Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Part #73 - Chapter 3 Deadly Life, Part 6

Part 73: Chapter 3 Deadly Life, Part 6

: So, Makoto...first I'd like to examine the corpses.

"Examine the corpses"... I can't believe I'm hearing that from a girl the same age as me...

: Dead bodies don't lie, you know. They tell the truth far more easily than the living. Wouldn't you agree?

: How am I supposed to answer...?

: Anyway, we have to hurry. Before the class trial begins again...

: Y-Yeah, you're right...

: Okay then, show me where the bodies are.

They're in...the repository. Then I guess we should head that way for now...

: Hifumi...and Taka...

For a moment, Kyoko seemed to go rigid. But *only* for a moment...

: Well then, let's get started.

She crouched down next to Taka and without hesitation began poking and prodding the bodies.

: The Monokuma File was right. They were killed using similar weapons.

Her movements were so smooth--she was so...calm. Seeing how comfortable she was actually made *me* feel a little more comfortable...

: Makoto. I found something.

: You did...?

: You remember the wristwatch Taka always wore on his left hand?

: He did...?

: Are you so oblivious to the people around you? Do you dislike other people that much?

: N-No, that's not it... Anyway, so you said he had a watch?

: Take a look... It's broken. You can see the hands aren't moving, right? It most likely broke when he had his encounter with his assailant. And if you notice, the hands are frozen at just past 6 o'clock.

: So that would mean...the watch was broken sometime just after 6?

: But last night, Taka's watch definitely wasn't broken...

: Hey! You! How long were you gonna keep us waiting!?

Taka's irritated voice pierced the air as he stared pointedly at his wristwatch.

: It's almost 10 o'clock, you know that!? Bedtime for all the little boys and girls!

: So if it worked at 10 last night, it couldn't have been broken at 6 p.m. Meaning it must have happened at 6 this morning.

: And that's not all. Look at Taka's left hand. He appears to be gripping something...

: You're right! There's something...white in there.

: Can you try and pry it out?

: Me!?

: Rigor mortis has already set in. Boys are better suited to this kind of manual labor, right?

: O-Okay...

As much as I didn't want to, I grasped Taka's cold hand... The ice-cold hand was nearly enough to cause my heart to stop beating... After some effort, I was finally able to free the object from his tightly clenched fist.

: A...piece of paper?

: Was that all he had in his hand?

: Yeah, that's it... Just a little scrap of paper. Doesn't seem like much of a clue, does it?

: I wonder about that...

Kyoko then turned to Hifumi's body.

: Let's check Hifumi's body now. Perhaps he's left us a few clues of his own.

: So? Did you find anything?

: I did. More than I expected, to be honest. Look at this...

: A...wad of paper?

: Hifumi had it hidden on him.

: Hidden...?

: He'd stuffed it in his pants. So I can only assume he'd hidden it on purpose, you see?

: In his pants...? Wait, so you--!?

: It was just his pants. Not like his socks or something...

I don't...know what that means...

: Anyway,, let's take a look at the paper. Go ahead, Makoto. Open it up.

When I think of how it was stuffed down his pants, it's like...it better be important, Hifumi, or I'll never forgive you for this!

: ...A note!?

"I found a hole maybe we can use to escape. Monokuma can't find out, so don't tell anyone else for now. Let's meet in the equipment room at 6 a.m."

: That sounds...very familiar.

: That's it! It's the same thing Hiro said! Then he was telling us the truth!

: Although...it's not exactly the same, is it?

: Last night, someone slipped a weird note under my door. And here's what it said... "I found a hole maybe we can use to escape. Monokuma can't find out, so don't tell anyone else for now. Let's meet in the rec room at 1 a.m."

: The time is different... Hiro told us that his note said to meet at 1 a.m. But the note they wrote to Hifumi asked him to meet at 6 a.m.

: Hold on. Just because Hifumi had the note, doesn't mean it was meant for him.

: Huh...?

: Part of it has been torn off, right? I think there's likely some meaning there.

There's some meaning to part of it being ripped...?

: Umm...could you maybe explain it a little more?

: Think carefully...

: Why would he have been clutching that scrap of paper so tightly?

: I...I have no idea...

: What if it *wasn't* just a scrap of paper when he was holding it? What if it was something more important? And how would something important like that become a mere scrap of paper? That's what you need to answer.

: And while we're at it, I should tell you one other thing. The two victims this time definitely had their e-Handbooks on them. So the handbooks have nothing to do with how the murders were carried out. Not that there was any reason to think they were connected to the killings in the first place...

: So you're saying I don't have to think about the handbooks this time, right?

: If you didn't have to think about them at all, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to mention it. All I said was that they weren't used to help carry out the murders. There may come a point, however, where a handbook may play a role.

A handbook may play a role...? I...don't think I understand. But if Kyoko thinks it's important, I'd better keep it in mind...

*Ding dong, bing bong*

: Are you excited? Are you pumped!? It's time for the class trial to begin! Like the bright burst of fireworks, like the flash of a soul clashing with life and death...! And so, with no further ado...! Everyone please meet at the usual spot! Make your way to the red door on the first floor of the school! Puhuhu. See you soon!

♪ No Music. ♪

: It's unfortunate, but I suppose this is where our investigation comes to an end. You'll have to figure out the rest for yourself, and come to the proper conclusion.

: Yeah...you're right...

: Well, we'd better get going.

: O-Okay...

Everyone had heard Monokuma's proclamation, and they were gathered by the red door. And as soon as we were all there...

: Hello! (Hello...! Hello...)

: He's multiplied!?

: Nope, not multiplication! It just looks that way cuz of an illuu~~usion! I'm moving so fast it only LOOKS like I've multiplied! Ke-heh-heh... Can you guys tell...which one is the real Monokuma!?

: Can we just get on the elevator already?

: You're not playing along! (Along...! Along...)

: We're not here to play with you!

: Okay, okay, fine!

: Then if everyone's here and ready to go, please board the pain train! Er...elevator. I'll see you guys down there! *leaves*

: Okay then, shall we?

: H-Hold on! I'm not mentally prepared yet...!

: You'll NEVER be mentally prepared! You can't run away anymore, Hiro. You're gonna pay for your sins...

: I told you already, I didn't do it! For SERIOUS!

: That reminds me... Did you ever find the other costume? Or the note?

: Um, well...no, but--

: How unfortunate. Then it would seem we have our culprit.

: N...ngh!

: This isn't the place to talk about it. Save your accusations for when we get to the courtroom.

: She's right. Let's get down there first. Then the story can really begin...

: Yeah, good idea.

That's right... I have to... I have to...do it... I can't let whoever killed Hifumi and Taka get away with it... For everyone who's still alive...and for the two that lost their lives.

♪ Music cuts out. ♪

The one who killed Hifumi and Taka... The one who killed two of our friends... The killer is...

...someone right here!

I took one last deep breath, and exhaled slowly. I began to walk toward the elevator. Once everyone was aboard...

the doors closed on their own. And the steel box began to move.

The clunking of the elevator kept us company as we fell further and further down... There was no going back... Until we settled all this, we couldn't go anywhere.

I'm not sure how long it was before the elevator finally came to a stop. The elevator doors slid open...opening up onto a cruel fate.

: Hmhmhm... When I see all of you gathered together like this...I realize just how few of you there are left! Your school life is slowly reaching its climax!

: Only cuz of you!

: Why...? Why are you making us do such cruel things to each other!?

: What what!? Do you really hate me so much? But I'm so cute!

: Stop goofing around and begin the trial...!

: Don't rush me! Of course I'm gonna start it! I would never be like, "Stay tuned for the action-packed class trial after this commercial break!"

: I'd never hold out on you like that! ...Okay, let's begin! Get to your assigned seats!

And so the curtain opened once again...

A deadly judgment... A deadly deception... A deadly betrayal...

A deadly riddle, a deadly defense, a deadly faith...

A deadly...class trial...!

: Welcome back to the courtroom for Class Trial #3. The ticker on the bottom reads the following:

"And now they must confront *two* murders...! Who claimed the lives of Hifumi and Kiyotaka? In this class trial, suspicion builds upon suspicion!"

: We have some new skills available to use. I explained a couple of them during the chapter but let's go over them in detail.

Envious Influence: Increases the Influence Gauge by 5. Effective during the Class Trial. Costs 4 SP.

-This skill came from Byakuya. It adds 5 hearts to your Influence Gauge, effectively doubling your health meter. There is a less powerful version of this skill that gives you only 2 hearts that cannot be combined with this skill. It's a very useful skill if you're playing through for the first time and you can find it because it gives you more room for error. I shouldn't ever be needing it because I know the answers at this point, but if the Bullet Time Battles get too crazy later on I might. I hope not though, there are a lot more useful skills to choose from.

Breathing Technique: The Focus Gauge recovers more quickly. Effective during the Nonstop Debate, the Hangman's Gambit, and the Bullet Time Battle. Costs 4 SP.

-This skill came from Sakura. If you find yourself using the Focus Gauge often this skill might be helpful to you. It speeds up the recovery rate for the Focus Gauge. I haven't used the gauge much this run so I don't think I'll be needing it. On a side note, one of the most useful combinations that I don't think we're able to get at this point is to combine it with a skill that slowly restores your Influence Gauge while you are using your Focus Gauge. It's a great combination that I used a lot in the sequel to restore my health because the end of DR2 gets hard and apparently I'm bad at logic.

Handiwork: Allows you to reload two bullets at once. Effective during the Bullet Time Battle. Costs 4 SP.

-We got this skill from Hifumi. Reloading is a mechanic that will be introduced during this trial. Basically, during BTB from now on when I shoot an argument I will use bullets. I have to press Square in time with the beat to reload bullets. If I don't have bullets, I can't shoot the arguments. I'm not looking forward to this because as I mentioned before, my audio setup doesn't allow me to hear the game audio as I record the trial so I have to do BTBs purely on visual cues. I'm definitely going to use this skill because the less I have to worry about messing up a BTB, the better.

: So we got some interesting and costly skills this chapter. Unfortunately, I can't equip any of them if I want to keep using all of the skills I had set before. As such, I'm trading out Cool and Composed for Handiwork. I think I can deal with a slightly wobbly cursor in exchange for the double bullet reloading. I've kept [b]Algorithm, Upshift, Robot Jock and Melodious Voice on as well. This brings me to 13/13 SP used.

: Next up is the list of Truth Bullets we obtained in our investigation.