Shu-hua Chiu, Action Choreographer

Shu-hua Chiu falls out of the sky. Her feet hit the stage beneath her with a resounding thud. She barely sticks the landing, her whole body shaking from the reverb she felt. A less experienced martial artist may have fallen over, but she takes the pain with gritted teeth. She reaches for her cane, only to find nothing but air.

“Alright…” She’d have to stand on her own, then.

It looks as though she’s been dropped onto a stage, right in the center for everyone to see. A large projector screen has been pulled down behind her. Not knowing where to go, she takes an uncertain step towards it.

The lights shut off. The chugging of an old-fashioned film reel echoes in the theater. A video plays on the screen, gray and grainy like something taken out of the 30s with all the cracks and discoloration to match. Black spots dot the footage in random places, but they don’t hurt its legibility. It’s a video of a fight between two women.

Two oddly familiar women…identical to the one watching their duel, save for the gi on one of them. She watches their swings and punches—how they don’t quite seem to hit with full force, how they barely dodge each other’s hits in time. The choreography’s tight without much room for error. As Shu-hua takes it all in, she realizes what she’ll have to do. This is for her to copy.

Light floods the theater once more. She’s not sure if the other Shu-hua walked onto the stage in the darkness or just materialized. It doesn’t matter. Shu-hua mirrors her doppelganger, adopting the proper stance just as she does. Just as in the video, her clone runs towards her. Shu-hua steps out of the way. She spins, bringing out her leg for a high kick that makes her scream from the effort.

At the very least, she hasn’t missed her beat. Throughout it all, she follows the choreography to the letter. She throws punches that bring tears to her eyes, she weaves out of the path of kicks that would’ve sent her to her knees, and she makes it all look good. If she wasn’t fighting to her death, this would be a beautiful performance.

Once their fight reaches its conclusion, the theater goes dark. A new video plays. This time, they’re holding swords and the real Shu-hua’s holding a hand over her heart as she watches. Her breathing is labored, every gasp of air rattling her on the inside. Her muscles ache. Her joints are protesting even though she’s not doing much more than standing at this point. She… Swordplay? Can she handle something like that in her current state?

She’ll have to try. The video ends. The lights come on, like they did last round. Another Shu-hua stands before her, her sword in hand. The same weapon instantly appears in Shu-hua’s hand. It wouldn’t be a fair and accurate fight if she didn’t have one, too. She counts in her head, syncing every number to the choreography she’ll have to complete.

The fight begins. Shu-hua strikes with her sword. She parries. Shu-hua moves her blade away. She goes in for a hit that gets blocked. They’re interlocked for two seconds before trading dodges and blows. It’s graceful, and so much of Shu-hua is agony as she goes through the motions.

She missteps. Her doppelganger’s sword cuts at her side, ripping straight through her jacket and drawing blood. Shu-hua returns with a swing different from the choreography. She needs to gain an advantage here—

Electricity shoots through her. Shu-hua collapses with a yell. Her clone freezes, watching Shu-hua through narrowed eyes. They’ve still got another fifteen, maybe twelve seconds to go.

No deviations allowed.

“I get it…”

Shu-hua gets back up. She points her sword at her doppelganger.

Back to the fight. There’s a couple of times where she’s too slow. She stumbles. But she makes it through. Her clone disappears, and Shu-hua’s left alone on the stage to catch her breath. How many more fights would she have to complete? Every breath she takes feels worse than the last. Everything’s burning now. Her lungs. The slice across her stomach…

The theater goes dark. A new video plays, titled “Final Sequence.” It’s a routine that starts with a cartwheel to the left. Then, more acrobatic fighting. If she focuses, she can do it. She knows she can. Once the video ends and the lights come back on and her doppelganger’s staring her down, Shu-hua gets right into it.

She launches herself into the cartwheel, her arms shaking.

She falls over.

The wound on her stomach opens wide. Her blood spills, but she gets up one last time.

…Only to fall again.

It’s over for her.

Shu-hua dies, under her shadow’s unfeeling eye.

———————–

[ SECURE THE PREMISES ]

It happens in the blink of an eye. A new scenery. A new ‘set’.

Chopped grass stretches out, as if trimmed to some perfect short height. In front of Alisa is an obstacle course, reminiscent perhaps of something found in a military or police academy. Even from this far, she can see a sign in the distance. Finish. If she makes it… then maybe…

Her first step is shaky, but it moves forward. Where else is there for her to go? What else is there for her to do?

The smooth slope upwards is the first checkpoint. It’ll be hard to maintain your footing but it’s possible, if she just perseveres. Nervous steps turning into running footfalls as she attempts to scale the arcing ramp. However, rather than the sleek surface one would expect, a myriad of small spikes coat both the ground and the rails. Alisa stumbles and struggles to find her footing as both hands hit the ramp, pricking them both. Still, she perseveres. With a shuddering breath, she digs her fingers in and pulls herself to the top of it, basically sliding down the other side. That’s sure to bruise. It doesn’t matter. She can keep going.

Next is a net to climb. It’s obvious even from here it’s snagged with small pointed needles and blades. But the only way is up. Each step up the net is grueling, each one tearing into her skin subtly, knees, fingers, thighs. She exerts herself to stop herself from getting stuck. Still, she perseveres. Her vision dizzies as she stands atop, ready to jump down into ice cold water. With a deep breath, she leaps and sputters upon hitting the surface. She hits it bad, leg in agony, body in pieces, but any screams are muffled by bubbling water. She barely manages to splash her way to shore. Thankfully, it’s shallow.

It’s not a surprise when the third checkpoint is a sandpit underneath barbed wire. Ragged breaths come out of her tired mouth as she gets onto her hands and knees and prepares to . Does she need to do it this way? Couldn’t she just escape? Why go along with a cruel course like this? Honestly, she hasn’t thought about it. Maybe that’s why she’s in this mess. If she could only think critically. Wire cuts and curls around her, further shredding her skin. She bites her lip as she struggles; so many scratches, both deep and shallow have cut into her face so much red is beginning to colour her vision.

Still. She perseveres. Each crawl towards completion has her snagged on another piece of wire. She grabs at the ground, she grabs at the barbed wire as her vision blurs. Disgustingly, bravely, in the most unrefined fashion, Alisa struggles towards her goal, tears pooling in her eyes. Is it regret? Pain? It doesn’t matter anymore. The water stings at her wounds as she digs in her nails and completes the crawl, her left leg dragging behind pathetically.

What she’s always wanted is ahead of her. The finish line. The police academy exam she failed. The father she had disappointed. The studio filled with people she’d let down. It was all building to this moment. Blood is pouring from her wounds, onto the ground as she limps to the door. Alisa, pulls it open and… a brilliant light… and laughter… she smiles at the thought of succeeding.

Bang!

A shot rings out and goes right through her chest. Ah. Of… course. There was no way it’d end any other way, right? She was stupid for believing anything otherwise. It’s all fuzzy after that. Her lightheaded corpse teeters over and hits the ground, blood pool out from the sudden gunshot. Still… she perse…v…

Her hand reaches for something, anything. Any hope. Any support. “I … j… ju… s… wanted… t…”

It falls to the ground by her side, a pained expression left on her face as the laugh track goes on. The defeated, bruised, broken and bloodied corpse of Alisa Belikova lays there.

For it was a joke, wasn’t it?

To think it could end any other way.

Saru looked over all the votes and slammed his gavel down.

“Alright that’s enough folks!  That’s more than enough time to figure things out.  Now you’ve made your choices in terms of who you think killed Simon and Rico… or Alan and Enrique?  Ugh, can’t you folks just stick to having one name… whatever.  Let’s review the tapes now shall we!?”

And with a click the screens begin to show all the glory of the murder, step by bloody step.

CW: Suicide Mention/ Suicide Attempt

Act 1:

The murder occoured late at night, with Killer A entering into the pool around the same time as Simon Adelard.  After a brief discussion, Simon disclosed some kind of secret that set Killer A off, prompting them to strangle Simon.  Siimon struggled, leaving wounds upon Killer A’s hands as well as dropping a glove near the pool.  In the end however, Simon was unfortunately unable to fend off his attacked, and was strangled to death.

Act 2:

Meanwhile, Rico was in the Spa relaxing until he spotted Killer A in the aftermath of killing Simon but keeps himself hidden.  Killer A, overcome with guilt, decides to end their life by jumping into the pool.  However, just as this is happening,  Killer B shows up into the pool… spotting Killer A and saving them from drowning.  Upon realizing what they had done, Killer B decided to Fireman’s Carry Simon’s body over to the garden to doctor the scene using bloody gardening shears.

Act 3:

With Killer B gone, Rico attempts to sneak out of the pool but is spotted by Killer A.  Ultimately forcing him to confront them about what they’ve done, his wording is shady and just as he’s speaking with Killer A, Killer B returns, worried that Rico might do harm to Killer A, whacks them in the head with their cane.  They believe him to be dead, but he’s simply playing dead in order to find a means of escape.

Act 4:

Killer A & Killer B discuss what they’re going to do about the new body, when suddenly Rico leaps back up to life, attempting to escape he pulls out his knife from his boot to defend himself.  However due to his injury he’s somewhat wobbly, and ends up being disarmed by Killer B who stabs Rico in a vital causing him to bleed out.  After Rico dies, Killer B instructs Killer A to change into drier clothes, while Killer B dries themselves off in the changing room and puts their normal clothes atop their swimsuit.  

Act 5:

As Killer A returns to their trailer to change, Killer B takes Rico’s hat and knife and brings them over to the garden, doctoring the scene more to make it appear as if Rico possibly killed Simon.  As this is happening, Killer A returns back to the pool with Maggie & Eiji, ‘discovering’ Rico’s body.  In the ensuing chaos, Killer B slips back in with the others, only to later ‘discover’ Simon’s body in the garden.

Who are the two responsible for Simon and Rico’s death… they are none other than…

Simon’s Murder:

Alisa - 9

Coco - 1

Momoko - 1

Shu - 2

Shimura - 1

Daichi - 1

Iratsume - 1

Prisma - 1

Rico’s Murder:

Alisa - 2

Shu - 10

Coco - 1

Shimura - 1

Daichi - 1

Iratsume - 1

“I miss her, Mom.”

It’s late night at the Nanahara-Chiu Dojo that Shu-hua and Sayumi have this conversation. It’ll be a short month after this talk that Sayumi will wish her daughter good luck and goodbye as Shu heads to the job meant to kickstart her career again.

“Call her. I always thought the two of you were meant—”

“No. I’m talking about me…who I was before.”

Before she would’ve needed an invitation from a random studio to feel whole again. Before she hid herself away for years. Before she sought self-retribution. Before the perpetrator took himself out before he could get his due. Before rapid gunfire in a cramped apartment. Before she thought she could win the fight that cost Hui-chun her life.

Before she stepped on the plane to New York four years ago, and further back, to before she left from Japan to Hong Kong as a 19 year old with her head full of dreams…

“I’ll be famous, Dad,” she told Wei-ting, the night prior to her departure to HK, “but…in a behind the scenes kind of way. I don’t care if I’m famous. I just want to work on something memorable and beautiful and leave an awesome impression.”

“It’ll be a hard road to get there. You know what the industry’s like.”

“That’s the fun part! It’ll all be worth it. I’m ready to start at the bottom and soar to the highest of heights. By the time I’m 30, I’m going to have done…what’s a realistic number? One thousand wuxia films?” She smiles at her own joke.

“Heh… If there’s anyone that can do it, it’s you, Shu.”

“That’s right,” she laughs. “Hong Kong, here I come!”

When her tears start, they don’t stop. All she had wanted was to prevent more deaths. People deserved their shot at redemption. People who did terrible things needed a chance to change or truly pay for their crimes.

This is out of her hands.

There’s no getting out of this.

The votes are what they are.

She’d tried so hard to the bitter end.

“I never wanted to be this person. I’m so sorry. I’m…so sorry, everyone… I just wanted…”

There’s a certain sense of serene calm that kicks in when she’s fighting.

She’s felt that this whole time.

If she keeps holding on, they’ll make it through this. It’s not over until it’s over.

“I mentioned that I threw my cane down on the ground when I rescued Alisa from the lake, didn’t I? There’s a walkway that leads to the koi. My cane doesn’t fit into either of the murders. We shouldn’t waste our time on it.”

Shu-hua’s gaze goes distant once more. The liveliness and determination returns in short order, like a light switching back on.

“Since we’re so lost on this case…and also, since it looks like our theories are heading towards the idea of mercy kills and protecting others… Things that no one would deserve to be executed for… Perhaps, we should consider Momoi-chan’s words. We’ve already lost three people since this set opened up. CHIHARU, Simon, Rico…”

She leans her cane against the podium to free up her hands. Shu needs both of them to keep herself from falling.

“Th-there’s no need for more death.”

Don’t lose your poise. Keep your head up, she hears her mother say.

“Death isn’t a good punishment in the first place. How can people learn when they’re dead? How can they change? How can they atone for their wrongs? Death is…it’s an easy out. Too much of a reprieve. Too much finality. …You’ve trusted and believed in me for this long.”

Just a little bit longer…

Shu can’t hide the hurt on her face at Shimura’s insinuation. Then again, she earned it for being so harsh with her wording towards Momoko. She’d hurt her? Of course not. She lowers her cane, diverting her gaze.

“Shimura-san. I wouldn’t actually hurt Momoi-san. Sorry, sorry. Tensions are running high… I’d just take the knife from her hand. That’s not a problem for me.”

It looked like some of Shu’s earlier statements needed some clarity. She was more than happy to provide that to Saya.

“I apologize. I get long winded when I’m stressed. I’ll keep it as succinct as possible. When I mentioned that Alisa was dry when we first met, it was to disprove the first scenario I proposed. It doesn’t make any sense that she killed someone before I saw her around 8:10, 8:15ish, because she was clean and dry. She fell in the water when we were together.”

As for the nails… Hadn’t everyone agreed on this point already and moved past it?

TW: Nail Trauma mention in next paragraph

“I’ve been practicing martial arts since I was a toddler. I was raised in a dojo. Not only that, but I’m a seasoned action choreographer. I only say that to make it clear that I’m a professional. I know what I’m talking about. His nails could only be broken in such a graphic manner by getting caught and dragged on a hard surface, not human flesh.”

Maggie made a fair point. It’s one Shu’s already gone over, however. She doesn’t mind repeating herself.

“I don’t know if I would’ve seen the body being moved if it happened after Alisa left. I’ve been having some health difficulties… I wouldn’t have chosen to fall asleep in the garden, just like I didn’t choose to fall asleep in the graveyard, but both things happened. Some of you are aware of my seizures… The motive would’ve worsened them. It’s the most reasonable explanation I have.”

She’d rather not mention her medical history out loud like that, but, she had to.

“…But I think the body was moved around the time I was busy helping Alisa out of the lake, based on that second laugh track I heard. Again, I thought it was about us, but looking back on it, that couldn’t be the case. That was around 8:30 or so.”

TW: threatened violence

This isn’t right at all.

Things take an especially wrong turn when Momoko takes out her knife. Shu swings her cane in her direction as a warning, the wooden handle previously cracked. Bad leg be damned, Shu can rush over in a heartbeat and disarm her without any issue.

“Don’t you take a single step, Momoi-san, or it’ll be me who hurts you.”

As Shu speaks at a slow and level tone, she makes sure to glance towards Momoko every so often.

“Sooyun… Your story makes absolutely no sense, and the fact that you’re pushing this narrative is worrying me. By accusing Alisa, you’re saying that either one of two nonsensical scenarios happened…”

Shu-hua will continue calling him Simon, despite how Sooyun stressed his legal name. She didn’t have the privilege of being on an ‘Alan’ name basis with him.

“Scenario one: Alisa somehow got into this scuffle at the pool before I met her, and also placed Simon’s body in the garden by his request during that time. You…do realize how impossible that would be, don’t you? Think more about the state Simon was left in, according to your description and what we’ve talked about. His blood would’ve been all over her when I saw her if she had been in the garden dealing with the aftermath of dumping his body. Alisa was completely dry. No water or blood.”

Plus, there would’ve been signs of a struggle on her, especially if the fight had been as violent as Momoko and Sooyun described.

“Scenario two: Alisa went to the pool after 8:40, intervened in that brawl, and then decided to take Simon’s body back to the garden where she knew I might see her, because…? Please, show her the respect she deserves by not making her out to be some kind of an idiot. And, do I need to add that she didn’t leave the garden with shears in her hands? Why in the world would she see them fighting, run back to the garden shed, and then attack Rico with the shears? She’s a trained security officer that could handle someone bare-handed. There’s zero logic to that scenario.”

Seriously.

“There’s no reason why someone would get so involved with saving someone, only to kill whoever was left standing. Don’t forget you’re accusing someone whose core drive is to help and save people to the point where she’d tunnel vision on that and nothing else—even during a silly self-defense workshop.”

Did they not know the first thing about Alisa Belikova?

“But you know what thoroughly destroys this theory of yours? Rico’s body was sitting against one of the poolside walls. There’s nothing about his positioning that points to him being restrained at any point or anything that hints at a two-on-one fight. With the way that his blood flowed and pooled beneath him and how it reached the water uninterrupted…it’s impossible. Your story is flimsy and the evidence doesn’t support it. Find a better target to gang up on than Alisa. I won’t let any of you bully her into handing someone a mistrial just because she’s vulnerable.”

Those words should be more than enough to clear Alisa in everyone’s minds. Though, there was one more thing Shu needed to remind everyone of.

Accusations came and went, some strange and others raising more questions than answers. Hopefully, further explanations and fuller alibis would come to light. Although, it looks like the whoopie cushion mystery’s finally been solved, at least. Thank you, Daichi. Thinking over what she’s heard, Shu keeps one hand on her podium for support and the other braced around the split on her cane. As the trial comes down to the wire, she feels her strength sapping along with it. She’s tired. It’s becoming harder to remain standing, but she’ll do so for however long this trial takes.

She has to address what Momoko’s said.

“Simon killed Rico, as opposed to Rico killing Simon? I’m sorry, Momoi-san, but I’m not convinced. I might be misunderstanding you, sorry, but… Everything we’ve concluded so far only makes sense if it’s Rico who’s killed Simon. Rico carried Simon to the garden, most likely at the time when I heard that laugh track go off. A hitman would be a master at hiding a body, as well as the subsequent subterfuge. I can’t think of anyone else who could finesse a trial as confusing as this one.”

Hm, and there’s something else important to reiterate in regards to that.

“There’s even the additional detail of Simon holding the knife in his non-dominant hand. I think we can easily explain that away with staging, which, again, would be the work of a professional.”

She pauses, her eyes briefly becoming distant.

“We might not have caught onto Rico if he was still here. That’s scary to think about. He would’ve gotten away with it if it wasn’t for whoever had taken him by surprise at the pool, where he must’ve been trying to secure some kind of an alibi for himself. The person who ambushed him there must’ve been using…what?” It couldn’t be Rico’s knife if Rico had already placed it in Simon’s hand… “The garden shears. First, they knocked him in the head, and then, while he was disoriented, the blades took care of the rest. Stabs from an open shear would look the same as a knife. They’re both blades, after all. After that, the shears were returned to the garden.”

…as a message? A sign? A cryptic warning that whoever was responsible would dig their heels in as much as possible, as harshly as metal through bark?

“…And the person who would’ve done something like that in the first place had to be the one who saw Simon’s body first—the mysterious person who Saru is obscuring on the body discovery announcement. Revealing that person would give away Rico’s killer and remove all of the head scratching we’ve been doing over this case. It was someone who must’ve been acting out of revenge, opportunity, heartbreak, or something else… There’d be no entertainment if it wasn’t for that mystery, and entertainment is Saru’s modus operandi.”

Twisted entertainment at everyone else’s expense, of course.

“We know who this question mark person can’t be in the most likeliest scenario that we have. Now it’s a matter of finding them.”

Shu also hasn’t stopped thinking about why Saru seems so scrambled when it comes to this case. He went to such lengths to obscure so many factors of it. Why does he care so much?

Shu agrees with Oiwa and Shimura. It’s alibi time.

“I might be able to help with the timeline. Sorry if this isn’t all that helpful… I believe I saw Simon when I was on my way to the Romcom Set. He was too far ahead for me to catch up, however. That was some time after 8. I was outside of the Changing Rooms, maybe around 8:10 or 8:15ish when I ran into…”

Ah, should she say her name? Shu will let her reveal herself if she wants to. It’s not like this alibi is all that pleasant.

“…someone on her way out of the garden and had a sudden change of plans. We spent time in the garden together until around 8:40, when she left to go change. I don’t want to embarrass her, but…I kind of have to. Sorry.”

She’ll have to forgive Shu for this later.

“We were looking at the koi together in the far corner of the area and she fell into the lake. That was around 8:25. The laugh track went off. She couldn’t swim well so I threw my cane down and saved her. The laugh track went off a second time around 8:30 or so. I thought it was because of us, so I didn’t think much of it, but I’m beginning to think that may have been from Simon’s killer moving his body. I was too focused on her to notice our surroundings much at that time, sorry…”

Simon’s body had been placed somewhere near the shed, blocking any view of him from near the koi fish. Carried by a crafty and strong enough person, he would’ve been impossible to spot.

“We were supposed to meet up again at the pool for a swim lesson…which was going to mostly involve watching me swim and her learning by osmosis"—if anyone’s picked up on who she’s talking about by now, then they’d understand why she should count that as a small victory—"so I decided to rest by the koi until she got back from her trailer. I…think, after that, I may have drifted off without realizing it, just like last time at the graveyard, and I hurried out of there for the announcement.”

She needed to do something about her medication dosage.

The dusty glove was worth re-examining. Shu’s glad that Shimura brought it up.

“I still think that his hand was injured when he was dragged and not by attacking a person, for the reasons I already said. There won’t be any scratch marks on anyone.” Those previously stated reasons were squicky to imagine so she’s not going to repeat them. “That makes even more sense to me with the dust on the glove.”

But what could have caused his hand to get caught in a way that would do that kind of damage and pull his glove off at the same time? Could such a thing even happen in the first place? What’s the logic there? Shu taps the mark on her cane handle in thought. It’s clear that the crime scenes were doctored in some way, but it’s unclear as to how and what extent. Until they figured out what was worth throwing away, they’d be stuck spinning their wheels here. …Wait a minute.

Her eyes widen in realization, as she thinks more about what Chase said. The garden shed. The shoes. All of this.

“The glove and his hand, they could both be red herrings here. More products of the doctored evidence. Think about it. Why would his glove be wet when the rest of him isn’t? I can only think about one reason, and it goes back to what Chase was saying. The glove may have been used to clean off the bottom of someone’s shoes, but that’s something only a professional would think…of…” And Rico was a professional. “…Oh. That might explain it, but that’s yet another ‘might’…”

She looks towards Coco. There were too many ???s on those autopsy reports. Very strange.

A hitman masquerading as a cowboy. That’d shock Shu if she wasn’t already processing and reprocessing the shock of being forced to go through this hell game by a monkey masquerading as a director. Still, it wasn’t something she would’ve ever guessed about Rico. It didn’t seem like the kind of person he was…but then again, who were any of these people, when it came down to it?

TW: DETAILED Nail Trauma Discussion

“I’d like to add onto what Maggie said about Simon’s nails. They weren’t just bloody. They were broken. Nails can’t break like that on normal skin. It’d take a hard surface of some kind to do that much damage. Resistance… Maybe he was dragged while being moved and got caught on something.”

She stops right there.

“That does give additional credence to the pool theory we have going here, unless there’s some other reasonable explanation for why his nails would be like that.”

Shu-hua’s hand tensed over her cane. These trials were never easy, and this one was already looking like the worst one yet. Simon and Rico’s bodies were both burned forever into her vision, the blood on their afterimages permeating the trial room everywhere she looked.

It draped heaviest over the ones they were forced to leave behind. The way Sooyun, Shimura, and Momoko spoke up, each one lacking in presence in some way…they were absolutely heartbreaking to watch. But endless amounts of empathy weren’t going to help move this trial along.

That seemed like a sentiment that Amelie agreed with in her own special, theatrical, and (needlessly) offensive type of way. Shu decided to focus on the core of what Amelie was probably trying to do and discard the rest of it. Sometimes, an antagonistic approach was best for getting people moving.

There was something small that Maggie mentioned that was worth addressing before getting to Amelie’s cause of death question.

“Sorry if I’m confused. I’m not feeling that great right now…” Understatement. “About the game over… I believe it’s only game over if one killer gets away with murder twice. Judging by how scattered Saru seems, like something unprecedented and unexpected even by his standards has happened… It makes me wonder if he’s dealing with a potential abrupt ending here.”

One killer. Two murders. And if that’s the case, everyone will have to work together harder than ever.

It’s a stubborn play and Shu knows it, but she keeps her head down and perseveres. She holds on by telling herself over and over again that no, this isn’t a losing battle. They’re wrong. There’s enough people on her side. No matter what the others say and how the tally’s rising, there’s still a chance to avoid another execution. This won’t be a repeat of Mimzy.

But the longer this goes on, the clearer it becomes that that won’t be the case. The 9 votes on Clyde will continue to climb and outpace Shu’s 5. Unless there’s some miracle, there’s no getting ahead. Not even the punishment’s scope narrowing to a single person changed people’s minds.

A guaranteed death instead of an unknown punishment for someone who’d get to live after it, however terrible the burden… That’s how it would be. The conclusion’s foregone.

It’s over.

It had been over as soon as Clyde himself argued against her idea.

“I’m sorry, Clyde. …I’ll see you again as soon as I can.”

Defiance plays out on the screen in the form of vote after vote for people other than the main culprit. Shu thought that she’d have to fight to get something like this to happen.

“Akira has a point. You’re throwing your votes. If you want to buck the system, then you need to stand together. Keep in mind: this isn’t death by majority; it’s death by plurality.”

They needed a united front. Whatever punishment they had to share would be far better than sending another person to get executed. This time, the killer could have their chance for atonement. They wouldn’t have their soul tethered to a dark room and a ouija board.

Shu glances at Clyde and Chase’s show of support for him.

“It comes down to faith and numbers. As someone who was also given a second chance she didn’t deserve, I’ll always give people the benefit of the doubt. Everyone can do something bad or wrong and endure an actual punishment and change for the better. An execution doesn’t give someone that opportunity.”

And did it even matter what the killer’s reasons were? Would knowing why help sway people’s hearts more or less? Shu would be saying this same thing, regardless.

The initial confusion Shu feels from Shimura’s question turns to something else in short order—a complicated something else, consisting of equal parts “feeling bad for making him worry” and “feeling grateful that he cares.” Honestly, she’s touched. It’s not the sort of reaction she’d expect.

“Oh. Right. My head’s been feeling a little scrambled lately. Brain fog. That happens to me sometimes. I fell asleep in the graveyard, just like you said.”

Shu rubs her forehead, right above her eyebrow. She could really use some sleep in an actual bed.

She’s careful with her next words to Chase, not wanting to belittle or dismiss his fears.

“I saw it. It had many eyes… I just acted before I could even think I should be afraid. After seeing how hard everyone else had been working this week, I wanted to do my part, too.”

Ah. The two Cs that Sooyun mentioned were exactly who Shu-hua didn’t want to name when she gave out her alibi. By not naming names and letting them come forward on their own, hasty conclusions could be delayed. Too late for that now. How long would it be until the first pointed accusations were thrown out?

…Very soon, actually, thanks to Fab. It’s not super direct, but it’s enough for Shu’s defensive instincts to kick in.

“It could just be that the person wanted to hide their identity. It’s less about being scary and more about self-preservation if anyone had spotted them walking around.”

Things were taken a step further by having Seiya in the costume in the end.

“…As for my alibi, I was patrolling the Horror Set from around 9 until shortly after 10. I can confirm seeing Sooyun and Casey go into and leave the Horror Prop Room. I saw Chase and Amelie go to the Haunted Mansion, and I also saw Clyde go to the Prop Room. I didn’t see Toyotomi-san at any point, though.”

None of what she said was new or groundbreaking, but at least she could corroborate some of the testimonies.

“The reason I was on the set in the first place was to try to get a jump on the monster.”

There’d been too many mishaps with the monster repellent sprays for her liking. It had been Shu’s hope to use her spray before yet another person got hurt. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the best suited to do it.

“I was in the Graveyard around 10 when I saw Chase’s monster. I was too slow to catch it… It went right by me. I saw someone head to the Ceremony Room, and after that, I left. I was too frustrated to think straight. …I’m sorry I didn’t stick around for longer than that.”

Name: Seiya Toyotomi

Time of Death: 10: 44 PM

Time of Discovery:  10: 59 PM

Location:  Haunted Mansion

Cause of Death: Head Trauma

Footnotes: And so the waiter was served… not much of a waiter though, he never took my order when I was hungry or thirsty.  Still I’ll give him a tip, don’t die!

Discovered by: Casey Suwandi, Coco Van Allen, Simon Adelard

Shu-hua had said it earlier, but no one had pressed her on it. She’d mentioned she had an audience member while she was practicing alone in the arena. The only reason she hadn’t said Mimzy’s name outright was to give her an opportunity to come forward herself. And now she finally had.

“If I had known that was what you were doing when I saw you…”

She leaves it at that, not even completely sure what she would’ve done. As it is, Shu is oscillating between lending Mimzy some needed sympathy or joining in on the justified anger growing in the room. She looks inside of herself and follows her own compass, instead.

“…No, I don’t think anyone should cool it, nor should they get off of her back. Everyone should let their voices be heard. She earned this response, just like she’s earned whatever’s waiting for her next.”

Her words aren’t meant to be malicious. It’s a statement of fact. While Shu doesn’t know what ‘cut from the film’ exactly means, she figures that sounds bad enough. Shu then shares another truth, directly to Mimzy herself.

“You’re a murderer, but that’s not all that you are and will ever be. You’ll take your punishment. You’ll learn your lesson. You’ll repent. You’ll atone. And, you’ll work on becoming a person worthy of Chiriko’s forgiveness. You have a long road ahead of you, and it won’t be easy, but you’ll make it. I look forward to meeting the person you’ll become.”