Dangan Ronpa: Unser Sommerende/Chapter 4 - Class Trial

Continued from Chapter 4 - Deadly Life.

[1]

“Welcome back, everybody!” Monoyaki yapped, as excited as he always was for these occasions. “Who’s up for a quick reiteration of the class trial’s rules?”

“... Do we have a choice?” I asked, sighing.

“Well, your job, as the non-guilty students, is to track down and figure out whodunnit.”

“Who did it!” Molly yelled, going as far as to stamp her foot down.

“Yes, the entrepreneur who committed such an outrageous move as bloody, bloody murder! That’s who you have to identify. Get it right, and the culprit gets their special execution, and if you get it wrong, big surprise, the rest of you have to die instead!”

“You’re expending energy to remind us,” Dan stated, “does it not wear away at your spirit to repeat yourself so many times?”

“Nah, I get a kick out of it, duuuuude. And besides, I don’t get to talk enough as it is during these things, I just wanna kick things off with a bit of enthusiasm... I mean, I participate the least, but I’m the only one who seems to enjoy them. Ain’t that crazy?”

“Well, you did set up this murder game primarily for the sake of spectating. It wouldn’t seem that crazy.”

“Whatever, whatever. Let’s just get it underway before you bore us all any longer, weed-for-brains.”

He did his usual click, and grabbed his usual carton of fruit juice that fell from the ceiling, eager to get into things.

[2]

“Okay, okay, so...” I said before clearing my throat. “We need to quickly clear up that Amber’s not the only victim here.”

“I assume that means you’ve found Charlotte?” Mary asked. “I didn’t expect her to be alive at this point.”

“Archie and I found her body in the ventilation tunnel leading into the recreation room. She’d been there for a few days or so, and it looked like she was bludgeoned in the head.”

“I see. And is that all you two found?”

“That’s the extent of it.” Archie said. “We don’t really have any way of knowing who killed her or not, but we didn’t activate the body announcement when we found her, so I assume that we don’t have to find the culprit for her as well.

“So it’s just Amber, right?” Rocky inquired, staring at the adjacent wall.

“I guess?” Lucy said, a concerned head tilt. “It feels strange to just leave her dead like that, but I suppose we can talk about her later. So, should we try to establish who was and wasn’t awake when Amber was killed?”

“If we can...” Molly sighed with a downward look. “We’d have to figure out when it even happened.”

“Well I’m pretty sure it was night time.”

“Most of us think that.” Jo shrugged with a pointless smirk. “But I’m the only one who actually saw it go down.”

[3]

“Oh dear.”

“You did?” Archie questioned. “I wouldn’t say I’m eager to take your word for it straight away, but go ahead.”

“Well...” Jo stretched his limbs. For about twenty seconds. Then continued. “I had a note slipped under my door saying it was my turn to take out the washing. Now I previously thought that was Molly’s job, but...”

“I need my beauty rest.” Molly said, matter-of-fact.

“Yep, I weep for ya, Mol. Not sure why you thought I’d be the most likely person here to help with the chores, but I guess I was one of the only people with the lights on at that sorta time. I don’t need my beauty sleep. Oh yeah, it’s called beauty sleep, by the way.”

“But aren’t you an actor? I thought you’d need it even more than I would.”

“Eye bags are the newest trend.” He shrugged with a smirk. “Anyways, after finishing that up, I happened to see someone outside Amber’s room. He was six feet tall, sounded like a boy, long white hair and a cloak... Yeah, his name was Dan. Dan Glass. I don’t see much more I need to say.”

“Uh-huh.” Archie scratched his chin a little, considering it more than I expected. “It does support your claim that you were awake at night... But even so, there’s no confirming that you actually saw anything transpire. I don’t think everyone here trusts you much as a whole, Jo, so... I’ll get back to you on that one.”

“Whatever. I’ve done all I can do!” The boy said, leaning over the railing and spectating like a cat in a cage.

[4]

“Alright, uh...” I began, trying to make sense of this. “I’d say Jo has somewhat of a point. After all, Dan’s hair was seen in Amber’s room... But again, since it’s Jo... If anything, his testimony could be evidence that Dan WASN’T there, at this rate.”

“So it was me, huh?” Rocky stated. “Called it.”

“There’s no need to condemn yourself, brother...” Dan said, “Even if you or me aren’t worth much, there’s no need to be upset.”

“I’m not upset. Not at all. Just trying to get this over with and lessen the burden for everyone.”

“Well, to be PURRfectly honest...” Jo said, exasperated and yet smug about it all. “I’m not COMPLETELY sure it’s Dan. It could have just been somebody dressing up as Dan, but he’d have to be another boy who’s around six foot tall. Turns out, Rocky fits that description like a glivity-glove.”

“Hey, wait,” I started, “we don’t even know if this boy actually killed Amber! I mean, it sounds like it, but Jo didn’t actually witness anybody die.”

“Oh yeah, the usual harmless night-time visit.” Jo laughed to himself, more genuinely entertained than the usual toying chuckle he gave. “Definitely nothing suspicious going on there!”

[5]

“Okay, so...” Archie rubbed his head, then adjusted his posture to be a little more assertive, at least as assertive as someone can be at that height. “We’ll just go off of the ninety-nine percent chance that this person is the killer, and that they’d have to be Dan or Rocky. We’ll start by asking both of them where they were last night, and then try and validate either of their testimonies with actual, hard evidence. Does that sound like a plan?”

The rest of us nodded, or at least murmured in agreement.

“Go ahead,” Rocky said with an apathetic look, “You can go first. Say whatever you want.”

“If I must impart any necessary information...” Dan said, “I only spent last night meditating in an effort to contact an inter-dimensional self-counterpart. If there were any figures seen resembling me, it’s likely that’s an alter-ego who managed to bridge the gap between an alternate universe. I take responsibility for my actions, as they are only a drop in an infinite puddle.”

“Are you serious?” Mary asked, sounding a little offended. “Is... That... It? Are we supposed to just believe that’s what happened?”

“I was asked for my word, and I gave it.”

“Good for you.” Rocky said, before finally looking someone in the eyes, that someone was me. It made sense. If it’s established that I’m the one who does all the arguing in the trials, he’d engage directly with me, the doubter. I was the only one between him and oblivion. But what if he really is the culprit? As all these thoughts went through me, he seemed to read into them all. Maybe I was just paranoid about that, but whatever the case, this was looking like the most difficult trial yet. “I’ll make this quick. Last afternoon, I was in the computer lab. I was given a cup of cactus juice, and that’s when my memory already starts to fade. Don’t think I see the point in trying to remember, but someone gave me the drink, felt unstable after that, then...” He groaned with a sigh. “I think... I remember stumbling around the halls at night. Might have been a dream. But then I woke up, and it was the next morning. Either I broke out of the door after it was locked or something, or I guess someone could’ve let me out intentionally. That’s what I ‘remember’, but I’ll be straightforward and say that everyone here knows what really happened.”

[6]

“We don’t know anything yet.” I said, a finger raised a little dramatically. “... I mean, we haven’t proven anything yet.”

“Okay, sure, I’ll prove it. I went insane, started trying to kill everyone, which should be common knowledge by now. Then I got up at night and shot Amber. Bullet straight through her face. My gun was on the floor. It’s just a fact.” He directed his gaze to the goat’s throne. “Show’s over, we’re ready to vote now.”

“Wait, don’t!-”

“What if he actually ends it?!” Mary yelled subsequently.

“That’s the point!” Rocky shouted back.

“Please stop shouting!...” Archie vainly intervened.

“Hmm...” Monoyaki stretched back in his chair. “It’d be pretty funny if I did end it here. But I’m not bored yet, so...”

[7]

“Alright, alright...” I adjusted my beret and took in a breath. “Now... I think we should try and sort out everything that points to you being the entrepreneur, Rocky, and just run it past you. Once that’s settled down, we can try and tackle everything to do with Dan. It’s rigid, but it should hopefully clear things up in your regard, since I have a lot of doubts around your interpretation of the crime.”

“Whatever it takes to convince you. Fire away.” He started glaring at me again, which didn’t help me stay composed, but I had to keep my thoughts straightened out.

“Well... You established earlier that Amber was killed with a revolver, which was on the floor of her room when we found her... And one of your revolvers is missing now, isn’t it?”

“Right. Keep going.”

“And, according to your testimony, the only thing you remember before you woke up the next morning was drinking a cup of juice somebody gave you.” I managed to break the counter-stare I had given the imposing young man, and turned to face the general room. “Now, has Mary told everyone else about Rocky’s state last afternoon?”

“Yes.” Mary answered, to the point as always.

“He lost control of himself, no?” Molly interjected. “Are you saying that the drink had something to do with it, Jane?”

[8]

“Yep.” I answered. “When Archie and I went up to the computer lab, I saw that there was some cactus juice left... And it was distinctly discoloured with a reddish tint, resembling the vials in the chemical lab that were labelled ‘Happiness’.”

“The happiness vial was also slightly empty, if I recall...” Archie added on. “It really looks like somebody tampered with his drink.”

“There’s no way...” Lucy shook her head. “That can’t happen, right? Did you smell it to make sure? Did you double check?”

“Nah, that’s right.” Rocky said. “I forgot to mention, but my drink looked weird. Smelt weird too. Wouldn’t be surprised if something was up with that.”

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

“So then, happiness...” The red haired alchemist continued, to herself more than anyone, “... Makes people violent.” She cringed. “That’s... That’s the truth, isn’t it?”

[9]

“Don’t see any other possibility.”

“I would have thought that if you didn’t remember anything, amnesiacs must have been used, but... When I was going over my notes today, I found that I had written something about a chemical that matches up perfectly to the amnesiacs. Problem is, the amnesiacs cause a loss of memory going back six months... So that can’t be it.”

That’s... Impressive.

“Still, whether the drink made me do it or not, I still did it. So there, I did it. Whatever.”

“But that’s the thing, Rocky!” I pointed forward, a bit more confident now. “If you were in a blind rage, how were you able to aim your gun at Amber? The bullet hole was directly on her head, and if you had no control over yourself, the bullet would have ended up somewhere inaccurate, like her arm, or the wall behind her. In fact, I’d be surprised if you had used anything other than your bare fists to kill, if you were in a state like that.”

“... Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Plus, Amber had been dragged over to the wall from the spot she was shot at, judging from the short trail of blood leading up to her body. She also had her penguin toy placed against her, quite neatly, in fact. Would someone in a blind rage think to do this?”

[10]

“... Nah. Which means someone else probably went there.”

“Yeah- wait, what?”

“Think before you speak next time, I guess. All it means is that somebody tampered with the scene afterwards.”

“Interesting...” Dan said. “Does this idea line up with the three-witness rule before the body discovery announcement?”

“... It has to.” Mary thought aloud. “If I found Belton’s corpse, and then the announcement happened when I showed it to Attebury, then we would have been the second and third witnesses, respectively.”

“Crap, you’re right.” I sighed.

[11]

“So...” Molly pondered anxiously. “Aren’t we going to talk about the hair? There were a few loose hairs on Amber’s floor, and aside from the ones that match Amber’s hair, there were a few that were long, and white... Which is... You know...”

“As if they were mine.” Dan said, not in a sarcastic way or anything, just completing Molly’s sentence. “Did we not already discuss it before? Although, it is interesting to hear that the alternate self also dyes his hair...”

“Stop spouting nonsense like that.” Mary abruptly said. “This weird clone story isn’t making you seem any more innocent.”

“Well I don’t think I am innocent. I’m also under the impression that this figure is the entrepreneur, which would make me the entrepreneur. Again, I take responsibility for my actions, and would like everyone to vote for me, the culprit... Unless they desire oblivion instead.”

“Stop screwing around!” Rocky yelled, before catching his breath. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

“... Somewhat ironic for you to say that.”

“I swear, if you keep doing this and people decide to vote for you instead of me... Look, I don’t want to fuck things up any more than I already have.”

“But you’re not the killer.” Jo said, rolling his eyes and smiling. “Dan is. He killed Amber.”

“Hang on for just a second.” I said, before starting to ponder. It was definitely weird that Dan had this alternate-self summoning story on the exact same night when somebody who looked exactly like him was visiting the room where the victim died. I mean... It felt so obvious, but at the same time, I still hadn’t proved Rocky’s innocence, which was seeming more and more probable. “Rocky... How did you get out of the computer lab? You mentioned earlier that it might have been unlocked in the night.”

“I don’t remember anything.” He rubbed his face, frustrated. “How many times do I need to say it?”

“But you went to the computer room again the next day. Did the door look damaged then?”

“... From the inside, there were a good few dents, but the lock itself looked completely fine. I mean, it’s on the outside, so that makes sense. I... I guess someone unlocked it then.”

“Well, whoever unlocked it was probably the same person who spiked your drink. So, you’d believe that this person gave you the drink to make you aggressive, then released you at night to kill someone?”

“That’s bloody obvious, isn’t it?”

[12]

“Then tell me...” I grabbed the railing in front of me, and raised my voice. “Who in their right mind would even do that?! If they wanted to kill someone to get out of the killing game, they would have to have done it themselves! Getting someone else to murder would be completely pointless and downright stupid. I’m under the impression that whoever let you out of the room that night did it with the sole intent to frame you, and that’s why they must have taken your gun, and left it at the crime scene after shooting Amber. Now, is there anything you can say against this?”

“... Just because it doesn’t make sense, doesn’t mean I’m not the killer. It’s... I don’t know, it’s weird, yeah, but I still did it, as unstructured as it sounds.”

“But what about how the killer was clearly talking with Amber? He must have been in a calm state, to convince her to allow him in. And if you don’t trust Jo’s testimony... Even if you shot Amber without talking to her, you would have had to convince her to open the door in the first place. I’d think if you were banging the door in an uncontrollable state, she would have been much too frightened to do that, knowing that whoever was behind the door could be a potential threat to her life.”

“... She’s trusting. She’s naive.”

“But is she that naive? She wouldn’t have made it that far if she was gullible enough to let people into her room at night.”

“... What do you expect me to do?! Everything lines up, I did it!... Okay, just, just keep saying whatever. Most of us here probably still think I’m the killer.” He looked away from everyone again, and tapped his foot. “Just keep going, I don’t care.”

[13]

“Alright, so...” Archie began, “It’s probably safe to say that the entrepreneur isn’t Rocky. So it’s either Dan, or, as Jo suggested... Rocky disguised as Dan?”

“That’s...” I blinked a couple times and looked at the ground. “... Interesting?”

“Well, Jo suggested it before, and I think he was joking, but... I’m beginning to wonder if Rocky was faking his rage before. After all, if there was still some cactus juice left today when we went to the computer room, that could mean he never actually ingested any happiness in the first place.”

“No, but...” Lucy said, deeply troubled. “Happiness... Does...”

“Does what?”

“I... I didn’t find any notes on happiness, but when you mentioned it makes people violent... I must have heard about it deep in the past, but I, I can’t think about it! I... Ahh... No...” She put her hands to her head. “Stop thinking, stop...”

“Don’t see why I’d lie about it,” Rocky said. “But if it gets people to vote my execution into happening, then go ahead, man.”

“That’s not my intent!” Archie resumed. “I’m only interested in knowing for sure what happened! And at the moment... I’m not sure, okay? But if he faked his anger, then disguised himself as Dan when he shot Amber, then... He could make it look like Dan was trying to frame him, when it was actually the exact opposite.”

“That’s... Crazy.” I said. “But it just might be the truth?...”

“I suppose it really was an alternate self.” Dan thought aloud. “Oh well.”

“Hey, hang on, Dan? You mentioned before that you’ve been using hair dye. Did anyone borrow that hair dye for something?”

“I believe so, in fact, that very person was Amber herself. She didn’t say what it was for, it was going to be a surprise, apparently.”

“Very odd...” Molly said, hands together. “... Does this mean that the killer could have been collaborating with Amber to set the murder up?”

“It seems like it...” I said. “Plus, since Amber was a seamstress, she would have been able to create the rest of the disguise pretty well. If only we had something else, something to prove that such a thing was made... Like, maybe some leftover material in the workshop... Ugh, if only I had known to check there.”

“So you didn’t find anything?” Mary said. “And yet you didn’t come back to check if I had opened the closet in Amber’s room yet.”

“... Because you weren’t going to get it open.” I commented, a tad sly, and desperate for a slight bit of entertainment in the middle of a tense situation.

“If you’re going to be like that, I won’t tell you what I found!” She shouted, with a slight blush. “You saw me open it, didn’t you, Lucy?”

Lucy was crouching at this point, hands over her eyes, but upon hearing her name, she popped up again, meerkat-like. “Hm?” Innocent eyes...

Mary began to talk in a condescending way. “Remember what was behind the closet door, Lucy? Think, think, think.”

“Uh... I was gonna say it before. Because, you know, when Jo said about the chance it was a disguise-”

[14]

“So it was a disguise then?” Jo asked. “Huh.”

“Hey, at least let me say it!”

“This is giving me a migraine...” Molly sighed, with a shake of her head and hair. “So, the entrepreneur left the outfit in Amber’s closet?”

“Indeed,” Mary started, “and said closet was jammed. Intentionally jammed, I’d say. It was a lot of work to get it open, I’ll admit.”

“So then...” Archie said, a more assured tone than earlier. “What we know right now is that the entrepreneur was definitely wearing a disguise that night, or at least had a disguise of Dan made for the sake of hanging it up in Amber’s room. It doesn’t seem like the killer would intentionally leave behind a major piece of evidence like an etnire disguise, I mean, if they could jam the closet, there was nothing stopping them from just bringing the disguise into their room where nobody else had access, right? Leaving the disguise there seems like maybe... Something Dan would have done, to make it look like he was being framed?...”

“Well, perhaps...” I adjusted my coat, as I tried to keep up with my own thoughts. “But that’s only speculation. We just can’t seem to get any proper proof on either side. At this point, whether it’s Dan or Rocky is just... Very muddled up.”

“If you can’t decide, just vote for me.” Rocky said again. He looked really drained at this point, yet at the same time, full of conviction, like he cared less about whether he was wrong or right, and more about forcing his intuition through, no matter how detrimental to himself or others. “I feel like I’m just saying it for the sake of reminding everyone... Daft, huh?”

“Yeah, what happens happens.” Jo shrugged and smirked a second time.

“Such is life...”

“But Rocky, you’re... Hang on.” I tapped the rail in front of me for a bit. “If this narrative’s true... That you faked the effects of happiness, then disguised yourself as Dan, and killed Amber, doing all of this to make it look like you were framed... At this point, wouldn’t you drop this act? I mean, you should stop demanding to be executed at this point, since it’s starting to turn against you again.”

“Look, I don’t know what’s even happening at this point, Jane, people can come to whatever conclusions about me, I don’t care, as long as I die so the rest of us don’t. I can’t believe I have to spell that out for you, can’t you get that through your head, girl?”

“... But what if you aren’t the murderer?”

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

“That’s not the point, that’s not the point, that’s... Oh, fuck this.” Barely finishing his sentence, Rocky took hold of the revolver on his side, spun it in the air, and pointed it in the side of his head. His face showed only a collected look. “If I have to do this to stop the rest of you from ruining the trial... Well, is there anything stopping me? Anybody want to say their piece?”

Nobody spoke.

“... As expected. If the trial doesn’t end after this, then, well, I guess I was wrong, you can vote for Dan or something. I’ve done all I can, eh?”

Was he... Actually serious?... His eyes didn’t give anything away as to what his motives were at this point. I’d given him all the info we had, and it proved he was either innocent, or faked his loss of control. If it was the latter, well, he wouldn’t be doing what he’s doing right now. Even though nothing was happening, it felt like an urgent situation. Now, to be perfectly honest, I hadn’t really tried to empathise with Rocky as much as I should have. When he opened up about his past that day, I just sort of kept going with the investigation. It’s not like I was unaffected, but I just had to keep going, didn’t I? But since I had to say something, and since I just didn’t seem to care enough, or think through it in time...

“You’re bluffing, Rocky.”

“... Pretty upfront.” He cocked his head to the side, like he didn’t know what to say, before turning his head to me again. “At this point, you’re the only one here with a shred of dignity.” The hand holding the firearm twitched slightly, and he slowly smiled. “I had no idea I could be this pissed off at someone and have such deep respect for them at the same time. Hey, Jane... What’d you do if you were me, right now?”

“... That’s a loaded question. If I was you, I’d have a completely different personality, and a different set of life experiences. Of course, I know what you mean when you say that, but at the end of the day, I can’t read your bloody mind...” I shook my head. “But the one thing I can say about you is that you don’t want to die, I mean, for the sake of dying. You’ve made a decision in one quick moment, right? You’re under the impression that this could be your last chance to fix things, the problem you think you’ve caused.”

“Alright, get to the point, you want me to put the gun down, right?”

“... It’s your decision. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re bluffing.”

The gun hand started shaking more noticeably. Not exactly violent, but enough to know that he couldn’t keep it up much longer.

“... See, problem is, I’m in a real bloody situation at this rate. If I don’t shoot, then I’m backing down from my challenge, but if I do, then it means I’m backing down from yours.”

“Well, if that’s how you see it... I understand there’s a lot on the line in either option. But the one thing I’m sure of is that you’re bluffing.”

“How? How?! What gives it away?!”

“Nothing. Anyone else wouldn’t be able to tell.” I briefly glanced over the others, whose faces seemed almost generic in their shock. I couldn’t blame them, I guess. “... But maybe I’m the one who’s bluffing. Banking on your hesitancy, I mean. You still haven’t done it, have you?”

“True. I could stand here all day like this, though.” Rocky looked at his gun for a second, only to crack up a little. “I mean... That’d be pretty funny, huh? You’re a funny girl, Jane. Tell me if that’s funny, if I just kept standing here, keeping everyone on edge like this. It’s at least a little absurd, huh?”

“I, uh, I see where you’re coming from. I don’t think it’s funny to everyone else, though.”

“Sods.”

“Yeah, sods.”

“... Alright. If you’re more sure about it than I am, you should be able to sort this out.” He gently lowered the revolver, and stared at it for a second. Gave it a look over, polished it with his fingers, before placing it back in the holster.

[15]

“... WHAT WAS THAT?!” Mary shrieked. “Don’t ever try something like that again, Rackham, that’s, that’s dangerous!”

“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes, like it was a minor issue. “Just try to be strong for me and calm down, okay? You can do that for me, right?”

“Okay, okay, okay... Shit...” She hyperventilated for a bit, clutching the brim of her hat.

“Err, time to move on!” Molly said, grinning from ear to ear with her fingers tented. “Everything’s fine, let’s try and find the entrepreneur, everyone!~... Please?!”

“I wanna go to bed...” Lucy whimpered. “I’d like a break, Mister Monoyaki.”

“Know what? That sounds kinda tempting.” The little suited figure responded. “Tensions are high, we could all use a drink of water, right? Uwehehe!~” He took a long sip of his juice box, before continuing. “If you actually need a break, though, you can just sit down and cover your ears, little girl.”

“Thanks...” Not catching the sarcasm, she did exactly that, and sat down.

“So...” Dan said, seemingly unfazed by what had happened, “What do you suppose we should discuss next? There seems to be little direction thus far in terms of solving the mystery.

“Okay, I...” I tapped my foot, and even clicked my fingers softly, trying to spark some sort of reaction in my brain. I was coming to the end of the line in terms of thinking capacity, really. “There... Has to be an answer, right? There are so many things that contradict, but it has to be you or Rocky who did it, but... It just doesn’t add up?”

[16]

“... Exactly.” Archie said, wide eyed. “It’s... Neither of them!”

“Woah, uh, are you sure about that? I mean, who else would it be?”

“At this point, that’s really the one question we can pursue. There’s no point in looking further into Dan or Rocky because none of the narratives in which they’re the entrepreneur work in the slightest. As we’ve already discussed, Rocky would not have been able to enter Amber’s room or set up the disguise if he was controlled by the chemicals in his drink, and likewise, if he was faking the reaction the whole time, then he wouldn’t continue trying to prove his own perceived guilt to such extents. Yet, the idea that Dan set all of this up to frame Rocky doesn’t make sense either. If he thought he was going to imply that Rocky was too violent to think straight, and yet also imply that the same young man also planned ahead to have an entire disguise to resemble Dan... Even though the likelihood that he was seen wearing the disguise by anyone other than the victim was miniscule, due to wearing it in the midst of the night... Well, if he put this much effort into crafting a scheme like this, he would instantly have seen the contradictions, just as we have. Now...” He put a hand through his hair, taking in a breath. “I’m not as confident in saying this, but if it can’t be either of them... Then it must be someone else who deliberately set up the case in order to frame both of them at once, and have us go back and forth, never finding the true culprit. At least, that’s as much as I can gather...”

[17]

“So... You’re saying that...” Mary shook her head. “You think we should just abandon everything we just talked about?”

“W-well, in simpler terms, I’m instead suggesting we change our direction.”

“Towards who exactly?” Molly asked, sounding unimpressed. “We need a lead to someone else if we’re going to entertain the validity of any additional suspects, no?”

“... I’m sorry, never mind...”

“No, wait!” I interrupted frantically. “He has a point! I’m not sure who else it could be, either, but there’s nothing left to really discuss in terms of the first two suspects, right? So we just need to think of something, anything that gets us on another trail, just for the sake of trying.”

“... Well?” Mary said with a bothered tone, exasperation with a hint of genuine worry for the state of the investigation. “If neither of those two have any ideas, does anybody else want to propose a new target?”

“Anyone, really. Anybody, pick anyone you can think of, just try and pick someone.”

“How about Jane?” Jo proposed, straightforward.

“Yes, that’s- wait, what?”

“Aww, you PAW thing, not used to having the spotlight on you for once, huh?”

“Uh, well...” It’s true, I hadn’t really prepared myself for the possibility of being accused and having to be on the defence for once. I was so used to pushing the explanation for who the entrepreneur was to its furthest extent possible that I had never thought of such a possibility. Knowing Jo, he was clearly messing with me, but whatever the case, I had to be ready for what he was going to throw at me. “... Alright, what’s your main thought that led you to that conclusion?”

“Well, with that special chemical being used on Rocky last night, and assuming that was done on purpose, by the killer... Well, you are pretty ‘close’ with our resident chemist, ain’t that right?”

“So what?” I responded, actually a bit angry at how loose this argument was. “Lucy doesn’t know what happiness even does.”

“So you don’t deny that you’re ‘close’ with that girl?”

“That doesn’t have to do with anything! Why are you?!... Bloody hell...”

Molly sighed very loudly. “As worried as I am about this detour from the previous two suspects... What you’re doing is less of a detour and more of a derailment. I see no reason why what goes on between- HEY, WAIT ONE BLOODY SECOND!” She yelled, instantly losing her upright and uptight demeanor. “Jo, you fool, didn’t you say earlier that you saw the murderer, and that they were a six foot tall BOY?! What do you think you’re doing bringing Jane into this?!”

“Whoopsie, busted.” Jo put his hands behind his back, and stretched his head back, smirking at the ceiling. “Ah well.”

“Look, honestly,” Rocky said, breaking his precious silence, “shouldn’t we just dismiss anything that boy says from now on?”

“At this rate, we might have to.” I said with a sigh.

“Oh, but that might be a mistake, huh?” Jo resumed. “See, just because I lie every meow and then, doesn’t mean I never tell the truth. I can assure you on my sweet old mom’s life that what I saw last night really did happen, and if that’s not enough, I can prove it to all of ya!”

“You can?” Archie said, before quickly tapping Lucy’s shoulder, which was positioned to his right, to get her to stop covering her ears.

“... Huh?”

“Jo’s about to reveal something big, I need everyone to pay attention...” He said to Lucy, slightly more quiet than usual but still loud enough for everyone to hear.

[18]

“Well, I don’t think you would need to know the proof, Lucy. In fact...” He yawned. “Know what? I don’t think I’ll tell any of ya.”

“What?! Hey, why not?!” I asked, losing my temper again.

“It’s unnecessary. Plus, there’s a way to coax me into revealing it against my will. I wanna see if you guys can figure it out or not, just for fun. Sounds good?”

“It doesn’t sound good!” Molly stated. “This isn’t exactly a fun situation, is it?!”

“Too bad. You’re gonna have fun and you’re gonna like it!” He stuck his tongue out at her.

“... My word...”

“Well, if that’s the idea...” Dan looked up at the ceiling. “It appears to be a likely fruitless endeavour, without any hint as to what would force you to admit this apparent proof. It almost sounds like it’s an excuse not to give proof at all while still claiming it. It’s interesting, though.”

“Aww, you guys need a clue, huh?” Jo drew out a yawn for a second or two. “Disappointing. Just keep talking about the case or something.”

“Don’t you want us to believe you?” Archie asked sincerely. “Please just try to cooperate one time, we really need you right now!...”

“What? Just keep talking about the case. I’m sure there’s still something you can talk about, right?”

I stopped and thought for a second. He said those things with a certain tone, one that indicated, at least to me, that something was going on beneath the surface of his words. Maybe there was something we brushed over, something that had more importance than we recognised at first. But what hadn’t we talked about at this point? The trial was dragging on far too long at this point, and the chances of it just ending inconclusively at Monoyaki’s will increased with each minute. I had to flog my memory, definitely, but there was one thing that was missing, one more avenue to traverse...

[19]

“Wait a minute.” I said, as I adjusted my beret, genuinely surprised that we hadn’t already discussed this, “Why haven’t we mentioned the broken glass yet?”

“Attebury, we have to...” Mary said, before stopping herself and nodding. “... I see. Keep talking.”

“Well, I don’t know much about it. It was just broken glass on Amber’s floor, I don’t know where it came from or who broke it.”

“Perhaps it was broken during the crime?” Molly proposed. “I mean, of course it was, but what I meant to say is that the killer may have accidently knocked it off of wherever it stood. Actually, what was the glass object? Was it a cup, or?...”

“Well it couldn’t have been a weapon,” Archie said, “since there weren’t any scratches or cuts left on the corpse. In fact, the only injury was the bullet wound.”

“If that’s the case...” Lucy said, with a look to the ceiling, then back to everyone else. “It was probably an accident of some sort. But I don’t know what it was.”

[20]

“Well...” I groaned. “I sort of have an idea of how to find it out, but it’s a little tedious. We could just ask everyone about everything they’ve seen or used that’s made of glass.”

“That doesn’t sound entirely necessary.” Dan mentioned, seemingly disinterested. “It’s most likely just a glass of water that was knocked over.”

“What, have you seen a drinking glass around?” Rocky asked, in a somewhat genuine tone, as if he really needed to know.

“I drink out of my hands. I have no use for material tools.”

“... Darn. I’ve been looking for something more interesting than all of the plastic cups they’ve got around here.”

“Yeah, I never really noticed but...” Lucy tilted her head. “There’s not a single glass of water in the entire building, it’s all plastic, isn’t it?”

“It’s ‘cus of budget cuts.” Monoyaki stated.

“You have a budget?” Mary asked with a beyond muddled look.

“Aw, you’re embarrassing me, don’t bring it up...”

“Anyway,” I resumed, “The only glass in the building that comes to mind are the mirrors hanging in each room I’ve seen so far.”

“Been admiring yourself, huh?” Jo asked, smug as apple pie.

“... So, uh, was the mirror broken in Amber’s room?”

“I don’t think so,” Archie said, “I couldn’t make out any damage on it when we were there. Well, I didn’t take a close look at it, but if it was broken, I might have noticed.”

“Ah, alright, so... Does anyone else have any ideas?”

“Well, I have my potion glasses...” Lucy said, before brushing the uppermost vial on her chest belt. “... But I think those are too small to be broken into a bunch of pieces.”

“I’ve seen windows.” Mary stated, deadpan.

“I’ve used Windows.” Rocky tagged on with a smirk.

“Can we not muck around like this in a life or death situation?!?!” Molly exclaimed, before catching her breath. “Well, yes, I’ve used a glass object recently, one I found in the storage. It’s a glass jar which I’ve used to keep this dirty little mouse in...”

“Is that... Joan?” I asked.

“Excuse me, who?”

“Joan. Terry’s mouse he used to keep, I think she escaped after he died.”

“Well, I can’t have dirty little creatures running about the school, so I caught it and have kept it in a jar. The problem is, I haven’t been able to kill it, since I haven’t found any rat poison, and chopping it in two with a knife would be unladylike...”

“Do you have to kill her?” Lucy asked, frowning. “She won’t make any babies if she’s the only mouse in the school.”

“Well, how are we supposed to know that, hm? I’m simply exercising caution.”

“Well, is the jar broken?” Archie asked.

“It was fine this morning, no.”

“Then...” Archie breathed out and ran a hand through his hair again. “Okay, okay, the only idea I have is that it could be a broken Monopad. Did anybody’s Monopad get a broken screen?” There was a pause in response, indicating a class with intact screens. “Alright, in that case, I think the only person we haven’t asked about the glass shard source would be Jo.”

[21]

“Little old me?” Jo said, pointing his finger up to his amused, smiling face. “Well, last night, after doing the cleaning, and after seeing that boy enter Amber’s room, I had this weird urge to go to the storage, grab a jar, and smash it on Amber’s floor. Sometimes you just have to follow your intuition, right?”

“Oh, bloody hell, come on.” I rested my face in my palm for a second and groaned. “You’re lying, right? Was this your plan, justifying your lie with another lie?”

“... Attebury, try thinking before you speak.” Mary said, actually a bit angry at me for one reason or another. “Did it really take you this short of a time to forget? We were the second and third people to see the body. According to the body announcement rule, and with nobody else claiming to have visited the scene before us, it has to have been Jo.”

“Thaaaaanks.” Jo said, yawning. “You’re a lifesaver, Mary.”

“Don’t start thinking that I approve of that action though, Leary.”

“Stop being so edgy, man, calm down, girl, c’mon.”

“I’m just surprised we didn’t find this out sooner...” Archie said, sounding worn out. “So that’s it for the glass I guess?”

“Looks like it.” Rocky said with a shrug. “Don’t have much more to say, do we?”

“Well... Do we still think it’s someone other than Rocky or my alternate being?” Dan said. “If not, we have about a 50% chance of survival if we vote for him or I.”

“But that’s impossible, remember?” I said, worried. “There are too many contradictions for either to be true!”

“Well...” Molly said, with a sigh. “I’m concerned about the outcome, as well, but if you don’t have any idea for a third culprit... After all, if Jo’s testimony is confirmed now, we know for sure that it’s either Dan or Rocky, so we must dismiss those contradictions now. It’s strange, but we have to pay no attention to it at this point.”

“Something’s... Something’s off, though, just...” I felt a bit jittery, knowing my life was genuinely on the line at this point. Every case before now was solved just fine, but now I was genuinely in danger. If we could just point somewhere, towards someone else, because... There’s no way it was Rocky or Dan, neither of them added up, so... There had to be one more person, one person who could make the Dan-themed disguise, one person who knew Amber well enough to have it made, there had to be one person, maybe responsible both for Charlotte’s death and Amber’s, one who knew just what happiness did... If... If that’s somebody, then...

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

“... Hey, Molly?”

“Yes?” She said, with a slight eyebrow raise.

“You mentioned earlier that you were trying to find rat poison, but didn’t find anything?”

“Indeed. Go on?”

“You could have looked for some alternate drink or chemical that was strong enough to kill something tiny like a mouse, right?”

“Well, yes, that’s what I did. I went to the laboratory and...” She stopped to adjust her collar. “... And I didn’t find anything.”

[22]

“Molly...” I shook my head lightly. “That doesn’t make any sense. We all went up there earlier this week, and you and I saw it. That one chemical, with a name that was able to provoke such a reaction in our only chemical expert... You didn’t try such a thing on the mouse?”

“... Oh. Ahaha... I see how it is!” She gave a smile, which looked a bit insulted, yet her voice didn’t raise all that much anger. “You’re frightened of an unsure vote, aren’t you? Typical of a girl such as yourself. What a ridiculous idea!”

“So you’re saying that you went to the laboratory again, had the opportunity to test the chemical on Joan, and yet you didn’t use it? Why not?”

“Why... As if that proves I did anything. Ehehe. How silly.”

She was putting on these very atypical mannerisms, with a hand to the mouth and a giggle which was almost geisha-esque. It was a bit creepy, if just because I expected her to be outraged at my insinuations. To be truthful, I wasn’t sure where I was going with them, but I was so sure that it wasn’t Rocky or Dan, so I just kept pushing.

[23]

“Well, it doesn’t prove anything, no. I’m asking why you didn’t use happiness as a potential rat poison, it seems like an obvious thing to try.”

“Mhm. I’ll perhaps try that after this trial has concluded, provided we survive... But it will probably just send the mouse into a fury. At the end of the day, I just didn’t think to try the chemical. Oh well, shall we move on?”

“I suppose we shall-” Dan started, before I decided to frantically interject again.

“I, uh... I have another question.” I said, trying to think of anything else Molly might have been doing recently that could give me a clue... And it hit me surprisingly quickly. “How’d you spend today, during the investigation?”

“Hm.” She said, finger-to-chin. “Wasn’t the line ‘where were you on the night of the murder’? Ehehe. Anyways, I attended our meeting this morning, and after the body announcement sounded, and we all cleared off, I started going about the school in search of anything relevant to the case, when I came across an awful stench emanating from the recreation room. I believe Archibald and yourself arrived there as I was trying to eradicate the smell via intense, high-precision cleaning, yes?”

“Yes, and that’s when I found Charlotte’s body in the vent...” I was now really catching on to what was going on there, or at least I was pretty sure I was.

“After that, I went downstairs to the cafeteria to make a cup of tea. Usually Amber and I would drink some before each trial, to help her stay calm before it started. This time, I just made some for myself, since I had already gotten used to the routine. And it’s nice to keep her in memory, as well.”

“I see. But, the problem is, if you were doing such intense cleaning to try and get rid of the smell, wouldn’t you have ended up following the smell and discovering the body before I did?”

“... Yes, I suppose so. But it looks like I didn’t.” She raised her shoulders and put her open palms out to the side. “Oh well.”

“Molly, y-you can’t just ‘oh well’ that, don’t you realise what that means?! The fact that you seemed more focused on getting rid of the smell that led to Charlotte, than finding her and telling the rest of us what had happened, it’s really suspicious!”

“I suppose. Ehehe.”

“Hey, why’re you laughing like that?” Rocky asked, surprisingly taken aback. I mean, the way Molly was acting was so unusual for her that something had to have been off.

[24]

“Because it’s oh so silly, what she’s trying to say about me. I suppose I may frequent the recreation room a lot, and that happens to have been where Charlotte’s body lay, but well, what does that mean? Where she was killed doesn’t have to correspond to where the body was stashed. I doubt she was killed inside of a ventilation tunnel, after all.”

“I doubt that too, but...” I tapped my foot, clearing my thoughts a bit. “... If she was killed anywhere else, dragging her to the vent would cause a long, noticeable trail of blood. The mess would be far smaller if she was killed in the recreation room, and then carried into the vent, and I think that the Ultimate Maid would prioritise the nearest vent in order to create the most manageable mess, before anyone comes in and sees.”

[25]

“Okay, yes, perhaps!...” Molly burst out, before quickly regaining her smug attitude. “... But the poison, well, if I did know what it does, and utilised it on Rocky in order to frame him, the problem is... I’m not Dan, so it wasn’t me.”

“But that’s wrong!” I shouted, as I finally started to add everything together. “Remember the disguise that was hanging up in the room? If that was made by Amber, it would have been a gift for someone she had a good relationship with, and didn’t Molly just say they used to drink tea together?... A-and the fact that she gave Jo the note telling him to take the laundry out, too! And then he saw the person outside Amber’s room at just the right time for the disguise to be seen by somebody, it’s... And Molly’s about six foot tall, like the person Jo described! There’s so much lining up here, Molly has to have done something, right?!”

“... Jane...” Archie said, with a shake of the head. “There's a large number of pointers to Molly’s involvement now, yes, but... Did you forget what Jo said he witnessed? He said the person he saw had a boy’s voice. How would Molly be able to do that?”

“... With a lot of effort?”

“I hardly think so.” Molly said, with a swish of her hair. “An absurd proposition, that I’d be able to do such a thing. Correct?”

“Well... I guess so...” I crossed my arms, looking downward.

“So, is that it?” Lucy said, looking over to Monoyaki. “I think we’ve run out of things to discuss.”

“Looks like it.” Monoyaki stretched, and sat upright. “Now, I’d like all of you to...”

[26]

“No, no, wait.” Mary said, with a sharp turn of the head towards the goat. “Attebury actually has it pinned down. Devon is the only logical killer.”

“I... I do?” I said, scratching the back of my head with an awkward smile.

“Yes. Nothing she’s proposed against Devon is disproven by any of the evidence discussed concerning Rackham or Glass.”

“Uh... I haven’t been keeping track of surnames...” Lucy mentioned, touching the tips of her index fingers together.

“Well, who do you think I’m referring to, Rotkappen?” Mary said, annoyed.

“Uh... Rotkappen’s me, right?”

“... Just making sure, are we?”

“Mary, please don’t waste our time.” Molly said with a huff. “We all know that I haven’t done it, since, well, I’m a girl, I can’t do a boy voice. You’re not actually going to dispute that, no?”

“That’s the one thing I need to clear up for everyone.” She reached into her coat, feeling around for something.

“... Excuse me?...” Molly said, her breathing getting a bit thinner.

Mary pulled out a sheet of paper, bright white and printed, and looked at it for a few seconds, before turning it to show us that there was text on the front. “I have here one of the letters given out during the last motive’s announcement. This is the one addressed to Molly.”

“Where... In the name of... Did you... Get that?...” Molly said, shaken.

“It was in Amber’s room, stashed in one of the drawers, along with all our other letters she had collected.” With a resolute expression, she turned the letter to face her. “I am now going to read the contents out to all of you, in order to prove that what I have claimed is the only possibility.”

“NO!” Molly screeched, throwing away any semblance of order she had before, “YOU CAN’T DO THIS...! THAT IS MY PROPERTY! THE PROPERTY OF HOUSE DEVON, YOU CAN’T JUST...!” She stopped, her hand outstretched, shaking violently. “... Give it to me... Please...”

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

Molly’s sudden mood shift said all I needed to know. At first, that’s what I thought, but on my second examination, she seemed far more anxious than usual. You’d think that would just confirm to me further that what Mary was about to read off was incriminating, but the way her yells gave way to such a defeated plea made it seem like what was in this letter from her parents has something much more personal than proof of guilt, if such a thing were possible. Whatever the case, her protests weren’t going to stop Mary from reciting the text.

“Desmond,” the letter started, “In response to your refusal to return to our property, I have notified the academy that I am taking legal action against them to regain custody of you. I advise you to promptly terminate enrolment in the academy, and come back to your rightful home rather than go through the unnecessary legal proceedings, which will undoubtedly turn out in our favour. I will remind you once more that, as the only living son of House Devon, you are hence the heir to our property and must accept the responsibility of inheriting and subsequently producing a further generation to sustain it. If you continue as you are now, in this most unrighteous fashion, you shall single handedly end our historic lineage, which cannot be permitted. You are a positively dashing, handsome young man, and we have already found plenty of potential débutantes for your benefit. Recall that I am taking these actions for your own good. Kind regards, Cecil Devon.” Upon finishing, Mary coldly tucked the letter under her coat once more. “... Any comments?”

... It’s a lot to unpack. It wasn’t clear at first who ‘Desmond’ was, but as the letter was read out, with its legal threats to the school, not to mention the language being used to describe the recipient... It became clear that Molly, at least, according to her parents, wasn’t ‘Molly’. I mean... She didn’t look like she would be a?... I hesitantly glanced at her face, which was nowhere near the smug, dismissive demeanor she had earlier. I could make out tears forming in her eyes, only to be wiped away seconds later.

[27]

“This is...” She pointed at Mary and started to raise her voice again. “THIS LETTER IS A FORGERY!... THIS IS CLEAR, UNADULTERATED SLANDER!... WHAT?!... What even... Why?...” She was quickly losing breath, her voice shrinking.

“I can assure you that it isn’t.” Mary stated. “I have no means to print out a letter such as this, and I have read only what I have seen before me.”

“Wait, you’re telling me...” Rocky said, to himself more than anyone. “That... That Molly’s a...”

“Disgusting, vile boy?!” Molly said, grinning in pain as more tears started to flow. “I’m... No such thing!... There must have been... A mistake...”

“Nope! It’s all true!” Monoyaki said, giggling to himself. “Well, I wouldn’t call you a ‘disgusting, vile boy’, but the letter comes straight from the Devon household! It’s safe to say, boys and girls, that Molly Devon is... Well, let’s not be rude and make assumptions about the lass, right guys?”

“... No... He’s lying...” Molly looked away from the rest of us for a moment, only to turn back and yell again, “THERE’S NO WAY YOU TRUST THAT WRETCHED GOAT TO TELL THE TRUTH, RIGHT?!”

“I...” I started, expecting to be interrupted, before continuing, “I don’t see why he would have given a letter with false information for the motive, if he didn’t know that it would be so relevant to the case.”

“Oh, so you agree with him?! You think I’m a boy, huh?!”

“I never said that you’re a boy! It’s just that, considering what this letter says... If you were disguising yourself as Dan last night, and someone overheard you speak... You would have been able to muster a very convincing male-sounding voice, right?”

“I... I would never do such a thing... Because I can’t... I... No, no, no...” Her voice became only further restrained as she spoke. At this point, there were two downward streams sustained from her eyes. “... I’m... A... Girl...”

“O-okay, okay, look...” Archie said, wiping some sweat off of his brow. “I know we’re all fixated on this discovery, but can we please actually verify if she’s responsible for Amber’s death, at the very least? Our goal is just to survive this trial, and if we get distracted any more times, th-then...”

“Well, if we’ve established that the figure outside of Amber’s room could have been Molly, then...” I tapped the railing a bit, sorting out my brain.

[28]

“... Yes, I think I’ve got it. First of all, a day before the main victim’s death, the entrepreneur, for whatever reason, bludgeoned Charlotte to death, most likely in the recreation room, as her body was found in the ventilation nearby, giving the killer an effective place to stash without having to clean a long trail of blood left behind. The body was left to undergo decay over two days, and the entrepreneur used that time to plan the second murder. They requested their later victim, Amber, to craft a disguise resembling Dan’s regular outfit, which she was able to finish in a timely fashion, presumably sending it to the killer upon completion. After this, they brewed a cup of cactus juice, and added the chemical labelled ‘happiness’, which they retrieved from the laboratory. Having known the effects of the chemical from a previous attempt to kill a captured mouse, they moved to the computer lab, and offered the drink to Rocky, in order to provoke him into losing all inhibitions and descending into a violent rage; as he started to lose control, the killer made sure to quickly take one of the revolvers off of him, and to lock the door on their way out, thus restraining him. That night, as the conditions caused by the chemical began to fade, the entrepreneur opened the door before slipping back to their room on the ground floor, waiting for Rocky to make his way back to his room in a semi-conscious state. Once the halls were once again clear of anyone else, the killer slipped a note under the door to Jo’s room, asking him to handle the laundry, and by doing this, coaxed out a witness to see the murderer wearing the disguise made beforehand. That’s exactly what happened; after making conversation with Amber just outside her room, and making absolutely sure they had been seen doing this, the entrepreneur entered Amber’s room, and, after shutting the door, promptly pulled out Rocky’s gun and shot Amber in the forehead at close range. They then proceeded to drag Amber’s body to the back wall of her room, hence the trail of blood from the door, and hide the disguise in the closet, jamming the door to give the impression that the killer didn’t want the disguise to be found. The sheer scale of the setup and false evidence created served only to contradict itself, and it appears that was the whole point... To misdirect in two ways at once, a dual deception. But the scheme’s own complexity inevitably led to the conclusion that the culprit could only be the one who was able to orchestrate such a plan... Have I missed any details, Molly Devon?”

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

“... Okay, okay...” Molly put a hand to her forehead, and started to breath a bit shakily.

[29]

“Okay, okay, now that you’ve... Gone through all of that... That stupid, over-the-top showcase of yours, I’d like to point out... That there... ISN’T any proof of anything. Most of your accusations rely... S-S-SOLELY on probability, such as, ‘OH, OH, MOLLY MUST HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE CHEMICAL BECAUSE OF THE MOUSE’, when there’s NO proof of me ever doing that, and you CAN’T vote for me without proof...!”

“Not in an actual legal case, no. But if we’re forced to vote for somebody, and if it’s impossible for Rocky or Dan to have done it, and the remainder of the evidence implies that you’re the culprit... Then you’re the only possible suspect left, proof or no proof.”

[30]

“But that’s... No, you can’t do this!...” She yelled, stamping her foot down as she cried again. “What do you expect me to say?!... How am I supposed to defend myself against accusations that are entirely based on... Based on... Pure malarky?! It’s all slander, the accusations, the letter, the lot of it, and it’s ALL FALSE!...”

“Once again, according to what we know, every piece of evidence we’ve talked about is not only true, but also contradicts itself with everyone aside from yourself, and the letter, once again, has no reason to be falsified. I understand that this has been very shocking for you, but if you just calm down and explain yourself, we’ll listen-”

[31]

“I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN MYSELF! WHY ARE YOU PUTTING THE EXPLANATION ON ME?! You’ve... TORN my reputation to shreds, DEFILED my prestige, INSULTED my lineage, and... AND NOW YOU’RE SAYING THAT I’M A BOY! HOW AM I MEANT TO RESPOND TO ANY OF THIS?!... Oh dear, I think I’m going to faint...”

“I’m afraid there isn’t anything left for you to say, Molly. It doesn’t matter how you phrase it, at the end of the day, you would have been able to put on a convincing ‘boy’ voice, which, along with your height matching the culprit’s description, and the myriad of so-called coincidences that point to your involvement... Is enough for me to say, with confidence, that you are the sole candidate for both murders!”

[32]

“... Ehhh...” She was shaking a bit again. “... Eheheh, eh...” The maid started holding on to the rail, struggling to balance as she continued crying and quietly giggling, holding up a thin and stiff smile. “Oh wow. It’s come to this, has it?...”

“Mhm, looks like it!” Monoyaki said, proudly tossing the juicebox behind his throne. “I’ll just raise up the voting panels on everybody’s Monopads, and each of you will pick whoever you think is the entrepreneur. Remember, if you don’t vote for anyone, you get to die too, uwehehe...”

“... Well, you’re not going to vote for me, are you? None of you are. Right?”

Looking at her damp cheeks didn’t raise enough sympathy to stop me from voting for her. Now, that didn’t mean there was no sympathy whatsoever, but... I had no idea what Molly’s actual motive had been for these two murders. I mean, two murders... None of us had tried that, and I had no clue what had provoked her to do so. Surely it wasn’t the motive, if the letter she received was so intimidating, she wouldn’t want to return to that sort of household, right?... But her reasoning for the kills wouldn’t change the fact that she did kill, so I cast my vote despite everything.

“Mhm, good, good, looks like everybody made their votes in a timely manner.” Monoyaki adjusted his posture, sitting a bit more upright. “So, I bet you guys wanna see the results, right?”

“It won’t impact the scheme of things if we don’t.” Dan said to himself.

“Well, I don’t disagree entirely with that, uwehe. But... It’s more fun if you pretend that your life matters a lot. So, speaking of that, let’s find out who’s going to lose theirs!” He cackled as the usual monitor descended just above his seat.

[33]

As the slots cascaded, I took notice that about half of the portraits had been greyed out, so many of us had died. But of course, all three had to line up on one of the coloured ones; that coloured trio depicting the face of Molly Devon.

[34]

“And there we go, right on the money.” Monoyaki said, slowly clapping. “The entrepreneur, Molly Devon, has been revealed! Oh, and if you’re curious, Charlotte was killed by her, too, and quite suddenly! Good grief, even I wouldn’t think to use a mopstick as a bludgeon.”

“Oh dear...” Lucy said, with her hands to her cheeks. “That sounds awfully violent...”

“I bet it is.” Jo said, smiling as usual. “But cutting a mouse with a knife is TOO FAR, ain’t it, Mol?”

“I... I HAD NO CHOICE!” Molly screeched again, standing up straight again, though her posture still looked defensive and meek. “I... I never thought she’d... I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t... What was I supposed to do?!”

“You didn’t have to murder her...” I said, probably coming off as more cold than I meant to. “But what do you mean when you say that you didn’t have a choice?... Did someone blackmail you to do this or something?”

“Why... Do I have to tell any of you?... You’ve already invaded my privacy enough, and... I’m about to be killed... What difference does it make?!” She said, losing a grip on herself.

“Well, don’t feel obligated, I guess. But considering that you’re concerned with how your reputation’s fared, if you really think that your reason to kill was justifiable, then you’d prefer to share it, right?”

[35]

“... Fine...” She sniffled. “When the letters were given to us... Well, it was certainly confronting for me to read it... That’s needless to say, isn’t it?... Being reminded that I’m a subhuman sack of filth...”

“... Molly, do you actually see yourself as that?”

“It’s what I am, isn’t it?! My very existence is shameful, and all of you know it!... So when Amber asked me for the letter, I couldn’t refuse without making her suspicious of me... I... I trusted her not to tell anybody... But then, that very same day, Charlotte came up to me while I was practicing the piano, and yelled that she’d ‘discovered my secret’... I don’t know if she actually knew it, or if she thought she had figured out something else, but I panicked, and took my mop, and I killed her then and there. I wasn’t thinking straight... But then I knew it was only a matter of time before the body started to rot and catch people’s attention, even after I hid it. So I had to... Get rid of Amber. I couldn’t let anyone else find out, or they’d...” She shook her head and quivered before continuing. “... And of course, I had more time to plan with that, time to make sure people noticed her death rather than Charlotte’s...”

“So... Are you saying that you were willing to kill to make sure that nobody else knew about your past, Molly?”

“I had to!... Now that everyone knows, everyone can see that I’m... Subhuman...” She was starting to have trouble speaking. “... I... I deserve to die...”

I sighed. “... I see... Molly, if your parents really are as old-fashioned as they seem, then wouldn’t their attitude towards you be outdated as well?”

“What... What are you talking about?”

“I’ll be straightforward with you, I definitely don’t like that you’ve killed two people, but I don’t think you’re subhuman just for being born a... Well, born the way you are. Again, I don’t see you as a boy, Molly, and I don’t think anybody else here sees you that way, either.”

“... So you’re... Fine with it?...”

“I don’t see a reason not to be.”

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

“...” The quivering stopped entirely and her skin almost seemed to lose its colour. “... So I... Killed them...  For no reason...” There was another short period of speechlessness, before she slowly turned her face to Monoyaki. “... Shall we get on with it?...”

“Get on with what?” He responded, a tiny smile. “Of all the students to accept death THIS quickly, it’s you?”

She nodded. “... I’ve put on a false personality for so long, propped myself up as an inherently superior noble, and belittled every person I’ve met, and the weakness that was protecting didn’t even need to be concealed. I think it’s best to speed up the process.”

“Yawn. You won’t be so eager to go once death’s staring you in the face... Speaking of which!” He slipped the judge’s gavel out of his sleeve and held it aloft. “I have a specially prepared execution for the Ultimate Maid, Molly Devon! You guessed right, IT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!!!”

[36]

The screen opened on a live feed of Molly standing somewhere dark, her face was lit up with an orangish light from the side. The shot zoomed out as she gazed around uneasily, revealing she was standing in a thick layer of rubbish, up to her knees. With a mechanical clunk, the rubbish started moving, taking Molly along with it, and as she looked off to the side, the camera turned as well, revealing the source of the light: a vast incinerator at the other end of the conveyor.

**CHORE LIST’S FINAL ENTRY**

After a second or two of hesitation, she uprooted herself from the rubbish and dashed in the opposite direction. As she went, a massive amount of rubbish was dumped in from the far end of the conveyor, forming an impassable wall of sorts that was rapidly approaching the furnace. Upon reaching the wall, Molly instinctively grabbed a tattered broom that was sticking out of the pile, and began to desperately sweep at it. Despite the rapidness of each brush, it only removed small amounts at a time, the trash adhering to the general mass as it rapidly narrowed the gap between it and the furnace. Panting, she fell to her knees, covered in grime and tears as she turned towards the flame. The moment she was at the edge, the conveyor promptly stopped; looking up, two Monoyaki mannequins had pulled a lever to stop the machinery. One was dressed in a top hat and suit, the other in a regal and elegant ball gown. They murmured about a person getting stuck in the dangerous machinery, but as they surveyed the dump and saw Molly kneeling at the edge, they both shrugged, and muttered that there was ‘nothing but trash’. With a laugh, they pushed the lever back around, and the conveyer jolted once more, sending the indignant girl off the edge, the mountain of rubbish piling over what was left of her. A small dispenser on the other end of the machinery continued to pump out ash, no remarkably noticeable signs of a body.

[37]

And then there were seven. We’d officially sunken below half our original number. I was honestly starting to wonder why I hadn’t died myself. If anything, I was a bit disoriented compared to earlier on, when I had a real fear for my life... That fear didn’t become absent, but over time, it seemed I had adjusted to the killing game, which might have been the scariest part of all.

“I suppose we’ll leave now?” Mary asked, to the point as usual. “There’s never much left to discuss once the entrepreneur’s dead.”

“It seems so, yes.” Dan said, seemingly a bit worn out, though he only showed it through a slight droop. “... Things aren’t going to get any better or worse, whether we talk longer or not.”

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

“... Cool, you can see it like that.” Rocky said, stepping out of the railing area and walking over to the lift, stopping outside to stretch his arms for a bit. “... I need a drink.”

“Yeah, I’m a bit thirsty, too.” Lucy concurred.

“Huh.” Jo said, with a slight smile. “Got over things pretty quickly, huh?”

“... We’re just in denial.” I muttered.

“Eh? Mind speaking up?” Jo continued, looking at me with a slightly less slight smile than before. I’m surprised he was able to pick it up, considering that he wasn’t the closest to me in proximity, and Mary, who was right next to me, didn’t seem to hear me.

“It’s nothing, I’m just... I’m just getting stressed, okay?...”

“Huh, getting stressed AFTER the trial, nice strategy.”

“Stop straggling, guys...” Monoyaki said, standing up. “I’m not gonna keep the lights on down here all day, imagine the electricity bill...” And with that, he left in the blink of a tear stained eye, as usual. It was easy to forget that most of us were dead now when we’re told to think about electricity bills. It’s all so pointless, isn’t it?

But we had to go up that lift sooner or later.

So we did.

And when we went up, most of us cleared off. Archie and I sat behind, just outside the lift door. I guess we figured we’d have another one of those post-trial chats or something, try to make sense of it and the like, but we just sort of sat there. We came pretty damn close to losing that fourth trial, looking back on it. So, we just exchanged glances for five minutes or so, the air too thick for us to really read each other too well.

[38]

“... Do you think we’ve reached the end?” He asked.

“Um... The end of what?”

“The killing game. I’m wondering if we’ve reached a sort of critical mass of people, except critically small instead of... I can’t seem to word it correctly, but what I’m trying to say is, at this rate, I’m not sure if any of us are willing to try and get out of here alive. The way each murder attempt has failed... Even this one, which should have been almost fool-proof.”

“... And is this a good thing?”

He slowly smiled, which I swear I hadn’t seen him do this entire time. “... I guess it’ll stop any more people from dying. But it also means we’re all probably trapped for good.”

“Honestly...” I sighed loudly. “At this point, I’ve forgotten what the outside world was even like. I’m not sure if I’d even be ready to go back if we were all rescued or something.”

“Well, that doesn’t seem to be happening... At least, not until a year passes? When the academy’s expected to take in new students, whoever’s behind this entire scheme won’t really have any way to hide this any longer.”

“If that happens, it happens.” I stood up. “Honestly, I can’t even think about it, I really can’t. I just want to make sure I’m safe... And that Lucy’s safe, too, you know?”

“Oh. Of course. As long as you’re making sure you’re safe, I think everyone else will be doing the same.”

“I really don’t, Archie. You can say that we’ll start being more cohesive because of these failed betrayals of the group, but it’s just driven us all further apart. Honestly... You can call me selfish for this, but I’m just going to try and look after myself and Lucy now.”

“Ah... You’re afraid, right?”

“Well why wouldn’t I be?!” I snapped, before regaining control. “... Sorry, sorry, I just... I’m bloody tired of this.”

“... Mhm...” He recoiled a little after I raised my voice, which kind of made me want to pat him on the head or something, but it seemed better to leave him be. “... Good luck, Jane...”

“Yeah... You too.”

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

Even though my brain was a bit fried by this point, I managed to get myself into my room, and headed straight to bed. Comfy and safe and warm or something.

Continued in Chapter 5 - Daily Life (1).