Some screamed. Some froze in terror. Still others collapsed onto their behinds.
It was a long way down… but the red was as visible as ever.
"You certainly are on a roll!" taunted Monokuma, seeming to have appeared out of thin air once again. "Could it be you cubs just couldn't wait to see me again?"
Momota's face reddened from rage. "S-shut up!"
Meanwhile, Monokuma whistled. "That sure is a drop." He grinned menacingly. "His body's probably just a stain on the ground now. All those guts and innards flying. Bones crunching. Upupupu~!
"Well aren't you guys lucky? Pretty soon you'll get to go down two floors instead of one!"
"It can't be…"
"But what a pity. Since that shorty died by accident, I can't give you guys a special quest this time." Large, fake tears spilled from Monokuma's eyes. "And worse yet, I can't let you guys go down a floor immediately since that would be dishonoring that maid's memory… You wouldn't want to dishonor her memory now, would you?"
"What?" Chabashira jabbed a finger at the despicable bear. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, didn't you know? I can speak to the dead! And that girl who died yesterday said she'd be sad if you all forgot about her so soon!"
Harukawa furrowed her brows. "You're kidding right? There's no way you can talk to ghosts. Now let us down. That was the deal."
"Yeah, quit being so stingy, Monokuma!"
"Huh?! No means no, you shitty kids! If you keep nagging, I'll push back the date even more."
That got everyone's attention. Thirteen pairs of eyes glared at the monochromatic bear, scathing and resentful.
But Monokuma only laughed. "Now, cheer up guys! Just be nice and obedient and I'll let you all go down two floors next week!" With that, he vanished from their sights again.
At this point, most of the students had long since stopped listening to what Monokuma said. Numb and in a state of shock and despair, they had lost their drive…
Yet as always, Kaede was an exception. "We can't lose hope, everyone! Yes, this is a block in the road for us, but if there's a block, just walk around it! We can't give up!"
"Akamatsu," said Amami, gently tapping on her shoulder. His eyes reflected understanding and another hard to discern emotion. "They need some time to reflect. Everyone's gone through so much just now."
Kaede's eyes widened, and then she nodded, albeit stiffly. "Y-you're right. I'm sorry. I won't rush you guys. But in order to get out of here safely, we really need to stay together as a team. There are no rules stating we have to go against each other to survive, so the best thing we can do is group up." The more she spoke, the brighter her eyes glowed with determination. Standing to her side, Amami nodded. She continued to say, "Even if it's just to spend a few minutes each day reporting what we find to each other, or even just counting heads at the library before nighttime, it'll be helpful. For the sake of our friends' sacrifices, we need to hold on and get through this together!"
Right after the rest of the students had heard Kaede's speech, they seemed to have regained their coloring, no longer greyed out by despair. The atmosphere in the hall lightened. However, that was not to say everyone lost their suspicions.
"I agree to show my face for roll call at night, but I will still be taking my rest and meals alone," said Korekiyo.
"That's more than I can hope for," said Kaede, though she was unable to hide the slight twitch of her grimace.
At that moment, the sound of sniffling. Shuichi turned to the direction of the noise and realized it had come from Yumeno. She had tugged her witch's hat down to cover her eyes, but her tears were still visible.
Chabashira patted her back gently, cooing in a hushed voice. Then she turned to the crowd and said, "Himeko-chan's a soft soul. She could hardly sleep after Toujo's death, and before we even finished grieving, Hoshi died too. Give her a break, everyone."
"I-I'm sorry guys…" A hiccup left Yumeno's lips.
"No… you don't have to apologize."
"Kiibo's right! You've done nothing wrong, Yumeno-san!"
What's left unspoken was the fact that they couldn't properly honor Hoshi's corpse. Not with it being a mess of flesh at the bottom of the elevator shaft. When the students thought of this, they could only steel their hearts.
That night, as Shuichi left his classroom and headed for the library, he did not fall apart like he had the night of Toujo's death. But as he walked down the hall, the pita-pat of his footsteps were lost to him, a haze to his gaze. It didn't feel real. Hoshi's sudden death, everything that had transpired during this week of hell, did not seem real. Rather, it were as though he was seeing himself from the third person, his soul numb from everything around it.
I'm dissociating. Shuichi attempted to calm his breathing. I need to get a grip on myself.
The door to the library swung open. As soon as Kaede saw him, she waved, a somewhat-forced smile on her face.
The other students were lounging around on the sofas and couches. Shuichi approached Kaede.
"It's good to see you here, Saihara. Korekiyo just left, so that makes thirteen people accounted for right now..." She bit her lip. It was evident something lay on her mind. Shuichi waited patiently for her to continue, and sure enough, she did after a few moments of hesitation. "Is Ouma-kun coming? If he isn't, then do you know where he'll be staying the night?"
Her question fell in line with his expectations. Mustering the warmest smile he could, Shuichi replied, "He said he'll sleep in our starting classroom tonight and to tell you he's okay. I wouldn't worry about him. Ouma-kun seems pretty resilient."
"That's reassuring to hear." Kaede nodded. "How about you? Are you staying at the library tonight?"
"Yeah. I've thought it over, and I think you're right. We need to stick together as a group in order to leave this place." Shuichi led Kaede to the last unoccupied loveseat. He beckoned for her to sit first. "I don't trust Monokuma. Not to sound like Korekiyo, but he's hiding things from us. I'm not certain he'll actually let us out once we pass the Final Exam." Shuchi turned to Kaede, looking straight into her eyes. "I want to believe in everyone here. And I think you're the most suitable person to lead us, Kaede-san."
Unknown to Shuichi, his gleaming gaze and long lashes caught the other party in a trance for just a moment. But the second he turned away, the spell was broken.
"You can take this couch, Kaede-san," he said. Then he pointed to a carpeted area nearby. "I'll take the floor tonight."
"Ah, but haven't you been sleeping on the ground since the first day? I don't mind taking the floor."
"It's okay. I'm used to it. Plus, I don't think I'll be having much sleep anyway."
Shuichi hadn't been wrong with his prediction. No matter how hard he tried to pull at the coattails of slumber, he couldn't get a wink of sleep. It didn't help that the library was cold and he didn't have a blanket. Not to mention, the added warmth of Kokichi's body heat.
The image of the other teen flashed through his mind. I've done what you asked. Shuichi rolled over, facing the wall. From now on, I'll be a liar.
All of a sudden, the image of Hoshi falling with his hand outstretched to the sky hijacked his thoughts. Before he had realized it, Shuichi had already arrived at one of the stalls in the girls' restroom, emptying out the contents of his stomach.
He did not notice the sour stench of bile and vomit. As he gripped the toilet bowl, the tears finally fell.
Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes opened, the person looking at the doors Shuichi had just left from.
Shuichi woke up with a start.
The surroundings hardly resembled the library. On the contrary, the familiar brown floor tiles of the hall came into view. He turned to glance behind him. The wall he had thought he was leaning on was actually a door to a classroom. And upon closer inspection, it was to the classroom the others had assumed he and Kokichi had woken up in.
How did I get here?
The last thing he remembered was throwing up his guts in the girls' restroom. Shuichi massaged his own shoulder, trying to knead out the knots that had appeared overnight.
At that moment, his MonoWatch lit up.
||Team Wolf Quiz Perk!||
24 hours from now, the first Quiz will take place.
The Sheep will have thirty minutes to escape the Maze.
Each Wolf is tasked with making sure one doesn't.
Additional details will be announced on the scheduled date!
The time read 8:00 am. He frowned, turning off the screen to his MonoWatch for now. Just as Shuichi was about to knock on the classroom door, it swung open.
"O-Ouma-kun…"
Still holding the door knob, Kokichi stared at Shuichi, his face devoid of emotion. But a blink, and such a sight vanished.
"Oh. Fancy seeing you here, Saihara-chan."
Although Shuichi hadn't had long to study the other party's face, in the little time he did, he was able to discern a couple things. First, there had been faint shadows around Kokichi's eyes. Second, his hair had seemed messier than usual.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
"Hmm, are you seriously asking me this question? I would have thought Mister Detective could deduce it with one look."
Shuichi was startled. After thinking over it carefully, he probingly asked, "You get grouchy without enough sleep, don't you?"
"Give the man an award! He's got a higher IQ than a braindead zombie."
Okay, Shuichi was sure of it now.
He brushed off Kokichi's irritability and held out a hand. Kokichi stared at it, undisguised suspicion flashing in his eyes.
"Let me buy you some coffee," said Shuichi, hand still stretched out.
Shortly after, the other boy slapped his palm and headed for the solarium. But not without glancing back at Shuichi first. "Come on, slowpoke! I want a can of Boss coffee."
Two cans of coffee later, Kokichi was back to his not-as-abrasive self.
"Phew! That really hits the spot. Though I could really go for some Panta too."
"Ouma-kun, what do you think about the Quiz perk?" said Shuichi, ignoring his statement.
Kokichi placed a hand to his chin. "Well, we don't know the punishment for failing yet, but I bet it's something nasty." His expression grew sinister, eyes and smile too wide. But such an expression left as quickly as it had arrived. He scanned the area, making sure no one was about to enter the solarium. "Anyway, we're definitely picking Kiiboy. He's not even human so why should I care?"
Shuichi decided not to argue with him on this one. While he felt bad for agreeing with Kokichi's words, the truth was the truth. "Okay, that's one person—"
"—Robot."
"Yes, yes, I get it. Then who's our other target?"
"Someone slow of course! And easy to restrain!"
"So that'd be…" Shuchi's eyes widened. He whipped his head to face his teammate.
"You've got it." Kokichi's grin was sharp enough to cut. "Our resident little magician. Yumeno Himiko."
"No, we can't do that." Disgust welled in Shuichi's heart for even thinking such a thing. He recalled the frail, little figure in the hall yesterday, trying her best to hold back her tears but failing. The tremble in her voice as she apologized to them. "Soft soul" was how Chabashira had described her. I can't do that to her. I can't!
"She's our best chance at victory! Half the time, she's asleep!"
"If we're going by who's the easiest to subdue, why Kiibo, then? I'm sure he has tons of gadgets to defend himself."
Kokichi looked at him as if he were mentally challenged. "Why Kiiboy, you ask." His voice proved low, like he had only it meant for his own ears. "You're asking me this question. Really? Isn't it obvious I'm doing this for you?"
"W-what?"
"Gosh Saihara-chan, maybe you're the one without enough sleep! I chose Kiiboy 'cause I know that just one human target is enough to mess you up!"
Shuichi stood there, stunned.
"I need you with me, Saihara-chan. We need to work together, and this also means compromising when necessary. So I won't force you if you truly don't want the magician as our target. But I'm just saying, no matter who we pick, we'll be hypocrites. So we might as well not make it any harder on ourselves."
His eyes peered into Shuichi's own. Shuichi had the urge to step back, to look elsewhere, but found he had no control over his body at the moment. Then Kokichi sighed. Turned away.
He headed for the door, back facing Shuichi. Suddenly, Shuichi snapped out of his reverie. "Wait!"
The footsteps stilled.
"I—We'll go for her. We'll go for Yumeno-san."
Slowly, Kokichi turned back around, an indecipherable expression on his face. For a second, Shuichi almost couldn't breathe.
But he chose this. The person before him was many things, yet above all, he was his partner.
And after he would wake up on the morning of the next day, he'd learn the weight of those words.