"Okay, something is definitely going on with Ask Nori."

"Why do you say that? I mean, yeah they doubled up on the Ask Ren column, but it came back yesterday."

"But the writing style is all wrong! Like, they're not even trying to pretend it's the same person."

"Maybe Nori just changed their style. You think of that?"

"I did! So I went to check on Nori's blog and—"

"Wait, Ask Nori has a blog?"

"Yep! They take questions there and publish short responses to letters that don't make it into the paper. And guess what? The blog hasn't updated in a week. After months of consistently posting at least once per day, even if it was just a 'hey I can't answer questions today, see you tomorrow' type deal! Why the sudden silence?"

"That…that is really weird. Even if Nori got fired from the paper, why would the blog be down? That's so strange. But…why do you care so much? It's just an advice column."

"I…I sent a letter, before all this happened. I'd been reading their column for months and they seemed like…I don't know, like they really cared, and it wasn't just a job to them. I waited for a response, but it didn't come. I was so disappointed. But then I found the blog, and look! That's how I signed my letter! I'm the last person they responded to! It feels like I might be the last person they tried to contact before they disappeared. So I have to do something!"

"Wow, okay. I can see you're set on this. But what can we do? It's not like the paper is gonna answer a couple of teenagers."

"Then…we'll just have to figure something out! Someone's got to know who Nori is, and once we have a real name, we can start looking!"

Chapter 2: Before Embarking on a Journey of Revenge, Dig Two Graves

Shiori stared up at the bunk above her. She could hear Kokoa shuffling about, getting ready so she could get to the mess hall right as it opened. Homura and Karen were still sleeping, but she thought she heard a few soft whimpers. Yesterday had been tough on everyone.

She hadn't really done much the rest of the day of trial. She did eat; Kokoa came back to the cabin with some onigiri she'd found abandoned in the kitchen, but other than that she just sort of napped, braided and unbraided her hair, and cried softly. She couldn't bring herself to get anything to do from the art center, or talk to anyone. The trial and meeting after had completely drained her. Unfortunately, it meant she hadn't slept well that night. I finally get to sleep, and then have nightmares about drowning. Wonderful.

Finally, the morning announcement came. Shiori tuned most of it out, instead contemplating if she should get up, when she heard Monokuma break from the usual script. "And now for a camp life update! Because you have made it through the first trial, I have opened a few new areas of the island for you to explore! Hopefully that'll break some of you out of your funks! Seriously, you have got to be one of the most depressed groups of teens I've ever seen!"

Just as the intercom clicked off, it came back on, but this time it was Mr. Saiki's voice. "Please make sure to get some food before exploring! I know yesterday was uh…well, just make sure you're taking care of yourselves."

Shiori took a deep breath and sat up. That's enough of that. If there're more places open, we might find something to help us get out of here. She got ready as quickly as she could and made her way to the mess hall. On the way she saw that the lock and beam that had been keeping the barn locked were gone, but she continued on. Don't want to go exploring by myself.

However, just as she was about to enter the mess hall, Isao and Kashie exited. Isao was wiping a bit of food from the corner of his mouth, while Kashie held an apple.

"Oh! Sh-shiori!" Kashie stammered in surprise.

"We were just about to come get you!" said Isao. "I was going to have a full breakfast, but Rika— uh, she's still inside; she pointed out that you weren't here yet, so I said I'd come get you."

Kashie rubbed her arm sheepishly. "And I, I uh, thought I'd bring you something?" She held up the apple.

Shiori smiled and took it. "Kashie, that's so sweet of you! And actually, I noticed on the way over that something's going on by the barn. If you two don't mind, could we maybe check it out?"

Kashie nodded, but Isao seemed a bit hesitant. "Just…let me get the rest of my food first." With that he dashed back into the mess hall. Not even a minute later he returned with three bananas and what looked like a smoothie. "Glad I got the rice and eggs done first! Those would have been hard to carry."

Shiori stole a glance at Kashie, but didn't comment. Just more of Isao being weird with food. Instead she said, "Okay, let's see what the heck is going on with the barn."

The group walked back over to the barn. Taking a deep breath, Shiori pushed open the door. Inside she saw the barn held three empty stalls and a loft above them covered in hay. The walls were covered with various pieces of farm and building equipment; shovels, ladders, hammers, nails, even a plow. In one corner stood a woodworking bench, with a circular saw bolted to it and various carving tools strewn about nearby.

And it turned out they weren't the first people to notice the open door. Seihiko carefully examined the woodworking equipment. Homura poked around one of the stalls. In the loft, Shiori spotted Remy carefully digging through the hay. On the edge of the loft sat Take, gazing out over everything.

"Hey guys!" said Shiori. "Did you find anything interesting, or that could help us escape?"

Homura poked her over the barrier of the stall. "Not yet! Just lots of hay and uh…hamster crap, I think?"

Shiori frowned. "I…don't think hamsters live wild around here? It's probably from mice."

Homura laughed sheepishly. "Oh yeah, that makes more sense."

"And bird shit," added Take. "There's the beginnings of a nest up here too."

"I want to find a mouse," said Remy as he suddenly popped up from behind a pile of hay.

"These tools could be useful," Seihiko suggested. "The saw is bolted to the table, but the other stuff could help us uh…unlock the gates? Or uncover a hidden control panel?"

Kashie shuffled her feet. "Did uh, anyone…find a hidden panel?"

Seihiko faltered. "Well no, but if we ever do, we have a way to open it."

"And now my posse has got a sweet place to chill," Take bragged. "'Course we'll let ya'll in if you ask, because you're pretty cool, but let everyone else know that the barn is now officially the headquarters of the Lil' Hotshots, 'kay?"

Homura looked puzzled. "We have a name now? Did you name us and I just forgot?"

"Nah, the name's new, but I'd been thinking about it for a while. The Hotshots are my proper bandit gang, but you guys are pretty chill, so you get to be the Lil' Hotshots. Homura, you're the muscle, and Seihiko, you're the brains." Take turned to Kashie and winked. "You're free to join us, too; just remember I'm the leader, so I call the shots."

Homura gave Take a raised eyebrow. "And take all of our stuff!" Her tone was playful, but Shiori thought she saw Seihiko give her a tense look, but it's over so fast that Shiori doesn't have a chance to really think about it.

"Uh…" Kashie's eyes went wide and she looked all around the room, "That, that uh, sounds nice but, um, I'm okay? I don't know if I wanna hang out in a…barn."

Remy appeared behind Take a poked him in the shoulder. When he turned around, Remy said, "I need to get pictures of the mouse. If I join, can I stay here and set up a hiding place to catch him on camera?"

Take pondered for a moment, then stood up with a smile. "Sure, dude! It'd be cool to have another member." Suddenly, in one swift motion Take grabbed Remy in a headlock and snatched up his camera. "Now how the heck does this thing work? Shit, this thing looks expensive!"

Remy's expression immediately turned dark, despite his face barely moving. "Don't touch my camera."

Take continued fiddling with the camera's buttons, as if he hadn't heard him. "Oh boy, this thing is high-def! I'm gonna get you to take super fancy pictures of all my awesome treasure when we get out of here."

Now Remy's face looked truly angry. He elbowed Take in the rib and snatched back his camera. "Nope." He rushed down the loft ladder and out of the barn.

"Yo, what the hell?" asked Take. "Greedy lil shit…"

Isao frowned. "You're the one who took camera."

Take looked almost offended. "Yeah, and…?"

Woah, okay, Take is getting weird; this could get bad very fast, thought Shiori. "Uh, we'll leave you to your uh, headquarters! Bye guys!" She grabbed Isao and Kashie and took them out of the barn.

Once the barn door was safely closed behind them, Shiori sighed in relief. The three exchanged a tense look, then Isao chuckled. "Thanks for getting us out of that situation." Kashie nodded vigorously in agreement.

Shiori gave a sheepish smile, then stopped. "Do you think we should tell Mr. Saiki about Take? I mean, he hasn't caused too much trouble yet, but I feel like at some point he's gonna get someone really mad with his stealing."

"I uh, well…it hasn't been too bad so far, right?" said Kashie.

"And I bet Mr. Saiki's already keeping his eye on him," added Isao. "How about we see if there's any other new areas open?"

Shiori perked up. "Yeah! The barn might be uh…occupied, but some of those tools really might be useful. So, which way should we go?" She pulled out her Monopad and looked at the island map.

Kashie peered down the path that led past the corral. "It uh, doesn't look like the gate down this way is open."

"Darn it, that cuts off at least a third of the island," said Shiori, "But look, wasn't the barn grayed out before?" Sure enough, the icon of the barn was now lit.

Glancing at the Monopad, Isao said, "Maybe it lights up as we find new areas?"

"That'd make sense. Well, I guess the only other direction we can go is past the pond." Shiori put away her Monopad, and the group began walking.

Pretty soon they came within sight of the pond. Shiori immediately noticed that the heavy lock on the stairs up the tower by the side of the pond was open. "Guys, the tower's open! Let's head up." Quickly the group climbed up the stairs and reached the top.

The top of the tower was mostly open with a simple wooden railing around the edge. By two of the sides stood binoculars, the type at the top of tall buildings. On the third side was a small gate in the railing and the top of a zip-line. Just as the group reached the top, they saw Rika, wearing one of the zip-line harnesses, jump off and whoop all the way down. Karen leaned on the railing nearby. Meanwhile, Akiko and Ikeda were looking through the binoculars.

Shiori rushed over to watch Rika ride down the zip line. Rika continued her cheerful shouting as she descended. Karen watched as well, rolling her eyes a bit, but also smiling. When she reached the bottom of the line on the other side of the pond, Rika turned back and began waving. "Karen! You should try it!" she shouted back to them.

Karen took a step back, shaking her head. "I can't. I'm not going to do something so…indignafied."

Akiko turned away from her binoculars. "Oh come on, Dictionary. Live a little! Or are you scared?"

"I'm not scared. I just don't think we should be…mucking around when we're in… uncartogrified areas." Karen glanced over at Ikeda, waiting for him to say something. He did not seem to acknowledge the conversation. After a moment she added, "It is far more important to be…foraging more information about our situation."

Isao shrugged. "I mean, there isn't all that much up here besides the binoculars. So you could use the zip-line to get down and do some more exploring."

Karen looked back down at Rika, who was still waiting at the bottom. "I…suppose that's true. Fine." She carefully put on the other harness, took a step back, and then jumped off the tower. After only a second she was whooping just as loud as Rika had been.

Shiori giggled. I feel like Karen needs to let go more.

"Hey Bubbly," said Akiko, waving her over, "Wanna take a look?" She gestured to the binoculars.

"Sure!" Shiori stepped up the binoculars and slowly scanned them over the landscape. She could see most of the areas she'd already explored, such as the mess hall, the buildings around it, the cabins, and the field. As she turned to look at the half of island that remained unexplored, she couldn't really see much through the trees. She thought she spotted a cliff further along past the pond, and some sort of pointed structure poking through the forest canopy beyond the barn, but what worried her was that, no matter which way she looked, she saw no other land masses.

Turning to Ikeda, Shiori asked, "Have you been able to see the shore through the binoculars on your side?"

Her statement seemed to break Ikeda out of his thoughts. "Not really. A few hazy shapes in the distance that could be land, but it's impossible to tell at this distance. No ships in the water either."

"Not even ships? We must be really out of the way…" said Isao.

Kashie figited. "But even in uh...in open water, there are fishing boats, right? Do you, um, think a smoke signal could help?"

"Hell yes! Let's burn some shit!" Akiko pumped her fist in the air.

"That would require material to burn," said Ikeda, "And even if we could cut down a tree for fuel, I doubt Monokuma would allow us to just start burning things willy-nilly."

"I mean, we'd have to be careful about it, but it could work! The rules are so vague!" said Shiori, "What even counts as camp property? Do the trees count?"

Akiko smiled from where she leaned against the railing. "That's the way to think, Bubbly."

Ikeda looked like he was about to sigh in exasperation, but he held it in. "The actual text of the rules hardly matters when Monokuma can just interpret them in whatever way suits his needs."

Shiori frowned, but nodded. Akiko grumbled something under her breath and went back to her telescope.

Turning to Kashie and Isao, Shiori asked, "Ready to move on?" They both agreed, and the group headed back down the stairs.

From there they set off down the path past the pond, eventually reaching the now open metal gate Shiori had discovered on the first day. The path wound through the woods for some ways, then they reached a fork. The right path was blocked with another gate, but the left path continued. Right at the fork in the road stood a hollowed out tree, with a tiny sign in the ground nearby. When Shiori walked over to get a closer look, she saw the sign read 'The Wishing Tree.'

"Wait…did Monokuma put this here?" Shiori gave a disbelieving laugh. "Did he seriously think while building this place, 'Hmm, you know what this camp needs? A mysterious tree to leave wishes in!' How cliche can you get?"

Kashie examined the tree at a distance. "I've…never been to a real camp…Do they have this sort of thing?"

"Well, they do in stories! There's always a place with some kind of legend or superstition attached. Like a haunted cave or a stump where if you confess your love to someone, you'll be together forever!" Shiori didn't mention exactly where she'd learned that. Don't need to mention reading American Summer Camp AUs…at least they helped me learn more about America!

"Are we sure Monokuma set this up?" asked Isao. "Maybe this place was a real camp that he…took over, somehow?"

"Well, the cabins and mess hall all look really new, especially the wood," said Shiori, "But with some of the other buildings it hard to tell."

Kashie frowned. "If…if he did uh, take over this place…wouldn't the people who own it be suspicious?"

"That's true," Isao conceded. He seemed to deflate for a second but then he perked back up. "How about we see what's down this other path?"

They moved on down the path until they came to a clearing with what appeared to an archery area. The clearing was mostly filled with a simple roofed shelter with a few benches, and one wall on each side with various sizes of bows and arrows. On the other side of the shelter they could see targets of different sizes at different distances. As she entered she saw Kenji sitting on the edge of the concrete floor of the shelter, examining a little sapling poking out at the place where the concrete ended and the dirt began. She also saw Gorou gently prodding the end of one of the arrows.

Shiori gulped. Wow, okay, there he is; what should I say now? Wait, am I apologizing for not checking on him, or asking him to hang out with us? Uh, second one seems less awkward with other people around… Clearing her throat, she called to Gorou. "Hey! How are the arrows?"

Gorou looked up, then shrugged. "Most of then aren't really sharp enough to hurt, but some are definitely…pointy." He eyed some of the arrows higher up, which looked a lot more like proper arrows. "No idea what would happen if you actually shot one of these dull ones at a person, but they can pierce the targets fine."

"We'll need to make sure to tell Homura about this place," said Isao. "Even if they aren't guns, having something to shoot in a safe place will probably cheer her up."

"I guess…" Gorou turned to examine some of the bows.

Slowly, Shiori made her way over beside him and picked up one of the smaller bows, turning it over in her hands. She tested the string, then picked up a few arrows that looked the right size. She turned to Gorou. "Wanna try and shoot some? I've never done it before, and I think it'll be a little less awkward for both of us if we both do it…?"

He sort of just looked at her for a second, then he snatched the bow he'd been looking at along with an arrow. They both stepped up to the edge of the shelter. Shiori struggled for a few seconds, but eventually set the arrow in the bow and drew back the string. Thank goodness that fantasy manga heroines always use bows. She took a slow breath, took aim at one of the targets with only slightly trembling hands, then let the arrow go. It flew through the air and hit the target; it hit way to the left of where she'd been aiming, but it did hit.

She smiled and glanced at Gorou as he shot his own arrow. It hit a little closer to the center than hers. "Good job, Gorou!"

Behind them she heard Isao and Kashie clap, and to the side she saw Kenji give them a little thumbs up.

Gorou looked at them, shocked, or maybe perplexed; Shiori wasn't sure. But he slowly lowered the bow. "It wasn't that great."

Shiori shook her head. "Honestly though, these bows are hard to use! They're the more traditional kind, rather than a compound bow; it took some doing to get the string back. And hey, we're beginners, so even hitting something is better than nothing."

"I…don't even know if I could use these," added Kashie. "I've never been super…coordinated…"

Now Shiori was sure Gorou was confused. He just sort of shuffled his feet. Shiori giggled. "C'mon. I don't think there's much left explore, so how about we head back to the mess hall?"

Shiori put the bow back and began to leave, but turned back to make sure Kenji and Gorou were following. Kenji hung right behind Kashie, but Gorou still stood where he'd shot the arrow. Shiori waved him over. "Gorou, you coming with?"

After a pause, Gorou said, "Uh…sure." He put down the bow and jogged over to join them. With that they began walking back.

The trip back to the mess hall was quiet. Shiori did make sure to let Gorou and Kenji know about the zip-line tower and the barn, but otherwise no one said a word until they reached the mess hall. When they entered, they saw Kokoa, Akiko, and Mr. Saiki at one table. Akiko seemed to be chewing something, deep in thought. Kokoa watched her, with a hint of eagerness on her face and her cookbook on the table in front of her. Akiko must be trying one of her chocolates…And it seems like she likes it?

"I think you're onto something, Coco," said Akiko as they approached, "The sourness of the lemon and the creaminess of the chocolate is a cool contrast; you could probably go a bit sweeter, but not too much. You thought of incorporating any other flavors?"

Kokoa wrote a little note in her cookbook. "At first I thought of grapefruit, but I want something more unexpected! There's already a citrus filled chocolate at the shop…"

"Maybe some other fruit?" Mr. Saiki asked.

"No! I mean really unexpected! It needs to be unique; something no one else has thought of."

Shiori stepped up and said, "Kokoa, I didn't know you had your own shop! That's really amazing!"

Kokoa stopped smiling. "It's not really mine; it belongs to my grandparents. Most of what we sell are my grandma's recipes. But I want to make something new."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck!" Shiori turned to Mr. Saiki. "Mr. Saiki, you mentioned food before on the intercom?"

Mr. Saiki perked up. "We have some leftover onigiri from yesterday."

"Did you make more?" Gorou asked. "We only made like, twenty of them."

Shiori gasped, eyes sparkling. "Gorou! Did you help Mr. Saiki make the onigiri?"

Gorou blushed. "I…whatever; I'm getting food." He turned from the group and went into the kitchen.

Shiori bit her lip, absently picking up one of the onigiri on the table. Oh, I embarrassed him…Okay, you can come back from this Shiori, you just need to be…chill about it. She remained lost in thought as everyone around continued chit-chatting. A shake on her arm brought her out of her own thoughts. She looked up and saw Kashie leaning over her. "Shiori…? Basically everyone's, uh, left…Isao said he wanted to meet up later at the tower, but uh, he wanted to practice alone a bit first. Are you just gonna…stay here, or…?"

Shiori pondered that for a second. "Did you see where Gorou went?"

"He's uh…still in the kitchen. Kokoa was there for a bit too, but Akiko dragged her off to do uh, something…?"

An idea forming in her mind, Shiori said, "I think I'll hang out here for a bit; do some writing. When did Isao want to meet?" Kashie told her, then headed out. Shiori smiled to herself when she saw that Kashie was walking a bit taller than she had a few days ago. She's starting to come out of her shell.

Shiori pulled out her Monopad and went into the kitchen. She saw Gorou standing by a big pot on the stove, but he immediately turned when he heard the door.

Okay, just stay cool. "Hey Gorou! Mind if I just sit in here and write a bit?"

Gorou gave her a strange look, but eventually said. "Sure, go ahead."

For some time they started silent, Shiori writing in one corner and Gorou stirring the pot. Shiori sniffed and got a pleasant whiff of what Gorou was cooking.

SHIORI: Mmm, that smells so good! What are you making?

GOROU: Uh, it's just nabemono; I figured it'd be easier to make in a big batch, and there were leftover vegetables from other people's meals…

SHIORI: Oh, I love a good hot pot! It reminds me of home. My mom makes a nice chicken one in the winter. I bet yours will be great! Where'd you learn?

GOROU: …it's not— I mean, I'm not that good of a cook. I just needed know how to make stuff, or I'd end up living off instant food.

SHIORI: That…does not sound like someone who learned to cook just for fun…but do I ask him about it?

[Why didn't your parents cook for you?]

[What does 'needed to know' mean, huh!?]

[Was it hard to learn to cook?]

SHIORI: Was it hard, learning to cook for yourself?

GOROU: Nah; I had the internet. Learning to budget was way harder.

SHIORI: Um…why did you have to learn these things? You don't have to tell me, if it's too personal or anything but uh…it just makes me sad that you had to grow up so fast, and it sounds like you didn't have a choice…

There was a long silence, and Shiori thought she wouldn't get an answer, but then...

GOROU: I…don't exactly alone, per say, but for all intents and purposes I've had to fend for myself.

SHIORI: Oh…well, at least here we don't have to worry about food! Even those of us who can't cook. We've got Mr. Saiki, and Kokoa…and also you! If uh, you're willing to share?

GOROU: …Maybe. It's not like I could eat all this in one sitting by myself anyway.

They lapsed into silence again, but it felt less awkward; now they simply took in being in the same space. Out of the blue, Gorou asked, "What are you writing?"

Shiori hesitated. "Oh, it's…an elegy. For Haruto and uh…and Hideyo." She gulped. "I just…I still have a lot of feelings about what happened so I'm just, trying to write it out? I used to do that a lot, but I haven't needed to in a while…" Because I was always so happy writing stuff for my stories and followers…which is a plus. Oh gosh, what are my followers thinking right now? I just disappeared and they have no idea why…Well, my real life friends who follow me will know I'm missing…right? Of course they'd know…

Gorou turned back to the hot pot. "I think I get it. There were definitely sometimes I just wanted to…scream into the void, or whatever."

"Oh yeah, this is basically that. I have no idea where I'm going with this…but hey! I can think about yesterday without immediately crying! So that's a plus."

Gorou gave her a strange look, then laughed, just a bit. "How are you so perky? Do you live off sugar and optimism?"

Shiori grinned. "I am a proud proponent of the sugar-and-optimism diet! In fact, once I got a email asking me to be a paid sponsor! I'm an influencer, Gorou."

"Oh my god, stop." But Gorou had a hint of smile at the corner of his lips.

Success! Shiori thought. Then she looked at her Monopad and jumped up. "Oh, shoot! I'm supposed to meet with Kashie and Isao! I'll catch you later, Gorou!" Shoving her tablet back into her pocket, she ran out of the kitchen.

At a full sprint which quickly transitioned into a jog, Shiori made it to the tower. Breathing heavily as she climbed the stairs, she finally reached the top. "I'm here!"

Isao and Kashie sat on the floor of the tower. Isao looked up at her as she sat down beside them. "You're fine! This isn't a formal thing anyway."

"So what is this then? Kashie only said you meet up."

Isao straightened up a bit. "I just…wanted to check in with you both, after yesterday…it kind of feels like we bonded, with the whole heart to heart thing? I could be wrong though, if you'd rather not talk that's fine."

"No!" said Shiori. "I definitely feel close to you guys. You're both wonderful; you're kind and supportive and let me cry on you and…"

Shiori stopped: Kashie was hiding her face in her hood, and Isao was blushing, wide eyed. She backpedalled. "Oh gosh, was that too intense? I'm sorry, but I do really think of you as my closest friends here…"

Isao look around, still a bit embarrassed. "You're not too intense…I just uh— I'm not used to such…enthusiastic compliments."

Kashie peeked out of her hood. "I…I've been really inspired by you, Shiori. I uh, want to be a good friend to you."

"Oh…Kashie!" Shiori gave Kashie a big hug. Then she eyed Isao. "You get in here too! Group hug!" Isao shuffled over to join the hug. Shiori gave them one last squeeze before releasing them. "Okay, so are we doing the whole check in thing? I'm definitely feeling better than yesterday. I did some free writing to sort of uh, clear my thoughts, and that helped."

"I'm glad you're doing better," said Isao. "I'm...okay-ish, I think. It's less raw now, and now it's more just sort of…disappointment? I didn't want to think it was possible one of us would actually…kill someone, but…Anyway, I guess I'm still trying to process what that means for us…"

Kashie spoke next. "I'm…less sad than before, but honestly I…I'm scared. Scared of what Monokuma might say next to, to get one of us kill again; scared of being hurt, scared of you two being hurt…"

Shiori pondered that, then suggested, "In the worse case scenario, if we stick together with a few other people when possible, it's less likely someone looking to kill will target us, because of witnesses. But! I think what's more important is if Monokuma comes up with a new motive, we have to counter it! If we can stop the motive from working, no one will kill for it. You guys with me?" They both nodded. She smiled. "Great! And Isao, I have an idea that could also help. What if we invite other people to these talks? I know we have Mr. Saiki, and that we all trust him, but I don't think all the others do, so having a place to talk just amongst us might appeal to some people."

"Sure, I don't mind. I'm just not sure who would want to right now, but that's no reason not to give the others the option."

Kashie fiddled with the tie of her coat. "Um, Shiori? What was it that you were doing in the mess hall before you came here? I, uh, I know you said you were writing, but I saw you go in the kitchen…?

"You got me," Shiori said. "I was talking with Gorou, and I think I made some progress! Honestly, he just seems really lonely, but doesn't know how to trust people. So we just gotta take it slow."

"So when do we tell everyone about these meetings?" asked Isao. "And how often should they be?"

"Tonight at dinner, maybe? And I think we should meet every other day, for uh, however long it takes for someone to find us."

"That works for me," said Isao.

"Me too," Kashie added.

Shiori jumped up. "Awesome! Then if there is nothing else that needs to be discussed, I declare the Feelings Meeting adjourned!"

The three climbed down the stairs and began walking back towards the cabins. However, as they reached them, Akiko jumped out in front of them and grabbed Shiori's arm. "I'm just gonna borrow her for a bit, 'kay?" And then Akiko was leading Shiori away.

"Um, see you guys later I guess?" Shiori called out behind her, then turned to Akiko. "You could have just asked me to hang out."

Akiko held up a finger in a 'shushing' gesture. "Not now; time is of the essence."

"Uh, okay then? Hang out time!"

In a whirl of motion, Shiori and Akiko ended up the woods behind the mess hall. Akiko dumped out a bag of spray paint cans.

AKIKO: Okay Bubbly, here's the plan; I checked, and even though there is a camera that can see us back here, it can't see what's on the wall. So…time for graffiti!

SHIORI: Oh! Right, I remember you mentioning doing something like this…Are you sure though? We could still get in trouble.

AKIKO: Nah, it'll be fine. There's enough leeway in the way the rules are written we can get away with it, and if Monokuma's still mad and makes Teach punish us, he'll go easy 'cause he likes you.

SHIORI: I mean, we can't necessarily be sure of that!

AKIKO: Come on! It's not like we're hurting anyone. It'll be fun!

SHIORI: Uh…

SHIORI: She does make a good point...

[I don't wanna take the risk…]

[But I suck at drawing!]

[Woohoo graffiti!]

SHIORI: You know what? Sure! Woo, graffiti!

AKIKO: Now we're talking!

They spent some time creating a mural on the wall. Akiko drew Monokuma locked up in a cage being punctured by spikes, and Shiori drew everyone else holding hands and declaring their friendship. Or at least she tried to; she couldn't get a good grip on the can.

AKIKO: Wow, you are struggling. Okay, maybe try both hands, since yours are so tiny.

SHIORI: Thanks. So uh, where do you learn how to do this?

AKIKO: Eh, just picked it up I guess. No one like, taught me exactly. Just watched some tutorials online, then got bored and decided to try it. Didn't do it a lot, but it comes in handy as a warning to people to stay away from my spots.

SHIORI: Wait, you have 'spots'? Are you a secret gangster or delinquent or something?

AKIKO: Or something! Just need some places to chill that aren't at home, and I ain't letting a 'no trespassing' sign stop me.

SHIORI: Oh…

SHIORI: Akiko is a lot more dismissive of authority that I thought, if she doesn't care about trespassing or graffiti…

SHIORI: Is your house too small to hang out in? My apartment barely has enough room for me and my parents, so…

AKIKO: Doesn't matter. Shit just sucks there, so I don't stay when I don't have to.

SHIORI: Oh...I'm sorry.

AKIKO: Don't be; I got that shit handled. Let's finish this masterpiece!

Eventually the mural was done. Akiko wiped a bit of paint from her hands. "Good job!"

Shiori stretched out her hands a bit. "That was a bit tiring, but I think it turned out pretty good!"

"Nice! High five!" They high-fived. Then Akiko started gathering the paint cans.

As Shiori kneeled down to help, she asked, "So what else did you do today? You and Kokoa seemed to be getting along."

"Yeah. She's pretty cool. I helped her with her chocolate for a bit, but then I was getting bored so we actually painted a couple trees out in a patch of the woods I found."

"I'm glad you're making friends."

"Thanks. I know I'm…not quick to make friends. But honestly, I am with you 'til the end, so if anyone's messing with you, you let me know, okay? I'll kick their ass."

Shiori gave a slightly nervous laugh. "Hehe, no need for that! But I appreciate the sentiment. It's getting late; how about we go get some dinner?"

They walked around to the front of the mess hall and went inside. They drifted to their own tables; Akiko with Kokoa, and Shiori with Isao and Kashie. Glancing around, she saw that Karen and Rika sat together, as did Remy and Kenji and the 'Lil' Hotshots.' Gorou stood with Mr. Saiki, helping dish out bowls of his nabemono. Ikeda was on his way out.

Quickly she turned to the group. "Hey everyone? Before anyone leaves, I have an announcement. Isao, Kashie and I thought it might be a good idea to meet every couple of days just to check in, and give people a chance to talk about how they're feeling if they want to. And uh, sorry Mr. Saiki, but we thought this could be a uh, campers only thing? We were gonna meet in the tower, day after tomorrow?"

Mr. Saiki nodded at her, smiling. "I think a student run group is a great idea. The more ways you all have of dealing with the situation, the better."

A wave of murmuring swept the room. Shiori saw some people nodding, but then her eyes fell on Take and his expression seemed strange. He had his normal smirk, but something seemed different in his eyes. Suddenly, he stood up. Shiori gulped.

"Well, I also have an announcement. The barn, as y'all have noticed, is now open. And it's now the official headquarters of the Lil' Hotshots! So if you need something in the barn, just let us know and we'll be happy to let you in. And hey, if you wanna join us, you'll get some sweet stuff. Show 'em Homura."

Homura stood up and held up a little carved wooden pendant around her neck. "We have matching necklaces! And they have little worms on them!"

"That's a snake," Remy pointed out.

"Yeah, we know, dude," snapped Take. "And you don't get to change your mind now that we have squad loot. You had your chance."

Remy's expression didn't really change, but he still looked away, back to his camera in his lap.

Take went back to looking around at everyone. "Well? Come on, this is an once in a lifetime opportunity! Getting to be in a group with the Penultimate Bandit!"

Kenji figgited in his seat, but said nothing. Rika seemed a bit excited by the necklace, but when she saw Karen's frown she went back to her food. Gorou looked at Take incredulously. Akiko openly glared at him. Ikeda didn't even look at him, simply heading out the door.

Take shrugged. "Fine. Have it your way; just know you're missing out."

Mr. Saiki gave him a concerned look. "Take, I hope you're not implying you won't let people you aren't in your club into the barn; it's a building for everyone."

"No way, Teach! I would never!" Take put a hand over his heart with a flourish. "Frankly, I am hurt you would think I would even consider such a thing!"

"Alright, alright." Mr. Saiki raised his hands in defeat. "I apologize."

The rest of dinner passed pleasantly, with cheerful small talk all around. As people finished eating they trickled out of the building, until it was just Shiori, Isao, Kashie, Gorou, and Mr. Saiki. By then, Shiori was yawning more than she was talking.

"Shiori, if you're tired, go back to your cabin," Isao said as she yawned again.

"But I want to…help with cleaning up," Shiori protested.

Mr. Saiki gave her a small reassure wave of his hand. "Don't worry about that. I've got enough help for that. It's been a long day; go sleep."

After a moment, Shiori relented. She waved to everyone as she left. She smiled when she saw Gorou and Kashie talking. My friends are also friends! This is awesome. She almost skipped as she walked. This has honestly been a really good day! New areas to explore, new friendships growing, and a plan to keep us together. Hopefully we can keep it up.

Finally she reached the cabins, but just as she turned to go to her cabin, she caught a glimpse of Ikeda leaning against the side of his own cabin. She gave him a little nod, but started a bit when he walked over. "Hey, Ikeda. Did you, uh, want to talk about something?"

He gave the faintest hint of a smile. "In a way, I suppose. I have a question."

She bit her lip. "Uh, sure? Ask away."

"You seem very eager to get us all to bond and what not. These meetings you've proposed, for instance." Suddenly his expression went blank. "What is your goal with that?"

"Um…for everyone to be friends? And feel comfortable talking about how they're feeling if they want to?" Shiori frowned. Maybe he wants the pragmatic side. "Doesn't it make sense? If we are friends, then Monokuma's plots to get us to kill each other will be less effective. Plus, it'll be nice? For us to be friends?"

"I don't think you've thought through the other possible repercussions of your plan." Ikeda took a step closer. Shiori felt herself sweating. "Sure, being friends means motives that promote just picking a target at random in order to escape are somewhat less likely to work, but what about a motive that plays us against each other? That plays on rivalries, or affections?"

"But if we bond we won't want to hurt each other!" Shiori shouted.

Ikeda laughed bitterly. "You really don't understand anything. You know what one of the most powerful motivations to hurt someone is? Betrayal. And you can't have betrayal without camaraderie. Surely you should know that."

"I don't know what you mean," Shiori said, trying to keep her voice even. "But I'm not in the mood to debate this with you right now. I'm going to bed."

She turned to open her cabin door, but Ikeda grabbed her arm. "You can't just ignore this. It's gonna get you hurt. It already has!"

Shiori took a breath. "Look, I don't know what your point is with all this? But I'm not ignoring what happened. I'm trying to move past it, but also learn from it. And frankly, I'd rather risk being hurt again if something happens to one of my friends than just hiding away from everyone. If you want to talk about this more, find me tomorrow. I'm tired, and I'm going to bed. Goodnight." She pulls her arm out of his grasp and quickly went through the door and shut it behind her.

After a tense moment of leaning against the door, Shiori sighed. And then Homura was suddenly in front of her, right in her face. "Are you okay? I heard you and Ikeda shouting and holy crap he was being creepy!"

"Ah! Geez, Homura, I'm fine."

Homura took a step back, but kept talking. "Oh good. I'm glad he didn't hurt you. Was he like, waiting for you to come back? That's like, majorly stalker-y behavior."

Shiori went over to bed and sat down with a slight thump. "He just wanted to talk, but you know Ikeda; he's always very…intense."

Homura began pacing. "That was more than intense; I have a good sense for these things, and that was definitely in the creep zone! Him getting so close and shout-y and— Oh. Oh no. What if he actually starts stalking you?" She rushed over to Shiori and took her hands. "I promise I will stop him if he ever crosses the line."

Shiori leaned away a bit. Speaking of intense… "I appreciate that, but seriously, I'm fine. I don't think he'll try anything. Now, I'm actually kind of tired, so uh, goodnight?"

Homura froze for a second, then she jumped back. "Oh! Right, right. Night, Shiori." She went over to the light switch and turned it off.

Shiori kicked off her shoes in the darkness and got right under the covers without taking her clothes off. She was too exhausted to care.

The next morning, Shiori almost slept through the morning announcement. She would have if Homura hadn't shaken her awake. "Shiori, something's going on! Monokuma said there was a special announcement."

Shiori sat up, stretching a bit to wake herself up. "What…?"

Then she heard Monokuma's booming voice. "Everyone needs to meet at the mess hall in five minutes! I will accept no excuses, so get moving!"

Well, at least I don't have to get dressed, Shiori thought as she fixed her hair and headed over to the mess hall. But what is going on? Were there open places we missed yesterday he wants us to find? Or…crap, what if it's another motive?

When she reached the mess hall, Shiori immediately went over to Isao and Kashie . "I missed the first part of the announcement; what's going on?"

"We, we don't know…" said Kashie, her voice shaking a bit. "But I have a bad feeling…"

Isao put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Remember, we can get through this together."

He smiled, but Shiori caught his knees trembling ever so slightly. Everything feels more real, now that Monokuma has actually gotten one of us to… She took a breath, but her heart was pounding.

Once everyone had arrived, Monokuma dropped down in his usual fashion. Is it strange that I'm getting used to that? "Upupu! Good morning campers! I hope you enjoyed your day off, because it's time for another motive!"

A strange combinations of groans and concerned hums filled the room. She noticed that Mr. Saiki looked extra concerned right away. It was like that last time too…does Monokuma even tell him the motives before revealing them? She also saw Ikeda deep in thought, completely unfazed. She turned away.

Gorou stepped up. "If we're gonna do this again, can we at least cut to the chase, instead drawing everything out?"

"Nope!" said Monokuma gleefully. "I'm in charge, and so you have to listen to my explanation! And besides, this motive is a bit more…complicated than last time."

Gorou deflated slightly, but continued glaring.

Monokuma rubbed his paws together. "Now then! Mr. Saiki, the curtain!"

Mr. Saiki made his way backstage to pull back the curtain. He was frowning, but just a bit. Shiori couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit relieved at that. Mr. Saiki really is on our side.

"So campers, I have realized despite being in a camp, none of you have done any of the classic camp activities! No nature walks, no art and crafts, no crazy late night escapades! None of it!" Just then the curtain behind Monokuma finally opened all the way, revealing a glass bowl filled with bits of paper in it on a stand. "And since some of you seem so keen on 'bonding,' I say it's time for a classic bonding game; Never Have I Ever!"

Most of the others looked confused, but Remy just said, "That game where you see who's done what silly things? But why the bowl of paper?"

Shiori nodded at Remy's comment. It does make sense he'd know about this game more than some of the others; it's more common in America.

"Well, there is a bit more to it than that in Monokuma Edition!" Monokuma waddled over to the bowl on the stand as he explained. "For those of you who don't know, in 'Never Have I Ever,' everyone holds up one open hand. Then, going in a circle, each person says 'Never have I ever…' and finishes with something they have never done. If someone else in the circle has done that thing, they have to put a finger down. If by the end you've lost all your fingers, you loose! As for the bowl, I have no idea what you kids would even ask each other! No way of knowing if we'll ever get something really juicy!" Monokuma chuckled. "Upupu! So I made a bunch of scenarios myself! Each one is true for at least one of you, so it's sure to be interesting!"

Ikeda raised his hand. "And just to be clear, this is not optional?"

"Correct! In fact, you have to stay here until we've finished the game!"

Shiori jumped at a sudden thunking noise behind her. Everyone turned, and Karen, who was closest to the door outside, tried to open it, but found it locked.

"Alright everyone, get your butts up on stage! I have a bit more to explain before we get started." Cautiously the group made its way up on stage and formed a circle as Monokuma continued. "You'll each take turns picking a paper from the bowl and reading it out loud. Now, if you pick something you actually have done, put the slip back and pick a new one."

Mr. Saiki came and stood near the circle of students. "What about the last person? By then, they may be stuck with something they have done."

"Well, sucks to be them! That's how we're doing it! And speaking of the end, when the game is done, I will announce one final twist! Let's just say, some of you will be having a bad time, depending on how the game goes…Now then, there's just one more thing I need to mention." Suddenly Monokuma pointed at Mr. Saiki. "Since you're the guidance counselor, it's important for you to bond with the campers, right?"

Mr. Saiki gulped. "Yes…?"

Monokuma's red eye glinted. "So you'll be playing too!"

Oh no, a cliffhanger! Sorry to leave it on that note, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that it was worth the wait. I'm very excited for this motive and this next chapter. As mentioned before, there will be a poll to see who Reijirou will spend time with next chapter, so please vote on that. And as a reminder, if there are any ties, and one of the characters is one Shiori has had Freetime with, I'll choose the other one, for the sack of variety. On a different note, there is a Discord server for Penultimates now! If you'd like to join, send me a PM and I'll give you the invite code. It's very chill, just for fun little discussions and chatting. As always, please feel free to review and give me your thoughts! Until next time!