Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, I had a bit of trouble with the investigation part of this story. I didn't want it to be too long, but at the same time, I didn't want to just summarize it into a few minutes and lose several important pieces of dialogue, as well as evidence. So, after a couple attempts of writing, I did a bit of both. It's still long enough where I would need to do two parts, but it would've been longer if I put in every detail of the investigation. I hope you guys enjoy the result.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
Chapter 17: Watching Ch 1: To Survive Part 10
SLAP
"Ow!" Hiro held the cheek that was slapped. "That hurt, Hina!"
"Good, I snapped you out of it." Hina sighed. "I guessing you remember everything that, happened before freaking out?"
"Y-Yeah," Hiro shivered, remembering the fact that their future selves are trapped in a killing game. "W-What did I miss?"
"Our future selves decided to work together to find the killer amongst us." Hifumi declared beside him. "And Ms. Jill is with us right now."
Speaking of the murderous fiend, Makoto, Kyoko, Spirit, and a reluctant Byakuya explained everything that happened, from being teleported here to where they stopped.
"So, we're all brought here to watch the future of ourselves with us kidnapped and our memories erased?" Jill clarified. "And the little Miss Perfect and the human killing machine are dead, with the first one getting killed by one of us?"
"That basically sums it up." Makoto stated.
Jill hummed in thought, tapping her scissors at her chin. "Well, that sucks." She stated. That received quite a few face faults.
"Yeah. More than sucks." Leon deadpanned, one of the few who face faulted.
"Still, might as well watch the chaos happening!" Then a small blush formed on the tongue lashing killer. "And I'll be right by Master's side while I see it all go down!"
"Someone kill me now." Byakuya muttered.
While that was happening, Mukuro finally managed to get Junko up. "Uh…." Junko let out a groan. "What happened?"
"You fainted when you saw my future self killed." Mukuro told her plainly. "While you were unconscious, Monokuma got back to the subject of the class trials and had us begin the investigations."
Slowly, Junko got up from the couch and back to her seat. Makoto, hearing her up, turned to the fashionista in concern. "Junko, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm alright." Junko said quietly. "It was just….shocking to see that happen to my sister."
"Yeah. No one expected Mukuro to die so soon." Leon added in. "Do you need some time?"
Junko shook her head. "No, I'm good. Let's….just continue watching this." Some of the students nodded and turn their eyes back to the front.
Mukuro looked at her sister, wondering what's Junko thinking right now. Most likely, she's despairing over the fact that she killed her own sister, but at the same time, giggling and convulsing at the despair she's feeling from that. There probably wasn't an ounce of guilt that lingered in Junko, the thought both hurting and angering Mukuro.
"Before we start searching for Sayaka's killer, we need to decide what to do about securing the crime scene." Kyoko told everyone.
"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.
"You're thinking of putting someone on guard duty so nobody can disturb the area, aren't you?" Byakuya deduced. "After all, if the culprit decides to destroy the evidence, we're pretty much screwed."
"In that case, I don't mind doing it." Mondo volunteered. "I don't like havin' to think, anyway. I'll let you guys figure out who killed the chick."
"Okay, then we can let Mondo look after the scene." Hina stated.
Byakuya, however, disagreed. "Well, no," He stated. "We can't just leave him there alone."
"Huh? Why the hell not?" Mondo questioned.
"Yeah. Bro is one of the strongest here, I'm sure he could handle most of us." Taka stated.
"Tch. Just keep watching." Byakuya said.
"What? Why the hell not?!" Mondo questioned angrily.
"Isn't it obvious?" The heir asked condescendingly. "If you were the culprit, what's the first thing you would do? By volunteering for guard duty, you're in a position to destroy all the evidence you want."
"Wh-? Are you accusing me Togami?!" Mondo roared.
Byakuya shook his head. "My future self is merely saying that it isn't wise to let anyone guard the crime scene by themselves, no matter who it is. It's a risk we can not take."
"Still, it would be risky volunteering for guard duty and destroying the crime scene." Chihiro said. "That would have the fingers pointed at you."
"Not unless you just rearrange the crime scene the way you want," Celeste added in. "That would be much less risky, and secure your innocence better."
"Yep, yep, yep! Had to rearrange my own crimes several times when I kill an adorable boy." Jill added in.
"Like I said, far too risky to just have one person guard the crime scene." Byakuya said.
"Wh-?! Fuck you!" Mondo growled.
Sakura sighed. "Fine, then I'll stay there on guard duty as well." She volunteered. "That way there's no problem."
"2-player co-op base defense with the two of them," Hifumi murmured loudly. "With their stats, they're totally OP!"
"Huh?" Hina asked, tilting her head in confusion. Some of the others looked confuse as well.
"He's basically saying since they're so strong, it would be impossible for anyone to tamper with the crime scene." Makoto translated for Hina. The girl made an 'ah' sound and nodded gratefully to Makoto. Being an athlete, she doesn't play video games all that much.
"Since we won't be able to help investigate, we're putting our faith in the rest of you." Sakura told everyone.
"I-I'm still pretty freaked out, but….I'll try." Hina told Sakura.
As the others were talking, Celeste took the time to look through the Monokuma file. "Hmm?" She looked at one part of the file that interested her. "Oh my, this is interesting."
"Huh? What's interesting?" Leon asked her.
That also got the group's attention. "What did she see?" Hiro asked.
"Do you think it's something that's going to help us in the investigation?" Taka asked eagerly.
"I was looking through the Monokuma file we received." The gambler told everyone. "And I noticed something very obvious, and very unusual."
"What are you talking about?" Chihiro asked her.
"Go ahead, take a look." She let them view the Monokuma file. "Notice anything interesting about where Sayaka died? She died in Makoto's dorm."
The entire class immediately recognized the implications that hid behind her words. "Oh shit!" Mondo cursed.
"Are we going to blame Makoto now?!" Hifumi exclaimed in horror.
"You're exaggerating! I'm sure some of us won't automatically blame him!" Hina said, though an unsure expression is on her face. "Right?"
Several eyes widened in surprise, with Hina checking the Monokuma file. "Wh-? She's right!"
"Then, could it be….?!" Hifumi gasped in horror.
At once, everyone's gaze turn to Makoto. The boy's eyes widen in shock and held his hand out in panic. "H-Hold on a second! You've got it all wrong!" He protested. "F-For just one night, I….I traded rooms with her. I did it because….she was afraid."
"Y-You expect us to b-believe that?" Toko asked, suspicious eyes trained on him. "Just tell us the t-truth!"
"So that's my other self, huh?" Jill casually asked randomly. "Wow, she really does look like a downer. Not a bright and spirited person such as mua!" No one payed attention to what she said, too focus on the screen.
Suspicion and fear entered everyone's eyes once again. 'Y-You think "I" did it?!' Makoto thought in shock.
"Everyone thinks I did it?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.
Sayaka's eyes widen in shock before scowling in anger. "You mean everyone's blaming him?" Sayaka questioned in anger. "Just because I died in his room?"
Several flinched and looked away from her at that. None of them like the fact they're blaming Makoto for Sayaka's murder, and some were angry with their future selves for thinking that. "Well, Makoto's room was where the crime happened…." Hiro trying to defend himself and the others.
But Sayaka isn't accepting that. "And he would leave obvious evidence like that in his room?" Sayaka retorted. "Plus, our future selves saw his reaction! There's no way someone could fake that!" She then turned to the detective. "And Kyoko, you, of all people, should know that there are such things circumstantial crime scenes!"
Kyoko turned her eyes away from Sayaka's furious scowl. "I'm sure my future self will find evidence that shows that Makoto is innocent."
"She better." Sayaka remarked, the scowl still on her face.
Kyoko spoke up. "Let's stop talking, for now." She stated. "We need to begin our investigation soon. At this point, we should all split up. We need to get to the bottom of this and find out who killed Sayaka. We'll have to collect clues to form a foundation, then construct an argument to come to a final decision. If we get this wrong….well, do I really have to say any more?"
"I'd rather you didn't, no," Hifumi moaned.
"And there's a good chance they'll get it wrong." Mukuro stated, a scowl etched onto her face. She's also angry at the fact that everyone was so quick to accuse Makoto.
Kyoko turned to the exit. "Everyone pray for good luck." With that, she hurried out of the gym.
"I'll be going, too." Byakuya was the next to go out of the gym.
"Oh yeah, I'm on guard duty, huh?" Mondo remembered. "I'd better head to the scene of the crime!"
"Ah, that's right." Sakura agreed.
The biker turned to the others. "Lemme just say this right now!" He announced to them. "If whatever son of a bitch did this is here right now, and they're thinking of destroying that evidence," He cracked his knuckles. "They better not let me find 'em! I'll skip the trial and cave their goddamn skull in myself! I'm serious! I will fuck them up!"
"I pity the bastard who tries to go past them." Leon muttered. A few others couldn't help but nod in agreement to that.
With those deadly words in the air, he and Sakura went to guard the crime scene, leaving the rest here. "But," Hina spoke up. "I mean, we're not detectives or anything, y'know? And we're gonna investigate a murder? How do we even do something like that?"
"We don't r-really have to do anything in p-particular." Toko remarked. "W-We already know who k-killed Sayaka."
"What are you implying?" Makoto questioned.
"It was y-you." Toko accused.
"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"
When Makoto stepped forward towards her, Toko began freaking out. "D-Don't come any c-closer! Are you g-gonna kill me next?!"
"Wow, my other self is such an idiot." Jill casually said. "Accusing someone just because the crime was in the area they're usually in? That's like saying a italian sauce is from another restaurant that has a similar tasting one. All circumstantial!"
"She's still comparing murder to cooking?" Leon asked, looking green in the face.
"W-Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot." Hina hesitantly said. "It's not for sure that Makoto's guilty yet."
"That's true." Hifumi agreed. "We may as well at least check just to check."
"They're acting like it's already decided that Makoto is guilty!" Sayaka stated angrily.
"While I admit, I'm peeved at our future selves' idiocy but it shouldn't be surprising." Byakuya sighed. "The fear and suspicion would cause them to point fingers at the first target."
"Do you include yourself in that Byakuya?" Celeste asked 'innocently'. Byakuya huffed and turned away, not willing to answer that.
"Even if I w-wanted to, I c-couldn't help inv-vestigate." Toko stated.
That got Leon's attention. "Wait, why not?"
"I'm not g-good with….b-blood." Toko said nervously. "All it takes is o-one glimpse and I b-black out."
"That'll cross Toko off the list of suspects." Makoto said. "Someone with a fear of blood wouldn't kill somebody."
"Or at the very least, wouldn't use something that could make wounds to do it." Kyoko added in. "And Genocide Jill would only kill guys she deems cute, not girls."
"Damn right!" Jill agreed. "I would sooner kill Master before killing the idol."
"Like I would let you." Byakuya muttered. The day he let those scissors get near him is the day he give away his entire fortune willingly.
"Well, whatever. I don't think anyone was expecting much from you, anyway." Leon said dismissively. "Alright, I guess I better get going."
With that statement, he, along with most of the others still in the room, started leaving. "W-Wait, don't go yet!" Makoto protested. "You have to hear me out!"
Despite his words, they continued leaving, with their parting look towards him still filled with suspicion. Makoto stood there in the gym, with only a few others still inside. 'Does everyone really think I'm the killer?' Makoto thought in dismay. 'How did it turn out like this?'
"That's what we're wondering." Chihiro said softly, upset at the fact that most of them are accusing Makoto.
"It really does suck." Junko fake pouted. "And they're accusing him just because Sayaka was killed in his room." Inwardly though, she's giddy at the fact that most of her classmates are set on Makoto being the killer. If they continue on that mindset, then execution for all of them! It would be so despairingly wonderful!
"I hate the fact we turned on a comrade based on a coincidence!" Taka stated, looking down. "And it makes me wonder if we would do the same, to anybody we don't know well. Just turn on them when they get bad spot-light." Mondo put a hand on his friend's shoulder in comfort.
"I'm afraid we all owe you an apology Makoto. Especially with future vocal accusations." Sakura said quietly.
Makoto waved off the apology. "This is our future selves, right? We can't control what they say." Makoto said reassuringly. "Besides, everyone is scared and Monokuma put us in a situation where we have to suspect each other. Plus, with the evidence, it makes sense for everyone to suspect me."
His words caused a few others to sigh. He's way too forgiving.
He shook his head. 'Seriously, they got it all wrong,' He thought anxiously. "Why do they have to suspect me?!" The luckster questioned, the anxiety in his voice. Once again, he went back to his thoughts. 'I have to do something. Otherwise, everyone will….'
Makoto gulped, remembering Monokuma's words. 'I can't let that happen,' He thought in determination. 'I can't let things turn out the way Monokuma wants!'
None of them were surprised by his thoughts. By now, they all knew that Makoto is a very selfless person, who would help out anyone. "Seriously dude, you're getting accused of killing someone you cared about and you're still thinking of saving them?" Leon sighed.
"Of course. I can't let them die because of a false accusation." Makoto said fiercely.
"And you're not even worried about your own life?" Hina asked him.
"Well, of course I worry about my own life." Makoto admitted. "But I want to save everyone else as well."
Sayaka smiled. "That's our Makoto. Always thinking about others before himself."
'All I have to do is find out who really did it….who really killed Sayaka!' He grabbed the Monokuma File on the floor and began reading through it. "The victim was Sayaka Maizono. The time of death is estimated to be around 1:30 a.m." He began reading aloud. "The body was discovered in Makoto's dorm, in the dormitory. All evidence suggests that the death took place in the bathroom. The cause of death was a stab wound to the abdomen. There was also an injury to her right wrist. Specifically, the wrist appears to have suffered a fracture."
"Wow. That thing has a lot of info." Hiro commented on.
"Yeah. That should help with the investigation to Sayaka's murder." Kyoko hummed. "Not that I really need it."
"Yeah, yeah." Leon said with an eye roll. "So, are we going to try and figure out which one of us killed Sayaka?"
"I don't see why not. No harm will be done doing that." Kyoko said with a shrug.
"So, trying to figure out the killer of Sayaka Maizono." Celeste mused. "It would be more fun if not for the fact that this is our possible reality."
"If any of you did think it was fun, I would've slapped you." Sayaka muttered.
'We have no choice but to push forward if we want to find out what happened,' "Somehow, I have to find the truth." The luckster said aloud.
The scene switched to Makoto walking to his room. "So that we can all survive." Makoto's voice spoke through the scene. The luckster went into his room. "And for Sayaka….I have to find out how she was killed!"
'Alright. I'll look into the state of my room first,' Makoto thought. 'If I look again, maybe I'll find some clues here.'
"So, I started the investigation in the room." The narrator Makoto began summarizing. The scene showed Makoto looking at around the room. "The first thing I noticed that there was an obvious struggle, due to the scratches and gouges around."
Makoto looked down. "Damnit. Sayaka's room was right next to mine. If I had only heard her…."
"That wouldn't have been possible Makoto." Sakura said softly. "The rooms were soundproofed, remember?"
"No matter how loud someone could be in that room, no one would here with the doors closed." Byakuya stated.
"For our soundproofed rooms to be used in such a dastardly way!" Taka exclaimed, tears stinging in his eyes. "It brings me to tears just thinking about it!"
The scene switched to Makoto looking at sword and sheathe on the ground. "Then I noticed the gold coated sword on the ground, missing some of coating, and it's sheathe, which has some scratches."
"It's obvious that someone used the sword during the struggle." Mukuro mused. "Especially since the handle is missing the most of its coating."
"But what about the sheathe? Why the hell does it have those cuts?" Mondo pointed out. Mukuro shrugged.
"Unless we figure out at least some of the situation, it would hard to guess." Is what Mukuro said.
Makoto's eyes diverted to the key on the floor. 'Oh yeah. Sayaka and I switched keys before going room.' A thought came to mind. 'Then how did the killer get into the room in the first place? I doubt Sayaka would go out of the room, or open the door for anyone.'
"Oh yeah. Now that Makoto mentioned it, how did the killer enter the room?" Hina asked. The others wonder that as well.
'The only way that would be possible is if Sayaka let them in.' Kyoko thought. 'There's no other way.' She decided to keep that to herself though. She'll bring it up in the trial, if none of their future selves' do. "We'll find out later when the trials start, so lets not worry about it for right now." Kyoko spoke up.
Several nodded to that and went back to the screen. Sayaka, meanwhile, had the thought still plaguing her mind. Like Kyoko, she deduced that the only way for the killer to come in is if she herself let them in. But why would she do that?
A bad feeling began gnawing into her stomach.
"Next I spoke to Kyoko, who was investigating the room herself." The scene then switched Makoto and Kyoko, the latter on her knees and looking at the ground. "I found out from her that there wasn't a single ounce of hair in the room, not even mine. The lint roller was used as well, which means that someone got rid of the hair."
"Someone got rid of some hair?" Mondo questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Why the hell did they do that?"
"To eliminate any trace that they were here." Kyoko answered. "I have to admit, that's clever."
"With the variety of hair colors in this classroom, it would have been pretty easy to find out who the killer was!" Jill agreed.
"Good point there." Taka agreed. "Though there are some of us who share the same hair color, such as Byakuya and Junko."
"And finally, I went into the bathroom, where Sayaka's body resided in." The scene switched to Makoto, standing in front of the bathroom. 'The bathroom,' Makoto thought to himself. 'And on the other side of the door….' A brief black and white flashback of Sayaka's body entered in his mind.
Sayaka stiffened at this. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want to see her dead body once again. Makoto, feeling her stiffen, squeezed her hand, silently saying that he's here for her. It calmed her slightly.
He felt himself freeze for a moment before shaking his head. 'No….I can't let it get to me!' Makoto exclaimed in his head. 'I can't afford to freeze up now!' Pushing down his panic, he pushed himself into the bathroom. And immediately, he was faced with the dead Sayaka. "Sayaka…."
Sayaka saw a small glimpse of her body before quickly burying her head into Makoto's chest once more. Makoto, in response, hugged her back and stroke her hair comfortingly, trying to keep his own tears at bay at seeing Sayaka's dead body.
The others felt sick at seeing Sayaka's dead body. Mukuro and Kyoko, however, felt less sick due to the professions they're in, but like everyone else, they felt their heart clench at Makoto's tone of grief.
Dizziness, nausea, and the urge to burst into tears hit him instantly. 'No.' Makoto squeezed his eyes tightly. 'I can't….I can't hesitate now.' When he opened his eyes, determination was brought back up in his eyes. 'I have to find out. I have to find out what happened, why she the one who had to die!'
Makoto couldn't help but feel amazed at his future self. He couldn't imagine what his future self is feeling, seeing Sayaka's corpse right in front of him and the smell of blood assaulting his senses.
He wasn't the only one. "Wow. Future Makoto is keeping himself together." Hina said in awe. "I would've puked if I was right in front of this."
"It's impressive how well he's keeping himself together." Kyoko agreed. Others nodded in agreement to this as well.
"So, I examined her body and saw a couple of things." The narrator Makoto spoke again. "One, was the gold coating on her broken wrist. Next was the blood on her finger. And finally, was the numbers on the walls behind Sayaka."
"What the-? Numbers?" Leon, along with several others, looked at the numbers behind Sayaka. "11037."
"What the heck does those mean?" Mondo turned to Chihiro. "Hey Chihiro, do you know?"
Chihiro shook her head. "No. From what I can tell, those numbers don't hold any special meanings."
Kyoko narrowed her eyes at the numbers. Something tells her that those numbers will give them the answers, but the scene switched before she could get a better look. She'll have to think on it later, when they see it again.
"Wh-?!" Makoto nearly cried out in shock before covering his mouth. '11037? Did Sayaka write this?'
After looking at for another moment, Makoto decided to leave the bathroom. And when he did, he was met face to face with Kyoko. "It looks like you found it, right Makoto?" Kyoko asked him. "The bloody numbers….that's most likely Sayaka's dying message."
"Dying message?" Leon asked, confused. "But what could they mean? Is it morse code or something like that?"
"I don't even know morse code." Sayaka stated, getting out of Makoto's hold. Though the two are still holding hands. "It can't be that."
"Well, the message must have some type of meaning." Taka stated. "Otherwise, writing it would've been a waste."
"I'm sure there's a reason behind it." Kyoko stated. If only she had more time to look at it.
"I've never seen something written in blood before," Makoto commented on softly. "It really was her final message. It's as if she wrote it with life itself."
"...Do you often talk like an aspiring poet?"
Makoto blushed while a few of his friends snickered. "Now that she mentioned it, there were times where you did spoke like that." Hina giggled.
"Though it wasn't often." Celeste add in.
"But the numbers she wrote….what do they mean?" Makoto asked. "11037….I have no idea what that could possibly mean."
"The way she wrote the numbers makes me think that she wanted to use the body to block them." Kyoko said in thought. "If she wrote them in that location, while she was sitting the way we found her, it means she must have wrote them by turning only her hand toward the wall. If you were to write something in that position, do you know what the result would be?"
Kyoko took in everything her other's is saying. And combined that with the brief glimpse of the dying message. 'Writing with only her hand turned to the wall….if you do that, it would be backwards….which would mean….'
Kyoko's eyes widen very slightly, realizing what the dying message was. 'L-E-O-N. Leon.' Sayaka was writing her's killer name. And Leon is the killer.
She decided to keep that to herself for now. Who knew what kind of chaos would spread.
The detective wasn't the only one who found out. Junko also manage to put that piece of the puzzle together. 'So, Leon was the one who kill poor Sayaka, huh? First Sayaka, then Mukuro, now Leon. Two of Makoto's closest friend, and his best male friend. This will be so despairing for him!'
"The results….?"
"Think about it."
"You're not gonna tell me?"
"You need to uncover the mystery of this case yourself," Kyoko told him. "Otherwise, the case will end and you'll remain unconvinced."
"Wait, so future Kyoko got something?" Mondo asked.
"Seems like it." Byakuya confirmed. "But it seems that she's going to keep it to herself for now, and to make Makoto to figure it out himself."
"Huh? But why?" Hina asked in confusion. "Why does he need to figure it out himself?"
"I'm sure my future self has her reasons." Kyoko stated. Really, she doesn't have enough concrete detail to confirm what she suspects. So she'll keep her theories to herself for now.
'It sounds like Kyoko knows Sayaka's dying message means.' Makoto thought to himself. 'But honestly, I don't have a clue….oh, I know who to talk to. When it comes to numbers, who better to ask than the Ultimate Programmer?'
Chihiro shook her head. "If I don't see any meaning in those numbers, then my future self won't." Tears stung her eyes. "I'm sorry for not being helpful."
"No, it's okay Chihiro." Makoto reassured the programmer. "You did the best you could, and I'm sure your future self will do her best."
The narrator Makoto spoke up again. "Kyoko and I then exchanged some information. I told her about the faulty door when she asked about it being broken, then she told me about the broken doorknob." The scene showed the doorknob barely holding on to the door.
"A broken doorknob?" Hina said in confusion. "Why is the door knob broken?"
"Someone tried to force their way into the bathroom?" Hifumi inquired. "But the bathroom door didn't even have a lock. Why did they need to do that?"
"Cause they didn't know that the door was faulty. So when they tried to open it, they couldn't." Sakura said, frowning in thought. "So they thought they needed to get in there by force, not knowing that their actions were completely unnecessary."
A thought entered Sayaka's mind. "Wait. This is evidence that can be used to prove that Makoto is innocent." Sayaka stated. "After all, why would he break into his own bathroom, knowing about the faulty door?"
The others thought about her words. "She has a point." A smile entered Chihiro's lip. "Yep. This could prove Makoto's innocence."
"Alright! Progress!" Leon whooped, pumping a fist. Kyoko and Junko wondered how fast that excitement would go when it's discovered that he's the culprit.
"After that, I left the room and continued my investigation." The scene switched to Makoto walking to the direction out of the dorm rooms. He stopped when Byakuya spoke up. "So, why was Sayaka in your room when she was killed?"
Makoto turned to the heir at that question. "Could it be because….you are the culprit?"
Sayaka let out a small growled. Seeing her death, Hiro's idiocy, and the knowledge that it was one of her classmates that killed her is making her mood bad enough. The fact that almost everyone accused Makoto, of all people, of killing her is getting her angry.
"N-No, you've got it all wrong." Makoto denied. "Sayaka and I….switched rooms last night."
Byakuya looked at him with plain suspicion in his eyes. 'He doesn't even try to hide the suspicion on his face.' Makoto deadpanned in his mind.
Finally, Byakuya spoke once again. "Even if what you say is the absolute truth," He began. "You're still responsible for her death, wouldn't you say?"
Several stood up straighter at this. Confusion was written on some faces while Sayaka's face darken. "What?" She hissed quietly.
"Huh?"
"After all, she wouldn't have died if she hadn't switched rooms with you, right?" Byakuya asked rhetorically.
Makoto make a choking noise at that, shock at that accusation. 'The reason Sayaka was killed….was because I agreed to switch rooms?'
Several eyes widened in shock at the point Byakuya made. Byakuya himself wasn't surprised by this, but internally winced. He had to admit, in the past, he was more callous to his classmates than needed. He mellowed out thanks to his time at Hope's Peak, with the help of Makoto mostly, so seeing his future self saying that….made a sliver of guilt enter his heart.
Kyoko narrowed her eyes in anger at the accusation made, as did Mukuro and Celeste. Hina eyes widen for a moment before scowling in anger. Sayaka, however, took it the worst out of the girls.
"You bastard!" Sayaka roared. She launched herself at Byakuya, but Makoto and Leon quickly grabbed her by the arms once again all the while Byakuya just pushed up his glasses and kept facing forward. "How dare you blame Makoto for my death?! How DARE YOU?!" Said heir remained quiet in his seat.
"Sayaka, calm down!" Leon exclaimed, keeping a good hold on her. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but it was the future Byakuya that said it!"
"Yes! We can't blame Byakuya for this! So please calm down Sayaka!" Makoto pleaded. Sayaka stopped for a moment before taking a deep breath, calming her anger. Slowly, she sat back down, along with Leon and Makoto.
"Sayaka got really angry." Chihiro said softly.
"Can you blame her? Togami tried to push the blame on Makoto." Mondo grumbled. "I would've lost my temper myself if Sayaka hadn't."
'She's dead because of me?' Guilt and grief entered his mind. 'Then….it should have been me that died?'
"No!" Sayaka shook her head. "No, it shouldn't have been you that died!"
"But Sayaka, Byakuya made have had a-"
He stopped speaking when Sayaka gave him a stern glare. "Don't. You. Say it. Don't you dare say that Byakuya may be right. It was my future self's suggestion to switch rooms, not yours."
"She's right Makoto." Kyoko said softly, but firmly. "You had no idea this outcome would have happened."
Byakuya spoke up. "I admit, my future self was out of place when saying that." The heir said. "You had no control of the situation Makoto. Do remember that."
"Byakuya's right! So don't blame yourself for this Makoto!" Hina added in.
Makoto looked at all of his friends before giving a smile and nodded.
"Well, all we can say right now is that it's a possibility." Byakuya told him.
Makoto, still shaken up, walked away from the dorm rooms. Narrator Makoto spoke up once again. "It would be on my mind for a while. But after the investigation in my room, I decided to go to the dining hall. I suspected that the knife used was one of the kitchen knives and decided to go to the kitchen to check."
"A good assumption." Kyoko agreed. "Most likely it is."
"No argument from the crowd." Junko stated.
The scene switched to Makoto entering the dining hall. When he did, he saw Hina sitting at one of the tables. "Hina….are you investigating the dining hall?"
"Oh, no." Hina shook her head. "I'm just taking a break. Actually, I've been taking a break since we started."
"Seriously?" Jill cocked her head. "Are you secretly blonde or something? Cause you act like a dumb blonde bimbo!"
"Hey!" Hina and Junko shouted, for obvious reasons.
"Well, you can't blame her." Makoto said. "Most of us don't really know what to do in a investigation."
"You look to be doing pretty well though." Kyoko noted. That got a slight blush from the luckster.
"This is all a first for me, ya know?" Hina sighed. "I don't have the first clue what I should be doing."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Makoto agreed with her.
"And I dunno why, but being in the dining hall helps me calm." Hina continued explaining. "So I know I shouldn't, but I've been kinda….hanging around here."
Hina pouted a little. "Aww. And seeing this happening is kinda cool. I wish I wasn't just standing around when Kyoko and Makoto are actually doing something."
"I'm pretty sure you aren't the only one doing that." Byakuya stated. "Toko, for one, is probably still in the gym or in her room. You're not the only one being useless."
"I'm not sure how to take that." Hina admitted.
"To tell you the truth….I was doing the same thing last night, when Sayaka was killed…."
"You always seem to hang out at the dining hall whenever you're stressed." Celeste mused. "Guess that hasn't changed, even with your memories wiped."
"Must be because our subconscious still remembers how we feel about certain things and areas." Chihiro suggested.
After that, Makoto went to the kitchen to see if his suspicion is correct. Sure enough, one of the knives on the wall is missing. 'So the knife that was used was one of the kitchen knives.' Makoto thought. 'Or was it missing before this whole thing? Well, Hina was here last night. Maybe she knows.'
He went out of the kitchen and back to Hina. "Hey, so," Makoto spoke up, getting the girl's attention. "Did you notice that one of the kitchen knives is missing in the kitchen?"
"Yeah, weird huh?" Hina confirmed. "I thought it was kinda strange, a knife just disappearing like that."
"Oh, so it wasn't missing from the beginning?"
Hina shook her head. "Nope. Last I remember, they were all lined up in a nice, neat row."
"So when did you notice one of them had disappeared?" Makoto inquired.
"Well," Hina began explaining. "I went to go get some tea from the kitchen last night, and all the knives were still there. But when I finished my tea and went back into the kitchen to wash my glass, one of the knives were gone."
Makoto's eyes widen slightly at this. "So you're saying that the knife disappeared while you were drinking your tea in the dining hall?"
Hina nodded. "Yeah…."
Several's eyes widen before a smile formed on Chihiro's face. "This could prove that Makoto is innocent."
"Definitely! Since Hina was there, she can give Makoto a good alibi!" Taka stated.
Hina beamed widely. "I can actually be useful in the trial now!"
"That you can, Hina." Sakura agreed, smiling.
'In other words, you were right there in the dining hall when someone came and took it.' Makoto thought. 'Then you should be able to say for sure….you can tell everyone I didn't come to the dining hall last night. Which proves I didn't take it!'
Makoto beamed at this. "With that, my future self can prove his innocence."
"Don't go celebrating yet." Byakuya cut in. "Remember, they still need to find the real culprit."
"And not many clues were found." Sakura sighed. "Not one that can pinpoint the possible killer."
'I wouldn't say that.' Kyoko thought to herself.
"Hey, by the way," Hina spoke up, gaining Makoto's attention. "Did you really kill Sayaka?"
"Hina!"
"You idiot!"
"Oh come on!"
"You dumb bimbo!"
Hina winced. "Sorry." She apologized. The four comments came from Sayaka, Byakuya, Leon, and Jill, respectively.
"It's alright Hina." Makoto said reassuringly. "You're not the only one to think that."
"And I'm not happy about that." Sayaka muttered angrily. Sweet little Makoto doesn't deserve those accusations.
"Wh-What?!" Makoto exclaimed. "Of course not! I would never!" Hina stayed silent, doubt in her face. "Hina….do you really think I murdered her?"
"Well," Hina fumbled for an explanation. "She was killed in your room, right? So, I mean….you guys were supposed to be friends, right? But you still….killed her….on the other hand, two people becoming good friends, then one killing the other is a classic drama setup. So when you consider everything together…."
"...I honestly have no idea." Hina looked down, utterly confused and depressed. Makoto was silent for a moment before shaking his head and leaving the dining hall.
"Um, did anyone else understand any of that?" Hiro asked.
"I don't think anyone understood that jumbled up mess of an explanation." Byakuya sighed. "Not even the girl herself."
"You got me there." Hina admitted, rubbing the back of her head.
"So, there's the cuts and gouges in the room, and the gold coated sword." Kyoko began listing off. "There's the bit of gold on her broken wrist, as well as the bloody finger. There's also the dying message, as well as the broken doorknob."
"There's also the missing knives, as well as Aoi's statement." Mukuro added in, albeit quietly. "That's all the evidence found so far."
"Well, it seems like there's still more of this investigation to go through, so maybe there's something else that would tell us who the killer is." Taka stated.
"So let's continue watching, and see what else we'll uncover." Byakuya stated.
And that's the end. So, unfortunately, the investigation will have to be in two parts. I would've liked to make it shorter to get to the trials, but I didn't want to rush it. Don't want the investigations half-baked like in the anime. Plus, there were some sets of dialogue I felt like were important, not only to the investigation itself, but also for the characters' development. So I didn't want to skip that. I hope you guys understand I what I mean by that.
So, next chapter will be continuing and finishing up the investigation. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you later.
Editor: Hey guys, we've noticed there's some questions in the reviews that you guys have asked and if it's related to this fic, we'll answer the ones that we can.
How come Mukuro isn't like the Mukuro in DR3: Despair Arc?
Spirit: I based Mukuro off of what I read in the wiki page, the plot of DR:IF, and an analysis I saw about her on youtube.
A Lucky Soldier: Pretty much same as spirit. Since she doesn't have a whole lot of dialogue and characterization in the game and anime (to which I still think that her portrayal in DR3 was absolute garbage), I like to refer to DR:IF, DR:Zero and her in-game lines to build her character.
Will you make the despair fever from DR:Togami canon? And if so, will you cure Junko of it?
Spirit: I don't plan to make DR:Togami canon in the fic.