Danganronpa: ocem

Chapter 4 Part 15 (Trial)

This time there was no dialogue, just the heavy weight of silence above our heads like a hanging knife. We all looked at each other solemnly as the elevator came up and we stepped inside, my insides churning like butter.

Hanako: Everything's gonna be alright.

The lift descended into the trial room, the walls scraping against the shaft once more, letting out rumbles and croaks like a nail on a chalkboard.

This time there was one victim. Nothing different from the past few cases. There was only one victim. Surely this would be easier.

One victim.

Easier.

Right.

Rachel, Chloe, Hanako, Randi, Yu Xuan, Ashton, Sophie.

And me.

Someone here killed Sumana.

But something in my gut told me the story wouldn't be so simple.

It told me that out of everybody in this elevator, someone else was responsible.

Or was it?

Honestly, I could no longer tell. Everything was a mess of truth and lies, hope and despair, past and present.

As the elevator doors opened, I felt the burn of everyone's eyes on me, the cold of the trial room, and the scent of blood and betrayal.

I looked up at the television screen hanging in the room, above the stands. Someone was going to die here.

And it would either be the killer, or everyone else.

Sumana, the ultimate runner, the one who we mistrusted until the end. The one who we thought was planning a murder, ending up dead. She had lost everyone, Annan, Hannan and Miyoshi, it's not hard to believe she lost herself as well. But she was strong, she was still so nice to us, even though we treated her as an enemy. I know saying this will have no more use, what's done has been done, but I wish we had treated her better. Maybe then she would have at least spent her last few days happily.

The only way to apologise now is to find the killer.

We approached our stands, looking back and forth at each other in the uneasy silence.

- - -

Truth bullets:

Monokuma file five
The victim is Sumana, she ultimate runner. The body was found in her own bedroom. The victim has a gun shot wound to the head, with no other external injuries. The time of death is around 5.30am.

Slits on arm
In the dream world, there were many small, deep slits on the body's good arm.

Broken robotic arm
Sumana's robotic arm was broken.

Broken leg
Sumana's leg was broken

Wooden stool
There was a wooden stool knocked over on the floor, further away from the body.

Chloroform
There was a bottle of chloroform on a table. It was almost empty and further away from the body.

Puddle of blood
There was a puddle of blood on the floor, further away from the body. There was nothing leading up to it.

Bloody rope
There was a rope on the floor, further away from the body. It was covered in blood.

Drops of blood
In the other room, there were a few drops of blood on the floor, where Randi and Hanako were kept tied up.