I jerked my hand back, trying my hardest to control my breathing. Every part of me just felt numb at what I was seeing. That positive, 'everything will be fine' mantra I had been repeating to myself walking into this was shattered mercilessly to pieces. I just stood there, completely silent as Akari let out a scream behind me and the speakers on our bracelets suddenly crackled to life.

"A body has been discovered! Since this is the first murder, your Trip Supervisors request that all surviving students make their way to the courtyard outside of the apartment buildings. More information is gonna be given there. Get moving, bastards!"

I didn't even move hearing that announcement. I just stood there, completely paralyzed by what I was seeing. This shouldn't be happening. This couldn't have happened. Nobody here would've actually killed someone. They couldn't have. It was almost as if I was expecting Rurumi to just pop back up, laughing and revealing it all to be some sort prank.

But she didn't move. She couldn't, after all.

"...Ms. Tokunaga…." Kasane said, reaching up and gingerly touching my shoulder. "We...We should go. I do not want to imagine what they may do to us if we do not." I only murmured a small "Yeah…" in response. I didn't even hear Akari speak, instead only hearing still startled, shallow gasps of breath from her.

Kasane led the way back out into the hall, being the one to close the door half-way just as the others from the party burst out from the stairwell door.

"The hell happened?!" Bonnie asked, looking only more concerned after getting a good look at our faces. "And what was that there deal with the announcement?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Nizu asked, emotionless. "The game has started. And one among us is dead," she simply nodded to the door, "I'm assuming the victim is Rurumi?"

"Wait, you're telling me that body that those creepy things said was discovered…" Clara exclaimed. "That was Rurumi?! No way, there's no way she'd just let herself get killed!"

"Her room...it was trashed when we found it." Kasane said simply. "I...think it's safe to assume whoever killed her took her by surprise….and there was a struggle." She took in a deep breath, before turning to the other end of the hallway. "Come on….We need to keep moving. We won't accomplish anything by staying here."

She was right. Completely and utterly right. No matter what happened, we needed to keep moving forwards. It's….it's what Rurumi most likely wanted. The 7 of us began moving back down through the building, making it to the courtyard where the rest of us were all waiting.

Nobody spoke. Or at least if they did, they weren't very loud. I could only assume that Kasane was the one telling anyone who asked what we had found. I glanced around to see how Akari was doing, only pulling my facemask up higher. She was off by herself, holding her hands together against her chest in a desperate attempt not to break down in tears, most likely at least.

"Man! That took longer than I thought!"

That yell marked the arrival of Mimi, strangely without her sister. She was standing on a high tree branch, looking down at us all with a wide grin plastered all over her plastic face.

"Knew one of you bastards had it in ya!" She continued, leaning against the trunk casually. "That, or you just got too fed up with those shocks. And I mean, hey, don't blame yourself! I'd get pissed too if I couldn't sleep for a whole day!"

"You mind cutting to the chase, dude?" Yuri asked, sounding disinterested. "Why'd you call us out here. And what'd you mean by that whole, 'body discovered' thing?"

"Heeheehee! Isn't it obvious?" Mimi giggled, her grin only growing wider. "One of you decided you'd rather hit the road, move out into the great big world!"

"In simpler terms…?" Katsumi said.

"One of you is a murderer!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands out. "Didn't those three bitches tell you? That kickboxer chick is dead, caput! Gone to sleep with the fishes! All that juicy stuff! And now y'all gotta find out who dunnit!"

"We need to figure out who killed her?" Raiko said. "You never mentioned that when first going over the rules." Mimi blew a raspberry, waving it aside.

"We said you gotta kill and not get caught." She pointed out. "I dunno what you thought we meant by that, but I thought it was pretty clear. Kill someone and not be uncovered as the killer, you get to go home. Get caught? Buddy, you'll be able to see your victim again. So all in all, a real win, yeah?"

"H-Hold on….b-by saying 'you'll be able to see your victim again'...do you m-mean….?" Taizo stuttered, eyes widening slightly. "Y-You're….going to kill the person responsible?"

"Execution, to be specific." Gigi suddenly appeared from behind one of the gardens, carrying a stack of what looked like a bunch of tablets, decorated with green or pink plastic gems. "You will be given an extended period of time to investigate the scene of the crime, then you will debate the evidence you collected and who commited the murder in what we call a Class Trial."

"So. We're going to court then." Nizu asked, putting a hand to her chin. "This sounds simple enough. But...what will happen to us if we guess incorrectly?"

"You get the answer wrong, the killer walks free." Gigi said. "However, the punishment meant for the killer will then be transferred to the innocent. In short, if you can correctly guess the culprit, then they alone are executed. However, if you get it wrong, then everyone except the killer is executed and they can walk freely."

"Yeah! So y'all better not slack on the whole investigation!" Mimi shouted from her tree. "I mean, it is your lives on the line. And you, killer, better have done a good job at covering up your tracks!" A heavy silence fell over us. One that Mimi only laughed at, nearly losing her balance in the process.

"Continuing on," Gigi said, stepping forwards, "for this time only, there will be a period following the investigation for you all to sleep once again. In order to ensure you have enough time for both, I will now hand out the murder files." She somehow managed to set the stack down and began walking among us all, handing out the little tablets with a completely unreadable expression.

When I had received mine, I simply switched it on, watching my reflection in the screen before it faded out to a bright white. A cute, cartoon face appeared among the white, while the words "Gemini File" faded in underneath it. It quickly switched to something similar to the student files on our bracelet, listing the victim's weight, height, age, and talent.

There was a second page, complete with the scene of the crime and picture of Rurumi's body. Another diagram, underneath a few notes on the body, seemed to show where all of Rurumi's injuries were, outlined in a bright pink.

It said as follows;

The victim is Rurumi Roka, the Ultimate Kickboxer. She was discovered in her room at around 10:58pm. Her estimated time of death is around 9:28pm. Her cause of death is single laceration to her chest. Other injuries include several bruises all across her body and a bigger head wound.

"Now, you all need to figure it out for yourself!" Mimi said, waving. "Wish y'all good luck! Try not to die while we're gone, too. Later bitches!" She jumped down from her tree, disappearing to God only knows where.

"Way to be professional about all this…." Gigi muttered under her breath, handing the last remaining file out before disappearing behind one of the gardens as well.

"...So...uh….how…" Jean was the first to talk after another long, heavy period of silence. "How are we going to do any of this? I mean, half of us can't even enter the girl's building. How do they expect us to investigate?"

"Then those of us who can enter the girl's building should investigate there." Nizu took charge, stowing her file away. "Everyone else should check around the remaining areas of the town. And so, with that in mind," She turned on her heel and began walking back towards the building's front door, "I'm leaving to perform my own investigation. Good luck to the rest of you."

"This….this can't be happening….can it?" Kotetsu muttered, turning all attention to him. He was holding his arms and shaking, the fur on his tail and on any visible patches of skin clearly rising in fear. "Did someone really…..k-kill her?"

"I'm afraid that seems to be the case here." Katsumi said with a sad shake of his head. "Believe me, I don't want to believe it, but it...seems to be an unavoidable truth…" Kotetsu made a sort of whining sound, averting his gaze.

"N-No….she can't be….." He said, sounding on the verge of tears. "S-She can't be dead…..I-I spoke with her an hour ago…..She just can't be dead!" My hand tightened around my file.

I didn't want to believe it either. To think that someone all of us knew, someone who would always call out a happy 'good morning' every breakfast without a care in the world, could be dead. It felt even harder to believe that someone else among us killed her. But as those dolls said….all of our lives were on the line here. If we couldn't figure out who killed Rurumi, we were all going to die.

I won't let anyone else innocent die here. I told myself, taking a deep breath. And I'll make sure to avenge you, Rurumi. I promise.

Investigation

BEGIN

First things first, I should make a list of all the evidence I've collected so far. I told myself, pulling a glove off. Maybe there's something in the bracelet where I can….Aha! One of the previously empty menus, now labelled "Evidence", already had the information from the murder file listed. It must've recorded it automatically, which was useful to say the least.

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Gemini File #1: Rurumi Roka

Alright. So…. I tapped out and glanced around once more. Er...now what am I supposed to do? I can't ever remember having to investigate a murder before. Those who could enter the girl's building had begun following after Nizu, while those who couldn't went their own ways. I also noticed with interest that Edmund went to go stand in front of the girl's building's door, while Yuri went to the cafe, presumably to the kitchen as well. Katsumi was trying to console Kotetsu, who was just as close to breaking down in tears as Akari had.

Wait, Kotetsu said he had seen Rurumi before she died, right? I asked myself, thinking back. Maybe I could ask him. Then I can check out her apartment for myself.

"Ah, do you need something, Denjii?" Katsumi greeted as I walked closer. "I'm afraid I don't have much to offer. I was in my apartment all night. Although, I suppose that's not much of an airtight alibi in this case."

"It's fine. I want to ask Kotetsu something, actually." I said, keeping my eyes locked onto Kotetsu. Katsumi looked a bit surprised, before patting the Ultimate Test Subject on the arm. "Kotetsu, you said earlier you saw Rurumi about an hour ago, right? Could you tell me more about that?"

"I…..I…." He sniffed, trying to rub away tears. "I….was in the k-kitchen with her after dinner...s...she wanted to make a huge breakfast f-for everyone….to get all our minds off o-of this whole issue….." He paused for a moment, taking a quick breath to steady himself. "We w-were in there for a while….A-And just a while before I….I left, w-we saw Yuri come in…."

"Yuri? He entered the kitchen at some point?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "What for?"

"From what I can tell, he drinks nothing but coffee." Katsumi pointed out. "He was probably getting another cup for the night. Right?" Kotetsu nodded.

"Y-Yeah….we talked f...for a bit…" He continued. "And t-then….I think ten minutes after Yuri left, I-I left too….Edmund would've been mad if I c-came back after he was done keeping watch….R-Rurumi said she would be fine coming back….so I...I didn't think much of it…." He buried his face in his hands, trembling terribly. "I...I should've done something! I saw her before she died and I didn't do anything!"

"Hey there big guy, you didn't know." Katsumi said, patting his arm again. "None of us were expecting this. You're not the only one."

"I doubt there could've been much you could do, she was found in her room after all." I pointed out. "And there were signs of a struggle. If she was murdered in her room, then you couldn't have done a thing since you can't enter." Kotetsu didn't say anything at first, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. I waited a few seconds, before continuing my questioning. "May I ask one last question? Did you happen to see anything strange on your way back? Anything that could pertain to this case?"

"...N-Now that you mention it…." Kotetsu slowly said, voice wavering. "...just after I left the cafe….I think I saw someone….b-but I can't remember what they l….look like…..I'm really sorry….." Both Katsumi and I blinked, exchanging a similar look of surprise.

He saw someone outside the cafe? Who could that be? I asked myself, biting my lip. ...That can't be any coincidence. I should remember that. It might be important.

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Kotetsu's Account

I thanked Kotetsu for the information and decided to follow Yuri into the cafe. He was the only other person, minus Rurumi's killer, to see her just before her death. He had to have known something.

Sure enough, I found him in the back kitchen, although he wasn't over by the coffee machine. Instead, he had left his mug on one of the counters and was inspecting the ground on one knee, tracing a finger across the floor and frowning. I stopped in the doorway, giving him a questioning look.

"Er….Yuri?" I said, making him jump back to his feet. "Is...there something wrong? What are you doing?" He laughed, putting a hand behind his head.

"Oh, y'know, tryin' to help wherever I can, dude." Yuri explained. "Y'see, I came in here 'cause I figured I might need another cup for this whole thing when I noticed somethin'. Run a finger 'long the floor for a minute, dude?" He let out another laugh when I gave him another questioning look, continuing further by saying; "Listen, I know it sounds weird, but just trust me for a minute, okay?"

"Al...right…." I hesitated, before bending down and placing a hand on the floor. Right away, I saw what Yuri had been talking about. "Huh? Is this…."

"Water? Yeah, that's what I'm guessing at least." Yuri nodded as I pulled away, inspecting my now damp glove. "Felt it right away, dude. I was in here earlier, and I definitely don't remember the floor being this wet. Pretty suspicious, am I right?"

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Clean Kitchen?

"Ah, Yuri that reminds me." I said, shaking my hand out. "You said you were in here earlier, correct? That was when Kotetsu and Rurumi were still in here. Did you happen to see anything strange?" Yuri frowned, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to remember.

"...At the time, not really much, dude. I just came in, made another cup of coffee, and left." He finally admitted. "Those two were up to something, but I didn't wanna bother them or anything. I did accidentally leave out the cream 'fore I left, but they must've put it away 'fore they left."

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Yuri's Account

"I see...Thank you, Yuri." I said simply. "I'm not sure if you will continue searching around here, but I will continue my investigation here." Yuri nodded, pointing down to what I realized was his own copy of the murder file, sticking out of his pocket.

"Might as well. File said cause of death was a basically a stab wound, right?" He asked, a thin smile creeping onto his face. "There's only two places to get knives 'round here. General store, or here, dude. Whoever killed her obviously got the knife from 'round here. Might be good to check if anything is missing." I nodded in agreement, before I began my search.

I checked every cupboard and drawer, only to find most of the plates and silverware gone. Checking the sink, however, I found most of the missing objects still damp and wet. There were far too many to be considered the load washed after dinner, or too many from the breakfast Kotetsu and Rurumi had been apparently planning. I frowned, inspecting a few of them. I even took any knives I found and placed them within the cutting block, only to find one of them was missing.

TRUTH BULLET UPDATED! - Clean Kitchen?

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Missing Kitchen Knife

I moved away from the silverware to also check anywhere else, the only other places left being the refrigerator and trash can. I ended up checking the refrigerator first, since it was actually the closer of the two. Inside was everything you'd expect, along with a few other extra, already prepared meals Rurumi and Kotetsu must've made. However, I noticed that one of the containers seemed to have a smudged, red stain still on it, glinting in the artificial light inside.

"Yo, that's the creamer." Yuri piped up from by the coffee pot, watching on as I pulled the container out and inspected it. "See? Told ya they put it away once I left. Mind throwin' it over here, dude?"

"Hm? Sure, of course. Give me a moment please." I replied, turning it over in my hands. Not only was there a red smudge staining the metal, I also noticed there was a slight dent not far from it. I frowned a small bit, but threw it over to Yuri anyways, making a mental note of it.

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Cream Container

"Thanks, dude." Yuri said, catching it flawlessly. He turned to pour it in, only to stop dead cold and frown. "Hey….wait, you didn't spill any, did you?"

"Er...No? I do not believe I did." I said, already beginning to move for the trash can. That only made Yuri frown more, and I caught a glimpse of him screwing off the cap to peer inside.

"Freaky. I swear I didn't use this much earlier." He muttered. There's some cream missing then? Strange. I reflected. From what I can gather, Yuri doesn't require a lot of cream in his coffee. I wonder why most of it is suddenly gone now?

TRUTH BULLET UPDATED! - Yuri's Account

I continued my search, reaching the trash can and removing the top. Inside were many discarded, visibly damp sheets of paper towels. The further down I dug, I found, the more red they seemed to get. I also found, sitting on top of the bottom pile of food scraps, there was a crusty, old-looking dish rag. Gingerly bringing it up to the light also revealed that it was stained a darker red than the paper towels.

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Discarded Paper Towels

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Discarded Dishrag

I straightened up, dusting off my hands as something nearby the bin caught my eye. Several drops of what I could only assume was blood, nearly covered by a fine, white powder. I raised another eyebrow, slowly reaching down and touching a finger to it. When I pulled my hand away, I found many of the small particles stuck to the fabric of my glove. I tried to get a closer look, but gave up rather quickly. We were on a time limit, after all. But, I still heard my bracelet ding as I left, which, at the very least, meant this powder was important to the case. Somehow, that is….

TRUTH BULLET GET! - White Powder

Back outside, I decided I'd better investigate the scene of the crime. As I made my way towards the girl's building entrance, I noticed Hachiro was now standing by the door talking with Edmund, looking rather panicked and wet as well. I quickened my pace, already sensing trouble.

"J-Just let me in! I have information t-that could be useful to them, I-I just know it!" Hachiro was practically begging as I grew closer, trembling nearly as much as Kotetsu had. The general, however, stood firm, glaring down at the young man with that determined, steely gaze.

"I have sworn to not let any potential suspects in." He said sharply, making Hachiro wince a small bit. "Anyone who cannot enter this building normally is thereby barred from entry! You cannot fool me, murderer!"

"B-B-But, I-I'm not-"

"Edmund, relax." I said, cutting in. "I highly doubt Hachiro could be the culprit. Besides, I'm interested in what you have to say." Edmund huffed and only folded his arms in response, while Hachiro looked relieved, to be honest.

"T-Thank you, Denjii…" He said, letting out a small sigh. "U-Um….ok...s-so I was taking a-a shower….t-to try and stay awake, right? When I w-was getting out, I-I heard a lot of scuffling and loud noises from the apartment across from mine….And...and that's Rurumi's, y-y'know?" He began toying with his bandana a small bit. "I just t-thought she was training or something….She w-was doing it last night and was p-pretty loud too. B-But, when I got out, I-I saw someone dropping down from her b-balcony and o-out of sight before I c-could recognize them…."

"And that is when you saw Cadet Roka's corpse as well, correct?" Edmund suddenly said, apparently interested in this now. "Hmph….I suppose your story checks out."

"It's interesting as well…." I added. "A person dropping down onto a lower balcony, I would presume. Interesting…"

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Hachiro's Account

"S-So, now you'll let me in?" Hachiro asked, clearly hopeful. Unfortunately for him, Edmund shook his head, before pointing to the lock.

"I'm afraid I cannot open the door myself. Both the lock and the rules prohibit me from doing so." He pointed out. He gave out a groan, however, when he saw both of our confused faces, explaining further by saying; "Rule three of our rulebooks. "Each door to the apartment buildings is equipped with a specific lock that will not allow the other gender to enter."

"Oh...y-you've got to be kidding me…" Hachiro muttered. "I-I'm….I'm sorry I wasted your time, Edmund….T-That was my mistake…." Edmund only huffed once more, simply waving it aside.

"You have no need to apologize, cadet Yamamato." He said. "The information you provided was...useful, to say the least. As you were!" Hachiro stuck his hands inside his pocket and walked off, leaving just Edmund and I alone.

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Rule Three

"Edmund, may I ask you something as well?" I asked, turning back to him. "You watched the lobby for the boy's apartment, right? Who did you see entering and exiting, then? When did you start and stop, by the way?"

"So you practically want me to tell you everything I saw during my watch?" He asked, eyebrow raised. I simply nodded in reply. "If you must know, I began my watch at 8:30 and finished at 9:15. During that time, I saw Taizo leave at 9:08 pm and Raiko leave just before I finished my shift at 9:14. I also witnessed Yuri and Kotetsu return sometime after 9:10. Is that sufficient enough?"

Both Taizo and Raiko were also outside at the time….Interesting. I thought as I thanked Edmund for the information. I'll have to ask Nizu about who she saw enter during her watch. If I have time, I should also ask those two what they were doing outside.

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Edmund's Account

I opened the door to the building, taking a few deep breaths before I began to venture upstairs. Even then, I just wasn't mentally prepared to reenter Rurumi's room. I didn't notice it when we first came in, but the entire room stank of blood. That looming feeling of death hung in the air, pressing down on me the instant I stepped into the room.

Nizu had already gotten to investigating Rurumi's body, which still laid on the couch as if she was asleep. I couldn't see where Clara and Akari were, eventually coming to the conclusion that the two were just someone else in the building. However, Jean, Kasane, and Bonnie were all in the room, with Bonnie watching as Nizu investigated while Jean and Kasane mostly stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. It was fine, since I did have some questions for Kasane anyways.

"Ms. Tokunaga. You've...finally come to investigate up here." The Ultimate Kendo Practitioner said as I approached the two. "Are...you doing-"

"I am fine." I said, keeping my voice steady. "And I am already continuing with my own investigation. Have either of you found anything of use?"

"Eh, not much." Jean shrugged, before waving a hand around the area. "Just that Rurumi obviously put up one hell of a fight. I mean, I heard she was powerful, but she seriously wrecked this place."

"There is also a hole in the wall over there." Kasane pointed to a small, slit-like hole in the wall. "We think it may have been caused during the struggle. Although I cannot imagine how."

"Kasane, may I ask you a few questions as well?" I asked, nodding as I took in this new information. Kasane didn't reply, instead only giving me a curious, closed eye look. "Before the body discovery announcement, you were outside Rurumi's room. What were you doing there?"

"Ah...that….I was wondering when you were going to ask that." She said, tugging at her haori's sleeves. "Well. I was planning on joining you all at that party….at 11, correct? I was just getting ready when….around 10:45 or so, I heard footsteps outside, followed closely by scuffling and squealing upstairs….My room is directly below Rurumi's, you see. I quickly finished up and hurried to check on her….just in case. However….I heard thumping immediately followed by the door to her balcony opening...I think at least."

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Kasane's Account

"Does that help you in any way, Ms. Tokunaga?" She asked as I just nodded, just taking in this new information. "If not, then I will be happy to assist in any other way. I feel I must do….something to help."

"No, no...I should be fine as I am now." I said, holding up a hand. "I'll make sure to find you if I need anything. Either of you in fact. If that is okay with that, Jean…"

"No prob, Jiji." Jean said, waving it aside with a grin. "I'm here whenever you need me!" I thought for a moment, quickly reviewing everything on my head once more. I lingered for a few moments on the testimony Hachiro gave me, before narrowing my eyes slightly. "Ooo! I know that look, you got somethin' in mind already, don't'cha Jiji? Just lay it on me, I'm ready whenever!"

"...Could you go down to my room and climb down the balcony?" I said, causing both of them to give me a confused glance. "Please. Allow me to explain. I have reason to believe the killer escaped using the balconies. If that's the case, then they must've left something behind. If you drop down from my apartment balcony, you should be fine."

"Door locked?" Jean asked, folding his arms. I merely shook my head in reply. "Alrighty. I got ya then, sis! Kas, you keep watch over this place then for me, 'kay?" He began walking back out, as Kasane nodded once more.

This left me with more time to continue searching around the room. To put off investigating the body itself, I decided to check near the door first, where I noted most of the blood smears seemed to be located. Most of them were wide swipes of blood, still relatively fresh by the look of things. I also noticed that there was a single handprint outlined in red, dragging along the wall as if they were being pulled along the wall. Yet, strangely enough, it seemed to be leading towards the front door instead of where Rurumi's body was.

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Blood Stains on the Walls

Other than the bloodstains, I couldn't find anything else of value. The door was still broken from when Akari smashed through it with her sword. It had been locked from the inside before as well, that I could remember clearly. I had even tried the door myself before and it was definitely locked tight. That had to be part of this case as well, especially since my bracelet made the same small ding noise as I looked at it.

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Hole in the Door

I straightened, dusting off my front. There was no other place to check, no other way to delay what was inevitable. I needed to check Rurumi's body for myself, no matter how much I didn't want to. Nizu didn't react at all as I walked over, meanwhile Bonnie only gave me a small tip of her hat. The cowgirl was still watching over, arms crossed. My only guess was that she was supposed to be guarding the scene, most likely in case the culprit wanted to tamper with the crime scene.

All the information that had been listed on the Gemini File was completely true. There was a giant gash in Rurumi's torso, her track jacket and crop top were completely drenched in blood as well. I could already see a dark purple bruise on both of her arms and even on her side as well, nearly covered by the blood.

Taking in a sharp breath, I pushed aside some of her hair to get a better look at her face, discovering a bruise just underneath her chin. Her eyes were actually closed, only making it look like she was sleeping even more. Part of me even wondered if one of the others had done it when they had first began investigating. At least it was better than seeing a now cold and lifeless stare from a face that once always had that energetic, almost uplifting smile on it.

You...need to stay on topic, Denjii. I told myself, shaking my head. I'm not sure how much time those two things are going to give us for investigation. I need to find out as much as I can before then. And getting too sentimental is only going to be a distraction. In an attempt to push those thoughts back, I leaned in a bit closer just in case there was anything else of note on her head.

Once again as the Gemini File described, I found a rather large, rather fresh bruise right near her temple. This one had to be the largest one yet, but it wasn't the cause of death, according to the file. Just one look at her proved that wasn't the case. So why such a large wound?

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Rurumi's Wounds

I was about to finish my investigation of the body when I noticed something...interesting. Still clutched in one hand was the presumably the same knife that had gone missing from the kitchen. It's silver edge was stained with blood, yes, but it just...didn't look as red as it should be. Was this really the same knife that killed her?

Speaking of blood, I also noticed something strange about the couch as well. If this really was the place where she died, then wouldn't it be absolutely soaked where her mortal wound was? And yet, even as I gingerly tried pushing up her waist, the cushion underneath was bone-dry. There weren't even dried stains either, given how the blood on her body seemed fresh enough. The only place where I saw blood was on a nearby blanket draped across the same couch, which had a huge red spot that was still fresh. Yet, even that was rather untouched, with zero rips or tears anywhere in sight. Strange… was all I thought, jerking my hands back towards my body once more.

TRUTH BULLET UPDATED! - Missing Kitchen Knife

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Bloodied Blanket

"Nizu, have you found anything useful?" I asked, glancing over to her as I warily backed away from the couch. The Ultimate Auditor only frowned in response, eyes traveling over the whole scene.

"I've investigated her entire body and most likely found the same as you did." She replied simply. "I can't glean anything useful from the crime scene as of the moment, but I should have something soon. Did you need anything?"

"I just wanted to know something." I said. "When you met up with Jean and I outside your room's door, you mentioned the time you stand watch in the lobby. Could I have those times again, just in case this has anything to do with all of this?"

"Do you suspect me?" Nizu immediately shot back with, rather bluntly might I add. My hands shot up in defense, as I shook my head quickly.

"No, no! Er...well…" I said, hoping to sound sincere. "I...think people might suspect you, but I personally do not suspect you, I swear!" Nizu finally looked up from whatever it was that had caught her attention so much, her expression completely unreadable.

"...Fine." She said after a few moments of silence. "As I told you before, I had decided to stay out from 8:50 pm to 9:30 pm. However, tonight, I had to step out for a few moments, starting from...9:02, I believe. I do not remember exactly when I returned, however."

"And during that time, did you see Rurumi come back?" I pressed. Nizu thought for a few moments, before shaking her head.

"No. I can't say I did. The only people I saw entering the building were Bonnie and Clara, and based on their reactions to all this, I doubt either of them could've done this." She replied. "I only met up with you and the rapper there after I finished my watch, which, might I remind you, ends at 9:30 pm. I never saw Rurumi at all after dinner."

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Nizu's Account

"Denjii. May I ask a favor of you, while I have you here?" Nizu continued, folding her arms. "You are a programmer, correct?"

"Er, yes. I believe I am." I nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Why? Does this have anything to do with the case?"

"It might help us." She said, before launching into her explanation. "I need you to try and hack into the lock outside the building. Not to turn it off. In fact, I want you to leave the mechanics alone. I want you to instead search for the log that records who enters the building. I would be surprised if such a log doesn't exist. Do you think those dolls will allow you to go to the store for a laptop or something to help you break in?"

"Ah, I might have something to help with that, actually." I said, holding up one sleeve. I fumbled for a few moments, before I finally found the hidden clasp. Before now, I had almost forgotten about these machines in my jacket, but in all fairness, I never had a need for it until now. "My jacket has hidden machines. I may be able to break into the lock using these."

"Good. I'd go down as soon as possible." Nizu nodded. "I'm getting the feeling that our period of investigation may be over soon and we will have that chance to rest before this Trial. Hmm…" She put a hand on her chin, covering her mouth as if she was trying to hide a smile. "I wonder….how will this all play out? Will we emerge victorious?"

I didn't dare ask what she meant by that.

With nowhere else to investigate in the room, I decided to follow Nizu's advice and head back downstairs to the front door. I had made it to the first floor when the door to my room suddenly burst open once more, nearly giving me a heart attack. To my relief, however, it was only Jean, holding what looked like a white stick in his fist.

"Yo! Jiji, there you are!" He shouted happily, waving his free hand with his usual grin. "Did just as you asked and I think I found something worth while! My bracelet made that ding noise I heard coming from both Bon-Bon and Ni's bracelets while they were checkin' 'round Rurumi. Check it, sister!"

He held out his hand, opening the palm of his hand. Sure enough, all he held was a simple, white stick that looked too much like chalk. A bit of the end had been chipped, as if it had been dropped hard. I frowned looking at this, wondering how on earth this could be related to the case either. But, just like the white powder in the kitchen, I heard my bracelet beep as it registered this new information.

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Discarded Piece of Chalk

"You say you found this underneath my balcony?" I asked, looking back up to Jean's face. He simply nodded, adjusting his cap with his free hand.

"Yeah. A few feet away." He said. "Looked like someone dropped it, actually. You think it was the killer?" I slowly nodded. My theory that the killer escaped using the balcony was becoming more and more likely at this rate.

"Thank you for this, Jean. Could you please keep a hold on that chalk for the Trial?" I said, pointing to the white stick. "I have the distinct feeling that it is going to become important in proving who the culprit is, as well as a few other key points about this case."

"No prob, Jiji, I got ya!" He grinned, stuffing the chalk into his pocket. "I'll be upstairs with Kas if you need me. Just holler and I'll come runnin'. Let's figure this thing out, and live dude!" I couldn't help but smile as well as I waved goodbye. He began heading upstairs, humming a small tune to himself.

He was probably being a bit too carefree about all of this, I reflected as I continued back downstairs. But I suppose a bit of positivity is better than pessimism. I'd better hurry, just in case it's almost-

"Bam bong bing! Your period of investigation is now over!" Mimi's voice suddenly blared out of my bracelet, almost giving me a heart attack once more. "Before the trial begins, a brief rest period will be given. The shocks on your bracelets have now been lifted and you all can sleep again! I'd use this time wisely. In a few hours time, this Killing Trip's first Class Trial will begin! Ta-ta!"

….I'll be fine. I have a job to do anyways. I thought stubbornly, not slowing down in the slightest. I hope I have enough natural talent to hack into this thing, because I certainly can't remember any techniques. A.I. Development would requiring programming skills, right? And so, I should be fine then, right?

I only hoped that would be the case.

Edmund wasn't outside when I finally made it to the door, opening it a crack and peering out. In fact, everyone who had been outside was gone, most likely heading into the other building to rest. I quickly got to work, unlatching the hidden clasp to the machine and feeling around. To my relief, there was a cord hidden inside the compartment, along with a small port for me to stick it in on the lock itself. Part of me was wondering whether I should be the one joking about called the Ultimate Lucky Student, at this point at least.

I completely trusted my instincts on this one, my fingers naturally moving across the keyboard like I had done this hundreds of times. At least that proved my talent was real. Within moments, I was able to download part of the log onto the machine itself, which had a small screen just above part of the actual keyboard. I only managed to recover a small part of it, ranging from this afternoon to now. But it was enough information to leave me wondering.

The log listed that Nizu had entered the building not long after dinner at 6:47, followed by Bonnie at around 8:55. The last entry should've been Jean, who was logged in at 9:04, which must've been when we came in. Yet, the last log recorded before 10:58, the time the body had been found, was Rurumi herself, logged in at around 10:10.

TRUTH BULLET GET! - Lock Log

I sighed and checked the time. Close to midnight. A whole hour after the body had first been found. So much had already happened, I could hardly believe this all wasn't come hallucination caused by a lack of sleep. Someone was really dead, and soon we would have to go to what could be the equivalent of court to find out the culprit. In fact, if we got through all of this and somehow ended up being correct, we would come back to this town with two dead among us.

My only worry was who that second, dead person was going to be.

Truth Bullets

[Gemini File #1: Rurumi Roka]

The Victim name is Rurumi Roka. Her time of death is aproximately 9:28 pm. Her cause of death is a single laceration to the chest

[Kotetsu's Account]

Kotetsu and Rurumi were in the kitchen late at night. Sometime around 9:00, Yuri entered the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. He left around the same time. Kotetsu then left at 9:10 that same night. As he was leaving, Kotetsu saw someone, but can't recall what they looked like.

[Clean Kitchen?]

The floors of the cafe kitchen are unusually damp underfoot. All of the dishes and silverware have been washed thoroughly in the sink

[Yuri's Account]

At around 9:00, Yuri entered the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, meeting up with Kotetsu and Rurumi inside. He used a bit of cream in his cup and left the container out.

[Missing Kitchen Knife]

One of the kitchen knives is missing. The very same knife was found in Rurumi's hand, not covered in enough blood to look like the murder weapon.

[Cream Container]

There is a huge dent in the container and a unidentifiable red smudge not far from it.

[Discarded Paper Towels]

There are a lot of paper towels that have been thrown away. All of them still look damp.

[Discarded Dish Rag]

An old, crusty dishrag is hidden underneath all of the paper towels in the trash can.

[White Powder]

There is quite a bit of white powder stuck to the floor and side of the trash can. There are red drops hidden underneath.

[Hachiro's Account]

Hachiro had been taking a shower when he heard scuffling and loud thumps from the apartment across from his. When he went outside to check, he saw someone dropping down to the balcony below and Rurumi's body lying on the couch.

[Rule Three]

Each door to the apartment buildings is equipped with a specific lock that will not allow the other gender to enter.

[Edmund's Account]

Edmund was keeping track of who entered and exited the boy's building from 8:30 to 9:15. He saw Yuri and Kotetsu enter at around 9:10 pm while Taizo and Raiko left at 9:08 and 9:14 respectively.

[Kasane's Account]

Kasane heard scuffling upstairs at around 10:45 while she was getting ready for the party. Once she was presentable, she went up to Rurumi's door and knocked, startling someone on the other end. She heard more rustling and the balcony door opening.

[Bloodstains on the Walls]

There are streaks of blood and bloody handprint smudges covering the wall near the door. However, they all seem to be pointed towards the door at an odd angle.

[Hole in the Door]

The door was locked, so Akari broke a hole through the door using her sword. It's big enough to fit a hand through.

[Rurumi's Wounds]

Her biggest wound is the large gash in her chest, which was her cause of death. Other injuries include bruises all across her arms, under her chin, and one large one on her temple.

[Bloodied Blanket]

There's a blanket draped across the couch Rurumi was lying on that has a huge bloodstain on it. However, there are no visible tears anywhere on it.

[Nizu's Account]

Nizu was keeping track of who entered and exited the girl's building from 8:50 to 9:30. She only saw Bonnie and Clara enter before having to step out at 9:02. She doesn't remember what time she returned.

[Discarded Piece of Chalk]

Jean found a strange piece of chalk underneath the first floor apartment balcony. It looks like it hit the ground rather hard.

[Lock Log]

Denjii was able to get into the log for the lock to the girl's building. Nizu entered the building at 6:47 pm, Bonnie entered at 8:55, and Jean entered at 9:04. However, sometime before the body was found, it shows Rurumi unlocked the door at 10:10.

Part of me is worried I have too many truth bullets, but eh. It should be fine. Again, I really wanted to keep Rurumi around longer, but I feel that even in the short time we got to know her, she was at least fun. I certainly enjoyed writing her. I also wish I could've kept the killer around longer. I just love all these kids already, okay?

Anyways, the long-awaited class trial is next time! As I mentioned at the beginning (I think), I will be writing the class trial in a more script-like format, while FTEs and Investigations will stay in a normal, first-person kind of writing style. I'm actually rather excited to start a class trial, never had to write one of those before. Again, also excuse me if this mystery is super easy at first or feels weird. I'm sincerely trying my hardest with all these murders and jazz.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! See you in the first class trial!