Forum Thread

Suzume Fujimori's POV

"This is just a wild guess, but. They/them is also arguably a neutral pronoun that could refer to anyone here, or it could refer to multiple people... although... I guess I'm either implying... an accomplice, or that it could be anyone. Which-- really, either could be the case."

Suzume huffed in frustration, crossing her arms close to her chest. "Who could've... killed Femi?" She shook her head as though to try to clear the pain in her eyes. "Who would've had the time to do so? They would've had to find a way to slip away..."

Kowai Kurai's POV

Kowai seemed to nod slightly. Huh... what Megami said there made sense. It seemed she was figuring something out. But she didn't say anything about Koda's interactions with Hisoka lately. She could speak for herself on that matter.

She looked thoughtful. "Well, anyone could've, probably. The question is... how did they?"

---

Koda tilted her head, recalling. "It depends what you mean." She shook her head. "Nothing today, though." She sharply perked up. It seemed something were on her tongue.

Suzume Fujimori's POV

"I think Megami means something that might be relevant to this case. She seems to have noticed there's something off about Hisoka. He's been so quiet, but it seems clear he knows something we all don't. And yet he's keeping quiet." She glared suspiciously in Hisoka's direction-- "Why?"

Kowai Kurai's POV

"Maaaybe Hisoka's the killer!" Kowai suggested. "Although... would that be likely, though? What was he doing this morning?" She looked in Koda's direction. No, she could say what it was. What it was Megami may have been thinking about.

But...

She caught Hisoka's eye and shook her head to herself. She had to keep quiet about that.

---

Koda frowned. "Perhaps. Unlikely." She shook her head.

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Hisoka Yamanaku

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"That's a good point, Suzume." Niwa didn't seem like he liked it much, though. "Explain yourself, Hiso-"

"Yes. I killed them," he said as simply as he could manage. He locked eyes with Maji. Don't say anything... "Is that all you wanted to know?"

Niwa fell silent, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"No," Suko declared and turned back to Suzume. "Any other theories?"

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Suzume Fujimori's POV

Suzume inhaled. "Although it is plausible Hisoka could be keeping quiet because he's the killer... it seems more likely he'd try to frame someone and throw suspicion off himself. Wouldn't that be more logical? No. I think he knows something. I think he knows who the killer is, and he doesn't want us to find out. We have discovered no proof that it's Hisoka who committed the crime. So, tell me, Hisoka. If you killed Femi and Amano, prove to us that you did it. OR START F--KING COOPERATING!" she snapped.

"There are lives at stake here, and here you are, doting away, being oh-so-quiet. Giving people strange looks and ambiguous responses that imply you know something. But no killer would act so suspicious on purpose! Tell me, Hisoka, IF YOU ARE THE KILLER, why would you confess that so readily once I bring up that you might be suspicious? No, you're far too self-preserving to do that. You know something, and you're trying to wrongly get yourself caught. WHY?"

Or this is all a carefully articulated ruse to make us think he's NOT the killer. I wouldn't put that past Hisoka, that is always a possibility.

"I'd say the suspects for this case would probably be... Suko, they were closest to Femi, and if the killer did lure him away as I theorized, Suko would've been the most capable of doing so. Flaws in believing it's Suko? Unless they're putting up a really good mask, they were incredibly devastated, shocked, and horrified at Femi's death. Hisoka... he's been so quiet this entire time, and it's apparent he knows something he isn't letting on, but there's nothing outside of that that convicts him. However, I could see him committing such a cleanly organized crime, although I do wonder if it is honorable for Yamanakus to do such a thing. Niwa, he has also been quiet this entire time, and he is one of the people here who also goes by they/them. It seems he also knows something he isn't letting on. Keiki... I don't see them committing an organized crime like this. No offense, Keiki, or I'd imagine you putting more "flair" into it. And... I'm not sure who else."

She paused.

"...Niwa. You brought up that someone may be being framed for the murder. If that is the case, are you implying Femi did not write what we saw on the wall? And are you saying you have a firm suspicion on who it is?" She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Tell us."

Kowai Kurai's POV

Kowai was looking fidgety. "Monokuma, how much time do we have left?! We don't seem to be getting anywhere!" She curled her fingers into fists in frustration. "Gosh, we're all going to die at this point." She sighed in annoyance.

Suzume glared at her. "This isn't a matter to simply get annoyed about!"

"Ah, you're right, sorry," Kowai replied with another sigh. Suzume was looking twitchy.

"Okay! Something else that has come to my mind is-- if this is a locked room mystery, how did the killer get in and out of the room in time to kill Femi?" she asked in puzzlement. "And how did they lure Femi there?"

Suzume shook her head. "That's true... it doesn't really make sense."

Kowai crossed her arms. "Man... if only we could look at the room layout! Was there anywhere they could've entered and exited from?"

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Hisoka Yamanaku

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"I am cooperating-" Hisoka began. But Suzume wasn't done. As he listened to her rant, he grew angrier and angrier. Why the hell should he care? She'd be dead in a few minutes anyway. "I think your obsession with this-" Then he heard his name and he shut up instantly.

"Hisoka... he's been so quiet this entire time, and it's apparent he knows something he isn't letting on, but there's nothing outside of that that convicts him. However, I could see him committing such a cleanly organized crime, although I do wonder if it is honorable for Yamanakus to do such a thing." Suzume had that insufferable look on her face. The one that made his blood boil. Listing all those names because she was a coward who was willing to back down at the slightest opposition, and yet didn't want to be wrong because she was smug and proud and- "-who also goes by they/them. It seems he also knows something he isn't letting on. Keiki... I don't see them committing an organized crime like this. No offense, Keiki, or I'd imagine you putting more "flair" into it. And... I'm not sure who else."

"Not sure who else," he breathed.

She was not a Yamanaku. That quivering look in her eyes. She was a rabbit, waiting to flee at the slightest hint the wolf might pounce.

And the trembling in his own shoulders told him something else.

And so am I.

"I am not a Yamanaku," he said quietly, so quietly he doubted anyone besides Maji could hear. And that was the only person who needed to. "Not anymore. I have no qualms with humanity's darkness. If it came to it, I would kill."

Only not at the expense of my own life.

She was right about that, if nothing else.

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Niwa Atsushi

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Wow.

Suzume had practically torn Hisoka apart. Niwa wasn't sure if he hated or admired her at this point. But now she was turning her eyes on him and he stiffened at each loaded word which escaped her lips.

"...Niwa. You brought up that someone may be being framed for the murder. If that is the case, are you implying Femi did not write what we saw on the wall? And are you saying you have a firm suspicion on who it is?" She glared at him, her hands on her hips. "Tell us."

"I-" Niwa glanced back and forth. "Well- I mean- I do think Femi wrote it. There's no getting around it. Maybe we've- been making too many assumptions, right? The killer didn't- the killer couldn't have been in the room with Femi. So maybe- Femi didn't know who killed him? But he had a suspicion? And that's the suspicion the killer made him think?"

That was too far.

Niwa felt anxiety tingling on the back of his neck.

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Suko Nobu

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Femi... wrote that?

So he truly thought-

He blamed Suko.

Suko's stomach wrenched itself upward. He collapsed against his podium, clutching at it with all his strength. All the alcohol from the party was coming up, and he couldn't stop it. He vomited right in front of everyone and all he could see in them all was Femi, Femi-

They thought Suko had killed Femi.

And they were right. All those angry suspicious faces, they were right to be that way, because-

I did.

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Third Person POV

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"Monokuma, how much time do we have left?! We don't seem to be getting anywhere!" Kowai was still grinning, as per usual, but something was off about her expression. Was she... irritated? "Gosh, we're all going to die at this point." She sighed.


Suzume glared at her. "This isn't a matter to simply get annoyed about!"

"Ah, you're right, sorry," Kowai replied with another sigh. Suzume was looking twitchy.

"Upupupup~? The time limit? Lemme seeeee~" Monokuma checked its imaginary watch. "Because this is fun, I'll pretend you have 20 minutes left instead of 19."

"20 minutes..." Niwa sounded faint.

"Okay! Something else that has come to my mind is-- if this is a locked room mystery, how did the killer get in and out of the room in time to kill Femi?" Kowai asked. "And how did they lure Femi there?"

Suzume shook her head. "That's true... it doesn't really make sense."

Kowai crossed her arms. "Man... if only we could look at the room layout! Was there anywhere they could've entered and exited from?"

"Oh!" Niwa blinked. "That's true. Um-" He glanced at Suko self-consciously. "Yeah."

---

Koda stood silent. Waiting. Watching. "I'm not sure..." Koda stopped. What is there to say? What can I say? What SHOULD I say? Koda bit her lip, confused.

Omniscient POV

”Hisoka.” Suzume forced herself to cool down. “Then tell us what you know. Normally you’d be listing all the facts, and proposing your theories, trying to solve the case. This entire time, you’ve been awfully quiet. You’ve never been like this.”

Kowai looked over at Hisoka with a certain curiosity. There was something different about him now. What, she couldn’t quite tell.

Suzume was beginning to look quite stressed. “Only twenty minutes left?... Everyone, please. Put forth all you know, put forth all you think might be! Otherwise we… might not make it.”

She winced, and began clutching the sides of her head. I can’t. I can’t let this happen again. I can’t let so many people… get hurt, because of me.

Focus, Miss Fujimori.

She thought about what Niwa had said. “So… you’re saying, the killer made Femi think someone else had killed them? Like Suko? And is using that now to frame them? And then we go back to it… who would do that?”

“Well,” Kowai put in, “no one held any grudge against Femi or Amano here, as far as I know. It may have been done for a calculated reason. He may have been vulnerable in some way, and the killer noticed that and took advantage of the opportunity.”

“You mean…” Suzume thought back to the conversation she’d had with Femi back in the Nurse’s Office… she’d thought back to what she’d overheard him saying to Suko…

“You’re saying he wasn’t paranoid enough anymore? And… he’s grown to trust Suko. What if- someone told him to head to the Party Room, and pretended they were Suko? Through… a note?”

Kowai paused. “That might be the significance his bag holds. What’s in it?”

---

Keiki Meyumi.

Oh crap- I have my satchel with me. I should've left that back in the dorm.

Just don't act suspicious Keiki. You're fine. You're innocent. The knife is...for protective reasons.

---

Chuku Mitsue.

Chuku felt awful for Suko, absolutely awful. She awkwardly shuffled their way, and crouched next to them, whispering comforting words and giving an awkward half-hug.


Chuku didn't like hugging, nor did she like being hugged. (Like me) She's doing her best okay

SUZUME FUJIMORI'S POV BUT THE BBCODE GOT BURNED
Suzume clutched at her lab coat thoughtfully. "Well... we can't afford to ponder what was in the bag. Or maybe even how the killer got in and out. We need to somehow find out who did this!" she cried frantically. "Was there a matter of strength? About the bat? Or could anyone here have hit Amano with it? How was Femi burned? If it was done this morning... who could've..."

She suddenly broke down sobbing. "..."

Damn it. Not again.

They were so close...

"Everyone here knew... knew Femi and Suko to be close. Maybe the question isn't who could've been there to do it, so much so as... who could've done it?! Who could've brought themselves to kill Femi and Amano here? We were all so happy, recently. All just getting along. Not thinking about how the outside world might be..."

KOWAI KURAI'S POV

Kowai shifted uneasily. "Well... anyone could've been pretending."

"..."

The scientist didn't respond at first... She'd lost all her composure now. "I just want this to be over now," she choked out. "Kill me now, if you want. Just don't hurt her. Or anyone here... please..."

A flicker of something manifested on Kowai's face. Was it... some kind of pity? "Monokuma... how much time do we have left?" she asked slowly. There was a truth here, that just needed to be found... but there wasn't much time left to find it.

It was all the same to her anyway.

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Suko Nobu

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Oh. Someone's arms were around them.

Suko hesitantly hugged back. And opened their eyes. The masked face of a girl they had never seen before. Something gentle glowed in her eyes. And down-soft words spun from her mouth, like silk.

Suko swallowed down dryness in their throat.

She seemed... like Femi.

Alive.

They threw their arms around her and wept into her shoulder.

---

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Third Person POV

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"I-" Hisoka began. But Suzume continued and guilt grew more and more on Hisoka's face. "I could-"

"Puhuhuhu-? 16 minutes left. Then we move onto voting!"

"I have a map," Hisoka cut in. "A map that- is relevant to the case. I made it during investigations."

---

Suzume Fujimori's POV

Suzume forced herself out of her gloomy state, and back into the state of panic she went. "Really?! Where is it? What did you put on it?" she asked frantically. "We only have 16 minutes left..."

Kowai Kurai's POV

Kowai frowned. Was there a map? Was Hisoka making this up? Where was he going with this?

He's stalling further, isn't he? Ah, I see now...

Suzume was looking at Hisoka pleadingly. A little ironic...

---

Kōun no Megami
I was on the verge of tears, when something came to mind. "Suzy, we can do this." I made my voice louder so the whole room could hear. "I have an idea. It's not one I like, but it's an idea nonetheless. Niwa, Keiki, I believe you two were together this morning. Can anyone vouch for you?"

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Buraddo Jemu

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Majikaruman Dōseiai-shadearimasu

Keiki Meyumi.

"Yeah- we were-... I dunno who can vouch for us- maybe Chuku? I don't really know, I haven't really seen her all day, dunno where she's been. We only saw her in the morning-"

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Chuku Mitsue.

Chuku patted Suko soothingly on the back. "We'll make them pay, Suko. Don't you worry..."

"I dunno who can vouch for us- maybe Chuku?"

Eh?

"Oh! I did- see them in the morning, I can confirm that-"

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Niwa Atsushi

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"Yes," he said nervously. "We were locked in the room with Chuku- to clean it up, when the murder occurred. At 1230- we couldn't have gotten to the-"

He cut off abruptly.

"Wasn't everyone stuck in their rooms at the time?"

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Hisoka Yamanaku

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They need to listen to me! Megami- no, Niwa-? Absolutely not. Maji. He tugged on Maji's sleeve. "This is important to the case," he whispered. "Here." He slipped over a sheet of paper, the creamy white texture reminiscent of a set of pearl earrings...

They were on Maji's ears. He was temporarily caught off guard. The subtle gold sheen matched his warm skin tones perfectly...

"We need to focus," he muttered to him.

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Suko Nobu

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Femi will be avenged... Suko closed their eyes, listening to the pulse pounding in Chuku's neck. They wondered if they had one as well.

Dead, and with a pulse?

"Thank you," they whispered. She was speaking again, so they pulled back. Her kindness was over.

But it had been there.

And they vowed to keep that in the present with them.

---

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Narrator

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"You're running out of timeeee~" Monokuma singsonged. "Better hurry, Ultimates!"

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Title: My BBCode is the real victim

Suzume looked at Megami and smiled, feeling slightly reassured. "You might be right... I think this may prove Niwa and Keiki's innocence. But what of... everyone else..."

She considered what had been said... of how no one could've gotten out of the rooms...

Suzume had an idea. "Wait!! Were people let out as soon as they were done their organizing? If that's the case, the suspects are whoever got the organizing done right away!"

...dang it. Did I just... call it Megami? No. I know she'd n-...

No. I don't know that. I just don't want it to be her.

Wait. Waitwaitwait!! "Was there another way... someone could've gotten out of their room?"

Kowai nodded. "That's a good point. Who was done the organizing right away? And hey, here's something I thought of... how was Femi set on fire? So quickly? What could the killer have used?... Also, Monokuma, just checking. Time's ticking? How much time is left?" She tilted her head.

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Third Person POV

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"No." Niwa shook his head. "We were kept in until lunch time. No one should have been able to get to the Party Room in time."

"No one," Hisoka growled. "Unless-"

"Set on fire?" Niwa thought. "Alcohol, maybe? The killer had it in abundance from the party, presumably... unless it was an accident on Femi's part..."

"12 minutes lefttt~" Monokuma singsonged.

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Kōun no Megami
I nodded to Niwa, Keiki, and Chika. "That's all I needed to know. We know that Maji and Hisoka were together, since they found the body, can anyone vouch for them?"

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Buraddo Jemu
I nodded to Megami. "I can vouch, they were in our room from waking up until just before they discovered the body. They were also being nauseatingly fluffy, but that's not currently relevant."

---

Majikaruman Dōseiai-shadearimasu
I looked down at the paper, carefully looking it over. Holy hell...

Suzume Fujimori's POV

Suzume was looking relatively calmer. "Okay. Kowai, where were you at the time?" she asked. "Oh, in my room, with Koda." She yawned. "I was organizing the room."

"Can anyone confirm this?" Suzume asked, thinking deeply about whether she remembered hearing anything.

She glanced over at Hisoka, then Niwa, then Hisoka again. "No one could've gotten in unless... what, Hisoka? Are you implying there was a special way someone could've discovered to get in? And Niwa... that is a good guess. Alcohol is very flammable. Although... here's the thing I'm wondering. Where were the bottles hidden? There weren't any in the room. And we all organized our rooms, right?"

Kowai Kurai's POV

That map he handed to Majikaruman... Oh, Hisoka knew what he was doing with that, alright.

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