchi couldn't form any comprehensible sentences.
"Please. Allow me." I said. Everything finally becoming clear.
(-CLIMAX RETURN-) "This case begins all the way back to the victim, Akemi Hanako, when she snuck into Hotaru's room to steal a rose. Roses are typically used to convey passionate emotions to another person. She then created a vague note telling her initial target, which would eventually become her killer, to meet in the main school building at 6:30. This was all an attempt to draw out the target in hopes she could murder them. She then proceeded to take a metal pole, most likely from the Campus store, and the hunting knife most likely as a back up weapon and went up early nearly undetected to get into position. Miyako however, was able to watch her from a distance, but nothing more. Shortly after, her target arrived in Class 3-1. That's when her attack began. Although the details pertaining to what happened here seem undecipherable it seemed Akemi was disarmed of both her weapons. Akemi did the only thing she could think of and tried to flee. She didn't get far down the hall as the killer caught up to her and wounded her ankle so she couldn't walk. Here, the killer took the knife and stabbed her about three times. They no doubt had gotten her blood on themselves and went to get clean. What they didn't account for was Akemi still being alive. Since she was bleeding out and desperate she left a trail of her blood as she tried to escape into the art room to try and dress her wounds. The killer had just finished disposing of what would later be used as incriminating evidence, and noticed Akemi was still alive. I imagine they couldn't have her swaying us in any sense so they had to silence her for good. They grabbed one of the Monokuma statues and smashed it across her head, ultimately killing her. Thus creating their guilt ridden crime all the more messy. And the shocking conclusion is that the only one who could've killed her after meeting her is none other than Ikazuchi Michi!" That was everything we deduced with this case.
Somehow, recapping his crimes only seemed to break him further. No one could say anything even if they wanted to. But Monokuma had more than enough words for us. "Well, it seems you've all decided on a clear culprit. So simply pull the lever into what you think about the victimized player. Are they really the blackened? What's it gonna be? What's is GONNA BEEEEE?" God he was annoying. But he was right. The lever showed up in front of all of us as Monokuma finished his rant. We didn't have much of a choice, so I shut my eyes and went with my gut and voted guilty... The monitor above us showed a slot machine style lottery with all of our faces on a portion of the wheel. All three wheels stopped on Ikazuchi's face and flashed guilty. "Wow! You newbies totally got it right!"
"We were... right?" I muttered. I looked at Ikazuchi who was still broken by this outcome. "Ikazuchi... why...? Why!?" I tried demanding.
"B-because..." He muttered. His hands were trembling at his side and tears rolled down his face. However these weren't of sadness. They were of rage, anger, frustration. "That bitch was going to kill us all..."
"So she really was planning a murder..." Makoto sighed dejectedly. "If only we could've stopped her... I'm such a failure..."
"It's all our fault..." Hiroaki whimpered. "If only we could've stopped Akemi earlier... then neither Ikazuchi nor Akemi would've had to die...!"
"Really then? What could you have done then?" Akihiro asked in a very condescending tone.
"W-what...?" Hiroaki asked, his eyes watering up.
"Akemi had murder on her mind. No doubt if you stood between her, she would've had no problem compensating you for her target. That goes for all of you too." The Businessman put bluntly. He... he had a point. I shouldn't have trusted Akemi... She could've killed me at any time too...
At this point Hiroaki was crying because of what Akihiro had said. The Fanfic creator did his best to wipe the tears away as quickly as possible. Destiny and Juku seemed enraged by his choice of words. "Hey!" Destiny said.
"Don't go making people weaker than you cry. Or else you'll have me to fuck with." Juku growled.
"Like I care what some basic animals think." He said. "Bottom line is, no one can be trusted. Take Ikazuchi there for example. He's a dead man because he thought he had our trust." We had all fallen speechless by this point. Akihiro's words really cut us all deep. Trust in a situation like this was a wasted virtue. Who needed it?
"Well, I can't say much about his deceit. But I think if Akemi were still alive we would've been worse off." Atsushi admitted, finally finding the confidence to speak. Which seemed to be rare for him. "She was the Ultimate Actress, and would've came up with a better ploy and false leads than Ikazuchi. So rather than feeling negatively, we should be grateful we got Ikazuchi. In a way, he saved us."
"But... he's still gonna die." Miyako pointed out bleakly. There was no two ways about that. Ikazuchi was a dead man. But if you want to think like Atsushi thinks then, he did save us. But still? Was that right? Condemning our classmate to death row?
"Okay okay! Enough of your sappy classroom quarrels!" Monokuma shouted. "Remember, we still got a punishment for this guy?"
"P-punishment..." Ikazuchi repeated blankly. At this point he was devoid of emotion. Though his face said it all. That horrified expression. That paleness to his face. I recognized an empty look like that. He was in the throes of despair. Not so much as the Remnants of Despair were, but this was Ikazuchi's despair. A hole he can't crawl out of. "Punishment. Punishment. Punishmentpunishmentpunishmentpunishment..." He repeated like a mantra. He was probably getting himself to feel something- anything. Not a twinge of emotion other than fear.
"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Electrician! Let's give it everything we've got! IT'S... PUNISHMENT TIME!" He cried. As he said that, a small box with a large red button rose up in front of his throne. He pulled out a tiny hammer and gave that button a good whack. An 8 bit version of Ikazuchi was standing normally at his spot. An 8 bit Monokuma grabbed Ikazuchi and dragged him off...
(Ikazuchi gets Amp'd) We all stood and looked on in horror as lights began to go off one by one from above us. Until finally Ikazuchi was the center of attention. He was sweating profusely, which caused his skin to glisten against the light. None of us could react in time to witness he began to be dragged away by a chain clamped around his neck. He was pulled into a hallway we hadn't gone down yet, however Monokuma had turned on the monitor for us and we got explicit details. Ikazuchi was strapped to what looked like an electric chair made entirely of metal. That wasn't the worst part. It had been molded into a cage that had been connected to a Tesla Coil. Monokuma was right outside the cage in front of what looked like a control panel. He flipped a switch and the panel whirred to life as it lit up. But nothing was happening to Ikazuchi. Monokuma started to mess around like a nut on the panel and the machine would get brighter and brighter, but nothing would happen to Ikazuchi. My stomach was doing back flips at this point and my heart was beating so fast out of fear I could barely breathe. That's when I saw it. It wasn't plugged in. But when I noticed it, Monokuma did too. And all he did was give it a simple plug and the whole room lit up extremely fast in a burst of electricity. We didn't even get to see what happened too well because the camera had gotten disconnected somehow and we were left with nothing but static.
We all stared at the static with expressions that could only be described as outrageous. Our mouths were agape, our eyes stretched to their limits while glued to the static. The white noise of the static deafened me. I couldn't move. My legs didn't want to move. I didn't fall. But I couldn't move. "Whew..." Monokuma sighed. "What a nice workout. I haven't done that in what felt like ages~." He said with content. No one had any sort of retort for the bear. Not this time.
Students Remaining: (27)
Akiko S. - Ultimate ?
Hajime "Jay" Kazuki - Ultimate Luckster
Akemi Hanako - X (Former Ultimate Actress)
Ryota Takao - Ultimate Sports Master
Akihiro Junichi - Ultimate Merchant
Shinju Suzu - Ultimate Instrumentalist
Destiny Kiro - Ultimate Vocalist
Kazuhiro Hisao - Ultimate Heir
Kohaku Mari - Ultimate Medium
Tatsuya Raiden - Ultimate Combatant
Chidori Yukimura - Ultimate Charisma
Hiroaki Hisashi - Ultimate Fanfic Author
Shin Yuzuki - Ultimate Artist
Chou Ayano - Ultimate Gamer
Amaya Chika - Ultimate Collector
Emiko Kamiko - Ultimate Fashionista
Masato Osamu - Ultimate Mathemitician
Yoichi Kunio - Ultimate Web Star
Juku Kunio - Ultimate Chef
Saburo Kunio - Ultimate ?
Natsuko Ren - Ultimate Traditional Dancer
Shigeo Kyou -X (Former Ultimate Connosseiur)
Ikazuchi Michi - X (Former Ultimate Electrician)
Miyako Usagi - Ultimate Hacker
Yukino Toshiko - Ultimate Doctor
Izanagi Katsu - Ultimate Gambler
Makoto Takeo - Ultimate Commander/Class President (If you want a better title)
Rei Naoko - Ultimate Student
Atsushi Tamuki - Ultimate Engineer
Hotaru Haruki - Ultimate Botanist
Yukio Yuudai -X (Former Ultimate Hero)
Bonus: www . you tube watch?v= VkkKcwF7Z64 - DEAD or LIE cover on YouTube. I love this song so much and someone did it in English. YES!