Hi guys! It is the first part of chap 2! I am so excited for everyone to read it!
Trigger warning: There will be a light discussion of physical abuse. Please be warned.
It was a cold and peaceful four am on the island and the sky was still pitch black. The full moon was still present in the sky, shining its light brightly onto the island. Several stars that form countless constellations were still visible in the sky twinkling as time passed by. The bioluminescent flora of the island was still glowing intensely under the dim environment. The island was still glowing orange, green, blue, and purple lighting up the numerous paths and areas on the island. The cool land breeze filled the island causing the loud rustling of the trees and bushes on the island. The waves from the sea crashed loudly and rhythmically against the rocky walls of the isle.
Just like the camp, its campers were still in a peaceful state. Most of them were still trapped in their dreams. Some were snoring loudly like a pig while others were sleeping quietly like a baby. However, one of them, unlike the island, was in a state of complete chaos and frustration. Tossing around his bed, Mitsue sweated as he struggled to regain his peace after being accidentally woken up by Rafiki's tail.
An hour ago, Rafiki rolled around Mitsue's bed. Unknowingly, it slapped its tail onto Mitsue's face, angrily waking him up from his deep slumber. After that, the monkey scurried to one of the chairs in Mitsue's room and eventually fell asleep on it. Unlike the primate, Mitsue, no matter how hard he tried or how long he shut his eyes, he was unable to fall back to sleep. Lying quietly on his bed, the only thing that was loud to him were his thoughts that were eating him alive.
Staring silently at his ceiling, Mitsue let out a sigh. Yesterday was a nightmare. I wish it was a nightmare. I wish it was a bad dream. I wish none of it ever happened. Can someone please tell me none of it was real? Tell me Kia and Orie are still alive.
Then, Mitsue turned to his right. Why did things go the way they happened? None of what I had planned happened. Kai and I are the ones that should have died not the two most helpful people on the island. When Kai suddenly disappeared yesterday, I should have hurriedly gone back to the kitchen and dumped out his bowl of oatmeal. I should have never let Yo give it to Kia.
Slowly, he got up from his bed and sat up straight. Staring at the door, Mitsue continued to let his thoughts devour him. If it was not for me, Kia would still be alive and probably be sleeping safely right now with Rafiki in her room while Orie would have never had the chance to kill Kia and would not do something she will regret. I messed up. All of this is my fault. There is no one else to blame but me. I was in charge and I did not deliver as the group's leader. I completely fucked up everything. I failed everyone.
Lethargically, he stood up from his bed, uncovering himself from his soft blanket. Carefully, he walked across his room, making sure his step would not make a noise. Then, he sat down on a chair that was right in front of where Rafiki was sleeping.
The monkey was sleeping on a cold wooden chair. It had its head resting on its long arms. and its body was curled. Its long furry tail was dangling off of the chair as the tip of it was barely touching the ground. As it was sleeping, the monkey's face was riddled with worried expressions. It would randomly let out a cry similar to how it was weeping earlier. The monkey quivered from time to time as it continued to softly wail in its sleep.
After hearing it cry for so long last night, I could not leave it behind. My conscience will not let me leave this monkey to cry all night long alone inside Kia's room. The thought of it howling in grief does not sit right with me. Because of that, I am stuck with you, Rafiki. It is so dumb of me. I don't even know where you should be sleeping. Looking at you right now, I am sure you are uncomfortable. If Kia was with you, she would know what to do. She would have probably made sure you had a comfortable bed of your own. Maybe, she even let you sleep beside her.
Shaking his head, Mitsue let out a sharp exhale. I am sorry Rafiki. I am sorry for taking your human away from you. You are all alone now because of me. If you only knew this, I am sure you would not be sleeping peacefully in my room right now. I am sure you have attacked me already. You would have scratched me until I bleed or do something to get back at me until you have used up all of your energy in releasing your anger onto me. You would have despised me so much just like how everyone on this island despises me right now.
After scratching his head, he began staring off into the distance. I know that I am doing this only to appease my guilt. In the end, it is all for my selfish need. I am letting you stay the night in my room to give me peace of mind. But, the more I stare at you, the guiltier I feel. However, I know that leaving you alone tonight would eat me alive as well. I don't know what to do. I am stuck. I am lost. I feel like shit. I am desperate. I have never been this desperate.
Covering his mouth, Mitsue lowered his chin. Softly, Mitsue mumbled, "I am sorry, Rafiki! I really am! I wish I could turn back time and do things differently. If only I could do that, I would. I definitely would."
As Mitsue continued to mumble to himself, Rafiki let out a soft yawn. Slowly, it got up from the chair. Then, it sat up with its back hunched over and stared at Mitsue. Mitsue reciprocated its stare and the two looked at each other without anyone making a noise. This went on for a few minutes until Mitsue broke into laughter. Why am I having a staring contest with a monkey! That is it! I finally had gone crazy. There is no other way to explain this. I am inside my room awake this early talking to a monkey and ended up staring for as long as I would say probably ten minutes. What has gotten into me?
Mitsue continued to laugh at himself as the monkey stared at him confusedly. As he was laughing, the monkey unexpectedly jumped onto his lap and tugged on his shirt. Feeling this, Mitsue stopped and looked at its face. The monkey simply smiled at him. Please don't smile at me like that. I don't deserve that smile of yours. Keep that smile for Kia only. Don't show it to me. I will only hate myself more. I will feel more pathetic than I already feel. Please, just hate me! Hate me! It will be easier for both of us. It will be easier for me if you stayed that way while you stay in my room.
If my parents could see me right now, they would probably scold me for being such a failure of a leader. They will never tolerate this display of patheticness. They will make sure I learned my lesson. Mitsue continued to stare blankly at the monkey as tears rushed down his cheeks. I wish I have them by my side right now. I wish they could tell me what to do. They always know what to do. I miss my parents. I miss my home. I miss my life. When did everything become like this? When did my life turn upside down and become completely shitty? Why am I even a part of something like this? Can someone please tell me what to do!
Rafiki reached out his hand and placed it onto Mitsue's cheek. As it playfully wiped his hands with Mitsue's tears, the monkey continued to beam its innocent smile at him. Staring at this, Mitsue let out a chuckle. How low have I stooped? I have a monkey on my lap playing with my cheeks probably thinking why a fool like me is crying. It is smiling at me because I am sure it finds me hilarious. "Wow, I did not know this man can bawl his eyes out!" This monkey must be thinking something like that right now.
"What are you thinking right now, little monkey?" Mitsue whispered, removing Rafiki's hand off of his face.
"ooh ooh ah ah!" Rafiki shouted as it pointed at the Mitsue. It is definitely making fun of me.
Then, Mitsue cautiously removed the monkey from his lap. Safely, he placed the monkey onto the table in front of him. I am going mental! I need to get out of here. I… I need a breath of fresh air. Suddenly, Mitsue stood up from the chair and quickly got changed. In a matter of seconds, Mitsue was able to change from his sleeping attire into his casual set of clothes. Before leaving, he grabbed his monopad and placed it inside one of the pockets of his hoodie.
As he opened the door, he turned to Rafiki which was standing behind him, blankly staring at him. Pointing at the monkey, Mitsue ordered, "Stay there. Don't follow me. But, don't do anything ridiculous in this room while I am gone, okay?"
The monkey simply tilted its head. What am I doing? Why am I still talking to this monkey? I really am losing it. As if it could understand me. "Goodbye…" Mitsue said. Why did I say goodbye to it? I am so dumb. I really need to get out of here already. He shook his head before stepping outside of his cabin.
As soon as he stepped outside, he immediately noticed the pitch-black sky. Staring at the sky, Mitsue whispered, "It is still that early. The sun hasn't even risen. What time is it anyway?" Mitsue took out his monopad and saw it was only two minutes before five o'clock in the morning. I still have an hour before the morning announcement. I might as well jog to take my mind off of things. Nodding, he put on the hood of his hoodie over his head. Let's do this.
As he was going down the stairs in front of his porch, Mitsue heard a loud scratching sound accompanied by the rustling of leaves near him. What was that? Instantly, he stopped in his tracks and looked for where it was coming from. It did not take him long to find where it was coming from.
Underneath a tree, a man was raking the leaves that had fallen from it. The man silently raked as the wind continued to pass by and decimate some of the pile of leaves he has raked. However, instead of getting annoyed, the man continued to rake with a blank face focused only on the rake and the leaves. I forgot Hiroto rakes this early.
Without thinking, Mitsue took a closer look at Hiroto as he raked the scattered leaves. If I was him, I would be annoyed with the wind by now. I would not complain about it but it would have definitely shown in my face. I would have probably cursed the wind at this point under my breath because it keeps on destroying the pile of leaves.
Hiroto continued to rake in silence as he was watched by Mitsue. After a few minutes of silently watching Hiroto, Mitsue was finally approached by the runway model. The model slowly walked towards him as he looked straight at his eyes. Hiroto's footsteps lightly echoed through the field. When he was only a few inches apart from Mitsue, he stopped. Then, he continued to stare at Mitsue in the eyes as he gripped onto the rake. What does he want from me? Is he looking for a fight? I am not in the mood to quarrel with him.
The tension between the two filled the air like electricity. No one dared to break the stare. After a few seconds of palpable silence, Hiroto finally spoke up. "Can you move? I will be raking this spot." Hiroto said, pointing at the leaves Mitsue was standing on.
Mitsue was taken aback. He looked down and saw he was stepping on scattered leaves. Oh shit! Immediately, Mitsue moved out of the way and went to the side. "Sorry about that! You may continue." Mitsue gestured to Hiroto the ground.
After moving out of the way, Mitsue continued to watch the model do his duty. What was I thinking? Why did I think he wanted to fight me? That is so stupid of me! He is obviously focused on his task. Thinking about it, he was always like this. He never said no when he was ordered. He always did them diligently. I never heard him complain. He does not ask anything for it in return. He was never part of a squabble. What would he even fight about with others when he does not even talk to them?
Crossing his arms, Mitsue shouted, "Sorry for glaring at you so intensely. I thought you wanted to fight with me for a second back there. That was silly of me. Please forgive me about that."
"I did not mind it. Don't worry about it." Hiroto replied, only looking at what he was raking. Did he reply? I did not expect him to reply.
"Even if you did not mind it, I still wanted to apologize. It was wrong of me to think about you like that." Mitsue added.
"Is that what you think about me?" Hiroto asked.
"Excuse me?" Mitsue replied, raising his right brow.
"Is that what you think about me, someone who comes up to people for no reason and have a fight with them?" Hiroto monotonously clarified.
"Not really…" Mitsue answered, shaking his head.
"Then, what kind of person do you think I am?" Hiroto asked.
What kind of person is he? I am not close to him so I really don't know how to answer that. I don't want to offend him. I should be careful not to say anything bad about him. But, thinking about him, there is nothing really negative about him other than being cold to others. Although, being a loner is not really a negative trait especially if that person chooses to be one.
"So what kind of person am I to you?" Hiroto asked.
"You are a diligent person." Mitsue answered.
Suddenly, Hiroto stopped raking. Turning to Mitsue, Hiroto asked, "You think I am diligent? That is a first for me."
"A first for you? Being called diligent?" Mitsue asked.
"Yes…" Hiroto went back to raking.
"I hardly believe that!" Mitsue commented.
"Why would I lie to you?" Hiroto asked.
"Because you are being too modest. You are clearly a diligent type of person. You do as you are told to. I never heard you complain and you always do the task until the end. As you do your tasks, you are always laser-focused. And, you always go beyond the extra mile just like now. You did not need to wake up this early to rake but you still do." Mitsue explained.
"Diligent…" Hiroto mumbled.
"Honestly, aside from my parents, you are the most diligent person I know. You are the only one I have ever ordered that has neither complained nor slacked off before. That is why I think you are diligent." Mitsue added.
"If you think of me that way, I will let you." Hiroto commented.
"Don't worry. I don't think my opinion of you will change." Mitsue replied.
Hiroto is a helpful person. Even though he is aloof most of the time, he is a decent person. When he sees the situation needs him, he intervenes, just like yesterday. If it was not for him, I would have been voted as the killer and everyone would be dead by now. People are quick to judge him as rude and cold just because he does not talk to them but I think he cares about the people around him to a certain degree or at least has the conscience to help. If he does not have a conscience, he would have just shut up yesterday and let the group vote the wrong person.
"By the way, I have not properly thanked you for yesterday." Mitsue shared.
"Thank me? Why would you thank me?" Hiroto said, raking the leaves.
"If you had not helped me clear my name and narrowed down the list of suspects during the trial, everyone would have thought I was the killer and I doubt that we would have won the trial. Everyone owes you a thank you. I owe you a lot for fixing my mistake." Mitsue answered.
"There is no need to thank. I just did my part. My life was on the line as well." Hiroto shared.
"No, you deserve all the praise and thanks for yesterday. Thank you for saving us! Thank you for saving me." Mitsue added.
Hiroto stopped and looked at Mitsue. "I saved you?" Hiroto asked.
"You did. You saved me." Mitsue said, affirmatively nodding.
Suddenly, Hiroto looked to his right. "If that is the case…" Hiroto's lips curved into a smile. "I am glad I was able to save you." Then, the model turned around and went back to raking. Did he just smile? That was a smile, wasn't it? He smiled… Hiroto smiled and I was here to see it. That was the first time I saw him smile.
Mitsue stared blankly at the sky as he continued to replay the image of Hiroto's smile in his mind. He should smile more. He is a handsome guy but he looks like a lifeless mannequin most of the time. A warm smile like his can melt his cold appearance and make him look like a human.
After a few more minutes, Mitsue began to notice the sky had turned blue already. I should get going with my jog. I don't want to be jogging during the morning announcement. I might get zapped by this pesky collar. Why can't Monokuma already remove this collar!
Before leaving, Mitsue patted Hiroto on the shoulder. "You should smile more. You look better with a smile." Then, he jogged away before Hiroto could reply.
Mitsue began jogging around the island. Without stopping to take a rest, he passed by several buildings. He first passed by the dining hall. I wonder what I should make for breakfast today… Suddenly, his pace began to slow down.
"Do you really think everyone here will still want to eat anything you lay your hand on after knowing what you did to Kia during the trial?" That is what Akari told me. She is right. I could not even say anything wrong about it. Who would even dare to eat anything I make at this point? Only someone desperate would. I poisoned somebody through my food. It is only right to doubt my food. I guess I will leave the cooking to Otoha from now on. I am sorry Otoha. I think you will have to cook everyone's breakfast on your own starting today. Mitsue let out a loud sigh before picking up his pace again.
Mitsue continued with his jog. After minutes of silently going around the island, he finally passed the huge warehouse where they held the trial yesterday. As soon as he saw the door of the warehouse, he stopped. He placed his hand on his hips as he looked at the huge building from top to bottom. This place is the first place where I met Orie. And, ironically, is where would be the last time I saw Orie still alive. I never thought this place would become that kind of place. When we were trying to pry it open, I thought it was only a harmless warehouse. I never thought it is a place of unspeakable horror and torture. I never thought it would be where Orie will die.
Shaking his head, Mitsue continued jogging. That place is huge and the only room we have seen of it yet is the trial room which was located underground. That warehouse still has rooms yet to be discovered. There was a room behind the elevator. I wonder what Monokuma might be hiding in there. Could it be our kidnapper's hideout? I doubt our kidnapper would live on this island in a cabin just like us. But, maybe what is behind it is what a normal warehouse has. I really do not know what to think anymore.
Mitsue whispered, "Speaking of the trial, where was Orie executed? We saw her being basically tortured in a blue room but there isn't any room like that, as far as we have been able to discover." She was dragged out of the room and brought somewhere else for the execution. I wonder where that place could be. Maybe we can prevent another execution if we find that place.
After a few more minutes, Mitsue finally reached the laundry room. After glancing at the place, Mitsue stopped in his tracks and slowly went inside. Reluctantly, he opened the door. For a few seconds, all he could do was stare at the floor. That is where Kia was probably killed by Orie. Even though she was numb from pain, I am sure she knew what was happening to her. I bet she was scared for her life. Seeing your best friend raise an ax against you, I wonder how it felt to be Kia at that moment. Would I snap out of my hallucination immediately? Would I scream for help? Would I reason out to her? Would I try to fight back? Would the painkiller lose effect?
Then, Mitsue sat down on one of the benches. I can't imagine being Kia at that moment. I can't think of how hurt I would be after being betrayed by someone you treated as someone special. She trusted Orie enough to tell her the truth behind Orie's best friend. She thought Orie would not change. And, even if she thought Orie would change, she trusted not to kill her. Kia must have known what she said was something that could make someone snap. When she was being murdered, did she regret telling Orie the truth? Did she wish she never told her about it?
Mitsue stood up from the bench and went out of the room. What happened in there was a sad tale between two best friends whose lives were changed only because of one secret. I hope nothing like that happens again. I really hope so.
After a few seconds, Mitsue continued jogging again. As he was making his way to the radio shack, an announcement was made. "Good morning campers! This is your head camp counselor speaking! It is already morning! Time to wake up!" Damn it! I really wanted to go back to my room before the announcement. People will start to wake up. Other than getting zapped, I don't want the others to see me.
"Also, your collars have now been disabled! You can freely take it off of your necks! Have a good day!" The announcement ended. Is it true? We can take off our collars now? Monokuma is not bluffing? I hope he is not because I will be fucking furious if he is!
Slowly, Mitsue patted his collar looking for the lock. It did not take long for him to find it on his nape. Gently, he pulled the collar off of him. Suddenly, the collar snapped and quickly fell to the ground creating a clanging noise. After it fell, Mitsue could only stare at the collar. It really came off! It is not on my neck anymore. I am free from the danger of my neck exploding! I cannot believe it! I am free! All of us are free! We are all safe!
Mitsue picked up the chunk of metal and hurriedly ran towards the cliff. Shouting at the sea, "I am free!" he threw the collar as far away as he can to the sea. As soon as the piece of metal hit the water, a loud explosion occurred echoing through the island. I forgot about the sea mines. Monokuma told us he scattered lots of it around the island. After taking a step backward, he continued with his jog. I should probably leave.
After passing the radio shack, Mitsue felt a buzz coming from his monopad. As he was jogging, he took it out of his hoodie and opened it. Instantly, he saw a new notification. "Just in… A new area has been unlocked. Campers are advised to explore the new area." A new area? I wonder what that area has in store for us. I hope it is safe and has none of Monokuma's shenanigans. I should probably check it out later just to make sure it is safe. It will be the only way to ease my mind about that place.
Mitsue picked up his pace as he made his way back to his cabin. I hope that monkey has been properly behaving inside my cabin. I hope Kia trained him to be well-behaved. I don't have time to deal with Rafiki's mess.
It did not take long for him to reach their living quarters. As he was racing to his cabin, he passed by Yo. Not her again! Good thing I jogged earlier than I would.
Waving at Mitsue, Yo greeted, "Good morning! You were extra early today! I see you already jogged! It must have been lonely you did it alone! Next time, knock on my door when you plan to jog! I would love to join you and challenge myself to keep up with a beast like you!" I will never do that!
Mitsue completely ignored Yo as he passed her by.
"I will join you next time!" Yo shouted before leaving to jog.
After a few seconds, he finally reached his cabin. Promptly, he reached out his hand and placed it on the doorknob. Slowly, he turned it. Please, let everything be the way it was when I left it. Please be okay! Without wasting another second, he opened the door. Out of nowhere, Rafiki jumped onto his face.
"Get off of me, you monkey!" Mitsue shouted.
After struggling to get Rafiki off of his face, Mitsue managed to make it sit on his shoulder. Then, he proceeded to look around his room. Letting out a sigh of relief, Mitsue commented, "Everything is still intact! Rafiki did not do anything. Whoo! I can relax now."
He made his way into his room and let Rafiki lay on his bed. Then, he took a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Grabbing his monopad, he looked at the time. 7:11 am… It is time for breakfast. Mitsue walked to the door and was about to open it when he suddenly stopped. Should I join them for breakfast? Wouldn't I only ruin the mood? Everyone might feel uncomfortable when I am around. I will probably ruin everything by being there.
Begrudgingly, he turned around and slowly made his way to his bed. After letting out a sharp exhale, Mitsue threw himself onto his bed surprising Rafiki. Maybe I should not be there this early. I should wait. I need to wait. Let's give it thirty minutes… No… Maybe an hour would do. Pfft! I am sure they are done with their breakfast at that point. Nodding his head, Mitsue whispered, "That would be the best for everyone."
Rolling to his right, Mitsue asked the staring monkey, "Would you still feel this comfortable staying in my room if you knew I killed your human?"
More than an hour has passed and Mitsue was still lying on his bed randomly scrolling through his monopad. 8:22 am… Is everybody done with their breakfast? They are probably done eating, right? They should be done by now. They usually only take this long with their meals. Everyone must have left the hall and went on with their day as they would normally do.
Mitsue sat up straight. Then, he leaned onto Rafiki. "Are you also hungry?"
The monkey only looked at him as it continued to lie on his bed. "You must feel more tired than hungry. You probably would be. After experiencing so much stress and crying as much as you did yesterday, you must be worn out. I would be if I were you."
Out of nowhere, Mitsue's stomach grumbled. Placing his hand on his belly, Mitsue whispered, "I am really hungry." I need to eat but I am still not sure if all of them already left the hall. I have not heard anyone come back to their cabins as well. But, I cannot wait any longer. All I can do now is front it out. I will be in and out of that hall in seconds. I will only be grabbing snacks from the vending machine. I think those will be enough for me.
Gently, Mitsue stood up from his bed, careful not to bother Rafiki. Looking at the monkey, Mitsue mumbled, "I will grab some berries for you as well. Just lay down there and don't do anything." And, I am still talking to a monkey. I am really losing my shit.
Shaking his head, he went to the door and out of the room. Immediately, the golden rays of the sun greeted him. It has already gotten this bright. I should get going. Indifferent to the scorching heat, Mitsue made his way to the hall. With every step he took, doubt sank in him deeper. His pace gradually decreased in speed. Unknowingly, he has curled up his right hand into a fist. Should I really go now? Maybe I should go later.
Suddenly, he felt a stronger hunger pang than earlier. Rubbing his belly, Mitsue bit his lip. I am really hungry. Just get done with it. Go in, grab some snacks, and get out. That is all I have to do. Don't do anything other than that.
After a few minutes of walking to the hall riddled in doubt, Mitsue finally reached it. He stopped in front of the door and was able to reach out his hand to open it when he suddenly heard a burst of laughter coming from inside. That was Mizuki's laugh. I bet Yo must be saying or doing some crazy shit right now. Everybody must be having a good time right now. And, I will ruin that by entering this hall right now.
Shaking his head, he placed his hand on the door handle. Don't look at them. Don't talk to them. Don't listen to them. Ignore them at all costs. Just let them have their moment. Pretend you are invisible. Don't do anything that will make the situation more uncomfortable. Stay silent.
Slowly, he opened the door. Once it was fully opened, he stepped inside and unconsciously looked over to the table where the group habitually eats. He saw everyone was there except for Kaito. All of them stopped with what they were doing and stared at Mitsue. Shit! I just looked at them. All I did was take one step and I instantly did what I told myself not to do. But. don't panic. Everything seems alright. Stay silent. Mitsue lowered his head and quietly made his way to the vending machines.
The group's stare followed Mitsue as he made his way to the machines. Although Mitsue was not looking at them, he could sense their gaze as if a spotlight was on him. Just get the snacks and get out.
The first machine Mitsue went to was the one that had fruits. Pointing at the fruits, Mitsue mumbled, "What does Kia usually get for Rafiki?" I have so many choices but I don't know what to fucking pick! Fuck it! I will get the mixed berries for that monkey. At least he will be able to pick what he wants from that bag. After choosing that fruit, he waited for it to come out. As he was waiting, he placed his right hand on his hip as he only stared at the machine.
As Mitsue waited for the fruit to drop, someone from the group finally spoke.
"I guess some people have no shame. After doing something as horrible as poisoning someone, they still have the guts to show their face to everyone. If I were them, I would hole up in my cabin and wish to disappear from the face of the earth." Akari shared, flicking her hair.
"Akari…" Otoha whispered.
"What? I am only sharing my opinion. Is there anything wrong with that?" Akari added.
"As usual, you are being tactless." Kaya commented before taking a sip from her cup of chocolate milk.
"What did you say?" Akari asked.
"Nothing. Just continue with what you were doing. Pretend that I did not say anything." Kaya replied, gesturing her hand to continue.
"All of this shouting is bad for my face." Akari commented, touching her cheeks.
What did I expect, a warm welcome from them? Obviously, this is what I would be hearing.
Turning to Mitsue, Akari shouted, "Hey! How does it feel to be ousted from your position and be replaced by Naoki?"
Just let it go. Don't respond. Just stare at this machine.
"Um… Please don't… um… bring that up…" Naoki shared, reaching out his hand to Akari.
"Why not? I just want to know how a mind of a murderer works. It is rare to have an opportunity like this." Akari replied, smiling at Naoki.
"This is getting interesting. I haven't even done anything to instigate shit and I am still getting my drama. I must be blessed and highly favored today by the heavens." Kai commented, sending a flying kiss to the sky.
Turning back to Mitsue, Akari asked, "So, how does it feel? How did it feel poisoning Kia? Did it feel great? Did it satisfy your aggression that is as bad as a crocodile's? Did you have fun? Tell us! We want to hear it."
"Dude, this is becoming too uncomfortable…" Connor mumbled, turning to his right.
"I think that is enough Akari. Just let him reflect on what he did. There is no point in doing this." Mizuki shared, touching Akari's hand.
"No! I want to hear from him! Why did he try to kill Kia? Why choose her out of everyone? What made him do it? That is all. All I want is an explanation from him." Akari answered, shaking Mizuki's hand off from hers.
Akari continued her relentless barrage of pointed questions. There was no sign she was stopping. Mitsue continued to stare at the machine, trying to avoid Akari, but he could only take so much before he snapped. I have had it.
Suddenly, Mitsue punched the machine, denting it. The loud bang echoed through the hall, stopping Akari from her chain of questioning. Still only looking at the machine, Mitsue mumbled, "I felt like shit thinking about it. I felt like shit doing it. I felt like shit afterward. Do you really think I did it just purely for the sake of killing?"
Everyone was stunned. I talked to them. I told myself not to but I can't stop myself. I can't restrain myself.
"Do you want to know the worst part for me when everything was going down? It does not matter if none of you want to. I will tell you anyway. It was when I watched Kia eat a spoonful of oatmeal I did not prepare for her. The thought of watching her eat it killed me before she even tasted it." Mitsue added.
"It was not supposed to be Kia who ate that oatmeal?" Kaoru asked.
"No! And, I was not going to give it to her as well. I was about to throw it in the kitchen but someone in this room grabbed it out of my hands and gave it to her." Mitsue stared at Yo. "I couldn't say no at that time. I couldn't reveal that bowl was laced with poison." Mitsue shared.
"Who were you planning to give the poison to? I would love to know that." Kai asked.
"It was supposed to be yours. Are you happy that you know that you were supposed to be the one to die?" Mitsue asked as he blankly stared at the drama writer.
"M-Me?" Kai asked pointing at himself.
"You are the most useless person in this group. I thought of taking you down with me, leaving the group with helpful members only." Mitsue added.
The room fell into silence. I should probably leave.
Grabbing the bag of mixed berries from the vending machine, Mitsue shared, "I am sorry for destroying the mood. I did not come here to stay this long really. I wasn't planning on talking to everyone and making a scene. I just came by to grab some snacks. I will be leaving now. I hope everyone continues to enjoy their breakfast without me."
Then, Mitsue turned around and walked to the door. Before he could open it, Yo shouted, "I don't get it…"
Mitsue stopped. What does she not get?
"I don't get it how it seems like we are more at peace with Orie killing Kia than Mitsue killing Kia. Orie was the one who violently butchered her best friend. And, she tried to get away with it and sacrifice all of us. On the other hand, Mitsue only did what he did to save most of us. And, he tried to do it as humane as possible." Yo shared, scratching her head.
Even though you are a nutjob, you have the knack to uplift people with your words. Mitsue walked out of the hall and went straight to his room. As soon as he opened the door, Rafiki jumped onto his shoulder.
"You want mixed berries?" Mitsue asked Rafiki, shaking the bag of berries in front of it.
Quickly, Rafiki snatched the fruits away from him. "You will not be able to open that without my help." Mitsue shouted.
He took the bag from Rafiki and opened it. Then, one by one, he gave the berries to Rafiki. I am jealous of you right now. I am so hungry. Because of that confrontation, I completely forgot to grab snacks for myself. I will go back to the hall later and eat.
Mitsue lied down on his bed and closed his eyes for a quick nap.
Thirty minutes had passed and both Mitsue and Rafiki were peacefully sleeping. Nothing could wake both of them up until Mitsue's stomach grumbled loudly. Immediately, Mitsue awoke from his deep slumber while Rafiki went back to his nap. Letting out a yawn, Mitsue slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. After a few minutes, he groggily sat up straight and looked down at his belly. I really need to eat.
He turned to Rafiki which was sleeping beside him. Leaving him like this should be fine. I don't think he would make a mess in this state. Please don't make a mess while I am gone. Slowly, he stood up from his bed and carefully moved away from it. Quietly, he walked to the door and opened it without making a sound. Softly, he closed it and went on his way to the hall.
Unlike earlier, he confidently strolled to the hall. Uncaring for the blazing heat, he walked past the trees and cabins to reach the building. I don't care about anything right now. I just need to eat. I feel like I am losing my energy with every second that passes while my stomach is empty. I don't care if anyone is in there. I am not going to make the same mistake as last time. I am neither going to look in their direction nor speak with them. Be invisible. That is it.
After a few minutes, Mitsue was finally in front of the hall. Not missing another second, he opened the door and found that there was only one person who was staying inside. Eating alone at their usual spot was Kaito. It is only Kaito. Just ignore him.
Mitsue walked inside and went straight to the vending machine. Sure of what he wanted, he chose quickly the snacks from the vending machine. As he was collecting his food, Kaito broke the silence. "Hello…"
Mitsue froze. What do I do? Should I greet him back? Maybe he is only greeting me to confront me as well. Then, he looked at the astrophysicist who stopped eating. But, he does not look like the confrontational type. It would be rude not to say anything now that I looked at him. I am so pathetic. I told myself not to look at anyone and, still, I am staring at someone.
"Hello, Kaito…" Mitsue greeted, continuing to collect his snacks.
"What are you going to do with those?" Kaito asked.
"These are my breakfast." Mitsue answered, showing one of the pack of chips he got to Kaito.
"Can you survive the whole day by eating just that?" Kaito asked.
"I think I can…" Mitsue answered. Then, he walked to the door. Before leaving, he turned to Kaito once more. "I'll get going now."
As he placed his hand on the door handle, Kaito suddenly shouted, "Wait! Don't go!" Don't go?
Mitsue let down his hand and turned around. What does he want from me?
Shuffling his glance from left to right, Kaito added, "You can eat your breakfast with me. You can stay here if you want to."
"Are you sure? You will not be uncomfortable with me?" Mitsue asked.
Kaito nodded. "I am okay being around you. And, there is a plate of food for you here. You should eat this instead of those snacks you took. It is better for you."
A plate of food? Did he grab a plate of food for me?
Reluctant, Mitsue walked towards Kaito. Then, he stopped in front of the table and awkwardly sat across Kaito. In front of him was a plate of a stack of fluffy pancakes covered in golden maple syrup topped with butter, a bowl of glistening mixed berries, and a cup of steaming hot chocolate milk. Wow, this is a great meal for breakfast.
He put down the snacks onto the table and grabbed the knife and fork in front of him. Before he took his first bite of the pancake, Mitsue turned to Kaito. "Thank you for the food."
"You don't need to thank me. I am not the one who prepared that food for you." Kaito replied before drinking from his glass of water.
Mitsue looked at Kaito's meal and noticed the great disparity between their meals. Unlike his luxurious meal, Kaito was eating a bowl of cereal completely submerged in milk and a glass of water. Why is he eating a different meal from me? Mitsue wondered as he stared at the bowl of cereal Kaito was devouring.
"Who prepared this?" Mitsue asked.
"I don't know. I found it like that. In front of it was a label with your name on it so I thought it was for you." Kaito answered. Who could have prepared this for me? I don't think anyone would care to leave out a plate of food for me, especially with how things went down earlier. Well, whoever is responsible for this, I need to properly thank them someday.
The two continued with their meal in silence. Neither one of them spoke to each other. No one dared to look at the other one. Both were only focused on eating their breakfast. As he took a bite of his pancake, he unconsciously looked up and saw Kaito take a glance at him. Immediately, the two broke their eye contact. Kaito went back to only looking at his bowl while Mitsue stared at the table. This is awkward…
He must be uncomfortable right now. He looked up again and saw Kaito glancing at his pancakes. He must be craving for these. Sliding his plate of pancakes to Kaito, Mitsue shared, "You can have it if you want. I am already full."
Waving his hands, Kaito replied, "No, I can't! Those were for you! Just eat it! Don't mind me."
"How can I not mind you when you keep on looking at my plate? Just take some! I don't really mind it." Mitsue gestured to the plate.
"Thank you…" Kaito slowly took a slice of pancake from the plate.
Mitsue continued to eat his berries as he watched Kaito enjoy the pancakes. Kaito looks like a dorky kid right now, enjoying a scrumptious plate of pancakes, unlike yesterday. Yesterday, I cannot describe what happened to him other than him having a complete mental breakdown. At the end of the trial, he was crouching behind his podium, covering himself. Ominously, he kept mumbling he is next to be executed. Is he doing alright? Is he fine now?
"Are you okay?" Mitsue asked.
Stopping from eating, Kaito asked, "What do you mean?"
"I am wondering if you are okay now. Yesterday during the trial, you had a breakdown. Are you okay now?" Mitsue asked.
Nodding, Kaito answered, "I think I am. I am sorry for worrying you."
"It is alright. Worrying about other people is kind of my job." Mitsue replied. "May I ask you a question?"
"What is it?" Kaito asked.
"If you are uncomfortable answering, you don't have to. I was only wondering why you had a breakdown. You kept repeating yesterday you were going to be executed next. What do you mean by that?" Mitsue asked.
Sighing, Kaito put down his utensils. Staring at the table, Kaito mumbled, "Um…"
"You don't need to answer if you don't want to." Mitsue reassured Kaito.
"It's alright. You already know Asuka is my twin sister. There is no point in hiding it anymore." Kaito shared, smiling. It has something to do with his sister… I wonder what happened to those two. "When Asuka rose to fame as part of the remnants, people who knew I was her brother persecuted me. People who were mad at her tried to get their revenge through me. There was a point when I would get death threats four times a day. A lot of people tried to kill me just to get back at my sister."
"I am sorry to hear that." Mitsue said, holding Kaito's hand.
Kaito quickly pulled back his hand. "I am not new to death. I know how it feels like my life is flashing before my eyes. I have encountered it several times already. That is why I was not fully shocked when the mechanics of this game was introduced. When I heard this is a killing game, I thought it must have been made as a form of revenge on my sister. But no matter how many times death is presented in front of me, the fear it brings always hit me the same. It always feels like I am being devoured alive by a dark unknown entity. It paralyzes me in a state of confusion."
I cannot believe people can be this nasty and unreasonable. Hatred is terrifying. It can turn the sweetest person into the most terrifying monster.
"I am sorry you had to go through that." Mitsue added.
"And you know what is funny about all of this, my sister would not have cared if someone did kill me." Kaito shared.
"That is a lie. Even though she became the way she was, you are still her brother. She would have cared if someone tried to hurt you." Mitsue added.
Shaking his head, Kaito replied, "I don't think so. Why would she care when she was the first person who tried to hurt me?"
"She tried to hurt you?" Mitsue asked.
After sighing, he began to remove carefully his gloves. As he took off his purple gloves, it became apparent to Mitsue the pitiable state of Kaito's hands. His hands were completely covered in scars. The skin on his hands was flaky and falling off. A huge scar that resembled "A.K." covered the back of his right hand. What happened to his hands? Who did this to him? This is too much. Guessing from the scars on his hand, this was made years ago but, due to the severity of the damage, his hands will never completely heal.
"May I touch your hand?" Mitsue asked.
Kaito nodded. "It does not hurt anymore but I cover it just to avoid receiving uncomfortable gazes from people."
"Was your hand dipped in acid? It looks like it has been dipped in some sort of corrosive material." Mitsue asked, turning his right hand over. "And this scar… It looks like someone pressed a branding iron on it."
"You really are the ultimate emergency response team leader. You must have seen wounds like this in your job to accurately guess what happened to me." Kaito shared.
"Who did this to you?" Mitsue asked, glaring at Kaito.
"My sister did this. She submerged my hands in a vat of acid and branded my right hand with her initials. After that, she forced me to watch executions of other people beside her. That was the first time I got up close and personal with death." Kaito shared.
"I am sorry you had to have a shitty sister." Mitsue commented.
"She was not like that before entering Hope's Peak. Up to this day, I always wonder what changed her." Kaito shared as he covered his hands with his gloves again. "That is my story. I know how it feels like to be completely isolated from everyone. That is why I kind of understand what you are going through right now."
"You understand me?" Mitsue asked with a surprised look on his face.
"Not fully but I know how it feels to be treated by everyone as the bad guy. I am not saying what you did was right but I think it should be worth mentioning that you did it to save us, unlike Orie who simply killed Kia out of anger." Kaito answered, nodding his head.
"I didn't think anyone would try to understand me." Mitsue whispered. Thank you Kaito. I needed to hear that.
Then, Mitsue took out his monopad. It is already 9:21 am… As he was staring his monopad, he noticed the notification he received earlier as he was jogging. Tapping on the table, Mitsue turned to Kaito and asked, "Would you like to join me look around the new area after lunch?"
"You want to look around the new area with me?" Kaito asked, pointing at himself.
"Yes. It is okay if you do not want to." Mitsue answered.
"Sure! I would be fine joining you later." Kaito replied.
"That's great to hear. I will knock on your cabin when it is time to go." Mitsue shared.
Kaito nodded.
After a few minutes, the two men finished eating their breakfasts. Kaito went on ahead while Mitsue collected their plates and washed their dishes quickly. Then, he grabbed the snacks he took from the vending machine earlier and went back to his room.
It was quarter past one and the sun was intensely beaming down on the island. The light blue sky was clear without any cloud to be seen from miles away. The land breeze from the morning was replaced by the cool breeze blowing from the sea, rustling the branches of the countless bushes and trees on the scorching island. The magnificent waves from the deep blue sea continued to loudly crash onto the rocky cliffs of the island.
While most of the campers chose to stay inside their well-ventilated cabins, Mitsue was outside his. Standing outside in his front porch, he turned around to stare at the door of his cabin. I am so lucky Rafiki has been sleeping all day. I could leave him in my room without any worries. Crying all night long must have took a lot from that small capuchin monkey. I should not bother it for now. I will let it sleep for now while I tour around the new area with Kaito.
After a few seconds, Mitsue left his porch and walked up to Kaito's cabin. After gently knocking on the door three times, Mitsue shouted, "Kaito, it's Mitsue."
Instantly, the door opened and Kaito greeted, "Hi Mitsue! Is it already time to look around the new area?"
"Yes." Mitsue answered, nodding.
"Wait for me. I will go get my monopad first. Then, we could go." Kaito said before closing the door.
Mitsue went out of Kaito's front porch and waited for him by his mailbox. Leaning against Kaito's mailbox, he took out his monopad from the pocket of his hoodie and looked at the map of the island. According to the map, the new area can be found in the northern part of the island. I wonder what this area has in store for us. Even though the image is blurred, I could tell the place is more arid. There is also a huge blue area. What could that place be? I hope there is nothing to worry about it.
After a few minutes, Kaito finally went out of his cabin. Waving his monopad, Kaito shouted, "I am sorry! I could not find this for a second back there."
"It is alright." Mitsue said, putting his monopad inside his pocket.
"Why did you wait there?" Kaito asked, pointing at the mailbox. "You should have waited for me by my porch. It is cooler here. Aren't you bothered by the heat?"
"It is alright. I do not mind staying under the sun for a bit." Mitsue replied.
"You are the only one I know who is like that." Kaito added, chuckling. "So, should we go on ahead?" Kaito tilted his head, gesturing at the bridge.
Mitsue nodded and the two of them began making their way to the new area. The pair has been walking for more than ten minutes just to reach the gate to the new area. Luckily for the two, the path to the new area was under the shade of trees with thick foliage. This path to the gate is a scenic one. I feel like I am in a movie setting. After a few minutes, they finally reached the gate.
"This is it…" Mitsue mumbled as he looked at the opened, tall, azure blue, steel gate. Here goes nothing.
At the same time, Mitsue and Kaito took a step forward, crossing the gate and continued walking in search of something notable. Not too long, the two men noticed someone was all alone, looking around the area as well, who was only a few meters away from them. Instantly, Kaito pointed at the man. "Isn't that Hiroto? Do you think he is touring around as well?" Kaito asked.
"He probably is looking around." Mitsue answered. He must be touring all alone like he usually is. He loves being alone.
"Let's ask him to join us. Do you think he would mind us?" Kaito asked.
"I think so but asking him wouldn't hurt." Mitsue replied. Although, I doubt he would agree to it. He is not the type to join anyone just because they asked him to. And, what made you think Hiroto would be a great company in doing a tour?
Suddenly, Kaito shouted, "Hiroto, wait up!"
Immediately, Hiroto stopped and turned around to look. Instantly, Kaito received an intense glare from the model. It looks like we are bothering him. Waving his hand, Kaito quickly ran towards Hiroto. Hesitant, Mitsue followed.
As soon as the two of them were near Hiroto, they stopped and Kaito asked, "Are you looking around as well?"
As usual, Hiroto did not say anything. All he did was glare at the astrophysicist. After a few more seconds, Hiroto's stare began piercing through Kaito. Panicking, Kaito began avoiding Hiroto's eyes and eventually ended up hiding behind Mitsue. Poking out his from the back Mitsue, Kaito asked, "Sorry for bothering you! Forget that I called you." I knew this would happen. Hiroto is an anti-social person. But, why does he have to glare at Kaito?
"Can you stop glaring at Kaito?" Mitsue asked.
Hiroto continued staring at the astrophysicist. Kaito only called him. Why is he this upset? It isn't like he cussed him.
"He only wanted to know if you are interested in joining us to take a look at the new area." Mitsue explained, pushing Kaito to come out from his back.
"That is not true!" Kaito waved his hands denyingly. "Holy Delphinus! His glare can cut a hole through me…" Kaito whispered to Mitsue.
"Between the two of you, only Kaito is interested in me joining. Is that right?" Hiroto asked, tilting his head without breaking eye contact with Kaito.
"He was the one who came up with the idea." Mitsue explained, pointing at Kaito.
Finally, Hiroto broke eye contact and looked at Mitsue. "What about you? Would you mind if I joined you?"
"Not really. I am okay with you coming along. I did not think of asking you because I thought you would be uncomfortable with us. I think, between the three, you are the one that would be uncomfortable with us joining you." Mitsue answered, crossing his arms.
Suddenly, Hiroto turned around. He placed his hands inside his pocket and continued walking. What was that about? All we did was ask him to join us. It felt like we said something wrong with him. Kaito and Mitsue stood in place as they watched Hiroto walk away.
"Did we do something wrong?" Kaito asked.
"He is a loner. Don't mind him." Mitsue answered.
As they were watching Hiroto, the model stopped. Then, he turned around to the two. Pointing at the two, Hiroto asked, "Why are you still standing there? I thought you wanted to join me? Hurry up."
"He is talking to us, right? What just happened?" Kaito asked.
Mitsue ran towards Hiroto.
"Wait for me!" Kaito shouted, running to Hiroto as well.
"If you were okay with joining us, just say yes next time." Mitsue told Hiroto.
After that, the three men continued with their tour. The walk was mostly silent. The only time a noise was made was when Kaito has a commentary about the surroundings.
"Look at those mushrooms! They are purple! I have never seen a purple mushroom before. I wonder if they are poisonous." Kaito shouted, pointing at the mushroom.
Both Mitsue and Hiroto would not pay attention to Kaito. Whispering to himself, Kaito mumbled, "I feel like I should have done this all alone. It is basically the same. The only thing different is I wouldn't feel like an idiot for trying to start a conversation."
After a few minutes of walking, they finally found a building. From the outside, it looked like a cubic structure. Its walls are painted in grey and its roof is made of brownish-red terracotta tiles. It has no windows and the door is made of wood. I wonder what is inside that place.
The three went in and instantly discovered countless boxes stored on the shelves. The room's walls were covered in wooden cabinets with four shelves. Each shelf was filled with white opaque plastic boxes that had black lids. At the center was a simple brown four-legged wooden table. On the ceiling was a dangling light bulb.
"What are these boxes for?" Kaito commented as he scanned through the shelves.
"Let's see what we have in here." Mitsue shouted, pulling out a box from a shelf. Instantly, Mitsue saw the box's lid had a label on it. Diving equipment… Why does this place have diving equipment?
Hiroto pulled out another box. Reading the label out loud, Hiroto shared, "Camping equipment…"
Mitsue continued to take out all of the boxes and searched through every single one of them. Hunting equipment… Fishing equipment… Paintball equipment… Hiking equipment… These are leisure activity equipment. Some of them are okay like the camping equipment but others contain weapons like hunting equipment. It has a shotgun. Why store all of this in here?
"At least now we know where to get this equipment when we need one." Kaito commented, nervously chuckling as he threw away the shotgun back inside the hunting equipment box.
"Let's put these away for now." Mitsue commented as he placed the boxes on the shelves. Hiroto and Kaito soon followed. After putting away the boxes, they went out of the room and continued with their search.
As they were walking, Kaito commented, "What a weird place to store all of those in. Why mix a shotgun with those other objects?"
"Monokuma must be planting objects in different places that can be used as murder weapons. We are playing his twisted killing game after all. What he is doing is placing all of the pieces needed for someone to take his bait." Mitsue explained.
"Do you think there are other objects like that in this area?" Kaito asked.
"I expect to find other dangerous objects during this tour." Mitsue answered.
The three of them continued with their walk. It did not take long for them to find another new place. They found another cubic structure. It has the same grey walls and terracotta roof but the front of it is a huge corrugated silver panel. Beside the panel was a simple white switch.
"It does not have any door. How do we get inside?" Kaito asked as the three of them looked around the place.
Curious about the switch, Hiroto nonchalantly flipped it. All of a sudden, the corrugated panel began to loudly raise, catching their attention. The trio watched the panel lift and reveal what was behind it. After a few seconds, they had a clear view of everything inside.
Inside were three identical white carts. Can we use these carts on this island? The three of them began to investigate the place. Immediately, Mitsue noticed the carts had a black rectangular trunk. He opened up the trunks and found a black body bag in each one of them. These body bags are as big as me. Why would we have body bags on this island? We don't need it. I am shocked to find body bags like this on this island. These are the body bags we use to collect dead people. Mitsue continued to look around the cart and found that its key is hidden inside one of the compartments. And, he discovered the carts are plugged into the wall. These are electric carts. These are expensive. How were the people who bought these able to afford these and bring them to a remote island?
After seeing everything that was there to be seen from the cart, Mitsue continued looking around the room. At the right side of the room was a white desk with tools used for maintaining the carts. There were wrenches, screwdrivers, and a manual of the carts. There was also a corkboard on the wall with a blueprint pinned to it.
Pointing at the board, Kaito asked, "What is this blueprint for?"
"That is the blueprint for the carts." Mitsue answered.
"Woah…" Kaito exclaimed, walking backwards. As he was walking backward, he tripped on something and fell to the ground.
"Oh my Ganymede! That hurt!" Kaito shouted, rubbing his back.
"Are you okay?" Mitsue asked as he quickly responded to Kaito.
"I am fine. I just tripped on something." Kaito answered.
"What did you trip on anyway?" Mitsue asked.
The three of them looked at what tripped up Kaito and saw a black iron ball attached to a chain and a clamp.
"Isn't that one of those classic iron balls they attach to prisoners' feet?" Kaito asked.
Hiroto tried to roll it away with his feet. "It is heavy…" Hiroto commented.
"Let's push it to the side before someone else trips on it." Mitsue suggested. Quickly, Mitsue rolled the ball under the desk. What is this iron ball doing in here?
"Basically, this room is a garage for those carts." Hiroto shared.
"But it is not a normal garage. It has objects like that iron ball that do not belong in here." Mitsue added.
"I think we should get going. There is nothing left to see in here." Kaito suggested. After that, Hiroto and Mitsue agreed and the three continued with their search.
Not too far, they found a new place.
"Is that a tennis court?" Kaito asked, pointing at the place.
"Let's check it out." Mitsue ordered. The three went inside and immediately began looking around.
The place was protected by a tall green fence. Inside the fence was a typical tennis court. Everything is set up the way it should be. At the right side of the net on the court was a tall green chair reserved for a referee. At both ends of the court was a white bench, a basket of tennis balls, two gray tennis rackets, and a red tennis ball machine.
"It is only a typical tennis court. There is nothing suspicious in here." Mitsue shared with the group.
Kaito was looking around the left side of the court while Hiroto and Mitsue were at the right side of the court. As they were looking around, Hiroto grabbed a tennis racket and began swinging it. Mitsue, who was standing beside him, asked, "Do you know how to play tennis?"
"A little bit… I learned how to play when I was still living in France." Hiroto answered.
"You lived in France? Was it for work?" Mitsue asked.
"I grew up in France." Hiroto answered, stopping from swinging the racket. That must be the reason why he does not look like a Japanese man. He must be half-French.
Suddenly, a ball coming from the other side of the court almost hit Mitsue in the face. What was that? The ball was followed by countless others. Quickly, Hiroto shoved Mitsue to his back and began hitting the balls back. As he was hitting the balls, Hiroto shouted, "Turn it off!"
Mitsue could only stare at Hiroto as Hiroto hit the balls.
Kaito shouted back, "I don't know how to! All I did was press random buttons."
"Then press randomly again!" Hiroto replied.
Kaito began pushing buttons randomly. After a few minutes, the machine was finally turned off. Throwing the racket onto the bench, Hiroto turned around and asked Mitsue, "Are you alright?"
"Yes… I did not need you to protect me from those balls but thank you…" Mitsue replied.
Hiroto simply nodded.
Running to them, Kaito shouted, "I am sorry about that! I accidentally pressed a button! Was anyone hurt?"
Mitsue answered, "We are both fine."
"Let's get out of here before I do something like that again." Kaito asked the two.
The three went out of the court with Kaito being the first one to step outside. They continued with their search. After aimlessly walking for a few minutes, they found two identical log cabins beside each other. The log cabins were rectangular and both had front porches. Their door had a circular window similar to the other windows the cabins have.
"Which one should we check out first?" Kaito asked.
"Let's check out the one on the right." Mitsue answered.
The three of them went inside the cabin on the right first. As soon as they stepped in, they immediately noticed the shelves that were stocked with arts and crafts supplies. In the corner was a shelf of different rolls of fabric. Near it were two sewing machines. There was also a mannequin and a tape measure hung around its neck. Displayed on the wall on the right side were hammers and chisels. Near a window were blank canvases on wooden easels. There were also four wooden circular tables with each table having five wooden chairs.
"It is an arts and crafts cabin." Kaito declared.
The three of them separated and walked around the room. The first thing that stood out to Mitsue was the counters on each supply. There are a hundred of each supply. He grabbed a red construction paper. Suddenly, the number on the counter changed from "100" to "99". It counts the current supply. How does it do that? Mitsue put back the paper and the counter changed back to "100"
"There is nothing worth noting about this place." Kaito shared.
"Aside from these counters, there is nothing out of place. There are plenty of dangerous objects though but they are all the usual arts and crafts equipment." Mitsue added.
"Let's go to the other cabin." Kaito said, pointing at the door.
The three of them went outside and entered the other cabin. Once they were inside, they knew what it was. "This is a music cabin." Mitsue said as he looked at the various musical instruments in the room. In front of the room was a mini stage with a music sheet holder on it. Hung on the wall were several musical instruments. There was also a wooden cabinet. Mitsue took a closer look at this.
It has speakers and microphones. It also has objects I am guessing some of these are used for maintaining the instruments. There is also a thick book of music sheets. After a few minutes, Mitsue closed the cabinet.
The three of them continued to look around the cabin. As he was searching, Kaito took the saxophone off of the wall. Seeing this, Mitsue asked, "Do you know how to play the saxophone, Kaito?"
"I actually learned how to play it when I was young since it was mandatory to learn how to play a musical instrument in my family. If you don't know by now, I grew up in a musical household. Everyone in my family has something to do in the music industry. I was the only one who chose a different field for my career." Kaito shared.
"Can you still play it?" Mitsue asked.
"Of course. I still play the saxophone from time to time." Kaito answered.
"Play for us a song right now." Mitsue asked.
"I can't! It is too embarrassing." Kaito replied, shaking his head.
"Come on! Just one chorus of a song." Mitsue insisted.
"Fine! But, if you have heard Connor play the saxophone, don't compare it to him since he is an ultimate while I do this as a hobby." Kaito added.
After licking his lips, Kaito said, "I don't know if you will know this since it is an old song but I will play for you the chorus of Plastic Love by Mariya Takeuchi."
After inhaling, Kaito began playing the saxophone. As he blew through the saxophone and pressed on the different holes of the instrument, he was able to produce rich melodic notes that were butter to the ears. Kaito is not just a cowardly dork. He can also play the saxophone.
As Mitsue was listening to Kaito, he began to hear someone humming behind him. He turned around and found Hiroto humming to the tune. He knows this song as well?
After a few minutes, Kaito finished playing the saxophone. "That was lame of me!" Kaito shouted as put back the saxophone on the wall.
"Your playing sounded well!" Mitsue complimented Kaito.
"You are just saying that because you don't know what good playing sounds like. I bet when you hear Connor play, you will know the difference between good sound and the sound that I made." Kaito replied.
"Whatever! I still think you were great." Mitsue added.
Out of nowhere, Hiroto tapped Mitsue on the shoulder.
"What?" Mitsue asked.
"Let's go." Hiroto said.
Mitsue was surprised. Right now while we are in the middle of a conversation?
Just like that, the group went out of the cabin and continued with their search.
As they were walking, Mitsue took out his monopad and looked at the map. It looks like there is only one place to see. He told the group this and where he thinks it is. Not too far, they found three identical wooden beige rectangular structures. Neither of the three had a window and only had a door. What are these?
Mitsue opened one and found out it was a shower room. It had a shelf to put dry clothes in, a bar to hang a towel, a dipper inside a pail filled with water, and a showerhead. These three must be all shower rooms. But why are there shower rooms out here?
As he was going out of one of the rooms, Kaito shouted, "Mitsue, look! There is a lake over there!"
The three of them went to check out the crystal clear lake. Surrounding the lake was white. Near them was a wooden dock. They walked on it and found three boats of different kinds tied to it. There was a regular wooden boat with an oar, a white speedboat, and a yellow rubber kayak paired with its yellow rubber oar. There was also a jet ski. At the end of the dock was a ladder leading into the lake.
Mitsue walked to the edge and looked at the lake. The lake was a beautiful clear lake. What was under the lake was visible. It can be observed that there weren't any fish swimming in the lake as well. Looking around there isn't any connecting river or body of water to it either.
"It's a beautiful lake, isn't it?" Kaito asked.
"It is but I wouldn't advise anyone to swim in there if they are not confident with their swimming skills." Mitsue answered.
"Why?" Hiroto asked.
"That lake is extremely deep. It only looks like it is shallow because of how clear the water is." Mitsue answered.
"You could tell this lake is that deep by just looking at it?" Kaito asked.
"I was trained to know this kind of stuff." Mitsue answered.
"This place is potentially dangerous then." Kaito commented.
"This lake is weird…" Mitsue commented as he looked around.
"What do you mean?" Kaito asked.
"It is a clear lake but it is on a rocky island. Usually, lakes like this are muddled with sediments since all of the sediments are trapped inside. And, the climate on this island is hot. Usually, lakes are dried up until the stormy season comes. It does not make any sense." Mitsue commented.
"Maybe it is a one-of-a-kind lake then?" Kaito added.
"Probably… But the science does not add up." Mitsue shared.
"For now, we should tell everyone to avoid this lake, shouldn't we?" Kaito said, looking at Mitsue.
"Hiroto, tell them later during dinner about this. If some idiot tries to swim in here all alone, no one will be able to save that fool if something bad happens." Mitsue ordered Hiroto.
"I will…" Hiroto nodded.
Taking out his monopad, Mitsue looked at the map and saw the new area was completely visible. "It looks like we saw the whole new area." Mitsue shared while showing the two the map.
"Let's go back then." Kaito suggested.
The three of them began walking back to their cabins. It took them a long while before they were able to go back. After minutes of walking, they finally reached their cabins. Before going back to his cabin, Kaito told the two, "Thank you Mitsue for inviting me to look around the area! Also, I had fun walking with you Hiroto even though you were mostly quiet the whole time. The way you protected Mitsue from the tennis balls was so cool. Anyway, see you later!" After that, Kaito went back to his cabin.
Then, Mitsue followed with, "I will be going ahead now. And, sorry for bothering you especially with the tennis balls."
"You did not bother me at all." Hiroto said, shaking his head. Then, the model went back to his cabin.
After that, Mitsue went inside his cabin. Immediately, Rafiki jumped onto his shoulder again. "Oh! You are awake now. That is great because…" Mitsue whispered to Rafiki as he made his way to his bed. Suddenly, he threw himself onto his bed. "I will be the one sleeping then. I am beat…" After a few seconds, Mitsue was knocked out.
That is it for this update!
I hope you enjoyed reading it! Did you guys enjoy the FTE of Kaito and Hiroto? What do you think will happen for chap 2 based on the title and what you have read so far? You can tell me through the comments!
If you want to talk about this story and other fun stuff, you can join the discord server for this story. The invite is on my profile!
That is all for now!
Stay safe!
