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

Kotobuki's eyelids fluttered open as the bells played, the announcement making her grunt as she rolled over. Remembering breakfast, she began to push herself up, when she recalled something else. "The Texbooks!" she gasped. Scrambling out of bed, she fell to the ground on her hands and knees, crawling to her feet and rushing for the door. She tore out of her room, looking around, not seeing anyone yet. Breaking into a hurried run, she turned the corner and headed up the stairs. By the time she made it to the Meeting Room, she was quite winded. Panting, she opened the door and stepped in. The lights were still dimmed as she'd left them, but the counter on the box had changed, now reading 'eleven'. Her heart sank as she froze, her worst fears confirmed. That was it: one of the books had been taken. If a murder didn't occur in the next few days, the person who did it would be killed by Monokuma. Slumping again, she returned to the lower floors, reaching the Dining Hall. Opening the double doors, she saw that she was the last one to arrive.

Looking around at the other eleven, she said accusingly, "Okay, fess up, who took it!?"

Tsujimoto asked, "Are you okay, Kotobuki-san?"

"Lose something?" Urushibara asked.

Getting frustrated, Kotobuki demanded, "The Textbooks! The counter is down to eleven!" There were a few moments of silence as it sunk in.

Katsuragi said plainly, "Oh dear, so someone is indeed planning a murder."

Toyoguchi gritted his teeth, "Miscreants. We should be much more vigilant. Who knows what secrets that book could hold."

Saitou seemed displeased as well, grumbling nonsensically. After a moment, Kotobuki asked, "When did it happen though? We must have been there until about-"

"Eleven," Oonishi finished for her. "Then Monokuma interrupted. You were half asleep, so I took you back, but then I went back to sleep. I didn't think I could stay up, and Monokuma said he'd only give as one warning, so I went to bed," he explained.

"After grabbing the Textbook," Akumada said accusingly.

"N-no! Of course not," Eiji insisted.

"It would have been the perfect time. The rest of us would have believed you were watching the movie, and not bothered to interfere until later, when we believed you finished your date," Kirifuji suggested.

"That's not right! It wasn't a date, it was reconnaissance! We were going to stay all night," Oonishi explained.

Tsujimoto grumbled, "I knew I should have checked on you. You should have told me you were going to try and stay there the whole time! That's dangerous! Especially since you didn't tell us everything: if someone had tried to sneak in, saw you two, and decided to kill you, well..."

Taiyoshi grumbled, "That's what I was trying to tell him."

Kinashi spoke up, saying, "Perhaps if the Culprit behind the Murder Textbook reveals the information within, we can convince Monokuma that his incentive was no good."

Urushibara shook his head, "No way that'd work..."

Tachibana sighed, "She was just kidding." Kinashi opened her mouth to reply, but stopped herself, looking aside shamefully.

"Did you see anything, Katsuragi-san?" Tsujimoto asked.

Katsuragi shook her head, "I was mostly in the Radio Room, messing around with the voice recorder while I waited to hear something."

"Try not to mess around with that too much, it might have limited battery life," Tachibana requested.

Katsuragi rolled her eyes, "Says the girl who left an overly long joke recorded without actually finishing it. I haven't been that disappointed since my fifth birthday party."

Akumada scoffed, "Enough of this. We can't do anything but wait. Unless, of course, you want some of the information yourself, in which you'll simply have to take the risk yourself."

"You're just hungry, aren't you?" Saitou observed. Akumada did not respond.

Kotobuki looked around, still frustrated. Someone was going to die soon, and this time, no one could stop it. Unable to say anything else, she stomped into the Kitchen. She put her energy into breakfast, trying to keep her mind off things. All she had to do was Hope that the person who took the Textbook failed to kill, and that no one else took one either. She hated herself for Hoping one of her fellow Applicants would just die, but it was her fault. She should have prepared herself more and kept up guard the whole night. She couldn't blame Oonishi: he'd done what he could. Unless...he had taken a book? Realizing what she was thinking, she shook her head roughly, throwing herself deeper into her current task.

She finished in due time, and the meal came and went, everyone fanning out after eating. Kotobuki remained, at least for a bit, until she got up to leave. Wanting to stand guard in the Radio Room, she headed upstairs. Turning a few corners, she arrived, opening the door, finding the room was not so empty. Tachibana sat in the chair, spinning slowly. She stopped when she faced Kotobuki, smiling, "Oh, Kotobuki-chan! Here to listen for messages for me?"

Kotobuki nodded, "Yup! I can take over for a while. At least until lunch time."

Tachibana smiled, "Whew, thanks. I've been in here for five whole minutes! The walls were starting to close in. The voice recorder is over there. Try not to fiddle with the dials and such too much, m'kay? Just a little is fine though."

"O-okay," Kotobuki nodded, a bit uncertain about fiddling with things at all. Tachibana headed off, leaving the Luckster alone in the Radio Room. 'What could possibly go wrong?', she wondered to herself.

Luckily, nothing went wrong, but nothing went right either. Nothing went. She just sat there. For a few hours, with nothing but a voice recorder and a swivel chair. The energetic girl made due somehow, meandering about, searching the room several times, even daring to poke and mess around with things.

Around lunch time, she started to get a bit hungry. Looking at the radio console, she moaned, growing impatient, "Say something people!"

"Something, people," came a voice from the door. Kotobuki turned in the chair, seeing Tachibana re-enter, a plate of sandwiches in hand. Kotobuki's eyes widened as she saw the plate, suddenly much hungrier then she already was. Tachibana looked between the plate and Kotobuki, before saying, "These are mine. Get your own." Kotobuki slumped, frowning dejectedly. Tachibana snorted, "Gosh, I'm kidding. You've been good, so I made lunch for us!"

Frown flipped upside down, Kanata happily took the offered sandwich, quickly taking a bite. "Thanks for the meal, Tachibana-chan!" she said, the words slightly muffled by bite of food in her mouth.

Tachibana hopped onto the Radio console, sitting as she ate, while Kotobuki kept to the chair. The Director asked before taking a bite, "While we're on the subject of food: where did you learn to cook anyway?"

Kotobuki swallowed a bite before answering, "Well, first, I was just helping my mom, then I guess I just got better at it. Oh yeah! I think one of my teachers wanted the class to do some research into how different cultures treat the same subject, or something. I did food! I studied and learned how to make a bunch of foreign dishes. I got the highest grade in my class! Best I ever did in school, even if it was just elementary school."

Tachibana nodded, "Oh, so you've been cooking a while then?" Kotobuki nodded. Tachibana looked her over, before leaning down and suddenly poking the Luckster in the stomach, making her gasp in surprise and flinch away. "Man, you're so thin for someone who makes such good food. You have no idea how jealous I am." She pinched her own, somewhat flabby stomach as she frowned, "I'm not that lucky..."

Thinking, Kotobuki said, "I can change up my dishes, try and make something healthier. Or we can both exercise more often! It'd be easier if we both did it, right?"

Tachibana sighed, "I appreciate it, but I'll pass." Popping the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth, she asked, "So, I guessing you haven't heard anything?" Kotobuki shook her head in disappointment. Tachibana sighed, "Ah well, it can't be helped. If our broadcasters had any sense, they repeat the message or something. They might not be trying to reach us though."

Kotobuki shook her head, "No! Of course they are! We're the only kids in a base dealing with Super High School Level Despair! Maybe." Still having no idea what that could be, she asked Tachibana, "What do you think Super High School Level Despair could be?"

Tachibana thought, before suggesting, "Well, maybe someone really good at causing Despair? Like...a bully? Maybe she's one of those stupid girls I had to deal with in elementary school."

Kotobuki blinked, asking, "Wait, Tachibana-chan, you were bullied?"

She shrugged, "Yeah, cause I was weird. I mean, when a spider popped up in the classroom, everyone would scream and run, but I'd try to catch it. Same for beetles and stuff in the woods. Of course, when the other kids heckled me, I heckled back." She looked down, an evil smile plastered on her face. "Mwahahaha..." she chortled.

"Y-you're scaring me..." Kotobuki admitted, a little weirded out.

Tachibana grinned, "It's okay. I mean, it's not like I did any permanent physical damage." Kotobuki gawked, as Tachibana giggled, "Or any lasting damage. Gosh Kotobuki! What do you think I am?"

Kotobuki admitted, "Well, I saw part of your movie, and it's just hard to believe someone my age came up with most of that." Realizing something that had been bugging her, she asked, "How did you get into the movie business anyway? What about your inspirations for your stuff? Oh, or...you wouldn't happen to know anything about Yamamoto Shiki, would you?"

Tachibana thought for a moment, before answering, "Uh, nope, not a whole lot. I mean, I've met him once or twice, and for some reason, I remember him talking about radio stuff, but I didn't remember enough, apparently. Guess I should have picked up more of his Super High School Level Radio Host knowledge when I had the chance. Too late now."

Moving on, Tachibana continued, "As for my movies...well, my dad was into acting, actually. Or well, he wanted to be, but he wasn't very good...my mom was the main breadwinner of our family, and I was too young to be left at home, so he'd take me to studios when he needed to audition. Well, once, when I was wandering around, I stumbled across a script to a future episode of 'Scandals of Justice', just sitting there on the desk, waiting for me. I'd actually watched a lot of it with my dad. He was interested in the story, but the acting was kinda off, so he wanted in on that. But when I read the script, I noticed the plot was getting way weird. I didn't like the developments, so I fixed it!" Kotobuki smiled, leaning in. She just loved hearing about Super High School Level Talents showing off, no matter their age. Tachibana went on, "Anyway, it turned out to be an older draft, but when someone saw me editing it, they snatched it from me. They thought I was just scribbling. But like, less than a week later, my dad got a call from the studio, and they wanted to see me: they actually read my edits and liked it! The studio couldn't believe a schoolkid could come up with something like that."

Kanata smiled, "I guess they're never heard of the World's Hope!"

Tachibana shrugged, "My dad wasn't too pleased. He was so excited when the studio called...but anyway, they decided to give me a shot. Man, the look on their faces when I explained the reasons for my changes. They were like: did this elementary schoolgirl really just say something that made so much sense?" She made a face, jaw dropping, eyes bulging in surprise, before laughing again. She smiled, "They gave me a shot at directing, and well, the rest is history. Oh, and 'Gangrene'? I searched up some stuff on the internet, found a lot of nasty diseases. I needed one for an idea I had, see? And when I got to gangrene, the pictures were so nasty but I couldn't stop looking! It was perfect. I whipped my ideas into a pitch, got funding, it came out, and viola, I started a smash hit horror trilogy."

Kanata smiled, "I need to go finish the rest of that! I tried watching, but, well..." She trailed off, thinking of Monokuma. Curious about something else, she asked, "What about your dad? Did he ever make it in acting?"

Tachibana frowned, letting out a long sigh, before answering, "Nope." As she stayed silent, otobuki studied her. Tachibana stayed quiet for a few moments, before relenting, "Well, I mean, he couldn't make it on his own...he just wasn't very good! I tried to throw him a bone, you know, giving him bit parts in 'Scandals of Justice' with like, a minute of screentime and two lines. He kinda wanted to make it on his own, but hell, I was a sixth grader and even I knew that it was about whom you knew, not how good you were. Well, unless you were me. Argh, now I feel even worse."

Trying to make her feel better, Kotobuki said, "W-well, your dad's still acting, right?"

Tachibana frowned, shaking her head, "He got demoted to an extra. When they had to shoot one scene so many times because his delivery was so...meh, they swapped him out for an extra that got it right on the first try. He got really depressed after that. Got a regular job, drank with his friends more. He was fine out of the house, but when he was home, he just sorta...didn't do anything. He stopped watching TV with me, dropped Scandals of Justice...I don't even think he went to see my movies."

Kotobuki thought on that for a moment, before her look hardened, and she said, "That's not right. He should have been supporting you!"

Blinking in surprise, Tachibana reasoned, "Well, I did sort of crush his dreams..."

Kotobuki stood, "No you didn't! You tried to help him! He's the one who gave up! Don't blame yourself!"

Tachibana said nothing, sitting more a few moments. With a sigh, she stood, saying, "Well, it's not like I can talk to him."

Kotobuki smiled, "Don't worry. Once we get out, I'm sure you'll get the chance. And if he doesn't listen, let me knock some sense into him!"

Tachibana looked at her for a moment, before forcing a laugh. The laugh became more relaxed as she continued, laughing a bit more before toning it down. Taking the plates, she went to the door, saying, "I'll be back in a bit, you can leave once I get back, 'kay?" Kotobuki smiled, and Tachibana headed out the door.

Kotobuki waited in the usual quiet for a little longer, until she came back. Kotobuki hopped up, before saying, "Seeya later, Tachibana-chan! I think I'm going to try and watch your movie. I've only seen the second one."

Tachibana studied her, before saying incredulously, "You...why did you only see the second one!?"

Kotobuki shrugged, "Well, it came out, and got a lot of hype, and one of my friends wanted to see it so we all went." Tachibana crossed her arms, giving her a hard look, as if shaming the Luckster. Kotobuki stammered, "D-did I mess up?"

"Go watch it already!" Tachibana said suddenly, snatching the chair from Kotobuki. Kotobuki nodded, hopping out the door. She took a breath as she headed downstairs. She had to admit, Tachibana had it pretty hard, but she was still able to make something of herself. Kotobuki still found herself being impressed by these Super High School Level Hope's Peak Applicants.

Hoping into the Meeting Room, Kotobuki was relieved that the number on the box of Murder Textbooks remained unchanged. The projector still contained the movie, so all she needed to do was play it. Dimming the lights and taking a seat, she finally started to watch Gangrene. She was finding it enjoyable, even more so than the sequel, as she understood everything that was happening. Around the bone chilling climax, the door to the Meeting Room opened, and a familiar Karuta Queen stepped in. "Kotobuki-san?" she called out.

Scrambling to pause the movie, Kotobuki hit a button on the projector, accidentally hitting 'eject' instead in the darkness. The movie stopped, popping out of the projector. Disappointed in her mistake, Kotobuki stepped down from the chair, asking, "Yes, Kinashi-san?"

"Er, did I interrupt something?" the short haired girl asked, worried. Kotobuki shook her head, and Kinashi continued, "I see. Well, I was simply a little worried. It is nearly dinner time, and-"

"Ah! Is it?" Kotobuki gasped. Kinashi nodded, and Kanata said, "Guess I better get started, eheheh." Resolving to finish the movie later, Kotobuki and Kinashi returned downstairs, and the Luckster got started on the meal. 'Gangrene' still fresh in her mind, she couldn't help but check and double check what she was cooking to make sure it was still perfectly good.

After the meal, Kotobuki found herself in the Kitchen, washing the dishes alone. She felt like Urushibara with how thorough she was being. After a while, the door opened, and Kinashi stepped through, seeming a little guilty. Bowing, she said, "I realized while we were eating: I did interrupt you, did I not? I am sorry, it shall not happen again."

Shaking her head, Kotobuki said, "No, no, it's fine! We need to eat sometime. I just got distract-"

"I would like to make it up to you," Kinashi interjected. Realizing, she bowed again, saying, "I also apologize for interrupting your words."

Kotobuki wanted to say everything was still fine, but Kinashi didn't seem willing to accept that. "O-okay, Kinashi-san..." The Karuta Queen's idea of help seemed to be to aid in the dishes, and the two wrapped that up without taking too long.

Seeing opportunity, Kotobuki asked, "Kinashi-san, wanna hang out for a little bit?"

Kinashi thought for a moment, before asking, "But what about your movie, Kotobuki-san?"

As much as Kotobuki wanted to see it, getting closer to her fellow Applicants was more important. "It'll still be there later!" Kanata insisted. "We should go somewhere else to talk though..."

After a moment, Kinashi nodded, before turning and leaving. Kotobuki followed, and was led right back to the Meeting Room, where Kinashi undimmed the lights. Thinking about what she knew about her, and what she didn't, Kotobuki asked, "So, I remember you said your brother was part of how you got into Karuta, right?" Kotobuki recalled unfailingly the name of Kinashi Rentarou, the Super High School Level Poet of the 75th Class.

Kinashi nodded, "I believe it was the spring break between my first and second years of middle school. He was going over some old research into his field having just graduated from Hope's Peak Academy. He became interested once more in the Hyakunin Isshu once again, looking into those hundred poems. I stumbled across a deck of the cards and because interested, especially when I learned there was a game you could play with them. He taught me more about the poetry aspect, and also introduced me to a local Karuta Society, where I learned the game itself. Those first few months, I was perhaps a bit...out of control."

Kotobuki stated, "That's...hard to imagine."

Kinashi smiled, "I could not get enough. Once I took my first card from my opponent, I had to have them all, I suppose. I practiced incessantly, preforming practice swings while listening to tapes of recorded readings. I attended every tournament I could: even if I was not playing, I was studying the top players, watching their matches. Our society's head was glad to help me when he saw how much effort I put into it, taking me to tournaments so I could increase my rank. I ascended to A Rank faster than anyone they knew."

Kotobuki was starting to get a little lost. She knew about the whole Master and Queen bits, and some tidbits about the game itself, but this was getting a little over her head. Sensing he confusion, Kinashi explained. "Oh, excuse me. The recorded readings are often used when no dedicated reader is available, and players take the cards when the first verse of the poem is read out, the grace and speed of the swing usually dictating who gets it."

"I-I remember how to play, Kinashi-san," Kotobuki insisted. "Er, it's the exact things about the rank I don't remember."

"Oh, excuse me," Kinashi nodded. "D Rank refers to a beginning player. They are moved to C Rank upon coming in a high position in a tournament, which are also divided by rank. C rank players need to come within the top two in a tournament to ascend to B Rank. B Rank players need to become runner up twice or win a tournament to ascend to A Rank. A Rank players, the highest rank, can play in the Master and Queen qualifiers, to have a shot at being named the best in the world." Continuing her own story, she said, "I reached A Rank at the yearly tournament held at the Omi Jingu shrine in summer, playing against a number of other players at my age. Later in the year, I competed in the Queen Qualifiers, winning some particularly difficult matches to represent Western Japan in the last round some time later, eventually earning the right to challenge the Queen after beating a particularly strong opponent, who very much deserved her spot in representing the East. Luckily for me, I had an advantage against her due to her poor memory. I dearly hope to play with her again though; her passion and spirit were quite infectious."

Kotobuki smiled, "I didn't see that one, but I saw your game against the Queen! She was a third year high schooler, and you were just a third year middle schooler, right?"

Kinashi nodded, "Yes, and when she took the title, she had been a third year middle schooler herself. It was a close match, very close. She was very fast, like a precise razor, taking cards without making a sound. Even through my techniques of switching similar sounding cards often, the moments she hesitated were all that allowed me to get the slightest edge and procure victory. But as you likely saw, at the end it was down to luck, with each of us down to a single card."

Kotobuki shook her head, "No, not all luck. It was your Talent that got you too that point in the first place! You both deserved victory." Kinashi frowned, as if upset by something. Kotobuki stammered, "Er, d-did I say something wrong."

Kinashi brushed some of her sort red hair aside, regaining her composure, before saying, "Well...Talent was not all that carried me to victory. Everyone said it was: my friends, my family, those at my Karuta Society. It was only my brother who realized how much hard work I put into it. I practice every day, and still do, even when forced to take part in this Entrance Exam of Mutual Killing. Perhaps I should have taken more time and earned the title of Queen later, then maybe my hard work would have been noticed... Why is it that whenever someone young does something impressive, it's always considered Talent? Is it simply the belief that the young cannot appreciate hard work often enough?"

Taken aback Kotobuki thought on it for a moment. She admitted, "Well, there isn't much difference, is there? I mean, if there's one person here who didn't work at their Talent, it'd be me. I wanted the chance to go to Hope's Peak, but maybe if I worked hard at some other skill, I'd be here as like, a Super High School Level Cook or something." Not wanting to imply otherwise, she quickly added, "Er, I'm no Hanamura though...maybe some other thing?"

Kinashi stopped, before apologizing, "Er, excuse me, I failed to even consider your Talent. But I think...you are correct. The other Applicants here put their hardest efforts into their work, craft, or hobbies as well; I am not the only one. Thank you for helping me realize that, Kotobuki-san." The Luckster smiled, and Kinashi took her leave, her eyes lingering on the box for a moment before she exited. Kotobuki was a bit envious of the Queen: she'd been playing Karuta for around a year, and she was one of the best in the world. Kanata really wished she had that kind of dedication.

Alone in the Meeting Room once more, she decided to try and finish 'Gangrene'. Popping it back in, she got back to roughly the point she had been, letting it play. By the time she got to the climax, she was once again interrupted by the nighttime announcement, ruining part of the tension. By the time she finished, she was exhausted once again. Getting up, she stumbled back downstairs, hopping into bed, falling asleep once she'd hit the pillow, her dreams unplagued by horrific images from the movie she'd just watched.

Kotobuki awoke the next day at the morning announcement, on day thirteen of their captivity. Rubbing her eyes, she rolled over, grumbling. After another minute, she crawled out of bed, washing her face before heading out. Reaching the Dining Hall, she was surprised to see no one there. Blinking, and a bit fearful, she called out, "Hello?" Gingerly, she checked the Kitchen, remembering that she was attacked there once. But alas, it was also empty. Stepping back outside, she looked around. Her heart jumped when she saw a strange, roundish figure moving at the end of the hallway. She called out again, voice starting to shake, "Who's there?" She could feel her heart pounding as she slowly walked towards the end of the hall, checking over her shoulder, hoping whatever it was didn't come from behind her. As she passed in front of the stairs upwards halfway down the hall, she stopped, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, she heard a voice calling out from the stairs. As soon as she turned her head, she was bowled over as someone crashed into her. Both parties fell to the ground. Kotobuki bumped her head on the ground, groaning in pain as she got up, seeing Taiyoshi hopping to her feet, looking a bit worried. She sighed in relief as she saw Kotobuki, saying, "Whew, you're okay. Have you seen anyone else?"

Kotobuki shook her head, before suddenly saying, "Wait! I saw something turn that way! Hurry before it gets away!" Taiyoshi, her uncertainty clear, ran off, turning the corner after a few seconds. A few moments later, Taiyoshi came up behind Kotobuki, skidding to a stop, shaking her head.

"Damn, they could have gone anywhere! So you haven't seen anyone else? We're missing a few," Taiyoshi explained. Holding up her fingers, she counted, "Katsuragi, Kirifuji, Oonishi, Kinashi, and Toyoguchi."

Kotobuki asked, worried, "What's going on?"

Taiyoshi shook her head, "Let's get you get upstairs right now! The Radio Room, I've gotta find everyone else. There are too many guys not responding, something weird is going on." Before Kotobuki could try to respond, Taiyoshi grabbed Kotobuki by the hand and made her way back up the stairs, dragging Kotobuki along. Kotobuki tried to get more answers, but after a bit of running, she was winded.

Within a minute or so, they were at the Radio Room. Urushibara was standing outside, hands in his coat pockets. As the pair reached the room, they saw Tsujimoto and Tachibana standing behind Akumada, whom sat in the chair. Kotobuki's panting from the run got Akumada's attention, and he stood, suddenly growling, "Why didn't you answer!?"

Kotobuki, red in the face, continued to catch her breath, trying to sputter out an answer. As she tried to speak, Taiyoshi said, "I'm going to go see if I can find anyone else."

Just after she ran off, Saitou approached the door, just as there was a crackling from the radio. Eyes widening in disbelief, Akumada turned. Through the crackling, someone was trying to say something, "Rescue co-" a few moments of booming static, then "-mit murder, do not-" a bit more static interrupted, just for a moment, then finally, "-escape. Stay well." There was a bit more static, and it finally cut out.

After a few moments, Saitou asked, "What was that? Was it-"

"Further instruction, just as I said," Akumada said, a grin on his face, though not a pleasant one.

Kotobuki repeated, her breath returned, "Rescue co...ntrol? Rescue coming? Coming!"

Tsujimoto added, "Then maybe, 'do not commit murder'. Or 'omit murder'? No, probably not."

"Then 'do not escape'? there was another word there though. 'Do not let Monokuma say you cannot escape?" Tachibana wondered.

"Too long," Urushibara sighed, not offering any other ideas.

Akumada pushed past the others, saying, "I'll tell Taiyoshi and check the men's bathrooms and Changing Room. Stay put." With that, he left, turning the corner to the next hallway.

With him gone, Kotobuki had to ask, "So, what's going on? What didn't I answer?"

Tsujimoto began to explain, "Akumada was looking around for whatever reason, but he passed the Radio Room and heard 'Await further instruction'. He said he looked for the voice recorder, but it wasn't there, so he ran back to the Dorms and hit all the doorbells, but not everyone responded. When I got out into the hall, he was fine, but when he said some people weren't responding, we started to get a little worried something had happened. We wanted to stick together, so we all came up here. Taiyoshi ran off to check on everyone who didn't respond once the morning announcement played. We figured that if the doorbell failed, that would work.

Kotobuki blinked, "Weird, the doorbell didn't wake me up, but the morning announcement did." She scratched her head, not having an answer. "I'm sorry, maybe my doorbell is broken?" she suggested.

"Or Akumada didn't hit it right," Urushibara suggested.

Saitou sighed, saying, "Something's definitely up. Way too many people aren't responding. So, I thought this was a good-"

Before he could finish, Taiyoshi reappeared, Katsuragi Yumi in hand, being carried like a bride or princess in the Runner's arms. Taiyoshi set her down and she brushed herself off. "Thank you for the ride, Taiyoshi-chan," Katsuragi said.

Taiyoshi slapped the back of Katsuragi's head just hard enough to make her emit a cry of surprise, insisting in frustration, "This is only the once, because it's an emergency!"

As Taiyoshi wiped a bit of sweat off her forehead, Kotobuki asked, "Are you okay, Nijiko-chan?"

She smiled, "Okay? This is the first sweat I've worked up since I don't even know when. Those stairs are tough. If it weren't for all the missing guys, I'd be feeling great. Did we get any more radio contact?"

Tachibana, nodded, repeating what they assumed they'd heard just after she'd left. With a sigh, the Director plopped into the swivel chair, grumbling, "Why don't they just repeat their broadcasts? It'd make it way easier on us. Did we really need everyone here in the first place?"

Taiyoshi, looking around, asked, "I can't believe you guys just let Akumada skulk off alone. Like that's a good idea..." No one replied.

After a few moments or silence, Urushibara grumbled, "Can we really just wait here? I mean, we'll be fine if we go look for the others with the buddy system."

Tsujimoto nodded, "Okay, Tachibana-san and Katsuragi-san, you stay here in case we get any more messages. I'll take Saitou-san and head one way, Kotobuki-san, you take Urushibara-san. Taiyoshi-san, you can take the lead or stay and rest, whichever you prefer."

Taking a breath, Taiyoshi nodded, "No, I'll help."

Scratching her chin, Tsujimoto suggested, "Okay, in that case, you check these top two floors, then Saitou and I will check one dorm level and Kotobuki and Urushibara can check the other. Sound good? Every room we can too."

Nodding, the groups headed off. Kotobuki, Urushibara at her side, quickly headed down with Tsujimoto and Saitou. When they reached the Dorm level, Tsujimoto and Saitou quickly headed towards the stairs, while Kotobuki and Urushibara headed by the Dorm Rooms again, going for the doorbells, not cutting any corners. Kotobuki felt a pang as she reached the first door, Tomoe's, but rang the doorbell anyway. However, soon after they started, Toyoguchi's door, second on the right, suddenly cracked open. In a moment, it swung inward, revealing Kinashi. Noting their expressions, she asked, "Is something the matter?"

Urushibara gasped, "W-what are you doing in there? And why didn't you respond to the doorbell earlier?"

Kinashi blinked, "I am not sure what you are referring too. There was only the morning announcement and the doorbell just now. As for why I was in Toyoguchi's room, I was worried about the one who took the Murder Textbook perhaps learning something devious, like the ability to slip into rooms without a key. After confessing my paranoid fears, Toyoguchi offered to let me sleep in his room in case such a thing did happen."

"Where'd he go? Your room?" Kotobuki asked.

Kinashi shook her head, "He decided to take a shower as soon as morning arrived. I thought it would be polite to wait for him."

Urushibara interrupted, "Hey, we've still got the rest of the floor to search, come on, Kotobuki-san."

Nodding, Kotobuki said, "Just stay here for now, Kinashi-san, in case Toyoguchi finishes. I'll come back later!" With that, the two headed off, continuing to ring the doorbells, checking the Janitor and Stationary Closet as well. The Dining Hall and Kitchen were empty too. Moving into the Laundry Room, one of the washers was running loudly, something inside. Urushibara approached the washer, while Kotobuki, not seeing anything else obvious, moved to the closet, hitting the light switch, gasping at what she saw. Urushibara, hearing her, stopped examining the washer and went to her side.

Near to the door, lying on his back, was Kirifuji Shinichi, an expression of fear frozen on his face, a line of blood across his neck. Leaning against the rack in the center of the room was Oonishi Eiji, unmoving, his arms raised, wrists tied to the bar of the rack with a coat, his head hanging, a rag on the ground next to him.

"Eiji-kun!?" Kotobuki cried out, running to his side as an announcement rang out.

"Attention please, a body has been discovered. In a few short hours, the Peer Grading Trial will begin. Investigate thoroughly, Applicants!"

Heart racing, she moved to untie his wrists, the knot being tied tightly enough to keep his hands in place, but loosely enough not to constrict blood flow. Panicking, unable to untie the knot, she put her hand at his neck, checking his pulse. He was alive. Kotobuki caught her breath, relieved, wiping at the tears of relief that had begun to accumulate at the edge of her eyes, mumbling, "Thank god..."

A bit of her composure regained, she looked over at Kirifuji, Urushibara simply stood above him, a sour expression on his face. He turned to her, shaking his head grimly. Kotobuki felt her arms shaking. Another murder had occurred, and she'd been helpless to prevent it. Once again, Monokuma's paws found their way into her attempt at maintaining an everyday life...