Society of Talent

by irwegwert

The Ultimate Initiative was supposed to foster talent and lead to a cultural revolution. However, in response to the program, riots have broken out. In the aftermath, Shizu Saneyoshi, the Ultimate Strategist, has found herself kidnapped and forced to participate in a killing game. In a situation like this, will talent even help them anymore? (SYOC CLOSED)

17. Chapter 2: Bonds of Distrust 02

When Shizu wakes up, she comes to the conclusion that doing literally anything at all allows her to get a better sleep than simply passing out in the middle of the day. She feels exponentially better than she did yesterday. Though she feels a pang of sorrow when her brain fully reminds her of the reality she's in, her limbs no longer feel heavy. It's start to a new normal.

"Good morning everyone! It's officially 8 AM, so let's greet the morning with a smile, shall we? That's all!"

It seems that some things, such as the morning announcement souring her mood, will never change.

Just like yesterday, Kogi is already in the dining hall when she arrives. This time, however, he's also joined by Fumika and Kaixi. Kaixi's thankful expression upon her entrance, coupled with the complete silence beforehand, means that there likely hadn't been any discussion yet.

"Good morning Shizu!" Kaixi greets her, though it sounds like he's forcing himself to be cheerful.

She waves to him. "Kaixi." When the other two inhabitants stay quiet, she adds, "Fumika. Kogi."

Fumika gives a half-hearted, "Morning." Kogi merely grunts, leaving her unsure if he's responding to her or not.

Kaixi quickly gets her attention. "S-so, can I get you anything to eat? It's not a bother, I promise."

"Thank you, but I can manage on my own," Shizu says.

"Oh…" He looks around nervously before rushing after her when she enters the kitchen. "Still though, maybe I can do something to help."

"Kaixi, it's fine," she reassures him. "I prefer doing things on my own anyways. It's nothing against you."

For a moment, he tugs on his backpack straps and looks behind him at the door. Seemingly satisfied, he turns back to her. "I'm sorry for being pushy, but it's just…" Again, he stares back towards the door. "It's really, really awkward out there with them. I tried to do everything I could to get them to say anything, but they're just… silent. I think they're mad."

Shizu sighs. "As far as I'm aware, Kogi's always been like that. You don't need to worry about him."

"But Fumika–" he begins.

"Fumika is worried about what's going to happen to us in the future," she interrupts. "If you recall her statements from the last breakfast meeting, you understand where she's coming from. I also spoke with her yesterday. I'm certain she won't remain silent."

Her words don't put him at ease. "I… I know that. But that's what I'm worrying about, you know? She's gonna get upset at us and start saying things, and everyone else is gonna get upset, and it's gonna fall apart again."

As much as she'd like to reassure him that everything will be fine, the past few days would immediately prove her to be a liar. Instead, she says, "That may be so, but we cannot be certain until we actually talk things out. Expecting the worst isn't always the best way to plan for things. You'll just make yourself miserable."

"I guess there's no way to avoid it, huh?" Kaixi laughs to himself bitterly.

Shizu shrugs. "You could ditch the meeting altogether if it really bothers you that much."

He slouches over further. "That'd just get everyone else on my case. I don't want to upset anyone else."

Feeling a little responsible for bringing his mood down even more, she decides to offer him a tiny out. "Would you like to stay back here until more people arrive? You don't have to help, but it would avoid any awkward confrontations."

He nods rapidly, as if taking too long to respond would make her rescind her offer. "Yes. Yes! Thank you, Shizu."

In the end, Kaixi still attempts to assist her in her breakfast preparations. She's only able to dissuade him by mentioning that finishing sooner would mean going back to the dining hall sooner. She wonders if her own lack of conversational skills will make him just as uncomfortable as he was previously. Still, he doesn't complain, so she must be doing something right. It's only when Sawako enters the kitchen that his mood truly picks up, so much so that she doubts he notices her sneaking back outside.

The rest of the group eventually shuffles into the dining hall. Michio and Hachi enter together, discussing their favorite movies or TV shows or whatever. Pal looks rather haggard when he shows up, though the reason for that is given when Soraru literally drags Joshua inside not long afterwards. Tsubame arrives with Samia, though the noise in the room is too loud for her to hear what they're saying. It's only once Morgan finally enters and gets settled that things get started.

As expected, it's Fumika who breaks the peace. "Can we finally talk about the murder incident?"

A hush falls over the room in but an instant. The only person to move is Soraru, who tries to get out of xer chair, presumably to leave. Joshua grabs xem by the shoulder and gets xem to sit back down rather effortlessly.

Michio is the first to respond. "Well, um… shouldn't we wait for everyone to arrive before we talk about… that?"

Kaixi agrees. "Y-yeah, Chouki's not here yet."

"Chouki wasn't even here yesterday," Fumika argues. "He's probably not showing up. We can start without him."

Rolling his eyes, Kogi says, "We had no-shows yesterday who are here now. Wouldn't hurt to wait a bit longer."

"Oh, you mean me, right?" Soraru beams at him. "Aw, I knew you missed me."

Surprisingly, it's Pal who responds. "Rest assured… we did not miss you."

Xe tilts xer head. "Huh? Huh? Where'd that hostility come from? I mean, maybe I expect other people to be jerks, but you seemed kinda nice."

"Is it… unwarranted?" Pal replies, his cool tone belying his hostility.

"Uh… I mean, it's not entirely wrong, but, like, xe's really only done a few pranks," Joshua says.

Pal looks unimpressed. "You as well… are a nuisance. You contribute nothing… besides allowing xem… to continue xer harmful actions. You are the Minos… to xer minotaur."

Joshua is absolutely bewildered. He scratches the back of his neck. "Uh… dang. Okay, I guess?"

Snapping, Fumika gets everyone's attention. "We've gotten off track. The fact of the matter is, regardless of who wasn't here yesterday, Chouki isn't here now."

Morgan smiles. "I am certain he will be along shortly. However, if you wish to begin without his presence, I am equally certain that he will not say anything."

"And I'm equally certain that you have no source for those claims," Shizu mutters. Morgan winks at her, but she doesn't care.

Tsubame tugs on her braid lightly. "I don't wish to discuss this at all, but I don't think that's a viable option anymore. If we wait for Chouki, it might be enough to make us push back this conversation even further. And by that point… it may be too late for talking to matter."

The effect of her words cannot be understated. Though the dining hall goes quiet once more, it holds less fear and more sorrowful resignation. Hachi, her voice barely audible, finally speaks up. "I don't want anyone else to die."

Fumika says, "Then, let's begin."

"But uh… where exactly do we start?" Joshua asks, sounding even less certain usual. Pal's comments must have impacted him pretty hard.

"I don't think I need to say this, but I'm positive none of us want more murders to happen," Fumika states bluntly. There's some uneasy chatter, but she ignores it. "We have to talk about how to stop them from happening. What happened to get us to this point?"

"Um… I don't wanna state the obvious, but it's kinda everything. This whole situation," Hachi says.

Michio scratches his chin. "I'm not so sure about that. If it was just… this," he says, gesturing wildly at the surroundings, "then I think something would've happened sooner. Honestly, it's probably the motive that did it."

"The motive is indeed what sparked the killing intent within our number," Morgan agrees.

"Not to mention," Kaixi eagerly adds, "it's why everyone split up in the first place, right? Cause some people thought, with the motive out there, they'd be safer that way." When he realizes what he said, he backpedals. "Um… n-not that you're wrong for thinking that, or dumb for following through or anything."

"I was thinking the same thing," Samia says. "Maybe being stuck here long enough would have made someone crack eventually, but the motive expedited the process."

Joshua clicks his tongue. "But the motive's gone now, right? So, does that mean we don't have to worry about any more murders?" Everyone turns to give him an unimpressed look.

"Were you not listening to what Samia just said?" Michio asks. "We're still trapped here. You can't exactly take that motive away."

"Just because you… live a sedentary lifestyle… does not mean you can expect… the same of others," Pal says.

Soraru lightly whacks him on the back of the head. "Besides, what's stopping Monokuma from just making a bunch of new motives?"

Raising up his hands and sinking back into his seat, Joshua says, "Okay! Okay! Sheesh, I said something stupid. You don't have to all gang up on me like that."

"In any case, if the motives are the cause," Sawako says, "we must do everything in our power to resist them."

"Easier said than done," Kogi retorts. "We don't know what the future motives would even be. Can't plan around them."

Samia glares at him. "So we shouldn't even discuss it?"

He shrugs. "Nope."

Before she can yell at him, Shizu reluctantly backs him up. "It would be wasted time and energy to talk about it now. If we can't predict what we're up against, our planning with be for nothing. We should focus on the things we know."

"Are you referring to the victim and culprit?" Morgan asks.

"Takumi and Kazuha…" Hachi mumbles. "It's still super hard to believe."

"I think even Takumi realized that he was an easy target," Michio says. "Still, I'm having trouble wrapping my head around Kazuha being the one to crack."

Pal sighs deeply. "We can never be certain… of what lies in the minds… of others… especially those… we have only just met."

"I don't want to sound like an authority on this or anything," Tsubame says, "but I feel as though even Kazuha wouldn't have thought she was capable of… of something like that."

Shizu pushes her glasses further up her face. "The same is true for all of us. Whether we want to admit it or not, any one of us could be a killer."

Her ominous statement is punctuated by the dining hall doors opening. Chouki, looking exhausted, steps into the room. He doesn't bother looking around at anyone, instead choosing to walk over to an empty seat and sit down. When he realizes that everyone's eyes are on him, he scowls. "Are you gonna stare at me, or are you gonna keep talking?"

"We weren't certain you would be here," Sawako says.

"I believe I stated that he would come eventually," Morgan responds with a hint of smugness.

Kaixi nods. "O-oh yeah, you did!"

Hunching over further, Chouki grumbles. "I'm here now, so shut up about it."

Immediately folding, Kaixi says, "R-right, where were we?"

"We were discussing the potential for… murder," Michio says, his hands trembling as he speaks the last word.

Kogi, as usual, lacks all tact and pushes forwards. "Specifically, how we can't be fully certain that we won't be killers."

At this, Chouki leans back in his chair and scoffs. "Of course we're all killers. We're human. Humans kill for all sorts of stupid, petty reasons. Even a child knows that."

"Yeesh, what kind of children are you talking to?" Joshua shakes his head before resting it on his left hand.

Sawako slams her hand onto the table with enough force to jostle it. From her embarrassed expression, she didn't mean to be so aggressive, but she speaks regardless. "I… would like to disagree with that assertion. I do not think that every person, even those trapped here, has it in them to kill."

"Are you sure about that? Hasn't your experience in the police force taught you anything?" Fumika peers over at her, her gaze critical and… disappointed?

"I am completely certain," Sawako claims proudly. "Even if I were not, I would still think that focusing on the guilty is a terrible idea. Right now, we are all innocent, and we must act to protect the innocent rather than punish them."

"Y-yeah, even if… even if we all could be bad," Hachi stutters, "I don't wanna hurt any of you guys because of guessing!"

Michio hums. "Hmm… So, you're saying we should find a way to keep people safe without targeting anyone in particular or just locking a bunch of us up. Makes sense to me. Got any suggestions?"

Sawako nods. "I propose a buddy system. We could easily keep track of everyone if we all stay in groups. There are fourteen of us now. The pairs work out nicely."

"Oh, I get it," Kaixi chimes in. "No one really do anything bad if someone's always watching them. Cause they'll get called out or caught right away."

"Hold on!" Chouki yells. "I thought you said you didn't want to punish us. So what the hell do you think that is?"

Joshua scratches the back of his neck. "Uh… I don't think daily human interaction is really a punishment. That's, like, normal? I think?"

Chouki clenches his teeth. "It's not normal at all! Why should I be forced to hang around someone I don't even like every day for the rest of my life?"

"There is… not even a single person here… who you can tolerate?" Pal asks.

"Tch. Of course not," Chouki retorts. He deliberately avoids looking Pal in the eye as he says this, however.

"Though his language is crude, I must unfortunately agree with his point," Morgan says. "Not the latter part. I am fond of you all. Still, I need time to myself. Being beholden to another's schedule and needs is not something I desire. Surely you all do not wish to give up your privacy."

Soraru agrees. "Yeah, how am I supposed to get anything done with someone breathing down my neck all the time?"

Tsubame hesitates before speaking. "I believe that your heart is in the right place with that suggestion, but I'm afraid it would do more harm than good. It could very easily foster resentment between those who do not get along. As we have already heard, a few people are opposed from the start."

"I see." Sawako slouches.

"If you really saw, you wouldn't have said anything in the first place," Chouki mutters.

Shizu taps her finger on the table as she thinks. Then, an idea comes to her. "While I do not agree with a buddy system, I think there are some merits to the idea."

Puffing out her cheeks, Hachi asks, "Huh? What merits?"

"For one, it would be very helpful to always have someone around that you trust," Shizu explains. "If you have any troubles, concerns, worries, or the like, having a friend around would be a good comfort. I assume even the best of friends would begin to argue if forced together for too long, but that need not be the case."

Samia wrinkles her brow. "That's well and good and all, but I'm not entirely sure what you're suggesting. Are you just saying we should make friends?"

"Precisely," Shizu says.

Tsubame sighs and pulls on her braid. "I am very sorry to say this, but I don't know how much that will help. Being friends with Kazuha and Takumi did nothing to prevent the… the previous incident."

"Not really sure any of us can say we were friends with Takumi," Soraru interjects. "Kazuha maybe, but I don't think anyone got along with him."

"Takumi didn't kill anyone, so Tsubame's point still stands," Kogi responds.

Before Shizu can make her point, Morgan speaks, sounding almost smug. "Ah, but you have forgotten a crucial detail. Kazuha did not know the full stakes of the game. When she committed her crime, she only meant to send one person to death. Now, however, we know better."

Clenching her pen tightly, Shizu expands on that statement. "If you kill someone here, you effectively kill everyone else as well, assuming you wish to get away with your crime."

Fumika nods. "If there's at least one other person you wouldn't want to kill, you'd be hard pressed to kill anyone at all, lest you sentence your friend to death."

"It feels… almost silly… that something so simple… could have such an effect," Pal muses. "And yet… I feel… that friends shall be made… regardless of how many of us believe."

Hachi giggles. "Yeah, I was gonna try to be nice to everyone no matter what happens."

Michio clears his throat. "Alright then. As long as everyone keeps in mind that you have to kill everyone to escape, that should give us all a chance at surviving this thing. Go out, and make some friends."

"Speak for yourself," Chouki grumbles, mostly to himself. "I've got no intentions to huddling up with any of you."

"Huh? Really?" Soraru makes a show out of thinking very hard. "That's weird. It's almost like you're saying 'I'm definitely going to kill someone.' Odd strategy, but maybe making yourself to most obviously suspicious creep here will work out."

Chouki splutters. "That's – fuck off!" To save face, he jumps from his chair and storms into the kitchen, muttering to himself all the way. Despite the situation, it's hard to take him seriously. A few people stifle laughter as this happens, though Soraru doesn't even try.

The mood sufficiently lightened, the group finishes up breakfast. Shizu is one of the first to finish, beaten only by Fumika who once again vanished without her realizing it. When she goes to put her dishes in the washing machine, she finds Chouki still sulking in the kitchen, unwilling to go back to eat with everyone still out there. The moment he spots her, he scowls and rushes into the pantry, as if to hide further.

Shizu wastes little time heading back to her room. She has an agenda for the day, and, while it may not be important, she'd rather get it out of the way so that she can focus on getting to know the others a little better. She's come to accept that, despite her notes and previous conversations with them, she barely got to understanding them on anything other than a surface level.

First things first: the clocks. Now that there are new rooms, it would be prudent to set up clocks in them before she forgets. Time proved to be a helpful factor during the trial, so she knows it could be helpful for more than just convenience.

Just as she prepares to leave, her doorbell rings. Puzzled and somewhat miffed at being delayed, she opens her door, revealing Tsubame smiling patiently.

"Hello, Shizu," she greets. "I had a feeling you would be here."

"Tsubame." Shizu looks her over. "Has something happened? I thought that, despite the topic at hand, the discussion went rather well. Surely, nobody did something drastic." Even Chouki seemed to be more embarrassed than angered at the end.

Tsubame shakes her head. "Oh, no, it's nothing like that. I just wanted to talk to you."

"Is there something bothering you? You already said your piece about me yesterday. If you're worried about me forgetting or dismissing it, rest assured that I haven't." She feels a bit guilty for truthfully dismissing most of what Tsubame had said, but saying otherwise would just waste her time.

"It doesn't involve that either, but I'm very grateful that you've taken my words to heart." The guilt stabs her again though Tsubame doesn't notice her internal struggle. "Like I said, I wanted to talk with you. We were talking about how it would be a good idea to redouble our efforts on getting to know everyone. If it's alright with you, I would like to start with you."

There are a good many things Shizu could say to that. For one, though Tsubame's tone is kind, her offer makes it sound as though she suspects Shizu will be one of the first to attempt murder. The implication, intended or not, sours her mood, but she chooses to keep her thoughts to herself. "Now may not be the best time. I'm about to set up the clocks again."

"I could help you like last time," Tsubame points out.

Shizu nods. "I suppose that would make things go faster. We could spend time together once we are finished." More importantly, Tsubame hadn't messed with the clocks last time, so she feels safe to trust her once more.

Rather than be enthused, Tsubame nervously tugs on her braid. "Oh… Well, I was hoping we could work together. Together, as in not split up, if that is alright with you."

Oh… That makes more sense. Other than a small rush of embarrassment, Shizu sees no reason to not accept the offer. "Very well. If you wouldn't mind carrying the box, I'll lead the way."

Tsubame has no objections to this arrangement, though Shizu feels a little bad for loading the manual labor onto her, no matter how trivial it is. The two set off towards the garden.

Since Tsubame had sought her out, Shizu figures she should be the one to start the conversation. After all, she's perfectly willing to walk in silence. It only takes a few moments for Tsubame to get the courage to speak up.

"Shizu, I was wondering if you could tell me about some of your life. I don't really know anything about you," she says. When Shizu takes a few moments to think it over, Tsubame takes that as a sign she's overstepped, and quickly adds, "Of course, only if you're willing. I don't wish to make you uncomfortable."

She shakes her head. "It's not that. I'm simply unsure of what to say. My life isn't very interesting. Is there something in particular you'd like to know?"

Thinking for a moment, Tsubame settles on something. "How about your family?"

"Hmm…" Shizu doesn't want to give any misinformation on accident. "I suppose my family is fine. My mother is a software engineer at a large company. She brings in most of the money for us. My father mostly stayed at home to watch me, even when I was old enough to take care of myself, but he did get involved in a lot of local activism."

This doesn't appear to satisfy Tsubame. "I'm thankful to know their jobs, but what were they like as people?"

It takes her a moment to formulate her answer. "My father was nice enough, if a bit pushy. He always seemed a little worried that he wasn't spending enough time with me. I suppose that why he dragged me out to a lot of his political meetings. Perhaps he thought I'd hurt myself if I was left alone at home, though I'm certain I would have been completely fine. I didn't mind going with him anyways, so it all worked out."

Tsubame frowns. "And your mother?"

"She was too busy working to spend much time with us. I don't feel as though I know her very well," Shizu admits. "Not that I have a problem with that. Without her hard work, I don't think I'd have all of the opportunities I took advantage of."

"That's a little sad," Tsubame says. "Her work must be important, but to neglect her own family because of it… Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be judgmental."

"No, you're not wrong," Shizu reassures her. "She probably could afford to take a little more time off than she did. Even so, I don't mind. It was her own choice, and it's not as though it hurt or offended me in any way. Again, a lot of good did come from her decisions. It's a sort of indirect form of love."

For a few moments, the only sound in the hallway is the pair's footsteps and the ticking clocks. Then, Tsubame breaks the calm with a sigh. "I see… If that's how you feel, then I'm very happy for you. I suppose I understand you a little better now."

"Glad to have been of service." They have no more time to converse as, at that moment, they reach the entrance to the garden. "Leave the box out here. We don't want to accidentally drench the clocks if the sprinklers start up."

The ground near the door is a little slippery, indicating that the sprinklers had last activated shortly before their arrival. The room itself is empty, save for Samia looking over some plants in the far back corner. At the sound of their footsteps, she turns to face them. She looks a little conflicted, probably due to Shizu's presence.

Tsubame, either not realizing the tension or choosing to ignore it, greets her kindly. "Hello again, Samia. I hope we're not disturbing you."

Samia shakes her head, though she only looks fractionally appeased. "You're fine. As long as you're not about to play around with the sprinklers, I don't think you'll be any bother."

Shizu recalls the previous day. "I'm assuming you had an incident with Soraru."

"Fortunately, no," she replies. "I heard that xe had been fooling around with the control panel all day, so I steered clear. If I'm going to check this place out, I'd prefer to do it without distractions."

"Soraru can be a little… much at times," Tsubame admits. "Though, I don't think xe would have purposefully done anything in this room. Yesterday, xe seemed very intent on causing no harm to any of the plants."

From her flat expression, Samia doesn't appear convinced. "I'm not about to take my chances on a hunch, especially not with xem involved."

Shizu doesn't feel like spending any more time discussing the resident prankster and shifts the topic. "Have you found anything of note yet?"

Samia clicks her tongue. "That depends on what you're interested in. I'm not an expert on plants, so the most I can get is whatever the labels tell me." She gestures to the small plaque underneath the tree she's standing closest to. "Still, I can't stop wondering about why so much care got put into this room at all. There are plants from all over the world here, some of which are apparently pretty rare. What's the point of it all?"

"Judging the nature of… our situation, perhaps some of plants can be used for nefarious purposes," Shizu posits.

Though Tsubame flinches at her words, Samia takes them in stride. "I considered that too, but it wouldn't make sense. We already have an infirmary with plenty of dangerous medicines. If someone needed something, they'd just go there. It's much easier."

Shizu nods. "True. I suppose using an obscure form of poison derived from specific plants would only serve to bring suspicion onto a select few. Given that none of us are botanists, the likelihood of anyone having that knowledge to begin with is slim."

Tsubame gives a polite cough, signaling her discomfort. "Maybe this garden is just for our enjoyment."

"That feels hopelessly optimistic," Samia claims, though her tone indicates she's not trying to be antagonistic.

"Perhaps so," Tsubame replies, "but it wouldn't be unprecedented. I mean, we also have access to a room with entertainment. I don't see why we have to be endlessly wary of every little thing." As if realizing the flaw in her thought process, she pauses before continuing. "I'm sorry, that's not quite what I meant. I feel as though we'll only stress ourselves to our breaking points if we don't let ourselves enjoy things."

"I really don't need more stress in my life at the moment, do I?" Samia laughs an empty laugh. Still, she seems to take Tsubame's words of advice into consideration.

At that moment, the door on the other end of the garden opens, revealing a figure dressed in a beekeeper outfit. Shizu can't tell who they are at first glance, but given the circumstances, it's probably Hachi.

Her guess is proven correct when the figure takes off their headwear and speaks up. "Oh, hey you two! Did you come to look at the bees?"

Tsubame answers first. "Hello again, Hachi. Shizu and I are only here to hang up more clocks. Although, thinking about it, I suppose we'll see them when we set up them up."

"Hooray!" Hachi cheers. "I'm glad they made a good impression yesterday. I knew you couldn't resist coming back for more."

A slight feeling of unease travels through Shizu. Before she gets roped into this, she chooses to speak up. "I'm certain the two of you can handle this then. I'll stay here."

She takes careful note not to look at the disappointment on Hachi's face, though it's much harder to ignore Samia's snickers. When Shizu turns to glare at her, Samia asks, "What's wrong? Scared of bees?"

"I am uncomfortable around insects such as them, yes," she clarifies, unable to mask her bitterness.

"Uncomfortable enough to not explore every room in this building?" Samia replies, smugness oozing out of her words. "It sounds like we've found your big weakness, huh?"

Shizu feels her eye twitch at the accusation. "Is that really something you want to joke about?"

Samia rolls her eyes. "I'm not the one who's so convinced of her own intellect that she shouts down anyone trying to say anything she doesn't like."

Before either of them can escalate it further, Tsubame steps in. "Please… no more fighting. We talked about this earlier today."

"I.. I'm sorry! I didn't wanna start a fight. I just wanted to share the bees with everyone." Hachi looks to the ground despondently. Shizu continues glaring at Samia, although Samia herself looks abashed at being called out.

When neither one of them speak, Tsubame says, "Shizu, why don't you go with Hachi? I can set everything up in here on my own. That would give you time to explore too, if that's what you're interested in."

Shizu mulls over this. She doesn't want to waste any more time with pointless arguments, and staying here with Samia will likely result in her being yelled at again. For once, bees seem like the lesser of two evils. Pinching her forehead and sighing deeply, she relents. "Very well. Make sure that the clock isn't going to be hit by any sprinklers."

"Of course." Tsubame smiles, though her eyes betray her relief. "I'll see you soon."

Samia grunts noncommittally, most likely still embarrassed at starting this whole mess. Out of the corner of her eye, Shizu sees her move to assist Tsubame.

She walks briskly to the door near the control panel, a clock firmly in her grasp. Hachi struggles to keep pace with her. The argument seemed to have affected her the most, strangely enough. She considers comforting her, but she would probably make things worse. Instead, she goes for a distraction. "How many beekeeping suits are available?"

It's likely that Hachi sees through her play, as her voice still sounds saddened. "Oh um… you don't have to worry about that. They're… they're through here."

As they walk through the door, they come to a small, square room with two other doors in it. The one on the opposite wall is glass. Given the bright lights and colors, the bees are located through there. Hachi points to the other door, on their left, likely a closet of some kind.

Naturally, her instincts are correct. It's rather narrow, and the two of them have to move in single file to fit. There are all sorts of extra gardening tools stored here, presumably in case they lose any of them. Or, more likely, in case anyone tries to use one of them for… one of their plans. Pushing such thoughts aside, she notes that the back wall is almost completely covered with beekeeping suits. There's certainly more than sixteen. Why would they ever need this many?

"Um…" Hachi mumbles before raising her voice. "I-I think this one," she points past Shizu to one of the suits near the middle, "should f-fit you. S-sorry if it doesn't."

"Thank you." Shizu takes it from the rail and assesses it. It looks a little big, but that's likely the standard fit.

When she moves to wear it, Hachi stops her. "Um… do you n-need help putting it on?"

She shakes her head. "I believe I can figure it out myself."

Indeed, it's merely time consuming, not difficult. While she appreciates Hachi's concern, it's apparent that she was simply trying to think of something to say. After all, once rebuffed, she fell into a complete silence. The sounds of clothes shuffling is all that fills the closet.

Finally, right as Shizu is about to put the mask over her head, Hachi breaks. "Y-you don't have to look at the bees if you really don't wanna!" she all but shouts. "I'm sorry for pressuring you!"

Shizu sighs. "I appreciate your concern, but, I assure you, I am not the type of person who can be forced into doing things that I am completely opposed to. This is my choice."

"I know," Hachi says, trembling in place, "I-I remember how s-sure you were during… um d-during… a-anyways, I know that you k-know what you're getting into and stuff. But l-like everyone was telling you to c-come in and I know you don't wanna be here even if you're okay with it a-and…" She begins sniffling, her words lost.

All Shizu can do for a while is stare awkwardly as a few tears drip onto the floor. She eventually reaches out a hand and pats Hachi lightly on the shoulder, cringing at her woeful lack of comforting skills. She summons up all of her past experiences, but all she can say is. "It's fine."

Hachi looks up at her.

Frantically, she continues. "I understand that this is stressful for everyone. But you are not the cause of that stress. I know we decided to improve our friendships this morning, but these things take time. We almost certainly will not put our differences aside immediately. So, I'm prepared to face minor discomfort, which, again, is not your fault. Please, don't think that it is."

Slowly but surely, Hachi's tears dry up, signifying that Shizu didn't say the wrong thing. With a few more sniffs, Hachi steadies herself and pumps both of her fists. "O-okay. I'm gonna be better. And we're gonna have a great time today. Thanks Shizu."

"Don't mention it." She pushes up her glasses and smiles. Hachi giggles, and the tension drains from the room fully. The pair put their masks on before finally heading into the beekeeping room.

To be honest, the beekeeping room looks more like a traditional garden than the actual garden. Perhaps that one was more of a botanical garden. Instead, this room is similar to a farm. There are several patches of flowers, each arranged by color and species. Dirt paths intersect between them in a grid-like fashion. Along the wall furthest from them sit the man-made beehives. Counting them, there appear to be ten.

Perhaps the strangest thing about the room is that the walls and sky appear to be natural. If Shizu didn't know better, she might have assumed the blue skies and clouds slowly drifting overhead were real. However, she's fully aware that it's a digital effect.

Hachi interprets her silence as awe and giggles. "Yeah, it's super pretty here, huh?"

"Baffling is more like it," Shizu mutters. "Why go through all the effort to make this room in particular stand out like this?"

"It's definitely cause of the bees!" Hachi declares. She points her finger in the air dramatically. "It'd be super cruel to confuse them by having it always light outside. They'd get stressed and die off, and nobody wants that."

There's a certain bitterness that the wellbeing of insects is more important to their captors than the wellbeing of the human beings. Pushing that aside, something that Hachi said catches her attention. "Is the 'sky' not always like this?"

"Nuh uh," Hachi answers. "I came back last night to check on them, and it was like a pretty night sky out there. There were stars and a moon and everything."

"A day/night cycle for a single room… Well, one that goes beyond simply dimming the lights," Shizu muses. "In that case, setting up a clock may not be necessary for this room."

"No no no," Hachi reassures her. "I think it's a great idea. All the sky does is give a super general timeframe. I can definitely lose track of time in here, so I'd super duper love it if you could do that for me. Oh, and uh… I guess anyone else in here." She looks at the ground bashfully. "But uh… I know it's just gonna be me in here mostly."

Shizu nods. "Very well then. Where would you like it?"

"Hmm… Maybe over there where it looks like that tree is." Hachi points to the right-hand wall. "That way it doesn't break the illusion as much."

She does as she's told, fastening the clock a fair way up the fake tree. Taking a step back and looking at it, it looks pretty unnatural, but it's not like she's going to be the one looking at it. Honestly, she'd be surprised if anyone other than Hachi ever gets much use from it.

Turning around towards Hachi, Shizu falters a little, seeing her so close to the hives and beckoning her to move closer. Her instincts are telling her to just leave now that the job is done, but that would most likely get her yelled it. With much reluctance, she slowly makes her way over.

Even underneath the suit, it's clear from Hachi's wiggles that she's excited. "Look!" She points towards the closest hive where several bees are congregating. "Aren't they precious?"

"…I suppose that is one word for them," Shizu says. One flies in her general direction, and she cannot help but take a step backwards.

"Aw, you don't have to be scared of them," Hachi chastises her. "They're, like, waaaay more scared of you than you are of them. And the suit'll take care of most of the things they actually could do to you."

Shizu takes a deep breath. "Even so… they still unnerve me. Perhaps you have grown to be comfortable around them, but I have not."

Hachi tilts her head. "Huh? But I've always been like this around bees. They've never scared me at all."

"Truly?" Shizu asks.

She nods, though not as rapidly as expected, most likely so as to not disturb the bees. "Yup! I always thought they were super cute. My mom taught me all about them before I even started beekeeping!"

That catches Shizu's attention. "Was your mother also a beekeeper?"

"Uh-huh! She was actually the one to suggest it to me. It's all thanks to her that I'm such good friends with all these cuties." She holds out a hand, and a few bees land on it gently.

Shizu shivers but continues talking. "Well, I suppose I have heard of stranger creatures to find appealing. At the very least, bees are much better than wasps."

"Yeah…" Hachi says. "A lotta wasps are kinda huge jerks. There are some that're just as chill as some of the less friendly bees, but you can't really farm them like you can with bees."

That's an odd statement. "Why would you even want to farm them?"

"Oh, cause wasps actually pollinate just as much as bees." Hachi sounds excited to explain. "Like, they're super important for the environment and stuff, even if they're nasty. If you're making a farm, you really want pollinators living nearby."

"I suppose wasps lack of honey would also contribute to that," Shizu muses.

Hachi shakes her head. "Actually, some wasps do make honey. It's just that those wasps are real picky about people getting near their hives, so nobody really wants to purposefully house them. It takes a real long time to get things friendly enough that most people aren't afraid of them. We've already done that with these honey bees, so why bother with anything else?"

It's surprisingly enrapturing listening to Hachi talk. Shizu wishes she could actively take notes. "True. Although, it might make for an interesting project. Domesticating another species of bee…" She begins muttering mostly to herself. "Would have to be a multi-generational project. I doubt any business would care to spend that much money on something like that."

"It'd be great to have more friendly bees," Hachi agrees cheerfully. "Ooh… Maybe Mom and I could start a family project, then pass it off to our successors. That'd be super interesting!"

All this talk about time has reminded Shizu of another question she'd be thinking about. "If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been beekeeping? It sounds as though your mother had quite a lot of experience to pass on to you."

Hachi thinks for a moment. "Uh… Either two or three years? I don't really remember the day she brought me over."

"Only a few years then…" Shizu mutters. "Curious. I figured that, given it's a family job, you'd have started early. I know I got into strategy from an early age."

"Oh… Well…" Hachi fumbles with her words. Shizu becomes aware that she may have hit a sensitive topic. "I mean… beekeeping's not really a super glamourous job, right? And like, I don't think people'd think that, like, a little girl's gonna immediately go for bees. And… and mom's, like, not gonna force me into something just cause she likes it."

There's a fairly obvious omission in her statements. "Your mother sounds like a nice woman." Shizu pauses. "And what of your father? What does he think of your talent?"

In an instant, Hachi stiffens. Bees go buzzing away as her hands quickly drop to her stomach. "U-um…"

Shizu internally scolds herself. "Forget I asked. You don't need to answer."

It's difficult to tell given the suit, but this reply doesn't seem to assuage her worries. "I…"

"Hachi, it's fine. We can drop the subject."

Another moment passes before Hachi looks back at her. "Sorry, Shizu," she apologizes. "I know you gotta know as much as you can, but… um… yeah." She shakes her head. "I think… I think I'd like to be alone with the bees for now, i-if that's okay with you?"

"Of course. My apologies. Thank you for sharing all of this information with me." With that, Shizu heads towards the exit, not bothering to look back towards she'd unintentionally upset.

Before she can leave fully, however, Hachi calls out to her. "Um, hang on Shizu!" Although she stops, it still takes Hachi a few moments to find her words. "If… if you really wanna know, um… I don't think he thinks about me beekeeping at all…"

Hachi falls silent after this, and Shizu takes her cue to return to Tsubame.

---

Conversation with Hachi Hachimistu (2)

- Got into beekeeping via her mother, who was also a beekeeper

- Despite living with a beekeeper, only started actively beekeeping a few years ago (perhaps age has something to do with it, Hachi is one of the youngest people here)

- Has knowledge of wasps as well, consider asking about other similar insects to learn more

- Relationship with father clearly strained, either neglectful or actively antagonistic

---

It takes longer than Shizu would like to take off her suit. While it isn't exactly uncomfortable, she's become all the more aware of its weight after her social faux pas. As she hastens to hang it up and leave, her foot brushes over an unsteady patch on the floor. She pauses.

Upon closer inspection, there's a hatch on the ground, one that blends into the floor unless you're looking for it. Curiosity almost gets the better of her, but then she stops herself. Every moment that she lingers in the closet is another moment that she might run into Hachi again. She'd like to think that she has enough tact to not bother her again. She makes a mental and physical note to investigate it another time.

Back in the greenhouse, she finds Tsubame still in deep discussion with Samia. However, in the meantime, Pal had arrived, now conversing with them as well. A quick glance around the room shows her that Tsubame had elected to hang the clock right above the control panel. A wise decision, as it would be out of range of the sprinklers.

As she approaches the trio, she picks up on the tail end of a sentence from Pal. "…very feasible, as we have so many… spaces that are excessive."

"Maybe it's more of a theming thing," Tsubame says. "I can't think of many greenhouses that have both land and aquatic plants. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever heard of a saltwater garden before."

"I have also never heard… of an indoor beekeeping room… yet that exists here," Pal counters. His arms are crossed, though they don't look tense.

Samia shakes her head. "It probably still wouldn't work well with the sprinkler system set up here. The tanks would overflow constantly, and the salt water would get diluted with fresh water."

Pal scrunches up his face. "Why would you even need… to set up sprinklers… for a water tank? And even if you must do so… it would take… a large amount of time… for that to become an issue. Salt water… is denser, meaning the overflow… would mostly be fresh."

Feeling uncomfortable eavesdropping on a topic so trivial, Shizu coughed to get their attention. Tsubame looks over her shoulder and smiles. "Ah, sorry Shizu. I didn't hear you come in. I hope I'm not holding us up."

"Nothing of the sort," Shizu says. "I just finished. We can proceed whenever you're ready." She motions towards the other two.

Samia rolls her eyes. "Thanks for giving us permission to talk."

Pal, on the other hand, doesn't act put off by her presence. "I do not think… we have much more to say… on the matter. I have presented… all of my arguments… for an aquatic garden, and… I have yet to hear any full rebuttals."

"I think that's because we agree with you, for the most part at least," Tsubame says, resting a hand gently on his shoulder. "But, as unfortunate as it is, we don't have any ocean fauna, and the most we can do is give possible reasons why."

"I still think it'd be a nightmare logistics wise," Samia argues. "Whoever's behind this has already splurged on the current greenhouse design."

Shizu nods. "The only real reason behind any design choices here are that the ones behind Monokuma want them to be here. An underwater section of the greenhouse was clearly not in the plans."

Pal lets out a deep sigh. "I understand this… but I cannot fathom why he spent… all of this effort on a few rooms… like the greenhouse, the bees, and the gym… but did not have the same level of quality… for other rooms."

"Tell me about it." Samia crosses her arms. "I swear, he spent more time on the announcement room than he did on the laundry room. And don't even get me started on the bedrooms."

"I agree with your first statement, but what issues do you have with your room?" Shizu asks.

At this, Samia raises an eyebrow. "It's barely better than the dorm I had back at university."

Pal gives a slow head nod in agreement. "I cannot say that I expect much… from this place. Therefore, I have not complained… though I find my quarters lacking."

"Oh." Tsubame tugs on her braid. "I thought my room was quite nice. I suppose I am just not used to living comfortably."

"I also found my room to be comfortable." Shizu clicks her tongue. "Perhaps some of us have lower standards than others."

"Your standards must be rock bottom if you don't have any complaints about the housing here," Samia mutters low enough that Shizu surmises she isn't supposed to hear it.

Tsubame takes the opportunity to move closer to Shizu. "Oh, sorry, I think I sidetracked us again. I don't want to keep wasting your time like this."

The apology is a thinly-veiled attempt to stop them from starting a fight. Shizu acquiesces, the encounter with Hachi still fresh on her mind. "No worries. It won't take long to get to the rec room, so I'm not in much of a rush."

"Beware of that room…" Pal warns. "Last I heard… Soraru and Joshua… were lurking there."

"We can manage, but thank you," Shizu says. Personally, she's not concerned since Joshua tends to keep Soraru occupied when they're together.

Shizu and, after a quick wave, Tsubame head back into the hallway, collect the box, and make their way through the compound. They don't get very far before they hear footsteps rapidly approaching. Just as they round the corner, they see Soraru.

Xe looks behind them and yells, "Hey! Is Samia done in there yet?"

Both of them blink and look at each other simultaneously. When xe starts tapping xer foot, Tsubame answers, "No, I believe she and Pal are still discussing some things."

Soraru groans. "Ughhhhhh… The siren's in there too now? I've been waiting for like an hour, and now she's gonna be in there even longer."

"There's nothing stopping you from going in," Shizu points out. "You don't usually care that much about what others want."

"Yeah, I don't really care what she wants," xe agrees, "but I also don't wanna get yelled at today. The moment I poke my head in, she'll be complaining non-stop, and then Pal will take five years to say three sentences about me being annoying. I can't concentrate like that!"

Shizu narrows her eyes. "Have you considered being less annoying?" She pointedly does not look at Tsubame, whom she is certain is glaring at her.

"Pfffft." Soraru waves a dismissive hand. "I'll have you know some people find me very charming. Maybe they should consider getting better brains."

"Perhaps we could come to a better collective understanding of each other," Tsubame suggests.

Xe makes a show of scratching xer chin before saying, "Nah. I'll complain instead. It's easier, AND it's more fun."

Tsubame persists. "It may be less challenging to talk things out than you think. What's the harm in giving it a try? Isn't this what we talked about this morning?"

"What for? I've already got Joshua." Xe yawns. "Wow, this is more boring than waiting for the greenhouse to be empty. I'm gonna do that again. Later!"

Before either of them can say another word, xe runs off back the way that xe came. Shizu doesn't care enough to give chase, and she suspects Tsubame feels similarly.

Sounds of controllers clicking and digitized punching greet the two of them as they near the rec room. Peering inside, Shizu sees Michio and Joshua playing a fighting game on a couch. Michio is hunched over in concentration. Joshua, on the other hand, is reclining nonchalantly, only using one hand to hold his controller. Behind them, Fumika leans on the back of the couch, her eyes glazed over.

While the volume is loud, their footsteps still get the attention of everyone in the room. Fumika looks over, rolls her eyes, and gives a small wave with her free hand. Michio's eyes dart towards them before instantly snapping back to the game. Joshua nods his head lazily. "Hey Tsubame. Hey Shizu. What's up?"

Tsubame eyes the game nervously, afraid to speak lest she ruin their, or rather just Michio's, concentration. Shizu has no such fears. "We're installing clocks in all the new rooms. Don't mind us."

"Sweet," Joshua says whilst pressing one of the shoulder buttons. "Where you putting it?"

She adjusts her glasses as she studies the walls. "Above the TV."

Fumika looks at her and smirks. "Sounds good. I can do that for you." Without waiting for a response, she walks over to them and grabs a clock from the box.

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Michio yells, "Not right now!"

"Be reasonable," she chides him, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. "Shizu's a busy woman." The only response she gets is furious controller clicks.

Ever the mediator, Tsubame prevents anyone from walking in front of the game by asking, "How long have they been playing?"

"No idea. They were already going at it when I came in here." Fumika shakes her head. "Definitely more than an hour, but I'm not sure how much longer. In simpler terms, too long."

Joshua tilts his head upside over the couch to look at her. "Hey, we offered to let you play."

"I'm not one to find video games fun," Fumika states.

He shrugs and shifts his attention back to the TV. "I know. But, like, you didn't have to stay for so long if you weren't having fun watching us." A few moments pass before he says, "Oh wait, did you want to hang out with us or something?"

Fumika pinches her forehead. "At this point, I'm heavily questioning that myself." Under her breath, low enough that only Shizu can hear, she mutters, "What did he think I was doing?"

Joshua starts to speak again but gets cut off by the in-game announcer declaring the winner. Michio leaps out of his seat, arms raised in the air victoriously. "In your face!" he yells, spinning to face Joshua and pointing his controller at him. As he pants lightly, he suddenly becomes aware of the new audience and rushes to sit back down, though a blush is evident on his face.

Shizu takes the opportunity to tease. "I didn't realize you were the type to get so competitive."

"I'm not!" he shouts back, before realizing his tone. He repeats himself, this time quieter, though his hands are trembling violently. "I'm not, I swear. But it's hard not to get frustrated when you're being bodied by someone who's not even taking your seriously." He waves a hand at Joshua, who has started to lean so far back that his head is almost touching the couch cushions.

"Hey, I'm taking you seriously," Joshua says. "I just don't really show it, y'know? I make lots of mistakes when I'm under pressure, so I just let myself relax. It's healthier and let's my play better."

Michio scowls. "Come on dude. You're not even holding the controller right."

Blinking, Joshua looks at his hands. "Oh, right. I was playing this yesterday, and I rebound my controls to let me play like this. It works mostly. It's a little hard to do some attacks though."

"Agh!" Michio throws his hands in the air. "This sucks, man." For a moment, Shizu believes that he's actually mad, but then he begins to laugh. "I figured you'd be one of the better gamers here, but I didn't think you'd be that good."

Smiling, Joshua shrugs. "Nah, it's mostly just this game. It's one of the few multiplayer games that I kept up with. Bad luck choosing this one I guess."

"Now that you've finally beaten him," Fumika says as she walks in front of the TV, clock in hand, "you don't need to keep the same game, right?"

Michio scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. "Heh… sorry the keep you waiting. I guess I got a little too into it. I didn't really think you'd want to hang out with us, truth be told."

"Honestly, you weren't my first choice," Fumika admits. Her voice barely strains, even as she stretches to place the clock high on the wall. "I was planning on talking with Tsubame, but I couldn't find her. You were one of my next picks. You seemed reliable the other day."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Michio winks at her, even though she's not looking. "Hopefully, I seem reliable every other day as well."

She chuckles. "Don't push your luck."

Tsubame sighs. "I'm very sorry that I wasn't available, Fumika. If you have time later, I would love to spend it with you." Her eyes dart towards Shizu. "I'm afraid I've already made commitments for today, however. Perhaps tomorrow works well for you?"

"What are you saying sorry for?" Fumika crosses her arms. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"I know, but it's been a few days since we've been able to talk freely with one another," Tsubame laments. "I really enjoyed talking with you, and I don't want damage our friendship by not being available."

Shaking her head, Fumika replies, "Tsubame, I was the one who wasn't around recently, not you. You have nothing to worry about."

Tsubame nods, then takes a tentative step towards Fumika. She raises an eyebrow, which only goes up further when Tsubame extends her hand. It takes her a moment to realize that this is supposed to be a handshake, which she accepts, laughing as she does. The tension exits Tsubame at last, and she visible untenses her muscles. It's awkward, in a way that Shizu finds somewhat endearing.

Michio lets out a loud guffaw at the display. "You know you can just hug it out, right?" he says once he's recovered. "You don't have to make it so professional or whatever."

"I didn't wish to overstep any boundaries." Tsubame defends herself, her hands going to her cheeks to hide their redness. "Not everyone is comfortable with hugs."

Fumika also looks marginally embarrassed. "I'll keep that in mind," she states flatly.

"Hey uh…" Joshua speaks up. "You said you wanted to hang out with us, right?"

"No, I said I wanted to 'hang out' with Michio," Fumika clarifies. "I had no intention of seeking you out. Historically, you have been one of the least reliable people in this group."

"Ouch…" Michio winces in sympathy.

Scratching the side of his neck, Joshua mulls this over. "I mean… harsh but fair. Anyways, if you're sticking around, I'm guessing you don't wanna play video games with us." Her annoyed expression confirms his theory. "Yeah, figured. So, what do you wanna do? You more of a board game kinda person?"

"There have been a few that have kept my attention," she admits. "They may be more complex than you're used to."

Joshua nods. "That tracks. I'm willing to put in the effort to learn, though."

"Board games sound fun," Michio chimes in. "There's ton of them over here." He rushes over to the other end of the rec room, pointing at one of the back shelves. Fumika walks after him quickly. Joshua, after slowly standing up, stretching, and turning off the game, eventually moves to follow.

Seeing as the situation has resolved itself fully, Shizu picks the box back up. As she reaches the doorway, she hears Michio call out to her. "Shizu! I never finished checking all of the movies and stuff, but I'll let you know when I'm done."

"You don't need to do that," she replies. "It was simply a spur of the moment theory, nothing more. You have no reason to waste your time. I'm not even certain how much it may help."

"Nah, it's all good. I said I'd do it, and I can't let my newfound reliability be discredited so soon." He gives her a big thumbs up and a cheesy grin. Both she and Fumika roll their eyes simultaneously, but she nods in thanks nevertheless.

The only room left to visit is the gymnasium. The trip there is silent, not that Shizu has any complaints about that. From the small smile on Tsubame's face, Shizu assumes that she's relieved to get the confirmation Fumika feels safe with the group and her again.

When the two of them exit the elevator on the third floor landing, Kogi is standing there silently. He watches as both of them carry the box out, but he doesn't get on immediately. Shizu has no intention of engaging him in conversation.

Sadly, he seems to have other plans. "You two," he says, waiting just long enough for them to start down the hallway.

Tsubame regards him curiously. "Oh, sorry Kogi. Was there something you needed?"

It takes him a moment, but he nods. "Chouki."

"Is he being a problem again?" Shizu recalls his tantrum from this morning. Her comment earns her an upset stare, courtesy of Tsubame.

"Maybe. Didn't really check," Kogi admits. "Just figured you'd be interested in what he's doing." He's looking at both of them, so presumably he's not just addressing one person.

"I hope he's doing well," Tsubame says. "He's been in a bad mood since…" She puts a finger to her chin and looks at the ceiling, mulling over something. "Well, since I've met him. I don't think it's really his fault."

Shizu scoffs. "Given his attitude, I'd guess that he's always like this, even without the looming threat of everything."

"His attitude aside, he's back in the lounge," Kogi informs them.

Tsubame breathes a relieved sigh. "It's certainly good to hear that he's out of his room. Do you know what he was doing in there?"

"Weren't you paying attention? I said I didn't check." He shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "I just saw him storming into there, looking pissed off. Didn't want to hang around him, so I let him be. Figured you lot would be interested in dragging something out of him."

"I don't think Chouki would appreciate anyone interrupting him," Tsubame says.

Shizu clicks her tongue. "I don't think Chouki appreciates anything. Leaving him to his own devices sounds like the perfect way for him to get into trouble, either by convincing himself to do something foolish or by antagonizing another."

Tsubame frowns. "Is that what you think as well, Kogi?"

Kogi remains as frustratingly obtuse as ever. "Maybe. Didn't think about it much."

"Well, thank you for unloading that work onto us," Shizu says, bitterness dripping from her tone.

"Glad to help." His tone is so expressionless that she can't tell if he's being serious or sarcastic. "He'll probably be in there a while longer. Maybe even all day. No need to rush whatever you're doing."

"…We'll keep that in mind." Shizu can't help but wonder if Kogi is capable of giving a straight answer without being pressured into it.

Kogi gives them a two fingered wave goodbye, indicating that he's done socializing. However, his dramatic exit is ruined by the fact that he has to wait for the elevator doors to open again. Someone else must have called the elevator while they were talking. He stands there, fidgeting nonstop and cursing under his breath. Tsubame takes pity on him and leads Shizu away.

Shizu and Tsubame are treated to quite the sight when they arrive at the gym. Kaixi and Morgan are standing at the foot of the rock-climbing wall. High above them, Sawako is doing her best to reach the platform that is still a significant distance away. Her limbs are shaking from the effort of the climb, and, even from a distance, her deep breaths are audible.

"Come on, Sawako!" Kaixi cheers, his camera at the ready. "You can do it!"

Morgan smiles serenely. "Hmm… I wonder." Her gaze lies not on Sawako but on the platform. Her attention is so rapt that Shizu wonders if she's even aware that Sawako is climbing at all. Has she noticed something of interest?

Suddenly, Sawako's grip falters. The gym is filled with gasps as she begins to fall. Be it with luck or skill, she manages to grab hold of a lower divot, though it sounds like she pulled something. She stays there for a second to rebalance herself, then she starts the solemn climb back to the ground.

"Oh geez, are you alright?" Kaixi is already running over to where she'll come down. He's set his camera down in favor of a water bottle.

Sawako lands on the mats with a soft thump, snatches the bottle from his hands, and takes several long, desperate gulps. Upon closer inspection, she's glistening with sweat, most likely from a combination of working out and fear. She tries to speak as she hands the bottle back but only succeeds in panting.

Shaking her head, Morgan emerges from her daze to tut. "I did warn you that this room lacked positive energy today. You could have taken a terrible fall had fate not sought to intervene at the last moment."

"Yeah, Morgan's an expert on these kinds of things," Kaixi agrees.

Sawako is still breathing heavily, but she manages to get out a weak, "S… sorry…" She attempts to stand up fully, but Tsubame, who had rushed over the moment that she slipped, forces her into a sitting position.

With a dramatic hand wave, Morgan proclaims, "It's good that you see your folly, but perhaps you should not try that again in the future. While I would need to have a thorough conversation with the spirits to fully understand, I sense nothing but ill things in your future should you climb so recklessly."

At last, Sawako catches her breath. "I understand. I did not mean to alarm any of you." She pushes herself up into a straighter sitting position. "However, I was not in immediate danger. I have fallen from more dangerous heights before, and I know that these mats would absorb most of the impact."

Tsubame shakes her head. "That doesn't stop us from being scared."

"And what if you were higher up?" Kaixi adds. "I don't even want to think about what would happen if you hit these things from the top. They can only help so much."

Sawako bows her head. "I am very sorry to have worried you further. I did not mean to imply I would try again. I only meant to assure you that I was aware of the dangers involved."

"You may want to consider becoming more aware of your limits as well," Morgan says.

"I promise that I will." Sawako salutes her, as if that will persuade anyone. Then, she blinks and becomes fully aware of Tsubame's presence. "Oh, I am very sorry for not greeting you sooner, Tsubame." To Shizu's displeasure, Sawako spots her as well. "And you too, Shizu. I hope you are both having a fine day."

"O-oh, oops. Hey you two!" Kaixi waves at them as well. His grin is a little too big, as he seems to hope his eagerness will offset the lateness of his greeting. Not that Shizu really cares.

Shizu lets Tsubame return the hellos before jumping into her questioning. "How long have you all been working out in here?"

Kaixi plays with his backpack straps. "Uh… actually, Sawako was the only one exercising."

"Kaixi and I were wandering the halls, discussing topics of little importance to you. We then ended up in the gym, where we discovered Sawako already in mid-workout," Morgan elaborates.

Finally standing up, Sawako says, "I hadn't been at it long before they arrived. Most of my day so far has been drafting up a workout schedule. It was only meant to be a light routine."

Really now? Shizu adjusts her glasses. "You mean to tell me that climbing to the ceiling is a light routine to you?"

Sawako throws her hands in front of her. "No, no, of course not! I was not trying to reach the top. I only wished to see how far I could go. I didn't ever intend to fully scale the wall."

"Perhaps our involvement pushed you to go farther than you would normally," Morgan suggests, her smile somehow both graceful and smug. "We were an attentive audience after all. Did you feel the need to show off your capabilities?"

Though Sawako vehemently denies such a thing, Tsubame of all people nods. "I think I can understand that feeling. Whenever I'm telling a story to anyone, I feel like I have to give it my all."

"Aw, you don't have to worry." Kaixi puts a hand on Sawako's back, though he briefly grimaces when he feels sweat. "We all think you're amazing already. You don't have to do push yourself to do impossible things."

"N-no, I insist, that was not my intention!" Sawako pleads.

Morgan giggles. "As fun as it is to lay bare the truth of your actions, I believe we should turn our attention to Shizu's and Tsubame's efforts. The two of you wish to bring time into this room, correct?"

"…We are hanging up clocks in the new rooms, yes," Shizu says.

"Splendid! I hope you brought enough to fill this room." Morgan looks past her and smiles. "Ah, of course, you have an entire box. I thought as much."

"Oh right, I forgot we didn't used to have clocks in all the rooms," Kaixi says. "Actually, what is up with that anyways? Why didn't Monokuma set them up himself?"

"Monokuma doesn't seem the type to care much for our comforts," Tsubame says.

Sawako growls at the bear's name. "He almost certainly wished for us to lose our sense of time here. Having to go back to our rooms every time we wanted to check is far too much a hassle. That combined with locking up rooms during the night… How pointlessly cruel."

To this point, Morgan puts her hands together and closes her eyes. "I wonder… If that were so important to him, would he not take the clocks down? He clearly restocks our supplies every night. It would not take that much more effort from him."

"Oh, I see." Sawako rests a hand on her cheek. "Maybe the inconvenience of setting up clocks is the point."

"It is a waste of my time," Shizu admits. "I would much prefer it is I didn't have to do this whenever new rooms opened up."

"Then, I'm afraid you must continue doing it. Monokuma delights in wasting time as precious as yours." Morgan's voice is teasing.

Kaixi gives her a thumbs up. "Well, I really appreciate you doing it. Oh, and you as well Tsubame!"

Smiling, Tsubame politely declines. "Oh no, you don't need to thank me. It's all Shizu's idea. I'm merely giving her a little hand. I'm afraid that I might not have thought of this on my own."

"Would the rest of you like to help as well?" Shizu asks. "These are the last set of rooms, so it won't take long."

All three of them agree, and they quickly get to work. The gymnasium is the largest room available to them, and there is some debate on how many clocks to place. They eventually settle on three, one on the wall opposite the rock-climbing wall and two on either end of the wall connected to the locker room.

The locker room is, thankfully, small enough that they only need to place a single clock. However, the shower room itself leads to some debates. Shizu initially wanted to put clocks in all of the stalls, arguing that they were long enough to not get any water on them. The rest of them, minus Kaixi who initially agreed, talked her down to placing just one in the main room.

Having concluded their work, the team decides to break. As it was getting late, Kaixi chooses to start making dinner. Morgan, enticed by the prospect of someone else cooking, follows suit. Sawako, now recovered from her scare, figures she should do a few more exercises before hopping in the showers.

This, once again, leaves Shizu alone with Tsubame. "Thank you for sticking with me all day," Shizu thanks her. "Your help is very appreciated."

Tsubame smiles. "The same goes to you as well. I'm grateful you allowed me to accompany you. Shall we return the clocks to your room?"

Shizu is about to confirm this before she remembers what Kogi told them. "Hold on one moment. Do you think Chouki is still in the lounge?"

"I'm not sure," Tsubame says. "We can go check right now if you wish."

Mulling it over for a moment, Shizu shakes her head. "No, that's alright. I'd rather put the box back in my room first. I'm tired of having to carry it around. Chouki can wait."

Tsubame takes deep breath. "Um… if you want to check, I could… I could put the box back for you and meet up a little later."

"Hmm… no, that wouldn't work. No offense, but I would feel safer if they were stored in my room," Shizu says.

"In that case…" Tsubame presses forward. "Maybe I could put them in your room. If… if you wished to lend me your room key, that is." She preemptively backs down the moment after she says this. "Of course, I understand that is a huge thing to ask of you, and I promise that I won't be upset if you decline."

Shizu is ready to do just that, but then she thinks the day over. Tsubame has been with her for almost all of it, spurred on by the goal of gaining her trust. She would be foolish to completely give it all over, but a small part of her wishes to do so. Maybe… in this case, she can give a tiny bit of trust back, as a test of course.

To both of their surprise, she nods and procures the keycard from her blazer pocket. "I expect you to return swiftly and to touch nothing in there."

Tsubame holds the key in both hands, clutching it as if it might disintegrate the moment she lets go. "I promise," she whispers.

Shizu lets her go with a nod. She watches her go, box in hand, towards the elevator, moving so carefully so as to not drop anything. Shizu has no such reservations and makes her way quickly to her destination.

Just like Kogi claimed, Chouki is still sitting in the lounge, staring with a vacant expression over at the fish tank. From the way he tenses up at the sound of her footsteps, he knows that someone is there, but he doesn't bother looking to see who it is. He probably hopes that refusing to acknowledge her will make her go away. Pity, then, that he's up against her.

She walks over to the chair and stands in his peripheral vision. He gives her an annoyed side-eye but otherwise doesn't respond. She clears her throat. He continues to ignore her.

"Chouki," she finally says.

He scowls but continues to gaze at the fish. "What do you want?"

"I'm simply checking in on you," she says.

Gripping the armrests, he says, "Mission accomplished. You did it. Now, please leave me alone."

Shizu exhales. "I think we both know that you're not going to dissuade me with that. Besides, I'm not done yet. We still haven't talked about anything."

Finally fed up with her presence, Chouki turns, fists clenched. "Well, I don't want to talk. Am I being denied my ability to relax without being hassled by some idiots?"

"Given that you can simply return to your room at any point, you are being denied nothing," Shizu says as she adjusts her glasses. "May I remind you that you have done just that in recent days?"

"Yeah, well maybe I'm sick of my room," he says, words laced with venom. "Don't tell me you think that I'm not allowed to be in here if I don't want anyone to bother me."

"Of course not," she claims, though she swiftly moves on to her point. "However, it seems to me that you've barely been bothered by anyone at all for quite some time. You've only had brief interactions with others, save for the trial. If interacting with you in any capacity is bothering you, then I'm afraid you will be forever bothered."

She's certain that Chouki won't care about her reasoning, which is why she's hoping her thorough explanation will convince him that it will be faster to let her talk to him than it would be to wait for her to leave.

Her strategy is rewarded when he grumbles a string of curses. "Look, what's so important that you won't shut up?"

"I wish to know more about you," Shizu explains. "I believe I understand a good deal of your life philosophy, but I know little about your life."

He glares at her. "Here's something you don't seem to know: I don't like you. That enough?"

She ignores his remark. "To start, where exactly did you grow up? I imagine it was somewhere on the coast, given your interest in marine life."

His expression actually softens slightly at her question, though he's clearly still frustrated. "I'm from Australia."

Her eyes widen at the information. "Really now? My apologies, I assumed you were from Japan."

"What, because of my name?" He crosses his arms and looks at the floor. "…Okay, maybe I was born in Japan, but I moved when I was really young. Australia's my real home."

"How young exactly?" she asks.

Chouki answers her. "Around when I was 10."

That's a bit older than 'very young', but Shizu chooses not to press on this point. "Do you know why your family moved?"

"Nope, I never asked," Chouki says. "My hometown's better than my birthplace anyways. I'm not complaining."

"So, you grew up on the Australian coast then." Shizu doesn't know much about Australia, at least not much that she has actually verified. "Was that what made you interested in marine biology?"

"Please." He scoffs. "I was going to be into it no matter where I grew up. My parents would have made sure of it."

"They were marine biologists as well then," she surmises.

Chouki traces the tattoos along his arms. "They were conservationists."

She nods along. The origins of his passions for nature and animals are becoming clearer. "I see. I'm assuming that their efforts mostly focused on saving marine life, and that their jobs had some overlap with the ocean."

"Are you going to guess at my whole life story or something?" He glares at her, as if to challenge her.

"That depends," she retorts. "Are you going to leave me to extrapolate from the few words that you see fit to tell me, or do you want to give me more clarification?"

He definitely wants to say, "Neither," but bites back the response. Instead, he says, "My mom's a member of this big environmental group. I think it's non-profit. My dad does different volunteer work. Mostly lifeguard stuff. He mostly stays at home to look after my little sister. Is that enough for you?"

Shizu nods as she takes out her notepad. "That's plenty. Thank you very much for the information."

"Whatever…" He settles back into his chair, surprisingly looking somewhat relaxed. "What do you even need to know all that for anyways?"

"Technically, I don't need to know it," she says as she writes. "However, any and all information about your life will serve to help me understand you better. It didn't need to be anything specific."

"So you guessed and got lucky with what I would feel comfortable talking about…" he mutters, drumming his fingers on the chair's armrest.

"That is a summary of what I did, yes," Shizu confirms.

There's a decent period of silence, where the only sounds in the room come from Shizu's pen scribbling down her thoughts. Chouki eventually breaks it. "You're wasting your time."

Shizu stops and looks up. "Perhaps. I will be the judge of that."

"Already dismissing my points, figures…" Chouki pointed looks away from her before continuing. "Knowing someone isn't going to stop them from doing what they want. I've met enough people in my line of work to know that." He suddenly pinches his forehead. "Why am I even explaining something simple like this to you? You've got what you wanted. You can go now. Please."

Those were the terms of their agreement, even if they were not in formal writing. Thus, Shizu chooses to give him his peace. She doesn't offer any goodbyes, as, from what she's gathered, Chouki would only find them irritating.

---

Conversation with Chouki Awadachi (2)

- Born in Japan but moved to Australia when he was a child

- Considers Australia his real home

- Parents both were into conservationism, passed on their love of the environment to him (there's likely more to this, press for details later)

- Mother works, Father stays at home, similar to my own life

- Has a younger sister, age unknown

- Despite lack of care for humans, seems to love family (or at least cares for them more than most people who exist)

---

Once Shizu makes sure she translated all of her thoughts into words, she heads towards the elevators. Tsubame is certainly done by now, and, with any luck, they will run into each other there.

As it turns out, she doesn't even need to walk that far. Tsubame walks into view in the hallway before the elevator. Upon seeing Shizu, she speeds up, her hand outstretched and holding her keycard. "Shizu! Did you find him? Did it go well?"

Shizu graciously accepts her key and tucks it back into her pocket. "It went well by Chouki standards. I got enough information out of him to consider it productive. Despite what Chouki may think, that is…" She murmurs this last bit.

If Tsubame heard her, she gives no indication. "That's great! I'm glad everything worked out."

"He's still in the lounge if you wanted to talk with him," Shizu offers.

Tsubame rejects it, however. "That's alright. He probably wouldn't be very happy with that, and I trust that you didn't upset him too much. Shall we go get something to eat?"

"That sounds good to me." Shizu waits for them to walk to the elevators before she brings up a topic that's been on her mind for most of the day. "Tsubame, you helped me out today because you wished to know me better, correct?"

Smiling, Tsubame says, "That's part of it, but I mostly wanted to have a good time with you. I think I was successful on both accounts."

"Well, I suppose I can agree with the latter half," Shizu states as she steps into the elevator. "However, I don't think I know much about you at all."

"Oh?" Tsubame fails to hide a hint of unease in her voice.

Shizu presses the door close button. "For someone as pleasant and friendly as you, you are remarkably silent about your personal life. Most everyone else has let little tidbits slip in conversations I've had with them, but not you."

Tsubame tugs on her braid and takes a step back. "I… I'm just a private person, that's all."

"That may be part of it, but your body language and disposition lead me to believe that there's more to it than that." Shizu pushes her glasses further up her face to punctuate her statement.

Tsubame's tugging gets more frantic. She opens her mouth several times but no words come out. Eventually, she settles on saying, "My apologies, but my past is not something I wish to discuss. I hope you understand."

The elevator dings to a stop. Shizu sighs. "Very well. I'll leave it be for now."

The relief in Tsubame's face is evident, but it is immediately sapped away when the doors open.

Monokuma is standing there, paws on his hips, grinning maniacally. "Aw, are you two not getting along? And after all that talk this morning. What a shame!"

"We're getting along perfectly fine," Shizu claims.

He laughs at her. "Oh, of course! That's why she's literally hiding in a corner from you." He jabs in Tsubame's general direction, and she flinches harder into the walls. "Silly me, questioning the friendship expert."

She grits her teeth so hard that she's shocked that she doesn't hear a crack. "I mistimed an uncomfortable question. There's nothing more to this situation."

"You really don't get it, do you?" Somehow, Monokuma's grin gets sharper. "Here she is, asking you to put yourself in harm's way by snatching up your key, but she can't even take a simple question about her life. She doesn't trust you at all!"

"Neither of us care about your standards of trust." Shizu storms over to Tsubame, grabs her by the wrist, and marches her past the robotic teddy bear. "Out of the way."

She hears him call back, "You'll never be good at strategy if you keep running from the truth! Ahahahahaha!"

Once they're a fair distance away from him, Shizu lets go. Tsubame rubs her wrist but continues walking. Shizu feels like she should say something comforting, but she's never been good at that. And, unfortunately, part of her agrees with what Monokuma said. Not the full part about her being unable to trust Tsubame, of course, but the idea that Tsubame can't tell her anything is worrying for the future.

A voice interrupts her thoughts. "Shizu, wait."

It occurs to her that Tsubame had stopped walking a few seconds ago. Turning around, she spots her standing still a good deal away. Her eyes are locked to the floor. "I know… I know that I look like a colossal jerk right now. There's not a lot that I like to talk about in my past. It's… uncomfortable, for a lot of reasons."

Shizu frowns. "Were there no good moments?"

"No! No, that's not the case," Tsubame quickly denies before growing more somber. "I had a lot of fun times. Most of my childhood was very happy. Even so… there are some personal reasons why I'd rather not talk about them."

"Nothing at all?" Shizu probes as gently as she can. "Family? Friends? Anyone important?"

Tsubame closes her eyes. "Well…" It takes her a moment, but, when they open, they're filled with resolve. "I didn't have anyone I'd consider a friend for… honestly all of my childhood. My circumstances didn't allow for it."

Shizu takes a stab in the dark, if only to move the conversation forward. "Did you move around a lot?"

"Yes, almost non-stop," Tsubame confirms. "I played with others occasionally, but I never got to know them."

"That sounds difficult," Shizu muses. "Stressful, no doubt. If I were in that situation, I probably wouldn't have socialized at all." She leaves out the fact that, despite her more stable living situation, she still did not socialize much.

At this, Tsubame giggles, "Ah, no, I suppose not. To be honest, I spent most of my time reading whatever I could find. There were many libraries in all of the towns and cities and places we travelled to. It really helped give me a better understanding of… well… everything."

For a fleeting moment, Shizu considers asking about who the 'we' she let slip entailed. However, just a quickly, her mind flashes back to Hachi, and she stops herself. Instead, she brings up her own anecdote. "I can definitely relate to that. I kept sneaking into my mother's study in my earlier years. I doubt I understood or even retained much of what I found, but I'm certain it expanded my vocabulary."

"That sounds like you retained some of it to me. Are you sure you weren't reading a dictionary?" Tsubame hides her laughter behind her hand.

Shizu makes a show of crossing her arms. "Please. If you wished to find a more humorous book with which to mock me, you should have said a thesaurus."

This only sends Tsubame into further giggles, and Shizu can't help but smile. Their discussion gets put on hold when both of their stomachs rumble aggressively. Deciding that they've put off dinner for long enough, they escort each other to the dining hall in good spirits.

Shizu reflects on the day as they walk. She certainly wouldn't have called every interaction a riveting success, even if she did get the information that she wanted. Still, it feels… pleasant to end everything on a high-ish note like this one. She's no longer doomed to have every interaction tainted with some lingering sadness.

---

Conversation with Tsubame Watari (2)

- Very secretive about past, claims that it has nothing to do with anything negative, but not sure how much I believe this

- Moved around constantly, from the sound of it, much more frequently than most

- Perhaps part of a travelling troupe or something? Would explain her talent for performing

- Had little time to befriend other children due to her travels

- Spent most of her time reading, could also explain why she's apparently so talented at storytelling

- Wasn't traveling alone (obviously, she was a child), but never mentioned who she travelled with

- Travel partner likely source of grief, given their secrecy (parents? But then why hide them?)

---

Shizu's Notes

New Survival Plan

- Work on befriending others so that we are unlikely to wish to see them dead

- Most others seem receptive to the plan, even the more abrasive like Fumika

- Chouki, as usual, doesn't agree, could be more of a problem later

- Should assess which others actually agree with plan later, as opposed to pretending to follow it

Bee Room

- Looks like an actual garden, filled with lots of flowers

- Has a simulated day-night cycle with an artificial sun and moon, likely for the bees

- Could be a nice place to relax, were it not for the bee hives

- Hachi could maybe get fresh honey for us if we asked

Greenhouse Closet

- Used to store gardening tools and beekeeping suits, among other things

- More than sixteen total beekeeping suits. For what purpose? Were others using this room before?

- Small hatch on the floor that's hard to spot, investigate later

---

A/N: I honestly don't know why this chapter is this long. I thought that a calmer chapter would mean that things would go by quicker, but I suppose I have no concept of how long things take. It just worked out that way, I guess. I'd like to think that the rest of the chapters both have more going on and are of a more appropriate length, but that's my bias as the author coming in. Thank you again to those of you who reviewed. It means the world to me. Please take care of yourselves.