Ace Attorney Investigations: Virtual Despair

Chapter 1 - Escape From Despair ~ Part 3 (Deadly Life)

~ Ultimate Investigator Niamh Wood's POV ~

"N-No way..." I whispered as I stared at Toshiaki's lifeless form. I rushed forward and felt for a pulse on his wrist: nothing.

"Don't bother." Jordan sighed. "You heard the announcement, right? He's dead."

Dead.

Dead.

I couldn't come to grips with it. Even as Monokuma popped up in front of us to announce something about a trial, I didn't listen. My eyes were fixated upon the knife that lay in the back of my former friend, his facial expression emotionless. No matter how much I prayed for him to open his eyes, to laugh it all away... it never happened.

"Hey, you, Magnifying Glasses!" Monokuma shrieked, poking me in the arm. "Are you even listening to me?!"

"... What do you want?" I grumbled. "What's this about a trial?"

"I was just getting onto that!" Monokuma sighed aggressively. "So, I'm going to give you guys some time to investigate the murder. When time's up, you guys will meet me at Monokuma Rock for the class trial! During the class trial, you will present your thoughts on who you think the killer is. Get it right, and only the blackened will be punished. Get it wrong, and everyone BESIDES the blackened will be punished, and such blackened will be allowed to leave the island!"

"You keep saying 'punished'..." Zach began. "But what exactly is the 'punishment' that the killer will get?"

"You reaaaaaaaally want to know...?" Monokuma asked, almost in a teasing way. "The punishment is... execution."

"E-Execution?!" Octavio gasped. "Like... you'll kill us?!"

"You heard me, Propellers!" Monokuma laughed. "Electric chair, poison gas, guillotine... I'll execute ya any way I see fit! So don't mess up and get yourselves killed!"

Monokuma turned to leave the room, but he stopped himself with a small exclamation. "Oh yeah, I guess I should give this to ya!" He pulled out what looked like a tablet. Not the medicine kind, the technology kind. "It's... the Monokuma File!"

"What the hell is a Monokuma File...?" Kyle muttered as I took the odd device from Monokuma. 'MONOKUMA FILE #1' was written down the side. I tapped the screen lightly with my finger. "It appears to be some kind of autopsy report..." I muttered. "Something that tells you about the condition of a body." I elaborated upon seeing several confused faces. I read the information that was displayed on the so-called Monokuma File.

'The victim was Toshiaki Yemon
The time of death was around 10:35pm
The body was found in the hotel restaurant
Cause of death is a wound in the back made by a sharp object
Other injuries include a light blow to the head made before death'

"I'll see you guys at the class trial!" Monokuma said before bouncing away. I kept staring at the device in my hand. The previous page showed an image of Toshiaki, the word 'DEAD' glowing pink over it. I closed my eyes to block the image out of my mind. "We just have to do it, don't we...?" I muttered after some hesitation. "We have to do it... or else we all die here..."

"Niamh..." Akari began, but she didn't finish her initial sentence. "Let's all investigate together."

"Hmph. Well, you guys have fun with that. I'm not sticking around." Jordan declared with a grin.

"Where are you going?" I interrogated with a frown. "Do you want to be falsely executed?!"

"I'm not sticking around in the same room as a murderer." Jordan sighed. "It could be anyone. It might even be you, and with you acting as Ms. Large and In Charge  of the Crime Scene, nobody would know the difference between investigating and disposing of evidence."