I suppose this is probably going to be the Christmas update. I'm gonna be working on ASIB next so more than likely this'll be the last update of 2019 as well. But anyway, I hope you enjoy, and Happy Christmas/Hannukah/whatever other festivities there are at this time of year! I hope it'll be a good one for all of you :)
Extract from interview conducted with Eizo Amai at Towa Private Hospital, Towa City, 16th July 2039, 18:44.
In Attendance: Detective Nobuyuki Kurosawa and Detective Evalynn Dupont
E.D.: So, these trackers. Did you have any inkling about them?
E.Z.: About having been walking around with one embedded in my ears the last two decades? I mean, it explains why I used to keep setting things off, but apart from that (sheepish laughter)…no, no clue at all.
N.K.: I recall that in the original investigation, you didn't mention feeling anything in your ears?
E.Z.: No, I don't think….some of the others did, right?
N.K.: Tell us what you remember about that.
E.Z.: I, well….(pause) I remember Yuki crying about it. He cried a lot back then, just like a kid…
(pause)
N.K.: Are you alright?
E.Z.: Yeah, just thinking that Yuki didn't get a chance to grow up, but anyway, sorry. Yeah, I think some of the others did. Fumi said something, though I think it was more a niggle for him, you know? Besides, some of us were worried that we'd hurt ourselves after the crash.
E.D.: Some of you mentioned that briefly before, this crash. Is there more that you can say about that?
E.Z.: (shakes head firmly)
N.K.: Alright, we can revisit that specifically later, but I do need to ask if there were any serious injuries apart from the ear niggles?
E.Z.: (shakes head again) Fumi felt a little beat-up, and some of the others-Hanamura, Sen'ya, Kamiya, they did too. Like kinda bruised, though not actually bruised if you get me. But apart from that, not really, not as far as I remember.
E.D.: Are you absolutely sure?
E.Z.: Yes, I am.
N.K.: Alright then, so, back to the trackers. Now that you know about them, looking back, can you think of what they might have been used for?
E.Z.: It probably explains how that damn bear could always find us. You know, this one?
E.D.: For the recorder, Eizo Amai is showing a tattoo on his inner left wrist, depicting a stylised black-and-white bear that corresponds with the symbolism found within Shirohata High School's building.
N.K.: This is the…robotic bear? The one that told you that you were all going to be trapped.
E.Z.: Yeah, that one.
E.D.: Why'd you have that on your wrist? Because see, that's not really something I'd want to immortalise.
E.Z.: (long pause)
E.Z.: It's for Fumi. I tell everyone else that it's just cos he likes-liked, rather- bears and this one looks funky. But really…it's just as a reminder. That all of this happened, and that not all of us were so lucky to make it.
(A long pause from all parties.)
N.K.: Alright, so can you give me an example of what you mean by saying that the bear knew where you were?
…
A page from the Shirohata High School Inventory-Kitchen
-Twenty sets of cups, bowls and plates, generic homeware store brand, white. Seven of the sets are incomplete, corresponding with the breakfast set-up in the eating area. Those in the cupboards have been washed and dried appropriately.
-Twenty sets of 24-piece Alessi itsumo cutlery, in cutlery drawer. Again, roughly seven sets are incomplete and correspond with the breakfast set-up
-Three sets of Henckel Miyabi cooking knives on the counter. Most are clean, but two of the smaller knives have specks of blood embedded in the blade. DNA tests found these correspond to Akari Kishinami on both and Kimiko Tsukuda on one. Fingerprint testing has brought up inconclusive results, suggesting either multiple people handled it or attempted to clean the knives.
(There are no traces of blood or any other substances on any kitchen surfaces or the floor)
-Various pots, pans, and other cooking utensils, various brands. See attached document for more details. The majority are cleaned, but show multiple usages-fingerprinting mainly match Sarah Mai Hashiri and Friede Benbow, but prints from Seiko Yamamoto and Moeka Kamiya have also been found.
-The cupboards around the kitchen counter are filled with packets of cereal, nuts, soup, biscuits and other perishables, all from various generic brands and in packaging that indicates they were bought in bulk. In the furthest cupboard from the kitchen counter, hidden behind packets of plain granola that appear to have gone untouched, there were small vials of an unidentified substance-to be referred for further testing. No conclusive fingerprints were found on the bottles.
-Left hand side cupboard contained fruits and vegetables, again in crates and apparently bought in bulk, though there was no branding on the crates. The cupboard on the right side is actually a meat-storage cupboard.
-The two fridges contained milk, butter, cheese and other various fridged food items, all from generic supermarket brands.
-The two freezers were similar, except with various freezer items.
…
Extract from the article 'Hope's Peak to Close' for the Towa Gazette, dated 22nd July 2019.
…the news comes over three months after Class 78-B initially disappeared while on a road trip to celebrate the ushering in of the new era. While Principal Kirigiri and his closest associates continue to remain tight-lipped about their motives for closing, much as they have allegedly been throughout the efforts to find the students, there is much speculation that they are caving into the pressure that has been put on them for allegedly not taking enough responsibility for the minors ostensibly in their care…
…
Messages recovered from phone belonging to Moeka Kamiya, found at the accident scene.
[4th April 2019, 15:20]Moeka Kamiya: Hey, guess what, we did it! We've found a van.
[4th April 2019, 15:20] Sen'ya Ochiai: Yeah, it's pretty decent.
[4th April 2019, 15:20] Sen'ya Ochiai: We're parking it in the garage so you can come take a look , but here's a picture [image attachment: IMG_20190404_01]
[4th April 2019, 15:21]Rin Hatakawayama: coooooooollllll
[4th April 2019, 15:21] Kiran Nanakai: Oh, that's brilliant, did it take too long to find one?
[4th April 2019, 15:21] Moeka Kamiya: No, no, not at all.
[4th April 2019, 15:21] Sarah Mai Hashiri: Lilian-chan and I are practising together, we'll come take a look soon.
[4th April 2019, 15:21] Moeka Kamiya: No worries, take your time!
[4th April 2019, 15:21] Akari Kishinami: Well, it wasn't completely accurate to say there wasn't any trouble.
[4th April 2019, 15:21] Eikichi Hanamura: What do you mean?
[4th April 2019, 15:21] Azami Kishinami: Well, not really trouble as such, but when we were at the place Moeka-chan thought someone was following us, but when we looked we couldn't see anyone.
[4th April 2019, 15:22] Akari Kishinami: And I could have sworn someone was staring at us when we started to drive back.
[4th April 2019, 15:22]Eikichi Hanamura: What, again? How many times has this happened?
[4th April 2019, 15:22] Moeka Kamiya: Quite a few….
[4th April 2019, 15:22]Eikichi Hanamura: It's probably because of that school website post you did.
[4th April 2019, 15:22]Moeka Kamiya: I know, but that's why Komiya-kun and I chose the picture from the end of last year rather than make you all take a new one.
[4th April 2019, 15:22]Sen'ya Ochiai: Look yeah, in their defense they aren't fucking stupid, but also Principal Kirigiri was ragging them about it quite a bit.
[4th April 2019, 15:22]Takaaki Jinsai: Interesting choice of word, methinks.
[4th April 2019, 15:22]Sen'ya Ochiai : GDI phone, why
[4th April 2019, 15:22]Sen'ya Ochiai : Obs I meant nagging
[4th April 2019, 15:22]Sen'ya Ochiai : Also Jinsai why is THIS the time you choose to make a rare appearance
[4th April 2019, 15:22] Takaaki Jinsai: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
[4th April 2019, 15:22] Sen'ya Ochiai:…
[4th April 2019, 15:22] Akari Kishinami: Also can I just point out that this happened a bunch last year too?
[4th April 2019, 15:22] Eikichi Hanamura: Good point.
[4th April 2019, 15:23] Kiran Nanakai: But if it's all been happening around the school, maybe it'll stop once we're gone?
…
Extract of transcript of 119 call made on May 3rd, 2019, 03:15 am.
Operator on call: Hisayo Niiyama.
HY: 119, What's your emergency?
Caller: Um….I was travelling back to….to Towa *coughs* fr-from a conference, along the Takamachi Motorway and there…I saw a d-deer *coughs again, violently.*
HY: Okay, sir, take a deep breath.
Caller: *strangled breathing*
HY: Can you tell me what happened? Are you in immediate danger?
Caller: I've swerved down a ditch….*coughs* the front of my car's completely crumpled, and I can't get out….I've hit something hard. Oh….
HY: Sir?
Caller: My head….but, the kids….
HY: *sharply* Are there children in the car with you, sir?"
Caller: What? No, no, just….I think there was another accident here already. I've landed right on top of some other van, and just before we hit, I-I-I
Caller: *takes a deep breath*
Caller: There's bags. With the type of clothes girls would wear-all pink and f-flower…
Caller: *silence*
HY: Sir? Are you still there?
Caller: Mmmm….the children…..what about the children…..
HY: Alright, keep talking to me, we're getting someone to you and the children as soon as possible. Can you tell me your name?
…
Extract from a post made on Hope's Peak's official website, 3rd April 2019
Posted by: SchoolAdmin
Hello there!
Class 78-B here! As you know, the name of the new era has been announced, and we can't wait for Reiwa to begin! We'll be having a huge party to celebrate, but to do that we have to get some bits and pieces sorted! So, we'll be going on a road trip starting from this weekend and it should take us a week!
We'll be starting from Towa City, and passing through Yonago and Kyoto on our way, finishing up in Saitama, then heading a similar way back. So if you want to come and say hi at one of those points, feel free!
With love,
78-B Class Representatives.
[Image Description: An informally posed group-shot of all twenty members of Class 78-B, with Fumiaki Amai, Eikichi Hanamura, Teiichi Kazama, Sen'ya Ochiai, Osamu Aozaki, Seiko Yamamoto, Sayuri Fujimoto standing in the back row; Azami Kishinami, Akari Kishinami, Friede 'Heiwa' Benbow, Eizo Amai, Sarah 'Sadie' Mai Hashiri, Moeka Kamiya, Rin Hatakawayama, Kimiko Tsukada, Kiran Nanakai and Lilian Lao standing in front of them; Takaaki Jinsai lying down in front of them, Katsuya Komiya and Takayuki Fujimoto kneeling either side of Takaaki Jinsai. All the students look relaxed and/or happy and the location appears to be somewhere on the school grounds on a sunny day.]