"Hey Hitomi, can I ask you a favour?" Taro said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I need you to keep an eye out him, and keep a secret for me," Taro said. "Could you do that?"

"What are you talking about?" I questioned him again.

"It's about Goro. I don't think he has a desire to escape," Taro said. "I'm not sure if he's suicidal or not, but from the way he's acting and from what he's said, I don't think he believes he's going to escape. He said it in response to Sora stating that everyone wants to escape, that 'you can't even know that for certain'. My experience tells me he was talking about himself."

"Huh?" I asked. "What do you mean? Of course he does, right?"

"I don't know," Taro said. "But if that's the case, I'm worried for him. Just... let's watch out for him, could you help me out with that?"

"I guess," I said. "Don't you think this is a little much to be taking in though?"

"Considering all we've been through, yeah," Taro said. "But... if I'm right, then we don't have a choice."

I sat there for a second, mulling on the thought. "You really think... he doesn't mind dying here?" I said.

"I think it's possible," Taro said.

It all seemed too much to think about. Truth be told, with what happened to Hisoka, with Daigo doing what he did, and now Taro revealing this: it was becoming too much for me to bear.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "Wouldn't it be better to tell Sora or someone?"

"I guess he would be closer," Taro said. "But I don't think I want to upset him unless it's strictly necessary, you know? I know you have a strong character Hitomi, you can handle all this, but I worry for Sora in a place like this."

"Well, I guess I can try help," Hitomi said. "But... I really don't know the first thing about where to start with him."

"Just keep an eye on him, y'know?" Taro said. "Make friends with him, and all that. I'm willing to bet we could all use a little friendship in this place anyway."

Taro began to wander, and I followed him. That same frigid tension hung in the air, exacerbated by that revelation of Taro's and by all that had transpired here. I thought it could not get worse. Then, she turned up.

"Ooh, and where could you two be sneaking off to on this fine morning?" Noriko said.

I turned around. It was that very same voice, no doubt about it, and one of the few people I had meant to talk to this morning. Of course, I had been putting it off, but I guess there was no more chance I would be able to do that.

"Oh, good morning Noriko," Taro said. "What are you up to?"

"You know, the usual," Noriko said. "Prying into affairs that don't concern me, overhearing things that I shouldn't, the works. By the way Hitomi, you really do have a penchant for attracting hot goss, I should thank you!"

"Thank me for what?" I asked.

"Goro's secret, of course," Noriko said. "Just to let you know in the future, I don't like people who keep things to themselves, babe." That friendly smile was gone, and all that remained was a sinister glare. Yet, something appeared wrong with her expression. While the upper half of her face seemed to have an accusatory and scornful appearance, the bottom half was adorned with a genuine smile, and the combination of the two seemed almost fundamentally wrong. I was shocked. I had known her to be a person with no boundaries in terms of how she gathered information, but I suppose that I had fundamentally misjudged the character behind the author of those articles of hers. We all had.

"Noriko, do you mind if I ask you something?" I said.

"Sure," Noriko replied. "How can I help you?"

"I want to talk about yesterday," I said. "You said you knew that Daigo was going to kill, so why didn't you intervene and stop him?"

"I would've loved to, but it's awful hard stopping a murder plot," Noriko said. "You know, Daigo's a smart cookie, and he's been covering his tracks for months. With that much experience, a criminal like that was going to do the inevitable: all you can do is make sure they don't get away with it."

"But if you knew the whole time, why didn't you come forward?" I asked.

"Why would I?" She replied. "Your search for the truth managed to shed so much light upon that crime. Who am I to interrupt that serene revelation? What sort of truthseeker would I be if I ended it before it began? To violate the sanctity of discovery, now that would be the real travisty. I would have helped you along of course if push came to shove, but you proved something to me Hitomi: that truth always wins. Not even I could have anticipated what happened, you shone so brightly! But still, I know how this all works. Now that I have a little something you want suppressed, I have a proposition for the pair of you."

"What do you want?" Taro asked.

"I'm interested in discovering more about everyone here, just as you two are," Noriko said. "Of course, I only have so many sets of ears here, so I wouldn't mind a little assistance of some variety."

"Well, what could you want from us anyway?" Taro said. "My position here is as a confidant and a counsellor, if you are asking me to report secrets, then I shall politely decline."

"You don't have a choice, kiddo," Noriko said. "It's either that, or I tell Goro that I know he wants to kill himself. I'm sure I could make his wish a reality as well if he so desired: but you're lucky I have a heart."

"Are you... threatening us?" Taro said.

"Bingo!" Noriko said. "I only desire to know what the hell's going on here, same as you, but know for a fact that I'll stop at nothing to find out what I need to know. Villainy like this needs to be exposed, completely and wholly: and who better to do it than Noriko Yanai, Journalist Extraordinaire!"

"You're a villain yourself," I said to her.

"Ho-hoah, well, I'm glad you recognised it," Noriko said. "You have to fight fire with fire, you know? In this world, the real villains aren't those that the law can catch, but the ones who know it inside out and fall through the cracks. Here, information is power; and as for the most powerful people on the planet: they're simply the ones with the most ears to the ground. If you want to fight that variety of villain, then you can't do it as a hero."

Noriko turned her back on us.

"See you, my new little microphones," Noriko said. "You better put those ears to the grindstones, so to speak! I look forward to your cooperation!"

With that she walked off, seeming all the more confident and happy as she seemed to have a skip in her gait upon wandering away. I was hoping that maybe I was wrong about her, that maybe she was a nice person who had made a mistake: but that sort of hope was something that a person like her would exploit.

"She seemed a lot more friendly before this whole game started," Taro said. "Maybe this place is hitting her harder than everyone else?"

"I don't know," I said. "I'm not sure I can believe that."

"I guess that's true," Taro said. "It's impossible to read a person like her. I suppose all we can do is try to keep her preoccupied for the moment."

"I guess so," I said, but I was worried. Something seemed off about her, and I didn't know what it was. There was something sinister about this whole scenario. With all that was going on and the suspicion that was now deep-seated within all of us, I felt as if that quest of hers to find her 'truth' would only serve to further separate us. Worse than her pursuit of truth though were those words that she had said: that you can't fight a real villain as a hero.

"We should get a move on," Taro said. "We wanted to see how everyone's going, right? Let's not let her get in the way of that."

"You're... right," I said. "Let's get going."

Even as I wandered though, my mind lingered behind, thinking about all that she had said. She hadn't killed anyone, and I highly doubted that she would: but something about her told me that she was not somebody to place your faith in. Not that I intended to anyway, she had made it abundantly clear that she cared for nobody here. I sat down for a moment, and I stared up at Taro.

"I don't feel comfortable helping her," I said.

"We don't have to help her," Taro replied. "We just have to make her think we're helping her. Honestly, I feel the same way. You think I want to help her, of all people?"

"I guess," I said.

"Well, let's get back on track," Taro chimed. "We wanted to check up on everyone, didn't we? No way we'll do it sitting around!"

"You have a point," I said. "But... I'll be honest, there's twenty-four of us here, how are we supposed to know what each of us are thinking?"

"Twenty-two," I heard someone correct me from behind. "There's twenty-two of us here."

I turned my head around and stared. Samuru was standing there, with Seita somewhat behind him, staring down at me. Samuru looked confident, but there was a hint of uneasy anxiety upon his face - as if he was wearing a brave face. Seita was marginally less confident, standing behind his brother with an uneasy expression upon his face.

"You haven't forgot, have you?" Samuru said. "Or is it more that you refuse to accept that our lives are still at stake, Hitomi?"

"Nii-san," Seita said. "Please, don't worry the others."

"They should be worried," Samuru said. "We should all be worried. We barely had enough time to get to know one another before the last incident, and now we've got to use whatever time we've got left. Doesn't that worry us all?"

"You know," Taro said. "I get the feeling people would think you're real nice guy if you weren't so insensitive all the time, Samuru."

"What makes you think it's accidental?" Samuru inquired. "Besides, you're the people person apparently: why don't you start getting around a little more, Taro?"

"That's what we're trying to do!" I exclaimed.

"That isn't what I was talking about, Hitomi," Samuru said. "You know, I've read up on you, Taro. I don't know why, but I know you're not putting your A-Game into this. For a man who can supposedly read people, you seem awfully oblivious."

"I don't have a clue what you're on about, dude," Taro said.

"Heh, well I guess that's all the confirmation I'd need," Samuru said. "You know, in a place like this Taro, we need to all be able to work together. We all need to understand each other. I know why you're really doing this."

"Nii-san, stop it!" Seita said. "We're all... a little worried in here, aren't we? Let's not... let's not make it hard for all of us!"

"Fine," Samuru said. "Though Taro, for everyone's sakes, don't hold back."

Samuru left, and Seita followed behind. I was confused, and somewhat lost in the conversation that they had been having; it was as if I was the only one who was out of the loop here, but I wasn't entirely sure. After all, I hadn't heard much about whether Seita was oblivious or not.

"What was all that about," I asked.

"I guess someone did his research before rocking up to Tsubaki," Taro said.

"His research?" I inquired.

"Hitomi, do you mind if I show you a little party trick of mine?" Taro said.

"Sure, but what kind?" I asked.

"I guess you could call it a kind of deduction. Using things that you've already said and your appearance, I'm able to ascertain your personality and livelihood, and respond accordingly. That's why I'm called the Ultimate Guru. A counsellor observes and prescribes, but I... I infiltrate," Taro said. "For instance, I know from what you've already said that your parents have a troubled relationship, and that there's a burden on you to keep the peace between them. I overheard you talking about that at the table one night. However, there's a lot more to you than that, isn't there? That locket around your neck, for instance, seems to be relatively worn - yet the chain around your neck doesn't have any oil from your skin on it. Guess that means you like having it, but you're too insecure to wear it, huh? I'd say there's two conflicting desires behind that necklace: you're wondering whether you should do what the world demands of you or what your friends and family do. You want to carry your family wherever you go, but you think it's seen as childish, so that's why you don't wear it. You also said that you didn't believe that you were any good at philosophy despite ending up in it. I wonder if that might have something to do with those conflicting desires? However, what's really interesting is that you have begun to wear it now - which means that whatever it was that prevented you from wearing it outside here wasn't the students, since there are a few of your classmates here with you. I'm of the opinion therefore that it's not family, and it's not your school-friends who judge that necklace. Do you perhaps have a group of school friends outside of Tsubaki who judge you for your sentimental connection with your family?"

"Wait, what?" I asked. "How did you know all that?"

"Do you want me to stop?" Taro said.

"Uh, I mean it's cool and all, but I can see why you don't do it," I replied. "It seems like a bit of an invasive trick."

"Was I right?" Taro inquired.

"Scarily so," I replied.

"Yeah, which is why I try to avoid it," Taro said. "It's part of the reason why I ironically had few friends in school."

"Wait, but aren't you a friend to everyone you meet?" I said.

"I know," Taro said, and smiled. "I guess practice makes perfect, eh?"

"Heh, I guess," I said.

"Still, I'm amazing when it comes to looking at people, but I can't do much else," Taro said. "Pretty shit skill when you think about it, it just makes you look like a weirdo: that ain't a good skill for a counsellor."

"Hey, I think it's pretty cool!" I said. "Sure, it's weird, but aren't we all a little weird here? I mean, we've got some real basket-cases in this camp: but it's those little eccentricities that make life just a little more interesting."

"I suppose," Taro said.

"Anyway, as much as I hate it being done to me, it's really cool," I said. "Can you do it on other people?"

"Yeah, I can," Taro said. "Although for their sakes, I can't really tell you the results."

"Oh, damn," I said. "Still, we may as well stretch our legs a little."

I stood up, and wandered back to the main hall. Taro followed along behind me. I was beginning to regain my spirit a little, and I guess I felt a little more positively as I entered the hall. I figured I'd find someone else to talk to, if only to help raise Taro's mood a little after showing me that trick of his. Yoshimi stood in the corridor. She had found some ice-skates, from what I could see, and was staring intently at them. Well, she did enjoy ice-skating, so I suppose it was fair to her. There was one thing that stood out to me as odd though: where was it that she intended to use them?

"Yo Yosh," Taro said. "Where'd you find those?"

"These bad boys?" She replied. "They were in the school store, aren't they sweet!"

"Yeah, they're pretty cool," I replied. "What were they doing in there though?"

"I don't know," Yoshimi said. "Truth be told, I don't care. It's nice to at least have something, you know? Even if I can't use them..."

"You can't use them?" Taro asked.

"Well, there's no ice," Yoshimi said. "Unless that lake freezes over, which I doubt, then they're all but useless. It doesn't matter though, at least I've got something to hold onto, you know?"

"You seem like you're a little sad," I said.

"Well, yeah," Yoshimi said. "These skates remind me of all the good experiences on the ice, you know? But... it's sad, because I know I'll never experience them again. It's the one thing I really stuck at, you know?"

"The one thing?" I asked.

"Well, I love doing a lot of things, and I'm good at a lot of things," Yoshimi said. "I've learnt a few tricks, but I keep myself too busy to pursue anything beyond the basics. I guess what I'm saying is, ice skating was the one thing I stuck to... and now it's the one thing I can't do."

"Maybe you shouldn't take the skates?" Taro said. "I've got a feeling they're causing you more grief than good."

"I think they make me feel closer to home, but at the same time... they remind me that we're so far from it," Yoshimi said. "Maybe you're right, maybe it is for the best."

"Where did you find them anyway?" I asked. "What would Monokuma have Ice Skates for?"

A squeaky voice spoke from behind us, startling us. "You know me, I thought you might enjoy some snowsports!" It said.

I turned around. Monokuma was standing there behind me, staring up at the three of us. He was wearing his typical half-toothy smile, but behind that smile I could imagine that whoever was responsible for all this was grinning maniacally, with all of their teeth: a true monster.

"When did you get here?" Yoshimi exclaimed.

"Why, just a second ago!" Monokuma said. "You seem surprised to see me guys, have you been talking about me? Has one of you secretly, you know... fallen for the bear in the big grey house?"

"What, no!" Taro said. "Who would fall in love with you, and when did you have a grey house?"

"You'd be surprised, sonny boy!" Monokuma said. "Anyway, time's up guys! I need you all to head to the campfire, because I got some real important news."

"Important news about what?" I asked.

"Why, what else would a good bear like me want to tell you?" Monokuma said. "I just want to give you guys some tips for getting along, you know? Getting along and understanding each other is just what you wanted to do, so I figured something out..."

"Figured out what?" Taro asked.

Monokuma turned his right side towards us, and stuck his right paw up in the air: his crimson eye gleaming as he uttered a single phrase that sent shivers down our spines. With those few words he uttered, we were sent recoiling. "I figured out how to make yourselves kill each other over getting to know each other," Monokuma said. "So this game can go on!"


AUTHOR'S NOTES: It's been a while. I'm not really sure what to say to be honest, but I feel I should give you guys the update you've been waiting for. Sorry I've been so slow with it, but I'm getting decked by my university section, and I haven't been all that motivated since I've already been swamped. Still, I guess I'm back now, and I'll update you guys next week with the motive. This one is my own unique concoction, unlike the Seventh Day Secret Motive, so I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on it. Also, I guess we learnt a little bit about a lot of characters this chapter, especially Taro. I guess it'll be interesting to see how useful his abilities will be during a class trial, but I guess we'll have to wait for later to witness that.

Anyway, it's good to be back. I'll see you around.