Even a Monkey could Commit Murder: (Ab)normal Days


"Attention please. It is now 7:00 AM. Rise and shine! Previous nighttime restrictions have been lifted. Let's make the day the best it can be. Strive for the Peak of Hope!"

Oonishi Eiji awoke the next morning still feeling quite tired. The last day had been something else, but he had simply been unable to rest easily. After taking a quick shower to try and clear his mind a bit, he headed to their typical breakfast. He was the last to arrive, and saw that everyone was still waiting for Kotobuki to finish cooking. Sitting down, he rested his eyes, leaning his head back, still a bit out of it. Suddenly, he felt someone snatch his glasses right off his face. "H-hey!" He cried out as he opened his eyes, looking around. Though his vision was blurred, he could see someone holding them, unmistakable by her multicolored top.

"I'm keeping these," Tachibana Chiyoko laughed. Oonishi could tell as she moved to put them on over top of her own small spectacles.

The Virologist, Urushibara, seemingly not too affected despite his involvement in yesterday's events, gagged a bit, "Do you know how much sweat and bacteria gets on those things?"

Oonishi sighed, "Please: not right now..."

Twirling the glasses in her hand, Tachibana replied, "Oh, not forever, just until you stop moping."

Oonishi grumbled, "I wasn't moping. It's just..."

The pajama wearing Dreamer, Katsuragi, head resting in her hands, spoke, "All wounds heal with time. It might be hard to recover from this one, but we can try. I...certainly don't want to see anyone else dying."

Arms crossed over her sizable chest, Taiyoshi sighed, "Who does? Maybe we should redouble our efforts on getting the hell out of here!"

Tsujimoto sighed as she adjusted her cap, "Our best bet would be the covered windows on the Second Floor, but we need some way to distract Monokuma, and someone willing to risk their person to try and pry the windows, but I can't ask anyone, nor do I want to risk it myself."

Oonishi finally managed to get his glasses back as Mizunoe stated, "Let me take a closer look. Might be able to come up with something."

Toyoguchi gasped, "Truly? Though, as Shikishima said, there may be a vertical drop. Perhaps if we could fashion a pair of ropes from those cords, we might be able to make the drop, if any, more survivable."

Before they could discuss more, Kotobuki came out with breakfast: a number of fruits and pastries. As everyone got settled, the girl asked, "So, what were you guys talking about?"

Urushibara grinned, "Escape."

Kanata pondered on the thought for a moment as Iketani elaborated, "Yeah, if someone could keep Monokuma distracted long enough, we were going to make ropes out of something, then have Mizunoe do something about those windows."

Kotobuki asked, "How would you keep Monokuma distracted though?"

There was a bit of silence, before Taiyoshi smiled devilishly, "That stupid File Room. Burn it to the ground, see how he likes that."

The silver uniformed Kirifuji shook his head, "Oh come now. No one has even touched the bear. He manages to vanish and appear in mere moments, like he's going to do about now." Everyone looked around, and surely enough, Monokuma was standing on one of the other tables.

As he stayed silent, Akumada asked, "You were fine with us talking about escape, but burning those horrendous pictures is where you draw the line?"

Monokuma looked up, saying, "Nope! Couldn't care less. Burning things carelessly could easily result in a surprise Culprit though, so I wouldn't be too reckless unless you really want to get out. I have all those pictures saved anyway, I could just print more. I'd make sure you use them this time; stuff them under your door, in your closet or shelves or bed sheets or shower faucets: wherever."

Changing the subject, Kirifuji inquired, "So, I imagine you want something, perhaps regarding that missing grate?"

Monokuma laughed, "Yep! Bet everyone thought you were a mind reader for a second there, but I know you already went down that way when you went to see what had happen to the crime scene, just this morning. Good news: the Supply Room is clean. No body, blood, snacks, or anything. It's back the way it was, mostly. As for the grate, you can now access the Second Basement Level! Gotta keep things fresh. I know how easily you guys tire of new things. Aren't you already sick of this place and want to leave? Well, that ain't happening, unless you can Pass, that is. Don't let Tomoe's failure despite a decent plan or her hilariously brutal death dishearten you: I'm sure it's possible for any of you to Pass!"

Kotobuki opened her mouth, spitting, "Just go away!"

Monokuma growled, "Well, maybe not all of you. There have to be some Victims, after all." He slipped away again.

After a bit of silence, Toyoguchi suggested, "Perhaps when he tries to give the next Incentive, we will have a good opportunity. Have someone slip away unnoticed. Akumada: you might be most suited for the task." The ponytailed boy rolled his eyes. Toyoguchi continued, "Perhaps-"

Someone else suddenly interrupted, "That's enough!" Eyes in the room turned to the teal shirted Saitou, who seemed particularly disgruntled. "Are you all that stupid? He's watching and listening all the damn time. He can pop out wherever and whenever he wants to. You really think you can just distract him that easily? If you get out, it's going to be alone, and you know exactly what you need-"

Two voices rang out suddenly, one saying "Shut it!" and the other saying, "Just stop!" The latter belonged to Kotobuki, but the former was Iketani, uncharacteristically angry.

Iketani spat, "You wanna kill someone? Go ahead. It'd better be one of the guys smarter than you or you're just gonna Fail. Oh wait; there are way more than two guys here smarter than you, so you're boned either way!"

Saitou stood, teeth bared, "Screw this! I don't have to listen to this crap from you!" Kotobuki opened her mouth to say something, but Saitou turned and left grumbling, leaving his half-finished meal.

After he was gone, Kotobuki looked at Iketani, asking, "Are you okay, Iketani-san?"

The makeup clad girl, fingers on her forehead, took a deep breath, before saying, "This place is just getting to me a bit. I think I'm going to lie down for a little while." In couple of moments, she was gone as well.

The first to break the ensuing silence was Akumada, "He isn't incorrect. If you want to leave, kill. If you want to live, find a way to defend yourself, take precautions, and be careful. Losing two of our number hasn't changed a thing, yet you all act as if the world is ending. Were they so close to you? After such a short time? Pathetic." Akumada, disgusted, left the room himself.

When he was gone, Katsuragi spoke up, softly but surely, "We might be in a better mood after we see what the next Basement Level has to offer. There might be something to keep our mind off things."

Tachibana smiled, "Yeah, I'll bet on it. Now I'm kinda pumped." Consensus reached, the Applicants were able to eat, the mood a bit less tense.

Oonishi offered to help clean, intent on something. When they finished cleaning the Kitchen up, he asked, "Kotobuki-chan, want to look around the next floor?"

The Luckster smiled, before looking away, "Well, normally, I'd like too, but I think I want to look around with someone else this time. I'm sure you'll never kill anyone, so I'm going to try and get through to someone who might, like Saitou, or Akumada, or..." Oonishi's heart sank: he was a little disappointed. Seeing his reaction, Kotobuki replied, "Uh, don't worry, Eiji-kun, we can do something later!"

Oonishi took a breath, conceding, "Okay, Kotobuki-chan."

She took her leave on the Dining Hall, leaving Eiji's sight as she headed downstairs. As he passed the Supply Room on his way down himself, he stopped for a moment, taking a look. The corpse was gone and the TV in its normal place, mostly clean, but still cracked. Oonishi gave a shudder, remembering what had happened yesterday, before turning off the light and closing the door. Turning back, he saw the staircase, now lit, going downwards. As he descended, the atmosphere didn't change much, still drab, but at least it was well lit. There was nothing immediately, but the hallway here was much wider than the ones previously, making it feel a little less cluttered. There was a squared pillar too, and standing next to it was Kinashi Ririka, in her hakama. She smiled at the Critic as he approached and asked, "What are you doing here alone, Kinashi-san?"

The Karuta Queen looked aside for a moment, still slightly smiling, "Well, I could ask you the same thing. It slipped my mind that we should be following the buddy system."

Oonishi nodded, "Yeah, I know we should stick together to be safe, but it is kind of annoying. I guess I shouldn't go wandering off alone after what happened though. But everyone's going to be down here anyway, so..."

Kinashi nodded, before asking, "Shall we examine this floor together, Oonishi-san? Everyone being here is reason enough."

Eiji shrugged, "Sure..."

With that settled, the pair went off to check things out. Going down the large hallway, it turned into another large open area. As they looked down, they imagined it to be the length of most of the hallways here: all the way across. There were two doors on each side, two on the left, closer to the back from where they stood, and two on the right, closer to the far wall. Looking at the first door on the left, it read 'Pool'. Curious, the pair entered. They were not alone though: two of the others were already here: Kotobuki and, to a little surprise from Oonishi, Akumada. Taking a moment to look around, there were two doors in the fairly small room, one blue, and one pink, obviously regarding genders.

On the opposite wall were two signs on each side of the door, both reading, 'For those who have read this message: the privacy of your fellow Applicants is quite important. To keep from interfering with said privacy, the security cameras keep tabs on those entering. If a boy attempts to enter the Girl's Changing Room, or vice versa, the doorknob will activate, a needle piercing the offendant's skin, injecting them with a harmless Knockout Drug. Should that fail, the laser array will kill any who attempt to get around the drug. Those affected with the Knockout Drug will sleep for 3-5 hours based on body size. Those affected by the laser array are put to sleep for eternity.'

Oonishi had to reread it, before stammering, "L-laser array!?"

Akumada pointed at the pair of cameras, each with a small attachment underneath. Kinashi gasped, "That is quite a bit excessive, do you not agree?"

Kotobuki nodded, "There's no way I'd want to get into the Boy's Room."

Akumada appeared to concur, "There's no way I wouldn't want to get into the Girl's Room."

Kotobuki narrowed her eyes at him when she caught his added words. With a sigh, she said, "Come on, we're done with the Pool. Let's go check out the next place!"

Akumada looked at Oonishi, before saying, "This is how it's going to be, isn't it? How can you stand her? Go here, do this, go here, do that. I'm about to do this, Drug be damned." He reached for the Girl's Changing Room door with his gloved hand. Kotobuki frowned at him. He stopped, sighing, "Well, I wouldn't mind someone testing it. How much force does it require to trigger? Are my gloves thick enough to stop it? Could I deflect the laser array with mirrors? The questions are endless."

Kinashi looked at him skeptically, "You cannot desire entry that badly. Or can you? It seems ill advised." Akumada didn't reply.

Oonishi said, "E-either way, it's probably for the best not to mess with it too much."

Akumada mumbled, turning to leave, "Maybe I shouldn't have read the note. Would not reading it have allowed entry?"

Kotobuki cried out, "Wait for me!" With the two gone, Oonishi and Kinashi looked at each other, before sighing and heading towards their respective doors.

"I guess the Pool's on the other side?" Oonishi asked.

Kinashi nodded, "That seems to be the case. I shall see you there."

Tentatively, he opened the door, weary of the bumpy texture as a result of the presumed needle exit points. As he was at the correct door, it didn't react to his touch, opening normally, though it had a bit of resistance, requiring him to give some effort. Going inside, he took a look around. There were a number of lockers, all with combination padlocks, held open and unlocked, all neatly unset with '0' at the top. There was a shower on the opposite side, presumably for rinsing oneself after a swim, Urushibara standing near it. In the corner was a set of shelves with a few men's bathing suits of varying sizes above another of towels. There were also a set of benches here as well.

Urushibara turned from examining the shower, greeting Oonishi with a smile, "Yo. Man, maybe I should get a swim in before everyone else goes and dirties up that Pool; it's probably the cleanest it's going to be. Unless: maybe I could convince everyone to shower thoroughly before even thinking about getting in. Still kinda risky though."

Oonishi blinked, "You like swimming?"

Urushibara shrugged, "I used too, before I read about sanitation. They put stuff like chlorine and bromine in it, filters, all that stuff, but there are still a few things to worry about. You don't think anyone here has anything gastrointestinal, do you?"

Oonishi gave a nervous smile, "I-I don't think you have to worry about that."

Urushibara scratched his head, before saying, "Nah, too risky. It's bad enough just being careful with the doorknobs."

Oonishi scratched his head, lacking a reply, getting a sudden scolding, "Hey! You're asking for it! Don't touch your face or nose or eyes or mouth after touching a doorknob or your hair or someone else's anything. You never know." Getting tired of the lectures, Oonishi stepped away, checking out the rack of bathing suits. There were a few varieties of styles, from standard shorts to a more daring racing style, but the colors were not so different, with monochrome choices of white and black, some being both. If Oonishi swam, he knew exactly which one he wasn't going to touch.

Moving on, he made his way to the Pool proper. Bright lights lit the room from the ceiling above, and the Pool itself was standard sized, though still quite large. At the sides, there were a few benches. On the wall in between the two Changing Room doors were a few large lockers, each with a floatation ring hanging on the front. The Changing Room doors themselves matched the others, complete with trapped doorknob. Oonishi had no doubts the laser array was over here as well. Kinashi stood watching the Pool, looking over at Oonishi when she heard him enter. The boy also saw Mizunoe, standing nearby, looking at the lockers, and Katsuragi, sitting at the edge of the Pool, her pajama's rolled up as she kicked at the water. Kinashi told him, "I was worried for a moment."

Oonishi apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry. Urushibara wanted to talk for a bit."

Understanding, Kinashi bowed slightly, "Excuse me, I did not consider that possibility."

Oonishi wasn't able to respond with more than a slight smile: she was just too polite. Oonishi looked around. There was nothing on the far side: the Pool stopped at the wall. Again, he had another question, "Why is this here, actually? It doesn't fit an Exam Building, office building, or shelter."

Kinashi, a bit curious, asked, "Was this something you were talking about with someone else?"

Oonishi nodded, "A few days ago, with Kotobuki, Tsujimoto, and...Tomoe." Clearing his throat, he continued, "We were trying to figure out why the building had those Office Rooms and that Emergency Storage for food and water. Now I'm just lost again."

Kinashi pondered for a moment, suggesting, "We are at the whims of Hope's Peak Academy here. They might have put it here to make it more interesting, giving us more potential for murder. I shudder to think, but the thought of a Culprit trying to drown someone..."

Katsuragi sighed, "Oh shoot. I was going to suggest we all get together and have a swim, but I was afraid that thoughts like that floating around might make it hard to convince anyone."

Ririka blinked, letting out a sigh as she bowed her head again, "My apologies. I did not consider that."

Katsuragi pondered for a moment, saying, "It might be for the best to wait a little longer anyway, for tension to fall." Kinashi raised her head, nodding in understanding. Katsuragi looked at Oonishi over her shoulder, asking, "Would you be willing join us when we swim? I know Kanata-chan would be interested."

Eiji, curious, asked, "Huh? Why bring up Kotobuki?"

Mizunoe, surprising Oonishi when the large boy came closer, suddenly replied, "Because."

Katsuragi smiled knowingly, "You are obviously close. There is no other Applicant you call 'kun' or 'chan'."

Oonishi scratched his head, muttering, "I guess that's true." Thinking about earlier, he'd jumped right to Kotobuki when he mentioned wanting to explore. Maybe the Luckster was right: it might be better to get closer to everyone, to try and prevent any disasters. Finally nodding, Oonishi replied, "I've never been much of a swimmer, but I guess I'd join in."

Katsuragi seemed glad to hear it, before adding, "Neither have I, but with a pool so close, it would be hard to make an excuse to never swim."

Looking at Mizunoe, Kinashi asked, "Would you consider joining us, Mizunoe-san?"

The large boy scratched his head, before mumbling, "Hammer."

Katsuragi looked at him quizzically, before Oonishi replied, "He doesn't swim, so much as he sinks, I guess." Mizunoe nodded, confirming.

Katsuragi added, "You could just stand at the shallow end. Perhaps someone could teach you?" Oonishi turned away, resisting the compulsion to laugh. He received the metal image of someone teaching him to swim, holding the giant's hands as he tried to stay above water. Realizing that said giant could do some serious damage to his person if he was offended by Oonishi's laughter, the boy said, "Excuse us, I think we should be going. We have more of the building to explore. Let's go, Kinashi-san." The girl nodded before moving to the Girl's Room door. They reunited on the other side, before returning to the hallway. The closest door was on the same side, with the next two being on the other side of the hallway. Moving on, they entered the room labeled 'Generator'.

This room was dark colored, and a little dim. It was dominated by two machines, one attached to the floor, and one attached to the ceiling, both whirring. There were a few panels around too, warning signs all over the place. There was no one else here, as the room was likely too ominous looking and loud for anyone to want to spend any amount of time here. Kinashi asked Oonishi, raising her voice a bit to be heard clearly over the whirring, "This must be the room that supplies power for the whole building, correct? Yet there are two machines. Do they both serve the same purpose?"

Oonishi added, "And why the ceiling? It's got to be a pain to keep maintenance up."

Unfortunately, the pair was not able to simply leave undisturbed. Before they could look around some more, Monokuma appeared. "Nothing's impossible for me! Besides, only the top one is a generator. The other is the pump, filtering air throughout the building! I would advise against touching either: even if you do survive the catastrophe of having the air messed with, if you suffocate more than two Victims, you'll be Punished accordingly. Well, that probably wouldn't happen unless you also started some fires, but you'd have to be crazy to think of some murder like that."

Oonishi shuddered before warning him, "If you're foreshadowing something..."

Monokuma looked around, worried, "Uh, gotta go!" He left as quickly as he'd come. Oonishi sighed.

Looking around, Oonishi said, "I want to look around this place a bit, see if I can find anything." Kinashi did not seem pleased, but she complied, and the two searched for a bit.

After a while, Kinashi finally insisted, "Our search has been fruitless, shall we leave?" Oonishi couldn't say no, and the two left the noisy room.

Back in the wide, outside hall again the pair saw the door ahead. It was not a standard door, but rather, a doorway with a number of drapes over it. Those drapes were decorated with a certain symbol, a circle with a few wavy lines coming out of it, the universal sign for a hot spring or sauna. "Hey, this is different," Oonishi said as he moved to go in. Kinashi was hesitant. Eiji understood when he thought about it: there was no indication of gender, unlike the pools. Taking a breath, he gingerly parted the drapes with his hands. As he moved to poke his head in, he heard a sudden, feminine shriek of surprise and fright. Turning red, Oonishi cried out, "I didn't see anything, I swear!" He backed away, looking away from both Kinashi and the door, embarrassed.

Listening closer, he heard one voice laughing and another chiding, "Tachibana-san!" Tsujimoto called out, "It's okay, Oonishi-san! She was playing around." Kinashi led the way this time, Oonishi following, face still pinkish.

Looking around, he saw a large sliding door, presumably to the bath. The glass was opaque, and impossible to see through. There was a pair of short, wooden benches and a few small lockers as well. Curiously enough, there was a monitor, but no security camera, like every other room. Tachibana stood by the door, giggling a little, while Tsujimoto stood on the other side of the room, hand on her hip. Tachibana laughed, "Man, that couldn't have gone more perfect. We should stick around more often, Oonishi-kun! In fact, marry me!" Oonishi didn't dare give her a response.

Tsujimoto changed the subject, "Well, it's nice to see a Group Bath. I prefer a simple shower, but this should be a nice change of pace every so often." Kinashi nodded in agreement.

Oonishi pointed out, "Did you notice there aren't any cameras in here?" The three looked around, not seeing any either.

Tachibana realized something, suggesting, "Maybe it's because it can get really steamy in here, if you know what I mean."

Kinashi said innocently, "Er, I do not understand..." Tachibana moved over to her, whispering something into her ear. As she said more and more, Kinashi got redder and redder. Eventually, there was enough steam pouring out of her ears to cloud any cameras that would have been in the room. Stepping away from Tachibana, Kinashi looked at Oonishi, bowing, "Excuse me, but I would rather not be in this place!" Tsujimoto shot a stern look at Tachibana, before Oonishi and Kinashi took their leave. Oonishi was certainly not about to ask about what thoughts the Director had put into her mind.

They had one room left. Having calmed down from the lewdness of the hot spring, the two of them entered the 'Exercise Room'. It was quite clear as to the purpose of this room. It was filled with a bunch of equipment, from simple things such as weights to equipment like treadmills, stationary bicycles, step machines, or flex apparatuses. There was also an exercise ball and a few other miscellaneous things. It was already in use too: Taiyoshi was on one of the treadmills, keeping a swift, steady pace. Toyoguchi sat on a lifting bench, averting his gaze from her. Oonishi watched the Super High School Level Runner in her natural form: Oonishi hadn't paid much attention to professional running, but she was certainly moving fast without seeming too stressed, and her movements were consistent. After a few moments she stopped it, getting off as it slowed, grumbling, "Piece of crap." She approached the pair nodding.

Kinashi asked, "Was there a problem with it?"

Taiyoshi sighed, "It was on max and I wasn't even breaking a sweat. Makes sense though: they have to replace the parts in the ones I get custom made for me all the time. Still doesn't match up to a track though, unless it's raining. Oh well, I guess I could work on my endurance."

Oonishi asked, "Right in your element, huh?" She nodded. Kinashi went to say something, but Oonishi's attention was interrupted by Toyoguchi's hand on his shoulder. The boy with the burn scar gestured for him to come aside. Oonishi went over with him to the other side of the room while the girls talked.

"Oonishi, may I ask you something?" Toyoguchi asked. Eiji nodded, and he explained, "I wanted to tell her, since she might not have been aware, but while she was running, she...this is quite awkward to explain. You must have seen it right?" Oonishi shook his head. "Her chest!" he hissed. "While she ran...she's not wearing any kind of sports bra! How do you tell a girl something like that? It would be embarrassing for you to do so, and potentially offensive, but it would be embarrassing for her not to."

Oonishi said shakily, "Er, I don't have much experience with girls. My middle school was all boys."

Toyoguchi sighed, before retorting, "But you spend all your time with them! Kotobuki, Taiyoshi, Kinashi..."

The Critic raised his hands, getting flustered, "That doesn't mean I talk about this kinda stuff with them! It's still pretty awkward!"

Their hearts froze when they heard Taiyoshi ask accusingly, "And what are you two whispering about over there?"

Toyoguchi laughed, lying, "The boy simply wanted advice from me earlier, and I finally was able to come up with something meaningful to say."

Kinashi, surprised, observed, "Oh, it must have been something private then. We can leave you to speak, if you would like."

Taiyoshi corrected her, "You mean: they can leave us."

Toyoguchi continued, "It is of no imminent importance! We can simply speak later. Go, Oonishi!" The boy in the glasses scratched his hair, glad for the cover, before moving out. Kinashi bid them farewell, and they left the room. Oonishi felt he'd had more than enough lewd discussions for the day, but even thinking that was tempting fate. Going down the bend in the hallway, they saw another dark, grated staircase at the end, going down once more.

Finished, they agreed it was getting late, and decided to head to the Dorms. Oonishi killed time in his room until later moving to the Dining Hall.

Arriving, it was indeed around dinner time, as Kotobuki was moving into the Kitchen. As the evening went on, the others began to file in, excluding Saitou. Seeing Iketani, Oonishi went to her, asking, "How are you feeling?"

Iketani smiled, "Better. Saitou was just rubbing me the wrong way, and it was just after the whole Trial thing with...you know. I'm back to normal, I'll check out the downstairs floor tomorrow. I already heard a bit about it. It doesn't sound like there's anything for me though. It's stupid..."

Sensing a bit of frustration, Oonishi asked, "Is something wrong?"

Iketani sighed, "My makeup! I don't have any extra. Haven't bathed since we got here either, I'm surprised it's held up this long. I think I'm gonna have to go without, but I look so pale and crappy without it, and being down here won't help me any."

Oonishi hadn't thought about that dilemma, quickly trying to reassure her, "I'm sure you look fine without makeup."

Iketani smiled, "Aw, you." She added with a wink, "Someone's going to get jealous if you talk to other girls like that."

Oonishi blinked, "Huh?" Iketani stuck out her pierced tongue as Kotobuki came out with a large bowl of spaghetti, and soon enough, bread, and salad. She'd started taking requests, going for Italian for tonight. Oonishi continued to be impressed by her range of cooking. While the meals weren't particularly original or unique, they were still well done. At the very least, she had a good grasp of the basics.

After everyone had gotten their food and started eating, Tsujimoto puffed her whistle a few times, before saying, "Alright, who here gave the Second Basement a good look? Anyone notice anything they'd like to share?" Most of the discussion was things already noticed by Oonishi, but two particular subjects brought interesting discussions.

Kirifuji brought the first one up, "The changing room for the Group Bath has no cameras. I imagine it'd because the steam would fog up the lenses. I do not know if he is able to hear us there, but it's entirely possible we might be able to discuss plots there without any interference from Monokuma."

Tsujimoto nodded, before sighing, "I think I'm starting to agree with Saitou though: I'm not sure if it's a very good idea to try. I don't know if we can wait for help or not though."

Kirifuji looked at her, adding, "Need I remind you that we are on a time limit?"

Kotobuki replied, "I don't think he was lying, but he didn't give a straight answer, did he? We could have a while: weeks, months. More than enough time for help to come!"

Taiyoshi sighed, "Even so, can we live here a few months? Sunlight deprivation isn't pretty."

Urushibara concurred, "Even if we do get enough Vitamin D, there's still morale effects. It might bum us out of getting the motivation to kill though, so maybe it's not completely a bad thing?"

Kotobuki added, "And even if we do run out of food in the kitchen, we have the Emergency Storage. Maybe that's what it's for!"

Oonishi shook his head grimly, realizing, "Yeah, being forced to eat poor tasting rations and a lack of sunlight...might make someone want to...you know."

There was a bit of silence, before Tachibana sighed, "Jeez, I'm gonna steal your glasses again! Maybe then, you won't just walk into the Group Bath changing room like that when someone could be undressing."

Toyoguchi's eyes widened, the Blacksmith shooting an accusing look at Oonishi, demanding, "Excuse me?"

"Please, let's not go there..." Oonishi requested.

Iketani spoke up, "Speaking of killing, what are we going to do about Saitou? Didn't Tomoe say something like... Well, she loves crowds, Shikishima's an outdoorsman. But so is Saitou..."

Kirifuji smirked, "What of you? There certainly wouldn't be a car here. How longing are you for the smell of gas and burnt rubber as you race? In the same vein, how much do you long for your poetry cards, Kinashi-chan? What of you, Taiyoshi-chan, and the wind on your face as you run? Oonishi-kun, I imagine you have much to read and watch? I'm quite at home here, picking you apart like a vulture on carrion. How long until you slowly crack?"

Kinashi gulped, "I am preforming practice swings each day, my edge will not dull. It's only a few hundred times, but still." She swept her hand through the air, a swishing noise being audible as she demonstrated.

Taiyoshi sighed, "Just keep the halls clear so I can run and I'll be fine. It's not quite wind, but it's still air. That treadmill sucks though."

Eiji had a response as well, "My backlog of things I haven't seen yet isn't that long..." He stopped, shaking his head, "Okay, that was a lie. It is, but there can't have been that many good things that have come out since we've been here...well, maybe. But I'm not going to kill someone over it!"

Kirifuji continued, "Make all the excuses you want. You're all passionate about your hobbies and talents, but what are you without them? A girl with too much makeup, a polite girl in traditi-"

Kotobuki interrupted, "You're just as bad as Monokuma!"

Kirifuji sighed, insisting, "All humans have their limits, but so few are aware of them."

Akumada shrugged, "Is he wrong? If you're so worried, take more precaution. Or must I repeat myself until you listen?"

Tsujimoto agreed, "He does have a point. There must be something we can do to keep anything from happening. Buddy system aside, how about nighttime patrols?" Kotobuki glanced at Katsuragi for a moment, but she didn't say anything. Tsujimoto continued, "If we have one or two people patrolling, it should dissuade anyone from sneaking around. If they can't move to prepare anything at night, they're more limited."

Kirifuji scoffed, "Tomoe didn't move during the night, now, did she? In fact, there's no excuse for her setting up so much and going undetected. The light bulb, the mirrors, the TV: even as the Super High School Level Magician, she can't have been that good at setting mirrors up: that's roughly half an hour not one person went farther than the Dorm Rooms or Dining Hall, plus any time that was left between when she finished and 4:00."

Mizunoe glowered, "You didn't notice either. The Psychologist is just as wrong as anyone else."

Toyoguchi nodded, "I concur! Keep your forked tongue in your mouth. I would also appreciate it if you kept from harassing the women. Being fat is no excuse for lacking manners." Kirifuji bared his teeth, before regaining his composure and going back to his food.

Tsujimoto puffed on her whistle again, earning another glare from Akumada, before saying, "So, night patrols! Yes or no?"

Katsuragi insisted, "I do not think there is any need."

Kotobuki studied her again, before saying, "I...agree."

Tsujimoto was getting a bit frustrated. "But why not?" she asked.

Kotobuki said nothing, but Katsuragi insisted, "If we talk later, I'm sure we can come to an understanding."

Tsujimoto sighed, getting tired, "Fine, fine, whatever." None of the other ideas regarding precautions had much merit. Disarming the place of anything dangerous was impossible, and the usage of the television was evidence of that: anything could be a weapon, from the knives in the kitchen to the pens Oonishi kept on his person. Even your fingers could be deadly, as Akumada was quick to remind everyone, his grisly descriptions ruining the appetite of those still finishing their meal. He found this much more amusing then everyone else did, happily finishing as he took in a few looks of disgust.

With that, conversation broke down. Though the meal was over, Kotobuki promised cookies soon. As a result, few left the Dining Hall. The tantalizing promise of cookies was too much for anyone to bear. After Oonishi waited for a little while, the huge Mizunoe sat down at his side. Although he hadn't said a word, Oonishi could sense that he wanted to talk, asking, "What's up, Mizunoe-san?"

The square jawed boy looked over at the smaller one, asking, "Critic. Do you think I'm...dumb?"

Oonishi shook his head, perhaps too vigorously, due to a bit of potential fear from Mizunoe's intimidating frame. "N-no, not at all!" he replied.

Mizunoe looked at him, gaze hard, as he replied, "Are you afraid of me?"

Oonishi frowned, admitting, "M-maybe a little. But I'm kind of a coward."

Mizunoe blinked, before grinning, "Hah, maybe, maybe not."

Going back to the original question, Oonishi asked, "What school did you go too, anyway, Mizunoe-san?" Mizunoe scratched his chin, before shaking his head. Oonishi thought he was getting to the root of why the question was asked. "J-just because you don't go to school doesn't mean anything. I mean, you're a Carpenter right? I'll bet your stuff is really sturdy."

Mizunoe nodded, stating proudly, "The sturdiest!"

Oonishi continued, "Yeah, no amateur could do that. What are you so worried about, anyway?" Mizunoe shook his head, not wanting to divulge anything.

"Critic. Are you an only child?" Mizunoe asked, changing subjects. Oonishi nodded. Before the conversation could continue, Kotobuki finally came out with a large tray of various cookies and a jug of milk. Oonishi moved to ask Mizunoe the same, but the boy had vanished. Looking back at Kotobuki, he was already over there, hovering over her, trying to get past the much smaller Katsuragi, whom was beginning to argue about how they'd divide the sweets almost immediately. He was sure they'd talk later. For now it was time for dessert.

Remembering there was one thing they hadn't talked about, Oonishi asked, "Hey, one moment. I wasn't the only one who found the Changing Rooms weird, right? I mean, the doorknobs, the lasers. Come on, lasers!? It's just a bit much to keep girls and boys out of each other's Changing Rooms."

Kotobuki had a counterpoint, "Really? I'm not sure if it's enough."

She shot a nasty look at Akumada as he swallowed his food, innocently asking, "What?"

Kotobuki sighed, "You know what." He shrugged, and the conversation fizzled out. With the meal over with, everyone headed to bed. Before they left, Tsujimoto was sure to warn them to be careful, and not to wander too far, as they had one of their number in particular to worry about. No one was in a position to deny it either.

Oonishi went to bed that night a little easier, but he couldn't do much about the current situation that hadn't been done. All he could do is try and be careful and content.


Thank you for reading!

Also, quick thanks to boron for reviewing (as of 10/26/13)! You made my day.