Chapter 1 - Part 16
Um... There is something I want to ask you.
What’s the matter?
Um...
It appears that only that wall is a different color and material... Why is that?
Oh, it's probably a fire door.
...Fire door?
Eh? You’ve never seen one before?
It's a door that shuts to keep fire from spreading by containing it. If that happens, you can run away, right?
I see! It is like a barrier! Just like lining up plastic bottles around the house!
Um... I don’t think I understand.
People do it to keep cats from coming inside...
I see... She knows about that, but she doesn’t know what fire-doors are...?
Truly, I am culturally ignorant. I am ashamed of myself.
You returned here, Teruteru?
Y-Yeah, I did. It’s a lot quieter here than it is out there.
And this kitchen... even though I haven't been here long, it already feels a little like home.
If only you were here during the blackout. Since this place has a stove, you could have used its fire as a light source...
Ah, that’s impossible.
The gas stove needs electricity to work, so the blackout would have rendered it useless.
So it wouldn’t have made much of a difference if you did stay here... Alright...
Isn't it amazing? That meat is soo big, even I was shocked.
It's a dish fit for a tropical island. I'd never be able to get meat like this in Aoyama or Azabu.
I'd never be able to get meat like this in my hometown, much less Aoyama or Azabu!
Didn’t he say he lived in...?
Nevermind. I must be misremembering.
Where did you get that huge chunk of meat, anyway?
I asked Nekomaru. Apparently, he killed the cow at the ranch with his bare hands and brought it over.
He killed a cow!? Isn’t that a bit cruel!?
Nature’s cruel like that, you know. Besides, where else could I have gotten the ingredients I needed?
I-I don’t know, the supermarket? Anything but that farm!
Well, I guess this meat has gone to waste. Since this awfulness happened right when the party started...
The only ones who ate any food were Akane... and Peko, who took some portions for herself.
Bah, don’t say that.
After I worked so hard to cook the world's most refined party dishes, only two people actually tasted them...
Well, it's not like I actually believe it, but...if there really is a killer out there...
Ugaaah! I'll probably never be able to forgive them!
T-Then why not help investigate? Cowering in this kitchen won’t bring us any closer to the truth!
The kitchen’s equipment list. Byakuya confiscated every dangerous item on it.
Well, just from reading through this list...
It looks like the knife next to Byakuya's body didn't come from the kitchen. It appears to have been brought from outside.
But how did they get it past Byakuya?
Strange, isn't it? ...I mean, he didn't even go easy on the girls when he was performing the pat downs...
Jeez, I don’t want to be reminded...
Nevertheless, if it’s true the knife came from outside... Did someone bring it in and hide it before the party?
Still... it's surprising how much equipment this kitchen has.
There are iron plates for barbecuing...and even a portable stove for cooking hotpots.
When Byakuya and I were here earlier, he put those things in his duralumin case...
The cutlery too. He confiscated everything he thought was dangerous.
So... I don’t think there’s anything in this kitchen that could be connected to the case.
...I agree.
I think we’ve given this place a good run-down. Should we investigate somewhere else?
Yeah, sure...
Jeez, it’s so dusty!
My hands were full cleaning the dining hall, so I couldn't even touch this room.
L-Let’s not stay here long. There’s cobwebs everywhere.
There’s some irons here...
You picked up on those quickly... When I was looking for Byakuya after the blackout, I also found them.
But... when I found them, all three of them were turned on.
Wait, what?
You just found them all powered on?
It'd be bad if another blackout happened, so I turned them off. But doesn't this feel kind of sinister?
This setup is strange... but what could it mean...?
We don't have the time to go through each and every one of them...
So we should just ignore them? Are you sure that’s wise?
I think it’ll be fine. My gut instinct tells me they’re probably not related to our case.
Is this...a tablecloth?
Yeah... Maybe the darkness is just playing tricks on my eyes, but I think there’s something on it.
I walked over to the hamper to take a closer look.
...Eh?
This... this is blood!
...Eh? A bloodstain?
Y-Yes, come here and look already!
It's too dark...I can't really see that clearly.
A-Are you blind!? It’s clearly blood!
Which means... this tablecloth must be connected to Byakuya’s murder!
Hey, Mahiru... It’s no use wasting time in this dark, dirty room.
Let’s go investigate somewhere else.
Mmm... There doesn’t seem to be anything else that’s catching my eye here.
Okay, we can go.
Did you know we only use ten percent of our brain? There’s a whole bunch of smartness just hiding under the covers!
I’mma harness that smartness and solve this mystery!
And she says it with such conviction...
...What do you think, Mahiru?
Could she, by any chance, know what happened during the blackout?
Ehhhh? What makes you so sure!?
You’re a musician so... it’s only natural you’d have good hearing, right?
Hehehe, Ibuki never sticks to the norm.
Oh... so it’s not good?
Wrong! My hearing is super good!
...
Well... since it’s so good, were you able to hear what happened during the blackout?
When the blackout happened...you could hear everybody's voices throughout the dining hall, right?
We couldn't tell, but...you would have been able to make out who's who, right?
Just leave it to Ibuki! This is breakfast for her!
...What?
La-li-la-laaaa! I’mma take a bite outta you!
If you tell us what you heard during the blackout, I'll let you bite Mahiru.
What!? No!
Let's see...the first person who raised their voice during the blackout was...
...That’s right, it was Hajime.
Huh? The power’s out!
Next...was Kazuichi's voice, and then the next next voice was mine.
Hey, I can't see anything!
I-It's pitch black! My future is pitch black!
Kyahaha! What a nice remark I made! It's to the point and has its own unique charm!
Yeah, it was.... Could you continue?
Then there were more voices, one after the other...
E-Everyone, calm down! We gotta stay calm in a situation like this!
Waaaah! Don't step on my feet!
What the hell!? What's going on here!?
Th-This is...!
Ow!
Turn the damn lights on! I can't eat like this, y'know!
I-I don’t mind a sandwich or two, but some of you are getting really pushy...
Perhaps the breaker overloaded?
H-Hold on a sec! I'll go along the wall and...do something about it...!
All righties! That's pretty much it!
Hehehe, aren't I awesome!? Praise me, praise me! Gimme lots of praise!
A...Ah! Let go of my sleeve!
...
H-Hey, why aren’t you helping!?
I’m thinking about what Byakuya said during the blackout...
Eh?
Why did he say something like that?
Rather...why was he able to say that?
"What the hell!? What's going on here!?" and "Th-This is...!"...
What are you getting at...?
...Why don't we discuss it after we've investigated a little bit more?
For now...I can't really say anything for certain.
Sure, I guess... Just make sure you don’t forget.
Anyway, don't you think Ibuki's account just now is an important clue that will lead us to the truth?
One hundred percent! My genius is unmatched!
Now, to reap the rewards!
-Eek! She just bit me!
* rattle rattle *
Someone appears to be inside. Since it's a unisex bathroom, I don't know who's actually in there...
Heeeey, is someone in there!?
Nagito yelled at whoever was inside, but...
...No answer. That’s not very considerate, is it?
Maybe they’re too embarrassed to talk... Let’s give them some privacy.
