I can't believe it! First part of chapter 5 is here! I hope you are excited for this!
For this chapter, I used Eri's POV! I hope you like this!
Eri is on the floor in front of the cafeteria looking at Norio. She was filled with confusion as she locked eyes with the defense attorney. Hearing everything Norio said, Eri tightly hugged her bear, Honey, and trembled in fear. What was Norio talking about? He does not look mad but he might be. Maybe I should not have listened to him. I should have stayed inside my room.
Eri was unsure of what to do next. All she could do was be as still as she can. Silence took over the whole place. Both were anticipating each other's next move. Is he going to scold me? Maybe I should just run.
Thinking that running is the best choice, Eri tried to stand up as quickly as she can. However, she kept on falling due to her legs shaking in fear. What are you doing Eri? J-j-just stand up and go… This kept happening several times until Norio extended a hand to help her stand.
"Let me help you…" Norio said as he pulled Eri to stand up straight. Now that she was standing, she could not move. What is wrong with me? I-I-I should run but I can't move. She stood silently looking at the floor waiting for something to happen.
After a few seconds, Norio started talking. "What are you doing here? It is already late. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
Eri answered, "I-I-I came to g-g-get a bottle of water. Th-th-that's all."
Norio opened the door and said, "Let's go get you some water."
Norio went inside while Eri hesitantly followed him. The two were silent. I am in big trouble. I can feel it.
"The kitchen is still open since it is not nighttime yet." Norio said.
The two went inside the kitchen. Norio opened one of the fridges and grabbed a bottle of water. He immediately gave it to Eri. The two exited the kitchen. Eri was about to exit the cafeteria when Norio shouted. "Wait! We need to talk."
Eri stopped and slowly turned to Norio. "Okay…" Eri said as she slowly walked towards him. She felt her heart was about to burst from nervousness. It felt like the air was being sucked out of her. Please, someone, help me.
Eri sat down in front of Norio. She placed the bottle of water on the table while she was hugging her bear. She could not look at Norio directly into his eyes. Her fingers were fidgeting the golden fur of her stuffed toy.
Finally, Norio spoke. "What did you hear?"
Eri slowly looked at Norio and answered, "Everything…"
Norio sighed. He looked like another problem on his shoulders. He looked at Eri and said, "I am not the bad guy."
Eri replied with, "Who are you?"
"I am Norio Kurosawa, the Ultimate Defense Attorney, and your friend." Norio answered.
"My friend…" Eri said with uncertainty.
Norio replied, "I am your friend. You should not need to be scared of me. But of course, you are. I am sorry for frightening you. You have always been the most fragile in our group."
He said he is my friend but he is hiding a lot from me. Eri asked, "Who were you talking to?"
"No one. I was just screaming at the cameras." Norio answered,
"Why were you talking about Rei?" Eri mumbled.
Eri thought Norio did not understand her. Suddenly, Norio replied, "It's because of this." Norio put out his photo. Eri trembled in fear seeing Norio strangling a woman. "I-I-I heard that is Rei's stepmom."
"Yes, she is." Norio confirmed.
"D-d-did you really kill that woman?" Eri asked.
Norio simply nodded. Eri was surprised to find out about this. Norio killed someone? I never thought he would do something like this. That is evil but he knew it was bad. He said sorry earlier. But, he was apologizing to Rei about something else.
"Why were you s-s-saying sorry to R-R-Rei? I-I-I know it is not just b-b-because of th-th-that photo." Eri asked. I am not sure if it is okay for me to keep asking but I think I should clear this up. I will tell this to everyone tomorrow. They need to know.
Norio looked at her. After a few seconds, Norio stood up and was about to exit the room. Suddenly, Eri shouted, "You and… and… and Rei knew something that we don't. I th-th-think you should tell us what you know. It m-m-might help us defeat Monokuma and get out of here."
Norio chuckled and said, "We will never get out of here. Monokuma is not in charge of that."
Eri was surprised to hear this. Norio is lying! He must be lying. There is no way we cannot get out of here. Norio's hand was on the door to push it open. Before Norio could open the door, Eri shouted, "I will tell everyone about this!"
Norio stopped and turned to Eri. "Don't. The only thing you will be doing is to bring them more harm. Monokuma is targeting who knows way too much. The less they know, the better."
Eri responded, "I-I-I am a target now, am I?"
"Unfortunately, yes. If you had not heard me, Monokuma would not target you." Norio answered.
"I-I-I would still be a target e-e-even if I d-d-did not hear you." Eri said.
Norio asked, "What are you talking about?"
"I remember Mr. Sadao…" Eri answered.
Norio quickly approached her and talked to her in a more serious tone. "What do you mean?"
"I won the j-j-jackpot and… it m-m-made me d-d-dream of some of the things we-." Eri was cut off by Norio.
"Never tell anyone about this, do you understand me? Don't ever say anything about it. Let it be a secret between you and me. Hide the photo somewhere safe. Now that you know too much, it is our job to protect everyone, got it?" Norio whispered.
Eri simply nodded and asked, "Who is our enemy?"
Norio chuckled and said, "At least you don't know that much." Norio walked away as he was about to leave he said, "Don't trust anyone. Let's just say they are great actors and illusionists." After that, he left Eri alone in the cafeteria.
Actors and illusionists? I wonder what he meant by that. Eri took her bottle of water and left the cafeteria. She was thinking about Norio telling her to hide the photo. Somewhere safe… She looked at Honey and instantly got an idea. She ran to the storage since it was almost 10 pm. She grabbed a sewing kit and a zipper and went back to her room.
Immediately, using her skills, she carefully cut the back of Honey, sewed a zipper, and put the photo inside Honey. Nobody will be able to get Honey from me. Honey is the safest place to hide the photo.
After setting aside the sewing kit, she lied down on her bed with Honey beside her. She tucked herself in her blanket and looked at the ceiling. After a few seconds, she started talking to herself. "Grandma, I lost two friends today. Their names are Mako and Umeko. Umeko was the kindest person here. She always helped everyone out. She was willing to listen to me even if I stutter. My other friend, Mako, is a ball of energy! They are a chatterbox but there was never a dull moment when they are around. Now that they are with you in heaven, please take care of them for me. Grandma, please help me do the right thing. I don't want to lose another friend…"
All of a sudden, Eri's tears came rushing down her cheeks. "I… I… I… I want them to stay with me a little bit longer!" After a few minutes, Eri cried herself to sleep.
The morning came. Everyone was greeted with the morning announcement from Monokuma. "Wake up sleepyheads! It's a new day!"
Eri slowly woke up from her slumber. She took her bear and got ready for the day. After finishing her morning routine, she dressed herself up with her normal clothes, grabbed her bear and her tablet, and headed out of her room.
As soon as she opened her door, she saw Norio walking out of his room. She quickly ran towards him. She greeted her with, "He-He-Hello! Uhmmm… About last night…" She was immediately cut off by Norio.
"Don't bring it up right now. People are awake." Norio said.
Eri says, "I'm sorry. I j-j-just wanted to tell you I-I-I've hidden the photo."
Norio simply said, "Good…"
The two went together to the cafeteria. The walk was silent. The tension was palpable. All Eri could think of is that it was her fault. Stupid Eri… I need to be better at doing this so I can help Norio help our friends! She looked at her bear thinking of the photo inside of it. At least I have hidden the photo already.
They finally arrived at the cafeteria. Norio opened the door and let Eri walk in first. Norio soon followed. Hana and Takashiro were the only ones inside the cafeteria. The two were surprised to see Eri with Norio.
"Norio, what are you doing with Eri?" Hana asked.
"It was just a coincidence that both of us were on the way here." Norio answered.
"G-g-good morning!" Eri greeted the two.
"Good morning Eri!" Hana said.
Takashiro got off his seat and went to Eri. "Let's sit together!" Takashiro said.
Eri nodded. Takashiro motioned her to their seats. Norio soon sat down in front of the three.
"Is Nao in the kitchen?" Norio asked.
"Nope! It is only Roxanne who is cooking for us this morning." Hana answered.
"Just as I expected." Norio replied.
Hana giggled and said, "You are really worried about Nao, aren't you? Yesterday, you looked adorable rushing to help Nao. Do you like him? If you want to confess something, we will accept you no matter what."
Hana is so brave to tease Norio. I will never be able to do that.
"Stop it, Hana! I just did what I thought was right yesterday." Norio answered.
Hana did not want to back down. "Just admit it! You think of Nao as your friend!"
Norio suddenly stopped. "No… No! No, I don't!" Everyone was surprised by how he answered. This made Hana tease her more.
"You do! Is he your only friend here? Don't tell me he is your first friend? But, I would not be surprised that he is your first friend knowing your personality." Hana said.
"Stop it, Hana! He is not my friend." Norio kept on defending himself.
Takashiro finally chimed in. "It would make sense though. You talk to Nao more compared to all of us. There is no harm in admitting you think of him as a friend!"
I think Norio thinks of all of us as friends. He wants to protect us. If that is not what a friend does, then I don't know what a friend should do. The teasing continued with Hana leading it and Takashiro adding more teases using his puppets. Eventually, Hana grew tired of it and the teasing stopped.
Not long after, Asuka came out of the kitchen with plates of foods on a serving cart. "Sorry to keep you waiting! It was hard to prepare all of this on my own." Asuka gave each one their plate of food. Once she was done, she sat down with everyone. This looks delicious! Roxanne can cook as well if she becomes serious about it.
"I know it does not look as appetizing as what Nao and Umeko cook but I think it will be enough for now." Asuka said.
"You're wrong… I-I-It looks as good as what Nao and Umeko usually prepare." Eri said.
"Thank you! Anyway, dig in!" Asuka said.
Everyone started eating. Asuka notices the absence of Nao and Samuru. "Nao and Samuru are not yet here."
"Nao must be still mourning over the death of his girlfriend." Hana said.
"What happened to him sucked! When they finally confessed their feelings for each other, one of them dies. It sounds like a weird tragedy Shakespeare would write." Takashiro said.
"I can't believe Umeko really killed Mako." Asuka said.
"But I can't blame her. Even if I have seen a photo of one of us killing my parents, I would have snapped. I guess that is how powerful Monokuma is." Hana replied.
"She did not want us to die. All she wanted was revenge. She was ready to be executed. I will never be as brave as her." Takashiro said.
"Right now, Nao needs us. I want to help him the way he and Umeko helped me when Ayumu died." Hana said. Everyone agreed.
"I will bring him his food after this. I am sure he will not come out of his room anytime soon." Norio said.
Everyone continued eating. When everyone was almost finished with their meal, Samuru appeared.
"Samuru!" Asuka shouted.
"Good morning everyone!" Samuru greeted them.
"I thought you weren't going to come out of your room. I was planning to bring you your breakfast." Asuka said.
"There is no need to do that. I am fully capable of getting here." Samuru replied. Then, Samuru sat beside Norio and joined everyone.
"How are you Samuru?" Hana asked.
"I am just confused by the picture. I need time to process everything. I just want to be alone right now. I hope that is okay with everyone." Samuru answered.
Samuru is confused as well. I guess the last trial really affected most of us. Losing Umeko was a shock and her photo was even more surprising. Eventually, everyone was finished eating. Samuru was the first to leave. He was followed by Norio who was going to bring Nao's meal. Asuka and Hana helped each other in washing the dishes. Eri and Takashiro were left inside the cafeteria.
The two were talking like they normally would. "Eri, do you have any plan for today?" Takashiro asked.
"I am f-f-free for today." Eri answered.
"Perfect! Let's tour the whole place! Maybe we might find something new and tell everyone about it!" Takashiro shouted. Takashiro stood up and grabbed Eri and grabbed her by the hand. The two ran out of the room.
"We'll definitely find something new! I can feel it!" Takashiro said.
I wish Takashiro can act like this more whenever everyone else is around. He always takes the lead but when people are around, I suddenly become the one who came up with the idea. The two first toured the first floor and found nothing. The two went to the second floor and still found nothing important. When they arrived at the third floor, something quickly caught their attention.
"Look, Eri! The Chemical Storage Room and the Chemistry Lab are out of order! I knew it! We found something new!" Takashiro pointed out.
The doors of the two rooms were covered in yellow tape. The tape said, "Do not cross the line! The room is out of order!"
"Wh-wh-why would these r-r-rooms be out of order?" Eri asked.
"It is weird! I guess we should investigate!" Takashiro said.
"Sure…" Eri said. The approached the doors and looked at it.
"This was not here yesterday, right?" Takashiro asked.
"I-I-I don't think so." Eri answered.
Takashiro touches the tape and asks, "Why would Monokuma do this though?"
Something must have happened to this room to be out of order…
"We should tell this to everyone during lunch! It will be an interesting topic! I wonder what Norio will tell us to do about this." Takashiro said. Norio will tell us to do the right thing.
Lunchtime came. Everyone except for Nao and Samuru was there. Asuka was done cooking and had just served the food. Everyone is about to dig in when Samuru came.
"Just in time!" Hana said.
After everyone was seated, the group started eating. While they were eating, Takashiro brought up what they discovered earlier. "Guys, we toured the building and Eri found something earlier." Me? He was the one who first pointed it out.
Everyone turned to Eri. "What is it?" Hana asked.
"Uhmmm…" Eri turned to Takashiro for help.
"There is no need to be shy!" Takashiro said.
Eri took a deep breath and said, "Uhmmm… Takashiro and I s-s-saw the Ch-Ch-Chemistry Lab and the Chemical St-t-torage Room were out of order. The doors were covered in yellow tape…"
"That is strange. Why would Monokuma do that?" Hana asked.
"Whatever it is, Monokuma must have a fucking reason for doing so. It must be something to mess us with." Asuka said.
"Thanks for telling us Eri about that. We should try to stay away from that place for now since we don't know what Monokuma is planning to do with those rooms." Norio told everyone.
As expected, Norio told us what is best for us. I should try to be like him now that he told me I need to help him as well.
The group continued with their lunch. Just like breakfast, Samuru was the first to go. Norio soon followed him to bring Nao lunch. Asuka and Hana were gathering the plates to wash the dishes. Eri and Takashiro were left in the cafeteria. Eri was waiting for what Takashiro wanted to do next.
"Let's help the girls with the plates!" Takashiro said.
Eri simply nodded. The two went into the kitchen and saw Asuka and Hana were about to start washing.
"Hi guys! Are you going to wash the dishes?" Takashiro asked.
"Yes!" Hana answered.
"Eri and I can wash it for you guys. Eri thought you guys might need some help." Takashiro said.
"Oh, sure! Thank you guys!" Hana said. The two girls left the dishes to Eri and Takashiro. Takashiro was the one who will wash while Eri is in charge of drying the dishes.
While they were washing, Eri asked, "Why d-d-do you keep on d-d-doing this?"
"I don't know what you are talking about." Takashiro answered.
"You a-a-always do this. I-I-It's your idea, n-n-not mine." Eri added.
Takashiro simply answered, "It's better this way."
The time soon passed by. It was already night. The group had finished eating their dinner. Samuru was the first to go. Norio asked Asuka for Nao's meal. "I will be going." Norio said as he left the room with Nao's dinner.
Eri and Takashiro were left in the cafeteria alone as Asuka and Hana washed the dishes in the kitchen. Takashiro quickly brought up Nao. "What do you think we should do to help Nao?"
"I am not sure… There is not much s-s-since he is locked in his room." Eri answered.
"I wish we could do something to lift his spirits. He has been one of the most helpful people here and I feel like we owe him so much. I wish I could sneak into his room and perform for him." Takashiro answered.
"Let's just be his f-f-friend for now. If he e-e-ever needs something, l-l-let's make sure t-t-to give it to him." Eri added.
Takashiro said, "Eri, for someone who claimed to have no friends, you are doing fine being a friend!" Takashiro smiled at her.
The two were about to leave to go to bed when Norio came back with a plate of food. Eri and Takashiro stopped and were curious about it. Norio's face was painted with worry. He went straight to the kitchen and did not bother to look at the two. The two followed him.
"He did not want to eat again." Norio told Asuka and Hana.
"That is bad! He has not eaten anything today." Hana said.
"Should we just leave the food here for Nao to find?" Asuka asked.
Norio sighed. "I guess that is all we can do. But, I doubt he would come out of his room to eat."
Eri and Takashiro were lost in the conversation. Eri asked, "N-N-Nao did not eat anything t-t-today?"
The three turned to the two. Hana answered, "Right, you guys weren't here whenever Norio came back with Nao's food."
"Th-th-that's dangerous! He might get sick!" Eri said.
What should I do? All I can do is tell Nao to eat but will he even listen to me? Can I even tell him to do it? Eri was out of ideas. However, she thought she had to do something about it. "Uhmmm… C-C-Can I try giving Nao's meal?" Eri asked the group.
The three looked at each other. Norio gave her the meal and said, "Here, if he does not open the door, just leave. This lunch, I waited for him to answer the door for thirty minutes but he did not even say one word."
Eri nodded and went off. She held the plate in one hand while she dragged her bear. Nao must be hungry. I should hurry.
Once she got to Nao's room, she knocked three times. What should I say? 'Nao, it's your dinner!'. That sounds wrong. Uhmmm… Eri could not think of anything so she knocked on the door three times again. Just say something, Eri!
Eri took a deep breath and uttered, "Uhmmm… N-N-Nao…" I am too quiet. I have to be louder.
She knocked again three times and shouted, "N-N-Nao!" That should be loud enough. But, what if he could not hear me? Maybe he has already passed out from hunger. Oh no! He needs help! Eri suddenly panicked when she entertained the idea of Nao passing out.
She knocked on Nao's door continuously until the door suddenly opened.
"What is it again, Norio!" Nao shouted. He greeted Eri wearing his dirty pajamas.
Nao looked down and saw Eri holding a plate of meal. "Eri?"
"Nao, p-p-please eat! I-I-I heard you haven't eaten anything t-t-today, so please eat this!" Eri said.
"Just leave me alone…" Nao said. As he was about to close the door, Eri put her foot between the door and the doorframe.
"N-n-no! Eat! You m-m-might get sick!" Eri insisted.
Nao looked at Eri with confusion.
"Why are you doing this?" Nao asked.
"Because you are my friend… And… I will do anything for my friends! So please eat!" Eri answered.
Nao answered, "Be a good friend and leave me alone…" Nao kicked Eri's foot out of the way and slammed the door. Eri lost her balance and fell to the ground. She accidentally threw the plate. The plate shattered into countless pieces while the food was on the floor.
Oh no! No! No! No! No! What am I going to do now? Nao needs to eat! This is all of my fault! I have to clean this up. Eri started picking up the pieces of the broken plate. As she was picking up the shards, she cut her right index finger. Ouch! Eri's finger started bleeding.
Suddenly, Takashiro ran to her. "Hey! Are you alright?"
Eri nodded. Then, Takashiro saw her cut. "Did Nao do this to you?"
"No… I accidentally cut m-m-myself while cleaning this mess." Eri answered.
"Let's go back to the cafeteria first and clean up this mess later." Takashiro said. The two went to the cafeteria. Asuka and Hana were there while Norio was already gone.
The two immediately saw Eri's bleeding finger. "What happened?" Hana asked.
"I'll go get a first aid kit from the clinic." Asuka said.
"Hana, please take care of her. I will be cleaning up some mess." Takashiro said before he left.
Eri wanted to come with him but Hana stopped her. "Let's get your wound cleaned first."
"B-B-But, I made the mess. Nao wasn't even able to eat… I… I… I am messing things up…" Eri said. All of a sudden, Eri started crying. She could not fight back the tears any longer. Hana was surprised by this.
"What happened?" Hana asked. Eri told her everything as she sobbed her heart out.
"I am so sorry. I-I-I tried to help b-b-but…" Eri said.
Hana quickly said, "Don't be like that."
"I am such a bad friend…" Eri continued.
"No! You are a great friend Eri! You did what you can. Sometimes, great guys like Nao can be an ass when they are not in the mood. Just give him time. The Nao we love will come back to us." Hana said.
"You really think so?" Eri asked.
"Of course, I do! I have been in Nao's position. He can cry and shut the world all he wants but there will come a time that he will realize all this shit he is doing is not helping him and he will need his friends to help him." Hana answered.
"Thanks! I-I-I really needed that." Eri said.
Hana added. "Anytime!"
The two remained quiet waiting for either Asuka or Takashiro to come back. Suddenly, Hana asked, "Did Takashiro let Nao do that to you?"
Eri was surprised by this. "What d-d-do you mean?"
"Right after you went off, Takashiro followed you. He surely must have caught up with you." Hana answered.
"He wasn't there…" Eri answered. Takashiro followed me? He only approached me when I was picking up the plates.
"Oh…" Hana said.
The two were silent again. Hana then asked, "Why do you stick around with Takashiro all the time? He isn't that useful in anything and acts childish, sometimes more childish than you. Why?"
"Well… He is kind to me. And, he is m-m-more than what he l-l-let other p-p-people see him as." Eri answered.
"Really? What do you mean by that?" Hana continued.
"Uhmmm… He acts ch-ch-childish but he always makes the r-r-right decisions. Some of my ideas a-a-actually come from him. He j-j-just asks me to t-t-take the credit." Eri answered.
"Why?" Hana asked.
"I don't know." Eri answered.
"If he is really like that, why is he pretending to be so childish?" Hana asked.
I don't think he is pretending to be childish. I think he is childish but acts mature when it is needed. He knows when to be serious. After a few seconds, Asuka came back with a kit. "Let's fix that finger."
The two took care of Eri's finger. After doing so, Eri thanked the two of them. "Thank you! Hana, I-I-I never thought you c-c-could give a piece of serious advice. Roxanne, you c-c-can be responsible i-i-if you wanted to."
The two laughed at Eri's comments. Hana turned to Asuka and said, "I guess we have come a long way since we all first met each other."
"That is the fucking truth!" Asuka replied.
Hana turned to Eri and said, "You have changed as well. You can now speak your mind more."
Eri smiled after hearing Hana's comment. It is because I trust you all as my friends.
After a few seconds, Takashiro came back. "Sorry! It took me longer to clean up the mess than I expected."
Takashiro took a look at Eri's finger. "Yehey! You're patched up!"
"Roxanne did that." Hana said.
"Thank you Roxanne!" Takashiro.
"Of course! Anything for my friends!" Asuka said.
Eri looked at Takashiro with glee. As she was staring, she accidentally blurted out, "You are like my older brother."
"You have an older brother, Eri?" Hana asked.
Did I just say that out loud? Eri suddenly realized what she said. "Oh, I-I-I meant if I had an older b-b-brother, I-I-I think he would be like T-T-Takashiro…"
"So you think of me as an older brother?" Takashiro asked.
Eri simply nodded.
"Well, that is fine with me. I guess I have a new sister now!" Takashiro said.
After that, Asuka and Hana went out of the cafeteria together. Eri and Takashiro soon followed. The two were on their way to their rooms. Eri starts a conversation with Takashiro. "Earlier, you s-s-said I was a g-g-great friend. D-D-Do you really th-th-think so?"
"You are a great friend to everyone here. Don't ever think you aren't! If someone thinks you are a bad friend, something is wrong with them. Why are you asking? Did someone tell you that you were a bad friend?" Takashiro asked.
"No… I j-j-just want to know…" Eri answered.
"Just be your regular self and you will be a great friend." Takashiro said.
The two eventually reached their rooms. Takashiro was the first to enter his room. As Eri was about to enter her room, Norio appeared and was about to enter his room as well. I should ask him what I can do to help. Eri let go of the doorknob and started walking towards Norio. Before she could get to him, Norio entered his room. I guess I will just ask him tomorrow.
She went inside her room and got ready to sleep. She took her bear beside her. Before she slept, she talked again to her grandma. "Hi grandma! A lot of things happened today. I was kicked by one of my friends but don't be angry at him. He is going through some stuff right now. Please help me help everyone else. I want to be a great friend to everyone." After that, Eri unknowingly fell asleep with a smile on her face.
That is it for now! I hope you guys liked it!
What do you guys think of Eri's POV? Next update will feature another POV. Whose POV do you think it will be?
If you want to talk about this story and other stuff, you can join the discord server for this story. The link is on my profile.
Anyway, that is all for now!
Good luck to all of us!
