Hi guys! I know it has been a while since I have posted something. My online classes began two weeks ago and I am a freshman college student. I am still adjusting to being a college student AND learning how to deal with online classes. I am starting to be able to manage my time though. I finally had time to finish and edit this. I hope you guys enjoy this update!

The majority of the campers are gathered in front of the dining hall. Most of them were still shaken after seeing Mitsue's anger toward Akari. After the violent confrontation, Akari ran away only to be abducted by Monokuma. Not taking too long, Monokuma made an announcement.

"Ehem! Ehem! Attention campers! Everyone, please report to the campfire grounds immediately!" Monokuma shouted.

Then, it was shortly followed by Akari's plea for help. "Help me!"

Suddenly, the transmission was cut off.

Shit! That was Akari screaming! Why did Monokuma take her?

Looking at everyone, Mitsue ordered, "Everyone, go to the campfire grounds now!"

Upon hearing Monokuma's announcement, everyone rushed to the campfire grounds. The group met up with the others in the middle of the grounds. Once they were complete, everyone began chattering about the announcement.

The first one to say something was Otoha. Confused, Otoha asked, "Did you guys hear Akari's screams as well?"

Immediately, Yo answered, "Monokuma took her."

Surprised, Kaito commented, "What? How? Why would Monokuma take her?"

Kia answered, "We also don't know. We just heard from Yo after following Akari that Monokuma took her."

Raising her right brow, Kaya asked, "Why was Yo following Akari?"

Glancing at Mitsue, Orie answered, "Akari ran away…"

Not contented with Orie's answer, Kaya added, "Why would she run away?"

Instantly, the tension grew thick. Everyone fell silent. You could hear a pin drop with how quiet it was. The people who saw the incident could only look down. Only the brave ones could look at Mitsue. Noticing everyone's gaze, Mitsue answered, "She ran away because she won't apologize to Yo." If she only stayed and apologized, she would not get herself captured by Monokuma.

Under his breath, Connor mumbled, "That is a lie bro…"

Hearing the comment, Mitsue rolled his eyes. Where was the lie in what I said?

With his arms folded, Mitsue stood silent. Looking at the stage, he noticed something new. Slowly, he made his way to it. Seeing Mitsue, Kia gave Rafiki to Orie and went along with Mitsue as well.

In front of the stage was a long wooden table. On it was several metal collars. Each collar was in different sizes. Touching the one in front of him, Mitsue commented, "What is this for? This is the first time I saw something like this on the island?"

Standing beside him, Kia asked, "Do you know what these are for?"

Picking up one, Mitsue answered, "I have no clue what these are for. But, it looks like it is something you would wear around your neck."

Picking up the collar nearest to her, Kia commented, "It is lighter than I thought it would be. I thought it will be heavier with the way it looked."

Flipping the collar over, Mitsue found something engraved on the collar. Reading it, Mitsue said, "Orie Kumagai…"

Turning to Mitsue, Kia asked, "What about Orie?"

Pointing at the engraved mark on the collar, Mitsue said, "Look! It has Orie's name on it."

Immediately, Kia turned over the collar she was holding. Touching the mark, Kia read, "Kaoru Giwan… Do all of these collars have our names on it?"

Quickly, the two began assessing the collars on the table. Holding a collar, Kia claimed, "This one has my name on it."

Picking up a collar as well, Mitsu said, "This one also has my name. Why do these collars have our names?"

Something is up. This does not look right. Whatever Monokuma is up to, it will be something bad for the group.

Suddenly, Kia commented, "I noticed something about all of these collars…"

"What is it?" Mitsue asked.

Pointing at the collars, Kia answered, "All of these collars have all of our names except for one person…"

"Whose name is missing?" Mitsue asked.

"I did not see Akari's name anywhere on these collars." Kia answered.

Why would Akari's name be missing?

Out of nowhere, Monokuma entered the grounds pulling a huge cage. Inside the cage was Akari screaming for help. Her clothes were dusty from being dragged on dirt. However, there was something different with her outfit. She is wearing a collar similar to these…

Holding on to the bars, Akari shouted, "Get me out of this cage!"

Mizuki commented, "Poor Akari…"

As Monokuma approached Orie, Rafiki growled.

Monokuma commented, "I am not afraid of some stupid monkey. We will have our rematch someday."

Passing through the campers, Monokuma shouted, "Get out of the way! Make a path for me! It is already hard enough to pull this cage without having to think of evading all of you!"

Instantly, the campers cleared a path for Monokuma. Silently, the campers could only watch Monokuma and Akari pass by. Waiting at the table, Mitsue commented, "What the fuck is he up to?"

"We need to do something…" Kia mumbled.

When Monokuma was near the table, it stopped pulling the cage. Then, it hopped on top of it. Pointing at Mitsue and Kia, Monokuma shouted, "Hothead and wild child, join your fellow campers now! It will be easier to talk to all of you if I am facing all of you at the same time."

Pointing at herself, Kia asked, "Are you talking to us?"

"Who else am I pointing at! Hurry up! Chop chop! We do not have much time!" Monokuma shouted.

Mitsue and Kia immediately went towards the group. Mitsue stood in front of Otoha and Orie.

Softly, Otoha commented, "Oh my gosh! What did Monokuma do to her? She looks raggedy!"

Orie replied, "Monokuma did not do that…"

Quickly, Otoha asked, "Who did?"

Mitsue looked behind him. With one glare, Orie stopped.

When the two girls stopped, Mitsue looked at Monokuma again. Sitting on the cage, Monokuma was counting.

"nine… ten… eleven… twelve… thirteen… Okay! Everyone is here! That is great! We can start!" Monokuma shouted.

As soon as Monokuma was finished counting, Kaya asked, "Why did you gather us here?"

Chuckling, Monokuma replied, "Hihihi! I have important news to share!"

Raising her right eyebrow, Kaya asked, "And what would that news be?"

"Upupupu!" Monokuma began chuckling menacingly. Hearing the unsettling laughter, the group grew more anxious. Just share it already!

"Are you going to laugh all day or are you going to tell us your news?" Kaya asked.

"Relax! Jeez! I was just trying to create tension. Seriously! All of you are so impatient. Each one of you wants everything given to you in a snap!" Monokuma commented.

"Just cut to the chase!" Mitsue shouted.

Surprised, Monokuma replied, "Alright! Alright! I am here to talk to you about your first motive!"

Hearing Monokuma's news, the campers looked at each confused with what he meant.

"Motive? What is a motive?" Mizuki asked.

Standing up, Monokuma answered, "Great question little girl! What is a motive? Well, a motive is a reason to kill!"

A reason to kill?

With his brows furrowed, Naoki asked, "Um… Are you… um… saying that… um… you are giving us… um… a reason to kill?"

"Bingo!" Monokuma shouted.

Suddenly, Kaoru asked, "Why are you giving us something like that?"

Monokuma replied, "If you guys remember, you are in a killing game. So far, everything has been too peaceful. Well… not that peaceful. Isn't that right, Akari? Hihihihi!" Then, Monokuma looked at Akari. Akari simply glared at Monokuma.

"This is a killing game and no one is doing any killing! How can I call this a killing game if no one is doing the deed? Because of that, I have come up with a motive that will surely make at least one of you sharpen a knife and stab someone in the back! Upupupu!" Monokuma continued.

Out of nowhere, Kia asked, "What is the motive then?"

With a smile, Monokuma answered, "Before I reveal the motive, I will need all of you to wear one of the collars behind me. Wear the collar that has your name on it."

Hiroto asked, "Is wearing the collar part of the motive?"

Monokuma answered, "Yes, it is!"

Clapping, Yo commented, "If that is the case, all we have to do is not wear a collar!" Turning to everyone, Yo continued, "Let's not wear the collars!"

Suddenly, Akari shouted, "No! Wear the collars! Please, wear one!"

Why is she making us wear one?

Then, Orie asked, "Why should we wear one, Akari?"

Beamingly smiling, Monokuma answered, "If you don't, this woman's head will go ka-boom!"

Covering her mouth, Mizuki commented, "We need to save her."

Shrugging it off, Kai commented, "I can live with that. It was nice meeting you Akari!"

Coldly, Hiroto mumbled, "Threatening to kill Akari is not that threatening…"

Turning to Hiroto and Kai, Kia replied, "How dare both of you say that?"

Kai replied, "What is wrong with what I said? Akari is not that helpful in the group. I say let's cut off the dead weight of the group now before they become more problematic!"

Pointing at Kai, Kia replied, "You are heartless! How dare you say that about your fellow camper? No one deserves to be sacrificed!"

Nonchalantly, Kai added, "Come on now! Are we really going to risk everything just to save a pompous girl like Akari?"

Akari may be a bitch but no one is dying on my watch.

"Everyone, grab your collar." Mitsue ordered.

Surprised, Kai commented, "Wait! Seriously? You want us to wear a collar just for her? I thought, out of everyone, you will be the most comfortable with sacrificing Akari. We almost wished Akari to rest in peace because of you earlier."

Mitsue replied, "She annoys me but I will never accept the option of having someone dead if there are other options."

Kai mumbled under his breath, "But you almost killed her…"

Then, Kaoru chimed in. "If Mitsue wants us to wear a collar, it would be best to follow his lead! Let's trust our great leader!"

After that, Kaoru went to the table looking for his collar. Soon, everyone followed. Some were hesitant but, eventually, everyone was wearing one. The last one to put on their collar was Kai. As soon as he put on the collar, Kai mumbled, "This is a bad idea… If something happens to us, expect me to say I told you so!"

Suddenly, the cage opened. Immediately, Akari ran out of it. Trembling in fear, she fell to her knees in front of Naoki. Crying, Akari repeatedly said, "Thank you!"

Helping her stand up was Naoki. He helped her make her way to Kia and Orie. Mitsue was standing beside them. Glaring at Mitsue, Akari moved farther from Mitsue.

Looking at everyone, Monokuma commented, "Now that all of you are wearing the collar, I can finally reveal the motive!"

Kaito shouted, "Tell us what it is already!"

Giggling, Monokuma revealed, "In three days, all of your collars will explode if no one kills somebody! Hahahaha!"

Immediately, Kai shouted, "I told you so!"

"That is not all! Every one hour, one random collar will zap their wearer just to remind them their life is on the line! But, it will only zap someone during the daytime. No zapping will happen during nighttime. Isn't that fun?" Monokuma added.

Trying to get the collar off of him, Kaito shouted, "How do I get this thing off of me?"

Laughing at Kaito, Monokuma replied, "You will never get that thing off! I designed it to be stuck on your neck until someone dies! Struggle all you want but the only way to get those collars off of your neck is to see one of your friends flatline! Hahahahaha!"

Out of nowhere, Kai commented, "I know I should be scared for my life but the drama this will create is something I am looking forward to!"

Rolling his eyes, Mitsue shouted, "Shut the fuck up Kai! You are not helping!"

This is fucking bad! This piece of shit on our neck will be the death of our unity. I need to come up with a solution to this quickly!

"Halley's comet! I cannot believe this is happening!" Kaito commented.

Jumping off the cage, Monokuma shouted, "That is it for today! See you in two days!"

Two days? Is he going to meet us again in two days?

Mitsue asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Monokuma answered, "You will find out soon enough!" Then, he started pulling the cage with him and seemingly evaporated into thin air with the cage.

The fourteen campers were left speechless. All they could think about is the ticking time bombs on their necks.

Breaking the silence, teary-eyed, Mizuki mumbled, "I don't want to die…" Immediately, it was followed by tears rushing down her cheeks.

Hugging Mizuki, Kia said, "Don't worry! You are not going to die. No one will!"

Out of nowhere, Kai replied, "How are you sure you can keep her alive after three days? Are you going to kill someone?"

Letting go of Mizuki, Kia replied, "Of course not!"

Giggling, Kai continued, "If that is the case, Mizuki, you are going to die!"

Shaking her head, Mizuki replied, "I don't want to die!"

Out of nowhere, Yo slapped Kai. Everyone was shocked. Even Kai shut up.

"Stop scaring our poor little Mizuki! You are not helping her!" Yo said pointing at him.

Touching his cheek that Yo slapped, Kai said, "I thought I would get punched by Mitsue but I never thought you would slap me."

After that, Yo walked towards Mizuki. Crouching down to Mizuki's height, Yo whispered, "Don't listen to that big baddie! I am sure we are going to get through this somehow. Just like what you always say…"

Mizuki continued, "If God can lead you to it, He can lead you through it…"

"That is right! Let me give you a big hug." Yo hugged Mizuki.

I never thought Yo would do that. But, I am happy she did.

Out of nowhere, Kaito asked, "But Kai has a point. I don't want to be pessimistic but we are all going to die if nobody kills somebody. We are backed into a corner by Monokuma."

Kaya added, "This is not the best situation to be in right now. We have no other option. I doubt that sadistic bear is lying. It is basically kill or be killed. The question now is who is going to kill and who is going to be killed."

Quickly, the fear set in. Everyone was slightly moving away from each other. People were glancing at each other with their untrusting eyes. In just a short amount of time, a rift between everyone appeared and is growing. How can we solve this if we do not trust each other?

Suddenly, Connor shouted, "Everyone, let's just turn it down a notch. Saying all of these things is not really helping the mood. Let's all breathe."

Then, Kai added, "That is right! Let's all breathe while we can!"

"Not funny, dude!" Connor commented.

Everyone needs to feel safe but how do I do that. Even if I lie and say I can fix this, there are dickheads like Kai who will just bring the morale down constantly.

Turning to Mitsue, Kaoru asked, "What should we do?"

They need an answer and a lie is not what they need.

After exhaling sharply, Mitsue answered, "I don't know what to do. I don't have an answer yet. But I do know panicking will not help. It is okay to be scared. Being afraid of dying is natural but letting that dictate our every single move would be foolish."

"What are you trying to say then?" Kai asked.

"I need time to think. We all need time to think about this." Mitsue answered. Then, the group went silent again.

Out of nowhere, Otoha said, "It is getting dark. I think we should eat dinner."

The group agreed. Everyone went to the dining hall. Mitsue and Otoha immediately began cooking a simple dinner for everyone. It did not take them long to serve dinner. Throughout the dinner, the hall was silent. Everyone was only minding their dinner. There were no friendly banters, snarky comments, nor eye-rolling commands. There was only silence.

It did not take long for everyone to finish their dinner. Most of them left immediately and went back to their cabins. Mizuki and Kai quickly washed the dishes. Kai did not even tease Mizuki. The last person to leave the hall was Mitsue.

Sitting alone in the silence with his hands clasped together and his elbows resting on the table, Mitsue could only think of one thing, the collars.

Monokuma said there is no way we can get this off of our necks. I know he was not lying. I could tell it was not a bluff. But, unless I have not tried to pry this off of my neck, I will still try to do so. I will try to do anything even if it means I have to put a chainsaw near my neck.

Touching the collar, Mitsue whispered, "I am taking this piece of shit off of me one way or another."

This killing game is ridiculous. Forcing us to kill… What is even the point of this? I don't see how this crappy game will benefit anyone. Whoever is behind this makes me sick.

Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. I need to get this collar off somehow but if I can't, what should I do? How will I save everyone on this island? All of them are depending on me. Should I… Should I consider killing someone for the sake of everyone else?

Realizing he was considering murder, Mitsue slammed his fists on the table. "Get a grip! No one is going to die. All fourteen of us will survive this!"

I cannot believe I just thought of killing someone. This is fucking me up like I have never been before. I am not thinking straight. Killing someone is ridiculous. I should never have to kill. No one should ever have to kill. And the responsibility to make sure that it stays like that falls on me. I need an answer now. But, with my current state, I don't think I will be able to come up with anything useful. I need to take a rest. I need to get some sleep.

Disappointed in himself, he got out of his chair and walked out of the hall. In silence looking at the starry night, Mitsue walked slowly and made his way to his cabin. As soon as he made his way to his cabin, he fell onto his bed.

Looking at the ceiling of his cabin while touching the metal collar on his neck, Mitsue whispered, "How can I save everyone…"

Slowly, without even changing his clothes, he fell asleep.

It was a peaceful morning. The sky had just turned light blue from the dark blue of the night sky and the sun has not fully risen. Blowing through the island is a cool breeze creating the swooshing of the leaves of the trees. Other than the rustling of the leaves, the island was completely silent until someone shouted.

"Shit!" Mitsue shouted as he jumped out of his bed touching his neck.

That fucking hurt! That felt like a thousand bees stung my neck! This fucking collar is a nightmare!

Suddenly, an announcement was made. "Good morning campers! It is 6 am! That means it is already daytime! At least one of you should be awake by now from that zap. Hahahaha!"

And that person is me. I just woke up and we are off to a bad start. I hope this day does not get any worse.

After a few seconds, Mitsue sat back down on his bed. Touching his collar, Mitsue whispered, "I will have to try everything today to get this thing off of me. It is only made of metal. It should not be that indestructible."

I woke up too early but, after that zap, I don't think I will be able to shut my eyes get back to sleep. What time is it anyway? Grabbing his monopad from one of his hoodie's pockets, Mitsue looked at the time. 6:12 am…

Then, Mitsue looked at his window. Seeing the light blue sky, Mitsue commented, "The sun has not yet fully risen. Not too cold, not too hot… The perfect time for a morning jog… I suppose a morning jog wouldn't hurt me. It might help me clear my mind a bit."

Made up his mind, Mitsue stood up. Then, he went to the mirror on his cabinet. Combing his hair with his fingers, Mitsue commented, "This will have to do." Satisfied, Mitsue walked out of his cabin. Closing the door of his cabin, a familiar voice shouted, "Mitsue! You are already awake as well! What a weird coincidence!"

Not her again… Why does it always have to be her? Why can't it be someone sane like Kaoru or Otoha? He turned around and saw Yo standing in front of his cabin waving hello. My morning is really off to a bad start…

Stoic, Mitsue replied, "You are also awake…"

Completely oblivious, Yo smilingly replied, "Yup! I can't help myself but wake up early! It is a habit of mine! And I guess, it is a habit of yours too! You have been waking up quite early this past few days as well."

Snappily, Mitsue replied, "This time, I did not want to wake up yet but this fucking collar zapped me."

Pointing at Mitsue, Yo asked, "You were the one who got zapped first?"

Mitsue nodded.

Yo commented, "Talk about bad luck. How did it feel?"

How did it feel? How do you think it feels like being zapped on the neck?

Mitsue answered, "It fucking hurt. It was painful enough to make me jump out of my bed."

Suddenly, Yo shouted, "It made you jump out of your bed? That means that zap must be really painful! If someone like you was hurt by it, how much pain can others like Mizuki tolerate if they get zapped?"

What does that suppose to mean? Am I not allowed to feel pain? I'm human. I am not numb. But… she does have a point. The zap is not life-threatening but I wonder how much can some of them tolerate the pain. Based on my experience in the field, depending on the person's pain threshold, the zap can cause someone to faint. I thought the zap was just an afterthought but now I think it is designed to push someone to a breaking point.

Contemplating on the zap, Mitsue fell into silence as he stared at the trees rustling from the breeze passing by. His brows were furrowed while his arms were folded. Grinding his molars, he left Yo staring at him.

Pouting, Yo whispered, "Mitsue has spaced out…"

Slowly, Yo made her way to Mitsue. Carefully, she took each step quietly. Once she was in front of Mitsue, she immediately poked him on his side. Feeling the pain, Mitsue jerked away from Yo. Then, he turned to Yo.

When did she get here?

Shaking his head, Mitsue asked, "I spaced out, didn't I?"

Nodding, Yo answered, "You did! You were staring at the trees. You should have seen your face. It was so intense. I bet whatever you were staring at has evaporated. Nothing could survive that glare."

I am spacing out again… Get a grip Mitsue. Don't get stuck in your head again. Remember what they taught you. Never buckle under pressure. It won't help me.

Suddenly, Yo chuckled. Smilingly, Yo pointed out, "You are spacing out again! You know, you should let people see you like this. They might think of you as something more than a boss."

Quickly, Mitsue replied, "No, I can't. Not right now. Everyone needs me to be calm. I need to reassure the group that I can save them."

With her right arm akimbo, Yo smilingly commented, "Well, that works too. But, if you need my help, you can always ask me! Teamwork makes the dream work!"

Mitsue stood silent as he stared at Yo's beaming smile.

How can she smile like that? She looks like her normal self. It is as if nothing bad happened. How can she smile when there is a huge threat to her life? She is wearing what could literally kill her. Does she not understand how bad our situation is?

Staring at Yo, Mitsue asked, "How can you smile like that?"

Pouting her mouth and furrowing her brows, Yo asked, "What do you mean? I smile the way I smile because I smile that way. Is there a proper way to smile that I don't know?"

Shaking his head, Mitsue answered, "That is not what I meant. I am just baffled by how energetic you are despite yesterday's event. You are still as peppy and cheery as you were when I met you."

Looking up, Yo asked, "How should I act then? What were you expecting?"

Glancing to his side, Mitsue answered, "I don't know. I guess I was expecting you to be a bit less energetic. Normally, when someone's life is threatened, they usually quake in fear acting differently from the way they normally do."

Folding her arms looking at Mitsue, Yo replied, "Were you expecting me to be sad and lock myself inside my room? Did you think I would just wither away in fear?"

Mitsue answered, "I guess so… I am not really sure what I was expecting."

"What is the point of acting that way?" Yo asked.

Mitsue was stunned.

Yo continued, "When I heard the motive, I felt scared. I am scared for my life. I could cry endlessly, tremble with every step I make, lock myself up in my room, or stare at the trees all-day but I choose not to because what is the point of acting that way? It is not going to help me or anyone in any way. I would rather smile than sulk all-day because smiling is contagious and smiling is the first step in solving any problem!"

You might be a total nutjob but what you just said is what everyone needs to hear right now. I cannot believe that, out of everyone on this island, I heard that from you.

Suddenly, Yo grabbed Mitsue's hand. Smiling, Yo said, "Let's go on a jog! You were planning to go on a jog weren't you."

Surprised, Mitsue could not do anything but let Yo drag him with her. Here she goes again. She really is as energetic as she was when I first met her…

After jogging with Yo, Mitsue took a shower. Then, he changed into a fresh set of clothes and went straight to the dining hall. As he was walking, all he could do was talk to himself. Cracking his knuckles, Mitsue whispered, "Be calm. Everyone depends on me to stay calm. If I crack now, everyone will."

After a few minutes of taking his time walking, he finally reached the dining hall. Standing in front of the door, Mitsue let out a sigh. "Just act normal."

Grabbing the door handle, Mitsue opened the door. Immediately, Mitsue saw there were people already in the room. The noisiest of them all was Yo who was naturally leading the conversation of the group. Kia and Orie were sitting beside her playing with Raf. Kaoru was listening intently at Yo while Hiroto, sitting beside Kaoru, was quietly taking a nap.

At least they all look like how they would normally be. It is probably because of Yo's contagious positivity. She must have given them an unintentional pep talk.

Making his way to the group, Yo shouted, "Hello Mitsue!"

After hearing his name, everyone looked at him. Even Hiroto woke up and looked at him. Kaoru greeted, "Good morning Mitsue!"

Mitsue gave him a wave of a hand. He continued walking towards the group. Then, he sat beside Hiroto. Immediately, Kaoru asked, "Did you figure out how to deal with this collar?"

Letting out a sharp exhale, Mitsue shook his head. "I don't have an answer yet but I am not yet done looking for a way to solve our problem."

Suddenly, Yo shouted, "You heard him! Didn't I tell all of you we can depend on him? He will not rest until our problem is fixed!" Then, the group grew quiet.

Surprised, Mitsue asked, "Why are you saying that?"

Yo replied, "All of them except for Hiroto who slept on us was really worried that you might have given up since the situation seemed hopeless. I had to talk some sense into them that they should not lose confidence in you. You are not the type to leave everyone hanging."

Hiroto whispered, "Of course he isn't…"

Immediately, Kaoru added, "I am sorry Mitsue! I should not have lost confidence in my leader! It is so stupid of me to think you will not be able to lead us out of our dilemma!"

Kia added, "I am your second-in-command and I quickly doubted you. I should not have given up that quickly. Being a leader for the first time is hard! I do not deserve to be in this position."

Patting Kia on her shoulder, Orie said, "Take it easy. You are doing fine for your first time leading."

"Thanks!" Kia said. Suddenly, Rafiki jumped onto Kia hugging her arm.

Patting Rafiki, Kia whispered, "Thank you Raf!"

All of this is thanks to Yo. She is a klutz but her childish innocence is what we need right now.

After that, the group continued with their prior conversation. Hiroto went back to sleep. A few seconds later, Otoha arrived. Hurriedly, she went to where the group was. Reaching the table, she said, "I am sorry! I woke up late! If I had not been zapped, I would have woken up later."

Mitsue replied, "It is alright."

"You have been zapped as well?" Orie asked.

"Yes! It hurt! It felt like a lion bit my neck." Otoha answered.

"I was zapped earlier. For a second, I forgot how to breathe! The jolt to the neck was excruciating." Orie detailed.

"Hearing your stories about the zap is making me more scared of it." Kaoru commented touching his collar.

"It is already past 8. If the zap is hourly, there should be another one who has been zapped. Who could it be?" Orie asked.

Raising his hand, Mitsue said, "I would be the other one. I was the first one to be zapped."

Pointing at Mitsue, Kia asked, "You were the one Monokuma was laughing at during the morning announcement?"

Mitsue nodded. "Yup. It fucking hurt. It made me jump off of my bed."

Kaoru commented, "Even Mitsue was hurt… I hope I get lucky and not get zapped!"

This conversation needs to end now.

Mitsue stood up from his seat. Looking at Otoha, Mitsue said, "Let's start cooking everyone's breakfast." Otoha nodded and the two went to the kitchen. The two did not take too long to cook breakfast. As soon as they were done, the two of them served the food immediately. When they went out of the kitchen, they saw no one new came. It was the same group of people they left to cook food.

I guess the others are not in the mood to eat with everyone else. As expected, people are trying to isolate themselves for safety.

Placing the last plate of food on the table, Mitsue said, "That's the last plate. Dig in everyone."

The group began eating their breakfast. Even though they were fewer than they normally would be, they were still as lively as they would be. Disregarding table manners, Yo was cracking up everyone with her silly antics. The only quiet ones were Hiroto and Mitsue.

As the group was enjoying their lovely breakfast, the door of the hall swung open. The group stopped and looked at the door and saw Kai and Mizuki. Immediately seeing the group, Mizuki waved a hello.

"Good morning everyone!" Mizuki smilingly greeted everyone.

Suddenly, Kai shouted, "Hello everyone! What a fine morning it is! Aren't you all glad to see-" Before he could finish his sentence, he dropped onto his knees clutching onto his collar.

"Fucking shit! What the fuck is happening to me? Oh, I am hurt! I am in so much pain! Make it stop!" Kai shouted.

Grabbing his monopad from his pocket, Hiroto commented, "It is 9 am. He must be the unlucky one this time."

Kai continued screaming in pain.

Serves him right for being dramatic all the time. I will never forget the look on his face when he got zapped.

Still clutching onto his collar, Kai barely whispered, "Please… help… me… can't… breathe…" Suddenly, Kai collapsed on the floor.

Immediately, the group ran towards Kai except for Hiroto and Mitsue. Panicking over the unconscious Kai, Mizuki asked, "What should we do? Should we bring him to the clinic?"

"I don't know what to do!" Orie answered.

Looking at Mitsue, Kia shouted, "Mitsue, this is your field of expertise. What should we do?"

Staring at them blankly, Mitsue answered, "Leave him be."

Surprised, Otoha replied, "We can't! He needs our help."

With a smirk, Mitsue replied, "Trust me. He doesn't."

Kaoru added, "But he is unconscious."

"Relax. He is not unconscious. He is just messing around again." Mitsue added.

The group stopped and looked at Mitsue. With her brows furrowed, Mizuki asked, "He is not unconscious?"

"No." Mitsue replied.

"How can you say that he is faking it?" Yo asked.

"Orie, Otoha, when you were zapped, were you zapped that long?" Mitsue asked.

Otoha answered, "I don't think so."

"Mine was quick." Orie added.

"Mine was quick as well. Plus, if someone is getting zapped on their neck, do you think they will be able to say anything clearly?" Mitsue asked.

Looking at Kai, the group walked away from him.

Mitsue shouted, "Get up attention whore."

Immediately, Kai opened his eyes and sat up straight. Pouting, Kai shouted, "You took away the fun of it! I was excited to see who will carry me to the clinic! The drama of people thinking I might be on the verge of death is giving me goosebumps. It was exhilarating! I wonder who would have shed a tear if I died."

Mitsue commented, "Being overly dramatic made you unbelievable."

"I am a writer, not an actor after all. I guess my acting skills need more fine-tuning. Maybe next time I might make you fall for my act." Kai said standing up and dusting the dirt off of his pants. Then, he made his way to the table with Mizuki.

Instantly, Mizuki began eating. Unlike Mizuki, Kai only looked at everyone else. Resting his head on the table, Kai commented, "We are missing five people. Not everyone is here, boring!"

What is he up to this time?

Sitting up straight, Kai continued, "Messing with 8 people is not as fun as messing with 13 people. There will not be that much drama."

"Just eat. You had your moment already." Mitsue commented.

"One moment is not enough! I need to see people bickering with other people. After everything that happened yesterday, I thought I was guaranteed to see some claws out. I thought there would at least be a second round of Mitsue versus Akari." Kai commented.

"Sorry to disappoint but you will not be getting the drama you want today." Mitsue replied.

"Even you are boring today! Staying here will not do me any good." Kai said.

"What are you trying to say?" Kia asked.

Standing up, Kai replied, "I am leaving. I cannot stir the pot when there are only these few of us. Bye guys! Don't miss me too much."

Then, Kai walked out of the hall.

Looking at the door, Kaoru commented, "He is just being overly dramatic again."

Yes, he is…

The group went back to eating. Out of nowhere, Kia tapped on Mitsue's hand saying "By the way, Orie and I wanted to help you with getting rid of the collar."

"Really?" Mitsue asked.

Orie nodded.

"Okay then. After lunch, meet me in the tool shed." Mitsue said.

Kia and Orie both gave him a thumbs up.

The group had finished eating their lunch. Just like during breakfast, there were only eight of them who ate together.

Walking under the heat of the sun, Mitsue was making his way to the tool shed. It did not take him too long to reach the shed. Once he reached the shed, he immediately opened the door. The first thing he saw was Orie smiling as she drew on a piece of paper on top of the desk. Looking at Mitsue, Orie instantly dropped her pencil and stopped drawing. All Mitsue could stare at was the paper. From where he was standing, all he could see was that she was drawing a girl.

Staring at the piece of paper, Mitsue asked, "Who are you drawing?"

Crumpling the piece of paper, Orie replied, "No one. Just scribbling randomly…" Then, she put the paper inside one of the pockets of her jacket.

"What a shame you crumpled up your drawing. I could see that it was coming along quite beautifully." Mitsue commented.

"Don't worry about it. It is not that great." Orie replied.

"I beg to differ. In my opinion, it looked great." Mitsue added.

Orie commented, "You must have not seen that many artworks, professional artworks, to think my drawing was great."

"That is right. I have not seen that many drawings in my life but I know what great art looks like. Stop being so self-conscious of your art." Mitsue continued.

Hearing Mitsue's words, Orie could not say a word.

After that, Mitsue walked over to the walls decorated with dangerous objects. Grabbing the red ax, Mitsue asked, "By the way, where is Kia?"

Still staring at the door, Orie answered, "Oh! Right! Kia… I am not really sure where Kia is…"

Suddenly, the door opened and there was Kia with her pet monkey Rafiki on her shoulder. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting! I helped out Mizuki in washing the dishes. Poor girl! She looked like a hummingbird trying to carry a boulder when she was washing the big pots. My conscience would not let me let her do it on her own."

Turning to Kia, Mitsue replied, "It is alright. Let's get started with this."

"What is the plan?" Kia asked.

Holding the ax in his hands, Mitsue answered, "We use everything we can in this tool shed to cut off our collars."

"That's it?" Orie asked.

"Yes. We are going to use brute force. We know so little about our collars. We might as well try the most obvious route first which is swinging an ax, chainsaw, or even a fucking sword onto the collar." Mitsue answered.

"This seems dangerous…" Kia said.

"That is why I am volunteering myself as the guinea pig. You guys will swing this ax while I try to stay still lying on the floor." Mitsue said handing the ax over to Kia.

Apprehensive, taking the ax from Mitsue's hands, Kia replied, "Okay…"

Immediately, Mitsue lied down on the floor. Kia knelt on Mitsue's left side while Orie stood on his right side. Kia led Rafiki to jump off of her. Taking a deep breath, Kia raised the ax readying herself to make a swift slice. Taking a deep breath, Kia raised the ax even higher. Gritting her teeth and firmly gripping on the handle, she nodded her head pumping herself up. After a few seconds of staring at Mitsue, she suddenly put down the ax.

"What is the problem?" Mitsue asked.

"It is nothing. It is just that it does not feel right to do this. I feel like my jacket is getting in the way. Let me take it off first before I continue." Kia said unbuttoning her jacket. It did not take her long to take off her jacket. She grabbed the ax and raised it again.

"Here goes nothing!" Kia whispered.

Then, Kia swung the ax. As she was swinging the ax, Mitsue looked at Kia. Instantly, he rolled away from the ax with the ax hitting the floor. The sound of the floor cracking from the force of the ax made a loud thud enough to make Rafiki hide under the desk. Only two inches off, the ax landed beside Mitsue's head. Seeing how close the ax was to Mitsue's head, Orie fell to her knees.

Looking at Kia, Orie stuttered, "You… You… You almost killed M-M-Mitsue…"

Hearing Orie, Kia let go of the ax leaving it sticking out of the floor.

Sitting up straight, Mitsue said, "Kia, keep your eyes open when you are swinging the ax. Don't close your eyes while in the middle of swinging it."

"I am so sorry! I am scared to hit you." Kia said.

"You will hit me if you don't keep your goddamn eyes fucking open! Now, grab the ax and let's do it again." Mitsue said.

"You got to be kidding me Mitsue. You almost died. We should stop this." Orie begged.

"No! We need to test every possibility. I trust Kia she will not hurt me… intentionally." Mitsue replied.

"This is a bad idea!" Orie said.

"Mitsue is right. We need to do this. I just need to toughen up like a hippo." Kia said.

Mitsue lied down again. Kia took the ax out of the floor. Raising the ax, Kia took a deep breath. Confident with her firm grip on the ax, she swung the ax down. This time, Mitsue stayed still. Suddenly, the ax hit the collar creating a loud thud.

"You did it!" Mitsue cheered.

"Yes, I did!" Kia replied.

"Quickly, check if we were able to damage the collar." Mitsue said.

Immediately, Orie knelt on the floor ran her right hand onto Mitsue's collar. Eyeing the collar, Orie was carefully examining every inch of it. After a few minutes, she let go of the collar. Letting out a sharp exhale, Orie said, "The ax did not do anything."

"Really? I swung the ax with all of my might! I was channeling my inner bison. I thought it would at least leave a scratch." Kia said staring at the ax in her hands.

Standing up, Orie asked, "What should we do now? The ax did not work."

Pointing at the wall with the numerous sharp tools, Mitsue said, "Grab another weapon and hope the next weapon will dent this thing on my neck."

"Should we really continue this? If the ax cannot dent the collar, I can't see the other tools being able to break the collar off." Orie commented.

"We need to try everything before we give up." Mitsue replied.

Looking at Kia, Orie begged, "Let's stop this before Mitsue gets hurt."

Grabbing the ax, Kia stood up. Slowly, she made her way to the wall mounted with weapons. Carefully, she put back the ax on the wall. Then, she grabbed the sword nearest to her. Turning to Orie, Kia said, "Mitsue is right. We need to try everything before we give up."

"I guess I have no choice but to be on standby if anything happens." Orie said.

The three of them continued with their plan. Kia swung everything she can onto Mitsue's collar to slice it off. Out of desperation, Kia used a shotgun hoping the bullet might at least dent the collar. Sadly, just like the other weapons, the bullet did not leave a scratch. It only bounced away from the collar. With the shotgun being the last weapon she used, Kia put the shotgun back on the wall.

Mitsue sat up straight and leaned his back on the wall. Orie stood next to one of the drawers. After putting back the shotgun, Kia went to the desk. She knelt and reached her hands out to get the trembling Rafiki. Carrying it in her arms, Rafiki was still shaking. Caressing the monkey's head, Kia whispered, "I am sorry bud for scaring you. Don't worry. It is over. You do not need to be scared anymore." After a few seconds, Rafiki stopped shaking. Then, Kia sat on the desk.

Letting out a sharp exhale, Mitsue said, "This sucks. This collar is completely impenetrable."

"At least we now know getting it off using brute force will not work on it." Orie commented.

"That means we need to get creative with getting it off." Kia added.

"I was really hoping the collar would at least get a dent." Mitsue mumbled.

Kia asked, "Why just a dent? Weren't you hoping to get it off?"

"Of course I was. I would love to get it off but I knew it was just wishful thinking. But with a dent, at least we can show it the group and say that the collar is not completely impenetrable. It would have given the group a bit of hope." Mitsue answered curling his right hand into a fist.

"Even a small dent would lift everybody's spirits." Orie added.

"I think we need to stop here for now. I will think of other ways to get this thing off. If you figure out something, just tell me." Mitsue said.

The two girls agreed.

Then, the room fell into silence. Mitsue stood up from the floor dusting the dirt off of his pants. Orie grabbed Kia's jacket from the floor and handed it to her.

"Thanks!" Kia said taking the jacket from Orie.

As Kia was putting on her jacket, Mitsue noticed something on her left arm just below her shoulder. Pointing at her arm, Mitsue said, "I think you have dirt on your left arm."

Immediately, Orie replied, "It is not dirt. It is a tattoo of a black weighing scales."

Turning to Orie, Mitsue asked, "You know what I was talking about?"

Orie nodded. "I mistook it as mud when I first saw it. She told me it was the mark of her group. It was Shorai Society, wasn't it?"

Kia answered, "Yup! It is Shorai Society. Every member has a mark somewhere on their body."

"Why?" Mitsue asked.

Orie answered, "She said it shows how serious and dedicated they are to their cause."

Kia gave her a thumbs up. Then, Rafiki jumped onto Orie's head. Surprised, Orie said, "Why did you jump onto my head you silly monkey?"

The two girls continued talking to each other laughing about Rafiki while Mitsue stood silently looking at the two girls. I never thought these two would be this close. One is wild while the other one has trust issues. I did not think that combination would work.

Staring at the two ladies, Mitsue commented, "You two are really close."

The two girls stopped and looked at Mitsue. Putting her arm around Orie, Kia replied, "Of course, we are! We are best friends!"

Orie nodded.

"That is good both of you found a best friend in each other in this trying times." Mitsue commented.

"Any obstacle is easier to tackle when you have a friend with you." Orie replied.

A friend, huh? I wonder what it would feel like to have one…

That is it for this update! I hope you enjoyed this! What do you think of the motive? I know it is a bit simple but don't worry. Something is about to come next update. What do you guys think the first motive? You can tell me through a review!

If you want to talk about this story and other stuff, you can always join the server for this story. The invite is on my profile.

Anyway, that is it for now.

Good luck to all of us and stay safe!