Part 41: Chapter 2 Deadly Life, Part 2

First of all, I'd better check the Monokuma File to see exactly what's going on.

"The victim was Chihiro Fujisaki. The time of death is estimated to be around 2:00 a.m. The body was discovered in the girls locker room, on the 2nd floor of the school. The cause of death was a blow to the head with a blunt object. She was killed instantly."

That's...all it says. Well...it's not like there's any point in complaining about it. No matter what, I gotta do what I gotta do...





: Hey, Makoto. Do you have a second?
: Huh? Did you...need something from me?
: Of course. Life without purpose is quite dull, you know?
: Um, so...what did you need?



: I'm going to let you cooperate with me during my investigation.
: ...Huh?
: I'm purchasing your talent. The same talent which allowed you to solve Sayaka's case.
: S-Solve...? No, I just...
: You seem to have some limited use. Which is why I've chosen you. You have the honor of contributing to my investigation.

So...you're inviting me to come with you? You're doing it in the most arrogant way possible, though...



: Now then, shall we get started?
: B-But...
: We need to get moving. There's no time to be standing around.
: ...

I don't really know what just happened but it looks like I'll be working with Byakuya one this one.



: Let's have a look at Chihiro's body to start.



I could feel the life draining out of my own body. It's a dead body... *Chihiro's* dead body...

: But the more I look, the more strange it all seems. This must be Genocide Jack's handiwork.
: Well, but...
: But we're still not sure he did it. Is that what you want to say?
: I wonder about that... Hmhmhm...





The poster's got some blood on it. It must have happened during the murder.





There's a dumbbell on the floor. And this is a bloodstain! There's a bloodstain on the dumbbell!



: The Monokuma File said "a blow to the head with a blunt object" is what killed her.
: Does that mean this dumbbell was actually the murder weapon...?
: I don't imagine it could have been anything else.







There's a fresh bloodstain on the carpet. It must've been splattered with blood during the murder...





: I use this locker room all the time. Now...it's become the site of Chihiro's death.
: But...why was she killed in the locker room? Actually, if you think about it, she could have been killed somewhere else, then carried here.
: She was very light, that is true. It wouldn't be hard for someone to carry her. But still... I still think she came here on her own, by choice.
: What makes you say that?
: She'd been talking a lot lately about how she wanted to get stronger.
: So you're saying she came here to exercise? But according to the Monokuma File, apparently she was killed around two in the morning. Would she really have been exercising that late?



: Hina or myself are usually in the locker room during the day. So she was probably avoiding it then.
: Avoiding it...?
: Although we invited her to join us more than once, she never showed up. So I can only assume she was trying to avoid us.
: And instead, she came to exercise in the middle of the night?



: Perhaps. But it's difficult for me to imagine she would have come alone. She did want to start exercising, but she specifically mentioned she couldn't do it be herself. She needed support from others.
: So you're saying she could have come here in the middle of the night to train in secret but that she also would have come with someone else.
: It's a possibility, I think.







: ...

She took her time examining Chihiro's corpse. She poked and prodded, going over every inch of the lifeless body.

: You're a very strange woman, you know, being able to touch a dead body with absolutely no trouble.
: ...

She seems to be concentrating pretty hard. It's like she can't even hear us.





: Dude had a real complex about being weak. You heard Chihiro talk about it, right? All "I need to get stronger!"
: Yeah, I do remember she said that more than once...
: Sure did. Which...I guess explains the trip down here...
: But...did she really need to get stronger that badly? You already mentioned it, but...she *was* a girl, after all. Most girls aren't all that strong.



: I dunno, man. Haven't really thought about that stuff.

The cause of Chihiro's complex... I can't help wondering what it might be.





: Now I believe it's about time for us to move on.
: Huh? Already?
: New clues won't magically appear by standing around here. We need to check every aspect of this case.
: Th-That's true, but...
: If you're satisfied, let's hurry up and proceed. *leaves*

He's so...pushy. I got caught up with the wrong person this time...





: So, this is our next location.
: Huh? This place is related to the investigation?
: Figure it out for yourself. It's no fun if you don't right?
: ...



: Byakuya's no help to us but the thing he wants us to examine is the card reader outside the girls locker room.



: If I remember right, this card reader is meant to work with our handbook, right?
: Do you have an issue with it? If so, you should take it up with Monokuma.

He said that, then quickly and sharply clapped his hands together.



: You called for me!?

Has he been domesticated...?

: It seems that Makoto has a question for you.



: Sure, what's up?
: Umm...well, it's just about this card reader.
: Yes, the card readers have all been designed to interface with each of your e-Handbooks! You can only enter the locker room corresponding to the gender listed in your individual handbook.



: And it's impossible for two people in a row to go through while the door is unlocked, correct?
: If there were some sort of erotic terrorist on the prowl...



: The ceiling-mounted Gatling gun would initiate a Swiss cheese slaughter!
: And the school regulations prohibit anyone from lending someone else their handbook, correct?



: Correctly correct!

So then.. That means only girls can go in the girls locker room, and only boys can go in the boys locker room. In other words, Chihiro's body being found in the girls locker room means...



: Hey, Makoto. I can see right through you.
: See right...through me?
: Allow me to tell you what you're thinking... Since Chihiro was found in the girls locker room, the killer must have been able to get in there. As such, the killer must be one of the girls. Did I get it right? Good lord you're simple.
: But am I wrong?
: You should pay closer attention to the regulations. The answer has been in front of you the entire time. "Loaning your e-Handbook to another student is strictly prohibited." Only the act of *loaning* a handbook is prohibited. Borrowing someone else's is perfectly fine.



: Nyohohoho! I would expect nothing less from the prodigal son of the noble Togami family! So you managed to sniff out the loophole in the regulations!
: Knowing you, I would bet you created it on purpose, didn't you? To add a little more excitement to things.



: Kyaaah! You're treating me like a puny little appetizer instead of the main course that I am! Now then, since the dead can't actually talk, they're not people anymore--they're things! Get it? Got it? Good.
: Wait, hold on... You're saying that's a loophole, but... In order to borrow something from someone, then...that means someone would have to loan it, so...uh...
: So sleepy... Just listening to you makes me wanna pass out! Be more like Byakuya and get your poop together!



: Or else I'll charge you with criminal negligence! No more questions! Figure out the rest your own damn self! *leaves*
: ...



: Well, I know you are unfortunately lacking in mental faculties, so I'll fill you in myself. Let's head to the main hall.
: The main hall?
: That'll help you understand what's going on.





We came to...the main hall.



: So...what are we looking for here?
: ...

Does that mean I have to figure it out for myself?



: Once again, Byakuya won't help us. It's not hard to find what he wants us to see though.



There's a mailbox here. Could there be something inside...?



It's...an e-Handbook!? No, wait...there's *three* of them! But what are they doing here?



: So, you finally found them.
: Huh? Did you know these were here, Byakuya?
: I happened to find them by chance myself the other day. It seems there's a system in place where the handbooks of dead students get "delivered" to this mailbox.
: So then, these three handbooks belong to Junko, Leon, and Sayaka?
: You can go ahead and confirm it yourself.

I immediately turned on one of the handbooks. And when I did...





: You're right! This is Sayaka's handbook!



: Now do you understand? This is the key to the loophole that I revealed earlier.
: Yeah, I feel like I'm starting to get it...



: You should pay closer attention to the regulations. The answer has been in front of you the entire time. "Loaning your e-Handbook to another student is strictly prohibited." Only the act of *loaning* a handbook is prohibited. Borrowing someone else's is perfectly fine.

I see...yeah, now I understand.





: Hm? Hold on a second...
: What's wrong?
: That's strange. One of the handbooks won't turn on.
: Is it broken? Whose is it?
: The other handbook showed Junko's name when I started it up.
: Then the one that won't turn on must be...Leon's, right?



: It would make sense, yes. After all, he did get pummeled with dozens and dozens of baseballs.

Pummeled with baseballs...



The memory of it came flooding back. That cruel punishment, which led to Leon's death... The execution that the mastermind concocted... A cruel, heartless death...

: You're right. It wouldn't be surprising for the handbook to break during that kind of assault.





: Hey, hey!
: Hey hey hey hey hey!
: HEEEY!
: Wh-What...?
: That e-Handbook is essential to student life here! Crucial, integral, instrumental, a super big deal! There's no way it would break that easily!
: But it did...
: If I say it wouldn't break, it wouldn't freakin' break! It can withstand up to ten tons of pressure, and it's waterproof up to a hundred meters, okay!? I don't care how many baseballs you hit it with, it wouldn't do crap!



: Oh, but uh...even my amazing handbook does have one single weak point.
: It does?



: But it's a secret! I wouldn't want you to go breaking any more handbooks!
: Then Leon must have broken it somehow without realizing what its weakness was, right?
: Hmm...hard to say! You know what I think? I think his handbook isn't actually broken!



: But, you might ask, how could that be!? *leaves*

Leaving the question hanging in the air, Monokuma disappeared.





: What just happened? Monokuma said it's not broken. But it's an undeniable fact that it's not turning on.
: Well, I don't see any connection to the case, so it doesn't matter for now.

You think so? Either way, something about it still bothers me...





: Okay then, this should be enough to get things rolling. Let's begin out investigation in earnest and track down the true culprit.
: Yeah. We need to find out who killed Chihiro!
: To be exact...not quite.

Huh? Not...quite?





: What do you mean by that, Byakuya? "To be exact...not quite."
: Certainly I want to reveal Chihiro's killer, but more precisely...



: I want to discover the true identity of Genocide Jack.

: Then...you really think...? You truly believe Genocide Jack is the one that killed Chihiro?



: Absolutely. I have no doubt that [Genocide Jack] is the culprit in this case. And I have a [basis] to believe that. I assure you, Genocide Jack is one of us.

> Genocide Jack

: That murderous fiend is...Genocide Jack, right?
: There's nobody else it could be.



: A murderous fiend, who kills again and again using a bizarre and brutal method... They're like a ghost, attacking suddenly then slipping away before the police can catch up to them. And what nickname did the Internet give to this mysterious serial killer?
: Genocide Jack... They say he's killed thousands of people. But that's gotta be an urban legend... Still, could one of us really be a demented, psychotic killer like that?
: You're not wrong to wonder. But words mean little right now. I have something that will prove it. And I can show you.

> basis

: Is there really proof...?



: There's somewhere I'd like to take you. This will provide all the evidence you need. Evidence that Genocide Jack is the one that killed Chihiro!

Evidence... Does something like that really...?

???: Ah! Hey you two!



: Big trouble! Need your help!
: We're busy. Leave us alone!
: But it's an emergency...! Emergency! C'mon, please! You gotta help me!