Chapter 5: Where Angels Fear to Tread, Part IV (Deadly Life)
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For better or for worse, Madoka was dead. She was lying there right in front of me, with a pocketknife plunged straight into her heart.
Kaori: This... can't... be happening.
???: Oh, I assure you, it is.
I turned around to see that Kaiji had walked into the garden, rubbing his eyes as he clearly must have been woken up as well. Where everyone else was, we didn't know. All that mattered to us at the moment was that Madoka was dead, and she was murdered.
Kaiji: Listen, Kaori. This is something I've got to do. I'm the expert around here, so you must know your place.
Kaori: But wouldn't you want some sort of help?
Kaiji: I don't need your help! Stop thinking of me as this helpless buffoon who can't do anything by himself! If only you just let me do something for once, then I wouldn't be thinking of myself as a worthless piece of trash!
Kaori: I'm trying to-
Our argument was rather abruptly ended by the appearance of a common foe. You could probably guess who he was.
Monokuma: Hey there, Kaiji! Hey there, Kaori! Somebody's dead and you're more interested trying to one-up each other! For shame.
Kaori: Only by co-operation do we have any hope of figuring out just what happened.
Monokuma: Hope? Did somebody say hope...?
Kaiji: Yes. She did.
Monokuma: Hope is dead. Hope is dead and always will be dead! Considering that a quintet of kids ended up murdered here, you clearly have no hope of getting out of here alive! Well, except for one of you, at least.
Kaori: ...
Monokuma: Enough to make you think, isn't it? You might want to tread carefully around this investigation. You know, 'cause you're all basically sleepwalking anyway, so-
Kaori: Thanks for that, Monokuma. We don't need your commentary anymore.
Monokuma: Hmm? You don't need me? Well, you sure as hell do need what will soon be in my place! And don't keep me waiting!
Kaiji: So... farewell, then?
Monokuma: That's right! Bearwell! ...Get it?
With that, Monokuma left as quickly as he arrived, leaving behind a distinctive and familiar-looking file on the floor.
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(Investigation: Garden of Eden)
Without any hesitation, I went over to the file and picked it up. Surprise - it turned out to be the Monokuma File for this case. It read as follows:
Monokuma File #5: The victim is the Ultimate Con Artist, Madoka Uryu. The victim's body was discovered in the Garden of Eden. The estimated time of death is 12:00 am. The cause of death was a stab to the heart. The victim had additionally been hit over the head with a blunt object, strangled and shot in the shoulder before death.
Kaiji: Was is that kind of file?
Kaori: Yes.
Kaiji: Give it me.
I handed the Monokuma File over to Kaiji for him to glance at it. With a nod, he gave it back to me.
Monokuma File #5 has been added to the Truth Needles.
My attention then turned towards her corpse, unmoving on the floor. She was sans scarf, and numerous wounds had ravaged her body, although her face was thankfully intact.
Kaori: Kaiji...?
Kaiji: Yes?
Kaori: Do you have any idea as to how she got those wounds?
Kaiji: My hypothesis... is that this was a gang killing. As in, two or more people attacked her. Whether at once or one after another, we don't know yet.
Kaori: What the-?! You can't be serious...
Kaiji: Judging from how varied these wounds are, that's the only conclusion I can come up with.
Madoka's Body has been added to the Truth Needles.
Of course, I couldn't have not noticed the pocketknife still embedded in her chest.
Kaiji: Looks like Yukiharu's.
Kaori: Daigo had it last time I saw it. He picked it up after his death.
Kaiji: That is correct. You might want to consider the possibility.
Kaori: Indeed.
Daigo's Pocketknife has been added to the Truth Needles.
I took another glance at Madoka's head as well. More specifically, the glass shards surrounding it.
Kaiji: Are you saying that she may have been hit over the head with a glass object?
Kaori: If those shards are correct, then yes.
Kaiji: Well, there was only one glass object in here, wasn't there?
Glass Shards has been added to the Truth Needles.
It was then that I noticed the pair of tranquiliser darts. Both of them had been dislodged and were now on the floor.
Kaiji: Obvious where they came from.
Kaori: True. Why were two fired though if it only mentioned she was shot once though?
Kaiji: Think nothing of it for now.
Tranquiliser Darts has been added to the Truth Needles.
The last thing still laying on the grass unexamined was the needle next to her outstretched hand.
Kaori: It appears to have been used.
Kaiji: You know what they say, drugs kill. Or, you know, any unsafe injection.
Kaori: Guess you're right.
Empty Needle has been added to the Truth Needles.
With everything on the ground having been spotted, I glanced upwards towards the tree of forbidden knowledge. I counted the apples still hanging from its branches; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... wait, 5 apples? There were 7 of us and Madoka helped herself to an apple, so... somebody else must have eaten an apple as well...
Kaiji: You look like you've seen a ghost.
Kaori: (But who could have been the one...?) It's about the apple tree.
Kaiji: Now I see. Somebody ate one of those apples, correct?
Kaori: (nodding) Yes, that is correct.
Apple Tree has been added to the Truth Needles.
Just then, the both of us heard strange rustling noises coming from the tent. Moments later, I heard a human-like whimpering.
Kaiji: I hear something... or better yet, someone, inside that tent. Go see for yourself.
Upon his urging, I went over and peered inside.
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(Investigation: Tent)
There she was, curled up into a ball and chattering to herself. Umiko wasn't exactly the most brave of us, but to think that she must have been the one to find the body...
Kaori: Umiko?
Umiko: I... I did it... I killed Madoka...
Kaori: Wait... what are you saying?!
Umiko: I smashed it over her head, wrapped my hands around her throat... I don't remember anything else... Everything just went black. I woke up here, and when I looked out, she was dead.
Kaori: (How could Umiko, of all people, do such a thing?)
Umiko's Confession has been added to the Truth Needles.
The slip of paper was in her hand. And with a prompt, she gave it to me again.
Kaori: "The crow calls at midnight"... what does it mean?
Umiko: It's... about the statue, I think. It makes a sound when the clocks in here strike twelve. Barely heard it.
Kaori: (Considering Madoka's time of death, this may be important.)
Note about Crow Statue has been added to the Truth Needles.
Additionally, the duffel bag had been left inside, and I carried it out as the both of us crawled out of the tent.
Kaori: Kaiji, check for anything in there, okay?
He nodded his head, opened the duffel bag, and peeked inside.
Kaiji: It's empty.
Umiko: What do you mean, it's empty?
Kaiji: It's completely empty. We left the scrap metal in there, remember?
Kaori: And...?
Kaiji: Same goes for the tranquiliser rifle. They're both gone.
Finding out what happened to both of those items may be the key to cracking the case.
Duffel Bag has been added to the Truth Needles.
Umiko: And, um, eh, are we done in here?
Kaiji: We've found everything we need.
Umiko: Well, we should talk to Souta. He must have went back to the classroom-
Kaori: Which classroom?
Umiko: One on here.
Kaori: Right then.
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(Investigation: Fifth Floor Classroom)
With that, we left behind the Garden of Eden, and Madoka's body with it. Eventually, we entered one of the classrooms on the fifth floor - and true to Umiko's words, Souta was there. He was standing beside the teacher's desk, his eyes a little bit empty-looking. He still retained some sort of cheer in his voice.
Souta: Oh, hello there.
Kaori: Souta, I would like to ask you about the murder of Madoka Uryu.
Souta: Madoka's dead? Thinking about it, it could have been me...
Kaori: (Now Souta's confessing to the crime?!) Tell me what you did, then.
Souta: I remember chasing both of the girls down to the garden, and Umiko was out of her mind for some reason - she had her hands 'round Madoka's throat! So I had to shoot her with the tranquiliser rifle to try and calm her down, and I guess I must have accidently shot Madoka with a fatal dose. If I did do it, I'm ready to die.
Kaori: That's all I needed to hear.
Souta's Confession has been added to the Truth Needles.
It was at that moment that I noticed something incredibly alarming. Monokuma would have flipped his lid if he saw it. A window with the metal plate obstructing it having been taken off and placed neatly against the wall.
Kaiji: ...!
I moved forward towards the window.
Umiko: Don't open it!
Kaori: Why?
Umiko: It'll let the water in... and we'll all drown!
Kaori: Right.
I stared into the blackness of the ocean, almost expecting some unknown marine creature to press its face against the glass and peek inside, completely oblivious to the carnage taking place here...
But nothing came. With that, I hesitantly stepped away from the window.
Kaori: So... what happened?
Souta: Oh, Madoka distracted me. I asked her on why she was unscrewing the metal plate keeping it shut, and she explained that it wasn't screwed on correctly, so technically it wasn't violating Monokuma's rules about breaking down doors or windows...
Kaori: Next?
Souta: She told me that I would see some wonderful fish, or an octopus if I was lucky, but it was too dark outside to even get a glimpse when I pressed my face against the glass. By the time I looked back, both of them were gone.
Kaori: Noted.
Unscrewed Window has been added to the Truth Needles.
I then wandered around to behind the teacher's desk. The bomb that Kaiji defused was still there.
Kaiji: Now that we're not in danger of being blown to smithereens, let's have a closer look, shall we?
Souta: Sure.
Kaori: Conclusions, boys?
Kaiji: This appears to be have been made from random scrap metal.
Souta: Mmm-hmm.
Kaori: Now I see. Thank you.
Souta: You're welcome! Kuhuhu~
Defused Bomb has been added to the Truth Needles.
On the other side of the classroom was the locker. The same locker in which Madoka had stuffed Ayane inside before leaving her for dead.
Souta: You appear to be staring wistfully. Why?
Kaori: (Madoka attacked Ayane... maybe she was looking for revenge? That's a possibility I have to consider...) About what Madoka did.
Souta: I see.
Madoka's Attack on Ayane has been added to the Truth Needles.
I did everything I needed to do here - as I reported to the others.
Kaori: I've got to go now.
Kaiji: Why?
Kaori: To find Ayane and Daigo. They'll most likely be together - you three stay behind.
Umiko: But, um, Kaori? It's dangerous to go alone.
Kaiji: We're dropping like flies, Umiko. And mind you, no sane murderer's going to try and strike in the middle of an investigation.
At that point, I had slipped away from the commotion and was making my way to the infirmary.
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(Investigation: Infirmary)
When I got there, surprise surprise, the two of them had already. Daigo was staring towards the shelves, almost as if he was looking for something.
Kaori: Do you see anything off?
Daigo: No, Kaori.
Kaori: Well I do.
Daigo: Yeah, you and your keen eyesight. What do you see?
Kaori: More like what I don't see. A vial labelled "adrenaline" is missing.
Ayane: ...Thanks for that.
Missing Adrenaline has been added to the Truth Needles.
When I turned out, I was shocked to see, of all things, the tranquiliser rifle laid neatly on one of the beds.
Kaori: Wait, what the hell is that doing here?!
Ayane: You mean the gun?
Kaori: Yes!
Daigo: Souta left it there when he came in to report what happened to us.
Tranquiliser Rifle has been added to the Truth Needles.
I had noticed by then that Daigo's behaviour seemed a little... subdued. As in something was bothering him.
Kaori: What's wrong, Daigo? You know Madoka's dead?
Daigo: Yeah, I do. In fact, I was the one who killed her.
Kaori: (First Umiko, then Souta, now Daigo...? Only one of them could have done it...)
Daigo: (sigh) We came in together, and, uh... Madoka was there... and in order to save Ayane from becoming the blackened... I became the blackened. That's... all I have to say.
Kaori: Damn. If that's true, then... goodbye.
Daigo: Yeah. I'm sorry it's going to have to end like this.
Daigo's Confession has been added to the Truth Needles.
Kaori: As for you, Ayane?
Ayane: Yes, me and Daigo went into the garden after Souta alarmed us as to what went off with Umiko and Madoka...
Kaori: Go on.
Ayane: She appeared to be in a state of cardiac arrest, so I tried restarting her heart with the closest thing I had on me... it mustn't have worked out. The crow sound I heard as I plunged the needle into her chest must have been an omen...
Kaori: Well, at least you tried.
Ayane: It just pains me to know that either me or Daigo's going to die soon...
Kaori: Don't worry, Ayane. I'm sure you'll be able to handle it.
Ayane: Thank you.
Ayane's Testimony has been added to the Truth Needles.
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*DING DONG BING BONG*
Monokuma: Investigation time is now over and done with! Everyone, please assemble at the grand doors! Failure to do so within 5 minutes will be seen as tardiness, and will be punished accordingly! Upupupu~
It didn't take long for me, Daigo or Ayane to reach those doors from the infirmary. But for Kaiji, Umiko and Souta, all of them who I last saw on the fifth floor, they barely managed to assemble at the meeting point on time.
Souta: Uh... I have a bad feeling about this.
Umiko: Me too...
Ayane: You're not alone. All of us has suffered because of him.
Daigo: You're right, Ayane! If it weren't for Monokuma, then-
Monokuma: Thought you could getting away with talking smack behind my back?
Monokuma, the host of this nightmare, had arrived by then. He went over to the doors to unlock them.
Monokuma: Consider yourself lucky that you still have the right to mostly free speech.
With those words, the towering doors swung ajar, beckoning us towards the elevator, which had surprisingly already been left open for us.
Monokuma: Go on, everyone. It won't hurt you.
Ayane: Let's get this over and done with. I'm ready.
Kaiji: I could say the same.
The two of them walked without any hesitation into the elevator. I was the next to follow them inside, then Daigo, then Souta. Umiko, the timid spirit she was, predictably was the last to enter.
Monokuma: So long!
Once the six of us were all packed in, the doors shuttered. And then the elevator began shooting down back to the courtroom in which our fates would be decided.
Daigo: This is the end.
Ayane: You think so?
Daigo: Of course.
Souta: ...Very empty, don't you think?
Umiko: I... (sniff) I miss everyone...
Kaiji: What, even Luka? Despite everything she did?
Umiko: Uh, I didn't want it to end up li-like this.
Ayane: We all didn't want it. In fact, we still don't want it. It's just that Monokuma... well, that's what he wants.
Kaiji: But sooner or later... we're all going to die. Memento mori: remember you will die. Wherever he goes from there, I do not know.
Daigo: ...You actually made that sound ominous.
Kaiji: Apologies for me being a worthless, insensitive-
Daigo: There's nothing to be sorry for, Kaiji!
Kaiji: Huh? Really? Well, in that case, do you have anything to comment, Kaori?
Kaori: No.
Kaiji: Good.
Ayane: We might as well get down to business.
And so, the almost empty and silent elevator descended to the courtroom for the fifth time. Madoka's killer was in our midst, and unfortunately the best case scenario for us as a whole was to flush them out and condemn them to death. And even then Monokuma's bloodlust wouldn't be satisfied...
A life-or-death deception... A life-or-death betrayal... Life-or-death mysteries... Life-or-death lies... Life-or-death truths... All of those would have to be settled in a life-or-death... Class Trial...
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TRUTH NEEDLES:
Monokuma File #5
Madoka's Body
Daigo's Pocketknife
Glass Shards
Tranquiliser Darts
Empty Needle
Apple Tree
Umiko's Confession
Note about Crow Statue
Duffel Bag
Souta's Confession
Unscrewed Window
Defused Bomb
Madoka's Attack on Ayane
Missing Adrenaline
Tranquiliser Rifle
Daigo's Confession
Ayane's Testimony
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Chapter 5: Where Angels Fear to Tread, Part IV, End
6 Remain