We take our usual places around the table. Theo Poster was dead, found stuck in the vent somehow. The evidence seems to suggest carbon monoxide poisoning, but... how?
I take a deep breath. "Ummm... I'm not sure how much we have to go on, but we've gotta figure out what happened to Theo. For all of our sakes."
Chiaki and Chihiro nod in agreement.
Kaito speaks up next. "Ok, so what do we know? Theo got killed, then put up an air vent? By who, and why?"
Leon considers. "Well, I've seen him arguing with you and Kenchikka the most, so I think it's one of you!"
Kenchikka scoffs. "Impossible. Am petite girl. Cannot lug that large man to ceiling, let alone stuff in vent."
I bring up Kenchikka's page in the Yearbook, out of curiosity.
Kenchikka "Chikka" Kowareta: The Ultimate Architect.
Height/Weight: 4'11", 115 lbs.
I nod. "Theo is nearly, if not more than twice her weight. There's no way she could've -"
"Then she used a pulley, stupid!" Leon retorted.
"But... but I didn't notice a pulley anywhere," Chihiro countered.
Leon shook his head. "Then how did he get his fat ass up there, huh?"
"From somewhere else, of course," Kenchikka remarked, as if it were obvious.
I considered Leon's question and Kenchikka's remarks. If Theo died in the vent, how did he get up there?
Chiaki responded, "He used a pulley, just not from the Kitchen or Dining Hall. Otherwise, we would've seen it, I think."
Leon looked annoyed. "Where would it have been, then?"
Chiaki responded, "None of us searched his own room. I think it could have been in there."
We looked over at Chiaki. She was right; none of us checked Theo's room; we were too focused on the Kitchen area.
"Great. And I bet Monorakun won't let us leave to check, will he?" Kaito mused loudly to himself.
Monorakun shook his head. "Nope, but I'll give you a live feed into his room. Just to move this along, of course."
The screen beneath him changed from the TUTEC logo to a live feed inside Theo Poster's room...
Where a pulley and rope are clearly visible, along with a removed vent leaning against his bed.
"Huh," Leon and Kaito remark at the same time.
So, Theo used a rope and pulley to get into the vent.
"Wait a minute, though," Leon remarked. "Vents are usually tiny, though. How do we know he was able to maneuver from his room to the Kitchen?"
Kenchikka replied, "Found blueprints. Vents larger on First Floor than other floors. Could probably fit."
We all give Kenchikka a curious glance, but decide not to press her any further. The live feed goes away.
"So, Theo entered the vent from his room, and crawled to the Kitchen with his Night Vision Goggles... but why?" Chihiro asked.
That was the next question to be answered, for sure.
"Hmmmm... good question," I admit. "Why did he need the vents, instead of just walking inside?"
"Couldn't walk in. Door to Dining Hall closed, locked at 10pm," Kenchikka observed, reminding us about the rules.
"So he went there after the Dining Hall door was locked. Makes sense, but why? What did he expect to see?" I responded.
Kaito shrugged. "My guess? A way out. He kept talking about one, after all."
"So did you," Kenchikka remarked.
"And you, Chikka," Leon countered.
"Ok, guys, please let's not fight," Chihiro spoke up meekly. "Bera asked a good question."
I smile at Chihiro, while Chiaki gave a suggestion.
"I think he was looking for a way out. The Dining Hall is closed and locked at 10pm, but nobody told us why. Also, the food was always restocked each morning before 7am. Therefore, I think he was looking to see who was restocking the food, to see if there was a way to sneak out," she concluded
I considered this. It made a lot of sense to me; the vent would keep him hidden, the night vision goggles would help him see, and if someone did come in, he would notice them immediately.
"Huh. I got no counter for that, honestly," Leon said after a few moments of silence.
"Me either. Makes sense," Kaito concurred.
"But still doesn't explain death. Theo died from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Found Carbon Monoxide detectors triggered, too. But, how did Carbon Monoxide, get into room?" Kenchikka asked.
I thought about that for a while. Kaito had an idea.
"I wonder if the reason the Dining Hall is locked is because Carbon Monoxide is pumped into the room? I've heard Carbon Monoxide keeps meat looking fresher," he suggested.
"But why would the meat need to look fresher?" Leon countered.
None of us had an answer, but it was the only thing that made sense.
"Doesn't matter," Kenchikka replied. "Carbon Monoxide found in Kitchen. Theo entered vent from his room, crawled into Kitchen from same vents. Theo died from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. How? No difference."
A realization began to dawn upon me.
No. Oh, no.
Theo... did he... end up...?
"Does that mean Theo ended up killing himself, looking to escape?" Chihiro asked, looking equal parts nervous and scared.
Kenchikka nods. "That's my conclusion. Theo sought escape. Found it. Just, not how he expected."
I felt a gut punch. Theo Poster. The guy who wasn't sure who he was. Who wanted people to get along with each other, even as we contemplated how to escape this place.
He ended up... accidentally ending his own life?
Monorakun glanced around, hearing nobody speaking. "Alright, is it voting time yet?"
We silently nodded.
The voting screen appeared; 4 row of 4 people, most of them crossed out. With a heavy heart, I selected Theo's picture.
After the voting was done, the screen below Monorakun appeared, showing a video of Monorakun holding a deck of 16 cards, each with a student's face on it. He shuffled them up, cutting the deck a few times, before flipping the top card over.
It was Theo's face showing on the card.
"Kudos!" Monorakun announced. "Troy is the Blackened!"
We looked up at Monorakun, blankly.
"Who?" Leon asked first.
"Troy Porter. Who else?" Monorakun responded, tilting his head.
"Ummmm... do you mean Theo Poster?" Chihiro nervously corrected.
"Yeah! Them!" Monorakun exclaimed. Then, noticing everyone's reactions, he added, "Well, if he had a real name, maybe I could remember who the fuck he was, alright?"
That comment explained everything. Monorakun couldn't remember Theo's name because Theo himself never knew his true name.
And now, he never would.
"Anyway, I've got no satisfaction in executing someone who I can barely even remember, so sorry, no post-Trial show tonight. Get out of here; we'll meet tomorrow at 6pm for Graduation!"
...Graduation?
Did this... mean...?