The Owl’s Secret

Kamimura Anko declared, “You’re the culprit, aren’t you!”

My finger was pointed directly at him…

At Amagasa Gen.

A collective gasp rippled through the group, their gazes snapping towards him in shock.

Amagasa Gen let out a strained, bitter laugh. “Me? The real culprit? Kamimura, what in the world are you talking about…?”

“I’m saying, you are the true murderer of Furuhata!” Kamimura Anko asserted.

Akahira Yuusuke’s voice wavered. “Amagasa is the real culprit…? Kamimura, are you absolutely certain about this…?”

“Yes,” Kamimura Anko affirmed. “After eliminating all other possibilities, he is the only one who fits the profile of the murderer.”

Ishii Yoshimi’s voice was soft, laced with apprehension. “Hey… Amagasa, did you really kill Furuhata with your own hands…?”

Amagasa Gen remained silent.

Akahira Yuusuke pressed, “Say something to refute it! Did you really kill him?!”

Takahashi Aki added, “That’s right, Amagasa… if you don’t respond now, you’ll lose even the chance to deny it.”

“Hahahaha… utterly ridiculous,” Amagasa Gen chortled, a chilling sound that replaced his usual amiable expression with something far more sinister.

Kitajima Kazumitsu frowned. “Ridiculous? What’s so funny?”

“The culprit is right in front of you, yet you turn a blind eye and accuse me instead!” he suddenly roared, his finger jabbing furiously at Suzuki Minoru.

Suzuki Minoru raised an eyebrow. “Oh ho? Is this the pot calling the kettle black?”

“Aren’t *you* the one playing the thief crying ‘stop thief’?! You clearly set the trap while pulling Furuhata, and now you’re trying to pin the crime on me! Such a person is truly despicable!” Amagasa Gen retorted.

“Hahahahaha! Are you describing yourself? Or have you reached the end of your rope and are desperately grasping at straws?” Suzuki Minoru burst into a fit of maniacal laughter, appearing utterly lost in the exhilaration of the dramatic climax.

Habara Kazuhiro stammered, “W-what in the world is going on?!! First it’s Suzuki, then it’s Amagasa, I can’t even tell who the real culprit is anymore!”

Katagiri Mimi sighed. “I’m starting to get confused too…”

Chisaka Erin inquired, “Suzuki, how do you defend yourself against his accusations?”

“Alright then~ Let’s just assume I’m the real culprit for a moment,” Suzuki Minoru began, a playful glint in his eyes. “If I were carrying a trap and was about to enter the elevator, what method do you think I would have used to attach the other end of the trap to the pole?”

“Just a hint,” he added, “it was right before your eyes.”

‘Right before our eyes…?’

‘So that’s it… the culprit actually used this method, taking advantage of the dark environment to evade our sight?!’

“I understand now…” Kamimura Anko’s voice trailed off. “From the very beginning of my deductions, I was prejudiced into believing that only six of us entered the elevator at that time…”

Akino Atsushi gasped. “W-what do you mean? Are you saying there was a third party assisting in this murder?!”

Amemiya Wakaba exclaimed, “A third party?! What kind of chaos is this turning into??”

“In reality, it wasn’t just the six of us who entered the elevator,” Kamimura Anko explained. “The culprit completed the trap’s placement in that instant, with the help of a third party!”

Kitajima Kazumitsu countered, “But we already concluded through discussion that the person in the dorm lobby wasn’t an accomplice, didn’t we?”

“What if the accomplice wasn’t a person?” Kamimura Anko posed, a knowing glint in her eyes.

Takagi Masahiko’s eyes widened in realization. “Of course…! It was the owl on Amagasa’s shoulder! When Kamimura and I investigated the scene, we both saw Amagasa’s owl perched on the Monokuma pole!”

“An owl?!… That’s right! How could I have forgotten about last night?!” Akahira Yuusuke exclaimed, slapping his forehead as if struck by a sudden revelation.

Osakabe Nanase asked, “Last night… what happened to Yuusuke…?”

“Last night, I kept hearing a faint, strange sound, like someone plucking bass strings repeatedly, which kept me from falling asleep for a while…” Akahira Yuusuke mused. “If that was the sound of an owl, it would certainly fit the tone!”

“Ngh?!” Amagasa Gen’s face instantly turned ashen.

Katagiri Mimi murmured, “Oh~ using an owl’s night vision to help commit murder…”

Chisaka Erin observed, “Looking at Amagasa’s reaction, it seems almost certain now…”

“No, no, no!!! I’m not the culprit!!!” Amagasa Gen shrieked.

“I get it now! You’ve all clearly lost your minds… to be spouting such nonsense!” Amagasa Gen accused.

Ishii Yoshimi retorted, “I think *you’re* the one who’s seriously ill…”

Chisaka Erin stated calmly, “I am perfectly calm right now.”

Takahashi Aki murmured, “Is this truly the Amagasa we know…?”

“Mhm… your current state is even more grotesque than the ugliness of ignorance,” Suzuki Minoru mused, a delighted laugh escaping him. “Hahaha, such a genuine and spectacular stage truly suits my taste!” He raised his hands to the air in a gesture of rapture, closing his eyes and gazing upwards.

“Shenjin (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, a homophone for ‘神经病’ (shénjīngbìng), meaning ‘crazy’ or ‘mentally ill’, used here as an insult.),” I deadpanned, retorting to him.

“Hm? Anko, what does ‘shen-jin’ mean…? My apologies, this falls outside my sphere of knowledge. Could I prevail upon you to explain the meaning of this word in detail?” Suzuki Minoru asked, genuinely curious.

Amemiya Wakaba chimed in, “Well… it probably means there’s something wrong with your brain, right? This young lady still understands a few Chinese insults.”

“Oh, oh, oh, oh! How utterly splendid! I never imagined Anko could even curse in Chinese!” Suzuki Minoru exclaimed, his eyes gleaming. “It’s widely known that Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to learn… To my ears, it sounded as inscrutable as a Zen koan, yet Anko’s extensive knowledge and wisdom are truly beyond reproach.”

“Could you please stop flattering me?” Kamimura Anko sighed, a headache beginning to throb. “It’s truly giving me a headache…”

“Then please, curse me a few more times in that language~ I’m eager to delve deeper into the profound intricacies of Chinese~” Suzuki Minoru chirped, undeterred.

I chose to selectively ignore this ‘shenjin’, fearing I might catch his ‘shenjin’ by contagion.

“Since no one seems to have any objections to this outcome, let’s proceed to vote!” Suzuki Minoru announced.

“Who gave you the right to speak for everyone, you presumptuous fool?!?” Amagasa Gen roared, his voice growing hoarse from sheer fury.

“Hm? You’re already a flickering candle in the wind, yet you still cling to life, refusing to face reality?” Suzuki Minoru scoffed. “I’ve grown tired of your ugly face; it’s about time you dusted yourself off and stepped down, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Step down?! What kind of joke is this?!! It’s not over yet!!” Amagasa Gen bellowed. “The method you just mentioned is indeed feasible for me, but!! Who among you saw my pet constantly by my side from the gathering until we entered the elevator?! Huh?! Who saw it?!”

“I saw it,” Kamimura Anko stated.

“Wh-?!” Amagasa Gen sputtered.

“Now that you mention it, it’s quite strange,” Kamimura Anko mused. “Amagasa seems to have kept his hands in his pockets ever since Furuhata’s death, and even during this class trial, it’s as if he’s afraid to show his palms. In reality… you have cuts on your hands from the kite string, don’t you?”

Chisaka Erin nodded. “That’s true… a culprit performing such an act would very likely be cut by the kite string, leaving marks that are difficult to erase quickly.”

“W-why are you bringing that up?! That’s not what I asked!!!!” Amagasa Gen shrieked, his face flushed crimson with an uncontainable rage.

Takagi Masahiko spoke cautiously. “Um… Amagasa, if you have nothing to hide, could you show us the palms of both your hands?”

“Uh, uh… uh…” Amagasa Gen stammered, his face now utterly devoid of color, as fragile and pale as a piece of balsa wood that might crumble at a breath.

“He’s finally run out of words,” Suzuki Minoru concluded.