Project Arc: an Original Fanganronpa

Chapter 6, Act 1

"After a certain amount of time, the class trial will begin! Please use this time wisely to conduct your investigation prior to the trial!"

All at once, the Ultimates flooded in, the room now overflowing with people, leaving a few stuck in the corridor.

"AHH! A BODY!"

"S-seriously?! This can't be real..."

"W-who is it? Did one of us r-really..?"

I feel ill... Sick to my stomach... Why did it have to be him? Who would do such a thing..?

We all stared in shock. Even some of the more aloof Ultimates, like Felix or Petre, looked just as disturbed as us, gazing at the body with cold mixtures of anger and distress.

"HENRI?"

A new voice shouted in desperation, shoving through the crowd.

"GET OUT!! I NEED–"

A familiar figure in a dueling uniform stumbled forward, landing on his knees in front of the body. A wave of emotion flashed through his eyes. Anger. Fear. Love. But also... something else, yet his pale expression was determined to remain as stoic as possible.

"No," Anton mumbled quietly, swallowing hard as he lay his eyes upon his brother's body. "I'm so, so, sorry... This is all my fault... Whoever did this... will pay. I promise..." Anton bowed his head to his brother, clutching Henri's hand in his own trembling hands.

I looked away, I'm not sure whether out of respect or my own sanity. A joyless, heavy air hung over us, the silence occasionally broken by Anton's shaky breaths. Over fifteen of us, and a corpse. That was until laughter shattered the silence and the arrival of the infamous feline headmaster.

"Nyahaha! Well, well, well! One of you guys really was desperate enough to kill! What spirit! What a turn of events! What grit! You've all done much better than expected! You're all truly worthy of your Ultimate titles, and as your headmaster, I'm very proud," Mononeko announced with gusto, clapping his paws together with glee. "Everyone! Now's a great time to bring up the Mononeko files! During your investigation, your findings will be automatically added to the Mononeko files, thanks to the newest technological developments! The Mononeko files can be easily accessed through your Monopads. Now! I am pleased to announce, let the investigation begin!" Mononeko shot us a salute, before sprinting off.

Back to silence. Anton was still shaking, but calmer, his distress replaced with a distant, wistful expression.

"Er, may I..?" Dimitri gently pushed through the crowd towards Henri's corpse. He adjusted his glasses, his expression somber as he knelt down next to the body. "As the Ultimate Surgeon, while I've never conducted an autopsy myself, but... I feel like an autopsy would be beneficial to us all and the investigation. So..." he cleared his throat awkwardly. "May I?"

Anton moved aside silently, standing up and taking a few steps back from Henri's body, a signal to Dimitri to do as he pleased. Dimitri sighed in relief.

"Thank you. I'll get back to you all with the results," Dimitri bowed his head in thanks, before fixing his black latex gloves and getting to work, procuring a set of scalpels and other tools from his lab coat.

"You. Beau," called a voice, before I felt a hand tap my shoulder. "You're the Ultimate Detective Novelist. Do you have any experience with actually being a detective?" Zheng asked hesitantly.

"Oh yeah! She'd surely know how to solve this!"

"Beau would know what to do, having written whodunits all her life."