The Hamster’s Clue and the Incinerator’s Secret

****Takagi Masahiko’s Perspective****

The theater scene remained unchanged, with both the audience seating and the stage utterly deserted.

After confirming there were no other anomalies, I made my way backstage, where I happened to encounter Suzuki Minoru.

“Suzuki, have you found anything here?”

“Ah… everything seems normal. Oh, by the way, Takagi… meet me in the first-floor lobby later; there’s something I need to tell you.”

He left the theater as soon as he finished speaking, without specifying what he wanted to discuss. ‘Never mind,’ I thought, ‘I should check backstage for clues first.’

A quarter of an hour had already passed, and I emerged disappointed, having found no leads.

Suzuki Minoru had just told me to gather in the first-floor lobby. Since the third-floor investigation was mostly complete, I decided to go.

“Ding!” As I stepped out of the elevator, my gaze involuntarily flickered towards the infirmary.

Whether by coincidence or something else, I saw Chisaka Erin emerging from the infirmary door. Concerned about Kamimura Anko’s condition, I quickly approached her.

“Chisaka, how is Kamimura? Is she… alright?” I kept my voice low, mindful of the quiet surroundings.

“…The right side of her head sustained an impact from a blunt object, resulting in a mild concussion… As a result, she remains unconscious.”

‘A mild concussion…’

“Based on the wound’s shape, it appears to be from a flat surface, like a hammer or a wall…”

‘Could it be… Kamimura was truly knocked unconscious by the hammer she held?’

“Then… when will she regain consciousness?” This was the question that weighed most heavily on me, and whose answer I dreaded the most.

“Honestly… I don’t know much about this particular symptom… But what I can guarantee is that she *will* wake up, she *will*…” Chisaka Erin’s eyelids briefly drooped before her eyes regained their bright intensity.

She pressed her lips together, her expression silently urging me: ‘Don’t think the worst; everything will be fine.’

“Yes… all I can do now is pray for her…” I managed to force a bitter smile, my lips curving unwillingly.

A sudden silence descended between us.

“Oh, right, Takagi… Besides the head injury, Kamimura also has some other issues…”

“Are they serious…?” My face was etched with apprehension and worry.

“Her abdomen suffered severe kicks, and there’s visible dust on all five of her fingertips. Also…”

“Also what?” As Chisaka Erin’s words trailed off, my heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

“Ah… there shouldn’t be any major problems now…”

“Really? Are there truly no other issues…?”

“Yes, and I’ve reapplied medicine to her wounds, bandaged them, and given her some medication.”

“…Thank you, Chisaka…”

“Don’t thank me. We should all help each other as friends, especially in such a critical situation…”

“Right… Oh! By the way, Chisaka, did you find any items on Kamimura?” It was then that the student ID card suddenly came to mind.

“Let me see… The only item on her was a key. Is there anything suspicious about that?”

“Yes… an unknown student ID card was found in the third-floor library. If I’m not mistaken… this student ID should belong to Kamimura.” I pulled the student ID from my pocket and showed it to Chisaka Erin.

“I see…”

“Could you place it on the table beside her bed for me?”

“Of course. Speaking of which… the body Monokuma mentioned in the broadcast just now… was it Amemiya’s?” Chisaka Erin asked slowly, her face clouded with worry as she looked at me.

“…Yes… I’m afraid we’ll have another class trial soon… But! Even without Kamimura here… we must find the culprit this time, no matter what!”

“Indeed… I’ve also read Monokuma’s file. This killer was truly vicious…” Her delicate brows knitted together.

“Ah! I just remembered something important I haven’t done yet! Chisaka, I’ll leave Kamimura in your care!”

“I’ll do my best to look after her; you can go without worry.” Chisaka Erin nodded slightly, assuring me.

I hastened off to find Suzuki Minoru, remembering he said he would be waiting for me in the first-floor lobby.

****

Chisaka Erin watched Takagi Masahiko’s retreating figure with a blank stare. As he gradually vanished from sight, her delicate eyelids drooped slightly, her eyes filled with a touch of sadness and confusion. Then, with a sigh of grief and indignation, she re-entered the infirmary.

****

“Takagi, over here.” I looked in the direction of the voice, spotting Suzuki Minoru standing by the dormitory exit.

“Why are you waiting for me here? It’s pitch black… Huh? What’s that in your hand…? Is that the hamster Monokuma gave us?! And… a plate of assorted food…?” The plate in his hand held cheese slices, greens, carrots, and other foods hamsters loved.

“Precisely. I intend to use this hamster for an experiment.”

“An experiment? What kind of experiment do you have in mind…?”

“You’ll understand once it’s done. See the vent above us?” He had just stepped inside the dormitory entrance before pointing directly overhead.

Directly above, a clearly visible vent gaped open, unobstructed by any louvers.

“Now, you’ll guard this vent and see what falls out.”

‘Huh? Don’t tell me… the experiment you just mentioned… involves using the hamster?!’ It was only then that the true nature of his experiment dawned on me.

“Indeed, just as you suspected.”

“But, but! Aren’t you afraid the hamster will fall from that height and die…?”

“Oh? Tell me, which is more important to you… the life of a hamster, or finding clues about the culprit?” A slight smirk played on his lips as he sought my opinion.

“Uh… I-I understand. In that case, I’ll keep an eye on this vent.”

“Alrighty then~! I’ll leave this plate with you~! If this little guy really does fall from up there, someone as kind-hearted as you wouldn’t just watch it die, would you~?”

“Got it…”

“Then I’ll leave it to you~! I’m heading to the third floor now~!”

Suzuki Minoru, carrying the cage, stepped into the elevator, leaving me to stand there and observe.

Nearly ten minutes passed, yet there was still no movement from the vent, and my legs began to ache.

Just then, I faintly heard the hamster’s squeaks.

‘Huh? How did this hamster manage to get here…?! What on earth is going on…?’ A cloud of doubt swirled in my mind, but before I could fully collect myself, the little hamster tumbled out of the vent.

Driven by an instinct that coursed through my entire body, I swiftly caught the little creature. Startled, it lay docilely in my arms, gazing up at me.

‘No wonder… girls are so fond of hamsters… Seeing the little hamster’s surprised yet endearing expression up close truly made it seem pitiful.’

I placed it on the plate, and it immediately scrambled forward to enjoy its meal.

Before long, Suzuki Minoru quickly returned to my side.

“It seems… I was right…” Suzuki Minoru murmured, a slight upturn at the corner of his lips as he rested a hand on his chin.

In that moment, I too grasped the true intent behind his experiment. Suzuki Minoru then stepped closer and addressed me: “Takagi, could you please call Chisaka over? I have something to ask of her.”

“…Why don’t you go yourself?” Perhaps I already knew the answer, yet I still wished for confirmation.

“Don’t ask the obvious now, Takagi~ I’m not exactly popular with everyone, you know~” Suzuki Minoru said regretfully, shielding his downcast eyes with a hand.

“Understood… I’ll go get her now.”

****

“So… Suzuki, you called me here just to rummage through trash…?” Chisaka Erin asked, staring at him with an incredulous expression.

“Well… if I want to find clues, I can’t overlook any location connected to the murder~ not even the slightest trace.” Suzuki Minoru replied with a polite smile, spreading his hands.

“I see. In that case, I’d be glad to help you.”

After Chisaka Erin unlocked the door, Suzuki Minoru, Chisaka Erin, and I—who had been standing behind her—entered together.

Suzuki Minoru and I peered into the large opening of the garbage incinerator. What we saw there was startling, to say the least.

Just as Suzuki Minoru had predicted, there was indeed a clue related to the murder inside: a dark green raincoat heavily stained with blood.

Suzuki Minoru and I pulled it out and laid it on the ground. The sheer size of the bloodstain alone was enough to astonish me!

“This raincoat… it has so much blood on it…!” Chisaka Erin also gasped in shock.

“But… where did this raincoat come from?” I fell into a momentary contemplation.

In a flash, Suzuki Minoru slowly reached into the hood of the raincoat and plucked out a single strand of fine hair, neither long nor short.

“Well, well, who would have thought~” Suzuki Minoru murmured, a wicked smile playing on his lips as his eyes intently fixed on the strand of hair.

“Th-this…?! This hair?!” Chisaka Erin’s voice suddenly trembled uncontrollably.

“To think… the killer is…” At that moment, I, too, was once again stunned into silence.