Reijirou starred in utter horror at his assembled students. I did not think things could get any worse. I knew sassing Monokuma would get me in trouble, but this? This is excessive!

And the Field Day yesterday had gone so well; everyone hanging out, having fun, and no dangerous objects or bad feelings were had. Reijirou had wished Take was there so he could keep an eye on him, but even without him there, he'd been happy.

Reijirou was in the middle of dreaming up more ways to keep the students happy when he'd finally woken up. In his rush to get dressed he'd stubbed his toe, which ended up slowing down far more than he would have liked. Even then, he heard his own, doctored words echo across the island from over the intercoms, and his heart jumped into his throat. That's not what I meant; I never wanted any of this! I just want you all to be safe…

But when he came face to face with the crowd of shocked, angry teenage faces, his throat seemed to close up like a clam.

"What was that!?" screamed Homura. "Is that what you really think of us? You're… you're just like Monokuma!"

"I'm sure this is a misunderstanding!" said Shiori, her voice shrill. "It— it must just be taken out of context!"

Seihiko looked unsure. "But… he did say he told Monokuma he thought we were private."

"Which almost certainly led to the use of the 'Never Have I Ever' motive," Ikeda finished.

Remy glanced at Ikeda. "Does that mean… you believe all this?"

"I never said that."

"I believe in Mr. Saiki!" said Rika with confidence. "He is always super nice, even when he doesn't have to be, and he gives actually super good advice!"

Karen turned at Rika, then to Reijirou with a thoughtful look in her eye. "... I can't say agree."

Rika pouted, then stuck out her tongue. "Quit being grumpy! Just because Mr. Saiki tried to help you and you didn't want him to—"

"You don't even know what was said!"

Gorou rolled his eyes. "Look, whatever we think about what was said whenever the fuck, we can't ignore one thing." He gave Reijirou a hard look, and he couldn't tell if Gorou was angry, hurt, or both. "Monokuma was able to record that conversation, which means he can probably record everything that's said on the island…"

Kashie trembled. "So… so even if he's not here, he can still see and hear us…?"

"We're leaving!" shouted Homura as she grabbed Seihiko by the arm and bolted from the rest of the group.

"Gorou, please," pleaded Shiori, "You're… scaring everyone. I mean, it's not like this changes anything, right? We knew Monokuma was uh, watching and stuff. That doesn't mean we can't trust Mr. Saiki! He wants to help! He's… he's been helping..."

Reijirou tried desperately to swallow the lump in his throat, but Take interrupted him. "Well, this was a big waste of time. Teach?"

Still in a haze, Reijirou managed to answer, "Yes?"

"Where're you gonna bring us food?"

"Uh… here, I suppose? It's, uh… probably too early for breakfast…"

Remy raised his hand. "Can we have it now? I don't think I'm going to go back to sleep, and we can't exactly go back to the cabins…"

"Wait, the cabins are locked too?!" Rika cried in dismay. "But I forgot Mr. Green!" She ran back towards the cabins.

Karen wrinkled her nose. "I do not like the idea of being stuck in our sleeping clothes…"

"Where are we gonna sleep?" Isao looked a bit panicked. "I mean, it's not freezing out here, but it's not exactly comfortable, and what if it rains again?"

"What about the barracks?" Kashie suggested. "Those aren't really, uh, part of the camp, right?"

"Yes!" Shiori perked up, seeming to latch onto the good news. "We can stay there! It has a roof, and plenty of room! We'll just need to uh, clean it up."

Reijirou was so tempted to say, I can unlock my office door and you can sleep in the mess hall! Then you'll have food and you'll be safe! But still, everything was spinning around him. This is what Monokuma meant when he said he could make it harder for me… There's no way they'd all go there now, and no way Monokuma would allow it… Shit! Fuck! How do things keep getting even worse?! Instead, Reijirou finally found his voice and said, "Of course. Do what you think is best. I'll… go get some food. And supplies."

As he turned to rush away, he heard Shiori ask, "You still believe in Mr. Saiki, right Isao?"

He couldn't see Isao's face when he replied. "I… I think he wants to help… I'm just not sure if it's the kind of help we need…"

Reijirou fumbled with the key to his office and darted inside, slamming the door behind him. "Fuck!" He pounded his fist on the wall beside him. Slowly, he took a breath… and then a few more breathes, straightened up, and got to work.

First, Reijirou snatched the first aid kit from the shelf. Next he threw open the door to the mess hall and made his way to the laundry room. He shoved all of the bedding from the shelves above the washers into one of the linen laundry bags. Dragging the heavy bag behind him, his next stop was the kitchen. As he began pulling food off of shelves, he heard a familiar chuckle behind him.

"Upupu! And what are you doing, dear co-worker?" Monokuma leaned into the kitchen doorway. "I thought you'd be out there defending yourself! Assuring our dear campers that you care about them, and that everything they heard was a lie! Ha!"

Whipping around and ready with a retort on his lips, Reijirou froze when he saw the smug look on the bear's face. He's trying to rile me up, he realized. He turned back to his task, filling one of the available picnic baskets with canned food, fresh fruit, snack foods, and everything else he could find that didn't need to be heated.

"What? Nothing to say to me? Too ashamed you didn't see this coming?!" Reijirou could hear the growing frustration in Monokuma's voice. "Hey! You can't just ignore your boss!"

Don't take the bait. "I'm busy. What did you need?"

Monokuma spluttered. "You—! You—! What I need is for your do your job and cause more drama!"

Only once he was satisfied with the food he'd packed did Reijirou turn around again. "I'm about to bring everyone food, so they don't starve. I can't cause any drama if all the students die from starvation. I'll do my job. But really, you seem to be doing a fine job of making things 'interesting' yourself, so I don't really get what you need me for." With that, he hooked the basket around his arm, grabbed the linen bag with the other, and headed out.

It was slow going, but finally Reijirou deposited the basket of food at the foot of the flagpole. When he recovered his breath and actually looked around, he saw the only person who remained there was Remy. "Where are the others?" Reijirou asked.

Remy looked up in thought. "I don't know where Homura and Seihiko went… same with Take. Rika's still at the cabins, I guess; Karen went to check on her. Shiori and her friends went to the barracks to start cleaning them up… I think Ikeda went with them? And Kenji's checking his garden to see if any of the vegetables are ready to harvest. I said I'd wait for him." Talking so much at once seemed to have exhausted him, because Remy just soundlessly sat beside the basket.

"Well… that was very kind of you, to wait. Maybe you two could help me with all this?" Reijirou gestured to the linen bag. "I grabbed as many blankets as I could. I was going to check some of the other buildings, but I… uh, I don't actually have keys for them…"

Just then Kenji rounded the corner of the nature center, frowning at the four or so tiny tomatoes in his hands. "I mean… we won't starve in the long run, I guess…" He looked up and saw Reijirou. "Oh."

Reijirou gave a gentle smile. "Oh indeed. Glad to see your plants are doing well."

Remy opened the basket and tossed Kenji an apple. "Mr. Saiki brought food." For good measure he picked up a second apple for himself and took a bite.

Kenji glanced at Reijirou warily as he took a bite. "Uh, thanks…"

"It's no problem," Reijirou replied. "I wasn't gonna let you all starve. Would you mind helping me bring all this to the barracks? I can do it myself, but it looks like it might rain again." He glanced up at the gray, churning sky; even the light of the rising sun couldn't penetrate the gloom.

"Fine," Kenji murmured. He soundlessly handed the tomatoes to Remy, who put them in the basket and headed off. Meanwhile Kenji grabbed the linen bag and began to slowly drag it along.

Reijirou rushed over to help with the bag. "No need to do that all on your own." Kenji gave him another look, but said nothing. Swallowing, Reijirou continued, "Look, about what you heard over the intercom—"

"It was edited to heck and back?" Kenji interrupted. "When I first heard it, I guess I believed it. But… when I thought back on it, the sentences didn't fit right. Plus Monokuma is the worst, so wouldn't he try to make the motive worse if he could? You don't have to… make a big deal of it."

Reijirou frowned. "Even out of place, those things I said don't change your opinion of me?"

"No." Kenji's cheeks were turning red, and Reijirou suspected it wasn't just from the exertion of pulling the linen bag.

Suddenly, Reijirou remembered something. This might be an opportunity to get him to open up...

Reijirou gave Kenji a moment before he spoke.

REIJIROU: I remember, back on our first day here, it seemed like you wanted to talk, but you changed your mind. So… the offer to talk is still open.

KENJI: You actually remember that?

REIJIROU: Sure. It's part of why I never bought your rudeness schtick.

KENJI: Gh…

REIJIROU: Shoot, that came off as too harsh…

REIJIROU: What I mean is… I get the sense that you want to connect with people, to make friends, but you're… scared. Of what, I'm not sure, and I could be off base with this…

KENJI: … You're not. You're, uh, actually completely right. Heh. It's stupid, right? I'm too afraid to get hurt again, so I try to push everyone away.

REIJIROU: 'Hurt again?' How did he get hurt the first time?

A: Who hurt you, and where are they so I can kick them in the shin?

B: You're right, it is stupid.

[C: But you haven't pushed away everyone.]

REIJIROU: Well, you don't seem to be pushing Remy away.

Kenji smiled, and shook his head.

KENJI: Remy… I guess he never 'bought my schtick' either. I tried to glare at him when he sat with me, but he wouldn't leave. And, he didn't try and make me talk all the time, so I just sort of… let him be.

REIJIROU: I can picture that.

KENJI: And then he started showing up at my garden, saying he wanted to take pictures of the bugs. And, I guess… we share interests. We both appreciate nature, just in different ways. It's not… that weird.

REIJIROU: You trust him. That's a wonderful thing. Having at least one person you can trust in this situation.

KENJI: I… sure. Sure.

Because he'd been so busy with preparing for the Field Day, Reijirou hadn't managed to actually visit the barracks, although he'd heard about them. As he and Kenji exited the woods, he gasped at the sight. The descriptions, while accurate, did not compare to the strange and eerie sight of the crumbling, plant covered building. Reijirou did suspect the pile of trash out by the door was new.

Wow, they've been busy, he thought as they entered the barracks. Most of the giant room was cleared of debris. Isao and Kashie were moving the metal cots into the space next to the stairs, and Shiori was sweeping bits of glass towards the door with a tree branch. Gorou seemed to be taking a break, sitting next to Remy as he ate an energy bar. They were the first to notice Reijirou and Kenji enter.

"Told you they'd catch up," said Remy, giving Gorou a small glance.

Shiori perked up and smiled when she saw them. "Oh good! Did you get everything here okay?"

"We managed," said Reijirou. "I knew we'd need more than just food, so I got a bunch of spare blankets from the laundry room."

"I wouldn't have thought of that," Isao admitted sheepishly. "I was more focused on the food and shelter thing…"

"These will be a big help." Shiori pulled one of the blankets, and started examining it. "Not just to keep warm at night, but maybe we can hang them up to make private spaces? Or as curtains for the windows!"

"I think it will depend on what we can find to keep them up," Reijirou cautioned. "I… the mess hall is the only building I have a key for, so I couldn't get anything from the art or nature centers, or the infirmary."

"We'll make it work," Gorou said curtly. He pulled the linen bag away from Reijirou. "Just make sure we have enough food. If someone dies because they were hungry and stupid enough to try breaking in to get food, I will kick your ass and take whatever bullshit Monokuma saddles me with for it."

Shiori sighed and ran her hand down her face. "Gorou, please—"

"I'm going to get firewood." Gorou slipped out before anyone could say another word.

Kashie bit her lip as Gorou slammed the door. "... Isn't Ikeda already doing that?"

"Yes," Shiori sighed, then she turned to Reijirou. "I'm sorry about him; I don't know why he's so—"

"It's okay." Reijirou paused, then shook his head. "Er, well, maybe it's not, but I can deal with it."

"But I just don't get how he doesn't trust you!" Shiori objected. "He's so smart; he's gotta know that audio was fake!"

No… that's not what's happening, Reijirou thought. He remembered the look Gorou gave him when they'd talked in the kitchen after the first trial. It was the same 'gears-turning' stare he saw at the motive announcement. He suspects something about my relationship to Monokuma. Not that I'm willing… God, he probably thinks I'm a liability, an unwilling tool to make things worse for everyone. And I can't even say he's wrong…

"Hey." Isao's voice jolted Reijirou out of his thoughts. He realized everyone was sitting around the basket eating. Isao held out what looked like a packaged sandwich. "Have you eaten yet?"

Rejirou took the sandwich and sat. "No. Thanks for reminding me."

Shiori giggled slightly. "Geez, Mr. Saiki. You went to all this trouble to get us food, but forgot to feed yourself?"

"I was… distracted." He didn't feel like mentioning his conversation with Monokuma.

Isao didn't seem to be listening at all, instead altering between taking large bites of his sandwich and rummaging through the basket. Reijirou watched the boy out of the corner of his eye. Isao didn't take anything else, but seemed to count and recount the basket's contents. He frowned, and his leg bounced anxiously.

"Don't worry; I can always get more." Reijirou went to touch his shoulder reassuringly, but Isao flinched away, pulling his food closer to him. His wide, scared eyes screamed, 'Don't take it.'

I've never seen him actually flinch like that. I wasn't even near his food… Reijirou froze, and suddenly he realized everyone was staring. Isao glanced around, then his face went bright red with shame. He jumped up, about to leave the tense situation, when a low roll of thunder boomed overhead.

Immediately Reijirou got up and looked out one of the windows; the gray sky looked like boiling soup, and wind whipped the trees wildly. "Is anyone else in the barracks?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the growing storm.

"No…" said Shiori, her voice trembling slightly.

"I mean, it's just some rain, right…?" Kashie asked.

"Thunderstorms are no joke," said Remy grimly.

Another crack of thunder made everyone jump. That made Reijirou's mind up. "We need to get anyone here, ASAP." The seriousness of his tone made everyone straighten up. "Shiori, Isao; go grab Gorou and Ikeda, since they'll still be nearby. Kenji, Remy; you get Rika and Karen from the cabins. Kashie, you're with me finding Seihiko, Homura, and Take. If you see lightning, try to get back quickly and stay away from the trees. If it comes to it, get down on the ground. Stick together! If we move fast we get everyone here before the rain hits!"

With that, the group moved out. As soon as they got outside Shiori and Isao split from the group and ran towards the woods. The rest ran down the path back towards the rest of camp. "Check the chapel!" shouted Kenji and he and Remy forged ahead. "The roof isn't stable, so be careful!"

"Got it!" Reijirou shouted back. He and Kashie made the turn and ran over to the chapel. It didn't take more than a quick glance around the gloomy space to see no one was there. They moved on.

They burst out of the forest just as the rain began. And it did not start with a reasonable drizzle; the clouds had released their burden all at once. Kashie pulled up her hood, and Reijirou had to bring his hand up to shield his face from the storm. Just as he did, he saw a figure running towards them.

"The hell, Teach?!" Take brought his jacket up to keep his head dry. "You said you were bringing food to the flagpole!"

Reijirou couldn't even muster the energy to be offended at Take's rudeness. "Get to the barracks before you get struck by lightning! Do you know where Seihiko and Homura are?"

Take began to sprint back the way they'd come, calling back, "No! And I don't give a fuck!"

Reijirou groaned. "Fine! Come on Kashie. Flagpole first."

Past the remains of the barn, they checked everywhere around the buildings. No one. Damn, damn, damn! he thought as they rounded the final corner. It was a long shot, but looks like we're combing the forest.

"Mr. Saiki!" Kashie had to almost shout to be heard over the window. "You sh-should use the intercom to warn everyone!"

"I'm not gonna leave you out here alone."

"I can meet up with everyone at the cabins. It won't take long and we can go back together. But we're not gonna find everyone by running around like this!" Her expression was intense, and she pulled herself up to her full height. It's easy to forget she's taller than me…

After only a moment, Reijirou nodded. "Okay. Stay safe."

"You too." She turned around and ran into the rain.

He'd thought he'd left his office door unlocked, but when he tried to pull it open it held fast. God, why this? He fumbled with his key, but managed to get the door open despite the wet.

Immediately be grabbed the intercom and switched it on. "Everyone, get inside! This storm is too big to be out in! The barracks are safe; get to them and try to stay out from under the trees!" He didn't bother hanging up the microphone as he dashed back out to meet up with everyone else.

Reijirou honestly did not know how he managed to run so fast back towards the cabins. He only slowed when he heard voices through the wind and rain, but what he was hearing…

"No! No, we can't go back yet! She ran; she's in danger and it's my fault!" Karen was desperately running towards him, away from Kenji, Remy, and Kashie. Thankfully, Reijirou managed to catch her before she ran past.

"Woah! Slow down. Where's Rika?"

Karen tried to push past him. "She ran away! She was crying when I found her at the cabins and I tried to help but I, I made everything worse…" He could feel her trembling in his grip. "I… she just wanted her bear back. And she was still mad at me; she told me to leave and I didn't! I just made stupid excuses for myself, and now she hates me. She's gonna die out here and it'll be my fault—"

"Stop. Breathe." Reijirou waited for her to take a shaky breath before he continued. "Which way did she go?"

Karen seemed a bit calmer now. "The, the path past the pond…"

The others joined them then, clearly winded from chasing Karen. Remy managed to say, "So… where are we going now?"

Pausing a moment, Reijirou declared, "You all go back to the barracks. I'll get Rika. If she's as upset as you say, Karen, she might not have noticed my announcement."

Karen hesitated, but nodded. "Get her back safe. Please."

"Of course," said Reijirou, giving her his most sincere of looks. A flash of light overheard and the accompanying boom broke the moment. "Back to the barracks! If you see Seihiko or Homura, get them to come too."

"Got it," said Kenji, and the teens headed back through the rain.

Reijirou turned his sights on the path Karen had indicated. A breakdown in a thunderstorm; isn't that dramatic? Maybe Monokuma will be satisfied with this… No, focus on getting them safe. With that he set off.

He checked the sports shed; nothing. He checked the tower and around the pond: no sign of her. Through the gate and back into the woods he dashed, keeping an eye on the sky. He was starting to lose hope and he continued deeper into the woods. Just as the path split, he sighed in relief. Oh, thank god she's here.

That relief quickly fled when Reijirou got a better look at Rika. She huddled underneath a hollow tree, knees pulled up to her chest. Her face was flushed, and he could see her shivering in the cold rain. What concerned him most, though, were the whispers he barely heard through the wind. "I wanna go home… Please, just take me home already. You're a wishing tree, right? I wish to go home! Take me home…" She trailed off into a keening sob.

"Rika!" He finally skidded to a halt next to her. She looked up, face wet from rain, tears, and a dripping nose. He knelt beside her and pulled her into a hug. "You're okay. Oh, thank god…"

Rika blinked in shock. "Mr. Saiki…?"

He gave one final, reassuring squeeze. "I've got you. Let's get back to the barracks." He pulled away and put a hand to her forehead. Definitely a fever... "Can you walk?"

"Yeah," Rika said, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. However, when she tried to stand, she immediately wobbled and fell into him.

Reijirou caught her. "Hmm, uh-uh. That's a 'no.'"

Rika shook her head. "No; I'm not hurt, so I can still—"

"I don't care. It's raining, there's lightning, and I can carry you. It makes more sense."

Rika still looked puzzled, but she nodded. With a little bit of maneuvering, Reijirou had her securely on her back and they began the trek back.

With Rika on his back and the rain in his face, Reijirou had to slow his pace. For the first hunk of the journey, Rika remained silent, burying her head into his shoulder.

REIJIROU: You doing okay, Rika?

RIKA: I'm fine… but uh, could we talk about something?

REIJIROU: Sure. Did you have something specific in mind?

RIKA: No…

REIJIROU: Then, maybe I could tell you about…

A: … my class work.

[B: … my mom.]

C: … my advice column job.

REIJIROU: … Growing up with my mom. I definitely have some funny stories about growing up…

RIKA: That might be nice…

REIJIROU: Let's see, where to start… Ah! I know! So, when I was about nine years old, all of my friends had bicycles, but I didn't have one yet. My mom and I didn't have a lot of money growing up. I ended up begging her for months. I thought I'd never get one…

RIKA: What did you have to do to get one? Did you have to do tons of chores, or beat your friends at a race, or—?

REIJIROU: Oh, I do not like that those are your go to questions...

REIJIROU: Well, nothing quite that dramatic. I decided to save all of my allowance until I had enough to buy one myself.

RIKA: Did you save enough?

REIJIROU: Yep. Took a while, but I did. And when I brought back my bike and showed my mom, she smiled, and told me to wait while she got something. Do you know what she had?

RIKA: What? Tell me, tell me, tell me!

REIJIROU: Another bike. An adult bike. And she said, 'I honestly never learned to ride a bicycle. I knew you'd be able to get one for yourself, but I didn't want you to have to learn on your own. Now we can learn together.' And we did.

RIKA: That's awesome… She really learned how with you? And she didn't get mad when you fell?

REIJIROU: Of course not. When either of us fell, we just laughed and got back up.

RIKA: That sounds… really nice…

They lapsed back into silence for a while. Just as they came near to the barracks, Rika asked in a whisper, "What about your dad…?"

Reijirou stopped and worked to let Rika down. "Hmm? Oh… he isn't in the picture. Left my mom after I was born. I never really knew him."

Once Rika was on the ground, she sniffled. "That's so sad… I thought everybody was supposed to have parents. They, I mean… I always thought it was just me who didn't have them…"

Reijirou frowned. "Well, everyone has a pair of people who conceive them, but no, not everyone is raised by both birth parents." He hesitated, then asked, "If it wasn't your birth parents, then who raised you?"

"My managers. Plus trainers and things…" Rika tried to take a step forward, but ended up leaning on Reijirou for support. "They said… not to call them… And! And they only gave me stuff when I did what they said! That's not right, right? I— I never realised that! They didn't love me… not like your mom loves you..."

Oh Rika… you deserve better… Gathering her up in his arms, Reijirou led her to the barracks. "Hey, it's okay. Let's get you inside so you can start feeling better."

"It's not!" Rika whined. "It's not okay! I should have parents, and you should have a dad! I wanna find your dad and kick his butt!"

"If I find out I'll send you his address," Reijirou chuckled. "As long as you promise to let me give your managers a talking-to."

"Yeah! And we can be family now!" Suddenly Rika threw her arms around Reijirou's neck. "You're better than all of them…" Then her weight suddenly slumped against him, and he realized she'd fallen asleep.

Reijirou just blinked for a second as his mind caught up with what just happened. "Well, this is…" His musing was interrupted when he sneezed. "Never mind; time to get inside." Awkwardly, he half-carried, half-dragged Rika the last little ways up the barracks stairs and in through the door.

The first thing Reijirou noticed about the room was that it was bathed in warm firelight. In a stroke of genius in his opinion, the students had used the various cans to create makeshift lights by filling them with some wood and setting them alight. How did they light them, though? He was glad for the light, though, and not just because of the storm clouds. In an attempt to keep the room dry, some of the cots had been propped up to block the windows.

The second thing he saw, this time with relief, was that all of the students had gathered, in various states of blanket-wrapping. All of the members of his little search party had made it back, although they'd spread out around the space. Seihiko and Homura occupied one corner with food in hand. Ikeda flipped through some papers in the light of one of the can-lamps. Even Take was there, sitting on the stairs and whittling a branch. For a second, the scene was quiet, peaceful…

… Until Karen spotted them in the doorway. "Rika!" Immediately she ran to Reijirou, hands hovering nervously, as if unsure what to do.

Homura jumped up and screamed, "Oh my god, is she dead? Did you kill her?!"

"Homura, please…" Seihiko stood as well, putting a hand on her shoulder. To comfort her, or stop her from rushing him, Reijirou didn't know.

Still, Reijirou was taken aback by the accusation. "No? Of course not. She just has a fever."

"A fever?" Kashie echoed. "But… I mean, do we have anything to help with that?"

"And what happens if she dies of that, huh?!" Homura accused. "I'm not gonna go through another one of the… awful trial thingys because you let Rika get sick!

"There's aspirin in the first aid kit! She'll be fine," said Reijirou, trying to sound reassuring, but probably only coming off as panicked. Still, he felt his heart rate slow a bit when remembered the first aid kit. She'll be fine; we can handle this… as long as Homura doesn't decide to use me as target practice...

Shiori jumped up and snatched one of the extra blankets. "First, though, we need to get her dry!"

Reijirou brought Rika over to where Shiori stood and gently set her down so she leaned against the wall. While Shiori wrapped her up, Isao scooted the neared can-light a bit closer. Gorou searched through the first aid kit before pulling out the bottle of aspirin. "Might as well have this ready for when she wakes up," he said.

"Good thinking." Reijirou looked back to the rest of the group. "Did everyone else make it back alright?"

Homura looked about ready to snap again, but Seihiko jumped in before she could speak. "We got back okay; we were already trying to think of a place to get out of the rain when we heard the announcement."

"Ikeda and I weren't that far, so we got back before the rain even started," supplied Gorou. Ikeda simply nodded his agreement.

At that moment, Take chuckled. "So… looks like we're all stuck here for a while. Wonder what Teach is gonna have us do now…"

"Who says he's staying?!" Homura demanded. "I don't want him anywhere near us! He might like, overhear our secrets and tell Monokuma! I mean, like, who knows what sort of stuff he's said already! How do we know this isn't like, his whole plan? Get us all in one place so we can drive each other crazy so someone snaps and kills someone?!"

Shiori's face darkened. "I don't want to hear any of that! Mr. Saiki brought us all the blankets, not to mention the food—"

"You call this food?" Take countered, smirking. "It's barely enough for a day, and that's only if your boyfriend doesn't eat his fill like he usually does."

Isao stiffened. "Excuse me?"

"He's— I mean we're not—!" Shiori waved her hands in distress as her face turned beet red. "That's not the point! Mr. Saiki can bring us more. He will bring us more."

"And if he does?" Seihiko asked quietly. "We still don't have air conditioning, or more clothes, or anything to do, or anywhere to stay except this place. He hasn't completely negated the motive."

"Could he?" Gorou muttered. Reijirou heard it, though. He wished he hadn't.

"Look, Shiori," said Homura, good hand on her hip. "You heard what he said! He praised Monokuma! He ratted us out! And he literally said 'I wanted to use peer pressure and fear!' That's not a thing a good guy says!"

Reijirou cleared his throat. "Uh… I'm willing to explain the context of that recording you heard, if you all want."

"By all means," said Ikeda. He looked so calm that Reijirou was certain Ikeda had already come to his own conclusion.

Homura narrowed her eyes. "... Go ahead."

Blinking, Reijirou slowly moved to a place he could see everyone. "Well… you probably remember that during the last trial, things got uh, heated between me and Monokuma for a moment."

"You called him a Build-a-Bear reject," Remy pointed out.

Reijirou coughed. "Right. Well, I wasn't exactly in a much better state of mind when I went back to my office. But… Monokuma, uh, likes to debrief after the trial. I, for lack of a better term, exploded, and—"

"Upupu!" Reijirou nearly jumped to the ceiling as Monokuma crashed in through one of the windows. "Now, what are my dear students getting up to?"

Getting some god damn straight answers, Reijirou thought.

Of all people, it was Homura who echoed his thoughts. "Getting some actual answers about that recording out of your underling! Or is he more of a partner, huh?!" Well, sort of echoed.

Monokuma waved his paw nonchalantly. "Well, he isn't really a partner, I'd say; I'm very touchy about my position of power, so there's no way I'm letting him boss me around. But, I obviously value his input!" Wow, he almost sounds sincere, Reijirou thought, Or as sincere as Monokuma ever sounds...

On the turn of a dime, the bear's expression turned dark. "However, that conversation was strictly staff only! I'm honestly breaking about a hundred privacy policies playing what I did! So, no more nosing around for you!"

"So is that an actual rule?" Take asked, putting his hands into his jacket pockets, "Or just a strong recommendation?"

"You know what? Fuck it, sure! No one may share information from private meetings with staff except for me! Because I'm the boss." Monokuma chuckled again and turned to Reijirou. "I mean, you surely know the importance of privacy in such matters, Mr. Saiki."

Taking a moment to swallow, Reijirou managed to say, "I… would never share something from a session unless it a person was in danger…" But now you've basically gag ordered me on that recording… I can't even tell them it was edited…

There was a moment of silence. Homura glared in open disbelief, but several others, including Seihiko, Isao, and Karen seemed doubtful as well. Kenji, Remy, and Kashie just seemed sad. Take's smug smirk had not faded in the slightest. Ikeda was as unreadable as ever.

However, it was Shiori who broke the silence, and it was not with gentle words. Shiori fumed as she stormed right up to Monokuma. "Get out! Just leave us the hell alone! This thing you're trying to do, to get us to turn on Mr. Saiki? It's not gonna work on me! Because I've seen how much Mr. Saiki cares; he comforts people, and gives advice even when he doesn't have to, and stood up to you in the trial! I don't know what you're getting out of this scheme, but it's not gonna work, because Mr. Saiki is a good person, and is gonna keep being a good person."

Reijirou's breath hitched. Wonder how everyone will react to seeing me cry right now. God, I'm so attached… Can I even be an objective counselor anymore? Hell, given this situation, I probably never was… So what am I to them?

Monokuma wagged a finger at Shiori. "That is no way to speak to the head of this camp!"

"We're not in your camp," Gorou countered with a slight smile. "Otherwise, this building would be locked to us. Tough luck, buddy."

"Oh my god, don't take things so literally!" Monokuma sighed. "But, I've said my piece. Now, chop-chop! Time to get back to killing, ya lil' bastards! Upupu!" He jumped back out of the window and disappeared into the rain just as another flash of lightning lit the sky.

Reijirou could feel the tension in the air as Homura glared at Shiori and Shiori tried to get her breathing under control. No one else seemed willing to say anything; even Take seemed content to wait for the sparks to start flying. If I stay, they are definitely gonna fight over whether they should trust me or not. If I can't explain myself, it'll be better to get that trust on a one-on-one basis… right? Making up his mind, Reijirou straightened up. "I think I'll give you all some space. I'll be right up stairs if you need me." With that he dashed up the stairs. As he did, he heard overlapping shouts.

"Wait, Mr. Saiki—!"

"You need to explain!"

"He can't—"

"I want him gone!"

Reijirou ran into the driest corner of the room, sat down hard, and covered his ears to block out the shouting. But he couldn't escape his own spiralling thoughts. Fuck! What do I do? Everything I try ends up backfiring! I can't do this… I want to help them but I can't, and what's even the point of me if I can't help?

And thus Reijirou was lost in his anxieties for a long while. He didn't notice when the noise from downstairs quieted. In fact, he only came back to himself when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He jumped with a tiny 'eep!'

Ikeda crouched next to him. He raised an eyebrow.

Reijirou blushed as he tried to collect himself. "Oh! Eh-hem… Sorry you had to see that."

The boy just shrugged. "I've seen worse."

"I really wish you hadn't," Reijirou said before he could stop himself. Trying to move on quickly, he asked, "Did everyone come to a decision?"

"Well, thankfully, everyone realized pretty quickly that we can't actually make you leave the building, or bring us food, or anything, so that particular subject has been dropped." Ikeda stood and leaned against the wall. "As for the matter of trust, there is a standstill. No one can decide if your actions show if you are truly trying to help us, or if they can all be framed as deceptions designed to help Monokuma in his efforts to get us to murder."

Reijirou stood as well. "If it's all the same, I think I'll stay up here a while longer. At least until the rain stops and I can go get some more food for everyone." He chuckled grimmly. "Maybe a peace offering will be enough to keep everything from exploding again."

Ikeda hummed in response. But after a moment, he added: "Perhaps we could talk, then? Have a little heart to heart?"

Reijirou's eyebrows shot up. Is this real? The cagiest student is asking to talk? Is there a catch? Clearing his throat, he simply said, "Sure. Though I hope we're not just going to be talking about me. Go ahead. Shoot." You think I'm gonna pressure you or make a big deal out of this? Think again, because I know that isn't gonna work. Your move, Ikeda.

Ikeda seemed actually surprised by Reijirou's willingness to get started.

IKEDA: … Frankly, I wanted to discuss your work. Or rather, part of it.

REIJIROU: Like I said; shoot. I'm an open book! But, don't expect me to ramble, either.

REIJIROU: Because you don't need distracting. You want something from me.

IKEDA: How do you read people? As you might expect, I know a great deal about this subject from my own work, but I'd like to hear how someone from a… Different discipline handles it.

REIJIROU: Well, obviously, I observe a lot. Body language, tone, all that. And of course, I take into account people's emotional state, their tendencies… Honestly, it's not super complicated. I'm sure you know more about some sorts of people reading than I do.

IKEDA: I certainly know quite a lot about how to get people to talk, answer questions truthfully, give information. So on. But, that's not what you focus on, right?

REIJIROU: No… not really. If people share, I want it to be because they're comfortable with me. But I do a lot of what you could call people-reading…

IKEDA: Of course. The goals of an interrogator are not the goals of a counselor...

REIJIROU: What exactly does he want to know how to do? What could a counselor know about reading people that an interrogator couldn't?

REIJIROU: I guess the main difference would be...

[A: I try to find out why people feel the way they do]

B: I don't torture people. Not that you do!

C: My only goal is to help people. Speaking of, care to spill all your secrets?

REIJIROU: … In order to do my job, I need to have some idea why people act the way they do. I don't suppose that's always necessary for an interrogator, is it.

IKEDA: No. There's some information I need, and I get it. That's it.

REIJIROU: But, knowing why people do what they do can seem nice. And sure, I can use reasoning to make guesses about what events in people's past made them the way they are… But, unfortunately, in reality, it's not that easy.

IKEDA: Oh?

REIJIOU: People know themselves better than anyone else can know them. And even then, I can't say I really know everything about why I act like I do. People are complicated.

IKEDA: Unfortunate…

REIJIOU: Sorry I can't be more reassuring… but it's nice to know you seem to want to know more about people holistically…

There was another long pause, during which Reijirou realized the rain had finally stopped. He sighed. "Well, time to go get some more food. I'm glad you all have some fire, so I can grab stuff you can cook… how did you light them anyway?"

Ikeda responded by bringing out a small lighter. "Take has one too."

"... Great." Hope that didn't sound too concerned. I really wish I had any idea how to deal with Take. Just as Reijirou reached the stairwell and was about to step down, he turned back to Ikeda. "I don't want to pry, but I do have one question."

"What do I think of that recording?" Ikeda smirked slightly when Reijirou nodded. "It was a chopped up edited mess. The tone of your voice doesn't' flow logically. It's clear you were feeling accused and were trying to defend yourself. Monokuma simply removed the parts that make that clear."

Reijirou's heart lifted a bit. "Do you plan to tell the other students that?"

Ikeda shifted, looking almost unsure, though his smile did not fade. "I could, but it will not convince the people who are already inclined to distrust you."

"You mean Homura," Reijirou said.

"I'm sure you can guess why," Ikeda replied, his smile seeming more forced than before. "I think she would conclude I'm a spy for you and Monokuma, or some other nonsense."

"At this point I'll take the suspicion if it means the rest of you can trust each other." I'm not exactly happy about it, but them not trusting me isn't gonna lead to a murder… hopefully.

With that Reijirou headed down the stairs. When he reached the bottom he simply said, "I'll be back with more food. And I cooking pan if I can carry one."

Everyone tensed up when he spoke. No one said a word, though Shiori nodded gratefully from where she sat. Homura glared, though it seemed a bit sulkier than before.

Reijirou took his leave. Please just hold on everyone. Don't let this get to you. If we can just hold on, maybe Monokuma will give up on this motive… God, I hope so… But even as he thought it, Reijirou's gut seemed to be slowly sinking into the muddy ground as he made the lonely trek through the woods.

It's done! Finally! Writers block might be awful sometimes but I got through it, and now we're moving right along with all the Feels you could desire. As always, please leave a review with your thoughts, vote on any polls in my profile, feel free to join the discord linked in my profile, and I'll see ya'll next time!