Part 127: Super High-school Level Update #114.2

The big red exclamation mark over the cafeteria on the map screen is probably a hint for where we should go.



What waited for me and Kirigiri-san when we entered the cafeteria was...





OkiFyajachi, anJCji;UeCruOuncRI!
You again...



Uefni... niOfjmv:mROi$oTVpevJEo...
...Is he broken?



There are limits to being emotionally unstable...



skSOgNxy. AlvNkueiu23-fTnF8?



...He's gone.



What was that all about...?

I let out a sigh, but as I did...

"...Ah!?"





Naegi...? Is it really you...?
E...Everyone...!
It really is you! It's Naegi - front, back and sideways!
O...Oh... You were alive...?
Honestly. He's just like a cockroach.
I'm just asking to make sure. You aren't a ghost, are you...?

They were all there. All of my friends, who have been fighting alongside me.
When I saw their faces, I couldn't help...

...But shed a few tears...



Wait. Something stinks.



Seriously... What's that smell...?



It's Naegi! He smells like a dog who hasn't had his bath!



G...Go away! Shoo! Shoo!
............

My tears dried up instantly.





Hey, it's everyone! Let's catch up!



So, Naegi-chi, how was the netherworld?!
I wasn't there, you know.



Did you meet Master?
Master...?



Master Tamba.
I didn't meet him. I mean, I was never there...

What the hell is he even talking about...?





Honestly. You have a talent for staying alive.
Yeah, I can't believe it myself...



Do you even know why you were able to scape the execution?
It was Alter Ego... wasn't it?
He... saved my life.



There aren't many people who can say they were saved by a computer program.



You had a rare experience. Cherish it.





So, what have you been doing all this time, Asahina-san?



After Mukuro Ikusaba's trial was over, we thought maybe there was a new area we could go to...
...Was there?



Nope. There was nothing. All the locked doors are still locked.

So there's nowhere new to visit...

Where are we supposed to find new clues...?





You stink... You're all rotten, aren't you...?!



You stink in all kinds of ways!! You stink as human being too, don't you?!
I'm sorry... I was thrown into a garbage room...



T...That smell... It's too much...!



Ahaha...! You stink...! You stink more than I do...! More than me...!



...I win.

She seems... happy.





Naegi-kun, We don't have time for small talk.
Let's explain to everyone what Monobear just agreed to.



...What are you talking about?



By the way, is it alright for you to be here, Naegi-chi? If the mastermind finds you, it's off with your head!



That's what we're here to tell you about. There's something we have to explain.



I knew it! Naegi-chi is a ghost after all!!



He isn't transparent, though.



Ahahaha! Ghosts being transparent is just an urban legend! If they were, how could they even live a normal life?



That's it. I've given up talking to you.

something we have to explain

We came here to explain about the final school trial.



...Final school trial?



We are going to redo Mukuro Ikusaba's school trial.



Eh?! Redo?!



But, wasn't Naegi-chi here the culprit?!
I told you... it wasn't me...



Naegi-kun isn't the culprit. I'm not either, of course, and neither are any of you.



S...So... who did it...?



You're saying... it was the mastermind.



Huh?! The mastermind killed Mukuro Ikusaba?!



Yes. That was all part of the mastermind's trap.
But Naegi-kun saw through that trap, and tried to stop him...
That's why the mastermind decided to execute him instead.



Naegi... saw through the trap...?

It's not like I really did... But, whatever. Let him think I did.



But, killing an innocent like Naegi-kun is clearly against the school rules, isn't it?
The school rules say only a true culprit will be executed. In other words, the mastermind broke his own rules.



That's why we managed to negotiate with him. And now we get to redo that trial.



The mastermind just accepted that?! He admitted to breaking his own rules?!



...He probably had no choice. You must have used that public broadcast of his in your argument.



So, you noticed that too.



It was your words after the school trial was over...
You said it's the mastermind who is being cornered. That's what you meant, isn't it?



Hey, don't leave the rest of us behind!!



Kirigiri will explain everything to anyone who still doesn't get it later.



S...So... What are we supposed to do now...?



Should we find out who the true culprit is? I mean, find proof it was the mastermind who did it?



No, that can't be all there is to it.
Yeah... It's not...
If we want to win this final school trial, we have to solve all of this school's mysteries...



All of the school's mysteries...?
But... we've investigated them since we got here, and we still don't know anything...



I'm sure you suspect this already, but if we lose, we're all going to get executed.



E...Executed?!



W...Wait...! Y...You don't have the right to decide that for us...!!



I...I was perfectly fine the way things were...! As long as I can live with Byakuya-sama, I am fine...!!



There's nothing I want more than to leave this place.



Anyway, if we want to live, we must discover the truth.



In other words, this is our final battle... This sure is an interesting development.



But, finding out the mastermind's true identity and on top of that solving the school's mysteries...



It's too much, 'right?
But, it's different than all the other school trials. We have a clear enemy...
We should all work together! I'm sure we can solve any mystery together!



I wonder...
...Eh?





This is just my opinion, but I can't approve everyone working and investigating together.

can't approve

...Why can't you approve that?
Isn't it obvious that everyone working together will help us solve the mystery faster...?



I did think so, of course.
But then, I heard what Monobear said.

What Monobear said...?



Heh heh heh... I think I'll bearmit you one more hint.
I think I've said it already before, but...
There are 16 and only 16 high school students participating in this school life of mutual killing...
By the way, ever since we started this game, those beary same students are the only people to have set foot in this school.
Those 16 students. No one else.



I see... So that's what he said.
In that case, I agree with Kirigiri.



Eh? Why?



If, as Kirigiri said before, it was the mastermind who killed Mukuro Ikusaba...
...that means the mastermind has set foot in this school.
He might have been able to kill her by controlling Monobear, but there's no way he could have faked the crime scene that way.
Nevertheless, Monobear just said that the only people to have set foot in this school...
...Are the 16 high school students participating in this school life of mutual killings.



So... The mastermind's true identity is...?!



One of the fifteen students who met in the entrance hall that day...





O...Or the sixteenth student, Mukuro Ikusaba...
T...Those are the only options...!



But, the only people who are still alive are...
...Just us, who stand in this room. I don't have to say any more, do I?



The mastermind is one of us?!



N...No way!!
W...Wait! We can't know that for sure!
Monobear must have just said that to confuse us!



You're right. That's a possibility we can't ignore. But, it's only one possibility out of many.



The mastermind being one of us is just as possible.



...As long as it's possible we can't ignore it.



H...He's right... There's also this whole "Super High-school Level Despair" deal, which means the mastermind must be a high-school student...
I...It's not impossible...!
But, the mastermind has always controlled Monobear while we were all around, hasn't he?
None of us ever acted suspiciously while Monobear was moving around!



O...One of us could've stepped a little back... and operated him quietly...



I think we would've noticed that eventually, no matter how quiet they were...



In that case, he was autonomous all along! His words and movements have been programmed ahead of time!
If that was the case, our conversations wouldn't have been as smooth as they were.



No. If one of us was leading the conversation, it's not impossible.
T...That may be so, but...!

* ding dong ding dong *







Eh... This is a school announcement.
I'm sure you already know by now, but...
We will now proceed with this school life of mutual killing's decisive edition.
In order to make this a fair game, I am opening every lock in this school!
Go ahead, investigate as much as you please! Solve as many mysteries as you can!
Upupu... We'll meet soon at the school trial...
Ahahahahaha!!





He's opening every lock. That's very generous of him.



...We have no time for more discussions. Let's start the investigation.
B...But...
You may do as you please. I'm going to act alone.



Ever since we came here, the only person I could trust is myself, and the Togami blood running through me.



I recommend you not to rely on others, either. Do the best you can by yourselves.
See you later.

Saying nothing more, Togami-kun quickly left the cafeteria.



Uuu... Byakuya-sama...!
H...He didn't even take me with him...!



Well... that was as expected.



Being left alone with you without Byakuya-sama...
...That's like milk coffee without any milk or coffee! I... I mean...



It's worthless!
S...So... goodbye...

Then, Fukawa-san also left on her own.



Well, then. They're both gone.
By the way, are you also going alone, Kirigiri-chi?



Yes.



...That leaves only Naegi-chi and Asahina-chi.



............



In that case, I'm going alone too...!



What do you mean, "in that case"?!



I'll show you! I'll reveal who the mastermind is with the power of my fortune telling!!
Ahahahaha!!

Laughing a high-pitched laugh, Hagakure-kun left the cafeteria.



Sigh... Everyone really did go alone...
What are you going to do, Asahina-san...?



Hmmm...
I will... also try working alone.



But, it's not like I don't trust you guys.



It's just that... I've never been able to be of any help, y'know?
I always relied on Sakura-chan... or on the rest of you...
That's not true! You helped just by being there, Asahina-san!



N...Naegi...!



I...I'm kinda happy you said that...!



But, it's still true that I never played a big part when everybody was investigating...



So I'm going to work extra hard for this final match. I'm sure I can find something useful!
That's why I have to go alone!
So, catch you later!!

Asahina-san ran out of the cafeteria, full of vigor.

And then, the only one left...

It's just the two of us again...



So it seems...





You're.. also going alone, aren't you?
Yes, but don't misunderstand.
Just because we are investigating separately doesn't mean we can't help each other.
The same goes for everybody else...

I see... She's right...

We can still cooperate even if we investigate separately...

I should just think about it as splitting up the work.
And then, when we're done, we can share what we learned...

...Yeah! That's it!

...So, it's time for me to leave as well. There is a lot I want to investigate.



Monobear just said he opened all the locks in the school.
In other words, we can now investigate the entire place.
We can go to places we never could before...



Naegi-kun. Let's discover the truth together.
I am confident that we will...

And then, Kirigiri-san was also gone.

...And I was left alone.



I also don't have time to idle...
I should begin...

I will not accept that one of us is really the mastermind.

I will find a way to prove it.
The mastermind isn't one of us, and I will prove it!

I will reveal the mastermind's identity, solve this school's mysteries...

...And we can all leave this place together!!



INVESTIGATION START!





First, I should check the Monobear File about Mukuro Ikusaba's murder one more time...

"Due to severe injuries suffered by the explosion, the body's identity is unclear."
"The explosion occurred after the victim's death."
"The knife wound in the abdomen area extends all the way to the victim's back. There is just one wound caused by the knife."
"There are also signs of a blow to the back of the head. It seems to have been caused by a cylindrical object, about as thick as a metal pipe."
"Other than that, there are signs of many other wounds on the body. However, they are old wounds that were not inflicted during the last few days."

Mukuro Ikusaba... whoever killed that mysterious girl...

...Is the person behind the mastermind.

Next, the places I should investigate in order to solve this mystery are...

First, there are the rooms that were locked until now.

The headmaster's office on the 4th floor, the biology lab on the 5th floor, and the room behind the Monobear door on the 4th floor...
Then there is the dormitory's second floor. Is the shutter leading over there also open...?

Then, I should look at the places related to the murder again...

The botanical garden and the dojo...

I think that's it! Let's go!!




We're right next to it, so let's see if we can go to that second floor of the dormitory.





The shutter is open...
It seems we can go up to the dormitory's second floor now...

I'm not sure I want to, but...

I have no choice but to go...





Is this... the dormitory's second floor...?!

It looks like some kind of ruins... No, more accurately...

It looks like it's been through an air raid... Like some kind of a war zone...



Hey, look! I managed to keep tradition and end an update with a map!