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

[matchbreaker]

... If we're doing it that way, you're the party meister. Who'd she hit it off with at your shindig.

[ . . . She tries to keep a civil tone but her eyes are still catlike. ]

[innocentloveholic]

I talked to everyone at my party, you know. It's not like I had the time to stand around and just watch people talk to each other! I only have one eye.

[ this is the one time she wishes she had more than one though, imagine all the matchmaking she could do— ]

She had a boyfriend though [ a fake one but she was totally in love with him anyway ] so she'd never sleep over with a guy, so a girl's probably still the main suspect here.

[ . . . ]

Too bad that doesn't narrow it down that much. We've got a surplus of us here.

[blackmass]

...

You seem to know quite a lot about her.

[matchbreaker]

Nah, the boyfriend thing was obvious, it's right on the profile. You should have seen her blush if you poked her about it.

[ With a dismissive hand wave ]

[blackmass]

That's true, though somehow I suspect not everyone would be able to recall the profiles so readily.

[not all of you are as obsessive as kirei, thank god]

[matchbreaker]

Really? Even idiots [ Hibiki... ] have been trying to study them.

[blackmass]

Memorization of so many details is a skill needing practice, Elda Marker.

[matchbreaker]

Yeah, yeah. Point is, anyone who talked with her at all might know that.

[ It came up in like their second or so conversation. ]

[zomgboom]

[raise your hand if you can't read so good and absolutely haven't tried to read any of the hard words on the profiles like 50% of people's titles]

[innocentloveholic]

...We talked about our boyfriends for a while, so what? [ so what. ] I'm Amorous, after all! I've tried talking to almost everyone about their thoughts on love and if they have anyone they're interested in, or a type they'd totally go for!

[blackmass]

Forgive my prying if you would, but did I hear you claim to have been studying with her?

[innocentloveholic]

[ ...you are not insinuating what she thinks you are, tall dark and ugly— ]

Don't you dare try and pin this on me, you stupid meaniehead! I'd never rob her of her chances with her boyfriend!! Love's the most important thing in the whole wide world!!!

[blackmass]

Calm yourself, if you would. No one is throwing accusations around, least of all myself. I only wish for things to be as clear as possible; it is all our lives at stake, I remind you.

[innocentloveholic]

[ mrrrgh— ]

Yes, we were gonna study stuff like, sewing cute clothes and making really tasty food together, since she's totally useless at that kind of thing and I'm like, totally rusty. [ are you happy. your icon looks like you're having a damn good time, kirei, are you. ] That's all though.

[blackmass]

[kirei kotomine is having a great day, thank you for asking]

I see. When, if I might pry further, did you last speak to Chitoge Kirisaki?

[innocentloveholic]

Same day Meteoric tried going for the Coordinator, soooo... Mooonday, I think?

[ something like that. ]

[matchbreaker]

I'd second the boy thing - she's never even kissed that fake boyfriend.

[notaccurate]

And all of the remaining men are far too old for her.

[Except Yuri, maybe. But even that's pushing it.]

[matchbreaker]

... Oh yeah, the only two close are six feet under. But that's not even the point.

[ she shakes her head ]

The point is that she's maidenly. She'd get weird about inviting a man in, I'm sure.

[ what sort of weird impression does she have... of Chitoge... ]

[notaccurate]

Then it is truly a shame that the women outnumber the men two-to-one. This could have been an open-and-shut case if those numbers were reversed.