CHAPTER 1 · 11 · Don't leave me behind

“Surely you realize that she is standing right here.”
So much violence in such simple words. I fake a smile and look to the side, only now noticing Chloe’s presence.
“Hi.”
I’m sorry.
“Neo is obviously someone who always knows how to be careful of other people’s feelings!”
I said I’m sorry—
Now’s not the time for this anyway!
“It’s okay, Neo. Well all have a lot on our minds right now.”
“Ah! See?”
No response from the three people I’m looking at. Guess this wasn’t my best response yet. Urgh… But she’s right, I’m really just all over the place…
“What is it you wanted to ask me about?”
Well, thankfully, she’s dead serious. I give myself a short break to breathe slowly and take a good look at her… She looks pained, but like she doesn’t want to show her emotions. I find myself pitying her… The same way I pity every single one of us—which is awful. So much so.
“It was… To confirm someone else’s testimony, if you can.”
“I’m ready to try.”
I turn my head to look at Ciel without really thinking about it. They’ve inched slightly closer to me, apparently ready to take part in the conversation. I catch a glance of Akiro and Alice as well, who seem to be listening attentively to what we’re saying.
“Did you help anyone wash the dishes yesterday night?”
I think it sounds a bit weird… But I’m trying to use Ciel’s method of not making it too obvious who or what I’m talking about. I hate to think I can’t trust everyone… But I can’t put our group in danger by being too reckless, I tell myself.
“Yes, of course. Jan and I tidied up the kitchen last night. We kind of all take turns cleaning up, but he insists to always be there and check that everything is in order.”
“So… Do you think there’s a possibility that he didn’t look well enough, for whatever reason?”
“As in… That he couldn’t confirm everything was tidied up properly?”
She looks rather confused, though mostly worried.
“Huh… I’d be surprised.”
“Yes, me too. I mean… He’s only human, but… I feel like this is something he’d pay close attention to.”
“H-he… Hm. Yeah… He’s the t-type of person who… doesn’t leave a room unless it’s completely clean.”
“Then I hope he won’t commit murder…”
… Ah, seriously? How could I think that? Well, obviously, I hope he doesn’t, but most importantly, I know he won’t..!
No… I let myself sigh. I don’t know that for sure. If I knew everyone so well… Then I wouldn’t be surprised that we had to witness something quite this atrocious.
“Then I guess we can trust his testimony… For the moment.”
“W-What type of testimony is that, anyway?”
“Jan told us that a knife is currently missing from the kitchen rack, and two were actually used during the night and put back incorrectly.”
“A knife is missing…”
Alice’s gaze slights pans over towards Emily.
“Three knives, then? … Why would the killer need to use three knives?!”
I shake my head and notice that Ciel does the same thing.
“No idea.”
I hear someone interrupting himself in the middle of a ”hm” - it’s Akiro, towards whom I turn my head by reflex. Although incredibly pale, his cheeks seem to have reddened for some reason, and he looks away as soon as he notices I’m looking, without saying anything.
Why.. ?
“Anyway, Chloe… Is there anything you think you can tell us about the…”
They sigh.
“About what happened…”
“I don’t know… Hmm… Well, I did search around the room, save the area surrounding her body, but all I could find out was that some of the tables near the door were moved out of their normal position, as well as their chairs.”
“Does that really mean anything? None of them are actually tipped over.”
“I don’t know…”
“It’s… It’s something at least. How about last night? Did you hear anything?”
“No… Nothing at all…”
“Was anyone with you when you went to your room..?”
“No, not that I can think of. Someone could have seen me, since I went to bed at a normal time… Sometime like 9.30, but I don’t recall anyone being in the hall.”
“I see… Thank you for your precise answers.”
“You’re… You’re welcome.”
“I don’t think it’s any use to ask anything else right now… Neo, what do you think..?”
They look at me expectantly—their eyebrows arched.
“What do I think..?”
“Should we… ask Mina?”
“Ah.”
I wonder. Am I ready to ask about her autopsy?
I think I’m not, but it doesn’t matter how I feel. We can’t waste any time, nor take any risks. I force myself to look in Emily’s direction… And I can see that Oscar’s guarding the body while Mina’s inspecting its… her surroundings.
Is this a sight I’m already getting used to? I don’t think so. It hurts to look. What I should get used to is forcing myself to be stronger.
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
With a grimace, Ciel leads the way.
“Do you think we should go look somewhere else?”
“R-really.. ?”

We leave Chloe, Akiro and Alice behind, and I don’t pay attention to the rest of their conversation. We walk to Mina, who stands up as soon as she notices us.
“Have you been questioning everyone?”
“We’ve been trying.”
“Would you like to question me?”
“Ah.. ! Yes.”
“Of course. I’ll keep you up with my investigation as well. Have you pinned down good questions to ask me?”
“Huh... I don’t know if they’re… good…”
“They’re something at least. I think… Anyway, what time did you go to bed last night? Was anyone with you?”
“I went back to my room a little bit before 10. Oscar can attest to that.”
“Yes.”
Simple, concise. Oscar answered without even looking at any of us.
“He was standing in front of Keith’s… no, Noah’s bedroom up until then, and I surmise he went in afterwards.”
“I did. When I confirmed you were locked in.”
“Did you hear that clicking sound?”
Oscar finally looks at me, but I obviously can’t read his expression.
“Of the lock activating. Yes.”
“Did you hear anything afterwards?”
“I did not. Should I have?”
“We’re looking for someone who could have heard a door unlocking or locking before 5.39.”
“You can stop looking. This sound didn’t happen.”
We both look up towards Oscar, not knowing exactly what to say. He notices, and continues.
“Someone came out at 5.39 but I didn’t see them in time. It is the only noise I heard during the night. I didn’t sleep.”
“I see…”
“Lois told us she checked as soon as she heard it but didn’t see anyone. She even saw you get out of the room to check after she did.”
“I didn’t see her.”
“Obviously… She was hiding.”
Oscar frowns slightly, but his expression doesn’t change.
“This is worth looking into. Care to learn about other clues as well?”
“O-of course!”
Ciel nods too, and Oscar finds his initial position back.
“Here’s what I could find out.”
Mina turns around and gets close to the body, pointing at it.
“This is the fatal wound. Her throat was slit perfectly on the jugular.”
“Huh…”
“No, you don’t get it. I mean it’s perfect.”
“So… It couldn’t be an accident?”
“Of course. Now take a look at her right arm- you may notice it bled too.”
“But why?”
She points at the blood stains without touching them.
“The blood came out of thin scars, yet rather deep by comparison, all over her forearm. Now if you take a look at her other arm…”
She actually grabs her arm this time, though carefully, and shows us her hand.
“Blood?”
“The tip of her index finger is bloody!”
“Indeed, but that’s not all. The tips of four out her five nails are bloody underneath.”
I shudder. I supposed her long nails were dirty… But why would they be.. ? If Mina says it’s blood…
“I-Is that all?”
Ciel looks even paler than before.
“Regarding the body, yes.”
Mina speaks so clearly, and matter-of-factly – now more than ever, I realize that she’s a true pro.
She slowly puts the arm back, and reaches underneath Emily’s left calf, which is now positioned slightly farther up from the floor than I remember it being.
She fishes out a piece of black fabric.
“Torn. But do you see it?”
Ciel frowns as they look closer at the fabric.
“Thread? No… Is this hair?”
Mina nods and carefully grabs something I can barely see… I only notice when she holds it away from the fabric that it’s a long, black hair.
“It was attached to the fabric by friction.”
“N-No way…”
She carefully lays the hair down on Emily’s thigh, and holds the fabric up again.
“Fabric which has a small blood stain on it.”
“D-damn.”
All this information doesn’t even add up in my mind.
“Is it over..?”
Mina nods.
“You don’t have to stay close-by if you don’t feel comfortable.”
“I… I…”
“Huh?” I turn my head to take a look at Ciel. They’re tearing up, really pale, though not crying.
“I need some fresh air.”
And without a word, they rush out.
I dart up too.
“Wait.. !”
But Mina grabs me by the arm.
“Give them some time.”
“R-really?”
I look at her, now, and I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone so serious before. Not even my second boss, that guy who gave me a good scare. Her eyes ask me to stop, and I can’t disobey.
“Someone who needs “air” usually needs “space” as well. Not giving Ciel that will hinder your investigation.”
I don’t know what to answer. I’m worried about them, but she’s probably right… They probably started to feel sick when Mina showed us clues on Emily’s body. I really hope they can calm down…
I… I really wish I could check on them. Is she certain they wouldn’t have wanted me to be there for them?
“You don’t have to listen to me, but one of us is the Ultimate Detective.”
…
She sighs.
“This is a nightmare. And if we find out who the killer is…”
“Then we will be saved.”
She looks at Oscar, whose face doesn’t say anything.
“… I guess so, yes.”
“What can I do now..?”
She turns back to me, but looks past me.
“Did you question everyone?”
…
I turn around to look where she’s looking, and my gaze falls upon Isabella.
She’s still kneeling there, starting into nothingness, looking completely hopeless.
“I…”

… Didn’t know what to say, but am interrupted by a loud voice anyway.
“Alright, alright, alright! Enough of this!”
Monokuma’s voice suddenly comes out of the speakers, scattered all over the building.
“Ah, guess it’s too late now.”
“I already gave you way too much time! Ugh… What a shame… I bet you’ll find the killer out in no time…”
His voice lowers and lowers.
“Ya bet I won’t help you AT ALL!”
… Only to come back stronger. I close my eyes, though my ears are the ones in pain.
“Anyway, don’t waste my time, I want you all in the elevator right now. And by elevator I mean that big closed door in the hall. Ya know. The one room with my beautiful face on the map. You kiddos can recognize a beautiful face like mine, right? Of course you can. Now hurry-up!”
The communication turns off, and everyone in the room looks at each other in a panick, except for Oscar and Isabella.
Akiro, Alice and Chloe, who were still there, quickly walk out, while Oscar takes a few steps forward but stops when he notices Mina isn’t following. I turn over to look at her too, and find her worriedly staring at Emily.
“I hate to leave her now…”
“You found everything.”
“I know, it’s just… it’s…”
She sighs again.
“It’s okay. Let’s go.”
She turns around and walks out, Oscar following her. I do the same and notice that Isabella is gone. Did she… Go to the hall?
… I hope so. I swallow my saliva. I don’t want to leave Emily behind either…
But I have no choice.
I step out.

I thought I would be the last one to rush in the hall, but when I arrive, not everyone is here yet.
I take a quick glance at everyone. Who’s missing? It seems that Noah, Keith, Jan and Oscar are late.
“Oscar, really?” If he’s not here yet, why didn’t I run into him in the stairs? Did he go somewhere else?
It doesn’t matter much now that I’ve found Ciel. I walk to them, but can’t find anything to say. They look at me and try to smile, but it’s too obvious they’re not feeling well. I mirror their expression – I wish I could reassure them, but I can’t possibly find anything to say that doesn’t connect to something gruesome about our situation.
Since I’m so useless, I take a look at what other people are doing. Everyone looks worried, and only one person speaks up.
“Here you are! You monster!”
Alice ditches Akiro – well, not exactly, since he quickly follows her – to walk towards a newcomer, and let me guess—it’s the kid she would adopt if he weren’t almost her age.
“I… What?”
She grabs him by the arm and gently shakes him.
“I was worried sick! Seriously, couldn’t you just… Stay with us, right now?”
Jan looks confused, and doesn’t answer. Akiro stands by, silently, but he looks somewhat reassured. Alice turns to him.
“It’s not too weird, right? To ask for the guy’s company when there’s been a murder!”
He slowly shakes his head, and she immediately turns back to Jan.
“See? Come on… You know we’re your friends, right? You can’t just leave us behind… At least say something…”
“Come on, do something, she looks sad!”
Jan stares at her blankly for a few more seconds.
“You’re right, I’m sorry.”
“Really?”
She sounds doubtful. Why would she..? He nods.
“I needed some space, so I assumed everyone would. But I was wrong, wasn’t I?”
“Well, duuuh…”
She looks annoyed, but still mainly so sad. Damn…
“I’m sorry.”, he repeats.
“O-okay, okay, it’s okay!”
Akiro suddenly puts his arms in-between Jan and Alice, as if they needed to be separated.
“Eh?”
“I don’t care, now you’re both here, so I’m fine!”
Wha…
I’m interrupted in my eavesdropping by the sound of heavy steps, accompanied by slightly lighter ones.
Noah and Oscar come in, the latter carrying Keith on his back, the first constantly checking on his position when he’s not looking in front of him to walk. Given that his hair hides one half of his face, he has to turn his head entirely everytime.
No one has time to react to their entry, though, as Monokuma’s voice suddenly pops what was left of my eardrums.
“IN YOU GO! NOW! I SAID NOOOOWW!”
“Okay, okay, Jesus fucking Christ!”
The two-panels door opens on its own, revealing a brown elevator surrounded in grates. It opens up as well, and everyone walks in, not wanting to hear anymore of Monokuma’s yelling.
When everyone’s inside, the grate closes us in.
“Alright kiddos, it’s Chapter 1, so you’re in here for a while. Enjoy the ride… Upupu..!” Monokuma’s voice says, before shutting up completely.
The elevator starts coming down.
“Seriously.. ?”
Chris is standing not too far away from me and sounds fed up with this already.
Not knowing what to do, or say, and not wanting to think about the inevitable, I give everyone’s reactions and conversations a look and a listen.
Noah seems to be mimicking “good” poses to Keith while he’s on Oscar’s back, looking too uncomfortable to emote anything else. I hope this whole thing won’t last too long, for his sake…
Looking over Noah’s shoulder, I notice that Isabella’s in here, standing alone. I’m reassured to see that she joined us here, but… She looks empty… And yet, gives off an aura strong enough to keep me away.
I sigh, starting to feel nauseous. I found myself wondering if she could handle the “trial”, but even though it’s about to happen, I don’t even want to think about it.
… Which is why I keep focusing on other people’s actions.
Alice is hugging Jan.
“Do you think we’ll be able to handle this?”
“If we all try our best… Well, it’ll be hard. But I can’t see us not succeeding…”
“What do you think, M-Miss?”
Oddly- Akiro’s addressing Lois, who’s standing her back against a wall, arms crossed.
“I don’t know. This isn’t the same as a game…”
She looks deeply frustrated. I’m just… Glad she’s here, too.
“Do you think we can’t handle the stakes?”
Lois sighs.
“Do you truly want my opinion?”
“Sure.”
“At any cost, we need to protect her.”
Lois points in someone’s direction. I look over… It’s Mina.
“Oh… Of course…”
She’s hanging with Benjamin. They’re talking about something, but they’re standing too far away for me to hear well, especially with other people talking in the middle – such as Andi and Chloe.
“This sucks!”
“I know… I wish we could just grieve…”
“Hell nah… Can’t grieve with a murderer around…”
Andi’s face whitens, but I don’t get to look at it in detail, as someone passes in front of her, crossing the elevator.
It’s Noah. Where’s he heading? Is he done helping Keith? My gaze follows him as he gets closer and closer, only to stop in front of Chris, looking… incredibly sad.
“:(“
Huh.. ? Was this a thought.. ?
“Hey…”
He hugs her tightly as an answer, closing his eyes.
“Aw… Noah…”
She hesitates for an instant before hugging him back.
“We’ll get through this… Together, okay?”
This is the sweetest I ever heard Chris sound. Noah, however, closes his eyes harder, his eyebrows arching even more.
“C-Come on… You tryin’ to break my ribs or something?”
I can only see the side of her face, but I can tell she’s trying to smile, though she looks distressed. He lets go of her, and takes a step back, shaking his head.
The two of them are trembling…
“At least… I’m here, and you too, right?”
He nods slowly.
“That’s right… We got to survive the motive, didn’t we?”
Of course, Ciel had still been standing next to me. I turn to them. What are they… The motive? Monokuma’s motive..?
“But why would the killer kill Emily..?”
I don’t know if they’re talking to me, or to themselves. They’re staring at the ground, trembling…
I think we all are.
The elevator finally stops.
“Please… Proceed to the trial room…” a depressed Monokuma-voice announces.