Private/Closed Cold Steel

[The Kitsune]

"You didn't answer my question," Hoshi hissed before he could deter the conversation again. Holding her gaze steady on Ralph now, she kept her voice even and strong as she repeated her question. "What TIME?"

"Someone was in the Rec room late last night," Hoshi held up the crumpled note she'd found in the trash bin, ensuring the dried stain of blood on its corner was clearly visible to all the eyes turned in her direction. "And the computer has a time stamp of activation early this morning. So time matters."

She looked specifically at Jane next. So far, she had certainly proven herself the most steadfast and level-headed of the trio. "Do you remember what time you went to bed?"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“I for one elected to stay awake all night and continue to project myself. Quell your tone, you won’t get anything done faster with it.”

Ralph had begun to get irritated with this woman she derailed his question twice now. A very important question that could eliminate someone else as the killer, but he had to admit she had some evidence of some kind. Weather the evidence was relevant or not, it was hardly worth derailing another point.

Meanwhile Percy didn’t comment or really listen to much that was going on. He continued to scribble down on his writing pad furiously, like he was on a mission.

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon pondered as he tried to find any sort of detail that could lead to an alibi. Perhaps he missed something... but wh- wait... that's it!

"Allow me to cut in!"

As Paeon captured everyone's attention, he realized the clue that could lead them to the murderer. However... it was risky as it would to himself as well... but to find the truth, his life needed to be risked. "I think I found a way to discover alibis! From what Hoshi is saying, the timestamp was early this morning correct? Then that means that the person would be bloodied."

Paeon then turned to the linguist. "Thank you. Now... if the crime was committed early in the morning and one of the washing machines were going off... then someone had to throw their dirty and bloody clothes away. Leaving the other washing machine... In it were the clothes of Honoka, Hoshi, Jane, Parker... and myself."

With conviction, Paeon turned to the others. "With that, we can knock off Honoka. However... Another key detail... the bloody PA we found near Honoka. That can knock off Hoshi."

"If my calculations are correct... we have three suspects. Parker, Jane... and myself. All of us have no alibis for this early morning. Thus... we are now down to three. But... I'll prove my innocence!!"

Paeon realized the risk, but he decided to take it. All that's left is to find the true killer!

 

[Riverrunner]

Ryuu recoiled at Hoshi's sharp tone. She'd hardly been speaking in the days before, much less… this. "I definitely didn't stay awake all night. I-I know it slowed down our progress and stuff but… I could barely keep my eyes open between the heat and the fact that I didn't really sleep much the night before last night. Then I probably would've made mistakes that I would've had to undo later and… it wouldn't have been good. I probably headed back to my dorm at around… uhh… there really aren't many clocks in here, so it's kinda hard to tell. Maybe around midnight…ish? Eleven-thirty? I don't know. I didn't feel the air conditioning turn on, so it had to have been before that, but I don't really know exactly."

Paeon had definitely raised some good points, but then again… "Isn't that just… kind of uh, speculation? I-I mean, not that your thing isn't the closest we've gotten to… anything so far, but…" Ryuu paused, stomach turning as he fought to remember the scene. "Weren't there two washing machines in there? What… what about the first one? And… wait… that note…" Ryuu pointed to the bloodstain on the corner with a shaky hand. "When I put my shoes in the basket to get washed a couple of days ago, that note was on the washer which is… kinda far away from the closet. Whoever threw out that note also had blood on their hands… I guess that's not very helpful because… they probably would have blood on their hands anyway…" he trailed off. "I-I don't know. I feel like that means something, but…"

 

[Generation Sect]

Jason’s eyes practically lit up as he interjected, pressing his glasses to his nose as he cut in, someone finally saying what he wanted to hear.
“Excuse me, Paeon, but I think you might have your suspects wrong. See... that writing on the walls been on my mind since I saw it and...”
He pointed a finger to no one in particular, using his other hand to quickly withdraw his notepad out from under his arm.
“There’s no feasible way Honoka could have wrote it!”
He stopped, holding his notepad to his chest as he made a light cough, clearing his throat.
“Now I wasn’t paying the most attention, but i’m certain Jane mentioned the fingers on Honoka’s left hand were fractured. Presumably that was from her falling or being shoved, her left hand hitting a shelf, in the spot where blood was left. It’s a reasonable assumption to say... THAT was what caused the fracture. If it was, then it’s very unlikely Honoka could have wrote that, while in the act of dying. Hell, there probably wasn’t enough blood on her hands from that fall alone to write the letters. So either the killer left while she was dying, came back and found the writing and fractured her fingers to prevent her from continuing, which is highly unlikely, or Honoka didn’t write it. And if she didn’t... I think it’s fairly obvious who did, and why. But i’ll leave that to YOU guys to figure out.”
Jason angled himself so his body was facing away from everyone else slightly, attempting to take himself back out of the debate. He clearly had more to say, but wasn’t.

 

[Crimson Sun]

"It's fairly obvious," Nathan said repeating the works of Jason. "But what I don't get is: the writing on the wall. I completely agree with you that her left hand is broken from the combat medic over here." Nathan agreed with a thumb pointing towards the left, aiming at Jane herself. "But since her left hand is broken, how can you completely be sure she didn't write it? There's a whole right hand she can use, right?"

"And," Nathan started up again. "If the writing on the wall really does stand true and we go by Paeon's evidence and 'accusations', why did would Jane be a suspect?" Nathan perked up. He's honestly still confused about everything. He wanted this to be over, but if they find the wrong person, he could be the next victim to go. "If we recall. the letters on the wall was P'A', correct? Jane's last name is Park. Why would would Honoka write a last name instead of a first name? If anything, a 'JA' would've made more sense for us to incriminate nurse over here instead of a 'PA'."

 

[Generation Sect]

Jason turned back to face the mountain climber, screwing his face up a little in disapproval of the question.
“I also thought that, but that hand is the closest, and her other hand is clutched over one of her wounds, so that was most likely there for a reason, meaning she probably didn’t move it from there. It’s an assumption, but it’s a solid one, and the best we’ve got.”
Jason held up his notepad, pressing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose with two fingers.
“I, for one, say we stop attempting to use the writing as evidence at all. It’s actually a pretty smart way to frame someone, I must say... three of the possible suspects from Paeon’s attempt at narrowing it down have a first or last name that starts with those letters. It allows blame to be shifted on someone else without being too immediately incriminating of one specific person.”

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon deflated as the counters came back and forth. "...Sorry... I just... thought I had something. But Jason... what do you mean you'll leave it to us? We need to find the killer."

However, as Paeon stared at the therapist, he realized something. "Can you at least give us a clue? Currently, we're hitting multiple dead ends, but if we knew what to look for then maybe we'd have a better idea?"

 

[Generation Sect]

Jason let out a deep sigh at Paeon’s question.
“There’s no such thing as a ‘dead end’ in regards to this. If you actually think about it, the only thing we’re working with here is information. And failure can provide just as much information as a success.”
Finishing that cryptic message, he turned back to face the center, letting out another sigh.
“If I try and lay out everything I think now, it’ll seem too much like a baseless accusation, so I need to take it slowly. How about we address potential evidence found in rooms that weren’t the Laundry room, since i’m fairly certain we all already know what’s there. We need a sense of the bigger picture. I’ll start...
The Clinic was all strangely clean, but the shelves were a completely different story. A few bottles of pills had either been moved, were missing, or were on the floor. A good amount of the bottles under “C” were missing, and there was an entire shelf where glasses had been shattered, resulting in a huge multi-coloured, rather unsafe looking puddle seeping onto the floor.
Thing is, if the Killer made this mess, they most certainly had the time and means to at least ATTEMPT to clean it up. Honoka’s body had been dead for a good amount of time once we found it, and there were special gloves Ophelia found for handling anything that was dangerous, so that must mean anything left here...
The Killer either WANTED us to find, or it was safe for them if we did.”

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon paused as he processed this information. "So what your saying is that... all the clues we have... any information we have... is pointless?"

Paeon was confused as to figure out what to do. "So what potential evidence do we have? For the clinic, I remember when Crooked Arrow decided to destroy those bottles. They were actually poison and instead of removing them normally, he went with his instincts as per usual and destroyed them all. Now as for the laundry room... you're saying that the dirty clothes and the PA were set up by the killer? What does that explain?"

 

[Crimson Sun]

Jane perked on the question, or more so statement, on identifying the evidence that was outside of the murder scene, the laundry room. She nodded her head along with the evidence that Jason was providing the group. "Well, I didn't personally examine the clinic after the murder," Jane stated towards the groups. "But if I remember, the shattered glass were probably the doing of Ralph." Jane thought back to when they first woke up a few days ago, where the Archer had gathered the Pyrotechnic and Combat Medic to be part of his 'alliance.' They had went to the clinic to gather some medical supplies for Jane to use in case of injuries or to save people that can be saved from potential death. During that time, Ralph made a mess of the clinic.

"When Ryuu, Ralph, and I were first in the clinic it was to gather supplies. During that time, Ralph had shot down a whole shelf of poisons and tonics. Paeon was there with us," Jane nodded her head towards the latter, agreeing with his testimony right then. "That would explain the mess of liquids on the clinic floor. But adding on to your statement of the missing pills, there were some pills found lying in the kitchen as well as a pill bottle. I'm pretty sure this is another frame set-up as I don't think anyone would be dumb enough to leave a whole pill canister lying around, especially if they need to take the pills."

Jane took another deep breathe as she continued on. "The only person, from what I've seen, taking pills is Paeon. The bloodied 'PA'. the crimson-painted clothes, the pills in the kitchen. Either Paeon is a big idiot for leaving all this evidence behind, or someone has a huge grudge against Paeon and framing him for Honoka's murder."

 

[Fire Mana]

Parker nodded at Jane as she spoke. Everything she said had seemed to make sense so far. He tilted his head to Paeon as he spoke.

"While I'm not denying that he's an idiot, nor am I saying he didn't do it, the second option is more likely. However, the only person I can think of with a real grudge against Paeon is Ralph... who claims he had nothing to do with Honoka's death."

 

[Generation Sect]

Jason finally let down his guard a little, giving a crooked, almost arrogant smirk rather unexpected of the Therapist, whose posture finally relaxed into a more ‘chilled out’ one as he unhooked his notepad from between his arm and his side again.
“We’re getting somewhere, yet still missing... something.”
He spoke almost teasingly.
“A grudge isn’t the only reason the murderer might have framed Honoka’s killing on Paeon.”
He pressed a finger to the side of his head, turning from the angle he had been at, now directly facing everyone as he smirked.
“Think about it a little... then you can get back to me.”

 

[Fire Mana]

Parker sighed as Jason made another convoluted comment about the killer. If he knew something he should just speak up about it already, it would save everyone the time and trouble.

"Well of course a grudge isn't the only reason someone would frame somebody. Paeon especially, he just seems easy to pin the guilt on with his condition and all... but I still don't know who would have done it..."

 

[Retro Master]

‘Why can’t he just tell us what he knows?’ The actor couldn’t help but wonder what ulterior motives the therapist had. After his earlier point about Ralph’s bomb squad was shut down, Joseph couldn’t think of what else to say. That was until Jason brought up the grudge.

“He’s right! It doesn’t have to be a grudge.” The actor spoke up as he looked once again at the archer. “If I remember correctly, Ralph just told me he has neutral feelings for Paeon. But more specifically, he said he only punished those who don’t know their place. Is that what you’re talking about Jason?”

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon pondered at this conundrum. "So basically... I was the scapegoat of convenience... great. My question is this... why be so focused on me? I mean, the bloody shirt, the bloody PA, the fake pills-..."

Paeon stopped as he remembered the pills. "Umm, quick question. Who here doesn't know I need pills? Because... the killer must have known of my medication to try and use that as a way to frame me. So far, I only remember that I told Joseph while Ryuu, Jane, and Ralph were in the same room. But, who else knows?"

 

[Generation Sect]

Jason smiled, returning to his usual state, a bit of a flush of emotion coming from his voice, like a parent proud of a child taking their first steps.
“That was the point I was trying to make. If the killer knew about Paeon’s... condition, that would make him a very convenient and believable person to set up. And as for who else knows... I only found out AFTER the murder. Ophelia told me during the investigation.”

 

[Fire Mana]

"I knew you had something up with you, didn't know the specifics or the medications though..."

Parker was surprised that he hadn't realized it sooner, but Paeon had only told a few people. Without knowing the specifics of it, it was impossible for the others to frame him.

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon sighed as he turned to the gambler. "Of course. It's not something I want to be spread out. I need my medication daily for something I'm not going to explain... Wait..."

Paeon stopped as he turned to the therapist. "...I really want to know if I'm wrong or not. So basically, the killer would most likely be someone who was able to kill with a knife, wanted to frame me, was able to clean up with no traces back, and knew of my condition? ...And you said you found out from Ophelia? Who uses a knife and has gloves to help put away everything? ...Please tell me I'm wrong because I don't know who else knows of my condition."

 

[Generation Sect]

Jason let out a little sigh. He figured he was going to have to make this defense at some point, he just hoped the Gang Leader held her tongue and didn’t make it any more difficult for him.
“Even though it makes sense, there’s a few issues with such an assumption. Ophelia knew of the gloves, granted, but anyone could have found and used them, and we woudln’t exactly know. That, and it’s more of a pointer that even though they had time, there was a lot the Killer didn’t clean up. So, we can’t really account for that, as there’s no way to really figure out what could be missing. And once again, remember the washing machines? If i’m correct, that evidence still stands up, which would go against Ophelia having done it. And finally, the way the body was, I doubt weapon skill is an issue. It was messy, and anyone could have used that knife. Ophelia, however, probably would have made much shorter work than the killer actually did. And finally...”
He clicked his glasses to his head as he attempted to make his final point, which actually sort of got stuck like a lump in his throat before he spat it out.
“I’d actually put this case past her abilities. Had she done it I expect there’d be much less of a mess in regards to the stab wounds, but I doubt the framing would have been as effective, and telling me all this information that would incriminate her also doesn’t seem like the smartest decision.”

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon sighed in relief as he looked at the therapist. "Listen, man, I didn't want it to be her either. To be honest, I don't really see the need for her to kill. And let me tell you something, buddy... I don't like this trial one bit. We have gone in circles multiple times and personally, I'd rather have it so Honoka was still alive. But that's fantasy and this is reality."

Paeon sunk back down into his podium as he stared at the therapist. "What am I supposed to do? I went in here knowing I was framed and I have no idea who the killer is. I'm trying to give ideas but it isn't fun when SOMEONE thinks that they shouldn't say who they think the killer is for no reason. This is life and death! Why are you holding back a suspect!? Who knows how much time we have left in this trial! "

 

[Generation Sect]

Jason stared downwards, averting his eyes from Paeon as he made a low mumble.
“Because if I say it like that no-one will believe me...”
He gave in, looking up and letting out a sigh.
“Listen, making a good accusation requires evidence, evidence I don’t have. A hunch won’t get me anywhere. Also, we DO have an idea who the killer is. Things may look bad right now, like with the faked evidence right? But the very nature of the knowledge required to do that narrowed it down a lot. And so did your judgement about the washing machines. We’re making a lot more progress than it would look like on the surface.”

 

[Crimson Sun]

"Okay," Nathan started off slowly. "We got somewhat of a motive, figured out most of the evidence we found were famed on Paeon, and the reason Paeon is being framed, sort of." Nathan summarizing what their whole conversation was on about so far. "But, that doesn't let us figure out who was the actual murderer. From all that we're only able to rule out Paeon is the non-murderer."

"Unless," Jane perked up. "According to Paeon's statement, he only revealed the info about his disorder to Joseph, and coincidentally, Ralph, Ryuu, and I were in the same room and happen to overhear his reveal. Would that shorten the suspect list and make us 4 the prime suspects? But again, a symptom of Paeon's disorder is amnesia and memory loss."

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon stopped and looked confused at Jane. "Amnesia? Memory Loss? I ain't that bad... yet... I just forget names most of the time. But yeah... I have one thing I need to say."

Paeon turned to Jason. "Alright Mumbles... what do you mean no one will believe you? I think now's the time to say a name because I have a feeling that we ain't got much time. And personally, I don't want to make the wrong choice because of someone not speaking up!"

 

[Generation Sect]

Jason let out a deep breath.
“... I feel like you may be missing a few people on your list of those who knew you were taking Clozapine... tell me Paeon. I doubt you told Ophelia specifically, so she must have been in the room when you talked about it, or got the pills right? Who else was there?”

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon sighed as he looked at the therapist. "That's the thing Mumbles, I only remember telling Joseph while Ralph, Jane, and Ryuu were there. I don't know how the hell Ophelia knew I had Clozapine because the only time I took it was when I was in my room or when... I think when I was in the kitchen getting a drink."

"So for the love of god, stop doing this charade! I can't remember okay! Who's the person I'm missing!?"

 

[The Kitsune]

"...Actually, that's wrong," Hoshi, who had taken her silence again until now, finally spoke up, spotting a flaw in the train of logic circulating the room now. "Paeon mentioned his schizophrenia the other day, right after Ralph shot him..." She cast a fleeting look at Ralph as she mentioned his involvement, her memories of his villainous attack still painfully vivid in her mind. "That's when I found out... Anyone close enough would have been able to hear him say it and would know... Well, except Parker and Arata. I don't think they were in the room at the time."

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon looked at Hoshi... before he facepalmed himself. "...Hey nurse... I think you may be right about memory loss. I'll be completely honest that I forgot about me spilling my illness."

However, Paeon stopped even more. "So we're back to no suspects? Really? Other than Parker, Arata, Ryuu and me, we still have no idea who the killer is! Any ideas!?"

 

[Crimson Sun]

"Well," Nathan perked up with an awkward chuckle, however there was no humor behind it. "We're in quite the pickle, aren't we?"

"Not necessarily," Jane said. "We shortened the list from 12 to 8, so it means we're getting closer to find the murderer. But I don't know if we'll figure out who is the culprit before the trial ends. Time is our biggest concern right now."

There's so many unanswered questions they had to solve. Who the murderer was, why Honoka, the bloodied note, and much more. All they did know is that Paeon's schizophrenia plays a big part on this murder mystery right now. Paeon, obviously in Jane's perspective, wasn't the culprit as he's the one being framed, but also he was shot with an arrow on his right shoulder, making him more than incapable of doing the deed as he was knocked out for some time. Ryuu can't be the murderer as he was the one who arrived on the scene last before the death signal was given. But that opens up the question: Who was the second person to see the body before Ryuu saw it? Did they really just leave Honoka's corpse there? Or maybe an accomplice?

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Ralph perked Up, after previously being silent for this most recent discussion. He had decided to observe each of their points, seeing both as rather hollow. His face scrunched up, as he held a finger in the air.

“Paeon is not the killer.” He spoke up. “Only a fool would leave his traces behind to awfully, it was most certainly planted. Paeon May be a fool, but he isn’t that dull witted. I will standby him, as irritable as his person is. He did not kill Honoka.”

Boldly claiming this to the group, he looked up, the trial nearing its end. It was coming close no doubt, as monokuma’s patience was the dead line. From the looks of the bear, his patience was wearing thin.

“All three of my team could not have been responsible, Paeon has my guarantee of not being the killer. Naturally this still points to Parker and Ophelia. I suggest we choose between them. Even if they aren’t our killer, Ophelia is still a gang leader who has threatened death upon us, and carries a weapon, and Parker has murdered others before. Would this not be a good choice?”

Percy stammered, about to respond to Ralph before he fell short of his words. He just muttered something that couldn’t be deciphered as he held up his pad. He had perfectly redrawn the scene of the crime, down to every little crinkle in honoka’s clothing. Even the blood, lettering, and other details were plainly visible in the drawing is shocking detail.

“Um...well....I don’t know how much this will help. But...maybe it can somehow. I don’t know...”

 

[Generation Sect]

Jason let out the deepest of breaths as he clicked his glasses to his nose, finally propping his notepad down on the podium, as if a sign of resignment.
“I didn’t want to have to do it like this... not at all.”
And then, his attitude changed entirely, as that same arrogance returned to his voice, as he looked downwards, preparing to finally deliver his diagnosis. After Ralph’s accusation, a part of him was confused... was he doing this to defend himself? Or Ophelia, or Paeon, or Parker even? Or for Honoka? No reason apparent, the words just tumbled from his mouth seamlessly.
“But, even if it’s a stretch... even if it makes me look bad... even if I have to fight tooth and nail... I will do what must be done. Justice... will be served...
Ever since the start, I wondered... why was all this evidence so strange? Why all the faking, why was it done by such strange mediums, why Honoka of all people?
And most importantly... who had the mental capacity and skill to set this all up... I always had my hunch, and as Paeon wants, I shall deliver it.
Hoshi Takeda”
His eyes suddenly darted up from looking down, locking on to the Ultimate Linguist...
“Ever since the start, I thought your intelligence would make you a good ally, and I was worried I might have to calm your nerves. This time you have always acted that same way... And I figured you would be a useful ally, for I chose those to surround myself with based not on survival, but off of the assumption a Murder would DEFINITELY take place in this environment. I looked for those with more... mental talents as potential teammates, and I supposed your talent as a Linguist could be broad and varied enough to help largely in a murder case. But” he chucked lightly, almost playfully. “That all doesn’t matter right now. Tell me... does your talent extend to handwriting too?”

 

[Riverrunner]

"S-so what you guys are saying is that… whoever the culprit is… they would've had to know about Paeon's schizophrenia? But… that's pretty much everyone…" Ryuu stammered, struggling to remember the scenes of the crime. "B-but wait, even when he mentioned it to everyone… only the people there at the time, and, uh, Ophelia… I think, would know about what pills he took, right? S-so that brings us back down to… Ralph, Paeon, Jane, Ophelia, Joseph and… me. Right?"

Ralph's sharp words took him aback, "W-wait! We, uh, c-can't just do that! J-just because they, uh, well, whatever they did before all of this… doesn't mean they're the killer! We can't just, uh, vote for someone because you don't like them… right? That… that's wrong!"

Monokuma glanced up from the booklet in his hands, chuckling in a sinister manner. "Hate to break it to ya, Sparky, but that's the name of the game! Whichever one 'a you hoodlums gets the most votes is punished! Simple as that. Vote for who you think is the culprit… or just vote for someone because you want them outta your hair. I don't care, quite honestly. Just pick someone soon, this trial is gettin' boring as hell." Monokuma finished on a lacklustre note before returning to… whatever he was doing. He was certainly paying attention to what was happening in the discussion, yes, but apparently a heated debate about murder wasn't able to hold his full focus any more than puzzling over one of the early pages in a sudoku book.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“But why?” Percy van petiruge spoke toward this accusation, fluffing his scarf, seeming changing his personality. “Why would linguist fall to such unspeakable lengths to achieve something that goes against their ideals. After all, the very foundation of a linguist is to unite people with languagec not fear them apart!”

Ralph just eyes Percy, as he gathered a more theatrical precense about him. He sighed, inching away from Percy before looking to Jason and ryuu directly

“Didn’t you hear what I said? Parker and Ophelia are the primary targets here. If we have to make and educated guess, it should be the ones who are known convicts.”

 

[Generation Sect]

Jason smirked.
“An educated guess without utilising the proper evidence we have? Doesn’t seem very educated to me. After all... there’s a lot more than just a hunch I’ve let pile up here. Of course... we’ll need some audience participation first.”

 

[The Kitsune]

"...writing? Uhh, well..." Before Hoshi could get out the half-gathered response when Ralph's voice broke across her stumbling words, coming to her defense of all things. She took a bewildered moment to stare openly at him, taken aback by his actions. After all, she had shared a glaring match with him only a couple minutes before. Shaken back to the moment by Jason's stark response, Hoshi decided to let it go for the moment and offer her answer, a bit more collected now that she'd had a moment to find her words.

"I...I mean, I can decipher just about any hand writing, if that's what you mean. I could probably recognize variations between individuals si el empuje viene emp- I mean, 'if push came to shove' but I've never actually done it... What does that have to do with...?" Her final questioned trailed away, obviously unsure if the therapist was asking for her help or accusing her of something.

 

[Fire Mana]

"Ralph I'm gettin' real tired of yer' snarky comments and high-and-mighty attitude... I didn't know about his schizophrenia until this trial, ya' dumbass!"

Parker clenched his fist under his podium. Until now he had only killed in self defense, but at this rate Ralph might change that for him.

"You can shut yer' trap now! Cause if you don't, I'm gonna shove that bow so far up yer'-"

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon stopped as he gathers information. "Ralph, for the last time, Parker can't be the killer. He never knew about my schizophrenia. But now I'm trying to picture how this went..."

"From what Jason is saying there are some aspects that help. For one, Hoshi was the closest to Honoka. That plus the fact her clothes were in the dirty wash and how she knew my condition. The PA was a trap considering every person who had PA was in the washer. The only other clothes in there besides that were Honoka's and Hoshi's..."

"Hoshi... tell me... did you really do it? Because I'm seeing some other aspects. You know cuisine which means you know cutlery like kitchen knives well... at this point, I don't know. And I REALLY need an answer as to how it can't be you because I'm pretty sure we're voting soon."

 

[The Kitsune]

Hoshi was still looking curiously at Jason, oblivious the intent of his accusation. But as Paeon began to link the arbitrary dots, the pieces fell into place and her mouth fell open in shook. "..w,w-wait. You think I did this? Wh-why would I- Honoka was my friend!" She couldn't stop the shout from spilling from her trembling lips, despite the swelling realization that it wouldn't help. Had she really been a friend? Could any of them say as much with such a short and stressful time together? But she'd connected with Honoka and with Paeon too... or so she'd thought. Tears gathered at the edges of her eyes as she starred at him, unable to fathom his complete acceptance of her being the perpetrator of this.

"How could you think I'd..." she looked around helplessly. She had no alibi, none of them did. She'd been sleeping like everyone else. What chance did she have to defend herself? ...Hoshi's knees trembles a bit as her eyes fell on Monokuna, completely absorbed in his puzzle book. Was this how her time here ended...? As the accused...

...NO. It couldn't end like this. Honoka's killer was in this room, watching calmly as she was accused in their place. Stealing her resolve, she looked back at Paeon, then Jason, then everyone else, tears still clearing to her lashes and her lip trembling. "You have the wrong person. I didn't do this. You have to believe me." She trembled on the verge of saying more, but Monokuna's presence held her tongue. She couldn't say anymore in front of him. It would mean giving up their one chance of escaping this hell hole together. If he knew of the codes she'd been deciphering, surely he'd take her phone and all her hard work along with it.

 

[Paeon Kanetsu]

Paeon sighed before he turned to Hoshi in desperation. "Then fight! Fight and explain how you can't be the killer!! You think I like this!? I don't want it to be you!"

Paeon gripped his head. "You've been nothing but nice to everyone! You've helped me out and I think you don't have a bad bone in your body! Yet the problem is that it makes some sense!"

Paeon just stared at Hoshi with a worried and almost teary-eyed expression. "I'm tired of accusing friends... so please... fight. Just give me a reason. That's all I need."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“They don’t need to know about your medication problem, your not as important as you think you are.” Ralph spoke. “So Ophelia or Parker could have easily done it. And if they are or aren’t the killer then we’d still be getting rid of murders from our midst. A plus if you ask me.”

Percy, being all but ignored just dropped his head, his change of personality being completely washed over. He just hid his head in his drawing pad and banged his head against it.