A.N. Here's the real actual chapter! Isn't this neat, I feel very productive! Don't get used to it!

D-Kirb: Poor yakuza boy indeed. Let's hope he can finally catch a break and oh shit it's Ruruka. Yeah, who knows, maybe I can make you like her? Or at least respect her as a character (I actually am one of the few who doesn't hate Ruruka). Where even is Izayoi? Big debate, I wonder if we'll ever get to see it play out...

SuperSonicHeroes: Honestly though. But hey, it is an Odyssey...riiiiiight?! Hmmm, I wonder what this could all mean. Oh well, I'm sure that plot point won't matter at all...

ashDanLand: Soon. You will soon. That's fair, Miu is not for everyone.

Alright, you guys ready? This is gonna be a chapter, let me tell you...actually, I'll just show you! Let's get back to the Academy!

Chapter Four: Paradise 70% Lost- Daily Life

Now entering the P.O.V of Shuichi Saihara

*Ding dong bing bong*

"Rise and shine, ursine! The time is now 8 am, which means that the dining hall and gymnasium are open! Please make today a wonderful, productive day!"

So many questions raced through my head. Faster than I could read them, louder than I could hear them. My dreams were plagued with visions of Junko, Chiaki, Aoi, Hajime, Leon, Kokichi, coming and going, whisking me away to a far off wonderland where they each commanded different warring factions and slaughtered each other mercilessly over me. And each time Leon would chop Chiaki's head off, she'd bend down, pick it up and throw it at Hajime, knocking him off a cliff, the head falling with him. And while her body would collapse, Leon would spit on it before getting stabbed in the back through the chest by Aoi, his head would fall back onto her shoulder and she'd bite down on his lips as though to nibble them but instead tear them off and devour him bit by bit. And Aoi tore into Leon's neck in time to be pummeled by Kokichi who in turn was eviscerated by Junko. And when Junko stood atop the three bodies, smiling wildly at me, she'd approach me to lift me up in the air like a trophy, only to be stopped by several bullets tearing through her flesh. Junko would fall over and I would see Hajime standing behind her, guns drawn and totally unscathed from his fall, and the massacre would repeat itself until I woke up.

Dreams are nothing more than a manifestation of our innermost thoughts, desires, fears, and anxieties. Or so I'm sure some psychologists say. As a detective, I could easily deduce exactly what I was feeling, but that wasn't the problem.

The real problem lay in what everyone else was feeling. I might never figure that out from half of them, but I still have time with the others. Leon, Chiaki, Junko...so much had happened last night, it's honestly hard to tell it wasn't part of my horrible dream.

The way Leon held onto Aoi, the way he banged the glass and wailed at the top of his lungs as though holding onto his own life, fighting for his right to live haunted me still. The turnover from life to death was so quick, just the flick of a curtain and Aoi Asahina was consumed by the veil, past the point of no return. At long last, she joined her friends Tenko and Sakura, but she left behind the rest of us. Her actions nearly killed us all, Leon included. If his reaction was any indication, I'm not so sure she spared him entirely…

Chiaki's transformation during the trial, as she shifted further away from me with the narrow goal in mind of avenging Hajime, carrying on his mantle of justice so that he too might have a taste. It was a heavy burden to bear, and I could tell it weighed heavily on her. But she did not have the stomach for righteousness, at least not the Chiaki I know. She's of a fair mind, but weaker fortitude and resolve, quick to retract back into her shell, under her hood. She comforted Aoi in her final moments, instead of continuing to avenge Hajime by scorning her. It's what he might have done were the roles reversed, but Chiaki was not Hajime.

Yet the most concerning to me was, by far, Junko. What has gotten into her lately? I couldn't shake the feeling that something was happening to her, something she was desperately trying to hide. No longer was she the carefree girl I'd come to know, even fall in love with. It was as though she were no longer her but somebody else. Someone more stoic, more rigid, more malicious had donned her clothes and taken her name. Was this Junko Enoshima? Truly? I couldn't really believe that...I didn't really want to.

…

I walked outside of my room.

…

I walked outside of the dorm.

…

I stood at the entrance and froze. A soft breeze blew by and I closed my eyes, letting the wind naturally flow up into my nostrils and fill my lungs with morning. The air flowed through my body, almost lifting me up and taking me away. I wanted to fly away, I wanted to escape this fallen world.

...

I slowly open my eyes. The sun shines brightly overhead. Everyday the weather is the same. Bright yellow sun, clear blue skies. We are to spend an eternity in this place, the lair of Monokuma. He calls it our paradise, but I'd sooner call it a prison. The sooner I can cast off these shackles, the better.

…

The sky begins to fall.

Starting with the smallest fragment, the entire dome will follow soon. It only takes one miniscule particle to start an avalanche, and I watch as this tiny piece of sky beautifully glides through the air, I'm mesmerized by it, even. Like a dancer leaping into the boundless, airy sea. Closer and closer it drops, picking up speed. Picking up spe-

"Look out!"

An unknown force tackles me from behind and I launch forward with the catalyst landing on top of me. It takes me a while to regain my senses, but when I do, I quickly turn over to see none other than…

"Chiaki?"

The gamer lifts her head off of my body and casts a worried glance down at me.

"...Sorry, I probably shouldn't have tackled you like that."

Shifting around awkwardly, she moves slightly off of me to give me enough wiggle room to resume a sitting position. I notice she's still slightly hovering over me, resting only slightly on her knees and slightly against my legs. From where I'm seated, I have a perfect view of her face right on through the part between my legs…

"Uhm...uh, C-Chiaki?"

I feel my cheeks heat up slightly and Chiaki's mirrors. Brushing a strand of her hair aside, she moves back a bit to reach behind her. I watch as she picks up a baseball and motions it towards me.

I gasp, "Whoa, did that almost hit me?"

She nods, "Yep. My reflexes kicked in, I couldn't stop myself from moving you before you got hit."

That could have potentially been deadly…!

"Y-You saved me, Chiaki! Thank you!"

Her cheeks colored again, "...I don't mind. I like to think you'd have done the same for me…"

A small pause and I realize she's waiting for a response, so I give her a confirming nod.

"Of course I would, Chiaki. We're friends after all."

I added the last bit somewhat tentatively. Chiaki studied me for a small while, her lips slightly parted, before nodding, "Yep. We are friends."

It was difficult to tell the sincerity with which she said that. A part of me felt like she was talking more to herself than to me. We sat there in a small silence; Chiaki looked back down at the baseball in her hand, rolling it over several times between her palms while I watched in silent contemplation.

"...We should return this ball, don't you think?"

She rubbed the smooth surface with the tips of her fingers, not taking her eyes off of it for a second.

I nodded, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

When we got to the Ultimate Baseball Star's Lab, the first thing I noticed was the loud, whirring sound of a machine shooting off at speeds I could barely comprehend. A closer look revealed Leon Kuwata, dressed in a white baseball uniform, matching each pitch with an equally ferocious velocity, slamming the balls into his wooden slugger. The one that landed over by the dorms must have been an outlier, most of his hits launched the balls just outside the stadium.

I'd never seen the player so focused before. His face was dripping with sweat, his eyebrows knitted intensely over his pale blue eyes, now burning with a passion I'd rarely seen from him around any mention of the sport that claimed him. And on top of it all, he commanded the entire stadium with such vigor; each of his swings were stylish, his poise so composed, and his form so beautifully balanced, he made each grand slam seem effortless. He was more than just a baseball player, he was truly a star.

The machine began to wind down when the last pitch was thrown. The redhead disposed of that one much in the same way and, after taking a couple moments to retain his final pose, he slowly decompressed, allowing his shoulders, arms, and upper body to shift down as he took a series of large breaths intended to make up for his workout. With a satisfied sigh, he wiped the sweat off his brow, slung his slugger over his shoulders and made his way to the dugout, where a cool water bottle sat waiting for him. The athlete opened it, spraying it over his face before launching it into his mouth. It was when he set the bottle down that he first noticed us. A neutral expression covered his face as he waved at us. Chiaki and I waved back a little until we realized he was actually waving us over. Almost automatically, we moved forward to greet him.

He'd taken a seat on the bench, leaned back, bottle in hand, now replacing his bat for a towel with which he wiped the sweat and water from his face. He was still taking heftier breaths, but seemed still able to communicate clearly as evidenced when we approached him.

"Mornin' Chiaki. Mornin' Shuichi."

It was a curt, polite nod. He was clearly exhausted, I got the feeling he hadn't pushed himself that hard in a while, maybe even ever, knowing him. He also would have to have woken up before the morning announcement, implying he may have been up for a while. This was certainly uncharacteristic from the Leon Kuwata I'd come to know.

"Morning Leon."

"Good morning."

The player took another swig of his water, this time swishing it around his mouth a bit and spitting it out like a llama out in front of his feet.

"What's up? Y'all need somethin'?"

Chiaki and I looked awkwardly at each other, before the gamer looked down at the ball in her hand, slightly moving it forward at the player.

"Uhm...we found this. We thought we should return it. It almost hit Shuichi."

Leon took it in his own hand before stopping with a look of stunned concern, "Whoa, seriously? You alright, Shuichi?!"

I nodded, "Y-Yeah, Chiaki pushed me out of the way just in time."

Leon seemed relieved to hear that, "That's good. My bad, dude, that seriously coulda been nasty if it hit ya."

Well, at least he's aware of his own strength.

The redhead tossed the ball up in the air a couple times before letting it rest on the bench by his thigh.

"Was there anything else ya wanted?" he asked, looking back up and shifting his focus between the two of us. As far as explicitly stated goals went, this was the extent of them. But, I'd figured early on that there was likely more to this implicitly stated. After all, it doesn't take two people to return a baseball.

"Yeah. I wanted to check up on you. See how you were holding up."

Leon nodded absentmindedly, averting his gaze as he took a sharp inhale and leaned forward some. Resting his arms on his knees, he began wringing his hands, one of his legs got suddenly jittery, bouncing up and down in a short rhythmic display of discomfort.

"Not great. If I'm being honest." his leg stopped and he dropped his head slightly, "I know that's not what you'd like to hear. Sorry if that worries you or whatever."

Chiaki tugged at her backpack straps, "No, that's okay. I didn't really expect you to be better after one night."

I gave a nervous chuckle, "It'd be a little disconcerting if you were."

Leon looked up at me as I said that, his pale eyes glistening with something I couldn't quite identify. He looked like he wanted to say something, but shifted tactics at the last minute, pulling his eyes away from me and back to his hands, "Yeah, I guess you're right. It takes a real piece of shit to get over someone they were close with so quickly."

Him saying that reminded me somewhat of Chiaki. In a way, it felt they were both trying to justify their feelings somehow. Almost as if neither one was particularly comfortable feeling what they were, and even less comfortable expressing it openly and candidly. I couldn't figure out how much of that had to do with the feeling, how much with the process, or how much comfort they had around me specifically. I felt a pit form in my stomach thinking about the possibility.

Chiaki purred softly, "Well, we're always here to talk. Or, just be there for you. We don't have to talk about anything. We can just sit together in silence, if you want." her eyes stopped focusing on Leon, and were now turned down to the ground as well. I felt compelled to say something, to add on so as to avoid making this moment anymore awkward.

"I...I really wish I knew the right thing to say," I found myself admitting aloud with a sigh of defeat, "I just...I don't know. I really don't. I'm so…"

"Lost?"

I blinked and felt a couple of tears dabbing up against my eyelashes. Through the watery veil that had started to form, I noticed Leon looking up at me, eyes equally misty. I nodded.

"Yeah. Lost."

Leon nodded. Then, taking one last meditative breath, the baseball player stood up confidently and turned to face the two of us.

"You guys hungry? I was gonna hit the showers first, but since you're here, I don't wanna make you wait." He gave a soft chuckle, a faint smile appearing in his eyes, "I don't know if you noticed or not, but I have a tendency to take my time in the showers."

That brought a smile to my face, and to Chiaki's. When he saw our smiles, Leon flashed us a grin of his own. It wasn't anywhere near as grand and goofy as his signature grin usually was, but it had the same amount of warmth in it. Maybe even more so.

"...Yeah, I'd like that a lot."

"Sure, let's go."

The athlete gave us an approving wink before slinging his arms around our shoulders and leaning into us, pulling the three of us closer together than we'd been in a long time. Arm over arm, the three of us walked to the cafeteria together.

We took a seat at that table we'd always congregated at. Just the three of us, a feeling that was both unifying and isolating. It was impossible to look from one pair of eyes to another without seeing the empty chair where Hajime or Aoi should have sat. My eyes were also drawn to the absence of Junko, trying to find her in the winnowing field of students that had filed into the dining hall.

Peko and Gundham sat together at the same table, with the breeder instructing the kendoka on the correct way to pet Furaribi, the other male sparrowhawk that didn't much enjoy company. One table over, Miu and Angie were engaging in their typical philosophical banter adding in their own flourishes and innuendoes to ensure it wasn't a word for word rip off of a William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens debate.

The eighth and final member of our group did not make an appearance in the cafeteria that morning. Junko Enoshima eluded my survey of the room, and my heart was overwhelmed with anxious grief for it. I had scarce a moment to dwell on this fact, however, as my thoughts were interrupted by the unlawful headmaster of this evil institution.

"Goooood morning students! I'm thrilled that you could all join me for breakfast this morning!" Monokuma popped up from the floorboards and looked around the room, visage turning from cheerful to perplexed, "Hm? Wait a minute, where's that half-witted blonde chick? What was her name again? Started with an "M" right? No? That's okay, we'll find her eventually!" the way he giggled at that last part sent shivers of rage down my spine.

From across the room, Angie Yonaga, unbothered as per usual, chirped in an almost self-parodying way as she delivered her next line with faux-shock, "Oh dear oh dear, Monokuma has appeared?! Whatever shall we doooooo?"

The artist was largely ignored by everyone except for Miu, who always took pleasure (most of it likely impure) in railing on her, "Quit squealing like I just shoved a tiki doll up your a-"

"Dude, seriously? How many times are you gonna use that lame joke?" Leon whined aloud, unwittingly adding large buckets of fuel to the flame.

"Nghhh, y-you r-really think m-m-my jokes are l-lame…?"

"Nyahaha, you see, Miu? The gods of love are always smiling more on me and turning their backs on you!"

The inventor pulled her hair, moaned loudly, and launched herself backwards in what could only be described as a punk-god inspired orgasmic experience; an experience I never wanted to have again.

Angie, in the meantime, directed all of her focus on Leon, who had stopped paying attention to the two insanely lustful girls and instead hovered slightly between Chiaki, picking lazily at her food, and Monokuma, still preparing to deliver a speech now interrupted by teenage drama. The joyfulness decreased ever so slightly from her seagreen eyes, although her vibrant aura kept most people from noticing that.

"Ahem, as I was trying to say, I am here to announce that there are, in fact, new places available to you! I know, I know, it's shocking, we've never done something like this before. But hey, sometimes it's just good to get into a routine, y'know? I think that routines help preserve order, and order is something this world is severely lacking in lately."

"Hmph, fuck your order…" the punk mumbled to himself, but only Chiaki and I heard.

"Anyway, please, as soon as you are finished with your meals, head on up to the third floor for some new amenities, if you please!"

"Wait," Miu started snapping back into reality, "We're only on the third floor? I feel like we should be at least on the fourth floor by now!"

Angie tapped her chin with her paintbrush pensively, "Hmmm, you do have somewhat of a point, Miu…"

Gundham crossed his arms, "Hmph. This is no way to dole out rewards. The third trial should have brought us our third floor, hence four floors."

Peko frowned even more than her usual frown as she struggled to get Furaribi to let her pet him, "It does seem an odd oversight, now that you mention it…"

Monokuma was livid by this line of questioning, "What the heck is wrong with you ungrateful, entitled brats?! Dontcha know how good you have it?! Don't you realize how hard it is to operate a smooth killing game?! Not just anyone could do it, y'know! If it was anyone but me behind this whole thing you very well could have had a much worse and underdeveloped time here!"

…

There's some kind of 4th wall joke here, but...I'm not really sure I understand the point of it.

"You have three floors, okay?! I didn't design this stupid place, so take it up with that guy if you ever get outta here! Now get out of my sight and explore that new floor before I blow myself up on you!"

We needed no further encouragement, and away the seven of us went.

Ultimate Fashionista's Lab

The third floor had an almost intensely different aura than the previous floor. The staircase started out narrow but widened the further up we went until it stretched out into a spacious, stone forum with all the grandeur and stagnant air of a Gothic cathedral. Two large Monokuma statues were erected on either side of the stairwell, each depicting the mascot in cherub form. Pillars of marble and stone lined the walls, and a large, stain-glass window bearing the resemblance of the headmaster colored the light that burst in with ravishing glory.

The entrance to the Ultimate Fashionista's lab was directly right of the top of the staircase, and it was in this room that we found that elusive eighth member of our remaining party.

Junko Enoshima stood like a statuette at the center of a large, open studio, greatly resembling an old fashioned movie set from Hollywood's Golden Age, a detail I recognize from my parent's own line of work. Memories flooded into my mind of all those movies I'd watched with them as a child. How glamorous and regal the stars seemed to be on screen: Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable, Liz Taylor. It was a timeless age, as I'd hear my mother sigh to herself, as though she herself were from that time. At this moment, I wondered what she would think of Junko. If she would see in her the same star quality, the same effervescence as the actresses of old. I think she would have to.

Venus turned to face the group that had entered into her sanctuary, all the elegance and grace expected of her. Her face remained as stone as Alexandros of Antioch sculpted her, the radiance still pouring out, only now in a much more distant way. There was no longer a sense of warmth like a hearth, but the blazing intensity of a bright sun, shining with such demand that you can't help but turn away.

"Welcome to my lab, Shuichi."

I looked up at her. She had crossed her arms without any malice or indifference, and locked her hips into place on one side of her body, shifting her weight from center to right.

"It's...amazing."

The fashionista studied me with eyes not meant to be turned down, in that instant I feared that I had done exactly that. Was the conviction lacking in my voice? Did she think I was mocking her?

Junko gave a soft smile and a faint chuckle, her hand lifted from her arm and gently landed upon my cheek. She pulled slightly at my hair, traced my cheekbone with her thumb, and dove deep into my eyes.

"I bet yours is even better."

She whispered so softly, it nearly didn't register. Once more, I felt myself getting pulled so close into her magnetic field that I could not see the six wandering about the room like a hyperactive tourist group.

With Junko leading the way, as she almost always did, I followed her back into the solemn hallway and went in search of my own lab.

Ultimate Detective's Lab

Nowhere near as ostentatious as Junko's, my lab was nestled neatly into the corner of the hall, fitting snugly into a room no larger than the average study. The furnace crackled softly, completing the homey environment already put into play by the Arabian carpet, the velvet armchair, the ornately carved bookshelf, and other such furnishings that truly made me feel as though I'd stumbled upon my uncle's personal study. In fact, this was very similar to what he may have wanted for himself, and also what I would have liked to own. The only part sticking out to me was the medicine cabinet in the opposite corner, where each bottle was clearly labeled with either a specific poison or that poison's specific antidote. That much was to be expected in a detective's lab, especially one that Monokuma designed.

I noticed the trend early on, but in every lab there was some sort of weapon obviously hidden away somewhere: the katanas in Peko's lab, Sakura and Tenko would likely have considered both of their bodies to be weapons. I'd seen a few replica props in Chiaki's lab, and Aoi had mentioned there being hazardous chemicals stored in a locker somewhere in hers, not to mention an entire pool for drowning. Gonta's was similar with harmful insecticides, but he also shared a similar weapon type with Gundham, in that both labs contained potentially deadly animals. Leon's lab had baseball bats, Angie's had chisels and hammers, and while we never got to see for certain, it was highly likely Hifumi's lab contained something akin to Chiaki's replicas. I hadn't noticed what potential weapons existed in Junko's lab, admittedly, I got distracted, but I was certain there would be one somewhere. All you have to do is look hard enough.

…

Am I thinking like a detective or like a murderer? I suppose the best detectives are the ones who can think like both. It takes a depraved mind to understand how depraved people behave. If I wasn't mad before, I think I'm certainly starting to lose my edge now…

In my train of thought, I failed to notice Junko was already drawn to the bookcase. Naturally, I went up to join her. Upon doing so, I discovered the contents of that bookcase: top to bottom, the shelves were stocked to the brim of criminal cases, most of which were cold cases, quite famous ones, in fact. Was this supposed to be some sort of recreational activity? Did Monokuma assume that I just like to solve mysteries in my spare time? I mean...he's not wrong, but I still don't appreciate the presumptiveness…

It wasn't until I saw the bottom shelf, however, that I became confused. In fact, Junko had already picked up a book herself.

A yearbook.

From Hope's Peak Academy.

She was turned to a specific page, too. She didn't seem to be particularly secretive of it, and I suspect she may have wanted to get my opinion on the subject anyway, so she let me read over her shoulder.

Class 78-A

Asahina Aoi- Ultimate Swimmer

Enoshima Junko- Ultimate Fashionista

Fukawa Toko- Ultimate Literary Writer

Fujisaki Chihiro- Ultimate Programmer

Hagakure Yasuhiro- Ultimate Clairvoyant

Ikusaba Mukuro- Ultimate Soldier

Ishimaru Kiyotaka- Ultimate Moral Compass

Kirigiri Kyoko- Ultimate Detective

Kuwata Leon- Ultimate Baseball Player

Ludenberg Celestia- Ultimate Gambler

Maizono Sayaka- Ultimate Pop Idol

Naegi Makoto- Ultimate Lucky Student

Oogami Sakura- Ultimate Martial Artist

Oowada Mondo- Ultimate Biker

Togami Byakuya- Ultimate Scion

Yamada Hifumi- Ultimate Otaku

…

What?

These pictures...what's going on?

Junko must have sensed my confusion, turning to look at me slightly. "I couldn't tell you, but it would seem that we've been here before."

I blinked, "We?"

She flipped the page, revealing a similar layout, only this time…

Class 79-B

Akamatsu Kaede- Ultimate Pianist

Amami Rantaro- Ultimate Adventurer

Chabashira Tenko- Ultimate Aikido Master

Gokuhara Gonta- Ultimate Entomologist

Harukawa Maki- Ultimate Assassin

Hoshi Ryoma- Ultimate Tennis Player

Iruma Miu- Ultimate Inventor

K1-B0- Ultimate Robot

Momota Kaito- Ultimate Astronaut

Oma Kokichi- Ultimate Supreme Leader

Saihara Shuichi- Ultimate Detective

Shinguji Korekiyo- Ultimate Anthropologist

Shirogane Tsumugi- Ultimate Cosplayer

Tojo Kirumi- Ultimate Maid

Yonaga Angie- Ultimate Artist

Yumeno Himiko- Ultimate Magician

My jaw slowly began to drop.

"What...what is this?"

The strawberry blonde seemed equally concerned at her inability to recognize these photos. These two pages...they implied that we'd already been students at Hope's Peak, and that we were all from a wide range of classes. There were faces I recognized in Junko's class: Aoi, Leon, Sakura, and Hifumi. From my class: Tenko, Angie, Kokichi, Gonta, Miu…and Kaede…

Junko flipped to one last page where I recognized the final group of students…

Class 77-B

Hanamura Teruteru- Ultimate Cook

Koizumi Mahiru- Ultimate Photographer

Komaeda Nagito- Ultimate Lucky Student

Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko- Ultimate Yakuza

Mioda Ibuki- Ultimate Musician

Mitarai Ryota- Ultimate Animator

Nanami Chiaki- Ultimate Gamer

Nevermind Sonia- Ultimate Princess

Nidai Nekomaru- Ultimate Team Manager

Oowari Akane- Ultimate Gymnast

Pekoyama Peko- Ultimate Kendoka

Saionji Hiyoko- Ultimate Traditional Dancer

Soda Kazuichi- Ultimate Mechanic

Tanaka Gundham- Ultimate Breeder

Tsumiki Mikan- Ultimate Nurse

?- Ultimate Imposter

Gundham, Peko, Fuyuhiko, and Chiaki. They would have been fourth years, or allegedly are.

The other students there, the ones I didn't recognize must logically be our other classmates. But what happened to them? Where are they? And why are we the ones here, suffering through this?

"It's almost like he's taunting you." Junko muttered, half to me half to herself, "Like this is some other mystery that you have to solve. You just don't get a break here, huh?"

In a murder mystery type environment, my talents suddenly become the most valuable. Put me anywhere else and I might be just as helpless as anyone. Hell, I wouldn't even say that I'm not somewhat vulnerable, there's nothing stopping anyone from targeting me. I don't have any kind of hidden plot armor, this may be a game in Monokuma's mind, but even he can't see the future. He can't know what we're thinking or feeling.

All he can do is try to nudge us towards where he wants to see us. We have to resist that with all we have.

…

Of course, that's a lot easier said than done.

…

It's quiet.

The only noise is the whisper of the fireplace.

Under normal circumstances, I'm used to Junko being all over me, attaching herself to my body as though we were magnetically compatible. She stood so close to my face yet remained so distant; it bothered me. I felt my body had become dependent upon her touch. Now, she was largely ignoring me, and this was a noticeable difference. Ever since out talk, ever since our kiss...We never got the chance to talk more about everything. I kissed Junko, then gave Chiaki the skeleton key; Kokichi, Hajime, and Sakura died, and I condemned Aoi to death for it. That was all yesterday, but it felt so much longer than that. All that had happened in just one day...one out of eleven that we've been here.

…

Eleven days. We've only been trapped here for eleven days. Less than two weeks and there's only eight of us left. How long could this go on for? At this rate, not much longer...These eleven days have almost felt like eternity.

What is an eternity? That's such a silly question looking at it now. We've been cooped up in this miserable world where life has lost any meaning whatsoever. If this is what an eternity feels like, then where did Tenko go? Hifumi? Gonta? Kokichi? Hajime? Sakura? Aoi? To them, eternity must seem like a joke, if they can even feel time passing where they are. If they are. I reach out to see but the picture is a void. Emptiness awaits in eternity.

Here I am now, in this hellscape. This corruption of human life. Where do I go from here? How do I feel? Is feeling possible anymore? What, I wonder, does that look like now for Leon and Chiaki? Peko as well, she's been mourning longer than all of us. Or Fuyuhiko, for that matter. I almost forget about him now. His treachery is so minute it barely registers as a footnote compared to the bloodlust we've since experienced.

…

My mind starts to lose focus on the words I wanted to say. Junko softly puts the yearbook back on the shelf where it was, nestled in between other yearbooks. At the very end, I notice five or so thinner books. They appear to be yearbooks as well, but they're clearly different from Hope's Peak Academy's. I wonder, could they be…

Her bright blue eyes intercept my thoughts. Her face remains stoic, unreadable, but I can tell how deeply she's reading my face. I wonder how far she can go. Can she read so deep in between the lines that even I never noticed them there? Sometimes, I feel like even my talent isn't the strongest here.

"...Junko…" I catch myself whispering. A small glint appears in her eyes, beckoning me to continue my speech. She's listening.

"Junko, I-"

The door swung open and, with impeccable timing, Angie Yonaga bounces onto the scene.

"Nyahaha! Behold, the most mysterious place you will ever seeeeeee!"

Both her arms spring upwards over her head, which proved consequential for Leon, whose wrist was currently attached to one of her hands. Just behind the dragged player, Chiaki, Peko, and Gundham filed in, very much unamused by Angie's antics.

"Yo, is this Shuichi's lab?" the redhead looked around with a sudden renewed interest. Giving a low whistle, he nodded appreciatively, "I dig this vibe, man. This setup is pretty sweet!"

Chiaki tugged at her straps, "...It's very cozy in here. I'm getting sleepy just thinking about it…" she poorly attempted to stifle an enormous yawn. Leon turned to tease her about it, but ended up turning his body in time for the gamer's limp head to bury itself in his chest. She wobbled back and forth a tad, the athlete having to use his free arm to balance her as best he could.

"Ch-Chiaki, what the fuck?! Hey, c'mon, wake up!"

Chiaki gave a sudden snore, "Nghuuuhh?" rubbing her eyelids before slowly nodding back off.

"I swear, you better not drool on me, man! H-Hey, Chiaki!"

While Leon could do nothing to remove the gamer from his chest, the artist at his arm seemed to be losing her patience and acted in a much more effective manner.

"Chiakiiiiii! Waaaaaaake up!"

With a greater amount of force than anyone could have foreseen, Angie yanked Leon out from under Chiaki, causing the gamer girl to fall face first on the floor. The impact was enough to startle the girl into forgoing any attempt of sleep, and while Chiaki lazily flailed and sputtered on the floor, Angie kneeled down, iron grip still on Leon's wrist, and began to pet Chiaki's head with her free hand.

"Gooood morning, sleepyhead! The gods have created this day especially for you! You should not waste it with your eyes closed!"

Hoodie drawn, Chiaki muttered something unintelligible. Gundham scoffed at the scene, "That must be the least effective method for sleep aversion I've ever encountered. Truly, those skilled in the arcane arts of arousal need not waste time with petty parlour tricks."

I appreciated the alliterative cadence of that sentence, but when Gundham arrived at the word 'arousal' I admit, my mind winced a little, bracing for the eventual innuendo that would-

"So, what have you two discovered here?"

Peko asked, completely cutting off any opportunity for a crude joke to be made at the expense of Gundham's vivacious vernacular.

Junko motioned around the room. "Nothing really that interesting. Just some old case files, some poisons, a fireplace."

Nothing really interesting? I beg to differ…

"We also found these weird old yearbooks."

Leon tilted his head, "Yearbooks? What the hell for?"

The fashionista frowned, "For school."

The player frowned, "Y-Yeah, I know what a yearbook is...I mean, what the hell is it doing here?"

The blonde deadpanned with her arms crossed, "I don't know. I didn't put it here."

The redhead did not appreciate her attitude, "Y'know what, Junko-"

I decided to deescalate the situation, "The yearbooks are from Hope's Peak Academy. And...well, I think I might have a sliver of an idea as to why they're here…"

Slowly, I filled in the others about the contents of the yearbook Junko and I had looked at. They each stood silently, listening to my explanation and taking a look inside the book itself. Once everyone was caught up on what we knew, we moved on to postulating what all of this could mean.

"There's got to be a connection between these yearbooks and us. Why we're even here in the first place." I offered, "I especially find it telling that we found them in my lab of all places. Why not the library or even the A/V room? Somewhere else might make sense to find these."

"...It's because it's a mystery. I think." Chiaki, now leaning against the armchair, pensively suggested.

"Oooo, a mysterious mystery!" Angie scrunched her cheeks up between her hands. One such hand still attached to Leon's wrist, brought the punk's hand close to her face as well. Whether it was intentional or not was uncertain, but the effect placed the taller boy's hand within nuzzling distance of the shorter girl's cheek.

Peko's gaze shifted uncomfortably from the scene in front of her to make more firm contact with me and the yearbook, "This could very well be part of this larger 'game' the mastermind is playing with us."

"Indeed. We must tread vigilantly from here on out. One false move may very well spill calamity all over our faces!"

Again, the breeder had a habit of saying things in such a way that would certainly invite-

"We'll have to reconvene later, once we finish exploring every new area." Junko asserted.

"I'd also like to check all the places we've already been to again." Chiaki muttered, "That will go a long way in helping to tie everything back together. Probably."

Her confidence is always contagious…

"Indeed, this is the most righteous course of action! Come, let us burst through the floodgates with fiery, throbbing intensity! Cease not until we have reached the climax!"

…

"Okay, seriously, where the heck is Miu?!"

There was no way that she'd be able to resist such low hanging fruit, and it was at Gundham's most recent double entendre that I realized that she wasn't even in the room. My raising of the alarm seemed to bring awareness to everyone else, and they all looked around in confusion for the foul-mouthed inventor.

"I...I have no idea…" admitted the kendoka, a look of concern freely blossoming on her face.

"Oh dear, have the gods finally abducted her for her blasphemous ways? Perhaps now they shall conduct the dreaded probing ritual!?" the artist lamented, although she didn't appear too distraught over the possibility.

"Something tells me that wouldn't be much of a punishment for her…" the player sighed aloud.

"Do you think she may have gone to the third lab that opened up?" the gamer inquired.

Ah, right, there was a third lab, wasn't there?

"That's as good a place as any to check. We were just about done here anyway." Junko strode towards the door confidently. The rest of us followed her out and down the hall to the final lab.

Ultimate Inventor's Lab

The third and final lab was located just down the hall from mine. Surrounding the doorframe, the walls were decorated with steampunk style cogs and gears. The door itself had a gold and light brown color scheme, the gear system clearly visible in it. There was a massive gold wheel in place of a regular doorknob, the entire thing screamed Miu Iruma. Fortunately, it didn't scream like Miu Iruma.

Junko was the first person at the door, and had just figured out how to operate the knob when the rest of us arrived. However, no matter how hard she pulled and twisted, the door didn't seem to budge. Growling in frustration, the blonde released her grip and pouted.

"This damn door won't open! If I twist any harder, I'm going to break a nail!"

Noticing me from the corner of her eye, she took a step back and placed a firm grip on my shoulder, "What do you think, Shuichi? Wanna be a big strong man for me and open the door?"

...It's amazing what we'll do for pretty women sometimes…

Without any resistance whatsoever, I took a Junko's place in front of the door, grabbed onto the wheel with both of my fists and with all my might I-

!

"Nnnnnggggghhhh!"

With a great heaving sigh, I let go of my grip and waved my hands around the air, trying to cool them off. That door was shut tight, there was no moving this knob! Admittedly, I'm not the strongest person in the group, and maybe I shouldn't have tried to overcompensate like this, but I really couldn't help myself. Junko makes me more...impulsive.

After my embarrassing attempt, Leon and Peko, the only two people left with an athletic build of any sorts, gave their most valiant attempts, but neither proved successful. This lead Chiaki to the brilliant conclusion that…

"Maybe the door is locked?"

...y-yeah. Why didn't we think of that?

Leon scowled, "Why the hell is it locked?! I thought that bear said there were three new labs?"

"I said no such thing!" the bear answered the question Leon didn't really ask him. The sudden jump out of nowhere may have been enough to send most of us into a panicked frenzy, but we'd all grown so accustomed to it by now, there wasn't so much as a batted eyelash.

"I said this was the third floor, not three new labs!" Monokuma looked up at the steampunk door and placed a confuzzled paw on his confuzzled chin, "But...this door should definitely be open. I most certainly didn't lock it…"

Before anyone could further interrogate the bear, he disappeared again. In the blink of an eye, however, he was back, joyful countenance restored to his surprisingly emotive face, "I return with triumphant news of an astonishing discovery!"

He paused for dramatic effect, which only made Leon more impatient, "Yeah? Which is?"

"The door is locked!"

The redhead scowled, "Are you fuckin' kidding me?!"

"Tut tut tut, Mr. Kuwata! I did not lock this door, your beloved classmate did that!" he tilted his head, "Oh, what was her name? That creepy blonde one? Oh! She was the one you were looking for earlier, right? Blonde hair, big ol' boobies, kinda perverted?"

Peko corrected him, "No, we were looking for Junko earlier."

Leon corrected her, "Nah, that description was pretty spot on."

So Miu was already inside of her lab. She's the only one who could have locked the door, and that might make sense. It is her lab, after all. There could be some...uhm...private stuff in there…

"So, are you gonna unlock it?" the artist asked expectantly. But the headmaster shook his head.

"Of course not! I only have a responsibility to unlock it once! After that, the room will lock itself and only the owner can control when it's opened again! Dontcha remember that little rule?" he nudged the air space in front of Leon.

"What? But we didn't even get to investigate it yet!" I protested.

"Yeah," Chiaki agreed softly, "I thought that rule only applied after we all investigated it?"

Monokuma shrugged, "Eh? Who really cares about the rules? I mean, they're just suggestions, right?"

The punk did not take kindly to that statement, "Oh no. No no no no! Are you fuckin' serious right now?! Are you really gonna pull that kinda shit after all those damn twisted rules you've been making us abide by and now you can just toss them aside like they don't mean jack shit?!"

"Yep! See, when you're in charge, you can do whatever you want! So maybe, you should think about that when you decide what you wanna be when you grow up!"

"The fuck are you sayin'? That's not how the real world works at all, jackass!"

"You really shouldn't cuss so much, Mr. Kuwata! It's very immature.

"Fuck you! You're the one acting and talking like a goddamn child!"

Monokuma's face reddened with anger and his claws emerged swiftly at Leon's insult, "You wanna say that to me again, you bastard?!"

With no regard for his own safety, the punk steamed ahead, "You're a child! You act like a child, talk like a child, and make up rules like a fuckin' child would! You think just cuz you got to be principal for a fuckin day means that you can boss us around all you want? That's bullshit! Fuck you and your stupid game! Fuck you and your stupid rules! Fuck! You!"

Leon's rage bubbled so violently, when it unleashed, it came out gushing hot, spewing all over the place like a volcanic eruption. As if to punctuate his risen tensions, the punk took a menacing step forward, already winding up his clenched fist. I saw what was coming, and I wasn't the only one.

"Leon, no!"

Five voices screamed out in perfect unison at the punk, and five arms shot forward as in response, trying their best to prevent him from violating one of these rules in his frustration. The looks I saw on Chiaki's, Angie's, Peko's, and Gundham's faces all reflected back to me the fears no spewing out onto the surface, and we all united for the sole purpose of protecting our friend from certain doom.

And it must have been some kind of miracle that, against all reasonable odds, that was the furthest anything escalated in that exchange. The moment our cry left our lips, Leon's force in place: his fist clenched at his hip, his foot rooted in front of the other, his face plastered with the anger and resentment felt in the deepest reaches of all our hearts. It took that moment and a simple blink for Leon Kuwata to return to his senses, the heat melting away all of his violent resolve and throwing it away with one final, defeated sigh.

"..."

Before us, Monokuma stood in his very same, aggressive stance. Looking closely, you could see the tiny tremors of rage in his mechanical body. It was virtually inaudible, but somehow I could hear a small little voice emanating from his speaker, muttering something almost incoherently, over and over again. I could just barely hear it.

"...A child's mind is a beautiful mind…"

Then the bear disappeared.

I turned to see Chiaki, Angie, Peko, and Gundham flocking around Leon, varying degrees of concern displayed on their faces. The breeder and artist had been given a chance to reclaim some of their typical indifference, but their true feelings were already exposed. The gamer and kendoka made no attempts at facades, and allowed their worry to be worn.

"...Leon, are you okay?"

"That was incredibly reckless. You could have been…"

"Your anger is inspiring, but perhaps we should channel your energy into something less catastrophic!"

"Fiend. Do not attempt to cross the threshold to hell alone. You require assistance from a much more experienced demon lord than yourself!"

"..."

The punk said nothing. I watched as he took several deep breaths before finally regaining his resolve by snapping his head up and beyond his four classmates. Taking great strides forward, he brushed passed Chiaki and raised his fist up to the door to Miu's lab, pounding on it with all the rage he'd been fueled with before.

"Miu? Open! This! Door!"

He didn't look particularly pissed off. Rather, this energy was similar to what I'd witnessed from him just that morning. He was composed but filled to the brim with a stoic rage that he focused on the single task in front of him. It was awe-inspiring how quick he was to control it and reapply it elsewhere. Almost like he could turn it on and off at will.

Leon's voice was firm, he didn't raise it any louder, no matter what frustrations he must have been feeling. He simply kept a measured rhythm as he pounded out a steady beat on the locked door like a bass drum. After five minutes of ceaseless pounding, a loud click and hiss was heard from the other side of the door. The gears began to turn as steam rushed throughout the contraption and hissed out into the air. Just barely, a crack opened up and through it, the large blue eyes of Miu Iruma stared back into the pale blues of Leon Kuwata.

"W-What do y-you want?"

The punk took a step away from the door and turned to address the inventor. His voice remained calm, if not clearly still agitated.

"I want you to open this door, Miu."

The blonde appeared a nervous wreck. There was something written into her face, and she was now acting like a gatekeeper for whatever it was that distressed her.

"No way! Y-You can't just b-burst into my lab like this uninvited! T-That's an invasion of p-privacy…"

Leon inhaled sharply through his nose, "Miu, I don't give a damn about your privacy right now. Let us into this lab right now."

Chiaki tried to offer a more diplomatic approach to counter Leon's scary seriousness, "Please, Miu? We just want to take a look around for any clues. We won't come in again without an invitation."

Miu's eyes darted back and forth between the athlete and the gamer, a glimmer of lust suddenly shone through her timid eyes, and I shuddered to think of whatever she'd just thought of. With a beleaguered moan, her eyelids fell, "O-Okay…" she slowly started to open the door before suddenly stopping again, "But promise you won't touch anything!"

"We promise." Chiaki conceded. The door opened slightly more.

"A-And promise that you'll do everything that I tell you to, o-okay? Don't do a damn thing unless I say so!"

"Yeah, we promise." Leon frowned slightly. The door creaked ever so slightly more.

"O-One more thing...please don't...get mad at me…"

"Why would we get mad at you, Miu?" Chiaki asked softly. The inventor tugged slightly at her hair and bit her lip.

"W-Well...I guess it'd be easier to just show you…"

With that concession, the door swung wide open and the seven of us filed into her lab one by one.

The entire room was steampunk in its furnishings, not a single instrument or device was recognizable to me in the slightest. Large gears decorated the walls of the room, and I noticed that it was more than just decoration, but the room itself was movable. The space was about as large and open as Junko's lab had been, with a ceiling that resembled the night skyline of some distant futuristic city with clear, starry sky at the top most part. Books lined shelves, blueprints were tossed around all over, an endless array of building materials littered the floor and several large bins placed hectically around the room. It was all quite impressive, if not just for the sheer vastness of it all.

But that was not what caught my attention the most. That award went to a large machine at the center of the room. I could not tell what it was supposed to be, but it resembled a giant computer of sorts. From that large port, sixteen over sized wires emerged, plugged into sixteen equidistant casket shaped devices. They were stark white with electric blue currents running through them, indicating that these vessels were all plugged into the large computer at the center.

I noticed another glaring detail. Each vessel had a name carved into the side. Next to the name were pictures of who I could only assume were the owners of those names. The names and faces reeked of eerie familiarity, but I had not yet had time to marinate in that. Yet, one name and face stuck out to me the most. One that I had become familiar with after the second motive was revealed to me. The kind face of a blonde girl I had yet been able to remember…

My jaw hung open, I couldn't keep my question from pouring out of my mouth.

"Miu...what is...that?!"

The inventor was clutching something to her breast. When she extended her arm out, I saw that it resembled a flashlight but had some odd, steampunk modifications to it. With that in her hand, she pointed silently to a plaque I'd failed to see that was plastered to the top of the machine. I read the bold, black letters aloud with great confusion,

"The Immersive Learning Program…?"

A.N. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

So, we got some nice little development here, yeah? I like to think so. I was worried this would be a short chapter, but it actually went on for a while, so that's good! There will be more later, obviously, but when I first planned this out, I knew I wanted to end it after this big old reveal!

So, yes, I'm officially confirming that ILP and AoD take place in the same universe. For all of my theorists out there, this should be enough to keep your imagination going for however long it takes me to post the next chapter! Seriously, this has to be a fluke, do not expect me to update so consistently! Times like these I wish there was a more direct way I could interact with y'all, I wanna see your reactions in real time!

Okay, okay, enough of that. My final word for today is that Angie's P.O.V will come next chapter, I promise! As always, thank you so much for reading and an extra thank you to the reviewers out there, and an extra extra thank you to the people keeping up with the TV Tropes page! Y'all are phenomenal, and I love every single one of ya! Please enjoy the rest of your day and continue to stay safe out there.

-That1guyeveryonehates.