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As if Max wasn't anxious enough, Willow entered the scene on her ghoulish horse. As much as he hated to admit it, he preferred the teddybear over these creepy robot dolls who seem much more dangerous. When Willow announced the monokuma File, Max tried to focus on it, but he kept an eye on Willow until she left his sight.

Looking at the file showed some interesting info, almost enough to determine how she was killed. Of course it's never as easy as that; there were always secret truths hidden behind the clues.

And those clues were not gonna find themselves, so Max set out to collect as many as he could before the trial would inevitably start. looking around the room, he immediately noticed Noel in her gi. Her talent would most likely be very handy in their current situation, so ignoring the fact she was wearing something like that, Max approached her.

[color=0076a3]"Noel, if you are feeling up for it, I'd like to ask if you've seen anything weird or suspicious while searching for Shaun's e-handbook."[/color]

Noel looked up with a startle, her gaze had been completely affixed on Marianne. Her head still filled with sadness and disbelief. She muttered a little incoherently as her concentration was broken by the police officer. [color=897691]"Uhm, search?"[/color] Noel started as she regained her composure. [color=897691]"You guys were searching for Shaun's handbook? Well... I didn't know. I was training in the dojo. I wasn't informed."[/color] She told him. She hung her head a little. [color=897691]Sorry, I don't think I can provide any sort of useful testimony."[/color]

[color=0076a3][i]She was training in the dojo? I should've invited her to train together this morning.[/i][/color] Thought Max before focusing on the task at hand.

[color=0076a3]"Don't sweat it, I doubt anyone found anything while searching anyway."[/color] He said with a slightly forced smile before turning it into a dead serious expression.

[color=0076a3]But while your testimony may be absent, you could help me with gathering the testimonies of everyone else. That [i]is[/i] one of your best qualities, isn't it?"[/color]

Noel nodded, her smile lingering somewhere between relieved and solemn. She was happy that Max didn't press her too much on the absence of her testimony. Then again, nothing much she could do about events she had no knowledge of. [color=897691]"Interviewing is the backbone of journalism!"[/color] She answered, firing herself up.[color=897691]"Let's get to the bottom of this together, Max!"[/color]

Max was a bit startled by Noel's enthusiasm; he didn't expect her to recover from her depressed state so quickly, but it was endearing to see. Giving a nod in response to Noel, Max turned to everyone around. He was searching for anyone that acted out of place or suspicious but he found none that fit the description. Fortunately for him, Noel was helping him out, and she might be better at spotting such things.

[color=0076a3]"Noel. Have a target yet?"[/color]

Noel put a hand to her chin. [color=897691]"Well, I don't think it's a coincidence you were looking for Shaun's handbook, and then this murder happened in his room."[/color] She started. [color=897691]"Does anyone know more about what exactly happened with Shaun, anyway?"[/color] She could see Shaun himself wasn't exactly in a state for questioning right now, maybe later. [color=897691]"Who organised this search?"[/color]

[color=0076a3]"Ice was the one who told me to look for Shaun's handbook, he might know more."[/color] He said before walking towards Ice. Max flinched for a second at the sight of marianne's corpse; it looked very gruesome up close, but he had to keep it together, just like he always did.

[color=0076a3]"Isaiah. If you have some time, Noel and I have some questions for you."[/color]

Ice was still examining Marianne's body when he could hear the police officer try to talk to him. [color=orange]"Oh, Max."[/color] He turned his head. [color=orange]"And Noel too."[/color] He had clearly gotten over his emotional outburst from earlier. Or at least he appeared to. [color=orange]"A police officer and a reporter. You must want a testimony."[/color] 

[color=897691]"Correct."[/color] Noel replied. [color=897691]"I heard you were involved with setting up the search for Shaun's handbook. Since it's needed to open up his room, there might be a lead there."[/color] She explained calmly. This clearly wasn't the first time she was doing something like this. [color=897691]"Please tell us everything you can recollect regarding what lead to the search."[/color]

[color=orange]"There's not much to say."[/color] Ice folded his arms. [color=orange]"If you want me to start at the beginning, I was practicing opening and closing one of the pods... so that I could talk to Aleecia again."[/color] Ice gestured to Shaun with his chin. [color=orange]"He came in, thought Aleecia was awake. I explained to him that she had been out for a while. We talked a bit, but then he left. Once I was confident I could do it, I got Krista and Mercy before opening Aleecia's pod. We gave her the Othello game and sealed her back up. Shortly after Krista left, she discovered Shaun. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes since I last saw him. But I wasn't really looking at the clock."[/color] He looked at Marianne and unfolded his arms. [color=orange]"But I did watch the minutes tick by after he was discovered.  It took us about twenty minutes to find Shaun's hand book. I think Krista found it in the trash room. And then we discovered the body."[/color] Ice turned  towards the police officer and the reporter. [color=orange]"Anything else?"[/color] 

[color=0076a3]"Yes actually. Did you see anything suspicious or out of place during your search for the handbook?"[/color] It looked like Max spacing out and not paying attention when he asked that, but the opposite was true. He was already formulating many different theories while simultaniously observing Ice with a close eye. His nature as a police officer did not allow him to trust Testimonies at face value so he payed close attention to Ice in order to find any weird movements or discrepancies.

There was nothing odd about Ice's behavior. Nothing that couldn't be explained away with nerves. Typically before an interrogation, it was  important to let an individual's emotions “drain out” before talking to them. With the smell of death still lingering in the air, it was unlikely Max was going to be able to correctly read anyone. The only odd thing Max might have noticed was the unusually long pause before answering. [color=orange]"No."[/color] he said with a bairly noticable shake of his head. [color=orange]"I didn't see anything out of place."[/color] He turned to face Noel. [color=orange]"Do you have any ideas of who it could be?"[/color] 

Noel shook her head. [color=897691]"Too early to accuse anyone at this point. We're going to have to gather evidence first."[/color] She told him. [color=897691]"Do you know if Shaun had his hand book with him the first time?"[/color] She asked with interest. The hand book was likely pivotal to the case, so they needed every bit of info they could get. Noel had noticed a few oddities about the testimony, but nothing she suspected Ice to know outright. She made mental notes of them to review for when they had a solid body of evidence.

Ice groaned. [color=orange]"I don't actually go around asking people if they have their hand books on them. I guess it's possible he didn't have it on him. That would make him the killer, wouldn't it?"[/color]

Noel shook her head. [color=897691]"It would primarily affect the timespan in which the murder could've occured.  But yes, it would cast suspicion upon Shaun."[/color] She answered honestly. [color=897691]"Do you have anyone in mind, though?"[/color] She asked, having noticed how eager Ice had been to point to someone as a suspect.

[color=orange]"Honestly, no."[/color] Ice folded his arms. [color=orange]"But you have to admit, having someone die in your room would make you look a little suspicious, wouldn't it?"[/color]

[color=0076a3]"Don't be so quick at pointing fingers."[/color] Max placed his left knuckle under his chin. "It's suspicious yes, but we barely have any clues. If you want to find the killer you can't be partial, so instead of suspecting him, why don't we go ask him."

Noel interjected. [color=897691]"He was looking pretty bad earlier. Maybe we should give him some time to recover first?"[/color]

[color=orange]"Entirely the reason why I wasn't going to pressure the issue."[/color] Ice looked away from Max and Noel. [color=orange]"I think I've said enough. Hopefully the others can tell you something more helpful."[/color]

[color=897691]"I think you were plenty helpful, Ice."[/color] Noel reassured him. [color=897691]"Good luck with investigating."[/color]