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[ > Not very comforting
> Awaken somewhere you're not familiar with

HE SAYS, TO THE AMNESIAC

Not that he knows that but still. This is...this is a dead guy giving her a rundown on apparently being brought to another world that despite being described as both "real" and "safe", the first two conclusions she immediately arrives at are either "turns out we're all dead" or "she's in some kind of virtual reality simulation designed to keep her preoccupied and out of the way because she was too much of a threat to the mastermind's goals and had to be removed somehow, possibly through a Matrix-like state of suspended animation".

Facts, Kyouko. Facts. Don't jump to conclusions ahead of the game. Just get the facts. Consider all the possibilities.

All things considered, Ishimaru-kun's probably more than happy to explain what he thinks is going on, anyway.]

No. I've just been looking around on my own.

[...acknowledge him.]

...Ishimaru-kun.

[Look, any accidental insensitivity he may happen to throw at you because you decided to be some sort of mysterious princess instead of a team player is completely and utterly not his fault. This is why we need cooperation and order, Kirigiri. This is why.

...although really, the Matrix idea's a bit silly, don't you think? Who in the world would bother shoving sixteen kids in suspended animation like that?]

I...I see!

Anyway, several of the others are here as well - it seems several of us have been brought here! I'm sure they'd be glad to know you've arrived and that you seem to be all right!

[Yeah, seriously, who in the world would do a thing like that.

Seriously.]

Start from the beginning, please. How much have...you...learned about this place?

[She needs to add your testimony to her evidence bullets, obvs.]

[...Kirigiri-kun here is clearly just going to lineface her way through Johto, isn't she.]

Quite a bit, Kirigiri-kun! I've been here for three months - time seems to work a lot differently here than it does back in the school.

What...

[He falters a little then; judging by her reaction, she wasn't expecting to see him here - he could always assume that she wasn't expecting to see him here, as opposed to not expecting to see him at all, but that's a little optimistic even for him.]

What do you remember happening last? Before you came here.

[He says that like Kirigiri has any sort of range of facial expressions outside of "deducing shit", "smug asshole", and "drywall".]

There are six of us left. The mastermind broke the rules in attempting to execute Naegi-kun for a murder he wasn't responsible for, so we've gained the chance to repeat the school trial — on the condition that we solve all of the school's mysteries while we're at it, not just the murder.

...Asahina-kun is from a point just beyond that - she's named the six of you that are left, and she's told us what happened. As for Naegi-kun, he's just survived that execution attempt.

This place brings us in from different points in time, I think - that's the explanation we've been working with, anyway.

But all from the same timeline. Meaning, despite being dispersed across the spectrum of the narrative, we should all remember the same things; our testimonies should all coincide. Assuming that's the case, then Asahina-san's word should be reliable as evidence, even though none of us can corroborate the specific things she remembers.

[Not that it's most ideal to be Asahina — given the choice, she would've preferred Naegi over the others — but at least it's not, y'know. Togami. Then they'd all have to take into consideration the external motivation of "I did it for the lulz", which is just tiresome.]

Then we succeed? We...leave the school. That would seem to be the inevitable outcome.

Yes - all six of you, Kirigiri-kun. No one else dies, except for the Mastermind.

Did Asahina-san identify the mastermind?

She did, yes - it was Junko Enoshima.

Mm. That lends weight to the veracity of the rest of her statements, then.

[Wh...]

Of course it does!

[Kirigiri-kun why]

It's important to be certain, though, isn't it?

[...Okay, well, maybe not for you.

Being that you're, y'know.

Dead and all.]

Why would Asahina-kun lie about anything like that in the first place?!

There's another explanation besides lying, isn't there?

[And if Naegi were here, this would be her cue to say something like "You know what it is, don't you, Naegi-kun? The other explanation for why Asahina's memories might be inaccurate?"

But he's not, so fuck it, Ishimaru can just guess.]

[...well, he appreciates your not being condescending. Because surely you realize that that is really condescending.]

Something to do with whatever the Mastermind did to us, I'm guessing - that two year period we're missing. She told us about that as well.

[Wow, excuse you, Ishimaru, she is a flawless princess.

The narrative says so.]

But it seems that isn't the case. At least as far as these memories are concerned.

[What the gently caress, Kirigiri-kun.]

...You know I wouldn't tell you any of this if I weren't sure, don't you...

You have no way of knowing it either, Ishimaru-kun. You're dead.

[YOUR CORPSE IS AS STONE-COLD AS KYOUKO KIRIGIRI'S DEMEANOR, TBH.]

[...Kirigiri-kun.

Ishimaru doesn't believe in violence, and he wants to see the best in everyone.

Sometimes he really likes you.

And sometimes, despite having entirely too much self-control to act on it, he sort of wants to hit you with a chair.

Power of deduction time: Which is this?]

And sometimes trusting in others is your only option!

[~~Speaking of which, that isn't your "sister" sneaking up behind her right now, is it —~~]

That doesn't mean you should trust them blindly.

[UNLESS OF COURSE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT NAEGI SPILLING DEETS TO HER ON COMMAND IN WHICH CASE THAT LITTLE GENTLY CARESSER BETTER COUGH UP EVERYTHING HE KNOWS wait what]

[oh are we doing this let's go

~~PARKER DON'T YOU DARE HE HAS THIS~~]

There's a difference between "not trusting blindly" and "having no trust at all" - being paranoid won't get you anywhere, either!

[PHOENIX WRIGHT SHOWDOWN BATTLE: BUTTON-MASH [X] TO KEEP YOUR OBJECTION FINGER FULLY EXTENDED!

START

X X X X X X X X X X X X]

Trust should be supported by factual basis whenever possible. Otherwise it's just foolish.

[X X X X X X X X X X X X X X]

Humans aren't built to run on logic alone - there are also matters of passion, spirit and emotion to keep in order, and not everyone can simply steel their soul against their impulses! Constant distrust just breeds suspicion, which can lead to baseless assumptions just as easily - instilling enough distrust simply leads to chaos, disruption, and the eventual destruction of order!!

[X X X X X X X X X X X X X X]

That's all the more reason for the people charged with solving crimes to be the ones who can steel themselves against emotional impulse. Arriving at the correct solution to any crime requires objectivity and thorough examination, which can't be achieved when emotion is present to get in the way!