OMG! I cannot believe it! Within like 5 or 6 months, I am already at chapter 3! Thanks to those who have been so supportive and helpful! I really appreciate it.

Anyway, here is the first part of the third chapter!

The whole room was on fire. It was scorching hot. The pieces of furniture were turning into ashes. All of the metals were melting. Nothing was visible. The only thing can be seen was the thick, black smoke enveloping the whole room.

In the middle of the room was a man holding a huge book. The silhouette was familiar. However, due to the smoke, the person cannot be identified. He only stood watching as everything around him disintegrate into nothing but ashes.

Suddenly, all of the flames disappeared. On the floor were ashes scattered. Even so, the man only stood in the middle. Now, it is clear what the person looked like. He was wearing a familiar orange long sleeve shirt and black pants. The face of the person was covered by a mask.

The mask looked like the face of a cartoonish girl. The girl had huge eyes and honey yellow hair. It was smiling sticking her tongue out. She was wearing a tiara adorned with blue jewels.

The man was holding tightly a book. Upon closer inspection, the book was titled "Sparkling Justice 2.0: A Double-Edged Sword". After a few more minutes standing, the man slowly removed his mask revealing his identity.

The man was none other than Jirou Katashi, the Ultimate Mathematician. He creepily smiled and opened the book showing its burnt pages. Suddenly, he started speaking. "Who could it be? Tick tock tick tock…" After that, he laughed maniacally.

Out of nowhere, the flames came back burning everything to the ground including Jirou. Jirou laughed as he slowly burned to death. The room grew quiet when the flames disappeared again leaving everything visible including the burnt corpse of Jirou.

Suddenly, a loud scream echoed through the room.

Nao immediately woke up from his strange dream. He was awakened by a loud scream coming from the audio system. The scream was long and high-pitched. It was irritating and painful to the ears. Who is screaming through the audio system! It is too early for this!

After a few more minutes, the scream stopped. The person coughed a few more times before talking through the audio system again. "Ehem! I hope that woke you up. It is morning! Wake up! If you are still asleep after that loud-ass scream of mine, are you deaf?" It was Monokuma and his morning call.

After that, it became silent again in Nao's room. Nao sat quietly thinking of what happened yesterday. Rei and Jirou are no longer with us. Jirou killed Rei and I can't believe that he could do such a thing. Before leaving us, he revealed something. One of us is a notorious killer. He revealed to us how we can get the identity of that person. He told us to check the last book he read. However, it was burnt after the trial. Whoever this person is, they really want to stay anonymous.

Nao tried to guess who it could be. If the book that Monokuma told me was right, the person is referred to as Sparkling Justice. Sparkling Justice is a famous urban legend. They kill for justice and leaves a mask near his victim as his signature. I thought that was not real. If Jirou is saying the truth, Sparkling Justice is not just some urban legend. They are real.

This thought scared Nao. We already have Samuru to deal with when it comes to his anger issues. I don't want to deal with another self-righteous person with a twisted sense of justice. That is too much to handle. Whoever this person is, they must have been hiding their true selves from us really well. No one has shown any signs of bloodlust for the blackened other than Samuru. I can't guess who it is.

After getting tired of thinking who it could be, Nao took his tablet to see what time it was. As soon as he opened it, he saw a new file that was added to the folder named "Floor Plans". The file was simply named "Third Floor". I guess a new floor is open for exploring. Umeko and I should check it out later.

After that, Nao took a shower, changed into new clothes, and went out of his room. As soon as he stepped out of his room, he saw Umeko coming out of her room as well. The two looked at each other amused of the coincidence. Nao smiled and walked towards her while Umeko closed her door and stood to wait for Nao to come to her.

"Good morning!" Umeko greeted him. "Good morning to you too!" Nao greeted back. The two were clearly in a great mood. This is definitely a great way to start my day.

After that, the two started walking together to the kitchen. Immediately, Umeko decided to open a conversation. "Did you sleep well last night?" Umeko asked. Nao looked at her and said, "Not really. Yesterday was stressful. The events that took place yesterday even haunted my dreams."

Hearing this, Umeko was worried about Nao. "Are you okay? Do you want to skip in helping out in cooking for now? You know that I can cook alone." Nao quickly interrupted Umeko. "There is no need for that. Dreams are just dreams. It can't affect me in real life if I let it." Even after everything that happened, Umeko still chooses to be herself; a caring person who puts others first before herself.

Visibly, Umeko was curious about Nao's dream. She was observing him intently. Nao can't help but notice this. I guess she will not be satisfied until I tell her my dream. "You want to know my dream, don't you?" Nao asked. Umeko nodded.

Nao started talking about his dream. "Jirou was in my dream." Umeko was clearly intrigued by this. "Really? That must have been a shock." Umeko commented.

"Honestly, it wasn't. In the past few days, I have been dreaming about people who are dead; Ayumu, Kayle, and even my mom. The dreams they were in were ten times more shocking and scarier than my last night's dream." Nao told Umeko.

All of a sudden, Umeko hit his left arm. Nao was surprised by this. "What was that for?" Nao was completely confused by Umeko's action.

"Why did you not tell me about your nightmares?" Umeko shouted.

Nao immediately replied, "I did not want to trouble anyone especially you." Umeko quickly turned red after hearing Nao. Nao was too dense to realize what he said. Seeing Nao's completely blank face, Umeko composed herself to reply.

"You should have still told me! I could have helped you! All this time I thought we were like…" Umeko trailed off. She could not continue. Nao was waiting for her to finish her sentence. "We are what?"

Umeko trying to come up with something to say. "Uhmmm…" She was having some difficulty. "We are uhmmm?" Nao imitated her. Umeko rolled her eyes and sighed. "I thought we are best friends…just best friends." Umeko's tone changed. Nao noticed this but does not know why.

Nao was about to reply to her when Umeko suddenly said, "We should get going. People will start waking up soon." After that, the two walked silently together to the kitchen. Did I say something wrong? Are we having some sort of fight? I don't know what to do! Please, someone, tell what I did wrong!

The two eventually made it into the kitchen. Umeko quickly took charge of preparing the meal. "I think we should make a mushroom hash! It will taste great. It will be aromatic with all the spices I will use! Plus, it is vegan! Rei and I…" Umeko suddenly realized, "Right, I am the only vegan in the group now."

Nao went to Umeko to comfort her. "Hey, it is alright. Everyone is still grieving. You don't have to act as if nothing happened." Suddenly, Umeko hugged him tightly. "Thank you. I really needed that." They stood like that for a while before Umeko let go and pat her cheeks. "We have a meal to cook! You should make some madeleines! Do you know how to bake those?" Nao simply nodded and the two went to cooking.

When Nao visited the sweets fridge to grab some ingredients, he saw the jar of poisoned juice powders. He immediately grabbed the jars and threw them into the trash can. Umeko saw this. "We should get rid of these. We never know. Someone might use them again." Nao told Umeko who simply agreed with him.

Seeing the dumped juice powders, he was reminded of Jirou. He was again by what his last words to him were. I was too harsh for him. Nao tried to cook like nothing was bothering him. However, he could not concentrate. He decided to drop everything he was holding and turn to Umeko.

"Umeko…" Nao caught her attention.

"Yes?" Umeko asked.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Nao asked.

"Sure!" Umeko replied. She put the hash into the kitchen before she was ready to listen. She walked towards Nao and stood beside him.

"What is it?" She asked.

"What I said to Jirou has been bothering me. It is all I could think of when everything is too quiet. I said what I said because of my own frustrations. I was so unfair to him. I just can't believe I was like that. I wish I could take back everything that I said!" Nao talked until he had nothing left to say.

After hearing what he had to say, Umeko replied, "I don't think you should take back everything you said." This shocked Nao. "What do you mean?" Nao was confused.

"You told Jirou everything that he needed to hear. You made him realize he was loved by his parents. You did him a favor. At least before his death, you were able to lift some weight off of his chest." Umeko explained.

"I did?" Nao asked.

"No one would have been able to do that other than you." Umeko reaffirmed him.

"Thanks! I appreciate that!" Nao hugged Umeko. This caught her off-guard. All she could do was hug him back. After that, they went back to cooking their breakfast.

While they were cooking, Umeko brought up Jirou's last words. "What do you think about what Jirou said in the last trial?" Nao turned around to talk to her. "You mean the mystery murderer in our group?"

"Do you really think someone in our group is a secret killer?" Umeko asked.

Nao hesitantly answered, "Being a part of Monokuma's twisted games, I learned one thing. Anything is possible." Umeko could not help but agree to that. "I wish I can disagree but it is true. I never thought anyone of our age can kill but here we are. We even have Samuru as living proof."

"Do you want to check out the book Jirou was talking about later?" Umeko asked. Nao immediately answered, "I already did." Umeko was surprised by this. "When?" Umeko asked. Nao paused for a moment. I hope whatever I am going to say will not destroy her trust in others.

"I checked out the book last night and I found it burning inside the library." Nao told her. Umeko was surprised but this. "Burning?" Umeko exclaimed.

"The person who Jirou was talking about must have gone to the library as soon as the trial was over. They don't want their identity to be revealed." Nao told her.

"What was the book?" Umeko asked.

"The name is Sparkling Justice 2.0: A Double-Edged Sword." Nao told her. This surprised her even more. "Sparkling Justice?" She could not believe what she heard. Umeko continued, "Isn't Sparkling Justice a serial killer from way back? I know they kill for justice but that is all that I know."

Nao was surprised by Umeko's knowledge. "He is real? I thought he was just some urban legend because there have been reports of a person copying his stories."

"He is definitely real. There are reports about him. An interviewer was even able to interview him." Umeko told him. So there really is a Sparkling Justice but from what I am hearing, he sounds old, older than us. Sparkling Justice 2.0…hmmmmm

"What if we are dealing with Sparkling Justice's protégé?" Nao suddenly brought up the possibility. Umeko was clearly confused by this. Nao knew he had to explain his idea. "If we think about it, the title of the book specifically says 2.0. Doesn't that usually mean an improved version of something? What if this Sparkling Justice 2.0 was guided by the original? Honestly, I am just grasping at straws here."

Umeko agreed. "Whoever this person is, I hope they don't cause any trouble for us."

After that, the two continued cooking their breakfast. Eventually, they were finished. Nao took it upon himself to ready the table outside. He took some plates and utensils and brought it out of the kitchen using the serving cart. As soon as he stepped out, he immediately saw someone was already outside waiting for food.

"Hello, Manon! You are quite early." Nao greeted Manon who was looking a bit sleepy.

Manon was sitting staring at the floor as if her energy was sucked out of her. Her eyes were droopy. She was about to fall asleep before Nao greeted her. Hearing his voice snapped her out of her daze. She turned to Nao and greeted him, "Hey…" Still, she was moving lethargically.

She really is a night owl. Active at night, dormant in the morning. Nao then proceeded at the table. However, seeing Manon, he could not help but feel awkward if he does not talk to her. "You are still quite sleepy. Why don't you just sleep in like you used to?" Nao asked.

Manon immediately replied, "Oh how I wish I could sleep in! These past days are really irritating. People have been waking me up too early." Does that mean someone woke her up today? Hearing this, Nao was curious why she was awake this early.

"Who woke you up today?" Nao asked. Manon replied, "Samuru. Samuru woke me up." I wonder why he woke her up this early.

"I really hate waking up early as well. Normally, I wake up around 12." Nao shared.

Manon was surprised by this. "Twelve? It does not look like it. I thought of you like a morning person because you wake up so early with Umeko." Nao quickly replied, "I guess Umeko's upbeat energy rubbed on me."

Manon just nodded to what he said. After that, it was a complete silence again. I should try talking to her again. I am curious about where our conversation could lead to. "So how are you?" Nao asked. Dumb question but I am pretty sure she will reply with something to it.

"As always, I feel like total shit." Manon replied. She must be bothered by something other than her wake-up calls.

"Why?" Nao continued to ask.

"I miss the outside world so much! I want to get out of here and ride a bike! I want to go to a picnic with my family. Even though we don't see eye to eye all the time, I miss them." Manon answered. Her family… I think it would be great to know more about her family dynamics.

Because of this, Nao decided to push the conversation in that direction. "I don't think I have ever heard of you talk about your family. You sound like you have interesting stories about your family." Manon quickly responded, "Yeah, I do. We are kind of weird. I think we are weird but for some people, we seem normal."

"Can you explain to me why you think like this?" Nao asked.

Manon replied, "Yeah. Well, you see, my family and I live in Amsterdam but we are also Japanese. Growing up, it did not feel weird all the time but there were instances I would feel weird about what we do as Japanese even though we live in Amsterdam. Don't get me wrong. I know I am half-Japanese but because I grew up in Amsterdam, I feel closer to my Dutch heritage."

Nao was surprised to know this. "You are Dutch?" Nao asked. Manon nodded.

"I know it is kind of surprising but I was only able to act like I have immersed myself in Japanese culture my whole life because I was sent here in Japan as an exchange student. If you see my family, you will definitely think they are not Japanese." Manon continued.

"How many are you in your family?" Nao asked.

Manon quickly answered, "There are actually four of us. Of course, there is my mom and dad. Also, there is my twin sister, Rina."

"Twin sister?" Nao asked.

"Yup, I have a fraternal twin sister. Her name is Rina. Even though we are twins, we are so different from each other. She is so bright and cheerful while I am dark and gloomy. I kind of call us the night and day. I kind of liken her to the sun, she is golden and brings warmth to everyone around her. She is quite popular with all the good reasons.

As for me, I am always isolated and looked at as some weird mystery. Whenever people hear Rina is my twin, people are shocked. That is how different we are to each other. However, for some reason, we work. We do not really fight with each other and are able to understand each of our sides. She grabs everyone's attention while I hide from it and I like it that way." Manon answered. She has quite an interesting dynamics with her twin sister. Her sister sounds like the good girl while she is the black sheep of her family. It kind of makes sense. There are moments she acts like she above the rules.

After hearing her story, Nao was satisfied with what he learned about Manon's personal life. Nao continued with his duty. Eventually, he finished setting up the table. Right before he leaves, Manon quickly called him. Nao was curious about this.

"Yes?" Nao asked right before he was about to leave.

Manon looked around before continuing. "What do you think about the ones who are currently leading us?" Nao was surprised by this question. What an odd question coming from her. Nao looked at her and said, "I think they are trying their best to lead us."

Manon looked at him and was a little bit disappointed with his answer. She sat up straight and looked more serious compared to earlier. "I do think they are doing the best they can but what if there is someone who can be better to lead us?" Manon asked again.

What is she up to? Nao had no idea why she is talking about this. "If that is the case, I think they should lead but from what I am seeing so far, I think our current leaders are our best shot."

Immediately, Manon replied, "Samuru brought up an interesting point this morning. He told me, 'If the current leaders are really effective, why are we witnessing so many deaths?' I can't help but agree with him on that."

I am feeling uncomfortable talking about this. Nao decided to ask, "Are you planning to overthrow Reyes and Jitsunori?" Manon suddenly lost her composure after hearing the question. "I am not really sure what Samuru is planning. I am just following him since I trust him. He seems crazy to everyone but Roxanne and I know that he makes important points that should not be disregarded."

Suddenly, the door of the cafeteria opened. Manon stopped talking when she saw it was Jitsunori and Mako who entered. She looked at Nao and whispered, "Please don't tell anyone about what we talked about." After that, she went back to looking sleepy.

Nao then turned to Jitsunori and Mako who were both laughing. He was definitely surprised to see them. Immediately, Nao walked towards them and asked, "Are you two already okay?" Mako instantly replied, "Never been better! You know what, I feel better than I normally do! I feel like I have so much energy that I can swim twenty, no, thirty laps!"

Nao turned to Jitsunori for a clear answer. "Right after the trial, Monokuma injected us with something. After that, Mako and I felt like were both being charged like a battery." Mako suddenly did a handstand in the middle of the cafeteria. "Look, I have so much energy, I can do a handstand with ease! I think I could do so many things before feeling tired again! I don't want to feel so sick ever again! I want to stay like this forever woohoo!"

Mako stopped doing a handstand and stood up straight again. Jitsunori tapped him on his shoulder and said, "Calm yourself down. We should conserve our energy. Who knows what Monokuma's injection's side effects are." After that, Mako tried to relax and sat beside Manon. Jitsunori then soon followed.

Seeing that everything is okay in the cafeteria, Nao went back to the kitchen to help Umeko. "Hey, let's bring these dishes out!" Nao and Umeko brought the dishes out along with two pitchers of fresh milk. The two went out and saw that everyone was already there except for Norio and Manon.

"Hana? Are you already okay?" Umeko asked.

Hana put out her thumbs up. "Of course! Why would I not be fine? I am definitely doing alright if you ask me!" Hearing this, Nao and Umeko became happy. I guess she is back to her normal cheerful self. After a second, Manon went back from the comfort room and sat on her seat which was beside Hana's.

The two served the dishes and the group started eating. It was like one of their ordinary breakfasts. Hana would make everyone laugh. People would look at Jitsunori and Mako and root for their blossoming relationship secretly. Asuka would say something that would lead to an argument and Reyes would act as a mediator. I really miss the days when we were complete and like this. The only thing missing is Norio sitting with us.

Nao became curious as to what Norio is doing. I know he does not trust us. I just wish he could so that we would finally feel like a united group. As the group was laughing, Nao looked serious thinking about Norio. Umeko noticed this and nudged him.

"Hey, are you alright?" Umeko asked.

"Yeah, I just thought it would be better if Norio is here. Wouldn't it feel nice that we are complete eating our meals." Nao told her.

Umeko nodded. "I also wish Norio would join us but I think we should try to have some fun for now. I think we deserve this especially with what happened yesterday." Nao agreed and tried to forget about his problems.

The group continued to have fun until they were all done eating. After that, Reyes took the initiative to call for a meeting about important things. "I know we had fun but I think we should talk about some serious stuff since we are complete. Well, almost complete."

The group suddenly became serious. Reyes was leading the meeting. Remembering what Manon told him, Nao decided to observe her and Samuru while Reyes lead. "We should first talk about the inventory. From what I recall, Eri and Takashiro, you two are the ones in charge of today's shift."

"We are going to do it after this!" Takashiro said while Eri silently nodded.

Nao looked at Samuru who seemed displeased with how things are going down. He has his arms crossed while his right brow is raised. I wonder what is going on inside Samuru's head. Then, his focus shifted towards Manon who seemed indifferent to everything that is happening. I know she is listening but knowing her she does not care if it does not involve her specifically.

After that, he continued listening to Reyes. "You can get the master list from Umeko after this. I also want to talk about Hana's shift. Seeing that you are okay to help the group, you will be doing your shift with me which is tomorrow."

Hana quickly replied, "Okay!" After that, they started talking about the new floor. This time Jitsunori took charge of the meeting. "Let's also talk about the new floor. I know everyone here has received the new file. I was wondering if everyone wants to explore the new floor later." Jitsunori asked the group. Samuru immediately replied, "Of course! We need to know what is up there to be safe!"

Jitsunori then followed with, "I suggest we do it by pairs or triads." Nao looked at Samuru who seems to be getting irritated with how the meeting is going. Samuru could no longer contain it and decided to take the reins. "Roxanne, Manon, and I will be a triad. I am sure you, Mako, and Reyes are also going to be a triad. Nao, partner with Umeko. Eri, Takashiro, and Hana will be another triad. Does that sound okay?" Why does it feel like he is in a rush? Jitsunori decided to go with the groupings.

After that, the meeting seemed to be over. However, Nao wasn't satisfied. He knew they need to talk about something. Before everyone could stand up from their seats, he grabbed everyone's attention. "Guys, wait! I think we need to talk about another thing."

Mako was the first to reply, "What is it?"

"I think we should talk about Jirou's last words." Nao told everyone who silenced the group. "Are you talking about the secret serial killer in our group?" Mako asked. Nao nodded and continued. "I think Jirou's warning should be taken seriously."

"Of course! It should be taken seriously. We don't know what this person is capable of." Reyes commented. After hearing this, Nao felt like he could continue. "Yesterday after the trial, I went straight to the library to find the book Jirou was talking about. I was able to find it but it was set on fire by someone. It must probably be the serial killer." Nao told the group.

"This is alarming! They really don't want to be revealed." Jitsunori said. "The book was completely burnt but I was able to find out what the book was." Nao said.

"What is it?" Hana asked.

"Monokuma told me the book is titled 'Sparkling Justice 2.0: A Double-Edged Sword'." Nao answered. Hearing this, everyone was silenced. Reyes was the first to comment. "I thought Sparkling Justice is an urban legend. His stories are really famous in Spain. Are you sure it is the book?"

Suddenly, Samuru stood up in anger. He slammed his fist onto the table scaring everyone. It was obvious the name "Sparkling Justice" struck a nerve with him. He looked at everyone with anger. All of a sudden, he took his battle-ax and pointed it at everyone. "Sparkling Justice is real. I have been tracking him down for years after he killed two bureaucrats here in Japan. Whoever you are, I will make sure you pay for all of your crimes. I will execute for your notorious deeds as a vigilante."

After that, Asuka tried to calm him down. "Relax. Just sit down. You are scaring everyone for nothing. There could be a possibility Sparkling Justice is not in this room. Calm down." After that, Samuru sat down.

Nao continued after seeing Samuru is okay. "I think we just have to be careful about this person. They clearly don't want to be revealed but they have not made any move that has harmed us. Maybe they are not interested in us and just want to remain unknown."

After that, the meeting was finished. Everyone started to stand up. Suddenly, Manon screamed. "What the fuck is this! Who glued me on this chair!" She stood up with the chair glued on her butt. Everyone was surprised except for one. The culprit was giggling. They were trying to cover it but Nao immediately saw their grin after seeing Manon's reaction.

He turned to Hana and said, "Hana, did you do this?" Hana quickly took the blame for it. "Hahahahaha! I sure did! Manon's reaction is priceless." Hearing this, Manon was understandably angered.

"What were you thinking?" Manon asked.

Hana kept on laughing. "Hahahahaha! I am so sorry! I cannot take you seriously with you looking like that." Hearing this, Samuru walked towards her and gazed down on her to intimidate her. To everyone's surprise, Hana's eyes met with Samuru's and she did not back down. She let out a sly smile and said, "I hope this proves I am not some weak bitch like Jirou thought. I can make anyone's life a living hell if I want to. I hope this serves a lesson to everyone who is looking down on me." After that, she walked out of the room leaving everyone speechless.

I guess what Jirou said in the last trial really affected her. To be looked down and treated as weak must have hurt her ego. After that, Asuka took Manon to her room to help her out with her situation. Umeko decided to tag along thinking she might be of help. Samuru has also left the room. Eri and Takashiro told the group they will be checking the inventory. Reyes decided to leave as well to find Hana. There were only three people left in the cafeteria , Jitsunori, Mako, and Nao.

Nao was fixing the table while the two were talking. After some time, Mako decided to leave and find Reyes. Nao was left Jitsunori. The two were at first silent but Jitsunori decided to Nao. "Hey! How's it been? It has been a while since both of us talked to each other alone."

Nao suddenly giggled. "I remember. You were flustered about what you and Mako truly are." Suddenly, Jitsunori turned red. Nao found it amusing to see him like that. I guess he has one weakness right now and that is Mako.

"So do you now know what you two truly are?" Nao asked. Jitsunori stopped blushing and only smiled while looking at his hands. "I still don't know." Nao was confused with Jitsunori's answer. What? Why is he happy about that? Wasn't he upset about that?

Jitsunori continued, "I still don't know but I know we are both happy with each other. I want to be able to tell Mako how I truly feel. I don't want them to just think that I am happy with them as a friend but…I don't want to force on Mako my feelings. That is what I learned spending my time with Mako these past few days."

That was so sweet of him to talk about Mako like that. I guess this is how someone who has fallen in love should look like. Nao found Jitsunori's affection for Mako adorable.

"Have you ever fallen in love like this before?" Nao asked.

Jitsunori quickly answered, "Mako is my first."

Nao was surprised by this. "Really? With your looks and attitude, a lot of men and women must have fallen for you. Has none of them ever made you feel something?" Nao asked. Jitsunori simply giggled and said, "Let's just say I never had the time for romance." Nao wanted to learn more about what Jitsunori meant by this.

"How come you never had time for romance?" Nao asked.

Jitsunori started to tell a part of his life to Nao. "Aside from the salon, I was busy helping out my hometown. My hometown is a bustling city for criminals. A lot of criminals live in my area. Even though our community is close-knit, there were still some who chose to abuse and take advantage of other people.

One of the most common crimes in my hometown is breaking into someone's house. Within a week, there is an average of four houses that have been broken into by a criminal. Most often than not, these criminals would target those who are living a middle-class life.

Knowing the dangers of living in my hometown, I learned how to fight so that whenever I need to apprehend someone, I can fight back. I was once able to use what I have learned in protecting my family. We were once broken in but, unfortunately for the criminals, I was able to fight back.

However, I usually use what I have learned in helping other people. I love to walk. During my walks, I would see crime. I try to help everyone that I can because I believe we should live life as kind as one can be. I am usually successful in helping anyone I can.

I know it sounds lonely but I have a friend with me to help me out in protecting the town. His name is Dengorou. He thought me a lot of things when it comes to protecting people and made me enjoy it. He always had my back while I had his.

Together, we became notorious for criminals and were able to lower the crime rate. It was mostly Dengorou's but I love that I was able to help out the community where I grew up and live."

Wow! He really is great. He is brave enough to help out anyone he can even if it means risking his own life. I wish there are more people like him. Nao became more appreciative of Jitsunori. After that, Mako came back with Reyes. The three then went out of the cafeteria and left him.

He grabbed all of the plates and utensils and brought it to the kitchen. There, he washed the utensils as he waited for Umeko to come back. He and Umeko had planned to tour the new floor after breakfast. After washing the dishes, he sat in the cafeteria waiting for her.

As he waited for her, he saw Norio come in. Just like last time, he went straight to the kitchen and grabbed some food to eat. The two did not interact that much. Only Nao did was observe him. He really wants to be left alone. I know that we can't trust everyone but I think we should find people worth trusting in our situation. That would at least lighten the weight of our situation.

As soon as Norio was done eating, he put the plates and utensils he used in the kitchen. As he was about to leave the kitchen, he looked back at Nao. "Do you have any idea who Sparkling Justice could be?" Nao was shocked by this. I did not expect him to initiate a conversation with me.

He responded with, "Sadly, I have no clue it could be."

Norio then said, "I have an idea who it could be but I wish I am wrong. Honestly, I think we shouldn't find out who Sparkling Justice is." Why? Nao was intrigued by this. He was about to ask why Norio said that when Umeko entered the cafeteria. Because of this, Norio left the room leaving Nao and Umeko alone.

Umeko walked towards Nao and asked, "What was that about?"

"It was about Sparkling Justice. He said we should not find out who this person is." Nao immediately answered.

"Why did he say that?" Umeko asked again.

"I don't know but I kind of understand where he is coming from." Nao answered. Revealing the identity would just create distrust within the group. Right now, what we need is trust within the group. After that, Nao stood up and told Umeko they should start their exploration.

The two walked upstairs to the third floor. The two did not know what to expect. The third floor could be anything. It could be as lavish as the second floor or as ordinary as the first floor. I hope there is nothing dangerous about the third floor but, knowing Monokuma, for sure there are things we should worry about.

When the two reached the third floor, they surprised to see what it was. The whole floor was bright. It was lit up by long, huge fluorescent lamps. The floor was made up of white glossy tiles. The walls were reflective. The design of the whole floor made it clean and sleek. This floor, it feels like I am in a quarantine. That is how clean it looks.

"What does this floor have in store for us?" Umeko asked.

Nao looked at her. "We are about to find out."

The two walked towards the first door they saw. As they were walking, they already noticed something. "The floor is slippery. Is it wet?" Umeko asked. Nao looked down and noticed a few bubbles. "It looks like it has been newly mopped."

Satisfied with this answer, the two continued to walk to the first door they saw. The door was similar to the door of the classrooms on the other two doors. This must be another classroom. The two opened and were right. It was a classroom. It was similar to the other classrooms.

The two immediately searched for anything new in the room. Unfortunately, there was nothing worth noting about the room. "It is literally like the other classrooms. There is nothing special in here. We should move on to the next room. Maybe it is a new room." Nao told Umeko.

The two went out of the room and went to the room next to it. It was another. Just like in the first classroom. There was nothing worth remembering about. The two were disappointed in the first two rooms. I really wish we find something useful. I really do.

Nao and Umeko went to the next room. Unlike the two first rooms, this room has a door made of metal. It was huge. The door looked stainless since it has no rust. On the door was a wheel. Instinctively, Nao turned the wheel to unlock it. To his surprise, the door unlocked quickly. "I did not expect that." He told Umeko.

The two pulled the door to open. As soon as they opened it, they immediately saw what was inside. The room has several shelves filled with different chemicals. The floor was made of white tiles like in the main hallway. The two entered to take a closer look. The two immediately noticed the labels. There were chemicals that were labeled as harmless. However, there were also chemicals that are labeled as hazardous.

Umeko immediately knew what the room was after looking inside. "This must be a chemical storage room. It is clean and organized. I mean it should be clean and organized. It follows the standard procedures of what a chemical storage room should be. The door is made of metal as it should be. The labels are complete."

As Umeko was talking, Nao noticed there were screens with numbers shown in front of every row of chemicals. He took one chemical labeled as Chemical W. He immediately noticed something about the screen. "Umeko, look at this."

He showed the screen. When Umeko saw this, Nao put back the Chemical W from where it came from. The number suddenly increased. "I think it shows how much chemical is left on the shelf." This amazed the two.

"This will be very helpful for future inventory." Umeko said. After seeing there was nothing left to be noted, the two left the room and closed it like how they found it.

The two then went to the room in front of the chemical storage room. The door was made of tinted glass. It was a sliding door with a black metal frame. Nao slid the door open to reveal a huge office. It was dimly lit. Umeko searched for the switch and turned the lights on. They were able to see what the room had. The floor was made of white tiles again. However, unlike the hallway, the walls were painted in blue. It had several desks with several files stacked on top of it. In front of the room was a huge screen with a satellite image of Japan. There were also equipment the two were unfamiliar with.

The two took a closer look at the files on top of the desks. "Friday, at 9 o'clock pm, partly cloudy. Precipitation is eight percent. Humidity is eighty-four percent. And, wind speed is eleven kilometers per hour." Umeko read out loud.

Nao looked at the satellite image and noticed something. "I think this is a live satellite image." Nao told Umeko. Hearing this, Umeko put down the files she was reading and went to Nao. "I think this is a weather station or something." Nao agreed with Umeko's guess. What Umeko read must have been a weather report.

After that, Nao and Umeko went out of the room. The two went to the next room. The room had a white door. The door was a sliding door. Nao slid the door open to see a chemistry lab. The room had white tiles and walls. It was well lit with different stations. There were several cabinets inside the room. The two immediately looked at the cabinets. There were three cabinets. All three cabinets were white with its doors having transparent glass panes on it.

Umeko opened the first cabinet. It was filled with beakers, pipets, flasks, burettes, cylinders, and test tubes. "This cabinet is filled with glassware." Nao said as he looked at the content of the cabinet. The second cabinet was filled with clamps, gauzes, stands, scissors, and tongs. "This one is for steelware." Umeko said as she grabs a tong. The last cabinet was filled with rugs, wash bottles, gloves, lab coats and shoes, and masks. "This must be where cleaning materials and personal protective equipment are stored." Nao said.

After that, they inspected the stations. The stations were identical. They were all made with white tiles. Each of them has a sink with an option for hot and cold water. As they were looking at one of the stations, they found a binder. The two opened it to find out it was a guide. It was like a recipe book for chemicals. Each recipe was written in a way that everyone can understand.

"This can be dangerous." Umeko said as she closed the binder. Nao agreed with her. "People might use this to make acids and poisons. We should tell this to the group." Nao suggested. After that, Umeko put down the binder and went to the room in front of it.

The room's door was made of wood. It had a simple doorknob. Nao opened the door to see it is filled with different equipment. It was similar to the chemical storage room. The only difference is what is stored inside. Also, it does not have screens like in the chemical storage room. Nao took a closer and saw objects that can cause blunt force trauma when used creatively.

"We should add this room for inventory as well." Nao suggested. Umeko agreed with it. The two continued to search the room. Eventually, they stopped seeing that there is nothing else to find.

The two left the room and went to the nearest room. The room had a clear glass sliding door. On the door was a sign stuck onto it. "Calibration Room…" Nao read out loud. The two opened the door and immediately felt the cold air that came from inside.

The two stepped in and immediately felt the cold. "My god! Where is the air conditioner? We should adjust the temperature." Umeko commented. The two immediately looked for the air conditioner. They found it in the corner of the room. The two immediately turned up the temperature.

"Much better!" Umeko said. After that, the two continued to observe the room. The room was white. It has countless of shelves containing analytical balances. There were also crates. The two opened each crate to see what they contain. It only contained small pieces of metal. They were clueless about what to do with the metals. Because of that, they moved on to the different equipment in the room. There were also different weights ranging from 1 kg to 100 kgs. Beside the weights are weighing scales and balance beams. There were also temperature baths near the shelves.

"I am not familiar with most of the things in here so I don't know whether or not these are dangerous." Umeko said. Nao agreed. If there is only a scientist in our group. Maybe they know anything about these.

The two continued to look around the room and noticed there was a whiteboard on one of the walls of the room. On it were data the two could not understand. "What? 24˚C to 64˚C? What is this about?" Umeko asked. Near the board was also a dehumidifier. I hope someone knows what these are.

After that, the two left the room. The two went to the only room have yet to enter. The door was similar to the weather station's door. It was a tinted sliding door. The two opened it and the first thing they notice is the computers. There were about thirty computers inside the room. It was complete with equipment. I guess this is a computer lab.

"We should check each computer. Maybe there are files we might discover." Nao suggested. The two started using the computers. The first computer Nao opened was completely blank. It did not have any files and only have offices and apps. Seeing that their computers are empty, the two would move to another computer. Eventually, there were only three computers left to check.

Nao opened the computer numbered "3". As soon as he opened, he immediately noticed it was different. The wallpaper was different from the rest. The other computers have sceneries from nature as their wallpaper. Unlike those, this computer has three words scribbled out as wallpaper. "Romeo Echo India…" Nao was confused by this. Aren't these NATO phonetic alphabets? If that is the case, it spells out… "Rei…"

Other than the wallpaper, there was a file on the desktop that was not present in other computers. Nao clicked it and it immediately asked for a password. What is this? Nao did not know what to put. He thought hard about it and could only think of one word to write. "R-E-I" Suddenly, the file opened. Rei, did she do this?

After doing so, he called Umeko. "Umeko, you need to see this!" Umeko quickly went to him and looked at the file. "What is it?" Umeko asked.

"I found a file with a password. I was able to open it and this what it has" Nao told her. The two looked at the file. It was only filled with dots and lines. The file contains this: - / - / .- / -... "I think this is morse code." Nao guessed.

"Who did this and what is it for?" Umeko asked. Why is the password "Rei"? I need to find out what the code translates to. It might come in handy. After that, the two took note of the code. After that, they continued looking through the remaining computers. Just like the previous computers, there was nothing special about them. After that, the two went out of the room.

The two were walking back to the kitchen. Nao was deep in thoughts. All he could think about is the code they found. Because of this, the walk was silent. Nao did not notice this. However, Umeko was clearly bothered by the silence.

"Uhmmmm…Nao, I have a question for you?" Suddenly, Nao was snapped out from his deep thoughts. He looked at Umeko and waited for the question. "What is it?" Nao asked. Umeko was hesitant but she still asked him her question. "Do you know what it is like to fall in love?"

Nao was surprised by this. Where did this question come from? "I don't think so. I have never fallen in love with anyone before."

Umeko then asked, "Do you ever wonder what it feels like to be in love?"

Nao then looked at Umeko. "Are you in love?" Suddenly, Umeko was silent and turned red. She is in love! Umeko quickly denied, "No…No…No, I am not in love. Who said I am in love? Are you in love?" What is up with her today?

"What?" Nao asked.

Umeko sighed and look at Nao. "Nevermind. You don't look like you're in love anyway." Why is it suddenly about me? After that, Umeko started walking leaving Nao standing in confusion. What did I do wrong? Should I do something?

After realizing he was all alone, he ran to catch up to Umeko. "Hey, wait up!" Nao took Umeko's arm making her turn around to look at him. She stood stiffly looking at Nao who was inches away from her. "Hey, I am sorry if I said anything wrong! I really did not mean it. I will just be more careful about what I say next time. Just please, don't be angry at me."

Umeko giggled and said, "I am not angry. I am not. I am sorry. This is not your fault. It is mine. I just feel like I am going crazy!" Nao suddenly asked, "Crazy for what?" Umeko looked at him silently and took a step back. "It is nothing important. It is not important. Just forget it. We should just head back to the kitchen and prepare lunch like we normally do." Umeko said. Nao followed her to the kitchen and the two started preparing lunch. I really hope Umeko and I are okay. I don't want to ruin this. I can't. She is the person I have been closest to. Nao thought as he cooked alongside with Umeko.

That is it for the first update of this chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading this!

Are you excited for the third chapter? Who do you think is going to kick the bucket next?

If you want to talk about this fanfic, you can join the discord server for this story. The link is on my profile.

That is it for now! Good luck to all of us!