Shizu's morning routine goes as usual until she's ready to leave for breakfast. The morning announcement has just played, and she's put on her blazer, making sure her secret is tucked securely in her pocket. When she heads over to her door, she notices a small piece of paper on the ground. Intrigued, she picks it up.

There's something important to discuss.

Meet in the gym at 2 PM.

Keep this a secret.

That's… a concerned message. She doubts it's another motive from Monokuma, judging by the straightforward, non-mocking tone of the writing. No, the bigger concern is that it's a trap. Lure her in with the false promise of info, only to attack her. It wouldn't be a wise plan. All she would need to do is inform someone else of the note's contents to secure her safety or simply not go in the first place.

Her stomach rumbles, and she decides to think about it after breakfast. There's no sense making any split-second decisions. She shoves the note into her pocket and heads down to the dining hall.

Deliberating over what to do with the note has delayed her slightly. There is a good deal of people already halfway through their meal by the time she arrives. That's definitely a good sign that the motive hasn't been very effective thus far.

She settles down between Kaixi, who has already finished eating but has stayed to talk with Michio, and Tsubame, who must have arrived shortly before her. Across from her, Chouki quickly inhales his bagel, desperate to leave as soon as possible. He ends up in a coughing fit. Pal and Samia give him a firm pat on the back, but he only recovers when he spots Sawako moving closer to do the same.

The calm is broken when, with no warning, Soraru flings the dining hall doors open. Xer eyes are full of fire, and xer mouth is contorted in an expression of rage which Shizu has never seen on xem before. "Alright, fess up. Which one of you did it?!"

"Uh… good morning to you too," Michio says, raising an eyebrow.

Xer eye twitches. "Good? Good?! You think this… this vandalism is good?!"

Fumika, whom Shizu hadn't even noticed until this moment, speaks up. "What are you talking about? You haven't clarified, and the local psychic isn't here yet."

"Someone's been messing with the greenhouse!" Soraru declares.

Readjusting her headscarf, Samia says, "Wasn't that you? I heard you bragging about it yesterday."

"Agh! Not that! Someone else undid most of my work!" Xer fists are clenched so tightly that Shizu wouldn't be surprised if they started bleeding.

"Please," Sawako implores, "Calm down and explain exactly what the problem is. At present, you are only succeeding in confusing us. We cannot help if we do not understand."

Under his breath, Pal murmurs, "I do not wish… to help xem out… even if I do understand."

Though Soraru does not calm down in the slightest, xe does take a moment to elaborate. "Someone's been messing with the sprinkler system in the greenhouse. All of the settings that I labored over have been completely randomized. All of my hard work is ruined! I had to spend all of this morning setting everything up again. It's sabotage!"

"What makes you think that one of us did it?" Samia demands. "What possible reason could we have for doing that?"

"Spite," xe retorts through gritted teeth.

Tsubame places a hand on her cheek. "That… doesn't sound right. It sounds like a meanspirited thing to do. Perhaps Monokuma is behind it. He would know how to operate the machine that handles everything."

"Hey, don't go blaming me for everything wrong in your lives!"

Tsubame shrieks as Monokuma kicks open the kitchen doors. A few others jump, though that might be from the scream rather than the bear's sudden appearance. She quickly catches her breath. "W-were you waiting in there this whole time?"

He puts his paws behind his head and grins. "Of course! I'm always listening in for slander. I've gotta protect my perfect image."

"If you're here," Fumika says, pushing past his antics, "that means you're not responsible."

"Of course not! How many times do I have to say it?" He raises a sharpened claw. "I had nothing to do with whatever's going on with the sprinklers."

"Then fix it," Soraru demands.

Monokuma puts a paw to his chin and tilts his head. "Wha? Why would I do that? I only get involved in your affairs when it's important. Who am I to judge who knows best for the greenhouse? That's for you all to sort out."

Xe chokes on xer words. "But the plants are all gonna die! That totally defeats the purpose of having a greenhouse at all!"

"But I'm a bear, and bears don't need to eat plants. It's not my problem."

Michio rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I don't think anyone was planning on eating any of those plants."

"So, you're just gonna do nothing? Nothing at all?" Soraru's drive is failing under Monokuma's apathy.

"Yup! If you think there's a problem, fix it yourselves. I'm a very busy bear, with important bear things to do. Don't bother me unless you're all trying to kill each other." Having said his piece, he storms back into the kitchen.

Kaixi dips his head in Soraru's direction. "Sorry, Soraru. Guess that didn't work out."

Xe ignores him, pacing back and forth. "So, if it wasn't Monokuma… Then I was right! It was one of you!"

At the moment, Morgan enters the dining hall. "Good morning everyone. I apologize for my tardiness. I had to take extra time to consult the spirits."

"Aha!" Wheeling around to face her, Soraru points with dramatic flair. "I knew it! The criminal returns to the scene of the crime!"

Morgan blinks. "I have no idea what crime you are referring to, but, I assure you, this is the first time today that I have been to the dining hall."

"The 'scene of the crime' is the greenhouse. You're just saying nonsense at this point." The whole sequence of events has frustrated Shizu.

Xe scoffs. "That's just what you want me to think. You can't throw me off the trail. I'm like a bloodhound but for scum who hate foliage!"

"If it helps, I have also not been the greenhouse either," Morgan offers.

"A likely story!"

Chouki has had enough. "For fuck's sake, shut up! None of us care." Several others echo his sentiments, though in much less harsh words.

Seeing that xe isn't going to get anywhere here, xe purses xer lips and marches out. As xe leaves, xe shouts, "Fine! I'll go bug someone who's actually a good person, and we'll get to the bottom of this!"

In xer absence, Fumika is the first to speak. "You know, I'm starting to feel bad for Joshua."

"He can make… his own choices… poor as they may be," Pal replies.

"What a way to start my day." Morgan gives an overly dramatic sigh. "That was certainly a way to learn that Soraru cannot take anything that xe dishes out."

Fumika eyes her suspiciously. "You think this was a prank?"

"I cannot imagine any other alternative," Morgan claims.

Backing her up, Kaixi says, "Yeah, I can see that. I mean, xe has been really vocal about the greenhouse, right? Maybe someone wanted to get back at them after the… the whole cake thing."

"Well, whoever did it, I hope you're happy, because now we have to deal with being complained at instead of being pestered," Chouki complains.

Sawako shuffles in her seat. "If it truly is a prank, it feels rather cruel. The crux of the joke is damaging a living thing."

"That's one way to look at it. Kinda dramatic though." Michio clicks his tongue. "It's over with now at least. Let's try not to rile xem up to much in the future, yeah?"

After that, breakfast continues as normal. Eventually, Hachi and Kogi both show up, which sparks another round of discussion about the incident. Hachi lays out her concerns that someone might try to hurt the bees as a joke, but she's quickly reassured that no one has the desire to prank her.

Michio ends the morning by standing up and getting everyone's attention. "Hey, sorry about the last-minute announcement. I was going to wait for Joshua but uh… I don't think he'll be here for a while." He shakes his head. "Anyways, I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm planning a movie night tomorrow at 8 PM."

"Ooooh." There are stars in Hachi's eyes. "That sounds like a lot of fun!"

"What kind of movie would we be watching?" Tsubame asks.

He smirks. "I've got a really great one picked out. It's an action-packed sci-fi movie. You'll love it, trust me!"

Chouki slouches. "Pass."

Pal pokes him in the side. "I feel… that you were going to say that… regardless of what movie he picked out. You do not… have to be so rude."

"Sorry," he mumbles.

Smiling, Sawako says, "I would definitely be interested in attending."

"Yeah, thank you for putting it together!" Kaixi cheers.

Shizu takes out her notepad and pretends to flip through it. "I'll see if I can fit it into my schedule."

Everyone else voices their thoughts, and most of them, save Kogi, agree that they'll show up. Shizu isn't one for movies, but it's not as if she hates them. Besides, it would probably be best to make some efforts to show her commitment to group activities.

Shizu ends up wandering the halls for a while. There's still quite a bit of time until 2 PM, and she still hasn't decided what her game plan is for the secret meeting. Her need to be informed necessitates showing up, but it is definitely unwise to assume the best.

It takes her a few moments to realize that someone is talking to her. Having gotten lost in her thoughts, she isn't able to distinguish the voice. A few blinks later to clear her head, and she sees Kaixi looking at her with concern.

"–mean to be a bother. Sorry!" She manages to catch the last words of his ramblings.

"My apologies, Kaixi. I'm afraid I was lost in my own thoughts," she explains. "I didn't hear what you were saying."

He hunches over at the revelation. "Oh… You didn't hear a single thing I've been saying? Nothing at all? Not even the start?"

"Nothing," she confirms.

"But I was talking for at least a few minutes. I guess you were thinking about something important." He tugs on his backpack's straps for a moment. Then, his eyes go wide. "Oh, but I'm sure everything you think about is important. I didn't mean to imply otherwise!"

Shizu pinches her forehead. "It's fine. I have a tendency to get lost in my own thoughts. What was it that you needed?"

To be honest, it's not really fine. She's fine with talking to him about whatever, but it is concerning that he apparently was following and talking with her despite the fact that she didn't react at all. Is he used to that kind of behavior from his peers? Or is he just desperate to be around someone else?

She rouses herself from these thoughts in time to actually listen to him. "I just wanted to ask if you wanted any help with furniture stuff for your room. Y'know, since you helped out a bunch yesterday. I wanna repay the favor."

"No thank you. I am perfectly comfortable with my room as is, but the thought is welcomed." She regards him with intrigue. "That's an odd request, especially one to chase me down for."

Kaixi blushes. "Ah, well… that's kind of a misunderstanding on my part. You were walking pretty slowly in the direction of the storage room when I passed you. I thought that's where you were headed. The thought just popped up then."

"Ah, I see." Shizu mentally slaps herself in the forehead for assuming that he had been thinking about it for a while. "In any case, thank you for being thoughtful."

Smiling, he runs a hand through his hair. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. I'm always happy to be of service."

Now seems a good a time as any to bring up something that she's been thinking about for a while. "That you are. Actually, since you've mentioned it, I wanted to know if you've always been this… eager to assist others. I worry that you've been taken advantage of by others for a long time."

He coughs at her comment. "No, don't worry about that at all! I know you all would never ask me to do something that you knew I couldn't handle. It's completely fine."

"And I am very glad that you have given us this level of trust," Shizu says. "However, I would like an answer to my question, unless it's an uncomfortable topic for you."

"Ah, well…" Blushing, he kicks his leg against the floor. "It's more so embarrassing than uncomfortable, really. I used to be a huge brat back in the day. I got in a lot of fights with other kids. Nothing physical," he's quick to assure her. "Lots of shouting though. Ha, I can't believe I was really like that."

That's… more than she was expecting. She clicks her tongue as she thinks of her next question. "Hmm… How young would you say you were?"

"Oh, that was waaaaay back in elementary school." He spins his finger around for emphasis. "I've done a lot of growing up since then. Trust me, I'm in no hurry to pick fights with anyone these days."

"I don't think you need to be so harsh on your past self. Elementary school students don't have much life experience," Shizu states.

"Yeah, but I definitely should have known better," he counters.

She hums. "Perhaps so. Was there any reason behind your aggression? Rough home life, maybe?"

Frantically, he waves his hands in front of him. "Nothing of the sort! My parents were- err… are great! My younger sisters too! It was all a me thing, really. The other kids just said teased me a bunch, and I didn't know how to handle it. Honestly, it's probably my fault."

It seems like Shizu isn't going to get any good information without specifically pressing for it. "You say 'teasing', but I can't help but wonder if it was more along the lines of bullying. Younger kids can be rude."

"Bullying? Uh… I don't know. I mean, it wasn't really that bad." The pained smile on his face indicates otherwise. "I mean, like, there wasn't really anything to bully me over anyways, so null point."

"Children are hardly rational beings," Shizu point out. "They pick up on strange details sometimes."

At her insistence, Kaixi finally relents. "Well, I guess… maybe a few of them did say a few things about me being foreign, but that's hardly anything."

Shizu pounces on this information. "You're correct. I don't think it matters at all that you're not from Japan."

Nodding, Kaixi says, "I mean, I was basically born here. My parents moved here from China so long ago that I was too young to even remember anything. And so what if my mom's Filipino and my dad's Chinese? Like, who even cares?"

"No one that matters," Shizu assures him. "However, there are plenty of those out there who do not matter at all, yet still find themselves with quite the ego."

"Right. But I'm sure that there wasn't really any of that at my old elementary school. It was probably just a me problem."

Shizu feels her eye twitch. So close… she was so close to getting him to admit fault in someone else in his life, yet he still effortlessly wiggled his way out of it. He is far too forgiving for his own good.

Kaixi continues talking as if nothing is wrong. "Honestly, I'm really glad that I took up sports photography. That's what really helped turn my life around."

Seeing as the previous topic has been pushed to the side, she probes on this point instead. "How so?"

"It's actually a bit of a long–" Kaixi begins, only to stop when his eyes land on a clock. "Oh no, sorry, can we put this conversation on hold for a bit? I promised Morgan that I'd help her with something right around now."

"Don't let me keep you." Shizu also glances at the time, but 2 PM is still a ways away. Whatever Morgan needs, it's probably unrelated to the note she received this morning.

Kaixi rushes off, calling out behind him, "Thanks for listening to me, Shizu! Let's talk about your problems next time!"

Suppressing a sigh, Shizu takes out her notes and begins writing down her thoughts.

Conversation with Kaixi Cheng (2)

- Claims to have been very different and more aggressive as a small child

- Blames himself for this (obviously) rather than the other kids who were probably bullying him over his heritage

- Mixed Chinese/Filipino race, parents apparently lived in China before moving to Japan shortly after he was born

- Has younger sisters, should have asked about how many he had

- Claims his foray into sports photography lessened his attitude problems, though I wonder if it's more that he happened to make new friends around the same time

Shizu takes a break from theorizing when she approaches the lounge. She can hear talking from inside. She initially plans on walking by without checking in, as it could be Chouki, whom she feels that she's extracted enough personal details for the time being. However, neither voice sounds like his, so she indulges.

"Heya Shizu!" She's greeted by Hachi before she has time to look around inside. The only other person there, Tsubame, also waves hello.

"Sorry to interrupt the both of you," Shizu says.

Tsubame gives her a look. "Interrupting what? You don't need to apologize. We're simply chatting."

Leaning back into the couch, Hachi agrees. "I'm pretty excited about movie night. I've never been invited to something like that before."

"I don't think I've ever been invited either." Shizu isn't sure whether that's actually the truth or not, but it's easier to explain than saying that she always declined any offers of social gatherings.

"If I may be honest, I'm much more used to telling stories to others than I am watching them with others," Tsubame adds with a little giggle. "I guess all of us are in a similar boat then."

Hachi's eyes light up. "Ooh, I forgot! You're a kamishibaiya, right?" At Tsubame's confirmation, she gets even more excited. "You should totally put on a performance sometime! Everyone would love it lots!"

Tsubame suddenly becomes very interested in the wrinkles on her skort. "Ah… well…"

"Too embarrassing?" Shizu asks.

"It's not that." Tsubame struggles to find the right way to phrase the problem.

Sitting up further, Hachi says, "Yeah, Shizu. We all made Ultimate status, right? So, she's gotta be a real famous storyteller! No way nerves are the problem!"

"Ah… maybe not famous per say." Shaking her head, Tsubame refocuses. "I would be honored to perform for you all. Putting on performances is my passion. However, it's not something I can just… do. I need the right props and tools and setup. I'm not certain that I would be able to find those things here, or even if I would have the materials to construct them."

"If Soraru was able to fashion together a makeshift cake trap, then I'm certain you'll be able to make do," Shizu says. "What exactly do you require for your show?"

Tsubame raises a finger. "The most important part would be the pictures that go along with the story. Without those, my show would simply be a campfire story. Not that I think poorly of campfire stories, but the aesthetic is important."

"There's gotta be art supplies in the storage room, right?" Hachi looks over at Shizu for confirmation.

She plays with a strand of her hair. "I wouldn't know. All I've needed to use is my pen, and that was provided to me in my room." At Hachi's dismayed look, she sighs. "It wouldn't surprise me if there was a box in the storage room with paper and paints or whatever you need to draw, though."

Tsubame interrupts them by holding up a second finger. "Even putting the pictures aside, I would also need a small stage to hold the pictures."

"Could you not hold the pictures yourself?" Shizu asks.

"Well, I suppose I could if there was no other alternative." Placing a hand on her cheek, Tsubame further elaborates. "The thing is that, once again, aesthetics are important. It wouldn't feel the same if I were to drop all of the pictures like they were cue cards."

Shizu lowers her head. "Ah. I'm afraid I'm not one for culture. Hopefully, I haven't offended you."

"It's no bother to explain," Tsubame replies with a smile. "I think it's sweet of you to try to help me perform in the first place."

Hachi chimes in with a suggestion. "I dunno if there's any mini-stage kits, but we can definitely put one together using parts from other sets. We just gotta mix and match if we can't find the right pieces!"

"I do happen to know that there are construction tools in the storage room, so it's not out of the question." Shizu has little experience with building custom furniture, but there must be at least one person here who has some knowledge. "Is there anything else you require?"

"One more thing, yes." Holding up a third finger, Tsubame says, "It's not so much an object as it is a requirement. I'd need a place to perform. To be honest, it could be done anywhere with enough setup, but I'd specifically need some raised table or platform to set the pictures and stage onto. It would be nice if it had good acoustics as well."

Shizu taps her chin. "Hmm…" An idea pops into her head. "Would the announcement room work for you? If we remove the podium from the stage, it would fit the requirements, no?"

"Ooh, yeah, there's already a ton of chairs there too. Everyone can gather around to watch super easy!" Hachi adds.

Thinking for a moment, Tsubame nods. "I believe that works."

"You don't sound too excited about the fact," Shizu points out.

"The idea of performing again, especially for all of you, sounds wonderful!" Tsubame explains. "I just… I don't think I would be able to put together everything by myself, and I am loath to ask you all to take time out of your days to help me."

"Aw, don't say it like that." Hachi whines and leans towards Tsubame. "I'm sure everyone- err…" Realizing her mistake, she says, "I mean, I'm sure most people would love to help! You'd be doing all of this for us, after all."

"So long as you set aside a time for us to help prior to actually starting, I wouldn't mind giving what little help I can," Shizu states. "Help isn't in short supply here. I feel only Chouki would object. Maybe Kogi and Fumika as well."

Tsubame readjusts her jumper. "I suppose it wouldn't really be all that selfish of me to ask. Thank you, both of you." She then fixes Shizu with a playful glare. "Although, I think you may need to spend more time with Fumika. I believe she would be very willing to assist."

"Perhaps," Shizu muses. "She strikes me as the type to do as she pleases, regardless of what others may think. Hence why I said 'maybe'."

"I thought she was kinda scary at first, but I think maybe she's a little awkward around people. Just a different sort of awkward than you'd normally think," Hachi says. "She was pretty nice when she was talking with us earlier, too."

"She was here?" After getting nods from both of them, Shizu asks, "Is there a reason she's not here now?"

"She didn't say anything specific, just that she had to prepare for something. I think she promised to help someone else," Tsubame says. "She kept glancing at the clock, like she had a meeting."

Shizu subconsciously looks towards the lounge clock and is thankful Tsubame said what she did. It's nearly time. Could Fumika have been the one to send the note? It would explain the secrecy, though not the location. The gym isn't the most private location in the building.

Since the time is so close at hand, Shizu's curiosity wins, and she decides to investigate. But first, she has a pitstop to make. And an excuse. "Ah, now that you mention it, I also have something I must attend to. My apologies for the short notice and for not being able to confirm about the art supplies."

"Oh, it's no trouble. I think that much I can handle on my own," Tsubame says, waving her off.

Hachi bounces off the couch. "You mean 'we' can handle it on our own, right? I wanna help too!"

Tsubame gives a small curtsy. "I would be delighted if you would."

Giggling, Hachi returns it. Then, she turns to Shizu. "I dunno what you're doing, but I hope it goes well! Later!"

Rather than go directly to the gym, Shizu heads for the fourth-floor dorms. She's been thinking over who might have sent the letter, and, while she hasn't come up with any one person (though Fumika is suspect), she feels certain that one person would not have sent it. As much as she wishes not to seek them out, it would be wise to get some form of backup.

Asking Sawako, however, is easier said than done. It takes the reminder of time slowly ticking away for her to knock on her dorm. Besides, her plan may fail. Sawako may not even be here at the moment.

(Un)fortunately, Sawako is here.

She barely has time to look surprised at Shizu's presence before Shizu fishes out the note from her blazer pocket. "I don't have time to waste, so just listen. I received this note this morning. Am I right to assume you are not the sender?"

Sawako's brows furrow as she leans over to read it. "You are correct. I would never send such a suspicious note to anyone here. You have my word." Her eyes widen. "Wait, you're not thinking of going, are you?"

"I am," Shizu confirms, to her dismay.

"I must heavily advise against it!" Sawako shouts. "It's one thing to give trust freely to others, but to give the same to an anonymous note that demands secrecy? In a situation such as this? Please, I urge you to reconsider!"

"Be quiet," Shizu demands. Just being around Sawako is bad for her nerves. "I'm not a fool. I'm showing you this note for a reason. I want you to…" Her tongue ties itself involuntarily. "I want you… to act… as my backup."

Sawako tilts her head. "You wish for me to go with you?"

"Not quite. I'm going alone at first." She holds up a finger to silence the inevitable protests. "If we show up together, that might ruin my chance to learn whatever is so important, if this isn't a trap. I want you to wait a few minutes before heading down after me and waiting near the third-floor dorms. If you hear a loud commotion or something suspicious…"

"I will come running at once!" Sawako finishes, giving a salute.

"See that you do." Shizu adds a quiet, "Thank you," before continuing. "Try not to draw too much attention."

The plan having been set, Shizu is finally ready to get this mystery meeting over with. Her detour has cost her punctuality. By the time she exits the elevator on the third floor, it's already 2 PM. She's forced to speed walk all the way to the gym. Honestly, she probably could have run as there isn't anyone there along the way.

To her surprise, there isn't one person in the gym waiting for her. There's several. She can see a group consisting of Samia, Pal, Morgan, Michio, Kaixi, and Fumika huddled off on the left side by the weights. As she gets closer, she notices that they are all gathered around one person: Kogi. So, he must be the sender.

Fumika is the first to notice her approach. "Is this the last one?" she directs her question to Kogi.

Shizu adjusts her glasses. "I was under the impression that this meeting was meant to be kept a secret."

"Secrets don't have to be between just two people," Kogi mutters. "Besides, there's only one tag along here."

She's about the ask who when she notices Kaixi's blush. "Um… I can leave if you want?"

"No need," Kogi says without any inflection. "You're already here."

"I feel kinda bad about crashing though…" he mumbles.

Morgan pats him on the shoulder. "There is no need to feel that way. It was I who felt the need for you to accompany me. Fate told me that going here alone would be a fool's errand. Now that you are with us, I am certain there will be good fortune."

"I would think that… an oracle such as yourself… would need not fear this event," Pal muses.

Fumika snaps her fingers, impatience running through her face. "Kogi, you still haven't answered my question. Can we start yet?"

"Still waiting on one more," he responds.

Tapping her foot, Samia groans. "How much longer are we going to have to wait? It's been almost five minutes. What if they don't show?"

"If they are running this late… that may be for the best. There is only one person… who I can think of… that would be this tardy. We may be best served… if his presence… is not here," Pal says.

Kaixi scrunches up his face. "Huh? You mean Joshua?"

"Hey, did someone say my name?" As if summoned, Joshua suddenly makes his entrance, of course accompanied by a steaming Soraru.

Xe looks at the number of people there and shouts, "Aha! You're all meeting about messing with the sprinklers! Don't lie to me. I know I'm right!"

"Are you still going on about that?" Fumika complains. "That was hours ago. Let it go already."

"Oh yeah, let me just ignore the part where it happened again!" xe retorts.

Shizu blinks. "What? The system got scrambled again after breakfast?"

Tugging on his beanie awkwardly, Joshua is the one to answer. "I think so? I'm still a little lost, what with being dragged all over and stuff, but that's the gist of things. Xe was talking pretty fast… I suggested that we go to the greenhouse to calm down, since everything was apparently fixed and uh… everything was not fixed."

"Yeah! And just as I was about ready to let it go too! Now, I will never let anything go ever again. Get ready for supreme grudge-holding Soraru to take center stage!" Xe stamps xer foot in impotent rage.

"Stop talking."

Kogi's voice is commanding as it bounces off the gymnasium walls.

"Huh? Huh? You wanna run that by me again?" Soraru challenges him.

He rolls his eyes. "I said, 'Stop talking.' I asked Joshua to be here, not you. If you can't be quiet, then leave."

For a moment, it looks like xe's going to talk back, but Joshua steps in front of xem and shakes his head. "Sorry! I know you said to keep it a secret, but it didn't feel right leaving xem all alone. I can leave too if it's a problem."

"Gah… Fine, I'll be quiet. Stupid guilt-tripping, pajama nerd…" Xer voice fades into nothingness as the two of them join the group.

Kogi waits for everyone one to get settled before jumping right to the point. "I want everyone here to share their secrets."

"Excuse me?" Samia narrows her eyes.

Fumika huffs. "That's about what I expected. You want to know what everyone's hiding."

"Something like that," Kogi mutters.

Looking around at everyone who's here, Michio asks, "Wait, if you wanted that, then why wouldn't you just ask this during the morning meeting? And why not just ask everyone?"

"Does it really matter?" Leaning back onto one of the treadmills, Kogi says, "We all have secrets. We're here now. I want to share them."

Pal sways from side to side as he thinks out loud. "The nature of them being secrets… would make us unwilling to share them. On the other hand, our captor… clearly wishes for us… to have that mindset. Should we willingly reveal them… we may find a solution… in rebelling."

"It is true that Monokuma is counting on us wanting our secrets to stay a secret. However, I'm not sure that directly translates into revealing them," Morgan replies. "Especially not to someone who doesn't see fit to fully explain himself."

"Yes, I would be interested to here why you gathered this particular group of people." Fumika gestures towards the group.

Kogi pinches his forehead. "What a pain…"

"Look man, you asked us to be here. It can't be that much of a pain to hang around a little longer," Joshua argues.

It takes Kogi a few more taps of his foot before he finally answers. "I thought that you all, that is, you all who I actually invited," he says, making sure to glare pointedly at Kaixi and Soraru, "would be the ones most interested in giving out information. That's all."

"…Are you quite sure about that?" Shizu asks. There are quite a few people here whom Shizu suspects would only be interested if they were the only ones who got to see the secrets.

He groans. "You asked, I answered. Don't complain if you don't like it. I don't have any other explanations for you. Now, are we doing this or not?"

Nobody wants to make the first decision. Rather, everyone glances at everyone else's faces, in an attempt to sus out who's leaning which way. Even Shizu is having a difficult time deciding. Every time she thinks to say something, the memory of the secret, her secret, resurfaces.

The one to break the stalemate is Pal. In typical fashion, he draws out his answer. "I cannot help but feel nervous… at the prospect… of revealing this information. However, it would be foolish… to fight fate. If we all agree… that we do not want another murder… these secrets must come out eventually. I see little reason… to delay when lives are on the line."

Samia looks at him with indecision. "I guess that's true. You could say that not revealing the secrets now means you want someone to die, if you really wanted to spin it that way."

"Eh, I don't care either way," Soraru chimes in. "Death on the line, not death on the line… No matter what, information wants to be free!"

"You're pretty carefree about this kind of stuff, huh?" Michio laughs nervously.

Xe shrugs. "Kinda, I guess. I don't really care about keeping the thing I got hidden. It'd be way more interesting to hear what everyone else got!"

As the conversation devolves into chastising Soraru for xer callousness, Shizu considers the situation further. On the one hand, it absolutely makes the most sense to reveal the secrets now. As Pal said, it weakens the motive that much further. Still, she can't help but tremble at the idea of letting everyone know her secret.

Someone here is directly responsible for the Ultimate Riots breaking out.

The Ultimate Protests all negatively impacted the lives of everyone here, that much is certain. If she were to show it, it would cause a stir. What's more, she doubts she would have the fortitude to deny that it's her secret. To leave it as a mystery would be beyond selfish. It would be much safer to not say anything.

"I think… that we should share them."

Everyone looks towards her. She repeats her statement. "We should share our secrets. It's for the best."

Morgan's brow creases. "That's strange. I would have thought that you would be one to support secrecy. I can sense an aura of privacy around you."

"Auras don't exist," Shizu retorts.

Kogi, despite having been the one to invite her ostensibly because he thought she would be in favor of sharing, looks mildly surprised. "Huh… Well, that's four of us for sharing."

Kaixi scans the crowd before speaking up. "Um… I think so too. I mean, I know some of these might be kinda… not great, but I trust all of you! Plus, I still think there's a chance that some or maybe even all of these aren't real, y'know?"

With the crowd slowly turning to their side, it's only a matter of time before opposition arises. In this case, it comes from an unexpected place when, of all people, Joshua raises his hand. "Uh… okay, so, this is gonna sound bad, but maybe we… shouldn't?"

Soraru elbows him. "Huh? Huh? Have you been listening at all? It just makes sense to share, no matter how you think about it."

He cringes. "Right, yeah, okay, I get that. But, like, maybe some of these are best… not being out there right now? Especially if some of these actually are lies. Wouldn't that just make things worse?"

Kogi scoffs. "Monokuma already confirmed that these are all true. Stop wasting our time with this 'lie' nonsense."

"I guess…" Joshua mumbles.

Then, Michio comes to his aid. "Uh… Honestly, I agree with Joshua." His hands tremble as he speaks. "I don't think this is a good idea. I mean, it's the obvious solution, right? Monokuma hands out secrets, so we share them, ripping off that band-aid. But what if that's the real trap? I have a bad feeling that revealing them would just make things worse."

Samia sighs. "I don't agree with that read of things, but I also don't want to share secrets. I cannot, in good faith, tell everyone the thing that I got. I can't do that to whoever's this is."

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind," Soraru adds. "Come on, cough it up!"

"Just because you don't care doesn't mean everyone feels that way," Samia hisses. "I know you lack tact, but you have no idea what you're talking about."

Xe smirks. "I would if you shared your secret. Then, you could throw my lack of tact back at me at full force!"

Fumika interrupts them. "I'm passing as well." She doesn't explain any further.

"I've considered all of the arguments put forth thus far, and the only conclusion I can come to is that we should not share, at least not at this moment," Morgan proclaims. "There are too many of us who feel impending disaster behind such an action. To act without heeding that sense would be foolhardy."

"Foolhardier… than turning a blind eye to the oncoming storm?" Pal challenges. "The secrets will be revealed in time. You seek to dismantle fate… like Acrisius attempting to defy the oracle. Should you continue… you shall share his end."

"So uh… for clarification's sake, did he die?" Joshua asks.

Pal pinches his forehead. "Yes."

"Ah… cool. Dramatic and stuff…" Joshua rubs the back of his neck. "Um… how did he die?"

Michio cuts him off. "That's not really important right now."

Pal ignores him, in favor of explaining the myth. "He is killed by his grandson in a discus throwing accident."

"Ooh, sounds like you'd better avoid the gym from now on, Morgan. You're gonna get discus'd!" Soraru starts poking her.

"As I was saying," Michio continues, "What's important is that we're split on the issue. Half of us want to share, and half of us don't."

"If we're only counting the people Kogi invited, then most of us don't want to share," Fumika says.

Morgan raises a hand to her mouth. "In either case, I believe the only way forward for us is to keep our secrets to ourselves. If you cannot even muster up a majority, then I cannot see the point in questioning this any further."

"Ah…" Kaixi suddenly looks unsure of his decision. "Y-yeah, I guess that you're right. If sharing would make everyone upset, then we shouldn't do it."

"Sorry," Samia says. Her apology sounds genuine enough. "If you're still all for sharing, you can do it amongst yourselves. The rest of us don't have to listen in."

Michio nods. "Don't let us stop you."

"No need." Kogi stands up. "You lot didn't want to share, so we're not sharing. Meeting over." He pushes past Joshua, who gives a small yelp as he stumbles.

"Hey, where exactly are you going?" Samia demands.

He doesn't bother turning around. "Away. I'm done here. You're done too."

Gulping, Kaixi says, "So um… I guess none of us are sharing then?"

"Why'd he give up so easily?" Fumika asks. "He's the one who brought us here in the first place."

Pal closes his eyes. "If I recall correctly, he acting similarly… during the trial. It must be in his nature… to give up without a fight… when loss is certain."

"I noticed that too, but this seems extreme even for that mindset. If he really wanted to know our secrets, why wouldn't he get the few that he could?" Shizu adjusts her glasses. "There's something more going on here."

Smiling, Morgan pushes her forwards. "Well, in that case, what are you waiting for? Clearly, you wish to interrogate him. He's quite the fast walker."

"Let us know if you find anything out. This whole thing has been really confusing," Michio calls out to her.

Shizu's legs move on their own. She still has a lot of reservations about talking with Kogi, though the initial feelings of guilt have slowly started to shift into bewilderment. For someone with such strong opinions, he rarely takes the time to explain them.

When she doesn't run into him in the hallway, she starts to suspect that he ducked into his room. However, as she considers this, she hears voices coming from the elevator landing, and she speeds up.

It looks like Kogi had attempted to get onto the elevator, only to have been blocked by Sawako. Now, while he isn't putting up a fight, he is giving Sawako a death glare. She, in turn, is looking at him with a mixture of concern and suspicion as she holds onto his shoulder.

Sawako then catches a glimpse of Shizu rounding a corner, and relief floods her face. "Ah, Shizu! Did something happen? I didn't hear any arguing, but then I caught Kogi storming away from the gym. Is everything alright?"

Nodding, Shizu explains. "Nothing's wrong. Kogi's being cryptic as always. He gathered a bunch of people there, and he's not telling the whole truth."

Kogi grunts. "The hell is your problem? I told you already. It's not my fault if you don't like the answer."

"If you were truly honest, then you would have at least stuck around to hear a few of the secrets," Shizu spits back.

"Wait, what's all this about secrets?" Sawako asks.

"None of your business," Kogi retorts, balling his hands into fists.

Shizu grits her teeth. "Well, it's certainly my business. In fact, you were the one who ensured that it would be my business. So, explain yourself."

A chilling laugh puts their arguing to a close. "Ahahahahaha! What's there to explain? All you'd learn is what a failure this guy is."

Sawako is suddenly intensely alert. "Monokuma? Show yourself!"

He waddles out from behind the stairway. "Aw, is that all the greeting you're going to give your beloved game master?"

"Shut up," Kogi grumbles into his bandanna.

Monokuma does the exact opposite of that. "Aw well, I guess it can't be helped. You're all in a bad mood after what a spectacular flop you just witnessed."

Rubbing the side of her head, Sawako says, "Flop? What? Can someone please explain what it is that I missed? Did something happen regarding the secrets we were given?"

"Riot boy over here," Monokuma jabs Kogi in the chest, "tried to get everyone all united and ready to share secrets. Guess he wanted to test how much you all really trusted each other."

Kogi takes a step back. "You don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, I don't?" He shoves him again. "So, I don't know that you've been having doubts about the group unity?" Another shove. "I don't know that you chose everyone there specifically because you couldn't trust them?" Shove. "I don't know that you brought a knife with you just in case some of them got violent?"

"That's enough!"

In one swift motion, Sawako pushes Monokuma away from him and grabs him by the neck.

"Wha- The hell are you doing?!" Kogi shouts.

Sawako continues to hold Monokuma in her grasp. "I will not tolerate you antagonizing him any further."

Monokuma gives a dark chuckle. "Oh? So you're going to antagonize me instead? Did you already forget?"

"Sawako, the rules!" Shizu shouts, but it's too late.

Before her words can reach Sawako, she slams Monokuma against the wall. "If you truly know everything, you will know that I will not back down when innocents are in trouble."

This time, Monokuma doesn't respond. Instead, a beeping noise fills the hallways.

"Where is that coming from?" Kogi complains.

"I don't… Wait." Sawako inspects Monokuma. "I believe it's coming from him."

As the beeping picks up in speed, Shizu's eyes widen. "He's going to explode!"

"The hell?!" Kogi shouts, backing as far away from Sawako as possible.

Sawako freezes in place for only a moment. Then, with a look of determination, she brings her arm back and hurls the bear into the stairwell to the 2nd floor. Without hesitation, she grabs Shizu and Kogi and runs in the direction of the lounge.

Shizu can hear the faint thuds and beeps coming from the stairs, though they're faint under the sounds of Sawako's footsteps and her own heartbeat. For a moment, everything goes silent. Sawako must be aware as well, as she takes that as a sign to dive onto the floor, covering both Shizu and Kogi with her body.

BOOOOOOM!

Her vision is clear, but the world goes deathly quiet. Everything is shaking. She can't even tell if she's breathing or not. The only thing she can do is clamp her hands onto Sawako's shoulders. It's as if her body is simultaneously completely rigid and trembling uncontrollably.

It's only after she's pulled to her feet that she realizes that her hearing has come back. Screams and shouts emanate from all sides. Sawako says something, but she isn't paying attention enough to understand it. On autopilot, she walks to the stairwell, fueled by morbid curiosity.

A crowd has formed around the entryway, consisting of everyone who had been in the gym. Shizu mindlessly pushes through them, ignoring the complaints, until she gets to the front.

The stairs to the fourth floor are completely fine. However, the stairs leading down to the second floor… Only the first few steps are still intact. Monokuma's explosion has completely destroyed everything else. Chunks of the walls have combined with the rubble from the steps. Nails are jutting out haphazardly. A few exposed wires are sparking.

"Wooo! Extreme!"

The group lets out a collective scream as Monokuma shouts. Shizu nearly stumbles into the wreckage, but Fumika catches her hand.

"What the hell happened?!" Michio shouts.

Monokuma continues cackling. "Someone thought they'd test that rule about attacking me. And this is the result!"

Kaixi goes pale. "No… Th-then, someone is…"

"Everyone is physically safe," Sawako shouts. "I made sure that no harm came to anybody!"

Kogi growls at her. "You made sure? This is your fault! You had him in a chokehold against the wall, and that's why he blew up!"

"Monokuma is a bomb?!" Joshua yells.

Morgan gives Sawako a disapproving look. "You thought to challenge him now of all times? I might have expected something like this when we were first introduced, but to do so at this juncture? That is certainly a foolish choice."

"I'm very sorry to endanger you all, but I couldn't… I had to help. He was acting aggressively towards Kogi. I reacted without thinking." Sawako's face has gone pink.

"Please… for your sake and ours," Pal pleads, "think more… in the future."

"I-is everyone okay?! There was a loud noise!"

Hachi and Tsubame come running, presumably from the storage room. Upon seeing the wreckage of the staircase, Hachi drops the box of crayons she had been clutching.

Tsubame rushes closer. "Oh my goodness! Is anyone hurt?" Her gaze bounces from person to person, frantically seeking out any signs of injury. When she spots none, she breaths a deep sigh.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you brats!" Monokuma declares. "Attack me again, and you won't get the chance to regret it. Don't even think you can gang up on me or take me by surprise."

Shizu takes several quick breaths. Her vision is still shaking, but her mind is moving a mile a minute. "The countdown started when you hit the wall. It's… it must be automatic, reacting once there's enough force or… or damage or…"

"Shizu, look at me." Tsubame grabs her by the shoulders. "Breathe with me." She demonstrates a slow breath. "Slowly." Another breath.

"I'm perfectly, entirely fine," Shizu says, but she complies to get Tsubame off of her back. Slowly, everything steadies out.

Monokuma interrupts them. "Wow, sounds like at least one of you is paying attention how things work around here. No matter how you think to outsmart me, you can never beat me!"

Shizu takes this as a sign that she's correct. Good. She takes a deep breath. She's doing just fine. Her mind is working at its best. Another deep breath taken. Nobody is hurt, and she gained some valuable information.

Tsubame smiles and lets go of her. "Feeling better?"

"I have been feeling fine this entire time, but thank you for the concern," Shizu responds.

Soraru gazes into the remains of the staircase. "Yeesh, it's a good thing you didn't throw him into the elevator. Nobody uses the stairs anyways."

"Are the stairs just gonna be kept like this?" Michio wonders. "I don't think any of us have the skills to fix them up."

"Don't you worry about that at all." Monokuma puffs out his chest. "Leave everything to your all-powerful Monokuma!"

"Huh? But weren't you the one who destroyed them in the first place?" Kaixi asks.

"Grrrr… Just for that, I'm going to take my sweet time fixing the stairs. You'll have to wait extra long to enjoy using them again!" Monokuma shoves all of them out of the way and leaps into the unstable rubble. Part of it falls down under his weight.

Fumika motions for everyone to step away. "I think the ground is steady, but we shouldn't take any chances."

"Damn right. That'd be a boring way to die. Nobody would get anything out of that trial." Monokuma procures a large yellow curtain from… somewhere and throws it onto the door to the stairway. "Now scram! Don't bother the construction workers while they're on duty!"

Everyone looks blankly at the decal of Monokuma on a hardhat on the curtain before slowly dispersing. Most people head towards the elevator, wanting to get as far away from mess as possible. Sawako looks like she wants to offer some kind of encouragement, but her embarrassment gets the better of her.

Shizu is still at a loss for what to do next. This isn't even the worst thing that she's seen in the wretched building, but the fact that it almost happened to her… She shudders. She needs to get over this.

She's roused from her thoughts when Fumika taps her on the shoulder. "Do you have a moment?"

Nodding, Shizu says, "I have no plans at present."

"Good, come with me." It's phrased like a demand, but Fumika's tone makes sure to let her know that she can back out if she wishes. She has no objections. For some reason, the idea of being alone with her thoughts doesn't sound as appealing as usual.

The two of them walk to the lounge. She's a little surprised that Fumika didn't lead her to her room, but, on second thought, Fumika likely wouldn't let anyone into a personal space. She gets settled into an armchair, sighing internally as she sinks into the cushions.

Fumika stays on her feet, arms crossed. "That was… a lot that happened in a short amount of time," she says.

Unable to come up with anything substantial, Shizu merely replies, "…Yeah, it was."

"You were much closer to the explosion than I was. I'd ask if you were fine, but…" Fumika trails off as she taps a finger on her forearm. "I have a feeling that I already know what you would say."

Shizu says, "It was certainly alarming, but I am doing fine."

"Hmm… That's what I expected." She isn't sure if Fumika believes her or not. Like everything else about her, her tone is enigmatic. "You weren't freaking out as much as the others, I'd say. It's almost as if you have some experience with dangerous situations."

"High stress meetings and planning sessions, yes. But danger? No," Shizu denies, leaning onto the armrest. "My line of work kept me far away from any potential problems."

Fumika clicks her tongue. "Huh… Is that so? From the way you acting, I would have guessed that this was somewhat familiar to you."

"Well, your guess is incorrect." Shizu frowns. "If I may be bold, it sounds to me as if there's some sort of projection going on here."

"Your guess is wrong too," Fumika informs her. "I've had a few close shaves in the past, but that's not why I thought that about you. It's fairly uncommon to keep a cool head when you lack experience with that sort of situation is all."

"I can't argue there," Shizu begins, "but I can't help but wonder what kind of dangerous situations a historian could get into."

Raising an eyebrow, Fumika tells her, "You're forgetting an important word in there. I'm an Ultimate Historian. To a lot of people, that makes a world of difference."

"You're referring to the Ultimate Protests." Her secret flashes in her mind, and her stomach churns.

Fumika sighs. "Part of it is my fault. I've studied a lot of protests throughout history. If there's riots going down in my own country, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see if the past can inform the present. It's my job to look into things."

"It sounds less like personal interest to me and more like an obligation," Shizu points out.

"Sorry, I should have chosen my words more carefully." Fumika starts pacing in front of the fireplace.

Her comment doesn't strike Shizu as if it's the full truth, though she's unlikely to get further with that line of questioning. "Well, you've got me interested now. What parallels to other points in history could you find?"

Fumika continues walking back and forth, almost as if she had not heard or was purposefully avoiding the question. Right when Shizu considers posing it again, she finally comes to a halt. "The cause of anger, feelings that the social elite are ignoring the suffering of the lower class, is the same as most, though it's nowhere near as bloody as some of the worst riots out there. That being said, I feel like things could turn out the same should the status quo remain. If no action is taken by the government, be it to enact change or to fully suppress the protestors, then I cannot see a positive end for anyone."

Taking a moment to consider her words, Shizu cannot help but shudder. "Fully suppress, huh?" she whispers to herself.

"And what about you?" The question catches her off guard. "You're a strategist. I'd be willing to wager that you've taken an interest in the problem. You're a person who loves to learn things for yourself." When no answer arrives, Fumika adds, "And I believe that someone from the Ultimate Initiative would contact you about lending a hand. We're all involved with the conflict on some level."

Shizu is unable to stop her fingers from grasping the armchair in a death grip. "I… do not believe that I have a fully formed opinion on the matter. Not one that would hold up under scrutiny, at least." She mumbles that last bit under her breath, but Fumika could probably hear it anyways.

"I'm sorry." Fumika backs off. "I wasn't aware that it was a rough topic for you. That doesn't excuse me, but still…"

"No, it's fine. You had no way of knowing," Shizu reassures her. "I asked some rather personal questions as well."

Smiling, Fumika says, "I suppose both of us were a little out of line. We did just witness the aftermath of an explosion. It's a little easier to get carried away talking under those circumstances."

A lightbulb turns on in Shizu's brain. "Ah, so that's it." At Fumika's baffled look, she explains, "I was wondering why you would choose now of all times to talk with me. From your earlier remarks, I doubt it was to comfort me, as you already knew I was fine."

Fumika blinks. "Hmm… Yes, I 'knew' that."

Ignoring the odd tone, Shizu moves on, "Since you had no need to worry about my wellbeing, it seems to me that you wished to see if the incident made me more willing to divulge personal details."

"…You don't need to make it sound so… nefarious." Fumika covers her eyes with her hand and… blushes? It's difficult to tell. "I'll dispute the fact that I wasn't worried about you at all." She raises a finger when Shizu goes to speak. "Even if you continue to deny it. But I would hardly call being interested in knowing more about a private person's life a bad thing."

"I didn't say that it was," Shizu responds. She probably should have phrased her words in a less accusatory manner. "It was merely a statement. I would be hypocritical if I condemned that completely."

"It sounds like both of us have similar goals. In my profession, ignoring the past, even the past of that those close to us wish to hide, cannot end well." Fumika taps her chin. "And there are quite a few people here who keep their past very quiet."

"If you're including me in that list, I wouldn't say you're entirely correct," Shizu says. "It's less that I hide it and more that I rarely see the point in bringing it up. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer."

Fumika shakes her head. "A generous offer, but I think I'll pass for now."

Hmm… Has she already gotten what she wanted out of Shizu? Or is she unwilling to call out Shizu for obviously lying, even if it is a tiny lie? Whatever the reason, she won't argue. "That works fine for me. I have a lot of things to take notes on."

"What a coincidence. I'd like to do some thinking on my own as well. We really do have a lot in common."

Fumika waits for her to rise from the armchair before walking out of the lounge with her. Fumika's room and the elevator are in the same direction, so it would be awkward to ditch each other before then. Though, it may also be the prospect of crossing by the blast zone alone is daunting.

Conversation with Fumika Amari (2)

- Interested in learning as much as she can about everyone's past here, due to being a historian

- Similarly, claims to have covered the Ultimate Protests in the past

- Commissioned by the government to do so? Sounds less passionate about the job and assumed that I was contacted as well

- Seemed unaffected by the explosion, cites dangerous research conditions as the reason why

- I get the feeling that she's hiding something, her stories make sense logically but I can't help but be struck by the sense that there's more to them

- Goals are most likely noble, given her embarrassment and willingness to be called out

"What the fuck happened?!"

Shizu's scribblings come to a halt, along with her feet, as Chouki rushes up to her and Fumika, bewildered rage plastered on his face.

Fumika tilts her head. "What? Did something else happen after the explosion?"

"Wha- Explosion? What the hell blew up? And why would I be talking about anything else?" Chouki demands.

Sighing, Shizu stows her notepad away. "I find it difficult to believe that you wouldn't be aware of the explosion. The blast was so loud that it deafened me. You should have at least heard it."

He grips his left forearm, running his fingers along its tattoos. "I was in my room. Rooms are soundproofed. I had no idea anything was going on at all until I walked past the stairs and see this bear's face covering them."

"So, you came up here to see if there was any more information and caught sign of some of the remaining rubble," Fumika says.

"Are either of you going to actually tell me what happened, or are you going to explain things I already know?" Chouki asks.

Fumika rolls her eyes. "From my understanding of things, Sawako accidentally triggered Monokuma's self-destruct mechanism when she attempted to protect Kogi. She threw him down the stairs, and that's why they're out of order."

"The bear's explosive now too? Great…" He glares at his palms. "As if there wasn't enough danger going around this place."

Shizu attempts to calm him down. "If it's any consolation, I believe you would have to seriously try to attack Monokuma in order to get him to explode. As an attack would already be against the rules, I doubt you were planning on doing so before learning this."

Chouki kicks his foot. "Just my luck that the one running this hellhole is even more unstoppable than I thought he was."

"The way you're speaking makes it sound like you've thought about trying to stop him," Fumika says, the unstated warning clear.

"Yeah, in my dreams," Chouki mutters. "I can't even fantasize about getting one over on him without more details ruining things for me. Guess I'll have to factor in forcing him to blow up now."

He snorts that last bit with derision, but it gets Shizu thinking. There's not much currently in the building that she would benefit from seeing destroyed, but perhaps in the future… She ends that line of thinking quickly, as she neither has the physical strength to see such a plan through nor the desire to risk her life and also others for something that likely wouldn't even help.

"Well, now you understand the situation," Fumika says. "Was the explanation to your liking?"

Chouki hesitates a moment before nodding. "Yeah, it was good enough." He looks off to the side. "You might have to explain it again to anyone who wasn't there, so don't go forgetting it."

"Thank you for the concern, but I believe you were the only one who wasn't there," Shizu informs him. "I remember seeing everyone in the crowd as Monokuma taunted us."

"Hey, I wasn't concerned." His annoyance only grows when he processes the second half of her sentence. "Wait, what do you mean I'm the only one? What was everyone else doing nearby?"

"Is it truly so unlikely that nobody else was in their room when the incident occurred? It is the middle of the day." Fumika, tellingly, does not mention the "secret" meeting. At this point, it sounds like only a handful of people aren't aware.

Chouki doesn't pick up on this hidden detail and looks abashed. "Whatever. Thanks for telling me then. Don't go doing anything else stupid, like blowing up the elevator."

He walks around them and out of sight. Shizu suspects that he would normally return to his room, but that would mean he would have to walk with them back to the elevator. The image of him going around in a full loop amuses her.

Shizu and Fumika wave each other farewell, and Shizu's thoughts turn back to the stew of problems that have arisen. The motive, weak as it appears, still has some pull, given Kogi's stunt. The tensions are there as well, even if they are more focused on Monokuma than on members of the group. Small threads tug her each and every direction. She can't help but feel that, somewhere in everything she's learned, a plan lurks, waiting for her to find it.

Shizu's Notes

Kogi's Plan

- Kogi delivered a note to several people this morning, asking to meet in the gym secretly at 2 PM

- Claims he wanted us to share secrets, but doubtful that's the only reason

- Invited Michio, Fumika, Pal, Samia, Morgan, and Joshua, though Kaixi and Soraru also showed up

- Myself, Kogi, Pal, Kaixi, and Soraru voted to share

- Michio, Fumika, Samia, Morgan, and Joshua voted to keep them secret

- Monokuma claims Kogi didn't trust any of us and brought a weapon to keep himself safe, unsure of the veracity of this

The Explosion

- Sawako "attacked" Monokuma, causing him to blow up part of the stairs

- For now, the 2nd to 3rd floor stairs are unusable

- Monokuma claims that he'll fix them eventually, though, given his track record, that won't be for quite a while

Monokuma's Volatility

- Given enough force, Monokuma will initiate a self-destruct sequence

- Beeping indicates how much time is left before the explosion

- Unsure if he is able to move after the sequence starts, perhaps he only didn't move this time to let us off with a warning

- The explosion is powerful, got very lucky that it occurred near the stairs this time

A/N: Things are starting to heat up, but nobody ended up dead or injured. As tensions rise, who knows what will happen next? Well, whatever the case, I'm sure that everyone will be fine. No need to panic. Once again, I hope everyone who's reading this is doing well. Thank you so much to those who had time to review. It means a ton. Please continue to take care of yourselves.