Mysteries and Mutual Killing

by Unironicdokis

For something that was right up Mukuro's alley, these were not exactly the kind of mysteries that she looked forward to solving. Sure her classmates were overall rather nice, and the prospect of reuniting with her sister was something she had been anticipating, but that only made her feel worse about her predicament. Talentswap AU Mukuro/Makoto, Mukuro/Kyoko. New culprits/victims!

14. Chapter 3 Part 2: Daily Life

A/N: It's free time! Which means time for Alter Ego, secrets, meaningful talks, and Hiro being -80% of Mukuro's impulse control

Wow, that was surprisingly fast. I'm sure the tradeoff will be that ch 3.2 takes a crazy long time. If I enjoyed writing a chapter that can almost guarantee the next one will be a nightmare.

Also, if you've taken the time to review my past chapters, I just want to say thank you so much! You guys really make my day.

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Ch 3.2: Joker is Poker with a "J"

"Hang on," said Hina, taking a deep breath. She stopped in the hall outside the bath house, turning to look at all of us, holding her hands up as if to say 'wait'. "So if I show you guys what we saw, you have to promise me not to freak out, ok?"

We all nodded.

"Ok." Eyes still flitting between everyone in apprehension, she entered the locker room. We followed suit. "It was over there," said Hina, pointing to the middle lockers, in the row against the back wall.

But there was nothing there. At least, nothing remarkable.

"Uh… where?" asked Mondo.

Hina frowned. "It was… It was right there, I swear! By the locker!"

"J-Just forget it," said Toko. "There's nothing there."

Leon sighed. "Maybe they're right, Hina," he said, turning to look at her. "Maybe we were just tired, and we got carried away."

Hina stamped her foot. "Fine, don't back me up here, but I know what I saw!"

"Hang on," I said, something catching my eye—something about the lockers.

They were all closed, save for one.

Dead center, one locker was just barely cracked open.

"This one," I said, pointing to it. "Is this where you saw it?"

Hina nodded. "Y-Yeah, but—"

I approached the locker slowly, putting a hand to it. It swung open with an eerie creak.

"Wow, good eye, 'Kuro!" said Hiro, from a few steps behind Hina, no doubt wanting to keep his distance.

I nodded, allowing for a small smile at him before turning back to see what was inside, everyone else craning their necks to see over my shoulder.

"That—That's not a ghost..." said Chihiro, voice so low it was if she was whispering to herself. "That's—"

"A laptop," said Kyoko. "Yes."

"Is it just me, or does it looks familiar to anyone else?" asked Junko.

"No, I see it, too," said Kyoko. "It... looks like the same laptop that was in the library."

"Yeah, but wasn't that computer broken, last time we saw it?" asked Junko.

Only half paying attention to her, I swiped at the mousepad with my finger.

Before she could say any more, the light on the laptop flickered on, emitting a low green light—as if it had heard her and wanted to specifically prove her wrong.

"Say… Hina," said Celeste. "You said you saw a green light, yes?"

"Well… Yes, but—"

"Surely you did not mistake the light of the monitor for a ghost?"

She glared. "Hey! It was dark, and it was late, and we didn't know what we were gonna see! How was I supposed to know it was a laptop? Have any of you ever seen a laptop in a bath house before?"

"I'm surprised you are able to dress yourself in the morning," mused Celeste.

"Ok, look," said Leon. "It's not that unbelievable. It was the dead of night, alright? It wasn't just the laptop, we really did see a figure."

"Just a second ago, you were doubting that the ghost even existed," said Junko.

"Well, I don't know!" he said. "I'm just telling you what happened!"

"It's fine," said Kyoko. I could tell her patience was getting short. "But this laptop is here, so what are we going to do about it?"

"Guys," said Taka. "I don't think it is the best idea to go poking around like this. We don't even know who the owner of this laptop is."

"Well," said Kyoko, "I think we do know one person who has the capabilities to fix a broken lap, don't you?"

"Still, I don't know if we should—"

I looked at the screen, my curiosity getting the better of me. "All these icons…" I didn't know where to start.

"Oh!" said Chihiro, sneaking up from behind my shoulder and catching me by surprise. "That one right there." She pointed to the top left of the screen. "It says, 'Alter Ego'."

Perhaps, despite my better judgement, I double-clicked on the icon, and the screen without warning went dark.

Then, a voice spoke to us, low and monotone. "Welcome back, master."

"'Master'?" asked Junko, somewhere between confusion, disgust, and delight. "What the fuck is going on?"

Mondo whistled under his breath. "Fuck. Are you kidding? Someone was actually able to fix that old dinosaur in the library?"

Byakuya's face appeared, taking up the entire display with his typical stern expression.

"So it is Byakuya's," said Kyoko.

"Alter ego, huh?" asked Chihiro. "Literally, 'another self'." She was mystified, but her eyes were bright with curiosity and amazement. "What is this thing?"

"Stop that!" said Taka. "We can't just invade Byakuya's privacy like this. It's his property!"

"Come on, Mr. Pedantic." Junko smacked him in the shoulder. "If you love technicalities, I think we'll be fine. It's the school's property, anyway. Does that make you feel any better?"

"Yeah, Taka, breathe a little," said Leon.

He still looked hesitant. "I…"

I ignored his worries and began to type the first question that came to my head:

"What are you?"

Instead of answering directly, the computer replied in a question:

"Who are you? Identify yourself. If you do not identify yourself, I shall begin lockdown. If you persist any further I will set off the alarm sequence to go off in 90 seconds."

Junko grimaced. "Pleasant, isn't he?"

"He's Byakuya," said Leon. "What do you expect?"

In the corner, I noticed a countdown of 90 seconds.

"Say something!" said Hiro.

"Okay, okay!" I said. I hurried to type my response, mentally praying this would work.

"My name is Mukuro Ikusaba. I am a student at Hope's Peak Academy, and a classmate of Byakuya's."

I pressed enter, and we waited with baited breath as Alter Ego took the time to process my response.

The countdown stopped. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Noted. I have located 'Mukuro Ikusaba' in my files under 'classmate'. Welcome, Mukuro Ikusaba. Has my master given you permission for usage?"

"Uhhh…"

"Just say yes," said Kyoko under her breath, inadvertently scratching her nose—probably to hide her mouth.

Smart.

I didn't know whether that webcam at the top of the computer was working, but clearly Kyoko did not want to take the chance.

"We'll explain later," she said.

I typed in my response.

"Hmph. Understood. Welcome, Mukuro Ikusaba. I must ask, where is young master Togami?"

"He's currently occupied."

"I see," said Alter Ego, looking about as pensive as it was possible for a computer to look. "Is he in danger? Immediate danger, I should clarify."

"No."

"That is a relief to hear. It has been a while since I have seen him, so I was beginning to worry. Particularly since he has informed me about the specifics of your… situation. It appears to be very grave indeed."

"This is amazing!" said Chihiro. "Wow... A real functioning AI system. I mean, I've seen prototypes, but I've never seen anything like it before. He even recognized us."

"Yeah, and nearly got us caught," muttered Junko.

"Still, using context clues, he was able to piece together that we weren't Byakuya. A learning computer."

"'He'?" asked Junko.

"Y—Yeah," said Chihiro, sounding a little defensive. "AI this advanced can have memories, have thoughts, and 'grow up'. The process isn't much different from how humans work."

"You sure know a lot about computers," said Junko, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I wouldn't say 'a lot'..." said Chihiro. "I know some basic coding. Besides, I had some spare time."

"A second personality that can never forget or grow old," said Celeste. "So it really is his 'alter ego'."

"But why would he leave it in here?" asked Hina. "I mean, anyone could've stumbled across it."

"Just like you and Leon did, yes?" asked Celeste.

"Yeah, that—that's what I mean… Doesn't it seem weird to just leave something in here?"

Which… I did see what she was talking about, but there was something special about this room that the others might not have noticed yet.

"He must've seen it, too," I said. "This room. It's different."

"You noticed it, too?" asked Kyoko.

"Noticed what?" asked Junko.

"Thus far, this is bath house is the only place in the school without security cameras," said Kyoko. "Which means—"

"Which means this is the only room where Alter Ego would've been out of the mastermind's sight," I said. "Right?"

"Exactly," said Kyoko. Her eyes met mine. "May I see it for a moment? I have a few questions."

"Oh, uh, s-sure—" I said, but Kyoko didn't wait for an answer, taking my place in front of keyboard.

"Thank you." She nodded to me.

"How much do you know about what's going on?"

"Hello, Kyoko Kirigiri." Alter Ego paused. "Yes, you are also stored under my files as 'classmate'. That will suffice. I am certain that my master has been as thorough as the situation has allowed. Given the time and limitations placed on him. He was planning to tell me more, but I do have the general idea. How… How many students are left?"

"10."

"I see. We are running out of time."

Kyoko shot out another question.

"Why are you here?"

"Are you asking about my purpose? Well… Master has planned for me to analyze the massive number of files stored on this laptop. I believe the files are related to the school, but the protection on them is surprisingly strong. It will require more time than planned."

He paused again.

"Master is very smart, and wishes to use all means available to learn as much as he can about the current situation. He surmised that since the files were so well protected, they must be important."

Toko giggled. "It—It calls Byakuya 'master'."

Hina groaned. "Ugh, Toko. Please don't tell me you're gonna be weird about this."

She had an alarming smile on her face. "It's like th—there's t-two of him, now."

Junko rolled her eyes. "Two Byakuyas. Oh, joy."

Kyoko ignored them.

"How long until everything is unlocked?"

"I'm not sure," said Alter Ego. "It could be a while."

"So, that's why he installed Alter Ego?" asked Chihiro. "Because he knew how long it would take to analyze the files, and wanted someone else to be able to do it while he was away?"

"Smart," said Celeste. "It means that his work remains uninterrupted."

"Even if something… were to happen to him," said Junko. "Huh. Credit where credit is due, that beanpole knows what he's doing."

Kyoko began typing again.

"Keep it up. But be careful not to let the mastermind notice you."

"You don't need to worry," said Alter Ego. "Everything is under control. I already have a back-up plan in case of emergencies. And as a last resort, my built-in webcam allows me to see what is going on, so if anybody suspicious shows up, my alarm is programmed to go off."

"That… is all fine and good during the day, but I'm afraid nighttime is a concern," said Celeste. When she received quizzical looks, she added, "Have you forgotten? Our rooms are soundproof. If something were to happen to Alter Ego, we wouldn't be able to hear it even if we wanted to."

"Is it… our problem, anyway?" asked Hina. "I mean, maybe we should just let Byakuya deal with it."

"Of course it's our p-p-pro—problem!" said Toko. "W-We can't just leave Alter Ego here to f-fend for himself!"

"Oh fuck," said Junko. "Are you kidding me? Are you already becoming attached to this… this machine?"

"N-No!"

"God, this really is a dream come true for you isn't it? An obedient representation of your dream guy, who won't call you names because he's dependent on our help for knowledge, and also he just so happens to not be real."

"Junko," I warned. "That aside, it's still a problem."

"Why?" asked Junko. "It's Byakuya's computer, why do we have to do anything?"

"Yeah," said Hina. "I mean, shouldn't we just trust him to take care of it?"

"Say that sentence again," said Leon. "Really hear yourself this time. Do the words 'Byakuya' and 'trust', really go together?"

"But it doesn't belong to us!" said Taka. "We can't just take it!"

"Whoa, hold on, bro. Nobody said we were taking it," said Mondo.

"Then what do you suggest we do about it?" asked Taka.

Another voice, one we hadn't heard all day, spoke from behind us.

"We are not going to do anything about it."

All of us whirled around to see Byakuya standing in the doorway. Several of us cried out in surprise.

"Byakuya!" cried Toko. "Y-You're here!"

"As are you," he said. "Clearly. Always somewhere you shouldn't be."

"Christ, man!" said Hiro, clutching at his chest. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Like I said, we are not going to do anything about it because it is none of anyone's business."

He approached Kyoko, who was still standing at the computer, but she didn't budge.

"Like hell it's nobody's business!" said Leon. "Your computer scared the crap out of us."

"Yeah, if you didn't want anybody to find it, you shouldn't have left it here out in the open," said Hina. "We found it here last night. It really scared me."

"I'm sure that would've been a sight," said Byakuya. "But the rest of you. I see you've found my Alter Ego."

"Yeah, we did," said Junko, eyeing him suspiciously. "What's that about, anyway?"

"Like I said," said Byakuya, his tone even more forceful than usual. "It is none of your concern."

"But," said Chihiro, "if it has to do with the school, or possible escape, then I think we have a right to know. It's school property, it doesn't just belong to you."

For a moment, Byakuya said nothing, instead just staring at Chihiro with an intense, unreadable expression. Then he sighed.

"Fine. I assure you, if there are any developments, I will be sure to let everyone know, but for the time being, do not—I repeat, do not—under any circumstances, interfere with my work."

"Have you considered that we might actually be able to help you?" asked Chihiro.

"I have considered it, and the foregone conclusion is that most of you would be at best a well-intentioned nuisance," said Byakuya. "Trust me, you are more a hindrance than a help to me. Just stay out of my way."

"B-Byakuya," said Toko. "Are you s-sure you don't—"

"Yes, that includes you," said Byakuya. "Your stench overwhelms the room, making it impossible to think."

We all stood there in silence. When nobody moved, he added:

"Well? Get out. Leave me alone."

We all shuffled out of the locker room, leaving him standing there by himself, but before we'd gone he called out to us one last time.

"And I promise you, next person to touch Alter Ego without my permission loses a hand!"

Once outside the bath house, we all turned to look at one another.

"Well, that was weird…" said Hina. "But at least it wasn't totally for nothing, right? I mean, I did find something there, didn't I?"

And as if he had been waiting for his cue…

"Dun da-da duuun! Hina has gained enough experience to level up!" Monokuma grinned at us. "So what was this awesome something?"

"Monokuma!" said Hina.

"You all seem in remarkably good spirits. Did something happen?"

"No, no, n-n-nothing like that!" said Toko, way too hastily. "Why would y-you ask us that?"

"Oh, keeping secrets from your headmaster?" said Monokuma. "No fair, I demand and exclusive interview!"

"You know, just because you demand something doesn't mean we have to do it!" said Hina, glaring at him.

"Do it?" asked Monokuma. "Do you mean like, 'do it', do it?"

"Hey, cut it out!" said Hina, going red. "That's disgusting!"

"Don't talk to her like that!" said Taka. "This is an abuse of authority!"

"Yeah, leave her alone!" said Leon.

"Aw, you're so defensive," said Monokuma, practically gushing with delight. "It's adorable! Is something blossoming there?"

"I told you to stop," said Leon through grit teeth. "Talk to Hina like that again, and I turn you inside out."

"Oh, is that a threat?" asked Monokuma.

"A promise."

"Oh, such a tough guy. I'm blushing." Monokuma sighed. "Fine, I suppose I could always go in there and find out for myself." He turned to the bath house.

"No!" several of the others cried out in unison, putting their hands up.

"And why not?" he asked.

"B-Because!" said Chihiro. "It would be... inappropriate!"

"Besides." Celeste smiled. "If you must know what we were up to, we were just having a discussion about going into the bath house. We haven't had a chance to relax in some time. But unfortunately, the bath house is not divided into men and women sections. So we decided to do rock-paper-scissors to decide who would go first. Hina won the match, and that is why we are all so pleased."

I was impressed by her quick thinking. Give it to Celeste to never show a sign of weakness. I'd been suspicious of her, but maybe she really was on our side this whole time. She did not hesitate coming up with a ruse, and her poker face didn't even flinch.

"Haha, yeah," Hiro laughed, quick to play along. "Well, a deal's a deal. That's too bad, guess we're gonna have to wait, right Hina?"

"I… Y-Yeah, that's right!" said Hina, quickly catching on. "That's right. That's exactly what happened. Speaking of which…" Her tone was a command, giving them as forceful look. "Boys, don't you think it's time to head back to the dining hall?"

"Ah, jeez, what're ya gonna do, right? We lost, fair and square!" Hiro's voice remained a little too loud, but otherwise he was a pretty good team player.

"Guess we gotta wait," said Mondo.

"Yes!" Taka nodded, eyes going wide. "That is right! We shall be going now!"

He was much too stiff, but thankfully, he was generally stiff anyway, so there wasn't too much of a difference. And he hadn't cracked.

"Wait!" called Chihiro, and the boys stopped in their tracks before they could really leave. "Can I go with you guys? I changed my mind. I don't really want to take a bath."

"What's wrong, Chihiro?" asked Mondo.

"I—I'm not really in the mood for a bath," said Chihiro. She looked to the girls. "Why don't you go on ahead?"

"Oh, Chihiro, no!" said Hina. "You should come with!"

Chihiro shook her head. "I'm telling you, maybe some other time, I—"

"If you really want," I said, "the boys can go first instead, and we can take a rain check. We wouldn't mind."

If truth be told, I was feeling apprehensive about the whole thing.

"Mukuro!" said Junko, scoffing at me in indignance.

"That's not necessary!" squeaked Chihiro. "Really, it's ok."

"See? She said it's fine. Come on, 'Kuro," said Junko, grabbing my hand and dragging me along before I could say anything else. Curiosity mixed with sympathy, at seeing Chihiro's down expression, I waved to the boys and to Chihiro as we returned to the bath house.

"Now who's gonna explain to Byakuya that he needs to leave or else Monokuma will know what's up?" whispered Junko to me.

"Uh…" The idea didn't appeal to me, so I said, "Rock-paper-scissors?"

"Best two out of three?" said Junko.

"Deal."

—

"Mmm… That was such a good idea," said Hina, closing her eyes and running her fingers through her dripping wet hair as she grabbed a nearby towel to dry it off.

"Yes, it was," said Celeste, following her into the dressing room, towel wrapped around her head and content smile on her face. "Getting a chance to stretch out and relax after all this time was a true pleasure."

"Wow, Hina, I didn't realize your hair was so long," said Junko. "I'm so jealous."

"I know, right?" said Hina, letting her still damp hair down from out of the towel. It was true, when it wasn't up in her usual ponytail, it fell all the way down to her waist. "It doesn't look it, though. I just don't know what I'm going to do. It's like it has a mind of its own." She sighed. "Maybe I'll just cut it all off."

"What, why?" asked Junko.

"It just gets in the way, you know? I'd love to be able to just not think about it."

Toko snorted.

"What? It's true," said Hina. She frowned. "I probably won't, though. It'd probably just look ugly on me."

"What's wrong with short hair?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing!" said Hina. "I meant on me. I didn't mean anything by—"

"I think you should do it," said Celeste.

"What, really?" asked Hina.

"Yes. I think it would flatter you quite nicely."

I was distracted by the conversation the other girls were having, so I was surprised to hear Kyoko address me.

"Mukuro, can you hand me my belt?"

I turned at the sound of her voice to see her half-dressed putting her pants back on. She was reaching for her shirt, so all she had on top was her sports bra. With her back facing me, I could see all the lean muscle that was usually hidden behind layers of clothing.

"Mukuro?" she asked, looking to me again.

"Oh, sorry!" I said, putting a hand up to shield my eyes. "I didn't mean—"

"No, it's ok. Don't worry about it. My belt, though?"

"W-What? I—"

"Please?" she said, glancing at me from over her shoulder. The look she was giving me was expectant. She pointed. "It's over on the bench."

"Oh, uh, ok…"

Just as promised, the black belt sat on the far end of the bench. I reached over and grabbed it.

Kyoko smiled at me. "Yes, right over there."

I handed it to her, unable to ignore the feeling of our fingers brushing up against each other. I tried not to think about how she must've felt, with her hands touching my rough scars. It didn't even matter, anyway.

Our eyes met, and she smiled at me from over her shoulder. I avoided her gaze after that, eyes fixed down at my hands. As far as I remembered, this was the first time any of my classmates had seen me with my gloves off. With a finger, I traced the scars all over my hands, trying suppress the feeling of shame. They were like memories burned into my skin. For some reason, I didn't want Kyoko to see them—they were markers of my inexperience and carelessness, back when I was a much younger detective.

In fact, I was pretty sure this was the first time either of us had seen each other like this—without gloves, obviously. Catching a look at her left hand, I could see for the first time, a large tattoo in the shape of a dog. Or maybe it was a wolf. I didn't have the heart to ask.

It was amazing. For an Ultimate Soldier, I didn't see a single battle scar.

She must've caught me staring, because our eyes met again, only this time she quickly turned away, grabbing her shirt and quickly shrugging it on. I turned away as well, face burning, and I prayed I wasn't as red as I felt.

"Thank you," she said, and when I snuck a glance at her I could see she was still not looking at me.

"You're welcome," I murmured, still blushing as I sat down on the bench.

"Mukuro, why are you still in your towel?" said Junko. "You're not even dressed yet."

"Huh?" I asked, even though I was not really listening.

"Hello? Well, hurry up," said Junko. "The girls were just saying they wanted to head to the cafeteria for a bite."

"Oh! R-Right. Yeah, of course. Be right there."

I hadn't even noticed the other girls had gotten dressed in that time.

"Alright," said Junko. "Well, hurry up, then. We'll meet you there."

I nodded, allowing the rest of the girls to go on ahead. I dressed myself in my daze, smiling to myself, last of all grabbing my shoes before heading out the door.

"You guys are still here?"

I heard Junko's voice as I entered the dining hall.

Taka looked up at the sound of people entering the room. "Oh, is it that time already? We must've been caught in conversation."

"Actually, Junko, we were just talking about you," said Leon in response.

Most of the boys were all sitting together at one of the tables.

"I'm honored," she said with a grimace. "Please tell me you kept it PG."

"Actually, we were debating whether you'd melt once exposed to water, but it looks like you survived just fine," said Leon.

"Ha ha," said Junko, rolling her eyes. "Actually, I don't melt, I multiply. And I'm not allowed to eat after midnight either. Bath house is all yours, by the way. Glad to see you're back to your usual insufferable self."

"Let's go!" said Taka, standing up and getting Leon to his feet, ushering him out the door before things could escalate any further. "A fresh bath symbolizes a clean soul and a clean slate."

"You didn't waste all the hot water, did you?" asked Leon, winking back at us as Taka shooed him out of the cafeteria, the rest of the boys following suit.

"Idiot," muttered Junko, before shaking her head and looking around at the rest of us.

"He certainly is an idiot, I'll give him that," said Celeste, hiding a smile behind her hand.

"You say that like it's a good thing," said Junko.

"It can be. Not so much fun for pleasant conversation, but they're much easier to boss around that way," said Celeste.

Junko snorted, nodding with an impressed smirk. "Oh, I like you."

"But besides that, all I mean is that he aims high," said Celeste.

Junko rolled her eyes. "You flatter me."

"You think he was flirting?" asked Hina. "I mean, he seemed kinda shaken up this morning."

"Why, are you jealous, Hina?" asked Junko.

"No!" said Hina. "Not at all!"

"Ooh, defensive. Listen, he's a boy," said Junko. "He's fickle and stupid. Trust me, Hina, they're all like that."

"I put him at a… C… C minus," said Celeste. "Although I might be being generous."

"Hang on," said Hina. "You rank the boys you meet?"

"I rank everyone I meet," said Celeste. "But the boys especially."

"Hang on!" A squeaky voice piped up from behind us. "Something is strange here… Very strange!"

We all turned around to see Monokuma standing in front of us, giddy with delight. Something was up.

"Ugh," said Hina. "Can't you ever take the hint? You should know by now when you're not wanted."

"Oh, you wound me, Hina!" said Monokuma, clutching at his stuffed chest where a heart ought to be.

"And we were just starting to relax for a change," said Celeste.

"Surely, after seeing how happy we were, an evil little monster like you could never let that last for long," said Kyoko.

"You're all so horrible to me!" said Monokuma. "What I was trying to say is… what's strange is, this is the perfect chance for you guys to sneak a peek!"

"I think I might hurl," said Junko. "I do not want to be having this discussion with you."

"Come on," said Monokuma. "Try to tell me it's not a fantasy of yours."

"Yeah, some fantasy," I said dryly.

"God, you creep!" said Hina.

"Hard pass," said Kyoko.

"Unlike you, we respect the need for boundaries and privacy," said Celeste. "Sorry, but we're going to have to say no."

"B-Besides," said Toko, "Isn't this sort of f-fan—fan service-y moment usually aimed toward the s-straight male audience?"

"Hey, the boys already had their shot!" said Monokuma. At seeing the looks on our faces, he added, "Oh, don't look so shocked, they turned it down because they are so b-o-r-i-n-g, boring! But I figured the offer still stands. It's equality! Besides, maybe there's some sort of easter egg or cheat code that will allow you to sneak past without getting caught."

I groaned. "Just go," I said. "That's disgusting."

Monokuma sighed. "I see. I can't even begin to describe my bitter disappointment. That primo fan service coulda been yours… Oh well, guess I'll just have to start preparing your next motive to make myself feel better."

And on that ominous note, he slunk back into the shadows. Leave it to Monokuma to always kill a mood.

"God," said Junko, rubbing her temples. "What a nightmare."

"I know," said Hina. "I can't believe he would do something like that. How awful!"

"Still," said Junko, "You do have to wonder what goes on in there, don't you?" She bit the nail of her thumb, eyes looking to the cafeteria doors.

"Junko!" said Hina. "After chewing him out like that? Don't tell me you're considering it."

"Relax," she said. "Lighten up a little. I'm allowed to have an imagination, aren't I?"

"A dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste," said Celeste.

Toko sighed.

"What?" said Junko. "You can spend as much time as you want pretending you're into cartoons or whatever, but we all know you want the real thing same as any of us."

"I just assumed you weren't into any of the guys here," I said.

"Oh, no, you're right about that," said Junko. "They're all asocial freaks who have zero idea how to talk to a woman, but… I'm allowed a little bit of shallow indulgence."

"Yeah, but Leon?" asked Hina. "Really?"

"If we're talking purely in hypotheticals," said Kyoko. "At least Byakuya is tall."

Junko snorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Ok, whatever."

Was it worth admitting that I didn't find the proposal enticing in the slightest? I just felt bad about the whole thing. It felt wrong—like an invasion of privacy… or something. And I felt kind of funny talking about it. These guys—they were my friends.

And I think… I was finally starting to see myself.

"You are such a hypocrite," said Junko.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Come on, don't think I don't see you cozying up to Hiro," said Junko.

"Hiro?" asked Celeste, tutting and shaking her head. "Mukuro, have you no shame?"

Even Hina looked to be trying not to laugh.

"I'm not cozying up to anybody!" I said. "Besides, he's like… a grown up."

The thought hadn't even crossed my mind until then.

"Uh-huh," said Junko. "Keep telling yourself that. But nothing gets past me."

"Clearly," I said, completely deadpan. "You don't miss a thing..."

It was easier to just play along than to try and argue.

There was too much—too much to unpack. How do you tell your dear sister that you're not like her? That the thought of spending a bath with your girl friends fills you with dread for reasons you can't place, but an entire evening waiting for two of the the most ridiculously athletic boys to sweat it out in the sauna doesn't even faze you? And you've seen enough dead bodies for a lifetime, but so much as accidentally catching a look at Kyoko with her shirt off sends a shiver down your spine? How do you explain this to her?

You can't.

—

"Do you have any… threes?" asked Hiro.

I scowled, handing over the card. One more, and I would have had a suit.

"Aw, what's with the face?" he asked, a little too smug for my liking as he took the card from me. "You know, if we had enough people for a game of poker, you probably have a little more fun."

"Let's see… Who did we already ask?" I counted them all off on my fingers as I listed them. "Junko: 'over my dead body.' Hina: roped Leon into her morning jog, so he's out, too. Taka: believes gambling to be 'morally bankrupt', his words not mine. Mondo: working out. Kyoko: I don't know where the hell she runs off to."

"What about Byakuya?" asked Hiro.

I gave him a look. "Are you really asking me that question?"

Hiro shivered. "Ok, ok, I get your point."

"Hmm… So that leaves… Toko, Celeste, and Chihiro."

He grimaced, as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. "Is that really it?"

"Well, I bet we could've gotten Junko to join if you hadn't scared her off by going off about mothman. So whose fault is it, really?"

"Hey, mothman is real! If she doesn't want to believe then—" said Hiro, but he backed off under the look I was giving. "Ok, ok. How about we make a deal? Whoever loses this game has to be the one to invite them."

"That's not fair!" I said. "You're only saying that because you're already winning."

"You never know what could happen," said Hiro. "Besides, I can finally show you how to play poker."

"You're just too scared to ask them yourself."

"Hey!" said Hiro, pointing a finger at me. "I resent that! How dare you say things about me that are completely true."

I snorted, shaking my head as I looked down at my sorry hand. "I just don't get it. You are so lucky. I've even memorized your cards. How have you managed to beat me every time?"

"Luck doesn't have anything to do with it," said Hiro, once again smirking at me.

"Oh?" I quirked an eyebrow, itching to know more.

We went back to our game.

A minute or so passed before I finally asked the question.

"So, if it's not luck, then what is it?" I asked.

"What?"

"What's your game?"

"Game?" he asked.

"Your strategy. What I mean is, how do you do it? Win."

"Mukuro!" He mock gasped, accompanied by the dramatic clutching-of-the-pearls gesture. "I am shocked! A magician never reveals his secrets," said Hiro. He clicked his tongue in disapproval. "You should know that by now."

I shrugged. "Ok. Fine. Don't tell me." I went back to my hand of cards.

He shot me a quizzical look. "Wait. You really—"

"No, no," I said, still not looking up at him. I was trying to play it cavalier. "I was prying, you're right. It's none of my business. You got any jacks?"

"Go fish," he said, but he was still giving me a funny look.

"I mean, you have to maintain your mystique somehow... I just I think a lot of people get the wrong impression about you."

"Uh-huh. And what impression is that?"

I shook my head, drawing a card. "Nah. Nevermind."

Jack. Matching set.

Looking down at the pile, I noticed there was only one card left.

"Now, hang on just a sec. You're the one who brought it up."

"I just think some people have a hard time believing anyone could be just that lucky." I looked up at him. "That is, without cheating."

"Do you think I cheat?" asked Hiro. His tone was somewhere between teasing, genuine curiosity, and apprehension. Like beneath the veneer, he might've actually cared about my opinion.

"I'm reserving judgement until I know the truth," I said. Which wasn't entirely true, but if he wasn't going to give me anything, then I would do the same.

"Oh, I don't believe that for a second," said Hiro. He squinted, leaning in to scrutinize me. "Why do you wanna know, anyway?"

"Is it so hard to believe I can ask a question out of pure curiosity?" I asked, putting on my best puppy-dog eyes, feigning the picture of innocence. It wasn't a lie, anyway. Honestly, who would I even tell?

"Hey, hey, enough with the face," said Hiro. "Stop it. That's not fair. And yeah, that is a bit hard to believe. Can't trust just anyone, ya know?"

"So you don't trust me?" I asked.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"I asked you first."

He looked at me a moment before answering. "You're not the problem here," said Hiro, pointing to the camera in the corner of the room. "They're always watching…"

I grimaced, lips a thin line. "Right…" We were never alone in this place, were we? "Still, there's gotta be someone you can trust, right? Otherwise, you'd go mad."

"Well, yeah," he said. "I suppose that's true for everyone though, innit? Besides, once you open a door to let someone in, the easier it is for them to just walk back out."

"I'm sorry…" I said. "I didn't mean—"

"Nah, it's alright. I think… being a child of divorce just kinda fucks with your brain, ya know?" he said.

"How'd you know my parents are split up?"

"Lucky guess. Ya got a chip on your shoulder."

"I do?" I asked. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Kidding!" said Hiro. "Jeez, kid, lighten up. I can just tell. It's your aura."

"My aura?"

"Nah, my parents are divorced, too. Ma doesn't like to talk about it, so I don't ask."

"You live with your mom?" I asked.

"Yep," he said, and I could tell by his fond smile and the way his eyes shone, there was a lot of love there. "Lived, though. Lived." Emphasis on the past tense. "Taught me everything I know. You'd like her, I think."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," he said, with a nod. "You're both… Tough."

Hm… Tough. I could live with that. Yeah, that had a nice sound to it. Even if I didn't know what that really meant—that I reminded Hiro of his mother.

"You think I'm tough?" I asked.

"Yeah!" said Hiro. "How do I put this? Like you don't put up with any shit. Ma is the same way."

I hope he didn't notice my face growing hot. He didn't seem to, he just kept on talking.

"—And she's a nurse. Cool, right?"

"Very cool."

"Raised me all by herself, which musta been tough. I doubt I made it easy on her, ya know? Sometimes I wish I could thank her, for—for putting up with a jobless heathen like me. Show her my appreciation somehow."

I nodded. "I feel that. Only a little though. I've always been agreeable." I was teasing, just a little.

Hiro laughed. "That you are," he said, which surprised me.

He reached into his coat, pulling out a rumpled picture and showing to to me. "That's her right here."

The picture was crinkled, with noticeable folds down the center, but that only meant he must've had it on him for a long while. In the photo was a picture of the two of them: Hiro, looking much younger, possibly in his early teens, smiling a bright cheesy smile. He had braces and his locs were much shorter. Beside him was a pretty woman with long pink hair and an easy smirk. She looked surprisingly young to be a mom.

"She's—"

"Whatever you do, do not say she's hot. I've heard that too many times, and I do not care if you're a kid, if you say she's hot I will fight."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Pretty. I was gonna say pretty."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

"And how does she feel about your little hobby?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes. "She doesn't exactly approve, but like she has any room to talk. When I say 'taught me everything I know', I mean that literally. I used to sit in her lap while she played mahjongg. I can just hear the sound of the tiles…" His eyes were far away. Then he shook his head, coming back. "Besides, apparently she's done much worse. But she won't say, even if I ask—which is so cryptic, don'tcha think?"

"Parents are people, too," I said. "They have their own lives we may never know about. Just like you have yours."

"Guess so. It's like a little unspoken rule, or something. I don't ask her for money, and she doesn't ask how I pay my rent, it's a win-win… She was so proud of me when I got in here. I doubt this is exactly the situation either of us had in mind." He sighed.

"You miss her, don't you?"

"That even a question? 'Course I do. Wouldn't you? Nah, you're still a kid, that must mean you hate your parents no matter what."

"Why would you say that?" I asked.

"'Cause every teenager hates their parents. Or are you one of those nerds who says their mom is their best friend?"

"Hey! You're one of those nerds, too!" I said. A moment passed before I added, "I do miss her."

"At least you have Junko, though, right?"

"Yeah, guess so. It wasn't always like that though. Just me and my mom."

"Kicking ass, solving crimes?"

I laughed. "Yeah, something like that. We didn't even really have a home—not in the traditional sense. She's my home."

He nodded, smiling and even though he didn't say anything, I could tell he understood.

"Sometimes it's hard to remember there was a time before that, you know what I mean?" I said. "And… they're in like two completely separate parts of my lives. The… the fact that I sometimes wish I could go back to when it was just me and her… And then I remember Junko is not a part of it, and it makes me feel so guilty."

"Yeah. It's always just been me and her, as long as I could remember," said Hiro. "I mean, boyfriends have come and gone, but at the end of the day, it's just us."

"Do you ever see your dad?" I asked, despite the warning feeling in my gut that I was being intrusive.

He shook his head. "Mom says I look like him." At seeing my confused expression he added, "My dad, I mean—which must be true because I don't look like her at all. Even though I wish I did. She says she'd make a funny looking guy, and I should be glad I look handsome and tall, like my dad, but I don't really care. I mean, it's nice and all but…" He shrugged. "I dunno. And... that's the only thing she ever really says about him. Sometimes I wonder what he'd think of me… But usually I get so mad that he's gone that I'm glad it's just me and Mom. Who needs him, right?"

Well, it wasn't like I didn't understand where he was coming from.

"'Who needs him' sounds about right. Or at least, saying that is what feels good. My dad abandoned our family taking my only sister with him, so… I maybe don't have the most fair opinion of him." A moment of pause before I added, "I look like my mom, by the way. Yep. I look like my mom, and... Junko looks like a supermodel." I sighed, trying not to let the jealousy show, even if I was feeling it inside. "Fair trade if you ask me."

He laughed, this time a little weaker. "Families are complicated. You're a good listener."

"Thanks. So are you."

"There's always a catch, though, yeah?"

"No catch," I said, for once fully sincere. "I swear."

For a moment, he said nothing, just watched me. Then, he set his cards down. "Okay. Rule number one when it comes to gambling. Confidence."

Oh.

So we were right back to cards, like the whole conversation never happened.

"Confidence," I repeated with a nod, suddenly aware of myself and straightening my posture. "Right."

"Always play to win," said Hiro, with much more command and authority than I'd ever seen from him. "Remember that. Take it from someone who knows a thing or two about gambling, you can't be scared. You can't doubt yourself."

I was surprised. Where was this self-assuredness coming from? The Hiro I knew certainly seemed to think highly of himself, but he also was always on the skittish side. There was just something about him, even when he volunteered to be in charge. He just lacked… something.

If Junko were here she would definitely place it as him being, as she would say, "a few cards short of a deck", but it wasn't that. What was it? Decisiveness? Conviction? Steadfastness?

Something like that.

But I nodded again, nonetheless, grateful for his advice, even if I didn't have plans to gamble anytime soon. "Got it."

"You have to bet on yourself, Mukuro," said Hiro. "Because if you don't, no one else will, yeah?"

Which was surprisingly insightful for Hiro, but I didn't say anything. I just kept it to myself.

"Oh, and always trust your instincts," he added, finally picking up his cards again. "You got a queen in there somewhere?"

"Yep." I handed over my card. "Is that what you do?" I asked, avoiding his gaze and instead focusing on my hand once more.

"What?" he asked.

"Trust your instincts, I mean," I said, glancing up at him for just second before going back. "Is that your secret?"

"It's not exactly a secret," said Hiro. "Look, you can have every trick in the book, but at the end of the day that's all a player can really do. Trusting my gut's never done me wrong before."

I was finally getting him to talk.

"So that really is all there is to it, isn't it?" I asked, unable to help the mystified smile as I beamed at him. "You're not a cheat, you're just one lucky bastard."

"I wouldn't call it luck. That's simplifying it way too much. Makes it sound totally lame, yeah?" he said.

"So then what is it?" I asked. "You got any aces?"

I saw the corner of his mouth twitch in a small smile. It wasn't the wide-mouthed uninhibited grin I was used to at all, and the way he was looking at me told me I wasn't getting any answers right now.

Hiro shook his head. "Go fish. Last card in the pile, right?"

I nodded, drawing the last card.

"Alright," said Hiro. "Who has the most matching suits?"

I snorted, throwing down my cards on the table. "You, obviously."

"Hah!" he said, standing up from his chair. "That means you have to ask the others if they're game for poker."

I sighed. "Alright. But that doesn't seem entirely fair. Poker was your idea, not mine."

"Alright, fine, how about a happy medium?" he asked.

"Oh?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow in intrigue. "And what's that?"

"So, Byakuya is probably in the library right now, yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah…" I said, not really following.

"Which means Toko is probably there, too, right?"

"Yeah, but—"

"If you ask those two, then I'll ask Chihiro and Celeste!" said Hiro.

I frowned. "Those don't match up to me."

Chihiro was not nearly the same level of unapproachable as the other three. Still, the idea of not having to ask Celeste any favors was appealing. I was tempted.

"Fine," I said with a resigned sigh. "But only if you carry me down the flight of stairs, piggyback style."

I didn't have any particular reason for that specific caveat. I just thought the mental image was kind of funny. And I really didn't feel like walking today.

He tapped his chin, considering it a moment before he held out his hand. "Done."

We shook on it.

"But—!" he added, "Only if you time me because I wanna see how fast I can run."

"I would, but I don't have a timer..." I said, but Hiro seemed to know what I was thinking.

"No prob! I gotcha covered." He pulled a pocket watch from deep within his pocket and tossed it to me.

I caught it just in time, silently thankful for not dropping it. I turned it over and over in my hands, taking in the engraved pattern on the front. "Where did you get this?"

"Bought it! Off some guy at an antique shop. Kinda sketch if you ask me, but it looks cool, right? All the greats have used this bad boy at one point or another—Genghis Khan, George Washington, Napoleon."

I smiled to myself. Even when he was beating me at cards, I could always trust Hiro to be a sucker.

"Sometimes I like to pretend it's a family heirloom. Like it was passed down from my great-great grandfather or something. Wouldn't that be cool?"

"I think so, yes. I've never had a family heirloom before."

"Neither have I. I have no idea if it's still accurate, tho," said Hiro.

"It's beautiful," I said, admiring it as I opened it up so that I could watch the second hand tick.

I checked the clock on the wall. Sure enough, the pocket watch was fast by two hours.

"Yeah…" He looked at me a moment before adding, "You know what? Keep it."

"Oh, no, I couldn't!" I said, feeling my face going red.

I closed it back up, trying to hand it back to him, but he just held his hands up to refuse.

"Nah, it's yours," he said. "I got a lot more stuff where that came from. Now are we gonna do this thing, or what, boss? I got a card game I'd like to get to."

I grinned. "You're on."

—

"Hello, Chihiro. How are you?"

At hearing my voice from behind her, Chihiro jumped, clutching her chest. "Oh! You gave me a fright."

I placed my basket down on top of a machine closeby. "Sorry, didn't meant to sneak up on you."

Chihiro smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. "That's ok, you just surprised me that's all."

"Laundry day?" I asked.

"Yep." She nodded, gesturing to the basket of clothes beside her, opening up the cover to the washing machine. Her brow was furrowed in fixed concentration. Every so often, she would make a face, tossing clothes into the machine. She looked lost.

I watched her struggle for a moment in silent enjoyment before finally deciding to say something. "Chihiro, have you… have you never done laundry before?"

"What? Yes!" she said, much too fast. "I…" Chihiro sighed. "How could you tell?"

"That's way too much detergent," I said, pointing to the container in her hand which was nearly full. "And you didn't sort your clothes."

"Are we supposed to?"

I chuckled to myself. "Super genius future ceo Chihiro Fujisaki doesn't know how to do her own laundry?"

"Oh, I know how, I just… It's been a while."

"Ok. Then go ahead," I said, watching her with perhaps a little too much glee.

She nodded, her expression resolute. "Ok."

It took her a minute before she looked to me again.

"I… may have forgotten a few steps," she said.

"Uh-huh."

"Are we—are we supposed to use one machine for shirts and another for pants or something?"

"What?" I asked, surprised by her question. I got the feeling she'd never done her own laundry before, but now it was really striking me. She had never done her own laundry. "No, you… wow, you've really never done this before."

Chihiro fidgeted a moment in silence before admitting, "Ok, you caught me. I'm a laundry virgin." Her laugh was sheepish, going red in the face.

I laughed as well. "It's ok, now's as good as any a time to learn, yeah?"

"Absolutely!" Chihiro nodded. "I always meant to learn someday, I guess… It's just that I've always had people who do that for me."

Wow. What must it be like to be rich?

I put my thoughts aside. Feelings of jealousy and wishful thinking could wait. It was laundry time.

"Ok. Laundry," I said. "First things first, you wanna use maybe a third that amount when it comes to detergent." I gestured again to the dispenser in her hand, which was full of powder.

"Oh! Uh, ok." She poured some of it back into the container, some of the contents spilling out onto the floor.

"Yeah. Too much soap, and the machine overflows with suds."

"Got it." She nodded, brow furrowed in concentration like she was hanging onto my every word. It was adorable.

I bit back the urge to laugh. "Second, you want to sort your clothes beforehand—one for colors, one for whites, and one for delicates."

I gestured to my own basket. "Since no one else is here, we have the washroom to ourselves. Lucky us."

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means that you can use multiple machines, instead of waiting for the load to finish before starting the next. Takes a lot less time that way."

I flipped up the lid to three machines, then proceeded to sort my clothes. "Just like this."

"Oh! And why do we need to sort them out like that?" asked Chihiro as she watched me, eyes wide with rapt interest.

"Because if you mix 'em up, the colors bleed onto the whites and ruin your clothes."

"Ah! I see. That makes so much sense now that you say it."

I waited for her to do the same. When she was finished, I turned the dial on my machines.

"Alright, look here," I said, pointing to the dials. "Now you set the machine cycle. Warm water is best for cleaning. However, if you don't want your colors to fade or bleed, use cold water. It's your judgement call."

Chihiro nodded, pausing a moment before turning the knob.

"And, you can just press it," I said, pressing the button on the machine and closing the lid to the washer, Chihiro nodding and following suit.

"And then?" asked Chihiro.

"And then we wait."

"Do people normally leave their clothes?" asked Chihiro.

"It depends. Here, I would say, it might be ok. If the door to the machine locks when it's full of water, yes, but make sure you're back in time. But most people definitely stay with their clothes while they dry, otherwise somebody might take them. But it should only be about twenty to thirty minutes before we have to turn them over."

"Oh, well, I don't mind waiting," said Chihiro.

We sat beside each other in those hard plastic chairs. I picked up a magazine off the table. It was an old edition, but I figured I might enjoy looking at the pictures. A minute or so had gone by when I noticed Chihiro scratching her arm.

"You ok?"

"Huh?" She looked up at me. "Oh, yeah. It's nothing." She winced, but continued to scratch vigorously.

"What happened?"

"Actually, I got bit by a mosquito yesterday. Sorry, I just didn't want to worry you."

"No need to apologize. Can I—?" I asked, holding out a hand.

She nodded, pulling back her sleeve and holding out her arm to show me. The huge bump was red and swollen, standing out against her pale skin.

"Ouch," I said. That wasn't very helpful, so I added, "Maybe they have ointment in the nurse's office."

"Oh! Good idea, Mukuro. You're so smart."

"Heh, thanks," I muttered, feeling my face grow warm. "That's a nasty bite you've got there."

She nodded. "It's starting to hurt."

"Really though, are you sure that isn't some sort of reaction? That's pretty big for a mosquito bite. I know sometimes you can't do anything when they get you in your sleep like that, but—"

"Oh, no. Actually, I was awake," said Chihiro.

"You were awake? But wouldn't you notice something like that?"

"I did, but I just felt so bad… By the time I noticed, it was already too late. I didn't want to smack it, you know? That would've been cruel."

"I suppose I get what you mean," I said, even though I was mostly being nice. I couldn't see myself extending the same courtesy. I hated mosquitos. The feeling didn't seem to be mutual. By the end of every summer, my legs were always covered in bites.

"Mosquitos are living beings, too," said Chihiro. "I don't like thinking about it, because then I picture it's little mosquito family being sad." She laughed. "Sorry, I know that's dumb."

I shook my head, laughing, too. "No, I get what you mean…. You really care about that sort of thing, don't you?"

She smiled, seemingly grateful at my understanding. "Yes, I do. All living beings deserve respect."

A moment passed in quiet before I said, "There should be more people like you."

Her eyes went wide. "Like me? You must be joking. But I—I don't have anything to offer. I don't know why anyone would want to be like me. I haven't even contributed to the group at all. I feel like everyone else is working so hard to get us out, and I haven't done anything at all! I'm so… pathetic, and weak, and—"

"Kind?" I said. "Empathetic. Brave."

"You don't mean that…"

"I do. You'll get your chance. I know it." A thought struck me. "Hey, remember when you stood up to Monokuma yesterday?"

"Y-Yes, but that was—"

"That was amazing! You should be proud of yourself. You didn't just impress me, you impressed everyone."

"Yeah…" She giggled. "Even Mondo thought it was cool."

"See? And just between us…" I lowered my voice, even though we were the only two people in the room. "I think you're cooler than Mondo."

"What?" she gasped. "But he's so tough! You're just saying that."

"Cross my heart. Just… don't tell him I said that," I added.

Chihiro giggled again. "I won't. Promise." But she went back to absentmindedly scratching the bump on her arm.

"I don't think you should scratch that any more. It'll just make it worse, and you'll leave a scar."

"I know." Chihiro made a face, wrinkling her nose. "But it just itches so bad!" She gave it one last rough scratch before finally letting it go. "Does make you wonder, though."

"About?"

"How it got in here," said Chihiro. "This place is completely sealed off, right? Unless there's some sort of nature-y spot, like… like a garden or a greenhouse or something?" She gasped. "Or maybe there's some sort of secret passage out of here!"

"Maybe," I said, trying to make her feel better more than anything else. I doubted there would be something so simple as a secret passage to get out of here.

Still, she did have a good point about the mosquito…

"Well, even if there's not, I'm sure we'll get out of here somehow. As long as we all work together, I'm sure we'll be out of here in no time," I said.

"You're right! Working together is super important… Of course, I dunno how I can be useful." And she was back down again. "I'll probably just weigh you all down… Even Byakuya is helping, and he doesn't even talk to anyone!"

"Byakuya will help in his way, and you will help in yours," I said.

"Sure, but I bet having a…" She lowered her voice to a whisper, "strong AI to help us would do much more than anything I had to offer."

"If such a thing existed, of course," I said, eyes darting to the camera in the corner of the room.

"Yes!" said Chihiro, and I was grateful she'd caught on so quickly. "If such a thing existed."

"As long as we're talking in hypotheticals here," I said, "What exactly is a strong AI?"

"Oh… Well, I only know the general idea, but, you see, in the field of artificial intelligence, there's strong AI and weak AI. Weak AI isn't meant to match human intelligence. It's simply a type of problem-solving software. A weak AI isn't actually thinking, it's just executing actions programmed into it. Strong AI, on the other hand, is a program that can achieve true self-consciousness—full ego awareness. In other words, a strong AI is a complete entity, a computer program capable of becoming aware."

"So which one is…"

"Is Byakuya's friend?" asked Chihiro. "I wouldn't know. I don't know how close he is to achieving sentience. Or something like that. God, that makes it sound like Skynet…" She laughed. "I'm getting ahead of myself. Plenty of experts don't think it's even possible, anyway…"

"How do you know so much about computers?" I asked.

"What?"

"Well, I didn't know computers had all that much to do with, uh… being an heiress."

"Uh… I have a lot of spare time," said Chihiro. "My dad, you know, head of the Fujisaki corporation, always insisted I dedicate a lot of time to my studies. He knows I'm into this, uh, techy stuff, so he pulled some strings to get me an internship in silicon valley, but, um… It didn't work out. I find that I tend to work better in, uh… solo environments. I'm not nearly at the same level as Byakuya, though."

"But it seems to be something you really enjoy."

She nodded. "I do, I do."

"Then who cares if you're not the best? What's going to stop you from pursuing your interests?"

"I… That's a nice idea, Mukuro, but I have responsibilities. I can't just—I have my father's company."

"You know, you don't have to do what's expected of you. You should never do something just because it's what someone else would want."

"I—I've tried getting out of my father's shadow. I've really tried."

"Maybe this is it, then. Maybe you just need something that's yours and yours alone."

"I told you, I already tried that. I… I used to trade stocks."

"Day trading? But is that even allowed? I mean, you're still in high school."

"I don't always have to be virtuous," said Chihiro, with a weak smile, but there was something sly behind it that was unusual coming from her. "I was pretty good at it, too, at one point my personal net worth was over 4 billion dollars."

Holy shit.

"'At one point'?" I asked.

"I… I couldn't keep it up," said Chihiro. "It's too much for me. Too… uh, intense. Besides, I donate most of my earnings to charity these days."

My mind went back to the forum posts I'd been reading about all the Ultimates. There hadn't been much on Chihiro—the Fujisakis were known for being an extremely private family—but I did recall some talk about all the different charities Chihiro had founded.

"I think I know what your thing is," I said.

"Huh? My thing?"

"Yes," I said. "The thing that sets you apart from everyone else. It's helping people."

"Oh." Chihiro flushed a bright shade of pink. "You're just saying that."

"Seriously! I feel a little out of my depth, coming here. You're like this prodigy scion, what are you even still doing in high school?"

Chihiro hung her head. "My father said it would do me some good to meet people my age." She sighed. "He's always right. Even though we might be stuck here… I regret not doing it sooner. I—I've spent too long in a bubble. I've relied on my father and his assets much too much. But no more!" She looked to me. "I'm glad to have met you, Mukuro Ikusaba."

I smiled. "I'm glad to have met you, too."

The buzzer went off on our machines, startling us both.

I jumped from my seat. "Looks like it's time to switch the clothes over. C'mon."

I began to pull everything out of the washing machine.

"Last thing," I said. "Once everything is all washed, for anything you're worried might shrink in the dryer, you want to air-dry it instead."

"Thank you so much," said Chihiro. "You are an excellent teacher."

"It's nothing," I said waving her off with a hand but that didn't stop my ears from burning. "Give me five." I held out my hand, and Chihiro gave me an enthusiastic high-five.

Finally, I flipped my clothes over to the dryer, demonstrating the different settings to Chihiro real quick before sitting back down in our seats, waiting once more for our clothes to dry.

Chihiro was quiet for a minute. I went back to flipping through that old magazine, trying to ignore the faint sound of Chihiro picking at her fingernails.

She paused, looking over at me again. "Can I tell you something?" she asked.

I looked up. "What is it?"

Her voice was small. "I… I'm terrified of the future."

I nodded slowly. "Me, too."

"Someday, my dad is going to step down, and I'm going to be in charge, and I don't know what I'm going to do when that day comes. I'm so scared. I'm so worried that everything he's worked for—I'm going to be the weak link that let it all falls apart. I mean, I can't even do my own laundry!"

"Hey," I said, putting a hand on hers. "Hey… Don't worry about it. One thing at a time. Let's just focus on getting out of here, first. Once we get out of here, then we can start worrying, but until then, let's not worry about that until we have to."

She gulped, nodding. "You're right. Thank you, Mukuro."

"Besides," I said. "You got the laundry down. I'm sure there's nothing you can't handle."

She giggled. "That makes me feel much better."

At last, our laundry was dry. With a heave and a loud groan, I unloaded my warm clothes into a messy pile on the nearby table, some loose socks dropping onto the floor in my haste.

"Oops," I said, picking up my socks from off the ground, then beginning to fold my laundry.

"You're going to fold your clothes here?" asked Chihiro.

"Why not?" I said. "If it were crowded I might take it back to my room but… I like hanging out with you."

Chihiro blushed. "Th-Thanks." She opening up the dryer, piling everything into her laundry basket.

A few minutes passed.

"Mukuro?"

"Hm?"

"I have something to tell you."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I—I'm not who you guys think I am."

"Okay… So then, who are you?"

Chihiro hesitated, then pulled a familiar red envelope out of her pocket, handing it to me. It was addressed to her. I recognized it as one of the letters Monokuma had given us—our second motivation.

"Why are you giving me this?" I asked.

"I—Whenever I try to say it, I can't," said Chihiro. "So just… Just take it."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

She nodded.

Hesitantly, I opened up the envelope, taking out the card inside.

Chihiro Fujisaki was born a man.

Suddenly, all the secrecy, all the tiptoeing around—avoiding the time in the bath house, the locker rooms, any invitations from Sakura and Hina to train. All that talk about getting stronger—it all made sense.

But first and foremost, before I could ask any questions, I had to reassure Chihiro—who was watching me with apprehension.

"Thank you," I said, "For trusting me enough to share this with me."

"You—You're not mad?" asked Chihiro.

"Why would I be mad?" I said.

"What? Because I lied to everyone," said Chihiro. It came out sounding like a question—like Chihiro couldn't fathom why I was being so calm about this. "I'm so sorry for lying."

"If anything, I think we should be apologizing to you. The fact that you haven't felt comfortable enough to share this with us must be very hard for you. But I have to ask," I said. "What do I call you, now?"

"Huh?"

"Does this change any way you would like me to address you?" I asked.

"Oh, uh, no! I mean, yes. I mean… Maybe," said Chihiro. "Actually, I was hoping this wouldn't change anything. You understand, right? I just—I don't feel ready to tell everyone just yet."

I nodded. "And you don't want them to get suspicious."

"Right," said Chihiro. She hesitated a moment before adding, "I was just so tired of keeping secrets. And hiding myself from the world. And relying my father's fortune. I had to say something."

"I promise I won't tell," I said.

"You're a good friend," said Chihiro. "I spent so many years never leaving home, thinking I could hide. Hiring tutors, working from home, paying people to do things for me, crafting this whole new identity for myself whenever I left the house. I don't want to shut myself out like that anymore. I was so lucky, most people don't have the resources I was born into, but it only made me weaker."

"If this is how you want to live, then it's not a lie," I said. "You're not pretending."

"Thank you, Mukuro," said Chihiro. "But I think coming here has finally given me a little perspective. I've always been so focused on being strong, that's all I've ever wanted. But I was in a bubble. Coming here, I've realized there are many kinds of strength. Boys are expected to be masculine and tough, and I was never like that. It's so… so…"

"Rigid?" I suggested.

"Yes. Rigid. While I still want to learn to be strong, I'm trying to be better. I shouldn't have to prove myself as a man. I associated so much weakness with femininity, but I was wrong. But I thought I could learn to like living as a girl, but, I just… I don't really feel comfortable. I've never really felt comfortable with it. But I felt like I was trying to live up to this ideal, something I'm not. I wish I didn't have to live up to expectations."

Chihiro looked so forlorn. I had to say something.

"So don't," I said.

"What?"

"Don't worry about anybody's expectations. Just live for you. And… you don't have to choose. You don't have to decide, not yet. I understand if you were born a boy, but we all still have time to figure out what we are inside." I laughed, which seemed to surprise her. "I mean, you're still in high school! You don't have to know right away."

"But… But you always seem so sure of yourself!" said Chihiro.

"Trust me," I said, "I'm just as lost as you. The truth is that nobody knows what they're doing."

Chihiro nodded, and I could see her eyes were wet with tears, but for once, they did not look to be tears of sadness.. "You are very wise."

"Why, thank you," I said, corners of my mouth turning up in a small smile.

Just then we were interrupted of the sounds of two other people entering the laundry room.

"Oh!" Chihiro sniffed, wiping their nose and trying to compose themself before speaking again. "Hello, Leon and Hina."

"Hey!" Leon grinned. "Chihiro! We didn't think anybody else would be in here."

"We just came in here to borrow the laundry carts," said Hina.

"What for?" I asked.

"Don't tell Taka," said Leon, "But we wanted to see if we could use them to race down the halls."

"I'm sorry, you what?" said Chihiro, at the same time I snorted with laughter.

"Come with!" said Hina. "We need another team anyway. Someone to push, and someone to sit in the cart."

Chihiro glanced over at me out of the corner of her eye. "Should we…"

I grinned at them, grabbing a nearby laundry card and wheeling it over to her. "Well?" I asked. "Get in."

Chihiro smiled.

—-

"Oi! Mukyutie!"

Oh, God.

At the sound of the familiar high-pitched voice, I dropped the spoon in my hand. I turned around to see Sparkling Justice smiling at me with those sharp teeth and lolling tongue of hers, staring me right in the face and uncomfortably close.

"Ah! Hello, Sparkling Justice. I was just putting the kettle on. I didn't see you come in."

I forced a smile.

Mukyutie? Was that meant to be for me?

"I didn't realize you were… out. Would you like some tea?" I asked, more out of pure courtesy than anything else.

"Aaaahhhhh… I got bored just sitting around. All this pent up energy has got to be directed somewhere, right?"

"Sure," I said. "Well, If I can help you find an outlet, by all means."

If it meant she wasn't going to kill anybody, I could... kill some time. Besides, as much as I was itching to get out, I had to wait for my tea.

"Although if you're looking for Byakuya, I think he's in the library," I added.

"Byakuya?" asked Jill. "Why on Earth would I be looking for Byakuya?"

"Uh… Because Toko…"

"Because Toko... what?" said Jill. "You know, it's very presumptuous to assume that alters must always share the same interests."

Because Toko's interest included anime, and yours include… murder.

Jill shook her head. "God, I should've guessed Gloomy would have gone for a loser like him. That guy is no good for her, I can tell." She nodded sagely, and I was struck by how odd and unusual it was for me to see her all serious. "He is cute though, I'll give him that."

"I can't say I trust him either," I said. I had no comment about the cute part.

Sparkling Justice cackled. "Ooh, do you want me to kill that guy for you? 'Cause I'll totally kill him if you want me to!"

"Th—That's not necessary!" I said, putting my hands up. "I may not get along with Byakuya, but I'd never wish death upon him. Besides, doesn't that go against your rule? You don't kill without reason."

"That's true…" said Jill. "Do you want me to dig up dirt on him first, and then kill him?"

"Look, I told you, no killing." My voice was firm. I gave her a stern look, my ability to not crack under the pressure surprising even myself.

She groaned. "But that's so dull. I can't just sit here, collecting dust. I need to do something!"

"Well, maybe you could put your efforts into helping us get out of here—" I said, but I was interrupted.

"It's no use!" whined Jill. "That'd be like telling a peach tree to grow apples or oranges. I am what I am, there's no changing that. Rid the world of evil, and maybe I'll consider taking up a new hobby, but until then!" she trilled.

"But… The world will never truly be rid of evil."

"Well, duh!" said Jill.

"But you know that, don't you?"

Sparkling Justice rolled her eyes. "Ok, whatever. I see you want to take the 'moral high ground'." She put on a huge fake yawn. "Boring!"

"It's not just that," I said. "I don't want Toko to get in trouble. I care about what happens to her."

She eyed me with suspicion. "Why the hell would you care about Gloomy?"

"Because I'm her friend. And you killing anybody while we're trapped here puts her in danger."

She continued to scrutinize me. "Toko doesn't have any friends… That's why she has me."

"If that's the case, I don't think you're a very good friend to her."

She grinned. "Not a good friend? Why, my entire existence functions to serve her!"

"Well, either way. I think it would be a very unhealthy lifestyle if your only friend was a serial killer who you couldn't even talk to," I said.

She cackled again. "That's true. You got me there. You know…" She tapped her chin, looking pensive. "Sometimes I wonder what would happen if she got her shit together, you know? Do you think I would cease to exist?"

"I don't know," I said, probably unhelpfully. "Maybe. Is that why you're here? To thrive on her misery?"

"Thrive on it?" said Jill. She tutted, clicking her tongue as she shook her head in mock disappointment. "No, no, no, my sweet child, you misunderstand me. I'm simply here to help the poor girl. As long as she's unhappy, I'm unhappy. She needs me."

"Well, if you're worried about disappearing if or once she gets better," I said, "it sounds to me like you need her a lot more than she needs you."

For a moment, she was quiet. Like she was contemplating something.

"You said you came into being because it was your job to help Toko, right?" I asked.

She didn't answer. I took that as a confirmation.

"Why? What was wrong?" I asked.

She folded her arms, completely closed off to me. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid that's confidential information. It's extremely inappropriate to ask a question like that to a victim of trauma, you know? Besides, I don't remember why. Not exactly. Do you remember your own birth?"

I shook my head.

"Why should it be any different for me?" she asked.

"You told us at… at the trial, that Toko wasn't happy with you," I said. "Maybe I'm wrong, but I think you're only doing what you think is best, not what she thinks is best. You're ignoring her needs on purpose. Have you considered that the reason you act the way you do… Is because you don't actually want things to get better?"

Jill's knuckles were white, her hands clenched into tight fists at her side. Then, she grabbed a butter knife that was sitting loose on the counter, holding it right up to me.

With one arm, she pinned me against the wall with surprising force. "Hey! What's the big idea, huh?" Her eyes were red, piercing, full of rage.

"Jill—!" I said, hoarse from having the wind knocked out of me. But she wasn't done.

"You think you can assign everything I do with this deep intrinsic meaning? Well, guess what? You're wrong! There is no meaning! I am the way I am, and it's not something you can analyze like your little game of Clue! I should just kill you right now!"

Beside us, the kettle began to whistle.

"You'd only be proving me right," I croaked out, probably against my own better judgement.

"Oh? And why's that?" she asked, the knife inching closer to my throat. It wasn't sharp, but even so, I didn't trust her with it.

"Because right now, all I see is someone who cares more about themself and their own gratification more than they care about the alter they care so much to 'protect'. And if you kill me, knowingly putting Toko in danger at the mercy of the class trial, it'll prove it to everyone else, too." Depite the warning alarm bells going off in my head, I kept talking. "Prove to me that your whole gimmick isn't just a facade to act out your violent impulses under the guise of 'protection'. Please, Jill."

The nickname seemed to disarm her. She let go of me, letting the knife fall to the ground with a loud clatter.

"You've got a lot of nerve, kid, for trying to lecture the mighty morphin' murderous fiend. Try to change me all you want, but if you're looking for some deep, gut-wrenching tragic backstory, I'm afraid you're not getting it from me. As for an explanation, let me just say this: it's easier to kill than to try not to! Kyeehahaha!"

Sparkling Justice continued to cackle to herself. Leaving her to her own devices, I slunk out of the room before she could notice, deciding I wasn't in the mood for tea anymore.

—

Junko scowled. "I don't see why Hiro has to hover like that," she said, giving Hiro a look as he watched the game from over my shoulder.

"Because," I explained patiently, "I asked him to show me how to play, so he's gonna help me for at least one round until I get the hang of it."

"But wasn't this whole thing his idea?" asked Junko with an irritated huff. "By the way, I match your bottle of black nail polish, Celeste." Junko held up a bottle of holographic nail-polish before setting it down. "And raise the bet one bag of powdered donuts I nicked from the pantry." She tossed the paper bag into the pile with a low thud.

"Ugh," said Celeste. "I hate processed foods."

They were arguing about the validity of her bet entry, so Hiro leaned in to examine my hand again.

"Hang on, Mukuro, let me see," said Hiro.

"Ugh," scoffed Junko. "Backseat driver, much?"

I ignored her, since my turn was next. I was about to fold, but Hiro put up a hand. "Wait," he said to me, voice low in my ear, taking the time to coach me while the other two were distracted. "What are you doing?"

"Folding," I whispered back. "Junko raised the bet again, I can't compete with that."

"Are you kidding? See, that?" He pointed to the cards in my hand. "Right there, you have three of a kind."

"I know," I snapped. "You already explained it to me."

"Fine." We were interrupted by Celeste's voice, loud in irritation and surrender to Junko. "I don't care anymore. Chihiro?"

Chihiro frowned.

I was more than happy to let it go. Hiro, however, was not finished. "Then what are you waiting for?"

"We're still on this?" I asked, but I was mostly teasing.

"Why not? Go for it!" It was somewhat amusing experiencing him attempt to keep his volume low despite his excitement. "I bet the others don't have anything. Watch, Chihiro is going to fold."

Sure enough that's what happened.

"Okay, that was just lucky—" I tried to counter, but he ignored me.

"Look at Celeste, she's totally bluffing."

"You can't know that."

"You'll see."

I rolled my eyes. "I fold," I said, shooting Hiro a challenging look— perhaps a bit too stubborn just to make a point.

"Oh, that's too bad," said Celeste, but the way she was smiling told me she didn't feel bad at all. "Well, I'm all in."

"Shit…" Junko considered it a moment, before finally grumbling, "Fine. I fold, too."

When I raised my eyebrows in surprise, she added, "I'm all out of nail polish, and I don't want to start throwing in snack-run IOUs. I haven't sunk that low yet."

Celeste smirked, finally showing us her cards.

"What!" cried Junko, slamming her fists on the table in outrage. "Nothing? You were bluffing this whole time?"

"And that's why I love poker," said Hiro—more to himself probably than to anyone in particular.

"Damnit!" said Junko, throwing her cards down, and finally getting a look at her hand I could see that she had a pair of jacks.

I barely knew anything about poker, but I was pretty sure even she could've beaten Celeste if she'd just stayed in the game.

Chihiro let out a disappointed click of the tongue. "Wow, Celeste! You are good. I was so sure you had something. See?" She showed us her hand. "I had a full house, if I'd know you were bluffing, I—I would've…"

"It's alright," said Celeste, picking up the glittery holo nail polish and handing it to Junko. "Why don't you keep that?"

Junko's ears went bright red. She looked as if she were about to explode.

I turned to look at Hiro.

"See?" I said. "You were wrong. You said the others didn't have anything. Junko had a pair, and Chihiro had a better hand than me."

He grinned as he stood up so that he was no longer hovering behind me. Still, I could see he was glancing down at me from the corner of his eye. "Yeah, but I was right about Celeste, wasn't I?"

"I—" I said, about to retort, but unable to really find a compelling counterargument. "Fine," I relented, crossing my arms. "That's still only one out of three."

"Hey." He shrugged. "But I got the one that counted. Besides, one outta three is not half-bad, yeah?"

"Technically, it's a little less than half-bad," I said, managing a small smile. "But yes, I get your point."

"What did I say about betting on yourself?" he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, alright, Dad. I think I got it. Now will you join the game now?"

He beamed at me, taking the seat at the table and picking up all the cards, shuffling them up before dealing everyone a new hand.

—

"'Kuro, what's the deal?" asked Junko.

"Yeah, what's holdin' you up?" asked Hiro, only I could tell by his tone that he was only asking that to tease me. After all, it was just us two left.

Perhaps uncharacteristically, Junko had folded the first round. Then again, by that point I started to pick up on more of Junko's habits—and she didn't usually bluff with an empty hand.

Since we didn't have money, and we'd run out of miscellaneous garbage to just throw in the betting pool, we'd settled fetched a huge box of coffee candies from the pantry and split them between us.

We'd also set up a king of of a favor system. At the beginning of each round, we'd scribble down post-it notes to divvy up with random chores and favors to do for one another—laundry, cooking, dishes, cleaning, fetching stuff. Things like that. They were like our little get-out-of-jail-free cards for things we didn't want to do, good for one use.

And Junko really hated doing favors for other people.

Celeste either could not or no longer wanted to match the bet, so she was out. And Chihiro had folded a long time ago. It was no surprise to any of us that she was terrible at bluffing.

It was just me and Hiro.

"I see you," I said, matching the number of candies in the pile, despite the fact that if I lost, I would be all out. Still, I was feeling pretty good about my hand. "And I'm raising it a 'does my laundry'. For... a month."

Or until we got out. Whichever came first.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Hiro. "I thought we agreed the limit on these things was a one time use."

"Aren't you the one that told me to play with confidence?" I asked with a smirk. "So? Are you in?"

He eyed me a moment, and for once he was impossible to read. I couldn't tell if he was intrigued, angry, or annoyed.

"Nah," he said with a sigh, tossing his cards face down on the table. "I'm out."

"Hey!" I said. "What's the idea? I thought Yasuhiro Hagakure always plays to win."

And I wanted to beat him at least once before the day was over. But still, what kind of teacher are you if you don't practice what you preach, yeah?

He glared at me a moment before picking up his cards again. "Fine. Then I see your bet, and I raise it one 'making and serving bubble milk tea for breakfast."

"Just once?" I asked, since my wager had been for the entire month.

He nodded. "But for the whole class."

I frowned. "I don't have any more candies."

"Aw, that's ok," cooed Hiro sarcastically. "Guess you're gonna have to fold. Or… I could always just sell your organs to make up for the difference. I'm sure you can spare a kidney or something."

"Are we talking for the black market, or for you?" I said. "How's your liver holding up in your old age?"

"Ha, ha, very funny."

"I hear kidneys go for a lot these days," I said. "You can use the money to start a retirement fund."

"Mukuro! Is that any way to talk to your elders?" said Hiro in mock disapproval.

"All I know is that you're not getting ahold of these kidneys."

"Then I guess I'll just have to take them from you!" said Hiro. And with a devilish grin, almost as if he were baring his teeth at me, he tossed aside his cards, bumping the table as he jumped up from his seat.

"Oh, no you don't!" I said, laughing as I backed away from him.

"Your organs are mine, Ikusaba!"

"You'll have to catch me first!"

Hiro chased me around the rec room, circling the pool table a couple times like a game of cat and mouse. I let out a shriek as he took a swipe at me, catching me under his arm and rumpling my hair and nearly knocking Junko out of her seat.

"God!" squealed Junko. "You guys are so childish!"

"Sorry, Junko," I said, still chuckling as Hiro let go of me, and I tried to flatten my hair and smooth out my skirt.

"Hmph."

She turned away from us, but behind her back, Hiro shot me a grin and a thumbs up.

---

A/N: Mukuro is finally starting to acknowledge her inner gay? Kyoko knows what she's doing. She knows.

Lolololol I love how I just do whatever the heck i want under the guise of "it's a talentswap" aka totally just ignoring canon personalities. Also most of my knowledge of poker comes from movies.

Also, not to bring back discourse from 2013, but to me Chihiro's story has always been somewhat reflective of a trans narrative, but they've always been too uncomfortable with presenting as female for me to really believe that Chihiro is a trans girl. But since this Chihiro is still alive, they have a chance to grow as a person and be less dichotomist when it comes to their beliefs on gender. They're still figuring themself out, and that's totally normal for a teenager! So, GNC / nonbinary Chihiro it is!