A/N: And so, another day, another part to Chapter 3. Heyo readers, and welcome back to Fractured Fates! Are you guys ready to read some sweet Daily Life action? Some good old-fashioned Free Time Events, and whatever else may be in-between? I sure hope so, because we can't have another murder too soon!
So, last time- motive talk, Monokuma semi-revealed it last time, but it was quite vague. Personally, I think this chapter's motive is my favorite because it does seem pretty unique but not really stupid- but, I can't give away any more than what Monokuma stated, so you're just gonna have to wait for that mystery to be solved.
One more thing- this story has officially surpassed 700 views! ...Okay even after all these years of being on the site, I still don't know anything about how views work or if they even mean anything. But, hey, 700 is a big number, so I'm taking it as an achievement! Bring out the doughnuts, whoo!
And with that announcement out of the way, the next part begins! Here we go!
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MaskedGamer: Aaah, so many questions, I see. Hehehe, you'll just have to wait and see!
Chapter 3: A Dark Design- Daily Life (Part 2)
And so, the rest of Hana's day was spent with her, Rumi, and Shiori sifting through the random supply boxes and sacks in their search for the elusive 'motive'. Many of the containers turned out to be either empty or filled with food items that did not look safe to eat in the slightest, and there certainly wasn't anything with a symbol of Monokuma's eye on it. In the end, their search of the watchtower turned up fruitless, and the three decided to return to the dining room due to how late it was becoming. Not to mention the class would have to meet up there anyways in order to discuss their findings- Hana herself was hoping her classmates had more luck than she or her friends had.
Indeed, entering the dining room would indicate the rest of their classmates had the same idea, with nearly all of them having already made their way to the room beforehand.
"Oh, great- Hana, your tardiness is rubbing off on us," Shiori told the surfer with a frown.
"Hey, it's not my fault we were supposed to be thorough!" Hana responded defensively.
"Guuuys, no fighting please!" Rumi implored her two companions. "Ugh- let's just go sit down, it's been a long day."
"You two can, I'll be...lurking out here or something," Shiori told them, about to walk away.
"What? Why?" Hana quickly asked, surprised.
"Did you forget what I said earlier today? I'm not taking orders from Akira anymore," Shiori reminded her. "I'll help out if it means stopping a murder or something, fine. But including talking to Akira about all this, count me out. I'll...be nearby or something."
Before Hana could interject any further, the Ultimate Surgeon exited the dining room.
"W-Well...again, she's not exactly isolating herself from the group, and she's still helping out, so things are still good!" Rumi immediately reassured the surfer. "Let's...just sit, alright?"
simply nodded in response, walking over, but soon found herself interrupted when a certain Ultimate Thief ran up to them.
"Oh heeey! Hana, fancy seeing you here-" Hinata began.
"Wha...? Not really, we're all supposed to come here after we get done searching," Hana pointed out.
"-And Rumi! Just the girl I wanted to see!" the thief went on, ignoring the Ultimate Surfer. "I have-"
"Yonade! Get back in your seat, we were just about to start discussing our findings," Akira scolded him, frowning.
"What? Come on, can't I just-" Hinata implored, sounding almost like a little kid.
"Not now. Sit," the prosecutor ordered.
"Uh- don't worry Hinata, you can talk to Rumi once we're done, I'm sure," Hana reassured him with an encouraging smile. She then added to him, in a voice low enough to ensure Rumi wouldn't overhear, "And hey, I'm sure you'll still have that bracelet on you even a few minutes from now, right?"
"Ah- yeah yeah, I know but-" Hinata began, also whispering, before simply walking away to his seat while impatiently grumbling.
With that, Hana took a quick look around the room, noticed an empty seat near Hiroshi, and promptly took her seat to hear what the others had to say.
"So, before we discuss the West Wing itself, I believe there's a more pressing topic at hand, so let's start with that first and foremost," Akira began, standing. "Did anyone actually find the motive Monokuma told us about?"
"My apologies, Akira, but I did not," Saku spoke up. "Ryoto and I searched the ballroom, and there was no sign of anything with that demon's symbol on it."
"Yeah, and I searched that grand piano hard! Like, I was tangled in those strings for a good five minutes!" Ryoto added. "Good thing Saku was there!"
"That is...also true. Alas, still no motive," the kickboxer confirmed apologetically.
Before Hana had a chance to wonder how Ryoto ended up caught in piano strings, Hinata stated, "Well, we got a treasure room, but I was in there the whole time and I didn't see anything weird either."
"Hmm, sounds just like something an Ultimate Thief would say, wouldn't you all agree?" Tadao spoke up, his judgmental gaze towards the purple-haired young man.
"Hey, I may steal random stuff, but even I know when things are serious!" the Ultimate in question indignantly responded. "If it stops a murder, then I'd gladly be honest if I had the motive."
"Would you really? If someone finds an item that will supposedly help in a murder, and they wanted to make good use of it, it would be plain stupid to come clean about it," Tadao pointed out, as skeptical as ever.
"Well, I say we believe Hinata," Rumi told the waiter. "I mean, remember when It- er, I mean-"
"Koichi's not here, Hamasaki," Akira informed the girl.
"Oh! Well, like I was saying- remember when Itachi tried to trick us into thinking Hinata stole his knife? Hinata was telling the truth then, wasn't he?" Rumi reminded Tadao. "Just because he's a thief doesn't mean he's automatically lying! So quit doubting him, Tadao!"
Hana was taken aback by the scuba diver telling off Tadao, and evidently she wasn't the only one; Hinata blinked a few times in surprise, before adding, "Y-Yeah, you should listen to her, she knows what she's talking about."
"..." Tadao looked back and forth between Rumi and Hinata, before rolling his eyes and stating, "Oh, fine, I'll agree to disagree. At any rate, I myself searched the wine room on the second floor, and all I found were beverages that we're forbidden by Monokuma to drink. Useless drinks, but no such motive."
"Yeah, how do we know YOU'RE not lying!?" Ryoto demanded, going as far as to slam his leg on the table dramatically and point at the waiter in fury.
"...Uh...maybe we should stop just doubting each other?" Hana suggested, frowning.
"I agree, we'll be here all day if we do that," Hiroshi stated. "Besides, we're all allies here, aren't we? If we're going to keep another murder from happening, trust in each other is vital."
"Hmph, speak for yourself, I'd mow down any one of you to escape," Tadao stated with crossed arms. He then added to Ryoto, "And get your foot of the table! Like I told Izumi, we eat there!"
"We're aware, Shimaru...especially me," Akira replied, giving him a glare that seemed to say 'I'm watching you'. Meanwhile, Ryoto removed his leg from the table, but not before glaring at Tadao as well.
W-Why would you be so open about wanting to kill...? Hana wondered, glancing at the waiter in concern.
"At any rate, I myself searched that smaller banquet hall next to the ballroom, and I found nothing as well," Akira stated, as if to move the conversation back on track.
"Oh! Me, Shiori, and Hana searched that watchtower!" Rumi informed the others, raising her hand. "...But all we found were a bunch boxes and sacks full of weird supplies."
"And food that I don't think is safe to eat at all," Hana added, frowning.
"I looked in the sunroom," Hiroshi stated, leaning on the table as he spoke. "But, sorry to say, I didn't find anything either."
Hana furrowed her brow as Hiroshi made his claim. Hey, that's not completely true...we found that- uh, symbol thing. Shouldn't we...?
"Er- hey, Hiroshi?" Hana whispered to the Ultimate Coroner as the others continued to speak about the West Wing. "Shouldn't we tell them about...you know, that thing we found carved into the floor of the sunroom? The symbol? The thing that Monokuma freaked out about?"
"..." Hiroshi went quiet, his smile faltering slightly before responding, "I...don't think that's necessary. I don't think it was the motive, otherwise Monokuma probably wouldn't have chased us away. Besides, that eye looked similar to Monokuma's, but it wasn't exact. So, I think it would be better to just keep it between us for now."
Hana frowned slightly, but simply shrugged in acceptance as she turned back to the others. I guess Hiroshi makes a good point, but...the more I think about that symbol, the more it bothers me...but why?
"...So, in conclusion: the West Wing contains a ballroom, a banquet area next to it, a treasury with security measures, a sunroom, a wine room with faulty lighting, and a watchtower," Akira summarized. "And nobody found the motive Monokuma described? Nothing?"
A chorus of 'no's rang out amongst the students in response.
"Well, if we're quite done here, I need to make food," Tadao remarked already making his way towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Akira looked downwards, deep in thought.
"Soo- what now? We didn't find the motive, so..." Ryoto stated with a frown.
"Well, something that could influence a murder, I'd be surprised if Monokuma made it easy to find," Hinata pointed out, crossing his arms.
"I do not believe we should just...give up on finding it, correct?" Saku stated.
"Correct, Yamamoto," Akira confirmed, adjusting her glasses. "Hm...give me until tomorrow morning, everyone. Rest assured, I'll have come up with a plan by then."
Hiroshi chuckled a little before responding, "I have no doubt you'll come up with something great, Akira."
"Hm...if we're going to be eating dinner, should I go get Shiori?" Rumi asked Hana. "She only said she didn't want to be a part of the discussion part, but I don't think she'd want to go to bed without eating."
"Probably not, yeah," Hana confirmed. "I wonder...do you think we could get Asuna to be here for dinner too? And maybe Shiro, too?"
"Oh! I could go get Shiro!" Ryoto eagerly offered. "I'm, like, the KING of encouraging! I'll get him here no problem!"
"I'll go find Shiori- and maybe I can get her to help me find Asuna too!" Rumi added, standing up from her seat along with Ryoto.
"Good luck with that- Sauchi is one thing, but Koichi and Izumi are another battle entirely," Akira told them, frowning in skepticism.
With that, Rumi and Ryoto exited the dining room to search for their absent classmates. For the rest of the night, not much else of interest occurred; Tadao made dinner (and confirmed none of the food was poisoned), Rumi had been successful in bringing Shiori to the dinner meeting (though the surgeon claimed it was only because she was feeling hungry anyways, definitely not because she wanted to spend time with Rumi or Hana), but Rumi and Ryoto were ultimately unsuccessful in bringing Shiro or Asuna to the dinner meeting (something that particularly wounded Ryoto's pride). In spite of this disappointment, the rest of the nighttime meeting went off without much drama. Thus, the dinner meeting went on without any more hitches, rather routine in all honesty. Everyone ate, the dishes were cleaned up, and after some more time passed Monokuma announced the start of nighttime. Thus, Hana and her classmates all made their way to their respective bedrooms to sleep.
However, Hana would find herself falling asleep with many more questions in her head regarding the motive and the strange symbol from the sunroom, not to mention continuing worry for Asuna and Shiro...in fact, falling asleep with questions and concerns roaming about in her head seemed to be becoming more commonplace these days. Even so, the Ultimate found herself coming to the same conclusion that she usually did: that she would have to wait until morning for a possibility of her questions being answered, or for any of her worries to (hopefully) be put to rest...
Ding dong, bing bong
After what felt like mere minutes of sleep rather than several hours, Monokuma's usual announcement played, and Hana was pulled out of sleep yet again. The surfer was sluggish to drag herself out of bed- not so much out of a lack of sleep like it usually was, but just Hana plainly being tired in the early morning- but she ultimately got ready for the day as usual.
Well, here's hoping things are at least slightly back to normal... Hana thought to herself, frowning in concern. Maybe Shiro'll be a little bit more like his regular self? Or maybe Asuna will join in for breakfast today? I wonder if I should check out the sunroom again too, and try and get a look at that weird symbol again-
Suddenly, Hana found herself bumping into someone with a small thump. The Ultimate immediately looked up to see who she had walked into, and was met with a pair of gray eyes glancing over at her.
"Oh! Hiroshi!" Hana exclaimed, immediately growing embarrassed as the coroner turned to fully face her. "Uh, sorry about that! I was kinda zoning out, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going-"
Hiroshi simply chuckled, stopping Hana's explanation as he responded, "No worries, Hana. It was sort of my fault anyways, for just standing in the hallway like that. Truth be told, I was actually kind of zoning out myself, I just wasn't expecting anyone to walk over like that."
"Oh, er- again, sorry about that," Hana apologized yet again, sheepish. Great way to start the morning, Hana, just walk into someone minding their own business. I guess I should be glad it was Hiroshi and not, like, Akira or Tadao...
"WEEEEEEELL, that was a waste of time!" another voice suddenly interjected into the conversation. Ryoto Miura walked past Hana and Hiroshi, continuing, "I figured Shiro was still hiding out in his room, so I tried to get him out so he can have some breakfast."
"And...it didn't go well?" Hana guessed, furrowing her brow.
"Well, he opened his door at least, but when I asked him he said he wasn't hungry and just went back into his room," the racecar driver explained. "I tried again, because Ryoto Miura isn't one to just give up- I even threatened that I'd break his door down if he didn't agree to come to breakfast!"
"Y-You did what?" Hana asked, surprised- but then again, this was Ryoto they were talking to, so her surprise was somewhat diminished.
"You didn't make good on that threat, did you?" Hiroshi inquired. "I'm pretty sure breaking down doors is against the regulations..."
"Well, not that it matters, because it didn't work. Those doors, they are a LOT stronger than they look!" Ryoto informed them, glaring in frustration. "Yup, gonna have to do a BUNCH of exercising to clear my mind! If either of you guys wanna join me, go ahead!"
With that, the Ultimate Racecar Driver stormed into the dining room, leaving Hana and Hiroshi by themselves once again.
"I..think maybe we should head in too," Hiroshi told Hana, gesturing to the entrance to the dining room. "Knowing Tadao, he probably won't take too kindly to anyone being late for the food."
"Ah...yeah," Hana responded, nodding as she and the coroner walked into the room.
The two Ultimates found themselves seated together as other students filed in. Hana was glad to see Shiori was there for breakfast, but found that relief repressed when she saw Asuna and Shiro were still absent.
The surfer glanced downwards with a grimace, thinking to herself, I know Hiroshi said I shouldn't rush Asuna and Shiro's recoveries, but...I don't know, knowing what's going on with them, just taking it slowly doesn't feel right...
However, Hana did not have much more time to sort out her feelings, as Tadao stoically brought out the food like he usually did. And after he did that, Akira wasted no time speaking up.
"Everyone- well, everyone who respects my authority-" Akira began, pointedly glaring at Shiori (who pointedly glared right back). "After thinking it over last night, I have come up with what we're going to do about Monokuma's motive. Now, the initial search turned up fruitless, but to that I say- Occam's Razor. We'll simply search the West Wing again."
"What? That's your big plan, 'just search again'?" Hinata asked, incredulous.
"Well, if you really think about it, that's sort of all we can do," Hiroshi pointed out. "Monokuma said it's hidden in the West Wing without a doubt so, unless someone found it and didn't say anything, it's still hiding there somewhere. It's just a matter of finding it, is all."
"Although, Monokuma is not exactly the pinnacle of morality, so perhaps he was lying about the motive's location," Saku suggested.
"That's a possibility- but if that situation starts to become more likely, then we'll inquire Monokuma ourselves," Akira responded. "For now, the West Wing is all we have to go off of, so we'll focus on that."
"So...will we all be searching around again?" Rumi asked.
"No, not everyone. I, of course, will be searching the wing," Akira told the scuba diver. "In addition- Ashi, Yamamoto. You two will be with me."
"Hm? Why them?" Hana asked. "...Er, nothing against them or anything! Just-"
"Because, they're two of the more competent students here for something like this," the prosecutor told her.
"Yeah, because that won't offend everyone else..." Shiori muttered to herself.
"The only other candidate would be Shimaru, and I think we can at least agree that he's as untrustworthy as they come," Akira went on, ignoring the surgeon's sarcasm. "So- Ashi, Yamamoto, any objections?"
"Well, I shall certainly try my hardest to uncover the whereabouts of the motive, I can promise you," Saku assured Akira, nodding.
"While I wouldn't say the others are incompetent, if you believe me and Saku are truly the best for the job, then I'm in," Hiroshi responded with his usual calm smile.
"Good answer. We'll head for the West Wing after breakfast," Akira concluded, sitting back down on her seat.
Well, nice to see Akira at least has her mind set and fine. Hana thought to herself, looking towards the Ultimate Prosecutor. And here I thought Hiroshi was the most unfazed one, but Akira's a whole different level, even if I wish she was a little kinder. How in the world does she do it...?
Surprise aside, the girl chose to focus on her breakfast for the rest of that morning- she had faith in Hiroshi and Saku, plus Akira made up for her lack of empathy with strategics, so they would certainly be able to locate the motive...right?
With breakfast finished, Hana decided to head back to her room. She sat down on the bed, taking a breath as she thought to herself, Okay, we've got the trio in the West Wing looking for the motive, so...what should I do?
Hana lied down on her back, finding herself staring up at the ceiling of the bedroom. Well...I'd like to do something for Shiro or Asuna, but if I make a mistake and say or do the wrong thing...and they're already in a fragile state...
The surfer frowned. Well, if I can't do much for those two- for now, at least, mark my words- maybe I can do something for some of the others? I'm sure a lot of them are probably worried about the whole motive situation, and I'd be shocked if some of the others weren't still thinking about the last trial. Yeah...Yeah, that's what I'll do!
Smiling to herself, Hana practically jumped out of the bed and made her way to the door. Yeah! I'll go talk to some of the others! That ought to improve someone's mood today, right? Besides, it wouldn't hurt to get my own mind off of some of these things by spending time with the others.
Exiting her bedroom, the Ultimate made her way back into the familiar main chamber, looking for a classmate to spend time with. However, she noticed the room was rather devoid of any other students. Then, the surfer had an idea- though she was unsure how it would turn out. Despite this, Hana decided the risk would be fine, and made her way to the West Wing.
Like the south, the West Wing didn't appear to have that many people around either, though Hana knew there were at least three people in here. She spent some time searching around the rooms (all the while making sure to avoid a certain red-haired prosecutor), before eventually she found her way into the western watchtower. There, wandering around the base of the tower, was none other than Hiroshi Ashi.
"Huh...? Oh, hey Hana- what are you doing here? Did Akira decide to let you help with the search?" Hiroshi inquired curiously.
"Uuuh, not exactly- I mean I'll help if you want me to- I was just bored and thought spending some time with you would be nice," Hana explained cheerfully.
"Ooh. Well...I'm not sure Akira would like someone else joining in on the search..." Hiroshi began...but then smiled and added, "But, she never actually said that couldn't happen."
With that subtle agreement, Hana spent some time looking around the watchtower with Hiroshi. Despite the nature of the search, with the motive and such, the surfer still felt as though the two of them grew a little closer.
"..." Strangely, Hiroshi was quite silent at the moment, which baffled Hana right away.
"Uh...Hiroshi? How come you're so quiet?" the surfer asked him, frowning in concern.
"Hm? Oh, nothing, it's just...I'm thinking about everything that's happened so far," Hiroshi responded, with usual calm smile faded somewhat.
"Oh...yeah, I know how that feels..." Hana told him, sighing slightly.
"...Hm. Kinda makes you think about what we talked abut before, huh...?" Hiroshi said, looking upwards. "It may have been a few days, it may have been a few weeks since we've been in here...all I know is, it feels like an eternity either way."
Hana sighed, responding, "Yeah, you took the words right out of my mouth."
"...Hey, Hana, do you-" Hiroshi began, but then stopped himself. For some reason, he seemed almost...uncharacteristically hesitant.
"Hiroshi...?" Hana inquired, leaning in somewhat to hear him say something.
"...Not here," Hiroshi said, more to himself than Hana, before turning to walk away. "Come on, let's talk about this in my room. No need to worry, I'm not gonna do anything weird or something like that."
"Y-Your room?" Hana asked in shock- being invited into a guy's room like this...was that okay? "I, uh...sure! Let's go!"
Without much more conversation, Hana soon found herself heading to Hiroshi's room. As the two entered, the room itself...actually appeared rather plain. The room, at its base, appeared identical to her own (minus the soft blue bedsheets instead of pink ones)- however, a few noticeable differences included a poster depicting the anatomy of the human body pinned to one of the walls, several textbooks about forensics and anatomy stacked on the desk, and a jet black laptop lying dormant on the desk as well.
"Sorry for being so sudden- I guess I just wanted to talk a bit in private," Hiroshi explained.
"N-No worries! I trust you!" Hana assured the coroner, still feeling somewhat out of place.
"...So...this killing game we're involved in..." Hiroshi said, sitting on the bed. "...I don't want to think about it too much. I believe in everyone here, and I want to keep believing in everyone here. But...in the back of my mind, I know deep down this is for real. This killing game...is a little too real for me."
He then went on, "And...you know, I really do want nothing more than to just...be a student at Hope's Peak like it was supposed to be, you know? But...I know it's not that simple."
"Hiroshi..." Hana began, unsure of what to make of this. This was entirely new side to the coroner, one that was not all collected and confident as he often appeared to be. "How come...you're feeling like this? Where's this coming from?"
Hiroshi shrugged. "Not sure. Maybe I've just been thinking about it all a little too much recently, and..."
"But, Hiroshi, you're one of the most unfazed people here! This can't just be starting because you're thinking about it too much!" Hana insisted, baffled by his response.
"Heh...I'm glad you think that about me, Hana, and most of the time you'd be right to think that," Hiroshi admitted. "But, the thing is...it's not easy. Especially now, with everything going on, it's...incredibly hard to keep my own feelings in check."
"I'm not, Hana- I'm really not as confident or intelligent as I appear," the Ultimate went on. "There are so many things that I wish I could tell someone, but I'm too cowardly to do so. I guess even now, in spite of what I told you in the past...deep down, I'm still that insecure boy I was before Hope's Peak Academy."
"Ah-? Hey, that's not true! If anyone in this room is the insecure one, it's me," Hana told him firmly. "And...I don't think all that calmness you have is fake at all. Hiroshi, you really are one of the most trustworthy and caring people here, really!"
"A-And, it's fine to be scared about the killing game! I get scared all the time, you know that!" Hana quickly went on. "But, Hiroshi, you are way better at handling this than I am. At least you're able to control those feelings of yours, I can barely handle doing that. And, honestly, you really are one of the nicest and most optimistic people here. No matter what the others might say, that sort of thing is really needed right now. I know I need someone like that to keep my own sanity..."
"So...you know that thing you keep saying to me? About how you believe in me?" Hana then asked. "Well...I believe in you too! And I don't like seeing you so down like this! You're not some coward, you're a great guy!"
"..." Hiroshi appeared surprised by Hana's sudden motivational speech, but then he smiled once again. "Heh...spoken like someone who's also a lot better than she thinks she is."
The coroner stood up and added, "You know, what you said...it sounded a lot like what that really smart person would probably say to me right now. Maybe that's why I'm already starting to feel better..."
"You know, you keep mentioning this 'really smart person'...who are they? Your aunt?" Hana inquired. "Because whoever they are, I think them and I would get along great."
"Heh- no, though my aunt is a great woman, she's not who I'm talking about. But, when this killing game is over, and we can leave, chances are you'll get to meet," Hiroshi promised the surfer. "And...you two would probably get along very well."
"Hah, I'll hold you to that," Hana responded with a cheerful smile.
"...Hey, Hana. Can I...try something real fast?" Hiroshi then asked.
"Huh? What is it?" Hana responded.
Hiroshi walked over to her, then reached out his hand; for a moment, it appeared he was going for Hana's hand...but then he froze, and swiftly moved his hand upwards to rest it on the girl's shoulder.
"Er...sorry. Just- you know how I'm not a fan of physical contact? Well, it's...something I'm trying to work on," Hiroshi explained, before quickly moving his hand away. "And, I trust you, so...who better to help me out with that than you?"
"Oh! Well...glad I could be of help!" Hana replied with a chuckle.
The two of them stood in the room for what felt like a few more minutes, simply taking in the other's company. It was strange, in Hana's mind- when she first met Hiroshi, she thought he was rather creepy. But that's not him at all, now that she knew him as well as she did.
No, in reality...Hana was certain she and Hiroshi really were friends in the truest sense of the word.
Bidding farewell to Hiroshi, Hana found herself returning to her bedroom. The surfer checked the time, and found there was still quite a bit of time left in the day. Well, I'm not exactly tired at all...and I'm sure there are still other people around...I should go talk to them!
Smiling to herself, the girl left her bedroom and wasted no time attempting to find other students. In the main hall, she initially didn't spot anyone...but upon looking towards the upper area, she saw Shiori leaning on the railing, simply staring off into space.
"Shiori, hey!" Hana greeted her surgeon friend, running up the stairs.
"Oh, hey Hana. Don't mind me, just..." Shiori began, before grumbling to herself, you know, the others better not be thinking I'm turning into Tadao or something. He's a jackass, I just don't want to take orders from that bitch Akira anymore."
Okay...Shiori seems a bit irritated...should I spend time with her anyways...? Hana asked herself, but shook off her worries and asked, "Well, do you mind if I...stand here with you?"
"...Eh, fine, knock yourself. I can think of worse people to spend time with, anyways," Shiori responded.
Thus, Hana and Shiori spent time observing the main hall together. In spite of the silence, Hana felt as though they grew a little closer.
"...You know, Shiori, there's something I've always wondered about you, a-and don't take it the wrong way, but..." Hana began. "How'd you even become a surgeon in the first place? I mean we're, like, sixteen, and don't doctors usually need a bunch of time at med school?"
"Mmph, like I haven't heard that question a million times before..." Shiori replied, exasperated. "Fine, I'll tell you too. So, I started studying these medical textbooks when I was pretty young, right? My dad is actually the CEO of this well-known hospital near where we live, so I guess that's why I started looking at all this medical stuff. I read those books cover to cover, remembering what I read...and one day, when I was in middle school, this janitor starts going into cardiac arrest-"
"W-What?" Hana exclaimed. Well that story certainly took a turn.
"-And since the only other people around at that time were me and some of my other classmates, and seeing as how none of the other kids knew what to do, I used what I read to treat him until some teachers came and called the paramedics," Shiori went on. "If I hadn't done what I did, the guy probably would have been dead on arrival. Not to sound arrogant or anything, but I basically saved that guy's life."
"W-Wow, that's...intense," Hana stated. "Glad I didn't go to that middle school..."
"My parents found out, and they realized I had a knack for medical stuff. So, when I was a little older, my parents- you know, being pretty influential people- pulled a few strings and got me into this medical school," Shiori went on. "And of course, since being a surgeon requires nothing less than perfection, I excelled and actually got to graduate early. Though to be honest, I feel like my parents might have had something to do with that as well- but it's not like I don't have the skill to back it up. Hope's Peak wouldn't have accepted me as the Ultimate Surgeon otherwise."
"Huh...that's still pretty cool, Shiori!" Hana told her eagerly. "Wow, to be able to do all of that and still be in high school...you must really love what you do, huh?"
"..." Shiori was silent for a moment, then responded, "Meh."
"...'Meh'? What- What does 'meh' mean?" Hana asked, dumbfounded.
"Exactly what you think it does," Shiori replied. "My job is my job. I save people when I need to, and that's that. To say I 'love' it is...inaccurate."
"What!? But you're an Ultimate! How can you be the best of the best in surgery and not feel any passion for it!?" Hana demanded. "If I felt that way about surfing, I wouldn't be an Ultimate at all!"
"Listen, Hana- I don't know what you were raised on, but let me tell you something: skill and passion are not codependent on each other," Shiori told her. "You can be skillful at something you're not too interested in. Likewise, you can be utterly abysmal at something, yet still have a passion for it. If you happen to have both skill and passion for something, then more power to you. But not everyone is, and they don't have to be."
"...Oh. Well...I guess that makes sense..." Hana replied, shrugging.
"Well anyways, you got my life story, hope you're satisfied," the Ultimate replied, turning to walk away. "Anyways, I'll see you around, Hana."
Before Hana had another chance to speak, Shiori walked away to parts unknown. However, Hana's mind did wander- if Shiori wasn't passionate about her work as a surgeon...then what kind of job could she have where she would be?
Wondering about this, the surfer quietly returned to her familiar bedroom.
Finding herself back in her room yet again, Hana checked her e-Handbook for the time. It was late, approaching the time for the dinner meeting, and the surfer couldn't help but wonder about the trio currently searching the West Wing. They've really taken their sweet time, haven't they? Well, trying to stop a murder involves being thorough I guess. I wonder...would any of them mind someone- mainly me- going to check up on them...?
...Eh, it's been a long day, I'm sure I wouldn't be the first one. Hana concluded, leaving her room. She walked down the hall and stopped in the main hall, looking back and forth between the stairs to the South Wing's top floor and the doors to the courtyard, wondering which route to take. Ultimately, seeing as how the courtyard entrance would lead her directly into the ballroom and thus closer to where someone could potentially be searching, Hana decided to enter through that door (not to mention, getting some quick fresh air would be nice).
Pushing open the doors and stepping out onto the stone surface, the Ultimate Surfer made her way down the steps and then across the grass towards the west door. Then...something caught her eye. No, not something, someone. That person was sitting on the edge of the ivory-colored fountain, their gaze downwards, which explained why they hadn't realized they were no longer alone.
Wait...isn't that...? Hana asked herself, her eyes widening in realization. The surfer approached, before she called out, "Asuna?"
Sure enough, the short blonde immediately jumped to her feet, the uncharacteristic wildness in her eyes only growing in intensity...but she seemed to calm down (well, 'calm' in relation to her recent behavior) upon seeing Hana.
"Wha-!? HANA! IT'S RUDE TO SNEAK UP ON SOMEONE!" the Ultimate Gardener shouted, accusingly jabbing a finger at the surfer.
"Gh- sorry, sorry!" Hana immediately responded, cringing. Good god, never before today and yesterday did I ever think I'd hear Asuna with this kind of tone in her voice- if this keeps up, I still don't think I'll ever get used to it...
"What are you...even DOING out here?" Asuna asked, the crazed tone of voice diminishing ever so slightly.
"W-Well, uh, nothing really- I was just passing through on my way to the West Wing," Hana explained, looking towards the doors in question. "Ah- what are you doing out here?"
"WHY DOES THAT MATTER!?" Asuna shouted, her teeth clenched. "...I'm just enjoying the scenery. BUT THAT'S STILL NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"
"Sorry! I'm just trying to make conversation!" Hana stammered. "I just saw you sitting there, and- you know, we haven't talked since yesterday in the watchtower, and I was just wondering- you know, wondering how you're doing..."
"I'M FINE! I SAID BEFORE THAT I'M FINE!" Asuna declared, her sleep-deprived eyes practically blazing. "COMPLETELY FINE!"
"I-I, um..." Hana began, unsure of what to make of this conversation.
"SO DON'T WORRY! Just...you know- GO TO THE WEST WING! You know, like you SAID you were!" Asuna urged her, clearly wanting to end the conversation.
"I..." Hana began, looking down. To her surprise, Asuna also went quiet, the gardener possibly expecting her classmate to leave.
...I can't just leave like this... Hana told herself. Asuna's right here in front of me, and she's clearly no better off than yesterday. I know I shouldn't just push trying to improve her state, at least that's what Hiroshi said, but...I have to do something! Say something to reassure her, something!
"...Hey, Asuna?" Hana began. "You...say you're fine, and I'm not saying you're lying! But, um...Kaneki's trial was only about two days ago, you know? I'm...sure you're still pretty upset about what happened..."
Asuna's eyes widened somewhat. "I...I'm FINE, I said! I'M FINE! I'M OVER IT!"
Hana grimaced, rubbing the back of her neck as she tried to piece together her response. "I...kinda doubt that, to be honest. If...you're still upset about it, you know that's fine, right? I know how badly the trial affected you, so..."
"I...I'm OKAY! There's...NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!" Asuna insisted- but for a moment, it would seem her angry exterior was cracking at the edges.
Hana, having realized this, continued, "Asuna, seriously- come on, you've still got friends here, you know? Hey, I am literally right here, ready for any kind of confiding you may need to do. Maybe right not right now if you're not ready for it, but..."
"I...I told you, I-" Asuna continued, although her old self seemed to be poking through more clearly.
Noticing this, Hana continued with growing sincerity, "And, you know Asuna, I do know what you're going through."
The gardener's eyes widened, and she slowly turned her gaze towards Hana...but there was certainly something off about it. "W-What...?"
"I was friends with Kaneki too- maybe not as close to her as you were, but friends all the same," the Ultimate Surfer went on. "And I...I was pretty crushed too, when she died. I had talked with her the night before too, I told her I didn't want to lose her like-"
"Be...Be quiet...!" Asuna whispered, before shouting, "BE QUIET!"
The gardener then proceeded to lunge forward and connect her smaller fist with Hana's stomach- although considering Asuna's size and physical stature, it didn't feel like a punch and more like a cat rubbing its body against someone's leg. However, that didn't stop Hana from going completely silent as she stared down at the other Ultimate.
"Did...you just punch me...?" Hana asked, her tone one of confusion rather than pain or anger.
"WHY WOULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!? WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT'S IN ANY WAY RIGHT!?" Asuna shouted, furious. "'I know what you're going through'- NO YOU DON'T! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M FEELING AT ALL!"
"W-What the-!?" Hana cried, completely taken aback by this turn of events.
"You...You don't know A THING! YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE UPSET BY HER DEATH IT MEANS YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT!?" Asuna demanded. Hana had no idea it was possible, but somehow the girl appeared even more unhinged than she had been yesterday. The gardener then went on, "You...Your grief may be genuine, but DON'T YOU DARE SAY WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH IS THE SAME! BECAUSE IT'S NOT!"
"H-Hey, calm down!" Hana yelled at her, her panic starting to grow. "Asuna, I wasn't trying to-"
"STOP IT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AT ALL!" Asuna shouted, her voice starting to crack as what appeared to be tears of anger formed in her eyes. "DO YOU THINK I'M JUST 'CRUSHED' BY WHAT HAPPENED? THAT I'M JUST A LITTLE BUMMED OUT!? How...HOW COULD YOU BE SO PRESUMPTUOUS!?"
"It's not like that!" Hana responded. "Asuna, I'm just trying to help! I know what you're-"
"NO! YOU! DON'T!" Asuna shouted, her anger only intensifying. "JUST STOP! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING, SO STOP ACTING LIKE IT!"
The gardener clenched her teeth and squeezed her hands into fists, as if trying to control her rage towards Hana.
"Just...go away! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Asuna snapped, backing away from the other girl. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"
With that enraged declaration, the Ultimate Gardener sprinted away from Hana and the fountain, heading towards the South Wing.
"W-Wait! Asuna! I'm sorry!" Hana cried out, but at that point it was too late and the smaller girl was gone. With that, the courtyard was silent once more, and the surfer was left alone amongst the grass and stone paths.
...I fucked up. I fucked up bad. Hana thought, feeling sick to her stomach. The surfer grimaced, realizing chasing after Asuna would only lead to more issues, and so decided to continue on to her original destination of the West Wing.
The Ultimate Surfer pushed open the doors to the West Wing, entering the ballroom without a word. She didn't see anyone in the room, it was empty save for the grand piano; although at this point, Hana was unsure if she was willing to talk to anyone anymore. Seeing as there was nowhere to sit except for the cushioned seat in front of the piano.
Taking a seat, Hana stared down towards the black and white keys as she recalled the conversation with Asuna.
...Why...? Why didn't I listen to literally anyone? I shouldn't have tried to just force it, and now- oh my god, who knows what's going on with Asuna now! She might have gotten worse now because of me! Hana told herself, the shame rising in her. At the very least, I shouldn't have been so- I mean, I do know how she feels about what happened, but I- oh my god, why am I so fucking dense!?
Out of anger towards herself, Hana lowered her head and faceplanted onto the piano keys, the instrument making sound as the keys were pressed. She banged her head against the piano several more times, random piano noise filling the room as she did so. This probably would have kept up for a bit longer, until...
"Wha...? Hana?" a voice called out.
The surfer did not lift her head from the piano, but she did adjust so she could see who had walked in. On the other side of the ballroom, standing in the doorway on the opposite end of the ballroom from the courtyard entrance, was none other than Saku Yamamoto.
"Ah- so that was you making the noise from the piano," Saku observed, approaching his classmate. "Are...you okay...?"
"..." Hana hesitated for a few moments, glancing away initially, before stating simply, "No."
Saku furrowed his brow in concern, responding, "Did something happen?"
"Weeeell...I might have fucked something up, to put it vaguely," Hana explained, sitting up. "And, well, I dunno, it doesn't really help that I've just been generally stressed out, and...what happened just now, it's just, mmph..."
Saku was silent at first, but then he told her, "I may know a way to help put your mind at ease. Please, follow me."
"Huh...? But, wait, don't you have to help with the searching?" Hana pointed out, frowning.
"True, but I believe we are just about finished with the search, considering the time," Saku told her. "I myself have finished my latest assigned area, so I do not think Akira would be too angry."
"Well...if you say so," Hana replied, standing up and following the Ultimate Kickboxer out of the ballroom.
The two of them made their way into the main room of the West Wing, then they ascended the stairs to the second floor. From there, Hana followed Saku to the western hallway, and then they walked down the hall towards the sunroom.
"The sunroom? What are we doing here?" Hana inquired, looking towards the much larger student.
"You will see- it is nothing too extravagant, but I do believe it will help calm your mind," Saku assured her, opening the door to the room in question.
As the duo entered, a memory suddenly resurfaced in Hana's mind. "Er- hey, Saku, give me one second, okay?"
"Ah-? Well, alright, I need to move some of the furniture anyways," the Ultimate replied, walking over to the table and seats.
Hana nodded, then made her way towards the other end of the room. Specifically, the spot on the floor where she and Hiroshi had seen the odd symbol yesterday; she had been wondering about it since then, and now that she had a chance to see it again, Hana hoped she might be able to make some sense of it. The surfer looked down at the floor, attempting to locate the odd symbol...
...Wait, what...? Hana asked herself, still scanning her eyes across the non-carpeted section of the floor. However, no matter where she looked, there was no denying it: the strange symbol was gone.
What...? No, no no... the Ultimate Surfer thought upon realizing the symbol had disappeared. You...have got to be kidding me...!
Hana's shock turned to frustration. No doubt Monokuma was responsible for the symbol's disappearance- after all, if he could make a bloody crime scene completely spotless in the span of a few hours, it wasn't too out of the question that he could repair a mark carved into a wood floor. However, that only raised more questions in Hana's head- why would Monokuma remove it in the first place? And why did he even panic when she and Hiroshi found it the first time? The only thing she knew for certain was that it wasn't the motive (the Monokuma eye didn't even look identical to the actual thing, as Hana imagined the actual symbol on the motive would), but that didn't entirely narrow down anything.
"Hana?" Saku said, bringing Hana out of her stupor.
"Uh, sorry! Just zoning out!" Hana responded, immediately turning back to the kickboxer. She noticed the table and chairs had been moved to the side, creating an open space in the middle of the room.
"Well, if you are ready- please, sit," Saku told her, sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor. Hana raised an eyebrow, but obliged and sat down next to the Ultimate.
"Sooo, what are we doing?" Hana asked, glancing at the young man.
"Simple- we are going to meditate," Saku told her. "You focus your mind on something particular in order to achieve mental and emotional stability. I myself have practiced it many times, so I am sure if anything can put your mind at ease, this will."
"Meditation...?" Hana inquired, hesitant. "Isn't that also when you're supposed to, you know, sit still? All calmly and stuff? I'm not good at something like that."
"Nonsense, meditation is for everyone. Try it, I have not seen anyone who did not benefit from it," Sake assured the surfer, already in a cross-legged position.
"Well...alright," Hana replied, sitting down adjacent to the kickboxer and imitating his sitting position. Anything to stave off all the stress in her mind...
"Now then, simply close your eyes and steady your breathing. Focus your mind, and try not to fidget too much," Saku explained, appearing as if he was already about to head deep into his own meditation (thought that was likely due to his perpetually closed eyes).
Hana nodded, going still and relaxed as she closed her eyes. She then attempted to focus her mind on something, though all of her anxious thoughts were too jumbled for her to do so. The surfer furrowed her brow as her mind shifted from one subject to another- the previous two killings, her surviving classmates, her feelings about the two blackened, and of course the recent the conversation with Asuna. Hana couldn't help it- the bad memories were overwhelming, so she ended up shifting in her spot and softly growling to herself out of frustration.
"...Um, Hana?" Saku spoke up, turning towards the Ultimate with frown. "As I said, you are supposed to be still and relaxed during meditation."
"I know, I know, sorry..." Hana responded, frowning apologetically as she went still again.
Focus...just focus on something, that's all... Hana told herself. I just...need to think about something. It shouldn't matter what, right? How about I just think about...about...
Soon enough, the surfer decided to simply think about the talk she had with Asuna- after all, her mind was already full of negative thoughts, so she decided to focus on the most recent and pressing matter.
...I really screwed up. God, Asuna probably hates me right now...even if she wasn't acting all crazy, if I had said something like that she probably would have gotten mad all the same... Hana told herself, ashamed. What's she going to do now? She won't do anything rash, will she? Oh my god, I hope not...
Hana clenched her teeth, but tried to remain still and relaxed. I mean, it wasn't like I was trying to make her feel worse, I just...she's my friend! What was I supposed to do!? Just let her sit there like that? I was trying at least! I...I couldn't just do nothing, or just do things slowly! I just...wanted to be a good friend...
Oh who am I kidding, it doesn't matter what I wanted to do, does it? I still fucked up regardless, I made things with Asuna worse! What was I thinking, I'm not an expert on this sort of thing! I know how she feels, but I- she was right, what I'm feeling probably isn't what Asuna is feeling, and yet I...I know! I know how she feels, I do! So why did things go so wrong?
Uuugh...things would be so much easier if Kaneki was still here...her death was what triggered all of this, right? Why couldn't she...why...why did Itachi have to commit murder...? Why did he have to do anything!? If he had just stayed strong, not listened to Monokuma, none of this would be happening! Asuna and Shiro would be fine! But instead, we- we had another trial! No, not even that, Azami too! Those two, they shouldn't have- they should have just stayed strong! What they did, it just...it's just caused more problems!
Things are only getting worse and worse, and it's all because...ah, b-but wait, it wasn't like Azami or Itachi did what they did for no reason- no, wait, that doesn't excuse anything! Does it? No! Wait-
"H-Hey! Hana? Hello?" Saku's voice called out, snapping the surfer out of her twister of thoughts.
"Gh- ah-! Uh..." Hana began, her eyes flying open as she turned to Saku. "...Um...did I do something wrong...?"
"Well, when I looked to check on you, you seemed very...tense. And angry. I tried to say something to you seconds ago, but you were in quite the stupor," Saku explained. "I do not recall ever seeing someone become even more stressed whilst meditating..."
Hana sighed, replying, "Well, that's what happens when you let someone like me just sit and focus on their thoughts. I told you I'm not good at stuff like this..."
"N-Nonsense! You were not...bad at it!" Saku attempted to reassure her. "I simply underestimated how profound your negative thoughts truly were."
Hana was silent for a few moments, then stated, "Hey...Saku? Can I ask you something?"
"Hm? Well of course," Saku replied in earnest.
"Um...about the killers...you know, Azami and Itachi..." Hana began. "They did something terrible, really terrible. And...they shouldn't just be forgiven, I know. And yet, I just...I don't know how to feel about them. A part of me...still wants to think of them as they were before the murders, you know? Our classmates, our friends...that's not wrong, is it...?"
"...Oh. Um, well I..." Saku began, appearing hesitant. "Y-You see Hana, that is a very valid concern to have. And yes, i-it can be very difficult to sort out such feelings. H-However, I believe such a question is not one that can be answered easily. R-Really, it is all relative, a-and you would truly on be better off finding your own way to feel, as it is not something that can simply be given an answer like yes or no."
"...So in other words, you have no idea?" Hana stated flatly.
"...Quite perceptive, Hana," Saku replied candidly, sighing.
Hana sighed, before standing up. "Hey, thanks for trying to help me out, Saku, but I should get going. I'll just head back to my room for a bit, maybe then I can clear my head a bit."
"Alright then. Stay safe, and if you want to try again, then let me know," Saku told her.
Hana nodded in thanks to the Ultimate Kickboxer, then proceeded to exit the sunroom without another word.
When the time came, Hana made her way to the dining room for the dinner meeting. However, the surfer was still afflicted by all her worries regarding Asuna, Shiro, and her own conflicted feelings about the two blackened students.
"...Hey, Hana," someone then said to her. This caused the surfer to quickly snap to attention and look around, then saw it had been Shiori who had called out to her.
"Oh, uh, hey Shiori!" Hana greeted the surgeon, attempting to sound cheerful.
"Yeah, no reason for pleasantries- what are you trudging around for?" Shiori inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Wha-? Was I?" Hana asked, looking back at where she had been walking.
"Well yeah- so what gives? Don't tell me you're starting to have a mental breakdown too," Shiori stated, frowning.
"W-Well, no! Nothing like that!" Hana immediately responded. "It's just, well-"
"Okay, I have had the worst day!" Rumi yelled as she walked up to her two friends. Upon seeing the Ultimate Scuba Diver, Hana immediately noticed something- mainly that the teen's sky blue hair was slightly unkempt and full of leaves and broken twigs.
"R-Rumi? What happened to you?" Hana asked in surprise.
"Did you get into a fight with a bush or something?" Shiori also asked, also shocked.
"No, it was more like a tree," Rumi explained, brushing some of the debris out of her hair. "I came across Asuna in the greenhouse, and I tried to make some conversation with her- you know, just trying to keep things normal- but she was a lot angrier than she was before, and she was in one of the tree and would barely acknowledge me. So, I tried to climb it, and...you can see how well that turned out."
"Huh? What do you mean she was angrier than usual?" Shiori inquired.
"I mean she just seemed even madder- like, frustrated, like her condition got worse," Rumi attempted to explain, frowning in worry.
"What? Her condition's worse now?" Shiori responded. "How the hell did that happen?"
"..." Hana shifted in her spot uncomfortably, looking away from the others. What are the odds they'll realize I had something to do with that...?
However, Shiori's brown eyes immediately shifted to the Ultimate Surfer. "...Dodgy body language...not making eye contact...your guilty look earlier...Hana, what did you do?"
"Hey, why do you assume Hana had something to do with it?" Rumi asked the surgeon with a disapproving frown.
"Well...she'd be right," Hana admitted sighed guiltily.
Instantly, Rumi turned to Hana as well and asked in shock, "Hana, what did you do?"
"Well, I...ran into Asuna in the courtyard earlier today," Hana explained after some hesitation. "And I tried to talk to her. No, not even that, I...tried to talk to her about what happened. I tried to, you know, make her feel better, to try and talk her out of that state of anger she's been in. It started well, but then...I think I said the wrong thing, and Asuna just- snapped, and started acting even angrier than yesterday morning. Then she ran off before I could calm her down..."
"Ah, Hana...!" Rumi responded, her tone a combination of exasperation and sympathetic.
Shiori let out a long sigh of her own, pinching the bridge of her nose as she did.
"Guys, don't make me feel worse! I didn't mean to make things worse!" Hana yelled at them out of her own frustration.
"Oh, Hana- you kind, kind idiot," Shiori said to her, patting the surfer on the back while shaking her head. "Look, your heart was in the right place, anyone can see that. But you know, sometimes you gotta stop thinking with that, and use a little of this-"
She tapped Hana on the head before adding, "You know, you gotta rationalize. And, you know, stop being such a main character."
"Such a what...?" Hana asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"Listen, it's great that you're trying hard to help Asuna too, and I may not be an expert on mental breakdowns, but..." Rumi gently began, shooing Shiori away as she put her hands on Hana's shoulders. "You really, really need to learn subtlety or being gentle, or- you know, other synonyms. At least until she gets into a slightly better state, I'd imagine."
Hana sighed, looking down before responding, "Yeah, that's...basically what Hiroshi told me..."
Her eyes then drifted over to something on Rumi's wrist- namely, a very familiar pearl bracelet. Desperate to change the subject, the Ultimate remarked, "Heeeey, Rumi. That's a nice bracelet, have you always had that?"
"What? This?" Rumi asked, holding up the arm in question. "Wow, you really are out of it- I've been wearing this since this morning."
"Um, that's great, but what about-" Shiori began, possibly attempting to rerail the conversation.
"Well, where'd you get it, hm?" Hana curiously asked, interrupting the surgeon.
"Oh! Uh, nowhere too important, it was just- just a little gift I got just before nighttime started. From, er...Hinata," Rumi explained, blushing somewhat. "But, he took it from the treasure room, which is apparently not against the rules at all!"
"Heh, I never took Hinata for the gifting type," Hana responded innocently. Yeah, no reason to tell her I already knew about Hinata's intentions.
"Guys? Hello? Did you forget about-" Shiori began yet again.
"O-Oh, no reason to think so much of it! He just said it was to thank me for defending him before, a-and...you know! Heh!" Rumi went on with a little laugh. "At any rate, I love it, and I'm a fan of jewelry anyways, so- I'm gonna wear it!"
"Well, I think it looks great on you!" Hana told her with a smile. "Plus, I think the pearls are definitely fitting for you- I mean, being the Ultimate Scuba Diver and all."
This time, Shiori did not try to interrupt them, instead throwing her hands up in defeat and exasperation.
"I know, right? Hinata really does have good taste," Rumi added with a smile, before letting out a relieved laugh and adding, "Aah, this is nice, you know? We may be in a killing game or whatever, but that doesn't mean we can't still be normal! I just wish everyone could just...you know, relax and hang out. Like we all did in the library during one of those first days, remember?"
Sighing wistfully, Rumi walked away towards the dining room, leaving Hana and Shiori alone near the hallway.
"..." Shiori said nothing, instead giving Hana a disapproving stare.
"..." In response, the surfer simply gave a sheepish shrug and swiftly made her own way to the dining hall.
Time passed, and soon enough the others arrived at the room without much fanfare.
"Hey, Hana," Hiroshi greeted the surfer, as he and the other members of the search party (Saku and Akira) entered the room themselves. "Hope you and the others weren't too worried about us."
"Holy shit, Akira's late?" Hinata remarked in mock surprise.
"What!? She's late!?" Ryoto cried out in genuine surprise. "Holy crap, she's NEVER late! THAT MUST MEAN SOMETHING'S GOING ON!"
"Would you calm down, Miura? The three of us were simply searching as long as allowed," Akira explained with a frown.
With that, the three students took their own seats, with Hiroshi seated next to Hana.
"So...does that mean you guys found something...?" Hana asked, mainly directed at the coroner.
However, Hiroshi was not the one who answered; in reality, it was Akira who announced to the class, "Well, to those of us who actually still care about completely cooperating with the group-"
Shiori grumbled something to herself, then raised her hand slightly as if to say 'guilty as charged'.
"-I must admit, the three of us did not find Monokuma's motive, despite our thorough search of the area," Akira informed the other Ultimates, frowning in frustration. "And I made certain Ashi and Yamamoto weren't attempting to hide it from my sight."
"Well, what if, you know- you're hiding it?" Hinata pointed out, frowning.
"Oh great, Tadao's rubbing off on you..." Shiori muttered to herself, probably to avoid drawing attention to herself as a result of her semi-isolation.
"Oh please- I wouldn't dream of committing murder, no matter how I feel about some of you," Akira responded. "It would disgrace me as a prosecutor- you know, someone who helps in convicting criminals? Including murderers?"
"Trust me, I doubt Akira's keeping the motive from us," Hiroshi told the others. "No matter how she may act, I think we can all agree she would rather prevent a murder than cause one."
"Oh, Ashi- here I thought you were somewhat smarter than most of these others, but it seems you have your own affliction with naivety," a certain Ultimate Waiter spoke in a condescending tone, exiting the kitchen and passing out the food like he usually did.
"I...wouldn't call myself naive," Hiroshi replied, appearing unfazed.
"You know, it's not like you're flawless yourself, Tadao..." Hana stated with a frown, feeling the waiter's remark towards Hiroshi was unfounded.
"Oh, don't try and defend him, Amari, because you're an even worse offender of that than he is," Tadao responded, glaring at the surfer. "But I don't think I need to explain that, you've demonstrated it enough already."
Normally, Hana would have defended herself vehemently (and indignantly), but she then remembered her actions regarding Asuna earlier that day as well as her thoughts about the killers. As a result, she felt Tadao's claims about her were not entirely baseless, and as such she could only muster, "Just...you know, just...don't?"
Tadao simply gave a dark chuckle in response, as if enjoying the surfer's defeat, and returned to the kitchen without another word.
"...I HATE THAT GUY!" Ryoto shouted in fury.
"But...I don't think yelling about it will change his attitude," Rumi pointed out, looking down at the table with a sigh.
Hana herself kept quietly, angrily picking at her food as she thought to herself, Dammit, karma's brutal. I make my friend's mental state worse, and now I can't live it down at all! Not only that, but I can't figure out how I'm supposed to feel about Azami and Itachi! How many years off my life is this taking!?
"...Hey Hana. Everything okay?" Hiroshi inquired. "You seem tense."
"Wha-? Again? Is it that obvious?" Hana asked in exasperation. "You're the second person today whose said something like that..."
"Well, in reality it's not so obvious right now, but you know how perceptive I can be," Hiroshi responded. "So, what's eating you? I doubt it's what Tadao said, right?"
"No, it's not because of Tadao's usual behavior, it's...well, technically two things," Hana explained. "But, the first thing is something I've been chastised for enough, and I know you'd go 'I told you so' too."
"Oh, I wouldn't do something like that- even if it would be true," Hiroshi reassured his friend, chuckling softly.
"Even still, I...look for right now, I just...can I ask you something?" Hana asked the Ultimate, turning to him fully.
"Of course. What is it?" Hiroshi inquired, his usual smile fading somewhat in concern.
"It's...about Azami and Itachi. You know...the last two killers. It's just, recently I've been wondering...you know, how to feel about them. They were our classmates and friends, and yet...they both killed someone," Hana told him, glancing away towards one of the empty seats. "I already know what someone like Akira would say, that they were traitors and shouldn't be forgiven. And maybe she's right, but maybe...I don't want to think like that. And if that's the case, then...is that right?"
"'Is that right'...?" Hiroshi murmured to himself, before responding, "Well...here's how I've been seeing it: Azami and Itachi were in fact our friends at one point, that's a fact. And I don't think what they did should invalidate that. Now, I'm not saying what they did should be forgotten, but...I think they deserve some forgiveness. Because those two had their reasons for committing the murders, reasons that were somewhat influenced by Monokuma himself, and...I'm certain those two wouldn't have killed anyone if we weren't in a killing game."
Hana blinked in surprise- Hiroshi really had thought this out, hadn't he? "So...you're saying it's better to forgive their crimes, but not forget or condone them?"
"Exactly. Now, you may not see it like I do, but if you wanted some form of answer, hopefully I was able to help with that," the Ultimate Coroner responded with a nod.
"..." Hana returned the nod, staring down at her food. So in short- lots of different opinions. Not that it helps me at all...
"Actually, what was that other thing bothering you? I'd like to help with that too, if I can," Hiroshi then asked, smiling in a friendly manner (although it came off as slightly eerie- but knowing him, it was most likely unintentional).
"Uuuuh, that?" Hana replied, growing somewhat panicked. "Er, that's...you know, it's not so bad, let's just put a pin in that- or better yet, throw out the whole bulletin board, m'kay?"
"Uh...? Well, if you say so," Hiroshi responded, although he appeared skeptical all the same. "But seriously, if there's still something bothering you, you know you can talk to me, right? That's what friends are for, after all."
Mmmmph, I know, and that's entirely why I don't want you to hop on the disappointment train too... Hana wanted to tell the coroner. Instead, she simply nodded in thanks, mentally adding, I'll just keep this to myself, and if things between me and Asuna aren't fixed in the near future, then I'll talk to him about it.
With that in mind, Hana spent the rest of the night observing the other students. There was Rumi, socializing as usual, appearing to be trying to keep Shiori's spirits up while also occasionally speaking to Hinata. The Ultimate Thief himself was swiping pieces of food from Ryoto's plate while the Ultimate Racecar Driver was distracted telling a dramatic story to a politely listening Saku. Akira was keeping silent, although eventually barking at Hinata to stop with the food theft. Hana then glanced next to her- Hiroshi, though he appeared to be keeping to himself as well, did appear to be enjoying himself.
...You know, Rumi was right- being able to act all normal like this is pretty nice. I just...wish this place wasn't so empty... Hana wistfully thought. I wish everyone could be here again, before everything became kinda tense. Everyone- Tadao, Asuna, and Shiro...Mikio and Kaneki...even Azami and Itachi...
In spite of all these wishes, Hana kept them to herself, and as such the dinner meeting went on without much fanfare.
And so, the dinner meeting ended, the dishes were cleaned up, and everyone went their separate ways to turn in for the night (or, in Ryoto's case, exercise away his hatred for Tadao in the fitness room before nighttime). In the end, Hana still found herself extremely conflicted about the day's events, but hoped that a good night's sleep would clear her mind in the way meditation had failed to.
...Right?
...How is it morning already...? Hana asked herself as she slowly opened her eyes. Strangely enough, it had not been the daily morning announcement that had awoken the surfer- in fact, Hana had no idea why she had woken up at all.
Even still, the surfer groggily stood up and went to grab her e-Handbook. All the while, she was wondering why she felt more tired than usual-
"6 AM!?" Hana cried to herself as she stared at the time on her e-Handbook. Waking up an hour early? What were the odds of that?
Okay, okay, it's till technically night time, I should just...go back to sleep. Hana told herself, making her way back to the bed. She laid down, closed her eyes, and prepared to fall back to sleep...
...Well, that was the plan, anyways. However, several minutes of tossing and turning was evidence enough that sleep would not easily return to the Ultimate.
Uuugh, what's going on? Why can't I fall back asleep? Hana asked herself as she tiredly stared at the ceiling. I mean it's not like there's anything to worry about here. Outside of sleep, though, there's...well, there's Asuna losing her mind, me making it worse, Shiro's still depressed, I can't figure out how to feel about the blackened students- not only that, but Monokuma's damn motive is still lying around somewhere...I almost wish it was the thing in the sunroom, then we could at least- WAIT. I forgot to tell Hiroshi about the missing symbol last night! Shit, I thought I-
At that moment, Hana realized what her problem was: her mind was too wild. Now that she was awake, her thoughts had wasted no time in rushing about once more, keeping her awake as a result.
I...need to calm down more. the surfer told herself, standing again. But...will staying in here really do it...?
She glanced at the door leading to the hallway- no, that was a terrible idea. Early in the day as it was, going out now would be breaking the nighttime rule, and not only would doing that incur the wrath of Akira Rimutsu, but the last time the rule had been broken...
...But...I won't be gone long, right...? I'll just...walk around a bit, I'll even stick to the South Wing. Hana told herself, heading for the door. Just go for a bit, then come right back, nobody needs to know!
Hoping this would be a good idea, Hana slowly opened the door and slipped through, closing it behind her. She then proceeded to make her way down the slightly darkened hallway and into the also darkened main chamber.
Even though it had been mere seconds since exiting, the girl could already feel a different atmosphere to the castle; the absolute silence was deafening, the darkened light that came with early morning strangely oppressive, and yet it was calming enough to cause Hana to forget about her fears regarding Akira's rule. What truly felt strange to Hana was standing out in this majestic chamber in her white pajama top, her blue and white pajama shorts, and her unkempt hair lacking its usual ponytail (at least the ahoge was still there, so at least she was recognizable from afar); it was almost irreverent, in a sense.
However, that train of thought was derailed when she realized something- the castle was not entirely silent.
Huh...? Hana thought to herself as she strained to listen. Were those...footsteps? Was someone else awake? Judging by the faint sound, the footsteps did not seem to be approaching her; they nearly sounded as though they were coming from the top floor.
Without allowing her tired mind to think through this, the surfer was quick to make her way up the stairs to the second floor of the South Wing. As she turned to the left hallway that connected to the West Wing, Hana was almost certain she saw...somebody, she couldn't make out who, walking through the doorway into the section in question.
"W-What the-!?" Hana whispered to herself, ready to give chase or to call out to them...but then she stopped. Wait wait wait wait, what am I doing? I can't just chase whoever that is, I need to get the others and-
Then she realized doing so would cause the others to find out she had been out at night, and Hana doubted that 'I wanted to walk around', truthful as it may be, would cut it with someone like Akira. Besides, chances were this person wasn't some burglar or common criminal, whoever was walking around was one of her classmates. Surely, she could reason with them if she needed to, right? And what if they were in the middle of setting up something for a murder? If that was the case, ignoring it was out of the question!
Wasting no more time, Hana silently gave chase, her bare feet not betraying any noise on the floor as she ran. She poked her head through the opening and into the top floor of the West Wing, and as she did she heard a new sound: a door being slammed shut, most likely coming from the northern hallway if Hana had to guess. The surfer was quick to head towards the hall in question, spotting the doors to the watchtower and the wine room, as well as the gated doorway blocking the other area.
Well...that door didn't sound very metallic... Hana thought as she recalled the sound of the closing door. So whoever they are, they didn't go into the watchtower. That just leaves...
Hana approached the door to the wine room, putting her hand on the doorknob. The Ultimate leaned in to the door, attempting to listen and hear if anyone was on the other side of the wood. However, she heard nothing...but that did not entirely mean there was nobody inside.
...Well, there's no use standing out here...if I do, whoever's inside is just gonna see me when they come out. the surfer told herself, taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart. So...let's...DO THIS THING!
Without giving herself any more time to think, Hana threw open the door, swiftly flipped the light switch on the side, and shouted, "AHA-! Huh?"
To her surprise, the lights did not turn on. The Ultimate stopped and flipped the switch up and down a few more times, but to no avail.
Oh, great...what's that Tadao said about the lights in here again? They didn't work sometimes? Hana reminded herself. Grumbling, the surfer reached for her e-Handbook- only to then remember she had left it in her room, believing she wouldn't be gone so long. Hana softly groaned to herself in exasperation, yet seeing as how she was too far in to just leave, she proceeded into the dark wine room, the tiny amount of light from the hallway outside not enough to brighten her surroundings at all.
"Uh...hello? I saw someone come in here, so uh...hiding's kinda pointless," Hana called into the darkness. "Come on, it's me, it's Hana! Just come out here? Pretty please?"
No response, the room was as silent as the rest of the castle.
"Um...Hinata? You uh...you trying a prank or something? Rumi? Are you planning some kinda surprise?" Hana said again, looking around all the while. "Come on guys, this is extremely suspi-"
Suddenly, her foot bumped against something on the floor- judging by the noise, it was something wooden. Eyes widening with surprise, the girl immediately bent down to pick it up (although she spent a few moments feeling around for it due to the lack of light). Eventually, her hands came across something lying on the floor, and she picked it up accordingly; it felt like wood, not too thick, and it seemed to have a rectangular shape to it.
What is this...? A wood plank? A floorboard? Hana asked herself. Was there something like that lying around in here when I first looked in here yesterday...? Er, the day before yesterday.
But more important than that...where had that mysterious figure gone? Hana was certain she had seen someone head into the West Wing, so where were they? Had she misheard something and, as a result, head into the wrong room? Or maybe...had she been seeing things the whole time, and there really was nobody else here?
...Man, I really do need sleep... Hana told herself, preparing to set the wood board back on the ground. Can sleep deprivation actually cause hallucinations...? Would Shiori know about that? Maybe I should ask her tomorrow-
That's when everything changed.
It all seemed to happen in an instant, as if someone was fast-forwarding through a movie. Hana heard some form of movement behind her, then the sound of something metallic...but before she had a chance to react to either of those, the surfer felt a sharp, horrible pain in her right thigh.
"GYAAAAAH!" Hana shrieked from the pain, dropping the wooden plank and hearing it hit the floor with a clunk. The pain in her leg was unlike anything she had ever felt before, but now was not the time to dwell on it; even in her pained state, the Ultimate knew she was in a large amount of danger. Barely able to keep from falling over, Hana turned to make a break for the door...
But she was unable to. That was because, standing there...someone was there. Hana couldn't tell who it was, mainly due to the darkness inside the wine room, but there was no doubt this was not a hallucination. And the assailant would not give her a chance to fully register what was happening, because the moment the girl turned around, Hana saw the person raise...something over their head. In a split second, they brought the object down and struck the Ultimate Surfer right on the head.
All Hana would feel in that moment was a sharp pain in her skull, and then...everything went pitch black.
A/N: Anyone ask for a cliffhanger? No? TOO BAD YA GOT ONE.
So I'm already looking forward to seeing how everyone reacts to this end, but I'm also praying everyone doesn't jump to conclusions too quickly. Oof, I'll just have to wait and see- and so will you guys! Because SUSPENSE!
So next time, we'll see how Hana's doing after all this, and also...Free Time Events! And by that I mean one- yes, there will be only one next time, for reasons I think you can figure out. Asuna and Shiro are both still out, and now Hiroshi has officially been maxed out in his FTE path. Yes, like the games, I am giving everyone a set amount of FTEs and such. This means Hiroshi, popular as he apparently is, will no longer be on the poll despite his alive-ness. Don't worry, there are still plenty of other students to choose from, especially since you only get one vote this time, so choose wisely!
And the best part? Strawpoll is back and working again, so I can actually do a real poll this time! Here's the code: 4cszc4b7
And with that, consider this latest part to be my (late) Christmas present to you all! This year has been wacky for me, even moreso since I started this project, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying my writing of this. So merry (late) Christmas to you all, and here's to another year (since I doubt I'll have the next part up before New Year's) of murder mystery for all! Goodbye for now, and see you next time!