Part 24: Lonely Boy

NEW MUSIC: Despair Searching



If you don't know, the investigation phase of Danganronpa cases involves inspecting everything and picking up clues, here referred to as "truth bullets," which we'll be using in the trial. We can't miss anything important; the game will only advance when we find all available truth bullets.



Gotta clear away all this superfluous shit first.



In terms of missable content, it's probably safe to start with interrogating some potential perps, or anyone else around.



If you're the Ultimate Detective, then you've got your eyes on the culprit, right?

...What?



Oh, I wanna know too...

Ah, no, I'm sorry... I can't say anything yet...

But...there's someone you're a little bit suspicious of, right? No, there's gotta be.



But you're afraid of that. You're afraid of suspecting someone, aren't you? That's how it looks to me.

But with things the way they are, wouldn't it be better for you to suspect others more?

...



The way the world works is that those who speak, win. The truth can easily be twisted. In order to fix a twisted truth, you need something even more powerful.



I mean that testimonies without evidence are powerless. Be careful.

...







The culprit must have killed to survive, so it is odd that they would not step forward.

True... I wonder what that means...

I can think of several possibilities, but the worst case scenario is...





That would explain why they would forgo their survival in favor of a class trial.

But...doesn't that seem like a bit of a stretch to you?

Well, if the culprit is also the mastermind, then it's certainly plausible.

W-Well, true... Killing us all does seem like something the mastermind would do...







Yeah, I remember.





Actually, it has to do with how the bookcase works.

Shuichi moved the bookcase to reveal the hidden door.





He let go of the bookcase, and after waiting for a bit...





The bookcase is set up like an automatic door. It closes after a period of time... It makes perfect sense when you think about it. If it didn't close on its own, you wouldn't be able to put the bookcase back after you went inside.

I see... The bookcase has to close on its own once you go through the hidden door.







...was because the mastermind was hiding just past the hidden door!

After killing Rantaro, they ran through the hidden door... It certainly is possible. Let's check that now.



The dust on the card reader, remember?

Shuichi moved the bookcase again to reveal the hidden door once more.









It looks like the card reader wasn't used. That means the mastermind didn't hide here.

What if the mastermind replaced the dust after they used the card reader?

No, I remember exactly where I put the dust. This hasn't been moved at all.



Then the one who moved the moving bookcase at the time was...



I...can't say for sure. We'll know more when we get the pictures back. There's a chance that someone else was hiding here.



Well, I still think the mastermind is the culprit.

So we just need to find the clues that can connect us to the mastermind. We'll end the killing game that way, too.







Miu continued ignoring us while she fiddled with a controller.



Dun-dun-duh-dunnnn! It's a prone!

Prone?



If it was a Prone, it'd team up with the rest of the Ganglion alliance to destroy humanity.

I have no idea what she's talking about...





She laughed obnoxiously and pointed her finger upward.

AUDIO: Film Everything

MUSIC: Finding Peace Party



It's a drome!

TSUMUGI: I told you, that's a drone. If it was a drome, it'd be leading a pack of vicious monsters!

I don't get it.

When did you have time to make this...?

I got bored after I made those cameras you asked for, so I modified this RC plane.



From there, I'll use the photos as a reference to draft a floor plan to help the investigation!



MUSIC: Despair Searching



That's amazing... I'm sure this will help with the investigation.



You shouldn't be proud of that...and if you don't hurry, the investigation will end soon!









You're a bit wimpy when someone stands up to you, huh? You're actually a complete wuss.



Wait, I forgot to double-check Shuichi.



What do you think we should check first? I'm thinking about it, too...but since you're a detective, you might know more than me.

Hm, what we should check first... ...is if the areas where we placed the cameras have changed in any way. Like the bookcases, the vent... I feel like there might be clues around there.

I see...



...

And finally, we need to hear from everyone here. One of them might have noticed something we missed.

Okay, got it. Thanks, Shuichi.

Ah, it's no problem at all... I hope I can be of *some* use...







...The floor plan might be useful to the investigation... But it might not be finished in time for the class trial... I guess I won't expect too much.



And of course we can't forget about plain Jane over here.



Because he pressured us...this happened. That motive he gave us is part of it, and so is that strange music...





It was awful... I thought I'd go crazy.

I bet...someone felt pressured by that and killed Rantaro... It's all...Monokuma's fault.

...Anyway...we have to stop the mastermind so this is the last murder that ever happens here! We just have to.

...









It doesn't seem as if anything has changed since we set up the cameras...



Oh, you mean the ones I stacked to keep people from going through the vent. Yeah...those have been left alone.





And we were keeping watch in the classroom this vent leads to. I don't think the culprit came in or out through there.

Yeah, that's true.











Nothing out of the ordinary here...







Yes, I saw that.

Do you think Rantaro entered through this door?

I can't say for sure until we get those pictures back from the Monokubs...

] You're right. We'll just have to wait.





We went through this door before we discovered Rantaro's body.

We entered the library through here with Kaito and Tenko...

Yeah...we saw the moving bookcase close, and then when we ran over...





Maybe the mastermind did, too...

When we see the pictures after the Monokubs develop them, that will be clear.

I guess all we can do is wait.







Y-Yeah, it should still be there... Let me check.





Removing it is fine, but won't your receiver go off when you move it?





Yes, I made sure to switch it off on the way down here. I thought the mastermind could still be inside, and I didn't want to alert them...

I see... Smart thinking.





Saving the best for last.

I'm pretty sure I don't need to tell you this, but shouldn't we investigate Rantaro's body?

Yes... If we want to find clues, we have to... But if it's too much for you, Kaede, you don't have to, okay?

No, it's fine. I can do it.



Zoom and transition to...

MUSIC: Rise of the Ultimates



...The last time I saw Rantaro...he was alive and well...





I mean, if Rantaro was the one who moved the bookcase...



He moved *away* from the hidden door...to this spot. Why would he do that...? And there's no trace of his body being moved. It...doesn't add up.

...



...Although I guess that's normal. We have to investigate a body, after all... The body of someone who was alive and talking to us, just a little while ago...

I-It's okay, really... We just have to do our best. Not just for Rantaro's sake...but also so we can avenge him... And...so we can protect everyone else. We have to defeat the mastermind who's orchestrating this whole thing.



I am...sort of a detective, after all.

Sort of? You *are* a detective, remember?

Ah, right...

MUSIC: Living in a Lazy Parallel World



There's not actually that much here to examine, and Shuichi just repeats his question if you examine him.





Shuichi showed no hesitation as he began to examine Rantaro's body.



It's consistent with blunt force trauma. I don't see any other injuries... The Monokuma File is accurate. This must be the fatal wound.



Yes...for now...

Shuichi then stuck his hand into Rantaro's pocket



I'm checking what he has on his person. There might be a clue. If we're going to do this, we have to be thorough. I told you I would support you, after all...

H-H-How can you say that with so much... c-confidence?

C'mon, Kaede... Pull yourself together.





He didn't have a card key on him?

That's what I was thinking... but he didn't have it.

Then...Rantaro really wasn't the mastermind.

If he was the mastermind, he wouldn't have come here without the card key. So, with what we know now... that is the most likely possibility.

...











Yeah, it definitely came from the warehouse on the 1st floor.

There's blood all over it...

That's the murder weapon, right? I don't see anything else that could've been used.

The shot itself is heavy... You would have to be fairly strong to use it as a weapon.





...



Let's get out of here for now, okay?

Y-Yeah...sorry.



MUSIC: Rise of the Ultimates



It seems likely that he is not the mastermind. What reason did he have for coming here?





That's the real goal.



NO MUSIC

...

Then it's possible...he noticed the hidden door in the library, just like we did.



MUSIC: Moon on the Water

He might have come to the same conclusion we did, that the mastermind would come here.

You mean...he had the same idea as us? N-No way... He should've told us...

We could've worked together...



No, he probably couldn't risk telling us... Like you said, he was suspicious of everyone. I have you, Kaede, but Rantaro didn't have anyone he could trust.

That might have been... the only difference between me and him.

As he said that, he offered me a hand. I took his hand and he firmly pulled me to my feet.



Kaede...let's go. We can't waste time now.







Thanks... I feel like...I can rely on you even more...

Huh?

Shuichi is right. We can't give up until it's over. I can't stay depressed forever. I have to help everyone get out of here. We have to continue the investigation. We gotta find the mastermind.



But we still don't know anything yet. I feel like we didn't get any closer to the mastermind.

The most important piece of evidence will be those photos. Once we get those... But then again, we can't just say that and do nothing... Let's keep investigating what we can.

Keep investigating?



We need to verify where everyone was during the time frame when Rantaro was killed.

If that's the case, then who should we question?



KAEDE: Kaito, Gonta, Maki, Tenko, Angie, and Himiko. Let's talk to them first.

I think Shuichi was supposed to answer Kaede's question here, not Kaede herself.



Let's ask them about what happened there.

Okay... Let's go find them. For now, let's head to the Game Room.

Next time, we join the AV Club.