Hello, and I am finally back with another update for this story! I do have to admit that it's been getting to get into the groove of writing, especially considering what's happening in the real world, but I'm quite stubborn when it comes to my works, hence why I'm back with another update. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. I always try to make my updates at least monthly, but like I said, life does like to mess with us, but better now than never! Writing is a passion of mine, so I'm fine as long as I can continue to write. I hope you all enjoy this update!

Prince PokePersona: "Hell yeah, things are definitely getting heated, and Monokuma is there to burn all the evidence and make sure the kids cannot escape their misery, oop! Haha, Scooby Doo. Haha, Monokuma just doesn't want the kids to get out and escape, at least not so easily, yup. It's okay, Monokuma doesn't care, it's not like he'll get sued if he ruined some evidence XD Hell yeah, back with the flashbacks! Haha, any could work. And thanks! Have a nice week as well!"

TheRoseShadow21: "The fire was definitely fiery, haha, and yes, the cast definitely got into trouble! Angst will be angst, haha, and thanks!"

It was another dream sequence. Honestly, she felt like she should understand and compile everything into one, yet somehow those memories inside of her head, true or false, weren't clicking with her.

She didn't know why these dreams (or would she call them memories?) weren't clicking with her, yet it didn't matter. It was too late to worry about that, to try and remember everything that was happening at this moment. Why care when it was happening now, and you'll end up losing those tidbits of information here later?

"Why don't you just talk to them?" Tomoyo asked, glancing over at Watari. The man seemed to be in his own world however, staring intensely at his notebook. "It's not like they hated you."

"In comparison to you and a few others?" Watari spoke softly. It was late at night, and it seemed like most of the people around them were asleep. "We all know how Hitomu handled it though. I don't think it's a good idea to call them."

"Surprisingly we do have the best WiFi here," the woman retorted, though it went stale after a second. She pursed her lips, eyebrows furrowed. "The people Hitomu talked to weren't really… I don't know, they were unstable though. Maybe yours won't. You should at least try."

"They literally won't even care if I called back." The detective frowned. "Same thing happened to Ayako. The moment she called them, they instantly turned on her and called her shit like 'slut' and 'disgrace', and they didn't even know her that well. I really don't want to experience that myself."

"I mean… might as well though, right?" Tomoyo awkwardly smiled. "You miss them, right? I don't think anything bad will happen if you at least try."

"Really? Hmph. Can't exactly miss people who left me the moment I was born." He scoffed and turned to the side, eyes focused to the wall. "Tell me if Ayako feels better though. I just need time to think, honestly. Sorry if that's the answer you didn't want, hun."

The screenwriter frowned, eyebrows furrowed. She honestly wanted the man to speak, yet he was stubborn. Like Kiyoko or Masako or the others, they were all stubborn, and she had no idea how to handle it.

Of course, she had no idea on how to handle this, on what to do. So, because of that, she simply smiled at Watari, wished him good luck and assured him that she'd check on Ayako, and left.

It was quite tragic, to be honest.

"... oyo… moyo…!"

The voice that rang throughout the room, straight at her face, had done wonders to awaken her. Groaning and twitching, eyes slowly opening, Tomoyo found herself staring straight up at Masako, the woman having been on the edge. The survivalist had been shaking her over and over, calling her. It was obvious when the screenwriter saw how jubilant the survivalist was.

"Oh." The shorter woman wasn't exactly sure where to start, glancing at her friend as she rubbed her eyes. "I… I fainted, didn't I?"

"Uh, yeah, after you saw the bodies in the incinerator. I can't blame you though, honestly. I'm sure a lot of people would've reacted the same way." Masako nervously smiled. She placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, heaving a short breath before speaking again. "Ah, how are you feeling? Are you doing well? I, uh, I feel like you hit yourself when you fell unconscious. Is your head okay? D-do you require medical assistance? I didn't see any bruises, but still, are you okay?"

Ah… Right. Tomoyo slowly put a hand to her forehead. It wasn't aching, and her body wasn't sore from her hitting the concrete floor when she had fainted. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you, Masako."

"O-oh! Please don't be sorry about that. I-it's just a habit for me to worry too much, yeah." The survivalist awkwardly scratched her head, slightly flushed. "Really should start worrying less or something… ah, I tend to worry people more from me nagging."

"No, you're fine, really."

To Tomoyo, she felt like Masako was completely valid. To her, she knew that the survivalist just wanted to take care of her, and the screenwriter only knew she had been a nuisance for worrying her taller friend again. What a rookie mistake to faint, now of all times? Just because of the burnt bodies? Ugh… I've seen worse in this place…

"Ah, yeah." Masako nervously fiddled with her hands. "Are you dizzy or anything? I don't mind getting you some water, really. Shinji and the others are busy, if you're wondering."

"That's fine." The short woman smiled softly. Her fingers were fiddling against the bed she was on. "I'm not that hungry right now."

The survivalist nodded in response. "Ah, that's fine with me."

Ah, that just made things awkward. She knew that well, pursing her lips for a couple of seconds. It took a while before she spoke again, deciding to interrupt the tense silence. "Are you going to look around later? Y'know, since I'm sure Monokuma wants us to murder… and I don't want that to occur."

"Yeah, to find a way to escape? I understand that…" Masako nervously smiled, though she was hesitant. "After we escape, we're going to the police, right? A-are they going to believe us?"

"They should, yes." Tomoyo frowned. "We've been kidnapped and we're Ultimates, so-"

"B-but the idea that we're murderers, Tomoyo." The survivalist's words cut were like a blade, sharp. "If we're actually murderers and escape from here… like Monokuma said, I don't think it'd fare well for us."

She's right. But I… ugh, how do we solve that? And this left the screenwriter at a stalemate, thinking to herself. Was there an answer to be found? Well, it'd be preferred if they weren't murderers, she knew, but juggling the entire concept of a game show and the fact that Monokuma had been throwing them so many clues that led to their purpose in the show itself, it complicated the matters for her.

Being in a game show means that people would be watching us and not care that we're dying, unless Monokuma and the mastermind convinced them we're in some simulation or something? Tomoyo knew she had gone over the possibilities with the others, but she couldn't help herself, really.

Does it even matter to her? Of course it did, but she had to ponder over how exactly they'd be able to escape from here and receive help. Calling for help, she honestly wondered if that'd ruin everything. What if people didn't want them to be saved? Why would murderers be saved in the first place? They deserved death, correct?

In a case that related to that, the screenwriter believed even if they escaped, they'd be imprisoned, or worse, executed for being murderers.

"S-sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the mood," the survivalist quickly apologized, snapping Tomoyo out of her thoughts. "You're okay, right?"

The screenwriter immediately bobbed her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking to myself, sorry."

Masako waved her hands about. "Ah. No, I just thought I made you mad. Just ignore me."

Oh geez, didn't mean to worry her. Tomoyo smiled at her friend. Slipping off from her bed, she adjusted her clothes, wiping off any grime or dirt from her shirt, and turned to Masako. "Do you want to eat? I think I'll take you up on your offer."

"O-oh? For food?" That caught the survivalist's attention, bouncing off the bed and smiling softly in return. "Sure, I don't mind."

Tomoyo nodded in return, and began making her way out, Masako following closely behind her. The road to the cafeteria wasn't far away- it was a simple routine for her, she knew. Only a couple of seconds passed before she made it to her destination, moving into the cafeteria and then into the kitchen. From there, they noticed Shinjimae who was inside, cooking some for himself and Saki.

The animal whisperer instantly noticed the woman, his doe eyes sparkling in a mixture of happiness and relief. "O-oh! Tomoyo, you're okay now?"

"Ah, yeah." The mentioned woman just nodded, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you all."

"No, it's fine! S-sure, I was worried, but… I'm just glad to see you're fine!" Shinjimae smiled happily. "A-are you hungry? I was going to cook for just me and Saki, but since you and Masako are here, I can add in some more for us all!"

"Hm?" Masako tilted her head. "What are you cooking, Shinji?"

"Ah, nothing that special." The man fiddled with his fingers, looking down at the wok. "It's just some stir fry. I was in the mood, hehe."

"Oooh, that's why it smells good." The survivalist chuckled, just nodding her head. She knelt down to eye Saki, rubbing the labrador's fur. "How are you?"

Saki barked happily as a response, her tail wagging.

Masako smiled and glanced back to Shinjimae and Tomoyo, stepping forward. She glanced at the stir fry in the wok and nodded. "I can get some, ah, not too much. You're the one who cooked it in the first place, and I'm not too hungry."

"T-that's fine with me!" the man chirped, slowly turning down the heat as he swung the wok around near the stove, stirring the food. "I just hope it tastes good enough."

"I'm sure it will," the screenwriter mused, moving over to grab some plates and utensils. "I'll take these out."

Shinjimae bobbed his head happily. "Yeah, sure!"

Grabbing three plates and three pairs of utensils, the woman easily made her way outside. Moving her way to the table, she set aside the necessities around the table. It wasn't a hard job, only costing her a couple of seconds, she noted. Well, it wasn't going to be something she found hard, that was, until the door opened, revealing Akio who was walking in.

Damn. Thought I wouldn't run into him. But, knowing better than to simply run away, she acknowledged the man's presence with a small nod. "Are you here to eat as well?"

The brunette looked at her, eyebrows furrowed. He didn't exactly seem to want to answer, just sighing to himself and crossing his arms. "Are you all wasting time here? I don't think it'll do you all any favors."

"Huh?" Tomoyo raised a brow, baffled. "Well, we're just eating, so I don't necessarily think it's a waste of our time."

Akio snorted. "You can eat while working. Monokuma is probably planning something because of your inaction, y'know?"

"That's…" It didn't make any sense to her. Lips pursed, she couldn't help but retort, "What did you even do? You weren't there to help us yesterday."

"Of course I wasn't," he answered, rolling his eyes. "I'm doing my own investigation. In my opinion, it's not smart to depend on each other, given one of us is most likely the mastermind."

Tomoyo never understood this man, she honestly didn't. Brushing her hair as she pursed her lips, she wasn't exactly sure what to say, gaze hardening in response. "But how about the others who aren't the mastermind?"

"You trust people too much," he complained, sighing. "There's so much Monokuma is giving us, and yet you go against him. Wouldn't that just lead you to dying, like what happened to Watari?"

The screenwriter frowned. "Aren't you fighting against him too? All of us are."

"Of course I am, but I'm not directly fighting him and torturing him at his every whim." Akio chortled. "I saw it. He burnt down Watari's room because you guys were going to investigate there, right?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" she asked, slightly heated. She knew she was beginning to back off, and she wanted nothing more than for Masako and Shinjimae to notice what was happening. "We had to at least try, in my opinion."

Akio sighed. "Shouldn't you try asking Monokuma at least? Besides, it was obvious Watari knew practically everything before his death, so it's not a surprise Monokuma wanted to get rid of any connection to him."

Tomoyo shook her head. She kept her gaze fixated on him, breath held. "We still needed to try though. I want us all to get out of here."

Akio just frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "... Have you even thought about what would happen if we get out of here?"

She instantly knew what he meant. That struck the woman into hesitation, a short second of silence. She glanced at him, frowning. Even if she knew, she just had to ask, "Not exactly. What do you mean by that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The actor rolled his eyes. "Based on everything we talked about during the trial, the gameshow and murderer type of shit, we're not going to be happily accepted back into society if we get out."

"I mean…" She wasn't sure what to say, holding her breath yet again. "I'm sure we should be fine if we think it out a bit."

Akio shook his head. "No, I doubt it. If we're being watched and no one bothered to save us, who cares about us if we die? Besides, if we're murderers, I seriously doubt anyone would want us back, family or not."

The woman's eyes widened. "Wait, not even family? Why would you say that?"

"The letters we got last time, remember?" He sighed, crossing his arms. "They're obviously meant to touch close to home to us. What if they're our family members or loved ones? They just don't care about us, lost their memories of us, or want us dead because we're murderers. They're watching us suffer, that's what I believe."

Tomoyo went silent. She wasn't exactly sure what to say now, keeping herself silent, pondering. What Akio was saying- was it correct? She wasn't sure, and she wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to believe that. Her eyes looked back to the man in front of her, and she crossed her arms. "It could just be forged, or fabricated. Why would Monokuma go out of his way to do that? And I doubt our families could just turn against us so easily, even if we're murderers."

"Like I said, that's what I believe." The brunette snorted, rolling his eyes. "Motives are motives for a reason, anyways. If not our loved ones, then who's giving us the letters? I'm pretty damn sure yours wasn't sweet and heartwarming either. None of us were, if I can gauge reactions accurately."

I mean, that's true, but… She just didn't want to believe it, gulping. "We need to think over it some more. I can't really decide on anything unless I have concrete evidence on it."

Akio glanced at her for a while, then shook his head. His arms crossed, the man was looking down on the screenwriter, lips pursed in distaste. "If you hesitate any longer it'll just lead to failure. Isn't that how it always is?"

"How it always is?" Tomoyo raised a brow. She felt like she knew what the man meant, and she couldn't help but feel the slightest tinge of guilt surrounding that. She stared at him for a moment, and resorted to smiling slightly, if not to comfort him. "I doubt anyone of us could've done something to prevent this from happening in the first place. It's obvious Monokuma and the mastermind made certain they could at least start the game."

Akio went silent. His purple eyes were fixated on her, lips pursed. With furrowed brows, he slowly began to speak, much more quietly now, "I really don't think there's any way for us to escape this situation. Everyone's practically against us."

Tomoyo sighed. "I know, but we could at least try. Everyone's working together." She blinked. "I mean, ignoring the idea concerning the mastermind, but we're still working to find a solution."

"Ah, Tomoyo, food's ready- o-oh, hey!"

The door to the kitchen opened, revealing Shinjimae who was calling out for her. The animal whisperer was slightly shocked at the sight of Akio, and he hesitantly smiled at the actor before walking into the room, Saki following suit as always.

"A-are you planning on eating with us? If so, we should p-probably text Yume if she wants to join… ah, uhm, but still, are you?" the animal whisperer asked, looking curiously at the brunette. "I made some stir fry."

"Oh, no, I was just planning to get a snack," Akio replied, smiling as he usually did. That smile faded though once he glanced at the door, then back to the doe-eyed man. "You shouldn't wander off in the middle of night, remember?"

"Huh? O-oh! Ah, erm, that's… Don't worry about it, I promise." Shinjimae nervously smiled.

"Did something happen?" Tomoyo questioned.

The animal whisperer shook his head, kneeling down to stroke Saki's fur for comfort. "Ah, n-not really, it's just that he found me cooking in the middle of the night… said that the mastermind could've attacked me if I was alone."

"Yeah, they could've. Who knows?" Akio shrugged. "Honestly speaking, you haven't really been okay ever since your friends died, huh?"

"Ah…" Shinjimae nervously averted his gaze. "I-I just want to forget about it… so, I don't know…"

Tomoyo just awkwardly coughed. "Yeah, probably not a good idea to bring it up in detail."

"Oh, you're here too?" Masako popped her head out from the open, moving into the room. She set herself next to the screenwriter, eyeing Akio suspiciously. "Do you need something?"

"Was gonna get a snack." The man raised a brow. "Didn't expect to run into anyone here, honestly."

"Oh, sorry about that," the survivalist commented, slightly playful in an attempt to lift the mood. She looked from Tomoyo to the males, then slightly sombered her mood. "... Um? Did I miss something? Sorry if I ruined something important."

"Oh, it's nothing," Tomoyo quickly assured, throwing a smile at the woman. "We were just talking about the dead people."

"The dead people"... oh my god, why did I say it like that? Mentally slapping herself, the screenwriter forced herself to be quiet now, regretting her words in silence.

"Ah, I see." Masako wasn't too bothered, though the look of concern was the slightest bit present on her face. "Well, did you want to join us to eat? It's not that much food, but I don't mind cooking if Shinji doesn't want to."

"Nah, not gonna eat. I'm fine just getting a snack, though not anymore, to be honest," the man mused in return, shaking his head. "If you need me, just text me. I'll probably head to my room."

"Oh, okay." The survivalist was baffled, blinking a couple of times. "Have a good day then."

The moment the actor left, Masako threw a baffled look towards Tomoyo and Shinjimae. The survivalist wasn't exactly sure how to respond, nor did she know what even happened. Even as the woman felt Saki comforting her, assuring her that everything was fine, she wasn't sure about that either.

"Is he alright?" she asked hesitantly, referring to the actor. "Did you guys, er, talk about something? I mean, well, other than what I was told."

"It was just about the dead," Tomoyo reassured, throwing a look to Shinjimae who nervously walked over to his seat. She made a soft sigh. "I think everyone's stressed out, that's all. Blaise's not out of the picture."

"I figured as much," the woman replied, shortly smiling. "Um… Should we ask Yume if she ate? I'm not sure if she had."

The screenwriter nodded. "Yeah, we should."

"Oh! I-I can text her!" Shinjimae called from the table, having settled a bowl with dog food for Saki. He was already taking out his tablet, swiping a finger and beginning to type on the screen. He waited for a while, patiently waiting for a reply before looking back at the women. "Ah, s-she said that she already ate."

"Hm? Oh, really? Okay. I guess that's alright then." Tomoyo was murmuring now, thinking to herself. Nonetheless, motioning her friend to the table, the woman walked over to grab her plate, thanking the animal whisperer for the meal. She quietly began to eat, her mind snared around the killing game itself.

Is it really a good idea to trust everyone? Blaise obviously doesn't think so, and I don't really know if Yume or the others here actually agrees wholeheartedly with this. The woman found herself caught within herself, her own hesitation and concern. Do they trust me enough anyways? I'm like the only one who even backstabbed them and joined Blaise before that whole ordeal went down.

Maybe she was overthinking it, she considered. Inwardly, she shook her head. No, I don't think that matters. As long as we figure out who's in charge of all of this and bring them to justice, we should be fine.

But even that wasn't persuasive, she wasn't swayed by her attempt at reassurance.

I don't even know the whole story. I don't even know if Watari had the whole story. She frowned. What reason is there to do everything, really? I don't see the point in all of this… just because we're killers…

But maybe that was a selfish thought she had. Did killers deserve to die, to have a second chance? Honestly, she didn't know. Death was a natural process, a stage in the cycle of life. If she and the others had ended innocent people's lives short, then they deserved to suffer in response, right?

She sighed a bit to herself, chewing her food and gulping it down. It tasted as she expected it to, nodding her head over to Shinjimae who smiled kindly at her in return. It was rather calm for how silent the room was, Tomoyo noting how similar it felt to back at her own home, or in the hospital. Silently eating her food, healing, this subtly reminded her of such times.

She wasn't exactly sure if that was a good or bad thing, just finishing her food and gulping down a glass of water she was able to bring after a while. It seemed like she had finished before Shinjimae or Masako, only Saki was able to beat her with the amount of dog food she had consumed. It caused her to chuckle to herself, though she figured she couldn't idly wait for them. She needed to take action, to move and do something.

Slowly, she got back to her feet and stood up, eyeing the animal whisperer and survivalist. Throwing them a smile (albeit, slightly awkward), she pointed to the door. "I'll probably go check on Yume and investigate a bit more. If you want, you can catch up. Just text me."

"Oh, that's fine," Masako chirped, making a friendly smile in return. "However, please don't push yourself too much though."

"Mhm! Y-yeah! What she said," Shinjimae mused, allowing Saki to bark as well in response. "P-please don't stress yourself out too much, Tomoyo. Y-you can rest if you want to."

"I'll be fine," the woman answered, reassuring them. She waved at them before making her move, walking out the door and leaving the duo to do their bidding.

Alright, let's check up on Yume. Tomoyo stretched her arms out before walking over to the dormitories, moving through the halls and stopping over to the nihilist's door. Hoping the woman was there, the screenwriter knocked on the door a couple of times.

The door slowly opened, revealing the nihilist who was eyeing Tomoyo with a confused brow. "Do you need anything?"

"Ah, I was just checking up on you," the screenwriter answered, making a small chuckle. "Are you alright? What are you doing?"

"As well as I can be in this situation," she sighed, scratching the back of her head. "I'm just resting a bit. Were you planning to hold a meeting or something?"

"No, I was going to do a bit of investigating on my lonesome." Tomoyo smiled, folding her arms. That smile of hers dimmed as she took notice of the bags underneath Yume's eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Yume shook her head, dismissing her worries with a short scoff. "I'd be more worried about you. Didn't you faint when you saw the dead bodies?"

"I was lightheaded. I'm fine." The woman frowned. "How about you though? Did you sleep much last night?"

"Sleep? I don't really need it." She sighed, raising a brow. Knowing the screenwriter was obviously going to ask, she quickly waved her hands about. "I've just been thinking, y'know? It's nothing special."

Tomoyo understood that. She honestly did. "I'm assuming you don't want to talk about it?"

"Not exactly." Yume raised a brow. "Pretty sure everyone has something they're worried about anyways, big or small. I'm pretty damn sure everyone's worried about what Monokuma's going to do."

"Yeah, I agree." Keeping her arms folded, Tomoyo wasn't exactly sure how to brighten the mood. In fact, she wasn't even sure if Yume wanted the mood to lighten. "I'm sure we can get out of here. We just need to put our minds together, yeah?"

The nihilist shrugged. "I mean, Monokuma and whoever else is watching us can hear us, right? Obviously, they'd want to stop us. Make us murder some more."

"Well, we're here to stop that," the screenwriter reassured. "He can't make us kill. He already gave us a motive, so what's his plan? Give us some more? And what else could he do to us?"

"I guess so, don't know, really." She frowned, hands on the door frame. "But, like, he could give us more. I wouldn't put it past him to make us go crazy or some shit like that. Break some limbs, anything."

That caused the woman to shudder. Having to break her own limbs, or even thinking about any of her precious body parts being broken, that wasn't a pretty sight. She pursed her lips, expression hardening once she looked back to the nihilist. "It's alright. I'm sure we can get out of here safely. We just need to help each other out."

"Guess so."

"Mhm." She figured Yume wasn't persuaded by her words, but it was an attempt nonetheless. Keeping her smile intact, she bobbed her head. "Are you planning on doing anything today?"

Yume thought to herself for a couple of seconds, then shook her head, albeit a bit slowly, hesitantly. "No, why?"

"Ah, nothing." She awkwardly chuckled. "I was just going to check the library some more. Look for clues."

"Oh, because Watari always did that before he… yeah." Yume understood her well, nodding. "Sounds good."

"Yeah." There was nothing else to be said, the woman slowly stepping back and waving at the nihilist. "I'll see you later then, okay?"

"Hm? Yeah, of course." The other resorted to nodding her head before slowly, finally shutting the door.

With nothing else to do and having only one plan in mind, the screenwriter made her way over to the library, sighing a bit to herself as she looked inside- she was alone, no one to bother her. Stepping further inside, she glanced over to the amount of books all over the shelves and beyond, wondering which ones were actually worth her time- or at least, what provided her with the most information.

Well, not that she was completely certain if she could estimate the amount of information one book would give over the other. She just had to take a gamble and hope Lady Luck was on her side, the woman frowning as she grabbed a couple of books and began to skim.

One was nothing more than about tactical strategies, she realized. Concerning strategies from a variety of topics- for war, running away, chess, shogi- there were plenty that made Tomoyo both interested and a bit concerned. Running away from crime? A murder? That made her the least bit uneasy.

Another one was about analysis on the human mind, how humans interacted with one another and why they acted differently from person to person, group to group. Most likely a thesis, but nonetheless something that deemed interesting to her. The human mind was fragile, yet flexible. Complex at best, destructive at worse, she read.

Everything jumped from topic to topic, the woman rubbing her eyes as time passed on. She honestly wasn't even sure if it was legal to fall asleep here, and she didn't want a repeat of what happened with Akio and Wakana. Even when nobody was around her, falling asleep and in such a vulnerable spot was… well, going to possibly lead to consequences, maybe her death.

So, she forced herself to stay up, and continued to read, even when hours began to pass by. It took hours before she realized she had stayed up way past midnight, hearing her stomach grumble from a lack of food or drinks, and realizing she didn't even register the announcement about the time (if it even happened, she wasn't sure).

Rubbing her eyes, she checked the time on her tablet. It's already 2 AM? Did I end up taking a nap or something? Was I too invested? … Geez, that's embarrassing.

The woman sighed, looking over to the amount of books she read. Over ten or so, she figured, though she did have to account for the numerous amount of times she simply scrolled through the document. She wasn't even sure if the information she processed and jotted in her notes would serve her well, though just the simple thought of escape and how Watari handled things did seem to be enough, she hoped.

It's okay. I'll just go to sleep and talk about my findings to the others tomorrow.

She stood up and stretched her arms out, making a louder yawn than she would've wanted. She was a bit flustered from how tired she sounded, though given the lack of attention or eyes on her, the screenwriter quickly gathered herself and moved, making her way back to the dormitories.

It was eerie, walking through the dark halls. Nobody was awake, nobody was here. The lights had been turned off, and there lacked even a single word, only her breaths and footsteps to echo throughout the building. It made her heart beat the slightest bit quicker, fastening her pace as she immediately turned to the dormitories and moved to the area where the females resided in.

And she was about to go to her room before the faint smell of something familiar, something she was used to, intruded her nostrils. The foul stench that made her grimace, disgusted beyond repair.

The smell of blood? Her eyes quickly darted from area to area, left to right, up to down. The smell of blood was faint, yet there lacked any source. No blood to be seen, no pools or stains. Just the smell.

The source of the blood came from her opposite direction, her heart pounding much more quickly than before. Her face paled as her blood began to pump, adrenaline seeping through her veins. The smell was coming from Yume's door, and she quickly hurried over to the door and loudly knocked against it.

"Yume! Are you awake?"

She was so certain that the door wouldn't open. Even when she tried to be optimistic, she couldn't help but fear for the worse. Her body was shuddering, lips quivering. Her voice was shaky and she was almost prepared to tear up and run to Masako for help before the door…

… before the door opened, revealing the tired nihilist.

"What the hell…?" there came a yawn in-between the woman's words. "What do you want…? It's not even morning… ugh…"

"Oh thank god." Tomoyo sighed heavily, a smile forming on her pale face. "T-the door… it smelled like blood. I was worried something happened."

"What, blood?" Yume immediately frowned and sniffed the air around her. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why the hell…? Did someone…?"

The screenwriter's smile dropped. "I'm not sure. Should we check on the others? Text them?"

"Better than sleeping it out because literally what the fuck is this smell?" The nihilist groggily stretched her arms and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. Another sniff and she shook her head. "The fuck's up with this?"

"Yeah, there's no blood stains or just blood in general around here," the woman murmured, pursing her lips. She watched the taller woman shake her head, grabbing the tablet to text in it, sending a message out. Tomoyo glanced from place to place, yet again, there was nothing to be seen, only the stench of blood. Masako…?

No, there's no way. Tomoyo sighed deeply to herself. Her worries were piling up, wounding her. Her head was beginning to ache and her heart was pounding, causing her ears to ring. It kept on ringing, more and more until she felt like bursting. She threw a look at Yume before shakily moving, walking over to Masako's door.

She needed to calm down. She knew she had to.

Slowly, she knocked. One, two, and three. They were loud, firm knocks, but like with Yume, she wasn't sure if that was enough. She was jittery in her movements, fingers tapping the sides of her hips and expression hardened, the feeling of concern deeply etching her heart out. The wait was too long.

But, to her fortune, the door opened.

"Mm… it's so early… Huh? Tomoyo? Yume too?" The survivalist groaned, rubbing her tired eyes. "Why are you both awake?"

"It smells," the screenwriter bluntly said before just wrapping her arms around the woman. "It smells like blood."

"W-what?" Masako was caught aback, looking from the woman who was hugging her to Yume. She pursed her lips as she slowly sniffed the door. "Ugh… it does. Why?"

"Not sure," Yume answered simply, shrugging. "There's no blood anywhere."

"No blood…" The survivalist looked down to Tomoyo. "A-are you guys telling me that something happened? W-where's Shinji and Blaise?"

"Yume texted them, and we're going to look for them." Tomoyo shuddered. "I'm worried."

Masako slowly allowed the woman to release her, rubbing her wrists before nodding to herself. "W-we should check up on them then."

That didn't need to be said. Tomoyo quickly walked down from the halls and to the area where the others were. Closer to Shinjimae's door, she immediately walked over and clenched her fists.

She quickly knocked on the door. "Shinji, are you up? Or even Saki! It's me, Tomoyo!"

Knock, knock, knock. She kept knocking. Her heart was beating. She had knocked frantically on the door that she almost slammed her fist into the open air, even to Shinjimae who opened it and almost shrieked upon the fist that was close to his body.

"Ah, sorry!"

"T-Tomoyo… w-why are you knocking?" Shinjimae threw her a look of utmost concern, eyes staring down at her.

Oh thank god, he's safe. Tomoyo sighed internally in relief, but that caused her mind to lead her astray, and it only served her to worry even further. That means…

"T-Tomoyo? Hello?"

The screenwriter shook her head and turned to Masako and Yume who were next to Akio's door, having knocked on it a couple of times… to no answer, no avail. They turned to look at her, and the realization was getting to her head as she shivered.

Fuck.

"Shinji, can you help us look for Blaise?" Tomoyo asked, shaky in tone. "We… we're going to look for him now."

"W-what? Uh, okay? B-but what's going on…?"

She didn't have time to think, shaking her head and making her way out, on the lookout for the actor. She couldn't care less about the past, what Akio had done to her. To her, a person was still a person, and she didn't have any reason to denounce them, to wish for them to die, to suffer in the afterlife, to suffer in death.

Cruel or not, he was still a person, and Tomoyo would never wish for death upon somebody.

And so she ran.

She ran and ran, and she looked all over the place, uncaring if her legs turned numb, wanting to give up on her. She continued to look, searching all over the place before finally, finally, she found the man.

Inside the warehouse, there to be found for all to see, was the Ultimate Actor himself, Akio Fukui, lying in his own pool of blood.

And that was the end of the chapter! Did you enjoy it? I would hope so, haha. Well, I don't have a poll up yet for who you think is the murderer, but I'll definitely have it by the time the investigation chapter comes! For now, just enjoy screaming over who could've possibly killed the actor himself, heh. Anyways, like always, I hope everyone has a great day, and I wish you all luck on anything!

As always, here are some SYOCs I would recommend:

Danganronpa: Etch it Into my Heart by RioA (me, of course!)

Danganronpa: Lights, Camera, Murder! by DancingCactuar (Prince PokePersona is helping out too!)

Danganronpa: Remnants of My Heart by Prince PokePersona

Danganronpa: The Hopeful Lies We Tell by Prince PokePersona

Dead Zeppelin by Orlando Butler

For Whom the Rabbits Mourn by SanityRequiem

With that, see you all in the next update (if not from TPPCI, haha)!