If Shizu fell asleep at all, she wasn't aware of it. All she knows is that, in an instant, all of her mental functions are running at full capacity. She doesn't even need to glance over at the clock, since it has to be 7:30 AM. By all accounts, she should be feeling exhausted. But, for some reason, her eyes refuse to shut. Her limbs don't feel heavy at all. It's as if she's unable to feel anything.
How late was it when she went to bed yesterday? The trial couldn't have lasted all that long, and they only started it a few hours after the morning announcement. But, still, she slept most of the day anyways. Theoretically, her stomach should be kicking up a storm, but, again, she feels nothing. Perhaps she's gone past the point of hunger. Or perhaps there's just an emptiness inside of her that can't be filled by food.
Philosophy and early mornings are not her idea of a great time, so she forces herself to stand up. The covers slowly fall to the floor as she pushes them down. Her hair is frazzled, and she almost doesn't want to take the time to straighten it out. However, she also remembers that she never had the energy to shower yesterday. If she's going to do one, then she might as well do both. At least, that's what she tells herself as she numbly goes through the motions.
By the time she's done with her routine, the morning announcement has already played. At the very least, she looks somewhat vaguely put together. Her stomach growls at her as she fixes her glasses for the umpteenth time in front of her mirror. It's never going to be right. She might as well fix at least one of her problems with a healthy breakfast.
Of all the people she expected to see, which was honestly none of them given the events of the previous day, Kogi was certainly not on the list. However, there he is, sitting casually with a large stack of half-eaten pancakes in the dining hall. He looks up at her when the doors open, nods, and then goes back to eating. Perplexed, she nods back. Even after his general attitude during the trial, her heart is still beating a little faster at the sight of him, and her muscles are tense.
After getting her own breakfast, Shizu sits down in her usual spot. She looks over at the chair where Takumi used to sit before distracting herself with taking a large bite out of her toast. As she chews, she's unable to process how she feels about Kogi technically taking the slot of her previous morning "companion". Thus, they sit in silence.
It's not until Michio waltzes into the room that the conversation picks up. "Hey Shizu! …and Kogi?" he greets.
"Morning," she mutters, still concentrating on her food.
Kogi doesn't look up either. "Hey."
Michio clicks his tongue and stands there silently for a few moments. Then, he says, "Uh… not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here?"
"Eating," he replies.
"Yeah, yeah, no, I got that bit." Rolling his eyes, Michio says, "I meant why are you here instead of in your room? Moreover, why are you here this early?"
"Because I was hungry, and I didn't want any of the food that I had in my room," comes Kogi's standard answer.
Seeing him dodging the question, intentionally or not, Shizu supplies, "I believe Michio is wondering why you are not continuing to isolate yourself. After all, you were the one who instigated the entire thing, whether you meant to cause a split or not."
"Yeah, it just seems kind of odd that you'd feel up for showing your face, especially after… what happened." Michio's hands start trembling near the end of his sentence.
Kogi responds noncommittally, clearly favoring his pancakes over the conversation. "No real point in doing that."
"Uh… are you going to explain why?" Michio asks.
"What a pain…" Clutching his fork, Kogi stabs at the top pancake with a lot of force. "If you wanted to know something specific, then ask the right questions. You're interrupting my breakfast."
"Typically," Shizu begins, "these are the types of things you supply without needing additional prodding. When someone asks why, they generally expect the answer to not be vague."
Scratching the back of his neck, Michio murmurs, "Kind of condescending there…"
If Kogi takes similar issue with her statement, he doesn't show it. "It's precisely because someone died that I'm here right now." Both of them flinch in response, but Kogi ignores them. "Someone died specifically because the group became fragmented. Takumi, in particular, was targeted because of his actions and his isolation. No sense in repeating the mistakes that I know are fatal."
Whistling softly, Michio shoves his hands into the pockets of his trench coat. "Huh… I guess that's your way of saying that you were wrong? I'll take it."
"Do what you like."
Kogi, Shizu decides, is a very different individual than she first imagined. At least Michio doesn't seem bothered by how blasé his admission of failure was.
"Oh… Kogi?" The doors swing open to reveal Pal, Hachi, and Kaixi. All of them look exhausted, though the former has seemingly pulled himself together better.
"Do you need something?" Kogi asks dully.
Pal contemplates this for a moment, and then shakes his head. "No… I am fine. I apologize… for distracting you… from your meal."
Michio gives them an actual greeting. "Morning everyone. You all holding up okay?"
"Y-yeah, of course!" Kaixi's voice is a little too chipper and sudden.
Hachi's smile wavers slightly before she pulls herself together again. "Of… of course. Everything's fine, right? Except for being hungry?"
"I am… somewhat tired," Pal admits, though he lacks the dark circles that his companions have. "Sleep… eluded me, unfortunately."
"Oh, totally," Hachi quickly agrees. "For some reason, I just couldn't help but lie there awake. Super annoying, right?"
Before Michio walks into the kitchen, he calls back, "Well, at least we don't have much of a schedule here. We're all free to sleep whenever we want, so maybe you can take some naps."
Pal bites his lip. "Admittedly, that is… not a very endearing prospect… at this moment in time."
"W-well, I'm starving, s-so let's eat," Kaixi chimes in, wringing his hands together.
Kogi rolls his eyes. "You'll eventually collapse whether you want to or not."
"While that is accurate," Pal scolds, "it is… not entirely helpful to say. Please choose… your words with more care."
"Who says I wasn't?"
Hachi ignores his question. "It's fine everyone. We can just take a nap later if we start dozing off. There's no way any of us will just fall over or anything."
"Y-yeah, it'll be fine," Kaixi agrees. Before anyone else can say something potentially upsetting, both he and Hachi rush into the kitchen.
On the other hand, Pal stays behind. He lets out a tiny sigh once they disappear behind the door. Then, he slowly trudges over to the table and takes his seat. Shizu raises an eyebrow. "Are you not going to get breakfast?"
"In a moment," he replies. Leaning onto the table with a single arm, he props himself up. "I need a moment… to regain my appetite. Please… excuse my moment of weakness."
Through his bites, Kogi states, "No need to force yourself to eat if you're not hungry."
Pal shakes his head. "On the contrary… I am… famished."
"Then sitting here isn't going to do you any good."
Shizu pinches her forehead. "Kogi, I know that you are attempting to help, but your advice is far too blunt." She chooses to focus on her toast rather than him while speaking, however.
To her surprise, Pal comes to his defense. "There is no need… to get into minor arguments… over tone. I appreciate… Kogi's efforts, even if… I cannot immediately agree with them."
"…Very well then."
The doors swing open once more as Samia and Sawako enter. Samia's headscarf looks like it has thrown on in haste, and it appears as though she's having trouble walking straight. On the other hand, the only sign that Sawako is tired is the fact that she's slightly slouching. Even then, Shizu probably wouldn't have noticed if Sawako didn't normally have perfect posture.
The only greeting Samia gives is a halfhearted smile before she ducks into the kitchen. Sawako chooses to stick around, taking her usual seat. "Good morning everyone. I hope you are doing as well as you can at this time."
Kogi gives a wry smile. "I've got pancakes, so I'm placated."
At the sound of his voice, Sawako stiffens slightly, and Shizu inwardly curses the fact that she relates to this. "I-I see. That is indeed good."
Perhaps sensing her distress, Pal answers her query as well. "I will… be fine in a moment. Sitting down… is necessary… for now."
"Would you like me to bring you some food? I do not want you feeling too uncomfortable," Sawako offers.
Pal closes his eyes. "No thank you… though I greatly appreciate… your efforts. I will be ready… in a few moments."
"Well, I'm ready right now." Michio walks into the room, carrying a plate of eggs and bacon. "Morning, Sawako. You're looking lovely as always."
"Good morning, Michio," she replies.
He joins them and instantly begins eating. Between bites, he says, "Man, I'm real glad this place gets restocked every day. It really lets me eat whatever I want without worrying about the consequences."
"I suppose that is one upside to… this," Shizu mumbles.
He shrugs. "Hey, I'll take what I can get. Which, at this point, is apparently eggs and bacon."
Pal stands up. "That does sound good… right now. I believe I shall… go get some fish… to eat."
Michio balks. "Uh… fish? For… for breakfast?"
"Fish is comforting… to me, and I enjoy the taste… greatly," he asserts.
"Then eat the fish," Kogi grumbles. He watches as Pal strolls away but turns back to his meal before the oceanographer leaves the room.
Sawako shakes her head. "I suppose there are no rules for what you should eat, other than societal guidelines. Still, it's an unorthodox breakfast choice."
"Yeah, it's kinda… strange, I guess?" Michio says. "Fish seems kinda heavy for this early in the morning. Not really my choice of morning meat."
Rolling his eyes, Kogi mutters, "Right. Because Pal hasn't acted strange at all before this point."
Michio snorts. "Well, you're not wrong there. But he's really nice, so we shouldn't really be talking."
"You were the one who initially questioned his choice," Shizu points out.
"Oh, like you all weren't thinking the same thing."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
They change subjects when Pal sits down next to them. Samia follows, though she gives his plate a wary look before deciding not to comment on it. Sawako's stomach growls fiercely, and she blushes.
"Oh, are you hungry?" Kaixi announces as he enters. "I can whip you up something real quick if you want."
Sawako eyes the dishes he's currently carrying and shakes her head. "Thank you for offering, but I don't want to impede on your own breakfast time." She stands up, bows slightly, and walks past an exiting Hachi to prepare her own meal.
The amount of people moving to and fro is starting to make Shizu's head hurt. It's not helped when Morgan pushes her way into the dining hall dramatically with both hands. Apparently, she cannot help but make herself the center of attention. Shizu would feel a little bad about judging her so harshly if she didn't look more put together than everyone else combined.
"Good morning, my friends," Morgan greets. "I hope that the spirits have blessed you with as excellent a morning as possible."
Michio gives a small smile. "We're surviving over here. Of course, it's always nicer now that you've joined us."
There's no sign that she's off-put by the comment, no matter how hard Shizu searches. Instead, she merely laughs in her usual manner. "I am glad that my presence has that effect."
"It's definitely nice having this many people together," Hachi pipes up, a hint of something positive sneaking its way into her voice.
After swallowing from a huge bite of fish, Pal joins in. "I definitely missed… this level of companionship."
"Well, in that case, I apologize for keeping you waiting." Morgan takes the opportunity to bow. "I would have joined you much sooner, but my morning preparations do keep me quite busy."
Ever the helpful one, Kaixi chimes in. "Oh, I'm guessing that was a lot of work, right? I don't want you to have to waste more energy when you're probably already super hungry. Want me to cook something for you?"
Morgan's smile is radiant. "That would be lovely, Kaixi. I would be honored to accept your request."
Samia clears her throat. "Hold on a second there." She turns towards the photographer, who has already maneuvered out of his seat. "Kaixi, you just got your food. You should take the time to enjoy it. And Morgan," she now addresses the fortune teller, "you should really be more considerate of other people's time, given that you value yours so much."
"I understand, but please remember that Kaixi offered before I said anything," Morgan attempts to placate her. "I am not forcing him to do anything."
"B-besides, I'm totally happy to do this. Just leave it to me!" Perhaps the threat of an argument breaking out made Kaixi more willing to get out of there.
Honestly, it seems like everyone else agrees with that sentiment. Though Samia and Morgan avert their eyes almost instantly, the tension in the room sticks around. For reasons that she hopes are obvious, nobody wants to rock the boat. Not after…
Unsurprisingly, it's Pal who brings things back to comfort. "May I ask what your… morning preparations entail?" he asks Morgan. "I assume that… they are not entirely… of the cosmetic variety."
She raises a hand to her mouth and giggles. "That is definitely a great portion of them, but, no, you are correct. I must always consult the spirits each morning. Having an idea of what lies in store can never hurt. Besides, I am afraid that it has become a habit at this point. I could not stop even if I wanted to."
"I believe such a sentiment… is familiar to me." Pal nods along to her every word.
"It's super duper cool how you can do that every morning, though. I'm always sleepy when I wake up. I need some honey in my belly before I'm ready to go." There are stars in Hachi's eyes as she speaks.
Morgan leans forwards. "If you would like some guidance, I would not be averse to giving some pointers."
"Really?" Hachi is trembling with excitement. "Thank you so much!"
Laughing at the display, Michio comments, "Might not help you that much. I've met loads of folks who were just not morning people. You'd be surprised with how many investigators need their coffee before they're actually human beings."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that coffee and donuts are a huge police stereotype," Samia points out.
"Well, the surprise is that you can sometimes trust the stereotype," Michio counters.
Shizu narrows her eyes. "You're treading on some dangerous territory with that comment."
"No, I'd say you're all staying in remarkably safe territory with everything that you've been saying."
The entire group jumps collectively at the sound of Fumika's voice. She's sitting in her usual seat, glaring dully at Shizu in particular. She chalks it up to the fact that she had spoken last, though makes a mental note about a possible grudge.
Hachi is very vocal about her shock, as she shrieks, "Agh! Fumika? How did- When did you get here?!"
"I've been here for a while," she answers, though Shizu would have liked more specificity. "It's not my fault that you didn't notice me. You were too busy talking about nothing."
Michio raises an eyebrow at this. "What's that supposed to mean, exactly?"
She scoffs. "Seriously? Do you really think I'm that ignorant? I'm talking about what happened yesterday."
A hush falls over the room, like all of the life had been sucked out of it. Kaixi chose that moment to enter, with Sawako right behind him. "Okay Morgan, I hope you enjoy…" He paused, sensing the uneasy atmosphere. "Uh… is everything alright? I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"
Fumika scoffed. "They only thing you've kept us waiting on is actually talking about the murder incident."
He nearly drops the plate, but Sawako manages to steady his grip. She shoots a harsh glare towards the historian. "Please watch your tongue. You're coming off as very accusatory."
"Good, it's working then," she responds coolly.
Hachi begins to fidget. "C-c'mon, Fumika. It's breakfast. Can't we just eat in peace?"
Coming to her aid, Pal says, "I believe that now… is not the best time… for such a subject."
"So, you're all just ignoring it then? That's your strategy?" With a huff, Fumika stands up. "I don't know how dumb you are all, but I hope I don't have to remind you that Takumi and Kazuha are dead."
There's a clatter as Michio nearly drops his glass. His hands are shaking wildly. "Hold on there. Nobody said that they weren't."
She growls, "You know what I mean. You're all clearly avoiding talking about it. Maybe you just needed a reminder on how severe things are. Unless you all think that death isn't a big deal."
At this, Samia rises to her feet as well. "Okay, that's it. Just because some of us have tact doesn't mean that we're downplaying something this serious. Of course we all care."
Shizu nods grimly. "There is a time and a place for all of this. It would be unwise to expect a serious discussion when the trauma is still so close at hand. I know that I'm not a therapist, but I know enough to say that such a discussion would be fruitless."
She swears she hears Fumika mutter something about her being a know-it-all, but she has no time to process this before the next response comes. "We all spent half of yesterday alone in our rooms doing nothing. If we can't start talking about this now, when can we? When everyone's fully comfortable with it?" Fumika raises her hands in the air. "You and I both know that's never going to happen. Death is a serious subject, especially with regards to people that you know. But we're not going to get anywhere by choosing to ignore the past. History doesn't work that way."
A slight dinging noise catches their attention, as Kogi has tapped his plate with a fork. "You might get more results if you said what you actually wanted to talk about."
"Excuse me?"
He shrugged. "I'm pretty sure you don't want us to say, 'It sucks that Takumi and Kazuha died,' and leave it at that."
Kaixi gulped. "W-well, it was definitely bad that they… that they…" He trailed off quickly.
"If that's what you want," Samia sits down midsentence and gestures towards her plate, "you'd get better results after we finish eating. I'm fine with talking about this, but I hope you realize that people are less receptive when they're hungry."
Nodding solemnly, Pal states, "I do not think… we would have much of an… appetite… if we talked about this first."
It looks as though Fumika wants to argue, but a look of… something… flashes across her face, and she calms down considerably. "…Fine. I'm sorry about being so forceful."
"H-hey, it's fine," Kaixi assures her whilst taking his seat. "You're probably hungry just like the rest of us. In fact-"
Morgan giggles. "You have already prepared a meal for me. Your generosity is overflowing, but please take the time to consider your own needs."
With that, the atmosphere returns to normal, almost too easily. Everyone, Fumika included, appears to be all too happy to move on. Shizu tries to gauge the historian's desire to go back to the topic, but her face betrays nothing. She considers the possibility that Fumika was simply feeling on edge about yesterday's events and merely reacted too impulsively. Then, she realizes that she's staring and quickly averts her gaze before anyone notices.
Deciding that she would be better off not trying guess at emotions, she tunes back into the conversation at hand. It's nothing that interests her too much, and she doubts she'll be able to pick up on anything hidden given how the last few minutes had gone. Still, it's background noise at the worst.
"Gotta say that I'm really digging getting to hang out with you again, Fumika," Michio says with a small smile.
She stares back without much emotion. "I'm sure you say that to everyone."
"He did," Kogi confirms.
Looking a little sheepish, Michio elaborates. "Hey, cut me some slack. It's been a while, okay? It can feel a little empty here when there are people missing." The words leave his mouth before he can process them, and, from the look on his face, he feels really embarrassed.
Before silence can take hold again, Hachi speaks up. "Well, there are people missing still." She, too, suddenly goes wide and eyed and continues, "I mean, l-like, Tsubame's still not here. And others, like Joshua and Chouki and Soraru and… and that's it, I think."
"Joshua's definitely sleeping," Samia says, "And I'm not all that surprised that Chouki hasn't popped up given his… everything."
Kogi mumbles, "Soraru not being here suits me just fine."
"That doesn't explain Tsubame's absence." Shizu is unable to stop herself from speaking. "I could be wrong, but I believe that Tsubame would not normally miss a group meeting like this."
"Even after the trial?" asks Fumika. She gestures around to the people sitting at the table. "I got yelled at for bringing up yesterday. Maybe she needs more time alone to process."
Shizu shakes her head. "Perhaps, if she was the only one suffering. Given that it was experienced by the whole group, I think that it's more likely she'd want to help cheer up everyone else if given the opportunity."
"When exactly did you 'learn' all of this? I'm pretty sure I've spent more time with her than you have." Fumika narrows her eyes.
Michio takes the opportunity to tease her. "Hey, you don't know what she's got in that notebook of hers." In response, she subconsciously grasps her blazer pocket.
"Still, I hope nothing bad happened to her," Sawako muses.
As if summoned by their conversation, Tsubame enters the dining hall. Upon seeing all of the people sitting there, a flash of relief washes over her face. "Oh thank goodness. I thought you might be here, but I couldn't help but worry. It's good to see you all again."
"Where else would we be? It's morning, isn't it?" Michio questions.
Tsubame tilts her head. "Did you not…?" She goes silent before shaking her head. "Oh, I suppose it was not entirely obvious. My apologies. I was exploring the fourth floor."
Hachi looks a little confused. "What's there to look at? Everything other than the bedrooms is gated off."
"Yes, that was the case previously, but, when I woke up this morning," Tsubame explains as she makes to join them at the table, "the gates were down. Well, most of them, anyways. There are still areas off limits, but the fourth floor has opened up quite considerably." Trying as hard as she can to think back, Shizu cannot recall if they had been taken down when she had left her room. She makes a mental note to be more aware of her surroundings. Even so, why wasn't there an announcement?
Slamming his palms on the dining room table, Michio says, "Well, I don't know about you all, but I think I'm going to go check out what's new here. Breakfast really energized me."
"Hold on," Samia interrupts, "weren't we going to discuss the incident? Isn't that what Fumika wanted?" However, when they turn towards Fumika's seat, they find that she's missing.
Kogi shrugs. "Guess this was more important to her." He pauses. "And to me." Without so much as a backwards glance, he walks out of the room.
"They may not have the manners to say goodbye, but I agree with their sentiments." Morgan chooses to take her leave as well. "Thank you very much for informing us of this development, Tsubame. I had a feeling something like this would happen today."
Soon, everyone else filters out of the room as well, intrigued by what awaited them. Most of them left their finished meals where they were sitting, but Kaixi kindly scooped all of them up before he made his leave. When Shizu tries to leave, however, she feels Tsubame's hand on her shoulder.
"Um… I'm sorry about this, but do you have time to talk?" Guilt is evident in her tone. "I know that you really want to take notes on everything, but I feel like it's important. It's… it's about the trial."
Shizu nods. "I have time. There's no need to apologize. What is it?"
Tsubame glances back and forth at the empty room before saying, "I don't mean to be rude but… I wanted to talk about the way you were acting during the trial."
That… wasn't what she had expected at all. It takes her a moment to get her bearings. "I'm sorry?"
She waves her hands frantically. "It's not that you were doing something wrong or anything. I just…" As she struggles to find the right words, she begins to tug on her braid so frantically that Shizu's afraid she might rip it off. "You were… um… how should I put this? You were a bit… forceful… at times."
"If by forceful you mean that I took control of the discussion frequently, then I don't fully understand the problem." Shizu tries to explain her reasoning. "I believe that, for the most part, I was helpful in solving some of the key mysteries of that case."
"Yes, and I'm very thankful for that." Tsubame doesn't appear to be lying, but there seems to be a catch. "However, I'm a bit worried about how you did that."
Shizu tilts her head. "You mean that I knew or assumed too much?"
Tsubame sighs. "No. It's more like… you kind of put a lot of other people down to get your way. You would talk over others whenever they tried to say something, and, if they thought you were wrong for some reason, you got really annoyed and tried to get them to stop talking."
It's certainly not a new criticism to her, but that doesn't make it easier to ignore. Shizu takes a moment to think before replying, "I suppose you have a point, but, in all of those cases, I believe that I was correct in my assertions. If I didn't have complete confidence in what I was saying, I do not believe I would be so forceful."
From the look in her eyes, it's clear to her that Tsubame disagrees heavily. "I want to believe you," she pleads, "I really do. But it's easy to say something like that after the fact. What if you were wrong but you still thought you were right? It feels like you would drag the rest of us down the wrong path on accident. And I'm sure it felt that way to a lot of people yesterday." She stops, exhales deeply, and finishes her thoughts. "I know that you put a lot of thought into things, but, please, I'm asking you as politely as I can to consider what other people think. Even if they are wrong, please don't dismiss them entirely."
As Tsubame bows deeply before her, Shizu has no choice but to consider her words. It's frustrating to not have her work taken seriously simply because of her confidence. Even so, a not-too-distant memory begins to resurface, and her entire body tenses up. Pushing it down as fast as she can, she begins to see the complaints in a new light.
"…Very well," she says eventually. "I can't guarantee anything, but I will attempt to be more considerate in the future."
"That's all I can ask of you. Thank you very much." Shizu feels like her response was a little bit noncommittal, but Tsubame seems more than satisfied, as if she expected a worse reaction. "I'm very sorry for holding you up."
"It's no worry," Shizu claims, thought she's definitely starting to feel a bit anxious on being the last one out there. It's not that she thinks the others will hide anything, but she can never be too careful. "Have a nice breakfast, Tsubame."
Joshua takes the opportunity to stumble into the dining hall, looking even more disheveled than usual. Upon seeing them, he rubs his eyes. Then, he waves. "Oh, hey you two. Didn't think anyone else would be having a late breakfast. Especially not you, Shizu."
"Good morning, Joshua," Tsubame greets him. "I hope you slept well."
He shrugs. "Eh, about the same as usual, honestly. Although, since I was asleep for, like, 20 hours or so, maybe that means I caught up on my sleep and can function normally."
"I'm fairly certain that's not how sleep works," Shizu says.
"I will trust you on that one, because I am very dumb." Joshua's stomach growls. "And also very hungry. Passing out for almost a day works up an appetite."
Tsubame blushes lightly as her own stomach follows suit. "We can eat together if you want. I spent my morning in the new rooms, so I haven't had anything yet."
"Sweet, it'd be nice have some company." It takes Joshua a minute to process the second thing she said. "Wait, hang on, what's this about new rooms? Did we all swap bedrooms or something, and nobody told me?"
Shizu is already out of the room, but she can still hear the stifled laughter in Tsubame's voice. "No, no, it's not quite like that…"
Everyone else seemed to have already gotten to the new rooms, as the elevator ride back up to the fourth floor was uninterrupted. It gave her time to think, mostly about her own incompetence. After all, how could she have missed the fact that the gates were down? Had she already become so accustomed to her surroundings that she assumed everything was the same? If so, that boded poorly for other aspects of her life. She would have to be more vigilant in the future.
Once she reaches the fourth-floor lobby, she looks to the left. Sure enough, the hallway is now clear. From Tsubame's account, the gate near their bedrooms was probably also gone. Seeing as she's right here, she decides to explore this pathway first.
To her surprise, there are actually two rooms on opposite ends of the hallway. From outside, she can't make out what the leftmost one is, but the sign on the rightmost room indicates that it is an all-gender bathroom. Interesting. It would be more helpful to her personally if it was on another floor, but she supposes that it's better than nothing.
At that moment, Kaixi pushes his way out of the restroom. His smile grows when he sees Shizu, and he quickly runs up to her. "Hey Shizu! Are you already done looking everywhere else?"
"No, I got held up, unfortunately. I'm starting my investigation here," she explains.
Kaixi looks a little sheepish. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to assume. You can look in the bathroom if you'd like, but it's pretty similar to the ones in our rooms, minus the shower and stuff. The rec room's probably more interesting."
So, the other room is a recreation room then. It's not something she can see herself using, but her perception is most likely biased after having spent so much time in prison. Even before that, she was much too busy working with… well, that doesn't matter right now.
Kaixi kindly holds the door open for her, allowing her to finally see what's inside. It's a fair bit larger than she expected. At the front of the room, closest to where she has entered, there is a giant, widescreen TV fixed to the wall. A long couch similar to the one in the lounge is sitting in front of it. She hopes that it's just as comfortable. The back wall is lined with shelves, presumably filled with games or movies, though she can't be bothered to fully process everything she sees. Turning her head, she notices that there are several tables set up near the far end of the room. One of them is normal, and another is a pool table, but she doesn't quite recognize the others. Her knowledge in relaxation is sadly lacking.
Michio is going over the contents of the shelves while, to her surprise, Kogi is fiddling with the TV. Kaixi clears his throat to get their attention before rubbing his hand together. "Hey, Shizu's here now. Do you all want to go over what we've found so far to make her job easier?"
Before she can protest, Kogi mutters, "I found a TV," before he returns his attention to said device.
Michio chooses to be more helpful. "Hey Shizu. I thought it might have been you who was coming up here."
That's an odd statement. "Were you expecting someone other than Kaixi?"
"Yeah." He points to the wall with his thumb. "These walls are pretty thin for some reason, so we heard the elevator moving up. Gotta say, not my ideal background noise for a game room, but beggars can't be choosers."
Kaixi crosses his arms and agrees. "It's really lackluster design. Maybe the noise from the TV will help drown it out a little… I don't really think so, though."
Adjusting her glasses, Shizu points out another possibility. "If it's not too loud, it shouldn't be that much of an issue. I don't think we're going to be using the elevator with enough frequency for it to be too disruptive." Before the discussion can get going, she changes the subject. "Have you found anything interesting?"
Michio shrugs. "If you're wondering about all this shelf junk, it's mostly just entertainment stuff. Y'know movies, video games, board games… I think I saw some puzzles in there somewhere. I don't think any of it will be too helpful in escaping, but it'll definitely help cure the boredom."
She keeps her entertainment opinions to herself, though the puzzles do sound somewhat fun. There are still some questions she'd like to solve, so she asks, "Do you recognize all of the titles?"
He gapes at her. "Uh… Shizu, you do realize that this is a lot of stuff, right?" He gestures once more to the entire back wall. "I kinda just glanced over all this stuff for now. I mean, yeah, I know a lot of these, but I think it's a bit much for anyone to have an encyclopedic knowledge of this much stuff."
"Ah, that's not quite what I meant," she clarifies, silently berating herself. "Although, now that I reconsider my words, my request is still a lot. I was more so curious if everything here was released before you recall being captured."
He snaps his fingers. "Huh… I didn't think of that. But…" he continues, "I haven't seen anything like that so far. Do you really think it's been more than a week or so since we were captured?"
"Not entirely. I don't like leaving possibilities open if at all possible," Shizu explains.
Kogi snorts. "Not like they'd make that mistake anyways."
Putting back a case for what looked to her like a cheesy sci-fi movie, Michio nods. "Yeah, I don't think they'd screw up the dates if they wanted to hide when we got kidnapped. That'd really suck for them if their whole plan got capsized because they didn't want us getting bored."
"Can't imagine we'd learned too much from being held here for longer than normal." Ever the optimist, Kogi says, "That'd just make us lose hope that help's coming."
Michio scowls. "Hey, I thought it was a clever idea, Shizu."
She barely processes Kaixi affirming his admiration for her idea as well. Instead, she reluctantly focuses on Kogi. "May I ask what you are doing with that television?"
"Checking it out," he replies without bothering to look at her.
Kaixi intervenes. "Uh, I think he's looking to see if anything else is plugged into it, or if there are any other ports that we could use, maybe. I think it's a smart TV, so there's probably a bunch of helpful functions and stuff. He's just making sure that they're all working. Right?" He jumps around to face Kogi after finishing.
He shrugs. "Close enough."
"Is there anything in particular you're interested in?" Shizu asks. From what she remembers, most smart TVs have internet connection built in, but she can't imagine that they'd be allowed to get online in any capacity.
Kogi grumbles but says nothing else. Either he doesn't want to talk to her or he doesn't want his plans to be overheard and shut down. Fair enough. She's not sold on the idea that this is helpful, but to each their own.
"I suppose you have everything covered here," she says. "I'll look in the other rooms for now."
Faking a sigh, Michio shrugs. "Typical. A girl asks me to watch some movies and then bails right after. What can you do?" She must be making a face because he laughs. "You know I'm joking."
"I'll watch something with you later, if you want," Kaixi says.
Michio gives a thumbs up. "Sweet, I've got some recommendations. Feel free to join in too if you want, Shizu."
"…I'll think about it." She's never been a fan of movies, but she knows saying that would just get Michio more invested in getting her to watch one. She walks out of the room before either of them can say anything else to distract her.
Shizu briefly considers investigating the bathroom before deciding to continue going counterclockwise down the hall. It's technically a new place, but she doubts it's hiding much of anything. Besides, her room is on this floor, so there's no need for her to ever use it. It's a bit strange that this is the floor that has an extra bathroom and not the floor with the dining hall.
Lost in her thoughts, she barely notices Fumika approaching her. She's moving at a brisk pace, most likely annoyed by something. Shizu would normally pry, but she finds exploring to be more pressing at the moment. Thus, she briefly gives a nod and continues moving. "Fumika."
Fumika comes to a halt. "There's nothing over that way except another gate. Don't waste your time."
"Oh…" Shizu stops. "Thank you." There's a brief moment where she expects Fumika to walk away without her, but, instead, she gets a frustrated look. She says, "Do you want to go together?"
Rolling her eyes, Fumika says, "We're going the same way. Not like we have a choice, unless you want to make things awkward."
That admission still doesn't prevent the awkwardness from settling in. Fumika, whether subconsciously or not, moves much faster than Shizu does. Every few steps, Fumika looks back with a frustrated expression, waits for her to catch up, and moves farther ahead.
By the seventh time this happens, Shizu has had enough. "I'm willing to admit that I don't understand you. If I'm slowing you down this much, just go on without me."
"I already offered to accompany you," Fumika replies. "I'm not planning on taking back my word."
Despite her annoyed tone, Shizu gets the impression that Fumika did want her around. She had finally chosen to slow down, and, while she couldn't get a good look at her face, her hunched over posture and her grip on her forearm indicated some form of vulnerability.
Shizu chooses not to comment on this and instead says, "In that case, would you like to talk about what you brought up earlier today? We have time. That is, unless you no longer wish to do so."
"Just because I left the dining hall first doesn't mean I gave up on that." Fumika looks over at her. "Everyone made it crystal clear that they would find as many excuses as it took to avoid talking about the murder."
Taking a deep breath, Shizu prepares herself for the discussion. "What about the… case did you wish to discuss? I assume it has something to do with preventing future incidents."
Fumika nods. "Yeah. You're a strategist, right?"
"…That is my title, yes," Shizu responds.
A deathly serious look crosses Fumika's face. "Then, tell me: who did you think would be the most likely person to commit a murder?" Shizu freezes in place, and, seeing this, Fumika says, "Please don't tell me the thought never crossed your mind."
"It's not that simple," Shizu argues. She adjusts her glasses before continuing. "I didn't view anyone more likely to kill than anyone else. All of us were in the same situation with the same information. Rather than potential suspects, I chose to view us all as victims."
"Right." Fumika, not impressed in the slightest, then says, "Are you saying that you didn't even suspect those of us who went off on our own even slightly more?"
Shizu shakes her head. "Of course not. The main reason for leaving was to protect yourselves."
"We could have been lying," Fumika points out.
Frustrated, Shizu says, "What are you actually trying to accomplish here? Surely, you aren't trying to purposefully make yourself more suspicious."
"My point," Fumika states, "is that, out of everyone trapped in this place, Kazuha was absolutely not the person I thought would kill first."
"Hmm." To be honest, Shizu agrees, if only slightly. She prides herself in not assuming she knows everything about someone she's just met. Everyone has hidden parts of their personalities. Still, the few days she spent talking to Kazuha did not paint a picture of a murderer, even in such extreme circumstances.
Either not noticing or caring about Shizu's silence, Fumika keeps talking. "If someone like her was forced into a situation where murder seemed best, everyone else could be similarly forced. We can't afford to fully trust anyone."
Shizu shakes her head. "Kazuha's circumstances were slightly different to what we now know. At the time, none of us were aware that killing one person would sacrifice everyone else. The trial system itself was also a secret."
"Are you saying that this knowledge will stop people?" Fumika stares at her skeptically.
"No," she admits, "but I do think that it will make people hesitate before they resort to murder. The situation isn't as dire as you paint it."
Before Fumika can respond, the two of them reach a new door, a sign with a leaf displayed outside. Shizu had barely noticed the fact that they'd passed through the dorm hall. She hoped she hadn't unintentionally ignored anyone in the rec room.
The moment Shizu enters, she has to blink as her eyes adjusted to the room's brighter lighting. This room appears to be an indoor garden, a rather large one at that. Several tables are lined up neatly, carrying plants of all sorts in giant bins of soil. There are equally as many potted plants. Some of the foliage appears to be growing along the walls. One section in particular is so dense that she almost mistakes it for a jungle. She knows next to nothing about flora, but she's still impressed by the sight of it.
Her awe is ruined when, without warning, the sprinklers above her activate.
In only a few seconds, she's dripping wet. Her ire only increases when she hears a familiar laugh. In the back of the room, there is a control panel where Soraru is sitting, not even bothering to hide xer glee.
"Ahahaha, I can't believe that just happened!" xe laughs. "I swear I didn't plan for that, honest. You're just super unlucky."
"Forgive me if I don't believe you." Shizu growls even as the "rain" stops.
Soraru gives her doe eyes. "Aw, but I'd never do something like that, not when there's plants involved." Shizu raises an eyebrow, not seeing the connection there. Xe drops the act and sticks out xer tongue. "Besides, if I really wanted you soaked, I'd have done this." Xe fiddles with the control panel for a moment, until a torrential downpour, one that makes the rain she had been hit with look like a light drizzle, falls onto the jungle-like section of the greenhouse.
Wiping her glasses clean, Shizu groans. "Very well. You've made your point. Could you fetch me something to dry off with?"
"I am afraid there are no towels or anything of the like here." Morgan steps into view, looking fairly amused with the situation. "Both the spirits and I have searched this place, and we have turned up nothing."
Shizu pinches her forehead. "Just perfect."
"I will look for something. Maybe there's another new room past here that can help," Fumika offers. Judging on how her eyes have narrowed ever since Soraru made xer presence known, she most likely wants to find an excuse to leave.
Shizu gracefully allows this. "Thank you, Fumika."
Fumika's hasty exit has the unfortunate side effect of making her the center of attention of two people she'd rather avoid. She should check everything here as quickly as possible, lest she get dragged into an annoying situation. "If there aren't any towels here, this room seems like a slipping hazard waiting to happen."
"Pfft, maybe if you don't look where you're walking." Soraru waves off her concerns.
At least Morgan attempts to give a satisfying explanation. "There are grates in the floor, and the ground slopes slightly towards them. Most of the water will naturally flow towards them."
Looking down, Shizu sees that Morgan is correct. "Even so, the remaining water will take time to dry, and I'm sure it could still cause some trouble."
"All you do is complain," Soraru says. "Well, except maybe for the times you don't complain, but still! A little slip isn't going to hurt anyone. Just ask Joshua!"
"I distinctly remember him being hurt by that," Shizu retorts, recalling xer juice prank.
Xe laughs. "Maybe you should get your brain checked."
"Regardless," Morgan interjects, "so long as you are careful and do not run, I am certain no harm shall befall you. You are certainly a careful woman, so I believe you shall not be troubled by this."
Shizu internally groans. "…Thank you." She then points over to Soraru. "I'm assuming that machine is there to make sure the plants get the right amount of water."
"Yup! Well, as far as I can tell," Soraru says. "It's all automated, so each section gets its own daily schedule of water. But you can do everything manually."
"I wasn't aware you knew how to operate this equipment," Shizu says.
Soraru leans back in xer chair and rests a foot on the control panel. "Oh, I have no idea what I'm doing. So far, I'm just pushing buttons and watching it rain. But," xe says as xe sit upright, "I'm going to learn!"
At the befuddled expression on her face, Morgan giggles. "Oh, where you not aware the depth of Soraru's care for flora? I find that one learns important information by talking."
"Huh? Huh? But I don't think you've ever really talked to me," xe say, squinting in what Shizu assumes is mock suspicion.
Morgan merely smiles. "I was talking about the spirits."
"Oh, well that makes total sense and is in no way strange," xe concludes.
Just then, a door to the right of where Soraru is sitting, which Shizu hadn't noticed, opens. A figure dressed entirely in white, their face obscured by a hat with a wire mesh, stands there. While she can't make out their features, it's clearly Hachi.
"Guys, it's really cool in there!" she shouts. "Are you sure you don't wanna-" It's at that moment when she notices Shizu. "Oh Shizu! Guess what's over here."
She eyes the suit. "A bee farm, perhaps?"
"Yup!" Hachi confirms, vibrating with excitement. "So many precious little bees! It's exactly what I needed!" She takes off her hat, revealing her starry eyes. It's a stark contrast to her demeanor early this morning.
"I am certainly glad that you have a room to practice your talent in." As Morgan speaks, her tone slowly gets less positive. "However, I am afraid I cannot help but be somewhat jealous. If only there were a fortune telling room available to me."
Hachi's cheer fades. "O-oh… I'm sorry. I didn't wanna put you in a bad mood…"
"No, it's no fault of yours," Morgan denies as she walks next to Hachi and places a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "You did not build our prison. Please, enjoy your beekeeping to your heart's content.
Soraru blows a raspberry. "Why're you even complaining? It's not like the rest of us have talent rooms."
"Soraru…" Morgan says slowly, "You have access to a kitchen."
"Oh right, that." Xe waves xer hand. "I forgot since I haven't been there in a while."
"But uh… didn't you make the cakes for…" Hachi stumbles mid-sentence before backpedaling. "Um… n-never mind. A-and more importantly, I didn't mean to cause any arguments. I'm sorry!"
Morgan pats her on the shoulder again. "I told you, there is no need for your apologies. I do very much appreciate the fact that you care so much. And speaking of care…" She turns her attention back to Shizu.
Shizu hears a cough behind her. Fumika is standing at the entrance to the garden, holding a towel. "Sorry it took so long," she says whilst handing it to Shizu. "There's nothing but another gate down the hallway. I had to find Michio and ask him to get a towel from his room."
Grateful to finally be a little less wet, Shizu begins drying off. "Thank you for going. Though I am curious why Michio didn't just come over himself."
Fumika rolls her eyes. "He wanted to keep looking over all the stuff in the rec room. He said something about wanting a movie night. I guess he wanted me to go because he asked if I liked any history documentaries or dramas." She scoffs. "As if I only like movies related to my talent."
Hachi twiddles her thumbs. "Well, maybe he didn't know what you liked and tried to play it safe. I don't think he meant to insult your tastes."
"…Probably not," Fumika admits.
Soraru claps with enthusiasm. "Congrats on coming to the worst possible interpretation!"
"It's not like I try to-" She cuts herself off and pinches her forehead. "Look, it's just a stressful time for me. I don't mean to come off like that."
"Come now." Morgan places her hands together and closes her eyes. "There is no need to listen to Soraru's words. Xe only wishes to cause a commotion."
Xe crosses xer arms. "Hey! That's rude!"
"So are you," she replies, an air of condescension present in her tone.
"Well, if you're going to rain on my parade, I'll rain on yours!" With that declaration, xe pushes a button… causing a light drizzle in the middle of the room nowhere near where Morgan is standing. "…Huh. I guess that's what I get for leaving things up to randomness."
"I foresaw this outcome, which is why I was guided to this spot," Morgan says. "Fate is on my side."
"You probably also 'foresaw' that there aren't any sprinklers above the door to the bee room," Shizu notes.
Clearly pretending to look up in surprise, Morgan puts a hand to her chest. "Dear me, it would appear you are correct. How fortunate I am to have such observant spirit guides."
"I'm just happy that whoever built this room was smart enough to keep the bees far away from this really heavy rain," Hachi says. "It'd be super bad if someone washed them all away."
Narrowing her eyes, Fumika says, "Sorry, but what's this about bees?"
Hachi's eyes sparkle. "There's a beekeeping room back here! You wanna see?" She looks to Shizu as well. "And you too, Shizu?"
Shizu suppresses a shudder. "I believe I'll pass for now."
"Aw, c'mon. It's super safe," Hachi pleads with her. "There's enough beekeeping suits for everyone too."
"No thank you," she says, this time with a firmer tone.
Hachi pouts. "I don't understand… Nobody wants to look at the bees. They're so friendly and fuzzy and cute."
"I believe I told you before," Morgan says, "that I felt a negative aura emanating from that room. It would be unwise for someone like me, who has little experience with bees, to enter."
Soraru makes a sweeping gesture to the rest of the garden with xer hands. "Who needs bees when you have trees? Flowers and bushes and other plants too, but none of those rhyme with 'bee'."
"Lots of plants need bees for pollination," Shizu states.
"Bah, fine, I get it. My joke didn't work on any level. Be a critic," xe complains, slouching in xer seat.
Fumika shakes her head. "I suppose I'm the only one who doesn't fear bees. I'll investigate the room with you."
This cheers Hachi up considerably. Putting on her hat, she flings the door open and holds it for Fumika. "The suits are in a closet area this way. Don't worry about any bees getting out. There's another set of doors to make sure they stay safe."
"I'm more worried about myself than the bees…" Shizu hears Fumika mutter as she follows. The door closes gently behind them.
That's about all there is for this room. If Fumika is to be believed, and Shizu sees no reason not to believe in this particular instance, the presence of another gate means that's all there is for this floor as well. Shizu spins on her heels, gives a small wave behind her, and walks out of the room.
Morgan calls out, "Farewell. Please take care in your investigation. There may be unpleasant discoveries in your near future."
"Thanks for not saying goodbye!" Soraru shouts.
As she enters the hallway, she faintly hears Morgan say, "If she prolonged her goodbye, she knew you would spray her with the sprinklers again. Even one such as her with no trust in the guiding hand of fate can read you."
She makes sure to fold Michio's towel and leave it in front of his room when she passes it by. She's still a little wet, but at least she isn't covered in cake like yesterday. Water doesn't stain clothes, not that she's ever cared much for fashion.
Then, her eyes shoot open. Frantically, she reaches into her blazer pocket and fishes out her notepad. The cover is soaked. Carefully, she opens it and… thank goodness. None of the pages are damaged. Only the outside is wet. Storing it safely away, she breathes a sigh of relief. It would have been a disaster if she lost her notes.
Shizu doesn't run into anyone on her way down to the third floor. It finally gives her a break to go over what she's learned so far and add to her notes. Her thankfully very dry notes. It feels a little strange that these are the rooms that have opened up to them. Everything from before had seemed fairly necessary for living a basic life, but the new rooms were more specialized. The beekeeping room in particular was probably only useful for Hachi. Would the rooms on the third floor be similarly specific?
It's only when she passes the dorms that she sees another person. To her surprise, Chouki is storming rather quickly towards her. The moment their eyes lock, he speeds up, but she moves to block him.
"Get out of my way," he hisses.
She ignores him. "It's good to see that you're up. You weren't at breakfast."
He rolls his eyes. "Do you not remember the group splitting up?"
"Everyone else has chosen to rejoin, at least for now," she explains, casually leaving out the part where Soraru hadn't shown up either.
"I don't care about whatever the hell you or anyone else is doing," he says. "I still don't trust any of you, and, if you think that's changed recently, you're dumber than I thought."
Shizu chooses to disregard his tone. There are more important matters for now. "Be that as it may, you should join us for breakfast tomorrow. We're going to discuss the rooms, but I also have a feeling that we'll talk about… the incident and moving forwards."
"Why should I care?" he asks.
"If you don't show up, then you have no say in what we decide," she says, even as his attitude grates on her. "You would also know where everyone stands and would be able to plan around them, if you wish to remain isolated."
It looks like Chouki wants to fire back but realizes he has nothing to say to that. For a minute, he stands there, glaring at her and frantically tracing the tattoos on his left arm. Finally, he lets out a grunt of frustration. "I'll think about it."
She nods. "That's all I can ask."
Giving no indication that he heard her response, he quickly steps to the side and all but sprints away, as though staying near her any longer will poison him. She'll probably see him again later, so she puts the encounter out of her mind and continues down the hall.
It takes her longer than she expected, but she finally comes to a new room. Unlike previous rooms, it has a large set of double doors. The sign depicts a dumbbell, meaning that it's likely a gymnasium. She feels a twinge of shame as she thinks about her lack of exercise.
The first thing Shizu notices upon entering is the sheer size of the gym. It's far larger than even the garden. The ceiling, too, is much higher than any other room in the building. She wouldn't be surprised if it reached the bottom of the fourth floor. Judging by all of the equipment in here, the size is necessary.
Most of the left-hand side of the gym is filled with benches, mats, and other equipment Shizu is ashamed to not recognize at all. At least she can recognize treadmills and exercise bikes, but the rest is a mystery. Far more familiar is the large, elliptical track that takes up the center of the room. The middle of track stores what appear to be hurdles and more mats. Perhaps they're there for jumping exercises. There are a few more mysterious machines towards the right, but the real notable feature is the giant rock-climbing wall that lines the entire right-hand wall. It looks like there's a small platform near the top, though Shizu honestly couldn't imagine anyone actually climbing all the way up there.
At the back of the room, there's an entryway to a locker room, at least as far as she can tell. The shapes in the back certainly look like lockers. She can hear the sound of running water echoing. There's nobody in the main room of the gym, so she makes her way back.
This room has blue tiled floors and walls. As she thought, there are several tall, metal lockers lined up in a row. To her right, there's another entryway, though this one is covered by a curtain. The more pressing issue is, to her displeasure, Sawako standing in front of one of the lockers.
"Ah, Shizu." Sawako salutes her, even as Shizu fails to hide her grimace quickly enough. "I hope you are satisfied by the facilities of this gym. Have you taken a good look around yet?"
"I've looked everywhere except here," Shizu confirms. Rather than looking at Sawako in the face, she attempts to peer past her. Unfortunately, the locker is closed, giving her nothing to focus on.
Sawako nods. "In that case, I shall do my best to explain. This is a combined shower and locker room. Each of these lockers holds exercise gear tailored for a specific person here. In order to access yours, you need to swipe your room key. We can use this place to get ready for a workout and for washing off afterwards."
Showers, huh? That would explain why the noise. "Where exactly are we expected to change?"
"I believe we are to use the shower stalls," Sawako explains. "It is somewhat cumbersome. I would have much preferred individual changing rooms. However, they are big enough to double as both, so I hope that will suffice."
Shizu looks over to where the sound of falling water is coming. "I take it you're testing the water right now."
"You are correct. Pal wished to make sure everything was working properly," Sawako says. "It would be a rather miserable experience to wind down only to discover the showers were not working properly."
Shizu decides to look at the shower room herself. As if reading her mind, Sawako steps out of her way, allowing her to enter. It's a fairly typical room for a gym, at least that's what she assumes. There are only three shower stalls, each with their own curtain. It may dissuade larger group exercise routines, but, honestly, she doubts most of the people here would even care that much about working out. The stalls themselves are rather large, probably to give room to hang towels or clothes without getting them soaked.
Strangely enough, Pal is standing with his eyes closed in the last stall, still fully clothed despite the running water. Samia is standing across from him and shrugs when she notices Shizu's baffled expression. "I don't know either."
Pal opens his eyes. "Oh… Shizu. Have you been… drawn here… by the water's call?"
"Technically, yes," Shizu says, brushing past his cryptic phrasing. "Is there a reason you're standing there like that?"
"Of course," Pal says. "This is… the best way for me… to get the feeling… for these showers."
Forcing herself not to pinch her forehead, she asks, "I meant, why are you still fully clothed?"
"Although the Ancient Greeks… found beauty… in the human form, modern standards… have shifted… what is socially acceptable," Pal states, as if that explains anything at all.
Samia shakes her head. "Forget it. I tried asking earlier, but I didn't get anywhere. This is just how he does things. It's not like he's hurting anyone."
Pal grimaces. "I apologize… for my ways. I suppose… we Sirens… are truly unknowable."
"No, that was a little harsh of me," Samia admits. "I'm sorry."
"It is not your fault… I merely… have heard similar statements… in the past… There are some things… which you do not… understand." Pal closes his eyes again upon finishing.
Seeing as that conversation thread went nowhere, Shizu addresses Samia. "What exactly are you doing?"
"I'm a little interested to see where this," Samia gestures to Pal, "is going. So, I'm staying here."
That doesn't add up with what she was just saying. Shizu presses further. "Is that the only reason? Simple curiosity?"
Samia scowls and gestures towards the locker room. It takes Shizu a moment to realize she's referring to Sawako. She had gotten the feeling that the two weren't on the best terms, but this feels a little bit more than before. In fact, it's very odd that Sawako didn't follow her into the shower room. Did they get into an argument?
"Anyways," Samia says, interrupting her train of thought, "there isn't much else to look at in the gym. Once I checked to see if my locker was working, I'd pretty much done everything."
Shizu adjusts her glasses. "True. I suppose you could inspect the equipment itself. I imagine that it would not be pretty if any of it failed."
"I wouldn't know where to begin," Samia admits. "I've never used any of that stuff before. Most of the time, I was too sick to even think about exercising. When I wasn't, I had more pressing issues to deal with."
"I feel as though most of us have little to no experience with gyms," Shizu says.
Samia rolls her eyes. "Yeah, there's only one person here that I can think of who's used to this kind of place. I guess that means we don't need to bother with the equipment after all."
"It is a little bizarre," Shizu says. "All but one of the rooms so far seem to have limited appeal. I suppose they allow for a wider array of activities, but they also take up quite a lot of space. It's far more than I would have expected."
"You're already done with all of the rooms?" Samia asks. "What, were you rushing?"
Shaking her head, Shizu replies, "I'll have time to fully explore them at my own pace later. Right now, the others are running about, and I doubt I'd get much done."
"They'd just get in your way, huh?" Samia mutters. Shizu's unclear whether or not she was meant to hear that.
Pal takes the opportunity to speak his thoughts. "On the topic of rooms... with limited appeal… I am disappointed… that there is no pool. I would have… greatly enjoyed… the opportunity to swim… even in non-natural waters."
"Somehow, I doubt comfort is the first thing on our captor's mind," Samia says.
"Their efforts… have been placed… in most unusual ways." Having spoken, Pal turns off the water and steps out of the shower stall. Drops of water fall onto the tile as he walks.
Shizu follows him. "So, have you learned anything important?"
He pauses. "Hmm… It appears… the showers… work." With that tidbit of nothingness, he exits.
Looking somewhat reluctant, Samia walks after him. As she passes Shizu, she says, "It's not much more, but I'm guessing there's a fair bit of hot water. He never complained about getting cold. Then again, I don't know if that's something that would bother him."
As both of them push past the curtain, they hear Sawako call out, "Wait! Are you not going to dry off? Surely, you must be uncomfortable."
"It is… of no concern to me," Pal reply comes from the front of the gym. "I have other matters… now that my experimentation… is finished."
Sawako sighs. "Oh dear… I suppose he must be in a hurry."
"Is there even anything to dry off with in here?" Shizu asks.
Nodding, Sawako points to the lockers. "Each of us has their own towel stored in here. It would be no trouble at all to retrieve it."
Samia stares at Pal as he vanishes from sight. "He's probably going to check on Chouki."
Recalling her encounter with him, Shizu pulls out her pen and twirls it around her fingers. "I ran into him on my way here. I presume he was looking around on his own."
"He was hiding in one of the shower stalls when we came in," Samia confirms. "He must have ducked in there when he heard people enter. I'm not sure what his plan was, because there's no way we'd ever not notice him."
Sawako looks to the floor, perhaps in guilt. "I believe that he simply wished to avoid any interactions with us, regardless of our identities. He must still be avoiding the group."
"Glad you finally understand that." There's no mistaking the accusatory tone in Samia's voice.
"I…" Sawako stutters and clenches her eyes shut. "I merely wished to protect everyone here, even those who do not desire my help."
Samia crosses her arms. "Yeah, that's exactly the problem. Not only does he not want your help, but your idea wouldn't do anything good in the first place."
Clearing her throat, Shizu interjects. "What exactly happened when you encountered Chouki?"
It's Samia who answers. "He ran off, despite both Pal and Sawako shouting after him. It put Pal in a mood, so he did his little shower experiment. Sawako, in all her genius, thought the best idea would be to forcibly drag him back and work with us."
"That is not what I suggested," Sawako shouts back, but the remark must have hit home. Shizu's never seen her look so vulnerable before. "I only wanted to run after him and sway him back to the group. I… I do not want anyone else, especially not those feeling the most paranoid, to be targeted again."
"The only way you'd be able to sway him back is by force, and you know it," Samia retorts.
Genuine hurt flashes across Sawako's face. "I would never!"
Neither of them is looking at the other. Shizu knows that she should say something, anything, to diffuse the situation, but she remains silent. Truthfully, she knows that she would only add fuel to the fire. After all, she believes Samia to have more of a point, and expressing that thought would only serve to split the group further.
"Geez, I know this is a gym, but that's no reason to get all worked up!"
Monokuma's high-pitched voice echoes off the tiled walls, making all of them jump. Shizu hadn't even seen him enter.
Sawako is the first to speak. "So, now you decide to show your face."
"Yup!" he cackles. "Did you miss me that much? I knew I was making an impression on you brats."
"Where were you earlier?" Shizu asks, refusing to bother with his remarks. "Were you not supposed to inform us whenever new rooms became available?"
He tilts his head. "Huh? But I did tell you. I made extra sure to make an announcement the moment I opened them up. The last time I told you all in person, you ungrateful brats complained."
Samia glares at him. "None of us heard anything."
"I guess human ears aren't as developed as bear ears," he says whilst shrugging. "I played it so loud that it echoed throughout the halls, but even then none of you heard anything."
Just then, Shizu has a thought. "…Did you play it on the monitors in our rooms?"
Monokuma stares at her, and then his grin gets even wider. "Gold star for the Ultimate Strategist! That's exactly what happened! I forgot to play my announcement there."
Sawako balks. "Did we not hear it because of our soundproofed rooms?"
"Ugh." Samia groans. "Did you really just come here to gloat about your failures? I'm already sick of you."
"Yeah, yeah, you're always sick, so you can deal with it." Monokuma waves her off. "Besides, I'm actually here to give you all important information. Aren't I the greatest?"
"I thought you weren't going to tell us anything in person," Shizu states.
"I changed my mind," he replies. "Now then, I'm letting you know that the gym is only open during certain hours. From 12 AM to 6 AM, it will be closed for cleaning. No one's going to want to exercise in a dirty, smelly place. So, make sure you plan your routines with that schedule in mind."
Shizu adjusts her glasses. "Why not have it closed during nighttime like the dining hall?"
"Morning exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle," he declares. "I would never want any of you to suffer because of that."
"How generous of you," Samia says.
He cackles. "I know, I'm a very giving bear. Well then, I'm off! Try not to get into any more fights like this. It's much harder to get away with spur-of-the-moment kills when there's another witness!" Before any of them can say or do anything else, he runs off.
The ensuing silence is awkward. Most of the fight had left both Samia and Sawako. At least Monokuma's pointed barbs had stopped anything from breaking out, but the resulting atmosphere was still just as heavy.
Shizu decides to make her leave. Clearing her throat, she makes a show of whipping out her notepad and says, "I believe I have all the information I need from this room for now. I'll be off."
Samia takes the opportunity to escape as well. "There's nothing for me in a gym. I still have to look around too."
"Ah…" Sawako closes her eyes. "I… I shall remain here. I am certain that, if there is anything to discover, I shall find it. I will give you my findings tomorrow at breakfast." She salutes them as she finishes speaking.
Shizu gives a non-committal noise of acknowledgement, which is still more than Samia's absolute silence. When they reach the gym doors, they head in opposite directions. A little concerned, Shizu stops and looks at Samia. Samia, probably because she heard the footsteps stop, turns around and raises an eyebrow.
"Have you already explored the rest of this floor?" Shizu asks. "I assumed you had spent all of your time thus far in the gym. There may still be more to look at this way."
Samia groans. "I don't care at the moment. I'm frustrated enough as is with everything right now, and following you," she says as she jabs her finger at Shizu, "is not going to help me calm down. I'm going back to my room to think." She walks away once she makes her point, and Shizu doesn't make any move to stop her.
She takes her time going down the empty hall, mulling over the new rooms as well as the general state of the group. It may be true that most of them had come together even after that horrific trial. However, their reasons for doing so were likely not out of a genuine desire to meet with everyone again. Similarly, those who hadn't splinted off were beginning to argue. She has a feeling that, based on a few of the conversations she held today, some people would begin to be more openly hostile to her specifically. What to do…?
When she eventually reaches the storage room, she concludes that she's seen every room that's opened up. It's somewhat strange that the gym is the only new place they have on the third floor, but perhaps it takes up too much space to allow for anything else. It's certainly the largest room thus far.
Shizu isn't feeling up for doing much more interacting today. If she is being honest with herself, even the intrigue of new rooms hasn't given her that much more energy than when she started today. It did serve as a nice distraction, but, ultimately, she still feels drained.
With any luck, she won't run into anyone come dinner time. For now, she chooses to return to her room and retreat to the safety of her notes.
Shizu's Notes
Group Status
- Everyone who had split off, save Chouki and Soraru, came to breakfast this morning
- Kogi claimed he rejoined for his own safety, likely a similar story for Fumika
- No idea what Morgan is thinking, probably just saw an opportunity to take back her poorly thought-out decision and is hoping no one will question her
- Soraru likely got distracted by garden, will most likely come to morning meetings
Post-Trial Assessment
- Nobody, save Fumika, wishes to talk about the incident
- Now that stakes have been made perfectly clear, tensions will likely rise quicker than before despite group reunification (e.g. Samia and Sawako argument)
- No course of action to prevent future murders likely to satisfy everyone, may lead to more problems
Recreation Room
- Located on the fourth floor
- Filled with all sorts of entertainment, making it more ideal for hanging out than lounge
- Has a smart TV, though no internet connection, allowing for movie watching and video game playing
- Also has several tabletop games
- Unfamiliar with most things on offer there, perhaps release dates of movies or games could provide a clue to when we were captured
- Unlikely to spend much time in there
Garden
- Located on the fourth floor
- Much larger than any indoor garden I've seen before
- Wide variety of plants likely need specific conditions to thrive, all set up in advance?
- Watering managed by an automated machine, likely does other things as well to suit each section's needs
- No towels, so be careful when entering (extreme design flaw, probably intentional to make us uncomfortable)
Beekeeping Room
- Located on the fourth floor, accessed via garden
- Did not explore yet, probably will not explore if I am able to avoid it
- Bees are helpful to society but very unnerving to be around
Gym
- Located on the third floor
- Largest room by far, at least twice as long as previous rooms and stretching far higher than others, possibly to the bottom of the fourth floor
- Houses numerous exercise equipment, indoor track, and rock-climbing wall
- Likely good for a balanced workout, though there may not be many who take use of its facilities
- Only open from 6 AM to 12 AM
Shower/Locker Room
- Located on the third floor, accessed via gym
- Each person has own locker with sports gear inside (also towels, which is almost a surprise given the garden)
- Only three shower stalls, though they are big enough to use for changing
- Everything works, unlike the washing machines in the laundry room
A/N: It's been a while. Depression, life, and lack of confidence in my writing basically made me stop writing for a really long time. That's how it is, I suppose. I hate leaving things on cliffhangers, and my motivation dies out pretty quickly. So, I've written out the entirety of Chapter 2 so at least there will be some closure. I'll be posting chapters once a week until I run out. For some reason, all of the chapters ended up super long, but don't expect that to continue in the future. No estimate on when or if Chapter 3 will be written. Sorry about that. If you're still reading this story after all of these years, thank you very much. I'd appreciate it if you left a review, but I understand that not everyone has the energy for that. Please take care of yourselves.