Everyone gathers in the guest house building and instantly notices one of the rooms has it's door blown open and hanging off the hinges. It appears Gachari was the one to find the body and as everyone takes a look into the room they can see complete devastation.

BGM: Despair Pollution

The room is charred black and filled with a strong stench of cooked meat. On the bed is a corpse that is barely recognizable with all the clothing and skin burdened and torn into different shades of the red spectrum. However as everyone gathered it is clear Aurora is the only one missing. The walls and furniture are the most damaged closer to the bed area and there are chunks of charred material littering the floor.

At this time Monozaki pops in. "Sup bitches. Looks like we FINALLY have the third death. Only took 2 weeks longer than it should have. You know the drill, here is the file."

Monozaki File:
The victim is Aurora.
The time of death is a second after midnight.
The body was found in Aurora's room in the Area 3.
Death was instantaneous.

>>3434

Investigation Time! Return to Private Threads

>>3435
Kai Munchausen: "I was with Aurora until she ran off, then Andy and I found the bomb was missing! You, one of you stole it! One of you! We were going to trap the next killer... and found Aiko after we heard the explosion...!"

Andy W. Hole: "Alibis, huh? As Ms. Bodyguard said, I had been with her almost the entire time. Aurora was with us too, but we had a bit of an argument and she stormed off alone. At this point it seems a bit silly to try to hide the bombs, huh? We found one and buried it. It had later been dug up while we were not watching..... Well, we will have to discuss this in detail during the trial. But yeah.... the one time that I was alone was when I was practicing botany. Kai and Aurora soon came along having been looking for me. The rest was as I said earlier."

Gachari Taku: "After I had found out the other group was hiding the bomb I decided to wait it out in the new area’s game room. Around midnight I heard an explosion so I went to go look and found the body."

Kizami Suzuya: "During free time, I remained in my room, nibbling on some snacks I saved up from day one. At the time of the murder, I was once again asleep in my guestroom."

Torasawa Aiko: "D-during free time I was just looking around the new areas. T-Then when it was night time I went back to my room in Area 1 to sleep and f-found Andy and Kai investigating Nao’s room. It l-looked like it had been blown up and they asked me to help plan a stakeout. I was with them from then until the a-announcement."

>>3436
Monozaki File:
The victim is Aurora.
The time of death is a second after midnight.
The body was found in Aurora's room in the Area 3.
Death was instantaneous.

Body Description:
The body was found burnt and charred to a crisp on her bed. On the body was her key to the room and under the remains of her pillow is a broken taser presumably for self defense.

Aurora’s Room Door:
The door to the room was burnt and damaged just like the rest of the room. It was found off its hinges and on closer inspection the lock was still set.

Damage to Aurora’s Room:
Judging from the marks the source of the blast came from right beside the bed on the bedside table. The table itself is mostly destroyed now.

Chunks of Charred Wood:
There was chunks of burnt wood scattered around the floor presumably from the bedside table and any other furniture. Among the pieces some chunks of burnt totem were found.

Area 3 Rooms:
It was found that the keys each person has for their own rooms works on their rooms in area 3. There are no duplicate keys and the rooms were in the same state as the ones in area 1 were originally found.

Nao’s Area 1 Room:
It was found that Nao’s room in area 1 experienced a similar explosion earlier in the day. The damage to the room itself matches the crime scene however Nao’s two totems were found burnt in this room.

Fountain Failsafe:
It was found that when you input the wrong combination after your chances are used in the fountain puzzle an internal bomb will blow up the fountain. This bomb is irremovable.

At this time an announcement comes on.

"Alright stop investigating! Time is up! I expect you all down in the courtroom asap!"

Everyone quickly goes through the motions and soon takes the elevator down to the fated room.

>>3438
Everyone takes their spots, the room surprisingly empty now, and Monozaki appears before you all.

"Oh poor Aurora. Woe is her.... I dunno, I already forget her shtick. Was she a hippy or something? Mental is more like it. Whatever, it's trial time baby."

(Nobody really had any issues last round so the trial will more or less be the same.)

>>3439

Round Three Trial Phase.

>>3439
BGM: Trial Suite

"Alright let's get this party started!"

Topic: What, specifically, was the murder weapon?

>>3441

"Ooh, this one's tough. I don't know. It could be heatstroke. Or possibly some sort of explosive. No, it was probably the heatstroke explosive."

>>3442
"Yeah. Kai and Andy already told us someone stole the bomb they had."

>>3443
Once again they had gathered. Aiko didn't feel like the investigation helped this time but she felt a bit more confident because of what happened before the murder.

"R-right but," she says holding her hand to her chest, "I saw Andy and Kai in front of Nao's room long before the body was found. Kai told me that they had detonated the bomb when they found out it was stolen. N-Nao's room was still smoldering when I got there so I don't think that bomb was used to kill Aurora."

>>3444

"Ah, that explains the explosion I heard while in my room. Oh, did I forget to mention that? How silly of me."

>>3444
Kai remained silent, not quite her usual self. The only thing she did in response to what was said was nod, and even that nod was so slight it was hard to see. She wasn't even sure she wanted to see this through to the end anymore....

"If that is the case then the bullet about the fountain interests me. The fountain in area 3 exploded as soon as I entered the building. I do not have anything to prove it wasn't me but my theory is someone had already solved the puzzle and taken the bomb, then detonated the fountain to cover it up."

>>3447
"That c-can work!" Aiko exclaimed unaware this puts suspicion on herself.

She tries to point her finger out in a confident pose but her arm is still close to her chest and it just makes her seem more nervous. "So, s-specifically speaking, that bomb was the murder weapon!"

>>3448
Kai would interrupt clearly and decisively, showing no character in her voice. "All of you on the other side... why didn't you stick together? You created a murder weapon."

Last edited at 18/08/21(Tue)18:52:40

>>3448

"If the bullet truth about the fountain is to be trusted (and I don't see why it shouldn't be), then by process of elimination, that seems to be the case."

>>3450
"Alright let put on your wizard hats and witch gowns for this next one."

Topic: How did the culprit create the locked room scenario in that case?

>>3451
"Wait."

Kai's voice was like a command. A dead, lifeless command.

"Andy and I... detonated our bomb as well. We wanted to get rid of it. There is... there is a chance we are the blackened...."

>>3452
"Oh is this a confession? Well by all means!"

>>3452

"What makes you say that? Elaborate."

>>3452
"I think we assumed Nao's room was your bomb... are you saying it wasn't? When did you detonate your bomb?"

>>3454
Kai looked uncomfortable.

"We lied. We found the bomb and buried it, because... because Aurora was acting strange. She wanted to use it as bait to catch the next killer. But we had an argument, and she... she ran off. When Andy and I went to see if the bomb was still there, the ground was disturbed. Someone had dug it up. We hesitated, but...."

Kai gritted her teeth, fists clenched angrily. "We decided... to detonate it anyway so that no one else could use it...! And we heard an explosion from Nao's room in area 1, but what if...? It was just before nighttime. The body announcement was heard a little while after, when we were planning to replace the door and stake it out to catch the one who stole it, but... the body announcement...!"

She paused. "What if WE killed Aurora?!"

Last edited at 18/08/21(Tue)19:18:33

>>3451
"A-actually I was wondering something this whole time!" her hand raised up as if asking a question in class.

"People keep s-saying they heard the e-explosions but I didn't hear a single one. However w-when I arrived at the building I saw the aftermath."

>>3457

"I definitely heard the explosion shortly before nighttime. I did not bother checking the cause of it at the time however, for safety reasons. But I did investigate the room later, so I assumed something blew up there when I heard the sound."

>>3456
>>3457
"I constantly look at my phones so I can tell you I heard the explosion in area 3 around midnight like the file said. So you can rest easy Kai, if you are telling the truth then that explosion must have been in Nao's room. As for Aiko's comment, I never heard the first explosion either. I bet you can only hear them if you are in the area."

>>3458
Kai jumped at those words, ignoring Aiko as she usually did. A fire sparked in her, threatening to burn over. "And what were you doing in area one at the time, Kizami?! Why didn't you investigate?! Was it you?!"

Kai was also getting dangerously close to going off-topic and derailing the entire trial if this kept up. Luckily, Taku jumped in with some words of wisdom, leaving her breathing heavily and looking a little ragged, but momentarily stopped.

Last edited at 18/08/21(Tue)19:31:58

>>3460

"Like I said, I was in my room, eating my snacks. It was supposed to be the safest place after all."

Kizami pauses then sighs.

"Well, I might as well admit to it, I guess. I was the one who stole your bomb."

>>3461
Kizami's confession caught Kai off guard. She had lost the wind in her sails, but... what was this? She was... right?

Kai just stared, unable to really understand what just happened.

"H-hold on. It is a fact that there were two explosions. One on the east side and one on the west side. How come everybody has only mentioned hearing one?"

>>3461
"W-wait," Aiko said while still not entirely convinced.

"So y-you stole the bomb that Kai and Andy had and put it into Nao's room?" Aiko carefully chose her words. After all we just established that bomb wasn't used to kill Aurora.

>>3463
"I think my theory worked. The explosions can only be heard in the area it happens."

>>3462

"I'm guessing you want an explanation. Fine, I'll tell you. I think you guys in area one are complete tools. Who in their right mind would bury something like that in the open? I bet you left somebody guarding the place too at one point. In a sort of 'hey, something important is here, come check it out!'.

You were honestly lucky it was me who found it. I hid it someplace safer. Good thing I didn't decide to stick it in my own room." Kizami shudders.

>>3465
Monozaki sips some totally-not-alcohol from a cup. Can't raise the esrb rating.

"Yeah I'll just go and confirm that since it is a bit off topic. You wouldn't be able to hear an explosion that happens in a different area."

>>3466
Kai reached for the gun on her belt... but didn't draw it. She knew it wouldn't do anything. Aurora... Aurora was right. They were all a bunch of psychopaths...!

But Taku was right. Something about areas. Kai had to focus, since she was seeing red. Don't think about Kizami... think about the murder.

>>3468
"Maybe I should have made that gun real. That would have been funny. Anyway onto that topic. Here is a reminder, we were talking about how the bomb was used."

Topic: How did the culprit create the locked room scenario in that case?

>>3469
"The door was locked when it exploded," Kai said through clenched teeth, keeping herself together. "And... Aurora had the key to her room. She locked her door when she left it for the last time, too...."

>>3470

"Now correct me if I'm wrong. There's something that I'm not 100% certain on yet, but the bomb you found had some sort of detonator, correct?"

>>3471
"C... correct." Just that one word seethed malice at Kizami, held back. "Andy has it, and it works from anywhere within the facility. Anyone could have pressed the switch for the other one, since it's fairly small and easy to hide."

>>3470
Aiko didn't want to remember the sight of the crime scene but she did her best to imagine it.

"I-I think if the culprit hid the bomb in there it wouldn't have been on the beside table. U-under the bed would be better hidden. N-not to mention she was in area 3. I-If it was me I would have thought Aurora would have gone to sleep in area 1 like normal."

Last edited at 18/08/21(Tue)20:24:20

>>3473
"Sitting in on the table in plain sight? It's almost as if she placed the bomb there herself. An accident? Or maybe a suicide?"

>>3474
"No."

Kai refuted Andy's answer immediately. "It wasn't suicide. She... she knew that we were going to detonate it when she stormed off! She was so afraid of those bombs... so why would she even thinking about locking herself in a room and placing one on the table while she laid down right next to it? If she knew that the area 3 group had somehow saved their bomb, she would never have put it right next to her head! She... she was terrified of all of you...!"

"And rightly so."

Last edited at 18/08/21(Tue)20:39:17

>>3475
A light bulb flashed inside Aiko's head. If it wasn't suicide...

"I h-have an idea. W-what if she did put it there herself? In t-the room, there are totem chunks. But in N-nao's room they are only burnt. W-what if the bomb was inside the totem she got earlier? S-so it blew up and c-chunks went everywhere!"

>>3476
"The totems...?" Kai seemed to have the same lightbulb go off. "That's... that's it! Aurora took a totem that we found in the guard room! But when could someone have switched it out...?" Kai's eyes were more suspicious than usual. It was like Aurora's paranoia had transferred itself over to Kai.

>>3477
"Well it seems you guys are set on how the closed room was made at least. Let's move on then!"

Topic: Considering the method of murder, can we narrow down the suspects?

>>3478
"I agree. It must have been in the totem. I actually have some evidence that may support that." Taku will show everyone the Hobby House Totem. "Consider that this totem has a label on it. If we assume Monozaki is consistent then there shouldn't be another totem in the Hobby House. However then where did the other totem come from?"

>>3479
Hobby House Totem: A totem found by Taku. It has a shiny silver plate on it that reads “Hobby House” and was found in the mining room.

>>3480
"Then... wait. We found the totem in the guard room. There were two in the hobby house? Or... had that totem been rigged from the beginning...?"

Last edited at 18/08/22(Wed)19:14:54

>>3481

"Rigged from the start? Plot twist, Monozaki was the culprit all along. He was afraid we would stop following the rules of the game and decided to take the matter into his own hands. We've solved it everyone."

>>3482
"What!? That bear was the culprit all along? How could this be!"

>>3481
Aiko's head started to hurt. Totems, totems everywhere.

"A-aurora said she found a key to the area doors so a-anyone who had a totem could have done it. I c-checked the unlocked rooms before c-coming to the trial and the totems were there, so that only leaves Kai a-and Kizami... Maybe?"

>>3483
"Shut up. It wasn't me."

Apparently Kai wasn't even joking around. "You can check my room. My totem is still there."

>>3485

"Actually, are we allowed to perform a check of the totems in everyone's rooms? If not, I'm afraid all we have to rely on is testimony..."

>>3486
"Now that wouldn't be very exciting now would it? I'd rather just screw the mystery and see which two of you people trust more. Upupu."

>>3487
"I said that it wasn't me!" Kai shouted far too loudly. "Why would I kill Aurora?! My job is to protect people, not kill them! I didn't do it! It was that madman over there!"

>>3488

BGM: Dead One

"...Correct.

I've got something to tell you, Kai Munchausen. The bomb was meant for you. It is for that purpose that I placed it in your hobby house room.

You've signed Aurora's death warrant twice. The first time was when you allowed her to take the totem meant to kill you. And the second time... was when you scared her off by wanting to detonate the other bomb. Some bodyguard you are... You couldn't even protect the one person you held dear.

...

You know, there's nothing more terrifying than a dull death..."

Kizami grows silent.

>>3489
Kai's eyes went wide with Kizami's sudden shift in tone. There was murder in them, but as he continued to speak... something else seeped in. Something she couldn't show to anyone.

Kai pulled her cap over her eyes to hide it, one hand resting on the gun on her hip. "Sh... shut up...." she hissed, her voice suddenly sounding weak. For the first time, she sounded terrified of something. She'd been able to face everything head on so far, but... not this.... Kai couldn't process it. She couldn't handle it.

Because... he was right... wasn't he...?

>>3489
Aiko couldn't help but gulp when Kizami spoke. Nao and Mori were one thing but this was... malicious. Any words she attempted to form failed to escape her lips.

>>3489
"I should ask for your motive but I am not sure I want to know anymore."

Last edited at 18/08/22(Wed)20:07:46

"The monster so willingly admits to his deeds...

Kai, this wasn't your fault! You can't lose hope yet! To carry on in the face of adversity is the best we can do for those who have gone before us. I'll do it for Mori, you do it for Aurora."

>>3493
Kizami's words kept repeating in her head. She'd done the exact opposite of what she had promised to do. She slid her cap further down, doing everything she could to hide her expression. Further, and further yet until eventually... it fell off.

And standing there, hugging herself, was what was left of the Ultimate Bodyguard. Right now... she looked more like a terrified high school student than the immovable statue she had been before. Through it all, Andy's words barely reached her ears... but at least she heard them. At least there were other words to fight against the ones rattling around in her head.

"Alright looks like it is voting time!"

One by one everyone hits the buttons, solemn and without comment.

"And the votes are in! Let's see the results!"

A big screen comes down and on it everyone's names are listed with the votes coming on afterwards.

---


Torasawa Aiko:

Sugimoto Nao:

Kizami Suzuya: IIIII

Mori Akane:

Andy W. Hole:

Kai Munchausen:

Hadaka Wafuku:

Shimizu Aurora:

Yuu Seiko:

Gachari Taku:

---

You voted for Kizami Suzuya for the culprit! That answer is... CORRECT! CONGRATULATIONS!

(execution will be posted after this tomorrow)

>>3495
"Well then, any last words?" Monozaki asks Kizami this, but he gets no response, so with a shrug the bear hits the button causing the room to go dark.

BGM: Punishment Rocket

The spotlight comes on in the distance and everyone can see Kizami has been re-positioned there. He is upright in what looks like a body cage of some sort modeled so the human body could just fit inside. It looks like one of those medieval torture devices with the metal crisscrossed in order to allow for gaps. Slowly the whole thing starts to rotate around and from the sides large chunks of wood start being raised closer to the cage. The pieces have metal spikes attached and one by one begin slamming into the cage, both attaching itself to the cage and stabbing into Kizami just enough to draw blood but not enough to kill.

One by one they get faster and faster as he continues to rotate at an increasing speed. As the cage slowly gets built up it becomes clear what is being build; a good old totem. With the make shift sarcophagus slowly leaking and being drenched in blood it finally comes to a stop as the crowning head piece slowly comes down with a nice final spike to end it all. Slowly it comes down, but at the last moment Kizami's eyes open wide and his head explodes in an engulfing blast of gore. The sound of rain sprinkles the floor from all the guts and blood left. Despite the lack of head the final piece clicks into the cage and with that the lights turn off once again.

Once the lights come back on the sight has been removed like usual and everyone is left standing around.

(As per usual the next round will take a few days to prepare. Expect the next to be the final round.)

>>3496
Kai forced herself to watch. She had to. She... was responsible for this. And Aurora. Everything was her fault, and she wouldn't allow herself to look away.

But the Ultimate Bodyguard was only human. She had gone too long stretching her night patrols and failing to keep people safe. Kai collapsed on the floor in a heap.

After some time everyone manages to leave the room and head back to their rooms in area 1.

End of Round 3

Everyone wakes up to the usual chime of the morning announcement. After all this you almost just ignore it as you expect the usual voice of the stupid bear to come on... Or so you expected.

The silence makes you turn to the monitor and notice the bear is missing from his chair and the announcement shortly turns off without saying anything.

Without anything better to do everyone decides to meet up in the cafeteria anyway. The four of you all make it there without issue.

>>3500

Start of the Final Round. Event Phase

>>3500
Kai stumbled into the cafeteria at her usual time, but she wasn't quite herself. She didn't test the food for poison and simply threw together a disorganized plate and began eating in silence, staring at nothing as she did.

>>3502
Aiko nervously eyed the others as Kai took her seat. She asked herself whether or not to say something to her but she had never been good at that kind of thing. Besides, something more important was on her mind.

"D-Did you guys see that announcement?"

Last edited at 18/09/15(Sat)16:50:20

>>3503
Kai tried to get back to how she had been before. She turned her head to give her usual glare to Aiko, since ignoring her had become something of a tradition, but... Kai's eyes lacked the usual intensity. It was more like a child trying to be intimidating.

"The bear got lazy." That was all she said.

>>3504
"Hmm, is that really just laziness? He has been consistent up until now. He was also making this round seem like it was going to be different in some way."

>>3505
"Then maybe it's over."

Kai looked away to keep up the act. Be strong.

>>3506
"But why did the announcement even happen if he wasn't there to say anything? Is it automated?"

>>3507
Kai took a deep breath and shook her head, barely eating. "It's the 4th round," Kai offered, deadpan.

She tossed something onto the middle of the table. It was a card key... the one that she had found in Mori's room. It was active now., and it had a message on it.

"Moonlight F0"

>>3508
"I suppose that is our only lead at the moment. Should we go look in the moonlight building then, everyone?"

>>3509
Kai just... nodded. She pushed away the rest of her food and stood up. Stay strong. Guard them. Protect everyone.

>>3510
Aiko peeked at the key card as she threw some of the cafeteria food into her mouth.

"I-I'm okay with that." She said after swallowing. She continue to quietly think. Perhaps it leads to an escape route.

Last edited at 18/09/20(Thu)18:14:49

>>3511
Everyone decides to check out the moonlight building and try to find some answers to this key business.

Once in the building you can see a "F1" on one of the walls, so the group continues to the basement level for now.

>>3512
Kai followed along, trying to remain alert. Was this a trap? Was it an escape? That room Kizami had found? Kai's thoughts were a blur. "Where?" She couldn't contribute much other than single words.

Without Aurora around to give her guidance, Kai just felt... useless.

>>3513
At the end of the passage everyone can see two doors. One at the end that is haphazardly covered with nailed in wooden planks. The other no different from the usual. The latter is locked. You don't see any key card slot on these doors, at least.

>>3514
Although Aiko often wasn't sure of herself in these situations there was one thing she could count on, for better or for worse.

"H-here. I t-think I can..." She will try to remove the plants covering the door.

>>3515
You swat off the wood plants like it was plastic wrap and the splintered pieces fall to the ground. As you do so the door opens and everyone can see inside.

Seems like Kizami wasn't lying, for once.

>>3516
Kai watched as even Aiko was useful for once. What had Kai ever done to protect anyone?

Shaking her head, she looked around. Was there a card key slot? Was a certain bear anywhere in sight? Was there anything useful?

>>3517
You check the room and find that sure enough it looks like the room you saw when you first woke up in this nightmare. Just like before the room is strangely void of color and gives off a stifling sterile feeling.

This time however you do happen to notice a small slit for a key card on the side of the black board.

>>3518
Since no one seemed to react immediately, Kai walked over. This was something to do. Something to be useful.

She put the card in the slot.

>>3519
You slide the card in and an audible beep is heard. After a few seconds a futuristic whoosh is heard and from the backboard a seam becomes visible.

Following this it pushes out from the wall and moves aside revealing a secret staircase heading downwards deeper into the ground.

>>3520
"I take it nobody votes to NOT enter the staircase?"

>>3521
".... I guess not. I'll take the lead."

Kai had to be useful. She had to be guarding people. Kizami had been wrong. Wrong.

>>3522
Everyone descends the staircase and eventually it leads into a long hallway heading forwards. Like the room above the walls are white and every few meters is ceiling lamp to illuminate the way.

The first instinct is to move forward, but as everyone starts to move forward in the distance where the hallway turns the corner you see something. A silhouette of a person standing at the end. As if it notices you suddenly it darts around the corner and out of sight.

>>3523
Kai's instincts finally kicked back in. A threat. She could protect everyone again. She could still protect people.

Without a word, not even seeing if anyone would follow, Kai took off in a dash, long legs carrying her toward where the figure went.

>>3524
"Not a bear silhouette, but a person?" Aiko thought this before Kai ran past her.

She took a flustered double-take at the group then quickly began running off after Kai hoping she could help. "W-wait up!"

>>3524
>>3525
Aiko quickly passes Kai in the pursuit with thunderous foot-quakes as they run around the corner; the boys following as well but lagging behind. Around the left corner the hallway continues for a short bit until turning right. Aiko, now ahead of Kai, turns this corner and sees the end of the hall, however instead of a dead end there are a series of doors.

BGM: Darkness Time

You can see three doors, one on either side and one at the very end. Coming closer you notice the one on the end is much thicker and looks extremely sturdy. It also has some words on it. “Emergency unlock found in Labs 1 and 2. 4 terminals total, 2 in each. Must be activated at the same time.” Seems like the doors on the sides lead to labs of some sort. Eventually all four of you regroup in front of said doors.

>>3526
Kai swore under her breath as Aiko passed her. Not strong enough. What if there had been a killer around the corner? Kai would've failed again.

But when they all regrouped at the doors, Kai just stared blankly. "Terminals...?" she asked to no one in particular. Unless stopped, she'd try to open the doors and see which ones were locked.

>>3527
"It sounds like we will have to check these other doors either way." Taku will try the door to the right.

>>3528
A sturdy door... Is it really that strong? Maybe she could just...

Aiko will attempt to forcibly open the big door.

Last edited at 18/09/26(Wed)21:08:25

>>3529
You grasp the door and yank with all your might. Your muscles bulge and the tiles crack under your feet from the force. Sadly, the door doesn't budge. Looks like this is the real deal.

>>3527
You find the door labeled "Lab 1" unlocked so you open it. Inside Lab 1 you glance over the area briefly and can see a number of desks and walls with pinned medical scans and blueprints and other documents thrown over the desks. To the left and right are two doors that lead into other rooms.

>>3528
Taku takes hold of the other door and also opens it. Lab 2 has the same layout, however the contents differ. The main room instead has mechanic parts and large boxes of electronic material on the desks. This room also has walls with blueprints but they look more for traditional architecture. He too can't see much from here but the layout is the same.

>>3530
"St... stay together."

Kai's words lacked their usual bite. Aurora would know what to do here, right? Everything had been much simpler with a clear goal. Ignoring her own words, she walked into lab 1, her eyes on the documents. Information... right. That was the first key to guarding people.

>>3530
Taku will head into the lab and look at the desks while keeping an eye out for anyone.

>>3530
"Hmmah! N-no use..." Aiko mumbles to herself. She has a slightly disappointed look on her face. For once her one talent was useless.

However this is only for a moment. Soon after she raises her head with determination and walks into Lab 2 to see if she can see what the other rooms are.

Last edited at 18/09/27(Thu)23:48:48

>>3531
Once inside you hear a noise come from above the door. Although a bit startled at first you quickly realize it is just a chime for the door when it opens. Andy also follows you in.

As you get closer to the desks you can see the scans on the walls are various images of what looks to be different angles of the human brain. Near the back of the brain in all the scans is a lot of white parts that don't really looks like bone... but more inorganic if you had to guess. You aren't really an expert so you can't really say for sure what it is. Each one is labeled from 1-10.

The documents on the table prove to be somewhat useless as they are mostly blacked out and scattered around. You are able to make up a few paragraphs that catch your eye. The name Hope's Peak pops up and you can outline parts that, from what you can infer, suggests they were either funding whatever this was or some other organization was actively trying to undermine them.

>>3532
Once in Lab 2 you also hear a chime before heading over to the desks. Looking around at all the parts it becomes quite clear that the documents and designs here are prototypes and designs for the various facilities you have been using. You can see designs for each of the buildings and doors.

In that back there is also a large device that when investigated appears to be some sort of super-advanced 3d printer. Next to it you can see what appears to be a half eaten apple.

>>3533
You enter after Taku and continue onward to look through the windows on the lab doors and into the other rooms. The room to the left has a number of black and white boxes containing mechanic parts laying around and a big dentist-looking machine that seems fairly broken.

The door to the right leads to what looks like some sort of testing area with portions of the rooms and buildings you have seen up above on different testing mats. They sit there as if they were just cut out with the inside of the walls and wires visible to see. Both rooms also have doors leading smaller rooms at the very back of the labs.

>>3534
Information was definitely the best way to protect people, but... but was she supposed to make of this? 10 brain scans, a dentist chair of some kind, mats and apples....

A little unsteady, she turned to make sure she wasn't going to be left alone if she ventured off into the door leading from Lab 1.

>>3535
"U-wa. J-just what kind of things happened here..." Aiko carefully opens the door to the room with the black and white parts and investigate the machine more closely.

Last edited at 18/10/03(Wed)21:23:09

>>3535
Andy would be in the room behind you at least. There are two doors in each main lab room that lead to other rooms. The one to the right in Lab1 seems to lead to some sort of infirmary. The one on the left looks like some sort of storage room for medical supplies. Both also have one final door leading even further.

>>3536
The parts are very complex and mechanical... yep you don't really get it. The chair itself pretty clearly has a portion to strap your head into and hold it there. Above this part is a large collection of sharp and pointy looking implements that were no doubt intended to be used on whoever was put into this thing.

>>3537
Kai looked for any medical equipment in the infirmary. She had basic knowledge of medicine and first aid, so maybe this could help her get her confidence back.

>>3537
Considering she wasn't finding anything worthwhile in this room Aiko will go to the room at the very back and continue investigating.

>>3538
You find some syringes and basic drugs like pain killers and antibiotics. In addition there are some first aid kits and patient robes. Nothing partially to note despite the mysterious nature of the whole place but good items if needed.

>>3539
The final room's walls are covered in sensors and other blinking lights. In the middle of the room is a terminal with a few switches and a big button that says "Emergency Door Lock Release".

Everyone is fairly sure nobody is hiding in lab 1 or 2 at this point.

>>3540
Kai took a small amount of painkillers, antibiotics, and other first aid equipment. No more deaths. Not on her watch.

"But then.... Wait. Wait...."

Kai ran out to try and gather everyone back together. "No one saw anything? That person? But then how...?"

>>3540
"I guess there is only one place they could be. Behind that bunker door. If that is the case our next move is to hit those buttons."

>>3542
Aiko returned to the group and listened. She didn't see anyone in the lab so Taku's suggestion made sense but she was surprised whoever this was could outrun her. Maybe the hallways were longer than she thought.

"O-oh but if they a-are in there... W-when the door opens they could just run away again. M-maybe we could block off the exit with some of the things in the lab?" she suggests.

>>3543
You check the halls and find them about as long as you thought. Maybe they really are that fast.

You find the room with the building materials could easily block off the exit. Easy to carry with your strength.

>>3543
"That sounds like a plan. What do you guys think?"

Last edited at 18/10/08(Mon)19:28:35

>>3545
Kai looked up at the bunker door.

"Hold on," she said again, looking unsure. "But... doesn't this door take 2 people to open? Aren't there 2 terminals that have to be hit at the same time?"

Kai didn't like this, but she didn't have much choice. Everything was wrong. Without someone telling her what to do, she was just confused.

>>3546
It seems like it takes four people. There are four terminals in total. Two in each lab.

>>3546
"Looks like it is actually four. We can block off the escape route and then each hit one of the buttons and then return back to the middle."

>>3548
Kai nodded and looked for something to block off the escape route. Once everything was in place, she'd wait for the signal at one of the terminals.

>>3549
Aiko blocks off the exit with actual pieces of walls found in Lab 2 and everyone splits off to go press their individual buttons. Aiko and Taku in Lab 2, Andy and Kai in Lab 1.

As you enter your lab the chime goes off again and you split off from your partner to the other room and head to the terminal to go hit the button. Once there you wait a few moments to make sure everyone is in position and press and hold down the button. You can see on a monitor it shows a number of how many are being held down. Two come on fairly quickly and after a few seconds another pops on. There is only one left but it is taking quite some time. Right before you start to worry and take your hand off the button it eventually comes on and a solid beep is heard and the words "Emergency Door Unlock Activated".

Nobody heard the chime go off but just to be save everyone is careful to make sure the person didn't enter their lab as they went back to the hallway. Anyone extra meticulous does a quick look in the other rooms of each lab in case one of the others missed someone hiding. The barrier blocking the exit is intact and no signs of it being moved. Everything suggests that nobody could have escaped the area.

Everyone is now in front of the secure door. The large metal bars have retracted and the words "Unlocked" are seen on a digital display.

>>3550
Kai paid no heed to the button presses, instead running to the door as it unlocked.

Assuming no one had anything to add, she would offer to open the door, just in case.

>>3551
"Nothing else to do, go for it." Taku will follow behind Kai.

>>3551
You open the door carefully. Inside is mostly darkness but at the very end you see the blue glow of monitors. You and Taku slowly make your way forward and the others follow slightly behind you.

As you slowly inch forward the room comes into view. Along the walls are various monitors and control panels lined with buttons. The walls at the back, where you enter from, have various metal shelves with more electronics and wires that weave down and around the room in various locations.

In the middle of the room in front of the monitors there is a large revolving chair with the back facing your group. And there you see...

Guess what time it is?

Blood slowly drips down and is pooling below the chair onto the tiles. Hanging limp you can see the blood running the lower half of someone's arm. From here you can only see that their posture must be limp as well since their feet are jutting out the front of the chair motionlessly on the ground.

At this time, although more muffled than usual, you suddenly hear the familiar sound announcing a body being found. "A body has been found!" You hear the bear say before cutting off leaving you already at the crime scene.

>>3553
Kai... just stared. A body? Whose? She slowly turned to the others, counting them, and turned back.

And, assuming she wasn't stopped, she would numbly step up and turn the chair around.

>>3554
"Even if we don't kill there will be death?" Taku feels a bit nauseous and leans on one of the shelves to keep balance.

Last edited at 18/10/12(Fri)11:28:27

>>3555
As Kai is walking further into the room everyone hears a slow creaking sound coming from the ceiling. Some loose panels suddenly break and debris and rubble comes crashing down on the room. Everyone quickly backs off to the entrance of the control-like room. Although you are sure you got hit by some of the pieces you pat yourself down and don't find any wounds.

After the debris has settled, luckily enough it seems like the room itself isn't actually that damaged. It mostly just fell around the middle where the chair was. Kai continued where she left off and carefully enters the room again.

The ceiling has a hole now that doesn't go anywhere but merely shows the source of the debris. However when Kai turns around the chair a peculiar sight is found. The body has been crushed by some of the debris and organs and blood have splattered out in a gross paste. The arms, legs, and lower torso are still visable but the head is long gone.

BGM: Mr. Monokuma's Extracurricular Lesson V3

While everyone takes in the sight you hear someone clearing their throat from behind. There standing at the door entrance is the bear. "Surprise! I bet you missed me huh? You guys really made a mess in here! I would clean up but seems like you probably need to investigate. Upupu! Anyway, I probably shouldn't but... Fuck it, I'll whip up a Monozaki File anyway. One sec."

Monozaki File:
-Identity: Unknown
-Cause of Death: Unknown
-Time of Death: Unknown. However you may assume it would have been after you all entered the basement.

"Not much help, but whatever. On to real news. I did say you get a chance to escape right? Of course just letting you guys find a key is too simple, have to make it a little more exciting right? So we'll have one last trial for all the marbles! If you solve the mystery then I'll unlock those big metal doors in area 3 and you can finally leave! But yeah, guess that is it. I'll leave you to it then." He then pops away without a trace like usual.

>>3556
Everything happened at once. It was all a blur as Kai's instincts kicked in and got her out of the way of the collapsing rubble. Then the Monozaki file, and the prospect of finally leaving this hell....

Kai didn't even consult the others before she started to investigate. The file was unhelpful, Monozaki was unhelpful, so it was up to her. What could she find out about the body up close and in person?

>>3557
A close look at the body reveals them to be somewhat slender but you can't quite tell their sex. They were wearing some fairly basic looking pants but no shoes or socks. Assuming you try, the pants seem trapped under the debris and too difficult to pull off. This also blocks searching the pockets. The body is still slightly warm and the skin is somewhat rough to the touch. Based on the debris and location of the body, even if you were able to remove it the head and upper torso must be completely crushed flat.

Bullet Truth Get: Body Description

>>3558
Still warm? Kai shuddered, not understanding. Everyone else was dead. Who in the hell was this? Kai tried moving the rubble, but to no avail. Just to be sure, she tried to look closer at the debris, to see if it had fallen in any specific pattern. What had caused it to collapse at that exact second?

>>3559
It does seem too heavy for you to lift. As for the debris there doesn't seem to be any distinct pattern besides that it is mostly localized right on top of the body. In the ceiling the hole where the debris fells down looks fairly clean, but you can't see much else.

Bullet Truth Get: Debris

>>3560
Kai had done this investigation thing enough to know that she shouldn't overlook any kind of detail. She wasn't strong enough to lift the debris, but... the body had been sitting on a chair. Could she find the remains of the chair and see if anything had been done to it?

>>3556
Taku will walk around the labs and double checking for any spots anyone could have hid. During this time he will also check the blockage Aiko made.

>>3562
Aiko was shocked and remained motionless for a moment. We finally broke into the room but the sight found there... After regaining her composure she tried to look at the rest of the room and examine the monitors.

When she saw Kai struggling to move the debris she would try to move it herself. "H-Here let me try."

Last edited at 18/10/15(Mon)09:19:07

>>3561
The large chair is almost more like a cockpit. It is metal and very sturdy looking with some control panels on the arm rests. The chair itself is actually fine despite the debris. Or at least as fine as being stained with blood and viscera can be.

Off to the side you notice an ominous digital panel that reads “Deterrent Controls”. On it you can see… your names. It looks like the others were on this list at some point as well but have been crossed off. You can’t activate it but you notice everyone else has a 0 next to their name whereas you (Kai) has 1.

Bullet Truth Get: Deterrent Controls

>>3562
You walk out of the room and double check the rest of the lab. You are fairly certain you would have noticed someone hiding. The blockage looks perfectly untouched.

>>3563
On the computer screens you can see camera feeds for the entire facility. You notice there are no cameras for this area which makes sense since you didn’t see any of the usual monitors anywhere down here. Most of the controls seem locked for some reason. Looks like you won’t be able to get out that easily.

On one of the screens you find a counter that says “4 people remain” and on another you can see a log for the door to this control room. It looks like the record goes back just far enough to when you first entered the basement. It reads:

-F_Door_Open
-N_Door_Open
-E_Door_Open

Bullet Truth Get: Door Logs

Beside the log monitor you can also see controls to open and lock the doors in the basement. Glancing over the rest of the room, you can see Deterrent Controls panel, the chair, the hole in the ceiling, the shelves, and the door.

You go over to the debris and manage to lift it off as if its just a solid chunk and throw it to the side. Underneath is well... a collection of guts, crushed bones, and various pieces of flesh. You are surprised something like the debris could cause this much damage. You can't really see anything that would help to identify who it was. You notice the ends of the limbs and lower torso are crushed in a fairly uniform fashion and are separated from most of the heaps of flesh.

>>3564
Kai had never felt so uneasy in her life. Why was there a number by her name? What was she deterred from? Kai, being terrible with computers, could only stare.

Kai looked around a little more, not sure where else she could find any more clues at the moment.

>>3565
You look around the room and glance over the areas you already searched once more without much to note.

Taking a look at the shelves reveals a number of computers with wires wrapped around the back and continue to wind throughout the room. The shelf is as dusty as the rest of the room but you notice a few small marks where the dust has been disturbed on one of the shelves. It’s hard to say what but it seems like something no larger than a brick and rectangle shaped was here.

Bullet Truth Get: Shelf Marks

For the most part you feel like you have finished searching this room of the basement.

>>3566
Kai, feeling lost, keeps her eyes on the others and slips out of the room.

Just to be sure, she retraces her steps back to the blockage before turning around to go and check out lab 1.

Last edited at 18/10/17(Wed)20:19:18

>>3567
The chime plays as you re-enter Lab 1 and take a look around. Nothing particularly stands out as different but you decide to be throughout anyway.

The infirmary and storage room don't prove to be much help so you just look over the documents and scans again. This time the word "Deterrent" catches your eye and you reread some of the passages. It doesn't seem to helpful considering the blacked out text but you are able to scavenge the info that whatever this "Deterrent" section is simply another feature of the overall project. Although the scans show those marks throughout the brain whatever the core goal for the project overall shows the majority localized in the very back.

Bullet Truth Get: Papers and Scans

>>3568
Kai blinked a few times, still feeling like she was in over her head, and then headed over to lab 2. There was so much she didn't understand....

>>3569
You head to Lab 2 and begin looking around but notice you didn't hear the chime. You decide to take a look above the door at the device and notice it seems to have a panel loose. Inside it looks like a wire has been severed and it no longer functions.

Bullet Truth Get: Broken Alarm

>>3564
Door logs? Aiko had an idea. She will try to close and open the door to this room using the controls and then check the log again for any difference.

Last edited at 18/10/18(Thu)16:16:03

>>3571
You do so and see the updated log:

-F_Door_Open
-N_Door_Open
-E_Door_Open
-N_Door_Open

Monozaki File
-Identity: Unknown
-Cause of Death: Unknown
-Time of Death: Unknown. However you may assume it would have been after you all entered the basement due to seeing the figure run as soon as you entered.

Body Description
Found under a pile of debris with the limbs sticking out. It was found to still be warm. Blood has splattered over the chair and started to pool on the ground. When lifting the debris all that could be found was crushed pieces of bone and flesh.

Barricade
A blockage made by Aiko. When in place nobody could enter or leave the Lab area. It was found to be undisturbed and still working as intended after finding the body. It was removed to let everyone leave after the investigation.

Debris
Debris fell from the ceiling directly above the chair where the body was. Everyone thought they were going to be hit by the rubble but they came out unscathed. The piece on the body proved too heavy to move for anyone besides Aiko. The hole in the ceiling is oddly clean.

Shelf Marks
An area of the dust on one of the shelves was found disturbed near the entrance. It seems like something rectangle shaped was here.

Door Log
A log of the activity for the door to the control room. A counter also said “4 people remain”. The log only shows activity from after you all entered the basement.
-F_Door_Open
-N_Door_Open
-E_Door_Open
-N_Door_Open(Added only when the door was opened by Aiko)

Deterrent Controls
A strange control panel with everyone’s names on it. Everyone has a 0 next to their name whereas Kai as 1.

Emergency Unlock
The control room can be unlocked by pressing 4 buttons, 2 in each lab. This was done right before investigating the control room. Everyone made sure nobody entered either of the labs after the door had opened and made sure nobody was hiding regardless of the fact nobody heard the alarm.

Lab 2 Alarm
The alarm in Lab 2 was found to be pried open. It has been forcibly disabled and was working when first searching the labs.

Lab 2 Items
There are a number of items in boxes here. You can see card keys, ropes, tape recorders, monokuma costumes, etc. If you had to guess it seems like the items for the Monozaki store were made here.

3D Printer
A highly advanced device in Lab 2. There are various digital blueprints stored in the machine for items and food that can be made extremely quickly. The device is rather low on materials.

Papers and Scans
The documents and scans in Lab 1 suggest some sort of project regarding human brains. There are 10 subjects and the scans show foreign inorganic material in the back of the brain.

White Room
The white classroom everyone woke up in at the start of the killing game. It vanished without a trace from Area 1 and was found later in the basements of the Moonlight Buildings. It has a hidden door that leads into the lab areas.

Lab Card Key
A key found in Mori’s room when Aurora, Kai, and Andy investigated it. It was found to unlock the lab basement.

Labs
A secret area of the faculty. Consists of a long hallway that leads to two labs and a control room. The whole area is oddly white and devoid of character similar to the classroom. Unlike the rest of the buildings and areas there are no monitors here.

---

Everyone is free to do last minute investigations anywhere they can access before the trial starts if they wish.

Everyone gathers once again in the trial room, but for the last time. The four remaining people take their places and the bear jumps out ready to begin.

"Ohhh boy. Here we are baby! The final round. Can I just say how proud of you all I am... The dead people at least. Half of them actually tried to kill. You guys on the other hand, well, have fun I guess.

Based on the situation let's just cut to the good stuff."

Topic: How was the culprit able to get into the room?

>>3574
"Well we know the victim had to be in that room. Since we checked everywhere else. So the culprit must have entered some time after that."

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)13:30:21

>>3575
"Why not before? Couldn't the culprit have been waiting for the victim in there? We don't even know who the victim is...."

>>3576
"I guess that's possible. But if that was the case then where did they escape to? There were no signs of secret passages so I doubt they just vanished."

>>3575
The final trial. If they won here then they could finally escape this place. Aiko's hopes were low, but her determination was strong.

"T-The logs show three points before I touched it. S-So the door opened three times after we e-entered the labs." Aiko paused to take a breath.

"I-If "E" stands for "Emergency" the door opened twice b-before we unlocked it. T-The first time when running away from us and again b-before we unlocked it. I-I don't know what "F" means but the "N" is using the c-control panel inside. S-So maybe the victim tried to leave and ran into the culprit?"

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)13:49:30

>>3577
"I... you're right. The barricade kept anyone from escaping, thanks to Aiko. Could it have somehow been before Aiko made the barricade? I thought she made it after we searched the side labs. Or wait, if Aiko is right... when could they have opened the door to escape? Nevermind...."

Kai's spirits were definitely low.

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)13:52:54

>>3579
"Yeah, if it was before the barrier was erected then the culprit could have just walked out. But we were pretty cautious the whole time..."

(It was vague when we were searching, but were we in sight of each other or what?)

>>3580
During the initial search your group was in sight of at least one other person the whole time. Think of it like an exploration phase until the barrier was set up.

>>3581
"Then... wait a second. We were always with someone while exploring. Then none of us could be the culprit... right? The culprit could have been able to leave while we were investigating the labs...!"

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)14:13:47

>>3582
Aiko didn't want to incriminate anyone here but she decided to object.

"A-Actually I think there was one other time. W-When we split up to go press the b-buttons someone took a long time to press theirs. W-We were all in different rooms during that time."

>>3583
Kai felt that familiar dread creeping up on her. "Then... what about that screen? It said there were 4 people remaining. I thought it was just set up to trick us, but... Was that accurate?"

Kai turned to Monokuma, gritting her teeth. "Explain that screen! 4 people in total? Who does that number include?"

>>3584
"Upupu, it says only 4 people remain right? That number is for the whole facility and not just the labs. So at that time you four were the only remaining people alive! You should know by now this game is about pitting you against one another! Upupuu~"

>>3585
"I... should've known...."

Kai looked around, pulling the brim of her hat down. "Aiko's right. Someone must've done it while we were using the emergency lock."

>>3586
"So the victim tried to leave when they thought it was safe, maybe got trapped by the barricade, and then once of us..."

>>3587
"Now that's the spirit! Dread and despair; My favorite flavor."

Topic: If it happened during that time, couldn't any of you four do it? Why or why not?

>>3588
"But... how could we tell?" Kai's brow furrowed. "I didn't leave my post. I was in lab 1, and Andy was on the other side. I... I admit I didn't look out to check."

There had to be something they could use....

>>3589
"I-I didn't leave my room either!" Aiko said, copying Kai.

"B-But on our side the alarm was broken. I-I didn't do it but the o-only reason I can think of is someone wanted to leave the Lab without being heard."

>>3590
The alarm sounds throughout each room of the lab you are in. So it would have been heard in the button rooms.

>>3591
"Well I guess that is pretty damning. I didn't leave my room too, but I can't see any way to prove which one of us is lying."

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)15:15:15

>>3592
Kai was close, she could feel it. "The alarm was pried open. How difficult would it have been to pry it apart like that? Would it take... impossible strength?"

>>3593
You recall it seemed like anyone with a tool could have done it.

"Well we can move on to something else for now."

Topic: How were they killed? Is there a murder weapon?

>>3594
"Considering the amount of gore they must have been killed in that chair. Unless super strength can also clean up blood."

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)15:26:06

>>3593
Aiko knew they had to check every possibility but she couldn't help but get flustered when being accused.

"I-I-I-I d-didn't do it," she stutters again. "The body announcement played before the b-body was crushed. So don't s-suspect me just b-because of the mess!"

>>3595
Kai glared at Aiko. Before, she'd made a point of ignoring the large girl, but now... it was either her or Taku. "There was blood when we first found the body, too. Some kind of violence was used...."

>>3597
"It's weird the body was crushed in the first place. We know whoever it was was not killed by the debris but if they knew Aiko was here to lift it then why bother? Just to hide the identity?"

>>3598
"Identity and time of death, no doubt. The chair was facing away, but... how did they manage to time the ceiling caving in like that?"

>>3598
"W-we didn't find a murder weapon and the M-Monozaki File doesn't help either." Aiko mumbles.

"S-Since I can lift it I d-don't think the body could have been c-crushed that much by the rubble. The s-skeleton should have still been visible," Aiko says with confidence. "W-We never actually saw the body before it was c-crushed so maybe it was to h-hide the cause of death?"

>>3600
"Weapons aren't always obvious," Kai said quietly. "There was a bit of disturbed dust on one of the shelves. There was also a 3d printer. And while I have never been good with technology... certainly a weapon could have been created. We have several possibilities, I think we just need to narrow them down a bit. It is... worryingly easy to kill someone. Given my talent... I have to be aware of that."

>>3601
"The printer was low on materials so that could be it. Although then we have the problem of where they could have hid it. Maybe it was crushed with the body and we didn't notice it?"

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)16:04:42

>>3602
"But... you can make anything. What if they made a piece of debris, then caved in the ceiling to mix it in?"

>>3603
"That could explain why it fell. Maybe there was a tripwire set once we entered. They could have made a simple knife and that was the murder weapon."

>>3604
"Perhaps it never fell. The debris chunk could've been on the body when the chair was turned around. Then, when the ceiling fell, it appeared that the debris had been part of it from the beginning."

>>3601
"T-The m-machine says it can make food as well. M-maybe like a bone knife? Or l-like a saw blade that was set up w-where he dust mark was?" Aiko suggested.

Aiko was working her brain thinking about the labs and all the items there. How you could set up a device like that? It was then when something tugged at her mind.

"Maybe this is off topic but, i-if I remember right the announcements come from the special monitors. B-But here one of the bullets says there are none of those s-special ones in the lab areas. So t-then, where did it come from?"

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)16:26:45

>>3606
"That... that's right. The announcement. I had assumed it had come from elsewhere in the building, but, if that's the case, then... it's almost certain. Was that the murder weapon?"

>>3607
"I-Instead of the murder weapon, there was a tape recorder in lab 2 r-right? T-those items were said t-to be from the store. So someone c-could have bought one earlier and recorded a p-previous body announcement."

>>3608
"Well... hold on. What are the limits on the 3d printer? Could we somehow see the history of what's been printed there?"

>>3609
"Like stated, it's super duper advanced and has custom input options. Even food items are no problem... Upupu."

>>3608
"So you're saying the body announcement was fake? So they could have been killed by the debris after all."

>>3611
"But why fake a body announcement? We saw a 5th person running from us, and now we found their body. Unless it was just to confuse us.... I'm not sure how we can tell. Should we assume it was the debris after all?"

>>3612
Monozaki puts his hand on his chin for a moment and thinks. After a moment he waves his hand.

"Feel free to pretend the figure didn't exist for now. At least until later."

>>3611
"Y-yes, but," Aiko shook her head and eyes Taku suspiciously.

"T-the culprit would have to have known t-there were no monitors down here. O-Otherwise there would have been a s-second announcement if the debris were the murder weapon."

When Monozaki says we can ignore the figure she decides to go for it.

"If the printer is so advanced, then what if the body was fake as well? If it can print food it could print chicken wings... or human."

>>3613
"Then I'd like to question something. How long would it take to make explosives or any kind of weapon with the printer? And would it be possible to do that while we were waiting at the buttons?"

Then Aiko spoke. "Printing... a human...? One that can run? And think for itself...?"

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)19:03:47

>>3615
Aiko nods up and down but disagrees. "N-No! I-I mean, we only saw a pile of f-flesh and b-bones. If j-just the limbs were printed then... it would be easy to move the 'body' there."

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)19:06:32

>>3616
"But the screen said there were 4 people, and I see them all here. Who was running back there?"

>>3617
"I-I don't know! I only s-suggested it because he said we can ignore it!" Aiko shrinks back appearing as confused as she seems.

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)19:10:20

>>3616
"Well, assuming we can ignore the figure. Monozaki was hesitant to even make a file in the first place. So they could have printed chunks of meat and bones, then crushed it to make it seem like someone was killed."

>>3619
"Then... why? It's a possibility, that's for sure. Print a body and then drop debris on it.... Is that the current consensus?"

>>3620
"Well, there has to be a final trial right? You need a body at the very least."

>>3620
Aiko hangs her head, "I-It's the best we h-have at the moment."

>>3622
"Then... let's think about it. The tape recorder was in the room, and if we had to place it somewhere... it would have to be on that spot on the shelf where the dust was disturbed. But who could have taken it? If I remember...."

Kai's eyes opened at the memory. Her eyes slowly moved over to Taku. "Before the debris fell... we were all stunned. I was too surprised to move, but you.... Taku, you leaned against that shelf. You... you could've picked up the tape recorder!"

>>3623
"What? No way why would I do something like that?" Taku says clearly poorly pretending to be shocked. "Well you got it in the end so I can't complain that much, Good job." He claps his hands.

>>3624
Aiko swallows with a confused expression. She is somewhat unnerved by Taku's actions.

"S-So in the end t-there wasn't even a murder? W-Why go to the trouble?"

>>3624
Once again, Kai wasn't sure what to think. She'd actually put it together, but when the culprit was cornered, they... just accepted it. First Kizami, now Taku.

"Good... job...?" That was it? "I'm being serious! This isn't a joke!"

>>3625
>>3626
"Oh I'm not joking. I'm happy you solved it. I was worried the tape recorder might mislead you guys a bit too much, and there was the whole figure thing too." Taku says strangely calm.

"I mean, It's not like I'm innocent if that is what you mean. Depends on your definition of murder I suppose. Technically... I imagine you would consider me guilty of the other 6 deaths that have already happened.

BGM: Despair-Syndrome

>>3627
"The other six? Explain this at once! It's not like you just go around printing people! We're more complicated than that!"

>>3627
Aiko stopped for a moment to process what he just said. The other 6 deaths...?

"Ah, wha..." Aiko couldn't bring herself to say anything.

>>3627
"...Do I really need to spell it out for you? Alright how about this?"

>>3630
Taku clicks away at his cellphones and suddenly Monozaki jumps up and dances around singing the Macarena.

Taku continues, "That's probably good enough right? Bad guy, end boss, mastermind, whatever you prefer."

You blink for a moment and notice Taku has suddenly changed clothing without moving. As if it just appeared on his body.

>>3631
Kai was on guard, instincts kicking back in. Something in her wanted revenge for Aurora... no, for everyone. "Then why are you gloating?! Why are we still alive?! And... how did you...?" Kai blinked. The lab coat came from nowhere, or had he been wearing it all along?

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)19:59:00

>>3632
"I mean, I don't lie. It's a game after all. Well more of a test in this case, but regardless. Don't get me wrong, if you solve the mystery then you do get to go free... I just never said the last round was about solving a murder. And no sadly the faked body also doesn't count.

The actual mystery is the true nature of this game. I gave you a bunch of other bullets that didn't have anything to do with the faked death right? What are those Deterrent Controls? All that stuff in the lab, how Monozaki just bypasses barriers, that figure, etc. That's the real stuff we should be talking about."

Taku's eyes gleamer for a moment. Something gives you a chill. It's fairly clear he thinks nothing of human life.

BGM: Discussion -PANIC-

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)20:06:23

>>3633
Kai couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wouldn't believe that this was just some sort of game. With her eyes burning, Kai slammed her gloved hand onto her podium. "You can't fool me! You told us the rules of this killing game yourself, didn't you?!"

>>3634
"I did. The rules were, I'd give you chance to escape if you made it to the fourth round, and here we are... with your chance.

In the end it is 'just' a game, but it's also a bit more important to me. It's taken... a few attempts to get to where we are now. Now, should I give you some time or are you ready to rack your brain once more?"

>>3635
"Y-you monster!" Aiko was prepared to attack. However the revelation he was the one controlling Monozaki held her back. It is no use.

"K-Kai. Andy. N-Now that we know who the villian is there is no more d-doubt. We must m-make it out alive." Aiko says this in hope that they can help because she is unsure where to even start.

>>3635
"We... have to make it out alive...."

Kai felt a burning spark of determination within her. She'd been a bodyguard her whole life, and yet she'd failed to protect the other six people that had already died. She wouldn't let their sacrifices go to waste. It was like she could feel them watching over her shoulder and driving her on to face the Mastermind. She wouldn't let their fires burn out.

"Then let's start. Andy, Aiko... we'll make it out of this alive. I'll protect all of you. It's... what I do."

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)20:30:36

Kai, not sure how to follow that up, decided to get right to the chase.

"Fine. If I had to guess... this was more than just a game. We all have something in the back of our heads, don't we? Something you implanted there. And the deterrent controls as well. I was the only one who had a 1 next to my name. What was I deterred from...?"

>>3638
"D-Deterrent controls... T-To deter, is to d-discourage someone f-from doing something. S-since there were numbers for everyone m-maybe you did something nobody else did? D-did you try to b-break some rules?"

>>3639
"I'm not sure. I tried to... wait a second."

Kai stared at Monozaki, then to Taku. "Was it... the deal I made with you?"

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)21:04:22

>>3640
"Noppers, although I was talking to you when it happened~" Monozaki happily says as Taku types on his phone.

>>3641
"Forget that, then. The only other thing I can think of.... I stayed up late the first night to try and keep guard, but then Monozaki stopped me. I suddenly felt this strange feeling, like something was about to attack me, so I went indoors and went to sleep."

"And with the things in our heads.... Don't tell me that was controlled somehow...!"

Kai paused, trying to think. What did that mean. "Aiko, did you ever stay out too late? Or get warned like that, or feel an uneasy feeling?"

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)21:18:18

>>3642
"N-No I did not..." Aiko started feeling at her own head for any scars or marks.

"S-So if he controlled that... D-does it work for a-all of us?

>>3643
After carefully examining your head you do find a small line that feels slightly different, almost unnoticeable.

If the others check their own heads they too find the marks.

>>3644
"If that's the case, then... how I can tell if I'm even feeling what I want to right now?" The thought sent chills down Kai's spine. "I... I think I understand. You put that inside of our heads to make us feel certain things. You used those to drive everyone to kill each other, didn't you? Even I, at one point, considered murder. What was I thinking...?"

>>3645
"Hmm, well the killing game already does that fairly well. But you aren't exactly wrong." Taku waves one of his phones back and forth as he explains.

>>3646
"N-No... Could it... I-If it can control things like that, then what else can it do?" Aiko says this while holding her head.

"T-That, your jacket. I-It appear out of nowhere, the figure, Monozaki a-appearing, the room vanishing. Can it affect our v-vision as well?"

>>3647
"Vision... emotions.... The way the starting room disappeared. Your jacket." Kai shuddered, feeling like she'd lost all of the momentum from earlier.

"You just wanted to see how much control you could exert over a human mind. If you could break a moral compass. If you could control what they saw and heard. Is that the truth of this game...?"

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)21:37:22

>>3647
>>3648
Taku shrugs. "I guess that is good enough. Of course. Like I said, it's a game, the ultimate AR mobile killing game.

A device that can control the sensory input of an individual's mind. With minimal resources we can easily create a killing game whenever and wherever. Start it in the middle of a city, make family turn on one another. Well they are more interested in that, I was mostly into the experimentation portion."

Take spreads his arms out as if saying "what do you think?".

>>3649
Kai, on reflex, pulled out the fake gun from her holster and pointed it at Taku. Her hand was shaking. "Are you manipulating me into wanting to kill you...? Because I really, really want to do that right now!"

>>3650
With tears in her eyes Aiko raises her hands and crushes the pedestal in front of her.

"F-forget. I d-don't care if you are controlling us. T-There is nothing to l-lose now," Aiko prepares to aid Kai.

>>3650
>>3651
"Jeez calm down. You solved it, gg." As he says this Monozaki bends over and confetti shoots out of his ass. A banner with congratulations falls down.

"Like I promised the door will be unlocked. All that if left is the execution. Mine." He starts fiddling with his phone.

"Well, it's not really mine, but whatever let's get this over with." He hits a b̜̙̳u̼̰̦͉̝ţ̺̖̻͚̥ṭ͍o͚̝͍̠͚͍̭ṋ͓ ̡͓̱͍ͅo̱͕̦̝͇̹͝n̵͙̱͈̝̖ͅ ̙̤͚͔̙͡h͚͕͈͉͍̣is͖̦̰̤͕̝ ͠p̷̺͈͓̜̞̬h͖̙͉͈͝o̗̣͙ńé ̫̖̰͘d̖̫͓̗͎͜ͅr͚͙a̲̖̘̮̮m̩a͈̮̱̞̼̼̣ti̮͎͖̘̱̗c̛̣̪͈̠̗á̹̠̯͓̞l̼l̢̠y͓̗̩͎̫̘͓ ̞͘an̥̼̳͕̳̜d̝͚̘͠ ̀s̫̘͇͙̦̕u͙̠̥̯̮̦d̤̼̩̘̻̹̪d̮̣ȩ͓̙̦̠̝̱ǹ̰̥̹͈̳l̗̹y̤͠ ̻͙̕t̠̕ẖ͔̱̳͜ͅe̮̹ ̟͉̖̯̕ͅͅc̦̱̬̘̼̳u̱̜̰͇̼ͅr̜̤͍̘̹͎t̥a̴͍͍̥̼̤͔i̳̮̕n͖s͍̲̞͉͖ ̜̹̘̠p̬͘u̸̲l̜̻l̜̹͉̩͓̭̱ ̳̗̞̮b͚͔̹̩̟̕a̹̝c҉̱̜͔͚ͅͅk͇̘̦͉̣͞ ̴̪a̜͓̞̺͉͚ǹ̩d̝͔̻̮͙ ͈̯̼̝͔̳a͕͕̯̞͓̘ ̵̦̤me̢̙̻̜̰̬t̸̩̲̲̻̰a̵̜͓ĺ̦̦͈͇ͅ ͈̪h̠̹͍o̧͔͉͉̻̘̺̬o͇k̵̗͙̗̗ ̼̲̲͠ͅgr̤̳̭a͎͝ḅs̭̩̠̤̲͚̀ ̳ͅh̥i͉m̮͔̖̯̼̩̕ ̱̰̀b͈͔̟y̯͕-̠̀-̕-̡͖̜̜-̦͖͖͍̟͙-̷̹-̳͓̗͈-̵̦-̼̮̮-̙̯̞͕̞-̷̘̺̮-̴̟͕̣̘-͢-̰̻̰̤̱̫̟̕-̱-̸̺͕͍̙̹͈-̖̲̭
-͉̗͜ͅͅ-̤͡-͓̖̯̭͈ͅ


Suddenly everything turns white. The room is devoid of color and you see the room for what it is. Boring old concrete. There are no curtains or wooden stands, just blank faces to display images on. You look around and Taku has vanished. Andy, Kai, and Aiko are the only things of color remaining. At the back of the room looks like a tunnel leading back up. From what sounds like far away a large sound of something opening can be heard.

BGM: Moon on the Water

>>3652
Everything happened so fast. Kai was more than ready to run in with Aiko and Andy to finish off the mastermind, but it seemed he would do it himself. Before they knew what was happening... it was all white.

And as Kai looked around, she felt herself shaking. It was... over? Finally. It had to be.

"We're... okay?" She looked around, but only saw the other survivors. What about the others? What about... Aurora...?

"We should go...."

>>3653
Aiko's muscles bugled as she readied to pounce only for this action to be halted by the chance of scenery.

"W-Wha-!" She took in her surroundings silently... Was it over? Could they go? Were, were they safe?

Hearing Kai's words she responded, "Y-Yeah..." and followed the group.

>>3653
>>3654
The group leaves up through the tunnel and comes out in a large box like area. It seems like even the cage and sun weren't real. The entire place is entirely closed off.

The grass and paths that gave a satisfying crunch now feel strange and wrong. If you went to check on any food you would find it to be grey sludge, tasteless and bland. The layout is all here but nothing was as it seems.

The three of you make it to area three and see the large vault door is much smaller than originally it appeared. There the monitor is lit and the bolts are unlocked, looks like you just have to hit the button to open the door.

>>3655
Kai searched all over, not wanting to believe it, but wanting to at the same time. Everyone's rooms were empty, and nothing was as it should've been. They found nothing. No bodies. No people.

Before leaving, Kai found her way to the bland relaxation room. She had gotten a massage from Aurora here, the memory still fresh in her mind. Even if it had all been fake... she had been real. All of that had been real in one way or another. Kai would never forget her. In order to make some kind of memorium, Kai did what she could. She took off her bodyguard's cap and laid it reverently down in the relaxation room. This would have to do.

With that, Kai would meet the others out at the gate, allowing them to do their thing. And, once one of them pushed the button, they would go into the light. Without Kai's cap, she would have to face reality and look up at the bright sky. She may not have been a perfect bodyguard... but she still had room to improve. She would make her own decisions, and not use her orders as excuses. She was her own person now.

From here on out, she would make sure to protect everyone.

Last edited at 18/11/03(Sat)22:32:06

>>3656
Was it really over? It was only a few days but to Aiko it felt like forever. From the beginning she had felt disconnected. Perhaps in denial. Maybe her attempt to make friends was also a way to escape the situation. In the end those superficial bonds were cut short.

She helped Kai to search but didn't have anything to look for. In the end she felt more confident in herself out of necessity to survive. At this point she was ready to yank the door open herself and run out... But who knows what could be waiting for them.

She waited for Andy and Kai to finish and then with some final resolve she walked with them through the door and to freedom.

The three survivors press the button and the door opens with a deafening crack. Slowly the door swings open and the blinding light engulfs the three.

Slowly but surely they walk outside. While unsure if their freedom is truly within their grasp, one thing is for sure; this ordeal is finally over.

THE END

Thanks to everyone for sticking around until the end! If there are enough questions I might make one final q/a post after this. Good game!