Chapter 36: Try Not to Attack Anyone During an Investigation

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Like every investigation, I first read the Monokuma File.

"The victim was Sakura Ogami. The time of death is estimated to be around 12 noon. The body was discovered in the rec room, on the 3rd floor of the school. There is evidence of a strong blow to the victim's head. No other injuries were noted. However, it seems that at some point, the victim suffered from violent vomiting of blood."

Monokuma File #4 has been added as a truth bullet

"I think the case this time might be...a challenge," Kyoko said out loud.

"Why's that...?" Makoto asked.

"The only way into the rec room is the door we just came through. And that door had been jammed shut with the chair from inside the rec room. Which means the killer would have had to escape somehow, 'after' barring the door," Kyoko explained.

"So if the door was blocked from the inside, and there was no way in or out till we broke the window... There's like...zero escape, right?" Makoto questioned.

"In other words, this is a classic locked room murder."

"L-Locked room murder...?"

One might see this kind of thing in mystery movies or books or whatever. But could it really happen in real life right before our very eyes like this?

"Are you curious to hear more about what a "locked room" murder entails?" Kyoko asked.

"S-Sure, if you don't mind..." Makoto answered.

"When you break down this type of murder mystery, there are four basic types. The first type is when the locked room is created after the actual crime is committed. This simply means that the killer commits his crime, then through some special method seals the room. This mainly involves some sort of trick involving the "locking" of the room. Basic approaches include using a string, or simple mechanism. There are a number of variations."

Then we just have to check the door to see if that's what it was.

"The second type is when the locked room already exists before the crime is committed," Kyoko continued.

"Oh...?" Makoto looked quite interested.

"Basically, the killer uses a special contraption or tool from outside to target the victim inside. You push a switch and it fires a handgun, you shoot an arrow through a gap in the door, something like that. But in this case, that doesn't seem to fit. There are no guns or arrows in the school, and the door doesn't have any gap that would allow it... The third type is when the killer stays in the room until it's opened up."

"What do you mean by that...?" Makoto asked.

"They stay hidden, and when the door is opened, they use the confusion to blend in with the group. They pretend they showed up along with everyone else, and that's that," Kyoko explained.

Eh... I'm not too sure about that one... But I'll keep that in mind.

"And the fourth and final type is when it wasn't actually a locked room at all."

"Not a locked room...?"

"By that I mean, there actually is an alternate escape route somewhere within the room. You see this a lot in novels and things, but in reality it's generally not possible."

"Then you think we can cross that one off, too?"

"I believe so, yes. So, when it comes to locked room mysteries, those are the basics."

"So there are four possibilities... Then...Kyoko, which of those four choices seems the most likely in this case?"

"That's a good question. Answering that should be our primary focus during this trial. But right now...I can't really say."

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