Alternate (Shuichi Saihara x fem reader)

Chapter Two: Deadly Life

"No! Not Kaede!" I screamed. Kaede was someone I was proud to call my friend. She had been by my side this whole time, with her positive attitude and assertiveness. Shuichi began to cry as well. "Who would do this?"

"Let's ask the detective," Himiko groaned. "He's here to do detective work. I'm gonna take a nap." The magician wandered away, no one having the energy to stop her. It was about 12:45 am, meaning I had been asleep since breakfast. I was very hungry. Anyway, the time of death was 12:32 am, and—was Shuichi this hungry? He was asleep too, right? Why wasn't he hungry?

"Hey, can you gather alibis again?" He asked, already poking around the crime scene. "I'll find a way to drain the pool."

"NO-NEED-I-GOT-IT." A monotone voice sounded from behind us. "FATHER-IS-ANGRY-FOR-GETTING-BLOOD-IN-THE-POOL. PLEASE-DO-NOT-DO-IT-AGAIN, YOU-BASTARDS." Monodam drained the pool with ease, leaving Kaede's body lifeless in the empty pit. I suddenly felt the need to throw up.

"Right. Alibis." I sprinted out of the pool area, hoping to catch Himiko's alibi before she fell asleep. I found her in her room, where she meant to recover from her exhaustion.

"From midnight to now? I was with Tenko and Keebo." She yawned as she talked. "We were in the game room. No one was there besides us, and no one was in the AV room either."

"What were you doing?"

"Keebo was trying to get Tenko to like him, since he's non-binary, but Tenko argued that he was lying because his code was binary. All the arguing made me sleepy, so now I'm going to bed." She closed the door in my face. I decided to check with either Tenko or Keebo to confirm the alibi, since Himiko was probably distressed and angry.

I found Keebo first, along with Kiyo and Tsumugi at the dining hall.

"Himiko's alibi holds true," the robot confirmed. "I was with those two the entire time. No one came in or out of the game room. Although I'd prefer it if Tenko found a less robophobic way to pass time." He began muttering to himself. "Honestly, if she hates men and robots, she's vastly limiting who she'll be friends with. I don't understand—"

"Thanks, Keebo," I dismissed. "Kiyo, what were you doing?"

"I was in the dining hall with Kokichi and Kaede. We were together for a while, although Kokichi left at about 12:15. Kaede left shortly after, about 12:20, and I was still in the dining hall, cleaning the dinner dishes. Although it doesn't qualify as an alibi, no one can say I left the dining hall, and Kaede's body was found in the pool. Does this help?"

"Yes, thank you. Tsumugi?"

"I was in the courtyard with Gonta, stargazing. I can confirm that Kokichi went into the dorms at about 12:15, but he came back out at 12:30. Also, Maki and Kaito joined us in the courtyard at 12:20."

"Do you know where Kokichi went?" I asked.

"It looked like he went to Miu's lab. He went in that general direction, anyway. He didn't return before the announcement went off." I wrote this down, thanked them, and left to find some others.

I found Miu with Tenko and Kokichi in the courtyard, near Miu's lab. I had already confirmed Tenko's alibi, and whether or not Kokichi was going to be honest was a mystery, so I focused on Miu.

"I ain't got an alibi until 12:30! Kokichi was with me after that! Right?"

"I was in my room until the body discovery announcement. I haven't seen you the whole time." Kokichi stretched his arms behind his head and began to leave.

"Liar!"

"And your point is...?" He didn't even stop to turn and face her as he made his leave.

"It's alright, Miu, Tsumugi saw him go to your lab, so you two both have alibis. Thanks for your cooperation."

"Next time leave me out of it, fucking virgin!" Not knowing how to respond, I smiled and nodded. I then informed Tenko of Himiko's account, that she and Keebo already had a confirmed alibi, and disbanded from the group.

I found Gonta with Rantaro and Ryoma nearby the dorms, along with Kokichi, who was now picking the lock to Kaede's door. I had already gotten Gonta's alibi from Tsumugi, and he confirmed it. After that quick exchange, I asked Ryoma.

"Alibi? Ain't got one. I was alone, exploring the third floor."

"Same here, I was asleep," Rantaro spoke. "Sorry to disappoint you." I took a quick note and began to walk away, but Rantaro stopped me.

"y/n, can we talk again after the trial? It's not important, but I have something I have to get off my chest." He smiled as he spoke, but it was clear that he was nervous. "Can we meet at the gym?"

"Sure thing, I'll see you there." I waved goodbye and walked on. I checked the list, and made sure everyone had been questioned. When I confirmed they had, I walked back to the pool to try and help Shuichi. I entered the pool, but he wasn't there. No one was, except the carcass of my good friend. I fell to my knees when I saw the bloody gash across her face, and I began crying. I didn't like to cry in front of people, so it was a good thing Shuichi wasn't there. I knew Kaede wouldn't mind if I cried. Kaede was so sweet, she probably would've helped me get over it. A good friend, a really, really good friend.

"H-hey!" A sudden voice shook me out of my depressive state, and I scrambled to my feet. I looked towards the entrance, but no one was there. "Up here!" My mind immediately went to the second guess, and I blurted out my call.

"God?"

"N-No, I'm at the window! Look up!" I looked up to see Shuichi waving. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay! How's the investigation going?" Instead of an answer, he bolted away from the window, calling something about being right there. Unsure of what to do next, I wiped away any stray tears and took deep breaths. No reason any more people could see me cry. I could overcome her death, and I could find the hope she wanted to give us. The door to the pool slammed open, and not even a second later I was in Shuichi's arms.

"Screw the investigation, you were crying."

"You need to sort out your priorities!" I hugged him back, which calmed me down instantly. "Look, don't worry about me. I'll cry a lot harder if the trial comes to a wrong conclusion. We're all counting on you, so do your best, okay?" He pulled away, looked at me for a second, and then hugged me again. "You can hug me later, go investigate!"

"R-right! Sorry!" He broke away again, and ran back to the investigation. I looked at Kaede one more time, and went to a less busy source of comfort.

I wanted to talk to Tsumugi, since she seemed really nice. We had talked for a minute before, and it seemed like she wanted to be my friend. I certainly wanted to be her friend. I found her in the dining hall, trying her best to relax. As soon as I greeted her, the announcement to meet at the shrine played, and we walked there together.

"So did you help Shuichi again?" She asked as we walked. I nodded, and showed her the complete list of alibis. "You two are actually amazing. I'm actually plain jealous!" She giggled, making me confused.

"Jealous of our relationship? Or jealous that I have Shuichi?"

"Jealous that Shuichi has you." She giggled again as I practically froze in place. "Oh, jeez! I'm just plain messing with you! No, no, I'm jealous of your relationship." She sighed loudly. "I'd ask for advice, but there's not really anyone here I like anymore. Maybe Rantaro?"

"Here's some advice," I offered, "if you're unsure, don't go for it. Only do it if you're absolutely sure."

"Yeah, you're right. Can I be plain honest for a minute?" She took a deep breath as I gave her the okay. "I might not be sure about Rantaro, but I was sure that I was in love with Kaede." I suddenly felt the need to hug her.

"I understand entirely. God, I'm so sorry! I thought I missed her, you must be..." I didn't finish the sentence. We both teared up a little bit, but kept our heads held high. We walked into the shrine, only barely crying, trying our damn hardest to hold it in. I handed over the alibi list to Shuichi, who looked it over quickly, and nodded.

Soon after, the trial ground opened, and the second trial began.