Trigger warnings apply for this chapter. Details about the specifics are in the author's note at the end of the chapter, so scroll down there first if you need these specifics.

Mizuki ran a hand through her hair and sighed. It had been something of a long day. Coordinating the announcements and the drop in query sessions about applications to the Reserve Course Representative roles; chasing after that journalist to make sure that nothing had happened (thank goodness, nothing had, though the journalist had been extremely cagy and prickly after the exchange with the principals, and who could blame her); coming out of that to discover that a Reserve Course student was being marched out for contacting said journalist. Then, at the end of lunchtime, Hana had been escorted to her by Mihoko, Emiko and Shino with the USB stick that apparently the expelled student had been planning to give to the journalist.

So, they had all convened in Shino's panic room to see what was on the stick. What it was turned out to be a small series of videos, apparently taken on a phone camera, depicting different fights between Reserve Course students and Main Course students-though a lot of them seemed awfully one-sided to be called fights. Assaults, Mihoko had summarised them as once the last one finished. But even the ones that could have fairly been called fights had been provoked, the Reserve Course students being needled and needled until there didn't seem to be a better choice for them than to lash out. Quite a few had adult witnesses-almost all of whom instantly took the Main Course students' sides, if they intervened at all. A lot of it fell in the category of 'it could have been worse' but there were a few that were bad, all the same.

"Okay, that about covers it, I think." She looked over at Hana. "Thanks for bringing that to our attention, Otsuki-san."

Hana blushed and fidgeted, nervously. She clearly had not been expecting to be the one of them to bring such key evidence to their group.

"Who will be keeping the USB stick?" Sosuke asked. "I do not believed we mentioned it."

"Wouldn't it make sense for Teranaga-chan to keep it?" Keiko asked. "She's more or less our leader, after all."

This was met with silence, and Mizuki weighed the USB stick in her hand.

"Well, we all have copies anyway now, and we can all back them up as needed. Under the circumstances, I think it's best it gets disposed of.

"Hold on, shouldn't we like, photograph the stick or something?" Azuki piped up suddenly. "In case we just get accused of lifting it off the internet. Or something. I don't know."

"No, that seems like a prudent move." Sosuke said. "Perhaps you can do us the honours."

Azuki glowered at Sosuke, but did indeed do the honours, before expectantly staring at Mizuki.

"Yes, I'll get rid of this." Mizuki concluded. "Now, I think we should all go home and rest, or do whatever it is we need to do. Homework, applications. Contact myself or Mori-san if you need help with those, by the way."

With that, they dispersed, leaving the panic room, and the most of them heading home, though apparently Shino, Emiko, Mihoko and Hana were going to hang out a little longer.

"How are you going to dispose of the USB?" Mokomichi asked.

Mizuki turned to study him as he put on his own school shoes, stepping aside so that she was not in the way of the others trying to leave.

"Why?"

"I know of a place where you could burn it."

Mizuki simply stared at him. He just shrugged.

"It's a lot more permanent, isn't it?"

Mizuki considered this, and then nodded.

"Alright then. Show me."

…

The place that Mokomichi had in mind turned out to be an abandoned stretch of land with sand and a drained body of water, known as the 'Artificial Beach' because once, at some point, it had been a tropical themed amusement park. Mizuki vaguely remembered news stories about the managers going into administration, and how there had been half-hearted attempts to buy the land and turn it into something afterwards. Clearly, none of them had followed through, she mused as she followed Mokomichi across the grounds, noticing warehouses here and there, all looking as abandoned as the rest of the place.

"From time to time you get the occasional party animal or squatter or whatever setting up camp for a while, but usually nobody comes here."

"Have you ever been here?" Mizuki asked.

"Maybe." Mokomichi said, clearly trying to be enigmatic about it. "Most of the time, it's quiet. And it's vast, too."

That, it most certainly was. The darkness of the sky-cloudy, only a few smatterings of stars visible-made the pools of lights from the few lampposts stand out, accenting the space. That, and the fact that most of it really was flat ground apart from the dried pool-thing, the warehouses, a few sad trees and of course, the lamp-posts.

"The point is, plenty of sticks and things to start a little fire." He said. "Then there's the sand. So…."

"But I don't have a lighte-"

Mizuki stared at Mokomichi, who sure enough had produced a lighter from a pocket or somewhere.

"Why?"

A shrug, which was enigmatic without needing to try this time, and Mizuki simply shook her head and snatched it, and looked around her for a good spot. She thought it was probably best to not be next to any trees, lampposts or warehouses. Luckily, that wasn't too difficult, so she was soon able to kneel down and start stacking twigs in a vague approximation of a campfire. Mokomichi helped, straightening it, and then when she couldn't light the fire, he took the lighter and managed it on the first try. Once it was lit, for a little while they didn't do anything, simply crouching there almost huddled together, watching the tiny orange flames dance.

"So…?" Mokomichi asked. "Are you going to…?"

"Ah, right, yes."

Mizuki got up and went over to her bag, and took the USB stick out before returning to crouch at her spot. She turned it over in her hand for a moment and then, with a deep breath, she let it drop into the fire.

The fire roared, and the flames lengthened momentarily before returning to their normal size. Some time went by, and then gradually, the fire began to shrink more, curling in on itself until all that was left were embers. Mokomichi scooped up sand and heaped it liberally over the 'campfire', and when he was satisfied, he briskly got up, before extending a hand to Mizuki, expression unreadable.

Mizuki regarded him with a similar intensity, then accepted his hand to help pull herself up. His hand lingered for a moment, and she made no move to pull it away initially. But then, he moved away to get his things, and so she did the same.

Then, they headed back home.

…

After finishing filling in the basic details of the application form on his Electro-ID, Kumori sighed and took out his phone, going into 'Shhh!' and finding the copies of the videos that he had been sent. After putting in his earphones (this wasn't an apartment where noises could be heard easily, but he wasn't taking any chances), he tapped at a video and pressed play:

"Where'd you think you're going?"

Main Course students' leering faces practically filled up the whole screen, one of them recognisable as the notorious Sumi Kishitani. Kumori wondered where Arashi Himekawa had been, if he had been there at all. Perhaps this was a phone camera recorder-he had advised many of his classmates to keep theirs on when navigating outside of West Building. On the 'discreet' setting, naturally, so they could still use their phones and avoid suspicion.

"J - just to my c-classroom."

The voice was female, soft and hesitant, gentle and vulnerable. It made him think of Hana, though thankfully it wasn't her.

"And what makes you think you can go this way, slut?!"

Sumi sneered, and a hand shot out, causing the camera holder to stumble, letting out a little shriek.

"I-I...this..."

"Rhetorical question-or are you too stupid to understand?"

Another shove and shaking camera view, and more taunts followed until suddenly, the camera or phone or whatever it was had been knocked from the girl's hand, and Kumori had seen a glimpse of her knocked to the ground before the video had gone black and ended.

Kumori closed the video, and took his earphones out, taking a deep breath in. If only he'd gotten to know Himekawa before. He could have become a part of their group. The group would have protected him, and then they could have worked to protect these people. As it was, when he and Kaneda had been trying to trace the victims in the video, they'd only found a few willing to talk to them. More than a few had left, too broken by what they had experienced. He'd be willing to bet that the principals were scratching their heads over why they were losing students, so stuck in ignorant bliss they were. No doubt they were still calling Riko's death an 'inexplicable tragedy'.

Stupid, so stupid. Why are we trying to save it?

It'd probably be for the best if this were just completely destroyed, ended so something new and better could begin. Yet, he remembered the fun and sense of purpose he'd found after he'd met Riko, rallying his classmates, supporting and motivating them. He had failed with that this year, but that didn't mean he couldn't try again.

Give this place one more chance...

He picked up his stylus, and started to write in the section about 'Why would you make a good representative for the Reserve Course? "

"Because," he quietly dictated to himself. "I care about my school and my classmates very dearly, and I want to put myself in a position where I can help them make the most of their time here. I have always done my best to support them, and this new Centenary is an opportunity to reach new heights. Not just for me, but for all of us..."

As Kumori got more and more into writing his answer, his voice trailed off. But deep inside his head, he thought

...and if they don't take it, then there will be no more.

…

Two weeks later, Mihoko headed up to the Student Council room with heavy footsteps, somewhat reluctant to go even though she'd been here many, many times before. Perhaps it was because now she had a meaningful role of her own rather than just being connected to Sosuke. But then again, she wasn't going to escape being connected from Sosuke, much like how Mokomichi, walking silently by her side, was never going to escape being connected from Mizuki. Then again, he probably wouldn't want to escape. Whereas, in her case, she wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure how she'd ended up so involved in anything, but here she was.

And here I'll stay, I suppose. If only because now it'd be more pain to back out. And it'd be letting the elitism win.

Her line of thought was somewhat interrupted by the sound of rushing footsteps, and she turned to see Kumori running, with a number of students-presumably the other successful Reserve Course Representative applicants-looking somewhat harassed. Which, knowing this school, they probably were.

"Hello there, Sakurai-sama, Yamashita-san. I do hope we aren't late." Kumori greeted.

"No, we aren't." Mokomichi said with a shrug. "Nothing to worry about."

Except, well everything else, Mihoko thought as she exchanged looks with both Mokomichi and Kumori, acknowledging the link that existed between the three of them. The other Reserve Course students didn't seem to notice, instead shuffling nervously.

"Are any of you going to knock or what?" a stocky boy asked, scowling, breaking the awkward silence..

"I'll do it." Kumori answered, stepping forward to do it.

There was a pause after Kumori's hand fell back to his side, that felt like it stretched on forever, before the door opened and Michiaki Nomura stared back at them.

"Ah, our Reserve Course Representatives. Come in, come in. We're happy to have you here."

This was a blatant lie, at least where some of the Main Course class representatives were concerned. She was somewhat relieved that the plan for Reserve Course Representatives to be paired with them had been scrapped. Still, they all seemed relatively neutral when she and the others entered, taking the seats that Nomura indicated to them.

"Now, I'm sure you know who I am and who my deputy is, to say nothing of Teranaga-san, who will be your liaison-but, more on that later. Let's have the rest of the Student Council introduce themselves to you, and then, I would like each of you to tell us your name, class, and one reason why you are now a Reserve Course Representative. "

Mizuki gave them a nod, her gaze resting for a moment on Mokomichi, then Kumori, and then finally Mihoko herself. She appeared thoughtful as each of her other fellow student council members introduced themselves. Mihoko, of course, had encountered them before, so she zoned out a little as they introduced themselves, and then as Kumori and then Mokomichi introduced themselves. She only started listening again when the other students introduced themselves.

"I'm Isamu Asai," an athletic red-headed boy said. "I'm in the second year, and I want to improve the quality of mine and my classmates' educations."

Once he spoke, Mihoko recognised him as being one of Minah's TEP students. There was something tense about him, more than just the nerves from the situation. Perhaps he was just a naturally anxious person, but somehow she didn't think it was just that (even if she had no logical basis for that considering she didn't know him). She mentally shook it off, and listened to the other introductions.

The stocky boy was called Haruya Izanagi, a first year student who wanted to be able to join in with Main Course extra-curriculars. As for the others, was a petite first-year girl called Misa Kubota who was worried about the number of assaults and two second years-one tall and imposing called Suika Watanuki who wanted the school to have more space, the other bespectacled and dowdy with dark hair that fell into her face called Tomoko Ito, who wanted the teachers to teach them. Finally, it was Mihoko's turn, and everyone stared at her.

Mihoko took a deep breath.

"I'm Mihoko Sakurai, I'm in the same class as Yamashita, and I want there to be less elitism in this school."

This earned her more than a few raised eyebrows, and some of the class representatives of the Main Course tutted, one even muttering under his breath. But Sosuke was expressionless, and Mizuki gave a quick, fierce nod.

"Alright," Nomura said. "Hopefully you'll find your experiences as a Reserve Course Representative are meaningful. You'll have meetings like this with us once a month, but you'll be expected, amongst yourselves, to select a leader and have your own meetings so that you are prepared when you come to us. Teranaga-san is taking on the role of Reserve Course Liaison, so if there any urgent issues that crop up between your meetings, you have someone to go to. She will also be taking you to a room that we have set aside especially for you."

Mihoko exchanged looks with Mokomichi and Kumori. Their own room, in this building? She couldn't imagine that there had been many who were happy with that. It almost sounded too good to be true. Still, if it was happening, it was happening.

"But for now, let's get your take on an issue that the Principals asked that we discuss-quite a few of you have been leaving the school. What can you tell us about that?"

"Where'd you like us to start?" Izanagi retorted, almost snarling.

"There've been a lot of factors that've led to our friends and classmates feeling like that there is no choice but to leave," Kumori jumped in quickly, tone conciliatory. "But I would say the main thing is that it feels like the school isn't living up to its reputation. We feel unsafe, and we're not getting the education that we're supposed to be getting."

"Look, you're not Talented," Masao Kishitani said. "You cannot expect the same privileges that we get. You're essentially just ordinary."

"Yes, but at the moment, I'd say we're not getting the basic things that ordinary students get. I know bullying used to be pretty rampant in our school systems, but that's long since changed. The things that have happened to some people I know, the culprits wouldn't get away with it. And teachers would certainly not be expected to ignore it just because of the status of the culprits." Kumori said.

"The teachers would also be expected to actually teach us!" Tomoko piped up. "How are we supposed to get into university if the teachers are acting as if it's a constant day off?"

"I need good qualifications," Isamu said. "I've got my family to support, and I came here because I thought it'd be a good school. But so far, it's proving me wrong."

Isamu's frown became deeper as he said this, and he rubbed his head tiredly. Mihoko studied him briefly, wondering if this was what was accounting for his demeanour.

"Well, that seems fair enough to me!" Taki Ichihara said cheerily. "Not wanting to be constantly bullied, and wanting to actually learn, right?"

"Yes, exactly." Mizuki said. "There have been attempts to address this, but until the perpetrators get consequences, nothing will happen. So, President Nomura, what do you suggest?"

"Well, obviously, if anything happens, you need to make sure to tell someone."

Mihoko wondered if it would be a good time to point out that those who did tell often got ignored, or punished themselves. Arashi Himekawa was a good example of this. Though, she definitely wouldn't mention that, even if she was going to make the point.

"Sometimes we feel like we don't get listened to though." Misa piped up.

"That's unfair, you really should do, though I know it hasn't been great!" Taki said.

"Mhm." Nomura said with a nod. "You are right about that. Most likely, somewhere down the line there have been some misunderstandings, but hopefully we'll get things fixed. "

Oh, is that what they are calling it now?

"What about the teachers?" Kumori asked.

"Now, now, one issue at a time," Nomura said, holding his hands up and pulling a slightly wry face, which Mihoko assumed was meant to be charming in one way or another. "If you perhaps could collect a log of incidents where the teachers haven't been following their job descriptions for the next meeting, then we can begin to address it then."

"For now," Sosuke added. "I think it will be best for Teranaga-san to show you to your room."

"Oh, and the badges!" Anya exclaimed. "As you may know, the winning design was designed by one of your lot! Hana Otsuki, class 2-A?"

"Oh yes, I know her, she's very talented and creative." Kumori said warmly.

Mihoko felt a stab of pride at the mention of Hana. She'd been so thrilled when the badge competition had come up, and unlike the actual Representatives role, she was excited to try it.

"Yes, well, the badges haven't been done yet, but they'll be delivered to you personally once they are, which should be in a couple of days' time."

"That's good to hear," Kumori said. "Well, thank you for your time."

Nomura nodded, and Mizuki got up.

"Alright then," Mizuki said. "Follow me. It isn't too far from here."

…

"So, most of these extra rooms, it looks like the main way to access them is through the principals' office, right?" Mihoko asked, only half paying attention to the large piece of blue paper that was spread out between them, more worried that someone would come across them and wonder what they were doing.

"It looks like it." Mokomichi nodded absently, tapping his pencil against the sketches they'd made around the main map of the school.

"Don't forget the passage I found the other day." Shino said as they sketched it in, next to the labs. "I'm pretty sure that connects, but I didn't get the chance to go there the other day."

"Let's put that in a different colour, just to indicate that we're unsure." Mizuki decided. "Otsuki-san, could you pass a green?"

"Shouldn't you add in your renovations and extensions?" Hana asked as she paused her own sketches to pass the pencil Mizuki had requested. "They're too recent to be included on the map?"

"Oh yeah, that's right." Mizuki said. "That's good thinking."

"As expected of our little flower!" Sho grinned.

Mihoko rolled her eyes, and continued to keep watch, as Hana did while also continuing to sketch. While Shino, Emiko, Mokomichi and Mizuki had been trying to edit the map based on what they knew, Sho had mostly just been….well, Sho. Okay, since he'd been on the sneak-arounds with Shino and Emiko he did know some things, but mostly, he'd been an annoyance. Still, he was part of the group, so that had to count for something. Nonetheless, Mihoko found herself tuning him out as she looked out at the grounds around them.

This lunchtime, things seemed peaceful. Kumori and Isamu were doing their patrols as they'd agreed in their first Reserve Course Representative meeting just a few days ago, and everyone seemed fairly happy. And there had been an improvement in the school already. Their badges had arrived the day after the meeting, and Sumi Kishitani had been the only one to object to their presence once the badges were in place-everyone else just clocked them, and slunk away. Nobody had tried any funny buisness with their meeting room, even though it had seemed like the obvious target-especially as it was actually a decent sized clubroom rather than some poky cupboard equivalent. So far, nobody had been pushed around for straying too close to Main Course buildings, and as for the teachers….well, hers and Mokomichi's had been much the same, but from what she'd heard, some of the others had been cleaning up their acts.

It wasn't enough. It was never enough, especially when so many of these so-called improvements were simply the basics that should have been givens. Still, Mihoko had to remind herself that it was early days, and in a setting this steeped in elitism, anything was progress.

But, I want more.

"Are you alright?"

Mihoko looked over at Hana, who had put aside her sketchbook and was now finishing off part of her lunch, watching her carefully.

"Yeah, I guess." Mihoko shrugged.

Hana looked at her curiously for a moment.

"What do you think will happen, if things just get worse, instead of better, even with our trying?" she asked.

Mihoko rubbed her head, and shrugged, but said nothing. What could she say to that, after all? All of them knew that answer really, after what they had been discussing. How could it not be in their minds?

Hana smiled awkwardly, then picked up her sketchbook again. The rest of the time passed without event, and then they decided to separate for the day. Mizuki and Mokomichi and Hana went to discuss something to do with their TEP, while Shino, Sho and Emiko had their own plans. This left Mihoko on her own, and she didn't really mind that. It gave her a little more time to catch up on the learning that her teacher should have (but still was not) responsible for.

Ugh, but thinking of that makes me not want to do it anymore…

After a few moments of thinking about it, Mihoko just decided to take a 'scenic' route back to the West Building and her classroom. So, that was exactly what she did when she left the willow tree, doing her level best to think about nothing at all as she wandered around different buildings and areas of the grounds, in amongst the trees, and pausing for a moment at The Bush (as she thought of it) before continuing on. But as she walked, she started to hear noises. Whispers, grunts, and what sounded like muffled cries.

What?

Mihoko stepped forward more, keeping her footsteps as cautious as possible. The noises grew louder, and then, there were words.

"Grab her fucking legs, for god's sake, that's how she's getting at me-agh, fuck, you little-"

"Did she just bite you?"

"Yeah, but she ain't getting away so easily."

There was a sound like something thudding into flesh, and another squeal, and then something hit the ground, quite heavily, and footsteps thudded into action.

"Alright, now I'm having my turn."

The menace in that statement would have been enough to chill anyone, but the next sound that Mihoko heard practically had her blood freeze. Instantly, she thought of Emiko, of some of the female victims in the videos. As far as they'd been able to ascertain, things had never gotten that far in those incidents. But that didn't mean they couldn't. Because while early days was in one sense a plea for understanding while things changed, it also gave far, far too much leeway to let things slide, citing all these 'graduallys' and 'somedays' as excuses to never change at all.

Mihoko took deep breaths, taking off her shoes so as to make her steps quieter, willing herself to not vomit as she looked for a place where she could hide and also see what was happening. As luck would have it, hiding behind (not inside, never again inside) The Bush seemed to be the place, and so she crouched, again taking more breaths to try and steady herself. Sure enough, it was what she had dreaded. One girl, injured and struggling under the restraint of about three, her clothes ripped. There was more laughter and insults, to say nothing of threats. The specifics washed over Mihoko-the specifics did not matter-as she watched, aghast, feeling every violation as if it was happening to her.

But then, the girl managed to turn her face, and she made eye-contact. Her eyes widened, but she couldn't say anything, as one of the boys had used his school tie as a gag. Mihoko's own eyes widened in response. What am I doing? What the actual….

"I'm going to get help." She mouthed.

Then, before she could change her mind, she got up, and ran. She was dimly aware of the fact she was now making noise, but she kept on, running as fast as she could, her limbs flailing as she set the West Building in her sights, and rushed to the entrance, stumbling in and then blindly aiming for the stairs-and almost bumping into a teacher.

"Oh! Sorry, sensei!" she gasped, stepping back and realising it was her class teacher.

"Look where you're going next time?" the teacher said sourly. "Honestly, kids these days. No respect."

"I'm sorry, sensei. But, there's a girl…second year, I think, she's…she's hurt! Some boys from the main course, they're…."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, and if you don't mind, it is still lunchtime. Go back outside and gossip about boys, or whatever it is you do during your breaks."

Mihoko's jaw dropped open.

"But, sensei."

"I won't ask you again." The teacher said, rolling her eyes. "Go."

Mihoko made a noise of frustration, but exited the building, went around the corner, waited for the teacher to leave…and then rushed straight back in again, and up the stairs, where once again, she bumped into another teacher. This time, she struck lucky, recognising her as one of the good ones-Shino and Emiko's homeroom teacher.

"Oh! Are you alright?"

"I…I saw….I saw….."

"Shh, it's alright, take a deep breath. We'll go to my classroom, and we can talk about it."

"Sakurai-san, are you okay?"

To Mihoko's surprise, she saw Minah with Isamu, walking down the opposite end of the corridor. The sight of them sparked something in her memory, a name to put to the face that had looked at her so pleadingly.

"Manaka Takigawa." She managed to choke out.

Both Minah and Isamu stopped dead.

"What?"

Mihoko gulped, taking huge, shuddering breaths. For a moment, it felt like there was a block in her throat. Then, another breath, and all of a sudden it burst out. In a torrent of panic, every sordid detail, leaving her trembling by the time she came to the end of the explanation. Minah, Isamu and the teacher all stared at her, before the former two raced off.

"Wait!" the teacher cried out, before turning back to Mihoko and giving a strained smile. "Go to your classroom, I'll make sure this gets sorted out, so thank you for coming to find me."

Mihoko nodded, and waited stiffly as the teacher followed Minah and Isamu's thudding footsteps. Then, slowly, she walked to her own classroom, pulling herself to the window and watching the chaos that was beginning to unfold. And there she stayed, as lunchtime ended, as her classmates turned up but their teacher didn't. As an ambulance's sirens filled the grounds with deafening noise, and she watched Manaka Takigawa get carried in a stretcher. As her classmates around her gossiped and speculated about what had happened, many of the girls scared but so many of them sounding almost…almost voyeuristic.

This could have been you, don't you understand? This isn't just a drama, she wanted to scream. But she didn't, because she'd had enough of all this. She just wanted to fade back into the background, but she also wanted this all to stop. She wanted to stop it. At some point, she felt Mokomichi walk up and stand by the window next to her, but not too close, and though at first she made a point of pretending that she had not noticed, she found herself glancing over to see that his expression was devoid of all emotion.

Clearly noticing her stare, Mokomichi turned slightly, and raised an eyebrow, before turning back. Mihoko blinked, then followed suit. Neither of them said anything.

Neither of them needed to.

…

It had not been a good idea to meet in the panic room, but there was not much that Mizuki could do about it now, as she sat back and let them all talk, let all the emotions fill the space and make it seem congested. She tugged at the collar of her school shirt, and rolled up the sleeves, having already taken off her blazer, and leaned back and took a breath.

"One of the culprits was identified, and has been suspended." Sosuke was pointing out to them all.

"One! Only one! Do you know what that was?" Emiko demanded. "Do you know? That was a gang rape!"

"Shishikane-san!" Yorokobi gasped.

"There's no sense in you looking so scandalised-it's exactly what happened!"

"But, in school….that's….that's just depraved." Yuna exclaimed, putting her hands out appeasingly. "Even outside of school, that would be depraved."

"But it bloody well happened, don't you get it? I know that it's messed up and crap, but it happened, and do you know why it happened? Because this school….this school is just…."

"Take a deep breath…" Keiko advised, coming over to pat Emiko consolingly.

As if mirroring Keiko's attempt at comfort, Kumori put a hand on Yuna's shoulder, and Yuna looked up at him, stricken, before hesitantly leaning into him. Though he looked cautious about it, he responded by putting a protective arm around her.

"And all we're getting is one person, being suspended. For a week! It was a week, wasn't it?" Azuki asked, looking at Sosuke, who nodded.

"Yes, a week."

"The staff and security are trying to find out who the others were." Mizuki spoke up. "But so many of them are covering for each other…"

"But why?" Minah shook her head.

"Richer people do always manage to get away with things though." Hana said. "But still, something like this…."

She shook her head, and for a moment, there was a hush. Mizuki closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, wishing for air. Something was pressed into her hands, and she blinked before opening her eyes properly and seeing that a bottle of pink lemonade had been pushed into her hands. She unscrewed the lid and took a cautious sip before meeting Mokomichi's eyes and nodding at him.

"We were supposed to be able to help!" Kumori burst out.

He fiddled with the blue-and-white badge that he was wearing. Mizuki noticed Mokomichi's fingers linger against his own for a moment as well before sticking his hands back in his pocket.

"Well, clearly it's not, is it?" Shino snarked.

"I think it's still worth continuing with though." Hana piped up, eyes wide and worried.

"I know, I want to believe that too. But, I think we have no other choice anymore." Kumori concluded soberly, still holding onto Yuna.

"What are you talking about?" Sosuke asked, forehead very slightly creased.

"Oh, I think you know!" Shino teased. "And you do, too, oh great leader. Don't you?"

This mocking comment was aimed at Mizuki, who sighed as she screwed the lid back on her drink. Her head was starting to pound, but she resisted the urge to rub it. She looked around at them all, this group that she had had a role in gathering, all looking to her.

"I know….but…"

I can't commit to something like this, but…desperate times, desperate measures. That is what they say, and if this isn't a desperate time, what is? What can I do? What can we do?

Her eyes rested on Mihoko, sitting in the corner, knees drawn up to her chest, in a posture that would have suggested sleep if not for the fact that her brown eyes had been wide open the entire time, staring at them all. She hadn't said a word this entire time, not during the latest turn of the conversation, not since they got there, even though they had found out about it all through her frantic efforts. So, it was Mihoko she decided to ask:

"What do you think?"

Mihoko lifted her head, yawning slightly.

"About what?"

"Are we aiming?" Kumori asked before Mizuki could answer. "For the heart and the head."

In other words, are we going to kill? Mizuki had to stop herself from shuddering-after all, she was not directly opposing it. She was not telling them to stop, because she was just as angry and weary and desperate as they were. I have no right to feel like this. Yet even so, she held her breath as she waited.

Mihoko gave a thousand-yard stare, while still looking bleary. Then, she returned to her crumpled position, but not before clearly saying:

"Yes."

The trigger warnings are for assaults, some of a sexual nature, the first in the video that Kumori watches in his POV scene, the second after Mihoko leaves the others and decides to take a 'scenic' route back to her classroom.