Seishou's Great Murder Mystery Gala (ch3)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Okay! This is the final chapter and the real meat of the story! I hope you like it!

Reminder that they're addressing each other differently for formality's sake (I kept almost accidently changing it and had to stop/remind myself lol)

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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															Chapter 3.

Interesting.

This Murder Mystery is turning out to be even more interesting than Maya had ever expected it would be.

For one whole month, ever since she'd discovered that she was the murderer in this event, she'd planned out her method of attack meticulously in order to direct attention away from herself. She'd debated multiple scenarios of how to murder people that would both deflect suspicion from herself, and make for a thrilling night for the guests and the rest of the unknowing cast.

Ultimately, she'd decided on a plan of suspense and shock. She'd planned to kill one single person in the first half hour, and then not kill again until the final thirty minutes when she would slay five or six people at once; a bit of action to begin, then a long lull where not much happened, building suspense before a mass-slaughter.

Such a haphazard style would make it seem like someone impulsive or uncertain had been the culprit - someone like Karen's character, or Kaoruko's. It certainly wouldn't look like the murder pattern of the cool and collected Chief Detective Tendo Maya.

So imagine her surprise after the lights came on again after the first 30 minutes, when she'd only killed Ichie, to find an additional 4 people dead.

Maya's shock had been genuine, but she hadn't let it show, because if she'd reacted like that, people might think she was trying to feign shock and thus cover something up.

She'd immediately ruled out the possibility that she might've accidentally killed the other girls - maybe she might've believed it about one of them, but certainly not all four.

The fact that Nana had been murdered was the biggest clue to her. Killing the person who had written the play first went beyond the simple storyline of the murder mystery. The culprit hadn't killed Nana because of her role of the Doctor in this little act, but they'd killed her because she was Nana, the one who had helped write the script and decide on the characters' roles.

But Maya needed to consider if the other killer had chosen Nana so soon out of panic, or out of cunning. She herself hadn't planned on killing Nana at all tonight, so it just went to show how different hers and this other killer's thought processes were.

Or, perhaps they thought very similarly, and the other person was trying multiple turns of reverse-psychology.

The fact that no one but Nana knew the truth - and now she was 'dead' and therefore unable to participate to move the story forward any further on her own account - and the fact that they'd all had a month to prepare this, made it nearly impossible to deduce if the murderer was thinking like they normally would, or if they were deliberately trying to think differently, or if they thought thinking differently would draw suspicion to them, so they just acted normally anyway.

Either way, after those first thirty minutes have passed, Maya's plan of action has changed entirely. She has no idea if the other murderer believes they had also killed Maya's victim, or if they already suspected there was a second killer as well.

And Maya isn't sure if she wants to let the other killer know for sure that Maya is one too, or if she wants to keep it a secret for as long as possible.

There's a possibility that she could abstain from any killing for the rest of the night now and simply let the other murderer do all the work. Then, Maya could sincerely try to figure out who it was and direct everyone's attention to them so they could apprehend that person.

And then at the very end when they all thought they'd caught the sole killer, Maya would reveal that she, too, was a murderer and would escape by letting the other killer take all the blame.

Of course, in this scenario, she would have only ever killed the one person from the first 30 minutes, though. And honestly, she wanted to engage in a bit more action than that.

Therefore, when the lights go out the second time, Maya kills Tsukasa as well, curious to see how many lives the other murderer will claim.

But when the lights come back on, only Maya's victim is dead.

/Meaning the other killer abstained this time,/ she ponders. /Is it because they thought they killed Otonashi-san on accident the first time and that was one too many, so they wanted to kill no one this time to cancel that out? Or is it because they suspect another murderer too, and wanted them to make a move? If that's the case, I fell right into their trap…/

Either way, by this point in the night, the other person must also be aware of the fact that there are two murderers now.

As Maya's mind races about what her plan of action in the next 30 minutes will be, she maintains her calm demeanor as the surviving cast members begin to debate.

"Who could have killed the Barista?" Mahiru wonders. "I've never been to such a lowly establishment. I had no relationship with her."

"Nor have I," says Kaoruko importantly. "But I seem to recall the CEO would often stop by that cafe on her way to work…"

"True," Junna admits. "But so too did the Politician and the Chief."

When Maya is addressed, she takes her turn to comment.

"The Barista and I were on amiable terms. Judging by the fact that the Politician was always so quiet and calculating during our morning coffee…"

"Aha!" Claudine chimes in. "The Politician also had qualms with the Doctor, allegedly. I would be wary of her, if I were any of you."

"Well done, Lieutenant," Maya praises her partner. "We shouldn't be making any arrests just yet, but it's good to have a suspect in mind."

"R-Right." Claudine quickly looks away from her, and Maya can't tell if the reaction is genuine bashfulness, or if she's being in-character. She suspects the Lieutenant is a bit reserved and nervous around the Chief, simply because she is lower in status in what's more or less the same character role.

Being the one accused the most here, Hikari speaks up.

"You're all looking at the wrong person," she says. "The CEO once told me the Barista never got her order right, and sometimes her coffee tasted like it was stale. She never liked her."

"What?" Junna cries out. "That's just a blatant lie!"

"Interesting," Maya hums. "The classic 'she said - she said' dilemma."

"We'll need to gather more evidence," Claudine decides. "Everyone, please share any information you know!"

With this, the actresses once again begin sitting at the tables and conversing with the guests, putting on airs and trying to start up rumors about other characters while also playing themselves up.

Maya keeps an eye on every other actress as they saunter behind one another and sling arms across each other's shoulders as if their characters are all good friends and not mortal enemies, but of course she can't tell for sure if any of them are giving the three deadly taps.

And it's better that way; simply looking for who was doing the movement felt like cheating. She wants to solve this like a true detective.

If she had been the only murderer, this all would have been a bit less fun for her, being the only one with the knowledge that she was the one killing, and so all she would have to do was place the blame on someone else.

But now, to know there is an unexpected second killer, it adds to the thrill for her as well.

/As expected of Daiba-san. She considered both the roles of the murderers as well./

Maya wants to see what the other murderer will do this time around, therefore she herself doesn't murder anyone. She just does her rounds throughout the ballroom, chatting with the guests and trying to get information about the other cast members while sliding in her own biased opinions as well.

Claudine stays close to her, dutifully acting out the part of her loyal Lieutenant.

The next 30 minutes pass by almost before they realize it. The lights shut off, and there's the usual collective surprised gasp as everyone waits. And when they come back on, everyone looks around frantically to see who's been murdered.

Maya hasn't killed anyone, so she's eager to see what the other killer had done.

But as everyone glances around the ballroom, there's a unanimous deduction.

"No one was murdered this time!"

Maya crosses her arms and puts a hand to her chin.

"Very interesting, indeed."

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/Who is it? Who's the other murderer?/

Claudine pays extremely close attention throughout the next 30 minutes, listening keenly to what the cast members are revealing about the other characters. She catches on that Junna's and Futaba's characters are beginning to have a spat, as are Kaoruko's and Hikari's, so she wants to see if any of them end up getting killed this time around - if the other murderer had been tactful and heard the same things, they would likely kill off someone in order to frame the other.

Claudine abstains from killing anyone this time around, but when the lights come back on at 9:31, no one new has been murdered.

/I see. So the other person was playing it safe waiting for me to make a move, hm? Or they just don't know how to react to there being two of us…/

Now it's a matter of not only trying to find out who the other killer is, but of whether or not she should choose someone random to frame. She could luck out and end up choosing the right person, then place all the blame on them, only to reveal at the very end that she was also a killer. If the other culprit was apprehended, Claudine could make her escape and technically win the game.

Either way, her plans have changed since she'd found out her role one month ago. Now she has to decide who to kill next and when.

As the cast all come back together at the center of the room to discuss the inactivity of the killer this time around, Claudine puts in her two cents.

"Perhaps they've been frightened into inaction?" she guesses.

"It's a possibility," Maya concurs. "Or they could simply be playing it safe."

"Either way," Claudine replies. "It's possible they may not kill again for the rest of the night. If this is all the evidence we have to go off of, it might be difficult to make an accurate accusation."

"Oh, please!" Mahiru says in a drawl. "We all know it's that stuck-up little Heiress."

"Excuse me?" Kaoruko stamps her foot. "I already told you, it's that no-good Lieutenant!"

"Why, I never!" Claudine feigns offense. "All because I pulled your family over for one little speeding ticket? I was upholding the law then, and I certainly am now as well! But you, Hanayagi-san, you've broken the law before, so who's to say you haven't upgraded from speeding to murder?"

"Wha-?!" Kaoruko looks around in a fluster. "I-It's not me!"

"Hmm…" Junna makes a pensive expression. "That's always what the murderer says, isn't it? You took a few adrenaline-rush rides with the Motorcyclist Isurugi-san and loved the high so much you just couldn't get enough, isn't that so?"

"And what better rush than the alleged high of murder?" Hikari adds in.

A murmur goes through the crowd. Kaoruko starts turning pale.

"Y-You're all mistaken!" she squeaks. "I am very clearly being framed! Can't you tell?"

"She's right," Futaba speaks up. "Don't jump to any conclusions so soon."

"Ohhhh~?" Karen chuckles. "Are you defending her, Isurugi-san? Do you know something we don't?"

"I agree." To Claudine's surprise, Maya steps in on Kaoruko's behalf now. "It's still too early to stake a claim. If we guess wrong so prematurely, the culprit will escape."

/Oh?/ Claudine thinks. /So does the Chief have a relationship with the Heiress I don't know about?/

"Chief Tendo is right," Claudine relents. "It's still too early to make a decision. We don't want to be hasty."

The actresses glare at each other, but all nod in the end. Once again, they head off to talk to the observers and start spreading more rumors. Claudine uses the opportunity to take a stab at her guess about the supposed relationship between Maya's and Kaoruko's characters.

"Chief?" she begins. "You seem awfully defensive about that Heiress girl. Is there perhaps something I should know about?"

Maya smirks at her in a way that lets Claudine know she'd successfully figured out a piece of information.

"Why, Lieutenant, are you perhaps feeling jealous…?"

A few of the audience members squeal and clap. Claudine huffs and turns away.

"Of course not! Don't be ridiculous. I'm just trying to look out for your wellbeing. As my superior in the detective field, you should know better than anyone that we're more likely to be framed for these sort of crimes. Especially if some rich girl pays everyone off to do it."

Maya smiles and reaches out to her. Claudine actually jolts when she feels the hand on her shoulder - for a second she almost thinks Maya might tap her on the neck, that she might be the other killer-

But Maya does nothing of the sort. She merely rests her hand on Claudine's shoulder innocently for all to see.

"Rest assured," she says kindly. "There is nothing between Hanayagi-san and I, Lieutenant. My heart belongs to another."

"W-What-?" Claudine stammers, playing the part of the flustered secret lover.

The girls at the table all squeak in delight.

"It's her!" one whispers. "Chief Tendo secretly loves the Lieutenant!"

"What's this I'm hearing?" Junna calls from a nearby table. "The Chief and the Lieutenant are having an affair?"

"Ehhh?!" Kaoruko shrieks. "How unprofessional!"

"W-We are not!" Claudine cries out. "A-And besides, don't we have a killer to catch?"

Everyone mutters a bit and goes back to talking.

Now, Claudine's plans have changed again. She hadn't been planning on killing Maya off, but now if everyone thought their characters were lovers, that changes things. No one would suspect Claudine's character of killing her own lover. Which meant she had to kill her. But not yet. Doing it too quickly could look suspicious.

For now, she's just going to play it safe and keep killing off some minor characters.

In the several minutes before 10PM hits, she saunters behind Yachiyo and taps her three times. When the lights go out and come back on again at 10, Yachiyo isn't the only one slumped over dead, but Rui is as well. Once again, the accusations start flying.

"It was you!" Futaba yells at Karen. "They both went to see your circus and left bad reviews!"

"Ehh?" Karen wails. "I would never kill anyone!"

"She's being framed," Hikari says.

"Or she actually did it and is just pretending to be framed," Mahiru reasons.

"This is getting out of hand," Claudine frets. "Chief, did you learn anything useful?" She looks to Maya expectantly, but she only shakes her head.

"No, I'm afraid not. By now, everyone is panicked and is accusing each other to the point where we can no longer be sure if the information being exchanged is genuine or not. Rumors are being concocted and spread so that we may no longer trust anyone but ourselves."

"My," Kaoruko mutters. "What an ugly bunch we humans are, no?"

As the discussion begins anew, Claudine decides on her next move for the 10:30 benchmark.

/This is war. If this other killer thinks they can outdo me, then they're dead wrong./

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As the night progresses, things continue to get more and more interesting to Maya.

As the characters get increasingly more invested in the tangled mystery, they all begin placing the blame on each other until everyone looks like a suspect. It's her duty to both figure out the other killer and to remain un-accused herself.

She's already decided to kill Futaba during this next round. Surely, Kaoruko's character will react explosively, and Maya will use that to claim her reaction is a bit forced.

But there is one more person she needs to kill right now if it's Kaoruko she wants to frame.

Now, she's passing by a table where Futaba and Claudine are sitting together with some guests, trying to get information from them.

"I don't know," Futaba is saying. "That Circus Freak is lookin' pretty shady to me right about now."

"Really?" Claudine hums. "I would keep an eye on that Heiress of yours, if I were you."

"That girl couldn't kill anyone if she tried," Futaba grunts. "You're just saying that because you think she and your Chief are having a fling, right?"

"D-Don't be ridiculous!"

"That's right," Maya says, leaning over the two of them. "As I've said, I am having no such affairs."

She ensures she's covered from all angles before giving Futaba the killing blow. Futaba just snorts and crosses her arms, not reacting at all to the fact that she'd just gotten killed and found out who the real murderer is.

As the girls seated at the table start to murmur together, Maya steels herself for the inevitable next kill.

/Please forgive me, Saijou Claudine./

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Claudine taps Futaba just as she comes to sit beside her (of course not knowing that Maya would also tap Futaba about two minutes later and also kill her, which would leave Futaba utterly baffled and doubly-dead).

Claudine muses and bickers with her, smirking when Maya arrives to back her up.

"See?" Claudine crosses her arms in satisfaction. "As always, you're being rather hasty, Isurugi-san. People might think you're being jumpy for some reason…"

And that's when she feels it. A hand gliding across the nape of her neck.

/No-/

And then three, unmistakable taps.

She really and truly almost breaks character in her shock. She has to cover it up with a small cough.

Claudine takes a full glass of water from the center of the table and excuses herself.

"Pardon me," she says casually to the girls seated around her. "Something didn't go down properly."

"Oh my, Lieutenant," Maya says from behind her. "Are you all right?"

Claudine turns her head slowly as she sips from the glass, sending a challenging glare up at her.

/You-!/

But she can't let on that she knows just yet. If she gives Maya that reaction, it will tell Maya that Claudine is the second murderer. Claudine is ahead of the game now that she knows the identity of both culprits for certain. She takes another sip of water before wiping a napkin over her mouth.

"Yes," she says calmly. "I'm fine. Now then, I believe we should try to hear a few more opinions before the half hour strikes."

"I agree."

Both Claudine and Maya get up from the table and move to another. It's a bit difficult for Claudine to stay focused on her character now, because her mind is racing about what she should do next.

She might be the only one of them who knows the truth now, but Maya will know soon enough. When the lights go out in two minutes, Claudine won't die. Junna had said the murderer can't commit suicide and must be amongst the people who remain alive by the end of the event, so that means a surprise second murderer can kill the murderer either.

Now that Maya has tried to kill her, and since Claudine can't die, Maya will know she's the other murderer when she sees she's still alive when the lights come back on.

/So either way, we're both going to know the truth in two minutes./

Claudine's plans have entirely changed yet again now that she knows the other killer is Maya.

And something else sheknows is the fact that she's going to win this no matter what.

She can't reveal Maya as the killer, or else Maya will just reveal her right back, so that's out of the question. The only way to succeed and win this game now is to make sure Maya wins as well. They've got to somehow decide on someone else to frame so that the two of them can escape. If they want to be victorious in this, they're going to have to figure out a way to work together discreetly.

Or… she could go with her original plan and just pin everything on Maya. After all, if she made her accusation first - even if Maya tries to expose her after that - no one else would believe her, as they don't know there are two killers.

If Claudine stakes her claim first, Maya trying to out her in return will just seem as though she's trying to blame someone else, thus making her appear even more guilty.

Only after everyone has agreed that Maya is the sole killer, and only after the clock has struck midnight, will Claudine reveal herself as the secret second killer, and by that point she'll be immune and will be able to escape the gala as the winner.

If she's thinking about it honestly, she likes the second plan better. Her competitive side would rather try to beat Tendo Maya at this game than work together with her in it.

Claudine has made her decision on how she's going to play the rest of this evening.

A minute later the lights go out, and a bustle of murmuring rises up. Claudine remains upright in her seat, knowing Maya is right next to her, expecting her to be dropping dead right now.

/She probably chose to kill me because everyone suspects our characters are romantically involved. And also, me being her underling, people would never suspect she'd kill me. Well, she's in for a rude awakening when she sees I haven't gone down. Now let's see who else she's killed this time around.../

Claudine leans back in her chair with a smug grin on her face as the lights turn back on, and the gasps fill the room once again.

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Maya had killed Futaba and Claudine this time, both in an effort to frame Kaoruko and to make herself look innocent. Being that hers and Claudine's characters are presumed to be romantically-involved, it would make sense that Maya would never kill her subordinate.

But Kaourko's character certainly would, especially considering the two of them had already had their fair share of spats this evening.

And Maya will claim that Kaoruko killed Futaba as well in hopes of erasing anyone's suspicions that she might be guilty, but she actually is.

Maya has it all figured out as the lights shut off. She prepares to play the dismayed Chief upon finding Claudine murdered.

But when the lights come back on and everyone starts talking, Maya's eyes widen in disbelief to find Claudine still sitting up beside her with her arms crossed. People have already begun wailing over Futaba's death, and Maya is absolutely certain she'd tapped Claudine indisputably to kill her, too. The fact that she's still alive can only mean one thing.

/Oh my…/

Claudine meets her gaze now with a stern, challenging glare, one that yells, 'How dare you try to kill me off?!'

And of course, now Maya understands she hadn't died because the identity of the second killer is none other than Saijou Claudine herself. Maya dips her head in understanding.

/I see. My apologies for trying to kill you. But what can we do from here…?/

For the moment, at least, they get up from their seats and join the remaining actresses beside Futaba's dead body.

"Only one victim again," Claudine says aloud. "How very strange."

"Yes," Maya says. "Only one…" It's meant as a bit of a jib to subtly accuse Claudine of not dying. Claudine must take the hint, because she steps on Maya's foot. Maya tries not to chuckle and break character.

Luckily, their little unspoken squabble goes unnoticed by the others, as everyone is focused on Kaoruko who has thrown herself over Futaba's body, weeping.

"Oh, Isurugi-san! You've left me too soon! I always thought you would die some extravagant, explosive death in a motorcycle crash, but instead you've been killed in such an unimpressive manner here at a dinner gala instead!"

"Who could have done this?" Karen wonders.

"Allow me to pose a guess," Maya says. "The most likely suspect here is none other than the Heiress Hanayagi-san herself."

"What?! Accusing me again!?" Kaoruko shouts. "Preposterous!"

"Is it?" Junna hums. "You sure are making a big fuss over this."

"A woman is dead!" Kaoruko snaps. "Several, in fact."

"I don't know," Mahiru says. "As a movie star and an actress, I know fake tears when I see 'em."

"Fake?" Kaoruko cries. "If anything here is fake, it's that Lieutenant! She never liked Isurugi-san or myself, always accusing us of speeding when we weren't! She's trying to get back at me now by murdering my friend!"

Maya bites her lip. If she'd succeeded in killing Claudine, Kaoruko's desire to put the blame on her would be in vain if the Lieutenant were also dead, which would leave Kaoruko with no one else to accuse, and thus make her appear guiltiest of all.

But since Claudine hadn't ended up dying, now it lends credibility to Kaoruko's statement.

Maya isn't sure if she should defend Claudine or not. Of course her character would, but should she? As Tendo Maya, who also wants to win this game and come out on top no matter the cost? Would she even sacrifice Claudine for this victory…?

As she's trying to think of something to say, Claudine proves she doesn't need her help and fires right back at Kaoruko.

"Oh, please. You're clearly trying to frame me! You killed Isurugi-san to make it look like I'm the bad guy who has a grudge against you! How cold-blooded can you be?"

"I'm not so sure," Maya interjects. "This could all just be a hoax as well. The true killer could be pitting these two against each other in an effort to preserve themselves and take attention away from them."

"That's true," Junna agrees. "It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?"

"In that case!" Karen blurts out. "The person who's been the quietest so far is Kagura-san!"

Hikari stands firm.

"You have no proof."

"Not yet!"

And again, the cast breaks up before long and starts making their rounds.

Now, both Maya and Claudine are aware that the other is the second killer. And even while still playing up their roles, they're able to come to a silent, mutual agreement. Even if they may still be considering throwing the other under the bus at some point by the end of the night, they both know they can't do it just yet.

As they stalk around the room and gather more information from the guests and cast, Claudine and Maya share knowing looks with one another about who to kill or spare for the next benchmark.

Claudine can tell that Maya wants to kill Junna, so before Maya can tap her, Claudine brushes past her to do the job herself. Maya narrows her eyes at her, and Claudine soaks in her victory of having gotten Maya's intended kill before she could.

But two can play at this game, and two are playing it.

Maya gets her revenge by stealing Claudine's next intended kill as well, which was Mei Fan. She also steals killing Aruru from her, and in turn Claudine steals killing Misora.

And just to demonstrate her cunning, Claudine takes it a step further and gives the killing blows to the back of the mighty Akira Yukishiro's neck.

Maya has always harbored a certain mutual respect and dread directed towards Akira in particular, and therefore would never dare to kill her - even if it was just in a game.

So the fact that Claudine had decided to do so is an incredibly bold and tenacious power move.

At 11PM, the lights go off, and everyone holds their breath. The reveal is that five more people have been murdered, bringing the total body count up to a horrifying fourteen.

"It's official," Claudine says dramatically over the murmurs. "This place has truly become a slaughterhouse."

"I am ashamed," Maya says, hanging her head. "As Chief Detective, I have failed all these victims in being unable to prevent their untimely deaths. I vow to do my best to protect the rest of you as best I can."

"We only have one hour left," Claudine reminds them. "Let's try to stay strong and keep our heads."

Even though it's nearing midnight, no one in the ballroom is the slightest bit lethargic. Everyone is on the edge of their seat and fully invested in the mystery.

Both Claudine and Maya are already satisfied enough that they'd managed to create an engaging mystery, even before they'd known each other's identities.

However, with only one hour left of the gala now, and only ten members of the cast left alive including both of them, Maya subtly drops a hint indirectly to Claudine as they discuss things with another table of girls.

"It would be wise of the culprit to stop here," she says, not looking at her partner in crime. "While the dead can't make an accusation and tell the truth of who it was that killed them, it would be in the murderer's best interest to leave as many people left alive as possible now so there are more suspects, and a less likely chance that they themselves will be discovered."

Of course, Claudine understands exactly what Maya is implying to her. She plays along.

"You're absolutely right, Chief. With any luck, no one else will have to die here tonight." She smiles reassuringly at the girls, but internally, Claudine feels the spark of another challenge.

/She thinks she can tell me what to do, does she? Well, won't she be surprised. Killing one more person won't hurt./

Likewise, Maya is also planning on killing someone for 11:30. Part of it is because she wants to throw people off by saying it would be best for the murderer not to kill anymore - and then turn around and kill someone in order to throw people off her own trail. And the other part of it is - of course - because she hopes to get in just one more kill over Claudine.

The remaining actresses continue to move around the room, spreading more information about themselves and the other characters. During their rounds, Claudine taps the neck of Rinmeikan's leader Tamao, and Maya slays Michiru from Siegfeld. The girls left from Seishou continue their antics as usual.

"I overheard the Chief," Mahiru announces. "And I think she's right. If the killer were smart, they'd stop now to leave behind a larger pool of suspects to choose from."

"However," Hikari says. "If someone else does end up dying, couldn't that mean the crook is trying to throw us off again?"

"Yeah!" Karen says. "Or it could mean they're just so addicted to killing that they couldn't help themselves from doing it one more time!"

"You make a very good point, Circus Girl," Claudine nods.

"Please," Kaoruko scoffs. "As if we don't already know it's you, Lieutenant. The word 'lie' is in your title!"

"The more you accuse someone else," Maya says. "The guiltier you appear."

They all pass skeptical looks around to one another as the final few minutes of the half hour wind down. Every person in the ballroom is murmuring in anticipation for the final lights-out.

Claudine and Maya are both trying to contain the excitement they're feeling - they each truly believe they have a chance of winning this game.

/This is bad,/ Claudine thinks. /Is this like what Karen said? Am I actually getting a thrill from committing these 'crimes' and hoping to get away with it?/

Maya is thinking similarly.

/This truly is exhilarating. Hopefully I've been skillful enough to allow both Saijou-san and myself to escape this ballroom tonight./

Finally, the lights go out one last time and everyone holds their breath. Claudine and Maya remain seated at a table together, both feeling a little smug about having killed someone else and waiting to see the other's no-doubt chagrined reaction.

When the lights come on for the final time tonight, they're both a little surprised to hear that two more bodies have been discovered. Claudine glares at her.

/Well, well, Miss "It would be wise for them not to kill anyone else." You killed someone anyway./

Maya winks back at her.

As expected of Saijou-san, always needing just one last kill to try and one-up me.

Now, with the final 30 minutes of the gala upon them, they both just have to make it until midnight without being accused.

But since they'd both gone and killed one more person each, the cast only has eight remaining players including themselves. Of the minor characters played by the girls from visiting schools, only Fumi and Shizuha remain. And all of the girls at Seishou pretty much know that the murderer is someone amongst themselves. But Claudine has a bit of a plan for that.

"We," she says, gesturing to the remaining Seishou actresses. "We have known each other for quite some time, have we not? As the Heiress continues to remind us, she and I are previously-acquainted, as are the Politician and the Chief. And all of us have been to the Circus Girl's shows at least once or twice, and attended a few of the Movie Star's parties, no? It would only make sense that we would all accuse one another based on how we know each others' personalities to be. However…" She pauses, not only for suspense, but also to waste as much time as possible, because if the group didn't catch her and Maya before midnight, they were home-free. "However, these visitors are people we know so little about. And though only two of them remain, don't they seem awfully suspicious?"

Maya understands exactly what her partner is doing. Claudine isn't just stating the facts of their character sheets, but also the facts of reality.

Of course the girls of Seishou know each other better than they know the visiting girls, and so everyone naturally assumed the murderer would be amongst one of their own hosting students.

However, Claudine's proposition reminds them all of exactly who wrote this script. No one would put it past Nana to sneak in a trick like assigning the role of the killer to one of the other school's actresses in an effort to throw everyone for a loop - just as no one should have put it past her to have included a second murderer in all of this.

Claudine's words spark a murmur through the crowd. Fumi and Shizuha keep their cool and remain unfazed and in-character.

"Accuse me if you want," Fumi declares. "You'll just be sorely mistaken once you realize you've let the real culprit get away."

"What a crime," Shizuha sighs. "To falsely accuse an innocent person... If you don't get your facts straight, you'll end up committing a crime almost as bad as the criminal themselves."

"Well, maybe not quite as bad," Hikari says. "We're looking at sixteen dead bodies here…"

"That sure is a lot," Mahiru comments, putting a hand to her chin. "I wonder why the killer claimed so many victims."

"Perhaps it is as we said before," Maya offers. "And the killer simply cannot control their impulsive urges."

Claudine almost has half a mind to take offense at the comment, until she realizes Maya is also technically insulting herself as well.

"Ooooor-!" Karen jumps in. "It's because there are two murderers!"

Claudine actually chokes a little bit, and Maya's eyes go wide in shock, but luckily no one else notices their very guilty-looking reactions because they're all also in disbelief at Karen's statement.

"Ehhhh?"

"What do you mean, Aijou-san?"

"There is only one murderer here, isn't there?"

"Non-non!" Karen says, waggling her finger. "Remember? Hoshimi-san said there was a murderer amongst us, but she never said there wasn't another one, too! I mean, if you have two, you still also have one, don't you?"

Everyone blinks in baffled silence, but gradually begins glancing around at one another.

"I suppose," Maya says cooly. "That is a possibility."

"Yes," Claudine agrees. "And there being more than one killer could attest to such a high body count…" She and Maya share a nervous glance. An unspoken message passes between them:

/If I get caught, then you at least need to escape!/

"Hold on a minute," Mahiru says, crossing her arms. "Why would you say something like that, Aijou-san? Unless you know something we don't. It seems awfully suspicious to me."

"Huh? Oh, I mean I just took a random guess, heehee!"

All of them slump for a second; the real Karen Aijou is really coming through her goofy circus character.

"You fools!" Kaoruko pipes. "Don't fall for her tricks! I'll bet you she's working in cahoots with that no-good Lieutenant! Hoshimi-san said earlier that 'it's always the quiet ones' to put that cliche into our heads, but that's too obvious! Isn't it also typically the innocent, fun-loving personality like Aijou-san's that is hiding a deeper and darker side?"

"She has a point," Hikari says.

"Waah!" Karen wails. "Kagura-san, how could you? I thought you enjoyed coming to my circus! Are you accusing me of murder now?"

"Not exactly. Not yet…"

By now, all of the visiting girls are also debating amongst themselves with all of their theories and observations. The people who had been murdered open their eyes and to watch everything unfold, but none of them says a word or gives anything away about who had killed them.

Maya and Claudine join in the discussion and continue placing the blame on other people, but don't try to cover for each other too adamantly, lest they start looking suspicious.

The whole ballroom is engaged in conversation, completely engrossed in the murder mystery story to the point where they don't even realize the time.

However, Maya and Claudine take note of it at about the same time - the simplest, cleanest way to avoid getting caught.

They keep posing arguments, keep making false claims, keep grasping for fake evidence-

-right until the clock strikes midnight.

The lights flicker to get everyone's attention. Gasps and shrieks quickly fill the room.

"Oh crap!"

"It's already midnight?!"

"And we didn't decide on who to apprehend!"

"Wh-Which means-"

"Ha, ha, ha!" Claudine projects a loud, hearty, prideful laugh, and all heads turn to her. She smirks, arms crossed in triumph. "You fools fell directly into our trap! Just as planned!"

"So it was you!" Kaoruko shrieks. "I knew it, I knew it! Didn't I tell you all?!"

"Indeed you were right, Hanayagi-san," Claudine declares. "But it wasn't only me."

Maya steps up beside her now, equally as smug.

"That's correct. The murderer was none other than myself - Detective Chief Tendo Maya. Lieutenant Saijou here was my accomplice."

"Wh-? Don't you go taking all the credit for this! I'm the one who made the first kills! If anything, you're my accomplice!"

"Eeeeh?" Karen interrupts. "The Chief and the Lieutenant?! The officers of the law who were supposed to protect us were the killers all along?!"

"I told you," Kaoruko grunts. "But no one ever listens to me!"

"Such a shame," Maya grins, shaking her head. "My trusty Lieutenant and I were able to pull the wool over your eyes long enough to cause you to forget the time."

"The cleanest of tricks," Claudine says. "This time limit was against us all night until these final 30 minutes. All we had to do was stall long enough, and we've done it! Now that the clock has struck midnight, you cannot touch us! We've won!"

The whole room bursts into a chorus of all different kinds of reactions.

"Nooo! They failed to catch the criminals!"

"But that was totally amazing!"

"They had me fooled for sure!"

"No way! I knew it all along!"

"Man! I didn't even realize the time!"

"I can't believe no one solved it in time! Now the killers get to escape!"

Claudine and Maya share another smirk. It's time for the impromptu getaway.

"Now then!" Maya says boldly. "We've done it, Lieutenant! We have succeeded in committing the ultimate crime of getting away with murder! Now we shall claim the prize of freedom - together!" She offers her hand and dips down into a half-bow.

Even the girls in the audience who were miffed about not solving the crime in time gasp in excitement now.

"Oh my gosh!"

"See? I knew they were in love!"

"Literal partners in crime!"

Claudine remains in-character, hesitating to take Maya's hand in order to hook the audience further.

"Together…? But Chief Tendo, I thought you favored the Heiress…?"

"Never," Maya says blatantly, and Kaoruko cries out an indignant 'hmph!' Maya reaches out to take Claudine's hand herself now. "From the very beginning, it has always been you, Lieutenant."

"Ch-Chief…" Claudine blushes and squeezes her hand in return. "Me, too. From the very beginning, I've always…" She stops, reeling in the audience all the way. She hears several whispers of "just say it!" and tries not to smirk.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Maya prompts her. "Surely after tonight we have no secrets left to conceal. If you cannot say it, then allow me." She gives Claudine's wrist a tug and pulls her in by the waist, dipping her forward so quickly and unexpectedly that it makes everyone's hearts flutter.

But of course, none more so than Claudine's. Even if it is just an act...

Maya gazes deeply down into her eyes, her hair spilling over her shoulders and onto Claudine's. She holds her like this for a long moment, driving the entire room absolutely crazy. Claudine swallows, so embarrassed she's nearly about to break character. She gives Maya a pleading glare.

/Just do it!/

Maya smirks and leans down close to her, pulling Claudine up against her chest until her lips are at the shell of her ear. The whole room drops dead-silent to listen.

"Lieutenant…" Maya murmurs. "I am deeply, madly in love with you."

There's a collective, wheezing sort of shriek from the audience, and a couple of people actually squeal outright.

"Oh my god-!"

"This is so good!"

"They're the villains! I shouldn't be cheering for them like this-!"

As the ballroom erupts into conflicted cheers and comments, Maya finally pulls Claudine back up to her feet. Claudine is painfully aware of how hot her face feels and therefore how red it must be, but it works for her character. She plays it up until the very last moment.

"It is the same for me, Chief Tendo! All these years, I have harbored the most ardent and uncontrollable feelings for you!" /Feelings of annoyance!/

"Then let us flee," Maya declares. "Better yet, let us elope tonight in wake of our brilliant escape from these murders that shall be remembered forever!"

"Yes!"

With this, both of them take hold of each other's hands and run. They rush past the tables and through the cheering crowd, then burst out the doors and out of sight.

Behind them, everyone in the ballroom - dead or alive - now stands up to cheer and take their bows.

And thus concludes Seishou's Great Murder Mystery Dinner Gala.

--------

It's around 1:30AM by the time everyone has finished talking to the guests, cleaned up, changed out of their costumes, and finally retreated to the dorms. The prospective students are chittering all the way back to their temporary rooms, and even the visiting actresses from the other schools have been commending the performance all the while.

Claudine and Maya walk with their usual group of nine to wish everyone goodnight before congregating at their usual lounge room.

"Man!" Karen flops face-down onto one of the couches. "That was soooooo fun!"

"It really was!" Nana agrees. "Even though I got killed right away and had to lie there for nearly 4 hours, it was still so amusing to listen and watch you guys try to figure it out!"

"So there were two murderers?" Junna shakes her head. "I still can't believe you did that, Nana. You didn't even tell me."

"Nope! Sorry, Junna-chan! I couldn't risk anything being compromised!"

"It's fine. But still, to put Saijou-san and Tendo-san together for that…"

"Did you guys even know?" Mahiru wonders.

Both Claudine and Maya shake their heads.

"I didn't know until the second time the lights went out," Claudine explains. "She only killed one person to start, and I just assumed it was all me."

"However," Maya says. "Since I chose to only kill one at the start, it was made evident very quickly to me that there was a second killer, since five people ended up dead right away."

"I still can't believe you killed Shiori right from the start," Futaba says. "That was brutal of you, Kuroko."

"I had to," she boasts. "Precisely because no one would expect it from me."

"Guess that's true."

"When did you guys figure out the other murderer?" Hikari wonders.

"Well," Claudine scoffs. "It was about halfway through when she tried to kill me."

"Ehhh?!" Karen shrieks. "T-Tendo-san, you tried to kill your own partner?!"

"Karen-chan," Mahiru says. "She didn't know yet that Saijou-san was the other killer."

"Oh."

"Exactly," Maya nods. "I only figured out Saijou-san was the other murderer after I tried to kill her and she didn't die. From that moment on, we both knew and tried to work together."

"To frame me!" Kaoruko huffs. "The nerve..."

"Hey, you were trying to frame us too," Claudine says.

"In my case, I wouldn't have been framing you, because you really did do it!"

"Hmm, I guess you're right," Claudine chuckles. "But you didn't accuse me in time, so I got away~"

"I still can't believe that…"

"So then," Hikari says. "Nobody else knew there were two murderers except for Banana, Saijou-san, and Tendo-san themselves?"

"Not till the end," Junna affirms. "It was a really good twist on Nana's part to keep it a secret from everyone."

"Which of them killed you, Junna-chan?" Nana asks. "Kuro-chan killed me."

"She killed me, too."

"They both killed me!" Futaba blurts out. "I was so confused! I got tapped twice within like 5 minutes and I was like 'all right, I get it already, I'm dead!'"

Everyone shares a good laugh. And that's when a few yawns begin to arise.

"Hmm…" Kaoruko slumps sleepily against her roommate. "Even so, that was all great fun."

"I'll say," Junna agrees. "And a bunch of those girls seemed like they were already set on enrolling here next year."

"Really~?" Nana hums. "That's wonderful…"

There's a collective sigh between them all, and for a moment everyone closes their eyes. But the ever-vigilant Mahiru snaps them all out of it.

"We should probably get back to our rooms now." She stands up from the couch, heaving Karen up on one shoulder and Hikari on the other.

The others follow suit, helping their friends and roommates to their feet before wishing each other goodnight. Tomorrow they can all sleep in as late as they please with their role in the Open House being over.

The girls go their separate ways to their respective rooms until Claudine and Maya are the only two remaining in the quiet hallways.

"Well then," Maya says with a charming smile. "Once again, you did a fabulous job tonight, Saijou-san."

"Yes," she murmurs. "You too."

Maya's smile slowly fades into a frown.

"Saijou-san? Is something the matter?"

Claudine says nothing right away, but she checks to ensure they're completely alone in the hallway before giving Maya a pouting look.

"Earlier… that confession…" She grips her opposite wrist tightly and shuffles her feet a little. "That was only for the sake of them game… wasn't it…?"

Maya blinks, tilts her head, and then smiles again.

"Why yes," she says softly. "I do believe Chief Tendo was absolutely smitten with Lieutenant Saijou."

Claudine drops her gaze to the floor. Of course. What was I thinking-

"However…"

Suddenly there's an arm around her side and a hand on her back, pulling Claudine a few steps forward until she's pressed up against Maya. Her heart leaps.

"Hey, T-Tendo Maya-"

"However," Maya says again, tilting Claudine's chin upward so that she may look into her eyes. "I, myself, as Tendo Maya, would certainly be lying to say I didn't also feel a certain stirring in my heart for you, Saijou Claudine."

Their faces are mere inches apart now. Claudine can feel warmth radiating between the both of them, and her heart is going wild.

"W-Wait, what are you-?" She closes her eyes as Maya leans down closer, until Claudine can feel her breath-

A small, soft kiss is left on her forehead.

Her… forehead...?

/That's it-?!/

Claudine huffs, eyes flying open as she reaches up to grab Maya's collar all at once.

"Idiot. If you're going to kiss me, do it properly."

Claudine demonstrates by kissing her full on the lips this time.

Maya almost gets weak in the knees from the shock and delight of it all, but by some miracle she manages to stay on her feet. She pulls Claudine closer to deepen the kiss, heart soaring.

A moment later, Claudine pushes her back and turns around.

"Anyway, it's late. Goodnight." She turns to her room and opens the door promptly.

A joyful, honest voice follows after her.

"Goodnight, Ma Claudine."

And so, Seishou's Great Murder Mystery Gala turned out to be a major success, in many different ways.

-------

A/N: And the trope of "Karen making dumb claims and then actually being right about them" surfaces again! I loved doing that haha

This was such a confusing but very very fun concept! All the reverse-reverse psychology stuff and keeping track of who was alive or dead and how many times the lights had gone out and whatnot... I made several errors initially when writing so it took a lot of editing to get it right! Once again many thanks to 0mn for such a wild and fun idea!