Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, couldn't think of much to write in this chapter, since basically all of the Class 78th already knew about Genocide Jack and the circumstances about her murder, but I did the best I could. Hopefully it's enough. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
A Lucky Soldier: Lucky you folks, since I delayed the last chapter by quite a bit, here's a quicker update since Spirit had some time to write the next chapter while I held it hostage :P
Anyways, Questions section!
Q: Will X be happening in Class 77 watches the Future? Will X be happening in any future works? Will you have them view AUs or other fics?
L: We appreciate the enthusiasm for the future, but we currently have our hands full with this one so our current answers to all of your questions will be "I don't know." We don't want to make any empty promises now since things can change in the future. (and considering the pace we're going at, a very distant future)
S: Agreed.
Q: SDRTHHV3: Will your new schedule mean slower uploads?
L: Absolutely not. While things are a bit rocky on my end right now, the bulk of the writing is still on Spirit's end so even if I'm holding a chapter hostage from being busy or lousy, he's still making progress on future chapters which means, if a chapter gets delayed, there's a good chance that the next two chapters will be uploaded in closer proximity, like this one!
S: If there's nothing delaying me, anyway.
*POTENTIAL V3 SPOILERS*
Q: For the V3 cast, will they be "themselves" or "themselves"?
L: Although this technically falls under the first question, I'll address this one separately since it is a fair question. If you have not finished V3, this is as non-spoilery as I can make it. Those of you who have finished, should know what my answer to this will be. So the answer is: We haven't thought about it yet, but they will most likely be the way they're meant to be. (Man... even that sentence in and of itself is slightly spoilery... I'm sorry guys.) How you make of that statement is up to you :)
*POTENTIAL V3 SPOILERS END*
Chapter 36: Watching Ch 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 13
"Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results." Monokuma explained, once again on his throne. "If you can figure out 'whodunnit' then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one, then I'll push everyone besides the blackened, and the one who deceived everyone else will graduate. Okay, so first off, let's talk about the murder weapon!"
'First we have to make clear what was used to to deliver the fatal blow….' Makoto thought to himself. Then, he spoke up. "Can we agree that the object that dealt the fatal blow was the dumbbell, found at the scene of the crime? It was covered in blood, and there was nothing else at the scene that could have caused that kind of injury."
"And the wound on the victim's head is consistent with the shape of the dumbbell." Kyoko added. "As far as I'm concerned, there's no mistake and no room for doubt on this one."
"Wait….you actually looked directly at her head wound?" Hina asked, a bit pale. Though it was to be expected of Kyoko, it was still slightly unsettling, especially for Chihiro.
Kyoko sighed, but nodded. "Of course. I'm a detective. I need to be completely thorough if I want to solve the mystery." She said before giving an apologetic look at Chihiro. "In any case, I apologize if it makes you uncomfortable Chihiro."
"I-It's okay." Chihiro quickly reassured. "You need to find who did it, so I can't blame you for it."
"You….looked at her head wound?" Hina asked, clearly looking disturbed.
That caused Hifumi to scream in terror. "That's sooo creeeepy!"
Kyoko stayed silent at this, to which Byakuya took the initiative to speak up. "If you don't mind, I will proceed from here. Let's move on to the discussion of the culprit." He said. "Although, I believe the criminal behind this heinous act is already quite clear."
"What?! For real?!" Hiro exclaimed.
"Chihiro's killer is….the fiendish serial killer, Genocide Jack!" Byakuya declared.
"Your future self is very insistent that it was Genocide Jack killed Chihiro." Sakura pointed out. The heir sighed.
"So it would seem." Byakuya said with an obvious tone. Honestly, with the evidence they have gathered, it is blatantly obvious that his self on the screen has something to do with the murder. He glared at the screen, vaguely understanding the implications and the intentions behind his actions. With his arms crossed, he tightened his grip on both sleeves as he forced himself to focus on the current events. Speculating about something that will inevitably reveal itself was a waste of effort.
The non-stop debate started up, with the bullets being gathered up before being loaded into the revolver. Byakuya was the first to speak. "The culprit is Genocide Jack. I'm sure of it." He stated once again. "Case closed, as far as I'm concerned."
"But….that's impossible!" Hina protested.
"Why? What makes it impossible?" Byakuya asked.
"Well, I mean….come on….!" The swimmer exclaimed. "There's just no proof for it!"
'No, that's wrong!' Makoto thought. The bullet was shot and Makoto spoke up. "I….might know one reason he could be involved…."
"What?!" Hina gasped in shock.
"I found this file while I was looking around the archive in the library…." Makoto explained. "I guess it's some kind of confidential file that police put together about the Genocide Jack case."
"What….? That's kind of weird as shit, isn't it?" Mondo questioned. "What was something like that doing in the library?"
"The why of it is probably more trouble than it's worth, so let's forget about that for now." Byakuya said, changing the subject.
Kyoko nodded. "Smart move, avoiding the subject."
"Yeah. Talking about the archive will open up another conversation we don't need." Makoto reluctantly agreed.
"More importantly, it outlines all the specifics of every Genocide Jack case in exceeding detail. According to the file, there appear to be two defining characteristics in every Genocide Jack case. The first is the bloody message is found written at the scene of every murder."
"Oh, that's right!" Hifumi remembered. "'Booblust'!"
Before anyone could react to that, a baseball hit Hifumi right in the head once again. "Ow! I didn't say anything!"
"The fact that one of you said it earned a baseball to the head, fatty." Leon deadpanned.
"It completely baffles me on how you can make that kind of mistake." Celeste said, disbelief and exasperation hidden from her facial feature and voice. The fanfic creator turned away, not knowing how to answer that.
"Uh, no….it's actually 'bloodlust'..." Hina corrected in exasperation.
"But more importantly, is the other characteristic. And it's something that has never been made public…." Byakuya pointed out.
"Never made public….? What the hell is it?" Mondo asked.
Makoto chose to explain this. "Apparently, in every Genocide Jack case, the killer suspends the body in a certain way." He told everyone. "Other than the killer, the only people who know about the this are the higher-ups in the police department."
"However, Chihiro was most definitely suspended in the same way." Byakuya stated. "So, how did the culprit know about this, when only high-level police officials were aware of it?"
"Yeah….that's a good point." Hina said with a frown. "The only one here in the police department is Kyoko."
"However, my memory was wiped with anything that has to do with my talent as a detective." Kyoko interjected, before anyone could throw accusation. "That would include any cold cases that I know of. So it couldn't have been me."
"Then who the hell could've done it?" Mondo demanded.
"Maybe it's just a big old coincidence!" Jill suggested. "A huge stroke of luck!"
"No. I doubt that it was a coincidence." Makoto muttered, mainly to himself. The only one who could even know about the Genocide Jack case and copy it….is Byakuya. After all, he was the only one to have read that case due to his isolation in the library, and Toko had managed to keep Jack in check up until the body announcement.
"There's only one logical answer I can think of. It's because the culprit in this case….is the real Genocide Jack."
"No fuckin' way!" Mondo exclaimed in shock.
"You're saying Genocide Jack….is one of us?" Celeste said in slight surprise.
"Yes." Byakuya confirmed. "In fact, it's Toko."
His statement took the others off guard. "He knows?" Sayaka asked in slight shock.
"Not surprising, considering Toko's infatuation with him." Kyoko mused. "She probably told him right after the motive was revealed."
"Or he could've figured it out himself at some point." Mukuro pointed out, prompting Kyoko to nod in agreement.
"Yes, that is a possibility."
Said book writer was taken by surprise at the statement. "Wh….?"
"Genocide Jack's true identity….is Toko Fukawa." Byakuya declared.
"YOU LIIIEEEEEE!" Hifumi screamed in horror.
"Wh-Wh-Wh-What?" Toko stuttered, still shocked by the accusation.
"Hey, okay, wait, hold on a sec!" Hina protested. "Toko has like, bloodophobia or whatever, remember? What kind of serial killer is afraid of blood?!"
"Is Toko Genocide Jack?" The heir asked rhetorically. "The answer is yes….and no."
"Another riddle?" Hiro complained. "Many, why's this gotta be so complicated?"
"If you use your brain for a moment, the answer would be clear." Byakuya remarked.
"How would any of us expected to have multiple personalities?!" Hina exclaimed in protest. "That's the kind of stuff you see in movies or TV shows!"
"Oh come on, is it really that weird?" Jill mocked complain. "Having multiple personalities can't be that weird!"
"That because your line of thinking is fucked up beyond reason." Mondo deadpanned.
'Or... that's because that kind of mental disorder is quite rare...' Makoto thought to himself.
'It does seem like a riddle in a way, but….' Makoto thought to himself. 'I feel like….I can just about see it.' The camera angled to his side and his body turned back. Flashback of his time in the archive once shown. 'I think it was in the Genocide Jack case….it was on the profiling results….the suspect suffered from….'
Makoto's image went back to normal as the answer come to him. "Is it because Genocide Jack….has a split personality?" The lucky student said.
"...Huh?" That response came from a confused Hina.
"I think I read that somewhere in the file, too…." Makoto informed them. "They thought that the suspect might have….what did they call it? 'Dissociative Identity Disorder'."
Hifumi hesitantly spoke up. "O-Okay….but still, to go and say that about Miss Fukawa is-"
"Perfectly acceptable." Byakuya interrupted. "Toko's strange behavior after seeing the body is proof enough that she has a split personality."
"You're talking about how she started acting totally different than usual, right?" Makoto deduced.
"That's right." Byakuya confirmed. "Think back - she fainted when she saw Chihiro's corpse, and then when she woke up…."
"The psycho killer with the scissors popped out!" Junko declared, slightly getting into her punk rock persona.
"Aww, you're making me blush!" Jill stated in mock embarrassment.
"She was acting funny, that's for sure!" Taka agreed. "That melancholy tone of hers completely disappeared!"
"Don't go assigning adjectives to my t-tone without permission….." Toko told him.
"But it is melancholy." Hiro pointed out, sighing. "Man, just being around her can be depressing."
"Come on, Hiro, she's not that bad." Makoto defended the writing prodigy. She couldn't really help her personality,
"Not to mention, once she regained consciousness and saw Chihiro's body again, she was utterly calm." Byakuya added. "In other words, within her is one personality that can't handle blood, and one that obviously can."
"Yeppers!" Jill agreed. "Master knows me so well!"
"I'm pretty sure that just common sense…." Hiro said, scratching his head.
"I wouldn't call it common sense…." Sayaka muttered.
"N-Ngh….!" Was all Toko could let out for the moment.
"So when Toko trapped herself in the room, it's because she was scared of Genocide Jack….?" Hina guessed.
"The reason she locked herself in her room wasn't to keep other people from getting in…." Byakuya explained. "It was to keep her other personality from getting out."
"What….?" Hina said in shock.
"Toko was afraid - afraid of the murderous fiend inside of her, of killing even more people…." Byakuya stated.
"H-H-How…..?" Toko stuttered out.
"Yeah, how can you know all this?!" Hina demanded.
"...I do believe you misunderstood her." Byakuya told the swimmer. "What's she trying to say isn't, 'How can you know all this?' No, what she wants to know is, 'How could you tell them?'"
"...Huh?" Was the only response Hina could form up.
"Guess that answers whether or not Toko told him." Leon said, not really surprised by this. The others aren't really surprised by this either.
"And it's probably why Byakuya was insistent that Genocide Jack is with them." Mukuro added.
"Last night, just before Monokuma gave his 'motive' speech, Toko and I had a strange conversation." Byakuya began explaning. "She told me a most interesting story. She said a murderous fiend lived within her, and she was afraid it could appear and attack at any time. And that trepidation is what's caused her to have such a bleak attitude. Isn't that right, Toko?"
This caused Toko to make more struggling noises.
"This is all a lie….right, Toko?" Hina inquired, hoping for a "yes".
Toko ignored her, however. "Y-You said wouldn't t-tell anyone….!"
"...What?!" Hina exclaimed in disbelief.
"You p-promised….!" Toko told him, looking betrayed. "I can't b-believe you l-lied!"
"You have only yourself to blame," Byakuya said callously. "You came to me with your tragic little story. I didn't ask you to. This is the real world, not some romantic fantasy fairytale."
Some couldn't help but frown at how callous Byakuya is treating Toko. "Man, that's cold, Byakuya." Hiro sighed.
"Yeah! While I know Toko isn't the easiest person to get along with, you didn't have to reveal her secret like that!" Hina scolded him.
"Despite whether or not you ask her to do this, revealing this is a breech of trust!" Taka stated. "At the very least, you could've asked her permission to reveal this!"
"If she was the killer, she wouldn't want it to be revealed." Byakuya retorted. "While we all know Jack isn't the killer, the others don't know that, do they?" Though, even he had to admit to himself that his statement was unnecessary, regardless of how he felt about the girl.
Toko made several several strangling sounds of anguish but Byakuya continued. "Besides, you broke your promise first." He told her. "You said that as long as you were here, no matter what, you wouldn't let Genocide Jack kill anyone. But in spite of that promise…."
'Oh, so that was what the promise was!' Makoto realized, remembering what Toko had said to Byakuya during the investigation.
"You said if I k-kept my promise….you would g-go out with me!" Toko accused. "Th-That's the only r-reason I promised….!"
'Fantasy.' Nearly everyone thought blankly. They don't need to be a detective to figure that one out.
"How many times to do I have to tell you? I never said that." Byakuya refuted. "But you weren't able to do it - you just couldn't resist that rush from killing, could you?"
"I-I tried…." Toko said, distressed. "I swear I t-tried to control it! B-But…."
"But your efforts were useless. What a disappointment." Byakuya said coldly.
The frowns went even further. "Mr. Togami is being colder than usual…." Hifumi hesitantly pointed out.
"No doubt there." Leon agreed. "What he's saying is cold, even for him."
"I'm actually starting to feel bad for Toko." Junko remarked with a fake frown.
Jill, however, pouted. "Why can't I get that attention?! I want verbal abuse spat on me more often!"
"You are one sick masochist." Mondo stated bluntly.
"Nggh….I hate you…." Toko declared venomously.
Byakuya was unperturbed. "Well, the opening act is nearly finished." He stated. "All that's left is to hear from the person the person in question directly."
"The p-person….?" Toko went even paler than usual. "Y-Y-You dont m-m-m-mean….?!"
"YES!" Jill shouted in excitement, pumping her fist. "My glorious debut is about to begin!"
"But didn't you already have a debut in the locker room?" Hifumi pointed out.
Jill waved that one off. "Oh, that was just a small taste of my reveal! My true revelation is about to begin!"
At that moment, Toko fainted from the stress and anxiety. But in the next moment, she lunged back up. The camera moved towards her feet and slowly moved up before revealing Genocide Jack. "Well, hello there! Is it me you're hoping to see?!"
Hifumi yelped in shock at this. "Eugh, what the heck?!"
"So you figured it out, huh? Well, whatever! What're ya gonna do?!" The serial killer sighed loudly. "I'm the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, Genocide Jack! Or better yet, let's go with Genocide Jill!"
"Aaaaaaand, there's my introduction!" Jill cheered loudly. "The Ultimate Murderous Fiend has finally joined the killing game!"
"Normally, that would've been worrying." Makoto said with a sweatdrop. But fortunately, and weirdly, the fact that she's a 'professional' serial killer made them safe.
"What the fuck is this?!" Mondo exclaimed.
"Toko….what happened to you?" Taka questioned, slightly fearful.
"Not Toko! That's a loser name!" The newly dubbed Genocide Jill corrected him. "And what happened is a textbook split personality! So what if one of them happens to be a serial killer?! You should turn a blind eye to one's faults!" She ended with an a round of insane laughter.
"Okay, while we all know about Genocide Jack, this intro still freaks the hell out of me." Leon whispered to his couchmate. Makoto and Sayaka couldn't help but nod in agreement to this.
"She's so….intense!" Hiro gasped.
"Like they say, sound in murderous mind, sound in murderous body!" Jill stated
"This one is so different from the one we've come to know…." Sakura said, looking at Jill with mixed emotions.
"Yes, well, the world is composed of a front and a back, you know." Jill told her. "Just like how every inning has a top and bottom, or how in depths of every truth lives a little lie….behind every dark dark and gloomy soul lives another that shines as bright as the sun!" She ended that with another round of insane laughter.
"How one earth does she sound crazy and philosophical at the same time?" Hiro questioned, trying to wrap his head around it.
"It's probably best not to think on it." Kyoko advised. Dealing with something like that without mental preparation is going to take quite the toll on one's mentality.
'This is the "murderous fiend" Genocide Jack?' Makoto thought, staring at the scene in shock. 'This is…..this is…..this is beyond insane!'
"Aww, thank you Big Mac!" Jill stated, giving a bow. "I do try my best!"
"Um, Miss Jack - er, Jill? Can I ask you a question….?" Hifumi nervously asked the serial killer.
"What's up?!" Was the response she gave.
"Some of us think you might be the mastermind behind our entire situation." Hifumi explained. "What are your on thoughts on that?"
"Really? You guys really thought I was the mastermind of all that?" Jill scoffed. "Please! My passion is focused on individual murders I do myself, not a group! Besides, if I wanted to gather people to kill people, it would be a group of adorable boys!"
"Ignoring her…." Byakuya turned to the fanfic creator with a blank look. "What possessed you to ask such a question? If she was the mastermind, would she really go and admit it?"
"There's also the fact that Genocide Jack is in the school with us, and there's no way she could control Monokuma from her position." Kyoko pointed out. Their solid points couldn't help but make Hifumi embarrassed at himself on the screen.
"Well I'll tell you! I'm the mastermind of all masterminds!" Jill declared….and then takes back those words. "Just kidding!"
"Then….it's not true?" Makoto inquired.
Monokuma was the one to answer. "Of course it's not true! How dare you try to link me to that creepazoid?!"
"Says the psycho who's making us play this life-or-death game." Leon deadpanned. "Does he really delude himself to think he's all normal?"
'At least I keep the craziness organized!' Junko protested in her head.
"And another thing! The police and government and society in the outside world are totally powerless!" Monokuma added in. "I mean, they just let this idiotic bloodthirsty maniac go buck wild all over town!"
"Sure, I'm a bloodthirsty maniac. But life is pain, right?" Jill rhetorically asked. "To live is to hurt other people. It's a necessary evil if you want to survive. The act of living itself causes pain for everyone….just kidding again!" She ended the last statement with a laugh.
The whole room was silent to this, just….baffled to the revelation revealed to them. "This should be enough to convince you." Byakuya spoke up. "This murderous fiend is responsible for Chihiro's death. There's clearly a motive, so there should be no doubt."
"...A motive?" Sakura questioned.
"Remember what Monokuma told us?" Byakuya reminded her. "If someone didn't murder or graduate within 24 hours, an embarrassing memory or secret would be revealed. Well, let's assume that Toko's secret was about Genocide Jack. If a secret like that came to light, Toko's life would have undoubtedly been forever ruined. So she had a very clear motive to never have that side of herself exposed."
"Yeah, that's true." Leon said with a small nod. "If it came out that she's Genocide Jack, or have the psycho inside her, either she'll spend her life running or in a mental hospital."
"Well, it's a good thing that someone got kill happy!" Jill commented on casually. "Otherwise, I might not be able to kill anymore adorable boys!"
"Your version of a good thing is messed up." Hiro stated, looking creeped out.
"Interesting….very, very, very interesting….!" Jill responded back, looking in thought. "But sorry! As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not the culprit!"
"...Huh?" Was the confused response from Taka.
"But I can't imagine anyone other than you could murder someone in such a bizarre fashion…." Celeste pointed out.
"Maybe so, maybe so! But nevertheless, it's the truth." Jill insisted.
"...Do you really expect any of us to believe you?" Sakura questioned.
"Yeah!" Hina agreed readily. "I could never believe a word you say, you monster!"
"Oh dear." Celeste said. "Hopefully, they will figure out that it wasn't her soon."
"That is up to our lucky boy here!" Junko said impulsively.
Kyoko nodded. "True. After all, only he and Byakuya knows about the full version of the Genocide Jack case, and Byakuya is currently insisting that Genocide Jack is the culprit." And the fact that Byakuya was the only one who knew about the Genocide Jack case before Chihiro's murder made him a prime suspect in her mind.
The non-stop debate started up once again, this time, with Jill talking first. "Sorry, but I didn't kill anyone!"
"You say that, but do you really expect any of us to believe it?" Sakura repeated.
"Perhaps if you have an alibi, that would change things…." Celeste suggested.
"Ohh, an alibi, huh? Now we're talking!" Jill said excitingly.
"When you compare your past murders to this incident…." Byakuya began pointing out. "...the modus operandi matches completely!"
'No, that's wrong!' Makoto thought. The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Are the methods of murder really exactly the same? I'm not so sure about that…." The luckster expressed. "I think there's a slight difference between the Genocide Jack cases and this one…."
"Huh? How's it any different?" Hiro asked, confuse.
"Uh-oh, you don't know?" Jill asked rhetorically. "Well then, human garbage, let me tell you!"
"Hey!" Hiro shouted in offense. "That was a mean thing to say!"
Jill blew a raspberry at him in response. "Like I care, human garbage!"
"I murder with passion and conviction! I consider myself a professional, and I have a very particular way of doing things!" She explained passionately. "Imagine you go to a fancy Italian restaurant. They're very picky about the noodles, the sauce, everything. But what happened with Chihiro….it'd be like if that same Italian restaurant started using Ragu or Chef Boyardee! This is no creation of mine!"
The comparison to food suddenly made half the class sick in their stomachs. "Can't she compare killing to anything else?" Taka griped.
"And nothing edible?" Hifumi added, trying not to lose his breakfast.
"But killing people is very comparable to cooking!" Jill argued. "Doing it always make my mouth water!"
"Are you trying to make us barf?" Leon groaned.
"Let me rephrase that, in a way that maybe makes more sense…." Makoto said, looking a bit green. "There are two clear differences between the Genocide Jack cases and this one. For one, the cause of death is different. In the Genocide Jack murders, all the victims are killed the same way. According to the case file, they were all apparently killed with….a pair of scissors. But Chihiro died from a blow to the head, right?"
"Ah, yes!" Hifumi said in realization. "That is remarkably different from the other murders!"
"Wouldn't it be strange for someone who kills the same way without fail to suddenly change their method?" Makoto rhetorically asked. "And there's more-one more conflicting detail."
"That's right!" Jill agreed. "In my recipe of murder, if the bloody message is the tortellini, then the arrangement of the body would be the pesto sauce!"
"Could you please stop comparing killing people to cooking….?" Hiro groaned.
"Yeah, seriously!" Hiro complained. "It makes me want to avoid any italian restaurants!"
"Or avoid eating any italian food." Celeste added, being careful to mask how sick she feels.
Makoto nodded in empathy from his seat. 'I think... I'll be avoiding pasta for a while...'
"S-So….are you saying the other difference has to do with how the body was arranged….?" Taka clarified.
"Do you remember what the killer used to suspend her with?" Makoto asked them. "They used some kind of rope to hang her up by the wrists."
"What is your point?" Celeste asked him.
"Well, in all the previous Genocide Jack cases, something else was used to suspend them…." Makoto explained. "Specifically, pairs of razor-sharp scissors."
"And guess what! I used my own, specially designed for the murders AND the arrangements!" Jill informed them all. "Like I said, I'm a professional. So naturally I'm very picky about the tools I use!" A thought then occured to her. "And-andandandandand ya know what else? Big Mac said there's two differences, but he's wrong!"
"Big Mac….? Are you referring to me?" Makoto asked, clearly puzzled.
"Listen up, Big Mac! There's actually one more difference!" Jill stated, ignoring the question.
Makoto's eyes widen at this. "...Huh?"
"Oh, I can't believe he overlooked who the victims are!" Jill moaned in complaint. "That's like, the most important part of the crime!"
"I doubt Makoto, or any of us, would focus on who the victims are." Sakura sighed. "Especially with how gruesome your murders are."
"Y-Yeah." Makoto agreed. Who the victims are, specifically their similarities, would be the last thing in his mind.
"My word! You really didn't notice? Take a look at who the victims were in each Genocide Jack case…." Jill advised. "There's a pattern there just waiting to be discovered!"
"A….pattern?" Sakura questioned.
"Figure that out, and it'll be plain as death why I couldn't have killed that loli girl!" Jill stated.
Makoto frowned in thought. 'Hmm….let's see….' Makoto started thinking. 'There was a pattern surrounding the Genocide Jack cases, and Chihiro didn't fit in it….?' An answer then struck his mind. "Is it because….Chihiro was a girl?"
"BINGO! Bullseye! Right on the money!" Jill confirmed.
"What are you talking about….?" Hiro asked in confusion.
"In all the Genocide Jack cases, all the victims had something in common." Makoto explained. "Every one of them were boys."
"They were all….guys?" Hiro repeated nervously.
"That's right! The people I kill with such passion and conviction….are all adorable little men!" Jill said excitingly. "Kyaaah! I can't believe I said it! I'm so embarrassed!"
"The hell is wrong with you?!" Mondo exclaimed in shock.
"I can't help it. I'm just a full throttle boy-on-boy fangirl! And the mopey side of me just hates it!" Jill told them all. "But now I'm on the fast track to becoming a full-fledged madam!"
No one bothered trying to figure out what Jill was talking about. For their sanity's sake.
"So since Chihiro was a girl and not an 'adorable little man'...you wouldn't kill her?" Taka asked, with some doubt in his voice.
"Would an italian chef suddenly start making ramen, just because they're both noodles? Don't be stupid!" Jill answered him. "I have too much passion and conviction to cross that line! That's the absolute reality of the one and only!"
"We get it. You've clearly explained your hobby and your philosophy. But that's not all there is to it." Byakuya stated. "It's a different matter entirely….when you're forced to kill in order to survive."
"Quiet, lowly cur!"
That statement startled the group, especially the one being addressed. "Lowly cur?" Byakuya repeated, feeling shock and insulted.
"Did the psycho actually insult Togami?" Mondo asked incredulously. "I mean, she has the balls to do it, but I never thought she would actually go through with it!"
"I wouldn't let anyone accuse me for killing somebody for something as petty as mere survival!" Jill stated passionately. "Not even master is allowed to insult me like that!"
"I didn't think you could actually get insulted." Hiro muttered.
That startled the affluent progeny. "Lowly….cur?"
"I would never kill for a reason as petty as mere survival!" Jill stated heatedly. "And! If by some fluke did kill to survive, why would I bother with the message and arrangement?! It'd make me the obvious suspect!"
"A good point there." Makoto agreed with. "One that everyone will have to see."
"Indeed." Kyoko also agreed. No one would leave obvious tracts of evidence, or even set it up.
"That….does makes some amount of sense." Celeste agreed reluctantly.
"PLUS! Whatever reason I have for killing, I would NEVER leave out my prized scissors!" Jill added. "Who would go out of their way to use a big, stupid, heavy dumbbell?"
"Maybe you used the dumbbell cuz you couldn't find any scissors in the school?" Hifumi suggested.
"ANY scissors?" Jill turned towards Hifumi angrily, causing the fanfic creator to yelp in fear. "What do you mean, I use 'any' scissors?!" She pulled out her unique set of scissors. "Does these look like just any, normal looking scissors to you, Huffy?!"
"No ma'am! Sorry ma'am!" Hifumi squealed, scared out of his wits.
"'Any' scissors?" Jill sounded very insulted at his words. "I just don't just use 'any' scissors! I only use my own set of high-class, envy of the entire world scissors!"
"Okay whatever, there still aren't any in the school…." Hiro pointed out.
That statement was countered by this. "Are you sure about that….?" Before everyone eyes, Genocide Jack pulled out four pairs of scissors. "Da da-da daa!"
The appearance of Jill's unique scissors shocked everyone, even the more stoic ones. Mondo was the first to speak. "What the hell?!"
"She's fully equipped!" Hifumi yelped.
"But, how?!" Hina exclaimed, trying to wrap her head around what they're seeing.
"Didn't the mastemind take everything from us?!" Taka questioned, feeling just as confused.
Jill merely laughed hysterically at this. "Not even ths mastermind can separate me from my precious scissors! If they take them, I'll just make more!"
"What the hell kind of material do you use?!" Leon exclaimed.
Even Junko was surprised by this. She's pretty sure her future self and Mukuro managed to secure any and all personal belongings they had. So how the heck did she manage to attain those scissors?!
Hifumi yelped at this. "She's fully equipped!"
"That's right! So I can kill anytime, anywhere!" Jill stated confidently. "Why would I resort to dumbbells or rope, when I have my trusty scissors by my side? Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong. You can't, can you? Gutter dogs, all of you!"
Calming down, she put her scissors away. "Not to mention, I have no clue how tie a good knot. So rope's totally out of the question anyway!"
Taka let out groans of frustation. "I have no idea what's going on anymore….! Could such a heinous villian really be innocent?!"
"But….the body really was suspended, right?" Mondo questioned. "And nobody but the police knew about that…."
"Yeah!" Hina agreed. "That's why we figured it had to be the real deal and not some copycat killer or whatever!"
"And now, we're back to that particular question." Taka said with a frown. "How could someone replicate Genocide's Jack arrangement of the body without any knowledge of such?"
"Maybe it's like what Jill said. A coincidence." Hiro said.
'...No.' Makoto thought to himself. 'It's not a coincidence. And there's only one person here that could've possibly replicated the arrangement.' He has a feeling that things is gonna turn south, real soon.
'Actually, hold on….' Makoto thought in realization. 'There is one person….one person who could've copied the Genocide Jack cases!'
The more intelligent either immediately knew who Makoto was talking, or quickly figured it out. "Makoto, are you suggesting….?" Celeste trailed off.
The luckster nodded at the unasked question. "I think he is."
The others were quickly interested in Makoto's thoughts. "Who are you suggesting?" Mondo demanded, wanting to know who coud've possibly done it.
"That answer will be answered soon." Kyoko responded.
Byakuya, meanwhile, attained a neutral look. He figured out a while ago that only he could've copied the arrangement of the body, but had put in the back of his mind at the time. Now, he had no choice but to the face the truth.
With the suspect in mind, he quickly spoke to the person in question. "Byakuya….it's possible you could have found out, isn't it?" The luckster accused. "You'd have no problem gaining access to classified government documents or internal police records. Plus, you'd already looked through the Genocide Jack file before this all happened, haven't you?"
Several eyes widened in shock at this. "Are you saying that Byakuya is the killer?" Taka asked in shock.
"That would explain why he pushed the Genocide Jack theory." Mukuro mused. "I doubt he was blind to the differences between Genocide Jack's cases and this one."
"So it was master who set it all up?!" Jill let out a heavy breath, a huge blush on her face. "Ohhhh, just when I thought I couldn't love him more!"
Mondo glared furiously at the affluent progeny. "Answer us, Togami!" Mondo growled. "Did your future self murdered Chihiro?!"
Byakuya retained his neutral look, even with all the stares he's getting. "At the very least, he's involved somehow." The heir responded towards the angry biker. "But we can't be sure yet."
"Who else could it be, but you?" Leon pointed out. "None of us knows about the arrangement."
'True.' Byakuya thought to himself. 'But that doesn't mean I murdered Chihiro.' While it does look like his future self is the murderer, he still believes that he isn't stupid or even arrogant enough to think that he would be able to get away with it that easily.
However, the other possibility….isn't so pleasant to think about. Not at all.
And that's the end. I hope you guys like this chapter. Next up, they'll witness the pressure being put on Byakuya, though the blonde will hardly react to it. Review, favorite, and follow, and I will see you later.
A Lucky Soldier's random end-of-chapter comments:
I didn't know that I could be scared of the cops knocking on my door from watching anime... (Fate/Kaleid Liner series...). On another note, "Heavy Object" was another nice anime to watch. Although sexualization in Japan is common like satire is here in the west, I do wish they could tone that down a bit. It's hard to watch stuff like that when your computer is in the living room -_-