Part 130: Super High-school Level Update #117

Our next stop, as I'm sure you can already tell by the familiar door, is the headmaster's office.



So this is the headmaster's office...

Kirigiri-san told me about it, but this is the first time I actually see it...



Naegi. So you decided to visit this room as well.
Ah, Togami-kun...



As usual, there are several things we can look at.



There are many trophies and plaques decorating the showcase.





It's a fancy book cabinet... Thick books and files are lined up on the shelves.





Files and other printed material are scattered all over the floor. How unfortunate...





You've actually arrived at a good time. There is something interesting I want to show you.

something interesting

...Something interesting?



Take a look at this file...





I found it on top of this halfheartedly fancy desk.
"78th Class... Student Roster..."?
The profiles of us fifteen and of Mukuro Ikusaba are inside.



It seems we are who this "78th Class" refers to...
So... The profile Kirigiri-san found before...



That's right... That was also one of the 78th Class profiles...
She probably tore it off from this file.



And since Mukuro Ikusaba's profile is filed along with ours...



There is no doubt. Mukuro Ikusaba was just like us. A new student at this school.

Mukuro Ikusaba... The sixteenth student...

Kirigiri-san saw this file and must have come to the same conclusion...



Nevertheless, it seems she didn't have much time.
Eh? What are you talking about?
I'm talking about Kirigiri stealing that profile.



The way it was torn and the fact the paper was all crumbled suggest she had to take it away in a hurry.



Yeah, of course she was in a hurry. She was sneaking into a forbidden room at the time, after all.
...But, why is that important?



She was in too much of a hurry. She missed a page.
...Missed a page?
Mukuro Ikusaba's profile spans over 2 pages, you see.
Eh...?



In other words, this profile over here...



...contains new information about Mukuro Ikusaba. Information we didn't have before.

new information

W...What kind of information?



Instead of asking, see for yourself.
It looks like the results of an investigation the headmaster conducted.



I don't know what kind of a man that headmaster was, but he sure left us some interesting hints...

As I listened to Togami-kun talking, I let my eyes fall to the words written in the file.



"Regarding Mukuro Ikusaba's sudden return to Japan..."

"It seems a certain presence is largely responsible for that."
"A presence known as... Super High-school Level Despair."

"At this point in time, it is unclear if that refers to an individual or to an organization."
"But, there is no question Mukuro Ikusaba is deeply involved with that presence."

"I have a bad feeling about this... I must immediately proceed with my investigation of Super High-school Level Despair."

"I must also pay attention to Mukuro Ikusaba's movements."
"My gut tells me this girl is dangerous..."

"As a member of Fenrir, she passed through many battlefields..."
"But, nevertheless, the medical examination we conducted when she entered the school revealed not even a single wound on her body."

"That fact just makes it even clearer how impressive her military abilities are."

"She's my student and I want to trust her, of course, but..."
"If, by any chance, she starts posing a risk to the other students..."

"We have to be prepared to handle that situation, if it arises."



Mukuro Ikusaba... a member of Super High-school Level Despair...

It seems that much is correct.

In that case, Mukuro Ikusaba and the mastermind have probably been friends...
So... why...?

...Why did the mastermind kill her?

Also, it seems Mukuro Ikusaba's abilities were impressive to the extent that even the mastermind feared them...
To kill such a person... you probably had to take her by surprise...

...Or maybe, the mastermind himself possesses even greater fighting abilities?



...What's wrong, Naegi?
Eh?



You've gotten lost in thought there, but I still have one more thing to tell you.
There is some more information in this file you should pay attention to...
...W...What is it?



Didn't you see the photo attached to that profile?
It's a photo of a girl I've never seen before...



A photo of an unfamiliar girl mixed with the rest of the 78th class...
It's not difficult to figure out who this girl must be...



In addition, there's some more information about the girl in the picture next to it...
169 centimeters, 44 kilograms... Her measurements are also included. From the top, 80 - 55 - 82...



...What do you think?
W...What do you mean...? You aren't asking me if she had a nice body, are you...?



Don't be stupid, you simpleton. I meant you should go confirm those out later.
The body in the garden... There is still a certain possibility we must not ignore.

A certain possibility... In other words...



He is saying that body might not be Mukuro Ikusaba's...



It's not very likely, but I think we should check it, just in case.



...That's what I meant. I leave the rest to you.

As always... I'm being used...








There is one more thing I want to say to you.
It's a warning. I think you should listen to it.

warning

A warning...?
You seem to be getting along well with Kirigiri.
I'm not I'd call it "getting along"... But she did save my life more than once...



I don't think you should trust her too much.
...Eh?
If you do, there may be a heavy price to pay...
W...Why are you saying that...?



...That's my intuition.
I...Intuition...



My intuition is often right. It is up to you if you trust her or not, of course.
S...Sure... I'll take that into consideration...
............



Nothing else we can do here at the moment, so let's head to the final unexplored room on the map.





So this is the biology lab...

...It's cold!!

This place is unbelievably cold!!
It's as if I entered a freezer...

Why is it so cold in here...?



Let's investigate.



A few tarps are piled on the floor.

Tarps... I feel like I've seen a lot of them lately...





Strange devices are embedded into the wall.

The ones on this side of the wall have a blue indicator light on.

But, the other side of the wall...





Strange devices are embedded into the wall.

Where have I seen these things before...?

...I know! I've seen them in movies and on TV. They often come up in horror films...

They're body storage units... A refrigerator built to store dead bodies...

So, could this biology lab be used as a...?

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

I think I should investigate this room some more.





There's a thin pamphlet on the table...



It looks like an instruction booklet of some kind.

"The body storage unit you have purchased is a delicate device that can simulate a dry ice environment"
"In addition to a germicidal lamp, the unit comes installed with an ozone generation device for eliminating ethylene gas."

"After inserting a body, a blue light indicates that the unit automatically switched to storage mode."
"The unit automatically maintains the appropriate temperature and humidity, and so..."

"...no special technical knowledge is required in order to store bodies for a lengthy period of time."

"In case of a malfunction while in storage mode, a red indicator will light and an alarm will sound."

"The unit is made of stainless steel. A leather cover can be provided by special order."

This is... an instruction manual for the units on the wall, isn't it?



Now that we know for sure what they are, let's take a look one more time.



Strange devices are embedded into the wall.
The ones over here have a blue indicator light on.

But, that blue indicator is on...

...Only for the units on the left side of the wall.



The indicator on the units on the right is off...

...Anyway, I think I know what's going on here.
This room is, without a doubt...
...A morgue.






Also, those indicator lights...

...They are supposed to indicate which units are currently in use.
In other words, inside these units...

All of the victims... Our friends... are probably in there...






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

I don't have any time to sink into depression just because all of my dead friends are here...
Right now, for their sake too, I must do everything I can...

Everything I can to defeat the mastermind...!

I must go on with the investigation...!
That's the only thing I can do now...

And now that we're done with the new parts of the school, the best way to proceed is probably to look at the body again.





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

Um...

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

...Huh?

It's... gone...

Mukuro Ikusaba's body...

It isn't here!