Danganronpa 2: ReCaptured

Trapped by the Ocean's Scent: Part 36 [Deadly Life]

When Hiyoko and Chiaki returned to the supply room, they found Nagito and Nekomaru still combing through the various shelves and cabinets, their focus unwavering.

"Ah, you're back. All set now?" Nagito glanced up first, his ever-present smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Hiyoko shot him a glare but didn't bother snapping at him. She was too tired for his weirdness right now. Instead, she brushed past him, scanning the room with fresh eyes.

"Find anything new?" Chiaki asked.

"Not much," Nekomaru said, "But this place is stocked with all sorts of medical equipment. If the culprit needed something for their plan, there's a good chance they got it from here."

Hiyoko frowned, dragging her fingers along the edge of a counter as she wandered. A place like this could hold all kinds of answers...if they knew what to look for. Her eyes flickered over the shelves, past rows of gauze, antiseptics, syringes...

Then she stopped.

In the corner, tucked beneath a lower shelf, was a metal box. It was plain, unassuming, but something about it caught her attention. She crouched down and pulled it out, fingers curling around the cool metal lid.

She lifted it open, revealing a neatly arranged set of surgical tools. Scalpels. Forceps. Scissors. Clamps. Some of them still glistened under the dull light, reflecting her wide-eyed stare.

"Whoa," Nekomaru muttered, stepping closer. "That's not something you'd expect to see just lying around."

"Uh...really?" Chiaki tilted her head. "This is a hospital. Doesn't it make sense for there to be tools for surgery here?"

"Yeah, but..." Nekomaru clenched his fist, looking a tad nervous, "I'll be the one to say it. This hospital kinda blows. It's not sterile or clean enough to perform safe surgery, and I'm not even sure Mikan's ever gone that far before with her medical research."

"To be fair," Nagito interjected, "surgery is not usually a job delegated to nurse's. There's a reason why surgeons are a different profession in the medical field."

However, as Hiyoko#s fingers hovered over the collection of surgical tools, her gaze sharpened. Something was out of place...

Amidst the forceps and scalpels...lay a kitchen knife...something that had no business being in a box full of medical instruments.

Frowning, she carefully reached in and pulled it out, gripping the handle as she lifted it into the dim light. Unlike the other tools, which were sleek and precise, this knife was bulkier, traditionally made for slicing food rather than flesh.

Yet, it was here.

"Well, that's peculiar. A kitchen knife in a pile of surgical tools? Almost as if someone was trying to mix tools of different trades." Nagito's grin widened slightly. "How bizarre."

Ignoring him, Hiyoko turned the knife over in her hands, inspecting it closely. The blade gleamed...too clean, like someone had wiped it down recently.

But the handle was another story. Near the base, there was a faint white mark. It wasn't dust or dirt, but something else.

Chiaki took a step closer.

"There's something on the handle..." she murmured.

"Yeah, but what is it?" Hiyoko squinted at it.

Nekomaru reached out, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Hiyoko allowed him to take the knife. He examined the mark, rubbing his thumb over it before scowling.