Shuichi rushed out of the Ultimate Cosplayer's Lab before stumbling when the building once again shook from the explosions outside. There was no time to waste. Noon was approaching, and Shuichi couldn't let anything stop him from investigating as much as he could.
Before he could take another step, though, Tenko burst into the room, having rushed up the stairs. She spun around before she spotted Shuichi and dashed toward him.
"Shuichi! T-There…you are!" The Aikido Master yelled as she panted from exhaustion.
"Tenko? Did something happen?" Shuichi asked.
"Y-Yeah! W-We…We found something! Kokichi and I!" Tenko told him in a rush. "In Kaito's lab! Part of the wall was destroyed…by Keebo's attacks! New room…opened up…!"
"A new room?" Shuichi blinked in surprise.
"Yeah…and it's a really weird room, too," Tenko said as she managed to catch her breath. "Kokichi left to see if he could find any other secret rooms like it, but I went to find you to show you the room."
"Hmm…" Shuichi hummed as he put a hand to his chin. "This is pretty convenient, actually. I was planning on going to Kaito's lab anyway to investigate another clue. Maybe this is related."
"Wait, really? What do you need to investigate in Kaito's lab?" Tenko asked.
"Something involving that clue Rin left for us. He left that message for us for a reason, so I want to see if I can find this 'truth' he might have seen. It might explain what he was doing before he died." Shuichi told her.
Strangely enough, though, Tenko reacted with a slight frown when Shuichi mentioned Rin's name.
"About that…what do you think about that? Rin's will, I mean." She asked.
"...You aren't talking about the riddle, are you?"
"No. I mean…I miss Rin. I wish he didn't die…but…I'm so angry that he would let himself die like this if that was his plan!" Tenko shouted with a glare. "He's so selfish…ignoring all of our feelings if he really did plan this out."
"..." Shuichi couldn't find words to answer with. In truth, that subject was something he was hoping to avoid, at least until the trial. He didn't want to think that Rin had somehow killed himself or tricked someone into killing him. So, instead of answering Tenko, he just moved past her. "Let's just hurry to Kaito's lab. We don't have time to waste."
"...Right." Tenko relented, her frown still remaining as she followed behind the detective.
It took a lot of walking, but Shuichi and Tenko quickly arrived at Kaito's lab. Immediately, Shuichi noticed the strange room Tenko mentioned. In contrast to the space-theme room of the lab, this separate room was a clinical white with machines that looked better suited for a sci-fi movie. Tenko seemed to notice how Shuichi's expression shifted from pure confusion the moment he looked upon the room.
"Yeah! It's totally weird, right?! What even is it for?" Tenko asked with a stern, suspicious gaze aimed at the room.
"...I'll try looking around," Shuichi told her as he prepared to move toward the room.
The moment Shuichi walked through the opening in the wall, he was able to take in the complete strangeness of the room. It didn't feel as though it belonged in the Ultimate Academy. It was as though someone had taken some room from some other building and shoved it into the Ultimate Academy without any thought as to how it would all blend together.
The room was completely white except for the desk in the middle and the strange machines and pods lining the walls. Yes, the pods…another thing completely out of place. There were seventeen of them, eight on both sides and one in the center of the back wall in front of the giant computer or generator or…whatever it was.
"Th-This is…" Shuichi began as he took it all in, but it was almost too much.
"This room is so weird! I can't figure out what it is or what it's for!" Tenko pouted as she put her arms on her hips.
"I…suppose it's possible that—" Shuichi began, but he couldn't finish.
Instead, another agonizing headache came to him and Tenko, causing both to scream as they remembered exactly what this room was for.
Shuichi could see it as if it were happening once again right in front of him.
All seventeen of them, all alive and standing together in this room.
Kaede, Rantaro, Tenko, Keebo, Kokichi, Kirumi, Tsumugi, Miu, Korekiyo, Angie, Ryoma, Himiko, Kaito, Gonta, Maki, and even Rin.
They were all there…preparing for the Gofer Project.
"Let's begin, then." Keebo smiled as he psyched himself up for this mission.
"H-Hold on! I'm not mentally ready yet!" Tenko cried out as she gritted her teeth nervously.
"Well, robots probably don't need to mentally prep themselves the way humans do…" Kokichi pointed out while snickering at Keebo. "Actually, do robots even need to be put in cold sleep?"
"I'm still a teenager, just like you all. I would feel lonely if I were the only one still awake." Keebo frowned as he seemed to almost pout.
"But…is it really okay? This will be my first time in cold sleep, so I'm just plain nervous." Tsumugi shivered at the mere thought as she hugged herself.
"Hmph, it's the same for all of us." Ryoma pointed out with a small shrug.
"But y'know, it's a man's dream to leave Earth behind and travel across the stars!" Kaito proudly said as he clashed his fists together with determination.
"...What a careless guy." Maki pointed out with narrowed eyes.
"Hah! A fuckin' idiot is more like it!" Miu laughed as she rolled her eyes at the astronaut.
"Hey!? Who you callin' an idiot?!" Kaito screamed indignantly.
"Honestly…this is why I hate working with kids and teenagers, Ultimates be damned…" Rin rolled his eyes as he muttered under his breath as he ran a hand down his face.
"Okay, break it up! We gotta be friends here, so don't start fighting with each other!" Kaede shouted, breaking up Kaito and Miu as Rin, the only adult in the room, refused to do anything to stop their arguing.
"Hm…? Friends, you say?" Korekiyo repeated with a curious glance at the pianist.
"That's right. We're friends from here on out." Kaede proudly proclaimed. That got Rin to stare at her as though she was stupid before Kokichi responded.
"Hmmm… Even though you just met us, and you don't even know what we're like?" Kokichi questioned.
"Well…the 17 of us are going to be here together from now on." Kaede pointed out a little sheepishly before she slowly started to gain more confidence. "It might be hard, but let's try to take it one step at a time. We might fight at first, but we shouldn't forget about believing in each other. We all went through such a difficult time, so I think we can all become good friends! Right? What do you say?"
"Gonta agree! Gonta want to be friends with everyone!" Gonta quickly nodded.
"After we wake up from cold sleep, we'll have no choice but to live together…" Kirumi spoke as she started to smile.
"So we all better get along." Rantaro finished the thought with a laugh.
"Nyahahahaha! We're already friends! Even Atua says that we're friends!" Angie added happily as she cheered.
"Nyeeh… That sounds like a pain. But okay, I guess." Himiko relented as she showed a small smile.
"Hey, what about you?" Kaede asked as she turned to Shuichi.
"Huh? M-Me?" Shuichi repeated, subconsciously lowering his head to prevent eye contact with his hat. "Ah, yeah…of course." He quickly answered.
"I see, I'm glad…" Kaede smiled warmly at the detective.
"No matter how many times we fight, we smile in the end… That's what true friendship is. It'd be cool if we could be like that! All 17 of us!" Kaito gave a toothy smile and a thumbs-up.
"Yes, I agree! As long as we leave the degenerate males out!" Tenko tacked on at the end.
"Ha, um… I think us guys should be included, too." Rantaro suggested casually.
"Then, let's do it. It'll probably be a couple of years before we all see each other again, but let's all work together and do our best." Kaede happily proclaimed.
"Yes, because we are humanity's last hope." Keebo nodded as he put his hands on his hips proudly.
"Alright, then let's all get some shuteye! I'll see you guys later!" Kaito told them with a smile and a wave.
Kaede was about to enter her pod first, but she stopped as she noticed Rin, the Ultimate Hope and leader of the Future Foundation, had been staring at her since she began talking.
"Is something wrong, Mister Wakuri?" Kaede asked, her voice laced with just a bit of nervousness since the Ultimate Hope had been pretty intimidating and unsociable up 'till now.
Rin was silent at first, but then…his stern expression shifted into a much more soft one. The glare relaxed, showing just a bit of vulnerability and weariness as the leader's crimson eyes shined with something that seemed to be fondness.
"...You're a lot like a friend I used to know. One of my classmates I had back when I was your age. Her name was Asuka. It puts me at ease, knowing someone like her is here." Rin eventually answered with a slight smile before shaking his head, though his smile remained. "Sorry. That was random. Forget it. Just treat it as some ramblings of an old guy who misses a friend who was taken too early."
"Old guy? You're not old, though. You're only four years older than us." Kirumi pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"Am I now? Sure doesn't feel like it, what with me having led a war for years now." Rin let out a tired laugh. "But that's enough chitchat. Let's get started. I don't know about you, but I feel like I could easily sleep for years without being frozen."
That got a few laughs out of the students before they each got into their pods. Shuichi remembered the pod door closing before falling asleep. The flashback then ended, causing Shuichi to gasp as he became aware of his surroundings and situation again. Shuichi panted and gasped as a singular thought hit him like a punch in the gut.
'I…remember now… This room is…'
"This was…the room where we went to sleep…for the space trip." Tenko gasped as she looked around the room with an entirely new expression, as though she were seeing it with new eyes.
"Tenko…you remember, too?" Shuichi asked as he also took another new look around the room. "This is the room…where we were put into cold sleep for the Gofer Project. It's where the 16 of us students first met. It was the first time all 17 of us were in the same room together."
"B-But…back then, we…we all said we'd work together…" Tenko stammered as her body trembled in fear and disgust. "We promised we'd become friends…! And now? Now we're killing each other… There are only seven of us left! Ten of us have died!" Tears weld up in her eyes as she covered her face with her hands as she sobbed. "Wh-Why…? Why did it have to end up like this?"
"...This is Monokuma's fault," Shuichi growled as he cleared his mind, though his eyes remained narrowed into a glare at the mention of the monochromatic bear. "Monokuma and the true mastermind controlling him. They're the ones at fault."
"That real mastermind hiding in this academy is making us do all this, right? But who could it be? Only the 17 of us were part of the Gofer Project. Did someone really sneak in and hijack the project?" Tenko asked as she lowered her hands to look at the detective with red eyes. "Then…if that's true…then I won't let them get away with this! Let's find them no matter what and finally end this killing game for good, Shuichi! Then…we can finally fulfill that promise we all made…!" The martial artist cried out, her eyes still leaking tears, but now there was a fire of righteous fury. "There's a lot of us missing now, but it's not too late. I won't let it be too late."
"Yeah…you're right." Shuichi gave a small nod before he returned his focus to his investigation.
He swore he would not let any of this be in vain. That was a promise he would make to himself and all those who have died in this terrible place.
Immediately, Shuichi honed in on the desk and the large open book lying on top of it, as it was the only thing Shuichi noted that was out of place. Upon looking at them, Shuichi deduced that they were some documents of some kind, but then he saw the title on the pages.
"A Gofer Project participants list?" Shuichi read out loud.
"Oh? Is that what that is? I didn't look at anything before running off to find you." Tenko said as she leaned over to look at the documents, too.
"It seems all of our profiles are written here," Shuichi noted as he flipped through the pages. "Most of it is stuff we already know, but that's not the important part. Hmm…actually, there are a few things here that are interesting. The first is about Kaede."
"Kaede? What about here?" Tenko asked.
"She has a twin," Shuichi answered.
"Huh? A twin? I don't remember Kaede ever mentioning that she had a sister, let alone a twin."
"Neither do I. From what's written here, Kaede's sister is her younger twin sister. It's said her sister was adopted by a relative, and they barely had any contact, but…"
"It's a little similar to Junko Enoshima. Junko also had a twin sister," Tenko finished. "Junko used her twin to run her killing game from behind the scenes, killing her off to make it seem as though she was dead!" Tenko then gasped as she frowned at Shuichi. You don't think that Kaede's the mastermind, do you?"
"No, I don't. I would hardly think it's relevant, but…there's one more thing about it." Shuichi frowned. "Her name…is Kanon Kimura."
"Kanon…Kimura…" Tenko repeated before her eyes slowly widened. "Wait… That name…! They both start with 'K'!"
"Exactly. 'K.K.' would be her initials." Shuichi frowned. "That means…Kaede's sister, Kanon, might be the one who sent Rin this secret message he left us."
"But…why? And wouldn't that mean Kanon is here with us in the academy somewhere?" Tenko asked while biting her lips.
"Yeah…and considering she hasn't shown up at all, that would mean that she's most likely the mastermind if she is here." Shuichi nodded.
"But…there's nothing to say that this Kanon girl really is the mastermind, right?"
"True…but with only the initials 'K.K.' to go off of, Kanon Kimura stands out. There are plenty of people with those initials, but Kanon is connected to us through Kaede. She could have a reason for being here. She's not just some random stranger."
"Y-Yeah…but…" Tenko trailed off.
"I know. That's why I'm not fully convinced yet. I still need some more evidence before I decide anything." Shuichi told her, getting Tenko to relax a little. "Aside from that, there is something else here that's interesting."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Some of the participants listed. Rin's here, just like the rest of us, but so are his friends, the people Tsumugi cosplayed as."
"Really? They were chosen for the Gofer Project?"
"Yes, however, just like Kanon and everyone else listed aside from us, they failed to meet the requirements for one reason or another. Some of them failed because they were sick, and others…they failed because they died. The list states that most of the deaths were from the illness, but a few of them were murdered by Remnants, or so the documents state." Shuichi said sadly before he continued. "However, this list gives profiles for all potential participants for the project. They have the same information listed as we do in these files and even our report cards on our Monopads."
"Really? I guess how that might be interesting, but is it really important for this case?"
"...I don't know. Maybe. It's just interesting." Shuichi muttered as he looked closely at the list.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Gofer Project Participant List
"...I need to investigate Kaito's lab." Shuichi suddenly said as he began to leave the room.
"H-Huh? Wait, why?" Tenko cried out as she followed after Shuichi.
"I came here in order to investigate the riddle Rin left for us," Shuichi explained as he moved further into the Ultimate Astronaut's Research Lab. "I found the first clue. 'Within an unfamiliar world lies the key, hidden within a fractured chain of memories' refers to the photo album and wallet in the virtual world that show pictures of Rin and his friends and the Future Foundation badge. The wallet also had another message in it. 'Even in the face of terror and despair, we will reach towards the future. Just as the star gazers did before us, we will look towards the sky and reach towards the stars. Count the immeasurable, and you will have the key to the truth of despair.' Pair that message with the second part of the riddle, 'Then, after gazing upon the stars', and I figured the next part of the puzzle must be here."
"Yeah…that makes sense. This room does have a bunch of stars in it. But what exactly are we supposed to do?"
"..." Shuichi looked around the room before his eyes landed on the projector lying in the middle of it. "I remember Kaito telling me this lab could act as a planetarium. The projector could display the stars and constellations."
"Ooh! That must be how we gaze at the stars for the clue!" Tenko shouted before running over to the projector and quickly turning it on.
Immediately upon activating the device, the projector lit up and displayed stars on the lab's walls and ceiling. Then, the stars began to connect with a thin white line, creating multiple drawings connected via groups of stars. The constellations. They were all there, perfectly displayed for them to look at.
"So this projector does show the stars and constellations. But what do we do now?" Shuichi pondered, cupping his chin.
"Well…this is the second step, right? That means the first clue you found should help us! That's usually how these things work. What did you find in the virtual world?" Tenko asked.
"Well, in the photo album, there were five pictures that were marked with numbers from 1 to 5. Each photo showed a different pair. The first pair was Rin and his friend Asuka Wada. The second pair was Sora Kiyomizu and Ayaka Ayanokouji. The third was Nobu Hosaka and Masuyo Otaka. The fourth was Naomi Chisaka and Ryuunosuke Hiroshima. The fifth was Makoto Haruta and Yazu Hirakawa. Each photo showed each pair doing something different." Shuichi explained.
"Then this puzzle has to do with those five pairs, right? What do they each have in common aside from the fact that it's Rin and his friends from his past?" Tenko asked as he crossed her arms.
"I don't know. I mean, the only thing that I know about these people are their names, talents, and that they're connected to Rin in some way. I don't know anything about them aside from that." Shuichi pondered. "Well, that and what was written down in that list."
The moment he mentioned the Gofer Project Participant List, Shuichi paused. There was no way… That list only listed basic information such as name, birthday, talent, and age.
But it was all Shuichi had to go off of.
Entering back into the pod room, Shuichi once again glanced at the list and looked at the entries for Rin and his friends. That's when he found it. The connecting piece between these pairs of people.
"Their birthdays…" Shuichi muttered as he turned back around to stare at the constellations on the walls and ceiling of Ultimate Astronaut's lab. "These pairs of people have matching zodiacs."
"Zodiacs? You mean that astrology, fortune-telling stuff? What does that have to do with anything?" Tenko asked with a confused frown.
"In Rantaro's lab, that vault that hid the video message left for him…the way to unlock that vault was by finding the correct symbols on the vault. Those symbols were of the Chinese and Western Zodiacs. If Rantaro's lab had a puzzle involving the zodiac, then Rin might have been given a puzzle involving them as well." Shuichi answered as he looked at each person who was shown in the marked photos.
Rin and Asuka were in the first photo, and their birthdays were January 1st and December 24th, respectively. That meant that they were both Capricorns.
Sora and Ayaka were born on September 9th and September 15th, making both girls Virgos.
Nobu and Masuyo had their birthdays on October 3rd and 18th. That made them Libras.
Naomi and Ryu were born on February 14th and 7th, meaning they were Aquariuses.
Finally, Makoto and Yasu's birthdays were on March 31st and April 5th. That meant they were Aries.
"Okay. Those must be the five constellations we have to look at." Shuichi hummed as he entered Kaito's lab again and began looking at each constellation. "Now…what are we supposed to do with them?"
"That should be obvious." Tenko smiled. "You said the message in the virtual world said to 'count the immeasurable.' Stars are pretty immeasurable, aren't they?"
"Yeah… The other message said to 'gaze upon the stars,' too." Shuichi nodded as he looked at the constellations. "Then does that mean we have to count how many stars make up each constellation?"
"At the very least, we should count how many stars these depictions of them have," Tenko said.
"If that's so, then…Capricorn has 11. Virgo has 14. Libra has 6. Aquarius has 22. Aries has 9."
"11, 14, 6, 22, 9. It almost sounds like a code or password." Tenko noted.
"If we're right about this, then all that's left is the last part of the message. 'Walk through the realm of demons and angels to find the way.'"
"Do you know what that means?"
"...I think we need to head back to the fifth floor." Shuichi eventually answered.
At that moment, the whole building shook violently once again, causing dust and rubble to fall around them.
"It's only getting worse! The whole building might fall at this point!" Tenko shouted. "I know Keebo said he'd give us until noon, but he might lose before noon even comes!"
"Then we just have to hurry with our investigation," Shuichi told her.
"R-Right…You said we had to go back to the fifth floor?"
"That's the only place I can see as 'a realm of demons and angels'. That whole floor has a chapel theme." Shuichi told her. "I'm sure of it. That's where this 'truth' Rin was told to find is hidden."
"Then let's hurry up and head back there!" Tenko shouted, but Shuichi stopped her.
"Hang on…I have a feeling this is going to be important. It might be one of the most important things we will discover, so…could you gather everyone else? It would be best if we all investigated and see what this 'truth' is."
"Oh…Ooh! Yeah! I can do that. I get them and bring them all to the fifth floor! You better be ready for us when we get there!" Tenko nodded rapidly before she burst out of the room.
Shuichi let out a weary chuckle at the sight. Tenko was a bit scatterbrained at times, but he knew he could rely on her.
Without any hesitation, Shuichi left the lab and started making his way to the fifth floor once again. He didn't appreciate all the back-and-forth he had to do, as it was wasting precious time from his investigation, but what he would find had to be worth it.
As Shuichi arrived at the second floor and was ready to dash to the stairs leading to the third, another violent explosion rang out, shaking the building. Shuichi nearly fell over, but as he caught himself and regained his proper footing, he heard a girl shout nearby. He immediately recognized the voice.
"Kaede?" Shuichi gasped as he ran immediately to the source of the scream.
It was a nearby classroom, right next to the one Kaede and Shuichi had woken up in. Without hesitation, Shuichi burst into the room.
"Kaede! Are you alright?" Shuichi shouted.
"H-Huh? Shuichi?" Kaede questioned as she stared with wide eyes at the detective. However, her eyes darted back to the blackboard before confusion twisted her expression. "H-Huh? The room's back to normal now?"
"What are you talking about? The room? It's just a normal classroom, isn't it?" Shuichi asked before he had a thought. "Kaede, did you find something?"
"Yeah. I think it turned off when you opened the door. Could you shut it?"
"O-Okay," Shuichi said as he quickly shut the door behind him.
The moment he did, Kaede reached into the desk's slot and did something. Once she was done, the desk Kaede was standing at suddenly began to glow as a strange keyboard appeared and floated over the desk.
"What…? What in the world?" Shuichi gasped as he walked over to the desk.
"I know, right? I ran into Keebo earlier as I was running around investigating. Keebo then told me he saw something odd in this classroom while fighting in the courtyard. I thought I would investigate it for him. That's when I found this desk." Kaede explained. "Now…look at this."
Kaede then touched the keyboard. The moment she did, new screens appeared around the blackboard, and they suddenly lit up with a blue screen. Once they loaded, the main blackboard showed a certain strange phrase.
"Flashback Light Setup…" Shuichi read, a new feeling of dread settling in him.
"Yeah…This is where the Flashback Lights seem to be made." Kaede frowned as she navigated the menu. When she clicked enter, the screen welcomed the 'GameMaster' before showing the options. "Look. It has options for everything we've seen so far. The Ultimate Hunt, the Gofer Project, the Outside World, the Tragedy, but look what happens when I try to unlock a new memory."
Kaede clicked the last option, opening a new menu that prompts the user to 'select the subject you wish to remember.'
"Watch this. If I select a memory involving survivors…" Kaede began as she clicked the option. It asks which type of memory to remember: whether the survivors are on a different planet, they're in the Ark, or there are no survivors at all!"
"That…doesn't make sense. One of those should be what really happened. Why is it giving us a choice in what we remember?" Shuichi asked.
"I don't know, but no matter what I choose, it adjusts the contents to 'fit' what has already been remembered. See?" Kaede asked as she showed how the screen added to the scenario that they had recalled before asking the user if this memory was correct. "And once we're done, we click 'yes,' then—"
CLUNK!
"That sound… That came from the locker, right?" Shuichi asked.
"Yeah." Kaede nodded as she walked over to the locker and opened it up. She reached in before pulling out a freshly made Flashback Light.
"So this device really does make Flashback Lights," Shuichi noted. "But why would this be here and not in a hidden room?"
"I'm not sure it needed to be hidden," Kaede told him. "I mean, everything shut down and hid itself the moment you opened the door."
"Wait, that's what happened when I came in?"
"Yeah. It was really weird. What do you think this all means? The Flashback Light Settings and the door?" Kaede asked.
"...I'm not sure," Shuichi said as he covered his mouth with his hand.
There was only one truth, or at least, that's how it should be. But if the Flashback Light gives the user settings and choices for what to remember, does that mean there are multiple truths? What are truths, and what are lies? More than that, only the Mastermind would know about this room and be able to make Flashback Lights. For them to set up the room like this…they would have to be worried about someone walking in on them, and if they're that worried about the other students, then…
Truth Bullet Obtained: Flashback Light Settings
Truth Bullet Obtained: Clues to the Mastermind
"Anyway, was there any reason why you came here, Shuichi? You asked if I was okay, so I guess you heard me almost trip when that explosion happened, huh?" Kaede asked with an embarrassed laugh.
"Y-Yeah, but this is fortunate. Kaede, have you heard about the will Rin left for us?" Shuichi asked, causing Kaede to frown and bite her lower lip.
"Yeah…I ran into Kokichi early, and he mentioned it. I…don't know how I should feel about it and what it implies." Kaede said as she averted her gaze.
"Yeah… Either way, Rin left us a clue for something in his will, and I think I figured it out. I asked Tenko to bring everyone to the fifth floor so we could see this 'truth' Rin was told to search for together. I might be something important."
"Really? Then I'll go with you. It's likely Rin has already seen this 'truth,' right? I wonder if it's the reason he did everything that happened after Maki's trial."
"I don't know, but I have a feeling it is." Shuichi nodded. "Now come on. Let's not keep the others waiting if they're already there."
Kaede nodded as the two of them quickly ran out of the classroom and rushed up the academy floor, pushing boulders and rubble away before they finally arrived at the fifth floor. Once they came up the stairs, they were greeted by Tenko, Kirumi, Rantaro, and Kokichi.
"Hiya! Finally! I was getting bored of waiting. We all have our own investigations, y'know." Kokichi pouted.
"Sorry. We got caught up in something." Kaede explained.
"Never mind that. You have the answer to that message Rin was given?" Kirumi asked.
"Yes, I think I do. I managed to get a code, but I need to use it somewhere. The message hints that the place to use the code should be here on the fifth floor." Shuichi answered.
"Right…something about the realm of demons and angels, right? That definitely fits this floor." Rantaro nodded.
"But where would we even use a code? Shuichi found a set of numbers to use, but I don't remember seeing anything where we can input numbers." Tenko crossed her arms as she frowned.
"Then it must be hidden somewhere, right? Let's get searching!" Kaede exclaimed.
"H-Hang on…Keebo's not here." Shuichi realized.
"Of course. He's still holding off the Exisals." Rantaro pointed out.
"I did tell him about this, but he said to investigate without him," Tenko reassured the detective.
"O-Okay… We'll have to inform him of what we found once we're done here." Shuichi sighed. "Let's look for what we're supposed to use this code for. We don't have much time left until noon."
The group scattered as they scanned the entire fifth floor. They didn't leave any stone unturned. They looked around the broken statues, in Rantaro and Tsumugi's labs, and every pillar on the floor. However, it wasn't until Shuichi was tapping against the far wall across from Rantaro's lab that he found something.
The moment he laid a hand against one of the tiles in the wall, the tile sank in. Shuichi gasped as he recoiled his hand away, allowing the tile to shift back into place as though nothing had happened. Pushing it again, the tile once again moved back into the wall before shifting forward once Shuichi removed his hand.
"Strange…" Shuichi muttered as he began to check the area around the tile.
To his surprise, the tiles around that one all acted the same. There were twelve tiles in total, and they all acted the same. They were situated in a three-by-four grid format, so Shuichi quickly pieced together what it was supposed to be.
"It's a keypad…" Shuichi realized before he turned and called out to the others. "Guys! I found it!"
"Really?" Kaede asked as she rushed over, the others following close behind.
"Yeah. These tiles, they're a hidden keypad." Shuichi told them.
"Really? That's clever. You can't even tell these tiles are different from the other wall tiles." Rantaro noted as he examined the group of tiles Shuichi found.
"Well, what are you waiting for then? Hurry up and input the code!" Tenko shouted.
"Right." Shuichi nodded as he turned to the wall and recalled the number code. "11, 14, 6, 22, and 9."
Treating the tiles as though they were the keypad on a phone, Shuichi inputted the code. Once he inputted the last number, there was rumbling. Then, the side of the wall next to the tile grid began to slowly open up, revealing a hidden hallway.
"W-Woah!" Tenko exclaimed.
"Another hidden passage? Figures." Kokichi shrugged, though his eyes still shined with curiosity. However, Kokichi suppressed it as he turned to Rantaro. "Hey, Avataro. You had that map showing all of the Ultimate Academy, right? How come you never knew about this before now?"
"Because my Survivor Perk Monopad didn't show it on its map. It's just like the hidden passage in the girl's restroom." Rantaro explained as he stared at the hallway with shock.
"Really? Can you prove it? I mean, you can't expect us to believe you when we're investigating the killing game and Rinny's murder, y'know?" Kokichi pointed out as he pressed a finger to his lips cheekily.
"Yeah, I can, actually, since Monokuma isn't here to stop me from 'breaking the rules,'" Rantaro said as he pulled out a Monopad from his pocket. "Here. See for yourself. I haven't lied at all."
Rantaro handed it over to Shuichi, who quickly examined the Suvivor's Perk.
"He's right. This Monopad doesn't show the hidden passages in the girl's restroom, nor does it show this hidden passage." Shuichi began. "That message Rantaro told us about is also here. He didn't lie about it."
Yes…the message Rantaro apparently left for his future self. Reading it for himself, Shuichi couldn't help but feel a chill, knowing what this would have led to if not for Rin.
"Clue to end the killings. The mastermind who is behind the killing game is hiding somewhere within the academy. Your best chance of exposing them is when Monokuma needs a spare. At that time, the mastermind will go to the library's hidden room. To prove this hint is accurate, I will predict something. The first thing you will remember is the Ultimate Hunt. Only share this information with people who you know you can trust." -Rantaro Amami
Truth Bullet Obtained: Survivor Perk Monopad
"Then it is impossible for Rantaro to know about this passage. The only person who might have known about it is Rin if he figured out the puzzle," Kirumi stated.
"Hmph. Okay. I'll believe Avataro." Kokichi smirked before dashing into the hidden passage. "C'mon, guys! I wanna see this 'truth' as soon as possible! Shake a leg and move it!"
With that, the Ultimate Supreme Leader disappeared into the long, dark hallway. Kaede just sighed as she shook her head.
"At least he seems more energetic than before." She said.
"It is probably still only a mask. He is most likely still trying to appear strong." Kirumi pointed out.
"What's wrong with that? We all want to look strong when we're weak. We all grieve in different ways." Tenko said. "Once this is all over, I'm sure he'll finally let it all out."
"But can we trust him? It is Kokichi, after all," Rantaro asked, his expression stern yet softer than it had been when the investigation first started.
"Yes. I'm sure of it." Tenko nodded. "You agree too, right, Shuichi."
"Yeah. I think we can trust him, at least, to help with this investigation and the trial," the detective said.
"...Fine. Then let's hurry after him. Who knows what kind of trouble he'll get into on his own." Rantaro sighed as he entered the new hallway.
The others followed right behind him. The new hidden passage was dark, almost pitch black, if not for the light coming from the entrance. It was also incredibly narrow. It was almost as though the hall was shrinking and squishing the further they went. Eventually, after a good bit of walking, they reached some stairs leading upward. It was still completely dark, so Kokichi tripped on the first step since no one could see it. Thankfully, it was around that time a light source finally appeared in the form of a door.
Shuichi's eyes widened upon seeing the door. Even at a glance, he could tell this was no ordinary door, not with how the door was decorated with images of chains with glowing red locks on the door. More eye-catching than that was the numerous glowing red bullets with the Japanese character 'Shin,' which translates to 'truth.'
"Is that…an Ultimate Lab?" Shuichi asked.
"It looks like it." Rantaro nodded. "It should be obvious who lab this belongs to."
"Really? Who?" Tenko questioned while tilting her head.
"Before this investigation, there were two labs that hadn't been discovered yet," Kaede began. "Kokichi's and Rin's."
"However, my lab was revealed during this investigation!" Kokichi exclaimed. "Besides that, the message that had the clues to find this lab was only given to one person. It should be obvious whose lab this is."
"Rin… This is Rin's lab." Kirumi stated as her eyes narrowed at the door.
"Then…the 'truth' is in this room?" Tenko asked.
"Since it's Rin's Research Lab, who knows what will be in there." Rantaro pointed out.
"The Ultimate Hope's Research Lab…" Shuichi muttered before he frowned. "Or maybe…something else?"
"Hmm? Did you say something, Shuichi?" Kaede asked.
"...Nothing. Let's look inside." Shuichi said.
Kokichi, who was in front of everyone, nodded excitedly as he reached over to the door and tested the doorknob.
"Oh? It's not locked!" Kokichi called out before a sly smirk came to him. "I guess that means someone found this lab before Rinny died."
"That means that Rin must have been here already," Rantaro noted.
"Or that this lab plays by different rules…" Tenko grumbled.
"Well then, let's see what he was hiding from us!" Kokichi shouted as he pushed open the door.
The moment the door was pushed open, everyone was blinded. Traveling in a pitch-black hallway and suddenly opening a brightly lit room can do that to a person. It was so bright, but as they adjusted to the light and entered the room, they all were able to fully take in the strange lab.
The room was painted with a warm light that was similar to a sunset coming from the windows, coating it in warm, bright oranges and gold, completely contrary to the dark hallway leading to it. The room was massive, almost as large as a hall itself. Stone pillars lined the walls, almost like some ancient structure.
Then, there were the things inside the lab. The first thing Shuichi noticed was the nine mannequins spread out in the room. Each mannequin was dressed differently and wore strange-looking bracelets, and each stood on stands similar to those in the class trial. There was also a highly placed chair overlooking them all, on which a penguin plushie sat.
There was also the workspace area. There was an entire office area at the side of the lab where numerous desks were sitting, stacks of papers covering the tops of all of them. There was also a shelf filled with hundreds of books. There were also two whiteboards, though they didn't seem to have been used at first glance.
Next to the office area was a fireplace. Though it was not currently lit, the burnt logs implied they had been at one time. There was also a display case in the room as well, holding what appeared to be a gun and a sword from what Shuichi could tell from standing at the entrance.
Most strangely, there was another door at the end of the room marked with the number '9' in magenta paint. Next to the door was a strange device. The device appeared to be a lock of some kind, but instead of a normal lock, it had three blank screens to be used, though Shuichi couldn't imagine how it worked just from that.
"What is this?" Shuichi couldn't help but ask as he looked around.
"This place… It's different from all the other Ultimate Research Labs." Rantaro gaped. "I don't know how, but…this place has an entirely different feel than the others."
"I-It almost feels like holy ground…" Kaede shuddered. "No…it's something else. Something with an immense pressure…"
"Yeah... I feel like I'm being judged or something for all the things I've done." Tenko shivered.
"What could this room be for? It is an Ultimate Lab, but I cannot tell what talent it is supposed to be for." Kirumi noted with a raised eyebrow.
"W-Well…It has to be the Ultimate Hope's Research Lab, right? That was Rin's talent, so this has to be for the Ultimate Hope," Tenko suggested.
"I wouldn't believe that so easily if I were you," Kokichi told her. "Rinny told us himself that he wasn't the Ultimate Hope and despised the title."
"Wait, he said that? When?" Kaede asked while blinking in surprise.
"Back when we were hiding in the Exisal during the trial, remember?"
"But aren't you the Ultimate Hope? How could you do something like this? What kind of hope could something like this create? Do you even care anymore?" Kaede had asked back then.
"...Ultimate Hope? Me?" Exisal Rin repeated before laughing to himself loudly, the Exisal's hand being placed on the mech's head as he did. "That's a funny joke. No, really, my sides are going to hurt from that! I didn't know you were such a comedian, Akamatsu. I mean, really? Me? The Ultimate Hope? What an awful joke! It's so bad it's funny!"
"He certainly did not seem to believe he was the Ultimate Hope, and he spoke those words so venomously, too." Kirumi nodded.
"But couldn't that just be because Rin hadn't remembered? He didn't see the Flashback Light that we all saw." Tenko pointed out.
"More than that, remember what he told us when we all saw Maki's lab for the first time? He did tell us that he hated his talent," Kaede added as she crinkled her face as she tried to think about what Rin had said before.
"...He did say something to me about being the Ultimate Hope yesterday," Rantaro recalled.
"I'd advise you to never call me that again if you want to live to the end of this game. I. Am. NOT. The Ultimate Hope. I would never accept such a bullshit title! And if you say that I am again, I will make you regret it for the rest of your very. Short. Life." Rin had threatened with as much hatred and loathing as he could.
"But… If he's not the Ultimate Hope, then what is his talent? Why would we remember him being the Ultimate Hope if he never was?" Tenko asked.
"There's only one way to figure that out. We need to investigate this lab. Everything that might be in here has to be examined." Shuichi said.
"Right! Let's search this place from top to bottom!" Kaede exclaimed.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Rin's Ultimate Research Lab
The students split up and began examining the room. For Shuichi, the first thing that he examined was the mannequins. They didn't seem to fit in with the room at all, so they were immediately suspect. Shuichi quickly examined them, and he noticed a strange pattern with all nine of them.
Each of the mannequins was dressed differently, and they all had a strange bracelet on their right arms. Upon examining each one, Shuichi realized that these bracelets were more like digital watches, each with a screen that showed something, with each mannequin getting something different.
The first mannequin was dressed in a long red and black checkered flannel shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up on his forearms, a light gray sleeveless zippered hoodie, and an unbuttoned cyan vest highlighted with red along the pockets and buttons. This mannequin also wore blue shorts, navy/purple/pink/white sneakers, and had a messy brown wig on its head. This mannequin's watch showed the number 1 in red with the word 'pair' underneath it.
The second mannequin was bigger than the first and more well-built in appearance. This one had a short, black, spiky hair wig on and wore a mostly blue jumpsuit outfit, with a short button-up shirt with various white symbols on it and long blue pants. This mannequin's watch showed the number 4 in red, along with the word 'pair.'
The third mannequin was short and had a messy orange wig. It was dressed like a high school student. It wore a neat white, long-sleeved shirt and a pale orange sleeveless vest over a bright red tie, as well as light grey trousers and brown school shoes. This one's watch had the number 3 in green with the word 'pair.'
The fourth appeared to be dressed as a high school girl, as it was wearing a white sailor uniform with a coal grey collar and rolled-up sleeves, a red ascot secured by a silver ringed clip, and a matching grey skirt that had a white line going through the hem. The collar, cuffs, and skirt of the uniform all have criss-cross plaid patterns on them, and the mannequin also wore white socks that were cut just below the knee and black Mary Janes. The wig that was worn was a long, grey-silvery-haired one that was tied in a low ponytail, held in place by a red scrunchie, as well as a thin ahoge that protruded from the top of its head. The watch on this mannequin showed a green '6' pair.
The fifth was dressed in a bright blue suit over a neat white button-up shirt with a bright pink tie. On the blue jacket was a small, golden pin that Shuichi identified as a defense attorney's badge. This mannequin had a black-hair wig that was slicked back as though the wind had blown it all the way back. The watch here showed a blue 8, but this time, it was marked with the word 'solo.'
The sixth mannequin was of a tall, lean person dressed in a long, black-buttoned trench coat that alls past his hips that had purple accents and grey checkerboard patterns on the side. It wore a matching pair of black pants bearing a front seam, topped of with black boots, as well as purple gloves. Underneath the coat, the mannequin wore a purple long-sleeved turtleneck with a black vest over it. The mannequin wore a light-brown/pale-blonde colored wig, as well as an eyepatch over where its left eye would normally be. The watch on this one showed a blue 2 marked with 'pair.'
The seventh was smaller than all the others and appeared to be dressed like a young girl. The wig on this one was a bright cyan color that was in two thin hip-lengthed braids. The school uniform the figure wore was a white collared blouse and red tie that was underneath a short black dress with ¾ length sleeves. On top of that, there was a cropped yellow hooded jacket with red trim and gray lining, as well as short black gloves. The tights and shoes the figure wore were black, and the shoes included X-shaped yellow accents that matched the jacket. The watch here was labeled as a blue 5 pair.
The eighth was dressed as another young woman with an orange wig styled into a ponytail with a braid that wrapped around the side of the figure's head, as well as bangs that, on one half of its face, covered its forehead while the other half reaches to its chin. The school uniform was a beige collared shirt, a green checkered tie, a blue blazer, purple thigh highs, brown loafers, and a magenta skirt with a pink floral print. The watch's screen had a red 7 solo.
The ninth and final mannequin was dressed as a young man with light blonde hair. This one wore a black sweater with a green triangle pattern. Underneath the sweater, it wore a light brown vest, a white formal shirt, grey pants, brown shoes, and, most interestingly, a green tie with a green snake design on it. This one's watch showed a green 9 solo.
Shuichi couldn't help but examine the mannequins in detail. They were too heavily designed to just randomly be in Rin's lab for no reason. With these outfits, the mannequins felt better suited to be placed in Tsumugi's lab, so they had to be here for a reason. That wasn't even mentioning the strange watches they all wore. They each had a number from 1 to 9, and they each were either colored red, blue, or green. Even stranger, they appeared to be grouped into 'pair's and 'solo's. Shuichi had no idea why or what it meant, though.
"You think something's up with these mannequins, huh Shuichi?" Kaede asked as she examined the fourth mannequin.
"I mean, yeah. They have to be here for a reason." Shuichi nodded.
"Right… Hey, Shuichi. Do any of these mannequins…look familiar to you?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'm not sure myself. It's just…I get the feeling that I'm supposed to know who some of these mannequins are supposed to be dressed as." Kaede tried to explain.
"Now that you mention it, I think I feel the same way about some of them, too," Shuichi muttered as he looked at some of the figures again. "But…I don't know where that feeling comes from."
"I know, right? I mean, I've never seen anyone with these outfits in my life, and yet…" Kaede trailed off as she shook her head. "Nevermind. It's probably just a stupid thought."
Shuichi couldn't argue, but he couldn't help but wonder if the feeling was more important than that. Still, he couldn't keep his mind on this. He had to examine everything else in the room first.
The next thing Shuichi went to examine was the display case he saw. It was a glass case that held exactly what he thought he saw: a gun and a sword. Specifically, the gun was a revolver with Rin's name etched onto the handle and a katana that was sheathed in a black sheath with a golden floral pattern. Below the revolver, there was a line of bullets to be used. Five bullets in total.
"Why would there be weapons displayed in Rin's lab?" Shuichi wondered as he began touching the case.
Quickly, he found that the case could be opened, allowing someone to reach in and grab the weapons inside. Doing so, Shuichi first grabbed the katana. Unsheathing the blade revealed a sharpened blade—at least, that was what he saw when discounting how the sword had been snapped in two.
Shuichi gasped once he saw how this well-crafted weapon and been broken. When did that happen? Was the sword always like this? If so, why? What did it mean?
Putting aside the blade's current state, Shuichi noted how, just like the revolver's handle, the base of the blade itself had something etched into it. The word etched in was the same character on the bullets decorating the lab's door. Shin, the character for 'truth'.
Putting the blade back, Shuichi picked up the revolver and examined it. If he was recalling things correctly, it seemed to be the standard model that law enforcement and the Future Foundation used. Opening the gun's chamber, Shuichi noted that it could hold six bullets. Shuichi frowned as he looked back at the case. There were only five bullets there. Why was that?
Shuichi put the gun back and took out a bullet to examine it. Just as he expected, the bullet was a character etched onto it, just like the bullets painted on the lab's entrance. This bullet, unlike the ones on the door, had the character 'uso' on it, which meant 'lie.' Taking out all the bullets, Shuichi realized something strange. Three of the bullets had the character 'uso' etched on them, but the last two had 'shin.'
'The revolver can have six bullets loaded in it, so why are there only five bullets? The bullets are marked, too, but why are there three…lie bullets but only two truth bullets?'
Truth Bullet Obtained: Revolver
After that, Shuichi moved to the lab's office area. Unlike the rest of the lab, which was designed like a holy hall where sin was punished, this area was more like his uncle's study. The work desk was littered with documents that were messily scattered everywhere.
Shuichi couldn't help but cringe at the mess and lack of organization. Was this how Rin normally handled documents? Shuichi recalled the one time he caught a glimpse into Rin's room when Kaito had managed to drag him out for breakfast, and Shuichi recalled just how messy the desk in his dorm room had been at the time. The memory made the detective shiver with displeasure.
Despite wanting to examine the multitude of documents scattered about, the detective's first priority was examining the strange whiteboards in the room. For some reason, they gave off the same vibe that the whiteboard in Kokichi's room gave off.
"You were wondering about these, too, huh?" Rantaro asked as Shuichi walked over to the whiteboards.
"Yeah. They're pretty suspicious."
"I'll say. This side of the boards is clean, but let's check the other side," Rantaro said as he flipped the first whiteboard, revealing the back side. "What the–?!"
"T-This is…!"
Shuichi and Rantaro were left at a complete loss when they saw what was on the other side of the first whiteboard. For Rantaro, it was more because of shock, while for Shuichi, it was because of how familiar it was.
It was almost exactly like the whiteboard in Kokichi's lab. It was marking each victim and killer. Kirumi and Tsumugi, Miu and Korekiyo. Angie, Ryoma, and Himiko. Kaito, Gonta, and Maki. Rin and Kokichi. However, that last one was incorrect, as both Rin and Kokichi survived their trial.
But then…there was the last image—the last case marked —another image of Rin and his killer. While there was no picture to show who his killer was, the phrase 'MASTERMIND' written in big black letters certainly left an impression.
"What is this? Was Rin keeping track of what was happening in the killing game? Not sure how useful this will be, but that last bit at the bottom is quite interesting," Rantaro noted.
"Yes. If Rin made this, then he must have seen his death coming." Shuichi nodded. "So he labeled himself as a victim in advance, but his killer…he labeled the killer as the mastermind."
"Do you think he's right? Did the mastermind really kill Rin?"
"That would make sense, wouldn't it? That's what we all said at the beginning of this investigation, right?"
"Yeah. It would make the most sense. It just…seems a little convenient. Besides that, no matter who the mastermind is, don't you think it would have to be one of us?" Rantaro asked. "No matter what happened and what we wanted to believe, the culprit has always been one of us 17 students."
"That's true. This case is far more different than any of the others, but that is still a possibility." Shuichi hummed. "Still, anything can happen. We won't know for sure until we find more evidence."
"Right… Guess let's look at the other whiteboard," Rantaro said as he flipped the second board. This one was even more shocking and confusing than the previous one.
This board was also a list of killings between the 17 killing game participants, but it was different from the one that happened. For one, the first killing was listed as Kaede killing Rantaro. After that, Kirumi killed Ryoma. Third was Kiyo murdering Angie and Tenko.
That's when the board branches off into two paths. The first path had Miu killing Kokichi, then Kaito killing Maki. The second branch had Gonta killing Miu, then Kaito killing Kokichi. On this board, at the very end, Tsumugi is listed as the mastermind.
"What is this supposed to be for?" Rantaro asked. "When did Rin even make this? And why?"
"I'm not sure…" Shuichi frowned as he stared at the boards. "Could it be something he made before the deaths began?"
"I don't think so. I mean, where would he even have kept this?"
"Kokichi has a white board in his room like these."
"Yeah, but those are the dorm rooms. That's a lot less ground to cover. If Rin used this board in his dorm room before bringing it here, he would have had to drag it up to the fifth floor from ground level, all without getting caught by anyone."
"He could have done it at nighttime."
"Sure, but why? What reason would he have to move a board like this all the way here?" Rantaro asked before turning back to the board. "No… I think he must have made this recently, presumably sometime after he discovered this room. He must have made this for a reason. He must have wanted to show us this for some purpose."
"You think he wanted us to see this?"
"Why would he leave that message for us to find this place if he didn't want us seeing what was in this room? This must be part of some grand truth he found out." Rantaro guessed.
"Hmm…" Shuichi thought for a moment.
What Rantaro said was plausible, but that begged the obvious question: just what exactly is Rin trying to tell them?
Truth Bullet Obtained: Rin's 1st White Board
Truth Bullet Obtained: Rin's 2nd White Board
"OW!"
Shuichi spun around when he heard Tenko let out a shout as she crouched near the fireplace.
"Tenko? Are you okay? Did you burn yourself?" Shuichi asked as he walked over.
"A little, yeah," Tenko muttered as she popped her hurt finger into her mouth for a bit and glared at the fireplace. I thought it would be cool enough to dig through, but it's still hot enough to burn."
"Still hot? It must have been burning overnight, then." Shuichi frowned at the thought. "Why would it be lit when no one was here, though? Rin didn't stay here all night, after all."
"I think I have an answer to that," Tenko told him. "I didn't stick my hand in there just to get burned. I see something in there."
"Something? What?"
"I don't know. Looks like a binder of some kind, but it's pretty much melted," Tenko explained.
"A binder?" Shuichi asked as he peered into the fireplace, only for his eyes to widen. "Yeah, you're right! Wait a minute…I know what that is! That's one of the case files from my lab!"
"Really? What's that doing here?"
"Rin must have brought it with him for some reason, but why did he throw it into a lit fireplace?" Shuichi asked.
"I want to know, too, but we can't get to it. It's way too hot to grab it with just our hands." Tenko pointed out. "Hmm… I've got it!" Tenko then turned around and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Kirumi! Can you help us real quick?"
"Hmm? What is it you need, Tenko?" Kirumi questioned as she immediately made her way over to where the Aikido master and detective were.
"There's something in the fireplace we want to investigate, but we can't grab it since it's still hot. Can you grab it since you're wearing gloves?" Tenko asked.
"Is that so? Very well. One moment." Kirumi began before she crouched down next to them and looked into the fireplace. "Are you referring to that binder?"
"Yes. That's it." Shuichi nodded.
"I see…" Kirumi hummed before she reached in and easily grabbed the binder, dragging it out and lying it in front of the three of them. "Indeed. I can feel the heat even through my gloves ever so slightly."
"Alright! Way to go, Kirumi!" Tenko cheered. "Now, let's see what Rin was trying to burn!"
"If any of it is still readable…" Shuichi added.
"Then allow me," Kirumi said as she opened up the binder. Shuichi stared at the first few pages before nodding.
"Yeah…this is definitely one of the case files from my lab."
"Really? Do you recognize which one?" Tenko asked.
"No. I didn't get the chance to read all of them. There were around fifty or so in total, but I only read about two," Shuichi answered.
"Even knowing this is supposed to be a file on a murder case, the pages are too burnt to read much of anything. It would seem the only things that survived the blazer were some pictures and some scraps of paper throughout the folder." Kirumi mused.
"I don't recognize any of these people," Tenko muttered as she looked at the surviving pictures.
"H-Hang on, what's this?" Shuichi asked as he noticed one more surviving photo peaking out of the burnt pages. Kirumi saw it and pulled it out, and the moment she did, Tenko and Shuichi gasped.
"T-This is…" Shuichi gasped as he stared at the image in horror.
"I-Isn't this…that one girl? From Tsumugi's trial?" Tenko asked as she turned to Shuichi. The detective could only give a grim nod.
"Wait, you two know this girl?" Kirumi asked.
"Y-Yeah… You wouldn't know this, but this is one of the people Tsumugi dressed up as during your trial." Shuichi explained. "This…is Yuna Tamura, an Ultimate Inventor and one of Rin's friends."
Indeed. The subject of the picture was Yuna Tamura. Of course, that meant the image was capturing her corpse moments after having been discovered, supposedly at least. The body was…horrific. Shuichi felt sick just from looking at her body, or more accurately, what was left of it.
Yuna was missing most of her left side, the arm on that side having been completely severed off at the shoulder while her left leg was completely managed to the point where it was only barely hanging on by the tendons still there. Her right side wasn't left unscathed, either, and the front of her torso was split open as metal fragments stuck out from her chest and stomach.
Just from looking at Yuna's body, Shuichi could only assume the cause of death to be an explosion like one from a grenade to be the cause. Lacerations and burns were everywhere, especially the face, which was scarred and marred deeply.
Yet, despite the immense pain this death must have caused her, Yuna's corpse had a wide smile on her as her eyes were shut comfortably, as though she were sleeping.
"This is sick…! All of it!" Tenko nearly screamed as her arms shook with fury. "For this to be here…No wonder Rin tried to burn it!"
"But why was it even here in this case file?" Shuichi asked. "Are those case files…real? I thought they were fictional. Were they all covering real murders?"
"That is not important right now. Look at the page the picture was with. There's still some writing that is readable." Kirumi told them, her face morphing into a scowl. Shuichi raised an eyebrow at the maid's strange reaction, but he soon understood when he turned to read the excerpt from the file.
Overview of case
Victim: Yuna Tamura
Cause of Death: Shock/Severe Organ Failure/Trauma to Entire Body
Time of Death: 5:32 PM
Culprit: Rin Wakuri
Summary: The murder took place in the laboratory on Basement level 5. The murder was caused by a chain reaction via an automatic trap, which caused—
That was all that was salvageable, yet what the film was trying to imply was unbelievable. Yet it caused Shuichi to recall the words Tsumugi said the exact moment she dressed up as Yuna Tamura.
"After all, Rin is a murderer. He killed me. Why should you believe him?"
"I remember it like it was yesterday. He gutted me like a fish and sacrificed everyone else to escape and survive!"
"This is…" Shuichi began as he brought a hand to his mouth, horror etching itself into his expression.
"How dare Monokuma! How dare he make something like this!" Tenko shouted.
"Indeed. 'Despicable' does not do it justice. It goes beyond horrid and enters a level of sick, reprehensible cruelty. No wonder Rin tried to burn this. To try to imply he murdered his friend is too vile." Kirumi spat out with venomous hate.
Shuichi wanted to agree, but a single thought kept him from doing so.
What if Rin tried to burn this file because it was true?
Truth Bullet Obtained: Old, Burnt Case File
"Ooh! I found something interesting~!" Another voice sang out, pulling Shuichi out of his thoughts.
"Kokichi? What did you find?" Kaede asked as everyone turned to the supreme leader, who had been digging through the desk in the office area of the room.
"Something I've been curious about for a while now!" Kokichi answered with a smirk. "So, should I show you guys what I found? I don't know… I mean, I think I'd rather look at this by myself. It is pretty personal for Rin, so if anyone should investigate this, it should be me and no one else. He also owes me this, so there's that, too."
"Oh, for the love of—Would you just show us!" Rantaro exclaimed, not bothering to hide his annoyance with Kokichi.
"Nee-heehee~! Okay! You twisted my arm!" Kokichi laughed as he lifted up what he found.
"A kubz pad!?" Shuichi yelped.
"Where the heck did you find that!?" Tenko shouted.
"It was shoved in a drawer here. The drawer was locked, but I managed to break through with my supreme leader skills." Kokichi boasted as he showed off his lock-picking tools before pocketing them again. "Anyway, guess who's kubz pad this is! I'll give you a hint. He's the only one of us who shouldn't have gotten a pad."
"So it really is Rin's?" Kirumi questioned.
"But how? Monokuma did offer it to Rin after we discovered Miu's body, but Rin rejected it," Kaede noted.
"Then maybe Rinny got it after the case? Monokuma wouldn't just let a motive go unused." Kokichi replied.
"Unused? But I thought Rin's motive for that case was to kill or let a murder happen to get the pad. He didn't have any memories back then, so the kubz pad was a source of memories he had lost." Rantaro brought up.
"Perhaps that was a trap. What would be more despairing but to make Rin sacrifice someone in order to regain some of his memories, only to get the pad and watch it, realizing it only made things worse for him." Kokichi shot back.
"Then…what exactly did Rin's video show him if that was what Monokuma was trying to do?" Shuichi asked.
"Don't know. I haven't turned it on yet."
"What are you waiting for then!? Turn it on!" Tenko shouted as she and everyone else ran over to watch the kubz pad with Kokichi.
"Okay, okay. Since Tenko asked me so nicely." Kokichi rolled his eyes as he tapped the pad's screen.
Immediately, the pad lit up, showing a menu of some kind. Two video files were on the menu.
"This kubz pad has two videos in it?" Kirumi asked.
"Well, it used to at one point." Shuichi frowned as he looked at the first file, which was completely corrupted.
"Yep, yep. Looks like we can only watch the second one now." Kokichi nodded, pointing to the second file named 'Motive_1_45_RW.'
Everyone was quiet as they stared at the screen for a few moments. The tension in the air grew until it was suffocating, and that's when Kokichi cleared his throat.
"Well…I'm going to click it now." Kokichi muttered, his expression now more serious than it had been moments prior.
"Right…Do it." Shuichi nodded, to which everyone else nodded as well.
With the go-ahead from everyone, Kokichi tapped the second video file.
The screen went dark. Then, there was a bit of static. After a few minutes of static, the screen finally cleared up.
"Rin Wakuri…"
The video began with an image of a much younger Rin. This Rin was a child, not even a teenager. His big eyes shined with excitement and joy as he smiled happily for the photo. To his sides was a man with white hair and blue eyes and a woman with black hair and crimson eyes. His father and mother. His father gave a small smile that could have easily been missed in the man's stern face and piercing eyes. Rin's mother was much the same, having a stern, serious expression but one much softer and openly loving despite the evil-looking eyes she possessed.
"Such a kind boy, one who always tried to do what was good or right… It was to be expected, having been born from a lawyer and a policewoman. Having been raised in such a home, it was only natural for you to hold such virtuous values and a kind heart."
The voice speaking was not Monokuma. It was different, put through electronic filters to disguise it, but it still had the same disgusting arrogance and cruelty within it. It was taunting, happily describing the events it showed, but only because there was something worse to come later on.
"You made your parents so proud, didn't you? Yes… You wanted to live up to their hopes as their only child. You made sure to always get perfect grades and uphold your family's values, all while developing into your own person. Eventually, you nurtured your own talents, entirely different from the ones your parents had. That was how you were first noticed by the Ultimate Initiative. You became an Ultimate, and life was set. You were destined for happiness and success."
"But that didn't last long, did it, Rin?"
The screen then showed a new image, one that shocked everyone as they felt their stomachs twist in terror and dread. The happy family had been split apart as blood covered every inch of the hallway. Rin's parents had both been murdered, his mother having been shot in the head while his father had been beaten to death before having his neck slit.
"Yes… This moment changed everything. Your loving, righteous parents were murdered in cold blood within their very home. You were the one who found the body. You were the one who reported the body. You must still remember that day, don't you? Yes…the day your life was ruined forever."
"After all, you were the lead suspect in the case of your parents' murder."
Everyone felt their breaths be stolen away upon hearing that statement, but before anyone could say anything, the scene once again changed to one that only filled them with despair.
It was a scene in which a teenage Rin was locked inside an isolated cell, left alone in the dark and moldy room as he folded in on himself and hid in the corner in fear and sorrow.
"Yes…You were arrested as the culprit. All the evidence pointed to you. There was nothing that could be done to save you. Things were so hopeless for you that no lawyer would step up to defend you. It was an open-and-shut case…or so everyone thought. With no lawyer to defend you, you were forced to defend yourself. Who would have thought that would turn things around so thoroughly?"
The screen then changed to Rin in a courtroom, screaming at a woman on the witness stand as he pointed defiantly at the person.
"Despite showing no interest in your father's work, you were quite the attorney despite having no time to build a real case. For you to not only prove your own innocence but also find and condemn the one who was truly responsible for killing your parents? Most would call it a miracle. The Ultimate Initiative called it 'talent.'"
The screen then changed to Rin being wrapped up in chains that held him in place, almost as though he were a puppet hanging by strings at another's command. The sheer hopelessness and lifelessness in his eyes and expression were heartbreaking.
"Yes…you were a prodigy. So talented… Too talented. They saw this talent in you, and they knew just how much better it was than your first talent. How it was so much more useful than that first talent. So, despite your first talent being your true passion, you were ripped away from that life and forced into another. You were forced to work in a field that nearly condemned you. You were molded and used by others, all for the sake of 'hope.' That's why you hate your talent."
"Am I right, Rin Wakuri, the Ultimate Attorney?"
"How long has it been since you were proud of what you do? When was the last time you smiled and happily talked about your life? Too long. Why would you smile when you no longer have anyone to love in your life? How could you be proud when you were chained to the law that ruined your life and robbed you of a future of your choosing? Why would you be happy about being so talented when that talent was what destroyed EVERYTHING? Don't you want to go back to before? To before your life was ripped away from your control? Back to when you could be happy and proud? Back to when you could be a teenager and not the one having to save others from the same cruel fate you suffer in?"
"Don't you want…revenge? If so, then I have something to share with you that might interest you."
The screen changed again, this time showing a mug shot of a woman, the same woman Rin had screamed at during his trial.
"The one who killed your father and mother… You remember her name, yes? Ai Shimizu. You never met the woman, and you couldn't find anything about her, even when you tried to dig into her identity for years after the trial. Everything had been hidden from you, as though it had been whipped away, cleaned from everything. You don't even know why she killed your parents, but I do. I know, and so does someone else. Ai Shimizu's younger niece, whom she was very close with and spoke to frequently. You might have heard of her. Her name is Yuna Tamura."
The screen then changed one last time to show a series of pictures of Yuna speaking with this Ai person, walking with her, hanging out with her, laughing with her, and more.
"This is only a fraction of the images I have managed to recover to prove Yuna Tamura's connection with the woman who ruined your life. It would seem as though the Ultimate Initiative cleaned the slate upon discovering one of their Ultimaes was connected to such a murderer. Don't you find it strange, though, how your dear childhood friend never even told you that she had an aunt? How she never told you that she knew the woman who killed your parents? Perhaps your dear friend was involved with your parents' murder as well. Why don't you do what you do best? Investigate and interrogate."
"After all, you have a reason to get out of this hellhole, don't you? Heh heh heh... Good luck with whichever path you choose, Rin Wakuri."
With that, the video ended, and the kubz pad slid out of Kokichi's grasp as everyone remained in shock by what they had just seen and heard.
There was only one thing that was certain: everyone felt sick to their stomachs and wished they had never watched the video in the first place.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Rin's Motive Video