em-trois

[em-trois]

NO IFS OR EXCEPTIONS | Iris | ATTN: Everyone

As the paper floats off from everyone's podiums the web developer finally let her smile fall. Her name was called, eleven times it had been read out and she just had to accept the fact that, well, this may very well be her time! She'd always thought about what she was going to do when she was older, if she'd stick with coding or try something else. Life was fair like that, right? To give someone second chances?

Apparently not, as it was confirmed that she had in fact killed Ryuuji Nemoto.

"...Geez." The web developer lets out a defeated sigh. "Y'know, life never prepared for me for something like this...! Didn't think I'd have to explain how I ended up killing someone." Even with her heavy heart she tries to keep the mood light. Her smile is back for all of two seconds before she simply shakes her head again.

"So, it's true, I was in the school on my own-some. That's when I found that mirror. What it showed me though was, um..." Her hands begin to ball into tiny fists. "My family. They were on the floor, like they were in pain. Like something had happened to them. To say I panicked would be an- an understatement...! I smashed the mirror and, realizing I had to do something, grabbed one of the shards and ran off. That's when I saw... Nemo-kun."

She feels her body begin to shake. Her heart beating fast enough that it was like she had two that were working overtime in her chest.

"I- I panicked. I st- started slashing wildly. Before I knew it he was- he was bleeding out on the floor and I had to- I had hide him. That's when I dragged him under the lecturer's desk in the classroom and stole his jacket and hat to blend into the darkness and escape."

"I wasn't lying about- about being disoriented though. It was sh- sheer luck that I found a way out. That's when I threw his hat and jacket off and then I heard all the commotion. I took that opportunity to- ah- tried to disguise all the blood on me by throwing myself into that shelf with the vase on it. That was- That was on... purpose."

Even as she spoke now it still didn't feel real. The girl felt light-headed, thought after thought blended together as it felt like the whole world had gone silent. She grabs onto her shirt, tugging onto it ever so slightly like she was trying to still her ravaged heart.

"...I just- I just wanted to see m- my family again. They mean- they mean the world to me y'know but I- I really couldn't keep this a secret, heheh. I never really- ah- planned it out or anything, yeah? I mean who plans something like this out...?"

"To think that someone like me, a girl who just- who just wanted to bring people together... Who made a p- pretty dang popular dating app would do... do something like..."

Finally words fail her, like her mind had run completely dry. Can she even bring herself to cry? She feels like she lost that right as soon as she saw blood and broken glass in her hands. All she can do is stand silently with her gaze towards the floor. This... this was never supposed to happen. She was never supposed to be a murderer, right?

In life and in code, there's always an exception though right?

[em-trois]

Chapter Two | Smoke and Mirrors

“That’s right, ya all have chosen Iris Aiuchi as the identity of the Hajun. But ya now may be wondering, is that the right answer? Well...”

The inugami bursts out into laughter before continuing.

“KEHEHEHEHE!!! Well of course it is! That’s right, ya are lookin’ at a flesh in blood Hajun. And this time it ain’t even a spirit or demon. Honestly, ain’t that kinda worse? That a mere human just like ya could commit such a heinous crime. Well, I guess she ain’t a human anymore, though. Now she has become a Hajun...”

As he continues to drone on about this, you start to realize... You’re still not even that sure what a Hajun is supposed to be. You always just assumed it was a weird way for Daisan to describe the killers, but now you’re not so sure.

“Now then... It’s time say your goodbyes while ya still can.”

[em-trois]

Tallying Votes…

Iris Aiuchi - 11 Sayuri Oshiro - 1 Ryuuji Umemori - 1 Noto - 1 Usami Osada - 1

Iris Aiuchi, the Super High School Level Web Developer, has been voted as the Hajun.

[em-trois]

Chapter Two | Finish Line

And with that, your ninety minutes to discuss the identity of the Hajun among you is over. But it’s not like you needed much more time anyway. You did get a confession after all. Unless... That confession was all a farce. No, it couldn’t be...

Daisan speaks up, startling you at first.

“Alright, I’ll start countin’ all the votes. Please wait patiently.”

The scraps of parchment in which you had written your vote on begin to float into the air, as if by magic, drifting over towards Daisan. From there he begins to read off each vote, without revealing who had written them.

It’s time to see just who you all have chosen as the identity of the Hajun.

[em-trois]

Falling petals | Shizuka | CH2 | Trial | ATTN: Iris

When Aoki insisted to take the blame all the same, Shizuka couldn’t help but lightly frown at the other. It wasn’t good to absolve someone of their mistakes if they’re prone to repeat them - especially if they’ve carried themselves as uncaring as Nisemono did. While she would love to sit down and explain to them why they shouldn’t be so lenient towards their resident murderous tanuki, she could do that on another date.

On the other hand, Iris couldn’t wait.

Not when she admitted that she killed Yuudai.

Even though the evidence pointed to her, it was still... shocking to hear it from her own lips. It was also difficult to believe that she took someone’s life - but that was reality and thus, she needed to face it, whether she liked it or not.

The songstress took a deep breath, before seeking out Iris’ eyes with her own:

“... Thank you for admitting it yourself, Aiuchi-san.”

She smiled sadly, trying desperately to reel back any emotional outburst for the time being. There was a time and place for everything and right now, she needed to be the solid rock in a stormy ocean.

“I know this is hard, but would you mind sharing what exactly transpired? I... cannot fathom what must have happened to lead us down this path.”

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Lonely Hearts Club || Iris || RE: Meizen, Ryuuji, Shizuka

“…”

Just like last time people are poking holes in her alibi. Iris tugs on her collar ever so slightly before she lets out a bit of a nervous laugh. Her eyes dart to Ryuuji, then to Aoki. Her fellow accused! Everyone close enough to her can see that’s visibly put off more than the rest of them.

“Well I- You see, when I got out I was feeling a little lightheaded! Suuuper loopy. The school is such a pain to get around that I had to sit down for a bit. I only heard the panic after I had gotten my bearings y'know!”

She raises a shaky hand, looking as if she’s about to point towards someone. “B- Besides! We don’t know… where…”

Her hand and her heart sink as she shakes her head.

“No… I’m sorry I-  I can’t lie about something like this. It’s as Oshi-chan says! I’m a sweet person, heheh.” There’s a long pause.

“…A sweet person wouldn’t lie about doing something as sour as killing someone though, would they? That’d be- ah- the opposite of sweet! So…”

She hangs her head.

“Yeah. It was me. I killed Nemo-kun.”

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Fallen Under Fire | Aoki | Trial 2-2 | RE: Taichi, Binh, Shizuka, Ryuuji

“AH YES, THAT DOOR! IT DID NOT GO BOTH WAYS. I WAS UNABLE TO RETURN FROM THE SCHOOL WHENCE I CAME - NOR ENTER DAISAN’S ROOM WHERE IT APPEARED TO LET OUT! IT WAS MOST CURIOUS.”

Guess that particular question is settled.

“WORRY NOT, LADY SHIZUKA - I CLAIM FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY MISTAKES! I CAN HARDLY BLAME SIR NISEMONO FOR HAVING A CASE OF WHAT I BELIEVE IS COLLOQUIALLY REFERRED TO AS ‘ZOOMIES.’ I WILL BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TIME!”

It probably would not have happened without the shoulder jumping, but they don’t seem to mind. The fire was controlled in the end, after all, so minimal harm done! Hooray. Except for the part where Yuudai was still very much super duper dead. And the part where it… really, really seemed like Iris maybe might have done it. Maybe she had just been attacked too, but then why wouldn’t she just say that? What happened in those ten minutes between her apparent departure from the school and that crash? Aoki was unsure. They really didn't want to think anyone had done it, and fully intended to defend her as long as they could.

“IT IS STILL TOO SOON TO SAY FOR CERTAIN, IS IT NOT? PERHAPS LADY IRIS IS SIMPLY MISREMEMBERING! IT IS NOT UNLIKELY, GIVEN THAT SHE HAS SUSTAINED FURTHER INJURY TODAY, THAT HER MEMORY MAY BE SOMEWHAT FOGGY!”

(Maybe she got the tens wrong. Maybe she left at 9:43 instead. Maybe she only left the school after Yuudai was already dead and slipped on something left behind by another. Another culprit, another uncertain entity, another possibility. Maybe, maybe, maybe.)

[em-trois]

Under Fire || Ryuuji || Trial 2.3 RE: Iris, Meizen

"Uh... Guys?"

He gulps a little bit as he takes in everyone's alibi's. 

"This is like, super suspicious, right? Uh, Aiuchi-san... maybe she got injuired and... if she doesn't have a solid alibi and the times are all funky-like... she ALSO could have killed Nemoto-san! (you know, aside from the doppleganger...)

And just as suddenly, it seems the crosshairs have been pointed at him, however slightly. His eyes quickly widen as he goes into a bit of a panic.

"W-Wait! I'm not the first? Aoshi-San- they were the one who like- mentioned a door by the hat and jacket... I just sort of... figured it went two ways? But if thats not the case, and there's 2 seperate uh... portals? teleportation doors?? I'm just going off what they said!"

"And uh- I know I don't really have too solid of an Alibi... I'm sorry for like... bailing and not helping with the fiiirrreee!! I... was kind of scared of it... heheh... yeah- sorry. But Oshiro-San saw me out there, so like- we're chill, right? Right??

"I think... if we're looking for a human culprit, Aiuchi-san is the most suspicious... at least from my perspective."

[em-trois]

Bookmarked | Meizen | re: taichi & hanbei ATTN: Iris,  Ryuuji

“We have two suspects then.”

“As a reminder, the mirror was broken when we found it. I imagine it used to work just fine before all this, but either way. With Taichi’s smart testing out the mirror fragments and Hanbei’s earlier suggestion on our culprit, its someone who may have had gotten into the school before anyone else without someone seeing them and may have has some side effects from the teleportation.

“Maybe it is just a bad clumsy streak, but you do fit the criteria, Iris. Pluuuuus you said you slipped on something, and not just the air, so.. Being a bit more clear might help.”

“Or perhaps we should look at Ryuuji a bit closer, hm? Cause I don’t think anyone else mentioned about a two way door before he brought it up, let alone two of them.”

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Withering flowers | Shizuka | CH2 | Trial | RE: Kitchen talk, ATTN: Iris

Shizuka just recovered from a cold and now she’s forced into another one of these dreaded trials. Granted, she had not really said anything last trial, but it’s time to make up for it...

Even though people have said most of what she wanted to say anyway. It wasn’t a lot to begin with, but well, what can you do? However, there was one thing that she needed to say:

“Pardon me, but I ought to rectify something: Aoshi-san is not at fault for the kitchen fire. The fault lies entirely with Nisemono, who carelessly jumped from shoulder to shoulder, which caused both oil and fire to fly out of the pan - and directly into a paper towel holder, an oven mitt and a few napkins. When Nisemono bolted out, more napkins were kicked up, which only made the fire worse. I would’ve expected at least an apology by now, but clearly, I have put too much faith in a killer.”

As always, her voice seemed to be ever so gentle - which only made the stark contrast between that and her words all the more clearer.

“That said, with Tetsuro-san’s testimony, as well as everything else we have gathered so far...”

A troubled sigh escaped her as she looked over to Iris.

“It pains to me to say, it but Aiuchi-san... Things don’t look good for you. You have already admitted that you were at the school by yourself and... given what Tetsuro-san just revealed, your injuries could very well stem from the fact that you injured yourself while you felt the afflictions caused by teleporting here and there.”

The songstress fiddled with her hair ribbon, not liking any of this. Iris was a sweet girl, one whom she’d talked to the most. Clearly, the idea that someone who was so bright and kind killing someone was... difficult to process, to say the least.

“It also doesn’t help that almost everyone here has a solid alibi that another can collaborate. The only ones we could suspect other than you are Oshiro-san and Umemori-san... But even in their cases, it... doesn’t seem all that likely.”

There was a pleading look in her eyes when she looked at Iris again.

“Please, tell me that there is something else we’re missing. I... cannot quite believe that you would kill someone, if I’m being honest. You’re a sweet person... so I couldn’t fathom why you would do such a thing if... this is really true.”

[em-trois]

Act 2 Stage 2 | Binh | Trial 2.2 | Re: Meizan; Iris

Binh tilted her head, brows furrowed, as she mulled over the timeline Menyu-chan had given. Thank goodness for that!

Though, there was something nagging at her just a little about what Iris said, so she wanted to ask for clarification.

"Aiuchi-san, If you got out at around 9:33, um... what happened in that ten minutes? Like, there was the vase breaking and a scream, so it would make sense that it was you! But like, Amane-san said that was at 9:45...? I'm just wondering."

Another beat as Binh sheepishly tried to recall the details.

"It was... a sheeelf, right? Like, where that vase was? Or was there another table with a vase? Sorry, I'm a bit confused."

[em-trois]

just like ace attorney | taichi | trial 2.1 | attn: iris

After a little while, Taichi clears their throat, taking out their whiteboard to write something before showing it to everyone else.

< I was with Daisuke and Meizen for several hours, just hanging out with them in the Game Room. Unless there was actually a ‘doppleganger’ situation going around, the three of us can account for each other pretty securely. >

< We hung out until the body was discovered… though right before then, we did find Iris. Covered in blood… >Taichi’s brow knits at this bit. < Thankfully, she was well and alive, but I wanted to say that much. >

< What I found the most curious was, indeed the weird teleporting doorways that seemed to have formed. I don’t know if anyone else noticed them, but… >

Taichi pauses, aware of how silly they’ll sound, and then continues.

< While investigating, I looked in what I assumed were mirror pieces in the hallway. My reflection… distorted, and afterwards, when I went to the bathroom and then tried to leave, I ended up someplace different entirely. I was at the school. I could no longer go back the way I had come, and upon walking a little further, I found what I assumed to be Yuudai’s jacket and hat, all bloodied up, though it could’ve simply been something similar. >

< Eventually, walking through some more doorways, I found my way into the master bedroom where Daisan resided, seemingly with things back to normal. To try and test this weird teleporting thing out, I headed back to the mirror fragments in the hallway, then attempted to find my way through the teleportation school once more, and repeated this process once more after as well. I managed to figure out that while I could eventually teleport to Daisan’s room once more via this weird inbetween teleportation mode, the doorways were inconsistent each time as to what they led to and I felt woozy. I had a headache, I had trouble seeing, and I would walk in the opposite direction in which I intended to. >

After giving themself carpal tunnel, Taichi straightens up one last time.

< I’m not sure how helpful all of that is, but that’s a good summation of what I discovered. I hope it was of some use. >

[em-trois]

I Feel Like A Deer, Caught In The Headlights of Love || Iris || RE: Menyu

To be perfectly honest; Iris hadn’t been following along too well to the trial as it currently stood. It’s probably on account of the fact that, just by looking at her, she’s managed to hurt herself again. She’s got her arms wrapped around her as she’s got a fair few wounds and blood on her.

“Right, right!” She raises a finger. “I was, like, investigating the school as well! I had pretty much gotten lost like immediately and couldn’t really navigate my way through until I managed to find a door that led me out. I’d been stuck in there… since 9pm? I got out around 9:33pm.

"So by the time I had gotten out I heard a bunch of panicking and tried to run over to help but I, ah, slipped and fell into a table and a vase. It sucked. I think I need new shoes since these ones just ain’t helping me get around places quickly!”

She lets out a small laugh, rubbing the back of her head gently before going ‘ouch’ since raising her arm is a pretty bad idea still.

[em-trois]

Roll Call! || Menyu-chan || Trial 2.2 ||ATTN: Iris

Menyu-chan pulls up a graphic on her screen, of everyone's little icons. 

"Let's see... where was everyone at the time of the murder...

Aoki, Binh, and Shizuka were in the kitchen when the fire started at 9:35, about the same time when Yuudai died. Nisemono and I were also together up until the fire, I was chasing him in the building...

Sayuri and Ryuuji were in their rooms, and left to go outside after I told them about the fire.

Daisuke, Meizen, and Taichi were in the Game Room together until 9:45, and went upstairs to help put out the fire after I came to get them.

Noto and Hanbei were outside the school, but never entered.

Yuudai, Katsurou, Nadia, and Usami investigated together, at around 9:20. Yuudai split off, those three stuck together the whole time."

As she talks, she arranges the icons into groups, to organize them by alibi.

"Um... the only one I don't have a record on is Iris-san. That- that- doesn't mean it's her, though! Perhaps if Sayuri and Ryuuji ran back to their rooms fast enough, and um, Yuudai bled out slowly... ah... I shouldn't be making assumptions!" She covers her face, embarrassed.

[em-trois]

The Future Is Now || Nadia || Trial 2.2 || RE: Ryuuji

“Umm! I dunno if doppelgangers are real considering… you know, everything around us but! I can say that the door was one-way. I was surprised--being in the school and finding myself back in the mansion--but when I stepped into the mansion and closed the door and opened it again, it didn’t go back! If we weren't trying to figure out a murder, I'd say it was pretty cool.”

Nadia idly taps her foot, sorting through all of the information. Finally, she starts nervously shifting her weight. 

“So… the coat and hat must’ve been dropped before the killer went back… I think--I think the killer is the person who ran past the kitchen? Maybe? Just perhaps? 

[em-trois]

I Saw Raccoon Vent In Med Bay|| Sayuri|| Trial 2.1|| Re: Hanbei, Ryuuji, General Audience

“I-I’m really sorry that I didn’t come to help with the fire.” Sayuri starts with, the guilt having plagued her all investigation. “My lungs are...super megas not the best, s-so if I had taken in too much of the smoke…” Congrats Aoki, you aren’t a killer! (Maybe). “B-But Ryuuji-han is right, I was there outside while things were being handled. ...Actually… um…” She hands grip the wood of the podium nervously. Was this going to be her thing? Bringing up these particular details about a case. “Nisemono… he was def’ outside while the fire was happening too, in his tanuki form. Y-You guys said there was a mirror doppelganger around, but… I-I don’t think Daisan was specific enough when it came to him not being allowed to be involved in things…" Looking to the side awkwardly, she presses her fingers together and mumbles, "W-We should probably like, set up a disciplinary system, or just. Consequences, maybe...” You know if it didn't bother the murderer too much.

[em-trois]

mario kart double dash for the nintendo game cube || hanbei | trial 2.1 || re: ryuuji, noto, menyu

Hanbei seemed somewhat embarrassed when Menyu questioned whether he went into the school or not. And as Noto laid into him a bit, he nodded, frowning seriously.

“I had heard tales of the dangers within the school’s accursed halls, and wanted to prevent anyone from entering and placing their lives at risk. However… what Noto says… is true. My indecision has been my downfall; I was not committed enough to fighting evil. I delayed outside the treehouse, until Noto-san told me Hattori-san, Osada-san, and Lunette-san had gone in with Nemoto-san.”

Hanbei placed a hand on his waist, turning to face Noto. Rather than being annoyed at Noto calling him out though, he actually… offered a small smile, tilting his head slightly.

“Thank you, Noto-san, for warning me. If you had not told me, I don’t know if I ever would’ve had the courage to take action. I went to the school, but I still did not enter. I waited at the entrance, for as loathe as I was to let them stay in danger, I was alone, and suspected they would be safer as a group. Trying to enter alone would’ve been a fool’s errand, and I did not wish to disturb Noto any further.” He really sounded genuine.

He stopped to consider, stroking his chin very contemplatively.

“Although I cannot discount the possibility of a mirror demon, would it also be possible that someone besides the four went into the school before they did, unnoticed? And what’s this about a two-way door?” He tilted his head at Ryuji. “Much to consider.”