"So... we could've saved her..." Kawata said, a despair filling his eyes.
"What did she eat again? It was a beneigh, right?" Morita responded.
"So, the killer used the powder that was already there to disguise their poison... huh..." Sazama replied.
"Wait, doesn't that mean that our list of suspects had gone down!?" Arima said. "So, whoever made the food is the killer!"
"So, it was Otani?" Tengan replied.
"H- huh? What!?" Otani responded. "I- I'm not the killer! I would never do anything like that!"
"That's what a killer would say!" Imamura replied.
"And it's what someone who's been framed would say! And I'm being framed!" He yelled back in a panic.
"And the dessert dishes... weren't they all specifically made for certain people?" Taguchi said.
"Yeah! They were, weren't they!?" Morita replied.
"I'M NOT THE KILLLLLLEERRRRRRRRRR!!!" He yelled out.
Non-stop Debate!
Dessert Dishes
Cleaning Supplies
Sugai Tatsuo's Account
Plates in the Sink
"Just face it Otani. We figure sit out, you monster..." Imamura said.
"B- but, we still have so much we need to figure out! Sh- shouldn't we go over more in the case before start accusing people?" Otani asked.
"But, weren't the dishes all specially made?" Shishido asked.
"W- well, yes, but that doesn't mean-"
"And you were the one who set up the party, correct?" Tengan said.
"Y- yes, but that's not-"
"So you poisoned Furuya's dish, so that no one would be able to figure out it was you!" Miyazaki's said.
"N- no, I didn't-"
"Face it. No one else ate any of the other dishes, so it has to be you." Sazama said.
"NO THAT'S WRONG!!!" I yelled.
"Sazama, that's not right. Sugai ate every single dish at that party, remember?" I replied.
"O- oh, yeah, I guess he did." She responded.
"Hirano, if we get out of this alive, I promise to give you life time supply of baked goods..." Otani said with a sigh of relief.
"Um, I- I'm quite alright. Y- you don't have to do th- that." I replied.
"Aaaawwwwww, I want a life time supply of baked goods..." Sugai commented.
"Wait..." Naito paused. "Um, doesn't that mean that Sugai is the killer?"
"H- huh?" He said.
"Well... since he was able to visit every dish, and stole multiple of them, couldn't he have taken her food and poisoned it?" Naito suspected.
"No, I don't believe Sugai would do that." Kajiwara replied.
"Huh? Why not Kajiwara?" Sugai asked.
"..." Kajiwara said.
"I mean, we just met right? I could be the killer." Sugai replied with a wink.
"I'm confused. Is he the killer?" Sazama asked.
"As much as I'd like to be funny right now, no. I'm not the killer." He said.
"Y- you're just saying that! You did it, didn't you!?" Imamura replied.
"I mean, I could be, but I'm not." He responded.
"Of course it's you-" Imamura began.
"Imamura, Sugai wouldn't give Otani an alibi if he was the killer." I said. Imamura looked back o him.
"B- but-" she replied.
"Just drop it." I said. She took a long sigh.
"Fine..." she responded. "Well, if it's not him, who do you think it is?" I paused, looking at the people around me.
"Well... if I had to say..." I stared for another moment. "Maybe one of the people delivering food."
"What!?" Sazama, Kawata, Naito and Shishido blurted out in unison.
"Unless someone poisoned it after the dish was served, then it could only be one of you four." I said. "Do you guys know which person served what?" They fell silent.
"Um, well, I think we all kind of forgot..." Kawata said nervously.
"I think we can figure out whether or not the killer was the person handing out dishes or not!" Morita said, a bright smile on her face. "I don't remember who gave her the dish, but I do remember that she picked it up as soon as it was placed down!"
"So... it is one of them." Arima said, sadly looking to the group.
"But who did it? If Morita doesn't even remember, how are we supposed to know?" Tengan replied.
"I think there's a different way to figure out who the killer is..." Miyazaki began. "Whoever doesn't have an alibi for 1:30 to 4:00 is the culprit."
"Shishido was outside with me when the incident took place." I said.
"Naito was with Sugai and I, investigating the library on the top floor." Kajiwara said.
"So... that leaves Kawata and Sazama." I said. The two of them suddenly had a sense of dread appear on their faces.
"How about... you guys recall the events after the party." Taguchi replied, a huge smirk across his face.
Non-stop Debate!
Murder File 1
"S- so, after the party, I left the dining hall and noticed Furuya reading the Mystery Novel..." Kawata began.
"And I went to my room."
"Why did you go to your room?" Imamura asked.
"I- I didn't know what else to do! So I just, stayed there."
"What about you Sazama? What did you do?" Arima asked.
"Well, I left as soon as I could, because I didn't want to help clean up the plates..."
"So I ended up going to my room. There just wasn't anything I wanted to do."
"Did either of you see a missing key?" Otani asked.
"Missing Key?" They both replied.
"It's no use... there's nothing suspicious about their alibi's..." Taguchi said.
I... I don't know. There has to be something that I can use to figure out who it was.
"Wait..." Otani said. "I... I don't remember Furuya reading a book when I left."
"WHAT!?" Kawata yelled out in a panic.
"So, it was Kawata..." Tengan said. "I will say... this murder was mighty devious. Especially for a police officer."
"BUT I DIDN'T DO IT!!! I'M NOT THE KILLER!!! I WOULDN'T DO THIS!!! I SWEAR SHE WAS READING THAT BOOK WHEN I LEFT!!'" He screamed, tears in his eyes.
"It has to be you. After all, before I could pass anything out, I walked Hirano to her room, remember?" Sazama said.
Kawata. The first person I met here. The one who kept telling me to do my best. The one who supported me throughout this killing game. The one who... showed me so much support. Is he... really the killer?
...
...why am I doing this...
"Yamazaki, you saw Kawata didn't you." I said. I'm lying. I hope you're telling the truth Kawata. Cause I don't want this to end this way.
"... what?" Yamazaki replied angrily.
"That's why you've been so silent. You thought he was the killer, but you saw him go to his room and never come out. You've been conflicted this whole time, right?" I said. He glared directly into my eyes, not saying anything.
"Yeah... and not just that. I went with Kawata into his room, just to make sure he wasn't doing anything suspicious." Yamazaki replied.
"Y- yeah! Sorry. I was so worked up, I forgot about that." Kawata said, before looking over to me. He gave me a nervous smile.
"So... that means that Sazama is the killer?" Naito said.
"H- huh? What? Me?" She replied. "B- but it's Kawata! Didn't we already figure that out? And I was liked with Hirano to her room! I can't be the killer!"
"Honestly, I still think that Kawata is the killer, but we're going to keep you in mind while we continue to discuss." Imamura said. Sazama has sweat dripping down her face, as she stared with the slightest hint of anger in her eyes.
"How about we interrogate her? So we can get some more information..." Morita said with a detective voice.
Non- stop Debate!
Otani Katsu's Account
Kitchen Keys
Duct Tape
Plates in the Sink
"So, little missy, what happened after you left the kitchen hmmmmm?" Morita asked, still doing the detective voice.
"I went to my room, l- like I said. I didn't stop anywhere before or afterwards." Sazama said.
"How did you know that Furuya was in the dining room!?" Morita persisted.
"Because she was still in there when I left..." Sazama said, entirely unimpressed.
"What about the state of the kitchen hmm!?" Morita continued.
"What? Are you serious? You mean how the plates were in the sink... and how the key was missing?"
"Wait, Sazama..." I said. She stared me directly in the eyes. "We said that the key was missing, but we never said that the plates had been put away." Her eyes went wide, a she covered her mouth.
"Seriously Hirano? That's your evidence?" Yamazaki replied. "I know your smart. Do you really think a couple of miss-handled words will solve this case?"
"H- huh?"
"Tell me Hirano. What's something that still hasn't been cleared up about this case?" He asked. I paused, staring at him for a moment. What was this change?
What hasn't been cleared up about this case?
1. Duct Tape
2. Furuya's Confession
3. Used Cleaning Supplies
4. Kitchen Keys
"The duct tape... right?" I asked. He sighed, pulling a roll of duct tape from his pocket, and throwing it into the center of the circle.
"W- where did you find that?" Sazama said.
"Your room." He said, angrily looking away.
"TH- THAT'S AN INVASION OF PRIVACY!!! YOU CAN'T-" she yelled back.
"What? I can't investigate a room that's door is wide open? Can't search for a way to survive? Can't try to find the killer? Is that what your saying?" Yamazaki said, glaring at her. Her eyes went wide, as tears began to fall. She began to open her mouth, about to speak. "Why did I see you entering Kajiwara's lab the other day? Why did you sit in the corner with a plate of beneighs in your hand? Why did you immediately take the opportunity to walk with Hirano to her room as soon as you placed it in front of Furuya?" The room fell silent.
"Hey, wait." Miyazaki began. "How do you know that Sazama was in the corner if you weren't at the party?" Yamazaki fell silent. He took a deep sigh.
"Because I was watching from outside the door." He said.
"Ew... that's really creepy!" Morita said, seeming a bit uncomfortable now.
"In a killing game, you have to keep an eye on your opponents. That fact is OBVIOUS!!!" he yelled. He cleared his throat after a moment. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. Just, continue with the trial."
"So... Sazama is the killer... how could you do something so horrible?" Imamura asked.
Sazama remained silent for a moment, looking at all the eyes staring at her, waiting for her answer.
"She can't say anything... huh..." Tengan said.
"Okay, I think it's time we finish this once and for all."
"So, from what I heard, I can guess that Furuya stayed in the dining room after the party..." Otani began. "And the killer walked into the room."
"It's suspected that when Furuya began to feel the pain of the poison, she put the container on the table to show her that she was dead." Miyazaki said.
"And in a panic, she smacked the poison powder that was on the table, causing it to get all over the corner, so it had to be cleaned up. The killer didn't notice that some of it ended up on her fingers." Arima explained.
"Furuya ended up throwing up all over the floor, before passing away. After that, the killer dragged Furuya's corpse over to the balcony." I said.
"That's when the killer tied up her feet, put the duct tape on her legs, and threw her over the balcony, letting her lifeless body hang there in mid air to create the illusion that her own bodily function killed her." Kajiwara explained.
"After the killer is threw her over, they took the book that Furuya had been reading that she'd put aside, and placed it on the ground close to where she had 'fallen'." Naito said.
"Afterwards, they went back to the kitchen, and began cleaning up everything, leaving the leftover supplies-" I continued.
"W- WAIT!!!" Sazama yelled, disconnecting my sentence. "S- something hasn't been cleared up!"
"Huh?" I replied.
"Okay, it's true that I went to Kajiwara's lab, but I went to everyone's lab! It's true that I was in the corner with Furuya's plate, but I wanted to try her dish because I love those! But I held back. And I only walked Hirano to her room because I was worried that she was going to get killed." Sazama began.
"Um, okay?" Imamura said skeptically. "What does that have to do with anything right now?"
"There's still a huge problem that we need to discuss!" Sazama replied.
"W- what do you mean?" I asked.
"Wasn't the whole dining room floor cleaned?" She responded.
"Um, yes?" Otani replied.
"Well, wasn't the cleaning supplies in the kitchen?" She continued.
"W- what's wrong with that?" Shishido asked.
"How did the killer get out of the kitchen if the ground was all clean? They would've left foot prints!" She replied. "Here, look at the layout!"
"But... there are foot prints." Miyazaki said.
"But those are Otani's footprints." Sazama replied. "And even if they weren't, they're leading in, not out."
"Then... how did the killer get out of the kitchen?" Tengan asked.
Non- stop debate!
Yamazaki's Suspicious Behavior
Balcony's Appearance
Position of the Dead Body
Hanging Rope
"Maybe the killer got on the table from the serving window?" Morita responded
"But the table is to far away from the window. You'd need an Olympic jumper to make that! Or maybe just some luck..." Kawata replied.
"Well, I already know how the killer got out of the kitchen." Sazama said. "They just walked backwards..."
"Which means, that Otani is the killer!"
"W- what!? But didn't we already clear me!?" He replied.
"We did, but I think Sugai didn't even touch her food!" Sazama said.
"What!? Are you calling me an AMATEUR!?" He yelled back.
"Since I was in the corner, he probably couldn't get to the dish himself! So Otani is the real killer!" Sazama said back.
"Maybe someone knows another way out of the kitchen, without walking through." Shishido suggested.
"I agree with that!" I said. I stared at Yamazaki, determination in my eyes. "Yamazaki... you know something, don't you? That's why you went silent when I told you about the kitchen. You know how the killer could've escaped the kitchen, don't you?"
Yamazaki glared at me, clearly annoyed. He seemed almost surprised that I confronted him, his eyes directly looking into mine. After a moment of silence, he angrily looked away.
"Yeah, I know a way." He said.
"H- huh?" Sazama replied.
He stayed silent for another moment, before looking back o the group, his arms crossed.
"There a secret passage way in one of the cupboards, that leads to the closet of the office." He said aloud.
"Sh- shut up! Y- you're joking! There's no way out! S- so, I couldn't have gotten out!" Sazama yelled.
"I'm sorry Sazama. But it's already out. I didn't want to say it as much as you did, but if it's the only way..." Yamazaki groaned angrily, before looking to me. "So... aren't you going to end this trial?" Tears ran down Sazama's cheeks, as she stared at me.
...
"Y- yeah..." I said. I took a deep breath. "After the killer cleaned up the kitchen, they escaped through the newly revealed secret passageway. And with that, they completed their murder, trying to fool everyone into thinking the murderer threw her over the balcony."
"It had to have been Sazama Sachiko, the Ultimate Astronomer! There's no other possibility!"
"So... do you have any other arguments?" I asked. She paused, tears still falling from her eyes.
"... n- no... just... v- vote... already..." she replied.
"Alright! Time to vote! Will you make the right choice? Or will you die an excruciatingly painful death!?" Ressa said.
I looked to the tablet on my podium. Slowly, my hand went to Sazama's face, clicking on it. Suddenly, a spinning wheel appeared, going around and around until it finally landed on Sazama. Confetti rained from the sky, as a free stock sound of children cheering played.
"What!? What the hell was that Araigu!? That was the worst killer revealed sound you could have chosen!" Ressa yelled.
"I- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I- I didn't have enough time, since the b- building schedule was so tight and-"
"Ugh, whatever. At least I can be happy that you found the blackened, Sazama Sachiko the Ultimate Astronomer!" Ressa replied.
"Why? Why did you do it?" Naito asked. Sazama stayed silent for a moment.
"She... I... I thought..." she began. "I thought she... was showing to kill me..."
"What? Why?" Arima asked.
"Because she kept staring at me! I was just so scared! After what Taguchi said about a killer and I just... panicked... and grabbed the poison from Kajiwara's lab..." she replied.
"So... you decided to flip the potential murder on its head and kill her first?" Tengan responded. Sazama stayed silent.
"Y... yeah..." she said, struggling to get the words out. "B- but... there was something you got wrong about the murder..."
"Huh? What is it?" Morita asked.
"Um... when I walked into the dining hall..."
-flash back-
Sazama walked into the dining hall, looking at Furuya who was sat down reading he book. Sweat rolling down her face, as she approached her.
"H- hey... Furuya..." Sazama began, a sense of fear in her.
"Yes?" She said. Slowly, Sazama raised a bottle of powder and placed it on the table. "What's that?"
"I- I..." she paused. Tears in her eyes. "I- I poisoned you! I'm so sorry! I thought you were going to kill me, and I panicked and and I just-" Furuya began to chuckle. "W- why are you laughing? Y- you're going to day any time now!" Tears started to roll down Furuya's cheeks.
"I- it's okay. I kind of felt like I was going to be the first victim..." Furuya said, seeming a bit to cheerful. "D- don't get me wrong, what you did was not fucking good. B- but I'm glad you told me." She paused, letting out a groan of pain. "Y- you... you feel guilty... r- right?" She said, more tears falling from her eyes.
"W- what..?" Sazama began.
"B- but... I WANT TO LIVE!!!" Furuya screamed. She tried to yell out for someone, but suddenly, she began to vomit up violently. She smacked the powder on the way down, and fell to the floor.
-flash back end-
"I didn't know what to do... s- so... I just... tried to finish what I had a- already started..." Sazama said. "I- I'm sorry everyone. I just... wanted to complete my dreams... of touching the stars..."
"Sazama..." I began. Suddenly, without warning, Kawata walked over and gave her a hug.
"H- huh?" She began.
"I'm sorry that this happened... I'll try to do better to stop this in the future..." Kawata said. He let go of Sazama. "I... I'm glad I got to meet you. I hope that... it'll be painless."
"Oh hell naw! It's going to be REALLY bad!" Ressa said. Kawata glared at him, before looking to Sazama.
"I forgive you." He said.
"What? W- why-" Sazama continued.
"Because I know it was in the heat of the moment. And I know you have good intentions." He replied. Sazama's eyes filled with tears, as she began to uncontrollably sob, hugging Kawata tight. We stayed in that moment so long... we almost forgot that she was going to die. She was going to die... and there was nothing we could do.
"Alright, it's time for Sazama Sachiko, the Ultimate Astronomer, to be executed BRUTALLY!!!" Ressa said. Sazama pulled away from Kawata.
"I- I'm sorry everyone... I... I love... a- all of you..." she said, barely able to get the words out.
Suddenly, Ressa hit a giant red button, starting up a small animation. He ran across the screen, before dragging off a small version of Sazama off the screen.
Sazama stood in the center of the circle of podiums, where suddenly, a chain snapped around her neck, lifting her up out of the room. She just kept going up and up, until she was finally dropped into a room, that looked somewhat like a spaceship.
Suddenly, a title card appeared on the screen. On it, it said "Uncharted Space".
We cut back to Sazama, who stood in the center of the futuristic room. Suddenly, a green beam of light blew by her face, creating a pew sort of sound. Sazama got down on the floor, almost in a panic.
Beats of light continued to zoom by her, as she tried her best to look for a way out. Down the space ship, she could see an air lock. Sazama stared, a sense of fear suddenly turning to determination, as she jumped up from the ground and began sprinting down the hallway.
She kept running, beams of green light still rushing by. They began to graze her, as she kept running for dear life. Suddenly, one went straight through her arm, causing a loud scream to ring out. But she didn't stop running, slamming herself into the airlock. Blood spilled out from her arm, a hole right through it.
She looked out of the window back at where the beams of light came from, almost looking disheveled. A Ressa, carrying a laser gun, chuckled, and pointed through the window. She turned around, a sudden panic going through her. She stared out into the inky black of space. She turned back around, just in time to see Ressa pull a switch from close to open.
She let out a scream, as she flew out into the vastness of space. She grabbed at her throat, as tears began to float out of her eyes before disappearing. Her eyes almost seemed to be going back in their sockets, before she lost all sense of life, continuing to float there in the vastness of space.
I stood there, staring at the corpse floating in a simulation of space. I could feel my body shading as I watched hers. I felt my breath shorten, as everything seemed to blur around me. Sweat began to drip down my face. I put my hand over my mouth, expecting to vomit my entire system out of my mouth. Slowly, I began stepping back, feeling as if I was going to pass out, slowly drifting backwards. I quickly fell, expecting to hit my head hard on the floor. But, instead, I was caught in someone's arms.
I looked up, my vision still blurry, as I looked up. Kawata stared down at me, worry in his face. Why had I panicked in the first place again? And why was I in Kawata's arms? Suddenly, I heard a blood curdling scream. And I was brought back to the current situation.
"M- man... this is fucking sick..." Morita said, covering her mouth.
"S- Sazama... she's-" Otani began.
"Dead... and we can't change that fact..." Tengan continued.
"I... I don't want to do that... or even witness... that... ever again..." Arima said slowly.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww, are you sure? I thought it was really entertaining!" Ressa responded.
"... fuck you..." someone said. Suddenly, I was hoisted up from the ground. Now that I was standing, I could see Kawata approaching the red panda.
"Hmm? What did you say?" He replied.
"I said FUCK YOU!!!" Kawata yelled. I stood there, flabbergasted, staring as Kawata in a fit of rage stood before the stuffed animal. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!! IT'S NOT HERS!!! YOU'RE THE ONE TRAPPING US HERE AND FORCING US TO KILL EACH OTHER!!! YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE BEING PUNISHED!!! NOT US!!!" He screamed. He went to grab the stuffed animal, but was suddenly stopped. He closed his hand, taking a deep breath, never touching Ressa. He stepped back, and looked directly at the stuffed animal. "I know there's someone behind this. And when I find out who it is... I will bring Justice to everyone who was killed, got it!?" He yelled.
Suddenly, an uproar of claps came from the people watching. Kawata's face suddenly turned red, as he chuckled a bit nervously. I paused, looking at all the people who were clapping. There was someone who wasn't clapping. Yamazaki.
Why wasn't he clapping? And come to think of it... why did he seem so mad telling me about the secret passageway... I pondered these questions, as we got back onto the elevator, and rose back up to the hotel.
-Chapter 1:End-
I received a high quality telescope!
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