Shizu is awoken by a series of knocks on her bedroom door. It takes her a moment to feel around for her glasses, groggy from being forced out of her slumber. She yawns, stretches, and takes a look at the clock. It's 7:29 AM. A what a cruel joke, waking her up exactly one minute before she usually does.
The knocks get more frantic. Feeling her eye twitch, she slowly pushes herself off of her bed and trudges over to the door. She opens it to find… absolutely nobody. Perfect. Probably one of Soraru's pranks.
She closes the door once more, turns around, and flinches when she sees Monokuma lounging on her bed.
"Geez, you take forever to open up," he taunts her. "What if it was one of your loser friends begging you for help? They'd be dead if that's your reaction time."
"What do you want? If you have an announcement to make, do it over the intercom," Shizu demands.
Monokuma flops over onto his back. "Hey, this bed is really comfy! You really should thank me for splurging on this thing."
"If you find it necessary to waste my time, do it after I'm dressed." She gestures down at her striped pajamas. "Or, better yet, get out of my room!"
He looks up at her. "Huh? But I haven't given you your gift yet."
She pauses. "…Gift? What gift?"
"Oh, so you are interested." He pushes himself upright, waving his arms around to get his balance.
Crossing her arms, she looks to the side. "It's hard not to have some curiosity when you phrase it like that. Though, I very much doubt your gift is anything good." If memory serves her correctly, that was also the phrase he used to describe the motive.
He laughs. "Looks like you've been trained well! But you're wrong in this case. Wrong, wrong, so very wrong! This gift is nothing but good for you! Bear's honor."
"…Forgive me if I don't believe you." She glares at him. "You're not even pretending to do the hand symbol that goes along with that phrase."
"Bear's honor is way more impactful than scout's honor. How many times has a bear lied to you?"
"Given how you're an expert on lies, I find your claims to be worthless," Shizu says.
Monokuma pouts. "Hmph! Such disrespect! You're lucky that I'm still giving out this gift at all. There are some people here who'd be begging for it!"
Shizu feels her eye twitch. "If I'm being that much of a pain, then don't bother. I neither want nor need whatever you have to give to me."
"You're terrible at listening. I already said I'm going through with it, so quit complaining!" His shout makes her take an involuntary step backwards into her door. She has no retort. "Good. Without further ado, it's time for you to learn who has your secret!"
The shock sends into a slight coughing fit. "Wha- what?"
"That's right!" he announces with glee. "You've been lucky enough to learn the identity of the person who knows your deepest, darkest secret. I told you that this was some prime info!"
"Why me? Why now of all times?" Shizu asks, fists clenched at her sides.
He raises both of his paws overhead. "Who cares why? You're lucky enough to hear it at all."
"Clearly, I care why. If you haven't picked up on it by now, information gathering is my thing. I don't believe you're doing this for no reason," she says.
"Well then, Miss Ultimate Strategist," he says, ignoring the shiver that runs down her body, "knowing who has your secret is very vital information, wouldn't you agree? Just treat it like anything else you'd gather."
"There's no need for that. I already know who has my secret." She'd rather not have to hear about it from him. She's barely able to feel comfortable admitting it to herself.
Monokuma grins. "Oh… I see. As expected from someone with your talent. I guess it's redundant to hear from me then." He stretches a little. "Buuuuut, I did come all the way over here just for this, so what the heck? Why not make it official?!" He clears his throat. "Now then, the person who has your motive is…"
Shizu grabs her forearm.
"Kogi Bodo."
Shizu freezes.
"…Excuse me?" she eventually says.
"That's right! Kogi Bodo is the one who got your secret." He puts a paw behind his head. "But you knew that already."
She shakes her head slowly. "No. That can't be right. I'm the one who-"
"Bzzzt, wrong!" Monokuma shouts. "I told you, Kogi's the one who has yours! I'd never lie about that!" He gives her a look. "Oh, wait, were you gonna say 'I thought I had my own secret'? Like I'd ever let that happen!"
"But…" Shizu can't find the words to argue.
His red eye glows with rage. "What's the whole point of censoring the secrets if I just give them to their owners? What kind of sham operation do you think I'm running here?!"
Shizu can only weakly counter by saying, "I… But the secret that I got… It has to be mine."
He blinks, then grins a toothy smile. "Oh yeah, now I remember which secret you got. You really think you're the one who caused all that mess? I guess you really are a narcissist! Nope, that's somebody else here. Maybe you'll even find out who is it!"
"…"
"Well, that was fun!" Monokuma leaps off of her bed and waddles past her. "Look at it this way: now you have two pieces of information to stew over. I didn't even mean to give you one of them! What a great way to start off your day!" He has to jump to reach her doorknob. It would be more humorous if she wasn't still in shock. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to do. See you later chump!"
The door slams shut behind him. Shizu barely registers it. How can she? With what she was just told… Several questions pop up in her mind. Apparently, she doesn't have her own secret. Part of her feels a little relieved to hear that, but she immediately squashes that feeling down. That she could even consider falling for that lie… Bile rises up in her throat. Even if the secret she possesses isn't meant to be hears, that doesn't mean it can't still apply to her.
No, the bigger question is, if she doesn't have her secret, then what secret does Kogi have? What on Earth would be worse than… than being the source of the problems with the Ultimate Protests? She honestly has no idea. It's not as though she keeps that many skeletons in her closet.
The other worrying issue is who the secret in her possession is supposed to belong to. If it isn't meant to be solely hers, then who's is it? With her… involvement in matters, she would have thought that she would be aware of everyone who had hands in the whole mess. Certainly, she would have been aware of any Ultimates also caught up in the mess. It doesn't add up.
Then, the morning announcement plays. "Good morning everyone! It's officially 8 AM, so let's greet the morning with a smile, shall we? That's all!"
Her stomach rumbles, but she doesn't feel like eating. It's still early in the day, but her body is so heavy. Questions won't stop assaulting her brain. She hasn't even gotten dressed yet. With her energy lacking, she can't find the strength to head downstairs. Maybe a little more sleep will help her out.
…
…
Well, that was the plan anyways, but, despite her exhaustion, she merely lies awake with her eyes closed. Her mind won't be quiet. She can't stop thinking about what Monokuma said. No matter how still she lies, her body won't let her sleep again.
At last, she gives up. Her stomach hasn't bothered her in a while, which she takes as a sign that, very soon, it will get extremely upset at her. Given her lack of progress on anything, eating a late breakfast sounds best. Or perhaps eating lunch, as it's almost noon.
When Shizu finally exits her room, pulling an arm through her blazer sleeve at the same time, she finds Pal walking towards her door. He pauses as she lets the door close behind her, then gives a small smile that looks relieved.
"Ah… you are fine. That is… excellent news," he says.
Fiddling with her glasses, she considers his words. "Was my absence from breakfast a cause for alarm? That wasn't my intention."
Pal's head sways from side to side. "It was part of the uneasiness… Several others did not appear either. There was palpable tension… in the dining hall. I feel as though… the blast from the previous day… still leaves aftershocks."
"That wouldn't surprise me if that were the case. Everyone would have to be reminded of it when they exit the elevator to even get to the dining hall," Shizu muses.
Pal's grimace is surprisingly ugly for how graceful he usually appears. "There was also… more yelling… from the small problem child."
There's only one person he could be referring to with that description. "Is Soraru's problem still ongoing?"
"From the sound of things… it appears to be so," Pal confirms. "I felt bad at first… for finding xer anger slightly amusing… given the things xe has done. But now… it has grown far beyond old. It must be my karma."
Shizu sighs. "Unless you're the one scrambling the sprinkler settings, I highly doubt that this is your fault."
"Thank you for believing that." It's an odd way of phrasing his thanks, but it fits with the rest of his mannerisms. "I am also grateful to see… that you have exited your cave."
"Did you come all this way just to check in with me?" Shizu asks.
Pal says, "Those were my intentions. I find my powers… to help gather others around me… even when they are not feeling well. Thus, I am… suited to do such things."
Right, his "siren powers" … Actually, now that he's here and willing to talk, perhaps she can uncover some info about that. Looking at him directly in the eyes, she says, "Speaking of your powers, I'm still a little… confused about them. I know that you've taken the time to explain them to me before, but I can't help but wonder how you found out that you… had… these powers in the first place."
At her question, he begins picking at his nails. Normally, she would assume he was avoiding the question, but, given his nature, it's more likely that he's formulating an answer. Eventually, he speaks, still picking away, "It is… a rather long tale. Parts of it are… more difficult to tell than others. But others come… much easier."
"I won't force you to talk about anything you don't want to," she reassures him. "Though, from the sound of things, you weren't always aware that you… were… a siren."
"That was not always knowledge I possessed, no…" Pal muses. He taps his foot rhythmically as he speaks. "Though I must have been… subconsciously aware… of my true nature. Even from a young age… I enjoyed the feeling… of walking along the Greek coast… Those feelings only intensified… as my father took me sailing."
As she suspected, he's from Greece, though it's nice to have official confirmation. She pulls out her notepad and asks, "You've always felt that you've had a connection with the ocean then. Is that what lead you to think of sirens?"
"Plenty of others have a connection… to the sea. But I am different from them…" Pal insists. "I was told tales… of Greek mythology and discovered this link… by myself."
"…You believe that Greek mythology is the truth?" she asks. Her shock cannot disguise her rudeness.
Pal doesn't look offended. On the contrary, he smiles. "I believe that there is… some truth hidden… in the myths. Though, to take everything at face value… would be folly. You may find me strange… but please do not think of me as idiotic."
She grimaces. "I'm sorry. That was definitely out of line."
"It is fine. I am well used… to skepticism. In the past, I too… believed all of these stories to simply be stories. I remember chuckling… at the memory of my child self… searching for sirens on those trips… with my father. If only I would have known… that was the only myth to be completely true…" His voice grows wistful.
"You mentioned that you had a special connection to the ocean, one that was somehow greater than most others who feel the same draw. Could you explain that bit for me?" she asks.
He hums a little tune as he nods. It's rather pretty, if not sad. "Others… do not have the same connection… as they could not do the things… that I did."
Shizu taps her pen against the notepad. "Are you talking about your accomplishments in oceanography, or are you talking more about siren mythology that relates to you?"
"The former," Pal says. "I managed to discover… several species of oceanic flora and fauna… which had gone previously undocumented. Perhaps only a few… would be coincidence enough… but my findings far surpassed… that which any human could have expected."
"Do you have an exact number?" she presses.
He waits a moment before shaking his head. "Unfortunately, I do not. Though I was aware… of the sheer volume, I was more interested… in what we could learn from these new species… than in simply logging in a number."
She nods. "No worries. I was simply curious. To be honest, your way of thinking is definitely for the better. I'm certainly interested in the kinds of accomplishments you managed to make."
Beaming with pride, he begins to explain. "I believe several of the plants… that I uncovered… were later used as different medicines. I suppose I had little to do… with the making of those medicines… besides explaining the properties… which I witnessed." He closes his eyes. "No… my greatest achievements… would be my research papers."
Shizu blinks. "You've been published?"
"It would be difficult… to officially recognize new marine species… had I not. Through my tireless logging… of every inch of the ocean I could scour… I had enough data and samples… to fill several research papers. I am proud… of the work itself, though I have been told… that they have made an impact… on conservation efforts." Despite the sheer scope of the information Pal is relaying, he doesn't sound egotistical.
"Wow." Shizu had never pegged him for the academic type. There is the chance that he's lying, but, from what she's gathered from him, he wouldn't make something like this up. Even his belief about being a siren, far more insane of a concept as it is, seems to be something he truly believes. "That's very impressive. You're certainly accomplished."
He blushes at the praise. "Thank you very much. I would be remiss… to not thank both my latent siren powers… and the great number of professionals… who helped guide me along the way. Without their teachings… and the opportunities they allowed me… to partake in, I would not… have been able to get as far as I have."
"If I remember correctly, your family may also deserve some thanks. I believe you mentioned your father taking you out sailing. That must have helped spur your interest in the ocean," she says.
"Yes, I am thankful for my wonderful family." Pal clasps his hands together. "They truly were too good to me… even in the times… when I was selfish."
It's impossible to miss the tinge of sadness. "It may be too forward for me to ask, so do not feel pressured to answer, but how were you selfish?"
He sighs. "That… is a rough subject. My follies… my foolishness… It is hard to face." He shakes his head. "But I am much stronger… than some embarrassment. Though the fault is mine, I… must also mention… the Ultimate Initiative."
At that exact moment, Shizu's stomach lets out a ferocious growl. Her face warms, and she coughs as if that will somehow hide the noise. "I'm sorry, please continue."
Pal pauses for a moment. Then, he says, "…No. I believe… I have said enough… for the moment. I am always willing… to talk about this… whenever you ask. However, it is clear to me… that you have been neglecting… your needs."
"It's fine," she tries to explain, "I can eat a little later."
He shakes his head. "You can also… hear my story… a little later. I am not planning… on going anywhere. Please, take care of yourself."
Maybe it's her hunger or the fact that he sounds completely genuine. With all the others being reluctant to talk about things, it would be easy to assume the same about him, but she doesn't. Whatever the case, she reluctantly agrees. "Very well. But I expect you to be true to your word."
"That is something… that I can promise."
Pal stands there smiling as she walks away. Though he doesn't follow her, she can feel his eyes on her, subtly judging her should she skip out on her meal. How frustrating. Well, he can't stop her from going over her notes as she heads to the dining hall.
Conversation with Palaemon Katsaros (2)
- Originally from Greece, somewhere near the coast given he took walks on the beach
- Father had a boat and took him out sailing, helping him grow attached to the ocean
- Apparently a prolific figure in oceanography, even without his Ultimate status, as he's made numerous discoveries of new species and has written several papers on the subject
- Claims knowledge of 'being' a siren from these facts, though clearly not the whole story (didn't mention singing at all despite him mentioning his 'siren song' in the past)
- Loves family but had some trouble with them in the past
- Potentially dislikes the Ultimate Initiative, ask about later
Shizu isn't sure if she's ever had lunch here before. Normally, she only needs to meals per day to stay fueled. Technically, that hasn't changed yet, as she skipped breakfast. Still, the act feels odd. Perhaps she should get used to having a flexible schedule if this is what minor change makes her feel.
Only a few others are in the dining hall at this hour. Unfortunately, she doesn't get along with any of them well. Chouki, Samia, and Kogi… they're certainly a combination of faces. Lucky for her, all of them look to be almost finished with their meals.
None of them do much to greet her. Kogi doesn't even seem to notice her. Chouki tries to do the same, but he's not very subtle about glancing at her every few seconds. Samia looks like she wants to say something, but instead she grimaces at goes back to staring at her food. That's all fine by her. Some people find eating together in silence to be stressful. Shizu is not one of those people.
The rumbling in her stomach has only gotten worse. If she takes the time to prepare an actual meal, she'll get a headache before it's even done cooking. Deciding instead to go quick and easy, she just grabs the closest ingredients and throws together an impromptu sandwich.
Now out of the kitchen, the atmosphere is just as uncomfortable as before. As Shizu takes a bite into her lunch, she gets the feeling that none of them were talking even before she got here. She resists the urge to stare at Kogi as she eats. If he really is the one who has her secret, she shouldn't do anything to get him suspicious.
The silence continues throughout the meal. Samia keeps pausing mid-bite to look at Shizu, but she never says anything. At some point, Chouki finishes his lunch and makes a dash into the kitchen to put his dishes away. Only then does Samia finally find her courage.
"Hey, Shizu…" she says. She only continues once Shizu locks eyes with her. "I hope that… that you're doing well today."
Shizu takes a huge bite and chews before answering. "I've seen better days, even in here. That's just how it goes, however."
She can hear Samia's foot tapping incessantly under the table. "Yeah, maybe." Staring at her almost empty plate, she retreats back into silence.
There's clearly something on her mind, so Shizu decides to push a little. "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
Samia rubs her forehead. "It's… okay, look, I'm sorry, but I don't really know how to do this delicately, so I'm just going to say it. You were right near that explosion, and then you basically disappeared after that until now. I figured I should do something to make sure everything's going okay."
"If you want to know, then, yes, I am doing fine," Shizu says.
"Oh." After a few moments without blinking, Samia lowers her head. "That's… that's good to hear."
Shizu raises an eyebrow. "Were you expecting me to say something else?"
"Ugh… This is going to sound bad," Samia prefaces, "but I was kind of expecting you to get upset that I was asking you at all. Like asking if you were okay would make you upset because I thought you were weak minded enough to be scared by a bomb or something."
"…Is that really how I come across?" Shizu asks.
Kogi speaks up from the other side of the table. "Sometimes."
She doesn't know how to process this information. "Oh." She goes back to eating her sandwich.
Though she isn't looking at Samia, she can tell from her voice that she's flustered. "Sorry, I told you it was bad. I was overthinking things. It's not like I want to constantly think the worst of you."
"You don't have to justify your opinion. It's fine." It's actually rather humiliating. "I appreciate you considering my feelings on the matter. To tell the truth, I was stunned at first, but I quickly got over it. If you saw that, it's not a stretch to believe I was traumatized by the ordeal."
"Quickly… okay then." Samia bites her lip. "If that's what you say, then alright." With a short sigh, she stands up and grabs her dishes.
Chouki chooses that moment to exit the kitchen. He's so focused on leaving the area quickly that he nearly crashes into her, barely stopping in time. He lets out a small curse under his breath before saying louder, "S-sorry. Wasn't watching where I was going."
Samia, who had flinched backwards, exhales. "It's okay. Just be careful next time."
"I'm always trying to be careful. More careful than the person who attacked Monokuma at any rate…" He sidles around her.
Before he leaves, Samia calls out, "Hey, stay safe, alright?"
Chouki yells back, "I'm always staying safe too!" The doors swing shut behind him. There's a brief moment before a muffled call rings out, "Thank you for asking."
The three of them left in the dining hall lock eyes and come to an agreement: it's probably a good thing they were the only ones who heard Chouki's tacked on thanks, lest he get made fun of for how awkward it was.
Silence returns once Samia carries her things into the kitchen. Kogi has apparently deemed his one-word contribution to the conversation as enough for the day, and Shizu isn't particularly invested in fighting him on that point. Briefly, she wonders if what he thinks about the secret he got.
Samia returns soon enough and heads out. Before she leaves, however, she asks both of them a question. "Are you two going to come to movie night?"
Shizu nods. "I already said that I would. I don't like to go back on promises."
Kogi is less agreeable. "Maybe. Depends on how I feel later."
"That's as good an answer as any, I suppose." Giving a small shake of her head, Samia turns around. "Well, I hope you do show up. It'll probably be a good time. We're all in need of a good anything recently."
With that, she leaves. The instant she's out of sight, Kogi looks at Shizu. For some reason, she doesn't feel like she can look away. He doesn't say anything, only stares. He must be waiting for Samia to be out of earshot, as, the moment her footsteps fade out entirely, he finally says, "Finally sinking in for you?"
"…You will need to say more than that for me to understand," she replies, taking care to choose her words carefully.
"You know what I mean," he insists. "Sinking in that you can't stay here. That you're not safe."
Shizu readjusts her glasses, making sure that she can completely focus on him. "Are you serious? We are literally trapped in a killing game. How could you possibly think that I feel safe here?"
Kogi scoffs and kicks his feet up onto the table. "I already told you before, remember? You clearly didn't care at all about escaping before. You only wanted to make sure that you felt comfortable here. As long as you felt you had all the information, getting out was the last thing on your mind."
"I have no idea how you came to that conclusion just from observing me. You do not have a direct view into my mind, and, if you did, you would understand that I did the things I did because acting without information is foolish," she declares.
"Whatever. Guess you just tell yourself whatever you want to hear. Forget it." Kogi slumps back down.
She's not about to let him let everything go that easily. "Hold on a moment. If you really do think that I wanted to stay here, why would you think that would change now of all times? Wouldn't the murder have put a stop to anyone feeling that way?"
Shrugging, he says, "Probably. You're not normal, though. Figured that the execution would have done it, but you kept looking like you were holding out even then. That explosion on the other hand…"
Why does everyone seem to think that the explosion messed her up so much? Sure, she was relatively close to the blast radius, and the noise was so loud that she thought she lost her hearing, and she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Sawako reacted much slower, but still…
Shizu shakes herself free from her thoughts. "Why is it so important to you that accept the danger anyways? I thought you said you didn't care what it was that I did. If anything, I would assume you'd want the opposite. Were I to feel safe here, that would guarantee that I wouldn't commit a murder."
"I didn't care until I saw how you acted during the trial. Then, I understood: you're more useful looking for a way out than you are doing nothing," Kogi says bluntly.
She desperately wishes to dispute the "doing nothing" claim, but she catches herself before she starts that argument. "A way out that doesn't involve killing, I presume."
He rolls his eyes. "No shit."
"Do you think there actually is a way for us to escape?" she questions. "Our foe appears to have nearly limitless resources to keep us trapped here."
He sits fully upright in his chair. "Nothing's infallible. There's some weak point they haven't considered. I wouldn't be doing anything if I didn't believe that."
That's a very bold claim, even more bold considering its source. "How odd. I believe this is the first time you've actually seemed like a protester."
"That really so hard to believe?" He crosses his arms. "It's literally in my title. Clearly someone thought I was good at it or something. Not that that matters to me."
"Well, from my point of view, you seem so detached from anything," she claims. "Every time you make a claim or a statement, you walk it back almost instantly whenever someone presents evidence otherwise."
He glares at her. "Isn't that a good thing?"
"I figured you'd fight a little bit more if you believed something," she explains.
"What a pain…" Leaning forwards, Kogi says, "You really don't understand how I protest. You don't just go out and yell about whatever you think should be true. You do research beforehand, and then you make your stand. I don't have the luxury to look into literally everything, especially not in a situation like this. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm wrong."
Perhaps her comment was a little bit patronizing. Although, she is curious about his actual protesting efforts. "I definitely understand the importance of research. I do have to wonder the kind of things you looked into for your protests."
He gives her an annoyed look. "The Ultimate Initiative. What else?"
She blinks. "…Wait. That's it? Just the Ultimate Initiative? I thought you would have had experience protesting other things in the past."
"Nope, just that." He shrugs. "I don't see why that matters. I got lots of experience in the process. You do understand how long these protests have been going on, right?"
She feels the need to fish out her notepad for this. "What kind of experience would that be?"
"All sorts." He counts off on his fingers. "I started out just learning what to expect, but I guess people thought I was good at it or whatever. Next thing I know, I'm getting invited to help organize protests. When to have them, where they'll be, how to get people to show up at all, how to keep them safe during everything."
"That sounds quite intensive." Honestly, it sounds like a lot of what she was doing, just on a less… official scale.
Shrugging, he says, "Not really. It's all common sense stuff. Anybody could've done it. Guess it just fell to me since I was there."
She takes another bite before she speaks. "It may have come naturally to you, but I imagine others would need some guidance."
"More like they needed to think for one second before acting…" he mutters. "If you're showing up to one of these protests without a mask, wearing easily identifiable clothing, driving right up to where the protest's taking place for someone to snag your license plate number, you're beyond needing a little guidance."
"You're speaking harshly, but it sounds to me like you care about others," she says, looking at him directly in the eyes, "even those you deem idiots."
He rolls his eyes, though he doesn't sound completely convinced of his purported beliefs. "Whatever."
"Perhaps you should give yourself more credit," she continues. "From the sound of things, you were in a key leadership position. I can tell you from experience that this isn't something that's offered any anyone available."
He takes his feet off of the table and sits upright. "Trust me: I wasn't anyone important."
Their staring match goes on for a while. With the intensity emanating from him, Shizu is having difficulty coming up with how to express what she wants to say. In the end, it doesn't matter, as she doesn't have the opportunity to do so due to a sudden interruption.
Joshua comes storming into the dining hall, looking frustrated and distressed. He's gripping his beanie fiercely and saying something under his breath. He doesn't even notice the two of them until he walks past Kogi. "Oh, sorry, did I interrupt something? I was kinda distracted." His expression softens into embarrassment.
Shizu leans on one hand, her opportunity lost. "No, we were just finishing up a discussion." Thankfully, Kogi doesn't do anything to indicate disagreement.
"Ah, cool, cool." He plays with a lock of his hair sticking out underneath his hat. "Discussions. Love 'em"
"Just tell us what's wrong, or stop talking," Kogi states.
"Yeesh, are you ever not intense?" When Kogi's glare gets worse, he relents. "Okay, okay, I'll get to point. No need to get mad or anything…"
Shizu frowns. "Is it something to do with Soraru? I can't help but notice that xe's nowhere to be seen. The two of you are usually hanging around one another."
Throwing his hands up in the air, Joshua lets out his grievances. "It's a complete mess. Xe's gone all conspiracy theory about the sprinkler situation or whatever. Xe's convinced that the only reason anyone's even going near the greenhouse is to mess with the sprinklers. Hachi just got yelled at for trying to check on her bees! Like Hachi's the one doing all this!"
"Is someone still randomizing the sprinkler settings?" Shizu asks, a little stunned that the prank has gone on this long.
Kogi rubs his temples. "Okay, even I'm starting to get annoyed by it. It wasn't even that funny to begin with. Whoever's doing it should cut it out."
"Yeah, you're telling me." Joshua runs a hand down his face. "It got reset again after the secret meeting thing and last night. And then, after xe apparently chew you all out at breakfast again this morning, it happened again."
"I'm starting to think this is less of a bad joke and more of a deliberate harassment campaign," Shizu says.
Joshua groans. "You and Soraru. Xe's not letting anyone mess with it again, at least according to xem. Apparently, xe's planning on just… staying there forever so that xe can catch or stop whoever's doing it. I tried talking xem out of it, but xe's not listening. Both of us need a break."
"Hmm…" The situation has gotten Shizu intrigued. "Perhaps I could try talking with xem about it. Maybe I could at least get xem to cool down a little."
Joshua looks at her like she's his savior. "Really? You mean it?"
"I wouldn't offer if I planned on saying no," she answers.
"Ugh… thank you so much." He looks longingly at the kitchen but shakes his head. "I'd better go with you. If you go alone, you'd just get yelled at. I think I'm the only one that xe doesn't suspect at this point."
Shizu shoves the rest of her sandwich in her mouth and prepares to put her plate away, but Kogi clears his throat. "Don't bother. I'll take care of that. Better that this situation gets resolved fast enough anyways."
She stares at him briefly before nodding in his general direction. Joshua, antsy to get going, holds the door for her. The two of them set off, Joshua spending most of the time talking about how stressed out Soraru was and how he felt like he had to do something. She half-pays attention, choosing to mostly focus on writing down the things Kogi told her.
Conversation with Kogi Bodo (2)
- Claims his first and only experience with protesting was with the Ultimate Protests
- Didn't plan on getting involved with leadership at all, claims it "sort of just happened"
- Knows a lot about how to keep protestors safe, presumably from either law enforcement or anyone looking to dox them
- Apparently, he wants to use me to plan some kind of escape from here, as if that's something I can just do on a whim
- Even now seems to use skills as an organizer to get the things he wants done
Joshua stops her from entering the greenhouse when they finally get there. He points up to the ceiling, indicating some kind of problem, but his hand motions are too vague. Regardless, she stops and lets him go ahead. The moment he steps inside, the sprinklers closest to the door activate on full blast.
"AHA!" Soraru cries out from the back of the room. "I knew I'd… oh. Sorry Joshua."
"Nah, it's all good. No harm done." How he can say that with a straight face while being completely drenched is beyond her.
"What're you doing back so soon anyways? I thought you were getting lunch?" xe asks.
Joshua wrings out his beanie. Water splashes onto the floor, but his hat still looks just as wet. "Yeah, I'm gonna in a sec, but there's someone who wanted to talk to you real quick."
Shizu doesn't even need to look to know that Soraru's eyes have narrowed. "Oh really? Talking, eh? Sure thing, buddy. Just send them in."
"Hey Shizu, it's safe now!" he calls out to her.
She takes a single step into the greenhouse before immediately rushing back out. Her caution is warranted, as the sprinklers activate once again. Joshua, who had just put his beanie back on, groans and takes it back off.
"Hey Shizu, fancy seeing you here in this place that you literally never come to at all," Soraru says, xer true thoughts clear as day. "Come on in, like you always do."
Joshua whines, "Dude, come on. This is getting way out of hand. Do you really think Shizu's the one doing all of this?"
Shizu chooses a different approach. "Moreover, do you really think that I would do anything right now, when both you and Joshua are here? I wouldn't even have the opportunity."
There's silence as xe contemplates this. Then, xe says begrudgingly, "Fiiiine. I'll let you in. But I'm watching you! My eyes are like a well-oiled eagle!"
She's still cautious about entering, once again doing a last-second dodge out of the room just in case. This time, no water falls. A snicker comes from inside, but being mocked in this situation doesn't make her feel foolish. She walks past Joshua, who is debating whether or not to even try to dry off.
Soraru is hunched over the control panel, guarding it like its xer precious child. "So, what's all this about you wanting to talk? A confession of your crimes?"
"Nothing of the sort," Shizu reassures xem, though she doubts xe actually feels better. "I wanted to discuss your current plan. From what I gather, you're planning on keeping watch over this room indefinitely."
Xe looks and Joshua and hisses at him. "You fool! You've leaked all of our plans!"
He tilts his head. "Wait, when did I come up with any of this? I was against this whole thing!"
"Deliberate sabotage!" xe cries.
"I assume," Shizu cuts in, "that this would include spending the night here and potentially staying up as long as possible so that nobody can get past you."
"They can strike and have struck at any minute! If I'm not here all day, then that's basically begging them to come in and ruin everything," xe says, slamming xer palms on the console.
Joshua, whilst attempting to shake water out of his pajama pants, says, "But, like, you gotta sleep at some point. You physically can't be here aware at all times, right?"
"Pah, you're underestimating my power!" Soraru claims. The dark circles under xer eyes say that, if anything, he's overestimating xem. Did xe wake up a bunch last night, thinking about what might happen to the plants?
Shizu decides to point out another problem. "And what exactly will you do for meals? It'll be difficult to get food without being able to leave."
"I'll just beg Joshua to get me something," xe argues.
He gives xem an unimpressed stare, though not for the reason she initially thinks. "Uh, that's probably not gonna work out. I just got soaked twice trying to walk in here. If I bring you food, you'll just ruin it with the sprinklers or something."
Xe holds a hand over xer chest and closes xer eyes. "If soggy food is the price that I must pay for saving the lives of hundreds of innocent plants, then so be it."
"If this truly means this much to you, then there's a much better solution to the problem that won't tire you out. Simply get someone else to watch over the greenhouse for you for part of the day." Shizu knows that, by saying this, she has technically volunteered herself for the position.
Soraru looks at her like she's insane. "Uh, and why should I just let anybody in here to do as they please? Everyone's a suspect!"
"However, wouldn't that be an easier way to catch the culprit?" she argues back. "All you need to do is check the settings on the machine after the shift. If nothing changed, then they're fine looking after it. If they did change, then you've caught them."
"Hmm…" Tilting xer head from side to side, xe makes several noises to let everyone know that xe's thinking very hard. "I'm trying to find problems in your reasoning, but you've hid them all really well. Oh wait." Xe punches xer fist into xer palm. "Who'd even want to volunteer in the first place? I'm not an idiot. Nobody's gonna want to do something to earn my favor, as valuable as that is."
Shizu takes a deep breath. "Well, it would appear you have two such volunteers in front of you."
"Wait, two? Who's the other one?" Joshua asks.
Soraru looks over the two of them, judgement flashing through xer eyes.
Joshua blinks. "Wait, were you talking about me? Cause um… I don't really know if I wanna spend all day in here. That uh… sounds really dull."
"Were you not the one who wanted to help Soraru out?" Shizu crosses her arms. "I would say that this would be a perfect way to help."
"Yeah, but…" he begins.
They're interrupted by Soraru shouting. "Nah! Denied! I don't trust you enough, Shizu. Maybe if someone else brought up the idea, but it's clear you're just trying to outsmart me here. I won't fall for your tricks!"
Shizu can feel a vein throbbing in her forehead. "There are no tricks to fall for. I've already laid out why I wouldn't be able to do anything."
"Nope, not listening anymore," xe says, turning xer head to the side. "You're not important. And Joshua here doesn't want to help either, and I'm not gonna force him because I'm not a bad friend. Your scheme's been foiled. Now leave!"
Though she wants to argue a little more, the threat of being soaked is enough to make her relent. Without another word, she exits the greenhouse, a dripping, confused Joshua at her tail. As she gets back into the hallway, she wonders why she got invested in the situation in the first place.
Joshua sighs and shakes out more water from his clothes. "Ugh… sorry about that. I kinda messed up your plan, huh?"
"Forget it, it's fine," Shizu replies. "I doubt anything you could have said would have made things go better. Xe already decided that I'm too clever to be trusted."
"Yeah, maybe," he says. "I dunno, maybe if I had just agreed, something would've gone differently."
"Soraru was adamant that xe didn't want to force you into something you really didn't want to do. You're not a particularly good liar either, so, even if you didn't say anything, I doubt your feelings would have stayed hidden." It's not exactly comfort, but it's the best she can offer.
He doesn't react like he heard what she said. "Yeah, yeah, alright. Sorry for dragging you into all of this. I should've known that it wouldn't be that easy to resolve. There's gotta be something I can do."
Without so much as a glance back at her, he begins walking off, leaving a trail of water behind him. His mutterings grow distant, but she can guess that it's all meaningless. There's nothing more that she can do, so, for the time being, she retreats back to her room to think.
Immediately, as the door slowly shuts behind her, she regrets her decision. Without anything else to focus on, Monokuma's words from earlier creep back into her thoughts. More implications of that meeting become clear. She hates the fact that she's forced to take him at his word.
Why was she even told in the first place? He mentioned the fact that she was lucky, but was that just an off-hand comment, or was it truly luck of the draw? In that case, why randomly tell her at this point? There were still a few days left before their secrets were to be revealed.
And, most chilling of all, was she the only person whom he told? She may not act on that information, but others might. Nobody she interacted with earlier seemed all that off from usual. Well, maybe Samia was a little nicer than usual, but that doesn't exactly alarm her. Other than that, everyone was as they were normally. Perhaps Monokuma decided to use the tension from the explosion to give cover to those who would be more nervous if they received the information.
All of her speculation leads her in circles. Before she knows it, her stomach is growling at her again. According to her clock, it's almost 7 PM. The movie will start in about an hour, so she should get something to eat again.
The fact that her day thus far has been mostly spending time alone in her room and only venturing out to eat is not lost on her. It almost feels nostalgic for the days before a big test, though, with hindsight, she can't help but feel a little embarrassed.
There's nobody else in the dining hall this time. Either everyone has already eaten or is waiting a little later to eat. Without the distraction of conversation, she makes her meal, eats it, and is out in record time. She's so fast that there's still substantial time before 8 PM. She contemplates just heading back to her room again, but that would probably end with her being late due to getting lost in her thoughts again. She makes the executive decision to head to the rec room early. Worst case scenario is that she gets made fun of for being too ahead of schedule.
The only other person inside the rec room when she gets there is Michio. He's in the process of pushing over some chairs in front of the TV. It completes the semi-circle of seating arrangement. She wonders if all of the things he got were already inside, or if he had to get some from the storage room.
Michio wipes his forehead once he's done. Out of the corner of his eye, he finally spots Shizu standing in the doorway and smiles. "Yo, Shizu! You made it!"
"Made it? I'm the first one to arrive," she states, walking further inside.
He laughs. "You know what I mean. I thought you might bail after what happened yesterday. I haven't seen you at all yet. How're you doing?"
"Well enough, considering everything," she answers. "I had… a lot on my mind today. I apologize for not being available. However, I did say that I would be here, so here I am."
"Sweet, glad to hear it. While I've got your attention, would you mind filling this out for me?" He walks over to a nearby shelf and grabs a clipboard off of it.
She takes it from him as he offers it, scanning it for details. There's a sheet that's been signed by everyone, along with several… titles? She can't really tell. "What's this?"
He explains. "I felt selfish for deciding what the movie was going to be for everyone else, so I figured I'd take a survey on which movie people might want to see next time. If we do this again at all, that is. I managed to ask everyone but you."
Thinking it over for a moment, she twiddles with the pencil attached to the clipboard. "And what if I don't particularly care what is shown next?"
"Just put N/A or don't care or something," he says. "A few others said something like that too. It's still blowing my mind that there are people out there who don't care much about what they're watching."
Looking down the list, she notices that Chouki and Kogi both declined to choose. Kaixi too, for some reason. Maybe he simply thinks his movie choice isn't important. As she writes down her own lack of preference, she says, "Some people only wish to spend time with their friends, regardless of the activity."
Michio takes the clipboard back and chuckles. "Yeah, I guess, but that's kinda funny coming from you. Not that I think you don't like spending time with people you like, but I doubt that's the reason you don't care."
"Perhaps you don't know me as well as you think you do," she says, flipping her hair with her hand.
"Ha, got me there!" Still laughing, he puts the clipboard back on the shelf. "That's probably true for you too. There's probably a lot about me you don't know."
Shizu purses her lips. "I'd wager you're more of an open book than I am. You seem to freely give out information about yourself, whereas I tend to not to think about those kinds of things without specific prompting."
"Hey, if I'm an open book, then that just means I've got nothing to hide," Michio argues. "Besides, being mysterious is way overrated. How're you supposed to meet anyone if they're too busy not thinking about you? No, it's much better to just let people know what you're all about."
"I… suppose that's one way of looking at it." Shizu can't help but wonder if his last comment is about making friends or meeting a romantic partner.
He smirks at her expression. "Have I gotten you interested with my offer?"
"What offer?" she asks, genuinely confused.
"The offer to let you know what I'm all about," he says, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I know that you're all about learning whatever you can. There's no way you haven't been curious about me." He winks and does a little pose with both his hands on his hips.
She rolls her eyes, but he's not exactly wrong. There are some things she's been wondering about. "In that case, I am wondering how someone becomes interested in working as a coroner in the first place. It's not what I'd call a glamorous profession."
"Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I'm happy to explain. Just let me remember for a minute." He drops his antics and scratches his head. "I guess… it'd probably have to be because of my dad. He's a detective, you know?"
"I can see the connection, but it's rather weak," she says. "From that, I'd guess that you'd be interested in detective work. It's certainly the more popular job, especially to children."
"Hey now, just because I'm a popular guy doesn't mean that I follow the trends. I'm also a pioneer!" When his declaration fails to impress, he laughs it off. "But seriously, I can't really explain why I wasn't interested. It just wasn't my thing, I guess. But dad would take me to his workplace every now and then."
Shizu balks. "Surely not to an active crime scene?"
"No, down to the station, duh," Michio says, crossing his arms. "Come on, now you're just being ridiculous."
She attempts to explain herself. "Sorry, I just thought… because you were interested in coroner stuff, that meant you'd…"
"What, seen a dead body on site? That'd be crazy." Shaking his head, Michio says, "Nah, I only saw them at the station for the most part."
"What?!" She's unable to control her shout. "You… you do realize how that isn't any better, right?!"
He makes calming motions with his hands. "Hey, it's not like I was, like, 10 when I saw them. I was already old enough to have seen enough movies that I wasn't scarred by the sight. Besides, it was all under supervision by dad's coroner friend."
Though his explanation does soothe her a little, she's still feeling exasperated. "I still find it hard to believe that law enforcement would be okay with a teenager running into the morgue."
"Well…" He rubs the back of his neck and gives a sheepish grin. "I did kind of sneak off when dad was busy every now and then. One of those times, I just happened to stumble into the coroner doing some work. And it really interested me too, so it all worked out."
"Worked out… is that really the right way to phrase it?" she asks.
His brow furrows. "I don't get why you're being so judgmental about it. Like, because all of this happened, my dad got in touch with his friend, and that gave me some first-hand experience in working as a coroner. I got lessons directly from a professional. That's why I'm an Ultimate. If that hadn't happened, who knows what I would have done with my life?"
Shizu almost wants to point out that being an Ultimate is what got him into this mess in the first place, but she recognizes that that wasn't his point. Reluctantly, she agrees. "I suppose that makes sense in a way. I'm sorry to have criticized people in your past."
"Keep that up, and maybe I won't be sharing much in the future." He gives her a wink just in case she thought he was being serious. At least he's not upset about it.
She decides to tease him back. "I'm certain I'd find it out regardless."
"Just you try it." He gives a hearty laugh, though, for some reason, Shizu notices that his hands are shaking again.
"Ah, excuse me for interrupting, but I wished to let you know of my arrival. It is almost 8 PM after all."
Morgan has appeared in the doorway, marking an end to the topic. Michio saunters over to greet her personally. "Glad to have you. I hope you're having a wonderful night."
Giggling, she replies, "Yes, it has been going well thus far. I have been told that it will only get better soon."
"That's the hope," he says, giving her a thumbs up.
Shizu chooses this moment to stop paying attention. She takes a seat in one of the side chairs and takes out her notes, ready to jot down her thoughts on what she just learned.
Conversation with Michio Kokkaku (2)
- Planning on future movie nights, has gotten everyone to write down their suggestions
- Father worked as a detective, would often bring him to the station where he worked
- Apparently was allowed to wander around without supervision at the station? If true, it would add to my complaints about law enforcement
- Became interesting in being a coroner after seeing a professional coroner at work
- Got lessons directly from his father's coroner friend, perhaps as an intern
By the time she's made sure she's gotten everything down, several others have joined her around the TV. Morgan, of course, has taken her seat, but Kaixi and Hachi have also arrived. Kaixi is fiddling with his camera as it hangs from his neck, presumably having taken some pictures already. From the looks of things, Michio is busy greeting Fumika by the entrance. She's a little surprised that Fumika didn't manage to sneak past him somehow, like she always manages to do. She also hears a humming noise coming from the walls, presumably someone else arriving in the elevator.
When she puts her notepad back into her pocket, Morgan gives a small giggle. "Back in the realm of reality now, are we?"
"I don't want to hear that from you of all people," she bites back.
Kaixi quickly intervenes, moving between the two of them. "H-hey now, we're all friends here, right? Let's just play nice, okay?"
"It was merely a little teasing, nothing more," Morgan reassures him. She spares a glance at Shizu. "Well, I know mine comment was, but I'm certain yours was as well."
She pushes up her glasses. "Sure."
Hachi brings up a different topic as she wiggles in her seat. "I'm really pumped about the movie. I've never been to one with friends. I hope I'm not too annoying."
"As long as you're not talking the entire time, you will be just fine," Morgan says.
Kaixi adds his own comment. "Nobody's expecting everyone to be quiet the entire time. It's a lot of fun to have everyone laugh or scream or just react together as a group. Some movies are even better that way!"
Personally, Shizu thinks that sounds a tad distracted, but, instead, she says, "I believe subtitles will be on as well. At least, so long as our host has thought things through, they should be."
"I'm sure he has," Kaixi says, waving off her concerns. "If he went through all this trouble to set things up, he's definitely thought of everything."
Hachi smiles at all of them. "I'm still a little nervous, but I think I'll be fine." She seems startled when Kaixi pats her on the back, but, once she realizes what's happening, she beams all the brighter.
At that moment, the sound of someone flopping into a chair gets their attention. A closer inspection reveals Joshua, reclining so low on his chair that his head is almost touching the seat.
Morgan raises a hand over her mouth, perhaps to stifle her giggles. "Ah, good evening Joshua. Though, I take it from your body language that the evening has not been good to you thus far."
"Ughhhhh…" he groans.
Hachi looks like she's debating getting up to help him. "Um… are you feeling okay? Like, is your stomach upset or anything?"
"No, I'm fiiiine…" Joshua's whining indicates otherwise.
Shizu sighs. "Is this situation with Soraru still bothering you?"
"Ah yes, I had nearly forgotten about everything going wrong with the greenhouse." Morgan tuts. "Truly, what an annoyance."
"I didn't forget!" Hachi shouts. Upon noticing her volume, she blushes and continues quieter. "I got yelled at today when I went to go do beekeeping things. I didn't even get a chance to see any of them."
Joshua slips further towards the ground. "I thought I'd pull a Shizu and come to some brilliant conclusion after sitting alone for a few hours in my room, but I've got nothing. Xe's still paranoid and wasting away in there, and I can't do anything to help. I really hoped that xe'd take a break with the movie tonight, but that's not happening."
"Pull a what now?" Shizu asks, arms crossed.
He pulls his beanie down over his eyes. "Uh… well, I mean…"
Shaking a finger at him, Morgan interrupts, "Did you not consider giving xem a break by taking over xer shift? Even for only a while?"
"I believe he already turned down that idea," Shizu says. "I don't think he feels up for guard duty."
"W-well, hang on." Joshua pushes himself up and attempts to defend himself. "I thought about it some more, and, like, I wouldn't mind staying there for a while. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to handle doing it for, like, more than 3 hours. That's really not enough time to give xem a break."
"Well, why not crowdsource some help?" Morgan waves her hand out to everyone around him. "I'm certain there are many here who would love to lend a hand, even at very odd hours."
As expected, Kaixi jumps at the chance. "I'd be totally fine with helping out!"
"If it's just looking after the greenhouse, I'm already doing beekeeping stuff, so it's not that much of a hassle," Hachi chimes in.
Shizu taps her foot. "I believe that I already offered my services as well."
Though Joshua looks grateful to all of them, he still refuses. "That's nice and all, and I really appreciate it, but I don't think Soraru would go for it. Especially not after I blew it earlier today when Shizu tried to reason with xem. Only thing I think xe'd go for is if it was just me, y'know?"
Morgan fiddles with one of her rings. "Though xe may disregard the offer, that does not spell the end of the plan."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Joshua asks.
"Lie."
Everyone, save Morgan, jumps in their seat at the sound of Fumika's voice. Somehow, she has once again appeared nearby without warning. She must mistake their silence for confusing, as she continues. "Just because xe will only let you in doesn't mean that you have to tell xem that."
Hachi's eyes light up. "Oh! Yeah, you could say you'll look out and then just let everyone else take turns watching. If xe's resting up, then xe wouldn't even know, right?"
Tilting his head from side to side, Joshua mulls the concept over. "I guess… maybe… It could work, but I'd still feel bad about asking you all to do this. Especially because you'd have to stay up real late."
"You could be the one to take the night shift," Shizu points out.
He rubs the back of his neck. "Ah… yeah, about that… I kinda wanted to have a late night game session with xem if this all does go through. You know, to make up for xem not making it tonight."
Fumika narrows her eyes. "Wouldn't that immediately give away that you're having someone else do your job?"
"Y-yeah, I guess… probably yeah," he says, lowering his head in defeat.
Morgan sighs. "You give up so easily. You still haven't run this plan by xem yet. Perhaps xe may agree, if it comes directly from you. Or, xe may feel more forgiving if you spring it on xem as a surprise. Either way, I believe things may have a way of working out for you."
Frowning, Shizu can't help but ask, "Spiritual intuition?"
"Well, you said it, not me," Morgan counters.
"Ah, good evening everyone." Tsubame, perhaps timing her arrival to cause the least amount of conflict, walks over to them and sits next to Fumika.
"Hey Tsubame!" Hachi greets, bouncing in her chair again.
Tsubame smiles at all of them. "Pardon me for holding things up. I hope I wasn't too late."
"What you are talking about? There's still another two minutes before 8 PM. You're not even the last one here," Fumika points out.
Giving her a thumbs up, Kaixi agrees. "You don't have anything to feel bad about. We're all glad you're here."
The next few minutes are a rush. Samia and Pal enter soon afterwards, chatting amongst themselves about some kind of Greek myth or whatever. Soon afterwards, Sawako dashes into the room, completely out of breath. Everyone is alarmed until she pants out that she had lost track of time while eating dinner. Just before Michio gets ready to start the movie, Kogi comes strolling in, completely nonchalant, ignoring everyone in favor of sitting on the sidelines.
Michio waits another minute just in case before clearing his throat. "Hey everyone! Thanks so much for coming today. Just a little heads up: I made a little last-minute swap to what we're watching. Given uh… recent events, I thought something a little more lowkey would be better. Don't worry though, it's still sci-fi, like I promised."
A few people give polite chuckles at his statement, and he takes that as his cue to dim the lights and start the movie. It becomes clear early on to Shizu that it's some kind of space romantic comedy or something. She should have figured that a romantic like Michio would use this as a replacement. Not that it's bad thing or anything, but she personally has trouble understanding the chemistry between the leads in films like these.
About twenty minutes in, as the female lead is going on a walk through a space garden (whatever that is), Shizu hears the elevator humming through the wall. Soon enough, she hears footsteps and sees Chouki peeking inside. Once he sees that the movie has started, he tries to slink away. However, Pal, who also noticed him, stands up and drags him over to an empty chair, ignoring his whispered complaints. Though, once he takes his seat, his complaints cease.
Despite only ever watching a few of these movies in the past, Shizu still finds it predictable. Every single shenanigan, now in space-flavor, is easy to see coming. In particular, the part during the spacewalk scene, where their air tubes cross and get them tangled up close to each other makes her internally groan. Somehow, nobody else is processing the horror of the situation, at least not vocally. …Maybe she should learn to take things less seriously.
The one scene that sticks out to her is the "climactic" showdown against the male romantic rival, whatever his name is. There's some fighting going on between him and the male lead, and she rolls her eyes, waiting for the hero to win in the end. So, she's somewhat surprised when the female lead takes some initiative and literally picks up the villain and throws him behind her. Moments later, she understands that this was set up in an earlier scene and feels silly. Still, the action gets her thinking… It would be nice to be that strong, though it's probably easier to throw things without gravity.
When the movie finally ends, everyone claps, and she feels pressured to applaud along. There's some generic chatter about what moments people found cute or funny or whatever. Kaixi is snapping pictures of everyone smiling or something. She's not really paying attention, not even to whatever Chouki is stuttering about to Hachi and Pal. Her brain is exhausted from all of the thinking today and from the film.
Sawako surprises her by tapping her on the shoulder. "My apologies. I didn't mean to disturb your thoughts. I just wanted to ask if you enjoyed the film."
"It was fine," she says noncommittally. "Why?"
"I couldn't help but notice you looked a little out of it while it was playing," Sawako explains. "…Ah, I realize that sounds like I was watching you in particular, but I was merely sitting behind you, so I just happened to see you slumping over every now and then."
"…Romance isn't particularly my thing," Shizu admits.
Smiling in what looks like relief, Sawako nods. "No judgement there. It's not a topic for all of us." She sighs. "Well, I'm glad that's all it was. I thought maybe something else was distracting you, but I'm glad to see that I was wrong. Goodnight, Shizu!"
Shizu gives a halfhearted wave and slips out of the rec room before anyone else can bother her. Apparently, she shouldn't skip breakfast again, lest others go out of their way to assume the worst. Though, technically, they would be correct worry, given the reason behind her skipping. How annoying.
Her earlier goal, which was checking to see who was acting like they had also been told who held their secret, had slipped from her mind. She internally curses herself for not paying closer attention to everyone. Part of her wants to blame the movie, but that wouldn't be fair.
There's also another matter percolating through her mind. The explosion keeps replaying over and over again. For some reason, her brain is fixated on that event. The sudden lack of sound, the destruction, the suddenness, the sight of Monokuma disappearing down the stairs…
That's it! That's what her brain must be focused on. They had narrowly avoided being caught in the blast radius thanks to Sawako throwing Monokuma away. It was a mixture of instinctive reaction and strength. Shizu believes she has much of the former but almost none of the latter. She definitely doesn't want to get caught in that situation again. Perhaps she should find some way to ensure her own safety, just in case.
However, that would require… exercising.
Shizu pinches her forehead. For some reason, she gets a bad feeling about her plans tomorrow.
Shizu's Notes
Monokuma's Extra Information
- According to Monokuma, Kogi is the person who has my secret
- Unsure of why he told me at all, perhaps luck if his cryptic statements are to be believed?
- Potentially told others similar information as well, though who and how many are unknown
- Could be lying, my secret definitely applies to me, but I may have more than one dark secret (though what could it be?)
- Who is my secret supposed to belong to?
Greenhouse Incidents
- Someone has been randomly setting the sprinkler settings for the past two days
- Only possible explanation is to mess with Soraru, though to what end?
- Soraru is currently looking over the greenhouse to stop it from happening again, should check in tomorrow to see if there was any change (xe must have fallen asleep at some point, right?)
A/N: Surprise, no deaths yet! I guess it's a little odd, since we're so far into the chapter, and there was a party and all that. Typically that's the prime opportunity to strike in these scenarios. Ah well. Surely nothing bad will happen on the next day. Thank you again for everyone's continued support of this very old fic. It means a lot. As always, I hope things are going well for you all, and please take care of yourselves.