Fractured Fates

by DarkX the Dragon Knight

Hana Amari, the Ultimate Surfer, has recently been accepted into the famed Hope's Peak Academy. However, her first day takes a turn for the strange when she and her classmates become trapped within the walls of a castle. Forced into a twisted game of kill or be killed, Hana and her friends must uncover the mysteries lurking within their gilded prison...or face the dread of despair.

44. Chapter 5: Ultimate Truth (Part 3)

A/N: And so, arisen from my fingers and this keyboard...welcome to Part 3. (I don't know why I was so dramatic, I was just in the mood- maybe because I'm pretty excited for this part)

So, as I said- hello, and welcome back to Chapter 5! Things got a little crazy in the last part, eh? Hana's still slowly breaking down, Akira's all 'loner' now, Hinata's still depressed, and the North Wing is chock full of SECRETS. What could possibly happen now? Will things go even more downhill? Let's just see, let's just see...

P.S. Since no one voted in the last FTE poll, I had to choose two characters for myself. Enjoy!

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Review Replies

PokeDrifter: Sounds to me like there are a few things distressing you regarding the mysteries of the killing game, eh? Hahaha- good. Be afraid, be very afraid.

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Chapter 5: Ultimate Truth- Daily Life (Part 3)

Hana quickly learned the consequences of spending half the day half-asleep in her room, then heading out and searching a castle wing until later in the night: a screwed-up sleep schedule. By this point in the class' castle life, Hana's body had more or less adjusted to heading to sleep around 10 PM and waking up around 7 AM with the morning announcement. Now, that had been the case this morning as well- but not without massive difficulty.

The announcement played as usual, but Hana found herself almost physically unable to exit her bed, as if someone had trapped her under a pile of rocks. Perhaps it was a combination of her late-night investigation and her tiring mental state, but whatever the cause Hana woke up more groggily than usual. She did manage to drag herself out of bed in the end, but it took her far longer to get ready than usual; maybe this was both due to her tiredness and because she knew Akira wouldn't be around to criticize her tardiness for once.

In the bathroom, Hana finished getting ready and stared at herself in the mirror for a few moments.

"Okay...you are not going to have any episodes of nihilism or whatever today," Hana told her reflection. "Just keep being yourself, do not start being all negative again, no matter what. They're just thoughts, it was just a symbol, there is nothing to worry about- nothing at all! Everything will be fine!"

Muttering 'nothing will go wrong' several times, Hana exited her bedroom and strolled towards the dining room. As she did, she could already feel the weight of the darkness in her mind beginning to slow her down- and because of this, Hana tried even harder to keep the optimism at the surface and to push the nihilism down.

In fact, she was so focused on keeping her mind in a better place that she nearly passed the dining room altogether. Fortunately, someone else caught notice of her, and as such called out to her...

"HEEY! IS SEE YA, HANA AMARI!" Ryoto yelled from inside the dining room. "WHERE YA GOING!?"

"Ah-!? Oh! S-Sorry, I uh...zoned out a bit," Hana called back, immediately turning to the dining room's entrance. "I'm coming in, don't worry."

True to her word, Hana quickly turned around and walked into the room- and was immediately, and once again, taken aback by how utterly empty the room was. Not including herself, there were Ryoto, Asuna, and Hiroshi seated- as expected, Akira was nowhere to be seen, but somehow her missing presence made the emptiness in the dining room all the more prominent.

"Oh! It really is you!" Asuna remarked in surprise.

"Of course it's her! RYOTO MIURA WOULDN'T LIE!" Ryoto shouted in response, running up to the surfer.

"Yeah, it's me," Hana confirmed somewhat awkwardly. "Uh- sorry if I worried you gu-UYS-!"

Before she could react, Ryoto grabbed her by her shoulders and began to...examine her head area?"

"R-Ryoto! What are you doing?" Hana demanded, shoving him away seconds later.

"Oh, I thought maybe you got hit on the head again, and that's why you ran off the other day," Ryoto explained. "But since you don't look like you're hurt or anything, I got nothing! Haha!"

"Ah- Ryoto, maybe it's best to give her a bit of space," Hiroshi advised the Ultimate Racecar Driver before saying to Hana, "Hey, Hana- here for breakfast? You're a little late, but the kitchen is still as full as ever."

"Good to know, but I don't think I'll be having anything too big," Hana remarked, walking towards the kitchen without another word. On her way in, she caught sight of the memorial dedicated to the deceased students towards the end of the room out of the corner of her eye.

...Nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong- Hana told herself more forcefully as she made her way into and around the kitchen.

However, the reminder of everyone they've lost plus the stark silence in the dining room wasn't doing her mental state any favors, and it became more difficult to force the darker thoughts away. It was almost comedic- throughout this killing game, of all the things Hana feared/expected she would be doing, fighting with...herself, seemingly, over control of her own mind and thoughts was not one of them.

In the end, Hana just opted for toast and orange juice- the less time she had to be by herself with her rogue train of thought, the better.

She exited the kitchen and sat down next to Hiroshi- perhaps a little too quickly, even nearly spilling her juice onto the table's surface as she did.

"So, uh- I'm guessing you're only...slightly better than you were yesterday...?" Hiroshi inquired, raising an eyebrow as he watched Hana.

"Oh yeah we're wondering- what happened to ya yesterday?" Ryoto asked, crossing his arms. "If you weren't hit on the head or something then like- why'd you look like you were in so much agony?"

"I-I told you guys last night, she told me she didn't even know," Asuna told them, glancing at Hana as she did.

"I mean...she's right, I really don't know why it happened," Hana admitted with a sigh.

"Is that so...?" Hiroshi asked, leaning forward somewhat out of interest; Hana couldn't blame him, considering how curious he had been last night.

Hana nodded. "I saw that symbol on the door, and my head just...and I just felt like I had to..."

"Buuut when we saw that symbol, we didn't have a reaction like that," Ryoto pointed out, confused. "How come you had a different reaction?"

"...I wish I knew, Ryoto..." Hana responded, glancing down. "I really, really wish I did."

That was probably the most honest thing she had said thus far regarding her...condition.

Luckily, Hiroshi was there to bring up the mood of the 'meeting' (was it really a meeting if only four people showed up?) by telling Hana, "Don't worry about it too much- whatever it is, I'm sure we'll figure it out, okay?"

"Yeah...Yeah, I should stop worrying..." Hana replied with a small nod, very much having to force the words out. "I-I can't explain it anyways, no one else can, so...what's the use, right...?"

I...should stop listening now. I don't need that false hope right now, I need- Hana bitterly thought to herself, before realizing what she was doing and correcting herself, NO! No, I do need that false hope- NOT false! Not false at all! Real hope, actual valid positivity, THAT is what I DEFINITELY need! ...Riiiight...?

As she had this one-woman argument, Hana lowered her head and closed her eyes in distress, completely forgetting about her breakfast.

"H-Hana...? You're not having another headache, are you?" Asuna asked, frowning in worry.

"No, I think it's just..." Hana began, shaking her head. "I think I'm...still just a little tired, that's all, it was a...long night, my sleep schedule's all out of it, maybe eating'll fix that..."

Thus, she began to dig into her small breakfast, trying to keep her train on thought on topics less saddening or bitter.

"Weeell- better than nothing, I guess! I just wish we could get Hinata here- then it'd REALLY be a great meeting!" Ryoto remarked, frowning at his food. "Maaaaybe we'll get him to come to us somehow! Like, uh- KIDNAPPING HIM! That won't lead to a trial, will it?"

"N-No no, I don't think kidnapping will help!" Asuna quickly responded. "Uh...from when I talked to him yesterday, he just seemed so...sad about what happened, a-and he was blaming himself a lot, so maybe..."

Hana looked up upon hearing this. "Oh, so you did talk to him after I- uh...left?"

"Well- tried to. He was pretty inconsolable, though he wasn't crying or anything..." the gardener explained with a frown. "He only talked to me a little bit, no matter what I said to try and get through to him..."

She then sighed, gaining a sympathetic look in her eyes before admitting, "I...I'm still kind of disappointed that I couldn't get through to him, honestly. I really thought...that I could, at least, make him feel better somehow. After all, I could...relate to how he was feeling, in a few ways."

"Because you were close to Rumi too?" Hana guessed.

"That was part of it, yeah," Asuna replied. "The other was...well, you know- I didn't just lose Rumi to the killing game, I lost someone else I cared about too, so I figured maybe I could..."

Hiroshi leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "But he was still steadfast in staying away from us, huh? Hinata...his grief really does run deep, doesn't it...?"

"All the more reason to DO SOMETHING!" Ryoto insisted. "Maybe we just gotta- you know, track him down, look him square in the eyes, and tell 'im like it is!"

Before she registered it, Hana's thoughts grew cynical once more, and she muttered, "Right, that'll magically change all the death and misery he felt during the trial..."

"Huh? Did you say something, Hana?" Hiroshi inquired, glancing at the surfer.

"N-Nope! Nothing at all! Just- Just- talking to myself!" Hana told him with a sheepish chuckle. "Again, long night, lemme just keep eating-"

However, as she began to eat again, Hana once again thought about the topic of yesterday...then remembered something that had baffled her then, and still baffled her presently.

"Hey...Hiroshi," Hana softly said to the Ultimate next to her. "Where did you go last night? After I showed you...you-know-what?"

"...Oh? Where did I go?" Hiroshi remarked, sounding somewhat distracted. "Ah- nowhere important, just wanted to check out something minor. That's all."

"Hiroshi..." Hana began, raising an eyebrow and frowning in disapproval.

Hiroshi sighed, glanced at Ryoto and Asuna (who were conversing between each other), then whispered in response, "Okay, okay, the truth is...I went to the hidden room in the North Wing."

"The one that I ran away from...?" Hana replied, surprised. "Actually- what did happen after I left?"

"Nothing, really- we couldn't find any alternate ways of opening the door, and it was too much of a risk to test out the scanner in any way..." Hiroshi explained. "I guess that's why I wanted to take another look at it myself, to see if we missed...well, anything."

"And...I'm guessing you didn't find anything?" Hana inquired.

"Not...exactly, no," Hiroshi answered with only slight hesitation. "More than a little disappointing, in my opinion..."

With that, the conversation seemingly ended, but Hana's mind was racing- luckily, in a better way than prior.

That room- that door...I think I get what Hiroshi's saying- there's clearly something going on there... Hana told herself. And the fact that the door has that...symbol on it, could it...

A part of her- the part she was trying to fight against- tried to steer away from this train of thought that it believed would lead her to disappointment, but Hana disregarded it. I wonder...could that room, whatever's behind that door- could it be that answer to why I've been feeling so weird? The answer to what the hell 'Dark Hand' is?

All these thoughts and more led Hana to one conclusion, and one decision: she had to see that room again.

Abruptly, Hana shoved her food away and declared, "I...I need to get going! Uh- if anyone wants my food they're welcome to it!"

"W-What...?" Hiroshi began, furrowing his brow. "But you barely touched anything-"

Hana disregarded the coroner and stood up, ready to practically bolt for the exit.

"W-Wait, Hana! Are you sure you're okay-!?" Asuna also began, surprised but concerned at Hana's sudden desire to depart.

"I am fine! Everything is fine!" Hana quickly responded without even a glance in Asuna's direction.

"OOOH NO YOU DON'T!" Ryoto shouted right back at her, stepping into Hana's path. "You're not getting away from us THAT easily, Hana! You literally just got here, and we are NOT about to lose you to killing game madness like-"

Before he could finish, however, Hana shoved past him with a surprising amount of force. Her mind was dead set on finding answers- even if that train of thought suppressed all other thoughts, both her usual positivity and the more recent darkness.

---

Throughout her entire trek to the opposite end of the castle, Hana did her best to keep her mind on her objective- and only on her objective. The last thing she wanted was distractions of any kind, whether guilt towards her continued distance from her friends or the belief that her search would end up being for nothing in the end.

It only took a few minutes to walk from the dining room to the throne room, less so considering Hana was more or less speed walking the entire way. When she did arrive at the throne room, she wasted even less time seeking out the hidden button on the far wall; though considering how camouflaged it was, the surfer spent more time feeling around for the panel as Akira demonstrated yesterday.

Eventually, Hana was successful in tracking down the button and pressing down on it as Akira had done, and just like before the rectangular section of the wall lifted upwards with a stony grinding sound. Beyond the opening was the dimly lit hidden room, and hidden inside there...

Staring at the opening for a few moments, Hana took a deep breath and told herself, Okay...it's just a symbol, it's just a symbol, it's just a symbol-

She kept repeating this phrase to herself over and over again as she stepped through the threshold and down the short corridor preceding the hidden room. Unsurprisingly, the door with the red symbol was the first thing her eyes fell upon, and she immediately began to feel that same overwhelming sensation from before.

It's just a symbol, it's just a symbol- Hana repeated to herself more vigorously as she approached the dark metal door. As she moved closer to the door- to the symbol- her thoughts grew more clouded, and her newfound mantra was the only thing keeping her grounded.

It's just a symbol, it's just a symbol- dear god this better be worth it- it's just a symbol, it's just a symbol-

Finally, she was mere inches away from the cold iron surface of the door; the Ultimate had to take one last deep breath to try and steady herself before muttering to herself, one last time, "It's...just...a...symbol..."

The first step of her impromptu investigation was to knock on the door- not to see if anyone would answer, but to see how hollow it sounded, as she hoped this would certify if something was truly on the other side or not. Though when Hana did knock, it was difficult to gauge just how hollow the metallic knocking sounded- it certainly didn't sound as solid as knocking on a pure steel wall, that much she could ascertain.

She then leaned in and pressed her ear against the cold metal of the door in an attempt to hear any sound from behind it; unsurprisingly, this too was a dead end. Sighing, Hana stepped away for a moment and- while trying to tear her gaze away from the symbol- turned her attention to the scanner. Hana walked up to it curiously- it appeared similar to the ones for the West Wing's treasure room, yet more...sophisticated, in a way.

Hana grimaced and stared down at the crystal-blue screen, then glanced at the gun precariously hanging from the ceiling and pointed almost directly at her.

...Should I really...? Hana asked herself before pulling out her e-Handbook.

She looked back and forth between the gadget and her own hand- it was impossible to know whether the scanner was one for handbooks or handprints/fingerprints. It was even more impossible to know what would happen if she tried out the device...

No, no no, this is crazy and stupid, I don't need any intrusive thoughts to tell me that... Hana affirmed to herself with a worried frown. But...this place, whatever's behind that door, it might...it might give me some answers, and I really need answers right now...!

As she somewhat argued with herself, she was unaware of something opening and quickly closing behind her, followed by small metallic footsteps clicking against the floor- but she would notice when a certain someone began speaking.

"Do you reeeeally think this is wise, Cowlick?" Monokuma coolly asked her, his paws behind his back innocently. "I know you're all about 'finding the truth' or whatever, but this seems a little dumb, even for you!"

This time, Hana didn't even have the capacity to be spooked by Monokuma's sudden appearance. "Oh for- would you go away already? I'm kinda busy here-"

"Don't you order me around, I'm just trying to look out for my students!" the robotic bear insisted. "I mean, it'd be just awful if you or anyone else got killed in such a meaningless way!"

Hana rolled her eyes. "I thought the whole point of this killing was to get us all killed."

"Ah-ah-ah, the point is to get you all to kill each other, the only exception being if someone breaks a rule," Monokuma corrected her rather matter-of-factly. "And that's why I wouldn't recommend messing around with the stuff in here- you wouldn't wanna disappoint little ol' me, would you?"

"All I want to do is get some answers, okay?" Hana told him with a frustrated sigh. "And this room, this door, is-"

"Is what? You don't know anything about this place! It might all just be one big red herring!" Monokuma growled as his red eye brightened slightly in intensity.

Hana furrowed her brow. "...Is it?"

"Wh-!? Well I'm not gonna tell you, dumbass!" Monokuma shouted, sounding almost insulted that Hana would ask that. "Believe what you want about that door and what may or may not be behind it..."

His voice grew calm again as he continued, "...but regardless, I will give you some advice- not unlike some advice I had to give to another wannabe detective who waltzed in here last night..."

"You mean Hiroshi...?" Hana asked. "So he really was in here last night..."

She glanced at the scanner again and inquired, "Did he...try to get past the door too? Is that why you talked to him like you're talking to me right now?"

"Weeeell, the stuff I told him and the advice I gave were slightly different from what I'm about to tell you, but besides that-" Monokuma dismissively replied.

Now, Hana grew even more confused. "'Slightly different'? What did you two-"

"The way I see it, Ms. Amari, you want answers- probably to our lovely killing game, if I'm not mistaken," Monokuma began, ignoring the Ultimate's questions. "And you'd be right to think a dark, hidden room with a creepy door inside would be suspicious, right or wrong..."

"But consider...what if you're wrong? What if you attempt to use that scanner or get in some other way, and you end up with a face full of bullets?" the bear inquired, tilting his head a bit. "What a miserable way to go out, no rhyme or reason to it at all!"

Hana grimaced at the image and glanced away. "You...You don't know that, there's probably some...some trick to it-"

"Oh, you could very well be right about that! And I'm not actually, physically going to stop you from trying anything..." Monokuma eagerly told her. "The scanner's right there- and once I'm done talking it'll just be you in here. So why not try to get inside, in spite of all the risks?"

With a child-like giggle, Monokuma turned away and remarked, almost mockingly, "After all- people always have a choice, don't they? Puhuhuhu..."

He left again- but this time, Hana saw where he went. A rectangular section of the left wall, right against the floor and just large enough for Monokuma to fit through at his full height, slid open for the bear to walk through before it closed right behind him. Could that passage, and inevitably others like it, be how Monokuma made his way around the castle so easily? How were they so well-hidden?

Hana shook her head- she could wonder about that another time. She turned her attention back to her priority- the mysterious scanner. The surfer took another deep breath as she gazed at the device...yet despite her resolve to see this mystery through, Monokuma's words kept repeating in her mind again and again. Despite her desire to wholly blame Monokuma for her hesitation, the truth was she had known the risks even before pressing the hidden panel- it was her own desperate desire for answers that clouded her judgement.

Hana let out a long sigh; though it pained her to agree with the bear, she now had to admit to herself how foolish her planned truly seemed. Hana also had to admit, between the risk of death and the (possible) reward of answers, the risk was far too great. Finally realizing this, the Ultimate put her e-Handbook away and dejectedly walked out of the room.

---

When she was back in the throne room, it took her a moment to figure out how to close the door that led to the hidden room; eventually, she found she had to press the camouflaged panel again, causing it to pop back into its original position and allowing the wall section to slide back into place like normal. Once all was how it originally looked, Hana sat against the solid wall, silent for only a few moments.

Finally, she buried her face in her hands with a groan and said to herself, "I'm such an idiot!"

Of course it wouldn't be that easy, of course it was a stupid idea- why did I not think it was a stupid idea!? Hana furiously asked herself. I know I was desperate, but was I...was I that desperate to find something...?

Hana cringed, for she already knew the answer to that question. What she didn't know, however, was if she could even blame the unconscious and pessimistic side of her thoughts for her lapse in judgement this time. She also had no idea how she would even explain the encounter to her classmates- if she chose to bring it up, regardless of how curious they would inevitably be

...What'd I tell Hiroshi about keeping secrets last night...? And look at me, being the world's biggest hypocrite... Hana ruefully told herself. And not just about this stupid room thing...

She rubbed her head like she was having a headache, contemplating what to do next. But even if I do tell them, what'll they be able to do about it? None of them are therapists or psychologists or anything like that, they're all usele-

Immediately, Hana let out a more frustrated groan as she wrested control of her thoughts out of that familiar fogginess yet again. "Aaaah, stop it already!"

You know what? I don't care about the room, that door- I just want this to end! I've been having these stupid thoughts for- I don't even remember how long now, now they're getting worse and I- I even said some of them out loud a few times! Hana thought to herself in dismay. If nothing else, I just want to stop thinking this way! I hate thinking this way! Why can't I get it to stop!?

As she thought this, she could feel distraught tears starting to form in her eyes, and she quietly asked herself, "I...I got them to stop before, why doesn't it stay that way...? What am I missing...?"

Of course, the empty room didn't answer her- Hana was alone with her own rebellious thoughts and the throne several feet in front of her. Realizing there was nothing else she could do at this moment, she wiped her eyes and stood up, finally leaving the throne room behind.

Maybe I should just...stay in my room again, I really don't want the others to ask me a million questions... Hana told herself as she walked through the North Wing towards the courtyard. N-No, no, that'll...that'll only make things worse...besides, why would I even be secretive about going to the hidden room? Hiroshi secretly investigated it first!

At that moment, Hana nearly stopped in her tracks shortly before she entered the courtyard. Wait a second. Why was he so secretive about it...?

Hana stepped outside- another clear and bright day, a contrast to her despairing train of thought- so she could think a little more clearly.

Hiroshi admitted he went to the hidden room last night, Monokuma more or less confirmed it...but why was Hiroshi trying to keep it a secret? We all know about it- except maybe Hinata- and he wasn't even the first one to find it, Akira was. Hana contemplated. Not only that, but...that second set of catacombs I showed him, he wanted to keep that a secret too, but...why? What's with him and secrets all of a sudden...?

She glanced up towards the South Wing's door. I always thought he was a little enigmatic, but recently it's like...like there's something more going on with him...

Hana immediately shook her head and insisted to herself, No- there are a lot of depressing thoughts going through my head, but doubt towards one of my best friends will not be one of them! ...And besides, I'm not one to talk anymore anyways.

Taking a little breath in another attempt to further steady her mind, the Ultimate Surfer went on her way across the courtyard and through the doors, entering the South Wing with little fanfare. However, as soon as she turned around upon entering, she would come practically face-to-face with someone unexpected.

It was Hinata, and his eyes widened in surprise upon seeing his blonde-haired classmate. "Hana?"

"Hinata?" Hana began, just as surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Ah- I was just about to head into the courtyard," Hinata explained, looking away. "Sorry to, uh- bother you."

"No, you weren't bothering me, I was just passing through," Hana assured him.

The thief- who still appeared as disheveled as yesterday- glanced at the windows and asked, "Is there...anyone out there?"

"No...but since it's the courtyard, that probably won't last," Hana told him, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't care, I just...wanna be outside for a bit," Hinata responded, beginning to walk past her.

Remembering Asuna's words from breakfast regarding her own attempted talk with Hinata, Hana gained an idea for what she could say to Hinata at this moment- or, attempt to say, anyways.

"Wait a second, Hinata," the Ultimate spoke up, putting up a hand as a 'stop' gesture. "I...know you don't want to see anyone right now-"

"Like I said, it's not that I don't want to be around anyone, it's that the others don't want to be around me," Hinata reminded her with a sigh.

"Well- whatever, just- hear me out again, okay?" Hana responded. "Hinata- about what happened with...Rumi and the trial, I might not have-"

It was right when she was getting into the feeling of her speech that it was cut off by the sound of someone running into the main hall, followed by a very familiar voice shouting, "AHA! FOUND YOU! STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!"

Hana and Hinata both turned to the source of the shout, only to see Ryoto Miura sprinting towards them with a battle cry and his eyes blazing. Hana froze like a deer in headlights, unable to discern if he was referring to her or Hinata. As for Hinata himself, he was quickly backing away towards the courtyard doors with his hands held up to defend against a possible attack.

It was then made clear Ryoto was gunning for Hinata when he practically shoved past Hana to get to him, his face still contorted in what appeared to be intense rage.

"HINATA! Do NOT go anywhere- Ryoto Miura's got something to say to you, and YOU ARE GOING TO LISTEN, GOT IT!?" Ryoto commanded the Ultimate Thief with a gaze that could melt steel.

Hinata seemingly obliged and went deathly silent- but it was clear from the look of dread on his face that he had much trepidation about this encounter...

"H-Hey, Ryoto!" Hana attempted to speak up in protest. "Listen, whatever you're trying to do here, I really don't think this is the best-"

The racecar driver thrust out his arm and pointer finger towards Hinata, the tip of his finger mere millimeters away from the startled thief's nose, and shouted, "Hinata Yonade- I FORGIVE YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

Hinata's apprehension turned to utter surprise and bafflement. "...What?"

Hana's own concern dissipated when she heard Ryoto's declaration. "Oh- uh, nevermind."

"Again- what?" Hinata asked again, his voice inundated with disbelief. "Did you say you forgive me?"

"THAT'S RIGHT! I, RYOTO MIURA, FORGIVE YOU FOR MAKING ME THINK I KILLED SHIORI!" Ryoto repeated himself dramatically. "Actually, I forgave you not too long after the trial ended, it's just I haven't gotten a chance to SAY IT until NOW."

"W-What do you-?" Hinata stammered, still dumbfounded. "What do you mean you forgive me? I tried to frame you! I smeared blood all over you! You did actually start to believe you were the killer!"

"Well technically, it was Shiori who tried to frame me first," Ryoto reminded him. "And if I could forgive her, I can forgive YOU!"

"I- I-! Hinata began, then turned his attention to Hana. "What, did you know he was gonna do this?"

"I didn't know Ryoto was planning on doing this, honest," Hana responded, putting her hands up innocently. "He uh- didn't mention yelling at you during breakfast this morning-"

"I came up with it after breakfast! And I only mentioned it to Asuna!" Ryoto told the surfer. "But then she got really worried about that idea- but THEN I got so excited that I just ran off before she was done talking!"

He laughed, then stopped furrowed his brow. "Come to think of it- I'm pretty sure she ran after me. I wonder where she went..."

Ryoto then quickly shook his head to get himself back on track. "ANYWAYS! Don't be so confused, Hinata- I'M TELLING YOU I FORGIVE YOU! I DON'T HATE YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID, IN FACT I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DID IT, AND SINCE YOU CLEARLY FEEL GUILTY, THERE'S NO REASON FOR ME TO HOLD A GRUDGE!"

"You are saying nice things really angrily and it is NOT making me less confused!" Hinata shouted in response.

"But- do you believe him?" Hana asked. "Because I think he's being pretty genuine right now."

"I..." Hinata began, glancing down in uncertainty before snapping, "I don't get it! Even if you or Hana or both of you forgive me- how!? I could have gotten everyone killed, how could-"

"I TOLD YOU, I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DID IT!" Ryoto audibly reminded him. "Yeah, you did something REALLY bad, but you weren't doing it to be evil or anything! And besides, I think LIFE and the TRIAL punished you enough for it! Who would I be to get EVEN MORE mad at you?"

Sensing Hinata's lingering doubt, Hana spoke up, "You know, Hinata- before Ryoto showed up...I was going to tell you that, while I wasn't close to Rumi in the same way as you and her were, she was still one of my closest friends and...I was heartbroken by what happened to her, too."

Before Hinata could try and refute her, she went on, "And I understand how you feel in other ways, too- I was kinda close with Shiori, too, and dealing with her death and the truth behind what she tried to do hasn't been too easy, either. And- And even when the first trial happened, when we lost Mikio and Azami, that was horrible for me! Two of my friends, just- gone like that, I didn't know what to do afterwards..."

"Aaaaand didn't Asuna talk to you yesterday about how she felt?" Ryoto then pointed out. "How she felt about losing Rumi too? And that even before Shiori's trial, she lost her best friend? As a matter of fact, remember how fucked up she was after Kaneki's trial because she was just so SAD and GUILTY?"

Once again, it seemed Hinata was going to try and argue the point, but Ryoto went on, "AND SHIRO! Shiro was the same way, his best friend murdered someone! He was so broken up he ASKED us to kill him! HE DIED, he didn't even get to have proper closure! YOU'RE THE LUCKY ONE, HINATA! DON'T GO THINKING YOU'RE NOT!"

"The point is, Hinata- you're not the only one who got hurt by this killing game," Hana told him. "The majority of us- well, who are still alive anyways- lost something or someone, too. I guess...that's why we forgave you pretty quickly- because after everything that's happened, we know what you're going through too much to completely blame you. And yes, I know Asuna and Hiroshi feel the same way, even if they're not here."

She then added, "And like Ryoto said- I think the trial, the execution, and everything else after that kinda gave you enough punishment for what you did, we'd be pretty awful if we added on to that at this point."

"SO AWFUL!" Ryoto agreed with a nod.

This time, Hinata did not appear to want to argue his classmate's words- but he clenched his teeth and glanced away, as if he still couldn't bring himself to accept their forgiveness.

"Mmmm- AHA! I know what you still need- you probably need something to get all that stress out, right?" Ryoto surmised. "I know how you could do that- EXERCISE! IT WORKS!"

"E-Exercise!? Hooold on bucko, I am not going to-" Hinata began in protest, but was cut short when Ryoto reached over and grabbed him by his scarf.

After that, Ryoto ran off, practically dragging a bewildered Hinata behind him...before he abruptly turned around and said to Hana, "I wasn't expecting your help, Hana, but I'm glad you were around to give it anyways! So THANK YOU!"

And then he ran away with Hinata again, heading in the direction of the fitness room. For a moment, Hana stood in stunned silence- before chuckling to herself, feeling like a weight had just been lifted from her shoulders.

Well, it's not perfect, but...I think Hinata's going to be fine, thanks to Ryoto. Hana thought to herself. I guess we were overthinking things a little bit- the issue was Hinata didn't realize we already forgave him for what he did in the last trial, so really we just had to go up and just...well, tell him outright.

Hana's optimistic thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps rapidly approaching from the side. The surfer turned towards the stairs leading to the east half of the upper floor, where she saw Asuna Izumi sprinting as fast as she could down the steps; at that moment, Hana remembered Ryoto's comment about him speaking to her before running off to find Hinata, with Asuna pursuing him.

Seeing Hana, Asuna ran up to her, heavily panting due to exhaustion. "H-Hey Hana...have you...have you seen Ryoto anywhere...? I've been running around for...almost five minutes now, he said...he was going to-"

"Asuna, you don't need to worry about him or Hinata," Hana reassured her. "I was here, and I can tell you- what Ryoto did, I think it worked pretty well. Hinata's still got a bit to go before he's fully forgiven himself, I think, but...I think he'll be improving for the better from here on out."

"Really...?" Asuna asked, then let out a relived breath and collapsed to the floor from fatigue. "Oh thank god, I-I didn't know what to think when Ryoto told me about his idea, and...and really, I-I think I need some water..."

Hana chuckled, reaching down to help Asuna back to her feet. "Ah, you'll be alright- I think it's just because you've got shorter legs, you really shouldn't try to run down someone like Ryoto."

"For once, I won't take offense to-" Asuna replied as she stood back up- before she paused. "...Hey, Hana?"

"Yeah?" Hana replied.

"You seem...different from this morning," Asuna observed. "A lot less...I-I don't know, stressed?"

"I..." Hana began- only to stop and actually think about what the gardener said. Actually...now that she mentions it, I do feel a lot better since this morning. Not even this morning, since I was back in the North Wing- and that was just a few minutes ago!

"I-If I had to put in my own words, I-I guess...you just seem more like your usual self right now, is all," Asuna clarified. "N-Not that it's a bad thing, far from it! I'm pretty glad, i-if not a little surprised."

"Well, I- I feel less stressed, so you're right about that," Hana replied. "In fact, I...I'd say I feel better than I have since Shiori's trial ended."

Asuna went silent for a moment, then guessed, "I wonder...m-maybe seeing the conversation between Ryoto and Hinata made you feel better?"

"Maybe...?" Hana replied, looking down in contemplation. Great- even when I'm feeling good again, I can't figure out why. I'm not complaining at all, but still- what changed? And how do I get it to stay that way?

"Uh- where did Ryoto and Hinata go, anyways?" Asuna asked, glancing around. "If you're here, then I'm guessing they were here too."

"They were- Ryoto took Hinata to the fitness room because he figured exercise would help Hinata with his stress," Hana explained to the other girl. "Like I said, this was after me and Ryoto talked to him, so I don't think we have to worry about things getting worse with Hinata."

"Again, that is so relieving to hear- then again, m-maybe I was underestimating Ryoto," Asuna said with a frown. "H-He might not be the smartest, but he's definitely one of the nicest."

She then continued, "You, uh- said you talked to Hinata too, right?"

"Well, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, Ryoto did a lot of the talking," Hana sheepishly admitted. "He's the one that just flat-out told Hinata how we all- well, except Akira- feel about forgiving him, and I told him about how me and just about everyone else can relate to losing someone to this killing game."

"Kinda like...y-you know, what you said to me before?" Asuna reminded her. "The day before Saku and Shiro's trial?"

"Again, that was different- this time, it was mostly Ryoto, I was just providing support if anything. And even then, you know, with the...stress that I've been in since the other day, I probably wouldn't have done a good job by myself anyways," Hana insisted. "I'm just glad Hinata's doing better, is all."

"Me too- but, uh..." Asuna began, appearing hesitant. "Y-You really shouldn't...sell yourself short like that, just because of what's been going on with you lately."

Asuna continued, sounding slightly more confident, "W-Whatever's been going on with you, whether you really don't know or are keeping it a secret from us, doesn't change the fact that you're...that I know you're a good person- you always have been, a-and I don't think that's changed at all."

Hana immediately turned to the Ultimate Gardener in surprise. "Huh? You don't-? You still-?"

"Are you that surprised...? So you've been acting kind of off lately- y-you and I are still friends, you're the main reason I wasn't wrongfully convicted of murder, y-you helped me deal with my grief..." Asuna responded. "It'd...It'd take a lot for me to stop thinking of you that way, and if Hiroshi were around I-I'm sure he'd say something similar."

"You're right, Hiroshi would say something like that," Hana agreed. "And, uh...I am sorry about how I've been acting, I...still don't really know what it's all about, really..."

As she thought about her strange behavior over the past two days- and even prior to these past two days- Hana realized she didn't feel that oppressive fog in her mind. Once again, she was glad for this, but it still made her wonder just what had changed between the time she left the throne room's hidden room and her encounter with Ryoto and Hinata.

Wait a second...could it be the others...? Hana pondered. Whenever I started to feel like my usual self again, it was when I was around and interacting with the others, like with the meeting by the stairs the other day. A-And just now, too, when I was helping Ryoto talk to Hinata- even right now, when I'm just talking to Asuna, I still feel-

"Hana? You're, uh...zoning out a bit, are you okay?" Asuna inquired with a hint of concern in her tone.

"I...you know what? I'm just fine now, no need to worry," Hana responded with a smile, then put an arm around the gardener in a sort of half-embrace. ...What have I been so worried about? I've got what I need right here, and I feel kinda stupid that I didn't figure it out sooner...

Asuna, visibly surprised by the sudden hug, replied, "O-Oh, uh- that's good to hear."

Hana stood there for a moment, simply committing the conclusion she had made to thought. She didn't know if it was because of her grief towards Shiori and Rumi or her frustration over not finding any answers to the killing game, but it seemed that the Ultimate Surfer had forgotten a simple truth: that despite all the tragedy and hardships within this castle, the members of the 80th Class had always continued on together. They may not have gotten a chance to be actual classmates, but Hana did see the majority of them as her friends- and it was that companionship that had allowed Hana herself to go on, despite everything.

Having recalled this, Hana released Asuna and told her, "Anyways, I need to shower, but after that- I think I'll head back around and see what the others are up to, hang out with them and everything."

"Really-? Heh, you really are back to your usual self!" Asuna happily remarked.

With a nod of farewell, Hana made her way back to her bedroom. All the while, her mind remained clear- well, about as clear as it usually was. Whether it would stay that way, Hana didn't know at this point- but she was certainly determined to ensure it would, at least for as long as possible. Not just for her own sake, either- for the sake of the friends she had grown to love, alive and dead, who gave her a reason to keep moving forward.

---

After showering and getting redressed, Hana stepped out of her room and back into the hallway- it seemed her epiphany from before was holding up nicely, as she felt little hesitation to go see her classmates.

Alright then- time to go make some peace with everyone. Hope they're not too surprised to see me back to normal. Hana thought to herself as she strolled down the hall.

The surfer, seeing no one was in the main hall, decided to try and head up to the second floor. The study, storage room, and south lounge were devoid of students, but the greenhouse was different. Unsurprisingly, it was Asuna Izumi who was walking around the spacious room, apparently checking up on the various flora housed inside.

"Hey Asuna!" Hana eagerly called out, unaware that she might startle the shorter girl with her loud greeting.

Inevitably, the gardener jumped at the sudden yell, but she calmed down upon seeing it was Hana. "O-Oh, Hana! That, uh- was quick. I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon, honestly."

"What, I told you I was gonna hang out with some of the others," Hana reminded her. "And you happen to fall into that category! So- wanna hang out?"

"Ah- yeah, of course! I-I'm just looking over the plants right now, you can help if you want," Asuna responded with a cheerful nod.

With that, Hana spent some time with Asuna looking over the plants in the greenhouse. Though Asuna told her about some of the specimens, Hana didn't understand much of it, but she felt like the two of them had grown closer regardless.

"Hey...Asuna," Hana began with a concerned frown. "About what happened last time- I didn't, uh- say anything wrong that made you leave like that, did I? If I did, I'm really-"

"Hana, i-it wasn't you, don't worry," Asuna assured her with a sigh. "Like I said, I just, uh...didn't want to answer your questions right then. I-It's...hard to talk about, you know?"

"I mean, I figured, I just..." Hana began, rubbing the back of her neck with a frown. "I couldn't help but- I can't help but wonder, you know? If your mom's business is like you described, then where could all that money be going...?"

"...N-Normally, I'd say that it's none of your concern, but...Hana, I-I feel like I can trust you," Asuna told her honestly. "So, I'll explain, but...I-I'd rather do it somewhere private. So, uh- just follow me."

With that, Asuna led Hana back towards the bottom floor of the South Wing, more specifically to where her bedroom was.

As the two entered, Hana noticed its design was similar to her own, right down to the pink sheets on the bed. The differences were the actual contents of the room; the top of the desk was covered in several potted plants and flowers with a few sun lamps to ensure they all received proper light, a spray bottle and a small can for watering were laying in the floor next to the desk, and a few other plants in bowls were suspended from the ceiling via metallic hooks screwed into the ceiling. Additionally, a step-stool was placed to the side of her bed, likely to assist the short girl in the care of the hanging plants.

"O-Okay, so...like I said before, my mom's botany business makes decent enough money, b-but the thing is the majority of that money goes towards...other expenses," Asuna began. "And those debts, they...well, they relate to my mom herself."

"Huh?" Hana responded in confusion. "So, those 'debts' you mentioned- they're your mom's? What kind of...?"

"Well, o-on the surface it's nothing too complex," Asuna explained. "See, they're- they're medical expenses. You know...hospital, medications, that sort of thing..."

"Wait, medical bills?" Hana asked, dumbfounded. "I mean, I know hospitals are expensive and all, but I don't think they're that expensive for your family to be borderline poor all the time..."

"Uh...not if you're my mother," Asuna responded with a deep frown. "Th-The thing is, she...basically her whole life, even before I was born, my mother w-was always sick in some way. Sometimes it wasn't so bad, other times she needed to be hospitalized- a-and like I said, it didn't go away after I was born, either..."

The gardener went on, "A-Anyways, with so many years of medical bills- a-and it's still going on- that...doesn't leave much money for much of anything else..."

"W-Wow..." Hana responded in shock. "Asuna, I- I had no idea, I...can't imagine what that'd be like, having a parent always sick or in the hospital like that..."

"I-I mean, I should be grateful she's still alive after so many years of being ill- what I can't imagine is how she's handled it," Asuna replied, looking away from Hana as she spoke. "In fact, th-there was a time when she thought, because of how her body was, sh-she wouldn't be able to have kids. But, uh- here I am, hehe."

Despite Asuna's awkwardness in discussing her mother's condition, Hana remained steadfast in her compassion. "Sounds to me like your mom's pretty cool- it can't be easy, being a single mom and trying to run her own business."

"Y-Yeah, and I...I used to worry that I was a, uh...burden on my mom, you know?" Asuna admitted. "B-But she's never seen me as that, e-even if she didn't plan on having children- she loves me, a-and I love her, and..."

Hana furrowed her brow. "Asuna...? Something still on your mind?"

"Well...honestly, w-when I was first invited to join Hope's Peak as an Ultimate, I-I was scared to leave her by herself for such a long time, considering her condition..." Asuna confessed, looking down. "B-But, as you can see, I did take the invite- b-but it wasn't for my own sake as it was for my mother's."

"What do you mean?" Hana inquired.

"You see...m-my mom had this dream, ever since she was younger, of opening and owning her own flower shop," Asuna answered. "That's why she started her little botany business- so she could try and save up and make that dream come true. B-But..."

"Oooh, I see..." Hana remarked with a sad nod. "Because of all those debts and stuff, that...dream won't really be reality, will it?"

"B-But that's why I decided to attend Hope's Peak- they say the students who graduate go on to find great success in anything they do, s-so I thought maybe...with that notoriety, I-I could help my mom finally make her dream come true!" Asuna responded, looking up at Hana once again. "A-After all, she's done so much for me despite everything, I figure...it's the least I could do, right...?"

"I think that's a great goal, Asuna," Hana responded with an earnest smile. "I mean- yeah, this whole killing game business kinda screwed that plan up, but ignoring that..."

The surfer put a hand on Asuna's shoulder and went on, "You know, even if all your old classmates couldn't see it, I think you're a pretty strong girl, Asuna."

"M-Me...? Strong?" Asuna asked in surprise. "H-Hana, I don't think-"

"You've had to grow up with all these issues, with all your peers giving you a hard time for stuff that wasn't even your fault, and- look at you now, you're an Ultimate!" Hana told her proudly. "...A-Again, ignoring the whole 'killing game' thing."

"Heh...uh, th-thanks, Hana," Asuna replied with a small smile of her own. "No one's, uh- no one, other than my mom, ever really believed I had any kind of strength, s-so I'm...I'm really glad I got to meet someone who does."

"No problem, Asuna- I'm just glad you trust me enough to talk to me about what's troubling you," Hana responded with a small laugh. "And don't forget- if something else comes up, I'll always be willing to listen."

"Thanks, Hana- y-you really are a good listener," Asuna responded earnestly. "Wish I had met someone like you earlier..."

Hana was aware she couldn't undo the years of torment Asuna had suffered at the hands of her old classmates, and she certainly couldn't do anything for the girl's ailing mother. However, Hana was glad she could help the gardener come out of her shell at least somewhat despite the life-threatening situation they were in and be a good confidant for her- something very few people had been for her, it would seem.

It had been a little rough at first, but now- now, Hana was certain she and Asuna had become friends in the truest sense of the word.

---

Hana didn't remain in her own bedroom for very long after visiting Asuna- she only went in to sit down for a few moments before exiting again. She did, however, take a moment to simply think to herself- again, she found her thoughts were mostly normal, with barely a hint of that cloudiness penetrating them. Even when she thought about the red hand symbol, nothing changed too much.

Heh- not so scary now, are you? Stupid symbol thing. Hana thought to herself with confidence as she reentered the South Wing's central hall. Why was I so freaked out about it? It really is just some creepy symbol, right?

In her confidence, the Ultimate Surfer returned to the North Wing- and to her surprise, she saw Hinata wandering about on the upper floor near the hall leading to the West Wing.

"Hinata...? Hey, Hinata!" Hana called out to the thief, running over to and up the stairs to meet him.

"Hm-? Oh, hey Hana," Hinata, who was beginning to look less disheveled than previously, greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Wandering- until I saw you, anyways," Hana explained. "What about you? Didn't Ryoto take you to the fitness room?"

"Yes, and now I'm taking a break," Hinata told her, putting his hands in his pockets.

"...From the exercise or from Ryoto?" Hana then inquired.

To this, Hinata simply stated, "Yes."

"Weeeell- wanna hang out with me for a bit? I could show or tell you some things about the North Wing," Hana offered with a small smile.

"You know, that doesn't sound half bad," Hinata replied with a nod and a little grin of his own.

And so, Hana spent some time informing Hinata about the basic aspects of the most recently opened wing. Though he still seemed to be getting used to being back in the group of surviving students, Hana felt like she and him grew a little closer.

"Hey, Hinata..." Hana began, her gaze serious. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you-"

"Hold off on that, Hana- I'm getting the itch to practice my stealing again," Hinata said, the look in his eyes thoughtful. "Hey, since you made such a great target last time, would you mind helping me out again?"

Hana narrowed her eyes. "Are you gonna steal my necklace again?"

"No, you made it pretty clear you don't like anything happening to it, so I'll go for something else," Hinata told her. "Maybe, ah- your handbook, or whatever you use to tie your hair back."

"...Okay, Hinata- I'll help you out a bit," Hana agreed. "But only if you answer my question first!"

"W-What!? Who are you to make bargains with a thief!?" Hinata demanded with a glare.

"Come on, it's just one question- you can't dodge it forever!" Hana insisted stubbornly.

"Aaaah- what's the damn question, anyways?" Hinata asked in slight frustration.

"What did you mean when you told me thieving is 'in your blood'?" the surfer asked once more.

Hearing that, Hinata's anger faded somewhat, though he still didn't appear too happy. With a sigh, he asked, "Ever heard of Kage Ken?"

"Uh- Kage Ken?" Hana asked, dumbfounded by Hinata's response. "I...vaguely remember hearing about him...? Wasn't he some famous thief of some kind...?"

"Uh-huh- they called him a lot of other things too," Hinata replied. "The Gentleman Thief, The Shifter- cause he liked disguises- The Ghost of Japan...for his M.O. and the things he stole, they considered him a true 'phantom thief'."

A 'phantom thief', eh...? If that's the case, this 'Kage Ken' guy must have mostly stolen... Hana pondered to herself. "He stole, like- priceless artifacts and stuff? Paintings, gems, historical artifacts...?"

"Yeah- he mainly targeted museums, for that reason," Hinata confirmed with a nod. "Now, see, 'Kage Ken' wasn't his real name either- that was just a pseudonym he went by to hide his real identity."

With another sigh, Hinata continued, "His real name was Yoshikage. Yoshikage Yonade. He was...you know, my dad."

"Your dad was a master thief like that?" Hana asked in surprise. "W-Wow, I see what you mean by 'thieving is in my blood' and all that..."

"Uh-huh- the guy wasn't around too often because of what he did, but he did teach me just about everything I know about how to be a great thief," Hinata explained, his gaze drifting to the floor. "Yeah, I may not imitate him in every aspect- I steal from just about everywhere, I'm not really a 'gentleman' about it, I don't do disguises- but I mean...I'm an Ultimate Thief now, so..."

"I just didn't expect you to be related to someone so famous- but I guess I shouldn't be that surprised," Hana conceded...then remembered something else about Yoshikage Yonade. "Hey, hold on...wasn't he, you know...arrested a few years back...?"

"Yeah- when I was thirteen," Hinata elaborated, with no joy or much of any emotion in his voice. "See, he didn't steal for any kind of money or something- he just wanted to pull off bigger and more challenging heists. In saying that, I'm really not that surprised his luck finally ran out one day."

Then, the thief turned away from Hana and said, "Great talk, Hana, I'll...see you around."

"Wha-? Hey, wait! Didn't you want me to help you practice?" Hana called out to him as he walked away- however, she got no response.

Aaaand he's gone- great job, I should have known I was barking up the wrong tree... Hana told herself, cringing. Next time I see him, I need to make things right- without pressing him for deeply personal details about his past!

Wondering about how she accomplish this, Hana returned to her bedroom.

---

After her encounter with Hinata, Hana was on her way back to her bedroom when she ran into Hiroshi- almost in the literal sense too. Hana was about to turn the corner into the bedroom hallway when the Ultimate Coroner practically materialized in front of her, resulting in her being barely able to move out his way in time.

"Gh-! Sorry Hiroshi, I didn't see you there," Hana apologized once the crisis had been averted.

"No worries, I wasn't paying attention," Hiroshi replied with a nod. "Although your timing's pretty good, I was just thinking about you."

Hana raised an eyebrow. "Were you?"

"Not like that- I saw Asuna a little while ago, and she told me about the talk you two had earlier," Hiroshi explained. "And just now, I got to thinking about how you seem to be improving after- well, everything."

"And I am- still wish I knew what made me act so weird to begin with, but I'm glad I'm feeling better," Hana responded with a smile. "I could probably even go back into that hidden room in the North Wing and I wouldn't even feel a thing!"

"Let's...not test it right now," Hiroshi replied. "Still, I'm glad things are already starting to look up. You're feeling better, Hinata's been improving too..."

He then let out a small chuckle. "Now if only Akira would stop isolating herself, things would be- well, not perfect, but about as close to perfect as this killing game will get."

"Even if she was back in the group, I don't think she'd stop acting like a bitch to everyone," Hana told him, frowning and crossing her arms. "So, you know, maybe it's a little better this way- at least this way she won't be a buzzkill to whatever good things we have going."

Hiroshi frowned and remarked, "...Still mad at her, huh?"

"Very," Hana stated in response.

Hiroshi sighed. "Hana-"

"Hey, after she's hated me this entire killing game, I think I've earned the right to be mad at her for a change, don't you think?" Hana told him, narrowing her gaze slightly.

"Technically she hasn't hated you the entire game, she only really started hating you during Kaneki's trial," Hiroshi pointed out.

"Still! Long time to be mad at someone!" Hana angrily replied. "She told me during the third investigation why she hates me- but that doesn't mean I have to like it!"

"And I don't agree with the way she's acted towards everyone- especially you- but eventually, you two may have to work together to put an end to this killing game," Hiroshi informed her with candor. "Besides, it's not like you two have nothing in common- you both try your hardest to uncover the truth during trials and to ensure the blackened doesn't get away, right?"

Hana sighed. "I really feel like you should be explaining this to Akira, she's the one with the bonding issues."

Hiroshi shrugged. "Maybe so- but on the other hand, forgiveness and companionship is a two-way street, isn't it?"

Hana grumbled to herself and muttered, "I hate when you talk like a fortune cookie..."

"You're just saying that because I'm right," Hiroshi semi-teasingly responded with a soft chuckle.

Hana silently and begrudgingly agreed with him, but couldn't help but smile a little for a moment. She then inquired, "Actually- where has Akira been all day? I haven't seen her around...at all, actually."

"Oh, she's been around- mostly investigating places on her own, stopping into her room to do...I don't know what," Hiroshi explained. "And yet, for all her investigating, it doesn't seem like she's found...the thing."

Hana furrowed her brow. "'The thing'?"

Hiroshi frowned. "The...The thing, Hana. That you showed me? That thing?"

Remembrance struck her like a rock to the head, and the surfer not-subtly exclaimed, "OH! Oh, the thing! That thing! The thing I showed- yeah, that thing!"

"Be more subtle," Hiroshi whispered to her.

"Sorry," Hana whispered back. In her normal tone, she then inquired, "Have, uh- you gotten a chance to look at it...?"

"Unfortunately no- if I were to, I'd like to have some kind of...navigation," Hiroshi explained. "Still, I'm sure I'll come up with something soon, it'a only a matter of-"

Ding dong, bing bong

The familiar jingle rang throughout the central hall, catching both Hana and Hiroshi off guard.

"Wha-? An announcement...?" Hana spoke, turning her eyes to one of the nearby monitors. "But it's- barely even evening, what's...?"

The monitor clicked on, showing the familiar scenery of Monokuma sitting on his throne in the North Wing, facing the camera with his eternal grin. "Hello there everybody! Sorry for my announcement being rather...sudden, but I just couldn't wait any longer! So- head down to the dining room in the castle's South Wing as soon as possible! I've got something very special surprise for you all...but if your memory's good, you should know exactly what it is!"

With that odd clue, the screen went dark again, leaving Hana and Hiroshi in stunned.

"It...It has to be that 'reward' or whatever he mentioned the other day," Hana realized, shaking her head. "But- he only mentioned it yesterday, why is he...?"

"Not sure- but what he calls a 'reward', a sane person would call a 'motive'," Hiroshi grimly stated.

"Is it that simple, though...? Don't the motive announcements happen in the main hall right here?" Hana pointed out, skeptical. "Well, except the third one, I guess-"

She shook her head. "What I'm trying to say is- yes, there's probably some evil ulterior motive to what Monokuma's doing, but something tells me it's...not as simple as him giving out another motive."

"Maybe...but either way, we need to stay careful," Hiroshi concluded, beginning to walk towards the dining room as their 'headmaster' ordered.

Hana gulped down her fear and followed suit without another word. Just when things were starting to get better...why? Why now? Why do things have to take this kind of turn? Why do they have to change like this?

Somehow, through her confusion, Hana managed to come to one conclusion: Monokuma was choosing to act so soon because things were starting to get better.

---

Thanks to their proximity, Hana and Hiroshi were the first ones to enter the dining room. Not long after them came Ryoto and Hinata, the latter looking better than when Hana last saw him.

"Oh- hey, Hinata!" Hana greeted the Ultimate Thief, hoping for some positivity to offset the foreboding she felt. "You're looking a lot better- did that exercise help?"

"Did it help- physically, I'm probably not gonna be able to walk tomorrow..." Hinata muttered, cracking his back as he spoke. "Mentally...yes, actually."

"AHA! RYOTO MIURA SAVES THE DAY AGAIN!" Ryoto happily shouted with a laugh.

"Dude, I wasn't exercising the whole day," Hinata pointed out, putting a hand on his hip. "Not that my bod isn't sore any less..."

"I'm still counting it!" Ryoto responded with a grin and a hearty hand on Hinata's shoulder.

"So are you two, like- friends now?" Hana inquired, raising an eyebrow.

To this, Hinata replied in a not-so-sincere tone, "I don't know if I'd go that far, all we did was some fitness stuff-"

"EXCUSE ME!? You're DOUBTING the strength of our new bond!? Everyone knows two guys who exercise and/or sweat together form the STRONGEST bonds!" Ryoto immediately rambled on, turning his blazing gaze towards Hinata.

The thief, meanwhile, was barely able to contain his laughter. He turned to Hana and quietly told her, "You have no idea Hana, this guy's reactions are even more crazy than yours, it's great!"

Normally, Hana would have taken slight offense to that (and she still did), but at that moment she was just glad to see Hinata was back to his usual self as well. In fact, though he was acting as mischievous as ever, his grin seemed slightly more genuine and happy than before, like he was beginning to see the others in something more akin to friendship.

With that done, Ryoto turned back to Hana and Hiroshi and declared, "Okay- this is gonna be super weird, but whatever we do, we SHOULD NOT listen to Monokuma! NEVER AGAIN!"

"I was barely paying attention when the guy talked about the 'reward' the other day- but knowing him, it's just another motive," Hinata matter-of-factly claimed, taking a seat and propping his feet up on the table.

"You seem...calm about this, Hinata," Hiroshi observed, raising an eyebrow.

"Not that that's a problem," Hana remarked optimistically. "...But seriously, why are you so calm?"

"First of all, it's in my nature- well, so is stealing, but I'm trying to steer away from that from now on," Hinata explained, frowning. "Second of all, after four trials- I like to think we're a pretty close-knit group, aside from Akira. I mean, you guys were willing to keep me around and help me out despite what I did in the last trial-"

"Both of which are true," Hiroshi agreed with an approving nod.

"-so I'm thinking there'd be no actual reason for any of us to kill each other at this point, we've got too much to lose to risk getting found out and punished, so no one in their right mind would try it," Hinata went on, then put one hand into the pocket of his hoodie thoughtfully. "...This time, anyways..."

Hana glanced at the memorial on the far side of the room as he spoke- she knew which trial he was referring to specifically, but Hana herself was thinking of all of them as a whole.

During this moment of silence, Asuna entered the room, warily glancing around for a moment before walking in fully. "Hey guys- uh, any sign of...y-you know, anything bad?"

"Not yet, and I doubt Monokuma will show up until we're all here," Hiroshi speculated. "Speaking of- you didn't see Akira on your way here, did you?"

"No, but I'm sure she's coming," Asuna responded before anxiously taking a seat.

Hana furrowed her brow and said, "Hey, Asuna- calm down a little, okay? Whatever Monokuma's got planned, it's-"

"I-It's obviously going to be another motive, isn't it? It always is!" Asuna yelped.

"Or! Or, like I've been thinking, it could be something...you know, different from a motive!" Hana attempted to explain. "Clearly it'll be something shady with an ulterior motive behind it, Monokuma's like that, buuut it could just be, you know- slightly different from a motive!"

"...H-How is that going to be better!?" Asuna asked in fear, resting her head on the table and pulling her fedora down over her face by the brim as if hoping it would shield her from whatever Monokuma would throw at them.

It wasn't long after this exchange that Akira walked into the room; she said nothing to anybody as she did, and Hana noticed her hair seemed somewhat more disheveled than before, indicating she seemed to be throwing herself into her solo investigation full force.

"Wow- Akira, being the last one to arrive? Times really are changing, eh?" Hinata observed, raising an eyebrow at the prosecutor.

Akira narrowed her eyes at him and remarked, "Yonade- I see you're back."

Hinata's joking demeanor faded, and he frowned. "Yeah, I am. Got a problem with that?"

"...No- what you all get up to is none of my concern, so long as there's no risk of murder," Akira answered, turning away from him and sitting towards the end of the table.

"...Sheesh, Ryoto wasn't kidding when he told me about her, she really is more of a stick in the mud than usual..." Hinata whispered to the others, glancing at her with a deep frown.

"Oh yeah- I keep forgetting you weren't there for a lot of what we found and talked about," Hana remarked to the thief. "Have you even gotten a good look at the North Wing?"

"A little bit- Ryoto told me about some of the room, but I've only actually seen the main room and the throne room," Hinata explained with a shrug. "Maybe I'll look around more on my own later."

Hiroshi, meanwhile, turned his attention to Akira and inquired, "So, Akira- why were you so late to come here, anyways?"

"I was in the West Wing's tower when I heard the announcement, so I was farther away than the rest of you," Akira explained. "Simple as that."

The conversation died down after that as everyone awaited the inevitable arrival of Monokuma- some with stony silence, others with visible apprehension.

The moment arrived after what felt like an eternity. Hana and her classmates weren't sure what to expect- would he appear in a special fanfare, or would he simply pop in in his usual fashion? Turns out it was a little of both- Monokuma entered the dining room from the kitchen, by practically bashing his way through the door with a loud shout.

"GOOOD EVENING, STUDENTS!" Monokuma shouted into the room, his excitement almost tangible. "It's the moment you all- mostly me- have been waiting for!"

"Just get on with it Monokuma, and quit with the dramatics," Akira growled at the robotic ursine.

"Now now, don't be a bunch of sour grapes! I'm just excited to give you all your incredible reward for your incredible performances in the class trials!" Monokuma responded as he jumped onto the table. "After all, who could have predicted you'd make it this far, with four victories under your belts no less?"

Hana clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists, clearly not appreciating the reminder.

"In all seriousness, Monokuma- you really should just get on with it," Hiroshi told him in agreement with Akira. "I mean, it's clear this 'reward' of yours is just going to be another motive, right?"

"Puhuhu- you poor, sweet child..." Monokuma began, then finished with a sinister edge to his tone, "My reward will only be a motive if you make it one."

To that, Hana did a minor double-take in confusion- what did that mean?

"W-Well, regardless...don't, uh, keep us in suspense- what's the reward?" Asuna finally asked with a frown.

"Ah, excellent question from Blondie the Second!" Monokuma remarked. "You see, for your excellency at trial-going and general self-preservation, I've decided to bestow upon you all something you've craved from the moment you awoke in these halls..."

"You're setting us free?" Ryoto asked, immediately more interested.

"No, I'm not feeling that generous!" Monokuma snapped at him. "No, I'm here to provide for you all the next best thing-"

His red eye gleamed momentarily before he went on, "Information!"

"Information...?" Akira began, taken aback. "You mean about the killing game?"

"N-No way...you're actually gonna tell us stuff?" Hinata stammered in his own surprise. "No, no, there has to be a catch to this-"

"The only 'catch' is that I'm only giving you all mere morsels of information- certainly not enough to help you subvert the killing game so you six can go free as butterflies, that's for sure," Monokuma explained. "But no, there's no strings attached, this isn't like ransomware- the stuff I am giving you is completely free of charge!"

Hana was practically leaning over the table as she insisted, "W-Well then tell us! Whatever you've got, we'll take it, seriously!"

Hiroshi grimaced and said to the Ultimate Surfer, "Hana, maybe we shouldn't-"

"TELL US YOU STUPID BEAR!" Ryoto shouted at the bear, also leaning in intently.

Despite Hiroshi still appearing concerned, the others seemed to be united in a desire for answers; even Akira, who was as stoic as ever, had a glimmer of curiosity in her red eyes.

"Well then- sit down, and lemme tell you all..." Monokuma responded ominously.

The robotic bear began, "First, I pose a question to all of you: before you woke up in this castle, you were all on the cusp of walking into the prestigious Hope's Peak Academy, right?"

"Uuh...yeah?" Ryoto answered like Monokuma's question was the simplest one in the world. "What's that gotta-"

"And when you were all entering, did you perhaps...black out?" Monokuma then asked, ignoring Ryoto's remark. "No nausea, no dizziness- just your vision going completely dark, and then waking up in your designated bedroom moments later?"

Akira furrowed her brow. "Yes, actually...we established early on that all fifteen of us experienced the same thing, as a matter of fact."

"Monokuma, are you...going to say you know why that happened?" Asuna asked, a hopefulness audible in her tone.

"Well, I am the one orchestrating this killing game of ours, it'd be weird if I didn't know!" Monokuma answered with a laugh.

He continued, "You see, that darkness you all experienced just before officially entering the Academy? That was what we call a 'cutoff point'."

"Cutoff point...? For what?" Hiroshi asked.

"Oh, nothing important," Monokuma responded, his grin as cruel as ever. "Just...your memories."

A collective chill ran through the room as Monokuma spoke. After what seemed like hours of stunned silence, Hana quietly asked, "What...did you say...!?"

"Thaaat's right! Rest assured, you all walked through those doors and become official students of Hope's Peak Academy before being thrust into this killing game," Monokuma told them. "But that time? The time between that moment of blacking out and when you each woke up?"

He clapped his metallic paws together. "BAM! Gone! Erased! Deleted! You guys had your memories wiped!"

Hana could hear many of the others reacting to this revelation, but she was too focused on her own reaction to process theirs; she could almost feel the color draining from her face, her heart rate increasing from fear, and she couldn't say or do anything but let out a short gasp of shock.

"W-What!? What are you saying!?" Hinata yelped, his eyes going wide with horror.

"Uh- you had your memories wiped," Monokuma slowly repeated himself. "I think that's pretty self-explanatory, Scarfy."

"You...You're lying," Hiroshi quickly claimed, sounding almost breathless.

"Y-Yeah!" Asuna added in. "This...has to be a trick- why should we believe anything you have to say?"

"What's this now?" Monokuma asked, looking around at the others. "You all have been begging for answers since day one, but now that I give them to you all you reject them! Talk about a bunch of ingrates..."

"But you- you can't prove that's what happened, can you?" Akira pointed out, her eyes narrowed into a glare. "You have no evidence that we were students at Hope's Peak and then had our memories erased, can you?"

Hana went deathly silent, and she hoped no one would notice. Monokuma's words ran over and over again in her mind- 'you all walked through those doors and become official students of Hope's Peak Academy before being thrust into this killing game'- and with that revelation came the memory of something else...

"You're not wrong, I don't have any actual proof that you were all given amnesia..." Monokuma conceded. "But you've gotta admit- it's strange, isn't it?"

He thoughtfully tapped a claw on his chin. "You were all feeling perfectly fine and dandy on your first day at the Academy, you were surrounded by fellow Ultimates in broad daylight...next thing you know, each and every one of you blacked out and woke up away from Hope's Peak and in the world's deadliest castle! I doubt even the most skilled kidnappers would be able to drug all fifteen of you and take everyone away under those circumstances!"

"W-Well, maybe, but-" Hiroshi stammered. "Why...are you telling us this...?"

"Because it's my reward to all of you! And besides- saving the 'almost everyone has amnesia' reveal for the very end is such a cliche..." Monokuma answered, then went on, "But then again, revealing it at the very beginning to try and be 'subversive' is also kinda tired by now. And then saving it for the middle instead of beginning or end to be even more 'subversive' is-"

"WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!" Ryoto shouted in growing panic. "If...If you're actually telling the truth, then...WHAT YEAR IS IT!?"

"Oh no, I'm not giving away that much! First of all, knowing how much time has actually passed wouldn't help any of you escape at all," Monokuma replied. "Secondly, I just love seeing you all in suspense! It could have been three days, or two weeks, or two months, or maybe it's been a year!"

"Knock it off already!" Hana snapped at him. "You're causing enough problems as is, don't make it worse!"

"...Wait," Akira spoke up, her expression shifting from skepticism to...disturbance? "Monokuma...what did you mean by 'almost everyone has amnesia'?"

"Oops! Did I forget to mention that part?" Monokuma innocently asked before explaining, "When I said your class had their memories erased, I was slightly wrong."

With his signature laugh, the bear elaborated, "The participants of this killing game did have their memories erased...except for one person."

If the amnesia revelation was a slap to the face, then Monokuma's second reveal was a punch to the gut.

"What the hell...!? You mean to tell us someone- someone knows if- someone didn't-!?" Hinata spluttered, evidently unable to wrap his head around what the 'headmaster' was saying.

"Uh-huh! Out of the fifteen of you, one person was allowed to keep all of their memories- from the cutoff point to the start of the killing game, they know it all!" Monokuma declared. "They know that I'm being truthful, they know how much time you're all missing...and they even know the truths behind the killing game! Who's responsible, why they're doing it, why they chose the fifteen of you-"

"WHAT!?" Hana blurted, overwhelmed by a myriad of emotions.

"Someone in the class knew the truth behind the killing game all along!?" Akira demanded, outraged. "And they've done nothing with the information!?"

"My, that's an excellent point, Ms. Rimutsu!" Monokuma claimed with a gleam in his eyes. "Indeed, this person has all the information one could need to subvert a killing game- and yet, they've allowed it to continue. All the death and sadness that you've all been through- it could have been lessened if this person had acted sooner!"

"You...don't know that," Hiroshi refuted. "This person...whoever they are, I'm sure they had their reasons for-"

"What reason could that person possibly have to not use the information they possess to try and derail my beloved killing game? Better for me, sure- but not the rest of you!" Monokuma snarled, before adding in a much cooler tone, "In saying that...I think it's only fair to brand that person as a 'traitor', wouldn't you all agree?"

Before anyone could react further, Monkuma added as if it was an afterthought, "Oh, and- that 'traitor'? They're still alive."

With a boisterous laugh, Monokuma jumped off the table and disappeared down the hallway outside the dining room, leaving the class in stunned, horrified.

"The traitor is...still alive...?" Hinata whispered. "That means...one of us six is-"

"No no no, don't say it!" Hana shouted at him as soon as she forced herself out of her stupor.

"We- We don't even know if he was telling the truth...!" Hiroshi spoke up, his voice soft as if he was trying to suppress any emotion in it. "This whole 'amnesia' and 'traitor' thing, it- it could just be one big ruse!"

"HOW COULD IT BE!? There's no physical proof but- he was so SPECIFIC! And- And the way we arrived here, we all knew it was weird from the beginning!" Ryoto cried, his hands on his head and his face pale.

"I...I...!" Asuna choked out with horror in her eyes. She then bolted from her chair and shouted, "I-I can't be here right nooow!"

With that, the Ultimate Gardener sprinted out of the dining room.

"RYOTO MIURA NEEDS TO FIND A CALENDAAAAR!" Ryoto practically screamed as he, too, fled into the hallway.

"Asuna! Ryoto! Wait!" Hiroshi called. "W-We can sort this out, there's no-!"

He was interrupted when Hana abruptly stood up as well. The surfer then gasped out, "I, I- I need to go back to my room!"

"Hana, not you too-!" Hiroshi began, but he was unable to finish that exclamation as well before Hana sprinted away, leaving the coroner with Akira and Hinata.

There were many things on her mind as she ran out of the dining hall- whether Monokuma was being truthful about erasing everyone's memories, the existence of a 'traitor'...but she knew, deep down, there was something she had to look at again. ...Provided she could find it, anyways.

---

Hana threw herself into her bedroom, practically slammed the door behind her, then hid under the covers of her bed to avoid the all-seeing eye of Monokuma's security cameras. She then took out her e-Handbook and began to poke around and click through its numerous applications.

C'mon c'mon, where are they? The photos, where are the photos!? Hana desperately asked herself as she navigated the device. They couldn't have just- just deleted themselves, could they? That kind of thing happens in spy movies, but it better not have happened here too!

Even still, Hana had doubts about whether her search would be successful or not. After all, the messages she had been receiving were meant to be kept in secret- so where would her e-Handbook even send such secret items if it didn't delete them outright?

At last, while Hana was sifting through the handbook's files folders (meant for things like downloaded pictures, videos, documents- like a cell phone)- something she hadn't done before, though there weren't many files to navigate anyways- she encountered a folder simply named 'dnlh'. Unsure of just what kind of contents would be in a folder with that name, she tapped to open it. Inside were a series of documents- four, to be exact. Aside from those documents were several picture files without real names- just numbers strewn together.

Hopeful, Hana clicked on the first of the document files; sure enough, the text on the document was the same as the text from the message she had received after Mikio's trial. The file below that was a document containing the text from the second message, the one following Kaneki's trial- the difference in this one, however, was that it no longer had the file containing the photos of the students at Hope's Peak.

Hana wasn't worried about this, however- she had a feeling those picture files in the folder were the photos she had seen. Clicking on several of them after exiting the second document confirmed this; thus, while she was relieved she still had the information from the messages hidden on her e-Handbook, that same information was what gave her so much concern.

At present, she was staring down at the photo she had received with the third message- the one depicting all fifteen members of Class 80 (and the mysterious Nanako Tokumei, who made sixteen) taking a group photo. With few modifications, everyone wore the brown uniforms that were customary for Hope's Peak Academy, and the classroom itself felt vaguely familiar to Hana- but it was sensation that was just out of her reach.

Akira said Monokuma couldn't prove he was telling the truth about erasing our memories of being at Hope's Peak... Hana thought to herself anxiously. But...if these photos are real, then...then I'm the one with the proof of what he was saying...!

Suddenly, Hana realized it wasn't a matter of 'if'. Deep down, in her head and in her heart, she knew these photos were completely real...and that meant Monokuma's claims about the amnesia were true.

Hana turned off the screen, came out from under the covers, and buried her face in her hands as she tried to fight back tears. Perhaps she had known the photos were real and that Monokuma was telling the truth all along- she needed both to truly come to terms with it. And now that she had, Hana found herself even more grief-stricken than before; it had been one thing to go about the killing game believing she had only known the others since the time everyone woke up in the castle, but the knowledge that the students had an even longer history that could never be regained made the deaths she had seen even more tragic.

Then there was the question of the article- the "biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history". If Monokuma was being truthful about the memory wipe, did that mean everything described in that article was true as well? Was the world outside the castle truly ravaged beyond recognition? Did something happen at Hope's Peak that caused its permanent closure? Hana feared what it meant for her home, her friends, her family...

And what of Nanako? If she was a member of the 80th Class, as the photos seemed to suggest, where was she and why wasn't she trapped in the killing game as well? Did something happen to her between the 'cutoff point' and the beginning of the killing game? Was she even still alive, or did she die either due to the 'destruction' at Hope's Peak or during this 'tragic event' that ruined the world?

By now, Hana's grief was replaced by frustration and confusion- here she was, possibly with more answers than anyone else (aside from this 'traitor', apparently), and all it did was make her more baffled than ever.

...Wait a second...I'm the one that's been getting all these messages, right...? The photos, the article, everything that proves what Monokuma said... Hana realized with growing horror. Could...I be the-?

Hana immediately tried to expel the thought from her mind; after all, Monokuma had specified the traitor still had their memories intact, and Hana knew she didn't fit into that category. But then her train of thought swerved right back, and she wondered if Monokuma meant the traitor had their memories in the literal sense- as in, physically had the memories, like Hana did with the photos of Hope's Peak.

No no, stop stop stop- the way Monokuma talked about the traitor, he made it seem like the traitor was aware of what they knew and what Monokuma was talking about... Hana refuted her concerns once more. Me? I'm not aware of anything! Yeah I've got these photos and messages and everything, and I've been getting these...these feelings that are kinda familiar, but I don't know what any of them mean!

Hana took a deep breath in a last-ditch effort to calm herself; with that, she was able to somewhat content herself with the knowledge that, while she may be keeping secrets, she was not the 'traitor' Monokuma was talking about.

Of course, that begged another, darker question: if Monokuma was telling the truth about the traitor still being alive and Hana knew she herself was not the traitor...then who was?

---

The usual time for the dinner meeting came rather quickly, and Hana wasted no time returning to the dining room as soon as she could. As she walked, she tried to choke down any worries she had regarding the states of her classmates.

Okay, maybe this won't be...that bad, right...? Hana told herself. What Monokuma told us- it really wasn't a motive, there were no strings attached or anything like that, he was just...he was just scaring us, is all. We'll be fine! We'll be...we'll be fine...

She took a deep breath as she entered the dining room, noticing there were already two people inside: Akira and Hiroshi. Hana wasn't surprised to see Hiroshi, as he was always better with being on time that her; however, she was a little surprised to see Akira, who had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with the meetings anymore. The prosecutor in question wasn't even sitting at the table- she was leaning against the wall, gazing at the people coming in.

As curious as she was to what Akira was up to, Hana decided it would be better to simply ignore her for now. Hiroshi was making his way into the kitchen when Hana arrived, so she followed suit without even glancing at Akira.

Inside, Hana spoke up, "Hey, Hiroshi."

The Ultimate Coroner was going through the fridge, picking out leftovers to eat when Hana entered. "Hi, Hana- how are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm...better, I guess," Hana responded with a shrug. "I'm really just trying not to think about it, honestly- the implications are just...way too much."

Hiroshi nodded in understanding. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried too. This is isn't one of Monokuma's usual tricks, but that just makes it all the more dangerous..."

"You said it..." Hana agreed, walking over to the fridge herself. "By the way, do you...know what Akira's up to? She's just standing there, glaring..."

"I don't know- I tried asking her, but she didn't really give me a real answer," Hiroshi responded with a frown. "She just said she was there to...observe? I think we should just leave her be for now."

"I can do that," Hana responded with a nod. "Now, ah- what's in the fridge?"

The duo obtained their food and exited the kitchen, with Akira still at her vigil nearby. The other three students- Ryoto, Hinata, and Asuna- arrived around this time as well, although none of them looked too much better than Hana had. Asuna's face was flushed with worry, Hinata had a stormy look in his eyes, and Ryoto looked like he was trying a little too hard to look confident and in control. Not that any of them made conversation- they simply grabbed their leftovers and sat down, filling the room with an awkward silence. Hana was tempted to try and make conversation, but her mind drew a blank at what to say.

Luckily, Hiroshi came to the rescue by speaking up, "Hey, guys- we shouldn't worry too much about what Monokuma said, okay? We can't prove if he's telling the truth or not, and even if he is- we're still trapped in this castle, so there's not much we can do on our end besides trying to escape."

Hana nearly choked on her food at his 'we can't prove it' comment, but then she remembered the secretive nature of the secret messages and decided against bringing them up here and now.

"I-I guess..." Asuna replied, picking at her food. "B-But thinking about the possibility that...that we've been in here longer than we think, and our friends and families might not know where we are, it's-"

"Hey, Asuna- I agree with Hiroshi, there's not much we can do while we're stuck in here," Hana assured her friend. "Besides- no matter how long it's been, I'm sure our families and the police and everyone haven't given up on trying to find us. So, there's still some hope on both ends."

Right when she said that, however, she remembered the article describing that 'tragic event', and she began to wonder if there were even any police left to look for them. Once again, that information would probably only lead to more strife anyways, so Hana kept it to herself.

"Ah, but Ryoto Miura DID find proof!" Ryoto declared. "FIRST! Have you guys noticed there are no calendars? No calendars anywhere in the castle?"

"Well, Ryoto, I don't know if that's necessarily-" Hiroshi began.

"SECOND! Did you guys notice our e-Handbooks don't show the date?" Ryoto then asked. "No day, month, year- nothing!"

"That...is a little weird, now that you mention it..." Asuna spoke up. "Our e-Handbooks tell the time, b-but not the date..."

Hana furrowed her brow. "Really? That sounds like something these things would have..."

"I...think e-Handbooks are supposed to tell the date as well, based on what little research I did before attending Hope's Peak," Hiroshi claimed. "Why ours don't, that's...suspicious indeed, Ryoto."

"YEAH!" Ryoto yelled. "Why would the date be hidden like that if someone wasn't trying to make us think less time had passed than...had actually passed!"

This sent an uncomfortable chill through the spines of those listening- except for Akira, who stood by in watch. And...Hinata, who seemed more focused on the Ultimate Prosecutor than anyone else.

"...Hey, Akira- you gonna say something? Or are you just gonna keep standing there like a creep?" Hinata finally asked, crossing his arms.

"What you call 'standing there like a creep', I call observation," Akira responded.

"Observation...? For what?" Asuna asked.

"Simple- to see which one of you is most likely to be the traitor," Akira answered matter-of-factly.

Hana's eyes widened and it felt as if her heart stopped for a moment. Oh, this...this is gonna suck...!

"Wait, Akira- you believe Monokuma? You think there's a traitor?" Hiroshi asked, dumbfounded.

"You don't? Your level of naivety astounds me, Ashi," Akira replied with a disapproving frown. "Even if Monokuma was lying, the possibility of there being an actual traitor of some kind is one that I'm not willing to overlook without proper investigation."

She glanced at the others and remarked, "And since Monokuma also said it was one of us six, I'd be a fool if I didn't keep an eye on anyone to generate a list of suspects."

"Well, if you're trying to find the traitor, I can help you right now!" Ryoto boasted before standing up. "Okay, whoever's the traitor- STAND UP AND FESS UP!"

Of course, no one responded, innocent or guilty.

Hiroshi grimaced and told Akira, "Akira, listen. The chances of Monokuma being truthful are low, he was probably just-"

"Ya think so, Hiroshi? Why are you sure there's not a traitor, huh?" Hinata demanded with a furious glare. "Unless there's something you're not telling us."

"W-Wha-?" Hiroshi stammered as he was caught off guard by Hinata's accusation.

"Whoa, Hinata! What are you doing?" Ryoto asked the thief. "You don't actually think Hiroshi's the traitor, do you?"

"I don't fucking know, but I do know I wanna find that 'traitor' Monokuma talked about..." Hinata began in a low growl. "And when I do, I'm gonna fucking clobber them for not doing anything about the killing game, if they knew so much!"

"H-Hey, Hinata, calm down!" Hana immediately told him. "Maybe there's more to the situation than we think! I mean, if there really is a traitor, they've gotta have a reason why they haven't done anything, like- like blackmail or something!"

"Besides- as odd as Ashi is, he's not my top suspect," Akira remarked, adjusting my glasses. "Since you want answers, I'd might as well throw in my current two-cents..."

Her red gaze turned to Hana as she said, "Right now, my main suspect is Amari."

"M-Me!?" Hana yelped, immediately turning to Akira. "Why!?"

"Oh don't play dumb- you've been acting strange since yesterday, and even prior to that you've had moments of acting odd," Akira snarled. "And don't think I haven't noticed how dodgy and secretive you've been- even during this conversation, you had moments that indicated you knew more than you let on, like when you almost choked on your food when Ashi began speaking."

Oh, damn me and wearing my feelings on my sleeve! Hana told herself in panic. While Akira was right about the surfer keeping secrets, she was wrong to assume she was the traitor.

Hana wasted no time communicating this by crying out, "Th-This is crazy, I'm not the traitor! I don't have any more memories than anyone else!"

"Y-Yeah, if Hana knew everything about the killing game, I-I'm sure she'd have done something by now instead of letting more of her friends die!" Asuna refuted Akira. "I-If anything, Akira, you're pretty suspicious too! Y-You've never tried to connect or interact with anyone, a-and now you've just cut yourself off completely-!"

Akira's gaze turned to her signature, fiery glare as she growled at Asuna, "Say that again, Izumi...!"

This, unsurprisingly, caused Asuna to whimper and shrink back in fear of the red-haired Ultimate.

"Well ya know what!?" Ryoto shouted in anger. "Asuna Izumi, I think YOU'RE suspicious!"

"W-What!? Why me!?" Asuna yelped.

"BECAUSE I HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO ACCUSE ANYONE YET!" Ryoto bellowed.

Hana couldn't tell how it happened, but suddenly the dining room was filled with arguing, defending, and accusing from just about all sides. All the confusion and tension that had been building up since Monokuma's announcement seemingly exploded in these moments into a series of bickering. Hana herself found herself attempting to defend herself against Akira and try to make a defense for this hypothetical 'traitor'- which only made her look more suspicious to Akira.

The only student who wasn't arguing was Hiroshi; he was deathly silent throughout everything- for a time. However, after a few seconds of listening to his classmates tearing each other apart with words, he finally stood.

"You guys...you guys...!" Hiroshi began through clenched teeth before shouting, "You guys!"

Hearing Hiroshi raising his voice- an occurrence rarer than seeing Bigfoot- was more than enough for the students to quiet down and turn their attention to him.

"Why are you all fighting like this? Don't you understand this is what Monokuma and the mastermind want!?" Hiroshi furiously demanded. "When Monokuma said the information he gave us would be a motive if we made it one- this is what he meant! The arguing, the distrust, the frustration-!"

He put a hand to his face and continued, still angered, "I can't believe after everything that's happened, after everything we've all gone through, you all just- so easily fall into this trap! Why!? Why is it still so hard to have faith in each other!?"

Hana was frozen in place at hearing Hiroshi's outburst- hearing him talk like this, with so much emotion in his voice...she didn't know what to make of it besides feeling incredibly guilty for getting caught up in the arguing.

However, before anyone could respond, Hiroshi turned away from everyone and stormed out of the dining room.

"W-Wait-! Hiroshi!" Hana called out to her friend.

The others were still silent; Ryoto, Hinata, and Asuna glanced at each with equally guilt-ridden countenances while Akira simply sighed and shook her head. Hana didn't say anything to any of them, however- she got out of her own chair and ran out of the dining room in pursuit of Hiroshi.

---

"Hiroshi!" Hana called again as she sprinted out of the room and looked around the hallway. "Hirosh-"

It turned out she wouldn't have to go far to find him- the Ultimate Coroner was standing at the very end of the hallway, as if trying to regain his composure after his outburst at his classmates.

Hana barely even hesitated to run up to him, though she was certain he was still angry. "Hiroshi, I- about what happened in the dining room, I'm- I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have acted like that, and the others- I know they're sorry too, and if you're still mad at us-"

"...I'm not mad at anyone, Hana," Hiroshi responded, shaking his head. "I'm mad...I'm mad at all of this. This killing game, the manipulation, the distrust..."

He sighed sadly. "It hurts, Hana. It hurts seeing that. You'd think after everything, we'd be a little more immune to Monokuma's tricks, but..."

"Well, hey- the things Monokuma said, it just- it just turns everything we thought we knew completely on its head, you know?" Hana responded, shaking her head. "That kind of thing, it...gets to a person real easily..."

"I know, don't think I don't understand where everyone's coming from," Hiroshi reassured her. "That's why I'm not truly mad at you or the others- if anything, I'm more...more..."

With a steely look in his eyes, Hiroshi began to walk away yet again.

"Wait, Hiroshi- come back to the dining room with me? Even if you're not that mad at the others, they'd want to apologize anyways..." Hana asked the coroner- she would have ran forward and grasped Hiroshi's hand if it wasn't for his aversion to physical contact.

"There's no need for that- besides, there's something I need to do," Hiroshi told Hana, stopping in his tracks but not looking back at her. "Something I should have done sooner..."

"What...? Where are you going, what are you-?" Hana began, attempting to follow Hiroshi again.

Hiroshi turned back to Hana, his expression hard to read. After several moments of deep silence, he walked up to Hana- the surfer, meanwhile, was unsure of what Hiroshi was doing...

However, the coroner leaned in and softly said to Hana, "Listen, Hana- there's something important I need to do, and something important I need to tell you. I won't be telling you right now, but soon- very soon, I will. Trust me, you'll know when. Until then- just wait for me, alright?"

He stepped away, smiled that calm smile of his, and added, "And don't worry, okay? One way or another, things are going to work out- just keep having faith, Hana."

Though Hana was still visibly baffled, Hiroshi proceeded to walk away to where the bedrooms were; this time, Hana figured it would be best to leave him be. Sighing, Hana turned around to head back to the dining room...and was surprised to see Ryoto, Hinata, and Asuna walking down the hallway to the main chamber.

Furrowing her brow, Hana walked up to them and asked, "Uh- what are you guys doing?"

The three of them froze upon being spotted, and moments later Ryoto blurted, "WE WEREN'T GONNA EAVESDROP ON YOU AND HIROSHI!"

This resulted in Hinata giving Ryoto a light smack to the back of his head while Asuna cringed and turned away.

Hana grumbled to herself for a moment before telling them, "Well, you're too late anyways- Hiroshi left, went back to his room."

"Oh, he did...?" Asuna responded with disappointment. "I-I was hoping we could talk to him..."

"Don't worry- he's not really mad at us as much as he is at the killing game in general," Hana informed them, attempting to sound reassuring. 'Let's just...go back to the dining room."

"Yeah, uh...let's," Hinata agreed. "Hey- on the bright side, Akira's in the kitchen right now, so you might not have to deal with her much more tonight, eh?"

Hinata's attempt at comforting Hana fell flat, and the surfer walked back to the dining hall with her shoulders slumped. Although Hiroshi had made it clear his anger wasn;t directed at her or the other Ultimates, she still worried for him immensely. Not to mention his last, cryptic words to her. Just what in the world did Hiroshi? Could whatever he was doing or whatever he needed to tell her be tied to Monokuma's 'reward' somehow? And most of all- was Hiroshi putting himself at risk in some way?

Try as she might to block them out, those words kept repeating in her mind for the rest of the night. They persisted even when the nighttime announcement played and Hana got ready for bed- and with those thoughts came concerns for Hiroshi's well-being.

However, in the end Hana decided she couldn't do much for him with so little information; the only thing she could do was make good on his simple request: wait.

---

A/N: Quite the rollercoaster this part was, eh? First things are still kinda tense, then they get more hopeful, then they get tense again, then everyone gets mad- yeah, this part was fun to write. And not just because of all the bombshells that Monokuma dropped on everyone.

But I mean- memory loss? In Danganronpa? What are the odds? (I mean to be fair there are some Fanganronpas out there that really don't do the amnesia thing, but this is not one of 'em!)

Question is now, however- how exactly will Monokuma's 'reward' play into the next murder, if at all? Hana wasn't wrong when she said there were no strings attached to what Monokuma told them, nothing like 'if you kill the traitor you win the killing game right away' or something like an actual motive, so this really does throw a curveball into the killing game in more ways than one. I'm interested to see what you guys come up with in terms of predictions.

But beyond that, I present- yet another FTE poll! And it's not just any FTE poll, oh no- first of all you can only vote for one person since it'll be one FTE, second of all it's going to be the last Free Time Event of Fractured Fates! So, take this code, and vote well...and vote wisely: gr9b8e8g

(For the record- Akira's still unavailable, Asuna's no longer available because she has now been maxed out, and Hiroshi would be unavailable for reasons but he was maxed out back in Chapter 3 so it's kinda a moot point.)

So- next time we continue with the crazy train that is Chapter 5's Daily Life, and see how everyone will be holding up after the revelations of this chapter (and see how many more existential crises Hana may have before the next murder). And like I said- I'm interested to see what you guys think of- well, anything. Who's the traitor, what's with the memory loss, how will this play into a murder (once again, if at all, Monokuma's 'reward' technically wasn't a true motive in the DR sense)...yeah, send in those reviews! And for now- goodbye!