Part 86: Keeping the Blade

MUSIC: Despair Searching





And because no one has used this door since we came in here... I believe Angie locked this door when she came in, and it's been locked ever since.







Maki, may I see it for a minute? I want to try moving the sliding lock...

You want to unlock it? Go ahead. Do what you want.



...and softly slid the lock open.



Just as I suspected... This lock will slide without much effort.



...Whether you lock it or unlock it.

This could be an important clue...









But by the time we discovered the body, both doors were locked.



Locked, huh...

Yes, the cylinder lock's key was taken by the Monokubs... So both doors could only be locked from the inside.

But only if you rule out Kokichi's lock picking, right? He could've picked the cylinder lock on the front door to go in and out of the lab...



It's possible that he locked the door from the outside by picking it after he killed Angie.

That's true...

Also, he appeared at an oddly convenient time when we tried to enter the lab ourselves.

...He's clearly suspicious.









...Are you going to take a closer look?

Y-Yes...I was planning to...

Then let's hurry up and do it. We can't afford to waste any time here.



She has no problem with dead bodies. She is the Ultimate Assassin...





According to the Monokuma File, she sustained a stab wound to the back of the neck...as well as a laceration on her forehead.

The killing blow was a single stab to the back of the neck... A sneak attack, most likely.



Maybe the culprit hit her in the head before stabbing her from behind.

But her two wounds are substantially different. Did the culprit change weapons mid-attack?

I suppose that would be unnecessary...

Also...the wound on her forehead looks deep, but it's not bleeding much.







What's wrong, Maki?

...Move.

Maki pushed me aside, then lifted Angie's body up by the shoulder.

What's this doing crumpled underneath her body?



I don't know...but it must be related to the case.







I'm surprised you spotted this, Maki. It was hidden under her body...

...It was partially visible. As a detective, you should have noticed it before I did.

Ah, well, that's true...



So don't beat yourself up over it.

...Well then, it's a good thing you're used to corpses, Maki.



S-Sorry, joking. I couldn't resist.

...You don't need to apologize. I was joking, too.

...That didn't sound like a joke, though.







By performing the ritual as written, you can resurrect one deceased victim.



Angie tried to perform the ritual written in this book, right?

Yes...if we look at this book, we should learn the steps of the ritual she was trying to perform. Let's take a look.

MUSIC: Living in a Lazy Parallel World



"Prepare an effigy of the dead soul you wish to contact. Everyone may participate."
"The size and shape of the effigy is irrelevant. Make it out of whatever materials you wish."
"If it's not obvious who the effigy is supposed to be, label it with the name of the deceased."
"After preparing the effigy, burn this Necronomicon to ashes."
"Use caution! Be mindful of carbon monoxide poisoning!"
"Sprinkle the ashes on the effigy and repeat the name of the deceased three times."
"Then close your eyes and wait. After a while..."
"you should feel a light tap on your back. If so, that means the ritual was a success!"
"The ashes are only good for one use. The ritual can only be performed once, so use it wisely."



Angie really believed in this crap? It's pretty obvious that you wouldn't be able to resurrect anyone with this...

Under normal circumstances, I'm sure that's true... But in this place? I don't think we can rule anything out.



MUSIC: Despair Searching









Is this rope from the warehouse?

I believe so...and that means they won't be much of a clue. *Anyone* could have gone and gotten these ropes.



The warehouse does contain plenty of things that can be used for murder...











If it's not...then why is it like this? Who would go out of their way to hang a wax effigy?



What could it be? Who would do this? The culprit? Angie? Or someone else entirely?







Who did this...? And why?

...Let me see.

Maki nudged me aside, then gripped the katana and pulled it out of the effigy.





Y—Yes, true, but we have to preserve the scene...

...

Maki paid no mind to my protest and stared at the katana for a while.



Y-Yeah...I believe it's the one that was on display in the Ultimate Anthropologist lab.

...Hm, is that so?



The edge is too rusty to cut well...but it would be enough to stab.

But why would they go through the effort of using *this* as the murder weapon?

Good question. They could've gone to my lab and grabbed a more suitable weapon...



They may have been in a hurry.



A long weapon?

My lab doesn't contain swords, or any other weapons of this length.

Ah, really?



When I first started working, I botched a mission using a katana... I haven't used a sword since. Which is fine, because they're a hassle to carry anyway.

I suppose everyone's lab is suited to them personally, just like Angie's was. But how did they know all this...?



It must be pretty old for the gold leaf to flake off that easily.

Why didn't you say so earlier? My hands are all sticky now... I'll have to wash them later.

Maki scolded me, then stood in front of Kaede's effigy.



Ah... Thank you.





A hanging wax effigy, no less... Was it part of the ritual? Or was the culprit trying to hide the murder weapon?

Perhaps they had no intention of hiding it. They didn't even wipe off the blood. Besides, I'm certain there are better ways to hide the murder weapon than this...



I...honestly have no idea.

...



The Ultimate Anthropologist lab? Yes, let's do that. I want to make sure the katana indeed came from that room.







This can't be from her forehead. This blood is from the back of her neck.



It must have been spilled a few hours before Angie was killed. Maybe more.

That fits the 2 am. time of death listed in the Monokuma File.



...

There were several clues that caught my attention, but I can't draw any conclusions yet. If we think about all the evidence in combination, that might tell us something.



...

...Maki, what's wrong?

It's not that important, but...the only time you're reliable is when you're investigating a crime scene.



...Who knows? You're certainly more reliable than Kaito, at least. That guy is useless.

Anyway...let's continue.



...Is this really the time to rest? I don't think we've found enough clues yet. We don't know how much time we have left to investigate, so we need to hurry up.

Ah, you're right... First, we should...



We may find a clue related to the katana.

That's true... We need to check if the katana really did come from that place— ...



It just occurred to me... Why am I acting like your partner?

Well, it's fine. Just...don't get used to it.

It's not as if I *asked* you... but it's fine by me. It's true that Maki is a tremendous help to me.







First, we should confirm whether the katana used in the murder really came from here.

Still...there's tons of weird-looking stuff in this place. I thought it was all a bunch of useless junk at first, but I guess it's not...

...Sorry, don't mind me.





Earlier, the katana was inside the sheath...

Maki, the gold leaf katana definitely came from here. I'm certain of it.

Doesn't that make Kiyo suspicious? This is his research lab, after all.



...Fair enough. Anyone could have done the same with my lab, too.







...What are *you* doing here? Shouldn't you be helping with the seance?

Nee-heehee... You look so disgusted right now. Then again, I guess that is your signature look.

Anyway, I forgot to bring something we need for the seance, so I came back to get it.



Yep, that white sheet over there.



I don't get it... Why do you guys need a cage, a wooden dog statue, and a white sheet?



That's why I figured I'd do a little research on this seance before I got the sheet.



Soooo, let's see...

Kokichi took a look around and...

I heard it was, like, some old handmade book...





Let's see... What does it say about The Caged Child seance...?

Kokichi flipped through the old book he picked up.



MUSIC: Living in a Lazy Parallel World



KOKICHI: Okay, let's see... In order to perform The Caged Child...you need five people, including the spirit medium, and a dark place with no light.

SHUICHI: Just like Kiyo said...

KOKICHI: First, draw the magic circle, passed down from the Caged Dog Village, on the ground... In the center of the circle, the spirit medium must kneel, curl like a turtle...and rest their forehead on a stone on the ground. Afterward, the other four participants...must put the iron cage over the spirit medium, and cover it with a white sheet... And finally, the Dog God must be placed on top of the cage. Also, it says we can't step on the magic circle during the preparations...

SHUICHI: The "Dog God"? Do you mean the wooden dog statue?

KOKICHI: When preparations are complete, turn out all the lights to create complete darkness... The seance will begin when the four participants are each standing at a corner of the room. The four participants, not including the Spirit medium, will sing The Caged Child song... After the song, ask, "Is the caged child..." then say the name of the spirit. The spirit medium will reply in the voice of the summoned spirit...and that's all it says!

MUSIC: Despair Searching



Complicated plans have a better chance of working out in the end, wouldn't you say?

Whether it works or not...Kiyo has been wanting to conduct this seance for a while.



Kehehe... But I never thought I'd be able to lay eyes on the real one... What a trick of fate.



That's probably why he left the book here, cuz he can conduct the seance without it.

But is it even possible? Contacting Angie's ghost...?



Huh?

You should see how it plays out with your own eyes.

There's still time, y'know. The seance hasn't even started yet.



You think so...?

Well, I'm not going. I don't believe in seances.

But whether you believe or not, as a detective you should be there to observe what happens.

As a detective, huh...



Nee-heehee... Now you're talking.

Well, I'll be waiting for you! Of the three empty rooms, we're in the middle one.







You can deal with the seance. I'll head back to the crime scene to re-examine the clues.

Next time: Danganronpa 2SpookyV3.

Girls School Badge Collection theme
Girls' school badges theme.



Angie's badge (the cross with a tail) and Tenko's badge (the little square) are jammed in so close I can imagine someone mistaking them for part of the same design. Otherwise this is fine.