Chapter 2: A Disastrous Storm Part 5 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Students: 15

Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor

Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank

Pietro Maximoff "Quicksilver" (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster

Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince

Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief

Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader

Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist

Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet

Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku

Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader

Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian

Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty

Minori Ichinose (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm

Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ?

Hachiken's POV

Everyone else showed up a minute after the Body Discovery Announcement went off. I tried my best to look away from his body, but Bede noticed and called me out on it.

"Idiot, don't try to turn away from this! I know it's a disgusting sight, but it's reality and there's no changing that."

Ray shook his head as he grit his teeth, "Not the way I would have put it, but he's right. Out of line, but he's right. Finn died… and we couldn't stop it. All we can do now…"

"... Is find out who killed him first and foremost, ribbit…. I should have been out here with you all, with my powers I could have…" Tsuyu frowned as she looked at Finn's expression.

Insert Song: Beautiful Girl Smile (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

I then saw Teruhashi shake her head, "No, you shouldn't blame you. We should blame him!"

Teruhashi had pointed at Pietro, who had a few eyes on him once she said that. He mouthed out a, "Who, me?", as some people decided to confront the speedster.

Kazuma lowered his eyebrows at him, "She's right… he could have been out here outrunning that storm! With his speed, he could have set this all up in a flash! Or… quickly, as I should probably be saying."

"Ridiculous, I was busy reading American comics in the library. I was in the middle of this awful story where a man gave away his marriage to the devil, when the doors to the library were flooded and blocked by debris!" Pietro rolls his eyes at the accusation.

Konata spoke up next, "As much as I would love to critique a bad comic story like that, (and I would love that kind of speed by the way so I can breeze through manga.), but shouldn't have you been out here helping everyone? We really could have used your help here, Quicksilver."

"That's right, this dirtbag could have been out here like he said he would be! Didn't you say you'd be out helping deliver supplies to everyone's dorms? Guilty or not, you're an arsehole!" Reyn insulted him.

"Didn't you get defensive when I accused you of murder? Why am I not allowed to defend myself here?" Pietro put his hands up in a shrugging motion.

Teruhashi crossed her arms as she replied back to him, "Because you didn't use your powers responsibly, whether you killed Finn or not."

"Well said, Teruhashi!" Kazuma told her.

"You tell him…" Reyn scowled at Pietro.

"Y-Yeah, good… good job." I uttered out, very unsure about all of this.

"Aww, why thank you." Teruhashi told us, "Now let's get to investigating, right Dimitri?"

The prince didn't answer as he started to tremble while staring at Finn's lifeless body.

"Um… Your Highness? Dimitri?" I snap my fingers in front of his face, which now that I'm getting a closer look at it looks absolutely furious.

"... Commence the investigation of this crime. We'll see to it that the culprit is dealt with with a swift and well-deserved end to their pathetic life." Dimitri uttered out coldly.

Sayori walked up to him, concerned with what he just said.

"W-Wait! Dimitri, what if this was all an accident, like last time? Or… what if they had been desperate and had a good reason to do this? You can't just say something so mean…"

"Sayori, it's foolish to not acknowledge that this was a murder. That the blackened had no ill-intent…. That this man we once knew had his life ended by a mere 'accident'. Just look at his face…. When we discover who has done this… whether we like it or not, they will be executed. Commence the investigation, leave no stone unturned. That's an order."

Dimitri states as we all got to work as fast as we could, in order to avoid that scary glare he was giving us. I understand how he's feeling… it doesn't seem like this was an accident either, but he didn't have to say that to Sayori of all people! What's gotten into him…?

Ugh, I really wish we weren't doing this, again… but we need to do this for Finn's sake… and ours.

Investigation

Insert Song: Re_ DISTRUST (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)

"Ta dah! The newest issue of the Monokuma FIle is right here! Here's both the standard version, and one of multiple variant covers based around a revival of a classic animated series!"

Monokuma sprang up from the ground like some kind of gopher as he sent us the file on our handbooks. My copy had Monokuma with a white mohawk and a white outfit, with lightning bolts in the background.

"Thaaaanks…" I groaned as everyone else got theirs.

Pietro scoffed as his copy had a Monokuma with a weird helmet and a purple cape, pocketing his e-Handbook as he said one last thing.

"If you really think I'm the one who did this, fine then! Figure it out on your own, I won't help you idiots as long as you see me as the killer."

"W-Wait, Pietro—"

He dashed away before I could stop him. Gah, everyone's gotten so hostile all of a sudden. I guess that's another side effect of having more people dead, not being able to trust people.

I turn back to the file as I read off what was listed down.

Victim: FN-2187 aka Finn.

"The time of death was around 12:07 pm. Victim died via stabbing through the heart with a sharp object. The body has substantial blood loss and only one penetration wound. The body is located at a toolshed near the library."

Okay, only one wound so Finn's body must have been stabbed once right in an extremely vital organ. I have to imagine it must have been pretty deep, considering how he couldn't pull it out of himself. Additionally he died about twelve minutes ago… wish we could have heard or seen that, but it was just so difficult in that hurricane….

Which reminds me that I need to get new glasses before the trial starts.

"Monokuma File #2" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Onto the body itself, the river of blood began to spread outside the shed and I really don't want to step onto it.

"Careful… careful…" I muttered with each step I took into the shed.

"R-Right behind you, Hachiken!"

I heard a voice behind me and I turned to see Sayori, alongside Ray and Reyn.

"Can't solve this on your own, even if you were pretty crafty during the trial. That's why we're here to lend a hand, pal!" Reyn grins, though upon glancing over at the body it didn't last.

"I appreciate your help, guys. Knowing that I'm not the only one trying to investigate here is giving me hope that we'll actually figure it out quicker." I tell them gratefully.

"Well thanks to that little show back there with Teruhashi and the others pointing fingers, I'm not very optimistic about that…" Ray sighed as he went over to Finn's body.

"C'mon man, you have to admit that Pietro is at least a little suspicious." Reyn crosses his arms as he gets a close-up look at Finn's face, "Sheesh… poor guy looks like he's seen a ghost."

Ray looks like he has a different idea, "A ghost? Or perhaps his killer? From how wide his eyes are and his positioning, it seems he was looking directly at them… Judging by his expression, he also did not expect to be killed like this. Signs of a betrayal?."

Whoa, I can't imagine looking right at the person who was planning to kill you and not feeling anything but scared. Whoever the killer is, they must have distracted him enough to catch him off guard…

"Finn's Face" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

"So we examined the body, but where's the weapon?" I asked openly.

Sayori looks behind Finn and gasps, "Um… can someone please… move him forward a little bit?"

"Agh, guess I'll have to. None of you could lift him up as easily… hup!" Reyn reluctantly pulls Finn's arm and we see that a blade was stuck in his back.

"There! You see it?" Sayori points it out as we take out the large box Finn was leaning up against.

"A box cutter…" I looked inside to see it pierced through the box it was inside, not very visible at first.

Especially when you take into account that this all happened in the middle of a hurricane, where it was practically impossible to clearly see and hear anything. No wonder this thing went unnoticed.

Ray lifted up the box cuter and examined it further, "Huh, doesn't have any visible fingerprints on the handle. Killer must have used something to get rid of them, either wearing gloves or by wiping the cutter clean."

Good observation skills on his part, although fingerprints are honestly not very useful considering we neither have the knowledge or technology to determine whose prints were on the box cutter anyways. Still, the kid deserves some praise.

"Box Cutter" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Over to my left, it looked like there was more blood. Pretty close to drying up too, this can't be Finn's…

"I think the killer might have cut themselves while hiding the box cutter!" I deduced as I showed my discovery to the others.

Reyn picked up the box cutter and flipped it, "Ah, I see… looks like our murderer isn't used to cutting people up if they can't handle something like this— yowch!"

Reyn cut his finger on the cutter and it dropped to the floor, making me immediately back out of the way.

"Jeez! Be careful!"

Ray shook his head, "Idiot…"

Sayori patted Reyn on the back as he placed his finger in his mouth.

"Ehehe~, I'll get you a band-aid for you later, Reyn…"

"Blackened's Blood" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

"Okay, we all finished with the scene of the crime?" Ray asked and we all nodded our heads.

I have to assume that some other people got caught up in that hurricane like we did, it's not impossible to say that others just got unlucky as well. Maybe we should keep the hurricane in mind while we're talking to everyone and we'll keep building information.

"Hurricane" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

I think the first person we'll confront is the girl who's carelessness caused her fellow dorm mates to go looking for her in that hell storm… no I'm not bitter about it, what do you mean?

"Konata, we have a few questions…" I started with her first.

She raised an eyebrow in response, "So I'm your first suspect, huh? To that I say… OBJECTION!"

Reyn went up next thankfully, since I don't think I could think of a response to… that.

"Look, we came out in the middle of a stinking hurricane because we were worried about you, the least you could do is pay us back… Konata, we have a job to do."

The two of them were in a brief staring contest before she answered, "... Ugh, sorry. Thinking about this situation in a way only an otaku can is how I cope. What did you guys need?"

"Just want to know if you saw something, anything in that storm. Or if you saw something that happened before it." Ray explained as he got closer.

"Okay… so I don't have anything from before the storm. During it though, I think I saw two people ahead of me. Couldn't hear what they were saying, but then I saw the second person being blown back by the wind! Like, WHOOSH! Like a Wind God Fist just hit 'em!" Konata demonstrated by punching the air.

Sayori put her hand over her mouth in surprise, "What?! Did you see how far they went?!"

Konata shook her head, "Nope, and I couldn't even tell who either of them was. Rain was getting in my eyes and ears."

Same as the rest of us, it's going to be tough to piece together what exactly happened here… I guess that's why the culprit decided to take the chance on doing it. The perfect cover for this crime…

I also have to wonder more about how this hurricane works, since I recall all the times the wind blew in my face just to inconvenience me earlier. Maybe it's connected… or I'm just looking for an excuse to blame something else other than my rotten luck.

"Konata's Account" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

"Hurricane" has been updated in the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Tch, it's starting to get harder to see with one of my lenses out, I really need to go back to the dorm and get replacement glasses…

"Hachiken, we're gonna drop by the library and see if what Pietro said was true about it being blocked. You coming?" Ray asked as I shook my head.

"I'll meet you there soon, sick of having half of my eyesight blurry…"

Sayori walked up from behind me, "I'll go with you, Hachiken!"

"Sayori, it's not like I've gone blind. Surely I can make it back on my…"

*crack*

Great, there goes my other lens. Sayori giggled to my dismay as she took my arm in hers and we began to walk back to our dorm.

Insert Song: Silver Spoon Main Theme (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)

As you could imagine, walking outside like this with my eyesight COMPLETELY blurry is as difficult as one can after this storm, I would have slipped and fell if it wasn't for Sayori being here to guide me.

"One step at a time, okay?" She told me with what I think was a smile on her face.

It's… admirable that she's willing to be so kind to others, when she herself can't show the same thing towards herself. Returning that kindness should be a must sometime soon, even if it won't make her depressing thoughts go away completely. Maybe me and the other folks in the dorm could throw a little party for her.

Well… maybe after we get past this trial of course. After that execution we might need a breather…

"Thank you, Sayori. You really didn't have to do this, but I'm happy you did."

"Ehehehe~, you're welcome! Couldn't just leave you blind as a bat out here, y'know!"

She used her handbook to open the door and I entered my room, locating where the glasses were and throwing away the broken ones. I blink multiple times to see if I can see clearly out of them before joining Sayori outside.

Okay, time to get back to work…

Insert Song: Escape (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)

As we were about to reach the library, Sayori spots something nearby sticking out of a tipped over garbage can.

"Hey hey, Hachiken! This must be what the culprit used to hide their fingerprints! Uh… don't think we should pick it up though…"

She's right about that, looks like a bunch of rotten food's been dumped into this one. From what I could tell it looked like mostly a mixture of grape jelly and mustard, not a combination I would want to be anywhere near.

"Blech…"

I pinched my nose as I looked closer at the plastic glove. There's a cut right through it, with what looked to be a little blood. Definitely what the killer used, if only they'd have known that the wind would have pushed this garbage can down. Unless one of us was planning on dumpster diving, we wouldn't have been able to find it…

"Ripped Glove" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Upon arriving, we see Reyn and Ray were already at the library doors. The former was tossing away damp benches that had been pressed up against them. Looks like Pietro was right, but how did he manage to get out of there?

"While you two were gone, we got some info outta someone else who was out here." Ray informed us as we returned.

"Really? Who else was out during the hurricane?" Sayori asked, rightfully confused.

Ray answered quickly, "It was Kale. Was going to ask her how she was able to survive out here as well, but this dumbass scared her off."

Reyn tosses a bench over his shoulder, and thankfully neither breaks it or hits anyone with it.

"Hey, that's not fair! I just told her 'Woah, you must have been really strong if you were able to stay out here so long! What's your secret?', that's all!"

"I'm guessing that booming voice of yours is what did it then, hm?" I snarked as he rubbed the back of his head.

Ray sighed as he brought up his e-Handbook, "What I did manage to get from her was that before the hurricane got even worse, she saw someone with silver hair enter the library and someone with blue hair soon after. Didn't see either of them leave."

I placed my thumb and index finger on my chin as I thought about this.

"And how long did she say she was there?"

"She said five minutes, maybe longer." Ray answered.

Hm… the fact that neither of them left might mean that both of them got trapped in there by the benches and flooding. But how did they escape and meet up outside with us? Everyone was there when we saw the body, how curious…

"Kale's Account" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

"Blocked Off Library" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

"Maybe we should see if there's any clues inside the library?" Sayori suggests and we all agreed.

There's some signs that Pietro was in here, definitely the silver-haired person Kale described. Scattered comic books on the ground, books and papers placed incorrectly on the shelves, and a lot of wet footprints.

Upon further inspection though, there was another set of footprints. One is from running shoes, while the other looked like they were from a pair of loafers. Just throwing out a guess for that last one, but what else could they be?

"Library Footprints" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

We decided to split up so we could find alternate exits for the two people who were in here. Reyn and I went to the right side, while Ray and Sayori went left.

"Huh? Oi, Hachiken, come look at this!" Reyn called me over.

There was a set of stairs leading down to the basement, and the lights were still on.

"Ha ha ha, just leave it to Reyn!" Reyn boasted with a goofy smile on his face.

"Good eye, Reyn, now to see where this leads…"

We move forward and it's longer than I thought it would be. A few more steps and… damn it, a dead end!

"Shoot, guess whoever built this tunnel was a real joker, eh?" Reyn groaned.

*drip, drop, drip, drop*

What the…

Something's dripping from up above us… could the roof be leaky? It just rained after all so… hold on.

"It's… blood?!" I exclaimed as I looked more closely at the liquid's color.

"What?! Up there?" Reyn sees a little string above us where the blood was leaking and goes to pull it.

Wait, if there's a trap door up there… and there's blood pouring down here…

I gasped, "REYN, DON'T OPEN THAT!"

He stopped and looked at me confused, "What do you mean?".

"Think about it, there's a lot of blood dripping from up there. This is also a pathway from the library. So what do you think could be up there, hm?"

He takes a few seconds to answer my question, "Oh man… that's… you're telling me I almost…"

I nodded my head as he backed away from the trap door. Whew, could have had a different type of heavy rain there… with a chance of getting literally bodied. At least we found one way the two suspects could have escaped… a passageway to the toolshed.

"Trap Door" has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

After that little adventure we met back up with Ray and Sayori to compare notes.

"A trap door leading to that toolshed… that makes this mystery a lot more interesting. On our end we only found an open window."

"I guess that's the second way one of them could have gotten out of the library… are there seriously no emergency exits around here? What am I saying, of course there aren't…" I scoffed as our e-Handbooks then began to ring.

*Ding dong bing bong*

Monokuma showed up on our screens wearing a bald cap and sitting in some yellow robotic chair thing.

"To me, my Kumaversity students! It's time for an X-tra-ordinary trial, so you better not be late! You've got 97 seconds to get to the fountain in the plaza, get movin' bubs!"

He shows off his claws after he ended the message and the 97 second timer goes off. Crap… We all went sprinting to the fountain as fast as we could, he really had to make us go and run when it's very likely we can slip from how wet it is out here… Luckily we made it with only seven seconds to spare.

"Took you all long enough, you better have been collecting evidence instead of wasting time since you're so late…" Bede berated us as the four of us stopped to catch our breath.

"Good to see you too, pal…" Ray said with clenched teeth.

Kazuma tapped his foot impatiently before yawning, "Ahhh… man what is taking that elevator so long to get here? Really taking its sweet ass— GYAH!"

The stone walkway began to rumble underneath him, as he fell on top of the elevator as it rose from beneath the fountain. Monokuma really enjoys perfect timing.

We all step into the elevator and find myself looking at Dimitri, he seems a lot calmer than earlier… even if he is still looking quite serious.

He caught me looking at him and just said one thing.

"I'll be fine. Let us make sure that for now, all of us will survive… and the blackened meets their end."

Down we went… further underground as the elevator seemed to briefly shake. Surely the elevator cables won't break if we're all meant to make it to the trial.

Wouldn't be as entertaining for the bear if all of us died so anticlimactically…

*Ding*

We reach the trial room and it's just as unnerving as it was last time. I gulped as I took my podium, looking over everyone here.

"Thirteen… fourteen! Oh wait, I missed one! Silly me… although it might just be fourteen of you after this trial is over, so I'm not completely wrong! Puhuhuhuhuhu!"

The bear cackled as our 2nd class trial was preparing to start.

Sayori slapped her cheeks to get herself to focus.

Dimitri clenched his fists as he tried to calm himself.

Kazuma was rubbing his back and wincing after falling onto the elevator.

Tsuyu's eyes moved around the room carefully, likely trying to narrow down who the culprit was.

Saki did the same, but with a look that said "I'm going to kick their ass, whoever the hell they are…"

Reyn slammed his fist into the palm of his hand, like he was ready for a brawl. Konata decided to mimic him for fun.

Teruhashi took a deep breath in before her gleaming smile lit up the room.

Tails pumped his fists fist before looking through each piece of evidence in his handbook.

Minori checks hers as she adjusts her glasses.

Kale quivered as she looked at Bede, who just ignored her promptly. His focus was on Pietro, it looks like he suspected him too.

Ray nodded towards me, if there's anyone who can help carry this trial… It's him.

Finn, a rebellious man who I respected for his empathy and dedication to helping us out. One of the people before me had plunged a box cutter into him, literally backstabbing him in order to escape.

Whoever you are… I hope that both of us will be ready for what's coming our way.

Alright… the next trial. I hope you all enjoy how this turns out, whether or not you know who the culprit is. Gonna do my best to make it interesting despite the struggles I've been having with this setup. I might also be releasing something else to go along with this new part. Something a little different from what you may expect from me, so I might just keep it only on AO3. Let's just say it involves a certain zombie idol with yellow flowers in her blue hair who I adore and just leave it at that. May you also enjoy that if you choose to read it. Thanks as always, let me know what you enjoyed about this part and the chapter so far as we build up to its end and the beginning of Chapter 3! Farewell for now! - Renegade Braveheart