[color=magenta]”Yea but, the rules don't say I have to play the announcement everywhere, right?”[/color] Monokuma tipped his head at Cyrus. [color=magenta]”I could just play it in one room and that would be okay, right?”[/color] The bear chuckled. [color=magenta]”Anyway, after a second glance, I noticed that not everyone is present. So I guess I'll make an announcement. But only because you're so damn cute when you're angry.”[/color] Shortly afterwards, the familiar, chilling announcement played. 

	Bliss was at a loss for words. She just stood beside Cyrus, horrified, unable to move. Her hands became so shaky that she dropped her umbrella. It rolled through the blood, drawing a perfect half-circle before it came to a stop.

	[color=orange]”Cover your eyes, Caora! This isn't for kids!”[/color] Lucy wrapped her arms around the trap's head and pulled his face into her breasts. [color=orange]”Wait, you're older than I am!”[/color]

	Denis placed his hands over Lucy's eyes. [color=662d91]”Fear not, pretty lady!”[/color]

	It didn't take Jezebel or Zachary long to show up after that. Jezebel let out an annoyed grown and folded her arms. [color=#bd71e8]“Like, of course... ”[/color]

	[color=magenta]”So I guess I'll give you guys my handy-dandy monokuma file now.”[/color] He squinted his one red eye. [color=magenta]”But boy am I tempted to hold it back. 'It's not in the rules, Cyrus! It's not like I have to, Faith!'”[/color] Monokuma shrugged and smiled. [color=magenta]”There we go, all downloaded. You may start investigating.”[/color]

	And so the search started. The first thing everyone did was looked at their monokuma file. It didn't offer much, only describing more or less what everyone had seen. But it did bring everyone's attention to a puncture wound on Mercy's hand. She had bandaged it up, but it looked like it must have happened fairly recently. A scab hadn't even formed over it yet.

	After that, the groups split up, leaving just a few people to watch after the body. 

	The first found a book in the chemistry lab beside a mixing station. It was opened to a page that talked about a man-made chemical called Litonix. According to the passage, Litonix is very poisonous and even a small amount can kill as quickly as one hour. The victim starts to violently hemorrhage blood seconds before they die. However, it can be mixed with other chemicals to produce Mundinol, a luminol-like substance. It's more accurate than luminol, and doesn't react to other bodily fluids. But it is still very poisonous and can kill in four to five hours. Litonix is only poisonous if ingested or it enters the blood stream. The origins of the book are unknown, but it does not appear to have come from the chemistry lab. There's no reading material here, and everyone who scouted the third floor days prior reported not having found anything like that.

	The group watching over Mercy's body decided to inspect it again, and found that she had a police badge on her person. It must have belonged to Max, but why would Mercy have this?

	The last group found a mask just outside the corridor leading to all the rooms in the second floor patient's quarters. Monokuma showed up to explain that pressing the button on the face causes the mask to sprout "ribs" that grab the back of the victim's head, and then gasses the victim with the virus. Further examining revealed the mask to be depleted.

	When asked about the mask, Monokuma said. [color=magenta] “The mask can only infect one victim. There is also only one mask, and I only loan it out to people who dial for a day at a time. after which, the mask simply gets up and returns, waiting to be summoned again.” [/color] The bear chuckled. When asked about the virus itself, Monokuma had this to say. [color=magenta]”Initially, the horseman virus impairs some of it's victim's senses, causing them to shamble slightly. it can makes them more susceptible to suggestions as well. They also have mild hallucinations, which get worse until the victim becomes a mindless zombie. the entire process happens in less than a week, with the fastest progression being four days.”[/color]

	Little else was found before Monokuma called the investigation off. It was time for the trials to begin.

[hr]
[hr]

[center][h1] [color=magenta]TRIAL IS IN SESSION[/color]
ALL RISE
[/h1][/center]

[hr]
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	[color=magenta]”I'm sure you guys know what I'm going to say, but just in case, I'll say it again. If the blackened is exposed during the trial, they alone be punished. But if they aren't exposed, everyone besides the blackened will be punished. And just to avoid another trial one mishap, I'd like to add that you don't have to 'expose' the blackened like 'that.'”[/color] Monokuma sighed. [color=magenta]”If I seem a little low power, it's just because my daughters were misbehaving again. But if they're good, maybe I'll let them join the trial with us.”[/color] Killgood batted his eyes. 

	Lucy was the first to speak up. [color=orange]”I think it's pretty standard to discuss the victim first. All the cases I've read about seem to start with that.”[/color] Lucy had a feint smile on her face while she spoke. [color=orange]”It wasn't stated very clearly in the Monokuma file, but I think it's safe to suggest we're dealing with a poisoning here.”[/color] She folded her arms. [color=orange]”It's probably kind of obvious, but if we can figure out what poison was used on Mercy, we'll have a better idea of what actually happened to her.”[/color]