The Imprinted Truth

****

Takagi Masahiko’s Perspective

Suzuki Minoru: “Well then, tell us what you’ve seen.”

Takagi Masahiko: “Everyone, please observe the image in my hand carefully.”

I displayed the anomaly I had photographed last night for everyone to see.

The image precisely revealed the faint shoe print imprinted on Kamimura-san’s lower abdomen.

Kitajima Kazumitsu: “This is… a shoe print?”

Takagi Masahiko: “Precisely! There’s no doubt that it was pressed into her with a certain amount of force from a shoe sole.”

Takahashi Aki: “Kamimura-san… was she perhaps kicked by the culprit…?” Her delicate, willow-like brows drew together in a V-shape, her exquisite face etched with concern and unease.

Takagi Masahiko: “Initially, I didn’t want to consider the worst possible outcome, but fate had other plans…” My voice grew softer and softer, until it was barely a whisper audible only to myself.

Chisaka Erin: “From what I observed, her abdomen bore a foot-sized pink bruise, with swelling around the injured area. This could not have been caused by a simple stomp…” Her delicate brows suddenly knitted tightly together.

As these words left her lips, the ambient temperature seemed to plummet.

Osakabe Nanase: “Why did she have to endure such pain…?” Her glistening, tear-filled eyes had grown dim and lifeless.

Ishii Yoshimi: “…”

“Thump!!” A sudden, resounding crash startled everyone, and looking over, I saw Yuusuke’s face contorted in fury, his right fist slamming violently onto the podium table.

Akahira Yuusuke: “Who is it…? If you know what’s good for you, step forward now…! Don’t cower like a coward!”

Katagiri Mimi: “Would the culprit truly step forward on their own…?”

Arisumi Momoko: “I imagine it would be quite difficult…”

Suzuki Minoru: “As long as the truth remains hidden, the culprit won’t willingly confess, will they?” His expression was as placid as still water, projecting an air of remarkable calm.

Habara Kazuhiro: “That certainly makes sense…”

Suzuki Minoru: “Well then, let’s return to the main topic! I believe we’re not far from the truth in this case~” He clasped his hands together, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

Akino Atsushi: “R-really?! Is that true?!”

Suzuki Minoru: “Absolutely, without a doubt. I already have a suspect in mind~” That chilling, unsettling smile once again graced his features, his downcast eyes deep and lifeless, like an unfathomable, mysterious abyss.

Takagi Masahiko: “…Regardless, let’s proceed step by step. We’ll follow the clues and uncover the truth one step at a time.”

Suzuki Minoru: “I agree with your point, after all… if we don’t thoroughly elaborate on the details, there will always be stubborn people at the end who question the truth we’ve deduced!” He extended the index finger of his bony left hand to press against his temple.

Suzuki Minoru: “You lead the way, Takagi.”

Takagi Masahiko: “No need to tell me.”

Takagi Masahiko: “Let’s all find clues from this image first.

To begin, please carefully observe the size of the shoe print.”

Arisumi Momoko: “This shoe size seems just a tiny bit larger than mine… My shoe size is 36.”

Takahashi Aki: “It also seems slightly larger than mine… Mine is 37.”

Ishii Yoshimi: “Why does it feel so similar to mine…?”

Chisaka Erin: “Um… my shoe size is also close to this one…”

Habara Kazuhiro: “So, what are all your shoe sizes?”

Chisaka Erin & Ishii Yoshimi: “Size 38.”

Takagi Masahiko: “In other words… the shoe size is around 38.

If we exclude Kamimura-san, there are currently four people whose shoe size is approximately 38, correct?”

Akino Atsushi: “Ah, ah, um…” Akino-san stammered, seemingly having something difficult to say.

Kitajima Kazumitsu: “Do you have something to say?”

Akino Atsushi: “Er, w-well… I actually… er…”

Ishii Yoshimi: “Just spit it out! Are you a man or not, dawdling like that?!” Ishii-san was clearly growing impatient, waiting for him to speak.

Akino Atsushi: “Ah, r-right!”

Akino Atsushi: “Actually, my shoe size is… 39…”

A sudden silence descended, creating an incredibly peculiar atmosphere.

Ishii Yoshimi: “Pfft-hahaha! How are your feet so…” She burst into unrestrained laughter, her infectious mirth dispelling the oppressive atmosphere that had just settled.

Osakabe Nanase: “So there are others with small feet like me, hehehe, now I won’t be lonely anymore~” Osakabe-san delightedly raised her two small, clenched fists.

Takahashi Aki: “How rare…”

Kitajima Kazumitsu: “Haha, mm! Cough, cough! As you can see, I’m not laughing.”

Habara Kazuhiro: “I-I’m also, mm-haha-ah-hem!!”

Akahira Yuusuke: “Ah, I’m truly sorry, Akino-san… I’m also finding it hard to hold back.” His face remained impassive as he struggled to suppress the corners of his mouth from curling upwards with amusement.

Akino Atsushi: “I-I never should have said anything! Ahhh!” He shyly covered his flushed face with both hands.

Ishii Yoshimi: “Ah, ah, I-I’m sorry, pfft!” Ishii-san even burst into full-blown laughter.

Akino Atsushi: “You were clearly laughing the whole time! You never stopped!!” Akino-san’s initial shyness morphed into a deep blush.

Takagi Masahiko: “Alright, alright… Everyone, that’s enough.

Otherwise, Akino-san will truly get angry.” Although my expression appeared calm on the surface, my heart was bubbling with lively amusement.

Akino Atsushi: “Yes, yes! This topic is over, it’s over!”

Suzuki Minoru: “Honestly… do you all have your unserious moments too?” Suzuki sighed, complaining.

Suzuki Minoru: “However… don’t get too carried away, you five are all under suspicion now, you know?” The joyous expressions on the five faces vanished in an instant.

Takagi Masahiko: “While it might be unpleasant to hear, the truth is… it’s just as I said.”

Takagi Masahiko: “But everyone, there’s no need to worry! I will naturally help clear your names! Except, of course, for the culprit!” I gazed at them with serious intent, signaling my impartial stance.

Arisumi Momoko: “Okay, I’ll trust you with it!”

Takahashi Aki: “Me too!”

Ishii Yoshimi: “Don’t disappoint us, Takagi.”

Takagi Masahiko: “Mm, don’t worry.

Besides the shoe size, this image also provides another clue—the shoe print itself.

While somewhat blurry in the picture, we can still roughly identify it.”

Kitajima Kazumitsu: “It looks a bit like a sneaker sole…? But also like a casual shoe.

It’s too hard to tell, isn’t it?”

Takagi Masahiko: “May I ask what kind of shoes everyone is wearing?”

Chisaka Erin: “Mine are flats.”

Ishii Yoshimi: “Ah… mine are sneakers.”

Akino Atsushi: “Mine too…”

Takahashi Aki: “Mine are ankle boots…”

Arisumi Momoko: “Um… mine are casual shoes.”

Takagi Masahiko: “Then, we can initially rule out Chisaka-san.”

Habara Kazuhiro: “Eh? Why would that be… Oh! I see! Chisaka-san’s flats…”

Takagi Masahiko: “Ah… exactly.

Chisaka-san’s flats have a gap between the sole’s upper and lower parts.

A print made by such a shoe would have a blank space in the lower-middle section, but the shoe print in the image doesn’t have any particularly empty areas.”

Osakabe Nanase: “That’s great… I knew Chisaka-san couldn’t possibly be a suspect.”

Suzuki Minoru: “Speaking of which… why don’t we just have the suspects step on a piece of white paper simultaneously for comparison? Wouldn’t that save a lot of trouble?”

Akahira Yuusuke: “Indeed, that would make the culprit’s identity obvious at a glance.”

Monokuma: “No way! This is a trial room, a TRIAL ROOM! In a trial room, you should debate properly! No leaving the podium at will!”

Suzuki Minoru: “Now this is troublesome… if Takagi-kun had shown me the evidence at the very beginning of the investigation, none of this would be happening, sigh~” He stared at me with a look of exasperation, his disdainful gaze making me thoroughly uncomfortable.

Takagi Masahiko: “…At the time, I didn’t quite trust you.”

Suzuki Minoru: “And now?”

Takagi Masahiko: “A little, but not much.”

Suzuki Minoru: “…Oh well, it’s not the first or second time I’ve been suspected.

You continue with your analysis.”

Takagi Masahiko: “After ruling out Chisaka-san, only four people remain.

So, let’s think again… How did the culprit manage to inflict a shoe print and bruising of this severity on Kamimura-san…?”

Habara Kazuhiro: “We already said it, didn’t we? It was a kick, right?”

Takagi Masahiko: “Of course I know that, but Habara-san, think carefully… If someone was about to kick you, how would you react?”

Habara Kazuhiro: “Uh… I would immediately dodge.”

Takagi Masahiko: “What if there’s nowhere to dodge?”

Habara Kazuhiro: “Then I’d block with my arm, wouldn’t I? I couldn’t just let someone kick me directly in the stomach, could I? That would hurt so much I’d curl up into a ball on the ground…”

Habara Kazuhiro: “! Speaking of which… it’s r-really strange… Kamimura-san could have chosen to run, or to dodge, or even to block with her arms… So why couldn’t she avoid the culprit’s attack?”

Kitajima Kazumitsu: “Hmm… perhaps she didn’t have the strength to resist at the time…?”

Takahashi Aki: “Could it be that Kamimura-san was threatened by the culprit and dared not resist…?”

Katagiri Mimi: “I think Kamimura-san was injured while trying to protect Amemiya-san in time.”

Takagi Masahiko: “That’s incorrect!”

I immediately refuted Katagiri-san’s assertion.

Katagiri Mimi: “Eh? Why is that incorrect, Takagi-san?”

Takagi Masahiko: “Katagiri-san, consider this… If both Kamimura-san and Amemiya-san were alive at the crime scene, wouldn’t escaping the library have been the best way to avoid danger?”

Katagiri Mimi: “Then they couldn’t escape the crime scene!”

Kitajima Kazumitsu: “But no one can lock that door from the outside except Monokuma, right?”

Katagiri Mimi: “Th-then… then the culprit is Monokuma!”

Monokuma: “I can pretend I didn’t hear what you just said, but if you get a penalty, I’ll make sure you die even more happily than the others~?”

Katagiri Mimi: “Eek?! Please conveniently forget what I just said!” Katagiri-san was utterly terrified by Monokuma’s threat, turning pale and breaking out in a cold sweat.

Akahira Yuusuke: “You’d better not provoke that guy… He’s a creature with a temper, you know.

Who knows when he’ll decide we’re all just punching bags and 噶了 (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘gā le,’ meaning to kill or eliminate) us all.”

Monokuma: “NONONONO~ I won’t directly lay a paw on you~ Your mission is to put on a spectacular show of mutual killing~! So no need to worry, I would never do something so wicked, ohohoho~”

Akahira Yuusuke: “Ah, I can also interpret that as another way of ‘gah-ing’ us.”

‘Was Amemiya-san still alive when Kamimura-san was at the crime scene?’

‘No, that’s highly unlikely…’

‘If that were the case, the differing types of head wounds on Kamimura-san and Amemiya-san would present a contradiction.’

Takagi Masahiko: “As expected, I still believe Amemiya-san was already deceased when Kamimura-san was at the crime scene…”