~Mistpouffer~ Danganronpa V2: Goodbye Despair x Male Reader

Chapter 17: Two Birds, No Stone

3rd Person POV:

Since they were already in Ryota's cabin, Mikan, Fuyuhiko, and M/n began investigating. The puddles of water on the floor indicate a clear struggle. Fuyuhiko called M/n over to a chair he was standing beside. Right at the leg of the chair was Ryota's shattered tablet. The screen was cracked beyond repair and frozen on an unfinished sketch, the time showing 2:34, almost a full two hours prior.

The figure drawn didn't have enough visible detail to identify who it was. Plus, the figure was seated, concealing any clues regarding height or stance. Unluckily, the subject of the drawing appeared completely genderless, with no defining features of a male or female— let alone a(n) ultimate in particular. M/n squinted at the tablet as if the truth would magically come to him, "Would this be helpful? I mean, it might not even be his killer." Fuyuhiko pointed at another chair with his thumb, "These two chairs are facing each other. There's an imprint in the other one too. Someone was here."

Fuyuhiko was right, the leather of the other chair still had a dip in it showing that whoever was there hasn't been gone long. M/n nodded, his hand on his chin, "Yeah... so Ryota was drawing his killer." Mikan called the two boys into the bathroom quietly. "S-So he drowned f-for sure... B-But why was he filling the tub?" M/n looked down at the poor animator, "I agree, it's strange. He's still fully clothed... there's no soap in the water either."

Mikan cocked her head to the side, "No soap? Then what's that color in the water?" M/n turned to see what Mikan was like looking at, "Huh... it's... red... Is that blood?" Fuyuhiko crouched down, sniffing apprehensively before falling back into his ass, his hand over his nose. "Jeez! What the fuck is this shit? It reeks!" Fuyuhiko pushed himself onto his knees, "No fucking way that's blood. Whatever this... stuff is, it's on Ryota's hands and clothes too." M/n knelt beside Fuyuhiko to inspect Ryota, noticing the strange red substance in the shape of smeared handprints on the tub's rim.

"Another sign of a struggle... But what is this stuff? Mikan, would you mind helping me look through the main room? Fuyuhiko, you can tackle any evidence in the bathroom." Both nod in affirmation and the Surfer heads back towards the chairs to search. M/n turned to the girl, "Hey, Mikan, woAH—!" While trying to move forward, Mikan stepped on something causing her to launch into M/n's chest.

The force had knocked the two of them to the ground, M/n's back hitting the floor with a painful thud. The impact forced the air out of M/n's lungs as he took a shaky deep breath to recover. Mikan opened her eyes slowly, a dazed blush and smile appearing on her face when she saw her position straddling M/n, "Hehehehe...."

M/n groaned in pain, rubbing the back of his head to ease the soreness. "Ngh... my head... damn, that hurt like hell..." Fuyuhiko walked in from the bathroom, flicking on the lights as he did so to see what had happened, "Shit, are you guys okay?" Fuyuhiko paused in the doorway seeing the rather provocative display now shrouded in light. He could feel his stomach twist as a scowl formed on the yakuza's freckled face, "What the fuck am I looking at?" Fuyuhiko couldn't help feeling jealousy as Mikan seemed to give him a smug smile but, seeing M/n's expression, he quickly concluded that it wasn't intentional.

Nonetheless, the unusual demeanor that the purple-haired girl projected caused Fuyuhiko to narrow his eyes in suspicion, practically burning holes into the back of her skull. Regaining his breath, M/n winced, recoiling and turning his head away from the ceiling at the sudden bright light. After moving his head, M/n's eyes caught a glimpse of something underneath the chair beside him.

M/n grabbed the small object and held it in his hand as he sat up. Mikan, as if snapping back into reality suddenly scrambled off the surfer's lap and onto the floor-- her usual clumsiness kicked in and her ankles reached her head-- her skirt flew up and exposed her underwear. Mikan cried out in embarrassment scrambling to get up. Fuyuhiko offered her his hand with an embarrassed blush of his own.  Fuyuhiko avoided eye contact with the stammering girl, "Christ... you're clumsy as shit..." 

Mikan shrieked, "Wah! I-I'm sorry!" she cried her hands poised to wipe her unshed tears. Fuyuhiko clicked his tongue, mumbling something incoherent before he notices the thing that Mikan had tripped over initially. It was a small bottle, the screw-on lid was undone allowing the contents to spill when Mikan's foot knocked it over. The contents in question were a watery red liquid omitting the same smell as the red on Ryota's body. 

Fuyuhiko picked up the bottle, squinting at the label, "It's ink." That added up, at least, of course, Ryota would have ink for his sketches. M/n remembered Ryota once telling him, "Ah... I don't really like to draw digitally... I prefer just a pen and ink, it makes the art feel more personal. I use my tablet because it's easy to use on the go."  Mikan had composed herself as M/n explained why the ink was not out of place. Mikan pressed her index fingers together shyly, "S-So... Ryota started using ink after his tablet broke?" She hypothesized. M/n nodded, "That's likely, as long as Mikan's time of death doesn't say so otherwise."

Fuyuhiko stuffed his hands into his pockets, "Tch, we're getting sidetracked. Oi, M/n, what did you find under the chair?" Mikan turned towards the taller boy with interest as Fuyuhiko tapped his foot impatiently. M/n looked down at his clasped hand, "Oh, right." The surfer opened his hand to show the other two Ultimates what was in his palm. 

Broken pieces of plastic were in his outstretched hand, some pieces discarded on the carpet floor. It was a comb; Teruteru's. He was here, at the crime scene.

A/N: Oop I gave you no clues as to who it is lol. Anyways, I'm beginning to conjure up ideas for the character-specific ending chapters. If you guys have any specific character you want to see first when the time comes.