The Morning’s Grim Discovery

Ding, dong… ding, dong.

“Good morning, everyone! It’s morning, and the time is seven o’clock! Time to rise and shine~”

“Now, give it your all today, too~!”

“Hmm…”

I slowly opened my hazy eyes, my gaze immediately falling upon Kamimura Anko beside me.

Like a Sleeping Beauty, she remained deeply unconscious, the blanket still undisturbed upon her body.

It seemed there truly wasn’t a single sign of movement from her.

A wave of despondency washed over me, and I couldn’t help but lower my gaze in lament.

Having sat on the bench all night, my backside ached and my back felt stiff.

As I pushed myself upright and lowered my arms, a tingling numbness swiftly spread throughout my entire body!

Hiss!

‘Next time, I definitely won’t use my arm as a pillow; it’s completely dead…’

I stood up, stretching my stiff muscles, then looked towards the broadcast screen, which had just powered down.

At the same time, I noticed the surveillance camera nestled in the upper corner of the wall, a silent testament to Monokuma’s constant, omnipresent watch over our every move.

Now, it was only a matter of waiting for everyone to come knocking.

I sat quietly on the bench, awaiting the sound of the door being rattled.

****

“Thump, thump, thump, thump…”

Less than half an hour later, the door handle rattled, stuck fast by the lock, followed by a rhythmic knocking.

A surge of quiet relief welled within me as I approached, asking, “Who’s at the door?”

“It’s me, Chisaka Erin.”

“And me… Osakabe Nanase…”

“Huh? Is that Takagi Masahiko…? Why are you locked in alone?”

The rapid-fire questions came from Takahashi Aki.

Hearing their familiar voices, I finally let out a sigh, the tension that had gripped me since last night easing its hold, grateful for their early arrival.

“Creak!”

I slowly opened the large door, and their worried and bewildered faces greeted my sight.

“Come in, all of you…”

Once the three of them had entered, I casually closed the door behind them.

“Huh? There’s someone… on the hospital bed, I think…”

Takahashi Aki noticed a human silhouette beyond the medical curtain.

“Wh-What…? How could this be…? Is it really… her?”

Chisaka Erin walked over curiously, and the next second, the face she saw rendered her utterly aghast.

“Wh-What’s wrong… Chisaka…? Who is it on the bed…?”

Osakabe Nanase followed, her reaction even more intense than Chisaka’s.

She clamped both hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief, her face suddenly drained of color.

“Why… is Kamimura Anko… lying in a hospital bed…?”

Takahashi Aki frowned in terror, visibly shaken by the scene before her.

The surrounding atmosphere abruptly grew incredibly heavy, and then Chisaka Erin, with an utterly serious expression, turned to me.

“What exactly is going on here?”

“…”

I was suddenly plunged into silence; my thoughts became a chaotic mess under the weight of her interrogation.

“Takagi Masahiko, please don’t stay silent…”

Takahashi Aki, seeing me speechless, quickly urged me to explain.

Osakabe Nanase was already sitting by Kamimura Anko’s side, her eyes glistening with tears as she gazed at her face.

Just then, the door behind us suddenly opened, and people began to stream in one after another.

“Why are you all gathered here…? What happened?”

Akino Atsushi questioned the three of us standing together.

“Hmm… Is this some mysterious party?”

Katagiri Mimi, unaware of the situation, made a bold joke.

“Why does that joke… feel so chilling?”

Arisumi Momoko dramatically hugged herself, shivering.

“Oh… you really are… Just take a good look at the person lying on the first hospital bed, all of you…”

Upon hearing Chisaka Erin’s words, the newcomers all gravitated towards the first hospital bed.

“?!”

Katagiri Mimi, Arisumi Momoko, and Ishii Yoshimi stood frozen in place, utterly still.

“Wh-What…? Wh-What on earth happened?! Why is Kamimura Anko suddenly in a hospital bed?!”

Akahira Yuusuke was utterly shocked by the sight before him.

“She was perfectly fine yesterday afternoon, so why is she… in trouble… this morning?”

Kitajima Kazumitsu’s brows were tightly furrowed in a daze, and he clutched his lowered head with his hand.

“Y-Yeah… what exactly happened… to her last night…? D-Does anyone know…?”

Habara Kazuhiro’s voice trembled as he stuttered out his confusion.

“Could it be… another murder last night?!”

Akino Atsushi, too, began to tremble all over.

“…”

Only Suzuki Minoru stood quietly to the side, not uttering a single word.

His eyes, narrowed and expressionless, were fixed intently on Kamimura Anko’s head, his deep gaze unwavering.

“To get back to the point, Takagi Masahiko, you know something about Kamimura Anko being in this hospital bed, don’t you?”

Chisaka Erin turned, her sharp gaze piercing my eyes, and then everyone else’s attention also converged on me.

“Yes, this is what happened…”

“It was probably around half past eleven last night… I woke up feeling cold at that time, and then I found a note Kamimura Anko had left for me in my room.”

I pulled out the note, perfectly preserved since last night, from my pants pocket to show them.

Chisaka Erin snatched the note from my hand and hastily unfolded it to read.

“The third-floor… library…? A murder…?”

Chisaka Erin’s expression grew solemn upon seeing the note’s contents, and those standing behind her all gathered around to examine it.

“So… you found her in the third-floor library?”

Chisaka Erin asked me again after finishing the note.

“Yes… When I found the note, I immediately went to knock on her door, but there was no sound from within. So I rushed to the third-floor library, but when I got to the door, I found it was locked from the inside… In that emergency, I called Monokuma to open the door for me, and when I pushed it open… I found Kamimura Anko already collapsed on the ground, unconscious…”

I recounted everything that had happened last night in detail.

“Then… did you also help bandage her head?”

“Yes, Kamimura Anko’s head wound was still bleeding. At the time, I didn’t even consider the scene in the library and quickly brought her to the medical office to stop the bleeding. After that, I locked the door from the inside to prevent whoever hurt her from entering, and then you three, Chisaka, arrived.”

“Is that so… Well, you’ve done well. Now… could everyone please step outside? I need to conduct a thorough examination of Kamimura Anko. Please remain quiet nearby after you leave, and I appreciate your understanding.”

“I’m staying.”

Osakabe Nanase stated calmly.

“Let me stay too, please. I’ll be quiet.”

Ishii Yoshimi softly added.

“…Alright then, but after you leave, please do not enter the medical office without my permission. I will come out myself to inform you once I’ve finished my examination.”

Chisaka Erin spoke to all of us with serious earnestness.

“Understood… We’ll head out now.”

Akahira Yuusuke readily agreed to the request, then turned and departed.

“Yes… Everyone, let’s go.”

And so, everyone and I left the medical office.

After I had exited the medical office, someone suddenly called out to me from behind.

“Takagi, could you come with me for a moment?”

Turning my head, I saw that the person who had called me was Suzuki Minoru.

“…”

I paused, hesitating for a moment.

Recalling his actions during the last class trial, I couldn’t help but feel a heightened sense of caution towards him.

“Oh… you seem quite wary of me, don’t you?”

“What do you want me to do…? It’s not anything bad, is it?”

“Look at the time… Don’t you really know what needs to be done now? Or are you… pretending?”

Suzuki Minoru narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow, accusing me.

“…Of course I know! I don’t need you to remind me.”

I immediately retorted against his skepticism.

“If you don’t mind, shall we go together?”

“You…”

“If you’re doubting me, there’s no need. I never engage in such heinous deeds. Besides… if you’re so suspicious of me, why don’t you follow me and monitor my every move?”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll secretly destroy evidence?”

Suzuki Minoru’s lips curled into a strange, unsettling smile.

“…”

I remained silent for a moment, realizing that what he said wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

“…I understand. Let’s work together.”

“Um… if you two don’t mind, count me in too.”

Akahira Yuusuke stepped forward and addressed us.

“You’re out. I’m worried you’ll interfere with the site investigation.”

Suzuki Minoru flatly rejected his request.

“You!!… Tsk! Fine… as long as you find clues.”

After a sudden burst of displeasure, he reluctantly accepted.

“If you two need any help, you can call on me.”

Kitajima Kazumitsu spoke to us.

“Understood. Now… shall we head upstairs?”

Suzuki Minoru, walking ahead of me, turned his head to look back as he spoke.

I followed closely, entering the dark elevator, while the remaining people lingered in the first-floor lobby.