"You're talking about the bloodstained tablecloth we found in the storage room. . .right?"
"If there are bloodstains on it, that settles it! Nagito used the tablecloth to block the blood splatter!" Fuyuhiko concluded.
"No. . ." I spoke up.
". . .What now?" He asked, annoyed.
"Maybe it's because you weren't there, but Nagito couldn't have used that tablecloth to shield himself from the blood splatter." I protested.
"Huh?" Hiyoko reacted. "What are you talking about? Of course he could've used it!"
"No," I said firmly. "Maybe you weren't paying attention when the lights came on, but if my memory is correct, I didn't see Nagito with a bloody tablecloth when the lights came back on. . ."
"How would you know? You were having a panic attack in the corner!" She spat.
I glared at her and clenched my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palm. Mahiru looked at me then down at my hands. She grabbed me by my arms and forced me to face her.
"Hey. . . Just relax." She muttered, insuring no one could hear. "Everyone was freaking out during the blackout. . . It wasn't in your control."
I sighed and let my hands go limp at my sides. I met her gaze and nodded, causing her to release her hold and give me a comforting smile.
"Y/N's right." Hajime supported. "That tablecloth was pretty big, so even if he tried to hide it. . ."
"Wearing a tablecloth, going under the table, getting a knife in a blackout, and stabbing someone. . ." Nagito trailed off. "That's not just impossible for someone like me. . . wouldn't it also be impossible for you guys, too?"
"Th-Then. . . what does it mean. . .?" Teruteru questioned.
"Maybe. . .the killer didn't necessarily stab Byakuya under the table." Chiaki pondered.
"No," Gundham objected. "There's no mistake that the murder occurred under the table."
"But that doesn't mean where Byakuya got stabbed and where the killer did the stabbing are the same. . . right?" Chiaki suggested.
"I don't understand at all!" Ibuki stated with an odd air of confidence.
"Huh? Hajime. . . you look like you're onto something." Nagito addressed the brunette.
"R-Really!?" Teruteru reacted. "B-But. . . it sounds like a riddle!"
"I feel like I'm onto something, but. . ." Hajime trailed off. "It's still not clear what that is. . ."
"Under the table, but not under the table. . ." She emphasized. "If it's somehow possible, it's the only way that makes sense! Moving forward, we should set aside all unnecessary preconceptions and just choose the answer. . . I think."
The room fell silent while pondering Chiaki's suggestion. How could the killer have stabbed Byakuya from underneath the table?
"I got it!" Hajime exclaimed, responding to my mental question. "The killer must've stabbed Byakuya from under the floorboards!"
"U-Under the floorboards!?" Mahiru repeated.
"The floorboards in the old building are full of gaps, and there was no carpet laid out under the table." He explained. "If they stuck the weapon through one of the gaps, they could've stabbed Byakuya to death."
"If so, that means the killer was able to get under the floorboards. But from where?" Nagito questioned. "And how?"
"I don't know that yet, but. . . I have a feeling there's someone here who does know." He responded, taking a moment to think. "Hey, Gundham. . .You dropped your earring in the banquet hall, right?"
YOU ARE READING
Masked Hope (Nagito x Fem!Reader)
FanfictionY/N L/N, the Ultimate Doll, wakes up on a tropical island she's never seen before. This is a Nagito x Fem!Reader story, based in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. I will try to have you, as the reader, participate in the main story as much as possible...
