"So what is it you want to talk about, Masashi?"

Kasumi looked at him, seemingly unwitting of what he had come here for. He had looked around the amusement park for her, and he had found her in the staff lounge in the pirates' cove. It was the very place where Arashi had killed Murphy, though all signs of his death had now been cleanly erased. She had been playing one of the arcade games by herself.

"Well… um…"

Haruyuki had besought him to have her stop suppressing her negative emotions, and Masashi could not forget her short episode in Futaba's class trial, when Kasumi had lost control of all the negativity seething in her. Much as Masashi liked her usual self, Haruyuki had raised a good point: suppression of these negative emotions generally did not lead to happy endings.

"Kasumi, I'm not sure whether I'm right about this, but I think you're hiding something from me."

"Wh-What?" The brown-haired girl tilted her head slightly as she gave him a puzzled look. A few seconds later, though, she cracked a smile and let out a giggle. "Oh, I get it! You want to see what's beneath this mask, don't you? Too bad for you, but it's a S-E-C-R-E-T."

"Uh, that's not what I'm talking about…" he said, briefly taken aback by her playfulness. "Rather, I think something's been troubling you."

"Troubling me?" she said, the blitheness in her voice waning. "Um… Sorry, Masashi, but you've lost me."

Of course, she must already have an inkling on what he was talking about, but as Haruyuki had warned, she would not easily admit to her suppression. In that case, it was best that he be direct about this.

"I've noticed something about you. When you gave Arashi the bracelet, you were really glad that he'd accepted it. And you also insisted that you could stay positive at a time like this. But that's not the whole truth, is it?"

She said nothing, but he could see shock waxing in her eyes.

"And that wasn't the only time," he continued. "Before the blackout began, I saw you in the power room, and you actually looked a bit worried about something. And you said that you were thinking about your bond with the others. Even now… you still feel worried, don't you?"

"Um…"

She fidgeted a little as her eyes darted to another part of the room. For a fearless phantom thief, she certainly looked as if she were being interrogated by the police right now. Masashi waited for her to say more, but after a few seconds of silence, he sensed that she would not start the conversation any time soon.

"I'm sorry, but this is something we can't avoid talking about," he said. "To begin with, could I ask you why you're like that? Why are you so insistent on hiding your negative emotions?"

"H-Hiding…? Why do you have to put it like that?" she said, eyeing him with slight annoyance. "This is simply… how I'm supposed to handle myself."

"What?"

She glanced down. "If you showed everyone how you truly feel, then you couldn't make it through life, right? Emotions such as fear… To show them is to show that one is weak."

"That's… what you believe?"

She nodded softly. "I wouldn't be good at my work if I let myself be seen like that."

Ah… I think I get it.

From her work as a phantom thief, she had become used to putting up a fearless persona that could laugh at the face of danger. In a way, it was understandable, since he imagined that much of the "job" involved deceit. But even now, when she was not going on a heist, she insisted on keeping it up. Maybe the reason was that she had been so used to this persona of hers that it had become her only way to go through life's hardships.

"Could you tell me how you're truly feeling right now?" he said, thinking that they had better not linger on this point any longer. "What's troubling you? I promise, I won't laugh or anything."

Her lips trembled as she glanced to the side.

"The others…"

"Huh?"

"The others… I thought… it'd be good if I earned their trust… But I tried that with Arashi, and he still..."

"Kasumi, what are you saying? Please tell me!"

"I-I…"

"This is for your own good!" he said without thinking, sensing that she was close to spilling her secrets. "If you don't show your true feelings, it'll hurt you later—"

"Take this!"

All of a sudden, Kasumi raised her hand and made as if to punch him. Instinctively, he flinched, shutting his eyes, but once he realized that he had not been struck, he looked back at where she was sitting, only to find that she was not there. In the short moment when his eyes had been off her, she had slipped out of her seat and run out of the room. As soon as he understood that, he quickly looked out the staff lounge's door and could see her fleeing the arcade.

"W-Wait! Kasumi, please stop!"

But by the time he said that, she had already disappeared.

"Ooh, wee, you sure have pushed her, haven't you?"

The voice that came from behind was Monokuma's, who looked greatly amused by this turn of events.

"Wh-What do you want?" Masashi said, startled by his sudden appearance.

"Well, I was watching you, silly, and I just couldn't help but feel amused at how things had turned out!" the bear responded. "I mean, you just pushed her to say her dark secrets not so delicately. What a doozy that was!"

"What…?"

"You're so silly for not having figured that out," he continued. "But then again, being dense and witless is part of your charm, my dear Masashi, so I'm all right with how you are now."

"Th-That's not right! And that's not the point, anyway!" he said, flustered by his stupid comment.

He now knew full well that it would not be so straightforward to talk with Kasumi about this. With his words, he had thought that she would open up, but in the end, he had pushed her too hard, and she fled from the scene instead of yielding to him.

Masashi heaved a sigh as he saw his mistake. "I guess I've screwed up somehow…"

At least it was beyond clear that he and Haruyuki were right in their suspicions about her emotions. Now the problem was to persuade her to talk about her suppressed feelings. He had tried being direct, thinking that such an approach would work on her, but in the end, he must have pushed her too hard.

"Isn't it amazing?" Monokuma said, his voice skeevy. "The lengths to which people will go to protect their public personas! Makes you think about what they have to fear."

"Huh? Just what are you saying?"

Monokuma chortled. "For some people, their persona is their life. Without it, they are nothing. Nothing, I say!"

"'Nothing'?"

Given that they were talking about Kasumi right now, Masashi assumed that he was referring to her, but something about Monokuma's tone made his answer more meaningful than it might be.

"Eh, well, this topic's getting boring. Let's talk about something more relatable," Monokuma said, nonchalantly waving a paw around as he suddenly changed the subject. "Masashi, my boy, which one of the girls do you think is the best?"

"Wh-What?" he said, wide-eyed. "Wh-Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?"

"Oh, come on, let's be frank here: if this weren't a killing game, you'd try to go after one of them, wouldn't you?"

"Uh, well…"

"Hmm? You having trouble choosing which one?" Monokuma said, smirking. "In that case, let me give you a piece of advice: if you're trying to choose which one, just imagine what she looks like as she's about to take a shower! Oh, yeah, isn't that quite a thing to imagine!"

"What kind of advice is that?!" Masashi said, feeling his face reddening.

"Well, it's certainly helped me with my preferences! I get a first-class view of each of you, after all."

Oh, right… I guess it's true that you've seen each of us naked.

He had not been happy that there was a surveillance camera in his bathroom, but since trying to take it down probably broke some rule, he had chosen to live with it.

"You still don't get it? Sheesh, it's like dealing with some dumb child at day care," the bear said, sounding abashed as he leaned to the side. "All right, now, let's begin with a girl that you like. Imagine Mari—"

"Stop it!"

"What, you don't like her that much?"

"Th-That's not exactly right..."

He could not say exactly how he felt about her. He had thought her to be a kind and understanding girl who and he had already thought of her as a part of his future. But now, he knew of her thoughts on fate. Because of her way of thinking, she saw so little worth in her future that she would hardly be sad at her death. It had been enough to make him reject her and leave his room.

Had it been a mistake to think of her as a part of his future all along? Given that he had hardly known her before her revelation, he could not but think that he had been drawn by a lie all along.

If I had known her true self, then...

"Oh ho ho, I get it now!" Monokuma said, his face turning red as he sweated. "You'd rather do your imagining in your own room, right?"

"That's not right!" Masashi said, irritated that he had interrupted his thoughts.

"Whoa, you'd do it out here, then?!"

"Go away!"

Without uttering another half-witted response, Monokuma disappeared, and now, Masashi was left alone, expecting neither him nor Kasumi to come back. He briefly thought about Monokuma's rather random suggestion. It was rather ridiculous to think about the other girls like that. Yes, it was so ridiculous that no one would seriously give it serious thought. But he had to admit that Mari was undoubtedly pretty, and he imagined that when showering—

Wait, why am I thinking about this, anyway?!

He shook his head as he cleared his mind.

I have better things to do! I need to go find Kasumi!

He left the staff lounge and looked around the amusement park for her, but he found no signs of her anywhere, as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth. Of course, it was likely that she was simply in her room, waiting for him to do something else. And even if he had run after her earlier, as she was a phantom thief, there was no way that he could have kept up with her.

What to do now...?

He wanted to try talking with her again, but maybe it was a good idea to wait and try again later, when she was in a better mood.

Masashi had nothing better to do in the meantime, so he thought to look around in the newest addition to the amusement park. He headed over to the Moonlight City and entered the restaurant on the second deck. There, he saw Faye sitting at a table by herself, and she was holding a cup in her hands.

"Oh, hello, Masashi," Faye said, smiling. "If you're looking for Kumi or Sorao, they're busy doing something else for the moment. I'll start my first cooking session with them sometime later."

"Ah, I wasn't looking for them, but that's good to hear," he answered.

Faye smiled. "In the meantime, do you want me to make you a treat?"

Remembering that she had said something like that the last time he had chatted with her, he nodded. "I'm in the mood for the Ultimate Patissier's delicious treats for today's lunch."

She chuckled as her cheeks reddened. "Oh, thank you, really, but you don't need to put it that way. Let me get started on lunch, then."

She got up from her seat and went into the restaurant's kitchen. For a while, she stayed there, and Masashi waited as he heard noises coming from the kitchen. Eventually, she came out with a tray that held a dish of food and two cups.

"Ooh, what's this?" Masashi said as he eyed the food, and if he had less control of himself, he might be drooling over this right now.

Faye smiled proudly. "These are éclairs, one of my favorite treats to make! They come in a few different flavors, so I hope you'll enjoy the variety!"

Masashi then grabbed one of the éclairs that seemed to be covered with chocolate. As soon as he took a bite of it, he instantly felt a need to eat even more. In a flash, the éclair was gone, and he grabbed another one, and this time, it seemed to be vanilla-flavored. He ate of it once more, and as expected, it pleased him greatly.

Faye chuckled once more. "You definitely like éclairs, don't you?"

"Oh, you betcha…" he said after he had swallowed it. This time, he made sure to eat it slowly so that he might appreciate the flavor more.

"You know, éclair is French for lightning," she said as she sipped her cup of coffee. "You can see why it's called that, yes? Once you try it, you'll see it's gone in a flash!"

Masashi nodded as he too drank of his coffee. "The only thing bad about this is that I'll have to wait once it's all gone."

"We get that sentiment a lot," Faye said. "My family and I, that is. We run a bakery, and we're not doing too bad."

She then spoke more of her bakery such as the name, the location, and the business hours. It quickly dawned on him that she was pretty much advertising her family's business, but having tasted her creations, he made a mental note of the details. After all this madness was over, he would definitely go there to buy some delicious pastries.

"Say, Faye," he said, "is that why you became a baker in the first place? Did you want to continue the family business?"

"Oh, well…" she said, scratching her cheek. "Hmm… Well, it seems natural to think that, I suppose, but it's not quite right. To begin with, I want to continue the business after my mother retires, but that wasn't what I had in mind at first."

"Your mother runs the pastry?"

Faye nodded energetically. "Yep. In fact, when I was young, I would sit by the counter, watching her cook in the kitchen at our home! She'd try out many different combinations for cupcake flavors." She smiled a wistful smile. "It's such a shame that I couldn't help her out at the bakery."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Well, I had school, of course!" she said, looking at him with a dumbstruck expression as if that were obvious. "She usually had already left for the bakery by the time I woke up. It was such a shame, since I really wanted to spend a bit more time with her. Sure, I had my father, who's ever so kind, loving, and understanding, but it wasn't just the same without her, you know."

"Yeah, I see. So you wanted to learn how to bake so as to get closer to your mom?"

She nodded as she leaned back on her chair. "I admit, it wasn't all that easy. I was still a little girl back then, so things usually ended up getting messy! I felt so sorry for making my dad clean up after me before my mom came back home from the bakery…"

"Well, everyone begins somewhere. There's no way that you could have grown as a cook without making a few mistakes."

"Yes… I wasn't the mistress of cooking that I am today," she said, sounding rather proud of it. "Still, I wanted to get better and better at it, so I tried harder and harder. Eventually, my mom found out about my efforts, and she saw how true and earnest my resolve in learning baking was. That's why she sent me to her old tutor."

"Ah, I remember. Last time, you mentioned that you studied in France," Masashi said, recalling the contents of that conversation.

Faye smiled. "Well, in the end, that's how I became an excellent pastry cook. My mom's still running the business, but already, she's proud that I've come this far. I've definitely proven myself to be a worthy heiress, haven't I?"

"Hmm… I can't argue with that."

But he could not but feel a little intrigued by her words, for he had been noticing how much Faye seemed to enjoy being complimented for her craftiness in cooking. Of course, anyone would naturally like being complimented, but for some reason, Faye seemed rather keen to be told that she was the best, as if she were dependent on it.

"Uh, Faye, I—"

Before he should ask her anything, however, she stood up.

"I'm sorry, but I've talked with you long enough," she said. "I need to get ready for my next cooking session. If you want to stay and watch, by all means, but I don't have time to chat with you."

"Oh, I see…"

He was a little troubled by the tone in her words, but at this point, he understood that now was not the time to push her any more on the subject. At the very least, she seemed open to talking about it, so he simply must wait a while.

"Feel free to have the rest of the éclairs," she said. "Please enjoy them as much as you can."

Then she left for the kitchen, leaving him to eat the éclairs alone.

"O-Oh, hello there… What is it?"

Hikari was in the arcade in the pirates' cove, sitting at one of the machines. To Masashi's surprise, she seemed to be playing a racing game, and she was not doing too shabbily, as she had just finished a race in third place.

"I only want to see how you're doing," he answered. "You've been playing that game, huh? Not what I expected of you, to be truthful."

"W-Well… I see why you think so," she said. "I always watched Murphy play these games… He would say I ought to play a game… watching might be fun, but playing it was a different experience wholly."

"And so you chose to give it a try?"

She nodded. "I-It wasn't all too bad, really… Though I don't see myself playing this for hours."

"Hmm, well, there are other games here, so you can always try those later."

"I-I suppose…"

She got up from her seat and looked askance at him. "I-Is there something else you need from me?"

"Oh, I simply want to spend some time with you again," he said. "I said I'd come talk with you again, didn't I?"

Hikari sighed weakly as she eyed him in a dull way. "Y-You indeed said that… And as I foresaw, you were going to try talking with me, anyway… But then again, I won't tell you to go away."

"You won't?"

"That's right… I promised to change for Murphy's sake," she answered, "and this promise… I can at least try to uphold it."

She sighed as she looked at him uneasily.

"B-But, you know, I want to make connections with others… but… I don't really know how, exactly."

"Hmm? Are you talking about your social skills?"

"Y-Yeah… I don't really talk with people that much, as you may have figured," she said. "Remember how my parents forsook me in the woods?"

"Oh, that… Yeah, that's where we left off. What happened next?"

"W-Well... after I was forsaken in the woods, I wandered off to some city... and someone eventually found me and put me in an orphanage," she explained. "I… didn't really have a good time there. The other children there would make fun of me for my spirit channeling… and anyone who even considered adopting me ended up looking at me with… that look."

Here it is again… This very depressing feeling...

There was no need to ask what "that look" meant. Given everything else that had happened to her, he could easily imagine it.

"So you don't live a happy life in an orphanage… I see…"

Hikari shook her head. "N-No… Y-You've gotten one thing wrong. A few years ago, a woman came by one day and agreed to have me… So I no longer live in that orphanage. But things back home… aren't really much better."

Oh boy... Masashi thought, sensing nothing good from her words.

"I-I quickly realized all she cared about was my ability to speak with ghosts…" she muttered with some disgust. "She started a service using my abilities… So I wound up staying at home most of the time. Even though she never physically hurts me or insults me, I know full well she only takes care of me because of my abilities."

She sighed as she gave off a look of resignation. "E-Eventually, I grew strong enough to channel ghosts… And that's how I came to be given the title of Ultimate Spirit Channeler."

"Wow… That doesn't sound good," Masashi said, though he understood how she saw that as a mild improvement over her life in her orphanage.

It was safe to say that she had not been dealt a good hand in life. There was practically very little in it that involved any sense of happiness. It was almost as if it were all a bad joke, but as she stood right before his eyes, he had no reason to doubt her.

"So you've never had a chance to live a normal life," he said.

"N-No… I don't know much of what life for normal people is like," she said, looking at him modestly. "I-I've read about it in books, so I'm not completely clueless, but… I don't have much firsthand experience. I don't think I can have a conversation with others that long."

"Hmm, but you've managed to have a conversation with me so far."

"W-Well, I've been talking about myself, and I don't think most people want to hear about my past."

Yeah, unless you really, really want to sadden them.

It was good, at least, that she wanted to be able to have a normal conversation with others. She simply needed more knowledge of everyday life, the kind of life that she wished she had been allowed to have.

"Tell me about your daily life…" Hikari besought. "If I know, then maybe…"

"My daily life? Well… it's not that exciting, mind you, but I guess it may help you."

And so Masashi spoke of what his life was usually like. In the beginning of each school day, after he woke up, he and Keiko, his younger sister, would leave the house and go their separate ways to their schools. He would go to school by taking the bus and walking the rest of the way from the station. Then he went into detail on his classes and how he would pass time with his friends in his free time. Finally, he talked about having dinner with his family and what he would do in his room before going to bed.

"Th-That's quite a lot…" Hikari said, looking a little befuddled.

"Well, it is, but it's nothing much for most people, really," he said, somewhat amused by her amazement. "We talk about things like school a lot."

"Hmm… but I've never really had an education like that…" she said.

"Then you should just talk about what interests you," he suggested. "Even something like that may be enough to begin a bond between you and the other person."

"Y-You really think so?"

"I wouldn't have some of my friends if it hadn't been for that."

"I-I see… I'll… try to remember what you've said." She looked up at him humbly before she bowed her head. "Th-Thank you..."

Then she left the arcade room, leaving Masashi alone. Though he wanted to talk with her more, it seemed that she had some idea in mind, and at this point, it was best to see how she would fare by herself.

Masashi walked around the Moonlight City some more and walked into the ballroom, and there stood a certain black-dressed woman staring out the window.

"Ah, it's you." Maiha turned around as he walked nearer to her. "Is something the matter?"

"Uh, no, no problems here," Masashi said. "By the way, would you like to spend some time with me? You don't seem to be busy right now."

"Hmm? What would you like to talk about?"

"Well… I'd like to learn more about you."

"About me, you say?" she said, gazing inquisitively at him as she set her black-gloved hand on her cheek. "Not wholly unexpected. You must've grown curious about the life of a Hanazawa, yes?"

"It's more that I don't really know much about you in general," he said. "If you need something more specific, then could you tell me how you began your career as a ballroom dancer?"

"My, my, you care to know my career's origins?" she said, eyes slightly widened. "Very well, then… I ought to admire that you wish to delve into my background. It's typical of commoners to look only at the surface level."

To be truthful, I can't say you're encouraging them… he thought, but he did not dare to say it aloud.

"There was only one reason why I chose to go for ballroom dancing," she said, her voice growing softer. "It was because my partner persuaded me to."

"Your ballroom partner?"

She nodded, and interestingly enough, the arrogance that she usually had in her face began to wane. "His name is Mafuyu Hideyoshi. Have you heard of him?"

"Um... No. I'm not really in touch with the ballroom dancing scene."

"Why do I not feel surprised to hear that from you?" she replied, looking at him unamusedly. "In any case, Mafuyu and I both live in a well-off neighborhood, and I think of him as my fast friend."

"Ah, really?" he said, noticing how warm her voice had grown.

She nodded. "We went to a prestigious school, and we happened to be in the same class. As the kind soul that he is, he'd help me and everyone out."

"Wow, that's pretty admirable, isn't it?"

She flipped a fringe of her dark-red hair. "You may think that, but sometimes, his kindness was to his detriment. Outside school, he'd go help the poor people that hang around in our neighborhood. He was always so insistent that they deserve his help, but it was clear to me that they were simply taking advantage of his kindness."

"You… really thought that?" he said, though not utterly surprised at her disdain toward commoners.

"Indeed, I did. And so many times, I told Mafuyu that he ought to save his efforts toward better things! And yet, he'd laugh it off, saying that I was free to think how I wanted, but he thought that I was a little too harsh on them…"

Maiha sighed as she crossed her arms, though she hardly looked annoyed at all. "That insistent, patient nature of his… it may be annoying, but I wouldn't change it."

He raised his eyes, wondering whether he had heard that right. "Wait, you wouldn't?"

"Absolutely not. His earnest, steadfast kindness toward all… if it hadn't been for that, then I wouldn't have ever been drawn to him."

In other words, despite their different attitudes toward the poor, the two had managed to become fast friends. Masashi could not but think that Mafuyu was amazing for being able to accept such a difference.

"So it was Mafuyu that spurred you to pick up dancing?"

She smiled as if she had been flattered. "Neither of our families was involved in dancing, but Mafuyu was such a huge fan of it that he would join dance clubs. I thought they were a waste of time at first… and I can't say I liked how I could not deny their supremacy in form."

Ah, so she was a little envious, I see, Masashi thought.

"But eventually… I gave in to his insistent nature," she said, though she sounded not at all grumpy about it. In fact, she even sounded a little happy. "We joined our middle school's ballroom dance club. And it so happened that…"

She set a hand on one of her cheeks as they blushed.

"I… I actually found it to be fun," she said. "At first, it was only a way for me to kill time with Mafuyu. But as the weeks went on, I saw that I was truly decent at it! I didn't want to give it up now, and so my liking of the craft grew more and more. And when Mafuyu and I danced together… oh, how wonderful that was!"

She put up a smile far different from her usual one. This time, there was no sign of any arrogance in it at all. Instead, it was full of happiness, as if she were experiencing bliss. It was the first time that Masashi could say that he had seen her feel truly happy.

"Well… I believe you understand how I began my career as a ballroom dancer, yes?" she said.

He nodded keenly. "It was pretty interesting that it was your partner that guided you to your path. He really seems like a great, hard-working man!"

She smiled, the gladness in it more subdued, but it was still clear that his answer pleased her. "I'm glad that you see it that way. You're certainly different from the ignorant plebeian masses."

Ignorant plebeian masses?

For some reason, he sensed a great hint of loathing at the end, and it was far greater than her usual disdain toward commoners. Though he wanted to ask her about it, hedid not wish to ruin the mood and thereby potentially make her take back her compliment.

"Anyway," she said, "I've found it surprisingly enjoyable to talk with you. I'll accept you as a friend of mine."

"The way you put it, it sounds a bit like a privilege…" he pointed out, thinking that it was an innocent enough thing to say.

"I may be open to talking with all the commoners here, but that doesn't mean that they've become my friends. Despite your low status, you've proven yourself to be worthwhile to talk to."

"O-Oh, I see…" he said, somewhat dumbfounded at her new stance.

Maiha smiled a friendly smile. "Let's talk again sometime later, shall we?"

"I'd like that as well."

Despite being bothered by how condescending she still was, he was glad to hear that she would talk with him some more. It was swell to have talked more with her and learned more about her life, even though they belonged in different classes, and perhaps over time, she would grow friendlier toward not only him but also the others.

It was around three o'clock. Masashi walked headed to the dining room in the woodland kingdom, not in the mood to go elsewhere in particular. When he entered, he saw Hikari sitting at one table, and to his surprise, the one with whom she sat was Tanjiro.

"I-I see… So that's what you wrote about for your first book…" she said, looking at him intently.

"What do you think about it?" Tanjiro said sheepishly.

"It sounds a little interesting…" Hikari said. "I don't know much about music, though…"

"Oh, but it was written with the everyday reader in mind!" Tanjiro said, sounding a bit flustered as he tried to reassure her. "If you don't want to read it, you're free to do so, but personally, I'd like you to give it a try."

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Masashi said, which caused the two to look at him.

"Ah, nothing much, really," Tanjiro answered. "Hikari simply wanted to ask about my books."

She nodded slightly. "I-I remember hearing you mention that you wrote books that featured a mix of music and history, and that sounded a little interesting… That's why I wanted to talk with you about it."

"You're interested in music, Hikari?" Masashi said.

"N-Not exactly…" she answered. "It's just that… I was intrigued a little by the premise of his books. It's not something I usually hear about, so I had the thought of asking him about it."

"Yes, but she was only staring at me for a while," Tanjiro continued. "I couldn't help but wonder why she kept looking at me. But I soon guessed that she wanted to talk to me, but just couldn't muster up the, erm… courage to do so."

"So you approached her, then," Masashi said.

"P-Pretty much that's what happened…" Hikari said. "I asked him about his books, and he talked about his first work."

"Oh, that… It's a trilogy called the Koto Players, right?" Masashi said, recalling it.

Tanjiro nodded, smiling a little. "Yes, I talked to her about the premise of the work. I didn't want to spoil her on it, so I simply told her a little about music history."

"I-It's all pretty interesting…" Hikari said, noticeably looking far less grim in her disposition. "I wouldn't mind hearing more about it."

"Oh, certainly!" Tanjiro said, enthusiasm flowing into his voice. "To begin with—"

Just then, however, one of the doors to the dining room opened up, and in came Sayua.

"All right, I'm done!" she said, one hand set on her hip. "Now, let's get going, Tanjiro!"

"Huh? Where are you two going?" Masashi asked.

"To the arcade," Tanjiro answered with some resignation. "Sayua needed to get ready in her room, so I sat here waiting for her."

"And I feel bored right now, so I'm in the mood to kill time with some arcade games," the cheerleader added. "Now, come on, let's go!"

"W-Wait!" It was Hikari, who stood up just as Tanjiro and Sayua were about to leave. "C-Could I... Could I go with you?"

"Huh?" Sayua said, bewilderment written all over her face. "Did I hear that right? You want to go with us?"

"I-I simply want to keep talking with Tanjiro, that's all," she said.

Sayua turned to her humble secretary. "Hey, Tanjiro, you know what this is all about?"

"It's nothing much, really..." he answered sheepishly. "I've just been talking with her about my works, that's all."

"That's it?"

"I-I won't be a bother to you at all…" she said, though lacking in confidence.

"I don't think it's of any harm to take her with us, anyway," Tanjiro said.

The cheerleader leered at him. "You really want to talk with that pale-looking chick?"

"Well, it's not as if I had anything better to do," he pointed out. "All I do is watch you play and get you a drink whenever you bid me. What's the harm in letting me talk with someone?"

Sayua scoffed as she put up a frown and stroked her chin. "Hmm… Well, I guess not. All right, fine, she can go along. But if she ends up being a nuisance, I'll kick her out!"

"I-I certainly won't bother you or anything…" Hikari said nervously before she bowed. "Th-Thank you…"

Then the three of them left for the arcade, leaving Masashi alone. For a minute, he simply stood there, not knowing what to do. Once his wits returned to him, he thought to walk around some more in the Moonlight City, having found it not too bad a place to walk around in. But just as he was about to leave the room, someone else came in.

"Oh, you're here."

It was Mari, who looked at him with a little surprise. Masashi looked back at her speechlessly, not knowing what he ought to say. The contents of this morning's conversation fleeted through his mind, and once again, pain smote his heart, his mind filled with sorrow.

"Mari…" he said eventually. "I…"

"Don't bother saying anything," she said, her voice filled with some disapproval. "I'd rather just be on my way than have us linger on this point."

"But—"

But before he could say anything else, she walked out of the dining room to the ship's main deck. He could have run after her, but not only did he not know what to say, but he also had not the heart to even face her. Hikari had already told him that she was a little frustrated, but the small coldness that she directed at him was great enough to ache him.

Oh… What should I do about all this?

He wandered around the amusement park, thinking that a walk would lead to some inspiration. But after some time of aimless wandering, the right words to say had not arisen in his mind.

Feeling tired from thinking all this, he headed over to the arcade and did not go into the staff lounge, figuring that Sayua and company were using it right now. He kept playing a racing game called End Dream Racing Kart, losing track of how much time had passed. The only sounds that he could hear besides those from the game were from the other arcade machines and from the mellow music playing from the speakers.

At first, he could not stop thinking about how Mari felt right now, but the more he played the game, the more he focused on it, and sooner or later, he had forgotten what he had fretted him.

Sometime later, just as he had finished playing another round of the racing game, he felt someone tap on his shoulder.

"Uh, Masashi?"

He glanced over and saw that it was none other than Tanjiro.

"It's almost time for dinner," the writer said. "You didn't seem like you were aware of it, so I wanted to let you know."

"Oh…" Masashi glanced over at the nearby clock and saw that it was indeed near seven o'clock. "That's right… Thanks for reminding me."

As he got up from his seat, he noticed that Tanjiro was by himself, but he had come to the arcade with Sayua and Hikari. He asked him where they had gone.

"They went ahead to the dining room," Tanjiro answered. "I would've joined them, but then I had to go to the restroom. Didn't you notice me?"

Masashi shook his head. "I guess I was focusing so much on the game that I didn't hear you."

It was then that he noticed something sticking out of Tanjiro's pocket. It looked like a pink miniature camera, and Masashi asked him what it was.

"Oh, this?" Tanjiro took out the camera. "I bought this at the arcade's store. Sayua had the idea of taking pictures of her as well as her… achievements, so she had me buy a camera."

Tanjiro then showed him some of the pictures in the camera. They were, on the whole, pictures of the scores of the games. Besides those, however, were pictures showing Sayua and no one else.

"That's…" Masashi said, amazed by the many pictures that Tanjiro had taken in just a few hours.

"You don't need to say it. I have a good feeling as to what you're thinking," Tanjiro said as he let out a dreary sigh. "To be truthful, though, I don't think it's a bad idea to keep a camera around."

"Really?"

Tanjiro nodded as he put away the camera. "Much as I'm loath to admit it, this amusement park doesn't look all too bad. Maybe I can use a few shots for inspiration for my works later."

"Hmm, I see what you're getting at," Masashi said. "By the way… how was Hikari? Did she talk a lot?"

"Well… I wouldn't say 'a lot', but she was really interested in what I had to say," Tanjiro said, cracking a small smile. "I simply told her details of my books. To be truthful, it was nothing too interesting, but she seemed to like it."

It was then that he dropped his smile as he sighed once more. "I wish Sayua were as interested in my work as Hikari is. She hardly ever asks me about it, and when I talk about it, she says it sounds 'kinda boring'."

"Guess she's not that interested in music and history."

"No… No, she isn't." Tanjiro let out a sigh full of resignation. "Maybe I can talk her into giving my works a chance, though. I'm not exactly the most persuasive guy, so maybe it's only a matter of being more persuasive."

Once the conversation ended, the two made their ways to the dining room, where most of the others had already gathered.

Sorao, Kumi, and Mari sat at one table, and when Masashi looked at Mari, she shot him a cold glance. Such a response drew no words from him, for it had silenced him, and in the end, she merely let out a sign of resignation, looked back at the others, and spoke with a cheerful tone, as if she had not been displeased at his sight a few seconds ago. She continued to talk with Sorao, who replied back with a blithesome tone, but Kumi could not, in any way, be deemed to be part of the conversation, for he simply looked at them lifelessly, as if he were about to doze off any second now.

Sitting at another table were Sayua and Hikari, though they seemed not to be talking with each other. As soon as Sayua spotted him, she beckoned him to come over, and Tanjiro did her bidding without any question, after which they began to talk about some mundane matter. Sensing that she would not let him see with them, Masashi looked at the only other table occupied. Only Maiha and Haruyuki sat there, and they seemed to be engaged in some kind of conversation.

"What do you think?" Haruyuki said. "Are you interested in the show?"

"Admittedly, it has a certain appeal," Maiha said, rubbing her chin as she leaned back on her chair. "That the hero is a commoner who is forced hard through the ranks is an admirable character, and it teaches a lesson that sadly is not followed enough."

"So you'll watch it?" he said, cracking a smile.

"If there were TV here, I might," she answered before she frowned a little. "But it concerns me a little that you say that the protagonist likes to yell a lot."

"Oh, his yelling's the worst in the beginning, but it gets much better later on—"

"Uh, could I sit with you two?" Masashi asked.

Haruyuki stopped the conversation as soon as he spotted Masashi. "Ah, yes, by all means, sit with us. There's something urgent that I must talk about with you, anyway."

"What is it?" he asked as he sat at their table.

"Kasumi came by earlier and said that she'd skip dinner tonight. I suspect that you had something to do with it."

"Ah!"

He glanced around the dining room once more and noticed that Kasumi was indeed not here. Faye was not here as well, but given the noise from the kitchen, he figured that she was cooking dinner right now. In any case, he had known that Kasumi would try to avoid talking about her suppressed feelings, but he had not expected her to go out of her way to avoid him.

"What's this, now?" Maiha said. "What does Masashi here have to do with that wretched thief?"

Masashi had not come up with any good ideas on how to deal with Kasumi next time. Though he figured that he could somehow get her to meet with him, he had no idea on how he could get her to open up, nor had he a full understanding of what was troubling her. If he found the cause of her troubles, then she might become more willing to talk.

Maybe these two can help me figure it out...

Normally, he would ask Mari for what she thought about this, but at this point, he could not turn to her. He told them both the whole story about Kasumi's weird behavior.

"I see…" Haruyuki said, stroking his chin. "So she fled the scene before you could uncover the crux of her problem."

"Uh, you could put it that way," Masashi said. "I don't get it… What's bothering her so much?"

Maiha scoffed as she crossed her arms. "Does it matter? It's probably something nefarious or stupid."

"Does it have to be either of those?"

"Absolutely!"

Said with such confidence... Masashi sighed as he gave her a beseeching glance.

"Didn't you promise that you'd cooperate with us?" he said. "That includes Kasumi, too. Are you saying you're not a woman of your word?"

Maiha blenched as she bit her lip and was reminded of her words. "I… suppose that it's important to delve into this."

Haruyuki chuckled. "My, you yielded to his request rather quickly. I thought that you would be a bit more stubborn."

"Then you thought wrong." She rolled her eyes before she looked back at Masashi. "Did that wretched thief say anything that stood out to you?"

"Actually…" he responded. "She started talking about 'the others' and said, 'it'd be good if I earned their trust'."

Haruyuki furrowed his brow. "Is that so? How intriguing…"

"And not only that," Masashi continued, "but she also talked about how she 'tried that' with Arashi."

"I presume that she meant earning Arashi's trust."

The ballroom dancer scoffed again. "Given her tone, I'd say that she was planning to betray us in the near future. She wanted us to drop our guard around her, and then when we least expected it, she'd strike."

"Why do you have to assume the worst from her?" Masashi said, though not wholly surprised by her attitude toward Kasumi.

Maiha curled her lips. "However friendly she may seem, she's still a thief in the end. Thieves are nefarious folk who'll do the most wretched things to live another day and don't care whom they steal from. They wouldn't even hesitate to steal from a little girl."

For some reason, around the end, she sounded more heated, as if she were recalling something distasteful that she had once seen.

"Even so, you are a bit too harsh on her," Haruyuki remarked. "I've talked with her many times, and I think she is on a different level from small-minded thieves."

She turned toward him, narrowing her eyes at him. "Hmm… I see now."

"What is it?"

"I've noticed something odd about you," she said sharply. "You've repeatedly told me that you are but a mere observer of this killing game and so will not interfere with our affairs. And yet, earlier today, you asked Masashi to look into the wretched thief's secret."

Haruyuki chuckled. "As I explained to Masashi, I wish to see her other side. I was greatly interested by her short episode in Futaba's class trial, and it was such a shame that I could not see more of her suppressed emotions. Hence, I wish to see something like that again."

Maiha, however, hardly looked convinced. "I don't doubt that… but I can confidently assert that that is not the whole story."

"What?" Masashi said, both men looking at her with slight confusion.

"What I mean is that you have another motivation in mind."

Haruyuki widened his eyes slightly, which reaction was enough to catch Masashi's attention for how much surprise it contained.

"What are you insinuating?" the art critic asked.

"You say that were she left to her own devices," Maiha answered, "she would lose control of her suppressed emotions, as she did in the class trial. But you said that you wanted to see something like that again, yes? Why did you also ask Masashi to help her manage her emotions and thereby avert that outcome?"

"Ah!" Masashi said.

It had earlier felt odd that Haruyuki would beseech him to help Kasumi, but Haruyuki had explained that he wished to see her suppressed emotions. But in a way, that was utterly needless. Sooner or later, Kasumi would lose control, or so Haruyuki had claimed. Then he would simply need to keep observing her to see the suppressed emotions that he had greatly wished to see.

Haruyuki, for a moment, gazed at her with a stern and contemplative countenance. "And so you think that I have another desire in mind. Is that right?"

"That's right, and it's obvious what it is," she said with some loathing in her tone. "You're worried about her. To see her lose control of her emotions is an outcome you'd very much like to avoid."

"Worried…" Masashi uttered.

The ballroom dancer let out a derisive scoff and clicked her tongue. "It's rather droll, truly. You, an art critic, are worried about a phantom thief's well-being! You ought to condemn her for her many thefts of precious art!"

Haruyuki said nothing for a few seconds, and the two simply stared at him with bated breath. But once he opened his mouth, he let out a soft chuckle.

"I've no reason to condemn her for that," he answered, showing a wry smile. "I've found more enjoyment from tales of her escapades than from some highly distinguished art pieces. And besides, as part of her work, she returns every last stolen thing to its owner. No one is thus harmed."

Maiha glared at him with greater disapproval and ground her teeth. "What a silly justification of her misdeeds!"

"You're free to think that, and I'm free to think like this," he retorted rather defensively.

"Haruyuki, if you really feel that way... I have a suggestion for you," Masashi said. "Since you don't want Kasumi to succumb to her emotions, how about you help her?"

Haruyuki dropped his smile, and for the first time, he looked so confused that little of his usual calm self remained. "What do you mean?"

"You should actually involve yourself instead of asking me to help her," he continued. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to drop this. But I think you shouldn't simply stand by the sidelines and watch any longer."

"That…"

Haruyuki furrowed his brow in contemplation. "I'm not sure what to make of this. I wish to stay as a mere beholder of events. But to be truthful… even I am surprised that I felt compelled to talk with Masashi about it. As a beholder of events, I would have simply done nothing and watched as Kasumi's mental health worsened. And yet, if she bore that pain, I would feel rather… displeased."

Despite his hesitation, however, not once did he rule the possibility out. Rather, it seemed more that he was trying to rationalize both his desire to help Kasumi and his desire to watch the killing game unfold from afar.

"I suppose... I ought to be a bit more flexible with how involved I am with this," the art critic said at last.

Masashi widened his eyes with shock. "So you agree to help me with this?"

To this, Haruyuki nodded solemnly. "Indeed. I believe that it's about time that I talked with Kasumi about this, anyway."

Though he was not sure on how much things would change with Haruyuki's involvement now, Masashi sensed that the agreement itself was significant. Now that Haruyuki had set aside his self-imposed role of observer for now, perhaps it would be easier to handle Kasumi's situation.

Still, there was one more person whose involvement Masashi would like. Thankfully, she was sitting with him right now.

"Say, Maiha, could you help us as well?"

"What? I, you say?" she said with some surprise. "Have I not contributed enough to the discussion already?"

"You have, but that doesn't mean you can't help out some more. It'll be proof that you truly mean to get rid of this 'schism' between you and the rest of us."

Having been reminded of her promise once again, she looked at him annoyedly, curling her lips. "You'll never stop using that against me, will you?"

Masashi sighed as he himself did not particularly like the arrangement that they had agreed to, but there was no turning back from that at this point. "Don't think of it like that. Besides, it's important that you be with me when I talk with Kasumi."

"Important? Why do you say so?"

He scratched the back of his head. "To be truthful, you've made it really clear how you feel about Kasumi. Given that, I think it's possible that her suppressed emotions have something to do with you."

"And what is the point of my presence?"

"I think she may need to talk with you about her issues if you have something to do with them."

Maiha shuddered. "I'd rather not be in that wretched thief's presence for too long... but I suppose it won't do to leave her be like that. She may do something nefarious if her mental state deteriorates. Very well, then, I'll accompany you."

Just as she finished her sentence, however, Faye came out of the kitchen with a tray that bore many plates of what seemed to be ramen.

"It's time for dinner, everyone!" she said cheerfully.

"Ooh, bowls of ramen for today?" Sorao said as she passed out a plate to him.

"Well, I felt a little tired after our cooking session, so I wanted to try out a simpler dish for today."

"Ah, I see. Even though it's not your specialty, I'm sure that you've cooked them as wonderfully as you usually do."

Faye giggled a short chuckle while handing out the plates to Sayua's table. "Oh, I'm rather undeserving to hear that from you!"

"Since you guys cooked earlier, where are the treats you made?" Masashi asked.

"Oh, those? I've chosen to save them for later," Faye answered. "They're more fitting, becoming, and appropriate for dessert."

Sorao cracked a small smile. "Well, I can see how the cupcakes make a good after-dinner treat. Don't you think so, Kumi?"

The storyteller said nothing, however, and he merely looked down with a sad expression.

"What's wrong, man?" the musician said, leaning toward him. "Didn't you have fun making those treats with me and Faye?"

Kumi looked up at him with reluctance. "I-I… I did, but..."

"Hmm? Were you distracted by something?" Sorao leaned nearer to him, smiling. "Did you see a fairy or something?"

"F-Fairy…" the storyteller uttered. "No… They haven't appeared since this morning."

"Hmm… I see…" Sorao nodded along as he patted Kumi on the shoulder. "Well, don't worry, buddy! I know how much you like fairy hunting, so you'll see a fairy sooner or later and catch it for its fairy dust or whatever."

Mari furrowed her brow with a contemplative gaze. "You've grown awfully concerned about him."

Sorao chuckled as he rubbed his own head. "I've always been concerned him, girl. That's why it saddened me so much to see the little fella be so down after Sister Hikari's loss, so I want to be here with him, you know. Someone he can turn to for comfort. Like an elder brother, you can say."

"Elder brother, huh?" Tanjiro said skeptically.

"Totally not what I think when I look at you!" Sayua said, leering at him.

"L-Likewise..." Hikari added.

Sorao blenched at the sudden negative reactions. "H-Hey, what gives, guys? I can totally make a good elder brother! I'd like to think that I've been a good elder brother figure to Tanjiro."

"I would very much like to correct your statement there," Tanjiro replied, looking more exasperated. "And besides, we're both the same age and have the same birthday. It wouldn't really be meaningful for either of us to be the elder brother."

"Whoa, wait a moment! You guys have the same birthday?" Sayua said incredulously, to which Tanjiro responded with a nod.

"It's a bit uncanny, but not that unusual, really..." Hikari commented.

Sorao shrugged as he smirked. "Even if we were twins born on the same day, I'd totally be the elder brother figure of the two. I'm the one Tanjiro would turn to whenever he complains about his classmates, and then I'd be there to say, 'it's okay, Tanjiro, man. You're all right the way you are'."

"There are so many things I want to say to that, but I just can't," Tanjiro said, his voice becoming rather strained as if it had physically hurt him to hold back.

"Uh, Sorao? Aren't you getting a bit off-track here?" Faye asked, looking at him with slight disapproval.

"Huh? Oh, right, Kumi. Almost forgot about him."

The musician then looked back at Kumi with a winning smile. "If you see a fairy, let me know. I want to go fairy hunting with you, too. Won't it be more fun if you and I play together, dude?"

"I-I…" Kumi said listlessly before he glanced down at the table, as if trying to shut him out of his sight.

The musician sighed as he looked back at the others. "Those fairies sure come and go at the most random of times, don't they, dude? I can't make heads or tails of it."

"Eh, who gives a hoot about that?" Sayua said. "It's all from his dumbass imagination, anyway. Fairies, elves, warlocks… It's all fiction!"

"N-No… It's not…!"

Kumi said it with slightly more spirit, though not looking up at her. Despite the defiance in his voice, he still looked rather weak and pitiful, and if he were to run up to her, one could easily imagine him stumbling along the way.

"Sayua, please don't say that," Masashi said. "However we all feel about fairies and whatnot, it's not kind to disparage him on that."

"Yes, I agree with Masashi," Tanjiro added. "Just because you think it's fiction, it doesn't mean it's worthless."

The cheerleader let out a derisive scoff, but said nothing else. It seemed that she found it to be a waste of time to argue with them about this.

"Everyone, let's just eat our dinner, shall we?" Mari said. "There are better things to talk about."

"Indeed," Maiha replied. "It looks simple, but at this point, I have no doubts that it won't disappoint me. I'm sure that our good cook here has done her best as usual."

Faye chuckled once more. "Ah, Maiha, thank you for saying that, but you really don't need to say that…"

Of course, given how flattered she looked, it was clear that that had been said out of modesty.

"Now, then," Sorao said once Faye had handed out all the dishes, "let's eat!"

Afterwards, all began to feast on their dinner, talking about the most mundane of things. Though this sight was by no means extraordinary, it still warmed Masashi to see how happy and relaxed the others were, as if this were simply another day in their everyday lives. Indeed, having spent the last week or two here, it would be understandable to say that the more time passed, the more unfamiliar the outside world was.

But in the end, he could not get used to this, for all was not well, despite the jovial atmosphere. Kasumi was not here, hiding in her room, and Kumi was the only one here who did not engage in this light-hearted scene, for he simply ate his dinner slowly while the others at his table talked. Even Hikari, with her usual gloomy look, was far more cheerful, and she still looked a bit disorganized as she talked with Tanjiro.

Masashi glanced over toward Mari, who was chatting with Sorao and Faye about something. She was only a few feet away from him, and the more he looked at her, the more he wanted her to acknowledge him once more. And yet, he had not the daring to go up to her and say something to her. In the end, however sweet this short respite might be, he found it harder and harder to bear.

"Masashi, is something wrong?"

He heard a voice from one of his tablemates, and it was Maiha, who was looking at him with moderate concern.

"You look as if you bore something heavy on your shoulders," she said. "It's not quite the face that I should like to see at dinner."

"Oh, uh, sorry about that... I was only thinking about something," he answered.

"Judging by your expression, it seems that it has something to do with Mari," Haruyuki said. "You keep looking at her from afar, and you're not sitting with her today."

Masashi heaved a sigh. "Well... she and I had a bit of an argument, so we're doing our own separate things for now."

"An argument, you say?" Maiha said with interest. "Might I ask what it was about?"

"Erm... I'd rather not."

Mari's thoughts on fate were something that she did not openly talk about, and so he felt that it would not be right to divulge them to others.

Here it is, guys! The first set of FTEs for Chapter 4! This time, it's with Faye, Hikari, and Maiha, and this means that every living student so far has had at least one FTE with Masashi. Also, Hikari begins to spend time with Tanjiro, and relations between Masashi and Mari are still a bit cold.

My question for you this time is: if you had to choose one of the current surviving students to spend the day with, which one would you choose? Personally, I'd pick Tanjiro. He's a pretty swell and understanding guy, and even though he's not exactly outgoing, I think it'd still be fun to chat with him.