#apextrial

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What I Am in the Dark (#40)

“Okay…! All the votes are in! Let’s see who the winner is! I’m so excited…!” 

“.....”

I wait for the shifting lights to settle before I take a good look.

No one saw fit to vote for me after all.

“..........”

“It looks like today’s winner is… Yuki Kurokame! Congratulations!”

“And the majority vote iiiis…” 

“...”

“......”

“.....”

“Correct!! Yuki was the killer! I’m so proud of all of you…!”

“No... You can’t...”

“I hope you all enjoy the execution...!”

“You can’t...! I had to save my family...! I still have to...”

“Might not work out too well now, ahaha!”

“Ooh, unless you can do that as a ghost?!”

I’m sure Tsunyasha would have something to say about that in any other circumstances.

“.......”

If I hadn’t broken her.

“I’m not dead yet... We can fight... right? Mahavir?”

“I... Why me...?”

“Probably ‘cause you have the gun!”

“Oh.” Indeed I do. But what good is it against a robot? I’ve no idea where I’d need to aim.

“Um, Doppler...”

“...”

Whatever I was trying to ask slips from my mind before I can form more words. The trial room dims again. My skin feels tight, and my tongue prickles. I...

I... won’t be saving anyone here. Whether or not I ought to... is no matter. I don’t believe I could hold the gun up again... let alone aim it—at what part of Monochaperone I can’t even be sure. There aren’t many others available to hand off the weapon to. Kogamino and Tsunyasha... aren’t. Tokino and Kurokame I wouldn’t trust. Yuukei... doesn’t seem keen on letting Kurokame go. Doppler couldn’t handle any recoil in his condition. And I... can’t...

“.............”

The air feels too thin to sustain me as I struggle to remain upright. Kurokame cries out, I believe, but if there are words I cant make any sense of them.

“.....................”

Should I be... trying harder? I’m sure I could push away the haze, for... for just a moment, if I...

“.....................”

...It’s no good. I’m... too weak. Haah... Strong enough to be the bully, but not strong enough... to stop an unjust execution?

What was the point of becoming strong... if it was going to turn out like this? Is it inevitable? Or did I willingly take the wrong turns myself?

“...............”

If I think about it any longer, my head is likely to burst. I fear it’s close enough to doing so already.

I pry my eyes open and attempt to blink away the static. It doesn’t work terribly well. I’m not certain what’s happening beyond the small space directly around me. The room doesn’t seem to have an excess of noise or movement anymore. That, or my senses are farther gone than I thought.

I register the shift in the digital display before me. Only tangentially aware of what it means right now, I watch.

[PROCEED]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What I Am in the Dark (#42)

After an embarrassing amount of time, I realize the video feed has in fact ended. I blink the spots from my vision as best I can, but it’s still difficult to focus.

“......................”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“E-Everyone...!”

Ah. Monochaperone’s returned. I... can’t recall him leaving in the first place, but he must have. If Kurokame hadn’t gone willingly...

“...”

“Thank you, everyone, for another exciting trial! That should wrap things up, so...!”

“...”

“........”

“U-um, you can leave anytime you like...”

“...”

“Okie-dokie mister ma’am!”

Is that the correct form of address...?

“Like, to the elevatormobile I guess.”

“Wowie! You sure calmed down.”

“ ‘s over, dude. What do you want me to do?”

“I dunno!”

Despite the various declarations, the terribly sparse ring of people doesn’t shift.

“...”

“...”

“...”

I suppose I ought to... take action?

“.......”

To aid whom, exactly? Tsunyasha would hardly accept my assistance now. Perhaps Kogamino would be more... Er... I’ve lost my train of thought now.

I’ll... just head towards the others. That seems like an appropriate course of action.

I loosen my grip on my podium warily. The lighting in the room still feels unsteady, but I know the elevator isn’t as far away as it seems now. I’m sure I can guide someone...

I take a step towards Kogamino and collapse.

Everything is dark. Someone swears, but I fail to place the voice.

What on earth am I doing? I... need to...

The others exchange words I can’t make sense of. What if those were instructions? Focus.

Despite my best efforts, my awareness continues to slip in and out.

“...have to carry everybody outta here?”

“.....”

“...be necessary. Mister Tokino, if you could guide Miss Tsunyasha...”

“....”

“...may not be a good idea right now.”

“What, you're just gonna leave her there?”

I need to... get up.

“...a little more time. I... ...Excuse me. I’ll stay behind personally to keep an eye on her. The rest of you, please go ahead. If you don’t see us back upstairs in an hour or so...”

Sucking in a breath, I finally gather my feet beneath me and push myself onto them as best I can. I’m still a bit too unsteady to risk standing. Just another moment to prepare myself...

“Yeah, sure!”

“Wait, can we come back down without somebody else dying?”

“Surely we’ve made multiple elevator trips out of here before.”

“O-oh, um...”

“It should be fine, I think!”

“Just don’t take too long...”

“Insofar as any of us have a choice...”

“........”

“...we won’t.”

“Good enough, IG.”

“Yo, Iggy. You awake?”

She jostles my shoulder—when did she get over here? Thankfully the force isn’t enough to push me prone. But it doesn’t shake me back to full consciousness, either.

“.........”

“I mean, same, but. C’mon.”

She offers a hand. I take it robotically. Standing is much easier with her aid, at least. The room continues to sway gently, but my balance holds. From here it’s a bit easier to see Tokino... skipping? to the elevator, with Tsunyasha in tow. I swiftly look elsewhere.

Kogamino huddles in the same spot, though she’s a bit less tightly curled up now. Doppler sits within reach of her, but it seems he’s gone back to dozing. I’m nearly there myself.

“Are they truly safe here...?”

“W-Well, I won’t hurt them!”

“At least, not unless they break the rules...”

I glance back at Doppler.

“.....”

“Do we gotta bring him a coffee or what?”

“If he’s been drugged, then...”

“...surely it wouldn’t count...”

“Um...”

It looks around the room, as if a guide is posted on one of the walls. Is there one? Nothing within my immediate field of vision, and I’m in no condition to swing my head around more than strictly necessary.

“That’s probably okay! Since it’s not really, um, ‘sleeping’ so much. Ehe.”

“Very well.”

I’m halfway tempted to stay behind myself, but I doubt I would be much help. Instead, Yuukei drags me into the elevator. It seems the other two have already made it upstairs. Thank goodness. I’m not sure I could stand a moment longer in Tsunyasha’s presence.

Ha. As if I’m the one who ought to be coddled.

The rattle of the elevator is gentle, yet it’s enough to nauseate me. I may be clinging to Yuukei’s arm. It’s hard to be certain when another wave of prickling numbness is passing through my limbs.

I realize belatedly that she’s speaking.

“Er... What... was that?”

“Are you, like... good?”

“...” No? Quite plainly? Unless the question is intended to have a moral bent, in which case I’m... not certain, at the moment, and I’d prefer not to think about it given the choice.

The elevator opens with a short ring. We make our way out.

“You totes voted for yourself, right? ‘Cuz I super didn’t.”

“.......”

“...That’s correct.” Perhaps I ought to keep the conversation going, but my mind is bereft of words. And most anything else.

We continue on, towards the dorms, and slow to a stop at some point. Likely near my door. No, surely we haven’t gone that far yet?

“.........”

I should... keep walking. Why have we stopped?

Yuukei heaves a frustrated sigh.

“So, like, look. I’m p sure you've got some super yikes junk in your head right now, and you should totally get rid of that before you, like, cry yourself to sleep or whatever.”

“......” It’s always damnably difficult to respond to this woman. Even if I’m nearly standing on my own right now, I certainly don’t have the energy to puzzle her out.

“...The trial is over. I... ought to be resting. If you please.”

Hand propped against the wall, I turn to make my way along. Two paces in, Yuukei steps directly into my path. I come to a disgruntled stop again.

“Like, how good do you think you’re gonna rest right now, my dude. Just sayin’.”

“........”

“Aren’t you mad?”

“Mad?”

“Yeah?? ‘Cuz the dude threatened our families and crap, and Yuki totally murdered one of us?”

“Er... Yes.”

“Though you seem to be leaving out one of the offenders.”

“ ‘Kay, sure. You beat up Tsuntsun and she’s acting funky now.”

That is certainly one way to put it.

“But we’re, like, mad at everybody, right?”

“.....” Should I... at least nod? Mm. I’ve lost track of the question now.

“ ‘Cuz it’s totes unfair if you’re just mad at you. Like, if your setter gives you a super crap setup, it’s not totally all your fault if your spike sucks?”

“Maybe you coulda saved it, but, like. You know?”

In fact, I do not. If she’s going to present an argument, can she at least do so comprehensibly?

“You speak as if... I had no choice but to attempt to kill someone.”

“I mean, like... technically? But not.”

“.........”

“Like, you and Yuki both just wanted to save your families and stuff.”

“Yet you seem much more forgiving of me than her.”

“Uh, yeah, ‘cuz you, like... didn’t actually kill anybody??”

“That was only a matter of luck.”

“I had just as much intention of killing someone... as Kurokame did.”

“Eh?”

“No, that’s, like, super wrong.” 

“Or... however Kakumi says it, IDR.”

“And how precisely do you think...”

“...you can understand my own intentions better than I can?”

“...”

In lieu of an answer, she circles behind me. I somehow suspect she isn’t just letting me proceed to the door. She gives my shirt a tug, but I can’t make any sense of it until the weight against the small of my back suddenly vanishes.

“W—Wait...!”

I twist, but she’s already stepping back around, gun in hand.

“What are you... going to do with that?”

“Uhhhh take it, apparently.”

“......”

“Like, for serious, though. This was in Eats’ room, right? When we were all up in there?”

She at least isn’t wantonly waving the gun about, but I’m not assured it will stay that way. I doubt I could easily confiscate the thing from her in my state.

“That’s... correct.”

“Which was, like... before you ran out and wailed on Tsuntsun, right?”

“Er... Well before, yes.”

“So, like...”

“If you really wanted to kill somebody, you totally woulda brought the literal actual killy thing for that??”

“W... Well.”

“Like, I’m not a murder doctor, but I’m p sure you could murder somebody waaaay easier with this than just wailing on ‘em.”

“...Well.”

“It... would be far too loud, wouldn’t it? Someone would surely come running.”

“So?”

“So I would be discovered as the killer immediately?”

“Like, yeah, and?”

“..........” I truly do not understand what she’s driving at.

“Like, dude, let’s be real here.”

“Did you ever seriously think you’d get away with it?”

“............”

“ ‘Cuz I hate to break it to you, but dudes like you and me got super zero chance of that with Aid and Kakumi here to catch us.”

“You totally know that.”

“..............”

“And, like, if you voted for you to die even when you didn’t actually kill a dude? Like, yeah. It’s obv.”

I’m not sure precisely what’s “obv” here. That I didn’t expect to kill or get away with it, I suppose? Surely that can’t be true. I didn’t stop myself from beating a girl senseless, nor do I have a death wish.

“.........”

Whatever her rationale, Yuukei returns the gun, and we manage to start up walking again. Thankfully my room isn’t terribly far, though it takes me a while to remember I have to dig out my key. Once I’ve unlocked the door, Yuukei shoves it open for me.

“.....” 

A thanks doesn’t quite make it from my mind to my mouth. I simply shift away from her and step through the doorframe. It feels colder in here, somehow. I suppose I ought to shut the door...

But when I grasp the doorknob, she’s still standing there.

“.......”

“........”

“Just don’t, like... get weird about it, ‘kay?”

“.....?”

“You totally don’t deserve to die.”

“So, like... don’t.”

She hustles off before I can respond, if I was ever going to. 

“.............”

I manage to shut the door. Despite bearing my weight on my own two feet again, I only feel weaker.

Perhaps it’s better that way. If this is how I’m going to handle strength...

...then I don’t deserve to have it at all.

“...........”

Fog dragging at my mind, I stumble across to my bed and collapse on the mattress with a cough.

CHAPTER 5 END

STUDENTS REMAINING: 6

[...]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What I Am in the Dark (#41)

Kurokame stands on rough wood that sweeps out in every direction. Some distance away, it curves upward into an insurmountable wall. Weak shadows fall from all angles, the circular rim high above her in complete darkness. She stands staring upward until a low thrumming noise begins to shake the frame.

A jet of steam coils around the top of the container. She doesn’t so much as flinch at the hiss—she only continues to peer upward for anything that could possibly save her. Finally, something descends with a thud. She turns to look, but it’s only a massive clump of steaming rice. More of it swiftly follows, falling onto the walls and the floor and clinging tight. She doesn’t move until one hits beside her with a splash of sticky shrapnel.

With a cry, she flings the burning rice off her scalp and stumbles away. But a layer of the rice rapidly accumulates, and soon there’s no safe place to stand. Humid heat swirls around her no matter where she attempts to retreat. The floor of rice grasps at her feet as though it were quicksand until it pulls her shoes off altogether.

“Kyaaagh!”

Her stockings are a poor shield from the heat, and sticky as the fresh clumps are, they’re no less slippery. She struggles to stay atop the rising rice level, half-swimming, half-climbing on her feet and hands and knees. More burning bits cling to her as she goes, but she can’t afford to stop and shake them away.

The onslaught ceases. Kurokame collapses a moment, keeping as much of herself out of the rice as possible. Her hands, feet, and anything else uncovered is scorched badly and turning redder by the moment. But she has little intention of giving up so long as she’s still breathing.

After her moment’s respite, a dribble of bright red liquid begins to pour in. With a soft splash, it stains the rice in a growing patch but doesn’t appear to pose any more threat than anything else. She still keeps away from the stream as she struggles to pull herself up again. 

The exertion and burns have clearly sapped her strength, and she can hardly do more than slip around. Despite the mass of rice beneath her now, the top of the wall remains far from her reach.

She tries anyway.

Straining for the only exit in sight, her damp hair clinging to her neck as the heat continues to eat away at her skin, she doesn’t seem to register the sudden quiet, nor the wide shadow falling over her.

Her hand still reaches for the sky as the great mochi hammer falls with a sickening crunch.

[PROCEED]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What I Am in the Dark (#39)

“Oh, um, everyone?”

“Yeah-huh?”

“I think it’s time to vote now! S-so...”

“If you want to vote, please tap your choice at your podium!”

“Who wouldn’t want to?”

“...”

“.......”

“Like, okay, fair, IG.”

My... podium. I must proceed that way, then.

“.....”

“Then what would happen if someone were... unable to vote?”

“Unable...”

“I-I mean, someone has to vote!”

“If ‘someone’ can be me, I got it covered, dudes.”

Bodily hauling her detainee with her, Yuukei leans over Kogamino’s podium.

“Please don’t vote for me...”

“Dude, you held her hostage! She’s totally voting for you!”

“But Aidan said...”

“Surrendering was your only chance to survive, yes. But still not a very good chance.”

“......”

Yuukei begins to wind around towards Kurokame’s own podium. The killer struggles to get free, but it’s no use.

“You can’t make me...!”

After a moment’s fitful writhing, Kurokame manages just enough leverage to smack her chin onto her voting screen. Judging by Yuukei’s stare, it must work.

“HEY!”

“Hahaha! Who’d you vote for?”

“I’m... not sure...”

“Ugh!”

Yuukei tosses her to the floor. I cringe, and another wave of fatigue threatens to take me.

“Yo, Iggy, you want me to do yours, too?”

“My... what?”

“Your vote.”

“.......”

“Er, no. I’ll... do it myself, thank you.”

“Kay.”

She resumes custody of Kurokame, I believe, and I tighten my grip on this podium beam. Not my own, still. I’ll have to... get up. And walk over. But it isn’t terribly far.

At least, objectively speaking.

“........”

But utter exhaustion or otherwise, now’s no time to rest. This... isn’t over yet. My job isn’t over yet.

Weight tugs on every limb as I shakily rise, and the pressure in my head intensifies. It isn’t that far. Keep moving. You must keep moving.

A strange, thick haze has taken over the room, as if some dark liquid or other—I’m sure Doppler or Kogamino could come up with something scientifically appropriate, but I am neither of them—has engulfed the entire area. Yet I seem to make it over, somehow. I have to count and recount how many podiums stand between me and the others to be sure I’ve actually arrived at my own.

I... All... right. My vote... should be a simple matter. Even if it’s difficult to focus on the images... there aren’t many choices remaining now.

...Not many at all.

[Mahavir Ignatius Attenborough]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What I Am in the Dark (#38)

“...Huh?”

“Put. The knife. Down.”

“.......”

“Wh-whoa! Where did that come from?!”

“Kishaba’s room.”

“Eats’s? Like, wait...”

We were both in the room at the time. I’m sure she can piece the clues together.

“You thought THAT was a spider?!”

“I...”

“Wait wait, you mean Itsurou lied about getting rid of everything?!”

“I can’t say it would be utterly senseless to keep one behind in the safety of his own bedroom.”

“So. Kurokame.”

I have to focus to keep my teeth from grinding. It’s a bit difficult to speak like that.

“Put the knife down. Now.” I don’t want to say it, but... “I will shoot.”

“...”

“........”

“Dude, hold up, wouldn’t that make you the killer?”

Am I not already? Excluding me from that title merely because I didn’t succeed seems a bit lenient.

But I admit that does make this a bit easier.

“Oh oh, that’s a good point!”

“Would we have a whole ‘nother trial if somebody got shot in the middle of this one?”

“Oh, um... We can cross that bridge when we get to it!”

That issue is of no consequence right now. I keep my eyes trained on Kurokame.

“If another person dies today, it will not be Kogamino. Put the knife down.”

“.......”

I assume she’s trying to gauge if I’m bluffing. I would hardly point a gun at a person’s head as a bluff. Even with my finger firmly on the guard rather than the trigger itself, I’m half afraid it will go off anyway. If it does...

“.......”

...I’m not certain Kogamino could keep from falling against the knife in her state.

I’ll simply have to hope it won’t misfire.

And that I won’t be forced to actually pull the trigger.

“Miss Kurokame.”

“You’ve established that you cannot look after your family if you are dead. Mister Attenborough has clear sights on you with a loaded gun, and we have no medical professionals left to save you if he fires.”

“So your only chance to live...”

“.....”

“...is to drop your weapon. Now.”

“....”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

Kurokame begins to lower the knife. I very nearly slouch in relief, but that would certainly be a mistake. 

I nod slightly, not enough to upset my line of sight.

“Now place the knife on th—”

In a blur of pink, Kurokame goes down.

“—!”

“YAAAAAH!”

Pulse jumping, I frantically point the gun elsewhere as Yuukei, Kurokame, and Kogamino tumble onto the floor in an undignified tangle. I pick out the flash of the knife falling away, but I can’t be certain it hasn’t grazed anyone when a bit of Kogamino’s blood was on it already.

“Whoa!”

“Haha, that was fast!”

“Is... Is everyone uninjured?!”

“Somebody’s boutta NOT be... un...”

“That was too many ‘not’s and I got confused but yeah I’m good and I am totally beating Yuki up now.”

“Wh—What’s the use in that?! Just restrain her, please!”

“But I’m pissed!”

“Miss Kogamino is right there, too, in case you’ve forgotten!!”

“I’ll...!”

I narrowly stop myself from tossing the gun aside. I stow it where it was previously and cautiously approach the pile of limbs a few steps ahead. Yuukei is pulling Kurokame back by the hair as the latter struggles to twist out of her grip. Kogamino is curled up into a ball like she’s waiting out a junkyard dog attack. Not the worst possible approach, but it bars me from seeing if she’s injured.

“Kogamino!”

I can only see scattered traces of blood, so surely she can’t be that urgently injured, but—!

I crouch down and put my palm on her shoulder. She recoils hard before I have the chance to speak.

“.....” None of that, then.

I just ensure I’m stationed between her and the other two on the floor. I’m half surprised Tokino hasn’t run over to join the fray just for the sake of it.

“—!”

The room blurs. I have to grip Kogamino’s podium supports for balance.

I’m aware that I’m still fatigued, but... I can’t do this, not now. The trial isn’t over yet.

When I come back to myself, Kurokame’s been safely secured by Yuukei. Or rather, safely for the rest of us. I’m not certain how easily Kurokame can draw breath in that position.

“Ah...! The knife...?”

My vision dims a touch, which doesn’t assist with my search. But I can still hear Doppler speak up.

“It’s about two meters to your left. Out of their range.”

It takes me some time to interpret the words’ meaning, but by then I’m able to focus again. Yuukei grumbles as she clamps Kurokame’s wrists and ponytail in her iron grasp. 

Neither of them has managed to get the knife. That will have to suffice for the time being.

[PROCEED]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What I Am in the Dark (#37)

Kogamino’s eyes have nearly rolled back into her head, but Kurokame shows no sign of letting go. Surely there’s something I can do about this. But I hardly have the strength to think at this point—if I’m even to trust my own judgment anymore.

Someone tell me what I’m supposed to do.

My ears ring as I try to focus on the situation.

“So, to be clear, your intent is to release Miss Kogamino if and only if you do not receive the majority vote.”

“Umm-hummmm...”

“While knowing full well that doing so may kill everyone you’ve chosen not to target in all of this?”

“I guess...?”

“And you’re just totally okay with that?!”

“I’m not okay with it... I love you all dearly... and I don’t want any of you to get hurt.”

“But I will kill every last one of you with my bare hands... if it keeps my family safe.”

“Hmm...”

“Okay, then!”

“What?! That’s not, like, okay at all!”

“Oh. Huh.”

“I gueeeess she's got a knife, so it wouldn’t be her bare hands, yeah...”

“I don’t believe that’s the issue here.”

“I am sorry for this...”

“But protecting them... also means going back to them alive, so...”

“........”

“Then whom do you suggest we vote for in your stead?”

“Hummmm...?”

“We still need someone to receive a majority... if you don’t want to accidentally tie.”

“Oh...” 

She falls silent, and it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not she’s planning to continue. 

But it doesn’t matter, does it? All things considered, it was hardly even a question worth asking.

“Surely it’s obvious?”

“Like, what is?”

“…”

“That you ought to vote for me.”

“Huh…?”

I can’t well protect my mother if I don’t make it home alive myself. But...

“If we must choose someone, then it’s only sensible.”

“After all, it may not have proven lethal in the end, but I still attempted murder—on the same night, no less. Therefore…”

“…….”

“ ‘Therefore’ what? We’re s’posed to kill you over it?!”

“Would you prefer Kogamino die?!”

“.............”

“Gooood point!”

“No it’s not! I don’t want either of you to die, dude! I already lost Kaich, and...”

“And...”

“I’m not gonna do it!”

“But we haven’t been presented with another option!”

Before this can evolve into a proper shouting match, Kurokame interrupts.

“Oh, don’t vote for Mahavir…”

“He’s going to make a wonderful husband someday…”

“What?! What kind of—“

“What kind of criterion is that?!”

“Miss Kurokame…”

“Was that intended to be a suggestion or an order?”

“Huh? Oh…” she says, as if she forgot she’s in control of the situation here. I shakily drag my gaze down from her face to Kogamino’s, but nothing has changed. She won’t be fighting back anytime soon.

But it’s hardly the victim’s responsibility to free herself. That’s the very reason why I…

Why I what? Why I fight? Why I’ve worked so hard to become strong? So that I could keep these things from happening? So that I could protect the weak? Because all I seem to have done…

“…….”

…is beat the weak half to death. And I thought it somehow acceptable to target her because what? Because she was uncooperative? Because I simply didn’t like her?

In the end, am I no better than any other bully?

“Um… Sure…!”

“What?”

“No voting for you…”

“What?! No! I—I forbid this!!”

“But... I’m the one with the knife.”

“Kay, big deal? I, like, wasn’t gonna vote for him anyway.”

“But that’s—!”

“It’s what? Unacceptable? And how so? Because you’re the only other one who’s attempted murder here? You may need to fact-check yourself on that one, buster.”

“Y-You’re not volunteering, either…!”

“I would certainly prefer not to. But Miss Kurokame would have to provide another way to ensure Miss Kogamino’s safety.”

And—And what is that supposed to mean? We’ll never convince Kurokame to give up, not when her every intent is to care for her family back home. 

But what else can we do? She doesn’t typically move that swiftly, but she already has a knife to Kogamino’s neck. If Yuukei or I attempt to charge them, we’d never secure Kurokame before she causes serious and likely lethal damage. What other options do we have? I…

“—!”

But is… Would that work? If it goes awry, then Kogamino… I could well be the one to kill her myself.

Surely there’s something else we can do—something safer. Doppler, you must come up with something…!

“……”

Wake up!

“Hummmm…”

“It’s hard to choose… You're all special to me.”

“THEN DON’T! KILL!! ANY OF US!!!”

“…..”

She looks to Monochaperone.

“Oh, um, I mean, you can’t vote for me… I-I’m glad that you’re thinking of me, though! Ehe!”

“…”

Yes, I’m afraid a knife isn’t going to do much about Monochaperone. If taking an entire arm off isn’t sufficient to disable him, I won’t be able to stop him, either. Perhaps if Tegushi were still here, then the two of us…

But he isn’t here. There’s no use daydreaming about it now. We already missed our chance to destroy Monochaperone. And with so few of us left, in such terrible condition, we won’t be receiving another.

Kurokame, on the other hand… 

“........”

I...

I take a small, uncertain step backwards. It doesn’t draw Kurokame’s attention, though I could swear I feel someone’s gaze on me. My hands are already clasped behind my back, so there isn’t far to go.

“Perhaps I can help you decide.”

“Oh! Is he volunteering after all?”

“Dude, we, like, just got you back!”

“I’m aware...”

“But no, that’s not necessarily what I mean. After all...”

He turns back to Kurokame.

“...you didn’t target me.”

I’ve no idea where this is going, but I’m certain I’m not going to like it. I must do something. But... When? Unless Kurokame simply gets tired of holding Kogamino up, I don’t anticipate finding a particular opening. And Kurokame is very much known for enduring far past the point of exhaustion.

“..........”

“I didn’t, no... What about it?”

“This wasn’t the only murder you could have possibly plotted out. There must be reasons you targeted Mister Riseiin beyond the way he ate his food. Would you care to elaborate?”

“I’m not sure what you mean...”

“Are you... trying to stall...?”

“I most certainly am not!” he cuts in quickly. “I’m just trying to help you with your decision here!”

Ah, then he is stalling for time?

I... I was aware of that.

Still, what good will it do us? Particularly if we begin to bore Monochaperone. Is Doppler trying to come up with something? Has he already, and he’s merely waiting for someone more mobile to catch on? Is it me? He’s making no eye contact with anyone but Kurokame, so it’s impossible to guess.

“If you allow us to determine your reasoning for sacrificing Mister Riseiin, then it could lead us to who among the living you’d be most willing to sacrifice in turn. Don’t you think that follows logically?”

“I guess...?”

“Dude, why would we even wanna talk about this?”

“I dunno, I’m kinda curious, too!”

“Well...”

She makes a long humming sound. My hands burn. I don’t think it’s anything to do with the wounds.

“It’s not like anyone was okay...”

“But you, like, just figured you’d kill two of us anyway?!”

“Only in response to the motive, yes? So, why Mister Riseiin?”

“Hummmmm...”

“I guess... I was just thinking...”

“What would the rest of his life be like, anyway...? Could you really... fall in love? Or, you could do that, but...”

“How could you cherish and support someone... if you won’t remember anything about them anymore... after just a few minutes?”

“Dunno what you’re talking about, dude. He was, like, super supportive, wasn’t he?”

“Towards friends... strangers... yes.”

“But think about trying to raise a family... when you can’t remember the names of your own children... Can’t remember you have children. Just imagine having a father like that...”

It may be less difficult for some of us than you think.

But I can’t dwell on that now. If she’s sufficiently distracted, then...

I lower my hands incrementally, to the extent I’m not entirely sure how much motion is progress and how much is merely trembling. But it doesn’t take long before I’m able to stop. Then... How had I oriented it, again? Now would be a terrible time to bungle this.

“It does sound kinda weird, I guess!”

“I think it would be... no good at all...”

“So you killed him.”

“I never would have wanted to... if my family wasn’t in danger.”

“You murdered him, just ‘cause he wasn’t a good enough husbando for you?!”

“Haha, she’s really angy now!”

“You’re not listening...”

“We’re listening just f—”

“The dude totally coulda cured cancer, and you—”

“Miss Yuukei!!”

We’re spinning out of control, but I can’t afford to bring any attention to myself if I...

I’m doing this? I can’t call it safe, but it must be safer than Yuukei charging over herself. I’m not terribly far, so between just Kurokame and Kogamino, surely I can...

“—and you killed him ‘cause just rollin’ with whatever kinda family he ends up with isn’t good enough for—for—Fuck you!”

Now.

A split second of hesitation, a grinding of teeth that sends pain shooting from temple to temple, then I finally seize what I’ve struggled to keep secret for days and turn on Kurokame.

“Put the knife down.”

[PROCEED]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What You Are in the Dark (#36)

“...”

“Hummmm... Yours does sound better than mine...”

“Dude, are you, like, owning up to it or not?”

“......”

“At least have the decency to admit it! If I...”

“If I can, then I don’t understand why...”

“......”

“Mahavir...”

“Unless you or someone else has a very good counterpoint, it’s over.”

“Well? Anyone?”

“.......”

“Haha, nopey-dopey!”

“I can’t see any serious flaws in Miss Kogamino’s presentation of events, either. It may be a bit hard to swallow...”

“...no pun intended...”

“...but with what we know, Miss Kurokame appears to be the most logical culprit.”

“.....”

With the rest of us falling silent, Monochap finally seems to jolt back to life. Or whatever it is he’s got there.

“O-Oh!”

“Is it finally time to vote...?!”

“Like, I’m as ready as I’m ever gonna be, I guess...”

“Yeah...”

I’d rather have a confirmation from the horse’s mouth, but...

“...”

“......”

Doesn’t seem like anything’s forthcoming.

“I think we’re ready.”

“Yes...”

“Yeah, let’s go, everybody!”

Really wish I had your enthusiasm.

“O-okay, then! I’ll—”

.

.

.

Something’s wrong.

I register the tightness in my throat before I can consciously figure out why it’s there.

My heart thuds.

“Y... Yuki...?”

“Sorry...”

The rest of the crowd catches on half a second after me.

“H—Hey!!”

“Dude, when did she even—?!”

The knife feels cold, even though I know there’s not enough touching me to really tell. Yuki, her grip bearing down on my shoulder, is uncomfortably warm against my back. She only has me loosely secured, but it’s still too tight, much worse than the relentless press of the empty podiums to either side of me. The ground feels too far away. Nothing here but me and the person holding me.

“Miss Kurokame! What is the meaning of this?”

I’m not alone. I’m not alone. It’s fine. 

The sides of my neck tingle. Has she already cut me?

“I...”

“I’d rather you not vote for me... That’s all.”

“.........”

“But everybody might get hurt if we don’t, right?”

“Maybe.”

“But Kakumi will definitely get hurt if you do...”

“Yuki...!”

I can’t tell if she’s bringing the knife in closer or if it’s just in my head. It’s getting harder to concentrate on the others’ reactions. Harder to breathe. Let go of me. Let—!

No. Stop. I can’t... can’t afford to panic. I might be the only one... only one in a position to stop this. I have to... Calm down calmdowncalmdown.

“Mr. Monochaperone!”

“Oh! Y-yes?”

“Are you...”

“Are you going to allow this?”

“Eh?”

“Well, um, it isn’t against the rules...”

“That’s true!”

“Even if she already killed Kaichi, she’s still got one more, right?”

“Umm-hummm...”

“So... We all love Kakumi... right?”

“If you did, you wouldn’t be threatening her life!”

She’s threatening my life let go of me.

Breathe. I have to breathe. Have to...

“Y-yeah... Aren’t we... friends, Yuki?”

“Of course we are...”

“This wouldn’t mean anything if we weren’t...”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“Really...? How many of you would vote differently... if I was holding Tsunyasha?”

“......”

Let go of me. The room is too bright. Did Monochap do something? Can’t breathe.

“But you don’t know if anybody’s gonna vote different now, either.”

“I’m ‘boutta vote my fist to her face!”

“Ah, ah.” A pinprick in the front of my throat. I hope it’s just sweat running down my neck.

“You—!”

“No sudden movements, Miss Yuukei!”

I... I think there was a “please” in there somewhere, too. I can’t...

Let go of me!

“So please... 

vote...”

...I don’t know what she’s saying. Neck hurts. She’s still... She’s still here. Around. Everywhere. I can’t... I can’t get out, I can’t run I can’t move. I...

Let go of me, let go of me, let go of me, let go, let go, LET GO—!

[...]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What You Are in the Dark (#35)

Five days ago, Monochap provided our motive: if no murder took place by the end of today, our loved ones would be killed. We immediately rejected the possibility of that happening... but a couple of us couldn’t put it aside so easily. With the group agreeing to a lockdown, getting all the supplies together wouldn’t be an easy task. The killer would have to wait until after curfew for any chance to sneak around. 

But the first person to go out after curfew was actually Mahavir. Oblivious to the trap Aidan laid for rulebreakers, he seized the handle of the hallway door...

...and the broken glass taped to it. The pain and surprise made him cry out, catching the killer’s attention—not only were they still awake at that hour, but their room was nearby. 

Once they figured out what happened, the killer secretly followed Mahavir into the school, being careful not to hurt themselves, too. Upstairs, they swiped some tools for their plan from study halls, including their own, which they were sure to leave unlocked... but the actual murder weapon came from the teachers’ offices. It was an innocuous desk toy, only harmful when swallowed.. But the killer was planning to trick someone into doing just that. 

The next morning, they put their plan into action. Other people were in the kitchen with them preparing the dozens of meals for the day. That chaos, combined with the tiny size of the magnets, meant the killer was able to slip one into Kaichi’s food without anyone noticing. One magnet wouldn’t do much of anything by itself, but the killer had opportunity to lace every one of his meals with their “poison.”

A prime opportunity to muddle the future investigation came when Aidan announced his game demonstration. The killer volunteered to join the group, but they had no interest in the main event. Before they joined us, they looked through their dorm room... 

...for their own personal sleep aids. Sometime during the demonstration, they found a chance to slip some into Aidan’s food. Once we had our dinners, it started to knock him out fast. But in the haste to get things wrapped up, the killer dropped the vial into the game box, accidentally leaving us a vital clue.

That night, the killer was still safely in their own room when...

...the magnets throughout Kaichi’s system finally tore him apart from the inside. He was already dead before the killer entered his unlocked room with knife in hand. Shielding themselves with the comforter nearby, they stabbed Kaichi repeatedly, both to draw out the magnets and to fabricate a more obvious cause of death. They left behind some magnetic sugar pills they’d assembled to throw us off, then left to stash the knife and Kaichi’s key in a classroom.

But something drew their attention while they were outside the dorms. Tsunyasha, injured earlier that night, was lying listless on the floor. Seeing her as a friend rather than a threat to the plan in her condition, the killer guided her to the Nurse’s Office to patch her up. Only then did they return to their room to wait out the rest of the night.

The next morning, the killer met with the rest of us as we began to gather in the hallway. After a while, Tsunyasha, Aidan, and Kaichi still hadn’t shown up. Tsunyasha hadn’t left the Nurse’s Office, so of course we couldn’t get hold of her. Since Aidan was drugged, he wasn’t coming to the door, either. Mahavir and I knew how to get into his room, so we split off from the rest of the group... exactly like the killer wanted. That left them in the group that would find Kaichi’s door unlocked and walk in on his body. That way, it wouldn’t be suspicious if they were listed on the Monofile—even if we saw through enough of their plan to realize they were the first to see him dead.

Does that sum it up...

...Yuki Kurokame?

[NEXT]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What You Are in the Dark (#34)

>NO VOLITION

“No. This story doesn’t work.”

“Oh... How come?”

I look across the circle of podiums.

“...........”

“We’ve all interacted with Tsunyasha since she’s been like this, right?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah-huh!”

“Only a bit.”

“So tell me. This entire time...”

“Has she done anything of her own volition?”

“Her anvil what?”

I don’t know what I expected. Let’s try this again.

“Has she done anything without someone else telling her to do it?”

“Certainly nothing I’ve taken note of.”

“Like, she hasn’t done mucha anything, TBH.”

“Truuuuuuue~”

“.........”

“Well, if she hardly does anything period, and definitely won’t do things without instruction...”

“...then we should have found her still lying on the floor.”

“We didn’t...?”

“Nah, she was sittin' in the Nurse’s Office.”

“Which means someone else had to guide her there.”

“Hummmm... Probably Mahavir... right?”

I turn to Mahavir, but it takes him a few tries to get more than one word out.

“No. I fled the scene with no attempts to help her in any way.”

“Then another person must have gone out there and helped her.” 

“Who else could it have been but Kaichi’s killer?”

“But that’s really super weird, isn’t it?”

“Like, you’re gonna hafta be more specific, dude. All of this is really super weird.”

“Haha, yeah!”

“But the part I’m talking about is, if the killer didn’t wanna get caught, why would they go out and talk to somebody?”

“That would certainly not be the safest next move available. Particularly when the killer had no need to go even as far as the Main Hall.”

“We already had three people out there last night. Claiming there was yet another rulebreaker running around without detection would really be stretching disbelief.”

“I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t have admitted to such a thing by now, either.”

"But the other one doesn’t make any sense, either! Kiiiiinda weird to go super extra stabby on one guy and then just turn around and help somebody else.”

“That’s true...”

“It does sound strange when you put it like that, but...”

“...if it was someone so used to taking care of people that they did it without a second thought...”

“......”

“Additionally, if the killer realized how...” 

“...er...”

“...susceptible to suggestion Miss Tsunyasha is, in her current state...”

“...They could have told her not to say anything.”

“....................”

“.....”

“The killer wasn’t me, it wasn’t Tsunyasha, and it wasn’t anyone who didn’t have access to Kaichi’s and Aidan’s food.”

“....”

“Seriously...?”

“.........”

Seems like Yuki’s out of ideas, but she still won’t confess.

Then maybe I need to say it all for her.

[NEXT]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What You Are in the Dark (#30e)

>A DORM ROOM

We’ve established pretty thoroughly that the only place someone could have gotten any sort of medication was from a personal room. Nothing was taken from either the Nurse’s Office or Kokoro’s study hall. Unless Yuki or Tsunyasha is secretly a pharmacological whiz kid—which I’ve seen no indication of—they didn’t whip something up from the lab supplies, either.

So. Which of those two probably brought sleep aids with her when we first moved in?

[NEXT]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What You Are in the Dark (#27)

“Sooo, basically...”

“We’re either, like, super-wrong, or we’re super-wrong.”

“Yup!”

“Welcome to Apex Academy class trials, I guess.”

“............”

“Well, if Mister Riseiin didn’t ingest the magnets...”

“...we’ve lost our cause of death. We’d also have no explanation for how he could have been attacked so thoroughly without a struggle.”

“Hmm...”

“Hummmm... But I think it makes more sense if he took the pills... even if it’s a bit strange...”

“I don’t think so!”

“No...? But then how did he die before he got stabbed...?”

“Like, I guess he didn’t? Since the stomach-shreddy crap is what killed him.”

“Then perhaps the killer did drug him after all?”

“Have you come up with a sleeping agent, then?”

“Uhhhhh... The pills?”

“That he didn’t take?”

Opinions are pretty split, and we just keep going in circles. It’ll take a pretty cohesive argument to put the topic to rest.

But we have to clear it up. There’s no solving this murder otherwise.

SCRUM DEBATE START

Kaichi did take the pills: Yuki, Kanagi, Aidan Kaichi didn’t take the pills: Kakumi, Mahavir, Ichiriki

“Kaich totally woulda fought off the stabby dude if he was still alive.”

“A medical-y guy would know that taking funny mystery pills from strangers is dangerous, wouldn’t he?”

“Obviously Mister Riseiin wouldn’t have knowingly swallowed magnets, so the killer would have needed to disguise them.”

“Taking a pill isn’t the only way to ingest something.”

“If he didn’t have his notes ready... he wouldn’t know he was in danger.”

“Since we don’t believe the knife was the murder weapon, I don’t think we ought to be concerned about him being stabbed while alive.”

“Why would the killer dude do all that stuff to, like, set up the pills if they weren’t even gonna use 'em?”

“You could hide those itty-bitty magnets inside all kindsa things, couldn’t you?”

“It wouldn’t be that strange... for Kaichi to trust someone enough to take medicine from them, would it...?”

“A lot of this case seems like the killer just went out of their way to confuse us as much as they could.”

“Mister Riseiin must have ingested the magnets for any of our reasoning thus far to make sense.”

“I certainly wouldn’t take any medicine if I didn’t even know what issue it was intended to fix.”

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What You Are in the Dark (#29)

“Ah, right. I think you and Ichiriki were the first to find it, weren’t you?”

“Find what?”

“The vial inside the game set.”

“When you say ‘game set’...”

I nod.

“From the game demonstration event the evening before the murder.”

“But... Kaichi wasn’t there, was he...?”

“Well, no...”

“Then what does it have to do with anything?”

“I’m hoping we can figure that out.”

“It wasn’t even in Kaichi’s room, though!”

“Right, it should have been inside my own...”

“Yup, it was.”

“Was your room left room unlocked for some period, then?”

“It was not.”

“But the only people who can get into Aidan’s room... are Mahavir and Kakumi, right?”

“And Aidan!”

Thanks.

“Yes, but that’s assuming the vial was put there after the demonstration.”

“It seems more likely to me that the vial fell in while we were putting all the pieces up.”

“Who all was present?”

“That would be myself...”

“...”

“...and me, Yuki, and Tsunyasha.”

“So... all of the people that are under suspicion.”

“Unfortunately.”

“Like, what was in that thing, though? It was way too little to try and lick.”

“Some kinda clear liquid, huh...”

“Water, I guess!”

“Not so sure about that.”

“..........”

“But we already know it wasn’t medicine, right...?”

“Right. It couldn’t have come from the Nurse’s Office or Tanukihara’s study hall.”

“Like, what else could it be, uhhhhhhh... Nail polish remover?”

“Surely it would have retained some smell in that case?”

“Oh.”

“Welp, that’s all I got, then.”

“I at least take it the vial wasn’t yours, Aidan? Or a part of the game?”

“Er...”

“Correct.”

“But if it didn’t have anything to do with Kaichi...”

“Yeah, I dunno how it could help us get solve-y on anything!”

“...”

“The vial wasn’t mine, either, if that’s of any assistance.”

“Good to know.”

But that vial has to mean something. Maybe if I just think it through...

[NEXT]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What You Are in the Dark (#25)

“I do think the killer could've learned about the trap indirectly—from someone who triggered it, I mean.”

“But we’ve just established...”

“Never said you had to tell them about it.”

“Huh?! You mean the psychic thing’s, like, really—”

“No.”

“The trap may be so neatly tucked away that it’s nigh-impossible to notice on its own.”

“But it wouldn’t be nearly as hard to notice someone getting injured by it.”

“Ah...”

“People are bigger than door handles, it’s true!”

“But we were, like, trying not to get caught, remember?”

“There defs wasn’t anybody in the hallway when I grabbed the door handle.”

“Ah, that’s right. I’d also checked before my attempt.”

“Then Tsunyasha...?”

“........”

“If she hasn’t responded to the last fifty questions, can we just go ahead and leave her alone for a minute? Thanks.”

“Oh... Sorry...”

“Besides, assuming Tsunyasha didn’t hurt herself again on purpose, she does have fresh injuries. She wouldn’t have triggered the trap early enough for the killer.”

“Right—If Mister Riseiin had been taking pills over several days, then the killer would have had to gather his or her supplies early on.”

“Oh...”

“Then that kinda shoots a hole in that, huh?”

“No one should have been able to see Tsunyasha, either, yeah.”

“But that covers everyone who triggered the trap now, doesn’t it?”

“In which case, I suppose none of us were seen opening it after all.”

“Hmm.” Seems like he has to be right, but...

“But it should have been rather painful to trigger the trap...”

“Did either of you cry out at the time?”

“No way, dude. I ain’t a wuss.”

Mahavir pauses at that before hastily clearing his throat.

“I, ah... believe I may have, actually. It was rather startling, after all...”

“Haha, Iggy’s a wuss!”

“Now, now... Let’s not make fun of people...”

“ ‘Specially when he could still, like, throw you through a wall.”

“Yup, that’s true!”

“If we can get back to solving the murder now?”

“Mahavir. Did you stop to see if anyone was watching after that happened?”

“Er, no. I just fled the scene immediately.”

“But I meeeeeean...”

“If Iggy was screaming bloody murder, it probably woulda woken us up, right?”

“I didn’t wake up...”

You were asleep?

“I certainly didn’t wake up, either.”

“I wasn’t that loud, I assure you.”

“So if someone heard you... they probably had to be close by, right?”

“Oh, ‘cause everybody shoulda been in their dorms?”

Not exactly my reasoning, but sure.

“But, like... the dorm hall door is by the dorms?”

“So someone whose room is closer to the door would have been more likely to hear him.”

“Looking at how the dorms are arranged...”

WHO MAY HAVE HEARD MAHAVIR FROM THEIR ROOMS?

[Kaichi, Yuki, and Kakumi] [Aidan, Kakumi, and Ichiriki] [Yuki, Aidan, and Tsunyasha]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What You Are in the Dark (#26)

“The only people who would have been that close were me, Kaichi, and Yuki.”

The others start getting out their electroIDs to check.

“Hmmmmmm, but Aidan’s just straight across from you, right?”

“Across from me is still farther from the door.” 

“And we’ve already covered how Aidan really isn’t a suspect this time.”

Kanagi squints at her screen and drags a finger across it too slowly to be swiping through images.

“Like, Iggy’s dorm is just past you guys, too.”

“I wasn’t in my room, as I was the one triggering the trap at the time?”

“...Oh. Right.”

“Then Kaichi...”

“Would have been the most likely to hear it, just based on location.”

“Except he’s not exactly a suspect in his own murder. Unless you really, honestly believe he could have stabbed himself oh-so-many times and proceeded to alter the scene.”

“Yeah, not likely.”

“Then our suspects are down tooo...”

“Kakumi and Yuki! Right?”

“And Kanagi and Tsunyasha and Mahavir... technically. Hummmmm...”

“I don’t think Mahavir did it, though...”

“I certainly wouldn’t expect him to target Miss Tsunyasha if he’d already killed someone...”

“...nor does it seem... particularly likely he would target someone else right after sparing her.”

“...........”

“...”

“Okey-dokie! So...”

“Kakumiiiii~! What’s your excuse?”

“For starters, I wouldn’t bring up something that makes me a suspect. You all didn’t seem to be coming up with it.”

“Tru.”

“Yuki?”

“Huh...?”

“Why isn’t it you?”

“Oh...”

“Hummm... I wouldn’t use my own knife...”

“So kind of the same thing as Kakumi...?”

Ichiriki double-points at the next person in the lineup.

“Tsunyasha!”

“............”

I don’t know what he was expecting.

“Okay, uhhhh—Kanagi, then!”

“Why’s it not me, you mean?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Uh... ‘Cuz it’s not?”

“She also said she wouldn’t target Kaichi. They did always get along pretty well, so I’m inclined to believe her.”

“Guess it’s some kinda jock thing, huh?”

“......”

I genuinely don’t know whether to be exasperated or concerned at this point. Please wake up.

“Er... The target.”

It takes him a minute to remember where he was going with that.

“I do have to wonder, why choose Mister Riseiin?”

“Gotta be ‘cuz of his memory thing, right?”

“If the killer was bound and determined to use the pill murder method, then yes. But I should think there are plenty of other ways to kill someone.”

“And frankly—and I’m not complaining!—I should be the easiest target here by a long shot.”

“So then...”

“Then why not go for the easiest kill? Hmm.”

“They could've figured you’d be too cautious to fall for anything?”

“They wouldn’t have assumed the same for Riseiin, you mean?”

“Like, he was pretty chill, though.”

“Yes, but he had those rules explicitly written up for his reference. And we all would have known it.”

“Hey hey, don’t his rules make things kinda weird, too?”

“Because he shouldn’t have opened his door?”

“Well, if he knew he was in Super Duper Murder Town whether he was looking at his notebook or his door...”

“...Then why would he take weird pills from strangers?”

“I... That’s a fair point, actually.”

“I guess you’d have to give him the pills... outside his room? Then there’s only his notebook to keep him from...”

“Keep him from checking his notebook?”

“You mean they, like, broke his hand?!”

“I thought you didn’t find any hand injuries.”

“...Oh.”

“But he shouldn’t have left his room in the first place, because of the rules.”

“But a lot of other people did...”

“...”

“Well.”

“Kaichi was being cautious when I asked him to open his door for the game demonstration. I don’t see why he wouldn’t have been any other time.”

“Then that just leaves, like, Sports Day and stuff, right?”

“With all of us as potential witnesses, someone should have noticed anything that suspicious.”

“Especially people popping pills, of all things.”

“So if we wanna get logicky with all that...”

“...Then he must not have taken the pills after all!”

“Whether or not he took them, they made their way into his possession somehow.”

“They made it to his room, at least...” 

“But Mister Riseiin isn’t the only one who’s been there lately.”

“We’ve all been in there now, I guess...”

“You think another person set the pills there themselves?”

“I don’t think anybody did while we were in there!”

“But the killer had free access to Kaichi’s room after the murder, right?”

“Hold up. If they put those there after everything, then how did Kaich take them before everything?”

“Dude, we’ve already had psychics—if we start getting into, like, time travel junk here, too, I’m totally gonna lose it.”

“I thiiiink what we’re trying to say is...”

“He never actually took any of the pills. The killer just put them in his room to confuse us!”

“Well, consider me confused.”

“Yeah...” 

It makes much more sense than a medical talent taking unlabeled pills from strangers... But “making sense” and “actually being true” are two very different things.

Especially with this lot.

[NEXT]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What You Are in the Dark (#20)

This trial’s been so exhausting I can hardly keep track of all the threads of logic we’ve picked up and put down. But what else is new?

“So...”

“Where do we stand now?”

“Iggy’s totally off the hook, I think?”

“At least with Kaich.”

“.....”

“So if we’ve confirmed all of that first-floor evidence was from Mahavir...”

“...we can agree that that wasn’t the scene of the crime. Kaichi was attacked elsewhere.”

“His own room, by all appearances.” His voice is still weak, but he’s making an effort.

“Likewise, the broken bottle didn’t have anything to do with it. Yuki’s knife must be the murder weapon, then, unless someone found anything else suspicious.”

“......”

“...........”

“I didn’t find anything else that was stabby-y!”

“And...” What else had we tried to link to the lab area? 

“Ah! The pills.”

“The iron ones?”

“The ones in Kaichi’s room, yes.”

“Hummmm... We still don’t know whose they were...”

“I don’t think they were anybody’s.”

“Er... But if no one took anything from lab storage...”

“...”

“That leaves us to wonder... where else the pills’ contents could have come from, yes?”

“Right.”

Part of the explanation seems simple enough to me, but the rest? And how this ties in with this whole mess of a murder?

I’ll have to start us down the right path if I want help putting it together.

NONSTOP DEBATE START

“So, like... the iron pills totally came from SOMEWHERE.”

“We cannot conclusively rule out the possibility that someone else here has medication in his or her room.”

“But if it was their own medication...”

“...you wouldn’t need to take things from Kokoro’s study hall, would you...?”

“Right. The open bag of empty capsules we found were the same size as Kaichi’s mystery pills.”

“Unless someone just happened to have pills of the exact same size and shape, I can’t believe it’s unrelated.”

“How many capsules were missing?”

“It was a pretty big bag. We didn’t try to count.”

“And it’s what was IN the pills that we’re worried about, right?”

“As well as whether or not Mister Riseiin actually took any.”

“Well, it could only have been some sort of sleeping agent, correct?”

“And that’s why Riseiin didn’t fight back?”

“But then we’re back to all the missing-not-missing places-stuff again!” 

“If somebody HAD some in their room, how come they had to put it inside a whole nother pill?”

“Maybe it’s, like, more effective with iron?”

“Or is there anywhere someone could have made some sleeping agents...?”

“Without the lab?”

“Uhhhhhhh. Can you use detergent? We got that.”

“Or the pool chlorination tablets. But then...”

Plenty of rabbit holes we could go down here.

But whether or not it was mixed with something else, I think I can identify something that was in those pills.

LOAD KOTODAMA

[Broken Bottle]  [Small Vial] [Monofile 6] [Pill Casings] [Desk Toy]

[apex-academy]

Chapter 5 Trial: What You Are in the Dark (#23)

“The killer didn’t need a magnet to get those pieces back. They only needed something magnetic.”

“Like the blade of a knife, maybe?”

“The knife they used to stab him...?”

“Then the killer tricked Riseiin into taking the pills...”

“...and proceeded to remove them with the knife? What would be the point of that?”

“Like, yeah. If you’re gonna walk up to the dude and wave a knife at him, you’re gonna get all the same problems you’d get trying to shank him, like, normally.”

“He probably wouldn’t just let you go ahead and do that, huh?”

“But there are magnets stuck to the knife, yes?”

“Bits of metal that won’t come off, at least. With the blood it’s hard to tell exactly what they are, but the knife didn’t seem damaged otherwise.”

“But what if the knife... damaged something else?”

“I mean, we’re p sure it damaged Kaich.”

“Um, besides that...”

“If it hit something metal... and broke it... the pieces could be stuck to it... right?”

“Then what did it break?” 

“I failed to notice any damaged metal objects during the investigation.”

“Well... People were talking about how we haven’t checked everyone’s rooms...”

“At the very least, it ought to be simple enough to prove...”

“...whether something is a magnet, or just made of metal...”

“That’s true. Is the knife here with us now?”

Kanagi waves an arm.

“Yeah, I got it!”

Who gave her the knife? Why??

I guess if Aidan suspected Mahavir, it wouldn’t be a good idea to hand him critical evidence. ...But still.

The next time I look, Kanagi has the knife in hand. I’m not sure how she was carrying it and I’m not sure I want to know. But there it is.

“ ‘Kay, should I put it, like... by my bracelet?”

“If your bracelet has magnets, that wouldn’t prove much. We just need something that’s the right kind of metal.”

“Oh, oh!! How about Tsunyasha’s knives?”

“.................”

“I’d rather not approach her if we don’t have to?”

“Um... Maybe a jewelry clasp, or...” Would those be the right kind of metal?

“The wheelchair.”

“Ah, right.” Guess it’s steel.

Kanagi turns the knife in her hand without leaving her podium.

“So should I just, like, throw this over there, or—”

“You shouldn’t throw knives at children...”

“Please do not throw it.”

“And please stop referring to me as a child?”

“ ‘Kay, I’ll just, like, walk, I guess.”

She proceeds to cross the impossibly long swath of vacant podiums across from me. I try not to think too hard about it.

She waves the knife at Aidan’s wheelchair—near the handles instead of directly next to him, thankfully—and the knife clings to the metal with a little ding.

“Well. I suppose they’re magnets, then.”

“Oh... Okay...”

“So, magnets that were probably once in Kaichi’s gut are now stuck to our ‘murder weapon’.”

“Which was aaaactually just a funny metal fishing pole to get the magnets out and make things look bad. Right?”

“It certainly solves the issue of how someone could stab Riseiin multiple times without drawing a reaction from him...”

“Because he would have been dead before the knife was used at all? Is that what you mean?”

“....”

Well, regardless of what he meant, it works for me. 

But where does that leave us now?

[NEXT]