Chapter 6 Trial: Trauma Tango (#36)
“Even if they’re participating in their own murder game, I can’t see the mastermind knowingly walking into a deadly trap.”
“But they HAD to have known it was a TRAP! How could they have ACCIDENTALLY walked into it?”
“Because they were led to believe it was a different trap.”
“Like, bear trap versus...”
“Dude, I don’t even know what other traps there are. Parent trap?”
“I don’t believe either of those is relevant.”
“Everything about the trap was set up—and probably narrated—to make it look like its one function was shooting whoever stepped into the art supply closet.”
Was that the original location? It’s been a minute.
It’s easy enough to remember where Kokoro was found, though.
“Then Tanukihara believed she wouldn’t endanger herself by approaching the trap so long as she...”
“...avoided the closet door.”
“So the tale you weave comes down to one fool’s ability to deceive another fool.”
“Basically, but that’s not the end of it.”
“We never did come up with a reason for Kokoro to be in the art room that day, right?”
“Especially not while... disregarding the three-person rule... entirely.”
“Koko was usually one of the, like, rulesy dudes.”
“So she LISTENED to ALL you had to say about your little TRAP through the CAMERAS...”
“...and then just IGNORED the part where you were RIGHT THERE IN THE CLOSET when she came to look?!”
“She couldn’t have been keeping track of everyone at every moment, right?”
“Had she been absent or... publicly checking her student ID so often... we would have suspected something.”
“And if she had checked, why would she have assumed I’d attack her?”
“I’d done nothing, mind you, to imply that... I thought she was the mastermind... Seeing as, at the time... I had no particular reason to believe that was the case.”
“She was totally on good terms with everybody, so, like, yeah.”
“Regardless, I see little reason to believe that... anyone other than the young master would have approached and been caught in that trap... as it all turned out.”
“You would like to believe that, wouldn’t you, vile sinner?”
“Yes? Once again, it’s been stated that I’m well aware I’m a heavily biased party in this case, thank you.”
That seems like the last of the objections for him to field at the moment.
“Well, we wanted something to whittle down our mastermind suspects. That about takes care of it, don’t you think?”
“...Not that I’d want it to be, like... basically anybody I was friends with.”
“But this still super sucks! Koko was...”
“...Kokoro was, like, super nice, you know?”
“Oh, because people CAN’T be that FAKE?”
“Then you agree Kokoro is our most likely suspect?”
“I can’t be BOTHERED to keep TRACK of all your LOGIC CIRCLES at this point. So SURE! Why not!”
“That’s one way to reach a decision.” A bad one, but one nevertheless.
“Do we think we’ve come to a conclusion, then?”
Before I can scope out Monochap’s response to the suggestion...
“The many-souled one is quite correct about your going in circles—to such an extent you’ve become utterly lost.”
“Not referring to the fate of your souls on this occasion.”
“Taking over the trial for your own foolish ends at least shows some initiative, albeit greatly wasted...”
“...but the current assembly is concerned with the killer, yes?”
“The one responsible for the Monofiles...”
“Which you don’t believe would be Miss Tanukihara, I take it?”
“Even sinners dealing with the most demonic of influences struggle to reach past the grave so.”
“Uhh, we got the whole super duper medicine revival machine dealio, though?”
“How utterly simplistic. I know I can expect no better from you lot yet am still, somehow, disappointed.”
“You may as well... explain, if...”
If you can’t do it for her?
“Clearly there’s no other way, hmm?”
“Very well. I shall humor you pathetic whelps.”
Mahavir mutters under his breath, not quite making eye contact with me. “She doesn’t precisely make it easy to thank her, does she?”
What, like you’ve directly talked to her at all this trial? Best not to say that out loud, though.
Let’s just let her get on with it.
“This trial, whatever you fools would like it to be, is to determine the identity of the killer.”
“Yeah, yeah, the ULTIMATE killer of EVERYTHING, or WHATEVER!”
“The young master, that is.”
“Or, er, the ‘mastermind’ is the current terminology?”
“That’s who I came here to find, at least.”
“You base your pitiful ‘logic’ on the abomination’s little files...”
“...yet all of your suspects are listed there as victims.”
“Like, they did all super die. That is totally a thing that happened.”
“Taima and Tanukihara have appeared in two Monofiles, yes...”
“If Kokoro is the culprit for this trial...”
“...she’d have had to have caused her own second death.”
“While being in a state... requiring advanced life support... It would be a bit difficult.”
“You think the MASTERMIND couldn’t FAKE her own REPORT?”
“But if we doubt the reports, we can no longer rely upon most of our reasoning!”
“I won’t tolerate yet another sad regression in this trial.”
“Of course, the mastermind could have preprogrammed Mister Monochaperone to manage the equipment in his or her stead.”
“Like, even reviving her twice?”
“That would certainly seem to be the most logical course of action.”
“Right, because PLAYING in your own MURDER GAME is LOGICAL.”
“But surely the mastermind would at least protect their own life?”
“But then why designate an heir at all?”
Or did she? Could Monochap have really managed everything necessary on his own? Or was he ever asked to?
We’ve got to sort this out.
[Monofiles]
[Basement Cooler]
[Aidan’s Testimony]
[Kokoro’s File]
[Lab Room Cots]
