As the votes finish tallying, a strange sound begins echoing through the trial room. It sounds like something banging against metal. It’s frightening at first, but after a couple of rounds of it, there’s a pause between the bangs. An Eerie silence before an even louder BANG followed by the clatter on the nearby floor.
A grate, presumably from one of the ventilation shafts had been forcefully removed from it’s position. And next to it, the sound of shoes landing on the ground. A body falling from the vents landing in the trial room.
At a glance, you would know immediately who it was. If you didn’t, then if you had listened to Shirou’s testimony, you would have been able to figure out who it was.
Standing up straight, his heterochromatic eyes glared directly at one of the security cameras as it focused in on him. And then he smiled.
Hanzo Onowai, the Agent, the Spy, the Mastermind. Pulled a needle out of his sleeve and clamped it between his teeth. Turning his attention to the remaining students, Aoi Class, Midori Class, he closed his eyes and chuckled. Grabbing his shoulder, he began to move his arm in circles to stretch his tired muscles.
“Man, oh man! It sure does feel good bein’ all in one body again. Ain’ that right?”
They had gotten it wrong, and Mitsuki was incredibly relieved. After everything, he wasn't... he wouldn't lose... no one else was going to die. No one who the janitor saw as anything but deserving, anyway.
It was a horribly selfish thing to think, but for once, Mitsuki didn't feel the need to start guilting himself over it. No, he felt... free. Happy. Because he'd been so scared, so convinced that things weren't going to work out the way they should have in the wake of everything, so afraid of... of what would happen if things had been different... but it didn't. It didn't, and it was dirty, and it was unjust, but he was glad... he was so glad.
(Truth be told, Mitsuki Arai had never felt more human before this moment.
Perhaps embracing the negatives as well was what it took?)
Mitsuki shot a small and weary-looking but still very genuine smile in Shirou's direction as if to say "We did it!" or maybe "You did it!" was more appropriate, because so much really depended on Shirou, Mitsuki had just played support, but even that meant something, and...
...he wished he could cry physically right now, because tears of relief would be fitting, but of course, that was an impossibility, so Mitsuki settled for looking ahead, resting his chin in his hands, as Shirou rattled off rather familiar information, save for... he didn't understand how that was possible, it didn't sound logical, but very little about this place was, so instead of questioning it, he simply followed Shirou's lead in voting for Hanzo and Aoi.
(Mitsuki would have followed Shirou Sonozaki off of a cliff if he'd ordered him to. It was a blessing that he'd never been ordered to.)
And now? He'd wait, Mitsuki supposed. Wait, and... well, one would pray in these circumstances, right? Or at least just hope for the best. And Mitsuki expected nothing but the best possible outcome, if only because he had invested so much faith in Shirou and wasn't about to stop now.
As Aoi spoke up, Mitsuki shot her a cold glance (as cold as someone like him could manage, anyway) and delivered a curt, matter-of-fact
"You're right. You would be."
And with that, the janitor fell completely silent, counting down the moments in his head until the trial ended. There was no more need for words here.
Arashi had been executed before your eyes once again, as all the others who had died before now. You held a rather tense mastermind trial - the knowledge that two of your number had betrayed the others and brought you here heavy above your head. And the knowledge that, again, someone had killed and gotten away with it, and your dwindling numbers was there.
The empty courtroom wouldn’t allow you to forget.
Either way, your thoughts were broken into by Kumi turning back, their movements precise as they stood up and began speaking.
♫This appeared as a moral dilemma,
Cause at first it was weird that I swore to eliminate... ♫
They paused and coughed, staring up at you.
“Ahem. So, I bet you are concerned about your numbers being so low. I assure you, you will soon go free.”
Another pause.
“You still have masterminds to catch, and five tries to do so. Because you have not found them out, you are still here; you must secure both if you have a hope of escaping. But, a reward is a reward, and because of that, I will permit anyone, from any class to vote for either mastermind. All it takes is more votes than any other student to pinpoint them. I will also… hold off on interfering.”
They motioned vaguely.
“To give you time to investigate. Something important will open up, and because of that I believe I should lay off just a bit, eh? Please be alert, though. And to those deceased, your votes will, from this point on, count towards living vote tallies. Because you too deserve to have a say.”
What were they talking about? You couldn’t dwell on it, as they continued speaking.
“You’ll also have ah… help. Yes, indeed. Who put you here might be… less obvious than you initially believed, but if you… want to have a hope of catching them, then please think a little outside the box. Outside the courtroom, as it were. Anyways…”
Sosuke Hatagami always appreciated a healthy dose of spontaneity. Of course, it was pretty hard to tell what was considered a “healthy dose”. Such a concept was almost oxymoronic! Paradoxical! Other big synonyms for contradictory! For the very nature of spontaneity relied on how it wasn’t a thing to be controlled by any one person.
That was the first thing Sosuke contemplated, albeit briefly, after opening his eyes.
The second thing was--
Wait, hasn’t this happened to him before?
Well… yes and no, because while suddenly arriving in god knows where seemed to be happening to him quite often lately, this was… a whole other story. His surroundings seemed to resemble that of the very top of a very, very tall building - how on earth was that there, he couldn’t help but wonder - the roof littered with old, worn down… robots, he presumed, in the likeness of orange cats and white foxes.
(No guesses what those represented.)
The inventor peered over the edge -- and quickly withdrew. He was… really high up, sheesh. Other, not quite as tall buildings surrounded the one he was situated atop of, perfect for someone to do some pretty sweet jumps over to.
...As he could vaguely see someone doing, way off in the distance, a figure too far away to be recognizable.
“...but try as they might, at the end of the day, good always triumphed over evil.”
A voice rang out, speaking in a way as if it had been narrating quietly for a while, when in reality this was… the first time it appeared. As well as the very last -- the figure from a ways away arrived, taking a stance as they pointed a finger in the inventor’s direction.
Sosuke was more… confused than anything else, his expression reflecting that, until she spoke…
“Fukui!! I’m here to stop you!”
...before it shifts into one of disturbed realization.
(it couldn’t be)
Sosuke had hardly any time to dodge the oncoming charge, having lost himself in his thoughts once the figure had spoken. The same process of “attempted strike from figure”, “dodge from Sosuke” repeated itself over and over - some dodging attempts more successful than others. After a few attempts, it hit him - the robots. There had to be… some sort of remote… between his avoidance of the figure’s attacks, he spotted it and made a run for it, snatching the thing up. With the push of a button, the little robot army rose, a tad worse for wear, but still able to fight.
(the whole thing was… like something from the shows he watched so often as a child, the ones the whole ‘arashi fukui’ persona even came for - and how ironic that it was to be the place he died)
Alas, it wasn’t worth much - every bot was dispatched quickly on the spot. He should’ve known, there was no way he’d be let out of this so easily - if there was anything Sosuke knew from watching the six executions before his, it was that. The figure lunged, clad in a black track suit and motorcycle helmet - through the helmet’s visor, however, Sosuke had managed a glimpse of the person inside, a person anything but average to him. Those eyes, that face--
(his blood ran cold upon the sight)
Of course, he didn’t have much time to think before the figure promptly made its move, sending the inventor careening back towards the edge of the building. He quickly regained his balance, steadily backing up as the figure slowly approached.
“Wait-- W-Wait--! Hold on, don’t-- d-don’t you… recognize me…?! M--”
He didn’t have much time to get out another word one more step back, and he’d all but slipped off the building entirely. Quickly, Sosuke made a grab for the edge of the top, gripping it with both hands as tight as he could. He didn’t look down, he didn’t dare look down. He was more concerned with the figure above, ready to send him plummeting with a single boot to the face.
“Any last words, villain?”
(oh, he had last words alright.)
“WAIT--! MISUZU--”
And everything went silent.
The figure moved its (her…?) foot back down to the ground, approaching and kneeling beside where the inventor hung on. Removing the helmet, the all-too familiar figure stared back down at Sosuke - similarly messy brown hair, brown eyes, freckles… she looked far too similar to him as well.
(for just a second, sosuke felt the guilt of his actions even heavier, now that this whole deal made what he did ultimately for nothing)
(for another second, he felt… confusion. how was this possible? she was supposed to be--)
“...Aha. You… never did learn how to let go, did you…?”
She reached down, taking the inventors hands in her own. He felt his own eyes start to well up - again, and he thought he’d all but cried himself out over the past few days...
And, in hindsight, he probably should’ve expected it to go wrong. He saw the executions before him, he knew that this wasn’t going to end well.
He should’ve expected her to drop him.
As an invisible crowd cheered, Sosuke dropped without a word, without a scream, without a cry. No, all he could do as he fell through was stare upwards, towards…
(it wasn’t the real misuzu, sosuke thought. a robot, or illusion, or something of the sort, it had to be. misuzu...)
(...ah. he’d be joining her now, wouldn’t he?)
Ultimately, no one got to actually see what became of him, and the remaining students were left with nothing but the sound of Sosuke Hatagami’s body hitting the pavement.
Arashi Fukui Sosuke Hatagami, SHSL Inventor, has been executed.
Kumi let out a great sigh, before rising to their feet and glancing at the students. The same tension that preceded a culprit vote was back again as their violet eyes scanned the students in the room from behind their mask, before they finally broke the tense silence they left you in.
“You are….”
Snorting, the fox-person laughed for a good few seconds, closing their eyes as their shoulders shook and their mask betrayed their feelings once again, as it was inclined to do.
“You’re…. incorrect. On both counts, actually. You missed the mark for Aoi’s mastermind, but ah, Midorii’s mastermind, Midori’s mastermind.”
Another pause was taken, and their expression shifted to one of deadly seriousness.
“Did you even try. So what does this mean?”
They cleared their throat and looked over at the remaining students.
“Well, now is not the time, there is an execution to attend to!”
And I Won't Feel... || Arashi(...?) || Oni Theatre (RE: Shirou)
The announcement of a correct verdict rang, with... a name "Arashi Fukui" hadn't heard in years.
...No. No, no, no. That wouldn't do, not anymore. Not with that name just... out in the open, for everyone to see, for everyone to know. That sort of thing... kind of killed the illusion.
So let's try that again.
The announcement of a correct verdict rang, with... a name Sosuke Hatagami hadn't heard in years.
His own.
(he probably would've taken it a lot worse if he wasn't just... so tired.)
"...Heh. Not gonna let me have my last few moments without spilling the beans on that, huh...? Whatever, guess it doesn't matter now..."
He looked towards Shirou, the same sad sort of smile he'd worn for the last moments of the trial up to that point.
"Yeah, you're right on the money, there. I won't... say specifically what about it that got me -- that'd kinda... defeat the purpose, y'know? Make it all for nothing... sorry. It's not... the name, though. Kobayashi and Mikazuki already knew."
He lightly clapped his hands together.
"Unfortunately, I... don't have much for Mastermind evidence, sorry... so, uh-- if anyone has any questions, about what I did, I can try to answer, but... otherwise, I'll just stay out of your hair, alright?
But... it's been nice, knowing you guys."
And with that, all Sosuke could do was wait.
(at some point, he pulled that picture he got from that machine before the motive, before things started going from bad to worse... for the first time all trial, sosuke's eyes welled up, but he managed to fight them back this time)
(and he just stared at the thing for a minute or two, before putting it back in his pocket)
(and all he could do in the end, as he listened, watched, waited, was wonder just where it all went so wrong)
Kumi closed their eyes once more, and took a long pause as they collected their thoughts together, before opening them back up once more.
“You did it again. I do hope you are proud of yourselves. Well, I suppose that concludes that, and we do have an execution to attend to... if you will give me a little bit. In the meantime...”
They paused, tilting their head.
“In the meantime, you have the next span of time to discuss among yourselves. Please use it well, and there is no punishment to... wrong theories. Except being one step closer to being trapped here. And oh, look, your numbers are dwindling. Fancy that.”
Then, they looked over at Arashi.
“It’s curtains for you, Arashi Fukui. Lacy, gently wafting curtains.... or, should I say, Sosuke Hatagami?”
They paused and turned, leaving you all in silence. Well, there was no time like the present.
