Chapter 2: Adventures in Paradise Gloom (Deadly Life #2)
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.
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As young Marcus Avventira's leg was situated against the fold-up chair, the grainy film from what seemed to be from the 1980s-1990s withered a bit. Turning his head, the young adventurer gave the camera a smoldering look, as patriotic American fanfare played in the background.
"Hello there, boys and girls," Marcus smiled toward the camera. "The name's Marcus Avventira! Alumnus of Hope's Peak Los Angeles, star of the hit movie franchise, The Adventures of Marcus Avventira, and... Ultimate Explorer!"
Marcus pointed his finger toward the camera with a click of his tongue.
"Did you know that there are approximately 248 million people that currently reside in our great nation, the United States of America?" Marcus questioned. "Well then, what if I told you that approximately 1/4th of these "American citizens" are actually spies sent by the Soviet army to destroy America from the inside out?"
Marcus tipped his hat, his face serious.
"It's true," Marcus declared. "Every day, more and more Red Demons are spilling over to the United States, posing as American citizens. They look like us. They act like us. But they aren't us."
Marcus dropped his leg from the chair and stared directly into the camera.
"Don't be afraid," Marcus folded his arms. "Thanks to the endorsement of President George H. W. Bush, your brave American soldiers are fighting these Soviet slime as we speak. However, this war cannot be fought alone. That's where you kids come in."
Marcus pointed his finger toward the camera.
"Keep your eyes open, kiddos," Marcus instructed. "Soviet Demons may be amongst us but they aren't as good as blending in as you may think. Watch out for suspicious activity of all kinds. If you do see anything out of the ordinary, do not engage. Instead, find the nearest trusted adult, like your parents and your local police officer, and report them discreetly and quietly."
With a smile, Marcus tipped his hat.
"If you see something, say something," Marcus declared. "Because while me and the boys go out to war, we're counting on you to keep our streets free from these Red-blooded bastards. Remember kids, adventure is out there. And the first step to adventure is fighting for those you care about."
Marcus saluted.
"God bless America!" Marcus smirked. "Land of the Free!"
Marcus gave a smoldering look to the camera as his face was slowly replaced by a set of words that appeared on screen:
"If You See Something, Say Something."
"This message was approved by MK Productions."
…
Static.
[TRIAL COMMENCE]
"It's time to remind ya wankers on the rules of the Funhouse Trial!" Monoyena bounced on the soft couch in between Yumi and Aidan's podiums.
In Monoyena's paw was a nice shrimp cocktail as a fun little snack. Stanczyk on the other hand, leaned back against his side of the couch, sniffling profusely into a piece of his jabot. It was nothing new for the overemotional jester, who now had three playmates to mourn for. Perhaps four, depending on the outcome of this Trial.
"Y-You already did this before *sniffle*," Stanczyk wiped stray tears from his sockets. "But remember, someone amongst you killed another one of my best friends! As such, it's your job to figure out who's the blackened that would do such a horrible thing! U-Uwaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Stanczyk started sobbing incessantly, paving the way for the Australian Hyena to take over.
"Ya fuckfaces know the rest," Monoyena swirled his cocktail around. "Find out who the cunt that did this is… Vote for them. If yer right, only that cunt gets ripped to shreds, courtesy of me. But if yer wrong…"
Monoyena widened his grin to reveal his hideously sharp teeth.
"I'll fucking roast ya in a firepit till yer skin melts off and then leave ya for the vultures, where they're gonna pick ya bones apart piece by piece!" Monoyena cackled. "Fucking diabolical! Bwa… Bwahahahahaha!"
As always, the remaining unlucky 13 playmates shared uncomfortable glances with one another over the crude hyena's words. No one wanted to be burnt to a crisp and fed to a bunch of birds. That was a fate crueler than death itself… and Monoyena seemed to have a kink for stuff like that.
"Don't scare them, Monoyena!" Stanczyk suddenly jumped in, berating his hyena friend. "We don't even have Mono-Vultures!"
"Probably because Popsie and Mumsie forgot about them in the animal fucking kingdom," Monoyena licked his Barbie Blade excitedly. "Now, we gonna get this fucking show on the road or what?"
"Right!" Stanczyk turned back to the playmates. "Do you have any questions, best friends?!"
This time, no one had anything to ask.
Most eyes were on Riku's portrait. Even though he wasn't the nicest person to be around, solving what happened to him was their duty. His germaphobic responses and strange death threats were to be missed. For now…
"None?" Stanczyk blinked, tilting his head. "Excellent! So, here we go best friends! It's time to tell me by barking like a chihuahua…"
"Reference to Season 2, Episode 4, 'Stanczyk Gets A Dog'," Yukihiko mused to himself, quietly.
Stanczyk's face distorted, ignoring Yukihiko, his grin turning sinister and his red eye glowing intensely as he leaned forward. It was like his darker and creepier side had taken over once more…
"WhO iS iT tHaT KiLLeD RiKu ARaKaWA…?"
...
"To figure that out…" Yukihiko decided to lead the Trial this time around. "Why don't we all take a look at the Stanczyk File? It was a good starting point for us last time. Trying that again might just give us the results we need."
"Ah heh heh…" Beauté giggled. "Now you're getting it! Every Trial has to start out with the basics of the case! That's just good writing!"
What?
Ignoring that, Alisa and Kazuki both pulled up their eTickets and scrolled through their selection of applications. Once their fingers landed on the Evidence application, they opened up to reread the information they already knew before.
"Well, according to the Stanczyk File…" Alisa read out loud. "We know that our victim, Riku, was killed via a gunshot to the head. While there is no Time of Death, because of course there isn't, at least the Stanczyk File also makes sure to point out that he was also shot near his hip as well."
"Aye," Roderick folded his arms. "Riku's corpse be a reflection of that."
He thought back to the notable thing that he and Yukihiko had found during their investigation of the body.
His hair, shirt, and pants were wet. One could say that Riku Arakawa was wet but that seemed like it was in poor taste, so we will not be doing this time. Of course, to note was that gaping hole in Riku's head, still dripping that cold mixture of blood and water. That was the obvious Cause of Death. Similarly, upon closer examination was the thing near his hip. Yep.
There it was...
Plain as day.
Another gunshot wound.
Just as Beauté had pointed out from their second Stanczyk File.
"Nay, another gunshot wound but this time near his hip?" Roderick glanced at the injury closer before shaking his head. "Poor lad must've been in pain unbelievable to the common man. Nay..."
"Can confirm," Yukihiko confirmed. "When Roderick and I examined Riku's body, there was a bullet wound near Riku's hip. Naturally, we all saw that bleeding hole in his too..."
So, Riku died of a gunshot wound to the head. Not only that, but he was also shot in the hip as well. While these were the basic facts of the case thus far, there was really only one thing they could conclude from this. A basic piece of evidence to get this Trial up and rolling…
"So…" Kazuki openly voiced. "...We know that Riku's Cause of Death was a gunshot wound to the head… Which means…"
Kazuki smiled to himself.
"...I think we can already figure out what the murder weapon that did this foul deed was..." the philanthropist seemed sure of it.
Anyone would! The answer was really easy!
"Right, the murder weapon that was used to kill Riku…" Fábio rubbed his chin. "It had to be…
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…the golden gun, right?"
Glass shards were strewn across the floor. The high score had been changed from its classic 1,575,800 points to a whopping 1,843,600. But that wasn't the kicker that caused them to stand there in shock. Because the most shocking thing was what was missing…
"H-Hey, w-wasn't there supposed to be some golden gun there?" Fábio widened his eyes.
Indeed.
The golden gun that was normally on display was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it may have been scattered on the floor somehow thanks to… whatever happened to here. But the point of issue now was that it was just not there. Could it be…?
"Yeah, supposed to be…" Mara looked disturbed.
"Indeed," Alisa nodded. "As it stands, that gun is currently missing. So, the odds of it being the murder weapon has already reached its peak of certainty."
"A golden gun being the murder weapon…"
The mutter of a peculiar voice filled forced Alisa to place a hand on her hips and raise an eyebrow. Someone was cooking up an idea and she was ashamed to not have realized who it was sooner. She glanced toward the owner's voice: Aidan Brighton, who stood by his podium with a confident look on his face.
"Aidan?" Alisa tilted her head, curiously. She pushed her glasses up. "Do you have something you would like to– Oh."
A realization dawned on her.
"Oh no…" she inwardly groaned.
"I think I solved the mystery," Aidan beamed, the confidence seeping through his veins. "No, I didn't just solve the mystery. I know exactly who did it and how!"
"N-Nay!" Roderick widened his eyes. "Already?!"
He paused.
"...Ye ain't gonna be accusing me now, are ye?" Roderick folded his arms.
PTSD flashbacks for sure.
"Hey, relax big guy," Aidan gave him a reassuring thumbs-up. "I'm not an idiot, y'know."
"Um, yes you are," Yukihiko deadpanned.
Aidan took no heed to Yukihiko's insult and continued on.
"There is literally only one person who could've pulled off this crime and the golden gun being missing is a clear indicator of who it could be!" Aidan placed his hands over his hips with sheer determination. Without warning, he pointed his finger toward who he thought was the culprit. "And that culprit…
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…is you, Yumi Gundo!"
"W-Wot in tarnation?!" Yumi exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.
The last Trial proved that out of everyone here, Aidan was the one who would quickly accuse others of the crime they supposedly committed. A little immature on his part, but when the guy has little brains to work with, sometimes shouting out answers until they stuck was probably the best thing he could do. And at least this time around, there were some things Aidan clued in that made him immediately suspect her.
"Y-You mean, it was Yumi Gundo?!" Stanczyk chipped in, gasping. "B-But why?! Why would you do such a thing to such an innocent yet scary young boy?!"
"B-Because ah didn't!" Yumi exclaimed. "Honest to Betsy! It wasn't me!"
"Oui, it can't be Madame Gundo!" Manon refused to believe it as well. She directed her attention toward Aidan, hand over face as she spoke. "W-Why do you zink it is her?!"
"Why?" Aidan smiled to himself. "Well, I'll tell you why, right here, right now! So, listen up!"
"Ah heh heh," Beauté supplied her iconic cackle. "I take it we are going to hear yet another one of Aidan's Testimonies? Why do I feel like I'm about to hear something quite disappointing…?"
Aidan ignored Beauté's little bash and simply gave everyone a thumbs-up of reassurance. He may be the resident dumbass of the group, but at least he had spirit in trying to find out who the hell went ahead and killed of his own. And with this Testimony, he was bound to prove that Yumi was the guilty party in this situation.
…
"You want a reason why I can confidently say Yumi's the killer?" Aidan flashed his thumbs-up high in the air for all to see. "Well, first thing's first, as we all know, Riku was killed from a gunshot to the head."
"Yes, we went over that," Yukihiko nodded. "He was also shot near the hip as well. Are you going to factor that into your Testimony?"
"Of course I am," Aidan beamed. "Because those two gunshots are proof that Yumi did it!"
"Just because zey are gunshots?!" Manon exclaimed in bewilderment. "Mais, anyone could fire a gun! Not just Madame Gundo! In fact, I would say even you can fire one aussi, Monsieur Brighton!"
"I… highly doubt that," Beauté retorted in the sidelines.
"Maybe, but firing the gun isn't what I'm getting at!" Aidan grinned. "Because remember, we also concluded that the murder weapon had to have been the golden gun!"
"Indeed…" Kazuki nodded. "...The golden gun was locked behind a display case. And the only way to get it was to ride Miss Gundo's Ultimate Attraction and try to beat Mister Stanczyk's high score…"
"And that's exactly why I think Yumi is the killer," Aidan continued.
He flipped his water bottle, watching it land upright before continuing along. Placing his hands over his hips, he showered everyone with a determined look on his face.
"She's the Ultimate Gunslinger," Aidan continued. "And as the Gunslinger, she'd be no match for the challenge of a gun game."
Aidan slammed his water bottle against the podium once again.
"That's how she got the golden gun!" Aidan gave Yumi an accusatory look. "She rode her Ultimate Attraction, played the game, and won the golden gun!"
Aidan pointed his finger toward the cowgirl.
"That's why Yumi has to be the culprit of this crime!" Aidan declared. "She's the only one capable enough to beat Stanczyk's high score!"
"Non, c'est faux!" Manon objected. "Zat is not true at all!"
"W-What are you talking about?!" Aidan frowned. "How could it not be true?! That's the only way to get the golden gun in the first place, isn't it?!"
"Well, oui… zat is true, mais zere is one problem with what you have said, Monsieur Brighton…" Manon took a deep breath and folded her arms.
If she were to save Yumi from these baseless accusations, she was going to have to give these people everything she got. She noted the one piece of evidence that could show the contradiction in Aidan's Testimony.
"Ze problem…" Manon began. "...with what you have said is…
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…she never beat ze high score!"
"W-What?!" Aidan squeezed his water bottle in shock.
"Oui!" Manon nodded. "According to her, yesterday, Monsieur Stanczyk managed to beat his own high score, raising the score for her to beat. It was a huge blow to Madame Gundo's reputation!"
"The high score…" Kazuki hummed.
Immediately, all eyes turned toward the high score hanging underneath where the display case and golden gun would've been. Written clearly in white chalk was the following:
High Score To Beat: 1,843,600
"...Wow…" Kazuki noted. "The score really did change…"
"Y-Yeah, dat's right!" Yumi joined in. "Ah never did beat da high score! As talented as ah was, ah just couldn't do nothin 'bout it! If ya don't believe me, just go and check mah own Ultimate Attraction! The high score is still there!"
"I… How on earth have you not beaten it?!" Aidan frowned, disappointed that it seemed like he was in the wrong once again. "You're the Ultimate Gunslinger! You had so many days to beat it–"
"Dat's cause Stanczyk went ahead and increased da high score, ya git!" Yumi argued.
"W-What in Sam Hill–" Yumi froze, her mouth agape, face pale, and mentality on the verge of shattering.
Because what she was staring at was Stanczyk, standing right in front of the golden gun display case. But it wasn't exactly the presence of Stanczyk that caught her by surprise. It was what he was standing next to: the high score. Or more appropriately, the updated high score…
High Score To Beat: 1,843,600
"Surprise!" Stanczyk had his arms extended out excitedly, wiggling his fingers in absolute excitement.
"Of course I did!" Stanczyk grinned. "I didn't want people beating my high score! So, I went ahead and did better than my usual best! It was a lot of work! Let me tell you!"
"S-So… if Yumi didn't actually beat the high score, then what does that…" Aidan trailed off, his mind getting confused by these turns of events.
"It means, Madame Gundo is innocent!" Manon exclaimed, cheerfully. "Just as we've been trying to tell you!"
"Woowee, ma'am, ah tip mah hat off to you…" Yumi sighed in relief.
Yumi did just as she said and directed it toward the French actress. Manon turned away, her face warming up to the gesture. She needed to control herself. It was Trial time, and she shouldn't get too invested in whatever she thinks would happen between her and Yumi. Not now…
"Just a moment," Kikuko raised her hand. "Pardon me, but I'm not quite sure we should let Yumi off the hook just yet."
"Q-Quoi?" Manon widened her eyes. "W-Why not?"
"Well, Kazuki said it himself, did he not?" Kikuko closed her eyes in thought. "The golden gun was locked behind a display case. And the only way to retrieve it is through beating Stanczyk's high score. But if the high score was never beaten…"
Kikuko glanced back up, her eyes flaring blue.
"...Then, how exactly did the killer retrieve the golden gun in the first place…?" she asked.
A fantastic question!
As Kikuko pointed out, the only way they knew how to actually get the gun was to win it. But since the high score proved that no one actually won it, that meant that the killer got the gun through some alternative method. A method that could be easily proven if one looked at what happened at Yumi's Ultimate Attraction.
"Well, perhaps, I can answer that…" Alisa fixed her glasses. "It's possible the killer simply…
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…broke into the display case."
"B-Broke into the display case?" Kikuko looked surprised by that.
It was an integral part of the Investigation as the main source of the mess in Yumi's Attraction was pretty much the glass case that had once kept that golden gun on display in all of its glory. Now, it was just nothing but shattered pieces scattered on the ground. Fixing her glasses, Alisa examined this sight closely.
"The display case has been shattered," Alisa inquired. "Which means that whatever shattered it had to have been pretty powerful."
"N-Nay, ye can do that?!" Roderick exclaimed, bewildered.
"Apparently, yes…" Alisa folded her arms. "When we investigated Yumi's Attraction, we found shards of glass shattered into millions of pieces. It was obviously because the display case itself had been broken."
"Mara, Kikuko, and I can confirm that too," Fábio nodded. "We saw it for ourselves when we were trying to track down those gunshots."
"So, you're telling me that there was a much easier way to get that golden gun, and it was through breaking the display case?!" Yukihiko, irritated, turned to Alisa and the other four names that were mentioned. "I would imagine something like this would be against the rules, would it not?"
Yukihiko turned his attention to Monoyena, who simply drank his shrimp cocktail like nothing was happening.
"Nay!" Roderick pointed his finger toward the hyena. "Ye slimy hyena fish ye! Tell us! Is there no rule against breaking the glass to the golden gun prize?!"
Monoyena placed his drink down, calmly.
"Y'know, I'm surprised none of ya dumbasses tried it sooner," Monoyena calmly stated before bursting into laughter. "Bwa… Bwahahahahahaha! What a bunch of fucking morons!"
"S-So, it wasn't against the rules…?" Yukihiko's left eye twitched. "We could've just done…"
"Look here, ya crossdresser," Monoyena picked his teeth with the tip of his Barbie Blade. "If ya had tried it much earlier… Maybe I would've done somethin about it. But as it stands, yeah. There was never any rule saying ya can't break into the fucking display case. Why? Because fuck you, that's why!"
Monoyena burst into laughter once more.
"Bwa… Bwahahahahahahaha!" and as Monoyena cackled, Yukihiko felt the urge to strangle this plush hyena animal.
"Okay, so we now know that the display case was broken into…" Mara folded her arms, speaking up with this case fresh in her mind. "But what exactly broke into it…?"
"Indeed, that is an important mystery we need to solve before we get to the meat of the matter," Alisa nodded as she fixed her pocket watch. "How exactly did the killer retrieve the murder weapon…?"
"M-Maybe the killer used a rock?" Daisuke suggested.
"Nay," Roderick shook his head. "No evidence of a rock. But a gold ingot! That be more likely!"
"H-How is that more likely?!" Daisuke exclaimed, widening his eyes.
"Isolde wants to suggest that someone went ahead and used those Hallowed Stones to smash the case open," Issac smiled. "But we all know that can't be right…"
It was like he was baiting for that to be the right answer.
"Oh please," Beauté smirked. "Rocks and stones? Why couldn't it be another gun, instead?"
"Because there be no other gun!" Roderick exclaimed. "The golden gun be the only gun in the park!"
"I'll grant you my undying support…" Kazuki consented.
Kazuki flashed forward, extending out a hand of assistance toward Beauté. The winds of consent blew behind him as his money fluttered in the background. His other hand was over his neck and his usual dying look was replaced with warm agreement.
"Oh, how elegant!" Beauté exclaimed, placing a hand over her face as she gave Kazuki an acknowledging stare. "A Consent just for me? Could it be? Do you have evidence that proves that another gun was involved in this case?!"
"N-Nay!" Roderick widened his eyes. "That be impossible! There be no way there be another firearm in this hell!"
"But… I'm afraid there is… Mister Cutler…" Kazuki responded.
He shook his head.
He wasn't at all comfortable with agreeing with someone like Beauté, but for the sake of this case, he had no other choice but to go along with this. He did have evidence that proved that a gun was involved in the breaking of the display case. He just needed to show that specific piece. The one piece that proved a second gun was involved…
"I have evidence proving otherwise…" Kazuki revealed. "And that piece of evidence is…
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…this bullet."
He took out the bullet shell he had found during the Investigation. Which is the bullet in this case by the way. Don't listen to Oddly's 2nd Amendment ramblings! He's seen too many John Wick movies!
"Kazuki?" Alisa tilted her head. "What did you find…?"
Kazuki didn't say anything. Instead, he raised up a small pellet of some kind in the air, one eye opened to examine it.
"I-Is that…?" Alisa widened her eyes.
"A bullet shell…?" Kazuki smiled to himself, showing Alisa and Manon. "...You would be correct in assuming so."
"Nay… it can't be…" Roderick widened his eyes.
"S-So it really was another gun, wasn't it?!" Daisuke widened his eyes as well.
"N-Nay, that be nonsense!" Roderick shook his head, frustrated. Leaning forward against his podium, he lifted his fist threateningly. "Ye can't very well say that this gun be from some other gun. That can only be the bullet shell from the golden gun, crabcake!"
"Well… how about we put that to the test…?" Kazuki smiled to himself.
He raised the bullet shell high in the air for one person to see. The only person who would have the expertise required to prove his point.
"Miss Gundo…" Kazuki played with the bullet through his fingers. "Catch…"
"Oh hell–" Yumi almost wasn't ready for it, but the philanthropist had tossed a bullet her way.
Thankfully, she caught it. If she didn't, that would've looked really damn embarrassing on her. But once she actually had the bullet in the palm of her hands, she glanced back at Kazuki, slightly confused.
"As the Ultimate Gunslinger…" Kazuki began. "...You should know the different types of bullets for different types of guns by heart… So… Please convince Mister Cutler… Does this bullet belong to the golden gun or not…?"
Yumi blinked for a moment before understanding the task at hand.
If this bullet truly didn't belong to the golden gun, then this would prove Kazuki's and Beauté's theory that a second gun was involved in this case. She nodded her head and got to examining the bullet shell. And with mere seconds, she instantly recognized it. Smiling, she glanced back up toward Kazuki…
"Dis here, bullet shell…" Yumi began to say. "...After examining it, ah can confidently say…
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…it does not belong to the golden gun!"
"...And there you have it…" Kazuki bowed, satisfied that he had proven his point.
"N-Nay!" Roderick exclaimed, slamming the sides of his fists against the podium in shock. "This can't be! Ye have to be pulling me peg leg! Explain yerself! Show proof that this be not the bullet from the gun!"
"Does he even have a peg leg?" Eiji asked on the side, blinking.
"Does he even have a peg leg?" Aidan blinked, confused.
Anyway, Yumi flinched slightly, a little taken aback by how much Roderick didn't want this to be true.
"Well, ahm sorry pardner but dat just be da facts of da case…" Yumi blinked. "Ya see, ahm da Ultimate Gunslinger. As da good folk, Kazuki, over dere pointed out, ahm very familiar with mah types of guns, especially da different kinds of bullets used for each."
She tipped her white Stetson hat, serious.
"Look," she continued. "Da golden gun is a Smith & Wesson, .38 caliber. Meaning da bullets it can use are only .38 caliber. This here bullet is a .357 magnum. A completely different bullet for a completely gun like da…"
Yumi slowly trailed off.
She didn't realize it then and there until it finally hit her. She didn't know why she didn't realize it before, but the moment she said .357 magnum… It finally hit her. But there was no way it could be, could it? There was no way it could…
"M-Madame Gundo?" Manon blinked. "What is ze matter?"
"D-Did something happen to her?!" Daisuke widened his eyes, terrified.
"Ah heh heh…" Beauté chuckled sinisterly. "Oh, I bet something did happen to her… I bet she figured out a quite elegant truth…"
"An… elegant truth?" Alisa pushed her glasses up, using the glint of light to hide her eyes.
"Indeed…" Beauté giggled. "Yumi Gundo. You recognize that bullet, don't you? And it's such a shame too, because what you thought was going to exonerate you of this crime...
Beauté leaned forward, a dark gloom extending over her face.
"...has only dug your hole a little deeper…" she smirked.
"Beauté…" Fábio frowned. "What are you on about, this time?"
"Maybe if I ask Yumi this question, perhaps, you will all start to understand…" Beauté sighed to herself, holding the side of her cheek ever-so-condescendingly.
At that point, Yumi suddenly wasn't feeling so good. It wasn't because she had to deal with Beauté, who was just a naturally uncomfortable presence to be around. Instead, it was something she knew was going to happen. A deep gut feeling telling her that looking into that bullet was a bad idea.
And yet, she did it anyway.
Watching Beauté lean forward with that dark expression on her face, the mysterious Ultimate's red eye glinted, as her lips curled into a terrifying smirk.
"If I may…" Beauté began to ask. "Yumi…
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…where is Roderick Cutler's gun?"
Gulp.
"I– I– I–" Yumi stammered, the fear and sweat on her face increasing by the minute.
All the heat that had started on her originally was now fully set upon her. Soon, it wasn't just Aidan who was suspicious of her. Everyone else had grown suspicious of her too. Everyone except Manon, who looked just as surprised and fearful as she was…
"Hey, that's right!" Aidan slammed his fist against the palm of his hand. "That day… We entrusted you with Roderick's gun! If you used that gun, then that would mean…"
Aidan pointed his finger toward Yumi, determinedly. Roderick on the other hand, perked up when the gun was mentioned.
"...I knew it!" Aidan declared. "You are the killer! You have to be!"
"Oh…" Kazuki blinked with one eye actually open. "Well… That wasn't what I was expecting when I handed her the bullet…"
"I… I…" Yumi continued to remain speechless all throughout this revelation of facts.
"Non!" Manon shook her head, growing increasingly anxious for Yumi's innocence. "S-Surely, zere has to be some way to prove zat gun wasn't used, oui?"
Manon gasped in realization.
"Oh!" she declared. "I know! I know! Madame Gundo! Just show zem ze gun right now! If zere are no bullets fired from ze gun, zen we will know it was not you, non?"
"Um, well… here's da thang…" Yumi was sweating bullets here, slowly lowering her white Stetson hat to hide her eyes. "Ah uh… Ah… Ah kinda… threw it away…"
A brief moment of silence for the remaining 12 playmates to contemplate what Yumi had just said.
"Y-You… what?!" Yukihiko widened his eyes.
"Q-QUOI?!" Manon exclaimed.
"W-What do you mean you just threw it away?!" Aidan was also as flabbergasted as everyone else was.
Then, she opened her eyes.
Lurching her arm forward, she felt the gun slip away from her hands and watched as the firearm was preemptively tossed out of her room's balcony window and straight toward the shoreline. She extended her arms out and took in the scent of the ocean waves, feeling free from the gun that she was forced to look after.
All that was left was the other one.
The golden gun.
The Smith & Wesson.
.38 caliber.
Her gun…
"It was a couple of nights ago!" Yumi widened her eyes. "Ah swear… Ah threw it out from mah balcony window straight toward the ocean. So, it can't have…"
Yumi tried her best to explain her case to them, but she could see that everyone was more focused on why she would do something so outlandish like that. The look of disbelief from these people. It frightened her...
"Hold on," Alisa folded her arms. "...If that's the case, wouldn't we have heard it?"
"What do you mean?" Mara questioned.
"Yumi said she threw the gun out of her balcony window," Alisa explained. "However, if I am not mistaken, usually when a gun falls to the ground whether by means of dropping or throwing, the gun should've discharged a bullet. If you did throw the gun out toward the beach, I'd imagine the impact of the ground would've caused a shot to be fired."
"Ah..." Kazuki smiled softly. "Referring back to the incident that occurred to me... correct?"
"...I stepped in…" Kazuki noted. "...Attempted to disarm the situation… The other man… Well… He was going to fire anyway… So instinctively… I went ahead and forced the man to drop his weapon…"
Kazuki folded his arms.
"Unfortunately…" Kazuki frowned. "...By forcing the man to drop his weapon… The firearm discharged… And struck me in the shoulder…"
"Right in the shoulder with such precision?" Alisa widened her eyes. "That's…"
"Insanely lucky?" Kazuki smiled. "...Indeed it was…"
"Indeed," Alisa nodded. "As such, I will be inclined to believe that Yumi may not be exactly truthful with us on what she did with that gun..."
"H-Hold on there, Nelly!" Yumi lowered her white Stetson hat. "T-There's a perfectly good reason why dat gun didn't discharge!"
Alisa folded her arms.
"Do tell," she said.
"It depends on da model and year," Yumi explained. "Newer guns nowadays tend to have protection when it comes to dat sort of ding. Safey precautions. All dat stuff. Roderick's gun be one of those newer models! But if it were mah golden gun... Dat gun would've discharged for sure, because it was made when dat sorta ding wasn't accounted for!"
"...If you are telling the truth about that..." Alisa seemed uncertain. "Then... I suppose dissecting your statement would be much difficult than it was initially..."
"Oh, why does it matter?" Issac sighed, placing a hand over his head. "Gundo, albeit accidentally, already confirmed that the bullet Nobukatsu found wasn't the bullet from the golden gun. The only other firearm we've ever seen in this park is Roderick's gun. Put two pieces together and we get the truth..."
Issac brushed his pink hair to the sigh as he shook his head with a smile.
"Our killer, in this case, Gundo, used Cutler's gun to shoot and break the display case," Issac noted. "That's how she gained possession of the golden gun. Simple."
"That would be the way to do it, y-yeah…" Daisuke blinked.
"W-Wait but dis ain't right!" Yumi shook her head. "Ah threw away dat gun! Ah know ah did! Dere's no way da gun should be still in play in da first place!"
"Look, Gundo…" Issac sighed, shaking his head. "We hear you loud and clear but without evidence or a witness that can corroborate your statement…"
"I did!" Manon exclaimed, raising her hand. "I saw Madame Gundo throw ze gun out the window!"
"...Ignoring Levesque's obvious attempt at lying…" Issac chuckled. "...We can't really believe that Cutler's gun isn't in the playing field now can we…?"
"But ah… ah really did…" Yumi kept her eyes down.
She knew she threw Roderick's gun out toward the open ocean. So, theoretically, there was no way for anyone to go ahead and find it. Not unless they went out swimming and even then, scrummaging the entire ocean for a gun like Roderick's would be impossible.
Damn it.
She really messed up this time.
"So, knowing that Cutler's gun was in play as the second gun…" Issac rubbed Isolde's head. "And the fact that Gundo was the last person to have it. I think we might have found our—"
"Yer logic be lacking depth!" Roderick interjected.
The deep-sea fisherman lowered his beanie, directing a dangerous sharp gaze toward Issac. The winds of interjection guided his principle, and his pointer finger darted straight toward the toymaker. He was convinced that this was wrong. That this entire thing was just so out of left field…
"Nay!" Roderick shook his head. "This be impossible! This be all wrong! There be no way this lassie could even be having a gun like mine!"
"And... why is that, exactly?" Issac asked, confused over what counterargument Roderick had.
"It be obvious!" Roderick growled. "Me gun be swallowed by the Beast of Guantanamo Bay! Ain't no way anyone could've had the gun. Not even Yumi!"
The upbeat Class Trial (Odd Edition) shut down over how awkward and stupid this logic was. Clearly, some FTEs truly do bite you in the ass. And Yukihiko's FTE with Roderick really didn't do any of them any favors. In fact, Yukihiko bit his lip and avoided eye contact all together, trying to escape the embarrassment of his second-in-command making such a crazy remark.
"Oh my…" Beauté giggled at how obscene this was. "This certainly took a turn now, hasn't it?"
"Aye!" Roderick folded his arms. "Capt'n Yukihiko! Tell them! Ye be a witness to me brave act! I slayed the Beast at the cost of me gun! Therefore, there be no way for that gun to come back! Aren't I correct, Capt'n?!"
"I–" Yukihiko pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Roderick… Handsome… I…"
He took a deep breath to try to calm himself down. This was far from what he expected to do in a murder Trial of all moments. All lies eventually come back to bite people in the end and this was nothing less. He glanced toward his peers for assistance. Beauté was clearly stifling her laughter. But everyone else didn't look as if they knew what they could say to Roderick. It was to be expected.
After all, that's Yukihiko's lie, isn't it?
"I… have no idea how to counter that," Issac shook his head, turning to his fellow peers. "Anyone want to take over?"
"I suppose I will," Alisa sighed.
Fixing her glasses and clasping her hands together, Alisa addressed Roderick as plainly as possible.
"Roderick," Alisa looked at him seriously. "There is a way in which that gun could've been used for the murder."
"N-Nay!" Roderick widened his eyes. "Ye didn't dissect the Beast, did ye?! Ye could be infected with the Beast's acid slime! Or maybe ye... Maybe ye checked its droppings?!"
"...Far from it," Alisa had to pause to take in what ridiculous notions this fisherman was coming up with. "The true answer is very simple.
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…Yukihiko lied to you. That's it."
"Grk!" Yukihiko sprayed himself in the face with his squeezable milk bottle.
"N-Nay?!" Roderick widened his eyes.
"What really happened that day was that you were panicking and getting ready to shoot us with your gun," Alisa explained. "Kikuko knocked you out. Your gun was given to Yumi as a safety precaution. And Yukihiko lied to you for… some reason."
Yukihiko didn't say anything about that.
This was not the one thing Yukihiko expected to happen when he walked into the second Trial of this damn Killing Game. Because now, he was forced to sit back and feel the intense yet confused gaze from his very own second-in-command. Oh God… How could this get any worse than it already has…?
"E-Erm, Capt'n, this be not true... right?" Roderick blinked. "I really did slay the Beast... right?"
Yukihiko kept his eyes closed and folded his arms.
"It…It be… true…" Roderick slowly realized. "N-Nay… B-But I did slay the Beast…"
"Roderick, honey," Yukihiko shook his head, finally opening his eyes to give him his dissatisfied look. "Please stop making a fool of yourself. There was never any Beast. Your gun was given to Yumi. Yes, it is true. I told a white lie. Now, we can get back to the Trial...?"
"C-Capt'n?!" Roderick widened his eyes in shock.
"Ugh, what?" Yukihiko glanced at his nails. "Would you rather just stand around here, waste time, and talk about your feelings...? Would you like to do that, sweetie?" Because we can certainly do that if we're feeling suicidal today!"
"Hey man, lay off of him!" Aidan rubbed the back of his neck. "This whole thing got like this because you told the lie in the first place!"
Yukihiko didn't respond.
Admittedly, Aidan was right. If Yukihiko had just chosen to say anything other than play along with Roderick's paranoia like that, I probably wouldn't have to include this segment in the Trial. Didn't help that Roderick looked like he was having an existential life crisis over what was real and what was not.
"Anyway..." Issac brought the topic back. "Back to whatever I was saying… Right. Yumi is the culprit. Agreed?"
"H-Hell naw!" Yumi exclaimed. "Look, ah know ah don't have anything dat can prove mah innocence, but ahm tellin ya, it ain't me! Ah don't even have da golden gun or Roderick's gun on me!"
Yumi held up her shirt to reveal her belt where her empty gun holster was.
"Look again fer yerselves!" Yumi exclaimed. "Empty gun holster! Right 'ere!"
"Yeah, well that just means you're hiding them in a much better spot where no one would think to look!" Aidan declared, before pointing toward her breasts. "Like your hat!"
As Yumi continued to try to prove that she wasn't the culprit, like taking off her hat to show that she wasn't hiding anything, Kikuko kept her mind open to other possibilities. Unlike most of the people here, she wasn't so quick to believe that Yumi was responsible for Riku's death. At least, not as the killer they were looking for. There was still something bugging her.
Something that she needed clarification on…
"Pardon me…" Kikuko spoke up, suddenly.
"What is it, Kikuko?" Fábio asked, raising an eyebrow.
"...There was something that I've been pondering about for a while," Kikuko bowed her head. "If we are under the assumption that Yumi is indeed the culprit, then, I do have a question that needs to be answered."
"Well, ask it, by all means!" Yukihiko folded his arms, acting like some maternal schoolteacher.
Kikuko tapped her chin before nodding politely.
"...Why exactly would she need to acquire the golden gun?" Kikuko asked.
That… was a question none of them really considered.
"W-What do you mean, why?" Daisuke blinked. "I-Isn't it obvious? She needed it to kill Riku."
"But why not just do it with Roderick's gun?" Kikuko tilted her head. "I may have little ignorance on Western firearms, but I'm sure they all work the same in the end. Yumi shooting Riku with Roderick's gun would achieve the same results as Yumi shooting Riku with the golden gun, would it not?"
"Kikuko raises an excellent point," Alisa nodded. "There would be no reason for Yumi to get the golden gun unless there was something that forced her to get one in the first place."
"Forced her to get one in the first place…?" Daisuke questioned.
Fábio thought about this conundrum closely.
Kikuko was right.
Whichever gun the killer used; it would've undoubtedly achieved the same effect of getting Riku shot. But as the facts stood, the killer did in fact take the golden gun and they went through the trouble of shooting the golden gun's display case to get it. There were a bunch of reasons as to why but the closest reason Fábio could think of…
…It had to be that, right?
"...I think I got it," Fábio rubbed his chin. "The reason why the killer probably went ahead and took a separate gun…"
"Do you?" Alisa tilted her head, curiously.
"Yeah…" Fábio kept his eyes closed. "It might be a little out there, but bear with me on this for a second. What if…
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…the killer needed more bullets?"
"The killer needed more bullets?!" Alisa widened her eyes.
"Yumi," Fábio turned to the gunslinger.
"Y-yea?" Yumi gulped.
The figure skater noticed Yumi jump from her podium. Poor girl. The constant unwanted spotlight on her was getting to her. Changing to a softer tone, Fábio kept his icy eyes fixated on the cowgirl's every movement.
"...Did you ever get a chance to look at how many bullets there were in Roderick's gun?" Fábio asked.
"How many bullets?" Yumi blinked. "Of course, ah did…"
"How many bullets were in it…?" Fábio asked.
Yumi thought about this closely. The last time she checked the bullet count, it was on that fateful day in which she decided to throw it out. That day…
She slid the gun out of the holster and rubbed her thumb against it.
Ruger GP100.
.357 Mag.
She pressed her hand against the cylinder and glanced within it.
Only two rounds were in it.
Two rounds out of seven.
She brushed her thumb against the live rounds. She felt the smooth and iron-like bullet encasements. She trailed her fingers against every anatomical part of her firearm. The hammer. The grip. The front sight. She pressed the cylinder back in and spun it a couple of times. Then, glancing at herself in the mirror…
"Two bullets…" Yumi blinked.
"Roderick," Fábio turned to the deep-sea fisherman next.
"Hm?!" Roderick jumped as well.
Poor guy. For him, he was constantly thinking about the implications of what his failed Interjection segment meant. Fábio didn't want to act like he knew what Roderick was going through, but he could only assume that Roderick was feeling betrayed. Changing to a softer tone again…
"Can you confirm how many bullets have been left since the last time you used it…?" Fábio asked.
"A-Aye…" Roderick lowered his beanie. "I haven't used that gun since… Well… The Parade. But if I never shot the Beast, in the first place, then two bullets should still be left in it…"
"I see…" Fábio rubbed his chin.
"Fábio, why are you asking this?" Kikuko tilted her head, curiously.
"Y-Yeah, I don't get it," Daisuke looked confused. "S-Since when did the bullet count matter?"
"Since this case started…" Fábio stuffed his hands inside his pockets. "Because now, it definitely proves that the killer had to have needed the golden gun, in the first place."
Fábio placed both hands on the podium as he made his theory.
"Remember, three gunshots were heard in the Jungle of Joy," Fábio said. "And both Yumi and Roderick just confirmed that there were only two bullets in Roderick's gun!"
"Right…" Kazuki followed Fábio's logic. "...And if two of those shots were from Mister Cutler's gun… Then the last shot…"
"...Had to have been from the golden gun," Fábio nodded.
"We already know that one of those times was the killer breaking into the glass display case," Alisa deduced. "The bullet Kazuki found proves it."
"And that bullet that was recovered was already proven to be the bullet from Cutler's gun," Issac deduced. "Fired to destroy the display case and take the golden gun…"
"B-But why?!" Daisuke still didn't understand. "W-Why did the killer decide to go that far for an entirely different gun?!"
Issac thought about this himself before shaking his head.
"Sorry, Kido," Issac laughed. "I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that…"
Pause.
"But Isolde does," Issac smiled. "And according to her, it's because…"
Issac, or rather, Isolde, thought back to a particular thing mentioned back when they first learned of the golden gun.
"Anyway, as I was fucking saying…" Monoyena growled. "The guns on the rides ain't real fucking guns. They're just small laser tag guns recycled from the old attraction this used to be based off of. The real gun is the beauty up in there…"
He pointed his blade toward the gun on display.
"A fucking beauty it is…" Monoyena cackled. "Comes with six in the chamber. Shiny. Real good grip and trigger. Never jams. A special Colt Diamondback. Real diabolical, this gun is…"
"...The golden gun comes with its own set of bullets," Issac said. "Because Cutler's gun was very lacking in bullets, they knew they needed to get more bullets. And the only place they would be able to go to get more bullets... was from the golden gun from Gundo's Attraction. The entire golden gun robbery was nothing more than a complicated method of reloading ammunition! Now that's funny!"
He certainly did to find some amusement to that logic.
"But why did they even need more bullets?" Aidan exclaimed, confused. "I mean, weren't two enough to kill Riku? He did end up getting shot twice after all..."
Why did they need those bullets in the first place? Yes, that was a good question, but it wasn't one anyone had a clear answer for yet. At least, that's what most of them thought. Because at the moment, it seemed like one person did have an idea on the matter.
Folding his arms, Yukihiko smirked to himself, a scenario forming in his head as he thought about this compelling fact.
"I believe I may have a clear theory that explains this scenario," Yukihiko twirled a braid of his hair around.
"Oh, how elegant…" Beauté giggled. "Is it time for Yukihiko to give a Testimony on what he believes to be the truth of this case? Surely, yours will be a hundred times better than what Aidan would give."
"H-Hey!" Aidan yelled out, offended.
"As I said, it's a theory but if proven to be true then it could very well be fact…" Yukihiko glanced at his nails, nonchalantly.
He glanced up toward his peers, smiling innocently as he prepared to give his Testimony. This was Yukihiko's theory. Beauté certainly expected big things from the child caregiver, but Yukihiko didn't care for the pressure. He just wanted to say his piece on what he believed to be the truth.
…
"Thanks to Fábio, we know that the killer needed the golden gun in order to reload their ammunition," Yukihiko folded his arms. "Therefore, I contest that the killer started the case with Roderick's gun."
Yukihiko sighed and glanced at his nails.
"At some point, they must've realized how few bullets they had to actually pull off their purpose…" Yukihiko noted.
"And what exactly was their purpose?" Mara muttered, folding her arms.
"Isn't it obvious?" Yukihiko smirked. "To kill Riku."
Mara glanced away, keeping her arms folded in the meantime. She had been quiet for a while, deep in thought as everyone else handled all the easier stuff she already seemed to know about.
"The first time they fired Roderick's gun was at Yumi's Attraction," Yukihiko explained. "That was, as we know, when the killer broke the display case."
"So, you're saying that the reason they got the golden gun was to bring a back-up, right?" Fábio rubbed his chin.
"Correct," Yukihiko nodded with a smile. "That way, they could be better prepared for Phase 2 of their plan."
Yukihiko twirled his braid.
"With both guns in hand, the killer met up with Riku and shot him twice…" Yukihiko explained. "They missed the first shot and hit him in the hip…"
Yukihiko narrowed his eyes.
"But they sure didn't miss the second…" Yukihiko said. "That shot hit him square in the head. Two shots fired in succession for the killing blow."
Smiling to himself, Yukihiko extended a hand straight out.
"That's my theory on how this case played out," Yukihiko concluded. "What do you think?"
"Bravo!" Beauté smirked, excitedly. "Indeed! It was much more elegant than what Aidan would come up with!"
"S-Seriously, that's a little too mean!" Aidan declared.
So, this was the scenario that Yukihiko was thinking about? While some parts were vague, what mattered in the end was whether or not Yukihiko was right about the weapon being taken in as a backup weapon. Because unless anyone else had some beef with one of his bolded statements, this could very well be how the case played out–
"I apologize but…" Kikuko shook her head, disagreeing with the facts that Yukihiko stated. "I do think there is something off in your Testimony."
"Oh my, is there, honey?" Yukihiko blinked in surprise before smiling condescendingly. "Then, perhaps you would like to tell me where exactly I went wrong…?"
Right.
There was something wrong with what Yukihiko said. Something that conflicts with the facts that she knew for sure. Keeping her head down and temperament as calm as possible, she softly spoke a brief prayer before glancing back up, a glowing blue eye pointed directly toward Yukihiko. On the sidelines, she could feel and hear Eiji cheering her on.
"You got this sis!"
Thanks Eiji.
"...I regret to inform you that you have made a mistake in your scenario…" Kikuko began. "The evidence that points to that is…
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…the gunshot sounds."
"O-Oh?!" Yukihiko widened his eyes in surprise.
"Fábio and Mara, please think back to when exactly we heard each gunshot…" Kikuko ordered the one person she could count on to prove her point.
"Right," Fábio nodded as he thought back to the first gunshot they heard.
"H-Hey, Kikuko," Fábio blinked. "Are you–"
He noticed that Kikuko was glaring at an empty space. Understanding what this meant, he furrowed his eyebrow.
"I-Is it…" Fábio widened his eyes. "Do you see…?"
BANG!
Kikuko blinked.
Fábio jumped.
João faded away.
"W-What was that?!" Eiji yelled out, taken aback by the sudden noise.
"What was that?!" Fábio widened his eyes.
"Right, the first one occurred shortly after we had our talk at the Treehouse," Fábio said. "That was the start of the incident. For the second…"
Again, he thought back to that one.
"If you guys don't believe me, you can go check out the inside of this place," Mara frowned. "Everything's gonna look exactly as it always is."
More doubtful looks, but this time from Fábio.
"And for me to kill you both is by far the stupidest thing I could ever do," Mara rolled her eyes. "Jeez, I know I messed up that other day but—"
BANG!
Mara was cut off by another loud noise. And this time…
"W-Whoa!" Mara widened her eyes in shock. "W-What was-"
"That came from the right side of the Jungle!" Fábio narrowed his eyes. "Come on!"
"That one happened when the two bumped into me at my Ultimate Attraction," Mara folded her arms, taking the spotlight from Fábio for a moment. "They thought they heard the gunshot at my place."
"And the third?" Kikuko questioned.
And finally, the third gunshot…
"Hey, if you two are done flirting over there," Mara folded her arms. "What's the game plan? Wait here and check to see if the bastard who took the gun is in there or–"
BANG!
Another gunshot.
Perfect timing on Mara's part.
The three turned back toward the Queue, having heard the distant noise seep through the cavern. It didn't take long for them to hear where exactly that came from.
"That came…" Fábio widened his eyes. "...from the left side of the Jungle!"
"That gunshot occurred after we discovered the mess at Yumi's Attraction," Fábio noted.
"What's the point of all this questioning?" Yukihiko was losing patience.
"The point…" Kikuko tipped her head down politely. "Is that throughout all those scenarios, there was a substantial amount of time between each gunshot."
"W-What?" Yukihiko blinked before realizing what she meant. "O-Oh! You mean–"
"Exactly," Kikuko tilted her head back up. "Your scenario relied on the fact that our killer had two guns and fired in succession. But the time in-between each gunshot proves that isn't the case…"
"Well then, what does that mean?!" Aidan frowned.
"It means that Yukihiko was wrong," Fábio rubbed his chin. "If there was substantial time in between gunshots, that would mean that the killer wouldn't have prepared two guns in advance. And in return that would mean…"
"That the killer shooting the gun display first is incorrect!" Kikuko declared.
"G-Grk!" Yukihiko recoiled in surprise.
"Right, this probably means that the preparation of the golden gun wasn't exactly premeditated as Yuno suggested," Issac rubbed the back of his neck. "Which probably also means that if we're going to get into the meat of this case…"
Issac brushed his hair to the side and shook his head with a smile.
"...We'll have to figure out which guns shot what and when did they fire…?" Issac continued.
Which guns shot what and when did they fire?
A classic good ol matching game, is it? There were three gunshots in total. Two of those gunshots were from Roderick's gun. The last one had to be the golden gun. This would be the perfect section for a Think! Think! Think! But the plan is one per Trial Part, so sorry! This is going to be one big group effort.
"Based on process of elimination, I think we can conclude what the second gunshot was," Issac dictated.
"Absolutely," Alisa nodded. "The second gunshot…
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…I imagine it was the final bullet from Roderick's gun breaking the display case."
"H-Huh?" Daisuke blinked. "But… What about the first bullet?"
"Yeah, what about the first bullet…?" Issac led the charge.
"Well, obviously that had to be the first gunshot we heard, right?" Fábio asked Kikuko. "But as for what it hit, it could only be one thing…
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…Riku's hip!"
"Riku's hip?" Aidan blinked. "But why?!"
"Are you dumb?" Mara raised an eyebrow. "We know the last gunshot went directly to Riku's head. That was literally the killing blow. Hard to imagine it being the other way around…"
"Right," Alisa nodded. "If the killer struck Riku in the head first, there would be no need for a second and third gunshot. It would've been pointless to add a bullet to the hip of a corpse…"
"I'm…" Aidan frowned.
"So, knowing all this, I suppose the order of events are as follows," Alisa began to say. "The first gunshot was from Roderick's gun. That shot struck Riku in the hip. The killer realizes they only have one bullet left and goes to Yumi's Attraction. There, they use the final bullet from Roderick's gun to destroy the display case. That's when they obtain the golden gun. Then, they use that gun and finish off Riku, shooting him in the head."
Alisa pushed her glasses up, allowing the lens to reflect the glitter of light.
"Are we all in an agreement?" Alisa questioned.
"Slow down, will ya?!" Aidan interjected.
Aidan flashed across the screen, giving Alisa a unique thumbs-down. As the winds of interjection allowed him to slide across, a look of determination remained stagnant on his face. In his other hand, a water bottle firmly grasped in his right hand.
"No no no, this doesn't make any sense at all!" Aidan shook his head. "The first gunshot struck Riku on the hip? The second gunshot was to get the golden gun? And then the third gunshot shot Riku in the head?!"
Aidan slammed his water bottle against the podium.
"Look, I know I'm not the brightest person in the bunch!" Aidan admitted. "But even I have a hard time trying to figure out the killer's movements in all of this!"
"Killer's… movement?" Alisa raised an eyebrow.
"You said the first gunshot struck Riku on the hip, right?" Aidan questioned. "But if that's the case, why did the killer go straight to Yumi's Attraction?"
"To get a gun with more ammunition," Alisa folded her arms. "We went over–"
"Yeah yeah, you guys said that, but it still makes no sense!" Aidan exclaimed. "If I was the killer and I shot Riku in the hip, what do you think I would've done right then and there? Go to an entirely different location to grab a different gun?!"
"I–" Alisa paused.
For the first time in these two Trials, Aidan had made an actual solid point. Admittedly, Alisa was impressed. But to answer Aidan's question… What would she do if she was the killer? If she had shot Riku in the hip, then the obvious thing for the killer to do is…
"...I would finish him off…" Alisa realized.
"Exactly!" Aidan exclaimed. "You see why I'm confused now? The killer shot Riku in the hip, and yet the killer never actually finished it right then and there! Instead, according to your order of events, the killer left to go grab an entirely different gun!"
"But as it stands, these order of events are the only order of events that make sense!" Alisa exclaimed.
"Gunshots, sure, but the killer's actions?" Aidan shook his head. "Not really!"
Alisa thought about this closely once more.
For sure, this was the order of events…
The killer shot Riku in the hip. The killer went to Yumi's Attraction to get the golden gun. And then the killer went ahead and shot Riku in the head. What exactly was going on in that moment that required the killer to go get another gun? Or rather…
Why didn't the killer just finish Riku off…?
"Look, if you can't think of a reason as to why the killer simply didn't just kill Riku right then and there, then something has to be wrong with your order of events!" Aidan exclaimed. "Because in grand scheme of things, none of this makes any–"
"No, I think I have the answer you're looking for," Alisa rubbed her chin.
"W-What?!" Aidan looked at Alisa, surprised.
"The reason the killer didn't just finish Riku off and instead had to grab another gun…" Alisa began to say. "It had to be because…
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…Riku managed to escape his killer."
"E-Escaped the killer?!" Aidan widened his eyes. "W-What do you mean?!"
"Think about the scenario like this," Alisa explained. "Riku gets shot by the killer in the hip. In fright, Riku runs off, leaving the killer behind. The killer, realizing they only have one shot left to finish Riku off, decides to go to Yumi's Attraction. There, they use that final shot to get another gun. This time, loaded with six rounds."
"But why didn't the killer just give chase?" Aidan frowned. "They could've just finished him with that one bullet!"
"One bullet vs. six bullets?" Alisa offered. "Which has the higher chance of actually allowing you to finish off your target?"
Aidan opened his mouth to speak before pausing.
"Well, when you put it that way–" Aidan was about to say.
"That would be the only logical explanation as to why the killer didn't finish off Riku right then and there," Alisa began. "Riku escaped. The killer went to get their golden gun. They found Riku again and then they shot him. This would also explain why so much time occurred in between gunshots…"
Alisa fixed her glasses, letting her lens glint.
"...Because our killer and victim had been running around the Jungle of Joy, in a game of cat and mouse!" Alisa exclaimed.
"T-That… That's crazyyyyyyy!" Aidan exclaimed, feeling the winds of truth blow against him.
He shook it off and held out his water bottle upfront, squeezing it to show off his dominance.
"Alright, fine!" Aidan exclaimed. "If you want to say that, you can! But you gotta put some evidence on the table if you want to truly convince me!"
"Evidence?" Alisa perked her head.
"Yeah, that's right!" Aidan gave her a thumbs-down. "Evidence that proves that Riku escaped from his killer!"
Evidence that proves that Riku really did escape his killer?
What evidence did she have that could prove that?
Alisa fixed her glasses several times as she closed her eyes and thought about this closely. But the more she tried to think, the more she realized that she wasn't the one who had the evidence. With every ticking second, Alisa was wasting time and destroying Aidan's patience.
"See?" Aidan gave a thumbs-up. "I knew you couldn't prove it. You don't have the evidence to–"
"Hoist the colors! I be havin it!" Roderick intervened.
Roderick flashed across the screen, his hand extended out as a gesture of good faith and assistance. He kept his other hand over his beanie, tucking it down as he gave a stern yet supportive glance toward Alisa. There was a boisterous tone in his voice as an idea suddenly hit him in the head.
"She may not have the evidence ye seek, but I do," Roderick gruffly said, keeping his beanie intact.
"W-What?!" Aidan exclaimed.
"The evidence that proves that Riku did in fact escape his killer at one point…" after the shameful failed Interjection, it was Roderick's time to prove himself. "It had to be…
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…the leaf in Riku's hand!"
As he extended out the wrapping in all of his glory, he could make out the unique shape of the leaf. It was somewhat triangular, and the very tip of that leaf was curled up. The texture itself was smooth, glossy, and a little waxy. Because of that, the water itself was never able to penetrate it and instead slid off of it in droplets. It had a unique grassy smell and on one singular side were traces of Riku's blood.
But despite the number of details Yukihiko could garner from a single leaf, he still had no idea what the heck this was. He wasn't an Ultimate Botanist, but an Ultimate Child Caregiver, so naturally, he was confused.
"What… is this?" Yukihiko asked. "Some kind of leaf?"
"A leaf, eh?" Roderick slowly grabbed the leaf, feeling its texture and examining closely with ease. "It… be looking mighty familiar…"
"Th-The leaf?!" Aidan exclaimed. "W-What the heck does a leaf have to do with anything?!"
"It be havin everything to do with this case, laddie!" Roderick exclaimed. "Because I be finally figuring out what kind of leaf that thing is! A leaf that's triangular-shaped. Curled at the tip. Smooth, waxy... impenetrable by water!"
Roderick slammed his hands against the side of his podium.
What kind of leaf was it?!
"That leaf..." he continued, gritting his teeth. "That be...
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...a banana leaf!"
"A- A banana leaf?" Aidan widened his eyes. "L-Like from banana trees? H-How the heck does that prove anything?!"
A fantastic question.
Fortunately, Roderick knew exactly how to answer it. The banana leaf was proof that Riku got some time to himself. It's proof that he escaped his killer in his first run against them. But how exactly does a banana leaf tie into anything? Roderick could remember the circumstances of which they discovered that leaf in the first place. The fact that it was in Riku's hands. The fact that there was blood on it. There was really only one thing that banana leaf tied to when it came to Riku...
"That banana leaf be havin everything to do with this," Roderick began. "Because it ties into…
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…Riku's Ultimate Talent!"
"W-What?!" Aidan widened his eyes.
"When we discovered that banana leaf, there be blood on one side of it," Roderick folded his arms as he explained. "Not only that, but Riku be holding onto it with his hand. If he be shot near the hip first like the lassie be saying, then it be easy to figure out what he was using the banana leaf for!"
"W-What, like wiping the blood from his-" Aidan grimaced before realizing where this was going. "W-Wait! N-No way!"
"Aye!" Roderick nodded. "Banana leaves be a traditional item many islanders use to sweeten and enhance the flavor of their cuisine. But it also be used for medical purposes too! Maybe not for gunshot wounds, but for Riku to be running around and trying to escape the killer, it be the only thing he'd have at his disposal."
"Ah, indeed," Alisa fixed her glasses. "And as the Ultimate Doctor, he undoubtedly would've recognized that fact. Fantastic work, Roderick!"
"A-Aye," Roderick glanced away, slightly proud of himself for that.
"S-So, that's why…" Aidan realized.
"Exactly," Alisa nodded. "That is why Riku had a banana leaf with him. He must've found some lying around and simply used it to try to clean his wound. And the only way he would be able to actually treat himself like that…"
Alisa held up her pocket watch, grasped onto it tightly, and swung it in Aidan's direction.
"...Is if he managed to escape his killer!" Alisa declared.
"A-AGH!" Aidan squeezed his water bottle a little too tight. Because with the force of the water being launched up came the water bottle's cap flinging him in the head. "D-Damn it!"
…
As Aidan rubbed his forehead, Alisa glanced at her pocket watch before snapping her fingers. With an unemotional look, Alisa glanced toward the others, ready to conclude on what they had all learned from this Rebuttal Showdown.
"So, the reason there was so much substantial time in between each gunshot was because of Riku and his killer running around the Jungle…" Mara muttered. "That has to be the most idiotic mental image I have ever gotten…"
"But it makes sense…" Kazuki had to agree with all the details Alisa pointed out. "...Riku escaped the killer the first time around. The killer went to grab the second gun to reload. And then when the killer found Riku again, they shot him in the head."
"Mais, ze one zing I don't get is…" Manon began. "Why didn't Monsieur Arakawa say any zing? If he was being attacked, wouldn't ze first zing he would do is call for help?"
Good point!
Unfortunately…
"I imagine the reason he couldn't was because of where he was shot," Yukihiko noted. "Remember, he was shot near his hip. That would put it right around... the abdominal area. Any bullet piercing that area... and I think it's safe to say that Riku would've been in a constant near-death scenario. He probably figured that the best thing to do in his situation was treat his wound first and then try to find other people for assistance."
"Only problem with that plan is that the killer would've also been trying to look for him too," Issac pointed out. "And since he was probably too weak to just go run around hoping to find someone, I think it's easy to figure out what Riku's next plan would've been..."
"N-Next plan...?" Daisuke asked, confused.
What would be the only thing Riku could do in this situation? He was shot near the hip and had to treat his wounds. Simultaneously, he was also being hunted down by the killer. He had no time to try to find anyone. He had too much to lose if he was just blindly running around trying to search for someone. And he was in risk of bumping into his killer. There was really only one thing he could do...
"...The only thing he could do…" Mara started to understand as she folded her arms. "Riku…
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…went into hiding."
"H-Hiding?!" Daisuke exclaimed.
"Well, what other choice did he have?" Mara glanced away. "If Riku couldn't even call for help and was injured, then the only way to actually save his own skin was to hide somewhere in the park. More specifically, some place in the Jungle of Joy…"
"B-But what location would that be?" Daisuke gulped.
What location indeed?
Riku definitely needed to hide from the killer. And when it came to the Jungle of Joy, there were many hiding spots one could use to hide from his killer. But the most likely and logical one had to be this location. This time, Fábio had the answer to that one.
"The location where Riku hid," Fábio began. "It can only be this location…
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…Roderick's Ultimate Attraction."
"Th-That place?!" Daisuke exclaimed.
"Oh oui!" Manon realized. "Zat was ze place where Monsieur Arakawa's body was found, non? He was found in one of ze boats."
"And that's exactly why I think Roderick's Ultimate Attraction was the place Riku chose to hide," Fábio nodded. "We established that the killer would've been searching for Riku and we also established that the killer did find Riku. If Riku was hiding amongst one of the boats at that time…"
"The killer would've been able to shoot him right then and there," Issac realized. "Yeah, nice going, Barbosa."
"But if that's the case, how exactly did Riku get onto the boat?" Yukihiko questioned.
"H-Huh?" Daisuke blinked. "Wh-What are you talking about? The guy ran through the ride's queue, turned it on Manual, and hopped onto a boat. That's it, isn't it?"
"Actually…" Kazuki shook his head. "Mister Cutler's Attraction functions automatically… All boats are grab and go… No need for any Manual inputs."
"Okay, then that just furthers my point!" Daisuke twiddled his fingers together. "Th-There shouldn't be a problem with how Riku got onto the boat. H-He just went in and rode it until the killer found him again."
It was Yukihiko's turn to shake his head.
"Unfortunately, Riku couldn't have just run into Roderick's Attraction like that," Yukihiko revealed. "Not without running into one problem…"
"R-Running into one problem?" Daisuke blinked. "W-What problem?"
The problem here was that Riku couldn't exactly just run into Roderick's Attraction like Daisuke had suggested. While Daisuke might not know why, Yukihiko knew all too well what the answer to this conundrum was. Glancing at his nails, Yukihiko formulated his answer.
"...The problem with that, honey…" Yukihiko began to say. "Is that…
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…Roderick was guarding the Attraction."
"W-WHAAAAAT?!" Daisuke exclaimed.
"So, you didn't see anyone going through your Attraction," Yukihiko folded his arms.
Yukihiko was doing the same but this time, with Roderick. Currently, the big mystery he had on his mind at the moment was how Riku was able to get on the ride in the first place. Roderick had been standing guard here the entire day so how did…
"Nay, Capt'n," Roderick shook his head. "The only souls that dared pass by me Attraction was ye with that delicious drink and later, Mara, Fábio, and Kikuko!"
"Aye…" Roderick folded his arms. "It be a task entrusted to me by… Capt'n Yukihiko. I be at the Attraction all day, making sure no scurvy mutineers be trying to press that Girl's Button! And lo behold... I dare not see anyone pass by me. That be why I was shocked, surprised, and confused to see that poor sailor wind up dead on one of me boats…"
Roderick sighed, glumly, and lowered his beanie.
"Poor lad…" Roderick muttered.
"Exactly," Yukihiko nodded. "And that is why it would be nye impossible for Riku to just walk into the Attraction and snag a boat. Because if he tried, Roderick would've simply shooed him away."
"Actually, couldn't Riku have gotten onto a boat from the Attraction's Exit?" Fábio raised an eyebrow.
He was met with strange glances.
"Okay, look, I know there are turnstiles there..." Fábio defended himself. "And I know we all got the new updated Rule. But even then, we got that Rule during the Investigation. There's no say that he could've gotten in that way before he died, right?"
"U-Um, a-actually..." Daisuke gulped. "I think... S-Stanczyk knows the answer to that."
"He does?" Fábio blinked.
"W-What?!" Aidan frowned. "Oh, come on! I just wanted to see if the Girl's Button was there or not! You guys always make up a rule when I want to do something!"
He still hasn't forgotten the added Rule #17 of no breaking into Gift Shops. That became a rule because he tried to smash the window open.
"I'm sorry, little boy, but rules are rules," Stanczyk pouted. "Besides, you aren't the first person to try this! We let them off with a warning, but now, it's time to make it an actual rule!"
"H-Huh?" Daisuke blinked. "S-Someone tried it before?"
"That's right!" Stanczyk grinned. "Someone else did try something like that before, but because it was potentially dangerous, we told them they couldn't do that, and they want off on their merry way!"
"What's so dangerous about it?" Mara muttered to herself, quietly. "You're just climbing over a metallic gate..."
"Aw non," Manon looked down. "But zat would've been ze only other way to get into Monsieur Cutler's Attraction, non? If zat route was off-limits from ze very beginning..."
"There would've been no other way for Riku to get onto the boat besides the front entrance, right," Issac hummed in thought.
"Huh, but if Roderick had been standing guard at the entrance and there was no other way Riku could've gotten onto the boat…" Aidan murmured to himself before slamming his water bottle against the podium.
Raising up a thumb, his signature grin returned, showing that the young man had a new theory in mind. And in Aidan's case, with new theories come new people he can accuse of murder! Classic Aidan!
"I got it!" Aidan declared. "I know who committed the murder!"
"Please not me, please not me, please not me," Yumi was pleading at this point.
"Nah, don't worry Yumi," Aidan sighed, shaking his head. "You're off the hook, for now. The person I'm setting my sights on is the only person that could've committed this crime. And that person is…
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…Roderick! It was you, wasn't it?!"
"N-Nay?!" Roderick exclaimed, widening his eyes in shock. "This again?!"
Gritting his teeth and holding up a fist, his anger and frustration was directed toward the track star, who never let his determined accusatory gaze waver. He shook his fist, practically cursing the track star under his breath.
"Arrrrgh!" Roderick exclaimed. "Since when will we learn never to listen to ye with yer outlandish accusations?! They always be way off the shore! Just like now!"
"Hey, at least my accusations help get us somewhere, am I right?!" Aidan exclaimed.
"Well, out of everything he said, he's not exactly wrong about that…" Beauté shrugged.
"Aidan, why do you think it's Roderick this time?" Alisa wasted no time in pretty much asking Aidan to testify.
"Ha, I'll tell you," Aidan grinned. "So, listen up! This is going to blow your socks off! I promise!"
The track star raised up a thumb for all to see. On his face was a smile, reassuring everyone that he had this under the bag. If you could see the mixed expressions on everyone else's face, you'd know that hardly anyone had any faith that his reasoning would be correct.
…
"We know that Riku needed to hide from his killer," Aidan began his Testimony. "And we know that he chose Roderick's Attraction to hide because his body showed up on one of the boats!"
"Indeed, that is why we concluded that much," Alisa agreed with what Aidan had to say so far.
"But here's the problem," Aidan folded his arms. "We also know Riku couldn't have gotten through the front entrance. Why? Because Roderick was guarding it!"
"Aye!" Roderick shook his fist. "I be guarding it with me own life, I did! I didn't see Riku once!"
"Or… maybe you're lying!" Aidan exclaimed, pointing his finger toward the fisherman. "What if you were the one who actually went on that cat and mouse chase?"
"N-NAAAAAYYYY?!" Roderick looked at Aidan, incredulously.
"Wait, are you saying dat…" Yumi blinked. "Roderick was da one who shot Riku in da hip. Shot da golden gun. And den… shot Riku at his own Attraction?"
"Remember, Roderick said he was guarding his Attraction the whole time!" Aidan nodded, confidently. "That's what he claims he was doing! But if he was instead the actual killer chasing Riku around, what would happen to the entrance of his ride?"
"It would… be unguarded…" Mara noted.
"Bingo!" Aidan grinned. "That's why the killer has to be Roderick!"
Aidan squeezed his water bottle, but not as tight as to cause the bottle to burst.
"Roderick claimed that he was guarding his Attraction, but we can't really be sure of that now, can we?" Aidan grinned, holding up a thumbs-up. "He finds Riku with his gun. He shoots Riku in the hip. He goes and breaks into the golden gun's display case. He returns to his Attraction. He finds Riku. Bang! He kills him!"
"N-Nay, but then ye be saying I knew that me gun be back in play!" Roderick held onto his beanie tightly. "But ye all know that be not true! I be under the impression that a sea monster ate it!"
"Which could all clearly be an act!" Aidan declared. "Look man! Riku got onto your boat! That's a fact! And the only way to hop onto your boat is through the queue you were so-called guarding!"
"Pardon me, but I believe that's incorrect," Kikuko raised her hand, politely rejecting Aidan's testimony.
"W-What?" Aidan blinked. "What now?!"
"A-Aye?" Roderick glanced at Kikuko. "Ye be having something that can prove me innocence?"
Kikuko took a moment to consider her answer. After much contemplation and side support from Eiji, she nodded, confident with what she had just figured out. After all, the issue here was how Riku got onto the boat in the first place. And because Roderick was tasked with guarding the Attraction, Aidan immediately jumped on the train– or boat –to accuse Roderick of the crime. But what if…
"Certainly," Kikuko nodded. "I believe Aidan might not have realized it but…
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…there is one more way to get into Roderick's ride."
"Th-There is?!" Aidan widened his eyes.
Kikuko nodded.
She was absolutely certain of the answer. There was only one place where Riku could've accessed Roderick's ride without actually going through the main queue line.
"The alternative route to get into Roderick's Attraction…" Kikuko allowed her eye to flash blue. "It can only be found at…
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…the Bridge!"
"Th-The Bridge?!" Aidan realized.
"Hey, look, that's the Bridge connected to the Tunnel!" Beauté giggled. "Oh, how elegant!"
When the girl's boat reached this point, the surreal change in atmosphere overtook the four riders. Frankly put, everyone had to admire how top notch they elevated the jungle-theming of this area of the park.
"What's this about a Bridge?" Mara raised an eyebrow.
"A-Ah, that's right!" Daisuke came to the realization as well. "Sh-She's talking about that Bridge! W-What me and A-A-Aidan explored…!"
The Bridge led directly toward another winding pathway but this time through a jungle. And while the bridge looked like a rope bridge, the actual bridge itself was stable enough for anyone to cross it. That includes you, Daisuke. Along the bridge were what seemed to be three stationary water guns.
It was a weird choice until the two realized what the heck was in front of them and below the bridge.
In front of them was a stone statue with empty eye sockets. Just two holes any guest who would be playing with these water guns could shoot into.
Alternatively…
What was below them was what seemed to be a river stream with boats passing by underneath, straight into the mouth of this stone statue. And these weren't just any boats. These were the boats from Roderick's Attraction.
"This… is…" Aidan widened his eyes. "Wasn't Roderick's Attraction some sort of water ride?"
"Y-Yeah, a log flume ride, to be exact," Daisuke pointed out.
"Precisely," Kikuko nodded. "In the middle of Roderick's ride, the river streams the boats travel on overlap with a Bridge connecting the Ruins to Stanczyk's Secret Clubhouse. This is the only other route Riku could've used to hide on Roderick's ride."
"And it would also be the one place the killer wouldn't even think to look," Fábio smiled, giving Kikuko a nod of respect. "Nice work, Kikuko!"
Kikuko smiled softly to herself.
"O-Of course…" she could feel her cheeks warm.
"Alright, so let me get this straight," Aidan widened his eyes, confused over how wild this all seemed. "Because Roderick was guarding the entrance to his own ride, Riku was forced to get onto the boats a different way: the Bridge. Which he then, what, jumped off and landed onto a passing boat?"
"That seems to be the implication… yes…" Kazuki kept his eyes closed as his mind wandered to other thoughts.
"Well, if you take a look at the ride yourself, Brighton…" Issac rubbed the back of his neck. "When they aren't dropping, they aren't exactly fast-moving. As slow as they are, I bet almost anyone can hop off the Bridge and land perfectly into one of the seats."
Issac was right.
This boat ride wasn't a river rapids boat ride. It was a boat ride with the only time of it being fast being the actual drops. And in that Bridge section, there were no drops until much later. Aidan tried to wrap his mind over that. Because goddamn, Riku was crazy for even attempting that just to hide from his killer.
"B-But it just… I mean, it's Roderick's ride, isn't it?" Aidan was still having trouble trying to picture this. "Wouldn't Riku be afraid of the drops and stuff…?"
"I do not zink so," Manon shook her head. "When we rode ze ride, Monsieur Arakawa was…"
"Behold!" Manon exclaimed. "Your shame, Monsieur Arakawa!"
…
The picture Manon saved, as mentioned before, involved Roderick, Issac, Fábio, and Riku in the far back. Fábio had the normal reaction of reacting with his eyes and mouth wide open from the fall. But everyone else? Everyone else had something far wackier. Roderick's face was very similar to Manon's in which he had grown completely pale. In fact, it certainly seemed like he was horrified by the 60-foot drop he had to endure. Issac on the other hand… was kissing Isolde? And Riku was… Well, sad to say it for Manon, but Riku just looked like he had completely given up.
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"S-Sacre bleu?!" Manon exclaimed. "You were not afraid?!"
"Shortly, before the third drop, my mentality was checked out elsewhere," Riku muttered. "But enough about me, what on Earth were you doing?"
"...Right, he was pretty unfazed by everything," Yukihiko nodded, before twirling his own purple braids.
"Not just unfazed..." Mara folded her arms. "I think he liked it."
"Oh, it's you," Yukihiko spoke, distastefully.
Mara said nothing for a moment before continuing.
"...I remembered something strange about the way Riku was acting about the ride..." Mara began.
"What's gotten you under the weather now?" Mara asked.
Riku folded his arms with a scoff.
"That big buffoon won't let me ride his Attraction again," Riku muttered.
Big buffoon?
There was only one big buffoon who actually had an Attraction that he could ride.
"What, you mean Roderick?" Mara pressed.
"Of course," Riku grimaced. "The bastard is probably trying to prevent anyone from riding just so they avoid pressing the Girl's Button. But did he ever think that perhaps someone just wanted to have a little fun every now and then? Tch, typical…"
"...You are taking this remarkably harder than I expected…" Mara deadpanned.
"...When I talked to him yesterday, he mentioned being unable to ride Roderick's ride because of well… Roderick," Mara folded her arms. "He even seemed really upset about that."
"And with dat in his mind, he'd have no problem just jumping onto his favorite ride," Yumi exclaimed, a bright grin on her face. "Dat's brilliant, bambina!"
"D-Don't… call me, bambina," Mara sighed to herself. "I was just pointing something out..."
Noting Yumi's bright smile when she talked to Mara, Manon couldn't help but bite her lip. She could be imagining things but… No. Surely not. Surely, she was mistaken. Surely, she was overthinking things. She shook her head. No. She needed to get back to the case. This wasn't…
"E-Erm, alors…" Manon forced a smile. "What does zat mean for our case, now?"
"Well, it means we finally have a better version of the events now," Alisa noted. "Riku came into contact with his killer, armed with Roderick's gun. They shot him in the hip. Riku escaped. Giving chase, the killer realized they only had one bullet left, and decided to use that bullet to obtain the golden gun. Riku would've escaped on Roderick's Attraction by hopping off the Bridge directly onto a boat. But within time, the killer found him and shot him."
That was the order of events, plain as day, and definitely much better than what they had started out with. But there was something missing. Something they had yet to talk about, wasn't there?
What exactly was…
…
"Ah heh heh…"
Everyone knew what that meant.
Turning toward Beauté, who simply stood around, listening to their Trial discussions with satisfaction, the mysterious Ultimate had taken out her hand fan. Using it to cover the bottom half of her face, Beauté could be audibly heard, chuckling in glee.
"A better version of events now…?" Beauté cooed. "Oh, you are all so cute when you show such optimism in a Trial setting. It almost makes me want to vomit."
"I hope you have something you would like to share with the class rather than insult our abilities of solving the death of our own…" Yukihiko folded his arms, slightly annoyed. "Especially someone who allowed his death to happen by 'going to the bathroom'."
Beauté giggled silently behind her hand fan.
Then, without warning, she closed up her hand fan and licked her blood-red lips. Curling her fingers against her cheek, she pierced a gaze toward her fellow peers.
"Ah heh heh…" Beauté smirked. "Well, of course I do. Because as far as I'm aware, there does seem to be one thing in your order of events that you are all completely neglecting to figure out…"
"Completely neglecting to figure out?" Daisuke blinked. "B-But we figured it all out! We figured out that the killer shot the display case to get the golden gun and that the reason Riku ended up dead on a boat was because he was trying to escape his killer! What else is–"
"The events of the first gunshot…" Kazuki slowly revealed.
"W-What?!" Daisuke turned to Kazuki, widening his eyes.
"Right, we only really covered the events of the second and third gunshot, but the first gunshot…" Fábio rubbed his chin. "That's something we've yet to talk about."
"Well, we know that was when Arakawa was shot in the hip," Issac confirmed. "That was something we ourselves, established."
"But the only question is… where…?" Kazuki kept both of his eyes closed in thought.
"W-Well, it had to be Roderick's Attraction, right?!" Daisuke suggested. "Wouldn't that–"
"No, remember," Alisa shook her head. "The whole reason Riku was at Roderick's Attraction in the first place was because he wanted to hide from his killer. Knowing that now, the real location where Riku was shot can't have been the same place he was killed."
"Okay, then what about Yumi's Attraction?" Aidan asked. "Could he have been shot there, instead?"
"I don't think so," Yukihiko disagreed. "Otherwise, we would've heard two subsequent gunshots, but as Kikuko argued, the time in between gunshots heard was substantial."
"Maybe it was ze Treehouse?" Manon pondered.
"Not at all," Kikuko shook her head. "Fábio and I were tasked with guarding the Brother's Button there at the time."
"When we heard the first gunshot, Kikuko and I tracked the sound to be around Mara's Attraction-" Fábio was about to say.
"Then, it be Mara's Attraction?!" Roderick folded his arms as he gruffly spoke.
"...Well, no because Mara said she didn't hear a gunshot," Fábio revealed.
"Okay, so it's not the Treehouse, it's not Yumi's Attraction, not Mara's, nor Roderick's…" Aidan shook his head. "The only one left is Kikuko's but…"
"Evidence doesn't match the facts of the case… right…" Kazuki noted. "...Because Riku could've easily taken the roller coaster to escape but…"
"He'd have to suffer through dying through the control panel…" Fábio nodded. "And the path to the entrance of Kikuko's Attraction isn't exactly a winding pathway…"
"Th-There's no end to this!" Daisuke exclaimed. "W-What are we going to say next?! That the first gunshot took place at a location none of us found yet?! H-How else does this case–"
"Time is on your side!" Alisa consented.
Alisa swung her pocket watch around as she pointed her finger toward Daisuke. The side of her glasses glinted, as she gave a rather approving glance toward the large fast-food employee. It was clear that she definitely appreciated what Daisuke had suggested.
"Daisuke, repeat what you just said!" Alisa ordered.
"H-Huh?!" Daisuke widened his eyes in shock. "U-Uh… Y-You mean… Th-That the first gunshot took place at a location none of us found yet?"
That the first gunshot took place at a location none of us found yet…
The more Alisa let those words flow through her mind, the more she started to believe it. Because of all the locations they mentioned, none of them made sense in their own way. But if they were to consider that there was a location no one has found. A location no one knew about. No one but…
"I think I know the location of where the first gunshot took place…" Alisa confidently said, keeping her fingers on the bridge of her glasses.
"Y-You do?!" Daisuke widened his eyes.
"Well, don't just stand dere!" Yumi widened her eyes as well. "Tell us! W-Where did Riku git shot near the hip?!"
Alisa had to give herself a moment to consider whether or not what she was about to reveal was really true. No… She knew it was true. That wasn't what she was really worried about. What she was really worried about was what this meant for the case. Because if this really is the location, then…
How…?
Alisa leaned against the podium, her eyes narrowing.
"We exhausted all locations but one…" Alisa began. "This is the only place the first gunshot took place in. It is the only place where Riku was shot near the hip. That location is…
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…the location of the Boy's Button!"
"W-What?!" Yukihiko recoiled.
"Of course..." Kazuki nodded. "...We still have yet to solve the last of the Hangman words from the Playtime Event... The location of the Boy's Button was the only button that had yet to be found... If Riku really was shot there first... I believe all the pieces will start to fall into place..."
"Okay, so how the heck do we even find it?" Yumi asked.
Kazuki kept his eyes closed for a bit as he thought toward the last possible word it could be. Slowly, he took out his eTicket and pulled up the image of the Hangman's Gambit results Monoyena so "generously" handed him. Then, he gestured for everyone to pass it around, as if inviting them to help solve the word with him. Or rather, know that what he was about to say next made complete sense:
The Boy (3) ~ Red
[]A[]A[]I[]E
The Girl (4) ~ Green
FISHERMAN
The Brother (3) ~ Green
TREEHOUSE
The Sister (4) ~ Red
PRIESTESS
"...We find it by solving the last word..." Kazuki opened both eyes, seriously. "Right here... right now..."
"H-Hey man, you know I suck at these!" Aidan rubbed the back of his neck.
"M-Me too, pardner!" Yumi widened her eyes.
But Kazuki didn't.
Because after a moment's consideration, he felt as if he knew the word. The word was quite literally on the top of his head, and it was a word that he probably should've expected from the beginning. This would have been a fantastic place to put a Hangman's Gambit minigame, but Sempi still refuses to let me read Cold-Blooded Revenge. Regardless, the word that he figured out. It had it be... this!
"The answer to the Boy's Button..." Kazuki folded his arms. "The word. It's...
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...PARADISE."
"P-Paradise?" Aidan blinked.
"Paradise…?" Yukihiko raised an eyebrow.
"...Paradise?" Manon looked equally confused.
Wait for it.
"W-Wait…" Aidan rubbed the back of his neck, his face confused yet astonished. "W-WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!"
There we go.
"It's the location where the first gunshot took place..." Kazuki simply said. "It's the place where Riku was shot near the hip..."
"O-Okay, but you can't just go ahead and make up random locations!" Aidan accused. "None of us have even heard about this Paradise bull schtick!"
"No… dat ain't true…" Yumi widened her eyes. "W-We have heard about it! Dat day when we were going to enter da Jungle of Joy fer da first time… Marcus Avventira mentioned it right den and dere!"
Marcus stared at the camera, stone-faced and serious.
"Here's the mission," Marcus began. "The Towa Group has assigned me a team- that's you guys -to join me in exploring the Jungle of Joy. The treasure we're looking for? Paradise. An oasis hidden somewhere within these deep jungles. It is said to hold the most powerful artifact that can change the course of history itself… No one knows what it looks like, but I assure you. If you find Paradise, you'll know exactly what it is..."
Marcus held up his hands, defensively.
"N-No way…" Aidan kept his eyes widened. "S-So… that video. It wasn't just some cheap marketing ploy by Disney?!"
"N-Nay!" Roderick exclaimed. "What are ye talking about now?!"
Kikuko slammed an ofuda onto her podium, causing Eiji to flinch behind her. Whoops!
"K-Kazuki, are you sure about this?" she narrowed her eyes, one of them glowing blue.
Kazuki had to wait before actually responding.
"...I had the most trouble with this one…" Kazuki noted. "When I solved the other words… I used preexisting knowledge of each location and their most identifiable traits… FISHERMAN. TREEHOUSE. PRIESTESS."
Kazuki instinctively moved his hand toward his neck.
"But the Boy's Button was different…" Kazuki seriously stated. "Because unlike the others… It just so happened to be in a location that no one had ever discovered… A location that I hadn't clued in until the Trial began..."
"Indeed," Alisa nodded. "I believe it was possible to figure it out during the Investigation... had Monoyena not unplugged the monitors. But now that we're here in the Trial, I think we can 100% say that Paradise was where this case truly began…"
"Ah heh heh," Beauté giggled. "I was wondering why it took so long for anyone to solve it. It's quite literally in the title of this Chapter!"
"B-But where is it?!" Daisuke exclaimed, ignoring Beauté. "I-If no one but R-Riku and the k-killer was able to find it before… Wh-What chance do we have of finding it now?!"
"Right…" Kazuki nodded. "That's… the issue…"
"Bwa… Bwahahahaha!" Monoyena pointed his Barbie Blade toward his subjects. "Jesus Christ! 6 days in the Jungle of Joy and none of ya have any fucking clue on where this Paradise is?! Great use of yer time, ya fucking slowass punks!"
To think that there really was a secret location hidden somewhere inside this section of the park. Typical. This was all premeditated by Monoyena and Stanczyk. The golden gun from Yumi's Attraction. The Playtime Event. Her own Ultimate Attraction…
Mara narrowed her eyes.
All of it was to distract them from finding the location of Paradise. Because this entire case rode on Paradise's existence. All of this started in Paradise. So, now… It was up to her to figure out where Paradise was.
It was her time to shine. She made it her resolve to try to contribute more in this Trial. Not just for her sake but for Riku's. She asked herself multiple questions about Paradise.
Where is Paradise?
How can you find Paradise?
Come on Mara…
Think! Think! Think!
Paradise is the key to figuring out the truth over what happened to Riku. But to figure out where Paradise is, we need to figure how to find it…
Mara sighed.
Why did it have to be me who had to do this, again? Screw it… Let's start with something simple.
Mara folded her arms as she kept her eyes closed.
If Riku really did get shot at Paradise first, then obviously, that means he was there. So. Yes or no? Is there evidence that proves Riku was at Paradise? Tch, surely the answer has to be…
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…Yes.
Of course it's yes. If Riku was there, there'd obviously be evidence of him being there in the first place. But what exactly is it?
Mara furrowed her eyebrows.
If there is evidence of him being there, then it would have to be on Riku himself. But what evidence on Riku would help lead us to Paradise?
She paused.
Wait. Hang on. Couldn't that evidence be…
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…the banana leaf?
"Exactly," Alisa nodded. "That is why Riku had a banana leaf with him. He must've found some lying around and simply used it to try to clean his wound. And the only way he would be able to actually treat himself like that…"
Yeah! That banana leaf was that thing Riku used as some sort of medical bandage for his hip wound! Timewise, it all adds up. But here's the odd thing about it. No other place in this damn Jungle had any banana trees or anything. They were all sequoias or whatever... So, it's highly likely…
Mara shifted uncomfortably.
Yeah. If no place in the Jungle that we've seen has it, then Paradise would be the only place that grows banana trees, right? That would be the only place Riku would've found it!
Mara bit her lip.
Okay, so we have the banana leaf that tie into Paradise. But how exactly does it prove where Paradise is?
She tried to visualize what the banana leaf looked like.
Well, to figure that out, maybe there's something about the banana leaf that could help me figure this out. What about the banana leaf can help me…? Wouldn't it be…
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…the shape!
Right. According to Roderick...
"It be havin everything to do with this case, laddie!" Roderick exclaimed. "Because I be finally figuring out what kind of leaf that thing is! A leaf that's triangular-shaped. Curled at the tip. Smooth, waxy... impenetrable by water!"
The banana leaf's shape is triangular but curved at the tip.
Mara paused.
Wait. Why does that sound so familiar? Or rather, why does that look so familiar? Where else have I seen something that is triangular but curved at the tip?
Mara twitched in realization.
N-No– Oh you gotta be– There's no way! I saw a similar shape on…
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…the Chinese mural!
With folded arms, she decided to hang out at the Queue this time around. She was on the right side of the pathway to the restaurant. Her eyes were fixated on the old Chinese mural decorated onto the wall. Tch. Now that she got a better look at it, already, she found herself immersed in the art style of the mural.
The dragon hidden in the clouds.
The tiger crouching on the grassy terrain.
Coming perfectly in between them was the sun, drawn as a circle with triangles surrounding whose tip curved ever so slightly.
Some symbol for peace, she imagined.
The sun had triangles with curved tips surrounding the circle! That can't be a coincidence can it?! Because if those triangles are actually banana leaves, then…
Mara grimaced.
…What exactly is the sun in the mural?! Could it be…
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…a representation of Paradise?!
No. It absolutely can! The drawing of the banana tree was intentionally drawn to look like the sun. But in reality, it was actually Paradise drawn right in front us! Or rather, me... because I was literally the only person who hung around that joint.
Mara clenched her fist.
Anyway, how could I be so stupid?!
She took a deep breath.
Okay, Mara. Calm down. Now that we know that the sun in the picture is actually Paradise, what does that mean for the rest of the mural? There's still the hidden dragon and the crouching tiger.
Once again, she paused, realization hitting her on the head.
…Oh, this goddamn park.
Frustrated, she sighed to herself.
Let's ask myself this… If the sun in the picture is actually a representation of Paradise, an honest-to-goodness location in this damn jungle, then what the heck is the crouching tiger supposed to represent?
She shifted to her podium.
The answer…
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…the Crouching Tiger Cafe.
My goddamn Ultimate Attraction. And if the Cafe is the Crouching Tiger in the picture, then what the heck is the dragon in the sky supposed to be?
Mara folded her arms, now sure of the conclusion she was reaching.
The answer…
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…the Ultimate Shrine Priestess's Attraction.
It was even called "Flight of the Hidden Dragon." The answer was right in front of us! So, all together now…
Mara felt her body tense up.
The dragon is Kikuko's Attraction. The tiger is my Ultimate Attraction. The sun is Paradise. What does that make the Chinese mural…?!
Mara could feel the frustration seep through her body as she realized just how hard she was played by a goddamn mural.
The answer…
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…a map to Paradise!
Now knowing that it's a map to Paradise, what's my final conclusion here?! Where is Paradise located?!
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Mara suddenly opened her eyes, a flaming gaze piercing Monoyena and Stanczyk. If looks could kill, Mara would be dead from rule violation. But looks can't kill anyway, so instead, she slammed her hands against her podium, which surprisingly didn't break.
"Oooh, looks like someone figured something out!" Monoyena laughed at Mara's expression.
"B-Best friend, what's the matter?!" Stanczyk gasped, worried. "D-Did I do something wrong?!"
"You knew all this time, didn't you?" Mara frowned at the jester. "What the truth behind that Chinese mural is!"
"H-Huh?!" Stanczyk tilted his head, confused.
"Chinese mural?" Aidan blinked. "What Chinese mural…?"
"The Chinese mural at her own Ultimate Attraction?" Issac raised an eyebrow.
"Oh don't listen to her," Yukihiko scoffed. "Monsters like her don't deserve our attention. She's wasting our time with random outbursts that none of us should pay any heed. Let's move on–"
"You are free to ignore me, but you aren't going to," Mara snapped toward Yukihiko. "Because I figured out where Paradise really is!"
"W-What?!" Daisuke looked at Mara in shock.
"I-Is this true, Mara?" Kikuko looked at the karate master in surprise.
"Of course it isn't," Yukihiko folded his arms. "None of us were able to find it within the six days we were in the Jungle of Joy. So, can you really blame us when we find it hard that you managed to figure it out in under ten minutes?"
Has it only been under ten minutes?
Nevermind that, Mara didn't need Yukihiko's sass. Not in this crucial moment. She slammed her hands against the podium, her eyes sparking a fiery red gleam.
"The location of Paradise…" Mara decided to send it anyway. "It's located…
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…between my Attraction and Kikuko's Attraction!"
"W-What?!" Kikuko widened her eyes.
"H-Huh?!" Aidan squeezed his water bottle, forcing the cap to pop off and hit him square in the head.
"W-What did you say?!" Yukihiko gritted his teeth, recoiling in shock.
"It's located between your Attraction and Kikuko's Attraction…" Issac hummed to himself before shaking his head. "Well, actually, nevermind the location for now. Because what Isolde wants to know is…"
Issac pointed his finger toward Mara.
"...How exactly do you know that?" Issac frowned.
"Indeed," Beauté giggled. "I too wish to know. Mainly because the conclusion you reached was a mental Think! Think! Think! scenario of the Trial. Why don't you enlighten us with your–"
"The Chinese mural at my Ultimate Attraction…" Mara folded her arms. "It's not some mural with a hidden meaning in it. If you look at it very literally, it's actually a goddamn map of Paradise's location."
Mara glanced to the side.
"I know this, because the banana leaf that Riku used to mend his wound isn't exactly found in any of the places we know about in the Jungle of Joy," Mara explained.
"And so… you concluded that the only place that does grow banana leaves…" Kazuki noted. "Is… Paradise."
Mara simply nodded.
"But how does zis tie into ze map?" Manon blinked. "I don't understa–"
"On the map is a picture of Paradise," Mara explained. "At a first glance, you might mistake it for the sun. But if you match the shape of the triangles with curled tips to the banana leaf that Riku has, you'll find that they are very similar. That's… what clued me into it in the first place."
"Huh…" Kazuki smiled to himself. "I… am very impressed, Miss Garcia… That was some good deductive reasoning."
Mara blinked before a moment, taken aback by Kazuki's compliment.
"...D-Did you just compliment me?" she asked.
"...Well… of course…" Kazuki opened one eye. "...Why wouldn't I?"
Mara felt her hands soften.
A compliment for her good efforts on figuring out where Paradise was located. It was no surprise that she hadn't gotten many of those in her lifetime. So, for her to receive one in a life-or-death Trial… It felt nice.
Really nice.
"So, the Chinese mural is actually a map that leads to Paradise," Fábio reiterated. "And thanks to Mara, we also know that Paradise is located somewhere between Kikuko's Attraction and Mara's Attraction. The only question now is…"
Fábio twirled a strand of his ringlet hair.
"...How exactly do we get there?" he asked.
"Right," Mara nodded. "That's what I want to–"
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Yukihiko interjected.
Yukihiko flew through the screen as his eyes directed a tiger-like gaze directly toward the karate master. His purple braids fluttered against the winds of interjection and his vicious tiger gaze was very reminiscent of a mother who looked very angry at her own child.
"Are we really going to believe the deductions of a monster like Marabel Garcia?!" Yukihiko curled his delicate fingers into a fist, his distaste clearly emanating in Mara's direction. "How do we know you're not really just leading us onto a wild goose chase?!"
"I'm not!" Mara shook her head. "Look, is now really the best time to show how much you hate me?!"
"Hate you?" Yukihiko started to laugh. "Hate you?! Oh– Oh ho. Oh, honey, you're too much! I don't hate you!"
Yukihiko tilted his head, his eyes flaring up with absolute disdain.
"I just don't trust you," Yukihiko said. "Why should I? You killed your mother. You hurt others. You have a monster inside you that can't be controlled. Why should I risk all of our lives on some random hunch you just made?!"
"I-It's not a hunch!" Mara argued. "I can… I can prove–"
She stopped herself.
This was the price she had to pay for keeping her deductions in her mental space. It was just as Beauté had said. Something, something… Think! Think! Think! Point of the matter was that she figured out everything in her head but didn't actually walk it through so the others could follow along with her. That was the consequence of Think! Think! Think! wasn't it?
"Prove it?" Yukihiko mocked. "The banana leaf that we found on Riku had the same shape as the sun in that Chinese mural? What kind of logic is that?!"
Yukihiko slammed his squeezable milk bottle onto the podium.
"If you want to prove that Paradise really is located in between your Attraction and Kikuko's Attraction then you are going to have to do far better than actually present a Chinese art piece!" Yukihiko exclaimed. "Tell me… How exactly do you get to Paradise?!"
"H-How?!" Mara widened her eyes. "I… I don't know! I…"
"If you don't know…" Yukihiko tilted his head with a maternal smile.
Then, it shifted, showing his disappointed frown.
"Then, you should just stay quiet and let the responsible adults handle the workload…" Yukihiko narrowed his eyes.
Mara widened her eyes.
Yukihiko meant business.
She knew Yukihiko didn't like her. But the extent of that hatred was unknown to her. Unknown until now. The amount of distrust Yukihiko had against her was unreal. Seriously, what did she do to cause so much hate?
Mara tightened her fist and shook her head.
She was used to such discrimination. Best she could do now was tune it out and focus on the main objective at hand. If the only way to shut Yukihiko up was by focusing on how to actually get to Paradise. And the key to that is thinking about this logically…
Think Mara!
What would help take someone to Paradise?
Mara thought about it closely. Using the idea that the map was of three locations on the map, Mara slowly nodded her head. There was only one to get to Paradise. One single way. Mara might not be entirely confident, but it was a start…
"Okay…" Mara took a deep breath and folded her arms. "You want to know how to get to Paradise, then, so be it. The way to get to Paradise is through…
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"K-Kikuko's Attraction?" Yukihiko widened his eyes before shaking his head. "Oh honey. That is such a broad answer that tells me nothing!"
Yukihiko glanced at his nails with a smirk.
"That rollercoaster leads directly toward the other side of the park," Yukihiko smirked. "That in itself was already established the first day we checked out the Jungle of Joy…"
"Actually, I think what's interesting is that Kikuko's coaster has an exit on the other side of the Jungle of Joy," Aidan pointed out.
"An… exit…?" Kikuko blinked.
"Huh, now that you mention it…" Fábio folded his arms, an icy gaze directed toward the track star. "Kikuko's coaster didn't have a notable exit when we last checked. So if this is true…"
"Then it's possible that the coaster acts as transportation to take riders to the other side of the Jungle," Yukihiko nodded. "Intriguing. Great work, handsome…"
"So, I'm sorry to say…" Yukihiko curled his fingers and looked at Mara with spite. "There is absolutely no way it can lead to Paradise…"
Mara stared at Yukihiko, dumbfounded.
Was that it, then?
Mara never checked out any of the rides and Kikuko's Attraction was no different. She was lacking evidence to help hold any water for her theory. She felt hopeless. She could feel Yukihiko's heated and mocking gaze taunt her.
Taunt her like…
"We'll figure this out together!" Fábio intervened.
Fábio flashed across the screen, his eye regaining that glimmering twinkle he once had back in his youth. Given the chill in the air from the winds of intervention, it almost seemed like Fábio was quite literally skating to the karate master's rescue. Extending his hand, the figure skater invited himself to Mara's assistance.
"No, Yukihiko," Fábio shook his head. "It absolutely can lead to Paradise!"
Mara was both surprised and grateful that Fábio would come to her side and lend her support. Even after what she had almost done to Kikuko and how badly he had berated her over it... It felt... nice. She watched as Fábio took the reins of this conversation, looking at Yukihiko with major disapproval.
"W-What do you want, Fábio?" Yukihiko frowned. "This is a battle between me and Marabel!"
"But you're refusing to see that Mara actually has a point," Fábio rubbed his chin. "I do think that the way to get to Paradise is through Kikuko's Attraction!"
"H-Ha, you honestly believe this girl…?" Yukihiko stared at Fábio, flabbergasted.
Fábio glanced at Mara for a moment.
"Why not?" Fábio shrugged.
Mara blinked.
R-Really?
"You're looking for evidence that proves that Kikuko's Attraction is the way to get to Paradise, right?" Fábio twirled a lock of his ringleted hair. "Well, here's the evidence you're looking for...
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…the Attraction's control panels!"
"T-The control panels?!" Yukihiko frowned. "W-What about the control panels?! Aren't they just like any other–"
"I'm not talking about the control panels at the entrance..." Fábio shook his head. "I'm talking about the ones at the exit..."
"Th-The what?" Yukihiko gritted his teeth.
"Whoa, there's a ride control panel on this side of the attraction too?" Aidan blinked. "Was it like that for the Lady Radiance ride?"
"Not at all," Fábio shook his head. "Because the Lady Radiance ride ended back where it started. This ride took us to the other side of the Jungle."
He noticed Aidan examining the ride control panel.
From the looks of it, the attraction was set to Manual. As such, the dragon coaster carts remained, waiting for someone to climb aboard and lock down the harness. But when Aidan pressed Automatic… Well, the ride itself repositioned itself as it normally would and off it went to the tracks leading toward the left…
"Surprised?" Fábio raised an eyebrow. "So were Aidan and I when we came across it. Originally, we thought that maybe it just sends you back to the other side. That was all. But Mara made a point of saying that maybe the way to get to Paradise is connected through Kikuko's rollercoaster..."
"Right," Mara nodded. "We know that riding the rollercoaster from the entrance takes you on a trip to the other side of the Jungle. But since there's another control panel at the end…"
"...Then you can use the control panel and board the coaster from the Exit," Fábio revealed. "Boarding the coaster, or actually, literally just staying on the coaster from there would've taken you to Paradise! It was that easy this entire time!"
"...And yet it surprisingly took us this long for all of us to even find Paradise in the first place…" Mara folded her arms with a sigh.
"Oh, please, sweeties," Yukihiko spat, folding his arms. "Do you people even hear yourself? All you have been saying are nothing but assumptions and conjectures. Riding the roller coaster from Kikuko's Attraction Exit side is how you can get to Paradise?! None of it holds any water!"
"Then how about we go ahead and test the waters ourselves?!" Mara jumped in with a declaration.
She turned to Stanczyk and Monoyena.
"Stanczyk, Monoyena!" Mara exclaimed.
"What?!" Monoyena flashed his jagged red eye out of irritation.
"Y-yes best friend?!" Stanczyk leapt from his seat, glancing down at Mara in confusion.
"We are not-" Mara was about to say before shaking her head. "Can we go see Paradise for ourselves?"
"Bwa... Bwahahahahahahahaha!" Monoyena burst out into laughter. "Are ya kidding? Of course ya can't! Investigation time is over, bitch! Should've spent your time more wisely, ya fucking cunt-eating—"
"Of course you can, best friends!" Stanczyk cheerfully declared.
"Fucking what?!" Monoyena turned to Stanczyk. "Are you insane?! Fuck no! These fuckers need to learn that doing a shit job at investigating leads into situations like these, where they have to move on without enough evidence!"
"But... you know it's a little unfair..." Stanczyk grinned. "Especially since they wouldn't have been able to find Paradise during the Investigation, anyway..."
"W-What?" Yukihiko blinked.
What was Stanczyk talking about?
This was the battle of taking a look at Paradise for the first time ever. Fábio and Mara dictated that in order to go to Paradise, one would have to ride Kikuko's Attraction to get to it. Stanczyk said that they wouldn't have been able to find Paradise during the Investigtion, anyway. Knowing those things, Stanczyk must be referring to one simple thing! One simple thing that Mara understood all too well.
"Wait... right..." Mara blinked. "Stanczyk is talking about...
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"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.
"That's right best friend!" Stanczyk grinned. "Ohhhh, you are so smart! How it makes me all teary-eyed to see the youth grow up to be so intelligent!"
"I see," Fábio nodded. "The reason we wouldn't have been able to find Paradise anyway is because all the Attractions get deactivated once the Investigation Period begins. Which would mean..."
He nodded.
"Yeah, that is a little unfair, isn't it?!" Fábio pointed his finger toward Monoyena. "We should've been able to find Paradise during the Investigation Period! But thanks to your stupid system, we were literally locked out of investigating an important location! I think we're all entitled to a little reinvestigation!"
"Well, should've found Paradise sooner, bitch," Monoyena flipped him off.
"There could be evidence lying around in Paradise for all we know!" Mara argued.
"Not my problem, cunt," Monoyena sipped his shrimp cocktail.
"Monoyena..." Stanczyk started to whine. "Paradise is one of the headlining trademarks of the Jungle of Joy! And I want them to see for themselves how cool it is! You wouldn't want to deny my best friends a fun time at Piero's Playground, would you?"
Stanczyk turned to Monoyena, almost pleading with him.
Monoyena tapped his chin for a moment, contemplating Stanczyk's pleading request. And after a while, he nodded and made his decision.
"Yes, I would!" Monoyena nodded. "That's the end of that."
So much for trying to convince Monoyena.
"But Monoyena!" Stanczyk whined. "I wanna show them Paradise! I wanna show them Paradise! I wanna show them Paradise! Let me show them Paradise!"
Stanczyk tilted his head, his voice distorting and his single red eye glowing dangerously.
"LeT mE sHoW tHeM… oR I wOn'T bE sO nIcE!" Stanczyk warned.
"Jesus, fine fine fine!" Monoyena relented. If anything, he was more annoyed than scared. "If you guys wanna go see Paradise so badly, fucking fine! You fucking diaper shits can go and see Paradise fer yerself! Follow Stanshit! No breaking up from the group! One hour break for the Trial! That's our agreement. Break it and I'm killing a baby cow in front of a vegan… and I guess whichever one of ya broke the agreement. So, hurry the fuck up!"
"Yippee!" Stanczyk cheered. "You're the best, Monoyena!"
"I'll cut your snubby dick off, ya piece of shit!" Monoyena cursed.
"EEEEEEP!" Stanczyk covered his crotch in fear.
Mara sighed in relief. Not over what was going on between Monoyena and Stanczyk of course, but moreso the fact that they were allowed a chance to check out Paradise for themselves. If they could find more evidence regarding everything, that would be absolutely perfect to solve the case. She noticed her fellow playmates start to disband from the Trial Grounds and gather toward the elevator.
She was prepared to follow them herself, but one snide look from Yukihiko made her tense up.
"Hmph," Yukihiko folded his arms. "Now we can really see if what Marabel said really did hold up…"
Mara paused for a moment, glancing at Yukihiko in bewilderment.
Was that really the main reason why Yukihiko wanted to see Paradise for himself? Just to see whether she was right or not? Just how far did his distrust of her go? And seriously… Just how much did he hate her…?
[Jungle of Joy]
(Paradise)
"This is it, best friends! This is Paradise!"
It was just as Mara had said and Fábio had helped deduce.
Temporarily, Kikuko's Attraction had been reactivated in order to allow Mara and Fábio to help test their theory. They had all followed Stanczyk toward the Exit of Kikuko's Attraction. That's when they got there...
...To get to Paradise, one could literally just go through the Exit and take the coaster cart straight there. It was that easy. Literally... That... Easy. And the moment they all hopped off of the dragon coaster carts, what awaited them first was another torii. But in front of that torii was another ride control panel. But unlike the ride control panels at the Entrance and Exit... this one was different:
MANUAL
AUTOMATIC
LEFT
RIGHT
"Th-This is..." Aidan widened his eyes.
"F-Four options?" Fábio blinked.
"That's right!" Stanczyk grinned. "This baby is much more unique than the other ride control panels!"
"Indeed," Alisa fixed her glasses. "There's more to this than..."
"Exactly!" Stanczyk grinned. "You see, just like any other ride control panel, you can turn it on to Manual and Automatic to call the coaster! That's how you set the ride up! But... here in Paradise, you also get to decide where you want to go once, you're done visiting!"
"So, in other words..." Yumi blinked. "You can go back da way ya came?"
"That's right!" Stanczyk gleefully exclaimed.
Well, aren't they glad they got to see Paradise firsthand now, eh?! A ride control panel that not only controls whether the ride is operating on Manual or Automatic... but a ride control panel that allows anyone to either the left side of the Jungle or the right side of the Jungle. That... was crazy in itself.
As for Paradise itself…
"Incroyable!" Manon gasped. "Zis is Paradise?!"
Just as Marcus said in that introductory video, Paradise was an oasis with a large pond in the middle and surrounded by fauna of all kinds, including banana trees. With the large sequoia trees no longer shading the scenery, the sun was free to reflect onto the surface of the pond. It was... a beautiful sight. Walking further in across the dried up yet soggy ground of dirt terrain...
...They would be able to see that directly in front of the pond was a podium. A special podium... almost like it was the podium where that supposed artifact Marcus mentioned was originally supposed to be on. But instead of an artifact, what was placed on it was a single red big button, non-activated.
Below the button was a single word:
'BOY'
In other words…
"Hmph," Yukihiko remarked. "So, I guess Marabel really was right. This is where Paradise truly was this entire time."
"Right under our noses too..." Aidan muttered.
"Hey guys…"
Everyone turned to the sound of Issac's voice, noticing that the toymaker was squatting down on the ground. Something had piqued his interest.
"Heh, well, something tells me and Isolde…" Issac ruffled his pink hair with confidence. "...That we were definitely right about Riku being shot here."
The moment people joined him to see what he was talking about was the moment he looked at everyone else with that sly smile of his. What he was looking at was…
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DANGANRONPA: TWISTED TRAGEDY
Trial Part 1 of Chapter 2: Adventures of Paradise Gloom is now out :D
After so many rewrites... like 4 or something, I finally have the final product of Trial Part 1! And honestly, I think this might be the first time Trial Part 1 is much better than Trial Part 2 in my opinion, but hey! You guys are the main critics, and I go by what you guys think! But either case, please forgive me if it feels like some parts are off...
...I had to edit this quite a lot to fit what had happened during the Investigation thus far XE
Speaking of Investigation!
The final Hangman word has been revealed! And indeed, it was PARADISE! Congrats to everyone who figured out! Special shoutout to Sempi, who was quite literally the first person to guess it and correctly too! Like whaaaaat?! :D
Surprised no one mentioned Paradise in their list of initial theories and stuff so I hope that was a surprise/plot twist! The Chinese Mural being the Paradise map was very... chef's kiss. Mwah :D Proud of that fun twist! Like that Mara Think! Think! Think! session went so hard and ugh! I love it so much! Really hope you guys do too cause whoo :D
Today's shoutout goes to Otterplay's Danganronpa: Algorithmic Alteration. He just finished his Chapter 2 and shouted me out! Therefore, you should go check his fic! It's basically Twisted Tragedy, but with an Altered Algorithm! :D
As always, please let me know what you guys thought about the Trial thus far! Love it? Hate it? The time is now to tell me because Chapter 2 is coming to an end very soon! Also also...
Lock in your final killer predictions :D The time is nye! Now that you know some stuff, who killed Riku Arakawa? :D Lucky phrase time: I hope this Trial is good and I certainly hope you like Part 2! Of course, my confidence booster is Otterplay!
Trial Part 2 comes out whenever someone wants it :D Most likely tomorrow! Definitely not back-to-back today because people want time to theorize and stuff I bet :0
(*insert thank you Otterplay for beta reading the chapter somewhere here*)
Playmates Remaining: 13
Aidan Brighton - The Ultimate Track Star [Omakin]
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]
Roderick Cutler - The Ultimate Deep Sea Fisherman [Orlando Butler]
Yukihiko Yuno - The Ultimate Child Caregiver [Weekaro]
Yumi Gundo - Ultimate Gunslinger [MrUtenaHolic]
