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Conclusion || Trial 1 End

Just like that, you watched one among your number die in front of your eyes. It wasn’t like Yuuna, this was inescapable. And yet, there was an element of distance, you were the spectators in the audience. So the beginning and end of Keiko’s demise came and went, and you were left with the sudden knowledge that this was what “punishment” the mascots had in mind. 

It was one of those sudden, unpleasant thoughts, like knowing that a friend had been gossiping behind your back or spreading libel that sent a thrill that bore an uncanny resemblance to an electric shock the second you realized.

Death awaited for anyone who killed another. A life for a life. 

Before your philosophical musings could evolve further into some brilliant conclusion, Miryo-ke’s voice interrupted your musings. 

“Nyayaya! And that’s our bloody finale for ny’all! Didcha enjoy it? That’s justice here!”

Justice indeed. Murdering someone, old-fashioned execution style. It wasn’t even the sort that might be used in the conventional sense of the word, it was mocking, twisted.

“But since mew got it right, my fellow mascots and I will be kind! All of you receive one KiraCoin, and-”

Click! A notification came from your Modelpads, and you glanced down at them to see a new tab labeled “Floor 2″ was flashing. Miryo-ke glanced at you petulantly. 

“What was that! Nyah, if you’re hiding something from us… no matter! This trial’s officially over. But beware… we’re watching. Aaalways watching.”

They hopped off the podium along with the other mascots, as the runway returned back to the way it had always been, as if you hadn’t just watched a human being die. In a way, it was anticlimactic. 

Chapter 1 End

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The Nail that Sticks up gets Hammered Down || Ch.1 Execution III

CW: Impalement, Head/Torso trauma

Keiko looks around fearfully, shakily pulling herself to her feet. It’s difficult to see much, and as the angles in the video shift it’s clear that Keiko’s surroundings are completely dark.  Then, in a sudden, small flash of light, the figure of a woman can be seen standing a good distance away from the chaperone. Her back is turned, but it’s clear this is someone that Keiko knows, as she gasps and begins running towards the girl.

Keep reading

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The Descent || Ch. 1 Execution II

The lights on the sides of each podium flash brightly, and Keiko steps back, shielding her eyes from the glow. Once disoriented, mechanical tendrils shoot out from Modelkuma’s back, lifting the girl high above their head. The former nail artist struggles, prying against their grip.

“L-let me go!…… Let me go!!!”

Her words are shaky and desperate, and despite Keiko’s pleas Modelkuma keeps their grip. With a loud clanking sound, the dark bear imprint on the floor opens up into a trapdoor, down which Keiko is forcefully thrown, followed by a gut-wrenching screech.  As the chaperone’s voice fades, the door slowly closes, and the monitor previously displaying the voting results switches channels to showcase an eerily dark scene. After a moment or two, a thunk can be heard, and the camera displaying the scene shakes slightly. Keiko can be seen pulling herself up off the floor with a groan.

“Wh… What… Where….?”

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Clank Clank || Ch. 1 Execution I

Modelkuma snickers, watching the crowd observe Keiko’s breakdown with a sickening smile. They bop their paws together and address the crowd, their presence commanding silence almost immediately.

“Well, Well, Well! I think that’s just about enough time spent whining about the results, huh? You did the crime, you’ll pay the fine!~ That fine being your life, of course. Come on Kiki-chan, it’s about time we get this show on the road!”

Keiko begins to back up slowly, snapping out of her fit of tears to give Modelkuma a terrified stare. She raises shaky hands, pleading for mercy.

“Huuouh…. Wait…. Please!…. Don’t… I’ll- I’ll do anything, just please don’t… P-please don’t do what you did to him!….”

Modelkuma lets out a cackle in response, 

“Oh Kimura-san, you’re so silly! We’ve got something even better in store for you! Consider it our way of honoring your last dying wish, hmm? We’ll make sure your punishment is nothing like Xiaozhu-san’s at all!~ Let’s get this started, hmm? It’s Punishment Time!”

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The Final Nail in the Coffin || Keiko || Ch. 1 Trial Results || Re: Everything

It had all happened so fast. So, so fast. Upon hearing Kaz’s revelation about the note, the girl had froze, standing and staring in silent dread as the other students came to the realization that yes,  she had killed Yuuna Kumagae.

It was hard for Keiko to come to terms with herself, but being called out in such a way really began to speak to her- to snap her out of whatever was keeping her together all this time. Before she could even think to retaliate, the votes were tallied, and the mascots were foreshadowing some horrid, painful end she would soon be facing. 

She was going to die. Despite everything, she was still going to die. 

Keiko’s knuckles whitened as she gripped her podium with shaking hands, struggling to keep her grip on reality as the voices of her horrified classmates rung out from various sides of the room.  “You bitch.” “You were supposed to look out for us.” “I do not think I can forgive you for killing her” “Were you really ready to carry the weight of having taken two innocent lives should you have gotten away with this, Kimura?”

The voice, like a cacophonous symphony around her, eventually began to push her to the brink, and finally Keiko was able to speak- albeit not so eloquently. It’s clear that she’s using all of her strength to speak- to not completely break down on the spot.

“Gccghh…. Hh… You… This isn’t fair…. I didn’t… She said she… Didn’t mind it…”

Keiko brings a shaky hand to her face, taking a shuddery breath before speaking again, 

“She… She told me to… stab her…. She told me she wanted to… See what it would feel like…”

Another pause, a moment of collection.

“….She couldn’t handle the pain, so…. I gave her some painkillers, and then…. She…. She was ready for…”

Another gasp, and the girl sways, dizzy from the pure weight of what she’d done.

“Oh god… I k… I killed a kid… Jesus… Fuck…. Rumi, I’m sorry…”

Her voice breaks, and she quickly moves to cover her face, hiccuping and sobbing uncontrollably.  A pathetic whine rings out from between her fingers, 

“She’s all I got… I couldn’t… lose her…”

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When The Stars Grow Colder || Kaz || Trial 1 End || Re: Rika, Kagemori // Attn: Keiko

It’s one thing to vote with your gut feeling and end up getting it right, whereupon the base feeling one might possess is an innate sense of relief that they got it right or sadness that they got it right. A detached preparation for what is to come, perhaps, even a sense of fear since how else were you supposed to interpret the words ‘final judgement’? And when ‘commencing punishment’ ends up also being the last nail (pun sincerely not intended) in the coffin of their lovely chaperone…

Well, it’s a complete 'nother thing to have been the one to point out her guilt in the very last moments of the trial. That kind of thing just makes you feel all warm inside knowing you solved the case, and it’s exactly what Kaz is feeling - if you replace 'warm inside’ with 'an overwhelming sense of guilt and dread’. That head-space rabbit from before who used to be chilling by the fireplace in his cozy warm blanket has somehow managed to set aflame said blanket, and is now looking over it with the same kind of mournful eyes that Kaz possesses when he looks at Keiko. Mercifully, the others had left him alone after his revelation, content on focusing on the now-developing feud between Eiji and Koharu to really care much more then, but in a way he feels like it’s almost a disservice. 

Perhaps it’s just the wholly personal touch that he can’t help but blame himself for sealing her fate. Misplaced guilt or otherwise, he first turns to his teammate with a quiet glare.

“Enough, de Silva-san.” And you can tell he’s frustrated by the way he changed her closeness of address. “I know that Kimura-san is most at fault here, and I cannot claim to have participated in the conversation that you and the others had with her, but you’re going a touch too far. If anything, they did not choose to be stuck in this mess with us either. Or it would never have been someone like Kimura-san who fell victim to this unnatural and simply unfair set of circumstances. And telling someone to do that was uncalled for! If it had been my parents who were on the line I would have at least tried my hardest to make it back to them as well, because I owe them that much into making me the kind of person that valued them deeply enough to forsake my morals. Kimura-san made a terrible mistake, yes, but it was the circumstances surrounding our current predicament that forced her hand, and not any genuine malice on her part. I want to believe that of her. I want to think the best out of anyone who can and will make such a mistake. But do not ever go around treating life with such callousness as you just did.”

He takes a breather to compose himself. “I have seen people do even worse things to try and survive even if others would not. I cannot with a clear mind hold her actions against her.” And now he turns to Keiko, his expression hard to read but clearly along the lines of anguish and self-reproach. “And… And I do not think I can forgive you for killing her in the first place, but I do not want your last memories of this class to be it turning on you. Like Kanta-san has vocalized, if there is anything we can do for you, anything that we can possibly follow-up with, please… tell us. It may be hypocritical of me to want to do right by you now considering all I have done, but…"  Kaz quietly sighs.

“In the end, you did save the rest of us from having to make our own difficult decisions. Whether or not it was worth it in the end, I cannot assume and will not judge. Whether or not it was the right choice, or if it would have been more prudent to wait this motive out I cannot say. But you did what you thought was best for yourself, best for your wife, and now that you can only live with it for not much longer… I sincerely apologize for what I did in the trial. For being the one who figured out what Kumagae-san meant with her parting message. For costing you what is precious. It is all I can do left.” He falls silent, folding his hands behind his waist and closing his eyes. It’s all he can do not to break down right there and then, filled with the need to remain composed and calm for the sake of those who needed to draw strength from him.

It hurts to think that he’s gone from being responsible for saving lives to ultimately ending one of his own, however indirectly it has been.

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Voting Results || Trial End II

A screen descends from the ceiling to reveal a tallying system, and with a resounding ding, the results appear upon screen.

Final Tally!

Keiko Kimura - 8

Atsuko Fujimoto - 1

Kei Fukuyama - 1

Koharu Amashiro - 1

Red - 1

The winner, with 8 votes, is Keiko Kimura, Ex-SHSL Nail Technician! 

…Commencing punishment!

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Deliberation || Trial End I

After good while of raw debate, Modelkuma yawns and hops up from their place on the comfy pink armchair. 

“Well well well! I’ve waited long enough, it’s about time we come to a conclusion here! Whether you’ve figured out who the culprit is or not, it’s time to tally up the votes! Let’s see who everyone voted for, shall we?”

The reels began spinning on the screen.

[shsl-emt]

Quietly, Kaz votes for Keiko Kimura as the murderer.

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Breakthrough!! || Kaz || Trial 1.3 || Re: Eiji, Rika, Koharu, Keiko // Attn: Keiko

He was definitely getting tripped up over his own words now, and so Kaz simply just nods along to Eiji’s words. “For someone of Kumagae-san’s body type and stature, along with the length of the knife, she would have passed away relatively quicker than most individuals. While yet again I cannot be sure when or why she was stabbed, perhaps… Perhaps it may have been one of Kumagae-san’s requests? She was fascinated with death after all… In a perverse way, her letter did mention she was curious about it.” He knows he doesn’t really have any solid evidence to explain it and instead decides not to push the topic any further than the others.

Besides, there are more pressing matters at hand right now. “I remember the light incident, and while I do not know where the medical kit ended up with in the end, I also do not picture Amashiro-san as the kind of person who would snag it in particular out of all the belongings in Kimura-san’s room since… What exactly would she need it for? And how would she have known there was one?” He frowns. It might just be his loyal nature to the members of his team, but he’s hoping that it isn’t his bias that’s clouding up his judgement, merely a lack of substantial evidence. “While I agree that her attitude towards this… outcome is inappropriate, that is also my impetus for why she would not have resorted to painkillers or even framing Kimura-san. Her blasé take on these matters appears genuine at least, so I cannot find any trace of deceit - and if we do end up finding the wrong suspect guilty of ending Kumagae-san’s life, well, then it is relatively easy to figure out who did, yes?”

He turns to Rika, and gently places a hand on her shoulder uneasily. “Rika, I know that you probably want to defend your pride, but please do remember that depending on the outcome of this trial, Amashiro-san and you will still be sharing a dorm, a team. The same goes for you as well, Amashiro-san… While I understand that you are feeling pressured due to the accusations against you, please take into account that none of us here ever wanted this outcome. I can only ask that you both simmer down and reason things out afterwards…” Whatever happens, he’s fairly certain the team dynamic’s probably changed quite a bit now. He’s going to have to work extra hard later.

Now that it looks like the trial is coming to a close, Kaz steps back and surveys all the evidence built up so far. In a way, it was both good and bad to have this much in open view, in that they had narrowed it all down to two, but had no real evidence as to which of the two it could have been. He’s inclined to believe Koharu, it does support what he knows of Ryou (not to mention the Funny team’s helpful comments). But he can’t help but feel like there’s something that doesn’t quite add up when trying to imagine Keiko as the culprit. There’s not enough to explain the case at all… unless…?

He looks at the letter again. You can see the literal gears turning in his head once the clue finally reveals itself, and he almost kicks himself in not realizing it earlier. He looks up, before reciting. “…Ah, but please don’t misunderstand! Really, I was murdered. Understandably so, too, considering the way I’ve conducted myself during my time here. Many of you have made it clear that you’d be happier to see me dead than anyone else. I completely get it! Killing is terrible, but as long as it’s not someone you care about, it’s much easier to stomach.” Folding the letter up, he gestures with his hands. “I always thought the phrasing on this section always looked really weird… and now I understand why it did. Her clue wasn’t about her siblings or her uncle… it’s in the first words of each of her sentences.”

Kaz shakes his head. “Ah. Really. Understandably. Many. I. Killing. And if I keep looking backwards, searching through this section, then it’s… Killing. I. Many. Understandably. Really. Ah. K-I-M-U-R-A.” He looks up at their chaperone, and despite the reluctance emanating off his body language, there’s a firmness to his voice in the end.

“It really was you all along, Kimura-san… Wasn’t it?”

[shsl-emt]

Split Ends || Keiko || Ch.1 Trial || Re: Koharu, Mickey, E.ve etc.

Keiko grits her teeth and casts a glance at Koharu, crossing her arms and giving her a look. She seems thoroughly unamused by the accusation, and grumbles a bit to herself before speaking up, 

“…. Okay, so it’s my hair. Big whoop! I coulda left that there any time, it’s just a hair, it ain’t prove nothin! Everyone loses hairs every now an’ then, ain’t nothin’ suspicious about it! Listen, no use in dogpilin’ on me, ‘cuz I said I ain’t done it!”

She sighs and kneads her forehead, glancing form E.ve to Mickey with a weary expression. 

“…. I dunno, I musta talked to Ryou-san at some point, or whatever… I work here, don’t I? I’m sure I spoke to him at some point. Mickey’s right, if I ain’t… If I wasn’t tryna be caught, why would I leave all that stuff there in the first place, right?… An’ if Kumagae-san knew who it was, then… Why ain’t she leave any clues or nothin’? Maybe she… did it to herself? I dunno….”

Keiko rubs the back of her neck and looks away, keeping her gaze off of the other students. It’s clear she’s not feeling very comfortable speaking in front of everyone.

“…. I ain’t spent a lotta time lookin’ around…”

[shsl-emt]

By Hair and Nail || Koharu || [Re: Keiko, E.ve, Atsuko, Eiji] Chapter 1 Trial #3

And there it was! That beautiful stubbornness she couldn’t hope to get anywhere else! Thanks Rika. Your immature reaction to Koharu’s immature reaction is absolutely what she had hoped it would be. But anyway, that problem was solved, but now there was something else to attend to. The culmination of all her investigation that ultimately just pissed Raketsu Hachimitsu off, but at least now he’ll be able to see what she did it for.

“That piece of hair? It’s yours, Kimura-san.” Was her first definite response. Although she’d need to say more than that to get the point across. She’d need to back up her claim. But she’d prepared for that. She pulls out her Modelpad- a very convenient device if she did say so herself- and quickly sends three pictures to everyone in the room.

“We can all attest to the fact that the hair was there at the start of the investigation. It wasn’t planted midway through. Now if you’ll look at your Modelpads, please!”

The three pictures sent each depict the hair in the crime scene in question, but there’s more to it in that.

“Going off of ‘A Long Black Hair’ isn’t enough to connect anyone to a crime scene. Of course, in the beginning we assumed the culprit was one of the students- This was before my group got Ryou’s Testimony, but since there were 23 placements for the motive, I wasn’t about to discount the possibility of one of our chaperones murdering. In the order I retrieved the hairs, the first picture I’ve sent you all is comparing Choi-san’s hair to the one at the crime scene.”

The hair in the first picture is a little shorter and darker to the hair at the crime scene.

“As you can see, it’s not a match. Therefore Choi-san is innocent. Of course, thanks to Ryou-bot’s Testimony, we already knew that. The second hair I retrieved was Kimura-san’s. But we’ll come back to that. As I said, I didn’t know the culprit was female at the time, so the second picture is of Raketsu Hachimitsu-san’s hair.”

Compared to the first one, Raketsu’s hair is more similar in color to the one at the crime scene, but it’s shorter than the one at the crime scene as well.

“Knowing that Raketsu-san already has the alibi of not being female, he can’t be the culprit despite the similarities. However, the third and final picture shows Kimura-san’s hair next to the one found at the crime scene, and as you can see, it’s practically identical.”

As she says, the third picture shows a side by side comparison of two matching hairs. 

“Since I also have an alibi due to Ryou-bot’s testimony, the culprit can’t be me. By process of elimination, Kimura-san is the only person that can be the culprit!”

Koharu sighs, now that that that was out of the way. Seriously? Why did nobody else think to do that?

“Oh, right. Also to make a point, my hair is significantly too short to match the one at the crime scene. If anybody has an alibi for Kimura-san, or actually has evidence directly connecting me to the crime scene, please present it.”

She’s made her case and has put her modelpad away. That was it, her final nail in the coffin so to speak. Now she just had a couple of loose ends to clean up.

“The empty display case in my room is my personal protest. I tried to bring my entire knife collection with me on the trip, but wasn’t allowed to. So I brought the empty display case so if anybody asked me about it I could tell them 'This is where my knife collection would be, if i had been allowed to bring it.’”

Clearly, she’s still bitter about this.

“That knife in my room is my personal one. I’d never go anywhere without it. As you already know, E.ve-san. I have a coil of rope if ever I needed to cut it, I could use that knife, although I’d rather not. A long rope is significantly more useful than many small ropes. It’s relevant to my talent.”

It seemed like that was the last arguement she was going to make on the matter, so she addressed Eiji.

“I inspected the stab wound. It was deep, but it missed the heart. So you can go by your longer estimate. As for all of this feeling very deliberate and there being too much evidence? Yeah. I deliberately investigated and found evidence that matched up with what was at the crime scene. I know she’s the culprit. You have two people, at least, who investigated my room and found nothing against me, and 18 people not counting myself who investigated the rest of the facility and found nothing against me. You’re basing all of this on the fact that I have the key to Kimura-san’s room, that I honestly would have said nothing about if I knew it would come to this. I wouldn’t have gone with Choi-san to find out which room it unlocks, and I wouldn’t have told Atsuko-chan, Kyou-chan, and E.ve-san that I had the key. Seriously, you’re overthinking this way too much.”

[shsl-emt]

B L O O D . . . || Eiji || Trial 1.1 || Re; Kaz, Kagemori, Keiko, Koharu

[TW: More blood. always blood. thats all he talks about. please Eiji…… are u an actual vampire….. plot twist…. mr spoilers….]

Eiji nods at Kaz with a weak smile. Even when he’s given credit he doesn’t really feel.. any better. Kaz is very much right in saying that it really doesn’t matter much, but… wait. No, no it does. Kaz what the heck. Eiji takes a deep breath. He doesn’t like being pushy at all, oh geez…

“Kaz-san, while the stabbing was not the cause of death, it serves an an important clue when trying to determine the culprit’s course of action. We may not perhaps be able to use it effectively, but to dismiss it is… not a good idea either.” But he’ll drop it there. Still… He knows Kaz wants to stay focused but it’s not something they should just… forget about. It’s weird. Why??? Why was she stabbed before??

When Kagemori asks about dying to a stab to the heart, Eiji sighs. “It is not quite that simple. As stated, a direct stab to the heart would be difficult. I do feel foolish that I did not check where the stab reached, however, to do so I would have had to– …er… let me not discuss that further”, he says, dropping THAT can of worms. Oof. “Regardless, the strike was to her chest, which can produce many painful ways of dying.”

“The most important factor is whether the knife is pulled out or not. If left in the wound after the stab, it can work as a poor man’s plug, preventing major blood loss even if the blade struck her heart. This would prolong her life by a surprisingly long time - unless the strike was to her lung, which could slowly cause her a drowning feeling due to blood filling her lungs.” Fun…. He talks about all this so casually. 

“If the knife was pulled out, she would bleed profusely and die of exsanguina– …blood loss very quickly. I would give it from 20 seconds to a few minutes at most if she was struck in the heart, or 4-6 minutes if the strike missed her heart”, he states. “…I do believe Kaz-san can provide a more accurate explanation of how long one has to live after specific ways of being stabbed, however. I do not know the specifics.” 

“All that said, the only way she could live long enough to take painkillers would be if the knife stayed in her chest. It would undoubtedly be excruciating… being stabbed in an area that has to move in order for you to breathe…” Eiji, please spare these details… 

To join the nail show-off party, Eiji shows his own nails, looking a bit lost. Neatly trimmed but completely devoid of nail polish, the only thing wrong with his hands is cakey blood here and there. Ignore the sprites. “…I touched Kumagae-san during the investigation, so I am afraid I look unpresentable, but… I do not use nail polish. The smell makes my head hurt…”

Listening to Keiko’s testimony, Eiji nods, crossing his arms. Honestly, it is hard to blame her. The evidence feels too… hollow. But he can’t be sure. Regardless, he sees Koharu slam the vote down and he… feels very exasperated. Rika isn’t much better but at least she’s trying. 

“I would also like to point something out”, he starts after that whole display, “Amashiro-san, you are very keen on blaming Kimura-san, but all of this feels incredibly… blatant. Like it was purposefully set up. Nail polish is very hard to scratch off unless it is very fresh, according to what I see from my mother. I also recall her mentioning that gel polish does not even do that, if Kimura-san’s claim of only using gel polish is true. It remains wet until you set it with UV light, and no professional would leave gel polish uncured, much less apply fresh nail polish right before committing murder." 

”…I would like to point out that being so adamant about placing blame on such an obvious suspect makes you look even more suspicious, since it already feels like Kimura-san is being framed. For there to be so much evidence against one person feels far too… suspicious…? Not to mention you had just as much access to all those items as Kimura-san herself. Even the hair could simply be taken from her room.“ He shrugs, lookings downward. ”…I also could not find any hint of Kumagae’s last letter pointing towards Kimura-san despite her stating she specifically left us a hint in another letter. If anything, the phrase “searching for something that will give a revelation” sounds much like ‘searching for treasure’. Please correct me if there is something incriminating towards Kimura-san in the letter, however.“ 

”…I would also like to agree with Kanta-san - it seems unlikely that Ryou-san would not recognize Kimura-san of all people. Is this right, Kimura-san? It is possible that one of the people Ryou-san heard were not necessarily the culprit at all.“

[shsl-emt]

Filing Down || Keiko || Ch. 1 Trial || Re: Koharu, Kagemori, Kaz, etc.

Keiko, who has been sort of squatting over in the corner watching the trial unfold for a while now, finally make a point to get up and approach the others, leaning over the singular unused podium surrounding Modelkuma’s chair. Taking a look around the room, she rubs the back of her neck and grimaces,

“….. Don’t get me wrong, I know how bad this looks. Lotta these signs are pointin’ to me, yeah? Seriously though, I’m innocent here. Look, Amashiro-san, when didja find out that the key you had was for my room, huh?… I ain’t sayin’ it was you, but who knows what coulda happened- maybe you left it unlocked or…. I dunno, maybe I left it unlocked.”

She sighs, glancing over at Kagemori,

“Nah, I ain’t paint anyone’s nails… not yet, anyway…”

She holds up her hands to reveal extremely well-kept nails, painted a shimmery red.

“I know I used to be a Neil Technician an’ all, but acrylics ain’t good for gettin’ shit done, I can tell you that. I usually stick to gel for myself, so….”

She sighs,

“Listen, I didn’t want to have t’ bring my wife into this, but I knew she wasn’t in no harm. Sure she was near the bottom, but she was never at the bottom, so I ain’t had no need to be worried. Seriously, I know how this looks, but I really ain’t done it. All you’ve got for full proof is my blanket, and that piece of hair, an’ who knows whose it is? Plenty a people here have dark hair, ya know? Maybe I was in there earlier and it fell out, yeah?”

She crosses her arms, looking warily around the trial room.

[shsl-emt]

Careful! You Could Chip A Nail! || Koharu || [Re: Kaz, Rika, E.ve, Kei, Kaise, Red] [ATTN: Keiko] Chapter 1 Trial #2

In the end, she had been right about what Mickey had alluded to, which meant that she had heard from E.ve, who was the only person who wasn’t in her original investigation group to know about that from her. However, the idea that she was the culprit should already be dead in the water, but nobody had payed attention to what she had said to clear her own name. Looks like she’ll have to repeat herself, but first she’d address everything else.

She held up her hands. Her nails were trimmed short with no signs of painting.

“Due to my field, I don’t typically paint my nails, more often than not it just gets damaged and doesn’t look as nice. So like E.ve-san said, I don’t have any Nail Polish or Remover in my room.”

She was remaining calm. She was prepared for these accusations the moment she mentioned her key, so to get that out of her way, she pulled it out of her pocket, showing it to the class.

“Anything we win from the smaller fashion shows we can’t give away. That was part of the rules, so if I won the key, I still have the key. Simple!”

Koharu put the key away. No reason to continue that conversation. 

“Also, yes, my brother, Hanzo-nii, was at the bottom of the list after the last update. However, Atsuko-san can vouch for me. In a game, I told her a truth that I can’t beat Hanzo-nii in a fight. Even if we got to the point where our family members got killed, I was confident in Hanzo’s ability to see through whatever assassination attempt went his way.”

She had to be. Hanzo was the one family member she trusted to be able to defy death. 

“If you still don’t believe me, ask E.ve-san. I’ve already given my alibi. Ryou-bot did not recognize the two voices he heard that night. Meaning the culprit had never spoken to Ryou-bot directly. My first meeting with Ryou-bot was with E.ve-san, therefore he can confirm this Alibi. Everyone that went to Ng-san’s performance, myself, Kaz-san, and Red-san all share this alibi along with Choi-san. When we questioned him further, he clarified that even if he had met Kimura-san, he wouldn’t be able to recognize her voice. Atsuko-chan and Kyou-chan can both confirm that Ryou-bot said this.”

That was a lot of information to throw out at once, but even so there was still one thing she wanted to address.

“I believe that the thumbtacks and the tripod were used to keep the Cafe door open past curfew. Even if they weren’t locked til 11, it was a risk the culprit knew she was taking and so she prepared for it. That’s my theory at least.“

”Can you confirm or deny any of this, Kimura-san?“

Koharu felt her alibi and her accusations were air tight, and even if she attempted to argue it, Koharu still had the last nail to put in the coffin… Pun intended. 

[shsl-emt]

One Two Many Revelations || Kaz || Trial 1.2 || Re: Eiji, Rowena, Rika, Kei, Kaise and e.ve // Attn: Koharu & Keiko

It’s not often when Kaz realizes he’s wrong, but as he listens to the Horror Musician debate, his expression turns into one of growing realization. “I…think you may be correct, Mazawa-san. I have no way of supporting or counterclaiming you and Red-san as it stands, but yes, I would imagine it to be less important since she was not killed with the knife in the end.” He admits gracefully as he nods in earnest. “I will have to brush up on my pathology knowledge later, but thank you for pointing out my mistake. Right now, though, we should continue with the case at hand.”

Turning to face his right, he holds up both of his hands to reveal fingernails that are free of polish or any sort of coloring. “When you wear gloves on an everyday basis, you tend to forget paying attention to your fingers.” He says, before a mini-thought comes to him like a bolt from the blue. “Come to think of it though, is Kimura-san not the former SHSL Nail Technician? If one of her nail sets could have been repurposed, I imagine it is a possible explanation for the scratch marks - nail polish tends to go hand in hand with nail extensions and they can cut deeper into metal than our regular nails. It does not narrow down the main suspect pool more than the rest of you have decided upon, but… I thought it was worth at least a mention. Kimura-san, may we ask that you also reveal your nails to us, just to be sure?”

“Yes, Rika-san did indeed win a key to the interior of the Stylist’s Living Quarters. I did not know of Amashiro-san and her prize however, and I also did not hear of the suspicions against her until just now.” He drums his fingers on the podium as he tries to make sense of everything else that had happened so far. None of the evidence had been instrumental so far, and it looked like there wasn’t much that could point in either direction. What was an EMT to do? “If you will allow me to take another look at that note…”

Whether it is from Eiji or the copy that Rowena photographed, something seems to build in his mind until he positively looks a little uneasy. “Well… If we take her note at face value, it may seem as if she is asking us to look back on one of the paragraphs on her family history. But that is where I have run into yet another standstill: assuming Nozomi-san and Nozomu-san were her siblings, it would imply that Amashiro-san, whose sibling was also at risk, was the culprit. However, if we go in to the paragraph about her uncles getting married, that would instead point to Kimura-san and her wife, Rumi-san. I do not particularly want to believe either of them did it, but at the same time if I did, I do not know who Kumagae-san was referring to in her clue. Aside from those notes and the painkillers that I would assume Kumagae-san consumed before she died in order to lessen the pain, have we missed out on any other pieces of evidence?” He asks. “I’m not comfortable with making a formal accusation without listening to the both of them first either.”

[shsl-emt]

Overwhelmed || Eiji || Trial 1.1 || Re; Kaz, everyone

Eiji entered the room among one of the last people and he settled down to one of the available spots, and feeling anxiety well up in his chest he simply stands there, feeling a bit frozen. He wonders if he should state his evidence… But then everyone starts and confidently states pretty much everything that he knows already. Oh… okay… he’ll just… be quiet, then, and let everyone else talk…

Kaz does say something that strikes him as odd, but even then Red points out what he knows. Debating within his head if he should say something, he finally decides he should clarify… God, Eiji, just speak. Just speak for once, you don’t have to force yourself to be an outsider for once. 

[TW; Loooots of detailed blood talk]

“…Um… Kaz-san, with all due respect, I do not think the wound was caused postmortem”, Eiji says. “Postmortem wounds very rarely bleed at all, and if they do, blood coagulation would be visible. The amount of blood itself does not refer to anything, as the position of the body and location of the wound determine how much of the blood escapes. it is rather what type of blood is present that one should focus on.” 

“…The blood around and on Yuuna was, once, fresh blood, albeit it is dried up now. Therefore, I claim that the stab happened premortem.” He looks to the side, a bit awkward. “…I also do not think that the direction of her neck necessarily has much to do with it. The action of snapping one’s neck takes great effort, and how they do it in the movies is far from accurate. You either need two strong hands with an extreme angle on the spine to break such, or you need to use an outside item and a lot of force.“

“…According to what I could tell, hands were used. There are no imprints of a rope or other shaped weapon, simply light bruising.” 

“…Wounds also do not necessarily spray all over the place”, Eiji comments. “Blood can shoot out violently due to pressure if there is a wound to an artery, but if it is at any other part in the body, there is less change of it spraying out like in movies. Stabbing someone’s heart is also a very tricky thing to do due to the sternum and ribs especially with a kitchen knife, and while I did not feel comfortable checking where the wound ended, the amount of blood makes me doubt she was stabbed right into her heart, which would also diminish any ‘spray’ of blood and simply cause her to bleed profusely. I would like to state I did match the kitchen knife to her wound, and it appears to be the blade used.” He feels fidgety. Talking in front of a huge crowd… Is he really this anxious? Has he always been? He never really paid any attention to it, but…. “…It… it is possible that the knife was removed swiftly postmortem, which would lessen the amount of blood that escaped the body. I suppose there is also a chance she was killed elsewhere and the murdered cleaned up any blood, but I doubt it as it sounds even more impractical than what we already have in our hands.”

“….I hope I do not sound condescending, that is not my intention. I… simply want to share what I found as well, even if it contradicts some evidence presented…” Even though everyone is doing just fine without his participation. He is pretty useless, huh? Even now he’s arguing against a certified medical practitioner while he’s just some forensic pathology hobbyist. 

Ugh… He came here to feel more confident but somehow it’s just getting worse. 

“…Kumagae-san’s body did not have any visible signs of struggle, nor were there traces of chemicals in her mouth”, he finally states, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “I took a picture of the note in her hand if anyone wants to read. The possible ‘Clue’ she mentioned goes as follows: ‘But in the end, all I can do is keep looking backwards, searching for that one section of my life that will give me a revelation.‘ I didn’t spot any other part of the letter that seemed like a clue….”, he mumbles, and he just goes back to examining the letter just to make sure. He… really does not want to be here.