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06/19 07:32

[ The following half-cryptic message goes up in the early morning before class, at the exact same time as two people are let into the faculty office to talk to the Vice Principal. ]

S.Saihara

Sorry. I should have told everyone a lot sooner.
I know that.
But... if I did that, there was a chance it might have become about the merit points. And no matter what, I wanted to prevent that at any cost.

The person who did it might have been wrong... but they're still an important friend that we lived with.
That's something that shouldn't be reduced to a number.
The fact that it can be is what's messed up in the first place.
So maybe I wanted it to be a message. Not only for that person, but for the rest of us too.

[ There's no further explanation that follows, and any comments, no matter how important, will obviously not be answered for at least a few hours, depending on how things settle. ]

06/19 17:23

It's a bright and sunny day. The heat is unbearable, with sunlight reflecting off the whites of the outer walls of the school building and seeming to concentrate right in the middle of the courtyard where it comes off the concrete in waves. In desperation for a breeze, you open a window— or perhaps you can't, and simply rattle the window latch futilely— when something large and black falls from the sky and smacks into the pavement, black turned red turned nausea and vertigo and the consequential darkness of the school when a blood sacrifice has been observed.

Black shadows students start to converge upon the body in the courtyard, although their efforts to drag the body into the expanding void in the auditorium can be thwarted by breaking a mirror and returning to reality— just in time to see a second body hit the pavement in the courtyard and send you right back. Escape once more and... a third body hits the ground, bright blue eyes staring lifelessly up at the sky above.

The sky stares back, dark storm clouds gathering in the horizon. Tonight, and through the weekend, it will rain.

06/19 17:47

I.Sena

dying is sooooooooo annoying
so fess up who did it

✽ Please use the toplevels below for investigations. For some semblance of organization, there will be a separate toplevel for body investigation, location investigation, and suspect investigation, as well as one for general questions.
✽ As a reminder, npc students can open/close any window; pc students in classes with at least one rank (3-A, 3-B, 2-C, 2-D, 2-E, and all of the first year classes) can open/close windows in 1-B, 1-D, and 2-C; and pc students in classes that gained at least one rank in the past month (3-A, 2-C, 2-D, 2-E, 1-B, 1-D, and 1-E) can exit through the courtyard-facing window in 1-D.
✽ Unless there's an ic reason to argue otherwise, npc faculty will remove all three bodies by the end of the day.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Character(s): Shuichi Saihara
Suspect: Natsume Sakasaki
Action: TL;DR for public transparency:
- Amami's investigation revealed Izumi likely went to the 3rd floor meaning there's evidence he may have been thrown out of the open 2-D homeroom window.
- Furthermore, Izumi needed a reason to go there at that time, as he was a 1st year and should have had no business with the 2nd year homerooms. Amami shares his info with Rika while visiting her in the nurse's office, asking her if there was anyone he could have gone to meet, which could provide a suspect.
- As a result, Rika asks Saihara to investigate Natsume's locker... which she argues for by mentioning what Izumi previously told her about Natsume as well as showing him exhibit A and exhibit B on the bulletin boards.
- It's just enough info that, while not conclusive, it also can't be ignored... and Alice and I decided this should be a real thread so here we are.

[ ...Which leads to why, at around 8 in the evening on Friday, while the school is empty save for the transfer students, Shuichi can be seen wandering the halls at a careful pace, attentive to his surroundings and sticking his head into every room along the way. If he finds people inside, he apologizes for bothering them but doesn't really say much more and leaves quickly, without a single mention to anyone about what he's doing.

Until, that is, whether it's in the hallways or one of said rooms -- or even while backing out of one -- he discovers the person he's looking for. It causes him to stop for a moment first, like he needs to adjust after the number of failed attempts he's experienced. But that might not be the only reason for the pensive gaze... it lingers a little longer, too long almost, on whatever reflection he can catch of the other's expression in the nearest window, before he can snap himself out of it. ]

...Ah. Sakasaki-kun? Sorry... are you busy right now?

( Hope he gets spooked, because Natsume's lounging by one of the windows in the hallways that faces the courtyard; he seems to be looking for something, though with his eyebrows drawn together it doesn't seem like he's having any luck. At Shuichi's voice though, it shifts to a mellow surprise, and when he turns around, it's a much more his usual polite smile routine he offers everyone except maybe four people. )

Not really - I was just confirming someTHING. ( ...He'd probably be interested in it, come to think of it- ) Did you have need of a magiCIAN? ♪

[ Confirming...? Confirming what? Because the first two things related to the courtyard that come to mind are the recent bodies and that he almost got eaten by the gardener's monster form out there -- and neither is pleasant, but at least... one is more likely than the other. Although, on Shuichi's estimative scale of people who would believe him or not, maybe Natsume... wouldn't exactly be at the bottom. ]

A magician, huh...

[ That's not... what he meant to be saying, but the word can't help but remind him -- of someone who does hold that title... ]

Come to think of it, you did have a crystal ball... If only we could really use things like that to find evidence.

[ Unrealistic, wishful thinking said with the tone of exactly that... but it would make a lot of things easier, wouldn't it? ]

UnfortunateLY, people who say they can do that type of thing are often nothing liars and fakes - frauds just using the grand art of fortune-telling for clout and besmirching the name of true maGIC.

( ...He has extremely strong opinions on this matter, okay. )

That SAID... I'd ordinarily claim the same for those using their crystals for séanCES, faking talking to the dead in order to scam people out their moNEY, but I had a successful one with Noah-kun this MONTH. The name he spoke was close enough to Haruka-chan's - the little library ghost - and she appeared before US. ( She's so cute; he adores her. ) Putting that aside, however —

( Evidence... Natsume tilts his head at him, left side so the longer part of his hair - the part with the dye job, too - swings a little. )

Are we still missing something from the recent happeNINGS? I might not be able to gaze into my crystal ball and find anything that WAY, but I'm a purveyor of information and knowledge on the inner workings of the human MIND... That is to SAY, I understand how people work fairly WELL, certain exceptions notwithstanDING. Perhaps I can offer my assisTANCE.

[ Ah... there it is. Minus the part where she'd insist she herself is a real mage who practices real magic, and Absolutely Not a magician despite the official name of her talent, this all does sound pretty much like the same kind of stuff Himiko might say. And then there's the seance, too... but that's an entirely different can of worms. Shuichi would rather not hear about one of those again for as long as he lives, Natsume please stop sounding like two of his canonmates at once. ]

Exceptions... are you talking about Komaeda-kun?

[ Sorry, Natsume, that's gonna be his first thought... because at least it's on a topic he can wrap his mind around a lot easier. Although the second, more underlying feeling behind it is actually a pang of guilt -- it's not exactly easy to be suspecting someone who seems so upfront with you. He at least owes Natsume the same. ]

But... I'm sorry. The lead I'm pursuing right now...

[ He wishes it had been about someone else to be honest; the further this conversation gets, the more that's a genuine feeling. But as a detective... it isn't feelings he should be listening to. He ends up watching Natsume's hair instead as it sways, the sight of the dyed, white strand doing nothing but making his stomach continue to twist. Hadn't Amami-kun also mentioned... ]

...is related to what happened to Sena-kun. The two of you were acquainted quite closely, right? The same way I know Ouma-kun, or Amami-kun or Akamatsu-san. I just... can't ignore that, no matter how much I want to. As a detective, I owe it to everyone to look at this case from every possible angle.

[ It sounds... more and more like a convenient excuse though, even to himself, the more he continues to talk. ]

( ...Yes, it's Komaeda, and the look on his face switching to tired annoyance when Shuichi mentions his name is probably answer enough - there's Maya, too, but that's a little different. A lot of different. He hears him out though, annoyance fading into politeness fading into the faint pinch of his brow before he sighs and rights his head, the expression smoothing over immediately with the sound.

Naturally. In murder cases, the first thing you do is question the person's significant other; seeing as Izumi didn't have one, though, it makes sense to go after people closest to him, and Natsume reasons Shuichi's probably already talked to anyone else who might have had something going on with Izumi - his heart twists slightly anyway. )

Sena-san... Sena-senpai and I were former schoolmates and current work associates - discounting here, obviousLY. He works at the same agency I DO, one that I have no small bit of power in; you could almost say it's one run by my unit eVEN, considering one of my unitmates is currently filling in for the president's busywork duTIES. It's SMALL, but we're making a reputation for ourSELVES, so I'm not too overly concerned with its GROWTH. ( He pauses, stepping away from the window and threading his fingers behind his back. ) I suppose it makes some amount of sense to question me as WELL. I'll do my best to assist you so that we can put this all to REST, Detective-kun.

[ Detective-kun... this is the first time Natsume's called him something other than his name, he's pretty certain. It makes Shuichi wonder if there's meaning behind it -- a message in the fact that it happens now, of all times. It's not a word that he's always confident in, himself, but it is the one he's chosen to hide behind in this instance, all on his own. So it's not as if... he can argue with it. ]

...Thank you, Sakasaki-kun. It's not like I want to suspect you specifically... but I can't look away from the evidence I've been given, either.

[ Whatever he'd like to believe or not on his own... That's being honest, at least; a concession he's willing to give -- from the bottom of his heart, he doesn't want Natsume to turn out the culprit. It just so happens, however, he's always been the one to have to set aside such feelings. He steps a little closer though, as a compromise of the trust that he's willing to offer perhaps, glancing for a second out the same window Natsume was trying before. He can't see anything though... ]

And the truth is... Sena-kun told someone a while ago that the two of you had an argument of some sort. It's because of that and the way a few clues lined up... but I wanted... to ask if you'll show me the contents of your locker.

[ He doesn't bring up Rika, just like she told him; she's mentioned something like how it might make Natsume less likely to cooperate, due to distrust or dislike for her... and either way, it's not that important who brought it up. In the end... it's not like he didn't review it and make this decision himself. He can't blame someone else. ]

( That argument—

he turns his face thoughtfully, staring at the wall, then slowly back to Shuichi. Okay. "Detective-kun" has no real importance - he's referred to Shuichi as it at least once, just not in conversation with him, but it is the role he's playing right now... Natsume doesn't see an issue in calling him what he is. )

Only if you tell me about these clues of YOURS.

( If he finds it legitimate, then he'll comply... seems to be the implication here. No one likes being suspected of murder; he thinks he's within his rights to ask this, first. )

...Alright.

[ It's after a second of hesitation; which he's certain Natsume can catch as well, but that's normal too. After all, if he says too much beforehand and this is the culprit... he'd only be giving him hints about how to hide better. Or maybe what exactly to try and spirit out of sight before it's found. It's a little risky...

But he remembers Kaito's words -- and his own decision that once formed from them. He'll continue to believe in innocent until proven guilty. ]

On the day he was killed... we found evidence Sena-kun headed down to the homerooms on the third floor. But that's odd, isn't it? The regular students who saw him thought so, too -- after all, there was nothing for a first-year to do on that floor at the time.

[ It would have been far more normal for him to head to the club wing, or to the first floor instead. ]

That's why we thought... he might have gone to meet someone. ...How about it? Do you have an alibi for that time frame that someone can verify?

[ He doesn't want to get hopeful, but listen. At least he's honest about not being hasty with his decision. ]

( He doesn't. He knows he doesn't, because naturally — as a second year, he was on that floor. As someone who perpetually lurks the third floor in general, even. )

Not one anyone can verify, NO... Though Komaeda-san can confirm I spend a lot of time lurking around the third floor in geneRAL. He's found me up there beFORE. ( As much as he doesn't like mentioning Komaeda, it's true. ) I can see where you're going with this: I asked him to meet me up THERE, perhaps in order to apologize or make some sort of amends for our arguMENT, and when he came to meet me he met a grisly end inSTEAD... Is that IT?

[ Around the third floor... all things considered, that's exactly the opposite of an alibi in this case. But still: ]

...No. It's still just a possibility as of now. Even if you had been on the third floor at the time, that alone isn't odd.

[ He wouldn't accuse Natsume with just that much, at least. ]

It's the floor with your own homeroom, after all... but the state of said homeroom is part of the problem, as well. One of the windows was open, and practice tests found on the desks indicated the other two victims were there that afternoon, and had been studying together.

( It just means that it's not out of the ordinary for him to be there - he's usually on the club side, granted, but it isn't as if him being there is inherently suspect. Maybe with the crime at hand it isn't the best look, but... )

Is that SO. ( He can't even feign surprise - he's in their homeroom, he knows exactly the Schoolwork Horrors(TM) going on. ) We were having some rather difficult questions in MATH... Well, ( he corrects himself, ) I wasn't having any problems with IT, but others in my class WERE.

( This is all still... a little circumstantial though, and Natsume sets a hand on his hip. )

It's hardly enough to go to the police for a search warrant about THOUGH... You're well-aware of that, aren't YOU?

[ Yeah... as a second year himself, he does know about the math -- and besides, one of the victims (ironically, the body that he himself inspected) was Shuichi's classmate who was only friends with Natsume's. So on that front, he's aware it's not a lie -- he doubts that the struggles the two were having with their exams could be forged or staged.

And without more direct proof than that... ]

...You're right. If those were the only things... then interviewing you like this would be enough. But, Sakasaki-kun... I think even a police officer might have changed their mind after seeing these.

[ His hand feels a little shaky, but even so he still reaches into his pocket -- pulling out the PDA he's had prepared. It's clear despite the hesitant moves, from the summary way he does things, that Shuichi anticipated he might have to bring this up. He unlocks the device with his fingers, then takes no more than a single tap to bring up the forum posts he'd already tabbed, turning the screen for Natsume to see. The thread dated two days after the murder, with messages like... ]

I'm going to kill you... and bury you beneath the wisteria tree. Touch my locker and see what happens. (...) If we made this same case in front of everyone who can read these boards, what do you think the consensus would be?

[ Isn't it better to nip this in the bud right now, when only a few people have made the connection? ]

...I'd never actually hurt the little viper, you KNOW. ( That's all he says at first, staring at his own messages - they're not out of the realm for him, he has a bad habit of jumping to threats when embarrassed or humiliated in some way—

but there's only one person who would've known anything about that, and he's dead. Natsume's only somewhat spoken this way to one person and that's Komaeda, and it's Komaeda. Even if they weren't serious threats, if they were brought up in front of others alongside the date of them... ) To think that poor timing's the nail on the proverbial cofFIN... Fine, you can search my locKER, though I don't know what you're expecting to FIND.

( That isn't completely true — he has an idea — but he cuts past Shuichi anyway with a glance and heads off to the lockers.

He'll be quiet otherwise, mindlessly putting in his combination when they reach his locker - 101 - and opening it. He stands in front of it for a moment longer, lips pursed, then steps aside for Shuichi to take a look. )

( Natsume's locker contains the following, in the order of visible appearance:

Eight white flags and two wisteria branches, lacking their flowers, are tucked against the sides of the locker.
A notebook lays on top of the stack of clothes, the kind everyone gets in their locker; some pages are bookmarked, and it looks as if one page was ripped out at some point. Beside it is a small vial of perfume, which smells faintly of vanilla.
A small bag of scales; they resemble fish scales, but somewhat larger - like coin-sized - and if pressed are noticeably harder. Natsume's going to watch Shuichi carefully if he handles them for too long though, so maybe don't linger.
A waiter outfit, with white cat hair on it; it isn't covered in it, indicating Natsume tried his best to get most of it off, but there are still traces of it.
Something unidentifiable, but noticeably there, as if pushed between the item on top and the item on bottom.
Two student uniforms, both folded neatly; it's after school, so naturally, he's not wearing them.
A casual outfit for winter; it's a little on the heavier side, so naturally, he's not wearing it.
A wine-red blanket, with purple and yellow stars; it looks handmade, and if Shuichi's seen Nene's handiwork before, he'd recognize it as the same kind of blankets she's made for other people. If he looks closely, there also seems to be something in it, but it isn't as obvious as the first one.

Which means yes, he's in this today, I didn't mention this before until I realized it's 8pm so he has no reason to be in uniform anymore. "Isn't he hot" it's for the aesthetic. )

Edited 2021-06-27 06:15 (UTC)

...

[ Shuichi says nothing more as they walk down the hallways and stairs, only lagging behind for the first starting steps while he pockets his PDA. He watches Natsume's back for a second while catching up, as if body language like that alone would ever be able to show him the truth. Whether he's right or wrong to have chosen to act on this lead... the outcome can only be harmful, he knows that already.

I'm sorry, Sakasaki-kun. Words that cross through his mind, but remain unsaid.

The only thing he can offer is look away as they get there, pointedly turning his head for the moment it takes for Natsume to open his locker. Shuichi's eyes fall instead on his own -- 097, not far at all -- and there's no way to block his mind from remembering casual mornings of trying to smile, despite that it isn't something he does, and of saying good morning to a familiar face. Maybe he and Natsume weren't the closest of friends... but they still have memories here together, no matter their extent. ]

...Thank you. I promise... I'll be careful.

[ It's all he can quietly word before he makes his way closer, to take a look at the locker. ]

🔎 | >> STACK OF WHITE FLAGS

Shuichi Saihara

Where did these come from...? I haven't seen anything else like this in the school...

Shuichi Saihara

But they probably have nothing to do with the current case.

[ There doesn't seem to be anything to investigate about these right now, so he leaves them be. ]

🔎 | >> WISTERIA BRANCHES

Shuichi Saihara

These look like branches from the tree outside... but what happened to the flowers?

Shuichi Saihara

Come to think of it, I remember Sakasaki-kun wrote a wish about this on the board.

[ Shuichi can also recall Nene mentioning the wisteria could be toxic... how exactly were the flowers used? This might be worth at least keeping in mind.

>> Obrained Truth(?) Bullet: Flowerless Branches ]

🔎 | >> SCHOOL-ISSUED NOTEBOOK

Shuichi Saihara

Sakasaki-kun's notebook... It looks exactly the same as the rest of ours.

Shuichi Saihara

I doubt anyone would write murder plans in this, but I should look just in case.

[ He pages through in a cursory fashion, not lingering too long on anything unless it seems weird. He already almost-read Steph's diary by accident, he doesn't wanna do it to Natsume too. A missing page isn't necessarily strange either... but he'll take note of the fact at least, and maybe of what else was on the pages around it. If he finds anything you think he'd look at, let me know but otherwise moving on from this too. ]

🔎 | >> VIAL OF PERFUME

Shuichi Saihara

...Does Sakasaki-kun use this scent? I've never exactly paid attention to that.

[ Imagine walking up to Natsume and just smelling him... only Komaeda would do that. Anyway, Shuichi almost chokes (mostly because he didn't expect perfume), so he promptly closes the bottle and puts it back. ]

🔎 | >> BAG OF STRANGE COIN-SIZED OBJECTS

Shuichi Saihara

What... even *are* these? Were there any fish this large in the home ec supplies!?

Shuichi Saihara

Maybe it's... ah, a magician sort of thing. I should leave these alone.

[ He only shuffles them around a little bit to make certain there's nothing else craftily hidden between them, but other than that he doesn't even touch them so it's fine. Natsume doesn't have to glare for too long. ]

🔎 | >> WAITER OUTFIT

Shuichi Saihara

It's covered in cat hair... there seems to be no end to it.

Shuichi Saihara

It would be impossible to completely clean this... I feel kind of bad for Sakasaki-kun.

[ Shuichi should know, because all his outfits are mostly black too, so he feels Natsume's pain. Either way, he'll remember this later if needed.

>> Obtained Truth(?) Bullet: Hair on Clothes ]

🔎 | >> UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT

Shuichi Saihara

...There seems to be something else here, but I can't tell what by just looking.

Shuichi Saihara

I could probably see it better if I removed the clothes from the top....

[ Yeah, sorry Natsume, he'll be careful about it and try not to crumple your waiter outfit, but he moves it aside to uncover what's tucked between it and the next set...

??? ]

🔎 | >> FOLDED CLOTHES

Shuichi Saihara

All of the clothes are folded up... Sakasaki-kun must be pretty orderly.

Shuichi Saihara

I'll try not to disturb them too much.
.

[ Grouping all these together so I don't give you 3 tags that say the same thing but Shuichi checks the pockets... and feels a little around the lining. He does his best to make sure they're folded as neatly again when he's done though.

Nothing related to the case to be found... ]

06/19 07:32

06/19 17:23

06/19 17:47

6/25 @ around 8PM

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1/2

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1/10... looks up to the lord

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