Part 23: Super High-school Level Update #21

Eh...?



W...what are you saying?! Why would she tell such a lie...?!





I know it’s a possibility you don’t want to think about, Naegi-kun. But I think seeing this will change your mind.



There is something I want to talk to you about discreetly. Please come to my room in 5 minutes.
Please check the name plate to make sure you have the right room.

When I rubbed a pencil over the top page of a certain notebook...
...these words revealed themselves...



Ah! I’ve seen this on TV!
The pressure of the pen on the page below the one you write on can be revealed by rubbing a pencil over it!
When I saw it I made a mental note! Always tear the page away from the notebook before you start writing!



It’s an old technique, but even the classics are sometimes surprisingly useful.
By the way, the place I found that notebook was on top of the desk in Naegi-kun’s room.



Eh...?



That means the only people who could have written that note before the incident are people who had been in Naegi-kun’s room.



The room’s owner himself, Naegi, and Maizono who exchanged rooms with him for one night...



...Naegi-kun, did you write this note?



N...no... I didn’t...



...Just as I thought. The note is also signed “Maizono”, after all...

So, this note...
Maizono-san wrote it...?



B...but, why would she write such a note?



She wrote it because she wanted to invite a certain person in.
By slipping the note under someone’s door, she could invite them without making much noise.



Being invited by a Super High-school Level Idol like that... Any man would fall over himself...



Me not included, of course! I’m only interested in two dimensional girls!



...but was anyone actually invited by this note?
And even if someone was, I can’t imagine they are related to this case.





Eh? Why?



Heh heh. Do you want me to explain?
Well, then. Let me tell you what I think.

Phase 6 (Youtube via Polsy)

In this Non Stop Debate... see me get a less than perfect score for the first time!





Evidence Bullet: Name plates



Maizono-san and Naegi-kun exchanged their rooms, didn’t they?



But, this note instructs whoever receives it...



...to “come to my room”.



I get it. Whoever is invited by this note...



...will surely go to Maizono-san’s room!



That is, the room Naegi-kun was in that night.



In short, even if someone was invited by that note...



They have nothing to do with this murder.



I see... It certainly seems this is the case...

The reason why the person who received this note went to my room...
It’s probably because of that thing...

We still only have one Evidence Bullet to use against this debate, and the answer is obvious.



That is, the room Naegi-kun was in that night.





YOU'VE GOT THAT WRONG!





Since I didn't get a perfect score for once, let's go over how you can lose points. The first measure, "remaining time", starts reducing your score if you go over the entire conversation more than two times. The second, "slips of the tongue", is for actual mistakes - that is, hitting the wrong Weak Point or using a wrong Evidence Bullet. The third, "skill", goes down if we miss shots completely (like I did here) or if we overuse helpful skills.





The nameplates were switched on Maizono-san’s and my doors.



They were...?



He’s right. They were switched, just like the rooms were.



The “Makoto Naegi” nameplate was on the door to Maizono-san’s room, where Naegi had been.



And the “Sayaka Maizono” nameplate was on the door to Naegi-kun’s room, where Maizono-san had been.



So the room with the “Sayaka Maizono” nameplate was the one Maizono really was in...



So even if the person that got that note did as they were told, it’s possible they went to Naegi-kun’s room...



In addition, the two rooms are next to each other... It’s the ideal scenario for switching nameplates...



So, who switched the nameplates? I assume it wasn’t you, Naegi-kun?



N...no....



So... who do you think did it...?

The person who could switch the nameplates... It can only be...



The killer / Makoto Naegi / Sayaka Maizono





The only people who knew about the room exchange were me and Maizono-san...
So, except me, the only other person who could have switched them was Maizono-san herself.



We can also reach that conclusion from the wording of the note she wrote...



There is something I want to talk to you about discreetly. Please come to my room in 5 minutes.
Please check the nameplate to make sure you have the right room.



She specifically instructed the person she invited to check the nameplate on the door...
If she didn’t know about the nameplate switch, she would never have written that...



But, why would Maizono-san switch the nameplates...?



She wanted to invite someone to the room she was in while keeping the fact she exchanged rooms with Naegi-kun a secret...



...Eh?



Inviting someone but keeping the exchanged rooms a secret...? What did she have to gain by doing something like that!?



In order to understand that...
We have to understand what exactly happened after the invited person arrived.
The answer undoubtedly lies there...



In all likelihood, what happened was...
...that the person invited by Maizono-san... attacked her once they came in...



Oh! It’s clear who the culprit is! It’s the person Maizono-san invited!



The real question is who that person is, though...



There was a struggle in that room between Maizono-san and the culprit, wasn’t there?
Maybe the answer to the previous question lies in the details of that struggle?



Yes... that’s exactly it...



So our best move is to figure out exactly what happened during that struggle, isn’t it?!



Come to think of it, there was an practice sword on the floor of the crime scene. Is it not possible it was used during the struggle?



Where did that thing come from, anyway?



It was a self defense weapon... Maizono-san recommended I take to my room...



I think the culprit used it to break Maizono-san’s right wrist...



So her wrist was broken with that sword? How can you know such a thing?

The evidence pointing to Maizono-san’s wrist being broken by the sword is...



Evidence Bullet: Maizono's Wrist





If you look at Maizono-san’s broken wrist, it becomes very clear.



Do you see how something is sparkling on the swelling part of the wrist?



Is that... gold paint...?



Yeah. The same paint that sword is coated in.
That paint sticks to your hand even if you touch the sword for a second...
And since it’s sprinkled over Maizono-san’s wrist...



I get it! That’s the place the imitation sword hit!



I see, I see... I feel we’re coming closer to the truth...



Okay, let me solve all the riddles for you in one swoop, ‘right? I’ll explain everything that happened in that room, beginning to end!



What happened in that room...
To discover the truth behind Maizono-san’s death, we have to make that clear...


And that's the basics of the Non Stop Debate done with. There will be some more action complications later on.

Phase 7 (Youtube via Polsy)





Evidence Bullets: Gold practice sword (sheath), Knife set, Gold practice sword (blade)



The struggle in the room started when...



The culprit got their hands on the practice sword.



That’s when they made their strike!



A preemptive strike with the practice sword, ‘right?!!



That’s when Maizono Sayaka-dono got her wrist broken...



T...then she panicked and decided to put up a fight...



...and took out the kitchen knife she was hiding, but then...



The culprit managed to snatch even that from her hand...



And then she was killed.



That’s what happened in that room, beginning to end, ‘right!

The first strike was with the imitation sword, and then the kitchen knife was taken out...
Is that really what happened? If that’s the case, there’s evidence that can’t be explained...

This is where things start to get a little tricky, but not too much. We have Evidence Bullets discussing the sword and the knife, and Weak Points about those two things. I've seen Japanese LPers mess that one up on the first try, but I won't!



Evidence Bullet: Gold practice sword (sheath)
A preemptive strike with the practice sword, ‘right?!!





YOU'VE GOT THAT WRONG!









No, it can’t be that the first strike was made with the sword...



Huh...? Why is that...?



The sword’s sheath is damaged...



See? There are scratch marks on it, aren’t there?



Scratch marks... from something like a kitchen knife...? That’s the only sharp object in the crime scene...



Don’t play guessing games with us! Just give us a straight explanation!



If the first strike was made by the imitation sword, we can’t explain the scratch marks on the sheath.
I mean, if you’re going to attack someone with a wooden sword, you’re going to take it out of its sheath first, right?



Yeah... if you attack with it still sheathed, it’s too heavy to swing and gets in your way. It’s also probably only half as strong...



So why are there scratch marks on the sheath?



Imagine you’re suddenly attacked with a knife, and to defend yourself you have to grab a nearby practice sword...
That doesn’t leave much time to unsheath it...



That means the sword was first used in defense against a blow from the knife...



So you’re saying the first attack came from the person who was holding the knife!



I get it now! So that’s how it went!
The culprit discovered the hidden knife shortly after being invited into the room...



...and used that knife to suddenly attack Maizono-kun!
At that point she decided to fight back with the imitation sword! But even that sword was snatched away from her...
Then, her wrist was broken with one hit from the imitation sword... and for the finishing blow... the culprit used the knife again......



No. It’s impossible that the one who used the sword in self defense was Maizono-san...



Huh!? Why is it impossible!?



Maizono-san never even held the sword. This is crystal clear if we examine a certain part of her body.

A part of her body that shows she never held that sword...



The palms of her hands / Her stomach wound / The swelling on her wrist





That would be... the palms of her hands, right?



The palms of her hands are completely clean, and that’s why it’s impossible she ever held that sword...



How can you tell, just from looking at her hands?



We went over this before. The moment you touch that imitation sword, you get gold paint all over your hands.



And, in fact, see how the sword’s grip’s paint is considerably scraped off?
Anyone using this sword would definitely get paint stuck to their hands.



So if Maizono-san used this sword, isn’t it weird that her hands remained clean?



Maybe she... washed her hands when she escaped into the shower room...?



No, that also can’t be true...



How can you say that with such confidence...? Is it because... I’m so ugly...?



N...no...! That’s not it...!

The reason it would have been impossible for Maizono-san to wash her hands is...



The paint won't come off with water / There was no water / She hated water





According to the Monobear File, Maizono-san’s time of death was around 1:30 at night.
That is, Night Time. We have no water in the showers at that time, do we?



Eh... I didn’t know... I didn’t take a shower once since we came here...



Uwah...



Hey, you of all people is just the same! You smell just like an applesnail...!



Huh? Was I just insulted or praised?



It was obviously an insult, bro...



...anyway, if she never held that sword in her hands...
That means the culprit alone used it.
But, wait a second... If that’s the case, the person who made those scratch marks on the sword’s sheath...

The person who made the scratch marks... is the person who didn’t hold the imitation sword. So it’s...



The killer / Sayaka Maizono





Maizono-san...? She used the kitchen knife...?



B...but... The person who made the first strike was...



The person who held the knife attacked first, and the other defended themselves with the practice sword on a moment’s notice...



So the person who attacked first was...!





...M...maizono-san!?



So do you all understand now...? That girl wasn’t a simple victim...



It’s almost as if she wasn’t a victim at all... and wanted to kill someone on her own...



Eh...?



She took a knife from the kitchen. Then, she invited the culprit into the room she stayed at...
And if we take into account that she made the first strike with that kitchen knife...



Those are clearly the acts of a murderer...



Come to think of it, it was Maizono-san who suggested the room exchange, wasn’t it?
Maybe the reason she wanted to exchange rooms was...
...to push the blame for the murder into Naegi-kun... that’s probably what it was.



Maizono-san... wanted me to...!?



...........



It also fits the switched name plates like a glove.
She invited her mark to Naegi-kun’s room, where she was staying...
...and by killing them in that room, she could point the suspicion toward him.



But in order to do that, she had to conceal the fact she switched rooms for the night from her mark.
If her mark discovered the switch, they would undoubtedly get suspicious.



So that’s the reason... she switched the nameplates...?



But isn’t that plan a little too dangerous?
Even if she managed to kill her mark, Naegi Makoto-dono would tell everyone about the exchanged rooms after the murder is discovered...



Is that so? I’m not sure that softhearted Naegi is capable of throwing Maizono to the wolves like that...
I’m sure that’s exactly why she chose Naegi as her room-exchange partner.



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



A...and... additionally, we’re talking about a “Super High-school Level Idol” here...
Whose words would you choose to believe...? That lackluster Naegi’s or... national idol Maizono’s?



S...so... she planned all that as well...?



S...seriously...!



But her plan concluded in failure...
When she made a strike with the knife, she received a counterattack from the practice sword...
That attack broke her wrist, and she ended up dropping the knife...



And then she was killed by the person she intended to be her mark...



W...wait a second...! That can’t be true...!
Because.... because...!!



Hey, hey! Isn’t your discussion getting derailed?
Instead of this gloomy discussion... Go on with voting the culprit already!
If you run out of time I’ll just punish everyone... Wouldn’t that just be horrible?!



T...that’s right... We have to decide on a culprit, ‘right?



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



...Naegi-kun. Now’s the time to concentrate on solving the puzzle.
If we don’t point out the culprit who killed Maizono-san, everything will be over...



Everything... will be over...?
They say we have to decide on a culprit... but how are we supposed to do that...?

There are no clues left...

No clues anywhere........

Phase 8 (Youtube via Polsy)





Evidence Bullets: Cleaning duty / Asahina's testimony / Dying message



Even though we’re supposed to find the culprit...



There aren’t any new clues, right?



In that case, let’s go over the clues we found so far!



Do we have time for that...?



R...ruin and destruction...!



If it goes on like this... we're all done for!

...No, wait a second.
That’s right... there is one clue still left that’s connected to the culprit...
Something... Maizono-san left for us...

I don't think they could have given a more obvious clue.



Evidence bullet: Dying message
There aren’t any new clues, right?





YOU'VE GOT THAT WRONG!









I think there is one more clue remaining... The dying message Maizono-san left...



“Dying...” what are you talking about?



There was a dying message on the wall behind Maizono-san’s back, wasn’t there?



The numbers “11037” written in blood letters... There must be a clue to the identity of the culprit in there somewhere.





First, there is something I'd like to ask...
Was it really Maizono-san who wrote those numbers?

There’s no question it was Maizono-san who wrote that message. The proof to that is...



Her left index finger / Her right wrist / The wound in her stomach





It’s the reason Maizono-san’s left hand’s index finger was dirty with blood...



She must have written the message with that finger.



Since her right wrist was broken in the struggle, she had to use her left hand to write...



Okay, so we agree Maizono-chan wrote that message...



But what’s the meaning of “11037”?



That girl over there probably knows a lot about numbers... A hacker, was it?



But... I can’t figure those numbers out at all... No matter how much I look at them, I can’t understand their meaning...



...That’s just natural. They aren’t numbers, after all.



Oooh, I think I see something...



Aa!? What the fuck are you up to now!?



No... when looking at the message while thinking those aren’t numbers...



Don’t you think those first characters, “11”, look a little like a letter?



He’s right! The middle line is faint, so it looks like an “11”...



But it just might be the letter “N”!



Oh! That kid actually said something straight for once!



Hee hee, my little grey cells have been working!



But even if the first letter is “N”, the meaning of “N037” still is not clear to me...



...........

Shit, it’s no use! I don’t understand...!!



............
You should turn it... clockwise...

You know, I think she's starting to lose her patience with the idiots she's surrounded with.



...Eh?
Clockwise...?



I see... if that’s so.. what’s written here is...!



I got it... the culprit’s name is written here...



Eh!? We’ve gone from a clue directly to the culprit’s name!?



W...who is it...? Whose name is written here...!?



The culprit’s name, indicated by Maizono-san’s dying message is...



Choose a Person!

And so, we have 59.233 seconds to carousel around the courtroom and pick our culprit. Gee, I wonder who I'll choose?