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another-dr-another · 9 days ago

Text

nov 13th, 2005

Maeda, narrating - …Ugh.

Maeda - ...Wait, I've got it!

Maeda - If Tsurugi thinks well of the blackeneds, then why would he dislike Higa? And why are these both strikes against him?

Maeda - Let’s see what Hatano thinks!

~*~

Maeda - Hatano… why does Tsurugi think well of the blackeneds?

Hatano - …Oh, uh-

Hatano - He always said stuff like… that they weren’t really bad people. Which, they chose to try and kill everyone, all because they deserve what they want, and they want it now, and they’re more important-

Hatano - Which, that’s another contradiction with Tsurugi, because why would you say you care about the group before anything else, then be number one fan of the people that are willing to chuck us all out?

Hatano - But, he said they weren’t wrong for the murder, and the attempt to kill us all, because they were upset, or whatever.

Hatano - Because the mastermind scared them, made them feel like they needed to- and you’d rather cuddle them than acknowledge that everyone else who was scared managed to not commit murder.

//As Hatano glares, Maeda is suddenly reminded of Tsurugi’s existence. He looks over for the first time in a good moment- and is a bit surprised by what he sees. Tsurugi’s still crying sure, tears rolling down his face in a steady flow… but he’s breathing hard. And the last time Maeda saw Tsurugi breathing hard like that was also the first- it was back in the dining hall, when he backhanded Hatano.

Maeda - …It’s panic.

Maeda - …You’re wrong.

//It comes so easily, he must have said it to try and assuage Tsurugi.

Maeda - You know, thinking of the fight… Hatano isn’t saying that Iranami’s death is Tsurugi’s fault anymore.

Maeda - I think that’s a good sign that she might be accepting what happened to Iranami.

Maeda - ….Pointing out that she was wrong about that part of things definitely won’t help though.

Maeda - Tsurugi’s point about the blackeneds was that they were acting out of fear and panic, right? Like you said?

Hatano - …Yeah?

Maeda - That’s what he thought about Higa, too.

Maeda - Tsurugi believed that Higa’s… actions were, like…

Maeda - …Shit, I don’t know how to explain it.

Maeda - …Tsurugi?

//Tsurugi looks at Maeda.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …

//Maeda doesn’t look at anything but Tsurugi’s eyes. It’s all he can do. Tsurugi looks haunted.

Maeda, severely uncomfortable - …

Tomori - …Bigotry is a way of punching down to push yourself up.

Tomori - It’s sold to people under the idea that it’s everyone for themselves. Resources is limited, and in order to win, someone has to lose.

Tomori - Some people deserve to lose, or don’t deserve equal access to things- and those who have less did something to deserve it.

Tomori - He’s coping for… whatever issues he has by believing in something that says he’s inherently better.

Maeda - …It’s fear of attack.

Maeda - Both Higa, and the blackened- fear of something happening, and getting hurt, so you strike first.

Tomori - Mhm…

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I’d fit that pattern.

Maeda - Shit.

Hatano - Yeah! None of what you’ve said makes it look like Tsurugi isn’t the blackened.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Fuckkk.

Maeda - H…Honestly, I’m not sure how we even got to this topic.

Hatano - Tomori’s defending Tsurugi, and it’s just going to get her hurt when he finally shows his true colors. Or, it’ll be a pain to deal with, if he does just lie until the end.

Maeda - …Wait.

Maeda - If Tsurugi has it out for everyone, why would he confess?

Tomori - Exactly!

Maeda - We can’t say he killed Higa because he hated everyone, because then, we don’t have a reason for why he’s confessing.

Maeda - Admitting he murdered Higa just means that he gets to be executed.

Hatano - …So you agree. He murdered Higa.

Maeda - …Fuck!

//Tomori sighs.

Maeda - Damn it… if I defend Tsurugi’s character, then I’m proving his guilt.

Hatano - The way you’ve proved it, there’s two ways things have happened.

Hatano - Tsurugi’s a saint, and he’s the type of saint to get angry and commit homicide, or he’s an asshole, who’s giving us a false confession.

Hatano - Which, there’s no reason to give a false confession- so, time to start accepting Tsurugi’s the blackened.

Hatano - And whether he’s injured or not, there’s no injury that should be making you commit murder!

Maeda - …Wait, did we get to this from the concussion thing?

Hatano - …I guess?

Taira - What was more important to you than paying attention, Maeda?

Maeda - Damn…

Tomori - Hatano thinks Tsurugi might have a concussion.

Maeda - Why’d you bring that up Hatano?

Hatano - …It’s just objective?

Hatano - He hit his head. That could cause a lack of control.

Maeda - That… sounds oddly ingenuous.

Maeda - …I know the word ingenuous? Wh-Where did I learn that?

Maeda - Ah- advanced lit- THE TRIAL.

Tsurugi - Damage to… GABAergic receptors…

Hatano - Speak up?

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi sways on his feet, and doesn’t respond.

Hatano - …

Maki - …There’s a lot of weird things going on right now.

Maki - Let’s work out if Tsurugi’s the blackened. That’s what matters.

Ōtori - Who thinks it’s him, but wants to discuss more before we vote?

//Maki, Tomori, Kobashikawa, and Ōtori raise their hands. Tomori hesitated.

Ōtori - Who’s currently against voting for Tsurugi?

//Maeda and Uehara raise their hands.

Ōtori - …The three of you that didn’t vote- you’d all be fine with voting for Tsurugi now?

//Hatano nods- Taira doesn’t react.

Maeda - She looks more like she’s waiting for an answer from us, than the other way around.

Tsurugi - Yes.

Ōtori - …Alright.

Ōtori - It’d be a majority vote for Tsurugi right now- but even without factoring in those that don’t want to vote for him, the majority of us would rather continue talking.

Ōtori - Maeda, Uehara: what are your reasons?

Uehara - …It isn’t right.

Ōtori - Why?

Uehara - …

Maeda - …I don’t like it, but I don’t have much more of an answer.

Kobashikawa - Maeda, I didn’t know that you thought it wasn’t him. I thought you just wanted to explore every option.

Maeda - …

Maeda - There’s just… something telling me we’re looking at something wrong.

Maeda - …I wish I meant that. Really, I just don’t want it to be him- but if I act like I believe it, I’ll find some way to mean what I’m saying.

Kobashikawa - …Hm.

Tomori - …

Tomori - ………

Maeda - …?

Maeda - Tomori looks… unsure.

//Maeda looks at Taira, waiting for her input.

Taira - …

//She seems… almost bored.

Maeda - Huh…

Ōtori - The motive works, and the method of death works. Tsurugi was nearby, and the timeline fits as well.

Maeda - …The timeline.

Maeda - Does the timeline fit? I can’t think of anything that would make it not fit.

Ōtori - Is there any other factors we need to consider?

Maeda - …

Maeda - Let’s maybe talk about the motive a bit more-

Maeda - Not Tsurugi’s motive. The one Monokuma talked about.

Uehara - …

Tomori - …

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …Someone has to speak up.

Maki - …

Ōtori - …

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - Oh my god. I jinxed it.

Hatano - …

Taira - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - What the fuck!?

Taira - I don’t think anyone wants to.

Maki - …

Maki - Did the motive go off again, since there’s been two deaths?

Ōtori - Monokuma said two murders, though.

Kobashikawa - Could we ask it?

Tomori - …

Tomori - Monokuma?

Monokuma - I Am Not At Liberty To Discuss The Status Of The Motive With Any But A Student Directly Impacted.

Hatano - …

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …

Maeda - Well, shit.

Maeda - I could be affected, and not even know it, since I don’t really know what the motive entailed.

Ōtori - That seems like a bust, then.

Maeda - R-Really? We can still discuss the motive, even if Monokuma won’t give us information- Monokuma never gives us information!

Maki - ...

Tomori - ...

Kobashikawa - ...

Hatano - Nobody else wants to, Maeda.

Maeda - Ugh... damn it- even if it isn't connected to the case, I wanted to know more.

Maki - ...

Maki - I think we should go ahead and reassemble the case.

Uehara - !...

Maeda - R-Really?!

Maki - I'm not saying we vote... but I think we should put out all our arguments, from A to B, to Higa dying.

Maki - We can see if anything's weak, or doesn't line up.

Tsurugi - ...

Tsurugi - I know what happened. There won't be an issue with the case.

Tsurugi - It's a flawless understanding. I murdered Higa.

Tsurugi - I don't think I should reconstruct the case, though...

Tsurugi - I'll leave it all to you.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Maeda - I don't want to reconstruct the case. I think if we get that far, it'll be too easy- Tsurugi's probably right, we won't see an issue with the case.

Maeda - We'll feel defeated, and give up... and I don't want things to end here.

Maeda - What could I bring up that might keep the trial going?

{Something that Happened Last Night}

{Something that Happened This Morning}

{Reconstructing the Case Will Make an Issue Apparent}

#btbb #dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life #word count: 1634

2 notes · View notes

another-dr-another · 15 days ago

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long shot but maybeeee [monokuma file 3-3] with {it shouldn't really matter}? if the cause of death didn't matter it would've been in the monokuma file? idk never done this before

Maeda, narrating - Right!

Maeda - The Monokuma file never named what killed Higa- how exactly he died!

Maeda - It's something we keep talking about- why don't we bring it up again?

Maeda. - We've put so much emphasis on it, on how Higa died, and how we know that, we should make sure it's compatible with Tsurugi being the blackened.

~*~

Maeda - Wait a minute!

Maeda - Actually, doesn't it matter how Higa died?

Maki - What do you mean?

Maeda - We talked about it a bit at the start-

Maeda - Can we rule out strangulation or suffocation? We should be able to, shouldn’t we?

Maki - …Uhm?

Tomori - How does that matter?

Maeda - Because, if there’s an inconsistency, it could imply that we’re wrong.

Tomori - …Ah.

Maeda - Tsurugi. Can you say if you strangled Higa, or suffocated him?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Uhm… suffocated?

Maeda - You don’t sound too convinced.

Maki - Wait- Tsurugi, what?

Tsurugi - …What?

Maki - Why are you saying you suffocated Higa?

Tsurugi - …Oh.

Tsurugi - Uhm. Sorry. We agreed it was strangulation, didn’t we?

Ōtori - …We did.

Tsurugi - Okay. I misspoke, I have to have strangled him.

Maki - …Did you misspeak? Or did you think you had suffocated him?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I think… that I thought I had suffocated him, for a second. But I didn’t actually think it through and decide that, I just thought about it, and when you asked, I said what was on my mind.

Maeda - Why was suffocation on your mind?

Tsurugi - I was thinking about the pillow…

Maeda - Why?

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …Why is he getting quiet now?

Maeda - If you aren’t hiding anything anymore, you should be willing to tell us what you were thinking about.

Tsurugi - Ah-

Tsurugi - I- I don’t remember how the blood got on there, that’s all. I get cut up a lot, it isn’t an issue.

Maeda - …But… what if it is?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …Don’t latch onto that.

Maeda - !

Tsurugi - I don’t remember most of my injuries when I have them. It isn’t weird that I don’t remember some blood from some injury that got on some pillow.

Tsurugi - The reason I didn’t want to mention it is because it isn’t anything we can pursue.

Tsurugi - The only interest that would come up is if the blood is someone else’s, and that doesn’t matter here, because the blood was old and dried, and we know Higa didn’t make the blackened bleed because there wasn’t any blood on him.

Taira - Could we say the pillow having blood is proof he made his attacker bleed? If he were suffocated with the pillow, that’d explain why there’s blood on it, but not him.

Tsurugi - There’d be blood under his nails.

Taira - …Ah.

Maeda - Wait- but there’s nothing ruling out suffocation.

Tsurugi - …Well…

Tsurugi - …Maeda, why is this even on your mind?

Maeda - If it was suffocation, then you’d have messed with the body, right?

Tsurugi - …Yeah?

Maeda - Then it doesn’t make sense.

Maeda - If you messed with the body, it’d be an attempt to obscure the cause of death.

Maeda - Not only does that not align with our understanding of your motive, but it also gives you way more conscious involvement than you say you had!

Ōtori - …I mean, he isn’t wrong.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …That’d be an accurate way of understanding things, yes,

Maeda - Yeah!

Tsurugi - But that doesn’t mean anything. In fact, all it does is rule out suffocation.

Maeda - …Eh?

Tsurugi - After all, we have no reason to start to think it was suffocation. I strangled him, not suffocated, because I wouldn’t have manipulated the body to look like strangulation, due to my mental state when I committed the murder.

Tsurugi - We’ve clarified what the means of death was! We weren’t uncertain before, but now we know for sure, which is great!

Maeda - …Damn it. I thought I could be onto something there…

Maeda - Wait-

Maeda - Tsurugi, why do we believe it’s strangulation, again?

Tsurugi - …Uh?

Tsurugi - …

Ōtori - It was because of the positioning of the body- his hands were up, implying he’d tried to fight them off.

Tsurugi - …No. Not- not quite.

Tsurugi - It was that- and the positioning of his legs. They were flat, like he couldn’t get them firmly planted, which would be the case if they were on his chest, strangling him. Suffocation wouldn’t look like that.

Maeda - You said it was both his arms and legs, right?

Tsurugi - …Yes.

Maeda - Okay. Then, Higa tried to fight you off, right?

Tsurugi - We can assume so…

Maeda - Do you have marks? On your wrists- from Higa?

Maeda - You aren’t wearing your friendship bracelets. It’d be easy to check now.

Tsurugi - Ah…

Tsurugi - …Actually, I haven’t really looked.

Maeda - …I’m not surprised.

Maeda - Well, look now, then.

Tsurugi - …

//He… looks at his arms.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …

Maki - …Anything?

Tsurugi - Uh… lots of things. I’m… not sure if any of them are from Higa.

Maeda - That does check out. There’s a lot of injuries on Tsurugi’s arms, and he said he can’t always remember all of them.

Ōtori - Any of them look like they could be caused by a hand?

Tsurugi - Mm…

Tsurugi - Lots of ways that could manifest. None of them on my arms though.

Maki - …Do you mind if I look.

Tsurugi - Go for it.

Maki - Monokuma, can I leave my podium?

Monokuma - Permission Granted.

//Maki jumps off her podium, and walks briskly to Tsurugi. He turns to face her, and stretches out her arms for her to check.

Maki - …

Maki - This?

Tsurugi - Ah… ‘S a scar.

Maki, incredulous - …Really?

Tsurugi - Permanent discoloration frommm… damage to the muscle? Uh-

Tsurugi - Oh- it’s from my own hand, see?

Tsurugi - Some of the cells died off, and they’re like… stuck under the skin, or something.

Maki - …Okay.

Maki - You’re clear, then. No marks.

Maeda - Okay. Isn’t that weird?

//Maki speaks as she walks back to her podium. Tsu rubs idly at his arms.

Maki - Weird, but doesn’t disprove anything.

Maeda - I mean- wouldn’t Higa have been able to bruise him?

//Uehara looks at Tsurugi.

Uehara - …

//He takes off his jacket.

Maki - Higa probably would have, you’re right.

Maki - But it’s possible he didn’t grab consistently, or wasn’t gripping Tsurugi tightly to try and force him off-

Maki - He could’ve been hitting Tsurugi for all we know!

//Uehara shook his jacket at Tsurugi until he’d both noticed, and taken it. Currently, Tsurugi’s fixing the hood of the jacket.

Maki - Ultimately, this doesn’t disprove anything.

Maki - Tsurugi’s… still our best candidate.

Tsurugi - I’m the only candidate.

//Uehara was doing… something with Tsurugi’s arms, but pulls away as Tsurugi turns to the group.

Tsurugi - There’s other people who could have, but no one else who’s implicated. I’m established to have been at the scene of the crime, doing things that align with our timeline.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Isn’t… it circumstantial, though?

Tsurugi - It’s all we have. It’s confession, or bust.

Maeda - …

Maeda - We don’t have to vote until Monokuma calls the time. We’re fine to just… wait. Wait, and hope for something else.

Maeda - God. What am I missing? Isn’t there something? It can’t be Tsurugi…

Hatano - …Shouldn’t we vote, then?

Maeda - AAAAAAA

Tsurugi - !

//He’s visibly taken aback. Quickly, his expression changes from shock to light concern.

Tsurugi - Well… we don’t have to. We can still wait for a minute.

Hatano - …

//…Her face is still slightly pink-tinted from crying earlier.

Hatano - …You should be brave and face it.

Hatano - If you can shoulder all those other responsibilities, you can accept what you earned when you took someone's life.

Maki - …

Tomori - …

Maki - …

Maki - There’s no reason to rush the process. If we have more time to think, we should.

Tomori - Yeah…

Tomori - And Tsurugi didn’t earn anything. That… isn’t a kind way of looking at things.

Hatano - It’s right, though, isn’t it?

Hatano - He killed someone, now he gets to die. That’s how it works.

Maeda - …

Tomori - It shouldn’t be how it works. It was an accident, it wasn’t intentional.

Tomori - I- If you were saying this about Inori, or Yamaguchi, I wouldn’t agree, but I’d understand, because it was their choice.

Tomori- Tsu- Tsurugi didn’t choose this. And the fact you’re saying all this makes me worried, Hatano. Because you didn’t act like this earlier, and this isn’t the time it’d make sense for you to start, so I don’t understand.

Hatano - …

Hatano - I don’t want to be around someone who’s capable of that.

Hatano - I wasn’t even thinking about Inori and Yamaguchi- but they both had to plan their murders, after they were motivated to.

Hatano - The mastermind didn’t even need to do anything to Tsurugi. He’s just… it’s a ticking time bomb, ready to go off.

Tsurugi - Uh-

//He speaks suddenly, cutting in as soon as he could.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Don’t call me an “it”, please.

Hatano - …

Hatano - It doesn’t matter.

Maeda - …Does “it” refer to Tsurugi, there? Ambiguous… or maybe I’m just inept, socially. I really don’t get what Hatano’s deal is, so maybe I’m just too lost.

Hatano - It was his choice, and it’s not good that you can be driven to homicide because someone upset you.

Tsurugi - …

Ōtori - …Hatano, you were saying earlier that no one cared about Higa, and solving his death didn’t matter. What’s changed?

Hatano - …

Hatano - That was before I knew it was Tsurugi.

Ōtori - Ah. So it is specific to Tsurugi.

Hatano - Of course! Tsurugi’s the one that’s been lying to us!

Tomori - Tsurugi didn’t know- again, he didn’t choose to kill Higa!

Hatano - But he knew he was capable of it! And he still chose to be around us- plus, if he was starting to get upset, he should have recognized that!

Hatano - If you can’t realize you’re a threat, and remove yourself from people, then you’re just selfish!

Tsurugi - …Mm…

//It’s not intended as a response to Hatano- it’s a hum of displeasure… that sounds to Maeda like he might be about to cry.

Maeda - If it’s not Hatano, it’s Tsurugi…

Tomori - Quit it!

Tomori - Tsurugi hasn’t done anything to deserve this. Expressing yourself is good, but you can get your feelings out there and acknowledged without trying to hurt people.

Hatano - It’s. just. fact.

Maeda, stressed - …

//Tsurugi keeps shifting, seemingly very uncertain of what to do with himself.

Maeda - He can’t speak up, because no matter what he says, Hatano will dislike it. If he says the right thing, it’ll put her at odds with it, and if he says the wrong thing, it proves her right.

//Tomori, on the other hand, seems more certain than she’s been in awhile. Since Tsurugi’s confession, she’s looked queasy, but now she’s standing steady.

Maeda - Still, though… knowing Tomori, she isn’t happy to have to speak out against Hatano right now. She’s definitely worried for how Hatano is doing… and this runs the risk of alienating her from the best emotional supports we have.

//Speaking of Hatano, she’s much harder for Maeda to read. Grief hangs heavy in the air near her, even when she isn’t wearing it as a shawl around her shoulders.

Maeda - The way Iranami’s death is affecting her… I honestly have no clue where she’ll go from her- with her argument, or her emotional state.

Hatano - …

Hatano - Actually, there was something I’ve been thinking about bringing up.

//The room grows tense.

Hatano - Is there a chance Tsurugi has a concussion? From hitting his head?

Tomori - …

Maeda - …Oh.

Maki - …Oh, shit-

Tsurugi - Mmm.

Maki - That… that could explain the amnesia. Holy shit.

Maeda - …Is Tsurugi concussed?

Taira - Hm~

Taira - Concussions can have an impact on a person's mood and behavior…

Maeda - Has he been acting weird-

Maeda - The fucking hallway.

Maeda - Oh my god.

//The conversation continues without Maeda- he’s entirely tapped out of it as he remembers.

Maeda - I haven’t thought about it since I heard Tsurugi’s confession.

Maeda - Is… is it possible he was thinking he might be the blackened even then?

Maeda - Or his subconscious was trying to warn him…

Maeda - God…

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Uhm.

Maeda - …Fuck. Would Tsurugi ask us to vote incorrectly so he could escape?

Maeda - I don’t think he would… all he keeps saying is that he only wants to help…

Maeda - But, doesn’t he want to help the world at large? I don’t think any of us have accomplishments that outshine his when it comes to global impact.

Maeda - …Fuck.

Maeda - I mean- Would it be better if Tsurugi escaped? Would the eight of us combined have an effect on the world that would outweigh what he could do?

Maeda - I’m not too familiar with everyone’s work, and you never know… maybe Uehara would go into the legal field in Tsurugi’s memory, or Tomori would become a renowned philanthropist…

Maeda - But, if everyone’s already trying their best, and Tsurugi’s best is just… better, already…

//A pitched whine throws Maeda from his thoughts.

Maeda - Tsurugi.

//Indeed.

Tomori - Hatano.

Maeda - Well, that’s a good bit of context to get.

Hatano - What?

Tomori - Not okay! So far from okay!

//Whatever happened, it seems to have been the last push against Tsurugi’s shoddily-built dam. He isn’t reacting as severely as he has in the past, but we are back to tears, and he is back to trying to hide himself away.

Maeda - At least he’s still standing.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Okay. Doesn’t look like I jinxed it.

//Again, Maeda’s missed part of the conversation.

Kobashikawa - Let’s just move on…

Kobashikawa - This isn’t the time to be arguing over morality- we can talk about that later. Let’s talk about the case.

Hatano - But doesn’t this matter to the case? It matters if Tomori’s able to accept that Tsurugi killed Higa or not!

Tomori - I’m not arguing against that, I’m arguing against you acting like he’s some violent maniac!

Hatano - And I didn’t call him that. I’ve just been trying to point out that he isn’t who he acts like he is.

Taira - How so? You should state your opinions clearly.

Hatano - It’s like I’ve been saying.

Hatano - Tsurugi’s goal isn’t to help us, or to get us out of here, or to make us feel better. He wants the game to keep going.

Hatano - Because when the game keeps going, he can keep stepping in to help, and everyone thinks highly of him, and he gets to continue making all the calls, and having everyone do whatever he says.

Tomori - …

Tomori - Take that back.

Hatano - No! No, why should I? I meant it. I stand by what I say!

Hatano - Do you have something you want to take back, Tomori?

Tomori - …

//She seems to take a moment to process, staring at Hatano with clear shock on her face.

Tomori - …

Tomori - You don’t mean that.

Tomori - Y-You say it, and you do mean it- but it’s not true. And you know that, but- right now, your goal isn’t the truth.

Tomori - I don’t want to talk about this until you’re in a different headspace. Because you should get help, and no one’s able to help right now, and that includes me, and my inability to work through what you’re saying with you.

Hatano - …

Hatano - You sound just like Tsurugi.

Tomori - …That’s high praise. I’m happy I have a friend like Tsurugi who understands me so well.

Hatano - …

Tomori - …

Maeda - …Hey.

Maeda - Hatano, if you think poorly of Tsurugi, how does that fit in with the motive?

//Maeda can’t decipher the look Tomori is giving him, and it honestly frightens him, so he elects to ignore it, and focus on Hatano.

Hatano - …Because everyone’s saying his motive is that he liked Higa?

Maeda - That he was optimistic about him, so he would’ve forgot about murdering him after snapping.

Hatano - Ah. Easy. He’s just lying.

Tsurugi - KH!

//Tsurugi jolts. It’d be funny, if he didn’t seem so distressed.

Maeda - Anything’s worth discussing.

Maeda - Elaborate?

Hatano - …

Hatano - Aren’t you on his side?

Maeda - I’ll talk about anything right now. I don’t agree with how you see Tsurugi, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth talking about your theory for how the murder happened.

Hatano - …Okay.

Hatano - Do you think you…

Hatano - …Do you think you’d start to see the way I do, if my theory makes sense?

Maeda - …Danger, danger, danger. Not a question that I want to answer.

Maeda - No promises.

Hatano - Either way?

Maeda - …Huh?

Hatano - No promises either way. You aren’t saying you will, you aren’t saying you’ll shove your head in the sand.

Maeda - …Yeah.

Hatano - …

Hatano - Okay.

Rebuttal Showdown: START!

Truth Bullets: Bloodied PIllow Room Layout Tsurugi’s Autopsy

PHASE ONE

Hatano - I think Tsurugi’s telling the truth about how things started.

Hatano - I believe Kobashikawa- you’d be stupid not to- about leaving last night, and how he woke up Tsurugi.

Hatano - That definitely happened, there’s enough alibis that I don’t disagree.

Hatano - But, I think his account of what happened is wrong- and I think he knows it.

Hatano - He accidentally woke Higa up, and Higa accused him of murder. But, didn’t you say there was more to the conversation, you just missed it?

Hatano - I think Higa accused him of being complicit- complacent. Of not doing enough to stop the deaths.

Hatano - Higa might have landed on the same reasoning I did. He could have accused Tsurugi of enjoying the trials, solving the case and stringing us along.

Hatano - That’s what caused Tsurugi to “snap”- but it wasn’t some breakdown-induced blind rage, or whatever…

Hatano - It was intentional.

BREAK!

Maeda - Could Hatano be right?

Maeda - Her account of Higa’s thoughts… honestly, I’m surprised she’s saying they could be on the same page.

Maeda - Anyways, her logic is honestly fairly sound, I don’t see any inconsistencies in this timeline,

Maeda - But, that isn’t enough. She has to have a reason for what she’s saying, otherwise it’s just a theoretical situation.

Maeda - I can see what you’re saying, Hatano…

Maeda - But I don’t see any reason to believe it!

Maeda - We don’t have a reason to think that Higa would believe that- or that there’s any merit to it! Tsurugi wouldn’t have killed to keep Higa from telling everyone that theory, because the theory isn’t true!

PHASE TWO

Hatano - But it is!

Hatano - Think about it. Mr. “crime rate reduction” has let {four people die in the past week}?

Hatano - That doesn't even count the two murderers that died as well- it’s been what, ten days? And six people are dead!

Hatano - Those aren’t the numbers we should be seeing if he actually cared about stopping anything. He openly {thinks well of the blackeneds}- what’s to stop him from being one himself?

Hatano - {Tsurugi had no reason to like Higa}, or to even care if he died.

Hatano - We know that something happened last night, he’s confessed that there was a fight, and he’s even stated that he’s the blackened!

Hatano - All he’s doing is {lying to save his image} because he got caught.

Hatano - …

Hatano - He never had anyone’s best interest in mind. {This game is just a lucky opportunity for him.}

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …Ugh.

Maeda - I don’t agree with Hatano’s perspective. I’m glad we talked about it, and maybe we can go somewhere with it…

Maeda - But I need to counter her perception of Tsurugi. It isn’t right, and I don’t want to lie and dig my grave there.

//Note: Remember, you can choose to absorb {italicized options}. Just a reminder- the timing of it totally isn’t relevant here. Totally.

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another-dr-another · 16 days ago

Note

just spitballing here bc i cannot figure out how my suspicions would translate to nonstop debate.. {Kobashikawa’s Testimony} against {it makes sense for you to be the one who killed Higa} ? -iris

Maeda, narrating - Could that be it?

~*~

Maeda - Hey, Kobashikawa?

Kobashikawa - ?

Maeda - Do you remember anything from when you got up last night that could help prove if Tsurugi's the blackened?

Kobashikawa - ...

Kobashikawa - I'm sorry, I still haven't thought of anything.

Kobashikawa - My only interaction with Tsurugi last night was when I asked him to hold the door, and when I thanked him as I came back in.

Kobashikawa - I laid down right after, and fell asleep rather quickly. I didn't catch any of the murder.

Maeda - Ah...

~*~

Maeda, narrating - And I can't think of anything either...

Maeda - At least, not as far as Kobashikawa's testimony goes.

Maeda - But there has to be something else we can look at!

#btbb #dra #yuki maeda #haruhiko kobashikawa #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life

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another-dr-another · 17 days ago

Note

[advance] oh fuck

Maeda, narrating - …

Maeda - There’s no way.

~*~

Tsurugi - …

//The room is silent.

Tsurugi - …

//He’s clearly waiting for someone to say something.

Uehara - …Huh?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - It has to have been me.

Tsurugi - No one else lines up. Five students can be taken off for the reasons we talked about already- leaving Taira, Tomori, Uehara, and me.

Tsurugi - …Of that four, I’m the only one that could have done it.

Maki - Wait- you’re saying that like you had to prove it- isn’t this just a confession?

Tsurugi - …

//He looks away.

Maeda - …Oh my god.

Maeda - Do- Do you think you killed Higa and forgot?!

Tsurugi - …That has to be it.

Tsurugi - I- I shouldn’t have been taken off the list. Remember what I said about how amnesia happens when the culprit can’t accept what they did?

Tsurugi - I didn’t want Higa to die.

Tsurugi - I was the one who had high hopes for Higa- who was thinking something could go different for him!

Hatano - Yeah, so why would you kill him?

Tsurugi - I-

Tsurugi - I didn’t mean to hurt him! R-Really!

Kobashikawa - N-No one thinks you wanted to… but- what exactly did you do?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - The- the thump was from him hitting me.

Tsurugi - Well- he cuffed my head, and I was off balance, so I hit my bedpost. I was still tired… so it startled me, and I cried.

Tsurugi - I… I remember seeing him grin, like he was trying not to laugh… then when I looked at him again, he was laying back down, to go to sleep.

Tsurugi - Like… like he could just freak out at me, and then hit me, and it would all be fine, and he could just roll over…

Ōtori - …You got mad.

Tsurugi - …Not really?

Tsurugi - I just-

Tsurugi - I wanted him to listen. He was dismissing me, because he was happy with how things had gone- and it wasn’t okay for him to act like that-

Tsurugi - …I wanted his attention.

//He laughs, forcing it so obviously that Maeda cringes.

Tsurugi - He always wanted to get a rise out of people. Guess it worked out for him.

Maki - …

Maki - Hold on a second.

Maki - Why did he think you’d committed murder?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - The timeline Maeda gave was wrong.

Maeda - Fuck?!

Tomori - What do you mean it was wrong?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Kobashikawa left for his dorm, then came back, then Higa died, with all the noises Maeda heard.

Tsurugi - When Maeda explained it, and when everyone was talking about who was asleep, it was assumed that everyone went to sleep after.

Tsurugi - They were treated as two separate events- the murder, and Kobashikawa leaving.

Tsurugi - But that isn’t true.

Tsurugi - …In fact, that’s what made me realize something was off. It makes the most sense if we say that the situations overlapped.

Tsurugi - Higa… I think I kicked him, or something? When I was trying to get back into bed…

Tsurugi - He must have thought I had gotten out of bed to kill someone.

Maki - But why.

Tsurugi - I- I don’t know…

Tsurugi - I don’t-

//He chokes, just a bit.

Tsurugi - I don’t remember…

Maeda - …

Maeda - If you don’t remember killing Higa… I don’t think you can just say that you did.

Tsurugi - N-No…

Tsurugi - No, I’m sorry.

//He squares his shoulders, and looks directly at Maeda.

Tsurugi - I murdered Higa. I’m the strongest person here, and I’d bet I have the most experience in fights.

Tsurugi - I was the one who was able to explain the difference between strangulation and suffocation, and I was able to explain exactly how they’d work.

Tsurugi - I was right next to Higa, and I was awake during the time he was killed.

Tsurugi - Think about it. It has to be one of us- does anyone make more sense?

Maeda - …

Maeda - It’s…

Maeda - …Tsurugi would be the first person I think of for capability… but could he have actually murdered Higa?

Tsurugi - …

//He stands there, dead silent. His expression is a mix of remorse and apprehension, but his posture is so firm. It’s hard to look at anything else- the room seems centered on him in this moment.

Taira - …

Tsurugi - …Sorry. I- I feel queasy.

//He looks to the side.

Hatano - …

Hatano - Shouldn’t you be used to talking about stuff like this?

Tsurugi - …I’m not used to confessing to homicide to keep eight people from dying.

Hatano - Have you committed homicide before?

Maki - Hatano.

//The comment throws Maeda- waking him back up.

Maeda - Okay.

Maeda - Tsurugi. Are you sure?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - There’s no other way this can end.

Tsurugi - We only have the one outcome… everything else is just dragging things out.

Maeda - …

//His voice is hardly above a whisper.

Maeda - …No one ever wants to die.

Maeda - There’s always a chance. If we’re still discussing what happened, we can still come up with a different way of understanding it.

Maeda - Maybe… maybe you didn’t kill Higa.

//Tsurugi smiles- there’s tears in his eyes.

Tsurugi - I’m the blackened, Maeda. That’s the only way we can move forward.

Maeda - …But things don’t have to end here!

Maeda - We were convinced we were screwed, just… an hour ago? Half that? We had no clue where we’d go- even five minutes ago, we thought we were stuck with a bunch of suspects!

Maeda - If we don’t have to vote now, we won’t.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - There isn’t evidence.

Uehara - …The trial only goes on with a confession.

Tsurugi - …Exactly.

Tsurugi - If I hadn’t confessed, we wouldn’t have a way to narrow things down any further.

Maeda - But- you said you worked out what had happened when you realized my timeline was wrong!

Maeda - Think about what else we could be wrong about!

Maeda - Let’s go over what happened. Please.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Maeda…

Tsurugi - Do you think I’m wrong? Or do you not want it to be me?

Maeda - …

Maeda - …I want to be confident in what we go with.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Okay.

Maeda - …I don’t think I can go on without Tsurugi.

//It’s just a fact, plain and pure. There’s no justification behind it, no reasoning Maeda has to go through, no conclusion he’s reaching. It’s tacit information. Without Tsurugi, Maeda can’t move forward. There’s no way that Tsurugi’s dying here.

Taira - …

//…If Tsurugi wasn’t part of the game after this… Maeda may not be himself anymore.

Tomori - …

//Tomori starts to bawl.

Maeda - !

Tomori - Uuuu…

Tsurugi - A-Ah!

Tsurugi - …

//He doesn’t offer anything. Everyone simply watches as Tomori slowly sinks to her knees, pressing her head against the bars of her podium.

Tsurugi - …Permission to leave my podium?

Monokuma - Granted.

//Of course, he goes to Tomori. It’s hard to see, but Maeda thinks that he’s giving her a hug from behind.

Tomori - …’M so sorry.

//She’s gently shushed by Tsurugi. Eventually, her tears start to subside into sniffles.

Maeda - …They’re so close…

Maeda - It’s… god, I don’t like how it feels to “know” who the culprit is.

Maeda - It’s different knowing the trial will continue while I have someone that knows we know. We aren’t arguing against them… we’re just confirming that their name is on the tombstone.

Maeda - …

//Tsurugi returns to his podium after helping Tomori to her feet. She rubs at her eyes, and avoids everyone’s gaze.

Tomori - …Sorry…

Maki - You’re fine, Tomori.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - I don’t think any of us want to lose Tsurugi.

Ōtori - Of course, none of us should have to die… but Tsurugi’s contributed a lot, and he’s close with a bunch of people.

Maeda - …I’m sort of surprised to hear Ōtori saying that.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Tsurugi… do you think we’ll be able to solve the next trial on our own?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - There won’t be any more trials after this! If I’m getting executed, I’m going out on my terms, and I’m taking down the building!

Tsurugi - …Kidding, sorry. I would’ve planned something if I knew I’d be getting executed.

//…Maeda sees the way Tsurugi reels when the weight of that last word hits him.

Maeda - …Tsurugi’s going to get executed.

Tsurugi - …Um. Expecting there to be another murder, though?

Ōtori - There’s always the chance.

Tsurugi - Ah…

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Hopefully the blackened won’t be as cool and capable as I am, and they’ll leave more evidence.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Let’s assemble this case, then. As practice.

Ōtori - You can continue to watch over us for now- if you don’t mind giving us guidance, like you have in the past.

Tsurugi - …

Kobashikawa - …

//Kobashikawa coughs- ducking to the floor, and turning away from the group as soon as it starts.

Tsurugi - !

Tsurugi - Man, you probably are coming down with something. Maeda, how have you been feeling? You two were around Mekaru the most when she was sick…

Maeda - …I haven’t really felt anything.

//Tsurugi hums as Kobashikawa stands back up.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - …Tsurugi?

Tsurugi - Yeah?

Kobashikawa - …I’m sorry.

Kobashikawa - If I hadn’t woken you up last night, you wouldn’t have woken Higa, and you two wouldn’t have fought.

Kobashikawa - He’d still be alive… and you wouldn’t be blackened.

Tsurugi - …Oh.

Tsurugi - Kobashikawa, it’s fine.

Tsurugi - This… everything is so far from being your fault- or from you having anything to do with it.

Tsurugi - It was Higa’s choice to start shit.

Tsurugi - And sure, we can say it was my ch…

Tsurugi - …My choice to- to kill him…

Tsurugi - …But I didn’t mean to hurt him. It was an act of panic and pain and desperation.

Tsurugi - Being cruel to myself because something I didn’t want to do had an impact I didn’t want it to isn’t going to get us anywhere.

Tsurugi - Acting like it’s your fault Higa died, because you needed help with something entirely unrelated isn’t going to get us anywhere.

Tsurugi - There is no change you could have made- to yourself, or to the circumstance- that reasonably would have prevented this.

Tsurugi - You are…

Tsurugi - …Everything we’re going to discuss, you are entirely divorced from.

Tsurugi - Again. Nothing you could change would have changed what happened.

Tsurugi - Making yourself feel guilty will only lead to you hurting.

Tsurugi - If you feel like it’s your fault, that’ll hurt, because you don’t mean to cause harm.

Tsurugi - And when you feel like a bad person because of something out of your control, that pain won’t go away, and it’ll start to screw you up.

Tsurugi - That ache is the thing that kills. That feeling of confusion, and pain, and the hopelessness you feel when you can’t get any of it to stop.

Tsurugi - Don’t entertain the thought for two seconds. You did your best. You can’t do anything else. Move on.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I don’t… know if I agree with that.

Maeda - Isn’t it important to acknowledge when you’ve screwed up? If you can’t face when you’ve screwed up, because it makes you feel bad, then you’ll just continue to be a bad person.

Maeda - …

Kobashikawa - …Okay.

Maeda - …But, I don’t think Kobashikawa should feel guilty. So I won’t say anything.

Taira - …

Taira - …Hm. I wonder what we’ll do without you, Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …

//…His smile stays up for just a second too long. The silence feels strange, to Maeda.

Tsurugi - …What?

//He tilts his head- still smiling, eyes widening in question.

Taira - You heard me.

//His smile falls, face shifting to neutral interest.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …Huh.

Tsurugi - …Taira, I don’t think you were supposed to say that.

Maeda - What.

//Taira’s expression changes. Tsurugi’s has remained the same, still looking at her with a degree of curiosity- but Taira’s seems to shift three different ways in a third of section. She seems… confused, in a way Maeda’s never seen her be.

Maeda - What.

Taira - …

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …What?

//Taira quickly schools herself, while Tsurugi seems to physically relax.

Taira & Tsurugi - It’s nothing.

Uehara - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - That was definitely something? What are you two talking about?

Taira - Don’t get so concerned with other people's issues, Maeda. It isn’t your business, so stay out of it.

Maeda - …

//Something inside of Maeda curdles.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Really, it just isn’t anything that matters now.

Tsurugi - Hm… maybe after the trial…

Maeda - …

//Something inside of Maeda snaps.

Maeda - After this trial you’re dead, Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi, upset - I don’t want to hear things like that… shouldn’t we focus on right now?

Maeda - Right now, we’re working towards proving who the blackened is, and getting them executed! If you’re right, and it is you, then I’m way more concerned with you wrapping up anything you may have left to handle!

Tsurugi - …

//His face softens.

Tsurugi - Maeda…

Tsurugi - There’s no way for me to accomplish everything that I want to. All I can do is try my best with the time and the opportunities I have.

Maeda - I don’t want a speech.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda, narrating - I don’t get it.

Maeda - I don’t get how he can sit there, so calm, after confessing to a murder he doesn’t want to stand behind, and talk about whatever comes to mind.

Maeda - He’s calm, and he’s planning, and he’s acting like everything’s okay.

Maeda - But it’s not going to be okay- and it’s like it doesn’t even matter to him!

Tsurugi - …I’ll try to keep things short, but I’m really bad at that. Sorry…

Tsurugi - Death is the only thing that’ll stop me from trying to help everyone. So, if I’m still alive, my priority will be everyone’s wellbeing.

Tsurugi - If you’re ever confused on what I’m doing, just remember that.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …My shoulders hurt.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Maybe I’m being unfair. It’s Tsurugi’s burden to bear, I shouldn’t be making things worse for him right now.

Maeda - …I’m sorry. Let’s move on with the trial.

Tsurugi - …Maeda, it’s okay for us to have conversations about-

Maeda - I know.

Maeda - …I know. Let’s get back to the case, please.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Okay.

Maeda - …

Taira - …

Uehara - …

Tomori - …So… we think it was Tsurugi?

Ōtori - Let’s debate on it.

Maeda - …Wow. I’m surprised those two didn’t switch lines.

Ōtori - Tsurugi, you think it was you because you were awake last night, correct?

Tsurugi - …Mhm. And I do remember getting into a fight with him.

Maki - …Wait. You two fighting is different from Higa yelling at you. Which one happened?

Tsurugi - Uhm…

Tsurugi, weakly - The former, I guess?

Maki - Really?

Tsurugi - …I was upset with him. I don’t remember too clearly, but-

Tsurugi - I think I was able to get him to believe I hadn’t committed murder, but I pissed him off in the process.

Ōtori - Well… that’d explain why he’d go back to sleep instead of trying to wake everyone up.

Taira - …

Uehara - …

Uehara - …What do we need for everyone to believe it’s Tsurugi?

Maeda - Huh.

Ōtori - …

Maki - I mean… I don’t know if anyone doesn’t believe it… I think we’re just trying to make sure we don’t have any doubts.

Uehara - …Ah. That sucks.

Maeda - …That’s his reaction to Tsurugi being the blackened?!

Maki - Do you have any issues with it, Uehara? If not, uh… what are you on about?

Uehara - …

Uehara - I don’t really have anything to share, I guess.

Uehara - Mm… if you ask me, I don’t think Tsurugi would have. But I’m not ultimate authority, so don’t listen to that.

Maeda - …?

Maeda - Hm…

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - I mean… is character a strong enough defense?

Tsurugi - Not if I’m saying it isn’t. Like Uehara meant, I know myself best. I know what I’m capable of.

Tomori - Mhm…

Tomori - Though, we should still look at every aspect of this case.

Tsurugi - Mhm.

Tomori - I mean, Tsurugi doesn’t remember the murder itself… there’s still the chance that something else happened. We’ll only know if we look at everything.

Nonstop Debate: START!

Truth Bullets Kobashikawa’s Testimony Maeda’s Burns Monokuma File #03-2

Hatano - What do we have left to discuss?

Ōtori - Well, we can start by checking Tsurugi against the things we used to narrow down the suspect pool earlier.

Ōtori - We’ve already talked about {Maeda’s timeline} a bit, so that should hold up…

Ōtori - Then, there’s the matter of strangulation versus suffocation.

Tomori - Mmm… {the evidence still points to strangulation}, doesn’t it?

Tsurugi - It does. Besides, {that shouldn’t really matter}, since I’m capable of both.

Taira - …

Kobashikawa - The last thing we discussed was the motive, right?

Tsurugi - Mhm.

Tsurugi - And again, we know that points to me. {I have the strongest motive}, because my behaviors and my recollection matches up.

Maki - Damn…

Maki - There’s more that points to Tsurugi, too… you said you woke Higa up, and that tracks!

Maki - If we look at the rooms layout, {it makes sense for you to be the one who killed Higa}

Tsurugi - Right.

Tsurugi - It’s all there. {All the evidence points to me}, and everything works out if we say I’m the blackened.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - Shit…

Maeda - Really, I don’t know how to feel.

Maeda - Maybe I should be happy? It’s better for one person to die than eight, so I should be relieved when we’re certain who the blackened is.

Maeda - But… I went into this knowing I’d probably be upset about who gets executed.

Maeda - I should try and poke holes into this- it’ll make me feel better to be more confident, I’m sure.

Maeda - And if we end up convicting someone else… maybe it’ll be something I can come to terms with easier.

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life #word count: 3218 #this update beat my ass and went somewhere i did Not expect it to #OH hey the trial hit 400 pages with this update !

4 notes · View notes

another-dr-another · 20 days ago

Note

:/ i don’t really wanna use {Who Hated Higa} as definitive evidence, bc they’re not as closely linked as the other two options, but it is worth discussing -iris

Maeda, narrating - We still have this option…

Maeda - I don’t know if it’ll be enough- but at least it’ll be something!

Maeda - As long as we’re making progress, I should be happy.

Maeda - Let’s just see where this takes us.

~*~

Maeda - Okay. Who hated Higa enough to kill him?

Maki - …

Tomori - I mean… murder is a more drastic resort- I don’t think we can say anyone wanted him gone badly enough they’d risk their own life, and endanger everyone else's.

Ōtori - Right.

Ōtori - I think it’s important we remember that, actually… whoever killed Higa put everyone’s life in danger. It has to have been worth it to them.

Maki - …Who hated him that bad?

Ōtori - …

Maeda - I don’t think we can say that anyone did.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …Let’s look at this the other way around. Is there anyone who we think wouldn’t have hurt Higa?

Tomori - …

Kobashikawa - None of us are… especially violence-prone- I mean, even if you aren’t just comparing us to Higa, that’s still true.

Taira - …

Maeda - …

Maki - …The only person we can clear from the list right now is Tsurugi, isn’t it?

//Maeda barely stops himself from sighing.

Maeda - Yeah, that’s what I thought too.

//Tsurugi’s head turns. Before Maeda’s even realized it, he’s made eye contact with Tsurugi. Immediately, Maeda feels frightened- because Tsurugi looks petrified.

Maeda - ???

//Tsurugi looks back to the floor, leaving Maeda reeling.

Ōtori - I mean, not like any of us had a positive opinion of Higa. Tsurugi’s going to be the only one who we think wouldn’t have killed him, huh?

Tomori - …Tsu didn’t think well of Higa either. He was just… sympathetic.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - What’s got Tsurugi so off?

Tsurugi, suddenly - It was only me, huh?

Maeda - …Ah?

Tsurugi - …I’m not wrong, right?

Ōtori - …

Maki - …

//Finally, he looks up again- looking at Tomori this time.

Tsurugi - Tomori, were you optimistic?

Tomori - …

Tomori - I’m sorry. I really wasn’t.

Tsurugi - Don’t be sorry! I like your thoughts on things, Tomori, you’re smart. I trust you to know what’s right.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …I did have hope for Higa, though.

Maeda - …Is Tsurugi mourning Higa?

Kobashikawa - …

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Do you all feel like I took it too far with trying to support Higa? Did I ever make you all feel bad with what I chose…

Kobashikawa - …Personally, I never felt that way.

Kobashikawa - It sucked that Higa was around- but it seemed like your presence helped him stay more… regulated.

Maki - Mhm…

Maki - There’s only so ticked off he can get without exploding- I think you gave him a good distraction to keep from getting upset with everyone else.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …Okay.

//Something about Tsurugi’s response reminds Maeda of…

Maeda - Like a kid that got scolded, and had to be told they aren’t in trouble.

Maeda - …Is that what Tsurugi was getting at earlier?

Maeda - …

//Maeda watches Tsurugi. He seems to be lost in thought again, already moving on from the subject.

Maeda - …Maybe he’s mourning what he hoped Higa would become.

Taira - Then, is everyone agreeing to remove Tsurugi as a suspect?

Maeda - I think that’s right. I can’t imagine Tsurugi going over and killing Higa… I mean, so suddenly- and for what reason?

Maeda - Everyone seems to agree.

//Sure enough, no one speaks up.

Taira - …

Kobashikawa - …Is there anyone else we can clear off of the list?

Maki - …I mean…

Maki - …

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - …Huh.

Maeda - Maybe it’s less about naming people we think liked Higa, and more about looking into who would’ve gotten physical with him?

Maeda - Would Uehara have? It fits his bill, right?

Taira - Hm.

Hatano - …

Hatano - It’s Maki and Maeda then, right?

Maeda - .

Hatano - No one else has a history of stuff like that…

Maeda - …Fuck. Does no one else- has no one but me fought Higa?!

Maeda - Oh my god.

Tomori - Maki wouldn’t have attacked Higa… she hasn’t in the past, that’s not what she does.

Tomori - Any interaction she had with Higa was for the sake of bothering him…

Maeda - Oh, fuck me. I’m the only one who’s publicly attacked Higa.

Taira - Then, that leaves Maeda as the only person we’d suspect.

Maeda - Taira doesn’t think it was me, does she?

Maeda - But- that was so long ago!

Uehara - …First impressions…

Maeda - …He doesn’t seem like he’s trying to imply it was me, but I still don’t like that he’s saying that now! What the hell!

Ōtori - It’s true… we know Maeda would get physical with Higa, to try and stop him from doing anything… dickish.

Maeda - Shit shit shit shit.

Ōtori - But that doesn’t mean all too much, right?

Ōtori - Again, the blackened was risking everyone’s lives to end Higa’s. When Maeda fought Higa, it was to help everyone. The intent was to help the group, not to hurt Higa.

Ōtori - So, I don’t think we can use it as a guarantee that Maeda is the only person who’d… consider the weight of everyone’s lives, and decide that killing Higa was more important.

Maeda - R-Right…

Maeda - It’s Ōtori who’s stepping up for me…

Maeda - My goal was to keep somebody safe, not anything else.

Maeda - I didn’t have any reason to be near Higa last night- besides, I have my testimony…

Tsurugi - …

//He’s clearly looking at Maeda. Maeda notices this, and looks back, trying to question Tsurugi- he can’t tell what he’s trying to convey.

Maeda - ?...

//Tsurugi seems to be deliberating, but finally decides to speak-

Hatano - Then… who are our suspects?

//-But gets cut off.

Maeda - …I think Tsurugi was going to agree with me. I mean, I know I’m not the blackened, and Tsurugi thinks he’s working out what happened, so he should be on the same page as me- about my innocence, I mean.

Maeda - Mm… if we factor in everything we’ve discussed so far-

Maeda - We know from talking about who was asleep that it wasn’t Ōtori, Hatano, or Maki. Because we tested everyone’s strength, we know it wasn’t me, Uehara, or Kobashikawa.

Maki - Right. Then, we can take Tsurugi off, because he had faith in Higa.

Maeda - Mhm…

Maeda - If it isn’t Tsurugi, and he’s the only one we can take off our remaining list…

Maeda - …That leaves us with two people.

Taira - Myself, or Tomori.

Maeda - …Yeah.

Taira - …

Tsurugi - …

Maki - …

Tomori - …It has to be someone.

Maeda - …But, one of them? Is that really right?

Tomori - …

Tomori - …I’m probably stronger than Taira.

Taira - Really?

Maeda - Taira sounds genuinely surprised. I agree with Tomori…

Uehara - You wouldn’t have snapped and killed someone.

Taira - But you can say that I would have?

Uehara - …

Taira - …Hm.

//Tomori is clearly searching her head for a place to take the conversation, letting Maeda disregard her in favor of watching Taira and Uehara. Taira’s expression is steeled, while Uehara is glowering.

Uehara - …Whatever.

Taira - …

//The room is silent, everyone waiting in anticipation for someone to call out one of the two suspects.

Maki - …

Maki - Let’s- let’s go over our reasoning for striking people from the list, just quickly-

Maki - It couldn’t have been me, because Kobashikawa saw me asleep.

Kobashikawa - Yeah.

Maki - Couldn’t have been Ōtori, because Tsurugi saw him asleep.

Ōtori - Right. And we know that being asleep that point means you aren’t the killer, because you wouldn’t have woken up so quickly.

Maki - Yeah- and Hatano slept the night through, after falling asleep before the dining hall trip.

Kobashikawa - Mhm…

Maeda - I… I agree with all of this. It wasn’t any of those three.

Maeda - Six left.

Maki - Okay…

Maki - Kobashikawa couldn’t have strangled Higa, Maeda couldn’t have strangled Higa, and Uehara couldn’t have strangled Higa.

//Maki looks at Maeda. In response, he nods silently.

Maeda - I’m clear, and so are two others. We’re down to three.

Maki - Then, we can take Tsurugi off the list, because he lacks motive.

Maeda - Mhm. Tsurugi had no desire to attack Higa.

Maki - …

Taira - …

Tomori - …

Maki - …I can’t think of anything else we can use.

Maeda - There’s… there’s nothing left. Taira, or Tomori.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - They were both close to Higa… both of them have the capacity for strangulation…

Taira - …

Tomori - …

//Neither student says anything. Tomori is clearly more nervous than Taira is… but Maeda doesn’t know if it’s fear of getting caught, or fear of everyone voting incorrectly.

Maeda - …Fuck. Is there really nothing else we can use?

//Despite himself, Maeda looks at Tsurugi. The timing seems rather perfect- he watches at Tsurugi rubs briefly at his face, before steadying himself on his podium.

Maeda - …

Maeda - A reaction like that… is it Tomori? He seems nauseous, and they’re definitely closer than Tsurugi and Taira…

Maeda - …I don’t think Tsurugi and Taira really get on, actually.

Maki - …We said we’d discuss everything again, didn’t we?

Hatano - Do you have something new you’ve thought of?

Maki - …

Maeda - Anything’s good, Maki!

Maeda - I’d kill for something to work with… wait- no- I take that back. I would really like something to work with.

Maki - …Well…

Maki - Are we sure it was strangulation?

Maeda - Motherfucker, it’s the thing that cleared me.

Maeda - Godddd damnit.

Hatano - Why would we doubt that it was strangulation?

Maki - Our reasoning for it isn’t too strong. We need to question everything, so we can explore every outcome without instant dismissal- and we really don’t have firm proof it was strangulation.

Maki - We said it was strangulation because the position of the body doesn’t match with suffocation, right?

Maki - But, we talked about rigor mortis, so everyone should know that the blackened would have been able to manipulate Higa’s body after killing him, because rigor mortis wouldn't have set in.

Maki - If we remember that the blackened was up after killing Higa, couldn’t it be that they positioned him more like he was sleeping, to avoid drawing suspicion, in case anyone woke up?

Maeda - Shit… I completely get her reasoning.

Maeda - That’s true… but this just adds Uehara, Kobashikawa, and myself back to the list of suspects.

Maeda - Is there any evidence that makes it look like it was one of us?

Maki - Fuck, I don’t know. I just want to make sure we don’t bury ourselves before we’ve looked at everything.

Maeda - …

Maeda - And she’s completely right for it. She’s doing exactly what she should- this just sucks.

Maeda - I can’t think of anything that singles out anyone if it was suffocation… I mean, not anything that feels strong.

Hatano - Kobashikawa had two pillows, right? Could he have used one of them to strangle Higa, since he was up?

Kobashikawa - That means nothing???

Hatano - I’m just suggesting it! Don’t get touchy…

Maki - Not- suggesting it was yours, Kobashikawa-

Maki - But I really do think we could get somewhere if we could work out what the origin of that pillow is…

Maeda - The blood stained one?

Maki - Mhm.

Uehara - Tsu keeps spares in his room…

Tsurugi - …

Maki - Oh- Tsurugi, was the pillow just a spare you had?

Tsurugi - …

//He just looks at Maki. Maeda can see the same hesitancy to speak that he saw in Tsurugi earlier.

Hatano - …Why do you have spares?

Tsurugi - …

//His eyes flick towards her, then back to the floor.

Hatano - …?

Tsurugi - …Mm-

Tomori and Uehara - Sleepovers.

Tomori - !

Uehara - …

Tomori - I-It’s because of sleepovers. I’ve spent the night in Tsurugi’s dorm before.

Hatano - Couldn’t go grab your own things?

Tomori - …

Tomori - Just because it wasn’t needed doesn’t mean it wasn’t nice…

//Tomori seems a bit stricken by what Hatano said- making Maeda think about it a bit more.

Maeda - …And Hatano was just suggesting it might be Kobashikawa… then, framing Tsurugi’s spare pillows as weird…

Maeda - I don’t think it’s anything malicious, though…

Uehara - Tsurugi just has a lot of stuff in his room. He also has bandages, and painkillers.

//Uehara shrugs.

Hatano - …

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Okay, let’s stop for a moment.

Ōtori - Imagine that we hadn’t talked about sleep, or strength- who do we think could have killed Higa.

Maki - …You mean-

Maki - Like, from the perspective of who would have been willing to kill Higa?

Ōtori - To kill in general, since we’ve already established Higa wasn’t anyone’s friend.

Maki - …

Maki - Ōtori. You mean yourself?

Maki - You do realize you’re at the top of the list of people we think would attempt murder, right?!

Ōtori - Hey! Hey, I recognize that!

Ōtori - We can factor everything back in at the end- I’m not saying the points we made weren’t strong, I just think we should take a step back again!

Maki - …By making a new list that you immediately qualify for?

Ōtori - Yes! I was expecting this, it’s fine! I’m okay with being seen as suspicious!

Ōtori - Now who else is going on that list?

//It is silent.

Maeda - …No one wants to start pointing fingers.

Maeda - Who do I think might have killed Higa…

//…Maeda won’t even admit his theories to himself.

Maki - …

Maki - Somebody’s going to say me. I get that, it’s fine.

Tomori - Maki…

Maki - Tomori.

Maki - Have I ever done anything to demonstrate how strong I am?

Maki - I don’t think I have. But everyone’s in agreement about what I could do, without needing any proof to back it up. I won’t try and fight everyone on that.

Hatano - …Because you know we’re right?

Maki - …

Maki - Hatano.

Hatano - We’re supposed to talk about theories, right?!

Hatano - You were one of the people that bickered with Higa a lot- and now, with everything happening with Ōtori, you’ve totally been on him!

Hatano - And I’m not saying I’m against it, but… have you thought about killing him?

Maki - …

//Shock quickly gives way to anger- but Maeda recognizes the flush of Maki’s face, and knows exactly where that rage is coming from. Hatano’s line hurt.

Maeda, wide-eyed - …

//He doesn’t know what to say. No one seems to.

Taira - …Unrelated to Ōtori, but if you are physically capable, it’s good to be transparent about that. Lying and pretending that you couldn’t have killed Higa will only make you more suspicious.

Ōtori - …

//His eyes narrow.

Maeda - …Ōtori totally thinks it could have been Taira.

Maeda - I don’t know who I suspect…

Hatano - …Well, we’re still really only debating about Taira and Tomori.

Hatano - Or, if we say it was suffocation, it could have been Kobashikawa, Maeda, or Uehara too…

Hatano - …Also, does everyone else actually agree that Tsurugi couldn’t be the blackened? Because I don’t think his defense is too strong.

Maki - Okay, well, you just went from two suspects, to six, so let’s maybe make up our minds on how we’re approaching this?

Maeda - …

Maeda - I’m sorry, I’m so lost. How are we trying to see things right now?

Maki - …

Maki - Everyone, defend yourself. Explain why it couldn’t have been you.

Maki - Okay?

//…No one objects.

Maki - …Then I’ll go first.

Maki - I would be capable of the murder, but Ōtori’s confirmed that I was asleep. And because I was asleep, I wouldn’t have woken up after Kobashikawa got back, and been able to pull off the murder while Maeda was still awake to hear it.

Maki - …

Maeda - No flaws there…

Maki - …Who wants to go next?

//Tomori and Kobashikawa are the next students on Maki’s right and left, respectively.

Maeda - Kobashikawa… generally does poorly with this sort of thing- but I think Tomori’s still trying to bounce back too.

Tomori - …

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - My only defense is that I wouldn’t have been strong enough to kill Higa.

Kobashikawa - …Ah- but, I couldn’t be the person who had the conversation with Higa, either! So, if we agree that person was the blackened… then it’s proof I’m not the blackened.

Maeda - …Oh. Because Kobashikawa couldn’t have been the voice I heard.

//On the other side of Iranami’s portrait is Hatano.

Hatano - I fell asleep early on. We know that I didn’t wake up until I left- for the dining hall this morning.

Maeda - …She choked on one of her words… poor Hatano.

//Ōtori next.

Ōtori - I was asleep when the murder happened. Tsurugi saw it when he was going back to bed… that’s my only argument, though.

Maeda - Well… if sleep is sufficient for Maki, it should be a fine reason to take Ōtori off the list too.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Though, there’s also the argument about Ōtori’s kill-style- but I don’t need to point that out.

//Taira stands on his other side.

Taira - …I don’t have any defense.

Taira - I was nearby, capable of it, and no one saw me asleep.

//She shrugs slightly.

Maeda - …I guess it’s my turn. There hasn’t been anyone between Taira and I since the first trial ended.

Maeda - I… my only defense is that I couldn’t have strangled Higa.

Maeda - But… maybe my testimony helps? I don’t have a reason to bring up what I heard, unless I was actually trying to help.

Maeda - …Fuck, did I make myself too suspicious? What if I come across as trying to play-support…

Maeda - The problem is, if it wasn’t strangulation… I’m screwed. I had to offer something!

//A soft whine pulls Maeda from his thoughts.

Tsurugi - MmmMM~mMmm…

Maeda - …He’s crying again.

//It’s clear Tsurugi’s trying to keep himself together- he’s curled his chin towards his torso, and has his hands clasped and raised in front of his face. The sound is the byproduct of him trying to keep from openly crying…

Maeda - …

Maeda - And it wasn’t Tsurugi, either.

//But Maeda knows by now that Tsurugi won’t succeed.

Maeda - I don’t think he’s able to argue for himself right now… I’ll step in for him.

Maeda - Tsurugi isn’t the blackened, because he isn’t the sort to even lay a hand on anyone. We know from how he’s interacted with Higa in the past that he wouldn’t try to use violence to sway him.

//Tsurugi takes a shaky breath, getting Maeda’s attention back to him.

Maeda - ?

//Tsurugi doesn’t say anything- doesn’t even look up from the floor. He just continues to stand there, shaking.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I don’t have anything else to defend him… but I don’t think anyone suspects him.

//In a better world, maybe Maeda would have asked to step off his podium, and go see Tsurugi. Here, he doesn’t do that. The trial continues.

Tomori - …I’m like Taira. There’s nothing saying I’m not the blackened.

Tomori - …

Tomori - So, I really don’t know what to say. Obviously, I know what I did last night… but everyone should make their decision based off logic.

Tomori - I won’t try to sway you all… hopefully someone’s able to come up with something that proves who the blackened truly is.

Maeda - …Poor Tomori. I mean, it really doesn’t feel like it’s her- and even if it is, I feel bad for… the person she’s acting like she is, at least.

//They’ve gone around the whole circle-

Maeda - WAIT.

Maeda - Uehara, you didn’t defend yourself.

Uehara - …Oh. Yeah, uh…

Uehara - I mean, I don’t really have a defense.

Uehara - …

//He shrugs.

Uehara - It could’ve been me. That’s true.

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Well. No frills is definitely an approach.

Kobashikawa - Wasn’t the argument that you lacked the coordination?

Kobashikawa - That’d be true even if it was a suffocation… right?

//Again, Uehara just shrugs.

Uehara - I don’t have half a clue, to be real.

Hatano - …So Uehara’s on the list, then?

Kobashikawa - I don’t know that he should be…

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - You’re off, I’m off, Maki’s off, Tsurugi’s off.

Ōtori - Tomori, Taira, and Uehara don’t have any way of defending themselves.

Ōtori - …What do we think about Maeda, and his testimony?

Maeda - Fuck.

Tomori - …

Taira - …

Maeda - God. Of course, neither of them would defend me…

//Tsurugi’s stopped crying- but he’s still sniffling.

Maeda - Tsurugi won’t step in right now… fuckkk.

Maeda - It’s so over I’m so screwed. Oh my god.

Kobashikawa - …I think Maeda was telling the truth about being asleep.

Maeda - KOBASHIKAWA!

Kobashikawa - We were playing chopsticks before I left for the dining hall… I remember that he was laying down when we got back, I checked for him specifically.

Maeda - THAT’S RIGHT!

Ōtori - Okay.

Ōtori - Taira, Tomori, and Uehara.

Hatano - …We’re going based off who seems the most likely, right?

Maki - …

Maki - If we can’t think of anything else… but we don’t have any reason to rush things right now.

Hatano - …Okay.

Hatano - I do want to remind everyone, though, that one of those people has a known violence streak against people he disagrees with.

Ōtori - Hatano. I didn’t mention you when I was listing people we weren’t suspecting.

Ōtori - I’m starting to wonder if we really should take you off the list.

Ōtori - It’s possible you woke up, and just didn’t notice that Iranami was gone! Since you slept early, you don’t have the excuse of just starting your REM cycle!

Maeda - Ah- is that the reason why we know it wasn’t Ōtori or Maki? I get it was because they were asleep- I didn’t know it was sleep cycles specifically.

Ōtori - Maybe Higa said something to Iranami that upset her- maybe we’ve got the order of the conversation the other way around, and someone accused him!

Ōtori - Let’s all agree to try and be careful with out words, okay?

Hatano - …

//Immediately, tears well up in Hatano’s eyes.

Hatano - …

Maeda - …Jesus Christ.

//Maeda doesn’t want to think about that interaction. He’s so ready to move on from it, even though it just ended-

Maeda - Probably a murderer, versus keeps accusing everyone of murder… Hatano’s definitely got it worse, but it’s good someone spoke out on everyone’s behalf- but Ōtori…

Maeda - …

Maeda - I wonder what I’d think right now if Hatano had suspected me.

Taira - So, Tomori and I are still the viable suspects we have.

Maki - …And Uehara, if we say that the death was suffocation.

Maeda - So Hatano’s not a suspect.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Uehara… Uehara has gotten physical with Higa.

Maeda - Hell… they fought the day Higa died…

Maeda - I… shit, I’m the only one who knows about that. Well- me, Uehara, and Tsurugi…

Maeda - …

//A chill runs down his spine.

Maeda - Earlier, I thought Tsurugi was crying because he thought it was Tomori… is it possible he started to cry because he realized it was Uehara?

//Maeda can’t help but stare at Tsurugi now. He’s stilled, and isn’t making any sound… but he’s still physically hidden away.

Taira - …

Taira - If we’re starting to make this argument, I will say- my vote is on Uehara before it’s on Tomori.

Maeda - Eh?

Taira - Of course, that means slim little coming from a suspect… but most of the suspects are innocent. That’s just how it works.

Taira - But, if you look at it… isn’t it like Hatano said?

Taira - Neither Tomori or myself are the sort to use violence because we got provoked.

“~And in comes the enforcer- Wh- get off me!~”

Maeda - …Shit.

Maeda - I…

Maeda - I think… I could pretty solidly prove Uehara’s willingness to… to hurt Higa…

Maeda - But… whenever Uehara did things like that, his goal wasn’t murder… do we think he’d go that far?

Maeda - We’re talking like he isn’t here- Uehara, say something!

Uehara - …

//…He fidgets with one of his earrings.

Maeda - God…

Taira - Someone did.

Maki - …

//The class is just… silent.

Maeda - Have… we really solved it? Will Uehara not defend himself?

Tomori - …

Maeda - Tomori doesn’t look happy about this… out of all the suspects, she’s the one who’s reacting the most.

Maeda - …

Maeda - One of us killed Higa last night.

Maeda - Someone… someone got tired enough of what he was doing… someone got pushed hard enough… they just couldn’t take it.

Maeda - We’ve crossed off most of the class… and out of the people that’s left…

Maeda - …I don’t think there’s anything else to work with- and after looking at everything, there’s only one answer.

//Maeda falls silent, waiting for someone else to say it.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …It has to be Uehara.

Tsurugi - No, that’s wrong!

Maeda - !

//A shock runs through Maeda.

Maeda - …Huh?

Maeda - I- I didn’t say anyth- I didn’t say it was Uehara! What is Tsurugi disagreeing with me on.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - You were too eager when you were cutting down the suspect pool. There’s someone that got taken off who shouldn’t have been.

Maeda - …Wait- does that mean you know who the blackened is?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi, lightly - I think so.

Maeda - …

//He’s still reeling.

Maeda - …And? Who do you think it is?

Tsurugi - …

Hatano - …Tsurugi, don’t you dare keep it from us.

Tsurugi - I won’t.

Tsurugi - I’m checking my work. I- I don’t want to be wrong.

Maeda - …

//Finally, Tsurugi’s brought his hands down- lowering them earlier, when he finally spoke up. The tears have clumped his eyelashes together, but he looks significantly more stable than he has.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Okay. Wake up.

Tsurugi - I don’t- say that as a joke, or to try and throw everyone. But I need everyone to be alert, and to listen.

Tsurugi - Okay? Ready?

//…No one dissents.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I want to start this off by saying that I’m sorry.

Tsurugi - I failed you all. My attempts at making the trials easier to solve just made things worse. I didn’t encourage you all to learn, I made things feel stressful and hopeless.

Tsurugi - I…

Tsurugi - …I want you all to know that I am proud of what’s been accomplished. I wanted to see you all do well for my own comfort, so I’d know you would be safe without me.

Tsurugi - It was never about you all proving yourselves, or anything like that. It’s astounding that you all were able to stand back up and try again when you needed to.

Tsurugi - …Let me point out my perspective of the case.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - Last night, Higa had a conversation with someone. He was able to look at them, and suspect murder.

Tsurugi - He got them upset, and lost in the fight that ensued. The blackened is someone who was able to win against Higa in a fight, and someone who could be upset by him.

Maeda - …

//The cold floods back in. Maedas too fixated on Tsurugi’s words to notice it.

Tsurugi - The blackened hasn’t done anything to expose themselves. They’ve been able to go about the night, the investigation, and the trial, without cuing anyone into what they did.

Tsurugi - In fact, everyone was able to come to the conclusion that the blackened couldn’t be the blackened, because of how they construed what happened last night.

Tsurugi - …The “evidence” used to defend them is exactly what enabled the blackened to convince everyone it wasn’t them-

Tsurugi - It was misread, misunderstood. Everyone’s agreed on the crucial fact, but didn��t get what it truly meant. The blackened isn’t Taira, or Tomori, or Uehara.

Tsurugi - Taira doesn’t fight people, Tomori doesn’t fight people, and Uehara was not capable of strangling or suffocating Higa.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Besides- everytime Uehara got after Higa, it wasn’t for his own defense.

//He seems to flinch at himself- but quickly becomes even more composed, to compensate. He stands straight, but relaxed, head held high, gaze soft, rather than defiant. When Tsurugi speaks, it’s with full confidence, as certain as could be.

Tsurugi - Of the people who could have killed Higa last night, only one person lacked the stability to stop themselves when they snapped, and wouldn’t have been able to accept what happened.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I’m sorry.

Tsurugi - I strangled Higa last night. I’m the blackened of this case.

~*~

Maeda, narrating -

Maeda -

Maeda - …

Maeda - Huh.

[Advance]

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #word count: 5038

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another-dr-another · 21 days ago

Note

{who was asleep} because like. seems like the best thing to discuss among the options

Maeda, narrating - Mhm… because there should be at least one person we can prove wasn’t awake, right?

Maeda - Sleep homicide isn’t a thing, so we can narrow things down if we can prove anyone was asleep.

~*~

Maeda - Who do we know for a fact was asleep last night?

Hatano - Is there anyone we can prove was asleep when Higa died?

Ōtori - …

Maki - …

Kobashikawa - …

Ōtori - …Well, let’s start with you, Hatano. Everyone agrees that Hatano has to have been asleep pretty early, right?

//The class nods, or murmurs their agreement.

Maeda - Yeah, that’s right…

Maeda - If Hatano did wake up at any point in the night, she’d likely have realized Iranami was gone, and done something about it.

Maeda - Aren’t you off the list as well, Ōtori?

//He nods slowly.

Ōtori - Because of Tsurugi’s testimony, yeah.

Ōtori - And, I think I can vouch for Maki, too. It seemed like she was asleep when I woke Kobashikawa up.

Maki - !

Kobashikawa - Ah, that’s right. I remember noticing that Maki had rolled over by the time I got back to Tsurugi’s dorm- I could see her face, she was definitely asleep.

Maki - …

Maki - I mean, I won’t say that’s wrong- I know vouching for myself doesn’t mean anything, but I do usually go to bed early.

Maeda - So Hatano, Maki, and Ōtori are all off the list.

Maeda - Who else can we take off- fuck.

Maeda - Oh, fuck fuck fuck.

Tomori - …I think both Uehara and I were asleep. We were near Tsurugi, who was awake… we’d have remembered him getting up for Kobashikawa if we’d been awake at that point.

Uehara - Fuck- yeah, I don’t remember that.

Taira - …You said you don’t?

Uehara - Mhm. I wasn’t awake when Kobashikawa needed help, I didn’t see Tsurugi get up. I remember.

Taira - You remember that you don’t remember?

Uehara - Right.

Maeda - I’m so on the list. Son of a bitch.

Maeda - I established that I was awake at the time of the murder. Fuck.

Maeda - Taira, Tsurugi… shit, is that everyone without an alibi? God-

Maeda - I mean, not like I’m strong enough to kill Higa, though… but will the others buy that? What if Tsurugi and Taira have something that proves them innocent?

Maeda - Wait-

Maeda - Can we really say that all of these are fully reliable?

Maeda - Kobashikawa doesn’t have an alibi either… and he was established to be awake later than everyone else-

Maeda - But I said I wouldn’t suspect him!

Taira - Do you take issue with any of the alibis, Maeda?

Maeda - …I don’t want to suspect anyone, though.

Maeda - I just- I don’t think deductive reasoning is the strongest.

Maeda - Ōtori, Maki, and Hatano. I think those are the only three we can say aren’t suspects.

Tomori - …

Tomori - I mean… do we want to narrow it down, or do we want to only go with what we have full confidence in?

Tomori - Because… you could even argue that Hatano is the only one we know slept through the night. Both Maki and Ōtori could have woken up during the time frame Higa was killed in, and gone back to sleep by the morning.

Taira - Aren’t we going with the theory that it was relatively early in the night?

Tomori - …When did we start to think that?

Taira - Because of Maeda’s testimony. He woke up because of Kobashikawa and Tsurugi, and didn’t have time to fall fully asleep before the murder happened.

Tomori - Ah…

Maeda - So, we can take off Maki, Ōtori, and Hatano.

Maeda - …Which puts Tomori back on the list. Sorry-

Maeda - Sorry, Tomori…

Tomori - Ah- No, it’s all fine! I don’t have any complaints, I’m glad everyone’s sharing what they think.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …Tsurugi, do you think you’re making progress?

Tsurugi - ……

Tsurugi - …I think so.

Maeda - Ah… that’s good! I’m happy to hear that.

//Tsurugi doesn’t respond.

Maeda - …

Maki - We were able to clear a third of the suspect pool by talking about this… let’s see if we can take off another three people by discussing something else, yeah?

~*~

Maeda, narrating - If we combine the people asleep, and the people who aren’t strong enough to have pulled off the murder…

Maeda - Taira, Tsurugi, and Tomori.

Maeda - Progress… but still not what we need.

Maeda - I think we only have one thing left to discuss, now. Hopefully it’ll take the last two people off the list, and we’ll be left with the blackened.

[Who Hated Higa]

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life #word count 808

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another-dr-another · 22 days ago

Note

me personally im stuck on who would be physically able to kill higa w others not noticing.. the other two factors dont feel as important to me since someone who was more chill w higa might still be pushed into murder n testimonies r still a lil too tenuous for my tastes -iris

Maeda, narrating - Right… this is the least arbitrary option, right?

Maeda - If a person wasn’t capable of the murder, that’s it. It couldn’t have been them.

Maeda - …In fact, if someone weaker had tried to strangle Higa, they likely would’ve left more evidence- like how Inori was too short to hit Kurokawa or Tsurugi square-on, so she left evidence proving she had to knock them down.

Maeda - Damn.

Maeda - Like Tsurugi said, there just isn’t evidence that got left behind.

~*~

Maeda - Let’s talk about who was capable of strangling Higa.

Hatano - How did we call it, again? Who was on our list?

Maki - Right- I don’t think we came up with an official count of people we think would be capable of strangulation…

Tomori - …

Tomori - Last time we talked, we were trying to determine… I think if Ōtori was capable of it?

Maki - I still think he could, if strangulation fit his M.O., but we know it doesn’t.

Ōtori - I don’t have a modus operandi, not that I’d have been able to strangle someone. It isn’t like I was anywhere near Higa, either.

Maki - We aren’t talking about who had easy access, though.

Tsurugi - Uehara, Kobashikawa, and Maeda can be ruled out.

Maeda - !

Tsurugi - The blackened needed to not only apply pressure to Higa, but grip his throat so tightly that it was constricted enough he couldn’t get any air at all.

Tsurugi - Those three couldn’t have sustained that for long enough to kill Higa while pinning him down.

Maeda - Ah! I’m cleared…

Hatano - But that’s still a ton of people… isn’t it more likely to be someone who’s stronger, like Tsurugi, or Maki?

Tomori - Ah-

Tomori - No, we can’t narrow it down like that…

Tomori - Capability doesn’t equal probability. Being stronger doesn’t mean you’re more likely to have used that strength to hurt someone.

//Neither Tsurugi nor Maki defend themselves, but…

Maeda - I don’t think anyone believes Tsurugi or Maki are more suspicious because they’re stronger.

Ōtori - …Are we sure we can rule out Maeda and Kobashikawa?

Kobashikawa - …

//Whatever’s going on there probably isn’t Maeda’s issue.

Ōtori - I don’t think it was you, Kobashikawa-

Maeda - …Does he think it was me?!

Ōtori - I just meant to point it out.

Ōtori - Kobashikawa works on planes, including mechanically, and Maeda doesn’t look like he’s incapable.

//Memories flick through Maeda’s mind. Swinging his bag off his shoulder, and slamming it into someone’s head. Elbowing his way through a crowd, and dragging a boy out of a fight. Running through the yard with a kid clinging to his back while he carries cinder blocks he plans to throw.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Ahm.

Maeda - …I don’t think I’m strong enough to strangle someone, though.

Maki - …And Uehara does look incapable?

Taira - Hm…

Taira - It’s probably worth mentioning that Uehara does have an established history of physical violence.

Hatano - So- can we take anyone off of the list, then?

Tsurugi - Kobashikawa, Maeda, Uehara.

Tsurugi - Permission to leave my podium?

//Tsurugi isn’t looking at anyone.

Monokuma - …

Monokuma - Permission Granted.

//He nods, to himself, and walks towards Maeda. Maeda turns to face him once Tsurugi’s stopped at his podium, and finally makes eye contact with Tsurugi… as Tsurugi holds out his arm.

Tsurugi - Grab my wrist, squeeze as tight as you can, with both hands.

Maeda - …?

//Tsurugi just looks at Maeda, imploring. The skin around his eyes is tinted pink.

Maeda - …Okay.

//Maeda… does as he was told, placing his right hand around Tsurugi’s wrist first, then his left, and squeezing.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Just do this until your hands hurt- but go tighter.

Maeda - …I didn’t really mean to hold back…

//Maeda tries to grip tighter… but Tsurugi’s expression doesn’t change. Eventually, his hands start to feel like they’re cramping. He pulls away, shaking off his hands- he’s left a few pink indents on Tsurugi’s wrist.

Tsurugi - Wasn’t long enough.

//He starts to walk towards Kobashikawa.

Tsurugi - If Maeda tried to strangle Higa, he’d have to tap out before Higa was out of oxygen. Higa’s throat wouldn’t be constricted enough for long enough.

Tsurugi - Kobashikawa, grab with both hands, and squeeze.

//Similar to Maeda, Kobashikawa hesitates a bit- but with Kobashikawa, as opposed to waiting to touch Tsurugi, he spends time adjusting his grip, before he grabs onto Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - I think Kobashiakwa’s made it longer than I have.

//As time continues to pass, it becomes increasingly obvious that that’s true.

Maeda - …Damn.

//Finally, Kobashikawa lets go.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Y’know, I was not expecting that amount of endurance. Good work Kobashikawa.

Tsurugi - But the strength wasn’t there- Higa’s throat wouldn’t have constricted.

//Tsurugi walks back to his podium, going past Maeda again.

Taira - And Uehara?

Tsurugi - Lacks the coordination. His fights are dependent on kicking people while they’re down, after he’s gotten them to lose their balance. Doesn’t have the strength or the endurance.

Tomori - …

Tomori - Poor Uehara…

Uehara - …

Uehara - ‘S fine. I’ll get stronger when my character arc says so.

Kobashikawa - That feels like the sort of joke Tsurugi would make, doesn’t it?

Uehara - Probably… I like ‘em <3.

Tsurugi - …

Taira - Are you sure that your evaluation was accurate, Tsurugi?

Tsurugi - Mm. Take my word for it, or don’t. This doesn’t matter.

Maeda - …It doesn’t?

Tomori - He- He’s right, it kinda doesn’t.

Tomori - I mean, we got three people off the list! That’s- that’s good.

Tomori - But, we need to narrow it down to number one, and like we said, we can’t just go with who’s strongest…

Maeda - So… we need to find another way to narrow down the group.

Tomori - Mhm.

Tomori - Which, progress is good! But… we need to look more into it.

Maeda - Ah…

~*~

Maeda, narrating - Well, at least I got myself cleared of suspicion.

Maeda - And it wasn’t Uehara or Kobashikawa, either…

Maeda - …Hm. Honestly, Uehara and Tsurugi were the most suspicious, because they were closest to Higa.

Maeda - Tsurugi, Taira, Tomori, Ōtori, Hatano, and Maki…

Maeda - …Hmmm. I don’t know who I can see it being. Who hasn’t been trying to solve the case?

Maeda - Maybe one of the other things we talked about bringing up can help us narrow it down some more.

{Who Hated Higa}

[Who Was Asleep]

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life #word count 1126

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another-dr-another · 23 days ago

Note

aw man. um. shit. {advance}.

Maeda, narrating - Fuck.

Maeda - I mean… just, plainly.

Maeda - We are entirely screwed. I have nothing. I was… I was banking on that.

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Fuck. Tsurugi was completely right.

Maeda - If he isn’t able to solve it for us… we’re good as dead.

~*~

Maeda - …

Taira - …

Tsurugi - …

//The tears haven’t subsided, but any sounds are gone. Tsurugi’s efforts to wipe anything away have vanished as well- he’s looking at the floor across the courtroom, and letting the tears fall.

Uehara - …

Hatano - …

Tomori - …Wh…

Tomori, small - …What do…

Tomori - What do you mean you don’t know what happened?

Tsurugi - …

//His voice sounds both wet and dry simultaneously, turned a bit raw.

Tsurugi - I’m sorry.

Tsurugi - I don’t… know where to go from here.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - It’s okay, though.

Tsurugi - I get there in the end. I always have. I can solve it… I just.

//…His tone is completely flat.

Tsurugi - …Haven’t yet.

Tomori - …

//Tomori looks shocked, and crestfallen.

Maeda - …

//…Maeda doesn’t know how he feels. A part of him… feels something in his diaphragm, and that’s probably the guilt. It’s only small, something he hasn’t really processed yet- the way he pushed Tsurugi, and the context it has now. Then, there’s a slight ebbing pulse, a gentle wave on his soul. Something tells him to move forward.

Kobashikawa - …

Ōtori - …

//Both have different reactions. Kobashikawa’s seems akin to disbelief, while Ōtori is on the opposite end, clearly running through the ramifications of Tsurugi’s statements. Let’s talk through it! Let’s look at every angle, we’ll find some way to see it, and make a way to solve it. But, no… no, that won’t be accurate. There’s no facts, no way to prove anything.

Uehara - …

Hatano - …

//Maeda doesn’t think about any of that. Because, irregardless of what he may be feeling, there’s only one thought in his mind. There’s no hope. No one’s going to be able to come up with a way out of this. There’s nowhere left to go from here. All that remains is voting, and hoping that they get it right.

Taira - …

//…The waves recede, and dissipate away.

Maeda - …Things can’t end here.

//The game has to go on.

Maeda - Okay.

Maeda - Let’s work together, then.

Taira - …

//She’s listening to Maeda.

Maeda - It’ll be okay. When we’re all on the same page, someone will be able to come up with something new.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - I-It doesn’t look good right now- but now we know everything in full.

Maeda - Kobashikawa said earlier that knowing there was a way to find an answer should be a good motivator- knowing that we need to find an answer will get us to one.

Maeda - I mean, what are we going to do? No one’s thinking about just giving up, patting the blackened on the back, and saying well done as everyone else gets executed.

Maeda - We’re going to try. We aren’t giving up here, we’re going to find an answer.

Maeda - There has to be something that fits. Something that works with the evidence we have, which can’t be argued against.

Maeda - Maybe we decide to use physical ability, and just- just arm wrestle to work out who’s the strongest, then vote for them!

Maeda - Or maybe, there’s a better idea that we can use. Or maybe, we try every option we can come up with, and find our answer.

Maeda - Either way, we need to do something. We have a better shot if we try.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Did I… really say all of that?

//It feels like his words weren’t his own- like they were some sort of echo, something he heard a while ago, that’s only bouncing back now.

Taira - …

Tomori - …

Tsurugi - …

//…Not that it matters, though. Someone said something- right now, that’s all the class needed.

Hatano - …There’s nothing else we can do.

Hatano - Giving up now is stupid. There’s no reason to, we shouldn’t… abandon all hope just because we don’t have a get-out-of trial-safe card.

Maki - …

Maki - You’re both right.

Maki - So what if Tsurugi doesn’t have the answer? We’ve made it through two trials where he wouldn’t explain what happened, so the fact that he can’t now shouldn’t matter.

Maki - Every time, we’ve treated the trial as serious, so we’ve worked hard to solve it.

Maki - Whoever here started celebrating because they think they’ll pull off the murder, don’t start feeling safe.

Kobashikawa - …I think we can reevaluate things- everything that’s been explained, let’s look at it again.

Tomori - …

Tomori - …Monokuma?

//Her voice is so small.

Tomori - How… how are we on time?

Monokuma - The Staff Does Not Currently Plan To Implement A Time Limit.

Maeda - …We’re fine.

Maeda - I like Kobashikawa’s idea. Let’s change how we see everything.

Tsurugi - …

//He’s staring at Maeda. Maeda doesn’t know how to describe the look in Tsurugi’s eyes.

Maeda - …

Maeda - It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay. We’re going to work through things together, and we’ll find an answer we can put our faith in.

Uehara - I don’t think this is right.

Maeda - Seriously?!

Maki - Uehara, what the hell do you mean?

Uehara - …

//He crosses his arms, and shifts back and forth on his feet.

Uehara - …I don’t know. I can’t explain it.

Uehara - I just…

Uehara - Don’t agree.

Maeda - …With what?

//Tomori glances at Maeda- he feels his face flush.

Maeda - Right. Need to dial it down.

Uehara - …

Uehara - I don’t think that going over what we saw will help. I think…

Maeda - …

//Uehara says nothing else.

Maeda - What the fuck.

Maeda - Well, it doesn’t matter what one person thinks. The rest of us are going to keep working on finding the answer.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …Damn. This would’ve been a good time for Tsurugi to step in.

Ōtori - Well, if you don’t want to discuss the evidence, what do you want to talk about, Uehara?

Uehara - …

Uehara - I don’t know.

Maki - …

Ōtori - Okay. Well, we can go with Maeda’s plan, where we go over the evidence, and try to actually answer what happened,

Ōtori - Or we can just vote now. Of course, no one has any clue who to vote for, since we don’t know what happened…

Ōtori - Maybe everyone should just vote for the person to their right.

Ōtori - Hey Monokuma, what happens if there’s a perfect tie?

Monokuma - The Game Of Mutual Killing Is Designed To Avoid Such Outcomes.

Tsurugi - …Wait, really?

Maeda - ?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - This is… mm.

Maeda - …Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …This is the first time we haven’t had an even number of people in the trial.

Tsurugi - Therefore, in every trial before this, a perfect tie was possible. Then, we look at how Monokuma handled this case, and you wonder if-

Monokuma - Irrelevant.

Tsurugi - …?

Monokuma - The Number Of Students In Trials Prior To This Trial Has No Relevance To This Trial.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …Tsu, what were you saying?

Tsurugi - …I’m worried that if I bring it up again, Monokuma will implement a time limit.

Maeda - Ah…

Maki - …

Maki - This is irrelevant, but voting for the person to the right of you would be the only way to get everyone to have one vote, and one vote only, right?

Taira - …Oh?

Maki - If we asked everyone to vote for themselves, the blackened would likely vote for someone else- they have the most to lose, they can’t afford to trust people to not vote for them, and avoid racking up votes.

Maki - Plus, if they vote for someone else, then the majority vote goes to someone they know is innocent, meaning they’d have won, undeniably.

Taira - Ah. That’s right.

Maeda - Why are we even discussing what Uehara brought up? He doesn’t even have an argument! Or a point!

//Maeda laughs, way weaker than he meant for it to bed.

Maeda - Who knows! Maybe the blackened doesn’t even know who they are. Blind rage inducing amnesia…

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi’s expression changes.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Tsurugi?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Uhm- nothing, I was just thinking of when I’ve heard stuff like that in the past. It’d, uh…

Tsurugi - …

Maki - …

Maki - It’s… the-

Maki - The blackened does know they killed Higa, right?

Maeda - …

//A chill runs down Maeda’s spine.

Tsurugi - …Uhm.

Tsurugi - I wouldn’t worry!

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - Uh… seriously, I don’t think it matches up with this case. So, no one should stress…

Tsurugi - Emotional amnesia is a distress thing, in a situation like this, you’d be seeing it not because the blackened was afraid of getting caught, but because of the consequences for the murder-

Tsurugi - The emotional weight of it!

Tsurugi - It’d be because they couldn’t confront that… the guilt of killing someone important to them- like someone they genuinely loved dearly.

Tsurugi - Regret because of fear is different from pure regret.

Maeda - …Ah.

Tomori - …

Tomori - It’s nice to hear that we don’t need to worry about being the blackened.

Taira - Frightening, right?

Taira - To imagine that you’ve hurt someone, and caused fear and strife for everyone else, and you didn’t even know it…

Taira - The whole time you were cursing some “other” in your head, it was you. You were the reprehensible person that everyone loathed- and you agreed with them while they called for your head.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - I think the reason behind it is scary.

Tsurugi - Making a decision you’d never want to… the things that’d drive you to that…

Tsurugi - To get into that mentality, where you’d make the choice, and then, the moment where you realize, and you just want to take it back-

//Tsurugi’s face twitches- Maeda looked over at him because he could hear Tsurugi’s voice start to tighten.

Tsurugi - But you can’t, and you have to go on with what you did, but you can’t do that either, so you jus-t…

//He sniffs loudly. He’d started to gesture with his hands, though his gaze fixed on the floor as soon as his tone started to go, he continued to try and manually communicate via his posture- but as his face falls, so do his hands. Maeda takes it as Tsurugi being done.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I don’t like either of the places that subject went.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Thank god we don’t have to worry about either one of those ideas, then.

Ōtori - You two are right, they both sound like they’d suck. So, let’s count our blessings that that isn’t our circumstance, and deal with what we actually have going on right now.

Ōtori - We’re going to go with what Kobashikawa suggested. We’re reevaluating everything. Everything gets a new answer.

Maki - …Wait.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Yes?

Maki - No- no, I agree- with Kobashikawa, that we should look at everything again, force ourselves too-

Maki - But, I want to ask Tsurugi some stuff first.

Maeda - …Ah?

Maki - …Tsurugi? Can you answer some things for me?

//Tsurugi’s eyes are huge.

Tsurugi - Mhm!

Maki - …

Maki - Are you sure?

Tsurugi - I’ll give you anything I know.

Maki - …Alright.

Maki - Are you confident that Higa died of strangulation.

Tsurugi - Yes.

Maki - Do you have any objection to the timeline we came up with?

Tsurugi - …The order of events, or the time Higa might’ve died at?

Maki - I- I meant the latter, but now I want to know about both.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Honestly forgot the numbers everyone decided on, but I remember that I didn’t have an issue with them.

Tsurugi - Same goes for the timeline.

Maeda - He forgot them both?!

Hatano - You forgot both?

Tsurugi - Mhm.

Maki - …Unmedicated.

Tsurugi - …You say that like it’s bad :(.

Maki - ….I don’t mean anything by it. S…Sorry.

Tsurugi - You’re so fine, I was just teasing <3.

Maki - …

Tsurugi - <3.

Taira - Any more questions?

Maki - N…No.

Hatano - I have a question. How did you forget both of the timelines?

Tsurugi - …Unmedicated :(.

Uehara - Probably wasn’t really listening.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - More important things than details :(.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - You know, it’s a bit funny to compare this case to past trials.

Ōtori - There’s one difference between this one and the other two that we haven’t discussed.

Maeda - Oh?

Ōtori - Tsurugi didn’t get hurt this time.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I learned how to cross the street on my own <3.

Maeda - …If Inori was here, I think she’d offer to hit Tsurugi with a car for insurance, if she could get half the payout.

Maki - Maybe if someone hits Tsurugi, it’ll help him work out what happened.

//Ōtori chokes out a laugh, audibly half from surprise at what Maki said, half from the comment itself.

Ōtori - As he’s falling to the ground, it gives him a different angle.

Tsurugi, softly - Wheee..

//Maki grins, but tries to hide it behind her hand.

Tomori - …How hard does it have to be? He was passed out bad the first time, but the second time he stayed conscious…

Tomori - Maybe the threshold’s gotten lower?

Tsurugi - Tomori, I’d like it if you could go to the empty podium now, please. Pretty please. For my comfort.

Tomori - Who would you rather have attack you?

Tsurugi - …Oh, good question…

Uehara - …C’mere piccolino, I’ll keep you from getting attacked again.

Tsurugi - Okay…

//Tsurugi makes zero effort to get closer to Uehara.

Uehara - …

Tsurugi, unaware - …

Maeda - …

Uehara - …Sunshine.

Tsurugi - Ah.

//Tsurugi grabs Uehara’s hand, then, when Uehara pulse their arms flush to try and get them closer, stands next to Uehara.

Maeda - What should we go ov-

//There’s a soft thump, as Uehara flicks the fingers of his free hand against Tsurugi’s forehead.

Tsurugi - !!!

Maeda - !

//It’s silent.

Tomori - …

Ōtori - …

Maki - …

//Maki snorts, and it’s like a dam breaking open. Ōtori follows immediately after, and Tomori isn’t far behind. Uehara grins, and Tsurugi follows suit, looking at Uehara as he starts to softly laugh. Maeda can’t help but smile too, and he sees Kobashikawa doing the same.

Uehara - Well? Anything new?

//Tsurugi reaches for Uehara’s other hand- the only one that’s free, as they’re still holding hands- and holds that one as well. Uehara turns towards Tsurugi to better accommodate the position, and laughs a bit as Tsurugi tilts slightly over, laughing harder.

Tsurugi - Mm-

//He’s trying to keep his lips shut, but they’re pulled apart by his grin.

Taira - …

//Maki and Ōtori are still laughing, and Tomori keeps getting herself to giggle again. It’s spread to Maeda, who laughed in response to Tomori once- and Tsurugi seems to be trying to choke himself off from making any sounds.

Uehara - …Tsu, hey~-

//Tsurugi wheezes.

Uehara - …

//Maeda’s still watching them both, like most of the class- so he catches it when Uehara’s grin fades to a smile.

Uehara - …

Uehara, gently - …

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …You know, if you start to cry again,

//Tsurugi moves closer to Uehara, tugging their arms behind him as he simultaneously pulls Uehara closer.

Uehara - Then the whole world’ll flood-

//Tsurugi let’s go of Uehara’s hands at the last possible moment, letting him wrap his arms around Uehara as he crashes into Uehara’s torso.

Tsurugi - Mmmmmmm-

//Uehara is crestfallen. His eyes dart around only briefly- before Tsurugi is pulling away, and he focuses on Tsurugi.

Uehara - Carino, no, come here-

Tsurugi, shakily - No.

//He’s trying to wipe away his tears, and wrench both his eyes and mouth shut to keep anything from escaping. Uehara opens his arms again, forearms up, hovering in line with his waist… Tsurugi doesn’t react.

Uehara - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - Nothing… set him off, right?

Uehara - …Tsu.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I caaan’t…

Uehara - Just- don’t. Just come here.

Tsurugi - No…

Uehara - Tsurugi, stop, and come here.

Tsurugi - …

//It happens too quick for Maeda to understand any of the progress- Tsurugi is back to Uehara. His hands fall loosely around Uehara’s waist, while Uehara… doesn’t seem to know what to do.

Maeda - …Jesus.

//It isn’t anything negative about the PDA- Maeda couldn’t explain this himself, but he just doesn’t know what to do.

Maeda - …

Taira - …

//He looks away.

Kobashikawa - …

Ōtori - …

//Taira is watching Tsurugi and Uehara.

Maki - …

Tomori - …

//Maeda looks back, following Taira’s gaze. He’s surprised when he finds them- they aren’t standing anymore, instead, they’re somewhat visible through the slats of their podiums. He can’t make out much of what’s happening.

Hatano - …

Maeda - …

//Maeda won’t know this. But, currently, even an omniscient narrator couldn’t say who’s holding up who. Uehara has his right hand carding through Tsurugi’s hair, his shoulder pushed into the podium to try and keep himself from leaning further back. In turn, Tsurugi has his left arm resting along Uehara’s torso, fist gripping Uehara’s jacket, holding him close. Uehara’s left hand and Tsurugi’s right are just next to each other, fingers brushing, but neither moving, as they both try to plant themselves, and stay steady. Tsurugi’s left leg is between both of Uehara’s, but, as Uehara has his left leg slightly raised, Tsurugi has moved his right leg over Uehara’s thigh, and under his knee- compensating for the pressure he’s putting on Uehara’s chest. Uehara’s eyes are flicking around rapidly, and for a brief moment, Tsurugi’s sobs are open-mouthed and ugly.

Tomori - …

//The sobs are muffled, though. Uehara’s shallow breathing is quiet enough. The room is silent.

Taira - …

Maeda - …

Maki - …

Maki, quietly - Let’s talk about the case.

//The world winds back to Maeda.

Ōtori - …

Kobashikawa - …Okay. What are we starting with?

Maki - …

Maki - I don’t think suffocation versus strangulation will help us. We definitely can go over it again, just…

Maki - Let’s shelve it, for now.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Should we revisit Higa’s motive, maybe?

Maki - …For getting after the blackened?

Maeda - Mhm.

Maeda - That’s one of the more arbitrary things we have… it’ll probably be easier to come up with something new for it.

Maki - Okay.

Maki - …Does anyone have any thoughts?

Maeda - …Personally, I don’t.

Maeda - …

Maeda - This trial just hurts.

//Maeda looks at Tsurugi and Uehara again. They’ve disentangled- but they’re still sitting. He can see two individual forms on the two different podiums.

Taira - Maybe someone did something to make Higa think there’d been a murder.

Taira - Sure, we know there wasn’t actually one, but Higa wouldn’t necessarily know that, would he?

Tomori - …

Tomori - That’s true… it- it did take us some time to work out what had really happened.

Maeda - Right… we all believed there’d been a murder.

Maeda - Though, didn’t Monokuma sort of mislead us?

Kobashikawa - Hm…

Kobashikawa - We thought there’d been two murders because we saw two bodies, and two announcements played.

Kobashikawa - What would make Higa think there’d been a murder? Did he leave Tsurugi’s dorm?

Maki - …

Maki - Well.

Maki - What was our main theory for what had happened to Iranami?

Tomori - …

Maeda - D… Do you mean the poisoning?!

Maki - …

Maki - Ōtori. Did anything happen last night?

Ōtori - W-Wait-

Maki - Answer. Did you interact with Higa at all?

Ōtori - Only in the dining hall! Only in the dining hall, only- only when we all went there! When we went with Uehara and Kobashikawa, th-that’s it!

Kobashikawa - …

Uehara, trying to look over his podium - ???

Maki - …

Maki - Didn’t you walk back with Higa?

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Fuck.

Ōtori - -THAT SOUNDS BAD. That makes it sound bad! Okay, yeah- this looks bad, because you’re right. You’re right, I did walk back with Higa.

Ōtori - But we didn’t say anything!

Ōtori - Seriously, not a word. I didn’t do anything that could make him think I’d done anything- besides, how would that fit into the timeline? Tons of people were still awake when we got back to Tsurugi’s dorm!

Maki - Yes, but you two could’ve gotten into the fight later on in the night. Maybe Higa witnessed you tampering with the coffee, and when he saw you awake later on, he put two and one and one together, and got the right answer.

Ōtori - But I didn’t do anything last night!

Maki - But you tried to!

Ōtori - !

Maki - Well?

Ōtori - …

Maeda - …Oh my god. He still won’t admit it.

Maeda - Ōtori, everyone knows you screwed with the coffee! Just cough it up!

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - I didn’t do anything last night. Higa had no reason to suspect I’d done anything. He didn’t see me awake last night, because after I woke Kobashikawa up, I went back to bed.

Ōtori - I have no involvement in Higa’s murder.

Maki - Mhm. And a flawless record to back you up.

Taira - Hm…

Taira - Not a very good shepherd if you never cry wolf, hm? Have to wonder where the wool and mutton is going.

Maeda - …Wool pulled over your eyes.

Ōtori - …

Tsurugi - …It wasn’t Ōtori.

Maeda - !

//Tsurugi’s standing. His bangs are slightly astray, his face is flushed pink, and there’s dried tears clinging to his face, and under his eyes. Still, his posture has him facing the class- he’s stepping in to defend Ōtori, and take down the arguments.

Tsurugi - He’s telling the truth about not interacting with Higa- and he was telling the truth earlier when he said that he was practically asleep by the time Kobashikawa got back into bed.

Tsurugi - I was sitting in the door frame, remember?

Tsurugi - Ōtori didn’t mean to kill anyone. He chose a removed method that involved something no one was going to interact with.

Tsurugi - He wouldn’t go and kill someone, not by strangulation, in front of everyone, and not because they accused him of murder. It’s not a driving force for him.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori, quietly - Thank you, Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …Mm.

Tsurugi - Just for the record, Ōtori did poison the coffee.

Tsurugi - I’m not looking for you to comment on that Ōtori, but I do want to make sure that everyone, you included, knows what my stance is there.

Tsurugi - …I think I get why, too. But that’s not relevant. I just want to close the book on that.

//Uehara has also stood up. He has his hands placed on his podium, bracing himself as he looks at Tsurugi. As far as Maeda knows, Uehara hasn’t shifted his gaze since standing.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Lemme share my thoughts on the case. I never gave you all a clear outline of my understanding…

Tomori - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - Tsurugi looks exhausted.

//Tsurugi’s clearly trying to steady himself.

Tsurugi - Okay.

Tsurugi - Looking at Higa, the most obvious sign of injury is the marks and discoloration on his neck.

Tsurugi - Certain parts of his skin were discolored as well, and his hands were stuck by his head.

Tsurugi - The marks on the neck, and the position of his hands imply he died due to a lack of oxygen.

Tsurugi - The discoloration of the skin implies that he had remained in the pose we found him in for some number of hours.

Tsurugi - …

//It’s quiet, as Tsurugi thinks.

Tsurugi - …Fuck.

Tsurugi - Okay. Then, there’s the matter of what Maeda heard…

Hatano - Wait.

Hatano - Is there nothing else we can learn from the marks on Higa?

Tsurugi - …I’m sorry. There really isn’t.

Hatano - What do you mean?

Hatano - I know we talked about how we can’t really match hcnads, but surely it tells us something?

Hatano - Like, shouldn’t the placement indicate something- or isn’t there some other marks indicati-

Tsurugi - Hatano.

Tsurugi - Asphyxiation leaves no trace.

Tsurugi - There is nothing surface-level that could possibly indicate who the blackened is.

Tsurugi - I mean, even if I had access to the best tech in the world, there’s only so many clues that are left behind, and none of it is damning.

Tsurugi - This case is dependent on testimonies.

Tsurugi - If we can’t find something in a testimony, we don’t have any evidence.

Uehara - …

Tomori - …

Maeda - …Uhm.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I- I think Tsuurgi’s doing bad.

//It’s hard to explain. He just looks… haggard. There’s resolve there, and it isn’t waning… but…

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - Maeda’s testimony is going to be the one that explains what happened last night.

Tsurugi - …It’s definitely crucial. If we can accurately understand what happened… I think we can identify the blackened.

Maeda - …But, how do we work out what I heard?

Tsurugi - I…

Tsurugi - I don’t know.

Tsurugi - But- I think I’m starting to get it? I- I may be starting to come to an answer.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Then, take time to yourself, and think.

Tsurugi - …?

Maeda - You work best on your own. When you have to explain things, that's when you falter.

Maeda - If you know where you need to go, or have an idea, just focus on that. We’ll continue to work on it too.

Maeda - Tap out, Tsurugi. It’s fine.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Y… you said-

Maeda - It’s fine. Don’t worry about anything I’ve said, okay?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …Okay. I’ll make sure we solve the case properly.

Maeda - Great.

Maeda - In the meantime.

//He focuses on the rest of the class. No one seems too focused on Tsurugi (...bar the usual), instead, turning to Maeda to see what he thinks they should do.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Ah, shit. I don’t actually know where we need to go from here.

Maeda - I liked what Maki said earlier, about looking into Higa’s thoughts a bit more.

Maeda - He might not have seen anything incriminating that Ōtori did, so, what is it that he saw?

Maeda - I don’t think anything much was happening last night… but maybe if we can confirm what all the noises and sounds were, we’ll be able to narrow down our suspect pool.

//Tsurugi chokes.

Maeda - !?

Tomori - Tsu?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi, tightly - Nothing.

Maeda - …Is he about to cry again?

Maki - …

Maki - Did you think of something?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Sorry. Sorry.

Maeda - Holy shit, he’s about to cry again.

Tsurugi - I just- I just need a moment. Then I’ll have everything worked out.

Maki - Okay. No- don’t worry about it. Just making sure you’re okay.

//Tsurugi gives a thumbs up, then starts toying with his hands.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Well, anyways.

Maeda - So… how should we try and understand what happened?

Maki - Ah… I was thinking about who Higa already had issues with- sure, he was a dick to everyone, but some people got the brunt of it, right?

Maki - Like, if everyone were still alive, we could probably cross off Mekaru and Yamaguchi. They were both more sympathetic, and unlikely to use any sort of force against Higa- they both disagreed with it when he got thrown out of the dining hall that one time.

Kobashikawa - That could definitely work…

Kobashikawa - But on that note, doesn’t it go past who had issue with Higa, and start to ask who would have been able to strangle him?

Maki - That’s right too-

Maki - We can look at it from the angle of who would’ve been physically capable of strangling Higa, if we’re already looking at when exactly he died.

Maki - Though, that doesn’t get as much into the motive.

Taira - …

Taira - It also may be worth considering who was asleep then.

Hatano - Right, yeah!

Hatano - If we’re using Tsurugi’s testimony to confirm that Ōtori was asleep, maybe we can do the same to clear some other people off the list.

Maki - Oh, true.

Maki - …Damn. Now we have too many things to consider.

Ōtori - Well, let’s just pick one, and see where it gets us, yeah?

Tomori - Lots of outcomes we could be running here…

Taira - So long as one of them is correct.

Tomori - …

~*~

Maeda, narrating - We went from having no clue what to discuss, to too many options…

Maeda - Honestly, I’m not really sure which one will be most helpful.

Maeda - I think Tsurugi has some sort of idea for what Higa witnessed, maybe? So, that’s good at least.

Maeda - I’m happy to know he’s back to guiding the trial- or will be, at least.

{Who Hated Higa}

{Who Is Strong Enough}

{Who Was Asleep}

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life #word count 5086

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another-dr-another · 1 month ago

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{tsurugi} can you pleaseeee give us some help.. -iris

Maeda, narrating - Mhm! Mhm mhm.

Maeda - God.

Maeda, exasperated - God. Okay. Let’s do this again.

Maeda - We- I’m not asking him to solve the case for us, but he needs to throw us a bone.

~*~

Maeda - Guys, Maki’s right.

Maeda - We can’t afford to guess on what happened, and vote based on a whim.

Maeda - If we get this wrong, it’s execution. Not just death, it’s- it’s the type of death Inori faced, and the type of death Yamaguchi faced, and it’s getting all of us.

Maeda - …Except for the blackened.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Okay, and what are you suggesting we do about the case, Maeda?

Maeda - …

Kobashikawa - …You were the one who said we shouldn’t check for bruises because it isn’t substantive enough. What do you have that we can build a case off of?

Maeda - …I’m sorry. I don’t have anything.

Maeda - I’m sorry to Kobashikawa, because it would be a good idea to look at the bruises… but I know it’d be leading us to the wrong conclusion, because I know I’m not the blackened.

Maeda - …

Maeda - He isn’t the only person I want to apologize to, though.

Maeda - None of us have anything to work with.

Maeda - But that just means there’s something we’re missing. Higa was murdered, somebody killed him, and there has to be something that proves who it was.

Maeda - Otherwise, Tsurugi wouldn’t know who the blackened is.

Maeda - …Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …

//He’s looking at the floor, arms loosely crossed… it doesn’t seem like he’s paying attention.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - ………

//…Nothing. His eyes move- but only to focus on a different spot of the floor. Maeda watches him for a moment. The fingers on his right hand twitch, and he seems to be… not even murmuring, but simply mouthing words to himself.

Maeda - …

//He shifts his gaze again, and wraps his left arm tighter around himself as his right starts to bounce and rock-

Maeda - He’s… keeping track of something… but I don’t know what.

Maeda - TSURUGI!

Tsurugi - …

//His eyes stay on their latest spot, but his hand stills.

Tsurugi - Yeah?

Maeda - We don’t know what happened. And we don’t know where we need to start, if we want to work out what happened.

Maeda - I’m not asking you to explain what happened. But we need you to help.

Maeda - I understand that you have your reservations. But you need to come up with something that you’re willing to share, because we’re trying, and we’re getting nowhere.

Tsurugi - …

//Finally, he leans his head up, and turns his gaze to Maeda.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …Maeda? When did you start to see me like a child?

Maeda - Huh.

Tsurugi - The way you’re talking to me is different than how you used to. Have I been too stubborn about how I think? Has it given you the wrong impression of me?

Tsurugi - I don’t know if you know what I mean.

Tsurugi - You didn’t talk to me like that when we first met. You don’t need to frame your questions weird just because of how I act.

Maeda - …

//Something sinks in Maeda. And when it lands, it brings with it a weight which settles deep within him. It’s a bit nauseating, and something about it hurts.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Then help.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …I’m not upset with you, you know. A lot of people do it, and I’d change how I’d act if that was what bothered me.

Tsurugi - You should think through the things you say, that’s what I’m trying to get at. Look at me, and see everything in full. Don’t let what’s in your head cover up what you’re seeing.

Taira - …

Maki - …

Tomori - …

//He shifts his posture, standing so he’s facing the group, instead of tilted away. He shrugs, and seems nonchalant.

Tsurugi - Aaaanyways, though… I don’t really get what you mean.

Tsurugi - Haven’t I been helping?

Tsurugi - Everyone kept saying that I was being too quiet, so I started to speak up.

Tsurugi - For a little bit now, sure, I’ve been trying to think- but that’s only been a few minutes, and I’m doing it because I need to.

Tsurugi - I talked about the evidence there was strangulation, and I stopped you all from considering that anyone could have committed Higa’s murder.

Tsurugi - …Here, I’ll help you some more- there’s a reason why I made sure you all knew that the blackeneds physical capabilities is important.

Tsurugi - I explained how strangulation works, what the blackened would have done, and the marks it would have made, and that was after I explained the difference between asphyxia and strangulation.

Tsurugi - Before that, I stepped in to give my testimony about Kobashikawa last night- another thing that’s important.

Tsurugi - I’ve been answering all plain-like about a ton of questions, too. I’ve talked about my hearing aid and my contacts, and-

Tsurugi - I was the only person to investigate in the blackened, and as soon as that was established, I testified!

Tsurugi - Speaking of testimonies, I was the first one to talk about how it was a good thing that we had new testimonies that hadn’t been heard- back when you testified, Maeda!

Tsurugi - The motive we believe right now is that Higa upset the blackened, right? Who was it that offered that theory?

Tsurugi - I gave you my every bit of reasoning, every analysis I had, and I keep establishing the frame we need to be looking at the case under!

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say all of that.

//While he’s been speaking, Tsurugi’s been expressive, gesturing around as he gave his examples. Now, though, he draws his arms in, starting to pick at some of the marks on his arms. Earlier, he didn’t seem focused on anyone in particular, but he focuses in on Maeda now.

Tsurugi - I understand how important this is.

Tsurugi - That’s the problem I was having earlier. I recognize the severity of the situation!

Tsurugi - I don’t like to make these comparisons, but if anything, I’m seeing issues here that you all aren’t!

Tsurugi - I-

Tsurugi - I can’t give you anything else right now.

Tsurugi - But it isn’t because I’m trying to be obnoxious, or be- be a problem.

//His voice starts to strain.

Tsurugi - I am trying. I’m trying to help, and I’m trying t-

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …I am trying to stay calm, and collected. I’m capable of being composed.

//He says, as Maeda notices tears pooling in his eyes.

Tsurugi - I keep getting thrown off. I cannot help you if I’m not able to function.

Tsurugi - I have helped, and helped, and helped. If you forgot that, it means you need to revisit what I said.

//Tsurugi seems to be composing himself.

Tsurugi - Everyone has the information they need to reach the same conclusions I have.

Tsurugi - Give me time to work through the rest of the information, for everyone’s sake. I don’t ask these things from you for my own good- I act based on the safety of the group.

Maeda - …

Taira - …What do you mean the “rest” of the information?

Maeda - …Wait.

//Immediately, any of Maeda’s thoughts on what Tsurugi said get replaced by Taira’s question. Ah well- Tsurugi’s ramble probably wasn’t too important.

Maeda - She’s right. What else is he talking about?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - It… isn’t anything related to what I’ve been saying about the blackened-

Tsurugi - Sorry, sorry, I know I’ve been totally disoriented- disorienting- whatever-

Tsurugi - I really can’t be answering questions right now. So, why are we…?

Taira - …

Taira - I thought it was interesting, that’s all.

Taira - Why can’t you be answering things we ask?

Tsurugi - Why are you concerned with what I answer once I start giving information willingly, like everyone wanted?

Taira - It goes against your character.

Tsurugi - People aren’t static, I’m capable of changing with a situation.

Taira - What’s different about you now?

Tsurugi - The way that I’m engaging with the trial is.

Taira - Why?

Tsurugi - Because I can’t think when I’m distracted, and everyone being upset that I wasn’t giving information was distracting.

Taira - What do you need to be thinking about?

Tsurugi - Nothing that needs to be shared!

Taira - But why aren’t you sharing?

Tsurugi - Because I’m a person which means I have BOUNDARIES.

Taira - …

Tomori - …

Maeda - …

Taira - …Fair enough.

Maeda - …What just happened?!

Maeda - And… what was that ending…

Maeda - …

//For a moment, Maeda is able to try and digest what’s happened with Tsurugi, and how he’s feeling about it.

Maeda - God…

Maeda - Did I push Tsurugi too much?

~”When did you start to see me like a child?”~

Maeda - …

Maeda, ticked - Whatever his issue is right now…

Maeda - …

Maeda - Fuck.

Maeda, calming down - Tsurugi doesn’t usually act like this. I think people have been getting on him a bit more in general-

Maeda - …I can’t help but think of the conversation we had in the hallway, actually…

Maeda - …

Maeda - Right. I think he’s stressed.

Maeda - He’s right that he did point out stuff for us to work with… I wish he could give us something more- but if he says we can do it, we just need to revisit things…

Maki - Let’s try going over the information Tsurugi gave us again.

Maeda - Exactly.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - If we have enough to work with, then… hearing that should be enough motivation that we can put the information to good use.

Ōtori - Yeah. Tsurugi brought up the blackened’s physical abilities, right? Who here do we think is capable of strangling Higa?

Maki - …

Maki - That… would definitely narrow it down.

Taira - …

Taira - Maki and Tsurugi certainly could have.

Taira - Hatano’s an athlete, she may have the upper body strength- I wouldn’t know. Tomori’s mentioned being capable of both base and flying, so she should be on the list as well.

Taira - Running a store requires a degree of strength, so Ōtori should probably be on the list as well.

Taira - Though, if that’s the standard we’re at, I should be on the list too.

Taira - Maeda, are you strong?

Maeda - N…not- particularly?

Taira - Hm.

Maeda - That’s… most of the class on the list.

Ōtori - …

Maki - …

Maki - Balance, coordination, strength. That, and an understanding of what you need to do…

Maki - I feel like we can take Ōtori off that list… potentially Hatano and Tomori, as well.

Ōtori, staring straight down the barrel of a gift horse - …Really?

Maki - …

Maki - If we scrap that last bit, then probably not…

Ōtori - No, no- sorry, I’m sorry-

Ōtori - I think that’s a good move. That brings us down to three people, right?

Maeda - Maki, Tsurugi, and Taira.

Maeda - …Ugh. I don’t like the thought of any one being the blackened, but that group…

Maeda - Tsurugi said that his testimony mattered too, right?

Taira - Uehara, Kobashikawa, neither of you have much to say for your strength, do you?

Kobashikawa - Ah… I don’t think I could try and strangle Higa and win with ease, no.

Maeda - Tsurugi’s testimony…

//Maeda is not paying attention. He doesn’t notice Taira’s question, or that Uehara is too busy looking at him to answer.

Maeda - …Tsurugi.

//Tsurugi’s reverted back to the position he was in before their conversation earlier- arms crossed, looking away.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Your autopsy helped us a lot with the last case. Is there anything we missed about Higa’s body?

Tsurugi - …

Hatano - …Higa didn’t get chopped up. I think this is out of Tsurugi’s field.

Uehara - Ah…

Maeda - But this is Tsurugi’s field… no, I should say that-

Maeda - This is exactly what Tsurugi’s field is. He knows better than anyone else what happened, he’s the only one who can explain things.

Maeda - There were the marks on Higa’s neck, and the way he’s positioned. Those imply he was strangled, right? Is there anything we might have missed?

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi turns towards Maeda, casually.

Tsurugi - Nah! It’s all good~

Maeda - Are you sure?

Tsurugi - Mhm!

Maeda - …We aren’t getting very far. And, I’m not understanding how you identified a blackened either.

Maeda - Yes, there’s the blackeneds capabilities, but that doesn’t narrow it down too much.

Maeda - So, what is it that we’re missing? There’s information you have that we can’t factor in, because we haven’t noticed it.

Maeda - What do you know that we don’t?

Tsurugi - Ah…

Tsurugi - Sorry, Maeda, I’m not supposed to say.

Tsurugi - I got a tongue piercing lately, and it uses iron, cuz of safety- it doesn’t really want me to say anything, so my tongue won’t work right.

Maeda - …You mentioned that you testified for Kobashikawa, and how that was relevant- but it made me wonder about when you testified about the autopsy.

Maeda - I said I’d watch you during it, so I could testify that you only did what was medically necessary.

Maeda - Did… did anyone watch Tsurugi when he investigated Higa?

Tsurugi - Higa’s form stopped being corporeal.

Maeda - Who was in the room when Tsurugi was investigating…

Tomori - …I don’t think there’s anything Tsurugi will say right now.

Tomori - Let’s um- let’s talk about something else. Some… other… part of the case…?

Maeda - …I think it was when Kobashikawa and I left. It was Tomori and Uehara- they were the other two in the room.

//Uehara is looking at Tsurugi. Tomori was looking at Maeda- but when he looked at her, she looked away.

Maeda - …Hm.

Maeda - No, we’re not going to talk about something else. I want Tsurugi to tell us about the autopsy.

Tsurugi - …?

Tsurugi - You were there, weren’t you?

Maeda - For Iranami’s autopsy, not Higa’s.

Tsurugi - …

//He’s looking at Maeda.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Iranami was a special circumstance. You know that. She wasn’t murdered, so her case went differently.

Tsurugi - Higa… Higa’s death was homicide, so it’s different. We can’t treat it the same.

Tsurugi - Mm… poor Higa. He deserved a better circumstance… not in the game, necessarily, but in life… maybe if things had been different!

Tsurugi - I wonder what sort of kid he was…

Tsurugi - Oh, did you know that eating dirt while pregnant can help make sure you get nutrients you need?

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - Uh. I thought of that, because, like… when I was a kid, I ate dirt a lot.

Tsurugi - Mm. I usually had hare around the same times, I think.

Maeda - This isn’t relevant.

Tsurugi - Well, it’s interesting. Uhm… rabbit and rooster are zodiac opposites.

Tomori - You’re year of the rooster, then?

Tsurugi - Mhm!

Maeda - …Stop keeping things from us Tsurugi.

Maeda - Sometimes, the things that are important to do are scary, or hard. You still need to go and do them.

Maeda - Didn’t we offer up the idea of reverse engineering who the blackened is? Why don’t you tell us who it is, and we’ll work out from there?

Maeda - Is the issue that you want us to work it out ourselves?

//Maeda watches Tsurugi- watches how his eyes dart around the room, flicking away from Maeda, then back, then away, then back again.

Tsurugi - It’s…

Tsurugi - …It doesn’t matter. What’s most important is that everyone keeps trying to solve the case.

Tsurugi - Really, if I had the choice, I’d just fold up all my atoms all together, and make em so small no one could even think about them, let alone see them and start to wonder what I’m thinking!

Maeda - Well, you can’t do that, and we aren’t able to solve the case.

Maeda - …Yeah, no. We can’t solve the case. Not with what we know- what you’ve told us.

Maeda - It just… isn’t going to happen, Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …

//His eyes start moving. His gaze fixates, but doesn’t lock the way it did earlier. While he’s looking at Maeda, there’s something entirely different in his eyes. Tsurugi isn’t trying to articulate any points… he’s pleading with Maeda.

Tsurugi - …Maeda, pleaaaase.

Tsurugi - Please keep trying. You- you can’t give up on solving what happened.

Tsurugi - There’s an answer there. There’s going to be an answer- if everyone works together, someone will say something that sets everyone down the right path.

Tsurugi - You…

//His voice wavers.

Tsurugi - You can’t… Maeda, I need you all to keep trying.

Maeda - …

Maeda - This isn’t… how I want things to go.

Maeda - Whenever I start to confront Tsurugi… he just gets hurt- he doesn’t get angry with me, he gets… sad. I can’t deal with that!

//Tsurugi notes Maeda’s silence- his hesitance to respond.

Tsurugi - …Please? Okay? Please?

Tsurugi - You said I should be open… I’m making a request, because you said I should. So… it’s okay? We’re okay?

Maeda - W-We’re fine…

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - I think it’s okay, if that’s what you need.

Kobashikawa - You had a hard time when the investigation started, right? It’s okay to have specific needs, especially when you aren’t doing well.

Uehara - Mm…

Uehara - Tsurugi isn’t doing anything wrong… it’s all fine. Just… piss off.

Maki - For fucks sake, Uehara…

Maki - But yeah, it’s- it’s fine. Let’s try and stick with this.

Maeda - …No.

Maeda - No.

Maeda - No, no- I don’t want to move on from this.

Maeda - Tsurugi, you still aren’t explaining things. You keep telling us that we can, that we should, but you won’t help us anymore. I get that you think you’ve helped enough, but you haven’t.

Maeda - We can’t get this without you, and I don’t get why you don’t want to help us.

Tsurugi - I-

Tsurugi - It’s not that I don’t want to! Don’t say that!

Tsurugi - I wanna help… I know, I know, I wanna help…

//He twists side to side, only slightly- fidgeting with his hands, still drawn up by his torso, as his shoulders swing with his movements. Again, he starts to look around- but he’s back to looking at the room, instead of the class.

Tsurugi - …I can help. I can help, I can do it.

Tsurugi - Just- I just need a minute. I need- you need to wait a minute, please, please, please…

Maeda - …Oh. Uh oh.

//…Maeda pushes forward.

Maeda - Why do you need us to wait?

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi has started to shake, in a jittery sort of way.

Tsurugi - …Can’t. Can’t help right now. I just need you all to wait. Please work on it yourselves- I’ll- I’ll be able to help soon. Not now. I’ll get there soon.

Tsurugi, mumbling - Gotta get there soon… Gonna get it, have to get it…

Maeda - …

//He steels himself.

Maeda - Why?

Tsurugi - …

//The shaking has gotten worse. It’s almost comical, how quickly he devolved. If Maeda didn’t have context, he’d think it were from the cold, and expect Tsurugi’s teeth to start chattering. As it is, though, Tsurugi’s still… staring off at nothing. Maeda watches as he starts to pull at his fingers, cracking and twisting his knuckles.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …

Tomori - …Maeda, let’s move on.

Maeda - No.

Maeda - Tsurugi, explain to us how Higa died. Go over the chain of events.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …No one’s going to get you out of this. The only way it’ll stop is if you push through it.

Maeda - You can’t keep hiding behind saying you don’t want to. Things will happen anyways.

Maeda - …It hurts to even say this.

Maeda - I don’t like people who try to avoid the inevitable. It makes my chest hurt to think about avoiding things because you know it’ll go poorly.

Maeda - It’ll still happen. Just go through it.

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …

//Finally, Maeda gets out of his own head, and focuses back on Tsurugi. Tsurugi seems to sense it when Maeda stares at him…

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …

//…and reacts to the pressure by crying.

Tsurugi - Uuuuu…

Maeda - Ah- ah- fuck, uh-

Tsurugi, sobbing - Snf-nf-

//It’s rough. It starts slow, but quickly escalates to bawling. He rocks on his heels slightly, and hides his face behind his hands- unfortunately, that proportion isn’t perfect on anyone, so Maeda can still see his eyes wrench shut, and his face flush pink.

Maeda - …

Tomori - …

Kobashikawa - …

Everyone - …

Maeda - …I feel like I’m being psychically chastised by half the people in this room.

Maeda - …See? None of this… helped you.

Maeda - If I’m dying, I don’t want it to be in a shallow grave, so I’ll keep digging.

Maeda - Things don’t go well if you avoid everything. It isn’t an escape from what you want to avoid, it’s you preventing it from getting dealt with.

Tsurugi - Aaaa…

//Still crying. Still shaking, too.

Maeda - …If you aren’t doing well, then sure, compose yourself.

Maeda - But when you’re ready to talk again, that’s what we’ll do.

Tsurugi, bawling - Nooo…

Maeda - Yes.

Maeda - I’d rather be harsh on one person than have everyone suffer for it.

Tsurugi - Take that back!

Tsurugi - It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine. It’s fiiiiine, it’s fine-

Maeda - It is not fine.

Tsurugi - Aaaaughhhh…

Maeda - It isn’t fine, Tsurugi. None of this situation is fine, so get it together, and come handle it.

Tsurugi - Stop! Stop it, Maeda, STOP!

Maeda - !...

Tsurugi, crying - Aaaah….

Maeda - …

//Tsurugi catches on his breath, trying desperately to get air in while tears roll down his face. Maeda… feels an odd mix of… frustrated and hurt, as he watches Tsurugi, though he doesn’t quite recognize either, opting to ignore them instead.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I don’t get why you’re having such a hard time with this.

Maeda - Just tell us anything. Anything that’ll help us work out what happened.

Tsurugi - I- I caaaAN’T…

//As he cries, his voice rises in pitch, tightening in the end as his throat constricts. Next to him, Tomori pulls a face.

Uehara - …

Uehara - Monokuma, permission to leave my podium?

//Before Monokuma can answer, Uehara has turned to step off.

Monokuma - Permission Denied.

Maeda - Uehara-

Tomori - UEHARA!

//He freezes, one foot off his stand.

Uehara, processing - …Oh- what the fuck.

Tomori - Monokuma, permission to leave my podium?

Monokuma - Permission Granted.

//Tomori quickly steps off her podium, and goes towards Tsurugi- only to be batted away once she’s in arms reach.

Tsurugi - No… no, I don’t- Don’t want it, don’t-

//Another wall raises and washes over the room, as Tomori takes a step back… then frowns, and slowly returns to her podium.

Maeda - …

Maeda - …Do you think you can start to talk now, Tsurugi?

//He continues to cry, but tries to look at Maeda.

Maeda - …

Maeda - It’s one word. Just tell us who the blackened is-

Tsurugi, interrupting - NO!

Maeda - It is one word. Tsurugi, this is insane.

Tsurugi - Aughhh-

Maeda - None of this is okay! This is way out of hand!

Tsurugi, overlapping - You don’t get iiit!

//This time it’s whining. He sounds genuinely distraught that Maeda isn’t… understanding.

Maeda - I mean, look at yourself! Look at everyone! We were all saying we were tired, this trial has been going on for so long already!

//Tsurugi tries to gesture vaguely, but gives up, hands dropping limply to his sides.

Maeda - It’s crazy. We do this every, single, time, and now, even when no one’s doing well with it,

//Uehara softly snaps his fingers, which Maeda fails to notice. Tsurugi leans away first, before Uehara turns his hand over, open palm stretching towards Tsurugi.

Maeda - We’re still stuck on the same exact thing, and you won’t even explain why!

//Tsurugi looks at Uehara… and limply takes his hand, letting Uehara gently pull him closer. His cries get slightly louder as Uehara hugs him, before getting muffled when he tucks his face away.

Maeda - It’s just so much… and he won’t explain.

//Maeda finally actually looks back over. Tsurugi’s sobs are slowly softening as he starts to breathe loudly- different from earlier, when the breath was used on wails before it truly reached his lungs, he’s now trying to make up for lost air, and regulate his breathing. He turns his head a bit, only for Uehara to bring up one hand, and comb it through Tsurugi’s hair, encouraging him to turn away again.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Genuinely, whatever will get him to engage with us again.

//With one last shaking breath, Tsurugi finally pulls away from Uehara. His hand lingers on Tsurugi’s back until Tsurugi’s out of easy reach.

Tsurugi - …

//He looks at Maeda… and again, this makes him cry.

Maeda - Okay.

Maeda - Like, eventually, he’s gotta get dehydrated eventually. There’s only so much one person can cry.

//It isn’t this bad this time, either. Tsurugi is using his hands to try and tidy himself still, but he’s actually able to stand and look about the room now.

Maeda - …Honestly, it’s mostly just surprising that he… lost it so bad, so fast.

Tsurugi, crying - Mmm.. snf……

Maeda - …

Maeda - I don’t even know what to say at this point.

Maeda - …Will you tell us who the blackened is?

//Tsurugis expression changes, into something near a scowl, before it wavers back to tears.

Maeda - Okay.

Maeda - Will you give us the autopsy, then?

Tsurugi - Ma-eda- I can’t.

Tsurugi - Sorry, I’m sorry, I can’t-

//He starts to shake, but it feels different from earlier somehow. Earlier was shaking, this is trembling.

Tsurugi - …I don’t want to do this right now. I want to be left alone please.

Maeda - And do what?

Maeda - Again, if you need to take a deep breath, do it, but we’re not… moving on from this.

Tsurugi - You don’t get it, you don’t get it, you aren’t getting it- Maeda, you’re just not understanding.

//He’s speaking softly- weak enough Maeda can ignore it, if he wants. That’s the choice Maeda makes.

Maeda - There’s no reason to just… continue avoiding this, keep ignoring-

Tsurugi - You aren’t listening to me, Maeda-

Maeda - Tsurugi, whatever it is you know, just say it-

Tsurugi - I CAN’T!

//It’s loud enough that Maeda has to stop.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …

//The sobbing is back.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Calling this stubborn doesn’t seem right, but it feels right.

Maeda - There’s no reason why you can’t. The only thing preventing you is how you feel-

Tsurugi, bawling - Stop it, stop it, stop it-

Maeda, louder - So you need to calm down,

Tsurugi - You don’t get it, you don’t- you won’t listen-

Maeda - And get it together,

Tsurugi - That’s not iiit! You’re so wrong, you don’t understand, you don’t-

Maeda - Tsurugi, this is so out of hand!

Tsurugi - You don’t get it, you won’t just listen, please, please, please-

Maeda - No! You aren’t giving us anything to work with here! Nothing about the blackened,

Tsurugi - Please, please, just- just work with me! Just listen, please, I have- I have it, I can do it, I- I- I can get it, I can get it, it’ll be fine-

Maeda - Work with what! I don’t know what’s going on, no one understands,

Tsurugi - It’s fine! You can- it’s fine! Pleaaase, Yukii!

Maeda - !

Maeda - Y-You can’t just keep yelling! You need- god…

Maeda - We need you to get it together, and tell us what hap-

Tsurugi - I DON’T KNOW! I DON’T KNOW, I DON’T KNOW, I! DON’T! KNOW!

//Tsurugi is screeching. Something about the way the words tumble out of him makes Maeda pause.

Tsurugi - I DON’T KNOW WHO KILLED HIGA! I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT, I DON’T KNOW WHO THE BLACKENED IS, AND I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SOLVE THIS CASE!

Tsurugi - …

//…

Everyone - …

Maeda - …

//Tsurugi has gotten what he asked for. Finally, Maeda’s stopped asking. Everyone’s stopped.

Tsurugi - …

//Everything has stopped.

Maeda - …

//There’s… no more progress on the case.

Maeda - …There was never any progress, at all.

Tsurugi - …

//It’s weak, and wavering. He’s still crying, and still struggling for air, but those breaths have been the loudest thing in the room for a good moment now.

Tsurugi - I am so sorry.

Tsurugi - I sat there. I sat there, and I stared at Higa. And I asked myself how I didn’t know, when I was so, so, so close. How I let it happen, and how I didn’t know the answer.

Tsurugi - I-

//His throat seems to constrict, lips pursing shut as he gives a pained hum, attempting to stop the tears from escalating.

Tsurugi - I should know what happened, and I don’t. I’m so sorry.

Tsurugi - I… I don’t know how to solve this. I don’t have a clue where we go from here.

Tsurugi - I am so sorry.

//Tsurugi starts to sob again. And Maeda doesn’t feel anything about this. There’s the slow-dawn of realization, as he starts to piece together what Tsurugi meant when he was talking earlier…

Tsurugi, light-headed - I’ll get it. I’ll get it. I’ll solve it, I can’t, but I’ll get there, I’ll work it out, please, please, I’m so sorry, I can get it.

//…And Maeda feels nothing at all.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …

Maeda - ……….

Maeda - …Okay.

Maeda - Tsurugi doesn’t know what happened.

Maeda - So, no one knows what happened.

Maeda - Tsurugi… doesn’t even know where to start.

Maeda - He agrees. There’s no evidence. Nothing we can use.

Maeda - The blackened… pulled off the perfect murder. No one can identify them.

Maeda - No one has any ideas, or any reason to believe we’re just missing something.

Maeda - There’s no hope.

Maeda - …

Maeda - ………

Maeda - ……………

{Advance}

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chpater 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life #word count: 5274

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another-dr-another · 1 month ago

Note

How about this?

{Kobashikawa, Otori, Tsurugi, 1, Murder, White Noise, First, Culprit, After, Before}

Maeda, narrating - Ah…

Maeda - Yeah, I think I can solve it like that.

~*~

Maeda - Last night, Kobashikawa had to leave Tsurugi’s dorm room. This happened after everyone was either asleep, or falling asleep-

Maeda - Ōtori was still awake, and Tsurugi got woken up to watch Kobashikawa and make sure he just went to his room.

Maeda - Kobashikawa left his room sometime after 12:43 AM, and went right back to Tsurugi’s dorm.

Maeda - Everyone who woke up for this went back to sleep, so for some time, everyone in the room was likely fast asleep.

Maeda - I woke up because I heard someone talking, but I couldn’t hear who they were talking to.

Maeda - A little later, there was a second conversation, where someone accused the person they were talking with of murder.

Maeda - There was a thump, and some crying, and I didn’t hear anything else.

Maeda - I heard something similar to white noise, and there were some lights, which were brighter than the lights I saw after the first conversation.

Maeda - There was some changes to the noises, but we’ve already decided that was probably the blackened turning something on to cover up the sounds of Higa dying, and the conversation was them shushing someone who woke up.

Maeda - Higa died before Kobashikawa got back from his room, which happened after I heard anything. That’s the timeline of events.

Tomori - …It all makes sense.

Tsurugi - …

Maki, targeted - …No one has issue with this?

Taira - …

Kobashikawa - …

Ōtori - …I guess it feels fine to me? I couldn’t name anything wrong with it.

Hatano - Everything fits, doesn’t it? What seems wrong to you?

Maki - …

Tsurugi - …

Maki - …Nothing.

Maeda - …I think I know what Maki’s on about.

Maeda - It’s… if anyone thinks something else happened, they should say something.

Maeda - If we’re allowed to think the wrong thing, it’ll go poorly for us- we need to have the right facts.

Maeda - Does everyone think the timeline is right?

//Maeda is looking at Tsurugi, who’s gently rocking and swaying.

Tomori - Five of us have said we agree with it…

Taira - I don’t have any reason to argue about the timeline.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Tsurugi? Are we right?

Tsurugi - …?

//He goes still, and seems to think for a moment before looking at Maeda and smiling.

Tsurugi - Mhm!

Tsurugi - I think it should be fine to see things like this.

Maki - …

Taira - To see things like what?

Tsurugi - …The way Maeda explained it?

Taira - Is that the correct way?

Tsurugi - Ohh…

Tsurugi - You know I can’t say things like that!

Tsurugi - Doesn’t everyone hate video games where the assistant pops up and tells you everything?

Hatano - Not a video game.

Tsurugi - Ah.

Tomori - What’s wrong?

Tsurugi - Ah-

Taira - Tsurugi is being cagey.

Tsurugi - …The tiger. He destroyed his cage.

Tomori - …Sorry- is this too important? Aren’t we fine to keep working on solving the case?

Maki - …That’s true.

Maki - Tsurugi, you know what happened, yeah?

Tsurugi - …To Higa?

Maki - Mhm.

Tsurugi - Yeah, I’ve got it.

Tsurugi - But… how to get everyone to the right perspective…

Maeda - …?

Tsurugi - Angles are a silly thing- did you know that in English, angle and angel are super similar words?

Maeda - Really?

Tsurugi - Mhm, no joke.

Uehara - You’re an cute angel…

Tsurugi - Acute is a type of angle.

Uehara - Okay…

Maeda - Uehara, do you know English?

Uehara - Nah. In Italian, it's angelo and angolo, though.

Maeda - Ah.

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …

Maeda - …Wait- I meant to ask Tsurugi what he’s thinking…

Maeda - Tsurugi, what’s on your mind?

Tsurugi - I don’t really understand the postage system. I wish I knew more about how that worked.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …I’m being so genuine right now. I wonder how they allocate time and labor.

Maeda - You don’t feel the need to think about the case?

Tsurugi - No!

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …I mean. Yeah. I’m thinking. But that doesn’t mean sharing!

Tsurugi - Just… keep trying to solve it Maeda. Don’t mind me.

Maeda - …Okay.

Maeda - Whatever.

Maeda - …Not whatever.

Maeda - Tsurugi, it’s fine to let us in on things, you know?

Tsurugi - …Mm…

Tomori - …

Tomori - I mean, I don’t mind trying to solve things on our own.

Tomori - It’s for our best, right? We should be able to do things! Choosing to be dependent on someone is… everything can be complicated, but generally, it isn’t a good choice.

Tomori - Besides, Tsurugi is the one who chooses what he does, including what he says. It’s fine to be upset with it, but I don’t… think it’s harmful, so I don’t think it should be spoken against.

Tsurugi - …Thank you, Kizuna.

//Tomori smiles.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Usually, I’m not even thinking about the case. Earlier I was thinking about diffusing mail bombs. I’ve got cases I’m on outside of the school, there’s stuff on my mind.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Please take good care of me! I’ve only been visiting this world for a lil’ bit, our time together is so short! I’ll do my best!

Maeda, begrudgingly affectionate - …Fine, Tsurugi. Fiiiiiiiine…

Kobashikawa - In that case, where did we leave off?

Maki - Maeda arranged what happened last night into proper order.

Kobashikawa - …Right.

Tomori - And there isn’t an issue with it- we’ve got the timeline established, that’s great!

Hatano - …

Hatano - Now what? I mean, yeah, we got the timeline sorted, but what do we do with that?

Tomori - …

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - We’re no further along.

Tsurugi - …

Ōtori - …Getting the timeline established didn’t help us at all, because it doesn’t matter when things happened.

Ōtori - We all have the same alibi during the time Higa died. Everyone was asleep.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Everyone claims they were asleep.

Maeda - Most of us are telling the truth. Most of us legitimately slept through the night.

Maeda - But one person didn’t, and whoever it was, they aren’t leaving us any threads to pull. They’re lying flawlessly.

Taira - …

Taira - Then, let’s review everything.

Maeda - …Isn’t that what we just did?

Taira - Go over everything. Every aspect of how Higa died.

Hatano - Huh?

Hatano - He pissed someone off, they went over and strangled him.

Taira - And the thump?

Maki - …

Maki - Higa was violent. He saw pain as a disciplinary measure. I’d put money on him hitting the person, and it hurting them.

Maki - Tsurugi suggested it earlier- maybe the blackened panicked, and was trying to get him to leave them alone.

Uehara - Bite the hand that beats.

Maki - Exactly.

Taira - Okay. So, Higa thought somebody committed murder, and he hit them over it, prompting them to reach over and strangle him.

Hatano - …?

Maki - …I get it.

Maki - What would have prompted Higa to think that someone had been murdered?

Taira - Yes. We need to understand every aspect of the case, including the incenting event.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Did he see that Iranami was missing?

Ōtori - I would doubt it. I can’t see Higa as the sort to wake up and decide to check on everyone.

Maeda - Mmm…

Hatano - …

Hatano - Yeah, actually-

Hatano - What could have led Higa to think there’d been a murder? What evidence would there have been?

Uehara - There wasn’t any.

Uehara - No one committed murder last night- not at that point. He wouldn’t have seen anything… implying a murder, because there was nothing to see.

Maeda - Right…

Maeda - Objectively, that’s true- there’s nothing that goes against it. There wasn’t a murder.

Ōtori - …

Maki - …Okay. So Higa just… didn’t see anything.

Taira - Ah… it seems looking at that was a bust, then.

Maki - Mhm… but, it’s still a good idea to work out the details on what happened. We’re on the right track there.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - What about during the murder? Strangulation takes a bit of time, doesn’t it?

Maki - That’s right.

Ōtori - What are you thinking, Kobashikawa?

Kobashikawa - Well…

Kobashikawa - If we figure he was trying to fight off the person, wouldn’t he have been able to leave a mark on them?

Maeda - Ohhhh shit.

Kobashikawa - I know it was established the bloody pillow wasn’t used, but I don’t even see how that’d really help us prove the blackened’s identity-

Kobashikawa - But, wouldn’t scratching or bruising be pretty damning?

Maeda - Kobashikawa, no!

Ōtori - …That… might work.

Maki - …

Maki - Mm… it could probably narrow things down.

Maeda - No! It’s- let’s not!

Maeda - I have bruises on my arms, and I’m not the blackened!

Maeda - Fuck. I can’t explain my bruises, that’s the problem. I don’t know how I got them.

Maeda - I suggested that earlier… wasn’t it Tomori that shot the idea now?

Maeda - Tomori!

//He turns to Tomori. She’s… offering no help, only looking at the rest of the students, expression giving no indication she plans to interject.

Maeda - Fuck, Tomori…

Taira - I don’t have any issue with looking to see who’s been injured.

Taira - In fact, perhaps that’ll solve the case. If someone’s injured, and doesn’t have good reason… we may have found our blackened.

Maeda - FUCK! Okay. Okay.

Maeda, hesitant - …Wait.

Maeda - I- I don’t think this’ll work…

Taira - No?

Maeda - I… don’t think we should try this, because I don’t think we should depend on it.

Maeda - A mark or two isn’t… isn’t substantive enough for our case to be built entirely off of.

Maeda - We need to work out something else, then we can use any bruises- or something- to see if our ideas work.

Maeda - W-We shouldn’t get desperate, right? Let’s take our time!

Kobashikawa - …

Maki - …I understand that…

Maki - But it’s still something for us to go off of- and we don’t have that right now.

Maeda - Shit, she’s totally right. I- I don’t know what to suggest.

Maeda - …Oh my god. If everyone votes for me, it’s not only that I’ll die, everyone dies.

Maeda - Fuck.

Hatano - I’m with Maeda.

Maeda - LET’S GO.

Hatano - I mean- you said we can use injuries to try and verify the blackened after we’ve worked out who they are, right?

Maeda - Y-Yeah!

Hatano - …I guess I don’t agree then, because I don’t think we should use the bruises at all.

Hatano - I mean- so what if Higa did leave some marks? It’s-

Hatano - Don’t you think if he did anything substantive, he’d have been able to get himself free? No use in scratching the hell out of someone if you still die about it.

Maeda - …

Maki - …

Kobashikawa - …It’s… actually a relevant point, maybe-

Kobashikawa - Higa… definitely wasn’t weak. I do have a hard time believing he’d go down without a fight.

Kobashikawa - Is it possible that he… didn’t fight back? Like, he was unable to, or something similar?

Maki - …

Maki - I…

Maki - …Shit. Sorry.

Maki - It feels like we’re starting to reach that point where…

//Maki is clearly fighting to make headway on the case… and the fact it isn’t working seems to be getting to her.

Maki - We’re just going in circles. We’re starting to look for any reason to throw everything out.

Ōtori - Do you disagree with Kobashikawa?

Maki - I don’t! I completely agree, I don’t get how the blackened was able to kill Higa without him overpowering them-

Maki - Even if it was someone strong enough to beat him in a fight, I mean, would any of us have been able to just… take him down like that, without him managing to toss them off him?

//…Maeda doesn’t miss the way she looks at Tsurugi when she’s finished speaking.

Maki - It’s not impossible for him to have been beaten- I know I probably could have,

Maki - But if I had tried to strangle him, he probably would have been able to buck me off, even if I’d get him in the end-

Maki - And that would have woken someone up!

Taira - …

Maki - I-

Maki - …Everything we come up with makes this case worse.

Maki - We aren’t finding something to work with here. So, either we start to tear apart what we do have…

Tsurugi - …

Uehara - …Or?

//Tsurugi’s eyes flick over to Uehara- the first time Maeda’s seen him look at someone since the last time he spoke. His gaze shifts quickly… unlike Maki, who looks at Uehara… and just looks. Just looks. Before finally speaking.

Maki - …Or we die.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …Fucking Christ…

Maeda - …

Maeda - Shit. She’s completely right. I’m glad I’m not the one that had to say it… fuck, Maki is completely right.

Maeda - It’s different hearing someone else… verbalize what you’ve been thinking.

Maeda - …

Maeda - …I don’t know. I can’t- I can’t think of anything to say. There’s nothing I can think of to investigate.

Maeda - …

Maeda - …But, it’s like Taira said.

Maeda - Even if we don’t have proof of what happened, we know it has to have happened, because we see the effect it had.

Maeda - We don’t know how Higa was murdered, but we know that it happened, because Higa’s dead now.

Maeda - …

//He laughs, softly- more choked than anything, which he’s grateful for. Now isn’t the time to be laughing over anything, and Maeda’s realization really isn’t funny.

Maeda - Okay. Yeah, I know where we need to go with this.

Maeda - Fuck. We just had another dumbass sidebar about this, too.

Maeda - Okay. Okay, okay.

Maeda - If it happened, but I don’t understand how… if Higa’s been murdered, and the only person who knows what happened is the person behind the case-

Maeda - We obviously can’t ask them, so we need to ask the person who’s already solved the case.

{Select a Student}

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life #word count 2477

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another-dr-another · 1 month ago

Note

bloodied pillow for {fight the person off} i can’t explain why - iris

Maeda, narrating - Hm…

Maeda - I think… if we remember what the crime scene looked like, we can work out which theory aligns with the evidence.

~*~

Maeda - Hey- doesn't the evidence say Higa was strangled?

Taira - Does it?

Maeda - I- yeah, I think so.

Maeda - It’s about what Higa was doing last night- when he died, right?

Maeda - His hands were up by his face, and they were… sort of locked, like he was trying to grip something?

Maeda - If it had been the pillow he were fighting against, he’d have tried to slip out from under it, or get the force off him, right?

//Tsurugi nods.

Maeda - Oh thank god. That wasn’t really rhetorical, I was worried I wasn’t remembering right.

Maeda - But his feet seemed to be laying pretty normally, and again, his hands weren’t braced against the floor…

Maeda - There would’ve been no benefit to having his hands by his face if the murder method were suffocation.

Maeda - I mean, there wasn’t even any evidence the pillow was used. The pillow, and the positioning of Higa’s body both show that he was trying to fight someone off, not escape from something.

Tomori - …Oh.

Maeda - S…Sorry, Tomori.

Tomori - No, no, it- it’s fine.

Tomori - Whatever you think happened, it’s good to know. And if you can support it, then I’ll believe it. I’m with you on this, Maeda.

Tomori - …

Tomori - Hey, maybe the marks on his neck were bruises? From the blackeneds hands?

Maeda - …Oh.

Maeda - Wait, yeah, that totally makes sense.

Ōtori - There were bruises on his neck?

Maki - There were marks, yes. I don’t think they could be used to work out who the blackened is- if anyones thinking that.

Hatano - Why not?

Maki - They aren’t complete handprints or anything, or even distinctive fingers- there’s a reason we’re only thinking of this now.

Maki - It’s some discoloration on his throat. Can’t get anything too damning out of that.

Hatano - Ah…

Tsurugi - But, it’s good we were able to extrapolate this! So we should be happy about it~

Tsurugi - It’s really, really good…

Uehara - …?

Taira - …What do you mean, Tsurugi?

Tsurugi - Oh-

Tsurugi - There… isn’t really other evidence of strangulation. It’s good we were able to make something work to prove what went down.

Tsurugi - I dunno. I’m happy with this?

Taira - There isn’t other evidence that it was strangulation?

Tsurugi - …No. ✩

Tsurugi - Good work Maeda for being able to make something out! Keep it up!

Maeda - …Alright.

Kobashikawa - So… where does it get us to know that it was strangulation?

Hatano - It’s a matter of who’s capable of strangulation.

Hatano - …Would you say we can rule you out, Kobashikawa?

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - Probably? Maybe? I don’t know what it takes to strangle someone.

Ōtori - It wasn’t Kobashikawa. I know no one thinks it was anyone, but no one thinks it was Kobashikawa.

Tomori - Is there anyone here who definitely wouldn’t be able to strangle someone?

Ōtori - I mean… get the right leverage, anyone would be capable of it, right?

Tsurugi - Stop, don’t think like that.

Tsurugi - It has to have been fairly quick, and they have to have been able to keep Higa from kicking them off.

Tsurugi - The only reason strangulation is feasible is because it isn’t that hard, if you get your weight on their chest.

Tsurugi - But again, that means you have to keep it on there, while your hands are on the throat.

Tsurugi - We can all squeeze a neck, but Higa’s death took balance, grip, and pressure.

Maeda - …Really?

Taira - Maybe you should expand upon that, Tsurugi.

Tsurugi - …Shit, wait- no, I wasn’t thinking.

Taira - Oh?

Tsurugi - Bad to say things like that.

Tsurugi - Uhm. I was totally lying. If you put your weight on someone’s chest it’ll make you feel super-sick and they’ll just look at you funny. And you totally can’t kill someone like that.

Tsurugi - If you ever want to kill someone, you should go at it from the side- like, squeeze the sides of their throats. Super-lethal, so don’t do it.

Maeda - …So, it’s harder to kill by force on the sides, force on the front would be easier.

Ōtori - …I think you’ve dug your grave already, Tsurugi. Just tell us what you know.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - It makes sense for there to be a mark on the front of Higa’s neck if he was strangled. That’s where the… force would need to be.

Maeda - Thank you, Tsurugi.

Tomori - …Is that right?

Maki - Mhm, he’s being genuine.

Ōtori - Maki, you knew that? Why didn’t you say anything?

Maki - …

Maki - …Ōtori. There is… so much going on. I genuinely just… didn’t realize I needed to explain strangulation.

Maki - Higa was strangled. It looks like it, everyone’s agreeing on it, I didn’t feel the need to argue for it. That isn’t what I was thinking about.

Ōtori - …Makes sense.

Kobashikawa - So… all you need is to apply your weight right?

Tsurugi - …

Maeda - …It doesn’t look like he’s paying attention.

Maki - Pretty much, yeah.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - Doesn’t that mean anyone could have done it?

Maki - …

//She sighs.

Maki - Pretty much, yeah.

Kobashikawa - …Okay.

Maeda - …Fuck. That didn’t get us anywhere.

Maeda - What else do we have to discuss…

Kobashikawa - Taira, you suggested we talk about the time of death more, didn’t you?

//She tilts her head slightly, and glances to the side.

Taira - I named it as an option, yeah.

Kobashikawa - Is there anything that stands out to you about it? Anything we could be talking about?

Taira - No.

Kobashikawa - …

Tomori - Are there any ways we could narrow it down that we haven’t thought about?

Maki - …

Ōtori - …

Uehara - …

Taira - Currently, it’s mostly defined by Maki’s testimony about when he could have died, right?

Tomori - I think… that, and our guesses about when everyone would have been asleep.

Taira - Ah.

Tomori - …

Taira - …

Tomori - …

Maeda - She seems… stressed.

//Tomori’s eyes slowly flick around the room, checking everyone for an answer. No one responds, or gives any hint to work with.

Maeda - If we were able to narrow down the time of death some more… it’d have to be by evaluating when the last person to fall asleep fell asleep, right?

Maeda - Like… it’d be a matter of who was up when- it doesn’t seem like Maki was, I know Kobashikawa and Ōtori were… and I think Tomori and Hatano were asleep too?

Maeda - Mmm… but, according to what they’ve testified about what they’ve heard, the only way Uehara can be telling the truth is if he was asleep, and we can assume that even if Tsurugi couldn’t hear, he’d have to be asleep too, to not have seen anything.

Maeda - So, if we can’t place anyone as having been awake last night, then…

Maeda - …

Maeda - Someone has to be lying. We know that already.

Maeda - What changes is that if we don’t know who was awake, then that means whoever is lying is doing good enough we don’t have a thread to follow.

//Tomori seems to be returning to a degree of composure, though she’s still nervously twisting at her hands.

Maeda - Tomori…

//Immediately he turns to Tsurugi.

Maeda - Maybe Tsu can bail us out here… maybe if Tomori asks him, at least.

//…It’s obvious Tsurugi is on a different planet. He seems to have gotten so far away, he’s forgotten about his physical form, making no effort to hide the gears turning in his head. Usually, he looks a bit distracted, but now, it’s clear there’s something on his mind.

Maeda - …Didn’t he make a quip about being a space cadet earlier?

Maeda - Anyways, Tsurugi’s being helpful as ever. Consistency is comfortable, I guess.

Maeda - Okay. Just another trial, just another bind… if we want to narrow down the time, what can we use?

Maeda - No aspect of the death is… time-sensitive in any way… so that’s no help.

Maeda - God, does it really just come down to testim-

Kobashikawa - …I’m going to testify about what I know about last night.

Maeda - -!

Kobashikawa - I know… it was agreed that it isn’t relevant to… what happened, but I’d still like to make sure all the information I have is available for people to consider.

Maeda - Okay, this works. I will totally take this.

Kobashikawa - …Besides. Maybe someone will be able to find something important in it.

Kobashikawa - No one has anything they’d like to bring up now, in case they forget?

Taira - …

Tsurugi - …

Tomori - …

Maki - …I think we could all use something new to think about, actually.

//Kobashikawa nods… then spends a moment staring at his whiteboard before starting to write.

Kobashikawa - I think I’d fallen asleep, but not… deep sleep, when Ōtori woke me up.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - He asked if I’d remembered to take off my binder, and I realized I hadn’t.

Kobashikawa - …

//He doesn’t look at anyone. Maeda does it for him, searching everyone’s reactions. Uehara and Taira both seem a bit removed from the conversation, while Tsurugi and Tomori are engaged, Tomori seemingly looking for a chance to non-verbally reassure Kobashikawa, if the look in her eyes is anything to go off of. Ōtori’s expression is unreadable, while things seem to be dawning on Hatano- Maki is similarly having some revelations, but it’s clear there’s a bit more… weight to it for her.

Maeda - …

Kobashikawa - ...So, I asked Tsurugi if I could go back to my room to get changed.

Hatano - …

Kobashikawa - …

Maki - …We hear you, Kobashikawa. What happened next?

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - I didn’t want to startle anyone who may be up, so I just crawled over to Tsurugi. I explained what happened, and he said he’d watch me go to my room so someone would be able to confirm where I went.

Maki - …Wait- not really important, but how did you tell Tsurugi? Was it really bright enough to write on your whiteboard?

Uehara - Mmm. Tsurugi wouldn’t have been able to read it, his contacts weren’t in, glasses weren’t on.

Kobashikawa - Pantomime.

//Tsurugi slowly starts to bob his head.

Tsurugi - Mhm. Koba’s been out to me for awhile. He just gestured at his chest- then showed me part of the binder, cuz I wasn’t getting it- and I understood what was happening.

Maeda - …Right. He sent Kobashikawa to change into his binder during the investigation.

Maki - Okay. So, Tsurugi watched?

Tsurugi - I can take over for this~

Tsurugi - I just sat down in the doorframe and waited for Kobashikawa to come back. Watched him go down to his dorm, and watched until he was walking back.

Tsurugi - Then I got up and held the door for him when he was coming in.

Maeda - …Very courteous.

Kobashikawa - …And Tsurugi’s testimony confirms this, but…

Kobashikawa - I went to my room, I got changed, I came back, I fell asleep.

Kobashikawa - …Sorry. I guess it really isn’t that big of a deal.

Maki - No- I’m glad we talked about this.

Maki - …Ōtori, anything to add?

Ōtori - Ah…

Ōtori - Not particularly. I… happened to remember that I didn’t see Kobashikawa leave to change as I was trying to fall asleep.

Ōtori - Once he left to talk with Tsurugi, I figured my involvement was over, so I tapped out.

Ōtori - I remember feeling Kobashikawa lay down, and I fell asleep right after that.

Maki - Alright.

Maki - So, you took a brief trip out of Tsurugi’s dorm, which Ōtori and Tsurugi are able to verify.

Kobashikawa - Mhm.

Kobashikawa - I don’t know… I sort of meandered, I guess? I spent a moment in my room, I don’t really know why.

Maki - Tsurugi, does that seem right?

Tsurugi - Mm…

Tsurugi - I guess, I didn’t think anything of it at the moment, though. I was asleep when Kobashikawa came and got me, so I was focused on staying awake.

//Hatano scoffs.

Hatano - Hey. Lemme step in.

Hatano - Did you just stare down at Kobashikawa’s dorm the whole time?

Tsurugi - …Mhm.

Tsurugi - It’s… something I’m capable of? Watching an area, I guess.

//Hatano’s smile grows more bitter.

Hatano - Okay. Cool.

Maeda - …Oh.

Maeda - If you’re in Tsurugi’s doorframe, facing into the hallway, Kobashikawa’s dorm is the opposite direction of the dining hall.

Maeda - …Is she mad Tsurugi didn’t look that way?

Maeda - You can’t even see the doors from the dorm hallway… but, I won’t act like it’s something for me to understand.

Hatano - …Sorry.

Hatano - Tsurugi, did you look in the room at all?

Maeda - …I’m not tracking.

Tsurugi - Not particularly~... Uehara was correct, he knows. I wouldn’t have been able to see, I didn’t have contacts in.

Hatano - Okay.

Hatano - You couldn’t make out, like… vague forms, though?

Hatano - I- you were able to stay focused on watching Kobashikawa because you’re a cop, right?

Hatano - You didn’t try to do a head count? Or anything?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I’m sorry, Hatano. I didn’t, and I shouldn’t have.

Hatano - …

Hatano - You can’t tell me you’re the sort of person who’s devoid enough of emotion to say that so plainly, and actually mean it. You aren’t sorry. If you are, you aren’t as sorry as you should be.

Tsurugi - …

Kobashikawa - …

Taira - …

Maeda - …

Maeda - Ōtori, do you know when you woke Kobashikawa up?

Ōtori - I didn’t check my watch, no.

Ōtori - …Sorry.

Kobashikawa - I checked the time when I was in my room. It was… 12:43, then I left a few minutes after that.

Maki - Would you say you fell asleep around 1, then?

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - …Maybe. Probably?

Maeda - …

Tomori - …

//Kobashikawa seems…

Maeda - Distracted?

Tomori - …Kobashikawa? What’s on your mind?

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - Sorry. I-

Kobashikawa - …Sorry. I never would have been able to say that around Higa.

Kobashikawa - He was openly transphobic, we all know it would have been an issue with him.

Kobashikawa - Like, I’m not going to ignore the directed comments he made towards anyone who was out, despite having zero reason to feel so bold.

Kobashikawa - But-

//He twitches for a moment, unsure of how to word things-

Kobashikawa - …

//Before setting down his whiteboard and his pen, and starting to sign.

Kobashikawa - He was such a freak to me.

Kobashikawa - I don’t know. Maybe I should have gotten over myself? Getting hit here and there is not that bad. He could have done-

Kobashikawa - Fuck, half my concerns came from just the knowledge that he could be doing worse!

Kobashikawa - Any fear, any worry, any frustration- he could have been doing worse things! He made things miserable and he wasn’t even being that bad.

Kobashikawa - It’s so…

Kobashikawa - Even when he wasn’t around, he was…

Kobashikawa - The knowledge that Higa was around somewhere, that he was in the same space as me, eating in the same room, sleeping across the hall-

Kobashikawa - It was fucking hard!

Kobashikawa - And it felt so horrible. It felt so god-awful-

Kobashikawa - I- I’ve never been out before!

Kobashikawa - I came to Hope’s Peak so optimistic- cautious, sure, but hoping I’d at least have a class that was mostly understanding, and- fuck, I got that!

Kobashikawa - But he- being around him ruined things!

Kobashikawa - It didn’t matter that he was the minority. It didn’t matter- when he was alone, and when everyone was actively condemning him.

Kobashikawa - One, it didn’t stop him from being the way he was, and it didn’t…

Kobashikawa - …I didn’t feel safe. I didn’t feel comfortable. I knew that most people didn’t care, and that most people were on my side when it came to Higa… but it didn’t matter.

Kobashikawa - I felt…

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - Dumbest term, but I felt quiet. I felt like I had shrunk down, and I knew I didn’t have to hide, but…

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - He sucked the joy out of things. I wasn’t… I couldn’t just be. I couldn’t come out when I was ready to, I didn’t want to anymore.

Kobashikawa - It wasn’t worth it. It was easier to back down.

Kobashikawa - …I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to stand against him, or fight things, or change his mind.

Kobashikawa - I just wanted to be left alone.

Kobashikawa - And yeah, things got better, at the cost of him… redirecting the attention. But it didn’t stop.

Kobashikawa - He still looked at me, and he looked down on me, and I didn’t feel less than, but I felt tired. I knew that if I did anything to draw attention to myself, it wouldn’t be the odd comment, or stray punch-downs.

Kobashikawa - And I didn’t want to deal with it.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - I’m really sorry. I think saying this is going to… affect how people see me, and I may not like being seen like that-

Kobashikawa - But even now, I don’t feel… better. I’m still not where I was. I’m not over what he did, and I’m not past how it made me feel. I don’t feel… happy to finally be open, I’m just stressed.

Kobashikawa - But if I’m going to talk about things, I want to talk about everything.

Kobashikawa - I’m glad that Higa’s gone.

Kobashikawa - I’m happy he won’t be around me, and I’m happy that no one has to stress out about him, and that I won’t have to feel sick whenever he’s around anyone,

Kobashikawa - And I’m glad he won’t make life harder for people ever again.

Maeda - …

Maki - …

Ōtori - …

Kobashikawa - I get… I get that murders bad. Dying is bad. The fact Higa got murdered isn’t… good.

Kobashikawa - …But Hatano said it. No one was worried about getting justice for what happened to him. Then Tsurugi said it, that his death was probably comeuppance.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - I don’t know. I’m not going to start… extolling his virtues because he’s dead. And I’m not moving past what he’s done, but I’m happy he’s not going to keep making things worse.

Kobashikawa - I think, logically, I should be focused more on the fact that getting strangled sounds painful, and it probably sucked, and Higa didn’t need to be killed.

Kobashikawa - …But I’m really just thinking about how he screwed things up, and how it would’ve been better for everyone if he was never here… but this might be what’s best for everyone but him.

Tsurugi - …

Tomori - …

Hatano - …

Uehara - …Cheers, let’s drink to that…

//Tsurugi laughs airily.

Maki - …I understand, Kobashikawa-

Maki - I don’t think anyone’s going to… go against you, on that.

Uehara - All tongues that rise against will fall…

Uehara - Uh-

Uehara - Higa sucked! He sucked a lot. He hurt a lot of people, uh… psychologically, physically. Hurt everyone, I think.

Uehara - Proud of you for coming out. Super cool. Hellll yeah.

Tsurugi - …Everyone loves you, Kobashikawa!

Tsurugi - I don’t think you need tons of reassurance right now, but just for future you’s sake. You’re lovely, and loved! Chu!

Tomori - Mhm… I think we’re all glad you were finally able to share how you felt. Please know that no one thinks poorly of you because of your thoughts about what you’ve experienced.

Tomori - Everyone’s by your side, Kobashikawa.

Kobashikawa - …

//Maeda tries to catch his eye- as soon as it seems like Kobashikawa may be able to see him, Maeda gives a small smile.

Maeda - I don’t want to give a speech, or make it seem like a huge deal…

Kobashikawa - …

//Maeda watches as Kobashikawa digests everything… and slowly relaxes.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - …Kobashikawa.

Kobashikawa - ?

//He turns towards Ōtori. Maeda can physically feel his guard go up as he watches.

Ōtori - …

//He doesn’t speak- it’s silent in the courtroom as he and Kobashikawa sign to each other.

Maeda - …

Kobashikawa - …

//Kobashikawa nods slightly- Maeda thinks he can pick up on one of the signs he keeps using.

Maeda - If I were to guess… it probably means “yes”? SInce he’s nodding…

//They sign for another second, before Ōtori shifts to be facing towards the class again. Kobashikawa looks at him for a moment before doing the same.

Maeda - …?

Kobashikawa - …Sorry. That was nothing.

Ōtori - I feel bad having a conversation in front of everyone without letting you all know what’s being said, but…

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Some things are urgent, but need to be private. It’s okay.

//Ōtori nods.

Maki - …

Hatano - …Are we fine to move on?

Maeda - No better way of saying it, in her defense.

Maki - We’ve narrowed down the time of death as being between one and four, right? Kobashikawa, Ōtori, and Tsurugi would’ve needed some time to fall asleep, and be deep enough asleep that they wouldn’t wake up to the noises Maeda heard.

Maeda - Right, we need to factor those in too…

Tsurugi - It’s a lot of new information we’ve gotten. Does everyone think they understand all of it?

Tomori - …If you don’t, it’s okay to say. We should all be on the same page.

Taira - Hm~

Maeda - I need to make sure the evidence fits before I can use it to debate.

Recall, Repair, Refute: START!

Evidence: Maedas Testimony!

Maeda - Last night, —– had to leave Tsurugi’s dorm room. This happened after everyone was either asleep, or falling asleep-

Maeda - —– was still awake, and —– got woken up to watch Kobashikawa and make sure he just went to his room.

Maeda - Kobashikawa left his room sometime after —– AM, and went right back to Tsurugi’s dorm.

Maeda - Everyone who woke up for this went back to sleep, so for some time, everyone in the room was likely fast asleep.

Maeda - I woke up because I heard someone talking, but I couldn’t hear who they were talking to.

Maeda - A little later, there was a second conversation, where someone accused the person they were talking with of —–.

Maeda - There was a thump, and some crying, and I didn’t hear anything else.

Maeda - I heard something similar to —– —–, and there were some lights, which were brighter than the lights I saw after the —– conversation.

Maeda - There was some changes to the noises, but we’ve already decided that was probably the —– turning something on to cover up the sounds of Higa dying, and the conversation was them shushing someone who woke up.

Maeda - Higa died —– Kobashikawa got back from his room, which happened —– I heard anything.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - I think I know pretty well what happened-

Maeda - I just want to be sure I can explain it right.

Maeda - …

Maeda - …God. Poor Kobashikawa.

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life #4044 words

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another-dr-another · 2 months ago

Note

debate the cause of death! (annie)

Maeda, narrating - The cause of death…

Maeda - Yeah, I guess we kinda just took it for what it looked like.

Maeda - I don’t see an issue with calling it asphyxiation, but maybe someone else will know where to go.

~*~

Maeda - Let’s talk about Higa’s death itself some more.

Maeda - Even if we know what caused him to die… maybe there’s something more to it?

Tomori - Like what?

Maeda - …

Tomori - …Ah.

Tomori - What’s the difference between, like… asphyxiation, and suffocation?

Tsurugi - Asphyxia is death due to lack of oxygen. Suffocation is asphyxia due to a material preventing breathing.

Tsurugi - They’re generally used interchangeably, but…

//Maki nods.

Maki - If you’re going to make a distinction, that’s where you’d draw the line.

Kobashikawa - …And strangulation is something around the neck, right?

Tsurugi - Constriction of the airway, yep.

Ōtori - …Oh.

Ōtori - When we say Higa was asphyxiated, do we mean he was suffocated, or strangled?

Maeda - Suffocated.

Tomori, simultaneously - Strangled.

Maeda - …

Tomori - …

Maki - Okay. Something to talk about.

Maeda - …Sorry. I think Tomori’s right- I was thinking about the pillow.

Uehara - The pillow?

Maeda - Yeah… but we decided there wasn’t evidence it was used, right?

Maeda - So, strangulation is probably more accurate.

Taira - I don’t agree with that.

Taira - Just because there isn’t evidence to prove it was used doesn’t mean it’s more reasonable to assume it wasn’t used.

Taira - Strangulation with the hands is difficult. Suffocation is easier, and it’d muffle sounds.

Tomori - Ah…

Kobashikawa - …The sound thing is weird either way, isn’t it?

Kobashikawa - I understand why Tsurugi didn’t hear it, but it’s odd to me that Higa didn’t make any noise that could have woken someone up.

Hatano - …

Hatano - Could the noises Maeda heard have been Higa struggling? And the white noise was something the blackened put on to cover it up.

Ōtori - That… might make sense, yeah.

Taira - Ah, it’s one of the other things I suggested talking about. Funny.

Maeda - …Maybe we’re going down the wrong track.

Hatano - …I’m glad you suggested the things you did, Taira.

Hatano - I think this would explain the lights, too.

Hatano - If they seemed closer to Maeda, wouldn’t that be the direction of the bathroom? Maybe the lights were from the blackened opening and closing the door, and the white noise was something in there.

Maeda - Oh…

Tomori - Ah…

Tomori - What in the bathroom could sound like white noise? Genuinely asking.

Maki - …Tsurugi, what do you have in your bathroom? I didn’t investigate the room, I was busy looking at Higa.

Tsurugi - …Normal things? I dunno.

Tsurugi - I can’t think of anything weird… the geckos that live there wouldn’t sound like white noise, at least.

Uehara - Oh, I like geckos. Italian ones are less scary than what’s here…

Tsurugi - You don’t need to be afraid of them.

Taira - Did anyone investigate Tsurugi’s bathroom?

Tomori - …

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - …Oh, shit.

Taira - …Most of the people we have left in the class went into Tsurugi’s dorm.

Taira - None of you thought to check the entirety of the space the blackened would have had easy access to?

Ōtori - …

Hatano - …Seriously?

Tsurugi - I mean, I didn’t notice anything weird.

Tsurugi - We should have had someone verify that, because relying on one person to confirm there’s no evidence in an area isn’t good, but there wasn’t anything there. I’ll testify, at least.

Taira - Did you check thoroughly?

Tsurugi - I opened every drawer, every cabinet, all of that.

Tomori - …Really?

Tsurugi - Couldn’t find the hearing aid I usually wear in trials- that’s why I don’t have one right now.

Kobashikawa - You have two?

Tsurugi - Mhm. One’s behind the ear, the other one is in the ear. I usually wear the behind the ear one.

Taira - You said you weren’t able to find your hearing aid- could the blackened have tampered with it to cause interference, making the noise?

Tsurugi - Nah.

Tsurugi - I put it in Uehara’s room before the sleepover. I just didn’t remember that when I was looking for it.

Hatano - You forgot where you put it?

Tsurugi - Mhm. Bleh…

Maeda - We’re going around in circles.

Maeda - So, that’s what we believe happened last night, with the noises? It was something unknown, to cover up Higa’s struggling?

Ōtori - …Maybe. But we still need an explanation for the talking Maeda remembers hearing.

Taira - Ah.

Taira - Was it a short conversation, Maeda?

Maeda - …I think?

Taira - Then, perhaps the noise did wake someone up, and the blackened was able to explain it away, and told the person to go back to sleep.

Taira - If Maeda truly didn’t remember until recently what he’d heard, and he heard so much… I don’t think it’s unrealistic to say someone wouldn’t remember a shorter conversation.

Maeda - There isn’t evidence of that… but it fits with what we know.

Maeda - Okay. Are we all okay with what happened last night, then- I mean, what the explanation for the noises is?

Maki - …

Ōtori - I don’t… see a flaw with it, personally.

Tomori - It’s the same here. There’s nothing that seems… inconsistent with what we know.

//Taira hums.

Maeda - …

Maeda - It feels… weird. The atmosphere in here is just off.

Maeda - …Let’s go back to earlier, then. I mean-

Maeda - This hasn’t told us much about the blackened, and that’s what we need to work out, right?

Maki - Right.

Maki - We’ve worked out in theory why no one spoke forward to say they’d spoken with the blackened, and it’s good to have an… answer for that.

Maki - But no, it doesn’t help clarify who the blackened is.

Ōtori - Okay. Last thing we talked about was suffocation versus strangulation, right? Which one are we going with?

Maki - …

Maeda - …

Tomori - …

Taira - Does anyone have anything they particularly believe in? Tomori?

Tomori - Oh… I’m not really sure.

Taira - Hm.

Taira - I guess, then, that saying whatever comes to mind should work.

Taira - All for the sake of debate, right?

Tomori - …

Tsurugi - …Before we do that, let’s establish why it matters. Maki got into it a bit earlier, but I wanna remind everyone.

Tsurugi - Suffocation necessitates holding something over a person's head, to cut off their airflow via the mouth and nose.

Tsurugi - Strangulation necessitates constricting the throat to cut off airflow through… well, the throat.

Tsurugi - Different techniques! Different tools, different results.

Nonstop Debate: START!

Truth Bullets

Bloodied Pillow

Higa’s Body

Tsurugi’s Autopsy

Hatano - What do you mean “different results”?

Tsurugi - Sorry, that’s silly wording. Different… experiences. {Strangulation takes more strength, suffocation is longer.}

Hatano - …Really?

Tsurugi - Mhm!

Tsurugi - Also, they can elicit different responses from the victim. Strangulation will see attempts to {fight the person off}, while suffocation {sees an attempt to get away from the surface}-

Tsurugi - So, seeing Higa try to get out from under whatever was suffocating him, if he was suffocating- like hands and feet planted to try and get leverage and exert enough counterforce to get the person off of him.

Kobashikawa - This {doesn’t feel like a debate}...

Tomori - Let’s debate, then!

Tomori - I still think {the position of the pillow could be weird}, given the fact it was near Higa.

Ōtori - I mean, a lot of Higa’s death is odd.

Ōtori - Maybe it matters that {the blackened thought to put on white noise?} I don’t know…

Hatano - …I wonder if we could narrow the suspect pool down to those who are capable of strangulation.

Hatano - If you need strength to strangle, that’d {take some people from the list}, right?

~*~

Maeda, narrating - Suffocation or strangulation…

Maeda - It’s sort of reminiscent of checking people’s arms for injuries, isn’t it?

Maeda - Like… it’s hypotheticals… uh- extrapolation, I think is the word they’d use.

Maeda - But we need more information, right? It’ll be good if we can have a new idea we’re operating under.

Maeda - I should see if there’s anything that indicates what Higa’s reaction was…

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life #1434 words

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another-dr-another · 2 months ago

Note

testify before koba?

Maeda, narrating - I don’t want to detract if Kobashikawa wants to say what happened…

Maeda - …But he really doesn’t seem like he’s ready to go under the spotlight like that.

Maeda - It’s fine. I can take the heat for not remembering what I heard.

Maeda - I have to bring it up eventually anyways.

~*~

Kobashikawa - I don’t wear a watch, so I’m not sure what the exact timeline was- my guess would be… somewhere around midnight.

Maeda - Ōtori wears a watch though. Maybe he can verify what time it was?

Maki - Ōtori was involved?

Maeda - Mhm. Kobashikawa, Ōtori, and Tsurugi all woke up briefly last night. Kobashikawa told me after I reminded him, and I verified the story with Tsurugi.

Maeda - Tsurugi and Ōtori both witnessed what caused Kobashikawa to wake up last night.

Maeda - …Personally, I don’t think it’s our number one priority right now. I’m a third party, I can promise you, it doesn’t seem connected.

Maeda - We can discuss it later, but…

Maeda - …

//He sighs.

Maeda - Honestly, I… I have my own testimony I wanna share. It’s… I forgot about it, because it happened so late… I was really practically asleep-

Maeda - But- I think it’s really important.

Ōtori - …Wait, what’s happening?

Tsurugi - …You witnessed something last night, Maeda?

Maeda - Yeah. Yeah, yeah- I’m so sorry. Really, I completely forgot- I only remembered when I was talking with Taira, just before the trial started.

Maeda - But… better late than never, right?

Tsurugi - …Yeah.

Tsurugi - No, yeah- no- that’s fine, Maeda- that’s good!

Tsurugi - You’re completely right. It’s good to get whatever information you have! Um- that’s good to share.

Tomori - …

Tsurugi - …So. What happened last night?

Maeda - …Right.

Maeda - I really didn’t prepare what I was going to say… I’m nervous I’ll screw this up.

//Everyone is looking at Maeda. Taira is the most lax, the only one aware of what Maeda knows. Kobashikawa seems more confused, curious about what Maeda’s planning to do here, and Tomori is simply staring straight at him. He fixes his posture.

Maeda - A-Again… I only remembered this earlier today, just before the trial started. I’ve been trying to remember more clearly… but I was mostly asleep- if I wasn’t, I would have done something.

Hatano - “Done something”?

Maeda - …

Maeda - I think I overheard the murder.

Maeda - L-Last night- I didn’t hear anyone’s… dying screams, or anything- but I heard the conversations that led up to it, I think.

Hatano - …

Tsurugi - …

Taira - …

Maeda - …Uhm.

Maeda - Okay. The first thing I heard was-

Ōtori - No, let’s wait for a moment.

Ōtori - Maeda, you overheard the murder?

Maeda - …Told you it was important-

Maki - Maeda.

Maeda - And I said I forgot!

Maeda - Seriously, I was asleep! I just wanted the- the noises and the lights to stop!

Uehara - …Lights?

Tomori - If lights had come on, wouldn’t we have all woken up…?

Maeda - Mm- it wasn’t the lights of the room, it was something else.

Taira - It’s always possible that Maeda was dreaming.

Maeda - Taira…

Tsurugi - Hold up, I’m with Maeda here.

Tsurugi - Stress can make people forget things.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - It’s good that Maeda has more information for us. Even if the testimony gets thrown out, it gives us something to think about.

Tsurugi - Plus, dreams can be affected by what we hear while we sleep… everyone should listen to Maeda’s testimony, then we can figure out what we think.

Maeda - I don’t think it was a dream… but I’m glad Tsurugi’s on my side.

Maeda - Thank you…

Maeda - I don’t know when exactly this happened, but I think I’ve worked out the order, and as much detail as I can get.

Maeda - First, something moved in front of me, and then I heard a person talking. I

Maeda - I don’t remember details about the voice, because it was quiet, and sounded… a bit rough? Not like a deep voice, though- like how sleep makes you sound.

Maeda - They were talking with someone else, but I don’t remember what they were saying.

Maeda - The person I did hear, though, said… I think it was something about the time? Or- the length of something?

Maeda - Uhm- they gave the other person permission to go… do something.

Maki - …What did you hear.

Maeda - “Wait, how long… Jesus, okay, no, don’t worry, go ahead.”

Maeda - I’m omitting a little bit, but that’s because I don’t remember too well.

Maeda - Sometime later, I heard… it must have been a door opening, because I remember there being a light- I kept my eyes shut, but still, you can tell if there’s light or not with your eyes closed.

Maeda - I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn’t really, because I’d been asleep. I think someone was in the doorframe, though.

Maeda - I didn’t think anything much of it- I thought it was weird, but… the fact I was tired kinda outweighed anything else, so tried to fall back asleep.

Maeda - It got bright again, I think from the door re-opening, and then all the lights went away, and I was able to fall back asleep.

Maki - All of the lights?

Maeda - Tsurugi’s lights were still on, I meant the ones coming from the door.

//Maki nods.

Maeda - Okay. I missed a lot of this next part, I think, but…

Maeda - …

Maeda - I heard someone say… I don’t know, something about the conversation they were having, the part I missed-

Maeda - And then- “Oh my God. Did you just kill somebody?”

Maeda - Then the other person came in, and they said they didn’t know what the first person was talking about, and then they started to fight.

Maeda - I couldn’t make anything out- they were talking over each other, and I just remember being upset, because I was tired, and wanted to sleep.

Maeda - But…

Maeda - But, thenI heard a thump. And all the noise stopped.

Maeda - Someone… god, I don’t remember, because it was just as I was falling asleep, but- I heard… a cry? Sort of… like, a whine, but not how a person can whine or moan about something but-

Maeda - Like an animal that wants something, or got upset with you. Kinda heard a sniffle, maybe.

Maeda - So, then I fell back asleep, but I got woken up again- for the third time, I think?

Maeda - I heard sobbing, and there was more noises from… I think from where I heard the voices coming from.

Maeda - There was a bit of light- it was brighter, but… there was somehow less of it than when the door got opened the first time.

Maeda - I started wondering… I think about going back to my dorm to sleep, but there was some sort of… it wasn’t white noise, but it was like white noise, and that was kinda soothing.

Maeda - There was another sound too, and then the light got brighter for a moment, then dimmed back down- it happened in that order. White noise, something else under it, and the light changed again.

Maeda - It was really frustrating when the light got bright, so… I think I rolled over to try and avoid it.

Maeda - Maybe if I’d let it wake me up, we wouldn’t be here right now.

Maeda - The noises kept going, but I was starting to fall back asleep, so… I don’t know what happened.

Maeda - Then, there was just white noise, and I remember because I thought maybe everything would go away-

Maeda - But then there were sounds again, and I remember… thinking that someone was talking, but I didn’t know where, or what they were saying.

Maeda - Uhm… I don’t really know. Then the white noise went away, and the light shut off, and…

Maeda - I don’t know. There were a few, small noises? But… I fell asleep.

Maeda - Hopefully, that means nothing else happened.

Maeda - …That’s all.

Ōtori - …

Uehara - …

Tomori - …

Maki - …Okay.

Maki - …Jesus. Okay. Okay.

Maki - I-...

Maki - I’m really glad you remembered hearing that.

Maeda - Yeah. I am too…

Ōtori - …I think I’m confused.

Ōtori - It’s- There were a lot of noises and lights at the end there.

Maeda - Yeah… it was hard to put everything into the right order, but… that should be it.

Ōtori - God…

Kobashikawa - …

//He holds up his whiteboard.

Kobashikawa - There was the first two conversations, the second one ending with a thump, and crying.

Kobashikawa - Sobbing, a sound from the area of the voices, and light.

Kobashikawa - Something like white noise, which was covering up other sounds, and the light got brighter, then dimmed again.

Kobashikawa - The noises stayed the same for a bit, nothing changed- then the noises under the white noise went away, so it was only white noise.

Kobashikawa - The sounds came back, and it seemed like people were talking. After that, all the noise stopped, and the lights went away.

Kobashikawa - Maeda heard a few quiet sounds, but nothing distinct, and he fell back asleep.

Ōtori - …Succinct. Nice.

Tomori - …

Tomori - Maeda, you said you didn’t see anything, right?

Maeda - No… I just wanted to sleep, I wasn’t really thinking.

Tomori - Ah…

Tomori - That’s understandable, of course!

Maki - …It isn’t a lot to go off of, though.

Maeda - …Huh?

Uehara - M…most of that feels important… right? Huh…

Maki - I meant the lights and the sounds.

Maki - It’s proof there was something happening, but if all we know is that… well, that something happened, it’s no further than we were before.

Maeda - W-Wait-

Maeda - I feel like what I heard should definitely be relevant?

Maki - And it is.

Maki - The confusing part just isn’t the priority right now. It’s good Kobashikawa was able to sum it up, but I’m more concerned about what happened before it.

Maeda - The argument.

Tomori - Y-You mean…

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Odds are, that was Higa, and whoever killed him, right?

Maki - Right. That’s what makes sense.

Maki - But, if we assume that, then we can figure Higa died shortly after. If he seriously thought someone had committed murder, he’d probably have woken everyone up.

Maki - …

Maki - Which makes what Maeda said really important.

Maki - Higa died shortly after the argument, but it was well after all the noises and lights that Maeda heard talking with the white noise.

Maki - It’s possible that someone woke up, and randomly had a conversation with someone.

Maki - But the odds of that are wayyy lower than the odds that one of the members of that conversation was the blackened.

Maki - So, that begs the next question.

Maki - Who remembers having a late night conversation last night, and who were you talking with.

Maeda - …

Taira - …

Tomori - …Oh my god.

Tomori - Wait. Wait-

Tomori - Couldn’t the blackened have been talking to themself?

Tomori - We-We know there wasn’t a murder before Higa’s last night, they probably weren’t expecting him to accuse them of that-

Tomori - Maybe- maybe he didn’t wake anyone up because Higa attacked them!

Tomori - So they’d have been caught by surprise, right? They wouldn’t have been planning to kill someone…

Tomori - So once it happened, they talked to themselves.

Maki - …

Maki - Yeah, that could be it.

Maki - I won’t act like there’s only the one possibility. But whatever happened last night was enough to wake Maeda, it could’ve woken up other people too.

Maki - And for the noises to keep happening, and the blackened to keep talking to themselves for the entire time Maeda described…

Hatano - But the talking was only at the end. If it was talking beforehand, why would Maeda only be able to tell halfway through, when he was closer to being asleep?

Maki - …

Maki - God.

Maki - Did anyone hear anything, or have any conversations last night?

Kobashikawa - …We haven’t discussed the first conversation…

Ōtori - No one thinks it’s connected, right?

Maeda - Ah- I don’t think Kobashikawa’s erased the notes off of his white board- Ōtori is translating for him again.

Ōtori - I mean, to better paint the picture of what happened, last night, sure-

Ōtori - But it seems like we’re operating under the view that Higa died after falsely accusing someone of murder.

Ōtori - Since we know no one did anything prior to Higa’s death, it’s- well, similar to earlier. It just isn’t the priority right now.

Kobashikawa - …Okay.

Ōtori - Okay?

Kobashikawa - …

//Kobashikawa nods.

Maki - …I agree. I think the thing that’d help us the most is working out what happened with the argument, and with the noises Maeda heard after.

Tomori - Mm…

Tomori - There’s nothing saying someone couldn’t have gone to the bathroom, and that’s what some of the sounds were?

Tomori - It’d explain the lights…

Maki - But not the voices.

Tomori - Ah…

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Tomori, are you alright?

Tomori - M-Mm?

Ōtori - …

Taira - …I’m sure you heard what he asked.

Tomori - Ah… yeah, I’m fine.

Tomori - Sorry.

Tomori - …I just-

Tomori - …

Maeda - …What is it?

Tomori - …I think… it’s feeling a bit too real now.

Tomori - I- I don’t like it. I don’t like thinking about the fact that was all happening right by my head, and I didn’t know.

Tomori - I’m sorry, though. I’ll compose myself.

Taira - …

Maki - …It’s alright, Tomori.

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - It’s a weird feeling, the moment things dawn on you. Like how you said it, when things start to feel real… it’s difficult.

Ōtori - …

Maeda - …Is he done talking?

Tomori - …Thank you.

Kobashikawa - …

Hatano - Okay.

Hatano - So, Higa got mad at someone, and he died about it. What else have we worked out?

Maki - …

Maki - God. That’s effectively it-

Maki - …

Maeda - …Maki, what’s up?

Maki - …Uh.

Maki - From here, it might just be extrapolation-

Maki - Tsurugi, Higa seems to have gotten into a fight last night. Are you sure you didn’t hear anything?

Tsurugi - No hearing aid while sleeping.

Maki - …Okay. That makes sense.

Tsurugi - Yeah…

Tsurugi - We’ve established motive, but that’s it.

Uehara - …Wait, what’s the motive?

Tsurugi - Higa was being a dick again.

Maeda - …!

Uehara - Ah. Tracks.

Tsurugi - Mhm…

Tomori - …

//Maeda watches as Tsurugi looks over at Tomori. She doesn’t say anything.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - It definitely checks out.

Tsurugi - Someone was just… hanging around, and Higa gave them hell over it. It’s sad to say, and it was always sad to see, but that’s how it always was.

Tsurugi, quietly - …I don’t like it. I was really hoping he’d be able to get better.

Tsurugi - But…

Tsurugi - I won’t say that I wasn’t expecting things to catch up to him.

Tsurugi - In fact, odds are it wasn’t even the murder accusation, or Higa attacking them, or whatever.

Tsurugi - Maybe it was just… well, maybe it started as something else, as someone trying to get him to go away, but…

Tsurugi - Higa was the way he was because of things that happened to him, things that hurt him, taught him that was how he stayed safe.

Tsurugi - And Higa hurt other people, made it so they weren’t safe…

Tsurugi - …People don’t do well when they feel like that. And he stood alone as the… reachable source of fear and pain.

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I don’t know.

Tsurugi - Maybe they didn’t even mean to kill him. Maybe… maybe they just meant for him to stop.

Tsurugi - …Anyways. It shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. In fact, it’s pretty simple- I’m surprised we didn’t land on this for the motive sooner.

Tsurugi - Higa got what he had coming. Even in the end, it looks like it was his fault.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Hearing it… summed up like that…

Taira - …Is it? Simple, I mean.

Tsurugi - Well, it is- but I was wrong to say that. You can get a lot of motives easily if you’re creative.

Tsurugi - More important is that this one checks out. It’s what makes the most sense when you look at the situation Higa died in- it’s most probable.

Tsurugi - It was the result of a fight- this death wasn’t premeditated. Uhm- second degree, not first.

Tsurugi - Anyways. Deciding to kill someone while everyone’s in the same room, and choosing a method that takes time- one that necessitates killing an athlete with your bare hands…

Tsurugi - …It can’t be premeditated. No one would choose that as their plan, even if we thought Higa died from someone wanting him dead.

Tsurugi - You can’t even make the argument that everyone would have the same alibi in this situation, because while it’s true that that works in your favor, there’s lower-risk situations that run the same,

Tsurugi - And the matter of the murder method stays the same. It’s risky, which can mean there was a lot of planning and preparation, to try and negate risks, or there was none, and it happened on the fly.

Tsurugi - With the argument, we know it was the latter.

Tsurugi - …Right?

Maeda - …

Taira - …

Maki - That…

Maki - That… should all track, yeah.

Maki - I- Tsurugi, it’s fine if you can’t answer this. Have you ever seen a case like this one?

Tsurugi - Oh.

Tsurugi - One time, I saw a star go pop, and there was new colors inside? Uhm. But, I don’t know if that’s…

Maki - Okay. That’s- okay.

Maki - …Well- does anyone disagree with Tsurugi’s explanations?

Maeda - It makes sense to me…

//No one speaks up.

Tomori - …We have our motive, then.

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - Oh- back to the whiteboard.

Kobashikawa - But, not a suspect.

Tomori - …Yeah…

Maki - Mhm…

Maki - This was good though. This is good.

Maki - Before Maeda gave his testimony, we didn’t have any clue what happened. We know now though that Higa and… probably the blackened had an encounter last night.

Maki - …Irregardless of the exact order of events, it’s good to have some stuff ruled out- like the idea of it being premeditated.

Ōtori - Right- but where should we go from here?

Taira - There are a few things we could discuss.

Taira - While we seem to be in agreement on what it was, we could discuss the cause of Higa’s death a bit more.

Taira - There’s also the time of death, and we could expand on what Maeda thinks he heard last night.

Taira - Each of these subjects could be examined more thoroughly, I believe.

Ōtori - …

Maki - …Okay. Sure, yeah-

Maki - Does anyone have anything they want to bring up, though?

Kobashikawa - …

Tomori - …

Maki - …Alright.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - Maki is facilitating a lot of this… I feel sort of bad.

Maeda - Maybe I should help pick the direction we go in.

Multiple Choice!

{Debate the Cause of Death}

{Debate the Time of Death}

{Go Back to Debating the Noises}

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life #3377 word count

2 notes · View notes

another-dr-another · 2 months ago

Note

hmm lets stand on our podium

Maeda, narrating - Mhm… I don’t think I want to try any other conversations right now.

Maeda - I guess I’ll just wait at my podium- nothing better to do.

~*~

Maeda - …

Maeda - I think everyone’s starting to quiet down- lots of people are near their podiums still.

Monokuma - There Is One Minute Remaining For The Trial Intermission.

Monokuma - At The End Of The Intermission, The Class Trial Will Resume; There Will Not Be Another Break In The Class Trial, Proceedings Will Move Forward Through Sentencing And Execution.

Monokuma - All Rules Alleviated For The Trial Intermission Will Be Reinstated Upon The End Of The Trial Intermission.

Monokuma - The Faculty Of Hopes Peak Academy Would Like To Recommend Students Return To Their Podiums Prior To The Resumption Of The Class Trial.

Maeda - …

Kobashikawa - …

Maki - …I bet that announcement took up most of the minute.

Taira - …

Taira - It’d be better if the announcements weren’t timed like that, but I do think you’re right.

Tsurugi - Okay.

//Tsurugi stands- from what Maeda can see, he was sitting on the floor behind his podium, facing Tomori and Uehara, who were both leaning against the point where their podiums connect with Tsurugi’s.

Tsurugi - All that really changed is that we didn’t have to ask to leave our podiums. We can still stop and take breaks during the trial if we really need to, it’s fine-

Tsurugi - Does anyone need anything now, though?

//Maeda looks around- no one responds to Tsurugi.

Maeda - Who isn’t at their podium…

//Kobashikawa had just stepped onto his podium when the announcement played, joining Taira and Ōtori (who had been talking), Maeda (who had only returned to his a moment earlier), and… Hatano, who never left hers.

Maeda - I don’t think she even move- Oh!

//Hatano had only sat at her podium throughout the intermission, but she’s standing again now.

Hatano - …

//She’s staring ahead, gaze lowered slightly towards the floor- but Maeda can clearly see that she’s been crying.

Maeda - …

//Hatano isn’t crying now, though. She… seems to have steeled herself.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …Okay.

//Maeda watches as Tomori stands, stretching a bit as she steps onto her podium. Next to her, Tsurugi’s eyes flicker around the room- Maeda’s gaze following as he settles on Uehara.

Uehara - …

//He hasn’t stood up.

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi approaches Uehara, and starts to try and pull him up.

Maeda - Is he… not actually on his podium?

Maeda - I can’t completely see, but I thought he was sitting on it…

//If Tsurugi’s actions are anything to go off, Maeda’s correct- Uehara isn’t on his podium, and he’s making no move to fix this. Tsurugi frowns, and continues to try and maneuver Uehara. Maeda can’t see him as well, but from what he can see, Uehara’s unconcerned.

Tsurugi - …

//It’s like moving a rag doll that happens to have thirty centimeters on you- Tsurugi seems to be holding his own, but progress is slower than it could be. The most movement Maeda catches from him is a slight smile, spreading across Uehara’s face after Tsurugi finally gets Uehara’s torso over his shoulder. His eyes widen, then relax, as he grins to himself. In sharp contrast, Maeda watches as Tsurugi’s expression shifts, not from strain, but… frustration, perhaps? He grimaces, and shuts his eyes, and scrunches his nose, seemingly trying to kick Uehara’s legs onto his podium while his arms are busy supporting Uehara’s torso.

Tsurugi, frustrated - …

//Uehara stumbles slightly, and Tsurugi steps onto his own podium. The chime of the ten-second countdown starts to play.

Maeda - Really coming down to the wire…

//Some of the other students seem to have noticed what’s happening- Maeda glances at Tomori, who looks away from him, and focuses back on Tsurugi and Uehara.

Maeda - She doesn’t have time to run over- assuming that's what she’s thinking.

//There’s nothing grand- no final movement, no push, shove, or thump, that shows Tsurugi succeeded in his task. The song plays familiar notes all making Maeda’s heart twitch as Uehara continues to hang over Tsurugi.

Monokuma - Trial Intermission Is Finished.

Maeda - …?

Monokuma - All Students Have Returned To Their Podium.

Maeda - Oh, thank God.

Monokuma - No Rule Violations Have Been Detected.

Monokuma - The Class Trial Will Now Resume.

Maeda - I don’t know what I would have done if there’d been a-

Maeda - …

Maeda - I don’t see any guns in here.

Maeda - If Uehara had violated a rule… we would have had to watch him die the way Iranami did.

//…The visual makes Maeda feel nauseous.

Maeda - Though… I guess it’s nice it’d be quick. I don’t know how long it takes to die from a gunshot.

//Maeda looks back at Uehara-

Maeda - Oh!

//He’s surprised to see Uehara standing up- though, he remains flush with Tsurugi. Earlier, he was thrown over Tsurugi’s right shoulder, and had his right arm over Tsurugi’s left shoulder. All that’s really changed is that he’s standing now, so Tsurugi’s tucked into his side. One forearm is draped lazily on Tsurugi’s shoulder, while the other, the left, is further from Maeda, but seems to be resting on Tsurugi’s back. He still has that smile painted on his face, a mix of soft and strong, but the fact he’s standing allows him to actually look at Tsurugi. They aren’t making eye contact, though- Tsurugi has hidden his face away, and Maeda… can’t tell if he’s laughing, or crying.

Maeda - …

//Tsurugi turns a bit, tilting his head up towards Uehara- it’s clear that the answer is both.

Maeda - …

Taira - …

Hatano - …

Tomori - …Okay. Where do we start?

Maeda - Mm…

Maeda - What… what did we do at the start of the trial, again?

Kobashikawa - …

Maki - We didn’t… all make it into Tsurugi’s dorm, right? Maybe we should go over what we could see in there, for anyone who doesn’t know.

Maeda - Right- we argued over which case to start with, and decided to begin with Iranami’s… that doesn’t really help here.

Tomori - …Yeah, alright-

Tomori - Uh, first though- raise your hand if you didn’t go into Tsurugi’s dorm?

//It takes a moment- but Ōtori, Hatano, and Taira all raise their hands.

Maeda - This is a fine place to start at, I think.

Tomori - Okay…

Tomori - Uh, first thing that happened was… when everyone else left, Kobashikawa and I stayed behind to be on guard duty. Maeda came in, so he and I investigated Higa’s body.

Taira - Why didn’t you and Kobashikawa investigate?

Tomori - …Neither of us suggested it. I think we were both still… kinda in shock, about what had happened.

Tomori - Maeda didn’t take too long to come in, it was definitely towards the start of the investigation- we just needed a bit of time to collect ourselves.

Tomori - Once Maeda was there, I helped him investigate.

Kobashikawa - …

Ōtori - …

Maeda - …Tomori and I were able to notice a few weird things that weren’t in the Monofile, but nothing huge.

Maeda - We think it was death by asphyxiation, because some of the skin on his neck looked a bit weird…

Maeda - There was a pillow on Tsurugi’s bed frame that had some dried blood on it- but it was dried, so it could’ve been old, and Higa didn’t have any cuts or anything.

Tomori - Plus, the location of the blood doesn’t match up with it being from Higa’s attacker. If they suffocated him with the pillow, then they’d have had their hands on the outside of the pillow, so the blood would drip down there.

Tomori - But it was at the center of the pillow, so… while that could have been the pillow used to suffocate Higa, it doesn’t seem like the blood was relevant.

Tsurugi - …So we can’t use injuries to try and narrow things down.

Tomori - Nope.

Tsurugi - …Kay.

Maeda - …Tsurugi and Uehara came in, I left to go back to the dining hall for a minute, then I went back to Tsurugi’s dorm… to talk with Tsurugi and Uehara, because Hatano had some questions.

Maeda - After a few conversations- this was when I found out about the trip to the dining hall- Tsurugi and I went to the dining hall. Kobashikawa… had left, so Uehara and Tomori were guarding Higa.

Maeda - Maki left to go investigate Higa’s body, then took over as guard- as far as I know, that’s everyone who went into Tsurugi’s dorm room.

Ōtori - Okay…

Ōtori - …Sorry- what does all of this matter, again?

Tomori - Oh, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything- it was nice to have a synopsis, wasn’t it?

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - I kind of omitted some stuff… mostly about Kobashikawa- but it shouldn’t really matter.

Tomori - Well, anyways…

Tomori - Maeda and I didn’t get very far with our investigation, but luckily, I think you were able to work some stuff out… right, Maki?

Maki - …

Maki - Yeah. That’s, uh… that’s right.

Maki - That’s why I wanted to go look at Higa- since the Monokuma files were so empty, I thought I could try to clear some stuff up.

Maki, murmuring - Not sure how much it’ll help, but…

Maki - Mostly, I was trying to work out the times of death- I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get an exact “when”, just by looking at them, but I wanted to work out who died first.

Maki - …

Maki - But, the problem is- we know now that Iranami didn’t experience a normal rate of… change, and that her case was independent of Higa’s.

Maki - So… honestly, I don’t have much to say. I agree with Maeda and Tomori, about the cause of death-

Maki - No other injuries, no marks, and no tools nearby that we could pin as the murder weapon. Strangulation just needs your hands, though a pillow helps- and it can be fairly invisible, at least to the naked eye.

Taira - …Are you sure you didn’t find anything weird while you checked Tsurugi’s dorm, Maeda?

Maeda - I’m sure…

Maeda - I found Iranami’s ribbon, nothing else. There was the stuff we used last night, like markers, and cards- no deadly weapons.

//Taira hums.

Maeda - …What. Is there something you’re thinking about?

Taira - No, there isn’t. It’s only the fact that you’re the only person who seems to have checked the items in the room, so we’re dependent on your words.

Taira - If you’re confident you didn’t miss anything, no one has reason to object. And, if you aren’t confident… we should just hope that the case doesn’t end up depending on your testimony.

Maeda - …Jesus, okay. That’s nauseating to hear.

Taira - Maki, would you mind sharing what you learned for us anyway?

Maki - Yeah, of course-

Maki - Higa did have some light marks on his neck, which could indicate damage having been dealt to it. Seeing as there weren't any other marks on him… it shows something did happen there.

Maki - Uhm…

Maki - When I got to Tsurugi’s dorm, it was… ten? Ten-thirty?

Maki - His body had reached full rigor mortis by this point, so…

Maki - …

Maki - …He would have died… anywhere between six and twelve hours before I was investigating- that comes out to ten-thirty PM, last night, or four-thirty, this morning.

Ōtori - It would have been after ten-thirty. People were still up at that point- night time starts at eleven, and we left before that started.

Taira - Still, though, it gives us an upper limit, which is an improvement on what we knew… even though it doesn’t tell us when he truly died.

Maki - …

Tomori - …Dang.

Tomori - If Higa hadn’t been part of the dining hall trip, I’d have suggested that he could have died before the trip.

Uehara - …But everyone was still up? Someone would have noticed.

Tomori - Mm…

Maeda - …So, Higa died sometime after the dining hall trip ended, which was… what, did you guys get back by eleven?

Ōtori - …We must have. The announcement went off after we got back-

Ōtori - Which brings me to my next point. I took a while to fall asleep, I remember waking up due to the noise of the announcement, when I was starting to drift off.

Ōtori - So, Higa died at some point after eleven- could we say between eleven-thirty, and four-thirty?

Tomori - He could have died before everyone was asleep… the death must have been quiet, for no one to hear- so, unless anyone was looking at him…

Maeda - I wasn’t in the right spot for that… maybe Taira could have seen him, but she’d have to have had her head tilted up- be intentionally staring at him.

Maeda - …Again- the only people near Higa were Tsurugi and Uehara.

Ōtori - …I guess we can’t say with certainty that everyone was asleep when he died.

Tomori - Yeah! It even took us a while to discover his body in the morning…

Taira - Hm…

Taira - I wonder if there is something that could be used to narrow things down a bit more? It’d certainly help us to know.

Taira - Though, if everyone fell asleep shortly after the morning announcement, there isn’t anything to be done.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - …Uh…

Maeda - …

//…Maeda seems to be the only one who catches how Kobashikawa’s hand twitches towards his whiteboard.

Maeda - …Is he…

//…He doesn’t reach for his pen again.

Kobashikawa - …

Maeda - …I bet he wants to confess to what happened last night.

Tsurugi - …Hm.

Maeda - Ah!

Maeda - Tsurugi knows too… and Ōtori, for the matter.

Tsurugi - …Maki? Would you mind clarifying how you got your estimated time of death?

Maeda - …Oh?

Maki - …

Maki - My numbers are a bit off, aren’t they?

//Tsurugi smiles at her.

Tsurugi - Mhm. You know how that happened, or…?

Maki - …I think I latched onto when rigor mortis can fully set in, and didn’t factor everything in right.

Tsurugi - Ahh, that’d explain it!

Tsurugi - …Do you want to explain? Or would you like for me to?

Maki - Lemme do it.

Uehara - Wait- what’s going on?

Hatano - Give her a second to explain, and you’ll learn.

Uehara - Oh…

Tomori - Something's off about the rigor mortis, Maki?

Maki - No, the issue is how I calculated when he could have died. Even if we hadn’t been able to confirm he was awake after ten-thirty, the fact rigor mortis had fully set in doesn’t mean he died twelve hours ago.

Maki - I tried to determine his time of death by using the fact that rigor mortis can take anywhere between six and twelve hours to fully set in-

Maki - Since it had fully set in for Higa, he could have been killed six hours at the earliest, but it could be anywhere up to twelve hours ago.

Maki - Which, side note, if rigor mortis hadn’t set in, we’d know he died within the last twelve hours.

Maki - But, anyways… the problem with my theory is, once rigor mortis has set in, it takes an additional twelve hours for the body to relax again.

Maki - So, he could have died seven hours ago, or thirteen, or, at maximum, twenty four hours from when I started to investigate.

Maki - It’s really a window between six hours, and twenty four. But that lower limit can be defined better if we use a method other than rigor mortis, so… it’s whatever. Just a mistake on my end.

Taira - …So this was never going to narrow down when he died.

Tsurugi - It’s good to know, though!

Tsurugi - You can’t ever tell if you’ll have to look at something still soft… though, I don’t really remember how rigor mortis effects animals.

Tsurugi - Ah, on the topic though- it’ll typically take around three hours for rigor mortis to start setting in! All the muscles relax, then the body stiffens, then relaxes again. It can start to stiffen… within the first half hour, but… typically by three hours.

Tsurugi - Anyways!

Tsurugi - We know Higa was dead by 4:30, at least! And that’s good to confirm.

Taira - …

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Okay.

Ōtori - We know Higa died between… midnight and 4:30, and it was probably asphyxiation, or something to do with his neck.

Ōtori - Do we have anything that actually points to a suspect?

Maki - Hey, Ōtori, any poisons that don’t show externally after they’ve killed someone?

Ōtori - …Fuck off.

Kobashikawa - …

Tomori - Well, I think it’s good to have a feel for when it might’ve happened- helps narrow down the suspect pool some, right?

Maki - Right…

Maki - If it looked like Higa could have died just before the morning announcement, we’d be asking Ōtori, Hatano, and Maeda about what they know, to try and see if one of them killed him.

Maki - But it wasn’t- not necessarily- because Higa didn’t die when they were awake.

Tomori - …Speaking of, when did everyone wake up?

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - Maeda was still asleep when I woke up.

Ōtori - …I’m not sure about Hatano.

Uehara - I don’t know when I woke up… maybe it was at the announcement?

Tsurugi - …A few minutes before. I was up before Uehara was… two or three minutes earlier? Total of five minutes before the announcement, I guess.

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - I woke up to the body discovery announcement.

Maki - I did too.

Taira - …I must have woken up when Ōtori, Maeda, and Hatano left for the dining hall.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Weren’t you up later last night, too?

Taira - Ah, you remember that?

Maeda - …

//Maeda feels his mouth go dry, as his stomach twists.

Taira - I can sleep a bit fitfully. I usually only sleep for a few hours at a time, so I sleep throughout the day to make up for it.

Taira - I tried to stay up yesterday, though, so I’d sleep through the night.

Tsurugi - …Wait, were you going to go back to your normal sleep schedule today?

Taira - …I was hoping to, yes.

Tsurugi - Oh no! Horrible trial…

Tsurugi - WAIT wait-

Tsurugi - Taira, I have cans of cold brew, do you want one?

Taira - …

Maeda - …

Taira - I’ll take one.

Tsurugi - Cool, cool-

Tsurugi - Monokuma, may I leave my podium?

Monokuma - Permission Denied.

Tsurugi - Oh.

Uehara - …Wait, what the fuck?

Tsurugi - Okay.

Tsurugi - Taira, wanna catch?

Taira - Sure.

Maeda - Maybe if Uehara could pass it to me, I could pass it to Taira…

Maeda - I don’t know if that’d work, but I think so? Going the other way around is… way harder, there’s four podiums between Maki and Kobashikawa.

//Tsurugi tosses the can to Taira.

Taira - …

//It slips just past her fingers, and lands on the floor behind her.

Maeda - …We should have gone with the passing it around idea.

Tsurugi - …I am so sorry, Taira.

Taira - It’s fine. I can try to reach it.

//Maeda looks over at Taira as she tries to reach the can of cold brew.

Maeda - …At least it didn’t pop on impact.

Ōtori - …You know, it actually isn’t hard to keep carbonated drinks from exploding if they get shaken. Just have to tap the sides.

Maki - …

Kobashikawa - Carbonated cold brew sounds… bad.

Ōtori - …

//Taira stands, cold brew in hand. It’s loud when she opens it- but no mess.

Maeda - Because it’s not… carbonated, or anything.

Maeda - Uh. Yeah.

Taira - Tomori, you’re usually up fairly early, aren’t you? You haven’t mentioned when you were awake.

Tomori - Oh. Yeah, that’s right, but I tend to sleep in during sleepovers.

Tomori - I don’t know why, but I remember having to- be woken up by the other members of my squad when we’d travel for games.

Taira - Ah…

Taira - Seems your question wasn’t very… fruitful, then.

Tomori - …No.

Kobashikawa - Did everyone answer?

Maeda - I mean…

Maeda - I don’t know. I woke up after Ōtori.

Maki - Was he the first one awake, then?

Maeda - That… might look bad for Ōtori, if that’s the case.

Maeda - If he’s used to early mornings for work, or running on low sleep… maybe he was awake within the timeframe Higa died in.

Hatano - …

Hatano - I was the first one awake. I heard Ōtori wake up.

Maeda - Ah!

Maeda - “Heard”?

Hatano - His blankets moved, I heard him yawn…

Hatano - You can tell when someone wakes up.

Maeda - I know what she means… if she’s confident, then I don’t have an issue with the testimony.

Maki - …Did Ōtori and Maeda wake up shortly after each other?

Hatano - …

Hatano - Five minutes, maybe ten. I might’ve been up for twenty minutes before Ōtori woke up.

Taira - Then, it seems everyone was asleep during that latest time of death we determined, yes?

Maki - …But that’s fine. It was just a way of getting more information.

Taira - That’s fair. Where do you want to go from here though?

Maki - …I wonder who’d be capable of asphyxiation…

Ōtori - …

Ōtori - I feel like anyone could- isn’t it more relevant how they kept Higa from making any noise? If no one noticed anything…

Maki - Well, we don’t have proof the pillow wasn’t used. That could’ve muffled things.

Ōtori - But the absence of proof isn’t proof in and of itself, not here, when it’s conjecture.

Kobashikawa - Hey.

Maki - But it’s a start.

Ōtori - A false start! It won’t get us anywhere!

Maeda - Guys-

Tomori - Wait a second, please.

Tomori - Kobashikawa, what is it?

Kobashikawa - …

//Kobashikawa stops. And stares at everyone, for just a moment.

Kobashikawa - I have a testimony I’d like to give.

//His face is neutral. Completely steeled, lacking anything but professionalism.

Kobashikawa - I don’t see how it helps us understand what happens last night…

Kobashikawa - But if we’re trying to establish everything we can about the timeline, then…

Kobashikawa - Well, I’d honestly just like to share what I know anyways. I… I don’t want to feel like I’m hiding something.

//Typically, if neutral, Kobashikawa has an air of indifference, or a feeling of casualty in how he holds himself.

Kobashikawa - Though, if someone can come up with a way it helps, that’d be nice.

Maki - …Can you narrow down the timeline some more?

Kobashikawa - I can.

//The absence of any emotion feels wrong.

Kobashikawa - I was awake… probably half an hour before midnight.

Kobashikawa - I have a few people who can verify this.

//He caps his marker… though he should be expecting to use it again soon.

Hatano - …Why didn��t anyone mention this.

Tsurugi - …

Ōtori - …Kobashikawa’s right. It shouldn’t have any connection to the murder-

Ōtori - Clarifying the timeline is the only reason we’d bring it up… and even then, all it does is give us another limit we know we’re working with.

Ōtori - When we don’t have any proof that anyone woke up at all last night…

Ōtori - Well, it doesn’t really matter if another half hour went by, does it?

//Kobashikawa twists the cap of his marker- he doesn’t take it off, just spins the plastic around.

Maeda - …

Taira - …Kobashikawa didn’t investigate Higa’s body, did he?

Taira - And a testimony that seems to have gone unreported…

Kobashikawa - …I…

Kobashikawa - …I forgot. Really, I was practically asleep…

Maeda - …

Taira - Hm…

Maki - I mean… it’s good you remembered eventually- and chose to share the information with us.

Maki - I want to hear the full story, though.

Kobashikawa - …Yeah, of course.

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …I don’t…

Maeda - …Mm.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I think… it’s good. That Kobashikawa wants to talk about what happened, and that he brought it up himself.

Maeda - But… I don’t know if Kobashikawa is… really ready to talk about this.

Maeda - Especially since everyone’s… keying in to the fact he didn’t mention it sooner.

Maeda - …

Maeda - I… also have a testimony I need to give. And mine is… significantly more relevant to the murder, and way less known…

Maeda - …

Maeda - Sh…should I-

Maeda - Would it be best if I went ahead and testified?

Maeda - If I go before Kobashikawa, then not only will he have more time to prepare himself… but it’ll take the heat off him for a moment, and- let him see how everyone reacts to some bigger information.

{Testify Before Kobashikawa}

{Wait to Testify}

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life

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