another-dr-another

[another-dr-another]

can't believe im saying this but we should've listened to higa

Maeda, narrating - He was right.

Maeda - Like- not about everything. Higa was wrong about a ton of shit.

Maeda - But I think… 

Maeda - …

~*~

Maeda - Higa knew something we didn’t, Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …?

//He looks at Maeda, curious.

Maeda - …

Maeda - What happened between you and him the day of the sleepover?

//He blanches, surprised.

Tsurugi - Oh. Uh…

Tsurugi - I don’t know. He just came in and started to sort of freak out. It really only escalated right before you and Uehara came in? Things were… weird, but fine, before that.

Tsurugi - Like, he was tense, but we were just talking. 

Maeda - Okay, there’s- a lot of things I want to go over there.

Maeda - Why was he even in your room? Why’d he approach you?

Tsurugi - …I don’t know why, but if you’re asking how, I had the door cracked open. A lot of people stopped by that day- you and Taira included.

Maeda - Okay, that’s true.

Maeda - But it doesn’t change things. Shit happened.

Maeda - I haven’t been seeing all of what goes down. It’s impossible, without following someone 24/7. I need to work out what I’m missing. 

Maeda - And what are the details on that conversation, Tsurugi? What was he talking about, and why did things escalate?

Tsurugi - Honestly, I don’t fully remember… sorry.

Tsurugi - A lot of things happened that day, and a lot’s happened since. Uhm…

Tsurugi - When he came in, he was nervous about the sleepover… he was asking me what I thought would happen during it. So, I talked about what games we might play, and stuff.

//Maeda is watching Tsurugi. He seems too calm.

Maeda - Aren’t you worried? Tsurugi?

//There’s no such thing as knowing someone. You’ve only known Tsurugi for a few days, Maeda.

Tsurugi - As for the escalation… he just got weird. Again, things weren’t really bad- then he shook my table, and knocked it over when I ignored that.

Maeda - No, you have to have noticed something.

//Tsurugi shoots Maeda a look, something akin to annoyance, before he sighs, and it falls.

Tsurugi - I was getting to that…

Tsurugi - I don’t really know, though. Higa was upset, and he said it seemed like I was ignoring him, but I wasn’t at that point. I didn’t acknowledge it when he tipped over my stuff, but I was still listening to him.

//Tsurugi shrugs.

Tsurugi - Really, I don’t know what to say. Things were chill, then he got mad at me, then he got madder.

Maeda - As far as I can tell, he isn’t keeping anything from us… whatever happened, he doesn’t think it’s relevant.

Maeda - At least, that’s what it looks like.

Maeda - That’s it?

Tsurugi - Yeah… sorry.

Maeda - Huh.

Maeda - I don’t buy it. I don’t buy what’s been happening.

Maeda - Tsurugi and Uehara have both been acting weird. I don’t trust them… and I think I know what’s really happened.

Maeda - But, I need to establish what I’ve noticed before I can come out and start arguing with him- and it’d be nice if I could get the others on my side too.

Maeda - …Okay. Sure.

Maki - Maeda- how is this relevant to the case?

Maeda - I just want to make sure we’re understanding what happened before the murder. 

Maki - Really?

Maeda - Mhm. All cards on the table.

Kobashikawa - …What are you trying to do here?

Kobashikawa - You and Hatano- everything you were saying earlier, how does it connect to this?

Maeda - …

Maeda - Can’t you tell?

Taira - You should probably explain clearly, so we can all agree.

Hatano - To be fair, I’m not sure I know exactly what’s going on.

Maeda - …Really, Hatano? I’m not looking for someone to be completely aligned with me, but that’s a bit…

//He’s looked over at her- she shrugs.

Hatano - I know what I’m thinking, but we might not be on the same page.

Ōtori - …Why’d you bring up Higa, earlier?

Maeda - We should’ve listened to him.

Maeda - Not about everything- but he noticed things we didn’t- maybe because he othered himself so hard.

//Kobashikawa is looking at him with slight trepidation, but Maeda doesn’t have time (or need) to focus on that right now.

Maeda - He called Tsurugi manipulative, and- a lot of shit got said-

~“Tsurugi has been a creepy asshole, and keeps taking advantage of the killing game to live out some fucked-up fantasy he seems to have-”~

Maeda - Not all of it is relevant, but there was a clear point he was trying to make. He said that Tsurugi was getting us to believe what he wanted, so he could control us, and have things go how he wanted.

Maeda - …I don’t think Tsurugi did anything wrong. The reason we’ve all listened to Tsurugi is because he’s helped us.

Maeda - But… Higa seemed stressed about everyone being against him, and Tsurugi being able to get people to ignore Higa.

Maeda - So- what would happen if someone wasn’t listening to Tsurugi? How…

//He looks to Tsurugi, who’s clearly been caught off guard.

Maeda - How’d you feel, when Higa was yelling at you?

Tsurugi - …

//Tomori looks at him, then at Maeda, judging him for coming after Tsurugi. Maeda chills slightly, but continues to look at Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - I…

Tsurugi, slowly- carefully - I was unsure of how this would affect things at the sleepover, but I noticed what you’re pointing out, about Higa being… on edge about isolation.

Tsurugi - Since the rec room had gone so well, I thought Higa coming to the sleepover would be good for us… and I wanted Higa to get along with us, since it’d decrease the odds of another murder, if we could all be close.

Tsurugi - That’s why I went to make sure he’d still come… 

Maeda - Mhm…

Maeda - And when you two got into your fight at the sleepover, what then?

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - He’s stopping to choose his words.

Tsurugi - I was just tired… I’d mostly fallen asleep when Kobashikawa woke me up, so I wanted to go back to bed.

Tsurugi - I really don’t remember what Higa said to me.

Maeda - It was the last thing he ever said, and severe enough for him to hit you- but you don’t remember even what the subject was?

Tsurugi - No…

Tsurugi - Blehhh… I’m sorry, Maeda. But I don’t even know what good this is doing, so, I really can’t help you.

Maeda - …

Maeda - You’ve had a pretty hard time knowing what to say, huh Tsurugi?

Tsurugi - …What do you mean?

Maeda - You’ve been really careful with your words. I know you aren’t the type to be super open about everything you think, but it’s been especially harsh lately. You keep holding back on us.

Tomori - …Don’t talk strangely, Maeda. What are you getting at?

Maeda - …If Tsurugi were being honest with us, he wouldn’t have to stop and think so much. 

Maeda - You’re unsure of what to say, and I think it’s because you’re not sure what you’re supposed to do. Something within you is conflicted, isn’t it?

Tsurugi - …

//He’s looking away, trying to think while he waits for Maeda to elaborate.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I don’t want to assume… but if my theories are right, I have to imagine I can get a feeling for what you’re thinking.

Maeda - You don’t know which way to go, and that’s why you keep being so quiet. You know more than you’re letting on, and you don’t know if you should reveal the truth or not.

Uehara - …The truth?

Maeda - …Did Uehara come up with this idea? Or was it you?

//Tsurugi looks at Maeda- any pretenses have been dropped, as Tsurugi focuses his attention on scouring Maeda for information. Where is he going with this?

Maeda - I guess it doesn’t matter, not for the trial- but to prove who the blackened is, I should probably understand all of what’s happened, and that’s why I ask.

Maeda - Did you ask him to confess? Or did he offer to cover for you?

//It’s an involuntary reaction.

Tsurugi, softly - …Oh.

Maeda - You murdered Higa, Tsurugi.

//There’s a familiar feeling under Maeda’s fingertips, as he twitches, wanting to point at Tsurugi. Around him, the room starts to spark and buzz as the students set off on their own thoughts.

Maeda - Uehara must have realized this, and that’s why he’s confessing. At some point between when the murder happened, and when he confessed, he agreed to take the fall for you.

Maeda - Uehara gets voted, everyone gets executed, and you get to leave the school.

//Maeda never really had an issue with Tsurugi- there were many moments (though, not every second of their school life) where Maeda would say Tsurugi was his favorite classmate. So, he can’t find himself to be mad right now. If anything, Maeda would be softly pleading- but he doesn’t feel a need to plead. He’s sure of himself.

Maeda - It makes everything make sense. 

Maeda - The difficulties we’re having with making Uehara look like the blackened- it’s because he isn’t the blackened.

Maeda - He fits just as well as anyone does, because there’s no strong evidence, because of course you’d know not to leave a trace behind.

Maeda - Earlier, when you confessed- it could easily be a way of trying to alleviate some guilt. You played pretend like you were trying to get us to vote for you, but you probably believed Uehara would come pull you out of the situation.

//A storm of emotions swirls through Maeda. More than anything, he feels at peace. The ebbs and flows just mean movement, and movement means change. No longer at a standstill, everything is starting to evolve.

Maeda - Everything grows. No matter what, we frame it as growth- even rot is something that spreads. 

//Maeda can feel the world rot, crumble under his fingertips, and it’s such a familiar feeling that it truly feels safe to him. 

Maeda - What else…

//He goes to speak, but gets cut short.

Tomori - Seriously? Is that where we’re taking this?

//Maeda calmly looks at her. There’s genuine distress mounting, which makes sense. It’s exactly what he’d expect of her.

Tomori - We have Uehara, quite literally confessing, and you’re accusing Tsurugi? 

Maeda - Uehara confessed, and it fit in all the ways it could have- but it doesn’t really make sense.

Tomori - What the hell! And Tsurugi being the blackened does make sense?

//Maeda nods.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I don’t know what to say…

Maeda - Will you admit it?

Tomori - If he did confess, would you stop believing it’s him? What does a confession mean to you, Maeda?

//He shrugs- much more concerned with Tsurugi’s reaction.

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi smiles with ease.

Tsurugi - I dunno! 

Tsurugi - I don’t think it was me, but I don’t think it was Uehara either~

Tsurugi - But, no matter what I say, that’s only one part of what makes up people’s minds- there’s other arguments beyond my reaction.

Maeda - And, he’s only one part of the courtroom. I have to get the majority’s vote, not a unanimous vote.

Tsurugi - Besides, I don’t know who it is… so, I can’t have a stronger argument if I don’t have any argument at all!

Kobashikawa - …Tsurugi, would you just… say that it isn’t you?

Tsurugi - …I feel like if I do that right now, it’s gonna seem like I’m screwing around, and it’ll be bad.

Tsurugi - It wasn’t me. Maeda’s wrong, I didn’t kill Higa.

Maeda - He doesn’t have a reason to tell us he did. Whether he is or isn’t the blackened, he has no reason to confess to the murder.

//Of course, Kobashikawa knows this. He didn’t ask out of a believe Tsurugi couldn’t lie.

Maki - …Maeda, you’re really pulling an accusation out of nowhere right now.

Maki - Can you explain this theory? You said it makes “everything” fit, you should elaborate on that. What doesn’t align with Uehara being the blackened?

Maeda - …Yeah, lemme explain.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - So…

Maeda - How are you feeling about this. Because personally, I feel really confident. But, I haven’t sat and worked through all my logic yet.

Maeda - I don’t have an issue with just… going over what I’ve got, piece by piece. In fact, it’d probably be a good idea to make sure everything I’m thinking is tracking.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I don’t… want to be wrong about this. I’m going to be very firm on this, because if I am wrong, then Uehara is the blackened, and I’ve totally fucked everything up.

Maeda - But I don’t believe that Tsurugi has been honest with us, and I believe that accepting that as a fact means accepting the probability that he has been lying because he is the blackened.

{Recap}

[another-dr-another]

{Kobashikawa's Testimony}

Otori, Kobashikawa, Iranami, Uehara, and Higa went to the dining hall.

This could've been when Uehara decided to kill Higa.

Maeda, narrating - Yeah! We don’t really know what happened then, do we?

Maeda - They could’ve gotten into a fight, couldn’t they?

~*~

Maeda - I think I know what happened.

Maeda - …But…

//Maeda looks around at his classmates- he… isn’t so sure he should make his argument quite yet.

Maeda - Before I say that- lemme try something else.

Maeda - After Higa and Tsurugi got into their fight, we know things continued to happen- that wasn’t when the nights events ended.

//This theory doesn’t go so well- as you should know by now. It’s hard to explain, but often, Maeda has a feeling for how his theories might go. His accuracy is debatable, which is why he keeps these suspicions to himself, but he was right here. His testimony about what he heard last night isn’t applicable now… but he thinks he should be glad it got brought up. A mistake still gets you valuable evidence- if you notice some of the discrepancies with how his classmates responded.

Maeda - What about this, then;

Maeda - Last night- there was one time where our group got super split up, and a ton of people who have been relevant were alone together.

Maeda - The trip to the dining hall.

Maeda - Kobashikawa, Iranami, and Ōtori, along with Higa and Uehara, went off to the dining hall.

Maeda - Ōtori was probably focused on not getting caught, and Kobashikawa’s already been able to help us with what he noticed- we can’t really expect him to have picked up on everything happening, right?

Maeda - So, Higa and Uehara could have had some issue in the dining hall.

Maeda - Hell, maybe that’s even what caused Tsurugi and Higa to fight, you know?

Maeda - Like, I know Tsurugi woke him up- but he said he doesn’t remember what they fought about, right?

Tsurugi - Higa said my bedframe was ugly.

Maeda - No he did not, do not start with that.

Maeda - Isn’t it possible Higa was already upset due to something going down with Uehara, and then being woken up by Tsurugi set him off?

Maki - That could make sense. He was always pointing out that Tsurugi and Uehara were close to each other.

Tsurugi - Higa said I’m a symptom of the downfall of masculinity.

Maeda - No he- did he say that?

Tsurugi - Yeah. This wasn’t last night though this was like… an unrelated conversation. 

Tsurugi - I’m just reminiscing. 

Maki - Higa could’ve picked a fight with Tsurugi because he was upset with Uehara.

Maeda - Right!

Maeda - And then, Higa’s fight with Tsurugi would just be more of a reason for Uehara to kill Higa.

Kobashikawa - …Wait.

Kobashikawa - Sorry. I’m not trying to argue against Uehara being the blackened. I just… I guess I’m confused. I don’t know what your timeline is anymore.

Kobashikawa - Uehara and Higa got into a fight in the dining hall, then Higa and Ōtori came back, followed by Uehara and I…

Kobashikawa - Everyone laid down to sleep, I went to get changed, waking Tsurugi up- then I came back, and Tsurugi went back to bed. When I laid down, he and Higa started to fight.

Kobashikawa - Then… Tsurugi got hit, laid down… and Uehara reached over to kill Higa? Woken up by the fight? 

Maeda - I mean- not woken up, necessarily-

Ōtori - Wait. Then, he was up the whole time?

Maeda - Yeah, I guess.

Ōtori - …But Tsurugi said he saw Uehara asleep. 

Kobashikawa - Yeah, that’s the same issue I’m having.

Kobashikawa - Actually- it’s only one of the issues. 

Kobashikawa - Higa and Uehara weren’t ever alone together… the only time they were in the same room was when Higa grabbed his food, and both Ōtori and I were there when that happened. 

Kobashikawa - After that, Uehara was in the kitchen the whole time, and only left it after Higa had gone back to the dorms.

Kobashikawa - So…

//Maeda feels his heart sink.

Maeda - So there’s no time when Higa could have riled up Uehara-

Maeda - And, because of the stupid restrictions with people being asleep, it doesn’t even look like there’s a time when Higa could have died.

Maki - …Wait, shit-

Maeda - Because either Tsurugi would’ve still been up, or Uehara would’ve been asleep. 

Tsurugi - No- I fell asleep quickly. 

Tsurugi - No matter what, we know that that’s true. Because we know Higa has to have died early on in the night, due to the autopsy, which is pretty irrefutable, and we’re doubting anyone would’ve randomly woken up within the time frame.

Tsurugi - I was asleep, that’s the argument.

Hatano - …

Hatano - Arguing for Uehara to be the blackened?

Tsurugi - No. Making sure we have the right understanding of the case.

Hatano - You care about that now? See a need to correct us, now that we think it’s him?

Tsurugi - See a need to step in because it’s about something I would know about. Why would I not explain something only I experienced?

Hatano - …

Hatano - Kill yourself.

Maeda - Jesus Christ, Hatano.

Taira - …Let’s not dwell on that. Tsurugi and Hatano can work things out, we shouldn’t prioritize their situation. 

Taira - The murder?

Maeda - …I forgot what we were talking about.

Maki - It doesn’t matter if Tsurugi fell asleep… I mean, sure, we can choose if we buy it or not- but this is about Uehara.

Maki - If he was asleep, then he couldn’t have killed Higa. That’s in line with the logic we’ve been using.

Maki - I know we got rid of the alibis- but now we’ve decided Uehara’s doesn’t apply, I think we can reapply them, yeah?

Maki - That’s the whole reason why Ōtori, Hatano, and myself can’t be suspected. All three of us were seen asleep.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Actually- Tsurugi, why didn’t you mention Uehara being asleep?

Tsurugi - It’s more definitive to say he physically couldn’t… so I just didn’t mention it.

Hatano - Huh.

Tsurugi - This was earlier, Hatano!

Tsurugi - Besides! Maeda didn’t mention that he saw Taira asleep until we were stuck on debating if she or Tomori was the blackened!

Tsurugi - Don’t get after me on that! It’s such a non-issue, come on!

//Maeda’s heart stopped for a second there. Okay, fair game.

Maeda - I’ll leave that point alone, then… I don’t want to get myself or Taira caught up.

Maeda - Okay. But still, it’s an issue. If we say Uehara was asleep, then we’re back to our earlier issue- hell, it’s the one we just brought up.

Maeda - If everyone’s alibis are reinstated, then no one could’ve done the murder, except for Tomori.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - Well?

Tsurugi - Hey- when did this become our conversation?? Everyone else can step in!

Hatano - …

Hatano - You know. We never dismantled every alibi.

Maeda - What do you mean?

Hatano - When Uehara had us do that. We got rid of people being asleep, and people being weak- but that wasn’t everyone’s alibi.

Maeda - …Ōtori, Maki, Taira, and you, all asleep. Myself, Uehara, Kobashikawa, not strong…

Maeda - This shit keeps coming up. I should do a push up everytime it comes up. Less embarrassing. Problem solving.

Hatano - Uh huhhh… and Tomori’s suspicious, she never had an alibi- but that’s only eight.

//She was a bit condescending there- but Maeda isn’t thinking about that.

Maeda - …We never dismantled Tsurugi’s alibi.

Hatano - No we didn’t!

Maeda - …Weird, and it’s fair to point that out, but…

Maeda - What do you think that means, Hatano?

//Hatano shrugs.

Hatano - I don’t care.

Hatano - If Uehara’s confessing, and Tsurugi’s confessing, I think we should just see if Monokuma will execute them both.

Maeda - Monokuma is not going to let us do that.

Maeda - I feel like a dad right now.

Maeda - …Man, I wanna be a dad, lowkey. I don’t really like babies though. Maybe I could babysit.

Maeda - Or I could foster teens. Pre-teens, older kids… that could be cool. 

Maeda - Murder trial, back to the murder trial. 

Maki - I don’t know what relevance that could have… I mean, if we’re going to suspect Tsurugi, it looks like we’ll do that regardless of what alibis are saying.

Kobashikawa - …Are we suspecting him? I- it doesn’t seem like it’s Tsurugi. 

Maeda - We’re not suspecting Uehara regardless of alibis! We’re throwing out his coordination alibi, and trying to work out the sleeping thing right now.

Maeda - This isn’t about Tsurugi, it’s about Uehara. He’s the one who didn’t bring up Tsurugi’s alibi.

Tsurugi - Nobody brought up my alibi!

Maeda - Not the time Tsurugi!

Tsurugi - Wh- I’m just being fair!

Maeda - Uehara was leading the conversation, it was on him to keep track of that!

Tsurugi - Nobody wants us to screw up the trial, it’s on all of us!

Maeda - The blackened seems to want us to screw up-

Tsurugi - Bullshit! You don’t believe that, cuz you think Uehara’s the blackened, and Uehara’s helping us!

Maeda - Maybe he’s screwing with us!

//Shit.

Tsurugi - …

//The room stops. Maeda stops.

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Wait.

Maeda - Uehara. Are you screwing with us?

Uehara - No.

Uehara - No, no no- 

Uehara - Shit- guys, shit. This is- fuck- this is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. I’m telling the truth, I’m just- not really good at helping, right now.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Uehara. I swear to god, if you’re screwing with us right now. If you’re lying, or doing anything-

Uehara - I’m doing my best, dude!

Uehara - God…

Maeda - Okay. Why didn’t you bring up Tsurugi’s alibi then.

//Uehara sighs, seemingly frustrated.

Uehara - I didn’t remember it. 

Uehara - Even now, I don’t even know what you’re talking about!

Ōtori - You forgot what Tsurugi’s alibi was?

Uehara - Yes! Jesus!

Maeda - It was the fact he wanted to help Higa. We don’t believe he could’ve been driven to kill Higa- if he wasn’t pushed to it earlier, then what could Higa have done then that would’ve warranted death?

Uehara - …Oh. Yeah, makes sense.

Maeda - …Yeah?

Maeda - Wait- did you just think Tsurugi didn’t have an alibi? What did you think was happening when we said everyone except for Tomori had an alibi?

Uehara - …And Taira.

Uehara - Sorry- but- I don’t… know.

Uehara - …Which sounds dumb. I’m really sorry. I’m… I promise, I’m trying.

Uehara - I really wasn’t thinking of anything.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I want to believe this. I want to make this work.

Maeda - Distracted?

Uehara - Yeah, probably… being the blackened is tough work, I guess. Lots to think about. 

Maeda - Especially with wanting to get caught, but not wanting to make it seem like you were just lying.

Uehara - Yeah!

Uehara - That’s all it is. I’m playing chess, guys… seven layer chess. 

Uehara - Yeah.

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi’s gaze is fixed on nothing, hand visibly gripping his podium. Maeda isn’t ignoring this detail, but he has no clue what to do about it, so he’s not addressing it.

Ōtori - None of that gets us anywhere, though.

Maeda - Right. It doesn’t.

Maeda - Yeah…

Maeda - Is it possible that Tsurugi woke Uehara up when he laid down?

Kobashikawa - …And immediately decided to kill Higa?

Tomori - “Oh, if I’m up, I might as well go commit homicide”- like it’s no big deal?

Maeda - What else, then?

Tomori - …

Maeda - …I’ve been so distracted by Tsurugi and Uehara… I almost forgot Tomori is Uehara’s friend, too.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - There isn’t an explanation that makes more sense. We can go with that.

Maeda - …

//Maeda doesn’t feel great about Kobashikawa’s consent there. There’s an extra layer to Kobashikawa, and this trial, and Higa’s death-

Maeda - I mean, fucks sake. At this point, everyone’s got some bullshit happening here…

//Maeda glances around Inori’s podium- looking at Taira. Quickly, she looks up from her disinterested evaluation of the floor, and catches his eye. Nothing is passed between them. When Maeda looks away though, he feels sort of settled.

Maeda - There’s more for us to work out though.

Maeda - We weren’t able to establish why Uehara would go after Higa.

Maeda - Ignoring the matter of when Uehara decided to kill Higa- there’s the why, the thing that pushed him over the edge.

Maeda - Just… like we were saying with Tsurugi. …Huh.

//The others seem to be having a similar thought.

Maki - It’s…

Maki - It doesn’t fully line up, does it. No matter what we do.

Maeda - …

//Any argument is skipped over. They don’t need to establish what the issue is.

Maeda - …

//Something within him cracks.

Maeda, pleading - We need a blackened though.

Maki - …Yeah. And it looks like Uehara is our best suspect.

Ōtori - But- doesn’t it mean something that this isn’t making sense? I mean-

Ōtori - The other cases, we were able to make it all fit. This isn’t working. We keep having issues with what happened.

Taira - The other cases left more evidence. Most of what was found for this one relates to your choices, Ōtori. And we know those aren’t important for Higa’s murder.

Maeda - …What if they are related?

Ōtori - Maeda, don’t.

Maki - Wait- do you think there could be a connection?

Maeda - I mean- I don’t have any ideas. But maybe we should be thinking about that more?

Kobashikawa - But if we don’t have reason to think they’re related, aren’t we going to get too unrealistic?

Maeda - I don’t-

Maeda - I just- I need to make this work, but it just isn’t fitting.

Maeda - There’s so much we don’t understand. Clearly something happened that made things escalate… but we don’t know what.

Maeda - And, I mean- even if we work out why this happened, there’s still the issue of logistics. 

Hatano - Seriously?

Maeda - What?

Hatano - This shouldn’t be this hard. If you know what the huge issue is, the big thing that’s suddenly throwing all logic out the window, you just… fucking delete that thing.

Maeda - …What?

Hatano - I can’t believe I’m trapped here with you guys.

Hatano - I hope we go back up and find out the buildings been airbombed because that’s the only way we’re escaping.

Hatano - The only issue you’re finding with Uehara being the blackened is that he was asleep, because Tsurugi said so. Sure, there’s the issue of motive, but I think that that’s fairly whatever.

Hatano - Do you see? What’s in the way here? It’s not impossible for Uehara to have killed Higa.

Maeda - …Tsurugi’s testimony could be flawed. That’s what she’s saying.

Maeda - I do… I get what you’re implying.

Maeda - But, if we start… just throwing out evidence, we don’t have a basis for anything.

Hatano - So work out the reason to discredit that evidence.

Hatano - Can you think of any reason why this evidence might exist, if it’s not evidence, but a lie? Does that start to make what’s happening here make sense?

Maeda - …

//He doesn’t have any thoughts on this. All he can decide to do is look at Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi, who is staring intently at the floor, seemingly removed from the conversation.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Seemingly.

//Something inside of Maeda has cracked. There is a change. Maeda could articulate this, if he had reason to be concerned with it. But Maeda’s motivations have changed.

Hatano - …You keep insisting we need to look at a certain time for this murder.

Hatano - But Yamaguchi and Inori both planned out their kills well in advance. Sure, they had some time where they decided to take advantage of the event-

Hatano - But they both knew what they wanted to do before Kurokawa died. They didn’t know how, but they knew they’d be killing someone.

Hatano - If the mastermind is pulling us around, then sure, whatever, blame them. But the blackeneds have to have had the ability to commit murder. There’s people who are like that, and people who aren’t.

Hatano - Everyone who’s going to kill in here would have been willing to kill, no matter what. They were wired like that before the game.

Hatano - Inori, who was a surgeon that saved lives, and Yamaguchi, who was a lawyer, who, probably, did the same. 

Hatano - People suck. Some people just suck. 

Hatano - Whenever you wake up and see that, try and see if it helps you get past this pretend idea of faith.

Maeda - …

//Faith.

Maeda - …I’m not where Hatano is yet.

Maeda - Maybe I’ve been too kind to Yamaguchi and Inori, but I don’t think that means we’ve been too harsh on the mastermind.

Maeda - They’re all worse than we’ve been painting them, I think.

//Something has cracked, but not for this Maeda. There is a before and an after- this is Maeda after, trying to rectify his past beliefs.

Maeda - Everyone is worse than I thought.

Maeda - No one here is good. 

//Faith.

Maeda - What sort of person am I? Am I someone the mastermind knows will kill? 

Maeda - There’s no reason to believe I’m better than anyone, or that anyone is better than me. We can’t dictate things like that. 

Maeda - Huh.

Maeda - I guess this is it.

//Faith.

Maeda - Nothing's set in stone right now. If I knew how to guarantee anything, then I wouldn’t be myself. I don’t have any control over anything.

Maeda - I can’t control others, and I can’t control who I am. Can I even choose what I say?

Maeda - I’m myself. Whatever type of person that looks like, that’s who I’ll live with. 

Maeda - I’d say I’m a shitty companion to be stuck with, but that’s too self pitying. Pity doesn’t get anyone anywhere. So, I’ll stand up instead.

//Maeda can’t see. Maeda can’t hear anything. But everything is alight to him in a new way.

Maeda - …Guys, we’re working together, right?

Maki - …Yeah. No matter what, we have to be in this together.

Ōtori - I disagree with Hatano.

Ōtori - I know how this is going to look for me- but I don’t feel like it’s good to start hating Inori or Yamaguchi.

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - Of course Ōtori would say something like that. “I know how this is going to look for me”, don’t say that sort of thing. It won’t absolve you. I don’t feel bad for you, Ōtori.

Maeda - …I could hurt Ōtori.

Kobashikawa - What are we going to do about Uehara’s confession. That’s what I’m still thinking about.

Maeda - We just need to fix our understanding of things.

Taira - Maeda, do you believe Uehara?

Maeda - …

Maeda - I did. I felt so confident. Have my beliefs changed? Or is it just the way I’m approaching them?

Uehara - …

//Uehara crouches down, coughing. Simultaneously, Kobashikawa turns away to sneeze.

Uehara - …You gave me your fucking germs, Koba.

//Maeda starts to regain his senses- but the world stays alight. His head is full of pressure, and something grander than the universe gleams around him. Kobashikawa, and Uehara.

Maeda - …

//Neither worth thinking about now. Not even Hatano or Tsurugi. It’s about looking back.

Tsurugi - …

//Something sparks.

Tsurugi - We don’t have to be debating. Monokuma may not give us another intermission, but we aren’t being pushed to vote right now.

Tsurugi - …I still have snacks if anyone wants something.

//It’s still. After a moment, Kobashikawa tentatively raises a hand- and Tsurugi chucks something or other towards him. Maeda is too busy to pay attention.

Maeda - Abandon all hope. I don’t believe in that, but it’s all I can come up with right now.

Maeda - I think… we misunderstood a lot of what was going on.

//He would almost say this feels familiar. Something is settling under his touch, but he can’t understand the way it fails to be foreign to him. The recognizability is half of what makes it indiscernible. 

Maeda - We need to look at the evidence. Throw out any of our feelings. Sure- intuition, connections… but we shouldn’t let what we want trump what we need. 

Maeda - There’s a different understanding of the case that we’ve managed to avoid, because we always cut ourselves off from that path.

Taira - …

Tsurugi - …You’re talking so seriously, Maeda. 

Maeda - …Sorry. This just feels… grand.

Tsurugi - What is it we’ve been avoiding?

Maeda - …

Maeda - We didn’t listen to someone we were supposed to.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …Fuckkk.

Maeda - I don’t know what’s happening with the blackened. I want to make that clear.

Maeda - Genuinely, I don’t care about the blackened right now. New issue. 

Maeda - We’ve been too nice about ourselves. Everyone’s been able to avoid their flaws and their faults. If you manage to pretend you believe that, and get other people to act the same, then it’s like those issues don’t even exist.

Maeda - But you should accept them, and accept anything that comes with.

Maeda - If people are mad at you for lying and hiding so you can hurt them, then of course, you’ll try to lie and hide again, if people will let you. Then everyone gets hurt again.

Maeda - It’s hard, but the only way to handle this is to address it.

Maeda - …Sorry. I feel like I wasn’t even talking about the case.

Maeda - Nothing feels real right now. I don’t think this is an actual place. I think I’m hallucinating. Everyone is real.

Maeda - Oh my god. Oh my God.

Maeda - Okay. There is no such thing as a good person. Not that that matters at all right now it’s just really important to me that you understand that.

Maeda - We were way too idealistic in our judgements and we avoided reality. Somebody was able to notice things we didn’t, and they tried to act on this, but-

Maeda - Now, we’re never going to know what they were thinking, and that’s part of why this trial has been so hard.

Maeda - We’re missing a testimony that could’ve helped us solve things because it would’ve given us a new way of seeing-

Maeda - Do you understand what I’m saying? I feel so nauseous all of a sudden.

Maeda - Oh my god. We have been so wrong.

Maeda - Do you know who we should have listened to?

{Select a Student}

[another-dr-another]

select evidence -> maeda's testimony?

Maeda, narrating - My testimony?

Maeda - We should be making sure that our understanding of the murder fits with my testimony, for sure.

Maeda - I’ve been kinda trying to make sure that everything's aligning- but nows as good of a time to bring this up to the others as any.

~*~

Maeda - I think I know what happened.

Maeda - After Higa and Tsurugi got into their fight, we know things continued to happen- that wasn’t when the nights events ended.

Maeda - We don’t know exactly what happened… but couldn’t we say that Uehara and Higa had their interaction after that?

Maki - …Where’s Tsurugi in this scenario?

Maeda - Laying down- like he said he did after the fight.

Maki - Okay…

Maki - Your testimony had, like… noises and lights, right?

Maeda - Mhm!

Maki - …

Maki - So, what would’ve happened? I mean-

Maki - Tsurugi wouldn’t have fallen asleep that quickly, right? But… Uehara and Higa started to fight, and sure- that could be the sounds- but that caused the lights, too?

Maeda - …I mean. We know the lights happened. Maybe Uehara can explain it?

Tomori - Uehara. Do you remember seeing lights? Was that something that happened with you and Higa?

Uehara - …

//He laughs, audibly stressing.

Uehara, faintly - I don’t know if I’m supposed to lie, or-

Maeda - Don’t LIE???

Uehara - Sorry! I won’t!

Uehara - No lights. I really don’t remember that happening.

Maeda - …What? You don’t remember there being lights?

Uehara - No? Sorry dude…

Maeda - Ohhh I can’t fucking do this.

Uehara - I dunno. Maybe that happened. It could've been later that night maybe? Like, you kept waking up, but didn’t realize how much time was passing?

Ōtori - …It’s really easy to screw up your sense of time when you’re sleeping a ton.

Maeda - No. I know that was last night… fuck!

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - I agree. I don’t think Uehara and Higa really interacted last night.

Kobashikawa - Like… because, wouldn’t Uehara have basically needed to catch Higa off guard? If Higa had suspected an attack… I don’t think that Uehara could’ve pulled off the murder.

Kobashikawa - We’ve already sort of agreed to suspend disbelief for the physical limitations of Uehara killing Higa. This might be pushing things a little too far.

Maeda - …Okay. That’s a fair enough argument.

Maeda - I really believe that what I witnessed was all pretty consecutive, but…

Maeda - Yeah. It doesn’t really make sense for Higa and Uehara to have fought after Higa and Tsurugi fought.

Tsurugi - Uehara couldn’t have killed Higa because strangulation uses your hands and I decided to touch up Uehara’s nails again while he was asleep, after I fought with Higa. And you can’t really use your hands when your nails are wet.

Maeda - …

Maeda - And his nails took the whole night to dry.

Tsurugi - The whoooole night!

Maeda - Okay. We’re gonna execute Tomori, then. Good work Tsurugi.

Tsurugi, tearing up - No…

Maeda - Lemme work out when Uehara and Higa fought. That should get everyone to accept Uehara as the blackened.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - Some other time when they could’ve interacted.

Maeda - Higa and Uehara… when did things get worse with you two?

[another-dr-another]

{Taira’s Testimony} against {We’ve confirmed that Uehara isn’t strong enough} bc i love lying <3 can maemae bluff his way into remembering the only reason they "cleared" uehara was bc tsu said so without actually checking -iris

Maeda, narrating - Right…

Maeda - They’re close. That’s all there is to it. 

Maeda - Say Tsurugi was confident it wasn’t Uehara, just, based off the fact they were friends, so he believed in him…

Maeda - So he lied.

Maeda - I remember Tsurugi asking me if I thought I could condemn anyone- if any of us had a motive that would keep us from being forgivable.

Maeda - I can forgive Tsurugi for believing in Uehara. It’s human. 

~*~

Maeda - No, you’re wrong!

Maeda - We don’t have a guarantee that Uehara wouldn’t be strong enough to murder Higa. 

Maeda - I mean, Tsurugi said he wouldn’t be strong enough, but he could be wrong.

Maeda - It’s not like the test was infallible, right? And I know we tried to account for the fact the blackened would also have to be able to keep Higa from thrashing away, but…

Maeda - Does that sound like something anyone would be able to really feasibly do?

Maeda - No matter how you cut it, Higa was an athlete. You’d expect even other SHSL athletics to struggle with killing him-

Maeda - Killing anyone, any way, in a situation where we’re all in a small room… we really need to ease up a bit on saying things are impossible, because the murder is pretty impossible.

Maeda - If anyone was capable of killing Higa like that, then why not Uehara? Because we think he couldn’t?

Maki - …

Maeda - …The test could be wrong. 

Maeda - Or, Uehara decided to lie about being the blackened.

Maeda - Which one makes more sense?

Maki - …

Maki - Shit.

Maki - Yeah. I’ll concede. It looks like it was Uehara.

Tomori - …

Hatano - …Tsurugi could’ve lied, too.

Hatano - He’s like, totally a dick about Uehara. Maybe he knew Uehara was strong enough, so he’s trying to get us all killed.

Maeda - …

~“I kinda want everyone to vote wrong.”~

Maeda - I don’t think Tsurugi would do that…

~“Do you think this is supposed to end?”~

Maeda - …But that isn’t what he meant.

Uehara - …Oh, Hatano-

Uehara - We fought in the dining hall, right? Could you maybe testify?

Hatano - …Seriously?

Tsurugi - …Hatano was talking about that, huh…

//Tsurugi was looking over the edge of his podium, having at up at some point Maeda missed- but he pulls himself up now.

Tsurugi - I didn’t lie for Uehara. I didn’t test him. I didn’t need to.

Tsurugi - It wasn’t Uehara. He was asleep all throughout last night. I checked that he was asleep after I fought with Higa.

Taira - …

Taira - I noticed you didn’t test him. Back then, you claimed it was because he was uncoordinated.

Tsurugi - Oh! I’m glad you remembered that, Taira. I didn’t want to bring it up and seem suspicious, since I didn’t interrupt when everyone said he was cleared because of strength.

Maeda - Wait- it wasn’t Uehara’s strength to begin with-

Maeda - Tsurugi didn’t check Uehara’s strength during the trial???

Tsurugi - But, yeah. Uehara could’ve strangled him, sure-

Tsurugi - I don’t think that he’d have been able to pin him down, that’s the issue. I was asleep next to Higa when the murder happened- they have to have been able to kill Higa without me noticing.

Tsurugi - That means keeping Higa still enough he wouldn’t have really moved at all- and Uehara couldn’t do that!

Tsurugi - He doesn’t fight with precision. Hehe- if anything, Hatano should be able to confirm that.

Tsurugi - …Sorry, that sounded mean. Hatano, what do you think?

Hatano - …

Hatano - I think you should kill yourself, Tsurugi.

Maeda - .

//His mind goes blank. 

Tsurugi - …

//Fucking- huh?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Okay.

Tsurugi - Was that- did you- like.

Tsurugi - …Was that an intentional comment. Or.

Hatano - …

Hatano - I hope you die.

Hatano - I hope you fucking kill yourself.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - What the actual fuck.

//Maeda can feel himself shaking. Everywhere around the class, everyone is visibly tense- this isn’t the most scared, or upset, or stressed they’ve been this trial. But there is some sort of energy in the air that has everyone straight on edge. Maeda locks eyes with Kobashikawa- the student who’s closest to across from him… who only has Iranami’s portrait between himself and Hatano.

Kobashikawa and Maeda, silently - What the fuck?

//Maeda stares at Kobashikawa, trying to share… some sort of- maybe solidarity? Before making the mistake of looking to Kobashikawa’s left. Hatano is holding her left arm, staring at Tsurugi… oddly plain. There’s no fire or fury or fight behind her. It’s a simple fact, with no goal, no intent. She’d just be really happy if he killed himself.

Maeda - …

//Maeda feels one of his legs buckle. Directly next to Hatano, Ōtori stares at the floor, and Maeda feels a bit happy that Ōtori, with all the shit he seems to have pulled, gets to deal with this. 

Tsurugi - Okay.

Tsurugi - That’s, like. 

Tsurugi - A normal comment. I think.

//Maeda has seen a lot of posts on Instagram about how this is called suicide baiting and in the year of our lord 2k19, people should not do it because people can kill themselves about it. Maeda feels a bit bad now for taking delight in Ōtori’s suffering.

Maeda - …I don’t think she meant that.

Hatano - It is. You should kill yourself.

Hatano - When Kurokawa died, you confirmed you have a gun in your room. You can do it once the trial’s over.

Maeda - Ouh.

Tomori - Hatano shut the fuck up.

Tsurugi - No this is fine. This is. 

Tsurugi - It’s fine.

Hatano - You agree.

Hatano - Guys it’s okay, he agrees.

Tsurugi - Well. No. 

Tsurugi - I just- I don’t know. I don’t really want to talk about this? 

Hatano - Yeah I’ve noticed that about you. 

Maeda - Oh my goddddd.

Hatano - …Always quiet when it comes to talking about things that are hard for you. Kind of makes me worried when you do speak up.

Hatano - Cause… if it’s something that stresses you out, you don’t deal with it. So why are you willing to defend Uehara now?

Tsurugi - …?

Tsurugi - I’m defending him cuz no one else is… I have arguments that haven’t been considered!

Tsurugi - It’s like what’s been said. If something doesn’t make sense, there’s no reason we shouldn’t try to… assuage people’s fears.

Hatano - …

Hatano - You aren’t scared, though. 

Hatano - This is, like… everything for you. It’s just what I said earlier. You wanna play hero and prove your importance and shit.

Tsurugi - …Then, if you think it’s Uehara- why would I be defending him?

Hatano - I don’t think it’s Uehara.

Tsurugi - Oh!

Tsurugi - Wait, this sucks. I wanna work with you now, but- like… yeah.

Tsurugi - Why don’t you think it’s him?

Hatano - I’m not gonna help you.

Tsurugi - Okayyy.

Tomori - …

Taira - …

Uehara - …

Tomori - …Hatano you can’t tell people to kill themselves.

Hatano - Fucking do something about it, Tomori.

Hatano - Not my fault you chose shitty friends.

Uehara - …What?

Uehara - Tomori, like…

//He seems genuinely lost, losing his opinion in the middle of his sentence.

Maki - …

Maki - I’m so sorry- Uehara, that’s when you’re choosing to step into the conversation?

Uehara - Huh.

Maki - …Okay. Nevermind.

//Maeda’s still reeling- this conversation isn’t making things any better.

Tsurugi - …Oh, right, my argument.

Tsurugi - So-

Kobashikawa - Tsurugi, is this really okay?

Tsurugi - …Honestly dear Kobashikawa, I don’t know what to do right now. I’m being so genuine. What the hell.

Tsurugi - Sorry. Let’s move on.

Tsurugi - So, I don’t think Uehara would’ve had the precision to kill Higa. …That’s it. That’s my defense.

Maeda - …Okay.

Maeda - Is he okay? Is Hatano okay? None of what just happened is okay. But- they’re moving on. Tsurugi is, at least. I don’t know if Hatano really has anything to move on from. 

Maeda - Oh my god. She told him to kill himself.

Maeda - After Iranami died? After Iranami died? Seriously?

//Logically, Maeda has understood that this is a bad situation for them, psychiatrically. He has a new understanding of that fact right now.

Maki - …

Maki - So our conversation about strength doesn’t really matter?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - No, it’s an excuse to make Uehara flex and show off that he’s actually got a bodybuilder look to him. C’mon Ue, show them.

Uehara - I can’t do that.

Tsurugi - Sorry he’s shy.

//Maki slowly places her head into her hands.

Maeda - Same, Maki.

Tomori - …To be fair.

Tomori - Maybe if Uehara was good at being coordinated, he wouldn’t have gotten beat up by Hatano.

Maki, faintly - I mean, Hatano’s definitely stronger than him.

Tsurugi - This is why I want Hatano’s testimony! But whatever.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - You know- I just don’t think that’s good enough of a defense.

Tsurugi - …Huh?

Ōtori - Seriously, saying Uehara isn’t coordinated enough? I don’t think it holds up. Maybe he is uncoordinated, but that’s not all too… not-damning.

//Maki laughs weakly.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - Could… we maybe pause this?

Maeda - How come, Kobashikawa? What do you have in mind?

Maeda - No judgement. Thank you Kobashikawa if you have something new to bring up. God, we need to move on.

Kobashikawa - Uehara, if it was you… why did you kill Higa?

Uehara - Oh…

Uehara - Higa sucked, he was evil- whatever.

Uehara - I mean, you know. Everyone knows what it was like. I don’t-

Uehara - Can’t really imagine that being a hangup of yours?

Kobashikawa - Why not earlier, then?

Kobashikawa - I mean… if your only reasoning is that Higa sucked, then-

Kobashikawa - Like- listen, I don’t think this disproves it. I just think you’re still holding out on us. There’s something that happened which we aren’t being told about. Why kill Higa now?

Maki - …Fuck.

Maki - I’m with Kobashikawa here. Why now- not even why now, but why then? Why last night specifically- why after the fight?

Maki - You were responsible for food, Uehara. You could’ve poisoned Higa with ease- and if you’re okay with being executed, that would’ve given us more evidence to work with. 

Ōtori - …Could that be the reason? The fight with Tsurugi?

Taira - Tsurugi testified that Uehara was asleep when he and Higa had their fight.

Tsurugi - Mhm- I didn’t want to wake him up. That’s part of why I woke Higa up on accident- I stepped on the floor by him instead of on the mattress. 

Tsurugi - Maeda even pointed out that our sleeping positions were weird- I laid down differently to keep Uehara asleep.

Ōtori - …All of that could be a lie, though.

Maeda - No- I mean, why would we call bull on that?

Tomori - And what reason would Tsurugi have to lie? This is what you guys said about the strength thing, and he didn’t lie there! 

Tomori - Or… only, like… by omission. By not correcting us misspeaking. But that was to keep from throwing off the debate!

Tomori - He’s had a straight story about this.

Maeda - Right… not to mention, that just brings us back to the thing about killing Higa earlier. 

Maeda - He could’ve killed Higa at any point, under that logic. Even if we get Tsurugi specific, there’s the fight they got into just before the sleepover- or the one they got into after the second trial!

Tsurugi - !

Uehara - …?

Taira - …What fight?

Maeda - …Uh.

Maeda - …

//His head buzzes.

Maeda - When Uehara and I were waiting for Tsurugi in the hallway, but he was talking to Higa, and Higa got upset, so Higa hit him, and Tsurugi hit back, because Higa went for his hearing aid, and it startled Tsurugi, and then Higa was all bruised up the next day, because Tsurugi hit him hard enough to knock him out, and so Tsurugi left Higa’s room, and talked with Uehara, before we all went into Tsurugi’s room so I could get something to eat.

Maeda - The night after the second trial.

Taira - Oh.

Taira - Yeah, okay. Kobashikawa is right, then. We should probably work out what Uehara’s motive was.

//Maeda feels like he was just shaken. Shaken shaken shaken until all of the wires keeping his brain connected got tugged out. Uh oh. Whoops? He needs to get his bearings. 

Tsurugi - …Do you all believe it was Uehara, then?

Kobashikawa - …I’m sorry, Tsurugi.

Kobashikawa - I’m not sure what happened yet, and I want to understand better what the reason was for the murder. But, I really don’t think Uehara would falsely confess.

Tsurugi - You don’t need to apologize, Kobashikawa. It’s okay.

Maki - …

Maki - I just don’t see who else it could be…

Tsurugi - It was Monokuma. We should execute it.

//Maeda is feeling a good bit better. He’s not really sure what he was talking about just earlier.

Taira - We should ask Uehara to explain himself.

Uehara - Sorry. Explain what?

Uehara - …Wait I don’t fucking like you. Piss off, Taira.

//Taira nods slightly. Maeda thinks he’s adjusted back to the conversation.

Maeda - Would you explain your motive?

Uehara - …The motive? The one Monokuma gave us?

Maeda - …Like, your reasoning for killing Higa?

Uehara - I mean. I don’t really know. I guess the motive was… relevant. Sure. 

Maeda - …?

Uehara - ???

Maeda - …Let’s try to work out the motive a different way.

Maeda - Any other way. Please. Please. 

Taira - Something other than the fight with Tsurugi last night.

Kobashikawa - And not the one earlier that day…

Maeda - We were all together. Surely there’s something?

Maki - Well, yeah. Something set the murder off. We just have to identify what it was. 

Maki - …Maybe then we’ll feel comfortable finishing off the trial.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - I can’t really think of an interaction between Higa and Uehara…

Maeda - Higa had been acting weird for the last day or so. Oddly… inconsistent. Better, then worse…

Maeda - So, I should’ve been more attuned to Higa than usual. Why didn’t I notice anything happening?

Maeda - It wouldn’t have been anything while we were all falling asleep… in fact, even Tsurugi should’ve noticed something- he was around Uehara at least, for like, the whole sleepover.

Maeda - Hm…

Maeda - Sometime where not only I didn’t notice, but Tsurugi also couldn’t have picked up on something happening… isn’t there one answer?

Maeda - At what point in the night could Uehara have decided to kill Higa?

{Select Your Evidence!}

[another-dr-another]

hit {We’ve confirmed that Uehara isn’t strong enough} w the bloodied pillow? id imagine strength matters less if you have an implement to do the murder with? -annie

Maeda, narrating - Yeah…

Maeda - That’s true. If Uehara could use the pillow, didn’t we say that that’d take less strength?

~*~

Maeda - Hold it!

Maeda - Uehara doesn’t need to be particularly strong to pull off the murder.

Maeda - If he used the pillow that was found near Higa, then he could’ve suffocated Higa, right?

Maki - …I guess?

Hatano - …

Kobashikawa - Isn’t it normal for there to be a pillow near Higa, though? I mean… he could’ve still been killed with one, but…

Maeda - No- this one is relevant because we saw blood stains on it. It caught mine and Tomori’s attention.

Tomori - Mm…

Tomori - I don’t know if this is making sense. Maeda, are you sure?

Maeda - Yeah. This makes everything make sense- Uehara just suffocated Higa with the pillow. That’s why that pillow was astray.

Hatano - Doesn’t that get rid of your alibi too?

Maeda - Mhm. Mine and Kobashikawa’s- but we aren’t confessing to murder.

Uehara - …Huh.

Maeda - …Fuck does that mean, Uehara?

Uehara - Uh… nothing. Sorry.

Maki - I thought we agreed it was strangulation, though…

Maeda - Well… yeah. But was that just so we could narrow things down?

Ōtori - I thought we had evidence for it being strangulation…

Maeda - Evidence like what?

Maeda - Why are they starting to disagree with me? I thought we were mostly on the same page?

Tsurugi, weakly - Aughhh…

Tsurugi, from the floor - Guys. Guys shhhh. You need to be so quiet to hear me.

Tsurugi - He wasn’t suffocated. We know because of how Higa’s hands were positioned. That’s why we decided it was strangulation.

Tsurugi - And strangulation takes more strength than suffocation.

Maeda - …Damn it.

Maki - Yeah! Yeah- thanks, Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - Mhm…

//It seems like Tsurugi’s getting comfortable on the floor again.

Maeda - So, I really need to prove that Uehara could have strangled Higa-

Maeda - …Wait. Tsurugi?

Tsurugi - ?

Maeda - You don’t think it’s Uehara?

Tsurugi - I dunno.

Maeda - …If it’s not Uehara, why do you think he’s claiming it was him?

Tsurugi - …I dunno? Why are you asking me?

Maeda - …

Maeda - Sorry. Let’s go back to your thing, Maki.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …Huh.

Maeda - Usually, I just move on when my argument was strong enough.

Maeda - I should focus on Uehara, and proving he’s the blackened.

Maeda - Like I said, I’m confident it was him, I just have to get the argument down. Nothing that’s happened would make me doubt that.

Maeda - …But… huh.

[another-dr-another]

hi uehara. -iris

Maeda, narrating - …

Maeda - It has to be.

Maeda - That’s who it is. The same person that suddenly started helping me- that’s the person who’s been hiding from us for hours.

~*~

Maeda - …It was you, Uehara.

Maeda - You murdered Higa.

Uehara - …

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - An accusation ain’t enough, Maeda! You-

Tsurugi - …

//He goes silent. Maeda feels a wave of nausea.

Maeda - …Is he going to speak again? Can he?

Tsurugi - …You’ve gotta give us your evidence, Yu.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Yeah. I have to argue for this, huh?

Tsurugi - When you’re saying this sort of thing, yeah! What makes you think it was Uehara?

Maeda - …Other than everything that’s happened over the past five minutes?

Maeda - Uehara fits the bill. He’s been having issues with Higa for a long time now. It makes total sense to argue it was him- it makes the most sense out of everyone we have left.

Maeda - I mean… I think he was my number one suspect before the trial started, to be honest. It just felt right.

Maeda - They got into fights a lot, and… I mean, Uehara is known for getting physical with people. 

Maeda - Back when we first met…

Maeda - I think the first conversation I ever had with him, he mentioned how he had a reputation for curb-stomping! Uehara is the type to throw hands when someone’s being a dick, and Higa was a dick!

Uehara - I take pride in it. Talk shit, get hit…

Tsurugi - Higa wasn’t curb-stomped.

Ōtori - The fact he didn’t die in the sensationalized way that’s more likely to be focused on isn’t worthwhile evidence, though.

Tsurugi - Didn’t say it was!

Maeda - …

Maeda - Uehara. You wanted me to realize it was you.

Uehara - …

//Slowly, he nods his head.

Uehara - The trial’s gone on too long. I’m tired.

Uehara - Honestly… I thought I’d be suspected fairly quickly. I had no clue about how this was gonna start- with Iranami’s death, and all-

Uehara - But I figured once we looked at Higa’s death, you all would work out that it was me.

Tomori - …

Tomori - Really? Uehara?

Uehara - …Yeah.

Uehara - I don’t… know what to say. All I can do now is try and keep everyone from voting wrong, right?

Maki - …

Maki - Why confess now? Why not earlier?

Tsurugi - Yeah. Isn’t that weird of you, Uehara?

Uehara - …

Uehara - I thought I could be hands off with this. I don’t know how to prove that I did it- so I thought confessing might make me look suspicious, like I was lying.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - The evidence should start to make sense…

Maki - …What about your alibi?

Uehara - What? 

Maki - I know you made the point that we should ignore the alibis, but I don’t understand why.

Maki - I mean, sure, we were able to identify you as the blackened because we did- but why can we just ignore the evidence?

Uehara - I have an alibi? I- I shouldn’t.

Maki - …Tsurugi said you weren’t strong enough. 

//Maeda looks over at Tsurugi. Tsurugi is not standing up. Maeda thinks he is fully laying down, as best as he can while staying on his podium.

Uehara - Oh.

Kobashikawa - That’s a good point, Maki.

Kobashikawa - Sure… Uehara could have wanted to hurt Higa- but we have to remember to imagine this actually happening.

Kobashikawa - Can you all envision Uehara reaching over and strangling Higa? And Higa not being able to get anyone’s attention?

Hatano - Well, clearly Higa couldn’t get anyone to realize what was happening. That’s true no matter who the blackened is.

Kobashikawa - …But, Uehara? I mean- in general, Uehara strangling Higa…

Ōtori - It makes sense otherwise.

Ōtori - Maeda, didn’t you say Uehara was able to drag Higa out of Tsurugi’s room? That feels like a good indicator of strength to me.

Maeda - Mhm…

Maeda - And again- that’s indicating a willingness to get physical with Higa on the same day that we had the sleepover.

Maeda - …Funnily enough, I think that was a bit under 24 hours ago.

Maeda - So recent… god.

Uehara - I get into fights fairly often.

Uehara - No evidence for my ability to strangle… but it shouldn't be hard to believe.

Maki - …Well, it is.

Maki - I hate to say it- I don’t want it to be true- but, beyond the strangling, I actually really believe it was Uehara.

Maki - Except, I can’t get over the issue of the strength. I don’t think you were physically capable of doing it.

Taira - What’s your theory for why he’d be confessing, then?

Maki - …

Maki - I have a guess. But, honestly, I don’t want to consider it.

Tomori - I mean.. a sudden, fake confession…

Maeda - …

Maeda - Do you all feel like we’re taking this too lightly?

Maeda - Uehara confessed to murder. The trial could finally be ending- and eight of us could be safe.

Maeda - And… Uehara could be about to die. Shouldn’t we have some more passion?

Maki - …

Maki - I don’t want to get worked up over nothing. I just want to get the facts in place.

Tomori - …Yeah… I think we’re all so uncertain, it’s easier to just… discuss it simply.

Maeda - Ah… that’s fair. I just don’t know who else it could be.

Uehara - I killed Higa.

Uehara - …Maybe it’s because I’m so…

Maeda - …Calm?

Uehara - …Mhm. Maybe that’s affecting how everyone feels.

Maeda - Tsurugi is still on the floor right now.

Maeda - …Sorry, I can’t do that-

Maeda - Uehara- can you like. Look at Tsurugi? Or, Tomori; could either of you verify that he hasn’t like… passed out?

Tsurugi, weakly - Sorry. I’m fine.

//Tomori looks over at him. Uehara’s eyes drift to the floor.

Tomori - …He looks fine.

Tsurugi - I’m busy rewatching The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Right now. In my head. 

Uehara - …’S a good movie.

Tsurugi - So let’s watch it together!

Uehara - Now, or later?

Tsurugi - Mm.

//Tsurugi shifts on the floor- not standing, but simply adjusting his position.

Maki - …

Maki - Maybe you’ll be able to. I still think Uehara’s alibi is too strong for us to accuse him of murder.

Maki - Let’s- if you all believe it-

Maeda - …I’m confident. I don’t think Uehara was trying to lead us off course here.

Maki - -Then someone should be able to convince me. Right?

Uehara - …

Maeda - …Right. 

Maeda - I’m confident. It was Uehara.

Maeda - I just… it’s less the alibi that’s confusing me, and more how long it took him to confess.

Maeda - But, he was able to explain that, and I buy it. Plus, weird behavior in trial doesn’t mean anything for the murder.

//Maki looks at Maeda. Maeda is reminded of talking with her in the dining hall, repeatedly over the course of the investigation. An understanding passes between them.

Maeda - …Maki and I can get through this. We’ll work together to solve Higa’s murder.

//Subtly, Maeda nods to Maki. She firmly returns it.

Maki - Let me remind you why I believe it wasn’t Uehara.

Rebuttal Showdown: START!

Truth Bullets: Bloodied Pillow Monokuma File #03-2 Taira’s Testimony

Maki - First, it’s all just weird. 

Maki - Sure, Uehara could be argued as the sort of person that’d kill Higa…

Maki - But, to lead us on such a wild goose chase? Then just… suddenly decide to confess?

Maki - I mean, he didn’t even really confess! He just had us play weird roundabout games until you figured it must be him.

BREAK!

Maeda - That’s all… fair. Uehara’s behavior has definitely been unorthodox- …not funny.

Maeda - Sure, but he gave his reasoning for those choices. If you don’t buy it, then there’s nothing we can do, because we won’t really get evidence about what Uehara’s been thinking.

Maeda - But, it doesn’t matter! Uehara’s actions in the trial don’t apply to the murder.

Phase Two

Maki - I mean- they’re indicative of him, and {we need to understand Uehara to understand the murder}-

Maki - But sure, whatever. That doesn’t change the fact that {Uehara has an alibi}.

Maki - {It doesn’t matter if he wanted to kill Higa}, or if he wants us to believe he killed Higa.

Maki - {We’ve confirmed that Uehara isn’t strong enough}, and- don’t forget, Uehara was the one who said we should ignore alibis.

Maki - If you ask me, I think it’s more feasible that {someone was pretending to be asleep}, so if we want to look at alibis again, let’s check those.

Maki - But, strength is a pretty concrete thing, and strangulation takes a lot of that. Uehara couldn’t do it.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - Okay. Maki’s really got a decent defense- Uehara doesn’t seem strong.

Maeda - But, like he mentioned, he’s got fighting experience. He’s got to have some strength built up, right?

Maeda - And… I think… being tall maybe comes with strength? M…Maybe. That isn’t a good argument, ignore that actually.

Maeda - Anyways. Uehara’s alibi is definitely what’s getting in the way of voting for him. I really get why he wanted us to ignore alibis, if he wanted us to think it was him.

[another-dr-another]

Advance!!!

Maeda, narrating - God…

Maeda - There’s somebody that… is sort of suspicious, but I don’t know…

Maeda - Really- how does that make sense with how they’ve been acting? I guess that isn’t enough reason to rule them out, but… I’ll have to see how I can make that make sense.

~*~

Maeda - Okay. So, we look back at what happened before the case to solve it.

Uehara - Mhm. No evidence.

Uehara - …Really you all never would’ve been able to solve the case. Just have to guess right-

Uehara - Isn’t that an… informed? Guess?

Tsurugi - Educated hypothesis.

Uehara - Wow… incredible.

//Tsurugi kicks his podium.

Monokuma - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - So.

Maeda - I actually don’t know what to say.

Taira - Who can we take off the list? Automatically, who didn’t fight with Higa?

Maeda - Oh- uh…

Maeda - You didn’t, Taira… Hatano never really did, Tomori didn’t… are we safe to take Ōtori off the list?

Ōtori - Why would I be on the list?

Maeda - …Well.

Kobashikawa - We can take Ōtori off. Should I be on the list?

Uehara - It’s only people who fought Higa, not who Higa fought with.

Kobashikawa - …

Tomori - …?

Kobashikawa - …I just… sort of wish I had smacked him while I had the chance. Sorry.

Tomori - No, that’s good. Express those feelings. You don’t have to be okay with what he did to you just because he’s dead now.

Maki - …

Maki - It was his actions catching up with him, Kobashikawa. Either that makes you happy, or it isn’t enough of a comeuppance. Those are the two options- feeling guilty over hating him isn’t a choice.

Kobashikawa - …Thank you.

Tsurugi - Phenomenal teamwork. I believe your wisdom will ALWAYS save the day.

Tsurugi - Maki, Tomori. How do we escape?

Maki - …Arson.

Tomori, overlapping - Love women.

Tsurugi - Okay! Perfect.

Tomori - You can do the second part non-literally. Non-romantically. Only if you’re queer about it though.

Tsurugi - I like this topic… can we stay here forever?

Uehara - Murder.

Tsurugi - Ughhhhh.

Maeda - Stay on topic. Stay on topic.

Maeda - Taira, Hatano, Tomori, Ōtori, Kobashikawa. Anyone else off the list?

Maki - …I fought with him enough to be on the list, huh…

Maeda, apologetic - Yeah, I think so.

Maki - It’s fine.

Maki - …

Maki - Not to… be suspicious and defend myself, but… it’s not like I fought with him shortly before the murder.

Maeda - That’s true…

Maki - …Right?

Tomori - …I don’t think it was you, Maki. 

Maeda - …Not Maki. Not Ōtori, not Kobashikawa, not Taira, not Tomori, not Hatano.

Maeda - Hey- am I on the list? I haven’t fought with him recently.

Hatano - No- but you have gotten physical, just to be real. I don’t think Maki ever did that?

Maeda - But I know it wasn’t me… and I didn’t fight with him recently, at least. 

Maeda - So…

Maeda - Tsurugi’s on that list, but we know Tsurugi… he never really fought with Higa- it was only once that he put hands on him, to take him out of the dining hall.

Maeda - And the whole reason we were able to say that it wasn’t him is because we don’t think Tsurugi would’ve killed Higa.

Maeda - But…

Tomori - I guess we can keep Maeda on the list.

Tomori - Did anyone see him and Higa interacting last night?

Kobashikawa - Higa didn’t get into fights with anyone last night, did he?

Maeda - It’s not just about last night, though.

Tsurugi - Meeeeeee.

Tsurugi - But! Not any that we all witnessed, no.

Maeda - We don’t need to go as far back as we could- even looking at the day of the sleepover, someone starts to come to mind.

Maeda - …That’s fine, though.

Maeda - We don’t need to be looking at the sleepover specifically to find the blackened.

Maeda - Just look at that day. At what led up to it. Any time we were all going to interact with Higa.

Uehara - Maeda’s right.

Uehara - The answer’s earlier than the sleepover. 

Maeda - Helpful. 

Maeda - Whatever. It is actually helpful to get that confirmation…

//Maeda… pauses, and looks at Uehara.

Maeda - I want to say thank you, Uehara, but… I don’t-

Maeda - Do you see what’s happening here?

Hatano - Okay… so, looking at what happened before the sleepover, who is it?

Maeda - …

Maeda - There was a fight before the sleepover- about the sleepover, that same day. 

Maki - Wait- really? Who was involved?

Maeda - Uh- funnily enough, I think everyone who’s currently a suspect.

Maeda - Uehara and I were walking together- he came out of the dining hall when I happened to be walking by.

Maeda - We were going towards the dorms, when we heard a bang from Tsurugi’s room. Higa was in there, yelling and smacking shit around.

Maeda - Which… means he started shit, which tracks with the sleepover- which matters, but not for knowing who the blackened is. It matters because of what it tells us about the blackened.

Maeda - If Higa was the one who started the fight… it makes the suspects behavior make way more sense.

Maeda - Uehara and I went in to Tsurugi’s room, and Uehara was able to get Higa to leave.

Maeda - …He dragged Higa out, physically. Tsurugi pushed past Uehara to make sure Higa would come to the sleepover, and Uehara didn’t want this to happen.

Uehara - …Mhm.

Uehara - I knew he shouldn’t come. He was an asshole- he couldn’t just quit being a dick, he never could.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Which- Uehara said something similar to me, earlier.

Maeda - When we were going around getting everyone to go hang out in the rec room… Uehara asked me to not let Higa be alone near Tsurugi.

Maeda - …Which is a weird pattern. It’s a weird pattern. If it doesn’t mean anything.

Tsurugi - …

//The class is silent. They seem to be with Maeda here. This means something.

Maki - …

Maki - I haven’t really interacted with Higa for a few days.

Maeda - Mhm… and I’ve been around when things have happened- but I haven’t actually been involved in anything.

Kobashikawa - You- You’ve just witnessed things.

Ōtori - And you seem to be witnessing the same sort of thing.

Maeda - …Yeah.

Maeda - One student has been on edge around Higa. One student has been nothing but wary of Higa.

Maeda - One student clocked that Tsurugi and Higa were having issues, and didn’t want him around Tsurugi.

Maeda - One student has been willing to get physical with Higa, recently. 

Maeda - One person kept showing up as having issues with Higa.

Uehara - …

Taira - …

Tomori - …

Tomori - But… if it’s that student, then…

Maeda - …Their behavior doesn’t make much sense, right?

Maeda - Not like they confessed- but if their own theories make it point to them, why not just confess?

Tomori - …Yeah.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Maybe we should just ask them.

Uehara - …

Uehara - You should probably make sure we’re all on the same page first, Maeda.

Maeda - Is it possible that we aren’t?

Maeda - No… the way he’s looking at me- he knows what I’m thinking. I’ve found the answer he wanted me to get.

//Maeda’s palms are sweaty, and he feels like his extremities are starting to shake, going cold as the blood rushes to his rapid-beating heart instead.

Maeda - But… for the sake of not skirting around the subject anymore. 

Maeda - I need to just say it.

Uehara - Who do you think the blackened is, Maeda?

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …Oh my god. 

Maeda - Why? Why- not even why did he kill Higa, but… why would he do this? Why did the trial run the way it did… just to end up here?

Maeda - …I guess I might be getting my answers soon enough.

Maeda - I think I know who killed Higa.

{Select a Student}

[another-dr-another]

{Taira’s Testimony} against {has to be an answer indicated by the evidence we found} bc. um. does there have to be? it would be nice, sure, but maybe the solution lies outside of the evidence! either way, maemae needs to bluff his way through this so we can focus on smth else -iris

Maeda, narrating - Yeah- if I’m wrong, I’d love her to refute me!

Maeda - But I can’t think of anything we haven’t inspected fully. Maybe there is an answer that will make all of the evidence make sense, but we aren’t getting to that answer with our current tactics.

~*~

Maeda - No, you’re wrong!

Maeda - There isn’t an answer indicated by the evidence. We wouldn’t be suggesting a change in approach if there was.

Maeda - I mean, we can reconstruct alibis again, if we want to go against Uehara’s plan, but…

Maeda - Oh, I actually don’t want to finish that sentence.

Tomori - But it doesn’t look good for me if we do that. Right.

Maeda - Yeah…

Maeda - Fuck it.

Maeda - Actually, why are you against doing it like this? I thought you’d be happy about doing something that gets focus away from you, regardless of whether or not you’re the blackened.

Maeda - If you are the blackened, you don’t want to get caught, and if you aren’t, you don’t want to be falsely accused.

Maeda - So…?

Tomori - …

Tomori - You all could’ve voted for me earlier. There was never any evidence that cleared me of suspicion.

Tomori - But you didn’t, because it didn’t feel right. So… I’m confident that you all will do what’s right. Even if we have those close calls-

Tomori - I really don’t think we were going to mess that up. So, I don’t mind what the logic looks like, if something stops us from being too hasty with our voting.

Maeda - …

Maeda - We had a feeling that it wasn’t you. Can’t we investigate the intuitions we have?

Tomori - …

//She’s staring at Maeda… almost pleadingly, but she’s not asking for anything from him. Tomori’s looking for something to say, a way to articulate her thoughts- and it keeps escaping her. 

Maeda - …

Uehara - …

Uehara - I don’t think we should talk about our guesses, though.

Maeda - Motherfucker.

Maki - Uehara. Can you please give us something firm to go off of.

Uehara - …

Uehara - I like the guess-work idea. And I like the thought of going with something based off what we think happened.

Uehara - But, Tomori’s right. We can’t act like we didn’t debate.

Uehara - Everyone’s views are going to be all screwed up if they try and look back like that.

Uehara - It’s… not a matter of looking at the case now, you have to look at it then.

Maeda - …?

Uehara - Like- how you did then-

Tsurugi, overlapping - Look at the case with what we knew back then.

Tsurugi - Because, the issue is the information we have now, right?

Tsurugi - The point Uehara’s been making is that a lot of our reconstruction is just conjecture. We can’t fully depend on things, because every belief we had could get deconstructed.

Tsurugi - All the alibis got countered, all equally as weakly. It’s trepidious- but anything’s possible. We’re looking for the slightest hint of something being wrong, and then we can morph anything to it.

Tsurugi - 

Uehara - …

Uehara - Tsurugi.

Uehara - I… want to control where the trial goes.

Tsurugi - …

//He looks at Uehara. He looks at Uehara. Uehara is looking at him, too. But it’s different. Tsurugi looks at Uehara.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Ue in charge~

Tsurugi - Ue takes the lead! A storm front swoops in!

Tsurugi - Do you have any guesses who the blackened is, Uehara?

Uehara - …

Uehara - I don’t think I can…

Uehara - …

//He looks at the ground, and closes his eyes tight.

Uehara - …This needs to end soon. For everyone’s sake. Mine, and yours-

//He opens his eyes again, almost weakly against the light.

Uehara - We all can be done with this trial. We’re so close to finally getting it.

Uehara - I don’t know how to get us there in a way that isn’t going to make us go back. I really don’t want to go back.

Uehara - …

Uehara - Sorry. That didn’t help.

Uehara - I swear I’m not stupid. I’m just really really tired. 

Tsurugi - …

//Maeda makes a note- Uehara never answered Tsurugi’s question.

Maeda - I’m curious too… does Uehara know who the blackened is?

Uehara - …

//His voice cracks.

Uehara - God, I want this to be over.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Maybe you should take a break, Uehara.

Ōtori - …He only just started contributing though.

Maki - Ōtori, lay off, would you?

//Ōtori rolls his eyes.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - Uehara. You said you wanted to influence where the trial goes?

Uehara - …Mhm.

Uehara - The problem…

Uehara - Tsurugi was right, earlier. There isn’t evidence to solve the case.

Uehara - When you know who it is, sure, you can make the proof fit-

Uehara - That’s why we’ve been able to accuse anyone. Come up with a name, and all the evidence can be applied to them.

Tomori - …

Tomori - What do you want us to do, Uehara?

Uehara - …You have to look at the evidence from before the murder. That’s what really matters- it’s not about what happened then, because that was only one moment.

Uehara - Any of us could have done it. But, who’s the one person that would have murdered Higa? Who is it that looked suspicious? 

Uehara - That’s why it matters that we think about this in terms of before we had evidence. Who’s your base impulse?

Maeda - …

Ōtori - …Exactly what I said?

Uehara - Wait- No.

Uehara - Because, there has to be a reason. It’s-

Uehara - There’s logic behind who it was! Any of us could have killed Higa out of simply disliking him, and any of us could have gotten into a fight with him and gotten extra upset.

//Maeda watches as Uehara tightens his grip on his podium stand. When Maeda looks up- he immediately makes eye contact with Uehara, who maintains his gaze.

Uehara - But who do you know had already had issues with Higa? 

Uehara- The blackened is someone that at least one of us should be able to point out. Multiple events, multiple fights. 

Maeda - …Is he asking me?

Maki - …

Maki - There was a few of us that got into fights with Higa.

Uehara - One person makes the most sense.

Kobashikawa - …Even though you said it’s not about instinct?

Uehara - There’s a reason why it must have been this person. You don’t know it, but it makes them the most likely suspect. You should be able to point them out, without knowing why.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Do you really think this will work?

Uehara - Yes. 

Uehara - It has to. So, it will.

Maeda - …

Hatano - …This is a weird fucking gambit, Uehara.

Uehara - Yeah. Sorry.

Tsurugi - …

Tomori - …

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …

Maeda - It’s possible though, right?

Maeda - I mean- we do need to look at what happened leading up to the murder. We’ve been stressed because the blackened didn’t try to hide their crime, and leave clues, and it was impulsive, so there’s no traces of prep.

Maeda - But, if you say that it matters who was already having issues with Higa…

//…Maeda, subconsciously, starts to piece together what this might mean.

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Then, we can at least try.

Uehara - …

//He rubs at his head, closing his eyes.

Uehara - Sorry. Headache. Sounds good though, Maeda.

//Uehara looks at Maeda, though wincing, and still trying to alleviate his headache.

Uehara - It shouldn’t be hard. The answer’s there. Just… solve the case.

Taira - …

~*~

Maeda, narrating - Uehara…

Maeda - If I start to look back on what’s happened…

Maeda - …

Maeda - Does that make any sense though? Does it align with what they’ve been doing in the trial?

Maeda - Maybe I shouldn’t take that as too strong an indicator… people act weird when their life is on the line.

Maeda - …No, I need to think about this seriously. 

Maeda - It looks like the others are trying to think about it too… but I really get the feeling Uehara is looking to me, specifically.

Maeda - Though- there’s the question of why we’re even placing so much trust in Uehara… but-

Maeda - Well! Well. That’s not…

Maeda - …

Maeda - …I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it.

Maeda - I need to look back on what’s happened recently. Before the murder. Then, maybe I’ll remember who was already suspicious to me, from the start.

{Advance}

[another-dr-another]

Iranami… {Died} away.

Kobashikawa started to fall asleep, but Ōtori woke him up, and reminded him he needed to go get {his binder off}.

Kobashikawa woke up Tsurugi so Tsurugi would know why someone was leaving, and so he would keep the {door} open. 

Tsurugi hitting his {head} on the bed frame.

Tsurugi laid down, Higa laid down, and to our knowledge, everyone was {asleep}.

We entered the dining hall, triggering the {BDA}, while I went back to Tsurugi’s dorm. 

Ōtori, Hatano, and {me}.

Maeda, narrating - Yeah… that works, I think I know what I want to say, going off that.

Maeda - The case is still familiar- though it’s weird trying to remember what information to omit.

Maeda - But! I think I’m starting to get a feel for what we were thinking before we started to debate

~*~

Maeda - Last night, Higa, Iranami, Ōtori, Kobashikawa, and Uehara went to the dining hall. Higa and Ōtori left first, then Kobashikawa and Uehara, leaving Iranami.

Maeda - Ōtori poisoned some coffee, and Iranami… passed away. Back in Tsurugi’s dorm, everyone laid down to sleep.

Maeda - Maki and Hatano were already asleep, and I was mostly asleep. Kobashikawa started to fall asleep, but Ōtori woke him up, and reminded him he needed to go get changed.

Maeda - Kobashikawa woke up Tsurugi so Tsurugi would know why someone was leaving, and so he would keep the door open. 

Maeda - Kobashikawa came back, he started to fall asleep, but as Tsurugi went back to bed, he woke Higa up.

Maeda - Tsurugi and Higa got into a fight, which culminated with Higa hitting Tsurugi, and Tsurugi hitting his head on the bed frame.

Maeda - Tsurugi laid down, Higa laid down, and to our knowledge, everyone was asleep.

Maeda - In the morning, Hatano, then Ōtori, then myself, woke up, and left Tsurugi’s dorm to go to the dining hall, which we reached at 7:28.

Maeda - We entered the dining hall, triggering the announcement, while I went back to Tsurugi’s dorm. 

Maeda - Everyone left the room when I came in, but Uehara, Tsurugi and I triggered the second announcement when we realized that the head count was one short, even accounting for Ōtori, Hatano, and Iranami.

Maeda - That… should be everything we know after investigating.

Maeda - Right?

Taira - Sounds fine… but I don’t know what Uehara’s looking for, of course.

Uehara - …Huh?

Uehara - Ah- sorry. No, I think that’s good.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - When you finished investigating, you didn’t know about the fight yet.

Tsurugi - You did know that you heard sounds last night, but didn’t know what they were from.

Tsurugi - Also, you found dried blood on a pillow on the empty bed frame. And, Higa had discoloration along the back of his neck, and the back of his arms.

Maki - Which are discoloration, from blood pooling- another sign that Higa had been dead for awhile.

Maeda - Right! Yeah- I forgot about that.

//Tsurugi idly looks around the room, while Maki shrugs dismissively. Takes a team.

Kobashikawa - So… where do we go from here?

Uehara - That’s up to you all. Where do you want the debate to go?

Ōtori - Hey- we’re here because you told us to throw out our arguments and start again. Step it up a bit, what are you thinking?

Uehara - …Honestly, I don’t really know…

Maeda - Seriously, Uehara?

Uehara - It’s- I know where this is supposed to end, just not… how to get there.

Hatano - …

Hatano - Do you know who the blackened is?

//…Uehara doesn’t reply. He doesn’t particularly seem to be ignoring the question, just… it’s as though he didn’t hear it.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Let’s… try deconstructing our arguments, actually. Rather than arguing for them, what if we all tried to argue against them?

Ōtori - Why would we do that?

Maeda - Well… we know that we started to get kinda… self-relying with our arguments, right? Maybe now that we’ve hashed things out, and have a better understanding, we should check things again.

Maki - …I get it.

Maki - Like, the arguments we had before were theoretical- scaffolding, so we could keep building up.

Maki - We did get some information out of the debate- we just didn’t get an answer. Some of us didn’t know any part of last night's timeline, and none of us knew about Tsurugi’s fight with Higa.

Maki - Maybe now if we try to make our arguments again, we’ll be able to get more information out of them.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Uehara?

Uehara - …Huh?

Uehara - Uh- I don’t know. Go for it. 

//Next to Uehara, Tsurugi covers his face with his hands, and curls inwards slightly. After a moment, he drops his hands, and places them on his podium.

Kobashikawa - …The main thing we tried to establish was alibis for everybody. Most people were either established to be asleep, or established to not be strong enough to strangle Higa.

Taira - I feel that both of those are rather firm points, are they not?

Kobashikawa - …Maybe you could argue the people we thought were asleep might not have been?

//Ōtori looks at Kobashikawa- but it doesn’t seem like Kobashikawa means the suggestion any way but genuinely.

Tomori - …Really?

Kobashikawa - I mean- I think it makes sense to say it wasn’t them, but…

Hatano - Any of them could have woken up in the night- had a nightmare, whatever. Killed Higa, then went back to sleep.

Kobasikawa - …Or maybe they were only pretending to be asleep when people saw them, and they were awake to hear the fight.

Maki - …

Maki - If we say that, then I’m back on the list, along with Ōtori and Taira.

Ōtori - Is that right? That’s who our list of suspects is?

Taira - Uehara?

Uehara - ?

Taira - The person you think is the suspect- it’s either myself, Ōtori, Maki, or Tomori?

Uehara - Oh- no, no…

Uehara - You haven’t gotten rid of everything yet.

Maeda - Oh, my alibi’s totally gonna get shot.

Maeda - …Which sucks- but why does Uehara want to get rid of his own alibi?

Taira - So, the strength alibi is next.

Kobashikawa - Which cleared Uehara, Maeda, and myself. But…

Ōtori - But?

Kobashikawa - …I don’t have an idea for this one like I did the other alibi.

//Ōtori seems to scoff slightly.

Uehara - …

Tomori - …

Tomori - What if… we say Higa died another way?

Kobashikawa - Oh- something that wouldn’t be limited by strength?

Ōtori - Like what? Poison?

Maki - …

Hatano - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - Why would you say that.

Maki, immediately - Genuinely are you fucking dumb?

Ōtori - I was joking!

Tomori - I-

Tomori - Poison! Or something.

Tomori - I don’t- let’s ignore the poison, please. Please. 

Tomori - Just. Something other than suffocation.

Kobashikawa - Strangulation. That’s what we agreed it was.

Tomori - …Sorry. I’m kinda confused- what’s the difference again? I know we covered it, just-

Maki - You’re okay, Tomori. It was a while ago.

Maki - Strangulation as in his throat getting constricted, not suffocation as in airways blocked.

Maki - That’s why we had some people do the squeeze test, was so we could gage if they were strong enough to strangle Higa.

Hatano - Wait- screw that.

Hatano - Why did we decide it was strangulation, again?

Taira - Due to the position of Higa’s body, if I remember correctly. Specifically, it was his hands, they looked like they were blocking something. 

Hatano - Right. That’s pretty hard to argue against, right?

Maki - …Sure, but that’s true of our other reasonings-

Hatano - But we can get rid of the alibi without changing the method of murder! Tsurugi could’ve just been wrong when he did his test!

Hatano - Maybe it was Uehara, and he lied. Tall people are usually fairly strong, y’know.

//Hatano isn’t looking at him, but Uehara still shrugs. 

Tsurugi - …

//Maeda watches as Tsurugi steps to the edge of his podium, closer to Uehara, and reaches out to grab Uehara’s arm, trying to gently urge him closer.

Ōtori - Actually, that isn’t bad. It means we keep our cause of death that’s consistent with the evidence we have- but it still does the job of taking down the alibis.

Taira - What explanation are we utilizing?

Kobashikawa - …

Tomori - I think- just that Tsurugi’s test isn’t something we can guarantee was right.

Taira - Tsurugi, thoughts?

//Tsurugi is maneuvering Uehara’s arm around his shoulder

Tsurugi - That’s okay, I don’t mind it.

Maeda - So- that’s it, then.

Maeda - Maki, Ōtori, Taira, Hatano, Tomori, and now Kobashikawa, Uehara, and me. Anyone could be the blackened.

Hatano - Sure- if we say we’ve really dismantled the alibis.

Maki - Well?

Uehara - …?

Uehara - That’s… it’s up to you guys. Where does the debate go from here?

Maki - You really don’t have a plan?

Uehara - …I think… this is the best plan.

Maeda - Make us deal with everything again.

Maeda - I- that sounded bad. I really think I get it, though.

Maeda - Maybe if we construct our arguments again, we’ll find a flaw.

Uehara - …

Uehara - That won’t work.

Maeda - What. Uehara.

Uehara - Sorry. Shit- sorry. Sorry.

Uehara - It’s… that’s not what the point of that was supposed to be. I know- you made that point earlier and I didn’t say anything, but-

Uehara - Uh-

Uehara - …That’s not what my point was.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - So silly…

Tsurugi - Maybe we should reverse engineer things… plug everyone in as the blackened, and see who the evidence supports best?

Taira - …Tsurugi. You don’t know who the blackened is.

Tsurugi - …?

Tsurugi - …I-

Tsurugi - Aaah… have you ever spent tons of time with pill bugs, and you can feel your head start to curl up like them? And nothing can get through?

Tsurugi-  I totally don’t know what you’re telling me, Taira…

Maeda - Is she questioning him? Or is she just stating a fact?

Taira - I just wanted to remind you of that.

Taira - Maybe you should take this a bit more seriously. You’re the one who’s failing us, in a way. 

Taira - I’m a maid, I’m not supposed to be able to solve murders. We all put our faith in you, and you’re coming up short. Why did you even get scouted?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I don’t care if you talk like that to me. It won’t help our situation, and you know that. There’s no point to that sort of statement.

Taira - I’d rather name what I’m seeing. Can you acknowledge what’s happening here?

Tsurugi - We aren’t making any progress, if that’s what you mean.

Taira - Does that scare you? Do you feel anything, at the prospect of us dying?

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …He wants to back down from the conversation.

Tsurugi - You aren’t asking that genuinely. You’re trying to shape things so it seems like I’m working against the class. 

Taira - I’m trying to skew things? All I’ve done is ask you questions. Why are you afraid of answering?

Tsurugi - I don’t want to talk about this because I don’t want to prove that I care about everyone’s survival.

Taira - Would you be sad if we died?

Tsurugi - Can somebody else step in?

Tomori - Oh-

Ōtori - Taira, this isn’t getting us anywhere. You can feel however, but unless you think this’ll help us work out who the blackened is, let’s move on.

Taira - …Hm.

Taira - I feel like understanding everyone’s motivations would help us. But, it’s true that my argument right now isn’t very strong. So, let’s go back.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Okay. 

Maeda - ???

Maki - …Reverse engineering?

Ōtori - Honestly, I think that’s stupid.

//Maki throws up her hands, frustrated.

Maki - Okay! Your bright idea, then?

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Is anyone… automatically suspicious to any of you?

Hatano - What- like, guess work?

Ōtori - No… just… gut instinct, I guess.

Tomori - R-Really?

Ōtori - I mean- there’s like, science behind it, right? Where you get a feeling about something?

Maeda - …

Maeda - In theory, saying that you noticed more than you realized you did.

Taira - Mhm. Something tips you off- usually, to a situation being unsafe.

Ōtori - Exactly… 

Ōtori - I hate to say it- like, seriously, I swear I’m not crazy… but I think I’ve totally had those moments where I had the feeling I needed to reevaluate, and I ended up being right.

Tsurugi - The sixth sense. Premonitions but only for getting the fuck out of Dodge. 

Tomori - …

Tomori - So… are we going to vote?

Kobashikawa - We- we aren’t right?

Ōtori - I mean, not for the blackened… but- maybe we can see if we all have the same… inclination. 

Ōtori - If we do, maybe it’s something worth pursuing.

Tomori - But… isn’t that sort of ignoring what we just did?

Maeda - Well…

Maeda - If it got us back into the same state of mind we were in before we started debating, didn’t it have the effect Uehara intended?

Ōtori - …What even was Uehara’s goal…

//Maeda looks at Uehara. He’s leaned over, with Tsurugi holding a tissue to his nose. 

Maeda - …

Maeda - Well. Who cares.

Maeda - Our best option here might just be to see what we all felt like before we started the trial.

Tomori - …

Tomori - But that doesn’t make sense!

Rebuttal Showdown: START!

Truth Bullets:

Kobashikawa’s Testimony Maeda’s Burns Taira’s Testimony

Tomori - We shouldn’t just guess who we think the blackened is! Intuition can be totally off!

Tomori - I mean- what did any of you think about the past murders? I didn’t know who it was! 

Tomori - This is way too high stake to just guess!

Tomori - We need to use actual logic, and try to work through things!

Tomori - Let’s debate! Let’s talk! But let’s not go off what we feel like it could be! 

BREAK!

Maeda - She’s right… I don’t know who I would’ve said if I’d been asked to guess the last two murders- especially not the first one, I don’t have a clue what I was thinking then.

Maeda - But we’ve already played the logic game, and we were able to make arguments for everyone!

Maeda - We aren’t going to vote- this is just another approach for debate!

Phase Two

Tomori - But what will this give us that normal debate can’t?

Tomori -We {can’t go baselessly accusing each other}! It’s bad for the group- didn’t you see what we just devolved into?

Tomori - This is way too serious to just be going off of a feeling, isn’t it?

Tomori - We can {review the evidence again}, and see if we find anything new this time.

Tomori - No matter what, we need to understand what our evidence is saying.

Tomori - There {has to be an answer indicated by the evidence we found}- we just don’t know what it is yet!

Tomori - But this isn’t using any evidence- and opinions aren’t a good way to solve a murder case.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - I really get what Tomori’s saying- guessing the blackened’s identity is stressful!

Maeda - But, she’s the one who made the point that we’re getting harsh… we should make an argument for something.

Maeda - I don’t know why she’s so against it, though. It has some stressful implications- but that’s not what we’re dealing with right now.

[another-dr-another]

Maeda, narrating - There’s some evidence…

Maeda - If I were Hatano, I wouldn’t acknowledge it- but I wouldn’t deny that it exists, either.

~*~

Maeda - No, that’s wrong!

Maeda - It isn’t just speculation that makes it look like Hatano could be the blackened.

Maeda - With the way the room was set up, Hatano was completely secluded…

Maeda - There’s no way of confirming when she was asleep, or what she was doing. She could have been awake before everyone.

Maeda - It’s more credible to suspect Hatano of being awake, because we know she was the first one up. It’s only a matter of how long she was awake for.

Tomori - …

Tomori - That isn’t a strong argument, though… so what if she was up early enough to kill Higa- Hatano wouldn’t have had a reason to.

Taira - Unless she thought Iranami had been hurt, and Higa had something to do with it.

Hatano - …Huh?

Hatano - Is… Is that really- are you thinking that might be real?

Kobashikawa - …

//Taira seems to be genuinely contemplating. The other students Maeda looks at, though… 

Maeda - They aren’t wondering if it’s her. They know they can’t prove that.

Maeda - They’re trying to tell if they’re at the point where they’ll just vote for her despite not being confident.

Hatano - …Really?

Maki - …I don’t think we’re there, just because… it might look like you-

Hatano - Maki, it’s bad if it LOOKS LIKE ME.

Hatano - Currently- two minutes ago, the blackened didn’t look like anyone? Now, you’re all saying it’s me?

Hatano - H-a- haha haah- ha- we’re all going to die. 

Hatano - It- I swear to you, it wasn’t me.

Hatano - I was asleep! I fell asleep fast, so I woke up a bit early- but I’m used to waking up only a bit before the morning announcement!

Hatano - I get ready quick, so I can afford to sleep in until twenty minutes before the announcement plays!

Hatano - That totally isn’t enough time to kill Higa!

Ōtori - Sure- but all we have to go off of is your account, Hatano.

Hatano - Anyone could be lying!

Hatano - I totally don’t have a motive!

Ōtori - Taira and Maeda have mentioned that it could’ve been for Iranami.

Hatano - But that doesn’t even make any sense!

Hatano - It’s stupid to say it was for Iranami, Iranami- Iranami was already dead!

Maeda - But we don’t know the timeline of things- and we don’t know that the blackened knew all of what happened.

Kobashikawa - This is dependent on so much… extraneous information, though. 

Taira - Hm…

Taira - Things must have happened that we don’t know about, though.

Taira - If we had all the information we needed, then Tsurugi would have been able to solve the case. 

Tsurugi - !

Taira - We’re going to need to start making assumptions… unless anyone has anything they haven’t shared.

Hatano - This is a stupid assumption though.

Tomori - I-It really is… I get that we all want to leave, but we should leave here by elevator… not by execution. 

Maki - …Can we control that, though?

Maki - I mean- if we could solve the case, I feel like we would have solved it by now.

//…Somehow, that sends a ripple through the class. “If we could, wouldn’t it be done?”

Maeda - …

//…Is this case unsolvable?

Maki, realizing - …Oh.

Tomori - We can solve the case.

Tomori - We- the case is solvable. 

Tomori - Someone knows what happened. 

Ōtori - And we’re dependent on the mercy of a murderer. Someone who’s willing to kill everyone for their own gain.

Tomori - We- we don’t know that-

Ōtori - WELL IT SURE LOOKS LIKE IT!

Tomori - Don’t yell!

Ōtori - What do you want us to do!

Ōtori - What are we supposed to do! What should we do right now! What can we do! Lay down and die? Is that what we’re supposed to do?

Tomori - We shouldn’t be fighting.

//…She’s audibly on the verge of tears. Maeda looks at her (previously more focused on Hatano, who seems to be collapsing inward), and confirms this. Her face is flushing, and she’s clearly trying to blink back what must be a sting in her eye.

Tomori - …

Hatano - …

Hatano - And you shouldn’t vote for me, either.

Maeda - Piggybacking off the fact we feel bad for Tomori, or genuinely defending herself.

Taira - I want to believe you, Hatano. It’s clear that you loved Iranami- I don’t want to think of you as someone who would choose to commit murder.

Taira -  But… do you have a defense? Anything we could use as a reason?

Hatano - …

Hatano - …

//Fuck, more tears.

Hatano, crying - I don’t.

//She brings her arms up, trying to hide her face.

Hatano - I don’t want to die. I want to get out of here… I want to escape, and feel a breeze again, and see the sun…

Hatano - But we’re all gonna die down here. We’re going to vote wrong, and we’re all gonna get tortured to death, and no one’s ever going to even find our body, and we’re going to rot, and there’s no reason to think we’ll escape even if we do find the blackened.

//Tomori slowly unfurls a bit- clasping her hands together, and fidgeting slightly, but seeming to be pulled out of her own emotional collapse by Hatano’s distress. To her credit, Hatano seems to have lost steam pretty rapidly.

Hatano - …We’re all going to die. And I really don’t want to die. But no, I don’t have a defense.

//She laughs, and wipes at her face, then plants her hands on her podium, shifting her weight forward.

Hatano - Fuck it. Take the gamble. Maybe that’s who we are, as a class. We tried, and we failed, and now we’re giving up. 

Hatano - Whatever we choose, let’s give it our all, right? Vote with whatever passion you can wring out.

Hatano - It doesn’t matter what the outcome is. Just make the choice you’ll be proud of.

Maeda - …

Maki - …

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - …I want to say she’s being genuine. I really do. 

Ōtori - …

Taira - …

Maeda - I don’t feel a need to argue against what she’s saying, to be fair. But, I also don’t know that this makes her innocent.

Uehara - …

Tsurugi - …

Tomori - …

Taira - …Well.

Taira - I don’t really know where this leaves us.

Maeda - …Does anyone want to raise any other suggestions?

Maki - …

Ōtori - …

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - I really don’t think it’s Hatano.

Kobashikawa - I don’t know. I don’t-

Kobashikawa - If it’s her, I don’t want the only reason we didn’t vote for her to be the fact I felt off about it.

Kobashikawa - But… if it isn’t her…

Ōtori - …Do you have any defenses, Kobashikawa? Anything you wanna raise?

Kobashikawa - …

Maki - If you do, you really should bring it up. 

Kobashikawa - ..It just doesn’t feel right. We have so little evidence-

Kobashikawa - And I get that we don’t have evidence for anyone… but Hatano feels so out of the blue. 

Maeda - We’ve ruled out most of the people we were initially suspecting, though.

Uehara - …Based on what?

Maeda - !

Maeda - Huh?

Uehara - …

Uehara - Sorry- this shit gives me a headache.

Uehara - Why did you rule people out?

Maeda - …Really?

Maki - I- Lemme recap.

Maki - Not me or Ōtori because someone saw us asleep-

Maeda - Or Taira.

Maki - …Or Taira.

Maki - Not Kobashikawa, Maeda, or yourself, because of strength limitations.

Maki - Not Tsurugi, because of… everything that happened earlier. 

Maki - Leaving Tomori, and Hatano. 

Uehara - Okay. No.

Uehara - Well- yes, sure. Thank you for, uh… explaining, Maki.

Uehara - Why does it matter that Maki, Ōtori, and Taira were seen asleep?

Maki - …?

Uehara - Not accusing you! Making a point.

Uehara - Maeda?

Maeda - …No reason to think they killed Higa if they were asleep at the point where he was still alive.

Uehara - Mhm, right…

Maeda - …But…

Maeda - …But we just started accusing Hatano…

Ōtori - No one saw her asleep, to be fair.

Uehara - But, if Hatano was still awake…

//He looks at Maeda, imploring.

Maeda - Then… she’d have seen Iranami leaving… she might’ve joined, or waited up to watch for her…

Maeda - Fuck. Does that go against every argument we had?

Maki - …

Maki - Not saying this because I think it was Hatano, but you did have a theory that trumps that.

Maki - There’s still the chance Hatano woke up early. It checks both boxes- she was awake, and she’d know Iranami was gone, just…

Maeda - Too late to keep Iranami from her fate.

Uehara - But, why would she go after Higa, then?

Maeda - They could’ve had a conversation we don’t know about.

Kobashikawa - That’s just as feasible as saying that anyone woke up in the middle of the night and killed Higa, though.

Maeda - …But we don’t know that anyone woke up- we know that Hatano was awake.

Maki - …Wait.

Maki - Fuck. Wait???

Maeda - Huh?

Maki - …Guys, are we actually stupid?

Maeda - Maki, spit it out! What is it?

//She laughs, sounding so exhausted.

Maki - Guys. Oh my god.

Maki - What time did you get up this morning.

Maeda - …Like, Hatano, Ōtori and I? Uhh-

Ōtori, focused - We showed up at the dining hall doors just before they opened, which would’ve been 7:30.

Ōtori - We were all awake by 7:25. 

Maki - Right, right. And- if you had to guess, how long would you say Hatano was up for?

Maeda - …At most, maybe an hour before?

Ōtori - She did seem tired, like she was just waking up… but sure, for the sake of debate, she could’ve been falling back asleep.

Ōtori - If we say she killed Higa, then yeah, an hour before sounds right. She wakes up, looks around eventually, things… progress- and then she calms down enough to be drifting back to bed when Maeda and I wake up.

Maki - Okay. Right.

Maki - So, then. Hatano was up at 6:30, at the earliest?

Maeda - Yeah.

Maeda - I really get the feeling she’s got something… but what could she know?

Maeda - Maki, tell us what you’ve worked out.

Maki - Nothing you all don’t already know! It’s the same shit we know confidently, because earlier, I got it wrong.

Maeda - …?

Maki - Higa was already dead by then.

Maki - The rigor mortis had set in. 

Maki - He could not have died recently enough for it to be Hatano waking up early and killing him. 

Maeda - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - Oh my god. Rigor mortis.

Hatano - …OH MY FUCKING GOD.

Maeda - He… Higa wasn’t even alive.

Hatano - SUCK IT. ALL OF YOU.

Maeda - …Holy shit. That’s definitive evidence. He wasn’t even alive. He was not alive.

//Maeda is reeling.

Maeda - If the murder went down the way I was theorizing, then Higa wouldn’t have been stiff. 

Maeda - He- he couldn’t have died that recently. It wouldn’t be nearly enough time for rigor mortis.

Maki - This is exactly what I got wrong- I applied my numbers wrong, which is why we were so confident that that’s what the lower limit was-

Maki - We didn’t even think it would be important!

Maeda - …Oh my god. I was totally wrong.

Tsurugi - …

Tomori - …To be fair, I don’t think anyone else remembered that, Maeda.

Uehara - It… should have been the whole reason why it mattered when people were asleep, though.

Uehara - That’s the only timing matter you know for sure about Higa’s death.

Uehara - Still alive after Kobashikawa left and came back, but dead hours before everyone woke up.

Maeda, aloud - Establishing that he died early last night.

Taira - …Oh.

Maeda - …Ohhh my god. Oh my goddd.

Hatano - Yeah. Oh my god. 

Hatano - I TOLD YOU it wasn’t me! I didn’t do shit!

//At his podium, Kobashikawa crouches over, quietly coughing. Maeda knows he keeps doing this- but a part of him is trying to find something other than Hatano to focus on. 

Maeda - …

Maeda - …I want to say I’m sorry, but I really don’t feel like it matters.

Hatano - No, no, you’re right, I don’t care.

Hatano - Fuck ALL of you. I didn’t kill him. Fuck you. 

Maeda - …We don’t have a suspect again.

Kobashikawa - But we know it wasn’t Hatano.

Maki - Which- that brings us back to Tomori.

Hatano - Tomori who accused the shit out of me! Burn her!

Ōtori - …Don’t use a witch-burning reference if you want to accuse someone-

Hatano - None of you can tell me shit! You all were gonna vote me as the blackened!

Hatano - Oh my god. Tomori, do you have a defense? Huh?

Tomori - …

Tomori - …Uehara?

Uehara - It isn’t Tomori.

Uehara - I-

//He cringes, and Maeda almost thinks he’s rolling his eyes.

Maeda - Keep going, Uehara… if you have something to say, say it.

Uehara - Your reasons for why it couldn’t be people.

Uehara - It’s- it’s good to try and narrow things down, but…

Uehara - It didn’t get you anywhere, right?

Maeda - …

Maeda - I thought we were able to narrow down our suspects list, but… is it Tomori? Does that feel right?

//Maeda thinks back on the experiences with her- one especially comes to mind. Sitting in Tsurugi’s room, with Tomori and Uehara, as Tomori started to cry about the oncoming trial…

Maeda - …I don’t think it’s her.

Maeda - …No. It didn’t. We don’t have anyone we can confidently say is the blackened.

Uehara - Mhm.

Uehara - I think… when you know, you’ll know. You’re getting too hung up in trying to use logic.

Uehara - People’s intuition can be pretty trustworthy. I think… sometimes, a part of us sees something that the rest of us doesn’t.

Uehara - What does your intuition say, Maeda?

Hatano - …Wait, seriously?

Taira - …

Taira - Uehara- are you truly asking for Maeda’s intuition?

Maeda - …She stressed both of those words independently. Just- in case you didn’t notice that. Damn.

Uehara - …Mm.

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi is looking at Uehara. Uehara’s eyes are wandering around the room- when he isn’t looking at Maeda.

Kobashikawa - Can’t we trust some of the reasoning we came up with? A lot of it should hold true…

Hatano - Yeah- what’s the point of arguing for my innocence if you’re just going to say the arguments don’t matter?

Uehara - …

Uehara - People were being way too harsh with you.

Uehara - It’s… not like anyone would’ve listened. With everyone fixated on Hatano, they won’t look away…

Uehara - Besides. I get why you’re doing the things you’re doing. I don’t think you’re weird, or… impossible to defend. 

Uehara - Not in the wrong. Trying your best.

Maeda - …The fact Uehara is saying that, after… well, everything that happened with him and Hatano (and Tsurugi) in the dining hall…

Maeda - With how nice he’s being to her, I really don’t get why he was getting after me so hard back then.

//Maeda’s snapped out of his reminiscing, as he catches flailing in the corner of his eye.

Maeda - !

//He only catches the tail end of things- sees Tsurugi step away, arms out, shielding himself, as Uehara tries repeatedly to whack at Tsurugi’s head.

Maeda - ?!

//By now, Tsurugi has enough distance for Uehara to give up, allowing Tsurugi to look up at Uehara reproachfully. Uehara looks back. 

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …

//He turns, and looks back at the class. Tsurugi lowers his arms, rocking slightly from side to side as he clasps his hands together in front of his chest. His gaze slowly slides from Uehara, to the floor in between their podiums.

Uehara - …Let’s go over what happened last night.

Uehara - Just- uh. The simple shit. No theories, no speculation.

Uehara - Everything is way too complicated…

Ōtori - That’s what everyone’s been saying, though. It doesn’t get us anywhere to point out that this is a complicated case.

Uehara - …Really? I… I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention.

Maki - …

Maki - No. This is different from what we’ve been saying.

//Maeda watches as Uehara wipes at his nose- only for a trail of pink to immediately reappear. He turns to Tsurugi, who hands him some tissue. 

Maki - It’s about looking at the case from the start, because everything we’ve come up with has just confused us.

Maki - We’re trying to establish a logic, but all we’re doing is making up these arbitrary rules that are too easy to warp to fit a point.

Maki - …Which is exactly what Tomori was trying to show earlier, when she made her argument for why Hatano could be the blackened- it isn’t Hatano, but with how we’ve been approaching this, it was easy to make it look like her.

Maki - Like…

Maki - I could say Ōtori is the blackened, because he poisoned the coffee, but maybe the poison serves as a sedative, and he gave some to Higa, knocked him out, and killed him.

Maki - Or it was Kobashikawa, and once he came back from his dorm room, he couldn’t sleep- got upset about how bigoted Higa is, and for all we know, secretly stomped on his throat to break his windpipe, then strangled him to finish him off.

Maki - Or maybe it was me, and I’m just smart enough to leave absolutely no trace. 

Maki - We started to introduce all of these concepts and rules, and it got totally… self-supporting, then self-consuming.

//Uehara’s nose seems to have stopped bleeding. 

Maki - Let’s- I think we need to try again. With everything.

Ōtori - …Seriously?

Maeda - …

Maeda - Fucking christ… yeah. Yeah. 

Maeda - No, she’s right. We’ve fucked up. We need to try again.

Uehara - …

Uehara - It isn’t that bad. 

Uehara - Things aren’t designed for us to screw up the trial. We can just try again. We’ve got the actual facts of the case, and we have each other, and we have ourselves.

Uehara - It’s eight against one. 

Tsurugi - …

Kobashikawa - …So we’re starting the trial again.

Uehara - Mhm.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Maeda, do you wanna recap?

Maeda - ? Why me?

Tsurugi - Ue asked you to recap why you ruled people out, but Maki did it instead.

Maeda - …

//He’s waiting for Tsurugi to expand upon the sentence. It’s reason enough, sure- but he feels like there should be more.

Tsurugi- …

Maeda - …Or not. Okay- not like I’ve got an issue with it.

Maeda - Okay. Just- as though the trial were just starting, right?

Tsurugi - Mhm!

Tsurugi - We all investigated different things, so some of us may not have the full picture yet!

Maeda - I did get to investigate more than some of the others, I think…

Recall, Repair, Refute: START!

Evidence:Taira’s Testimony

Maeda - Last night, Higa, Iranami, Ōtori, Kobashikawa, and Uehara went to the dining hall. Higa and Ōtori left first, then Kobashikawa and Uehara, leaving Iranami.

Maeda - Ōtori poisoned some coffee, and Iranami… —- away. Back in Tsurugi’s dorm, everyone laid down to sleep.

Maeda - Maki and Hatano were already asleep, and I was mostly asleep. Kobashikawa started to fall asleep, but Ōtori woke him up, and reminded him he needed to go get —-.

Maeda - Kobashikawa woke up Tsurugi so Tsurugi would know why someone was leaving, and so he would keep the —- open. 

Maeda - Kobashikawa came back, he started to fall asleep, but as Tsurugi went back to bed, he woke Higa up.

Maeda - Tsurugi and Higa got into a fight, which culminated with Higa hitting Tsurugi, and Tsurugi hitting his —- on the bed frame.

Maeda - Tsurugi laid down, Higa laid down, and to our knowledge, everyone was —-.

Maeda - In the morning, Hatano, then Ōtori, then myself, woke up, and left Tsurugi’s dorm to go to the dining hall, which we reached at 7:28.

Maeda - We entered the dining hall, triggering the —-, while I went back to Tsurugi’s dorm. 

Maeda - Everyone left the room when I came in, but Uehara, Tsurugi and I triggered the second announcement when we realized that the head count was one short, even accounting for Ōtori, Hatano, and —-.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - Fuck’s sake…

Maeda - So, it’s not Hatano- but that’s, like… the only one we’re saying confidently, I guess?

Maeda - I think… theoretically, it could be anyone… but there’s probably people who are more suspicious than others.

Maeda - I just need to get back into the headspace I had when this trial started…

Maeda - So much has changed since then.

[another-dr-another]

fuck, don't have much for this one. Uhhh maybe {Tomori was closer to Higa} and {Room Layout}?

Maeda, narrating - But that puts suspicion back onto Tomori...

Maeda - I mean, sure, it works as an argument!

Maeda - But I don't want to make a point like that. I have to pick something that makes sure it makes Hatano look suspicious.

Maeda - She's the one I want to accuse of being the blackened.

[another-dr-another]

hit {Taira would’ve been closest to Higa} with room layout, maybe??????? - annie

Maeda, narrating - God, wait…

Maeda - If that’s the case- Tomori totally tripped herself up.

Maeda - I mean. Because yeah, she was wrong, but that’s not all. This doesn’t make Tsurugi or Uehara looks suspicious- it makes her look bad.

Maeda - She falsely accused someone of something she should be getting accused of.

~*~

Maeda - No, that’s wrong!

Maeda - Tomori, Taira isn’t the suspect that was closest to Higa. You were.

Tomori - …

//She looks… maybe surprised, that Maeda pointed that out.

Tomori - Well, sure- but I was to the side of Higa! It might’ve been closer in that regard, but I wasn’t… near.

Tomori - Like, I was tucked away! For Taira, it was a clear line to get to him, but that isn’t the case for me… so, you can’t really say I was closer, you know?

Ōtori - …You were closer, but also, you weren’t?

Hatano - Yeah- also, wasn’t Tsurugi closest of all?

Maki - Tsurugi and Uehara…

Maeda - They’re not really on our list of suspects right now, though- this is between Tomori and Taira.

Taira - …I think this point needs to be described more clearly. Maeda, do you remember where everyone was sleeping?

Maeda - Ah… yeah, I think.

Maeda - Maki, Kobashikawa, and Hatano were the furthest from everyone. Maki was sleeping in the same row as Taira and I; I was between them, and Taira was over at the end.

Maeda - Ōtori slept next to Kobashikawa, who was the closest to the door out of Tsurugi’s room. Hatano was asleep, like… perpendicular to them, in a little section kinda cut off by Tsurugi’s bookshelves.

Maeda - Between Hatano’s row, and Ōtori-Kobashiakwa’s, was a third row with Tsurugi, Uehara, and Higa. They were…

Maeda - I was between Ōtori, and the mattress Tsurugi and Uehara were on- and again, further down the room than they were. 

Maeda - Higa was next to Tsurugi and Uehara, and he was in the same, like… column, as Taira.

Maeda - Lastly, similar to Hatano, Tomori was also a bit cut off from the rest of us. She was closest to the bathroom, asleep near the foot of Tsurugi’s bed. 

Maeda - So, while Taira was in the same line as Higa, it was Higa and Tomori that were sleeping near Tsurugi’s bed.

Maki - Can you really say one was closer than the other, though? Not like anyone grabbed a measuring tape.

Maeda - No… I agree, we can’t- but I’m not the one who brought up who was closest. Tomori did.

Maki - …

Taira - Besides, it isn’t really about who was closer than the other- it’s about who would’ve been able to kill Higa with more ease.

Kobashikawa - Well… wasn’t the bedframe in Tomori’s way, then?

Taira - It was- but that’s a benefit. Isn’t it, Maeda?

Maeda - Yeah. Taira was honestly screwed over by her position, if she wanted to kill Higa. She would’ve been really easy to see- the second she moved, I’d have been able to see her.

Maeda - While Taira was directly in my line of sight, I could only slightly see Tomori, if I was sitting up. While laying down, I couldn’t see her at all.

Maeda - And, since I didn’t sleep facing Higa, who was above my head, she’d have been able to move over to him without anyone seeing her.

Tomori - …

//She’s quiet. 

Maeda - …It looks wrong. This isn’t like other times where she doesn’t know what to say.

//…She’s panicking.

Kobashikawa - …Isn’t this too definitive?

Maeda - What do you mean?

Kobashikawa - The blackened has to have been someone who could’ve moved to Higa, unseen by Maeda.

Kobashikawa - If Taira couldn’t move without Maeda seeing her, and we’re ruling out everyone who we decided earlier couldn’t be the blackened… then, Tomori is our only suspect.

Maeda - …!

//Maeda feels his heart jolt.

Tomori - …

//Looking at Tomori, it seems like she’s experiencing the same. 

Hatano - …

Hatano - Really? Is that the answer?

Maki - W-Woah, isn’t this too sudden? Do we really think it was Tomori- just because they both slept near Tsurugi’s bed?

Tomori - …

//She’s staring at nothing.

Kobashikawa - We… we should go over our reasons for suspecting her…

Maeda - We don’t know if she was asleep… and no one would’ve noticed her moving, if she was still up.

Taira -Mhm. 

Taira - She was strong enough. She was close enough.

Taira - She fits every detail, and everyone else has been ruled out.

Maki - …Tomori? Do you- can you defend yourself, here?

Tomori - …

//She looks up- looks directly at Maeda. Hatano is the one across from Tomori… he gets why he wouldn’t look at her.

Tomori - It wasn’t me.

Tomori - You… 

//She closes her eyes for a moment, trying to compose herself. When Tomori opens them again, she isn’t looking at Maeda anymore.

Tomori - You shouldn’t accuse me of murder. I don’t have it in me to do that sort of thing. 

Maeda - …Pretty shitty defense.

Hatano - It makes a lot of the trial make sense.

Hatano - Like, think about it? Kinjo’s whole deal earlier about being unable to solve the trial, saying it was him, etc…. Maybe he knew from the start, and has just been trying to throw us all off.

Maeda - Ah- !

Maeda - I was going to say that I don’t think Tsurugi would let us vote wrong… but…

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Well, I still don’t think he would. That was one incident- I’ve seen how Tsurugi’s been acting since then, and I trust him.

Maeda - This is more about Tomori than anyone else. We should keep on that subject.

Hatano, sniping - …Yeah, sure Maeda.

Tomori - …

Tomori - I wouldn’t kill anyone. I don’t believe in it.

Ōtori - …Not even someone like Higa?

Ōtori - I mean, remembering that he was fighting with Tsurugi, and hit him…

Tomori - I wouldn’t kill somebody because they were being an asshole. Don’t accuse me of things out of my character.

Maeda - She isn’t looking at anyone.

Tomori - …I mean, seriously? I- I killed Higa, over Tsurugi?

//She laughs, so weakly.

Tomori - Come on… really? Is that… a way you all can see me? Get a grip…

//Maeda… Maeda is getting the feeling they shouldn’t do this. Not that anyone’s… really outright accused her, not yet, but…

Maeda - …

//Maybe this is how the others felt when he suggested it could’ve been Hatano. But, no… Maeda doesn’t think they got the alert feeling of wrongness that he has.

Maeda - Not that any of this trial has really felt “right”… this hasn’t been normal for us, not since Hatano, Ōtori and I found Iranami’s body.

Maeda - Well, wait…

Maeda - If Tomori was up around that time… don’t we get back to that same issue of whether or not she saw Iranami?

Hatano - Why would that matter here?

Maeda - Well… are you going to argue that Tomori wouldn’t have done anything if it looked like something was off? 

Maeda - If we believe that the blackened would’ve seen that Iranami was missing, then Tomori wouldn’t be the blackened- unless we argue that she wouldn’t have cared.

Hatano - We don’t have to argue that the blackened would’ve seen her, though…

Maeda - Yeah, but- that was your only defense for your innocence.

Hatano - …

Maeda - …

Hatano - I don’t really have a motive.

Tomori - Again. I wouldn’t have killed Higa over him hitting Tsurugi.

//She laughs again- pure stress reflex.

Tomori - If I would have, Higa would’ve died- what, day one? It’s stupid. I wouldn’t kill anyone.

Maki - …So neither of them have a motive.

Kobashikawa - I-Is it Taira, then?

Maeda - W- It’s not Taira! It doesn’t become her just because- just because we can’t prove that Hatano or Tomori had motives…

Maeda - I’m- confused. I don’t know where everyone else’s logic is right now…

Maeda - Hatano, Tomori, Taira…

Ōtori - …Sorry. I really don’t think it’s Hatano- I think we should stick with Taira, or Tomori.

Maeda, frustrated - But I saw Taira asleep.

Maki - W-Wait, what?! 

Maki - Maeda, the reason Taira has been our other suspect is because no one saw her asleep. 

Maki - You’ve testified, like, three times- the hell do you mean you saw her asleep?!

Maeda - …Yeah.

Maeda - …Did I not say that?

Maki - Maeda.

//The lie just comes so easily. 

Maeda - I- Shit, I’m sorry. 

Maeda - N-No… I’d have sworn that I saw Taira asleep when I was getting to bed last night…

Hatano - When did you fall asleep?

Maeda - Uh… Uehara was back from the dining hall, and he and Kobashikawa were the last two to leave, so…

Maki - …Oh my god.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I don’t feel bad about this. It wasn’t Taira. The worst consequence here is that people think I slipped up on my testimony, and that’s whatever.

Maki - …Shit.

Hatano - So… it was Tomori.

//Sorry, Tomori. Maybe tomorrow will be a nicer day.

Hatano - Earlier, we were able to work out that it was either Tomori or Taira. Now, we know Taira shouldn’t have been a suspect, she should’ve been off the list with, uh- with Maki and Ōtori!

Hatano - …So we’ve solved it.

Maeda - Okay. Uh…

Maeda - I still don’t feel like this is right, though.

Maeda - But, does that mean I suspect Hatano?

Maeda - I believe Tomori, though… I really don’t think she’d kill Higa.

Ōtori - Hate to say it, but… really? Even after… everything?

Maki - Like you have room to talk.

Ōtori - I’m a participant of the trial! If we vote wrong, I die too!

Maki - Concerned with group execution now that it’d get your ass?

//There’s a quiet thump. Maeda turns towards the sound.

Kobashikawa - …Nn…

//He’s crouched down- Maeda thinks the sound was Kobashikawa voluntarily hitting his head against his podium. After a moment, he sits down cross legged, apparently needing to take a break.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Point being, could we confidently say that anyone would kill Higa over anything, let alone just the fight with Tsurugi?

Hatano - Well. Uehara would’ve, for the latter, I’d bet.

Hatano - But, mount everything up together, that feels like a good enough motive for Tomori. 

Hatano - Hell, maybe they were in on it together.

Maeda - …What?

Hatano - Tsurugi set up sleeping arrangements right? Couldn’t he have planned things so Tomori could get away with the murder? 

Maki - And now he’s killing us all off, so Tomori can escape? Everyone, including himself?

Hatano - Very well could be! Who knows what’s going on!

Maeda - Could that be the case? It… would track with that one conversation I had with Tsurugi…

Maeda - But, I really don’t want to bring that up. And even if I did, should I seal Tomori’s fate like that, and support Hatano’s argument?

Maki - So… then, we’re back to one of our original theories.

Maki - Higa got into a fight, and then, somebody killed him for running his mouth?

Hatano - Yes! And the only thing Higa was involved in last night was the fight with Tsurugi! So it would’ve been someone close to Tsurugi!

Maeda - Man… last night, Hatano and Tsurugi didn’t have any issues…

Maeda - Anyways- it seems like they might zero in on Tomori anyway, without me saying anything.

Tomori - …It could’ve been a misunderstanding.

Maeda - ?

Maki - Tomori- come on, elaborate. What are you thinking?

Tomori - …

//She exhales shakily, bringing the palms of her hands up to press into her eyes. Maeda listens as she tries to compose herself.

Tomori, tightly - …Mmmm…

Tomori - …

//She lowers her hands, and turns her head.

Tomori - …Tsurugi, please- I can’t deal with this.

Maeda - !

Tsurugi - !

//Tsurugi’s eyes briefly dart around the room- not really looking for anything, just… looking at anything but Tomori.

Tomori, imploring - …

Tsurugi, hesitant - …

//Very faintly… Tsurugi shakes his head- not at Tomori’s request for help, though.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I didn’t decide the sleeping positions.

Tsurugi - Just… by the way. I asked Higa about sleeping next to me. That’s the only thing I had any sway over.

//Tomori doesn’t relax- but she uncoils, just slightly. 

Maeda - Oh… that’s right.

Maeda - Yeah… when I was deciding where to sleep, I just went for an empty space…

Maki - …

Hatano - That isn’t related to what Tomori was going to say though. 

//Maeda looks at Tomori- she seems removed from the conversation now, following Tsurugi reentering the debate.

Maeda - I wonder what she was thinking…

Tomori - Hatano could have killed Higa.

Maeda - !

//Tsurugi twitches- surprised.

Tomori - “Hatano couldn’t kill Higa, because she’d have seen Iranami was missing, and gotten upset.”

Tomori - It…

//She pauses. Hatano is staring at her, but Tomori doesn’t seem to notice. It’s something else that’s making her stop.

Tomori - She could’ve woken up when Higa and Tsurugi started to fight.

Tomori - She listens in, and whatever Higa says, it makes her worried that something’s happened. That someone’s hurt, or someone’s dead.

Tomori - Higa hits Tsurugi, Tsurugi falls asleep. Hatano stays awake, can’t work out what happened, can’t calm down about it.

Tomori - She goes over there, wants to ask one of them about it. When she’s going over, she tries to look for Iranami, but can’t find her.

Tomori - There’s a misunderstanding. She jumps to a conclusion. 

Tomori - …Between the two, Higa is the easy choice. She’s on him before he can react. 

Tomori - Distraught, she stumbles back to bed… and in the morning, the whole thing seems like a nightmare she’s already forgetting. Or, she tells herself that.

Tomori - Then, Hatano goes to the dining hall.

Tomori - She shuts down, and has to deal with the fact she killed somebody- what does that mean for her? What does it mean if Higa didn’t have anything to do with Iranami’s death?

Tomori - She sees Tsurugi investigating Iranami, and doesn’t know what to think. Could he be responsible instead? Did she kill the wrong person, and now it’ll come back to bite her?

Tomori - Then… cue everything we saw happening this trial. Hatano’s on edge, she’s hurt, she’s upset with Tsurugi.

//Maeda feels himself twitch.

Maeda - What the hell?

Tomori - …It’s as good of a theory as anything else we’ve got right now, right? If we’re going to start going blow for blow, shouldn’t we commit?

Tomori - It’s perfectly feasible. 

//…The trial room is dead silent.

Maeda - Is she serious? Is she serious? Tomori, what the fuck?

Hatano - …

//Hatano seems… pissed. Tsurugi’s staring wide-eyed, as Tomori seems to be processing what she says.

Tomori - …

Tomori - It sounds stupid. That’s because it is.

Tomori - Everything we’re doing right now is stupid.

Tomori - I just- I don’t even have a point right now. 

//She laughs weakly.

Tomori - Can we please just try to be- like, fucking nice while we accuse each other of murder?

Tomori - Everyone’s feelings are hurt. Only one of us is going to die. 

Tomori - Like- oh my god! What if we got rescued Right This Second. And it didn’t even matter who killed Higa. Where would that leave us as a group? What would we do?

Tomori - Can we get a fucking grip? Can we get a grip? Can we act like normal people? 

Maeda - …

Hatano - …I think we’re having a normal reaction to the situation, actually-

Tomori - I didn’t say we weren’t, Hatano.

Tomori - But can we try to choose to be halfway decent? Can we step back from gnawing people’s heads off and chill? 

Tomori - I believe in us! I think we could try! I have been choosing to be nice this entire time! And I’m going to try to go back to that!

Tomori - Now can half of you make that same effort?

Maeda - …

//His head goes empty. Truly, he doesn’t know what to think, let alone what to say.

Tsurugi - …

Tomori - …Hatano isn’t the blackened. Any argument I made that implied that, I’m rescinding it. I don’t want my words to lead to her getting accused.

Tomori - But it’s easy to make it look like it’s her. It’s easy to come up with a reason why it’s anybody. So whatever we do, instead of trying to make the evidence look like someone, we should see who it looks like-

Tomori - …Or, whatever. I don’t know.

Tomori - I don’t know how to solve the case. But I know that what we’re doing right now to try and solve it is sacrificing way more than we can afford to.

Taira - …

Maeda - …But it has to be someone.

Tomori - Again, though; what about everyone that it isn’t? 

Tomori - And-

Tomori - Who says the blackened deserves this treatment?

Ōtori - …What?

Tomori - I- Monokuma keeps screwing with our heads, right? That’s the whole point of the latest motive!

Tomori - So, if- if it is me, or it is Hatano- is it right to be getting so aggressive with how we try to give our arguments?

Tomori - Getting angry makes it harder to make good arguments, and it makes us less likely to listen to other ideas! Everyone’s getting invested in their theories, and everyone’s distrusting each other!

Tomori - And then, we will solve it- because, I swear to you, I know that we can work this out- and again, then what!

Tomori - Once we’ve subdued the blackened, once we’ve promised we get to live another few days, are they going to be happy they got cut off because they snapped?

Hatano - The blackened killed somebody!

Tomori - You started the trial off with your lack of concern for Higa!

Tomori - It- It is not our fault if the blackened dies today. But we’re making a choice, and it’s one with a clear answer, that we’re making under duress-

Tomori - And that matters to point out, because it’s the same as the blackened.

Tomori - It really is the nine of us working together! But instead, we’re devolving into everyone against everyone!

Maeda - …It’s the blackened that’s doing that, though.

Maeda - They could just confess, if we were working together. But there’s somebody who’s choosing themselves over everyone else.

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …

Tomori - …I don’t think we should be saying anything about the blackened’s thoughts right now. 

Tomori - It’s sort of like talking about someone who isn’t in the room, right?

Taira - Well, they’re welcome to reveal themselves, and express their own thoughts.

Maeda - …

Maeda - You know, I bet I’m really unsuspicious right now. Like- to be so firmly against the blackened-

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Is that really how I think, though?

Maeda - Why… Why am I so resistant to what Tomori’s saying? When did I get so fixated on finding out who the blackened is… I mean-

Maeda - Of course, I have to to survive… but I used to be so much calmer- I was optimistic about their reasonings, like Tomori. 

Maeda - Does Tomori have a reason for thinking so well of the blackened? It’s… actually a bit worrying.

Maeda - …Could she know? Does she have a reason to be keeping that person safe?

Kobashikawa - …

Maki - …

Hatano - …Well? What are we going to do now, then?

Hatano - Anyone have any bright ideas? Tsurugi? Tomori?

Tsurugi - …I don’t know what to do. 

Tomori - …

Tsurugi - Tomori’s right though, uh…

Tsurugi - The game is designed to put us in the mindset of… identifying one person who’s responsible for the threat, and punishing them because they deserve it for acting against the group.

Tsurugi - It gives us an enemy, which encourages us to revert to peace when we have the opportunity for it. 

Tsurugi - This is a worse variation of the bad situation that we are constantly in; we need to remember that we’re all in the same bad situation.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - People keep saying that, but it doesn’t change anything.

Kobashikawa - The only avenue for progress is to identify the blackened…

Tomori - But, to what goal?

Maeda - Survival?

Ōtori - …

Tomori - …

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Zuna, don’t… stress too much about things. You’re right, we’ll… we’ll identify the blackened.

Tomori - I know. I’m not worried… I believe we’ll get out of this.

Tomori - …I am a member of this class, though. I want to participate in the debate.

Maeda - …Something just happened that I do not have enough information to understand.

Maeda - Ohhh my god I wish I was friends with everyone. I wish I was so close with them and they’d just tell me everything.

Maeda - Which, thought I was doing alright with that… group. But maybe not! Whatever. 

Maeda - I need to find people to get closer with. Who can I get close with who will let me in so I can know things.

Maeda - …Fuck, bit late to be trying to work that stuff out. Like, this is the worst time…

Tomori - …

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …

Uehara - We should be debating who the blackened is.

Uehara - The issue isn’t the fact we’re fighting, it’s that we’re trying to fix the fight.

Uehara - People won’t calm down until we know who the blackened is. So let’s stop fighting about the fact we have to vote for someone, and just… 

Uehara - …Maybe we just vote.

Tsurugi - I- Uehara, the damage this is- the harm to the group that this is causing-

Uehara - So let’s end it, let’s-

//Maeda swears- it looks like Uehara stomps his foot a bit, as he tosses his head back in exasperation.

Uehara - Let’s be done with this. 

Uehara - Give up, wash our hands. We had a good run, did the best we could-

Uehara - Doesn’t feel like Tomori or Taira or Tsurugi, or anyone, so we can’t vote, because it doesn’t feel right.

Uehara - Let’s- fuck it, let’s just name people, then everyone will intuit it. Who has the most blackened-y vibe. 

Maeda - …Not Tomori or Taira or Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …Things like this make me feel gross.

Uehara - You said… earlier, you said you don’t know who the blackened is. You know what’s best though- do you want to give everyone something to go with?

Maeda - Not Ōtori. Not Kobashikawa.

Tsurugi - …I don’t know what we should do. I only know what we shouldn’t do, and we shouldn’t vote yet.

Uehara - Mm… 

Uehara - Well, you usually do a good job of leading the trial~

Tsurugi - …

//He mumbles in- it’s probably Korean, but Maeda isn’t paying any real attention to the conversation. 

Maeda - …Who feels right. Who did I catch a feeling from.

Hatano - …Let’s vote for Tsurugi. One in nine odds, or whatever. And his defense was weak.

Tsurugi - Let’s not vote for me, please…

Maki - I don’t think we should do that-

Kobashikawa - …Was anyone really entertaining the thought, to be fair?

Ōtori - There isn’t good reason to-

Hatano - If we all die because we tried to kill Tsurugi, I’d be able to die happy.

Taira - …?

Hatano - Like. I don’t have an issue with staking myself down for that. He’s strong, and he’s a dick. Boom, fits the qualifications to kill Higa.

Ōtori - …Your drama with Tsurugi is frankly getting a bit too extreme. 

Hatano - You tried to commit murder last night. Freak.

Maeda - …Is Hatano the blackened?

Hatano - Fucking what.

Maeda - …Sorry.

Maeda - Wait, actually though. Was it you, Hatano?

Hatano - No?

Maki - Maeda- Why are we back to suspecting Hatano?

Maeda - …

Maeda - Woke up first, could’ve seen Iranami gone and killed Higa… For all we know, they got into a fight this morning, before anyone was up.

Maeda - Keeps accusing people, said Higa’s death didn’t matter…

Maeda - There’s even the possibility that more stuff happened last night we don’t know about- maybe Iranami did come back, later in the night, then left for the dining hall again?

Ōtori - Wait- a theory like that totally goes against Occam’s Razor, though.

Maeda - Yeah, but we don’t need to play by literary rules. If that’s what the blackened was constrained to, they’d randomly kill someone, just… find them in the hallway, stab them, and leave.

Maeda - Besides, the point still stands, right?

Maeda - Hatano cared about Iranami, and didn’t like Higa. She’s been weird about Higa’s murder, and ever since we knew we had to solve it, she’s been accusatory.

Maeda - …So, could it have been Hatano?

Hatano - …

Hatano - Let’s all vote wrong on purpose. None of us should be alive anymore. 

Tomori - Hatano!

Maeda - This is exactly what the blackened could be thinking.

Tsurugi - Uhm.

Taira - ? Tsurugi, something to add?

Tsurugi - …No. 

Maeda - I kinda want Hatano to elaborate but I think it’ll give me a headache. Anyways.

//The class is oddly silent. Maki sighs, and Maeda thinks she might speak- but she doesnt.

Maeda - …No refutations… that isn’t what I expected.

//Kobashikawa moves… but just to fidget with his fingers. Uehara looks to the side, maybe searching for words… but they don’t seem to come. 

Taira - …

Maeda - …

Hatano - …I mean. It wasn’t me. I don’t know what to say.

Hatano - Anyone could have done anything!

Tomori - …But if it looks like you-

Hatano - YOU SAID YOU DON’T WANT PEOPLE THINKING IT WAS ME?

Tomori - I don’t like your logic.

Hatano - That is so petty. You wanna die because I’m saying things you don’t like?

Tsurugi - …

Taira - …Hi, Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - I didn’t even say anything.

Maeda - She didn’t say you did-

//Taira laughs. Maeda’s heart forgets to beat for a moment. Tsurugi twitches.

Tsurugi - …Literally what did I even do this time?

Taira - Nothing? Just wanted to say hi.

Tsurugi - That is so untrue. 

Tsurugi - Do you think I’m the blackened?

Taira - Do you think you’re the blackened, still?

Kobashikawa - …Interrupting. What the fuck are you two talking about?

Tsurugi, crying - I don’t know???

Uehara - …Sunshine, stop crying.

Tsurugi - I caaan’t…

Maeda - Oh my god. 

//Taira starts to eat a cracker as Tsurugi’s legs seem to buckle, encouraging him to give up, and sit down again. Uehara looks at him with some vague emotion. Maeda feels a headache start to come on.

Maeda - …Tsurugi, what’s wrong?

Tsurugi - Aaaaaaa…

Tsurugi - Someone died, in my room, Maeda. There is so much wrong with today. 

Maeda - …

Maeda - Can we, like…

Maeda - Debate? Or…

Maeda - Tsurugi’s the… second? Person? Who’s needed a break from the trial in the past ten minutes.

Tomori - …

Uehara - Probably should. 

Uehara - It isn’t Hatano. So we should clear that up.

Hatano - Does anyone actually think it’s me?

//Uehara braces himself on his podium as he leans over to see Tsurugi. 

Maeda - Well, Uehara won’t be elaborating on his thoughts, I guess.

Kobashikawa - …

Ōtori - …

Maki - …

Taira - Hatano, do you have an argument for why it isn’t you?

Hatano - …I don’t think I should have to defend myself… it’s stupid to say it could’ve been me.

Hatano - Maeda keeps making these weird arguments. Are we really getting anywhere with listening to them?

Maeda - Hey?

Kobashikawa - Nothing’s really getting us anywhere…

Kobashikawa - But! That doesn’t mean I think it’s Hatano…

Nonstop Debate: START!

Truth Bullets Higa’s Body Maeda’s Burns Room Layout

Maki - …Hate to say it, but if the shoe fits…

Hatano - But there isn’t any evidence to say it was me!

Hatano - {All you have is Maeda’s crazy accusations!}

Hatano - So what if I’m upset! I don’t think it’s because I’m the blackened, I’m pretty sure it’s because Iranami is dead!

Kobashikawa - And… of the proof we have, the more concrete evidence fits other people better.

Kobashikawa - {Tomori was closer to Higa}, and {Tsurugi was awake}...

Taira - Do you think it was either of them?

Kobashikawa - No… but I don’t think it was Hatano either.

Taira - Hm…

Maki - …It has to be someone, though.

Maki - If {stronger evidence pointing to Hatano exists}, would that be enough for us to vote?

Tomori - Would we want to vote so suddenly?

Maki - It isn’t voting suddenly if we’ve been debating for hours.

Hatano - But it wasn’t me! We’ve totally just flipped our target again!

Hatano - We keep changing focus, and getting way too close to voting! {We should hold off}! You’re being way too trigger happy here!

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …Again, it’s not that it really feels like Hatano…

Maeda - But God- it’s gotta be late afternoon by now. We woke up an easy seven, eight hours ago. 

Maeda - Maybe this is just where things end. 

Maeda - Obviously, everyone wants to live… but we aren’t making progress. If it feels like it could be the answer, maybe we stick with that. 

Maeda - And it could be her! She really has been acting strangely! Yes, she lost Iranami, but if her response to grief is anger, and we follow the theory she knew something happened last night, but not that Iranami was dead…

Maeda - Whatever. Debate for the sake of debate, at least.

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Please don’t let this be wrong.

Maeda - Please, let someone stop this if I’m wrong. Don’t let us vote wrong. Please. Amen.

[another-dr-another]

hm. this is a little nonsensical, but {Monokuma File #03-2} might work against {we can’t solve this case}? higa's arm placement could be a good lead! maybe we talk abt why they didn't fall down after he died idk -iris

Maeda, narrating - Does that work?

Maeda - I don't think anything about Higa's arms tell us more about who the blackened is.

Maeda - Taira isn't right- she's the one who said there has to be a blackened.

Maeda - Even if we can't see how they did it, we know that it happened.

Maeda - But, Taira also made the point that I need to have something to argue in favor of, even if I don't have an argument.

Maeda - All I know right now is who I don't suspect. I don't think I have enough to actually argue that I can solve the case.

[another-dr-another]

Maybe {that would’ve interfered with the events we know happened} with {Taira's testimony}?

Maeda, narrating - …It’s sort of funny- in a way I’m using Taira’s words against her.

Maeda - But, I think that’s right. I can make an argument out of that! I just don’t have evidence; I’ve gotta use some reasoning.

~*~

Maeda - No, that’s wrong!

Maeda - Taira, could you elaborate on what you’re talking about?

Taira - …Why are you saying it’s wrong if you want an elaboration?

Maeda - …

Maeda, flustered - You know what I meant. 

Taira - …

Taira - Does someone else mind justifying?

Maeda - Everyone knows what she’s talking about, but no one wants to say it…

//His eyes flick around the room- briefly, he makes eye contact with Hatano, but wasn’t expecting to, so he looks away without much regard before he realizes she was looking back at him.

Maeda - !

//Maeda makes eye contact with her again- she smiles, bitterly.

Hatano - …

Hatano - This whole trial has gotten to be so fucking stupid. I can’t even… understand how the same people that survived the past trials are acting like this now.

Hatano - She’s talking about when Iranami died, Maeda.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Really not what I wanted to happen.

Maeda - …Again, I want to prove it wasn’t Hatano, so we can get more information on the blackened.

Kobashikawa - …

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - The argument we’re making is that Hatano couldn’t have been up last night, because she would’ve noticed that Iranami was missing, and gone into action.

Tsurugi - Hatano can’t have been awake, because it’s inconsistent with what we know happened last night; Iranami left for the dining hall after Hatano fell asleep.

Tsurugi - Do you think you have a different explanation, Maeda?

Maeda - …

Maeda - Could Hatano have just… not noticed?

Tomori - …

Uehara - …Dude.

Maki - Well- Maeda, sure, in theory, but-

Uehara - There shouldn’t be a theory about this! The only reason Hatano didn’t clock Iranami is because she was asleep! If she was awake, it wouldn’t have been an issue?

Maki - …

Maki - If, Hatano were going to kill Higa, she could’ve been preoccupied with that. 

Maeda - Yeah, and it was dark!

Maeda - Tsurugi and Kobashikawa were both awake and moving through the room, just like the blackened, and they didn’t notice Iranami was gone.

Maki - Wait- I’m not on your side here, Maeda. 

Maeda - Why not? Lemme explain!

Maeda - We know by now that by the time of the fight, the last time we know Higa was alive, Iranami was in the dining hall.

Maeda - Both Kobashikawa and Tsurugi were up, and didn’t realize she was gone. I know last night, I just- didn’t really think to look at where everyone was sleeping, just because it didn’t come to mind.

Maeda - No one would have had especial reason to look for her-

Hatano - Tsurugi should have.

Maeda - Ouh. Fuck.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - That’s right.

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi doesn’t seem sure of what to do with himself- but he’s definitely more composed than he’s been this trial. The same is somewhat true of Hatano… her pain seems… quieter, maybe, than Maeda would expect.

Maeda - …Should I just take the hit and step in to redirect?

Tsurugi - Actually- can we- sorry, could we pause the case discussion for a moment? Just… while we’re here, on the subject.

Maeda - Ohhh, Fuck.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Hatano, I’m so sorry.

Tsurugi - I don’t… think I really formally apologized for last night- 

Tsurugi - I mean, I’m sure I said something at some point, but… definitely not the way I would’ve wanted to.

Tsurugi - Everything you said in the dining hall was correct. I said things would be fine, and everyone trusted me. Two people are dead, and out of all the cases, this is the one I should’ve been able to prevent.

Tsurugi - But…

Tsurugi - Past all of the accountability aspect of this… I’m also just really sorry.

Tsurugi - Like, for everything that’s happened, and everything you’re going to have to deal with in this situation.

Tsurugi - I could have done so much to prevent you from suffering what you’ve had to.

Tsurugi - I should have looked for Iranami, that was my job. I should have kept her safe, and I should have been looking out for you, but I completely fell short.

Tsurugi - I don’t… want to end this with some false promise about a grand change I’ll make, or some way I can prevent this. It doesn’t really matter at this point, right?

Tsurugi - What’s happened has happened, and it’s not… about preventing it from happening again, because who cares about prevention now?

Tsurugi - I just…

Tsurugi - I’m saying this because I feel terrible, and you were upset earlier about how I seemed composed, and I want-

Hatano - Kinjo, shut up.

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …

Tomori - …

Tomori - …Hatano, please don’-

Hatano - It’s accurate, yeah? He mentioned what his “job” is- it’s not like we don’t know.

Hatano - Tsurugi’s always trying to get us to avoid his past, but like… why? Why don’t you want that to follow you, Kinjo?

Hatano - We’re allowed to know what sort of person you are. You can’t try and hide from us, then get us to trust you.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …Okay.

Hatano - No. I don’t care.

Hatano - I said to shut up. Because I don’t care what you have to say. I don’t care if you agree, I don’t want to hear that you agree, I don’t want to hear anything. 

Hatano - I don’t want you to talk to me, or about me, or about anything I’ve said. You’d know that if you listened to me.

Hatano - No one wants to go to the fucking pity party you’re throwing to cry about how guilty you feel because you fucked up, and someone called you on it. It doesn’t matter, because it’s so… selfish!

Hatano - You- you said I was right about everything I said in the dining hall. Back then, I said that you wanted this to happen. That you’ve been letting everyone die.

Hatano - I get that you wouldn’t confess to that, not if you didn’t think I’d call you on it. But, is that why you said everything that I said then was right? So I’d know what you were admitting, and no one else would?

Hatano - You’re- you’re just gross. And I don’t want to hear you talk about her, because she never mattered to you. You don’t get to- to use her to make yourself look better. 

Hatano - I don’t want your shitty apology, that you’ve probably given one thousand times, because you’re a fucking cop, and none of this means anything to you.

Maeda - …

//Maeda’s head feels… so full, right now.

Hatano - …

Hatano - And I get. That I seem like… a massive bitch right now.

Hatano - But- I can’t even say to fix your act, or anything. Iranami had a family. Higa sucked, but he had people to! Kurokawa had her brother and Yamaguchi had his sister and Mekaru had all those people at the orphanage-

Hatano - And you’ve thrown out their fucking lives, and just- because it’s fun to you? Because you like playing hero, or playing God-

Maeda - Ah…

Hatano - Or maybe it’s just about having a case to solve!

Hatano - Or maybe, you did kill Higa, and you’ve just been trying to get us to trust you, and that whole thing earlier was just some stupid ploy to get everyone to feel bad for you-

Hatano - Because that’s your only alibi!

Tsurugi - !

Hatano - Right? RIght-

Hatano - I mean, fuck! Everyone’s saying it could’ve been me, because Maeda thinks I’m too stupid to have looked for Iranami, but what about you?

Maeda - Maybe I should just… walk backwards to my execution grounds. Maybe Monokuma will start up the mechanics if I ask nice enough.

Hatano - You let Iranami die. And you let Higa die. You ignored the signs she needed help, even though that’s your job, and you invited us all for a sleepover, even though no one fucking wanted to.

Hatano - But, we’re supposed to believe you’re innocent, to the point of you not being a suspect, because you’re so sowwy?

Hatano - You should have looked out for Iranami, because you should’ve checked on everyone when you were up.

Hatano - Honestly, having worked through things like this? I’m back to thinking it was you last night. I bet you were too distracted with using the chance to kill Higa to make sure everyone was okay.

Hatano - Or, maybe you didn’t do anything to kill anyone. But, you’ve been so fucking weird, you obviously did something.

Hatano - Whatever you did, you screwed up. And, Kurokawa and Mekaru may not have had someone to defend them, but Iranami has me, and I won’t let you use her for whatever the hell you’re doing.

Hatano - Kill Higa, manipulate everyone, insist on playing hero, tantrum when you’re called out, do whatever. 

Hatano - But for God’s sake, just shut up. Even the people who still like you don’t wanna listen to you right now.

Hatano - Everyone would be happier if they never heard another word from you. Nobody likes having you around.

//There’s a finality in her words that allows Maeda to start thinking again.

Maeda - Holy shit.

Tsurugi - …

//Hatano is clearly still upset- but she’s resolute. Looking to the other end of the conversation, Maeda can’t parse anything out about Tsurugi.

Tomori - …

Uehara - …

//Tsurugi… seems to just be looking at the floor. But, he isn’t staring. He’s just casually avoiding anyone’s gaze.

Maeda - …He seems completely unbothered.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - Is he going to react? At all?

Tsurugi - …

Hatano - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - She… told him to shut up. I guess that it worked.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Jesus Fuck. Things got so bad so fast…. 

Hatano - …That’s resolved, then. I guess.

Kobashikawa - …

//He’s clearly concerned with what’s going on- but he isn’t trying to prompt Hatano into a response. Unfortunately for him, she’s happy to take the rhetorical invitation.

Hatano - I mean, all that matters to me is that that’s over. We can talk about whatever else now. That was my only issue.

Maeda - Yesterday feels like it was forever ago- so much has happened, it’s hard to… rectify things. I guess.

Maki - …

Maeda - Ah, back to the trial- Hatano didn’t seem pleased about my theory, either, but if she says she’s done with things, I”m happy to move on.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Where were we, then?

Hatano - Everyone was debating if it could’ve been me.

Maeda - Fuckkkk.

Maeda - I think we’re fine to discuss a different idea, thoug-

Hatano - No.

Hatano - You aren’t walking away from the argument you were making, Maeda. 

Hatano - Fuck, I forgot- what were you even claiming might’ve happened last night?

Maeda - My stupid baka life. Oh my god.

Hatano - You kept saying you’d prove it wasn’t me. If you meant that, you should be able to do it now. 

Maeda - I… there just isn’t really… merit-

Hatano - There should be. Nothing I said would’ve changed your theory, right? 

Maeda - …God damnit. 

//Maeda’s actions are now having consequences for him.

Maeda - I was saying you could have killed Higa, just because no one could confirm you were asleep. That’s it!

Hatano - …Huh.

Maeda - Yeahhh.

Maeda - The argument Taira was making was that you would’ve noticed… Iranami being gone, but, uh- other people who were up didn’t notice, so that doesn’t really hold up!

Hatano - …

Hatano - Yeah, no. The timeline doesn’t make any sense.

Hatano - Like, what reason would I have to kill Higa?

Maeda - I mean- same motive as everyone else, to be fair.

Maeda - …

Maeda - As a matter of fact…

Maeda - You were the one who argued we shouldn’t try to solve Higa’s murder, because no one cared about him.

Hatano - Oh.

Hatano - I mean, yeah. 

Hatano - I was like… right, about that, though.

Maeda - …Yeah. Yeah- you were totally right. No one’s come to his defense or anything.

Maeda - But, you know. It doesn’t really clear you from the disliking him motive.

//Hatano shrugs. She doesn’t really seem concerned.

Tomori - …

Tomori - Actually, sort of on that note;

Tomori - Isn’t it worth considering how feasible it was for people to have pulled off murdering Higa?

Maeda - Like earlier? When we checked strength?

Tomori - No- sorry, this isn’t too related, I guess.

//Tomori pauses for a moment, clearly worrying over what to say.

Maeda - …I wonder how she’s feeling after Hatano got after Tsurugi, actually…

//The thought causes Maeda to go look at Uehara.

Uehara - …

//Little to report. He doesn’t seem like he’s really paying attention. 

Tomori - I mean, like-

Tomori - Hatano was all the way across the room. If she were the blackened, she’d have to cross over everyone.

Tomori - I’m not saying that’s impossible…

Tomori - But, it doesn’t really make sense. I mean, especially with the main defense Hatano has…

Maeda - If she crossed the room, she’d have seen everyone- and might’ve-

Hatano - Yeah.

Hatano - That’s exactly my point. If I were awake, I would have seen Iranami. So, I can’t have been the blackened.

Tomori - Exactly.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - What’s your reason for bringing up the proximity, Tomori?

Tomori - Oh-

Tomori - Just, on my mind? I guess…

Tomori - I don’t know…

Tomori - …

Tomori - I don’t think it’s Hatano. And… I get looking at this from every angle, but… I think that should maybe look like throwing out some theories, just random ones-

Tomori, faintly - …Basing what we discuss off a specific person isn’t… such a good idea.

Maeda - …

//She doesn’t sound soft, sweet, and reassuring. Tomori sounds stressed. The trial is getting to her.

Maeda - She’s still tied for number one suspect.

Maki - Do you really want to look at who was near Higa, then?

Tomori - …Yeah.

//God- she looks queasy.

Maeda - What’s with her? Tomori…

Maeda - Whatever. If we want to discuss this, then that’s what we’ll do.

Ōtori - …

~*~

Nonstop Debate: START!

Truth Bullets Bloodied Pillow Monokuma File #03-2 Room Layout

Ōtori - So… {we’re looking for somebody close to Higa}- physically?

Taira - Mhm…

Ōtori - But- {not Tsurugi, who was asleep right next to him.}

Kobashikawa - No- I don’t think we should put Tsurugi on our radar.

Tomori - If we limit it down to potential subjects, then {Taira would’ve been closest to Higa}.

Tomori - She could’ve gone over and killed him, no issue.

Taira - That’s true.

Hatano - You won’t defend yourself?!

Taira - {It wasn’t me.}

Taira - That’s it. Best defense I can offer.

Hatano - Ah…

Taira - I don’t think any of this matters, though. In fact, if you ask me, {we can’t solve this case}- it’s impossible.

Taira - But, that’s no help. So, let’s get out our measuring tapes, I guess. Whatever will help you all sleep with this. 

Tsurugi - …

~*~

Maeda, narrating - I don’t think anyone’s all too confident with this…

Maeda - To be honest, it feels like we’re all pretty uncertain. No one feels comfortable right now- not that the trial is ever comfortable.

Maeda - There’s just… an especially harsh energy, I guess.

Maeda - This doesn’t resonate right.

Maeda - But, whatever. Discussion is discussion. If we can narrow down any information, it’ll give us something new to work with.

Maeda - …Or, whatever we’ve been telling ourselves.

Maeda - You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take! And- ninety nine percent of the ones you take blindfolded!

Maeda - I hate basketball. I like soccer more- now that Higa’s gone, I can say that. I can’t imagine playing against Higa.

[another-dr-another]

tairas "testimony" at {thats exactly what we've already done}, maybe? it counts out taira and makes tomori suspect - annie

Maeda, narrating - Yeah… I don’t know what evidence to use, but I really don’t want to go down this path. It’s so far from what I was thinking when we started the trial…

Maeda - I really don’t have a clue what I’m doing- is that obvious?

Maeda - Maybe I’ve been too dependent on Tsurugi… now that he’s not able to work with us and solve the trial, I don’t know what to do-

Maeda - Well, he’s still working with us. He’s just…

Maeda - Not… really succeeding. Or helping.

Maeda - Hm. Sorry, Tsurugi.

~*~

Maeda - No, that’s wrong!

Maki - …

Maki, genuinely - What?

Maeda - …

Maeda - We didn’t review everything. Not thoroughly enough.

Maki - …

Maeda - …

Maki, slowly - …What do you mean?

Maeda - …Shit. What do I mean?

Maeda - We should look at it again. Make sure we aren’t missing anything. 

Hatano - Oh, there’s no way.

Hatano - We’ve reviewed everything thirty times already! What could possibly be off?

Maeda - It’s not a matter of things being off! It’s- it’s us not looking in the right spots, or from the right angle.

Maeda - I need to sell that there’s really something there… that’s the whole point. I need to trust myself.

Maeda - I know that something’s off in the alibis for last night. Since I can’t find it, I need to get the others to.

Maeda - There’s an alibi that doesn’t feel right to me. 

Ōtori - Not planning on saying who’s?

Maeda - No. If… I’m not right, I don’t want to antagonize anyone…

Hatano - This isn’t making any sense!

Uehara - No…? This- this is right. There’s a clear cut answer, it’s weird we aren’t getting there. 

Maeda - …Please expand on that.

Kobashikawa - What do you mean, Uehara?

Uehara - …

Uehara - Sorry. 

Uehara - I think we’ve written people off for the wrong reasons. Taira and Tomori shouldn’t be our only suspects…

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Kinda like I was saying earli-

Maeda - NO!

Maeda - We are not going back there. Jesus, Tsurugi.

Maeda - Let’s not start with that, okay?

Tsurugi - …Okie. 

Maeda - Good.

Maki - …

Maki - But why?

Maeda - Fucking Maki, man. I wish i was on her side instead of dealing with these stupid fucking convictions.

Maeda - My life would be soooo much easier. 

Maeda - Who do you think it is, Maki?

Maki - …

Tsurugi - I don’t think that question is very… good for the group's morale.

Maeda - But, everyone has something they believe, right? Then, it shouldn’t matter if you just… go with this.

Maeda - I’m so tired. I have to direct the trial, though… it’s so hard. 

Maeda - I don’t know why this one is so off course. It shouldn’t be too different… is the double death’s what’s thrown it off?

Maeda - Well. Not like I really get how class trials work, I guess.

Maki - …Sure. “Why the hell not” seems to be the reasoning we’re going with anyways.

Tomori - So… we’re reevaluating alibis?

Ōtori - Wait.

Ōtori - We’re looking at the alibis for the time of death, right?

Maki - As opposed to?

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - For the bruises.

Tomori - Oh. I was thinking the time of death?

Kobashikawa - …Do we need to revisit peoples' injuries? Is there any that we’re worried about?

Maeda - I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to ask about that… mostly because I really don't think I can hold up against any more questioning.

Tsurugi - Let’s go over the alibis from the murder again.

Maeda - God- fuck. Of course Tsurugi would say that…

Maeda - But, I’ll take it for now. 

Taira - …

Taira - Hm.

Taira - Maeda. Is there anything that automatically feels wrong to you?

Maeda - Oh… hm.

//Maeda tries to pause and think.

Maeda - Maki, and Ōtori both have corroborated alibis. And, since Taira, known liar, isn’t associated with either one, I think I can trust it- multiple people giving weird lies is too unrealistic to be a counter.

Maeda - I trust Tsurugi’s judgement on mine, Kobashikawa’s, and Uehara’s strength- besides, it kinda just makes sense. You need a certain level of strength to pull off a strangulation.

Maeda - Leaving Taira, and Tomori…

Maeda - …And Hatano.

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Huh.

Maeda - I mean… Maki and Ōtori have both been vouched for by someone. If we’re having a hard enough time making one person definitively blackened, then I don’t think we can start to say there was two people working together-

Maeda - So, Maki and Ōtori are probably genuinely cleared here.

Hatano - But… just because they were asleep at one point, does that mean they couldn’t have killed at any point?

Tomori - We have to come up with a way to explain how they’d wake up at just the right time… if we accept that couldn’t have happened, we have to accept taking Maki and Ōtori off of the suspect list.

Maeda - So… adding on myself, Uehara, and Kobashikawa…

Maeda - And, can we still go with Tsurugi’s judgement on people’s strength?

Tsurugi - ?

Maeda - …?

Tsurugi - …Maeda, you’re the only one arguing against it. Who are you asking? 

Maeda - A-Ah…

Kobashikawa - …Maybe we should consider some alternate explanations for people’s involvement.

Kobashikawa - Strength is something that can be a bit arbitrary, right?

Maki - We’re really just saying that some people wouldn’t have beta Higa in a fight. I don’t think that’s so crazy to argue.

Ōtori - Yeah… why are you trying to get yourself back on the list? Or- do you think it was Maeda, or Uehara?

Kobashikawa - A-Ah. I don’t… really know who I suspect. I just think we could try coming up with a second reason… some extra proof.

Ōtori - But, this isn’t really the best route to be going down… the only argument we had other than people being seen asleep is the whole thing we did about moral capacity to hurt Higa.

Maeda - That… fuck. 

Maeda - Ōtori’s wrong. There is another reason we’ve been using to clear somebody.

Maeda - …

//Maeda really doesn’t want to make that argument. He’d really prefer to leave that alone.

Uehara - …

Taira - Everyone who was cleared for strength would have reason to attack Higa.

Maeda - …I had reason to attack Higa?

Taira - Wouldn’t have been the first time.

Maeda - Fuck. Walked into that one.

Kobashikawa - …It’s true, we’d all have had reason… I guess. I don’t know, though. I just feel like we could stand to evaluate again.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I don’t agree. There’s… I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel right. Not that I know how to explain that, of course- it’s kinda just a feeling.

Maeda - Which, duh, obviously I don’t like following the thing that makes me look like a suspect. But really, I think we’re supposed to be following something else.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Upseettingly, I can only come up with one thing we haven’t fully explored. And it kinda sucks!

Tomori - …

Tomori - I don’t know. I get this is sort of… going against my best interest- but I think I disagree.

Tomori - The only person that’s really under suspicion then is Maeda, right? Because Maeda was awake last night, sort of, and no one was really around him…

Maeda - Fuck. 

Maeda - I- I think I actually need to bring up my argument. 

//The room is silent, as the class weighs their options. Maeda’s trying to think… but, when he does look up, he finds himself automatically looking at Hatano. 

Maeda - …I-I’m not about to… I couldn’t suggest that, right? That’d be crazy.

Maeda - It- It could track. Sure, whatever, it could make sense. But… to actually suggest it? To go yeah, fuck it, this is my theory?

Maeda - God- everyone would be so mad at me. 

Maeda - …

Maeda - Though… on that note, if we’re looking at personal relations…

Maeda - …

//A part of him starts to begrudgingly cave.

Maeda - Not like there’s too much we haven’t already dealt with… things are sort of… already…

Maeda -  And I guess, if I just put it out there, so we cover all the bases, it isn’t too bad…

Maeda - In a way, it’s kinda cool and chill of me, to just casually mention it, so we can immediately dismiss the theory…

Maeda - …

Maeda - Fuck. Yeah, no… it totally tracks.

Maeda - If we look at the layout of the room, there’s someone who’s obscured from anyone else’s natural line of sight.

Maeda - Which doesn’t mean anything! It just means we should bring it up, and decide it’s irrelevant, and… by then, we’ll have found something new to deal with.

Maeda - …

//Again, he looks around the room- no one’s… offering him anything. It seems the room is waiting for someone to speak, and given it’s Maeda who’s under suspicion, most expect it to be him. He doesn’t have a defense, so…

Maeda - Yeah. We have to push on everything. If it’s everyone's lives, then… nothing should be off limits.

Maeda - Hey- sorry, I got distracted. Uhm… a quick question?

Maeda - Why is Hatano off our list again?

Tsurugi - …

Tomori - …

Hatano - …What.

Maeda - Fuck. Reign it in, reign it in-

Maeda - Genuinely- just- trying to make sure I understand.

Maeda - …Let’s try it-

Maeda - The only reason I remember being mentioned is that she was asleep… but, did anyone see Hatano asleep?

Maki - …

Ōtori - …

Kobashikawa - I… feel like we don’t really have to have seen her asleep…

Hatano - Yeah, I feel like it’s pretty fucking clear by now that I wasn’t awake last night.

Maeda - Well- yeah, everyone has to have been asleep sooner or later, but… we know somebody was up and killed Higa.

Maeda - I get that I’ve established being awake, but… my name’s been cleared by Tsurugi’s account earlier, and I think I’ve been consistent enough with my testimony that it couldn’t have been me. 

Maeda - So, pushing aside the argument that it could’ve been me- can somebody clear up for me why Hatano isn’t a suspect?

//The room is silent.

Maeda - …Yeah. I’ll say Hatano could be the blackened. Why? Because- I can. And- someone needs to do something, and it has to be something other than suspecting me. 

Maeda - Maybe we’ll get a good argument out of this that we can use to work out who the blackened is. 

Maeda - It’s about exploring all the angles, right? I don’t think we’ll prove it was her, I just… think there’s more to be discussed here than in another debate about the established alibis.

Hatano - …

Hatano - Are you fucking kidding me?

Taira - Maeda… definitely a choice to bring this up.

Uehara - …A-Are we- sorry, is this seriously where we’re at? Am I- huh?

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi bites the inside of his cheek, and looks away. His evident contemplation is insanely reassuring to Maeda.

Maeda - Maybe I can defend this.

Maeda - It’s not because I think it’s her!

Maeda - I just want to make sure we’ve considered everything- like Kobashikawa was saying!

Kobashikawa, startled - !?!!???

Maeda - It’s not that she shouldn’t be considered cleared-

Maeda - Though… I’m really not sure if our logic holds up as well as our emotions… but I don’t think I could defend Hatano being the blackened. It’s not like I believe it- I just don’t think the evidence makes her spotless.

Maeda - -But, I think proving that she’s innocent can help us understand things better!

~*~

Nonstop Debate: START!

Truth Bullets Bloodied Pillow Higa’s Body Taira’s Testimony

Maki - Maeda, this is crazy!

Maki - I get not wanting to look at the suspects we have right now, but do {you really think it’s Hatano?}

Uehara - …That isn’t really a strong argument- like, character.

Uehara - But… {we don’t have any reason to think it was her}, so…?

Ōtori - No-

Ōtori - We’ve already ruled her out, that’s what matters. We’ve {narrowed down our suspects}, and she’s not on that list.

Tomori - …

Taira - …I think I understand where you’re trying to go with this, Maeda.

Taira - But, if Hatano were awake last night, {that would’ve interfered with the events we know happened}.

Taira - So, the argument doesn’t hold up. It goes against facts we’ve already confirmed. Doesn’t it?

~*~

Maeda, narrating - Okay. I don’t think I’ve really worked through what I’m doing right now.

Maeda - The point I’m making is that we haven’t fully discussed Hatano’s innocence.

Maeda - She’s off our list, yeah- but for something without much logical backing.

Maeda - I want to discuss it further… but everyone’s pushing against it, because Hatano last night is so tied to-

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Because discussing Hatano and what she’s gotten up to is a bit… sore.

Maeda - But, I feel right about doing this- I don’t think it was her! But I feel right in pushing on this. 

[another-dr-another]

{Trail Off In Thought} i think this will make things worse and i am all for it -iris

Maeda, narrating - I’ve got a lot on my mind, to be fair. 

Maeda - Let’s try to review where we are… we’ve solved Iranami’s case, because we know it was suicide via rule violation.

Maeda - She chose to stay behind in the dining hall, and didn’t make an effort to stay awake. We don’t know how the dining hall doors got closed, but it’s easy to say she closed them herself, to keep anyone from interfering.

Maeda - This means we have to solve Higa’s case, so a blackened can be executed. A class trial means a murder, means someone to punish. 

~*~

Maki - Monokuma, permission to leave my podium?

Maeda - We decided it must’ve been strangulation, after Kobashikawa left Tsurugi’s dorm to change out of his binder, a process that woke Tsurugi up. 

Monokuma - Permission Granted.

//Maki steps off of her podium. Some of the other students are already ready- Tsurugi, who lacks a jacket, holds his arms out, bent at the elbow, forearms facing up. Tomori lays her robe on her podium, and raises her arms up, before bending them back down, exposing the entirety of her arms, and lending her hands to fall slightly in front of her face.

Maeda - We’ve narrowed down the time it happened, but that hasn’t proven too relevant. For awhile, we tried to work out who’d been awake when the murder happened, but we didn’t get far there, since everyone could claim to be asleep.

//Maki reaches Tomori, who turns to face her. Her eyes scan over all of Tomori’s exposed skin, as Tomori watches her. Maki hesitates for a moment, before reaching to guide Tomori’s arms so she can check the rest. Tomori’s arms have a few light bruises- blues and browns, all small dots. Maki determines it’s nothing to worry about, and nods at Tomori. She smiles at Maki, then rubs at her arms before going to pull her robe back on.

Maeda - So, we tried to use a few other metrics to work out who had killed Higa. Maki, Ōtori, and Hatano all got confirmed as asleep, and it’s unlikely that they’d have woken up in the middle of the night.

//When Maki goes to Tsurugi, he smiles at well, crinkling his eyes at her. Again, she scans over the arms, then uses his wrists to turn his arms over. Some of the scars on his arms cross over and out of sight, so it takes a bit of attention to make sure it all lines up. Along with the plethora of scars, there’s also a myriad of scratches and bruising- but this was to be expected. Maki needs to look for something that seems like it could’ve been afflicted last night.

Maeda - Kobashikawa, Uehara, and myself got ruled out due to physical capability- Tsurugi had us squeeze his wrist, and said we couldn’t have gripped Higa’s neck tight enough, for long enough.

Maki - …What’s this?

Tsurugi - …Oh. Ah, uh…

//She’s pointing at one of the marks on Tsurugi’s arm- and it’s obvious why. When you look at the collection of bruises, it’s blatantly clear that it’s in the shape of a handprint. 

Maeda - Finally, we ruled out Tsurugi briefly, because he’s the only one who we don’t think could’ve killed Higa for being a prick. Of course, he then argued that he was the blackened, and had just forgotten about killing Higa.

Tsurugi - …

//He wraps his hand around the mark- it seems to line up perfectly.

Tsurugi - It’s my handprint. We can’t prove this- but Higa’s hands weren’t the same size as mine. 

Maeda - His argument was that he’d be physically capable of the kill, and he’d have been upset enough with himself to forget the murder to cope.

Maki - …

Maeda - But, he couldn’t explain everything, and when I started to point out some of my uncertainties with his account, he started to spiral, and kept contradicting himself. 

//Maki looks- there’s other marks on Tsurugi’s arms that match the pattern of the bruises she highlighted. They’re present on both arms, and keep a consistent size across their appearances. Noting that both arms are bruised, she notes that the bruises do vary in one way- it’s clear that all the bruises on his left arm were caused by a right hand, while the bruises on his right arm, caused by a left hand.

Maeda - We think that he convinced himself he was the blackened, because he feels stressed about not knowing who did it, and he just… inflated his guilt over the deaths to mean an actual homicide.

Maki - …Okay. That checks out.

Maeda - Kinda leaves us without anywhere to go from here…

//Tsurugi smiles- Maeda catches this, finally looking over to see what’s going on- getting slapped out of his thoughts as he realizes Maki is now one person away from him.

Maeda - FUCK. Guys. Y-You guys. You can not be doing this to me! I need to be paying attention to this! God!

//Maeda quickly rolls up his sleeves, shuddering a bit at the sensation as he brushes against his bruises. To distract himself, he idly cracks his knuckles, casually glancing at his arms- then startling.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Holy Fucking Shit.

Uehara - Heyyy.

//She looks over his arms- there’s some scratches, noticeably looking a bit gouged into his skin, and slight bruising. 

Maki - How did you get these scratches?

//The bruises Maeda noticed earlier have turned blue- though, he realizes…

Maeda - They haven’t “turned” anything! This- these are new!

Uehara - …

Maki - …

Uehara - …?

Maki - …?

//Yes, there’s new bruises on Maeda’s arms. These ones are purple- some tinted red, some hued blue- significantly larger than the marks he saw earlier. In fact, most of either arm is covered in a bruise, be it one from earlier, or one of the large, new ones. Maeda slowly moves his arms, watching the marks twist around with every turn.

Maeda - Oh my god???

Uehara - …Sorry, what?

Maki - …What’s the cause of your scratches?

//It looks… Maeda can’t even imagine what could have caused marks like these, let alone what led to him getting them-

Maeda - And not noticing?- ch!

Uehara - Ohh…

Uehara - …

//Maeda made the brilliant decision of checking to see if they hurt- they do! Pressing on them makes them hurt… a pain that pulsates through him. 

Tsurugi - I-It’s from earlier… you know what I’m talking about- you were there? Uhm- for part of it, at least.

Maeda - …

//He follows the course of his pain, and tries to check his upper arms- sure enough, there’s the same bruising (albeit somewhat fainter, less developed). While he checks his right arm, he brings the same hand up to his left shoulder, and gently presses his fingers to the skin, prodding around, until he’s gone to the same place as the pain- and triggering that wave again, when he pushes down, finding what he’s sure is another bruise.

Maki - …

Maki - Uehara, is that right?

Uehara - Mhm~

Maki - …

Maeda - What happened? Literally What. What the hell.

Tsurugi - …You only really got the tail end of stuff, right? It’s- this all aligns.

Maeda - …

//He slowly rotates his jaw… focusing on the ache that blooms when he does so, running along from where his jawline meets his neck, to the start of his chin. Maeda’s trying to map out the extent of his injuries, and he’s now fairly certain they stretch all the way up his arms, along his back, and to his jaw. Unfortunately, it’s more concerning than clarifying- what the fuck happened?

Tsurugi - Uehara was trying to get Hatano off and away, so there was a lot of grabbing- since he was grabbing her, she grabbed back to try and get him off!

Tsurugi - Plus, they did legitimately fight, too. I’m sure you get how easy it is to leave a mark on some people?

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Whatever. This is okay.

Maki - …

Maeda - Why would I care. This is fine. It doesn’t matter. I’ve got this! This is normal and fine.

Maki - …Yeah, alright, I get it. If that’s the story you’re going with, then… 

//Tsurugi laughs faintly, as Uehara zips up his jacket. Maeda feels his eye twitch, just once, as Maki approaches him.

Maeda - Howwww dare you. How fucking dare you. Go away. Oh my god. Fuck. Maki.

Maeda - Okay. Okay. This is fine. This is so fine. It’s totally not an issue. I can come up with an explanation!

Maeda - …Hi Maki.

Maeda - I’m so fucked. 

//Maki looks at Maeda’s eyes- then down at his arms.

Maeda - Augh.

Maki - …

Maki - What’s the story behind these?

//She takes him by the hands and slowly pulls his arms up, then gently rotates them around, as Maeda sweats.

Maeda - Uhm.

Maeda - …Great question.

Maeda - Kinda- hard to explain-

Maeda - They don’t really look like they’re from murder, right? I mean- !!!

Maeda - Fuck!- I almost brought up my alibi- I think if I’d have done that while we were all getting checked, it’d make me way more suspicious-

//Maki glances up at Maeda, then back to his arms.

Maeda - Though, I don’t think I’m doing too hot right now!

Taira - Maeda and I were roughhousing. 

Maeda - !?

Maki - Yeah?

Taira - Mhm. He’s anxious about confessing to it, we didn’t mean for things to get so out of hand. 

Maki - What happened?

Taira - We bumped into my bookshelf, and some of the books I had on it fell. 

Maki - …

Maki - Pretty brutal bruises from some books…

Taira - They’re amplifying the damage I dealt.

Maki - …

Maki - Maeda. How long ago was this?

Maeda - Fuck-

//He’s speaking faster than he can realize.

Maeda - Two days ago.

Maeda - Sometime… in the afternoon? Maybe around two, two-thirty.

Maki - Okay. WHy?

Taira - …

Maeda - …First rule of fight club. 

Taira - It’s just a way to get some energy out. Neither of us really like to work out, and I figured it’s good to have some experience fighting.

Taira - All in good fun. This one day just got out of hand, that’s all. 

Maki - …

Maki - Well, not like I have the authority to say that it makes someone the blackened- but, I’m assuming you’ve got some similar bruises, Taira? 

//She hums.

Taira - His are worse, but we’ve got the same spots, yes.

Taira - It’s just a way to get some energy out. Neither of us really like to work 

Maki - …

Maki - Okay. Lemme come look, then.

//It’s anti-climatic- but Maeda hardly notes it, too wrapped up in the realization that Maki’s really letting him go free. She drops his arms, and walks off to Taira. Maeda tries not to sigh in relief.

Maeda - Holy fucking shit…

Maeda - Ohhh my god. I can’t believe that actually just happened.

//He had no explanation for the bruises, and has no clue why Taira decided to step in and defend him.

Maeda - I mean… unless I’m amnesiac, she totally just decided to save me…

Maeda - Wait- this gives her an alibi, too.

//Maeda finally looks at Maki and Taira. Maki’s silently looking at Taira’s arms, while she looks away, eyes idly searching around the trial room- probably for a distraction, instead of anything in particular. As Maeda would expect… she’s got some bruises he can see.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Hi again, Inori.

Maeda - That’s so weird, though… if Taira’s saying those bruises are from a fight that didn’t happen…

Maeda - …

//Nothing… happens. His blood doesn’t run cold, and he doesn’t feel any creeping sweat coat him. All that happens is a dawning realization.

Maeda - …

Maeda - So. She has bruises she just lied to explain. Taira is one of the two suspects- and she just lied about why she has injuries on her arms.

Maeda - …

Maki - …Alright. Nothing that stands out as being incriminating.

//Taira nods. Maeda watches her as Maki walks away- she doesn’t look at him.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I’ll just… file that away, I guess. 

Maeda - I mean- obviously, that looks bad. But, Taira could have some other reason that she’s trying to keep from the group, right? Something more innocuous?

Maeda - Like…

Maeda - I know she’s lying. She wouldn’t have a reason to defend me, because now, I can say that she was lying, and not only is she caught in a lie, but she now has no reason for her injuries.

Maeda - It’s totally suspect. So, why do it? Why not keep me suspicious, and come up with a lie that someone else can’t disprove?

Maeda - …Also, I guess we’re in it together now. I lied too…

Maeda - God, why’d I do that?!

//Maki finishes checking Ōtori’s arms- silent the whole process, only nodding at him when she was finished.

Hatano - …What, nothing that caught your eye?

Maki - Nothing that Higa could’ve inflicted.

Maki - Though, I guess I am a bit curious. Were those burn scars, Ōtori?

Ōtori - Mhm.

Maki - Well, there you have it. He’s got burn scars, and- sure, yeah, a few marks. But nothing that looks like a homicide happened. 

Maki - Two bruises, one scratch, and the patterns don’t look like someone trying to push arms away or anything…

//Hatano hums, and tilts her head in nonchalant acceptance. Maki gently raises Hatano’s arms, checking the undersides and upper parts of her- Maeda can see some bruising from his podium.

Maeda - Ah…

Maki - …

Maki - Mmmmm… these are- from today, yeah?

Hatano - Mhm. 

Maki - …Cool. Heard.

Maeda - They’re from her fight with Uehara and Tsurugi-

//Maki steps away, opening Maeda’s view of Hatano. The most distinct mark is on her right cheek, bruise blooming deeper than the others already.

Maeda - …Shit. That’s from Tsurugi hitting her.

//Finally, Maki arrives at the last member of the group- Kobashikawa is the only person left before three portraits, the empty stand opposite Taira, and Maki’s own podium. 

Maeda - Damn… Uehara has injuries from Hatano, Hatano has bruises from him and Tsurugi, and I’ll bet Tsurugi has some bruising from Hatano too… 

Maeda - Yikes. 

//Kobashikawa didn’t remove any of his layers, opting instead to tug up his sleeves. Unfortunately for him, and interesting for the others- Maki seems to have noticed something on him. 

Maki - …?

Kobashikawa - …Yeah. Uhm-

Kobashikawa - I was doing some metalworking, and my tool slipped.

Maki - Metalwork?

Kobashikawa - F-For some jewelry.

Kobashikawa - It’s a weird pattern, right? I can explain it. 

Kobashikawa - The outer marks, those harsher looking things, they’re from sharp hooks, designed for fixing small chains, and pulling off detail work.

Kobashikawa - The inner mark is from the jewelry I was working with. 

Kobashikawa - The outer marks are from sharp hooks, designed for fixing small chains and detail work- inner mark is from said jewelry. The part I was working on was sharp, because I was reshaping it.

Maki - …Sorry-

Maki - How the hell did your tool slip, and it led to you getting scratched by the jewelry? Down your arm?

Kobashikawa - …Slip was a mistranslation on Ōtori’s end. It’s- the signs-

//Kobashikawa gently slips away from Maki, and grabs his whiteboard.

Kobashikawa - The tool got jolted. The chain of the jewelry got snagged because I tried to adjust my positioning, and it made the tool slip from my grasp.

Kobashikawa - He said slipped when I meant tugged. The tension exerted when the chain was caught caused the tool to fall towards me- especially coupled with me trying to grab it on instinct.

Maki - …Huh.

Maki - When’d you get into jewelry repair?

Kobashikawa - I know how metal works because I’m in aviation engineering, and I get gifted jewelry a lot.

Kobashikawa - Not- stuff that usually breaks, sure…

Kobashikawa - But I tend to sleep in things- you fall asleep easy as a pilot, and sometimes, when you don’t mean to.

Kobashikawa - I’ve warped things from pressure before, or caught chains on things, broken loops…

Kobashikawa - And- again, I work with metal. I have to know how things function. 

Maki - …

Maki - That jewelry you get- will it typically with silver spoons, or…?

Kobashikawa - …

//He smiles, and starts rolling his assorted sleeves down as Maki goes back towards her podium-

Maeda - Wait.

Maeda - Maki, did Tsurugi look over your arms?

Maki - Ah- shit.

//She had one foot on her podium, but steps back off-

Maeda - OH, please don’t get shot, please don’t-

//And walks towards Tsurugi.

Maeda - Oh thank god.

Tsurugi - Yayyy…

//Maeda watches as Tsurugi checks Maki’s arms. She’s had her sleeves rolled up for awhile, so it’s fairly uncermonious-

Maeda - Oh- I’d bet Tsurugi already glanced over her while she was nearby.

Taira - …Anything to note?

Tsurugi - One little bruise! Nothing suspicious.

Tsurugi - Well. I lied- big fucking bruise, Maki. How’d you get that? Just curious.

Maki - …

Maki - God. I stumbled trying to leave my room yesterday and hit my arm against the door latch.

Kobashikawa - Like, the metal bit?

Maki - Mhm. 

//Tsurugi whistles.

Tsurugi - Damn. Yeah, that def tracks.

Taira - Aren’t those a bit small for that sort of bruise?

Tsurugi - Size of the bruise can be wayyy bigger than the actual impact spot. Kinda liiiike asteroids and craters!

Taira - Hm.

Maeda - So, Maki doesn’t have anything for us to worry about… and she didn’t find anything, either. Right?

Tomori - Did… that get us anywhere?

Maki - …

Maki - No. Nothing to report from it, really.

//Maki synopsizes her findings- Tomori, gently bruised, Tsurugi, standard for himself, and Uehara, damaged from the earlier fight. Maeda and Taira, with the marks they (...allegedly) got from a brawl, and Ōtori, with his few marks collected alongside his scarring. Finally, Hatano was also sporting some damage from the fight, Kobashikawa, from his hobbies, and Maki herself, from stumbling.

Ōtori - Nobody’s implicated- we’re right back where we just were.

Maeda - Hm…

Maki - Yeah. I mean, I get it’s good we reviewed everything, but…

Maeda - Hatano, Tsurugi, and Uehara, all have pretty verifiable reasons. Maki didn’t seem concerned about Ōtori or Tomori, and no one seems worried about her. 

Uehara - …

Maeda - Kobashikawa can’t prove his claim… but while everyone believes Taira and I are each other's verification- I know Taira’s lying. 

Tomori - So… it’s just me and Taira, still.

Maeda - …Ugh. I hate that she said that.

Maeda - It’s totally suspicious that Taira would lie about the bruises, but I don’t know how I can try and figure out what really happened without everyone knowing.

Maeda - Could Taira even be the blackened?

Maeda - Could it be Tomori…

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - There has to be something that Higa left behind for us.

Tsurugi - …?

Tsurugi - What do you mean, Ōtori?

Ōtori - I mean… he just lied there and died? Didn’t leave a mark, didn’t do anything?

Taira - It’s probably he was too busy struggling to think to help us with a dying message or something of the sort. 

Ōtori - Well yeah, sure…

Ōtori - But there’s no way it was just some flawless murder with nothing for us to notice. It’s just well hidden, whatever the evidence is. 

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - It… could be a flawless murder. Uhm-

Taira - Let’s look at how we exposed Inori and Yamaguchi, then.

Taira - For both of them, it was clear they had a capability that distinguished them as the blackened. Inori knew the infirmary was open, and Yamaguchi had access to the pool room, and no alibi for the murder.

Nonstop Debate: START!

Truth Bullets Monokuma File #03-2 Room Layout Tsurugi’s Autopsy

Taira - Is there anything we’re missing about this murder?

Tomori - …Like what? What do you mean?

Taira - Something that only one person could have done- something that only the blackened would know, or something they did that proves it was someone in particular.

Tomori - Ah…

Maki - It feels like we’ve reviewed everything, though. I don’t think there’s anything left for us to notice.

Ōtori - Maybe not something that was left behind, not evidence from the murder… but maybe, {related to what happened before the murder?}

Ōtori - Is there some way to narrow down {who’d have been able to go after Higa}

Maki - There is- and that’s {exactly what we’ve already done}.

Maki - We looked at alibis, and ability, and relationship with Higa-

Maki - We’ve got it narrowed down to two people, that’s where we are right now!

Kobashikawa - …Should we just vote now?

Uehara - …Huh? The murder hasn’t… been solved yet.

Kobashikawa - No, it hasn’t… but it looks like we’re stuck in a guessing game- should we make the call instead of going in circles?

Uehara - …

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …Fuck.

Maeda - I’m totally with Maki and everyone here. There’s nothing we haven’t gone over.

Maeda - With what we know about the case… we don’t have any information to narrow things down.

Maeda - Fuck!

Maeda - I feel like we’ve had this realization six times, but it’s still hard to adjust to. 

Maeda - …

Maeda - Is that… hope?

Maeda - We don’t have any reason to push forward, but our desire to find the blackened. There’s nothing we have to use, and really, factually, we’re pretty obviously screwed.

Maeda - But… everyone’s still trying. I’m still trying, even though there’s no reason for me to think I’ll succeed. And, despite the fact it should feel pointless… I truly want to keep working forward.

Maeda - No way to achieve what we want, but still feeling… God. It really is feeling hopeful, isn’t-

Maeda - …

//Taira is looking at Maeda.

Maeda - …it…

Maeda - …

~“Give up on trying to have sound, bullet-proof logic for everything. All you need is enough to convince the others.”~

Maeda - …

Maeda - Right.

Maeda - When Taira and I were talking earlier, she made a point about knowing what happened, but not how to prove it.

Maeda - I think…

Maeda - The reason why we’re searching so hard for other evidence, is because no one’s entertaining the thought of it being Taira or Tomori.

Maeda - I mean, I guess we can’t rule them out… and hell, we have ruled out everyone else.

Maeda - But, everyone wants to find a different answer. It isn’t my place to say what we do- I’ll help everyone down the path they’re choosing. 

Maeda - …

Maeda - Whatever it looks like, I’ll be sure to keep the group moving. 

Maeda - No matter what, we have to push forward. If we want to see that future- if we want to have a future…

Maeda - I need to press on everyone harder. 

~*~ New Truth Bullet: Taira’s “Testimony”

[another-dr-another]

I think we should look back at that "cutting cartilage" statement that Tsurugi remembers because it is pretty clear Higa wasn't cut.

Maeda, narrating - Right!

Maeda - Maybe if we ask Tsurugi to explain that, we can get stronger proof that it wasn’t him.

Maeda - I may not like where that puts us… but the killing game isn’t something we’re supposed to like. What I can do now is get it right.

Maeda - If pushing Tsurugi shows that we’re wrong to suspect him, then all that matters is that we’re not choosing the wrong person.

~*~

Maeda - I’ve got a question, before we move on.

Taira - Oh?

Hatano - Say it. Whatever it is, let’s maybe not move on.

//Maeda nods.

Maeda - Right. Tsurugi, it’s about something you said.

Tsurugi, fed up - ?

Maeda - It was… maybe the last time you were testifying about what happened last night.

Maeda - You said that your remembered the sensations of killing Higa- specifically, reaching your hands to his neck- and feeling his cartilage cut.

Maeda - But, isn’t that inconsistent with what we know about his death? How could you cut his cartilage?

Tsurugi - …

//Slowly, Tsurugi smiles.

Tsurugi - I meant crack. His cartilage cracked.

Hatano - Don’t lie to us.

Maeda - !

//Tsurugi’s eyes go wide.

Hatano - We said that we aren’t letting you divert anymore. You’re trying to change what you said to hide that you’ve been getting your accounts mixed up.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …Huh.

Tsurugi - Honestly, I don’t really know what to say. 

Maeda - …Because she’s right.

Maeda - I need to remember what I’m doing here. I’m proving that we can’t be trusting Tsurugi’s accounts…

Maeda - There’s a reason for all your inconsistencies. You’re trying to piece together a story to explain what happened last night- but it was way too impulsive. 

Maeda - You didn’t come up with something foolproof, and then when you try to pave over the holes in your account, you end up crumbling your foundation.

Maeda - You’re tripping yourself up because you don’t have anything factual to rely on.

Tsurugi - …

Taira - …It makes sense. It’s just been a desperate scramble for reasoning.

Kobashikawa - But why?

Maeda - …I think you’ll have to answer that for us, Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I mean. I just say what I think… if I’m wrong, then that’s that… but I don’t think it’s a good idea to disregard fact because I slipped up on something like cartilage.

//As he speaks, he slowly draws his arms up, clasping his hands, and resting his chin on his knuckles- before immediately changing his positioning as he gestures with his clasped hands. Maeda clocks this. Tsurugi’s physically closing himself off.

Maeda - Keep pushing.

Maeda - But why are you slipping up! That’s what you can’t answer!

//Tsurugi’s been avoiding Maeda’s gaze- but now, he looks him in the eyes, as his expression sours.

Tsurugi - Oh whatever, Maeda.

Tsurugi - So, I was wrong! I said something that doesn’t make sense! That isn’t proof of anything!

Tsurugi - Hell, if anything, it’s proof of what I’ve been saying! You can’t trust me! I’ll go totally off the handle and- and do things that I don’t mean to!

Tsurugi - I’m an impulsive person! If I’m thrown out of what I expect, there’s no telling what sort of reaction I have.

//He’s gesturing wildly-

Maeda - Flailing. 

Tsurugi - Ha… Hatano pointed it out earlier. It’s- It’s not like I haven’t k-killed before.

Tsurugi - So I’m reacting a bit weird. This isn’t something I expected to be dealing with. The same way I don’t think anyone was expecting me to kill Higa.

Tsurugi - It’s an unexpected situation, so no one knows what to do. At the end of the day, it’s my fault that Higa’s dead. I deserve to be executed. Case closed, everyone moves on.

//…No one moves on. The class pauses for a moment, digesting Tsurugi’s latest argument. 

~“I failed you all. My attempts at making the trials easier to solve just made things worse. I didn’t encourage you all to learn, I made things feel stressful and hopeless.”~

Maeda - ...Wait.

Ōtori - …Hate to say it, but that tracks.

Ōtori - I mean… yeah. It’s unexpected. Tsurugi’s thrown off, and isn’t acting the way he’d like.

~“You two were next to Higa- did you hear anything?”~

Maeda - …That doesn’t matter-

Maeda - Hell, that’s not even accurate.

~“Mmm… I couldn’t have. You can’t sleep with hearing aids in.”~

Maki - But… none of how he’s acting has been violent… there’s a difference between being panicked, and getting violent.

Maeda - I don’t think he’s as thrown off as he’s trying to paint himself. I think he’s trying to mislead us.

~“Of the people who could have killed Higa last night, only one person lacked the stability to stop themselves when they snapped, and wouldn’t have been able to accept what happened.”~

Taira - Hm… there’s no saying how people will react to a stressor, you know…

Maeda - I mean. He’s definitely spiraling- Tsurugi’s right that he doesn’t know what to do, he’s been thrown into something he’s not used to,

~“I was right next to Higa, and I was awake during the time he was killed.”~

Maki - Sure… but would Higa have been able to get Tsurugi so freaked out that his only response would be to kill Higa?

Maeda - But, isn’t it possible that this is just a return of my earlier theory that he’s doing this out of stress because he doesn’t know who the blackened is?

Tsurugi - …

~“Y-You said that she’d be safe! You said we would all be safe, but two people died during the sleepover.”~

Maeda - I think there’s a bit more weight to that now- because I think I know why he hasn’t just fessed up to making a guess. 

Maeda - Tsurugi.

~“Can you keep going, knowing you’re just playing the mastermind’s game- content with living like that, until they don’t let you live anymore?”~

Tsurugi - What, Maeda?

~“Do you hate me, because I don’t want to do that?”~

Maeda - …

Maeda - Are you claiming to be the blackened not because you think you killed Higa- but because you think it’s your fault he died?

Tsurugi - KH!

//Tsurugi physically recoils.

Maeda - Hell yeah- I got him!

Uehara - …Oh, wow.

//Tsurugi looks… honestly, mad. For- for a moment, at least. It’s like Maeda ran over and whacked him, the mix of shock, and “seriously, you dick?” on Tsurugi’s face. But… after a moment, he seems to compose himself a bit- enough to stutter out a laugh.

Tsurugi - Haha… seriously?

Tsurugi - I-I’m not stupid. If it’s some dumbass reason like that, then everyone gets executed, due to voting wrong. I’m saying I killed Higa because that’s what makes the most sense.

Maeda - Because you were the only one who believed in him, right?

Tsurugi - Mhm. And before you say that’s reason why it wasn’t me, we’ve already established that it proves it was me, because no one else would’ve been surprised to get attacked by him.

Maeda - But, you shouldn’t have been surprised either. You have gotten hurt by Higa in the past, yeah? We know how you’d react-

Maeda - It’s no more feasible to say you got upset and killed him, when we’ve already seen how you’d react, than it is to say someone else, who might be more prone to violence, killed him.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Sure, you could argue that. But, we’re back to the issue of motive. No one other than me had motive to attack Higa then, because I’m the one who got into a fight with Higa last night.

Maeda - Well, yeah. I won’t deny that. But, if we’re talking about going back, let’s go back to the point of everyone fucking hating that guy.

Maeda - None of us lack a motive. The only argument is who lacks killing ability- and two minutes ago, you seemed like you were gonna get sick at your own suggestion that you’d have killed him, because you’re capable of murder!

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …But, no one else was awake.

Maeda - Not at that exact moment, no.

Maeda - But before we got Kobashikawa’s full testimony, we thought that someone could have woken up during the night, right? There’s no evidence that goes against that.

Maeda - If we believe it isn’t you, then that’s fine! It just means going back to thinking that it was someone else, at a different time!

Tsurugi - All of this about going back, about ignoring evidence- Maeda, we were making progress!

Maeda - But progress in the wrong direction is bad progress, Tsurugi!

Maeda - Plus, we got here because of new evidence! Specifically, from your weird reactions!

Maeda - Your testimony about what happened doesn’t match up with what we know, you haven’t been able to defend yourself against our arguments, and it’s throwing any of your suggestions into question!

Tsurugi - !

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …Because I’m unreliable now, right?

Maeda - …

Maeda - Shit… tread careful, tread careful…

Maeda - I want to go back to the point I made…

Maeda - Tsurugi- do you feel like Higa’s death was your fault? Like- say that I confessed now. My testimony was me trying to throw you all off, but the guilt is too strong.

Maeda - Do you think you’d feel responsible?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I’m… at fault for Higa’s death, in a different way than I am the other five deaths. 

Maeda - …

Tomori - Tsurugi…

Maki - None of the deaths were your fault, Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Why not?

Tsurugi - I mean- I get it, objectively. I didn’t mean for it to happen, and I didn’t make any choices intending for people to die, so I shouldn’t feel bad.

Tsurugi - But…

Tsurugi - If I… knew that things could go bad, and I chose to be optimistic… isn’t it on me? I thought that the party in the dining hall could go poorly, but I knew it was a risk.

Tsurugi - It’s my fault for getting drugged, because I’m smart enough to know leaving a drink is a risk, but I thou-

Tsurugi - …But I still drank. 

Tsurugi - …Not knowing any better is a fine reason, but I do know better. So, when bad things keep happening…

Hatano - …

Maeda - …

~“I don’t think you have the slightest concern here! You aren’t worried about us, because you don’t care at all, about anyone!”~

Maeda - …Yikes.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - Earlier, when I felt bad for waking you up last night… when you talked with me about it, it reminded me of things you’ve said in the past.

Kobashikawa - What’s the point in beating myself up about it? I can sit and wish I’d done things different- but should I have known to?

Kobashikawa - It sounds like you had good reasons for the choices you’ve made- and if it wasn’t for right now, I don’t think anyone would be upset with you.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - Everyone does things they regret. But… if you really tried to do what was right, then you should be happy with yourself.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - Yeah… Tsurugi, Kobashikawa is right.

Maeda - Try letting up on yourself some… if you’re feeling guilty about all that’s happened, what are we meant to take away from it? You did your best, so let it be.

Tsurugi - …Maeda…

Tsurugi - You… said to go back to your point from earlier, right? I- I want to go back to something I said.

Tsurugi - In this moment, it’s not about the past deaths. Sure, there’s the… overall sort of pattern, with the type of person I am-

Tsurugi - But- those situations are different from Higa’s death.

Maeda - …You really do think it was your fault?

Maeda - Jesus… it’s like-

Maeda - He’s found someone he feels should be persecuted, and he’s so engaged with it, he can’t imagine letting that idea go.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi, tightly - Objectively, it’s my fault.

Tsurugi - I- I really did let everyone down, there. There’s no way around it. 

Taira - What do you mean?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - It was my room.

Tsurugi - It- the sleepover took place in my dormitory, and I was the one who told everybody it was safe, and I specifically invited Higa that day! I made sure he didn’t think he couldn’t come!

Tsurugi - Which, speaking of, I was the only one who was trying to help Higa, which he started to have so many issues with-

Tsurugi - And I was the one who was right next to him, and I was awake, and I- and I got into a fight with him! I- I got into two fights with him yesterday!

Tsurugi - And I told Higa, specifically to come to the sleepover!

Tsurugi - There was so many signs something was wrong! It was easy to fix things up after the first fight, and it shouldn’t have been! And the second fight was so weird, and it’s-

//Tsurugi stops. That’s it. He simply… stops. Stops his gesturing, his rambling, everything. 

Maeda - …What? 

Tsurugi - …

//He looks at Maeda, visibly panicked.

Tsurugi - It’s… all been my fault. And I don’t… know what to do.

Tsurugi - Which… is weird. Because usually, I know exactly what to do. But… nothing is working the way that it’s supposed to.

Tsurugi, weakly - And I don’t… think this is right? I don’t think… this trial is on the right course. This isn’t something we should be doing. 

Maeda - …

Maeda - Fuck.

Maeda - Wh-What is he on about?

Tsurugi - …Everything is at my fingertips. But… I just won’t reach far enough. And I can, so I should, but I’m just… not. 

Tsurugi - And no one else is able to get it. Because of the way the world is revolving.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …But, I guess that’s not what the point is, huh?

Maeda, sweating - …

Maeda - …Wait. That’s a good thing- we should get back to the trial. 

Taira - …Hm.

Taira - You’re right. Of course, you should probably look into meditation, or something-

Taira - But, that isn’t our priority. 

Maki - …

Maki - Wait.

Maki - Is that it? We- we’re down our suspect? Not that I’m arguing! I just want to make sure I understand.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …Okay. Yeah, I-I’m conceding.

Maeda - …Actually?

//It feels anti-climatic- but still, Maeda feels himself relax.

Tsurugi - I’m tired, and my head hurts… all the lights are flickering, and the skies full of flashing, and no one else is revolving at the same speed as the world. 

Hatano - …

Tomori - …

Taira - …

Hatano - …Is… Is this really it?

//There’s something in her voice that Maeda doesn’t like… but he’s too caught in trying to accept that Tsurugi isn’t their suspect anymore to dwell on it.

Kobashikawa - Tsurugi, do you believe that you aren’t the blackened?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I could’ve stopped Higa’s death. No matter how we look at it… anything that happened last night could be traced back to me coming up short.

Tsurugi - I’d like it if I were the blackened, so no one else has to die…

Tsurugi - …But, dooming everyone is about the opposite of what I want to do. So, I’ll stop insisting on a theory without thinking it through.

Maeda - Ah…

Maki - …

Maeda - …I guess I can accept this as an ending. 

Maeda - Though, it doesn’t really feel real. We spent so long fighting on this… for a while, I really couldn’t think of any reason it wasn’t Tsurugi.

Maeda - But, despite his proximity to the murder, and… the fact he was up… and… and the fact he was capable of it… and had an interaction with Higa… that went badly for him…

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Uhm. Despite all of that, I managed to convince everyone it wasn’t Tsurugi!

Maeda - I don’t think I should second guess myself. If Tsurugi agrees with me, and he’s usually able to argue circles around me, then there’s no reason to worry.

Tsurugi - …Haha.

//He sniffles.

Tsurugi - You’re all so quiet… I feel bad, making you comfort me so much.

Maeda - A-Ah… I was lost in thought, I didn’t realize no one else had said anything…

Tsurugi - I promise, I’m someone capable who you can depend on. No matter what, I want to do the best for you all, even if I can get myself tangled up sometimes.

Tsurugi - Thank you for taking care of me. 

//The class is silent- no one knows what to say.

Maeda - Tsurugi’s using his forearms to lean against his trial stand… I can’t really see his expression. 

Uehara - …

Uehara - Jesus Christ…

Maki - …Hey, Uehara. Looks like your gut instinct was right, huh?

Uehara - …Oh, yeah. I- I forgot about that.

Maeda - Uehara looks… stressed. Which is weird- shouldn’t he have been glad Tsurugi’s been cleared?

Maeda - Well- actually, knowing him, I bet he’s worried about what Tsurugi’s thinking now.

Tomori - …

Tomori - I know that this means we’re back to where we were before Tsurugi’s confession. It’s looks like either me, or Taira, and I’m… really not happy with that.

Tomori - But, I’m glad we don’t think it was Tsurugi anymore either. 

Maeda - Poor Tomori. But, not like I suspect Taira, either…

Maeda - I mean- out of the two of them, I don’t know… 

//Still, the class is silent.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - I wonder if there’s anything else in my testimony that could lead to us narrowing things down?

Hatano - Anything else you haven’t mentioned?

Kobashikawa - …No, there isn’t.

Hatano - Probably not, then.

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - It’s weird to remember that earlier this morning, Kobashikaw wasn’t even thinking of what he experienced last night- and now he’s had to testify a good three times. 

Maeda - …

Maeda - Speaking of earlier-

Maeda - Tsurugi, do you want to sit down?

Tsurugi - …?

//He raises his head, and looks at Maeda- again, “?”.

Maeda - …Take a break?

Tsurugi - Ohhh… kind thinking, Maeda!

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - I think standing like this is switching the polarity of all my molecules, though. And they needed a good cleaning, so I might as well stay and let the wash cycle finish.

//Maeda’s stomach hurts.

Maeda - I wanna be in bed already…

Maeda - Let’s just execute someone and go.

//Not a murmur from the class. While everyone’s spoken, everyone went back into their own heads after their conversation.

Ōtori - …

//…Near everyone, has spoken.

Ōtori - Well, there’s no sense in just standing around. 

Ōtori - If we’re ready to get back to work, we should be trying to solve the trial. As soon as someone else feels ready, let’s debate. 

Maeda - …?

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - If we’re all in agreement that we don’t want anyone to die, then that’s because we’re all at least neutral on everyone left.

Ōtori - It’ll hurt to see someone die, but we need to persevere- for the other eight who will remain.

Ōtori - If we care for those people, we should want to see them survive. I want to live, and I want as many of you to live as possible. That necessitates an execution.

Ōtori - Better one than many. Let’s do our best to achieve that. 

Maeda - …Right.

Maeda - It’s inevitable that people will die. We can make sure it’s the blackened, not the spotless. 

Maeda - The people who deserve to die should die, and those that deserve life should live.

Tomori - …What do you want to debate, Ōtori?

Ōtori - I don’t know. But, we’ll find a metric.

Maki - …

//Maki sighs.

Maki - Okay. Jackets off, sleeves up. We’re checking everyone’s arms for marks.

Hatano - …What?

Maki - It was suggested earlier- Higa could have hurt his assailant, and left behind some marks.

Maki - It’s possible he didn’t- or possible that we can’t see who the blackened is based off that.

Maki - But, I can’t see harm in getting more information to think about, even if we decide to toss it out. So- jackets off, and sleeves up. 

Taira - Is there reason for everyone to, instead of only myself and Tomori?

//Maki shrugs.

Maki - Reason is “might as well”.

Maeda - …Good enough reason, honestly.

Hatano - Are we all just- going to try and see each others arms? Some of us are further apart than others.

Maki - …This is sort of banking on Monokuma letting someone leave their podium.

Hatano - Who?

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - I’d suggest Tsurugi… he’d probably know what to look for- but a few people would object to that.

Kobashikawa - I don’t see a reason why Maki can’t. If she doesn’t mind, of course.

Maki - No- that’s not an issue.

Hatano - And who’ll check Maki?

Taira - Persistent…

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I can, if that’s okay.

Maki - That works with me-

Maki - And it’s my arms, so that should be the end of that.

Hatano - …

//Maeda turns his gaze, as Uehara is the first to take off his jacket- immediately throwing it onto Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - !

//He stands still for a moment, before slowly grabbing the jacket, folding it, and resting it on Uehara’s podium. Uehara laughs to himself.

Tomori - …

~*~

Maeda, narrating - I wonder if my sleeve’s will roll up far enough?

Maeda - …

Maeda - Jesus. We actually cleared Tsurugi’s name.

Maeda - I… I kinda can’t believe it- though, sometimes it feels like all we do is defend Tsurugi against allegations.

Maeda - That’s uh- recency bias, though. He’s been up to a lot of shit lately.

{Roll Up Your Sleeves}

{Trail Off In Thought}