♪ my class trial, our class trial ♫

[heroicpolonaise]

Who: Everyone + Hiro if ori wants
When: January 12th, then anytime past January 15th
Where: Common Room
What: please let's wake steph and also maybe prove miyuki innocent if he really is
Warnings: tbd

[there is no gentle way to do this on the pda.

but you know what that is perfectly fine they were doing CSI rp earlier what's one more--]

All hands, round up.

Think we've got as much as we can right now, so let's settle in and work it out -- together. Come to the usual meet-up spot as soon as you can, and we're not leaving until the perp's worked out. Bring your own joe and a wit sharp as can be, because we are in for the long haul.

Detective Akamatsu, signing out.

[...

a-anyway.

meng yao's done his best to preserve one (1) stephanie meanswell and she's currently laying on the couch in a state some may find familiar and others not at all, but she's very much alive -- if barely. have your shock and surprise, this is going to be once all evidence is collected icly. also after noah and kaede make a grave for miss vp god rest her soul.

...

hiro is allowed to be here, if he wants, if only because part of this is his sister's death and one of y'all had BETTER take care of him.

there are no snacks, no drinks unless you byoj (bring your own joe), and kaede will wait until... all or presumably all are filed in before she speaks.]

I hate to say this, but you all are easily more experienced with this than I am... Still, there's no reason to wait on this when one of our classmates has turned up dead, and another [she is assuming stephanie is theirs] is in the state that she is. I don't want to think one of us had anything to do with it, but turning away from the truth only invites more pain--

So let's lay out what we know and try not to go at each others' throats about it.

[please. even the most unbelievable, impossible happenings have roots to them, and she wants it solved -- not just for hiro's sake, who's pain is something she can barely imagine, but for stephanie and the vice principal, too.]

[links:

○ investigative miroboard
○ round up one
○ round up two

Comments

[samuraiwomen]

Pft...ahaha. Stop thats nothing like him!!

[ Please...stop...!! She's trying to get into the detective groove here! Oh god, that impression. Just...oh man thats a terrible impression. ]

Ah...neither of them. It was just on his list for our secret santa: A contract like Maya Arisu.

[dereban]

Look, I'm not putting any efforts into impersonations because I'm too tired for that shit.

[Not to mention all of this has been going nowhere for a long period of time, for crying out loud. She wants a nap after this meeting.]

But the Secret Santa, huh. Well, I will say that without knowing more about the intricacies of the contract it can give him motive. Although it doesn't definitively prove his guilt, either. It's too... [She gestures with her hand, a see-sawing motion.] I don't know.

I will say this, though: we're talking about 'us' as a group, but... there's also those who aren't transfers to keep in mind, too. Those who might have a motive, anyway, and some who 'we' don't necessarily talk to, either. Not that I'm accusing anyone without any sort of definitive proof, but just... you know. We can't just have closed minds. I mean, if it's the Secret Santa - that shit went through the student council too, didn't it?

[samuraiwomen]

So you could do a better one?

[ Show her that later. ]

To be honest, neither do I. But those unknowns students, that unknown factor could have acted at any time this year. If we clear everyone in this room, then we'll know to focus on them, right?

[ If everyone here is innocent, then they'll know who it wasn't! And knowing who it wasn't, will absolutly give some trust! ]

I'm not sure seeing the lists would give them the info they needed. That's another reason why I don't think Miyuki would know to do anything.

[dereban]

If I wanted to for someone I was more familiar with. But let's get back on track.

[Let's not derail things for too long, she means. Although she is paying close attention to the other conversations here, too. There are a lot of good points to be made, if she's to be honest.]

So you're saying because they're not transfer students that they could have acted at any given point. But you look at the reality. It happened now. The information was learned last month, and yet someone waited until January to commit the crime. And given the state that she was found in, it's very likely to have been premeditated.

I'm not saying that seeing the lists would have given them the info they needed. What I'm saying is that it gives the members of the student council the idea that "the transfer students want to get ahold of the contract". You see where I'm going with this?

Let me raise a hypothetical, here. Of course, I'm not saying this is the right answer. I'm just throwing spaghetti at the wall, honestly. A lot of the other students don't refer to us by name unless we ask to be referred by our names. On top of that, there's this.

[She takes out her own PDA, to gesture at it.]

They know we're communicating with each other, the boards are public. On top of that: the hairs that were found are specifically of what they might say is "peculiar". Sure, finding Miyuki's isn't necessarily odd; he's a part of the student council, after all. And then there's finding Subaru's hair in the vice principal's room... given how both deaths seem to be similar, it's odd, isn't it? Like - it really screams a set up. But why choose those two in particular? Is it because their hair is easily accessible? Or because those colors are more, I don't know, 'uncommon'?

Like... it's possible that this was made as a set-up, you know. Putting Maya like that is meant as a sign. Not to mention the hammer was easily found, too. While having her up there might be a sign of "someone killed her because they hated her", there's also another possibility to take into account.

The belief "that the killer hated her".

If someone believes that as a potential motive and sees the hairs as evidence, they can come to the potential conclusion of "the transfers killed her because they hated her".

That's just an idea, though. In any case, I do also want to clear people as much as possible, but given the timing of the murder, that's definitely going to be difficult. Honestly, the big thing I'm stuck on is the burns, if I'm to be honest.

[taketori]

I agree, as far as learning about how the burns were caused. I know the idea of fire or... fire magic? [ ??? ] --has been floated around a bit, but I don't believe that'd be the case. At the same time, based on the pictures we've seen, and at a glance recently, one of our tables had corrosion on its legs. If anyone knows of any corrosive elements that may be in play, that may help.

That said, too many parts of this whole thing have been set up for us to find it easily. What I'd like to establish is when and why. I have a theory on that, working backwards.

[ From everything he's recollected... ]

The Vice Principal was found outside, right? Anyone could have walked outside to find the body, which would then prompt searching her office for clues. Following that would be finding the note to Arisu, along with Akehoshi's hairs. Meaning the next place to search would be the student council room, but that'd require someone to open the door-- either Ishimaru or I, and it happened this time around that I had already done so. All that was left is finding President Arisu's body, and being able to connect these two together.

If we reverse that, from the other standpoint, why involve the Vice Principal? Whether or not the culprit knew about the meeting, it wouldn't matter if they were targeting Arisu in the first place.

My theory is that whoever did this targeted Arisu, and had killed her. While they planned to display the body, the Vice Principal entered and discovered the scene. Perhaps then that's when the murder weapon, or substance, was used on her. All that was left was to toss the body out of the window and close it.

Still, now that there was a second victim, that meant they'd need to set the rest of this up so that Arisu's body would be found. So then-- they'd display the note, place hairs at the scene, and set all of this in motion.

...I don't know how much of that actually occurred, but as it stands, I believe that the Vice Principal wasn't particularly targeted, and seeing as how this is a lot of activity in one night for just one person, magic or not... there had to be an accomplice.

[rearranger]

[ There's plenty of corrosive elements, none of which Ranger is going to list at this time. Instead he focuses on unpacking what parts of this assessment make sense, and which parts don't. He starts with piece that stands out to him, ]

'Kay, so the Vice Principal was collateral damage, and we've got two people instead of one. So then, next question, how did they get in to begin with?

[ He makes a little go on gesture. ]

Normally I'd say it was somebody she trusted, but it sounds like the kid was a real stickler... Ahaha, well, I guess that wouldn't be a problem if their accomplice was somebody who had a key to start with though. Then they could just let 'em right in, right?

[ There's that same little circling motion with his hand as he waits for Miyuki to confirm or deny on both issues. Maybe she was the sort of person who would make the insignificant, yet all too large, mistake of trusting someone only to be stabbed in the back for it, or maybe there was a reason one of the other members might act. They've got options here, pick one. ]

[taketori]

[ Good questions to add on. Really, that was the big question, wasn't it? How did they get in, and how did they get out? ]

Assuming that Arisu was the only one who could open the door prior to the Vice Principal showing up...

[ A new issue arises. ]

Can we be sure that she was murdered inside of the student council room? If she wasn't, then the murderer would have easy access to Arisu's keys.

[rearranger]

Hm... So let me see if I got it straight then: The kiddo was killed outside of the room, and instead of disposing of the body in a sensible way, they haul ass back to the Student Council room, dig out her key, drag her corpse in. They start nailing, but fortunately they're not so far into it that they don't notice the Vice Principal coming in.

So then they steal her keys, set her on fire, throw her out a window, nail up a body, cause property damage, lock it up, and then go do whatever the else was on their agenda.

[ Not necessarily in that order, but he thinks that's the basic idea. He shakes his head. ]

That's a stupid plan and an even stupider execution. But y'know, with the way people are around here, we can run with it for now.

[ If he were going to go just kill somebody for fun or profit, he'd just throw them in the cremation coffin, turn it on, and call it a day. He'll keep that to himself though since he doesn't want you freaks knowing about his coffin's features. ]

'Kay, so next question: Where was she murdered? Gonna take a guess and say that none of the kiddos that hang around here saw a corpse being dragged around.

[ He thinks there's still a few of them, anyway.

Go on. ]

[taketori]

Hence why I mentioned it to be a theory. It all sounds counterproductive, but remember: this wasn't really about disposing of the body. It was about making sure we were aware that Arisu was dead. I'd assume that the location was there simply to help narrow down the suspects.

[ It certainly worked, for the most part. ]

As for where... that's not easy to come up with. It'd be much easier to figure something like that out if we noticed anything was askew in any of the other rooms, or if there was more blood on her person than we found.

[rearranger]

You think so? Maybe it was just somebody playing games. I know people like that. It's fine to hypothesize, but you need something to back it up so we can build up on it. A shaky foundation just falls apart.

[ This is the kind of thing one of his coworkers would do just for fun. It's harsh, but then, for an AI that's based in logic and problem solving it's probably only natural. ]

Hmm... To narrow down the suspects, huh? Well, Sara mentioned a motive, right? Why don't we turn it around then. Why would somebody need to frame you kids in particular? Wouldn't it make more sense to cast a wide net and see how much confusion and uncertainty you can cause? For example... If you just threw her off the roof then it could've been anyone, right? It'd be a huge pain to narrow it down.

[ In other words... ]

If you got nothing to do with it, then who'd you piss off, kiddo?

[commences]

( was coming to get him, but these are easy, smooth, and valid responses that have no bite to them so komaeda will just go and danganronpa stand off in the corner until he's needed. )

[commences]

Sigh... You're really stupid, you don't understand VP-san at all, do you?

( miyuki was here before, but he acts so attentive, but to hear this running theory almost disappoints him because there's something specific about the vice principal that has always stood out. )

She rewards murderers the merit points, before during the first murder, she really didn't care. With that fact in mind, she said she's unable to control the school, and goes by set rules... if you paid attention before, you'd know. Coming back from whatever dead place you floated in makes blonds even more unintelligent...

( but he digresses looking at miyuki to have a explanation about why this isn't right, but it's important because if she saw a murder, she wouldn't do anything, then have the students fix it. there's a reason they don't ask for the cops to be involved, and why the bodies are sent to the student council. )

So someone who didn't know must have taken part, which must have been you since you've clearly forgotten... is your hope that fragile you can't even piece this together?

[taketori]

You're right, I don't understand her. I don't think I've said two words to her since I've been here. Even if she didn't care if Arisu was dead in front of her, that wouldn't mean anything to the murderer.

[ Which, annoyingly of course, comes right back to him. Miyuki's fists clench-- damn it, his lack of information on that front's his undoing so far. Still, even though it's not definitive and has a lot of holes, he's prepared to defend his stance. ]

All that does is add another element: someone who doesn't give a damn about merit points or anything like that. And before you say anything, yes, that does include me as well.

[ He might as well put that on the table. What good are merit points to him? If anything he just uses it to buy coffee, and even then. ]

Maybe I can't on my own, and I can't with people that I necessarily trust myself. [ They don't go to this school. ] However, once all of the pieces are laid out, it's just a matter of having them assembled. With or without me.

[ Seeing as how he's been under pressure this whole time... but he can't stop here. He can't be the same useless weakling that he always was. He's gotta try harder.

How can he stand beside anybody if he backs down like this? ]

[commences]

That would mean you, ( agreeing ) you're capable of murdering too... someone like that could attack the her without a care in the world.

( he thinks back to the battle royale to obtain the student council position, and he recalls miyuki as one of the many who would lash out at the players. could that be left over to attack the vice principal? maybe, because at that point it doesn't matter who comes in his way. it's a shame though, being under the influence means he won't be charged for his crime. such a cop out, he thinks. )

"With or without you", don't try to get all tough now! If you say something like that, it's almost as if you're up to something!

( it's one of those speeches where if it comes down to it, he'll break away or place punishment on himself if he's wrong or something. komaeda doesn't care for that, so he lifts one hand to wave. dismissing the idea. )

Are you afraid that it'll be different now? ...She's not here to give leniency, you may just as very well die. All those holes in your theory, the pieces that don't make sense... fill them. There's no need for a dumb blond in the group!

( soft sigh... be a smart blond. )

[taketori]

I may or may not be. I have most of you to thank for me having to be a little tougher this time around.

[ Even if he's definitely, internally, trying to keep himself together. Which truthfully... Komaeda's only half right. If Miyuki's wrong, he's wrong. There's no helping that.

If he's right, then there's still something else he has to do. ]

--It's something we're all capable of, Komaeda. What separates us is that I have respect for the person who believed I could help her cause. If I didn't live up to that, then I would've turned down the opportunity she gave me.

[ Which is pissing him off even more, and dragging him back down to thinking about it. Yes, he didn't know Maya as much as anyone else may have, and he sure as hell didn't know anything about the Vice Principal. Hell, up until now, he hadn't known what had happened to him (dead place? He'll have to ask someone later about that). But this was a failing on his part, in one way or another. ]

Don't underestimate me. I may not be experienced in solving murder, but those who don't know how to fight also don't know how to hold back.

[ Stole that line. Oops. ]

[commences]

Ooh, you're getting all scary! I'm shaking in my boots, are you going to kill me too...?

( there's that provoking smile, one that wants miyuki to do something because who else will? if he feels that ferocious, if he finds that he's going to bite then he should. komaeda won't stop him at all, it's pretty interesting to provoke someone and then watch them back into a corner. he should let him know about that, too. )

When you say that, I'll do it anyway. Words mean nothing, it's action. Prove your case, don't just ramble on with guesses, shooting your shot in the dark is practically you placing a gun to your head.

( he mimics that too, holding up one hand in the shape of a gun, placing it to his temple, and a gunshot sound is made as he pulls the imaginary trigger. after, he crosses his arms and looks to the side. glancing through the groups of people, hm... )

Temper your anger, though. The moment you stroke, not being able to remain composed, you lose any faith people had in you.

( he got on sara about this, it seems everyone has a bad habit with that, but back to important matters. )

Now... if the VP-san and Arisu-san were communicating, did you check their pdas, cellphones, or anything like that? Arisu-san wouldn't carry something so personal on her, she plays by the rules, but a vice principal can do anything.

[dereban]

The weirdest part about this, for me, personally is that - okay, let's say hypothetically, someone had used fire magic, or let's go with a torch, something like that. What's odd is that her clothes were untouched at all to begin with. Makes it seem more likely that it was less... fire, and more of something else.

I'm not so sure about an accomplice, though. Adding an accomplice to the mix tends to make things a lot more difficult for the killer as it stands -- but I suppose it wouldn't shock me, either. There's a lot of work to be done, but given the span of time along with the added silence, I don't necessarily think that it's impossible for a single person to have done it. But I'm also not saying that it's impossible for multiple people, either.

There just... I don't know, hard to say that there's any proof one way or another.

[Just gives a vague wringing handgesture, followed up with a sigh.]

Anyway, going back around to the burns.

[And what was mentioned--]

Maybe they both ingested sulfuric acid, or some sort of other poison that can cause skin burns or something. If they care about merit points, they wouldn't have wanted to kill the vice principal. But what if they had no intention of killing the vice principal? What if it was just... an accident that the vice principal ended up getting killed? If they poured the poison into one pot and the two of them shared the drink from the pot, they'd both share the same inflictions, right?

[taketori]

Mmm... honestly, poisoning sounds possible, at least from Arisu's standpoint. From what I recall, there weren't any signs of a struggle, simply plenty of blisters on her body.

Still, that seems like a pretty careless way to go, not to mention that the Vice Principal's wounds seemed to be a bit worse.

[dereban]

Ahaha, it is a bit careless, isn't it? After all, you just might end up killing people that weren't your intentional target, huh~?

[taketori]

...

[ Eh? ]

I'm sorry?

[dereban]

...I'm saying that both Maya and the vice principal may not have been the ones targeted after all.

[taketori]

I don't remember seeing the lists to begin with. I didn't join the student council until we had finished with our exams.

[ Although. If that's the case-- ]

Rather than being the suspect, then... is it possible that Amami could've been a motive?

[dereban]

You mean like - someone else got ahold of the Secret Santa information and went all yandere? I mean, an over-the-top kill like that could also scream "notice me, senpai"...

[It's hard to tell just how serious Inaba's taking this given how neutral her voice sounds right now, though.]

[taketori]

It could-- in general, my idea is that someone wanted Amami's wish to come true, and so they took it into their own hands. That's just a theory though.

That said, I don't really think anyone would go that far to be noticed--

[ . . . . . . ]

Actually, I take that back.

[sisters]

Even if there really was anyone who was that interested in granting my wish...

( and that's a big "if"! )

They should know I wouldn't want that if it meant they were going to go this far.

( he doesn't like this idea either. might as well publicly shame any nameless admirers if that's the case. )