Koba's limbs felt heavy. Almost as if he was in an unreal world… he barely stumbled out of bed, only dressed in his loose t-shirt and his briefs. He stumbled over, quickly grabbing his shorts and tugging them on. He was half asleep… but he felt like he had somewhere he needed to go. His mouth was dry. He must have been snoring again and sleeping with his mouth wide open. Only one thing could make this better and that was a nice, cool glass of water.

He didn't bother putting on his hat or jacket, leaving his hair in more of a mess than normal. Everything felt like a rush. And he was just so… tired yet so thirsty. It was quiet as he stumbled out of the room and into the hallway. Of course it was quiet, it was the middle of the night. Everyone else was probably asleep.

It only took him a moment to get a cup of water from the kitchen. He was really glad the kitchen wasn't closed at night. He didn't know what he'd do if he couldn't even get something to drink in the middle of the night. Sucking down the cold, wet water really was refreshing as it washed down the gritty, dirty taste that was always left over when he fell asleep with his mouth open. Letting out a long, pleased sigh as he rinsed the cup out when he was finished, knowing Bellerose would be on his ass if he left dirty dishes laying around.

Koba was on his way back to his room when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. It was fuzzy at first, almost as if it wasn't real. But Koba slowly turned his head. Eyes locking onto the figure, slowly trying to make out the details.

It was at the top of the stairs. Smaller than any of the other students, even smaller than Sweeney. It was dressed in a dark green… cloak? It was like a cloak on the small figure, too long for even it's hands to show out of the sleeves. The dark of the hood shadowed where the face of this gremlin grin reaper would be. Only tenticle like strands escaped in a few places, mainly going down their shoulders.

Without thinking, Koba took a step towards it. There was something unreal about what he was seeing. Something that drew him closer, as if he was trying to find some kind of answer.

The figure responded with a startled gasp, turning and fleeing back up the stairs and disappearing around the corner. Koba didn't hesitate with a response, chasing after the figure without hesitation.

He wasn't sure why he felt the need to give chase. Maybe it was the curiosity warming his gut or his already impulsive behavior. Either way he was already taking long strides up the stairs, reaching the top just in time to see the figure head off into the next flight of stairs.

Koba bolted, close enough behind to notice if the figure changed course. There was no way the figure could sneak into one of the other rooms without him at least seeing the door close. This was confirmed further as they reached the next flight of stairs, Koba saw just as the cloak seemed to flick the corner of the stairs.

He knew there was no where else to go on the third floor. The stairs were blocked off, so there was no way they could get around him. He just needed to know how this thing got in here. Maybe they knew a way out… maybe they could save their life.

Koba reached the top of the stairs just in time to see the teacher's room's door shut. They were cornered now, that room had no other exits. Without hesitating, Koba entered the room.

The scientist looked around as the door closed behind him. The soft click of the door was almost silent and could easily be missed if one wasn't listening for it. His eyes scanned the room, missing the figure huddled in the corner the first time around. But with a moment of realization, his gaze locked on, slowly heading around the desks just in time to see the figure reaching onto one of the desks, putting a bunch

of stuff onto the teacher's box. However, when they noticed him, they gasped again, backing up and walking into the wall. Small hands receding back into the sleeves.

Koba could see better at this moment, make out the dark green of the cloak, which would be a longer coat for a normal sized person. Draped over this small figure it covered every inch of it. Koba also noticed red squares scattered over one of the shoulders... their right shoulder?

"Hey… it's okay." Koba said, slowly walking closer to the figure. "I just want to know how you got here? Who are you? Are you okay?"

The figure didn't speak. Just stared at him. As the skater drew closer he could see pale green eyes peering out from underneath the hood.

Koba stopped moving, the terror in their eyes caught him off guard. Whatever this thing was, he was scaring it.

"Don't worry," he started, trying to comfort the figure as much as he could, "I won't hurt you."

"Koba…?" A voice spoke, but it didn't come from the figure… but maybe that was his imagination.

Koba felt his mouth open to respond but no words came out. He snapped it shut, confused at the sudden situation. He opened his mouth again, trying to comfort them more, but still, nothing exited his lips. With a confused sound, Koba felt his head start to spin. He started to panic as he fell to his knees. No longer able to move. He looked up, seeing the small, pale face under the hood, seeing the terror that seemed to be focused somewhere else at this point. Koba gasped, trying to break out a few more words before the corners of his world grew black.

"You're dreaming… Fumio."

I'm dreaming.

Koba suddenly sat up in bed, taking a moment to rub his head as it spun from the nightmare. Now that he had awoken, everything made a little more sense. He could recall tons of nightmares that ended in a similar way. They almost always ended like that. Moments where suddenly words couldn't escape, where suddenly no one could hear him. He was finally silenced.

Koba thought about the many nightmares that had ended in a similar way. Ones involving his sweet mother and dear brother. Every nightmare was in pieces as his brain tried hard to press them into the back of his mind. Bloody images of his family lined his memories. But those were all nightmares, all ending in his gasping silence. His family grew up happy in a nice house. Nothing bad has ever happened to us.

What confused him though, was what that figure meant? Maybe they were a symbol of escape. A manifestation of his desire to leave this place. Yeah, that made sense. Groaning, Koba went and curled back up in bed. Seeing he still had an hour or two before it was actually 7. He tugged the thick blanket back over his head, cuddling underneath and falling back into a light sleep.

Makoto wasn't able to sleep the entire night. The fact that one of the students were dead kept him awake. Now he was leaned against the gate, ready to run to the third floor the second the door popped open. He had to know, he had to hope that Himura didn't die because of him. That he didn't lead the student to his death.

When the alarm went off, Makoto jolted upwards, ready to bolt the second he could fit through the door. He mentally blocked out Monokuma's voice as it echoed through the tvs around him. The door slowly started to lift up, taking longer than usual. With a growl, Makoto hopped down, crawling down the second the opening was large enough before bolting down the hall. One of the only times being so small was a benefit to him.

He could feel the aftereffects of a sleepless night as he started to run up the first flight of steps. Adrenaline and exhaustion seemed to battle it out as he climbed up the stairs, resting in some mediocre middle spot as he reached the second set of stairs. He was almost there. Almost to the top of the third floor. His mind reeled to try and decipher where the fight had taken place. When Himura had talked to him, he had no idea where he had gone… Himura seemed so intent on where he should go. The student knew exactly where to go to get the bear's attention. But where could he have gone?

Right when he reached the top floor, Makoto realized just where Himura must have went. During the nighttime announcement Monokuma had mentioned how the computer lab was now off limits. That had to have been where he went. Makoto ran to the room, pausing in front of the door as he remembered that there was no way they could be inside. He scanned the floor around the door, looking over the details of the hall to find anything noticeable. That was when he saw it, scuffs and gouges into the floor. Makoto followed them, seeing a few where there must have been a struggle. A few scuffs where the knife swiped and hit the ground and deep indents where it was stabbed into the ground. But there was no signs of blood… which was a relief. Maybe no one died last night. Maybe for once, in the entire history of the murdering school life, someone went back on their murderous intent.

But there was one last place Makoto had to check to feel safe with that idea. Hope had washed into his stomach but was slowly drained out again as he looked towards the wall. The door to the teacher's room seemed to loom over him. The most frightening aspect, however, was the fact the door hadn't been closed all the way. No, instead it was slightly ajar, the darkness inside the room casting a thin shadow into the hall.

Slowly Makoto pushed the door open. His eyes first scanned for bodies. He felt the tension in his gut as he thought some of the shadows in the corners where bodies. Drifting into ghosts of the past. The fear of finding another body weighed his body down like it was full of sand. But after staring down the nightmares it became obvious they were just shadows. With further searching it became obvious that there was no dead bodies in the computer lab.

Something did catch Makoto's eyes, however. A pile of papers on top of Komaeda's desk. Reflective tape must have been used on the folder because a small square glowed in the light provided from the open door. Makoto paused before slowly scooping them up into his hands. He looked then over carefully. Someone had put these here… someone had wanted these to be found.

Makoto glanced around, wondering where these could have come from. If Monokuma out them here, they were a trap… but if someone else put these here than Makoto needed to hurry. If they weren't supposed to be here, Makoto knew Monokuma would come to retrieve the lost info.

Makoto quickly thumbed the folder open. The first page revealed the most important info regarding this folder. It was all the info detailing the new students. Turning the page, Makoto looked over an index of all of the students. Scanning over them as quickly as possible. Something caught him off guard right away… someone's name was missing from the list of students.

Where was Masako Kagabu's name? It was missing from the list.

There was also a large, scribbled out name on the list, but it was too short to be her name. What did these mean? Makoto went to open up the first student file but was stopped dead in his tracks.

"Well, Well, Well." A chill ran up Makoto's spine as the voice slowly grew closer. The bear had such light steps, it was so easy to miss the sound of his steps slowly closing in on the headmaster. "Why don't you just hand that over?"

Makoto went to pull it away but the bear jumped up, snatching the folder away from him before flipping through it. It was almost like he was checking the information inside. With a shrug, Monokuma pulled out one of the files before he grabbed another file from behind his back, tossing it inside the folder and tossing the whole mess back. "You weren't supposed to get this information yet… though I don't think you were the person they wanted to find it. Either way, you can have the rest of this information. Plus I threw in a little bonus reading. A gift to show you how much I 3 You guys!"

Monokuma tucked the other file under his arm. Makoto couldn't take his eyes off of it. Obviously they needed it if Monokuma refused to let them have it. The bear started to leave, Makoto's eyes staring the bear down as he made his departure.

"Oh, and Makoto, stay out of trouble." Monokuma said, glancing over his shoulder, showing his menacing, toothy grin that was carved into his face. "You and your fellow teachers will be punished if you get in our way."

Makoto just glared at him, knowing whatever he said would just be made into a joke. His silence just seemed to make the bear giggle, his paw covering his mouth as he let out another laugh, trembling with the power as he walked out of the door.

Makoto looked over the desk next to him, gripping the folder in his hands. Who had left these here? And who were they left for. Makoto scanned the desk, looking for anything else that might be important. Nothing really seemed to catch his eyes. With a long sigh, Makoto sank into one of the seats, opening the folder up to scan over the documents.

He tried to find information that would be helpful to them. He looked over the names, matching them with what was still inside the folder. Yup, just as Makoto thought, Monokuma had removed the folder belonging to the scratched out name. With a sigh, he dug out the info the bear had crammed inside. It was a case file. Makoto shrugged, setting it aside before digging back into the folder. If Monokuma willingly gave him that information than it was definitely a trap. No matter what, it should be saved for last.

The rest were student profiles. At first, they were extremely unfamiliar. But the more he looked them over, the more he started to remember them. This was how they decided who would be the first students of the New Hope's Peak Academy.

They were all composed of handwritten notes from scouting. The text detailing important deductions on their performance when the scouts appeared. Makoto already knew who wrote these. While there had always been two people on recruitment missions, one of them was constant amongst all the visits. These had all been hand written reports from Nagito Komaeda. Flipping through more pages, Makoto absorbed the information to the best of his ability, but nothing seemed important. He skipped over Kaitos since almost nothing was written on him anyways. There was nothing this file could tell him about the actor that he didn't already know. The next shortest one was Himura's.

Thinking about it, Makoto remembered how Himura was added to the school. He had been discovered completely by accident. Komaeda and Asahina had just happened to choose that coffee shop for a quick breakfast. How the two made the quick decision to add him to the roster after taking a quick sip of his work. It truly had been a surprise to catch such a talented student in the cafe… it had been so small and apparently barely keeping itself afloat. The fact that such a talented student was hidden inside was absolutely astonishing.

Flipping through the pages, Makoto felt a heavy heart looking over his students. These profiles brought back memories of his excitement to reopen the school. He remembered preparing the school for their arrival, the joy it brought him to help these kids into an even brighter world and open up an entirely new future for them.

But… was this school what's killing them now. He looked over the dead students profiles. Frowning as Hotta's file popped up in his view. They wouldn't be forced into this killing game of they hadn't been selected, right? The fact that they were even in this game was his fault… Makoto closed the folder with shaky hands. He had to take a long, deep breath to compose himself, trying his hardest to avoid the breakdown that was working it's way up from his throat. These kids needed him and… all he did was fail him.

Makoto couldn't look at the profiles any longer, snapping it shut and pushing it away before glancing over to the other folder. Even though this heavy feeling of despair that loomed in his chest, curiosity found its way through as he glanced it over. The folder was different than the others as sharpie scrawled a date over the front. This… this was a murder case file… but… why would Monokuma give this to them?

Himura rubbed his shoulder, still sore from last night. He glanced around, his mind still a little hazy as he started to pull himself out of bed. He made a promise last night. He wouldn't talk about what happened last night.

Sighing, Himura went over to his counter, leaning onto the marble before letting out a long, drawn out yawn. Slowly getting to work, he began making himself a hot pot of coffee. While waiting, something caught his attention. There it was, Kaito's envelope filled with the Actor's secret. Himura gently lifted it up, even more surprised to see the actor hadn't even opened it yet. So… Kaito had no idea what the threat was. The actor had displayed a sign of trust to Himura, how else could this be taken?

Himura wanted to just pop it open, to peek inside and read over the contents. He wanted to absorb more information on the actor, to just see how perfect he really was. But at the same time, the note felt so private, like something he should never look at, something that wasn't ever meant to cross his gaze. Like he was sinking his teeth into private information that didn't belong to him.

Himura would… sit on it. He'd decide later if if he'd read the note, there wasn't any rush, since the last attempt at murder was a failure, maybe they'd all get through this hitch free. Maybe Monokuma would lose this round. Himura made himself a nice cup of coffee aa he crammed the secret into his apron pocket. It seemed like he had nothing to worry about.

Himura stepped out of his room just as the morning announcement went off, allowing him to barely catch the headmaster bolt to the stairs.

...Oops…

He forgot to give the teacher a call… the headmaster must think he's dead. Himura was about to follow him when he saw Kobayashi straggle from his room, the fellow student looked exhausted beyond words. Waddling out of his room as he struggled to pull his windbreaker on. Himura went to go talk to him, only to see the beanpole of a student suddenly shoot up straight, making eye contact with Himura before his big, goofy smile stretched over his face. "Yo, yo, yo it's my numba one bromie!"

Himura paused, catching himself as a slight chuckle bubbled from his chest. He wasn't sure if the humor came from Koba's demeanor or his weird words, but it seemed to lift Himura out of his slump, even if it was just for a moment. "Morning, Koba."

A few more seconds later and more students seemed to pile out of their rooms. Slowly the group gathered in the hall, a lot of the students looking a little anxious.

"Come on everyone!" Sugai belted as he pushed his way through the crowd, "let's go get some grub!"

Most of the class followed after him, but Himura paused as a few of the students stayed back. Iris, Niijima, Koba, and Kusonoki all stayed back for a moment, the group of them smiling a bit before Iris took a step forward.

"Himura, we wanted to thank you for being such a good friend… you've done a lot for us and we appreciate that… we probably wouldn't be alive without you… so, here!" She quickly handed him a bright, yellow rose. Himura carefully took it, being mindful of the thorns that covered the green stem. It was one of the biggest roses he'd ever seen. "Yellow roses represent joy and friendship… so I hope you like it…"

"I want to go next." Niijima said, taking a step away from her spot nuzzled next to Kusonoki. She pulled out a small object from behind her back, thrusting it towards Himura with a smile. He gently put the rose in his pocket so he could take the large porcelain mug from the DJ. Himura looked it over, noticing the goofy, cat shaped mug his friend had given him. It had large, rounded ears on the top, making it so you couldn't drink from the sides if you wanted to. The handle was a cat's arm that reached up to the cheek. The cat itself making a cutely angry ;3c face once you put it all together. "I thought I'd mix both our interests," Niijima said, a small smile crossing the girl's thin lips.

"Cats and Coffee, what more could someone ask for?" Himura joked, watching as Niijima took a step back, letting Koba bounce up to the front next.

"You bro, I appreciate ya. You don't treat me like garbage and that means a lot to me." Koba said as he tossed Himura small, wrapped piece of candy. "So I'm givin ya one of my favorite treats!"

Himura looked over the fruit roll up in his hand before tossing it into his pocket, chuckling gently to show his appreciation. "Thanks, Koba."

Koba nodded and then, Kusonoki took a step forward. Silent at first before handing over the small, grey square.

"Kusonoki... I couldn't take that." Himura said gently, watching as she handed over her beloved audio recorder.

"Take it." She insisted, moving to instead tuck it into his pocket. "I don't need it anymore because when we get out of here, I'm getting the newest one they have!"

Himura paused for a moment before chuckling. "Thanks you, all of you. I really do appreciate all of this."

"Now, let's go stuff our faces!" Koba barked, bouncing before running off. "See you losers there."

The others went to follow, but Himura stopped Niijima for a moment. "I'm just curious, but where did you get this mug?"

The DJ paused, only seeming to look back when Himura touched her arm. She tapped her jaw before shrugging. "I got it from that weird toy machine where you put in little gold coins and capsules inside. It's called the MonoMono Machine. I found it tucked into an old room next to the nurse station… have you not seen it yet?"

"No…" Himura said, adjusting the large amount of presents in his arms as he glanced around. "But it just sounds weird to have in a place like this."

Niijima nodded before she continued on. "That's what I thought too. But I found this weird little coin with Monokuma's face on it and he said that's what those are for. So I popped it in and that cat mug came out. I know Hotta was telling me about how she found a bunch of coins around the school. It's how she got all those gifts she was giving to everyone on the first day."

"Strange," Himura started, "but I guess it makes sense, she'd have good luck if the presents were for other people."

Niijima shrugged before turning away. "I'm gonna go eat now, I feel like my stomach is going to chew it's way through my flesh if I don't hurry."

Himura chuckled before heading towards his room. "I'll meet you there, Niijima. I have to go put all of these delightful gifts away." Himura joked, though the only present he was iffy about was the fruit roll up, but that was because it was just so… ridiculous.

Himura took a few minutes to gently lay out the presents. Setting the rose into a vase and put it next to the coffee machine. He put the mug close by both of them. With one final gesture he tossed the fruit roll up onto the counter. He paused, holding the last gift in his hand and quietly looking it over.

The small, dark grey box was covered in cute little stickers. Small, pop up ghosts filled with glitter along with a cute, happy version of the investigator with a large camera on her shoulder. It was cute, a small piece of tech like this decorated to be more enjoyable. Something someone would do to an item they carried with them all day. Two buttons rested on the top, both worn down from constant use. A bright, red record button and a smaller, grey play button. It looked like the recorder saved all recordings until they were transferred onto a computer. That was convenient, the ability to hold several recordings until they could be transferred onto a computer later. Himura noticed that the number 3 was scratched onto the paper of the machine. 3 must be the max number of recordings it can hold at a time.

Himura decided to shove the recorder back into his pocket. Something about it made it feel as if it could be used later. Maybe it would be useful to keep it on his person at all times. Shrugging, he headed down to the kitchen.

"There you are." Bellerose said, walking over and tugging Himura into one of the chairs before dropping a large breakfast down in front of him. "I thought I was going to have to hunt you down."

Himura chuckled nervously before grabbing up his fork and taking a few bites. "Sorry, I had to go back to my room for a minute."

"You're fine." Bellerose stated as she elegantly slipped into her seat. "I just won't let anyone skip meals. I'd be shamed for the rest of my life if one of you idiots starved to death."

"So, what are we doing today?" Sugai asked, cramming a forkful of food into his mouth as he looked over his friends.

"Oh, I had a few ideas." Eguchi spoke up, moving her bag onto the table. "If some of you would let me do your makeup I would be completely honored."

"Makeup?" Luna questioned, finishing her food as she glanced over at the other student. "What kind of make up where you thinking of?"

Eguchi shrugged and looked over the entire table. Himura noticed the cat like irises that she'd put in. Her lips pulling over her sharp, vampire like teeth as she looked over everyone. "It just kind of matters who wants to participate. I have ideas for everyone."

"Well you can count me out," Sweeney stood up from the table, pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose before making his exit, "Makeup isn't my thing."

"I decline as well. Unfortunately I have better things to do." Bellerose stood to her feet as well, flipping her ponytail off her shoulder before heading back into the kitchen.

Kaito would lean back in his seat as he ran his lithe fingers through his plush hair. "I'll pass as well, darling. I'm not a fan of other people doing my makeup. But I'd love to watch."

"Makeup gives me rashes… I think." Koba seemed to be the last to speak up, silence following the unsure remark.

Eguchi stood onto her feet and brushed herself off, picking her box up off the counter before looking around at everyone. "Well then, Let's get this started."

Then, everyone followed Eguchi would, heading back towards the bedrooms before leading everyone inside of her own room. At first, Himura was a bit surprised. Sure, the skeleton of all the other rooms was there, the basic bed and the counter with the same ugly wallpaper, but at the same time, so much was different. Her long counter, the place where Himura kept all of his coffee machines, was a long stretch of mannequin heads, each one covered in prosthetics and materials to make them look like fantastical creatures, most of them almost unfathomable. Most of the walls in the room were covered in movie posters, most of which were famous monster movies or sci-fi adventures. Boxes of makeup and other supplies stayed close to the weird faces on the counter, making the entire room look like the backstage of a movie set.

"What a familiar set up!" Kaito said as he flopped into his seat, pressing the back of his wrist to his forehead as her stretched out of his legs. Making such an over dramatic pose is just what makes the actor so colorful. Himura couldn't help roll his eyes a little. Though the smile faded as he remembered the note in his pocket. What information had Kaito trusted him with and why would he ever trust Himura? "Really makes me miss the stage life."

"I miss it too," Eguchi said as she started setting her supplies onto the counter, "I know I didn't get to perform on stage like you, but there was nothing that's ever felt quite as wonderful as creating a masterpiece that will woo the audience and make them believe that the creatures I make are real."

"I feel you darlin'! The way people enjoy the art you put out there for them, the peak they get to see inside your mind every moment you perform… it's… the best feeling in the world." Kaito added, during his pause the actor pulled a lovely rose from his shirt, holding it out in front of him before pretending to give it a nice, gentle sniff. "So, who are you doing first?"

"Well, let's see who will go first." Eguchi said, looking around the small group of friends that had gathered in the room, a few of them had plopped onto her bed as they waited their turn. Himura hesitated as no one stepped forward to go first. Shrugging, he went to volunteer, only to be cut off by a tall figure.

"I'd love to go first!" Sato burst out, leaning forward as her eyes seemed to sparkle, "I'd be honored if you warmed up on me, Eguchi!"

"No! Pick me!" Sugai stepped forward, almost knocking the racer off her feet. "I want to see what you'll turn me in to!"

Eguchi chuckled as she set out the last two seats near the counter for these two. The third one was still occupied with the actor's rump as the guy slowly spun around in the chair. The two eager students flopped down into their seats, both eagerly bouncing as Eguchi picked up her tools to start working.

Everyone watched as Eguchi got to work, slowly layering both of their faces with makeup before putting on separate pieces that resembled rubber. It was amazing, seeing Eguchi perform her talent like this. Just watching it felt like viewing some exclusive preview of a ballroom dance. The performer knowing exactly what steps to make and the story they wished to portray. For a moment, Himura wondered if this is what it felt like to watch him make coffee. Did she zone out too? Get lost inside of her work as if the entire task was more important than life itself. Or did she have her own world to get lost inside as she worked. The concentration was obvious on her face, but she seemed happy to work. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she deserved her title as Ultimate Special Effects Master.

When she finished, the two students looked fairly different. Sugai was finished first. Eguchi had made the student's jaw look as if it was falling off. Fake flesh was tearing off his face, peeling off as fake blood gathered in the bottom of where the fake flesh touched the real skin. Himura was almost completely fooled by the job and if he hadn't just watched the artist perform the illusion, we would have been positive someone had attacked the Motivational speaker. She passed Sugai a mirror, allowing him to look at the monster she had created. His reaction wasn't as great as everyone else in the room.

"AAHH! I look like a MONSTER!" Sugai shouted, as he looked afraid of his own reflection. It was like watching a giant dog whine and bark at a mirror. Scared at something that couldn't hurt him. But then he burst into laughter, handing the mirror back to Eguchi as he put on of his meaty hands onto his chest. "You were right! This is so much fun! I'll have to let you do my make up more often."

"I would really appreciate that." Eguchi said as she gingerly held the mirror. She paused before moving over to Sato. Now this was something that was harder for Himura to swallow. The change had almost made Himura uneasy. When Eguchi handed the mirror to the tall racer, the loud laugh really helped the barista remember who was under all that makeup.

"Hay! You made me look just like Souda-Sensei! I look just like him! Holy shit!" Sato said, prying one of her fingers into the side of her mouth to stretch it open, giving everyone an even better look at the shark like teeth that lined her mouth now. Thick eyeliner around her eyes helped shape them like the narrow eyes of the mechanic. Not to mention she'd perfectly mimicked his hair, tucking Sato's into the hat and creating one, little braid down the side. Sato even had the weird, pink eyes of the teacher, more beady than Himura had ever seen the racer's eyes, but definitely matched that of the teacher.

"We have to go scare him!" Sato said, jumping to her feet and whipping her head towards the motivational speaker. "Come with me, Sugai, together we'll give Souda quite the fright!"

"Sounds like fun to me!" He said as he hopped to his feet, brushing himself off before the two raced out of the door. Himura couldn't help but quietly send Souda his best wishes since the teacher was about to witness quite the nightmare.

The group watched as the students left the room, leaving Eguchi behind, chuckling softly to herself. For now, Himura just had to imagine what was happening to the poor teacher.

"So, who's next?" Eguchi questioned, looking over the group with a soft smile as she waited for the next person to volunteer. Himura couldn't help but think back to the times he's spent with Eguchi and how emotionless she usually appeared. Now she had a smile and even though it was only a very slight smile… it felt good to see his friend having such a good time.

"I think Himura should go next." Kaito remarked from his spot where he was still spinning in the extra chair. "I want to see what you'll make that big teddy bear look like."

"I-uh, I don't know," Himura shifted in his seat, unsure of what Eguchi would do to his face. But when he saw how excited Eguchi looked at just the idea, he found himself standing to his feet. "Just keep it light, okay, I don't want to have to scrub my face later."

As Himura walked over and sat in the chair, Eguchi picked something up and slipped it into Himura's pocket. "There, those are some makeup wipes. They'll get any amount of makeup off easily, even if it's been sealed."

Himura paused as she went to grab her brushes. At least he'd have an easy way to get whatever she put on his face off. Taking a deep breath, he leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes so that Eguchi could get to work. He couldn't help but think back to when Eguchi had prepped him to look nicer, less depressed. Right now was like that moment, just more intense. He could feel the soft contact with her brushes as she patted a small powder onto his skin.

"What's that powder for?" Iris asked, leaning forward from her seat on the bed to get a better look.

"Oh, This?" Eguchi held up the round cylinder forward for everyone to peaked just in time to see it. The label on the container was in dark, bold letters. Almost like something you'd see on the cover of a monster movie. "This is a special base I created. It holds makeup better than most of the creams plus it doesn't clog your pores. And even more fortunately it helps me stick silicone to my subjects' faces."

"Woah, you have your own foundation?" Niijima asked, her voice seemed easy to miss within the group.

"Not just my own foundation," Eguchi responded again, moving back to Himura just as he closed his eyes again, "I have my own makeup line. A lot of people use my brand, Eguchi's Horror Show."

"Quite the name." Himura commented as he felt a feather brush run below his cheek bone.

"Yeah, publisher's advised against that name, they said it might be taken the wrong way. I told them I didn't care. I wanted to keep it true to what I do for a living." She kept working and Himura tried not to flinch as she got really close to his eye.

"Gotta stay on brand!" Koba joked as Himura could hear him flop back on Eguchi's bed, the scientist was probably extremely bored at this point. He doubted his peer could sit still for more than five minutes.

Eguchi chuckled anyways, placing something onto Himura's face. "Yeah, exactly."

"I know I've always used your makeup." Kaito remarked from his seat, his voice causing Himura to shudder slightly. He was still trying to process the events from yesterday. "It's honestly one of the best brands in the world."

"Much appreciated, Kaito." Eguchi said. Then everyone let her get back to work. Himura almost felt like he could fall asleep as this process took place. Eguchi worked lightly, not needing too much participation from Himura to finish her work. After what felt like a few minutes, she patted Himura on the shoulder, signalling him to open his eyes as she handed him a small mirror.

Himura looked into the mirror, pausing for a long moment to take in the new look that appeared in the mirror. He hadn't really expected this at all.

In the mirror there was some kind of punk. He had even darker rings around his eyes, sinking deep into the skin. His face looked dark and foreboding, like he knew something he was never going to tell. His face consisted of small, little cuts all over, including a long, thin scar that ran over one of his eyes. Himura found himself staring for longer than he expected. This face…. This face looked like he had it in him to kill someone.

"Himura, what do you think?" Himura suddenly looked up, broken from his trance like state as Eguchi leaned forward, a slight smile on her lips. Slowly Himura realized how strange his train of thought was, but it still took him awhile to recover.

"I think it's cool." Himura said, handing the mirror to his friend before hesitating. "I need to get some coffee. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Sure thing, Himura." Eguchi responded as she watched her friend go to leave. Looking slightly worried as she glanced around the room.

Kusonoki hoped to her feet, as if she was suddenly remembering something. "Himura, we were going to have a party later in the cafe, will you come?"

"Yeah… Of course." Himura responded, giving a slow nod before heading back to his room. It was weird, suddenly he felt light headed and numb. He had a vague idea why, reading the secret on that note was digging a grave for him. It was like quicksand, slowly causing him to sink deeper and deeper into the ground. The whole thing as if he was sinking into his depression more than usual. If he wasn't careful, this would consume him.

For now though, he was going to enjoy a few cups of coffee. Maybe some time by himself would make him feel a little better. Doubtful… since being alone left him to drench himself in his own thoughts as they continuously sank deeper and deeper into his brain like nails being hammered down deep. But he also couldn't stay around everyone like this. It only made them more concerned. He couldn't do that to them. He couldn't make them worry about him constantly.

Once he was back in his own room, he started up a pot of coffee. He most likely had a few hours before this party started. So until then, all he had to do was sit back and relax. To take a deep breath and try to chase away all these dark clouds in his head. Try to focus on anything positive to get him away from the darkness looming in his mind.

The positive he let himself sit on as he went into his bathroom to wash off all of the makeup was the idea that they had avoided the murder this time around. That was something that lessened the tense feeling of his muscles. With that, he could let out a long, drawn out sigh. This time around it seemed as if they showed Monokuma that he couldn't make anyone into a murderer.

"Oh, Makoto, welcome back. I'm guessing you didn't find any dead bodies?" Komaeda questioned the headmaster as he reached the top of the stairs. Making eye contact with the slightly ruffled teacher as he stopped to talk with him.

"No, Thankfully no one seems like they were hurt… But I did find a bunch of new files in the Teacher's Room on your desk." Makoto started as he adjusted the pile of folders in his arms, obviously trying not to drop them. "I've been trying to figure out who put them there… It couldn't have been Monokuma because he was angry when he found out I had it."

"That is really interesting." Komaeda stated, suddenly extremely interested what was inside of those folders. "Do you mind if I take a look?"

"Yeah, sure." Makoto saud as he handed the folders over to the white haired teacher. Komaeda did notice slight hesitance in the other teacher's actions, as if he wasn't fully sure it was a good idea. That was nothing new, no one trusted him. "I think Monokuma took the only page that will be useful to us. I'm pretty sure the rest of this is garbage."

"You're probably right," Komaeda said as he gently took the folders from the headmaster, "I doubt the Ultimate Hope would miss anything and that someone as worthless as me would find something new in these folders."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Makoto remarked, looking even more uncomfortable now, "I miss a lot of things."

Komaeda shrugged, turning to go into his room. "Oh, of course."

Seeing no need to continue the conversation, Komaeda ducked into his room. Tossing the folders onto his small table before sitting down next to it. Quietly, he flipped it open, peeking inside to witness the contents first hand. While he didn't want to admit it, he doubted Naegi had picked up every single clue these folders held within. Someone had to go lengths to get these to them, but who could do that? Had one of the students already found a way into private areas of the school? That sounded extremely unlikely, but what other options where there.

Plus the fact that it was on his desk, maybe Komaeda was the one who was meant to see this folder. Contents gathered that only he would understand. That sounded logical.

He only had to flip through the pages of the Student Records for a few moments before he founded exactly what he needed to prove this was for him. Naegi had said this folder was useless but in truth… it was packed full of information that was extremely useful. Taking mental notes of everything he should come back to, pressing them into the space in his mind like small, brightly colored sticky notes. Trying to put these new pieces together with all of the old ones.

After a thorough search of the Student Records, Komaeda moved over to the other folder. It was some sort of case file. As he opened it, he thumbed through it, realizing that this was too a murder case. While he couldn't remember the exact event, he remembered the location and most of the names within the folder. It was filled with evidence and suspects. Pictures of the victim and the crime scene littered the very back page of the folder. Komaeda wasn't sure how this was immediately relevant to being trapped inside of this school, but something in his gut told him that they might need it eventually.

He was about to really get into the details when his bedroom door suddenly opened. One of his students walking into the room.

"Sorry to bother you, Komaeda-Sensei." They said, their voice soft as they spoke. "I just really needed to talk to someone."

Komaeda paused, he had completely forgotten that his students could access his room whenever they wanted. He was fairly willing to help them, though, as they were the future of this world. If he could provide them help in this world it was something he'd gladly accept without hesitance. He closed up the folder, sliding it to the center of the table as he moved his attention to the student.

"Come on in," Komaeda told them, watching as they took a seat near the table, "is there anything you need?"

"Could I get a glass of water?" They asked, staring down at the table, looking a bit nervous.

Komaeda nodded, going to the kitchen to fetch a tall glass of water for the student. Wondering what could be wrong. They seemed so concerned. Well, no matter what, time would tell what was wrong with them. For now, it seemed as if he just needed to sit down and listen to his student's problems. Maybe he could actually help them.

"Hey Pal! You ready to go?" A loud pounding sounded on Himura's door as the voice called out to him. "It's time to go to that party!"

Himura walked to the door, tugging his apron back on before opening it up. He wasn't surprised at all to see Sugai on the other side of the door, The towering figure looking down on the small barista. "Hey, Sugai."

"Hey Himura! Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Himura tried to joke, but it fell kind of flat. The whole line sounding more like an exasperated comment.

"Oh Himura, you just need a good ol' confidence boost!" Sugai said, smacking Himura on his back and causing his skin to sting for a few moments.

"I need a lot more than confidence." Himura joked as he tried to recover from the sharp pain in his back.

Sugai laughed and the two started their walk to the third floor. Their conversation continued as they made their way to the cafe. Sugai didn't seem like the kind of person to stay silent for a long period of time.

"Confidence can take you a long way. Though I know it only works in short bursts for some people. Trust me, I've worked with a lot of people like you." Sugai stated, his eyes glued more on Himura than where they were walking.

"What do you mean by people like me?" Himura asked, though he had a looming fear he knew just what the speaker was going to say. He'd heard it a million times from adults when he was younger, actually, he heard it from most people who tried to get close to him. People like him usually referred to sad people. Sad people who just needed to be happy and their whole world would be better. They were all obviously people who had no idea what they were talking about. No idea what it was like to be depressed. It was more than just sad.

"People with depression." Sugai said, almost catching Himura off guard. Though he still wavered a little bit, unsure of where to go next with this. "I've helped a lot of people with depression in my line of work. Face to Face meetings where I help them realize all of the good stuff they've done their entire lives. They lack a lot of motivation, so just a little help can be monumental."

Himura paused, staring him down for a little bit before smiling a little. "Oh yeah? And that usually helped them?"

"Sometimes, everyone's different. But I know some of them were really moved by my words. It meant a lot to some of them to hear that there was nothing wrong with them, that they didn't need to force change. That they just needed help sometimes and that's fine."

"That… sounds like a nice thing to hear." Himura said, still staring at the large speaker. Part of him wished he could have heard that growing up. That all the families he had lived with had realized the same thing. That there was nothing wrong with him. That he just needed them to understand… He wondered if he would be a different person if he'd been told that earlier in his life instead of what he normally heard. Instead of all of the rejection he faced in his life. "How do you stay so confident, even in a place like this?"

"Haha! That's a good question my friend!" He shouted, clenching his fist as they reached the second floor. He paused, looking around to make sure there was no one else around to hear them before his strong, sharp features melted away. "I don't. I'm terrified. I'm so scared that all my friends will die. That I'll die. That I could have helped one of my friends before they turn on eachother. That I'll be to late to save someone important to me."

"Really…?"

"Of course! Even though I seem like a pretty hardy guy, I'm always afraid I'll fail, pal. I've never had much confidence in myself but when I see people suddenly inspired by what I say, it helps me keep going. It's my job to walk people through the hard parts of their life. To assist them as they walk over shaky ground until they get to something more solid. If I missed the signs and let one of my friends slip through the cracks, I don't know what I'd do. I've already let it happen twice but I cannot let it happen again. I have to be useful, just like you are!"

"Me?" Himura was a little surprised by that last part, watching as tears welled up in the corners of the tall man's eyes. His fists clenched so tight that the veins were popping out near his knuckles.

"Yes! I've seen how you inspire everyone. You make them feel safe. I've seen it in their eyes, hell I've felt it! Everyone knows that as long as you're here, we will find a way out alive."

"I-I had no idea. I don't even know why they would think that." Himura questioned, startled at the idea that he carried so much on his shoulders.

"Thank you. I would have given up without you here, pal." Sugai said as the reached the cafe, stopping outside for just a moment. "We all would have died in that first trial without you."

Without waiting for a response, Sugai pulled the door open. The second the wood peeled from the frame, music came blasting from inside. Strange, techno remixes of songs Himura had heard before. The barista looked around to see the dimmed lights with smaller lights flashing around the room. His peaceful cafe had been remade into a noisy club. He saw some of his classmates in the room already, dancing and having a good time with each other as they enjoyed the strange, but enjoyable music.

Himura had heard Niijima DJ before, she had control of the music during their beach party. But now she was really laying down her own music. All these songs were most likely created by her, when before they were current pop songs. These felt more fitting in the dark coffee shop turned club. They were songs meant to be danced to.

Himura took another moment to see who was with who. Kusonoki was up on the small stage with Niijima, the two giggling to each other. Then there was Bellerose, the chef was setting out perfectly made snacks over the table. Prepared as if they were at some five star restaurant. Sweeney was sitting off in one of the far corners, sitting alone and looking as if he was forced to come. Sato was dancing with Eguchi near the stage. Close by was Luna and Iris, the two seemed to be chatting about something. Everyone looked like they were having a good time. Himura just barely realised that someone was missing from this party. Where was-

Suddenly the door swung open from behind them as Koba came rushing into the room. His neon clothes lighting up in the dark lights of the room, making the skater look almost other worldly. He looked a little worried but his face quickly twisted into a large, beaming grin. "Got a radical blow out blasting in 'ere! Can't believe I was late! Ya excited for this, homie?"

"I'm not a big fan of parties." Himura suggested, distracted at how much Koba glowed in the black lite. "Why were you late?"

"Huh? Oh, had a convo with someone. Took longer than I expected." Koba confessed before looking around. Whatever it had been about, Koba didn't want to discuss it any further. Already moving on to the next thing. "Shoot! Look at all those snacks! I'm so hungry!"

Himura watched as Koba raced off towards the snack table. Watching Bellerose's face suddenly covered in a curtain of annoyance as Koba scarfed down the food in front of him. All of her hard work prepping seemed wasted as the hungry storm of Koba's greedy hands trampled over the plates.

The party was okay, Himura found himself making coffee most of the night, making simple, sweet drinks for his friends as the night went on. It didn't seem to take long for his friends to get bored. Slowly dispersing from the party one by one. The first to leave was Sweeney. The tattoo artist just seemed annoyed by the entire get together. Himura didn't really understand why he even bothered to come. Then Iris, Luna, Sato and Bellerose all left together, heading back to their rooms in a group soon after the nighttime announcement sounded through the room. Koba ended up falling asleep at one of the tables pretty late into the night. Himura spent those few minutes trying to decide if it was just too late for the scientist to be awake or if he had a crash from the 6 cups of sugary coffee he had drank. Either way, Kaito was nice enough to carry him back to his room for the night.

It was getting extremely late when Niijima finally cut the music, hopping down from her spot in the stage and slipping her music mixing robo arm back into the long sleeve of her crop top. She walked over with Kusonoki to the rest of the group that was left.

"Well, I'm calling it a night. Anyone else coming?" Niijima asked, glancing over the four other students.

"I think I'm going to stay a little longer." Himura said as he stirred the straw of his iced coffee. "I just want to take some silent time and drink in peace."

"Sounds fair to me," Niijima said softly as she glanced around, "anyone else?"

"I'll walk ya back, pal." Sugai offered, taking a step towards the DJ.

"I'll come too." Eguchi yawned as she walked over to the group. "It is getting pretty late."

"What about you, Akumu?" Niijima asked, looking over Kusonoki with a slightly worried gaze.

"I think I'll stay here for a little bit." The investigator finally said, glancing over at Himura for a moment before looking back towards the departing group. "A cup of coffee sounds really nice."

"Alright! Good night everyone!" Sugai was almost shouting as he went to walk the two girls back to their rooms.

"Wait… um Sugai?" Kusonoki said, lightly grabbing the large student's hand before he got too far away.

"What is it, pal?" Sugai questioned, turning around to face the much smaller girl.

"Uh… just make sure they get back to their rooms okay, please?" She let go of his hand, letting the three of them leave the room.

"Sure thing, anything for a friend." He smiled as the three of them departed.

That just left Kusonoki and Himura, the two where now alone in the cafe. Silence followed for a few moments before Himura made them both a nice, warm cup of coffee. For a moment, this was just like the first night they had spent together. Sharing a nice cup of coffee as the two of them just talked. It was a peaceful way to end the night…

Koba pulled himself out of bed, his mouth was dirt dry once again. It felt like he had wiped out in the sand, all of it pouring into his mouth on impact. Looking around, he had no idea how he'd gotten back in his room. The last thing he remembered was being at the party. Quietly he wondered who'd been nice enough to carry him all the way back. Even more quietly he hoped it had been Iris.

As Koba got his glass of water from the kitchen, he realized something horrifying. He left his skateboard up at the party. Sighing, he knew he had to grab that right away! What was he supposed to do without his prized possession. Quickly he turned and bolted up the stairs, heading back towards the cafe.

Once he reached the third floor, a heavy feeling washed over him. Something felt… wrong. The Hall was darker than normal. His gut slowly started to clench as the nauseating silence washed over him.

He tried to brush it off as paranoia. It was something that could easily be triggered in a place like this, dark halls that they may never escape from. A place where they're being forced to try and kill their friends. He just had to take a deep breath. To try and relax and let the fresh air in his lungs loosen his muscles.

The breaths only seemed to make things worse. The air was stale, with a tinge of something familiar in it. The small difference was making goosebumps run over his pale skin. Whatever that small addition was, it was causing his entire body to go on alert. He couldn't recall why but something about this hall felt forbiddingly familiar.

He paused as he saw a small, bright splash of pink on the ground in the hallway. He froze. There was a small chance it wasn't blood. Some of Himura's drinks had brightly colored pinks, so maybe someone had spilt one of their cups. It was a hopeful thought, though something inside Koba knew that couldn't be true. He'd seen fresh blood enough in his life to know what it looks like.

Koba took a few more steps forward, walking slowly towards the cafe. He was afraid of what would be inside. He was afraid he'd find more than just his skateboard inside. Slowly he pushed the door open, only to be greeted by the overwhelming smell of iron.

His head was spinning as he looked around the cafe. His eyes trying to find anything out of the ordinary, praying that he wouldn't find anything wrong with the room, that he wouldn't find any dead bodies. But it was hard to miss the slumped over body in the center of the room, blood splattered all over the front of their shirt and apron.

Koba felt his breath hitch as he ran over to Himura. There was no way the barista was dead. He couldn't die… not like this and not here. How were they supposed to solve cases without his help. He'd seen through everyone's traps in the previous cases when everyone else was blinded. What were they supposed to do without the barista know. As he reached his side, he couldn't help but notice the bloody knife in the Barista's hand.

As he stared down, he noticed another body not too far from the Barista. His eyes were open, the pale, red eyes lifeless as the pink goo flowed from his body like a fancy fountain. The pure white suit was splattered with the stuff as it ran free from the large, thick gap in the Motivational Speakers throat. Sugai was leaned up against the wall across from the Barista, almost directly behind the counter.

Koba found himself next to the speaker in a blink of an eye. He didn't even remember walking over there, the in between steps were all just a blur. He stared down at the dead body for just a few moments. Just in time to see the trail of blood leaving the back room of the cafe. Swallowing hard, he took a few steps towards the back of the room, stepping over Sugai so he could get to the room behind the barista stand. That's when he saw it, the last straw in all of this. Something finally snapping in the back of his mind and causing tears to well up in his eyes. She was rested against a few of the bigger bags of the beans. Kusonoki had been stabbed several times, blood covering every inch of this room. Whoever did this there was a personal grudge behind this.

Koba didn't even notice the morning announcement when it went off. He couldn't comprehend the fact that three people were dead. Three of his friends, dead in this very room. But, who could have done this. How could this ever happen. His feet couldn't move, weighed down by what he saw in front of him. The blood that covered the entire room made his head spin.

Suddenly the door burst open, Kaito racing into the room. The tall, stick like man's eyes quickly glued onto Himura. Koba watched with a hazy head as the actor looked around, staring down Koba for just a moment before dropping to his knees next to Himura, scooping him up into his arms without a moment to spare. Koba watched in horror as the Actor's eyes showed the pure panic in his face, quickly looking over Himura when-

"A body has been discovered! Investigation is now underway! Gather all the information you can and prepare for the Class Trial!"

With fear in his eyes, Koba stared down Kaito, hoping that the Actor could fix all of this. But he felt a sudden burst of confusion when he saw the actor let out a sigh of relief. He looked up, making eye contact with Koba before speaking. Giving Koba only a small amount of relief.

"Himura's okay. He's alive."