ONCE UPON A TIME, there was a TOWN built on LIES and DECEPTION.
Below the surface of the TOWN, a feud raged on between the CITIZENS and its MAFIA. Thus, each person kept hush, hush about their true IDENTITIES. The MAFIA were out to lynch CITIZENS, and CITIZENS out to lynch MAFIA. It was all one continuous of GAME of HIDE and SEEK. CORPSES continued to pile up and up, and the population dropped as people FLED from TOWN, fearful for their lives.
The one who REMAINED smiled.
"It appears as though I WIN."
But was his heart forged of GOLD or PYRITE?
None know.
I feel a strange sense of déjà vu overtaking me.
There is a mild pounding sensation that accompanies my loss of consciousness. I flip back and forth between a swamp of darkness and a sea of light. Perhaps, I think, this is the feeling that Buddhist monks achieving when they ascend onto a higher plane. Enlightened and terrified all at the same time.
Something-or someone-suddenly applies light pressure to my forehead. My skin stings, but the pain quickly subsides. The warmth fans out, then contracts, and fans out again, migrating to my hair. Then comes the scent of clean linen and musk.
It's nice. Soothing, even. Like an old friend's embrace.
...Not that I have any.
There is shuffling, followed by slight movement. A sigh is heaved. The warmth feathers across my forehead again, sweeping my skin in a fluid motion. At this point, I manage to mumble out an incomprehensible gargle of words. I'm sure I sound very intelligent.
My face goes cold as the warmth retreats into the shadow realm. I try to call it back, but to no avail. With limbs of lead and vocal chords of string cheese, I can do nothing but continue to lie in place.
I hear distant voices. They are muffled, but clearly frantic. Someone raises their volume, spiking into shrill territory. The pounding in my head intensifies. I feel as though I may rip in half.
Slowly, but surely, my eyes flicker. The world around me is but a blurry jumble of colors, sharpening bit by bit as my sight lingers. Figures fly into view. Sensations become better defined; sounds and visions, crystal clear.
The apothecary's-I'm definitely in the apothecary's, I realize, in the dimly lit back room for patients. Up ahead, I can see that the shop is not nearly as tidy as it was before. Jars and bottles are smashed into indiscernible shards on the floor, their contents littering the ground. A small group of Elites-Carina, Ellanora, and Ricard-looms over the mess, exchanging knowledge with varying degrees of composure.
I appear to be lying down in a cot of some sort, wrapped in a comforter like a cocoon. The back of my head still hurts, although it seems to have dulled for the time being. Bringing a trembling hand to my forehead, I find that I have been bandaged with spare white cloth.
Who...?
"Awake at last, milady?" a familiar voice inquires from the darkness. My head whips in the direction of the baritone to find Zachariah stepping out of a pitch black corner of the room. He wears a concerned smile as he approaches, kneeling next to me by the bed. "How art thou faring?"
The first thing that comes to me is an image of a girl caked in blood, the moonlight illuminating her lifeless form. Her energy quietly fading from her body as I supported her in my arms, passing from this world to the next. A poor, unfortunate soul in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I...I'm..." My voice trails off, unable to complete my initial statement. I stare blankly at the knight for several moments, but my mind has already clearly made up what it wants to express to him. I don't give him an answer; I deal him a few questions instead.
"Where is the body?" I demand, sending Zachariah recoiling in shock. My gaze hardens, but my voice immediately starts cracking. "What happened to her? What happened?!"
I lurch forward mid-exclamation, a twinge of pain shooting up my spine making me double over. The knight swoops in, helping me sit back up while tsking at my behavior. I continue to pout in indigence, but spit out a thank you regardless. I need information, and I need it now.
"Calm yourself." Zachariah suggests, putting a hand on my head and giving me a firm pat. "Anger at a time like this benefits no one. You must rest and recover from the horrific sight you have witnessed."
"Someone is dead," I cry, openly glaring at the Courageous student, "and you expect me to be CALM about it?! I deserve to know what's going on!"
Zachariah's mouth flies open, prepared to argue back, but he thinks better of it and shuts himself up. He buries his head in his hands, massaging his whole face briefly before responding with a groan. "I happened upon thee, as well as...the unknown young woman's corpse...during my early rounds of the village. You had injured thy head, so I sought to it to dress thy wounds here. Then I alerted our comrades in arms of the situation, and...well, here we are."
My muscles relax, relieved at knowing that not much time has passed. A new inquiry launches out-one that I'm almost afraid to say for fear of a jinx. "So what comes next...?"
"Well..." Zachariah hesitates, pursing his lips, carefully choosing his next words. "Characters may not leave the Story unless they kill another Character and avoid being found out," he finally recites in a grave tone, verbatim from the revised Laws of Storytelling.
I pale, clutching onto my bed sheets like a horrified child. Someone bought the dragon's claims. They wanted to get out, so they up and murdered another student, then went into hiding. And now it falls to us to find the killer.
"That's crazy!" I exclaim, my voice revving up like a motorcycle engine. I'm pretty sure the Elites at the front of the shop can hear me. My face flushes red with a mixture of emotions. Terror, rage, and even a dosage of curious excitement, my heart hammering against my rib cage. "H-How are we supposed to pinpoint a murderer?! What's the point?!"
"You missed the body discovery announcement from Monoryuu," a pointed voice snaps, the owner marching up to my cot, arms crossed against her chest, "We were informed that we have a predetermined amount of time to investigate before the class trial. There, we shall find our culprit. The dragon promised further details pertaining to consequences once the actual trial rolls around." Carina is fuming-and Icarus, as per usual, imitates her expressions.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the worried gazes of Ricard and Ellanora. The statistician snaps away from me the moment our eyes meet. She pretends to busy herself with surveying the shattered containers on the floor. Ricard mouths, Do you need help? to me, but Ellanora tugs on his arm, vigorously shaking her head. She is telling him to stay out of it.
"I would advise that the two of you get up and start contributing to this investigation." Carina says sharply, addressing Zachariah and I. She sinks her invisible talons into our flesh, harping on our current state of sloth.
"But Lady Carina!" Zachariah protests, leaping back to his full height, "Milady is suffering from a mild head injury! Should she not be granted the proper time to recoup from such damage?!"
"I don't want to hear that from one of the students who deliberately disobeyed my orders! I clearly said to stay in your guild rooms at night, and what did you do? You blatantly ignored me!" Carina counters bitterly, not at all intimidated by the knight's stature. "If you two had been children of the Arcard household, you would not be getting off with just a slap on the wrist! A simple investigation would have been the very least of your worries!"
"Your family sounds like a bunch of militant dictators...hmph, just like you," I mutter under my breath, only to earn a harsh stare from Carina.
"For your information, they are scholars, much like yours. Stern, yet fair," the falconer states bluntly, eyes narrowing, "and they would expect better from us-from me-so you had better rectify this, Miss Malgosia. The same goes for you, Mister Garmont. Layabouts are not appreciated; we need as much help as we can get. Refusal to cooperate will leave me no choice but to suspect you."
"Suspect me?!" I utter in disbelief, gaping at the falconer. "You don't honestly think I did it, do you?!"
"You were allegedly the first to discover the body. In fact, your hands were slightly bloodied when Zachariah found you. It has been cleaned off now, but that doesn't change anything. Therefore, you must have had some sort of contact with the corpse. We have every right to be suspicious." Carina replies, completely calm. A acrid, dry taste fills my mouth, transforming it into a desert. She can't be serious!
"Milady would never even consider committing such a heinous crime!" Zachariah barks, eagerly leaping to my defense. I internally cringe, but am somewhat grateful at the same time. Must he always insist on fighting others' battles for them? Must be always risk himself for the wellbeing of others?
"Oh? Then perhaps it was you, Mister Garmont." Carina switches her accusation over to the knight. "You certainly possess the physical prowess to eliminate someone. After all, you have had a long history of murdering in the name of your master. Given your strength, you could have easily killed one of us and knocked someone else out, planting them at the scene of the crime to take the blame for you."
"On my honor as a knight, I swear to thee that I-"
"T-That's preposterous!" I pipe up, cutting off whatever Zachariah was going to say. But n-not because I'm defending him or anything! I'm just irritated with Carina's purposefully vague claims, that's all! She is trying to drive me up a wall! "He has said time and time again that he is against killing his friends, which he considers all of us to be! Zachariah only kills when his lord commands him to, and that lord isn't here to issue orders!"
The knight stares at me, stunned by my short speech. Perhaps he has spent so long protecting others that he was not expecting someone to protect him in return. Carina, meanwhile, is not at all fazed.
"Actions speak louder than words, Miss Malgosia." the falconer announces, her eyes dancing across my features. Silently challenging me to rise up to the task. "Make yourselves useful and prove your innocence, just as the rest of us must."
And with that, Carina spins around on her heel and proceeds to saunter toward the exit. Ricard and Ellanora, who had previously been awkwardly examining the wreckage of the apothecary's, clear out of her way. The falconer means serious business, and no one wants to stand between her and the truth.
"H-Hey! Where are you going?! This isn't over yet!" I sputter after Carina, who glances over her shoulder and responds coolly.
"To examine the victim's body. Someone with a keen eye has to do it, not the buffoons guarding it...lest we allow an important clue to slip away unnoticed. And you are right, Miss Malgosia. It isn't over yet. It's not over until the fat lady sings." She waves off-handedly before adding, "Oh, and you may want to consult your E-Scroll. Fukushi was kind enough to provide us with whatever dirt he could manage to pull up."
The door slams. She is gone.
I immediately reach for my E-Scroll and tear it open. With a brilliant flash of light, new golden words unfurl themselves across the parchment paper. I realize that it is magically updating the profiles of some of the other Elites, for the information I obtained on Zachariah and Mana appear in a flash. This is followed by a short paragraph on Carina.
*CARINA ARCARD'S STORY UPDATED!*
{Carina, despite being a falconer, comes from a long line of scholars, the Arcards. According to Carina, her parents are "stern, yet fair", but hold high expectations for her, as well as all of their family members. Like Carina, the Arcard household places high value in obeying established rules and regulations, and will dole out harsh punishments for those who disobey. Laziness is frowned upon by the Arcards.}
It appears the E-Scroll truly is a vault of knowledge-but I suspect that this is not the information Carina wanted me to glean from it. No, I believe it is what appears at the bottom of the scroll in menacing crimson ink that catches my attention. An autopsy report simply labeled the Fukushi Files, named after the Narrator himself.
Victim: Mayumi Kichida
Time of death: 12:00 am; midnight
Location of body: Village square; water fountain
Cause of death: A blow to the head, causing blunt force trauma.
Other notes: The victim has no records in the Story. She did not die instantaneously upon being struck; she lived for a short amount of time after her attack. However, she was weakened to the point of severely limiting her mobility.
Mayumi Kichida was her name.
My heart quickens, and I'm not sure why. I'm fairly certain that I have never seen her before, but my stomach churns regardless. Mayumi Kichida, Mayumi Kichida, Mayumi Kichida...it sounds vaguely familiar. I shake off the déjà vu tingling the base of my spine and redirect my focus to the situation at hand.
I suddenly feel a need to act, to respond to the call for action. Not just to clear my name or Zachariah's, but to also find justice for the fallen girl. The answer is out there, waiting to be uncovered.
I struggle to shuffle out of the cot. Everything is still dizzying and disorienting, thanks to my horrible headache. Zachariah raises an eyebrow at my vague attempt to get back on my two feet, and offers his hands for assistance. Out of desperation, I accept and heave myself up, wobbling a bit as I regain my balance.
"Art thou certain that thou dost not require rest?" Zachariah insists, but I push past him, sauntering toward the front of the apothecary's. He trails after me like a puppy worried for his master. If he had a tail, it would be wagging expectantly.
"And leave the Elites down by one whole Wise student?" I snort, shooting him an incredulous look. "Forget it, white knight. I'm investigating, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
To my surprise, Zachariah gives me a small grin rather than continue to chastise me. Dipping into a bow, he replies, "I expected no less from you-but at the very least, please allow me to lend my assistance."
I stare up at the eager knight with an incredulous expression my face. Him, help me? The very notion is ridiculous! Sure, Zachariah might be a good candidate to guard a corpse, but to collect evidence? I have my fair share of doubts.
"I have it handled," I insist, but it seems as though the world is out to fully disprove me today. I try to step around Zachariah, but, having not fully regained my balance, I instead almost trip and clumsily face plant on the floor. The knight raises an eyebrow, but I blurt out, "S-See?! Definitely have it handled."
"With all due respect, milady, I have to politely disagree!" Zachariah cries, persistent as usual. He lumbers over me like an overprotective father bear. "I worry for thy safety, thy wellness! You are in no shape to be up and about without support!"
"I'm fine, you dork!"
"...Certainly, you are. Then I shall presume thee to be today's hero, whilst I follow thee to the ends of the Earth, as thy faithful sidekick." Zachariah declares, continuing to follow me like a loyal dog. He is indulging my farce, I realize, like the goody-goody that he is. A nice gesture, I'm sure, but it eats away at the precious time we have remaining before the trial. The clock is ticking away.
"Whatever helps you sleep comfortably at night, pretty boy." I grumble, quickly caving in to his insistence. He's lucky I don't feel like arguing with him further. "Just don't hold me back, and we'll get along just famously."
The smile that graces Zachariah's lips threatens to split his face in two. I wonder if it was the right decision to accept him as my fellow investigator. But it's too late to take it back now. Far, far too late.
And so, we walk together into the light; partners in crime, and reluctantly so on my side.
*EVIDENCE UPDATED!*
[Fukushi Files No. 1] - States the identity of the victim, as well as the time of death, location of the body, cause of death, and other relevant notes.
[Laws of Storytelling] - Lists the rules and regulations associated with the Story. All Characters must obey these; please refer to your E-Scroll for the laws in detail.
[Carina's Clause] - The Elite Falconer advised that no one leave their guild rooms after night time, around 10:00 pm and before 7:00 am. As it stands now, the victim, Estelle, and Zachariah are known to have violated this clause.
Ricard nearly flattens me once I come into his periphery. Ellanora, on the other hand, approaches meekly, following the hunter's lead. I steel myself for another session of being belittled and treated like a child. Anything to move the investigation along, at this point.
"Estelle!" Ricard sputters, latching onto both of my shoulders and almost crushing my tiny frame, "We were all worried sick when Zach told us how he found you! You could have had a concussion, or worse. Thank goodness you're alright!"
"W-Well...Estelle had a pretty good chance of survival to begin with...about 98.74%, to be exact. N-None of her vital organs w-were damaged, and at the most, she h-had a mild head injury. Nothing t-t-too major." Ellanora offers a weak smile, but skittishly avoids eye contact. "You s-should make a full recovery...so long as you don't p-push yourself too hard."
She steals a glance at Zachariah and her tiny grin stabilizes a bit. "I-It was nice of M-Mister Garmont to s-save you like that. He c-carried you over himself and b-bandaged your head..." Ellanora's voice trails off as she continues to gaze at the knight in admiration, obviously starstruck.
"Uh, that's...great...now, could you kindly get off of me?" I request addressing Ricard, which causes the hunter to quickly back off with a nervous laugh and apology. Even if hunting is a mismatch for his class, there is no denying that his personality isn't. In fact, he's too nice for his own good. "Anyway, I'm fit to join in the investigation. Have we got anything incriminating yet?"
"Eh? Are you really going to be okay with investigating...?" Ricard inquires, furrowing his brow in concern. "You stumbled across a corpse already, and you didn't react so pleasantly to it. Plus, with your wound, it might be easier to relax and not think too hard. It would strain your bra-"
"The lady has already given you her word, Sir Ricard," Zachariah cuts in tactfully (and actually on my side for once), "and I assure you that should any danger befall her, I shall be present to assist. 'Tis but all in a day's work!" It takes all of my strength to not gag at the cheesiness of Zachariah's lines, despite his noble intentions.
"Oh. I guess that's fine then." Ricard easily yields to his knightly companion. He steps aside to allow us to stumble through the sea of shattered glass. The Kind student waves around at the disheveled shop interior. "Here, look around if you want. Er, and careful not to cut yourself on anything."
"I know, I know." I nod to Ricard and proceed forward to survey the wreckage.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ellanora anxiously shuffling in place, wringing her hands together. She nibbles at her lower lip, and refuses to meet Zachariah's gaze. Her face is flushed a little pink, like the hue of a cherry blossom. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she longs to be in my position-but that can't possibly be. Prolonged periods chained to Zachariah give me symptoms akin to nausea-why would she want to willingly put herself through that?
As I pass the statistician, our eyes briefly meet. In that moment, a flash of emotion-sadness, or perhaps jealousy-strike across Ellanora's soft features. I am both spontaneously confused and curious.
It occurs to me that my fellow Elite is possibly infatuated with Zachariah. A terrible thought, to be sure, but not my current issue. Anyone fool enough to fall for a knight's mindless wiles is not fit to be Wise, I note to myself. I must focus on solving this murder mystery.
Redirecting my eyes to my surroundings, I keep alert for anything out of the ordinary. Granted, the entirety of the ruined apothecary's is unusual, so I don't need to put forth too much effort into it. I kneel down to get a closer look at the various shards littering the ground. Dried patches of magenta taint the clarity of the glass pieces, giving off the aroma of iron. Ah-hah!
"Blood," I whisper, a hand hovering over a coin sized splotch. "Something happened here; something bad." My stomach lurches as ghoulish images fly around in my wild imagination. I do my best to close my mind off from them and look to the other Elites for their opinions.
"It definitely looks like someone might have been injured here. Or maybe a struggle happened." Ricard suggests, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to seeing it...pink blood, I mean. It's just so weird."
"Mayhap be the dark magic of the Great Witch, cast to disillusion us from the truth!" Zachariah points out, giving us the most outlandish explanation possible. "She has an indirect hold over the entirety of this land, does she not?"
"Look, the color of the blood doesn't matter! It's a bodily fluid all the same!" I cry, standing back up with a huff, "It doesn't look like anyone was stabbed with glass, otherwise there would be blood on the tips of the pieces and not on top. They also look a little too small to be brandished as weapons. This is definitely an important clue."
"Y-Yeah, I suppose..." Ellanora mumbles absentmindedly, staring at her feet rather than the evidence. She must be extremely squeamish or something; the statistician squirms in place, and ultimately ducks behind Zachariah to avoid seeing blood. I imagine that just hearing me say it so many times also made her queasy.
"Hm." I give the apothecary another cursory look before pursing my lips. It is a challenge to glean anything else since there are herbs and all sorts of concoctions heaped everywhere. A formal inventory can't be taken, as we have no numbers to compare to prior to the destruction.
The strong, acrid scent of medicine is only intensifying my headache. I'm done here-lest I faint again and have Zachariah dub me unfit to continue. I instinctively wobble towards the exit, saying over my shoulder, "I'm going to investigate elsewhere. Please let me know if anything new comes up here."
Ricard happily complies with a nod, but Ellanora visibly pales and starts sweating profusely. "A-Already?! B-But...B-But the killer is still out there somewhere...! W-We should stay in a larger group to protect ourselves! S-S-Splitting up is a terrible idea! It ends badly in the h-horror movies 99.69% of the time!"
"W-Whoa! Don't say things like that, Maria! You're starting to scare me, too!" Ricard hisses, his spirits suddenly dropping. Fear seizes the hunter's torso, squeezing the life out of him.
"S-Sorry!" Ellanora squeaks, shrinking into a meek blob of human flesh. "I-I-I didn't mean to! Oh, you must hate me f-for riling you u-up!"
"N-No, I-" But Ricard is almost immediately interrupted with a loud wail.
"I'm awful! Simply a-awful!" Ellanora sobs, her eyes rapidly tearing up. I know her self esteem isn't exactly the best, but dear lord, she's as unstable as a nuclear reaction. Luckily, who should swoop in to save the day but your friendly neighborhood knight? "I-I really shouldn't be giving my p-pathetic two cents on a-anything!"
"Lady Maria," Zachariah says gently, easing her in with the utmost of care, "Sir Ricard is perfectly qualified to keep the two of you safe from harm. Stay indoors and at his side, and the two of you will be just fine."
"...Really?" As if by magic, Ellanora's tears dry up. Now it's my turn to be bewildered. What manner of madness is this?
"Really."
"W-Well...i-if you say s-so..." Ellanora offers a weak smile, but is instantly reassured knowing that Zachariah is the one giving her advice. I wonder if he has this effect on other girls, or if it is just her. Still, I am grateful that this opens up an escape route for me.
"Good, then it's settled." I mutter under my breath, throwing open the exit with a flourish. I don't need to look behind me to know that Zachariah follows, or that Ellanora stares after us wistfully. And Ricard...well, he does his own Ricard-y thing, I suppose.
If this were a romance novel of some sort, this would likely be the rough start to a crappy love triangle. But this isn't a romantic comedy of any sort-it's a fairy tale life of mutual killing, and it must be treated as such. There's no time for frivolous fancies!
Honestly, why I bother to put up with these Elites in the first place is beyond me.
*EVIDENCE UPDATED!*
[Mess in the Apothecary's] - A few days ago, the apothecary's was as neat as it could be (albeit a bit dusty). It is now in a state of disarray, with many of its jarred and bottled ingredients thrown onto the floor. It looks as though a struggle occurred here.
[Bloodied Glass Shards] - Shattered glass bottles discovered in the apothecary's. They have blood stains on them. There is no blood around the edges, only on the topmost surfaces.
I know immediately where to head next-and apparently, so do a majority of the other students. Village square is packed with bustling Elites rushing in and out of shops and shouting at one another. Cooperating, I realize as I draw closer, they're cooperating in this investigation. Less work for me to do.
Glancing over at the water fountain, I see Carina floating over the still fresh corpse, contemplating. On either side of her are bodyguards, no doubt making sure no alterations are made to to the crime scene. Cado looks a bit rattled, while Johanna appears impatient as the falconer goes about her business. I gather that I won't accomplish much by fighting with Carina for dominance, so I decide to investigate elsewhere until she is finished.
I pause before the bakery and peer inside through its huge display case window. Inside, Priscilla and Mana are rifling around behind the counter. From their straight expressions, I can only assume that they have found no meaningful evidence. I turn to Zachariah and gesture for us to move on-but it's too late.
"Lady Mana! Lady Priscilla! Salutations!"
There he goes, already sticking his head in through the door frame and bellowing a greeting to his fellow Courageous Elites. Great, another time waster. I internally groan and attempt to make an escape, only to be grasped by Zachariah and dragged into the bakery.
"Well lookee what we have here." Mana snickers, back to her usual snarky self. She leans over the front counter, resting her chin on a balled hand. "If it isn't Charming and Bubbles. Finally come to pitch in, huh?" She stares at me in particular, probably because of my forehead injury, and gives a low whistle. "Yeesh, someone really did a number on yah, didn't they?"
I blush furiously, but refuse to admit to Mana that I was responsible for hurting myself. It's embarrassing enough with everyone fretting over me because of my wound. I don't need any more shame!
"Tsk tsk, Bubbles, tsk tsk." Mana sighs, pointedly wagging an index finger in front of me. "First rule of self defense; always be prepared for anything and everything. Expect the unexpected, if you will!" She throws me a sarcastic wink. "And that goes for everyone, not just you."
"...I'm not even going to respond to that." I state, turning my head away from the mercenary. So haughty! So condescending! To think that this girl has a weak side to her...why, it seems like a mere figment of my imagination!
"Lady Mana may have a point there," Zachariah pipes up, startling me. "It would do everyone some good to learn basic self defense techniques to prevent...more murders...in the future. I, myself, would happily volunteer as an instructor."
"And make legions of desperate girls' romantic fantasies come true." I grumble to myself, but the knight seems deaf to my words. He continues to ramble on about various marital arts, swordplay rules, and wrestling moves, each sounding more complicated than the last. What the hell is a Samoan Spike, and how does he expect normal civilians to pull one off?
Are knights even supposed to be trained in this sort of crap, or is it just him wanting to go above and beyond his regular duties? Whatever the reason, it's still stupid. Mana, on the other hand, finds this hilarious, and does a poor job of concealing her laughter. I can only venture that she actually understands the nonsense that Zachariah is spewing.
"Oh, hush up, Zachie! Let the poor dear recuperate! Last thing she needs is more stress!" Priscilla cries, joining in on the conversation to shut the knight up, "I wish I could give y'all some comfort food to fill ya up, but I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment..."
"No, that's okay." I raise an eyebrow. Perhaps Zachariah really did somehow pick up on the scent of evidence. "But does that mean you've found something?"
"Nope! Absolutely nothin'!" Priscilla chirps, not a bit bothered by my flabbergasted, gaping expression. She appears completely undisturbed by the discovery of a corpse, and unaffected by the urgency to act on it.
"Zip. Nada. Zilch. Z-e-r-o." Mana mutters, reiterating the baker's response. She forms a circular shape with her free hand and gazes at me through it.
"I mean, Mana and I have been havin' no plum luck all day. Already checked the butcher's and now the bakery," Priscilla shakes her head, "and still nothin'."
I want to bash my head against the wall, but manage to contain myself. Way to go, Zachariah! Good job leading us to a dead end!
I expect the knight to look guilty, but no. Instead, his gaze is on an open sack behind the bakery counter, by Priscilla's feet. It is filled to the brim (leaving me to assume it is new) with a powdery white substance, some of it spilling out onto the floor. I recognize it perfectly well-it's just flour, nothing unusual for a bakery.
"Was that thy doing?" Zachariah inquires, gesturing to the opened sack.
"Hm? Oh, heavens no!" Priscilla insists, waving a plump hand dismissively. "Baked my heart out the first day here, just to cozy on up to everyone. But I've been spending my time cleaning this place up after Lancie and Stellie's recent play date."
My heart sinks remembering the failed barley bread and "fun time" with the unpleasant ventriloquist. Even worse is that Priscilla has officially dubbed it a "play date", like some overzealous mother. Mana chuckles a little at the phrase, but Zachariah remains surprisingly stoic.
"I see...interesting."
"I guess there's no need for me to be here then! Carry on," I interject, veering around to exit. My face must be burning red from embarrassment. "I'm off."
"Mm, as am I." Zachariah adds absentmindedly, still fixated on the flour sack. I roll my eyes and have to nearly drag the lug out myself.
"What, so soon?" Mana calls after us jokingly, only to get slightly muffled by the shutting of the bakery door. "Hmph, guess I'll see you guys at the trial, then." Then, presumably addressing Priscilla, "Where to next, Mom?"
*EVIDENCE UPDATED!"
[Flour Sack] - An sack of flour found at the baker's. Priscilla has not been baking recently, but the sack looks freshly opened. Some of it is spilling out onto the floor.
The next shop is the candlestick maker's-and while its state is not nearly as bad as the apothecary's, it certainly my does stand out. For one, the front door is swung wide open, semi-detached from its hinges, and the knob looks busted. A large wooden plank lies nearby, sad and forlorn.
How suspicious.
At once, I enter the establishment, coming across two kneeling figures, Endi and Nissa, indoors. My nose wrinkles at the vaguely smoky scent of the establishment. The illusionist is the first to notice me, bouncing up and thrusting her hands out in a warm greeting. There is a long piece of almost translucent string hanging in an intricate pattern from Nissa's fingertips.
"Heya, look, look!" The illusionist beams proudly, bringing her hands closer to my face, "It's a cat's cradle! Isn't it such a neat trick?"
"Uh, sure," I mutter, taking a step back to regain some personal space, "You should be focusing on the investigation, though, not playing around."
"Aw!" Nissa pouts, puffing out her cheeks childishly. "But thinking about it is just so...so sad! Nissa would rather think happy thoughts!" And with that, she twirls around and poses dramatically, winking to a nonexistent camera lens.
"You're...not helping much." I sigh, resisting the powerful urge to face palm.
"Stay strong, milady,"' Zachariah whispers, only to earn a withering gaze from me. Him and his emotional support bullshit...He's not helping much, either!
"Nuh-uh!" Nissa cries, disagreeing with me. "I've been doin' plenty! Cuz this string, y'know...it's evidence!" She pauses before happily adding, "Oooh, sounds scary, huh? We need some dark and brooding atmospheric lighting and that dun dun DUN music!"
That catches my attention.
"Evidence?" I repeat slowly, cocking an eyebrow at the illusionist. "How so?"
"Yes, please do tell!" Zachariah chimes in, echoing my sentiments. His eyes shine with undiluted eagerness.
"Hm...I dunno!" Nissa exclaims cheerily, content with her ignorance. "Endi said it might be important! Nissa just went along with what he said!" I heave a massive sigh. Leave it to these two to allow one of them to play around with evidence.
At the mention of his name, the Elite Craftsman stands back up, brushing himself off of dust. "Well, it's just a hypothesis at this point." He admits, bring a hand to his chin. "It's a very unique material, being the color-er, or lack thereof-that it is."
Endi must be referring to the translucence of the string, I realize. I stare at the Kind student expectantly, prompting him to continue, which he does.
"I had to stop Nissa from rushing into the building too quickly. I noticed the string set up by the doorway of the candlestick maker's, so she could've tripped if she wasn't careful." Endi clarifies, while the illusionist keeps fooling around with her new found toy. "I removed it so it'd be safer, but she just took the string and...um, you know." The craftsman shrugs casually before returning to his investigation.
"Such foul trickery! The killer must have set up this trap to ensnare their victim, and then gone in to attack!" Zachariah declares, immediately jumping to conclusions again. If he paid more attention to his surroundings, he would be able to tell that unlike the apothecary's, the candlestick maker's doesn't look like it's been throw a hurricane. No conflict occurred here.
"And then, and then! With a flash of rainbows and sparkles arrives the squadron of justice!" Nissa squeals, hopping up and down excitedly, "They banish the evil and darkness with love and light! Tee hee, that's us! We're gonna solve this case, no problem!"
Says the one who has no clue what we're doing...
"But of course, Lady Nissa! We shall shed the light of justice upon this darkened village!"
"Yeah, yeah! Ooh, but we'll need cool costumes! And a fluffy mascot! And long, overly complex catchphrases to shout before our transformation sequences! Maybe something like, Pretty Cutie Rainbow Crystal Moon Power, Makeup!"
"Verily!" Zachariah belts out a line punctuated by hearty laughter. I cringe, wondering if he is actually taking her seriously.
I try to ignore the irritating, idiotic chorus in the background and glance around Endi to see what he is observing. It seems to be a massive collection of burnt out white candles. Strange-they had been full ones a few days ago.
"They're used," I note, bringing up the obvious.
"Definitely," Endi agrees, holding one up into the light for closer inspection. He sniffs the candle, frowns, and puts it down. What an unconventional way to get information-although I suppose it makes sense for a craftsman. His senses must be quite sharp. "Hm, with this size and material, I'd say these were burned last night."
The night of the murder...
This mystery is just getting curiouser and curiouser.
"That's about it for this place." Endi says, concluding his report. "There's not much else here but used candles-and whoever burned these used quite a lot of them. I apologize for not being able to help more."
"No, no, you've been plenty helpful!" I insist, bringing a gentle smile to the craftsman's face. "W-We were able to get a lot of evidence from this place, so..."
"Oh, that's great! I'll keep looking around to see what I can find, then. I don't suspect there to be much more, but that won't stop me from trying."
"Sounds good." With a hasty glance out the front windows, I can see that Carina has vanished, leaving the corpse with Cado and Johanna. Perfect timing. "I'm going to..." I hesitate, swallowing the lump in throat before finishing my thought, "...to look at the body now."
"Hey, you gonna be okay with that?" Nissa squeaks, suddenly cutting off her plans to become a magical girl with Zachariah in order to address me, "Um...d-dead bodies bring b-bad luck!"
"Yes." I reply tersely, looking her right in the eyes. "It doesn't hurt to have two people check the body-and I don't see anyone else stepping up to do it."
"Do be careful," Endi suggests, following Nissa up on her sentiments. "You've already sustained an injury from discovering the body." Zachariah purses his lips, but says nothing, knowing that he'll get an earful from me if he takes Endi and Nissa's side.
"I can handle a lot more than this." I lie, if only to silence their sympathy. As if I haven't had enough of it today.
I must see the corpse again, this time in broad daylight. I have to see it, see her. Mayumi Kichida, Mayumi Kichida, Mayumi Kichida...the name that lies on the tip of my tongue, wrapped in an unknown identity.
Who are you?
*EVIDENCE UPDATED!*
[Damaged Door] - The door to the candlestick maker's. Sports a broken door knob, and hangs loosely on its hinges.
[Large Wooden Plank] - A large wooden plank found by the entrance to the candlestick maker's. Oddly out of place for where it is.
[String] - A piece of colorless string apparently tied up at the entrance of the candlestick maker's. Set to trip anyone entering or exiting if they aren't looking carefully.
[Used Candles] - A big cluster of candles, all burnt up and used. They appear to be of a uniform material and size.
No.
Even seeing her up close in the daytime doesn't do anything for my memory. Her oriental features are as foreign to me as ever, and I cannot dredge anything up aside from her name. Mayumi Kichida...
The one new thing I glean from the scene is a weapon lying by the corpse. From the wide blade and thick handle, it appears to be a meat cleaver, likely swiped from the butcher's. A coat of blood paints the rusty metal blade. Perhaps it was or wasn't there when I first found the body, or I had been too distressed to notice it before.
But it's the girl I'm fixed on.
She knows me, but I don't know her.
How is that possible? How...?
"Oi! You done starin' at it?" Johanna demands, hands on her hips. She looks pretty pissed for having stood in one place for a few hours, guarding the corpse. On the other hand, her partner, Cado, looks rather indifferent, instead staring off into the distance. He must be deep in thought about something.
"Y-Yeah." I grumble, tearing my eyes away from the dead body. At this point, the blood coating her head has dried, and she has lost all warmth. If I look at Mayumi for too long, I might faint again and be banned from completing the investigation. Zachariah has even gone to the trouble of positioning himself directly behind me in case I topple over.
I have learned nothing new from choosing to expose myself to her corpse again. The Fukushi Files already summarized a majority of what we know about the victim. I step back to distance myself from Mayumi.
"...Waste of life, if you ask me." Johanna spits, gritting her teeth together. "What kind of fuckin' bastard would do this sick shit? Her skull looks like it was bashed in pretty hard-not a wimpy beating like the one you took, blondie."
"Lady Johanna," Zachariah warns in a stern voice, "do stay on track. Respect the lost life of the deceased."
I wince, expecting the boxer to lunge at Zachariah, or at the very least try to get a hit in, but instead Johanna glances away, quiet. I guess no matter how much of a hot head she can be, she does have some capacity to be polite. Cado takes this opportunity to speak up.
"The weapon..."
"Does it matter?" I demand of the blacksmith. The victim died from blunt force trauma...didn't she?
"He's been goin' on and on about that damn meat cleaver for forever now!" Johanna growls, annoyed with her fellow bodyguard. "Won't shut the hell up about it until he's heard out!"
"...The handle." Cado points out slowly, pointing to the part in question. He tunes out Johanna's groans with invisible earplugs. "Marks..."
Looking at the cleaver a second time, I notice what Cado is alluding to. The handle, while worn and clearly having seen better times, has noticeable punctures, scratches, and indents in it. I frown-it smells like a red herring. Any real criminal trying to hide his crime would steal the murder weapon away-and surely a cleaver can't deal enough force to knock a girl down.
"Ignore them. They're not important," I instruct Cado, who hangs his head and stuffs his hands into his pockets. He glances off to the side, discouraged, reverting back into silence.
"See? What'd I tell ya?" Johanna grunts, folding her muscular arms over her chest.
"...Sorry." Cado apologizes, downtrodden. His efforts to lend assistance amounted to nothing.
"Art thou sure? The weapon may very well be vital to this investigation," Zachariah inquires as I quickly turn my back, "We may observe the body for longer if milady wishes for additional clues-"
"Stop," I reply stubbornly, "I don't want to look at her any longer than I have to." My stomach does a somersault and a back flip, starting to go nauseous from the presence of a corpse before me. I try to focus on other things.
If I were a murderer, where's the first place I would go after I finished killing my victim? I'd need to wash the blood off of myself. And I guess I could use the village water fountain, but it doesn't look like the water has been tainted in any way here. So that leaves...
An idea suddenly surfaces in my head.
*EVIDENCE UPDATED!*
[Meat Cleaver] - A weapon found near the victim's body. The blade is bloodied, and the handle has strange markings on it.
[Water Fountain] - The water fountain in the village square. It is clean and untainted with blood.
We find Michael seated on the steps to the grand bath house, lazily reclining and soaking up sunshine. Figures. I wasn't expecting him to be helping out, anyway. The bandit opens one eye in a semi-greeting at the sound of our approach and offers a mischievous grin.
"Yo. 'Sup?" He asks, grinning from ear to ear.
"You know what's 'sup, Michael." I sigh, massaging my temples. "And you're doing a fine job of not doing anything about it, you lazy bum."
"Hey, I already did my fair share of investigating." The bandit shrugs, his smile smug. I don't buy it for a single second. "You're just slow compared to me."
"Beg pardon?!" I hiss, narrowing my icy blue eyes at Michael, who doesn't seem fazed at all. It is the reaction he was expecting. He has a good, hearty laugh at my anger.
"Sir Michael, I would advise against taunting." Zachariah suggests, looking down on the Wise student's immaturity.
"Calm down, yeesh! I was just messin' with ya...no need to take everything so seriously." Michael sighs, stretching out his arms and legs. "I s'ppose you two are here to look around? I won't stop ya, but you might wanna wait for a while."
"Why? So you can waste even more of my time?! I've already lost enough as it is dilly dallying!" I snap back, having no tolerance for him. Without heeding Michael's words, I proceed to climb up the steps and through the open entrance. Zachariah, of course, trails after me.
I immediately regret my decision.
We walk in on a red head in nothing but a towel around his...crotch area.
"Uh...hi?" Jaxon says awkwardly, to which I respond with an eloquent scream, slapping both hands over my eyes to shield myself. From behind me, I hear Zachariah's frantic footsteps coming to a halt, and Michael's uncontrollable howls of laughter.
In hindsight, I should have announced myself before entering. On the other hand, were in the middle of an investigation. Who the hell is bathing at a time like this, when there is a vital investigation to be done?!
"Oh. 'Tis only Sir Jaxon of Caldwell, milady. Nothing to fear." Zachariah reassures me cheerily with a slap on the back. "You had me worrying for a second! I believed you to have been assaulted with a-"
"S-S-SHUDDAP AND MAKE IT GO AWAY!" I sputter clumsily, my entire face flushing bright scarlet.
"Wow, I'm an it now?" Jaxon jokes, trying to lighten up the mood, "Man, that hurts..."
"P-PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" I command the wayfarer, but without vision to aid me, I have no idea whether he follows my instructions or not. "HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!"
"You want me to bathe in my clothes? Now that's just weird!" Jaxon counters, "I always wash super early in the morning so I don't need to fight with anyone over the bath house. And with this body discovery announcement an all, I have even less competition for bath time." That's his top priority?! What a joke!
"H-How can we be sure you aren't the murderer t-trying to clean yourself of blood?!" I blurt out, still flustered.
"Look, you can check my clothes all you want." Jaxon insists. There is a pause, followed by rustling around, and a light thump as what I presume to be a pile of clothes lands by my feet. "There's not a drop of blood on there. I'm innocent. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get squeaky clean. See ya."
Even when his footsteps vanish, I refuse to lower my hands from my eyes. Zachariah takes it upon himself to report on the state of Jaxon' clothes. "There are indeed no blood stains, milady."
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE UP FOR THE MENTAL SCARRING!" I retort, collapsing into a ball on the bath house floor.
"I don't get it." Zachariah shrugs. Never in my life have I wanted to kicks someone so hard in the no-no square.
"OF COURSE YOU DON'T, FOOL! YOU AREN'T ME! I'M NEVER GOING TO LIVE THIS DOWN!"
"Er," comes Jaxon's voice from far away, "is it okay if I interrupt your emotional breakdown to mention something?"
"Just...just get it over with!" I choke out, eager to hurry up and leave this forsaken place!
"I think I found some stuff you guys might be interested in. These were by the baths." Jaxon explains, his voice growing louder as he shuffles closer, placing his so-called evidence by my feet. "Uh, I still have only a towel on, so you might wanna wait to look at this stuff."
"Most gracious of you, my comrade!" Zachariah beams, grateful for the assistance. Apparently, he is oblivious enough to be perfectly comfortable exchanging words with almost naked classmates.
"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure the little miss doesn't scream again. I don't think my eardrums can take it..." And with that, the wayfarer finally vanishes to cleanse himself.
I don't trust him enough to remove my hands, so they remain before my eyes. Zachariah sighs and proceeds to describe what Jaxon has left for us. "Milady, there is a bucket of soapy water. 'Tis the same color as the victim's pink blood. There is also white cloth and ointment, similar to the materials I used to bandaged your wound. That is all."
A pregnant pause.
Then...
"Can we go now?"
I need to lie down before I die of embarrassment.
*EVIDENCE UPDATED!*
[Bloody Bath Water] - Found in a bucket in the bath house. It appears someone rinsed themselves of blood and disposed of it in soapy water.
[Bandages and Ointment] - medical supplies found in the bath house. Similar to what Zachariah used to treat Estelle's head injury.
Zachariah manages to haul me back to the guild for a period of respite, but I am not granted even that much. When we arrive back, we're greeted with Lance's delightfully whiny voice. He peeks out from behind his guild room, glaring daggers at Thomas, who appears to be trying to coax him out. Frieda stands by the Thomas, fingers plugged into her ears to drown out the ventriloquist. It looks as though our local mailman is losing the quarrel.
"Come on, Lance...if we're going to solve this mystery, we need everyone's help!" Thomas begs, attempting to pry open the door with his bare hands. Lance stubbornly stays put, digging his heels into the ground. "Please come out!"
"Why should I?!" Lance spits venomously, "It's much safer in here than out there where all you bozos could be concealing weapons and waiting to stab me!"
"I told you, we won't do that!" Thomas reassures him desperately, "We just need you for current investigation! It would really help to have all the students on board! Pretty please with whipped cream and cherries and chopped nuts on top?"
"I hate cherries!" Mustachio Pete snorts, butting heads with the Loyal courier. Is that honestly the best counterargument he has at the moment? "And I ain't lend in' one MEASLY finger! So get lost, ya loser!"
"Quite right!" Lance nods, agreeing with his puppet. "I'd much rather be doubtful than dead, thank you very much!"
"B-But...the trial..."
"I have no need to do any dirty work! With my giant brain, I can solve the mystery just like that!" Lance emphasizes his claim with a snap. "Good day to you, lowly mail carrier. I shall see you at the trial." With that, the midget seizes the door and slams it shut, cutting himself out from the outside world.
Thomas manages to move his fingers away in time to avoid getting smashed against the door frame. He lets out a deep sigh before turning to Frieda. The courier looks depressed and much less chipper than usual. "Well, I tried..."
"Couldn't you have been more subtle about it?" Frieda groans, finally removing her fingers from her ears. "That was quite a racket."
"Oh! S-Sorry...I guess I got a little irritated there." Thomas frowns, clasping his hands together. "I guess Lance won't be helping us after all."
"Very well then. Who needs him?" Frieda's dark eyes migrate over to Zachariah and I, still lingering nearby. They glint with mystery, sending chills down my spine. "We have them."
"Shall I attempt to be cordial with Sir Lance?" Zachariah abruptly pipes up, eager to help. A resounding "NO!" from Frieda, Thomas, and I immediately shushes the knight up. I could have sworn that even Lance joined in on the shouting from within his guild room. "As you wish."
"Er," he glances away, directing his attention toward the entrance of the guild. Has he finally chosen to succumb to humiliation? "I shall be over there if my services are needed." The knight excuses himself and hurries off to lounge around in said area.
What could possibly be so interesting there? I do seem to recall there being traces of a strange powder there when I went to my midnight stroll but...Unfortunately, I don't have long to muse over this matter.
"My, my, Estelle. I certainly wasn't expecting you to recover so quickly from your injury. You're much more hardy than your appearance suggests." Frieda comments, her gaze trained on me. "Of course, being as fickle as you are, I'd wager that you've spent the entire day investigating rather than sleeping like a good little girl."
I freeze up. Every word that leaves her mouth is so painfully accurate that it actually hurts, like arrows piercing my flesh. No, make that arrows dipped in poison.
"Am I wrong?" Frieda challenges quietly, holding back a chuckle.
She's right. I just don't want to admit to it.
"Wow, that takes a lot of dedication!" Thomas gasps, breaking the tense atmosphere. "I applaud you, Estelle! You're a real go-getter! I gotta work ten times harder to one-up you!"
"Uh, you don't need to do that." I insist, awkwardly backing up. "I'm feeling a big worn out, actually." Frieda continues to gaze at me silently, her sinister eyes pulsating slowly. As though black holes, they pull me closer and closer. It takes all of my strength to rip myself away.
My eyes wander from the composer and to the bulletin board behind her. It's the only other thing I can really focus on at the moment. As usual, it is full of tacked up papers, although at this point, they are all blank (probably to accommodate to Monoryuu's new rules).
Wait...
There is a suspiciously empty spot on the board, perhaps enough space for a single missing paper. That's odd. Why would there be such a-
"EUREKA! That's it!" Zachariah declares, getting a rise out of Frieda, Thomas, and I. The knight turns to us, displaying an ecstatic expression. His hazel eyes are lit with a new found passion, like a phoenix reborn and rising from the ashes. "I can already see the Ending to this case!"
"...What?"
But Zachariah never has a chance to properly clarify, for a familiar voice interrupts him from above. It's still as shrill as ever, and about twenty times louder than normal, but it is unmistakably an announcement from Monoryuu. Oh no. Please don't let it be what I think it is...
"Hey, hey, hey! Guess what time it is, everyone?! " Not even half a second passes before the dragon answers his own rhetorical question. "Thaaaaaat's right! The first trial is about to be underway, so all you Characters better assemble in village square! Participation is MANDATORY! Hopefully you louts managed to throw something together from your lousy investigation...
"...Cuz if you don't guess the killer correctly, you all get axed and the killer gets to walk free! Guess correctly, and the killer is the one who gets punished! Mweeheeheehee! See ya chumps there!"
I shouldn't have jinxed it.
*EVIDENCE UPDATED!*
[Missing Paper] - A single piece of paper seems to be missing from the otherwise crowded Quest Board in the guild. There are currently no Quests available.
[Guild Entrance] - Zachariah seems to be fixated on this particular area. The night of the murder, Estelle saw a little powder sprinkled on the entrance mat.
"...I told her it was a bad idea. Look what you've gone and done now, Mayumi-chan...Man, oh man...the higher-ups are gonna lynch me for this."
"Mm, despite all that...
"I wonder how things will play out?
"The one with a heart of gold, and the one with a heart of pyrite; a strange duo, to be sure...but will they be able to find the one blackened by the Curse? They have such different approaches to the murder...
"Well, I suppose I'll see soon enough."
Hey there, Danganronpa fans! =7= Sooooo, how 'bout that investigation, huh? Things are really heating up now...I tried my best to make it unconventional and fun, while still being relatively serious overall. Theories and speculations about the killer or how the murder was carried out are welcome! Suggestions for future omake are also welcome.
The serial killer poll is now closed. There is a new poll for the next free time events. You can choose up to three students, in case one of them unfortunately happens to be the blackened for the first trial...Like I said before, the personality of the student and how Estelle views them will determine whether or not they do an activity together or just talk about the past. I'd prefer if you voted for students who haven't spoken of themselves yet or haven't done much with Estelle. Anyone you are curious about works!
Alright, time to respond to reviews!
Shadowplayer360: Monokuma is definitely a safe guess, but he's not my favorite.
PoisonBanana: Haha, I'm not sure if anyone would be willing to animate such a complex sequence...although I do enjoy seeing fan art! ^w^
And yes, Mikan is my favorite character. I will be writing your one shot in the next week or so. For anyone interested in reading it, PoisonBanana has requested that I write an AU in which it is Nagito's first day at a daycare where Hajime and Chiaki work. The rest of the SDR2 cast are the children they look after. That should be...interesting...to say the least.
Shaggy Rower: Thank you! I'm glad it was so well received.
I really like Ishimaru as well! He is probably the character that I most relate to.
Spontaneous Extempist: Wow, another long and detailed review! Don't worry, I appreciate your thoughts regardless. It really helps me improve my writing.
Yes, this story is going by quickly! Everything happens at a slightly different pace because of the radical setting (and Estelle being Estelle).
Ooh, very interesting speculation. I won't spoil anything, since the victim's identity is very important in the long run. Wink, wink, nudge nudge. ;)
Haha, don't worry about little old Zachie poo. His backstory is a lot more intricate than that. I suspect it will be revealed in due time how he came to serve his master and why he so blindly does as his master says. Zach's about as noble as they come! Maybe that's why he's so popular...
How ironic! Mana's creator actually PM'd me after reading chapter 9 laughing about how it implied a love triangle between Mana, Estelle, and Zach! There is indeed a great irony to Estelle, of all people, calling Mana condescending and haughty. At this rate, Zach isn't going to be the Elite Knight anymore...he's going to be the Elite Unintentional Playboy! Mana is also a pretty popular character right now~
The Author (if he/she exists at all) will be one of the issues later addressed, so have no fear! Some have speculated that the Author is the code word for Mastermind, but that seems a bit too obvious, doesn't it?
A lot of people have also speculated that Self-Insert is a code word for traitor, but that also seems a little too obvious. I don't blame you guys, since those are pretty major parts of the Danganronpa formula, but I wouldn't be so blatant with those phrases, now would I?
If you tread back to ends of earlier chapters, you do hear a little ominous talk from Fukushi, and other such things around the time the owl is introduced. This begs the question though, do you trust Monoryuu, of all people, when he said that Fukushi has secret plans concerning the Protagonist? Who is the Protagonist? What purpose could the Narrator or Familiar have with him/her? :3
Kirigiri is a cool character! Sorry, but she's not my favorite.
RandomGuyonthestreet13: Really close! Celes is probably in my top five favorites.
Special thanks to my editor/creative consultant (you know who you are) for being patient with me, and apologies to Mayumi's creator (you also know who you are)! I needed a hidden "17th student" to be the first killed! I have a perfectly good reason, but that will be revealed later.
Than, you for reading, and see you all (hopefully!) next chapter! Action! Drama! Romance (okay, maybe there won't be that)! You don't want to miss the trial!