"Now tell me… what exactly have you amounted to?"
A butterfly landed on a nearby spider lily and began to suck nectar from the centre.
"I'd like an answer."
The butterfly continued to drink, unperturbed by the cold aura surrounding the garden. It only wished to absorb the nutrients that the red flower possessed.
"Some time today?"
A hand reached out towards the butterfly, slow and creeping.
"I'll take that as… nothing. A failure through and through."
One of the stubby fingers brushed the bug's wing.
"How unfortunate for you."
The butterfly burst into flames, and, just as quickly, turned into dust.
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Asuka shot awake. The comforter clung to her skin, a thin layer of sweat on her arms.
What the fuck just…
Already, the dream was fading into the recesses of her brain. She shook her head a few times, as a regrettably recognizable crackle echoed through the room.
"A-hem! Hope's Peak Vacation Faculty Committee has an announcement to make! It is now 7am! It's time to rise and shine, vacation waits for no sleepyhead!"
Asuka flipped the monitor off.
Piece of shit bear.
She slipped on her shoes that she'd left haphazardly in the middle of the floor and ventured out of her room. A couple people were talking in the lobby, but due to the distance, Asuka couldn't make out what they were saying. Her skull felt as if someone was applying intense pressure to it.
"Three years," she whispered, almost unconsciously, "That doesn't just… disappear."
Despite her thoughts, however, she had no way of proving it. Any amount of time could have passed between when she fainted in front of Hope's Peak, to when she woke up at the hotel. Could these people here really be her classmates from those missing years?
And… what's going on at home? Is Dad okay? Is… the parlor...
She shook her head as she reached the lobby. Now was the worst time to think about what was going on with her work. Not the time to think about-
Missing finger. Switchblade. Needle and thread. Cigarette smoke. Running out of ti-
"I-Ishikawa-san?" Ayano's shaky voice broke Asuka from her thoughts, "Are… Erm, ah… You don't look… sorry."
Asuka blinked a couple times, "Uh? No, don't apologize. I'll be okay."
Ayano didn't seem convinced, "Are… sure? Skin is, er, pale…"
Asuka rubbed her wrist, "It's just because of the motive. Y'know, stress and shit. I'm not about to drop dead, no matter what that fucking bear says."
"A-Ah. Sorry…" Ayano murmured, looking at her feet.
Asuka raised an eyebrow, "Enough about me, are you okay? No offence, but you look like hell."
Ayano ran a hand through her hair, "Y-Yes! Just… just… stress! Big, big stress. Motive stress. Should… Go finish with breakfast. B-Bye!"
Asuka waved awkwardly as the small girl ran inside the restaurant.
That was weird.
She shrugged and pushed the door open. The restaurant was about half full already, surprisingly. Asuka headed for the centre table. Saki was scribbling furiously in a small notebook, while Kousuke was running a capped pen over something written on his clipboard.
She wondered briefly if she should have grabbed her sketchbook.
However, when she sat down, Saki shoved her notebook into her pocket, "Good morning, Asuka-chan!"
Don't call me that, Asuka thought automatically. However, all she ended up voicing was, "Morning."
"Hey… If you're upset, you can talk to me!" Saki said, grabbing her hand, "I want to be able to help everyone as best I can."
Asuka tugged it away, "Save it for someone who needs it. I just didn't sleep well."
Or someone who wants it.
Kousuke hummed, "I don't think any of us did. But that really can't be helped, when you account for Monokuma's influence. With luck, all of this 'killing game' business will pass."
"You don't think people will try and kill?" Asuka asked.
"Of course they won't!" Saki exclaimed, "Nobody here has any reason to kill anyone!"
...Says you.
Kousuke sounded slightly more strained as he responded, "Not exactly. I can't say for certain that there won't be an attempt. If we're lucky, we can prevent any… incidents."
Asuka idly scratched at the table, "I see."
But what if I…
The kitchen doors slammed against the wall as they were thrown open. Asuka tensed, her gaze darting towards the sound.
I can't keep thinking about this.
Shun and Hiroki were pushing out the metal serving carts again. She lowered her head quickly, trying to calm the sudden rush of adrenaline in her veins.
The squeaking wheels stopped in front of the table within a moment.
Hiroki gave the three of them a wide grin, exposing his missing tooth for a brief moment, "Who's ready for some fresh and sexy bacon, right off the stove?"
Kousuke raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"It's not exactly a fully stocked kitchen, so we're pulling together whatever's there," Hiroki responded, "Chiba was complaining earlier that we have like, no herbs or spices."
Saki asked, "Why… would you need herbs and spices for this?"
Hiroki shrugged, "That's what I said. But anyways, here ya go! Hot and piping and… No, that one's the vegetarian one… There!"
"Thanks," Asuka said, trying to figure out the quickest way to tear off the large clumps of fat without being too obvious.
As Hiroki pushed the cart away, Kousuke whispered, "I still don't understand why those particular adjectives apply to this cut of meat…"
Asuka said, "Don't hurt yourself thinking about it."
She ate around the fat as best as she could, then gently pushed away her chair and stood up. For a moment, she expected to hear Saki chime in with some thing or another, but the brunette was writing furiously in her notebook again, and hadn't even noticed.
Asuka took this opportunity to head for the door. However, the second she placed her hand on it, someone called out to her.
"Ishikawa-kun! Great timing!"
Asuka glanced over her shoulder to see Kenta waving at her. She raised an eyebrow, "Timing for what?"
Kenta said, "I need assistance, and you're right here… so…"
Should I spend time with Hasekura?
"I guess I could try and help?" Asuka shrugged, "What are you doing?"
Kenta replied, "I'm gonna try climbing down the cliffside, and it would be beneficial to have a spotter."
What the hell?!
"Uh," Asuka responded, "I could do that, I guess."
Kenta gave her a thumbs-up, "Nice! Meet me outside, okay? I'll get some rope from the storage room. "Sure?" Asuka said, pushing on the door to escape from the conversation.
The fuck did I just agree to do…
Asuka let out a quiet sigh and made her way outside the hotel. It was another brilliantly sunny day without a single cloud, which only served to make her throat tighten.
Where the hell were they?
The loud bang of the front doors alerted her to Kenta's arrival. Asuka waved at him, and he flashed another bright grin. She strolled over to where he was standing; one of the pillars that held the hotel up. Kenta was currently securing one end of the rope around it.
"What exactly do you want me to do?" she asked, watching as he tied the other end into a knot around his waist.
Kenta said, "You just need to feed me rope so I can keep climbing down. It shouldn't be too difficult!"
It better fucking not be.
Asuka reached down and heaved the coils over her shoulder, "Okay. Let me know when you're ready."
Kenta nodded, "Affirmative! I just need to… there!" He tugged on the rope a few times. When it didn't budge, he approached the side of the cliff.
Asuka averted her eyes briefly as he began to climb down. The view downwards was enough to make her vision swim as it was. No point in making herself anymore nauseous than she needed to be.
Slowly, she began feeding Kenta the rope, carefully keeping a steady rhythm so not to dump all the line at once.
However, the rope was not as long as she initially thought, and after what couldn't have been more than ten minutes, she shouted, "Hasekura! That's it! You're out of luck!"
Kenta's voice sounded vaguely muted likely due to the distance, "Damn! Okay… I'll be back up soon."
Asuka tugged on the rope as he climbed back up, but didn't dare glance over the side until the blue haired boy was back up over the side, and sitting on the grass.
"Shit," he muttered, "And here I thought that might actually work. Sorry to have wasted your time."
Asuka shrugged, "Not like I have anything else to do besides sit around and die. Did you notice anything… helpful? At all?"
Kenta said, "I don't think so. Even though I climbed down super far, when I looked down, there were still hundreds and hundreds of feet below. I'd wager that we have… no chance of reaching the ground. Unless we find more rope, but even then."
I… really wouldn't fucking bother, if I were you.
"I'm surprised you're not a rock climber, considering that performance," she opted to say instead of voicing her thought.
Kenta shrugged, "I never really had an interest in geology."
Asuka blinked, "What does geology have to do with rock climbing?"
"Well, most things," Kenta said, "In my experience, one becomes better at what they do if they have intimate knowledge of all the items involved. That's actually why I got into tree climbing, because biology is really cool!"
Asuka said, "I didn't take you for a science nerd."
Kenta rubbed his neck, "Well, it's just kind of a side thing. It's not my main passion, not even close."
"I wasn't saying it was a bad thing," Asuka said, "Just unexpected."
Kenta smiled, "No, no, I get it! I'm not smart enough to be fully invested with it, is all."
The light didn't seem to reach his eyes. Asuka tried to change the subject, "Uh, so… I don't really know a lot about trees? Can you tell me something cool?"
Kenta clasped his hands, "Can I! Trees actually don't die of old age, you know. They can live to be thousands of years old!"
Asuka raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
"Yeah!" Kenta exclaimed, "The oldest tree in Japan alone is eighteen hundred years old. It's on Yakushima… I'd love to see it in person someday."
"Damn," Asuka said, "What about oldest in the world?"
Kenta tilted his head, "Right now, the oldest living tree is over five thousand years old. It's somewhere in America, so it'd be a really long way to travel, but…"
"I take it that it's your dream to go there?" Asuka finished.
Kenta grinned sheepishly, "Yeah. Someday. When we get out of this place."
"When we get out of this place…" Asuka echoed quietly.
I think Hasekura and I grew closer today.
Asuka stayed outside for a while longer, idly chatting with Kenta as the sun rose higher into the sky. After some time, she said, "Hey, I think I'll head back in. I'm getting hungry."
And I really need to make up for hardly eating yesterday…
Kenta replied, "Sure thing! I'll be out here a bit longer if you need me. I could use some vitamin D."
Asuka waved awkwardly as she headed back into the hotel. She let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding when she stepped back into the air conditioning.
Near the stairs, Saki and Yumiko were chattering. Asuka's eyes glazed over them, focusing on the movement she noticed out of the corner of her vision.
Hikari was carrying what looked to be a full watering can in the direction of the garden. Asuka reached out her arm in hopes of calling out to her, but the small girl entered the wooden door before she could get a word out.
I'll have to catch up with her later… After I eat.
Asuka made for the restaurant. It was empty, save for Shun and Ayano, who were having some kind of conversation at a far table. She couldn't pick out any traces of their voices, but both of them were making almost animated hand gestures.
She shook her head.
Stay focused. You need to eat, idiot.
She slipped into the kitchen. The bowl of fruit she had taken from the night before sat on the counter, full and inviting. Asuka reached into it and pulled a banana free, then paused at the sight of the other person in the room.
"Kotara?" she asked, "What are you doing?"
Kousuke jumped and turned around, relaxing as he saw her, "Ah, Ishikawa-san. I didn't realize you were in here. I just… wanted something to eat."
Doesn't explain why you were staring into space, but whatever…
"Me too," Asuka said, peeling the banana with a raised eyebrow, "Are you busy?"
Kousuke adjusted his glasses, "Not any more than I should be."
I guess I should spend time with Kotara.
She wasn't sure why she hadn't predicted it, but 'hanging out' with Kousuke meant sitting on the counter quietly while he wrote miniature essays on his clipboard.
A banana and a half later, Kousuke broke the silence that had fallen over them, "Excuse me, Ishikawa-san? If it's not too invasive, could I ask you a couple questions?"
"Sure?" Asuka responded, "Why?"
Kousuke said, "I'm conducting a small survey to assess everyone's personal health, so we can take the necessary precautions and ensure survival. That being said, would you consider yourself to be in good health?"
Starting off great…
Asuka said, "I'm not the pinnacle of healthy living, but I'd say I'm okay."
Kousuke stopped writing for a moment, "I… see."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Asuka replied, pushing away her half eaten banana with unease.
"Forgive me," Kousuke said, "I was just thinking back to how you passed out on the day we all arrived here."
Asuka absently fiddled with her earring, "I… I have weak lungs. Happy now?"
Kousuke said softly, "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to pry. Your privacy outweighs any concerns I might have."
Asuka looked at the floor, "No, I don't care that much. It's just fucking embarrassing. Can't go into the damn city without an inhaler."
Can barely leave my house…
Kousuke wrote something down on his clipboard, "Ah. Still, I'm sorry for bothering you about it. In the future… if there's anything you need to talk about, both Yamura-san and myself are here to listen."
Asuka said, "Thanks, but I don't know either of you well enough for that. No offence."
"None taken," Kousuke said, staring off into the distance, "None at all…"
I didn't mean for this to happen, but… Kotara and I grew a little closer today. I think.
After another bout of slightly stiffer silence, Kousuke said, "I need to take off. I have some preparations to ready. Take care, Ishikawa-san."
"You too," Asuka said, nodding her head to him as he left the room.
She waited for a moment, staring at her nails, before grabbing the unfinished banana and throwing it into a small compost bin next to the sink. For a moment, Asuka twitched. Then, she quickly spun on her heels and left the kitchen.
In the main part of the restaurant, Arata was typing something furious on his typewriter, while Hiroki seemed to be blabbering at him. Asuka wasn't in the mood to engage with a portable headache, and quickly hurried out the door before either of them had a chance to notice her.
Unfortunately, she didn't manage to take more than two steps into the lobby before walking into someone. Asuka stumbled, spitting out a curse, before regaining her balance.
"S-Sorry, Ishikawa-san!" Shun said, holding his hands up and backing away, "I didn't see you there."
No shit.
Asuka rubbed her forehead, "It's fine. Are you okay?"
Shun nodded, fiddling with the drawstring on his hoodie, "I am. Um, really though, I didn't mean to do that."
"I said it was fine," Asuka replied, raising an eyebrow.
Should I spend some time with-
"Well, sorry to trouble you," Shun cut into her thoughts, "but I need to go! See you around!" With that, he pushed into the restaurant.
Asuka stared at the swinging doors for a second, before sighing and turning around. No point in chasing after him. Instead, she glanced out the thin windows near the hotel's door. It was hard to see, but the sun seemed to be going down.
Maybe I'll just retire early…
She headed for the staircase and climbed it quickly. However, before she could walk down the hall to her room, she spotted someone sitting on the ground with their knees to their chest and their head down.
"Kanagaki?" she questioned.
Kazue raised her head, looking apologetic, "Oh. I hadn't expected anyone to see me here."
Asuka replied, "You're in the middle of the hallway."
"Fair point," Kazue said, getting to her feet.
I could spend some time with Kanagaki…
Asuka said, "Do you want to kill some time? Since it's not nighttime just yet."
Kazue blinked, "I- If it's not a trouble to you. How about we… enter my room, though?"
Asuka shrugged, "Sure, I don't care."
The taller girl opened a nearby door and gestured for Asuka to enter. Kazue's room wasn't much different than her own, the only difference being the colour of the furnishings.
"Er, you can sit down, if you'd like," Kazue said awkwardly.
With nowhere else besides the floor, Asuka lowered herself onto the bed. Kazue leaned against the wall. Neither of them spoke for a good minute.
Kazue suddenly said, "I should have figured out something we could discuss. I'm sorry, I didn't think you… or anyone, actually, would want to talk with me."
Asuka blinked, "Why?"
Kazue raised an eyebrow, hesitating a long moment before speaking, "I've killed people, Ishikawa. You don't spend a year overseas as a sharpshooter without getting blood on your hands."
...Oh.
"I never thought about that," Asuka said.
Kazue chuckled bitterly, "You don't have to try and make me feel better. I know what I've done and I have my regrets. But in this… sickening killing game, it's expected that people would distrust me. I don't take offence to it."
Asuka shrugged, "I wasn't trying to ease your feelings. Considering the circumstances, I think it's more reasonable to be suspicious of everyone."
Kazue idly played with the ends of her hair, "That's an interesting perspective. I'll have to keep that in mind."
There was another strange pause.
"May I ask you something?" Kazue sounded apprehensive.
Asuka raised an eyebrow, "Sure?"
Kazue said, "It's just… regarding your talent. And your tattoos… It's-"
"It's just art," Asuka interrupted, "Ink and self-expression. It's different but not dangerous."
Kazue fiddled with the dial on her watch, "I see. Sorry to get under your skin like that."
Asuka looked away, "I get asked that a lot. Don't worry about it."
I'm so fucked…
Kazue opened her mouth to say something else, when an unforgettable crackle pierced the air.
"A-hem! Hope's Peak Academy's Vacation Faculty Committee has an announcement to make! It is now 10pm. As such, it is officially nighttime. Please return to your rooms and rest. Let your worries be eased…"
Asuka got to her feet, "I should get going, then. See you in the morning, Kanagaki."
Kazue nodded, "You too."
I… think I grew closer with Kanagaki today.
Asuka hurried back to her own room, a familiar burning sensation irritating her throat. The second she was back inside, she ran into her bathroom.
It was small, but she could hardly bring herself to care as she leaned on the sink and tried to regulate her breathing.
"Hell," she murmured, looking up at the glass that showed her face.
For a moment, she stared at her gaunt eyes, before vomiting into the sink. Her throat burned as the remains of the food she'd choked down came back up. When her stomach was emptied, she glanced at her reflection in the dirty mirror and scowled. "Get a grip on yourself," she whispered breathlessly, "You stupid bitch."
Her reflection didn't answer.
Asuka ran the faucet for a few minutes to wash down the chunks, and hopefully dispel the ugly scent that had begun to waft through the room. Then, with the taste of bile still in her mouth, she staggered towards the bed and collapsed.
Fucking… failure…
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"A-hem! Hope's Peak Vacation Faculty Committee has an announcement to make! It is now 7am! It's time to rise and shine, vacation waits for no sleepyhead!"
Asuka rolled over and scowled at the ceiling, "Bitch."
Without taking much consideration, she threw herself off the bed and made her way out. She reached the hallway before she realized that she'd apparently slept in her shoes.
Whatever. Not like it mattered.
Kousuke and Saki were standing in front of the restaurant as Asuka approached it. Both of them looked significantly more tired than usual.
Saki smiled, "Good morning, Asuka-chan! How are you feeling?"
"I've been worse," she said, trying to avoid looking her in the eye.
"Ah, I see," Saki said gently, "If you ever need to talk, let me know! I'm always willing to listen."
Asuka stifled a yawn, "I- Sure. Why are we standing here?"
Kousuke said, "Monokuma hasn't opened the restaurant doors yet. There's nothing we can do until then."
"Upupupu! Haven't you heard the saying, 'ask and ye shall receive'?"
Asuka spun around, already scowling, "What the fuck do you want?"
Monokuma feigned shock, "Now, now! No need to be so harsh on your lovely headmaster. I'm just here to unlock the restaurant doors. Unless you'd rather starve yourselves."
Asuka clenched her first.
Piece of shit.
Saki sighed, "Will you please open the door?"
Monokuma grinned, "Now see here! This is the kind of respect I deserve and fully appreciate. Shazibby!"
Kousuke blinked, "What was that for?"
"Unbelievable," Monokuma scoffed, "That was unlocking everything, Clipboard! Kids these days…"
Kousuke crossed his arms. The offending accessory wasn't present, but he seemed ruffled just the same.
Saki grit her teeth, "Thank you, Monokuma."
The bear giggled, "You're very welcome! Upupupu!"
Asuka rolled her eyes and pushed one of the doors open, "Let's get this over this."
Her throat still felt sore.
Kousuke and Saki exchanged a nod and stepped inside. Asuka followed them to the centre table and slumped down.
How many days now…?
Kousuke said, "Ah, remind me to give an announcement once everyone arrives."
Asuka leaned forward to see him past Saki, "About what?"
"Nothing important," he clarified, "Just something regarding our personal safety and health."
Asuka returned to her previous position, remembering the survey he had brought up the day prior, "Gotcha."
She watched as people filtered into the restaurant, admittedly at a slower pace than usual. From the bags that hung under everyone's eyes, nobody had slept particularly well.
"Not everyone's arrived," Kousuke remarked, as Hikari and Ayano pushed steaming carts out of the kitchen, "I wonder what's going on?"
"Who are we missing?" Saki questioned.
Asuka took a cursory glance around, "I don't see Ayugai or Asari."
Kousuke said, "I saw Ayugai-kun come in, but not Asari-kun. I wonder what's keeping him…"
Asuka felt a pit forming in her stomach, "I wonder…"
The cart came to a stop at their table. Asuka leaned forward on the table.
Hikari gave the three of them a bright smile, "G-Good morning, everyone! I-I've prepared omelettes for everyone to e-eat today."
Saki replied, "Thank you so much, Hikari-chan! They smell lovely."
Asuka nodded, then snapped her fingers, "Oh, Matsumoto!"
Hikari looked up, her gloved hand frozen in midst of handing Kousuke his omelette, "What's t-the m-matter, Ishikawa-san?"
"Is Asari in the kitchen?" she asked, tilting her head.
Hikari set down the plate she was holding, "N-No… We haven't s-seen him at all today. Usually he comes i-in with Chiba-san, but…"
Asuka said carefully, "Ah, don't worry about it. It's probably nothing."
"R-Right," Hikari said, passing an omelette down to her.
Asuka awkwardly sliced off some of the egg and brought it to her mouth. She could hardly stand to swallow it. Still, she tried to eat, as much as it made her feel sick. No point in upsetting the people who had taken the time to make it.
More time passed, but the door to the restaurant didn't open. Dread piled in Asuka's gut.
Kousuke got to his feet, "Excuse me, everyone! This is very important! Have any of you seen Asari-kun at all today?"
Ayano squeaked, "A-Ah! Usually… but forgot… nerves and oversleeping, a-and… help."
"What I think she's saying is she usually wakes up Asari?" Hiroki closed one eye. When he got a nod from the girl, he continued, "But she overslept today and forgot."
Ayano nodded and lowered her head, "S-Sorry… D-Didn't mean to…"
Kousuke shook his head, "Well, we can't proceed until he's here. I'll fetch him myself."
Yumiko put up a hand, "You're not planning on going alone, are you?"
Kousuke replied, "I hadn't thought of that. In that case, would one of you-"
"I'll come with you," Kazue said, getting out of her chair.
Kousuke smiled and headed for the door with her on his heels, "Wonderful. We will be back as soon as we can."
With that, the two left the restaurant.
Asuka awkwardly shoved more scraps of egg into her mouth. She absently swayed back and forth in her seat, poking at the plate, when a horrified screech pierced the air.
Dead silence fell over the restaurant. Asuka exchanged a glance with Saki, who had fear creeping onto her face.
"E-Everyone!" Saki called out, "S-Stay c-calm!"
Panicked discussion broke out among the tables. A few people burst into tears.
"P-Please, t-there's no need to… to w-worry!" Saki tried to assure people.
Asuka threw herself out of her seat and ran for the door. She heard a cascade of footsteps behind her, heavy thumps that masqueraded the beating of her heart.
This… this can't…
She shoved the door open, then fell still at what awaited her in the lobby.
He lay on the ground, curled up in a small ball, face twisted in pain. Blood and vomit soaked his face and clothes, and covered the floor. His face had gone completely white. Blood matted his hair, which had fallen over his eyes.
Kousuke Kotara was dead.
15 STUDENTS REMAIN.
