Take Responsibility.

[trustbound]

Once again, as people finish their investigations and make their way toward the door at the bottom of those stairs in the dorms, the door down there is unlocked once again. It opens as though of its own volition, with a loud clicking sound and a soft outward swing, not firmly enough to harm anyone who might be standing in the way but enough to give them some slight encouragement to move. The stairwell it leads to is once again dark, the only light coming in from the courtroom below, if it can really properly be called that. It stands as cold and unforgiving as it did last week, all concrete and steel and the podium circle in the center, surrounding the darkened pit in the middle. Nothing can be seen down there for the time being; it simply seems like a large black hole leading nowhere. Three more podiums have joined Jean's in being arranged differently from the rest; Caren, Yosuke, and Chitoge have all joined the ranks of the deceased, their podiums draped in black with their profile portraits sitting atop them, greyed-out and watching the room with unseeing eyes. The thirty-sixth podium remains empty and blank, as always. Once everyone has found their place in the circle, the public-address system comes to life once more, and after a moment Jericho's voice can be heard "Dexterous has been taken from you; seems like a lot of you were friends with her, and you all know why you're here by now and what you're supposed to do. So hopefully you guys won't be disrespectful assholes again and expect me to make you give a damn this time! Be self-centered about it all you want, just do your jobs. After all, it's in your best interests to do that. As always, do your best - I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes." Thirty-one Participants remain. However many are left at the end of the day is up to you.

Comments

[introspects]

Right, and...to me, this sounds like it could have been a sleepover...

[blackmass]

Precisely.

[oh, this just got interesting.]

So, here is my question: had anyone noticed anyone Chitoge Kirisaki may have spent an abundance of her time with?

[introspects]

...

[ orihime looks like she wants to say something, but... ]

[chessturner]

Inoue-chan, if you know something, you should tell us. Everyone's lives are at risk here -- yours included.

[introspects]

I...

[ she can't just-- ]

I...I've only seen it in passing, but... I've seen Kirisaki-san with Maizono-san a lot...

[matchbreaker]

Big whoop.

[ It's said flatly, sharply. ]

I've talked to the little maiden a fair big too. There's so many of you teen brats here, I'm sure you've got a big circle.

[introspects]

[ elda why are you like this. ]

Right. I don't think Maizono-san would have done something like this, though.

[matchbreaker]

Then why don't you work on something more than hearsay, you airheaded brat? Try using cells other than the fat ones on your chest.

[ She says this with a positively malicious tone, exposing her fangs ]

[sleepytimegal]

[ UH. ]

Hey. No way, that's not enough to accuse someone of a crime. Chitoge got along with a lot of us.

[introspects]

No! I'm not accusing her--I just...

[ she's going to draw into herself, now. ]

I'm sorry...

[explosivecombat]

No one is accusing Miss Maizono of anything just yet.

The question was whether Miss Kirisaki spent a fair amount of her time with anyone in particular; Miss Maizono happens to suit that description. That doesn't mean that she did anything, but she likewise shouldn't be immediately ruled out.

[destage]

[...ah, that's...a very good point, now, isn't it.

Sayaka shakes her head rather rapidly, though.]

She--she's never invited me over to her room. I don't think she would have trusted me enough to do that.

[notaccurate]

Why not?

[Not that he actually thinks Sayaka did it or anything, but he's more under the impression that a group of teenage girls would've all become fast friends here. That includes Sayaka and Chitoge.]

[blackmass]

Oh...? Is there something wrong?

[introspects]

[ well. ]

[notaccurate]

So we can narrow this down a bit. Who here was Chitoge particularly close to, especially to the point where she would allow them to sleep over for the night?

[heritrix]

So we're most likely looking for a female culprit.

[chessturner]

That would give the killer access to Kirisaki-san's key.

[matchbreaker]

It would, but the key was still locked in the room? I don't think the Tohsaka girl's dumb enough to miss any of us hiding under the bed - so... does that matter?

[ Maybe she's the stupid one?? is she missing something??? ]

[perpend]

If the door was locked behind them while they were inside the room with Miss Chitoge, they would be able to open the door and leave while it was locked.

[matchbreaker]

... Oh, right, that works.

[ Nod. ]

[evilfrenzy]

If it's that sort of lock, anyway. Not all are like that.

[He can't say he's tried it though, so they can't leave the possibility out.]

[notaccurate]

...that's possible?

[Don't mind him and his 1800s-door-technology here.]

[perpend]

If the lock has the proper mechanism, yes.

[notaccurate]

And the locks here do, then? That changes everything. This isn't a locked door problem if the culprit can just exit the room.