Chimon

This is a really bad situation.

That's very obviously an understatement; we're dealing with another murder, another trial, another risk to our lives. I don't wanna die, duh, and it's honestly surprising to me that it was JOANIE of all people. Fujiko, Kana, and I all sounded like more reasonable options for victims. And, if we're thinking of this from a moral standpoint, I performed the action that was likely the reason for her death, so I have to act way more guilty than I actually feel in order to not look extremely suspicious.

I'm getting pissed off at this point. This should be a big deal to me. There has to be SOMETHING.

"Aha! Will you look at that?" the annoyingly chipper voice cries out. Monokuma cartwheels in. "It looks like your wish-granting spirit's been sent to the afterlife! And as such, I'd love to present you all with the Monokuma File that I made with the utmost care!" He passes it out to everyone.

"The victim is Joanie Moore. The body was discovered in the pool. There are also external injuries to her hands. Estimated time of death is around 2 am. The cause of death is blunt force trauma."

TRUTH BULLET: MONOKUMA FILE

I rush to Joanie's body, but get blocked by Wakumi. " 'Fore anyone goes pokin' n' proddin', ye best believe I'm gonna be a lookout fer any trouble. Nothin' leaves this room 'till the class trial starts, end o' story. No rigs'll be run, full stop." she announces in a booming voice. Then she gives me a light shove toward the body, scowling.

"I gotcha. I can be the second guard," Gou volunteers. I look back and find him trying to comfort her, but she shrugs off his hand and scoots away coldly. Undeterred, he stays right there. Hm. I guess if this group is good at one thing, it's consistency.

As if proving my point, Monterio settles beside me. "Y-You don't have to. If there's something else you're more interested in searching for, I'll be f-fine," I explain through alligator tears as I quake. He just shakes his head and holds my head to his heart briefly. Its beat is quick, since we're still seeing the body of someone we've been around for roughly two months, but it's still strong and steadfast.

I swiftly turn to try and note who's teaming up. Haruto, Azumi, and Tozen head off together. Kana and Fujiko, having apparently mended their differences, also partner up. And this case's "awkwardly partners because they're left over" award goes to Ren and Yuu.

Having committed that to memory, I wipe away the last of my tears and get to work examining the body, which Monterio fishes out. It's slightly bloated from having been submerged in water for around ten hours, and even as robotic as I am, it's not pretty to look at. Neither is the freaking massive indentation in the back of the head, covered in blood. "That doesn't look like trauma from something with sharp edges. Looks more rounded, don't you think?" I point out. He nods.

"It's also off-center. More to the right of her head, kinda low." His eyes are analytical.

TRUTH BULLET: JOANIE'S HEAD

I turn my attention to the hands, like the file says. The left hand is pretty much undamaged, though obviously the fingers are pruny. But the right hand is where the real damage lies. "Oh, shit. All of her fingers are broken. And the skin on the side of her hand looks... like... peeled off. Yeesh. What could the point of that have been?" I ask to nobody in particular.

TRUTH BULLET: JOANIE'S RIGHT HAND

"Hey, wait," I realize. "Where are her shoes?"

Monterio looks around and then points to a heap at the other side of the room toward the lounge chairs, where her shoes and staff have been tossed somewhat haphazardly. We go to look. "Huh. No blood on these boots."

"That's not all that suspicious," he contradicts. "The handbook says she was five foot eight. If any blood were to get on her shoes, it'd have to splatter a LONG way."

TRUTH BULLET: JOANIE'S BOOTS

I give a weak laugh and play with my key necklace, still trying to look torn up. "Look at you. You're like a bona fide detective."

He gives a similar laugh. "What I'm more worried about is that staff. The top part is gone."

This seems to get Wakumi's attention from afar. "What are ye goin' on about? 'Er staff is different?" She marches over to us with fury aimed in every direction as she yanks it out of Monterio's hand. "Aye! Not only the top, but the bottom ain't quite right, either! This li'l cap ain't normally there!" She struggles to pull it off, and then we find what's hidden underneath. It's been sharpened to a fine tip. None of us say anything about it. She just examines it with a harsh glare and then tosses it back to us.

TRUTH BULLET: PROP STAFF

"She's so... emotive. Those two always looked like they were fighting. Even when they got along, it still seemed like there was this undertone of frustration. I— I wouldn't have expected this sort of reaction. And I just feel like, if I hadn't gone and listened to what they asked, maybe none of this would've happened!" I vent.

He shifts from a crouching position to a sitting one, staring up at the ceiling. "Another motive would've come along. You know that. It wasn't your fault. As for Wakumi... seems like she's just getting used to people outside her crew. I wasn't very good at friendship, either, but people still mattered to me even before I started to get a little better."

I sigh. It's an automatic response, not calculated like much of how I've acted since the investigation started. And I twist my key between my fingers, idly thinking back to when I was normal. He raises an eyebrow and then spares a glance for my necklace.

"From my dad," I explain briefly. We sit in silence for a while, dwelling on things, before finally getting back to it. We have more pressing issues. Mainly that of survival. Can't live to see where you're gonna wind up if you can't live.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ren

Yuu typically isn't very fun to play with. He's not touchy-feely, he doesn't usually like compliments, and he's usually either skittish or overly serious. But someone has to keep an eye on him. And regardless of whether he likes it or not, I'll keep a very watchful eye on him.

"Stooooop, you're making that face again!" he complains, tensing up.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I tease, running a hand through my hair.

"You do so! You make the exact same face whenever you're trying to make it obvious that you're checking someone out! Now, are we going to look through her room or not?"

"C'mon, man, loosen up! I could give you a shoulder massage, if you'd like," I wink.

"Loosen up? Dude, Joanie's dead! Why aren't you taking this seriously?!" he exclaims.

I sigh. "If you don't take chances to laugh where you can, you're gonna go fucking mad in here. You of all people know that."

He grasps at his arm and looks aside. "You're right. Sorry. It's just... a lot. You get it, don't you?"

My hand instinctively creeps up to her earring. We start to go downstairs. "Yes... Neither of us eulogized them. I'm not trying to disregard what happened to Joanie. But it's like you said. It's just a lot."

"Hey, what happened the morning after the trial wasn't your fault. It's obvious that you would've spoken for her if you could've. Me, on the other hand..."

"It makes sense that you weren't in the right headspace. Don't beat yourself up about it, either, okay?" He says nothing in response. "But anyway, let's just find a middle ground here. I'll stop flirting with you if you crack a joke now and then."

"Deal."

"You are quite pretty, though."

"I'm surprised you haven't strained your eyes from ogling people 24/7," he quips in response. His voice isn't cracking, so I'm guessing he's a bit calmer now.

"Who says I haven't? I wear contacts."

"Your eyesight may not be twenty twenty, but you're a ten out of ten," he jokes.

"YOU'RE BRILLIANT!!! How have I never THOUGHT of that before?!" I gasp as I rush down the last few stairs. He laughs.

As we make our way down the hallway, passing by Azumi, Tozen, and Bisque in the craft room, a small scrap of paper catches my eye. "What's this?" I bend down to grab at it. "There's just one word on it: 'Gotcha.' Think it's related?"

"Can't tell at this point. Lemme get a peek." He leans over to check. "Huh. Yeah, I'm not sure."

TRUTH BULLET: CONTEXTLESS NOTE

We arrive at Joanie's room and I open the door for Yuu (y'know, like a gentleman). But he hesitates right outside. "There's a scuff mark from a shoe on the floor. It goes toward the long end of the hallway, like someone made a sharp, quick turn."

"So, back in the direction we came from?"

"Yep. Can't get much more info from it, though."

TRUTH BULLET: SCUFF MARK

He finally enters the room, and we soak it all in. The place is practically covered wall-to-wall with posters for various movies, some of which were directed by her and some of which weren't. The ones that aren't her own are either classics or some really avant-garde shit I haven't heard of before. There's a nifty typewriter, too, and awards. Despite her hang-ups about Aika in the past, it seems like she really loved her job.

"Woah! There are like... prototypes of Aika's outfit in here. Shoes and all!" Yuu notices. "Wow, she put a lot of work into this."

"Even though she hated Aika till the last few weeks?"

"Probably BECAUSE she hated Aika till the last few weeks."

I approach the desk and immediately notice something seriously wrong. "Yo, it's the top of her staff! It's freaking decimated!"

"What?!" He makes his way over there. The gemstone in the middle of it is completely shattered beyond repair, and the plastic sides are snapped.

"Why is it all just... laying here on top of the desk? Could someone have gotten in here?"

His expression falls. "...Like with the dancers?"

"Don't worry, it's probably not like that! No big deal," I frantically backpedal, remembering Sayuri and her prize.

TRUTH BULLET: BROKEN STAFF HEAD

"This is weird, too. A notebook, filled with nothing, open to a torn-out page. You can see the little side bit where it got taken out." He traces his gloved hand along the edge.

"It's totally empty?"

"Here, take it."

I flip through it. Sure enough... lined paper totally devoid of any writing, practically brand new, except for a single seamlessly torn-out page. "Do we have any handwriting samples for her? That might prove to be pretty damn important."

"Let's focus on finding one."

Since her scripts are all written up on the typewriter, they're no good for what we need. "We should watch a bunch of these... or like, act them out. Just to help what she's worked so hard for reach fruition," I suggest.

"That's awfully sentimental of you. Maybe we can, if everyone feels up to it. Ah, here! In her nightstand drawer. It's a bunch of notes on some horror movies."

I take the little scrap of paper out of my pocket and compare the two. "Not the same. So Joanie didn't write that."

TRUTH BULLET: TORN PAGE

"Can I see that one last time?" he asks. I hand it to him, and he inspects it with a very intense, scrunched-up face, to the point where it makes me snicker. Noticing this, he exaggerates his face even more until I can't stop laughing. "Nevermind. I thought maybe I could figure something out, but I can't think of anything at all."

"Feeling any better?" I ask.

He takes a moment's pause to try and figure that out. "A little. Y'know, the roughest part is that we can't win. Even if I confidently declare that we'll beat the class trial and survive, that just means we'll have to learn that someone's betrayed us again. And then they're gone."

"I... I know. And I don't know how to make it better. But we have to believe that we'll get through it."

He huffs to himself and clenches a fist. "Well, if we're gonna get through it, we gotta not die. Let's keep looking."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Azumi

Upon witnessing the body and everyone splitting up, Bisque's first instinct is to come to me. He tugs on the sleeve of my unitard, and, in a low voice, mutters, "Zu, I need to clear my head."

"Alright. We shall take a detour to the craft room," I comply with a smile.

"Hey! Mind if I tag along with you guys?" Tozen approaches.

"Yes! Come, come! But... we gotta hold hands," he insists, giving me a subtle wink as he takes one of my hands. Tozen gives me a small smile as takes the other. It's warm. I feel my cheeks start to heat up, so I look at the ground. The overzealous yet anxious Bisque leads us down the stairs and toward the craft room.

"D-Did you find something down here?"

"No... I just need to clear my head. Otherwise, I don't know if I'll be able to think well. I'm sorry if it's a bother."

"That's fine. Just kind of confused."

Haruto stops in his tracks. "U-Um, sorry for keeping it from you for so long, Tozen, but I have ADHD. A-Again, I'm sorry, I just... wanted to take my time letting people know."

"I sort of guessed once I found out you take Ritalin. But thank you for sharing that with me." He fluffs Haruto's hair affectionately. "Who else knows?"

"Yuu and Azumi. Sayuri knew, too. I did a secret exchange with those two right after the first trial, cause he wanted to make amends."

"No wonder you two got surprisingly chummy right after such a dramatic fight! I was confused for a while!"

"Thanks for keeping your questions to yourself... it's not that I didn't trust you or anything!" Bisque fidgets.

"Don't even worry."

"Ah! I do not have to keep it a secret anymore. How lovely!" I rise up on my toes in joy. "Now, let us clear our heads."

He rushes into the room, straight toward the clays, and takes his hand out of mine. Part of me wants to hold on tighter when Tozen does similarly, but I don't have enough assertiveness to be so bold.

Instead, I watch Haruto's face. As he starts throwing clay on the wheel, I witness the clarity and relaxation spread through his expression and inform the rest of his body language. This isn't particularly new to me, but it's still pleasant.

"Uh, guys?! There's blood on this stand! That— That, that should not be there!" Tozen points emphatically.

"WHAT?!" Haruto yelps, snapped out of his daze. We both immediately get closer to said stand, close by the entrance. He's correct. It has some blood splatter on the top and front.

"But the vase on top... there is no blood on it!" I point out."

"Shit! How could I have missed that?! I was in here earlier today! Agh, I'm such a moron!" Bisque exclaims. He nearly gets clay in his hair by scrunching it agitatedly, but catches himself.

"Hey! There is no self-deprecation allowed. That in no way benefits us, you understand?" I scold lightly.

"S-Sorry— I mean, got it."

"The wood is dark, so the blood kind of blends in. If you were just on autopilot, I doubt you'd notice it," Tozen reassures.

TRUTH BULLET: BLOODY POTTERY STAND

"The wall is not bloody either. Nor is the floor. Huh? Oh, what is this? There is a small hook affixed to the bottom of the stand, right in this corner here. Was this always here?" I ask, crouching to get a better look.

"Nope! I can for sure tell you that," Haruto clarifies. "Hmm! It looks a little messed up!"

TRUTH BULLET: HOOK

"Hey, you see that giant vase, over there?" Tozen points out.

"Yep yep. It's been there since we got here," Haruto nods.

"Can anyone hide inside?"

"Well, they'd have to be smaller than me. I already checked to see if I could fit. Watch!" He makes his way to the vase and sticks one leg in, and then the other. "See, it works this far, but then, when I try to bend..." He crouches to try and fit his hips inside, but doesn't get very far. "And even if I do it this way..." He tries to bend his knees instead of his butt, and that works even less.

TRUTH BULLET: HARUTO'S ACCOUNT

He tries to get out on his own and stumbles. "ACK! I'm okay! I'm okay! I swear! Oh crap, my hand's bleeding from trying to catch myself. I'm fine, though! Jeez, that happened the first time, I should've learned my lesson." But he laughs.

"Come with me. We shall go wash and disinfect your wound, however mild it may be. We don't want you getting any infections, now, especially since your hands are still caked in clay," I dote. Not waiting for any answers, I head off to the infirmary.

"Wait, I don't wanna be left alone! I'm coming, too," Tozen insists.

"Ah, this is kind of embarrassing. But it's okay. It's okay to need help sometimes," he mutters to himself. He washes his hands in the infirmary's sink with plenty of soap as I fetch an antibiotic ointment and bandages.

"You seem like you know what you're doing, Azumi," Tozen compliments.

"Why, thank you! I have sustained many a mild injury in the circus, so I have learned to be somewhat unphased." I curtsy playfully, and he chuckles before giving a deep bow.

"Wait, I wanna be proper, too," Haruto quickly chimes in, bowing.

Within moments, the cut is dressed and we're going back to the craft room. I go to lift the pot back up, and a clanking sound rings out. "Ah. What could that be?" I tilt the vase back over and try reaching my arm in. I feel something plastic. I pull it out. "Oh my! It is a hand drill."

TRUTH BULLET: DRILL

"And I found another hook. This one's stand is way over here, though, and there's no blood." Tozen calls from deeper inside the room.

"This is rather peculiar. There are signs that something must have occurred in here, but there are many signs that perhaps nothing at all did," I murmur. "In any regards, we are quite lucky you needed to clear your head, Bisque!"

"Yay, I was useful," he grins, fumbling with his hands.