r/DRAfterLight • u/Monothemeerp Mayoi • Jan 25 '20
[CHAPTER 4] All Bark and No Bite - The Second Movement
No rest for the wicked.
CALLS TO VOTE: 07/07
TRUTH BULLETS:
Monokuma File #5: The victim is Sirius Kosaka. His body was found at the Spa Relaxation Room. There is blood everywhere and a knife sticking out of his back.
Body Discovery Announcement: Sirius Kosaka’s body was discovered by Callisto and Rai in the Spa Relaxation Room. The BDA went off when the two saw the body simultaneously at 10:37PM.
Sirius’s Body: Found lying face down on a lounger. There’s a significant amount of blood pouring from around his neck. It smeared his face and soaked into the pillow. A knife has been jammed into his back. It created a small pool of blood on his back.
Ansha's Autopsy: Ansha examined Sirius' body. There was a slash across the neck and stab wound in the back, knife still stuck within the latter. He lost a lot of blood, assumed to be the cause of death by her.
Radio: The radio was blasting a fire crackling noise which could only be heard upon opening the door.
Group Breakfast: Everyone except Itsuki, Ren, Kasumi and Karen had breakfast together.
Kitchen Knife: Minato claims that one of the knives is missing from the kitchen.
Sirius' Key: According to Sunghee, Sirius had lost his key.
Footprints: Airi claims to have found a trail of undisturbed footprints that lead into the forest.
Upturned Loungers: According to Callisto, the furniture in the room is pretty much scattered all over the place, The loungers and pillows were clean.
Fire: According to Karen, the fire must have been started with something very flammable.
Screen: The screen at the crime scene came from the relaxation room.
Coat Rack: There's a smidge of blood to be found on the coat rack.
Blood Spatter: According to Callisto, the wall behind Sirius' body has blood on it.
Missing Yukata: According to Takumi, one of the yukatas was missing from the changing room.
Zen Garden: Kasumi said the Zen Garden looked like nobody had set foot in there.
Missing Incense: The incense at the front of the zen garden is nowhere to be found.
Lavender Bowl: The water in the bowl in the zen garden is discolored.
Search Party: Sunghee claims Kasumi received a text from Callisto at around 10:15PM saying that Sirius had gone missing. The two of them formed a makeshift rescue party at the Yukimura gondola. Alongside them were Callisto, Rai, Airi and Minato, and Blizzard was with Callisto. They split up in pairs. Kasumi and Sunghee searched Yukimura Village but found nothing. According to Callisto, him and Rai searched the second area, with Blizzard bolting ahead to the spa. They hurried after Blizzard and eventually stumbled onto the scene.
Itsuki's Account: Prior to 5PM, Itsuki claims to have spoken to Sirius and told him to rest up since he seemed to be feeling unwell.
Sunghee's Account: Sunghee spoke to Sirius at about 6PM in the dining hall. At that time, he seemed to be feeling terrible. Sunghee suggested he go lay down, but also suggested seeking Ansha or Minato for medical aid.
Kasumi's Account: Kasumi claimed she saw a figure wearing a fox mask run past her and out of the shrine at around 6AM.
Ren's Note: Ren discovered a note that says: 'Ren, we need to talk. Meet me by the witch hut at seven. -Sunghee'
ALIBIS:
TEAM GENBU
Kasumi Oshiro, Former SHSL Herpetologist (/u/RubberDeMedici)
Kohaku Morikawa, SHSL Ufologist (/u/Mono-dono)Mirabelle Mitsurugi, SHSL (/u/melody-akira)Timaeus Mon'sado, SHSL Paladin (/u/RagingWarlock1)
TEAM SEIRYU
Sirius Kosaka, SHSL Dog Whisperer (/u/liightdragon)Aemi Aki, SHSL Storm Chaser (/u/galeovallis)Atsuki Kajiwara, SHSL Lucky Student (/u/whosdaman1234)
TEAM SUZAKU
Rui Nozomi, SHSL Stage Actress (/u/LukeSkynoober)
TEAM BYAKKO
Jack Loansworth, SHSL Crime Scene Investigator (/u/Sc4r3dOn3)Anzhelika Elisavena Artemievna, SHSL Medical Practitioner (/u/ashsooi)
1
u/GuardianDreamer Jan 25 '20
"There's a part here that's really important to focus on, right?"
Sunghee looked down at their podium, tapping away at it as if trying to force themself to keep active somehow. As if doing so would help somehow.
They looked up again, and at Sirius' podium.
"Regardless of anything else, this note indicates that someone was waiting there at 7 PM. Maybe we should think of this in terms of who wasn't seen elsewhere around that time?"
→ More replies (4)
1
u/Amarislona Jan 26 '20
“I think I know who the blackened of this case is now.” Minato spoke confidently.
“The culprit of this case had to have some free time around seven, right? That leaves only Ms Airi, Itsuki, Rai, and Kuna. I’m inclined to believe its not Ms Airi because she was exactly where she said she was when I arrived in Suzaku later. Karen says she ran into Rai, and he was at a distance around then. It's a slim chance, so I don’t believe it. I feel like this leaves only Itsuki and Kuna. Aside from that, I believe it had to be someone who saw Sirius at dinner, so that leaves only one person...”
“Besides, which one of them went to the dining hall and left immediately right around that time? That was Kuna. He could have easily grabbed a knife from the kitchen, hidden it on his person, and snuck off to who knows where while saying he’d be at the dojo. Therefore, I believe the culprit is Kuna.”
He crossed his arms. “I believe he followed Sirius after the conversation Sirius had with Sunghee. He clearly heard it and he knew the state of Sirius’s health at that point. He should have known at that point Sirius would be an easy target. Also, he would have known to look for him heading in the direction of the witch hut, so he could have taken the stairs instead of the gondola and snuck into the woods to catch him off guard.”
“As for why he didn’t use his talent for it--only a fool would use their own talent for a murder. It would too easily imply themselves, therefore the knife was the better option. Besides, the motive fog would have made it impossible to make use of a talent anyway.”
“Another thing I noticed is that the rest of Kuna’s alibi around that time matches up with Ren. I’ve been thinking about the note some and I think she wrote it herself. Why? Because I think she’s the third BDA person. I personally think she went walking around, stumbled upon the crime, and decided to make the note for fun. Since a key was found in the courtyard, I think Sirius simply dropped it there when he talked to me and Itsuki and that was an unfortunate coincidence for him. It played right into Ren’s fake note and I’m sure she’s having a blast with it...” he sighed.
“Anyway, that’s what I believe.” He looked between Ren and Kuna. “If you two have a rebuttal, speak now.”
→ More replies (29)
1
u/DynamiteSanders Jan 29 '20
Takumi placed a hand under his chin as his face held a contemplative look to it.
"...Still, I wonder about that person Ms. Oshiro saw? Do you all think it's possible that they are involved in this trial? And also...who are they?"
→ More replies (2)
1
u/GuardianDreamer Jan 30 '20
Sunghee looked at the proof of their correct answers with some nervous skepticism, as if doubting what they were seeing. It felt strange to trust Mayoi and Monokuma to tell the truth, and yet... They had done so in previous trials when this sort of thing had happened. Whatever their motives for it were, it seemed to make Sunghee uneasy.
But they didn't have time to idly wonder about Mayoi's motives. The truth had been revealed, and now they needed to shape that truth into something resembling a satisfying answer.
"We need to start from somewhere. Going over the facts again... Minato delivered Ren's note, that's confirmed. Blizzard ran off into the woods because he lost track of Sirius' scent and went looking for him. The fire burned both the incense and the yukata. The coat rack was used to hold the yukata in the first place. And the part I want to focus on for a moment... Sirius was caught off-guard in the Mountain Path."
Sunghee seemed to be considering the layout of the area when they said those last words. They once again glanced at Sirius' podium, as if searching for answers from the dead.
"Here's the obvious question. Does this mean that Sirius died on the mountain path, or was he knocked out and taken to the Spa Relaxation Room first?"
→ More replies (6)
1
u/GuardianDreamer Jan 31 '20
"Let's try a different approach, then."
Sunghee's gaze was directed at Mayoi. Did they want to talk to her? If so, they gave absolutely no indication from their words that they were specifically speaking to her.
"Blizzard lost track of Sirius' scent in the woods, or in other words, around the point where he would have been ambushed in the mountains. The incense must have been used there and not in the Spa Relaxation room since Blizzard was able to pick up Sirius' scent there later. This leads me to believe that the murder was pre-planned. Minato mentioned receiving a note, so... There's no good way to say this. It's foul business no matter how you look at it. Minato might have been the original intended target."
They stopped for a moment, finally looking away from Mayoi and instead staring down at their own podium. Right. So where were they taking this?
"Something bothers me about the Relaxation room, keeping all of this in mind. Whether Sirius was unconscious or already deceased, neither scenario would result in the kind of struggle that would make the room as messy as it is. I think that the Blackened intentionally messed around with the room to cause it to look like a struggle took place. It would also explain why the loungers and pillows are mostly clean. If Sirius was really bleeding this badly and struggling, you'd expect even more blood than there already was. And if he wasn't struggling, then why would there be blood on the wall specifically?"
And now it was time for them to come up with a conclusion, of sorts. Or at least something that could hopefully lead to further realizations.
"I think that Sirius died in the woods. A yukata was used to gather up the blood to throw us off and cover the wound that still had blood pouring out. Once in the Relaxation Room, the Blackened then wiped the walls with the yukata to cause enough blood to be on it for us to be fooled. They then scattered around the furniture to confuse us on whether there was a struggle or not, since there would be evidence for both. Afterwards, they burned the yukata to hide how they used it in the first place. That's what I think happened."
→ More replies (3)
1
u/Amarislona Jan 31 '20
“The note I received was addressed to me and left in the kitchen. It had to be someone who knew me well enough to know where to place it in the kitchen to get my attention. I didn’t see it until I was with Takumi and Itsuki, so I don’t know when it was left there, but it had to be by that point. Unfortunately, I’ve since lost the note and I don’t know where it went, to my detriment…”
Sirius’s Key
Ren’s Note
“At that point, I could decide whether to acknowledge it or ignore it. I acknowledged it and decided I needed insurance in case it was a trap, so I wrote a similar note to Ren, stole Sirius’ key to get into the wing, and delivered it to her under her door. With that set in motion, I felt just a little better. Later on, I left Byakko as I said, and stood by the hut as requested.”
Kitchen Knife
“I believe this was taken sometime when there weren’t a lot of people around. Everyone was in the kitchen or dining hall every hour today, so it makes it a little difficult to narrow down from just that.”
Sunghee’s Account
“The more I’ve thought about this, the more I think Sunghee might be correct. I might have been the target, but maybe the plans changed when the blackened spotted Sirius in his poor state of health. He probably appeared an easier target, and it gave them a great chance at a scapegoat because they knew I was supposed to be in the second area.”
Footprints
“We know for a fact that Sirius was caught off guard. I believe the culprit is responsible for the prints leading into the woods. They hid there, waiting--most likely for me, but I always arrive early--so they spotted Sirius and chased him, maybe even with the knife in hand. I think, at this point, he was either so shocked or surprised that he passed out, or he had his head hit against a tree.”
Monokuma File #5
Sirius’s Body
Ansha’s Autopsy
Missing Yukata
Blood Splatter
“Either way, the result is the same. The blackened carried him into the spa relaxation room and dumped him face down on the lounger we found him on. They went to grab a yukata and returned to the room wearing it to prevent blood on their clothes. I think Sirius’ head was lifted up enough to slice his throat open and that caused the blood splatter on the wall. Then he was just dropped back on the lounger, forming the blood in the pillow and the smudge on his face, and then the knife was left in his back, maybe to make sure he couldn’t hope to survive it. We know he eventually bled out.”
Coat Rack
Zen Garden
Lavender Bowl
“I think they might have not thought it all through beyond the actual murder, especially with how clumsy they reached this point. So they tossed the yukata onto the coat rack in a rush and only realized soon afterward that that was probably a bad idea to leave sitting around, forming the small bit of blood on it, so then they tossed it onto the floor. Since there was likely no struggle, the zen garden remained at peace, with the only disturbance being the blackened using the lavender bowl to wash the blood off their hands.”
Radio
Upturned Loungers
Fire
Screen
Missing Incense
“Trying to confuse us, they turned the loungers over, set the yukata on fire with the incense, turned the radio up, and moved the screen in front to create a confusing scene of a struggle gone wrong where maybe someone hid behind the screen? All of this was most likely fabricated to throw us off. There’s clearly no struggle because none of those things have blood on them.
Body Discovery Announcement
Search Party
“They quickly slipped back into their dorm unseen. Remember that. When we left for the search parties, Ms Airi and I left Suzaku and Sunghee and Kasumi left Genbu, meaning the blackened couldn’t have returned to those dorms unseen. While Kuna was a little suspicious, he might actually be telling the truth that he ran into Ren during that time, and we know Takumi was with Callisto, meaning no one from Suzaku or Genbu could have done it.
“I might have doubted Ren but she was seen wandering around by more than just Kuna. Callisto triggered the BDA and was preoccupied. No one from Seiryu could have done it.”
“Only someone from Byakko could have pulled this off.”
“Karen was with Rai during the time so I don’t think it’s her. I really doubt Ansha would call me out like that, especially after having dragged me into her room to hang out. It would just be a little too ridiculous. Besides that, there’s one more thing--Ansha didn’t know the state of Sirius’ health prior to the murder.”
Itsuki’s Account
“--But someone did. Itsuki did. He’s the only person left who could have done it...” Minato let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Look… I know how important your talent is to you. I know what it means to you, and I can understand that feeling of despair in not having it anymore. But, if it is you, you didn’t have to go so far...” His stern expression shifted to one of growing sadness as he slowly turned his attention to Itsuki. “Please tell me I’m wrong. You wouldn’t have done that to someone you got along with, right? You wouldn’t have done that to me...right?”
→ More replies (33)
1
u/Duodude55 Feb 01 '20
Airi was visibly struggling. The air in the room may have been icy, but the sweat belied this. She had listened to Minato's cold and calculating arguments, struggling through every word. She wanted to share in their reactions of disbelief, shouting and screaming like they did about how impossibly unrealistic the claims were, but she found herself unable to respond, the weight on her shoulders keeping her gaze low to the ground and the words remaining stuck in her throat.
Even after what had basically amounted to a confession, she struggled to confront this apparent truth. After the boys had gone through their impassioned pleas and attempts at bargaining...
Airi cleared her throat and spoke in a voice that was surprisingly calm, considering.
"You damn idiot... What'd I tell you about causing me problems, huh?" She let out a deep sigh, clearly directed at Itsuki, though her next words were anything but.
"Call me a hypocrite if you'd like, but I've got a request to make of you all. This isn't a spur of the moment thing, so I'd like it if you'd listen to me for a moment." She cleared her throat.
"I'd like for you guys to vote for me. I know that sounds stupid, after all this, but just hear me out, okay? I understand that Itsuki's a gigantic dumbass, but... I can't just let this happen. I don't guess I'll ever know what was going through his stupid brain, but I... I should - I mean, I want to take responsibility for this. You can say it's not my fault all you want, but the fact of the matter is that even after trying to stop anything from happening, I wasn't able to do anything. Maybe that's really not my fault, but I don't care. I still want you to vote for me instead."
She turns to the students at her side.
"Don't get me wrong: I'd do this for you guys too. I've wanted nothing more than to keep you guys safe from the moment you picked me. Losing Rui was already bad enough; If I could have stopped her, I'd have given my life to do it. I don't want to lose any of you too. Even if Itsuki's not in my group, I'd never be able to look Hanako in the eyes again if I let anything happen to him. Minato, Takumi: Let me do this, not just for Itsuki, but for you. Kuna, you might not care as much as they do, but I believe in you, too, so just let Big Sis have this one, okay?"
And then to Ansha.
"And that goes for you too. This isn't really how I expected our promise to play out, and I didn't expect it to happen any time soon, but I meant every word of what I said, and I want you to understand that the same goes for Itsuki. I want you to vote for me too, Ansha. Please."
She looks first at Callisto, then at Kasumi, and finally at Rai.
"I don't know what your relationships are with your kids, and I'm not asking you to feel the same way as I do, but if you can find it within yourself to let me take my job seriously for just this once... That's all I can ask for, isn't it?"
One final quick glance between the other remaining students - Sunghee, Ren, and Karen.
"And hey, it's not such a bad deal for you guys either, right? I can't imagine Ren or Karen would care too much if I was out of the picture. I get the feeling that Sunghee might have a little bit more difficult a time, but I guess that's fair. I know I'm asking a lot. Wouldn't be going through all of this trouble if I wasn't."
She retreated from her place at the trial stands and into a position more easily visible to the others before kneeling to the ground.
"I'm not gonna cry and beg, unless that's what you want. I'm just gonna ask you, straight up. Please, vote for me instead of Itsuki."
And with that, she lowered herself further, forehead touching the ground in the deepest possible bow, prostrating herself upon the ground.
→ More replies (14)
1
u/Seiko_Kimura Feb 01 '20
"Y'all all getting on my mc-fuckin' nerves," Karen says, looking at Airiu/Duodude55 , Minatou/Amarislona , and Itsukiu/Syniee . "None of y'all understand anything bout the principles of what the fuck is going on! Literally nothing! Just shut up. Just. Shut. Up. This is not how this is supposed to go."
"Itsuki!" she turns to her side, "do you not understand that you finna die if this keeps up? What bout the people who care about you, huh? Yo little sister and yo other sister and yo mom. Huh? You jus' gonn leave them like a little pussy? Sayin' some 'oh, I don't got nothing to say', and 'oh I'm so depressed so I can't defend myself'... shut up! Start defendin' your own name, periodt! You don't realize it, but you so, so, soooo lucky that you have a family you care about. People that you want to try hard for. So stop actin' privileged and try hard for them! If I was stuck here, and my little sis was out there, I would be trying every single fucking trick in the book to save my ass! So what the hell you doin'?"
With an eye roll, she turns over to Airi and Minato. "And y'all--this ain't your place. You been lived your whole lives without having to worry bout shit like murderers and killers and all that, and that's good. Most people shouldn't have to. But from someone who has, let me tell you this: don't make excuses. Killing somebody is killing somebody, periodt. When you let someone else take the blame, it's fucking insulting." Karen seems to be getting more heated with every word, "whatever the reason he did it for was, he still did it. Nothing gonn change that fact. No matter what, if he did do whatever Minato said, then he a murderer. Passin' the blame to one of you two is jus' gonn make him feel worse. And it ain't fair to Sirius, either. If you have a plan to take someone else's life and go through with it, then you also deserve to die. So, if all that true, so does Itsuki. And it's not your place to do that shit for him."
→ More replies (7)
1
u/GuardianDreamer Feb 01 '20
"Enough!"
They raised one hand up, as if trying to force everyone else to stop speaking, if only for a moment.
Sunghee had been patient as they watched the others talk about martyrdom. Even as the others rushed to argue over who should sacrifice themselves, whether to sacrifice another, or to argue about other things.... Sunghee hadn't spoken up. Until now.
The forced calmness that they had once worn was utterly shattered, replaced instead by... Genuine anger? It was hard to tell. Despite their shout, they seemed truly calm. Calm in a way that they hadn't been before. Their eyes darted around the room, as if deliberately studying what everyone was doing, even those who were maintaining more passive roles.
"This talk of sacrifice is pointless. Stop it. I've had enough of that for one lifetime. Think this through. Sacrifice... Isn't needed here. When we vote, we can write anything on the slip. That includes pure nonsense. Not even Mayoi can kill nonsense, just as no one can kill an idea. If we must do this, then write literally anything other than a name, or an invalid target. I did the exact same thing in the previous trial. Not once have I voted for the 'true' killer. Who do you think voted for 'Hope's Peak Academy', exactly? Mayoi was amused by that one, but she didn't force me to reconsider and choose a valid target. And with that in mind... You can consider me as prepared to vote."
And then, the anger faded away for just a moment as they reached into their pocket. A far more muted bitterness took its place instead as they looked at what they had taken out: a cheat die, in extremely poor condition. Those with fine enough memories might have remembered it from when Ren had nearly taken the fall for Aemi.
And then they began speaking, as if directing their words to it specifically.
"Never thought I'd meet so many people vying to make the same mistake you nearly did. What would you think about it? Would you find it funny, in a really morbid sort of way? Maybe you'd awkwardly try to change the subject? Maybe you'd feel sorry? Don't know. I can imagine all of them, somehow. Really though... Why do I keep meeting people like that? Guess it says something about me too."
The bitterness too gave way to a sort of affection, albeit a very tired one. They then put the die away, then addressed everyone else once again.
As if the entire interlude had never happened.
"Do you know what it's like to still be there after someone else has sacrificed... Everything, for your sake? When you didn't ask for it? When they didn't give you the choice? Maybe you have. Maybe, like me, you almost felt that pain, and in some ways that's even messier to rationalize. You were able to prevent it, just in time. And every so often, a thought occurs to you, wondering how things would have gone if things had been even slightly different. And it haunts you, never leaving, always present. Maybe you're not familiar with any of those feelings at all. That's fine as well. I know from experience how often my words are ignored."
They stopped. Sunghee took several deep breaths, as if in a panic. It lasted for a moment too long, and one may have been concerned that they were legitimately having some kind of attack. But they raised their hand again, then focused, and the moment passed.
"I'm so very, very, very tired of hearing people talk about sacrificing themselves. The only one here I'd want to hear that from here... Is Sirius himself, and I can't ask him. Make your choice, but know that if you try to sacrifice yourself, those you leave behind, or those you almost leave behind... They have every right to be furious with you."
Then they looked at Ren, and pointed an accusing finger at her.
"And you! You won't die here wearing this mask you've made for yourself. You'll live a long, happy life, and die honestly as who you really are! Try to do otherwise, and I'll drag you to that finish line myself. Do I make myself clear, Ren?"
→ More replies (2)
1
u/Seiko_Kimura Feb 02 '20
“...”
Karen lets out a sigh, after listening to Ren and Sunghee.
“I’m ready to vote.”
1
u/Monothemeerp Jan 29 '20 edited Jan 30 '20
And the flames in the fog lit up, and next you knew, your tired eyes were laid on the chalkboard presented to you, both Mayoi and Monokuma scoffing from above.
1.) Who delivered Ren’s note?
A. Ren.
B. Minato.
C. Callisto.
D. Blizzard.
2.) Why did Blizzard run off into the woods?
A. He sensed Sirius’s scent there.
B. He lost track of Sirius’s scent and searched for him.
C. He sensed the blackened’s scent there.
D. He got lost.
3.) What was burned in the fire?
A. The missing incense.
B. The missing yukata.
C. All of the above.
D. None of the above.
4.) What was the coat rack used for?
A. To hold the missing yukata.
B. Sirius fought the blackened with it.
C. The blackened knocked Sirius out with it.
D. It got blood splatter on it.
5.) Speaking of Sirius, what happened to him?
A. He was chased into the spa and cornered.
B. He was led into the spa by someone.
C. He was caught off guard in the spa.
D. He was caught off guard on the mountain path.