Danganronpa: Twisted Tragedy (SYOC)

by SilverMark16

[Sequel to Corrupted Hope] Eighteen of Hope's Peak's finest awake to find themselves stuck in an abandoned theme park, Piero's Playground, the joyous place in the world! However, behind the smiles and laughs is a deadly game of tears and tragedy starring a Killing Game hosted by the eccentric Stanczyk and his twisted partner, Monoyena.

10. On Road to Despair (Part 7)

Chapter 1: On Road to Despair (Deadly Life #1)

---

Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of OFFENSIVE cursing (thanks Monoyena, you fucking asshole!), character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos, and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there! Right?

With that said, please enjoy!

---

Static.

...

"Edward Norton Lorenz once said: a single flap of a butterfly's wings in one part of the world can cause a hurricane on the other side of the globe. Those were the words quoted by the mad doctor, Julian Swan, as he applied that principle and corrupted it, twisting it to create a tragedy unlike any other. The typhoon of sadness, suffering, and torment he left in his wake has the entire country of Canada commemorating the lives lost in his hidden reign of terror."

A young male and female duo stood back-to-back with one another.

"My name is Malakai Lambert," the male introduced himself. "Joined by Corrine Marsh."

"And you're watching Twisted Truths: Memoirs of a Mad Doctor. A new television special, premiering tonight at 7 CST, only on MKTV."

…

Emmeline Swan popped another pill into her mouth as she sat in the makeup room. She stared at herself in the mirror as she let the makeup department do their work. Applying a little blush and eyeliner to her already doll-like face, Emmeline spotted her mother walk up to her.

Aubrey Swan placed her hands over her daughter's shoulder. She couldn't believe just how beautiful she looked. This was her daughter. And she was perfect in so many ways. She smiled softly at her innocent-looking face… but her smile dropped when she spotted her Ziploc bag of medication.

"Emi," Aubrey sighed. "You really need to stop eating those. Those aren't good for you."

"I'm sorry mommy," Emmeline tossed another one into her mouth. "I just can't help it. They taste so good."

Aubrey glanced at her, softly.

Aubrey never understood it. She never understood the pills, the meds, or how she could eat those without breaking a sweat. But what she did understand was that it was an obsession. An addiction. And so many times she's tried to stop her from eating those things and no matter how hard she tries… it just never works.

Every time, her own daughter would walk around with a bag of pills and poison herself with them. Poison herself with the most innocent look on her face.

And it hurt her.

It hurt watching nibble on every capsule. It was like Aubrey was the one swallowing each pill… But today was supposed to be different. Today was supposed to be a welcome change for Emmeline.

Her Happiest Day…

"Is it true, mommy?" Emmeline smiled at her after the makeup team had wrapped up their duties. "People really want to interview me as the Ultimate Lepidopterist?"

"Of course," Aubrey smiled at Emmeline, squatting down to her level. "They said you have what they need for some special opinions on butterflies."

Aubrey placed her hand over her daughter's head with a warm smile.

"I'm so proud of you," Aubrey smiled. "My strong girl."

Emmeline could only return that smile back to her mother as the door to the makeup room opened up.

Corrine Marsh had stumbled in, gesturing to her watch toward Aubrey.

"It's time," Corrine said. "Is our superstar ready?"

Emmeline turned around.

"Of course," Emmeline smiled.

…

"Emmeline Swan," Malakai Lambert sat cross-legged on his leather chair.

Sitting next to Malakai was Corrine, and both of them sat face-to-face with Emmeline and Aubrey, who made sure to keep her hand on her daughter's at all times. Their positioning was reminiscent of a typical talk show, and so far, everything seemed to be respectful on their parts. Neither Emmeline nor Aubrey have been in a room like this before…

It was… really surreal in fact.

"Hailed as Hope's Peak Toronto's very first Ultimate Lepidopterist," Malakai smiled at her. "Such a big accomplishment for a young girl like yourself. Could you tell us what a lepidopterist does?"

"Well, it's someone who studies and collects butterflies and moths," Emmeline answered, beaming in joy. "They are such wonderful insects! And they're the key to understanding concepts like genetics, populations, and biodiversity! Isn't that cool?!"

"And how is life on campus?" Malakai asked. "Make any friends?"

"Of course!" Emmeline beamed. "Lots of friends! And a lot of them really do like what I do. It's really... fun!"

"You really love this, don't you?" Corrine smiled at her.

"Of course!" Emmeline giggled. "It's been my dream to be one with the butterflies ever since I was a little girl!"

Malakai and Corrine glanced at one another.

Both of them had the same thoughts in their mind. Emmeline Swan was a really cute girl and to know what she had gone through was just so heartbreaking. With a deep sigh, Malakai and Corrine nodded at one another and sat back. Malakai grasped his knee and smiled at Emmeline.

"Speaking of, I've heard that life as a little girl for you wasn't so good, was it?" Malakai questioned.

Emmeline blinked.

"W-What are you talking about?" Emmeline asked. "It was great…?"

"Dr. Julian Swan," Corrine spoke up. "Your father. What can you tell us about him and what he did?"

Emmeline froze.

Aubrey's smile dropped.

Malakai and Corrine kept a close eye on Emmeline.

Emmeline had remained stagnant. Her eyes trailed off into the distance. She felt her skin run cold. She felt her lungs tighten and her breathing become hitched. She held onto her mother's hand tightly. Aubrey looked at the two, betrayed.

"D-Daddy…?" Emmeline felt tears well up through her broken-like state.

Instantly, Malakai raised his hands up defensively.

"Hey, Emmeline- Wait, that's not–" Malakai tried to say before Aubrey gave them a look of disgust.

"Why did you ask that question?" Aubrey frowned. "None of that has anything to do with her New Life as an Ultimate."

Aubrey's eyes wavered toward Corrine, who was gesturing toward the camera crew to keep rolling.

That's when she realized it. That's when she realized what this really was. She stood up, carefully helping Emmeline from her seat.

"Who the hell are you people?!" Aubrey glared. "You're not here for her accomplishments, are you? You're here just to bring back old memories that she's just recovered from! You really think you can speak to my daughter about that scum?! I can sue you for fraud, y'know!"

"Miss Swan, there's no need for that," Corrine tried to reassure her. "The truth is, we're hosts of a true crime documentary. Twisted Truths. You must've seen us on MKTV. Some of our episodes are even being shown on Nile Prime. This can really be–"

"So, you thought bringing back old memories she'd like to forget would be a great way to get you two a paycheck, huh?" Aubrey quickly dragged Emmeline away from the two. "Come on, Emmeline, let's go…"

Emmeline had followed behind, emotionless.

"Miss Swan!" Corrine called out to her, attempting to catch up to her. "Come on! Let's talk this out!"

And as the three left, Malakai sighed and leaned back against his chair. He glanced toward the camera and smiled.

"Eh, we'll edit this cut out," Malakai shrugged.

...

Static.

---

CHAPTER 1: ON ROAD TO DESPAIR (DEADLY LIFE)

---

…

Hey everybody!

Someone is dead! Someone is dead!

And they're bleeding red!

Hey everybody!

It's time to play! It's time to play!

Find the killer and make them pay!

(Yaaaaaay!)

…

---

[Ultimate Doctor's Attraction]

---

(Auditorium)

The Body Discovery Jingle played.

All shock collars were now deactivated.

Everyone was now able to freely roam around as they pleased. But what was the point of being free if they were just going to end up in yet another prison of their own making? Manon and Alina stood there, flabbergasted at the discovery of the body. Beauté stood there, hand over her mouth and eyes widened.

Daisuke was on the floor behind them. He looked close to puking. Who could blame him? This was only the third time he's seen a body, and it just doesn't get any easier. It never would. Tears started to form on the sides of his eyes as he felt his breathing get hitched.

The twisted truth had finally dawned on them all.

…

…

…

Emmeline Swan was dead.

An innocent life gone all too quickly.

"Madame Swan…?" Manon widened her eyes.

"I… Why is she here?" Alina covered her mouth, trying hard not to cry.

"You," Beauté turned to Daisuke, looking devilishly serious for once. "Chicken man. Go and find the others. Let them know where we are…"

Despite her looking serious, Beauté successfully snuck in a smirk or two. The game has officially started. And she'd be lying if she said she wasn't feeling excited for what was to come. This was what she'd been waiting for:

A dead body.

A mystery.

This was her moment to revel in the excitement. She covered her mouth but noticed that Daisuke had yet to move. He was still in a state of shock. He was frozen. It seemed that he didn't really hear what Beauté had ordered him to do. She grimaced and leaned forward, grabbing Daisuke's chin and forcing him to look straight into her red eyes.

"Hey, I told you to do something, chicken boy," Beauté harshly ordered. "Go and do it…"

"A-A-A-A-A-A— O-Okay!" Daisuke sputtered as he shot up from the floor and high-tailed it out of the Auditorium. "E-Everyone! Th-There's a body! Th-There's a body! There's a body in the AUDITORIUMMMMM!"

And as he ran out, Beauté slowly turned back to Manon and Alina, her eyes staring directly toward the maestro with a nasty look on her face.

"See where optimism takes you?" Beauté chuckled. "...It's only a one-way trip from here now… Ah heh heh heh…"

Alina said nothing throughout all of that.

She simply looked away and rubbed her arms…

…

It didn't take long for everyone to gather into the Auditorium.

Thanks to the fact that the Red Light, Green Light Playtime Event had now ended, the process of moving toward the crime scene was quicker and a little more efficient. But the pain and trepidation that set in as soon as they stepped into the eerie, solemn atmosphere was overwhelming.

As each person took a peek at the body, each person had their own reactions to the matter:

"N-Nay!" Roderick lowered his beanie, face turning blue.

"H-How on Earth…?" Yukihiko bit his nail nervously.

"Just… look away Isolde," Issac covered Isolde's eyes, taking the full image into his mind with a slight grimace.

Kikuko on the other hand remained fixated on the body. She narrowed her eyes for a moment but then her expression softened. She shuddered slightly and folded her arms.

"Kikuko, you alright?" Fábio asked, looking equally disturbed by the sight of the body.

"...I will be fine," Kikuko glanced away. She bowed her head with a slight prayer. "So will Emmeline, I hope…"

Kikuko was paying respects to Emmeline's body in eyes. But the more Fábio looked at it, the more he noticed just how messed up her body was. From his point of view… he could see the rope tied around her neck. And her neck... God it looked as if her neck was… off-center. Did she…

"Goddamn it!" Aidan exclaimed, clenching his fist, and eyes welling with tears. "God– God DAMN it! How?! How the hell could I have let this happen?! Why is–"

"Oh, you can't throw a tantrum now," Beauté smirked. "All of this is your fault after all."

"M-My fault?!" Aidan turned to Beauté. "W-What the heck are you talking about?! How the heck is this my fault! I… I just…"

"An ill and odd yet regular-looking fellow and a fish agent told me that had you not interrupted Kazuki's suicide attempt, Emmeline's death could've been avoided," Beauté stared directly at the SilverMark Stories Discord Twisted Tragedy channel before turning back and smiling. "But you just had to be the hero, didn't you? Had to be the hero… and now, a man who wanted to die lives and an entirely innocent girl died… Nice going, hero…"

"I… I…" Aidan stammered as he stepped back away from Beauté.

Alina stepped up, folding her arms.

"That's enough," Alina frowned. "That's not fair. You can't just put this on Aidan, just because he wanted to do the right thing."

"The right thing was to save a child, wasn't it?" Beauté giggled. "That was the whole point of the Trolley Problem! And yet, when the moment came, what did he do? He stopped it from happening!"

"Actually, it was Manon but–" Aidan pointed out between his frustration.

"The right thing is to save everyone!" Alina tightened her fist, looking down. "Not just… the child…"

"Well, in this Killing Game, that's impossible," Beauté argued. "And now we're in a situation in which we have two bodies to deal with…"

"T-Two bodies?" Daisuke turned to Beauté.

"The victim, Emmeline," Yukihiko stepped forward to contribute to this conversation. "And her killer. If we catch them…"

"They too, will die," Beauté smirked. "You see what you've done now? All of you optimists think that saving everyone will be the way to survive a Killing Game, but all you've really done is force ourselves to lose two people. You can't build new tracks in the Trolley Problem. You can't just have the conductor and tied up people just disappear. This is the road we're on and your ignorance has now taken us on a path that we cannot go back from!"

Beauté giggled to herself.

"So, I think it's very much fair to blame our supposed leader on this!" Beauté giggled. "Ah heh heh heh… After all, it was his decision to step in that caused this to happen."

Beauté was hit with realization before smirking to herself.

"I suppose you can say this was a nice butterfly effect," Beauté placed a hand over her smirking lips. "Ah heh heh heh…"

Aidan didn't say anything.

He looked away. What Beauté was saying… God. It was hitting him hard. Was it really his fault? Was it really his fault that Emmeline was dead? Did his optimism really cause all of this to happen? Was it…

"And it's not that you were any different," Beauté turned to Alina. "Such a people pleaser, you are. What were you trying to do? Spare Manon's feelings? Even during the crisis that you knew was about to happen. Ah heh heh heh, you're such a hypocrite."

Alina didn't say anything either.

Instead, there was nothing but shame in her heart.

Because deep down, she knew how right Beauté was. She knew how right Beauté was and how wrong she was. That her poor choices and decisions were also a factor to Emmeline's death. The guilt in her heart, she folded her arms and just didn't say anything.

"Ah heh heh heh," Beauté smirked. "Look at them now. Silent as Christmas. This is what happens to optimists in a game like this…"

"Beauté, that's enough," Alisa snapped her pocket watch shut. "You've made your point. Any more unnecessary ramblings from you and it'll just be a waste of our time."

"W-What are we going to do?!" Daisuke exclaimed. "I mean! W-Who killed Emmeline?! A-And why?! A-Am I next?! P-Please don't tell me I'm next! I… I don't wanna DIEEEE!"

"Ya will if ya don't stop clenching yer ass, fatso!"

The tension in the air was cut in half by the appearance of the adorable yet violent-looking Monoyena. Popping out of nowhere and waddling over to where the body was, he started to poke and prod at the body before cackling to himself.

"Bwa… Bwahahahahaha!" Monoyena laughed. "Well, cry me a river and color me surprised! One of ya fuckfaces actually did it! The pill-popping drug-addicted bitch is fucking dead! And one of ya did her in, did ya?!"

"W-WHAT?!"

Monoyena's cackling was also cut short with the sudden appearance of the innocent yet creepy-looking Stanczyk. Popping out of nowhere and running over to where the body was, he poked and prodded at the body before wailing into the air, tears streaming down his eye sockets.

"N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Stanczyk screamed. "She was my favorite!"

"Save that for the incels, ya fucking shrimp," Monoyena growled. "One of ya so-called besties did her in. And 'bout time too! I was getting ready to kill both the brat and that French whore in the back out of spite."

"Quoi?!" Manon widened her eyes. "Pourquoi moi?!"

"I don't speak frog, fucking Celine Dion-looking ass…" Monoyena gnashed his sharp teeth together.

He was clearly still upset over the whole saving Kazuki thing from Daily Life Part 5.

"Is this true?" Stanczyk glanced toward his so-called 'best friends'. His mask had shifted into a look of hurt and betrayal. "Did one of you guys really…? But we were all friends, weren't we?! W-Why… W-Why do something so heinous?! W-WAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! HOW COULD YOU?!"

"Oi, pipe down," Monoyena grumbled. "Ya'll only met each other for about a fucking week. Relax. Gal was a fucking wank just like the rest of them. Bwa… Bwahahahahaha!"

"So is that why you're here?" Mara folded her arms. "Just to insult us?"

"Yeah, pretty much!" Monoyena shrugged. "But I guess I'm also here to help StanShit make a big announcement!"

Monoyena took out his Barbie Blade and twirled it around before pointing it toward Stanczyk.

"Take it away, ya walking sperm…" Monoyena gave off a toothy grin. "And quit ya cryin!"

"Right!" Stanczyk instantly smiled, wiping away stray tears from his mask. "A body has been discovered! Therefore, after a certain amount of time has passed, the exciting Playhouse Trial will begin!"

"Right, the Playhouse Trial…" Yumi rubbed her chin. "The place where we're supposed to talk about who killed…"

Yumi couldn't say it.

She was on the similar train as everyone else in which she just didn't know how to react. She was disgusted. Scared. Nervous. She bit her lip for a moment before finishing what she was about to say…

"...about who killed the poor gal…" Yumi looked away.

"That's right!" Stanczyk threw up his hands into the air. "You remembered! Ohhhh! You really have been paying attention!"

"But why bother going through something like that when we already know who killed Emmeline…" Aidan spoke up, this time, his voice slightly bitter.

"Quoi?" Manon blinked. "You already know who killed Madame Swan?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Aidan glared before pointing directly at Monoyena and Stanczyk. "It was those two!"

Silence.

Beauté facepalmed and shook her head.

"I guess there has to be one in every Killing Game…" she muttered to herself.

"Y-You think it was me?!" Stanczyk gasped. "B-But I would never do such a horrible thing! H-How could you say something like that?! O-Oh… Th-That makes me so… so… W-WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Stanczyk started to sob uncontrollably.

Monoyena, on the other hand, started laughing.

"Bwa… Bwahahahahaha!" Monoyena cackled. "I fuckin wish! I had a whole thing planned out for this bitch! Was gonna give her the blood eagle treatment! But with butterflies! Bwa… Bwahahahahaha!"

"Anyway, I believe I understand where this is going…" Alisa sighed, speaking up to interrupt the comedy-tragedy duo that was Monoyena and Stanczyk. "If I remember correctly…"

---

"Once the murdered body is discovered, everyone goes into an Investigation Period," Monoyena grinned sadistically. "The Blackened's job is to try to get away with their murder, while everyone else has to figure out who the Blackened is in our Playhouse Trial!"

---

"This is supposed to be the Investigation Period," Alisa glanced at her pocket watch. "Just how much time do we have for that exactly?"

"Roll the dice, cunt," Monoyena smoothed over his neon-colored mohawk. "We ain't telling ya. So best ya get on with the Shirley Homies and start lookin for clues!"

"oR yOu MiGhT eNd uP LiKE EmmELiNe tO0!" Stanczyk tilted his head, having distorted his voice and ceased crying. "Whoops! What was that?!"

Chuckling, Stanczyk carried on with a grin on his face and placed his hands over his hips.

"Anyway, if you kiddos need anything to help you along your way, Monoyena and I–" Stanczyk was about to say…

"Fuck you," Monoyena picked his teeth with his Barbie Blade.

"-I will be right outside this attraction to answer any questions!" Stanczyk corrected, with that cheerful smile on his face. "Now, to get yourself started…"

Everyone's eTicket pinged, notifying them of a new addition to their tablets. A new application titled: Evidence.

"A new application has been added to your eTicket!" Stanczyk announced with a grin. "This is where you can record all the suspicious evidence you find! Each case will always have what I like to call the Stanczyk File to get you started on your way!"

Stanczyk leaned forward and his face distorted. His red eye glowed and his yellow eye sparked. He was getting serious here now as his voice spoke with such a harsh yet vengeful tone…

"S0 gEt gOinG kiDS…" Stanczyk spoke. "LeT'S mAKe tHiS KiLLeR pAy….."

---

[INVESTIGATION BEGIN]

---

(Auditorium)

The Investigation Period has begun.

Most of the appropriate clues needed to solve this mystery were right here in this room, so the cast of 15 split up accordingly to look around. But among those who didn't move from the spot they were at was none other than Aidan, who simply glanced at the Evidence app that Stanczyk had introduced.

It was just as Stanczyk said.

Right there, on page 1 was the Stanczyk File. A plus sign was located directly under it, and when he tapped it, he could see that he was able to type up notes for certain clues that he may have found.

Tch.

Just like a real detective.

And Aidan wasn't a detective. He knew his mental capacity. He wasn't cut out to be one. And yet, he wanted to know just who it was that did this. Just who killed Emmeline? And why? Why go so far as to betray their own primal instincts and commit this crime…?

Aidan held onto his eTicket tightly.

The resolve of wanting to catch the killer.

It was firing him up. He tapped on Stanczyk File #1 and read what it said:

Victim: Emmeline Swan

Cause of Death: Broken neck. Death was instantaneous. There are bruises found on Emmeline's back.

"She… died of a broken neck?" Aidan blinked.

"Tragic, isn't it?"

Aidan didn't want to look at the person who said this but, in the end, he had no other choice. If this was an Investigation Period, then it was important that he took everyone's statements. Alibis were important. Even if they had to come from someone like… her…

Beauté noticed the glimmer of disdain in his eyes and chuckled.

"Ah heh heh heh…" Beauté smirked. "Awww… am I really that awful to be around? Poor boy…"

"Where were you when this happened?" Aidan folded his arms with a frown.

"Not even going to offer me water, now, are you?" Beauté looked down. "You really are bad at this cop routine, y'know."

"That's because I'm not trying to be a cop…" Aidan looked away. "Just tell me where you were at the time of the murder…"

"Time of the murder?" Beauté blinked. "What time of the murder?"

"W-Well, you know, time of the murder… time of death… whatever you call it!" Aidan was looking a little frustrated.

Couldn't blame him. One of them had died. He didn't know who it was. And he was just labeled as the person to blame for this entire thing. If it were me, I'd be a little on edge too.

"Ah heh heh heh…" Beauté chuckled. "Silly boy. Can't you read? There is no Time of Death in the Stanczyk File."

"Great," Aidan gritted his teeth. "As if this couldn't get any more difficult!"

"Well, it really can," Beauté smirked. "Usually in cases like these, when there is no Time of Death, it's up to the ones responsible for solving the mystery to figure that out as well. In other words, this is just yet another piece of the puzzle that needs to be figured out. Don't you agree…?"

Aidan didn't say anything.

"...Ah heh heh heh," Beauté smirked. "Then, how about I help you by asking what you really want to know. What are your whereabouts today? Tell me, everything that you did in specific timestamps."

"W-What?" Aidan blinked.

"You heard me…" Beauté licked her blood-red lips.

"W-Well… I was in the Lobby for the Morning Meeting that just ended up being Alina and me," Aidan frowned. "After that, well, I spent all my time outside the park wondering what the heck to do."

"And is that the honest truth?" Beauté smirked.

"W-Well, yeah," Aidan frowned. "H-Hey. You don't think it's me, do you?"

"Is that my final answer, you mean?" Beauté blinked, before smiling deviously toward him. "Hmmm… no. I don't think so. I don't have any evidence yet to decide so…"

"Fine, guess that's fair…" Aidan sighed. "And what about you? You never answered my question. What about your… whereabouts… today? Timestamps too."

"Well, I suppose the only thing that realistically matters is the fact that I was here with Manon, Alina, and Daisuke for the 5:00 PM show," Beauté explained. "We spent some time arguing after the show and then ended up finding the body. Or rather, Alina, Manon, and Daisuke did. I was kind of left out until the shock collars shut off…"

"And what about before?" Aidan frowned.

"As I said or rather implied…" Beauté stated. "None of that matters because I don't really have much of an alibi. Whatever I say is simply just a grain of salt."

"Then, what about why were you here for the 5:00 PM show?" Aidan folded his arms. "What? Decided to enjoy the pleasantries while the girl was about to die?"

"Ha, nonsense," Beauté chuckled. "That honor goes to the trio that were here. I… was simply here with the full intention of berating them for their nonsense."

Aidan took in what Beauté was saying.

Then, he relented.

He supposed what Beauté was telling him was good enough. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and referred back to his Evidence app, marking down what Beauté had told him. Not like it was going to help anyway.

"Ah heh heh heh," Beauté smirked. "Oh, don't look so down, Aidan. I know you knew this would happen eventually. Even behind that face of optimism, surely you would've expected at least someone to break sooner or later, no?"

Aidan folded his arms and frowned.

"No," Aidan muttered. "I just expected better of the people here…"

Beauté tilted her head and sighed.

"Such a stubborn person you are," Beauté looked down. "Have fun with your blind optimism I suppose. I must go and talk with those who have a firm grasp on the reality of the situation now…"

Aidan blinked.

Beauté definitely looked disappointed there. And as she said, she had walked off elsewhere to talk with some people. Aidan watched her leave, glanced back at his Evidence, and then finally back at the Stanczyk File. He glanced at it for a while, taking in one important fact that Beauté had mentioned earlier:

There was no Time of Death.

So, the question to ask was: When did Emmeline die?

…

As Aidan thought about his little conundrum, Fábio and Riku took the initiative of approaching Emmeline's body and examining it thoroughly. However, already there at the scene was Issac, who had been rubbing his chin in thought. It would seem that he had already been on the case as soon as the Investigation Period began because it seemed that he had a lot of things already marked up in his Evidence log.

Or at least, that was according to what Riku had noticed for a split second.

"You, what did you find?" Riku muttered.

Issac blinked, surprised by their presence and chuckled sheepishly. He held up his hands in defense and smiled.

"Hey don't ask me," Issac chuckled.

"Ask Isolde?" Fábio guessed.

"No, don't ask her either," Issac sighed, folding his arms. "It's best you see for yourself. That way, I don't waste time having to explain every little thing I spotted."

Issac caressed Isolde on the neck and walked toward the two.

"Besides, I need to ask Stan something important," Issac rubbed his chin. "When you check her body, you'll understand what I mean."

"I think it'll be better if you just told us what it was…" Fábio pointed out, cynically.

Issac paused for a moment. He tilted his head, as if Isolde was speaking to him again. Then, with a smile, he brushed his pink hair to the side and gestured to the back of his neck collar.

"Check her collar and you'll see," Issac smiled.

Then, the toymaker hurried off. Whatever it was, it was definitely something he really wanted to talk to Stanczyk about.

"Check her collar?" Fábio blinked.

"Tch, freak," Riku muttered.

Fábio knew where Riku was coming from, but he didn't have to go that far. Together, he joined the Ultimate Doctor in checking out the body… and when he did… well…

…

It just didn't get easier.

Fábio had examined the body from afar. But examining it up close was different. It was sickening. Frightful even. Fábio couldn't believe that this empty husk once harbored a soul. He couldn't believe that the young girl that used to excitedly munch on her pills was now cold and unmoving. Lifeless…

"Tch, you done eyeing her like a Snicker bar?" Riku grimaced, disgusted.

"W-What?" Fábio blinked before narrowing his eyes. "I– H-How are you not even remotely disturbed by this?"

"I'm a doctor for a bunch of criminals, remember?" Riku narrowed his eyes. "I've seen worse…"

Riku took out his eTicket and held up his jacket collar to cover the lower part of his face. His eyes glossed over the Stanczyk File and then toward Fábio. He sneered.

"You, move her neck," Riku ordered.

"W-What?" Fábio blinked, slightly irritated. "Why me?"

"Are you kidding?" Riku deadpanned. "I refuse to touch this… thing's body…"

"Hey, she's not a thing, she's a person!" Fábio argued.

"A disgusting, empty husk, more like…" Riku muttered.

"I–" Fábio couldn't believe this guy. "H-How on earth are you even a doctor if you can't handle touching stuff like this?"

"That's what medical gloves are for, imbecile," Riku narrowed his eyes. "Do you see me wearing medical gloves right now? No? Then, stop complaining and start moving her neck."

Fábio sighed to himself.

Of all the people to team up to investigate, it had to be the asshole who also happens to be a member of the yakuza. Just his luck. Of course it had to be. But the more he complained, the more he knew they weren't going to get anywhere with this. So, begrudgingly, he hesitantly…

…moved Emmeline's neck, ignoring the rope tied around it for the time being.

And unlike the other stiffer parts of her body, Emmeline's neck was as fragile as a bendy straw. One push of his hand and Emmeline's neck was already facing the other way. It was easy to move. In other words…

"A cervical fracture," Riku noted. "Or, in your brainless terms, a broken neck. Most of the bleeding she suffered was internal. There are no open wounds, so that means, all the blood that would've normally spilled all over the place would be kept inside her fleshy sack…"

"You can see all of that from over there?" Fábio raised an eyebrow, noticing how Riku was keeping his distance.

"Please, I'm a doctor," Riku folded his arms. "These injuries are second nature to me. And it's practically common knowledge among the medical field to know that a broken neck's injury will always bleed internally."

Riku paused for a bit.

"Though, there is something strange…" Riku muttered.

"Really, what?" Fábio asked.

"The rope on her neck is kind of covering it but…" Riku began. "...There's a slight discoloration on her neck."

"A discoloration?" Fábio murmured to himself as he pulled down on the rope over her neck and noticed what Riku was talking about.

Hidden behind the shock collar was a discoloration of her skin. Instead of the pale and peachy-skin tone she had, it was slightly purple and even exposed some hidden veins that were no longer pulsating. Honestly, it was a little gruesome to see and Fábio instantly felt sick. He glanced away, squeamish.

"Keh," Riku smirked. "What's wrong? Can't handle the disgusting sight?"

"I don't need to hear that from a germaphobe…" Fábio muttered.

Nevertheless, these were key points to jot down…

…

"Now, there was something Issac mentioned about the back of her collar," Fábio said as he slowly moved Emmeline's neck to the side so he could get a better look at the back of her collar.

Though he was slightly hesitant to touch an otherwise cold body's neck again, he did so anyway. Even if he had to think about the discoloration or how unnaturally easy it was to move her neck and ugh… God. This whole ordeal made him feel sick. Why did he have to be the one to examine the corpse?

But the moment Fábio moved Emmeline's neck to get a better look at the back of her shock collar, it became all too clear why Issac wanted to go talk to Stanczyk.

"W-What the–" Fábio blinked.

"Now that is peculiar," Riku rubbed his chin, narrowing his eyes in thought.

The back of Emmeline's shock collar had been cracked. Where the light would've shown, it was practically broken beyond repair. Neither the color Red or Green was shown, but at the same time, that could've also been because of the fact that the Playtime Event was over. But still, it was very unusual to see how busted up the shock collar was.

"Emmeline's shock collar was broken…" Fábio muttered. "I… didn't know you could do that."

"Tch, I doubt anyone knew they could do that," Riku retorted. "Not to mention how someone could just break the back of her shock collar like that."

"I guess that's what Issac wanted to ask the clown about," Fábio rubbed his chin. "I just wasn't prepared to see it myself…"

"Hmmm…" Riku rubbed his chin in thought.

A broken shock collar, visibly cracked on the back. That was certainly a bizarre thing to find on a corpse and definitely something both Fábio and Riku had jotted down inside their Evidence log…

…

Now, what was next?

Well…

"What are you doing?" Riku narrowed his eyes toward Fábio.

He had noticed that the figure skater was now frisking Emmeline's body. A strange sight indeed but not for the reason you'd think Riku was complaining about. In fact, his eyes were fixated on what was covering the front side of Emmeline's outfit that Fábio didn't seem to notice. With a sigh, Riku took out his hand sanitizer-filled syringe and handed it to Fábio.

Fábio raised an eyebrow.

"Um, what's this for?" Fábio blinked.

"To clean your hands," Riku responded nonchalantly.

"Um, look I know it's a dead body but that doesn't mean you have to treat it like–" Fábio seemed slightly irritated by Riku's behavior until the doctor interrupted.

"It's not that," Riku scoffed. "Didn't you realize what you just touched?"

He gestured toward the strange-colored stain on Emmeline's outfit. Something that Fábio's hands had clearly touched. And the moment Fábio realized it, he glanced toward Riku desperately. Rolling his eyes, Riku shot out some hand sanitizer on Fábio's hand for him to wipe off desperately.

"I… I didn't even notice!" Fábio wiped his hands, frantically. "W-What was it anyway?"

"Yeah, you're asking the wrong person here," Riku pocketed his syringe. "I'm not going to examine strange stains like that. What were you even trying to do anyway? If it's that necrophilia thing I've heard so much about, please do it when I'm not–"

"It wasn't like that!" Fábio cut in. "I just wanted to find her eTicket. I just thought that maybe she wrote something down somewhere…"

"Impossible," Riku shook his head. "The only thing she could write anything down was the Evidence app, and that didn't get added until after her body was found."

He had a point.

Anything resembling a dying message wouldn't be possible. But perhaps there was something else in her eTicket that could be of use? He gulped and frisked through the corpse's clothing again, careful enough to not touch the strange stain. Then…

…he found her eTicket.

Pulling it out of one of her pockets, she scanned through her applications and landed his finger onto the Photos app. The only few images that were there was of course, the pictures of the boy and girl, and a picture of her and Manon having fun in this very Auditorium.

Heh.

Right.

She and Manon were close, weren't they?

Fábio looked up to see that Manon was investigating the sets with Alisa and sighed to himself. He had to wonder how she felt about all this…

…

As Fábio placed Emmeline's eTicket to the side, he noticed Riku spit something onto the ground. The level of disgust he made when he did it definitely caught his attention as he turned toward the doctor. That's when he noticed that Riku had been holding onto Emmeline's own Ziploc bag of pills. The pills that she loved to eat.

Man. That reminder really hit him over how unfortunate her death was…

But nevermind that. What was peculiar was the fact that…

"D-Did you just eat one of Emmeline's pills?" Fábio asked.

"Tch, no," Riku scoffed. "That would require me to swallow them. I simply did a taste test. I was often curious on why this brat was so addicted to these things."

"And what, pray tell, did you find Gordon Ramsay?" Fábio folded his arms.

Riku smacked his lips to try to savor the identity of the taste.

"...It's strange…" Riku muttered. "These pills taste… sweet."

"Sweet?" Fábio blinked. "What? Like candy? You mean to tell me she's been eating candy this entire time?"

"Tch, no, this is far different than candy," Riku rubbed his chin. "It still has that medicine-like quality to them. So, this isn't just candy that a child can consume until they lose their teeth. It's definitely medicine of some kind…"

But what?

What was it?

That was the question Fábio wanted to hear an answer from the medical expert, Riku Arakawa. But it was clear that the doctor needed a moment to pinpoint what exactly it was. And frankly, they didn't have a moment to waste in the Investigation Period. Whatever it was, it was going to have to be revealed in the Playhouse Trial.

Fábio sighed to himself.

This was going to be rough…

…

Riku set the bag of pills to the side as Fábio eyed Emmeline's overall appearance. Frankly, she looked terribly lifeless. The excitable child-like girl he knew was gone and the only thing they could do was avenge her. He stuck his hands inside his pockets. What else was there to check?

Well, there was a rope around her neck.

There was that.

But then, there were also the dried stains on her clothing. The fact that the back of her collar was broken. Discoloration on the neck. But then, there was just something off about her. Fábio's seen Emmeline plenty of times during their time in the park and yet there was just something different about her.

It wasn't the fact she was dead, but it was just something else all entirely…

What was it…?

"You're staring at her again," Riku pointed out.

"Sorry, I'm just…" Fábio mumbled. "Isn't there something missing from her?"

"Yeah, life," Riku remarked.

"Okay, screw you for that one," Fábio deadpanned.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about here," Riku sighed, shaking his head. "As far as I'm concerned, she looks the same as she usually does if she were still alive. Whatever you're probably thinking about, it's probably nothing…"

Wouldn't be the first time someone told me that today… Fábio noted in his own thoughts.

But in the end, Fábio figured Riku was right. There was no point in trying to figure out what was not there and instead focus on what was there. And that was the last thing that needed to be examined: The rope.

It was found tied around Emmeline's neck.

So, did that mean…?

"This rope…" Fábio walked up toward it. "Where does it lead to?"

"Why don't you follow it with your own eyes…?" Riku remarked.

Despite the obvious cold glance Fábio gave Riku, the two followed the rope like a trail on the road. Then, they watched the rope disappear right up toward the ceiling. Wherever the rope led, it led to an area that they couldn't see, at least not in their current angle.

"What is up there…?" Fábio muttered. "It obviously has to connect to this rope, right?"

"It connects to a pulley."

"What?" Fábio blinked.

He was surprised to see Alisa and Manon walk over as soon as he asked that. He tugged on the rope a bit, but Alisa and Manon had gestured for him to stop and follow them to where they had been investigating. Nonetheless, both Fábio and Riku had followed them directly underneath a spot where they could see a pulley right in plain view.

"A pulley…" Fábio blinked. "Wow. Wait. If it's a pulley, then that would mean that there has to be something else connected to it right?"

"Yes, that would be the most logical conclusion," Alisa nodded in agreement. "Because it's a pulley, it obviously means that a pulley system is involved. Meaning interconnecting the rope on Emmeline's neck would be something else…"

"Oui," Manon nodded. "But ze only problem is figuring out how to find out what zat zing would be…"

"Tch, there's an easy way to do this," Riku rolled his eyes.

He walked up to Emmeline's corpse and undid the rope that was tied around her neck. Without warning, the rope shot up into the air and the pulley started to uncoil the rope before finally…

SLAM!

"Agh!" Alina exclaimed from the other side of where she and Kazuki had been checking out. "W-What was that?!"

"There you go," Riku held up his jacket collar to cover his mouth. "Problem solved. Now you two go check that out. I'm afraid the ice boy and I have much to uncover here…"

"W-What?" Fábio blinked. "But I still–"

"And I still need someone to touch the body for me…" Riku muttered. "Let the girls handle it…"

Fábio was about to argue but relented.

Whatever had fallen to the ground, well, guess he won't get to know until later. All he did know for now was that the rope that was tied to Emmeline was connected to a pulley system of some kind. But how did that contribute to the case at hand, he had to wonder…?

…

As Fábio and Riku moved their attention right back to Emmeline's body, Alina and Kazuki had to walk up to whatever had just fallen from the ceiling. It was similar to Emmeline in the fact that it had rope tied around it, but this time, it was the waist. And it was definitely a very familiar thing too…

"Isn't this…" Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "...The monster animatronic?"

The monster animatronic had landed face-first on the ground. Its wings had notable strings attached to it, but it was mostly held together with the rope tied around its waist. How that was possible since it was a big animatronic and the rope was… well… rope, wasn't really important.

What was important was the fact that the rope had been keeping that monster high up on the ceiling apparently. In other words, that had to be the strongest piece of rope ever!

"And it fell from the ceiling?" Alina glanced up.

"I see," Alisa nodded. "So, the monster animatronic was the other thing connected to the end of Emmeline's rope. Fascinating…"

"Is it, zhough?" Manon perked her head.

"End of Emmeline's rope?" Alina blinked. "So, you're saying this was like a pulley system of some kind?"

"It would seem that way," Alisa nodded. "After all, the rope connecting this monster animatronic, and Emmeline are interconnected onto a pulley. That is a welcome detail that I will gladly put into my Evidence log."

"Well… You don't really have to announce it…" Kazuki remarked.

Once Alisa had marked it down in her Evidence log, she and Manon returned back to where they had been investigating, leaving Alina and Kazuki alone with the monster.

Together, the two squatted down to examine the beast. It didn't seem to be activated at the moment. Rightfully so since it was the last show of the day… That and well, a dead body was found in the room. But despite it being out of commission for the time being, the two noticed that the beast itself was still the most realistic looking thing there was…

It was frightening, even up close.

But upon closer examination of every nook and cranny, there didn't seem to be anything of note regarding the animatronic itself…

"Well… Aside from the fact that this monster is connected to the pulley…" Kazuki began. "There's really nothing else off about this…"

Kazuki folded his arms and glanced toward Alina, who seemed to be deep in thought about something. Raising an eyebrow, he had to inquire…

"What's wrong… Miss Summers…?" Kazuki asked.

"I…" Alina rubbed her chin. "When that monster fell… It sounded so familiar to me."

"It did?" Kazuki closed one eye, bewildered. "The only noise it made was a slam… wasn't it? So… I can't really say that it would be fami–"

"No, that's just it," Alina sighed. "That slam was very familiar, but I just can't remember where I've heard it before…"

Kazuki let his one open eye blink before closing it. He let his mind escape as he thought about where Alina could've heard such a thing before. But frankly, he was at a loss. The sound wasn't familiar to him in the slightest.

So, what could Alina be yappin about here…?

Alina sighed.

"Nevermind," Alina folded her arms, looking slightly troubled. "I just… It must be my imagination."

Kazuki wasn't an idiot.

He knew that look. He's seen that same look on his brother every time he wound up on the medical bed back in his company. Kazuki shook his head and glanced at her warily.

"Is… everything alright… Miss Summers?" Kazuki asked.

Alina blinked, before trying to force a smile.

"Um, of course, why wouldn't it be?" she asked.

Kazuki blankly stared at her for a moment. If she was troubled, it wasn't hard to compile a list of reasons for what was troubling her. Was it Emmeline Swan's death? Was it what Beauté had said to her earlier? Was it the fact that she blamed herself for this…?

He wouldn't be surprised if it was the last option.

"...Is it about Miss Morose?" Kazuki chose one and ran with it.

Alina's smile twitched.

He was right on the money.

"...She's right," Alina sighed to herself. "You're right. Everyone is right when they say that I'm a hypocrite and people-pleaser. I just want what's best for everyone. I just want people to be happy. Is that so hard to ask for?"

Kazuki didn't say anything in response.

"...But I guess the truth is…" Alina chuckled to herself as she looked away. "I don't even know what the heck I'm doing half the time. So, why do I bother trying so hard…"

Kazuki sighed.

"Miss Summers…" Kazuki shook his head. "Right now… You can't be thinking about that. Miss Swan is dead and any guilt and regrets you may have will have to wait after the Trial. After that… Well… If you want a shoulder to cry on… I'm here… I guess…"

Kazuki gloomily looked away as Alina looked at him.

"...Thanks Kazuki but…" Alina looked down. "Something you should know about me is that…"

She glanced back with a smile.

"...I don't cry," Alina said.

Kazuki didn't let his eyes waver off of her.

It was clear that Alina cared a lot for everyone. But at the same time, that was practically her greatest flaw as well. She cared too much for other people's happiness. Kazuki didn't really say anything to Alina regarding that and instead gave her a small comforting glance. Then, together, they continued doing what they were doing and tried to investigate the rest of this joint…

…

"What is zis…?" Manon glanced at a small jar located on the set of the Doctor Eternos show.

Inside the jar was a police officer with blue hair. A Jar of… some cop. Pretty weird but definitely not involved with the case so Manon had set it back where she had found it before reconvening with Alisa. The clockmaker had been fixated on the pulley itself, jotting down notes about any peculiarities about it…

"Did you find any zing?" Manon asked Alisa.

The clockmaker could only hum in thought. Then, looking back and fixing her glasses, she shook her head.

"The pulley itself is clean and seems to be in stable working condition," Alisa remarked. "No foul play or anything of any sort."

"I imagine so," Manon looked down.

Alisa glanced at Manon.

She noticed the sadness that was prevalent on her face. It didn't take her any time to figure out why she was so sad. She fixed her glasses once more and looked at Manon with a neutral expression.

"Are you alright?" Alisa asked.

"...Non…" Manon looked away. "It's all my fault, oui?"

"Oh goodness," Alisa realized where this was heading.

"Madame Swan was ma bonne amie…" Manon looked down. "If I hadn't been so excited, Madame Swan would've lived, non? Maybe I would've stopped her killer from doing zis terrible zing. Maybe I could've saved her… Mais… all it took was one good act to distract me…"

Manon avoided looking at what she thought was going to be Alisa's look of pity directed toward her.

"I'm so useless, non?" Manon sighed.

"...Manon," Alisa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look. I can say whatever I want to comfort you. But in the end, it'll be a waste of time to do so. What happened to Emmeline happened. You can't change the past but what you can do is change the future and find out who did this to her in the first place…"

Alisa folded her arms.

"Blame yourself all you want but time is not on our side, right now," Alisa told her. "Help me solve this mystery and then you can cry. Okay?"

That sounded very familiar now, didn't it?

Manon glanced at Alisa and timidly nodded. She cleared her throat and tried her best to straighten out her posture and retain that look of superiority she always loved to show. The actress side: Manon Vivienne Levesque.

"Oui," Manon forced through it. "Oui. How can I help?"

Alisa eyed her closely.

Manon was trying her best to be strong. Alisa noticed that much. She took out her Evidence log and decided to use this opportunity to her advantage. She glanced at the clock and then began.

"For starters, could you tell me how exactly this Ultimate Attraction works?" Alisa rubbed her chin. "Through my understanding, it's a show that utilizes a lot of time-based restrictions. If you can help me understand that much, then I would be very appreciative."

"Oui, of course," Manon nodded.

Manon thought about the entire Ultimate Attraction and its functions. According to Alisa, this would be very important, so it was imperative that she remained strong and recounted everything she knew about this area. She was a regular here, so it wasn't hard. What was hard was trying to make sure her voice didn't crack while she spoke…

"So, ze times of ze show are as follows," Manon began to list. "1:00, 3:00, et 5:00…"

"That's the time the show begins right?" Alisa asked.

"Non," Manon shook her head. "Zat is ze time the Waiting Room doors open."

"The Waiting Room…" Alisa remembered seeing it on the way to the crime scene.

Made sense for an Ultimate Doctor's Attraction to have a Waiting Room. All part of the experience, right?

"Oui," Manon nodded. "After ze listed times, ze doors to ze Waiting Room open and guests stay in ze room for ten minutes."

Manon also tried her best to not blend her French-spoken numbers with the English-spoken numbers.

"After ten minutes," Manon continued. "Ze doors to ze Auditorium open. You only get five minutes of seating before ze show begins. Once ze show begins, zere are trois- Er, three musical numbers: Je m'appelle Doc–"

"English please," Alisa immediately corrected.

"Oui, pardon moi," Manon nodded. "My Name is Docteur Eternos… Liam, Count to Trois… Curse ze Docteur, ze Monster, ze Caster…"

Mostly English...

"So, this means that the overall setup from the time the attraction opens to when the show begins is exactly 15 minutes," Alisa checked the clock on the eTicket as he jotted all of this down. "Then, how long would you say the show itself is…?"

"45 minutes," Manon answered, confidently.

"A 45-minute show, meaning altogether, it's a one-hour attraction…" Alisa calculated.

"If you don't count ze photo-op," Manon pointed out.

"The photo-op?" Alisa blinked.

This was information she didn't know. After all, she's never been to this show. Never had the time to and probably also because she wasn't interested either. Regardless, it did take her by surprise to know that there even was a photo-op here…

"Oui, after every show, you get ze opportunity to take pictures on ze sets…" Manon nodded before looking away. "Madame Swan and moi loved doing that together…"

"Manon, please, focus," Alisa snapped her fingers.

"Oui, pardon," Manon nodded. There was no time for sentiments. "Ze photo-ops are always 20 minutes. After zat, ze doors to ze Auditorium closes in preparation for ze next showing! Zat's it!"

"That's it?" Alisa raised an eyebrow.

"Oui," Manon nodded.

"...So, in other words," Alisa muttered. "The entire attraction takes about one hour and 20 minutes… and takes about 40 minutes or less to prepare for the next showing."

Alisa glanced at the notes she jotted down.

"I see…" Alisa rubbed her chin.

She had no idea how this would help but because Emmeline was found at the crime scene, it had to be important somehow, right? There were a lot of timestamps to remember:

At the start of every showtime, the doors to the Waiting Room opens. After ten minutes, the Auditorium doors open. After five minutes, the show starts. After 45 minutes the show ends, and the photo-op opens. After 20 minutes, the doors close.

That was the gist of what was said.

Glancing at time, Alisa nodded appreciatively toward Manon.

"Thank you for your time," Alisa told her.

"Oui, of course," Manon nodded, though she was still clearly feeling a little sad about everything. It couldn't be helped.

It was like what Manon said.

Emmeline Swan was her friend.

Anyone would be sad in a situation like that.

With a sigh, Alisa wished she could comfort Manon a little more but time was against them in this Investigation Period. It was best she used all the time in the world in order to find every clue needed for this case. She turned to leave but was immediately met with…

"...What's this blue ball thing?" Alisa asked.

"Blue ball?" Manon blinked. "You can't say zat–"

"I'm talking about this thing on the floor," Alisa gestured to the blue moon prop.

This conversation also sounded familiar, didn't it?

"Oh, zat is ze moon!" Manon noted.

"...The moon?" Alisa blinked.

"Oui!" Manon smiled. "Zat is used during the show. After ze monster appears in ze show and right before ze Curse ze Docteur song plays, ze moon shines brightly on ze stage…"

Alisa blinked.

She squatted down and examined the blue moon prop carefully. It was large. She tried to lift it but found that it was a little heavy. And there was a rope hook on it. Overall, it was strange to find it behind the set's walls so she had to ask…

"Is it always stationed here?" Alisa asked.

"Of course!" Manon nodded. "Monsieur Stanczyk always told Madame Swan and me to put it back here after we're done playing with it."

Alisa ignored the fact that Manon and Emmeline used to play with the blue ball.

"Though, now zat I zink about it…" Manon began to think. "Ze moon didn't shine as bright as it did in ze show, now did it…?"

Alisa blinked.

What Manon said… could it mean something?

Alisa wasn't sure but she knew for a fact that this blue moon prop had to play into this case somehow. So the next thing she did was add another piece of evidence into her evidence log and mark down the blue moon…

---

(Outside)

Mara kept her hands stuffed in her pockets as she glanced away from the Ultimate Doctor's Attraction.

Emmeline Swan was dead.

The third person to die in this joint.

And the fourth dead body she's ever seen in her life. It just never gets easy does it? Mara said little to nothing as she thought back to how disorienting it all felt. She had seen the body from afar, said nothing, and walked outside to take a breather. And yet, the mental image remained in her head, blending with all the other bodies she's seen in her lifetime.

Mara placed a hand over her chest.

She took silent breaths. She looked around, noticing that there were a handful of people surrounding the outskirts of this area, like police holding a perimeter of a crime scene. Though most of them didn't notice, only one seemed to head in her direction.

Oh God.

Not now.

Why now?

She wanted to be alone…

"Garcia, you alright?" Issac raised an eyebrow toward Mara as he made his way toward her. "Isolde noticed you looked a little sick."

"...It's none of your business," Mara folded her arms. "I'm just investigating…"

Issac paused.

He tilted his head toward Isolde, as if the toy caterpillar was speaking to him. Then, he smiled politely toward Mara and scratched the back of his neck.

"I-Is… that so?" Issac questioned. "Isolde doesn't really believe you."

"Like I have to prove anything to a stuffed toy," Mara muttered. "I'm just taking a break, that's all."

Issac examined her closely.

Everything in his brain told him that she was lying. That there was something else going on. But Mara was a killer… So should he really be the one to overstep his boundaries and press on her for information? Issac didn't think so. Even Isolde wouldn't be able to protect him in this case.

"Well, that's cool," Issac smiled. "EIther case, where's Stan? There's… something I have to ask him."

"You're taking the clown's offer of getting questions answered?" Mara raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, as long as he's offering, right?" Issac brushed his hair to the side with a warm smile.

Mara didn't say anything in that regard.

She just didn't trust the jester. Whatever information he might give, it might be some wild goose that needed to be chased. She started to bandage her arms. She knew she said that she wanted to be alone but she couldn't just deny the fact that she was interested in what that crybaby clown had to say to whatever this toymaker had to ask…

"...He's at the Lady Radiance statue," Mara said. She noticed Issac was going to leave and instantly grabbed him by the caterpillar. "But, you'll take me with you."

"...You have your own questions to ask?" Issac blinked.

"No," Mara folded her arms. "It's for the simple fact that if you're the only one asking questions, then you're going to need someone to corroborate the statements in the Trial."

Issac rubbed his chin.

"That's actually not a bad idea," Issac smiled. "Great thinking, Garcia."

Mara blinked.

A compliment.

Hm. It was a nice feeling to get those…

…

As Issac and Mara made their way to Stanczyk, Roderick and Yukihiko stood in the far corner of the outside area. Yukihiko had been silent for a bit, thinking about the scenery that befell him when he had entered that building. To see Emmeline on the ground like that…

Yukihiko never liked Emmeline. He wasn't going to shy away from the truth like that. He disliked how someone her age could just pretend to be a child. But to see her dead… To see her be the first one amongst them to drop…

He'd be lying if he said it wasn't upsetting.

"So, why did you call me here, handsome?" Yukihiko asked, a more serious tone than before.

"I wanted yer alibi," Roderick answered honestly, lowering his beanie. "Best to have a clear timeline of everyone's whereabouts here, ye know?"

"Hmph, you suspect me, do you?" Yukihiko glanced at his nails.

"Nay!" Roderick frowned. "Why would ye think that?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Yukihiko tilted his head. "Out of everyone here, I was the only one who exhibited a clear distaste for Emmeline. And I was the one who suggested the idea of sacrificing someone in the first place. Albeit, with some help but still… The possibility still stands. If anyone had a motive to do something, it would be me."

"...I'm sorry," Roderick glanced away.

"Why are you sorry?" Yukihiko cradled Loofah, tirelessly. "I understand."

Then, surprisingly, he smiled.

"And besides, at the very least… the child is safe," Yukihiko commented. "Her sacrifice will not be in vain, I'd imagine."

Roderick blinked.

He wanted to take back that apology because what Yukihiko just said was all kinds of cold. It was true, it was no secret that Yukihiko had some sort of irritation toward the victim. And it was also true, it was far from a secret to know that Yukihiko was the one who went straight for the "sacrifice someone" approach.

He sighed.

And yet, this was someone he's spent one FTE in. He couldn't just suspect this person so easily.

"If you must know my whereabouts today…" Yukihiko spoke up. "I started my day by heading toward Clucks Deluxe for lunch at around 1:30… I finished at 1:55. By the time I reached the Lady Radiance statue, well… as you can imagine."

Yukihiko folded his arms.

"The 2:00 PM Parade began," Yukihiko said.

"Nay, so, ye were soft locked at the Lady Radiance statue?" Roderick blinked. "I didn't know being there didn't count for delaying the Parade."

"I didn't either," Yukihiko calmly said. "But nevertheless, I could've left at any time once the last Parade Float appeared…"

"Right, the Monster Parade Float that I valiantly killed," Roderick nodded, proudly.

Yukihiko remained silent for a moment before continuing.

"...Anyway, unfortunately for me, the Playtime Event kind of prevented me from doing that," Yukihiko sighed. "My collar was Red, so I was forced to stay until the 2:00 Parade ended at 2:30… That was when my collar turned to Green and then, I left the park. After that, I stayed in my room."

"So, ye were stuck at the Lady Radiance Parade throughout the 2:00 PM Parade?" Roderick blinked. "Nay, can ye prove that?"

"...Unfortunately, no," Yukihiko shook his head. "Sorry, handsome, but this time, you'll just have to take my word for it. I really was stuck on the Lady Radiance statue. If I did have evidence, I'd show you it in a heartbeat…"

"Aye…" Roderick looked down. "It be okay. I trust ye…"

"Whether that's a wise decision or not, we'll see," Yukihiko smiled to himself.

Roderick kept all of this in mind as he marked things down into his eTicket. He thought back to what Yukihiko had said.

Apparently, he finished eating at 1:55 and then got stuck at the Lady Radiance statue at 2:00. That was when the 2:00 Parade locked him in there. The Playtime Event would've played three times throughout that entire ordeal, and while he could've left at 2:20 because that was when all the Parade Floats would be circling the end of Pleasure Park, he couldn't because of his shock collar. Once the Parade ended at 2:30, his shock collar turned Green and he left the park.

That was the gist of that.

Boy! He sure felt like Alisa!

Roderick turned to leave but was immediately stopped by Yukihiko's voice.

"Well, hold your horses, handsome," Yukihiko smirked. "You really think you can just leave and not give me anything in return?"

"Huh?" Roderick blinked.

"What about you?" Yukihiko crossed his arms. "I mean, you'd asked for my alibi. It's only fair I ask for yours."

Roderick folded his arms in thought. A trade was a trade he supposed.

"Aye," Roderick nodded. "After Alisa came to cover my shift to watch Kazuki, I went for a nap. It be a long nap. By the time I woke up, that announcement played. I went to leave for the park and that's when I saw Daisuke screaming for everyone to come to the Doctor's Attraction."

Yukihiko considered this fact before patting Loofah on the back.

"So, like me, there's no one to corroborate whether what you've said is true between you taking this supposed nap and you seeing Daisuke…" Yukihiko noted. "Interesting…"

"Aye," Roderick simply lowered his beanie.

With both of them sharing their alibis, neither of them knew who was telling the truth and who was telling lies. But what they did have now were alibis that they could use at their own disposal should they choose. With firm nods, Yukihiko and Roderick went their separate ways, in hopes of searching for more evidence elsewhere…

…

Similar to Roderick and Yukihiko…

Daisuke, Kikuko, and Yumi had formed a trio to talk about their alibis regarding this crime. But all the while, Kikuko felt her mind wander elsewhere. Like her mind was trying to grasp something that others weren't really understanding. Like she was more focused on the why rather than the how and who…

"Kikuko?" Yumi blinked, noticing her distant stare. You aight?"

"Hm?" Kikuko shook her head to snap out of it. "Oh, my apologies. I was just thinking about this case, that's all."

"Ah see," Yumi scratched her head, keeping her Stetson hat on. "Ah reckon ya didn't hear mah alibi, did ya…?"

Kikuko blinked.

She knew she was caught so, honestly, she nodded.

"Once again, I apologize," she apologized, politely.

"Naw, don't be so courtly," Yumi shook her head with a grin. "It's what makes ya cute! I'll just say it again!"

Kikuko blinked. How on Earth could this girl be so honest with stuff like that. Especially now of all times?! Kikuko did everything she could to hold off her blush as she listened to Yumi speak.

"So, Fábio called me and Issac to da Ultimate Actress's Attraction at around 3:25 PM," Yumi began to recount. "He wanted to find out what da attraction "special touch" was by ridin da Spellcaster side of the ride… As Daisuke already knows, we didn't find nothin… By da time we finished, da 4:00 PM Parade had already started. Dats when we saw Stanczyk, talked to him about da kid, and well… Pretty much dat entire time until da body was found, we were together so…"

"So, Issac and Fábio are your alibi," Kikuko nodded.

"W-What about you, Kikuko?" Daisuke gulped. "What was your alibi?"

Kikuko had momentarily forgotten that Daisuke was right there too. She had to take a breath to not show just how startled she was at his overall, large presence. Once she regained her composure, she began to recount her tale:

"Well, I simply entered the park at around 3:50 PM…" Kikuko began. "I had myself a meal at Clucks Deluxe, which by the way is Daisuke… I would request some vegetarian options next time, please…"

"O-Oh, I'm sorry," Daisuke looked down.

"N-No, don't apologize I–" Kikuko held her tongue, shook her head, and continued. "Anyway, I spent most of my time inside Clucks Deluxe as the 4:00 PM Parade was going on so it wasn't like I had anywhere else to go. Also, I struggled to eat the food, so that took a while too. But by the time I came out, I saw Alina…"

"Alina?" Yumi blinked. "So, she's yer alibi?"

"Not quite," Kikuko shook her head. "Alina had been knocked out by the shock collars. When she woke up, it was 4:50 and she said she had to meet up with Manon and Emmeline for their little showing of Riku's Ultimate Attraction. I had to remain behind because my collar had turned Red."

"D-Did she say why she got shocked?" Daisuke asked.

"Well, she was about to delay the 4:00 Parade and was stuck on the street while on Red," Kikuko sighed. "So, she had no other choice. It was just a relief that she didn't get too hurt…"

"I… see…" Daisuke looked down.

All in all, both of the girls' alibis were stuff already seen in the last chapter. However, now it was Daisuke's turn. Both of them had turned to the large fast-food employee, with curious expressions on their faces.

"W-What?" Daisuke gulped. "W-What is it?"

"What about you, Daisuke?" Yumi questioned. "What was yer alibi…?"

"O..Oh… it was a nightmare," Daisuke looked down, sniffling slightly. "I told Alina, Manon, and Riku this but I didn't go into too much specifics… I went to get food at 1:00 PM and by the time I finished, I was hurrying back home. But then… it happened."

"What happened?" Yumi asked, curious.

"Th-The 2:00 PM Parade!" Daisuke blubbered. "Once it began, I realized I couldn't go back home because the way to the exit from the Clucks Deluxe side of the street would be blocked! So, I made like a chicken and crossed the road to get to the other side! And that's when the second unluckiest thing happened in my life!"

"Which is…" Kikuko raised an eyebrow.

"The Playtime Event!" Daisuke wailed. "And when I took a step forward, I got ZAPPED!"

Daisuke hunched over with a sigh.

"S-So, as you can imagine, the Playtime Event didn't change off of Red for a while, and because of that, I was kind of stuck at…" Daisuke's eyes trailed toward the police station a few miles away from where they were standing. "The police station side of the street…"

"The police station side?" Yumi blinked, surprised. "Are ya telling me yer collar never changed to Green once?!"

"W-Well, I'm pretty sure it did at least a couple times!" Daisuke explained. "But it didn't matter anyway, because the 2:00 PM Parade was still ongoing at the time! I couldn't move out of that location, even if I wanted to try!"

That was interesting.

But most noteworthy was the fact that Daisuke was practically soft locked at the Police Station during the 2:00 PM Parade. But if that was the case, then…

"What about after the Parade?" Kikuko asked. "What'd you do then?"

"Oh well, first chance it turned Green, I moved to Riku's Ultimate Attraction because that was how I could get to the exit…" Daisuke said. "But I had to wait a while for that to happen. Like, it was probably 3:30 by the time I finally got Green!"

"W-Why didn't ya just sprint…?!" Yumi was incredulous before noticing Daisuke's body and rubbed the back of his neck. "O-Oh. Uh. Nevermind."

"Ugh, b-by the time I moved to Riku's Ultimate Attraction, it was too late, and I was hit with another barrage of Red lights!" Daisuke wailed. "It was like the universe was forcing me to stay in the park! Never in my life have I been so unlucky! And then you know the rest! Manon appeared! Then Riku! Then Alina! And then I thought, you know what, I'll just watch the show! Yeah, that'll help my stress! That's what musicals are for, right?! Oh, how I was soooo wroooong!"

Common Daisuke L.

"So, in other words, you were stuck in this park out of sheer luck…" Kikuko blinked.

"M-MORE LIKE BAD LUCK!" Daisuke wailed. "IT WAS TERRIBLE! THANK GOD THIS WHOLE THING IS OVER!"

Yeah. It was hard to believe someone could be that unlucky. Even if this was really what happened, both Yumi and Kikuko had a hard time believing that this was it. That what happened to Daisuke really happened to him. But nevertheless, they marked what he said down in their respective Evidence logs and continued…

…

As Kikuko, Daisuke, and Yumi continued to compare alibis, Issac and Mara had continued walking their way toward where Stanczyk would be standing. But along the way, a roadblock had occurred. A roadblock in the form of an unusual item on the floor.

Mara reached down and picked it up.

"What is it?" Issac asked.

"It's…" Mara began. "...A comic book page…"

In her hands was definitely a relatively old and dated comic book most likely from one of the many issues of the Lady Radiance comics. Wouldn't be surprising to find this lying around an area dedicated to Lady Radiance but… Or actually… Now that they thought about it… What was this thing doing here?

"A comic book page starring Lady Radiance on the Ultimate Doctor's side?" Issac blinked.

"Must've flown over here from the other side by the wind," Mara shrugged.

"...Is it just the one page?" Issac questioned.

"Yeah, why?" Mara asked.

Issac wasn't sure why. But this did feel odd. Not only was this comic book page just seriously out of place, but it was also just the one page. If it really had been carried by the wind, there'd be at least more strewn around right? So, what did this mean?

"...Not sure," Issac said, instead. "Just interesting to find an out of place comic book here, y'know…?"

Mara did know.

So, she folded it up and placed it in her pockets. With that roadblock out of the way, it was time to finally talk to Stanczyk…

---

[Happy Highway]

---

(Hollywood)

When Issac and Mara finally made it to Stanczyk, Issac and Mara took in the scenery that befell them all. For starters, the Police Parade Float was sitting right next to them along with Lawson the Lamb and its other marching band parade participants. Yet, all of them were unmoving and looked to be disabled.

Already, this was a strange sight that Issac and Mara couldn't ignore. And Stanczyk himself was smiling, as if he was expecting the company of his best friends to take him up on his generous offer. He waved excitedly to the two.

"Best friends!" Stanczyk exclaimed. "Hello! Hello! How are you doing?! Let me guess! You came here to take me up on my offer and ask me a question! Oh! How exciting!"

"That's right… but…" Issac glanced toward the frozen Police Parade Float. "...What's with the Parade? It's like it's paused right now."

"You're absolutely right, it is!" Stanczyk happily cheered. "You see, the entire park is under the jurisdiction of the Investigation Period. Meaning, that every time a body is discovered, every attraction will be deactivated! And that includes the Traffic Jam Parade! Otherwise, to get to me, you'd have to waste precious Investigation time…!"

Stanczyk wiped away stray tears.

"...A-And I can't have that!" Stanczyk exclaimed. "I want to find out who killed Emmeline Swan! And I want to help in any way I can!"

"Wait, so does that mean you don't know who's the blackened behind this case?" Mara raised an eyebrow.

"Nope!" Stanczyk grinned. "Where's the fun in knowing the answers and just watching everyone try to find the truth?!"

Damn. Didn't have to call me out like that–

"...So, just like you kids, I'm just as in the dark as you all are!" Stanczyk grinned, excitedly. "Isn't that exciting?!"

"So, does this mean you'll help us solve the case?" Issac smiled.

"Nope!" Stanczyk grinned once more. He pouted. "Monoyena restricted me to cheerleader position… Said he couldn't have me yapping my mouth during the Trial! Can you believe how mean he is?!"

"So, in other words… while you don't know who killed Emmeline… Monoyena does," Mara deduced. "Meaning, he's our judge, jury, and executioner during the Playhouse Trial."

"That's right!" Stanczyk beamed. "And I get to play with the hammer thing if I'm good!"

"You mean a gavel…?" Mara deadpanned.

"Yeah, that!" Stanczyk laughed. "Hahahaha!"

Issac figured this makes sense. Despite Stanczyk not knowing who the blackened actually is, he did know some things regarding attraction operations and components that others may have to figure things out for. Perhaps this is why Stanczyk offered to be the one to answer any questions should anyone have anything…

"...Stan," Issac folded his arms. "When I investigated Swan's body, I noticed that her neck collar was broken. I wanted to ask about that…"

"W-What?" Stanczyk widened his eyes. "Did you say her shock collar was broken? B-But that's impossible! N-No one can break a shock collar like that! It's industrial-made! It wouldn't be easy to do something like that!"

"Her shock collar was broken?" Mara turned to Issac, surprised.

"First off, what would happen if the shock collar broke?" Issac asked. "Would that mean Swan wouldn't be subject to the Playtime Event game anymore?"

Stanczyk seemed nervous, as his mask had somehow turned bluer than it normally was.

"No, it's much worse than that…" Stanczyk explained. "If a shock collar breaks, it'll go through a self-destruction kind of ordeal. Meaning…"

Stanczyk tilted his head as his red eye glowed and his grin distorted.

"eLeCTriC sHoCKs WoULd bE aLL sHe feELs…" Stanczyk spoke in his distorted voice.

"Are you saying that if our shock collars broke, it'll shock us forever…?" Issac widened his eyes.

"Until you die, yes," Stanczyk smiled innocently.

What the fuck…

If you didn't think they were serious about this game, you'd know they were now. Industrial-made shock collars were no joke. And if a shock collar breaks, then that was practically a death sentence. God.

Was that what happened to Emmeline…?

…

"Attention all wanks and wankers!" Monoyena's voice crackled through the park's intercom. "I'm getting fucking bored and I want to watch some good courtroom drama! Hope y'all investigated as much as ya needed to because as of now, the Investigation Period is good as over! Everyone head to that Cunt Radiance statue and let Stanshit do his thing! See ya fucks at the Playhouse Trial! Bwa… Bwahahahahaha!"

Issac and Mara's moment of uneasy silence was broken by Monoyena's sudden announcement.

The Investigation Period was over.

And everyone was supposed to have finished collecting all the pieces of evidence they would need for this Trial. But after hearing that horror story of what would happen if their shock collars broke… Well, it made Issac and Mara feel even more uncomfortable with those things around their necks.

"Well, guess we're already here!" Stanczyk laughed. "Hope I answered your question because as of now, my lips are sealed!"

Yes Stan.

You've answered the questions quite well…

…

Given the fact that everyone was practically on one side of the Happy Highway, to gather up at the Lady Radiance statue wasn't exactly a long process. The frozen Parade was still frozen and that didn't go unnoticed by anyone here.

Fábio became the first to speak up about that.

"What's with the Parade?" Fábio asked. "Why is it–"

"Ah, I suppose I'll have to explain that to everyone here as well!" Stanczyk boasted. "What you're looking at is the 6:00 Parade getting ready to come out for its last showing today! But with Emmeline Swan's death…"

Stanczyk wiped away a stray tear.

"...All rides and attractions have been deactivated for the time being until this case gets resolved!" Stanczyk declared, throwing his hands up in the air in celebration.

"Question," Yukihiko spoke, walking up toward Stanczyk with a serious look on his face. "The little girl. Now that Emmeline is dead, what's become of her…?"

"H-Hey Yukihiko–" Aidan was about to say but a sharp glare from Yukihiko cut him off.

"Glad you asked!" Stanczyk excitedly revealed. "The little girl is safe! Monoyena won't touch her and it's all thanks to you kids!"

Stanczyk started to weep.

"Oh ho *sniffles* it's so beautiful… " Stanczyk ripped off a part of his jabot and waved it in the air like a peace offering. "You kids did a swell job…"

"At the cost of murdering one of our own…" Aidan gritted his teeth.

"...Oh yeah, that too," Stanczyk tucked his jabot back underneath his jagged red eye designed crest. "How could one of you kids do something like that?! So despicable! Killing is distasteful and yet they killed one of my best friends! So mean!"

"His morality is all over the place…" Kikuko remarked.

"But at the very least, we know whose side he's on…" Fábio frowned. "Monoyena's…"

"Anyway, why did Monoyena specifically request we meet here, Mr. Stanczyk?" Beauté spoke with such thrilling excitement. "This statue is such a strange place to hold a Trial, don't you think?"

"Great question, little girl!" Stanczyk grinned. "And great questions also have great answers! It's time to begin!"

Stanczyk threw his arms into the air as the Lady Radiance started to blast bright lights from her hands, nearly blinding the playmates. The statue started to grow taller… her height, extending as if Lady Radiance was lifting off into the air and getting to fly. Edison Thomps could never. But in reality…

…A large elevator with a maximum occupancy of 24 was revealed to be underneath the Lady Radiance statue this entire time.

Stanczyk stepped to the side and bowed.

"All aboard, best friends!" Stanczyk exclaimed, happily.

---

The 15 playmates entered the elevator in a single-file line.

Most of them were nervous as they had no idea where this elevator would realistically take them. For all they knew, this could be yet another DL-6 Experience, but with an actual elevator this time. But at the same time, it wasn't like any of them could back out. There was apparently a killer amongst them…

…And it was their job to figure out who.

Once Riku became the last of the playmates to enter the elevator, Stanczyk hopped in and pressed one of only two buttons the elevator had: Down.

The doors closed.

And finally, the elevator descended down at a steady pace.

…

Everyone remained silent as they listened to the sound of the elevator moving past floor after floor. Wherever they were going, it was definitely deep underneath the park, which made this all the more unnerving.

Also, this meant that some of the playmates were a little close to Stanczyk himself. If they could, they'd strangle right now and hold him hostage… At least, that would've probably worked in Corrupted Hope, but here in Twisted Tragedy, they've got children to worry about. It…

…would not go well.

"So, wouldn't it be fun if the elevator just shut off right now and then we can play Uno?" Stanczyk grinned. "We have the people for it!"

"We have way more than needed for a game of Uno," Fábio remarked.

"Oh!" Stanczyk grinned. "We're here!"

The elevator stopped.

…

And slowly, the doors opened…

---

(Trial Grounds)

…to the Trial Grounds.

Although it was meant to be like a grand courtroom, its decor blended the elements of your classic Class Trial arrangement into what seemed to be like Hollywood-themed decor.

Surrounding the walls were deactivated muscle cars from the 70s, watching them like they were alive or something. Painted on the walls were portraits of famous movies… like a Hall of Fame kind of ordeal. There was even a painting of the Hollywood sign as well.

For the courtroom aspect of the Trial were 16 podiums, arranged in a round circle. In between two podiums was a two-person couch where Monoyena currently sat, swirling around a shrimp cocktail with that nasty grin of his. Stanczyk on the other had pranced his way toward the seat, landing straight on his part of the seat with that shit-eating grin he always possessed.

In the center of the 16 podiums was a traffic light. Why was that there… who knows?

In terms of podium arrangement, it was structured like this:

Aidan, Alina, Alisa, Daisuke, a portrait of Emmeline's face being crossed off by a butterfly with an 'X' pattern on it, Fábio, Issac, Kazuki, Kikuko, Manon, Mara, Beauté, Riku, Roderick, Yukihiko, Yumi, and finally the couch in-between Yumi and Aidan.

"Welcome one and all to the Playhouse Trial Grounds!" Monoyena declared, toasting his glass. "I've been waiting a long fucking time for this! What took so long, ya slow-assed punks?!"

"They were having some fun, family-like bonding time!" Stanczyk declared.

"Were they…?" Monoyena turned to the playmates, his red jagged eye glowing. "Well, let me give them a piece of advice about that. Fuck family! Mumsie was too pathetic to keep living before I was even born and Popsies is a fuckin pussy for not even reconnecting with his own chum!"

Monoyena stirred his drink in aggravation.

"I know we've got cars here, but ain't no reason to get that Vin Deez Nuts guy in the mix!" Monoyena snarled. "Just get yer asses in the podiums and let's get started! Aight?!"

The remaining 15 playmates did as they were told, albeit a little begrudgingly.

They still couldn't believe that something like this had happened. It was inevitable that someone was going to die, but still, they couldn't believe it.

Emmeline Swan was dead.

And now, they were responsible for catching her killer…

How did each of them feel about that…?

…

Aidan looked conflicted. He was tearing himself apart between what was right and wrong. Emmeline was dead and whoever killed her was supposedly one of them. He just wasn't sure if he could believe that. He just… couldn't believe that!

Alina was rubbing her arm in comfort. She looked away but it was clear that she was trying to stay strong and keep her smile of determination going. She was trying so hard to force that smile once again. She had to. There was a killer amongst them…

Alisa was looking at her pocket watch. Whether she was counting down the seconds it would take them to start or just her trying to calculate the timing of this entire case… Well, that itself was unknown.

Daisuke was looking close to pissing himself. He's never been in a situation like this before! To be in a grand court with the sole purpose of trying to find out who killed Emmeline! He wished he could just be home right now…

Emmeline was in the middle of metamorphosis right now, so therefore she gets no reaction panel.

Fábio kept his hands shoved in his pockets as his once twinkling eyes showed a glimmer of icy coldness. He was not happy. Not at all. Someone here killed Emmeline. Whether or not it had to happen, Fábio didn't care. He was ready to find the killer.

Issac seemed to be in a silent one-on-one discussion with Isolde. Though, it did look like they were talking to one another, one could easily mistake this as them making out. Sharing one last kiss kind of ordeal for their first Playhouse Trial could very well be their last.

Kazuki folded his arms and closed his eyes. He's been ready for a while and kept himself calm and poised. He made sure to keep a level-head but deep down, he knew… He knew he should've been stronger. He should've acted much smarter… Maybe then…

Kikuko was also similarly level-headed, calm, and poised. But her eyes gleamed blue slightly, almost like the spirit of Seiryuu was by her side, ready to assist her in discovering the truth behind this heinous crime…

Manon looked absolutely ready to throw hands right now. Her closest friend, Emmeline Swan, was just murdered, and it was her responsibility to look out for her! She didn't know how she was going to achieve this, but she knew for sure that her murderer would be brought to justice!

Mara kept her arms crossed and kept her gaze fixed elsewhere. There was nothing on her mind about all this. The feeling of death by her side was a sensation she was all too familiar with. Whether or not justice could be sought for… she highly doubted it.

Beauté looked absolutely ready to play the game. She had her hand fan out to cover the lower half of her face. But it was clear that underneath that fan was a poorly concealed smirk. She was anticipating something fun. Something exciting. Thrilling. Elegant…

Riku simply stuffed one hand in his pocket and bit into an apple. His eyes were cold and dead as he suspiciously glanced at everyone behind him. Why did someone kill Emmeline, he didn't exactly care. All he cared about was finishing this so he could leave this disgusting place…

Roderick lowered his beanie in frustration. He had no idea who it could be, but apparently it was one of them. Paranoia was a feeling he was all too familiar with, but he was only used to it out at sea. To experience this on land… it was a new experience altogether…

Yukihiko held Loofah tightly. He had figured that he'd be the prime suspect of this case. If not, then that was also good. Regardless, he was in this for the children. They were his number one priority. Whoever this killer was… Well, he wasn't sure…

Yumi kept her white Stetson hat straightened in determination. This killer killed the most innocent gal in their party. And she wasn't going to let them get away with it. She kept her eagle-eye fixed on the portrait of Emmeline.

She was going to avenge her.

They all were.

They had to…

…

"You guys can do it!" Stanczyk grinned. "Friends…"

Stanczyk tilted his head and leaned forward, his red eye glowing and his yellow plus-shaped eye sparking slightly. His voice distorted and his grin widened:

"iT'S TiMe tO pLaY…"

---

DANGANRONPA: TWISTED TRAGEDY

---

Happy Mother's Day!

Yep! Three chapters within one week! And you're probably getting more later on before the 15th :D This is the Investigation chapter! And it's out, ready to go along with... the other Trial parts that I will need to edit once more XD

Gave you all plenty of Truth Bullets! But be wary that not every bolded thing is something you can use and not everything that you can use is bolded! They're just important stuff to know but might not have anything to do with anything! So just keep that in mind and please don't get pissy with me if you didn't catch a detail or two XE Once again, very nervous on how this case will turn out for you guys :0 My biggest deal is hoping that it makes a lot of sense! XD

Look out for Otterplay's Algorithmic Alterations! He's probably also on a similar writing crunch so hooray :D

Place your bets on who you think killed Emmeline! :D Maybe even the how you think they murdered her! I'm always down to listen to theories and the likes! And please let me know how I'm doing with these characters :D Love it? Hate it? Something I need to work on? Let me know!

Other than that, I'll see you guys in the Trial chapters!

As Stanczyk has said...

iT'S TiMe tO pLaY...

---

Playmates Remaining: 15

---

Aidan Brighton - The Ultimate Track Star [Omakin]

Alina Summers - The Ultimate Maestro [Otterplay]

Alisa Zachary - The Ultimate Clockmaker [ExtraMeme]

Beautè Morose - The Ultimate ? [Grandma Sue]

Daisuke Kido - The Ultimate Fast-Food Employee [CandleFire45]

Fábio Barbosa - The Ultimate Figure Skater [Rayy12]

Issac Santiago - The Ultimate Toymaker [oddlyillregular]

Kazuki Nobukatsu - The Ultimate Philanthropist [emberblitz321]

Kikuko Unmei - The Ultimate Shrine Priestess [WolfieRed23]

Manon Vivienne Levesque - The Ultimate Actress [Sempi]

Marabel "Mara" Garcia - The Ultimate Karate Master [Epifanio Therion]

Riku Arakawa - The Ultimate Doctor [theotakureader101]

Roderick Cutler - The Ultimate Deep Sea Fisherman [Orlando Butler]

Yukihiko Yuno - The Ultimate Child Caregiver [Weekaro]

Yumi Gundo - Ultimate Gunslinger [MrUtenaHolic]