CHAPTER 2: Little Boy Blue and the Man in the Moon

DEADLY LIFE

I stand motionless.

Things happen around me. People come. They see Akiko. They react. They leave. They return with more people, who react, then leave, then return with more people… all at the edges of my vision. My gaze is fixed on Mizuki and Naomi, sitting and holding each other, obstructing my view of Akiko's dead body.

It's like a movie within a movie. Like I'm just an observer, several layers removed from anything I'm seeing. The world moves around me, but I can't interact with it. If I interact with it, it might become real.

"Koi?" says Rin.

I turn. Rin and Kenji are walking toward me, looking at me with concerned eyes.

Their gaze shatters my illusion of detachment. I'm yanked back to reality, and forced to remember that I am a part of this world—this world where Akiko Narumi will never exist again. A world I can't escape from. A world I can't change.

I run toward them, hug them both, and start crying in earnest. "Oh, God," I croak, my face buried in Rin's shoulder. "It's so horrible. Akiko, she… she didn't deserve…"

My voice peters out, drowned by tears, which dampen Rin's shirt. Rin strokes my hair, and whispers soothing noises. Kenji just stands there awkwardly—but I'm still comforted by his presence.

Soon, I find myself sitting in the bleachers. Rin and Kenji are sitting beside me. I'm not paying attention to them, though. I'm staring straight ahead, toward Akiko's body, unable to comprehend this universe that I've slipped into.

"I can tell just from looking at you that you're a really cool girl!"

Dead.

"From now on, this whole school is my happy big sailboat! And I've decided that we're all gonna sail away together!"

Gone.

"All we can do… is find our strengths, and hone them as much as we can. Maybe then, we can make the world better for at least one other person."

Over. Done. That voice will never speak again. It has said all the words it will ever say.

The voice of this non-existent person fills my head. I tune out all other sounds.

Unfortunately, one voice is particularly hard to ignore.

"Surprise!" says Monokuma. "Aren't you glad I tipped you off? Well, no need to thank me—your despair is its own reward!"

"Seriously?" Yuna squeals. "You're coming here just to taunt us?"

"Taunt you?" Monokuma says, tilting his head. "Why, I'm here to reward you! One of you lil' rascals has finally moved the plot along. And it's about time, too. Those 'Daily Life' sections are getting way too long! Bo-ring!

"Thankfully, someone here had the good sense to spice things up with a big, heaping dose of homicide. Just what the doctor ordered! And now, as a reward, I present to you…"

"Let me guess," Shingo deadpans. "It's the Monokuma File?"

"Hey—don't steal my line, bucko!" Monokuma growls. "Now, as I was saying. It's the Monokuma File!"

"However," Shingo says, brow furrowed, "since the Monokuma File is now a digital file sent to our e-Handbooks, there's no need for you to be physically present to distribute them."

"Oh, come on," says Monokuma. "Do you really think the series mascot is just gonna fade into the background? I've gotta put in some appearances every once in a while. Otherwise, people might forget how cute and cuddly I am!

"Now, let the heart-pounding investigation begin! How did the Ultimate Sailor end up at the bottom of our little sea? I'll give you a hint: she wasn't shipwrecked! Puhuhuhuhu!"

Monokuma waddles away, and disappears.

I see Shingo whispering to Naomi, who's standing beside him. Which means Naomi left Akiko's body at some point. I'm not sure when; I haven't been paying close attention.

Mizuki hasn't left, though. She's sitting by the poolside, cradling Akiko's head in her lap, gently brushing Akiko's pixie-cut hair with her tiny little fingers. She's looking down at Akiko's face with a thousand-yard stare, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

Naomi walks to Mizuki, crouches, and whispers something. Mizuki doesn't react. Naomi hugs Mizuki, kisses her cheek, and returns to Shingo's side. Mizuki doesn't react. She just keeps stroking Akiko's hair.

"Listen up, everyone!" Shingo announces. "During the first fifteen minutes of this investigation, please do not leave the pool room. Naomi and I have things we must take care of elsewhere in the school. This is to ensure that the investigation proceeds in a safe, orderly manner." He points. "Yuna! Jeff! Please come with us, as well."

"Me?" says Jeff. "Okay, but… last time, I guarded the body with Takeru."

"There is no need. Takeru—you are to guard Akiko's body alongside the Captain."

"Very well," Takeru says, moving into position.

"Which brings me to my next point," Shingo continues. "During this investigation, the Captain is not to be disturbed. If you have anything you'd like to say to the Captain, please seek out me or Naomi, and we will act in the Captain's stead.

"Finally, I strongly recommend that all investigating be done in groups of two or more. If you work alone, any discovery you make could remain unverified, and therefore useless. Furthermore, pairs of eyes can watch each other; those working in groups are inherently less suspicious than those working alone. With all that said—let's get started."

He leaves, along with three others.

Some time passes. I stare straight ahead, looking at nothing. Mesmerized by the distant motion of Mizuki's fingers across Akiko's hair, over and over. I feel Rin squeeze my hand. I feel her presence, sitting to my right; and Kenji's presence, sitting to my left. But I'm barely here. Sounds blur together, and sights blur together, and memories blur together, and…

"Kenji," says Shingo.

I turn. Shingo's standing nearby. He's back? It's been fifteen minutes already? Jeff is here, too, waiting down below.

"Come with me," Shingo says. "I want you to be my investigation partner."

"Really?" Kenji says, surprised. "Why… why me?"

"Why not you? You were quite impressive during our first trial. Although you weren't always right, you had the courage to go out on a limb—and because of that, you made some invaluable contributions. I'd like to see those talents put to use once more."

Shingo locks eyes with me. "That goes double for you, Koi. We'll be relying on you quite a bit this time around."

I blink. "You'll be… relying on me?" I repeat hazily.

"Most certainly." Shingo crosses his arms, and grins. "Though I'm loathe to admit it, you utterly humiliated me during our last trial. I thought I had the answers—yet you proved me entirely oblivious to what was really going on. Not just once, either."

"But… I had to," I argue. "I was being accused, and…"

"And, backed into a corner, you showed your true character. I was not the only one impressed by you, Koi. Believe me, your victory did not go unnoticed. During this trial, your words will carry significant weight. Everyone with an opinion will be clamoring to get you on their side." He adjusts his glasses. "It wasn't just your intelligence, or your courage in the face of accusations, or your correct intuition regarding Kenji's innocence. All of that was part of it, of course. But it was your integrity that stuck out the most. Your absolute commitment to the truth-seeking process. You refused to leave out a single detail, even when it seemed to help the case against you. You proved that your word can be trusted. That's quite an important tool. I hope that you use it wisely. I can't help but notice that you've been sitting still for quite some time. I advise that you start investigating soon. Our lives are all on the line—as you're well aware. Come now, Kenji."

He walks away. Kenji stands up, and follows. "You too, Momoka," I hear Shingo say. "I believe I have a job for you, as well."

Then they're gone, and I'm alone with Rin.

"Rin," I say, "how long… have I been sitting here?"

"It doesn't matter, baby," Rin says soothingly, squeezing my hand. "You can take your time. No matter what Shingo says."

"Shingo's right, though," I say, feeling my energy return. Within my hazy mind, a goal is coming into sight—and that helps tether me back to reality. "Our lives are on the line. It doesn't matter how much I hate that fact. It'll keep being true, no matter what. And, Akiko… she wouldn't want us to die because of this." I make a fist, pumping myself up. "But more than that… I don't want it. I want everyone to live. I want to live. I… can't just sit here forever."

"So, like… you're ready?"

I let go of Rin's hand, and make another fist.

Then I nod. "Let's do it."

-INVESTIGATE-

"So, like… what's first?" asks Rin.

"Before we do anything else," I reply, "we should check the Monokuma File."

I take out my e-Handbook, and find the file within the "Truth Bullets" section.

TRUTH BULLET: MONOKUMA FILE #2

The victim is the Ultimate Sailor, Akiko Narumi. Her body was discovered at the bottom of the pool. The estimated time of death is around 11:30 p.m. Drowning is the most likely cause of death. The cranium has suffered visible blunt impact damage. There are multiple lacerations on both of the arms. However, the victim's body does not show signs of severe blood loss.

I read it twice, committing it to memory. Several details stand out to me as odd.

"Um, okay… now what?" asks Rin.

I put my e-Handbook away, and think. "We could inspect the victim's body," I suggest. I look toward Akiko's distant body—and feel a cold chill. "…Or we could, um, search around the pool area instead."

So we search around the pool area for a while. But we don't find anything.

"I guess we should… check the body," I say hesitantly.

"We don't, like. Have to, though," Rin counters. "We could, like. Go somewhere else?"

I shake my head. "I need to face this. I can't keep running away from it."

We retreat from the hot tub area, and approach the corpse. As we walk, I force myself to look at it—to look at the lifeless shell that Akiko once was—no matter how queasy it makes me feel. Mizuki is still cradling its head in her lap. Due to rigor mortis, this means the whole body is on a slight incline. Its eyes are closed; its lips are slightly parted. Akiko's albino skin now has some patches of almost purplish discoloration. But most of it is still paper-white. It still contrasts beautifully with her blue swimsuit.

"Haha, you got me!" Akiko replies cheerfully. "Yep—I'm white as a pearl." She winks. "And I'm pretty as a polar bear in a snowstorm!"

I shake my head. This is a corpse, not a friend. This is an investigation, not a funeral. I need to stay focused.

Takeru is standing over Akiko's legs. "Hi, Takeru," I greet him as we approach. "We're here, to, um… inspect the victim's body."

"A wise choice," says Takeru. "Yet it is not for the faint of heart. Are you certain that this role befits you?"

"I get why you'd say that," I reply, half-smiling nervously. "I never really inspected Hiroto's body. I had to rely on what you and some other people said about it. I… wasn't really eager to look at it, especially since I… kind of freaked out when I found the body."

"Kind of?" Rin mutters.

"But—this is different," I continue. "It won't be easy, but… I think I can put my feelings aside this time. Also… Hiroto just had the stab wound. There wasn't anything mysterious about his body. Akiko, though… there are a bunch of weird details about her condition. I have to look. It might be important to figuring out what happened." I steel myself further. "So, I will look."

"Very well," says Takeru. "Then I shall assist you—for I have conducted an examination of my own."

"Oh, really? Did you find out anything?"

Takeru touches his chin, contemplating. "My mind keeps returning," he says, "to an odd turn of phrase. Drowning, we are told, is the 'most likely' cause of death."

"Yeah, I noticed that too. Usually, the Monokuma File will either say what the cause of death is, or just leave it out completely. I don't understand why he'd use that wording."

"Nor do I. Yet I strongly believe that our friend did, indeed, meet a watery end."

"Really? It wasn't the impact to the head, or the cuts on her arms?"

"From my examination, I believe not. At the very least, I am certain that the wounds on Akiko's arms did not slay her. For the beast's scroll revealed a lack of severe blood loss."

"Oh… right. Good point."

"Furthermore, even if I had not read this scroll, I could tell from a mere glance that said wounds were not fatal."

"You could tell just from looking, huh?" I mutter. "I guess… I should look, too."

"You don't have to, like, push yourself," says Rin.

But I'm already sinking to my knees, lowering myself to the resting body. Takeru and Rin kneel down, too. I try to ignore Mizuki, sitting across from me—she's been quietly stroking Akiko's hair this whole time, like she's stuck in a loop.

Akiko's right arm is laid out at my knees. I dare myself to touch it—and almost recoil. It's cold. A human arm shouldn't be this cold. I remind myself that this is an inanimate object, like a doll, and try to pick up the arm for a closer look. But it doesn't budge.

Oh, right… rigor mortis.

Instead, I lean over, looking at the arm from a different angle.

Ick. It's been sliced open. And it's especially gross, because there's no… bruises, or swelling, or anything. It's just… torn. There's one big cut that goes all the way down the inner arm—from wrist to elbow pit—and several smaller cuts that intersect it at various angles. The surface is just white skin—but if I look inside, I can just barely see some dark-red stains.

I find myself grimacing. But I have to keep going.

"So," I say, "this definitely wouldn't be fatal?"

"Certainly not," says Takeru. "The wounds on both arms are neither deep enough, nor in the proper location, to slice through the radial artery. Indeed, it is quite difficult to induce fatal bleeding from a slice to the arm—contrary to what certain storytellers would have you believe."

"Uh-huh," Rin says, cocking an eyebrow. "And why do you know so much about, like, bleeding and shit?"

"In order to protect young shinobi, I have been trained to navigate those shadowy realms between life and death."

"Oh—I get it," I say. "As the Ultimate Child Caregiver, you're an expert in first aid."

Takeru looks away. "That is… another way to perceive it."

"Well," says Rin, "you could've just, like. Said it normally, though?"

"Not so loud, please," Mizuki whispers. "Akiko is trying to sleep."

An awkward silence ensues.

"It's okay, Akiko," Mizuki whispers, stroking the corpse's hair. "It's going to be okay…"

Silence.

"…Another intriguing detail," Takeru says, deciding to press on, "regards the victim's left arm—which has sustained considerably more damage than its right counterpart."

We slide over a bit, and look at where Takeru is pointing.

"Um, ew," Rin says, recoiling.

"Ick," I react aloud, feeling my grimace expand.

The left arm is… grosser. The cuts look deeper, and they all intersect at a single point, near the center of the inner forearm. At that point, a square inch of skin has been completely chopped off—it's now just a patch of dark, gooey… ick.

"Even these wounds would not kill, however. Their true purpose is shrouded in mystery."

"Weird," I say. I mean… what else is there to say? This whole thing is weird.

TRUTH BULLET: AKIKO'S LEFT ARM

"What about the head injury?" I say. "That couldn't be fatal, either?"

"Of this, I am less certain," says Takeru. "However, I find it unlikely."

We nervously shift toward the head—resting on Mizuki's lap—and try to look at it. No one wants to disturb Mizuki, even though we can't see the damage very well. Luckily, Mizuki seems to understand what we're doing, and she doesn't object when Takeru gently turns the body—allowing us to see the dent in the side of its head.

It really is just that—a dent. Like part of the skull has caved in.

"I am intrigued by the apparent lack of bruising," says Takeru. "However, I am not sufficiently trained in the medical arts to assess the significance of this fact."

"There, there," Mizuki whispers, letting the body fall back into place. "Don't worry, Akiko… everything will be fine…"

Silence.

"…As I traveled here," Takeru says, "I happened to glimpse upon a certain object in the training chamber. This object, I believe, is what wreaked such havoc on our fallen comrade's skull."

"Really?" I say, perking up.

"I would like to take a closer look, however. Rin—might I ask that you temporarily take over my guard duties?"

"Whatever," Rin mutters.

So Rin stands above Akiko, and Takeru and I head for the locker room. Specifically, the male locker room. I try to split up with him—but Takeru insists against it. "Under these circumstances," he says, "we mustn't travel alone, even for a moment."

So I rush through the male locker room, knowing how stupid it is to feel embarrassed right now—but feeling embarrassed anyway.

Then we're outside the locker room, and headed toward the adjacent weight room. I shiver. It's cool and dry, now that I'm out of the pool room.

Then I see what's on the floor—and all other thoughts leave my mind.

"Oh my God," I gasp, rushing over to the large, blood-stained dumbbell. "I… I completely missed this. I was in such a hurry—I must have run right by it."

"In this, you are not alone," says Takeru. "Few possess the environmental awareness of a trained shinobi."

I crouch down to look at it, as does Takeru. Like all the dumbbells in here, this one consists of two hexagonal plates connected by a metal bar. The left plate, however, has a dark-red bloodstain on top of it. There are also several drip-like bloodstains on the ground nearby.

"Wow—75 pounds," I marvel, reading the label. "This is one heavy dumbbell."

"Indeed," Takeru agrees. He stands up, and walks to the dumbbell rack. There's a missing slot—and one large dumbbell without a twin. "Allow me to experiment."

Takeru grasps the lone 75-pound dumbbell in his right hand, and picks it up. He turns toward me, holding the dumbbell at chest level. His arm is shaking with the strain.

"Lifting this is a simple task," Takeru says. "However…" He gradually moves the dumbbell right and left. It looks difficult. "…Swinging it is another matter. At my level of strength, it would be nigh impossible to use this as a weapon."

He puts the clean dumbbell back, and returns to the bloody one, crouching beside me.

TRUTH BULLET: BLOODY DUMBBELL

"Do these bloodstains not strike you as interesting?" asks Takeru. "It appears that blood dripped here, rather than splattered. These drips occur within only a very small radius of the weight—and atop the weight itself. However…"

Takeru picks up the bloody dumbbell.

"…Beneath the weight, we find no such blood."

"You're right," I say, inspecting the floor. Beneath the blood-stained plate, the floor is actually clean—even though there are drips of blood around it.

"It is curious," Takeru says, putting the dumbbell back down. "Between here and the crime scene, there is not a bloodstain to be found. These scant drips are the only remnant of bloodshed that I have witnessed thus far."

TRUTH BULLET: DRIPS OF BLOOD

"This lack of blood," Takeru continues, "strikes me as an oddity requiring explanation."

"Well…" I say, thinking. "…Maybe the killer used some sort of cloak, like what Ryu did with Kenji's bedsheet. Or… maybe some blood spilled into the pool, and got filtered out by the filtration system."

"Plausible theories. My own theory runs in a different direction, however—but I will refrain from sharing it before the class trial."

We stand up, and return to the male locker room.

"Koi," Takeru says as we walk, "do you know why we bleed?"

"Why we bleed?" I repeat. "I don't understand your question."

We reach the pool area. Warm, humid air.

"We bleed," says Takeru, "because the heart demands it."

We return to Rin, waiting for us above Akiko's body.

"Blood is a loyal warrior," Takeru continues. "The heart demands that it flows—and so it flows. Even when its path is diverted, it flows with all the energy it can muster. When the heart dies, however, its loyal blood loses the will to fight on. Such blood becomes sluggish, ceasing all advancements. It then finds a new master in that greatest of all gods, Gravity—and is directed downward. Over time, this leads to a state known as 'livor mortis,' in which the lower parts of the cadaver experience discoloration."

"Wow," says Rin, "look at Mr. Dead Body Knower over here."

"Oh, I get it," I say, ignoring Rin. "That's why some parts of Akiko's body look kind of purplish, right?"

"Indeed. Although our slain friend now lies on her back, she spent hours lying on her front within the pool—and so blood appears to have accumulated in those regions. This is the final piece of wisdom I have to share."

"You've been a really big help," I say, smiling at him. "Thank you, Takeru."

Then—for some reason—I hug him. Maybe it's because I really am that grateful. But… honestly, I think I just need a hug.

I let go, still smiling. "I really feel like I know more about this case, thanks to you."

Takeru blushes, and looks away. "It was… no burden…" he mutters.

"Let's go, Koi," says Rin. "We can tease virgins later."

We walk away from the body—and from Takeru, and Mizuki.

"Okay," Rin whispers, "I didn't want to say anything? But that whole experience, like. Totally skeeved me out."

"Yeah," I reply, "I wasn't happy about… having to do that." I clench my fists. "But I know that I can, now. And, I'm… glad I know that. It'll make things easier from here on out."

We decide to look around the pool room one more time. We don't expect to find anything, though.

…But then we encounter Jun and Tsubasa in the hot tub area. They're holding magnifying glasses, inspecting something at the edge of the hot tub.

"Wow," says Rin, "Holmes and Watson."

"Hey—which one am I?" asks Tsubasa.

"Did you get those from the Ultimate Attorney's Office?" I ask.

"Sure did," Jun replies, not looking up.

"Jun found something," Tsubasa explains. "It's kinda hard to see, though."

"Wanna take a gander?"

They give us the magnifying glasses. We try to look where they were looking.

At first, I see nothing. Then I look closer…

"A hair?" says Rin.

It's really hard to see. Partly because it's so short. And partly because it's the same color as the tile—white. A short, white hair.

"Is this… Akiko's hair?" I ask.

"Either that," says Tsubasa, "or one of us skipped gray, and is going straight to white."

TRUTH BULLET: HAIR BY HOT TUB

"Um, what the fuck?" says Rin. "What does this mean?"

"I found Akiko's body in the pool," I say, thinking. "So… what's her hair doing here?"

"I dunno," says Tsubasa. "Maybe she dipped in the hot tub before going in the pool?"

I shake my head. "I don't know why, but… something seems wrong about that."

"Well, she was probably in the pool on purpose. I mean, she was wearing a swimsuit."

I pause. "That's a good point," I say, gears turning in my head. "She put on that swimsuit, so…"

"Well," says Jun. "Probably."

"…Yeah," I mutter, grimacing. "Unless her killer… changed her…"

That's too gross to even think about…

We look for more clues, but don't find any. Eventually, Rin and I decide to leave the pool area. We go out through the girls' locker room, and into the next room.

"Let me show you something," I tell Rin.

I take her to the bloody dumbbell.

"Oh my God," Rin gasps. "I fucking missed this?"

"Yeah… that was my reaction, too."

We inspect the bloodstains.

"Um, Rin," I say, "can you please… test something out for me?" I point to the dumbbell rack. "There's another 75-pound dumbbell over there," I say. "Can you try picking it up?"

Rin walks over to it, and picks it up. "Now what?" she asks.

She's staring at me, holding up a 75-pound dumbbell like it's a paperweight.

"Um…" I say, stepping back. "Can you try… swinging it around?"

Rin shrugs, then starts swinging the dumbbell in rapid arcs.

It's so shocking that I almost forget what I'm looking at. This woman is swinging around a 75-pound dumbbell like it's nothing at all.

"Is that good?" Rin asks.

"Yeah," I mutter. "That's… good…"

[TRUTH BULLET UPDATED: BLOODY DUMBBELL]

Rin puts the dumbbell away. "So," she says, "like… where next?"

"Well," I say, "the most dangerous room in the school is just around the corner."

I don't even have to elaborate. Rin knows exactly what I'm talking about.

We enter the hall, walk, and turn left.

We keep walking—passing the bathrooms and the Ultimate Attorney's Office—until we reach…

"Jeff?"

There, to the left, is the door to the Ultimate Yakuza's Office—taped up, as usual, with several strands of silver duct tape stuck across it in X patterns. Jeff is standing in front of it.

"Hi, Rin and Koi!" says Jeff.

"Are you, like… guarding this?" asks Rin.

"I am," Jeff answers. "Shingo told me to stand here, and make sure no one goes inside."

"Really?" I say, surprised. "But… this is an investigation. We need to investigate."

"Shingo and Naomi investigated this room. It's the first thing we did after leaving the pool. Me and Yuna had to wait by the door."

"Jesus Christ," Rin mutters. "Someone fucking died, and they're still doing this bullshit?"

"Yeah," I say quietly, "they're really protective of this room, huh? From what I've heard, they use more than just tape—Shingo's supposedly set all sorts of traps in there. And they check up on it several times each day. Whatever's in there… they really don't want us to see it."

"Also," Rin whispers, tilting her head, "what's up with her?"

Momoka is sitting in an alcove within the hallway, clutching her legs, leaning against a pillar. She's staring at her knees with sad eyes.

"Shingo told her to watch over me," Jeff explains, "since she wasn't doing anything else."

"Yeah," I whisper, looking away from Momoka, "she really… doesn't look like she's in the mood to investigate. This is probably the most she's willing to do."

"Um," Jeff says, "also, I don't know if Shingo trusts me to stand out here alone."

"Yeah," I say, smiling, "you might try to sneak in and steal something, like the thief did."

Jeff looks surprised. "You think… the thief stole something from Ryu's office?"

"Well, I just sort of assumed."

"I mean," Rin says, "they were, like. Being totally weird about this room? And then they were, like. Being weird about the thief? So it just, like. Seems obvious."

"Yeah," I say, "that's why I'm surprised we can't investigate, since I'm sure the theft has something to do with this case. This might be one of the most important rooms to inspect."

"Um," Jeff says, rubbing the back of his head, "well, Shingo said that everything is normal in there. He said this room probably isn't important to the case."

This leaves me and Rin stumped.

"Um, bullshit," says Rin.

"…What?" I say. "So, that means… either the theft and the murder are two unrelated incidents, or… the thief stole from somewhere other than this room?"

"Or Shingo's full of shit."

"Yeah—I guess that is the third option."

"You'll have to ask Shingo," Jeff says. "Um, sorry if I wasn't much help."

"It's whatever," Rin mutters. "Come on—let's go, Koi."

"Wait," I say. "Jeff, I have one more question. Last night, you walked me to my room—and then you walked away from the dorms. You told me you had some 'errands.' What were those errands, exactly?"

"Errands?" Jeff says, eyebrows raised. "Oh… yes. Um… let me think… I'm trying to remember…"

Rin interrupts: "Were you, like… doing laundry, or something?"

"Yes!" Jeff says, smiling and relaxing. "That's it exactly! I was doing my laundry!"

"Wow," Rin says, "real exciting night you had." She tugs my sleeve. "Let's go, Koi. Maybe we can find, like. Someone more interesting to talk to?"

She walks away—back the way we came. I have little choice but to follow.

Rin passes the Ultimate Attorney's Office.

"Wait!" I say, stopping by the door. "I want to inspect this room."

Rin stops, and cocks an eyebrow. "But, like… why this room, though?"

"I was here last night. We had, um… a little gathering. Akiko was there, too. So, there might be a clue inside."

I open the door, and lead us into Hiroto's office.

Everything seems to be the way Jeff and I left it last night. Rin goes over to the desk, and looks around. I go to the leather armchairs, and look at them.

I stand over the chair I sat in last night. It feels so weird that, just last night—

My train of thought stops.

I look closer, making sure I'm seeing right.

"Um, Rin," I say, "when was the last time you were in this room?"

"Fuck if I know. I, like, never come in here."

"Well, the thing is… there's a long, blonde hair on the armrest of this chair."

"Oh. But, like. It's obviously not mine, though."

I blink. "Rin… you're the only person here with long, blonde hair."

"But, like. I just said I never come here? So, like. It's obviously not my hair."

What's up with this reaction…?

I look harder at the chair. Under it. Around it. I pick up the seat cushion, and…

"Woah!" I gasp.

Rin rushes over, and sees what I'm looking at—the two objects hiding under the cushion.

Ninja stars.

"Holy shit!" says Rin.

Two ninja stars. Four pointed blades each. They look exactly like Takeru's gifts.

But there's one minor change. It's hard to see, until I lean in to look closer. Each ninja star has exactly one tip that's been… stained. Dark red. Yeah… they're definitely bloodstains.

TRUTH BULLET: BLOODY NINJA STARS

"That fucking virgin!" Rin growls. "And I was just starting to fucking like him."

"Wait a moment!" I say, holding my palms up. "Just because these are Takeru's ninja stars, that doesn't mean he's the killer. We shouldn't jump to conclusions yet."

Also, isn't "fucking virgin" a contradiction?

I replace the seat cushion, and stare at the armrest. "But, Rin," I say, pointing, "isn't it weird? On the same chair where we found these weapons… your hair just happens to be here."

"I told you," Rin says, "It's not even my hair. It's probably, like. Not even relevant to the case at all."

I hesitate.

"The thing is," I say, "I was sitting in this chair last night, sometime after 9:00. I would've noticed if this hair was here. It must've appeared sometime between then and now."

"It's just a fucking hair, though."

For a moment, I'm dumbstruck.

"Rin," I say, trying to sound reassuring, "I'm not saying that you're suspicious. Really—I'm not. But… if someone's trying to frame you, or something… shouldn't you be more worried about that?"

"That would suck," Rin agrees. "But, like. It's just hair. So, like. Who gives a shit?"

Why is Rin being so weird about this?

TRUTH BULLET: HAIR ON ARMCHAIR

We keep searching the office, but we don't find anything else.

"So," says Rin, "I know you said not to, like. Jump to conclusions? But Takeru is, like. Super suspicious now."

"We should check his room," I suggest. "Maybe that'll help us understand… how these things got here."

Author's Note: Akiko has been my favorite character from the beginning. Her body discovery was actually a bit painful to write. It's too bad I had to kill her off so early—but that's just how the story goes.

From here on, things are about to get massively complicated.

Read quietly, please. Akiko is trying to sleep.

STUDENT E-HANDBOOK: TRUTH BULLETS

~·~·~

Monokuma File #2

The victim is the Ultimate Sailor, Akiko Narumi. Her body was discovered at the bottom of the pool. The estimated time of death is around 11:30 p.m. Drowning is the most likely cause of death. The cranium has suffered visible blunt impact damage. There are multiple lacerations on both of the arms. However, the victim's body does not show signs of severe blood loss.

~·~

Akiko's Left Arm

Both of Akiko's arms have been wounded; however, the damage to her left arm is worse. The cuts look deeper, and they all intersect at a single point, near the center of the inner forearm. At that point, a square inch of skin has been completely chopped off.

~·~

Bloody Dumbbell

In the weight room, on the floor, there's a 75-pound dumbbell with a bloodstained plate. A dumbbell of this size was too heavy for Takeru to swing. However, Rin was able to swing it just fine.

~·~

Drips of Blood

There are several drip-like bloodstains on the floor of the weight room. All of these are very close to the bloody dumbbell. However, there are no bloodstains beneath the dumbbell's plates.

~·~

Hair by Hot Tub

A short, white hair was found at the edge of the hot tub.

~·~

Bloody Ninja Stars

Two ninja stars were found in the Ultimate Attorney's Office, under the seat of a leather armchair. Each of them have one slightly bloodstained tip.

~·~

Hair on Armchair

A long, blonde hair was found on the armrest of an armchair in the Ultimate Attorney's Office. This is the same armchair where the bloody ninja stars were found. When confronted about it, Rin acted strangely.