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Detective Hackett has just met his new detective partner, who he is expected to work with in the detective competition. Together they must solve the first in a series of locked room mysteries that make up Stage One.
[url=https://youtu.be/gsWMLnY7d8I][BGM: Sauntering Around][/url]
Only few seconds had elapsed since the Game-master's announcement. I was already figuring out ways to slack off and leave it up to Mouse. But Mouse didn't seem too confident either...
Okay, first things first. Let's see what sort of fish we'll be frying!
Um... okay..
I lead Mouse into the apartment, which had been decked out to look like a hotel room.
[url=https://youtu.be/p6ZExO3LVAM][BGM: Investigatory Conjecture][/url]
Oho! There's lots to do here! Let's start the investigation!
Remember to finish in under five minutes, or we'll get k-kicked out!
Don't worry about it! I've got more than enough brainpower for both of us!
…
Let's do this!
Despite what Mouse says, no, we aren't actually under any kind of time constraints as far as an actual game mechanic is concerned. For these kind of investigatory sections, generally we're required to look at everything we can before we can begin any deductions, so let's get that taken care of! 
I'll start with the investigation point on the left and work my way right for this first one. The game directly shows every thing or place we investigate, so I'll be cutting out the in-between bits of clicking around for efficiency's sake.
The balcony didn't lead to a view of the parking lot... Instead, there was a sad reminder that we were still in an apartment PRETENDING to be a hotel room.
What's that notice say?
It just says don't j-jump off the balcony.
Like I'd be able to in the seconds left on this impossible countdown.
Yes, so p-please stop kidding around and s-s-solve the mystery!
The smoke detector's busted.
Good! I hate those things! I WAS ONLY MAKING A PANCAKE!! COME ON!!
T-this seems like a personal issue...
Someone s-s-spilled wine on the carpet... Gross...
They're letting it ferment the sophisticated way. Only true connoisseurs know that carpet-soaking wine gives it the richest flavor and the oakiest texture...
I-I don't think that's right...
Just having some fun, Mouse!
He clearly didn't know that crime scenes were supposed to be fun.
'Mr. Turnip'... Looks like those turnips didn't agree with him!
A-Are there turnips somewhere in the room? Is that the solution?!
Just a joke, Mouse...
I know... I-I was also trying to make a joke...
Good thing he was a detective and not a stand -up comedian.
Baseball tickets... What does this have to do with anything?
What does any of this evidence have to do with anything?
That's what I've been wondering!
W-what about those cigarettes?
Never seen that brand before... guess it's just something they made up for this contest. Props to the props department!
Someone just left this rain jacket lying here on the floor!
This is supposed to be evidence... right?
Hmm... A good detective would probably examine it for clues...
… … …
W-Well?
Oh yeah, let's do that!
AHA! A bloody handprint!
W-Wait... bloody handprint? But the victim wasn't stabbed or anything...
True... time for my ultimate detective technique... I call it 'Giving Things A Big Sniff'!
G-great..
I gave the coat a big sniff... And instantly regretted it!
BLECHH! This jacket smells like cigarettes. Cigarettes and wine.
S-so could that 'bloody' handprint be... W-wine?
I don't want to smell it again to find out. But you could be right Mouse, you could be right...
He was right.
S-someone tipped over the coatrack...
Too bad! I'm not here to clean up someone else's mess!
Okay, but it's probably part of the m-mystery, right...?
Oh, right...
Or was it?
Couldn't the coatrack have fallen on its own? Maybe it isn't supposed to be lying on the floor...
True... We'll have to k-keep that in mind.
What's behind this door...?
I don't know... J-just open it, Hackett!!
It appears to be a bathroom... But looks can be deceiving! We'd better investigate!
R-right behind you...
I don't see anything... Other than a bathroom cleaner than my grandmother's candy bowl after she invited me over for her backgammon tournament!
Did you check the sink??
Yes, Mouse.
D-did you look in the tub?!
...Yes, Mouse.
The bathroom seemed to be there for 'realism'.
Alright, nothing to be found in here. You've been a great help, Mouse!
Th-thanks!
Too skittish to look in a bathroom...? That was a bit too far!
Looks like we've found all the evidence – now let's get to solving this mystery!
Y-yeah...
So, what are you thinking, Mouse?
Maybe he'd just tell me the answer!
What am I thinking...?
I'm not sure... The bonus question in the casefile says 'Name the irrelevant evidence'...
The p -problem is that every piece of evidence seems to be irrelevant! I don't know what any of it means!
Oh.
…
Hey, maybe that's it! Everything is irrelevant! There's no mystery at all! Case closed, let's get out of here!
I-I don't think it's that simple, Hackfish...
'Hackfish'??
Mouse kept glancing about and fidgeting nervously. He was obviously thinking about the five minute time limit, which was drawing ever closer. As for me, I was getting pretty tired, and being next to a comfy-looking bed didn't help.
Maybe we should figure out how the victim d-died... That seems like th-the way to start...
Hey, not a bad idea! Let me get into character...
What...?
I'll pretend to be the victim! That way I can 'get in their head' and figure out how they died!
I-is that your method?
Method? What's that mean?
...O-Okay, I guess it's worth a shot...
I lay down on the bed.
Say you're a simple guy. You're married, you've had a tough day, and you're away on a business trip.
I settled into the foam mattress.
So the first thing you do is try to get some rest... And you slowly... fall... asleep...
…
Um. Hello?
Shh... I'm investigating...
H-HADDOCK! WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!
Ugh... right.
Let's think this through, okay? We know the wife is the murderer. B-But how did the victim die?
While Mouse was talking, I was eyeing the cigarettes.
Hey Mouse, got a lighter?
I tried to sound innocent, so he wouldn't suspect my intentions. I doubted he'd approve of smoking the evidence.
Hackett, you're brilliant!
Hey, you got my name right that time!
The cigarettes!
What was he talking about...? I reluctantly got off the bed...
Mouse, I know smoking kills, but it's not a quick process.
That's true... But what do you think of this?
Those cigarettes ARE the method of death.. But not from long term health risks. There's another piece of evidence that could speed up the process a whole lot!!
Mouse's stutter was gone... was that because he was excited? In any case, I had to figure out what he was talking about... Or I'd be revealed as the idiot I was instead of the dashing, brilliant detective everyone thought me to be!
During these kind of segments, we'll often be asked questions as part of the investigations. There's not a lot of merit to getting the questions wrong since the game pretty much immediately goes 'sorry, try again' and prompts you again, so generally for this LP we'll just stick to the right answers.
Therefore, for this question, the correct answer is...
The... rain jacket! He'd been wearing the rain jacket while smoking! That killed him!
Exactly!
Huh?
Yes, exactly, because, uh, eh, uh, eh, oh, uh...
Because he was smoking in bed underneath that jacket!
What? But if he did that, he would've run out of oxygen and died!
...Oh.
Yes, it's true... It would have been a very s-stupid th-thing to do...
B-but look at the smoke detector! He was so desperate to smoke he tried breaking it... That must've been why he used the jacket... To keep the smoke from reaching the detector!
Wow, good work, us! It's incredible what can happen when two studly detectives put their enormous brains to work...
Th-there is one problem, though... If this murder was actually an accident...
Th-then how was the 'locked room' created? We'll have to give the door another look...
Sounds good!
This was great! I was getting a free ride after all!
Darn... it's locked. Guess we'll have to explore the hallways another day.
Hackett, please... we only have a few minutes... We have to figure out why this is a locked room mystery...
Ah – don't worry! I know what I'm doing!
I'm such a liar.
Um, do you have any idea how this door was locked from the inside?
I-I thought you said you knew!!
That was more... generally speaking!!
The door had been locked when the crime was discovered... But was it locked with the keycard, or had the bolt been locked...?
Maybe this bolt was locked from the outside by wrapping a rubber band around it!
You're thinking of the other kind of hotel lock...
Ah...
W-wait a second... I think... I think I've figured out how it was locked from the inside.
Which means... I've solved the case!
WE'VE solved the case, Mouse! Together!
R-riiiiiiiiiigggghhhhhhhhht...
Was he being sarcastic?! Mouse had stumbled onto something important... Or maybe he was just stumbling!
Um, so usually in a locked room mystery, the k-killer creates the locked room to make the crime seem impossible... Or to create an alibi... But this time... it was something else entirely.
Interesting... he was good at building up the suspense! I couldn't wait to hear the solution! ...He was glaring at me. Was I supposed to say something?
Er – uh, right! I know what I'm doing, and I'm a very smart detective!
If I just said it enough, it would be true! ...AGHH – it wasn't working!! I had to actually come up with a real answer!! What was Mouse saying...? There was some strange reason for why the room was locked from the inside?
You've probably picked up on it already, but the right answer is that this entire setup is, in fact, purely accidental- not just the death! 
AH! The locked room was an accident – just like the murder was! This whole mystery is one big stupid accident!
Yes, that's what I think too...
Really?!
Mr. Turnip killed himself by accident... And the door was locked from the inside by accident...
The clue is in the wine print on the coat... Ms. Turnip was the one drinking wine – Mr. Turnip was busy smoking. In the morning, she was probably so hungover she didn't realize he'd died...
So she tried to hang up his coat, and stumbled out of the room... But she'd put it back on the coat rack so sloppily...
That it fell over as soon as she left...
Hitting the door's lock on the way, knocking it into a horizontal 'locked' position.
Care to do the honors, Hackett?
Wow! He was actually pretty good! I was lucky to have been paired with him...
Absolutely!
Can't forget the bonus question now, can we?
W-what are you waiting for?
Uh... the bonus question! We almost forgot the bonus question!
O-oh, you're right... Which piece of evidence is irrelevant..?
That'd be... the baseball tickets, obviously! Even I can figure that out!
Y-yeah, you're actually right, that's got to be it...
Submit!
'Actually right'? Who did he think he was?!
[url=https://youtu.be/Q5Y_rfGgWmc][BGM: A Matter of Simple Deduction][url]
You are correct. Your score on this mystery is 100 percent. Your answer to the bonus question was correct.
I'm surprised. I thought you would fail pretty hard at this. You even almost gave up at one point. But you didn't. You prevailed. Logic always wins.
Stop blabbering!
Hackett! Don't interrupt the Game-master!
Thank you, Detective Mouse. It is not nice to be interrupted. *sniff, sniff*
Come on, that's overdoing it.
Ahem. Excuse my outburst of emotion. Anyway... You ranked higher than expected, time-wise. Unfortunately, you did not make it to the fourth floor, which means that you two will be swapping partners.
The fourth floor detectives get to keep their partners in the First Stage. In subsequent stages, all detectives get to do so, provided of course that both partners actively help with deductions. I'm sure you understand.
Ouch. Way to build us up and then smash us down.
[BGM: Silence]
We'd gotten through the mystery. I could scarcely believe it.
We make such a great team!
Yes, but I was the one doing all the work.
That's... fair.
Even though Mouse wasn't going to be my partner next round, I was cautiously optimistic.
I was excited to see who I could lean on for deductions next!
*****
[Mouse's Interview]
[url=https://youtu.be/Vs-jaZMgwR4][BGM: Interviews][/url]
What experience have you had as a detective?
F-five years as a private detective. But I also read lots of mystery novels. I'm pretty good at those.
What is your method?
I guess my method is...
To think about the many different suspects and how they would commit the crime... Motive comes first. From motive, you r-reverse engineer the method of death.
Why do you want to win this competition?
T-to get some legitimacy to my detective business. I never get any clients anymore.
How well do you work with others?
I-I usually work alone... That being said, if there was someone I got along with I would p-probably be fine.
No further questions.
T-thank you.